Re: [SwoopnHuck] paragliding v skydiving experience
After 4 years of Hang Gliding and Paragliding, and then getting into BASE, i know a lot of sites that would be perfect for ground launching. But I also know that if any of my old soaring buddies showed up at the site and saw me ground launching my daggar, they would freak. especially at some of the more political sites. (some sites wont even allow paraglider aerobatics) My advice is go talk to some paraglider pilots, be nice, tell them what you want to do, maybe they can recomend a hill thats not so hot. and maybe you can get a huck out of it. (ask, i recomend that) They are all nice people. It is just that their sport has been around so long and is popular enough to have a governing body (USHGA) that works hard to open up perfect launch sites, just like we work hard to keep Bs and As cold and open.
on a different note, for the ground launch junkies, Paraglider canopies are FAR superior to skydiving and base parachutes when it comes to glide, agility, speed, sink rate, precision.(all the things you want in fun ground launching!) This is obviously due to the fact they dont have to OPEN in freefall. I understand a skydiving company is releasing a ground launch canopy. I would be curious to see if they cooperated with paraglider manufacturers. Soon enough we will have special harnesses for drag reduction, (swooping harnesses will be here soon, the body position held by the harness on a skydiving rig looks like it was designed to create drag) and canopies with line so thin it has to be colored to see. and we will have gone in a circle. we will be paragliding. Evolution.
Paragliders can fly at 15 kph or 80 kph. they sink at less than 50meters per minute. I have seen paragliders surf/swoop (toe in the water), no wind for 100 meters. Some manufacturers are experimenting with building canopies with no stitching, and no welding. simply weaving the canopy fabric together. we can learn a lot from paragliders.
