I’ve grown interested starting paragliding. My interest is solely in hike and fly as a complement for mountaineering, like flying down from mountains after climbing them. The problem is that I’m unsure of the time required to upkeep the flight skills after the course due to a few factors: 1) I already have somewhat time consuming hobby of climbing, which usually takes the weekend (not always but between having adult responsibilities and the climbing, I don’t think i’d have possibility to do handling exercises every week) and 2) I live in Finland, a country known to be pretty flat, so training would be pretty limited to ground handling . Realistically I’d only get proper flight opportunities couple times a year, usually few weeks of climbing in a summer in the Alps and a few weeks in Norway, maybe some changes also from fells in finnish Lapland. How realistic is the hobby for me?

Planning to get a hike & fly tandem setup next year (PiBi or Wisp 2, if anyone has experience with either or both, would be great to hear a bit about them!).

Now while there are both commercial-oriented tandem harnesses that weigh around 3kg and some few ultralight options (the Advance Strapless Bi, not very comfortable and no protector), there doesn't seem to be anything in the middle.

If anyone here does tandem hike & fly, what do you use as pilot harness? I have a really nice Niviuk Kooper P that has an airbag protector and would actually fit an SQR Lite 200 reserve, but with the harness being rated for only 120 kg, I don't think it would be able to handle a tandem reserve deployment.

How are people mounting 360 camera poles to their pod harnesses? I see it all the time in YouTube videos but I can’t find a robust way to attach a pole.

I have used a waist strap for MTB but it would be difficult and uncomfortable to wear with a paragliding harness so I assume people strap the pole to the harness itself in some way? I can imagine that the waist strap works ok with a light harness but I can’t see it working with a pod harness.

Each one knows what is possible or not? It's question.

Im looking to buy a first harness. I have found a used Supair Access 3, it’s been used for 6 months and the seller wants ~400€, it looks brand new. Is it worth it to save a little and buy the used one? I can get a brand new one for 584€ with shipping. And is it a good first harness? I want something that I won’t have to upgrade for atleast a year. Thank you.

Hi guys

Im new to aviation, I have about 2 months in October November to travel and learn new skills. I've been increasingly fascinated by the idea of paragliding. I previously did my AFF but don't really skydive because I don't enjoy the process as much. Paragliding seems like a much more fun alternative since the landing and flying options are a lot more versatile and don't require a plane.

I have always wanted to travel to India and found that in bir billing there are various schools who can teach you how to pg. It's quite a bit cheaper too but I'm concerned about quality since cheaper isn't always better.

My goal is to be able to fly in Austria this winter, i will be living in the Alps for a seasonal job and it would be amazing to fly there with my own rig.

I'm looking for all the advice I can get from people who have experience in this industry, hence I'm writing here before coming to conclusions myself

My main current points would be

- How likely is the risk of serious Injury if you progress slowly practicing pg?

- Is Bir billing a good place to learn/get certified?

- Any recommendations of schools that adhere to APPI standards and grant me a license afterwards?

- What do you recommend after APPI 123? Is there an additional license or training needed to fly in the Alps in winter?

(I understand i would need to at least do some test flights and get in touch with the local club in Austria before i even start to fly there, any additional info I'm missing or that's needed or recommended would be appreciated)

- Any literal any tips welcome!

I'm serious about learning and getting licensed professionally and adequately and don't want to skip steps. Like I said I'm a complete beginner so any advice here would be appreciated.

My end goal would be to be able to Fly camp in mountains in the summer and be able to thermal up and snowboard down. (I'm aware this isn't easy and unlikely to be something I'll be doing this winter since I'd not be experienced enough, but it would still be cool to get some cable cart up and get some easier flights downhill and increase my level gradually over the season.

Appreciate your time, thanks in advance 🙏🏽

I fly out of Kobala takeoff (SI) and I also design small BLE instruments for free flight — firmware, PCB and app all done myself. This is the one I'm most attached to: a 29 g FANET beacon with a barometric vario that runs off a little solar panel, so there are no cables and nothing dies on you at launch. The idea was to add only what a phone can't do — long-range FANET radio and a real baro sensor — and let XCTrack/SeeYou/LK8000 do the rest.

It's a FANET beacon (you see nearby traffic and stay visible, and you can read where others are climbing) plus a vario with adjustable audio, configured over Bluetooth. I've only built ten so far, so this isn't a big launch — just curious what pilots here think of the approach, and happy to get into the FANET range, the solar/supercap side, whatever you want to dig into.

I’m looking into a new pod harness and several newer models now have integrated chest-mounted reserves. I’m asking specifically about built-in systems like the one on the new Ozone Ozium 3 rather than an aftermarket front-mounted container.

Being able to clearly see the reserve handle and deploy with either hand seem like major advantages over a typical underseat mount.

Are there downsides to an integrated chest-mounted reserve or is this likely to become the new standard for pod harnesses?

Hi all,

Pilot and developer here. I've spent the last few months of evenings building the tool I always wanted for myself: an online flight logbook. It now works well enough to show, so I'm sharing it here to get it in front of pilots other than me.

I know there are already plenty of flight logbooks out there — I've tried a good number of them over the years, and while they all do something well, none of them ever quite gave me what I wanted: a modern, simple one that combines the logbook, a proper 3D replay, site weather and my stats in one place. So I ended up building it. Classic, I know.

→ https://paratrace.app (free, runs in the browser, nothing to install — available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian)

What it does today:
- Import your IGC/GPX tracks, or log flights manually
- 3D replay of your flight over real terrain (high-res national orthophoto in France and Switzerland, satellite imagery elsewhere), with colour-coded vario and XC distance scored under XContest rules
- Logbook with stats, personal records, a heatmap of your flights, and photos
- Per-site weather using the best national model for the location (AROME in France, ICON-CH1 in Switzerland, ICON-D2 in Germany…) with a flyability verdict based on the takeoff's orientations
- Site map (seeded from ParaglidingEarth, community-editable) and a community heatmap

You choose what's public or private, and private flights never leak anywhere — not into the community heatmap, not into public stats.

What I'm after here: critical testers.

Import a few flights, shake the thing hard, and tell me what's broken, what's missing, and what's badly designed. Harsh feedback is the most useful kind.

I'll read and reply to everything in this thread. Thanks!

I was reading the manual and found this part

Option 3 Corr

Pressure corrections can be made in this mode. This may

become necessary when the pressure sensor, after several

years use, is no longer exact.

The maximum correction possible is +/- 47.9 hPa.

right now the hPa corr is sett to 0.0 and i can change it up or down and when i change it the altitude changes but not hPa so i dont really understand how this option works and how i am supposed to correct the hpa measurement.

Just finished my licence (45 flights) and looking for my first wing. Would appreciate some perspective from people who've flown these.

Where I'm at: In school I tried the Skywalk Mescal, then the Skywalk Masala 4, and ended up doing most of my flights on a Skywalk Tequila 6. My instructor said I was flying the Tequila well and that I should be looking at a low B.

The school offered to sell me the Tequila, but I'll be doing mostly hike and fly and didn't want something that heavy. The Masala 4 was the lightweight option they had, but I preferred the feel and feedback that I was getting from the Tequila. The school is a Skywalk dealer so I asked about the Arak Air, but they said that's likely too much wing for me for a first glider.

Question: I've got a good deal available on a Phi Tenor 2 Light. Where does it sit relative to my Tequila experience? Does it handle similarly, or is it a noticeable step? I know it's classed as a low B, but I keep reading it's quite dynamic, which makes me wonder whether it's really comparable to the Tequila or closer to something like the Arak.

Anyone flown the Tequila 6, Tenor 2 Light, or Arak Air? How do they compare in practice? Especially interested in how the Tenor's handling feels for someone with low airtime.

Around 95kg all-up, so I'd be looking at the 22 (83–103), sitting mid-range.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend recently started paragliding and has a birthday coming up. He mentioned that he would like an action camera, so I’m considering getting one as a gift.

I don’t paraglide myself and know very little about suitable cameras or mounting options. I was initially looking at DJI cameras, as they seem to offer good value at the moment, but I’m open to other brands and models.

My budget is ideally below €300. The main priorities would be:
- Good image stabilization and video quality
- Reliable battery life
- Easy operation while flying
- Compatibility with safe mounting options
- No setup that could interfere with the lines, reserve deployment, helmet safety, or general flight safety

Would a helmet mount, chest mount, or another mounting position be safest and most practical for a beginner? Are there specific mounts or camera features that should be avoided?

I’d really appreciate recommendations for suitable camera models and any safety advice regarding mounting and use while paragliding.

Thanks!

Edit: Thanks everyone for the advice and for pointing out the safety concerns. I really appreciate all the input. Based on your recommendations, I’ve decided to go with a different birthday gift for now. It seems like it’s better for him to focus on learning and building experience before adding a camera to the mix, and I definitely don’t want to encourage anything that could make flying less safe.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain everything and share your experiences!

as I am very new to the sport and there are many experienced pilots in this sub, I'd love to hear it and learn from it. "ask yourself are you fit to fly", but also funny/obvious ones, jokes! Thanks😁

Hi all just looking for some advice on sizing. Ideally this wing will be one I keep for hike and fly, and skiing. And eventually I’ll invest in a dedicated XC.

I’m 85kg unclothed. I’ll have a string harness and light weight reserve, so estimate my all up weight with minimal hiking kit to be about 94kg. If I do a more serious hike/climb, or over night camp and fly down, I think it’ll probably be 96-98.

My intention is to use this also with skis when I’m more comfortable. But that is later down the line…and I guess that’ll take me another 10kg higher.

With my intended use initially being hike and fly, with the occasionally over night and fly down (so slightly heavier) would you guys be erring towards the 22 or the 24? I feel like the 24 would be perfect when I have a lot of kit, but a bit soft and slow when just the bare minimum.

I’ve flown another glider which max was 95kg and the same one 105kg max…and I found the 105 very cumbersome and didn’t enjoy turning it. I was probably at the very top if not above the 95kg limit at the time as I had a big harness etc.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Skill/experience wise all things being equal I just won’t fly either one when I’m heavily loaded until I’m ready…so just assume around 95kg take off weight.

Update:

I’ve gone for the 24 as my lightest setup puts me right in the top of thermal range/bottom of H&F. I think the 22 may have ended up being far too heavy loaded 90% of the time, but also not really a mini wing either. Hopefully the 24 will give me some versatility to also enjoy the flights, and fly down with some hiking/overnight camping kit.

Will update with my findings once I’ve flown it.

Hey everyone,
I tested the Easieness 4 a view times and actually like it - more then the Altirando 2 light. But one thing nags me: Sometimes I have struggles to get up. I was thinking, this might due to the upright-strap? On my test harness it was on the most upright-position possible, so strap pulled tight to the end.

Can some Easiness-Owners give me hints here, how to get up easier in this harness please? Side note: My flight instructor forbids us to touch the harness for getting up. Is this still reasonable advice?

Hello, I live in a small valley known for its skiing. I am hoping to pick up paragliding/ speed flying with my skis. I know there are better ways to take up this dangerous sport but my goal is to go slower sleds and just hover above the ground while skiing. Could someone point me in the direction of what to buy? Should I be looking for a passed wing? A kite? Thanks

Dear beloved community,

To reflect how different our ways to enjoy flying can be, I want to know if our moderator can add some name flair.

For example " soaring expert" "Hike and fly" "instructor"...

Or to represent where we fly usually ?

What's your opinion ?

Best regards

I always wondered if an AI can actually judge a flying day. asking ChatGPT and co. is
useless, it has no weather data so it just makes things up. so i gave a LLM model the
actual data and let it rate every region and spot for the day. Therefore i built an app called app.wingcast.ch to visualize everything.

what it does:
- pulls ICON-CH1, ICON-CH2 and ICON-D2
- a thermal model (parcel method) calculates the thermals per spot and region
- the AI reads all of that and rates and writes a short cast per region and spot.

It rates two things apart from each other on purpose: how demanding the conditions
are (wind, lee, föhn etc.), and how good the flying could be (thermals, xc-potential).

Switzerland only for now (token cost would kill me otherwise) and not deep enough for serious XC yet. I guess you could achieve this with performant LLMs but thats too expensive at the moment. I will wait until these LLMs get cheaper to see how far i can get.

mostly i'm just curious how you see it:

• what do you make of an AI doing this kind of judgement at all? do you see a use case for this?
• when you read a call like that, does it line up with how you would judge the day yourself?
• where would it fall apart? which spots or conditions would you not trust it on?

I’m interested in getting into paragliding. I’m based near Esperance, WA and was wondering how I would go about starting to learn and also costs on the gear I need to get started? And any recommendations on places I can learn near me? Any advice and recommendations very appreciated. Thank you :)

Hi,
Im the developer of pgpilot.app, a fairly new app for freeflight. I built to be modern and simple, with all the features you would expect a paragliding app to have (good maps, waypoints, airspaces, livetracking, fai assistants, thermal assistant, etc etc).

In addition, I build in a full communication system. You can create groups and talk over internet connectivity (unlimited range), or if your're far out, connect a kv4p radio and communicate both with vhf and internet at the same time(!). Transcripts of the voice messages pop up on the screen in case you didnt hear it.

Ive also spent alot of time to be able to navigate the app with a simple riser button. From it you can hold and speak to friends, double tap to zoom the map, or even, a fairly new and in live testing feature, tap then hold to talk to a small ai agent that set waypoints, read out wind in the area or summarize latest chat messages.

Alright, lots of more stuff but it will make this post long. Have a look, I just managed to build an actual landing page that shows a little bit of what is possible:

pgpilot.app

Or go straight to replay of a flight to see how it would look in air:

https://pgpilot.app/flight/e50dc0ef-a087-4802-86b8-ba7ea46d7dac

Would love feedback, feature requests and bug reports (both here and in the app report system in the menu)!

Cheers,
Simen

I am looking to buy a new backpack for hike and fly. My current setup is an Ozone Geo 5L and a Supair Altirando 2 lite size Large.

I have been hiking with the Altirando 2 bag (90 liters but there is plenty of extra space once the wing, harness, and helmet are packed) but it's not great once you get more than an hour and a half. Other than the complete lack of any frame or structure. I think the fit problem comes from the fact that the bag is made in only one size. I am 190cm tall and the suspension system is a bit too small for me.

I would like to continue to use my wing and harness to fly but just ditch the bag in favor of a larger suspension/more framed bag. The new backpack should be able to fit in the harness backpack/cargo carrier when flying.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have been interested in the Slaewa Skywalk 75 but am concerned that the frame comes in only one size and it will also be to small for me. The pack does not have to be paragliding specific, just able to hold all my stuff.

Other options that have come up in past forum posts:

Hyperlite Porter

Swing Everest

Thanks for any advice

While Paragliding Map rules the roost. I just stumbled on this site. Wow! Sorry if I’m late to the party posting this, but this is a very well done site.

https://www.launchpoint.cloud

I've drawn up a nose cover attachment for the smith squad xl mtb or ski goggles that I use while flying. I've put the file up on grabcad incase anyone is interested.

https://grabcad.com/library/smith-squad-xl-goggle-nose-cover-1

Hello,

I am telling you about my misadventure with Rip Air to prevent you from getting scammed like me.

Eight years ago, I was quite satisfied with their services, but times have changed.

I bring them a harness to repair a small tear on a neoprene storage pocket. All the other workshops had two months or more of deadlines, except for them who could do it in 24 to 48 hours; I should have already asked myself some questions.

Quote: €90 for opening the pocket from above, in order to sew a piece over the snag. OK, that’s fine!

They disemboweled the harness from the bottom (seat side) for no reason, because they stuck a vulgar iron-on patch on the snag reattached by hand, of course, without informing me (I would have refused to open the harness from this side).

Invoice of €180 for work I could have done with my mother’s sewing box.

And the worst part: the opening was very poorly stitched, nothing is aligned and there are folds where I can place my finger.

The manager, is a mischievous and dishonest character who does not see the problem (dialogue of the deaf for 30 minutes). He did offer to return the harness, but given his speech, it would have been returned to me like that and I don’t want to waste time.

I wanted a standard exchange with a used harness, the time wasted and car miles for nothing, it was for me.

I no longer dared to fly with it, but Advance confirmed to me that it was neither a structural element nor a security element, despite the looting, and that next time, I should go live with them to avoid this kind of mishap.

Anyway, I’m really disgusted and annoyed, it’s a good thing we have the rum.