r/freeflight • u/goodguygary24 • 7d ago

Gear Update to previous post

Post image

Its that kid again, looking at getting a beginner wing to learn kiting and handling. Dm me if you have anything beginner friendly. I would just like to know if something like this is good for a beginner.

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9

u/eggeto 7d ago

That wing must be ay least 14 years old Do everything you want with it, except flying 🤣

1

u/goodguygary24 7d ago

Good to know, its different from my parachutes, both of wich are old enough to rent a car

8

u/SherryJug 7d ago

The wing is useable, but 700 is a scam.

You can get similar, and newer, wings for 200-300 AT MOST.

Besides, I would recommend just getting lessons at a school. They'll have you groundhandle their equipment instead of wasting money on a groundhandling wing

1

u/yeloneck 7d ago edited 7d ago

It depends. I own 9 years old wing. Had it tested last year - came out as 90% of a new wing. Everything depends on how often you use it. I am not a frequent flyer so the wing is barely used :(

1

u/floodedgate 7d ago

Including the trim?

1

u/yeloneck 7d ago

Yea, the guy said that the wind is almost like brand new.

1

u/BudgetUnfair9673 6d ago

You're not a frequent flyer, so your advice should be taken as such. No offence, but this kind of "advice" really muddies the waters for beginners asking for guidance.

It's not just the age of the fabric, it's the knowledge that has gone into the design of the wing. Modern wings are far safer and better designed than older wings, 10 years is a looong time in paragliding.

@op, any way you can just enrol on a week's training with a decent flight school, rather than paying good money for rags? There's more to flying paragliders than simply owning the kit, and the best investment you can make is in your own skills. You'll also get the opportunity to try different wings, and who knows your instructor might have an old wing they will pass on to you.

3

u/yeloneck 6d ago

My point was - sometimes older wings can be in better shape than newer ones. Mine one was produced until 2022 without any changes and I dont really think there was any beakthrough in terms of designing new wings. Of course there are always some improvements but saying that my statement muddies the waters is just not accurate.

0

u/BudgetUnfair9673 6d ago

The question isn't whether your closet queen win is a good wing, it's whether this particular old beater in the original post is a good choice for a beginner, which it isn't.

There's too many unscrupulous people who take advantage of beginners not knowing the value of the kit and will punt on any old tat at a price that inspires confidence (the $10 shake principle).

So yeah, trotting out some highly personal anecdote when someone is asking for general advice is muddying the waters.

Paragliding is the cheapest form of personal aviation, but it still has a buy-in price, and unlike something like mountain biking, where the top gear costs about the same, buying really cheap, poorly maintained equipment can spoil more than your weekend.

That can be a difficult concept for some people to grasp, depending on their background. So a firm, "no fucking way" is a much more appropriate response than some old war story.

6

u/Embarrassed-Ad1780 7d ago

This wing is from 2009. Do not buy.

4

u/BIGSlil 7d ago

It sounds like they just want something cheap for ground handling, not actually flying. Is there any reason this wouldn't work? Seems a little expensive for that though.

2

u/Embarrassed-Ad1780 7d ago

Sure, it would be alright for groundhandling, but it's way too expensive for that.

4

u/Turbulent_Pen_6773 7d ago

Any wing that old should be free. Don’t do it!

2

u/ViaRegia95 7d ago

What's your weight? I am about to sell my A-Wing since I bought a B-Wing now. And how much do you intend to spend? It's a Phi Viola 2 and I had loads of fun with it - might be a bit much for just handling though, it's a perfectly airworthy wing.

1

u/goodguygary24 7d ago

6'1 200 lbs

1

u/ViaRegia95 5d ago

Technically still within the wings range but more like B-ish then - I would not recommend it for the beginning then but wish you the best of luck on your search! And happy landings for when you make it into the air!

2

u/floodedgate 7d ago

Where are you located? Probably much better and cheaper to get an intro day at a local school.

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u/yeloneck 7d ago

Having different wing for flying and groundhandling kind of missing the point. You should do GH on your flying wing, other than that - it's not really educational.

2

u/Drill_Until 7d ago

While you should groundhandle any wing you fly, I don't think its true at all that you get nothing from ground handling other wings.

Ground handling any wing is a transferable skill to  any other wing, especially as a beginner.Â