Acro paragliding is truly a sport for the adrenalin addict. It is genuinely the extreme sport end of paragliding. Pilots who fly or compete in this genre of the sport are highly skilled and have a very high level of confidence in both their ability and their equipment. It hsould always be remembered that it is only positive air pressure that holds the aerodynamic shape of a paraglider wing. If the wing unloads, it collapses.
The smart(albeit crazy) pilot always does acro-paragliding over a large lake... Plus a rescue boat should be close by, as water landing presents its own hazards.
Dedicated gear is needed for Acro flying. Most aspiring Acro pilots also undergo specific training.
The equipment is highly stressed,
http://jacksonmillerfamilyreunion.co...0488#msg360488, often exerting 4+ G's on wing, pilot and harness.
Reserve chtes are carried as standard equipment. Some times two,
http://www.hibuddy.net/blog.php?user...ntry_id=162175, and sometimes rocket propelled reserves are preferred for ultra fast openings. Rogallo style reserves are also becoming popular.
The acro show includes mild spirals and wingovers to hearstopping tumbles, heli-spins and wild Mctwist and misty-flip.
The launch options for Acro are no different to launching for regular paragliding flights. Conventionally they can launch of a hill or mountain, and catch a thermal to the desired height. Truth is most acro pilots are impatient,
http://www.izzo.org.uk/blog.php?user...ntry_id=426890, so they tend to use high peaks to launch. Tow launching is however the preferred method as it gets the job done fast. Since the sport is commonly done over a large body of calm water,
http://www.bbs.gov.cn/zxw/Review.asp?NewsID=133, a boat is usually used as a launch tow vehicle. Finally there's D-bagging from a balloon ,helicopter or slow light aircraft.
D-Bagging is similar to static line parachute jump. The wing is specially packed and released as the pilot falls. Once the wing is open,
http://librebook.com/smf/index.php?t...0267#msg870267, its time to start spiralling, tumbling and spinning earthwards.
Acro paragliding is a rapidly growing sport with some high profile international competitions.
SIV course ("Simulation de Incidence en Vol", French for "Simulated Incidents in Flight") or safety courses as they're sometimes known are the first step to truly understanding the limits and capabilities of both you and your glider.
.Freestyle and Acro courses are the next step after an SIV. These courses are highly recommended. And the over calm water thing should be considered mandatory. This simply reduces the risk of injury as reserve chutes have a considerably higher descent rate.
If this sounds like you, track down your loacl SIV course instructor and go from there.
About The Author
Marc is an aviation nut and paraglider pilot.
He has authored to promote the sport.
Try Acro Paragliding
Threaded Mode