Paraglider Control Archives

How to use your speedbar safely

Using the speedbar on a paraglider can improve your safety in windy conditions, but it can also be very risky if used in the wrong way. Join Greg as he explains the ins and outs of the speedbar.

Improve Your Top Landing Approaches

On hills and coastal sites, paraglider pilots usually prefer to top land. Easy when you know how, and have plenty of practice. In this quick guide we examine the six essential steps to making a safe landing on the hill.

How to get great slope landings

Landing on the sloping side of a hill can be a very useful skill to have, to allow you to land when thermals pause, and relaunch when they return. Or perhaps there's no safe landing in the valley, and you need to put it in on the slope? With this simple, straightforward approach you can achieve a gentle touchdown.

Using Tip Stalls to get down

The tipstall (B3/C3) is a relatively new descent technique that not many pilots know about. It is an effective alternative to Big Ears, but only on some wings – it depends on the wing design. It relies on the outer B or C line stack being in just the right position to create a neat stall that gets swept back in the wind.

How to do Big Ears safely

Big ears: a flappy flight manoeuvre, misunderstood, maligned and even feared by beginners, this stalwart of the cloudbase regular is an essential skill for all pilots. Let’s strip it down to the basics, so you can tuck with confidence.

A simple approach to landing setups

For beginner pilots, venturing beyond the safety of the ‘known’ landing field can be scary. How do you know if you can reach another landing? What if there’s a power line? And without a windsock, how will you know which way the wind is blowing? Let’s take a look at a simple generic landing approach which you can adapt to various situations.

Paragliding brake grip: tourist and through the loop

Paraglider Control: Grab that BRAKE!

The brakes offer a direct link to the paraglider. How you hold them affects your power, control and safety. In this article we discuss some options for your brake grab and demonstrate the best technique.

Strong Wind Landings: Killing Your Paraglider

Landing in strong winds can be scary, but it doesn’t need to be dangerous. In this article we’ll get you prepared. We’ll share techniques for a safe landing setup and provide the best methods to kill the power and disable the wing.

How to fix a cravatte on your paraglider!

A cravatte is a nasty kind of collapse, where the fabric of the wingtip becomes trapped in the lines. This can cause a significant turn towards the cravatted side, which if left unchecked will become a rather radical spiral dive. Let's look at how they are caused, how to prevent them, and what to do when you've got one.

Landing Setup For XC Flying

Being able to land softly, every time, is a great skill to have. It’s essential for cross country flying, when you don’t know what you’re going to be landing on. I’ve landed on everything from rocky mountain-sides and vineyards to carparks and golf courses. The setup remains the same regardless of the obstacles you encounter: it’s essential that you land pointed into wind, with enough speed to get a swoop out of your flare. By timing your touchdown correctly, it becomes more a matter of stepping onto something rather than swinging into it.