Paraglider Lines

The support chords/ rigging which comments the canopy to the harness are called as suspension lines. The lines are attached to small loops sewn at the lower surface of the canopy. The other end is fixed with the risers via small carabiners and then the bunch of risers is attached to bigger carabiners of harness. Normally in a glider there are 3 or 4 risers depending on the design, with each riser having four sets of lines running till the canopy. The lines are grouped according to the point they meet on the canopy. The sets of lines at the leading edge are called the A lines, and the next set of lines are called B,C & D lines going at the rear of the canopy. D Lines are not attached to the trailing edge. The last sets of lines attached at the trailing edge are for control lines.

The lines have a diameter between 0.4 to 1.7 mm. the strength of the lines depends on the thickness and the material used in their construction. Lines are made from Dyneema, Kevlar, spectra, superaramid, and so on. They have minimum amount of elasticity. These lines are covered by a protective coating called as sheath, made up of polyester. The sheath protects the lines against the ground friction and other abuse. Normally the lines are colored according to the set they belong. The control line on both side have different color to identify from other set of lines.

Modern competition wings have lesser & thinner lines. This reduces the drag on the paraglider and can achieve additional 4 Km/ hr of speed.

The material used in lines are special because of their anti wear & tear properties and with minimum elasticity. Typically each line can take a load of 180 Kg and a paraglider has 20 to 40 lines. So even while flying any one of the lines snaps, no need to worry. But the line damaged should be repaired/ replaced soon, as it alters the shape of the wing. Even when lines come in contact with water, tend to shrink and some effect can be seen on the performance of the wing. Care should be taken, as they are quite strong to take load but can be cut easily with a sharp edge stones or metal parts.