Ground Handling

Why and how to do ground handling practice?

With little bit of theory about equipment used for paragliding and principle of how a paraglider flies, will make you ready to take the first lesson of paragliding i.e. Ground handling.

Ground handling is a practice of controlling the wing on ground to understand the feel and behavior of the glider. Ground handling is necessary to acquire good piloting skills. It prepares you for your entire flying career. More you practice of controlling the wing on a ground, better you will be able to launch and more sensitive you will be to feel of the glider in air. Paragliding is easy and fun to learn. More you practice consciously, better you can fly. This sport demands a gradual approach in learning the skills and a high level of safety margin through good judgment.

Your instructor will be providing a customized ground handling glider which is slower in speed than the normal paraglider. The ground handling gliders are slower and easy to handle for the beginners because of bigger cell size. During ground handling exercise inflation, deflation and controlling the glider is much easier. The response time required to handle the wing is more so the beginner have enough time to understand the behavior and react. The ground handling gliders have typically two risers with trim system and a basic harness to wear.

The ground handling exercise starts with:

Stage 1

• Site and Wind assessment
• Canopy unpacking
• Canopy layout
• Clearing the lines
• Wearing the harness and helmet
• Attaching the glider to the harness
• Pre Flight Checks
• Canopy packing

Stage 2

• Inflation
• Deflation
• Ground handling

Stage 3

• Take off and landing techniques (Hops)
• Clearance for solo flight