Air transport using a lightweight, foot launched, non-motorized wing made of fabric rather than a rigid airframe, in which the pilot sits in a harness suspended beneath the inflated canopy. Paragliding pilots typically launch by running down a slope until the wing inflates and generates lift, then use rising air currents to extend the flight, landing again on foot; it developed later than hang gliding and is used mainly for recreation and sport rather than practical transport.
Facts
Core ConcernFoot-launched, engineless flight using a lightweight fabric wing kept in shape by suspension lines and airflow. 1 Origin YearWikipedia's History section dates the sport's founding to June 1978 at Mieussy, Haute-Savoie, France, when three friends combined prior ram-air parachute and slope-soaring development into the first paraglider flights. Paragliding
Filter Results1 entry
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Paragliding
WikipediaHistory, 1978 Mieussy origin
Parapente (pente being French for 'slope') was born.
Lead section
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.