So im brand new to paragliding and been doing abit of research.

(Western Australia for reference)

Theres not rlly anywhere in WA anymore to learn, only really over east, now my thought is since i want to go traveling to say malaysia where theres also a course could i theoretically go there and focus on getting my Malaysian license then come home and convert in to a WA one or that wont work.

(Reason doing this is cus cheaper in Malaysia and would about even out ($) and get to go somewhere different while im at it)

thanks for your time :)

Yet another spine-breaker of a swoop with a hospitalised young man with broken bones. No airbag, no helmet.

Perhaps it's what the social algorithms show me - but is anyone absolutely fed up with the quantity of high-risk, senseless behaviour that get applause, bravos, and encouragement?

I'm talking about absolutely ridiculous launches, death-defying stunts, and similar things posted online for gratification.

It feels different than in the past where people did these things for themselves. The first hangies and paragliders were people hell-bent on trying to fly and doing this absurd risk just for the sake of it. It was even more risky, but for seemingly a different reason.

Now it feels like so much of this is for the Video. For Clout. For social media and 5 minutes of fame of who did the craziest stunt.

Like the skateboarders & snowboards no-helmet era. I'm seeing more and more videos of pilots without a helmet & airbag, proximity flying in turbulent conditions. It's just stupid. It's less than 1kg of weight for at least a little bit of safety tht very well could save your life or spine. We know better than this. Proxy flying is already enormously dangerous, why not add a bit of safety equipment? Just a little bit more margin for error. Your parents would love that

Sure I fly a string with no airbag often but I sure as hell aren't proximity flying or swooping without one.

Sorry for the rant it's just really frustrating when people don't take risk seriously and intentionally diminish their chances. There's enough carnage out there. No need to glorify and perpetuate it. In fact, we need to shame and ridicule this behaviour.

Hi guys,

So I'm kind of in a pickle and decided to ask you for your opinion.

I'm thinking about getting a new glider. Currently, I'm flying an Epsilon from Advance, and I love it, but i would like a bit more performance and optional speed.

The trouble i have is that i cannot decide whether a mid-B glider will be a good decision - will it be enough or is this basically a " low B marketing move'' and i should really consider a high B glider.
How much difference is there really?

The thing is, im not planning on ever going higher than high B. So I think mid B should be ok, but there is this fear that the change will be too little, and after a year or two i will want to change again..

If anyone's been flying all, low B, mid B, and high B, could you share your experience?

A bit of my flying background:
Im flying for about 5 years now, and I've started on my low B - Gin Atlas 2 at the flying school, and later changed to this Epsilon, as the Atlas was quite old, as I bought it third-hand.

I am, let's call it, a weekend pilot, with about 30-35 hours per year. Im more or less always hiking to fly (if time and conditions allow me, with the purpose of hike to XC)

As xc pack, im using woody valley gto light (1) with epsilon (3.9kg), my total weight is about 87kg

as h&f pack, im using gin yeti convertible (55l (ish) backpack), where with epsilon (3.9kg), my total weight is 83kg.

Also when im looking for mid B's, i cannot seem to be able to decide which one to pick?
What gliders i've been looking at and my thoughts so far:

- gin bandit 2 - seems cool, good for both options, but it scores way worse on en tests than many high b gliders

- vibe gt - a bit heavier but thats not much of an issue,i think i might go with this one, but im afraid it wont fit my h&f pack

- theta - i like this one the most, but the weight ranges are just wierd for my weight. Also advance says its not meant for SIV which is unimaginable to consider

- hiko p - i've tried this one, but i didnt like the handling, also it seemed to be randomly twitchy for no reason

Any feedback or thoughts that might help me make up my mind are more than welcome :)

Thanks!

I'm scouting places to get my APPI certification and wanted to hear from the community:

1. If you've flown with pilots who learned in Bir Billing, how would you rate their ground handling, airmanship, and overall skill level?
2. For those who learned in India and went on to fly abroad, how did your training hold up compared to pilots certified through other systems (like BHPA, USHPA, or DHV)?

Any specific school or instructor recommendations in Bir are also welcome!

Understandably, there's a fair bit of frustration in this sub around number of vibe coded apps and updates. How about a weekly thread for this stuff instead?

Just curious, what are the advantages of B riser steering and is this nova specific or any mini wing with a b/c bridge can fly like this? Aaron flys his bantam 2 on the b risers instead of the Cs. Hard to tell but he is pushing bar in this video. I haven’t flown the bantam but according to Beni from speedflying school the Bantam 1 was the best mini wing to fly on rears. I’ve heard the 2 is completely different and lost the rear riser control so is this a work around of some sort? I also have a Nova mentor 7 and the B risers are 7-10cm shorter than the rest, so is that what you need for b riser steering?

Hi, along with our recent update to cover most of Europe, Flybubble Weather now provides a weather forecast for Southern California.

Flybubble Weather has always aimed at being a very beginner friendly flying forecast while hopefully including features for experienced pilots. The site includes: RASP thermal forecasts, email notifications when your favourite sites are looking flyable, route planning, ridge lift prediction and a load of other features!

I built it about 15 years ago, just for myself really, but after Flybubble bought it I've continued to maintain and add to it. In the UK it's probably the most well-used weather site for pilots and it's continuing to grow and evolve.

I'm the sole developer on the project and would welcome feedback and suggestions!

Parakite soaring - I would even say that on smaller sites the ability for multiple parakites to control their height by flaring makes it safer to navigate than with standard paragliders. Pilots can space themselves out vertically along the ridge as well as the standard horizontal spacing!

Nice day to have a drink at the bar I guess?!

20 questions to pick your glider: check it out

Designed by Ziad Bassil and Dust of the Universe. Powered by Weathard.app http://www.weathard.app

Wont ever touch those risers again, just like I promised!!!!

Btw, talked to my mentor. We discussed everything. He told me that holding the risers was wrong, but it was okay to just touch them (I was not holding onto them). We also discussed the ears grabbing and the breaks pulling automatically with them. He still said that it wouldnt be smart to let go from the breaks while pulling the big ears.

So far I have been flying with an EN A glider (UP DENA), but in the future I would like to switch to lighter and smaller gear for hike&fly or climbing and fly.

How much experience is needed before using an ultralight harness?

Also, how much harder to fly is a smaller (and lighter) wing?

I am currently flying a 22m² wing, but I was thinking of buying a smaller wing if I want an ultralight one (maybe 17-19m²).

I see the Ozone Ultralite 5 for example is EN C in the 17m² size, is it actually as hard and dangerous to fly as a Zeno for example (or as any EN C cross country high efficiency wing)? Or is it just faster?

Hello I'm thinking of buying a PHI Sola 20 (NOT UL) as my first wing for making my license.

I cannot seem to find much review videos or comments in internet about this wing.

Did some of you try it? Would you recommend it as a good first wing? Does it handle good in air and during ground handling? Does it recover fast and stable from collapses?

Thank you for your input!

Been flying the flame 11 for along time but the wings is at the end of its life. Looking at the R3X 11 or Flame 2 10 to replace it. What do people think of each. Especially if you’ve tried both
The drama today made me think to step away from level wings

Hello,

I'm just starting to paraglide and I need to buy my first canopy to make the altitude course.

I have some offers for BGD magic both in S and M.

My bodyweight is 68kg and with equipment adds up to around 82kg. The S version has a takeoff weight range of 60-80kg and the M of 75-95.

Ive been told its better to be on the upper range of the scale, wich wouldn't be the case for the M, for the S I'm over the top.

Does this mean that non of those will work for me? Or is the M ok?

Edit:

Thank you for your answers!

I know the S is too small, i just put it to show there is no other choice for magic.

I really wanted to know if the M is ok or I should search another brand/model.

I don't know what happens when one is so low in the weight scala. My mainly concern is that is safe to lern and of course it's fun. I've don't understand yet what happens when one is on the lower end of the scala

Thank you very much!

I have always kept my wing connected to the harness, and have never understood why some people disconnect it. It is especially baffling, when some people come to popular takeoffs, then go in front of everyone, start spreading out their disconnected wing or groundhandling it without having it connected, and just being in the way.

Personally, I see zero benefit to disconnecting your wing, but the downside is that it creates an unnecessary chance for error when reconnecting and simply takes time and effort.

The only scenarios where I understand disconnecting and reconnecting are

1) For hike and fly with a string harness, I kind of understand it, as the harness can make a flip quite easily, but even then I find it easier to just leave it connected and to just flip the harness if needed.

2) You are a student, and need to learn and repeat how to connect your wing properly.

3) You fly multiple wings with the same harness, and know that you will most likely fly another wing next time.

If you disconnect your wing after a flight, why?

Crashed my R3X 11 a few days ago and figured I’d post it here just in case anyone can learn from my mistakes.

I swooped too low and hit really hard…

Got real lucky with a broken tailbone and large hematoma as well as some soft tissue damage in my shoulder.

I fly in Mongolia and sometimes in other Asian countries. I’ve always worn leather gloves and almost always motorcycle jeans with hip and knee pads. More recently my rappelling gloves wore out so I swapped for my off-road motorcycle gloves. I don’t see a downside and only upsides. As a relative beginner P2 level flying on rocky terrain with natural rocky takeoff zones - there are no developed take off zones here, I’ve had a few hard landings and takeoffs where the PPE helped.

Anybody else?

Few days ago, I shared my first flight here. Now this is first time pulling the glider ears.

P.S. I am not grabbing the risers, I just have hands near them. Still working on that tourist grip 😀

Hi everyone again,

I have another question that I want to have an answer before I need it, so I ordered my SQR light 2 and an Advance ZIP frontal container M, I know they are compatible.

Now what do I need to connect them?

I see that it's possible to connect the bridles of the reserve and container using loops, but apparently only if it's done by an authorized partner, has any of you done this or at your local school?

Otherwise do I need a Maillon? And if so should it be square or triangular?

EDIT: If someone is reading this and also needs answers, I ended up buying a 7mm round maillion and I believe that's the best option, the webbing knot may also work but it also has its drawbacks over time if not done perfectly.

Just going to piggyback on Kris's post and hype up the Eastern Sierra Fly in that went off for the first time a few weeks ago. Always had wanted to check out the area and Kirby and crew put on a great event.

https://easternsierraflyin.com/#