The Best Place For Paragliding in Spain
Paragliding equipment
We are going to explain you everything you need to know about paragliding equipment in our paragliding guide. This can be useful if you want to attend to a paragliding course or simply understand better what is paragliding.
What paragliding equipment do I need?
In case you are thinking about taking a course to learn to paraglide and you are looking for paragliding equipment for sale, we will explain which all the components of paragliding equipment are.
At Overfly Tenerife, we always recommend you to confer with your instructor before buying a paraglider since there are many models and manufacturers. Your instructor is the one who best knows how to advise you which is the paragliding equipment that adapts properly to your flying style. If you have any doubt, you can also contact us!
Paragliding wing
The paraglider wing is the most important element of paragliding equipment and it consists of two main layers, top and bottom surfaces. These, in turn, are joined by a fabric called ribs — forming between them what we call “cells” or “boxes”.
It has an aerodynamic design that allows it to have a glide ratio, in some cases, close to 13:1. The paragliders wings are made of a fabric that has no porosity, so air can’t pass through it. The most commonly used materials in paragliding are polyester or nylon.
Paragliding harness
The pilots are comfortably seated in the paragliding harness. They are made of very resistant materials and, in their majority, they have protections that protect the back in case of take-offs or landings failed.
The paragliding harnesses vary according to the needs of the pilot. There are others for the passengers of a tandem flight, which are also perfect for paragliding lessons, XC harnesses for long distances, acro harnesses special for acrobatics, harness for tandem paragliding pilots and even small ones for children.
paragliding helmet
An essential safety element that must be part of your paragliding equipment is the paragliding helmet. It fulfills the function of protecting our head and face from possible incidents during a takeoff or a landing that does not go very well, especially when we are learning.
There are two types of helmets — open and closed. The closed ones protect the jaw and face better. It is extremely important that the helmet is properly homologated to be used for paragliding flights.
Reserve parachute
The reserve parachute is the most important security element that we must have in our paragliding equipment. The reasons for using it are several — you can commit an error, collide with another pilot in a distraction, weather conditions can change, failure in our main equipment, and so on.
There are many models and types of paragliding parachutes that can be adapted to our needs. Confer with your instructor in case you doubt which reserve parachute you can choose. He or she will know how to advise you properly.
Other paragliding fight instruments
The purpose of the variometer is to help the pilot to locate the core of the thermals that will allow him to have a greater height gain and, consequently, to stay longer in flight and to travel greater distances. The variometer indicates the rates of ascent or descent with short audio signals and also by means of a visual screen.
Another element of our paragliding equipment is the paragliding radio which is used to communicate with other pilots who are flying or to inform the group’s attendants where the pilot wants to land.
The paragliding GPS (Global Position System) is an indispensable accessory in any paragliding competition since it allows us showing the route that we have drawn during the flight.
