What is self-evident in every other sport is almost always forgotten by us paragliders. As a runner or cyclist, I set myself goals and train towards them with a progressive training program. As a paraglider, you say to yourself: "I want to fly 100 kilometers or more!" But very few pilots set themselves a proper training program.
We offer you tailor-made training plans tailored to the different pilot needs to help you achieve your goals. Whether you want to fly your first 30 kilometers straight after training, improve your safety or set a new personal record. You will notice that just a few days of flying with intensive training can make the difference and make you a better pilot. You can use a cloudy day of gliding very well for a training day.
The first part of our series is about safety. Or rather, about your flying skills. Active flying, rapid descent and fast turns. The training is spread over three days of flying. Find a flying area where you have a lot of altitude above the landing site and can make 4-5 flights a day without stress. Suitable for this are, among many others: Hoch Ybrig, Brändlen, or Mürren.
You are also welcome to come to our school to practice these maneuvers. This way you will receive direct feedback via radio and learn even faster.
Or you can attend one of our safety training courses - you can't get more intensive than this!
First training goal: safety
The basic requirement for safe flying and fun in thermals is an active flying style. Our definition of active flying is that your wing delivers the performance you want in every situation. Whether in thermals or in a spiral, you should fly the wing and not the other way around.
To achieve this, there are simple exercises that can be learned quickly. You can find descriptions of the individual maneuvers at the bottom of this page.
1. Nodding
One of the most important maneuvers to train an active flying style. Nodding improves your feeling for the position of the glider relative to your body. You also learn how to quickly and appropriately prevent your glider from overshooting.
ENTRY: Brake the glider, wait until it nods backwards and the pilot swings forwards. When the glider has reached the furthest point, quickly release the brakes. The glider then accelerates, shoots forwards and overtakes the pilot. The pilot swings back under the glider and further forwards. This forward swing is again supported by the brakes. Then continue as above, this can be repeated as long as you like. At the beginning, do not pay attention to extreme nodding, but to achieve a good result with as little use of the brakes as possible and good timing.
EXIT: As soon as the glider has overtaken you after releasing the brakes and is nodding forward, stop it by braking briefly and firmly. As soon as the glider has stopped, release the brakes again.
BENEFITS: You develop a feeling for the position of the canopy relative to yours. Your feeling for acceleration and speed is also trained. You learn to anticipate and prevent unloading and upcoming collapses. It improves the ability to prevent the canopy from overshooting; you learn to intervene decisively and yet appropriately, and you will therefore have fewer collapses in turbulent air.
DANGERS: You brake the wing too hard and the airflow breaks off. Or with extreme pitching movements the wing can shoot so far forward that it collapses frontally or asymmetrically. Do everything carefully and approach this maneuver slowly. Less is more here!
2. Rolling only with weight shifting
A task for the correct weight shifting and the canopy movement around all three axes.
ENTRY: In the next exercise, try to swing the parachute using only your body weight (without using the brakes). Lean so hard to one side that your carabiners move as far as possible vertically. Let the parachute swing as high as possible. Always shift your weight to the opposite side at the highest point to achieve the greatest possible effect.
BENEFITS: With this exercise, you will learn the timing for weight shifting and realize how much you can swing without braking. The correct weight shifting is the be-all and end-all for later wingovers.
3. Double circle on axis, actively flown
At first glance, this seems like a simple maneuver with a lot of potential. Correct initiation, stabilization of speed and active exit make the flight maneuver a complex interplay of precise braking impulses and weight shifting.
You will learn to fly precisely and to actively and precisely stop rotations. Modern paragliders usually stand up again automatically after the brakes are released and return to normal flight. Nevertheless, you should always be able to recover quickly and efficiently from a rapid rotation, such as after an asymmetric collapse or a spiral.
ENTRY: First, look around and below you to see if the airspace is clear. Shift your weight slightly to the right and pull firmly on the right brake line so that the wing assumes a clear bank in the first quarter to half turn and the canopy picks up the desired speed. Stabilize the speed and maintain it for a few turns.
EXIT: Slow down the turning movement by gently pulling on the outside of the curve. As soon as the speed decreases, release both the outside and inside brakes at the same time. As soon as the glider wants to stand up, pull the inside brake (plus your body weight) another ¼ - ½ turn to exit the curve in a flowing manner.
BENEFITS: Precise flying style, active execution of fast turning movements and training of orientation skills in turns.
4. 180° curves on the axle
Another figure to train coordination, braking impulses and orientation skills.
ENTRY: Start with a 90° turn to the right. Then make 180° turns to the left and then 180° to the right. Make sure that you always turn 180° and stay exactly on the axis. Use the brakes to turn the wing. Use them only discreetly and try to turn the wing flat and only build up a little energy. After each turn, let the wing fly straight ahead on the axis for a short time before you start the next turn. The aim of the exercise is to develop a feel for the axis and to practice turning the wing exactly 180° with the brakes.
EXIT: After the first two left/right combinations, bring the wing back to the original flight direction via a 90° turn to the left.
BENEFITS: You will learn to fly precisely and to orient yourself in space. If you can do that, turning astern in a cross approach will be child's play for you.
5. Wingover - feel the three axes
The wing-over is generally considered the first acro maneuver. But it takes a lot of training and patience until you master the wingover properly.
EXECUTION: During a wingover, your wing turns to the left and right after an initial turn. The correct timing of braking and weight shifting is essential for a nice, smooth wingover.
When wingovering, you combine the two exercises of rolling with weight shifting and quick turns. Start by shifting your weight and rocking the wing. As soon as you have the rhythm, gradually add the brakes and turn the wing higher step by step. It is important that you shift your weight at the highest point and give a moderate impulse with the brake just before the lowest point. As you swing upwards, pull the brake a little further so that your wing turns nicely and smoothly. From a certain height, you will notice that the outer wing is relieved and can collapse. This means that you have to support the outer wing with sensitive brake pressure.
At the beginning of your wingover career, it's just about finding the rhythm. Only at a later point should you fly higher above the paraglider. Here, too, the rule applies: little and beautiful is better than high and uncontrolled.
If one side collapses while you are practicing, it is a sign that you are using the brakes too hard and too late. Use the brakes more gently and make sure that you always pull before the lowest point.
DANGERS: When doing wingovers, you lose a lot of altitude and can quickly spiral after a collapse. So only practice wingovers in flying areas with high altitude and finish the maneuver at least 250 meters above the ground.