Flight Modes

The pilot controls the paraglider with brake lines - so-called brakes. The rear edge (trailing edge) of the paraglider is pulled down with brakes, which changes the forward resistance of the glider on the side on which the brake has been pulled. Paraglider control, change of the flight direction, is done with the brakes only in the horizontal plane, the glider can't climb by itself. Rising air currents are used to climb or a propulsion unit - a propeller motor - is used to obtain the height.

1. Direct flight is the most basic movement of a paraglider. When pulling the brake lines, the forward speed decreases and the fall increases. This can be done until its forward speed is greater than the minimum. When the minimum speed is reached, you mustn't brake anymore, otherwise the canopy will deform and the wing will go into a non-standard flight mode (spiral, etc.).

2. Slight turn is made by pulling the brake line on the side to which you want to turn. It's pulled only a little because of the slight turn. When the canopy makes the required turn, you will slowly release the brakes again.

3. Sharp turn "tightened" is done by a larger and faster pull of the brake line on the side to which you want to turn, while releasing the brake line on the other side. Thanks to a larger tilt, the forward speed will reduce more and the fall will be greater than with the slight turn. If you fly with the motor, you can help yourself by adding gas to it.

4. The spiral is a situation that you get into when intensively braking one side of the paraglider. Due to the specifics of this mode, the spiral ranks in paragliding among so-called non-standard modes.