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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Paragliding Thread: after careful consideration, you may decide to give it a whirl
 
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Ola
Jul 19, 2004

 Yes, I want to try paragliding. I think I'll sign up for a course next year. I've been interested in flying all my life, but mostly airplanes. But the cost, environmental impact and the fairly detached experience of motorized flying isn't very bird-like at all. Paragliding is literally soaring like a bird, albeit with an L/D ratio closer to a broiler chicken than an eagle.

And yes, I want to try speed flying as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVnNoGSlw_Y

But I think I probably shouldn't. I would die so much.

* # ¿ Jul 20, 2020 09:11
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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 02:58
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Ola
Jul 19, 2004

mad.radhu posted:



Hell yes you do. One of my favorite parts of flying with a paraglider is the lack of noise, having no engine or vibration or anything makes it an entirely different experience. Obviously you're going to have to start on a much slower wing than those speed wings, it might be a while until you can work up to doing those kinds of acrobatics. Good luck though! Someone's gotta have that much fun, no reason why it can't be you.

Hehe, good point! I think I could enjoy that landscape just as much, if not more, with a slow wing and perhaps being able to hang over the waterfall.

* # ¿ Jul 20, 2020 15:58
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Ola
Jul 19, 2004

Ciaphas posted:

I ended up calling and asking the instructor a few ago [should have done that before lol] and he suggested my Moabs'll be fine for day 1, since a full flight is unlikely the first day. He also suggested (but didn't require) over-ankle boots, so we'll see how I feel after tomorrow

Speaking of accidents, I can't help but ask this one. I've seen a bunch of paraglider video clearly filmed with a camera drone; obviously they're going to keep distant, but were drone and paraglider to meet, would it sever the lines/chute or are they tougher than I imagine?

I don't know about the lines, but I've seen many videos where they have a camera at the end of a long stick and software which edits the stick out so it kind of looks like a drone. You can tell the video is a bit weird where the stick was.

Ola fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Jul 31, 2020

* # ¿ Jul 31, 2020 18:12
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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Paragliding Thread: after careful consideration, you may decide to give it a whirl