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10 Facts You Did Not Identify About Paragliding
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
All the adventurists out there must have related to itimmediately. However, “Darr sbko lgta hai, Gala sbka sukhtahai”, there is this adrenaline rush that would always stop youfrom taking the dare.
So if that trip to Bir Billing is pending for a long time, here is alist of 10 Facts that you might not know about one suchsport, Paragliding.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
It is not Hang-gliding
The major difference between the two is in the design andwing shape. Hang gliders have solid wing structures to createa V-shaped wing utilizing an aluminum frame. Paraglidershave soft wing structures, which once inflated have anelliptical shape. Also, paragliders fold conveniently into asmall bag. So you can take them mountain trekking thenparaglide down when you're tired of being on a mountain.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
It is Definitely not Parasailing
Parasails are nothing but parachutes, and can be used bypeople being towed by boats at the beach or on lakes. Thedesign of a paraglider wing is more like that of a 747.
It's designed to catch thermal updrafts and rise through theair and not just fall slowly to the ground. It's a much moredynamic experience.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
It is Not as DangeroFus as You Think it is
Many people think that paragliding is one of those thingsthat only suicidal maniacs and adrenaline junkies attempt. Inreality, it is one of the safest airborne sports. You would betied to the wing by at least 30 lines, any one of which isstrong enough to support your weight. However, there is arisk of the wing collapsing while in flight, but it could be onlydue to pilots choosing to fly in bad weather.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
NASA Named It
You all know that Leonardo Da Vinci designed the firstparachute. But you won’t know is that NASA helped design,and name, the paraglider. In 1961, a French engineer namedPierre Lemoigne took the first steps by cutting strategicallyplaced vents in a parachute which allowed it to ascend intothe air and be steered. It was NASA who turned a "sail wing,"for use in recovery of lunar capsules, into the paraglider.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
You will be More Comfortable Than You are Right Now
Unlike most harness-based activities, like rappelling andparachuting, there are no painful straps and clips aroundyour legs and midsection. Modern paragliding harnesses tieyou to something akin to a lounge chair. After you leap fromthe precipice of choice and the glider inflates, you simplyslide the "chair" under your bum, and ride your flyingbarcalounger wherever the wind takes you.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
You Have Gas and Brakes
Just to be clear, there is definitely no combustion engine onboard, but pilots have a great deal of control over their gliders.These controls connect to the trailing edge of the left and rightsides of the wing, and can be used to steer and to adjust speed.The only thing that is under their control is ascent. This solelydepends on their skill at finding rising columns of thermal air,which can lift the glider to great distances.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
It Can Take You to Cross the Whole Country
Will Gadd, the paragliding champ holds the world record for a263 miles long paragliding flight. Most paraglider flights for lessthan 30 minutes, depending on weather conditions. But if youhave the skill, you can travel long distances exploiting thermalcolumns of rising air.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
Pilots Are Almost Never Injured due to Failure in Equipment
Modern Paragliders are uniformly very stable. They aredesigned to recover quickly in case of collapse. So if you areusing new paragliding equipment with double checking it beforeevery flight, you are pretty safe with almost no risk of anaccident resulting from equipment failure. Almost all accidentshappen because of mistakes made by the pilot, either in theirassessment of weather conditions before a flight, or in the air.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
Speed Is Not Needed
If you are crazy about speed then Paragliding is not really yourtype of sport. You should probably take Hang gliding or Speedflying into account. So if you are freaking out because of thespeed– don’t worry! Paragliding is in fact opposite. So next timeyou think of doing paragliding, picture yourself gently floatingon the breeze like a feather, with fantastic views of thelandscape around you.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
Feeling Vulnerable Is Not Bad
Paragliding in general, is a very safe activity, as long as you arelearning from a professional. It is also easy to start with.However, some beginners can slip into an over-confident statethat it is a damn easy sport. Instructors usually call this“intermediate syndrome”.
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Trekking In Himalayas Discover The Adventurer In You
So although, we want you to have a lot of fun up in the air, donot ever let your guard down. As a matter of fact, more than90% of injuries happen during the first 10 flights. In order toavoid any kind of accident, you need to fully adopt the safetytechniques your instructors have taught you.
I hope all those who were in the edge of their decision of doingparagliding are all set to fly high. After all, “The first step tolearning how to fly is realising that YOU CAN.”