UKC

Hi All, You'll have t excuse my ignorance if anything i write sounds comletely bonkers, but I'm basically just trying to find out a little about a sport I know nothing about. With paragliding (or speed winging in particular as I believe you can get light wings) how much control do you have and do they only work on windy days. Basicaly i'm just trying to find out if it's the sort of thing that if experienced you could just glide off the top of a big crag?

Cheers, Ed

In reply to Quarrymon:
yes

In reply to Quarrymon:

Actually no!

To fly a conventional paraglider of a crag you would need to be facing into wind.

Assuming the wind was in the right direction it would need to be between 0 and 15mph or a bit faster for a speed wing.

Assuming you have the right speed and direction you would need to avoid the rotar (turbulent air) coming off the top of the crag.

If there was no wind you would need to run from the top towards crag edge to launch the paraglider (and hopefully get it flying before you plunge over the edge), getting it up to around 5 to 10mph for a conventional paraglider and quite a bit quicker on a speed wing!

In reply to rogersavery: So not very practical then as a fun way off cloggy on your average summers day cragging then?

In reply to Quarrymon: Youre on the right tracks....a speedwing can be used for hill descents but not necessarily always practical for lobbing off Cloggy as its an extra 5 or 6kg to climb with and carry and you might not get the right conditions. However it (a speedwing) CAN be launched in nil wind and in fact this is preferable launching over a cliff edge to avoid the rotor mentioned above...but you have to be committed!!!
As of the end of last year there is a specific speedwing course which has been recognised by the BHPA which you should take if you're interested in staying alive.....which you won't do if you have a bash off Cloggy for your first go with no instruction!! Alternatively you need to take a full paragliding course and then progress to a speedwing in due course...longer and more expensive!!
Google BHPA, Gordie Oliver (developed the speedflying course) and have a look at speedflyjunkies on Facebook.
Have fun!

In reply to bongoray: Further to that look for LCC Speedflying (2011)on YouTube. It's happening again this June if you fancy it!

In reply to bongoray:

Looks amazing.

Out of curiosity, is there no up-draft? Or is it all about going down?

In reply to Quarrymon:
I've flown from the top of Cloggy and from the Eastern side of Snowdon quite a few times, the best being in Summer when thermals were 'working', rather than in more dynamic weather system wind. Although Edel made a very lightweight mountain canopy some years ago, a canopy and harness are a bit bulky. Considering that there's not much on Cloggy below VS that's worth the walk, you'd be climbing VS+ with a very bulky sack and full rack (I presume) - not really huge fun on belays etc.
A good scramble like Parsons Nose or Cneifon Arete etc would give more giggles.
Fly in low in mountain areas, is full of hazards with the slopes heating in a very non-uniform way and venturi effects in valleys etc. Luck and a crystal ball are very useful in avoiding rough air in these areas

In reply to Quarrymon:

When I was climbing Right wall @ 15 years ago I heard a little whoop and looked up to see someone jump off the cliff right above me, he had a canopy and glided down to land happily in the boulder field by the road.

Jb.

In reply to adam11:

What happens? DO you just suddenly lose height or do you not control which way you go and potentially veer off and crash??

All sorts of turbulence can disrupt the airflow over your wing. Once your airspeed drops below your stall speed, your wing becomes a bag of washing and wraps up. This is ok at altitude where you have time to sort it out, or throw your reserve, but you may not have enough height to do either. If you're playing about with spins or spiral dives, it is possible to fall into your canopy, which wraps you up and stops you doing anything. At least all your body parts will be found in the same place.
I got into Paragliding in the very early years in the UK, along with Squeaky and Birtles and was mainly self taught. Nick Dixon and me spent many happy evenings in the Berwyns running around like Loons trying to get airbourne
After having some 'advice' in the Alps, I managed to go onto become a BHPA Instructor, as did my wife (until I fell out with them )
In retrospect, I was VERY lucky - please get some lessons before and read lots of books on Met.

In reply to John Mcshea:

Used to be a running joke at Stanage - getting your head kicked off by a paraglider while trying to top out!

Seen loads of people flying along the ridge - don't know if anyone still does it.

In reply to Tony the Blade: It's all about going down when Speedflying