How is paragliding different from hang gliding?
A. Paragliding and hang gliding are very similar in terms of the pure joy of flight. The sensation of flying either craft is very bird-like. Many pilots enjoy both sports equally and you might enjoy trying both. There are aspects that make each a little easier in some situations and more difficult in others. A paraglider is a bit faster to set up and put away, it folds up into a 30 lbs. backpack in about five minutes and can be easily transported in the trunk of a car, whereas a hang glider requires a roof rack for transport and takes at least twice as long to set up and take down, they generally weigh twice as much as a paraglider. Pilots commonly carry their paragliders to the tops of mountains that would be difficult or impossible to reach with a hang glider. And after you land you can throw a paraglider in a bus or the back of a car to get back to launch. Because hang gliders fly slightly faster, they can cover greater distances more easily and can fly up-wind more easily. But para
A. Paragliding has a faster learning curve than hang gliding due to the paraglider s slower forward speed and more forgiving design. Your launches are not “committed”; if you want to stop your launch, you just stop running and the canopy floats down behind you. By contrast, once you start your launch in a hang glider, which weighs anywhere from 40 to 50 kgs, you are committed. The paraglider folds up into a 12 kg. backpack in about five minutes and can be easily transported.The hang glider, due to its weight and rigid frame, must be transported on a vehicle with a roof rack and requires about 30 minutes to set up and again to take down. Because hang gliders fly faster, they can cover greater distances more easily. But paragliders, which have advanced rapidly over the last few years, can now cover distances almost as great and, due to their tighter turning radius, can often stay aloft in light lift when hang gliders can t.
