How is powered parachuting different from paragliding?
Paragliders are usually flown without engines, from hills or mountains, or can be towed aloft using a suitably designed winch. In order to extend the flight, the paraglider pilot needs to find rising air (lift) in the form of warmer air rising in “thermals”, or ridge-lift, where the wind is deflected upward by mountain slopes. Finding and using lift to stay aloft is known as soaring. Without this lift, a paraglider will glide, gradually descending until reaching the ground.
