4 Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Paragliding Safety

People often ask, “How safe is paragliding?” The best answer is: as safe as you make it. Any experienced pilot will tell you that the most important paragliding safety factor is not wind, air pressure, or visibility. In fact, it’s not any external factor. The most important factor is the paraglider’s own attitude and preparedness.

A student with the right attitude will do far better in the long run than someone who happens to pick up the sport easily at the outset. Plus, remember that if you are a beginner learning to paraglide, you will have the choice to start out flying tandem with an experienced paragliding instructor who knows how to paraglide safely.

So here are 4 facts about tandem paragliding safety you may not know. Hopefully, they will put in the right mindset for a safe and fun adventure!

Facts About Tandem Paragliding Safety:

1.  Statistically, Paragliding is as Safe as Driving

Each year, about 1 out of every 10,000 Americans is killed in a car accident – for instance, there were around 32,000 fatalities in 2011. In contrast, in Germany, where paragliding is much more popular, around 3 people are killed per year out of 33,000 pilots. This equates to 1 in 11,000 pilots, which is slightly lower than the driving fatality rate. In fact, if we were to calculate the driving fatality rate based solely on people who drive, rather than the entire population, it would likely be much higher. When comparing this to activities like motorcycling or even horseback riding, paragliding consistently shows a safer than driving safety record.

With the right safety guidelines and proper training, safe paragliding is absolutely achievable. Tandem paragliding, in particular, offers an even higher level of safety, providing a safe and exhilarating experience with a safe flight in the hands of highly experienced instructors. Paragliding’s safety of tandem paragliding makes it one of the safest adventure sports when all the necessary precautions are followed.

2.  Pilots are Almost Never Injured Due to Equipment Failure

Paragliders built today are uniformly very stable. They are designed to recover quickly in the event of a glider collapse. So as long as you are using new paragliding equipment which you check before every flight, there is little risk of an accident resulting from equipment malfunctions. Almost all accidents happen because of mistakes made by the pilot, either in the air or in their assessment of weather conditions before a flight.

3.  No Need for Speed

Paragliding is not really a sport for speed demons – if you’re craving intense speed, hang gliding or speed flying might be a better fit. So if you’re getting freaked out because you picture yourself hurtling off a cliff like Wile E. Coyote – don’t worry! That’s not what paragliding is about. Instead, picture yourself gracefully floating on the breeze, with the wind blowing just right, offering a peaceful flight with stunning views of the landscape around you. Thanks to the ideal wind conditions and wind direction, paragliding allows you to soar gracefully, much more like a butterfly than a rocket. As the wind speed shifts, you’ll glide smoothly, experiencing a serene adventure high in the sky.

If, on the other hand, you do want an adrenaline rush, paragliding can definitely deliver as there is nothing more exhilarating than doing paragliding aerobatics through the air and seeing the landscape beneath you in a completely new way.

4.  Feeling Vulnerable is Good!

In general, we think paragliding is a very safe activity, as long as you are learning with a good instructor. It’s also relatively easy to get started. However, some beginners are lulled into a false sense of security because of how easy it can be. Instructors like to call this “intermediate syndrome.” So while we want you to have fun up in the air, don’t let your guard down just because things are going smoothly. Remember, more than 90% of injuries happen during the first ten flights a pilot makes. If you adopt the safety techniques your instructor teaches you during this critical period, you will greatly reduce the risk of accidents both in the short and long term.

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