bobm@anasaz.uucp (Bob Maccione) (05/01/91)
hi, i'm a paraglider pilot who has never jumped out of a plane in my life. however i have a friend who wants to get into para-gliding and she noticed that parachutes are _much_ less expensive than paragliders. the paraglider i just purchased cost me ~3000 ( with the harness ) and she has a parachute catalog that has parachutes for ~ $1000 ( if memory serves me right ). i tried to explain that they aren't the same and am wondering if anyone out there in netland knows the difference between the two craft. off the top of my head i know that a paraglider won't survive opening shock ( excuse the non-correct wording ) and isn't as porus as a parachute. any other comments about the differences? thanks bob maccione
ds4a@dalton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Dale Southard) (05/01/91)
In article <6435@qip.UUCP> bobm@anasaz.uucp (Bob Maccione) writes: > >hi, i'm a paraglider pilot who has never jumped out of a plane in my life. >however i have a friend who wants to get into para-gliding and she noticed >that parachutes are _much_ less expensive than paragliders. the paraglider >i just purchased cost me ~3000 ( with the harness ) and she has a parachute >catalog that has parachutes for ~ $1000 ( if memory serves me right ). i >tried to explain that they aren't the same and am wondering if anyone out >there in netland knows the difference between the two craft. off the top >of my head i know that a paraglider won't survive opening shock ( excuse >the non-correct wording ) and isn't as porus as a parachute. > >any other comments about the differences? Well, sometimes there isn't much of a difference. Some of the primary parachute manufactures have sold slightly modified versions of their parachutes as paragliders (Glide Path for one). The trim is also changed slightly to allow for more efficient gliding. Most paragliders have a larger aspect ratio than comaparble parachutes. Many also have substantially different cell design, as inflation is not a critical event (ie some designs use a cell with a much smaller opening for air to come in, allowing a much more efficient airfoil cross-section). The two are systems are not all that different. In fact I have gone slope soaring with my maverick -- you need a steep hill and a good set of kneepads. --> --> Dale UVa (ds4a@virginia.edu)
galperin@husc9.harvard.edu (Gregory Galperin) (05/02/91)
In article <6435@qip.UUCP> bobm@anasaz.uucp (Bob Maccione) writes: >i tried to explain that they aren't the same and am wondering if anyone out >there in netland knows the difference between [parachutes and paragliders]... Paragliders originated in mountaineering/climbing as an easy way of descending from a lengthy climb (and in more than a few cases they saved at least some fingers and toes when conditions turned sour). Climbers rigged 7-cell ram-airs up to their harnesses and took a quick (and fun!) trip down; just like in skydiving, the main goal then was to get back down to the ground. But since they hadn't just been in freefall for a mile ( ;-), a couple of minutes under canopy on the way down didn't provide enough excitement. So they started using larger and larger canopies, with more and more cells... all the time looking enviously at hang glider pilots above them. The designs grew in wingspan and area continually, and many paragliders are now over 40 ft. in wingspan and 450 sq. ft. in area, with a large aspect ratio. The resulting airfoil is something like a ram-air sailplane (i.e., parachute + glider = ...), and flies something like a hang glider (or so I've been told, at least). The chord length tapers off severely at the ends, and the last few cells are closed in front (they have no ram-air port, only cross-ports), and curve down like stabilizers. It's true that the materials used in paragliders are generally less porous than those in skydiving canopies (although it's hard to get less porous than a zero-porosity fabric... :), but a greater difference is that paraglider materials are less elastic (which is why an opening shock from terminal would shred them). Even standard parachute line cord has too much stretch for paragliders (I know someone who injured himself when he rigged his 'glider up with standard jacketed suspension line and couldn't control it enough to keep from stalling out). These canopies allow a much greater glide ratio than parachutes, and allow (good) pilots to stay in the air for hours. Anyone who's been hanging in a harness for over 15 mins. can understand why paragliders grew seats as they became larger; multiple line groups are connected to the seat along its length so that shifts in weight can steer the paraglider. To stay flying, 'glider pilots catch thermals (and carry variometers to help find them). 'Glider competitions sprang up, and have categories much like glider (sailplane) competitions: net distance, time around a course, etc. In summary, you can still buy small (<5 lbs!) 7- or 9- cell paragliders to use for descents (and this is standard equipment for climbing in Europe), or you can go the competition 'glider route. They're probably more expensive than "normal" 'chutes because (1) they're larger, (2) the designs are more complicated (tons o' cells, tons o' lines, and a more involved airfoil design), and (3) the market is still relatively small. Have I rambled long enough yet?-------+ ! +------=> Greg Galperin galperin@husc9.harvard.edu Harvard Mountaineering Club Mass. Sport Parachute Club
kas@hpcvia.CV.HP.COM (ken_scofield) (05/04/91)
From: galperin@husc9.harvard.edu (Gregory Galperin) Message-ID: <1991May1.212459.776@husc3.harvard.edu> > Paragliders originated in mountaineering/climbing as an easy way of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Your note was very informative and entertaining, but I wonder about the above statement. While I have no doubt that climbers may have contributed to the development of paragliders, I doubt they originated the concept. I've been skydiving for nearly 20 years, and witnessed the introduction of ramair canopies shortly after I started jumping. Seems like it wasn't too much later that I was hearing about weather-grounded jumpers "slope- soaring" off nearby hills on cloudy and/or windy days with their ramair canopies. Granted, it took alot of wind and/or a steep slope to get early ramairs airborne, but it could be done. In my mind, this was the beginnings of 'paragliding'. I have no idea who was the first person to actually modify a ramair in some way to make it a better 'paraglider', but I'll bet it was a bored, ground-bound skydiver... (who may also have been a climber with a 'great idea'). This is not intended as a flame, so please don't take it as such. Just my personnal observations and speculations... Ken Scofield C-9355 SSI #453890085 ^ Hewlett-Packard, ICO Phone: (503)750-2426 |----/-\----| 1020 NE Circle Blvd. (kas@hpcvia.CV.HP.COM) | Gone | Corvallis, OR 97330 (ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!kas) | Divin' or | | Jumpin' | Cute Disclaimer: Nobody ever listened to me before, |-----------| so why start now?