Paragliding Equipment

In Hong Kong, legally-operating paragliding operators must register their paragliders and periodically submit equipment and maintenance logs to the Civil Aviation Department. This ensures that a) only appropriately designed and tested equipment is used for dual flight, and b) that the structural integrity of the wings/harnesses is maintained, providing the participants with safe, high-performance flight. You should ONLY fly 1-on-1 with an experienced and safe pilot. Flying 3 or 4 people at a time is the realm of stunt flying and absolutely not permitted by any paragliding organization in the world. It is obviously unadvisable to fly with unregulated operators who may or may not hold themselves to any equipment safety standard.

There are three kinds of equipment involved in paragliding:

• Flight
• Safety
• Personal

This is the major and most complex part of the sport. Paraglider wings need to be well maintained, properly stored, and protected from unnecessary exposure to ultraviolet, heat, and moisture. Professional paragliding operators regularly inspect and replace their wings, mostly due to the fact that ultraviolet radiation rapidly degrades the nylon fibres.

Our team utilizes a number of different wings of varying performance and size. We ask you to provide your ACCURATE weight in order to match you with correct equipment to satisfy safety and comfort requirements. We have wings for windy days, slow wind days, for heavy passengers, as well as for young flyers. Very often we bring extra wings, just to make sure we can fly safely, even if wind conditions change.

Youtube is full of paragliding videos featuring tired, old wings, but unless you have an appetite for a misadventure, it is best to fly responsibly, under a new, well maintained glider. Likewise, harnesses should be kept clean, dry, and regularly inspected for wear and tear. Old, worn-out harnesses should not be used for flying. Your pilot should take time during a pre-flight briefing to explain the features of your harness and show you how to remove it in case of an emergency.

The connections between the wing and the harness should be flight-certified, stainless-steel carabiners designed for dual flight. Although superficially a simple piece of equipment, this is our lifeline and it should also be well taken care of, regularly inspected, and periodically replaced. Other carabiners used in flight can be made of aluminium, but those should never be used to connect directly to the wing, as they simply do not have the strength needed to ensure safe flight.

Things can sometimes go wrong in airsport, but this is why there are plenty of redundancies and backups in place. Over the decades, paraglider manufacturers have developed some excellent safety features and equipment which minimizes the likelihood of mishaps or injury.

The single most important piece of safety/emergency equipment is the reserve parachute. Should the main wing sustain damage or get tangled up beyond recovery, the reserve parachute can be easily deployed, and is designed to inflate in minimum amount of time with least possible loss of altitude.

It is very important that the correct reserve parachute is being used. Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department requires permit-holding commercial pilots to have certified 2-person tandem reserve parachutes able to carry a minimum of 180 kg load. This is why we ask about passenger weights, and also this is why you definitely want to fly with people who take these numbers seriously, lest you find yourself without a backup plan. Unscrupulous pilots either fly with solo-rated reserves (designed for one-person only) or no reserve at all, as that is obviously much cheaper, but this is the one place where cutting costs just does not make sense. Wrong reserve parachute choice would result in an excessive descent rate most likely resulting in injury upon landing.

The other very important item keeping you safe is the connection between the reserve parachute and the harnesses. Once again, this literal lifeline needs to be designed to be able to carry the maximum pilot and passenger load, and needs to be securely attached to a point between the pilot and the passenger. Improper gear choice (such as flying tandem flights with a solo harness which doesn’t allow the correct connection) can put the passenger in danger should the reserve be deployed.

Flight helmets should be airsport-certified, well maintained, and properly worn. Loose straps are as good as no straps at all, so do make sure the helmet is not moving around on your head. Climbing helmets and bicycle helmets are not advised. The use of helmets is absolutely not negotiable: no helmet = no flight.

Personal equipment involved in paragliding is the final and equally important element of a successful, safe, and fun flight. This includes your clothing, footwear, as well as accessories such as hats and gloves.

Even though Hong Kong is a tropical location and we have some very hot summer temperatures, we ask you to bring long layers for the flight. In the summer, trousers or yoga pants protect you from scratches should you graze a bush or get dragged around on takeoff. In winter, long layers obviously provide thermal protection, especially appreciated between December and February when temperatures can drop to single digits, especially at altitude.

Depending on the weather, we can spend a lot of time waiting for ideal winds. This is where you will have the most appreciation of your clothing choice, as you want to keep warm and comfy. You most definitely do not want to be taking off already a bit chilly, because things only get cooler after your feet leave the ground.

In winter it is not a bad idea to bring your own gloves, scarf or neck tube, and a warm hat. Once again, this will keep you comfy while waiting on the ridge, but also will protect you from the 45-50 km/h wind during flight.

Footwear is a very important element. Since all of our flying sites are hike-up sites, you want to have proper hiking or running shoes. Sandals, flip-flops, and other flimsy, decorative shoes that are fine for high tea but not for the mountain will absolutely not do. Ideally you will have good grip for the hike up the mountain, and some ankle support which helps keep you safe on takeoff and landing.