We often hear of misconceptions about the conditions in which we can fly paraglinding or not .Here is a short summary to better understand our activity.
What do we need to fly?
Contrary to some wrong ideas, we don't need wind to fly ,like a plane elsewhere because it is our own speed we create and our takeoff weight under glider during flight makes us fly.
However, we need a wing profile to glide. The airflow around the profile causes aerodynamic forces including the famous lift that will allow us to support our own weight.
In short, we need 3 things to steal:
-A Wing profile (paragliding)
-In Speed
-Our Own weight
What are the weather conditions in which we can fly?
We have seen that we did not need wind to fly. We do not need either of the sun or a bright blue sky in order to fly.
Indeed, flying under a cloudy sky view totally covered is quite possible. Thermals will be very low or nonexistent under a completely overcast but that will not prevent our glider to fly. The thermals only allow our paragliding to maintain or gain altitude ...
To resume, we can fly under a blue sky, cloudy and overcast, with or without wind.
What are the weather conditions where you can not fly?
-THE VERY STRONG WIND
It can sometimes happen that the weather wind is too strong, which rarely happens in our beautiful Haute-Savoie.
When it is too strong, it can prevent us from taking off in security.
Once in the air, if it strengthens, it may prevent us from moving forward if we are to face him.
Indeed the speed of our paragliding is about 40km / h in the air. If for example we add
30km / h headwind, our paragliding not advance more than 10km / h over the ground. If our
paragliding goes in the same direction as the wind, we will be 70km / h above the ground.
In these conditions it is difficult to walk quietly and serenely especially
that strong wind can generate great relief of turbulence (mountain pass, trees ....).
-THE RAIN
Rain is one of the main causes preventing us from flying in our department.
Indeed our paraglider is made of plastic material which is not waterproof. If you wet the fabric, this one is water soaks like a sponge. The glider becomes heavy and its trajectory changes which can be dangerous.
A few drops in the sky will have no impact on the flight, unlike a dense rain continues.
-THE STORM (cumulonimbus)
The storm is a meteorological phenomenon that combines several dangers:
-The heavy rain
-The strong wind
-Electric activity
-The powerful lifts
Everything is done to make conditions which are not favorable to paragliding.
While the airliners avoid storm cells, so imagine our small cloth in the middle of a phenomenon as powerful !!
A cumulonimbus generates strong thermals to feed and no longer needs the sun when it becomes autonomous.
Upper air changes can feel more than 50 km from a storm.
The observation of the sky becomes important before flying.