Learn paragliding · from your first inflation to flying solo

Ground to Solo

A free online paragliding course and 3D flight simulator for student pilots. Learn the why behind every skill your instructor teaches, rehearse each sequence in the simulator, and see honestly where your study stands, ready to talk through with your instructor. 65 lessons, 663 quiz questions, 100 illustrations and 17 simulator missions.

Five stages, one flight

1. Stage 0: Orientation

   Before your first day — how training works and how to use this guide and the simulator.

2. Stage 1: Ground school and ground handling

   Equipment, basic theory, reading the wind and getting the wing over your head.

3. Stage 2: First flights on the training hill

   Launches, short glides, the flare and landing — low and close to your instructor.

4. Stage 3: High flights with radio

   Turns, speed control, approaches, weather, rules of the air and emergency awareness.

5. Stage 4: Soaring and readiness for your rating

   Ridge soaring, first thermals, ratings and the step to supervised solo flying.

The paragliding simulator

Flying Sim is a free 3D paragliding simulator in your browser: ground handling and kiting, forward and reverse launches, glides and the flare, landing patterns, ridge soaring, thermals, go/no-go decisions and emergency first responses, each scored with a debrief.

What the guide covers

• Start here — How this guide and the simulator work, what training looks like, and the mindset that keeps pilots safe.
  • How to use this guide and the simulator
  • What paragliding training looks like
  • The safety mindset
• Your equipment — The wing, harness, reserve and personal kit — what every part does and how to look after it.
  • Anatomy of a paraglider
  • Wing certification and sizing
  • The harness
  • The reserve parachute
  • Personal kit
  • Care, inspection and packing
• How a paraglider flies — Lift, glide, wind, the polar curve, controls, turns, pendulum effects, stalls and spins.
  • The ram-air wing and lift
  • Forces, glide and stability
  • Airspeed, groundspeed and wind
  • The polar curve and speed-to-fly
  • Controls and brake ranges
  • Turns and load factor
  • Pitch and roll — surge, dive and the pendulum
  • Stall, spin and parachutal stall
• Weather and air — Reading the wind on site, gradient, turbulence, ridge lift, thermals, clouds, local winds and forecasts.
  • Reading the wind
  • The wind gradient
  • Rotor, venturi and compression
  • Ridge lift
  • The atmosphere and stability
  • Thermals
  • Clouds and weather hazards
  • Local winds
  • Forecasts and the go/no-go decision
• Ground handling — Laying out, the pre-flight check, forward and reverse inflation, kiting, and handling the wing in wind.
  • Setting up and the pre-flight check
  • Forward inflation
  • Reverse inflation
  • Kiting
  • Problems, strong wind and killing the wing
• Launching — Assessing the launch, the launch sequence, forward and reverse launches, and aborting safely.
  • Assessing the launch
  • The launch sequence
  • The forward launch
  • The reverse launch
  • Aborts and launch accidents
• Flying the wing — Straight flight, turns, active flying, speed bar and big ears, airmanship, ridge soaring and first thermals.
  • Straight flight and speed control
  • Turning: look, lean, pull
  • Active flying
  • Speed bar and big ears
  • Airmanship and the glide cone
  • Ridge soaring
  • First thermals
• Landing — Choosing the field, flying the approach, the final glide and flare, the PLF, and difficult landings.
  • Assessing the landing field
  • The landing approach
  • Final approach and the flare
  • The parachute landing fall
  • Difficult landings
• Rules of the air — Right of way, airspace and the law in different regions, and site etiquette.
  • Right of way
  • Airspace and the law
  • Site etiquette
• Emergencies and incidents — Awareness of collapses, stalls, the reserve, unplanned landings and accident response. Manoeuvre training is done with an instructor.
  • Priorities and the reserve
  • Asymmetric collapse
  • Frontal collapse, cravatte and line twists
  • Stall and parachutal stall
  • Blown back and cloud suck
  • Trees, water and power lines
  • Responding to an accident
• Decisions and human factors — Go/no-go judgement, personal minimums, hazardous attitudes, accident lessons and staying current.
  • Go/no-go and personal minimums
  • Hazardous attitudes and human factors
  • Accidents, currency and the logbook
• From student to pilot — How training progresses, radio procedures, the ratings compared, and your first flights as a rated pilot.
  • Training progression, day by day
  • Radio procedures
  • The ratings compared
  • Your first flights as a rated pilot

Ground to Solo is a study aid. Paragliding is learned in person with a qualified instructor at a recognised school.