Forward inflation

Bring the wing up facing into wind — arms as extensions of the risers, steady pressure through the harness — then control it and check it overhead.

In this lesson you will

Your first forward inflations will probably feel like wrestling a duvet in the wind: the wing comes up crooked, or not at all, or shoots over your head and collapses. Then one morning you lean forward and walk, the wing grows heavy and then suddenly light, and when you look up it is sitting overhead, open and still.

The forward inflation starts every forward launch, and most of the skill is in your body, not your arms. You learn it on flat ground or a gentle slope, with your instructor, long before you need it on a hill.

When to use it

In a forward inflation you face into wind with the wing laid out behind you, and walk or run forward to bring it up. It is the technique for nil to light wind; as the wind strengthens, the reverse inflation, facing the wing, takes over. There is no single wind speed where one becomes better than the other, so your instructor tells you which to use on the day¹.

Standards differ Forward inflations in training

Common ground: Every system has you inflate, control and check the wing many times on the ground before you fly. SafePro, the international reference, describes the launch as raising and controlling the canopy, then a stop-line decision before you accelerate².

USHPA (USA): The P2 tasks include five consecutive forward inflations, with a visual check of the canopy each time³.
BHPA (UK): No published student task for the forward inflation; your school’s training record sets the exercises. The post-Club Pilot syllabus uses the forward launch for light-wind launching⁴.
APPI (international): The launch is taught in five phases: Inflate, Control, Decide (at the stop line), Accelerate and ‘Take off’⁵. Student ground-handling tasks are done in winds of up to 15 km/h9 mph⁶.

Summarised from each body’s published material, which changes over time. Check the current official documents and follow your school.

Stance and grip

Stand in the middle of the laid-out wing, facing directly into wind, with equal tension on the left and right risers⁷. Hold the A-risers together with your brake handles; on most wings that means both the main A-riser and the small outer A-riser used for big ears. A few wings are inflated on the inner A-riser only, so check your manual⁸.

Many instructors describe your arms as extensions of the risers: they follow the line of the risers back towards the wing, with your elbows bent. As the wing climbs, your hands follow the risers up in an arc to about shoulder height. Dropping your hands pulls the leading edge down and can stop the wing flying⁸. Schools differ on the exact hand position, so your instructor’s method takes precedence.

Inflate: pull through, not down

Start with the lines just tight, or tightening within a step or two; charging at the wing from slack lines snatches it up unevenly⁹. Then lean forward with a straight back, drive your hips forward and keep walking. The pull comes from your body moving steadily forward through the harness, not from your arms pulling the risers down or pushing them forward⁹. Bending at the waist closes the leading edge and slows the inflation¹⁰. APPI describes the feeling as keeping pressure in your waist strap⁵.

What you feel: the risers come tight against your harness, the load builds as the wing lifts off the ground and climbs behind you, then fades as it comes over your head. Keep looking ahead, not down at your feet; the look up at the wing comes later, and it is brief¹¹.

If the wing comes up crooked, steer it with your feet: move your body under the low or lagging side. Don’t pull a brake to fix it while it is still rising; the brakes are for stopping it once it is overhead¹².

Figure: A forward inflation on a gentle slope in light wind. Watch the arms follow the risers up in an arc while the body leans and walks forward, then the light brake that stops the wing overhead, and the look up before the run.

A forward inflation on a gentle slope in light wind. Watch the arms follow the risers up in an arc while the body leans and walks forward, then the light brake that stops the wing overhead, and the look up before the run.

Control: release the A’s and stop the surge

As the wing arrives overhead, let go of the A-risers and take over with the brakes. APPI teaches it in that order: release the A’s, then brake deep enough to stop the surge, keeping pressure in the harness and the wing above your head¹³. How much brake depends on the wing and the wind. Manufacturers say to brake gently if necessary, and one instructor warns that too much brake chokes the wing¹³, so your instructor will show you the amount for your wing.

You can feel the moment coming: the pressure in the risers fades, the wing goes light and you sense it moving ahead of you. Brake too late, and it overshoots¹⁴.

Check: look up first

Now look up, briefly. Check that the wing is overhead, fully and evenly inflated, flying straight and level, and that the lines are free of knots and tangles¹⁵. This canopy check is part of every forward inflation in USHPA’s P2 tasks³. It catches closed cells, line-overs and big tangles, but it can miss small knots, which is why the line check during set-up matters¹⁶. Only when everything is right do you carry on, either kiting or, in a launch, lowering your shoulders to run (the launch sequence). If anything is wrong, stop rather than trying to fix it on the run¹⁵.

Stopping means stopping you and the wing: normally both brakes pulled fully to bring it down while you stay on your feet, turning to face it and moving towards it if there is wind. Practise stopping on your instructor’s command until it is automatic; on a steep or windy launch, your instructor’s method takes precedence¹⁷.

The forward inflation, step by step

Stand in the middle, facing into wind, with the A-risers and brake handles in your hands.
Cue Equal tension on both sides; your arms follow the risers back towards the wing.
Why A centred start gives an even inflation⁷.
Bring the lines just tight with a step or two.
Cue You feel the risers come tight at your harness.
Why Slack lines snatch the wing up unevenly⁹.
Lean forward, drive your hips forward and keep walking steadily.
Cue The load builds in the harness, not in your arms.
Why The pull comes from your body, not from pulling the risers down⁹.
Let your hands follow the risers up in an arc, and keep looking ahead.
Cue Your hands rise to about shoulder height; your eyes stay level.
Why Dropping your hands pulls the leading edge down⁸¹¹.
Steer with your feet by moving under the low side.
Cue The wing centres above you.
Why The brakes are for stopping the wing overhead, not for steering it up¹².
As it arrives overhead, release the A-risers and brake to stop the surge.
Cue The risers go light and the wing stops above you.
Why An unchecked wing overshoots¹³.
Look up and check — overhead, fully open, level, no knots or tangles.
Cue A clean, still wing.
Why You only go on with a wing you have seen¹⁵.
Decide. A clean wing means carry on kiting or, in a launch, accelerate; anything wrong means stop.
Cue Still, open and level, with steady pressure in both hands.
Why Stopping is good airmanship; only a clean, steady wing is ready¹⁸.

Common faults

Instructors see the same forward-inflation faults again and again¹⁹. The three big ones each have a simple cause and a simple fix.

Common mistake Overshoot — the wing shoots past you

Symptom: The wing rockets up, keeps going past overhead and can suffer a frontal collapse in front of you.
Cause: Too much energy: charging from slack lines, pulling the A-risers too hard or for too long, or a nil-wind effort in a light breeze, then not stopping the surge at the top⁹¹⁹¹⁴.
Fix: Steady pressure through the harness, hands following the arc, and a brief brake as the wing arrives overhead. If it is already past you, abort.

Figure: The overshoot fault. The pilot pulls the A-risers too hard and too long, nothing stops the surge, and the front of the wing collapses. Compare with the correct inflation.

The overshoot fault. The pilot pulls the A-risers too hard and too long, nothing stops the surge, and the front of the wing collapses. Compare with the correct inflation.

Common mistake Hang-back — the wing stalls behind you

Symptom: The wing climbs part of the way, hangs there and falls back to the ground.
Cause: You stopped moving, leaned back, bent at the waist or dropped your hands, so the wing lost the airflow that was lifting it⁸¹⁰¹⁴.
Fix: Keep leaning and walking forward until the wing is overhead. If it is lost, stop, bring it down and lay out again.

Figure: The hang-back fault. The pilot stops and leans back while the wing is still climbing; it loses its airflow, hangs behind the pilot and falls back.

The hang-back fault. The pilot stops and leans back while the wing is still climbing; it loses its airflow, hangs behind the pilot and falls back.

Common mistake The wing falls to one side

Symptom: One side comes up first, or the whole wing drifts and drops towards one side.
Cause: An off-centre stance, a crooked layout or one A-riser going slack⁷¹⁴.
Fix: Move your body under the low side rather than pulling a brake¹², and keep your hips low so the harness loads both A-risers¹⁴. Next time, lay out in an arc and stand in the middle.

Figure: Fixing a wing that falls to one side, seen from behind the pilot. The wing drops to the pilot’s left, so the pilot steps left, under the low side, until the wing is centred overhead again.

Fixing a wing that falls to one side, seen from behind the pilot. The wing drops to the pilot’s left, so the pilot steps left, under the low side, until the wing is centred overhead again.

Instructor's note Match the energy to the wind

APPI asks for an inflation with its energy matched to the wind and the slope⁵. In nil wind you need more steps and a longer, steadier push; in a light breeze the same effort sends the wing shooting past you. Your instructor will tell you how much at first.

Questions students ask

How hard should I pull?

Not with your arms at all. Lean, drive your hips forward and walk steadily; the pull goes through your harness⁹.

Should I watch the wing while it comes up?

No. Look ahead, feel the wing through the risers and harness, and look up briefly once it is overhead¹¹.

The wing came up crooked. Can I straighten it with the brakes?

Move your feet under the low side instead¹². If it still isn’t right once it is overhead, stop¹⁵.

Key points

Use the forward inflation in nil to light wind; your instructor decides when to switch to the reverse.
Stand in the middle, facing into wind; think of your arms as extensions of the risers, following them up in an arc.
Pull through, not down: lean, hips forward, walk steadily, with the pressure in your harness.
Steer a crooked wing with your feet, moving under the low side; save the brakes for the top.
As the wing arrives overhead, release the A’s and brake to stop the surge.
Look up and check before anything else, and if the wing isn’t right, stop.

Ground to Solo is a study aid. Paragliding is learned in person with a qualified instructor at a recognised school; nothing here certifies you to fly.