Final approach and the flare

Keep your speed, stand up early and look ahead on final, then time and size the flare to the wind for a soft landing on your feet.

In this lesson you will

Your first glides on the training hill last only seconds, and the last few decide how the flight feels. More accidents happen on the approach and landing than in any other phase of flight, and hard landings injure legs and backs¹².

The good news: a soft landing is mostly decided before the flare. Keep your speed, stand up early, look ahead and fly straight into wind; then the flare is a smooth, well-timed movement.

The final glide

The final glide is the last straight leg into wind, ending in the flare. Fly it straight and stable at or near trim speed: hands up, body upright, legs down, eyes ahead³.

Keep your speed

Speed is the energy the flare spends; a slow wing has little left to spend.

The wind gradient takes some of that speed away. Over grass, a wind of 20 km/h12 mph at 10 m35 ft is about 24 km/h15 mph at 30 m100 ft but only 14–15 km/h9–9 mph at 2 m7 ft, so sinking through the last 30 m100 ft costs roughly 9–10 km/h6–6 mph of headwind⁴. Your airspeed can drop with it, and the wing needs time to win it back⁵.

That is why braking on final is dangerous. A braked wing is already slower and nearer the stall; gusts, the wind gradient or turbulence can then take away lift suddenly, with no height left to recover⁶. USHPA, APPI and SafePro all teach a straight final with speed in hand⁷³.

Stand up early

Stand up in the harness well before you land: legs down, body upright, weight forward against the chest strap. Do it at the latest as you start the final glide; one school suggests by about 20 m65 ft, higher if it is bumpy⁸. In the last metres your hands and attention belong to the wing.

Safety-critical Never land seated

A back protector only reduces injury when a landing goes wrong. Landing seated or on your back is dangerous even with one: standing up is your main protection⁹.

Eyes ahead, no turns low

Look well ahead, toward the far part of the landing field (LZ), not at the grass under your feet³. Pilots fly toward whatever they stare at, even the one obstacle in a big field¹⁰.

Keep the final straight. Steep turns near the ground swing you out on the lines and cost height fast; one manufacturer advises against tight turns below about 30 m100 ft¹¹. If a small obstacle appears late, one school’s advice is to keep straight, flare and run past or over it¹².

Land into wind

A headwind takes its speed off your groundspeed; a tailwind adds to it. In one magazine’s worked example, a downwind touchdown comes at about 45 km/h28 mph, against about 5 km/h3 mph into wind¹³.

The flare

The flare turns the speed you kept into a short burst of extra lift: pulling both brakes raises the angle of attack, so the wing levels out, slows and sets you on your feet¹⁴. Keep trim speed until roughly 1 m3 ft above the ground, then pull both brakes smoothly and progressively, finishing with full brake as your feet touch¹⁵.

Timing matters more than strength: run out of speed and height at the same moment. Many instructors add that the faster you descend, the earlier the flare starts¹⁶. As your hands go down, brake pressure rises and the wind noise fades¹⁷; you swing slightly forward and the ground stops rushing at you.

Figure: Hands up through the wind gradient, flare from about 1 m (3 ft), full brake as the feet touch. Other variants: too high, too late, strong wind. Speeds come from a simplified model: they show the pattern, not exact values.

Hands up through the wind gradient, flare from about 1 m3 ft, full brake as the feet touch. Other variants: too high, too late, strong wind. Speeds come from a simplified model: they show the pattern, not exact values.

Final glide and flare

Stand up in the harness, at the latest as you turn onto final.
Cue Legs free, weight on the chest strap.
Why You can only run or roll on your feet.
Fly straight into wind, hands up, eyes well ahead.
Cue Firm wing, steady wind noise.
Why Speed is your margin and your flare.
At about 1 m3 ft, pull both brakes, gently at first, then more firmly.
Cue Pressure rises, wind noise fades, the wing levels out.
Reach full brake as your feet touch.
Cue You step onto the grass with little speed left.
Keep running until you stop, hands down.

One movement or two?

Sources agree on the goal but break the flare down differently:

Source	How it describes the flare
Gin, school wing manual	Two stages: about half brake (30–40 cm12–16 in on that wing) at about 1 m3 ft for a short level glide, then full brake just before touchdown¹⁸
DHV (its test for tandem and instructor candidates)	Round out, float, then brake fully¹⁵
Ozone, school wing manual	One smooth, progressive pull until you can step onto the ground¹⁵
Instructors writing for pilots	Some teach two steps, a second or so apart; others one continuous flare¹⁶

Brake travel varies by wing (check your manual); learn your instructor’s version.

Flare depth and the wind

The flare removes the speed you carry over the ground, and the headwind has already removed some: groundspeed is airspeed minus headwind¹⁹. So the stronger the wind, the smaller the flare²⁰.

Wind on final	The flare	After touchdown
Nil wind: you cross the ground at full airspeed	Full, long and progressive	Several fast steps
Light	Full and progressive	A few running steps
Moderate: slower, steeper glide	Smoother, often not full depth	A step or two
Strong, for you: slow, steep final	Short and gentle	Turn and kill the wing

In very strong wind, never pull the brakes all the way: the wing can climb and carry you up and backwards²⁰.

Figure: Change when and how you flare, and the wind. A simplified school-wing model: it shows the pattern, not your landing.

Change when and how you flare, and the wind. A simplified school-wing model: it shows the pattern, not your landing.

Too high, too late

Flare too high or too hard and the wing climbs or floats, slows and goes quiet, then drops you²¹. Flare too late or not at all and you land fast and hard²². Whatever goes wrong, keep the wing straight and still flare²².

Common mistake Braking on final

Symptom: The final feels sinky and mushy, and you land short or hard.
Cause: Pulling brake to slow down or stretch the glide, just where the wind gradient takes airspeed away.
Fix: Hands up on final. Fix overshoots earlier in the approach, never by braking low.

Common mistake Flaring too high

Symptom: A few metres up the wing slows, goes quiet and floats, then drops you.
Cause: Misjudging height, often from staring down, or snatching the brakes.
Fix: Look ahead and wait for about 1 m3 ft. If it climbs, raise your hands only about 10–20 cm3.9–7.9 in and flare again as you sink, ready to run (one manufacturer’s advice)²¹.

Common mistake Flaring late, or not at all

Symptom: You hit the ground running much too fast.
Cause: Fixating on a spot, or freezing.
Fix: Look well ahead, start at about 1 m3 ft, and flare even if it feels late.

On the ground

Touchdown is not the end: brakes down, run until you stop. In stronger wind the wing keeps flying and can drag you. Turn to face it as your feet touch and stall it at once with both rear risers or both brakes, pulled smoothly and evenly, moving toward it if it pulls. In very strong wind one manufacturer prefers the C-risers; your manual and instructor say which to use²³. You practise this when killing the wing; difficult landings goes further.

Then gather the wing and clear the field before unclipping²⁴.

When to PLF instead

If a hard landing is coming, because the wing has dropped you from a high flare, you are arriving downwind or you are far too fast to run, prepare for a PLF (parachute landing fall): feet and knees together, knees slightly bent, ready to roll. Many schools teach it for any landing that is likely to be hard²⁵, and USHPA, APPI and SafePro all include it²⁶. See the parachute landing fall.

Instructor's note Hands fully up, or a touch of brake in bumpy air?

Manufacturers differ: Nova suggests about 20% of brake travel in a turbulent approach; Ozone keeps trim speed but flies actively all the way down²⁷. Both say never slow. Follow your instructor’s briefing.

Instructor's note Exceptions I see every season

Strong wind: your wing flies about 7 m25 ft above your harness²⁸, in stronger wind than you feel⁴, so a deep flare in a breeze can surprise you.
Big ears: if you use them, let them out well before your final glide. The tips can take a few seconds to reopen²⁹, and with ears in the stall is closer³⁰, so let the wing regain its speed. Never brake deeply on both sides with ears in³¹, never flare with them, and avoid them on a windy or bumpy final³².
High or hot fields: thinner air means a faster touchdown³³.

Standards differ How your landings are assessed for the first rating

Common ground: USHPA and APPI test on-the-feet, into-wind landings near a target; USHPA, APPI and SafePro all teach the PLF²⁶. Your instructor decides when you are ready.

USHPA (USA): P2: five safe, on-the-feet, into-wind landings within 7.6 m25 ft of a target that needs turns to set up, at least 31 m100 ft below launch, or an optional landing task³⁴.
BHPA (UK): The BHPA syllabus for this is not public: follow your school³⁵.
APPI (international): APPI’s 2016 logbook, APPI Pilot (APPI 3) exam: a stable, into-wind final and a landing on your feet less than 40 m130 ft from the target³⁶.
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Stage 1: land directly into wind, ready to run¹³. Stage 3: a precision landing inside an area your instructor chooses³⁷.

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

Questions students ask

Why not flare a bit higher, just to be safe?

You can spend your speed only once. Spend it a few metres up and the wing drops you²¹.

How do I know when I am at 1 m3 ft?

Look ahead, not down, and watch the ground come up. At first your instructor may call it on the radio; notice where you were each time.

My harness has a big airbag. Can I land sitting down?

No. A protector reduces injury when things go wrong; it does not make a seated landing safe⁹.

Key points

Fly the final straight, into wind and hands up; never brake to slow down or stretch it.
Stand up early, look well ahead, and keep turns away from the ground.
Flare smoothly from about 1 m3 ft to full brake as your feet touch; less as the wind rises.
Flared too high? Ease off a little, not hands up, and flare again. Going wrong? Keep straight, flare, PLF.
Run it out, kill the wing in wind, clear the field.

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.