The forward launch

Launching facing forward in nil to light wind — build tension, inflate, check, then a committed run with light brake, leaning forward, legs running until you are well clear of the slope.

In this lesson you will

On a still morning the training hill is a forward-launch hill. There is no breeze to help, so everything comes from you: a smooth start, a steady push, and a run that doesn’t stop until the air is holding you.

It is also where the classic beginner errors live. In the DHV’s 2024 data, collapses during the launch run that turned the wing back into the slope mainly hit beginners and less practised pilots, with steep launches and nil wind as the hotspots¹. And one classic beginner error stands out: sitting down too early².

When to launch forward

In a forward launch you face into wind with the wing laid out behind you. It is the technique for nil to light wind; as the wind strengthens, the reverse launch takes over. No single wind speed decides the switch, so your instructor chooses on the day³.

Standards differ Forward launches in the syllabus

Common ground: Every system has you launch forward in light wind under supervision long before your first rating, and every one asks for a controlled, well-checked run.

USHPA (USA): P1 launches show a smooth, confident inflation and run, pendulum and directional control, and a smooth change from running to flying⁴. The Foot Launch skill adds 2 no-wind launches in 0–8 km/h0–5 mph⁵.
BHPA (UK): Instructors teach a committed launch run that keeps the wing loaded and reaches flying speed quickly⁶. The post-Club Pilot syllabus uses the forward launch for light-wind launching⁷.
APPI (international): The launch is taught in five phases, from inflation to clearing the terrain⁸, and the APPI Pilot exam asks for a controlled five-phase launch⁹.
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): The launch runs from raising and controlling the canopy through a stop-line decision, acceleration and lift-off to clearing the terrain¹⁰; looking down is a mark of a poor launch¹¹.

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

Build tension, then inflate

Lay out in an arc and stand in the middle, facing into wind and down your launch path¹²¹³. Hold the A-risers with your brake handles, your arms following the risers back towards the wing¹⁴.

Before you go, build tension: step forward until the lines come just tight, so the inflation starts within a step or two. Charging at the wing from slack lines snatches it up unevenly¹⁵. Then lean forward with a straight back, hips driving, and keep moving. The pull goes through your harness, not your arms¹⁵¹⁶.

Match the energy to the conditions⁸. 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. This part is the forward inflation, now on a slope.

Figure: The inflation that starts every forward launch. Notice the steady lean through the harness, the hands following the risers up, and the brief brake and look up at the top, before the run.

The inflation that starts every forward launch. Notice the steady lean through the harness, the hands following the risers up, and the brief brake and look up at the top, before the run.

Control, check, decide

As the wing arrives overhead, release the A-risers and brake just enough to stop it¹⁷. Glance up and check it, then decide at your stop line, as in the launch sequence. In nil wind you can’t park the wing and study it: the check is a glance while you keep moving. If anything is wrong, stop¹⁸.

The run

You have decided: commit. Lower your shoulders and accelerate. Three things make a good run:

Lean into the harness. Weight forward, hips low, so the harness loads both A-risers evenly. A collapse before the feet leave the ground often comes from one A-riser going slack¹⁹. Don’t bend at the waist¹⁶.
Light brake, not more. Keep hold of the brakes² and use just enough to keep the wing steady above you, flying it actively before your feet leave the ground¹⁹. Instructors warn that too much brake chokes the wing²⁰; the DHV wants the brakes at neither extreme when you go²¹. Exactly where your hands sit varies between schools and wings, so your instructor will show you; keep both handles all the way to the seat.
Eyes ahead. Look where you are going; looking down is a mark of a poor launch¹¹.

What it feels like: at first the wing pulls back on your harness; as it gains speed the pull eases, your strides lengthen and lighten, and the ground starts to slip away under your feet.

Figure: The run, from a checked wing to clear air: lean forward, light brake, legs running until well clear, then the seat. The variants show two classic errors: sitting down early, and stopping running as the feet get light.

The run, from a checked wing to clear air: lean forward, light brake, legs running until well clear, then the seat. The variants show two classic errors: sitting down early, and stopping running as the feet get light.

Keep running

Keep running until the wing has clearly taken your weight and your feet have left the ground². Then keep your legs moving. If the ground rises again under you, a gust drops you or the slope flattens, running legs simply take more steps; legs that have stopped trip you. Stumbles, slips and falls caused many of the launch accidents in the DHV’s 2024 data¹.

The first seconds in the air matter as much as the run. Of the 48 German pilots killed paragliding in 2018–2022, none died during the launch run itself, but nine died in the departure just after lift-off²².

Getting into the seat

Sitting down too early, jumping back into the seat before the wing is flying, is a classic error: you drop, and as the wing tries to fly you scrape or hit the ground². SafePro lists getting into the harness too soon as a mark of a poor launch².

The rule: fly away from the terrain first, then settle in²³. APPI’s order is clear the terrain, check for traffic, then get into the harness⁸. Get into the seat without letting go of the brakes. In a Swiss case a pilot hurrying into a pod harness caught the speed bar with a heel and pushed it fully; the wing collapsed and the pilot landed hard in bushes²⁴. If the seat won’t come, don’t fight it near the slope; get well clear first, and your instructor will talk you through it.

If you lift off early

Sometimes the wing lifts you sooner than you expect: a gust, a steeper step in the slope, or a little too much brake. Stay forward and keep your legs running, ready to land on them². If you touch down again, run on.

Don’t pull more brake to climb away. A big brake input can make a burst of lift²⁵ and leaves the wing slow close to the ground, where gusts or the wind gradient can take away the rest of its speed, just as on a slow approach to land²⁶. And don’t sit back.

If the wind lifts you before you have even started your run, it isn’t a forward-launch day for you. Talk to your instructor about a reverse launch, or about waiting³.

The forward launch run

With a clean check and your decision made, lower your shoulders and accelerate.
Cue The wing pulls back on your harness, then the pull eases as it gains speed.
Why A committed run keeps the wing loaded and reaches flying speed quickly⁶.
Keep your weight forward and your hips low.
Cue Even load on both A-risers through the harness.
Why A slack A-riser is a common cause of collapses in the run¹⁹.
Hold light brake and fly the wing, eyes ahead.
Cue The wing stays steady above you; you see where you are going.
Why Too much brake slows the wing; the DHV wants the brakes at neither extreme²¹.
Keep running until your feet leave the ground, then keep your legs moving.
Cue Your strides get longer and lighter, then run on air.
Why Sitting down or stopping early drops you onto the slope².
Fly away from the slope, check for traffic, then sit back, brakes in hand.
Why Settling in near the terrain has caused accidents²³.

Common mistake Sitting down early

Symptom: As your feet get light you sit back, the wing sags and your seat hits the slope.
Cause: Trying to get comfortable before the wing has taken your weight².
Fix: Keep running and stay forward until you are well clear; the seat comes last.

Common mistake Stopping running too soon

Symptom: Your feet leave the ground, your legs stop, you touch down again and stumble.
Cause: Thinking the launch is over the moment your feet get light.
Fix: Keep your legs running until the wing has clearly taken your weight and you are clear of the slope².

Common mistake Too much brake as you lift off

Symptom: The wing feels heavy and slow; you lift briefly, then sink back towards the slope.
Cause: Pulling the brakes to “help it lift”.
Fix: Light brake only, with the brakes at neither extreme²¹.

Instructor's note Nil wind and thin air

In nil wind every bit of airspeed comes from your legs, so you need a longer, faster run than you expect, and the check has to happen on the move. On a high or hot launch the air is thinner and the run is faster and longer again²⁷. A slope that is too gentle for the day is a reason to wait or, with your instructor, move to a steeper part of the slope, not to run harder and hope.

Questions students ask

How far will I have to run?

It depends on the wind, the slope and how thin the air is²⁷. In nil wind expect a long run; in a light breeze much less. Keep running until you are clearly flying, however long it takes.

Should I lean forward even after my feet leave the ground?

Yes. Stay forward in the harness until you are well clear of the slope; sitting back early is the classic error².

Can I pull the brakes to help the wing lift me off?

Only light brake. Too much slows the wing close to the ground, just as on a slow approach to land²¹²⁶.

The wing drifts to one side during the run. What do I do?

Steer with your feet by moving under the low side²⁰. If it won’t come back, or it collapses, stop rather than take off with it²⁸.

Key points

Forward launches are for nil to light wind; your instructor picks forward or reverse each day.
Build tension before you go, then lean and push through the harness; match the energy to the wind.
In the run: weight forward, hips low, light brake, eyes ahead.
Keep running until clearly airborne, and keep your legs moving after that.
Fly away from the slope, check for traffic, then sit back with both hands on the brakes.
Lifted early? Stay forward, legs running, no extra brake, no sitting down.

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.