The launch sequence

Every launch runs the same way — inflate, control, check, decide, accelerate, fly — with clear places to stop and one decision after which you keep going.

In this lesson you will

On your first training-hill launch a lot happens in a few seconds: the wing climbs, you stop it, you glance up, you run, and the ground drops away. Treat it as one big heave and you make one big decision at the wrong moment. Instructors teach it as small jobs, most with their own chance to stop.

Launches go wrong more often than students expect. In the German federation’s long-term figures, the launch and the seconds just after lift-off account for about 30% of reported accidents¹. In Swiss data for 2025, the second commonest cause of launch accidents was a run that went out of control and was not stopped².

The sequence at a glance

Forward or reverse, every launch runs through the same jobs in the same order. APPI teaches five phases — inflate, control, decide, accelerate, take off — with the look at the wing inside control³⁴. Here the check gets its own step, because it is the step students most often rush. In a reverse launch the turn comes after the check: decide before you turn, feel that the risers are straight after it, and your stop line still applies (the reverse launch).

Figure: The whole sequence in a forward launch. Watch the strip at the bottom: up to the stop line you can still stop; after it you are committed (you still stop if the wing fails while you are firmly on your feet); once your feet are off, you fly the wing. The other variant shows a problem found at the check, and the stop.

The whole sequence in a forward launch. Watch the strip at the bottom: up to the stop line you can still stop; after it you are committed (you still stop if the wing fails while you are firmly on your feet); once your feet are off, you fly the wing. The other variant shows a problem found at the check, and the stop.

The launch sequence

Before you inflate, choose your stop line and run your pre-flight check.
Cue You can point to your stop line.
Why Decisions made with a wing over your head are rushed.
Inflate with your body, eyes ahead.
Cue Steady pressure in the harness; the wing climbs evenly.
Why Problems are easiest to stop now⁵.
As the wing arrives overhead, release the A-risers and brake to stop it.
Cue The risers go light and the wing parks above you.
Why You can’t check a moving wing⁴.
Look up and check.
Cue Overhead, fully open, level, clean, steady.
Why Anything wrong? Stop⁵.
At the stop line, decide.
Cue Your marker under your feet, a clean check, no doubt.
Why Your last planned chance to stop⁶.
Go — lower your shoulders and run, leaning into the harness.
Cue The pull eases and your strides lighten.
Why You are committed; keep the wing loaded⁷.
Keep running until you are clearly airborne.
Cue Your strides lighten, then you run on air.
Why Stopping or sitting early drops you onto the slope⁸.
Fly away from the terrain, check for traffic, then sit back, brakes in hand.
Cue The slope well below you.
Why The seat can wait; the slope can’t⁹.

Before you inflate: your stop line

Two decisions come before any of this: the go/no-go on the conditions (assessing the launch) and your full pre-flight check.

The stop line is a spot on the launch, chosen before you inflate, where you will decide: go or stop. APPI students choose their launch place and stop line while preparing, and the S in its B.E.S.A.F.E. check means visualising it⁶¹⁰. SafePro’s pre-flight check also includes visualising the run¹¹.

Pick something you will recognise without staring at your feet: a tuft, a stone, the place where the slope changes. It must leave you room to stop on your feet, and your instructor will confirm it on every launch (your way out). Choosing it now is the point: with the wing up and adrenaline rising, you follow the plan you made in calm.

Inflate and control

You learned these on the ground (forward and reverse inflation): the right moment, energy matched to the wind and slope, eyes ahead, steady pressure in the harness³. One cue warns of a deadly mistake: if the harness rides unusually far up your body as the wing rises, your leg straps are open. Abort at once¹².

The check: is it ready to fly?

Now the canopy check, a brief look up. A quick glance is usually enough, and if you stopped the wing well you have time for it⁵¹³. You are looking for a wing that is ready to fly:

Overhead and centred, not hanging back or drifting to one side.
Fully open and level, from tip to tip.
Flying straight and steady, without needing heavy brake.
Clean: no knots or tangles, no line looped over the top (line-over), no tip caught in the lines (cravatte).
And you: on your feet, on your line, facing your launch direction.

The DHV’s rule: go only with a clean, symmetric, steady wing over you, brakes at neither extreme; otherwise abort¹⁴.

A clean wing sits quietly above you with an evenly rounded leading edge, and the pressure feels the same in both hands. A tangle often shows as a tip that flaps, hangs low or won’t open. Cravattes often come from poor launch preparation¹⁵; never take off with a wing that isn’t fully inflated².

Decide at the stop line

At the stop line you make an active decision. SafePro makes stop-line awareness and a decision before accelerating a Stage 3 skill, and APPI’s phase is simply “stop or go”¹¹³.

Go only with a clean check. The DHV uses the old saying “a doubt is a no” for judging the weather¹⁶, and it works just as well with a wing over your head. An abort is not a failure; the DHV calls it good airmanship, and good ground handling buys you time to look, feel and decide¹⁴.

Accelerate: committed

Once you decide to go, commit. The BHPA asks for a committed run that keeps the wing loaded and reaches flying speed quickly⁷. Lower your shoulders, lean into the harness, eyes ahead¹³, and keep running until the wing has clearly taken your weight⁸. Giving up when the wing pulls back is a classic beginner error¹⁷; see the run.

Committed does not mean blind. Never take off with a wing that is not fully inflated or whose pitch and roll you don’t control². If it collapses or swings away while you are still firmly on your feet, stop as your instructor has drilled you. On a steep launch there may be no room to stop once you are past the line; that is why the line and your check come earlier there, and why your instructor briefs each new site¹⁸.

After lift-off: fly the wing

Once your feet are off the ground, there is no more aborting: you are flying¹⁴. If something goes wrong now — a line over the top, a turn you didn’t ask for — fly the aircraft first. Stop the turn with weight shift away from it and a measured opposite brake, look where you are going, fly away from the slope, and only then deal with the cause¹⁹²⁰.

The sequence ends with three jobs in this order: clear the terrain, check for traffic, then settle into the seat without letting go of the brakes³⁹. Hurrying into the seat close to the slope has caused accidents²¹; see getting into the seat.

Common mistake Deciding on the run

Symptom: You start running with a wing you haven’t really looked at, hoping it will sort itself out.
Cause: No stop line chosen, or a check skipped in the rush.
Fix: Choose the line before you inflate, look up before you reach it, and stop if anything isn’t right.

Common mistake Stopping halfway

Symptom: You start the run, then slow down or lean back when the wing pulls; it drops behind you or drags you.
Cause: Hesitating after deciding to go¹⁷.
Fix: Decide at the stop line, then commit — shoulders down, weight in the harness, keep running.

Instructor's note The sequence stretches and shrinks

In nil wind the phases flow into each other while you keep walking, and the check is a glance on the move. In a steady breeze you can park the wing overhead and take your time, and the run may be short. Same order, different tempo, and your stop line moves with both. If the wind lifts you before your stop line, it is too strong for you today.

Instructor's note The check can’t see everything

After a forward inflation, a quick look usually can’t reveal a knot. That is why the DHV wants an especially thorough line check on the ground whenever conditions don’t allow a reverse inflation²². The look at the wing is your last filter, not your first.

Standards differ How the bodies describe the launch

Common ground: All describe the same order — raise and control the wing, check it, decide, then a committed run until you are flying. Your school’s wording comes first.

USHPA (USA): P1: a smooth, confident inflation and run with pendulum and directional control²³, and a connection check before every inflation²⁴. P2: a visual canopy check on each of 5 consecutive forward inflations²⁵.
BHPA (UK): A committed launch run that keeps the wing loaded and reaches flying speed quickly⁷. The pre-flight check adds T, turn direction, before a reverse launch²⁶.
APPI (international): Five phases: Inflate, Control, Decide (stop or go at the stop line), Accelerate, and Take off and clear the terrain³. The stop line is chosen while preparing⁶ and visualised in the B.E.S.A.F.E. check¹⁰.
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Canopy raising and control, stop-line decision, acceleration, lift-off, clearing the terrain and settling into the seat; Stage 3 asks for stop-line awareness and a decision before accelerating¹¹.

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

Questions students ask

Where exactly should my stop line be?

Where you can still stop safely on your feet, before the slope steepens or the ground gets rough. It changes with the launch and the wind; your instructor confirms it each time.

How long should the check take?

A glance. Look up, see the whole wing, look ahead again¹³. If you need a long stare to decide, something is probably wrong.

Something goes wrong just after my feet leave the ground. Can I put it back down?

No — after lift-off you are flying. Stop any turn with weight shift and a measured opposite brake, fly away from the slope, then deal with it¹⁹.

Key points

Every launch: inflate, control, check, decide, accelerate, fly. Same order, forward or reverse.
Choose your stop line before you inflate, somewhere you can still stop on your feet.
The check: overhead, fully open, level, clean, steady — and you on your line. Anything wrong: stop.
Decide at the stop line. A doubt is a no; an abort is good airmanship.
After you decide to go, commit: run, lean into the harness, keep running until clearly airborne.
Once airborne, fly the wing first: away from the slope, traffic check, then the seat.

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.