Right of way

Avoiding a collision comes first; then the rules that say who gives way head-on, converging, overtaking, along a ridge, in a thermal and when landing, and where the law and the training bodies differ.

In this lesson you will

Your first soaring day will not be a private one: wings beat along the ridge, a hang glider overtakes, and someone circles over the spur. Mid-air collisions are among the most dangerous events in paragliding, and BHPA investigators have never found one that was the fault of only one pilot¹.

The right of way rules give every pilot the same answer to “who moves?”. They only work if you see the other aircraft in time.

Avoid collision first

Every rule book starts here. APPI calls it the first rule, Part 103 in the US tells you to keep watch to see and avoid other aircraft, and the BHPA reminds pilots that taking every possible step to avoid a collision is their own responsibility²³⁴.

Keep a lookout all round: ahead, to the sides, above, below and behind, about 3–4 s on each sector, and look before every turn⁵⁶. A wing on a collision course is easy to miss: it seems to stay in one spot in your view while it grows bigger⁵. If the air is too crowded for you, land⁵.

SERA says the aircraft with right of way keeps its heading and speed, so the other pilot can predict it⁴. Holding your course never means holding on: if the other pilot does not move, get out of the way anyway.

Head-on, converging and overtaking

These three come from the aircraft rules of the air, and the training bodies agree on the basics.

Head-on

When two aircraft approach head-on, or nearly so, both turn right⁷⁸. You pass left side to left side.

Converging

When two aircraft converge at about the same height, the one that has the other on its right gives way⁷⁸. Turn early, usually to the right, to pass well behind it. SERA, the rules of the air in the EU and the UK, adds: do not pass over, under or in front of the other unless well clear⁴.

Overtaking

The pilot being overtaken has right of way, and the faster one keeps well clear⁹⁸. Which side you pass on depends on where you fly. SERA itself lets one sailplane pass another on either side, while the federations’ common rules for mainland Europe (the EHPU summary) say pass on the right where you can⁹¹⁰.

Figure: Pick a scenario, pause at step 1 and decide who gives way before the answer appears. Where the rules differ, the menu changes the manoeuvre as well as the text. Plan view, not to scale.

Pick a scenario, pause at step 1 and decide who gives way before the answer appears. Where the rules differ, the menu changes the manoeuvre as well as the text. Plan view, not to scale.

Standards differ Head-on, converging and overtaking

Common ground: Head-on, both turn right. Converging, the aircraft with the other on its right gives way. The pilot being overtaken has right of way⁷⁹⁸.

USHPA (USA): No public USHPA rule. The FAA’s aircraft rules do not apply to Part 103 paragliders, but US practice follows them: overtake by turning right and passing well clear¹¹⁸.
BHPA (UK): UK SERA. You may overtake on either side, with a wide berth⁹¹⁰.
APPI (international): Converging, the pilot on the right has right of way. Head-on, turn right. Overtaking, either side with good clearance².
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Right-of-way rules for crossing, slopes, thermals and aircraft categories are taught from Stage 2¹².

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

Giving way

Scan, and spot traffic early.
Cue A wing that stays in one spot in your view but grows is converging.
Why Seeing it early leaves time for a calm, clear move.
Work out who gives way.
Why Both pilots reach the same answer.
If it is you, look, then turn early and clearly, usually to the right.
Cue The other wing starts sliding across your view instead of growing.
Why A decisive turn shows the other pilot what you are doing.
If you have right of way, hold your heading and speed, and keep watching.
Why Predictable flying helps the other pilot; watching lets you react if they do not move⁴.
Pass well clear, then look again before you turn back.

On the ridge

Along a ridge one pilot cannot turn right: the hill is there. So in a head-on meeting the pilot with the ridge on their right holds their line, and the pilot with the ridge on their left moves out, away from the hill¹³. The BHPA, APPI, the EHPU summary and US sites all teach this ridge rule; in Europe it is a recommendation, not law, and the BHPA calls it common sense¹³¹⁴.

Every turn on a ridge goes away from the hill, into wind, including the turn at the end of each beat¹⁵.

Overtaking along a ridge is where the systems differ. Whatever the side, the slower pilot must stay free to turn away from the hill¹⁰. The EHPU summary says pass on the right, and on the left only if the right is impossible¹⁰.

Standards differ Overtaking along a ridge

Common ground: The pilot being overtaken has right of way, and you pass well clear¹⁰.

USHPA (USA): No public USHPA rule. US sites such as Torrey Pines say pass on the ridge side, between the hill and the slower wing, so it can still turn away from the hill¹⁰.
BHPA (UK): Either side, with a wide berth. When hill soaring, turning back is often safer than overtaking¹⁰.
APPI (international): Either side with good clearance, but on a ridge, turn rather than overtake².
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Ridge and thermal soaring priorities are Stage 4 knowledge¹².

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

Figure: Overtaking along a ridge. Switch the rules to compare passing on the ridge side (US sites), passing on the right, here the outside (EHPU summary), and turning back (BHPA and APPI advice).

Overtaking along a ridge. Switch the rules to compare passing on the ridge side (US sites), passing on the right, here the outside (EHPU summary), and turning back (BHPA and APPI advice).

Common mistake Turning towards the hill

Symptom: To give way, or at the end of a beat, you turn towards the slope, and the wind carries you at it fast over the ground.
Cause: Turning the way that feels natural instead of the way the hill allows.
Fix: Every ridge turn goes away from the hill, into wind. Give way by moving out from the ridge¹⁵¹⁶.

Thermals

The first pilot in a thermal sets the circling direction, and everyone who joins circles the same way¹⁷.

Priority inside the thermal is a matter of convention, and the conventions differ. APPI and US site rules give priority to the lower pilot; the EHPU summary says keep clear of gliders already circling, with the ridge rules coming first on a slope¹⁸. They can clash, for example when a faster climber comes up under a pilot already circling. Many instructors teach a cautious habit that respects them all: join in the established direction, keep clear of pilots already circling, and give way to the pilot below. Ask your school which convention your sites use.

Standards differ Priority in thermals

Common ground: The first pilot sets the direction, and everyone who joins circles the same way¹⁷.

USHPA (USA): No public USHPA rule. US site rules (SHGA): the lower aircraft has the right of way¹⁸.
BHPA (UK): No published BHPA thermal rule. Circle the way the first pilot does, as the other systems teach, and ask your school about priority¹⁷.
APPI (international): Turn the same way as the first pilot; the lowest pilot has priority².

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

Landing

An aircraft landing, or on its final approach, has priority. When several approach together, the lower one lands first, but must not use that to cut in front of a pilot already on final¹⁹⁸. Fly the site’s landing pattern (in the UK, the circuit)²⁰. After landing, check for traffic and clear the landing field (LZ) quickly, and stop kiting when someone starts an approach²¹.

Standards differ Landing with other pilots

Common ground: The lower pilot lands first, nobody cuts in on final, and everyone clears the field quickly¹⁹⁸²¹.

USHPA (USA): US sites repeat the FAA rule: the lower aircraft first, without cutting in. Each site sets its own pattern, for example a left-hand pattern with S-turns discouraged⁸²⁰.
BHPA (UK): Lowest first. Leave clear on your left any aircraft that is landing, has landed or is about to take off, adapted to the site²².
APPI (international): The lower pilot has priority, and APPI 3 students learn to manage their approach with other pilots²²³.

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

Other aircraft

Between different kinds of aircraft, the law decides (see the box below). Either way, never assume a faster pilot has seen you. When a rescue helicopter arrives, clear the area or land²⁴.

Standards differ Paragliders and other aircraft

Common ground: Avoiding a collision comes before any priority rule²⁴.

USHPA (USA): FAA Part 103: give way to all aircraft; powered ultralights give way to unpowered ones³.
BHPA (UK): UK SERA: a paraglider is a sailplane, so powered aircraft give way to it, and it gives way to balloons²⁵⁷.
APPI (international): Follow the law of the country you fly in²⁶.

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

Common mistake Holding on because you have right of way

Symptom: You fly straight at a wing that is not moving, sure that it must give way.
Cause: Treating the rule as a promise rather than a shared plan.
Fix: Hold your course only while it is clearly safe. If the other pilot has not moved in good time, avoid them⁴.

Instructor's note Where the rules meet real days

A pilot who seems to break the rules may be new: in the UK a red ribbon asks you to give them room²⁷. Give way anyway.
Hang gliders follow the same rules as you, but fly faster: leave them room²⁵³.
Sites add local conventions, and the site briefing beats this page²⁸.

Questions students ask

Are these rules the law?

In Europe and the UK, SERA makes the head-on, converging, overtaking, landing and category rules law; the ridge and thermal rules are federation recommendations⁴⁷⁹¹⁹¹⁴. In the US, Part 103 says see and avoid and give way to all aircraft; the FAA’s other right-of-way rules do not apply to paragliders, and sites copy them³¹¹⁸.

What if the other pilot ignores the rules?

Avoid them anyway. Taking every possible step to avoid a collision is always your responsibility⁴.

What if two wings touch?

If two wings tangle, or are out of control after a collision, the German federation’s advice is to throw the reserve parachute at once¹. See priorities and the reserve.

Key points

Avoiding a collision comes first: scan all round and look before every turn.
Head-on, both turn right; converging, give way to the aircraft on your right; the pilot being overtaken has right of way.
On a ridge, the pilot with the ridge on their right holds their line, and every turn goes away from the hill.
Overtaking along a ridge differs between systems; the BHPA and APPI advise turning back instead.
In a thermal, circle the way the first pilot does; priority conventions differ, so keep a wide margin and ask which one your site uses.
The lower pilot lands first, nobody cuts in on final, and everyone clears the field.
Under SERA you are a sailplane; under FAA Part 103 you give way to all aircraft.

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.