Pitch and roll — surge, dive and the pendulum · Paragliding lesson 2.7

Why the wing surges ahead or drops behind you, how the pendulum under it swings and settles, how to time a damping input, and how badly timed inputs make the swing bigger.

In this lesson you will

You have met it already, on the ground. During an inflation the wing climbs, arrives over your head and keeps going unless you stop it. In the air the same thing happens whenever the wing’s speed changes: let the brakes up quickly after slow flight and the wing shoots ahead of you, leaves you behind for a moment, then you swing forward under it.

None of this is dangerous in itself; a school wing settles on its own. But a swing that is fed instead of damped grows, and a big one near the ground or in rough air can hurt. Understanding the swing is what turns your brake inputs from guesses into timing.

Why the wing goes ahead or behind

A school wing weighs only about 4.5–5 kg10–11 lb¹ but has a huge area, so air pushes it around easily. You, with your harness, weigh many times more and hang about 6.6–7.15 m20–25 ft below it². When something changes the speed of the air on the wing, the light wing speeds up or slows down before you do, and your weight swings under it³. It is not quite as quick as its fabric weight suggests: the air inside it, and the air it drags along, must be speeded up too⁴.

If the wing speeds up first, it moves ahead of you: a surge. If it slows first, it drops behind you. The rocking of the wing ahead and behind is pitch. Common triggers are:

Letting the brakes up quickly after slow flight: the wing speeds up, so be ready for the surge that follows⁵⁶.
Flying into rising air: the rising air raises the angle of attack, so the wing pitches back, then surges forward as you swing under it⁷⁵. Flying from lift into sinking air pitches it forward⁷.
Coming out of a steep turn abruptly: the speed of the turn becomes a surge and a dive⁸.
The end of an inflation: the wing arrives overhead with speed and needs a brake input to stop it⁹.

A big surge matters for two reasons. The wing ahead of you meets the air at a low angle of attack, which brings it closer to a collapse, the same thing that makes a wing on the speed bar easier to collapse¹⁰¹¹. And as it dives you lose height quickly. Close to the ground that combination appears in accident reports: letting the wing surge or pitch forward too abruptly near the ground is on the Swiss list of landing-phase causes¹².

The pendulum swing

You and the wing form a pendulum. Your weight hangs low, so after a disturbance it pulls the whole system back to steady flight, swinging past and back a few times as the swing dies away¹³. This pendulum stability is why paragliders are so stable, and also why they swing: the forces lesson explains it.

One instrumented flight measured a swing of pilot and wing taking about 5 s for a full cycle, which matches a simple pendulum the length of the lines¹⁴. It is a single, preliminary measurement, but it gives you the scale: a surge forward and back takes a few seconds, so you have time to act, but not to think it over.

Left alone, a school wing damps its swings by itself¹³, though near the top of its weight range it is more dynamic and damps itself less¹⁵. Class A wings are built for maximum passive safety and very forgiving behaviour¹⁶.

Figure: A surge after the brakes come up quickly. Hands off, the wing swings back and forth a few times before it settles. Switch variants: a well-timed brake input stops it in one small swing, while late inputs pump it bigger. Watch the brake trace against the wing’s position.

A surge after the brakes come up quickly. Hands off, the wing swings back and forth a few times before it settles. Switch variants: a well-timed brake input stops it in one small swing, while late inputs pump it bigger. Watch the brake trace against the wing’s position.

Timing the damping input

The rule is simple to say and takes practice to feel:

As the wing comes forward, brake. A brief, smooth input slows the wing and stops the surge early⁵.
As it comes back overhead, release. Let the brakes up smoothly, so you do not push it behind you.
If it drops behind you, let it fly. Let the brakes up so it can speed up, and be ready for the surge that follows⁵.

You rarely see the wing during all this, so feel it. As the wing pitches forward the brake pressure falls, which calls for brake; as it pitches back the pressure rises, which calls for less⁵. You also feel lighter in the seat as the wing dives ahead, and see it appear in front of you at the top of your view.

Match the input to the surge: brief and small for a small one, brief and firm for a big one⁵. Timing matters more than strength.

When your inputs make it worse

Inputs out of step with the swing feed it. Brake as the wing is already falling back and you push it further behind; let the brakes up as it swings forward and you throw it further ahead. Each badly timed input adds to the swing: a pilot-induced oscillation, most common in early training³. The third variant of the figure shows it.

The usual cause is reacting late, then over-reacting: manuals warn against over-reacting with the brakes¹⁷. Certification tests cannot show how a wing behaves in every situation, including the ones you create¹⁸.

If you notice your inputs seem to make things worse, stop pumping. Many instructors teach going back to a light, quiet contact near hands up, so you stop over-reacting¹⁷, and letting the wing’s own damping settle it¹⁵, then starting again with small, early inputs.

Roll: the side-to-side swing

The pendulum swings sideways too. A turn reversal, a gust lifting one wingtip or a sudden shift of your weight sets you swinging from side to side under the wing: roll.

Keep the wing level above you with small, smooth inputs and weight shift, and stop as it comes level¹⁷; your instructor will show you which hand to use, and when. Big alternating inputs, left then right, feed the swing. If one side goes soft, apply that brake promptly and let it up again as soon as normal pressure returns¹⁷.

Close to the ground, turn reversals are where roll swings hurt. Steep turns or reversals near the ground cause a dangerous pendulum swing and rapid height loss¹⁹; the low-turn trap shows how.

Active flying puts it together

Active flying means keeping the wing overhead and pressurised in moving air, by feeling the brake pressure and damping pitch and roll with small inputs⁵¹⁷. It matters because collapses are by far the most common first event in paragliding accidents²⁰, and active flying is how you catch a softening wing early¹⁷. SafePro even names its third stage Active Flying, with damping pitch and roll among its skills²¹. Active flying is the practical lesson.

Near the ground, the best active flying is quiet but not passive: settle the wing before your final glide, keep your inputs small and timely in bumps²², let the brakes up smoothly, and save big inputs for the flare.

Damping a surge

In moving air, fly with a light, constant contact on both brakes.
Cue About the weight of your arms.
Why You can only feel the wing pitch if you are in touch with it¹⁷.
Feel for the pressure to go light as the wing starts forward.
Cue Lighter brakes; you feel lighter in the seat.
Why Falling pressure is the early warning of a surge⁵.
Brake smoothly and briefly as the wing comes forward.
Cue The surge slows and stops not far in front of you.
Why A well-timed input stops the swing early⁵.
Release smoothly as the wing comes back overhead.
Cue The pressure returns to normal and the wing settles above you.
Why Holding the brake longer pushes the wing behind you and starts the next swing.
If the wing drops behind, let the brakes up and wait for it.
Cue Rising pressure, the wing behind your head.
Why The wing needs speed to come back; be ready for the surge after it⁵.
If your inputs seem to make it worse, stop and go back to a light contact.
Cue The swings settle within a few cycles.
Why A school wing damps itself¹⁵; a late input only feeds the swing¹⁷.

Common mistakes

Common mistake Braking late

Symptom: The wing surges, you brake as it comes back, and the next surge is bigger than the first.
Cause: The input arrives half a swing late, so it pushes the wing back instead of stopping it.
Fix: Brake as the wing starts forward, at the first lightening of the pressure, and release as it comes back overhead⁵.

Common mistake Holding the brakes on

Symptom: After damping a surge you keep the brakes down; the wing drops behind you, then surges harder.
Cause: Holding brake after the wing has stopped slows it and starts a new swing; held deep, it also takes you towards the stall.
Fix: Release as soon as the wing comes back overhead. Keep normal flying in the upper brake range²³.

Common mistake Snapping the brakes up after slow flight

Symptom: You throw your hands up and the wing shoots far ahead of you.
Cause: A quick release lets the light wing speed up before you do⁵.
Fix: Let the brakes up smoothly, not in a snap, and be ready to damp the surge. That is for normal slow flight. If the brakes suddenly go light, the wing has stalled: then the manuals say hands straight up at once, held there for 2–3 s²³; see Stall and parachutal stall.

Instructor's note Early beats late

Students worry they will miss a surge. On a school wing a missed surge usually settles by itself¹⁵; a late input is what makes trouble. So I teach quiet hands first, then timing, then size: brief and small for a small surge, brief and firm for a big one⁵. Practise pitch control when your instructor sets it up, with plenty of height under you.

Instructor's note The swing in the flare

Some instructors use the pendulum on purpose in a two-step flare: a first, partial input swings you forward and levels the glide, then more brake follows a second or so later. Others teach one continuous flare²⁴. Both work; your instructor’s method comes first, and the flare lesson explains them.

Standards differ When pitch and roll control is taught

Common ground: Every system builds pitch control in steps, from the launch onwards. SafePro, the international reference, lists damping pitch and roll as a Stage 3 (Active Flying) skill, with at least 3 successful flights covering its Stage 3 exercises, pitch and roll control among them²⁵²¹.

USHPA (USA): P1 launches already require pendulum and directional control²⁶. P2 adds five consecutive controlled reverse inflations with surge damping²⁷.
BHPA (UK): Club Pilot training includes a phase on instability and emergencies, with active flying²⁸.
APPI (international): Pitch and roll control is part of the Adventure level, alongside 360s and figure-eights²⁹.

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

Questions students ask

Is it normal for the wing to pitch?

Yes. It moves a little with every speed change and in every bump. Small swings need nothing from you; a school wing settles them itself¹⁵.

Do I have to react to every movement of the wing?

No. Over-reacting is a bigger danger than doing nothing¹⁷. Keep a light contact and act only on clear surges, softening or swings.

How do I know the wing is surging before I see it?

The brake pressure goes light⁵, and you feel lighter in the seat as the wing dives ahead.

Why does my instructor tell me to let the brakes up slowly?

A quick release lets the light wing speed up before you, so it surges ahead⁵. A smooth release keeps the wing over your head. The exception is a stall; if the brakes suddenly go light, hands straight up at once²³.

Key points

The wing is light and you are heavy: when its speed changes, it surges ahead of you or drops behind.
Pilot and wing swing like a pendulum, a full cycle in a few seconds; a school wing settles by itself.
Damp a surge by braking as the wing comes forward and releasing as it returns overhead. If it drops behind, let it fly.
Brake pressure tells you first: light as the wing pitches forward, heavier as it pitches back.
Late or over-sized inputs feed the swing. If you are making it worse, go back to a light contact and let it settle.
Near the ground, keep your hands quiet: no snatched releases and no turn reversals.

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.