Stall, spin and parachutal stall

Why a wing stops flying when the airflow breaks away, how full stalls, spins and parachutal stalls start, and the warning signs that let you stay well clear of all three.

In this lesson you will

On one of your first glides down the training hill, the radio may crackle “hands up, hands up!” Your hands had crept down, the wing had gone quiet, and your instructor saw it slowing. This lesson explains why they reacted so fast.

A stall is rarely bad luck. In European accident data, over-control — too much brake, too fast or at the wrong moment — is the second most common first event after collapses, mostly on the approach and landing¹. A gust, a turn or the wind gradient can help it along², and a wet or out-of-trim wing can stall with far less³. The good news: a school wing gives clear warnings first⁴.

How a wing stops flying

You met the angle of attack in The ram-air wing and lift: the angle between the wing and the oncoming air. Pulling the brakes draws the trailing edge down and raises the angle of attack⁵⁶. Up to a point the wing simply slows down and keeps flying, because the air still follows most of the curved upper surface.

Beyond that point, the critical angle, the air can no longer follow the upper surface. It breaks away, starting near the back and spreading forward, and tumbles in eddies. Lift falls away sharply and drag rises steeply: the wing cannot make enough lift to keep flying normally. That is a stall⁷.

Figure: In normal flight the air follows the upper surface. Pull the brakes far enough and the angle of attack becomes so large that the flow breaks away — notice how the lift arrow shrinks and the drag arrow grows.

In normal flight the air follows the upper surface. Pull the brakes far enough and the angle of attack becomes so large that the flow breaks away — notice how the lift arrow shrinks and the drag arrow grows.

A stall is about the angle of attack, not one particular speed: a wing can stall at any airspeed if the angle is raised far enough⁸. A gust, a thermal or a turn can do it, as can braking while flying downwind⁹². In straight flight, airspeed is still a good guide: a school wing flies hands-up at about 37 km/h23 mph, with a minimum speed around 25 km/h16 mph¹⁰¹¹.

What comes before a stall

A stall rarely arrives out of the blue. As your hands go down towards your hips, three things happen together¹²¹³:

The wind noise fades around your helmet.
The wing slows down and loses its forward drive.
The brakes get heavy: the pressure in your hands rises clearly.

School wings are built to warn you. EN A certification requires the brake pressure to keep rising all the way to the stall¹⁴, and current school wings need about 60–80 cm24–31 in of brake travel to get there; check your manual⁴.

Watch for one more warning: pressure that rises while your hands stay still. A gust or a thermal has raised the angle of attack for you, so ease the brakes up a little¹²⁹.

The stall itself feels different. When the flow breaks away, the brake pressure suddenly drops: the brake goes light, as if the line had gone slack¹³¹². Heavy and quiet means “close”; suddenly light means “it has happened”.

Standards differ How much brake is too much

Common ground: All the bodies teach you to keep well clear of the stall point; the brake travel depends on your wing and harness.

USHPA (USA): Recommended limit for P2 pilots: avoid pulling either brake more than two thirds of the way from slack to the stall position¹⁵.
BHPA (UK): No brake limit is published; your school’s Club Pilot training programme sets the standards, so follow its guidance¹⁶.
APPI (international): APPI’s reference sheet for students puts minimum speed at about 25 km/h16 mph and marks it as not for beginners¹⁷.
FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference): Lists stalls in turbulence, unexpected lift, turns, the wind gradient and downwind flight as stage 3 knowledge².

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

Full stall: both sides stop flying

If both brakes are pulled too far, the whole wing goes into a full stall: it loses its forward speed and falls back behind you¹⁸.

Figure: Too much brake on both sides. Watch the gauges first — the brakes get heavy, then suddenly light — and notice that the wing only drops back after those warnings. Recovery is deliberately not shown.

Too much brake on both sides. Watch the gauges first — the brakes get heavy, then suddenly light — and notice that the wing only drops back after those warnings. Recovery is deliberately not shown.

At the very first moment the brakes go light, before the wing drops back, hands up is right, and the wing will dive forward as it picks up speed¹²¹³. Once it has fallen behind you, releasing at the wrong moment can make it surge violently forward, even below you. Manufacturers say full stalls belong only in supervised safety training¹⁸.

Safety-critical Never practise stalls or spins on your own

Full stalls and spins are learned only on an SIV course with qualified instructors; here you learn to recognise and avoid them.

Spin: one side stalls

A spin starts when one side of the wing stalls while the other keeps flying. The stalled side slows, stops and goes backwards, so the whole wing rotates around the stalled side¹⁹²⁰.

The usual cause is one brake pulled too far or too fast, especially when you are already flying slowly. A turn should never be started from minimum speed with the brakes deep, because the inside wing may stall and spin²¹. The German federation (DHV) names a stall in a turn as one of the commonest accident causes¹⁹.

The warnings are those of a stall, on one side: very high pressure in that brake, and the wingtip on that side folding slightly backwards¹⁹. If that side stalls, its brake suddenly goes light¹³.

Figure: Too much brake on one side, from slow flight. Seen from above, the stalled right half goes backwards while the left half keeps flying, so the wing rotates around the stalled side.

Too much brake on one side, from slow flight. Seen from above, the stalled right half goes backwards while the left half keeps flying, so the wing rotates around the stalled side.

At the first sign, release the brake at once — in practice, both hands fully up. An accidental spin stopped that early normally costs little height; a developed spin is different, because releasing it at the wrong moment brings its own dangers¹⁹. Everything beyond that first response is in Stall and parachutal stall.

Parachutal stall: open, but not flying

A parachutal stall (also called deep stall) is the sneaky one. The wing stays open above you and may look normal, but it has little or no forward speed and descends almost vertically — about 4–5 m/s780–980 ft/min on one EN A wing³.

Myth vs fact

Myth: If the wing is open and overhead, it is flying.
Fact: In a parachutal stall the wing looks normal but has almost no forward speed and sinks steeply.

Use your ears and hands, not just your eyes — the wind noise fades and the brakes feel soft and mushy³.

Most of the causes named in manuals are in your control³²²:

A wet wing. Water on the canopy makes a parachutal stall much more likely, which is why rain is outside the manuals’ operating limits⁵.
Old or porous cloth, or lines out of trim, especially shortened rear or brake lines²². Porosity and line lengths are measured at your wing’s regular inspections²³.
Brake lines too short or held tight, and low wing loading³.
A slow B-stall exit, frequent winch towing, or the aftermath of a frontal collapse³.
Big ears with deep brake. Big ears already lower your airspeed and shrink your stall margin²⁴. In Swiss 2024 data, big ears leading to a parachutal stall caused the most incidents among deliberate manoeuvres²⁵.

The common first response is to release the brakes fully — hands up — and never to hold or add brake: a few centimetres of brake can keep the wing stalled, and more can turn it into a full stall²⁶. The steps after that differ between manufacturers, so follow your own wing’s manual; lesson 9.4, Stall and parachutal stall, goes through it.

Three ways to stall, side by side

	Full stall	Spin	Parachutal stall
What stops flying	The whole wing	One side	The whole wing, though it looks open
Usual cause	Both brakes too far¹⁸	One brake too far or too fast, often when already slow²¹	A wet, porous or out-of-trim wing; deep brake with big ears³²⁵
What you notice	Heavy, then suddenly light brakes; the wing drops back	Very heavy brake and that tip folding back, then light; the wing rotates¹⁹	Quiet, soft brakes; sinking almost vertically³
First response	Hands up at the very start¹²; anything more is SIV	Release the brake at once¹⁹	Hands up, no brake, then your manual²⁶

Staying well away from the stall

Stalls are prevented, not recovered from. These habits keep your margin wide.

Keeping your margin, every flight

Fly with your hands up or in light brake as your normal position.
Cue Steady wind noise; light, responsive brakes.
Why Trim gives the best still-air glide and the biggest margin¹⁰.
Move the brakes smoothly and progressively. Never snatch one brake deep.
Cue The pressure builds gradually in your hands.
Why A sudden deep input when you are slow can stall one side²¹.
Start turns with a look and weight shift, then the inside brake, easing the outside brake as the turn begins.
Cue The wing banks smoothly; the brakes never get heavy.
Why The DHV’s best prevention of a stall in a turn¹⁹²⁷.
Keep your hands within the range your instructor gives you.
Cue Hands no lower than your instructor’s mark — the DHV puts it at your carabiners.
Why Normal flying never needs the bottom of the brake range¹².
Judge your speed by the air — wind noise and brake feel — not by the ground.
Cue Steady wind noise, even when the ground rushes past downwind.
Why Downwind your airspeed is unchanged; braking to “slow down” can stall you² (see the polar).
Keep your speed on the final approach.
Cue Hands up through the final glide.
Why Near the ground, the wind gradient and gusts can stall a slow wing²⁸. See the wind gradient.

Common mistake Deep inside brake to tighten a slow turn

Symptom: Flying slowly, the turn is too wide, so you pull the inside brake deeper; it gets very heavy and the inside tip folds back.
Cause: The inside wing, slower than the outside one, reached the stall first.
Fix: Turn from a reasonable speed with weight shift and the outside brake, never with the brakes already deep²¹²⁹.

Common mistake Pulling harder when the brake goes light

Symptom: A brake suddenly feels slack, so you pull it further to find the pressure again.
Cause: Light after heavy is the stall itself, not a slack line. Pulling more deepens it.
Fix: Suddenly light means hands up. The DHV says to hold them at the top for 2–3 s so the wing can fly again¹².

Instructor's note Heavy brakes are good news

Students often think heavy brakes mean trouble. On a school wing, rising pressure is the wing warning you; the danger is heavy suddenly turning light. Two things catch people out: in thermals the pressure can climb without your hands moving, and brake travel to the stall varies from about 60 cm24 in to 80 cm31 in between school wings⁴. After any change of wing or harness, ask your instructor where your limits are.

Instructor's note The flare is the exception

The flare is the one time you use the whole brake range, timed so the wing runs out of speed as your feet touch. A full flare about 2 m7 ft up can stall the wing and drop you hard³⁰; see the flare lesson.

Questions students ask

Will my school wing stall easily?

No. School wings are certified to give rising brake pressure all the way to the stall and a long brake travel, so you get plenty of warning¹⁴⁴. Over-control — too much brake, too fast or at the wrong moment — is a common way into a stall¹, while a wet or out-of-trim wing can go parachutal with much less³.

How will I recognise the warnings if I have never felt a stall?

You feel the beginnings on every flight: notice how the wind noise and brake pressure change between hands-up and minimum sink. The simulator shows the cues safely.

Is it OK to fly in light drizzle?

No. A wet wing is outside the manuals’ operating limits and makes a parachutal stall much more likely. If rain catches you in the air, land as soon as you safely can, avoiding big ears, deep brake and tight turns⁵.

My wing went into a parachutal stall once. Can I keep flying it?

Not until it has been checked. Out-of-trim lines and porous cloth make parachutal stalls more likely, and Gin’s manual requires a service-centre trim inspection after any parachutal stall²². Tell your instructor and follow your manual.

Key points

A stall happens when the angle of attack is too high and the airflow breaks away; too much brake is a common start, often helped by a gust, a turn or the wind gradient.
Warnings come first: heavy brakes, fading wind noise, a slowing wing. If the pressure rises without you pulling, ease off.
Suddenly light brakes mean the wing has stalled: never pull further — hands up.
Full stalls and spins are SIV material; never try them. Parachutal stall: hands up, never add brake, then follow your manual.
Keep your margin: hands up or light brake, smooth inputs, weight shift in turns, and speed on the downwind leg and on final.

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.