Controlling Altitude in Powered Paraglider

Part of the Video Series How to Fly a Powered Paraglider

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How high should you go! Learn how to control altitude of a powered paraglider in this free video clip on extreme sports and stunts.

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Controlling Altitude in Powered Paraglider
Welcome to Expert Village. My name is Hugh Murphy with Surf the Sky Paragliding. In this clip, we'll talk a bit about speed and altitude. I like to use the term altitude maintenance because if the winds give us lift while we're flying, and the winds can be a bit different, you want to choose your favorite altitude. And, it seems every para motor pilot has the altitude they prefer. Whether it's skimming along the beach at three feet or climbing thousands of feet up. The difference with para motoring as opposed to paragliding without the motor is that we have an excellent way to control our altitude. As you're smoothly flying along, simply giving more throttle will bring your altitude up because your speed is relatively constant because of the shape of your paraglider, approximately fourteen miles per hour. So, if I give more throttle, I don't necessarily go any faster, but I swing forward under the trust and simply start climbing. And then, conversely, if I want to lower my altitude, just soften up all the way down to even an idle and let the para motor glide down to another altitude that I would like to check out.

About the Expert

Expert: Hugh Murphy has been a Powered Paragliding champion, but has since traded his competition days to be a full time instructor. His school, Surf The Sky Paragliding, has been featured in many newspapers Read More