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Safety Paragliding is often viewed
as a higher-risk sport than it actually is. Like all adventure
sports, this too has its share of risk-factors. If you are
ill-prepared or reckless, there is some potential for injury.
One of the main factors that raises the risk-factor is pilot
attitude. Majority of the accidents happen due to over
confidence, failing to take proper precautions and flying beyond
their limits.
Some of the other risk-factors are
• Overly ‘active’ thermic conditions harsh thermals can induce
collapses in the wing which require skill and experience to
manage
• Excessively windy conditions landing can become dangerous
• Cu-nimbs cumulo-nimbus clouds are fed by massive thermals
which rise faster than a paraglider can lose height and can push
a pilot deep into enormously turbulent, blind cloud |
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• Hazardous landing conditions
large trees, buildings, and power lines
• Reckless pilots a danger to others as well as themselves
Safety precautions include pre-flight checks, flying helmets,
harnesses with back protection (foam or air-bag), a reserve
parachute, and careful pre-launch observation of other pilots in
the air to evaluate conditions. While fatalities do occur, most
properly-trained, responsible pilots suffer nothing more than
minor injuries and an occasional pounding heart.
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