Where to paraglide in Georgia

How a paraglider flies

The paraglider takes off and floats in the sky due to the air flow. When taking off, the pilot turns to face the wind and places the wing behind him. Then begins the run-up, the paraglider fills with air and takes a shape, a couple of steps and there it is, real freedom!  

Aerodynamics 

The forward movement of a paraglider is driven by the gravity of the earth, thus maintaining airspeed. The flight characteristics of the glider directly depend on the glider’s aerodynamic capabilities. What affects speed, descent rate and the flight efficiency is the glide path. The glider flies due to upward air flows that are divided into – dynamic, thermal, and thermodynamic. The movement of air masses on the planet is caused by solar activity.

Dynamic flow occurs when the wind faces an obstacle in its path, after that it changes the direction from horizontal to vertical. You can fly through the dynamic flow when the vertical wind speed is higher than the glider’s rate of descent. This type of flight is quite predictable, clear and is used by schools when teaching young cadets. In dynamic upward flow pilot will not be able to fly far away from the mountain slope and in case of decrease of wind speed he will not be able to stay within the line of dynamic flow. In addition, the maximum altitude at which one soars in dynamic flows strongly depends on factors such as wind direction in relation to the slope, its ascent and altitude.

Thermal upward flows are generated by the sun warming the earth’s surface. The earth warms unevenly, depending on the angle of sunlight and the texture of the underlying surface. Therefore, air temperature is changed, resulting in an unstable atmosphere. Warm air expands and flows upwards. It is in the thermal upward flows that one can see the advantages of the paraglider compared to other aircraft. Small spiral radius in upward flow allows the glider to easily ‘jump’ into narrow flow and gain altitude in places where this is almost impossible with a hang glider or a glider. The extended speed range from 25 to 65 km/h gives gliders the confidence to fly long distance crossings. Thermals are the most common types of upwinds used for route flights with a paraglider. Experienced pilots move from one thermal flow to the next one, soaring towards the clouds and overcoming incredible distances.

Thermo-dynamic upward flow results from the occurrence of the background wind at the same time as the solar activity.

This is the principle on which route flights and paragliding route competitions are based. 

Flying a tandem paraglider with an instructor is possible in any of the upwinds listed above and even if there are no upwinds at all, the presence of upward flows affects the altitude and duration of the flight. Tandem flights are available to almost everyone, except for small restrictions on weight and age of the passenger, do not require special training and are 99% safe to fly with experienced instructor pilots.

It is complicated to learn to feel and predict the wind, flying a paraglider in thermodynamic upward flows. The pilot should understand the sky and learn to get information about our environment. The ability to find upward flows, gain altitude and make transitions is a real art. Where there is thermal activity, there is also turbulence, which pilots have to deal with expertly. Despite the difficulty of flying in thermal flows It’s no secret for many people that in the mountains, the sun’s warmth creates its own microclimate and perfect conditions for route flying together with birds. Flying along route pilot tries not to have a specific location and flight altitude is restricted by inversion, relief and altitude of upward flows along planned route and by pilot’s skill, of course. Therefore, the best sites for paragliding are based in warm countries with lots of sun, mountains and abundance of landing sites.

And what can be better than mountains? It is only mountains of beautiful Georgia, where the team SkyAtlantida would be happy to give you the most unforgettable moments of your life – flying a paraglider. You can see the beauty of Georgia from the bird’s eye view, to feel unforgettable emotions, to feel freedom from earth’s gravity. Strong feeling of flying, real emotions, safe and levity.