Who invented the paraglider

The US version of the paraglider invention

Americans claimed that the paraglider was invented by David Berish. At the time no one could have imagined that man would be able to soar through the sky in a controlled manner, using a paraglider. You only have to overcome the earth’s gravity and resistant force using ascending currents of warm air. In the 1960s David worked as an engineer for NASA. Among his designs was the design of various modifications of parachutes for the space agency. He worked on designs for parachutes that glide over the ground, testing how changing the shape of the canopy affects the nature and aerodynamic properties of the flight. At the same time Berish invented a parachute that could be used to descend from a spaceship. He tested all of his hypotheses on himself by jumping on various ski slopes in the USA. Then this “hobby” of Berish called “Slope soaring” – soaring over the slope, and in 1966, the Air Force organized a demonstration flights in California, where the quality of Berish wing soaring was recorded with a rating of 4.2. And although a few weeks after the demonstration flights, NASA closed the development program, it remained a hobby for the American engineer, whose experience was later applied by parachutists.

The European version of the paraglider invention

Europeans believe that Pierre Lemongine was the founder of the modern paraglider. He worked on improving parachutes as well and was the first to use horizontal slots in his design. Thanks to this idea not only vertical flights became possible, but also the movement of a person above the ground in the horizontal plane, the flight became easier to control. NASA very quickly took Pierre’s hypothesis and continued development. So already in the early 70s of the 20th century the first flights were made from mountain tops under a canopy, which was previously filled with air.

Significant events in the development of paragliding

• In 1964 Steve Snyder invented the parachute wing which was a breakthrough for the further development of paragliding. This invention provided a different perspective on the use of parachutes, not for jumping out of planes, but for soaring off the slopes of mountains. This invention was first used by skiers in the Alps in the early 70s and the start for the flight was performed using skis. This is how the new discipline of Para-ski appeared.
• In 1978 the technology of inflating the canopy of a paraglider using a run-up began to be used for take-off, such flights were demonstrated by G. Bosson and Julien Bethan in Mieussy (a town near the French Alps). 
• In 1982 Fillon made his first paragliding flight from the top of Green Peak.
• An absolute breakthrough is when the paraglider with a canopy top was introduced by Laurent de Kalbermatten in 1983. This innovation made it possible to fill the glider with air faster.
• In the mid-1980s the parachute wing became known as a paraglider and flying under such a canopy became known as paraplanning or paragliding. 

Subsequently engineers from all over the world have developed techniques for safe flying, one of which is flying in tandem with an experienced instructor. Watch the incredible flying videos with the SkyAtlantida team and you will want to take your first flight in beautiful Georgia!