Paragliding is an aerial gliding sport that uses rising air currents to gain altitude. Paragliders usually launch from mountain slopes but can be towed aloft by a winch. The wing is formed by a light-weight fabric canopy which has opening along the leading edge. The pilot is suspended on lines of about 8 metres in length, and sits in a comfortable harness. Movement through the air causes the cells to inflate using a Ram-Air principle. Flying speeds are between 24km/h and 50km/h, so the prevailing weather conditions have a large impact on safety.
 

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Soaring pilots can usually climb well above the ridge they are soaring, but are limited in where they can fly to - once they leave the ridge, the lifting air currents fade away. The second and more advanced way of gaining altitude is Thermalling, which involves flying into a rising column of warm air called a 'thermal'. This column can be anything from a few metres to a few hundred metres in width, depending on the strength of the heating and the presence of moisture. Climbs can be gentle (less than one metre per second) to intense (ten metres a second) depending on the lapse rate of the air. To gain altitude the pilot must turn his paraglider in a continuous circle to remain inside the thermal column. Once thermalling is mastered, pilots move on to the third discipline of paragliding, being 'Cross Country' flying. This involves gaining altitude in thermals or ridge lift and then gliding to another likely source of lift, climbing again, and gliding on. Great distances can be covered using this technique, the current world record being 423km (and the pending world record 424km).
 
When one is good enough at Cross Country flying, you may be ready for the fourth discipline, that of Competition Flying. Here pilots meet and fly a task, usually a race to the goal, over a course of 30 to 100 kilometres. Scoring is via GPS tracking, everyone launches at a similar time, and the fastest pilot around the course wins. This is somewhat like a game of three-dimensional chess, since the faster you fly in a straight line, the more altitude you lose, so you have to slow down again to gain altitude when other pilots may pass you. It involves tactical , but there is usually a greater element of risk because pilots choose high-performance gliders to get the edge, and these wings are more unstable and have complicated handling in turbulence.
 
To improve one's skills and to become a complete pilot, many turn to the fifth discipline, Extreme Manoeuvre Training or SIV, and it's relatively new offshoot sport of Acro flying (aerobatics). Here pilots train under instructor guidance to recover from extreme flight situations such as stalls and spins. This is usually performed high over water with a rescue boat at hand. Once the extreme manoeuvres are mastered, some pilots move on to perfect their aerobatics, doing co-ordinated high-bank turns, spins, spirals, loops and a host of new inventions designed to be technically challenging and visually appealing. Acro flying is spectacular to watch and is playing a large role in promoting paragliding to the media and public. The biggest event in the Acro calendar is the World Acro Championships, but display teams tour the world and do synchronised display flights at major events.
 

This licence is issued by the Paragliding and Hang-gliding Association, which falls under the country's Aero Club and ultimately the Civil Aviation Authorities. This licence is usually for flying in uncontrolled airspace and pilots are prevented from entering restricted airspace like that around all airports and the major traffic routes of commercial aircraft. Paragliders usually adhere to Visual Flight Rules, which differ from country to country but usually involve flying in conditions when the ground and the aircraft itself can be seen.
Paragliding licences come in different grades, and some sites or wings may be restricted for use by experienced pilots only. A tandem paraglider (a pilot plus a passenger strapped on in front) is larger and more cumbersome than a solo (single) glider, and the tandem licence is usually a separate grade requiring a demonstration of highly skilled piloting and mature flying judgement.
Launch sites are usually situated in National Parks or private land, and will have rules specific to their usage. It is advised to contact the local pilots before flying any new site to ensure that you don't close the site down for others due to contravening some rule.
To avoid mid-air collisions, all pilots on a converging course turn to the right. The lower pilot (closest to the ground) has the right of way. Pilots already established in a thermal have the right of way. Pilots who have the ridge on their right have right of way and other approaching pilots must bank out and away from them.
Most countries require a paragliding safety helmet to be worn, and it is advised to carry a reserve parachute.