Hang gliding – Paragliding (Parapente)

On the hang glider, the pilot is hung (tethered by a special belt) under the hang glider (a flying structure consisting of a dacron cloth and aviation alloy tubes) in such a way that his body is suspended in the void as a pendulum. By moving his weight appropriately and taking advantage of the upward air currents, the pilot follows the desired direction, moving on three axes: the longitudinal, the transverse and the vertical. Depending on its level of education, it can reach a height of 5,000 meters and remain in the air for 10 consecutive hours.

The sport began in the 1970s in the US. and Australia, knowing significant growth. In the years to come, the sport has become known worldwide, and today it is particularly popular in more than fifty countries across the globe. Since 1985, it has been described as an Olympic sport, but has not yet been included as a sport in the Olympic Games.

In Greece, he appeared in 1978 and in 1999 he joined the Hellenic Aerospace Federation (ELAO). Today, hang gliding is becoming more and more popular in the country, and there are now many clubs involved in the sport and can provide training services to those interested.

The parapente took its name from the French word parachute and pent (slopes). His story begins in the 1960s by a US NSA program, but his foundations were laid in the mid-1980s in France. The sport requires good physical condition, excellent technique, mental and spiritual clarity, observability, but also knowledge of meteorology and aerodynamics, provided by specialist trainers. Depending on the weather, the paragliding course can reach up to 4,000 meters and travel 2-2,5 km. Flights take a few hours and speeds range between 48 and 60 km / h.

Greece has an ideal climate for paragliding flights, as the more dry the climate of a region or country, the more suitable for the development of the sport.