History of Paragliding;

To put it in general terms Paragliding It first started in the 1980s with skydiving parachutists searching for "how to fly" without the need for an airplane (skydive is a parachute that opens after jumping from an airplane and free-falling).

The first attempts of this search began with skydiving parachutes and attempts to run up steep slopes. Although these first attempts were not very productive, skydive It became clear that the structure of the parachutes needed to be changed.

Dome (the large piece of fabric above our heads): The first change began in the structure of the dome. In the 1980s, the dome layout was single-surface, while between 1985 and 1986, this design was changed to double-layer. Of course, this change directly affected the gliding and airtime.

Harness assembly (the seats we sit in while flying): Of course, the harness system has also changed with these changes. The first produced harness systems were quite bulky and not very strong in terms of durability. The change started with the seating arrangement and the fastening arrangement, then continued with small changes in terms of weight and movement prevention in terms of comfort. The harness systems used today have been made to allow you to make very comfortable 6-7 hour flights in terms of comfort. The weight varies between 3 and 4 kg, you can think of it as having a puffy coat on you in terms of movement.

Reserve parachute; The use of reserve parachutes began in the 1985s. The first reserve parachutes were used as a separate part of the parachutist's harness. This system was placed inside the harness in the 1990s, making it much easier to use and secure. In current systems, the reserve parachute is placed inside the paraglider pilot's harness. It is in very good condition in terms of weight, security and usage conditions.

The current parachute materials used today are at the top level in terms of safety, durability and performance. Fethiye Oludeniz paragliding It is one of the registered paragliding areas with the highest number of commercial flights in the world. Approximately 250 active flights are carried out safely in this region more than once a day. Who knows what will happen in the coming days.

The first parachutes:

Today's parachutes:

Author: Koray Koş