Why the cool kids do it....

Paragliding is the only soaring sport that's actually growing, and this pretty much explains it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxkXNC31Z4
Or, any other vid by Jean-Baptiste Chandelier.

Paragliding is fun, has lower barriers of entry (training and licensing), doesn't require large time commitments (soaring is typically a full day event) and is relatively cheap (no $50 aerotows, hangar fees, annual inspections, etc.) so it's little surprise it's doing so well.

However I know many more ex paraglider and ex hang-glider pilots who've either had near death experiences or are currently held together with metal pins than I know of glider pilots who've been injured or killed while soaring..

Unfortunately danger is not something that youngsters take much note of and safety isn't something that sells very well unless you're targeting people who have a family to look after.
When one is young one feels invincible.

Injury rate might be higher, death rate seems the same. Plenty of old codger paraglider pilots. Way more old guys then young adrenaline types. Less money, same time problems as sailplane flying. None of this stuff thrives if men don't take their weekends back for themselves. Empty nesters and single dudes incapable of getting a lady friend(perhaps a new definition of lucky) make up most of the pilots, same as the gliderport. Despite the price difference perception most paraglider pilots that I've met could afford to fly sailplanes if they wanted to.
On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 1:28:25 AM UTC-5, Surge wrote:
Paragliding is fun, has lower barriers of entry (training and licensing), doesn't require large time commitments (soaring is typically a full day event) and is relatively cheap (no $50 aerotows, hangar fees, annual inspections, etc.) so it's little surprise it's doing so well.

However I know many more ex paraglider and ex hang-glider pilots who've either had near death experiences or are currently held together with metal pins than I know of glider pilots who've been injured or killed while soaring.

Unfortunately danger is not something that youngsters take much note of and safety isn't something that sells very well unless you're targeting people who have a family to look after.
When one is young one feels invincible.

I wasn't thinking about the relative safety of paragliders versus sailplanes -- but about how effectively a beautiful, extremely well-produced video like this promotes the sport to younger people. There's not much comparable to JB Chandelier's films in our world of sailplanes -- this is about the closest I've found; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBWcpthuMw or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCtnTXo3SE
On the whole, we seem to have a talent for presenting our amazing sport in a very bland way, and largely devoid of younger people.

Interestingly, as of 2010, the vast majority of PG pilots were in their 40's and 50's, with more pilots in their 60's than in their 20's. In terms of fatalities, a quick glance shows more fatalities in sailplanes most years than in paragliders and hang gliders combined, with an average of 6 per year in sailplanes since the 1990's according to the SSF. The size of pilot populations in SSA and USHPA are roughly the same.

I keep trying to bring my paragliding buddies, now in their late forties and early fifties, into our gliding club, but I haven't succeeded yet. I think part of this has to do with the way our sport is perceived...and my love of soaring and sailplanes always makes me wish it were otherwise. Soaring is so damn cool -- why do we fail to communicate that?

On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 10:32:22 AM UTC-5, Paul Villinski wrote:
I wasn't thinking about the relative safety of paragliders versus sailplanes -- but about how effectively a beautiful, extremely well-produced video like this promotes the sport to younger people. There's not much comparable to JB Chandelier's films in our world of sailplanes -- this is about the closest I've found; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBWcpthuMw or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCtnTXo3SE
On the whole, we seem to have a talent for presenting our amazing sport in a very bland way, and largely devoid of younger people.

Interestingly, as of 2010, the vast majority of PG pilots were in their 40's and 50's, with more pilots in their 60's than in their 20's. In terms of fatalities, a quick glance shows more fatalities in sailplanes most years than in paragliders and hang gliders combined, with an average of 6 per year in sailplanes since the 1990's according to the SSF. The size of pilot populations in SSA and USHPA are roughly the same.

I keep trying to bring my paragliding buddies, now in their late forties and early fifties, into our gliding club, but I haven't succeeded yet. I think part of this has to do with the way our sport is perceived...and my love of soaring and sailplanes always makes me wish it were otherwise. Soaring is so damn cool -- why do we fail to communicate that?

I think I know. In most sailplane videos the pilots look scared. And never like they are having fun. Smile for the camera. Cool isn't grimacing in the face of danger cool is laughing. Early 90's there were a handful of skydiving movies that did nothing for new student starts. However Point Break, which was a surfing/bank robbing movie with a little bit of skydiving got tons of people to make a jump. Difference was Point Break showed people having fun in the air, the others tried to be all serious and scary. JB Chandlier's videos do the same some of the flying is easy some of it very high level all of it is portrayed as fun and scenic.

A new sailplane costs as much as a really nice house. What's a
paraglider cost? A used car?

On 3/6/2015 8:32 AM, Paul Villinski wrote:
I wasn't thinking about the relative safety of paragliders versus sailplanes -- but about how effectively a beautiful, extremely well-produced video like this promotes the sport to younger people. There's not much comparable to JB Chandelier's films in our world of sailplanes -- this is about the closest I've found; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBWcpthuMw or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCtnTXo3SE
On the whole, we seem to have a talent for presenting our amazing sport in a very bland way, and largely devoid of younger people.

Interestingly, as of 2010, the vast majority of PG pilots were in their 40's and 50's, with more pilots in their 60's than in their 20's. In terms of fatalities, a quick glance shows more fatalities in sailplanes most years than in paragliders and hang gliders combined, with an average of 6 per year in sailplanes since the 1990's according to the SSF. The size of pilot populations in SSA and USHPA are roughly the same.

I keep trying to bring my paragliding buddies, now in their late forties and early fifties, into our gliding club, but I haven't succeeded yet. I think part of this has to do with the way our sport is perceived...and my love of soaring and sailplanes always makes me wish it were otherwise. Soaring is so damn cool -- why do we fail to communicate that?

--
Dan Marotta

On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 10:56:45 AM UTC-5, GB wrote:
On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 10:32:22 AM UTC-5, Paul Villinski wrote:
I wasn't thinking about the relative safety of paragliders versus sailplanes -- but about how effectively a beautiful, extremely well-produced video like this promotes the sport to younger people. There's not much comparable to JB Chandelier's films in our world of sailplanes -- this is about the closest I've found; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBWcpthuMw or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCtnTXo3SE
On the whole, we seem to have a talent for presenting our amazing sport in a very bland way, and largely devoid of younger people.

Interestingly, as of 2010, the vast majority of PG pilots were in their 40's and 50's, with more pilots in their 60's than in their 20's. In terms of fatalities, a quick glance shows more fatalities in sailplanes most years than in paragliders and hang gliders combined, with an average of 6 per year in sailplanes since the 1990's according to the SSF. The size of pilot populations in SSA and USHPA are roughly the same.

I keep trying to bring my paragliding buddies, now in their late forties and early fifties, into our gliding club, but I haven't succeeded yet. I think part of this has to do with the way our sport is perceived...and my love of soaring and sailplanes always makes me wish it were otherwise. Soaring is so damn cool -- why do we fail to communicate that?

I think I know. In most sailplane videos the pilots look scared. And never like they are having fun. Smile for the camera. Cool isn't grimacing in the face of danger cool is laughing. Early 90's there were a handful of skydiving movies that did nothing for new student starts. However Point Break, which was a surfing/bank robbing movie with a little bit of skydiving got tons of people to make a jump. Difference was Point Break showed people having fun in the air, the others tried to be all serious and scary. JB Chandlier's videos do the same some of the flying is easy some of it very high level all of it is portrayed as fun and scenic.

For what its worth Paragliding isn't in a growth mode anymore ....Its static in the US.

Dennis

Is there anything in that huge back pack while he's flying or is that
just the empty transport container?

Very nice video, BTW!

On 3/6/2015 8:56 AM, GB wrote:
On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 10:32:22 AM UTC-5, Paul Villinski wrote:
I wasn't thinking about the relative safety of paragliders versus sailplanes -- but about how effectively a beautiful, extremely well-produced video like this promotes the sport to younger people. There's not much comparable to JB Chandelier's films in our world of sailplanes -- this is about the closest I've found; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egBWcpthuMw or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCtnTXo3SE
On the whole, we seem to have a talent for presenting our amazing sport in a very bland way, and largely devoid of younger people.

Interestingly, as of 2010, the vast majority of PG pilots were in their 40's and 50's, with more pilots in their 60's than in their 20's. In terms of fatalities, a quick glance shows more fatalities in sailplanes most years than in paragliders and hang gliders combined, with an average of 6 per year in sailplanes since the 1990's according to the SSF. The size of pilot populations in SSA and USHPA are roughly the same.

I keep trying to bring my paragliding buddies, now in their late forties and early fifties, into our gliding club, but I haven't succeeded yet. I think part of this has to do with the way our sport is perceived...and my love of soaring and sailplanes always makes me wish it were otherwise. Soaring is so damn cool -- why do we fail to communicate that?
I think I know. In most sailplane videos the pilots look scared. And never like they are having fun. Smile for the camera. Cool isn't grimacing in the face of danger cool is laughing. Early 90's there were a handful of skydiving movies that did nothing for new student starts. However Point Break, which was a surfing/bank robbing movie with a little bit of skydiving got tons of people to make a jump. Difference was Point Break showed people having fun in the air, the others tried to be all serious and scary. JB Chandlier's videos do the same some of the flying is easy some of it very high level all of it is portrayed as fun and scenic.

--
Dan Marotta

On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 11:08:21 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Is there anything in that huge back pack while he's flying or is
that just the empty transport container?
Usually padding(foam or airbag) in case of getting dumped low. Also room for stuff and some harnesses reverse into backpacks.

On Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 11:58:25 PM UTC-6, Paul Villinski wrote:
Paragliding is the only soaring sport that's actually growing, and this pretty much explains it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxkXNC31Z4
Or, any other vid by Jean-Baptiste Chandelier.

Hmm, looks like "a skateboarder takes up paragliding". Lots of slides, stepping on high objects, buzzing old folks...real mature stuff.

Not my idea of flying fun (tough to do loops and rolls, for starters), but whatever....

I doubt if this is the crowd we want in gliders! Think of all low passes that would result!

Kirk