You may be unsure whether or not to commence your paragliding flight for the day. Or perhaps you’re in the air and notice a change in the clouds and are unsure whether you should head quickly to the landing zone.
In recent years one of the first things paragliding beginners are taught is that you shouldn’t paraglide in the rain. Some older paragliding wings have a low level of resistance to rain, however rain causes most modern wings to lose speed and enter a stall (basically fall out of the sky).
The modern paragliding wing is designed to reduce drag, at the expense of rain resistance. This reduced rain resistance is highly noticeable as the water beads on top of the surface instead of absorbing in and in some cases causes the trailing edge to fill with water. This beading of water makes paragliding in the rain dangerous as it can cause flow separation.
Flow separation is caused when air is not able to smoothly flow over the wing, it becomes detached from it. Modern paragliding wings require fast, dry air to smoothly flow over the wing with little drag. Rain makes the possibility of this happening highly unlikely.
Rain is a hindrance to all paragliding types, there are no paragliders which are made specifically with rain flying in mind.
The paragliding safety risks in the rain are that your wing could lose forward air speed, considerably slowing down and leading to stalling. Stalling results in the paraglider entering a descent.
If you do get caught in the rain and enter a stall, the best way to handle this safely is to put your hands fully up and attempt regaining control. Another option is to apply the speedbar and keep it engaged while looking for a safe place to land.
How to Avoid Paragliding in the Rain
The safest option for a pilot is to avoid paragliding in the rain at all costs. Fortunately it’s easier to predict rain than other hazardous weather conditions. Review weather conditions before flying and avoid paragliding in weather conditions with nimbus clouds (nimbus comes from the latin word meaning ‘rainstorm’. It’s important for paragliding pilots, particularly those who fly solo, to have a reasonable understanding of weather conditions, particularly clouds and wind.
Nimbus clouds are usually dense, deep and dark grey in colour. This usually blocks sunlight from getting through. These nimbus clouds can be formed in either a frontal or orographic nature.
Frontal rain occurs when a low-pressure front causes moist air to enter an area of dry air. This usually causes rain which is spread out over a wide area but is less strong. However, it’s still a hazard for paragliding.
Orographic rain occurs when air columns rise and cool as moist air is lifted when it moves over a mountain, forming clouds. These can often cause Cumulonimbus clouds which lead to heavy rain, even hail or thunder over a more concentrated area.
Rain Clouds to Look Out For
Cumulonimbus (Storm Clouds) – can cause very strong updrafts and downdrafts of up to 200mph. Even planes go well out of their way to avoid them! These clouds often combine other dangers such as heavy rain, strong winds, sudden powerful lifts and lightning. These storms are often shorter in duration, but more destructive and especially harmful for paragliding pilots.
Nimbostratus clouds – these sit at low to middle altitudes in the sky with a consistent grey colour, caused from holding high levels of water. These can cause less intense rain which lasts for longer periods. Even though these are not stormy clouds, they are still dangerous for paragliding and could cause your wing to stall.
Conclusion
Can you paraglide in the rain? Don’t do it, the risks of stalling and crashing are far too high. Pay attention to weather reports and look out for Cumulonimbus and Nimbostratus Clouds before and during your flight. Take care and happy paragliding!
