Paragliding acro (acrobatic) is the freestyle and most extreme form of paragliding. Many acro tricks originated from techniques advanced pilots would use to lose height quickly, such as the deep spiral. From here, confident pilots have elaborated on these techniques to make tricks which are performed for show, for adrenaline or to continue expanding paragliding skills.
It’s a highly niche area of human flight that only a small number of experienced and brave pilots attempt. Manoeuvres are hard and fast with pilots experiencing forces of up to 7G! Don’t even think about trying this without several years of frequent paragliding experience. Experience in a number of weather conditions.
You should be fully aware that paragliding acro is a highly dangerous activity. Many experienced pilots don’t try most acro manoeuvres (the full stall is the one of the few exceptions), they avoid taking such risks. However if you’re still keen to try, here is some more information on what paragliding acro tricks can be attempted. This isn’t an instruction manual, it’s an idea of what’s out there for you to research and pursue the right way IF you’re ready.
To learn how to paraglide acro, we recommend finding someone who’s experienced in this area, fly with them and ask them to honestly assess your skills and knowledge and determine if you’re ready to try acro. Ask them to fly with you and teach you the skills, don’t try learning acro paragliding by yourself.
One common strategy which we recommend from safety and professional feedback perspectives is to try out your paragliding acro tricks over water. Arrange for someone to be close by with a boat to rescue you if needed. It’s important that your mentor, someone skilled at paragliding acro watches you and provides constructive feedback.
Full Stall
This trick is the best place to start, as in fact it’s a lot more useful than just a trick. It’s probably the fastest and safest way to regain control of your paraglider when you make an error or accidently lose control. It also teaches you the limits of your wings. It’s really an allrounder that’ll make a better pilot out of you, one who is more comfortable with their paragliders limits and handling unexpected situations with grace.
You’ll want to slow down to a low speed, then pull your brakes down as hard as possible and keep them activated. The wind will stall and fall back behind you, with the edges curling in. At first you might feel uneasy as you’re pulled backwards, back underneath your wing. You’ll soon become comfortable with the full stall and it’ll be a key part of your arsenal.
Horseshoe
This paragliding acro trick is a little easier than some of the others but still looks amazing! It’s a good beginner-acro trick to learn. The inner section of the wing is pulled down creating a tight, narrow ‘U’ shape, while the sides stay close to flat.
This is achieved by grabbing the two middle A lines as high as you can and then gradually pull down the lines, both at the same time. This causes the leading edge to collapse. Don’t pull the lines down too quickly or you’ll risk undergoing a front collapse. The tips of the wings become closer together and eventually touch. To finish this trick and return to normal paragliding flight, gently release the ‘A’ lines, also gently pulling the brakes if some extra assistance is required. Don’t brake too much or you risk stalling.
This might be difficult to achieve with a wing which has a very low aspect ratio.
Tail Slide
Another one of the easier manoeuvres, where the paraglider flies backwards. It’s not too hard to do, but requires some skill and control to really master.
Start the tail slide by slowing down to a minimum speed and stablizing the wing directly over your head. Then manoeuvre your feet under the harness and pull down on the brakes. You’ll then enter a deep stall; release the brakes to stabilize the stall and gradually brake to enable the paraglider to fly backward with partially collapsed wings at the front.
Exit the tail slide by releasing the brakes quickly and evenly. Avoid pulling on overley-excessive amounts of brakes or could risk stalling.
Deep Spiral
Deep spiral began as an advanced way of losing height quickly but has fast become a popular paragliding acro trick. Leaning weight to one side and engaging the brake can enable pilot’s sinks rate to drop between ten and eighteen metres per second. Rotation speed is up to 125 km/h.
This is a dangerous trick so it’s important to learn this trick gradually. Gravitational forces become much stronger in this acro manoeuvre, so care must be taken when preparing to land. Be careful of how close and what speed you’re approaching the ground. If you’re within 300 metres of the ground and don’t feel you’ll be able to lead out and slow down, you’ll need to use your reserve parachute.
Obstacle Flying
Obstacle flying involves flying close to buildings, natural objects and other objects which one would normally avoid. This can include cliffs, tall buildings, trees and more. There isn’t much practical benefit from this, apart from teaching you how close you can fly to an object without colliding. Or to look like a stuntman in a video. This isn’t a necessary acro trick to try and the risks are high. If your wing or lines hit a stationary obstacle, you’ve got a high chance of crashing to the ground.
The Helicopter
Like the name suggests, the helicopter involves a lot of spinning. The pilot spins in a tight circle directly under the wing, while sinking slowly. It sounds difficult, and that’s because it is!
This acro trick is best performed in very calm conditions. Slow down, stabilize and enter a deep stall. Start gradually descending and by carefully releasing the brake and pulling the riser on one side and slightly pulling the brake on the opposite side, you can start entering a helicopter spin.
