TrikeBuggy Training Syllabus

Weather to Fly

Looking at the Sky
When considering hanging yourself up in the sky on just some thin strings even thinner cloth, we must look at what is in store for us with regards to the weather. It has been said that paragliding is a "fair weather" sport, and the beauty of powered paragliding is that we don't even need thermals or wind to keep us aloft! We can simply power up from flat ground to the heavens above to enjoy the magic of flight! In fact, the most enjoyable air is that butter smooth and calm air often found just after dawn or just before sunset. Why is that?

Cooking with Sunlight
The sun is the catalyst that acts upon the earth, causing all kinds of disturbances and pressure changes to occur. As soon as the sun comes up, the ground starts to heat. Heat transfers from the ground to the air, and soon the heated air wants to rise. This is especially true if the air is cold and the sun is warm. Thermals develop, and the air starts to "boil" with activity. On a larger scale, the sun causes high and low pressure areas over the land, often creating wind where the air is trying to equalize these pressures. Because of this, we often find the smoothest air both early in the morning and just before sunset, when the sun has the least effect.

Mid day may seem like conditions are favorable, but you will often find yourself in the air, wishing you were on the ground! Better to be on the ground, wishing you were in the air. They say there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. Make sure you make good decisions about whether (weather) to fly.

Conditions to avoid considering flying in:

• Thunderstorms, Virga, Mammata, Rain, Falling Snow, Lenticulars
• Windy Conditions (more than 5 mph to start)
• Switching Wind Conditions
• Approaching Weather Fronts
• Wind Shears, High Winds Aloft

Use the available weather observations and forecasts on the internet, television, phone resources and weather radio to make the best choices of when to fly. Don't try to prove that you can "handle it" - there's no reward for bad decisions.