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From: ds4a@dalton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Dale Southard)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Differences between parachutes and paragliders
Keywords: parachutes paragliders
Message-ID: <1991May1.040555.10355@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 1 May 91 04:05:55 GMT
References: <6435@qip.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
Organization: University of Virginia
Lines: 27

In article <6435@qip.UUCP> bobm@anasaz.uucp (Bob Maccione) writes:
>
>hi,  i'm a paraglider pilot who has never jumped out of a plane in my life.
>however i have a friend who wants to get into para-gliding and she noticed
>that parachutes are _much_ less expensive than paragliders.  the paraglider
>i just purchased cost me ~3000 ( with the harness ) and she has a parachute
>catalog that has parachutes for ~ $1000 ( if memory serves me right ).  i
>tried to explain that they aren't the same and am wondering if anyone out
>there in netland knows the difference between the two craft.  off the top
>of my head i know that a paraglider won't survive opening shock ( excuse
>the non-correct wording ) and isn't as porus as a parachute.
>
>any other comments about the differences?

Well, sometimes there isn't much of a difference.  Some of the primary parachute
manufactures have sold slightly modified versions of their parachutes as 
paragliders (Glide Path for one).  The trim is also changed slightly to allow
for more efficient gliding.  Most paragliders have a larger aspect ratio than
comaparble parachutes.  Many also have substantially different cell design, as
inflation is not a critical event (ie some designs use a cell with a much
smaller opening for air to come in, allowing a much more efficient airfoil
cross-section).  The two are systems are not all that different.  In fact I have
gone slope soaring with my maverick -- you need a steep hill and a good set of
kneepads.


-->  -->  Dale  UVa  (ds4a@virginia.edu)