23 Jan Is paragliding safe? Myths and fears about your first flight

If you have made it this far, it is because you fancy flying but something is holding you back. It is the most repeated doubt among the people who write to us before booking, and it deserves an honest answer, with no sugar-coating.

Let us go step by step, starting with the specific fears our passengers tell us about.

“I am scared of throwing myself into the void”

There is no jump. This is the most widespread misunderstanding and it is worth clearing up from the start.

In tandem paragliding you do not launch yourself off anything. The wing is already spread out on the ground before you move. When it starts to inflate, you simply walk, or walk briskly, alongside your pilot. At some point during those steps your feet leave the ground, gradually. There is no fall and no sinking feeling in your stomach.

“What if the wing collapses or falls?”

A paraglider is not a parachute and does not work like one. It is an aircraft that glides. Its natural way of flying is to descend slowly and forwards, not to fall.

Even if the pilot let go of the controls, the wing would keep flying on its own. That is what it is designed to do.

“What if the weather is bad?”

This is one of the real keys to safety, and the reason we organise flights the way we do.

We do not fly in just any conditions. When you write to us to book your day, the first thing we do is check the weather forecast. If the day is not right, we change the date. Never the other way round.

Having to move a flight can be inconvenient, but it is exactly what should happen. A postponed flight is always better than a forced one.

The equipment is checked every six months

A paraglider wing wears out with use and sun exposure, and that wear is not always visible to the naked eye. Looking it over before flying is not enough.

At Enminube we check our equipment every six months, with two inspections:

• Emergency parachute: it is opened, inspected and repacked. It is the backup system we carry on every flight.
• Porosimeter: it measures the porosity of the wing fabric. Over the years the fabric becomes more permeable to air and loses performance. The porosimeter gives an objective answer as to whether the wing is still fit to fly.

We are strict about these intervals. A wing in good condition is the foundation of everything else.

We are insured

We fly with public liability insurance and accident insurance. This is not a minor detail: it is worth asking about it always, whether with us or with any other company.

“I have no experience at all”

You do not need any. You fly in tandem with a pilot who takes care of the take-off, the flight and the landing.

Your only job is to walk a few steps at take-off and follow your pilot’s instructions when landing. Nothing else.

“What if I feel sick?”

It is less common than people imagine. Paragliding is smooth: there are no sharp turns or manoeuvres unless you ask for them.

In fact, what passengers mention most on landing is not nausea but the calm. After the first few minutes of excitement, most of them relax and enjoy the view.

If you are prone to motion sickness, tell your pilot before take-off and the flight will be adapted.

Can I fly? Requirements

• Weight: between 35 and 100 kilos.
• Age: no limit. Passengers under 18 need express authorisation from their parents or legal guardians.
• Experience: none.
• Fitness: for a standard flight, being able to walk a few steps at take-off is enough.

What if I have a disability or reduced mobility?

You can fly too. Together with Vuelo Semilla we offer adaptive paragliding, with specific equipment and its own procedure.

It is arranged separately, being more precise with the weather and preparing the flight more carefully. You will find all the details on Adaptive Paragliding.

The best proof: what people who have already flown say

However much we explain how it works, we understand that fear does not go away with technical arguments.

So we suggest something else: read our Google reviews. Hundreds of people who arrived with the same doubt as you and landed wanting to do it again.

Still unsure?

Write to us and ask whatever you need before booking. We would rather spend a while answering your questions than take someone flying who is afraid.

When you are ready, book your flight. Afterwards you write to us to tell us which day you would like to fly, we check the forecast and we organise it. You have 6 months to use it.