Controls, harness, weight shifts, turns, active piloting: a guide to paragliding to help you understand how to really steer your wing, from your first turns to advanced manoeuvres. By our DEJEPS-qualified instructors at Gréolières since 2013.
Wing control & pilotingFlying a paraglider isn't about «holding the stick»: it's about constantly conversing with a flexible wing, carried by moving air. The good pilot doesn't fight the wing, they go with it — and that's what makes the flight safe and smooth.
This paragliding flight guide explains practically how to steer a wing: the brakes and harness, turning, active piloting which keeps the wing right above your head, then thermalling and progression. The aim is not to replace a course, but to understand what you will be doing, and why.
It is written by the Ailéments team, paragliding school at Gréolières (06) since 2013. Our state-qualified instructors (DEJEPS) teach piloting every day, from the first inflation to autonomous flight: here, without jargon, is how to take the controls.
The wing is influenced through three complementary means. Good piloting means knowing which one to use, when, and above all, with what intensity.
A handle in each hand, connected to the trailing edge of the wing. Pulling the right control turns right and brakes that side; both together slow down the wing, particularly when landing. It is the most intuitive tool, but also the easiest to overused the correct gesture is measured.
By moving your pelvis in the harness, you lean the wing to the desired side, without braking it. It is subtle piloting, invaluable in thermals, which initiates the turn even before the brake control. A well-adjusted harness makes this feedback direct and precise.
When the wing is accelerated (at throttle linkage), we no longer fly with the controls, but with the tail lifts, softer, so as not to distort the profile. A progression technique, which comes once the basics of the turn are well mastered.
Cornering is the first piloting skill you learn, and the one you refine throughout your flying career. A clean turn is coordinated and never abrupt.
On harness-trained — this is the pendulum turn, pelvis and inward gaze — then we order accompaniment to control the radius. This coordination creates a round, efficient turn that maintains energy — the opposite of the «steering-only» turn which brakes and causes the inside edge to wash out.
Pulling a control too hard, especially at low speed, can pick up the inner side: the wing goes into a rapid rotation (spin). This is why turns are taught progressively, keeping speed and a margin of safety. Reading the'aerology helps to anticipate where and how to turn.
It's the skill that separates the passenger from the pilot. In rough air, the wing moves: active piloting consists in keeping it pressurised and well-positioned, by anticipating rather than reacting.
The wing moves on three axes: the pitch (whether it’s moving forwards or backwards), the roll (it leans to one side) and the lace (it pivots flatly). A wing moving forward is tempered with a measured touch of the brakes; a wing falling back is relaunched by easing off; a roll is countered with weight shift and the brake. The pilot reads these movements in their hands and harness, and corrects them before they amplify. It is a permanent dialogue, not a series of reactions.
A wing that is actively and skilfully controlled closes much less : keeping the pressure on is a preventative measure. If a closure occurs, we maintain the weight and reopen gradually. These reflexes become ingrained in flight incident simulation training course (SIV), above the water and framed — a key stage in the progression.
Once the basics have been learnt, flying serves two purposes: climbing in thermals and landing accurately.
To centre an upwind turn, you need to feel the wing and the air: you adjust the turn radius according to your weight and the controls to stay on the best part of the thermal. This is the ultimate in precision flying, paving the way for cross-country flying and, later on, cross-country competitions.
A successful approach is prepared by managing one's height with a U-shaped trajectory, you maintain your speed right down to ground level, then you rounds off gradual braking to land gently, facing into the wind. Precision in landing is a sign of good piloting.
The best flying starts with flying in conditions suited to their level. We start off in calm air and then, as we get to grips with active piloting, we move on to more challenging conditions — always under supervision at first.
Flying cannot be improvised, nor is it something you practise on your own: it is developed step by step, under supervision, with the right equipment and plenty of flying experience.
It all begins with to learn to fly and follow a training programme until Pilot's licence, which validates autonomy. Piloting is taught there step by step, from inflation to the first thermals.
After getting the certificate, you refine your skills through specialised courses: thermal soaring pilotage, SIV (surface incident management), active management in strong winds, then the cross. Our progression stages and video debriefing significantly accelerates learning.
You fly all the better when you fly under a wing suited to your level: too demanding a glider slows down progress and increases the risk. The choice of equipment, category and size, are all part of the management process.
Whether you’re trying out a first flight or aiming to fly independently, you’ll learn to fly from instructors who fly regularly at their airfield.
Visit first two-seater flight, the state-qualified instructor takes full control of the flight. You can take the controls for the duration of a turn if you wish, in complete safety, to get a feel for steering the wing.
Visit internship, we build the flying progression in order: ground handling, take-off, coordinated turns, active piloting, approach. Every flight is radio-guided and debriefed, to make quick and solid progress.
Between sea and mountain, the conditions in the Alpes-Maritimes offer the ideal terrain for learning to fly: varied terrain, consistent thermals and large landing areas.
Since 2013 at Gréolières, the team Accessories hands over flight control to beginners as well as pilots looking to improve. State-certified instructors (DEJEPS), progressive teaching methods and safety above all: every movement is explained and repeated — over 1070 5/5 reviews confirm it.
Fancy finding out what it’s like to fly a paraglider? A taster session is the first step.
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Controls, harness, turning, active piloting, progress: practical answers.
In three complementary ways: orders (one in each hand) which are used to turn and brake the wing, the weight transfer in the harness who tilts it, and the tail lifts at high speed. A clean turn begins at the harness and is then controlled using the controls. You learn this at flight school; never on your own.
It’s about keeping the wing above his head and under pressure continuously, modulating the controls to dampen the pitch and roll caused by the air. We anticipate the turbulence instead of just enduring it, which prevents collapses. This is the basis of safety in rough air, practiced in particular in internship.
Both, and it is their combination that makes for good driving. The harness initiates and refines the turn with finesse, without braking; the orders control the trajectory, radius and speed. The manoeuvre is often initiated from the harness and then guided using the controls. The harness adjustment directly influences how we feel.
The basics (take-off, turns, approach) are acquired during the training, over the course of several training courses. Fine-tuning one’s flying skills — active flying in thermals, incident management, precision landing — is then developed over dozens of hours. It is a continuous process: even experienced pilots are constantly refining their flying skills.
No. In first two-seater flight, the state-qualified instructor does all the flying; you simply enjoy the flight. They may let you have a go at the controls for a few moments if you wish, whilst retaining control. You’ll only learn to fly if you decide to take lessons afterwards.
By flying regularly and training step by step: ground handling, active piloting, then specialised courses (thermal flying, SIV over water, cross-country). Supervision by an instructor, video debriefing and a a wing suited to his level are the best accelerators, always safe.
Four key markers to understand how a wing is really managed.
The ordersthe weight in the style of harness and backs at an accelerated speed. The good driver chooses the right tool, applied in the right measure.
You initiate the turn with your weight shift, you follow through with the brake. Too much brake on one side, at low speed, leads to a stall: keep your speed up.
Keep the wing pressurised and above you, cushion pitch and roll, and anticipate: this is what prevents collapses in turbulent air.
Steering is built through courses, with an instructor and a suitable wing. As a tandem flight, Ailéments drives for you.
During a first flight experience, the instructor lets you safely get a taste of piloting; during a course, they teach you how to steer your wing step by step. To fly on the Côte d'Azur, you just need to book.
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