How to choose the right paraglider (wing).

Whether you’re new to the sport, or a seasoned pilot, purchasing a wing can be a confusing, or challenging task as there are many things to consider. Some things to consider are their rating, size, aspect ratio, New/used wing? In this article, I’ll be discussing some of these items to help you narrow down your decision.

Before we get started, let’s go ahead and determine your take off weight in kilograms. To do this, determine the weight of every thing that the wing will be carrying. Some of these things include: Pilot, Paramotor, Fuel, and everything else you will be launching with. If your standard is in pounds, multiply by .45 to give you your weight in Kg. Go ahead and write this down.



Ratings:
The first thing to consider is “What do I want to get out of this wing?” As a beginner, you want something safe and forgiving. As you become more experienced, you may want something that’s faster, or has more aggressive flying characteristics.

The most recognized certification standard is the European Normalisation (EN), which rates gliders on how they perform in various conditions. The classes are EN-A (more forgiving, best for beginners) through EN-D, less forgiving, best for advanced pilots.

EN-A: Maximum level of safety, very forgiving to pilot error, and no pilot input required in rough conditions.

EN-B: Slightly more responsive to handling, more performance, passive safety features

EN-C: For more experienced pilots, requires active piloting, moderate passive safety,

EN-D: Highest performance, little passive safety, most amount of active piloting, only advised for pilots with years of experience.

Ratings are not to be viewed as how you should progress through the sport. They are simply a tested way to identify wing characteristics, and how they will perform.

Some wings aren’t EN rated, whats up with that?
Is you may notice in paramotor wings, some aren’t certified within the EN system. But, you may see DGAC. DGAC, or Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile, is basically the French FAA. When you see DGAC on a wing, this is a certification that tell you that the wing will behave as the manufacture says it will. It is extremely pricey to get an EN-Rating on every single wing, so you’ll see that most of these are done primarily on the most popular sizes for a specific wing.

Wing Loading:
Wing manufactures have a recommended weight range for each size wing they make. The ideal sweet spot for most paraglider is when your takeoff weight is about 75% of the recommended weight range.

For example:
An Ozone MojoPWR 2 in a 24m size has a PPG weight range of 65kg to 110kg. 75% of this would be just under 100kg (220lbs).

It’s important to keep the wing more loaded than less loaded because it helps keep the wing pressurized, and rigid. When lightly loaded, the wing is more prone to collapse. But too loaded results in a higher sink rate, and more agile characteristics. So, if your take off weight is around 100kg, you’ll be looking for a 24m Ozone MojoPWR2. Be sure to check each brands’ recommended weight ranges as they all differ. If you don’t know, click the link below to use my Wing Size Calculator.

New or Used:
Paramotor wings have about 300hrs of life to them. When well taken care of, you’ll get closer to 300 hours. Some of the things that might lessen their life are:

UV sunlight
Moisture
Abrasive material
Critters

As a wing gets some age in it, it becomes more exposed to these deteriorating factors above, resulting in more porous fabric, line and material shrinkage, holes in fabric. Although many people do take care of the gear they’re flying, when buying an older wing, keep in mind you’re buying a wing in it’s worst half of it’s life. The characteristics of a porous wing will make it difficult to launch, and suffer from it’s true performance. This will likely cost you more money in the long run. Today, wings are built with a lot of passive safety features and technology. You really want to be on a wing that holds up to the latest standards and highest quality materials.


Recap!
New pilots - EN-A wing, maybe an EN-B wing (consult with your instructor)
Size Matters - Be sure to select a wing the appropriate size, around 75% of the weigh range
New/Used - It’s highly recommended to buy a new wing for safety, and confidence. But if you decide to buy something second hand, consult with your instructor, and make sure it has low hours so that you can enjoy the wing as it was meant to be enjoyed. If you buy a used wing, ask for an inspection report from within the last year.

If you have any questions, or need help finding your perfect wing, click the button below and let us know!