Paragliding as a sport or recreational physical activity has numerous benefits for body and mind. It enhances body balance, strengthens its core with focus to upper body part which translates into increased flexibility, mobility and range of motion, reducing risk of injuries during everyday activities and strenuous exercises. Paragliding gives an instant boost to overall health of body, thus enhances immune system. Needless to say, during paragliding session many calories are burnt. In addition, it reliefs stress and increases focus because when paragliding, all the attention are on what person is doing at a given moment leaving all worries and distractions behind. It boosts self-confidence by overcoming fears and new paragliding challenges.
Fly High was a collaborative partnership project funded under Erasmus+ Sport action aimed at promoting paragliding as health-enhancing physical activity. It gathered 7 partners from 5 countries (HU, SK, RO, LT and PT) for one common goal – to promote paragliding and increase physical activity of people.
During the project duration we have organized different local activities to promote the sport as well as creating intellectual outputs designed for beginners in the sport. This way we intended to prevent common mistakes and making the sport safer.
Activities
Open Week Budapest
Professional and experienced paragliding instructors were teaching paragliding basics and provided certified and suitable for beginners’ equipment. The event lasted 5 days, each day having repetitive schedule but new people:
The event received huge interest from the public and local media, and it was evaluated as great success with enthusiasm from the public to repeat similar events in the future.
During one of the days we had a visit from the Hungarian Euronews reporting team. You can watch on the video how fun it was for everyone to try paragliding for the first time, even the reporter.
Check some of the best moments of Open Week Budapest in our photo gallery below.
Open Week Miercurea Ciuc
Second Open Paragliding Week took place in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania October 2020 and followed the same structure as the event in Hungary – a week of training sessions for new people to try paragliding for the first time. The event took place in a very beautiful hilly sceneries which attracted not only the people who were learning paragliding but also many viewers who were curious to learn more about paragliding sport and spend time in the nature.
Check some of the best moments of Open Week Miercurea Ciuc in our photo gallery below.
Open Week Lucenec
Third Open Paragliding Event took place in Lucenec Slovakia in October 2021 and was a final event teaching paragliding. The event was held on a nice hill of Magin Hrad perfectly suitable for beginner paragliding pilots and accommodating plenty of people who came to watch and enjoy the days. The event received interest from local paragliding pilots and clubs who were glad to see such an initiative to support and promote paragliding sport.
Check some of the best moments of Open Week Lucenec in our photo gallery below.
Dissemination Events
We organized several activities aimed at disseminating our project results in all partner countries, including multiplier events in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. During these events, participants got to know better about the different intelectual outputs created during the project: the Paragliding Manual and our Fly High Video Tutorials.
Intelectual Outputs
During the open paragliding events we got to observe hundreds of people learning and trying paragliding for the first time, moments which were the most difficult for them and when the most mistakes happened. Thanks to the insight and experience these events provided us, we were able to develop paragliding videos and the manual dedicated for beginners to learn basic paragliding maneuvers with drawing attention to the most critical parts. Videos and the manual contribute to the safety in paragliding sport in addition to promoting it.
VIDEO GUIDE
EP. 1 – Preparation
On this episode you can learn the basics on how to get prepared for a paragliding flight.
Chapters:
STEP 1 – Getting Ready
STEP 2 – Open the Canopy
STEP 3 – Attach Carabiners
STEP 4 – Preflight Safety Check
EP. 2 – Kiting
Learn the basics of Kiting or Ground Handling, a good practice to become a safer pilot.
Chapters:
Conditions for kiting
Kiting for Launch
Kiting for Practice
EP. 3 – Take Off
Learn the basics of taking off.
Chapters:
Forward launch
STEP 1 – Preparing
STEP 2 – Canopy Lifting
STEP 3 – Take Off
Reverse Launch
STEP 1 – Preparing
STEP 2 – Lifting and Stabilizing
STEP 3 – Take Off
EP. 4 – Landing
What do you do when faced with an emergency situation during a Via Ferrata? Discover self-rescue techniques and essential safety tips that can make all the difference. Equip yourself with the knowledge and confidence needed to handle unforeseen challenges and ensure your safety in any wilderness scenario.
EP. 5 – Packing
Packing is really boring but it’s really good for your glider. With the wrong packing method the lifetime of a glider can be shortened quickly.
Chapters:
STEP 1 – Preparation
STEP 2 – Pack the Canopy
STEP 3 – Finish Packing
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