22: Aerodynamics

There’s more than meets the eye on how our unusual craft flies and it’s not all intuitive. Myths abound.

Flight is a fine dance of forces that must remain in step to keep you aloft and under control. We follow the same basic aerodynamic rules as our fixed-wing brethren with a few important differences.

The PPG Bible goes into great detail about these but some additional material is included here including what may be added to the aerodynamics chapter.


Wing Loading

Wing Loading See also Surviving Training: Beginner Wing, Weight & Speed, Flying Large Wings, Flying Small Wings, Risk of Small Wings Wing loading is a key metric for many reasons. It is how much weight is carried per square meter of wing. By convention, it’s...

Aerodynamics of Cage Drag

This came up when I was considering adding a second ring to our single-hoop paramotor for hugely better hand protection. So I asked Dana Hague for an assessment of the Safety Ring’s drag, assuming that airflow would be much faster at full power due to the prop....

Overview on Reflex Gliders

Differences between reflex paragliders and “regular” paragliders | See also Origins & Understanding of Reflex Gliders There are some basic differences between reflex and “regular” paragliders that revolve around their airfoil shape (right)...