🪂 How a paraglider wing is built
🔹 The wing of the paraglider has a close to ellipse shape when seen from above and has left and right semi-wings (directions are always chosen in relation to the flight direction). The wing consists of cells, divided by walls. 🔹 The front of the wing is called the leading edge, and this is where the cell openings are located. This is where the airflow enters and inflates the wing with air. The back part of the wing is called the trailing edge. The outermost area of each semi-wing is called an ear, which ends with a wing tip. The distance between wing tips is called wing span. 🔹 The inflated wing has an arc shape when seen from both the front and behind. There is a difference between the projected wing span of an inflated wing and the wing span of a wing spread on the ground. There is also a difference between the projected surface and the actual surface of a wing. The projected surface area is the one that carries the load, no matter how large the flat surface area on the ground is.
🔹 Each semi-wing consists of a set of profiles, formed by the shape of the cell walls. The profile has an upper and bottom surface. The distance between the front and back part of each profile is called a chord. The main characteristics of a profile are chord length, maximal profile thickness, and its position.
🧵 The line system
⚙️ The paraglider suspension: ▶ Distributes the weight of the pilot along the wing surface; ▶ Gives shape to the wing; ▶ Sets the balanced angles of attack at different wing sections (central section, ears) by changing the line length construction; ▶ Provides in-flight angle of attack control. ⚙️ The suspension consists of lines, risers, and carabiners. The lines are attached to numerous attachment points at the connection of cell walls with the bottom surface of the wing. ⚙️ As lines create drag, constructors strive to reduce their overall length—for example, using diagonals between cells improves load distribution and reduces the number of attachment points. ⚙️ Laterally (if seen from behind), the lines are divided into left and right, according to which semi-wing they are connected to. The wing tip is connected to a stabilo line, which is often a different color and is pulled to clear canopy and line cravats. ⚙️ Longitudinally (if seen from the side), the lines are divided into A, B, C, and D lines. The A lines are closest to the leading edge and the D lines are the furthest. The closest to the trailing edge are the brake lines (control lines). ⚙️ The lines leading directly from the wing surface are grouped together into thicker lines, making up the main A, B, C, D lines. Finally, they are connected to the corresponding A, B, C, and D risers through triangular metal elements called maillons. The risers are stitched together in a loop where the carabiner connects them to the pilot’s harness. ⚙️ There is a short riser with a pulley connected to the last riser. The brake line goes through it and connects to the brake handle (control handle). This ensures the controls remain within reach if accidentally released.
