Thinking about ... the steering position

Preferences regarding position in the harness from person to person depending on their size, body type, habits, and flying sensations. However, it is important to note that the position chosen also has a direct impact on flying, particularly depending on the pilot's experience and skill level. There are two extreme positions:

Seated position: The pilot sits upright in the harness, flying with their back relatively straight, while their legs hang down below the seat.

Prone position: The rider lies backwards, on his back, with his legs stretched out in front of him. The legs can be supported by a cocoon or a simple footrest.

Between these two extremes, there are many intermediate positions that can be adjusted to a certain extent using the harness settings.

There are three main reasons that can influence the choice of one flight position over another, and we're going to analyze them. For simplicity's sake, we'll look at each case using the example of a beginner pilot (leaving a paragliding school) and an experienced pilot (taking part in World Cup-level competitions, for example). Depending on your level, you'll be able to situate yourself and adapt this information accordingly.

ROLL SENSITIVITY

Paragliders move along three axes: pitch, yaw, and roll, which has the greatest influence on the harness. Roll is the rocking motion felt in flight, from left to right, which comes from the interaction of the wing with the surrounding air. These movements are a source of information for the pilot, allowing them to feel the air mass and adjust their piloting using the brakes, the harness, or both.

In mechanics, the moment of inertia represents the "resistance" that a body opposes to its movement. In the case of rotation, such as roll, this resistance is greater when the masses are further away from the axis of rotation. In our case, the roll axis is located approximately at the harness anchor points harness passes through the pilot from front to back. Thus, the roll movement occurs from right to left and vice versa.

When moving from a sitting position to a lying position, the different parts of the human body move closer to this roll axis: the head, chest, and legs. This reduces inertia and therefore facilitates movement. In other words, it increases the harness sensitivity harness roll. Thus, a sitting position will be mechanically more stable than a lying position.

When starting out in paragliding, it is common to be overwhelmed by the information received during flight, which can destabilize novice pilots and prevent them from concentrating on essential tasks such as flight planning or landing. In this case, adopting a seated position is recommended in order to stabilize the harness adopting an appropriate posture. This helps to filter the information coming from the wing and avoid distracting the pilot.

On the other hand, for an experienced pilot, the situation is different. It is useful to gather as much information as possible about the air mass in order to fly efficiently and accurately. The skills acquired by this type of pilot allow them to focus on this information and use it to maneuver the wing. If conditions become too turbulent, they simply need to sit up and adopt a more upright position to regain stability in the harness.

Similarly, if a beginner pilot simply wants to make their flying a little more dynamic, there is no need to change their harness wing. They can gradually adopt a more reclined position and, for example, add a footrest to improve their comfort and position.

FIELD OF VISION

A paraglider enjoys spending time in the air, whether it's for the simple pleasure of flying, or with a performance objective in mind, covering long distances. In this quest for flight optimization, they seek out all available information.

But where can this information be found, and what impact does flight position have? In general, the information is located in front of the pilot, in the direction of travel, and is divided into three levels:

Below: This is where you'll find information such as the cone of flight, nearby terrain, height above ground level, landing fields, windsocks, any obstacles such as power lines or pylons, and other pilots flying downwind (who have priority!).

At the same level: information about pilots flying at the same altitude, more distant terrain and possible obstacles.

Above: This is where you can find information on pilots and other aircraft flying overhead, the presence of birds, the day's ceiling, cloud evolution, and also the characteristics and behavior of your own glider.

So, depending on the flight position, the paraglider pilot can access different sources of information to optimize his trajectory and decision-making during the flight.

It goes without saying that certain elements can be found at several levels (birds, terrain, obstacles, etc.).

When you first start paragliding, your focus is mainly on specific objectives, such as achieving a successful take-off, following your flight plan and approaching the landing with peace of mind. At this stage, there's a lot to consider, and staying in the air as long as possible isn't necessarily the priority. So what information is important during this phase?

- Where's the landing field?

- Am I in my safe development zone?

- How high am I from the ground?

- Where are the obstacles on my flight path?

- Where are the other pilots?

For a beginner, the essential information is therefore that which is located below and in front of them. With this in mind, sitting in the harness the most ergonomic position, allowing the rider to easily consult the necessary information.

As they progress, paraglider pilots tend to extend their flights, exploit thermal lift and explore new landscapes. As he gains altitude, he will need to look up and observe various elements such as the evolution of clouds throughout the day, wind direction and strength, distant valleys and potential lift. What's more, since the glider can behave more dynamically, it's essential to keep a close eye on how it reacts, and adapt your piloting accordingly.

So it's only natural that the pilot will want to lean back to get a clearer view of the information mainly above him. Of course, he'll also need to glance down from time to time, but this will no longer account for the majority of flying time.

COMFORT

The position adopted in the harness an impact on the level of comfort felt (see the article "Reflections on... the comfort of a harness ). In fact, a more reclined position allows for better distribution of body weight within the harness structure. This is why experienced pilots gradually tend to adopt a more reclined position in order to enjoy greater comfort, especially during long flights. For beginner pilots, this aspect is not a priority, as their flights are generally short and other aspects such as stability, information gathering, and safety are more important. In addition, as mentioned above, the sitting position is more conducive to gathering useful information.

The lying position has the advantage of maintaining a certain muscle tone necessary to support flights lasting several hours. The leg support systems integrated into the cocoons, as well as the use of a footrest, significantly reduce the effort required. However, the legs must still maintain a certain tone to remain tense. In addition, the supports in the cocoon also help to control the harness.

In the seated position, on the other hand, the legs hang down and require no particular effort. Over time, however, this position can lead to a sensation of numbness, which can become unpleasant if the flight is prolonged.

CONCLUSION

After examining the various aspects of the flying position, it is essential to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each position according to one's level of experience and the type of flight envisaged. It's vital to strike a balance between personal comfort and the specific requirements of paragliding, in order to enjoy the flying experience to the full, while ensuring safety and optimum performance.