Reverse Connection to a Paraglider

Harness Connection Checks / Launch Set Up

This article describes the set-up procedures and safety checks required for a reverse or turn transition launch. The system begins with the connection of the risers to the harness and assumes that a complete wing preflight has already been done. These checks are done at the beginning of every paragliding flight you make.

Built into this system is that almost all steps are done with the left as the turn direction. That is, you turn your left shoulder to the wind after connecting to the glider—the left riser should be on top, roll the risers to the left, etc. For a pilot that wants to turn to the right, all steps could be reversed, with all steps to the right.

Connect to the Paraglider – Video Below

Risers – Side By Side, no twists

Next, rotate the risers at the bottom connection loop 180 degrees to the left.

Risers rotated counterclockwise, to left, 180 degrees.

The risers can now be connected to the karabiners in this position. The karabiners are laid out horizontally. Keep the risers oriented the same as they were (with the 180 degree twist) as you connect each respective side. Make sure you are aware of the orientation of the karabiners. When laid out horizontally, they should both have the gate either facing inward or outward. Some systems will allow the karabiner to lay out horizontally either way, so you have to know your system.

Connect Risers to karabiners, keeping the rotation the same.

Once you have finished connecting the karabiners, you will connect the speed system. Align your risers so that they are all in parallel with the A-riser untwisted and facing the ground. Take the connector from the A-riser to the outside and connect the speed system line to this. Make sure that the speed system line has a clear path from the harness pulley to the connection point. It should not wrap around anything on the way from the pulley to the connector.

Connect the speed system

HHRB

Now that you are properly connected, you can begin your Harness Preflight, aka connection preflight. The steps are broken down into the mnemonic Helmet, Harness, and Risers & Brakes. I recommend verbally stating each phase of the following checks as you do them. It gets you in the habit of doing the full checks and helps build a system that promotes safety not only for you but for those around you as well.

Helmet

The Helmet check is to see if your helmet is on and secured. To test this, simply pull on your helmet’s chin strap. I use the chin strap because this ensures that not only is the helmet on, but the chin strap is secure. If you just tap the helmet, you could take off with your chin strap unsecured.

Harness

The Harness check involves a list of components. It is much more complex than the other checks, which involve just a single check point—like the chinstrap for the helmet, the half-turn check for the risers, and the clear pulley for the brakes.

Here, you must check six points to ensure they are all solid.

Hand Setup for the Half Turn Check
Thumbs below brakes, risers carefully aligned …

Turning to check the Risers
Rotate to left, pasing right hand under left

Final position after a full half turn check
Take note of how the thumbs are rotated to the bottom or back of the risers

A Variation of the Half-Turn
check is pictured here.

In this position, look at the speed system lines and check if they are routed correctly for the turn transition. Check that the front of the risers will remain the front as you do your turn transition to the left.

Brakes

The final step is to separate the brakes from the risers. After completing the half-turn check, keep the risers in your hands as you had them in preparation for the half-turn check. From this position, you can just release the risers and grab each brake punching both hands to unsnap the brakes.  Ensuring the lines go straight to the pulley and do not wrap around anything is critical. If you do this correctly, after the turn and in flight, the brakes will be in the correct hands and unwrapped.

Ready to Launch

This completes the connection and harness preflight. You are now ready to lift the wing, kite or launch.

It is noteworthy to say that the entire harness connection check must be done after putting the harness on and connecting to the glider. When on the training hill, before each flight (as long as you have not gotten out of the harness or anything similar), you should do the Half Turn Check and Brake setup for every flight. It would not harm you to repeat the entire set of checks, but it should not be necessary unless you have changed or disconnected any part of your gear. To further ensure your safety, never undo buckles or such unless you are going to fully exit the harness.

If you have not been out for a paragliding lesson yet, get as familiar as possible with this system. Don’t worry about memorizing it, it takes some repetition to get there. For those that have been out, use this article to refresh the technique sequence and steps with the goal of better memorization of the checks and quicker familiarity with the procedure as a whole. Of all the tasks I teach, this system is one of the hardest for most people. That alone is the reason I wrote this article.