Weather

Understanding the weather for paraglider pilots and free flight pilots

Use time spent on the ground before launch to watch the weather. Keep in mind there is a 15-20 minute convective turnover time – you will get a good feeling for how the day is and what is in store if you wait and watch for those 20 minutes

Flying unplugged

In this ever more connected world it is easy to become reliant on technology for our flying maybe it is time to unplug
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La Niña – the cooler sister of El Niño

Climate change and La Niña

Explore how La Niña impacts global climate and weather patterns, even in the face of rising temperatures.
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Flying with overdevelopment

Blowing Up

Flying with overdevelopment in the sky is potentially dangerous, but it’s also now a fact of life, argues Felix Wölk. We need to learn to recognise it, understand it, and know how to fly in increasingly moisture-laden skies
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A cu-nim spreading horizontally when it hits the tropopause, as seen from orbit

Weather: The science behind embedded cu-nims

Embedded cumulonimbus clouds are storm clouds implanted within a stratus layer making them hard to spot, what should we look for?
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Ben Lewis had been in Bir for three weeks before his incident, which saw him reach more than 7,000m in a cu-nim. Photo: Ben Lewis

“The vario was just screaming”

Canadian pilot Dr Ben Lewis was swept to 7,374m in a storm cloud in Bir in India in October 2024 and lived. He tells his story
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Wave flying with Gordon Boettger. Photo: Gordon Boettger

The Long Game: Chasing the monster

Gordon Boettger is one of the only pilots on Earth using night vision goggles to fly wave – I went with him
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Ben Lewis's tracklog from paragliding in a storm cloud in Bir, India.

‘It was just so strong – there was nothing I could do’

Canadian paraglider pilot Dr Ben Lewis was swept to 7,374m in a storm in the Indian Himalaya. Remarkably, he lived to tell the tale
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Masterclass: Message of the clouds

Masterclass: Understanding the Sky – The message of the clouds

Learn how clouds are formed, how condensation occurs, how to calculate cloud base and what affects a cloud's lifespan
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A storm in the mountains behind Bir, India. Photo: Jerome Maupoint

Pilot swept to 7,300m in Himalayan storm – and survives

A Canadian pilot has shared the terrifying story of being swept up to more than 7,000m in a storm cloud while paragliding in the Himalaya
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Weather: Understanding wind gusts

Why do gusts happen, and how can you predict them? Honza delves into the subject to find the answers that will keep you safe
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