What are ‘drag noodles’?

During the CIVL Plenary meeting in March, a proposal to allow ‘performance equalisers’ in competitions was approved. The purpose is to reduce the inherent performance advantage of larger over smaller gliders by putting foam tubes on the lines of larger gliders to add drag.

In competition paragliding, lighter pilots have always had a disadvantage. Larger wings have more performance for a number of reasons, which is why lighter pilots choose to fly a larger size and use ballast to reach the certified take-off weight.

This practice has got out of hand – carrying 40kg of kit including ballast is not unheard of. This can lead to dangerous situations. Pilots stumbling on take-off with up to half of their bodyweight in ballast. Then...