A large part of piloting a paraglider smoothly and with precision is tied to a pilot’s comfort level. There are several forms of comfort:
- Physical
- Technical and Mental
- Situational Comfort (from previous experiences)
Smoothness while flying is dictated by feel of the brakes, and pulling and releasing them smoothly. A comfortable body will also enhance proper weight shift. The net result of all of the above is that the pilot will feel where the wing is in relation to the control actions being applied.
Muscle tension is mostly generated by the stress of new situations and experiences when we train to fly. Some pilots take a longer time to work past the initial tightness that happens when they are anxious and have extra nerves and anxiety during early, higher flights. Some pilots never get fully past the physical comfort issues. Other pilots learn to convert the nervousness and intensity of situations and related stresses to focus on feel.
A first step in the right direction is to relax into the harness. On early flights many students do not lean back into the harness fully. They often have stiff arms with high elbows and miss a lot of feel for proper brake tensions. In fact, I see some pilots that have been flying for years that have locked into a stiff body position and never look comfortable. To move in a better direction, pilots can become more aware of relaxing or at least begin being aware of when they are not.
Let your upper body rest into the back of the harness. As a direct result, it will be easier to relax the arms and gain feel of the brake tensions and the correlate motions of the wing. Over time, I have noticed that pilots that lean back and get comfortable that way, quickly get more relaxed with their arms and ability to weight shift too.
I believe that the anxiety and stress that come with new, extreme experiences as well as situations are tied to the physical reaction. But, I also believe that with practice, you can learn to disconnect the physical reactions and stiffness that happen from the intensity of the situation. It is possible to become more aware of stiffness, it is also possible to promote relaxed muscles when you become aware of the bodies reaction.
When I am teaching students in the early phases, I will often notice their body not leaning back into the harness. I will also see their arms looking stiff and not relaxed. I will point it out to them and repeat reminders to them to “lean back more into the harness”, or “relax your arms and wiggle your elbows for me”. The point here is that as the pilot, you can begin to recognize the benefit of relaxing your body and that you can do this despite the internal stress in the head. If you fly long enough, at some point you will be doing a landing approach in tricky winds or poppy thermals and stiffness will not be your friend. With a developed habit of knowing how to relax despite this, you will be a better pilot in such a scenario.
Begin attention to being relaxed with the simple act of leaning back into your harness all the time during flights. Become more aware of stiff arms and when your reaction to intensity has gotten you to not lean back. Correct the issues despite the intensity and start making this a habit.
