Paragliding Tip "MUSHROOM LAUNCH" 🍄🪂 (⚽ Ball to 🧱 Wall to 🚀 Launch 🤩)

Flybubble Carlo shares some paragliding tips for launching the wing from a ball, starting with the glider mushroomed up. We generally recommend first going from a ball ⚽ to a wall 🧱 before launching 🚀. Steps: 🍄~⚽~🧱~👀~🪂~🏃‍♂️~🚀~🤩
3 steps:
1. ⚽ Ball
2. 🧱 Wall
3. 🚀 Launch
7 steps:
1. 🍄 Mushroom
2. ⚽ Ball
3. 🧱 Wall
4. 👀 Check
5. 🪂 Inflate
6. 🏃‍♂️ Run
7. 🚀 Launch (and 🤩 Smile)
HOW ABOUT LAUNCHING THE WING FROM A BALL?
It is of course possible to launch the wing straight up from a ball. When everything goes right, this works well, saves time, is fun and - let's face it - looks pretty cool. 😎
Some solo and tandem paraglider pilots like to launch from a balled-up wing, especially in stronger winds. Some believe this is the best way to launch in stronger winds. Some also do this to launch from a very small launch spot, not big enough to fully open the wing. 🪂
However, there's a hidden danger to launching the wing from a ball. It's harder to properly check the wing and lines when the wing is balled-up, so there's a greater risk of inflating the wing with knots, line overs, cravats or combinations of all three. This tends to be especially bad - most potentially dangerous - in stronger winds, because it's easier to lose control, faster, and the consequences tend to be worse. However failing to spot knots, line overs or cravats can have harmful consequences in all wind strengths. ⚡
If you're lucky the problem will fix itself (e.g. the knot opens) or you're able to fix it (e.g. you clear the cravat) and stay in control. Even so this may well result in a failed or (wisely) aborted launch. D'oh! 🤦‍♀️
If the problem proves more... knotty, and the wind is stronger, you may soon find yourself involuntarily partaking in the alternative activity of para-dragging, with potentially injurious consequences. If flying tandem, you'll take your passenger for a drag with you. Double d'oh! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️
Sometimes you might find yourself airborne - willingly or not - only to discover that you cannot fix the problem in-flight. Triple d'oh! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️
If you're lucky the problem is minor and you may be able to continue flying. Most of the time however this means limping down to landing with limited control and your wing not flying right, which can make landing very tricky. Quadruple d'oh! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️
If you're unlucky, it's also possible that you lose control and end up with an 'uncontrolled landing' (aka a crash). The wing may have an uncontrollable turn or a tendency to stall/spin, or both. This could cause you to uncontrollably turn back into the hill, fall out of the sky or be unable to reach a safe landing. Ay, caramba! 😱
For these reasons at least, we don't generally recommend launching from a balled-up wing. We tend to only ever launch the wing from a ball ourselves for fun, 'throw and go' style, and we don't tend to do this in unforgiving wind conditions and situations. In rare circumstances, we might use it to launch from a spot where it's not possible to fully open the wing . Mostly we'd choose not to launch from that spot, and try to find a better one. 🤓
Having said this, there are times we launch from a ball. When everything goes right, it works well and saves time - and is pretty fun and cool. 😁
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#paragliding #launch #takeoff

[@E620SE]

I do it most of the times when there's wind because I'm lazy 🤣

[@mcbrite]

And if you just took it out the fast packing bag, it will be sitting in there like that anyways... 😉😉

[@E620SE]

@@mcbrite never used one (too bulky) 🤣

[@kangur_official]

0:26 that's what I call a nice lift! ;)

[@draconisgubernator]

hahaha..very funny the beguinning wind checking, hahahah

[@flybubbleparagliding]

Better be careful hihi 🤓☠️

[@NomadHatch]

The tornado! 😂😂😂

[@flybubbleparagliding]

🌪🪂😉

[@michalgaluska5078]

I am quite often using this technique because I am lazy. But it is necessary to check if there is enough space around your paraglider, and pay attention to people around. Because you do not like to hit somebody in the face with a wing ear. I am flying a 30m wing, and the size of the wing, which jumped out from that pile of fabric, surprised someone.

[@michalgaluska5078]

@@flybubbleparagliding Definitely. During the start there are really many things to check. A 5 point check is a good start. But it doesn't mean when you check everything, and turn to check traffic, some of your less experienced friend can't make few steps from the side. To get in better position for foto :D

[@steveazz5149]

Hi Carlo, I like your techniques for clearing lines as their paid out and for tweaking the wall-tips down just before the raise. Even with my 2022 Phi Viola, which is so easy to inflate from a ball, I have got caught out more than once with a snag and had to abort. You made the point well that we need to judge the conditions when it is wise to go straight from ball to raise or to wall. When ball-raising on twiggy heather hills or rocky ridges, as the lines drag outwards before they lift off, snags become more of a certainty than a risk. I also like the extra mile you go with your, detail, patience and generosity of time in your explanations and positively embracing feedback to improve the knowledge for everyone. Looking forward to the next one. Steve

[@flybubblecarlo]

Hi Steve 👋 thanks for commenting and adding your constructive input - much appreciated! 🙏 I'm glad to know you found this video helpful in some way - that's why we make them! 😀 As with every Flybubble video we've ever made since I created the Flybubble channel back in 2009, we also learn new things every time we create a new one - about both filmmaking and flying! 🤓 We aim to take on board as much constructive feedback as we can, with a view to improving our future videos - and our flying techniques! 🎦🪂

[@flybubblecarlo]

ps. I say "we" because Flybubble Films aren't a solo effort. They're not all about one individual. They're a collaborative endeavour by the Flybubble crew and others from the freeflight community. 🤝😊 With the support of the freeflight community and Flybubble customers, we plan to keep making more videos of all kinds - and making then better and better as we learn by doing! 😃

[@thisisyol]

Guys, if you have zero wind and feel forced to forward start, there is this small chance of you not being able to identify a line-overthrow and lift off with it. So check especially carefully in 0 wind scenarios! You can't look up properly while running to the side which needs compensation. Just in general, try to always test-inflate and be on high alert when conditions won't let you! If you experience a sudden urge of having to hurry for whatever reason - even empathy for collegues - take your time!

[@thisisyol]

​@@flybubbleparagliding I once was the first guy on the hill. After a bombout, two senior collegues arrived to take me up with them. They were'nt in a rush and did some chatter while everyone was preparing. I felt a little bad for overtaking them by laying out my wing before them, even though I already had a flight. Actually I felt so bad because of this that I had this urge to hurry and ended up not checking my wing as properly as I always do... It did not end well.

[@mcbrite]

I had 2 of those so far! 1 during my actual LICENSE test flight, the second while test flying Mentor 5 (i believe 5, maybe 4...). "even empathy for collegues" that one hit's home for everybody courteous! - It's actually a problem for me... If I do a hike and fly, I launch 100% perfect every time (so far). It's once there are other people I have to be insanely careful about what I'm doing!

[@FunFireStudios]

Thats how i imagine a good life, Paraglinding and doing fun stuff. I wish when i grow up i can make crazy stuff like this! Thanks for the tutorial 😊

[@flybubblecarlo]

@brownieslegacy8540 🪂 Paragliding - Getting Started & More - Flybubble Blog - Flybubble: flybubble.com/blog/fly 🪂

[@wolcek]

It always looks so simple in the movies... :/

[@flybubbleparagliding]

It is all about practice 🚀

[@wonderfulworldofWoody]

Isn’t the point of launching from a ball is that you actually launch the glider? This could be used in high wind or a confined space. If you just pick it up and build a wall then it’s effectively the same as any launch.

[@flybubblecarlo]

@wonderfulworldofWoody I'm glad you asked! 🙂 Actually that's one of the main reasons we decided to make this video! 😀 An important point of the video is we generally recommend going from a ball ⚽ to a wall 🧱 before launching i.e. not launching straight from a balled-up wing (with some exceptions). For more detail on this see the section 'HOW ABOUT LAUNCHING THE WING FROM A BALL?' in the video description. ℹ

[@Florian24]

Where's the launch? More like making a wall from the ball

[@flybubblecarlo]

@Florian24 You're right. 👍 We generally recommend first going from a ball ⚽ to a wall 🧱 before launching. 1. 🍄 Mushroom 2. ⚽ Ball 3. 🧱 Wall 4. 🪂 Wing 5. 🏃‍♂ Run 6. 🚀 Launch 7. 🤩 Smile For more detail on why we generally recommend this see 'HOW ABOUT LAUNCHING THE WING FROM A BALL?' in the video description.

[@osmera_pg]

@@flybubbleparagliding there is some launch from ball at the end?? I dont see it. In the video we see preparation from the ball, building a wall and starting from a wall. Sorry completly misleading title of video

[@flybubblecarlo]

​@@osmera_pg Thanks for your feedback. 👍 As always, we'll take all constructive feedback on board for future videos. 🤓 I can see why you (and I guess others) might think that. 🤔 Actually that's one of the main reasons we made this video tutorial. 🙂 An important point of the video is that when launching from a mushroom we generally recommend first going from a ball ⚽ to a wall 🧱 before launching (rather than launching straight from a ball). For more detail on why see 'HOW ABOUT LAUNCHING THE WING FROM A BALL?' in the video description. ℹ