What's The Real Risk Of Paragliding?

Today in SAFER EVERY DAY we’re talking about the real risk of paragliding and the big mistake the average pilot makes.
Statistics have been drawn from a British Hang Gliding and Paragliding study
www.bhpa.co.uk/documents/safe...
and modified by the larger study in France bit.ly/2UTkYDQ
and its analysis bit.ly/2Ya0pFf yielding a roughly 2% incident rate.
This is very broad, because it doesn't show airtime/number of flights/training/rating/typical behaviour/wing/local sites which all dramatically affect your particular risk.
What it does show, is you don't want to be average. Aim for excellence!
For a more in-depth lesson about risk management, watch HOW TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, available in the free trial on
flywithgreg.com/programs/avoi...
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[@FlyWithGreg]

The real risk is you fall in love with the way flying makes you feel, and you can't stop, and can't get enough of it! Don't let this rather serious video upset you - I made it to remind you to take action! For a proactive way to manage your risk check out flywithgreg.com/programs/avoiding-accidents

[@BIeInIi]

Ruf t tttg8ztt9

[@duckraisedbychickens1986]

Hi, Greg. Thanks for the video. I am a hobby PG pilot and a full-time doctor. I have a bit of a problem with the numbers on the video. My math is very rusty, so if any mistakes let me know. Here we go, Given the estimated probability of - Any flight accident rate of 2% (0.02) - Serious injury 0.67% (0.0067) - Fatality 0.05% (0.0005) So the probability of - No accident per year 98% (0.98) - No serious injury 99.33% (0.9933) - No fatality 99.95% (0.9995) Then the probability of - No accident for 30 years is (0.98)^30 = 54.5% - At least one accident in 30 years is 1 - (0.98)^30 = 45% - At least one serious injury in 30 years is 1 - (0.9933)^30 = 18.2% - A fatality in 30 years is 1 - (0.9995)^30 = 1.5% The numbers are the probability over the while 30 years period (i.e. before you start). You can’t really fly when too young or too old, so 30 years period represent lifetime risk for most people. These lifetime risk numbers are statistics and could be misleading if one is not familiar with statics. For comparison, the risk that a man will develop cancer of the pancreas during his lifetime is 1.7%. Pancreatic cancer has less than 2% of 10-year survival rate. So, one is unlikely to survive this cancer. Then you should be more concerned about pancreatic cancer than PG death. Now, these are lifetime risks and have different meanings in different contexts. Every year the real risk remains the same (Realistically I would assume the number would be high and then drop off, but no data so let speak statistics) - Any flight accident rate of 2% - Serious injury 0.67% - Fatality 0.05% That's it. Whether you are a 1st year PG pilot, a 2nd, a15th, or a 30th-year PG pilot. Each year the risk remains the same. There is no "compounding" risk as in bank money compounding. What is the chance of you getting the face with “1” when you toss the dice? 1/6 (16.7%) It doesn’t matter how many times you threw the dice before. Each time when you toss the dice, it will be 16.7%. Each year flying, the same risk as the first year or any other year.

[@Cd5ssmffan]

🤓

[@Logan4661]

If the chance of rolling a 1 on any single roll is 16.7%, what are the odds of NOT rolling any 1's in ten rolls? How about fifty rolls? The more times you roll, the more opportunities you have to end up with the undesirable outcome. The bigger problem with your logic as it relates to the video though, is that it supposes the simple roll of a fair die, however, a flight is made up of thousands of individual decisions and reactions in a chaotic environment, made by humans of various levels of knowledge, physical ability, and dozens of other characteristics. Studying and practice doesn't substantially reduce your risk of rolling a 1 in fifty rolls, but it can make a world of difference in paragliding, or any sport that requires skill for that matter.

[@vicbauwens]

Your statistics are bang on 😊MSc civil engineering speaking.

[@catherinespark]

The strange thing, for me, looking in from the outside, isn't that it's high risk. It's that the high risk of paragliding in particular is considered so much less acceptable than other things that carry, perhaps, an equivalent level of risk but are more familiar to more people. Many horse riders would consider paragliders to be bonkers, for example. But horse riding is among one of the most dangerous sports, statistically. Cycling, swimming, skiing, caving and rock climbing, too, and mountaineering most of all, statistically. I think the swimming and cycling would surprise a lot of people. Possibly the skiing, too. I'm not trying to diminish the risk of any of these. In fact, having a healthy sense of caution probably reduces one's risks considerably by making them never forget basic safety precautions. I just don't think mythologising the risk for specific things (NOT saying you're doing this, by the way!) on the basis that they seem less familiar and less instinctive than other activities that are also high risk but more deeply evolutionarily-encoded in us (humans have a millennia-long heritage of swimming and climbing, for example, but not of flying) helps with the representation of the implications of the risk of paragliding in comparison.

[@xistsixt]

Just a few days ago... There was news of a guy falling dead in a neighboring paragliding school. Just started my own career. Made me think, yeah right... But the same article linked to many other articles about people dying in atv driving, motorcycling, mountaineering, free climbing, and even hikers... There is risk everywhere, it's the line of life we choose. If you keep yourself in a safe bubble your body would start to rot too. Like you try to explain in the video, practice, practice, practice... Reducing all of the risk factors possible, step by step. Analyzing every error we do. Never stop learning. Our passion is worth the risk. Probably this guy visiting you on the hill came out of some industry doing FMEA risk assessment as a job...

[@mattklingler673]

Thank you so much for helping to increase my odds in keeping myself safe. I really don't like the idea of each flight being a flip of the coin! My goal is to have a very long career with flying and little to no incidents. I look forward to continuing my education with you. Thank you!

[@LittleNoiseBoy]

Adrenaline is, perhaps, part of the addictive quality of flight - but there's a difference between keeping it together by applying practised skills to calculated risks and losing it in blind terror when the unexpected happens. Given this, your idea of a regular Sunday slot reminding us of the need to practise and retain vigilance when flying is inspired and very gratefully received. Thanks Greg.

[@LukeFrisken]

30 years, 1% chance, I feel like in comparison to a person's overall chance of dying to some other much more mundane calamity during that time period (cancer, car crash, etc), paragliding really doesn't seem so bad...

[@theheresiarch3740]

Have you ever seen anyone break down the incidents by type or are the reports not that granular? For example, in the motorcycling world, we have similar risk profiles, but when you break it down by accident type you realize that you can mitigate huge chunks of risk with simple behavioral changes, e.g. not drinking (AT ALL) before getting on the bike, paying close attention to the behavior of other vehicles on the road and your positioning relative to them, and not carrying too much speed into your turns. Those three factors (alcohol, inattention, excessive maneuvering speed) are involved in around 80% of accidents, so their mitigation drops the injury rates by a lot. I can vouch for it myself; watching other vehicles like a hawk has literally saved my life on at least two occasions and I've only been riding for three years. I'm just wondering if there's a similarly simple "making these 1-3 behavioral changes eliminates 80% of paragliding accidents" tactic for risk mitigation here.

[@surreygraham4466]

When I was flying hang gliders some 30 years ago a guy gave a very interesting presentation on risk. Once you have passed the initial dangers inherent in learning the sport, the risks you take depends on a couple of things. Firstly, your risk profile. We have all seen the nutters on the hill who think that they are invincible. They are not and usually end up adding to the statistics. The second tends to depend when, not if, you have that first accident. If you have it when you are fairly new to the sport and it scares you then you tend to take more care and that in turn reduces your risk. If you carry on without an incident then you tend to gradually increase the risk you take. If you then have an accident it is often more serious, if not fatal. This is because you have unwittingly moved towards that invincible category and put yourself in a more dangerous situation. Mindset in this sport is absolutely critical and a calm, measured approach will keep you safer than a ‘must get in the air let’s not worry about line checks today’ mindset. Ari in the Air has a great video on this very topic which is worth a view. Thanks Greg for keeping us focussed on this topic and your video on dust devils which highlights my thoughts above.

[@safranpollen]

31 years flying without any accident. The only worse erperience happened to me 2014 and I wanna report this now for the first time , what has happened to me,, that you can learn of this yourself. I made 2014 with Dani Loritz and his X-dream fly from swizerland after 25 yers flying experince SIV.. First impressions, 30 pilots, overcrowded course. During the first 2 days, I was mistaken twice during the exercises. Third day of the SIV, I throw , cause I wanted to know , how it is , my reserve. It was windy at the walenlaketaht afternoon . I threw out the reserve after a forced 70% speed colapse. I immediately remarked , the wind speed , cause i saw the rocks beside the lake passing by very quickly. I splashed inside the cold lake. But the reserve didn´t fall into the water, remained in the wind. Before takeoff, I asked several times, should I scotch my airbag that there is no air inside, should I take a cutbeltknife with me. Answer, no, ya don´t need it, the boat will be within seconds beside you. Reality was worse, the reserve pulled me with wind through the lake, the rescuejacket didn´t allow me , to open the chest strap, the airbag started to tun me around. When I was approaching below my rescue to the surface ot the lake, I thought, shall I open already all locks at my harness, so that I can get off quickly away from the glider but I rejected this idea, what a dramatic fault decission ! More and more the filled airbag turned me around. The boat was close by, the guy inside was spain , didn`t speak german and hardly english. After a fight of 2-3 minutes, I remarked , it is getting worse, my forces to turn around get weaker and weaker. The guy in the boat have got order from Loritz, first to safe the rescue, ( not me !!! ) to stop my speed . A worse decision ! He was alone in the boat. Meanhile I cried to him , cut the rescue of, drive inside the rescue with the boat, save my life man, I am drowning. I swallowed first water, cause I was turned around from the air bag more and more and it is pretty hard to turn around to get some air, it is unbelievable, your had is just 20 cm below the surface of the lake but no chance ! I loosed more and more energy, swollowed more n more water . When I get short over the water, there was no more time to cry, just get sum air and again down down down. By the way, I am a real good swimmer. At least I passed by. My last thoughts, hey thats it, you drow , this is the end... Rewaked , when someone, the spain guy was pulling at my harness when I was still inside water, no beside the boat and again passed by. At least I layed inside the boat, apathic, heartrace, spitting water, than slow pulse, dramatic n very serious situation. I heard the guy saying in the radio, the pilot is in a very bad serious health situation.They layed me at the beach down, they didn´t have called a ambulance and said to me, relax, breath slowly. After 30 minutes I could move, shaky, but I could stand. I survived. Loritz cuted/deleted the whole scenery out of the reserve throw at the videos from the SIV, cause he knew, this was a very bad performance of his hyped SIV courses. What was wrong that day, and not only that day, cause they didn`t changed after this anything like I heard from pilots ? !! Nearly all ! My tipps 4 U >>>Never throw your rescue at SIV with a filled airbag, never ever ! Take your emergency safety belt knife with you all times you are airborne !! I am using since that time quick outs but my beltknife is my oartner since 25 years at flying. Check before, if there are, this very important, two ( 2 !!!! ) people in the boat with experience and talking minimum english and thatthey can swimm ! If you have problems, one of the guys can jump beside you and support you. If , in my case, there would have been a second person, he could jump beside me and easily help me not to turnd around, nothing woud have had happened. The boat must have a ladder to get in, supportet from the second guy, the other is controlling the boat, or even much better, a nose , able to be pulled down below the water to get you inside the boat. I didn´t know till today, how this spain guy get me inside alone,. Bit I know, a pilot with equipment gets easily 50 kg more weight ftom water. Ony thing I know for sure, I was to long, a much to long time in this emergency situation only because Loritz has done several dramatic faults: no clear instruction, deinflate your airbag, scotch it, take a beltknife for emergency with you, boat driver unexperienced , only one guy and nearly no english knowledges. I know , this was a unique, special situation, but you see, it can happen, if everything goes wrong. By the way, 1 weak later I struggled down with a heavy back yard heart attack, I only survived , cause it happened in our company with best, perfect emergency help chain. The operator, the dotors said, this accident was proabably the reason but discussing with lawyers and medicine specialist, we considered , not to go to judge, cause it could last years to get a result. I was 4 months out of life, operation, stent, recovery treatments but as soon as it was over, I bought a new glider, a new rescue, new harness and I still fly around the world when ever I can. Cheers from black forest and I please you all, use my tipps , all times beeltknife with you and SIV, of course, but 2 people inside the boat. Dani Loritz never apologized to me, he didn`t give me the money back for one reaining SIV day.meanwhile I have met more people who have had very bad experiences with this guy. I only say this, cause he is acting like he is god and sorry, in my mind, not in cae ot my terrible accicdent, a arrogant and overrated

[@FlyWithGreg]

A terrifying experience Safranpollen, thanks for sharing! You'll see a hooknife on my left shoulder on my videos ... will certainly mention your story when I get to the episode about reserves, many avoidable injuries after landing reserves in wind. Cut. It. Away!

[@safranpollen]

@@FlyWithGreg Greg it`s in the past, I have a straight tendency for future. But I thought, the advice , to check out, that there are 2 people in the boat, beltknife, scotched airbag are very important. Personally, if I should ever again will have a waterlanding situation , I will open all buckles before I hit the water. If I would have done this, nothing would have happened. And I never use anymore T-lock, in case of the chest buckle, that was not able to be opened in case of the strong filled life jacket ( I think should be controlled during a SIV at each person before starting any maneuver) I changed my round rescue evo annular against steerable rescue( todays diamond cross ) and bought quick outs from finsterwalder.

[@gotravelbug]

Thanks Greg, I've been flying for 10 years now. As a woman in this sport in SA and in the Garden Route I found myself very much alone in this sport in the first 6 years, until I had a serious accident. It is only then that I really started learning more and being more ⚠️ cautious and making better decisions due to a paragliding community that pulled together via a WhatsApp group. I'm now loving it more and make better decisions, never forcing a take off, a landing or in flight decision. I guess it's like driving a car and enjoying the ride rather than being a racing driver that takes risks. I hope to enjoy this sport more in years to come.

[@likeasparrowinthewildernes8333]

;;;;;;;;;; 2 Esdras2: 31-100 '''''''''''''''''''''''';;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[@Mountain_Manu]

I was in hospital a few days ago - 3 month after starting downhill riding. So i can live quite good with the 1:6 chance in a lifetime paragliding career

[@BitTorrentGemini]

After 20 years of (hobby) flying without any incident I felt like I should fly harder.. IMO the biggest risk is when you start believe in yourself too much.

[@micinvit]

And that's common to ALL pilots...especially when you're "learning", or flying a lot in a short time: You get better and you think you can "push it a bit more". WACK! the accident happens! Fortunatley, most of the time, is just a "wake up call"

[@AdventureNa]

I really like your videos! You are very realistic and experienced, do not stretch the truth or mislead like lots of famous paramotor and paraglider pilots.

[@paddlefreestyle1]

There is a very interesting article in the DHV Magazin nr 197! The quality of my descisions! Really worth reading! I think we have a great influence on the risk by making smart an right descisions! Not to fly if the conditions are too strong for you even though other pilots fly for example! Great video Greg!!

[@flyinbryanfpv]

I fly paramotor's and ride motorcycles, and I'd feel much safer being in the air rather on the motorcycle.... lot less distracted drivers in the air :) Excellent video.

[@acavemancandoityoutube]

Great Channel! I'm just beginning to look into the sport. Your videos and the comments have been really helpful. I'm 49 yrs old and live in SLC, UT near a popular gliding area that has lots of schools so my access into the sport is pretty easy. The hike and fly options in UT are great. Learning to fly both intrigues me and terrifies me! I'm still on the fence considering the safety, but I already engage in sports the are equally if not more risky so maybe I'm diversifying my risk by learning to fly ;) Thanks for all of the great information!

[@Pestifer138]

Thx for this great content!

[@viliamgazo8589]

Great video Greg, thanks for sharing this with paragliding world.

[@aaroneye6591]

Another great video Greg!

[@wingunder]

We need more reminders like this one. Very well explained! I illiminated the risk of dealing with a collapsible wing, by starting to hang glide. For sure, some other minor risks and inconveniences were added by HG. I'm convinced that the largest and the most lethal risk in PG, remains the collapsible wing. Great channel. Keep going Greg! :)

[@FlyWithGreg]

Thanks wingunder. Hmm, I don't believe you've de-risked the freeflight situation much by doing that, you've just made yourself more comfortable with other risks you prefer. Every landing and launch is now more high speed/tricky and there's still the risk of tumbling, midair collisions are more likely, and you're going in head first ... it's a complicated matrix. The collapsible wing adds safety in some situations ... I would hazard a guess that a hangglider going through my recent dust devil landing would have been whacked over into a severe right turn dive at low level and become a lawn dart. But I also agree with you, it's a scary concept and a significant risk to manage: having a wing that operates somewhat like the Quantum Uncertainty Principle.

[@FlyRusty]

Really grateful for your input. Thanks

[@robertnielsen9232]

Good seeing you at DD today G!

[@AriintheAir]

Such a great video Greg!

[@abbott876]

Great reminder Greg. thank you!

[@andersborum9267]

Greg, from a statistical point of view you're basically resetting your chances (of risk) every time you're taking off; it's not a compounding algorithm. If you pick a card from a deck, the chances are 1 in 52; prior to picking another card you're resetting the scenario by returning the card to the deck. The same goes for paragliding, although a minor difference is that your previous succesful flight adds a positive bias to the overall statistical setup.

[@FlyWithGreg]

You're talking about chance, I'm discussing probability. They are different. The probability of a sequence of 30 years of no incidents is not the same as the chance of one in the next flight. Long term: paragliding is risky

[@vasileiosxenodochidis1585]

It's a binomial distribution where we sample individual bernoulli events N times. The wording was a bit misleading, I agree on that.

[@vicbauwens]

Picking a card from a deck is exactly the same principle and quite a good analogy because it has roughly the same odds. Calculate the probability of not drawing the ace of spades 30 times in a row.

[@1080pixel]

Very good points - thank you

[@MrLimitlessME]

Next level! It's now like a show I'd want to dig in the couch :D

[@mercyshaver5264]

Much gratitude for your information 🙏

[@andrewgraham8561]

Hi Greg, Thank you for all of your efforts your videos are amazing. I have a question regarding rear riser steering and newer BC risers. What is the most efficient way to use these? When should it be used? My new Phi Tenor has these risers installed and its the first wing I have flown with this option. To be honest I don't know how to use them! A video on the correct use for the most efficient flight would be awesome.

[@DavidHotz21]

Thanks Greg. Great video. You surely knew him better than me but Ant Allen would have approved .The first time i met him (at Gerard Beukes's house) he was giving a talk on Safety and his first accident with absolute vulnerability and openness. .

[@plumduff3303]

Great work thanks

[@micknolan3753]

3 week's for solo..........this was great teaching !

[@pierreolsson588]

First crash for me one week ago, took up paragliding in 1990 (400 flights) but have had a 20 year hiatus, this summer about 60 flights and then - Boom - crash on start, pretty ruff, sprains and bruises, but nothing really bad thank God!

[@FlyWithGreg]

Glad you're OK! Those sort of incidents are very good for resetting your safety margins and identifying weak points ... there's always more to practice.

[@yarpos]

In most aviation sports risks are multi faceted and we like to think we can control them. You can always make yourself safer, you cant make yourself totally safe.

[@therealpunk_pilot]

I really enjoyed the video. Keep up the good work. Lekker bru.

[@frankroy9919]

great message

[@jumpleadsx2]

I had an accident last week. Really very close to a death scenario, so I was lucky. But I've learnt 2 important lessons. Now I'm less likely to have that same accident. My conclusion is that, if I learn from them, the more accidents I have, the safer I'll be. SIV course next.

[@jesuss3962]

And If you stop to do that activity and better you go to play soccer or chess i think you will live a lot of more years

[@hsdjsdshdhsdnsmsd6247]

What did you learn?

[@5ty717]

Very good greg ❤

[@carlosbolivar5935]

Loving it !

[@super6-416]

Thank you for your work, it ilustrates a lot. Do you consider the Swing Nyos with Rast system a safe wing? Or is it marketing?

[@pentachronic]

I think in any risky sports activity complacency is the biggest factor (the human factor). Always be sober and always be paranoid (question yourself on every action and situation. What if ???).

[@johnvella5834]

As a retired glider pilot it does seem a rather high level of risk. Experience and good training seems a major factor.

[@CoIoneIPanic]

There is a paradox with paragliding safety . There is no substitute for actual flying experience. But the more flying, the more risk. Take offs and landings cause the majority of the accidents. You have to accumulate those to improve your safety but you increase the probability of injury every time just because of the variability of luck.

[@vicbauwens]

Do the same for recreational motorcyclists, you will find slightly lower numbers but still in the same order of magnitude, at approx 1,5%/yr for 15k miles/yr. Smokers have a probability of 15% of dying over a lifetime career of smoking, and yet so many people still smoke. Bottom line is that we are in a constant lottery, for thousands of different bets at a time. Excluding the biggest risks boosts the probability of living a longer life, but it may also flatten out the intensity by which you live.

[@enmimundo]

Hi Greg! For the numbers, you take the number of flights vs the number of pilots. I think it may make more sense calculating the probability of having an incident in a specific flight. What are your thoughts about it? Awesome chanel by the way!!

[@inexpensivegames]

cool video😊

[@cam5376]

Just about every paraglider pilot I have met has a near death story to tell, the window of safe operations is very small. I have flown paragliders, hang gliders, gliders and light aircraft.

[@martinpolach6171]

Greg .. you are not Mr Bubble (head) ??😃😃😃😃 Always thought you were co-owner.. Good fortune with your new direction ../.. focus!

[@VH5150BAZ]

I used to fly paragliders, sadly I did see a few accidents and people loose their lives. That said, my hobby now, road cycling is far more dangerous in the U.K. Won’t stop, there is always risk in life.

[@Labroidas]

I'm interested in getting into the sport, my brother has been paragliding for years in the Swiss alps. But at the moment it looks to me like the paragliding/motorgliding communities don't really have the same safety-first-mindset that the rest of the aviation world has. Looking at people flying on youtube, it looks like they are constantly purposefully taking huge risks just for the sake of coolness. It seems at times completely at odds with the safety culture developed in the fixed-wing world, and more akin to daredevil-adrenaline-junky sports like basejumping, extreme skiing etc. That kind of makes me worried.

[@neerajkulkarni6506]

agreed! I'd like to get into paragliding too but this is concerning to me too

[@Drako83]

Nice video, it's always good to reflect on the risks we take and how to reduce them. I'm not sure about your career statistics though: I don't think probability accumulates, your year probability of having an accident is 2%, every year for 30 years. For example, if a roll a dice 30 times my chance of getting a 6 is 1/6 every time. Loved the black side of the dice analogy, I like to think that when we make a risky decision we increase our chance of an incident, we paint more sides of the dice

[@FlyWithGreg]

I understand your point Julio, but you're talking about chance, not probability. The chance is 0.02% every flight, very roughly. The probability of the single event (having no accidents in a thirty year period) is 50%. When you're looking at managing your risk for the next flight, it's the chance that matters, and it is overwhelmingly likely that your flight will be safe and good! But unless you focus on habits that persist over a long time span, the probability gets you.

[@Drako83]

@@FlyWithGreg nice talking about this, I find quite difficult and complex to tag paragliding as a dangerous sport. Couldn't agree more about habits, practice doesn't make perfect, good practice makes perfect

[@andydonaldson]

This probability doesn't accumulate, it multiplies. With a 0.6% risk of ending up in hospital in one year, you have a 99.4% changes of avoiding hospital in that year. Your chance of avoiding 30 years without ending up in hospital is lower, because you have to keep avoiding the accident every year for 30 years. Every year you have a 99.4% chance of avoiding hospital. Chance of avoiding hospital over 30 years = 99.4% * 99.4% * 99.4% .... 30 times = 83% Chance of at least one trip to the hospital in 30 years = 100% - 83% = 17% (roughly 1 in 6)

[@sejo88]

Hi Greg! I wondering if its possible to get up in the air with paraglider from a flat place ex with help of wind ? How to increase altitude ? Just use A lines? Its flat everywhere there I leave, I am a begginer and use to get out with my paraglider when is strong wind just to get in touch with it

[@placebogazebo9671]

Probabilities don't compound like that. Over you entire career, starting from 0, yes, they compound, but if you've made it 30 years, you've already negated those 30 years of risk. They don't count anymore. Each new year starts fresh. Actually, each flight starts fresh probabilities.

[@natural9743]

The risk all started after i was born and there was even risk as an embryo-in fact i go so far as to say that alot of sperm had risked their lives in just trying to fertilize an egg and of course before all this there was the enormous risk and consequence of the big bang. (ok- i think that just about covers it). Great video by the way.

[@MadsSyndergaard]

I started flying paragliders in 1987, and flew "full time" as a semi-professional comp pilot from 1994 to 2011. Over the years I have accumulated 1000's of hours in ALL SORTS of conditions, and crashed hard twice. I have also lost very many friends along the way. I have known for almost 20 years that paragliding isn't a sport or a pastime, it is an addiction; if you can help it, please do. This autumn I suddenly realised that I "could help it" - I still love flying, and have a lot of fun doing it, but it is not the major factor in defining to myself "who I am" any more. So I decided to quit. It's not like I will feel awful if I ever take to the skies again, but I won't go on paragliding trips any more, I won't register for comps any more, and I probably won't invest in paragliding gear any more. I'll almost certainly live longer for it.

[@FlyWithGreg]

Hey Mads! Good to hear from you. We definitely flew together -- some PWCs in the late 90's, and probably at Porterville. I hear you, I understand you. But I don't think it's fair to call it an addiction. I think it's a life choice. I don't need to fly. I want to. The aesthetic is unbeatable (or, I haven't found anything like it). The challenge is a continuum (I can always improve) but being adventurous puts you on the edge of the cliff, so you are certainly safer stepping back, but I'm guessing like so many of us 'old timers' you'll be drawn back to the open sky again. because you. can. FLY!

[@vagabondroller]

Haha, You can quit any time you want…you just don’t want to! Also, quitting is for losers.

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

I’ve completely eliminated my flight risk. I sit behind a piano.

[@petrusaroesnosa7461]

Piano Man 2018 says: "I’ve completely eliminated my flight risk. I sit behind a piano". ============================================ You can always have the possibility, of falling from your seat, and get hurt, or even die, if you receive a strong blow in your head. A colleague of mine, one year ago, fell down to the ground, when he was opening his house´s door, because he felt sick, and almost died. He was taken to the hospital, totally unconscious.

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

@@petrusaroesnosa7461 True!!! I might have to install lap and shoulder restraints. Lol 😂

[@quoth_raven]

Fun fact: everybody has a 100% chance of dying.

[@FlyWithGreg]

Except zombies. They have a 200% chance.

[@abdullahpromaster2018]

@@FlyWithGreg lol

[@EliSpizzichino]

There is some strange math here: if there was 150 accidents out of 7500 is 2%, ok, but if you do 100 flights, the risk per flight is still 2%!!! Beside the report stated that 152 out of 388 were documented, so the real number is 388. so >5% moreover 0.98 (Probability of not having an accident on a single flight) should be multiplied by the flight and then by the years. 0.54 % chance after just 30 flights

[@gualdus]

Could you put a link to translate English /Spanish Google?Congratulations for your vídeos

[@darrendix5163]

Just as is said of wintersports, the drive to and from the mountain is by far more dangerous than skiing or snowboarding. Personally, I feel safer in the air above San Bernardino than being on the ground in a city with one of the world's highest murder rates. I've talked to more than one person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time during gang shoot outs. You won't catch me rolling any dice or flipping any coins every time I drive down to the valley where more risk is taken every single time. My friend Chip was #5 for hang glider hours in the U.S., and then died of brain cancer. You know what your real chances of death are? 100%!! I'll take a death on the side of some mountain any day over waiting for a boring death in bed!

[@FlyWithGreg]

Indeed Darren, I'm not scared of the risk either, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't actively work to reduce it!

[@darrendix5163]

@@FlyWithGreg Believe me, I'm like a boyscout trying to learn as much as I can, and to be prepared. That's why I like your videos! It may be safer than motorcycles and even cars, BUT--- it's still potentially very dangerous. I wear elbow and wrist guards, and dirt bike boots. I don't see others below or above my level wearing those but 1 in 1000.

[@darrendix5163]

I've seen that no matter how good you are, a rouge thermal will throw you into the bushes/ground.

[@darrendix5163]

@@FlyWithGreg And yes, some pilots are playing Russian Roulette with a semi-automatic pistol!

[@MadsSyndergaard]

@@darrendix5163 statistically, flying paragliders is orders of magnitude more dangerous than driving. But if you prefer hiding your head in the sand that's all good by me.

[@superkruger]

We have no choice in death, we can only choose whether or not we live before we die.

[@lostgriz]

Dang, you might have just talked me out of getting back into paragliding....

[@Castaca27]

Yep, same here

[@nelsonianb1289]

My understanding of Probability is it doesnt compound because goes to the bet on red or black, should be 50% but it isnt

[@RahulSingh-1]

First time landed was in a wet agriculture area, knee deep in mud.

[@darrendix5163]

Statistics, I find are quite often speculative, not cut and dry. I know personally of an incident that was likely either a 100% intentional suicide, or at least heavily influenced by depression. How can unknown factors like that be considered? Also, what about the new wing designs and safety gear? How does that play into statistics. Paragliding is clearly safer than driving motorcycles, and safer than driving at all. What I see is 98% pilot judgement as far as accidents go.

[@SilverSniper75]

Is it correct then in saying that the thrill, risk, adrenaline and euphoria is on such a knifes edge that the human need and want is so fine it's difficult to detach one from the other?

[@FlyWithGreg]

Certainly the experience is inspiring, possibly addictive, which is why it demands practice and preparation or you just get swept away and ignore the risks.

[@alexisarsenopoulos]

Great stats...I m someone who prefers to die than survive and “live” after a serious injury...could you tell me the numbers about percentage of incidents???...how many incidents are death+serious so much that victims can’t live without a “nurse” 24/7...thanx

[@alexisarsenopoulos]

...+ that stats over the years showing better results cause designs evolving to safer... right?

[@catherinespark]

Got a question: my concern with computer simulations is that a) they don't give you full sensation of weights and forces as well as of procedures and situations, and b) they are all programmed by humans, which means there will be a good deal more predictability about everything in them than there would be in real life. So would you say computer simulations do more good than harm, or more harm than good? Are they valuable, or do they lead people to think they'll be more likely to cope in any given situation than they, in fact, would be, when faced with it in real life?

[@skyr4higher]

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE BEATING THE ODDS GREG. I guess I have too flying for 30 yrs now in both hang gliders and paragliders. I answer this question quite often as an instructor and tell people it can be done safely but takes time and effort. Try not to leave much to chance right?

[@FlyWithGreg]

Sure thing, Scott. Never risk free, but it doesn't have to be risky ... there's always some way to reduce the risk

[@SeeBird686]

Don`t know about stats? if it`s your day the wind will come and the wing will fold. So far it hasn`t been my day, but then i`m a hangie and my wing doesn`t tend to fold much. Launches and landings are easy, learn to do them well, that goes for all aviation. Unless you`re a nutter, look for predictable situations, surprises tend to get you hurt. Fly as much as possible and don`t ignore the fear . The ground is hard, keep away from it,,,

[@guyetlaurence7142]

My own calcs show a 3-6% fatality risk over one's flying career: annually, we have 1-2 deaths per 1000 pilots in Canada, which accumulate to 30-60 over 30 years. When I last checked, other countries had similar rates, which is unacceptably high, IMHO. Also, and a more immediate concern it seems, is witnessing major accidents during more than 50% of the numerous flying vacations I've taken with various groups. This includes hospital visits, reserve deployments, tree landings, and very lucky outcomes that could have been extremely bad otherwise. Maybe I'm the jinx, so best to Fly with Greg, indeed! In short, paragliding can be very dangerous, so we all need to actively reduce our risk exposure, as well as try to be better role-models for others to emulate. Thanks for your dedicated efforts towards improving the pilot community!!

[@heisenberg3581]

Love from India ❤️🙏

[@MySquash1]

If your country's average death rate is 82, but you are a healthy 76 year old, your chances of living well past 82 are high. How would this apply if you had flown without a serious accident for twenty years? Much the same, I would guess.

[@dwightbernheimer331]

Do these statistics include the Pilots with the real Small speed wings... 6.5 & 8.5 ????...

[@FlyWithGreg]

my guess is, no. Because the speedwing crew are often in their own little clan, sometimes unlicenced / self-trained and not likely to report their incidents to the 'authorities'. The statistics are very rough, and probably a bit more risky than stated. Unless you do something to change your fate, like training.

[@chicketychina8447]

The reality of paragliding is... Heads you Crash Tails you crash Sooner or later you will crash. If you don't give up you'll crash some more. When you thinks you're too good to crash you'll crash again....when you stop paragliding there's a realistic chance you'll never crash again paragliding.. If you can't take a Knock...... Don't do It....

[@pasteltessa8794]

I feel like getting in my car almost every day is much more dangerous

[@paradeltahike]

some like datas and calculation....so what is the sense if you know your risk factor (calculated in relation to statistics, not behaviour)? --- maybe change the sport? oh, it's maybe just for advertising, that's OK.

[@handlebullshit]

Only 1% in 30 years of flying. I'd take those chances for sure. Rather die having fun than sitting on my ass being 100% safe.

[@retardoentropy4901]

Oh it would appear to be just perfectly fine, jest fine, until the first little invisible willie willie comes twisting around.

[@funkiter1]

Yeap yeap yeap juste !!!

[@aionphriend]

Every landing is a crash eh.

[@billtrue3017]

Best thing for safety is leave it in ghe sac

[@chris77777777ify]

Paragliding is not a sport. If you take your car out for a fun drive is that a sport? He’s trying to argue, if it’s dangerous or not. Does he have any common sense. Most paragliders get hurt. Many die. Or put it this way. Paragliding isn’t done in some weathers,well weather can change quickly when your up high.

[@darrendix5163]

Taking your car out for a fun drive is an extremely established, money making sport, and so is paragliding. Live a little, would ya?

[@mrrjh5609]

Life is a risk

[@maxonthetrack]

pay attention its trying to kill you wow that resonated

[@levmanou9874]

!

[@huepix]

The statistical analysis is incorrect. Your risk doesn't increase over time. E.g. if you randomly try to pick an ace of spades from a deck, its 1 in 52. If you do it again next week, the chances don't halve because it's a 2nd attempt. It's still 1 in 52. If you do it everyday for a year, the 52nd pick will not be 100% it will be 1 in 52. Accidents are not determined by stats, probability or chance. They have specific causes, and the two most important things are your personal competence and the conditions. Check, how do I feel? If your hungover, fatigued, feeling unwell etc, flying is dumb. If you arent 100% about the site, launch/landing and wind etc, flying is unwise. Experience is good, but can be a double edged sword. It means you have skills and knowledge but also can lead to complacency. The danger periods for learners is the hundreds. At 100 or 200 flights, people are definitely getting good but thinking you can handle uncertain conditions, or have become immune to accidents, will bite you. So take heart friends. Fly safe. Be prepared to stay on the ground, and grow your skills respectful of the uncertainly of nature. Sadly, I have friends, some very experienced, who made bad decisions. I've made some too. I was lucky.

[@resqman186]

Nicely written! Thats exactly what im thinking (pilot from germany with around 400 starts/landings). Each time we leave the ground with our glider and are above 10 to 50 meters , or even only 5 to 7 meters above the ground, if theres is a brutal collapse or some tangled brakes , we risk our health or even our life. And that happens exactly two times in each flight, start/landing.But, on the other hand, fairly enough you can say, there are conditions where flying is absolutely safe, early in the morning , just straight down to the landing area , for example. In most cases, i think, its human fault, pilot errors, wrong estimation of conditions and so on that lead to accidents...luckily eqipment faults rarely occur.

[@huepix]

@@resqman186 yes. My two "prangs" have both been in wind at the top end of the speed scale. I overestimated my ability and underestimated the conditions.

[@manuelmontufar6971]

That’s not how probability works, if the odds of you being injured are 2%, they are 2% if you fly for a year, they are 2% if you’ve flies 30 years. Any time you fly there is a 2%. Math is all wrong. Great video though.

[@cw2126]

👍👍👍

[@jeffbanks9955]

who gives a shit. just go out and do it. driving is more dangerous

[@MrNugget425]

Blimey, what an awful synopsis.

[@MrAsiflone]

Total nonsense

[@NeroontheGoon]

Nice.