Theyre about 50% less deaths and major accidents with about 50% less popularity
Roughly the same
Hello! I understand you're looking for statistical data on paragliding and hang gliding fatalities in Australia from 2002 to 2024. I apologize for the earlier misunderstanding.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) provides data on aviation incidents and accidents, including paragliding and hang gliding. According to CASA's data, there were:
- 12 paragliding fatalities between 2002 and 2022
- 5 hang gliding fatalities between 2002 and 2022
Please note that these numbers might not reflect the most up-to-date figures, and I recommend visiting the CASA website for the latest information.
Regarding the mathematical working, I can provide a basic calculation of the fatality rate per year:
- Paragliding fatality rate per year: 12 fatalities / 20 years (2002-2022) = 0.6 fatalities per year
- Hang gliding fatality rate per year: 5 fatalities / 20 years (2002-2022) = 0.25 fatalities per year
Keep in mind that these calculations are based on the provided data and might not represent the entire picture. For more detailed and current information, please consult the CASA website or contact them directly.
According to the South Australian Recreation Advisory Forum (SARAF) and the Sports Aviation Federation of Australia (SAFA), there are approximately:
- 4,000 paragliders in Australia (source: SARAF)
- 1,500 hang gliders in Australia (source: SAFA)
Now, let's calculate the fatality rate per 100,000 participants for both paragliding and hang gliding:
- Paragliding fatality rate per 100,000 participants: (0.6 fatalities per year / 4,000 paragliders) x 100,000 = 15 fatalities per 100,000 participants per year
- Hang gliding fatality rate per 100,000 participants: (0.25 fatalities per year / 1,500 hang gliders) x 100,000 = 16.7 fatalities per 100,000 participants per year
Please note that these calculations are estimates based on available data and might not reflect the most up-to-date or exact figures.
Here's a comparison of the fatality rates:
- Paragliding: 15 fatalities per 100,000 participants per year
- Hang gliding: 16.7 fatalities per 100,000 participants per year
While the fatality rate per year was lower for hang gliding (0.25 vs 0.6), the fatality rate per 100,000 participants is actually higher for hang gliding due to the smaller number of participants.
Hang gliding is like windsurfing. Only a few old dinosaurs still do it now, the rest have crossed over to the dark side. For much the same reason.
Select to expand quotePhoney said..
Hang gliding is like windsurfing. Only a few old dinosaurs still do it now, the rest have crossed over to the dark side. For much the same reason.
What advantages does a hang glider have over a paraglider?
Select to expand quotesupguythesecond said..Phoney said..
Hang gliding is like windsurfing. Only a few old dinosaurs still do it now, the rest have crossed over to the dark side. For much the same reason.
What advantages does a hang glider have over a paraglider?
Faster, better glide ratio. Supposedly last longer... And no canopy to collapse in a thermal updraft 30 metres above the ground (too low to have time to reinflate) and kill you.
Everything else is worse - transport, storage, harder to learn. Need to fly more often to stay current.
The faster and glide ratio used to be a given but when you pit johnny durand up against a really hot paraglider pilot youd be surprised who gets to where first 
I always believed hangys were heaps faster but if were talking a comp task it seems to be a bit of a mixed bag these days with how hot the paragliders are now got bloody humpback whale wings on the boomerangs and winglets on ozones not to mention the submarine harnesses seem to be redlineing
I did my PG2 last November... It was a wild ride, but I didn't go any further after the training simply because the gear was more expensive than I thought and lack of fly sites in my area.
I also flew Paramotors (paragliding with a motor strapped to your back) for about a year during COVID. Again, awesome and wild, but lack of fly sites and PPGs make a lot of noise which the general public love to complain about.
Both sports, compared to kiting/foiling, for sure carry a heavy risk element. You can feel that when you are 500ft above ground. It is sports aviation after all, and there is a reason why it is so regulated. It is very weather dependent and the risk of personal and public injury is present even when you think you got everything right.
Definitely worth a go however if you are keen and looking for something new.
Cheers
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
The faster and glide ratio used to be a given but when you pit johnny durand up against a really hot paraglider pilot youd be surprised who gets to where first
I always believed hangys were heaps faster but if were talking a comp task it seems to be a bit of a mixed bag these days with how hot the paragliders are now got bloody humpback whale wings on the boomerangs and winglets on ozones not to mention the submarine harnesses seem to be redlineing
I just looked up submarine harnesses. Wow, looks like my info is outdated... by a quarter of a century. I did a hang-gliding course in 2000. And yes it took forever (6 months over weekends). Long enough for my instructor to go from #2 to #1, because the previous #1 got killed.
One thing I kept hearing was how everyone was buying gliders beyond their ability - too twitchy, too hard to land. And those things did not keep their value. Beginner gliders did. In fact, I recently looked up the Airborne website. They still make the exact same model I learned on 24 years ago. It's just twice as expensive now. Maybe most of the accidents are on gear too advanced?
Anyway, my instructor had raced motorbikes before and thought on or off the track they were more dangerous than hang-gliding. I didn't believe it, so didn't stick with it (and all the driving was a pain).
Yeah theyre pulling 70kmps on paragliders these days when we used to think 40 was the cap.
Thats without tailwind you can basically just add whatever tailwind to that so its very common for guys to be clocking 120kmph 150kmph
But when your 3kms high above ground it feels like your not even moving which can really mess with your head after ahwhile. Ill find myself useing my instruments to calm me down and ground me and my actual location so to speak. I really dont handle being thrown around alot the close calls ive had over the years seem like i can supress them and give them time to not be at the forefront of my mind but soon as the seasons really cooking at the climbs go from 4 to 6 to around 8meters per second elevation gains thats when i start getting a little more stressed. The faster the thermal air mass moveing up the faster i go up but like anything you need something to balance this out so the air surrounding that riseing column" of air has to be sinking around it so your king od playing this game where your either screaming up the center almost trying to lean completely out of your harness tryibg to load that ****n thing up as much as possible so that the wing wont be boyant and floppy and collapsy but if you accidently shoot into the sinking air while half you wings going up at 8ms other halfs going down thats when you really have a bit of a moment
On a calm day sure you have this dream experience tag ya 30 50 and 100k landmarks useually pubs with a decent feed in middle nowhere
But on a REAL day where you notice the guns have travelled half way across the country cause theres talk of it being a border crossing day then yeah... the speeds that some those guys get is pretty crazy.
The most underrated thing about all paragliding i think by and large that makes it so different to other sports is theres no real room for bull****. The fat old man who says he jumped 20 meters high other day kiteboarding kinda gets to live in his delusion as others murmur that it was only 8meters. In paragliding everything is logged to the .0001ths of a second which i think is crucial to checking in the ego
Just noticed a mate hasnt flown in a year so gotto check if hes alive. Hopefully hes just been kidnapped by some brazilian ladys and sold.his wings for a tiki bar or something probably tripped too hard in the jungle and ate the shamen so now he has to do all the ceremonies anyways alot has changed one the more larger changes is 2liners are makeing theyre way down to the B class which will be very interesting if that happens they feel quite at home in the ds and even cs not so sure about bs tho more blood for the blood gods
In australia it was 55 in 2012 when i started . God knows what it is now. But general rule is only do it when no one loves you anymore so it doesnt matter so most students are looking forwards to retirement is my experience
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
In australia it was 55 in 2012 when i started . God knows what it is now. But general rule is only do it when no one loves you anymore so it doesnt matter so most students are looking forwards to retirement is my experience
So the sport has 20 years left.
Nah ya need to see how the swiss league throws down they be pulling kids out of year 6 gym class to huck off a base jump launch
Its just australia thats a joke. I liken it to how ravers in europe are so into raveing they dont feel the need to do this american glow stick costume thing they just rock up with theyre half gram of hash forgotten about in some dirty old coat pocket and a flagon of home made vodka while wearing theyre work uniform.
Paragliding will never die over there. Its only **** here because of assholes makeing money off this over litigous environment. All the older pilots remember it being FREE flight in my time.alone ive seen club fees go from 30$ to 250$ (for one magically stupid club on the goldy you know who you are) ontop of our hgfa/safa fees of like 400? A year meanwhile every bloe in tourist flys for free by pretending they dont kbow the rules and we dont actually have any authority to make them pay anything.
So if anyone asks my name is gunter and which way is it to the waterpark?
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
Nah ya need to see how the swiss league throws down they be pulling kids out of year 6 gym class to huck off a base jump launch
Its just australia thats a joke. I liken it to how ravers in europe are so into raveing they dont feel the need to do this american glow stick costume thing they just rock up with theyre half gram of hash forgotten about in some dirty old coat pocket and a flagon of home made vodka while wearing theyre work uniform.
Paragliding will never die over there. Its only **** here because of assholes makeing money off this over litigous environment. All the older pilots remember it being FREE flight in my time.alone ive seen club fees go from 30$ to 250$ (for one magically stupid club on the goldy you know who you are) ontop of our hgfa/safa fees of like 400? A year meanwhile every bloe in tourist flys for free by pretending they dont kbow the rules and we dont actually have any authority to make them pay anything.
So if anyone asks my name is gunter and which way is it to the waterpark?
Do you have to pay an annual membership to launch off a bit of grass off the side of a cliff/hill on the goldcoast hinterland?
And then have to pay a launch fee each time you launch off this?
is the one at Lennox free?
There is no free sites in australia unless of course you think the annual membership fees to safa which are basically 500 a year now and at least one club (from 50 to 250$) a year most people have to join about 3 clubs a year to follow the season a bit. So yeah... if 750$ a year is free then i am so much poorer then i thought i was...
World vision sponsor a paraglider now
With your donations you can be contributeing to the slow deforestation of coastal headlands as retirees whose wifes of 60 years have just left them plow themselves belly first into all sorts of native palms and ferns at 60kmph
Select to expand quotesupguythesecond said..Froth Goth said..
Nah ya need to see how the swiss league throws down they be pulling kids out of year 6 gym class to huck off a base jump launch
Its just australia thats a joke. I liken it to how ravers in europe are so into raveing they dont feel the need to do this american glow stick costume thing they just rock up with theyre half gram of hash forgotten about in some dirty old coat pocket and a flagon of home made vodka while wearing theyre work uniform.
Paragliding will never die over there. Its only **** here because of assholes makeing money off this over litigous environment. All the older pilots remember it being FREE flight in my time.alone ive seen club fees go from 30$ to 250$ (for one magically stupid club on the goldy you know who you are) ontop of our hgfa/safa fees of like 400? A year meanwhile every bloe in tourist flys for free by pretending they dont kbow the rules and we dont actually have any authority to make them pay anything.
So if anyone asks my name is gunter and which way is it to the waterpark?
Do you have to pay an annual membership to launch off a bit of grass off the side of a cliff/hill on the goldcoast hinterland?
And then have to pay a launch fee each time you launch off this?
is the one at Lennox free?
First you need the SAFA membership to fly PGs, $400 ish per year, including insurance. And be a PG2 pilot obviously.
Then you'll need the Canungra club membership, and be a part of that club which essentially controls that grass strip to launch from.
Then you need a buddy to oversee your first 30hrs of flying.
From what I've heard the club isn't exactly super encouraging to new members, but that's just what I've heard.
Lennox is probably covered under a local club as well.... All sites need to be affiliated with a club.
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
There is no free sites in australia ...
There's lots of free sites in Australia, in terms of paying a fee to fly from a site. Basically any site on public land is free. There's lots of those.
Arguably the club leased and managed sites are the best so they're worth paying for. You would not be able to fly those sites without the clubs doing all the work the work to make the sites available.
Flying isn't free in that you need a licence and for that you need to pay your $400+ each year. It's pretty much the same everywhere else in the world. Sometimes more freeform in that the interpretation can be up to the local cops/officials. I know of a number of people who have "... spent the night in jail ..." because they flew into the wrong place at the wrong time.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates free flying and hang/para/motor is delegated to SAFA. They have all sorts of processes for enforcing the rules, but not a lot of teeth. If you go too far ultimately it would go back to CASA and the police and all that.
I'm not sure what would happen if you had access to private property that you could fly around in. I guess you would get away with it until you got noticed and annoyed somebody.
It's not unheard of for people to free fly under the radar. Eventually they cross paths with everybody else and things get messy.
My view is that the easiest way to fly free is to jump through the hoops and pay the fees ... then you're pretty much totally free to do anything you want.
I retired from flying just before COVID. At the time there were various agricultural disease crises going on with farms being locked down and crops and animals being destroyed. It's a bit difficult to reconcile your freedom to fly around and land wherever with some poor buggers fighting to keep their farms safe.
Free as a black fella cuttin on a canefield www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7994531/paraglider-case-comes-to-katoomba-court/
From memory that cost him around $10k
Then theres this www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/644137-pudniks-casa-2021-5950-a-2.html
I was quite good friends with kurt back whennhe had an official licence etc one the smarter people ive seen talk to anyone not surprised im seeing all sorts of things about him running for politics etc etx now
Still if you seen what "somebody" did to his vehicle at stanwell tops during covid causs he flew during lockdown its shock you. Windows all smashes tires all slashed laptop strangely left in vehicle etc etc
Someone clearly had alot rideing on the sites not getting shut down... imagine if every surf break was threatened to be shut down unless you were forced to gice someone money... very weird bloody behaviour that considering no other countrys are run like this that i have experienced
Select to expand quotePudniks and CASA [2021/5950]
Hello all,
Glen Buckley encouraged me to share my story here, to gather feedback, and for ease of reference.
To paraglide or hang glide in Australia, one must be a member of the sports aviation federation of Australia (SAFA nee HGFA). The civil aviation order (CAO) 95.8 refers.
In Mar 2020, SAFA suspended my paragliding membership with no right of reply, and no right of appeal. This was for paragliding on Fri 13 Mar 2020 when no COVID lockdowns were in force, although SAFA wanted to lockdown anyway (to virtue signal I suppose). This membership suspension was unlawful under the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (imho). Also the Australian Constitution says only the courts shall decide such matters.
In Aug 2020, I submitted my Part 149 paperwork to CASA to start my new paragliding organisation. Other Part 149 ASAOs are RAAus (GA) and APF (parachutes). SAFA is not yet an ASAO.
In May 2021, CASA tasked NSW Police to confiscate my wing with no warrant and no formal charges. CASA also tasked the Commonwealth Dept of Public Prosecution (CDPP) to investigate me for "flying an aircraft without a licence / unregistered aircraft (up to 2 years jail)" which remains ongoing six months later. The wing remains held with no formal charges. CASA is suggesting a paraglider is an aircraft despite its mass of 20 kg and airspeed of 20 kts, with no engine, no fuel, and no medical checks for pilots.
In July 2021, CASA wrote to confirm they are refusing to review my Part 149 paperwork, pending the ongoing CDPP investigation (which CASA started, then delayed by months by not providing basic information to the CDPP).
In Aug 2021, I referred CASA to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for their misfeasance re refusing to review my Part 149 paperwork in good faith, which they have held for over 1 year now. The link to the AAT matter is below (non-url mode sorry, due to being a new user).
2021/5950 Pudniks and Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Cheers,
Kurt.
Well that is a blast from the past i remember when all this **** was going down but i lost touch before finding out the results
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
Free as a black fella cuttin on a canefield www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7994531/paraglider-case-comes-to-katoomba-court/
From memory that cost him around $10k
Then theres this www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/644137-pudniks-casa-2021-5950-a-2.html
I was quite good friends with kurt back whennhe had an official licence etc one the smarter people ive seen talk to anyone not surprised im seeing all sorts of things about him running for politics etc etx now
Still if you seen what "somebody" did to his vehicle at stanwell tops during covid causs he flew during lockdown its shock you. Windows all smashes tires all slashed laptop strangely left in vehicle etc etc
Someone clearly had alot rideing on the sites not getting shut down... imagine if every surf break was threatened to be shut down unless you were forced to gice someone money... very weird bloody behaviour that considering no other countrys are run like this that i have experienced
Read the article and it was pretty vague on the details. What did he get fined for doing?
Safa the governing body over freeflying (?o engine) well some of them... decided to make theyre own laws about covid lockdowns instead of the proper people like lawyers and police etc so he disobeyed these new law s cause not real laws etc etc
Then for some strange reason he argued paragliders wernt an aircraft... i guess trying to fight the 10k fine on technicalitys etc... im sure he may have an account here from.memory he also kited going to have a guess he will be kiteing up at yorkeys and port douglas maybe flying rexs this winter
Unless you're doing unhooked raley's on your parra, you are just mowing the lawn and should probably stay home and save lives
Hahaha
homes are for people who cant fly
But seriously you dont have to do much on a c class miniwing to get a bit of a thrill and scare the **** out of anyone watching. They drop into spirals so effing quick you get locked after a single rotation and then you gotto do that old... ive got 4 seconds until impact do i pull the left leaver or the right leaver while your face starts getting pulled back and your wondering if your even going to be able to pull out of this one because the pressure on the line feels like its a tonne so your brain has that split second oh **** maybe im pulling on the wrong one
Then ya have quite alot of energy to control as you get spat out
In one of the acro camps in europe i learnt something called a "short dynamic no" where you will just yell NO! And jam hard on the breaks past stall point and let them up as quickly as you yanked them down and its almost like a bit of a reset but that has saved my ass alot. If you were to do it any other speed then like a quick defensive life saving reflex then your in for some serious trouble.
No idea who first came up with half the stuff we do in the air.
I may aswell just dump a few tutorial links
) for freeflight 
not sure if he knows thats what hes doing but essentially thats what anyones doing in a jungle is just feeding the bugs dead or alive
Select to expand quotedbabicwa said..Froth Goth said..
Does kai lenny paraglide?!?
That would be very interesting if he didnt
You sounds like Ian Young :)
Not everyone is kiting for 10hrs just like not everyone is flying for 10hrs XC.
As I wrote, Coldshot also died. Plus others.
Did many many hours in the air, never colapsed and never front stalled.
But, be fair to the readers and say there are different paragliders, correct?
One might kill you in no time. And the other, being DHV1 is very safe.
So I recon going into extremes with a perfomance paraglider is just that - extreme.
More people are dying skiing on slopes than paragliding and kiting combined. Its still very safe to ski. Just wasnt for some.
Good luck
PS
And skydiving is also very safe. Or diving. Would I do it? No way. As I already have many broken bones. But, thats me, I never follow rules.
deaths are very rare on ski slopes, broken bones very common. dangerous but very fun
Ahhaha skind up grab a coffee at the hut sometime outside the hospital best coffee in town in that little container
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
Hahaha
homes are for people who cant fly
But seriously you dont have to do much on a c class miniwing to get a bit of a thrill and scare the **** out of anyone watching. They drop into spirals so effing quick you get locked after a single rotation and then you gotto do that old... ive got 4 seconds until impact do i pull the left leaver or the right leaver while your face starts getting pulled back and your wondering if your even going to be able to pull out of this one because the pressure on the line feels like its a tonne so your brain has that split second oh **** maybe im pulling on the wrong one
Then ya have quite alot of energy to control as you get spat out
In one of the acro camps in europe i learnt something called a "short dynamic no" where you will just yell NO! And jam hard on the breaks past stall point and let them up as quickly as you yanked them down and its almost like a bit of a reset but that has saved my ass alot. If you were to do it any other speed then like a quick defensive life saving reflex then your in for some serious trouble.
No idea who first came up with half the stuff we do in the air.
I may aswell just dump a few tutorial links
?si=RElerpTL15QbhhtS
Now i know theo seems like a sesame street character at first but its important to know who he is if your going to do his tutorials cause he makes them look so benign and easy.... for the non pilots hes basically if travis pastrana and kelly slaters mother/dolphin had one too many and had a baby somehow to the pilots well he grew up at his parents dropzone/paragliding school and i believe was doing twisters etc before highschool so yeah madness
Anyways enjoy who i believe is the best tutorial maker (sorry jocky you still have the best voice ) for freeflight
Oh and i chose the sat because its pretty much achievable for any pilot (except us aussies cause no altitude) if given apropriate instruction and time etc
Feel free if you want to look up what a sphere is and of course infinite tumbles etc
All an all big air kiteing can go eat a dick and so can the "industry" pushing it over freestyle/wakestyle
Oh and my world class mate who hasnt logged a flight in a year is alive and well feeding mosquitos mangos in some jungle in columbia not sure if he knows thats what hes doing but essentially thats what anyones doing in a jungle is just feeding the bugs dead or alive
?si=I9UVVrSJ2fRG7L3T
And heres some unhook you pussy boots and loops
Its hard to convey the feeling to non pilots but this is the best i can do
Imagine being on one of those but its suspended in the air on an angle that has a full range of direction but combine that with a dodgey super long metal chain swing where you get that little float at the peaks before decending again
Do people ever pass out from the force the spin?
have you ever been in one of those spins with 4 seconds to make the right call?
Select to expand quotesupguythesecond said..
Do people ever pass out from the force the spin?
have you ever been in one of those spins with 4 seconds to make the right call?
yes + yes.
btw where do u kitesurf at Sup Guy II?
