Safety of Buying a Used Beginner PG
My son, who lives in Mountain View, CA, is looking to start PG lessons in the Bay area. A potential instructor advised him not to begin with a second-hand PG because they're a lot more fragile than a hang glider and likely to be unsafe.
Obviously any beginner glider is going to get banged up. That's the whole point of not starting out in a shiny new wing.
With a hang glider, however banged up the glider might be, a thorough, qualified inspection will either inform you how to bring the glider back to airworthiness, or let you know conclusively to look elsewhere.
Is the same true of a used PG? Is it somehow cost-prohibitive to fix a PG?
All opinions welcomed.
Hi Barry....
The enemy of Paragliders (the wings) is the sun for the most part. (Short of rips & tears & abuse)
I think a reasonably non-"UV'd".... relativly current... Novice level.... used Paraglider is fine as a first purchase wing to learn on.
If cost was not a factor.... sure, a nice new wing would be great. And would be useful for many hours into a PG career. But they are pricey these days.
Just my 2 cents - - - Paul Voight
Thanks, Paul.
Looks like he may have found one with just under eight hours airtime. He'll get it checked out. I remember learning on California dunes: way too much sun, dry wind, salt, and sand - even for a simple Rogallo with steel cables.