THE STORY OF PARAGLIDING

Opinions differ on who the first person was to ever paraglide. Some believe it all started with “slope soaring” with David Barish in the early 1960s. It’s an invention that others believed piggybacked off the earlier work of Domina Jalbert, an American who helped to enhance aerofoil technology. Allowing the user even more control over both direction and speed, the Parafoil was patented in 1963 and is a precursor to the modern-day paraglider.

Later in the 70s, towing Ram Air parachutes behind vehicles became a popular pastime until the day three Frenchman Jean-Claude Betemps, Andre Bohn, and Gerard Bosson flung themselves off a mountain in Meussy, France perfecting the running and launching technique. It wasn’t long after, that paragliding was introduced by Bosson at the hang gliding world championships in 1979. Ten years later the first paragliding world championships were held in Kossen, Austria.

Since then, equipment has continued to improve and the number of paragliding pilots and established sites has continued to increase. The British Air Association of Parascending was the first established organization to put the spotlight on paragliding as a sport. Standardized procedures were also established in France and Germany for testing and certifying paragliders. Today, these standards represent the benchmark for all manufacturers and pilots worldwide and paragliding is a recognized sport thousands of people participate in all across the globe.

In Lebanon, the first documented flight took place in 1990 where Philippe Aractingi attempted to fly under military protection in difficult circumstances above the war ruins. His first flight failed due to weather conditions and was postponed. He succeeded on his second attempt days later. During the same year, Raja Saade founded the first paragliding club Club Thermique.

Paragliding in Lebanon especially above the Jounieh bay area is an exhilarating experience offering some of the most spectacular views!