Accident

Accidents
It seems people have a preoccupation with accidents involving foot launched flight. I think there are two main reasons for this. Firstly pilots love to talk about experiences which scared them. It makes them look strong and brave to any audience which is ignorant of the real nature of the sport. Secondly the horror stories are eagerly passed on by the many people who would dearly love to try foot launched flight themselves but who lack the little bit of courage it actually takes. I have lost count of the times I have started to talk about paragliding to a non-flyer, only to have the conversation steered within seconds to the subject of someone who knew someone who got hurt or killed. These people feel vindicated every time there is an accident or incident and their own pressure on themselves is eased for a while. So the stories go round and round while "fall" becomes "plummet" and "broke" becomes "smashed". Conversely, why do we see so little regular paragliding or hang gliding on our televisions? Is it because for the news teams, seeing what they have always dreamed of doing, being performed in perfect safety is more than they can bear? I think we do a great disservice to our sport every time we spellbind an audience with horror stories. If we can keep reports of accidents factual and informative to the extent that they will help other pilots avoid the same conditions, we can do much to remove the unsafe reputation some people attribute to paragliding.
Of course there will always be those who will call paragliding unsafe. That is their opinion and they are entitled to it. They had better be paragons of safety themselves though, if they are to retain a shred of credibility. They had better not smoke and their cars had better be outstanding examples of roadworthiness. They had better never drive when "one over the limit" or speed or go through a red traffic light or do any of the many stupid, life-threatening things that people do. They had better not throw stones at paragliding unless in their own glass houses all the appliances are earthed that ought to be earthed and an earth- leakage is fitted, tried and tested.
As for me, I can find nothing to make me believe that paragliding is unsafe. As for the structural integrity of the paraglider itself, this can be confirmed by a simple inspection, provided we know what to look for and carry out the same sort of regular checks that pilots perform on rigid aircraft. In this way we can avoid accidents due to porosity and UV related damage as well, since ample warning signs are there to be seen by all who would look. Of course we must always bear in mind just what it is we are hanging from and hanging by.
I will continue to take my rowing boat aeroplane down to the atmospheric ocean whenever conditions permit. I will endeavour to be as educated and prepared as I possibly can. I will remember how easily my little craft can be swamped or overturned and I hope I will continue to enjoy the freedom and excitement of paragliding flight for a long time to come.
I will continue to admire the deeds of those daring few, who with extensive preparation and all the appropriate skills and equipment, go out to set new records on craft similar to mine, but I will also keep in mind my own limitations and keep my personal attempts at record breaking in the realm of my dreams, from which I know I can always awaken safely.
I hope paragliding will always fill me with the same sense of wonder and awe that it does now. I hope it will for you too.