Northern Paragliding and the University of Hull’s Department of Computer Science have developed the world’s first immersive paragliding simulator.
Paragliding is growing in popularity, yet requires stringent training. The British weather is one of the greatest challenges to potential paragliders, allowing only 100 training days a year.

Director of Northern Paragliding Ian Currer (pictured right) said: “We have seen flight simulators before, but none reproduced the all round vision that typifies paragliding flight. We wanted something that would allow people to experience free flight and provide an invaluable training tool. Unlike single screen systems, we knew this would be very difficult and highly technical to create.”
Currer contacted Knowledge Rich, a free service supported by Yorkshire Forward which puts businesses in touch with local experts and facilities to help find solutions to technical problems.
Currer added: “I explained what we needed to achieve and, within five days of the initial phone call, I had five potential prospectuses on my desk. One that really caught my eye came from Hull.”
Dr Paul Chapman (pictured left), lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hull and leader of the Simulation and Visualisation (SimVis) research group, said: “When the call came through from Knowledge RICH, it grabbed me straight away. We specialise in simulation and we’re recognised world leaders in computer graphics. It was clear we had the expertise needed in simulation and visualisation, but what really swung the decision was that we were prepared to get up there, experience it first hand and see what it’s all about.”
Dr Chapman and his team, James Ward and Mike Bielby, have created a realistic visual simulation landscape. Using an immersion helmet, pilots can see rolling hills, valleys and green fields and other paragliders as part of the immersive scenery.
The 50% scale canopy of the prototype creates a realistic paragliding experience. Complete with actual rigging and safety harness, the pilot can use the simulator to learn and understand the controls. High accuracy and realistic responses mean trainee pilots can navigate thermals, interact with other air traffic to practice collision avoidance and improve skills and competency without leaving the ground.

Author
Graham Pitcher 

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Related websites:

• http://www.knowledge-rich.com
• http://www.net.dcs.hull.ac.uk/
• http://www.northern-paragliding.com