Paraglider Design
The Assignment
The project goal was to develop a series of paragliders for the flying and sporting gear manufacturer Skywalk (founded in 2002), which would enable Skywalk to make a firm and lasting entry into the paragliding market. Along with the technical production standards, the guidelines for the dimensions of the product had to be determined, and the basis for the further Corporate Product Design had to be created.
Challenges
The new HYPE series of Skywalk paragliders was intended to set innovative accents in the paragliding market and bring the company a clear competitive advantage. That is why the product line had to not only meet the highest demands in flight safety, but also stand out through its exceptional performance. The great challenge for RGD™ lay in the tightly limited timetable. Paragliders in three sizes had to be brought to the stage of maturity in just 12 months.
The Execution
After comprehensive development work at RGD™ and fine tuning with the help of experienced test pilots Jürgen Kraus and Arne Wehrlin, the HYPE in size M was ready for the seal of approval from the German Hang Gliding Association (DHV e.V.) after only six months. The paraglider fulfilled all requirements for flight safety and attained the grade 1-2 without a problem. Four months after the completion of the mid-sized HYPE paraglider, the sizes S and L received the DHV accreditation grade 1-2 as well, and went straight into production.
Project Details
The flexible surfaces of a paraglider are influenced by several incalculable factors, which are too complex even for the most modern simulation software. The most important things for the success of an aircraft are the conception and the experience of the designer, combined with a successful team of veteran test pilots. The anchor of every development process is the specification sheet, which describes the complete profile of a product’s requirements. All aerodynamic characteristics and construction parameters are built upon that document.
In order to create the specification sheet, every RGD™ product development begins with a thorough analysis of the technical parameters, in order to be able to ascertain possible consequences for subjective flight behavior. Since the focus of the HYPE series of paragliders lay first of all in the flight safety, RGD™ chose a profile that would guarantee a stable flight, taking several factors into consideration: the outline, radius, linear geometry, and the chosen emphasis for the HYPE. At the same time, this particular paraglider profile provided considerable leeway for fine-tuning. This fine-tuning is absolutely necessary for optimal athleticism and efficiency in controlling the paraglider. Innovative airfoil geometry and the newest CAD processing methods allowed RGD™ to develop the HYPE into an efficient and safe paraglider. With these product characteristics, it was possible for HYPE to obtain an optimal position in the paragliding market.
