In the spring of 1988 I was looking
toward the summit of my favorite mountain, Mount Baldiri near
Teià Spain, located 20 km NE of Barcelona. I saw a white unusual
form, different from the usual triangular delta shapes that flew above
the hills. Suddenly, the white form changed and I saw what appeared to
be a parachute gliding down the mountain, grazing the pines. The
following week I visited the mountain to speak with those pioneers and
see their 7 and 9 cell "machines". Just one year later, I took my first
course in paragliding at my university (UPC). This was 1989, the year
of the paragliding boom in Catalonia. Since then, I've combined flying
with the study of these fabulous gliders.
In this book I intend to summarize my knowledge of paraglider design
acquired over years of study. This knowledge comes from what I have
studied in books, magazine articles, Internet forums, correspondence
with other designers, and includes some of my own contributions.
I thought of two possibilities for publishing:
1) Find a publisher for my book. This option has the advantage of
earning money with the support of an editorial staff and advertising. I
like the idea of having a well-edited book.
2) Publish the book freely on the Internet in PDF format and html. This
option has the great advantage of achieving a free flow of information
without restrictions of any kind. Regarding the language of
publication, my choice of English was not the easiest for me because my
drafts are in Catalan and Castilian.
The writing of the book began in June 2008. Successive articles will be
published in HTML as they are written. .Once completed, everything will
be published in a single PDF document, free for downloading.
NOTE 1: In
January 2009 the Chapter 4 (Longitudinal equilibrium) 5 (development of
flat panels) and 6 (Ovalization) have been written. Here are some of
the most important items on the design of paragliders, and their
correct understanding requires a level of math equivalent to a
first-year university in science or engineering. The following chapters
will be somewhat more friendly! ...and also very interesting ...!
NOTE 2: Chapters 2 (airfoils) and 3 (main lobe) added in December
2009...
All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Enjoy,
Pere Casellas
Teià, june 2008
pere@laboratoridenvol.com
