GB2188022A - Paragliding aid - Google Patents

Abstract

A paragliding aid, which allows paragliding from a land vehicle, has a towing cable (28) connected at one end to an elongate probe (42) attached to a parachute harness (64) and connected at the other end to a winch (26). The cable (28) passses through a securing device (32) which is internally shaped to receive the probe (42) when the cable is drawn in, and which is provided with a locking device (68) for securing the probe in the securing device. The device is mounted on a turntable (12) connected to a land vehicle and the inclination of the securing device is variable by means of two hydraulic rams (20, 24). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Paragliding aid The present invention relates to a device for use in paragliding, and in particular, but not exclusively, to a device for allowing paragliding to take place over land.

Until now, it has only been possible tQpara- glide over water. A person wears a harness which is connected to a boat via a rope or cable, and also wears an unfurled parachute.

The person stands in shallow water, and as the boat starts to move, tension is applied to the rope or cable attached to the boat moving the participant forwards. The forward motion given to the person causes the parachute to expand, pulling the participant upwardly into the air. The boat continues to move, and the person is pulled forward with the boat, and is suspended at a large distance into the air by means of the parachute. However, paragliding is often done by people having very little, if any, parachuting experience, which necessitates that it be done at a relatively slow speed, and in a location which provides a soft landing. Being towed by a boat is a suitable location for paragliding, since a boat moves relatively slowly and the water provides a good medium for breaking a person's fall when the boat has stopped and the person has come to ground level.

However, this requires people to be suitably dressed for water sports in order to go paragliding, since the person paragliding will inevitably end up in the water. This is often inconvenient, and especially so in countries having a cooler ciimate, where paragliding may only be practicable during the summer months.

It would thus be advantageous to have a means for paragliding which did not necessitate immersion in water.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a paragliding aid, comprising a rope, cable or other elongate, flexible towing means, a winch for drawing in and paying out said towing means, a rigid probe attachable to said towing means and to a parachute, the probe, in use, being positioned between the parachute and the winch, and means interposed between said probe and said winch, in which said probe means is releasably securable.

This aid allows a paraglider to be drawn towards, or led away from, the pulling vehicle when required, and the securable probe, which is preferably elongate, ensures that the person may be safely held on the vehicle while the vehicle comes to a halt, allowing the parachute to collapse and allowing the person to dismount from the parachute without the necessity of first landing in water.

The paragliding aid may be mounted on the rear of a vehicle, such as a boat, e.g. a cruise liner, which cannot stop to pick up a paraglider in the normal fashion, or, more particularly, the paragliding aid may be mounted on the rear of a land vehicle, such as an allterrain vehicle, so that the requirement for water in which to land may be dispensed with. It is envisaged that the invention will be used on beaches.

Preferably, the means in which the probe means is releasably securable is provided with a passage through which the elongate, flexible means passes and into which the probe means can be drawn by winching the elongate, flexible towing means through the passage.

Preferably the means in which said probe means is releasably securable comprises a portion into which the probe can fit, and preferably the portion is complimentarily shaped to receive at least part of the probe. Locking means are preferably provided on the means interposed between the winch and the probe, in order to releasably secure the probe in the means. The securing means and/or winch are preferably mounted on a support which is movable relative to the vehicle. Preferably, there are means to adjust the support to different inclinations and preferably it is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis.

Preferably, the probe is mounted to a harness which, in use, a person wears. Preferably, the probe is pivotally and releasably mounted to a harness.

By way of example only, a specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation, of one embodiment of paragliding aid in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a detail side view, in part cross section, of a probe used in the embodiment of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a view of the probe of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of arrow Ill of Fig. 2.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, a paragliding aid 10 is pivotally mounted on a turntable 12, which is fixedly secured to the upper surface of a land vehicle 14. The vehicle comprises a lorry with a load bearing platform 16. The turntable 12 is rotatable by a conventional hydraulic means (not shown) through 360 . A first metal supporting member 18 is pivotally mounted to the turntable 12 with its pivotal axis being substantially horizontal. The inclination of the member 18 is variable by means of a hydraulic ram 20 which is pivotally mounted to a lug on the turntable and to a lug of the member 18. The other end of othe support member 18 is pivotally attached to a second, elongate metal support member 22, the pivotal axis also being substantially horizontal.The inciination of the support member 22 with respect to the first support member 18 is variable by means of a hydraulic ram 24 extending between lugs on the first and sec ond members respectively, to which lugs the ram 24 is pivotally attached.

A cable winch 26 is mounted towards one end of the second support member 22. A cable winch is electrically operated, and may be used to wind in or pay-out a length of metal cable 28 as required. A conventional tensioning device 30, indicated somewhat schematically in the figure, is positioned adjacent to the winch 26 to keep a relatively constant tension on the cable between the tensioner and the winch.

Adjacent to the tensioner is a securing device 32 which comprises an externally cylindrical metal housing, and a passage 34 extending axially inside the housing 32. The axial passage has a cylindrical portion 36 and a tapered portion 38 and a cylindrical portion 40 of narrow diameter. The portions 36 and 38 are shaped to engage with correspondingly shaped portions of a probe 42 which is attached to the free end of the cable 28, as will be explained hereinafter.

Referring to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the elongate probe comprises a cylindrical portion 44, a cylindrical neck portion 46 of smaller diameter than portion 44 and contiguous therewith, and a head portion 48 having a cylindrical part 50 and a frusto-conical tapering portion 52, the cylindrical portion 50 being contiguous with the neck portion 46. A passage is provided through the probe, and has a narrow portion 54 passing through the head and a small part of the cylindrical portion 44, and a wider portion 56 contiguous with the portion 54, within the cylindrical portion 44 of the probe. The probe is releasably pivotally connected to a harness 58 by means of a lockable pin 58 which can pass through a hole in the free end of portion 44 and through two parallel platelike lugs 60 mounted on a support plate 62 which is attached to a harness 64.

A locking device 68 is provided on the portion 32, and comprises a hydraulically operated securing bolt 70 whose longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the portion 32, and which, in the securing position, projects into the cylindrical portion 36. The locking device 68 is positioned such that when the probe is fully inserted into the passage 34, such that it abuts the walls of the passage, the locking bolt 70 is adjacent to the thin neck portion 46 of the elongate probe. In this position, application of the bolt secures the probe axially in the portion 32, whereas the abutment of the probe with the wall so the aperture 34 constrains the probe in a radial direction.

The cable 28 is fed through the open end of the elongate probe, and the free end of the cable is secured in the cylindrical portion 36 inside the probe by securing a clamp 72 to the end of the cable 28, which clamp 72 has a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of the portion 56 but a larger diameter than the diameter of the thinner portion 54 of the elongate probe 44. In this way, the cable is securely attached to the probe 44. When this has been done, the probe is attached to the plate 62 on the harness by securing the bolt 58 is position through the lugs 60 and through the probe 42.

In use, the probe is withdrawn fully into the portion 32 by means of the winch 26, and the securing bolt 70 is moved into its locking position. Thus, the probe is securely held in the portion 32. The hydraulic rams 24 and 20 are retracted at this stage. The person who wishes to paraglide straps himself into the harness 64 and secured the harness to the probe as hereinbefore described. The vehicle then starts to move forwards, and the parachute, which is attached to the harness, and which is of course ready for use, begins to expand and fill with air, producing an upward force on the person. When the upward force is sufficient to hold the weight of the person, a second person, travelling on the vehicle 14, releases the locking bolt 70 and allows the winch 26 to unwind a length of cable 28 thus allowing the paraglider to rise upwardly.The hydraulic rams 20 and 24 are adjusted by the person in the vehicle so that the cable lies approximately along the longitudinal axis of the portion 32, so that the cable does not snag on the portion 32. In this way, a person can paraglide in the usual way.

When it is desired to bring the paraglider back down to the vehicle, for example when the time for which the person has paid has expired, the winch 26 is operated to wind in the cable 28, thus drawing the probe and paraglider towards the vehicle. During this winding in of the cable, the hydraulic rams 20, 24 are again adjusted so as to align the cable 28 with the longitudinal axis of the portion 32.

Any fluctuations in the tension of the cable 28 are compensated for by the tensioner 30.

Eventually, the winch withdraws the cable to such an extent that the probe 42 enters the portion 32 where it becomes seated against the walls. When this has occurred, the winch is switched off (which may be performed by a switch positioned on the interior wall), the bolt 70 is forced into its locking position, by operation of the locking device 68, and the hydraulic rams 20, 24 are adjusted so as to allow the paraglider to stand on the rear of the vehicle 14. It should be noted that at this stage the parachute will still be operative, but that the person is safely attached to the vehicle. In this condition, the vehicle can come to a halt, allowing the parachute to collapse, and then the person can disengage the harness from the probe and then unfasten himself from the harness.

Thus, it can be seen that, with the above apparatus, it is possible to perform paragliding on land. It would also be possible to use this method where it is not practical to land in water, for example if it is desired to paraglide from the deck of a cruise liner.

Claims (15)

1. A paragliding aid comprising a rope, cable or other elongate, flexible towing means, a winch for drawing in and paying out said towing means, a rigid probe attachable to said towing means and to a parachute, the probe, in use, being positioned between the parachute and the winch, and means interposed between said probe and said winch, in which said probe means is releasably securable.

2. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means in which the probe is releasably securable comprises a passage through which the towing means passes and into which the probe can be drawn by winching the towing means through the passage.

3. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the passage is complimentarily shaped to receive at least part of the probe.

4. A paragliding aid as claimed in' any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising locking means on the means in which the probe is releasably securable, for releasably securing the probe in the said means.

5. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locking means comprises a retainer member which is releasably engageable with a portion of the probe.

6. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 5, wherein the retainer member is movable by means of fluid pressure.

7. A paragliding aid as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the paragliding aid is mounted on a vehicle.

8. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle comprises a land vehicle.

9. A paragliding aid as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a support upon which the probe securing means and/or the winch are mounted.

10. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 9, when appendant to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the support is movable relative to the vehicle on which the aid is mounted.

11. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 10, comprising means for adjusting the inclination of the support.

12. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the support is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis.

13. A paragliding aid as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the probe is attached to the harness of a parachute.

14. A paragliding aid as claimed in claim 13, wherein the probe is pivotally and/or re leasably attached to the harness.

15. A paragliding aid substantially as herein described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.