Choosing your equipment requires careful thought and meets specific criteria. Although manufacturers clearly define on their websites who their wings are intended for, here's a brief summary to help you with your purchase.

The previous article discussed the mindset for choosing your paraglider and the selection criteria. I invite you to read it here.

Here is now the guide to choosing your wing based on the main criteria:

1 - The Certification Level

Along with the wing's surface area, this is the most important criterion. It is useless and dangerous to fly with a wing that is too challenging for you.

You can easily spot people who let their ego choose their wing: They have a competition wing, and they stay on launch saying it's too strong while pilots on EN B wings are already flying.

The goal is to get airborne safely without getting bored. Every pilot's paragliding practice should fall between these two boundaries. Besides good flying conditions, it is essential to choose a wing adapted to your skill level.

The table below, created with the help of experienced instructors and equipment retailers, outlines the possible choices based on your skill level. This is how a school director helps you choose the most suitable wing for your level.

We have classified pilots into 2 categories: those who have been flying for less than 3 years and the others.

Once this choice is made, you must consider your annual flying volume in the year preceding the purchase. Ground handling hours are not included but are implied. They represent approximately 10% of the annual flight time for an average pilot, and 100% for a piloting enthusiast (as much ground handling as flying).

Usage example:

• « I've been flying for 4 years, and I completed 50 hours of flight last year…which category should I choose? »
• The pilot could opt for an EN-C certified wing, especially if they frequently practice ground handling.

OK, the category is chosen.

2 - The Certification Weight Range.

Directly linked to the wing's surface area, the weight range is chosen by the manufacturer for a given surface. Each surface depends on brands and years. To choose your wing well, you must not only be within the wing's range but also position yourself well within it. A wing behaves slightly differently at the top or bottom of the range.

-A pure hike-and-fly pack will weigh between 3 and 7kg. 

-An everyday pack weighs between 8 and 15 kg. 

-A freestyle or cross-country competition setup is around 20kg.

Example:

Let's take a wing with a weight range of 85-105 kg, which refers to the total flying weight (PTV). This is the pilot on a scale with their paragliding bag. You should count approximately 15 kg of total equipment to add to your weight.

Thus, the wing would suit a pilot weighing 70 to 90 kg, but that's not all.

A spirited 22-year-old with quick reflexes weighing 71 kg would get bored under this wing. Conversely, a 55-year-old family man weighing 88 kg risks ending up with a wing that is too reactive and fast. Do you see what I mean?

We can summarize the choice of size as follows:

• Bottom of the range: Slower and more damped wing, slightly lower sink rate. Ideal for a relaxed pilot or flying in light conditions.
• Top of the range: Faster and more dynamic wing, slightly higher sink rate. Ideal for an energetic pilot or flying in strong conditions.

The difference in sink rate is almost imperceptible between a wing loaded to its maximum or minimum. However, the horizontal speed can vary by almost 5 km/h.

What happens if you are outside the range?

It's not recommended, but not critical either. The wing simply hasn't been certified under these conditions; it will be extremely slow and soft below the weight range, and ultra-dynamic above it.

3 - Brand and Price

This is a subjective criterion. If you choose a recent wing adapted to your practice using the tools above, you cannot go wrong: major brands only make good wings. For new wings, the launch year is an important criterion, and it's best to choose the most recent wing possible. Brands renew their models approximately every 3 years.

4 - Choosing a Used Wing

In the used market, focus your choice on wings less than 15 years old. Beyond this duration, you will practically only find obsolete wings.

The chosen wing must have undergone a material strength test if it is more than 3 years old; this is the paraglider's Technical Inspection. Trim check is secondary for EN A, B, or C, or DHV 1, 1-2, and 2 category wings, as a trim change is significant on high-aspect ratio, performance wings or acro wings.

Rely on the wing selection guide, and ask the seller for the material inspection report.

I hope this guide helps you better choose your future paraglider. Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you have any doubts.

Happy flights, and remember: the pleasure is in being airborne, not in owning a wing.