Paragliding is often described as a risk sport. People certainly get injured, but they also get injured horse riding, playing football, driving, crossing roads, and in every other human activity. What differs between these activities is the probability of a severe injury, ultimately the only measure of how dangerous anything is.

As paraglider pilots our problem is to assess the risk we may be taking in any situation and act accordingly. Clearly, some pilots' criteria for risk assessment are different to others.

Let's have a look at some of the variables.

As we fly we accumulate knowledge but however many hours we fly we only learn about the sort of flying we do. Pilots flying in conditions that are new to them must consider the relevance of their past experience as well as the amount.

It is very difficult to define what 'natural' ability means in paragliding. Flying requires such a wide range of skills that a pilot lacking ability in one area may well excel at another. The greatest gains in safety and performance are usually made by working on weaker areas.

In our overcrowded society almost every human activity is eventually reduced to competition. Competition is only possible by measurement of performance and consequently the nature of competitions tends to be determined by the numerically measurable elements of paragliding. No marks for technical merit, artistic impression or safety. There is no doubt that it is sometimes possible for pilots to improve their measured performance by increasing the level of risk they are prepared to take. Paragliding could sometimes be described as dangerously competitive.

Paragliding is an expensive business. Despite dealers protestations big profits can be made and commercial problems are often connected with those of competition. There is far more to a canopy than performance and certification ratings but some retailers still use them to persuade pilots to buy unsuitable canopies. Thankfully modern canopies are relatively safe compared with ones of a few years ago. Nevertheless to a pilot with a certain level of expectation a relatively stable canopy of poor performance may be more dangerous than a relatively unstable one of better performance.

Although much of this article is aimed at avoiding the use of safety equipment, it is imperative that any carried is effective. I found the death of a hang-glider pilot who deployed an emegency parachute which was too small particularly disturbing. Make sure you understand the limitations of any safety equipment you carry and if you have not seen a film of emergency parachutes being tried then do so!

Many pilots shrug off quite serious accidents and incidents as being insignificant and are sometimes more shaken by these incidents than they admit. All pilots are influenced by others to some extent and the 'pack syndrome' and excessive mutual encouragement often leads to problems. I wonder whether some pilots would fly the way they do if modern rescue and surgical techniques were not so readily available!

A pilot standing on the ground tends to assume that someone in the air is having a good time. From the ground canopies often appear to fly more smoothly than they really do. This can lead to several pilots flying about in nasty conditions each assuming it must be OK because the others are flying. Make your own decisions about conditions.

Clearly, the only way to be certain of not being injured paragliding is not to fly. However, we can try and control the risks by using our heads. Equipment, ability and conditions seldom actually cause accidents. Expectation and impatience are far more frequently to blame.