Sol Paragliders

Last updated
Sol Paragliders
Privately held company
Industry Aerospace
Founded 1979
Founder Ary Carlos Pradi
Headquarters Jaraguá do Sul , Brazil
Products Paragliders
Number of employees
 50 (2004)
Website www.solparagliders.com.br

Sol Paragliders (Sun Paragliders) is a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer based in Jaraguá do Sul and founded by Ary Carlos Pradi. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders and paramotor wings in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft. The company also produces paragliding harnesses, rescue parachutes and accessories. [1]

Brazil Federal republic in South America

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the fifth most populous. The capital is Brasília, and the most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states, the Federal District, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world.

Jaraguá do Sul Place in South, Brazil

Jaraguá do Sul is a city located in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

Paramotor Small manned parachute aircraft

Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors; foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a harness attached to a frame. The frame is used to combine the harness, engine and propeller. The frame also includes a hoop and protective netting to separate the pilot from the propeller and the engine. The pilot wears this Paramotor like a large backpack which then is attached to Paragliding wing. Wheel launch units include some cart, usually having 3 or 4 wheels, with seats for one or two occupants.

Contents

History

The company was founded in 1979 as a hang glider manufacturer and started building paragliders in 1991 under the name FUN Gliders. By 1993, 70% of their business was for export. The company name was changed to Sol Paragliders in 1996 and shortly thereafter the company started a partnership with Nova Performance Paragliders of Austria. By 1999 the company had its own design and certification staff and decided to take its brand globally without partners. Between 2000 and 2010 pilots flying Sol gliders set 15 world records. In 2004 the company was certified by the German Deutscher Hängegleiterverband e.V. (DHV) [2] [3] [4]

Nova Performance Paragliders

Nova Performance Paragliders is an Austrian aircraft manufacturer based in Terfens. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.

Sol's Super Sonic established itself as a leading design for flying paraglider aerobatics, with its introduction in 2005. In 2009 Kamira Pereira set four new women's world records on Sol gliders, while Horacio Llorens set the world record spins with 281 set in Nepal, an achievement that got widespread news coverage. The Sol Tracer was a highly competitive design and Frank Brown was named Brazilian champion for the ninth time and Kamira Pereira women's champion for the fifth time flying the design. In 2011 the company won an Innovation Award of the Year for its Sol One design. In 2012 four more world records were set on Sol gliders. [4]

Aerobatics flying maneuvers involving attitudes not attained during normal flight

Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment, and sport. Additionally, some helicopters, such as the MBB Bo 105, are capable of limited aerobatic maneuvers. An example of a fully aerobatic helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls, is the Westland Lynx.

Nepal country in South Asia located between India and China

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located mainly in the Himalayas but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. With an estimated population of 26.4 million, it is 48th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area. It borders China in the north and India in the south, east, and west while Bangladesh is located within only 27 km (17 mi) of its southeastern tip and Bhutan is separated from it by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and largest city. Nepal is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language.

The company also has a museum that was opened on 18 February 2011. [5]

In 2004 the company had about 50 employees. By 2010 that had grown to 120 employees, of whom 22 were paraglider pilots. [1] [4]

Aircraft

Sol Tracer paraglider SolTracer.JPG
Sol Tracer paraglider

Summary of aircraft built by Sol:

The Sol Dynamic is a Brazilian single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Sol Paragliders of Jaraguá do Sul in the mid-2000s. It is now out of production.

The Sol Eclipse is a Brazilian single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Sol Paragliders of Jaraguá do Sul in the mid-2000s. It is now out of production.

The Sol Kangaroo is a Brazilian two-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Sol Paragliders of Jaraguá do Sul starting in the mid-2000s. It remained in production as the Kangaroo 4 in 2016.

Related Research Articles

Hang gliding air sport or recreational activity

Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered with synthetic sailcloth to form a wing. Typically the pilot is in a harness suspended from the airframe, and controls the aircraft by shifting body weight in opposition to a control frame.

Paragliding sailing with a paraglider

Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.

Powered paragliding form of ultralight aviation

Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on their back which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone assistance is required.

Powered hang glider

A foot-launched powered hang glider (FLPHG), also called powered harness, nanolight, or hangmotor, is a powered hang glider harness with a motor and propeller in pusher configuration. An ordinary hang glider is used for its wing and control frame, and the pilot can foot-launch from a hill or from flat ground, needing a length of about a football field to get airborne, or much less if there is an oncoming breeze and no obstacles.

Glider (aircraft) broad type of heavier-than-air aircraft designed for operation without an engine

A glider is a heavier-than-air aircraft that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Most gliders do not have an engine, although motor-gliders have small engines for extending their flight when necessary with some being powerful enough to take off.

Bruce Goldsmith is a British paraglider pilot and designer, and the 2007 Paragliding World Champion. He won the title at Manilla in Australia, flying an Airwave Magic FR3.

Gliding recreational activity and competitive air sport

Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.

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Icaro 2000 is an Italian aircraft manufacturer, based in Sangiano. The company specializes in the design and manufacturer of hang gliders, ultralight trikes and hang gliding helmets.

Wills Wing, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Orange, California and previously located in Santa Ana, California. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of hang gliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft, plus hang glider harnesses and accessories.

Advance Thun SA is a Swiss aircraft manufacturer based in Thun. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders, harnesses, paragliding carrying bags and paragliding clothing.

Aerodyne Technologies 2002-2008 paraglider and parachute manufacturer in France

Aerodyne Technologies was a French aircraft manufacturer based in Étrembières and previously based in Talloires. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of paragliders and reserve parachutes.

Airwave Gliders was an Austrian aircraft manufacturer based in Fulpmes. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of hang gliders and paragliders.

Apco Aviation, is an Israeli aircraft manufacturer based in Caesarea and founded in 1982 by Anatoly Cohn. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders and at one time also made hang gliders and ultralight aircraft. It also manufacturers paraglider harnesses, the Mayday line of parachute rescue systems and other accessories.

Gin Gliders

Gin Gliders Inc. is a South Korean aircraft manufacturer based in Yongin, founded by competition pilot Gin Seok Song in 1998. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.

Ozone Gliders Limited is an aircraft manufacturer based in Le Bar-sur-Loup, France, although it is registered in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.

Pilots Right Stuff

Pilots Right Stuff was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Brannenburg and founded by Hans Bausenwein. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.

The Sol Prymus is a Brazilian single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Sol Paragliders of Jaraguá do Sul starting in the mid-2000s. It remained in production as the Prymus 4 in 2016.

UP International GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft. The company started business as a hang glider manufacturer based in the United States.

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References

  1. 1 2 Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 31. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN   1368-485X
  2. ↑ Sol Paragliders. "About Sol Paragliders" . Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Sol Paragliders. "Timeline" . Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Sol Paragliders. "History" . Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Sol Paragliders. "Memory Centre" . Retrieved 15 November 2016.
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