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Does anybody here use their BASE canopy to ground launch?
I was talking to a guy who does it with his skydiving main, which is basically a swooping canopy, and was wondering what the biggest differences would be.

Edit: Wrong forum?

I have foot launched my BJ 260 and Dagger 222 several times. I have soared the BJ.


I do not like the way parachutes kite and launch and fly. Get a real glider, it is faster easier to launch, safer to land, will last longer, etc. (if you are looking for the "swoop" there are some gliders that fly like a velo but with better energy retention)

Sometime, you try to open a new exit point ... and in fact, it's not jumpable ... so you "ground launch" your tarp ....

I've seen it done on a regular basis by skilled canopy pilots in the correct wind conditions off of regular BASE sites. It looks scary but it can be done. Have fun!

I guess what I'm asking is how would it compare to ground launching a skydive canopy if I was using something between 240 and 270 sq feet(I'm ~180lbs with a bit of gear).
Would I get a better glide, easier take off, more likely to get blown over?

Be careful ground launching.. There are many other factors involved than what is involved in skydiving/BASE (thermals, turbulence, rotors, gust factors, foot launching, technique, etc). Even though BASE/skydiving canopies are fairly resilient to turbulence, they do collapse.

In my opinion, general paragliding knowledge is a must have for anyone ground launching or speed flying (ground handling is huge, weather, factors listed above, etc). I've seen quite a few skydivers crash (including myself) and hurt themselves due to lack of site/weather knowledge by ground launching/speedflying (usually without paragliding knowledge/experience). I didn't realize how little I knew about all of this until I started paragliding..

If you can, get together with some paraglider pilots. There are quite a few sites (usually less regulated ones) where no one would say anything if you were out playing on your BASE canopy, and you can get some knowledge from the locals. Also, as Calvin19 pointed out, there are plenty of canopies built specifically for this purpose. Ozone makes speedflyers down to 82^ft)!

You would get the same glide as you would with a base jump. Get a real speedwing, you wont regret it. I fly a bobcat 16.5 and a nano 14 (which is for sale, by the way).

Not to hijack this thread, but I will be working in Colorado in october, and if there is anyone willing to show me some sites that would be awsome!

It also depends on what kind of 'ground launching' your talking about. If you have a huge mountain side that will take you on a good ride, then get a canopy for that.

However, if you are talking about a hill side that will take three minutes to walk up and 15 sec to fly straight down and you want to use your BASE canopy, go for it. Why not?

soaring is gay, and so are you.

I'd definitely talk to a few paragliders about it, and probably take a few lessons in the basics,
As much as I'd love a speedflying wing, I'm rather lacking in €$£ most of the time.

As for sites, I can think of at least ten which aren't actually used by paragliders, but would be perfect in the right winds. I also doubt that I'd be doing a lot of soaring(It seems it's gay), as the areas other than the mountains are by and large the worst possible places to try to land.

Thanks for the advice, guys.