During our checks, we sometimes notice differences in porosity depending on the color of the fabric on the same paraglider. This is caused by variations in production quality from roll to roll of fabric more than color to color.
In more than 30 years of paragliding testing, we have not noticed a predisposition of certain colors to become porous more quickly than others…
We very rarely declare a paraglider unfit for flight because of its porosity. Thanks to regular maintenance, we follow the evolution of this characteristic of the fabric. When the porosity is strong enough, we indicate:
« Porosity to watch out for. Don’t forget the next check in a year ! »
Often the paraglider is scrapped before this deadline.
Other times, the pilot sells it or gives it to a poor country (passing for a “benefactor”). I let you imagine what we think of it…
Humidity: the main enemy !
A paraglider that is never stored wet is likely to retain good quality fabric for a long time.
However, we have had to declare a “light” paraglider unfit for flight after 18 months!
It had been used mostly in the snow and stored wet many times.
This is why we carry out a “safety measurement” of the porosity on all the paragliders on which we intervene.
