All the parawing terms explained simply, from lift to sheet in / sheet out. Each definition gets to the point so you understand how a parawing flies, how it is flown, and how to choose one.
Contents
Aspect Ratio · Bar · Leading edge · Bridle · Bumps · Cell · Sheet in / sheet out · Depower · Downwind · Wind window · Collapse · Frontal collapse · Harness · Angle of attack · Leash · Single-skin · No-fly zone · Wingtip · Lift · Power zone · Airfoil / profile · Pumping · Stash · Stash · Overpowered / underpowered · Drag · Upwind · Apparent wind · True wind · VMG · Water start
Aspect Ratio
Ratio between the wingspan of a wing and its chord (width). A high aspect ratio, a thin, long wing, offers more glide efficiency and better pointing upwind, but requires more skill to fly. A low aspect ratio is more stable, more forgiving and easier to relaunch, ideal for beginners. The same principle applies to foils: see which foil to choose for parawing.
Bar
The control element the rider holds with both hands, which connects the lines to the wing. In parawing, there is no control element fixed on the canopy as there is on an inflatable wing: everything goes through the bar. You tilt it to steer the wing and vary its position to adjust power. On the FYNIX, the bar is made of carbon and is not retractable; the lines slide inside it, which shortens the whole setup and makes stashing easier. Unlike canvas, the bar rinses with fresh water whenever it gets sandy, by sliding the lines to clear the sand.
Leading edge
The leading edge is the front edge of the wing, the one that cuts through the air first. It gives the parawing its shape and rigidity. A collapse often starts with the leading edge folding.
Bridle
The set of lines that connects the canopy to the bar. The bridle spreads the loads, maintains the wing's shape and transmits your inputs. A well-adjusted bridle keeps the profile stable; a twisted bridle degrades the flight. On a single-skin parawing, it gives structure to a wing that has no cells. To avoid tangles, see how to avoid line tangles.
Bumps
Bumps are small waves formed by the wind, surfed while downwind. Linking them lets you move forward using the energy of the water, sometimes without even sheeting in the wing.
Cell
A chamber inflated by the wind, found on double-skin or hybrid wings. Air entering through the leading edge pressurizes the structure and gives it its shape. Single-skin parawings have no closed cells: their shape comes from the bridle and the wind pressing on a single layer of canvas.
Sheet in / sheet out (sheeting)
The ability to sheet in, increasing the wing's power, and to sheet out, reducing it. On most parawings, power is modulated by tilting the bar, which limits the range and effectiveness of the movement. The FYNIX is the first parawing with true dynamic sheet in / sheet out thanks to the PushBar System®: the lines slide inside the carbon bar, you push the bar to sheet out and pull it to sheet in, which changes the wing's geometry in real time without changing its angle of attack. The mechanism is detailed in our technical analysis of the PushBar System®.
Depower
A wing's ability to reduce its power on demand, to handle a gust or slow down. Most parawings offer some form of depower. The FYNIX's particularity is dynamic depower driven by the PushBar System®, registered trademark, patent pending, which increases the effectiveness of depower.
Downwind
Downwind is sailing with the wind at your back, from a starting point toward a point downwind. In parawing, it is the flagship practice: the light, packable wing lets you go after the waves and surf bumps over long distances. Our complete guide: downwind parawing.
Wind window
The area of space, downwind of you, where the wing can fly. At the center, power is maximum; at the edges, it is gentle and controllable. Flying a parawing means moving the wing within this window to adjust traction. Upwind, the wing sits near the edge of the window to better climb into the wind; bearing away, it moves toward the center, where power is maximum.
Collapse
When the parawing loses its shape and folds, due to insufficient tension or pressure. It can be partial, on one wingtip, or total, along the entire leading edge. The cause is almost always a loss of tension in the lines or a lull in the gust.
Frontal collapse
A sudden collapse of the leading edge across the full width of the wing, folding toward you. It happens when the wing abruptly loses pressure, but also when it is poorly balanced or when the camber of the profile is poorly placed. You then need to ease off and relaunch.
Harness
A belt that transfers the wing's pull from your arms to your hips. In parawing, a waist harness is preferred over a seat harness, often with a kangaroo pocket to store the wing when folded. The rhythm is simple: you hook in to sail and to climb upwind, you unhook for maneuvers and to fold the wing. Tightness is a compromise: tighter, the bar sits closer to you and lower back support is better; looser, the harness rides up more but rotates more easily around the rider, which makes it much easier to slide the wing into the pocket. Adjust it on land, not in the water. Our complete guide: parawing and harness.
Angle of attack
The angle between the wing and the airflow. The more it increases, the more lift rises, up to a threshold where the air separates from the profile and the wing stalls. Adjusting the angle of attack, by sheeting in or sheeting out, means adjusting the parawing's power.
Leash
A cord that connects you to your board. It is essential safety equipment in foiling: it prevents the board from drifting away alone, which matters even more because the foil is sharp and a lost board leaves the rider without flotation. Use a model suited to foiling. Hip leashes also exist, handy for keeping a phone on you during the session.
Single-skin
A wing made of a single layer of canvas, without inflatable cells. It keeps its shape thanks to the wind and its bridle. The result: a very light wing, compact when folded and quick to get flying. It is the typical construction of modern parawings, including the FYNIX. Its lightness and compactness make it an ideal downwind wing: you can fold and stash it during the descent.
No-fly zone
The no-fly zone, or zenith, is the part of the wind window located upwind, where the wing no longer receives airflow and cannot fly. A wing brought into this zone stalls and drops.
Wingtip
The lateral ends of the parawing. These are the most flexible and most exposed areas: they are often the first to fold when the wing loses tension. Watching the wingtips helps you anticipate a collapse.
Lift
The force that lifts and pulls the wing. It arises when the profile deflects the air: the air speeds up over the top, pressure drops there, and the wing is pulled upward and forward. Lift is what makes the parawing fly. It increases with surface area, angle of attack, profile thickness and airspeed. Everything is explained in how a parawing flies.
Power zone
The power zone is the central part of the wind window where the wing generates the most traction. You bring the wing there to accelerate or take off, and move it toward the edges to reduce power.
Airfoil / profile
The shape of the wing's cross-section, seen from the side. Its curvature and thickness determine how air flows and therefore how much lift the wing generates. A deep profile gives power; a thin profile favors speed and glide.
Pumping
Pumping consists of giving pulses with the board and foil to create lift, take off, or stay in the air when power is lacking.
Stash
The move of retrieving your wing and keeping it under your arm to keep going without the wing's propulsion, using only the power of the swell. It is the signature move of downwind: you launch the flight with the wing, then neutralize it and surf the bumps, before redeploying it when you need to relaunch or climb upwind. The faster and more natural it is, the more waves you link. Short lines and a single-skin wing make it much easier. See our guide downwind parawing.
Stash
The English term used for the same move as stash: retrieving the wing and keeping it on you, under your arm or in the harness pocket, to surf without its pull. A harness with a kangaroo pocket makes the operation much easier.
Overpowered (and underpowered)
Being overpowered means sailing with a wing too large for the current wind: the traction becomes hard to hold, fatigue sets in quickly and pointing degrades in gusts. Being underpowered is the opposite: the wing lacks power, takeoff becomes laborious and footstrap pressure feels soft. This is precisely what a power management system corrects: the wider the usable range of a size, the less often you find yourself in either situation. To size correctly, see which parawing size to choose.
Drag
The air's resistance to the wing's movement. Three sources: the shape of the wing, air friction on the canvas, and the vortices created at the wingtips by lift, induced drag. It slows you down, but it is inseparable from lift. It also depends on construction: a single-skin wing has more drag, a double-skin much less thanks to its closed cells, and the hybrid sits between the two.
Upwind
Upwind, or close-hauled, refers to sailing at an angle into the wind. Climbing upwind lets you return to your starting point. In parawing, good pointing depends on the traction of the wing and the anti-skid of the foil. Our dedicated article: can you sail upwind in parawing.
Apparent wind
The wind actually felt by the wing in motion. It combines the true wind and the wind created by your movement. Stronger and more forward-oriented than the true wind, it is what drives a parawing forward, even when the true wind drops.
True wind
The wind you feel while standing still, blowing independently of your movement. It is the basis for choosing your wing size, but it is not what powers the wing in flight: as soon as you move, it combines with your movement to form the apparent wind. For the selection method, see which parawing size to choose.
VMG
VMG (Velocity Made Good): the best ratio between heading and speed to make progress toward a point, most often upwind. It is not pure speed: a fast wing that bears away a lot can have a worse VMG than a slower wing with a tighter pointing angle.
Water start
A start from the water up to getting flying on the foil. You position yourself on the board, progressively sheet in to build power, let the board accelerate, then stand up while keeping your weight centered. Speed creates the foil's lift: wait until you have it before loading the front foot. In parawing, boards are fairly voluminous, which makes weight distribution forgiving. All the moves are detailed in how to fly a parawing.
About the author
Bruno Sroka, triple world champion, four-time European champion and triple French champion of kitesurfing. Crossed Cape Horn by kitesurf (2008), English Channel record (2012), France-Ireland crossing of 444 km (240 nautical miles) in 16 h 40 (2013). Former PE teacher, founder of SROKA Company, a Breton brand of foil, wing foil, SUP and parawing. Co-designer of the PushBar System® with Gaël Contal, SROKA ambassador who came up with the idea of sheet in / sheet out.
To go further: what is a parawing, how a parawing flies, how to fly a parawing, the 30 essential questions guide and parawing maintenance. Discover our wings in the parawing collection.
