Guide to AUW (All-Up Weight) in Paragliding: Calculation, Importance, and Choosing for an Optimal Flight

In paragliding, the AUW, or All-Up Weight (PTV in French), plays a crucial role in the wing's behavior and response. It's therefore important to properly understand what it is, how to calculate it, and how to buy the ideal equipment without making a mistake.

What is AUW in paragliding?

AUW (All-Up Weight) is a crucial factor in paragliding. It represents the weight of the equipped pilot, the paraglider wing, and all onboard equipment. Properly calculating your AUW lets you choose a suitable wing and anticipate its in-flight behavior, both in a straight line and in turns.

Pilot and equipment weight

The simplest way to precisely determine your AUW is to weigh yourself on a scale with all your flying gear: clothes, paraglider, water bottle, food...If you don't yet have your paraglider, or if you're planning to change equipment (wing, harness, or reserve parachute), you can simply weigh yourself fully dressed and add the theoretical weight of the gear, which you can easily find online. Every manufacturer precisely lists the weight of every component for each available size.

The importance of AUW when choosing your wing

AUW plays a decisive role in selecting a wing suited to your level. The right AUW ensures better control of your paraglider and optimizes in-flight performance.Flying with an unsuitable AUW can affect the wing's stability and responsiveness. A too-low AUW makes the wing less responsive and more sensitive to turbulence, while a too-high AUW increases speed but can compromise handling.When choosing a wing, pay particular attention to the following points:

• The AUW range recommended by the manufacturer
• Your experience level and flying goals
• The usual aerological conditions at your flying sites

A well assessed AUW will let you get the most out of your equipment and fly safely.

How do you precisely calculate your AUW?

AUW (All-Up Weight) is simply the sum of the weight of the following elements:

• Your net weight on the scale
• The weight of your clothes
• The weight of your accessories: helmet, sunglasses or goggles, GPS vario, tablet, radio, water bladder, food, camera, GoPro, carrying bag...
• The weight of the paraglider wing
• The weight of the harness
• The weight of the reserve parachute

AUW ranges: low, mid, and high

Paraglider wing manufacturers design wings that are tested and certified in the various sizes offered. For each size, the brand states a recommended AUW range with a lower and an upper bound. As long as the pilot stays within this AUW range, the wing retains its certification and healthy in-flight behavior. If the pilot goes outside the range, however, the paraglider may react differently, which could contribute to flight incidents.Example AUW range for an Advance Alpha 7 wing:Size2224262831Recommended All-Up Weight (AUW in kg)50-7060-8070-9585-110100-130

Flying at the low end of the range: pros and cons

Flying at the low end of the range has specific characteristics for the pilot. The wing becomes more damped and less responsive, which suits beginners or pilots who prefer a calmer style of flying. The sink rate improves slightly, making it easier to work weak lift.However, this setup reduces speed and penetration into the wind, making flying into headwind harder. Handling also decreases, requiring larger inputs on the controls.In turbulence, the wing becomes more prone to collapses, although these generally remain less violent than at the high end of the range. This setup requires good piloting technique, particularly for landings, which demand more precision and anticipation.

The middle of the AUW range: the ideal balance?

The middle of the AUW range is an interesting target, since not only does the wing keep all its certified characteristics (sink rate, speed, responsiveness), but it also gives you a margin of comfort relative to your own weight or the weight of your onboard equipment. This makes it possible to fly lighter in summer or for short local flights, or a bit heavier in winter or during long distance cross country flights.The middle of the AUW range represents the best compromise between speed, glide ratio, turn precision, and safety.

High end of the range: performance and precautions

Flying at the high end of the AUW range offers notable performance advantages. This setup improves straight line penetration into the wind, making it easier to progress against headwind. In exchange, the wing's glide degrades noticeably, and in light conditions it becomes harder to core weak lift at low yield sites.However, this setup demands increased vigilance. The wing's heightened responsiveness requires more subtle and precise control inputs. In narrow thermals, the pilot benefits from a better ability to work rising air currents.To make the most of these advantages while minimizing risk, it's recommended to:

• Regularly practice active piloting exercises
• Anticipate air movements further ahead
• Adapt your technique to the specific characteristics of a loaded wing

Wing loading: understanding its impact

Wing loading, obtained by dividing the AUW by the wing's surface area, directly influences the paraglider's performance. Higher wing loading increases flying speed and improves penetration into the wind, particularly useful in strong headwind.This results in better control response, but requires more precise piloting. Conversely, lower wing loading favors a reduced sink rate, ideal for working weak thermals.The impact on takeoff is also notable: heavier wing loading requires a more dynamic run, while lighter loading makes launching easier in light wind. The choice of optimal wing loading therefore depends on your usual flying conditions and goals.

So what AUW should you choose for a paraglider?

If you're just starting out, or if you're looking for maximum versatility, we recommend aiming for the middle of the AUW range stated by the manufacturer when choosing the size of your paraglider wing.If for a given wing you can't quite land in the middle of the range, don't worry. Different manufacturers often offer offset ranges, either between their own models or between brands. So it's often enough to switch brands to find AUW ranges shifted by 10 kg.

Buying a used wing: be sure to check the AUW before purchasing

Whether you want to buy a new wing or a full set of used equipment, the method stays the same. AUW remains essential information for flying safely with a wing that fully meets certification testing.If you have the slightest doubt when buying a new paraglider wing, don't hesitate to ask us for advice.