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Speed flying and speed riding are recreational and competitive adventure sports of flying lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. They are similar sports to paragliding, but have smaller wings, higher flying speeds, and flightpaths descending close to a mountain slope. Speed flying and speed riding are very similar, but differ in that speed-flying is launched on foot while speed-riding is a winter sport done on skis.
On 7 February 2001 in Valfréjus (French Alps), as skydivers and paragliders Frédéric Fugen, Frank Coupat and Vincent Reffet were stuck with conditions too windy for paragliding, Fugen floated the idea of flying his parachute, flung upward while skiing a steep freeride face. This succeeded and became the hobby of a small group of 5 pilots (Frédéric Fugen, Frank Coupat, David Eyraud, François Bon, Antoine Montant), who coined the term speed-riding ('riding' from freeride skiing, and 'speed' for the velocity that gives non-rigid their aerodynamic properties, thus an important element of reliability and adding to freeriding the possibility to just fly fast and safe over dangerous alpine portions such as rocks, glacier Serac and Crevasse, or avalanche-prone terrain). Alternating between skiing and flying phases is considered the essence of speed riding. The term speed-flying was later coined for the continuation of the practice in summer, without skis, with a slightly lower wing loading (no skiing gear + often larger wings).
In 2005, a group of French pilots began experimenting with modified parachute and parafoil kite designs. One of them, Francois Bon, a paraglider test pilot, unsatisfied with foot-launched parachute performance, helped perfect the first speed wing design, the Gin Nano. This evolved into other commercial wings (between 9 and 14 square metres) designed for speed, portability, and a glide ratio much lower than a paraglider but higher than a parachute. Today speed gliders are produced by over 30 manufacturers worldwide. France hosted the first yearly speed flying competition, "Speed Flying Pro Les Arcs", in January 2007, which continued to be dominated by pioneer speed flyer Antoine Montant until his death in 2011.
On 2 February 2006, the French Free Flight Association (FFVL) officially recognized speed riding as an independent sport under its umbrella. On 9 February 2007, in the aftermath of renowned guide Sébastien Gay's fatal speedflying accident near Verbier, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation likened skiing with a speedflyer to paragliding from a training and insurance perspective, and entrusted the Swiss Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SHV/FSVL) with the mission, for satefy purposes.
The sport has grown rapidly since its inception, particularly in France and Switzerland, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 speed wing pilots all over the world. Speed wing pilots have already garnered media attention with rapid descents from summits such as Aconcagua in the Andes and various peaks in the Alps. There are established flying sites all over the globe, including dedicated ski runs at several resorts in France, and over 100 instructors in around 20 different countries. The new air sport has many written forms (such as speedflying, speed-flying, speed flying, speed riding, speedriding, speed-riding, skigliding, ski-gliding, ski gliding, ski flying, ski-flying and ground launching).
It also shares characteristics with a ram-air parachute. It differs, however, because it is much lighter, more maneuverable, doesn't have a pilot chute or slider, and is not suitable for arresting free falls. The pilot can use a standing harness similar to those worn with a parachute, a strap-like sitting harness, or a protectively padded, seated harness (identical to those used with a paraglider). The speed flyer has adjustable trims on the rear riser, and sometimes the front riser. These allow the pilot to adjust the line lengths and pick the wing angle of attack best suited for the hill steepness and wind conditions.
Speed flying and speed riding require different wing characteristics because of the different glide angles and launch techniques. Speed riding pilots are able to achieve greater speeds on launch with the use of skis, and so the use of a smaller wing (typically between 7 and 10 square metres) is common, and wings tailored to this aspect of the sport typically have a steeper glide angle and long recovery arc to allow skiing on steep slopes with the wing overhead. Speed flying pilots must launch on foot, so wing sizes are typically slightly larger, although many expert speedflying pilots do routinely foot launch wings of 8 square metres or less.
| + Comparison of speed wings, paragliders, and parachutes ! ! Speed wings ! Paragliders ! Parachutes |
| + All-time, worldwide speed wing deaths per year |
| 4.89 |
Also, because of its small size and high wing loading, the wing responds quickly to little pilot input, a double-edged sword (almost no latency to react to unexpected dangers, but more possible consequences to untimely, brutal or unnecessary hand movement) which makes professional instruction very important. However, the high velocities help the glider remain pressurised and resistant to collapse even in turbulent conditions.
Proper equipment such as helmets, back protectors, gloves and padded harnesses can help reduce injuries, as well as reserve parachutes for high-altitude flights (preferably with a cut-away system to avoid entanglement with the main wing, as both use suspension lines of similar length). Advanced wing and off-piste ski training, and thorough knowledge of site conditions and hazards, are imperative to practicing this sport safely.
| + Ten-year comparison of speedriding vs. paragliding accident prevalence in France (2012-2022) |
| 2329 |
| 27736 |
| 15 |
| 639 |
| 0 |
| 9 |
| 0.64 % |
| 2.30 % |
| 0 % |
| 0.03 % |
The Swiss Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SHV/FSVL) had 16798 registered members in 2018 (all disciplines combined). Overall, as of January 2024, out of about 40200 Swiss paragliding licenses ever issued, about 1200 have the speedflying extension, and a total of 20 fatal speedflying accidents have occurred on Swiss soil.
For comparison, other long-term statistics available in Switzerland include:
| + USHPA fatality reports (2013-2022) |
| 9 |
| 51 |
| 32 |
|
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