ParaglidingWX — Launch, landing and landing guidance

Launch, landing and landing guidance

The map shows three related kinds of site data. They use different markers and colours so you can tell them apart at a glance:

• Launches (takeoffs) — a point where you might launch.
• Landing zones — a recommended or official landing area (point and/or polygon).
• Landing guidance — community-drawn polygons for advice about where not to land, where landing is restricted, or where landing is OK (not official aviation airspace).

Built-in sites live in the app configuration. Additional North American launches and landings are merged from ParaglidingEarth (CC BY-SA). Community edits from signed-in users are layered on top.

Launches (takeoffs)

Shown as an orange paraglider pin on the map. Tap a launch to open its popup, start a windgram or Skew-T, and read site notes. Some launches include a launch-direction rose (which runways / aspects are flyable).

Launches are points only — they do not use the coloured landing polygons below.

Landing zones

A landing zone can be a point marker and/or a polygon on the ground:

• LZ point marker — green circle labelled LZ (or amber/gold when the site is marked with restrictions). This is the pin you tap for landing info and downloads.
• Landing polygon — shaded area with a matching outline:
  • Green — “good to go” (default landing zone).
  • Yellow — landing allowed with restrictions (check notes and local rules).

Landing zones are meant for where you intend to land. They can be exported in OpenAir downloads as landing-related geometry (see Downloads).

Landing guidance

Landing guidance polygons are separate from landing zones. They are community-maintained advice — horse fields, bail-out hints, “do not land here”, and similar — not charted airspace or legal no-fly zones. In OpenAir exports they use class W (wave window / informational styling in most XC apps).

Polygon colours mean:

• Red — no landing (do not land here).
• Yellow — restricted landing (land only if you understand the notes).
• Green — OK to land (informational “this area is fine”).

Older built-in guidance layers may use slightly different shades of red, yellow, or green; the editor uses the three colours above for new polygons.

Editing sites yourself

On desktop (wide window), use the toolbar Edit button to open the sites editor. Sign in with your email: you receive a one-time code, then you can add or change launches, landing zones, and landing guidance polygons for the community map.

• + Takeoff — set a point on the map; optional launch directions and notes.
• + Landing zone — point and/or polygon; choose green or yellow for the polygon.
• + Landing guidance — draw a polygon; choose red, yellow, or green.

Changes are saved to the community database and appear for everyone after you click Save. The editor is hidden on narrow / mobile layouts.

Important

Always double-check access, landowner permission, and local rules for every takeoff and landing you consider. Markers and polygons on this site are for information only: inclusion here is not an endorsement that a site is open, legal, or suitable to fly.

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