Sol Paragliders (Sun Paragliders) is a Brazilian

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

based in

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...

and founded by Ary Carlos Pradi. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

s and

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paragliding, powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harness ...

wings in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft. The company also produces paragliding harnesses, rescue

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

s and accessories.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 31. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003.

History

The company was founded in 1979 as a

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

manufacturer and started building paragliders in 1991 under the name FUN Gliders. By 1993, 70% of their business was for export. The company name was changed to Sol Paragliders in 1996 and shortly thereafter the company started a partnership with Nova Performance Paragliders of Austria. By 1999 the company had its own design and certification staff and decided to take its brand globally without partners. Between 2000 and 2010 pilots flying Sol gliders set 15 world records. In 2004 the company was certified by the German Deutscher Hängegleiterverband e.V. (DHV) Sol's

Super Sonic is a title character and the main protagonist of the video game series of the same name published by Sega, and appears in numerous spin-off comics, animations, and other media. He is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at super ...

established itself as a leading design for flying paraglider

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

, with its introduction in 2005. In 2009 Kamira Pereira set four new women's world records on Sol gliders, while Horacio Llorens set the world record spins with 281 set in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, an achievement that got widespread news coverage. The Sol Tracer was a highly competitive design and Frank Brown was named Brazilian champion for the ninth time and Kamira Pereira women's champion for the fifth time flying the design. In 2011 the company won an Innovation Award of the Year for its Sol One design. In 2012 four more world records were set on Sol gliders. The company also has a museum that was opened on 18 February 2011. In 2004 the company had about 50 employees. By 2010 that had grown to 120 employees, of whom 22 were paraglider pilots.

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Sol: * Sol Atmus * Sol Auster * Sol Axion * Sol Balance * Sol Caesar * Sol Classic * Sol Cyclone *

Sol Dynamic The Sol Dynamic is a Brazilian single-place paraglider that was designed and produced by Sol Paragliders of Jaraguá do Sul in the mid-2000s. It is now out of production.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2 ...

* Sol Eclipse * Sol Ellus * Sol Flexus * Sol Hercules * Sol Hoops * Sol Impulse * Sol Jumbo * Sol Kangaroo * Sol Koala * Sol Kuat * Sol Lotus * Sol Magic Fun * Sol Neon * Sol Onyx * Sol Pero * Sol Prymus * Sol Quasar * Sol One * Sol Sonic * Sol Faly Stabilis * Sol Start * Sol Super Sonic * Sol Syncross * Sol Synergy * Sol Taxi * Sol Torck * Sol Tornado * Sol TR2 * Sol Tracer * Sol Unno * Sol Vello * Sol Yaris * Sol Yess

References

External links

* {{Sol Paragliders aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of Brazil Powered parachutes Paragliders Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1979 1979 establishments in Brazil Brazilian brands