Towards the end of the 1940's in the US, Dr. Francis Rogallo, an american aeronautical engineer and inventor born in Sanger, California was performing experiments with a kite made from plain fabric, which eventually led to radical changes in the construction of lighter aircrafts and was the predecessor of the modern paraglide. (Francis Melvin Rogallo, 27.1. 1912. - 01.08.2009)



The first National Championship in paragliding was held in Wengen, Switzerland in 1981.



In Serbia the first paraglides were used at the end of 1989 and by 1990 fliers from Serbia were competing for the first time in Slovenia.