If you start leaving the comforts of the local hill and house thermal, then sooner rather than later you need to study the airspace around you. Pilots tend to be in denial about aviation regulations and airspace requirements, admittedly reading the regulations is not that easy, but in a lot of areas there is just no claiming "I didn't know" anymore.
Online and other competitions often won't accept "busting airspace", so you could see your record flight get thrown in the trash if you didn't follow the rules. To avoid getting yourself, other aviators and your paragliding association in trouble you need to study up on air space regulations.
The links below are an aid in getting familiar with these regulations. It is not an exhaustive library so your own due diligence to check accuracy or changes is still required.
Air law is not really a "do-it-yourself" kind of thing. You'll likely need some guidance from an experienced xc pilot before you put the info read here to use.
Feel free to send me any links that you deem helpful for studying this topic via the contact form.
DAH: the source
This is a link to the "Designated Airspace Handbook", or the source file for airspace dimensions in Canada. This is not an easy read, so I won't start here. After checking the graphical depiction of airspace of the next link, refer back to this file (use the search function or ctrl-F to look up "Vancouver" for instance) to understand what you are looking at.
Canadian Airspace Viewer
This is an interactive graphical representation of the different airspaces in Canada. The author has made this a super convenient tool for paraglider pilots. You can select or deselect the classes (A to G) and types (restricted, prohibited, control zones, etc.) of air space you are looking for to declutter and weed out bits that aren't applicable for you specifically. Don't forget to read the disclaimer. Sorry, but this is law we are talking about here.
CAR 602.29
This is one of the most important regulations for us paraglider (or hang glider) pilots. Luckily this one is relatively easy to understand as well. It details when we are allowed into which controlled airspace. Read paragraphs 3 a iii and 4a which detail the HAGAR requirement before entering Class E airspace, and the need for a tandem flight to be an "instructional flight".
Airspace Summary
This will take you to an air law summary page of the Langley Flying School. Scroll down to the Airspace section and read the paragraphs about Class E to G specifically. Those are the airspace classes that you will most likely be dealing with. Class A to D won't allow you in or require certain certification and/or equipment that are not commonly held by paragliders.
Transport Canada Study and Reference Guide
This link will take you to a Air Law study aid produced by Transport Canada (equivalent to the FAA in the USA). It contains references to essential information on this topic. Where it says "hang glider" you can also read "paraglider". Unfortunately it is not a very easy to use website, and for the actual referenced articles you need to go here. Scroll down to the 601.01 series of articles to get into the nitty gritty of airspace structure and such. You will have to go through link to link, and get handy with using the search function.
