Company History

APCO has been involved in the paragliding industry from the very beginning. Anatoly Cohn, the company’s owner and founder, started in hang gliding, designing and building gliders from 1974 with Agur Gliders until 1982 when he founded APCO. He quickly realized that paragliding was the direction for sport flying and concentrated on developing quality gliders at a competitive price. Since that time the company has steadily grown, employing now 60 people and produces thousands of paragliders, harnesses and parachute reserve systems every year.

 

The first paraglider produced by APCO was the 7 or 9 cell System K, staring in 1986. By 1996, a mere ten years later, APCO was producing an average of 3 new models a year and had already picked up 6 world records on its wings. A trend which was to continue into the next decade. By the beginning of 2006 APCO had brought out more than 40 models of paragliders and now has 11 world records set on APCO wings, an achievement yet to be equaled by any other paragliding manufacturer.

Gallery

Historic Images by Paulo Pinto - Brazil (~1990 - 2000)

Achievements

World Record Type: ParaglidingDistanceDatePilotWing
Open Distance via turnpoint109.32 km1991/08/08Willi MullerHilite III
Declaired Goal146.22 km1992/07/11Chris MullerAstra 30
Height Gain3671.7m1992/08/18Sean DoughertyAstra 27
Open Distance283.85 km1992/12/31Alex LouwAstra 30C
Triangle Speed Run 25km16.85 km/h 1994/07/28Eric OddySupra 25
Declared Goal251.821994/12/18Alex LouwXtra 30
Tandem Out & Return104.21999/01/25Howard TraversFutura 42
Tandem Speed Run 100km Out & Return24.59 km/h1999/01/25Howard TraversFutura 42
Tandem Open Distance213.7 km1999/12/02Andre FleuryFutura 42
Tandem Speed Run 25km Triangle24.31 km/h2000/08/14Mark HaymanFutura 42
Closed Circuit Triangle 222.4 km2017/06/11PAULO SEABRALift S
Distance over a closed circuit without landing (FAI triangle) 303.3 km2020/07/19Daniel TydecksF1 22
 
World Record Type: ParamotorDistanceDatePilotWing
Distance over closed course with limited Fuel1.26km2006/11/09David R RogersThrust
Speed: 50km closed Circuit50.04km/h2006/06/10Venelin S StaikovThrust
Tandem: Time to climb 3000m56min 1sec2012/12/07Ryan D ShawPlay 42
Tandem: Altitude4605mAsl2012/12/07Ryan D ShawPlay 42
 
Record Type: PPCDistanceDatePilotWing
European: Altitude5853mAsl2017/06/03Yariv Ben TovimAPCO LIFT PPC