1 Feb 2010

Message from Hannes

 

Dunnottar delivered. Saturday afternoon Kevin Storie and some of his students were at the winch park and did some flights.

 Sunday morning saw many pilots creeping out from rain hibernation eager to fly. Unfortunately we had some winching problems with several line brakes on a newly serviced winch but later on it seemed to get better.

In the morning  winch park expert Clive stayed up for almost two hours above the field. He was later joined by Bradley and Gary du Plessis. Gary Lewis and Charles Swart had good flights and almost went XC.

 There was a deceiving 4 up thermal at the corner of the base that vanished the moment you released so the better option was to hang on and take the next thermal on the south (toilet) corner.

I got a nice one there and it looks like my new baby is now starting to find thermals more easily. I sat over the Industrial park for almost 20 minutes  flat turning a very gentle and wide thermal and worked my way slowly up to ceiling. I had a nice gentle flight all the way to Nigel and then back to Mckenzieville.

The flight is nothing special compared to some other awesome recent flights by others but very uplifting for me after a period of bad flights.

Later on Gary du Plessis had another one of his favourite to the Nigel dam and back flights.

Over Nigel residential areas children were swimming, playing on jumping castles and you could see plenty braai fires.

 With a massive storm today during lunch hour it certainly seems that we must make good use of sunshine these days…   

Why fly?

For once you have tested flight

You will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward;

For there you have been,

And there you long to return"

Leonardo da Vinci, designing flying machines in the 16th century, only dreamed of flying but, with the mind of an engineer and the soul of an artist, he could taste the magic.

 

Many people are under the impression that paragliding is jumping off mountains with a parachute or being pulled into the air behind a boat with a parasail. This couldn't be further from the truth. Paraglider pilots fly off mountains, they never jump off.

A paraglider is in essence an inflatable wing. The movement of air into the canopy inflates it and gives it its aerodynamic shape. The paraglider is soft and can easily be packed into a bag and carried around. Its portability is its main advantage.

The paraglider is laid out on the ground at the top of the mountain on a gentle slope and facing into the wind. The pilot is connected to the paraglider with a special harness. The paraglider is

 

then pulled gently into the wind, which causes the canopy to inflate.  The pilot then takes a few brisk steps into the wind and floats gently up into the air.

How long your flight lasts depends on the weather conditions at the time of take-off. If it is early in the morning or late in the afternoon there may not be much lift present and you will have a short glide to the ground. The length of this type of flight will depend on the take-off height. Taking off a 400 meter high mountain will normally give you a flight time of between 5 and 10 minutes.

As you pick up more experience the length of your flights increases rapidly as you learn to take advantage of rising air known as lift. There are two types of lift that enable you to stay aloft longer. The first is called ridge lift. This would involve flying near a mountain or hill, catching the oncoming wave of wind as it lifts to clear the ridge. Once you have mastered this art you can spend hours flying along the front of the ridge.

The second type of lift is flying in thermals. A thermal is a pocket of hot air heated by the ground and rising quickly into the air. The trick here is to fly into this rising air, which will then carry your glider with it upwards to great heights. Flying in thermals allows you to start flying cross country. Using thermals, paragliders have flown more than 500km, climbed higher than 4km above the ground and been in the air for more than 11 hours. Many paragliding world records have been set in South Africa.

You may well have some lingering doubts concerning the sport of paragliding. Is it dangerous? Are you fit enough? Do you have the "RIGHT STUFF"? Legitimate questions to be sure.

The danger factor in most action sports has been exaggerated by the sensationalist press. The reality is that you are probably more likely to be seriously injured in your car on the way to go flying than you are actually flying. However, we are not ignoring the fact that aviation in general is not forgiving of careless, reckless and foolish actions. The often repeated adage. "Paragliding is as safe as you want to make it," is an accurate statement, for the attitude of the pilot greatly determines the risk involved. You can fly with minimum danger if you so choose.

The physical requirements of our sport are not too great. The equipment weighs less than a golf bag.  If you can handle a few long strides downhill and a walk off the landing field, then you can fly.

If almost anyone can fly, should they? The answer is no. There are certain individuals that are unable to maintain spatial orientation when they are moving in three dimensions (you probably know if this relates to you). Others have a confidence problem - too little or too much. An overly timid person may never have the will to step into the sky, while an overly bold individual may not listen to common sense. None of these individuals have a high probability of being a safe pilot and therefore should not enter the sport.

However for the vast majority, paragliding can be safe and extremely rewarding!

A typical paragliding training course lasts four or more days. During that short period you will be inundated with new information and sensations.  It must be emphasized that paragliding is a skills based sports. No-one is born with the ability to paraglide and must learn the necessary skills. It is normal to experience a period of doubt as to whether or not you can truly master all that's presented. This doubt is soon dispelled as you gain knowledge a little bit at a time, and build skills that soon become automatic.

Any fear of failure or heights you have will likewise be dispelled for you'll find that the necessary skills will come in a few trials and you'll learn to trust your instructor, your equipment and yourself.

You should have a good breakfast the day you take lessons. Your body needs fuel to replace the energy stores you will be tapping with your mental and physical exertion. Bring a lunch and plenty of liquid too, as the training can last all day.

The most important factor concerning you, the pilot, is your attitude. We're not equating you to the kid in the back row of English class shooting spit balls at the teacher, for learning to fly is rewarding, challenging and fun. What we are referring to is an attitude of safety that must be developed from the first day on the hill to serve you well throughout your continued flying experience. A certain amount of willingness to try new things is a prerequisite to becoming a competent pilot. However, you must learn and respect the limits. These limits are imposed by the forces of nature and your own experience level. You cannot duplicate the feats of more practiced pilots until you have paid your dues by accumulating airtime in safe situations. 

"There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots."

 

Parawaiting @ bambi

Bambi takeoff