The concept was to fly or hike around most of the Southern sites in a day, a 65km course that would be challenging for everyone. The forecast was for moderate northerly winds and good thermals. Carlo shares his insights from his winning route.
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Strong wind and paragliders don’t play well together, but at some point you’ll be flying in ‘stronger’ conditions, and knowing how to handle this can improve your safety. Here are some techniques to help you paraglide safely in strong wind.
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Flying a paraglider above mountains is an amazing experience but has some risks that you don't face when flying over the flatlands. Where are the danger zones? How do the winds work? Where are the best thermals?
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The forecast was normal for the Lake District – in other words, dire warnings of rain and wind. But I’d arranged time off for the weekend and Team South partner Andy was up for a long drive, so we set off for The Flight Park in Keswick.
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In the morning, the wind begins to whisper through the grass. It tickles the trees. By noon, it tugs at the flags and nudges the umbrellas at the café. Landing is easy: point into wind and touch down. But by afternoon, it’s blowing over 30km/h and you’re getting worried. You had a long flight and now you’re dangling over the town. What’s a good approach when the wind is strong?
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For beginner pilots, venturing beyond the safety of the ‘known’ landing field can be scary. How do you know if you can reach another landing? What if there’s a power line? And without a windsock, how will you know which way the wind is blowing? Let’s take a look at a simple generic landing approach which you can adapt to various situations.
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There is a growing Hike & Fly ‘scene’ in the UK, with the X-Lakes event (Northern England) and the Dragon Race (Wales). On the Continent there are many events to choose from. Longer ‘volbiv’ trips can be achieved anywhere there are mountains. It takes the focus off the numbers (XC league scores) and is more about adventuring through a landscape, on foot or in the air.
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Continue Flybubble's free thermaling tips series with Carlo Borsattino as he discusses getting to cloudbase and planning ahead, identifying good cumulus, when to wait at cloudbase and much more. Solo flying affects us all deeply: at first it might be just exciting, overwhelming or downright scary. Over time, it grows into a passion, a freedom, a way of life. We hope that by sharing some of our experience and perspectives you can gain skills to help you stay in the air that little bit longer, to feel that little bit more control, to understand more and get more out of your flying
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Continue the thermaling tips series with Carlo Borsattino as he searches through the air currents in Colombia to find the best lift. Learn how to identify the best part of the thermal and work with other pilots.
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In this second episode, Carlo Borsattino provides in-flight commentary as he tries to climb out on his paraglider. Learn from an expert thermaler how to look out for lift, identify the best part of the thermal, work with other pilots, and much more.
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