"When I return to the ground and am asked by non-flying friends how it was, I can never find a way to convey more than a tiny fraction of it; I open my mouth but am lost for words to describe the awesome beauty of climbing to 6,000 feet in a big sky or of seeing the world spread out far below me whilst still dwarfed by clouds the size of mountains …"
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Flybubble Team Pilot Alistair Andrews shares the joys of paragliding in Nepal. "After a blinding flying season in 2015, although hopeful, I never expected 2016 to match it. Work was more intense, I spent some time overseas both flying and not, I got married and even lost my job towards the end of the season! I was very lucky to be offered a trip to Nepal to teach some Gurkhas to fly."
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Last year, Dale Lippstreu flew 268km in South Africa on his ATOS (Class 5 rigid wing hang glider).
Although longer flights are often achieved across the South African interior, this is an exceptional flight for the mountainous region of the Western Cape, where the technical challenges usually end flights well before 200km.
Dale shares some insight into achieving this flight.
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'I thought I should speak on the radio, telling the guys "I'm in the cloud, I can't get out, I'm scared..."
But then what? Which cloud? And anyway, no-one could help me.
I felt really alone and very small.'
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A very enjoyable paragliding cross country flight from Devils Dyke in East Sussex to Margate, via Ashford and Canterbury, in Kent.
Pretty tricky getting up – and then staying up – at first, eventually rewarded by a wonderful experience soaring up the side of some beautiful sea breeze front clouds. Then great fun gaggle-flying with a nice group of pilots to Lewes and beyond. Rather than shoot off ahead on our own, Mark and I decided it’d be more fun to stay with the gaggle and see how far we could all get together. Flying an Enzo 2 (competition wing), Mark was literally flying rings around us at times – like taking a collie dog out for a walk in the country! 😉
Lovely, lovely day! 🙂
See Carlo’s flight tracklog
Flying cross country in the UK offers many challenges and special experiences.
Carlo Borsattino summarises the action from the most successful XC season in history ... grab a cuppa and enjoy the lengthy report at your leisure.
There's lots to learn from reviewing the days that worked well, and what pilots chose to do.
The Pilots' Tales section offers a unique perspective from some of the leading pilots in the UK.
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Stuart Hall needed a harness. The Flybubble shop was in East Sussex, a round trip of more than 500 miles. No problem, Stu has a creative solution!
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The Paragliding World Cup in Bir, India (2015) was a great success: five flying tasks, impressive organisation and enthusiastic support from the locals.
Richard Butterworth reports.
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What's it like taking on the mountains with nothing but an aircraft that runs on air?
Greg Hamerton attempts a solo traverse of the Pyrenees via paraglider and discovers the magnitude and magic of a road less travelled.
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Never having been a part of the BCC I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. In 7 years I’d not quite got beyond being a lone ranger of the skies (well, ridges, more accurately). Whenever I’d previously thought about attending, the dates had never coincided with my being free of other responsibilities.
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