Flight Stories Archives - Flybubble Blog

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I wanted to test myself against the desert. To travel by paraglider over the harshest part of South Africa, solo, self-supported. To feel like a bird. To be free. But the desert is dry, and ancient … and it doesn’t care.

The Flybubble Challenge 2019

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.

Sailing in the Sky (X-LAKES 2019)

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.

Filming and Flying: Touched by Sunshine

Here's a little bit of sunshine to brighten up your day, and a bit of insight into the filming process that we use here at Flybubble.

Paragliding Bir (Himalaya): high and happy

Himalayan Dreams

From the moment you arrive in Delhi or Amritsar the smells, sights, sounds and vibrations of India explode onto the senses. Far more than just another trip to a paragliding destination, a visit to the Himalayas takes you into a different world, one which will change you in unexpected ways. India is a vast sub-continent, an incredible fusion of culture, chaos and magic that cannot be described. It has to be experienced.

The catcher in the sky

Ever wondered what a cloud looks like up close? What if you could put it in a bag and take it home with you? Join us on a quest to capture the elusive cumulus cloud.

Zen and the Art of Freeflight

"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 …"

Paragliding in Nepal: Teaching Gurkhas to fly

Flying Life: teaching Gurkhas to fly in Nepal

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."

Hang-gliding Until The Mountains End

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.

Just Another Little Cloud

'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.'