Dr Matt Wilkes has produced an outstanding contribution to paragliding safety. Together with his many supporters, sports professionals, regulators and the team at the Thames Valley Club he ran a study on emergency parachute deployment during the annual reserve repacking event ... and reached some valuable conclusions about rescue systems and how to use them.
Report by Carlo Borsattino
I popped out to the hill for a bit of a fly. "Let's try the Flybubble Challenge!" said Greg. The concept was to fly or hike around all the Southern sites (except Beachy Head) in a day. Let's see how it goes, I thought. If I left the hill at all, maybe I'd make it to High and Over, with some hiking along the way.
Report by Carlo Borsattino
I popped out to the hill for a bit of a fly. "Let's try the Flybubble Challenge!" said Greg. The concept was to fly or hike around all the Southern sites (except Beachy Head) in a day. Let's see how it goes, I thought. If I left the hill at all, maybe I'd make it to High and Over, with some hiking along the way.
In two seperate incidents, A lines have separated in flight on the Supair SORA 42 tandem glider. While investigations are underway, Supair advises all pilots to stop flying this wing.
The tipstall (B3/C3) is a relatively new descent technique that not many pilots know about. It is an effective alternative to Big Ears, but only on some wings – it depends on the wing design. It relies on the outer B or C line stack being in just the right position to create a neat stall that gets swept back in the wind.
Big ears: a flappy flight manoeuvre, misunderstood, maligned and even feared by beginners, this stalwart of the cloudbase regular is an essential skill for all pilots. Let’s strip it down to the basics, so you can tuck with confidence.
The Advance EASINESS 3 is a lightweight reversible mountain paragliding harness/rucksack with split-legs design, and a removable EN/LTF-certified airbag with integrated reserve container under the seat. Amongst its competitors, the EASINESS 3 is surprisingly not the most expensive and one of the lightest, which is remarkable given the robust construction and refined appearance. It's only 2.3 kg in the M size: rucksack and harness. On your back it will make your paragliding kit appear to be as compact as a hiker's bag. But what's it like to use, down on the ground and up in the air? We put it to the test to find out...
The Triple Seven Knight is made “to make the entry into the world of thermal- and XC flying as easy, intuitive and safe as possible”. A noble goal that matches the aspirations of the largest group of paraglider pilots: the ‘weekend warriors’. Low airtime pilots need a wing that will help them with their progression, and that’s where the Knight fits into the Triple Seven range, between the ‘high A’ Pawn and the ‘high B’ Rook 2. Does it offer the right balance of passive safety and agility for the average EN-B pilot?
Carlo had the opportunity to try out the X-ALPS4. Like its predecessor, X-ALPS4 is an ultralight 3-liner with 6.99 aspect ratio, nylon wires, complex internal design, and certified EN/LTF D. Skywalk explain that they deliberately chose a 3-line concept for the X-ALPS4 because they feel this is currently the best symbiosis of high performance, low weight and ease of use. "The X-ALPS4 is not only for the athletes of the 2019 Red Bull-X-Alps... but also for all XC pilots looking for a performant and extremely well-balanced racing wing."
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.
