Hang Gliding!

[treetx]

James mentioned it.... so here goes......:D

I started HG in 07 after my ex-coworker mentioned he had gotten into the sport. I said I would love to but I live in TEXAS, not the ALPS!! :what:

That is when he said great! Texas has the WORLD distance record for hang gliding and great conditions. Every summer pilots from around the world converge on Zapata, TX, near Laredo to go for the record. They fly to north of Abeline :\: ....over 300 miles in one flight!

They use aero tow to get into the sky....I got certified to do this in July. You tow up behind an ultralight and then pin off at 2000ft to go hunt thermals.

I started on the training hill until I could really fly it. This is me back in January

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Once you get used to weight shift flying..... off to the hill. Packsaddle near austin is a 400ft hill. I have a few flights there over 3 hours with some high climbs in thermals. A lot of the flying is in ridgelift instead of climbing thermals.

The other site in Texas is a hill in Leakey. It is only 300ft but it hold the WORLD distance record for a footlaunched paraglider. There is no launch ramp and it is a hike up the hill. I am the only hang glider to launch the hill in 08. This vid is of me launching in June. My 1st launch there in rough conditions on a wing a bit too big for me. Notice how I get knocked about fumbling with my harness (noobie) before catching the elevator to the sky.8)
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Free flying is great...little compares to it. Like tree work, it increases your awareness of the natural world around you. It is something that for me, celebrates the spirit of mankind - the urge to break free from where the earth meets the sky while having the adventure of living a dream.

Just like I am drawn to trees, I can't look at the sky and not want to fly.

The following pics are me :D

You can tow up behind a truck, but I am yet to learn that.

[vharrison]

That is, awsome Nate! Nice landing in that first video. Smooth.

[moray]

Very cool! Nice post!

I flew for about 10 years back in the 80's and 90's, starting when the first double-surfaced gliders appeared. Besides the flying itself, which will inevitably lead to lots of charged memories burned into your brain, there was one phenomenon I ran into 2 or 3 times that has really stuck with me--the glory.

That's the real name, and it only happens if the sun is well above you, a cloud or fog bank is below you, you can see your shadow on the cloud, and there is a perfect 360-degree rainbow surrounding your shadow! The physics of the thing dictates that your shadow has to be in the dead center of the rainbow. More precisely, the shadow of your eye is at the dead center of the rainbow! When it happened to me the air was not thermally at all, so I could chill out, cross my arms, and enjoy the show.

[Jamin Mayer]

How much for the certification?

[MasterBlaster]

How much for the average glider?

[Canuck]

This is something I've been very interested in for a long time now. Ex wife said no way jose. I think that next summer I am going to learn. Now if I can just find room next to my skiis, kayak, bike,.........

[stehansen]

This is really cool Nate.

[JamesTX]

I started on the training hill until I could really fly it.

You only took a step or two before taking off - that's wild. You could jump off our hill over the Pedernales no problem. Soar with the buzzards - there must be some good thermals because they'll stay up forever.

How high do you go?

[Cobleskill]

Gliding looks cool. I have never done that but I have taken a couple lessons in an ultralight. They are powered by a 30-40 horse 2cylinder 2 stroke. Trikite.com is a site that is quite good. He used to be a Quicksiver dealer and he now has a bunch of kits and parts he makes to modify them. Quicksilvers were designed as a hangglider and modified to be an ultralight. He modifies them so they fly better as a powered ultralight.

[woodworkingboy]

A lot of people involved in that activity in my area. Having once flown in a glider plane, I can only say that hang gliding must be great. It must be awesome to feel the power of the wind.

[treetx]

Certified - $1000

Glider - new - $3500 but I have a good used one for $1500

James - I am always looking for new places to go but wind is needed too. That is why it took so few steps to take off in the training vid. Do you have a north or a south facing hill?

[MasterBlaster]

How long does it take to break it down or put it together?

[treetx]

15-20 minutes if you hurry but about 30 if you take your time.

[MasterBlaster]

Can you crash, and why?

[Mr. Sir]

I'm sure you can, but it's not recommended. :P

[treetx]

Can you crash, and why?

Oh hell yes! If you pay attention, and fly the glider it is very very safe.

If you try to fly in conditions that are too rough or too windy, it has consequences. Fatalities or injuries mainly fall into 2 categories - launch or landing. There are very few in air incidents (wing failure or tumbling)

Stupid decisions have consequences. I made one and ended up on the back side of the hill in lee side rotor with my only landing options involved "tree". I got lucky.

[Dave Shepard]

Remember, mankind has a perfect record in flight, we've never left one up there! Looks cool, what's the weight limit on one of those things.:/:

[treetx]

Ha! Aviation is lots of peace and boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

[JamesTX]

Certified - $1000

Glider - new - $3500 but I have a good used one for $1500

James - I am always looking for new places to go but wind is needed too. That is why it took so few steps to take off in the training vid. Do you have a north or a south facing hill?

Hill faces south - always have a good wind coming up it except in the winter.

You land on the wheels? I thought you landed on your feet.

[MasterBlaster]

Ha! Aviation is lots of peace and boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.


I can imagine! :lol:

[Bodean]

Now, That's Incredible. Nate

[sotc]

very cool nate, and you started in your 30s! might have to try something new

[Old Monkey]

I used to really want to give that a try. There are some great places to fly just north of San Francisco where I grew up. I work such long hours that I prefer to do recreation that I can do with my kid. Maybe when she's older I'll give it a try.

[treetx]

I would love to fly in the Bay Area - Mt. Tam, Ft Funston.

I hear you about the recreation with your kid. I am wondering how that will change the sport for me. It was honestly my big push to get in a lot of hrs and a solid skill set this year BEFORE the kid.

There are a lot of guys over 50 just getting into it or returning to it after taking a break for 20 years to raise their kids.

I like the sport as it has many paralells to tree work. You hang your life on systems you put together and inspect - in a harness, danging from a biner (NO snaps Butch!)


very cool nate, and you started in your 30s! might have to try something new
Starting something new in your 30s! It is not starting flying in my 30s that scares me, it is this starting to be a parent that scares me ;)

[moray]

I would love to fly in the Bay Area - Mt. Tam, Ft Funston...


Nate, Funston is boring, but Mt. Tam is awesome. You need your intermediate rating to fly there, as it is a regulated site. Even though that smooth Pacific air usually means you are only going to get a 15-minute sled ride to the beach, the views are world class. In smooth air you can line up on a big redwood tree and fly 6 feet right over the top. The frosting on the cake is landing on Stinson Beach, the easiest landing you'll ever do. Keep the pictures coming!

[JamesTX]

Nate - where did you learn? Is there a school here in Austin?

[vharrison]

It is not starting flying in my 30s that scares me, it is this starting to be a parent that scares me ;)

Nate, you are going to be a great parent!

[treetx]

James -

www.flytexas.com problem is that in winter Jeffo's business is www.flymexico.com so he won't be back until spring.

That training hill vid is Murchison Middle School off Far West Blvd. Training is pretty much making sure you can stay engaged, fly the glider, and land consistantly (on your feet). The wheels are there to prevent consequences if the basetube hits the ground on landing.

v- thanks for the vote of confidence. I have a feeling that not only will I be good at it but also enjoy it. I have a fear of situations with no easy out....being a parent is one of those...failure is not an option.

Moray- I have heard Funston is just costal soaring. I hoped to hear that Mt Tam was more than a sledder.

James - how high? I have gotten over 2k. I have seen guys in Texas get over 8k. At places like the Owens Valley (CA) or King MT (ID), guys get up to 18K (FAA limit).

Nobody asked, but FYI, way safer than paragliding.

[woodworkingboy]

Nate, do you ever get motion sickness when gliding? In the glider plane, I became sick to my stomach when we hit a thermal and started going round and round. It wasn't fun at that point.

[treetx]

No, but turbulence and thermal don't bother me when flying in normal aircraft. I luckily don't get motion sickness - after several hours of hang gliding, it is like after several hours of tree work on a windy day - you can close your eyes and feel the gentle motion.

I quite enjoy the thermal bumps and air going up...what I don't like is the sink that is frequently next to a thermal. That sudden down air next to strong up air (800-1000fpm) feels a bit like going over the falls.

[MasterBlaster]

How do you know your altitude? A wristwatch altimeter?

[treetx]

now you are talking... GEAR!

If you really want to get up and out, you need a variometer. Most of them come with an altimeter... they beep when you are going up and tell you how fast you are going up to help you better center a thermal. Plus if you are several hundred/1000ft off the ground, it can be hard to tell if you are going up..you can feel the acceleration when you start going up but after that, it can be had to tell if you are going up at 100 ft/min or down at 100 ft/min.

variometer w/altimeter - $500

[MasterBlaster]

Is that required gear?

[treetx]

Nah, I flew sans for quite a while until I felt it would be a help. At first, more is just more confusion until you get the fundamentals down.

[MasterBlaster]

What is the injury rate?

[treetx]

Ha! That is what I wonder too. The fatality rate is extremely low. Usually 0-2 per year. When the sport started, it was dangerous, peaking with over 50 US fatalities in 1978.

So low fatalities but how many crippled folk?

[MasterBlaster]

That doesn't seem too bad.

[stig]

Great thread.
When I worked in the forests of switzerland back in 79-81, the guy I worked for was a dedicated Hangglider.
He got me started using his spare glider. We had a great launchspot from the top of mt. Stockhorn nearby.
There is cable lift that runs up to 2190 meter ( about 7200 feet), the local hang glider club had buildt a ramp off the mountainside, we could jump from. Straight out into 7000 feet of air............wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Flying in winter was especially beautiful (and cold) with the setting sun turning The three giant mountains of Berner oberland:
Eiger ( known for it's north face), Mönch and Jungfrau rosecoloured.
I don't glide any more, Denmark is too flat and ugly, but I still have the memorys from Schweiz.

[moray]

Nate, how do you know about Tam? Have you been there? Don't be too dismissive of Tam just because it is only soarable 10 or 15% of the time; I have seen hotshot mountain pilots there many times, and they certainly weren't there for the great soaring. Like Stig's photo, the place is drop-dead gorgeous.

Sometimes even a benign and predictable site like Tam will surprise you. I had heard vague rumors about a convergence that sometimes set up over the beach, but no one I knew had ever encountered it or knew much about it. Normally, once you were over the beach you were in flat air and you were going down, period. Until one special day when I lucked out.

The day was flat, there was no significant lift anywere, so with nothing better to do I headed to the beach earlier than usual, arriving with 600 feet to spare. Suddenly my vario went off! The lift was very weak, and seemed to be concentrated in a long band parallel to the beach and about 500 yards long. I milked it for all it was worth and 10 minutes later I was back at 1900 feet, level with launch! I thought I was dreaming.

I knew I would never experience this again, so I pointed my nose towards Japan and headed straight out to sea. The lift band extended over the water for several hundred yards, and I went about 1/4 mile losing only about 200 feet. When I came back to the beach, arriving with about 800 feet, the lift was gone. A magical door had opened for just a few minutes, and I was incredibly lucky to be there.

[treetx]

I have family in Marin County so that is how I know about it.

I hope to fly in Austria in 09 when I am over there visiting the inlaws.

[Thor's Hammer]

Very Cool Thread Award!

SOunds fantastic Nate. I've wanted to do t for years, but my better half has begged me not as its supposed to be so dangerous - reading your thread has made me realse its time to do it...
This is about 10 miles from me... I live on the island slightly further up the coast.
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[woodworkingboy]

Ever hear of anyone falling asleep while they are doing that?

[OTGBOSTON]

That first vid looks like you are launching dangerously close to the power lines....:\:

[JamesTX]

So, when you're gliding can you carry a camera? Or are you too busy flying to take pics?

[treetx]

That self pic of myself is just one I took while flying. Pulled the camera out, snapped a few and put it back.

If you are ridge soaring, close to a ridge in somewhat thermally conditions, your focus had better be on staying in the middle of the air. It is the edges that will hurt you.

If you are a few thousand up, snap away ;)

[Thor's Hammer]

Nate, I saw this and thought of you...

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[treetx]

Ha! That thing must get hot! He doesn't stay prone long.

Nah, I like the free flying. Something special about no motor, just flying for hours.

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[JamesTX]

Hours? You can stay up for hours?

[MasterBlaster]

Haha, I'm suprised too.

[woodworkingboy]

It's a tough question but somebody has to ask it, what's the procedure for the essential bodily function?

[lumberjack]

It aint called a fly for nothing!

[woodworkingboy]

I see, but just remember that birds like to eat worms.

[sotc]

go before you take off, kinda like go before work:)

[treetx]

It aint called a fly for nothing!


Ha! exactly, you just whip it out and keep flying. :O

[treetx]

http://www.vimeo.com/4186753
http://www.vimeo.com/4021668

a little shameless plug for the sport and my vimeo account

This is where my ill gotten gains from tree work get spent......

[DMc]

Nobody asked, but FYI, way safer than paragliding.

Nate, really cool thread and information. You are much closer to this, so could you elaborate on your comment re safety? I used to fly a weight-shift trike several years ago and have recently been thinking about paragliding.

I need something that could land slow. I also like the fact that I could bundle it up into a backpack or strap it onto the back of my motorcycle or in the sidecar.

So I would like to know if I am overlooking something. You seem pretty well-informed. The Koyot is the wing I am interested in.

http://www.niviuk.com/eng/glider_product.asp?prod=koyot

Dave

[treetx]

I think paragliding (PG) is really cool. You can turn tighter in a thermal, catch lift easier.

You don't have as much penetratrion or glide ratio when you are flying a bag vs flying a wing.

You have no internal frame in a PG vs a HG. It is a ground handling/transportation advantage but also a weakness. PGs can and do collapse.

PGing is a newer sport and I believe as the public awareness of the dangers of PGing increases (just as it did for the early and more dangerous hang gliders of the 1970's) the participation numbers will decrease. Unfortunately, without putting a frame within a PG canopy, you can't "fix" the negative safety issues of PGs. Their unique design is their greatest advantage - as well as their most serious and fatal flaw.

But yes, flying a PG would be fun. The Koyot should be good, it is a DHV 1-2 wing.

You'll never catch me flying a bag. ;)

[DMc]

Thanks for the response, Nate.

I tend to heavily research things prior to investing and have always found it wise to ask for the counter view points on any product. I am well aware of the downside of "bagged" wings. Though I do believe the design wizards are achieving better results.

Freedom costs, as in all things. To be able to pack a glider into a small package and self-launch from a hill is a pretty big plus. Also the country where I live and where I would like to fly is extremely rugged with very few landable spots in the traditional sense.

Thanks again for your input.

Dave

[treetx]

True enough, you can hit small landing areas.

There are thousands more paragliders than hanggliders. I think the wings ability to collapse is being reduced and their ability to recover is increasing.

Oh and Montana...big sky...if you have a collapse, it is only and issue if you are close to the ground.

Right now I am enjoying the HG way too much but on days that are too light for HG, I start wishing I had a PG just to increase my flying window.

Currently I am also starting lessons for my private pilots license so time is short.

[treetx]

My latest flying video. Shows some thermalling action and finishes with a nice landing!!

http://www.vimeo.com/5284652

[Paul B]

Wicked cool Nate. Hot cheerleader welcoming you to the landing as well. :D

[stehansen]

That's incredible.

[darkstar]

Everytime in in Europe in the alps there are hundreds of paragliders.
Its likthe skies have to many almost

[MasterBlaster]

I wonder if those things ever just drop outta the sky, for no reason?

[Skwerl]

Nope, there is always a reason. Just like guys falling out of trees. ;)

[MasterBlaster]

Perhaps I shoulda said "outta the blue."

[treetx]

Ha! No way!

I took this last night. Take off looking behind. Bye you earth bound freaks!!!
http://www.vimeo.com/6510740

[MasterBlaster]

How did you get to the top of the mountain? I didn't see any vehicles...

[treetx]

I drove a little toyota up. It is parked under a tree.

When I land I hike back up. It is only a 400ft hill..... (that is a mountain here)

We often leave a car or have a chase driver.

[sotc]

When I land I hike back up. It is only a 400ft hill..... (that is a mountain here)


I didn't want to say anything about how small Texas mountains are:D

[MasterBlaster]

More like foothills.

How much dinero does it take to get into HG, Nate?

[treetx]

Like a lot of things, it isn't the money, it is the time......

Lessons $1100
Harness (used) $200
Parachute (used) $200
Helmet $50
Hang glider (used) $1500


Buuut once you are there, then you will eventually want a variometer (tell you if you are going up or down), GPS, new wing, it goes on and on.

[MasterBlaster]

Parachute??? I would think that most of the time you'd be to low for it to deploy effectively.

[lumberjack]

A parachute deployed by a static line can be effective under 200'. A static line deployment is how most paratroop jumps are made. Paratroopers typically deploy from low altitudes via static line to reduce hang time to a minimum.


Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to four
It my main don't open wide
I've gotta reserve by my side
If that one should fail me too
Look out ground cause I'm a comin' through

[treetx]

It is flying, not falling. When we take off, we gain altitude and get out! The only limit to height is how high the thermals are climbing and the FAA limits us to 17,999ft.

The hill may be 400ft but I have gotten several thousand feet over it. 3 weeks ago a pilot got 8400ft over the hill...... The distance record from the hill is just shy of 100 miles.

Under 400ft, our chutes aren't useful but lots of times we are plenty high enough. This vid shows me core into a thermal and climb 1200ft over the hill, 1600ft over the ground.....
http://www.vimeo.com/5284652 (posted earlier)

[MasterBlaster]

That is so awesome.

[treetx]

It is way cool. One thing I like about it is that it is not a sport full of risk takers and chancers. You don't see stupid people doing this sport (not for long anyway).

It is a very thinking man's sport. You make decisions and deal with consequences. You have to quickly change plans, re-evaluate a new reality and deal with that situation. You can't just hit the throttle and go around again if you muck up a landing approach. Sink out in the wrong place and your landing options will all involve the word "tree".

But, make good decisions and you get rewarded with altitude. You push and push yourself to the edge to get more altitude and longer flights but you also have to keep in mind that if you make a bad decision resulting in a bad experience (accident), you will scare yourself and seriously (if not permanently) set back your decision making to the point you are so scared of another bad experience that you can no longer make the decisions needed for long safe flights.

In regards to decision making, it is a lot like removing big trees. You have to know when to push it and when to back off.

[Thor's Hammer]

Tre cool Nate. leave those earth bound misfits behind!

[treetx]

http://www.vimeo.com/6662916

Flight yesterday.... slow motioned leaving launch...

[Thor's Hammer]

Nate, what's your opinion on this? Looked most excellent to me..

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[treetx]

Very nice wing. Rigid wing..... wide with an awesome glide ratio....

They don't turn by weight shift like other hangies... moving the control frame actuates spoilerons (flaps).

Nice.... I would say an ATOS is on my 10yr plan. Sail planes on my 20yr plan.

[treetx]

http://www.vimeo.com/6662916

Flight yesterday.... slow motioned leaving launch...

view from the ground.....

http://www.vimeo.com/6674367

[Old Monkey]

It looks like a lot of fun Nate. Do you dream of flying at night?

[Bodean]

That really looks like a great way to spend time.

I'm sure it's like a soul spa.

[treetx]

I often dream of flying. After a long day flying, it is like after a long day of tree work on a windy day..... you lay in bed, close your eyes and still feel the motion......

It is a great way to spend time... but getting less and less as the kiddo gets older..

[MasterBlaster]

What, the extra weight dragging you down? Get him his own glider! :lol:

[Ridgey]

Haha MB!!!!

[treetx]

Maybe take the kiddos to the hill...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pioUWzeuNqw/SltkmLg6c3I/AAAAAAAABe8/Cg8JyvksAi4/s400/3.jpg

Girls hang glide too..

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EzoRIMhdmLY/SpD7ExQzQqI/AAAAAAAAAzg/nDtl3_1bOOQ/s320/playing.jpg

[vharrison]

Nate, did you see the accident that happened? I saw something about it on TV.

[treetx]

No, I didn't do you have a link?

:O

Fatalities for hang gliding are pretty rare... in the US, maybe 1-2 a year. Unlike 1978 with over 50 dead in the US. The sport has come a long way. I did find this fatality from the other day....
The worst fatalities imo are the failure to hook in deaths. (this wasn't)

http://sonomawingsbb.yuku.com/topic/2730/t/Very-sad-news.html
http://lakeconews.com/content/view/10436/764/

[treetx]

Launch and a cross wind landing from Sunday. :O

http://www.vimeo.com/6800542

[rskybiz]

cool cool cool, treetx! for years I have wanted to get in on HG. "sounds" reasonable price wise even.

[treetx]

It is a blast.

2 weeks ago I flew 24 miles (12 out, 12 back) of the Sacrament Mountains in New Mexico white over looking White Sands.

My trip report
http://slaveofgravity.blogspot.com/2010/10/alamogordo-columbus-day.html

[woodworkingboy]

Never have hang glided, but I've been up in a glider plane with my friend who has one. He's a great pilot, holds the national distance record. We couldn't go up in his German made super cool fiberglass glider as it is a single seater, but he took me up in an old wooden glider trainer. The strongest impression besides getting nauseous when we found an updraft and did the circling climb, is the power of the wind. Up in a glider you can experience it very unlike when on the ground. It's a telling experience. Getting sent up by a winch was pretty cool too, a few gs suddenly on take off. :O

[MasterBlaster]

What's the longest time you've been aloft? And the height - how high can you go?

[treetx]

The longest time, for me, was 3hrs 35 min.

The highest above sea level was New Mexico, at 11,000ft. The town where we land is 4,500 feet, so 6,500 ft above ground. This year in Texas, I hit 6,000ft above ground.

At this site in New Mexico, in the summer, people get 15-16K.

I am not looking for altitude or duration, I am hunting miles. The longest flight on a hang glider is 437 miles (from south texas to near Lubbock). I would like to score a few hundred miles ;-)

[Strikermike]

Pilots in non-pressurized aircraft both private and commercial are supposed to use supplemental oxygen above 12,000 feet. Is there a similar rule for gliders and hanggliders? I have taken a Piper Cherokee to 16,000 feet without O2 I could definitely feel the lack of oxygen. Would not want to be there long.

[treetx]

There is no rule but it is a good idea.

Heck, I live at 500ft. I am already winded at 6k.

The FAA limits us at 18,000ft. Sipping on the O's is normal for hang gliders above 14K though there are lots of folks who routinely go without. I have a pocket for an O2 bottle in my harness.

My main issue is cold. In Texas when it is 105 on the ground, it is 60 at cloudbase. The short time I was at 11k, my hands got cold fast and I was happy to be wearing several thermal layers.

[MasterBlaster]

It'd be cool if you could parachute out of it. It could circle until you land, then you control its landing.

[treetx]

Something like this....

Party starts at 2:25ish

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No way... I have no interest in falling. I like flying.

[MasterBlaster]

Wow, I didn't know that piggyback flying was possible.

[SouthSoundTree]

WOW!

[Cobleskill]

I was at 12,500 skiing in the Rockies. My home elevation is 320 ft. I didn't have a problem. Just a mild buzz. My son got altitude sickness though. Seems like it depends on the person.

[woodworkingboy]

My one experience with a shortage of oxygen was when I had a brief heart irregularity. It didn't feel comfortable at all, and it sure didn't seem like fun.

[stig]

Flying double is fun. It is nice to be able to bullshit as you fly.
Also, double the weight on a small glider makes it quite lively.

[No_Bivy]

not for me....good buddy( bad ass climber) died hangliding in SC. First solo flight while his instructor watched......RIP Doc

[treetx]

People die driving cars and climbing trees.

Kind of makes you question the instruction he received. Aviation is not forgiving. You have to be honest with yourself about your abilities.

[MasterBlaster]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not gonna participate in any sport that can kill/maim me. Tree climbing's pushing it enough for me. That, and just simply driving.

[treetx]

What sport do you do then?

While flying is a sport, it is also more. Some of us feel a little confined and restricted down here.

[Cobleskill]

You can minimize, but not eliminate danger in life.

[MasterBlaster]

Is there a rule that I have to 'do a sport?'

[treetx]

No no, you don't have to do a sport. Many people don't do sports.

Weight lifting is a sport. You train do you not? You can get injured doing it, but not killed or maimed.

[treetx]

Yesterday I flew 13 miles from a 400ft hill. Nice start to the season!


http://slaveofgravity.com/

Click on link for map n pics ;)

[MasterBlaster]

Do you always land where you take off?

[TREECYCLE]

Pretty Cool! http://vimeo.com/24720393

[treetx]

Doubt there is much interest, but bumping anyway...... had fun this weekend!

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[Reddog]

Cool!

[woodworkingboy]

Nice landing! Beautiful flight and extraordinary sky.

[MasterBlaster]

I wouldn't want to come down.

[treetx]

That is exactly the way I feel about it!

Unfortunately, gravity wins in the end.

Plus it is the ground that will hurt you - stay away from it, and you will be ok.

[Old Monkey]

I'd love to do that.

[Fruitbowl]

Sweet vid!! Looks like an awesome ridge soaring site. I fly paragliders. My flight yesterday was over 2 hours and I had the opportunity to soar with a bald eagle within 100 yards of me. Magic.

[Cobleskill]

Adrenaline junkies!! Myself included.

[woodworkingboy]

Speaking of the ground hurting, on the news a couple days ago was a report of a 76 year old man that died after crashing while paragliding, apparently a beginner. For gawd sakes be careful!

[Cobleskill]

My neighbor was a Lt. Col in the Air Force, commander of a fighter squadron. He owned a 1946 Piper Cub and got all the neighborhood kids hooked on flying. The first time he took me up was right on the edge of a thunderstorm that moved in us rather quickly. I trusted his judgment, as he had flown in 3 wars, but still rather scary. He let me fly in on the downwind leg, decide when to turn, and then turn again, and brought it in right to the edge of the grass strip before he took over. Pretty thrilling as a 20 year old.

One time he was letting me fly and didn't notice the plane flying towards us. I pointed it out and he took over making a turn towards it and making machine gun noises. A kid at heart. The good old days.

[woodworkingboy]

Machine gun noises....he needs another war. :lol:

[Cobleskill]

He turns 90 in a month. Quite a guy.