Paragliding:
a visual journey
Follow along with us as adventurers take to the skies for the first time on a tandem, learn valuable paragliding skills or even catch a glimpse of pilots just goofing around!
Since I couldn't make it to the Women's Hallowe'en Fly-In down in Chelan, Washington this year, I decided to pull out some of my bee costume to wear yesterday and have my own costumed flight! Stunning weather for November 1st, still can't get over the beauty of this place on a sunny day.
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Looking through pictures from last year at this time, we were still flying in November, although will a lot more layers. Bundle up and fly on!
With all the rain we've had the last few days (and more predicted all week) people excited about winter sports are starting to talk snow. Time to start core and balancing exercises to be able to launch on that slippery stuff!
Flying this week showed the importance of using radios to stay in communication. The cloud mist would roll over the hill and also build and dissipate around us, so calling out your position helped ensure everyone stayed safe and avoided each other in the air. Of course we all follow VFR ("Visual Flight Rules") which means we maintain visual reference to the ground, but for those moments the cloud formed a wall between us it was good to know where your friends were on the other side of it.
With such an incredible sky on Tuesday evening, I got so many incredible photos. Here's one of George launching as he tested out the new Skywalk Range Air harness. If you don't believe in magic then you haven't been paragliding. Sharing the sky with bald eagles as you fly between the misty clouds is an experience you just can't describe with words... Fall flying can mean air that's less turbulent but still bubbly enough to stay up. On Friday Kevin and I were paragliding close to the tree tops and to each other to catch small thermals and enjoy the autumn views.
I didn't realize "selfie-taking" was an option with my flight instrument. Those Flytec's are getting really high tech... This year's Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is in the middle of November. People will come from all over for eagle viewing boat tours but for a few lucky pilots yesterday the "viewing" started early. Three bald eagles were flying from one paraglider to the next, showing us the lift or having fun by zooming by inches above our canopies. With a gorgeous weather forecast up ahead it looks like we'll be flying like this through most of October! Yesterday's forecast called for a chance of a thunderstorm, and while the storm never materialized we did get treated to some epic cloud watching. Check out this "thermal" right above launch at Mount Woodside! |
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