Have you tried tow launching?

August 15th, 2010

For those who get frustrated with the lack of breeze or just in the wrong direction,  lack of thermic activity, then here’s a way you can get paragliding anyway.

Track down an instructor who has a winch. Get down to an airstrip and get towed up and get some airtime in the off season.

There are a few things to learn, such as how to rig the tow bridle, how to tie the breakable link and arrange a suitable detach method. The only other inportant aspect is to keep straight on tow. Any launch-path deviation to the left or right will result in link breakage. Be sure to control the surge of the paraglider wing if the link breaks.

The winch driver needs to keep a close eye on the angle of attack of the paraglider wing.  To shallow and you wont get enough height, and too steep and you risk a stall.

All that stuff will be covered in your paragliding towing course.

Have fun.

Paraglider Ground Handling at the beach

June 23rd, 2010

I live on the beachfront, so I have the advantage for pegging a flight at the right time.
Today was SW, but I noticed from my window an incoming squall. The tail end of a squall can be good because it can bring the direction more onshore and after the main squall has past, the rain has gone, and the wind dies but is often still strong enough for some dune flying.

I waited for the squall to pass, and sure enough the wind came in through my window, which faces SE. Off I go, across the road, to Shelly beach. Get the wing out, kite it up, turn around and crab backwards towards a dune, waiting for the moment I love, when I become weightless and levitate.
I feel my wing begin to lift me and take my weight, I step back a fraction toward the dune and I begin to float above the ground, easing on some brake to stop me flying forward, looking down at the sand as my feet levitate vertically. the wing begins to fly and move forward and I turn to go along the dune. I feel the gusts release then gently pull back the brakes, all instinctual now. A larger gusts comes and I gain height above the dune, the wind drops and I settle gently and perch on the top of the dune, wing hovering overhead waiting for the next gentle puff.
It comes and I hover along the dunes again, waiting for a larger gust so I can turn tightly and swoop the beach, my feet inches from the sand and then up and back to hover above the dune.
I love inland flying, and getting high, but this dune dancing, is something a longed to do as a child. To hover over dunes, go out and hover over the water, floating and levitating.
If any of you new guys have time to spend, take your wing down to a beach that has some dunes, small or large. And ground handle if it is possible. Or ground handle anywhere. Any time spent ground handling transfers to flight time. If you practice kiting your wing up, turning around and standing still while your wing fly’s above you. Then take the thing for a walk: forwards backwards, crabbing left and right. When this becomes instinctual, it feels like the wing is just another appendage. And then you can play on the dunes… if that is something that appeals. You can crab back to them, hop of them, fly for awhile. As you get better you can go in stronger winds and
do the hover. Playing with dunes, even just crabbing up and hovering down is all good top landing practice. It will make you a master of low flying, feeling your wing and responding instinctively.
As most of the danger in our sport is when we are close to the ground, these skills will pay off.

You don’t have to wait for the wind to be right to fly. You just need to find somewhere to ground handle.
> >
> > Bill.
A big Thank you to Bill, author of “Science of soul mates” and extreme Paragliding enthusiast for this little gem. visit http://www.scienceofsoulmates.com

Swing Arcus 5 Review

March 26th, 2010

Ive had a few flights in my Swing Arcus 5 now and Im as happy as a flying pig??  Im flying it with a dedicated cross country Sol CX paragliding harness, so its very comfortable and very responsive to weight shift.

This Paraglider wing is a joy to fly. It seems almost impossible to upset this it, responsive to turn inputs,  turns flatter than my icarro Cyber 2, and not as pitchy in the air either. Dig into a turn and it swings around fast(with reasonable height loss).  Noticable speed increase at trim but still very easy to top land.

The paraglider has a very slight tendency to overshoot on inflation/takeoff (typical of 1-2 wings Im told),  so keep an eye on this if you’re upgrading from a lower spec wing.

I havn’t had any meaningful thermaling experiences with the Arcus 5 paraglider yet. Ill leave a comment when I have.

When reading these reviews, keep in mind that Im still a low hours pilot. My experiences are relative.

UPDATE: Took the wing out for some serious thermaling last week and its a big thumbs up from me. The Swing Arcus 5 seems to handle just about everything thats thrown at it. I had some bumpy rides and the worst it delivered was a 15% assymetric. We’re talking climb AND descent rates of 10.1 metres per second, including a rough and consistent 8.5m/s suck 1000 metres from cloudbase. I love this wing!

The Swing Arcus 5 Paraglider has now allowed me to set three consecutive personal best XC’s of 12.5, 25 and 43km from launch just 350 metres above the flats reaching heights of 2445m.

If I had to fault it, I would say that it lands a little faster than my Cyber2 did. At altitude with little headwind, the landing speed is noticable. Just remember to flare firmly and its A-OK.  Oh and avoid downwind landing… baseball slide is the right sort of imagery for that one!!

The Stimulating Adventure Of Indoor Skydiving Las Vegas

March 26th, 2010

Since the early 80′s indoor skydiving and flyaway indoor skydiving has become more and more liked.   There have been more wind tunnels constructed around the country in major cities, especially those cities that are known for their entertainment qualities.   Indoor skydiving Las Vegas is a popular extreme experience that is sought not just by every day vacationers, but also by celebrities who want to get away from it all.   Indoor skydiving is a much safer way to experience the flight of freefall, and is also much more cost effective.

Training

Basic safety and flying techniques will need to learned before you embark on your first indoor skydiving adventure. If you have an interest in taking indoor skydiving lessons you shouldnt have to make a reservation for a class since most skydiving tunnels in Las Vegas offer these classes on a repeating basis.   After the class, instructors will take the individuals into the tunnel to help them take flight for the first time.   Once they give them the basic techniques of flying, individuals can take to the air and practice.

If jumping out of an airplane catches your interest then you might consider indoor skydiving as a starting point.   Since the air in the wind tunnels is usually moving at about one hundred twenty miles per hour, the individual can practice free falling techniques so that they will be better prepared for skydiving from the plane. Many experts use indoor skydiving as a means to practice and gain more air time thereby reducing the cost you would norally have in renting an airplane.

You need to weigh at least 40lbs if you want to try indoor skydiving in Las Vegas. For saftey reasons children will need to be accommpanied by their parents in order to participate. If there rules and safety procedures are complied with then any ages can participate in indoor skydiving since there is such a low rate of injury. Las Vegas tunnels have certain restrictions for air flight. To qualify for indoor skydiving an individual must meet certain weight to height ratios. If you are a man you cannot weigh more than 180lbs if your are under 5′ 6″. For a women the weight limitation is 160lbs and the height is 5′ 6″.

Skydiving in Las Vegas

March 23rd, 2010

Las Vegas adventure skydiving is among the most adrenaline rich adventure sports experiences you will find there. Adventure sport of all persuasions has become a popular past time for thrill seekers of all ages. The adrenaline junkie is no longer a crazy person with a death wish, he or she is your everyday adventurer. Skydiving is the most death defying, most rewarding and the most exciting way to fulfill your adventure sports ambitions.  As you stand awaiting your jump you begin to appreciate the feeling of security and relative safety inside the plane. Outside the air rushes with incredible force and the earth is a blur of colors below.

It seems inconceivable that you are about to leave the safety of the plane to leap i nto a free fall that will take you thousands of feet closer to the ground at an electric pace. But you do it anyway and there is nothing on earth like the feeling of complete freedom.  It is that feeling that adventure sports junkies crave and it is that precise freedom that adventure skydiving provides. Adventure skydiving is like any other sport in that you are consistently pushing the boundaries and refining your skills in order to achieve results. Some of the boundaries being explored by adventure skydivers are the free fall time. Free falling is the supreme rush and skydivers want to do it for as long as possible. This means that jumps are taking place higher and free fall time is significantly increased. The higher they go the more challenging the jump is but that only seems to entice jumpers more. Another area of the sport is formation diving. This is when a diver or a group of divers perform various maneuvers and are given scores for precision and execution. These maneuvers are performed during free fall so you can imagine how difficult that would be. Falling at alarming speeds whilst trying to execute a mid air maneuver.

This is a popular and challenging sport that has caught the attention of the HostGator, read more information on Online Marketing and adventure in Nevada at Andrew’s website–http://interiordesigning.co.nz/

All You Need To Know About The Skydiving

March 21st, 2010

Having decided to jump from a perfectly good aircraft, my next question was, how  did the research and asked as many questions as I could think of about skydiving, and there were quite a few, considering the nature of the sport. Here is what I learned. The Basics First, you will need to find a skydiving school with a good reputation.This is a fairly easy thing to do.The internet, phone book, and local airports are full of them.Next, you will need to check your pocket book.Skydiving is one of the more expensive sports to learn.Then, you will need to decide how you want to learn.There are three methods of training: tandem, static line, and Accelerated Free Fall (AFF).All of these methods have their benefits and drawbacks, but we will touch more on those a little later. What’s First? Health and Safety. First, you must consider health and safety.Know the risks involved before you get involved.Skydiving is not chess; you will not be sitting on an uncomfortable concrete bench moving your pieces around a game board.

You are going to step out of an airplane and, in freefall, will reach speeds of up to 250 feet per second?that is 110 miles per hour!!If you have a bad ticker, unregulated high blood pressure, or any number of other health problems, speak to an instructor and discuss your options in detail.Also keep in mind, even the best of the best in this sport sometimes hit the ground a little harder then they intend to.So, bad knees may also be a consideration.DO NOT be afraid or embarrassed to discuss these things with your instructor before making that first jump. It is always preferable to hit the ground safely then to plant yourself in it.Truthfully though, with the proper preparations and instruction you would be more likely to develop cataracts from reading this article then suffer a serious injury from skydiving.Listen to your instructors, know your equipment, and never assume you know how to do something just because you saw it in a movie. Which Training Method To Use? Training Methods.As I researched information, I discovered that there are three approved methods of training to become a licensed skydiver, the Tandem jump, the Static jump, and the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF). Tandem the tandem jump is the easiest and quickest method to get into the air.

The author is a  business coacher who concentrates on search engine marketing and website design.

Motives Why You Ought to Take An Extreme Skydiving Adventure

March 17th, 2010

Should it appear insane to you that anybody could actually go extreme skydiving? That individuals would deliberately fly way up within the sky and leap from a plane?  Does that seem a little nuts?

Many people do it since it’s required for their jobs; smokejumpers and paratroopers need to jump out of aircraft, since that’s the only way they can get to where they are heading.

Exactly who makes a sport from jumping out of really higher places, whether or not it’s a plane or a bridge or a high cliff?  Are you able to envision even a single explanation why a person would skydive? Bragging rights and war stories; after all, if you’ve a skydive or two under your belt, you get bragging rights whenever folks are telling war stories about all the scary things they have done. It is something you can tell your grandchildren to make them proud of their heritage. Also, individuals who skydive talk about flying. They are intrigued with the science and technology of skydiving that allows you to control your movement by way of the air. Whether you are a part of a skydive team and do no cost fall formations and tricks, or you prefer to accomplish solo skydives and enjoy the sensation of flying, skydiving is more than just falling via the air.  Many people like to skydive for the thrill, the adrenaline rush. Some people seem to get addicted to it simply because it is such a powerful rush. There’s also then the matter of doing it to knowledge beauty and freedom. Individuals who skydive speak rapturously of the beauty as well as the sense of freedom they encounter. They speak of floating by way of the clouds, and seeing over the horizon, and they love feeling free and unfettered.

Even when you go skydiving would seem crazy to you, it is a perfectly rational thing to complete for lots of people. They’ve excellent factors for enjoying skydiving; factors that make them want to complete it above and over and more than again.

Remain Safe In Sports Activities

March 16th, 2010

A sport watch is one of the gadgets that every man desires. Men’s sport watch would look good with any outfit. It could lend an aura of strength and power to the man. It also has a lot to offer to discerning watch buyers so they can enjoy healthy lifestyles.

A black sport watch is an important gadget for men. Black would always add to one’s charm and sexiness. This is one good reason why a black watch is also popular. It also provides a number of wonderful features to the wearer.

It combines the excellent appearance of a wrist watch and the wonderful features of sport watch. The advantage of a black watch is it matches with the formal wear such as office uniforms. It also goods good with sports gears and clothes on.

Stylish looks and classy functionality make a very irresistible combination. The prices are affordable too. Some watches have chronograph functionality, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, alarm, lap time recorder and so many others. Digital watches use digital display to tell time.

Sports watch have all kinds of styles, features and costs to fit everyone’s needs. Some sports watches are designed specifically for women. The trendiest styles of sports watches are offered in authorized watch distributors in both online or land-based stores. The legitimate watch dealers have complete line of watch products that can satisfy different budgets. If you know what specifications you require, finding one that you truly love will be faster.

Safety is a big issue when it comes to sports. Some sports activity demand more rigorous routines which are sometimes dangerous. Car racing is an example of this dangerous sport especially for those not trained in the terrain.

Some professional athletes even met untimely accidents some time. For this reason, people would be wise to buy gadgets and gears that would enhance their safety such as a black helmet.

Bikers would most particularly need this gadget as a protective gear. As a precaution, wearing a safety gear would help prevent any untoward incident.

A helmet is not exclusive for biking. A lot of sports would need a helmet for extra protection such as car racing, football and skiing. Deep-sea divers even wear helmet together with the mask.

If you love to pursue sports, getting the best gears could make a lot of difference. This could mean life or death for the person. Watches and helmets are good protective gears that will help you stay safe while actively engaged in sports.

February Frustration

March 4th, 2010

Ok it wasn’t the greatest month for paragliding.  I spent many hours looking at the sky, but not in it. Although I am in far northern NSW Australia, the weather reminded me of a warm winter in the UK. Wet and windy(not much fun in a paraglider). On the bright side, I got a new paraglider wing. Well not new, but new to me.  My Icarro Cyber 2 was getting a little porous, so Ive upgraded to a Swing Arcus 5. Ill post a review once Ive been for a fly. Hoping that will happen tomorrow. Cheers for now.

Strap Into Fun And Free Falling While Tandem Skydiving In New Jersey

March 2nd, 2010

Tandem skydiving in New Jersey is a very popular sport. Since tandem parachuting is one of the easiest, and perhaps the best for a novice, ways to experience the extreme sport of skydiving. There are several benefits to tandem skydiving. One benefit is that there is not very much training involved. Another benefit is that is that you can take comfort in the experience of the jump instructor you’ll be working with. One final benefit is that there is an automatic activation device on the parachute, so your chute will be sure to deploy at the appropriate time during a jump. Classes and Lessons. Skydiving begins with a training session. The session will teach you the basics of skydiving, the equipment necessary, and what to do in the air. After your training session, you will go through a regulatory equipment check procedure. The safety harness you are wearing will be checked by your instructor for proper fit, and then you will be headed to the plane for take off. The flight itself takes about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes. During the final minutes of your flight to your dive destination, the instructor will review the basics of the dive with you to ensure you are properly prepared to make your jump.

A few minutes before the exit from the aircraft, the instructor will lean out the door to guide the pilot in terms of final jump preparations as wind conditions can vary from day to day. A few minutes later , you and your instructor will walk to the door and begin your jump. You will free fall for approximately five seconds before your first chute, your drogue chute, will be deployed. Eventually, your instructor will let you know that he’s about to deploy the main chute. Once the chute is deployed, you will begin a gentle descent to the ground. The instructor may even allow you to steer the chute on the way down. Landing is the final step to skydiving tandem in NJ. The instructor will do most of the hard work during this portion of the jump. Skydiving is a popular sport throughout the world. Skydiving in New Jersey is an excellent way to experience the sport.

The author provides search engine optimisation and website promotion, and his latest achievement is one of the top 10 websites–http://www.webhostingreview4u.com/