Paragliding

[davidI]

Any APPI Solo Pilots on here?

I'm lookin at going to Nepal and doing the APPI Open Sky Pilot and Adventure Pilot courses through Blue Sky (www.paragliding-nepal.com) in February.

I've only done one tandem flight before in Interlakken but absolutely loved it. As soon as I hit the ground I wanted to buy a rig and get my license.

I don't know any paragliders and am just trying to learn more before I start planning my trip to Nepal...

[davidI]

Damn...now I think I have to go to Nepal. Riding old school motorcycles in the same city as the paragliding....amazing! http://www.heartsandtears.com/index.php

[Rat Fink]

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[max_boost]

You are Beyond's most interesting man. :D

I took the 101 class for Hanggliding at U of C with Mueller. Good group of instructors. Just wanted to try it out. Too much work for me to ever do a solo thing. Love to go tandem with a pro for the full experience.

[ExtraSlow]

I also did the 101 class through Mueller and UofC a few years ago. Fun stuff, and I can definetly see the appeal.

[BMW Power]

are there any places in YYC where one can experience paragliding? Would love to give it a try.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by BMW Power
are there any places in YYC where one can experience paragliding? Would love to give it a try. Yep, check out this thread for info.
http://forums.beyond.ca/st/362329/paragliding/

[davidI]

Originally posted by Rat Fink
I've always wanted to get into paragliding but my pilot license has priority at this point. Last time I researched it, there was an instructor out of Cochrane doing lessons, with his more advanced courses involving trips out to Golden for paragliding in the valley there.

I think this was the outfit http://www.mullerwindsports.com/

Perfect! This is exactly what I was interested in! I want to ensure that whatever license I get is valid in Canada. I didn't realize there was a place as close as Cochrane. After jumping in Interlaken, I thought Banff / Canmore would be a pretty amazing place to go paragliding. I don't know enough about the winds / regulations yet to know if it's feasible, but I did read that Will Gadd paraglides and I know he's a big outdoor enthusiast in Canmore.


Originally posted by max_boost
You are Beyond's most interesting man. :D

I took the 101 class for Hanggliding at U of C with Mueller. Good group of instructors. Just wanted to try it out. Too much work for me to ever do a solo thing. Love to go tandem with a pro for the full experience.

Thanks! I will have to check out of the U of C classes too. Something tells me it will be far cheaper in Nepal though, with better scenery!


Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Yep, check out this thread for info.
http://forums.beyond.ca/st/362329/paragliding/

:rofl:

[davidI]

Oh, and here is my one and only flight so far in Interlakken....

I spoke to the guys quite a bit about it and it definitely sounded like something I wanted to get into more....

http://s10.postimage.org/qn3km1xex/SDC13901_Medium.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
upload pic (http://postimage.org/)

[benyl]

Originally posted by davidI

I don't know enough about the winds / regulations yet to know if it's feasible, but I did read that Will Gadd paraglides and I know he's a big outdoor enthusiast in Canmore.


Flying in National Parks is still being negotiated. Still a no-no.

It isn't the flying that is banned, it is landing. There have been a few folks who have flown from Golden to Canmore. All legal, but again, without an engine, you run the risk of landing in the park.

People also used to fly from Fortress when it was open.

here is a search result that might yield so info:

http://forums.beyond.ca/search.php?s=&action=showresults&q=paragliding&searchid=10838280&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

As far as the APPI. There are so instructors that are associated with it that I know. I can't say at this point if your "rating" will be valid back here in Canada. The APPI seems to have been started by 2 guys and it has gotten a little bit of traction, but I don't see any national or international organization supporting it.

IPPI is the international standard that every recognizes and is managed by the FAI.

enjoy Nepal. That would be a cool place to fly.

[thrasher22]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I also did the 101 class through Mueller and UofC a few years ago. Fun stuff, and I can definetly see the appeal.

Do you actually do some flying in the class? I found it on the U website and it's only $109... If you actually get off the ground that would be a great price!

https://pr1web.ucalgary.ca/CamRecWebPublic/Event/EventDetail.aspx?id=S13OGLP132

[benyl]

You do get a few feet off the ground. If you have good running ability, you can get 15-20 feet off the ground for a few seconds.

The intermediate course gets you a few hundred feet off the ground for a few minutes.

[milesmcewing]

Hello David,

Do the motorbiking in Nepal - I rode through Chitwan as well - not with the guys from the link, just borrowed a buddies bike. I can hook you up with some people there. Even saw a tiger in the wild. The guys who run the paragliding course there are from Utah. I'll see if I still have his card.

I took the Meuller course - mine had an unfortunate twist.

Peter Mueller was our instructor - we did the ground school one day. The next day we went to fly and it got too windy so they cancelled us. Peter went out to Mt. Seven in Golden to fly instead...... failed to launch properly and landed chest first on a rock and got killed. Needless to say the next days class got cancelled.


Never got to finish the course......

Call me for a beer sometime we need to swap some other stories.

Cheers
Miles

[benyl]

Originally posted by milesmcewing
Hello David,

Do the motorbiking in Nepal - I rode through Chitwan as well - not with the guys from the link, just borrowed a buddies bike. I can hook you up with some people there. Even saw a tiger in the wild. The guys who run the paragliding course there are from Utah. I'll see if I still have his card.

I took the Meuller course - mine had an unfortunate twist.

Peter Mueller was our instructor - we did the ground school one day. The next day we went to fly and it got too windy so they cancelled us. Peter went out to Mt. Seven in Golden to fly instead...... failed to launch properly and landed chest first on a rock and got killed. Needless to say the next days class got cancelled.


Never got to finish the course......

Call me for a beer sometime we need to swap some other stories.

Cheers
Miles

Interesting story.

Peter Muller was really Willi Muller.

Willi went to Chelan, Washington on his way to Oregon for the US Paragliding nationals. He launched fine, encountered turbulence and crashed into a rock chest first. There were no classes scheduled until August (like every year before and since). You should have been able to pick up your class in the fall.

[milesmcewing]

Willi... you are right, I knew that too, must have been thinking about something else while typing.

I suppose we could have re-booked in the fall, just never really got around to it and my wife and I were a little less than enthusiastic at that point!

benyl, just to clarify - did he get killed in the US then? I never really got much more story than I wrote and it was a while back. The course was a private one that a business associate arranged for a group of us back then.

If I remember correctly didn't his son Chris(?) get killed shortly after as well?

Happy Trails,
Miles

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by thrasher22

Do you actually do some flying in the class? I found it on the U website and it's only $109... If you actually get off the ground that would be a great price!

https://pr1web.ucalgary.ca/CamRecWebPublic/Event/EventDetail.aspx?id=S13OGLP132



Originally posted by benyl
You do get a few feet off the ground. If you have good running ability, you can get 15-20 feet off the ground for a few seconds.

The intermediate course gets you a few hundred feet off the ground for a few minutes.

Yeah, it's a pretty short flight, and you only get two ir three, depending on the wind that day. I'd say i was about 50 feet off the ground for 30 seconds in the intro class. On my day I did that three times. Just enough to get a taste.

[benyl]

Originally posted by milesmcewing
Willi... you are right, I knew that too, must have been thinking about something else while typing.

I suppose we could have re-booked in the fall, just never really got around to it and my wife and I were a little less than enthusiastic at that point!

benyl, just to clarify - did he get killed in the US then? I never really got much more story than I wrote and it was a while back. The course was a private one that a business associate arranged for a group of us back then.

If I remember correctly didn't his son Chris(?) get killed shortly after as well?

Happy Trails,
Miles

Yes, in the US. I had just gotten back from Europe and the next day we were off to the US PG nationals in Bend Oregon. There was a week long competition in Chelan that we stopped to meet a few friends at. In fact, one of Willi's best friends was there.

Needless to say, we never made to Bend.

Several years later, at the US Hang Gliding nationals in Florida, Chris also hit the ground hard. In the past (well, before this accident), they put a plastic bag with a $100 bill on a traffic cone. It is a one shot deal where on your landing approach, you swoop down and grab the bag and keep the money. I think that Chris was 7th across the goal line that day and none of the top 7 were able to get the bag. He went for it and by all accounts, the wind changed and he crashed into the ground. There is video of the incident that only 3 people have seen.

I think I was about 20th that day. When I saw his Red Bull stickered glider upside down, I knew it wasn't good. Having to identfy his body at the hospital was probably one of the worst things I have had to do in life.

I don't write these things to sway people away from PG or HG. I write them to help people understand they are risky sports.

Understand that both of the Mullers were flying competition class gliders that trade stability and safety for performance.

Beginner and intermediate gliders have come very far in the last 5 years. In fact, some of the intermediate gliders of today have better stability than beginner gliders from 10 years ago and more performance than the glider Willi was flying.

The important aspect of risky adventure sports is knowing your limit and understanding the conditions in which you are playing. Even riding a motorcycle in Nepal has inherent risks that I would think twice about.

Understand weather and the implications to you. Thunderstorms = bad. Strong Wind = Bad. Cold Front = Bad. Etc... Understand what the lee side of a moutain is and why you can or cannot fly there.

I've been playing the game for 18 years and I still have fun every time I go out.

[milesmcewing]

Thanks for the update and clarification.

I still look forward to going out and flying sometime. Just have lots of other distractions!

Its interesting to hear the comment about riding in Nepal. India has always been labeled an horrific place to drive/ride - I actually found that behind the wheel is was a lot more safe than being a passenger. The rules were simple and once you understood - it was great fun.

Same as your comment about the risks of gliding - it boils down to understanding and skillset to ensure the safety.

When we drove to South America, no one thought we would make it. Had we believed 10 % of the stories we had been told - we would have never left. The countries labeled as the 'worst, most corrupt' ended up treating us the best.

Attitude is everything.

Cheers!