Paragliding for dummies Novembre : Déjà des gros vols !

Last update : 13/12/2021

December 1, 2021: It's been 15 days since I arrived. State of play.

Getting started with the Supair Savage

Last year I did some guidance for a pilot who asked me to coach on long distance flights from the area (Read article: December in Valle de Bravo). After 3 days I ended my commercial service: I offered to continue flying together, but that I didn't have much to teach him. He often waited for me at the top of the thermal, while I struggled with my worn-out sail. He was flying with a Savage. A few days ago he did over 230 km in Brazil (but he's changed wings since then, to be completely honest).

I then flew with an Ozone M6 from a Mexican colleague (Pony), so as not to be left behind. You will find the details of my analysis in the same article.

I loved the Spice, but sometimes you have to fly with other sails or change them to realize that there are other great sails on the market.
Exit the Spice, a little too worn-out, I really had to change it after 400-500 hours.

And then there was this magical flight by Antoine Desvallées which made me dream: An early take-off from La Forclaz (Annecy) in the morning, a long glide to Entrevernes (a little confidential take-off in front of Lake Annecy), he climbs up the Bauges, cross the Savoyarde and make an U-turn in Grenoble, return to Lake Annecy, bypass the Parmelan to pass on the west face of Les Bornes, turn around again and pose at the Forclaz T.O. to retrieve his car: 200 kilometers .
Anyway, now it's on my bucket list, and he didn't do that an Enzo, but a… Savage!
Here is the 3D tracklog:

I'm not saying it's just the wing.
As they say here in Mexico:
“No es la flecha, sino el Indio” (it is not the quality of the arrow, but the Indian who shoots it which makes the difference).

Already some nice solo flights

I have already taken a few days of rest, that is to say without going flying. I know, I'll sound like a spoiled child.
But between the jet lag, a good food poisoning (here we call it Moctezuma's revenge), which limits your range in flight, I did not fly every day: You have to save yourself for the more than 3 months of flights to come, and the season has barely started. That said, I fly enough to get to know the Savage, which brings me a lot of serenity, in a sometimes rowdy aerology.
In fact, the more I get to know this wing, the more I like it. I was so happy a week ago that I even left a comment on paraglidingforum.com.

A few days ago I left for Villa Victoria (obviously that won't tell you anything, but it's far away and it's "flat lands"), before deciding to turn around, blocked by the wind from North. A first that makes you want to get back to it, and already a ceiling at 4,250 meters in the convergence.

Just a couple of days ago, I went to Luvianos, and I made a good part of the return: see the illustration photo of this article. It's out of the usual playing field, but I did it last year. On the other hand, I always have to complete the whole journey back to Valle de Bravo !

And then there was this return to Valle de Bravo crossing the lake without much margins : I don't think this is an example to follow (risk of drowning), but I'd still share.

The opportunity to put into practice the stationary point, already mentioned in an article.

And in tandem

No paragliding lessons yet, but already a couple of tandem sessions.
This one was memorable, because this passenger felt over the moon about his flight, so I edited a video:

La Malinche Fly inn

At the time of this writing, I am in Tenancingo.

An ideal site for practicing top-landing. The locals organize a “fly-inn”, a kind of pilots gathering. Already 45 pilots registered for a site which does not usually know the crowds of Valle de Bravo.
After the evening warm-up flight, we were treated to a shaman ceremony to bless the event.


Shamanic ceremony
Shamanic ceremony at Tenancingo Take-off.

 

Condorito

Parapentiste depuis plus de 20 ans, je suis le créateur de ce site. Moniteur à l'école de parapente des Grands Espaces paragliding school, j'aurais peut-être le plaisir de vous faire survoler le lac d'Annecy en parapente. Je migre l'hiver à Valle de Bravo (Mexique). Hasta pronto ! More info

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