Some of my Longest Flights!
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2007
1
14
18
Trip End
Jan 21, 2007
Crucita,
Ecuador
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
fruit of our efforts by constantly climbing, although slowly (0.1 to 0.4 meters per second)..
An Expert Pilot Flies with Me
. I reached a maximum of about 300 meters above sea level (the launch was at about 100). We crossed each other and the birds and made our way back and forth all along the ridge... It is about 16 km long before hitting a no fly zone above a military base. The day was perfect... However, I realized about 2/3 of the way through that my plan to protect my legs from the scorching ecuadorian sun had failed miserably! My legs were on fire! Not literally of course! I could feel the sun burning my skin... I though my long thick socks and long shorts would be enough to protect me without any sunscreen, but as I sat down in my paraglider, my shorts got pulled back and the wind blew into my shorts, revealing even more sensitive flesh! By then, Michel and Benoit had landed safely on top of the launch (a nice change from yesterday's beach landings) and I decided to land ASAP to get some cream on these babies! Unfortunately for me, I had only executed two top landings earlier at the Niton site near Banos... And they were far from ideal... I executed 5 landing attempts and failed to orient myself properly and get close enough for a successful top landing... Thankfully, Benoit and Luis responded
to my radio calls and guided me through the top landing strategy for this particular site. Everything went smoothly and I ran to the van to get some sunscreen!!!
We all sat around and enjoyed a well deserved pee, water and cream break..
Benoît Experiences a 50% Collapse Near the Ground!
. Jean-Roch and Martin were busy working hard on their inflation and kiting techniques farther behind the launch: Henri was coaching them. About an hour later, the wind picked up and we slowly left for some more flying... This time, it was a pretty challenging launch: reminiscent of some strong windy days in the Gatineau Hills back in Canada! Michel left first in a tiny break in the wind strength and I left shortly after with my wing tucked in on the sides to avoid being dragged back while waiting for my break. When my turn came, I raised my wing and was quickly swept right off my feet! I flew backwards while controlling my wing for a bit and turned around in midair when I was ready... Then, I crabbed left onto the ridge once again and headed towards Michel far off down the coast. This time, there was nice strongish constant lift everywhere ranging from 0.2 to 2 meters per second in some spots... The important thing is that there was absolutely no sink! Even when I was flying at trim speed (without any breaks), I kept climbing up. This time, I reached a maximum altitude of about 500 meters!!! It was great... The constant strong lift and smooth flying conditions allowed me to take plenty of pictures of the scenery and my colleagues (Benoit soon joined Michel and I) and I even filmed my first few short videos from the sky! Wow... This is something new to me... Being able to fly whenever I want and, more importantly, land whenever I want knowing that I can return at any time in the same day! We went far to the end of the coast and back, I even practiced a new big ears technique over the ocean and quickly gained any lost altitude..
Benoit Flying Below Me, Above the Ridge
. The birds flew with me for a while and many came by... I mingled with the other paragliders in the sky (Henri eventually joined us too)... Great stuff. An incredible two hours later, I decided to land (Michel had already done so) and successfully top landed with my big ears on to cut through the lift and turbulence near the launch. Luis guided me through once again by waving his hands in the direction to come in, he knows this place like the back of his hand. Benoit, on the other hand, came in soon after, but a little farther off than Michel or I and experienced a 50% collapse of his wing about 5 meters above the ground! It was a very traumatic experience for all. Fortunately, he counter balanced the collapsed side of the wing, which re-inflated itself almost immediately, and rolled onto the ground. Nothing was broken nor bruised. We did lend a hand to extricate his lines from a thorny bush however! Overall, it was a great day!
