Cross Country July 2022

We have to trust in the basics before we can progress anywhere, was one of the key messages from our recent online masterclass with SIV instructor Malin Lobb, who is also the subject of our regular Naked Pilot slot this issue. For him that starts with the harness. “Adjust it properly, lean back into it, let it support you,” he said. If we have even a one-centimetre gap between our back and the harness, then as paraglider pilots we’re not allowing the harness to do its job. Instead, we’ll be leaning a little bit forward, tensing our stomach muscles to pull ourselves up, perching nervously – whether we know it or not. The result is we won’t be able to fly as long as we’d like, we’ll get tired more easily…

Karlis Jaunpetrovics started paragliding in 2012 when he was living in Taiwan and has worked as a professional tandem pilot there and in Nepal. Now a guide in the Alps he regularly runs XC clinics and courses. This issue he writes about what he learned during his first hike-and-fly competition. See p34 Nico Aubert grew up around paramotoring and has been a regular at events, festivals and competitions since he was a child. He took his first solo paramotor flight aged 13 after his dad, Pierre Aubert of PAP, built him a special-sized frame. Just back from the Paramotor Worlds, he reports from Brazil on p68 Anna Darchenkova was born and raised in the Caucasus mountains and started flying in 2007. An interior designer, she fell in love with flying and is…

We have to trust in the basics before we can progress anywhere, was one of the key messages from our recent online masterclass with SIV instructor Malin Lobb, who is also the subject of our regular Naked Pilot slot this issue. For him that starts with the harness. “Adjust it properly, lean back into it, let it support you,” he said. If we have even a one-centimetre gap between our back and the harness, then as paraglider pilots we’re not allowing the harness to do its job. Instead, we’ll be leaning a little bit forward, tensing our stomach muscles to pull ourselves up, perching nervously – whether we know it or not. The result is we won’t be able to fly as long as we’d like, we’ll get tired more…

Seb Benz’s 359k Seb Benz (CH, Ozone Enzo 3) flew 359km on 15 May for the longest straight-line flight in Europe so far this season. His 11-hour flight started at 9am on Riederalp in Switzerland and finished in the Pinzgau Valley. It’s more than 500km by car! A** performance Toni Brügger proved his 200km triangle on his EN-A Nova Aonic in March was no one-off when he flew a 247km FAI triangle on the same EN-A wing on 10 May. In the air for 10h30m he started and finished at Riederalp in Switzerland. Europeans HG & PG The 21st FAI European Hang Gliding Championships is taking place in Monte Cucco, Italy from 10-23 July. Also in July, the 16th FAI European Paragliding Championships is running from 25 July to 6 August in Serbia. Both competitions…

Karlis Jaunpetrovics started paragliding in 2012 when he was living in Taiwan and has worked as a professional tandem pilot there and in Nepal. Now a guide in the Alps he regularly runs XC clinics and courses. This issue he writes about what he learned during his first hike-and-fly competition. See p34 Nico Aubert grew up around paramotoring and has been a regular at events, festivals and competitions since he was a child. He took his first solo paramotor flight aged 13 after his dad, Pierre Aubert of PAP, built him a special-sized frame. Just back from the Paramotor Worlds, he reports from Brazil on p68 Anna Darchenkova was born and raised in the Caucasus mountains and started flying in 2007. An interior designer, she fell in love with flying and is now…

South Africa’s Pierre Carter successfully launched from the South Col on Everest on 15 May and landed after a truly Himalayan top-to-bottom nearly 3,000m lower. With official permission only to fly from 8,000m and not the summit at 8,849m, Pierre was hit with a dilemma during his ascent: whether to go for the top and reach the roof of the world, or to take the opportunity presented by a short weather window and launch. “After a lengthy discussion with base camp regarding the weather I had a tough decision to make as it looked like I could not do both. The wind was forecast to go from 20km/h to 40km/h with a build-up of clouds in the afternoon from 1pm. So what to do? “My thoughts were the summit is always there.…