Finally the opportunity to do what I came here for - to fly my new Gin Explorer paraglider. Marko, having given our respective kits a once over, provides a run down of the day: Wait for a respectable mass of pilots to launch and watch to see if many are able to climb out. If not, …
Continue reading Maiden Paragliding Voyage with the Gin Explorer.
Another holiday season, another studio shutdown. One of the many perks of working in the Vancouver games industry is the accepted norm of a week off with pay during the week between Christmas and New Years. In the past I would simply kill the week with some side project and time spent with the extended …
September comes to a close, bringing with it the start of autumn. In accompaniment is the foremost trade show of the paragliding world, the Coupe d'Icare in St. Hilaire de Touvet, France. A wide swath of vendors and manufactures attend the CdI to hawk wares and provide glimpses of pending product releases - the latter …
Continue reading Gin Explorer: A lightweight successor to the Carrera Plus paraglider?
Another Canadian National Paragliding Competition draws to a close with eerily familiar results - few tasks and those that were flown were of poor validity. A visiting pilot queried a few weeks back if it was worthwhile to attend this years event in Yamaska, PQ. Answering the pilot was a litany of 'hmm', 'well', and …
Continue reading Using ‘flyability’ in selecting paragliding competitions.
Can you hear me now? On the ground, everything on the radio comes through clear and concise. But once in the air, we can't make out a thing. The 30+ kph relative wind has a tendency of messing with the best laid plans. If after experimenting with location and orientation we find that things …
Continue reading Paragliding Equipment Considerations: Comms Part 4 – Headsets
Hooking it all up With Primary and Secondary Comms in order, now its time to mount everything up. Holders Clips/Velcro The most basic of solutions involve simply mounting the radio/satellite tracker directly onto the harness using any provided clips or the flight deck using velcro tape. A secondary attachment via a leash of some form …
Continue reading Paragliding Equipment Considerations: Comms Part 3 – Radio Pouches
Plan B: Look to the Sky Radios work wonderfully when they have line of sight to someone else listening on the other end. Place a large mass of rock in the way - they don't work so well. Flying alone with no one on the other end, might as well carry on a conversation with …
Continue reading Paragliding Equipment Considerations: Comms Part 2 – Satellite Tracking
"Aggress or regress, never sit still." Never settle, experiment even if the end result is a regression. In other words, strive for continuous improvement. Those that follow this blog with any degree of regularity know that continuous improvement is a corner stone mantra of mine when it comes to paragliding. Improvement of skills, improvement of …
Continue reading Paragliding Equipment Considerations: Comms Part 1 – Radios
Entanglement - the ever present nightmare for anyone involved in canopy sports and runs with a helmet cam. Early efforts in skydiving tried to address the issue by encasing the camera in a snag resistant (or in the case of 2K Composites with the FF* series - snag free) helmet solution. But as camera form …
Continue reading MOHOC: A snag free camera option for extreme s(p)orts.
Friday, final day. As fate would have it, the sky is clearing and the winds dropping off. Just in time for us to pack up and head for home. Word has it next week will bring some great XC opportunities. Go figure. But next week might as well be a lifetime away as we will …
Continue reading Final Day, Trip Home, and a Parting Gift of Zika.
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