| 1. Launch at the wrong time The 'skygods' launch, go | | | | movement of the winds. Look around you for the |
| up, and disappear over the back of the mountain. They | | | | place where you would like the next thermal to lift off |
| seem to sense when it is the right time to launch, but | | | | from, and will it to form. Wave your hands, if it helps, |
| there's nothing different that you can see about that | | | | and mutter 'Abracadabra'. It may be that we are all |
| particular moment that they chose and the moment | | | | ignorant magicians, it may just be that you tend to will |
| you choose which sends you gliding like a rock to the | | | | the thermals to lift off the most intuitively likely trigger |
| fields below. How can you cultivate this timing sense? | | | | points. Whatever the reason, ordering the thermals to |
| Pretend you are a Jedi Master, and "feel the force" of | | | | form, and flying towards your own creations, often has |
| the thermal rising up the mountainslope. It's okay, no | | | | the desired effect of a wonderful save, and a climb to |
| one's going to see you, because you're pretending.! | | | | cloudbase. |
| When you feel its the right time to launch, wait. When | | | | 6. The Way of the Two Strong Legs There are two |
| you feel its completely wrong time to launch, then GO. | | | | routes in the sky - one that mirrors the roads below, |
| You're not getting up and away with the launch cycles. | | | | and one that mirrors the clouds above. Rarely do |
| Which means you've probably been responding to the | | | | these two coincide. The road route generally stops |
| wrong signals, like when the nice strong wind comes | | | | soon after launch, where some inconsiderate |
| (the thermal is passing - it's too late, you'll just drop out | | | | road-planner curved his pencil away from the ridge to |
| the front of the thermal). | | | | meet some distant town. The cloud route is fresh |
| 2. Fact or fiction? Air currents are, most of the time, | | | | every day, demands that you remain airborne, and is |
| invisible. Any ability to predict where lift (and turbulence) | | | | generally longer and more satisfying. The landing site |
| lies is based on our ability to visualise air currents. TV | | | | becomes the beginning of the Mystery Hike. May you |
| doesn't develop this skill, since everything is laid out on | | | | be home in time for tea! |
| the screen. Read a fantasy novel instead, and your | | | | 7. Goals for Heroes Frighten yourself with your |
| powers of visualisation will be engaged. Sometimes | | | | audacity. If you're best flight is to the 'turkey patch' |
| the writer will astound you with their insight - "Fly, you | | | | below launch, vow to attempt a flight to 5km down the |
| fools," he cried, and was gone (Gandalf the Grey, Lord | | | | road. When you've achieved that, make it 50km. The |
| of the Rings). | | | | more ridiculous it sounds to you, the more you'll be able |
| 3. Blind as a bat, up to cloudbase A superb tool for | | | | to laugh at the prospect, which is often the key to |
| extending your ability to sense the air currents is a | | | | excelling at cross country flying. Taking it all too |
| two-way radio. You need a friend to stand on the | | | | seriously, striving to constantly better yourself, can |
| launch-site for a while. Then you fly out, and in an | | | | often drain the fun out of a sport which is, in essence, |
| un-crowded area of sky, close your eyes. Allow your | | | | laughing at gravity. |
| friend to guide you through the lift and sink. This will | | | | 8. Songs for Flying By acting in control, you can often |
| increase your sensitivity to the subtle movements of | | | | bring yourself back to a position of control. When the |
| your wing, and allows your imagination to work | | | | sky is falling on your head, and your knuckles go white |
| overtime, for you can't see where you are. It's crazy, | | | | in fear - sing! Reggae tunes, an old Beatles number, or |
| it's a little scary, but it's loads of fun. You may even get | | | | even The Ride of the Valkyries can help to fill the void |
| to cloudbase. If your don't, you can blame your 'friend'. | | | | of fear which is knotting your stomach. Just don't sing |
| Now it's his turn. Where was that thorn bush again? | | | | anything by Dead Can Dance. |
| 4. Speed to fly Advanced flight computers can provide | | | | 9. The BUT end of the flight Ahh yes, the |
| important-sounding beeps and squawks to tell you | | | | underachieving 'but' word. As soon as it is uttered, a |
| how fast to fly to maximise your distance, and when | | | | perfectly good cross-country flight becomes a small |
| integrated with a Global Positioning System (GPS) and | | | | failure. "I could have flown 100km, but my vario |
| a wind-speed meter, can tell you what your drift is | | | | batteries went flat". "I was going to go over the |
| over the ground, and even the time in Hong Kong. Do | | | | mountain, but then I remembered I had a dinner |
| you need this to fly cross country? On a paraglider? | | | | appointment." Every time, you never get as far as you |
| Let's be serious, we're talking about a craft with a glide | | | | should have / would have / could have. Use the word |
| angle of 8:1 and an effective speed range of 20km/h | | | | the other way around : "I was going to land at Joe's |
| ('slow' is 30, 'fast' is 50km/h.) With all that extra | | | | Farm, but I hit a thermal and landed here!" This way, |
| equipment which demands your attention, you're | | | | you always out-perform yourself, and soon it |
| unlikely to make it past the 'turkey patch'. Hang loose, | | | | becomes habit. Better still, don't use the word at all, and |
| enjoy the flight, and think about where the next lift is | | | | rejoice at every airborne moment. |
| likely to be. | | | | I would have been flying cross-country today, but I had |
| 5. Lifting the thermal off the trigger points Pretend for a | | | | to write this article. |
| moment that you have the power to influence the | | | | |