Adrian Mateljan

It’s Sunday afternoon and I have finally made it up to my “office” on the third floor. Not because I’m slack - but because I am recovering, again - and this time slowed down by a slightly swollen and delicate ankle… but let me back up a bit.

After last week’s paragliding taster, Lou and I have decided to make a go for it. We now have our equipment and hope to achieve our Club Pilot (Novice) rating in approximately ten sessions. Our taster last weekend counts as day one - and so on Saturday we made the trip back out to Glynde for day two. (As an aside, spending is now on lockdown pending a new budget…)

First up, Mount Caburn, where we spent the morning and part of the afternoon until the wind direction changed on us. After doing so well last week, Lou and I had some “challenges” this week. I don’t think we managed to land on our feet once. After a hard landing on my first flight, I managed an even harder one on my second (not including the one in between where I face-planted shortly after take-off as the glider overtook me. Apparently I jumped - which is a big no no…) Anyway, I was dragged across the ground for several metres and was a bit shaken afterwards - and wasn’t feeling too confident about the whole thing. Thankfully we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we climbed to the top of the rise we had been launching from. Now fitted with an ear piece (I was having difficulty hearing the instructions on the radio) and partly convinced that it should actually be easier and safer from this height, I actually managed my best flight for the day - completing two turns before running out of height for my third. I still didn’t land on my feet, but I felt a lot better about the flight! I managed to get my gear all the way back up to the top of the rise and prepared for another launch before the wind conditions finally changed - which meant packing up my gear and trekking back down the hill. You would think down would be easier, but it isn’t.

We then headed over to Firle where I had my final flight for the day. This was to be a fairly long, straight flight - so I was most interested in getting the landing right. I don’t think I had been flaring (a parachute landing maneuver) properly (if at all) in the previous flights. I still didn’t land on my feet. I did flare - but I think too early and so I didn’t hold it - and then either forgot to flare again or simply had no time for it to be effective. If you were wondering why this entry is titled “flare” it is as a reminder to myself.

I discovered the ankle swelling when I got home. My best guess is that it probably occurred as a result of my second landing. Not to be completely outdone, Lou has some bruising - mostly on her knees, which she apparently decided were better for landing than her feet. We are booked in again for next weekend - lets hope we are a tad more successful.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Diary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.