Paragliding in BC

Paragliding in BC

Monday, January 14, 2013

Bring on 2013!

 Happy New Year!



Letting my precious out of the bag for a little kiting 


So happy to have a new year with new possibilities ahead of me, just waiting to be filled with adventure!  We're only in the middle of January and things are already fantastic.

I finally got my paraglider out for a ground-handling session on Sunday morning, and even though there was very little wind (which is why the wing is in such a funky shape in the picture) it was still fun to run around the park with it, giggling as I ran really hard and tried to get airborne with some little bunny hops.

This past weekend I also hosted a HAGAR study course, which for non-Canadian pilots probably requires a definition.  In Canada, we are pretty much self-regulated and fly under the guidelines of our governing body, the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC).  However, we have to follow the rules from Transport Canada when flying in certain airspace.  Makes sense - we don't want to be flying in the middle of an airport approach path & end up playing chicken with a 747.  The exam we have to take is tricky and full of a lot of information that we don't use on a regular basis. When I went to take the exam years ago there wasn't anywhere offering lessons on the air regs and I only passed by the skin of my teeth.  Now that I'm running my own business I decided to take on this project myself and am proud to say that this past weekend was my second successful run of this course.

It's cool seeing your vision come to life, and satisfying to help others who have been searching for the same information as you.  Having more people contacting me about the next session feels great and motivates me to keep improving.

Woot woot for 2013!