h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi There.

Z here - I've got the mantle of running the Create challenge for May.

Anyway, the theme is hobbies, and I was wondering if I could persuade you to write a short entry on 'learning to fly'?

Here's the challenge page: A87756475

Started. Busy month ahead IRL however, so can't promise it'll be finished soon. Watch this space.

Thank you - I'll put you on the list..

I've decided to bite the bullet and start paragliding, and I've found a school on the isle of arran, so I need to neogitate three weeks annual leave, before October.

COOL!

I've also just looked at the site guide for Arran flying and am delighted to find you can fly at the following places:

- String
- Goat Fell (did it?)
- Corrie Cravie (see the Meaning of Liff)
- Brown Head (I really, REALLY don't want to know)

And best of all...

THUNDERGUY! It sounds like a superhero!

Have a good time!

I have some additional words of advice.

As I understand it, you're a man with limited spare time. If you're serious about learning to paraglide, I would urge you to consider doing so abroad.

There are disadvantages - it's generally accepted that the optimum is to learn in the conditions and terrain you'll encounter most often. However, the conditions you'll encounter most often in the UK are "not suitable to fly" conditions. On that basis, UK based training tends to come under the following headings:
1. drop everything and book tomorrow off because it might be usable. Might be. Not definitely will be.
2. Book a week off and be a lucky sod and get to fly every day. To do that you'll need luck levels approaching those I experienced at the end of my training - normal humans don't usually get luck like mine.
3. Book a week off and get one day flying.

It is for this reason I'm fond of trotting out the following: in one of Charlie Dancey's most excellent textbooks on the art and science of juggling, he observes that when you see someone juggling five objects you can be sure of one thing - that person has been practicing, a LOT. Well, when you see someone paragliding in the UK, generally you can be certain that that person wanted to paraglide a LOT - because it doesn't come easy. It's easy to DO, don't get me wrong. But to get to the point where you're safe to be let out on your own can be a long hard slog.

Or... you can go to somewhere like Spain or Morocco with someone like Sunsoar or Flybubble or similar, and be pretty much guaranteed of getting all the way through your qualification in a week or two, plus a tan. Worth considering if time is a factor.

Best of luck either way, and when you get qualified we will definitely have to have a flying trip somewhere - even if it's just you and the Mrs. down to my house and a leap off my local hill - it's one of the most frequently flyable hills in the UK.

I've put you on the 'roll of honour' A87756475, let me know when it's in PR and I'll move it up the list.

In terms of learning I'm wondering if taking two weeks annual leave really is the way forward, I think perhaps I should seek out my local paragliding club and aim to go every day or so at the weekends. Then when I'm closer to being independent check out a weeks paragliding overseas, somewhere i'd be guaranteed to fly every day.

A few points:

1. School/club. Pedantic distinction perhaps, but you need a *school*, not a *club*. The clubs don't really want to hear from you until you've got your club pilot qualification. Clubs can't teach.

2. In practice you'd be better off reversing your plan. Flying every day or at least getting lots of stuff done is more important in the early stages. There's a list of tasks you need to complete to get signed off. Flying one day here and one day there over weeks or months it might take months or more to complete all these tasks. The foreign hol will then seem like an extravagance to just get your last couple of tasks signed off.

Whereas if you go abroad first, if you don't get all the stuff done on the hol, you'll likely have just a couple of tasks left to do, which you should be able to get signed off on the first flyable day you can get with an instructor back home.

One other thing - if and when you do go abroad, make sure you get the correct insurance, that covers paragliding and specifically covers scary stuff like helicopter medevacs and repatriation. I only know one person who's ever needed it on holiday, and he really needed it. (Bizarrely, he was not even flying - he was helping someone else take off and fell over... then down a mountain, rather badly. He's fine now, though.)

One final thing: do make sure you go to a BHPA affiliated instructor. There are non-BHPA affiliated instructors out there, usually self-taught mavericks with their own theories. One of the most famous operates near you.

Well I've found a school, it may have to be next year's project as I'm having a bit of a financial crises at the moment. But I really want to do this. Your entry is inspirational

If you like that, check this out: (do scale it up to 720p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN7x3YAap9A&list=UUrV_DO-3_2pxabVUT1rYh_Q&index=1&feature=plcp

Brilliant.

I'm dropping by to congratulate you on making the Create Challenge Deadline.

This is the code for a delightful lilac badge that your friends can admire on your personal space..

Thank you for this entry, it's brilliant