First of all, I'd like to thank you all for the support you showed on my first post. It was my first post ever and it truly felt great to see how well it was received. Definitely good motivation to keep bringing content to the community. For those who missed the said post, you can find it here: Anyone Can Leisurely Fly - My First Steps to Flying On My Own - Part 1
So a few days ago, I left you at the end of my first paragliding lesson. As I mentioned, there was no real action on that day but I had a lot of information to process and remember.
A couple of days later, Laszlo, my instructor, asked me to meet him on the beach after work hours. The wind had picked up a little bit and according to him it was perfect for a first ground handling lesson. Whether you are learning to paraglide or fly paramotor, ground handling is an essential part of the training where you need to learn how to control the glider above your head while being strapped into the harness and standing on the ground. A good pilot, whatever his experience level is, will keep practicing this skill again and again whenever possible.
When I arrived at the beach, I put on my hiking boots, my gloves and my helmet and strapped myself into the harness. Laszlo tested me and made sure I remembered how to lay the glider on the ground and how to connect it to the harness. I was already a bit uneasy by then because I could feel the wind pushing on the glider which in turn was pulling me. After a quick briefing on what I was supposed to do next and with laszlo's help, I got the brake handles in my hands and pulled on the A lines (these are the lines connected to the front of the glider, also called leading edge). In a matter of a second or two the glider was up in the air right above my head.
From there the hard work started. I had no idea it would be so physical and that it would involve a lot of running. for the next 30 to 45 minutes I would bring the glider up, run towards it, run sideways, pull on the brakes, bring it down, lay it properly so that it is easier to bring it up again and repeat.... When the lesson was over, I was very happy but exhausted and drenched in sweat. Needless to say that the next day, a lot of my muscles were sore and painful.
Every now and then, when our schedules and the weather would allow, Laszlo and I would meet and I would practice again and again until I was finally in control of my glider without his help. It honestly took me about 10+ hours to get to that stage. At around 7 or 8 hours I had a bit of a setback. You see, I started doing well and was quite happy with my progress but all of a sudden everything started going wrong and I felt like I was back at the start and not able to control my glider anymore. I was told later on, that it is normal and happens to a lot of pilots, something about the confidence kicking in and as a result not being as careful and precise with my actions as I should be.
Once Laszlo was happy with my abilities and progress we agreed that it was time to take off and land so we scheduled the next session at a man made hill with a flat top. There, he explained all the steps for taking off and landing and then he proceeded to do demonstration for me. Once fully strapped, he brought the glider up above is head and ran towards the edge of the hill. Et voila, he was flying! He made it look very easy but I was a bit nervous because I knew I was next. After picking him up at the bottom of the hill, we went back up, I strapped myself in, brought the glider up, ran and made the rookie mistake of jumping when I reached the edge. Good thing for me, it didn't affect my take off but Laszlo made sure later on to reprimand me about it. So despite this blunder, there I was, up in the air suspended below a big piece of fabric. It lasted a few seconds only (maybe around 10) because the hill is very small but I was elated. It was my first flight. The landing however could have been a bit smoother.
We would regularly meet at the hill so I could practice my take offs and landings. I was getting better every time and I was really longing for my first long flight. You see, where I lived at that time, there are very very few places where one can paraglide and one of them is another man made hill, much bigger this time. Because of the stronger wind conditions, this place allows you to soar going back and forth along the 100m ridge. On a good day, you could stay up in the air until you get bored of it.
The day came when I was ready for that new place. Because of the stronger winds, I did require help from Laszlo to hold onto me while I brought the glider above my head and after a couple of steps forward only, the wind picked me up and I was quickly climbing above the hill. I was happy and nervous at the same time. I had a lot of practice behind me but the conditions had always been calmer. I started following the ridge back and forth and slowly relaxed. After maybe 10 minutes, Laszlo waved at me, indicating that I should make my way towards the landing area. As I was slowly gliding down I prepared myself by repeating all the steps I needed to do in my head and when it came to execution time, it went smoothly. What a rush! I finally considered myself as a paraglider. Still a beginner but a paraglider nonetheless.
After that, every weekend I checked on the wind conditions and whenever they were perfect for flying, I drove for two hours to the hill or a small mountain range to meet other pilots and fly for an hour or two, land before sunset and head back home. I just love that sense of freedom I get from it. Other than the noise the wind makes in your ears, it's very quiet up there, and it is definitely a good way to relax and release stress.
This is how I found myself a new hobby, all thanks to my brother without whom none of this would have happened. Eventually I started paramotoring and I may soon bore you with a post about this experience as well.
I haven't had the chance to paraglide for a while due to life changes but I really miss it and hope that I can get back into it very soon.
Thank you for your attention and I hope that my experience made at least one of you think about getting into that sport. Safe flying everyone!
You can also check a short old video of mine when I soared along a small mountain range for a couple of hours.