by andy » Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:50 pm
Alright Ron You called me out! So What I thought I said was stop talking, and start flying. This would give a more reasoned approach to flying rather than speculation.
I once speculated that the laws of gravity/airflow would change as I approached the ground in a crabbing configuration at 30 miles an hour and made contact only to find that what I thought-(just as Simon proposed) would save me. It didn't. Seven broken ribs, a broken back, lacerated lung, and 10 grueling days in the hospital proved that . What finally saved me from my own insanity of thinking I could think my may way out of badness was to go spend endless hours flying with a really badass pilot named Enleau Oconner, and really getting the shit scared out of me. And when I came back from there I followed Dean and Marty and then learned how to fly XC.
I have flown airplanes, and have flown them in scary places, but none of that really crosses over to paragliders, because we don't have motors! We have gravity! And relative wind.
So Simon I'll drink your beer, just do me a favor, stop thinking about flying and how you can make it different/better, and just go out and fly, and use what is there. It is good!
Andy
PS Tom Truax would would always test his theories before asking!!