Thursday, August 9, 2012
Air Roller Coaster
Above Gosausee, Austria. Paragliding is a popular sport in Austria and pilots have been known to travel hundreds of kilometers riding the thermals. I was sitting in the same place when I took these photos just nine seconds apart. Note the lift when he or she encountered wind or rising warm air. Imagine being an experienced paraglider pilot with the thrilling views and the sensations you'd have. It might be useful if your stomach likes roller coasters.
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These are great shots, but from the little I know of mountain wind currents, I would not do this. My pilot's training stressed the dangers of flying close to mountains with their up and down drafts.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I'd like the feeling of flying but do not have what it takes to do it. Am guessing the up drafts are the reason this has become so popular and hope they have more responsive control over a parachute than a plane. I agree wity you...would not want my plane this close to mountains. Will have to be content with dreams of flying--exhilarating if not too high.
DeleteI've never wanted to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, so paragliding is not in my future. One of my flight instructors pointed out sky above you does you no good. Always better to have plenty of sky below you when flying, so flying high is better than staying close to the ground.
DeleteFor the majority of cases, yes, I agree wholeheartedly but those minutes just after take-off and just before landing, while close to the ground are my favorites. If they could come up with a quiet helicopter I'd apply for a traffic reporter job. Love that birds-eye view!
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