Flying Paradise Rules Paragliding Safely
Recently, we realized that many pilots don’t understand the purpose of all our briefings and rules, and that by going to a flying centre, they won’t be flying just for themselves but in a group. They need to understand that our sites are regulated and that we don’t want to see pilots ending up in hospital and that even if a pilot is very experienced, there are others pilots who might not be so experienced.
You may be very surprised by some of these rules, as they might be more than obvious to you. Well, we thought this too!
1: A radio, reserve, speed bar, back protection and an insurance (third party, personal accident and repatriation) are mandatory. (We have harnesses and reserves for rental, speed bar for free, insurance for 95 € year).
2: You can’t take off if there is not one of our guides with mobile phone, radio and minibus on launch. Why? Three of the injured pilots in the last 15 years have had internal bleeding. The 40 minutes saved with the minibus and the right phone call can make the difference.
3: We might suspend the launch at any time due to weather conditions.
4: If there are low airtime pilots in the air, you must leave them a comfortable margin when passing them, not like at Annecy!
5: You can’t do wing-over near the launch area, at low altitude or near a landing approach. This is to avoid to scare pilots taking off and to keep the launch clear for top landings. However you've got all the space you want over the sea for your SAT, loops, etc!
BUT you just come to enjoy free flying aren’t you?
Do you think that what you see sometime on crowded sites: Take off in the lee or under a storm, incompetent pilot for the conditions, non respect of priorities, pilots walking over others gliders, is actually paragliding?
For me it’s not, and I will make sure that this won’t happen at Flying-Paradise.
When I created Flying-Paradise 16 years ago, I thought that all pilots where sensible. Well, I had to change my mind about that. Many pilots are not, they are just focused on getting in the air as soon as possible.
Should I, just because they are adult and licensed pilot, let’s them fly in conditions that I know, are not safe?
Well, the problem is that the next day, while they are in hospital, I will have to ask myself: “Why didn’t you stop them?”
I just want to keep a normal safety level by telling people off as little as possible!
Many pilots, thanks me for the way I run this centre (even if they sometime add that it takes them 1 or 2 days to get used to it) whereas I sometime learn, indirectly usually, that for some others I am just a pain in the ass stopping them from getting in the air by 35 kmh wind, on a site where we already pick up two guys behind with a broken back.
It is true that a very good pilot could have launched, feet on the speed bar right after launch and for most of the flight, while the other 10s would have waited for him instead of having a drink or looking for another site!
Sure, it’s not always easy for a 50 year old, very experienced pilot, with a strong personality to listen to a guide – sometime half his age, telling him that he cannot take off and that we are going somewhere else!
But please, trust us, and remember that not all pilots are comp pilots. Also that we know our area very well and that we are maybe going to surprise you!
We are always open to discussion. So even if we are on the move don’t hesitate to ask what’s happening and why.
We don’t pretend to have the universal knowledge. We are just looking for the best decisions for everyone and to make you fly as much as possible.
Christophe Dubois