SAFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 11 January | February 2020 for minimal exposure to these adverse conditions, flying your normal everyday set-up will improve your flying on that gear exponentially. If you’re planning to buy a new wing and can afford to keep the current one as a ‘dune basher’, then do so – just be mindful of the different wing characteristics when transitioning back to your newer, most likely higher spec wing. It is essential that you have a correctly fitted and easily accessible speedbar. Know how and when to use bar, and make sure it is at the ready when flying the dunes. 3. Landing area There is no wide open field or established landing zone on the dunes. Ideally, you will have a site with a wide flat beach at the bottom of the dunes, along with adequate top landing opportunities. Of course, this may often not be the case, so be aware of the landing conditions you’ll be facing and think about your landing options long before you need to. 4. Tides The narrower the beach, the more consideration you should give to the tide height. A nice low tide will give you the maximum usable landing zone. 5. Gradient of dunes The steeper the gradient, the more chance of lift in lighter conditions (although you will need stronger conditions for dune flying in almost all cases anyhow). 6. Height of dunes With adequate pilot skill and ideal site conditions, dunes from 1.5 to 2m in height can be flown. Ideally though, you should look to fly dunes of 4m or greater in height – this particularly applies to paragliders where the wing sits a lot higher above the pilot than it does for a hang glider pilot. 6. Wind strength Just like any other site, the wind strength that dunes can be flown in varies greatly, but be aware, the smaller the dunes or the more laid back the gradient, the more strength you will need to maintain flight. Photos: Michael Long Remember: Stronger wind strength decreases your margin for error. In summary ➲ ➲ The lower the dune height and the more laid back the gradient, the stronger the wind required to create enough lift for sustained flight, but with less margin for error. ➲ ➲ Likewise, the higher the dune and the steeper the gradient, the less wind strength required for sustained flight and, subsequently, more margin for error. There truly isn’t a better way to get to know your glider than to practise subtle inputs and corrections whilst scraping along a dune. For anyone who hasn't been on a training hill since, well, training, dune gooning is highly recom- mended. There’s no more enjoyable way to sharpen your skills than to spend some time dune gooning! Have fun and fly safe, future dune goons.