HGFA Skysailor Magazine

30 SKY SAILOR May | June 2019 passive safety and confidence in unfamiliar or unexpected conditions. At just 3.6kg it was fairly light too. Combined with the front mount reserve, Pi Pack and strapless harness I had my full, familiar performance flying, essentials at under 5.5kg. I must add that I expected the ultralight harness to sacrifice some comfort, but since using the strapless for the first time, it has become my favourite harness for any casual flying (it does, however, sacrifice impact protection). Lessons from on the hill in a foreign country The downside of choosing to fly in early winter in a not so mainstream flying region was, that all the local flying schools were closed. They weren’t even answering my emails! This left me using the internet for pre-travel research. I found basic info, but had to hedge my bets on what conditions may be present, what the launch sites would be like, and how to find their exact locations. One thing I did learn is that the best way to get site information is to often just turn up and start asking some questions (if they speak my language, that is). Watch for who is launching, what they are flying and more importantly, who is not flying. I have found that even if I don’t speak the language, I can often figure out who the more experienced pilots are – who is being approached for advice and who appears to be supervising. When groups of supervised pilots are flying, it’s probably on. If seemingly experienced pilots are waiting, there is likely a good reason. Above all else, if you are not confident in the conditions, don’t fly! The upside of the region I was in was that there were chairlifts for the ski fields. While early winter wasn’t very thermic, the chairlifts were often running on weekends so I could do multiple sled runs while the locals were around to get to know the area. However, my biggest lesson was that flying can be just a part of the enjoyment of exploring new areas without being the main focus. The learning, discovery, exploration, ups and downs of adventure, meeting new people and challenges of getting to launch at the right time on the right day can be just as rewarding as a big XC flight on its own. The next part of my journey is the fundraising and training for the ‘Wings of Kilimanjaro’ journey. Watch this space! Eyes on the landing field after a frosty 40-minute glide down to the valley below. A well groomed launch site, complete with chairlift access, windsock and restaurant shared with the local skiers. Does it get any better? Below: Early winter still saw green landing fields below Following the locals chasing a weak thermal releasing from the valley below Preparing To Journey to the top of Africa