HGFA Skysailor Magazine

6 SKY SAILOR September | October 2018 D rawn skyward for most of her life, Bright paraglider pilot, Kirsten Seeto, feels passionate about flying and is empowered to motivate fellow female pilots to spread their wings and fly sky high in this year’s nationwide Women’s Fly-ins. With the participation rate of female paraglider pilots less than 10%, Kirsten tells of a recent global effort to move paragliding from being classed as a fringe sport to the mainstream. She feels, that by encouraging women to fly in events like the Women’s Fly-ins, not only builds their confidence, supports progression and connects them with a community of fellow pilots, but also increases the size of the paragliding market, creating a strong foundation for the future of the sport in Australia. “Last year, the NSWHPA applied for a Women in Sport grant from the NSW Office of Sport and successfully organised two Women’s Fly-in events. They asked me to lead them, so this was how I was introduced to the idea,” said Kirsten. “There was good feedback, and the message was clear that the events were highly valued by participants and there was a demand for more next season. That’s when I set about planning out the events I wanted to run and the budget required. I wanted to ensure that this year’s events were open to women pilots from anywhere in Australia. That is why I approached the HGFA for funding. They were very keen to support the initiative.” The 2018 Women’s Fly-ins will take a bird’s-eye view of some of the best paragliding destinations in Australia, with five fly-ins scheduled in total. These include two coastal fly-ins at Rainbow Beach, Queensland, and Narrabeen, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Manilla in NSW and Bright, Victoria, will host the two foot-launched cross-country fly-ins. There will also be a towing fly-in in Dubbo, NSW, in March 2019. For Kirsten, simply encouraging women to conquer the skies and soar to new horizons through skill progression, is a key ingredient in retaining female pilots and increasing diversity in the sport. “For the most part, I don’t think women are being actively excluded, I think it’s more about recognising that paragliding is mostly a head-game and men and women tackle this challenge quite differently,” she said. “Getting a bunch of women together to share their experiences and knowledge can help maintain confidence, encourage progression and then, also, become a resource for other women pilots in their home clubs. Sports with greater diversity tend to survive better, because of the breadth of experience diverse Altitude with Attitude A new series of Women’s Fly-ins is setting their sights on new horizons to create more diversity in the sport of paragliding. Photos: Jaimi Joy Photo: Tex Bec