Birds of a Feather-Part 1

Part 1 - Jeff Shapiro heads on the road to learn more about what's possible

By KAVU

June 13^th, 2017

opportunity

No matter what I know, or how much experience I have, one thing that seems undeniable is that each and every day is an opportunity to learn.

It's Crazy what a small group of dedicated pilots from different parts of the world are doing in their paragliders! Vol Biv (or, fly camping) in the Greater ranges, like the Himalaya and massive cross country flights have been an incredible motivation for me. My love for flying, and for the Himalaya, makes that type of flying adventure an inspiring and driving force toward wanting to continue building a skill set, along with alpinism, under a wing to further meld the aspects of my life that I'm most passionate about: mountains, climbing and flying!

One of the most valuable things a pilot can do to educate and prepare for a better understanding of wing management is to take a course referred to as SIV. An SIV course simulates incidents that require the pilot to do the correct thing, at the correct time, to either keep the wing flying or "get it back" after a collapse in turbulent air which, can be common in the big mountains. I feel like it's my responsibility to continually train and (in small and correct steps) further my knowledge and understanding of what will clearly help me to be a safer and more skilled pilot.

SIVclinic.com

I had previously done a SIV course in Montana with ace pilot, Andy MacCrae and had learned a ton but, knowing that everyone has different approaches, and wanting to learn from as many good pilots as possible, I began to seek out courses. I had planned a flying trip to the mountains of the Eastern Sierra when I learned that my friend, Brad Ganuchio was offering an SIV clinic just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The dates of the course lined up perfectly to be able to join the group, literally "on my way" to the Sierra! Feeling incredibly lucky, I signed up, knowing that Brad is one of the most thorough and detailed SIV instructors out there! His experience was easily evident as he went through "ground school", reserve parachute checks, and safety briefings. Everyone left feeling psyched to meet the next morning at the lake for some boat towing and to attempt to turn our wings into a ball of fabric, and then try to 'get em back"!

https://www.sivclinic.com/siv-clinics

perfect conditions

One after the other, we all took turns towing up over the lake to gain a few thousand feet before releasing from the tow line connected to the boat. With Brad on the radio, he put us each through the paces at whatever speed fit the pilot's goals and level of skill and experience. De-briefings and discussions kept us not only "learning while doing", but also while watching the others which, I thought was extremely useful and informative.

Full Stalls

Arguably, the full stall is a necessary but, at first, intimidating thing to do in a paraglider. Funny thing is, paragliders are so well designed these days that, if you do the right things at the right times (key), recovering the wing is reasonable and, I thought.....super fun! No matter what, confidence was gained after several full stalls by the pilots in the course who felt like they wanted to try. It's mechanical "know how" and "confidence" thats exactly what "trying and doing" did for each of us. I think the most common first comment after each pilot landed was a deep and full laugh;-)

Mission accomplished

After 3 days with Brad, not only did I feel a greater understanding, but I had a unreal amount of fun, met a bunch of cool people and laughed my guts out! The course ended and all I wanted to do was get high in the mountains!!

it's a rap!

look who I found!

After Brad's course, I camped on the South side of the Point of the Mountain and woke to sunny skies and friends flying in the smooth morning conditions. Thinking that some KAVU homies might be around, I called my friend Neil Amonson and when he answered, I let him know I was in town and at the Point.

He said, "where"? Just then, I noticed a tall dude standing about 200 yards away, talking on the phone. Recognizing Neil, I said, "look to your left"! 5 mins later, we were catchin' up in the Sprinter, talking about heading out to try to fly the Wasatch range that afternoon!

backyard flight

So, we did just that. Our friend, Jacob Glass, Neil and I launched from a slope just behind Neil's house. The launch was low over a neighborhood and required good timing with stronger cycles to not "sink out" but, all three of us managed to get off the hill in a "good one" and easily climbed out for the epic views of the Wasatch!

easy goin'

A mellow run down the Wasatch, culminating in a climb to 10,500' directly over Lone Peak, led to a nice glide to the crowded skies over the North Side of the Point. It was awesome to see friends in the air, link up with Neil and as I was landing, to look up and see that Jacob had made it as well after getting a little low. The three of us high fived and headed to get some pizza and beer on the way back to Neil's to collect our rigs. Talk about a KAVU day!!