This was going to be my first season guiding for Eagle. Luckily for me, I had a group of friends and pilots, some of which I would be meeting for the first time but had heard of for years within the free flight community, to help me learn the ropes so that we could try to give the pilots attending the tours the best learning and flying experience we could.

A ratio of 6 guides and around 24 pilots per week means a 4:1 ratio. With the line up of guides being Dave Turner, Mitch Riley, Marty DeVietti, Brian Howell, and Rob Sporrer, I was psyched to be a part of this and looking forward to an incredible month. For me, getting to meet new people who share my passion for flying and help them to chase their dreams...... is an absolute honor!

I met Marty in Panama City and together, we flew to Cali, Colombia. From there, a quick 2 hour drive brought us to Roldanillo and eventually, to La Uniòn where our group's hotel, Los Viñedos is located.

Los Viñedos is a special spot and will act as our "tour headquarters". Being that it's a 5 star resort, when we arrived.....I was blown away that this would be my home for the next month of teaching and flying!

These tours are much more than just going flying and trying to "guide" pilots on cross country flights... hoping for personal bests, it's also an opportunity to discuss theory, safe practice, weather, risk management and to get things done like re-packing reserve parachutes.

Getting to hear each of the other guides perspectives and listening to their experience and teaching styles has been an education for everyone here, including me. I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity.

After getting all the "teams" organized, we drive up the hill to a local launch..... with only minor traffic along the way;-)

Colombia is a paragliding world destination. The conditions are super consistent and each day, hundreds of pilots take to the air for hours in the air and an attempt to spend as much time at cloud base (where it's a welcome escape from the heat) as possible.

It's as KAVU as it gets!

The best part of the day is sharing thermals, hooting and hollering when we get to the cool air and touch the clouds. Sometimes, I swear I'm dreaming.

Stay tuned for lessons learned in Part 2. We are only half way through our first of three tours. I have a strong feeling by the way this trip has begun that, it's going to be a memorable 3 weeks!

Jeff Shapiro

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