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KAVU Athlete Jeff Shapiro, heads to California for the opportunity to learn and share his stoke for flying paragliders

By KAVU

October 23^rd, 2018

Tandem clinic

For years, I've done tandem flights for family, friends, students or anyone interested in experiencing flight in a hang glider. I love the feeling of flying through the air and when someone gets to experience that for the first time, it brings back memories of my own first flights.....experiences that literally changed my life!

So, when I had an opportunity and the desire to gain the skills necessary to provide tandem flights in my paraglider as well, I jumped at the chance!

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eagle

One of the very best places to learn (any and all forms of) how to fly a paraglider is with Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara. Rob Sporrer and his team at Eagle not only teach on one of the best training hills with the most friendly and consistent conditions, but also are some of the best and most experienced instructors in the country.

So, I headed south from Montana to Santa Barbara to attend a tandem instructor clinic to gain the knowledge and skills toward applying what I know from years of tandem hang glider flight to sharing flights in the paraglider

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learnin...

After a good balance of ground school, presentations and sequential practice, our group partnered up and spent long days doing laps and reiterating what we'd learned to gain confidence and safe practice through repetition of launches, flying, and landing the tandem wings

Not to mention......it was a BLAST!!

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bowling?

For me, one of the coolest parts about going to Santa Barbara is the chance to share time with good friends that I don't get to see very often. They suggested..... bowling which, right next to Karaoke is about my least favorite sport to fail at;-)

Although I'm not much of a bowler, Jen Rapp and Brian Kaiserauer assured me that I'd at least beat the kiddo......

I think in the end, she schooled us all...

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superstar

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back to the hill

A couple more days at the training hill and some final tests..... and my time in the California sun was up. Time to head north, back to Montana, to start building time under the tandem glider in the front yard;-)

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back in Missoula

With an awesome flying site overlooking town, and a partner who is not only a pilot herself but is totally willing to hike and go for tandems with me, I was psyched to arrive back in Montana to perfect Fall weather!

Every day, sometimes for multiple flights, Kara and I have been hiking, and then laughing our way through the sky.

I have to admit, thoughts of flying with our daughter, Nya while Kara flies her own glider on family outings in the mountains has me pretty stoked!!

KAVU Days Ahead!!

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Footnotes

Jeff Shapiro lives KAVU to his core and tries to spread as much positive energy possible, world wide! Follow his KAVU adventures!

FootNotes

Jeff Shapiro lives KAVU to his core and tries to spread as much positive energy possible, world wide! Follow his KAVU adventures!

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