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Course cost for Desert Wind Students $800
All lessons are lifetime lessons.
We will work together individually for the primary course and then after that I will continue to work with you every time we go fly, whenever I see you on or around the sites and/or whenever you call/e-mail with any questions.
As my students know it is an ongoing course because we fly/train together quite often after the initial course. The initial P3 course will bring you up to where you need to be to fly in much stronger and more dynamic conditions with the appropriate understanding of not only the conditions but the dynamics involved, and as always, your operating limitations.
Course cost and time for non Desert Wind Students is entirely dependent on your skill level when you come to me. The only way for me to know that is to Fly and work with you in different types of conditions to know you meet the requirements and also have the appropriate attitude, safety appreciation and equipment to move forward into the stronger P3 conditions and sites.
I have had pilots fly with me for a matter of days and others I have had to retrain from the ground up.
Either way you will know what you need to know and feel confident with understanding your operating limitations before I sign your P3 card. You will be a pilot who knows the sites protocols, how to follow them, and by now will have shown that you have respect for the weather and a safe attitude because you will have learned how to be your own pilot in command. You will be confident flying in thermals, ridge lift and traffic and will know how to minimize the risks as you gradiate into stronger conditions. You will know far more than I can list on this site and will be taught how to be one of the pilots that other pilots can tell knows what he/she is doing just by the way you approach launch with your gear, not to mention by the way you Fly Far and Land soft. That is the Desert Wind Way.
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The P3 (Intermediate) Rating is a more advanced Rating where the pilot becomes able to fly in more Dynamic conditions while enjoying it immensely. We work on your special skills ratings sign offs and you become a much more complete pilot. Novice pilots happily become more confident flying safely in stronger conditions to become intermediate pilots. We will be discussing safety, risk management and attitude appreciation at length and you will be flying comfortably in thermals and ridge soaring with ease. There will be Thermal sessions, Cross Country sessions,more Safety Classes, more ground school, Tow Sessions,more reserve simulation now with Re-Pack classes,and more available to you. There is an intense amount of time discussing, comprehending and executing proper active piloting through proper weight shift and brake inputs, and of course we continue to take our knowledge of weather further.
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SPECIAL SKILLS RATING SIGN OFFS
Paragliding Division
Code Name Rating Class Rating or Skill
AWCL Assisted Windy Cliff Solo Special Skill
CL Cliff Launch Solo Special Skill
FL Foot Launch Solo Special Skill
FSL Flat Slope Launch Solo Special Skill
HA High Altitude Launch Solo Special Skill
P-1 Beginner Solo Rating
P-2 Novice Solo Rating
P-3 Intermediate Solo Rating
P-4 Advanced Solo Rating
P-5 Master Solo Rating
PS Para-Ski Solo Special Skill
RLF Restricted Landing Field Solo Special Skill
RS Ridge Soaring Solo Special Skill
ST Surface Tow Solo Special Skill
TUR Turbulence Solo Special Skill
X-C Cross Country Solo Special Skill
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Desert Wind Paragliding.LLC
The importance of Paragliding Flight Terminology and the honest appraisal.
Let's make sure we are aware and thoughtful with the terms we use in describing the behavior of Paragliders. Don't use terms or phrases that are hazy, non descriptive and tend to mislead and sometimes even scare others. It leads to pilots not knowing how dangerous something was or thinking something is was more dangerous than it is. This is becoming more of a problem as our sport grows and is a blatant sign of the pilots misunderstanding of what actually happened and lack of proper attitude and possibly training. Also, when on launch or in the LZ be open to the appropriate advice about this when you get it from a qualified instructor.
Use accurate terms and phrases in the appropriate language and know their definitions like, There was a partial frontal, full frontal, deep stall, stall, spin, steep banked turn, flat turn, spiral, asym spiral, the glider horseshoed, or surged. Don't confuse spin with spiral, cravat with tip fold, stall with deep stall, or stall with parachutage, or any tow session with an siv. Look up the word collapse. Look up the word deflate.
How you describe your incident describes how your thinking and flying up there. We need pilots who know that describing what happens correctly can help others, especially when there is something to talk about. Most of us pilots who fly XC realize and experience the fact that Paragliders adjust to the surrounding turbulent air in a multitude of ways, and that with the incredible gains in Paraglider technology, the ability to feel, predict, prevent and greatly reduce the frequency and severity of the unneeded changes with active flying,is more and more possible every year.
Paragliders gain and release energy constantly in textured air, it's part of the fun. Changes in your Paragliders shape/airfoil can always be clearly identified and understood as long as the appropriate attitude for flying and respect for ones limitations is learned from the ground up. Part of this includes being open to and able to take an honest appraisal of what happened. And to do this we need to use the correct terminology.
Be thoughtful, concise and specific about the incident IF you know what happened. If you felt a moment of weightlessness, heard a noise but don't know what happened, say so.
A far too common phrase today in general goes: My wing just collapsed hard, then opened, I was just swinging for a while, I love this wing!
A noticeable difference from a more aware in control pilots response of: There was a 40 percent asymmetrical that held for a moment then cleared itself, I just weight shifted to maintain my direction and control any oscillation.
A scraped up pilot in the LZ sometimes says something like, "I was coming in to land and 20 feet above the ground the air just dropped out from under me, it would have happened to anyone, crazy air!"
But the well trained pilots near by clearly describe: The pilot full flared too hard and too early, so about 10 feet off the ground the Glider neared stall, then instead of realizing the mistake holding break and landing PLF, the pilot released partial brake increasing the impact with the ground.
Or: I was getting close to landing and as I went to turn into the wind this dang wing couldn't deal and turned me hard into the ground.
Near by pilots describe: The pilot was coming in slow and 30 degrees cross to a steady 12 gusting to 15 mph wind. He/she made a late low turn with fast heavy input on one brake while quickly and fully releasing the other brake so the glider spun into the ground.
Or: I was on radio with my instructor and he said, Turn left, I did and was so close to the mountain I had to land real hard. It's ok though, it's cool, no big deal, it happens."
Local pilots describe: The pilot is way too reliant on his instructor in general. They should have been on the training hill and not at this site yet, especially in these conditions. Pilot was being told to thermal, instructor told him to turn too close to the hill and the student did it. The downwind turn was far too slow, the pilot unintentionally impacted the ground. If pilot were 50 yards to the West consequences would have been disastrous. Pilots girlfriend screamed before impact. Worst part of it is student/pilot has no comprehension of how dangerous he is being and we all may be flying around him, and he and instructor laughed it off joking about a bad top landing.
So we can see how dangerous it is when we protect our pride with terms like "crazy air" instead of seriously thinking about what happened and seeking out more or better instruction. They can lead to blown launches being called aborts and crashes being called hard landings and laughed off.
Hearing and or taking an honest appraisal and learning the correct terminology and definitions to describe it is an important part of visualizing and understanding the dynamics of flight itself, which in turn is a vital part of minimizing risks.
You knowing the correct terminology so that you can communicate and learn efficiently and correctly from a qualified instructor is vital to your and every other pilots safety you fly around.
If you have the common sense to be able to take an honest appraisal, you know how to deal with what happens during your flight correctly through training, then you will know how to describe it correctly as well.
Fly Far and Land Soft
Chandler Papas
copyright 2007
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P4 Advanced Rating
This course is reserved for the pilot that is committed to flying regularly and has the experience, dedication and attitude and wants to learn how to handle any situation in the more expert conditions we fly in. It is also mandatory for pilots who wish to learn how to fly other pilots and non-pilots tandem.
Please call me about details for this sign off.
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DESERT WIND PARAGLIDERS
SOME KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER
You are becoming a pilot in a sport that is completely within Mother Nature’s elements.
Respect that.
When kiting/flying be aware and open to the weathers hints that it’s time to pack it up.
Don’t make it tell you twice.
A good attitude is required not suggested.
Come prepared.
Remaining teachable requires humility and the willingness to persist.
Be present.
Knowing your equipment is ready helps make a confident pilot.
Do your pre-flights.
Remember that even on your first flight you are the pilot in command.
Ask questions.
When you look off launch you should still be psyched.
Practice.
Accepting your skill level makes for awesome flying.
Easy does it, but do it.
Parawaiting and choosing not to kite or fly is part of the sport.
Have patience.
Good habits start now.
And remember,
The better you get, the better you better get.
Now lets’s go have some fun!
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