Flight Photo Mapper; Flying through a hole on a paraglider; Happy Icarus: Paragliding over the Alps
Philipp, a fellow club member, has programmed a little tool called the Flight Photo Mapper. It automatically links photos taken during the flight to IGC tracks and displays both together on Google Maps. The following photo shows an example of such a link between photos and the IGC track. The programme, including the help file, is available for download here. This makes it possible for third parties to locate the mountains currently visible in the photos. The linking is done using the coordinates stored in the IGC file and the EXIF data in the photos. For this to work, this function must be enabled on the smartphone or camera.
Inspired by an earlier flight by wingsuit pilots Lukas Loibl, Filip Kubica and Javi Centeno Gómez, the idea arose to fly through the famous natural arch, Ojo de Buey, in Asturias, Spain, for the first time using a speedwing. The video focuses on the extensive preparation, the decision-making process and the planning leading up to the successful flight.
The pilot emphasises that it is not about setting records or taking ever-greater risks, but about the personal challenge and bringing a special project to fruition. At the same time, he wants to encourage other pilots to plan and prepare their own flight ideas carefully.
Twenty-seven years ago, on 11 August 1999, there was a total solar eclipse in Germany. The eclipse was also captured on film during Toni Bender’s legendary paragliding flight from Brauneck to Bassano del Grappa. Tomorrow’s solar eclipse is certainly a great opportunity to watch that film from back then.
