A look back at the highlights of May and a brief outlook for the coming weeks. This time with Hammer Days; Flying into the TRA; Hike and Fly Events; Brauneck Paragliding - Trying to go big 298 km FAI; Understanding thermals: How bubble theory helps you make better decisions and Red Bull X-Alps 2025 Team Training German 1 Markus Anders.
Who among us has not yet had an encounter of the first kind (visual contact) with our flying colleagues, the glider pilots? In order to avoid an encounter of the second kind (physical contact), we should all adhere to the pre-flight rules. Achim Holzmann has explained this and other things clearly in a much-noticed video.
Most of us know the IGC file (en: International Gliding Commission) as a file that a vario creates, in which the flight path is recorded and which can be uploaded to one of the Internet portals, such as the DHV-XC or XContest, after the flight. When opening the file with a normal text editor, you can recognise some information in plain text, but most of the data is very cryptic. However, it is worth taking a closer look at what is hidden behind it in order to better understand the background to airspace violations, for example.
At regular intervals (usually at the end of the month), I would like to provide an overview of the topics that have particularly stuck in my memory or deserve a special mention, as well as special events that are coming up in the next month. As I really enjoy watching paragliding videos, I'm sure there will be video recommendations from me in every review. Let's start with Flying from Brauneck to Munich, XC Therm and the videos Crossing Dreams, Paragliding Roadtrip to Morocco and Learning to Fly.
Hike and fly fever has been spreading for several years now. Thanks to ever lighter materials, it is also possible for the untrained, à la Chrigel Maurer. One person who is trying to bring hike and fly closer to every man or woman is Peter Waldner, whether by organising hike and fly competitions, providing a competition app or his hike and fly YouTube channel. In this interview, he explains why he still enjoys the peace and quiet of a hike and fly away from the hustle and bustle and what makes this type of sport so fascinating for him.
The topic of trimming paragliders and its effect on flight behaviour and ultimately also on safety has been the subject of intense discussion in the scene for several years now. Nevertheless, for most pilots, checking and re-trimming paragliders seems to be a job for the check centres. How can pilots be enabled to check the trim and how can they be supported in trimming their own glider? Nora Martiny and Benjamin Lutze must have thought about this and much more, and their answer: the website we-measure.io.
