This is the 2nd part with tips that make everyday piloting easier.
Accessories bag
Since I tend to be a cautious person, I carry around a lot of accessories that other pilots would certainly say are unnecessary ballast. But since I fly with water ballast on thermal days anyway, it doesn’t really matter to me. A bag originally intended for electronic equipment has turned out to be ideal for all the small stuff. Among other things, it contains first aid equipment, which I haven’t needed yet, thank goodness. But it also contains things for emergency repairs. I have already been able to help myself and other pilots with minor repairs.
Luggage scale
In the article “Determining take-off weight” I already presented a simple Excel list in which you can determine your take-off weight. But can you be sure that you have calculated everything correctly in the end? A suitcase scale is an easy way to check the weight you have calculated beforehand, at least for your backpack. In fact, the calculated weight of my backpack and the weight weighed on the luggage scale differ by just 150g.
Checklists
Checklists have long been common in professional flying, but not so much among paragliders. However, I used to forget a lot of equipment, be it gloves or vario. Since I check off my checklist electronically on my smartphone, forgetting important utensils is a thing of the past. I use the Android app ColorNote for this.
I use a second checklist to prepare for the flight.
Chrigel Maurer writes it on his gloves, I have a paper checklist on the cockpit to keep checking the last things just before take-off and during the flight.
