Bassano del Grappa, one of the best-known flying areas in the Southern Alps, is primarily renowned for its excellent cross-country flying opportunities. However, there is also plenty on offer here for hike-and-fly enthusiasts. One hike suitable even for those who are less fit is the ascent to Tappetti, which is relatively easy to manage. The Stella Alpina launch site is also located along the way.
I use AI in my blog to translate German texts into English. This works quite well for the most part, but sometimes the meaning of the text is not recognised and translated incorrectly. Could AI answer my questions about paragliding in the various disciplines? Would it be conceivable to dispense with the knowledge in forums, YouTube, blogs, fellow pilots, books etc. and rely solely on text-based AI à la ChatGPT? I have asked one question from various category and checked ChatGPT's answer for accuracy.
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.
There are plenty of stories to tell about cross-country flying. One person who does this in great detail is Dmitry Balabanov. He reaches a large audience with his elaborately produced videos, which he uploads to YouTube. But it's not just his stories of cross-country flying, often from Roldanillo or Bassano, that he has to tell, there are also other aspects of his flying life that make him an interesting interview partner.
The Wallberg - an ideal mountain for hike and fly beginners, as the ascent is relatively easy. In contrast, this is not necessarily the best location for long XC flights, as the launch sites face north and north-west. Nevertheless, long XC flights have also been made from here if you know where to look for the thermals immediately after take-off. A classic is the flight to Kössen, which is also feasible for XC beginners with sufficient westerly winds.
