Bali paragliding on the Gin Explorer 2.

 (Aug 2025)

Breezy black sand.

 (Aug 2025)

Chillin’ in Candidasa.

(Aug 2025)

Indonesian Airtime.

 (Aug 2025)

Failure is not an option.

(Dec 2017)

So close, one could taste the lakeside landing zone (LZ). That was how yesterdays coached paragliding flight with Pete Thompson ended. So close, yet not high enough to make the final transition to the lakeside. Instead I had to settle for landing at the Casa Veijas LZ and cab it back to town with one of the Norwegian contingent.

Today failure (landing short) is not an option, we will make the lake.

After meeting up with Pete, Becky, and Andrew at the Santa Maria church on the south side of town, we ride share a cab up to launch. Pre-negotiating the price is key as the rates can vary significantly - we have seen drivers demand 200 pesos / pilot at the high end down to a car load costing little more than 150 pesos for a group of four. Pushing back a little on the driver can net a median price of about 200 pesos for a full cab.
Up top, the plan is similar to yesterdays - Becky will launch first and thermal about. When things start to spice up, Becky will land and then Pete and I will head out. The winds do not favor a direct over the back approach today, instead we will need to head up and over the Mesa to the northwest of launch. This will require a transition to El Penon and then the Wall. Once over the Wall and onto the Mesa, we can intersect the convergence and ride it to San Agustine and then the lake.

Like yesterday, we choose to wait until the main body of pilots launch and fail to foresee how significant an impact this decision will have.

Pete lends a hand as I set up and launch. While I do find a climb, it is neither as cohesive nor as strong as that which the main gaggle used to climb out and get away. Pete follows me shortly there after and discovers the same. The next hour is filled with a near continuous string of low saves. Failure was not an option.

Tenacity pays off and we finally manage to climb out. A bee-line for El Penon follows. We push past El Penon and proceed to the Wall to find a quick climb out. Once on the Mesa, the flight becomes childs pay and the lake is soon not only within sight but well within glide (with a lot of altitude to spare).

Keeping in mind Petes guidance regarding slotting in between tandem gaggles, I set up to land as Pete touches down. Pete quickly jumps back onto the radio to help ensure that my landing is picture perfect (and dry).

Summary of the day: Ecstatic would be an understatement.

 

Teamwork is essential when conditions become challenging.

   

Working the LZ.

   

Past Penon and onto the Wall.

  

The Mesa awaits.

 

On glide to the lake.

 

Landing Zone (LZ) below.

 

In the queue.

   

On base.

 

... and final.

 

Pretty stoked.[/caption]

Trial Flight: Paragliding Coaching in Valle de Bravo.

(Dec 2017)

Over the years I've come to realize that there are a quartet of relationship silos that everyone in my life falls into one of.

Romantic, Personal, Professional, and Business.

Each of these is disjoint and once a person is placed into a silo, they almost always remain there. Romantic is my significant other. Personal starts with family at the upper end and close friends at the bottom. Professional are acquaintances and work colleagues. Business is everyone else.

When a person is met and the relationship starts to establish, they are judged based upon a trio of criteria - Chemistry, Compatibility, and Currency. The higher up the relationship ladder, the higher the expectation in each category. Chemistry is attraction and is used exclusively within Romantic. Compatibility includes outlook, values, communication style, self awareness, awareness of others, common courtesy - basically the things that help people get along. Compatibility applies to everyone aside from Business. Currency encompasess what the person brings to the table that is of use to me and, as we look further up the ladder towards Romantic, are they able to maintain a lifestyle similar to mine (if a person cannot afford to do the things you do, you are likely not going to see much of each other).

Coaches. Now coaches occupy a unique position, requiring a pseudo Personal relationship within a Business like arrangement. This means that the Compatibility requirement is uncharacteristically high for what is otherwise a straight forward exchange of money for time.

This unique characteristic requires that I test the waters before going all in when engaging a coach. I like to talk to them, get a sense of how we get along, see how they provide feedback and is the communication two way? In the case of paragliding, that means a test flight.

And today is that day.

I had met Pete Thompson briefly the night before on the van ride back from the Piano LZ after our sunset flight. Listening to him engage with his current client, Becky, gave me the sense that he would be very worthwhile approaching regarding some in air coaching. So the next morning on the ride up, I began to query Pete about his background, teaching style, rates, and outlook. All the boxes were quickly checked and by the time we reached launch a deal to get both of us in the air together that day was reached.

The plan

Pete would have Becky launch after the first handful of gliders have marked a consistent climb. Then while on radio, Becky would be directed through the motions of thermaling and working with other pilots sharing the same climb. Once conditions got too strong, the gaggle too large, or Becky starts to show signs of an out of memory error - Pete would direct her to land and we would head out.

The goal for the day is simple, climb out, head out over the back towards the San Agustine turn point (the wind was lining launch and the turn point up perfectly), and make a run for the lake. Direction and commentary would be provided by Pete while in climbs and on glide. Pete points out that he can be very verbose in the air, which I prefer.

The flight

Once airborne, we quickly climb out and begin drifting as expected. The run to San Agustine is a straight forward affair with a low save over La Casa on my part. Along the way Pete provides comments on my thermal technique, use of bar, points out good points to looks for thermals ahead (and why) and macro observations of how the day/conditions are shaping up.

Sadly the lake was not to be as I set down at the last good LZ before town, Casa Veijas. But that is quickly forgotten in my elation as to how the day unfolded. Pete is given a huge thumbs up and booked for every day leading up to the XCSkyRace.

 

Pete on launch eyeing conditions and climbs.

 

Climbing out.

 

Linking up with Pete on the Orange/Red Ozone Zeno.

 

On glide.

 

Diving into La Casa, looking for a save.

   

Climbing again.

 

Another glide.

 

Lake off in the distance, likely not going to make it.

 

Lower right, Casa Veijas LZ.

Paragliding Coaching with Pete Thompson.

 (Dec 2017)

The tagline for FlyinOrange.blog includes the search for 'Coaches, Courses, and Comps'.

The latter two are a relatively straight forward affair, simply hit up paraglidingforum and find the latest course/tour listing or comp posting. Locating coaches, proper one on one coaches, is difficult. We have no one offering 1:1 coaching back home in Southern BC and for good reason, it is not worth it given the high cost of living in our region. Instead our local schools focus exclusively on tandems and training unlicensed students - the former due to the quick turn around and the latter since the student is going to buy several thousands of dollars in equipment by the time they graduate (plus several can be trained at once).

Finding a coach normally means looking outside the prime training/tandem months and that translates to travel south.

Enter Pete Thompson.

Pete flies/teaches out of Colorado during the core flying season and has been recently recognized as the first pilot to successfully fly the length of the Colorado Rockies. During the winter months he travels Latin America flying, competing, and most importantly, coaching.

As luck would have it, Pete snagged a ride with our group back to Valle at the end of my first day here and while he was talking to some other pilots, my ears perked right up when he said, "I spend the winter months doing some coaching.".

Pete's current client, Becky, is learning the ropes of thermalling and not yet ready to fly cross country. While under Pete's guidance Becky would launch when the lift was just starting to work, receive instruction via radio while thermalling and working with the gaggle, then land when conditions would start to strengthen near mid day. From there Pete and I could launch and go Cross Country (XC). A perfect arrangement.

I explained to Pete that I was looking for a tune up after a few months of not flying ahead of the XCSkyRace comp the following week. Pete queried about comfort level, general flying ability, wing selection + weight, and any particular goals that I may have. Pete went on to then explain his teaching style and what we can expect to try while working together.

The experience thus far has been everything I could have hoped for and more. Hopefully you will see the results in my flying over the course of subsequent flying posts.

(Re) Familiarization Flight.

(Dec 2017)

Four months.

Four months since the wing has seen the light of day.

Four months of skill atrophy, lost bump tolerance, and unexercised decision making.

Four months looking to be wiped away in a single day, in a single flight.

Ambitious? Yes. Aim for the stars if you hope to land on the moon, so they say.

Day One, Flight One

Huddled together on the El Penon launch is Marco's crew on the last day of their paragliding cross country (XC) course. They are sorting through their homework assignment of planning the route today without assistance from Marco (aside from a final stamp of approval). After twenty arduous minutes a flight plan with turn points coalesces: PEN-CRAZY-MAG-3KINGS-MAG-SERRO-SANAUG-JOBAN. The majority of the transitions between turn points will require an altitude of not less than 3300 meters to allow for some margin of error. Only a few of the group have made it back to Valle during the course, so the lakeside LZ is left as optional.

The odds I will be able to complete this? Slim to none at this point. But if one fails to plan...

The group plus Marco all take off in an attempt to stay ahead of the gaggle that is sure to form over launch due to the arrival of a Scandinavian tour. I follow not long thereafter and slot in with pilots already starting to climb out.

 

Climbing gaggle. Looking to gain enough height to transition to the rock on the right, El Penon.

 

Nice contrast in color makes this one easy to keep tabs on.[/caption]

It doesn't take long to realize my skill set has suffered from the long lay off. Centering in the thermal core takes more effort than I remember, stealing attention that would otherwise be used to keep tabs on the climbs of nearby gaggles and plan my next step.

 

Seeing the underside of another wing ofttimes signals one is not centered in the strongest lift.

Meanwhile, the better pilots on Marco's course, coupled with pilots I suspect will be on his XC team in the upcoming comp have already passed El Penon and are moving towards the Crazy Thermal Place turnpoint. Unless they get stuck at some point along the route due to shading there is little chance I will be able to catch them, even without the rust that I need to shake off.

That said, there is little harm in at least making it over to Crazy as it is an easy glide to the piano shaped landing field (thus named the Piano LZ).

 

 

Closer.

Given the slop in my thermaling, I question the wisdom in my diving in behind Penon to the Wall and G-Spot. Both of these are known for both strong and, at times, turbulent climbs. Erring on the side of caution I stick out front and scratch for whatever I can find, eventually making my way to the front of Crazy Thermal Place.

 

On the right, the Wall. On the left end of the Wall (before the gap), G-Spot. To the left of the gap, Crazy Thermal Place.

At this point I am at a dead end, unless I want to push myself on the first flight of the trip and head up onto the mesa behind the Wall on my own.

That would be a no. Tomorrow, tomorrow we push. Today, today we ease in with the (re) familiarization.

 

A stranger musing in a strange land.

≈

 (Dec 2017)

Daybreak finds the city muted in a blanket of fog. Only the periodic roar of a departing jet betrays the proximity of urbania and in betwixt I could easily forget I am in one of the planet's most heavily populated centers.

Today heralds the only question mark portion of my journey, transitioning to Valle. Using a guide provided by a local on paraglidingforum.com, I was able piece together a guesstimate of the steps while updating to reflect recent improvements (Uber in place of taxi/subway for example).

Regardless, I am under no illusion that this couldn't sideways quickly, especially if I 'dead-end' due to language barrier or incorrect information. My mediocre Spanish (at best) and lack of contacts in the city means I needed to be more meticulous in planning than typical.

Cell phone sim, maps, bus itineraries all sorted out before leaving Vancouver while any digital information was in print form and anything relying on a connection had an offline backup.

Check out at 10, be at the Poniete bus station at 11, locate the Zina bus counter and grab a return ticket for the noon Excellencia Plus. Easy-peasy.

The Uber showed up within 2 minutes of hailing, a well worn Nissan Versa.
For the quoted price (120 pesos for an estimated 30 minute ride), I am not one to complain though I am keen to see how Uber Black compares.

The only confusion was at the ticket counter as it appears not many people try to buy an out and return. Having built the itinerary on the Zina bus website (Canadian credit cards are not accepted for online purchases), screen cap'd and printed proved a life saver as it made it clear what I needed to the sales rep. Showing up an hour early also helped immensely as the ticket counter crowd grew rapidly as noon approached.

Ticket in hand, now just a matter of waiting.

Sitting in the waiting area the first thing I notice is the lack of eye contact.

This is quite the polar opposite to Brazil where social engagement of strangers is considered the norm, the Mexicans appear to purposely avoid acknowledging one another. Maybe a coping mechanism due to crowding, perhaps a way to avoid unnecessary confrontation. Curious nonetheless.

Daybreak finds the city muted in a blanket of fog. Only the periodic roar of a departing jet betrays the proximity of urbania and in betwixt I could easily forget I am in one of the planet's most heavily populated centers.

Today heralds the only question mark portion of my journey, transitioning to Valle. Using a guide provided by a local on paraglidingforum.com, I was able piece together a guesstimate of the steps while updating to reflect recent improvements (Uber in place of taxi/subway for example).

Regardless, I am under no illusion that this couldn't sideways quickly, especially if I 'dead-end' due to language barrier or incorrect information. My mediocre Spanish (at best) and lack of contacts in the city means I needed to be more meticulous in planning than typical.

Cell phone sim, maps, bus itineraries all sorted out before leaving Vancouver while any digital information was in print form and anything relying on a connection had an offline backup.

Check out at 10, be at the Poniete bus station at 11, locate the Zina bus counter and grab a return ticket for the noon Excellencia Plus. Easy-peasy.

The Uber showed up within 2 minutes of hailing, a well worn Nissan Versa.
For the quoted price (120 pesos for an estimated 30 minute ride), I am not one to complain though I am keen to see how Uber Black compares.

The only confusion was at the ticket counter as it appears not many people try to buy an out and return. Having built the itinerary on the Zina bus website (Canadian credit cards are not accepted for online purchases), screen cap'd and printed proved a life saver as it made it clear what I needed to the sales rep. Showing up an hour early also helped immensely as the ticket counter crowd grew rapidly as noon approached.

The other thing that stands out is the relationship of age/affluence vs height. I tower over all but the best dressed and those in their early twenties. I ponder how much of this is due to genetics vs. childhood nutrition. Curious.

The musings of an outsider, a stranger is this strange land.

The beautiful oddity of the cherry blossom friendship.

(Dec 2017)

Humans are a curious species. When living out their day to day repetitive existence,they become rather attached to their place in relation to others. The desire to maintain the Jung-esque persona that they have built to show those in familiar circles can be rather inhibiting and prevent them from, for lack of a better phrase, just letting go.

But remove them from the fear of consequence and being judged and they will show sides and reveal tales many of their friends and family are only briefly aware.

Couple this with a time pressure of a pending parting and the incentive to share can become compulsive.

The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge nowhere near resembles the bustle and energy it held a mere twenty minutes earlier. A boarding flight to Tokyo made sure of that, pulling the majority of the Lounge's temporary inhabitants either from tan leather bound chairs or the vulture circle over the small food buffet island. My flight to MEX is delayed at least an hour and I have little desire to prematurely join the flesh freeway filing along the terminal.

Camera in hand, I take the opportunity to capture the silent sentinels and bar denizens that bear witness to the passing of travelers such as I.

 

Whilst engaged in my slow photo tour of the lounge I catch the attention of the bar tender who comments how the light is not making for the best photo opportunities today.

'Aye, but at least with digital the mistakes are cost free', I retort.

A nod and a smile implies the invitation to come chat about cameras, life, and yarns of one's past.

For the next half hour, Luca regails me of life growing up near the Swiss-French-Italian border, of places to see if I happen to return, of a curiosity in 'parapendio', and of course, photography. A breadth and depth of conversation one would never have so readily in their day to day life.

But with departure approaching, I am forced to leave Luca to the solitude of the near empty lounge.

Fast forward one hour, thirty thousand feet and a few hundred miles south. Seated next to me is Gordon from Edmonton on his way to Mexico for the first time. It is not often one meets a country virgin so I press with queries about his preconceptions given the diet fed us by the news and Hollywood. His response is greeted with a chuckle and a lack of surprise - we could well have the makings for the next Netflix series given Gordon's visions of a narco driven state rifle with corruption, kidnappings, and targeted killings by both sides of the conflict. Then again ...

Over the course of the flight our conversation flows through the challenges he and his spouse now face trying to travel with a newborn (his spouse is an airline employee and benefits from discounted travel plus companion passes), being bumped from many a flight last minute in tiny airports where no one spoke a lick of English (only to be saved on one occasion by a philanthropic fellow Canuck who surrendered her seat so he and his wife could make it home), and thoughts on the latest entry in the Star Wars trilogy of trilogies (we agreed to disagree by the end of it but made peace in whole heatedly agreeing that Tarentino needs a stab at Star Trek).

The beauty of travel is that it creates the precondition for bonds to form that would otherwise be impossible in the daily grind. These bonds while brief in life are rich in depth and texture - much akin to a falling cherry blossom.

 

Paragliding in Valle de Bravo: Make This One Count.

 (Dec 2017)

"You have a lot of scars on your head" quips the hairdresser amongst the continuous stream of snips cast by her scissors.

"Scars would imply stories and while I have many a tale, scars those are not."

Nary a tale of the past do those small bald spots tell, but a warning of what may lay ahead.

"Are you sure those are not mistakes you are trying to cover up?" I teasingly accuse her, looking to change the topic of conversation.

The bait is taken and she returns to queries about my destination. Leaving me to half listen and answer while my mind returns to the phone call a few weeks ago...

"I need you to see a rheumatologist so we can rule out vasculitis."

The terseness in the specialists voice on the phone betrays his thoughts - this isn't ruling out, this is to confirm and determine which form. An open ended scrip for prednisone is issued at 25 mg/day and I get ready to be pushed back onto the classic Canadian medical queue.

"Don't worry. There are 40 in Vancouver alone."

I wonder if he is trying to reassure me or himself?

But the drug manages to suppress the slow growing collection of symptoms, enabling me to sit here in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and await the subsonic airborne tube back to Valle de Bravo. Medical concerns await my return two plus weeks away, near an eternity from where I sit now.

The plan is simple - Make this one count.

Performance Coaching with Pat Dower: Part 2

Back from Brazil with a wing full of airtime and a head full of memories. Time to sync up with Pat Dower to go over what was learned and to plan next steps.

Recap

Main three points from the last chat:

1) Explore stepping into the deeper end of the pool - launch and fly in stronger conditions (but not go over board).

2) Learn to use the gaggle, not avoid it.

3) Try to capitalize on coaching during the trip.

Debrief of Trip

Stronger conditions are coming along. Comment from counterparts after one flight noted that I was diving into the Cauldron a lot closer than several of them would have personally done. But like many things, this still needs work - especially in cases where I take a series of collapses in rapid succession early in a flight.

The gaggle aspect is pretty solid at this point. I was quite comfortable with the aggregate of our crew, the Norwegian contingent, and the 90+ pilot Brazilian comp on the day of my Personal Best (PB).

Coaching was the most challenging aspect both because of the size of our group (having only 2 coaches available across a dozen pilots) and because I appeared to sit between the two groups that the coaches were working with -> quite comfortable striking out on my own without assistance, but not quite good enough to keep up with the hotshots. The day I was able to capitalize on Robins time helped to set up the preconditions for the aforementioned PB day that followed. Moving forward, it is quite clear I need to look for in air coaching options that are as close to 1:1 as possible vs. larger tours.

After debriefing my observations with Pat, we identified what next to work on.

Next Steps

Physical Preparation

Thermalling Efficiency

I noticed that even if we were in a decent climb, our guide Robin would oft times widen out his turn. I gathered it to mean that he was looking for something even better. Pat mentioned that the Oudie could prove invaluable for this - it can track the best climb for the day, the last climb I was in, and the average of my current climb. If my current climb is 2.0 m/s while my last was 2.9 and the best 3.5 - odds are there is something better nearby (especially if multicore thermals are the norm for the site). The Oudie does show a 'heat map' with arcs coloured to denote relative climb rates - indicating that the pilot shift the turn towards the 'warmer' arcs and possibly a better core (if not a better part of the same core). It is time that I relegate the 'leGSBip' to silent backup and start leveraging the Oudie more as my primary vario. Work on a plan to develop explicit thermalling exercises to dial things in.

Speed Bar Usage

I see bar as a means to maximize glide ratio - which is a solid decision when flying conservatively. If I have a tail wind, I will often avoid bar altogether and apply brake to squeeze every last point of glide I can. But in doing so, I was finding myself constantly getting left behind by the lead gaggle. Pat pointed out that while I would lose some glide by applying bar in this situation, I would stay with the gaggle and be able to leverage their ability to find climbs faster - mitigating the risk and increasing my overall XC speed. This discussion resulted is a simple exercise to add to my 'homework'- if not in a climb, be on 1/3 to 1/2 speed bar constantly. Change the use of bar from a decision to an instinct.

Tasks and the Oudie

I am quite comfortable entering tasks into the Oudie and following them in the air. But all of the tasks I have flown with it have been XC tasks - not Race to Goal (RtG) tasks. Nationals is just around the bend and it will be a RtG event. This means using the Start Gate and Final Glide capabilities of the Oudie. If I want to put all of my focus into the flying, I cannot afford for any of it to be spent trying to sort out what my flight computer is telling me (I recall the first time my Flymaster reported that I had tagged a cylinder - I was at a complete loss as to what the chirping meant). Become familiar with the Start Gate and Final Glide aspects of the Oudie before Canadian Nationals - including practice using them on the ground. Create small tasks to be run at the local hill.

Final Glide in Flight

Like most pilots, I end up at the LZ with a boatload of height to spare. At Nationals this height will be a waste as it represents untapped potential speed. Get used to going on final glide without the goal of having a massive amount of residual height at the end. Leverage the Oudie. Our local LZ @ FlyBC is surrounded by a swath of farmland within which the odd out landing is tolerated (at the cost of $20) - so coming up short will hurt little more than pocket change and can provide invaluable insight into just how much I can push bar and still make it. Make every trip to the LZ a final glide exercise.

Flying the sky

During the trip, I started developing a sense of flight phase altitudes. One day in particular, I determined that below 1200 m, I would take any climb I could, below 1500 m - nothing less than 2.0 m/s, and above 1500 m it had to be 4.0 m/s - otherwise continue on. The problem was that I was not readjusting these numbers as the day went on and conditions shifted to stronger and then weaker. So I was flying too slow at first and too fast at the end. Work on becoming aware of the shifts in the day and when gear changes are needed. 

Mental Preparation

Routine on launch

Build a routine when arriving at launch. Have everything ready to go with the glider in the concertina bag. That way when things turn on, be ready to go. I follow this pretty well but have been caught out once or twice. Time to make routine a religion.

Weather

Be prepared, do not rely on the guide or task committee to tell me what the conditions are - arrive knowing the weather (including the sounding). Knowing the sounding will help better judge cloud formation and the subsequent decision to either skirt in under that tower or give it a wide berth. Remove doubt through foreknowledge. 

Focus

I mentioned to Pat that on the trip it was taking upwards of 30 minutes to get into my groove/flow state - the point where I lose track of time (at home it typically takes about 10 minutes). If things go sideways during this adjustment period (equipment problem, rough air, nausea), I will start considering abandoning the flight - especially at home, since I know another ride up the hill is readily available. Being able to recenter and push through this adjustment phase will help at sites where the air is crowded and rough. Revisit common sports psychology mental training techniques.

So far ...

All in all, another great session with Pat to review progress and focus in on what I need to start working on next. All of this 'homework' is going to make for a busy spring - now if only the weather would cooperate.

This is why I preflight check my kit three times before take off.

Note: The FlyinOrange has moved to: flyinorange.blog

Once when the kit is donned.
Once when the wing is laid out.
Once before pulling the wing up.

(hint, look at the right carabiner)

A Paragliding Personal Best (PB): Part 1

Note: The FlyinOrange has moved to: flyinorange.blog

Day 6 (Thursday): Overdevelopment shuts the day down. Only Richard launches and spends the majority of the flight trying to avoid being hoovered up into the stratosphere by the towering Cu that has set up shop over the mountain.

Day 7 (Friday): A botched initial climb out leads to my sliding off the mountain and setting down in 'Jurassic Park' (the bomb out at the foot of the mountain). A break down in comms on my end leads to some confusion over the retrieve picture. The end result: my electing to hike back to the hotel in GV.

35 C.
2.5 hours.
10 kgs of kit.

The decision to go lightweight pays dividends during this and subsequent hike outs.

Day 8 (Saturday): Perchance two bad days makes for a good one?

The Brazilian Cross Country (XC) league is holding the latest in their year long XC contest here in GV. We were told to expect 93 pilots to attend this event so things might get cozy in the air. Thankfully the comp organizers are not going to close the launch meaning we don't have to race to get ready and launch ahead of the main comp group. On top of this we get word that we can also expect a contingent of 20+ Norwegians to arrive for a XC course of their own. Rumour has it that the course is mandatory for these pilots to be deemed XC ready and given an endorsement by their National Association Committee (NAC). Is that a cash register ringing in the background?

Comp pilots setting up.

In amongst the hustle and bustle of the comp Dean gathers us up and lays out the plan for the day, an out and return (Dean's favourite - to save on the need for retrieve, I gather). The turn around point will be Engenheiro Caldas again (hopefully not blocked by growing overdevelopment/storms this time). The wind today is straight east (rather than the hoped for NE tail) which means a cross/tail component on the way out and a cross/head component on return. My personal preference would be for a straight SE run with no return leg - simply maximize distance with what little tail wind component we have. But it is not to be.

Rob (the second in air guide/instructor joining Dean this year due to the sheer size of the group) syncs up with me for a quick discussion regarding the flight - if I am able to keep up with Dean's group, go for it. Otherwise Rob will be hanging back to provide in air coaching as needed to stragglers.

Ready to go.

We get the crew in the air in record time (word has it afterwords that from first to last it took less than 7 minutes to get 12 pilots plus 2 guides off).

I quickly join Simon in snagging a climb just out front of the Cauldron.

Still giving this beast a wide berth.

Above launch but with everything shaded over, time to head for a sunnier spot.

While successful in getting above launch, the climb dissipates. I need to find terrain that is still receiving sun. The west side of the mountain looks to have just what I need (and will put me closer to the XC jumping off point - the hill to the west nicknamed 'Salvation').

Baking in the sun, this terrain is a good thermal generator.
These thermals will hug/craw along the terrain until a trigger point further up the mountain slope.

Thermal hunting.

Found it! Climbing anew.

Time to push on to Salvation.

Further away from the mountain another climb to top up and push onto 'Salvation' ahead.

About as textbook as it gets.
The source: sun baked fields and quarry.
The trigger: 'Salvation'.
The sign: the cloud.

Salvation delivers.

Climbing over 'Salvation'. GV ahead/below.

Onwards SE we go ...

How will today unfold?

Day 5: A flight cut short.

First day in Governador Valadares. The main reason why most pilots come to Brazil is to fly here and to fly far (the second location is Quixada to the distant northeast, though only select few can and do fly there).

The launch is on the lone mountain in the region, Ibituruna. At 1100 meters and surrounded by a near endless expanse of rolling hills to the south - it is the perfect place for the intermediate pilot to start building upon their flatland flying skill set.

For the solo pilot not booked into a tour, retrieve is simply a matter of catching the blue/red/white Rio Doce bus that runs up and down BR116 every hour or two - though many a local will stop and offer rides with little to no expectation of repayment (though this is starting to change so I hear - word is spreading that visiting pilots are a lucrative cash cow). Rides up the mountain can be found at the main LZ near the river - having some knowledge of Portuguese will help immensely in this regard (otherwise it is a pricey cab ride up the hill).

This being the first day in GV, Dean wants to limit the ambition level of the task. An out and return to Engenheiro Caldas is the plan.

I kit up quickly and launch with the first third of the group, including Dean. Putting to use lessons learned from flying here last year, I immediately fly to the lip of the Cauldron hoping to catch some lift that is being pushed up the slope by the easterly wind.

Working the eastern edge of the Cauldron.

The climb takes me above launch height, but it is slow going. Over the radio I hear Dean, "Ok lads, let's get going."

I need a stronger/faster climb, I need what is boiling on the rock face.

Skirting the Cauldron, I work my way around to the western edge.

Motoring along in search of a stronger climb that is sure to be downwind of this thermal generator.

Almost there - wing still well behaved.

Turn in and head south to intersect any Cauldron born thermals being blown by the wind.

Southwards I venture. In the meantime, Dean is now over the hill to the west nicknamed 'Salvation' (aka the 'Crocodile' due to its shape). Salvation is a common second climb out point for pilots hoping to fly cross country (XC) to the south east (which follows BR116) towards Caratinga, 100 km away.

I still need more height if I am to transition to Salvation and join up with Dean. Not much is found downwind of the Cauldron which means I will need to hug onto the slope and hope to catch a 'crawler' thermal, sliding up to a trigger point along one of the many ridges fanning out from the mountain.

Change in plans. Move in closer.

Time to get a little cozy with the hill.

A few beats back and forth. Little concern of sinking out - this tactic has worked countless times in the past, simply a matter of being willing to kick tree tops.

The mountain delivers. Back above launch and still climbing.

Next stop, Salvation.

Salvation bound.

Have a wee bit of altitude to make up.

Working a climb.

Dean is still climbing out over this hill, so there is a chance I can still join up with he, Richard, and Simon.

Joining Simon in the climb.

Over the radio I hear, "Ok Mark and Simon, lets go." Gather Dean figures we have enough altitude to make the next jump. Topping up as needed, we push southwards along the road.

And another climb.

Passing Alpercata, Richard and I sync up. Working the climbs together, we continue onwards south with Dean well in the lead.

The kilometer tall mountain off in the distance.

Nearing the half way point towards Engenheiro, Dean pipes on the radio, "I'm not liking the look of those clouds to the south". Richard replies,"Yes. Looks like Death and Destruction.".

Richard and I continue on.

One of countless low saves this trip.

A few minutes pass, Dean on the radio, "I think we should turn back. It might be ok, but I'd rather not chance it."

Looking ahead to the south, I am one to agree.

A dark and humid sky awaits to the south.

Dean on the radio, "Mark, what are your thoughts?" (aka you are going to do what I suggest, yes?)

"Death and destruction. Cats and dogs living together. Understood. Turning back."

"Heh."

I begin the return leg and make it back to a hillside between the two gas stations along the road.

Packed up and awaiting retrieve, I look up to see this:

Would say landing was the right call.

The flight.

Survived to fly another day. Los Hermanos for dinner.

Fly. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

It gets better ...