Soaring Skills For Low Airtime Paraglider Pilots

Ridge soaring helps you to build airtime without the turbulence and hit-and-miss altitude of thermic flying. But after you've gone up and down the ridge twenty times, what else can you do? Are there some things you could be exploring to improve your skills faster?
Music under licence from UPPM France
UPM GAL147:1 Outside Wind Instrumental (Lebidois)
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[@PaulDowsettUK]

It's brilliant that you're getting into your stride again with these videos. They are some of the best sources of information out there, and I'm certain they've helped keep many pilots safe. Thank you, Greg and the team.

[@panther-xc8929]

Awesome tip for using the vario to find the edge of the liftband 1:15. Thanks learned something new today!

[@petern5565]

I am so enjoying your videos ! really get the sense of the situations your demonstrating and then get your input to dealing with it, so realistic! and I am soaking up your viewpoint like a sponge. REAL VALUE!

[@PPGFlyr]

I absolutely love this video! Very informative. Thanks for posting.

[@SVGreg001]

It's the best paragliding channel I've ever seen. Really great learning material. Thank you Greg and the Team.

[@RyanOsmond]

Love your videos! I’m currently learning with Zenti Bishop in Wilderness and on my 40th flight. Been flying all morning at Map of Africa! Loving this sport! Look forward to finding some good spots back home in the UK. 🤙

[@GerrysDiy]

Hi Greg. Your videos are really informative and very well put together. I love being up there too but when the wind is howling it's great to get my very few paragliding neurons firing watching your videos. Thanks sharing. Subbed .. Cheers Gerry

[@BaSiC47]

Great work!

[@Florentin-Parapente]

Beautiful video and I love the edit !!

[@maximpodolskiy4015]

Thanks for your work! It's very useful))

[@ginoferreira5193]

My bowl of cereal , a cup of tea in hand and a video by Greg! A perfect start to my day!

[@MrAWGlossop]

Nice vid. I'm guilty of clinging to the top of the ridge in case I lose height. I hadn't thought about staying out of the venturi till now. Next time I'll be pushing out to try and find the front of the lift band. Thanks for the advice!

[@nobojyotiroy8631]

You really have such a beautiful place to fly

[@crimsonraen]

Thanks for the video! :) Definitely good things to work on. :)

[@toddkreider6759]

great video - I flew back in the nineties and would like to start up again.

[@greghamerton4422]

go for it! It still works just as it did. Wings feel better, go a little further and a little faster, and are a little safer ... but it's still a fringe sport full of wonderful wingnuts, helpful coaches, dreamers ... and endless opportunities to explore.

[@justincrane1524]

Great video! Thank you! How is the little compass mounted on your karabiner?

[@markclark-lewis2600]

on the latest wings it is adviswed to fly with brakes fully off. Therefore if wing pitches back ie gust or thermal you have no brake to release to counter this. Your bit on pitch control in vid reminded me of this.

[@greghamerton4422]

Quite true, many modern wings absorb an amazing amount of turbulence when flown at trim speed or even accelerated, but there are still many moments that are improved by active piloting, and playing with pitch control builds those skills. control the pitch forward with a quick touch of brake at the right time.

[@SoaresGaucho]

tks

[@asayahdelayah8573]

Paragliding is something I dare myself to do within my Life Time.. but at the same time I still have doubts that I'll never reach the cloud..!! But I admire the skills n techniques involved here.!!! Wow!! By the way we in the island r water people not sky people.

[@andrewmills8782]

Gday Greg, Im from Australia and wonder how you find the Skyride sys nav. I am looking at getting one. Thank you, your videos are very imformative and helpful. Keep up the great work. Andrew Mills

[@greghamerton4422]

it's a chirpy, happy little vario that I love. Does everything you need unless you have complex airspace to navigate, in which case you need a tablet / large screen instrument for the tricky bits.

[@andrewmills8782]

Thank you Greg, where i currently fly isnt complex so with that, its my next purchase thank you 😀

[@Jpreou]

Hi Greg. I'm in NZ and did PG1 and a few flights of PG2 last summer. Hoping to complete this coming summer (which we have at Christmas over here). Do you have any reviews of BGD gear? I've looked but not seen any. I'm considering the Snug / Opps / Epic combo. I have over 1650 skydives, so looking forward to the challenge of actually staying in the sky for a change :)

[@Mmarash]

Hi Greg, very helpfully video. Please tell me, is it better to be in the middle of the weight range to soaring on wind 4-5m/s, or on hhe top of the weight range. My wing is 100-130kg ( Emotion2 ) and my total takeoff weight is 118kg. Best regards

[@heliotropicsquirrel550]

Lovely. :)

[@ErLong1800]

nice and helpfull! where was this video taken? :)

[@TonyHerbs1]

Late reply I know but in case anyone else wondered it looks like he's over the white horse at Litlington on the south coast of the uk

[@alexzander7386]

What's that kayak you're in? Does it keep you aerodynamic, or protect your legs from the wind? I've only seen bare legs, never a cover before

[@ryanlarraman]

Howzit Greg, fantastic clips, thank you. Where is this site please?

[@greghamerton4422]

it's near Alfriston in south of England.

[@EckiD.]

@@greghamerton4422 It's such a great place! I've been there while working in the UK at Newbury back in the late 90ies but I didn't have license and glider at this time and gliders were not good in soaring those days. Combe Gibbet close to Newburry is a great site to in between I guess. "Riding" the White Horse is really special. Like to go there with the glider one day. Your sites are quite similar to those we have here close to Frankfurt but there are vinyards all over the places and tight spots for landing - I love it ;-)

[@degklump1999]

Nice videos! Just a remark, the colors in text and background make it very hard to read

[@mark1944]

Where can I get your compass?

[@sahands_atelier]

Hi Greg, big fan from Iraq. I'm really keen to know the location.

[@greghamerton4422]

Thanks Sahand, we're based in the south of England

[@SteveShovlar]

Greg, how is that little compass fitted? Looks ideal for pilots like me that don’t have a cockpit.

[@greghamerton4422]

it has a little base plate, take the pin out of that and thread some paraglider line through it, just tie it on the harness hangpoint. It might be interfered with by some metal carabiners, so experiment with the position

[@koerz86]

flybubble.com/shop/accessories/compasses

[@SteveShovlar]

Greg Hamerton thanks I will order one up.

[@rodgertowers8873]

Does anyone know if these compasses are still available please ? I’ve looked and looked but with no luck, thankyou in advance

[@lukasschmitt]

What's the perfect wind speed for soaring?

[@ruterovenezuela]

Hi, where can I get the Vario Riser Holder. it seems to be a perfect spot for it. Got a Flymaster NAV SD. THANKS

[@greghamerton4422]

it comes with the Syride vario. you can probably find an instrument pouch for the flymaster on flybubble.com?

[@robertburdoff1789]

where is this? I thought for a moment it might have been Milk or Cherhill but nope

[@MrBiskhof]

What windspeed is this approx.?

[@wazzobazzo]

Do you need that beeping thing to...well beep to fly one of these or is it just extra precaution?

[@greghamerton4422]

it's not a precaution, it's a lifting air indicator, without which you won't fly for as long. Yes you can fly without it, especially close to the hill where it's obvious when you go up or not.

[@wazzobazzo]

Ah question might've seemed dumb I've only just started looking at some videos of paragliding and may want to get into it (it looks really fun) but zero prior experience of flying anything. Thank you for the clarification:)

[@davidcrooks1752]

This may seem like a stupid ? Is not your compass affected by it’s proximity to the karabiner?

[@matarr222]

Depends. Those Karabiners are usually made of aluminium. ;)

[@kalastajanvoima2]

wow i saw the horse

[@uglyduckling81]

Venturi? You mean rotor?

[@greghamerton4422]

no, venturi. It will be experienced near the top of the hill and sides - it's an acceleration of the airflow. Rotor is only where the airflow spins/tumbles. Behind the hill, behind sharp edge transition (trees) etc.

[@uglyduckling81]

Greg Hamerton Ok. I've not heard that term for paragliding before. Only heard it in regards to water flow, drawing Foam into water for fire fighting as an example.