3 Skills Every Pilot NEEDS to Have!

[@flybymagic]

What is the reason behind the brake and release technique? What's going on that makes this a better way to land in rowdy air than just staying in touch with the brakes, flying actively and managing pitch? Genuine question. Cheers

[@Moosecoaster]

Love it, please keep them coming. Good job, “now you can go fly.” 😂

[@paulwinterton4903]

That’s why I train with Chris Santacroce. Solid.

[@mtsurveyor]

This is NEXT LEVEL instruction! And how great to show unedited instruction with real students! Bravo!!!👏🏻

[@germantobon5498]

This’s gotta be the most comprehensive training I’ve ever seen

[@Jmas369]

It’s like this on the hill everyday, 100% good stuff.

[@Jmas369]

Much love ❤❤❤ thanks for all you teach and continue to teach everyday.

[@tango_sierra8608]

Need more of these instructional vids with Chris. Everything he preaches is so well said

[@Odddball6]

Another high traffic AM at the south side....Gotta get back soon and refresh the skills!..😊

[@loums52]

Great video on techniques! Thanks🪂

[@Itsallgoodtogo]

I wish more paragliding experts would share their experience for free like this. Everyone has a paywall lately. Personal opinion: while I do know how to cobra launch I have never in the last 5 years had to use it even once and I do fly allot in the Alps. The best skill for every pilot should be learning energy control. When the winds are stronger you simply take a few steps down the slope and if you are doing a reverse launch you simply take a few steps towards the wing to bleed out the energy once it surges up.

[@dymanoid]

I second you on the cobra launch. Not every pilot needs this inflation technique for taking off. Still, it's a very good exercise for a ground-handling session. The pilots can learn the fine-grained wing control and get an understanding why a half of the wing stalls much quicker than the whole wing (I'm talking about over-reactions on wing collapses).

[@thisisyol]

Agree. My take is that it is the most important lesson in groundhandling to be able to do a 90° body turn, one wingtip touching the ground, the other straight up and kite your wing uphill. And that's basically also a cobra. When you can do this, you'll also learn when to move in front of the wing in order to keep it flying, most amateurs have trouble realizing that when their wing is about to die.

[@flierbill]

I'll get out and practice this! Thanks for sharing!

[@dymanoid]

Nice vid! And nice exercises. I like that a lot of pilots in the background are exercising a lot. Regarding the landing, it's important to note that the pilot, while keeping the contact with the wing via the brakes to prevent deflations, should not overdo that and should not slow down the wing. Especially if there's a wind shear or a wind gradient, slowing down the wing too much can lead to an unexpected stall which will be even worse than a deflation. Speed is safety!

[@markmcgoveran6811]

I'm with you 100% I don't know if I would even try this in a bad conversation. I'm only at the ground handling stages so my version of landing is pretty simplistic. I'm with you across the board in aircraft, altitude is like money in the bank and velocity is like cash in the pocket. I will bet my money on the mathematics the design the epsilon 9 and fly in with my hands up Wing level. I have no desire to generate any pitch axis oscillation. The difficulty with all of these instructors is they don't teach you how to make the first landing you got to figure that out yourself and after a couple hundred landings they've got plenty of advice.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

@@thisisyol I like the part where you are timed perfectly and everything goes perfectly. That's quite a lot to keep track of when you start out. Keeping your wings, and timing your pitch and keeping it within reason is probably more than a person can do on their first landing. I saw a video of pilots doing the swoop landing and the radius of the recovery ark was too large and they hit the ground hard. They just dove for speed, an impacted the ground at a 45 degree angle. I'm still ground handling I bought an epsilon 9 and the lessons to fly it. I thought to simplify the landing I would try not to swoop, just come in from a long approach it trim speed so that you have time to stabilize the swing under the wing. Just keep my focus on having the wing level, do a real long approach so did my pitch can stabilize and when I get about 1 ft above the ground jam on the brakes to the bottom . I've crashed a lot of motorcycles and horses and various things. I'm absolutely certain I can fly into the ground and trim speed without a flare and be fine . When you have a missed timed swoop landing, or you have pitch problems in swing into the ground hard on your back, I can't take that kind of abuse. I have a giant landing field so there's no location important it's just a matter of getting these landings accomplished enough times that you can see how far from the ground you are and make estimates. I truly appreciated your truth bombs and secrets about how you're doing it and anything you say here would be much appreciated.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

@thisisyol God bless you sir. My mom died and left me a little bit of money and I bought an epsilon 9 and the lessons to fly it. I don't have enough money to be involved in this sport. There seems to be 100 nasty derisive people in the sport for every one guy like you. Most of the people who do this don't understand that when you start out you don't have the eye to see in real time the flight path you need to fly. You have to be able to see it and think it to fly a path. I think all I will be able to do on my first landing is keep the wings level and have a long straight approach so I have time for the pitch axis to stabilize and I can come in at trim speed, the trim tabs in action. I was considering making a tear away stick on my foot. When the touches the ground, I will be one foot in the air. Then I'm going to drive the brakes on instantly. I don't want a transition where I can lose my wing level and I can have pitch problems and slam into the ground swinging backwards and never walk again. When you make a sudden transition like that, you take out a lot of the control required. After I make all the flights at the school and I have landed a few times I will refine this to match my skill level. Thank you so very much for taking my questions so seriously and giving me so much information so I can live to be a good pilot.

[@johnlangham8065]

Chris, you are a wonderful and talented coach… I wish I lived closer to you.

[@MarkLoves2Fly]

Thank you, Chirs. This is good information

[@092155GW]

Chris you are the best! Another Master-Class by the master himself.

[@jirisilhan3094]

Thats some deep knowledge here 👍🪂

[@ripmanridin7092]

Good info Chris........I have been working this stuff with everybody!

[@trudydootson8476]

Awesome video cheers

[@bbreezy2060]

The glider wake on top of the ridge is definitely nothing to be complacent with. Learned the hard way one morning.

[@airgaborpara3824]

Super channel

[@lutzchoco1]

I would like to add. Only if you know well your wing....with some at least steady 5 knots facing.... dangerous if zero wind. Ful speed and brake then

[@airgaborpara3824]

You can take off in strong wind with big ears and before you leave the slope you pump out the ears and bingo.

[@davidcarroll6809]

Commenting for the algorithm

[@wardified8566]

It's all in the hips, Happy.

[@bbreezy2060]

Hey @superfly the guy at 15:19 with the dragonfly in the background needs some helpful coaching. First suggestion is to get rid of the camera on his head. Second, keep your butt down low when you reverse launch. Nearly got his head caught in the lines

[@christoferowe7121]

-Work the brakes… I see spins as the greatest danger, preventing the wing to fly unobstructed. On low level-wings its vital to let the wing fly without to much brake input. Besides, to time brake input correctly is not simple, and wrong timing will dramatically worsen the situation.

[@pkskyter]

I'm sorry Chris but your landing instructions confuse me somewhat. This random braking on final is only introducing pitch variations. What I'm seeing is not 'active flying' but unnecessary slowing on final when speed should be at maximum. Pitching at the wrong time will cause a subsequent forward motion of the wing which, if big enough, will induce a dive. Close to the ground this could result in a crash or a stall depending on the pitch position. Further more a 'slow' glider is more susceptible to turbulence induces collapses and a lack of steering responses (mushing). The only landing approach is hands up with just a feel on brake pressure and no more. As far as teaching Cobra launches to beginners is a bit of a waste of time in my view. The guy in your video hasn't even got a good grasp of keeping the wing above his head, let alone attain the overhead position coming out of a Cobra launch. I think the Cobra launch is an advanced technique and fairly overrated for high wing launches anyway. It adds to complexity of the launch where a straight forward reverse launch with running at the wing through the power zone and a quick check of the wing with the rear raisers to stop overflying (A and C method) is probably just as effective and far simpler. I fly mini wings in 30 to 35km/h winds (inland 250 km from the nearest coast) and hardly ever use a Cobra launch. I use Cobra launches in lighter winds to 'show off' 😀

[@thisisyol]

they fly low-next-to-none maintenance wings in dead air, you got to learn to feel something at some point. Wing collapses near the ground are like the biggest hazard for beginners. I'm sure this lesson is well-meant.

[@pkskyter]

@@thisisyol I'm sure this lesson is well meant but it is bad advice to not fly at maximum speed on final. Even more so in turbulent air. I fly paragliders, hand gliders and stick controlled gliders. In all gliding aircraft you increase your speed for landing to optimize your control response and increase stability.

[@thisisyol]

@@pkskyter I'm sure he advised them properly about speed and did that out of different paedagogic reasons. There's a reason why no parents are allowed in class: They are no teachers. A beginner needs to be "ready" to catch that near-ground 50% colllapse into a dive that can hurt him. This lesson might be a first step against it.

[@tonyparamotor9487]

skill paragliders... and paramotors. reflex can use differet styles. iam a pilot.

[@patrickbestgen8834]

Sorry Chris but this landing technique is dangerous. You need speed in final. Speed is your best insurance against turbulences. Speed is all what you need to execute the ressource just before the touch down. Braking near the ground is definitely not a good idea. Sorry. I stop the video at 2:45. I'm afraid to know your other advice.