50 ft flights at Big Collin Mountain

I met my instructor at Big Collin Mountain with a student on a days taster course. We started with some parachute landing fall (PLF) practice. I think I did about 5, the other student struggled a bit, she couldn't seem to get the hang of rolling into it, so I got to see many a failed PLF before she finally "got it" and then, annoyingly, she was able to perform them as well as the instructor.

We took turns ground handling and this was interesting for me to watch someone who hasn't tried paragliding before struggling with it. She made all the mistakes I made and repeated them like I did, it is obvious that paragliding instructors need plenty of patience.

I got a flight in from a good way up the hill, then the other student got a go from much further down the hill. I asked my instructor (tongue in cheek) whether this was because of my superior talent, he just said I was higher up because of my superior wing loading talent. I wonder what he could have meant.


In total I got three fifty feet high flights. Although I had probably done fifty feet once before, it gave me a real sense of achievement and I felt my confidence grow with each flight.