The Return to Torrey

So now I’ve got a whopping 6 flights under my belt, all sled rides. Not much to show for such raw enthusiasm and nearly 4 months of work. But things are quite different: I’ve got my own harness, my own wing, days of kiting experience and a strong determination to land on top.

The conditions at Torrey are such that on a good day you can get in 10 flights. I’ve seen it done. I was determined to start getting those flights in, padding out my flight log and finally getting a P1.

Gabe Jebb.

When I showed up Gabe was on the hill. Pretty familiar. He asked me to kite a bit. It was the usual 10-mph that day, but with gusts, strong gusts. I kited and got lift right in place more than once. I was used to this now though. I’m a martial artist and it’s a habit of mine when kiting to stand in a martial arts “horse” stance. This is a great position for kiting as if you feel some collapse you can sink a bit to fill the wing, move left or right with ease and with appropriate pull on the carabiners (ie risers).

A lot of folks were coming in with big ears due to the gusts. This wasn’t promising for my flight. To my surprise, and believe me, Gabe knows best, Gabe asked me to launch when ready.

I launched as usual and banked right, but to my rather extreme surprise this time I got lift. I could see the horizon descending for the first time. This was what I was looking for, but holy shit, I was getting up there! I took a few turns at Gabe’s command and then came in for a landing approach. Gabe guided me behind the RC platform and had me go far more right than I would have on my own, another turn to the left and a final approach. I nearly perfect landing.

I was thrilled. Gabe said, “Good job!” I said, “That was my first ridge landing.” He said, “I know.” That dude’s so understated. You’ve got to love him.

Finally, well above Torrey.

The next 2 landings were disasters.

I was so used to sled ride, into-the-wind landings that I couldn’t quite handle the button-hook landings that were required of the day. Second time in at about 20-feet over ground Gabe said to turn left into the wind. I flared on both brakes with the wind and landed literally on my ass. I’m not sure what I was thinking pulling my feet up. It was fun, but stupid.

No one would ever land on their ass if they jumped off of a small building. Why would you land on your ass when landing a paraglider? There is something that seems right about it, but the instant I was on the ground I knew I made a big mistake. I acknowledged it immediately with Gabe. I just got right up and tried again.

This time I made a shallow south approach. Again, instead of turning left, I turned right, right into the beach chairs for spectators. Gabe said, “Your other right.” I really twisted my ankle on this one. My first thought was maybe I should get some of those expensive boots. I’m still using my hiking boots.

Gabe said, “Don’t worry too much about turning right when I say left, just remember to turn into the wind.”

My next landing was shallow and from the south again. This time I made a long traverse against the back of the field. Easy turns. At the end I remembered what Gabe said and made a perfect landing. That was my last flight of the day. It was great to end on a good note. I wanted to do more, but the conditions were too challenging for a beginner.

I make a conscious effort to hear my intuition. Sometimes it tells me not to fly. This time it said, “That’s your last flight of the day.” I never argue with my intuition. Gabe was a bit surprised to see me packing to leave, but I said I’d be back soon.