A Reflection On Why I Didn't Fly

I think it's always important to reflect on decisions made with regards to hang gliding and to reflect on choices. On Sunday, I chose not to fly despite having arrived early and the sky looking very inviting! There had been a significant hype on the forums about Sunday but despite this, my own assessment was for light winds and a high proportion of the paragliding community being present. Based on earlier experiences in hang gliding (12 Nov 2008); I've become very skeptical about flying in traffic, particularly with our lesser performanced brothers (floppies).

Needless to say, the conditions were indeed good for hang gliding, with Luke, Nicos, James and a few others timing their take-offs perfectly and climbing out on thermals marked by the paragliders. As Nicos quite rightly put it, "we need the paragliders in the sky to see where the thermals are!", but there's the rub; we also 'prefer' not to have them there when we're taking off or landing!

So why didn't I fly? - well simply put, I don't yet like flying with that level of traffic; hang gliders or paragliders; I'm not current enough on my U2 for flying in high levels of traffic; it makes me nervous and I suspect this is simply a matter of trust! The hang glider pilots I fly with and am happy to fly with I personally know. I think this is what makes flying with them so predictable and in turn means I'm comfortable to fly with them. Throw in 16-20 unfamiliar paraglider pilots, on and offable thermic conditions, the occasional modeller and a small area of lift; then I'm outside of my comfort zone! Better to fly another day!

Besides, I flew the day before so unlike some of the others on the hill, I had had my flying fix for the weekend - I should have gone to Suffolk for some winching!