The Paraglider Podcast

Dara is an Irish pilot from Dublin who describes himself as a weekend pilot rather than a Sky-God. As he approaches 70, his ambition is to fly 50km sometime soon. He is the former chairman of the Irish Hang-Gliding and Paragliding Association and a keen aerial photographer, so much so that his photos were used twice as inside covers in SkyWings in 2016.

Dara answered questions on whom he admires most in flying,if hes ever dropped something in flight and what has changed over the years since he started in the early 1990s.

Kussy is originally from Venezuela but has lived and flown in New Zealand for many years. A skydiver and competition pilot, she nevertheless likes to do her own thing. In this podcast she answers questions on her all time PG hero, the biggest risk she has taken in flying and the most bizzare sight that she has seen on landing.

Malin is a pilot originally from the SW of England. He flies speed wings, paragliders and paramotors. A keen competition pilot, he has been instrumental in organising the British Paragliding

Racing Academy , which aims to train up-and-coming British comp pilots. His ambition is to become an SIV instructor and to move abroad to somewhere warmer. For this podcast we asked him whether he had a lucky charm/mascot when flying, which superhero he most resembles and in three words, how he would describe his flying style.

Rhona Carrigan is a Pennine Club pilot and member of the Pennine Posse. In this podcast she answers questions on what she would change her vario tune to, whats the most frustrating thing about paragliding and how long she had been flying before she considered herself to be a proper pilot?

Bob Moore lives and flies in the south-west of the UK. He has flown in various

areas of Europe and Australia. He is retired but keeps busy with his video camera

reviews which you can see on youtube here.

He mentions a guiding outfit in Greoliers at the end of the podcast. More info

on them here.

In this podcast he answers questions on the strongest thermal he has been in,

how important attitude is and the most consistent flying area in the world.

Gavin Jillings runs Rose Valley Lodge in Sopot, Bulgaria. He was so taken with the place that he and his wife Lucy packed up and shipped out from Belfast to live the dream of being paragliding/motorcycling guides and restauranteurs.

Gavin is a qualified BHPA instructor and runs BHPA accredited EP/CP courses in Sopot. You can see more about him and his business at http://www.rosevalleylodge.net/

He is also the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Associations Facebook admin.

In this podcast Gavin answers questions on his most vivid flying dream, his favourite thing to do on a rainy day and his most scary flying experience.

Many of us travel to far-flung places to appreciate the amazing scenery, cheap drinks, food and accommodation and better flying weather than we can find at home. We are treated hospitably and are often helped by locals when we land out or are involved in an incident. So can we give something back to the communities we fly in, whether that is at home or abroad? For example, should we give to begging kids or child glider packers? Is there a sustainable way to make a difference? This podcast tells the story of the Cloudbase Foundation, KarmaFlights work in Nepal and their amazing response to the devastating earthquake, whether you should pay packing kids and how you can make a difference to the communities you fly in.

Greg Hamerton is a South African pilot who lives and flies in the UK. He is the chief paragliding evangelist for Flybubble, a job he describes as perfect. And you can see why, he lives, dreams and breathes flying and all he has to do is enthuse others with the same passion. His videos are excellent and contribute much to the learning and safety of thousands of pilots. Greg likes a bit of adventure and came a very credible 8th in his first Bornes to Fly in 2016. He is the only UK competitor in the 2016 X-Pyr race, in which he will race the entire length of the mountain range from the Atlantic to the Med, by flying and hiking. He be supported by James Hope-Lang. Greg elected not to know his ten random questions in advance and we did have a good giggle during the recording. Enjoy.

Ollie Chitty is a hang gliding instructor, competition pilot and British hang gliding record holder. A young pilot, he comes from a flying family and acted as ballast for his dad Nick Chitty for years. A rising star of the UK hang gliding scene, he answered questions about whether he ever tried any DIY flying when he was a kid; how he has changed as a pilot over the years and the most ridiculous thing a non-flyer has ever said to him about hang gliding.

Andrew Craig is a pilot from the south of England (originally from London), but now lives in Wiltshire for the better flying opportunities. A former journalist, he is one of the moderators of PG forum and a Mastermind contender. We asked him ten random questions on topics like whats the most radical manoeuvre he has done, how he celebrated his greatest success in flying so far and whether he would you fly naked if it was for charity. Find out the whole naked truth here...