I got Paco’d… and it was awesome!
Yesterday I met up with our local paragliding ambassador and all-around cool dude, Paco, for a tandem flight. He had a demo wing on loan, and was looking for some baggage to fly with… er… I mean, a willing pilot-passenger. There’s a pretty short list of people I will fly with as the passenger… but Paco is on that list. He’s a great pilot- but that’s not why. He’s smart, SUPER smart… he’s calculating… and he’s conservative. Flying “safely” is a fine art of blending self awareness, critical analysis, and brutal honesty with yourself… with managing decision making and flight choices that keep one *well* within reach of 100% reliably positive outcomes. In other words, know your limits, stay within them- and know how much you might not know, and stay at the very least that much farther within your limits. I’ve seen and flown with Paco long enough now to know- he “gets it”. And he’s a good pilot, flying good (docile and reliable) gear for that just-in-case “shit happens” scenario…
Hanging out in front of Ellenville Flight Park launch
Anyway- it was a morning of great fun and many smiles. Lots of story sharing and general friend-finding that comes with the awesome people drawn to flying off mountains with kites.
If anyone in the NY area is looking for a tandem guy, or an instructor who really gets it, I can’t endorse Paco enough. He’s not really teaching or tandemizing as anything but a hobby… but that makes him even better, because it’s purely about the love of flight and people…
Turning on final for a soft landing
This was actually my first paraglider tandem… and with my tourist hat on, I couldn’t help but fly with the GoPro-on-a-stick 🙂
