Here is the quick Q&A session with our student from France. During Q&A he will take us on an exhilarating journey through his love for paragliding, recounting unforgettable training memories and sharing invaluable tips for aspiring pilots. From the breathtaking heights he's soared to the challenges he's conquered, his passion for this awe-inspiring sport shines through every word.
AG-How did you get interested in becoming a paragliding pilot?
I saw it on Instagram
AG -What do you feel about paragliding?
Sven - Amazing sport, being up in the sky above the mountains
AG - How was your training experience on the ground?
Sven - The ground training was really hard, running there with the glider for three days took a lot of energy, but also helped to understand how the glider works and gave me much more confidence for the flights.
Furthermore, there was always good and constructive feedback from the coaches. All in all, I liked the way how the ground training was done and I think it was good that we trained there so hard.
AG - How was your first flying experience?
Sven - I was quite nervous but the team made its best to reduce all risks and so once I was in the air I felt quite good and enjoyed it a lot. It definitely helped me that we booked a tandem flight before the solo flight so that I already got used to the feeling a little bit. I really liked the fantastic view while flying.
AG - How was your training experience with Antigravity?
Sven - The whole team from Antigravity did a perfect job. I really enjoyed the course and felt safe all the time.
AG - How has paragliding impacted your life?
Sven - For me, it was a big step to take full responsibility of my life in my own hands by being solely responsible for the control of the glider at such a big height. Still doing this and coming out of my comfort zone definitely impacted my life.
AG - What is your most memorable solo flying experience?
The amazing view definitely is the most memorable point. Furthermore, I will definitely not forget the feeling of the turbulences and my last landing, where I finally managed to land on my feet
What are your future plans with the sport?
I am not sure about it. The feeling of being up in the air and enjoying nature and the view from there is definitely amazing and something that I would like to have again. But I can't really relax in the glider because I am thinking too much about it while being in the air and so I am not sure whether I could really enjoy the sport.
I think with a lot of training, I could reduce this, but as there is no good paragliding site close to my home, I think it would be difficult to train a lot. So let's see how I move on with it.
Any suggestion for an upcoming beginner paragliding pilot?
Be prepared to sweat a lot and get totally exhausted during ground training. Furthermore, I would recommend everyone to book a tandem flight before going on the first solo flight.