Andy Hediger is passionate about paragliding born in Switzerland. He helped to conceive of paragliding as we know him today in the mid -1980s. At that time, a group of Swiss, German, French and Austrian had united to work on the research and development of this aeronef .
For 10 years, he therefore worked on the development and improvement of wings (or sails) of paragliding, that he was testing himself. Testing aircraft is not an easy job, it is even often dangerous. It is necessary to submit the devices to the worst climatic conditions possible to determine their reaction in order to find the right way to improve them.
This was undoubtedly what enabled him to perfect his pilot talents.
In the year 2000, Andy became the world champion of paragliding . According to him, the paragliding is the easiest form, the most direct and free to fly, but also requires a lot of discipline and personal criticism to limit the dangers.
He is able to do any type of maneuver with his paraglider and leave spectators without spectators who are fortunate to see him fly. He has the gift of doing what seems impossible by the majority of other pilots . However, when he realizes the figures, everything seems simple, and his flights resemble air ballets.
He remembers with dread of his first experience, when, at 8 years old, his father made him climb on a acrobatic two -seater . He talks about it as a fairly traumatic experience, which has deeply marked him, and who pushed him to take a break in the realization of his passion. But he undoubtedly owned this passion in blood, because he loved drawing in his workshop all types of gliders of aeromodelling that he broke and rebuilt in his Swiss campaign.
When he has to advise people who learn to pilot a paraglider , he gives us 10 tips:
1) Feel mentally : Like all sports, extreme or not, you should never neglect mental preparation , since it is a determining element.
2) have eaten enough, but not too much : it seems obvious, but you should neither embark on the flight on an empty stomach nor leave the trigger.
3) learn to decode the behavior of birds : the behavior of birds gives a good indication of the weather conditions of the moment.
4) have your equipment in good condition : there must be no doubt about Preparation of equipment . Everything must be perfectly in order before taking off. Oublisses are not recommended…
5) know the weather of the day : it is important to find out about climatic data of the day.
6) listen to his bodily sensations : Watch in particular fatigue. Try to be in good shape to assimilate all the information and advice of the people around you
7) Relax : In order not to omit an important point before flying, you have to know how to relax a minimum before taking off. Even if the paragliding can sometimes serve as a release, you have to know how to master your emotions as in any sport.
8) stay concentrated before the flight : it is important not to get involved in activities that could deconcentrate you during the preparation of your equipment. No discussion at the same time, for your safety, it is forbidden to have your head elsewhere.
9) go to the toilet : people who are not yet used to flight can sometimes forget this important detail. Indeed, hold back throughout the flight is not necessarily a good idea to enjoy the trip, think about it before!
10) gently take off : takeoff is the key step. To go badly is to take risks that are not necessary.
Andy lives today in Argentina, where he continues to practice his passion and makes him fly who asks him. You can observe it, in person, in the following video.
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He recently won the Pré-Pwc (Pre-Paragliding World Cup) in Mendoza in December 2011, in his host country.
This experience is a message to all air sports enthusiasts : Always push your limits further, stay humble and live your passion thoroughly.
If you want to learn one day to pilot near you, you can pass your air baptism and look for the paragliding schools in your region.
In the meantime, do not hesitate to ask all the questions you want in our paragliding community!
