Safety briefing

Welcome to safety briefing, here you will find things that will keep you safe during the course.

Pull in big ear on one side. I will then get on radio to communicate to see if that is what you mean. You then pull in the big ear again to confirm.

If you have access to your radio you can use it to communicate. But normally it is just me communicating with you, because your radio is stowed away for the course.

If you can communicate with me, by all means do so, otherwise big ear is the international sign for - I want to stop.

If the radio has malfunctioned at a crucial moment, cut out or wasn’t clear and you did not understand what I’ve asked you to do. Do nothing.

If you try and do something that I have not asked and you don’t have enough height for the maneuver you're doing, it might surprise the both of us and you might not have enough height to get back to the shore.

If you haven’t understood what I’ve asked, do nothing. I will then get back on radio and explain to you again and I will use different words. I’ll slow it down, I’ll say it more clearly. Once you understand what is going on do the maneuver.

And you can’t sort them out during your flight, it is then your responsibility to keep yourself in the box. I will be watching, the boat will be in the water and you will be filmed, so all the safety aspects will be there. Just do the maneuver that you are comfortable with, as you won’t be able to get the direct feedback from me. But keep an eye on where you are in the box as I won’t be able to reposition you in the box.

Even if this is your first flight, make sure you don’t waste your flight. Do something you are really comfortable with, I will be watching and you will be filmed. At least I will be able to de-brief you after the flight and you won’t waste your flight.

This is really important point - You are always pilot in command. That goes for take-off, landing and during the whole flight.

The conditions on take-off are yours to judge. Pay attention to the cycles, to the airspace, to your gear, and to your checks.

There is no instructor on take-off. The landing zone sits at 90 metres and take-off is at 1,750. That is too far apart to see what is happening at the other end, so we have an assistant on top who works as the instructor's eyes and ears. Who is on take-off, who is ready to fly, who has gone. That is the whole job.

The assistant does not teach and does not give an opinion on the conditions. Nobody up there is going to tell you it is a good time to fly. You are pilot in command. The decision to take off is yours.

During your flight, my perspective can be very distorted. You need to have a good look around before you start your maneuver, to make sure your airspace is clear. There can be quite a few other pilots in the air in the box, remember you are the pilot in command always.

It is also very important that you check in with yourself, I might be asking to you to do something. You might be getting tired and feel like this is not something you are able to do right now. Or I might be asking you to do something and you might not feel comfortable to do that particular maneuver that close to the lake. Again you are always the pilot in command, it is your responsibility to decide if you are comfortable with doing that maneuver or not.

It is essential to maintain two-way communication throughout the course. If the days are long or it is hot, I need to know how you are doing mentally. Please provide feedback after every flight regarding your level of tiredness, dehydration, or hunger. Constant feedback is necessary for me to customize the course based on your current state.

With landings we will always leave you with enough height to take you in for landing.

Lake Garda’s landing is quite narrow and it can be quite windy. Make sure you go through the Site Briefing section to better understand the recommended landing approach for Lake Garda.

I have written separately about reserve throws here.

You need to Look, Locate - Pull and throw in one go. As you release your reserve keep looking at it, follow it with your eyes till it opens. If it does get tangled in your lines or paraglider, then you’ll need to locate your reserve bridles and pull on them as hard as needed to help get some air into your reserve to help it open up.

If you have steerable reserve, you need to kill your wing a bit more before you start controlling your reserve, if possible try to point it into wind before landing in water, this will limit your ground speed.

If you have a round or square reserve you can leave as much wing as you like, it will create some more drag, just make sure to take energy out of the wing.

Once you are in the water, do not try to use your legs to stay afloat. Your life vest will hold you up. To keep your head clear of the water, turn and look at the sky. That is easier than trying to swim.

The vest takes a second or two to inflate. It fires on water pressure, not on humidity, so it will not pop the moment you touch the surface. Wait for it. Once it inflates it is large, and it will hold you and all your gear up even if you are unconscious.

There is a dedicated rescue boat on the water for the whole course, on our radio, listening in. Usually more than one boat comes for one pilot. They are watching before you know you need them. If you exit a maneuver low and far from the landing zone, they are already moving, and they will have you out within seconds.

When the boat reaches you, the crew deal with your reserve first if you threw one, then they come for you. Grab the boat as soon as it is close enough. When the boatman pulls you in, pull yourself in at the same time. Two people pulling is faster than one.

You do not need to undo your harness in the water. Stay in it. The vest and the boat do the work.