Episode 116- Chasing Hang Gliding for 47 years with Charlie Baughman

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Charlie on his Atos VR glider

Charlie Baughman has been flying hang gliders since 1973. That’s 47 years…and he’s still going strong. In 2011 at the age of 64 Charlie broke the Oregon state record (which still holds) when he flew 218 miles into Idaho, and then did a very styly self retrieve.  We have it on good authority that Charlie was the first person in North American to figure out how to thermal, and possibly the world. Charlie started sky diving in the 60’s at the age of 22, then began hang gliding on Lookout Mountain in Colorado when the very first hang gliders were built. In this episode we talk about the early gliders and the early hang gliding scene in places like Aspen and Telluride, Colorado; the insane number of accidents on gliders like the Chandelle comp; some of his epic retrieves; flying without instruments or a rescue; the “mass migration” to Salt Lake City to fly the Point of the Mountain; and flying in thermal wave. Read that last bit again- thermal wave. Yes, it’s a thing. I got most of my questions for this one from the Dark Prince himself, Larry Tudor. What a riot- enjoy!

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Show Notes:

  • The first person to thermal?
  • The Colorado scene and Lookout mountain- the characters and the craziness
  • The Chandelle Comp
  • The Mass migration to Utah
  • Breaking records, crazy retrieves and the art of chasing it
  • Flying without instruments or a reserve
  • Charlie the “Hawkman”
  • Flying across the Uintahs
  • Breaking the Oregon State record

Mentioned in this episode:

Larry Tudor, Mark Windsheimer, Ken Brown, Bill Moyes, Erik Kaye, Eagles in the Flesh, Dennis Pagen

 

Charlie and his wife Carolyn

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:46 — 72.1MB)

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Episode 115- Sky Camping with Martin (11 yrs) and Honza Rejmanek

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Honza and Martin having a most excellent adventure!

Honza Rejmanek competed in the Red Bull X-Alps 5 times. His last was in 2015 but apparently nutty runs in the family and he and his son Martin have been doing incredible 8 day tandem vol-biv adventures for the past three years in the Alps. Their style is pure- no mechanical support is allowed (ie they fly or they walk), food is collected or carried, where they start and end is fixed so if they don’t make it one year they just come back the next! Honza says compared to the X-Alps they move at about one quarter of the speed but with four times the weight and no support crew! This inspiring and fun talk takes you on the inside of 3 years of adventures that not too many people will ever get to experience. My greatest ambition after listening to Martin and Honza is to be this cool of a Dad! In this chaotic time, we could all use something to help us smile and relax. This talk will do it!

Some fun stats:

Longest flight: 50km, 5hr
Longest distance hiked in one day: 25km
Most elevation hiked in one day: 1,700m

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Show Notes:

  • The art of tandem vol biv with Dad
  • How it works, gear, and the style
  • The best, the worst, the hardest
  • The treasures along the way
  • The “skull and crossbones” trail
  • Gear tips for vol biv
  • Single surface wings?
  • Food – what to bring and how to be self reliant
  • Fun contacts and encounters along the way
  • How they’ve adapted each one
  • Conditions that work and don’t work on a tandem

Mentioned in this episode:

Nate Scales, Cross Country Magazine, Red Bull X-Alps

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:48 — 62.1MB)

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The Corona Virus- Critical Choices in a Critical Time

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This is an emergency episode of the Cloudbase Mayhem that everyone needs to hear. I sat down with two people on the front lines of Covid-19, my sister Lesley McClurg who is a Health and Science reporter for KQED in San Francisco, who has covered the pandemic since early January, when only 6 people had died; and Terry O’Connor, an ER doctor in Ketchum, Idaho- one of the most affected towns in the country (on par per capita with New York, San Francisco, and Seattle). We are in the largest public health crisis of our times. Covid-19 is being compared to the Spanish Influenza in 1918, which killed 50 million people. No one alive has ever seen anything like this before. But for many people it’s not tangible. It’s all data and numbers, and until it impacts a loved one, a neighbor, or someone you know it’s hard to understand. It’s called the “Novel” Corona Virus because it’s new and we know very little about the disease. What are the common misconceptions? Can our medical facilities and health workers handle what’s coming? How many people might die? What are the economic implications? And…what are the silver linings in this incredibly scary time? Birdsong and blue skies have returned to Wuhan for the first time in decades. We are realizing our own fragility. We’re realizing we are not invincible and we’re not in control. We’re suddenly faced with abundant time to evaluate what’s important in our lives. And we’re seeing the Earth’s resilience and how fast she can recover if we slow down. And finally- how should we recreate during this period? How should we approach risk? We need to think about it seriously.

PLEASE- share this with everyone you know.

Resources:

John Hopkins Corona Virus Resource Center: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

New York Times article about the Two Women Lesley references: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-death-life.html

A great podcast with Sam Harris and Nicholas Christakis:

https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/190-respond-coronavirus/

And with Sam Harris and Amesh Adalja:

https://samharris.org/subscriber-extras/191-early-thoughts-pandemic/

Support the Podcast

A buck an episode, that's all we ask

If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

Listen to the Podcast

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Show Notes:

  • Where we’ve gone wrong in our response and what we need to do now, urgently
  • The biggest misconceptions of the Corona Virus
  • What we don’t understand about Covid-19
  • Corona can hit anyone, and YES- it can effect the young and the healthy
  • “Good for you that your healthy, but stop killing the rest of us”
  • There is no treatment, there is no cure
  • What are the numbers?
  • Can our medical infrastructure handle what’s coming?
  • How are our health workers at risk?
  • “At some point we will not be able to manage this”
  • What Covid-19 does to those infected- it’s not pretty
  • The frustrations of our health care providers
  • “This is a beast, and the best wants in”
  • How our culture compares to Italy
  • The importance of modeling good behavior
  • The importance of flattening the curve
  • How should we recreate right now? Getting hurt is NOT an option
  • When should we go get tested?
  • The psychology of a crises
  • We need to win hearts and minds, but doing it with the numbers isn’t going to work.
  • “This is a common problem for humanity right now. If you’re looking for a sense of purpose in your life, it’s here”

Mentioned in this episode:

Sam Harris, Chrigel Maurer, Gary Newsom, Andrew Cuomo, USHPA, Cross Country Magazine, Sun Valley, Ketchum, KQED, NPR, Wuhan, Mountain Express, Terry O’Connor, Lesley McClurg, Sun Valley Resort, Blaine County, Idaho; David Concannon, Marc Hanselman, SHV/FSVL, FFVL, SBSA, Neal Bradshaw, St Lukes Hospital, Paul Slovek, University of Oregon, Nick Streuli

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:27 — 84.8MB)

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Episode 113- Manu Bonte and Mastering Autonomy

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Manu showing the way in Colombia

THIS ONE IS AWESOME! Don’t delay, listen now and put all these practices into your flying- and life! Manu Bonte is an APPI Master Instructor and has been guiding cross country instructional tours around the world for over 10 years. A Mechanical engineer, Manu has worked as a test pilot for 8 years in the development team of the French paraglider brand Nervures. Manu is also a journalist and author of the book Parapente Sauvage. The “Flying Frog” is internationally known for his amazing pictures and adventurous journeys around the globe. Manu is president of the educational committee of the APPI, an international education training program that has more than 10,000 members in 134 countries. In this episode we learn about how Manu approaches building autonomy with his students; the importance of the mental side of the sport; finding the equilibrium between motivation and safety; chasing the aesthetic over personal bests and kilometer counting; how to get pilots in a positive state of mind; teaching people to avoid making stupid mistakes; the extreme risk of social media and external motivation and flying; how to free the unconscious mind; the three things that lead to accidents; switching to “autopilot”; where “happiness” lies in flying and a TON, TON more.

Some great resources from the talk:

An excellent tool to analyze your flights
https://xcanalytics.fr/en/

https://www.fai.org/page/risk-assessment

Here is the major accident analysis over last 12 years (in French)
https://vimeo.com/382900263

 

APPI (Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors) is an association based in switzerland that was founded in 2009.
http://appifly.org/
http://www.appifly.org/?What-is-APPI

The main goal of APPI is to offer to pilots and instructors a worldwide united education system. Many pilots travel, and APPI gives them the confidence to find consistent,  quality education in certified APPI schools all around the world. APPI allows those traveling pilots to progress in the same education system wherever they travel.

APPI has 10.000 members in more than 134 countries
http://appifly.org/?APPI-Worldwide&lang=en

APPI quality is based on:

A: a well documented education system

http://appifly.org/?APPI-Education-System&lang=en#education
click on any level to have details

APPI education system also features:
-Pilot manual
-Pilot Logbook where the contents of each level are described. So far this logbook is available in English, Spanish, French, Serbo Croatian, Macedonian, Greek, Persian, Russian, Turkish…. Chinese and Arabic are in progress
-Online theory training with a pool of 500 question carefully elaborated and regularly updated
-Online Theoretical exam virtual room
-Evaluation forms for practical exams
-Instructor manual

The education system is regularly evaluated and updated by a cosmopolitan pool of master instructors: the APPI Pedagogical Committee. This allows the  system to be in perpetual evolution and incorporate the latest knowledge, which is a major issue when we consider the fast evolution in glider design and its impacts on piloting.

B: a network of APPI certified professional pilots:

The network of tandem pilots, instructors and schools provides a consistent and guaranteed level of quality

C: field pedagogic actions:
those actions are performed:
-by APPI instructors inside APPI schools
-by APPI master instructors for experienced pro pilots (tandem, instructors, technicians) seeking validation or updating of their competence in the APPI system. They are evaluated and validated at the level they deserve in the APPI system.

Actions oriented towards Pro pilots are called Pro-workshop, here is the schedule of coming events, as well as a resume of actions that have been held in the past

http://appifly.org/?APPI-Workshops&lang=en

D: a quality control system based on 2 points:

-Each key level (advanced pilot, tandem pilot, instructor) requires validation of two different instructors or master instructors. Name of validators is recorded into the APPI system and they may be held responsible for the actions or behavior of their rated pilots in case it is due to a lack in the education process.

-Each member of APPI, whether he is a simple pilot or a master instructor, can report any incidents or unsafe behaviors he may witness.

The Disciplinary & Safety Committee will investigate and evaluate possible actions to take in these instances.

If the issue indicates action against an individual, the disciplinary committee may take action to bring the individual into compliance with the APPI standards. If those actions are unsuccessful, sanctions may been taken up to expel the individual from APPI.

If the incident suggests a change to the training protocol, the Disciplinary Committee will engage the Pedagogical Committee to have the training protocol be revised and evolve.

System update:

The APPI system is driven by a competent and cosmopolitan pedagogical committee:
14 experts showing different backgrounds.

The diversity of countries and expertise enriches our understanding of global issues. One thing they have in common is that all travel the world for their professional paragliding activity.

This committee also relies on a network of well known and respected specialists who help on specific topics.
APPI Hall of Fame shows Francois Ragolski, Theo De Blic, Tim Alongi, Franck Coupat (Attaka speedriding school), Kari Castle, Charles Cazaux, Seiko Fukuoka, Pablo Lopez, Bruce Goldsmith, David Eyraud, Fabien Blanco, Mendo Veljanovski, Jordi Marquillas, Marko Hrgetik, Dale Covington, Avi Malik… Among others

APPI and National federations:

− The purpose of APPI is to create a consistent high level of training worldwide, and to build bridges with existing national federations.

− At APPI we are convinced that a strong local federation of pilots in a country is critical for paragliding development, and is key for airspace regulation, national competition, and many other issues.

− APPI’s goal is to promote and strenghten paragliding worldwide.
If we can help any federation or local authority with our experience and training program to build a synergy, we do so enthusiastically.

On the field how does it work?

Some countries use the APPI system as their official system. They like the quality of the contents, the fact that its a ready to use solution with documentation and educational support. Also they like the possibility to call external experts to validate the pros levels which eliminates conflicts of interest.

In some countries where an historic educational system exists APPI certifications are recognized besides the local historic system. APPI functions in a supportive role, and is mainly used when local pilots travel abroad, or for an easy integration of incoming foreign pilots.

There are countries that do not recognize APPI yet, and we work on building a trustfull relationship with them.

APPI and FAI

APPI is recognized by FAI as a trustfull entity. FAI asked APPI to work on the renewal of Parapro system (Safe pro 2017), FAI allows APPI to issue FAI IPPI levels in certains countries, standart procedure requires local NAC autorization.

Pilots that are APPI certified have their certification recognized in countries that recognize APPI certification.

Insurance:

We are working on providing worldwide insurance at a decent rate and very good coverage to all our pilots and professional pilots. We have already succeeded for European citizens (even living abroad) and European residents. Our insurance company is working to extend the offer worldwide

Manu Bonte

President of APPI educational committee

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If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

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Show Notes:

  • Finding the equilibrium between motivation and safety
  • Becoming autonomous
  • Teaching people to avoid making stupid mistakes
  • Mental, mental, mental- you gotta feel good in the air
  • Identifying behaviors that betray nervousness
  • disconnecting the piloting from the vision- going into autopilot
  • improving technique for thermalling
  • work on strategy- identify the simple rules and follow them- free your unconscious mind!
  • The four cores: Mental, technical, energy, and strategy
  • The three things that lead to problems- 1) external motivation. 2) ego. 3) incorrect vision of progression- exposing yourself to too much risk. Work the technique, improve your mental skills, pound the fundamentals and you will get good, you don’t need to push hard to get good
  • Paragliding is dangerous. Accepting that it is the first step in the right direction.
  • What makes a good paragliding pilot? What makes a great flight?
  • Adapt- manage your level of exposure
  • Connect your happiness to improvement, not numbers
  • Your goal should be to fly safely and making smart decisions.  Fly for the aesthetic. If your stories include tons of low saves and surviving sketchy decisions then that’s not cool. Who’s the better pilot- the pilot who flies all day without a low save, or the pilot who has 5 low saves?
  • The importance of Analyzing your flight to find weaknesses. There are four parts: climbing, transition, the line, and the searching.
  • How to exit a thermal
  • The importance of Margin
  • Are you having fun or are you looking for recognition?
  • Aligning probability with risk and the severity of the consequences
  • APPI and creating a syllabus and education system for the world

Mentioned in this episode:

APPI

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:32 — 76.6MB)

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Episode 112- Nuno Virgílio and Chasing the Flow

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Nuno Virgílio began flying when he was 17 and has been chasing it for 23 years and counting. He competed in the 2011 Red Bull X-Alps, won a task in the PWC in Portugal in 2012, has been Portugal champion multiple times and has a plethora of site records. And he remains as hungry as ever to fly. In this episode we dive into how the Portugal team changed their mental game and mindset after getting coaching in sports psychology; the dynamics of Flow and how to enter it; building mental tools; the importance of visualizing; how to relax before launch; how to let instinct and intuition rule in flight; how flying affects our lives and how life affects our flying; how to fly convergence and flatlands tips; the Red Bull X-Alps; the importance of self-assessment and a lot more. Nuno regularly chases distance with his wife, who is also an exceptional pilot and we learn about how she recently got into a cloud suck situation that changed the way she looks at the world. I really, really enjoyed this conversation and I think you will as well.

Nuno also runs an airbnb type website for traveling paragliders called B.Stoked Paragliding. Check it out!

Support the Podcast

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If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

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Show Notes:

  • Nuno and a lifetime of flight and learning from his father at 17
  • Sports psychology and the Portuguese team
  • FLOW
  • How to enter flow more easily
  • Visualization- the key to training
  • How to go on autopilot and let the subconscious do the work
  • “stop flying and let yourself be flown”
  • Observe, observe, observe
  • The importance of shifting gears
  • Flying and life, life and flying
  • Becoming a natural pilot
  • Maintaining the passion
  • The Red Bull X-Alps
  • Assessing the risk and self awareness
  • Ask yourself these questions: Why did you start flying? Why do you continue flying? What’s your greatest fear?
  • Don’t force it
  • A scary cloud suck story….

Mentioned in this episode:

Adel Honti, Flow, Manfred Ruhmer, Reavis Sutphin-Gray, Francis Reina, FlyBubble, Matt Henzi, Airtribune, Chelan, Three Peaks Paragliding, Chikyong Ha, Nate Scales, Cross Country Magazine

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:58 — 64.2MB)

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Bonus Episode! Weather Series Episode 1 with Emi Carvalho

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This is the first of three shows in a bonus series for our subscribers dedicated to building an understanding of the weather and forecasting. Emi Carvalho studied physics in school, but it wasn’t until he began paragliding that applied physics interested him.  He talks about the basics of weather, focusing on island weather and the possibilities inherent in an island with mountains over 2,000m.  Emi talks about where he turns to first for weather (Windy and any local knowledge), and what he usually looks for (wind intensity, direction, and temps at different altitudes.).

This content is only available to Members of the Cloudbase Mayhem. If you have subscribed to our newsletter or have supported us in the past through PayPal, Patreon or another way you should have an account all set up with us and you can login below (username is typically your email). If you aren't a member, all we've ever asked for is a buck a show so please if you can join now! Can't afford a buck a show? We want all our content to be available to the flying community regardless of your financial position, so just send us an email and we'll sort you out.

Episode 111- Steph Davis and the taking the road a LOT less traveled

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Steph Davis is a professional climber and base jumper who lives in Moab, Utah. Steph grew up on the east coast and originally pursued music and literature. Then she moved out to Colorado to get her Masters and briefly pursued a career as a lawyer before climbing pulled her onto a totally different life path. She’s been a professional athlete and has made a living through climbing since 1996 and later skydiving and base jumping. For Steph, climbing is a metaphor for life:  “You have to do what feels right, what lights you up. Do your best always. Conserve. Never waste anything. You can only have what you can carry: choose it carefully, make it last, take care of it. Appreciate what you have for as long as you have it. Be ready to do without it. No matter what happens, deal with it. Adapt, instantly when necessary. Take care of yourself. Try to help. A lot of times you fail, sometimes you succeed. Either way, you’re never the whole reason for it.” Steph speaks professionally about fear, risk and resilience (see her recent TedTalk here) and has witnessed a lot of traumatic accidents, including the death of her husband Mario Richard in a wingsuit base jump accident in the Dolomites. Why do we need risk in our lives? How do we balance the risk and reward? How do we learn to live again after tragedy? What non-physical training can we do to support performance? How can we reduce accidents in airports? This is a fascinating talk with a fascinating person. Enjoy!

Support the Podcast

A buck an episode, that's all we ask

If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

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Show Notes:

  • Steph discusses the difficulty of describing what she does for a living…
  • How to make a living as a professional athlete
  • The plusses and negatives of being a minimalist
  • The “dirt bag” lifestyle- let’s not glamorize it too much
  • People who jump off cliffs- they aren’t what you think
  • Walking a completely different path
  • The risk and reward
  • The death of her husband Mario Richard
  • Why do some people pursue such high-risk activities? Is it the escape or something else?
  • Dealing with tragedy
  • Non-physical training
  • Minimize your life!
  • How do we reduce accidents?

Mentioned in this episode:

GEOS, Global Rescue, IMG Signature, Garmin, Base jumping, Wingsuiting, Climbing, Rebecca Rusch, Jody MacDonald, KAVU, Alex Honnold, Jeff Shapiro, Dean Potter, Graham Hunt, Sean Leary, MSR, Ruffwear

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:42 — 54.8MB)

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Episode 110- Juan Sebastien Ospina “Seb” and Piecing it all Together

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Sebastien Ospina “Seb” has been chasing all things paragliding for years now. Seb works the tandem scene in Interlaken year round; has been chasing the world record in the Sertau in Brazil the past few years; is a regular on the podium at very high level competitions; is frequently at the top of the XContest every year; and has been an XC instructor with Pal Takats and Mike and Stu Belbas with Verbier Summits. Seb is from Armenia, Colombia and his story from being fascinated with the sky as a little boy to becoming one of the worlds great pilots is a fantastic story in itself and in this podcast we dive into the tactics and secrets he’s developed with the help of Thomas Theurillat (ONEDAY coaching, and Chrigel’s coach and supporter for many of his X-Alps campaigns) to play a better game, and how we bounce back from the times it doesn’t work. Seb has a terrific attitude about flying and he’s always the guy who’s wearing the biggest smile: his thrill and passion for the sport is infectious and inspiring. Enjoy!

Support the Podcast

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If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

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Show Notes:

  • Seb discusses ONEDAY coaching with Thomas Theurillat and how it is affecting his flying
  • Preparing the mind for flying and tools to improve
  • The importance of journaling and mindfulness
  • The right headspace for success
  • Mantras and tips for flying well
  • Being “zen” and cool when you’re flying. Try to be cool!
  • Breath
  • Fly the shit out of your glider before you move up!
  • Stuff the lower hour pilots really need to practice- ground handling, pitch control, observation
  • The breakthrough- flying Brazil
  • How to be consistent in comps
  • Is flying tandems commercially good for your personal flying?
  • Getting into comps
  • Top landing Mont Blanc
  • Chasing it in Brazil- tips for flying in the wind and for flying long days
  • Sink in the flats

Mentioned in this episode:

Blue Fly Vario, Dave Hanning, Stian Volstad, Mike and Stu Belbas, Verbier Summits, Viv Fouracre, Livia Gilstrap, Anze Priztov, Ben Netterfield, Yann Gallin, Andy Read, Wendy Pepper, Miguel Gutierrez, Bowen Dwelle, Alas Del Hombre, British Paragliding, Guy Anderson, Chris Bevins, ONEDAY coaching, Thomas Theurillat, Charles Cazaux, Patrick Von Kanel, Yael Margelisch, XContest, Chrigel Maurer, Alistair Dickie, Maxime Bellemin, Hugh Miller, Cross Country Paragliding, Russ Ogden, Adel Honti, Nick Neynens, Mitch Riley, Bruce Goldsmith, Jeff Shapiro, Will Gadd, Josh Cohn, Ozone, Mark Watts, Red Bull X-Alps, Rafael Saladini, Samuel Nascimento, Marcelo Prieto, FlyWithAndy, Ken Hudonjorgensen, Red Rocks Flyin

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:54 — 87.0MB)

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Episode 109- Reducing the Carnage with Will Gadd and Jeff Shapiro

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Accidents are ubiquitous in free flight but recently there’s been a huge spike in fatalities in our sport and in this podcast with Jeff Shapiro and Will Gadd we aim to take on the subject of risk and where we get it wrong sometimes- and why. We take on a lot in this show, but here’s a little teaser: How well do you understand your own head? Is pushing the limits necessary to learn? What can go wrong and how much margin do we need so we can play another day? Mistakes are necessary to learn, but the ground is hard and unforgiving, so how do we fly with that knowledge and still excel safely? How to have appropriate goals at appropriate times. What’s the end game? Why aviation is unique compared to other high risk sports because of gravity and the ground. The dangers of forcing your will on the day, rather than just flying what the day provides (“Fly the day, not your desire”- Nick Greece). The three stages of combat veterans and how it applies to free flight. And a ton more. This is one of the most important shows we’ve ever produced, I hope you’ll share it with everyone you know who flies or participates in high risk activities. Be safe everyone.

Support the Podcast

A buck an episode, that's all we ask

If you like what you hear, please consider becoming a subscriber to ensure our high-quality content continues. You can also help contribute to a healthier, greener planet through our partnership with Our Forest. See our donation and subscription options here.

Listen to the Podcast

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Show Notes:

  • The 5 hazardous attitudes in Aviation
  • The positive power of negative thinking
  • How well do you understand your own head?- Expect error.
  • Thinking of and understanding the consequences tends to allow you to live longer
  • The importance of having a visceral connection
  • Understanding the difference between someone being negative and someone giving good advice and how not to misinterpret the two
  • Flying is a high consequence sport with a lot of complexities- so you better understand that up front
  • Gravity and speed
  • Fly like the pilot you ARE, not the pilot you want to be
  • Every flight we make is a very personal decision for each of us. Fly the day, not your desire.
  • Combat veterans go through 3 stages. The first stage with novices haven’t seen much and assume nothing will happen to them. The second stage is when a more experienced veteran realizes the dangers and will train hard to try to avoid getting hurt. The third stage is simply realizing that no matter how hard you train and how good you are still means you might not come home. So it’s recognizing that these sports are just dangerous. It’s not resignation, it’s just being real about the risks.
  • Operating from a place of fear is not a good place to be
  • The line between fear and doubt isn’t always very clear.
  • Most aviation events happen in a chain. They are rarely just one thing.
  • “You gotta be stupid enough to launch and smart enough to get it back to the ground.”- Nate Scales
  • Keeping track of the (typically 3) things that are likely going to kill you. Respect the relationship of the stuff that will kill you.
  • How to create a culture of safety. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Will Gadd, Jeff Shapiro, Cody Tuttle, Casey Bedell, Cross Country Magazine, Nick Greece, Josh Cohn, Nate Scales

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:41 — 71.8MB)

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Bonus Episode- Ken Hudonjorgensen and “Winguistics”

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Learn the language of your wing and what it's trying to tell you by the legendary instructor Ken Hudonjorgensen. This talk is aimed at lower hour pilots but I learned a ton and no doubt you will as well. Enjoy!

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