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!
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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
either everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Cloud Base Mayhem. My guest today is new. No Virgilio Nuno is I think the first that we've had on who calls Portugal home. He lives just outside of Lisbon. He's been chasing it for over half his life or twenty three twenty four years now. He competed in the x outs. In Two thousand eleven. He has a whole bunch of sight records. He won a World Cup task back in two thousand twelve national champion Multiple Times. And I've been asked by many many people over the years to get him on the show. We will find the able to connect great talk into really fascinating person who has lots of thoughts on flow and training and safeties never had an accident. His wife also wise in his whole family flies. He got into his dad introduce them to flying way back when winning seventeen and his wife is in at the end of this one we hear about a pretty scary crazy story about her getting sucked into a cloud and going over five thousand meters getting encased in ice and having pretty intimate look at the other side so a lot here fascinating fund. Talk that I think you're going to enjoy her. Full story is in the show notes about that. Cloud Suck Day and he knew it also hosts a website called paragliding dot bestow dot net than the link for. That's awesome on the show. That's like an AIRBNB for paragliders and for traveling pilots so not check that out as well joy stock the no. I really did enjoy Nuno so good. Have you on the show? I really appreciate it? Thanks for coming on the mayhem. I think you're the first pilot we've interviewed from Portugal. So I'm looking forward to this and there's been a lot of requests for you over the years and I've been following you and we've had quite a bit of contact over the social media and stuff but never had a chance to chat so welcome to govern. It's a great honor to be on the show. I've been also following for a for a while mayhem. It's amazing The pilots you've been interviewing than sharing their vision and their stories and it's Honor to to to be the show yet. It will thank you at S- before we started recording there. You're giving me a little bit of your background. I understand you live close to Lisbon. And you're telling me cut about the flying there and stop which I definitely want to hear more about understand. You've been at this game quite a long time to find for half your life. How long is that? I started the quite early. I was seventeen just the After my father who always been an addict are very interested in aerial sports after his military service he was apart super in the kept on going in narrow sports skydiving in just following general aviation in. Suddenly that was the sport where you could just jump from a hill. You wouldn't need to to to fly off the plane so that these loss really the early is the spark like early nineties. I know we were kids. New in my brothers in Naturally follow his steps in. We start flying soon as we can't as could so yeah So long time I've been ever since chasing the good weather in chasing clouds and go doing some competitions but a lot of acce- around yeah traveling the world a bit meeting people discovering Cultures Might Z. You know I think that's what keeps US know the Bar Limi- thing Aso The Sea star when you're seventeen and you just said you're forty rice you've been you've been mathis your life Yeah does your family still. Why do you brother still fly? Yeah they do I'm the oldest. My second brother is actually also really good pilots. Although now he's taking a bright goes family issues says three kids three small kids so not devoting as much time as before Which flew a lot together. I think we developed that.
00:05:03 - 00:10:07
We grew up our as violets together. In my younger brother. He's actually a professional balloting. The military air force pilots but the also lies Barrett leather seats early age in every now and then he gets the lie. There often goes are some sorry in close to the place where lives just by the beach. Mar The kind of more relaxed flying not doing competition or accede. But he's the real piloting the family. How cool at. I WanNa talk to more pilots like that to see. You know the kind of crossover some of the commercial pilots. We've spoken to had their their training. Is they get a lot better against training. Then I think we do at the. That's so adamant that they can't have accidents so they they really did a show on. T. M. threatened near Management I. I'd never even heard of that. I'm surprised a lot of that stuff isn't brought into the fold with with hang gliding incurred lining so. I'm sure you've learned a lot from him. We we share a lot of experience. That's for sure that's I didn't I didn't tell you I was going to answer the ask this. So it's kind of hard to do it on the spot but when you think back at your twenty three years flying now. Do you have a flight? That still just really stands out something in that one Yes I mean Several it's hard to convince site such a longer time in just one single flights but You know like maybe the longest. I've slow are I don't know maybe the most successful while competing winning World Cup task is solely something Or a breaking three hundred case from your home. Spot is never done before never repeated so it was just perfect by so. That's kind of memories that stick out but for sure there's many more I remember the the early days the first time we flew the far of us together like my two brothers. My father all the time all at the same time goes kind of emotional. Yeah the first time I've done this well first. And only on the last but Winning a World Cup task. After hundred K's in beating the world's best violets out. There is really makes you feel some special. Also that's when. When was that new back in two thousand twelve? I think one of my favorite places in Bochum is actually a quite famous as far as championships. We had the European just two years ago. Couple of World Cup Stare World Championship way. Back into solid tree. This I think was thousand twelve or thirteen. I'm not sure right now but Mainly Perfect Day in the area we. It's well known for sometimes quite tricky conditions. But when it's good it's really good. It's like you have these conversions lines you can go toolbar cruising everywhere in. It's Dan jumping out of the convergence line in the two to shift gears slowdown. Abi then go full on again. In the closing. One Hundred K's triangle lending the town or close to the lake as a quite nice like nearby. This is one of my favorite places as I said in the winning at home refi concise. Oh was green special. I was going to see because that's quite unusual isn't it? I mean there's it's almost never the local hero that wins. Yoga's they just they have such an imprint on what works. And what doesn't that you know it's it's hard. It's hard to be creative when new pilots come to town. They often you know because they don't know it as well. They can make some pretty fancy move so that that must have felt really good. Yeah definitely And in fact the next day or the previous day I I don't know totally messed up so it comes to to to to to this conclusion. Yeah the local pilot. Maybe sometimes you're too much You know the place to well you think okay this direction or the ceremony there Never Work and not knowing this it might be advantage definitely nuno when you look back on that day when you think back on it now.
00:10:07 - 00:15:01
Is there anything particular that you feel really helped you know anything been trying to access again maybe a particular mindset or just things just went right that day at the second point in life flying we with our national team or having some mentorship from someone a bout side of the Oral but we brealey some big experienced in in Not just in life because he wasn't an elderly lady but professionally. She was dealing with Like Personnel Development Group Dynamics and stuff that lists in she. She really brought something that we could not just may be used in apparent lining in. This was the if I can condense it to just a just a couple of bullet points. What just the like realize what you're doing understand why you keep doing it and be totally aware of where you are who you are in. What's your fears? What do you fear the most? What the one the most. So as soon as you you. If you are true to ourselves when you can answer these questions you really leave. What's restraining you from? Flying your best delivered on the ground whenever debt you take off your really making the best of your flying and at the time. I was really developing. Somehow these really. You know meditating a bit on these questions from time to time. Everything game in place. I could really do well. That's some when when this period the Finally won my first championships. You've got some good success abroad than some international big advance this This task I was mentioning. The world. Copter was maybe the pinnacle of debt. So you're just That's what people really liked too many times when they say they're in the zone. They're just flowing. You know everything comes together and everything comes up really naturally. You don't even question why wild around you know already for sure. That's you'll have a good things just happen. Naturally I think that's what makes for a successful but competition are EXC-. Flights are applying John. What this lady is. She was kind of like a coach. I I gather did she. What kind of exercises did she give you or encourage you to do? Can you be more specific about what that Ashok Short well-suited like relaxing Brealey? Letting go of any any OUTTA sight Sorry I like the English word for this like any stress. You might have some down feeling that you have while underground still even before taking off like I made this This is using the heart rate monitor during the whole flight in realize the highest peak of your heartbeat Just before taking off. They are standing on takeoff. And just anticipating this this rush this adrenaline for for the flying. You have the highest peak before taking off so this just mantle in if you can if you can acknowledge these first than realized that you're somehow stress are worried are towns in you. Can really work on it? You'll you'll be much more TS. Much more focused much more relaxed somehow. So some exercises we learned from from from this period was how to how to visualize like you're you're still on the ground and you have a fast car. You're going for a long accede. Studied the Metro. So you know what to expect.
00:15:01 - 00:20:21
You shut studied them maps of the area going to our competition. You know the Turnpike. You'll have to tackle so one of the one of the key things it's to visualize it will go through it on a mental process in advance. So when you're actually flying. It's it's just the materializing something that your brain already anticipated. So it's it's it's already done just you'll just have to go through it in the this please. Realization saying it really works. I mean for me. It helped me clerks. Also the the relaxing thing the How to how to breathe out to to to focus than there are some exercise death. Really help you breathing. These one of them like It's known that many top pilots guilty on a on a takeoff. Just before the people start to take off. Everyone has its moment of somehow isolation. You'll see some guys putting their phones and just listening to some music semi auto guys at just reading a book or some other guys are just laughing loud. It's a way to somehow get their stuff together like really relaxing on your own wine to isolate yourself from. What's distracting you Yeah these are some some of the stuff we were doing. It's done you. You mentioned when we were just talking before we started recording that you kind of went through that it sounds like that was kind of a period where you were really performing. Well has that That changed now was that was that kind of the peak and or does he been able to maintain that. I think I gentlemen Dane that Butts. I don't I don't even think very much about it now. It just comes out. Naturally you know you for a while when you discover something new you really try and do this breathing thing Yana visualizing you close your eyes. You'll really anticipate what you're doing. Your new really focus on this. I don't know you'll probably like Extra care we the with food you having the day before and during the hydrogen and stuff and after a while this kind of becomes natural comes you of sorry as be our our regular routines and somehow our Sheila is that right now is. It's so natural that I don't even think about it. So maybe even the by not thinking about it. Maybe I lose a bit performance because I don't take it so seriously but things still come out. Naturally you know you you you switch to different level. I would say when things really become Standard like you do this. No IS THERE A. Is there anything were you in? Were you doing any kind of routine to get to echina- access flow on a regular basis back when you were learning about this man? Now you're saying now it's coming just more naturally but was there anything you were doing when you're learning how to do it that people can. I remember it really worked for me to activate or to come down depending on my mood than my stress levels. I would say the music I would just put my headphones on and listen to some calm relaxed some music act like an anchor to me like I could relate some songs that are that. Take me to my safe place. You know or to bring back some good memories from from moments where I would feel really really well really the flow and I would use this to recall the same the same feeling so we would even call it like that anchor. Subaru because they really. It's really has a powerful effect in with made for like if I would feel that I was to stresa would put on some Song that would make me feel calmer on if I would feel that no I need to activate. I'm too lazy I need to get bumped up. You know saw put something else Mara like I'm heavy metal guy of fan you can imagine the kind of The song nets a listen to but it worked for me in with different kinds so I would suggest that everyone could find their own.
00:20:21 - 00:25:00
Like what's your favorite song when you that takes you back to a moment everything was flowing. Our brings back some really good memories. Just put it on just before takeoff. You'll see that you feel really good while flying and what about when you're in the Air I one of the things I've been struggling with lately is is that I'm thinking too much because I I you know before I launch. I'll be thinking about okay. I WanNa really observant But also yeah I I think I'm I'm I'm falling out of flow quite often one of flying because I'm trying to be smart. Just try to fly smart. I'm trying to observe everybody else and think about the different lines and in a rather than just you know my best. Flying is always on autopilot. You know when you There's a lot of adults talked about this. A lot of emailing her back and forth a ton because she's done a lot of work on flow. But you know you have to kind of put the thinking part of your brain aside. Yeah I agree with that too I'm also kind of analytical rational guy but I I prefer to study and to think about stuff when I'm on the ground the few over think when you're flying you're gonNA mess up lit like you should mar like follow your got like a you know. Don't don't calculate the much before making a move. No if you have a like a feeling like Something tells me I should go there. Don't think why why should I go there. And not the other way. No just no just go. Just sitting in the yeah. Yeah Yeah Yeah. 'cause you your your your brain that knows too much of your own self. She'd CIARA like trust. Your intuition. Just glad it's a good a good friend of US. Good friend of mine A already passed away but he was one of the greats out there Used to say something like this like the flow. That's was his definition somehow is when you stop flying in you start being flown you know. Joe Is just. It's just the bigger thing that flies you. It's flying your flown. So it's I really can relate to decide when you just follow your intuition. You don't over thinking I think. Probably the prime one of the primers many this but one of the prime examples of that would be like man for rumor and hang gliding. You know I think it's just a decades that he's been able to dominate like he does and all the other pilots say that about him all the time. He's just seems to constantly make brilliant moves that they don't others don't see I think he's just following his intuition and not worrying about it. The other thing that I noticed something you mentioned others don't see this is very important to being observant. I've had a couple of tasks queens in situations where I realized I than other pilots. What was going on ahead like especially when you win you win. The conditions are changing. Like you're having a tougher time struggling going through a more stable area in suddenly you see these stunts A small cumulus cloud coming up and then disappearing so definitely. Something is happening ahead them. If you realize this before anyone else you have the event as because you can go full speed to this area in you know go over. The Are Get the advantage just by making the move. I so being observant Israeli pardoned really park and Also knowing are realizing when you can really shift gears from slowing down and taking it easy and just surviving more difficult area. To our difficult.
00:25:00 - 00:30:00
Part of the day it can also happen on long flights. I Dunno cloud cover put some shade on the way in conditions Shut shut down for a while so knowing when do shift gears? It's super crucial. Like suddenly everything is booming again and then it's time to go full speed. No no don't don't wait. What do you think it is that separates I? I've given this a lot of thoughts especially lately. I mean it seems to me that at that top level in at the world championships level in the Europeans and the World Cup. You know that the the skill level difference in terms of technical skill. I bet you know between the top. Fifty pilots is maybe a couple percent percentage points. It's very small. I mean most of the pilots are really good at you know most of the aspects and they all seem information you know we. It's like Russ Ogden said on his show. You Kriegel a four year pilot knows the exact setting executing everything better but when you look at. I was just down at the British in January. And you know it was surprising to me to see guys pilots that had done really well the year before were had done did like I. You know there was a lot of people like me that had done really well the year before. Just got smoked this time and you know and and you see that all the time even at the World Cup level you see you see that luck plays a hand An and other things but but you also see there are some pilots you know like Russ Ogden and Julian works and there are some pilots. That are just toys in there. What do you think separates really consistent in them in their performance I think it's also cycle. You know we all go through ups and downs in our life and this relates to your flying Well I must say these Gandhi to you was a great mentor to me. The same guy who I mentioned before you also have the saying that I would never forget like you fly the way you live and you live the way you fly. So what what does it mean that your your daily life your social life. Our family life too reflects on your flying so your your stressed about something at work are things we are girlfriend. Done are not so easy at the moment reflects so you it means. You're on a low. Are you not in your best shape as as you been maybe the last year and it reflects on the flying so I really think it's relates so I would say the pilots who are more consistent? Are I mean we could make a Paul in deathly salt? I'm sure we would get this kind of results. Maybe they're the ones who are really Mentally stable that they're not going through hard times emotionally are something like this are whatever but also As you say that I also agree. It can be kind of luck up by just the conditions. Were not what you're expecting or but mostly I think it reflects the your Your current state of your leaving your daily life. I also noticed something that there's the pilots who have been added a long time and you know they've they've worked at it in trained. These are the kind of pilots that you know these days. You know after years nears. They don't have to fly very much and they still do really well. You know there. There seems to be somewhere on the line. There's kind of an Aha moment in. Probably not an Aha moment. But it said it's the everything kind of clicks and then. I'm not sure you lose that click. It seems to be that you know you can fly fifty hours a year in. Come and do really well still and I agree. Yeah do you feel like that's that's going to happen with you because you've been at it so long that it's just you know there's you you've done it enough that okay. I I've been here. I've seen that. I know I know how this works. Yeah I definitely agree with that comes to a point. Twenty becomes natural. You need to focus very hard on no okay so now. I have to really relaxed.
00:30:00 - 00:35:02
Because I'm Dan I'm GONNA take off. He's GonNa be very hard race now. Let's see what was the exercise. This this is a lady taught me ten minutes ago. I need rates in just really imagine always. GonNa be the ceremony this last very last turn Barnes and then you know you don't think you you're you're so at ease we did that too just becomes natural comes out really. It's part of your nature if you've been at this game longtime there. What are you excited about these days? That's a good question As I said before I really love exceed I I fly quite a bit. The area along the country Gusto cartoons not be country but we already run out of New Road. Soulmate or almost so. We fly a lot into Spain than the what excites me these days. It really steady new possibilities because I mean I went all directions. Possible blind older records from the main takeoffs Baccio. I mean the longest slides but as I said as well. We have a nice bunch of pilots. Really Good Violets. The multivitamin with this XY flying in figuring out where to pull out the next league one and the next big one being three hundred k. Flights in this area too which is something because of the Solaar window is not so big so our slide. Srb flights you can do it from a to end of August September. Maybe and on the West as you have like seven and a half to eight hours. Maximum I think I've never flown more than seven house in during these seven hours. I want to make the most out of it. So this blood smutty bite me right to be small. Went to go big on my backyard last year after the X. APPS was watching Ravis you know one of my supporters went down and flew The P P pre PVC. In Spain. I can more that was But the week before that there is a Spanish I think I don't think they were towing but I think there were a pretty sure. They're punching out over the flats but it was like the it was like an open distance contests conditions like a week and they just kept billing these two hundred plus the. I I I was not there but I followed No the area more or less the two hundred eighty. I think that was the biggest lunch from Francis. Nazis right in the yeah totally. That's the kind of flying we have here. I vian peninsulas quite dry and quite tollackson summer months So as I said we normally have seabreeze coming in so constant flow from same direction all day for some days in a row than When these conditions settled. Buke can expect three thousand blessed with an ice twenty twenty-five Win And you know. It's very safe to go to go even with stronger wind because as I said he's a flatland flying Dream conditions. Here is when you have a convergence lines so this you just go full bar no need to turn just flying straight from cloud to cloud. Yeah pushing you. Do you have any advice? I know a lot of our listeners. Have They Ping me? All the time with confusion about convergence and you know that winner in it. You're just you feel like a God when you're not you're getting slammed Do you have any advice for especially mountain pilots struggle with this quite a bit because they don't fly link myself. I don't fly the flatlands very much. What you're kind of looking for what you're feeling you know how to read the clouds. Do you want to be you know? Upland side down one side that you do. You have any kind of Things to pass along about tips for flying convergence. Yeah some by hope to remember the the most important Or at least two can put. It's as I said.
00:35:02 - 00:40:08
At a certain point this becomes almost natural but Looking being observant On everything mostly not. Just what happens on on? The clouds adds like several people referred this. It's a common statement that do you have a usable altitude so you can divide in half. You're above this half you look up. Look to the Claus Hat. You look to other pilots to birds. If you're under lower Hoffy should look to the ground I would say even if you're on the higher Farts if you really look ahead the really fire away you can. You should still look to the ground. Looking for signs and signs in flatlands can be like smoke from fires from securities from whichever whichever other origins are like for instance win meals. We have a lot of these. The farms no wind farms so the windmills really can be really helpful because they show you like a relatively small area. You see a win males the pointing different directions. You can just calculate whereas where it will be there that the convergence point into our some thermo releasing but mainly I when I'm going exceed by. Try to be really upset. Went up this this this small things. Where's your favorite place to fly? That's a tough one as well. I remember re- I really liked to Mexico by does it for its strong conditions and again convergence lines in there too works amazingly it's Amazing place for this kind of rice. The so it's one of my favorite places although although I'm a slept land pilots as I a I mean originally no but I really like the mountains so anytime I flew in the upside Fell in love with the area so I really like This French region close to UNSEE. It's amazing swept up my favorite places. I remember when championship in Morzine. Bit further north was so good so to fly small So this is one of my favorite places as well Kim. I remember something today on the southern Alps was well. It helps that I was I also had a successful result. They are in a European Championship. But it's amazing area for bracing paragliders. It's not so high mountains but it's like a racetrack. I would say yeah. Everything works like in the books in his. It's perfect so bartrum from Mayan from my area but here in Portugal tree core really good places. Far these kinds of flatland flying I would say. Southern Sundial is offshore. Sure Mexico And maybe must've own. Yeah we I mean in there twice surprisingly consistent than needs to make sexually the Deli flat but Surrounded with some while some bigger than other mountains. But it's a really good place. These are marks. I guess it only reminds me a lot of Columbia. You have to have the two mountain ranges on each side of the flats and you can kind of mess around and both and man can get a lot of hours. I've only been once but I was. I was really impressed with their. It's fantastic comps. Were were constantly. You know how we need to hold more cops here. We're always again. But when and where? We are just so hard to get the consistency. Well I never been there but I heard in the US. Chalan is a really lace. I would Chilean is maybe my favorite in the world. I ALL THOSE GUYS. You just mentioned. I absolutely love. I tried to never miss by. I love going down there. Every year for the at least for the Minorca not more but the but Chilean is Chileans world-class band and it is consistent.
00:40:08 - 00:45:09
It's it's one of our few places where you get let getting less than four tasks would be incredibly unusual. In fact I don't even remember getting less than four but UC UC get seven Avin. And it's just at school. That's a great place to rate. It's a fantastic place to race. It's terrific With left to go that I've heard from several friends that is really good than really really excited. The NUT by really love to go there because you like strong conditions. Dhabi seed in the places that you fly at its. It's strong The the flatlands. They're really wild. Because the have it. Has this very very soft dirt so you can see all the thermals that they're all dust devils and it's and it's it's an it's crazy scenic it you you launch a mountain you fly across the Columbia Gorge Massive River and then you go out in the flat. Sometimes the last couple years we've also done task that stay in the mountains which are really need you know because you're kind of on the edge of the cascades there so it's just a really cool environment to fly in and then of course on the on big days you can go a long ways there's been some the day they they set a distance record in cop. I think the COMP was like two hundred and Twenty Six K. and they had sixty people in Gaul. There's a whole bunch of personal that day. You Know Hansie N. Z. Tag Goal and kept going. He went three hundred and something K. That day just come on over just I just went live. You can sign up on Air Tribune. And it's I think it's July eighteenth and nineteenth this year which is a little bit later than it usually as that but it should still be really good. Come on over. I'd love to show you two fantastic site so flying. Still you're still doing quite flying as well. Yeah I mean not as much as I would like because I really liked to hang out with this With his tribe Who all belonged to flying junkie community though Junkie now. I really liked to fly among friends into to race beachwear. You really learned. It's an ACCOM- because you can go fifty times on Grassi. Cross country flying by your own. You'll have safety chances to to analyze your yard decisions in deciding the end if they were the good or bad if they were successful or not unaccompanied. Ask New to this all the time because you're surrounded with so many pilots that you'll see it live newfield deciding. Good if you're taking making the SAS month of in in really taking out the most up today so likely Performance kind of flying so. Yeah keep me for sure and twenty eleven Levin. You did the X. APPS. Tell me about that. Experience was that was a milestone Not just in the flying in my life as well. I didn't I didn't do particularly good so I survived one week. Eight was really tough. The conditions on Desi ethically bad. Yeah it was really bad. The first day was okay but then we have four or five days in a row with a strong wind and rain so while I was flying the first day I could really do. Well then actually. I got a couple of penalties that got me grounded for a while in my lost. The lots of times of my opponents ended up being. Yeah the first day I got. It was just booming. On the Saas Borg area. Going to Dash Stein in virtually went into airspace by twenty meters outage. Got Me a penalty out but anyway was a really great experience. Like a big achievement. Like out of say the self accomplishment like if you how I see it now is like if you really focused on Sunday. New Set. A goal for yourself doesn't matter which you really can make it if you put the right motivation effort into.
00:45:09 - 00:50:23
It's so I was really something special nephew. A was very hard very hard to the reparation in the training for such a dot com in the end but definitely amazing experience. Did you did you pull out because of injury or eliminated? I was eliminated the end but I was also really having a hard time because I suffered really hard from huge blisters sheep so I wasn't big at the time I got to the United. I wouldn't have gone much farther actually so and the in the race this year. A watching the videos of Not Hodgin the Korean pilot Kasha drawn a blank right now but oh my God. They're so nasty. Because my feet in two thousand fifteen when got to Monaco at the next morning Bruce Literally had to put me on his shoulders to carry me to the bathroom. Yeah I made it my feet look like somebody beating on him with a hammer and they were so nasty. But when I watched chicken's feet as like I don't think mine were that bad. And he just kept. He kept pushy. I are so odd. So much that her bad Certain Barnes I was such Big Bang. The somehow the mind-switch law from the bucket. You know you're just float twelve there you you cannot hold it anymore in the only way to kind of go through it is really switch off your ultimately this was really Something that was really interesting to experienced this. This is not the Like I heard some other people saying from different events in lifelock you when you have an accident or big shocker. Big Bang a new kind of see ourselves floating above your body now. I really experienced this. While going on a road of laughter getting into the area bar equally I was just floating above. My Body's not was not me nate. My buddy nate lives down the street from me. A real mentor for me. Been flying. He did it in two thousand seven and he always said you know. There's only there's only one one way to get to that place and in the x Alps you will get to that place. It's guaranteed it's interesting because pain is something our brains send us pain to protect us at. It's trying to say okay that's enough. You're doing a lot of damage. Stop doing this because you don't stop E-eh because you don't stop. I think that's when you get that separation because it happens a lot in the race where you're just it's it hurts like you can't believe and then it's gone because I think your brain just goes okay. I obviously you're going to keep going so I'll let you let you be calling for a little bit but yeah it was. It was one of those seats. Were morning I'd wake up and it was just vicious. I mean I could only walk at like two and a half an hour for the first ten minutes and then again a little bit better and then by forty minutes it was gone. I couldn't you know I. If it was just numb the numbing took over. Or if it's just my brain gone okay. Well whatever and then I'd be normal. I'll be fine all day that it but yeah that's that's vicious well Other confides have you done like the x? Peer or anything else are of them. Been Ambitions since the accepts though not really not relate as I said he was quite the experience. I really keep it as a big milestones in my life for the for the whole thing but I haven't done much more hiking flies. I participate that the couple of times on the BLOOMINGTON. Mando eloisa befriend concept. But he's also fun like a team event than it's Yeah it's the friends. You have a bit of running. But it's just so fast. Nate silver then But the no more I can slack actually Portugal being kind of Barry Call country. We Are Really Far Away From Diab. Sore from where most of these events happen so I have done much just a couple of on my own Hike and fly here. Are My backyard going with the mini wing and stuff but just the regular weekend flying not not really participating in margins up so it's really a milestone and I keep it like that but it was also really hard though preparation and stuff so I didn't even consider applying again as more like being there than debts.
00:50:23 - 00:55:02
Okay maybe at the time the manage the kind of biggest support are really good sponsor. I would consider doing it again but This was really high time in energy consuming to the preparation thing so I've never considered doing again. It's a massive undertaking not just physical but financially and everything else. It's A. It's a huge deal. I I never thought I would do more than one when I did. The first one. That was like okay. That'll there's no way I'll ever do this again. But then you get the idea that first year. I got the Monaco analysis the worst tease. Aber than you think. Oh well I've got this. I could do it. But IT'S A. It's a massive undertaking. I promised myself that I wasn't GonNa go do some shows without talking about me. No accidents and safety. We've been talking about that a lot lately but I'm just curious in twenty three years of flight if you ever been hurt or have you ever had any close calls. I have a couple of close calls but let the not so close actually. I've been able to keep it Undecideds once Landed on the tree tank for a while because I was too low to throw my a rescue but that was it the trees there. So they're best friends. You can get when you get in trouble like this but Never had any major problems that I can solve timing so but unfortunately I've been I've witnessed kinda quite to the really in this shakes you for sure. Thank know what you're doing and really get your head straight in understand bleier doing this and what you're doing that you keep to the otherwise. It's witnessing an accident are seeing a friend guitar. It's really I opener I've been working on the book eight With Cross country magazine were putting together. Book of Kinda the highlights of the first hundred shows and it's been really interesting going back in listening to them all and hearing the various different advice that we get on on this topic and the one that keeps popping up over and over again is make sure a you ask yourself that question in a why are you know is the risk worth it. And why are you doing this? That's very good question to ask. And not just once but repeatedly in all the time kind of re Kinda keep checking in with yourself but the other one is just. Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. And that's that's been kind of interesting because it's it seems like well that's Chaim auto matic. Why wouldn't we don't it for the right reasons but you know in a long career? Such the you've had and I've been at this now quite a long time to you. Do have your lulls and you do have times where you really on it and you do have times when you're really not in. It's good to check in with with that and you know. Where am I today? Where am I right now and and like you said you know when you have the different factors in your life that are affecting you as we all have in jobs in relationships and everything else that that can play a major role? So if you're not doing it for fun and enjoyment then you really should be thinking about not doing it. Definitely definitely I. I recall three questions. That's a let's bring you back to this Self assessment self-awareness. You're doing it's for the right. Reason are not than I can share with you and everyone else maybe two to question themselves like a because these same questions or were me and I it really makes you think like the forest. Why did you start flying? The seconds dislike? Why do you keep flying while you're still flying and the third which lay not even be connected to flying itself but in life in general these? What's your biggest fear? And if you have these three answers clear on your minds.
00:55:02 - 01:00:07
Maybe you're you're aware of where you stand in if you're doing. It's still with assignments Spilled with the you know. Aware of the risks are aware of the fashion. You still have a passion or not. We should on. Maybe it's time to consider something else or the the answer to the third question is so overwhelming or not. Doesn't put you attendees with what you're doing. Maybe you should also go see the whole thing. That's just the IT seems. Marina sent but it can be. It can really help you to to. Yeah self-assessment somehow I when I look back in my own experience flying life the Times I've gotten in real trouble than forced it that yes he and I think that when you force something you're trying to put yourself your square trying to put yourself in a circle and just doesn't fit if you could rewind the clock to your fifth year fifty our self so back when you were seventeen. Eighteen and learning how to fly on the coast of Portugal. Is there any advice? You wish you would have gotten or something that changed in your career. A flight not changed. But maybe a be aware of the time like Surrender surround yourself with the more experienced a pilot's than you absorb the small things that to you. They share with you after up. Di Flying are just having a beer after landing and really learn from them. If you're a beginner you're just out of by lighting school and you're just like yourselves you'll take ages to get the two confidence level that allows you to really profit from you know to to really take your Your involving you as a as a pilot successfully in into a term otherwise. If you're surrounded with the more experienced pilots they always have something that you can learn from that you don't have to experience it yourself because that's how to really make it faster progression. So that's my advice for a low airtime Pilots stick with the gang. Go flying together. Don't don't stay by herself. Go WE FRIENDS. Cheryl this thing in the end of the I've done this mainly with my brother were motivating helping each other. Also sharing a lot of what we were experiencing time with. I remember it was really good for both of us. It's time that some older guy very experienced pilots time. You would almost take us as soon as a project in all these like kind of mentoring. Us giving yes confidence. Yeah should try these light now. You like it. Go go into the in that that you'll have like a practice our ground handling and you'll feel that easing the air. Don't be afraid of this You know so. Just don't be by ourselves. Share things the into getting to grade to the local club. Whatever in go flying together helps a lot nuno last question. How has flying change your life is? It's it's define much of your life you've been at this over half of it. Yeah well eloped actually most of your free time. You're you're you're not thinking you're next weekend next holidays as a as a as a regular people do. I think you're not finding okay. Let's go and discover this. New Country traveled to these rather see. Do you know your your link to flying Actually you're right. You'd think very lighting as an excuse to fly not the opposite so mightily all our. Don't speak for myself. No all of us that fly for a while you get to this point that everything is around the flying in new you walk outside.
01:00:07 - 01:05:12
Always checking out the birds and all this clouds. We spend a lot of different time. Wander with our heads up in the air. Oei might buy wife constantly just like. What are you looking at? What do you mean by looking at the possibilities? It's up there the even like Changed my life is the the permanente if I can say so like. I met my wife. So she's also flying so we have common goals in this and sometimes even of ourselves like even like watching a movie then. There's a very tense scene going on in the comments we make like. Whoa look at that. Nice sky record for the speeds are the okay. Well then I I lied. That wasn't my last question because that's I didn't know that it's super interesting to. I'm sure have a partner who flies. Tell me about that. Yeah sure is the we we elect. You'll make blends together actually but when we decide what's what's the plan for the for the next holidays. Are we going to go flying no to have someone that understands this Basham and you need to to put into words because she knows rights like how do you explain? Someone doesn't imply that you really need to go This clouds three. That you see these things are you. There's a really good forecast for the weekend really massive. Can they coming in? You really need to go flying out to explain this to your partner that you're GonNa miss the Family Lands Shark family. Gather because there's something really much more important than days. The new the need to explain because she knows when she's by the tar salve as well so. This is a big advantage I would say for couples that were both lie. Yeah is the sharing of the same common bashing somehow? Yeah we've been. Actually we've been flying quite the lumped together. In even long exe- I would say my wife. She became quite good to accede. Pilots itchy re tonight's she also has some interesting Not just accomplishments but Something in some really interesting events even life changing because she had the one slack a cloud suck she diesel as Berry at the same time disturbing but on the other hand very a would say almost enlightening are engaging in our lives because she went through some some very dense moments being cloud suck to up to five thousand meters inside the Glock anyway suggests a just a side story. Maybe develop probably some other results. That sounds I want to hear about it right now but I've got a run to this appointment. That sounds crazy. Holy Cow. That's scary. Thabit see actually was a really good day. We studied the weather together. There was no risk of the development. Just really perfect cumulus cloud but Over two hundred together both of us. A bunch of other fellow pilots. What there was this one cloud that really had the. I don't know maybe stronger. Thermal close to base and this one grew a lot more than the surrounding clouds and she gave got disorientated. She got lost in the inside the cloud in she couldn't figure it out to to to to manage some how and when she finally got a spit out of the cloud she was really is five thousand meter somehow. The ice layer early alert wing glider harnessed very cold and she mentioned students as A.
01:05:14 - 01:10:00
She's she's seen. The other side was a quieting down. Probably a bit Bro. But she uses those The the lower our consciousness loss of all time no permits on just time this moisture. Just the froze honor Quite cold but she managed school finally come out and Yeah then she had a long long long glide down door to do by jets. All this into Actually was scary but as I said the Like this is the kind of events that make you question again. Why are you doing this? And why do you keep doing this in the our biggest fear what is it is to get tired too or to stop believing your dreams just because you're afraid of something no since the things on there is a place if you can find the answers for questions than if you can understand why these things happen in the end you knew your zero with yourself for not defense. Oh do either keep doing it. Are you just stop? If it doesn't make sense perfect place to Stop Nino. Thank you so much. We're going to have to get your wife on the show. I think to hear that complete story. That's it sounds like quite quite an intense day in intense aftermath. And I wanna hear about kind of like you said seeing the other side I can. I can relate about a few of those. Thank you very much. What a pleasure. I really enjoyed this talk and I can't wait to go fine with you man. We need to make that happen because my pleasure to meet you sued torture. Thanks bye toxin. If you find the cloud base may have valuable you can support a lot of different ways you can give us a rating on itunes or stitcher however you get your podcast. That goes a long ways to help. Spread the word you can blog about it on your own website or shared on social media. You can talk about it on the way up to launch with your pilot friends. I know a lot of interesting. Conversations happened that way and of course you can support US financially. This show does take a lot of time. A lot of editing lot of storage and music and all kinds of behind the scenes cost. So if you can support US financially all we've ever asked for his buck show and you can do that through a one time. Donation through pay pal or you can set up a subscription service that charges you for each show that comes out. We put a new show out every two weeks. So for example. If you did a buck show and every two weeks it'd be about twenty five dollars a year so wage deeper than a magazine subscription and it makes all this possible I do not want to fund this show with advertising sponsors. We get asked about that pretty frequently but for a whole bunch of different reasons which I've said many times on the show. I don't WanNa do that. And I don't like to have in that stuff at the front of the show and also want you to know that these are authentic conversations with real people and these are just but our opinions are not being skewed by sponsors or advertising dollars. And that's a pretty toxic business model so. I hope you dig that you can support us if you go to cloud base May dot com. You can find the places to support. You can do it through Patriot. Dot Com for slash. Cloud-based mayhem if you WANNA recurring subscription. You can also do that directly through the website. We've tried to make it really easy and that will give you access to all the bonus material. A little video cast that we do an extra little nuggets that we find in conversations that don't make it into the main show but we feel like you should hear we don't put any of that behind a paywall if you can't afford to support us then just let me know and set you up with an account of course that'll be lifetime and hopefully an imposition someday to be able to support us. But you'll find all that on the website all of you who have supported us or even joined our newsletter or bought cloud-based mayhem merchandise t shirts hats or anything. You should be all set up. You should have an account. Should be able to access all that bulls material. Now thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate your sport. We'll see on the next show thank you.
