Episode 69- Armin Harich and Sending Flatlands and Flying accident free

Flying Namibia

Armin Harich is the co-founder of Skywalk Paragliders, started flying in 1989 and has never had an accident, and is the first person to fly over 300km in Germany- and he did it on a EN B wing (the Skywalk Tequila). I was told by many people before speaking to Armin that he’s a flatlands “SkyGod” so we focused much of this show on flatlands flying techniques and how people started flying the flatlands, dealing with airspace, how to assess weather in advance of a potentially good day, how to get established early, the stupidity of frustration, why it makes sense to try early, and a lot more. But we also discuss the genesis of Skywalk, wing advancement, the X-Alps and metrics of having Chrigel on a Skywalk wing for the race, what’s possible in the future, the synergy between kites and wings, certification and how Skywalk plans for the future. There’s a ton of great take-aways in this show- enjoy!

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Show Notes:

Armin recounts the best flights of his life in a LONG career of accident-free flying
How Armin has never had an accident.
Flying the first 300km in Germany on the Skywalk Tequila
Dealing with Airspace
The genesis of Skywalk
Chrigel on the Skywalk for the X-Alps
Synergy between kitesurfing wings and paragliding wings
The pressure on a manufacturer to come up with the latest and greatest
Developing the sport
Thoughts on Sink and flying good lines
Keys to flying far in the flatlands
Getting established in the flats when it’s not yet “on”
Flying cross country is not random
How to studying areas you plan to fly in advance to identify tricky spots
Air and energy air masses
The stupidity of frustration
Try early
Keeping the passion
Where to exit a cloud on a cloudstreet day