www.FlyingMax.com – Paragliding

Archive for the ‘Paragliding’ Category

Thanks to Dave Underwood for inviting me to be a part of the Amazing Race Canada race for this month’s episode. That was a lot of fun!

We had a busy year so far and had already a couple courses in February until April at Panorama Mountain Resort and already started our spring and summer lessons.

Interested to learn paragliding?
Here is our calendar to show you the next upcoming lessons at
https://flyingmax.com/lessons/calendar/

Here are some pictures from the last spring course.
*Credit to htttps://www.facebook.com/alpenglowphoto.ca to most pictures

Here is a video of the first payout winch tow on Lake Windermere. We will be using the winch for future training after students graduated from out practice hill and before flying off Mt. Swansea.

Well, I never was thinking about it myself.
Last December Pascal was asking me if I would do a P1 & P2 course in the winter…. my reply was that it is to cold and there is to much snow at the practice hill.
By the end of January, Kaymin contacted me with the same question … Looking outside, there was not much snow here in the valley at all and before I knew it, I had 2 students starting a 2 week course.

Conditions were absolutely perfect and within 4 days each of them did more than 10 flights from our 40 meter high practice hill.
The week after we started to do our “high mountain” flights at Panorama Mountain Resort with skis. A week later each of them had over 20 flights.

Flying with skis at the resort works very well. The access to the launch site is super convenient by using the chair lifts. Panorama Resort supports our sport a lot and only charges $35 for a day to fly. On some days we ended up flying up to 5 flights a day.

In the mean time we have 4 other P1 pilots working on their 25 supervised flights at the Panorama Ski Resort. This works very well and besides running courses in the spring/summer I already started to schedule a P1 course for late fall this year so we can do the high mountain flights in the winter at the ski hill.

Check out our Calendar as we keep on adding courses and events…. PPG, SIV, XC and P3 workshops coming soon.

Happy, healthy and prosperous 2019 from flyingMax.com.
We are looking forward to a great new year with lots of adventures and flights!
Here is a video of Penny and Max flying into the new year!

Hang gliding and Paragliding is regulated by Transport Canada under CAR 602.29 which states in short that we can only operate in Class G airspace.
Transport makes the exception to be able to fly in Class E (controlled) airspace if you have a valid HAGAR (based on your medical)

First, what is Class E airspace?

“3.5.5. Controlled Airspace – Class E

Class E Airspace is designated where an operational need exists for controlled airspace but does not meet the requirements for Class A, B, C or D Airspace. Operations may be conducted under VFR or IFR. ATC separation is provided only to aircraft operating under IFR. There are no special requirements for VFR aircraft. Low-level airways, control area extensions, transition areas, or CZs established without an operating control tower may be classified as Class E Airspace.

Hang gliders and Paragliders can operate in VFR flight in Class E Airspace if the pilot is at least 16 years of age, is in possession of a Category 1, 3 or 4 medical certificate and has passed, or is exempted from writing, the HAGAR examination. In addition, the hang glider must be equipped with a magnetic compass and an altimeter, the flight must be a cross-country flight and the pilot must inform the nearest flight service station (FSS) of the time of departure and estimated duration of the flight in Class E airspace.”

Bottom line of the HAGAR is to make every Hang glider and Paraglider pilot aware of other air traffic (faster and IFR traffic) procedures and airspace regulations which will keep everyone safe while sharing the same airspace.

For H3/P3 pilots NOT having a HAGAR and like to go XC, the question is where and how high is Class G airspace?

In simple terms, Class G airspace is from the ground up to 12500 feet ASL or 18000 feet ASL
except if you are under an airway/air route, or under one of the shelves of airspace of a control zone around an airport.

How can you find out more about that?
The easiest way to see which airspace you’ll be in, or at what altitude the controlled airspace starts is to have a look at the IFR Low En-Route Charts. VFR Navigation Charts (or VNCs) also give you the information but it is less apparent.

On IFR Low En-route Charts anything in
“Solid Green” means Class G is up to 18000 feet ASL
“Hatched Green” means Class G goes up to 12500 feet ASL
“White” means Class G goes up to 2200 feet (670 meters) AGL. This can be lower and is indicated at the VFR Navigation Charts

How does this apply to a XC flight from Golden to Canal Flats or further?

• Golden to about Parson is “Solid Green”, meaning Class G is up to 18000 feet ASL.
• Everything south from Parson is “White”, meaning Class G is only 2200 feet (670 meters) AGL.
  • If you look at the VFR chart, south of Fairmont Class G is only 700 feet (213 meters) AGL.

I hope this will give everyone a more clearer picture and will show the benefit to have a HAGAR.

See the Low Level IFR En-Route Chart below.

ParaFreddo.com is coming from Quebec to the Columbia Valley and will be doing a Reserve Clinic just before our SIV at Whitetale lake. He will also be offering a Paragliding Reserve Parachute Workshop, for those who want to learn to pack their own reserves, and will be doing Paraglider inspections and trim tuning services while he is here.

Please register early (e-mail max@flyingMax.com) as we only will have limited spots available!

Reserve Clinic
9:00 am to noon June 8th 2018
Invermere Airport Hangar 5
Cost $50

Our Paragliding Reserve clinic teaches pilots to decide when and how to throw their reserve parachute. It is highly recommended to practice this once a year, particularly one day in advance of our SIV course.

Paragliding Reserve Parachute Workshop
1 day starting at 9:00 am June 11th 2018
Invermere Airport Hangar 5
Cost: $200

This workshop is essential to pilots who like to have the skills to inspect, maintain and repack their paragliding reserve and eventually want to be certified to repack reserves.

Paraglider inspection and trim tuning
Freddo is going to be in the Valley from June 8th to June 13 and will do the trim tuning here in Invermere.
We only can take a limited amount of wings to be done here and the once he can not do here in Invermere, he will take them with him to Quebec (shipping charges will apply)

NOVA Trim Tuning – $100
We will measure all the lines, analyse the trimming using special software and then put your wing back to its optimal flying condition.
https://www.nova.eu/en/service/nova-trim-tuning/

Complete control Paraglider inspection – $190
Complete control inspection (porosity check, line and tissue strength) structural check and trim
adjustment)

*these prices are higher than Freddo is listing at his website to cover fro Freddo’s travel expenses. The overall cost is still lower considering you are saving the shipping costs. More info at www.parafreddo.com