www.FlyingMax.com – Paragliding

Posts Tagged ‘Gleitschirm’

I posted a lot of hang glider trike flying pictures lately…. I still love to hike & fly… I did 4 hikes and flights within the last week … hiking and flying like this is my stress relief and is like meditation to me and I still love it!

Lucas Grief made a reel out of Erik’s 2024 paragliding clips.
Fun times!

Thanks to Amanda and Larry for implementing Penny’s picture into this year’s Lakeside t-shirt.
Even the slogan “Every Flight Counts” is awesome.
For Penny “Every flight, Day, hour… counts” and you have to do the best out of it!
Thanks again to everyone, We love you all!

I am back from Brazil… 9 days, great experience, lots of flying, great food and people.

I was not ready for this at all and would have never done this if the kids would not have insisted on accepting the invitation from Frank.

Frank Kernick, who is a long time family friend, is the one who connected Penny and me and the kids call him “Uncle Frank”

Frank was already in Brazil and sent me a business class ticket to join him on his paragliding trip to join him.

I started the trip down south by Floripa flying along the coast and interior mountains, then traveling to the mountains NorthEast of Sao Paulo and then driving and flying in Rio de Janeiro.

Frank was very aware of what the weather was doing and that is why we traveled to different places… he is an amazing tour guide and did all the drinking for me as well. Thanks again Frank!

For me it was very hard to go to the airport without Penny… It felt so strange and very emotional. The hardest and most emotional day was Penny’s birthday by waking up with a beautiful sunrise. I was able to fly at 2 different coastal sites for hours that day… felt like she was with me all along.

As to the kids, both are doing well considering the circumstances.

Katia is back working at Panorama and has a lot of support and fun with her colleagues and friends. Thanks again to Stacy and her family for having their house open anytime for Katia and treating her as one of their own.

Erik is busy in North Vancouver with school and Hockey. Thanks to a very helpful and supporting team, coaches and a huge thank you to Erik’s billet family Terri, Steve, Logan and billet brother Jaxon, simply outstanding.

I, and maybe Katia, will be going to Penticton March 13-17 to watch Erik’s play-offs. Erik will come home with me/us after the playoffs for a week or so. We plan to do some skiing or other activities together as a family… Life goes on and we do feel and know that Penny is always with us, like a guardian angel and smiling when she can watch us living life with the spirit she showed us.

For those who want to see more of the pictures, I do have a album at

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rEFJMwUapEgizmyn6

Pilots tasks will be dropping Easter eggs (plastic bags filled with snow) and target landings at the designated landing site (Golf driving range). And if possible race out to the valley to Lake Windermere.

Not just about flying, it is also about socialising with pilots, family and friends.
Free social and paragliding event. Pilot lift ticket is $40/day.
Pilots meeting is March 30th at 8:30 am at the day-lodge.
Let me know who is planning to come this year so we can make arrangements for the Saturday evening dinner.
Contact Max Powers at max@flyingMax.com

Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year from our family to yours!

The 2018/2019 Panorama Paragliding season has started.
If you plan to fly at Panorama, simply read the Panorama paragliding guidelines , then send me an e-mail with your HPAC number (including valid until date) and your paragliding level of experience to max@flyingMax.com, in order to get the Panorama Paragliding waiver form. This form is required for you to get you special priced Panorama “ski/flying” ticket from guest services. For first time paraglider pilots to Panorama, we will need to set up a meeting prior to your first flight for an orientation of the take off/landing spots and review the rules.

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2019!
Max & Penny

Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2018 from our family (Max, Penny, Katia & Erik) to everyone who knows us.
2017 has been a very good year for us and we like to thank everyone who has been a part of it. This does not only mean business, it means everyone who has been a part of our life’s.

In the mean time, here are a couple pictures and videos of the last couple days at Panorama.

What an incredible ski and fly season we have so far at Panorama Mountain Resort. Lots and very good snow and amazing flying conditions.
Due all the pictures and videos posted in the last month we have more and more people planning to come to Panorama to fly in winter.

To make things easier for everyone new and as a refresher I will post parts of last years post again.

All the best and happy landings

Max & Penny

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Winter in Canada, for most paragliding pilots, means to either dream about flying or going south to find warm thermals.

In Invermere however, we are a bit different, as we are very lucky to have the great Panorama Mountain Resort, which offers downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, amongst other great activities, and also welcomes paragliding pilots.
January and February are super smooth months to fly due the cold dense air and it lets you enjoy the extra glide you are getting with it.
At the beginning of March, when the snow starts melting off the trees, you will see the beginning of the nice, wide and smooth thermals, and start doing your first XC flights of the year. The thermals are typically wider and smoother than in the spring and early summer months, as they generate from a bigger area (the trees), in comparison to generating from dry ground (the ski runs with no snow) and are great to work slowly into XC flying for the season.

We have been flying at Panorama in the winters for about 20 years, but it seems that a lot of pilots avoid coming as they are probably thinking of the cold, harsh winters of Alberta. Sure, it can be cold here too, but remember, it is usually about 10 degrees warmer on this side of the Rockies.

I would like to share some tips here in my blog to help others who are interested, and who were not able to be here for this weekend.

Panorama offers 2 launch sites:

• First choice. and most used launch site is 2/3 up the mountain at the top of Roller Coaster, below the outhouses. (870m vertical). This is where the Cappuccino Hut used to be for those who remember it! This is an easy, but shallow launch site and accommodates up to 5 gliders facing NW.
• Summit Launch “Roy’s Run” (1200m vertical) is a steep, wide open launch (up to 4 gliders, strategically layed out) facing W to SW. This launch is only for good skiers. It can be a tricky launch site to set up your wing as the slope is steep and the wing tends to slide down while you get into your harness. As well if the wind picks up at all, it will slide down too. Do not set up your wing at the very top of Roy’s run layed out on the “easy way road”. This will be conflicting with the ski traffic.

For the two different launch sites you need to adjust your launch techniques simply due to the nature which they are.

At the Summit takeoff, overall, the wing inflates very fast and will have a tendency to overshoot due the steep terrain. The summit take-off site does not allow you to make any mistakes as things happen very fast, and you can end up in the trees beside the run very easily if you do not work with the wing at the speed required.

If you are just getting used to winter flying, I do recommend to start 2/3 up the ski hill on the shallow launch. The tricky and unusual part at this launch is to lead the canopy for much longer than you are used to. Furthermore, you also need to be more patient and allow yourself and the wing to pick up speed for take-off. The takeoff process on skis at this launch site are way slower than you would do by foot.
This is why we position our self for the launch position as close as possible to the trailing edge and be a bit offset from the centre of the wing. This way as you turn downhill to start skiing you can ski (turn) into the position where you want to inflate the wing and be in the centre of your wing. If you start with tension on the lines, you might inflate the wing sideways as you stand sideways to the hill with your skis and might not have enough momentum to inflate the wing due to being sideways to the hill and with your skis on.

See the following 2 videos. One shows you when you do not guide the wing for long enough and not being able to get airborne, and the second video shows you how much you need to charge forward and patience you need to get airborne.

I want to thank Panorama Mountain Resort again for all their support to the pilots, for the sport, and allowing us to fly for so many years.
Please respect Panorama Mountain Resort’s basic rules so we can enjoy it for many more years.

• Novice Rating (P2)
• HPAC Liability Insurance
• NO Speedwing flying, Paragliding only
• All pilots to sign the 2015/2016 waiver
• Pilots are required to get in touch with Max Fanderl (max@flyingMax.com) to get the waiver forms

Please respect the following points:

• No flying over the bottom high-speed Chair (Mile 1 Quad) area at all.
• No landings at the village. Only land on designated landing site or on Golf course if it gets to windy.
• No launches after 3:00 pm
• Stay at least 150 feet above lifts and ski runs
• Pilots need to have skis or a snowboard to get a ride with the lift
• Contact RK Heliski before you head up the Mountain at 250 342-3889.
  This is just to let them know we are flying as they will inform their pilots of the activities.

More detailed and current information about of flying at Panorama Mountain Resort is at https://flyingmax.com/area/panorama/

Here is a video of a flight from Panorama to Invermere