Paragliding Greece

Archive for the ‘XC seminar’ Category

from 28.08. to 04.09.2021

XC & Thermalling Seminar with Antoine Girard

We are very excited to see Antoine Girard paragliding in Greece, flying together with us and our pilots at Mount Olympus.

Deep knowledge in performance flying and the XC & Thermalling Seminar framework will open the horizons of ability for any level pilot.

The seminar aims at the development of paraglider pilots to perform better at flying thermals and long distance flying by receiving on point guidance.

Seminar topics:

• Tips & guidance to help you climb fast and efficiently
• In-depth directions to flying the flatlands and mountains
• Advise to keep you safe while flying near clouds and terrain
• Skills and tactics to help you fly bigger xc distances
• How-to plan your next cross country & tips on flying new unknown areas
• Straight-forward illustrations to help you maximize flying conditions
• Psychological techniques to help you perform at your best
• Benefits of adjusting your gear & insights into modern design features

on Thermalling:

• How-to search and where to find thermals
• Different techniques at thermalling
• Simple explanations of diverse wind and thermal flow patterns
• Flying with turbulence & active piloting guidelines
• Tips for take off in thermal conditions with stronger wind
  
• Tribute on altitude awareness & decent techniques
• Flying alone and thermalling with other pilots
• Fine tuning your landing in thermal conditions
• First steps to flying XC

Program:

• Introduction and establishment of pilot levels
• Review of pilot equipment
• Area briefing and weather
• Daily tasks and group flights with radio
• Daily debrief on individual and group basis
• Final seminar assessment and summary
  

The course will run in the English language.

Presentations by Antoine Girard:

• Bivouac flights in the Himalayas
• XC in the Himalayas and foreign countries & preparation
• How to beat your personal XC record with management of stress, fatigue, risks
• Choose your equipment for XC flying
• How to optimize cross country flying alone, in a group
• Pilot questions and answers

about Antoine Girard:

Antoine Girard, born in south France, is an active paragliding pilot and adventurer with career focus on cross country flying, bivouac and hike & fly paragliding.

Known in the paragliding world as a respected competition pilot with strong performance in the Red Bull X-Alps competitions and entries in 2013 and 2015. 

In 2019 he set a world record in paragliding, in altitude gain of 5.753 meters during flight.

He made the first crossing of the Andes Cordillera in paragliding from Santiago to Argentina, two flights over Aconcagua 7.100 m. the highest peak in America.

He has large experience in flying new challenging terrain with many paragliding expeditions at the furthest corners of the earth.

Great paragliding accomplishments have led him from the European Alps to higher mountains, worlds’ highest peaks and glorious landscapes in New Zealand, Pakistan, The Himalayas, Peru and Chile in South America.

He has put together and released many paragliding films that follow his explorations and achievements set in extraordinary scenery.

In 2016 Antoine embarked on an incredible journey.

On July 23 during a 20-day and 1.260 kilometres solo expedition in the heart of the Himalayas, Antoine Girard flew over the summit of Broad Peak and reached the Record Altitude of 8.157 m.

Antoine published his book about this experience  In flight towards the 8.000  detailing his efforts on this epic flying adventure. EN VOL VERS LES 8000 is currently released in the french language.

about Olympic Wings team flying support:

Olympic Wings instructors organize year after year paragliding holidays, tours and seminars for the progression of pilots. They are certified professionals in paragliding and active pilots themselves for more than 28 years.

Stelios, the founder of Olympic Wings, is a FAI-certified paragliding instructor well experienced in teaching and guiding international students and pilots at Mt Olympus and across Greece to expand their knowledge and enjoy flying in safety.

Claudia is a certified APPI paragliding instructor, active pilot since 1991 registered with DHV, flying competitions in the whole of Greece and with flying experience in Europe. She’s been a leading member of the Olympic Wings team providing excellent theoretical knowledge and active tutoring for students and pilots flying with us.

More information about us and our growing team in this link Olympic Wings.

We are with you to define what is hindering your performance, how to expand your flying experience the most and perfect your skills.

Motivated to advance your level of piloting with substantial knowledge so you evolve as a pilot – grow your sense of safety and certainty.

Previous XC seminars under Olympic Wings signature:

article XC seminar with Bruce Goldsmith at Olympus   
video Bruce Goldsmith – Cloudsurfing Olympus    
article XC seminar with Michael Nesler
XC seminar with Christoph Burger
XC seminar with Simon Kirsch

Location:

The large flatland area of Thessaly towards the south offers a big potential for open distance and triangle XC flights. A rewarding flight is the cross country towards the Aegean Sea on the eastern side of Olympus with a beach landing.

The main take-off for the XC & Thermalling seminar is located on the western side of Mount Olympus, on top of the village Kalivia. It is called Tourtofolia and provides take-off directions towards west, south and east at a height of 1.250 m. Several paragliding and hanggliding competitions up to world cup level have been organized here already.  

Organization:

Olympic Wings organizes the seminar at Mount Olympus and offers accommodation and all transfers during the flying days for all the individual pilots taking part at the seminar.

All necessary retrievals from XC flights are included in the transfers.

The pilots accommodation is located in the area close to the flying site with short drives to the take-off.

You can book the XC & thermalling seminar together with your accommodation and transfers directly through Olympic Wings.  

For bookings and any further information please contact us.

Olympic Wings
Paragliding Center & Paragliding Holidays in Greece
email: info@olympicwings.com
tel.: +30-23520-41741  
Stelios mobile: +30-6942215980
 

Flying Announcement Poster 2019 for Paragliding Special Events organized and offered in Greece by Olympic Wings.

XC seminar with Ronny Helgesen and the Olympic Wings edition XC Olympos
Flying Safaris across the top flying sites of North Greece 
Flight Techniques and first steps to cross country distance flying with Chris Geist
Groundhandling and Glider Control training with Mike Kueng

Tandem pilot paragliding course & APPI level 3 4 5 qualifications workshop course

Designed with the concept to offer pilots important flying experiences,

build their knowledge base and have a lot of fun!

Olympic Wings offers an exclusive XC seminar

with Ronny Helgesen

from 15.06. to 22.06.2019

XC seminar topics:

• Active flying – the way to avoid glider collapses
• How to fly together – flying with other pilots
• Controlling your flying speed
• Safety while flying on a cross country
• Advice to keep you safe while flying near clouds and terrain
• Reserve parachute – Advise on how to use it and what to do
• Tips to help you climb fast and efficiently
• Psychological techniques to help you perform at your best
• In-depth guides to flying the flatlands and mountains
• Skills and tactics to help you fly bigger cross country distances
• Straight-forward illustrations to help you maximize flying conditions
• Simple explanations of diverse wind and thermal flow patterns and structures
• Insights into modern gliders – what do the modern design features mean to the XC pilot

Read the rest of this entry »

Olympic Wings offers Flight Techniques * Thermalling * first steps to XC

with Chris Geist

from 11.05. to 18.05.2019

The goal is… to get a complete and comprehensive set of up-to-date practical knowledge while training your awareness so to adapt a “tactical act” and “reliable react” mechanism to your flying style.
A blend of theory and practice, useful illustrations, daily plan and dialogue, with plenty of airtime will boost your confidence just in time for the start of the flying season!

Every situation, from an – easy conditions and terrain – take off to the moments of big decision making while flying XC, require a clean solid technique yet adaptive to several key factors like the weather and flight conditions, your equipment, your abilities and your mindset.
We will revisit the basic aviation-in-paragliding rules while making the necessary remarks to give pilots a better understanding and a better sense of control to your flight experience.

The workshop will focus on:

• Fine tuning to your take-off and landing technique.
  
• Thermalling techniques for efficiency.
• Techniques for active piloting, glider control and training your awareness.
• Advice on safety.
• Technical tipps for XC pilots and performance flying as an evolving process.
• Useful features in modern gliders and flying equipment.
• Mental preparation & pilot psychology.

Program:

• Introduction and establishment of pilot levels
• Review of pilot equipment
• Area briefing and weather
• Daily exercises and group flights with radio
• Theory and Video Analysis sessions
• Daily debrief on individual and group basis
• Final assessment and summary

Read the rest of this entry »

Olympic Wings invites you to our

Original ‘Olympic Wings edition’ Olympos XC seminar

from 31.08. to 07.09.2019

XC seminar topics:

• Heaps of tips to help you climb fast and efficiently
• Psychological techniques to help you perform at your best
• In-depth guides to flying the flatlands and mountains
• Advice to keep you safe while flying near clouds and terrain
• Skills and tactics to help you fly bigger cross country distances
• Straight-forward illustrations to help you maximize flying conditions
• Simple explanations of diverse wind and thermal flow patterns and structures
• Insights into paragliding design. What does the modern design features mean to the XC pilot

Program:

• Introduction and establishment of pilot levels
• Review of pilot equipment
• Area briefing and weather
• Daily tasks and group flights with radio
• Daily debrief on individual and group basis
• Final assessment and summary

Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the impressions from our XC Seminar this June with our guest paragliding professionals Michael Nesler & Gudrun Oechsl.

A great occasion to happily greet and warmly welcome like always many paragliding pilots that joined our seminar, to push their boundaries and earn healthy experience in XC flying with our support.

The Olympic Wings venue Mount Olympus with it’s impressive valleys – high mountain plateaus – vast flatlands – Aegean Sea coastline once again gave us interesting conditions, amazing views, beautiful clouds and strong thermals; all of which the pilots conquered in their time in the sky.

Amongst enjoying the traditional scenery and hospitality of our region in Greece, a flexible everyday schedule was drafted containing a mixture of Theory and Practise, with daily meticulous weather forecast and topography briefing sessions.

Thermalling techniques theory sessions on body potitioning and thermal tracking in the sky, even take off and landing tips for the lower airtime pilots.
Meteorology subjects discussions from clouds to wind systems on recognizing, mapping and utilizing the flying conditions.

An interesting theory session on Mental Preparation and Mental Attidute in flying by Michael Nesler was proven to be very succesful to the pilots who then later proceeded to having incredible flights.

We thank Michael and Gudrun for their time with us.

We thank all the pilots for flying safe and choosing to fly with Olympic Wings!

Greetings to all
the Olympic Wings Team

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