The Cloudbase Mayhem podcast is where you will find fascinating and educational interviews with the best free-flight pilots in the world. If you fly a hanglider or paraglider, if you fly acro or cross country, the Cloudbase Mayhem podcast is where we glean how the great pilots of the world get there. Hosted by Red Bull X-Alps pilot, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and current holder of the North American foot launch record, Gavin McClurg. Follow me on Instagram @gavinmcclurg or on Facebook @ facebook.com/gavinnmcclurg or Twitter on @cloudbasemayhem.
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Episode 133- Malin Lobb and Wing Control
Malin Lobb is the co-owner of Flyeo paragliding in Annecy with Fabien Blanco. He was one of the founders of the British Racing Academy, is a keen world cup comp pilot and an experienced SIV and paragliding instructor. In this information-packed episode that our editor called “One of the Best Episodes EVER!” Malin discusses wing control from A to Z- how to approach SIV; what to be thinking about when choosing a wing; the pitfalls of wing certification and relying on “passive safety”; the required skills to fly a 2 liner; the dangers of object fixation and why it occurs; why we freeze under stress; learning spirals correctly to prevent black-out; why the 360 to clean exit tells an instructor what skills you have; the 4 SIV/ piloting fundamentals (these will surprise you!); totally avoiding ALL cascading events; utilizing the FEAR acronym (feeling, eye, affirmation, relax) to decrease stress; mitigating your flying currency after even very short breaks; the reason most accidents happen; how much SIV is “right”; what makes a good pilot; NO, it’s not just “putting your hands up!”; when a pilot is ready for a 2 liner; “cleaning” a glider; efficiently clearing cravats; why you should see every collapse; building the foundation early; aggravating and cancelling roll and why it’s important; misconceptions of wing control, misconceptions of wing certification; how an ingrained culture of ignorance in our sport leads to so much mayhem and a ton more. This episode is jammed with really critical information for pilots at every level.
Show Notes:
* The ethos of Flyeo and how Covid has affected the business and plans for the future
* The art of instruction
* Learning spirals
* The four SIV/pilotage fundamentals- 1) trust your harness, 2) disassociate your arms from your body, 3) brake range, 4) situation awareness
* The FEAR acronym
* Flying currency and the dangers of even very short breaks
* The most common cause of accidents
* Becoming an autonomous pilot
* What makes a good pilot?
* There’s no blanket response
* Regardless of your wing control, there are certain situations that there is no recovery
* 2 Liners- there’s the skill side, and the confidence side
* How much bar?
* Experience in wing control and experience in XC- they are NOT the same
* “Cleaning” a glider
* Cancelling roll and active flying
* The gateway to acro- the wingover
* Misconceptions of SIV and specific maneuvers
* The right thing to do is the right thing at the time. ADAPTION is key.
* The massive problem of relying on certification and passive safety
Mentioned in the Show: Fabien Blanco, Pal Takats, Theo De Blic, Valle De Bravo, Cody Mittanck, Jeff Shapiro, Charles Cazaux, Seiko Fukuoka, Russ Ogden, Jocky Sanderson, Stefan Bernhard, Alex Robe