At the time of writing I'm still not sure if I turned down a golden opportunity to fly as a passenger in a paraglider, this afternoon. The Wessex Hang-gliding and Paragliding Club were doing their thing from the clifftops at Southbourne when I stopped to take some photographs of three already airborne. Watching from the ground were two pilots, and I casually engaged one of them in a conversation about whether or not you felt the effects of the wind whilst flying.
His answer was pretty much what I expected (yes, you do), but was then quite taken aback when he offered me the opportunity to fly in tandem with him and find out for myself. There and then! I wasn't sure if he was serious or not to start with, but it turned out he was. Apparently, previous flight experience isn't necessary for the passenger, but I politely declined.
It all looks safe enough from the ground as the fliers glide effortlessly to and fro "up there where the air is clear", but the take-off over the cliff edge looks a trifle hair-raising in my book. Besides, I would need a bit of time to get psyched-up for such an event rather than an impromptu, daredevil lunge out over the sea, however competent the pilot may be.
Maybe next time...
24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/4000 second at f/4. Matrix metering. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160
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