Colombia.

Do you have a nickname? 

Lucho, actually people think that is my name.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

Flying started as a family hobby when I was a kid, then it became a passion that I used to share with my brothers and that for many years struggled with my reality until it became my life. My life is being a pilot, I dream about flying, I work by flying, I projected myself as a freeflying pilot and I hope for the future to share it with my son. Being a pilot is living a life at its maximum! Freedom, nature, friends, limits, adventure, love – all this means flying to me. 

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

In April 2023 I was flying in a cross-country competition, where the third day I made an involuntary mistake. I was flying at full speed with my Enzo 3 in the first glide of the task. At one point I released the speed bar too fast, what made the glider dive up really quick, so that a pilot, who was coming a bit higher just behind me, could not avoid me and got tangled from behind in my glider. As soon as he stalled his glider to get away from me, some of my lines were hooked and broke with the tension of him getting away. That destroyed all A-, B- and the conductor lines of the right side and the glider immediately started an autorotation like a helicopter. I only had the chance to throw my reserve and get ready to land in a forest, whose low trees helped me to slow down, that I finally landed safely on the ground, where I could communicate with the organisation and the pilot friend that came to my rescue. In the end, we walked out of the forest together – and had a story that we can now tell our families and students with a smile. It was the first time I had to use my rescue and I learned something important: you don’t have to be afraid to throw the rescue (which is often the case with many pilots), but you have to be sure that it has been packed correctly and regularly – at least once a year – I even pack it twice a year.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

Safety is basically taking decisions, all the training, all the knowledge that you have accumulated during years in all aspects in life are the factors that help you take the right decisions. And when you take a decision based on your experience and knowledge it is because you are 100% sure that you can handle the outcome. 95% of the time will be something good and there is a lower chance of having a problem, but this certainty that you can handle it, is what makes you safe.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
The most amazing flight that I have done was a flight around the Mont Blanc massif, starting in France, flying north to Switzerland, then east and south east to Italy and then back west to France to land at Annecy. That was the most beautiful and scenic flight of my 29 years of flying. 

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would love to fly in Hawaii.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?
Time and variety – this sport requires time. Those who have a lot of time can easily accumulate airtime, train in different flying areas and learn all disciplines. Those who have little time need to plan well and be flexible. Paragliding is a sport that depends on good weather like no other. So if you don’t have much time, you should be flexible in your choice of flying area so that you are always in a place where it is possible to fly.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

I have flown cross-country competitions in Colombia since we started flying. In 2010 I started flying world cups and other international events all in the cross-country. But my main goal and achievement was to bring new opportunities to a region in my country and all this through the sport that is my passion. In 2011 we organised the first Paragliding World Cup in Colombia ever, since that we have organised 3 Super Finals of the Paragliding World Cup, 1 FAI World Championship, 5 British Winter Open, 2 SRS Sport Racing Series, 1 Ozone Open and 1 BGD Open. Since 2011 we have been able to change the economy of a region and bring culture and new opportunities to many people in Colombia.

Germany.

Do you have a nickname? 

Tini.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

For me, flying means leaving everything behind on the ground and seeing things from above, both literally and figuratively. This often changes the importance and meaning of many things – this incredible freedom and foresight can only be found in the air!

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

Twice I encountered cold air outflow from a shower cloud with strong gusts of wind and turbulence. The only option was to keep a cool head, position myself wisely and keep the canopy open using all the skills I had practised. You always have to focus on what you can influence at that moment. By staying focused, I was able to land safely both times.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

For me, safety in flying starts right at the beginning – with the flight plan. As soon as I reach a point where I have doubts about the situation or the decision, I change my plans. Only those who fly in a relaxed manner and enjoy themselves fly safely. And the ability to make good decisions requires a great deal of training, knowledge and airtime!

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
For me, one of the most beautiful moments in the air is always circling with birds – whether with golden eagles in the Alps, storks in Macedonia, a large king vulture in Colombia or, recently, a bearded vulture in Annecy – these moments are magical. But also meeting friends while cross-country flying – it was amazing when, after a hundred lonely kilometres in the vast Brazilian Sertão, I met exactly my sister to go on flying wing to wing with her : ) 

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

A big trip from north to south along the Andes.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Fly as much as possible – every flight counts – and reflect on it. Challenge yourself, but don’t overdo it – you need to know your limits – flying should always be fun!

What are your successes and most important achievements?

Flying became part of my life early on, and I fly purely for myself – without competitions or records – but for over 20 years, accident-free and still with a lot of fun and enjoyment, whether hike and fly, manoeuvring or cross-country flying…

Austria.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

It is and has been my life.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

Often, however, this is part of flying – what helps is training, especially safety training.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

Mental training to stay flight-fit, even when there’s no time to fly.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
A visit from an eagle.

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Hawaii. 

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Never lose the fun of flying – ease and safety should be the motto when training (my own experience from over 45 years as a hang gliding and paragliding instructor).

What are your successes and most important achievements?

Being an instructor – and much more.

Austria.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

That is my life.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

As a test pilot you learn to deal with this every day. 

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

Be honest, question yourself and never stop learning. 

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
The craziest thing: We are the first generation that got to paraglide—and had the privilege to teach ourselves.

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Wherever it’s beautiful at the moment.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Get to know yourself. What are your successes and most important achievements?

Testing, developing, training.

Germany / Austria.

Do you have a nickname? 

Jenny.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

Enjoying the freedom.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

No! – and I’m happy and proud to answer this question with a clear no. That’s what safety is about.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

Safety is about knowing your limits, trusting your feelings and instincts, making good decisions for yourself and don’t compare yourself with others! Don’t get me wrong, we can learn a lot from other pilots but if you’re not feeling well, don’t push your limits just because somebody else is still flying or flying faster and higher.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
There is not just one big thing, the biggest impact are all these little memories that bring a smile to my face. Whether it’s a sundowner with friends, a long cross-country flight or a maneuver that finally works.

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Hawaii – but already on the bucket list 😉

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?
Never stop learning and trying out new things – but always with a smile on your face. The part with the smile I got from my mum and it helps to handle most of the things more relaxed and you don’t take it so seriously when things don’t work out.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

Safe flying for more than 20 years 🙂

Austria.

Do you have a nickname? 

Domi. 

What does being a pilot mean to you?

For me being a pilot is the freedom to spend time in nature alone or with friends.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

I have been flying since 2009. I have had many collapses during XC flights. Recently, I started flying more aerobatics and tried helicopter manoeuvres. I got twisted 2,5 times and immediately went into a high G-force spiral dive. In the end, I was able to resist the G-force and stall the glider out of the rotation.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

For me, it is very important to listen to my body and mind every day that I fly. Sometimes you have good days, sometimes bad days. Flying should suit your daily feeling.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
For me, the best thing is coming home in the evening after a long XC-flight.

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

My favourite place to fly is Colombia, but I really want to go to the USA someday.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?
Try to fly as often as possible and keep the number of flights in the last 12 months as high as possible. Long flying breaks are not good.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

I haven’t been injured in over 17 years of paragliding.

Germany.

Do you have a nickname? 

Vreni.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

Flying started out as a hobby for me and then became a job as well. For me, flying is a special way of being in nature or travelling, combining enjoyment, sport and the feeling of being completely focused on the present. And with my work, I enjoy passing this on to others. 

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

I am glad that I cannot say anything specific here. In over 20 years of flying, I have also experienced some collapses or encountered turbulent conditions due to misjudgement. In the situations I remember, I was grateful for every hour I had invested in groundhandling or manoeuvring to master them. 

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

For me, safety in paragliding means developing good self-assessment skills. Knowing what you are capable of, what you can do in which conditions and when you are overwhelmed is, in my opinion, the basic prerequisite for being a safe pilot. The idea that you never stop learning in many respects, that there are moments when quick decisions have to be made and you then have to stick to your plan, is a helpful mindset that I also apply outside of flying.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
It sounds corny, but the first thing that comes to mind is the many experiences of nature – eagles, vultures, ibexes that let you share in their world; landscapes that were inaccessible to me on foot or depending on the season, and the incredible play of clouds. But also flying where no one had ever been before with a paraglider – I’m thinking of flights in the flatlands of north-eastern Brazil, made possible by winch towing.   

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Do I have to decide?! There’s still so much I’d like to see ;-).

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

In my opinion, the most important thing is to stay true to yourself. This usually makes experiences better and new learning more enriching. It is good to find out what you want and how you can train yourself to achieve it. 

What are your successes and most important achievements?

German women’s record in open distance with a flight of 458 km in Caicó in north-eastern Brazil in October 2022.

Colombia.

Do you have a nickname? 

Juanfe.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

For me, that means developing new skills – in every sense – and making the sky your playground.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

Most of the risky situations I have experienced were emergency landings in very tight or difficult spots. My golden rule for such situations is: decide on a course of action, imagine how you will execute it perfectly, and give it 100% without fear.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

I think safety is something you build up with experience and the only way to stay safe is to be very humble and respectful. That way, you can fly for many years without hurting yourself. My personal life example is my teacher and mentor LUCHO.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?
I was flying with my paramotor and had an engine failure at about 1,000 metres above ground level. I knew it was the spark plug, so I reached into my lower pocket, took out the spare spark plug and the tools to replace it, opened the harness, turned around in mid-flight and changed the spark plug. This allowed me to enjoy a wonderful flight until sunset.

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Paramotor flying in Chiribiquete National Park in Colombia or a toplanding on Mont Blanc.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Surround yourself with pilots who are better than you, with people you admire and who make you a better pilot every day.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

A 1000 km paramotor trip along the Caribbean coast and many beautiful 100 k + flights. The best days of my life are the ones when I fly – that’s why I’m here.

Germany.

Do you have a nickname?  


Tommy. 

What does being a pilot mean to you? 

Being in the air in any form – whether it’s under a paraglider, skydiving or in a motorised aircraft.  

Safety is very important to me! 

Thanks to my friendship with Tini and Lucho, I can combine my passion for paragliding with my background in emergency medicine and high-altitude rescue, support Airnomads in SIV training and promote safety when flying over water in the long term.

And when I’m not flying…

…you’ll find me on my motorbike or mountain bike, climbing or at the helm of a speedy boat ; ) My motto: Everything you want, is on the other side of fear.

Germany.

Do you have a nickname? 

Isa. 

What does being a pilot mean to you?

For me, it means freedom, escaping everyday life and embarking on a little new adventure with every flight.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

Nothing really bad so far. Sometimes I underestimated the wind and ended up circling backwards a little bit into the landing area.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

For me, safety in flying means knowing my own limits, respecting them and sometimes pushing them a little bit. It’s important to me to understand the technology behind flying – to always know what might happen next with my glider and to be prepared for it. And never to lose respect. 

In everyday life, too, I focus on preparation and gathering knowledge before making decisions. And sometimes it can be necessary to step out of your comfort zone in order to regain safety.  

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I don’t have a specific place where I prefer to fly. My favourite place is wherever I can fly with my friends. Although you usually hang alone under the glider, being in the air with friends and sharing the moments is what I enjoy most. And then it doesn’t matter where in the world it is. The main thing is, to be with the right people.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Have courage, never give up. You can achieve anything with enough motivation and the right people around you, lots of patience and time.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

Being a flight instructor and being able to accompany students on their journey from pedestrian to independent pilot.

Flying tandem and showing my passengers the world from above, sharing the joy of flying with them.

Germany/ Austria.

Do you have a nickname? 

No, not yet.

What does being a pilot mean to you?

Experiences, joy of life, sharpening the senses.

Have you ever experienced a high-risk situation in the air?

Not really.

How do you define safety in paragliding and how do you apply it in your daily life—even outside of flying?

Push yourself to the limit, but don’t go beyond it. Respect the forces of nature. Stay true to yourself.

What is the craziest or most unexpected thing that has happened to you while flying?

That was during gliding, when it was possible to soar on a cumulus cloud 400 metres above the cloud tops, just like on a slope. I have no idea how that worked, but it did. Otherwise, unexpected and crazy things happen to me all the time when I’m doing acro flying… 🙂

If you could fly anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Anywhere where there is a bar serving good cappuccino at the landing site.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to become or improve as a pilot?

Step by step with plenty of motivation, respect and the right trainers.

What are your successes and most important achievements?

Since I don’t compete and don’t fly competitively, I unfortunately can’t boast any successes or achievements. But for me, it’s always a success when the participants in the course have learned something, improved their flying skills and are happy to come back. Fortunately, I’m usually successful 😉