My intension of visiting Nepal was to do an SIV [safety incident vol] course with Sebastian Bourquin [French champion, no.4 European championship, no.4 World Champion, no.4 in world cup overall, test pilot for 12 years, 23 years experience, Inventor of big ears, B stall, death spirals, Waga flying, etc.] which is considered one of the most important for all levels of paragliding be it beginners or advanced.
I met Sebastian a day before this course would start and was actually not sure if he would be able to do this course with me alone but later agreed. That evening I had a briefing in the Paranova office were I came to know that it was not me alone but also this guy from Hungary named Batash to company me in this course. I was truly prepared for this course, not at all scared because it was gonna help me get over my fear for any type of accidents in air but not ground.
The course started on 15th of May sharp 8am at Paranova store room. We had to remove our cushions from the harness as they may get wet in case if we fall in water. Seriously in vacations I never get up before 12 in afternoon but that day I woke up at 5am as it was bright at that time in Nepal and thought that the alarm didn’t ring and woke my mom up so early in the morning I didn’t sleep after that, got off from the bed, got ready at 6am.
By 9, we were on the take off, our exercise to do some asymmetrical collapses that is to close one side of the glider purposely and get out of it. And followed by other three flights. Frankly, I was not used to instruction any more during flying and couldn’t get it so frequently none of Sebastian’s mistake. He said “right” at least 10 times and on the 11th time I turned right. But later I understood his instructions when he made his language a bit mathematical and that was “180° right” I don’t know how cause I hate maths.
And then followed by other exercises that day which continued till 4 in the evening and after that it was not yet over, we had a briefing on a video on what mistakes we did and what we were supposed to do.
The second day was the most interesting of all cause it consisted of height reducing exercise in short stunts, first stunt of my life without doing it by mistakenly. First flight exercise was a super big ear which was invented by Sebastian himself. In that we were supposed to keep just 30% of our glider open which gradually decreased our height by almost 500m in a few turns and it truly did. And after that followed by B stall and deep spirals. I don’t know what was wrong B stall, I was hanging to the B lines of my glider but it wasn’t coming down, not even a centimeter, the most embarrassing, I wasn’t scared at all cause I had made up my mind to fall down without any pressure in my glider, I guess my glider was extra safe for me or I was too small for it. And then came deep spirals the most exciting, more exciting than a roller coaster. While doing that I could feel my blood rush to different ends of my body because of the g force and ended it really close to water.
After that was stall to back fly, were I did my biggest mistake in this course, but I guess my glider was yet extra safe. When Sebastian was briefing the exercise it seemed the easiest of all even while doing it, but it was the matter of not releasing the break soon after the wing stalls, but it required a lot of strength to keep the break half way to let the glider go to the back fly position. On First and second try the glider didn’t make that big collapses but on the third try the wing made a massive frontal collapse but that was what I was taught on the first day to recover such collapses. I’ve heard stories of people falling into the glider while doing this exercise and I was almost about to make one. I saw on the video in the briefing time after the practical session and it was scary.
On the next day, I had to make the same stall again, and this time I did it though for a very short time, but correctly. And then followed the spin and recovery, right side was correct but left hand is not my form hand and couldn’t make that deep spins as I did on the right side. After that was the reserve throw, while driving up to the takeoff I had changed my shoes to floaters. As soon as I took off I went on the water cause this time I had to fall in the water. After I came to a certain height, I threw the reserve open and after that was actually a physical work, to not let the glider go under me and to make a stall. I started pulling the breaks and after that I saw up to my reserve and there it was besides my glider hanging straight up and my glider making a butterfly above my head. The force of the opening reserve made me hop out of my harness. And then it was at least 10secs with the reserve in the air and then SPLASH directly into water. The kayaks rushed to me but I was extremely fine but my legs had tangled in the lines I was floating till the main boat came I removed my harness, helmet, etc. and preferred to swim back to the shore to relax a bit. The course was not yet over I had to dry my wings and other equipments and repack it. My glider had no more Panchgani dust and it was really beautiful without it, just like a blue butterfly. But there it was what no one was expecting to come, the black clouds, heavily filled with water, our gliders were yet to dry and it started raining. I repacked my wing and reserve loose to not let it catch humidity. After that we drove to Paranova office in the town. And that was the end of the course.
It was really great having an SIV with Sebastian and his team. I feel very lucky that whatever things I have learned in Paragliding was taught by the best.
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