Flying with your glider

Flying with your glider, (not flying your glider)

One of the greatest things about a paraglider is that it is so easy to travel with. Hiking, driving, flying, all are low hassle factor. When traveling by plane a few precautions with help keep your flying vacation airborne.

Packing up;

First off find out how much weight you can take in your bag. Most paragliders should fall well within the limits. If necessary move some items into another bag. But unless you have a lead harness this shouldn’t be a problem.

Pack Small,

Getting busted for oversized luggage is a lot more likely than over weight.
So, Find a nice clean place to pack your glider up and do an extra good job. Although you’ll never get it down to the factory pack size, you can get it way smaller than your average field pack job. Next, if you have a foam style back protector, pull it out, roll it up and use that horrible glider destroying compression strap (that you never use on your glider) and strap it down. This alone will make your bag way smaller.

Pack Smart,

Your helmet is design to take a blow with your head in it. It is not design to take a blow, empty, driven by the weight of your pack, into asphalt when it falls off of a conveyer belt. Pack your helmet full of clothes, like your flight suite and gloves. (Your instruments, wrapped up in those cloths works well.) Place you helmet on your seat board between your glider and the harness, NOT on top of the bag!

Secure all pack straps, buckle all buckles, these things can get caught and rip your bag apart. Make sure your name is on your bag. Don’t make it overly obvious that it’s a paraglider. (Like a beautiful bag tag with a picture of your glider on it.) Paragliders can be targeted for theft. Or, just stick the whole thing in a duffle bag.



Your reserve and home land security
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Try to keep your reserve from being opened. If it comes up, explain what it is and that your life depends on the reserve working properly. Also, that it is huge and hard to get back in it’s pack. Suggest that it X-rayed. As a precaution, place a luggage tag with a note on your reserve handle that says, “This is a reserve parachute. My life may depend on it working properly. If you inspect it please remove this tag so that I will know it has been disturbed.”
NEVER try to carry on a reserve! (You’ll spend time in a dark room facing a spot light, answering questions.) If worse comes to worse, I can repack your reserve.

Take care of those that must schlep your gear around.

Most baggage handlers will not look upon your heavy pack with relish and delight. My best plan is to be at the airport early, find a skycap, thank them for taking care of my pack while handing them a five note. Never had a problem when using this method.

Other Plane related stuff.

Don’t forget your Passport! I did this one and some how just got away with it. That included breaking the speed limit and getting charged $100 to switch flights. Real stupid! Take my word for it.

Noise canceling head phones. When I went to Lima in 07 I had just gotten a pair and what a difference it made! While being subjected to the clown circus we call airline travel, I could escape to a quiet world of music or a book on bytes, (book on tape just doesn’t cut it anymore.).

If you are larger than the "Most airline profitable size", MAPS, which is taller than 5 feet and weight more than 92 pounds, you will not be comfortable on the plane. Try to get up and move around. Or at least, squirm around a bit. If you come off the plane stiff as a board, limber up a bit before picking up your pack.

Now you’re ready for the fun part.

Bill