Author: Kirsten Seeto
| State: | NSW |
| Glider: | Niviuk Peak 3 |
| Flying For: | 8 years |
| AU Rank: | Women's 2 |
| WPRS: | 981 |
1. Where do you mostly fly?
Manilla.
2. Which pilots most influenced you?
Gaynor Schoeman, Antje Daehler, Gareth Carter, Lee Scott, Sandy Thomson, Kari Ellis, Steve Nagle, Brian Webb. And many, many more along the way!
3. Where and what was your most memorable flying experience, best flight ever?
The last really memorable flight I had was at Hooley Dooley last year, which is in the Hunter Valley. The conditions were not ideal on launch - strong and cross - and there were just 4 of us that day. We waited and waited, and then Justin got off and it looked a little gnarly. Then it was my turn, so I waited and waited till the moment felt right and took off in my somewhat-new EN-D. I went straight up like an elevator and I was worried how the wing would react but it was fine. I rode the elevator to 900m without turning and soared for a bit in soaring/cloud suck conditions. There is an eagle's nest at the trigger point right near launch and the same eagles who tore my old wing last spring were there again, making me nervous with a fresh new wing. But that day they were a pleasure to fly with. I took a climb over the back which was wide and strong and I shared it with 3 eagles. One of them was thermalling opposite me, so close I could see the individual feathers and the patterns on them! That day, things really came together for me with that new wing. I scratched my way out of a crappy valley and I worked out how the lift worked in patch of low hills. I saw Lake St Clair from up high, and the horrible view of the mines in the Hunter that make it look like a crime scene. This was one of those rare days where I got to explore an new area from the sky. When I landed I saw a mob of kangaroos bounding across paddocks and over fences below me. And to top it off, Justin picked me up in my car about 15mins after I got to the road. Top day.
4. What is your favourite flying site in your State?
Manilla.
5. What is your favourite site in Australia?
Manilla / Bright - can't decide!
6. What is your favourite site in World?
Haven't seen enough to answer this one.
7. What is you favourite item in your flying kit and why?
My Delorme. Knowing that I can communicate with people from anywhere gives me the freedom to fly where I think the lift is, and not just where the roads or cell coverage is.
8. What do you believe to be your strongest flying skill?
The amount of time I take to work up to deal with something scary! Being scared of clouds, of turbulent air - things I know are not necessarily rationally dangerous - just... momentarily uncomfortable. It probably keeps me safe too, but it slows my progress down.
9. What do you believe to be your weak link?
My ability to let failures go. This could be a stuffed launch whilst an entire competition looks on, a wrong tactical move on task putting me well behind, or an early bomb-out on a good day. I find that if I can learn from and then let the failures go, I can go on to exploit the most out of the next opportunity. Holding on to failures is a terrible waste of time and energy.
10. What equipment do you use, Harness, Instruments, etc?
I fly a 22m Niviuk Peak 3 with an small Advance Lightness 2 harness. I'm a little light on the wing so I carry around 5kg of water ballast with me. I'm minimalist so I fly with XC Soar on a Nexus 7 tablet (connected to an external battery) with a Bluefly vario. Only this season have I sourced a spare tablet. I use an old Flymaster GPS for a back-up track. I use a Delorme tracker to get retrieved. Spotbuddy app is the best app for tracking friends for retrieve.
11. Best comp task you’ve flown so far, the most memorable?
The 215km task at the Kiwi Open in Manilla this year! Not only was it a PB for me, but it came at the end of a comp that I had struggled to perform to the level I believed I was capable of. All the advice and learnings of that week came together for me in that flight and I even beat people I'd pegged myself as well below. I'd worked out how to apply the squad advice to my flying (light, slower pilots need to apply tactics a little differently) and by some luck (forgot to lock my radio and slipped off channel) flew on without input at the right time. It was a 6.5 hour flight that was filled with slow bits, fast bits, rough bits and then the joy of the evening release with a super-buoyant 30km final glide. It had the scenery, it had lots of flying with others and lots of flying solo. It was just the bees-knees of XC flying. And then to be able to share it with 30 other pilots - magic!
12. Why do you fly?
For the freedom. For the connection with nature. For the endless learnings paragliding teaches me. For the ability to share such a privilege with others who can fly. Whenever my feet leave the ground, I feel a definite sense of release like I have made another successful escape. We have a 3-dimensional playground that is so much fun and yet always keeps you on your toes. Despite being so far from the ground, I always feel more connected with nature when I am flying. Like we are in a space reserved for those blessed with wings. Everything looks different up there and you just get a different perspective on things.
13. What are your personal flying goals?
I want to improve my flying so that I can fly with others at some amazing places. To get my flying to where it is means I have been able to fly some amazing sites in the US - Chelan, Mt Shasta, Owens Valley. The longer I can stay in the air, the more I get to see. But I also want to fly Europe, which I have yet to do properly. A video I saw of someone flying Mont Blanc a few years back has stayed with me - if I can do that one day (or something similar), that will be a big tick off my list. But mainly I just want to improve my flying to facilitate cool adventures with other great pilots. I'd like to get into vol biv at some stage too.
14. What tips can you give to newcomers to the sport?
The first year you need to work out if you love the sport enough to deal with its risks. If you LOVE it, keep at it. Take it at your own pace, and know that your pace may be different to others. Talk to other pilots about anything that you struggle with. Most people all tackle the same things - fear, anxiety, frustration - finding others who have worked through that makes a big difference. Try everything when your skills are up to scratch - coastal, XC, acro - you never know what's going to click. And lastly, never lose sight of the thing that made you fall in love with paragliding.