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Name: | Kirsten Seeto |
| Glider: | Niviuk Peak 3 | |
| Flying For: | 7 years | |
| AU Rank: | 26 | |
| WPRS: | 1000 |
1. Where do you mostly fly?
Manilla & Bright.
2. Which pilots most influenced you?
So many! Gaynor Schoeman, Gareth Carter, Brian Webb, Kari Roberson, Meredyth Malocsay, Ivan Anissimov, Bruce Marks, Martin Joyce, Steve Nagle to name a few.
3. Where and what was your most memorable flying experience, best flight ever?
Another hard choice! The last really memorable flight I had was at Hooley Dooley earlier this 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?
Hooley Dooley.
5. What is your favourite site in Australia?
Mt Elliot.
6. What is your favourite site in World?
Porterville, South Africa
7. What is you favourite item in your flying kit and why?
My Nexus tablet which runs XCSoar. I love XCSoar because its so configurable. Having it on a colour tablet allows me to use the colours to get the data I need with just a glance. Also, having maps has improved my confidence as I always know roughly where I am and where I might be headed. I'm pretty impressed with the Delorme InReach also.
8. What do you believe to be your strongest flying skill?
Road landings. I don't recommend them, but turns out I am pretty good at them. Also my on-launch fashion - I have introduced the para-hijab, the in-flight chalk-bag, and paisley gaiters (Barb is looking at producing these next season, so you too can wear this look!
9. What do you believe to be your weak link?
My size! Bring on small size class!! That aside, keeping up with the gaggle is my focus next season. This is related to fear - when the air is rowdy and I have to be on the bar to keep up, often I hold back. This is something I have been working on and slowly improving.
10. What equipment do you use, Harness, Instruments, etc?
I fly a Niviuk Peak 3 (22), with an Advanced Lightness 2 harness (S). I don't have a lot of choice in EN-D's in my size so regrettably I have to also carry ballast. I am kind of a minimalist when it comes to instruments. I use XCSoar on a Nexus 7 tablet, paired with a BlueFly vario. The tablet requires external power on flights over 2 hours so I also have an 11,000mAh external battery. If I am flying in a comp or I think its a big day I will have my old Flymaster GPS on and thrown in the back of the pod for a back-up track. I always fly with a tracker and I now fly with a Delorme InReach.
11. Best comp task you’ve flown so far, the most memorable?
Definitely the 200km task at the US Nationals in Chelan, USA in 2014. I remember when they announced the task and I thought "Oh, no way can I complete this task!" And Gaynor messaged me when I posted the task on Facebook and told me something like "they wouldn't put up a task they didn't think couldn't be achieved". So I went into the task with an open mind. There were parts where the air was rowdy and it was all I could do to keep the wing open, and I would leave that air, sometimes leaving a gaggle but I would keep finding better air. I flew my own path, sometimes meeting up with other gaggles, often flying on my own. I never gave up. At about the 80km mark I got really low and just kept giving myself little goals like "Oh, God you don't want to land there, make that next road" and I would and then I'd find lift. I flew 188km that day and dribbled the last 12km, never giving up till my feet hit the ground. I landed at 6.30pm after 7.5 hours in the saddle, didn't get picked up till 11pm and didn't crawl into bed till 2am. I learned so many lessons that day. The biggest is that I CAN fly big distance - what stops me is what I believe is in a day.
12. Why do you fly?
For the freedom and the connection to nature. 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 fly Mont Blanc one day. I saw this video a few years ago of a guy who flew Mont Blanc (before everyone did it on one day) and it gives me goose bumps every time I watch it. The day I fly Mont Blanc, is the day every moment I will have spent trying to fly will be worth it. In the meantime, though I want to continually improve my flying and I think comps are a great way to do this. Oh, and I really want to fly from Bright to Corryong one day.
14. What tips can you give to newcomers to the sport?
You need to really love flying. Paragliding can be dangerous and there are times where you will put many hours in to trying to fly and have to back down due to safety. That can be frustrating. But you also need to love the journey. If you love the sport enough, and you love the locations, love the adventure of getting to launch, of getting back after landing out, and the company then it will all be worth it. And remember that you do this for fun.