Aerial Assault in Aberfoyle
June 30, 2008 on 12:37 pm | In Aerial Assault Course | 1 Comment
Last weekend I dragged poor Ally along to Go Ape in Aberfoyle. We were up for the weekend and it was too good an opportunity to miss. He wasn’t keen to begin with and I didn’t realise it was because he has a fear of heights.
We were booked in for 11:30 and turned up promptly to complete our medical forms and awaited the instruction. There were 13 (unlucky for some) in our group and we were harnessed up and shown the ropes (red to red and blue goes through) as we would be let loose on the course by ourselves without an instructor.
Aberfeldy Go Ape boasts Britains two longest zip wires. The first took us 150 feet over a 90 foot waterfall. My landing was without dignity and I ended up on my back on a pile of wet wood bark - really fetching but as the course goes on you know you are going to get even more dirty. We then climbed a tree and crossed several rope bridges as well as the tarzan swing which saw you holding onto a rope and crashing into a rope net.
The most difficult section was what were effectively horse stirrups high in the trees that you had to cross. It felt more like Gladiators by the minute.
The final zip wire was the best and longest and was totally exhilarating. The whole course took about three hours and left us feeling like we had a great adventure. After all that we treated outselves to a hot drink and cake in the David Marshall Lodge. We stayed at the Bield B&B which was lovely and welcoming and did magnificent breakfasts.
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
Northerly Wind - thermal breezes
June 23, 2008 on 9:11 pm | In Paragliding | No Comments
Niall Harvey was on Arran doing his tandem training he is an experienced pilot and has spent the last 5 months paragliding in Nepal.
He enjoyed soaring and flying on a great selection of Arran sites before heading back to Jersey a qualified tandem pilot!
We used the video and solo camera to help him assess and improve his technique on the solo and tandem paraglider. - Looking on the horizon when you fly helps you know your place in the sky and keep better contact with your wing.
Congratulation Niall !
Zabdi Keen
http://www.flyingfever.net
Paragliding instructor and tandem pilot. I run a paragliding school on the Isle of Arran and in Nepal.
Elementary Pilots Qualified
June 2, 2008 on 11:16 pm | In Paragliding | No Comments
May was a beautiful month giving good flying conditions on the Isle of Arran. Lots of students and fundays. Grigor and Amanda completed their Elementary pilots course whilst on a weeks holiday camping in Glen Rosa.
Flying Fever is a British Hang gliding and Paragliding Registered School with qualified instructors. The training and ratings given are recongnised internationally. The first course is the Elementary Pilot which normally takes 5 days followed by the Club pilot course. You are working through a series of tasks - we are not looking just to tick the boxes but to help create qualified thinking pilots who will continue flying safely in the sport once they leave the school enviroment.
The length of the course depends on the individual and on the weather conditions. It is like learning how to drive so everyone takes a differant time. Currency is an issue so we offer a season pass that lets you come over and fly as many days as you want in the one season. More details of the courses and a list of the tasks on www.flyingfever.net you can find a list of registered BHPA schools and clubs on www.bhpa.co.uk
Zabdi Keen
http://www.flyingfever.net
Paragliding instructor and tandem pilot. I run a paragliding school on the Isle of Arran and in Nepal.
Paragliding in Nepal
June 2, 2008 on 10:56 pm | In Paragliding | No Comments
We spent three months of the winter teaching Paragliding in Nepal. The weather is very good for paragliding with consistent conditions. There is a taxi up to take off and landing beside a lake. We work with Blue Sky Paragliding offering a range of courses from beginner to advanced acrobatic courses. The challenge this year was having a baby with us in Nepal! Kieran was great - 9 months old and working in the landing field!
Our Nepali friend Kanchi came with us to help watch him so there was not too much interferance on the radio during landings. His Dad Maurice Geraghty launched the students from the top then flew down to join us. I got a bit of flying done, it was great to circle high in the Himalayas again with griffon vultures and eagles stretching their wings beside me.
We went on expedition by Jeep with a group and camped out high in the mountains. It became a bit manic when the interest a blond haired baby created was more than the paragliding. I opened the tent to find a wall of interested kids and womens faces trying to peer in!
It was great to get back to the Isle of Arran Scotland again but then the Spring felt like we had the whole winter still!
Now the weather is great and Flying Fever paragliding School is in full swing with pilots qualifying.
We plan to return to Nepal teaching paragliding again on our Migration at the end of October for a few months. More details on website www.flyingfever.net
Zabdi Keen
http://www.flyingfever.net
Paragliding instructor and tandem pilot. I run a paragliding school on the Isle of Arran and in Nepal.
