Author: Judith Mole

Flying and charity? What have those two topics got to do with each other?

Many of us travel to far-flung places to appreciate the amazing scenery, cheap drinks, food and accommodation and better flying weather than we can find at home. We are treated hospitably and are often helped by locals when we land out or are involved in an incident. So can we give something back to the communities we fly in, whether that is at home or abroad? For example, should we give to begging kids or child glider packers? Is there a sustainable way to make a difference? This podcast tells the story of the Cloudbase Foundation, Karma Flights‘ work in Nepal and their amazing response to the devastating earthquake, whether you should pay packing kids and how you can make a difference to the communities you fly in. Pilots have a lot of skills that can be useful in an emergency situation and come in useful when wanting to assist disadvantaged communities. This podcast tells you ways you can make a difference – whether great or small.

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The X-Pyr starts in two days! Listen to competitor Greg Hamerton answer ten random questions…

Greg Hamerton is a South African pilot who lives and flies in the UK. He is the chief paragliding evangelist for Flybubble, a job he describes as “perfect”. And you can see why, he lives, dreams and breathes flying and all he has to do is enthuse others with the same passion. His videos are excellent and contribute much to the learning and safety of thousands of pilots. Greg likes a bit of adventure and came a very credible 8th in his first Bornes to Fly in 2016. He is the only UK competitor in the 2016 X-Pyr, in which he will race the entire length of the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Med, by flying and hiking. He be supported by James Hope-Lang. Greg elected not to know his ten random questions in advance and he answers questions on the smelliest thermal he’s been in, the most useless item in his harness and whether he has ever landed in anger…

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Ollie Chitty is a hang gliding instructor, competition pilot and British hang gliding record holder. A young pilot, he comes from a flying family and acted as ballast for his dad Nick Chitty for years. A rising star of the UK hang gliding scene, he answered questions about whether he ever tried any DIY flying when he was a kid; how he has changed as a pilot over the years and the most ridiculous thing a non-flyer has ever said to him about hang gliding.

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Andrew Craig is a pilot from the south of England (originally from London), but now lives in Wiltshire for the better flying opportunities. A former BBC journalist, he is one of the moderators of PG forum and a Mastermind contender. We asked him ten random questions on topics like what’s the most radical manoeuvre he has done, how he celebrated his greatest success in flying so far and whether he would fly naked if it was for charity. Find out the whole naked truth here:

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Parafest, the UKs biggest free flying festival begins today in North Wales. Organiser, paramotor and paraglider pilot Mark Meadows has been extremely busy putting it all together. We caught up with him to ask him about the festival, how it all started and we also asked him ten random flying-releated questions, for example, what his parents think about his flying, whether he was an instructor’s dream or nightmare and what makes him nervous in the air. Enjoy!

Listen to the podcast below: