 She's ready to leap off the mountainside, equipped with the strict minimum of experience. In one leap she's graduating from a 2 metre high hop to a terrifying 775 metre high flight. Her calculator informs her that this represents a 38,750 % height increase. Will Corinne end up smashing her pretty little self to pieces ? Read on folks and find out ! |
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We were given our equipment by Didier. I continued to tease him and asked if he had a nice fluo pink glider for me. Then I asked if he had a helmet with a hole in the top for my pigtail. I really didn't know if he'd read me or not. In any case he treated me as a friend. My t-friend, Josephine, who lives near Chambéry, had decided to join me for a morning's flying in calm conditions. Last summer we had flown together (I on my hang glider and she on her paraglider) and she had ended up crashing in the trees, having to be rescued by helicopter ! Whilst very convincing under normal circumstances, she had decided to come in her androgenous mode... which dismayed me no end coz if Didier hadn't read me by now he was certainly going to put two and two together when seeing Josephine. He played the gallant gentleman however, as did the other people on the course, a group of Parisians. We must have looked very exotic to them, and somewhat out of place too ! |
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Yes well, I know that this isn't exactly the latest fashion in millinery and that even Queen Lizzy II wouldn't be seen dead in this when visiting the Ascot races. I am also aware that I look a right twit but I suppose safety comes before fashion, eh ? Having checked all my lines to make sure there are no knots, and got dressed a little more sensibly, I gathered up the glider and walked to the take off area, knees knocking together in abject terror ! |
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Well, here is the moment of truth. I'm all strapped in to this overgrown handkerchief and the wind is light and warm. The lake sparkles, far, far below, in the morning sunlight. A great day for hurtling to my death really. Didier is laying out my glider carefully so that it will come up straight when I start my take-off run. A nice chap Didier... I'm not very much into men but I really find this one pleasant... and quite good looking too... with a great sense of humour... a very calm personality... hmmm... maybe my knees are knocking together for a different reason ? |
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In actual fact I wasn't in the least bit nervous ! Taking off on a hang glider from a short steep ramp into the abyss is a lot more nerve wracking than this. I was really excited. Didier told me to go and I ran hard, feeling the paraglider come up immediately over my head and start to lift me. He kept issuing instructions over the radio but I felt quite at ease about the whole thing. What fun !!! |
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In seconds I was airborne and flying out towards the lake. This is so gentle compared with hang gliding. Instead of lying prone with one's head lifted up and getting a stiff neck, one is seated in a very comfortable harness and the controls are so light. I wish I could stay up longer than the 10 minutes this flight was going to last... Didier told me my take off was perfect and that he was going to pass me over to his assistant, Hubert (a daft name if ever I heard one, but a very nice guy), who was at the landing site with a radio. |
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It was time to fold up my wing and get back in the minibus for another flight. I hoped there might be a bit of lift this time but, unfortunately, there was none. The 2nd flight was just as thrilling as the first. After that Didier decided that conditions were going to become too strong for novices like me and he called a halt to further flying. Quack. Everyone went for lunch but I excused myself as I had to go and fetch my daughter for the weekend. I came back with her and we joined everyone for coffee (they had had a 2 hour lunch !). I'm convinced they had all been talking about me while I was away as one of the men asked "Is that your daughter then ?" and everyone else fell silent, waiting for the reply. I imagine the conversation had gone something like "Is it a man or a woman ?" "Is she a transsexual ?" "But if she's a transsexual, how can she have a daughter ?" Well, I replied that it was indeed my daughter and the man announced "Yes, one can see from the eyes that she is your daughter !" |
HOMEPAGE
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