“Isn’t it better if we don’t give approval to those who – although brave – stupidly put themselves in danger, but instead give it to those who have the courage to admit that they would prefer to land or not take off in the first place?”
Till Gottbrath’s been flying a long time. He takes an honest look at his own motivations in flying – including the desire to be respected – and how that’s shaped his attitudes to risk.
As the manager of Nova’s competition team, he takes special delight in the ‘new wave’ of EN-B XC flying. “Flying an EN-B wing is now socially acceptable, because only very few pilots are capable of maintaining their concentration and controls g a high end wing for 10 hours on an epic day” he writes.
“This development in performance has made something wonderful possible: the amazing elation of closing a big triangle with your friends, when one after the other wafts in to the landing field with smiles so big they hardly fit under their helmets…”
