Spring is in the air on the cover of the latest issue of Cross Country Magazine. Issue 228 (April 2022) shows Jerome Maupoint carving it up high above free-flight’s most famous spot, Annecy, in the French Alps. It’s an open invitation to dive into the new season. Here’s what’s inside.
“I pull to the right and instantly know I shouldn’t have. Too late. The lines go slack.” Bastienne Wentzel joins an all-women SIV / Acro course with Rise Paragliding in Oludeniz, Turkey.
Two-line technology has arrived in the EN-C class, courtesy of AirDesign’s new Volt 4. We talk to the designer, Stephan Stiegler.
‘I got hooked on the feeling of being airborne.’ We all know that feeling. We meet Reem Al-Kuthari, one of Qatar’s very few women paramotor and microlight pilots.
‘If swivels are such a good idea, why don’t all manufacturers use them?’ asks Bruce Goldsmith in his latest Icaristics column. He explains when and where they should be used in design, and how to manage your brakes with or without them.
Looking at tracklogs online is one thing, but using them to effectively compare your cross country performance against others is another. Rob Davis explores who we can do it – and what we can learn.
‘We got to fly epic tasks every day, pushing bar with our friends.’ The pilot who is grinning the most is winning the most, says Gavin McClurg in his latest column.
From Derechos in the States to La Calima in the Canaries, we take a satellite view of some incredible recent storms from around the world – and find out why they happen.
‘Keep up a scan and avoid straight and level flight.’ In the wake of a fatal mid-air collision in the USA Jeff Goin examines how paramotor pilots can make themselves more visible to other aircraft.
‘Minimise the big mistakes. Don’t expose yourself. Try to dominate!’ These were just some of the tips that readers picked up from our recent Masterclass with new Paragliding World Champion Russell Ogden. We take a look at his words of wisdom, line by line.
The Po Delta is where Italy’s longest river meets the sea, creating one of Europe’s largest biosphere reserves. Adi Geisegger spends a weekend exploring.
‘Sky have hit the nail on the head.’ We fly their latest easy rider, the Kudos 2 – an access-all-areas EN B aimed at new pilots and above.
Light and comfortable – we test fly the Dudek Soul 2021, a good all-round or first-time pod harness.
Across six pages we take a deep dive into some seriously lightweight tandem gear: Gin’s Yeti Tandem 3, AirDesign’s UFO-Bi and Neo’s Rescue Backpack.
Flown to 8,000m above Broad Peak, Syride’s new compact instrument the Sys’Nav XL packs a punch. We give it a serious longterm test.
Plus, new contributor Liz Dengler considers the enemy – FOMO, or the fear of missing out – and explains how we can deal with it. ‘Remember that day in June 2019 when everyone was top-landing Mont Blanc? I don’t even live in Europe and I was feeling Fomo! It’s hard to dismiss.’ Don’t miss out, make sure you make time for XC228 today.
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