Hanging with Grant

It was a weak day at my local site in the small hills of southern England and the cycles were barely enough to maintain height. I top-landed and for a moment marvelled at an EN-B Niviuk Ikuma 3 that was defying gravity, working every available bit of lift to stay in the game. Another pilot beside me must have read my mind because he said, “That’s Grant”.

Grant Crossingham, 52, 10-time British national hang-gliding champion and a regular top ten performer at the worlds – now also a paraglider pilot. Evidently a pretty good one too. He’d recently given a talk at our club. It was mainly about how paragliders should behave when we share the air with hang gliders – respecting their need for space (especially) when landing, and understanding their blind spots for example. But a few valuable gems of insight into our sport also emerged,...