Episode 69- Armin Harich and Sending Flatlands and Flying accident free

Armin Harich is the co-founder of Skywalk Paragliders, started flying in 1989 and has never had an accident, and is the first person to fly over 300km in Germany- and he did it on a EN B wing (the Skywalk Tequila). I was told by many people before speaking to Armin that he’s a flatlands “SkyGod” so we focused much of this show on flatlands flying techniques and how people started flying the flatlands, dealing with airspace, how to assess weather in advance of a potentially good day, how to get established early, the stupidity of frustration, why it makes sense to try early, and a lot more. But we also discuss the genesis of Skywalk, wing advancement, the X-Alps and metrics of having Chrigel on a Skywalk wing for the race, what’s possible in the future, the synergy between kites and wings, certification and how Skywalk plans for the future. There’s a ton of great take-aways in this show- enjoy! A buck an episode, that’s all we ask. Subscribe to the Cloudbase Mayhem Podcast on Stitcher Radio, Google Play, Tune In, or ITunes!       Show Notes: * Armin recounts the best flights of his life in a LONG career of accident-free flying * How Armin has never had an accident. * Flying the first 300km in Germany on the Skywalk Tequila * Dealing with Airspace * The genesis of Skywalk * Chrigel on the Skywalk for the X-Alps * Synergy between kitesurfing wings and paragliding wings * The pressure on a manufacturer to come up with the latest and greatest * Developing the sport * Thoughts on Sink and flying good lines * Keys to flying far in the flatlands * Getting established in the flats when it’s not yet “on” * Flying cross country is not random * How to studying areas you plan to fly in advance to identify tricky spots * Air and energy air masses * The stupidity of frustration * Try early * Keeping the passion * Where to exit a cloud on a cloudstreet day Mentioned in this episode: Paul Gushlbauer, Chrigel Maurer, Alex Hollwarth, Stephen Gruber, Arne Wehrlin, Till Gottbrath Links to Armin’s Films: https://www.youtube.com/user/haricharmin/ https://www.facebook.com/armin.harich https://www.dhv-xc.de/leonardo/index.php?op=show_flight&flightID=501779 www.arminharich.de