A diary of the Aussie team's journey through the 2007 Paragliding
Worlds at Manilla, Australia
Pilot Profile
Name:
Craig Donnell
Age: 35, Marital Status: Single
Job and how often in a typical week would you fly:
Lift Technician. Once a week if the weather and work let me!
1. What equipment do you
use:
Glider, Airwave FR2
Harness, Airwave Ramrace C
Vario, Brauniger Compeo
GPS, Garmin 76 map.
2. Approx hours airtime:
I have about 650 hours of flight time.
3. When did you learn to fly and where?
Feb 2001, Canberra with APC
4. Best site in Oz:
Mt Elliot Corryong
5. Best site O/S:
Aiguille Du Midi Chamonix
6. Best comp task you’ve
flown so far, the most memorable:
Don’t know about the best but my most memorable was a
150km to Moree in my first Manilla Comp, what a day!!
7. Why do you fly:
I get a real kick out of flying XC and love the challenging nature of
the sport.
8. Best flight ever:
My PB for distance (240) from Conargo to Cootamundra was a real epic
for me. I froze, had to have a leak in the air for the first time,
and lost the guys chasing me but it was a great days flying
9. Worst flying experience so far:
Going for dip (landing) in the sea near the Bali Cliffs resort!!
10. What tips can you give to newcomers
to the sport:
Fly with the best pilots as often as you can, this
will greatly improve your own skills.
11. Who do you most admire in our sport?
So many of the sports top/most experienced pilots are so generous in
passing on there knowledge gained from many years of doing it the hard
way, these are the people I admire most in the sport.
12. What are your other favourite
hobbies/sports:
No other sports at the moment but before I started
paragliding I was competing a lot in drag racing
and some circuit racing as well. I also used to
ski before paragliding but no time for that now.
My main hobby is an addiction to Hi/Fi and home
theatre, I knocked down a wall between my lounge/dinning
room to make an audio/theatre room.
13. Favourite band and song?
Bands of the moment for me are Arch Enemy and Megadeth. I have to many
favourite songs to list.
14. Best book you’ve
read so far?
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson
15. Have you ever thrown your reserve?, if
so tell us about it.
Not yet!
16. Biggest flying mistake so far?
Misjudging conditions and landing in
the water in Bali.
17.
What are your personal flying goals
To win a Comp/s, be Aussie Champ, and continue to enjoy the sport.
18. Where are you going to be in 10
years time and doing what?
I hope to be not working as much and flying more but apart from that
who knows!
Pilot Profile
Name: Craig Donnell
Age: 35, Marital Status: Single
Job and how often in a typical week would you fly:
Lift Technician. Once a week if the weather and work let me!
1. What equipment do you use:
Glider, Airwave FR2
Harness, Airwave Ramrace C
Vario, Brauniger Compeo
GPS, Garmin 76 map.
2. Approx hours airtime:
I have about 650 hours of flight time.
3. When did you learn to fly and where?
Feb 2001, Canberra with APC
4. Best site in Oz:
Mt Elliot Corryong
5. Best site O/S:
Aiguille Du Midi Chamonix
6. Best comp task you’ve flown so far, the most memorable:
Don’t know about the best but my most memorable was a 150km to Moree in my first Manilla Comp, what a day!!
7. Why do you fly:
I get a real kick out of flying XC and love the challenging nature of the sport.
8. Best flight ever:
My PB for distance (240) from Conargo to Cootamundra was a real epic for me. I froze, had to have a leak in the air for the first time, and lost the guys chasing me but it was a great days flying
9. Worst flying experience so far:
Going for dip (landing) in the sea near the Bali Cliffs resort!!
10. What tips can you give to newcomers to the sport:
Fly with the best pilots as often as you can, this will greatly improve your own skills.
11. Who do you most admire in our sport?
So many of the sports top/most experienced pilots are so generous in passing on there knowledge gained from many years of doing it the hard way, these are the people I admire most in the sport.
12. What are your other favourite hobbies/sports:
No other sports at the moment but before I started paragliding I was competing a lot in drag racing and some circuit racing as well. I also used to ski before paragliding but no time for that now. My main hobby is an addiction to Hi/Fi and home theatre, I knocked down a wall between my lounge/dinning room to make an audio/theatre room.
13. Favourite band and song?
Bands of the moment for me are Arch Enemy and Megadeth. I have to many favourite songs to list.
14. Best book you’ve read so far?
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson
15. Have you ever thrown your reserve?, if so tell us about it.
Not yet!
16. Biggest flying mistake so far?
Misjudging conditions and landing in the water in Bali.
17. What are your personal flying goals
To win a Comp/s, be Aussie Champ, and continue to enjoy the sport.
18. Where are you going to be in 10 years time and doing what?
I hope to be not working as much and flying more but apart from that who knows!
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