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It's cool to sink out
by Chris Santacroce. 2002/11/27.
Published in the November 2002 issue of “Paragliding”.

I would also like to take a moment to point to the idea that paragliding, for most people, is really, all about the simple flights. Most recreational pilots only need a simple flight off of a big mountain in the morning or evening or a quick soaring session at a simple site in order to derive the needed satisfaction from the sport.

Truthfully ; to aspire to thermalling, altitude gains, duration and distance is to have very high expectations. I only mention this because we see an great number of good people come into the sport and really, truly enjoy their first few flights, days, months only to become brainwashed by their flying communities into thinking that they need to progress to the next level. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Please let these quick notes serve as your permission to enjoy your paragliding on a very, very simple level. If you are most comfortable kiting or flying under instruction, then please, please stop at that level and don’t let us push you a step further.

The last decade has shown us that ambitious pilots and those that submit to the prevalent mindset in their local flying community, often end up “in over their heads”. Sadly, we loose a lot of great people each year who become “scared out of” or “hurt out of” the sport. These good people, if left to their own devices, might have only taken simple weekend flights over the course of years and years. It is often their friends and flying partners that push them toward the more complicated flying scenarios that expose them to the risk of being scared or hurt. Hence the expression; “It’s cool to sink out”.