SAFA SkySailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR March | April 2024 to embrace my inner explorer amidst the Tasmanian wildlife (but mostly I’m just out of shape). Echidnas burrowed, snakes slithered, and I huffed and puffed my way up. At the summit, conditions were mild, perfect for a game of parawaiting and cloudgazing. Eventually, the rest of the pilots joined us, shuttled uphill by none other than Stripeydog. Amidst the waiting, repairs were made to the weather station, with a new anemometer replacing the makeshift plastic fork and duct tape. Our hosts arrived with an ‘exhaustion’ of children (yes, that is the collective noun), eager to witness the spectacle of pilots taking flight. With weather station repairs completed, pilots set up, strapped in, performed safety checks under the watchful eye of the SAFA Safety Management Officer, and readied them- selves for launch. One by one, we took to the skies, initially for short flights until thermals began to pop, sending us soaring upwards. One shuttle run back up the hill from our hosts saw Bradley in the back of the ute look- ing like Mr February pin-up from Cowboy Monthly. Next year’s fundraiser will be a PG Pilots Calendar to rival the Firemen’s! With the thermals came the return of our feathered foe: the neighbourhood eagle, none too pleased with our intrusion into his air- space. Steve, our fearless defender, engaged in a skirmish of epic proportions, bellowing, “FoFF!”, as he outmanoeuvred the feisty bird. While Steve relived his version of the Battle of Britain, other pilots found their lift and made it to cloudbase. Noah, Bradley, Jason and Pete soared overhead while others sank out and landed. Meanwhile, Clarke Kent Events (aka Iain and Steve) embarked on a supply run into town, while Noah took to the skies in his trusty PPG, circling above as our amazing hosts, Chris, Clare, and son Archie, looked on in wonder. With the fog lifting, three of us seized the op- portunity to haul our gliders to the top of the hill, opting for what felt like the steepest route just to add a bit more excitement. While Simon and Noah bounded up the hill like mountain goats, I took a more leisurely pace, determined Photos: Nick Bishop The Festival of Fabric Flying Photo: Edgar Rincon Photo: Ramon Brasnja