SAFA Skysailor Magazine

19 SPRING 2026 | September-October-November SKY SAILOR the worse glide ratio. Even in this relatively light sink, there would be a significant benefit, especially with a bit of a headwind.  The more I thought about it, the more it looked like a problem of assumptions: I assumed I could reach the beach, because I always had. I assumed being low there was fine, because it always had been. None of these were decisions I made on the day, they were constants learnt over hours of flying in the location. Is experi- ence to blame? Each flight is unique, but our experiences set invisible baselines that mask this. Paradoxically, our baseline shifts with experience and we lose some of our paranoia. This is the intermediate syndrome: enough hours to have the confidence and feel like a pilot, not enough to be one. Gaining the experience safely is the main challenge. I caught myself a few weeks later, starting to scratch low again. My baseline has re-calibrated over the years and being low was no longer ringing alarm bells in my head. It’s something I need to be conscious of, and for now, the alarm bells have to be rung manually. The biggest lessons for me Don’t fly distracted. If your mind is elsewhere, stay on the ground. I know everyone says this, I heard it too, but it didn’t really register as my mind switches to flying mode very quickly. That day, not quickly enough. When part of your brain is busy processing something else, your decisions are impaired. Later you ask yourself, “Why did I do that?” You weren’t thinking clearly or properly assessing the situation. Always have a plan. Even for a sleddie. And a back-up plan. Once things go wrong, there is no time for planning. You barely have time to react. If you have a plan ready, then you just execute it. Don’t ignore your own rules which kept you safe so far. Sure we need more experience and more hours, but maybe taking it slowly is the right thing to do. For me, the best part of this adventure was illustrated at the end of the day: An older guy was standing under the outdoor shower, fully dressed, balaclava and helmet on, grinning at a group of kids walking past, gawking while trying to make sense of what they were looking at… and failing badly. Photos: Pawel Olas