Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 2: February 2014 | Page 28

had a kiddo, we look at flying a little differently.
Becky: Luckily, our risk acceptance is pretty similar, since we
fly the same sites at the same time of day and are both working
on acro. We do keep each other in check and question each
other if something doesn’t seem right.
Are there challenges to flying as a couple?
Justin: Trying to find a balance between work and flying can
be tricky. With a three-year-old daughter, it can be especially
tough. Living at The Point has helped, but there are still those
epic mountain days with no daycare that seem to come up.
Becky: Trying to make our family work and tend our mutual
desire to fly is quite the challenge. We are definitely still finetuning that one.
Advice to other flying couples?
Justin: Avoid trying to keep up with your significant other
all the time. There is pressure that can lead to some bad decision-making. Also, if you find yourself skying out while that
special person is setting up for a landing, you might wanna
consider inadvertently bombing out occasionally, rather than
hitting send and expecting a stoked retrieve driver.
Becky: I have no idea about advice...

Larry ♥ Tina
Larry and Tina Jorgensen met at a 4th of July party back in
1980. “I had too many beers, tried to put the move on her,”
Larry remembers. “ She said ‘no,’ and I thought ‘this is the
one!’” They hiked, climbed, camped, and as soon as Larry

mentioned hang gliding, Tina was in.
Does flying enhance your relationship?
Larry: It brings our whole family together. Both of our
daughters and son-in-law hang glide as well. The girls started
going tandem with me when they were four years old.
Tina: We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary August
20, 2013, and we believe that “if you play together, you’ll stay
together.”
Do you share advice with each other?
Larry: I worried a lot in the early years, but Tina has proven
to be an excellent pilot. Tina has helped me with my goals and
loves to drive for me when she is not flying XC.
Tina: To be a good and safe pilot, you should be willing to
take constructive criticism. I trust Larry’s advice above all
others. He knows how I think and what my strengths and
weaknesses are. I give him advice when he does tandems, and
he has implemented a few of my ideas.
Do you accept risk differently?
Larry: Even though Tina has amazing skills for soaring, she
is content to hang around the site, while I need to be pushing
the backyard more. At the end of the day, we both had great
flights. I’m a very lucky man!
Tina: I’m more cautious, and sometimes that bothers Larry.
At times, he’s felt that I should compete, but I think he appreciates that I only fly for myself and for the beauty of the flight.
Are there challenges to flying as a couple?
Larry: In the early years, we were raising a family and Tina

ABOVE Tina and Larry Jorgensen. OPPOSITE Jessica Love takes Ivan Ripoll for a tandem flight.