Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 3: March 2014 | Page 31

is certainly easier to pull in this way, especially for someone
who hasn’t put the time in practicing and working out how to
fly fast from the uprights in their current gear configuration.
(We all learned it at some point, but most of us fly different
wings and harnesses now.) I also know that we’re human, and
humans tend to like what they know, feeling most comfortable
with things that are familiar. Once we graduate the training
hills, we begin accumulating real airtime. Nearly all of this
airtime is flying prone and on the basetube. As pilots fly more
and more they become increasingly comfortable flying on the
basetube, and flying upright doesn’t feel as nice. Physics and
aerodynamics say we should have equal control over our wing
whether upright or prone, as long as we can find a way to shift
our weight effectively in either position. All that said, some
choose to fly their entire approach from the basetube and
move their hands up at trim right before they flare, and there’s

nothing “wrong” with that. It is a higher risk option, because
it leaves us transitioning (flying one-handed) while we are
low and slow, with very little margin for error or the unexpected. The MOST risk comes from still flying in the prone
position near the ground—even if you prefer to pull in from
the basetube, doing half the transition and getting your body
upright helps minimize risk because if something goes wrong
and you impact, at least you’re not doing it head first. A really
nice compromise between transitioning early or doing it late is
to get your body upright and move ONE hand to a downtube
up high, and leave the other on the basetube. This “one-upone-down” position feels really secure in rough conditions,
and feeling secure helps us stay calm and deal with things as
they come up in a smooth and rational manner (which is very
important!)
WHERE can refer to “where do we transition?” as in up

OPPOSITE This pilot opted to transition after turning on final and before pulling in for extra airspeed. Now all
she has to do is keep the wings level, round out, be patient through the ground-skim phase and wait for time
to flare. Why make landing more complicated than that? ABOVE A look into competition pilot Dustin Martin’s
transition in a single-suspension point harness. With his hands still on the basetube he rocks his body upright
until the slider on the harness moves forward, and only then does he smoothly switch his hands.

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