50K
Or Bust! - Review - Skywings May 2008
Nigel Page will
need no introduction to Derbyshire pilots, but for those who haven't
encountered him, note the following, He's been flying for over 20
years including power and sailplane flying, He's flown in the British
paragliding Nationals and on the British team, and to this day holds
the site record from Jenkin Hill in the Lakes, having flown 90km from
there to around Moffat in Scotland in 1994, He's quiet, thoughtful
and endlessly analytical about his flying. And now he's been good
enough to put it all down on paper for the benefit of us lesser
mortals.
The subtitle, Basic Techniques for Cross Country
Paragliding in British Conditions, outlines the plot. What you get is
80* pages of distilled wisdom about exploiting the sort of conditions
that we get in the UK. which is often quite at odds with Alpine
thermalling and XC models. Illustrated by simple graphics, the book
outlines the basics of thermalling, visualising lift and getting the
best from it. Nigel's approach starts from scratch but doesn't talk
down to the reader, and is repeatedly referenced to actual situations
and his own experience.
Thermal sources, cloud shapes,
searching for lift and using cloud streets are among a range of
headings that deal with pretty much everything you are likely to
encounter in straightforward UK flying. Reading this book won't turn
you into a sky god, but it will help you to understand howto get away
from the ridge, and how to keep going. Why only 50k or bust? Because,
"50K is a long way. If we can fly 50K it is mainly a matter
of application, tenacity and luck to fly 100K." This sound
observation is rather typical of the book. You get the feeling that
Nigel is passing on ideas that he's honed by years of trying to prize
a few more miles out of the sky every time he goes out. If you've got
a CP or Pilot rating and an airmap. and hope that this year is going
to be the one when you begin to leave the hill behind, 50k or bust'
is a very good primer to get you on your way. It doesn't
overcomplicate, it's written in a very easy style (I'd never thought
of air sulking in valleys before), and it's emphatically not
about competition flying. Nigel says, "A comprehensive book
on cross-country paragliding would have been far too complex and not
what early pilots need." I've already had a few reports from
readers who seem to think it's about right. I think he's pitched it
just right too.
This is the first time I've encountered the
phenomenon of print-on-demand books. When you order a copy it's run
off for you by the printer. That allows the author to continue to
correct any errors and make changes, and I believe that Nigel has
already added a few diagrams and paragraphs to his book.
Print-on-demand is a new medium and I hope we'll see a few more
flying books produced in the same way. But hats off to Nigel Page for
leading the way, and for sharing his long-accumulated store of
knowledge.
Joe Schofield
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* N.B. Additions and improvements have since increased 50K Or
Bust! to 159 pages with 150 illustrations. Much of the additional
material is in the form of a “survival guide” addressing
safety issues.