Khao Sadao Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

Lots of pilots on Saturday. More than fifty people around. I tried a harness from Gin which I will order later. The reason is that now I have four paragliders from A to upper B, and I can feel absolutely no difference between them when I fly in smooth air and very turbulent air. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! 

Concerning the five hanggliders I have had there are immense differences. I have tried three different paragliding harnesses. Only in one of them it was easy to control the glider by weightshifting. I will go for a Gin Carrera+ (upper B), but I really guess I will feel no tangible difference if I use my old harness. More about this later.

 

On Sunday there was tailwind all day and no flying. Monday was better; wind from all directions. My first flight was too early. The thermals were to weak, but picked up some 20 minutes later. On the next flight the wind was mainly from the east and pretty strong. Sometimes no forward speed. I found lift right outside takeoff but the thermal drifted too much. Instead of flying away I chose to go for a landing down in the fields instead of toplanding.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Today I got in my hands the book of Thomas Piketty: «Capital in the Twenty-First Century». I look forward to some interesting reading.

Before I open the book I wonder if it is possible to describe an economic system without being biased in some way or another.

What I really want is a scientific dissection of all the factors that work together to make the economy functional/dysfunctional or both.

Nice flying from Khao Sadao today

.In the morning there was too much wind for safe takeoff except a few short spells. Then the thermals on the flatlands kind of switched off the strong wind and everybody started. Most of us found a good thermal area which brought us towards cloud base. That was the thermal of the day as it often is on Khao Sadao. 

Some pilots went to Dan Khun Thot, others to Khorat. A Finnish pilot went to a small village south of Chayaphum (about 100 kilometers from takeoff) and walked to a railway station to get back. 

I had a try on going home; I am (a bit?) lazy – that’s why. There was a good tailwind. In Si Khiu I was low and looked for landings. Some places they make tapioka dry in big white fields. I wondered about a soccer stadium in Si Khiu when the thermals pushed me upwards with more than 3 m a second. 

On the way to and along the main road to Chok Chai there were many good thermals. And many wide landings in between. When I saw a yellow bus shelter along the road I could not resist the temptation of going down there. 

OK waiting in the shade when the temperature is about 38-40 degrees. Not too long after I had packed my glider Ey was there with the car. Thanks to her.