Gung Ho for Groundhandling
It’s time to go back to the basics. And to watch the pros at it, is even more fun. Between them, these pilots probably have over 70 years of flying experience. But when they decided to make a day of groundhandling, it was with all the gusto that beginners have for first flights (it was extremely contagious).
So 6 pilots headed out one morning, with even more spectators to watch the fun. With French pilot Bastien around, it promised to be entertaining. (Try and make your way to Nirvana in the next couple of months just to watch him fly!). While the pilots geared up, the rest of us got rid of the slight chill by basking in the sun.
And what a trip it was, watching them was so much fun, it makes you want to do as much groundhandling as you can. But it should definitely come with a warning. “These stunts are performed by professionals, please don’t try this at home”. As one pilot got on to anothers’ shoulders, all the while controlling the glider and then jumped off onto the ground landing gracefully on his feet, the rest of us watched in awe. This stunt is called a Totem by the French, and a disaster when the landing is not so graceful (of course sending the rest of us into spasms of laughter).
You can never do enough of groundhandling, and watching these guys definitely inspired me. See if you can wrangle a demo from them whenever you make it to Native Place. And, of course, next time you are at the guesthouse, stroll down to the pond in the garden to check out the new additions to the Native Place family. You’ll see some guppies and mollies floating around, and a homemade “porcupine fish”. Only request, please don’t feed the fish!