Rob Chisholm
C.F.I for freeflight Paragliding since 1994.
Freeflight was set up in 1994 by Rob Chisholm to help paraglider pilots progress from the initial Club Pilot qualification to cross country flying and beyond. New pilots will learn how to safely assess flying sites, meteorology for flying, how to catch thermals and much more.
My name is Rob Chisholm and I would like to tell you about our school FREEFLIGHT and the passion I have for Paragliding. A cocktail of adrenaline, adventure, mixed together. Flying off a 5,500ft mountain then spiraling down over blue lagoons, landing on golden beach and having a cold beer in your favorite bar; cruising 5,500ft above Brighton or soaring the cliffs of Beachy Head.
I started, back in 92. On my first lesson flying 6 inches above the ground was an incredible feeling. By the end of the day I had bought my own canopy, that night I was flying in my dreams and have been ever since.
ONE YEAR IN PARAGLIDING
Can you imagine flying to heights of 19,500ft that’s the same as 4 miles above earth! It’s been done! Staying airborne for hours, covering 200km by only using thermals, two guys did it in 1996 on a dual tandem paraglider.
Coombe Gibbet (near Andover) to the Isle of Wight. Imagine crossing the Solent with 4,000ft below your feet! Devils Dyke (Brighton) to Margate in 2hrs, distance 70 miles! This will be beyond the beginner,but with the right guidance people can go onto do such flights. We all start with that first day some where.
The way flying was intended, no hassle, no noise, no distractions. Just you, the elements and a completely self-contained flying machine. A paragliding is a ram air, self launched steerable, high performance soft wing. With it you can soar hills, ridges and thermal much the same way as a hang glider or sailplane.Once the skills of paragliding have been absorbed, pilots can achieve height gains of thousands of feet above take off, soaring and thermaling with the birds, flying distances of over 50 miles.
Cross country Flying the Sea Breeze front in the south east coast.
WHAT IS PARAGLIDING
Paragliding should not be confused with parachuting or parascending. Paraglider pilots do not jump out of aeroplanes and are not towed up on round canopies. Take-off and landing speeds are slow. We take off from hills by moving forwards and have totally controllable wing supporting us, capable of gentle and steep turns, spiral dives flat spins, full stalls and loops.
They have an average of 8 to 1 glide ratio and sink rate of 0.8feet/second. And yet can be stored in the boot of your car. The sport is easily accessible to both sexes and all age groups above 16-years old. A paraglider complete with harness and helmet, weighs as little as 9kg and folds into a small backpack. When flying, the canopy is capable of supporting a weight range from 45 to 130kg
One pilot said of Rob’s tuition - ‘I used to fly hang gliders and converted to paragliding. I though I knew a lot about free flying but Rob has taken me to the next level. Having got my CP in June 2020 - and just about able to soar - I found my self at cloud base by the end of July and still going up. Rob’s instruction helped me to stay calm and got me back down safely on an epic day’