Tag Archives: Hang Gliding

Unattached Hang Glider Manages To Hold On

Hand Gliding Hang gliding can certainly have its scary moments but when you take to the skies for your first trip in a hang glider accompanied by an instructor you would hope that you are in safe hands. Well, an American who recently made such a trip may beg to differ.

Chris Gurksy from the USA was recently on holiday in Switzerland and decided to go hang gliding for the first time no doubt to enjoy some of the beautiful green fields as well as the mountains. Unfortunately, the adventure did not quite go according to plan due to a serious oversight.

Regrettably, his safety harness was not attached to the hang glider and this was not something that was noticed by the instructor until it was too late. The pair took off from the edge of a mountain several thousand feet tall. By the time they realized something was not quite right they were unable to stop getting airborne.

Mr Gurksy found himself holding onto a bar with one hand and with the other could be seen holding onto the back of the instructor who was having difficulty controlling the hang glider.

Apparently, both were airborne for over 2 minutes during which time Mr Gurksy was no doubt very scared and possibly thought that his life was about to come to an untimely end. Fortunately, this did not happen but when the hang glider descended Mr Gurksy’s feet hit the ground at a speed of around 45 mph and he ended up tearing his left bicep tendon. He also broke his wrist that was no doubt very painful.

Some of you may be surprised to read that Mr Gurksy would like to take to the skies again in a hang glider when he will hopefully have a more enjoyable flight. He is obviously a very brave man as, having gone through what he did that could have resulted in his death, there are possibly a lot of other people who, having had the same worrying experience, would never want to see a hang glider again. We wish him a more successful and uneventful flight when he next gets airborn in a hang glider.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have many years experience in arranging cover for a range of airsports. So, whether you are looking for cover for the first time or your existing policy is shortly up for renewal, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and have a chat with a knowledgeable member of our team who will happily obtain a no-obligation, competitive quote from one of our vetted insurers. We look forward to being of assistance to you.

Flying Car Crosses The English Channel

PegasusThere are numerous ways to travel from France to England that involve crossing the English Channel such as by ferry, plane, helicopter, Eurostar on a high speed train or having your car transported through the Channel Tunnel. There may be some of you that have made the trip in a hot air balloon or a paraglider but has anyone seen a flying car make the journey?

Well, that is exactly what happened in the last few days. A French pilot by the name of Bruno Vezzoli has safely completed a 59 kilometre flight from Ambleteuse that is located a few kilometres south west of Calais and landed in a village not too far from Dover in a flying car called Pegasus.

The name Pegasus was no doubt chosen as, in Greek Mythology, there was a white winged stallion by that name. The vehicle looks a bit like a beach buggy with a motor, paragliding propeller and extremely large parachute. Quite simply, it appears to be a powered paraglider but you are actually sitting inside the buggy. As a result, this no doubt results in the conditions being a little more pleasant than normal for the pilot.

The biggest concern was probably if Bruno Vezzoli had to make an emergency landing whilst crossing the English Channel and ended up in the water. Therefore, some sea rescue equipment was stored on board but we are pleased to be able to confirm that fortunately they were not required.

The air-borne vehicle is capable of traveling at a speed of as much as 80 kmph so it did not take too long to complete the trip. So, we would just like to say well done to Pegasusthis intrepid gentleman.

Here at AIB Insurance we have many years experience in arranging quality and bespoke, cover for many airborne sports. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with one of the team to discuss your requirements and obtain a free, no-obligation quotation.

Just Travel Cover Joins Our Panel

Just Travel CoverAIB Insurance is pleased to announce that Just Travel Cover has been appointed to our panel of specialist insurance companies to provide our clients that participate in air sports such as sky diving, hang gliding, paragliding, parachuting and ballooning with quality travel insurance.

Just Travel Cover has been in existence for some time now and has teamed up with us to enable AIB Insurance to offer our clients even more options when it comes to arranging this niche type of cover.

We have been most impressed with the standard of service that they provide both pre and post sale. The company has built a reputation for arranging suitable cover quickly and without fuss and can often even cater for those clients that have pre-existing medical conditions who may have been having trouble sorting cover out through some other providers. Age is also not usually a barrier.Airsports Insurance

The company can arrange the likes of single trip travel insurance or annual travel cover and are renowned for providing competitively priced policies. The level of cover provided by either type of policy is ideally suited to those people taking part in one of a variety of air sports who are possibly more likely to have to make a claim than someone else that does not take to the air in this way.

The team here at AIB Insurance look forward to working closely with Just Travel Cover now and in the future to ensure that our valued air sports clients’ unique travel insurance needs are met.

Further information about the company can be found on their website at www.just travelcover.com.

Hang Glider Survives Terrifying Fall

A number of you that participate in one or more extreme sports may well have attended Norway’s extreme sports week that recently took place. If you did, you may have witnessed a champion aerobatic hang glider getting into difficulty but, fortunately, surviving a dramatic descent to earth whilst he was performing in the event.HanggliderJul16_large

Jon Gjerde who is 51 years of age can be seen enjoying what he has no doubt done on numerous occasions in the past. The initial film footage provides an idea of how wonderful this sport can be. However, part of the way through the flight, things went dramatically wrong as the hang glider broke up.

The footage shows Mr Gjerde descending initially out of control and one cannot help but wonder if the outcome is going to end in tragic circumstances. However, no doubt helped by the fact that he is an experienced hang glider, he is able to keep calm and release a parachute that slows his fall. He was able to come to earth in a lake where there was a boat crew on hand to help him. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries.

Hang GliderThis event just goes to show how dangerous this sport can be even when carried out by people with years of experience. We would like to hear from any of our valued customers who have had a “hair-raising” experience whilst hang gliding or any other extreme sport for that matter.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have been arranging suitable cover through our extensive panel of insurance companies for a variety of extreme sports for many years. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable, friendly member of our team about your insurance requirements who will gladly obtain a competitive quotation on your behalf without any obligation on your part.