Pic(k) of the week 21: Free as a bird!

Most readers probably know that I fly airplanes for a living... Next week I'm off for a different kind of flying! Together with my wife Djamila, who also is a pilot, I'll be attending a 5 day "paragliding" course in the French Pyrenees near Tarbes. Paragliding is one of the most basic forms of flying, using a ram-air airfoil wing also called the canopy. One runs downhill until enough lift is created and then glides down the valley. Like in a standard glider, if the weather is right, one can stay up for hours at a time. However since this is a beginners course, we will initially learn how to launch and control the wing while still on the ground. By the end of the week we hope to do a few longer flights...

Earlier this year, we both had a quick shot at paragliding during our "Empty quarter" adventure. 

Living in nature for a week, I will try to get some landscape photography in there as well.

Image details:

Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 

ISO400, 70mm, f6.3, 1/1600s

RAW processing LR3

Nik ColorEfex pro for contrast adjustment

Being away from the net, it is likely that there will be not blogposts for just over a week. But no panic, I will be back!

Till then,

click that shutter,

BJORN

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