ParaWolfing
Roan started paragliding in April of 2018 at Monterey Sky Sports in Monterey, California. His partner, Cyn, is a paragliding instructor with over 16 years of flying experience.
He flys in the Doubleback harness designed by RuffWear, a strength-rated belay harness that is designed to safely lift and lower dogs in exposed areas while providing an increased level of safety, comfort and convenience for both the dog and human. It is strength-rated to 2,000 lbf or 8.9 kN.
Roan was introduced to paragliding slowly, very similarly to how humans are introduced to the sport. He came out and observed paragliders launching and flying around the dunes of Monterey for weeks before taking his first tandem flight. Very interested in the strange flying humans he quite likes to chase and play with the pilots as they run and launch off the sand dunes. He can chase paragliders for hours along the beach below and never seems to tire or get bored of the sport.
One day in late April a visiting tandem instructor came to the dunes and offered to take Cyn and Roan for a tandem… and the rest is history…
Roan went for two tandems that first day, each lasting about 20 minutes. He rode on Cynthia’s lap as the instructor flew the glider from the back of the tandem (trandem?).
From the start Roan was calm and relaxed in the harness. There were a few moments when his body position had to be adjusted on Cyn’s lap but the pair soon settled into a optimum flying position.
After that, he had a few more tandems with Cyn as the pilot and other friends as passengers where Roan rode on their laps. But it was clear that the most preferred riding configuration for him was on Cyn’s lap, as so he graduated in May to his first solo flight with just her.
Roan definitely loves to chase paragliders up and down the beach but when Cyn is kiting (flying the glider with her feet on the ground), he frequently jumps in her lap to try and come with her!
He has logged hours of ridge soaring flying time on the dunes of Monterey and has a handful of mountain flights in Big Sur, California and Moab, Utah. He has enough flight hours, launches, and landings for a P2!
