Flying high: Jan Bennewitz takes off.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
FLIGHT is no longer the wonder it was when the Wright brothers were pioneering the skies.
The hassle of booking, parking, checking in, excess baggage fees and delays have stolen much of the romance of flight.
But a group of people who experience flight almost as effortlessly unencumbered as a bird still feel the love.
The members call themselves the Dynasoarers as the hang gliding and paragliding club for Geelong and Surf Coast.
The active group of more than 30 pilots also helps maintain local hang gliding sites in the region.
Publicity officer Jan Bennewitz said the group was always happy to help a pilot seeking information and guidance or even a colleague to fly with.
“If the conditions are right for the coast run it’s possible to fly from the Winkipop launch at Bells Beach all the way to Apollo Bay,” Jan said.
“It has its own thrill and because you can go places nobody else can, the view is brilliant.
“It’s nothing like ordinary flying, with the confines of airports and the narrow aluminium tube of a passenger jet.
“It’s more about skimming metres above a hilltop with the birds or soaring high over beaches packed with sunbathers.
“The challenge is to fly for hours using only your skill and the invisible lift the air can provide.”
Jan said pilots did not have to be “staggeringly fit”, just in generally good shape.
“But you do have to have a sense of adventure.”
The club accommodates microlight trikes, hang gliders and paragliders.
Each was “as safe as the person in control”, Jan said.
“It’s almost unheard of for design and structural failures to cause accidents.”
Jan said microlight trikes were the most expensive to buy and run, with hang gliders and paragliders costing almost nothing to fly.
Paragliders were also the easiest to learn and lightest, making them ideal for newcomers to the sport, he said.
Weather played a large part in the sport, Jan advised.
Keeping a “weather eye” out had become a constant pastime for members, he said.
The Dynasoarers met on the first Friday or Saturday night of each month for a social dinner and a few drinks.
“It is a good opportunity for pilots and their partners to meet and swap a few stories and share experiences,” Jan said.
Jan said the club could be contacted by emailing dynasoarers@gmail.com or phoning 0423 139 923.
