Dan Gamwell
Well, I made my first flights ever on a powered paraglider! It was almost
anticlimactic, insofar as my training had prepared me so well that I felt as
though I had already done this 100 times. That is, of course, a testament to
the instruction that I had received, and not any innate abilities of mine.
I was first made aware of this sport in February. On the net I found the USPPA
site, and discovered that there was a convention the next month in Polk City,
Florida. I went, and asked many, many questions.
Anyway, to make a long story short...
After being steered away from some instructors by their own past students, I
ended up training with Bud Wruck of Damon, Texas, who came with a sterling
reputation and high praises from his own, as well as other instructors previous
students, in addition to internationally recognized icons of the sport. His
tireless patience and pleasant demeanor accounted for a great training
experience that is actually not yet completed, as I am going for a P2 free
flight certification which Bud is also certified and competent to teach. His
professionalism yet affableness was greatly appreciated as he objectively
answered endless questions about equipment without editorializing. He calmly
and patiently explained and discussed all relevant facts, while resisting the
temptation to show bias and prejudice that I have come to know is so
unfortunately common in this sport. I imagine that there are other good PPG and
PG instructors, but there are doubtlessly none better.
Dan Gamwell
Johnny Norris
When I was in the military 35 years ago, I was stationed in San Angelo, TX and during that period, I made many weekend trips to my home in Bacliff near Houston. About 1 hour NW of Austin is Packsaddle Mountain and each time I passed it, I dreamed how great it would be to learn to hang glide and fly off of it. But the years slid by and I never got around to it.
Last year, I decided it was about time but instead of hang gliding, I decided to learn paragliding. I got with Bud Wruck at Parafreedom Air Sports and started my paragliding lessons. Taking lessons from Bud was very enjoyable. He believes in letting you learn at your own pace and never tries to rush you. He also has a teaching philosophy of just adding one new thing to each of the beginning flights rather than having you do 4 or 5 new things which could overload your thinking process. This made the learning pace very comfortable. Bud is one of the best persons I have ever known and was very generous with his time and help.
After getting my P2 rating, I went to Packsaddle and made my dream flight. I launched and soared on the ridge for 1 hour and 10 minutes in absolutely smooth air. I watched a beautiful sunset and then I had to force myself to leave that buoyant air and land. It was the fulfillment of a life long dream at the age of 54 and it shows that it’s never too late. I’m looking forward to many more dream flights. Thanks Bud!
Johnny Norris
Pasadena, TX
