MY FLY TO THE SKY EXPERIENCE
- Part 1: Preparing to fly
- Part 2: The flight up in the sky
- 3 tips: Enjoy your Korea paragliding
AN OVERALL REVIEW
The whole experience didn’t quite meet my expectations. It didn’t help that I had an excellent first-time flight in Switzerland a year ago. That experience set the bar too high for me.
The launch from the hill was a bit rushed and my landing was rough. Smooth take-offs and landings are essential in giving an enthusiast or a first-time flier more confidence to try flying again.
I guess because they are a club that fly regularly, the extra care given to guests is somehow lost. Or maybe, because the local pilots are doing multiple flights a day to accommodate the whole group, that they become too tired to give each flier a personalized experience.
For the long travel from Seoul city to Boryeong (the dive location) and for the waiting time before our turn to fly, the experience could have been better.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
A RANT ON LOST PHOTOS
It was my friend’s first time to fly and she mustered up all her courage to join us that day. Unfortunately, all her photos and videos were lost during the file transfer. It was anticlimactic.
I wish I had better shots too. If I had to do this again, I would bring my own GoPro so I’d have back-up photos.
FRIENDLY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TOUR COMPANY
- Add a package which includes a pick-up and drop-off service (from Seoul to the diving location and back to Seoul). Taking the public transport is cheaper but some tourists are willing to pay for this convenience.
- Teach the pilots how to best use their cameras or GoPros. This includes the perfect angles when up in the sky.
- Train the pilots how to make the flying experience more personal and memorable.
- Provide the pilots and guests a more reliable way to transfer photos and videos. A free USB with the files can also be a good keepsake.
- Be more sympathetic to guests whose files were accidentally corrupted or deleted. Provide compensation options for damage-control.
Is this worth trying? If you are a first timer, I say go for it! If you already tried paragliding before, just lower your expectations or pray that you get an exceptional pilot.
Happy flying!
VIOLETOLOGY 