Paragliding Lesson Testimonials and Feedback

10-19-07

David Zbin

Airtime is the BEST! I still can't believe how much fun I've had, and I attribute a lot of it to Jeff and his system. He covers everything with incredible passion, attention to safety, and really makes you feel in control every step of the way. What a great teacher.

I signed up for the Unlimited P2+ package, and that turned out to be a great program for me. I never felt rushed, and I ended up getting many weeks worth of instruction, progressing at my own pace. The ground school sessions are terrific too, and I eventually got my P2 rating in about 3 months. What a thrill! But it doesn't end there.

Graduates of Airtime become part of a flying community, made possible by their message board and web resources. We even get to tag along on mountain trips with their current students. Jeff also provides "continuing education" for his graduates. As my abilities and level of experience grows, he has provided new site intros and continued guidance. In addition, he writes and updates many articles about learning to fly a paraglider.

Airtime has also been a great resource for paragliding equipment. As I started to "gear-up" Jeff was there to guide me through the many choices to find the right wing, harness, helmet, etc. His experience and integrity make it a pleasure to do business with him. Its a real plus to know you're getting sound advice, a fair price, and good customer service.

Thanks for everything Jeff. Cheers!

-David Zbin,
San Jose CA

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8-17-07 - Don Simmons just after he got his P2 Rating

" Dreams do come true, I have wanted to paraglide for so long and finally have achived it, All I can say is WOW!! Airtime is the only school I would recomend to anybody looking to learn, Jeff dedicates his time to each and every student in his school 100%. He has a very strong hold on safety, wich is important to all of us in this sport. Jeff is a very honest and kind person who will teach you more than you need to know to be a safe pilot."

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7-9-07 (Hat Creek Trip 7-6-07)

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for a great weekend, it was a great site intro to say the least...

Thanks again, Pat Shanahan

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7-11-07 Karen Holtemman about 7-6-07 Hat Creek Mtn. Trip

Hi Jeff,

I wanted to thank you for the Hat Creek trip last weekend. It was fantastic to finally fly long enough to quit hyperventilating :) . I was pretty nervous for the morning flight, but felt much more relaxed for the evening flight. To finally get up there and have enough time to experiment and feel the wing was just fantastic.

I also met some great people - it was just a great time! ...

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6-3-07

Shahin Saadati

Hi Jeff,

I absolutely had an amazing day yesterday. And I was once again amazed by your experience compared to others. Thanks again for the wonderful experience.

Today I went to Ed Levin for some kiting practice in the afternoon, but it was windy and I had stop after some time. Hopefully I will be able to go for some more practice this week.

Shahin

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5-30-07

Mike Davenas - Bagpipe Instructor and student very close to his P2

I just wanted to let you know, teacher to teacher, that I am totally in awe of your dedication.

You go way beyond the call of duty. You have inspired me as a bagpipe teacher to do more than I do.

Thanks,

Mike

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5-21-07

Following a 2 day trip to Big Sur on May 19 and 20, 2007

Lars just after taking off at Wild Cattle, Big Sur

Thanks Bob for posting such great pictures. It is fun to relive such a memorable trip, which was made all the better by all your help and also Amy’s, without whom the trip wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable. And a very big thanks to Jeff, for all his great organization and coaching, which got everybody two fantastic flights. I am hooked for life!

Lars Sorensen

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4-4-07

Hi Jeff,

I am so severely hooked now. That was great yesterday even with my sleep deprivation and resulting apathy.

You are an excellent teacher.

...

Mike Davenas

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3-18-2007

Nick Wilcox - Signed up for the program shortly after...

Hi again Jeff-

I wanted to thank you for showing me a great time for the couple days
of paragliding training... I had a blast. I am definitely interested in
getting my P2 rating from you. I think I will wait until this summer so
that I will be on a dayshift schedule, and then I can save up some more
money! :)

Thanks again, and I'll send you an email closer to the summer.

-Nick\

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March 13, 2007 - Following 2 day program, signed up for unlimited course a couple weeks later...

Jeff,

I just wanted to thank you again for such a wonderful lesson. Emilie and I had a fantastic time learning the fine art of paragliding with you. I look forward to taking the longer course once I have the funds saved up.

I hope all is well. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Patrick Buckley

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Jan 2007

Bob Posey - This was posted to my Yahoo Group (other students and members of my yahoo group). Bob joined me in Baja for 3 days while I was there doing an intensive 2 week package for a student from China.

Hello all,

I just got back from a GREAT weekend flying with Jeff in Baja. I
know you've heard it from him, but now it's my turn:

We rented a car from San Diego and drove it down to La Salina (with
Mexican Insurance of course!). NO problems! The roads are in very
good condition, the directions are easy, and we didn't even bring a
map. There are a few tolls on the way, but prices are in USD as well
as Mexican Pesos - you don't need to change money as EVERY PLACE
accepts USD with reasonable conversion rates.

Day 1: We caught a flight out of SFO at 6:30am, and we were in Jeff's
car and headed to launch by 9:45am. The flying was incredible. The
scenery was fantastic. Cantamar offers a great training location
with sand dunes allowing flight with winds from many directions.
After a few warm-ups, I was able to ridge soar by early afternoon
when the winds were about 10-12mph without difficulty. Fish taco's
for lunch - Yum! In the late afternoon Jeff and I got to experience
the "main attraction" of La Salina Ridge. It's a great site with
epic flying offering both thermal lift and (for our flight that
evening) ridge soaring.

Day 2: Salsipuedes! We did a few flights from a site near the
coast. The smaller launch area was a bit more challenging, but Jeff
did a great job keeping everyone safe. After a few good flights,
here, we headed into town (helping a stranded motorist find a
mechanic) for more fish tacos - I could eat those every day. In the
afternoon we did some exploring on a new site Jeff had his eye on.
The "site pioneering" research was incredibly comprehensive, and left
nothing to chance. We walked the LZ, discussed all possible bail
outs, measured the glide ratio, and explored 4 different launch sites
until we found the best setup. It was worth it - I had the flight of
my life! Following the ridge after launch, you couldn't help but
find a nice fat thermal (some of them strong, too) and ride! I made
it over 700 feet above launch and had an unforgettable flight before
I finally ran out of "up" and went to the LZ.

I've uploaded photos to the group, but they don't do Baja much
justice, you have to see it with your own eyes.

Note: 40 meg video of trip and some sites we visited!

I also uploaded a Google Earth ".kmz" file to the files section of
the yahoo group. If you have Google Earth installed, you can see a
3D track of my La Salina and Salsipuedes.

I had the time of my life!

Click for full sized view, lines are path of Bob's Flight

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Paul Fracolli - July 2006 (Nicknamed P1, his son, also Paul Fracolli, is P2)

Thanks for accommodating P2 (my son) and me with 10 days of instruction in a row. Although I realize this is not usual, I feel the continuity made learning to paraglide easier.

I was impressed with the professional manner that you run the program. You were prompt and dependable throughout our series of lessons. Your 20 years of experience in the sport was evident in your instruction and focus on safety. Although P2 seems to pick things up faster than I do, I never felt impatience or pressure from you to progress faster. Your web site is great. I especially like the calendar that allows your students to view and confirm their lesson dates and times. I enjoyed reading about the Hat Creek trip and the progress of your other students with the group emails. But the best thing is the feeling of flying. And it made it even better when you showed your excitement when we succeeded. Thanks for a great time.

Sincerely, P1 (Paul Fracolli)

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Bob Posey - July 2006

"I just wanted to tell you again how happy we were with the Hat Creek trip. Now that we're home, all we're thinking about is planning another trip there again (hopefully with you!)."

Following the July 21 - 23 - 06 Hat Creek Trip (Link to Photo Gallery of Trip)

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Randy Owensby - July 2006

Hey Jeff,

Just though I would tell you about my day yesterday at Pacifica with Alec. The winds were light about 7-8 according to my anemometer. Even though I lacked the experience to get up in the light conditions, I was really excited about the kiting experience I got. First flight, I launched off of the lower section at Walker. I had a good pull up, centered the wing nicely overhead, stabilized it, and then turned for a good launch. On my second launch, Alec wanted me to try and do what the other pilots were doing, which was to bring the wing up on the lower section and then kite it up the slope to the higher launch. After only one failed pull up, where the wing lost power at the top, I did a good lift straightened the wing turned forward and guided myself perfectly up to launch where I took off. The best one was my last launch, when Alec told me to try stopping at the top of the launch and kite the wing in place for a while, really perfecting its position in relation to where I want to launch while also waiting for a good cycle (several of the good pilots were doing this-like Arnel).

I did the same as before, inflating on the lower section, walked the wing up, but then I was able to stand on top of the launch for a good minute or so just feeling the winglish. I was really able to just feel the slight pulls on my harness and make the subtle changes...it felt really awesome. After kiting on the edge of launch I took off left toward the parking lot. When I landed, I was still in the thick brush so I decided to kite the wing in the forward facing position, which I was able to do for a good 75 yards. Sorry this was so long, but I just had to describe the great day I had.

Randy

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Robert Allen - July 2005

Robert was here for 2 days of Training while visiting California for work from Indiana. Following the work assignment, he came up from LA to do some training and took a bunch of shots during a tandem flight following his first lesson and progress rapidly in the lessons. He caught great weather and worked up to a couple of 5 or 10 minute soaring flights on his second day (keep in mind this is very rare, so don't expect it if you come out - you have to earn it and have the weather gods on your side).

"I just wanted to thank you for an unforgettable paragliding experience. I was impressed by your knowledge of the sport and your focus on safety as well as fun. I would definitely recommend your class to my friends. Thanks, and I hope to continue training with you soon. -Robert"

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Robert Pat Shanahan - July 2005

With regards to the July 16 and 17th Mtn. Trip to Slide Mountain near Reno. Pat thermalled for about 20 + minutes for the first time on this trip:

"I can't thank you enough for this weekend, it was great in so many ways. It was a trip I'll never forget. We all learned a lot and learned that we all have a lot to learn. I'm already looking forward to the next one, if nothing else, just to test my nerve and see if thermaling is for me."    ...

Pat met me by chance one day at the coast and hired me for a tandem flight on the spot:

" I was just thinking how amazing it is that a chance meeting with you at the Dumps has changed a lot in my life."

Sincere thanks,

Pat

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Klaus Stoermer - May 2005

In an email about the May 28 and 29 Mountain Trip to Potato Hill "See Gallery, tons of pictures".

"I finally got to check my e-mail and yes. lots of happy people chatting and sharing great pictures about our magic mountain clinic. What a great wizard we have in Jeff Greenbaum, thanks for all the protective guidance. ("Nova, get down right now, you're way too high!")...
I got too much praise for the breakfast, all our food sharing was great, every meal was super. Thanks to all of you, what great company on such a lucky day, I'm still working on coming down, what a high!

Let's do that again.

Airtime of SF rocks!!!

Klaus"

Klaus launching on his afternoon flight
that took him near cloudbase !!!

and the card following Klaus' P2 Rating a week or so earlier

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Christophe Meyer - October 2004

Hey Jeff,

I really wanted to thank you for your invaluable flying lessons these past few months. I appreciate your passion and dedication to this sport. But mostly, I’ve been really impressed by the amount of time you spent teaching me, and all your other students. You teach us all the required skills to fly safely and have fun up there.

This unlimited P2 package has been one of my best investments ever. I highly, highly recommend it for whoever dreams to fly one day...

Thanks so much !!

Christophe

Christophe ready to launch at Big Sur

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Sam Linton - October 2004

...

This is probably a good time to offer my sincere thanks for the great times I had flying this summer. Your attention to detail, enthusiasm for teaching, and emphasis on safety are all very much appreciated!

See you soon.

Thanks,

Sam

Sam Launching at Potato Hill 8-7-04

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Honza Rejmanek learned to fly Paragliders in 1993. In 1995 after apprenticing for half a year he got certified to instruct paragliding and a year later to fly commercial tandems. He spent five years teaching and flying tandems on the California coast while getting a biology degree at UCSC. He then had a private business flying motorized tandem paragliding flights in Costa Rica. The last three summers and winters he has flown Tandems in Sun Valley Idaho. Springs and falls he has been offering guided private paragliding trips to France and Chile. He can be contacted at honzair@hotmail.com

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Steven Oji - Student in Training (Comments following 8-9,10-03 Big Sur Trip)

Wow wow wow!! Oh my God - what great Photos!!
Really what a great trip!! Thanks everyone who helped organize!
That's nice that you put them up on the internet already Jeff!
Great Great Great!

I'm all over my colleagues telling them what a trip we had.. and finding it
really hard to concentrate at work :-)

Cheers!
/Steve

Steve just after Launch at Big Sur