Hi
Before I get too old (I am just over 60) I am thinking about taking up
gliding (something I have wanted to do for a long time, but never
gotten round to). I dabbled in hot air ballooning some years ago (a
friend of mine was a balloon pilot and I acted as retrieve crew in
exchange for flights), so the thought of dangling under a flimsy sheet
of nylon doesn't bother me.
However, some years ago I suffered a slipped disk in my back, which
has left me with a slightly weak right foot (foot drop) caused by a
trapped nerve.
The vast majority of the time I am not aware of having a back problem
and quite literally often completely forget about it. It does not
stop me from doing things such as caving or trekking carrying a heavy
backpack - the only time my back has ever bothered me whilst doing
anything "unusual" was travelling down a river in Guatemala in a small
boat, when I was forced to sit hunched forwards for an hour or so with
no way to stretch; My back seized up but was fine the next day.
Whilst I shall of course have a good talk to my doctor, would such a
back problem exclude me from taking up flying using a flexible wing
glider? Presumably take off and in-flight wouldn't be a problem, it
is landing I am concerned about. Does anybody with a bad back
paraglide and does it cause any problems? And finally, would I be
better off forgetting the whole idea of paragliding and turn my
thoughts towards a traditional solid wing/closed cockpit glider
instead?
Regards
KGB
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