I'm now a USHPA certified winch operator!!

Thursday and Friday I spent earning my Tow Winch Operator Certification. Maryian and I drove up to frozen Lake Pepin to meet with the USHPA official. We spent the time on the lake taking turns flying and operating the payout winch that was mounted in the back of an old 2wd Ford Ranger. Sometimes it was a bit of a challenge getting the two wheel drive truck rolling on the snow-packed ice but with some gentile accelerator application we eventually did. The winch that was designed and made by our instructor worked flawlessly and we easily hauled free-flyers over 2,000' into the sky in  just a few minutes. We made over 40 tow runs in 2 days. I was pretty tired after making 20+ flights by the end of the 2nd day. I also made my first hang glider flight on Friday. Hang gliding is awesome but I think I'll stick with paragliding, especially after watching the hang gliders spend an hour setting up their kites.