Just yesterday I caught myself starring off into the heavens above, thinking, why are things the way they are. I dabbled in self doubt, pity, dreams, accomplishments and outside influences on my moral being. After pondering on these subjects and how they correlate with my life, I came to the stunning conclusion that I need more self fulfillment. I realized all my worries faded, and gratification came to my cheeks in the form of a smile as I assist in teaching students how to fly hang gliders. That’s it, think positively, teach positively, mold minds, and reap the rewards of there accomplishments. This one solitary event, the ability of teaching, has changed my life. It has opened the world of gratification to me, as students realize their dreams of flight and see those dreams become reality. Now who has given me this gift of flight and the ability to teach it? This passion of flight and teaching has been passed on to me by a generous, respectable, and experienced individual who has a true love for hang gliding, Dave Broyels.
As I was starting out in the world of hang gliding I didn’t have much money for training or equipment. Dave being an instructor normally gets paid for his teaching but through his generosity allowed me to work for my training, an old world style business agreement was set up with hand shake. I would travel to the field and work for him, helping with equipment and students and whatever else might be needed. In trade he taught me how to fly hang gliders and later would teach me how to become an instructor of flight. After I was trained I continued to work for him and this allowed me to use his equipment for free and his instruction was always available to me. He would take the time to describe in detail scenarios, aerodynamics, situations that had and would arise in the sport, and to make sure you were confident in yourself.
I have come to have a great deal of respect for Dave, he works hard to make sure his students stay safe, and has revolutionized teaching and techniques to advance the sport of hang gliding. In the nineties Dave was president of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and is currently the safety director for the board of directors. He has been flying hang gliders for over 30 years. In the beginning of the sport they just glided down hills for 10 to 15 seconds at a time. Now they can sore for hours, travel hundreds of miles, and reach airspeeds close to hundred miles per hour. Dave also invented a new form of winch towing that has made teaching allot safer and has brought flying to the flat lands of the country where there are no mountains to launch off of. All these years of knowledge and experiences are passed onto each and every student with confidence.
Dave has been teaching for over 20 years and being an instructor for hang gliding is not a wealthy profession. A true love of the sport and the accomplishments of his students is why he teaches. When you here him speak about the sport, you can see his passion. The passion is driven by the feeling and belief that everyone should have the ability to experience true bird like flight, the same way da Vinci wrote about it so long ago.
It’s interesting to look back over time to see how those around you have influenced your thoughts and beliefs. Those influences that have changed you for better or worse, how they skew your outlook on life from large events to small, or even the way you feel toward other people. Dave has given me so much that has changed my life and for that I will be forever in debited to his generosity, respect and love of a sport that has changed my life forever.
