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The air up there Córdoba, Argentina
The most direct route to the sky starts above the Argentinian pampas, thanks to Andy Hediger and his flying school
Renowned Swiss pilot Andy Hediger, 46, fulfilled a life-long dream when he opened his flying school
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You’ll find top flying conditions above the pampas of Argentina
in a completely unbureaucratic way,” says Hediger. His motto is, ‘Fly, learn, feel’. “Participants get straight down to business. They receive all the technical knowledge they need and soon find themselves at the controls of an aircraft.” The concept: The school aims to give people their first flying experience without too much red tape and in the most varied forms of flying possible. The only thing expected of you is a reasonable degree of physical fitness, Hediger sets much greater store by an understanding of aerodynamics and meteorology. The courses are tailored to individual students’ needs. Soon, the Aeroatelier should also provide the opportunity for its students to obtain a basic licence in various forms of flying.
The flying experience: Paragliding is the best way for flying novices to begin, as it is the easiest way to learn the basic principles of aerodynamics and flying. The perfect mountain awaits in the form of Cuchi Corral; it has its own micro-climate with conditions that are perfect for flying and it has long provided the backdrop for Argentinian flying championships. What’s more, there’s a very good chance of seeing a condor or two up above the Cuchi Corral plateau. Gliding, in a Swift or Taurus glider, familiarises learners with wing behaviour, teaches students the importance of wingspan and thermal updraft and shows them what looping the loop and zero gravity loops feel
words: ulrich corazza. Photography: Alfredo Escobar/Red Bull Content Pool (3), Hangar 3 (2), Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Content Pool
The chief pilot: Andy Hediger has almost three decades of flying experience. He has been a professional paraglide developer and tester, is former paragliding world champion and runner-up in the Gliding World Championships. The 46-year-old Swiss first visited Argentina in 1994 to flee the European winter and a few years later he took over the run-down Aeroclub La Cumbre in Córdoba Province. In 2007, he set up his Aeroatelier flying school in the Argentinian pampas. The idea: “It was my vision right from the outset to make flying more accessible