Flying LightBy John Terry
As possibly the lightest pilot in the club the attractions of going lightweight are obvious. My dilemma was how to enhance xc potential while reducing weight.
I was flying a Swing Mistral 3 with a Woody Valley velvet airbag harness, add in the reserve, cockpit, and instruments and total weight was close to 20 kilos. I weigh 54 kilos. Although reasonably fit, my back was not coping well with the unwieldy nature of the load.
After much research and consulting experienced pilots whose judgement I trust I have settled on the following combination, a Gradient Aspen 2 extra small, an alti rando sup air harness, and a conar metamorphosi reserve in a front mounted cockpit.
The total weight including helmet and instruments is approximately 9.9 kilos.
The harness combines a double airbag system and also converts into the rucksack. As important as the weight saving is the carrying position of the rucksack. It feels like a well proportioned mountaineering sack, sitting high on the back with good weight distribution. My old set up always felt like I was carrying 20 kilos that was trying to pull me over backwards.
I was initially about flying with a front mounted reserve but have actually found it reassuring to have a big red handle situated right in front of me and clearly visible. I have changed to this combination over a period of about 3 months starting with the new harness
and old wing then once I was comfortable with the harness using the new wing. If you are
thinking of going down the lightweight route I would advise changing one piece of kit at a time.
I was amazed at how different the new harness felt, and I am sure that if I had changed wing and harness together I would have put it down to the wing. I now have about 15 hours on the new combination and am starting to feel more comfortable. I hope to go to Annecy in April to do 2 days SIV to gain more confidence and explore the potential of my new set up in a relatively
controlled and safe environment. If anyone is interested in discussing any of the issues raised here I am only to happy to share my
experience with you. John 
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