Getting Ready for Team Challenge

If you're reading this site then it's likely that you already know me, but just in case you've wandered into my blog by accident let me fill you in:

I am James Dean (no relation), a software architect in the Healthcare industry, father of two amazingly brilliant kids, boyfriend to a gorgeous, red-haired, Irish woman, wanna-be novelist, fitness junkie, and internet addict. I have a lot of hobbies and interests, but right now my obsession is hang gliding.

I have been a hang glider pilot for about two years now. I learned the sport at Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Georgia and have spent as much time as possible flying since. I have since flown in Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, and Nevada and have Texas, Mississippi, Canada, Mexico, and Ireland all on my list of places to fly before I die.

Last year was an incredible flying year for me! I managed to soar for hours at a time, got into the clouds a few times, earned my Hang-3 rating, and joined the Tennessee Tree Toppers. This year was a little less exciting as my luck with the conditions seemed to keep me relatively close to the ground. I had a few notable flights, but most of the summer has consisted of sled-runs for me and a lot of other pilots, though a talented few were usually able to find a way up.

The Summer of Sink is over, though, and conditions have improved dramatically! This is very good news because, next week, I am entering my first hang gliding competition: The Team Challenge! The Tennessee Tree Toppers Team Challenge is a cross country competition designed to be a ton of fun, a huge learning experience for pilots who are new to cross-country flying, and an incredible opportunity to fly with some the most experienced and talented pilots in the sport.

My goal is to update this blog frequently during the course of the competition, which runs from 9/19 to 9/25, but time gets funny up in the mountains so I can't make any promises!

For more information on the Team Challenge format check out the Tennessee Tree Toppers website and click the "Team Challenge" link on the left.