Hang gliding: How far can it take you?

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Outdoor Activities    

Hang Glider In Flight

In hang gliding, as with most sports, there are competitions, amateur and professionals standards, championships to be fought over and medals to be won.

This year the World Championships were held in Tegleberg, Germany. Well, if there’s any sport that can be affected by weather it’s hang gliding. That said, it was still a surprise when the organizers were forced to stop the competition  – no one was expecting snow in April. read more

How to take ‘The Racing Line’

Robb Y    Driving Experiences     driving experiences

You may have heard commentators talk about the perfect ‘racing line’. But what is it? And how is it different for race car driving and racing bikes? Let’s find out…

If you love watching motor racing you’ll know each team is after every little advantage it can get. However, there is always one set route through each bend all drivers take – this is the racing line: simply, it’s the fastest way through a corner. read more

Sailing: True eco-power

Robb Y    Lifestyle Activities, Water Sports     sailing

Sailing boats have been made from all types of material: wood, fiberglass, even aluminum. Well, have you ever seen a boat made from recycled plastic bottles?

The ‘Plastiki’ is the brainchild of expedition leader David Rothschild, and is constructed of 12,500 plastic bottles. Devised not as a gimmick, but to be good enough to sail around the world, the ship was tested to the full on a recent 8,000-mile ocean voyage. It left San Francisco in March heading west into the Pacific, and at the end of July arrived in Australia. On route the ship and its crew visited Hawaii, Bikini Atoll, the Gilbert Islands and Fiji. read more

Boom! How we break the sound barrier.

Robb Y    Airborne Activities     airborne experiences

In the development of flight there have been several notable moments: the first solo crossing of the Atlantic (Charles Lindbergh,1927), the moment the first African American woman got her flying license (Bessie Coleman, 1921) and the day that the round the world non-stop record was set (Dick Rutan and JeanaYeager, 1986).

Although when it comes to speed, it’s the breaking of the sound barrier which was perhaps the noisiest. read more

What’s the difference between an adventure sport and an extreme sport?

Robb Y    Outdoor Activities    

Exploration is a human trait. There seems to be no end to how far we will search, how high we will climb and which challenges we set ourselves.

And its here we find the difference between adventure sports and extreme sports: Extreme sports are often adventurous, but adventure sports need not be ‘Extreme’.

It’s a hotly contested topic, but let’s look at a few examples and see if we can close the debate a little. read more

Flying for their lives

Robb Y    Airborne Activities     airborne experiences, flying

This year marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most important air battles in history: The Battle of Britain.

Sixty years ago, hundreds of inexperienced pilots were rushed into action to repel what looked like a certain Nazi invasion. Their actions helped stop the Nazi advance in time for the US to bring its forces across the Atlantic, and ultimately turned the tide of the war in Europe. read more

What’s the greenest way to fly?

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Lifestyle Activities     airborne experiences, bucket list, learn to, scenic flights

Such is the worry about the environment, everyone’s looking to cut emissions and watch their carbon footprints. The so-called gas-guzzlers – vehicles that use lots of fuel – have come under real scrutiny of late, and the airlines have also been put in the spotlight.

A jumbo jet creates a lot of carbon dioxide. Now, whether or not you believe this causes global warming is not really relevant – although it clearly is a lot of emissions.

That said, sometimes there really is no other way to travel than to fly; it’s the quickest and probably the safest form of modern travel we have – how else are you going to get to that meeting read more

NASCAR: It’s kinda like your car…

Robb Y    Driving Experiences    

Before NASCAR there was nothing, well nothing at a national level. Racing in the US was fragmented and there were no guarantees of winnings for drivers.

It took the initiative of Bill France to pull together 35 of the top racing personalities from across the country. After just four days, a new group was formed intent on setting the standards for stock car racing in the US. In 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was born. read more

Cruising our great waterways

Robb Y    Food & Wine, Water Sports     city cruises, city tours, dinner cruise

“Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink,” goes the saying. True perhaps if you are adrift at sea, but on a lunch cruise there’s wine, fine food, fantastic views and all the (bottled) water you could ever drink!

The US has so many natural waterways, its little surprise that cruising around them is a popular pastime.

Across the country, the major rivers wind between states. They flow from mountain plateaus, through deltas teeming with wildlife, and to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans, as well as into the Gulf of Mexico. read more

Up, up, up and away

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Tours & Attractions     flying, flying lessons, learn to

Helicopters can land just about everywhere, that’s their trick. Instead of needing a runway, a helicopter pilot can make do with a football pitch, or in cases of emergency, a street corner.

With helicopters it’s all about lift: vertical lift. Thanks to their spinning rotors, helicopters push air down, which in turn forces them up into the air.

It’s this that has made them so versatile. They make fantastic emergency vehicles, and can transport people and supplies to the remotest of places. read more