Team Pilot AirDesign

What is your nationality?
French

What’s your name?

Séverine Michel

Introduce yourself in a few words…
I live and work in a van, with my husband, we travel regularly. Well, I have itchy feet and I am a free spirit. I’ve been flying in lots of different places. But it’s in the Alpes de Haute Provence that you’re most likely to come across me. On the mountain side, between Dormillouse, Morgon and Lac de Serre-Ponçon, in the sky or on the trails… On the Provence side, in the Baronnies, flying at sunset in Buc, in the scent of lavender. Despite my earthy sporting activities, paragliding revealed that air was much more my element than land.

How do you practice paragliding?
I started paragliding in 2020 to hike up summits and fly back down… So my main practice is still a lot of hike-and-fly, even to get to official take-offs. As some people say, “the shuttle is for the weak” 😉 But almost 5 years after I started, I’m still dreaming of just one thing: climbing these mountains by the magic of thermals, going for a stroll and being wowed by the sights. I also have a strong penchant for evening soaring until sunset. I can’t get enough of it, and beer with friends can wait!

and AirDesign in all this?
When I was starting out, many pilots recommended AirDesign wings when I wanted to change my school glider. They told me they transmitted the right amount of information about the air mass. So I switched first to a SuSi 3 for hike-and-fly, then quickly to a Vivo for thermalling. And indeed, I love their lively character. It allowed me to develop sensations and progress in active piloting. I had the SuSi 3 first in size 21 then 18 and now I’m at my best under 16. I always get a big smile from it. With the Vivo, I progressed safely in the Southern Alps, known for their energetic thermals. Today, I fly XC with the Rise 5, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the landscape and mountains, always in complete safety.