pilot profile No. 237: Gavin McClurg GAVIN FIRST CAME TO OUR ATTENTION IN 2010 FOLLOWING A TRANS-ALPINE ODYSSEY WITH TOBY COLOMBÉ (see The No Bull X-Alps, Skywings, February 2010). At the time he was the captain of a kitesurfing expedition sailing boat which he’d been running for the previous ten years. He had only been flying a few years but was already a very competent paraglider pilot. He started competing last year at the Sun Valley World Cup event. With the handson aspect of the boat expedition thing behind him, his every thought was about flying. He has flown in India, Morocco, South and Central America and many places in Africa. He moved to Sun Valley last year because… “It’s big, it’s beautiful and it’s often pretty intense, but there’s nowhere better for huge distance.” This prediction came true on July 15th this year when he set a new US distance record of 387km from there, crossing into the neighbouring state of Montana on a flight of over seven hours. He had flown into Montana the day before too, a 319km flight from which he returned home at 3.30am. He believes that a 500km flight is on the cards from Sun Valley, and is quite likely to be the man to achieve it. Photo: Jody MacDonald
Every time I’m in the air I can’t believe what I’m doing - using a highly-engineered piece of fabric and some impossibly skinny lines to go places!
Age? 41 Marital status? Married to photographer and pilot Jody MacDonald. Where were you born? Vista, California, but I grew up in Lake Tahoe. Where do you live now? Sun Valley, Idaho, in my opinion the best mountain site on Earth. Occupation? CEO of Offshore Odysseys (www.offshore odysseys.com). We have been doing offshore kitesurfing, surfing and paragliding expeditions by sail since 1999. Previous occupations? About 50! Wild-land firefighter (known here as a “hot-shot”), commercial fisherman and professional athlete, to name a few.
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How and when did you start flying? In 2006 I met a girl who flew (Jody) who started hucking me off things in New Zealand. Which pilots most influenced you? Chrigel Maurer, Nick Greece, Bill Belcourt, Chris Santacroce and Russell Ogden. Where and what was your most memorable flying experience? My 387km flight to Montana in July! What is your favourite flying site in the US? Sun Valley (see below). In the UK I’ve only flown the coast once. What is your favourite site in Europe? Fiesch, Annecy, Speikboden and Gresse-en-Vercors.
What is your favourite site in the world? Sun Valley! What do you most admire in the sport? The craziness of it all ! Every time I’m in the air I can’t believe what I’m doing - using a highly-engineered piece of fabric and some impossibly skinny lines to go places. What trait do you most deplore in yourself? I’m too judgmental and too damn stubborn. But I also love this about myself - it keeps me in the air! What trait do you most deplore in other people? Laziness, loudness and a lack of humor. When not flying, what do you do for recreation? What?
What is your favourite piece of music? Anything Jack White belts out. What is your favourite book? Desert Solitaire - A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey. What is your favourite film? American Beauty. What is your greatest fear? Not being able to fly. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being in the air. What would your motto be? Dream big, live bigger! How would you like to be remembered? As someone who lived his passions; someone who took enormous risk and never looked back in all things.
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