Profile – Andi Friesinger
ANDI FRIESINGER
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
AF: I am Andi, previously known as one of the rare pilots with a supair wing in Germany. Time has changed - there are more supair wings around. I still fly a lot the supair wings and have my work and life build around the flying. I'm 35 and work as a freelancer in innovative product engineering.
When and how did you learn to paraglide?
AF: I started paragliding in 2015, and my life changed after that. In the early years, I was completely hooked—I flew every spare moment I had and made rapid progress on my first cross-country flights. I messed up a lot, so my hitchhiking skills improved as well. I started out mostly in the Allgäu region, but I quickly realized there are so many great paragliding spots to check out.
What kind of paragliding do you enjoy?
AF: It’s a mix of everything. Sometimes I do more hike-and-fly. Sometimes more cross-country flying. In 2017, I started flying in competitions but didn’t take it very seriously. Covering some distance, getting very different impressions during a flight, and just enjoying the scenery—landing somewhere, trying to hitchhike back, and meeting interesting people—is also a part of it that I like. Even though I’m a very structured and analytical pilot, flying frees my mind.
Could you share an interesting paragliding memory with us?
AF: In Columbia i messed it up hard and needed to land on a small path in the hills close to a banana field. Though it will take hours to get out of that jungle. But there were some people and one of them gave me a ride on his motorbike to the next village. I was very thankful and would like to give him some money. But he refuses. I am happy to meet people like him very often during my paragliding adventures.
What are your upcoming projects?
AF: My last years were more focused on online contests, points and competitive flying. For this year I plan something different. A little bit back to the roots of my flying career. Move apart the ratings and get into adventures.
On Instagram and Youtube you find me as @paragliderandi
