Video Review: Risk and Reward

Kat launches off the T-Hill

Now that the sun is going down at the ridiculous hour of 5:00 there's plenty of time to lay around and watch videos until The Simpson's come on at 10:00. I've been checking out some new (and classic) flying movies and I'm going to write a series of short reviews. This will be an on-going feature, kinda like the "Heroes of the Point" series I started last summer.

I bought a pile of DVD's from the USHGA, and first one I popped into the player was "Risk and Reward with William Shatner". Yep, Captain Kirk appears briefly to introduce the video, and he's even wearing a cheesy Star Trek uniform, the kind kids wear on Halloween. His minute and half is classic Shatner. He almost lapses into his ultra hep cat persona for a second.

This movie is a production of the US Powered Paragliding Association. Normally I don't give a rat's ass about powered anything. I'm a free flight purist (OK, so I'm a snob). I've tried my hand at various kinds of motorized flying machines, but I'm not one of those guys that loves the smell of two stroke fuel or Av Gas. Despite the focus on powered flight this video covers some important general paragliding safety issues in an easy to watch format. The bonus is that there's enough whack footage to keep it interesting.

The basic vibe of this video is a little redneck, but after all, it is about PPG. I think you'll find that the hillbilly element just adds to the fun. "Risk and Reward" is good value: a glimpse of Captain Kirk, some whacks, and even some valuable info for new pilots; overall this movie is worth buying.