CLOUDBUSTERS
Review from Skywings magazine

The latest work from Henry Hauck, veteran free flight film-maker, shows all his usual trademarks: superb photography, technical accuracy, great graphics and useful educational content.
Cloudbusters (sponsored by AiREA, Bräuniger and a German 'flugschule') is another brilliantly shot foray into Alpine skies, valuable to absolute
beginners, aspiring XC folk and anyone who can't get enough real airtime.
The new film carefully explains some basic techniques of paraglider launching before going on to more general themes of thermal activity, interpreting the weather and strategies for XC. The narrative begins with a couple of statuesque German girls in
pursuit of their first big soaring flight, going into into some depth on the pros and cons of various paraglider take-off techniques. The girls' big flight complete, the scene shifts first to Garmisch to study thermal behaviour and later to Pinzgau to explore techniques to get
the best from the day. Our two fräuleins are replaced by the likes of John Pendry, Ernst Strobl, Burkhardt Martens and Germany's grand old man of the alps, hang glider pilot Jo Bathmann, who each dispense valuable insights.
Meanwhile, technical explanations are aided by superb graphics - and a magnificent time-lapse sequence of cloud development over an alpine mountain. Met Guru Prof. Herbert Pümpel gives good account of local meteorological phenomena, and the whole
thing is set against terrific sequences of paragliders and hang gliders in Alpine locations. There's a bit more paragliding than hang gliding, certainly on the how-to front, but most of the material is of value to pilots of either discipline.
Free flight videos range from poor to great, and this one is firmly in the latter category. It makes you want to quit your job and head for the Schmittenhöhe, where Jo Bathmann seems to get his met fax delivered with his breakfast in the local fliers' hotel! Definitely
one to have, either to further your education or just for the brilliant landscapes and flying shots.