P2 Pilots take over Pran Buri, Thailand

It had only been two months since I received my P2 when Matty Senior, owner of Northwest Paragliding, gave a convincing sales pitch to join his tour in Thailand. Brittney Sutton, a recent friend I made during the P2 course, was sitting next to me on the bumpy ride up to launch while Matty raved about Thailand - "the best place in the world" - and told us the dates.

“That’s over my birthday,” Brittney said to me.

To which I replied, “That’s over my birthday!”

We shot each other a look that said, I’d go to Thailand if you’d go to Thailand, and within the next month we had signed up and convinced two other P2 pilots to join as well.

Fast forward to February 2026: seven P2 pilots from Seattle had arrived in the small coastal town of Pak Nam Pran to explore new terrain and embark on what would probably become the greatest trip ever. The seven students were individuals whose paths would have had little chance of crossing without paragliding.

Our group included Ben and Brianna, a lovely married couple with matching red gliders; Jeff, a part time climbing guide whose skills became very useful after a tree landing; Brittney, a young nomadic ski bum; Michelle, a retired mother who had a knack for keeping people on their toes; Sierra, my older sister who had more playlists prepared for this trip then a local DJ; and then the youngest and least experienced of them all—me. The whole group ranged in age from the 60s all the way down to the mid-twenties.

Pilot: Yellow: Michelle Red: Ben
Location:Pu Am

On this tour we were led by two of the greatest guides one could ask for when flying in Thailand. The first was Matty Senior, whose part-time home is here in Thailand. A tour with Matty doesn’t only mean you get a great coach—it also means a culinary guide, a cultural educator, and someone who knows where the good bars are. The other guide was Bronson McKinley, who on countless occasions rallied the troops and constantly kept spirits high, starting each day with: “Ya know, I think today probably has the opportunity to be the greatest day ever!”

They coached us on launch and landing zones, talked us through tricky thermic days, and corrected many little bad habits that helped make us all better pilots throughout the trip.

Pilot: Front: Bronson, Back: Ben
Location: Pu Am

Being based in Pak Nam Pran situated us right between two uniquely different and independently stunning launch sites. To the north was Kao Dan, a site based out of a national park and primarily surrounded by dry farmland. During this time of year, the area looked more desert-like than the tropical Thailand we had pictured. The launch was surrounded by small trees that definitely spiked the blood pressure on a few takeoffs. This site had a variety of trigger points for thermals: if you were able to climb high enough, you could reach the ridge behind it and continue from there.

Pilot: Ben, Sierra, Brianna
Location: Kao Dan

The second site, called Pu Am, was to the south just off the coast, where you got a combination of smooth coastal air mixed with some thermic activity from the black rocks at the base of the ridge. Here we launched from a small clearing among a forest of bamboo. The ridge was long and allowed us to play around in a relatively safe area with irrigation ponds and moving tractors below. The more favorable landing zone ended up being a road between two pineapple fields—which look soft from the air but, upon closer examination, looked less desirable.

Pilot: Michelle, Britney, Jeff, Sierra,
Location:Pu Am

The trip consisted of eight flying days that took all of our abilities to the next level. All of us set personal records in flying time and height, and gained a better understanding of thermals and how they operate. But the learning wasn’t always smooth sailing. Paragliding is a scary sport, and venturing into new elements of it can bring out that exact emotion.

One particular flight really got to me. I launched in stronger winds than I was used to and got plucked right away. I quickly bombed out and started my landing approach into what, at the time, was the first landing zone I had ever used outside my home mountain. I landed just fine but felt like a mess. I was scared, and my body felt in shock from everything that had just happened during that flight.

Pilot: left to right: Michel, Brittney, Brianna, back left man Ben, back right man Jeff, Middel with hat Sierra, far right Paige.
Location: Launch of Pu Am

Sierra and Brianna landed shortly after, and we packed up together. They could tell I wasn’t processing things well, so they gave me water and started dancing with me. Brianna asked what I needed right now—more dancing? a hug?—all while she and Sierra persisted in dancing with me. They made the feelings lighter and eventually convinced me to go for another round. We went back up to launch and had a beautiful sunset flight that was fun and not so scary.

Pilot: Bronson, Brianna, Sierra
Location:Pu Am

At the end of the day, it wasn’t our altitude but our attitude that made this trip so amazing. From sled rides down the hill to record-breaking flights, our whole group was giving and receiving high-fives across the board. Or better yet, attempting to direct a landing the way you would an airplane on the tarmac—except at the end of the runway wasn’t a gate, but a cold beer.

Don’t even get me started on the van-ride dance parties. Thankfully by the end of the trip we had the whole crew singing along to the words of “Dixieland Delight.”

Pilot: Front: Sierra, Back: Bronson
Location:Pu Am

We had our serious conversations too. Breaking out whiteboards to really dive into discussions on thermals, clouds and terrain. Let’s be honest—while we all love the sport of paragliding, none of us are strangers to the fact that paragliding isn’t only about the flight. If you add together the drive time, hiking time, waiting around for the wind to turn on (or maybe turn off), packing up—there is a lot more there than the time spent actually piloting.

Our time as a group in hour-long van rides or waiting around on launch turned into some of the most memorable moments of the trip. We had the opportunity and openness to let conversations dive deeply into topics of religion, shared tragedies of losing loved ones, and the challenge of defining yourself in any decade of life. We never segregated ages into isolation, but instead allowed the multitude of life experiences to shine through in every conversation.

This group brought curiosity, vulnerability, life experience, and enthusiasm into all kinds of discussions—whether it was a heavy conversation or a sing-along, paragliding or racing scooters down quiet roads.

In a separate world from paragliding, we as a group may have never come together. But here we were able to connect, learn, and grow together in a meaningful way that helped shape our own piloting styles. We all brought different experiences and backgrounds to this trip—and with that, different learning styles—from which we could learn from each other as well as our coaches.

The whole crew after landing next to a pineapple field on our last day together.

Spaces like this are important because being in the air is only half the adventure. The rest lies in the company you find yourself surrounded by.

P2 Pilots take over Pran Buri, Thailand

Paige Schemenauer