Instinct Windsports

03/11/2026

What a beautiful morning to fly! Found a small weather-window to test two more Vortex'es. Hoping to get them on the road to eager customers before my vacation. Up at 5AM....flying just after sunrise.

Moyes Delta Gliders

03/04/2026

Just a plug here to promote our other social media accounts...we've been busy all winter upping our game on the Vortex SmartWinch project so if you care to follow the updates and progress on its evolution, we thought we'd urge you to follow those accounts as well.

Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/vortexsmartwinch

And on Instagram at:

117 Followers, 14 Following, 30 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Vortex SmartWinch ()

03/01/2026

Incredible that this is all you need to get a paraglider up to soaring heights in the flatlands. Now even our smallest offering has the mechanical level-wind - no long boom and ensures a nice tight-stack of rope every time. Less assembly time too!

In-stock, ready to ship world-wide

02/22/2026

Working hard over the winter to get more Vortex'es out into the World!

Another snowy Canadian winter day...another sharp-looking Vortex vx15 assembled and ready for test-towing!

This one is heading Down Under in time for fall training.

02/02/2026

New Hi-Viz red mini barrel releases in stock! We do have lots of grey and a few orange ones left as well.

Made to be light, simple to grab, rubberized barrels so they don't scratch your gear and most importantly, just enough friction so they don't slide open when you are getting ready to launch!

Even some paragliders are using them now for PG towing

02/01/2026

It finally 'warmed up' today so I got out for a few flights on a new Vortex.

1000' tow on the vx4 which is really meant for solo PGs. It was colder standing around on the ground than it was in the air. Only -16°C on the ground (-20°C with windchill on the ground). Likely -30°C up there.... definately visor-down today!

12/07/2025

A couple of Woody Valley harnesses going out, just in time for Christmas!

I really appreciate WoodyValley's craftsmanship, especially their modern and thoughtful parachute container closing systems....no velcro! It's why I switched from North American made harnesses over a decade ago.

The last two pics are the Cabrio's (trainer harness) front mounted rescue chute container showing how simple and secure a four-flap container can be.

https://instinct.pro/collections/woodyvalley

11/25/2025

10/13/2025

This issue will likely haunt us forever and I am thankful for those that have spoke openly about it including Erika in her fantastic video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AESWWgAMr/

And Rich and Tim's good friend Pablo's video with a solution here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17Spxouh7Y/ And I believe this is the same solution Takeo has been using for a long time as well.

I found another solution that may be easier for people to implement than a 3D printed plug. I found these "off-the-shelf" tube plugs on Amazon and received some yesterday and they work great.

Amazon.com $10USD for 15-pairs
https://www.amazon.com/PATIKIL-Plastic-Tubing-Bookshelves-Furniture/dp/B0D8TGW57J/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZcOz77U5suKCQBWXW0Bka7nLUOVmJEUvB_ZzmPM8r5LL1ccSbJasH1Wbgim3eVw8K-UFeUKTvQ8S8XVKPWnuLd6WeoLtzK08saG8Feyk3jMXZ30JH5zhYish8q1EjRvWcC22wAnHM7Kb1Se-2DTNzCj5fOhNMHECS79pJkXlsAa97CV49DD4Mg1PjOLg9IdRBLOgutfgiEgZP-xb_pOjYgZa9A4NK0Z8z5xWb7PLlLg.4FLMfGyVNg46rzI90jrgpjAqSrFXfhMTAn30-bQa0Sw&dib_tag=se&keywords=PATIKIL%2B1-1%2F8%22%2BPlastic%2BTubing%2BEnd%2BCaps%2C%2B30Pcs%2BRound%2BHole%2BPlug%2BInsert%2Bfor%2BRound%2BIron%2BPipe%2BChair%2BLeg%2BTable%2BBookshelves%2BFurniture%2C%2BBlack&qid=1760368333&sr=8-3&th=1

Amazon.ca. $15CAD for 15 pairs
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0D8TGW57J?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I bought a 15-pair pack for $15CAD (yes, $1/glider...) and have now installed them on all my Falcon3/4, Alphas and Condor. I vow to carry the spares with me at all times in my training kit and will be on the lookout for any of these gliders that need them installed.

They are specifically meant for 1-1/8" tubes as are our basetubes but they do also have 1-1/4" ones for Falcon Tandem basetubes as well. They do go in very tight so I can't see them popping out. They do require you to run a 1/4" drill through the basetube hole.

The first pic shows the plug on the outboard with the bold properly installed. The second pic shows the plug up against the bolt inside the fitting which would expose your unused basetube hole.

Fly! Fly! Fly!

09/02/2025

A few slick used WoodyValley Flex2 harnesses in stock and ready to ship out...

The ideal entry-level pod harness. Very light. Great balance (easy to get upright for landing). Multi-point suspension for comfort. Very streamlined due to the dual fiberglass spreader panels between the shoulder blades and hips. Manual pitch adjustment cleat system included. Drogue chute pocket inc...

08/26/2025

Be sure to share the Vortex SmartWinch fb page with your hang gliding and paragliding friends. And also be sure to LIKE the page yourself!

Good things are happening there! :)

What a great weekend! It was such a successful weekend roadtrip to Michigan to meet up with owners of two other Vortex winches and their crew to do some Vortex training and exploring.

We flew all four days despite some higher winds and scattered rain. 34 tows on Sunday and still done by 4pm due to rain. 65 tows in all and we met and surpassed everyone's stated goals.

It was sooo great to see some great friends I haven't seen in a couple years and also meet some new friends I hope to see again soon!

Thanks Gavin Lupinski for hosting.