Paragliders

winging It Paragliding on the Central Coast and Beyond

By Larry Sh aw with Jaala Thibault Jagged mountain peaks rise above the green valley floor, and everything slowly comes to life as the orange sun inches above the horizon.

Distracted by the beauty of the New Zealand landscape, I struggle to return to the task at hand: flying. The lines to the grounded paragliding wing transition from slack to taut with the cycles of wind. The wing flutters, eager to fly, as it fills with air. Everything feels right—time to focus and commit.

I guide the wing over my head, take a few steps and watch the ground beneath me slowly move away.

Why haven’t I done this sooner?

That first high flight is etched in my memory—the day a new world of sky exploration opened up to me. Now I find myself here on the Central Coast continuing the adventure I started on the opposite side of the globe.

Fortunately, some of the best flying

Beginners work on "kitting," controlling the wing on the ground before launch.

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"On these days, the challenge lies in reading the air; it flows like water down a river, but you cannot see the movement directly."

Learning to fly at Elings Park in Santa Barbara You got it, man. Elings Park

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conditions for beginner paragliders exist in my own big backyard.

Soaring like a single-winged bird might intimidate the landlocked, but the sport is more accessible than it seems. Chris Grantham from the Santa Barbarabased Fly Above All Paragliding School discusses what a beginner can expect as he/she decides to take flight.

“New students are introduced to the equipment and start ground handling, or bringing the wing above their head and controlling it, prior to launching. This fundamental skill is practiced on flat ground and simulates a normal flight launch,” he says.

When ground handling is mastered, Grantham guides students into their first short flight low on the training hill. Once comfortable with low flights, they slowly move higher until they can routinely launch and land from the top of Elings Park in Santa Barbara.

The average student will take seven to 12 days to receive a U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) “P2 rating,” which allows them to fly on their

own at level two-rated paragliding spots.

In addition to practicing how to physically fly, new pilots must learn the rules of the air—FAA airspace restrictions, weather patterns, emergency landing procedures and how to safely correct in-flight issues with the wing.

Paragliders never stop learning.

Every flight is a lesson; intermediate and advanced pilots learn how to carve through the air, soar in winds that are forced upwards near ridges and cliffs, and learn how to rise like raptors in thermals.

“I started paragliding in 2001 and since then I have been to multiple countries … but there isn’t one day that is my favorite; there are many, all in different ways,” Grantham says. “You may be rising in thermals to 14,000 feet near Pine Mountain one day, and soaring seaside cliffs the next, carving wingover turns or linking ridge lines for a crosscountry flight. I’ve had so many amazing days with good friends.”

Becoming an advanced to expert level pilot opens up an even broader spectrum

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of possibilities in the sport. Some pilots consecutively ride multiple thermals and fly cross-country for hundreds of miles if the weather is right. On these days, the challenge lies in reading the air; it flows like water down a river, but you cannot see the movement directly. There’s an art to seeing the invisible rising thermals and taking a free ride up Mother Nature’s escalator to the top floor.

Other advanced pilots gravitate towards the emerging sport vol-biv, short for vol bivouac, or “flight camping” in French. Basically you pack all of your camping gear and fly during the day when the weather allows you to stay in the air, and land to set up camp when you can no longer fly. In the morning you pack up, hike to a suitable launch site and repeat the process until arriving at your destination.

There is now a more physical and competitive component to the sport of paragliding as well. An event called the Red Bull X-Alps has competitors start off on foot in Vienna, Austria, with a paraglider and harness on their back and run up the closest mountain, launch and fly as far as the weather and their skill will allow. Upon landing, competitors pack their wings and begin hiking and running to either the next checkpoint or another launch site until they reach Monaco, over 1,000 kilometers from the start.

Generally, people gravitate to paragliding not for the competition but for the challenge of learning the sport, the exhilaration it brings and the way it fosters a unique connection to nature.

Grantham laughs and says, “I’m actually afraid of heights. Maybe it’s not a fear of heights but a fear of falling. This fear doesn’t apply to paragliding for me because I’m in control of my wing, and I don’t rely on anyone else. I’m strapped in and I’m in complete control. Think about being in an airplane, you don’t look out the window and say, ‘Oh, I’m high, that’s scary.’ It’s the same for paragliding.”

Costs for lessons and equipment vary among outfits, so it’s best to contact your local instructor for all of the options.

Grantham says, “Lessons to get your P2 rating, which allows you to fly on your own, are approximately $1,500. Most new pilots will want to purchase their own equipment which can average $5,000 for a new wing and harness.”

Most of us dream of flying. Why wait? |

Ridge soaring in Santa Barbara

Student fliers test the wind

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