If land is not your thing, and you aren’t fond of sitting in a basket below a balloon full of hot air, then maybe free flight is for you. Do you reckon yourself akin to a bird? Want to feel the wind against your face, with nothing below you but air and the ground is a far distance? Well, strap on some man-made wings and be like a bird!

There are many forms of free flight. The more common ones would be hang gliding, paragliding and soaring.

Hang gliding
Hang gliding uses a simple and cheaper alternative to other forms of gliding by using a craft consisting of an aluminum or composite-framed fabric wing. The pilot is mounted on a harness that hangs from the wing frame and he exercises control by shifting his body weight. Launch techniques include foot-launching from a hill, tow-launching from a ground-based tow system, aero-towing (using a powered aircraft), and powered harnesses.

Paragliding
Paragliding from a glance looks like parachuting, however it is a foot launched form of gliding, meaning it is the same as hang gliding, only it uses a different apparatus. You could say it is like flying a human kite, only you are the kite! There are different advantages of the different forms of launching – it all depends where you are launching from. For an advanced look at this, you can either attend paragliding classes to learn the techniques with a professional. You can find such information through the Traveller Trail Directory.

Soaring
Unlike the other two forms of free flight, soaring is a form of fixed-wing flight. This means you are in an enclosed apparatus called a glider or sailplane. To stay in the air, all gliders must have lift – either thermal, ridge and/or wave lifts. No matter how experienced the pilot, if you do not have any lift, gravity will cut your fun short and force you to land your glider.

For more information on gliding and training classes, including the best places to glide, go to the Traveller Trail's Travelogue and Directory for further resources.