This past weekend was not the best weather here in south Florida. The grand opening and ribbon cutting for several businesses at the Laishley Park Marina went well but the attendance was relatively poor. Paradise Hang Gliding, Inc. was present in full force with a great looking kiosk under our awning, dispensing information about tandem hang gliding, lessons, and hang glider rides.

Tandem pilot rock star Alex Cuddy came all the way from Jacksonville to to help with the event and be the tandem hang gliding instructor. Florida hang gliding just doesn’t get much better than here in Punta Gorda on Charlotte Harbor, and we were hoping to sign up lots of folks for a tandem hang glide. Unfortunately, high winds, low ceiling, and rain conspired to keep us grounded. The weather also really hurt attendance at the event, even the live band packed up and left early. Next weekend will hopefully bring better weather to south Florida.

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This past weekend once again saw Paradise Hang Gliding, Inc. in action in the skies above Charlotte Harbor, Florida. With a load of guests from Wisconsin and Ft. Myers, The towboat Reel High had a full load, and with the calm winds, certainly had her work cut out for her.But the water was glassy and the blue boat did her work, getting several 1500′ altitude flights above impressive numbers of rays and considerable boat traffic. As always, Capt. Travis and mate MaryAnn did a great job of running the equipment and entertaining the guests.

Chuck and Jamie were not the types to want the typical placid tourist ride, so their instructional flight consisted largely of how to put a hang glider into a steep dive and then whip it up into some 60 degree banked turns. A couple of rapid roll reversals and tight spirals had them squealing. Indeed, if gliders could talk, I think the big Falcon 3 Tandem would have been giving us some Yee-Haws too…! The only downside to those flights is that they are over with all too soon….

Their nephew Stepehan had been a bit skeptical and wanted to see a flight or two before taking the leap himself. Steve, due to an unfortunate childhood auto accident, has some challenging disabilities. With very limited use of his left leg and almost no use of his left arm, his spirit af adventure is still quite intact. Once he made the decision to fly, the crew of PHG was determined to do whatever it would take to make it a reality for this fine young man.

It took a bit of doing to assist him onto the flight deck and into the harness, but soon we had him all cozy and wasted no time getting the glider into the sky. As we lifted off, the boatload of relatives erupted into cheers and waves as we climbed up and away. The surface of the water was like a mirror and full of 4′ rays, truly quite a sight. During the flight, we shared a very pleasant conversation during which he told me that he thought many of his friends would not believe him when he told the story.

All of us at Paradise Hang Gliding felt humbled, grateful, and honored to have helped Steve, and we hope that it was as unforgettable for him as it was for us.

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Sunday was another stupendous day of tandem hang gliding, this time with a family from across the pond. Gary, Max and Luke had seen us at the Lover’s Key Marina boarding our passengers on Saturday, while riding their jet skis on the fabulous local waters of Estero Bay. It was too much for these adventurous souls to resist, so the toll-free phone call to the Paradise Hang Gliding, Inc. World Headquarters soon followed.

We met & boarded the British Bunch at Lover’s Key, and were soon headed out to sea. Today, the winds were very light and switchy, but what little there was came from the east, forcing us a couple of miles offshore to begin our run into the wind back toward the beautiful Florida beaches. Near shore, under the cumulus clouds forming over land, there was some breeze, farther out, it was truly the doldrums. We have never seen the surface so glassy and it was a spectacular day to be out on the water. The light winds made for slow climb rates during the first part of each tow, but it was fun and relaxing to just hang out on the towline, look for critters beneath and enjoy the views of the emerald colored waters.

The second half of each tow was quite different, and very exciting. A wind gradient, along with increased thermal activity being blown from shore, made for absolute rocket-like climbs. After release, on the first flight with 14 year old Luke, we worked a thermal and were actually climbing for a bit. He really enjoyed it, and liked the hang gliding lesson portion of the flight. Flying with Max & dad Gary was just as good, but their heavier weight made it impossible to climb in the thermals, although we extended all of the flights by a fair bit.

Luke saw a huge loggerhead sea turtle as we turned on final approach, and Gary was treated to the sight of a very large ray and 2 different groups of dolphins; one group of 4 was cavorting about very near the waiting hang glider tow boat. Not really as good as some days for wildlife spotting, but once again the expedition turned out to be a Florida eco-tour, and a good time was had by all.

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Florida tandem hang gliding is always awesome in that the wildlife sightings are so commonplace. Especially over the Gulf of Mexico, where each flight yeilds the unexpected almost in the same fashion as scuba diving.

Saturday we had a great group of 5 ladies from Bradenton, FL (well one was from near Pittsburgh) , all of them wildlife lovers. The cast of characters in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico did not disappoint us at all.

Naples, Florida is a great place to fly hang gliders, high above the parasailers, and the area around Bonita Beach, Florida is some of the best scenery around.  Each of the passes from the inner waters to the Gulf are full of critters. Flying above them is always a treat.

On various tandem hang glider flights today, we spotted an amazing array of marine life, including rays, sea turtles, and huge groups of schooling fish. Not much boat traffic, and the water clarity was quite nice. During the boat ride to & from the Gulf, we spotted numerous dolphins and manatee. During one flight, a passing frigate bird was caught directly in the path of the tandem hang glider on tow, and soon it was flapping its wings frantically to get out of our way, passing directly in front of us only a few yards away. The passenger, an avid bird watcher, was quite thrilled.

I recently replaced the old braided dacron towline with much thinner & stronger spectra line, the high tows to 2500′ are now much easier due to the greatly reduced drag. In addition, the low friction makes the rewinds much easier and more reliable.

For Sunday, a group of 3 Brits…

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