This article is classified "Real"
A paraglider is a parachute with the shape of a mattress, which allows for
excellent manouvring during flight. By using bubbles of hot air rising up,
`thermals' (which also produce cumulus clouds [1]), it is possible to gain
more than 3000 metres of altitude. By hopping from thermal to thermal
paragliders have managed flights of around 200 km.
Paragliding is turned into paramotoring by adding a backpack propellor to
the gear. To take off you first have to run like hell (into the wind) to
get the parachute up and then you have to turn on your backpack propeller.
The airspeed of the paraglider is set, not by the propellor, but by the
airfoil and how much weight you dangle from it. In `no wind' you can stay
in the air in excess of 5 hours and do 150 km or so on one tank of gas. Of
course, paramotor pilots don't usually bother thermalling their machines.
Besides the (extra)ordinary joys of riding the winds and enjoying the
scenery, there are also a number of joyful activities especially designed
for a paraglider to do. These activities basically come down to landing in
abnormal places.
If you've got a masochistic side in your character, you could decide to
land in a boxing ring in Las Vegas to disturb a world title match, for
instance between Holyfield and Bowe. In this case, besides having problems
with landing on such a small spot, you will also have to deal with two
bloodthirsty professional boxers and a mob ready to lynch you.
You could try to disturb, some people might say grace, a football match
for instance between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Denver Broncos. This
option seems to be very difficult and the stadium is easy to miss.
You could also want to land your paraglider on top of Buckingham Palace,
take of all your clothes, run around naked with a green-painted bottom,
and hurl abuse to armed policemen trying to arrest you.
Before deciding to undertake these activities you must also take in to
consideration that it is very likely that you will later be fined
considerable amounts of money because unfortunately these activities are
illegal in most countries (unsafe flying is, anyway).
One man has nevertheless performed - by high coincidence - exactly these
actions. For such bravery I would like to give "the fan man" "birdman"
James "Windy" Miller from Henderson, Nevada the title of "Hitchhiker
Extraordinaire." May he live long and prosper.
However, if anyone were to do all these things for the wrong reasons,
like to only get a lot of media exposure, that would not reflect the
spirit of the true hitchhiker. The important thing is not to impress
others but to have fun yourself. People who do the former I'd rather like
to give the title "Jerk Extraordinaire." Be warned.
[1] Cumulus: fluffy, cottonball clouds. These occur when a thermal takes
a warm air mass up to the point where it's cold enough for the air to
condense the water vapour.