Running free Learning to fly powered paragliders WHEN MY WIFE AND I signed up for powered paraglider training, our fixed-wing flying friends asked, "Why would you want to fly those things?" The short answer is "because it's fun!" Powered paragliders are foot-launched inflatable wings, powered by a backpack motor with propeller. Flying early in the morning or late in the evening when the winds die down and the sun angles are low, powered paraglider pilots run a few steps and are lifted into a sky that is often painted with a rainbow of colors. They sit back into a harness that is made to be a chair, and enjoy an immersive panoramic sensory experience of sights, sounds, and smells. B Y J A R E D YAT E S P H OT O G R A P H Y B Y T H E A U T H O R www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 63http://www.aopa.org/pilot