US Airways - October 2012 - (Page 27)

explore Adventure Time to Play Taking Wing Alone, floating above the ocean, nothing between you and the sea. Scary? Hardly. Try joy, serenity, and wonder. by celeste Moure Poor Wile E. Coyote. He should have been a paraglider. The way the little guy keeps moving his legs in midair after he inevitably runs off the edge of a desert cliff — that’s exactly what I’m told to do as I run down a seaside hill while strapped to a glider. But unlike Coyote, I have a foolproof plan that ensures to have me flying in less time than it takes to build an Acme roadrunner trap. I first noticed the colorful parachutes, floating like giant kites in the sky, while on road trips up the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I remember pulling over to the side of the road and thinking how peaceful and wonderfully alone it must feel to fly like that. I didn’t know what it was called. Parasailing? Parachuting? Whatever it was, I knew I had to try it. Some years and much Web surfing later, I find myself not on the winding roads, canyons, and boulders that evoke Wile E.’s world but in posh Santa Barbara, running down the aforementioned “training hill.” I have signed up for a two-day program with Eagle Paragliding School. Throughout the course of the lesson, my instructor, Rob Sporrer, ★ says, “You gotta keep moving those legs even if you momentarily get lifted off the ground.” A handful of new students and I watch in envy as other fliers soar. On that first day of class, we spend a frustrating couple of hours grappling on the ground with the multicolored 35-foot-long nylon wings. “The hardest part of paragliding is actually launching and landing,” says Sporrer while he shows us how to unfold a glider on the grassy field. The canopy consists of a row of cells with openings Above: Santa barbara from above photo by kevin steele/alamy usairwaysmag.com ocTober 2012 27 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - October 2012

US Airways - October 2012
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Amusement Parks
Wine & Dine: San Diego
Wine & Dine: Nashville
Adventure: Paragliding
Great Escapes: Ireland
Great Escapes: Bernardus Lodge & Winery
Gear Up: Tech for Eyes and Ears
The Color of Money: Rio de Janeiro
Pink & Proud: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Great Tastes: Molyvos and the Russian Tea Room
University Spotlight: Hollins University
Celebrate Winston-Salem, N.C.
Must Read: The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - October 2012