Graham Speck, a Welland city councillor and business owner, comes into focus on his own powered paraglider (PPG) just below the escarpment. On this particular evening, Wall’s homemade windsock, more of a wind ribbon, really, is gently waving northeast. That’s when wind conditions tend to be ideal. According to Wall and Zeman, the best time to head up is early morning, late afternoon or early evening.

Last Wednesday was a perfect night for flying. Three years ago, he and his wife Carlee built a new house on a rural plot of land that, not by coincidence, was perfect for take-offs. He has hundreds, if not thousands of flights under his belt, and often chooses travel destinations based on where he might like to fly. Now in his ninth year of powered paragliding, Wall has earned his ultralight aircraft license, which is a must for anyone aiming to pursue the sport as a hobby. Wall signed up for lessons with Zeman, and within two weeks he was flying. He figured one day he would learn to fly a “normal” plane, until one day in 2012, a customer of his business invited him to come out to a field to watch him paragliding.

Depending on the weather and the amount of fuel in the back-mounted tank, a paraglider can fly for up to three and a half hours.įorty-year-old Stan Wall remembers as a child having a recurring dream of taking off from the ground with a running start, waving down to his friends below. Once up, a paraglider can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour at a legal height of about 6,500 feet. The entire rig can weigh anywhere from 45 to 90 pounds, which can take some getting used to at first. The motor provides enough thrust to take off, usually in still air and on level ground with a short run. Direction is controlled using steering lines attached to the wing. It includes a gas motor (a paramotor) on a harness, attached to a ‘wing’ parachute. There is equipment, of course, but it’s mounted on the pilot’s back. “The fact you don’t even see any part of the aircraft as you move through the air, you feel like a bird.”

Perhaps you heard them first, the distant engine’s soft whirr, bringing to mind a nearby lawn mower trimming the fields.Īccording to Power Paragliding Ontario instructor Andre Zeman, it’s the most “captivating” type of flying. You’ve no doubt seen them flying just above the trees, sometimes just above the vineyards, trailing a colourful parachute above and behind them, sitting on what looks to be a lawn chair in the sky.

Motorized hang glider with chair