By RODNEY HART
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
There was no way anybody was getting airborne in a powered paraglider Friday night at Quincy Regional Airport. Instead, a few brave souls at the Powered Paraglider and Powered Parachute Club event wrestled with the high winds by "kiting," basically using parachutes while standing on the ground. The stiff breezes proved to be quite a challenge. "Our mission is fun," said U.S. Powered Paraglider Association President and expert Jeff Goin, as he wrestled with his modified parachute in the high winds. "This is the perfect spot because it's flat and open ... All you need is about five acres of grass and you have plenty of room." Weather permitting, flying starts this morning at the airport and will take place again in the evening. Pilots welcome visitors and will be happy to talk about their exciting sport, and there's no charge to watch them on the large grassy area in front of the airport. Goin is known by many as the godfather of powered paragliding and has written what's considered to be the bible of the sport. He's a Southwest Airlines pilot who lives in an airport in Naperville, Ill. He's doing seminars and giving paragliding pilots ratings this weekend. Paragliders generally have one seat and a two-cycle engine. About 12 to 15 pilots are expected to attend this weekend. There are also foot-launched motors strapped on the backs of the pilots. "It's a weird flying bug," Goin says. "It's the freest and most bird-like form of flying there is. You have great control and once you get good at it, it's remarkable." Andy Gredell of Kansas City also tried his hand at kiting Friday night before storms rolled in from the west. Gredell used a speed wing parachute, basically used for training. "I was always interested in skydiving and handgliding," Gredell said. "I did nine sky dives but I didn't like free falling as much as soaring. Then I saw it (paragliding) on the Internet." Gredell has more than 200 flights since starting in September 2009. He likes cruising the skies at about 800 feet doing about 20 miles per hour. "The best part is you can fly low and slow and enjoy the landscape," he said. "You have to always be safety conscious and always have a place to land." On Saturday, starting about 4 p.m., a dinner and auction will take place in the old restaurant inside the airport terminal. Proceeds from the auction will go to help Fowler residence Mike Mixer, who was recently injured in a paragliding accident in Florida. Mixer is fortunately recovering from broken bones and other injuries. On Sunday, the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association hosts the annual Father's Day Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast. The event is open to the public and breakfast is from 7 to 11 a.m. Adults can eat for $6 and children younger than 12 can eat for $3. Qualified children also can participate in the EEA Young Eagles Program, which provides children with information about flying and being a pilot. -- rhart@whig.com/221-3370
