It isn’t someone skydiving or a large kite. It’s Joe Houle practicing his ground-handling techniques with his paraglider to stay sharp for when he jumps off mountains to take flight.

Paragliding is a sport in which a wide canopy resembling a parachute is attached to a person’s body by a harness in order to allow them to glide through the air after jumping from or being lifted to a height.

Houle, who worked in the aviation field for years, said flying crafts that don’t utilize power is the most fun and exciting for him. He said guiding an aircraft that depends on wind direction and speed makes it more challenging and rewarding than a craft that can push through the air by use of a motor.

“You have to rely on nature and your ability to use the forces of nature to keep you in the sky and get you where you want to go,” he said. “It is the most pleasurable kind of flying for me.”

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Technology is also a key while paragliding. Houle said this GPS-powered gadget helps him determine not only where he is, but also wind direction, speed, and where thermal columns are.

Although he only gets to fly about 20 to 30 hours a year, his hobby takes him all over the world to places that are popular to paragliding enthusiasts.

Houle said he likes to paraglide because it is relaxing, but also exhilarating. He said the views of the landscape from high above are also magnificent.

He said he learned to paraglide in Utah at Point of the Mountain, one of the premier spots in the United States to paraglide. He also took flight in Mexico — when he jumped off a 5,000 foot mountain — Italy, and Slovenia, along with different places in the United States.

Houle said it costs about $1,500 to get trained and to paraglide, and then an additional $2,000 to $5,000 for the needed gear. Of course, the cost for travel can add significant costs to the hobby.

“Often, the money you pay for training they apply toward the cost of the new equipment,” he said. “The cost depends on if you purchase new or used equipment. I purchased mine new.”

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Houle readies his paraglider on Monday by carefully spreading out the cables that help him to steer, break, and maneuver. He said each line is critical in being able to take off, soar, and land.

Once in the air, Houle said a paraglider pilot can maneuver his sail and travel many miles. He said the furthest he has traveled was about 50 miles, but said seasoned paragliders can go as far as 200 to 300 miles. Houle said Mother Nature makes the ultimate decision on how far he can fly, but added decisions made by the pilot while in the air help too.

“How far you go really depends on what the conditions are and what your skill level is,” he said.

Science and technology also play a role in how high or far a paraglider can go.

Houle said his GPS equipment not only tracks his location, but also air currents and thermal columns, which are areas of rising air, and that helps him to stay in the air longer and travel a greater distance.

While paragliding is relaxing for Houle, he’s had a few close calls too.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A slight breeze out of the east on Monday was enough to easily lift Houle’s paraglider well into the air at Bay View Park in Alpena. Houle practices his ground-handling techniques at the park but doesn’t fly locally because he needs to jump off of mountains, or is towed behind a vehicle to get the needed height to fly.

He said on one flight, his glider lost its form, and ended up underneath him as he quickly began to descend. He said he remained calm and relied on his training to maneuver the glider in a fashion that allowed for it to fill back up with air.

The paragliding harness is equipped with a parachute, which Houle said he hasn’t had to use yet, but he admitted he has come close to pulling the ripcord at least once.

On another flight, he broke a rib and badly skinned the left side of his body.

“I was at a competition in North Carolina and launched off a mountain-top I was unfamiliar with and the wind was at a higher speed than I have launched in before,” Houle said. “As soon as I got my glider overhead, it collapsed and fell behind me and then reinflated and dragged me into some rocks. That is probably the worst I’ve been injured.”

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz When the wind fills the paraglider the torque on Houle and his harness is intense, and strangers gusts force him a bit off balance until he makes adjustments to the glider.

Courtesy Photo Joe Houle pilots his paraglider while flying in Columbia. He has jumped off mountains in Utah, Mexico, Italy, and Slovenia, along with many different places in the United States.