FKA Kiteboarding Forums - Want to go FLYING in the Keys, For Real?!

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Coming up on Alligator Lighthouse four miles off Islamorada with all the blue, green water.

Here is your best opportunity and at an incredible price with Paradise Hang Gliding. Imagine flying 1500 or 2500 ft. above Hawks Channel and the Florida Reef Tract or the flats and mangrove cays of Florida Bay off Whale Harbor (Kite Beach) in Islamorada, FL. I did both recently and the views and sensations are fantastic. They are offering a Groupon at $69.00 for a tandem flight for a couple more days. I used to happily pay $95. for this experience almost 20 years ago with Miami Hang Gliding when they were still there! More at http://www.groupon.com/deals/paradis...-gliding-inc-1 and on their website: http://www.paradisehanggliding.com/ and on Facebook.

Here are a few images:

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Danielle takes off with Instructor/Owner Scot Trueblood for a flight over Florida Bay.

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You will be able to fly on your very first tandem flight with a USHGA instructor. They pull you up behind a speeding boat towed on a 3300 ft. high strength tow line. They control the speed of ascent by the boat speed and winch tension. Once you are a altitude they pop the tow line and you get to fly around for a while. The glider is equipped with pontoons so when you are ready you land on the water. The glider is back on the boat and setup for the next flight in no time. I started doing this with an operation in Miami in 1993, the procedures and equipment have been around for a long time. These folks struck me as being particularly safety conscious too.

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Flying towards Cotton Key and Whale Harbor over Florida Bay.

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Flying in over the lighthouse.

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Coming in for a landing.

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You can combine your flying experience with a trip to the reef for snorkeling. Such as at the lighthouse as shown above or at Hen and Chickens Reef shown below or other interesting spot. Both spots are shallow and loaded with marine life.

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Sixteen year old Danielle took a tandem flight with Paradise the day I went out with them. Danielle featured the operation on the website recently,
See My Beach .

Coming in for a gentle landing on the water is fairly easy. Normally when you do this on land, you hit the bunny slopes, literally dozens of times. You walk up a slope, run to foot launch, fly for seconds, land banging yourself up, maybe your glider too and repeat over and over again. Boat tow puts you at a excellent altitude for an extended flight with you controlling the glider with your instructor first time up. Best part, almost anyone can take a tandem flight and experience all these unique sensations.

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So, get in touch with Scot or Maryann with Paradise Hang Gliding to setup a great day on, over and under the water! They are docked in Whale Harbor Marina just south of Holiday Isle on the other side of the bridge and just north of the Chesapeake Resort in Islamorada. It only takes a few hours and the memories can last a lifetime. Fit it in with a kiting, diving, fishing or family trip to the Keys.

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