New Paragliding Wheelchair Introduced

ABLE Pilot, a chapter of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, and the University of Utah, Department of Mechanical Engineering, have joined together to develop a paragliding wheelchair that allows people with spinal cord injuries and paralysis to fly alone with minimal assistance.  The Phoenix 1 Paraglider Wheelchair is set to be unveiled on May 29th, 2010 – on the US’s Hang Gliding and Paragliding Day.

Mark Gaskill, an advanced paragliding and tandem instructor, and Vice President of the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, has been doing tandem paragliding with wheelchair users.  The decision to make an accessible single user paragliding wheelchair came after having to tell too many people that the technology did not exist in order for them to fly solo after the introductory course.  Now, that is about to be changed.

Step in some mechanical engineering students from the University of Utah led by Dr. Donald Bloswick.  Joined together, they have created the first solo paragliding device to allow people to get out of the wheelchair and into the air.  Once in the air, disabled pilots are on equal footing with all other pilots.  This is an opportunity rarely seen in other adaptive sports.

ABLE Pilot is a chapter of the United States Hang gliding & Paragliding Association (USHPA), whose aims are to help people with disabilities to safely experience the freedom, joy and sense of accomplishment that paragliding offers.  View the website at http://www.systemicpartners.org/ablepilot/able.html