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Fly Above All Paragliding

Written by KEYT Anchor

Story Created: Nov 11, 2011 at 12:27 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 11, 2011 at 10:52 AM PDT

Santa Barbara - Our first search for adventure takes us high above the Santa Barbara Mesa, flying with the birds and soaring to new heights. Santa Barbara is known as one of the best spots in the entire world for paragliding.

"We've got a very Mediterranean climate like the south of France, it's a absolutely perfect condition for fair weather flying," said Chad Bastian of Fly Above All Paragliding.

Chad Bastian is the owner of Fly Above All and he has been flying the friendly skies around Santa Barbara for 20 years. Elings Park is a great training hill for beginners, but according to Chad it's also a great spot for the more advanced fliers. He has taken off from the park before and not landed for more than one hour.

There are a number of companies that offer lessons and it is relatively easy to learn. It's an adventure that almost anybody can pick up.

However, it is actually not as extreme as you might think.

"It can be extreme, it can look extreme, but really if the pilot is trained right and his judgment is good, its very calculated," said Chad Bastian.

For more information on paragliding check out, www.flyaboveall.com or www.sbsa.info, to get a hold of the Santa Barbara Soaring Association.

KEY News Reporter Scott Hurst has the story.
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