Page 87 - Demo

A friend in my hang gliding class suggested I next try a %u201ctandem flight%u201d%u2014flying in a hang glider made for two people. A small airplanecarries you up 600 meters and then lets you go. I decided to try it with my instructor, Jon Thompson. Up into the air we went. When the airplane released us, it felt like falling from a building, headfirst. %u201cYou can fly now,%u201d my instructor said. After a few moments, I found thecourage to turn the glider a little to the left, and then a little to the right. I was more like a pigeon1than an eagle,2but I was flying!Of course, hang gliding is not the only way mankind has learned to enjoy the freedom of flight. Today, many people skydive, while BASE jumpers%u2014those who jump off buildings, cliffs, and bridges%u2014often get their thrills illegally. For a few exciting moments, they experience free-falling%u2014falling downwards with nothing to slow them%u2014before they open a parachute. %u201cIt%u2019s as close as human beings can get to flying like a bird,%u201d says BASE jumper J. T. Holmes.Switzerland%u2019s Yves Rossy might disagree. The wings he has invented for personal flight have four smallengines. Hesteers them just by moving his shoulders. For 10 minutes at a time, Rossy seems to fly as free as a bird, having both power and control. One of his longest flights was across the water from France to England. %u201cIt%u2019s awesome, it%u2019s great, it%u2019sfantastic!%u201d says Rossy. Since then, he has continued to improve his wing design, and hopes he can%u201cmotivate the next generation of thinkers to do something different . . . even if it seems impossible.%u201dEFGA model of a flying machine designed by Leonardo da Vinci1A pigeon is a common bird that usually lives in towns and cities.2An eagle is a large bird known for its strength, vision, and power of flight.Unit 12A