Paraglider Pilot Makes Nye Beach Flight By Larry Coonrod
Paraglider pilot Ryan Kern flies along Nye Beach Monday afternoon. Kern said he waited two and a half years for the perfect wind conditions before attempting the 19-minute flight. (Photos by Larry Coonrod)
By Larry Coonrod
NEWPORT—Ryan Kern stopped beach goers in their tracks Monday afternoon as his paraglider skimmed back and forth across the bluff between Don Davis Park and the Elizabeth Street Inn for almost 20 minutes.
Kern, until recently a brewer at Rogue Ales and now with Deschutes Brewery in Bend, said he had been waiting two and a half years for the right wind conditions to make the flight.
"It's a great way to take in the view and enjoy the beach," he said.
Flying along the beach Monday, Kern took advantage of ridge lift—wind flowing up and over the bluff—to regain altitude on each leg of the flight. The shape of the paraglider wing gives the craft a long glide ratio. Even without any wind lift, Kern’s glider will cover 10.8 feet of ground for every 1-foot of altitude it drops.
The unique airfoil design allows paragliders to make incredibly long flights. A pilot set the distance record last year of 240 miles on a seven and half hour flight between Idaho and Montana, reaching an altitude of 18,000 feet.
“The longest flight I’ve had was over here at Yaquina Head,” Kern said. “I was boating around for about four hours.”
The Federal Aviation Administration considers paragliders ultralight aircraft and the United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association licenses pilots, who carry insurance like any other aircraft.
"We have to obey airspace laws and we're regulated by the FAA,” Kern said.
Pilots control a paraglider with brake inputs on each half of the wing, a foot actuated accelerator bar and by shifting their weight from side to side.
Kern took up the sport six years ago after meeting an instructor from Utah (the sport’s Mecca) who told him, “Dude, you have to try it. It’s like a swing set that flies around.”
"There's not a whole lot of ego involved in this sport, which is great,” Kern said. “Everyone's like, 'Hey, I screwed up today and here's what happened.’"
Kern says advances in performance and safety since the sport started in the ‘80s make it comparable to mountain biking in safety. Most pilots nowadays fly with a reserve safety parachute.
“It’s like any other sport; it’s going to be as dangerous as you want it to be,” he said. "I've had 275 flights, and I've had a couple of sore muscles.”
Living in central Oregon gives Kern the chance to fly a couple of times a week.
"We like to go fly in the evening, watch the sunset and have a craft brew or two afterward. It's awesome," he said.
Kern recommends that anyone interested in taking up the sport consider trying a tandem flight with a certified instructor.
For more information, check out the local Cascade Paragliding Club (http://www.cascadeparaglidingclub.org/) and the United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (www.ushpa.aero)
"It's a blast,” he said. “I recommend everyone get into it because it's super addicting."
Contact Reporter Larry Coonrod by emailing editor@lincolncountydispatch.com
