Testimonials

"David, I want to thank your team from the bottom of my heart for my flight yesterday. Let what I wrote below be my gratitude to you. 

Yesterday, on August 2nd, 2024, I had my first-ever paragliding flight. It took place in the vicinity of the town of Agassiz, an hour and a half from Vancouver. An organization called Adaptive Air Time was established this summer. It's a non-governmental organization that provides accessible paragliding for people with disabilities.

 

I've always loved heights and challenges, so while living in Poland, I started rock climbing. For ten years, I attended an adapted mountaineering camp every summer. It was there that I first heard about adapted paragliding and began dreaming of the sky. However, at that time, it was a very expensive pleasure, so I couldn't fulfill this dream... In Vancouver, I saw eagles soaring above the city for the first time and literally fell in love with their majestic flight! To me, their flight is like a royal dance, full of grace and love for freedom! I always wanted to be like an eagle—to feel the air and wind with my entire being, to experience freedom in the truest sense. I wanted to fly! My physical condition is still deteriorating, and every day starts and ends with nearly 100% pain around my waist, neck, arms, and legs (doctors know everything but do nothing), yet I never stop dreaming.

 

I learned about Adaptive Air Time from a paraplegic forum and decided to ask the organization if I could try paragliding. The organizer, named David, immediately responded with approval. A few weeks later, I arranged with one of my friends to go to Aggassiz. Yesterday, my dream came true—I flew! When my friend, my assistant, and I arrived at the location, David's team transferred me into their van, and we drove 4 kilometers into the mountains, from where the paraglider would take off. The ride was terribly bumpy along the rough track, but I loved it because it reminded me of my ten years of rock climbing. Many times, I had traveled along similar tracks in similar vehicles to get closer to the cliffs. One of the team members, Colin, who was driving, told us about the surrounding area, the nature, the bears that often roam there, an eagle he called Hector, and the feeling of flight that I was about to experience… Then, I was transferred into a special flight chair, the parachute was prepared, a helmet was placed on my head, and I was strapped in with numerous belts.

 

After David, wearing his parachute, took his place in our tandem, the team pushed my chair towards the edge, and the flight began. As we took off, I suddenly felt that the pain in my body almost disappeared. I eagerly gulped in the air not only through my nose but also my mouth, and I couldn't stop laughing. I completely forgot about my wheelchair. Below me, I saw the distant yet close winding ribbon of the river, carpets of fields and forests, and mountains, endless mountains. The wind whistled in my ears.

 

Everything was as I had dreamed. I wanted it to last forever. I was free. Free even from pain!

 

And above us soared an eagle. Eagles don't like it when someone tries to be higher than them... The flight lasted about 20 minutes. The empathy of all the team members was overwhelming. Even the youngest stood out. He picked a blueberry and placed it in my mouth. It was very sweet. These people are very similar to my friends, climbers, and yachtsmen. Lean and fit, with sinewy and very strong arms. Cheerful but at the same time very attentive to details, calm and patient. They make their hobby the meaning of life, often risking it. They are fully aware of the cost of misunderstanding the wind, an untightened rope, or an unfastened carabiner. To me, these people are like a different, special "caste." People who are becoming rarer. People to whom I can entrust my life.

 

Dear Adaptive Air Time team, THANK YOU FOR THE FEELING OF FREEDOM!

P.s. I wonder if there would be a chance for me to repeat the flight this season?"