- [INSTRUCTOR] ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO.
[PLANE ENGINE]
I BELIEVE WE CAN FLY, AND I BELIEVE WE CAN--
- TO SHARE THE FREEDOM OF FLIGHT,
IT'S REMARKABLE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH SOMEONE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DO.
EVEN IN THE PAST 50 YEARS,
IT'S GROWN TO WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
- AT THE BEGINNING WHEN THE PLANE WAS STILL TETHERED
TO THE HANG GLIDER,
AND THAT'S WHEN I KIND OF GOT USED TO THE NOISE
AND JUST THE WHOLE MOTION OF IT,
AND THEN THEY DETACHED AND IT WAS SILENT,
AND THAT'S WHEN IT GOT VERY REALISTIC
BECAUSE I KNEW WE WEREN'T ATTACHED ANYMORE
AND I GOT A LITTLE SCARED
'CAUSE WE STARTED TO FLOAT AROUND AND DO LITTLE TURNS
AND POCKETS OF AIR BROUGHT US UP AND DOWN.
BUT IT WAS VERY PEACEFUL, QUIET.
GOT TO SEE BEAUFORT AND THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE WILD HORSES.
- IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN A KID OUT ON THE BEACH
FLYING YOUR KITE THINKING, "MAN, HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE
"IF I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO ATTACH MYSELF WITH THE KITE?"
THIS IS THAT, BUT YOU GET TO GO UP IN THE SKY
AND PLAY AROUND.
YOU GET TO SEE CLOUDS NEXT TO YOU.
- [INSTRUCTOR] SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT BOILING WATER,
HOW IT STARTS HEATING UP AND THOSE BUBBLES FORM
CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN FIRST, RIGHT,
AND THEN AS IT HEATS UP MORE AND MORE,
THE BUBBLES START RISING.
WELL, EVERYDAY WHEN THE SUN COMES UP,
IT STARTS HEATING UP THE AIR
AND LITTLE POCKETS OF HOT AIR START FORMING.
AND AS THE DAY HEATS UP MORE AND MORE,
THOSE POCKETS OF HOT AIR START RISING
AND CAN EVENTUALLY FORM WHAT WE SEE AS THE CLOUDS.
- IT'S LIFE-CHANGING FOR SOME PEOPLE.
WE'VE HAD PEOPLE LAND AND THEY'RE CRYING AND BAWLING,
NOT BECAUSE THEY JUST DID SOMETHING SCARY,
IT'S 'CAUSE THEY HAD THIS LIFE-ALTERING EXPERIENCE
THAT CHANGED THEIR WHOLE OUTLOOK ON LIFE
AND THEY DIDN'T THINK THEY COULD DO IT AND THEY DID IT.
AND IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE THAT.
- [INSTRUCTOR] WELCOME BACK TO EARTH.
[LAUGHING]
- DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
- ALRIGHT, HERE WE ARE WITH KEVIN,
ABOUT TO GO UP AND PLAY AROUND IN THE SKY
JUST LIKE A BIRD WOULD.
ANY WORDS FOR THE CAMERA BEFORE WE GET UP THERE
AND HAVE SOME FUN?
- NO, LET'S GET GOING.
- ALRIGHT, YOU HEARD THE MAN, LET'S GET OFF THIS PLANET.
- WHEN YOU'RE FLYING ABOUT IN A PLANE
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT'S NICE SLOW TURNS,
AND THIS THING TURNS ON A DIME.
YOU JUST GET TO SEE THINGS, IT'S A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
OF SEEING THE ENTIRE AREA.
WE SAW SOME WILD HORSES TODAY OVER ON ONE OF THE ISLANDS.
AND IT'S A GREAT PERSPECTIVE.
- THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING YOU CAN GET TO BEING A BIRD.
IT'S THE ONLY KIND OF AIRCRAFT IN THE WORLD
THAT YOU CAN FLY WHERE YOU USE YOUR OWN BODYWEIGHT
TO CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS.
SO IT'S WEIGHT-SHIFT MANEUVERING.
SO THAT'S KIND OF A COOL ASPECT ABOUT HANG GLIDERS ALREADY.
- IF YOU WANT TO, PUT A HAND UP HERE
AND A HAND ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE,
AND I'LL KINDA TALK YOU THROUGH FLYING IT
WHILE WE'RE FLYING OVER HERE.
SO, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN NEUTRAL FLYING POSITION.
IF WE WANT TO SPEED UP, WE'RE GONNA PULL OUT WEIGHT FORWARD
TOWARD THE NOSE, SO PULL THE BAR BACK TO YOU.
YOU'LL FEEL THE WIND PICKING UP.
- YEAH.
- NICE, EASE BACK OUT NICE AND SLOW,
THAT'S HOW YOU SLOW DOWN.
ALRIGHT, TO THERE.
IF WE WANTED TO GO RIGHT, WE'D JUST SHIFT OUR WEIGHT
OVER TO YOUR RIGHT, SO KINDA PULL THE BAR BACK
TOWARD YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER.
- SO YEAH, TAKE OUR WEIGHT OVER THERE A LITTLE MORE.
THERE YOU GO.
SO NOW YOU CAN SEE THE WILD HORSES DOWN THERE,
RIGHT THERE AT THAT POND, IN THE CENTER.
- LEONARDO DAVINCI SAID IT BEST,
"FOR ONCE YOU HAVE TASTED FLIGHT,
"YOU WILL FOREVER WALK THE EARTH
"WITH YOUR EYES TURNED SKYWARD,
"FOR THERE YOU HAVE BEEN
"AND THERE YOU WILL LONG TO RETURN."
- AWESOME.
I'VE HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT REACTIONS FROM PEOPLE.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE THEY GOT DOWN ON THE GROUND,
THEY COULDN'T WALK 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW
THEIR LEGS WERE KINDA SHUTTERING BENEATH THEM.
- [INSTRUCTOR] IT'S GONNA FEEL LIKE YOU GOT OFF A BOAT
FOR YOUR VERY FIRST TIME.
- MY HANG GLIDING FLIGHT WAS PRETTY TERRIFYING
IN THE BEGINNING.
- SO PRIMARILY, I WANT YOU TO HOLD ONTO THOSE HANDLES
FOR THE TAKEOFF AND THE LANDING, OKAY?
ONCE WE GET A FEW HUNDRED FEET AWAY FROM THE GROUND,
YOU CAN RELAX YOUR ARMS, HOLD THEM OUT LIKE A BIRD.
WE GOT TRISH HERE WITH US TODAY,
ABOUT TO GO UP AND FLY AROUND IN THE AIR
IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORT, SEE THE CRYSTAL COAST.
ANY WORDS FOR THE CAMERA BEFORE WE GO UP THERE
AND PLAY AROUND?
- I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY WORDS.
- SPEECHLESS.
- AND THEN ONCE I GOT UP THERE, IT WAS REALLY AMAZING.
IT WAS NOT WHAT I HAD EXPECTED.
IT WAS VERY EXCITING, BUT NOT TERRIFYING.
- I'VE HAD PEOPLE CRY, I'VE HAD PEOPLE--
JUST AMAZING EXPERIENCES FOR PEOPLE.
[WIND HOWLING]
I'VE NEVER HAD ANYBODY THAT DIDN'T ENJOY IT.
- [DEBORAH VOICEOVER] KITTY HAWK KITES CAN BE FOUND
AT 419 FRONT STREET IN BEAUFORT.
THEY'RE OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS EARLY AS NINE A.M.
AND THEY STAY OPEN UNTIL NINE P.M. ON MOST NIGHTS.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BOOKING YOUR HANG GLIDING EXPERIENCE,
GIVE THEM A CALL AT 252-648-8301
OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT KITTYHAWK.COM/BEAUFORT.