Can your Wing Fly Forever?

A paraglider dies after only 400 hours of flying, but what if they could fly forever?  Well, after 14 years, and about 2500 hours of flying, I had retired six un-flyable wings to my closet and it was beginning to be a problem. I was holding onto them for sentimental reasons, unwilling to separate myself from the magical adventures each one of them encompassed. What else could I do?  [right:image:22306]Years earlier, I had travelled to Malawi, Africa and helped a young man there become his country's first Paraglider Pilot. Since then I have struggled to find a way to help other foreigners feel comfortable in doing the same. To me, the path was always clear, but less clear was determining how the project could be funded. Unwilling to be under the thumb of corporate sponsors or take the standard approach, of soliciting donations of westerners for yet another project in Africa, I was in a moral standoff of sorts.  And then one day I opened my closet only to have 40 kg of precariously balanced bags of old nylon come tumbling down and it hit me! I could take these gliders to Malawi, find people who needed work, teach them to transform them into something useful. Then together, we could sell them to support both their community and this unique paragliding initiative.  [b]That's what happened, and over the past three years:[/b]  - four hard-working moms have learned to sew - they have setup their own communal work space, complete with two foot-powered sewing machines - 20 un-flyable wings have been sent to Malawi - 250 bags have been produced and sold as a result - the program has become self-sustaining model of repurposing, dedication, and ingenuity.  [show:image:22684] [b]Now that the bags are selling and the program is running, attention has gone into supporting:[/b]  - the Solar Powered Internet Centre for Youth, complete with a large table and four tablets with access to Wikipedia - 15 volunteers stay at The School of Dreams centre, further contributing to the program infrastructure and local economy - two young Malawians, in their desires to fly free, with another two slated for training in 2019  [right:image:23339]And so what about your wings? [b]Will they fly forever?[/b] Will that porous old nylon be transformed into jobs, useful items and the opportunities for the young men and women of Malawi to share your passion for free-flight?  That's for you to decide! Either way, I am grateful to you for taking the time to read about what we have created and invite you to be a part of the magic in whatever way works for you.  Here are a few useful links:  - Check out the beautiful new [url=https://etsy.com/shop/TheSchoolofDreams]Adventure Bags[/url] - [url=http://theschoolofdreams.org/equipment_form]Donate a glider[/url] (flyable or not) to The School of Dreams - [url=http://http://theschoolofdreams.org/volunteer_form]Volunteer[/url] in 2019  Ben :)  [group:image:22695][group:image:22709][group:image:22710][group:image:22712]

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The Endless Chain - Press Release

Jan 01, 2019 - Nelson, BC - Last summer, Benjamin Jordan realized his life long dream of flying his paraglider along the entire length of Canada's southern Rocky Mountains.  From Rooseville, Montana to Prince George, BC, the 37-year old, Nelson-based filmmaker flew his wind-powered aircraft across some of BC's and Alberta's most rugged wilderness while having to make strategic landings atop mountain to avoid electrical storms or touching down within the forbidden boundaries of Banff National Park.  Despite the many challenges he encountered along the way, none compared to the psychological struggle of sitting alone in the alpine for weeks at a time, waiting for poor weather or wildfire smoke to clear so that he could fly on. Able to carry no more than 12-days of food, Jordan would occasionally land in populated areas to refuel before heading back up into the nearest summit to re-launch.  Of the entire expedition, Jordan was most nervous, and excited, about soaring over the glaciers and alpine lakes of Jasper National Park, North America's only National Park to allow Paraglider travel. Though its remoteness and mystery have caused pilots to stay away, Jordan dedicated a complete year to studying Jasper's unique topography with the ambitious dream of becoming the first person to fly across her entirety.  'I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked down upon the razor sharp ridge of The Endless Chain!' Jordan expressed, describing the moment he realized he had become the first human to free-fly over Jasper's famous unbroken line of peaks.  Despite extended waits between flights, his fortune continued for 50 consecutive days until the unprecedented levels wild-fire smoke of late August left Jordan with no choice but to complete his 1200 km, un-supported journey on foot. During a 4-day (214 km) walk from McBride to Prince George, Jordan had time to reflect on his unique accomplishment while stepping into the record books for the Longest Vol-Biv (Fly-Camp) Expedition in America.

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