Final Glide

Ever since Icarus and Daedalus flew across the sea with wings made of feathers and wax people have imagined flying like the birds.

Some people do – glider pilots, hang glider pilots, paraglider pilots, wingsuit pilots… all these and many others pursue the dream of human flight.

But what does it take to really fly far? To fly further than any human has before, powered only by the sun, wind, thermals and your own skill?

In this collection of four true real-life short stories, an elite band of hang glider and paraglider pilots reveal what it takes to set a world record in hang gliding and paragliding distance flying. 

They include:

1. Dragon Slaying, with Nevil Hulett
South African pilot Nevil Hulett goes big-game hunting in the South African outback and comes back with a 500km record. "I could have died up there," he said.

2. Final Glide, with Jonny Durand and Dustin Martin
Possibly one of the greatest sporting battles of all time – and all played out in the hot, dry, high skies of Deep South Texas. Jonny and Dustin go head-to-head over 11 hours and 760km.

3. Heroes of the Brazilian Heartland, with Frank Brown, Donizete Lemos, Marcelo Prieto and Rafael Saladini
Three Brazilian heroes plan and execute the perfect raid – flying 514km in an 11-hour racing epic that saw the world record brought home to Brazil.

4. The Dream Team, with Donizete Lemos, Rafael Saladini and Samuel Nascimento
Almost a year to the day of their 514km record, the Brazilians were back – smashing the paragliding world record to 564km. 

This short collection of world record stories from Cross Country Magazine has been specially brought together in an ebook, with an introduction by Cross Country Magazine editor Ed Ewing.

To fly far, fly fast!