tandem hang-glide.

I did this in Riverside California a long time ago. We went off the top of Mt. Rubidaux or something like that. Then we got into a thermal and climbed high above the mountain. Taking off was the trick. It was gusty and the guy didn’t really want to do it but needed the money! A gust came and we started running down a slope towards a cliff. My harness was shorter and my feet came off the ground and swung me up behind him. The gust ended and he kept running for our lives but my feet were still off the ground so not only could I not help, I was in the way. He accidentally elbowed me in the eye and my contact lense popped out! Thank God we took flight as we went off the cliff. He seemed a bit shaken up but kept it to himself. I’d never done this before so although I knew it was a messed up take off I didn’t get the full picture of what had happened until we got on the ground and his wife who was crying ran to where we were and threw her arms around him and started freaking out. Then he told me that was the closest call he had ever had with his hang glider. My friend who came along with me just looked at me like “Yea, whatever, let’s go”.