Tamborine Mountain lookout on Main Western Road was the place to be on the Labour Day public holiday as a host of South East Queensland's best paragliders and hang gliders took to the skies.
With the sun shining and a cool breeze, residents and tourists alike stood captivated as the pilots waited for the perfect updraft to take off.
Paragliding pilot and member of the Conondale Cross Country Flyers Club Steve Stocker said the sensation of flying can be described as “better than sex”.
“For hang gliders it’s a sensation similar to a bird how they cut through the air, do swooping actions and turn like a plane,” he said.
“For the paragliding fraternity it is more of a floating or dream like sensation but both give you a feeling of euphoria, you can’t stop smiling and an enlightening of emotions.”
The Tamborine Mountain and Beechmont sites are two of Australia’s premiere sites with most flights lasting between 1 and 3 hours.
The longest flight in Australia with a hang glider has been from the Beechmont site lasting for 500km to land out past Roma and took about 9 hours.
For paragliders, the local record is 162km, also achieved from Beechmont.
Steve says you can purchase a full set of flying apparatus for $3,000 - $5,000 with introductory courses ranging from 8 to 10 days.
“The other option is tandem jumps in either paragliding or hang gliding and they are a great stepping stone into the sport,” he said.
Canungra Hang Gliding Club offers tandem flights: for hang gliding contact Ken Hill on 0418 188 555 and for paragliding contact Phil Hystek on 5543 4000.