The flight that almost killed me

newtboysays...

When I was 17, my dad took me to some cliffs south of San Francisco to learn how to hang glide. The class met at a cliff to watch experienced pilots take off before going to a practice slope. The first launch we watched took off, made a smooth arcing turn, and crashed at full speed directly into the vertical cliff about 150' high and fell. He broke both legs at the least, but survived at least long enough for the ambulance to get there.

Dad cancelled my class, I never learned to fly.

BSRsays...

I just a love a good dad story.

When I was about 10 years old, dad and I went fishing down to the Delaware River between NJ and PA. We would walk across the railroad bridge and make our way to the top of the pier and fish from there.

Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6891036,-75.204665,78a,35y,102.75h,61.26t/data=!3m1!1e3

As we walked with our fishing poles and fishing box across the railroad ties he would tell me stories from when he was a kid. Told me his older brother tried to get my dad to jump from the bridge into the river. My Uncle had done this many times but dad had no desire to try it.

He said my Uncle tried to push him off the bridge once but dad held on real tight to one of the steel girders.

He told me, if I looked real close at that 2nd girder over there, I could still see his fingerprints embedded in it.

I think I laughed for 5 minutes straight.

--------------------------------------------

BTW, that's Easton PA on the waterfall side. Home of Larry Holmes.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6899416,-75.2056761,3a,25.1y,100.05h,92.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suS_MxvwqsYa-rGO1dXt0Lg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

newtboysaid:

When I was 17, my dad took me to some cliffs south of San Francisco to learn how to hang glide. The class met at a cliff to watch experienced pilots take off before going to a practice slope. The first launch we watched took off, made a smooth arcing turn, and crashed at full speed directly into the vertical cliff about 150' high and fell. He broke both legs at the least, but survived at least long enough for the ambulance to get there.

Dad cancelled my class, I never learned to fly.

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