Will Gadd paraglides across US

June 17, 2001
Source: CBC Calgary
Original story - link verified on June 17, 2001

An adventurer from Canmore has accomplished something never done before. 34 year old Will Gadd has flown across the United States in a paraglider, a lightweight single person craft. Gadd took off May 1 from Los Angeles and landed Saturday in Kittyhawk, North Carolina where the Wright Brothers made their first flight almost a century ago. "This is the first time we actually made it anywhere that we said we'd make it. Normally we'd launch in the morning and just go with the wind. And we'd have no idea where we were going to end up that afternoon. It's sort of like the world's worst airline. You don't get any food and you don't know where you're going to land." Gadd says he was able to fly 100-150 kilometres most days, although one day he flew 350. Gadd has previously set world records for distance paragliding and is also a champion ice climber. The cross continent trip helped raise money for the Peregrine Fund.