OUTSIDE: A paraglider?
FISHER: For years we’ve driven in circles looking for waterfalls we know are on the map. We’d bushwhack for hours. Now I just use a powered paraglider. It’s a massive time saver.
Have you used it on any expeditions yet?
I just had it in Iceland. Instead of hiking up a mountain to go look at a waterfall, I’d just fly up, and within ten minutes I’d be back with the word. I can have it off the vehicle and flying in 15 minutes.
What’s it called?
The Revolution Flat Top 200 [$10,000; rpmppg.com]. It’s got a 26-horsepower motor and a carbon-fiber propeller, and it’s capable of climbing to an altitude of about 18,000 feet. On one tank, I can do a 50-mile flight at up to 25 miles per hour. You can take off and land anywhere.
What’s been your team’s reaction?
They call it the ultimate piece of redneckingstrapping a lawn mower to your back, running as fast as you can, and taking off. Sounds a little sketchy. Well, yeahyou’re flying.