Paragliders are helping many older people realize thier dreams of flying. (Jiji)

More and more middle-aged and older people in Japan are making their childhood dreams come true by taking off into the air and flying like a bird. Following retirement, many of them have taken up paragliding, a sport in which participants sail across the sky by controlling an inflatable parachute-like wing. Comprising some 12% of all the adherents of this sport in Japan are older people, many of whom have been enticed by the ease of control, the improved safety of the equipment, and the comparatively affordable cost. Considering these factors, the number of older participants seems likely to continue growing.

A Dream Come True
Enthusiasts of the sport have come together to form paragliding groups all over the country, and more than a few of these clubs are composed exclusively of middle-aged and older people. One of these is called the Mt. Tawara Silver Fliers. This group, whose members paraglide in the area around Mt. Aso in Kyushu's Kumamoto Prefecture, was formed in 1990 and is made up of 22 men aged 60 to 74, most of whom are retirees. The members gather on the side of the 1,095-meter-high Mt. Tawara, located on the outer edge of Mt. Aso. While waiting for just the right wind, they enjoy friendly banter in the clubhouse. Then when the wind comes, they sail away into the air and fly to their heart's content.

The oldest member of the group and the person responsible for its founding is a 74-year-old former railroad employee. He has loved the sky since he was young, and when he went mountain climbing, he always watched in awe as birds flew freely through the air. He retired at the age of 55 and enjoyed hiking in the mountains and fishing, but his life changed one day when he was 61. That was the day he first saw a paraglider as he was driving near Mt. Aso. He then knew that paragliding would allow him to achieve his dream of flight, so he went straight to a paragliding class and was flying on the first day. It was a bit scary at first, but he resolutely opened the wing, stepped off the mountain, and floated away into the air. The feeling he experienced during his first flight remains fresh in his mind. Now he can fly freely at an altitude of about 300 meters, and he gets a tremendous amount of pleasure from looking down from the sky at the mountains and the trees.

Quite a few of the members had hoped to become pilots in their youth. A 72-year-old member had wanted to apply to join the navy as a pilot when he was younger but gave up because he was too small. After World War II ended, he joined a major construction company as an engineer and spent his days visiting the construction sites of what were to become department stores and automobile factories. Since retiring, he has logged more than 1,500 paraglider flights, and he gets a feeling of serenity when he sees the natural world around him from the sky.

Some 12% of Fliers over 50
The Silver Eagles are a small club based in Shizuoka Prefecture's Asagiri Heights. One of the group's eight members, a 67-year-old man who used to work at a publishing company, says that he enjoys not just flying but also the social aspects of the club, which holds events and takes trips as a group. Three years ago they went to France, where they met some older Germans who were also paragliding enthusiasts, and everyone went flying together. When the group goes on trips within Japan, the members enjoy meeting the local residents and talking with young people. A 78-year-old farmer who belongs to the club has been flying two or three times every week for the past 10 years. He says that when he rides the wind, he can forget all of his troubles. Paragliding also has health benefits; this February he gave up the cigarettes he had smoked for so many years in order to be able to get a better running start for takeoff.

Paragliders rely on a nine-meter-wide, three-meter-high canopy made mostly of nylon. When the wind is at a speed of four or five meters per second, two or three running steps down the side of a mountain are enough to lift the flier off the ground. The paraglider is controlled using cords or by shifting one's weight. Paragliding was invented in Europe in 1978, and it began to grow popular in Japan around 1987. While a license is not required, the Japan Hang Gliding Federation issues 10 types of skill certificates pertaining to the skills needed to fly.

According to the federation, there are a total of 24,000 people in Japan who enjoy hang gliding or paragliding. While those aged 50 and older made up 8% of the total in 1991, their ranks have quickly expanded to 12%. While growth in the number of participants in their twenties has leveled off, more and more middle-aged and older people are giving the sports a try. Commenting on the increasing popularity of paragliding among older people, a spokesperson for the Japan Hanggliding Federation says, "It's easy to pilot a paraglider, and it doesn't require a great deal of strength. Safety continues to improve, and it's a relatively easy sport for older people to take up. The equipment costs about ¥350,000 [$2,920 U.S. at ¥120 to the dollar], but this is not overly expensive for members of their generation."