The 1970s hike-and-fly revolution

Before today’s boom in hike-and-fly paragliding there was a select group of pilots who pioneered high mountain hike-and-fly hang gliding. Thomas Finsterwalder, who learnt to fly 50 years ago, was there. He tells his story

I have had a love of adventure since I was a child. When I was 12 years old, I’d already started with white water sports. The kayaks available at the time didn’t meet my standards and I had ideas on how to improve them. So, age 14 I started designing my own kayaks and making them out of fibreglass. Product design became my new passion. 

My father was a well-known civil engineer and would have loved for me to become one, but I really wanted to do my own thing and be independent. That’s why I set up my own company to manufacture and sell kayaking equipment. My father not only accepted my independence, he supported it. I am forever grateful to him for that.

Mike Harker (a hang gliding legend...