Riding High

>>When developer Darin Smith leaves his troubles behind, he leaves them way behind-about 500 feet and more below him.

Smith, 36, is CEO of Cornerstone Investments, a Fort Myers company. His latest project is the more than 400-acre Paradise Preserve on the Cape Coral-North Fort Myers border.

He took up powered paragliding six years ago as a way to unwind. Now he aims his wings into the wind several times a month with a group of fellow enthusiasts. "In a matter of a few bounds forward, you're flying," he explains.

The sport looks a lot more dangerous than it is, says Smith, who went through an intensive two-week training course when he first took it up. The apparatus is kept aloft not only by the large, easily maneuverable parafoil, but also by its motor, and Smith carries a backup parachute with him on each flight.

He can stay airborne for up to three hours, occasionally cutting the motor for 30 or 40 minutes at a time and soaring "like you see an eagle soar." Though he usually keeps his altitude at 250 to 500 feet, Smith has gone as high as 6,500 feet. He gets leery of being potentially too close to aircraft at that height, Smith says.

Smith takes off from any open space-often the golf courses on his company's properties-and charts his course with a GPS device. The paragliders are easy to control, he says. "I can pick any direction I want, just like a bird flies."

That usually includes trips over water, where less thermal activity not only makes for smoother flying but also exciting views. Says Smith, who also enjoys fishing, "It's great to spot fish. It's an angelic experience when you're up there-absolute freedom."