Longest free distance paragliding flight

What to remember

Del Rio and Claude, two towns in Texas, mark the ends of the longest free-distance paragliding flight: 609.9 km (379.0 mi). Sebastien Kayrouz flew from one to the other on 20 June 2021 under an Ozone Enzo 3 wing, with no engine at all.

A paraglider is a fabric wing with no rigid frame, launched on foot. The pilot sits in a harness, or a cocoon-like pod, hanging below; the wing keeps its shape thanks to its lines, to air rushing into vents along the front and to the airflow over its surface. Going far means climbing in rising air, often to a few thousand metres.

Most flights last one to five hours and cover a few tens of kilometres. Kayrouz's category has a precise name, Free Distance, which was called Straight Distance until May 2020.