Paragliding: adrenaline and caution, side by side
As we get closer to Serra da Moeda, a traditional spot for the practice of paragliding near the city of Belo Horizonte, Trooper Thiago Miceli lets us know that there are butterflies in his stomach, and the adrenaline is starting to rise. “I’ve always enjoyed everything that involved flying. I took a course on light aircraft piloting, and I also flew model aircraft as well. When I found out one of my father’s friends was paragliding, I came here to see him fly. On that very day, I took a sample lesson, and from then on, I never stopped”, he tells us, before we start our photo session.
Miceli, as he is better known, is a senior back-end developer for HotPay, the international payment system developed by Hotmart. For him, paragliding helps to keep focused, assess risks, and make quick decisions, which are essential skills for the work he does, especially in an area so crucial as payments.
The Trooper tells us that, unlike many people think, paragliding is more than just enjoying the view from above. You need to pay close attention at all times, plan what you are going to do next and where you will go, to avoid running into trouble. “Of course you can enjoy it, but you must be focused for most of the flight, calculating the movement and the risk you are willing to take. Paragliding is an exercise in mitigating risks and every decision made while you’re flying has got be quick and strategic”, he says.
From his list of best flights, Miceli remembers a personal record, when he took a 40-km flight all the way to Congonhas. He also got three thousand meters high on a different occasion, in Serra da Moeda. And four thousand meters is the highest you can usually go when paragliding.
Our developer, however, has been through some rough patches, like when he was caught in a descending air current, and couldn’t land, having to change the course of the flight. On another occasion, he miscalculated the landing and ended up getting stuck in a tree. He has also seen other people having some trouble, and even some accidents.
Being extra careful, as the practice of paragliding demands, Miceli gives some advice to those who want to take up the sport: look for a registered school. “Don’t try to learn online, or from a friend. When it comes to paragliding, you need to study, go through the training. To enjoy it safely, you need to balance practice and theory, always with guidance”, he teaches.
The satisfaction on the face of the Trooper after the photo shoot is unmistakable. During the time we spent at Serra da Moeda, he found old friends and felt once again the rewarding sensation of flying. And more than that: he remembered all the teachings paragliding brought into his life, and that he applies every day, and often automatically, without realizing it comes from the practice of the sport.
