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For Bob Edelen, flight sounds like a dream: He wears a backpack that lets him soar above his home and neighborhood, looking down on trees, birds and valleys. Sometimes friends wave from their porches.
A powered paraglider gets Edelen aloft. Along with about 20 other Alaskans, he enjoys the freedom of flight with a device that fits in the back of his car and takes only 15 minutes to set up. He doesn't need a runway to take off or land, and he doesn't need a hangar to store his gear.
The device he flies looks like a wide, fan-shaped motor affixed to his back, a harness and a canopy billowed out above him. Powered paragliding, also called paramotoring, offers Edelen the mobility of a small aircraft, with the advantage of feeling fresh air on his face the whole time.