For most of us, to be 'free as a bird' cannot be taken literally. Gold Coast hang-glider, Jon Durand, is the exception. Durand is one of the youngest pilots on the elite circuit and, at the ripe old age of 26, broke a world record for the longest flight from a mountain.
Born and raised in Beechmont, Queensland, Durand has been flying against the world's best for almost a decade. Breaking the world record was particularly satisfying for him, as it happened so close to home. Over nine hours, he flew 517 kilometres from Beechmont to Muckadilla at a height of roughly two kilometres. It was the cherry on the top for Durand, who had just returned from winning every competition he had entered worldwide.Breathtaking aerial views - and wild parties!
Australia is one of the best places in the world for flying, with its hot hair and beautiful scenery. However, Durand is legendary for his flying worldwide, particularly in Europe, North and South America. Brazil is a favourite of Durand's and it's here that he won the Giants of Rio quadathlon as part of the Red Bull Adventure Team, along with ironman Ky Hurst, Sid Taberlay and Courtney Atkinson, in 2004. Together, the team took home $76,000 prize money.
"The terrain is simlar to Australia, you get good flying, strong thermals," said Durand. "Brazil is good in all aspects - the flying, the food and the partying!"
Break-neck speed
For Durand, flying is in the blood. His father, Californian Jon Durand Sr, is an enthusiastic hang-glider and took his son into the skies on his first tandem flight at the age of nine. Years later, they would compete with each other in distance flying, in good-natured contests. The local farmers became used to the Durands landing in their fields from time to time.
"I've been flying now for 13 years so I don't really get worried about my flights and neither do my parents," said Durand Jr. "I've had a few crashes but I've never broken anything. I've been to hospital twice with a suspected broken neck just from hitting the ground pretty hard."
Relying on the unpredictable
Hang-gliders take flight by using thermal currents created by the sun's heat. These currents are short-lived and survival relies on one's ability to read the weather and know precisely where these pockets of hot hair will rise from the ground. "The clouds are the top of the thermal, so under the clouds is where we find the lift," explained Durand.
Despite the obvious dangers, Durand is committed to his bird-like quest and his latest world record is just the beginning. "I'd rather die in my hang-glider than have a head-on in a car. I'm doing what I want to do."
Free as a bird
Jon Durand
