Paragliding is a recreational adventure sport in which the pilot floats beneath a wide canopy of light, free-flying, parachute-like material on legs linked to his or her body. Paraglider pilots may stay aloft for up to 3 hours, ascend to 15,000 feet, and travel hundreds of kilometers thanks to thermal wind currents. David Barish pioneered paragliding in the mid-1960s, and it has since become the most accessible type of human flight.