Feels like a crazy reaction to someone surviving a miracle. But hey, I guess that's the Chinese Communists for you. This paraglider was accidentally pulled 28,000 feet into the air. With the air up there being -40 degrees Celsius. And survived to tell the tale. As per reports from The Daily Mail UK. That should be celebrated. Particularly because he didn't die during the crazy maneuvers. But again, I guess I don't make the rules.
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Paraglider Survives?
The man who pulled off this accidental maneuver is named Peng Yujian. And he's actually been banned from paragliding for six months.
Now that may seem harsh, as I alluded to at the top. However, he did put a lot of people at risk. Even if it was incidental. He actually got so high up there that he was in line with flight paths. Imagine that? You're just minding your business on a flight from China to Dubai, and there's a paraglider just chilling next to your plane. That's straight out of a comedy movie. I wonder if he waved.
This whole journey started at 9,800 feet at the Qilian mountain range in northern China last Saturday.
Initially, he meant to just test out some new equipment, according to an investigative report by the Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association. He didn't even want to make a proper flight.
But he soon found himself getting fired another 16,000 feet skyward. Visibility became incredibly poor in the wintry conditions. And Peng struggled to hold onto his parachute. Naturally, at that height, he was seen hovering above the clouds as he tried to regain control of the chute. This was all at a temperature of -35 degrees Celsius.
Peng was not ready for a high-altitude trip, and it was a miracle that he didn't die. When he did finally manage to land, he was in shock. He recalled getting hypoxia and having his hands exposed to freezing cold temperatures. It is genuinely nothing short of a miracle that the man didn't die. Naturally, the experience left him with extensive frostbite.
The Fallout For The Unlucky Paraglider
Because Peng hadn't meant to leave ground level, he had never registered any flight path. So, of course, according to the report, he was "not subject to relevant approvals".
The report, based on an interview with Peng, alleged that he was up there for more than an hour. And while he had attempted to land, the efforts had been ineffective. (Really? He was punished for trying? What, is the government Yoda?)
The report also mentioned that, "He was grounded for six months and asked to write a report to deeply reflect on the negative impact of his behavior." And I guess that's all well and good, but hopefully he got the help he needed, too.
