Head in the Clouds: The Best Stories From 50 Years of Free Flying

Head in The Clouds captures the heart and soul of free flying. It is a unique collection of stories and essays that documents the first 50 years of free flying – the adventure sports of paragliding and hang gliding. Since the pioneer hang glider pilots took their first tentative steps into the air in the 1970s, free-flight pilots have enjoyed a golden age. Face in the breeze, arms outstretched, following the birds and soaring high up to the clouds. For 50 years we’ve chased and achieved humankind’s oldest dream. In this hardback collection of 50 stories, pilots describe the highs and lows in free flying firsthand: from the beauty of sunset soaring in the mountains to tales of epic adventure and the fight for survival. Whether traversing the Himalaya, being swept to 20,000ft inside a storm cloud and surviving, or simply the sheer fun of thermalling like a bird to the clouds, the stories convey the joys and challenges of this unique sport, which is enjoyed by tens of thousands of people worldwide. The book is edited by one of Britain’s best paraglider pilots Hugh Miller and former BBC journalist Andrew Craig who between them have more than 50 years of free-flight experience. As Hugh says: “Free flying is adventure and exploration at its best. These stories represent the very best of our sport, the heart and soul of free flying.” Head in the Clouds has been received with much critical acclaim, including being listed as one of the top 10 outdoor books of 2023 by The Scotsman, Scotland’s national newspaper.