Flying over Rio, jungles and the ocean...

Steve, Jaque and I drove down from Valadares to Rio in torrential rain. The next day, Steve and I packed our gliders and headed to São Conrado for the flight of a lifetime. We showed the office our certification, paid our fees for take off and got a taxi to the mountain top.

The take off at Sao Conrado, Rio is absolutely incredible. There's no room for error as you've only got four steps before take off and the cliff! There's a guy up there who will set up the wing and all you have to do is connect up and wait for the go ahead to take off. About 20 feet above us was the launch ramp for the hang glider pilots. You need to shout up to them to make sure they're not taking off as you launch otherwise you'll have a tangled mess falling down the cliff!

Standing on the edge of the take off looking out over Rio

It's an incredible experience. You're literally in the jungle up there. Feeding monkeys and looking out over the rain forest, Rio and the ocean and I was about to fly over all three:

I managed to capture this little adventure on film:

This movie gives you an idea of the take off in São Conrado, Rio. Absolutely incredible view.

Taking off from São Conrado Rio. Note the hang glider who takes off directly over my head. You need to make sure there's someone communicating with them or there's going to be a tangle! There's no margin for error on this take off. It's literally 4 steps and up (or down!)

Finally, this is a cut down movie from my head cam of the flight

If you fly, you've got to visit this place. It's fantastic.

What a fantastic view. Nice one Steve. Cheers mate.