Yuen Wai-kit: Policeman and Veteran Paraglider
When policeman Yuen Wai-kit isn’t fighting crime, you can find him paragliding over Hong Kong, 1,000 meters in the air. The veteran paraglider—a keen participant in the sport for over 10 years—talks to June Ng about his passion for being airborne.
HK Magazine: Can anyone learn how to paraglide?
Yuen Wai-kit: Of course! Some people might be worried that their weight will prevent them from paragliding, but it’s actually not the case. There are many different parafoil models and gear suitable for people of all sizes. Veteran pilots can even carry a passenger with them. The only drawback in Hong Kong is that it’s quite difficult to find instructors. We usually recommend that people learn to paraglide in Taiwan or Bali first.
HK: Is it dangerous?
YW: Actually, it’s not as dangerous as people think; you’re very unlikely to get killed paragliding. The gear is very safe and it’s specially designed so that the wings don’t collapse, even under extreme conditions. And you don’t go that fast, either. We fly at 20-30 kilometers per hour, so even if you crash into a mountain, it’ll be low impact. In fact, I get more bruises and scratches from mountain biking.
HK: Mountain biking used to be your main interest. What made you switch to paragliding?
YW: Actually, I only started paragliding because my friend wanted to learn and he asked if I would keep him company. But the funny thing is, after seeing a demonstration flight, he decided against it, but I became interested in the sport.
HK: What was your most remarkable paragliding experience?
YW: I was once in Tai Po, about to fly over Pat Sin Leng when I suddenly hit turbulence. Half my parafoil collapsed and I started to fall to the ground from 150 meters up. I thought I was going to have to make an emergency landing, but miraculously the wind started to blow and carried me up to 1,200 meters, just enough to fly over the mountain. I was lucky because if I had crash-landed, I would have had to gather up my equipment and trek across the mountain on foot.
HK: Have you ever suffered a bird strike?
YW: Fortunately not. We fly in a group most of the time so the birds don’t mess with us. But I once heard of a pilot who was flying on his own when a territorial hawk made a hole in his parafoil.
HK: Can you access your cellphone network so high up in the air?
YW: Actually, there’s a very strong cellphone signal at high altitudes. Even a thousand meters up, my phone will still ring.