North Port man gets unclipped while hang gliding. Will take another shot in the sky next month.

Reporter: Erika Jackson
Published: Updated:
Chris Gursky grips his hand into the instructor's shoulder. (Credit: Chris Gursky via ViralHog)
Chris Gursky grips his hand into the instructor’s shoulder. (Credit: Chris Gursky via ViralHog)

Chris Gursky said he will never forget the two minutes and 14 seconds when he had to hang on for his life in midair. But instead of looking back, he is moving forward.

“It’s something I need to get over at this point in time,” Chris said.

Nearly one year after his Swiss mishap, the North Port man and his wife will return to Interlaken next month and take another shot at hang gliding. Chris and his wife will go hang gliding toward the end of their trip.

Chris will be over 1,000 feet above Switzerland, feeling free. He wants to enjoy that more than worry about free falling.

“I just saw the tops of the trees,” Chris said. “I’m thinking, ‘I am going to fall to my death here.'”

Chris took his first stab at hang gliding in October 2018. But not long after taking off, he realized his harness was not attached to the glider. He was supposed to fly above the pilot, not hang below.

For Chris, it was a struggle. He grabbed anything he could, sinking his grip on the pilot’s shoulder. He said he will not let the first experience stop him from living the rest of his life. He wants to use every opportunity to live life to the fullest.

“Don’t wait until it is too late and you can’t do something like this,” Chris said.

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