Balloon Rides, Soaring, and Skydiving make Exciting and Unique Holiday Gifts

Still searching for a present family and friends will talk about for years? The search has ended if Jenna Wilkinson Roche of Soaring Adventures of America has her way. Soaring Adventures sells Flight Certificates for Hot Air Balloon Rides, Glider Rides and Tandem Skydiving rides that are now available nationwide.

Roche herself had her first glider ride 25 years ago at the age of ten with her father at the controls and his brand new FAA Commercial Glider License in his pocket. Now, anyone can ride at any of the 200 Soaring Adventures locations nationwide. And, if the ride happens to take place on Martha's Vineyard, MA, Jenna's dad "Captain Rob" will probably be the pilot. "I've been up many times since, but I still remember every minute of my first flight," says Wilkinson Roche. "This holiday, pass up those boring gifts and choose an exciting adventure instead."

For a gift of a Hot Air Balloon ride, the crew chief will take riders to the launch site, where the balloon is being inflated. They have the option to help the ground crew and most people do. After ascending to between 500 and 1,000 feet, riders will have an hour to float over the countryside, beneath the clouds, through valleys, over treetops and rivers wherever the wind takes them. As you touch down in a farmer's field, you celebrate the flight with a toast of champagne or fruit juice, which is an old European tradition.

During a Soaring Glider ride, the rider and pilot get into a glider with a rope from the tow plane 200 feet ahead attached to its nose. The signals are given, the rope tightens and the glider is airborne, being towed to a mile high above the earth. The rope is released and then it’s soaring! There are dual controls so the rider can fly too if they wish, or just sit back and enjoy the silent flight using only the power of the winds.

Skydiving is not for the faint hearted, and very different from Ballooning and Soaring. After training, adventurers will be jumping from over two miles above ground, attached to an expert skydiver and freefalling for several minutes before landing safely with a parachute, within inches of the target.

Couples of all ages seem to enjoy the balloon rides best. The peaceful nature of Soaring and the option to try the controls appeals to men and women in their thirties, forties, and fifties. And young people in their twenties like the excitement of skydiving and the thrill of the freefall. There is a ride just right for anyone.

In the past 25 years Soaring Adventures of America, Inc. has sold over 300,000 flight certificates and has a 100% safety record. For more information, contact Rob Wilkinson at Soaring Adventures of America, Inc., P.O. Box 541, Wilton, CT 06897, or call 800-762-7464 or visit http://www.800soaring.com