Chad Bastian

Where do you live?
Santa Barbara, CA USA

What do you do for work?
Paramotor Importer, Owner and inventor/builder of TrikeBuggy (.com)

What year, and how old were you when you started flying?
1993, I was 38 years old

Did a family member introduce you to paragliding? Does anyone else in your family fly?
Not family, but we first saw it when they flew over our house at the beach!

What other passions do you have, or activities do you enjoy?
Free Flight Paragliding, Surfing, Onewheeling, Traveling, Gardening,

Why is flying important to you, and what does flying mean to you?
I fly every day, often many times. I live 5 minutes from our local hill, and even take my whippets (dogs) flying. I have made flying my business, and have one of the largest US corporations dealing in Ultralight and microlight aircraft. As a result, I travel quite a lot for “business” which allows me to fly in unusual and unique places – we just returned from flying the Pyramids of Giza with the Ozone Team!

Flying Achievements
My first adventures in flying, were in free flying.  I was a member of the US Team at the World Air Games in Spain in 200I competed in PPG and became the US National Champion for a few years. I attended the WAG in Turin, Italy to compete in 2009 in PPG.

Do you have any goals, dreams or plans for the next 1-2 years that you want to share?
I love flying for fun and all of the great people I’ve met because of this sport.  For example, I met great pilots from all over the world during the Giza Pyramid Flying  Trip. Those pilots came from all over the world, most had never met each other before, but the minute anyone needed assistance or to try a piece of gear, the other pilots were there to lend a hand! (Thanks for the velcro Phil, and the motor loan Sofo.)  So more than anything, I look forward to visiting these great new friends and flying their local sites.