Wednesday, 19 August 2009 Cumbrian paraglider Steve Etherington is one of the best in the world.
And he will be aiming to prove that when he competes in the Paragliding World Cup in Italy from September 1 after qualifying as one of the globe’s top 100 pilots. After his first tentative flights in 1986, the dental technician from Mawbray soon became involved in the testing and trimming of the Wild T Paraglider, one of the first true paragliders. After a short break, he returned to the sport in 1996 and within 12 months started competing, finishing second in the 1997 British P Cup. He won it in 2002. In the same year, he and his wife Claire became the only pilots ever to win an open competition – the Lakes Charity Classic – on a tandem. Steve, aged 51, represented the UK in the Bleriot Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2005, finishing second overall in 2005, when the UK team won with the largest margin ever in this international team competition.
He was second in the 2007 UK championships and is currently ranked 75th in the world.