Visually impaired man’s dream of paragliding comes true

By Haluk Satir

MANISA, Turkey (AA) - A visually impaired young man living in Turkey's Aegean region recently fulfilled his dream of paragliding.

Bayram Sonmez, 28, and 80% visually impaired, shared his dream of flying with instructors at Izmir Parachute School.

The instructors helped Bayram gain paragliding experience in Saruhanli district of Manisa province at an altitude of 460 meters (1,509 feet).

Visibly excited, he flew for about 15 minutes.

''It was a great experience for me and that I had fulfilled one of my dreams,'' he said. ''I experienced a similar happiness when I learned how to swim. I felt like a fish at the time. Now I felt like a bird."

He thanked the instructors.

"It was a pleasure flying today. I made one of my dreams come true. My teacher was very professional and I never got stressed.''

One of the pilots at the school, Cengiz Gultekin, said they always support social responsibility projects.

''I was happy that we helped Bayram make his dream come true,'' he said.

*Writing by Yunus Girgin from Ankara