Prepare ...

Raciel Feito spreads out his yellow nylon wing and the million or so strings that connect to his harness and convert him into a human kite. He checks the gas tank, re-ties a couple of knots and starts his motor.

Run ...

Like Fred Flintstone foot-powering the family car, Feito charges across Vista View Park in Davie. He sprints, and a breeze cooperates; his wing opens. A propeller contraption roars like a lawnmower and thrusts Feito forward.

Leap ...

Trusting that his wing has caught a summer breeze, he bunny-hops, wiggles back into his seat and leaves the ground.

Fly ...

Feito and his rig float from a spectator's eye level to join the birds.

In Feito's case, this leap of faith is a comparatively small one. He windsurfed here from Cuba in 1994, his fourth attempt to leave the country. Previous attempts included rafts and/or catamarans.

The best part of taking to the air nowadays?

"The feel of freedom," he says.

The long days and calmer winds make summer a good time for power paragliding. Some days Feito and friends fly from Vista View Park, the former landfill area with a high altitude (well, for here) -- and less disturbed air. Other days they take off from the beach or head out to U.S. 27, soar up to 3,000 feet, then cut the engine and glide in silence.

"You know that dream you have where you're flying? This is living it," says Mike Brown, the president of the Powerparagators, a South Florida group. Most spent $5,000 to $8,000 to buy an engine and a wing.

Survey ...

Joe Axon flies over his family's house in Davie. (Paramotorists can travel about 30 miles on a tank of gas.) He sees cars, bicyclists, joggers and folks mowing their yards or cleaning their pools. Most look up and are surprised to see their own species 500 feet in the air, taking in the sights of South Florida.

Wave ...

Brown circles back to the takeoff area several times, where his daughter, Shelby, age 11, waits. He gives her a wave and a thumbs-up each time he passes. It's perfect parental payback for all those years of standing outside carnival merry-go-rounds, minds and arms numb from waving at every single passing.

Disembark ...

After an hour or two of checking out new neighborhoods, Brown guides his wing toward the ground, pulls on the brakes to create a greater air resistance and somewhat reluctantly returns to terra firma. His face glows.

Grin ...

Yes, Brown, Axon, Feito and friends experience fleeting thoughts of death while they're airborne. But they're quickly eradicated by the identical rush that motivated the Wright Brothers.

"It's like being Peter Pan," Axon says. He rolls up his wing and pushes his motor into the car. He'll metaphorically float through life until next Saturday, when he'll take to the air again.

Who says man was not meant to fly?

For more information on power paragliding, go to www.powerparagators.com or call 954-274-2274.

Nick Sortal can be reached at nsortal@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7906.