A paragliding school is only as good as its instructors. The staff at Eagle Paragliding has the credentials and achievements that would justify them being a bunch of arrogant, boastful and stuck-up pilot rock stars. They hold national XC records, are X-Alps competitors, have been members of the national Paragliding team and been instructing longer than most others. Yet they are the complete opposite. Approachable, nurturing, patient, humble. Living across the country from Santa Barbara, I don’t have the fortune of interacting with them frequently, but every January for 4 years running, I meet up with them in Colombia for the flying highlight of my year. The hours spent in the air is as much fun as the time interacting and debriefing with Eagle after landing.