Paraplegic putting on hang-gliding show

Dan Buchanan wired his glider Friday for a nighttime performance at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival. Buchanan, who lost the use of his legs in a hang-gliding accident 26 years ago, has been performing in air shows since 1989. (Aaron Eisenhauer) [Click to enlarge]

Dan Buchanan lost the use of his legs in a hang-glider accident 26 years ago. Stormy weather that day caused the hang glider to hit him on the head, giving him a compression fracture.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Buchanan returned to the skies nine months after the accident and has performed a hang-glider stunt act at air shows since 1989.

"I wasn't worried at all about going back up after the accident," Buchanan said. "It wasn't the flying that caused the accident, it was the landing."

Buchanan is a featured performer at the 2007 Cape Gir?ardeau Regional Air Festival today, where he will put on a show at 8:45 p.m. It will be his 13th air show this year.

Buchanan said he attended his first show in Oregon in 1989, and began performing soon afterward.

Buchanan said he's sure the crowd will be entertained by the mix of pyrotechnic displays and aerobatic maneuvers in his show, but he declined to comment on the exact routine he will perform.

"I don't want to give away my act," Buchanan said. "People will just have to come out and see it."

Buchanan hand-fits fireworks and streamers to his North Wing powered hang glider for a "twi-night spectacular" show, one of three shows in his repertoire.

Buchanan also performs a daytime powerless hang-glider routine and a "helicopter and glider night show extravaganza."

Buchanan has one employee that travels with him to shows, but he does quite a bit of maintenance work on his hang glider in addition to the actual flights.

"It takes about six or seven hours to get ready for a show," Buchanan said.

Buchanan, who resides in Dayton, Nev., said he doesn't see home often. He stays on the road between March and November, performing 85 to 90 times a year.

He said he has to replace aircraft every three or four years, but not because of wear and tear from flying.

"The gliders don't get damaged at air shows too much," Buchanan said. "It's going down the highway that they get beat up."

Buchanan said he loves all the aspects of putting on an air show.

"I like being able to coordinate the act and everything that happens on the ground before the performance," Buchanan said. "Performing and talking to the kids and signing autographs afterwards is fun, too. I really just enjoy the whole part."

pwylie@semissourian.com

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