Story Published: Sep 16, 2008 at 6:16 PM MDT
Story Updated: Dec 18, 2008 at 3:59 PM MDT
They look like a go-kart hooked to a parachute and several of the machines are manufactured right here in Eastern Idaho.
"It's got a 550 foot square chute on it," said Fremont County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Bryon Parker. He has flown the machines for years. " You lay it out on the ground behind you and once you start rolling, the chute rolls up above you."
Parker gets his chutes from Sandy Mitchell who builds the machines from scratch.
"The chute's designed to fly 30-32 miles an hour," said Parker. "Once you outrun that, it just puts it on an incline and away you go."
The chutes help the Fremont County sheriff's office with searches at the sand dunes and over the water.
"From the air you can see through the water so much better," said Parker.
The high-flying machines are a lot safer then you'd probably think.
"It has a good glide ratio. You can actually land thing just as soft with a dead motor as you can under power," said Parker.
Not only that, but there's very few other places where you can get a beautiful view of Eastern Idaho from a little machine.
"It is definitely a stress reliever," said Parker.
For more information on the powered parachutes, click below:
Paraflights Website