Colorado Air Traffic Controller Paraglides to Work, ABC Reports

An air traffic controller in Colorado reaches the tower by gliding there, using a powered paraglider instead of a car, according to a video segment published Thursday by ABC News. Correspondent Danny New interviewed the man for the piece, which aired as part of ABC News Live's rolling video coverage on October 1, 2026.

What does the video show about his commute?

The segment follows the controller as he launches into the air using a powered paraglider — a motorized backpack-and-wing setup that lifts a pilot from the ground without a runway — and flies toward his job. The clip does not specify his exact route, altitude, or flight time, and ABC's description offers only the broad outline: a man who starts his workday by flying rather than driving.

Who is the controller ABC interviewed?

The broadcaster's published summary does not name him, give his employer, or identify which facility he works at. The only identifying details in the report are his profession, air traffic controller, and his home state, Colorado. New conducted the interview for the segment, but the transcript or extended details were not included in the material made public with the video.

Where did the segment appear among other coverage?

The paragliding clip ran alongside dozens of other video reports on ABC News Live's feed the same day, including pieces on a flight crew's response to a suspected attack on a plane bound for Tel Aviv and a passenger account from a FlyDubai flight — a story HTT News covered separately in its report on pilot Smit Machchhar's cockpit ordeal. The controller segment sat in a lineup that spanned weather, politics, and health coverage, a typical mix for the network's daily video output.

What is powered paragliding, based on the segment?

The broadcast frames the activity as the controller's chosen alternative to a standard commute, using it to travel from his home to his job site. Beyond that framing, the available material does not detail how long he has flown this way, what prompted the choice, or whether weather or air traffic restrictions ever ground him and force a backup plan.

What remains unconfirmed?

Several basic facts are absent from the published summary: the controller's name, the facility where he works, the distance he covers, and any regulatory detail about flying a powered paraglider as a regular commute. Those gaps mean the segment functions primarily as a short profile piece rather than a fully sourced account of the practice, and additional reporting would be needed to answer how often this kind of commute happens elsewhere or whether any oversight applies to it.

The original segment is available through ABC News.