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KSL Team CoverageSuper Dell Schanze finds himself back in the public eye, less than two weeks after his highly publicized trial. Today, Super Dell was flying his motorized paraglider along I-15 during the morning rush hour. Now police are considering charges.
Super Dell does not seem to be too happy about being back in the news, but regardless, what he did this morning is getting him a lot of attention.
As people were driving down the freeway this morning, they saw this a strange sight and may have wondered if it was a bird or a plane. But it was just Super Dell Schanze, out flying his motorized paraglider, right near the freeway.
And he got a lot of attention, so much so, that the Highway Patrol is investigating if his ultralight craft contributed to this wreck on the freeway. The cars involved got into a fender bender when traffic slowed down. The question is, did Super Dell cause drivers to be distracted and to slow down, and thus indirectly cause the wreck?
Draper police tell us they are considering criminal charges.
Sgt. Jerry Allred: "Our concern in Draper City is safety. IF the FAA doesn't want people flying over congested areas, it usually refers to a safety issues and we don't want our citizens put in jeopardy. And if we can identify who this pilot is and we feel like there are some kind of charges that need to be brought against him, then that's what we're going to do."
Dell Schanze insists he did nothing wrong. We talked to him by phone this morning, shortly after the flight, and we talked to him this afternoon at his home. Dell Schanze says he knows the rules and says he did not break them.
Schanze told Eyewitness News he took the flight for fun and as a promotion to sell paragliders; that's one of his businesses. He says he was trying to get attention.
Dell Schanze: "I like to fly in places that are visible to bring attention to the sport"
Schanze told us he knows the rules and did NOT break FAA regulations.
But the President of the US Paragliding Association disagrees. He watched our video online and was shocked. Schanze says he did not fly over the freeway; he was over a big field. He says our perspective in the video was off.
Dell Schanze: "There's a regulation that you can't hazardously distract drivers. And I wasn't distracting drivers driving down the freeway at 70 miles an hour. There's actually an on ramp right there where there's a red light. Did I do anything illegal? Hey, I don't think I did. I think I was following FAA regulations. But hey, if not, charge me."
He says it would be stupid to fly over the interstate, especially if his motor dies. Schanze says he did not fly into anyone and insists it's up to drivers to pay attention to their driving. He says the crash had nothing to do with him and the UHP agrees.
Draper police They say they are currently reviewing pictures and video taken, hoping to get a positive ID.
Sgt. Blaine Robbins, UHP: "As big as this valley is, and as many open areas as there are to operate a vehicle like that, that someone would choose to operate it so close to the freeway."
Apparently, this isn't the first time Schanze has challenged the rules of flying, and others in the sport aren't happy about it.
Utah is one of the most popular paragliding and hang gliding places in the country. It is an unregulated sport in that you don't have to have pilot's license, but there are FAA rules that these ultra light pilots must follow. It appears Schanze could have broken a couple of rules.
First off, you can't fly this type of aircraft over congested areas; and secondly, you can't operate an ultra light vehicle in a manner that creates a hazard to other people or property. The four state regional director of the US Hangliding and Paragliding Association says this isn't the first time Schanze has drawn attention to himself.
Steve Mayer, US Hangliding and Paragliding Assoc.: "There tends to be a couple of guys in the area that just don't want to follow the rules. They know them, they understand them, and they keep breaking them. And we've been feeling for years that it was going to be inevitable that something bad happened which brought bad press to the whole flying community."
Jonathan Jefferies, Paragliding Instructor: "We like to be really conscious about being safe, and keeping people safe and obeying the laws and doing what's right. And what he did was definitely wrong and out of line."
The Federal Aviation Administration controls all air space. Officials there couldn't comment on camera because it's likely they will be investigating this incident. However if the FAA determines federal regulations were violated, there are a range of sanctions. In the past, it's been things such as a fine of as much as 10-thousand dollars or confiscating his paraglider.
