Even when you've got an airplane between you and the "Wild Blue Yonder", the brute strength and force of nature is enough to toss you around! But in extreme open-air sports like paragliding and hang gliding, it's just you and your understanding of weather versus temperamental Mother Nature.

These three adventurers around the globe get themselves in sink-or-swim situations but thankfully, walk away from these midair crises older, wiser, and with some scrapes to prove it!