KUALA LANGAT: Fear of heights or acrophobia has not stopped Suzanaeirne Zamri@Zambri from pursuing paragliding.

Affectionately known as Suzana, the 23-year-old woman said despite her fear, she had always wanted to experience the feeling of flying like a bird, hence her first tandem flight in Bukit Maras, Terengganu, two years ago.

Since then, the Diploma in Art and Design (Fashion Design) holder from Universiti Teknologi Mara said she fell in love with the extreme sport activity.

"It (paragliding) also helps me to get over my fear," she told Bernama recently.

Suzana said as she began to gain an interest in paragliding activities, she decided to undergo training to hone her skills and at the same time give her more opportunities to experience flying in other country.

"I underwent a nine-day training camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the end of 2019, organised by Prosky Academy Malaysia, Negeri Sembilan, the first paragliding school in the country," she said.

Suzana said through the training, she was able to improve herself, gain knowledge and learn new skills from experienced paragliding pilots.

"It was a whole new experience for me as I got the opportunity to experience flying in a country with different weather and that is mostly covered by desert.

"I started from zero...I began my first solo paragliding flight in Malaysia after finishing the training. It was a bit challenging as gliders need to have the skills to avoid landing in hilly areas or in trees," she said.

Asked whether she is planning to become a professional paraglider, Suzana, who is an event manager, said for the moment, she preffered to continue to pursue paragliding as a hobby.

-- BERNAMA