Doseah Morriën
"May 24th, 2015, marked my first solo flight. I flew a LittleCloud MiniGoose from the dunes in Wijk aan Zee for exactly 13 seconds! It was my first solo flight, but certainly not where my journey began.
My first flight was actually in 2002 in Madeira. My father took my mother on a tandem flight while she was pregnant with me. As I grew up, I frequently flew as a passenger with my father. At school, I gave presentations about paragliding and would spread out a wing on the playground. After school, I joined my father at the beach. While other kids’ sandcastles were washed away or holes were filled with sand, I looked for more permanent pursuits. For years, I had listened to pilots discussing flights and accidents. The conclusion was almost always the same: accidents happen due to a lack of control. And control is earned through ground handling. Many people aim only for the sky and skip ground handling, yet it is the most critical part of the sport.
A lightbulb went off; I didn’t need to rush into the air because if I wanted to fly, I could just ask my father for a tandem. But I knew I might want to fly solo later. I figured if I started using my time on the beach for ground handling at age 10, I would have total control by the time I was ready to fly. (Pretty smart for a ten-year-old, if I say so myself!) And so, I spent two years ground handling on the beach before ever taking off solo. My first flights were simple glides from the dune to the sea, gradually moving to soaring parallel to the dunes—step by step, everything in its own time.
By the age of 13, I was playing with a wing on the dunes of Dune du Pyla with Emily, giving her tips. Looking back, that was my very first time teaching (under my father’s watchful eye, of course). That same week, during a tandem flight, my father hooked me in as the pilot. He launched the wing, and I took the controls. We soared above live music, higher than almost anyone else. That was how I learned tandem flying: first steering in the air, then the landings, and eventually the launches.
At 14, I traveled to Feltre, Italy, for my first mountain flights. I remember standing at the launch site with Jantje, who was terrified of heights and insisted he wouldn’t fly. I launched, my father was in tears of pride, and I felt surprisingly relaxed—until my instructor told me to pull 'big ears' (a descent technique). I did it too slowly at first, making the wing react sharply, but on the second try, I nailed it. Suddenly, I heard 'Radio check, Jantje' over the radio. I couldn't believe my ears: Jantje had launched too! Sharing our first mountain flights together was unforgettable. I landed right in the center of the target—a perfect first mountain experience.
In the following years, my journey continued: from my first tandem flight as a pilot in the mountains at 14 to my first solo Hike & Fly trip to Tannheimer Tal at 15. In 2022, I officially earned my license in Stubaital, Austria. By 2025, I competed in the Ozone Chabre Open, completed my first SIV (safety training), and decided together with Olivier Lenten to take over Parakiting from my father.
My vision remains the same as when I started: Safety is paramount. Safety comes from control, and control comes from ground handling. My father is a pioneer who built not just a school, but a strong community that feels like my paragliding family. I am thrilled to work with Olivier on the future of Parakiting, carrying forward the immense knowledge passed down by my father and the community.
Next to paragliding, I studied Biology at the University of Leiden and the University of Amsterdam, and I have a great passion for photography and art."
