Get ready for takeoff!
Flying in a microlite produces a stronger sensation of movement than floating through space, according to a cosmonaut who has done both.
Orbiting the earth is not yet part of Intourist's cultural program, but microlites do take passengers sky-high. I made my giant leap into the wild blue yonder from a beach half an hour's journey from St Petersburg, at the Sestroretsk resort. Finding the microlite was an adventure in itself, as the golden sandy beach is bisected by a river. It's possible to wade across the sometimes waist-deep water, but I was ferried over in a rubber dinghy by a young man who happened to be around at the time.
The next challenge was passing a collection of nude, brown bodies, some completely hairless, without running away in fright. The naturist section of the beach is marked by checkered flags, so that those with a modest disposition can steer well clear.
There are up to six microlites on the beach at any one time, some single-seaters and some double. They look like flying go-carts: the construction is so simple that it hardly differs from Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century flying machine prototypes.
These motorized hang-gliders just take off into the air after zooming along the sand for 20 meters. There is no set runway --sunbathers scatter if they find themselves in the takeoff area.
The microlite pilots are members of the St Petersburg Hang-gliding Club (Deltaclub). Their vehicles' 16.5-meter (54ft) wings are made in Pushkin and the engines are imported from Austria via Moscow.
If an engine does suddenly cut out, a microlite can glide safely down to the ground. "There are more accidents in motorsports and on St Petersburg's roads," pilot Yura Mishakov said confidently.
To qualify as a microlite pilot you must be at least fifteen years old and take theory lessons in addition to ten hours' flying with an instructor.
The pilot steers using a crossbar attached to the wings exactly like that of a hang-glider. On the microlite there is also a gearbox.
Normal cruising speed is 60-70 kilometers per hour (37-43 mph) although a maximum of 110 km/h (68 mph) can be reached. Anyone who finds swimming or lying on the beach too tame can have a ten-minute flight up and down the coast but longer trips can be booked in advance. Further out in the Gulf of Finland there is an island fortress and microlites fly people over for a considerable sum.
"It costs more because we have to fly higher than our usual 100 meters," said Mr Mishakov.
Whatever the height, sailing below the clouds is not a warm experience. It may be hot and sunny at ground level but at altitude life is chillier.
Securely strapped into my seat, I forgot the cold and my initial apprehension (to put it mildly) and began to appreciate the spectacular view. In any case there was nothing else to do as a heavy helmet and the loud vibrations of the engine made it impossible to chat with the pilot.
The vastness of the sea has a calming effect and I was able to relax my iron grip on the frame of the microlite. There is enough movement to keep one aware that contact with terra firma has been lost, but there were no sudden swoops as on any ordinary fair-ground ride.
Aesthetics rather than thrills provide most of the pleasure. Certainly the naturists are far more pleasing to the eye from this distance.
With all senses focused on taking in the scenery and fresh air, the minutes seem to pass slowly. The gradual descent over pygmy tennis and volleyball players is one of the highlights.
Like the takeoff, landing is also dependent on people having the common sense to get out of the way. Dogs are slower to respond and we almost skimmed over their backs in the last seconds before touching down.
I braced myself for a jolt but the landing was as smooth as the flight. This is my kind of sport, where someone else does all the work.
Hang-gliding of course requires a level of competence. Those in St Petersburg able to fly, go to the hills at Mozhayskaya, named after Russia's first aviator, who took off from there.
After one trip on a microlite I was not quite ready for hang-gliding. On the other hand, I was not so traumatized that I felt a need to rest in a sanatorium; all the same, that was where I ended up.
The river was once again an obstacle but by now the weather was cooler and there was no sign of my water taxi. Remembering for some reason that Trotsky lost his power struggle with Stalin because he caught flu from wading through a Russian bog, I decided to try and stay dry.
The grounds of the Beliye Nochi (White Nights) sanatorium are adjacent to the beach and I thought that a short wander through this beautiful coniferous forest would take me to the electrichka stop.
The forest was full of other lost walkers looking for the way out. A tall wire fence separates the sanatorium from the road so the only choices are to go back to the beach or leave at the main gate.
From the main gate it took about forty-five minutes to get to the electrichka. The wood is an excellent place for a picnic --benches and tables are provided -- but flying would be the best route back!