When you're launching yourself off a mountain at a 1,300-foot elevation, nobody's going to make fun of you for dressing up in a costume.

That's exactly what nearly 20 paragliders did Saturday morning at the Blue Mountain Resort in Little Gap.The mass launch kicked off the second annual Icarus Festival, organized by Terry Bono of Pennsylvania Paragliding and the Little Gap Flying Club.By Sunday, conditions weren't quite as optimal, but Bono said the event was a success and he hopes to keep growing it over the years."We had a great day Saturday and we got to do a bunch of tandem flights with two people, and that's nice because if it is someone who is thinking about learning to paraglide, it can get them in the air and used to the feeling," Bono said. "Blue Mountain has been great to us, letting us come up here and helping us develop the site."A paraglider is a nonmotorized, foot-launched inflatable wing. It's small enough to be stowed in an oversized backpack and light enough to carry on your shoulders.More experienced paragliders launch from the Summit Lodge area of the resort, while those in training can be found on the tubing hill.Bono said his group helped to cut trees and clear out a landing zone below in a field off Blue Mountain Drive at the base of the mountain.At Blue Mountain, pilots are gliding toward the ground and landing within sight of their launch point, but by "catching a thermal," or rising air, flights can go very long distances."That's what I love about it is that it can be relaxing and adventurous," Bono said. "You can go across the country from thermal to thermal. You can get up in the clouds. That's my preference."On Saturday, Bono launched a glider made to look like a space shuttle. A video of the flight is on Pennsylvania Paragliding's Facebook page."I've been flying for 12 years and have been an instructor for six," he said. "I always wanted to fly as a kid, and when the opportunity came about, I took a chance to learn."The expectations were for nice north winds both days, Bono said, but the skies weren't as cooperative on Sunday, coupled with a passing shower in the afternoon."Technically, we could do it with zero wind, but we like a breeze," he said.Several spectators came to the mountain in the hopes of seeing a flight and got their wish when Bono launched around noon."I think it's something neat for the kids to see," said Sam Danner of Kunkletown. "I actually did a tandem flight one time and really enjoyed it. It's something I would do again."It takes up to two weeks of instruction to become a novice glider."I've never been injured, but there is always the chance for the twisted ankle or something like that," Bono said. "It's a lot safer and easier to learn than people think."