Chien relates that in 1986 he got his first paraglider from an import firm. Adapted from high altitude parachutes, paragliders had already become very popular in the Alps. Despite his efforts to learn from foreign magazines, Chien couldn't quite get the knack of how to operate one.
簡萬全說，在民國七十五年，同為滑翔翼的先驅者陳進川，從貿易商手中得到一頂當時已在阿爾卑斯山區十分風行、由高空傘改裝的飛行傘，卻不知道如何操作，於是找他照著國外雜誌實驗飛行，但總抓不到訣竅。