Hang gliding has a safety record that is superior to commercial aviation. Like any form of aviation, hang gliding can be dangerous if pursued foolishly, and any form of aviation has associated risk. Hang gliding is like most popular outdoor sports: it must be performed with the proper training, safety considerations, and within the limits of the equipment and pilot. Gliders in the United States are certified for air worthiness by the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association (HGMA).

If you're not sure about taking up the sport, you might prefer to book a 1 or 2 day taster course at a school, or simply arrange to meet them on the hill, and see at first hand what the sport is all about.

Paragliders fold down into a package the size of a largish knapsack and can be transported relatively easily. A hang glider needs a vehicle with a roof-rack for transportation to and from the flying site. It's also somewhat easier to learn to fly a Paraglider in the initial stages. Depending upon who you ask you will get a range of different answers to this question.

You need a United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) rating to fly at most sites, which is similar to an FAA pilot's license. This program consists of a specific set of flying skills corresponding to a series of pilot proficiency ratings (Beginner - Novice - Intermediate - Advanced - Master) each of which carries a set of recommended operating limitations.

For your own safety we strongly advise you not to try to teach yourself to fly a hang glider or paraglider. These are real aircraft, with complex flight characteristics. Any attempt to teach yourself to fly could all too easily result in serious injury. Professional instruction from a BHPA registered school is the only safe way to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to fly within a recreational club, without being a danger to yourself or others in the air.

Many pilots fly both. The paraglider is more portable and suitable for back packing to launch sites. It folds down into a pack weighing as little as 8kg, complete. Conversely, a hang glider, weighs around 50kg, needs a vehicle with a roof rack for transportation to and from the flying site, as well as 30 minutes to set-up and strip-down. Paragliders are ready to fly in 5 minutes. It's also somewhat easier to learn to fly a paraglider.

Yes. We do not have any specific threat to flights in the U.S. However, out of an abundance of caution, we have taken these steps as a precautionary measure. We continue to monitor intelligence sources closely and will adjust the security measures as warranted.

Hang gliders are designed to soar. The duration record is over 11 hours and the distance record is over 300 kilometers. In training you will start out just skimming the ground. As you progress and become more skilled and confident you will probably want to go higher and use the wing for its designed purpose -- soaring! Average recreational pilots, utilizing thermal and ridge lift, routinely stay aloft for 3 hours or more, soar to altitudes of 15,000' and travel cross-country for great distances.

The control bar front and back cables must be altered or replaced to so that the base tube is swung back 12-16 inches (30-40 cm.) from the prone position. On gliders with loose side wires the side cables need not be altered. On other gliders the side cables may be altered (usually slightly longer) or a longer base tube may be used.

safe as the person flying them. Like any form of sport aviation, hang gliding can be dangerous if pursued carelessly. Gliders in the US are now certified for airworthiness by the Hang Glider Manufacturers Assn. (HGMA). Also, hang gliding instruction has been standardized and students learn from certified instructors using a thorough gradual training program. Despite these advances, people still make judgment errors and aviation is not very forgiving of such.

A Hang Glider has a rigid frame maintaining the shape of the wing, with the pilot usually flying in a prone (lying down) position. The Paraglider canopy shape is maintained only by air pressure and the pilot is suspended in a sitting or supine position. The Hang-glider has a "cleaner" aerodynamic profile and generally is capable of flying at much higher speeds than a Paraglider. Hang Gliders pack down to about 12 ft long and are capable of being transported on car roof-racks.

Our modern light weight training gliders weigh about 50 pounds and with just a little bit of wind, they weigh nothing at all.

There are a number of ways, but they include using a static line, a payout winch, a stationary winch or aerotow.

A hang glider has a rigid frame maintaining the shape of the wing, with the pilot usually flying in a prone position. The Paraglider canopy shape is maintained only by air pressure and the pilot is suspended in a sitting or supine position. Hang gliders fly at much faster speeds than a Paraglider.

This depends a lot on the conditions in which it is flown, but flights in excess of 300 miles in length and altitudes of well over 20,000 ft. MSL have been recorded. More typically, pilots in the summer frequently achieve altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 ft AGL and fly for over 100 miles.

Hang gliding is one of the simplest forms of human flight. A hang glider is a non-motorized, foot-launched wing. A Hang glider has a rigid frame maintaining the shape of the wing, with the pilot usually flying in a prone position. The hang glider wing is constructed of rip-stop nylon or mylar over an aluminum frame. Hang gliders are controlled by shifting the pilot's weight with respect to the glider.

You will be surprised just how easy it easy to fly a glider. It normally takes around 30 to 50 flights before you are ready to ‘go solo’ but this does depend on how intensive the training is, and how you absorb gliding! Many would say it is actually easier to fly a glider, than it is to drive a car.

In the summer, flights of hundreds of kilometers are commonplace. The world record for a flight in a straight line is 2000 kilometers.

The lower age limit to fly solo is fifteen, and there is no upper limit provided you are healthy, and suffer no medical conditions that may impede your ability to fly. To be a passenger in a glider you can be almost any age at all. Our Club recently flew an 86 year old woman, and several Club members regularly take their children for flights.

Not really, but a program analogous to FAA licensing exists and is administered by the USHGA (U.S. Hang Gliding Association). This program consists of a specific set of flying skills corresponding to a series of pilot proficiency ratings (Beginner through Master) each of which carries a set of recommended operating limitations. Beginner rated pilots, for instance, should only fly from hills under 100 ft in height in mild winds and under the guidance of an instructor.

This depends a lot on the conditions, but flight distances in excess of 300 miles and altitudes of more than 18,000 feet have been recorded. The thermals in the summer in the western United States are particularly powerful and pilots can often reach altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet and fly over 100 miles.

Your instructor can help you with that once you are ready to make the investment. Many instructors are also certified dealers and can sell you a new or used glider. As a safety check in the sport, you must get new equipment from a dealer. None of the glider manufacturers will sell a glider directly to a customer because, being a self-regulated sport, everyone involved in the gliding community wants to make sure that only properly-trained individuals can purchase a glider.

Considering the inability of most people to set a VCR timer, this is not a good idea. Seriously, glider manufacturers use sophisticated CAD design and automated workshops to produce precision airfoils. Glider designs undergo extensive flight testing. Like any aircraft, home building is not a simple or quick solution for the inexperienced engineer. And in addition, "kits" are not commonly available for gliders anymore.

The pilot may foot launch, platform launch or dolly launch the glider, or even launch the glider from floats on the water. A hang glider is somewhat more difficult to fly under tow, and the pilot must also be aware of the various things that can go wrong in order to react appropriately. The USHPA has tow administrators who can rate people for tow. Most of those are also instructors and can train people to tow safely.