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 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.

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 paraglider can fly from all location where a hang-glider can take off but not vice-versa. A hang-glider has a rigid frame, which maintains the shape of the wing, and the pilot usually flies in a prone position. A paraglider's canopy shape is maintained by air pres-sure and the pilot is suspended in a sitting position. The hang-glider is capable of flying at much higher speeds than a paraglider.

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.

The radio control system has a range of one half mile to two miles, depending on the terrian, he weather, who you ask, etc. But practically speaking, the helicopter becomes a tiny speck at 100 yards or more. If you can't see it clearly, you can't fly it properly. If you can't fly it carefully, you will crash it immediately.

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.

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.

The 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. The hang glider has a "cleaner" aerodynamic profile and generally is capable of flying at much higher speeds than a paraglider.

It's attached to a release at the apex of a specialized tow bridle. The tow bridle attaches to the pilot, the glider, or both. The release is positioned in front of the pilot so he can easily operate it. There is a weak link between the release and towline to protect the glider from overloads. The pilot may foot launch, platform launch or dolly launch the glider, or even launch the glider from floats on the water.

It depends on user preference. Proponents of low hang points say it's more like a free flight (unpowered) harness, and this is only somewhat true--having to balance 45+ pounds of motor/fuel will never allow it to be very much like free-flight. Some say that low hang points allow more weight shift control, and this may be true, but weightshift ability is more a matter of the relative position of the hang points and the machine/pilot's center of gravity (CG).

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. (These last have all been with FAA permission for the rules lawyers reading this). More typically, pilots in the summer in the western US will frequently achieve altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 ft AGL and fly for over 100 miles.

Different hammock lengths (ring to ring) will require different instructions. We can only make recommendations and you will have to tweak the installation to suit you. If your hammock is 13 feet long you will want a space approximately 15 feet apart with a foot of chain or rope at each end to adjust the hammock up or down from the ground. The hammock hooks that you hang the hammock from should be at least 4 to 5 feet off the ground.