I have wanted to hang glide for years. I’m wondering if I’ve waited too long. What kind of shape do you need to be in? How often have you seen injuries? The closest place I’ve found (so far) to learn is almost a 2 hour drive, but it might be worth it.
I asked before, and I’m still not clear (or don’t remember, anyway) the procedure used to get your feet into the ‘sleeping bag’ after you’ve taken off. Anyone have a video that shows it?
I never was a hang glider, but we had a friend who was an expert–he was really good at it.
A nationally-ranked competitor, he was level-headed and in superb physical shape.
In a tragic turn of events, he did have a fatal accident.
Hang gliding is a risky sport, but I certainly can understand how someone could fall in love with it.
I took one hang gliding lesson in the mid-80s. This was in the days before tandems and the “sleeping bag”. I got only 1 flight. It was over sand dunes near Bodega Bay in California. I was in average shape. The hardest part was carrying the glider back up the dunes, which was the deciding factor in me not pursuing the sport.
There have undoubtedly been many changes since then.
Khadaji, I wish you’d given this post another title.
I keep reading it as “Any dopey hang gliders?”
I did hang gliding for a bit in the mid 90s but became merely proficient, never an expert. It takes a bit of arm strength as you have to shift your whole weight to control it. As you get tired there is a tendency to pivot your body about the hang-point which is roughly at centre of mass, in which case your control movements have no effect. You need to put in conrol movements continuously and I remember being exhausted after my first extended flight ~ 40 mins.
Johnny L.A. The harness is really 2 harness’s in one. The inner one is a bit like a climbing harness attached by webbing to the hang-point. This is the one which stops you falling to your death. The outer bag is there to enable you to maintain a comfortable and aerodynamic position. Without the bag you would dangle in a more upright position. For take-off and landing you open a zipper going from your feet to your chest so your legs are free of the bag and you hang in the more upright position. Once in the air you lean forward, kick your feet back into the end of the bag, push back and straighten your legs. This has the effect of shifting your centre of mass forward and changing your position to a more prone one. The zipper usually has a long cord attached to it secured with a velcro tag. Pull on the cord and the zipper closes.
Well, I am secretly a sugar glider.
