WeHostClips.com

An Information Hosted Blog

Hang Gliding - A Guide To Getting Started

Posted on April 13, 2008 - Filed Under Recreation and Sports


Many people having dreamed of flying and hang gliding is one way those dreams can be realised. If the thought of jumping off a cliff and not plummeting straight down, but silently and effortlessly gliding around with the birds is the kind of thing that excites you then read on and discover how to start making your dreams come true…

Step one

Do some research. Read as many books as you can, subscribe to magazines and surf as many websites as you can to learn about the sport. You need to learn about the basics; the equipment and the lingo involved. Do a search online for hang gliding and you’ll find plenty of information.

Step two

Find an instructor or school, this is not a sport you can just go out and learn on your own. The only way you can really learn is by experience and training and you’ll need the skill and knowledge of the experts to help you when you are starting out. Look online for your nearest schools and instructors and check them out thoroughly, ask for their references and safety records.

Step three

Watch and learn from other hang gliders, watch how they take off and land, study their technique and note how they move, and how they manoeuvre the glider in flight. Talk to the pilots afterwards and ask as many questions as they will answer. Ask how it feels, how the weather conditions affect the flight etc, the more knowledge you can gain now the easier it will be to learn to glide yourself.

Step four

When you have located an instructor you trust, book up for a tandem flight. This way you will get to know whether this is something you really want to pursue before you invest lots of money in it. Let the instructor know before you go that you are interested in learning to fly and they may take time to show you and explain in more detail what they are doing. Carefully watch and learn from the instructor and note how he handles the glider during take off and landing as well as in flight.

Step five

If you enjoyed your experience flying with the instructor and you are surer than ever that you want to continue on your quest for solo flight, enrol in some classes to learn the basics. As you go through the classes learn more in your own time by watching videos to learn more tips and tricks to help you get on faster, not just so you are top of the class but the faster you learn the faster you’ll be flying on your own.

Step six

Don’t just stop at the basic lessons, attend a certification course designed to teach you the more advanced launching and flying techniques as well as extra safety instruction. Obviously safety is a major part of hang gliding and you should take extra time making sure you learn all safety procedures thoroughly.

Step seven

Prepare yourself for a significant financial outlay when it comes to buying your equipment and paying for training. There are various levels of certification you will need to go through and each takes time and money. However, the costs are considerably less than learning to fly an airplane and once you have mastered the hang glider you will consider the time, money and effort involved as a worth while investment.

Steve Batchelor is a Extreme Sports enthusiast and the webmaster at www.extremesportguides.com where you can find some great information on many different extreme sports. He also recommends infogoldmine for more info on extreme sports as well as many other subjects.

Tags: , , , ,

Share This

Related Posts

Comments

Leave a Reply