Learning to Fly
You have the questions. We have some answers for you. You may have talked to a pilot or two, received some literature, or even visited a shop. You are probably full of questions that a simple price list just can't answer. Am I too big? Too small? Do I have to be really athletic? What does it really take to become a pilot?

Any new activity seems a little overwhelming at first. And no one likes the role of greenhorn, or stumbling novice, in front of those who make it all seem effortless. Don't despair! Hang Gliding is worth every ounce of effort you invest to become a pilot, and as you progress, you will find every step of the way is incredibly rewarding. Each step provides new, stimulating challenges. Each step is fun. Unlike many sports, Hang Gliding never becomes routine. There is always, something new to learn, some great new aspect to explore.
   Can hang gliding be this great? You bet! Just by visiting this website you are demonstrating a motivation to fly. The desire to fly is difficult to explain to people who are very happy to have their feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you. But not you. You watch birds. You watch airplanes. You wonder what it's like to skydive. You have seen hang gliders and said to yourself, "I'll bet I could do that!" You have tried all the rides at the amusement park, maybe had a ride in a small plane. These adventures are okay, but not quite satisfying. You really want to do it yourself. To really get out there and fly. Hang Gliding looks like the answer to you. If you talk with hang glider pilots after they land, you will sense their excitement and high spirits. Yes! That's how you would feel too, you are sure of it!
   But what does it take to reach that point, flying for hours, a thousand feet over the landing field? Reaching that level of skill takes time and lots of practice. It's not bungee jumping. You will find the learning steps to get there are as much fun as the goal. Your first flight lasts only seconds and goes maybe 50 feet, but what a thrill! It feels like hours and might as well be a thousand feet in the air. Your feet leave the ground and time stands still. And it only gets better! Every day you fly is a new experience, a milestone. And before you know it, you are one of those jazzed pilots you talked to. Yes, this momentous achievement takes some time, but that is part of the fun of hang gliding.
   We never stop learning. There is always a new challenge, a new aspect of flying we have yet to explore. Enough introduction, let's cut to the chase: how do YOU become a pilot?

TAKING LESSONS
Where do I start? Do I need to be really fit? How heavy is a glider? How long will it take? Do I need my own equipment?

The fastest and most effective way to learn to fly is to work with a good instructor. And the mark of a good instructor is a well-organized lesson program. The right program is a carefully structured progression of skill learning. Like building blocks, basic skills are formed until flying seems as natural as walking. Our task, as your instructor, is to introduce the information you will need for each step in the learning process in a timely and organized fashion. In that way you are not overwhelmed with details. This page is a first step in that process.
   Before you go to the training hill for your first lesson, you will attend an orientation ground school at our shop which includes a special video which demonstrates what your first lessons will cover. This introduction helps your first day on the training hill feel more familiar to you. You will also spend some time in a real training harness in our simulator. The simulator has a glider control frame on which you will practice basic control movements. This is just one of the ways we break the learning process into small, easy-to-digest steps that make learning successful.    Every activity, whether it is playing the violin or riding a bike requires that you learn special movements and practice them until they become second nature. You then have a set of tools you can use instantly to make the violin, bike ...or hang glider do exactly what you want it to. Remember the first time you rode a bike? You likely swayed all over the road; probably even fell off more than once. As you learned the correct actions, and when to use them, your riding became much more steady and natural. Learning to sense subtle feedback from the bike allows you to apply small corrective movements quickly, before you are completely unbalanced. Pretty soon you aren't even aware of the corrections you make. You just go where you want to.
   Hanging in the glider simulator, you can start learning the right movements. You can concentrate on the moves, without worrying about "falling over". You will also hear a regular refrain, "look out ahead" or "eyes on course". We are teaching what is called situational awareness". If you ride a mountain bike or ski, you have a great head start, because you already use this principle. By keeping your focus well out ahead along the path you are taking, you have lots of warning before you need to make a move. You have situational awareness. You have enough time to respond. If you are looking at your feet, you won't know what's coming. We don't want that to happen, so from the first time you put on a harness, we will have you concentrating on the big picture.

ON THE TRAINING HILL
I'm getting a handle on the theory. When do I fly? I'm ready to feel the wing in my hands, the wind in my face, the grass under my feet!

Thoroughly primed, it's time to meet a real glider on the training hill. We have chosen a unique field, that has hills of just the right height and slope to make training easy. Just like skiing, we use a "bunny hill" for our first lessons that isn't too high or too steep. Our training field has a long flat landing area where we can use our custom-built towing system (more on this unique training aid in a moment).
   Hang Gliding is a little different from other types of aviation. An instructor can't just hop in the back seat and say, "don't worry, I'll take over if necessary." You "solo" on your first flight. Instead of practicing with an instructor at altitude, you first learn to fly the glider with your feet firmly on the ground. You learn the takeoff run and landing. You learn what the glider feels like, floating over your head as you run along. And you begin to learn how to control its actions. When you and the wing begin to understand each other, it's time to move onto the slope, and really do it! FLY! The flights are short at first, to keep everything under control. But those few seconds will feel like minutes. They are so exciting.
   As your skills improve, you will make longer and higher flights. You will start with short flights near the bottom of the hill. You will also use our special winch system which allows you to fly hundreds of feet across the flat training field, while remaining only a few feet off the ground. These longer flights allow you to really focus on your flying skills. The instructor controls the winch and can instantly stop the flight, if necessary. You will settle quickly to a gentle landing. When your skills are solid after practice low on the hill, or on our winch tow, you can fly from the higher levels with control and confidence.
   New pilots spend anywhere from four to ten days at the training hill learning and practicing their basic hang gliding skills. Each day is designed to build on the last as you move from simple to complex tasks. The program is tailored to each student; the instructor will advance you at a pace that suits your needs. We use special skill record cards, so you know exactly where you stand in your training program. Your first big milestone is marked by achieving a Beginner Pilot rating. You have demonstrated that you can control a glider with skill and confidence. You are ready for the next step: graduation to a Novice level program.

MOVING UP IN THE HANG GLIDER PILOT WORLD
What's a pilot rating? How will I fly when I'm not at a lesson? Can I rent? When should I buy a wing?

You are well on your way to that next big milestone, flying on your own, no instructor, just you, your wing, and the wind. Our national hang gliding organization, the USHGA, has organized a system of skill level ratings. A pilot achieves a rating when he demonstrates the skill and experience level necessary to perform the flying tasks associated with each level: Beginner = low altitude gliding; Novice = high altitude gliding; Intermediate = soaring; and Advanced = cross-country flying.
   When unknown pilots show up at a flying site, their ratings give the local pilots a measure of their skill levels. Your rating is your ticket to fly when you visit other sites. The rating system provides the standards and your lesson program teaches you the skills you will need to meet the standards. The first two rating levels are issued by USHGA certified instructors. Higher ratings are issued by USHGA designated volunteer Observers.
   When you begin your Novice level lessons, it's time to consider buying equipment. Except for special places like Hawaii, equipment is not available for rent. Besides, you will want your own wing, so that you can head to the flying hill whenever the winds are favorable to join your flying buddies for an afternoon of great soaring. Your basic outfit will include a glider, harness, helmet, and parachute (pilots carry a backup parachute when they begin flying from hills over 300 feet high). There are many options for equipment, both new and used. As you gain experience on training gliders and learn more in the classroom ground schools, you will have a better idea of the ideal equipment for you. Occasionally a new student will buy a used glider from a garage sale, or a friend. Too often, though, this "great deal" of a glider is obsolete, not airworthy, or unsuitable for learning to fly. Learning good skills takes concentration, and you want equipment that is a help, not a hindrance. Do yourself a favor, and take lessons first. Then take advantage of your instructor's experience when you buy your equipment.

BEYOND THE BUNNY HILL
I've got my Beginner Rating; is that all I need to know? Am I ready to just grab my wing and go fly anywhere? What's it like with 200 feet of air under my feet?

Novice level lessons are taught on your personal glider. Each model glider has it's own flying characteristics. So it is best to transition to a new wing under the watchful eye of an advanced instructor. In your novice lessons, you will soon be launching from 150 to 300 foot hills. Higher altitudes require new judgment skills. You must plan your flight path to the landing zone, unlike the bunny hill where "straight ahead" was the simple answer. You will learn turns and airspeed control, and soon be piloting your glider along the ridge, cruising to the landing zone. What a thrill! Moving to higher launches is as exciting as the very first time your feet lifted off the training hill. The world falls away, and it's suddenly just you and the air! Those dreams of flying are now a reality – a memorable milestone (among many) that pilots experience.
   When you have a hang glider of your own, you can increase the value of your Novice lessons by spending extra practice days on the bunny hill. Make plans to meet a fellow student on the hill. It's fun to have a flying partner. You can start planning practice days every chance you get: Saturday AND Sunday, and maybe even a long lunch or two midweek! Before you know it, you will have reached that next milestone: the Novice Rating.
   Novice is like a private pilot rating; you are capable of piloting a glider safely, but you have just scratched the surface of the world of flying skills and experiences. Many of these skills you will learn from fellow pilots, or you can participate in advanced classes, seminars, and flying field trips. You will learn more about mountain soaring skills, special take-off and landing skills, even how to use your emergency reserve parachute.

LIFE AFTER LESSONS
Once I become a pilot, where do I go to fly? Who will I fly with? How will I learn about a new and unfamiliar flying site?

Hang gliding may be a solitary skill, but it is a very social sport. You will find great places to fly and friendly pilots wherever you travel. As your flying progresses, you will discover that one of the best parts of hang gliding is the friendship you will develop with fellow pilots. It is great fun to start lessons with a good friend, but not necessary, because you will likely find great flying partners among your fellow students.
   Once you have graduated from the training hill, you will start flying local sites, where you will meet pilots from the local club. Clubs hold monthly meetings, organize group flying trips to out of town sites, and administer sponsorship and observer programs that help you reach higher skill ratings. Pilots as a rule are a helpful bunch. Club trips are a good way to scope out new sites. Experienced pilots who know the site will get you oriented in no time. And with lots of activity around the camp site, your significant other (who graciously volunteered to come along and drive) should be well entertained as well.
   For you, the new student, the adventure has only begun. There is an endless variety of new skills and experiences awaiting you. This makes hang gliding a sport like few others – it has staying power. You won't have that "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" feeling any time soon. Coastal soaring is different from mountain thermal flying. Cross country flying is a whole new ballgame. Mountain cross country is nothing like flying the desert flatlands. And then there is towing, and tandem flying. The list goes on. There is just nothing else like it.
   Can Hang Gliding really be this good? You bet! Find out for yourself and sign up for your first lesson. Come join us in the air!