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Nice well done historical presentation. Much like what you point out with the public misconception of names and terms of hang gliders, we still have an identity naming issue with the term - Ultralight- While the hang glider is an ultralight, the aircraft aero towing them up are Light Sport registered aircraft. I get that question about the Dragonfly from our Discovery student customers all the time. 53 years of HG for me and still loving it.

After 40 years of hang gliding and professional instruction. I believe in the 3 point rack. The ladder seems the best except for the fact that the glider itself has 5 tubes in some areas, 3 near the nose plate, and 2 tubes aft. This mostly puts a high concentrated load at a few places anyway. Let your precious glider ride zipper down on 3 points of 1X 4s covered with padding and carpet. Not round tube against round tubes of your glider. This usually results in wear holes on your sail, rack rash! Since long spans are more flexible, 3 points will provide even support and then broader 4 in surfaces eliminate concentrated load. No rack rash.

Build racks that can carry 3 or 4 gliders on larger vehicles, with lots of room for pilots and harness bags, and a ham radio licensed wife who is good with maps and driving. LOTS of pilot friendships result. Ask me how I know ;-)

5 years ago, I didn't know a single pilot, now I personally know more than 50, seems to be growing in my life.

Sharing info like this is a step in the right direction to ensuring the longevity of our beloved sport. Thanks for this.

That's my story man, Flying is like I knew how before I ever started. And seek out the good guys, like these folks. Don't go teaching yourself. I have dreamed flying since a very young lad, at 65 still dream flying. And have flown some really cool aircraft. Like an WW2 SNJ Naval Fighter.😊 Jesus must love me. Oh my dog does too.

That's a lot of work done. Good for you.

Thanks for sharing and encouraging folks to join the sport!

You are absolutely correct. I just found and joined the sport 2 years ago. I am 100% confident hang gliding will be just fine. Free flight soaring is absolutely magical and hang gliding is the absolute best way to access it. I have flown sailplanes and paragliders and hang gliders are way more fun (and safer than paragliders). Hang gliding went through a lull due to lack of marketing. People just don't know that you can fly for 5 hours in a hang glider by harnessing the natural power of thermals. They think hang gliding is a 5 minute experience. The age of social media will get the information out there.

Brilliant message I totally agree with

Thanks Eric, I have rejoined the Hanggliding Community after retiring. I live here in Mexico and know of 3 schools. This has been discussed by myself my instructors and just pilots. My local site is a four hour drive (Valle de Bravo). There are several qualified instructors but Ive been told USHPA will no longer allow them to sign of on training and licenses. So in order to reinstate my licenses I have to wait for an instructor to come down have a look at my logbook and talk with my instructor and I think do some obvservation of my flying. When I was an active pilot 30 years ago I felt USHGA did nothing for me but sent me a nice glossy magazine each month. However the mag was a wealth of information. I can tell you just from my limited 4 month re intry into the sport that Paragliding seems to be taking over. I sure don't enjoy gaggle flying with 30 or 40 paragliders. Seems they feel they now control the airspace at the site. Now that's my feeling. However I just had a pretty bad crash on landing because I made a mistake judging my landing setup, because the LZ was full of 30 paragliders. Which by the way cost me 1300 in damage to my brand new Falcon 4 race. I'm certainly not against paragliders. But it sure seems here in Mexico its pushing hangliding out of the way. I would also agree that there needs to be better advertising of schools and instructors. Along with a hangglider model like the Airwave Pulse which I know is back in production. Great glider and my first after completing my training years ago. There's not in the way of a glider between a Falcon and a Sport 3 as an example. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway I appreciate your work and the videos. Many thanks, Keith

Thanks for that. All good points, n even better to hear someone speaking in support of the sport!

It is ironic that your brand new Northwing EZY2 isn't even mentioned on Northwing's webpage.

Thank you for all the work you are doing to promote the sport. Your enthusiasm is very encouraging. When I looked into hang gliding some ~15? years ago as it turned out the only training hill close to me (close to Boston, MA) had just shut down due to the death of the owner (not related to flying, Morningside in NH). The next closest was 4 hours away (Ellenville, NY). I took one lesson, but realized that I was not going to be able to learn with an 8 hour round trip. I waited several years and looked into it again. As it turns out Morningside had only been shutdown for one year, the year I happened to be looking into it. I eventually resumed my training (about 5 years ago) at Morningside, eventually becoming a half-decent pilot. I did notice that there was quite a gap after one obtained an H2 (at least here in New England). Few people seemed interested in helping a new pilot take the next step and actually fly at a mountain site. Eventually I found some mentors that helped me move to the next phase of my flying, but I will say it was not straight forward. Much of the time I felt like I was just annoying people, asking if they would help me learn a new site, etc. I've tried myself since that time to help grow the sport and mentor (at least to my ability) a few pilots in the New England area. My one additional comment is that I think the sport would be greatly improved if we could get the manufacturers to innovate and create some lighter weight aircraft that were easier to transport and potentially short pack to a point that they would be able to easily go into the baggage when one is flying overseas.

Eric, there aren't so many active schools as your map suggests. But mostly, as a new pilot, I agree that the Hang Gliding community and USHPA are too secretive. Not only are they not open enough with the public, but even as a member, I can't access a lot of info. and they really don't seem to be oriented towards promoting and publicizing the sport. I live in Arizona and we are down to just one hang gliding school, and that's only open during the winter months. The good news is that it's a great school. The bad news is that come spring, when the close, I better have my H2 and my own wing, 'cause I'm on my own then. Probably have to drive over to Cali to continue with proper training.

I’m a natural I jumped off my roof and flew for .5 of a second

We insisted on our friend entering the sport to first learn to fly a radio controlled glider!

Thank you. I got into the pilotwings because of hang gliding. But that's a video game. I want to pilot a hang glider so when I'm out of school I'm joining this school

thank you guys BIIIIGGGGG

Thank you Eric. For a newbie like me, this information is priceless!

Learning to fly airplanes varies just as much.

The most clear explanation I found. Thank you!!!

is it too late to learn it in your 40s? :)

Osmosis: A learning process which in parallel with to a stepped and planned program bring class/lessons into "mind repetition" and hanging out at take off and landing area. So much is reinforced by hanging out. You might use the the word "Osmosis", the absorption of environment, so it becomes "you".

I learned hang gliding in 1979. A group of instructors leased a piece of land with a nice hill and began a hang gliding school. My instructor was very safety-oriented, and passed this mindset to all his students. I flew my Seagull 10-meter until 1983, when I started to get more interested in airplanes, eventually became an airplane pilot and dropped hang gliding altogether. Out of curiosity, some 15 years later I visited the same site. And yes, hang gliding was still being taught there. But the very competent, safety-oriented instructors were all gone, replaced by happy-go-lucky, pot-smoking nutjobs in their 20s who would launch their zero-hour, first day students from 40 feet high and hope for the best. I was very poorly impressed with what I saw. The other thing that annoyed me was the direction that hang gliding took in my hometown, Rio de Janeiro. Ten out of ten hang gliders there are operating "professionally" (many of which flown by the nutcases described above), making money by taking adventure-seeking tourists for sightseeing flights, despite the local regulations explicitly prohibiting this. They cheat the regulations by having their passengers sign a "discovery flight" agreement for what would supposedly be a first day in a hang gliding "course". A number of accidents, sadly with deaths, have occurred in this sport turned into business in Rio. Unfortunately the authorities lack the resources to enforce the regulations in an everyday basis.

I just have seen your hang video. Your introduction is very direct to point. thanks!

I am indian army pilot in hang gliding

True words!🥰

Fantastic presentation. Very good information.

Thanks a lot sir for brief explanation about the history of hang gliding. Gradually my dream is coming soon into true with your energetic explanations.

perfect information and presentation, Thank you very much for this valuable recommendations best regards

I think you should promote Low Altitude Beach Flights and teach people how to hoover - glide there. Been watching Hang Gliding Videos online for a while. The ones with the most views and reacts are the smooth low altitude Beach side hang glider hovering videos.

great video!!

Excellent video. I had flown a bit way back in the mid 1970s and lately, at the tender age of 69, have been interested in taking up the sport again ....with proper training this time around. Anyway, after watching this video a few weeks back I decided, "what the heck" and booked lessons with Windsports (at Dockweiler Beach) for both me and my wife. We drove all the way out from Phoenix had an absolute blast. And, in addition to Andy Beam and his great team of instructors, who did we run into? Eric!!! ...who was polishing his take-offs and landings on a WW Falcon 1. He really practices what he preaches.

Just the information i was hoping for! On a side note--used to live in Manhattan Beach and would cruise by on rollerblades to watch the new pilots. Never had enough pocket money to afford lessons as a kid--so, here I am, 30 years later, learning how to fly all the way on the other side of the Pacific--actually the other side of the world!

Returning to hangliding after a 20 year rest. Great informative video to introduce Hangliding to new potential pilots.

Bill Moyes invented hang gliding by selling them to the masses, caveat, an Aussie commenting 😀 meanwhile I have a Lilienthal tattoo on my right arm - Also wrong, Trikes are powered Hang Gliders, Paragaliders are still hang gliders as the pilot is suspended under the wing with lots of thin hang straps so technically are still hang gliders, paramotors are powered paragliders still suspended and hanging under the wing. Sailplanes are not hang gliders but incredible machines thanks to WW1 and the restrictions placed on the German Air Force to no longer produce airborne powered machines of war. Parasailing is gay.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making a very fantastic video. I am watching from Nepal. After watching this video, I want to learn with you. How can I contact you about this?

Very well presented. A thorough explanation of what it may take and specific steps to take to become a pilot. I used to fly in the army and would really be overjoyed to become a hang glider pilot and begin flying again. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you good advise❤😂🎉

I live in India here people don't know anything about hangglider I want to make hangglider can you help me can you send video of hangglider please give me your whatsapp number

Glad I watched! I’m still wondering how to transport overseas. Noob here.

Thank you for this video. For 40 years I've wanted to try hang gliding and now I'm gonna! ;) Learning looks very different than I thought it would be. So now.... I live in Phoenix but I would like to start on a beach. The part of the video on the beach is what makes it feel comfortable to enter the sport. Please reply if you're an instructor in the San Diego, CA area. I visit there frequently. I'll be there on the weekend of September 14 and I can always trek there if I find an awesome teacher.... Additionally, though, when I get back to AZ, the weather will finally be cool enough to look for an instructor here too. SO. If you're an instructor near Phoenix. Yup. I'd love to hear from you too.

It's still really hard to spot anyone with any background, even when you know where about they are. I've heard my fluro orange with white leading edge is very easy to spot. It must be true because I've had helicopters divert for me from a distance. Strobes probably would help the most.

WillsWing was my favorite brand.

Built my own (early '70s) from bamboo, visqueen and duct tape. Test flew it on the Miss. River levee in N.E. Louisiana! Was generally loong 'moon walking' type steps. Also built/test flew an EasyRiser Kit and 'tested' it on The Levee. Eventually heard about the growing hanggliding activities in the Chattanooga area. Was working as a helicopter mechanic on a 7 days on/7 days off so drove up to check THAT out! Eventually got official training. Thanks to Dan & Randee, BJ, TOM and everyone else, I worked as a heli-mech on the Gulf coast of Louisiana. Wore out 2 new Celicas driving back and forth every 7 days.

Nice video. Informative. Can BHPA pilot fly in US?

Whats duration to learn?

I chose red, yellow and white for my Airborne Fun2 (a single surface hang glider that is ideal for coastal soaring) for safety reasons but as you make clear in your video it can be a tricky choice. For example, when you're checking-out the landing area from up high and the houses below have light coloured roofs, a (mostly) white hang glider or paraglider can be hard to see.

Jonathan Deitch has a modern take with his laser reflector patches on the leading edge. Props on another good vid.