If you are thinking of buying a cheap, used hang glider to practice with before taking your training, so you can save money on lessons; think again. Here is how it works:
You find an instructor by going to ushpa.aero. Click on "learn to fly" and you will find a list of schools and a list of indiviual instructors. You can contact anyone on these lists directly to arrange for lessons.
The school or instructor will have all the equipment (glider, harness, helmet, radios, wheels) needed for your training. You need not buy anything (except the training manual) to learn to fly. Use of all the gear is included in the lesson price.
It is very important to have an instructor guiding you from your first run on the training hill. Flying is not intuitive for humans. We were not meant to fly. It takes serious effort to learn something that is so un-natural for us. At best, you will inculcate bad habits. At worst, you will break a very important bone, so instead of gaining the freedom of flight; you might lose the freedom of walking.
By definition, a teacher is one who has knowledge of a subject, and can impart it to others. By logic, if you have no knowledge of the subject then you are not a teacher and cannot teach yourself. You can learn some things by trial and error. I strongly advise against learning to fly by trial and error. While the trials are free, the errors can be costly, painful, crippling or fatal.
No one tries to learn on their own, mainly because doctors charge a lot more than hang gliding instructors.
See Red's website for futher advice on learning to fly hang gliders.
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| Delta Wing Dream 240 This is a nice custom sail design by the Corral Brothers. The glider is in excellent condition. I did an IRAN (Inspect and Repair As Necessary) on this glider recently, and test-flew it. It is in airworthy condition. It might well be the nicest Dream 240 in existence. This is a big man's tandem glider. You must be strong to fly tandem on this glider. It is really big! $1800. Local pick-up only. 760-822-5667 hangglidingphotos@hotmail.com |
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| Altair Predator 142 This is a super custom sail design by Randy SkyWalker. The glider is in very good condition. The pilot weight range is 130 - 220 pounds. The Predator is a high-performance glider requiring advanced skills. A good deal at $1500. Call Randy directly at 480-250-5223 or rskywalker17@yahoo.com |
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| Glider Rack for the 2005 Ford Escape or Ranger This is a nicely-built custom front rack that bolts to existing holes in the frame. It is made of steel so it is very solid and can handle anything you can throw at it. The upright section un-plugs and is secured with a pip pin. Top bar is uphostered with 1/2" thick closed-cell foam and black vinyl material. Complete with strap stops to keep the straps from slipping off the ends. $200. |
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| Glider Rack for the FJ Cruiser Front and rear uprights. The rear rack plugs into the stock hitch receiver on the FJ Cruiser. The front rack receiver is missing and needs to have one fabricated. Racks are uphostered with 1/2" thick foam and black vinyl material. Complete with strap stops to keep the straps from slipping off the ends. $300 for both. The Thule roof racks (pictured) also available $120 |
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