Hang gliding for first time

Huckster79

Huckster79

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Huckster79
So we’re going to be in La Jolla California for “work convention” this weekend and next week. We are going to be a short walk to the La Jolla Gliderport… I’m thinking of giving it a whirl… it’s only a couple hundred bucks for a ride. They have parasailing and hang gliding- the hang gliding looks far more thrilling…

Seems like it would be flight at its purest… No lycoming or continental involved at all…

Any others given it a shot? Thoughts?
 
I've been there a couple of times to watch, but never tried it.
It's a cool scene if you catch them on a busy day. ATC is a guy in flip flops out by the edge of the cliff sequencing the gliders with a megaphone.
 
I did a couple of tandem aerotows. Not so much thrilling, but as you said, pure. Recommended!
 
Yes, do it..... but I will say, I did not love the one aero tow tandem flight I took. It was in a way pure flight as you say...but I found the control of the thing to be very counter intuitive.. I'm used to pull to go up and push to go down.... Hanglider is the opposite and it screwed with me.
Still, I am very glad I did it when I had teh chance!
 
Brad W said:
Yes, do it..... but I will say, I did not love the one aero tow tandem flight I took. It was in a way pure flight as you say...but I found the control of the thing to be very counter intuitive.. I'm used to pull to go up and push to go down.... Hanglider is the opposite and it screwed with me.
Still, I am very glad I did it when I had teh chance!
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Yes I’ve heard that. One gentleman commented it makes it easier if you forget about the handle (not sure their technical term) and think of your body as the stick of a plane. That made sense but I’m sure it’s easier said than done to erase our muscle memory.
 
Huckster79 said:
So we’re going to be in La Jolla California for “work convention” this weekend and next week. We are going to be a short walk to the La Jolla Gliderport… I’m thinking of giving it a whirl… it’s only a couple hundred bucks for a ride. They have parasailing and hang gliding- the hang gliding looks far more thrilling…

Seems like it would be flight at its purest… No lycoming or continental involved at all…

Any others given it a shot? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Hope they can get you a soaring flight vs a gliding flight. The thrilling part for me is watching the ground fall away as I thermal up, even climbing at a leisurely 100ft minute is exciting, mostly because it means the flight is not going to end soon.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
brcase said:
Hope they can get you a soaring flight vs a gliding flight. The thrilling part for me is watching the ground fall away as I thermal up, even climbing at a leisurely 100ft minute is exciting, mostly because it means the flight is not going to end soon.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
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Yea that would be very cool! I think if Wx is good, I’m gunna give it a go…
 
Don’t overlook paragliding. Having done both, I preferred having the ability to take a glider with me anywhere as it fits in a large backpack.
 
Kent Wien said:
Don’t overlook paragliding. Having done both, I preferred having the ability to take a glider with me anywhere as it fits in a large backpack.
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Yeah, if I were to do it again, I’d probably go PG. Easy transport, easy storage. Are the new designs more resistant to collapse?
 
Swing has developed a technology that helps prevent collapses called RAST. But good instruction is the other part of preventing collapses. And judgement.
 
Bill said:
Flew HG for a few years and was aerotow rated. It was cool and fun, but also time consuming. Had to move on.

Shot of me mountain launching from the radial ramp:

View attachment 121825
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Awesome pic!

Yea I’m just looking to give it a whirl not fully take it up…
 
Bill said:
Yeah, if I were to do it again, I’d probably go PG. Easy transport, easy storage. Are the new designs more resistant to collapse?
Click to expand...

Kent Wien said:
Swing has developed a technology that helps prevent collapses called RAST. But good instruction is the other part of preventing collapses. And judgement.
Click to expand...

In skydive tech there was one guy/small manufacturer who had developed something called "airlock" to prevent collapses but it didn't really catch on. Something similar?

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Torrey Pines (La Jolla) is one of the birthplaces of soaring hang gliding. Lots of history there. The flying there is in ridge lift over blacks beach (which is a nude beach). You take off and land at the top of the ridge. No thermals, so it's going back and forth along the ridge for a few miles. Good views of the golf course, beach and the ocean. Take off will be a bit nerve wracking if you have issue with heights or edges, but the lift is very smooth and it's a very benign hang gliding site. It's a good way to check off a bucket list item.
 
My intro to flying was hang gliding...bought myself a Wills Wing when I was 16....taught myself to fly it (yeah, I know you're not supposed to do that...young/dumb/fearless). I had a blast. There was a closed down ski hill near me that was awesome for some pretty decent timed flights...only problem was, the hill faced east, and it took a rare day to have the right wind.
 
Hang 4 said:
Torrey Pines (La Jolla) is one of the birthplaces of soaring hang gliding. Lots of history there. The flying there is in ridge lift over blacks beach (which is a nude beach). You take off and land at the top of the ridge. No thermals, so it's going back and forth along the ridge for a few miles. Good views of the golf course, beach and the ocean. Take off will be a bit nerve wracking if you have issue with heights or edges, but the lift is very smooth and it's a very benign hang gliding site. It's a good way to check off a bucket list item.
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They offer just the tandem rides but also instruction packages, I won’t have time for a package but wonder if I could get em to give me an intro lesson vs just a ride…

Yea the take off intimidates me a bit but I think I’ll suck it up n go for it.
 
They use side by side harnesses for tandems, which means you can take the controls, just like a GA discovery flight. I don't know this operation specifically, but it's pretty normal to let the passenger fly. It's actually required to be instruction if it's done commercially.

On the take off, if it's soarable, it's more like levitation than a hard run off a cliff. They'll walk up to the edge and the wing will start to lift and then there will be a couple steps forward. Much easier mentally than committing to a full on run for a mountain launch.
 
I also visited, spent an hour watching. Wish I'd done it.
(actually I was distracted by Black's Beach)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I also visited, spent an hour watching. Wish I'd done it.
(actually I was distracted by Black's Beach)
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We did both :) the beach was very relaxed from those in athletic pants n hoodies to not a stitch and no one cared in any direction. The hike down was a doozie but we walked down towards the cove that had a road type path back up.

Yea it was very cool, it was short but glad I can say I have done it…
 
Huckster79 said:
I did it! Hang gliding was unavailable so I did the paraglider. The instructor was great and let me take controls, was simple intuitive and beautiful.

Glad I did it
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Was Milly or Billy your instructor?
 
Kent Wien said:
Was Milly or Billy your instructor?
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No I think CJ maybe… my wife has his card as they do tips on cash app n I gotta reload tgat to send the guy a tip… he was great-he high fived several folks as we zoomed by and explained a lot to me of how to slow down when we were climbing and speed up when we would be losing alt and such.
 
Hang 4 said:
Torrey Pines (La Jolla) is one of the birthplaces of soaring hang gliding. Lots of history there. The flying there is in ridge lift over blacks beach (which is a nude beach). You take off and land at the top of the ridge. No thermals, so it's going back and forth along the ridge for a few miles. Good views of the golf course, beach and the ocean. Take off will be a bit nerve wracking if you have issue with heights or edges, but the lift is very smooth and it's a very benign hang gliding site. It's a good way to check off a bucket list item.
Click to expand...


Me and a few friends did some nighttime full moon soaring at Torrey Pines back in the late 70s. It was some way cool flying. Also did it at Meriam Crater in Arizona.
 
I flew hang gliders back "in the day". Actually, I was one of the first HG pilots on a home-made bamboo, polyethylene and duct tape flying machine. Later I graduated to store bought gliders. I finally gave it up after I was caught by a dust devil while landing in New Mexico. Nothing you can do in that situation except wait for the violent motion to stop. It shattered my right arm and crushed my radial nerve. I had no use of my right hand for 8 months. Scary stuff. When it was good, it was very good though. Bamboo2.jpg


Sandia-Crest.jpg
 
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