Gifts for Hang Gliders

You have someone in your life that has developed a sudden fascination and interest in hang gliding. You feel that the perfect gifts for hang gliders would be items that are related to the sport or activity.

But before you can find some amazing hang gliding gifts for that special person. There are a few things that you need to understand about hang gliding.  To help you understand we will give you answers to some of the questions that are swirling in your head like:

• What is hang gliding exactly?
• Is it an expensive sport or activity?
• How to get into hang gliding?
• What is the basic equipment needed for hang gliding?
• What sort of clothing do you wear?

What is hang gliding exactly?

I am sure that you have seen a couple hang gliders in action while driving past or even on the television. If you have, then you have a slight idea of what hang gliding is all about. But if you have not, a simple way of explaining it is:

Hang gliding is a type of air sport where the hang glider who is a pilot launches a super light hang glider that does not have a motor off a hilltop.  They do this by running as quickly as they can with their hang glider towards the edge of the hilltop to launch in the air.

Once in the air, they then leverage the rising air masses to stay airborne for long periods.

The pilot is strapped with a harness to the glider’s flexible wing, hanging under it (hence the name “hang gliding”) controls it by shifting the weight of their body appropriately which is one of the things taught during a lesson.

Is it an expensive sport or activity?

Hang gliding is an expensive sport to get into at first with all lesson fees and the price of a hang glider and all the other items and accessories that are required. But the benefits of such an experience are priceless and well worth the upfront cost of it all.

The cost of a new hang glider, helmet and harness can set you back anything from $5,000 and up. A solo lesson alone can cost you from $160.00 and up. Which will also depend on the hang gliding school you choose to go to and the type of lessons are required. What will help a little is if there are lesson packages available at a discount.

How do you start with hang gliding?

Before the hang glider in your life can enjoy their new-found sport, they’ll have to take some lessons to get them to pilot status. This usually is about a 10-day training course but can vary from one place to the next.

It can also be a difficult task to find a hang gliding school or instructor close to where you live. You will need to do some research in your area to find the best available option.

You can research hang gliding clubs and for other hang gliders as they will be happy to assist you in finding the appropriate places for the lessons that you need, hang gliding equipment and anything else that you might want to know about hang gliding.

When you do attend the lessons, they will first start you off with lessons that will help you get to grips with handling your hang glider properly. During this time the qualified teacher will guide you through short and low flights. Once you have mastered the control and steering of the hang glider, you’ll then move up into performing higher and longer flights. 

Once all your lessons are complete and the qualified instructor is happy with your performance, you will receive your pilot ranking and will be ready to fly completely solo.

Here are some of the top hang gliding schools that we found:

• Kitty Hawk Kites, NC, FL and Virginia Beach, VA
• Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding, Rising Fawn, GA
• Nice Sky Adventures, locations around Utah
• La Jolla, California, 
• Morningside Flight Park, Charlestown, NH 
• Mission Soaring Center, Tres Pinos, CA
• Wallaby Ranch, Orlando, FL

If you are looking for more schools, take a look at www.flightschoollist.com › hang-glider-schools where they give you options to find a school in or close to your area.

What equipment do you need for hang gliding?

As a beginner to hang gliding and while you are completing the different lessons, some hang gliding schools provide equipment for you to use and others you will need to rent. But eventually, you will want all your own equipment to use. Some of the basic items and equipment that you will need are:

• A hang glider obviously but to start, a beginner’s hang glider will do but make sure that it is good quality
• A great quality helmet
• A harness that is strong, durable and flexible
• A top quality parachute
• Goggles or sunglasses for eye protection and glare reduction
• A variometer that measures altitude, air pressure and more
• A way to transport your hang glider which could be a car rack, a van or truck
• A place to store it when not in use

Some other tracking equipment that will very useful to you as a hang glider which are:

• GPS – great to track an aerial route and monitor your flight
• Altimeter – to keep track the altitude of your flight
• Radios – Allows you to communicate with the people on the ground or your position with other fliers in the sky.

What sort of clothing do you wear?

The clothing that you choose to wear will depend a lot on the season. It is best to layer up with light close-fitting tops and bottoms to keep warm but not too thick and bundled up. This will cause some issues with the harness that you will need to strap yourself into.

Another option is to invest in a flying suit that can be worn over normal clothing but also covers the entire body. This will make things easier for you as they are comfortable and well insulated that you will not require too many layers of other clothing.

The other item is shoes or boots which should be lightweight and flexible with a good grip on them to ensure that you don’t slip and slide when launching or landing. Hiker shoes or boots would make a good option.

Now that you know a little more about hang gliding, it should make it easier for you to find an adventurous type of gifts that make perfect gifts for hang gliders. You could choose from items that they would need like a great quality helmet, hiking shoes or even a handy tracking device like a variometer or a wind meter. 

You could even choose a good pair of sunglasses that will help reduce the sun’s glare and protect their eyes or something they could wear, like an amazing hang gliding t-shirt.