AROUND HOME : Hang Gliding

THOSE PEOPLE interested in becoming involved in hang gliding are advised not to procrastinate indefinitely. The future of this uplifting but somewhat enigmatic sport that was born in California is in question. “We’re at the zenith of the sport right now,” says Ken de Russy, owner of the Hang Glider Emporium in Santa Barbara and veteran pilot and instructor. “I see an end to hang gliding here within 10 to 15 years, because of loss of access due to fear of litigation. In Europe and Scandinavia, hang gliders are welcomed. Here, we’re being shut out of more and more sites because we have become a litigious country.”

Mt. Wilson used to be a popular launch and lunch site (with snack bar and other facilities), providing spectacular thrills for hang glider pilots and spectators, but development has recently taken over the landing area. Now the place to visit is Sylmar Flight Park, a well-used landing site at Kagel Mountain.

According to Ted Boyse, manager of Windsports International in Van Nuys, casual observers, no matter how intrigued they may be, haven’t a prayer of getting their hands on a hang glider--not until those hands can perform with an acceptable amount of expertise. Hang gliders are not for rent, nor are they for sale to those untutored in their operation. A hang glider can’t even be purchased as a gift unless the recipient is or becomes a licensed pilot.

The sport is controlled to this extent because a hang glider can be extremely dangerous in the hands of a novice. Thus, all retail outlets, at least in Southern California, also are flying schools. Equipment is provided for students who, upon mastering the sport, must then purchase their own. New hang gliders sell for about $2,000; a good used glider can be obtained for half that amount.

After learning to operate a hang glider, most new pilots gravitate to one of the many flying clubs in the area. There are some independent pilots, but clubs are able to get group permits, locate and protect sites.

Hang gliding is most certainly not a sport to be taken or undertaken lightly, but its rewards are many. In the words of an eloquent but anonymous pilot at the old Mt. Wilson take-off site: “Everything around us is moving. Hang gliding is such a personal, private joy because it’s the closest an individual ever comes to being one with nature’s perpetual motion.”

The site at Kagel Mountain in Sylmar is off the 210 Freeway at Hubbard Street; go north, then right on Simshaw Street and left on Gridley Street, the end of which is the landing area.

A free introduction to hang gliding is available Wednesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. at the True Flight Concepts Hang Gliding School in Sylmar. Other Southern California flying schools/retail outlets include High Adventure in San Bernardino, and Hang Flight Systems in Santa Ana.