Glider Buffs Give Safety Priority

An inherently dangerous sport, hang gliding was made even more dangerous in its early days by makeshift equipment and foolhardy pilots.

Partying was synonymous with the sport: It was no coincidence that the first big national event, held in the Valley area in 1973, was known as the “Annie Green Springs Championships.” Accidents were all too common. In 1974 alone, 40 pilots were killed nationwide, according to the U. S. Hang Gliding Assn.

Today, safety and responsibility are top priority. The USHGA, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., was formed in 1971 to govern the sport. Standards were established to prevent just any person with a kite from jumping off a mountain. By the early ‘80s, the USHGA, along with a manufacturers’ association, was making an impact.

“I first tried hang gliding back in 1972,” said Marty Foulger, a Sierra Madre resident. “Fortunately, I didn’t have any money so I couldn’t continue. That saved my life. Nobody knew what they were doing in those days. It’s a lot safer now.”

Pilots now have to be certified like scuba divers and hot-air balloonists. Equipment is made to more stringent specifications. The results: Even though participation has gone from hundreds of people in the early ‘70s to an estimated 40,000 this year, fatalities have decreased dramatically. In the past decade, the USHGA says, the sport has averaged five to 10 deaths a year; eight pilots died in 1990.

“Hang gliding now is almost as safe as driving your car,” said a spokesperson for the USHGA, which has 9,000 members.

Unlike the old kites, modern gliders don’t spiral out of control. “The old gliders were very dangerous,” Foulger said. “It was very difficult to get them out of a dive. Now it’s difficult to keep them in a dive. Launching and landing are still the most critical, but I can make the most horrible mistake in midair and it will not hurt me.”

The high cost of gliding--as much as $5,000 to do it right--also might have been a factor in decreasing accidents: With a bigger investment, pilots are more cautious. “Old kites used to cost $200,” a pilot said. “At the prices today, we at least keep out the riffraff.”

Modern pilots also know a lot more than the pioneers, who literally flew by the seat of their pants. “The things the birds knew from instinct we had to learn the hard way,” Foulger said, citing a potentially dangerous situation known as rotors--where the wind dips over a mountain and creates unstable downdrafts.

Lessons are mandatory in order to become certified. Several are shops provide lessons with certified instructors. An average lesson package costs about $1,000 and includes two weeks of classroom instruction, tandem flights with an instructor and solo rides on local bunny hills.

“Hang gliding,” Foulger said, “is the only way to fly.”