Flying High

Say “hang gliding” to the uninitiated and you are guaranteed one of two reactions:

1. “Those people are out of their minds.”

2. “I’ve always thought that might be fun.”

Both answers are correct.

No matter how effusive hang gliders are about their sport, the fact remains it involves flying thousands of feet up, supported only by several yards of polyester fabric, lightweight aluminum tubing and strands of stainless steel cable.

Modern hang gliding (as opposed to its primitive era in the 1960s and 1970s), has an admirable safety record, according to the U.S. Hang Gliding Assn.

“I don’t care what anyone says, it’s a dangerous sport,” said hang gliding pilot Gayle Elett to three- first- timers gathered for their introductory lesson on a scrubby hillside in Simi Valley.

“If you forget that, you could get yourself in trouble.”

That out of the way, this small group prepared to join those who take to the skies on wings of Dacron.

They didn’t have to worry much about heights on this day. The highest they would be going, according to instructor Andy Beem, would be about 10 feet.

The training day started earlier that morning at the Van Nuys headquarters of Beem’s employer, WindSports Soaring Center, which bills itself as L.A.’s largest hang-gliding operation since 1974.

In one corner of the retail shop, the students watched a short video describing the basics of hang gliding. Then Beem, who has an infectious love of the sport, put each in a “flight simulator” (basically a pilot’s harness suspended from the ceiling) to give them an idea what position they’d be in while flying.

After lunch break, class reconvened near a long, gentle slope in Simi affectionately called the “bunny hill”. Students pitched in to carry gear onto the site, and then helped Beem with the assembly of the glider, which had been broken down for transport.

Then came the first of many safety checks, with the instructor taking the students through a full-fledge “walk-around” to check the wings and every critical strut and joint on the aircraft. Then the inevitable question was posed to Beem, who has been hang gliding for 14 years: Has he ever had a bad accident?

Beem had a ready answer.

“I’ve never had an accident.”

Partway up the hill Beem parked the glider and had everyone suit up into a harness. He drilled them in the long, loping running steps he wanted them to use during launches. Then in turn, each clicked his harness into glider, balancing the craft on his shoulders.

Beem had them rotate their bodies, observing how the wings dipped to the sides in response to the wind. When they found the spot where the wings were level, it was time to start the run.

But not yet fly.

Like a composer working his way up to a major chord, Beem let each rookie pilot get the experience of running a few steps with the glider on his shoulders. But he stopped them before they reached launch speed.

Then the time finally came.

“Keep the legs moving, keep up the running steps,” Beem told a student as he gained speed with strides down the hill. This time Beem, running alongside, didn’t stop him,. The glider rose up, pulling the pilot up by the harness briefly into the air.

“Keep the legs moving! Long strides!”

The movement upward made the running easier and the strides far longer. He looked like he was running in low gravity.

“Now, slow it down,” ordered Beem, and the first, short taste of flight was over.

By the end of the day, each of the students had taken several flights to the bottom of the hill, working on making little course corrections along the way and smooth landings.

They might have indeed been, at most, only 10 feet off the ground, but by the looks on their faces, you could tell they would remember this day long after they had forgotten their first time on a commercial airliner.

Getting Started

Clubs

* Sylmar Hang Gliding Assn.

12600 Gridley St.

Sylmar, CA 91342

(818) 362-9978

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* Malibu Hang Gliding Assn.

P.O. Box 58

Port Hueneme, CA 93044

(805) 488-4522

Costs

* Lessons: (Prices from WindSports Soaring Center in Van Nuys)

* Introductory Package: Includes ground school, introductory flight lesson and a tandem flight, $199

* Beginner Lesson Package: From three to six hill lessons (depending on how many are needed to reach Hang I status). $350

* Novice Lesson Package: Six to eight hill lessons and one tandem lesson. Safety parachute training. $400

* Intermediate Mountain Package: Four to six mountain lessons, two to four soaring flights, advanced skilled training. $400

Rating Requirements

* Beginner (Hang I): Ability to do basic skills, usually learned in five to seven lessons. Training elevation does not exceed 30 feet.

* Novice (Hang II): Ability to handle light turbulence and launch / landing problems. Training elevation up to 100 feet.

* Intermediate (Hang III): Four additional months training, at least 90 flights.

* Expert (Hang IV): Eight additional months, 250 flights.

Flying Equipped

sail

batten

crossbar

keel

leading edge tube

king post

rigging wire

hang point

nose

wing

pilot

harness

control bar

trailing edge

Flying

Up and Away

Ideally, a launch spot should have 5 to 20 mph winds and nearby thermals for climbing.Thermal lift occurs when the ground is heated by the sun, causing surrounding air to rise in a circular pattern.

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Taking Flight

After walk- around safety check of joints and struts, pilot securely “clicks in” by fastening harness carabiners to glider.

1. Lift Begins

Glider is evenly balanced on the shoulders with nose slightly elevated. Pilot begins taking long running steps into the wind.

2. Takeoff

Glider begins to rise and pilot keeps running forward until lifted into the air. Slight course corrections may be needed to achieve level flight.

3. Approach

With eyes locked on landing spot, pilot pulls back on bar to level wings and begin descent, increasing air speed for added control and to avoid stall.

4. Landing

Three or four feet above ground, pilot levels off and then begins to “flare” the glider by pushing bar steadily forward. Glider stalls, letting pilot come to upright landing.

Steer the Glider

The glider and the pilot form an aerodynamic unit. The pilot is suspended in a harness beneath the wing, free to swing like a pendulum.

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If you shift your weight to the left, the glider will turn left.

If you keep your weight centered, the glider will stay aimed in the same direction.

If you shift your weight to the right, the glider will turn right.

Sources: “Hang Gliding for Beginner Pilots”; WindSports Soaring Center; U.S. Hang Gliding Assn. Researched by DAVID COLKER and MARK HAFER / Los Angeles Times