A Hangglider launches himself off Lookout Mountain.By SUMMER KELLEY
A Hangglider launches himself off Lookout Mountain.
Hang gliding is dangerous . . . about as dangerous as driving your car
The hang gliding community was recently saddened by the death of a friend and fellow hang gliding enthusiast.
Fatalities while hang gliding tend to receive a lot of media attention and this loss was no exception. Hang gliding accidents also bring out people’s fears of taking to the skies.
Dan Zink, an instructor at the Lookout Mountain Flight Park, says hang gliding can be dangerous, but only if unnecessary risks are taken or the pilots are inexperienced.
According to the U. S. Hang Gliding Association, the history of hang gliding dates back to the beginning of man’s interest in flying and as early as sketches made by Leonardo Da Vinci.
The Wright Brothers themselves developed their flying skills on “hang gliders” before finally lifting off with the Kitty Hawk. It was in the 1960’s when a NASA project for recovering space craft brought about the rebirth of hang gliding and then the sport began taking off in the 1970’s.
Lookout Mountain Flight Park was born during the 1970’s boom of the sport and was originally owned by three men, according to Zink. In 1980 the current owners, Matt and Robin Taber, bought the Flight Park and continued to build the business into the large training school it has become today.
The Flight Park currently has 20 instructors on staff, both full- and part-time, and instructors have come to the area from all over to be near the Lookout Mountain area.
What draws them?
Zink said it is being able to soar along the ridge of Lookout Mountain and having a valley that is nice and flat with a grassy area that is not rocky and full of crevices to land on. It is also the gentle breezes and winds as well as hills with gentle slopes that are perfect for training new pilots.
“There just are not many places that have all those things going for them,” Zink said.
This has led to the development of five launch sites in the Lookout Mountain area and the Lookout Mountain Flight Park which runs full-time year round. Zink said nowhere in the world is there as big a school as the Flight Park which trains five times more mountain pilots than the biggest school in the United States. While some people believe those who fly in hang gliders may be crazy or are unaccustomed to seeing hang gliders, Zink said hang gliding enthusiasts can be found anywhere the terrain is good for the sport which is growing in many countries including India and Asian countries. In the U.S., hang gliding has remained steady for the last 25 years.
Those people new to hang gliding or just trying it out are excited about the experience. According to Zink, because hang gliding looks (and really is) so gentle, they are not nervous at all about their first flight in a hang glider, especially since it does not require jumping off the mountain. The new fliers can try jumping off small hills and/or take a tandem flight where they are gently lifted off the ground by an ultra-light aircraft until altitude is reached. The glider is then released into the air. Last year Zink said a 92–year–old man took a flight in one of the hang gliders and that he was not too scared.
“We’re designed to give you a fun experience like soaring with an eagle or a hawk,” Zink said. “We’re not designed as a thrill ride although we’ve had a few ask for that and we have helped.”
The fear in hang gliding comes not from the height, but from the fear of falling, Zink said. Hang gliding is not difficult and there are no hard decisions while flying.
“It is all about the pilot being conservative and wise,” Zink said.
Most hang gliding accidents are due to pilots doing something that shouldn’t have been done, according to Zink. At the flight park, Zink said they have Mike Labodo who has over 13,000 tandem flights without even breaking a fingernail, and that doesn’t include his solo flights. They also have Eric Graper who has over 4,000 flights without an incident.
Information on the flight park can be found online at www.hangglide.com. The flight park also has a toll free number, 1-800-688-5637.
If you still don’t think that this is your type of activity or weekend adventure, then stay tuned for a future story where this reporter ventures out into the wild blue yonder.
The Dade Sentinel
http://dadesentinel.com/article.php/20080515124503659