It’s a Bird; It’s a Plane; No, It’s the Extreme Team

“This is the closest you will ever come to flying,” said Sunny, co-owner of Highland Aerosports, located at Ridgely, Md., on the Eastern Shore. He was right. Of all of the extreme sports, hang gliding is the only one that allows you to soar through the air and rise higher on warm air currents.

In order to get to a sufficient height to glide, our glider was pulled up through the air by a specially designed airplane, which released us when we reached our targeted altitude, which was described as “Way up towards the clouds.” The view was absolutely gorgeous­–clouds billowed gracefully around us, and the ground below looked like a foggy dream. Sunny even pointed out a rainbow.

Another thing that I was told by Sunny and Adam is that anyone who hang-glides on a regular basis will not see it as an extreme sport. After experiencing hang gliding first hand, I would have to agree with them. It is peaceful. In fact, it is a borderline religious experience, due to the tranquil emotions that it evokes.

The glider is extremely maneuverable. To go faster, the flyer must pull the frame towards his or her body; to slow down one would push it away. To change directions one simply moves in the intended direction. As a beginner, I was only on the very lowest level. Some more experienced flyers know how to fly upside-down, and do other more complicated stunts.

 

Soaring, Tumbling & Freewheeling Through the Sky

The friendly instructors at Highland Aerosports will provide you with the experience of a lifetime, but you must listen to your instructor when you’re in ground training. First, you will learn how to get into the glider and how to maneuver it in the sky; pay attention, and you’ll have a great flight.

After having an amazing experience in the sky with your instructor, Highland Aerosports offers lessons and packages for beginners who want to fly on their own. A flier can choose from the novice package, or a payment plan package where you pay along the way.

These packages come with great discounts on gliders, and in the end you’ll get your license to fly by yourself.

Trapeze, Skydiving & the Glide

The trapeze (“Flying into a Circus Near You,” Loudoun Independent, July 22, 2009) is only about nine feet from the safety net, while hang gliding is more than a mile in the air. Which do you think would be scarier?

Oddly enough, the trapeze was more difficult. The willpower to jump off the platform and swing on a bar with your weight supported by your arms is a much more intimidating than riding air currents thousands of feet in the air. While gliding through the air, the only lurch that my stomach felt was when the glider was detached from the airplane, but I was soon reassured by the steady support I felt in the frame of our wings, and by the maneuverable capability that my instructor demonstrated.

When compared with skydiving (“Are You Ready for a Leap of Faith?” Loudoun Independent, July 1, 2009), gliding was more of an adventure. Skydiving had its perks–the jump was exhilarating, and freefall was amazing. But there is something about having more control of the actual flight in that is unique and enjoyable.

  We could have stayed up in the sky for hours. Skydiving is more like falling than flying, while when you are hang gliding, you maneuver through the sky, using updrafts to keep you in the air. Although the flights provide a different sensation, hang gliding would be the best road traveled.