Age minimum for HG?

My 13-year old daughter is writing a paper for school on hang gliding and she wants to know if you have to be a certain age to do it. We live in California. Anybody know the answer?

Also, what website is the best one for general info on hang gliding?

Thanks!

Ed Hooks Palo Alto, CA.

Try http://www.sky-adventures.com/ for info.

13 is not too young an age provided she can control the weight and mass of the glider when launching and landing (talking hangglider not paraglider here)

My friend was 14 when he started and he was one of the best pilots around my neck of the neighborhood in 1974.

Thanks!

<<My 13-year old daughter is writing a paper for school on hang gliding <<and she wants to know if you have to be a certain age to do it. We <<live in California. Anybody know the answer?

I'm a United States Hang Gliding Association instructor, and would be very resistent to allowing someone that young take lessons, for several reasons. The most important is maturity level. Hang gliding is one of the biggest enjoyments in my life, but it can also be very dangerous, even fatal. It is not very forgiving of mistakes, and it takes a mature person to evaluate the risks and to fly with the proper judgement.

Although there are many female pilots, I doubt a 13 year old girl would have the upper body strength neccessary to control a glider, especially on the takeoff run. Even the lightest gliders weigh 50 or so pounds. The youngest student I taught was 17. He had his parents permission, and more importantly, was level headed and not into showing off.

I'm all for people getting into hang gliding, but when I hear of one so young wanting to get in, I just want to be sure everyone one involved is aware of the risks. You can get more info on hang gliding from the United States Hang Gliding Association at 719-632-8300. Angelo Mantas

It would seem that Angelo missed the point of the California residents query on his daughters behalf. She is writing a school report, not looking for hang gliding instruction.

To address her question: Chris Muller (record setting hang and paragliding pilot) first flew tandem with his famous father Willi Muller when he was 14 years old. Tandem flying is an excellent method of learning for young and old and requires very little strength on the part of the student and yet they can still pilot the craft once airborne. I know of people who have physical handicaps and one who is legally blind who hang glide! Tandem!

There was also an article in our local newspaper involving a reporter who went on a tandem flight in Texas, while being towed behind an ultralight. He had no previous experience and his maturity and level headedness were no doubt secondary to the fact that he was assigned to the story by his editor.

Craig Heffernan

ACE pilot, AME, firefighter

Craig Heffernan writes;

<It would seem that Angelo missed the point of the California residents <query on his daughters behalf. She is writing a school report, not <looking for hang gliding instruction.

Mr. Heffernan misses my point. I don't have the original post anymore, but I beleive part of Mr. Hooks inquiry was how old you had to be to take lessons, and someone replied in a manner encouraging his daughter to take lessons. I just wanted to point out there are risks involved. It seems the non-hang gliding world is divided into two camps, those who think any one that hang glides has a death wish, and those that think you can casualy pick it up, like bicycling.

<There was also an article in our local newspaper involving a reporter <who went on a tandem flight in Texas, while being towed behind an <ultralight. He had no previous experience and his maturity and level <headedness were no doubt secondary to the fact that he was assigned to <the story by his editor.

Several years ago in Ohio, a tandem pilot was showing a local reporter how step towing worked. They caught a wing tip on the tow rope, and both were killed.

I know this is coming dangerously close to a flame, but I've seen 3 friends or acquintences get killed in hang gliding accidents in the last two years, and when I see someone belittle what I consider reasonable questions to ask of someone how wants to get involved in this beutiful but somewhat risky sport, I get a little pissed off.

Angelo Mantas USHGA instructor for the last 11 years Angelo Mantas

Angelo, you now say that your original point was that the sport is risky. But you also claim to have lost three friends to hanggliding in the last two years, yet describe the sport as only 'somewhat risky.'

This is clearly a flame.

Love from www.peartreestreet.com

Hi Ed,

I hope you don't mind a quick word from the other side of the atlantic. I paraglide, but I can hopefully provide a few pointers. are:

1. In the UK, US and most of europe, one has to be 18 to fly any aircraft solo.

2. You may have recieved a few websites already... these probably have a US viewpoint of the sport. If you'd like to look at things in the UK, take a look at http://www.bhpa.co.uk/ This is the web page for the British Hang-Gliding and Paragliding Association. It contains on-line copies of (parts of) 'Skywings', the main national HG/PG magazine.

Martin Harvey.

*********************************************** Martin Harvey Pembroke College, Cambridge University.

Uni web pages: http://www-stu.pem.cam.ac.uk/~mch24/ ***********************************************

Please don't take this as a flame, nor a slight of your opinion, just a differing point of view.

I find it somewhat sad that here we have an unregulated activity (unregulated by choice, not by ignorance) with a stringent restriction than that of a condoned and regulated similar activity. In this case, I am refering to the FAA regulation WRT age for solo of sailplanes (age 14 in the USA). Also, there is a 12 year-old girl in New Zealand with a CAA (their equivalent of the FAA) approval to fly solo [New Zealand does not have an age limit, but it is based on the maturity of the student and the opinion of the instructor].

I know of 7 people who started hang gliding at a younger age than your arbitrary cut-off age. Not all the stories are good. Taras Kicienuk Jr learned to fly hang gliders at a very early age (I believe he was 15, but I'll ask him), along with his high school friend Steve Elliot. Both Taras and Steve helped Dr Paul MacCready [1956 World Sailplane Champion and hang glider pilot] and his Gossamer Condor and Albatross teams, and later became engineers. Dr MacCready also has two sons who flew hang gliders at young ages, Parker and Tyler. Parker was 14 and Tyler was 12 or 13; Parker competed and placed about 30th in the 1974 Hang Gliding Nationals (Escape Country) at age 15. While you might write-off Parker and Tyler as 'rich kids' you'd be mistaken; both had the opportunity because of their father, but they are both smart and capable young men. The next example is Mark 'Forger' Stucky, he was a part of the old Pliable Moose group (Gary Osoba). I think Forger was about 14 when he started flying hang gliders. Forger later became a fighter pilot for the USMC, flew off carriers in the Desert Storm, and is now a test pilot for NASA at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Forger still flys hang gliders for fun, and writes an occasional article for Hang Gliding magazine. The next example I offer is myself; I started flying hang gliders at age 13 (I had just turned 13 and I have understanding parents). At that time there was no 'Hang Rating' system but it was a Hang Award system. I have Hang 3 number 6, issued on 3/22/74 at Torrance Beach, the observer was Russell Velderrain. I later transitioned to sailplanes when I was old enough, and in college back to hang gliders for a bit. I'm now an engineer for NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Center [acting as Chief of the Aerodynamics Group], but inactive as a sailplane or hang glider pilot. My final example is a sad one, and I did reserve it for last for a reason [to lend some balance]. Hall Brock learned to lfy very young, I think Hall was about 10 or 11. Hall died when he was about 13 in a hang gliding accident. hall's father was Pete Brock, owner and founder of ultralite products (UP). Pete has gone back to a love from a previous life (car racing) and no longer flies that I am aware of. There is also the case of Eric Wills, though I cannot remember how old Eric was when he died at Crestline, but he also was young.

I guess I'm disagreeing with the cut-off. But with some HEAVY caveats. I see nothing wrong with very young hang gliders pilots at small bunny training hills. Or, if on bigger hills, as tandems with qualified instructors (like yourself, Angelo). And if certain youngsters show exceptional maturity and ability, they should be allowed to fly. OTOH, there are some people (and we have all encountered them) who should NEVER undertake this sort of activity.

Al Bowers ...USHGA 04572...