Hang gliding over Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga with Lookout Mountain Flight Park of Rising Fawn, ... [+]
Long a fan of and an active participant in aviation and adventure, I’ve tried a number of pursuits: hot air ballooning, parasailing, flying in a seaplane, indoor skydiving and experiencing negative G-force on Fat Albert with the Blue Angels. But the one thing I always wanted to do was hang gliding.
Ever since I first saw a hang glider soaring high above Lookout Mountain years ago, I made a promise to try it one day, if I could work up the courage to do such a thing. With all the brevity I could gather, that “one day” finally came on a cool, blustery fall day at Lookout Mountain Flight Park at Rising Fawn in the very northwest corner of Georgia where the Peach State meets Chattanooga.
Lookout Mountain Flight Park is one of the oldest and largest hang gliding schools in the United States. Here, you can tandem hang glide with an instructor just for the fun of it, learn the sport, or even become a certified hang glider pilot.
Hang gliding at Lookout Mountain Flight Park begins with either launching off a concrete platform or ... [+]
Depending on the weather, you’ll foot launch off a concrete platform perched at 1,340 feet above the valley or be towed behind an aerotow, a small lightweight tow-plane. Because of the high winds that day, my instructor determined we would be taking off via the tow-plane.
Before take-off, you’ll have the chance to ask questions as I did. You’ll go through safety checks and be fitted for a harness, helmet and goggles. Next thing you know, you’ll be strapped into a bird-like contraption, waiting for the aerotow to power up.
As a first-timer, I was scared, petrified really, but grandly excited. But then the plane cranked up to full power, which meant there was no turning back. As the one-seater tow-plane at first puttered and then roared down the airstrip. Suddenly the ground grew farther and farther away, and my tandem pilot and I swept skyward.
Once the hang glider has reached ideal conditions and altitude, the aerotow plane releases the hang ... [+]
We rose a hundred, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred, a thousand feet. The tow plane floated in front of us as softly and gently as a butterfly. On the ground below, I watched a herd of cattle grow smaller and smaller until they were reduced to small specks on the ground. When the pull-rope on the tow-plane let go, we dropped a bit, as did my heart. Next thing I knew I heard a loud screeching and then thumpity-thumpity-thumpity, which turned out to be my screaming like a schoolgirl and my heart pounding wildly with exhilaration mixed with numbing fear.
Soaring into the wind underneath a canopy of gray clouds on that blustery day, I peered down at the honeycomb of ancient mountains and forests at the intersection where Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama fuse together. My fear melted away at this incredible bird’s-eye view of Mother Earth. Steering by lifting on the grip-bar and shifting our weight, we bumped and swirled along with the thermal drafts. The peace and quiet so far above the planet were simply remarkable.
We had reached heights of about two thousand feet, and through the haze of the cloudy day the view of Lookout Mountain looming in the distance was simply stunning. I learned later that some tandem flights go as high as four thousand feet, and the more experienced daredevils can reach upwards of more than two to three miles in altitude—although at those dizzying heights oxygen may be required.
All too soon, it was time to land, and the hang glider made a sharp turn over the flight park, and then drifted down to the grass airstrip in an easy, undramatic landing that was unexpectedly smooth. But in the end it was an entirely fun and exciting experience, and the best part is now I’m convinced I know how angels fly.
Geese fly with a yellow hang-glider on June 30, 2011 at the Grand Park of Puy-du-Fou, in the west ... [+]
If you’re ready to take off into the wild blue wonder of hang gliding or paragliding, consider these myriad places in the U.S. to get your sky on in addition to Lookout Mountain.
California. Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla offers views of the Pacific and the cliffs of Black Beach, while Big Air Hang Gliding gives you a bird’s eye view of San Francisco. Windsports Hang Gliding near Los Angeles is ideal for Southern Californians.
Utah. You have several options for both desert and mountain views with outfitters to include Birdman Academy Hang Gliding and Paragliding, Nice Sky Adventures, Wings Over Wasatch Hang Gliding, Cloud 9, Point of the Mountain Paragliding, Super Fly Paragliding, Two Can Fly Paragliding, and Utah Paragliding.
North Carolina. What better place to take flight than the site of the first flight? Kitty Hawk Kites also offers rides and lessons.
Colorado. Here, see the Rocky Mountains from a hang glider’s point of view with Hang Glide Colorado.
Florida. Hang Glide USA at Amelia Island or the trio of Wallaby Ranch, the Florida Ridge and Paradise Hang Gliding in central Florida take you high in the skies over the Sunshine State.
Virginia. Soar over Virginia's beauty with Virginia Hang Gliding or BlueSky Hang Gliding.
Texas. Everything’s big in Texas, including opportunities to take to the skies with Fly Texas in Granite Shoals or Cowboy Up Hang Gliding in Wharton near Houston.
New Hampshire. New England’s fall colors will dazzle with Morningside Flight Park in Charlestown.
