Exhilarating Hang Gliding lets you
Fly like an Eagle
Anyone
who has ever dreamed of flying can live the fantasy by taking
a hang gliding lesson in Marin County. San
Francisco Hang Gliding Center (SFHG), has opened Mt. Tamalpais
State Park for commercial tandem hang gliding and paragliding
instruction.
Before
SFHG came on the scene, going hang gliding in the area meant
owning a glider and knowing how to fly. Now owner Bodhi Kroll
teaches novices on a special tandem, or two-person, hang glider.
The gliders fly over Mt Tamalpais, 10 miles from the Golden
Gate Bridge, over redwoods and homes, and land on the north
end of Stinson Beach. Some have described the landing as so
soft it was difficult to say when the flight was over.
Kroll says he was a child when he started having vivid dreams
of flying. He also enjoyed bird-watching and was fascinated
by their flight. He was a teenager when he saw a hang glider
and recognized that hang gliding could allow him to live his
dreams. Kroll has been flying for about 17 years. He learned
the trade by working for a hang gliding company in Australia.
His students have included an eight-year-old boy and an 83-year-old
man.
Once at Mt. Tamalpais, the glider - which is collapsible for
easy transport - is assembled. Slide rods in the wings keep
the glider stable, although steady winds can appear to be tugging
the glider from the pilot's hands. Solo hang gliders average
145 - 150 square feet, and tandem gliders are almost twice as
large at 210 - 220 square feet with a 37-foot wingspan. Each
student is fitted with a full-body harness, attached to both
the instructor and the glider for safety. In addition to hang
gliding for beginners, SFHG offers paragliding - described as
an experience more like floating than flying.
A
paraglider employs a parachute that is laid out on the ground.
The pilot takes a few steps and the chute opens and lifts him
or her into the air. A paraglider can initiate turns, but a
hang glider can dive and climb and dip. Kroll believes the majority
of the public - even those who are afraid of heights - can learn
to love hang gliding. For reservations or more information,
call (510) 528-2300.
Kroll
explains that only 120 people in the United States are certified
to perform tandem hang gliding, which takes more training and
a special exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration.
SFHG currently employs six instructors all of whom are certified
by the United States Hang Gliding Association.
