![]() but for now I hope you enjoy these great videos. It would even encourage a guy to lose a few pounds and stay in shape for the foot launching! My eyes are just opening to this form of flying, so I'll do more research on the state of the art and report back later. It folds down to transport on top of your car, stores in a small space and looks amazingly fun to fly. Best of all, the powered hang glider gives you a real flying-like-a-bird flight experience!įor someone like me who lives in the flatlands and has a very minimal budget for flying (but a desire for an awesome flying experience) the powered hang glider appears to be a fascinating answer. Compared to the paramotor you have less drag with the prone pilot position and from not having a massive collection of suspension lines being drug thru the air. The horsepower required can be very low (15hp) which helps keep the cost down both initially and for fuel. These powered hang gliders have very low drag due to very minimal structure (not requiring much in the way of draggy support cables) and a sleek dual surface wing along with no normal undercarriage and no pilot sitting in an upright position making all kinds of drag. What I find most interesting about all this is that there seems to be several advantages of this style of flying machine over other lightweight and relatively inexpensive concepts like traditional ultralights and paramotors. You can see how all this works in the other video below from youtuber kmaro1973 - it's an unusual arrangement to be sure, but it seems to work very well. But it clearly must have been powered, so I looked a little deeper and learned of the power pack that some of these guys use that's mounted just behind your feet. I found the video above and of course enjoyed it immensely with its great overhead view of flying a hang glider at higher altitudes over the broken clouds of Greece. ![]() View David’s photo background bigilicious, see more in his Turning 42 slideshow, and view and purchase work at leelanauphotography.My mind is being twisted really hard this morning. Flights depart from the Wexford County Airport, then cruise over Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac. Visitors can also team up for a ride with members of the Northwest Soaring Club, which is located in Cadillac, Michigan. Pilots at Green Point also have access to hang gliding sites inside the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, as well as the bluffs of Elberta. Licenses are required to fly at Green Point, and certified instructors are available. There are some other regulations concerning Notices to Airmen (NOTAM’s) in FAR part 91 which are also applicable to powered paragliders. In the United States, the regulations that apply to ultralights are in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), Part 103. The Green Point Flyers Association, established in 1978, is a club for both hang gliders and parasailers, with a main flying site that is a sand dune stretching for three miles at a height of 370 feet. Powered Paragliders fall into the category of Ultralights. Just south of Frankfort, gliders can experience the thrill of soaring over sand dunes at Green Point Dunes. Once referred to as the “Sail Plane Capital,” the area is still a magnet for gliders today. In the 1970s, Elberta Beach and the adjacent city of Frankfort, in Northern Michigan, were popular spots for what was then the new sport of hang gliding. Favorite launch and return sites within the park include Tower Hill and New Buffalo. Warren Dunes State Park also issues permits for hang gliding along the coastal dunes, about 14 miles from the state border with Indiana. Gliders must also follow safety and federal regulations. Launch sites within the park require proficiency ratings established by the U.S. Powerless flight permits are required and can be obtained free of charge at the Visitor Center Information Desk. ![]() Hang gliders can take off and land at Empire Bluff, Pyramid Point and Lake Michigan Overlook on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, as well as Dune Climb in the months of November through March. Several spots within the park are approved for powerless flight. Hang gliding enthusiasts can enjoy practicing the sport at national parks within the state of Michigan, including Sleeping Bear Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Traverse City Hang Gliders offers full programs of training and instruction in both traditional powerless hang gliding and “the Mosquito” powered hang gliding harness. Individuals with proven experience and certifications may rent gliders for solo flights. Gliders drift in air space up to two miles high, in tandem with an instructor. The Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club is located in Cloud 9 Field between Detroit and Lansing, with instructors offering “tandem discovery” flights lasting from 15 minutes to one hour. Hang gliding schools provide instructions, gear, permits and safety equipment. Most individuals will need lessons in hang gliding from a certified instructor prior to their first flight. USA Today has a feature on Hang Gliding Sites in Michigan that says (in part): ![]()
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