What makes for a successful hang gliding community (one that is
growing).

Traveling around the world I have had some small opportunities to
visit hang gliding communities and to see what makes these communities
successful. Most often I am attending hang gliding competitions, which are
normally not taking place within active hang gliding communities, but I do spend
time outside of competition and have in the past year visited Newcastle, NSW,
Australia, Santa Barbara, California, San Bernardino, California, Sylmar,
California, Richmond, Virginia, as well as numerous other locations.



It is my very strong impression that there are three major elements that make
for a successful hang gliding community. They are: 1) excellent local flying
sites, 2) a strong hang gliding club that protects and supports those sites, 3)
a dedicated, experienced, and insightful instructor who "feeds the bottom"
bringing in new members for the club and community. Now there are other elements
which support these three (which I will get into later), but I will concentrate
on these three first.



If you don't have a great place to fly, then you are not going to be flying and
the primary purpose of the hang gliding community is lost. In San Bernardino
it's Marshall and Crestline launches and the Andy Jackson flight park (landing
area). In Newcastle it's the many coastal and inland sites within an hour of
downtown (sometimes within a couple of minutes). In Richmond (actually northeast
of Richmond out in the rural areas), you'll find BlueSky (http://blueskyhg.com)
with its flight park where towing provides the way to get into the air.



You've got to have some place to go after you learn to fly. You've got to be
able to go flying when the urge arises. You need a good spot that is not all
that difficult to go to. The more different spots and the more accessible they
are, the better for your community.



Most hang gliding launches and landing areas are not owned by the hang gliding
clubs or hang gliding pilots. They are either privately owned by individuals or
corporations that allow for our use of these sites, or they are owned by
government agencies that have their own agendas. The local hang gliding club is
necessary to represent the interests of the local hang gliding community to
these other bodies. Or, where the land is owned by the hang gliding club, it is
necessary to provide the vehicle for management of that land.



The local club in addition provides a social environment that can strengthen the
community. Leaders arise and situations are successfully dealt with further
strengthening the community. The Sylmar Hang Gliding Association (http://www.shga.com/),
Newcastle Hang Gliding Club (http://www.nhgc.asn.au/),
and the Crestline Soaring Society (http://www.crestlinesoaring.org/)
are fine examples of clubs that take their responsibilities seriously.



The club at BlueSky is a bit different as its flying site is owned (leased) by
one individual, Steve Wendt. The local pilots often belong to the Capital
Hill Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club (http://www.chgpa.org/).
The club at the flight park is informal and social, providing pilots with a
social environment on the ground before and after flights.



The third leg is the instructor. Sylmar has Joe Greblo at Windsports (http://www.windsports.com/index2.html).
Marshall has Rob and Diane McKenzie at High Adventure (http://www.flytandem.com/index.htm).
Newcastle has Tony Barton at Air Sports (http://www.air-sports.com.au).
BlueSky has Steve Wendt (http://blueskyhg.com).
Without these very competent instructors there is no renewal of the club or the
community. New pilots need to be brought in to enjoy our sport and to bring
additional enthusiasm to build the community and protect the sites.



The instructors require instruction sites that allow for new students to learn
safely and quickly and those are all available to them at or near these sites.
Joe has a dune training site at Dockweiler State Beach Flight Training Park (http://www.windsports.com/beach.html).
Rob and Diane teach on the little hill that they built at the Andy Jackson
flight park (http://www.flytandem.com/price.htm),
the landing area for Marshall and Crestline. Tony Barton teaches on the sand
dunes near Newcastle (http://www.air-sports.com.au/courses.html)
and with scooter towing. Steve Wendt teaches with scooter towing at Manquin and
on the hill at Harrisonburg (http://www.blueskyhg.com/Lessons.aspx?pnlid=3).
Having these excellent training sites is crucial to the success of the
instructor.



There are many locations that don't have these three vital components for a
successful hang gliding community and therefore they don't grow or their growth
is not what it should be.



These locations are not the only ones with successful hang gliding communities.
Southern New York Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and FlyHigh (http://www.flyhighhg.com/), Morningside
(http://www.flymorningside.com/),
Draachen Fliegen Soaring Club (http://members.aol.com/dfscinc/index.htm)
and Cloud 9 (http://members.aol.com/cloud9sa/home.htm) , Tennessee Tree Toppers
(http://www.treetoppers.org/)
and Lookout Mountain (http://www.hangglide.com/),
Wings of Rogallo (http://www.wingsofrogallo.org/)
and Mission
Soaring (http://www.hang-gliding.com/), exhibit similar characteristics, for example. I'm sure that there are
numerous others that I haven't visited.

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