John Matylonek <<john>> writes:

What makes a qualified safe hang glider pilot? There are about ten characteristics that lead to an independent, self reliant and safe pilot. I won't go over all them. Sure, money is a big factor. The average price of instruction at high volume schools is $1500. It takes lots of personal attention, in fact, an average of 81 hours of instruction to make a basically-skilled pilot. That is 20 hours more instruction than the average private pilot student. Time is money and so is glider and vehicle maintenance, fuel costs, being on retainer for the right conditions, promotional effort. But this is just limiting factor not a requirement.

So, why is it does does it take so much more instruction than other forms of aviation? The main reason is sensitivity to the variability of conditions and relationship of glider to body. In hang gliding YOU are the aircraft. In general aviation; avionics, wheels, engines, air traffic control, unvarying runways, leveraged control surfaces are mental and physical assists for flight. All these allow anyone that can move a stick to pilot an airplane, given the additional emotional and critical thinking skills required. In hang gliding, one weighs three times heavier than the wing. That means you have three times the resting inertia of the glider. Hooking into a hang glider is more like putting on a shoe or getting on a skateboard then getting into a "vehicle".

Therefore, hang gliding is largely an athletic skill that must be married to the ability to disassociate emotions from performance and the intensification of the ability to analyze - that many people take some time to realize. The situation of hang gliding does not give damn about your schedule, cultural customs outside of the requirements. If the surf is up, the surf is up - if the situation warrants a certain kind of flight opportunity or a lesson then you must go! Even the most talented, self assured people get shocked and humbled by this fact. The most important factor is the ability to take what nature allows and decision to bend one's lifestyle to the flying environment. This is why we have many students that do fine with supervision, assistance and set-up of "ideal" flying conditions - and the fortune of having an situation of unvarying schedules based on consistent conditions. But, when these students are met with the unstructured environment of the full lifestyle, they find out the are not willing or able of make their lifestyle's comply.

So, the main lesson of hang gliding is humility - compliance to what nature affords us. This is the real reason why hang gliding so unpopular (and what makes avid independent pilots so special). They are able to adapt to the extreme and sensitive variability of the flying environment. And because of that fact, they become skilled beyond the ideal training situations. Most of us prefer more control whether it be through culture, machines or preferred situations.

I'm sure I will receive many emails from currently avid ex-students and other pilots around the country re-affirming this simple fact - almost no one is a prodigy at free flight. It forces us to see ourselves as we really are - physically, emotionally, technically. It only asks for average ability in all these areas. But most us, depend on one or two at most to solve life's problems. We tend to stick to jobs and situations that maximize those abilities and rationalize and project when we are tested against the disowned part of ourselves. The job of a hang gliding instructor is to help a student find the limits of those abilities so that the student can factor that in operating limitations of future flight plans.

Recently, a hang III pilot from the east coast, largely a Applachia mountain pilot, took a launch and landing clinic. Her original intent was to have a mountain flight or soaring dune flight - being an awed visitor to Oregon. But conditions were very ambiguous. I told her on the phone it was a 50/50 shot that all her driving was going to amount to a soaring flight. She was also concerned about being back in Portland by the early evening because husband and friends were expecting her. I let her flip the coin. She completely understood the situation and surrendered to it. She immediately started to rationalize ways in which she maximize the situation to something worthwhile and pleasurable. When she arrived at the dune, conditions were very light. I had a couple other ladies taking introductory lessons and she found the ground school presentation very instructive

- who knew!

She realized she was still a learning pilot. I sensed a whole shift in her, from wanting a recreational flight to wanting interact with the teaching material. We went over the most recent hand/arm/grip launch configurations, she flew both the trainer condor and Falcon 170 re-training herself, we did a couple cliff launches and discussed technique and communication protocol. The wind switched from WNW to SW in five minutes. She took the challenge of flying channeling air flow around the south side dunes in the more turbulent back side. She was having a grand time and did spectacularly. The south-side is a real test of pilot skill. She really inspired the other ladies. In fact, she was having such a good time, that she conveniently forgot about her social obligations - or at least bent them to her priorities with a cell phone call. Flying trumped the larger culture for her.

That is what makes a true and successful hang glider pilot, willingness to be - dare I say - irresponsible to the culture that does not particularly support the hang gliding lifestyle and willingness do what it takes to get the skills.