In my article I was highlighting the New York Times article and also responding to what was written there. Let me repeat what the New York Times writer wrote in the opening paragraph:

“LET go, let go.  … Let goooo!” I heard a voice shout from above as I skidded downhill on my stomach over soggy, muddy grass.  As I unhooked myself from the harness of my hang glider, hurrying to make way for the next student’s attempt at flight, a feeling of dread washed over me.

Now, I'll hope that you'll forgive me if I point out that that doesn't sound so great. First, the instructor is yelling at the student. Not the best pedagogical method. Second, the student is out of control, out of control of the instructor. Third, the student could easily hurt themselves doing what they were doing. Fourth, it doesn't look so good in the New York Times, when this is what hang gliding instruction is like at the premier school in the US.

I'm quite certain that you agree with me here.

The next paragraph:

What if I can’t do this? “O.K.,” I said out loud to myself, taking a deep breath. “Relax.” But my command had no effect. “You cannot be the worst person in the class,” I told myself, in hopes of getting my brain and body to get their act together.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement there. Sure, the student was blaming himself, but what about the teaching method? A little later in the article:

Back at ground school, midway up the beginner hill, the instructor, Dan Zink, 42, called over to me. “Did you hear me shouting to let go?”

I nodded.

“You’re holding on way too tight,” he said, smiling. “And where were your eyes looking?”

I said meekly, “At the ground?” I remembered that if you look at the ground instead of a distant target, you’ll stay on the ground.

“These babies want to fly,” he said in an encouraging tone, now speaking to the entire group. “Keep a light grip, eyes on your target, and let it fly.”

Well, at least Dan had an encouraging tone. The writer continues:

I found that even when I ran slowly on flat ground, the hang glider lifted off my shoulders with little effort, which lulled me into thinking that actual flying would be a cinch. What eluded me was what to do with my hands. Holding on for dear life (and pulling the hang glider down) was keeping me grounded.

After more trials, and more embarrassing errors, I was persuaded by Mr. Zink to hold the diagonal poles of the control bar loosely between my thumb and forefinger, and balance the weight of the glider, about 50 pounds, on my shoulders.

After all the trials and tribulations, the writer finally gets the idea and sure enough he flies. (Of course, the rest of the article is very positive.)

So as you can see, I was responding to the New York Times article and the statements made by the writer, statements that I felt put hang gliding instruction in a poor light. Of course, it is easy to blame the idiot student. After all they are clueless. (Which is why they are students.)

My point being, that by using the scooter tow technique the instructor would have had control over the student, and if the student didn't stop holding onto the down tubes, the student would never have gotten off the ground, nor fallen. It is as simple as that. With scooter towing, the instructor is in charge, not the innocent student.

It is my contention (and I believe Steve Wendt's also) that first scooter towing, then hill instruction, after you have taught the student how to control the glider on their own. This makes hill instruction safe and beneficial, where the student does indeed take that step into the air, the magical moment.

Thanks for all your great work bringing new pilots into the sport. The head of instruction at Lookout also responds here. As I point out there:

I can just see all the emails that the writer is now getting from paraglider pilots saying, "Wow, you should have tried paragliding, so much easier to learn, and you would have soloed from up high right away."