Considering an 'air' hobby.....hanggliding or flying?

[RichardR]

I want to take up some form of exciting aerial sport (I've already got my Arial sport!), and have been considering hang gliding or light aircraft (PPL). I've ruled out other diciplines.

PPL now costs in region of £6-7k and requires 45hrs flying time; then you've got £100+ per hour plane hire, so it's pretty expensive. Other thing is you don't get that wind in the hair sensation like a hangglider.
I've had a trial lesson a few years back and enjoyed it. It'd be great to eventually do aerobatics.

Hang gliding looks great fun, but does anyone know if you can actually get some adreneline out of it ie. diving/swooping, high banking turns etc, or is it more of a relaxing gentle floaty flowery thing?

Thanks

Richard

[SumFun]

I knew a guy who fell a very long way when his hangglider folded on him. He'd say you can get that adreneline rush your after!!

[Bruce Fielding]

Microlights combine the best of both...

[RichardR]

Prob with Microlight is you need min 25hrs training and all the exams to get the PPL.

SIMON: I was wondering if you could loop the loop - it obviously looks like you can't!

[Bruce Fielding]

Yes, but it only costs £2500 to get your license and it's a lot cheaper to keep it up!

[RichardR]

So Bruce...are you a secret Microlighter?

BTW you can get ruddy big fans to attach to the back of hangliders so you can take off in a field. Think i need a few lessons first though.

[Steve Gibson]

Hi, Rich

A good friend of mine runs a microlight. I've been up twice and believe me, it gives you plenty of adrenaline. Imagine being back on your old motorcycle and taking off after a 75 yard sprint - landing is just as much a thrill, as is a fast spiral descent. However they are prone to what the pilots call 'wire' incidents. Usually a telephone line or electrical cable you didn't see until it was too late...

[RichardR]

I did wonder how these contraptions avoided electricity cables, other aircraft etc. Is it just a case of "keep a eye out" ?

[Steve Gibson]

The pilot (and passenger, if you're squashed behind him) are constantly observing the surroundings for two reasons - for obstructions and for emergency landing 'strips'. It's always a consideration in a microlight that you may have to put down quickly - usually because of an engine stall or engine stutter. I'm just repeating what I've learnt on my two trips - so don't imagine that I have much air time.

Tobi (the flyer) has over 250 hours up amongst the clouds and I can see exactly why he's addicted - despite the fact that he clipped a length of rope stretched across a horse racing track on a low pass recently and snapped off a prop blade! On a warm, still Summer's evening it's a surreal and peaceful place to be.

[Mr.Woolery]

My father and I both are what you'd call "microlighter" pilots (Dad has several thousand hours flight time, I have roughly 3000 hrs).  Here in the US they're called ultralights.  They're great fun.  I for one feel that ultralights are both funner and safer than general aviation aircraft.  Although I have a full pilot's license and could pilot "regular" aircraft, I'd MUCH rather fly an ultralight/microlight aircraft.  Flying a Cessna feels like flying a bus in comparison.

There are several types of ultralights available that are qualified to do aerobatics as well.  One of my favorite things to do is take an ultralight up to altitude, turn off the engine, and do "dead stick" gliding aerobatics.  When done, simply turn on the engine and be on your way or glide the plane in for a landing. 

There's nothing like it in the world.  It can be a calm/beautiful experience (like going up to watch the sunrise) or a thrill (doing aerobatics or air combat games).  Highly highly recommended as a hobby.  The only reason I don't do it more is I don't live near enough to a microlight friendly airport (nearest one is about 2 hours drive away)...and I don't have enough free time for maintaining the aircraft.  It's the ideal "idle" (ie, rich/unemployed/retired) gentleman's hobby though.  I plan to take it up as a full time hobby again when my life becomes less complicated.

[sportyking]

I came within a hairs breadth of buying a Honda Powered Elise off of Pistonheads.  I lost contact with owner suddenly.  After I bought the Atom, he came back to me and apologised saying he had been in Hospital for 2 weeks finding out if he was or was not permanently paralysed following a hang gliding accident.  Though the answer is not, I understand he is still in a bad way.  For me the risks involved are not outweighed as the impression of speed is less.  In the air it is only really apparent just before the lights go out

[Steve Gibson]

Sporty has a good point. A 100 hours of aerial sport will always carry much greater risk than 100 hours of track days. An accident in the Atom is far less likely to be fatal or disabling compared to a hang glider or microlight incident. I speak as someone who stepped out of an Atom after a fast and hefty collision with the armco a couple of years back.

But then, as an ex-biker, Rich, you obviously know the risks of doing what you enjoy.

How about sky-diving?...

[DFext37 Fielding]

Take a flying scholarship...

[RichardR]

I'd be surprised if fatality rate was much higher than trackdays or racing - some figures (albeit from the US Hanggliding Associaition ) say that it's the safest of all flying sports - I think it said it was 4x more dangerous (fatal) that a car, but 4x less dangerous than motorcycling. It depends on how you measure as well - ie you're probably going to spend less time in the air  than driving an Atom on a typical day.

Also, a key difference with say motorcycling  is that almost all flying accidents are as a result of pilot error and avoidable.

I think having a go at hang gliding first is the sensible choice, because it's by far the cheapest flying sport - full Club Pilots Licence and 2nd hand gear for around £2500 - can easily move on to microlights/planes etc if I enjoy it enough in the future. Skydiving... I don't think I could jump out of a plane!

Anyway I've got my first 'taster day' on Saturday - dragging the wife along too. Theory, followed by simulator, followed by flying on a winch. By end of day should be flying solo at around 20ft! If I decide to carry on I'm going to learn via 1-1 tandem aero-tow rather than winches/hills.

Wish me LUCK!

[RichardR]

Just found this:

April 1990 U.S. Hang Gliding Association using data collected from various air sports organizations with data from the National Safety Council and other sources. First published in Parachutist
 
DEATHS PER 100,000 PARTICIPANTS:
 
All accidents               42
Traffic  Fatalities          28
Power Boat Racing      71
SCUBA                      47
Mountaineering          50
Boxing                      50
Homebuilt  aircraft      312
Sailplane                     45
Balloon                       67
Hang Gliding           40
SKYDIVING                 25