Hang Gliding - Training and Safety

Training and Safety

Hang gliding has traditionally been considered an unsafe sport. Modern hang gliders are very sturdy when constructed to HGMA, BHPA, DHV, or other certified standards using modern materials. Although lightweight they can be easily damaged, either through misuse or by continued operation in unsafe wind and weather conditions. All modern gliders have built-in dive recovery mechanisms such as luff lines in kingposted gliders. The inherent danger of gliding at the mercy of thermal and wind currents has nevertheless resulted in numerous fatal accidents and many serious injuries over the years, even to experienced pilots, and the resulting bad publicity has affected the popularity of hang gliding.

Pilots fly fully enclosed in a harness which supports the whole body. There are a couple different types of harnesses. Pod harnesses are put on like a jacket and the leg portion is behind the pilot during launch. Once in the air the feet are tucked into the bottom of the harness. They are zipped up in the air with a rope and unzipped before landing with a separate rope. A Coccoon harness is slipped over the head and lays in front of the legs during launch. After getting into the air the feet are tucked into it and the back is left open. A Knee hanger harness is also slipped over the head but the knee part is wrapped around the knees before launch and just pick up the pilots leg automatically after launch. A supine or suprone harness is a seated harness. The shoulder straps are put on before launch and after take off the pilot slides back into the seat and flies in a seated position like driving a car.

Pilots may carry a backup parachute in the harness. In case of serious problems the parachute is deployed and carries both pilot and glider down to earth. Pilots also wear helmets and generally carry other safety items such as knives (for cutting their parachute bridle after impact or cutting their harness lines and straps in case of a tree or water landing), light ropes (for lowering from trees to haul up tools or climbing ropes), radios (for calling for help), and first-aid equipment.

The accident rate from hang glider flying has been dramatically decreased by pilot training. Early hang glider pilots learned their sport through trial and error. Training programs have been developed for today's pilot with emphasis on flight within safe limits, as well as the discipline to cease flying when weather conditions are unfavorable, for example: excess wind or risk cloud suck.

In the UK there is one death per 116,000 flights, a risk comparable to running a marathon or playing football for a year.