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Thank you for your interest in Paragliding.
Paragliding is a form of sport flying, which offers perhaps the easiest and most fun way for almost anyone to realize the age-old dream of personal flight. The basic skills are easy to learn and the equipment is simple, light in weight, and relatively inexpensive compared to other types of aircraft. While more demanding physically than, say, flying an airplane, paragliding is considerably less strenuous than many other sports. Whether its ridge soaring or thermal flying, paragliders offers the sport pilot the means to hours of beautiful flying.
Paragliding, like all other free flight aviation, does require proper training and discipline of the pilot to operate the glider safely. Let there be no mistake, paragliding is flying where the safety is depended on the pilots’ control. Unlike parachuting where little or no input by the pilot is required for a safe outcome, paragliders are dynamic flying crafts that requires correct piloting skill
Paragliding is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA has given the training and rating protocol to an organization called the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA). All Students must join the USHPA before training can begin. The annual membership fee is $79. This fee includes the monthly magazine full of articles and photos.
USHPA rates pilots from beginner (P1), novice (P2), intermediate (P3), to advance (P4). Pilots must be novice rated to fly alone without instructor supervision. The lessons from beginner to novice take about 10 to 20 Half days of instruction depending of course on the individuals learning ability. Training days do not have to be consecutive but grouping 2 or 3 day consecutively does increase learning speed.
Students are required to purchase and fly their own equipment before they can earn the novice rating. The equipment includes a harness, a reserve parachute, and the Wing. Other equipment normally used but not required includes variometer, Radio, and GPS. All this equipment can be found used but remember that your personal safety depends on your skills as the pilot and airworthiness of the equipment.
Las Vegas has one USHPA rated instructor named Ron Peck. Contact him directly about pricing and availability of lesson. He can be reached at pecks1@cox.net or by phone at 702 768-3608.
I hope this gives you the beginning idea of what’s involved when getting into this sport.
Thank you for your interest in Hang Gliding.
Hang Gliding is a form of sport flying, which offers perhaps the easiest and most fun way for almost anyone to realize the age-old dream of personal flight. The basic skills are easy to learn and the equipment is simple, light in weight, and relatively inexpensive compared to other types of aircraft. While more demanding physically than, say, flying an airplane, Hang Gliding is considerably less strenuous than many other sports. Whether its ridge soaring or thermal flying, Hang Gliding offers the sport pilot the means to hours of beautiful flying.
Hang Gliding, like all other free flight aviation, does require proper training and discipline of the pilot to operate the glider safely. Let there be no mistake, Hang Gliding is flying where the safety is depended on the pilots’ control. Unlike parachuting where little or no input by the pilot is required for a safe outcome, Hang Gliders are dynamic flying crafts that requires correct piloting skill
Hang Gliding is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA has given the training and rating protocol to an organization called the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA). All Students must join the USHPA before training can begin. The annual membership fee is $79. This fee includes the monthly magazine full of articles and photos.
USHPA rates pilots from beginner (H1), novice (H2), intermediate (H3), to advance (H4). Pilots must be novice rated to fly alone without instructor supervision. The lessons from beginner to novice take about 20 Half days of instruction depending of course on the individuals learning ability. Training days do not have to be consecutive but grouping 2 or 3 day consecutively does increase learning speed.
The equipment includes a harness, a reserve parachute, and the glider. Other equipment normally used but not required includes variometer, Radio, and GPS. All this equipment can be found used but remember that your personal safety depends on your skills as the pilot and airworthiness of the equipment.
Unfortunately Las Vegas doesn’t have a rated Hang gliding instructor in town.
The nearest rated Hang gliding instructors can be found in San Bernardino, Ca.. His name is Rob Mckenzie and he can be found at Flytandem.com. We do have a HG observer in town that can mentor your skill
I hope this gives you the beginning idea of what’s involved when getting into this sport.
USHPA is the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. This association has been given the responsibility by the Federal Aviation Administration for the Training and Rating of Hang glider and Paraglider pilots. By setting operational procedures and performance requirements, USHPA certifies Instructors who in turn train and rate pilots. The pilot rating system is set up to outline operational limited in which a rated pilot should be safe flying. In addition to training and Safety, USHPA also works on flying site preservation and development. USHPA is funded by annual dues paid by the pilots. USHPA puts out a monthly magazine to all members with articles on safety, new sites, new equipment, and stories of success and failure. Check of USPHA website at USHPA.AERO.
It has been said that flying Paragliders or Hang Gliders is as safe or as dangerous as the pilot makes it. The pilot chooses in what weather conditions to fly and how far to stretch their piloting skills. Like in all sports, the equipment is safe, it's what you do with the equipment that makes it dangerous. This is why when getting into a sport like this it is very important to get proper training and consult with locals about flying conditions. With proper training, well maintained equipment, and sensible decisions this sport is as safe as any.
No, we welcome everyone to fly with us.
Yes, you will need to be tow certified to tow from the Jean Dry Lake Bed. But Las Vegas has a tow administrator that can safely teach you the tow procedures and give you your tow certification. Contact Ron Peck at pecks1@cox.net or call him at 702 768-3608
The Desert Skywalkers use both the business band and the 2 meter band for communication. In accordance with FCC regulations, when using the 2 meter band you must have at least a Technicians License to broadcast. The Technicians License is obtained by taking written test which is held once a month. The test is not that difficult and club members help each other in preparing for the test. You can find more about exam at http://arrl.org/ . The radios themselves are about $125 to purchase. Radios allow pilots to fly cross country while maintaining contact with the pick up vehicle.
Due to changing weather conditions, not every day can be a fly day. Due to this, our schedule can change at the last minute due to safety concerns.
A tandem paraglider is one that is designed to carry the pilot and a single passenger. This allows the passenger to experience paragliding without extensive training. If you are interested in a tandem paraglider flight, please contact Ron Peck directly to get details.