We teach Kid’s Hang Gliding all year!
The Kid’s Hang Gliding Lesson is designed for ages 13 and under or anyone under 100 lbs! We’ve taught children as young as 4, and although there is no minimum weight requirement the child must be able to follow simple commands. Our experienced instructors will control the hang glider while running beside the glider during each flight to ensure that your child has a safe and thrilling experience. For safety reasons, we cannot allow a child to fully control a free flying hang glider, but they will experience the sensation of launching, flying and landing on the sand dune!
Kids Hang Gliding Lessons are conducted at our training facility in Jockey’s Ridge State Park located at Mile Post 12 in Nags Head, NC. The dunes of Jockey’s Ridge provide the perfect platform for learning to hang glide – they have plenty of height for beginners and are soft for landing. Through special arrangement with the State Park Service, we are allowed to conduct hang gliding lessons from these dunes. We have been providing lessons at this site for over 25 years.
The Kid’s Hang Gliding Lesson is 3 hours long and starts with check-in (30 minutes prior to class time). Each class has no more than 5 students per instructor. The class begins with a ~30 minute ground school to learn the basics of hang gliding.
After ground school, the kids proceed to the dunes via a scenic walkway. It’s about a 200 yard walk to the base of the dunes. Once they have climbed to the the top of the dunes, (the instructor carries the glider) they begin their solo hang gliding flights. The instructor is there to help. He/she will help the kids get into the harness, provide any last minute instructions, and help them launch.
They will run into the wind, and depending on the wind conditions, they can travel anywhere from 30 to 100+ yards at 5 feet above the sand. Each trip down the dune is termed a “flight.” The standard beginner lesson includes 5 flights. At all times, 2 instructors will be controlling the glider, guiding the glider (and student participant) down the dune.
