What kind of plane would you fly r3v?

[travis816]

Im all about the old school bi-planes!

[FLYNAVY]

OBTW, @ Cloudbase....how did you get involved in hang-gliding? The wifey and I recently took a little stroll down near la jolla/torrey pines where there is a little hang/para-glider airfield. Really cool to watch, looks like a lot of fun, and my wife got really excited about it so I was thinking about maybe getting her some lessons. Thoughts about paragliding vs hanggliding? I'm personally more interested in hanggliding as I like things with wings, but I think she really dug the paragliders. I've meant to get some glider experience for a long time now, but I think hang gliding would be even cooler......I love flying, but there has to be something to be said for not being stuck inside a cockpit wearing a whole bunch of gear, helmet, oxygen mask, etc and getting to really experience everything.

[Cloudbase]

I learned to hang glide when I lived in Salt Lake. There is a really good place to learn there called Point of the Mountain. Learning to hang glide is really no different than any other type of aviation. An instructor teaches you and you earn ratings similar to a pilot's license. You usually start on a small hill with a slow glider. As you learn to control the glider on the ground you progress up the hill a little bit at a time. It's just like the wright brothers! You can also learn by doing tandem flights, but the majority of your flying is solo. Most instructors sell packages that includes everything you need and as much time is necessary to get through your ratings. Then once you've got the equivalent of a private license you can pick up a glider that suits your skill level and flying sites.

I've been to Torrey Pines. It's a great spot, although in recent years the owner has outwardly favored paragliding over hang gliding. There are a ton of great sites in SoCal. Wills Wing is also based there. I've flown Santa Barbara and Yellowstone.

As far as choosing between paragliding and hang gliding I'm a stout proponent of hang gliding. Because it's slower and involves a chute paragliding has the public perception of being safer, but IMO it's not. Although the logistics are def easier (i.e. no rack, shorter set up and break down). If you are already a pilot, hang gliding is by far the way to go. It flies like an airplane and is a much more rewarding experience. You can do aerobatics, go way faster, and most important not have to worry about it collapsing like a paraglider. To make a paragliding chute efficient you have to tune out a lot of the characteristics that make a sky diving chute stable. I can think of nothing more annoying than having to baby sit my wing while I was trying to core a thermal.

Long story short, hang gliding is safer, more rewarding, and allows you to fly in larger window of conditions.

A good comparison of fixed wing vs hang gliding is that in an airplane you are watching the moving. In a hang glider you are in the movie. It's all the things you love about flying times 100%!

Sorry for the long thread, but those are complicated questions.

[Cloudbase]

Here's a few clips to give you a taste.

Aerotowing in Eastern Colorado with the Hero Cam on a Dangle Mount

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39b6vho4sfc

Dive Bombing tourists on Lookout Mountain in Golden, CO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNKEwAvtdDE

The logo on my glider is for a non profit that helps people with alcohol and addiction problems get involved in outdoor sports. Here's a video of flying of Yellowstone I made for them (hence the inspirational music).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8etnuEiFhpg

Here's a clip from the cliff launch site in Moab. I cliff launched while another glider towed up behind my buddies Ford Explorer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7_KhuldJA

Can't figure out how to link to YouTube video's. When ever I paste the link inside of the YouTube brackets it just shows a white screen.

[Atreus]

crap. now i gotta find a cool helicopter and jet.

[FLYNAVY]

Thanks for the explanation CB....it sounds like hang-gliders would definitely be more my bag.....a parachute seems much less of a dignified way to fly anyway :)