Imagine soaring like an eagle thousands of feet above the earth. Even though the air is a bit nippy, the view is incredible and the solitude is peaceful. You hunt for updrafts to keep you aloft so that you can enjoy this sensation for hours. This is the exhilaration of hang gliding.
The hang glider's wing, called a delta wing or Rogallo wing, is an result of NASA engineer Francis Rogallo's research on parachutes in the 1960s. Rogallo had designed the wing as a system of returning spaceships to Earth. The delta-wing parachute was lightweight, sturdy and extremely maneuverable. Later, Bill Bennett, John Dickenson, Richard Miller and Bill Moyes developed the Rogallo wing into the modern hang glider and launched an enormously popular sport shared by millions of enthusiasts worldwide.
Paragliding
Paragliding is one of the most breathtaking adventure sports experienced today. The scenic views provided by the high-altitude jumping points united with the rush of free-flying an aircraft at heights nearing 15,000 feet make paragliding an experience of a lifetime.
Paragliding came into existence through a progression of parachute improvements for military purposes. The parachutes were originally altered so that they could be towed by a motor vehicle and steered into the air. Paragliding is sometimes confused with hang gliding or parasailing, but the sports have lots of differences.
Travel 35.04 miles - 1:24 hours from downtown Elkin, North Carolina
Foothills Flight Park provides easy access to the beautiful scenery of the North Carolina Foothills Region. Pilots and students can soar far and high while enjoying breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Mt. Mitchell and the Brushy Mt. Range. On clear days, the cities of Charlotte and Winston-Salem can be seen on the horizon.
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http://hang-glide.tripod.comLast Updated on 8/22/2008
Travel 102.71 miles - 1:47 hours from downtown Elkin, North Carolina
The Skywackers have a long and colorful history. The original 'Wackers were flying from Big Walker Mountain as early as 1974, and we have been Boo Waa'ing across the skies ever since.
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http://www.skywackers.orgLast Updated on 8/22/2008
Travel 138.17 miles - 2:28 hours from downtown Elkin, North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Soaring Society is a club operation located near New Castle, Virginia in scenic Craig County. The area is surrounded by the Jefferson National Forest, where the Appalachian Trail stretches through the wilderness of Virginia
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