How do you start?
Learning to fly a paraglider or hang glider is not hard and easily achievable by everyone with reasonable physical health. There are currently no instructors teaching flying from BMHGC sites.
Several hang gliding schools are located within a day’s drive of Sydney, including Newcastle, the Mid-North Coast, Stanwell Park and the Southern Highlands of NSW. The closest instructors for paragliding and hang gliding operate from Stanwell park and include:
Numerous other schools are located in NSW, details of which can be found on the HGFA website.
After initial training on the basic theory and skills required for flying and landing, you progress to the training slopes for your first flight. When you can demonstrate competence and confidence in controlling the glider’s airspeed and the ability to perform turns, you are ready to leave the training slopes. At higher hills you will then be able to experience your first soaring flight and from there progress to thermal flight and eventually cross country flying.
Who Runs the Sport?
Hang gliding in Australia is administered by the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia (HGFA). The HGFA’s role is to co-ordinate and promote the development of the sport at the national level. This involves the regulation of all pilots regarding safety standards and procedures, proficiency standards and any other matters relating to the safety of all participants and spectators.
Australia’s civil aviation laws require all hang gliding pilots in Australia to hold a pilot certificate issued by the HGFA. These certificates are only issued once a pilot has completed the necessary theoretical examination and practical demonstration of flying skills. Your initial student level certificate can only be obtained once you have completed your training with a qualified hang gliding instructor.
Under the umbrella of the HGFA, affiliated Clubs have been formed of which the Blue Mountains Hang Gliding Club is one. The role of these Clubs is to supervise and control hang gliding operations at sites within their geographical area and to encourage the local development of the sport and sites.
The Blue Mountains Hang Gliding Club
Clubs are the major medium for encouraging new pilots to increase their flying skills at sites appropriate to their level of ability. There are always new pilots joining the sport but many have little idea on where they can safely fly. With the guidance of experienced pilots their level of experience and enthusiasm can be increased.
The Blue Mountains Hang Gliding Club (BMHGC) was originally formed in 1987 mainly as a social gathering for local pilots and to go flying together on weekends. The BMHGC has now grown into a incorporated Club of over 60 members with regular Club flying days and weekends away to visit other Clubs and their sites throughout the State.
Within our region we have flying sites to cater for pilots of all levels of experience with most sites over 300 m or 1000 ft elevation and having good cross country flying potential, especially in the warmer months of the year when thermals are more abundant. These sites are located at Blackheath, Cox’s River Valley, Mt Ovens, Wolgan Valley and Sofala. See the flying sites page. Often on long weekends club members plan trips away to other flying areas in the State such as Manilla, Tumut, Hunter Valley, Mid-North Coast and Canberra where we meet up with local pilots to experience their sites.
