There are different sized gliders for pilots of all sizes. For the Intro Sessions, the gliders we use have the widest weight-range of any glider. The pilot needs to be within 100 and 235 pounds.

See here. these aren't necessarily our scooter-tow winch but are various winches used in other areas

YouTube of course! :)

This is a student after completing a full-course. You wouldn't get close that height on your first day out.

Not much really. We design the Intro Session to be as easy as possible for anyone to pop out and experience. It's meant to be a social thing for groups to come out and explore what modern hang gliding is all about.

We start with a briefing on how hang gliders work and an overview of the equipment we'll be using - everything from the glider, harness & helmet to the scooter winch that will get you airborne. We'll then spend the rest of the session on the glider taking tows and getting you off the ground and towards living your dreams of free-flying.

Make sure you check out the What do I need to Bring/Wear FAQ

You need to bring:

• sturdy shoes, preferably hiking boots
• sunscreen
• water & food
• payment (exact cash on location or prepay with Paypal)
• jacket - even in the summer it gets cool up at altitude...at least bring a wind-breaker to keep the wind off of your arms

We provide:

• all the gear - helmet, harness, glider, etc
• all the fun you can handle!

Since this is a first-day introduction with no prior experience, you'll never get higher than your willing to jump from...so no higher than 5 or 6 feet. And with the glider above you, it'd be like jumping from a picnic table at worst. This is the way we keep risks to you to a minimum.

Normal session are 3-4 hours including briefing.

We are limited usually by the wind. Once the wind picks up, it becomes less safe to tow first-timers so we are keen to start as early as we can. We can also do evening courses once the winds die down (if they do) but forecasting when and if the winds die down isn't easy.

But if you have enjoyed your intro session, you can stick around and go for a tandem flight!

It varies...it's pretty weather dependent. We try to get each student pilot at least 5 flights and we can usually pick the proper days that we know the weather will cooperate.

We don't offer any refunds, even if the weather doesn't cooperate. But any unused flights can be used up in the future. If you register for a session and don't cancel within 24 hours and we can't fill the spot, no refund will be given. If you cancel before 24 hours of the session, you can rebook for any other session.

You don't necessarily have to be physically fit. Once you become proficient, it doesn't take much effort to hang glide.

You're suspended in the harness by your centre-of-gravity on your body so in calm conditions, you barely have to even hold onto the bar. This allows you to relax and enjoy the flight even more.

As long as you are a coordinated person, fly the right-sized equipment for you and in flying conditions suitable for your level of experience most fitness levels are suitable.

Here is a picture of the trainer glider we use on the Day-Taster courses. The guy is holding it up with ONE-HAND! There is a light breeze that is picking up the glider but it shows how easy it is to handle these trainer gliders.

Minors (under the age of 18) need parental consent. It usually more of a question of weight and maturity.

We use a 'scooter-tow' which is the industry standard method of instruction to introduce people to getting in the air...even with no prior instruction.

The scooter is ideal for smoothly pulling a trainer glider into the air and keep it at only a few feet off the ground. The trainer glider is a state-of-the-art, modern, super-easy-to-fly glider designed for first timers to fly. It's light and easy to handle and rather impossible to get it turned in the wrong direction....especially with the experienced winch operator ready to release tow pressure at a moment's notice.

It really is fun to float along the ground....even veteran hang glider pilots enjoy taking a scooter tow. They never had it this easy when they learned!

Check the calendar as we can usually schedule these well enough ahead of time. Space is usually limited so you usually need to Register and pre-pay for a session. We want to ensure those that come out enough turns on the glider before conditions change.

Be sure to subscribe to our Intro-Session Notifications for any last-minute openings we have.

Anywhere you are! In South-Western Ontario that is. Mainly between Toronto and Kitchener but if you can get a group of at least four people wanting to take the full Beginner Course, we can come to you to do the in-class portion. We just need a quiet comfy place to set up a computer. Someone's living room or a community meeting room is fine.

The Intro Sessions (including the on-glider portion of the Beginner Course) is possible to do elsewhere as well but we prefer doing that out of our main location. Permission & Site Insurance is needed for doing the scooter towing so we'd have to inspect any remote sites and do the paperwork to get it insured ahead of time. It's just easier to come to our facility.

All tandems are done by getting aero-towed up behind our Dragonfly Ultralight at SOGAs airstrip.

YouTube of course! :)

This is a student after completing a full-course. You wouldn't get close that height on your first day out.

• Four in-class (evening) sessions
• Hang Gliding Training Manual book
• A minimum of four on-glider sessions (3 hrs min each)
• Administration of HPAC Beginner Exam
• Current Year SOGA Membership
• 3rd-party liability insurance (while under instruction)

Anywhere you are! In South-Western Ontario that is. Mainly between Toronto and Kitchener but if you can get a group of at least four people wanting to take the full Beginner Course, we can come to you to do the in-class portion. We just need a quiet comfy place to set up a computer. Someone's living room or a community meeting room is fine.

The Intro Sessions (including the on-glider portion of the Beginner Course) is possible to do elsewhere as well but we prefer doing that out of our main location. Permission & Site Insurance is needed for doing the scooter towing so we'd have to inspect any remote sites and do the paperwork to get it insured ahead of time. It's just easier to come to our facility.

All tandems are done by getting aero-towed up behind our Dragonfly Ultralight at SOGAs airstrip.

As demand dictates really. In-class sizes range from 4-8 students and then on-glider sessions depends on the equipment and instructors we have on hand.

We will do the in-class portion of the courses year-round.

To keep abreast of when our next courses are, watch the calendar or subscribe to the various newsletters.

You don't necessarily have to be physically fit. Once you become proficient, it doesn't take much effort to hang glide.

You're suspended in the harness by your centre-of-gravity on your body so in calm conditions, you barely have to even hold onto the bar. This allows you to relax and enjoy the flight even more.

As long as you are a coordinated person, fly the right-sized equipment for you and in flying conditions suitable for your level of experience most fitness levels are suitable.

Here is a picture of the trainer glider we use on the Day-Taster courses. The guy is holding it up with ONE-HAND! There is a light breeze that is picking up the glider but it shows how easy it is to handle these trainer gliders.

We use a Dragonfly Ultralight airplane to tow us up. The aircraft is designed specifically to tow hang gliders. It's how we tow up the tandem flights as well as how certified pilots get in the air (in flat-ground areas).

The hang glider starts on a three-wheeled dolly that the pilot hangs onto while the Dragonfly starts to pull you to the proper airspeed. Then the pilot lets go of the dolly and you leave the ground at the same time as the Dragonfly.

You take about a 10 minute tow up to about 2000' above the ground where you then release the line from the Dragonfly and you are free! The ride up is as fun as the ride down. The flight is then about 15 minutes or so before you are back on terra-firma.

You don't even land on your feet. You use the hang glider's wheels to roll in so you don't even have to worry about stumbling on landing!

Your tandem pilot needs to be pilot-in-command while taking off and landing but once you get to altitude, if you're up for it, the controls can be handed over to you and you can experience first hand how to control the hang glider. Your tandem pilot is right there to teach and correct your mistakes.

You need to bring:

• sturdy shoes, preferably hiking boots
• sunscreen
• water & food
• payment (exact cash on location or prepay with Paypal)
• jacket - even in the summer it gets cool up at altitude...at least bring a wind-breaker to keep the wind off of your arms

We provide:

• all the gear - helmet, harness, glider, etc
• all the fun you can handle!

Anywhere you are! In South-Western Ontario that is. Mainly between Toronto and Kitchener but if you can get a group of at least four people wanting to take the full Beginner Course, we can come to you to do the in-class portion. We just need a quiet comfy place to set up a computer. Someone's living room or a community meeting room is fine.

The Intro Sessions (including the on-glider portion of the Beginner Course) is possible to do elsewhere as well but we prefer doing that out of our main location. Permission & Site Insurance is needed for doing the scooter towing so we'd have to inspect any remote sites and do the paperwork to get it insured ahead of time. It's just easier to come to our facility.

All tandems are done by getting aero-towed up behind our Dragonfly Ultralight at SOGAs airstrip.

Tows are usually about 2500' above-ground-level....that's something like twice the height of the CN Tower! That will give you about a 15-20 minute flight including the tow up to your release altitude. Flights are extended if the conditions bring thermal lift strong enough for the tandem to stay airborne.

Weather & time permitting. None of us do this full-time but we get out there as often as we can. Any nice weekend, we're there. Any fantastic week-day and you can at least find solo pilots flying. It's best to coordinate with Steve directly (our tandem pilot) and be sure to subscribe to our Tandem Notifications in case we zip out at the last minute and you wish to join us.

Or season starts as soon as the snow melts and the fields are dry. And the season goes until it's too cold to fly (usually October or sometimes into November).

You don't need any physical strength at all to do a tandem. You're strapped in your own harness suspended to the glider right along-side your tandem pilot in charge. You wrap your arms around the pilot (just so you move along with the pilot, not to stay in/on the glider!) and enjoy the ride!

Minors (under the age of 18) need parental consent. It usually more of a question of weight and maturity.

The only one I've really enjoyed is FlightClub - it's a free java game online. It's actually quite realistic for cross-country (XC) flying.

Find it here

Yes. If you're signed off to scooter-tow, we'll tow you as high as we can. Tow heights are anywhere from 500' to 1000' depending on the winds and are $10 a tow.

You have to have your HPAC insurance and a member of SOGA to tow.

We 'can'. The scooter is certainly capable and ideal for towing paragliders. Our operators though, do not have the experience. We're willing to learn so if you are a PG pilot with lots of tow experience, we're keen on learning how to tow you safely. Or if you are an experienced PG scooter-tow operator, we'd be keen on learning from you.

To be able to tow on our scooter you would need HPAC insurance and be a SOGA Club member. Cost of a scooter tow is $10 per tow.

"Depends". :) (seriously...that is an option)

It's not easy, but possible to perform the 'aerial-whiz'. But it's best to follow your parents' age-old advice, "go before we leave".

In decent soaring conditions we can go cross-country. You find a thermal and climb in it as high as you can and then venture off in search of your next thermal. You can't see them so this is where experience comes into play.

The World Record for distance covered in a single flight is just over 700km's! It took him over 10 hours to do it...no landings, no pit-stops. This happened in Texas.

The Canadian record is 330km achieved in Alberta. The Ontario record is 202km.

As long as you can find lift, you can stay up as long as you want.

Thermal lift is obviously dependent on heat so it's limited to day-light hours but ridge-lift can continue on indefinitely. Ridge-lift is when the wind blows up the side of a hillside and deflects the air vertically - the hang glider gets in that and up it goes! A long time ago a pilot in Hawaii stayed airborne 30 hours by riding the sea-breeze coming in. He would adjust his speed and hover close to the ground and people on the ground would hand him drinks and something to eat.

We use a 'scooter-tow' which is the industry standard method of instruction to introduce people to getting in the air...even with no prior instruction.

The scooter is ideal for smoothly pulling a trainer glider into the air and keep it at only a few feet off the ground. The trainer glider is a state-of-the-art, modern, super-easy-to-fly glider designed for first timers to fly. It's light and easy to handle and rather impossible to get it turned in the wrong direction....especially with the experienced winch operator ready to release tow pressure at a moment's notice.

It really is fun to float along the ground....even veteran hang glider pilots enjoy taking a scooter tow. They never had it this easy when they learned!

Anywhere you are! In South-Western Ontario that is. Mainly between Toronto and Kitchener but if you can get a group of at least four people wanting to take the full Beginner Course, we can come to you to do the in-class portion. We just need a quiet comfy place to set up a computer. Someone's living room or a community meeting room is fine.

The Intro Sessions (including the on-glider portion of the Beginner Course) is possible to do elsewhere as well but we prefer doing that out of our main location. Permission & Site Insurance is needed for doing the scooter towing so we'd have to inspect any remote sites and do the paperwork to get it insured ahead of time. It's just easier to come to our facility.

All tandems are done by getting aero-towed up behind our Dragonfly Ultralight at SOGAs airstrip.

Minors (under the age of 18) need parental consent. It usually more of a question of weight and maturity.