The
modern sport of hang gliding was born more than 30 years ago of a generation
of young men and women whose passion for flight often overwhelmed any
reasonable concern for their own safety. The lessons of personal soaring
flight in light-weight wings were extracted from an unforgiving nature
at a price that was often painful, and sometimes fatal. Nature has not
grown more forgiving in those 30 years, and all the potential for danger
is still inherent in this, or in any form of flight. The difference today
is that we now understand the requirements for safe flight in hang gliders
and paragliders as well and in as much detail as those requirements are
understood in other forms of aviation. Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices
of the founding members of our sport, we now know what it takes to be
safe. All that remains is for each individual pilot to choose safety,
and to act consistently on that choice.
When
you first begin to fly, your instructor will make most of those critical
decisions for you, and in so doing, assume the primary responsibility
for your safety. (Of course, at the same time, you should be sure that
you feel comfortable with what you're doing - and, if you don't,
talk it through with your instructor until you do.) As you progress, you'll
learn how to make decisions for yourself, such as, Do I fly today? Can
I handle these wind conditions? etc. Ultimately your goal is to develop
a complete, and very accurate understanding of exactly what you are capable
of as a pilot, and then to never make a decision that puts you into a
situation that you can't handle.
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