Would anyone else be interested in getting certified in Hang Gliding up in Ellenville this summer? Ellenville is a two hour drive from NYC, but it's considered the hang gliding capitol of the Northeast. Ellenville has two of the nation's twenty master-rated pilots and two instructors who were rated #1 in instruction by the USHPA.
It would be a bit of a commitment; probably 6-10 days of training over the course of the summer before the mountain launches. The training would cost about $1500 and a decent glider with equipment might cost $4000, but it's a lot of fun and probably a very good investment right now if you're betting on inflation, a weak economy, and not going back to school for an MBA this fall.
The guy who owns the launch and landing sites is Tony Covelli (http://www.ellenvilleflightpark.com/), but Paul Voigt (http://www.flyhighhg.com/) and Greg Black (http://www.mtnwings.com/hg/) also operate out of the site. Paul and Greg are both master-rated pilots and have won a number of awards for their instruction, but Tony is also very good.
Hang Gliding is a lot more fun (and easier to get involved in) if you've got friends who do the sport. If this is something anyone else in NYC would be interested in, please send me a PM.
Also planning on getting certified, but not in Ellenville. Highly recommend it though.
That's freaking terrifying. Props though.
This sounds amazing. How do you become a USHPA member ?
Your instructor will sign you up after your first day of instruction. I believe there's a $75/year fee.
USHPA is mostly a licensing and insurance organization. What you really want is a USHPA instructor. Arguably, Ellenville has two or three of the best on this side of the Mississippi.
I signed up for Paul's program (flyhighhg.com). Their training hill is actually 30 minutes closer to NYC than Ellenville.
Hang gliding has gotten a lot safer over the past 30 years than some of the horror stories we heard about in the '70s, and Ellenville doesn't have a precipitous drop-off. It's still as risky as any adventure sport, but the risk profile is probably better than riding a motorcycle in NYC traffic. Ellenville has a pretty safe track record, too. Did you find a closer place to NYC than Ellenville? Or are you working somewhere else?If you found a closer place, please share.
Actually might be heading to Cali for a couple of weeks in the summer (vacay!). Planning on doing it there with a couple cousins. I've dreamed about doing it on the West Coast (more specifically La Jolla) ever since watching these 2 vids a couple of years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ac0TKVLIhQ
Finally got the $ to do it so I'm all in!
Funny that you mention a motorcycle...planning on getting that too this summer if I can find the time.
Another good thing is to get some trackdays in after your first three or four thousand miles. There's two tracks relatively close to NYC- Millville, NJ (New Jersey Motorsports Park) and Long Pond, PA (Poconos Raceway). I've been riding for four years and I'm always happy to help other folks on two wheels; send me a PM if you have any specific questions.
Ya, sportbikes for me. I'm aiming for something
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