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Don't Try This at Home!
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Hang gliding and paragliding can be the most rewarding and thrilling sports available, and can be done for a lifetime. Several of SHGA's active pilots are over 70 years of age. However, these sports can be done in safety only with proper training, appropriate equipment and sound judgment, based on experience. If you try hang gliding or paragliding without proper training or equipment, you are putting yourself in danger of serious injury and death.
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Your life depends on getting pilot training from instructors who are certified by the United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (USHPA). If you are not an experienced hang glider or paraglider pilot, you should seek professional training from a USHPA-certified instructor. This will be the smartest money you ever spent.
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Your life depends on getting equipment that a hang gliding or paragliding professional has inspected and found to be safe for you. Equipment that may be safe for an experienced pilot may not be safe for a newcomer. A glider that may be safe for a 200-pound pilot may be too big for a smaller person to handle. |
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If you are not an experienced hang glider or paraglider pilot, you should have a professional hang gliding or paragliding expert inspect any equipment you are thinking of buying. This is way more important than having a mechanic check out a car before you buy it.
Most hang gliding or paragliding professionals will inspect equipment for a small charge or possibly for free. The small charge that may be made for this service is peanuts compared to the damage that can result from unsafe equipment.
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Your life depends on knowing the particular dangers of the place where you fly. After getting training and proper equipment, always get information about the particular conditions of every site you fly. Get it from hang gliding and paragliding professionals who know those sites. Don't rely on the casual remarks of just any pilot who claims to have flown there. They may not think to tell you everything you need to know.
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