Thanks for the suggestion - alas it is no more, it folded officially
about
3 years ago, but the last people trained must have been about 6-7
years
ago. As I understand it, most UK university hang-gliding societies
have gone the same way the past few years - there are a lot of
recently dead web-links out there.

As I understand it, the university concerns are safety and liability.
The basic argument goes that there's a possibility of a bent upright
after every landing, and the only way to be sure that a glider is safe
(or at least, the only way to offload liability) is to send it to the
factory for factory certification, something which is not a practical
possibility every flight. I can understand the reasoning, but I can't
see a way round it, other than making the societies into social
organisations for people who fly hang-gliders but which can't loan out
any equipment etc...

KW

"Mark Russell" <mark@mortimer-common.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message news:<ahcm2i$m6p$1@news5.svr.pol.co.uk>...
> If your at Newcastle University (as your address suggests) do they not still
> have a students Hang Gliding club??
>
> Granted it was 15 years ago, but that's how I first got into Hang Gliding
> with the Necastle Uni Hang Gliding club. We were tought by the late but
> very great Keith Cockroft who would drive up in his van from Bradford (I
> think it was Bradford!) and take us out to a suitable site in
> Northumberland.
>
> Anyway, if there is still a students club they would be your best bet.
>
> Mark
>
>
> kit wolf <c.j.l.wolf@ncl.ac.uk> wrote in message
> news:4e0e1a4e.0207081012.5d8dc834@posting.google.com...
> > My question is not about the relative merits of
> > hang-gliders/paragliders as such, or which is safer... Such things
> > have been done to death in other threads. I think I would enjoy
> > either, though I prefer the idea of hang-gliding. My question is
> > whether it would be realistic for me to take up either given that I do
> > not have a car & I live in the middle of a city (Newcastle upon Tyne,
> > UK) with no really close flying sites (though there is a club nearby).
> >
> > I do have a pushbike (ideally I don't want ever to have a car; in
> > practice I will probably be forced to buy one 5 years or so from now
> > when I graduate, but financially I couldn't get one before then,
> > anyhow) and I can just about envisage putting a 5kg parasail on the
> > back, but even if I get to a good flying places within cycling
> > distance, the idea of flying alone doesn't appeal or feel safe, though
> > I've seen people doing so in fairly populated areas. The alternative
> > seems to be to get to know people who fly regularly and hitch lifts
> > with them (for petrol money) - in which case I figure I'm probably
> > equally well off with a paraglider or an hang glider. Any thoughts? Or
> > perhaps I should upgrade my version of flight simulator and buy a new
> > joystick. Or put video goggles and a camera in an RC plane. I figure I
> > could devote a day every few weekends, in terms of time.
> >
> > I will ring round clubs nearby and try to find local people to chat
> > to, but I'd be interested to know if anyone from the group has any
> > thoughts on the subject. Thanks, KW

View index by [date] [author] [subject]
Previous message: Re: Wanting to return to hangliding after 8 years, Paul Hurless
Next message: Re: Wanting to return to hangliding after 8 years, Rod Buck
Next message in thread: Re: Living with a hang/paraglider, Cookie
Previous message in thread: Re: Living with a hang/paraglider, Mark Russell