For the purpose of pre-solo consolidation, Tony and I were back at Bald Hill where we had undertaken a few tandem flights prior. The goal of today was to fly repeated approach and landings in preparation for my own first solo flight off either Bald Hill (Stanwell Park) or at Hill 60. With a 15 [...]

On a day planned for final consolidation of the approach and landing technique from a hilltop glide, we were again blessed with the opportunity to do something other than actual flying thanks to Mother Nature who – in truly typical female fashion – decided to make life difficult. Although the wind strength and direction was [...]

Day two was used to refine my takeoff technique and slowly introduce me to the glide literally 3 or 4 feet at a time as we made our way up a sand hill at another South Coast beach. The solo glide, if only for a few seconds, offered Tony the opportunity to assess my technique [...]

The glider relies on a combination of headwind and the pilot moving forward in combination to generate the required lift for takeoff. In true Flintstone fashion, the pilot essentially uses peddly power to work through a number of defined stages before a safe takeoff can be achieved. Tony was adamant that the takeoff is one [...]

My first taste of hang gliding was at Hill 60 to the Southern side of Port Kembla and about 90 minutes drive South of Sydney. The 15-knot Easterly airflow redirects upwards off the mild cliff face and provides the pilot with an unbelievable and virtually unlimited source of lift. This flight was essentially the equivalent [...]

The earliest inspiring memory that attracted me to aviation came from an episode of the ancient TV series Eight is Enough when David, played by Grant Goodeve, competed in a hang gliding competition in an episode entitled Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy. That episode aired in 1979 when I was barely old enough to [...]