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What is a "hang gliding" site? (HGS)
Hmm??
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Is a hang gliding site (HGS) a place where hang gliding takes place or could occur? Is a HGS just a launch? Just an LZ? Just an airspace? Or what? Maybe HGLS (hang gliding launch site), HGLZ (hang gliding landing zone or area or site), HGA (hang gliding airspace)?
How much hang gliding would be needed to qualify a place as a "hang gliding site" ?
Could a HGS be temporalry, permanent, restricted, one-time-use, unrestricted, good, poor, open, closed, legal, illegal, extra-legal, with good LZ options, with poor LZ options, good, poor, great, rated, unrated, comprehensive, conservative, etc. Are there types of HGS? Is a place a "potential HGS" and if so, what does that mean? How does one travel to a HGS? What options are available for getting to a HGS? What types of "hang gliding" have occurred or might occur at a particular site? What types of "hang gliding" are there; this would be needed in awareness to identify types of HGS, I guess ! Land? Water? Building? Indoor site? Outdoor site? Public? Private? Hidden? Well-known? Highly frequented? Hardly ever frequented? Scenic? Desert? Mountain? Coastal? Lake? Ocean? Island? Park? Mall? School? Street? Firebreak? Meadow? Wild lands? National park? State Park? Highway? Abandoned airport? Airport? Commercial? Unknown? Visible? Described as HGS? Not described as HGS? Farm? Road? Artificial hill? Controlled strongly? Uncontrolled? Fee? Key? Membership-only? Locals only?
So, maybe pausing into preliminaries will help on the topic main question. One of the preliminaries might be a keen comprehensive awareness of types of hang gliding. In knowing the types, one might identify how a place could be suitable enough for such type of hang gliding.
TYPES OF HANG GLIDING?
1. Dreaming HG.
2. Vicarious HG.
3. Wing running on level ground.
4. Wing running on level ground with some ground-effect gliding.
5. Wing running on mild slopes.
6. Wing running on mild slopes with some ground-effect ground skimming.
7. Wing running on inclines that invite gliding.
8. Wing running or stepping off high places that invite gliding and soaring.
9. Vehicle-assisted towed launching into gliding and perhaps soaring. (aero, platform, static-line car, winch reeling, scooter, boat, ship, raft, animal, friends, kite-system, drop-mass,
10. Vehicle-assisted non-towed launching into gliding and perhaps soaring.
11. Legal hang gliding.
12. Illegal hang gliding.
13. Extra-legal hang gliding.
14. Conservative-airs hang gliding.
15. Non-conservative-airs hang gliding.
16. Micro-moment hang gliding using kite systems.
17. Over one-second, but under one-minute power-kite hang gliding.
18. Third-party-insured hang gliding.
19. Non-third-party-insured hang gliding (pilot responsible directly).
20. Group-event hang gliding
21. Solitary hang gliding
22. Under direct instruction hang gliding
23. FLPHG, eHG,
24. Tether-coupled wings in free-flight kiting hang gliding (type of FFAWE)
Surely the types are more than just listed.
Each type of hang gliding will have the pilot be at some place; if the hang gliding type can be done at some place, then one might say that a HGS is defined by the action.
GETTING TO A HGS?
1. Home. There already!
2. Walk self and HG to HGS.
3. Walk, car, walk.
4. Walk, train, walk.
5. Walk, bus, walk.
6. Walk, bus, car, walk.
7. Walk, fly in aircraft, car, walk.
8. Walk, fly in aircraft, bus, walk.
9. Walk, run, soar HG to next HGS and to next HGS, etc. XC.
... etc. Combinations of walk, car, bus, aircraft, train, boat, ship, ski, e-assist, water-current assist, ICE-assist, bicycle, carting, kiting, ... Very many combinations of "getting to HGS" are known. A path might hold just one mode of getting there or might hold 10 ways in the one getting there effort.
There is some talk of "infinite HGS" where an uncountable infinity of places are potential HGS. Perspectives differ on the matter. Similarly, there is some vision of having an uncountable infinity of places for hang gliding reachable by just walking alone, or walking and bicyling alone, or walking and busing alone, etc. What is popular in one area or time period may not stay popular. "Popular HGS" and "Less-popular HGS" begins to show that differences may exist.
There are local buses and interstate buses. There are public transit buses and private transit buses. Etc.
How far is one willing to walk with one's HG to a HGS? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? All life?
Consider the guy launching into soaring from his home's house roof; consider him landing right by his home's front door. Perhaps just step off into the soaring airs and then later no-step landing flare. Presto: no walk, no car, no bus, no train, no aircraft transit, no assist vehicle, ... Perhaps you know someone that has such an arrangement.
Explore. Hang glide within some type of hang gliding. Observe the place: HGS. Figure the ways to get to HGS.
Share your story.
