Flying the glider is not physically demanding – the pilot hangs in a comfortable, sleeping-bag-like harness and needs only to shift his or her weight slightly for and aft, and left to right, to control the glider’s speed and direction of travel. Launching requires the ability to hold and balance the glider, which weighs from 40 to 80 pounds, while running the several steps needed to get airborne. Just about anyone who has the will to learn to fly can do so. Since flying depends more on balance and endurance than on brute strength, woman and men make equally good pilots. While the fraction varies regionally, about 10-15% of the hang glider pilots in the US are women.
Posted in: General Hang Gliding FAQs