The KHK Flight School is the oldest hang gliding school on the east coast of the USA and the largest school of its kind in the world.
It is also the safest and easiest one, since the unique agreement between Jockey's Ridge State Park (the tallest natural sand dune system in the eastern United States) allows the use of the dunes for take off and landing.
Kitty Hawk Kites, Inc. was founded in 1974 by John Harris, a pioneer in hang gliding, to provide instruction, products, and service to the burgeoning new sport.
John was inspired by Francis Rogallo, the Father of the sport, who spent the last years of his life at Kitty Hawk.
In 1948 Francis Rogallo and Gertrude Rogallo applied for a kite patent for a fully flexible kited wing with approved claims for its stiffenings and gliding uses; the Flexible Wing or Rogallo Wing, which in 1957 the American space agency NASA began testing in various flexible and semi-rigid configurations in order to use it as a recovery system for the Gemini space capsules.
John Harris started his school out of the old garage building, but it took several years of tough love to actually make the business profitable.
Today the KHK Flight School provides foot-launched instruction from Jockey's Ridge State Park, and tandem instruction from the nearby Currituck County Airport and Currituck Sound. In tandem training, the student and instructor fly together on a large glider pulled aloft with an ultralight aircraft.
A typical Beginner Dune Hang Gliding Lesson is three hours long and starts with check-in (1/2 hour prior to class time.) Each class has no more than five students per instructor. You then have about one hour of ground school including a training video.
After ground school, your class proceeds to the dunes via a scenic walkway. It's about a 200 yard walk to the base of the dunes. Once you have climbed to the the top of the dunes (the instructor carries the glider) you begin your solo hang gliding flights. The instructor is there to help. He/she will help you get into the harness, provide any last minute instructions, and help you launch.
You will run into the wind, and depending on the wind conditions (and your weight and skill,) you can travel anywhere from 30 to 100+ yards at 5 to 15 feet above the sand. Each trip down the dune is termed a "flight." The standard beginner lesson includes 5 flights. You might not land on your feet the first or even your second attempt.
The cost of the Beginner Lesson is $99.
Each participant receives the diploma and the certificate.
For more details check Kitty Hawk Kites website.
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