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Pilots Reach Out

While competing in a hang gliding competition in Ecuador in 2008, Jeff O’Brien was touched by the poverty stricken region. He vowed that before coming back again for the 2009 competition that he would try to do something to help those less fortunate. Jeff and fellow hang gliding competition pilot, Ricker Goldsborough, organized a nearly year [...]

Dressing for Cold Weather Flights

The time has once again come for all of us to pack it up or bundle up. With the cold weather upon us, it is important to know how to dress properly and know what to do if you land out in the back country.Most experienced pilots will tell you that when flying in the [...]

Operation Migragation

Its that time of year again when a siege of cranes and a gang of ultralight pilots take to the air for their 1,300 mile trip. The graduating class this year consists of 21 whooping cranes that will fly behind the ultralight aircraft from Wisconsin to Florida. For this first time ever, there will be [...]

2009 USPA National Skydiving Championships

The 2009 USPA National Skydiving Championships are taking place from October 12 through the 25th at Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, Texas, just south of Houston.
This year’s event will include formation skydiving, freeflying, style & accuracy, canopy piloting and canopy formation. The first weeks consists of formation skydiving with the second week includes more spectator friendly events [...]

Powered Paramotor Flies Across Canada

Benjamin Jordan has just completed a 10,000 kilometer powered paramotor crossing of Canada in an effort to raise money for underprivileged children in Canada. Jordan started on the west coast of Canada in Tofino, British Columbia and over 6,200 miles to John’s, Newfoundland. During his trip, Jordan crossed 9 provinces and parts of two oceans.
Jordan began [...]

Powered Parachutes to the Rescue

Powered parachutes are more and more being recognized as a powerful tool to fight crime by local police departments. The slow flying speed of a powered parachute in comparison to a small airplane makes these aircraft a better platform to view the lay of the land and spot illegal activity. Short take off lengths of [...]

2009 United States Paragliding Nationals – Utah

Part two of the United States Paragliding Nationals was held in Salt Lake City Utah at the Point of the Mountain Flight Park. Event organizers scheduled seven competition days between August 16-22.
This is the second half of the US Paragliding Nationals with the first half of the US Paragliding Nationals being held in Dunlap California [...]

2009 US Hang Gliding Nationals – Big Spring

The second half of the 2009 United States Hang Gliding Nationals was held in Big Spring Airport, Texas, about 300 miles west of Dallas. The event took place during August 9-15, 2009.
The first half of the Hang Gliding Nationals was held at King Mountain, Idaho during July 20-25 earlier this year. Results from the Big [...]

A Blunder at the King Mountain Co-Nationals

Skydog Blog – editorial and opinion
With a secret veil surrounding the first half of the United States Nationals at King Mountain, the competition was held between July 20th and July 26th. Unless you were there, it was a mystery who won this competition until more than a week after the competition had ended. Results of [...]

2009 World Hang Gliding Championship

The 2009 World Hang Gliding Championship was held between June 21st and July 4th at Laragne, France until July 2nd. The USA team consists of Jeff O’Brien, Dustin Martin, Davis Straub, Jeff Shapiro, and Zac Majors. Meet the 2009 World Hang Gliding Team.
Final results
This story has been corrected
The gold medal goes to Alessandro Ploner. Jon [...]

2009 World Air Games

The United States sent 17 competitors to the World Air Games between June 6th and June 14th 2009. This event is the premier event of for air sports enthusiasts boasting 10 disciplines, 27 competitions, and 3 venues in Italy.
The disciplines included in the event were Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Ballooning, Experimental Aircraft, Gliding, Hang Gliding, Helicopters, Microlights, Parachuting, and Paragliding. [...]

2009 West Coast Paragliding Championship

The West Coast Paragliding Championship took place between May 31 – June 6th, 2009 at Woodrat Mountain in Ruch, Oregon. With 3 of the 7 tasks cancelled for bad weather, there was almost as much para-waiting as there was flying.
Matt Beechinor took first in the Open class. One of Matt’s most recent accomplishments include being [...]

Flytec Race and Rally

What if you were to take a small group of some of the best hang glider pilots in the world, give them a different airstrip to launch from each day, tell them that there is better steak and beer in the next LZ, combine all of this into a competition and what do you get? The [...]

2009 United States Paragliding Nationals

The 2009 United States Paragliding Nationals begins on Monday in Dunlap, California. Dunlap is a small community located about 40 miles east of Fresno and 20 miles west of the Sequoia National Park
The U.S. Paragaliding Nationals begins on Monday April 27th and will last until Sunday, May 3rd.
This year’s format is different than recent competitions [...]

Police S.O.A.R. to Catch a Thief

Palm Bay Police in central Florida are using a new technology to catch a thief. The Search Operation Aerial Response team (S.O.A.R) will use powered paragliders in their day to day operations to conduct aerial surveillance. Besides looking for criminal activity, the police officers will use these aircraft to search for lost children and seniors. [...]

Canyon Pilot Plight

While Lionel De Antoni was landing his powered paraglider he noticed that his motor home was missing and police officers were waiting for his arrival. Dazed and confused, the pilot was arrested, his motor home impounded, his powered paraglider with camera confiscated, and was taken before a judge to answer charges of trespassing.
Lionel’s flight path that day [...]

2011 World Championships HG/PG

The host cities of World Championships of Hand Gliding, Paragliding, and Paragliding accuracy has been announced from the CIVL Plenary board. The 2011 World Hang Gliding Championship host cities will be Sigillo and Montecucco in Italy, edging out Forbes, Australia. It took four rounds of debating and voting before Italy edged Forbes by a vote of [...]

2009 World Paragliding Championship

The 2009 World Paragliding Championship was held in Valle de Bravo in Mexico with 148 pilots. There compeition consisted of 10 tasks flown between January 25th and February 6th, 2009.
Top individual honors was awarded to Andy Aebi of Switzerland followed by his fellow countryman Stefan Wyss with Aljaz Valic from Slovenia taking third. Top team [...]

Skydive Mt McKinley

Ever feel the need for a high altitude jump from 22,000 feet? If so then this story might be what you’ve been looking for, that is, if you have deep pockets.
Between June 20-25, 2009, a group of elite skydivers will jump from 22,000 feet at the base of Mt McKinley, the tallest mountain in North [...]

Whooping it Down South

As an ultralight sits on a makeshift runway reeving its engine in the early morning frost, support crew readies the migrating whooping cranes for takeoff also.