The hang glider and para-glider Fly In is held each Memorial Day weekend. Many come from all over to fly here.

Some accomplishments of the pilots: 11,000 feet high, 12 or 13 miles cross country, 2.5 hour flight.

I went to the landing zone Saturday, saw some landings, and rode up to the launch.

The launch area is at 7000 feet altitude. 2500 feet or so above town.

Here are photos of glider parts and set up.

A pilot hangs from the glider before approaching the launch ramp. Others observe to confirm that everything is connected correctly.

A pilot waits for good conditions at the launch ramp.

Gliders in the air. Sometimes they would fly low over the launch area.

I like the scenic or artistic look of these pictures.

I went below the launch ramp for photos from a different perspective.

The owner of the truck I would drive back to the landing zone landed and needed his truck so I left the launch area just as para-glider pilots arrived. So I didn’t see them launch until returning on the next morning.

Para-gliders are like parachutes in some ways. They don’t have a frame like hang gliders. They are folded and put in to bags for transport.

Some para-glider parts.

A pilot waits for good launch conditions. The para-glider has two surfaces to give it a wing shape. The pilot will use the cords to lift the open vents on the front edge so they catch wind and inflate the wing. Then it will rise above him and he will turn and launch.

Para-gliders provide different views for spectators than hang gliders. They often fly low near the ridge. I could hear the cords moving through the air and see them up close as they flew low over or near the launch and see them from above as they flew below the ridge. Sometimes the wing would be visible but the pilot was not.

The text and images in this post, Fly In 2010, are Copyright 2010 Finis B. Miller, All persons may copy, reproduce, and publish this material but are required to display this copyright notice near it or any portion of it that is displayed or published.