Paragliding in Kealakekua near Captain Cook on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Paragliding in Kealakekua near Captain Cook.

The Big Island Soaring Assoc. (BISA) is the small local club, they fly at Kealakekua, a few miles from the coast. Mostly light thermals, need to be able to do really flat turns, take off is behind a locked gate on private property that can only be reached by 4wd. Membership fee applies. High accident rate and very tight LZ's.

No local hang gliding pilots.

Location: Kealakekua near Captain Cook,very voggy (vog from the volcano) with a hot stable air mass and restricted landing fields.Lots of bandito landings. A 4 wd is required. Usually pretty short flights for visiting pilots, can be 6 minutes or less depending on how cross it is, but when it is good it is good. Take off is on private property behind a locked gate. Really tight landing areas,surrounded by big trees, light winds often cross and shifting, add some major ground effect from the lava rock LZ, sitting in the sun for hours. On take off, light wind flat slope launch, often cross,high voltage power lines to fly over right after launch. All of that resulting in several fatalities and numerous accidents over the years. In April there was a hang gliding motorized tandem trike crash into Kealakekua Bay. 2 Fatalities.

Do not fly there unless you are at least a very solid Intermediate pilot even if the locals tell you you can.This site had many fatalities and serious accidents.
  

Give me a call about flying on the Big Island. Guide: Achim Hagemann  808 895 1690

Ratings held in the past with the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Assoc. USHPA:

Advanced rated hang gliding pilot with turbulence, cliff and cross country sign off

Beginner and Advanced hang gliding instructor

Certified HG School USHGA

Advanced rated PG pilot American Paragliding Assoc.1988

3 times re-certified paragliding instructor United States Hang Gliding Assoc. for a total of 16 years as a certified hang gliding /paragliding instructor.

808 895 1690

Favorite flights:

Eliminator, Santa Barbara, SST

100 flights off La Cumbre, Ca.in my Wills Wing SST

Cerro Gordo, Ca. UP Condor

Gunther, White Mountains UP Condor
Piute to Black Mountain, Ca.

Horseshoe,Walt's Point Sensor 510, many flights along the Sierra.

Big Sur, Plaskett Creek SST

1000+ h. at Wilcox, Santa Barbara hang gliding and paragliding

Rincon to Ventura  Wills Wing SST

Yosemite National Park,Glacier Point UP Comet

Telluride, Co.Gold Hill to18000+ f. Sensor 510

Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania,  Wills Wing Duck 180 top landing my hang glider on the Ngorongoro crater rim in Tanzania

Serengeti National Park, landing in the valley floor, guarded by rangers with guns and surrounded by lions.

Merango National Park, Tanzania

St. John, Virgin Islands, John’s Folly UP Condor

Haleakala, Hawaii, top landing at Ferns. Paragliding

Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Pu'u Loa, Hawaii

Kuhboden, Switzerland
Guadelupe Sand Dunes, Ca.
Point Sal, Ca.
Tegelberg

Tannheim,

Coronet Peak NZ Sensor 510

Christchurch.

Muriwai NZ  UP Comet 165

The sport is relatively new in the U.S. There are about 4000 paragliding pilots in the U.S. compared to several hundred thousand around the world. The level of instruction is very uneven, except in a few hot spots. Countries like the U.K, France, Japan, Germany,Switzerland,Austria all have 10’s of thousands of pilots each and a much more advanced system in training and product development. Pretty much all of the state of the art gear comes from Europe.

The rating system in the U.S. is voluntary, instruction is not required by law to fly a hang glider or paraglider. The USHPA has not done a great job in growing the sport, membership has been stagnating for many years. Quality of instruction and high accident rates might be one of the reasons. Make sure your instructor has a lot of experience and does not hide behind some kind of certification. Some "instructors" have very little teaching or even flying experience in the U.S.

Paragliding sites need to be identified on the Big Island so as to boost adventure sports activities and provide an opportunity of employment. Department of Hawaiian Home Land and Tourism Organizations should work together to promote paragliding and hang gliding in the State, which would not only attract flying enthusiasts from around the world but also provide local employment.
Here is an example what other countries are doing to promote tourism.
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/253054 

We lost a paragliding pilot on Kauai not so long ago and we just had another bad paragliding accident in Maui, a newer pilot broke his back trying to do a low level 360 on final.

I checked the Honolulu Wind Lines paragliding chat the other day and they were making jokes about wiping out the Armed Forces if they keep crashing. 3 paragliding pilots.

I am just wondering who teaches these people or who sells them gear without making sure they can fly.

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