Hang Gliding at Lookout Mountain

Hang gliding has been on my bucket list ever since watching the 2011 film Rio. Oh, to soar over the mountains on wings like a bird! The first weekend of October was warm and beautiful, so I booked a tandem flight at Lookout Mountain Flight Park.

The view from Lookout Mountain overlooking the grass strip where we took off

I drove straight over from the Murfreesboro Saturday Market, and Andrew took this picture while I was still wearing my market dress.

As I watched the instructional video with the rest of the group, my heart beat faster in anticipation. I met a lady named Paula who was also new to hang gliding, and we became friends.

Gliders

Before I knew it, I was stepping into the harness. Dalton, the glider pilot, showed me how to shift forward and back to accelerate or decelerate. He told me where to hang on, and off we went!

About to take off

The tow plane, or “dragonfly,” barely seemed bigger than the glider. The trees got smaller and smaller below us, and I had to shout to talk to Dalton. When we reached 1900 feet, we released from the plane. Suddenly everything went quiet, and I could use my regular speaking voice again. I could see kayakers on the creek below and a great blue heron flying above it.

As we soared above the rippling mountains, I realized that this was even better than I hoped it would be. I learned how to turn left and right, and we even did a few stalls. I felt just like a bird. All too soon, it was time to land. We did a sharp turn and landed neatly on the grass strip.

Made it!

Afterward I felt like jumping and dancing. The flight might have only lasted six or seven minutes, but I have the memories with me for a lifetime. Oh, what joy!