Hang Gliding from Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain, located in the northwest corner of the state of Georgia, offers both amazing views and activities...like hang gliding!
One of the summer trips that were taken by me and my wife was an adventure to Lookout Mountain, Georgia - which is just minutes south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was our first trip to the area and had previously never known that such a place existed in the Appalachian Mountains, so we were pleasantly surprised about the views.
During our first night, while watching a mesmerizing sunset on the western side of the mountain, we learned that there was a popular spot for hang gliders just a few miles down the road from our bed and breakfast. One event-filled day later, after dinner and before another perfect sunset, we found ourselves at the jump-off with the hang gliders.
This is what we saw...
When we first arrived, we were lucky enough to catch a glider getting ready to launch. He had recruited a few kids to help him out and it turned out that they had never done anything like that before. This guy truly was a risk-taker.
I wonder if having completely amateur help adds to the adrenaline rush.
Success!
He didn't go crashing into the ground 1,000 feet below, so I'm sure he was pleased with the help.
Here's a shot just to get an idea of the height and views that we had. I unfortunately had not received my neutral-density filter before leaving for this trip, so the landscape/sunset photos weren't as good as they could have been. And it didn't help that we were facing west the entire time.
This was the landing area below. I took this photo with a 70-300mm lens, zoomed to the max. It was no small drop if the glider failed.
As luck would have it, another glider was ready to launch.
Some other gliders, mostly tandems, were being lifted from the valley and released from above us. They joined the other singles that were flying around.
This guy made several passes for the camera. What a ham!
"Two wild and crazy guys!"
I think their names were Georg and Yortuk.
Without a cloud in the sky (and no ND filter), capturing the sunset proved to be a bit difficult. So I did what I could and snapped these last few photos before the light faded.
I'll have to go back to Lookout Mountain sometime and take another series of photos with the hang gliders. The views really can be breathtaking and with the right amount of planning, I think I can capture some awe-inspiring shots. And this will give me an excuse to take my wife back to the bed and breakfast, which she loved!
It's a win-win-win for me!
Thanks for stopping by!
Follow me: @ats-david
This is the best post i have seen of yours so far! btw, if you are into flying, you need to come to Southern Cali and fly with us at Torrey Pines. I am going on Thursday to get signed off for my P3 #paragliding license. After that I will be able to fly at all the sites regulated by USHPA.
When you guys were over at Look out mountain, did you see any paragliders?
This is my new wing. Its a rook 2
I was flying dirty in this picture. shhhh. Don't tell.
Looks like fun. I'm not really into that stuff but it does seem enjoyable for the people who are. You should take some pictures or video of your flight and share it with us. It would be cool to see from your perspective.
I didn't see any paragliders while we were there. Just the hanging guys. They must be haters and not like sharing the airspace. Bunch of jerks.
The funny thing is USHPA stands for United States Hangliding, and Paragliding Association. We share the same regulations, we share the same sites, same FAR 103 rules ect. They just don't like us because we can hike up the mountain with our aircraft in a backpack. Not only that but we can launch even when there is no wind. We can turn tighter in thermals and we can land on a dime. I can't tell you how many times I see the hang guy sitting around because the conditions are not good for them, and we go have amazing flights. LOL We are always trying to convert the hang pilots. If you ever wanted to take a tandem, they do them over at Torrey Pines. Here in San Diego. Its like $150 usd. Have a great night my friend.
You are a braver man than I looks like fun, just not for a height phobe like me ... haha ... Cheers ;)
@ats-david awesome.... A travel story full of nature and life motivation. I inspired on your creation. Hey buddy, I am traveler too, but what I can to do without ny senior in travel. I hope u will guide me buddy. I have latest post about travel, gladly to see u there. Haha cheers
Thanks, Joe!
What can I say? I inspire people. Always have. Must be my wit, charm, and adventurous nature.
I'll try to help you if I can...by inspiring you even more!
I love the shots!
filter or no filter - specially the last one but where's you?
did you glide too?
Looks like loads of fun, we have a paragliding festival in Ghana during the easter festivities up on the kwahu mountains, its always a blast @ats-david do visit Ghana for the Kwahu easter festival and i bet you, you wont want to go back to the states.lol
Hmm...I guess I'll have to consider that.
Nice Photos - Looks like you enjoyed the time:)
I did!
Wow those guys have to REALLY trust their equipment! If I could get up the guts, Im sure it would be a blast to try it. Would you ever try it? I dont think I could do it...
Probably not. It doesn't really appeal to me. I'll watch and take pictures though!
Beautiful pictures...Good Post however @ats-david... I wish you much success ... upvote and resteemed.Greets Germanlifestyle
Thanks!
Follow my Twitch stream for a chance to win a Nikon P900! We've already given away an XBox One this week!
Woweee! Holy smokes! Wowzers! And oooooeeeee!
I wish I would have won that Xbox...we could be playing golf or NASCAR or UFC or Madden right now! Instead, we're not. Very disappointing.
I hope I can win the camera!
Namaste, bro!
ayyyyy buddy Jesus namaste's you!
I'm actually right over by Lookout Mountain (though the one in Golden, CO), I see the occasional glider there as well. May be worth checking out ;) Nice post!
Yeah, go for it. It's fun watching people jump off of cliffs!
Wow! What a thrilling day that was. That first glider is definitely all in. Nice shots just like bird watching. Would you give it a try too when you go back there?
If by "give it a try too" you mean "take more pictures while you watch them," then yes. I will try that.
I mean the glider 😊
Whaaaaat!? Why didnt you go for a fly? Or maybe I misunderstood and you did?
And now, by reading this post, I totally take back all the recommendations about the previous short. I see that you are an experienced photographer and you definitely know your way around the camera, great photos!
No, I didn't take the leap. And...
Apology accepted!