“Fly Like an Eagle”
by Bill Hess
Hang gliding quietly lifted into existence through the smoggy skies of Southern California, and in a few years soared into popularity from coast to coast. Young men and women reached for the clouds, challenging basic principles of gravity, and soared into space like birds. Held aloft by the wind, they controlled their incredible flying machines with body english and balance, using only their eyes and ears for instruments. Meeting the challenge successfully is reward enough, but few escape the more obvious badge of achievement—patches of raw skin from shoulder to shin.
Homemade or factory designed, the hang glider brought a new freedom and thrill to anyone who had the inclination, proper terrain and sheer guts to try. The Santa Monica Mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, provide the environment and local flyers, John Volk, Charles Ashford, John Brennan, Scott Dittrich and Marck Schwinge take advantage of it to work the thermals from the heights of Tuna Canyon down to Topanga Beach. As you drive up the coast, keep an eye out for the vividly colored, dacron-winged gliders as they superimpose their graceful flight upon the horizon and poise over the water before gliding quietly down onto the sand.
Birdbuilders, the local hang gliding shop at 18717 Pacific Coast Highway, is just a stone's throw away from the drop zone. You, too, can "fly like an eagle.”
