Florida Sports Article

Emboldened from the thrill of skydiving, George and I now turned our attention to hang gliding, a sport of air finesse. We headed for the Wallaby Ranch, just outside Orlando, in Davenport, Florida. If you're a hang glider pilot you already know about this old farm turned hang gliding paradise. In fact, in just the few years since opening, it's become known as one of the premier hang gliding locations in the country, if not the world. 
After receiving easy directions from manager David Glover and spotting five gliders from a of couple miles away, we arrived at the Wallaby Ranch. The scene was fascinating. Hang gliders were on the ground, in the air, taking off, and landing all at once. Excluding TV and magazines, we had never seen an actual hang glider before and now they were literally, albeit quietly, swarming around us. "This looks like an awesome sport," we agreed. We said hello to a barefooted guy with sunglasses whizzing by on a tiny motorbike. He stopped, and introduced himself as Malcolm Jones. 
Five years ago Malcolm, a two-time world hang gliding champion and Tampa native, bought a 200-acre cow pasture and turned it into a dream of his. A place where he, his hang gliding friends and families, and those of us intrigued by hang gliding could come and enjoy this unique sport. A hang gliding mecca of sorts. The one-time pastures are now lengthy grass runways and farm sheds now serve as hangers for various ultralight aircraft and hang gliders. The only thing left of the farm life is the "green acres" style red tractor Malcolm uses to keep those runways trimmed. 
Further adding to Wallaby Ranch's charm, campers and visitors enjoy a swimming pool, bungee slinging ( a story itself ), a climbing wall, volleyball, multiple hammocks and a trampoline--- the latter two items used primarily for lying on while gazing at the usual hang gliders dotting the sky. Of all the amenities, however, the friendly people and casual, inviting atmosphere reigned supreme at the Ranch. 
Almost like a planned teaser clip for an upcoming movie, we found ourselves sitting around a picnic table listening to hang glider tales. Most talked about finding thermals and "hanging" with the birds for hours at a time. Eagles, hawks, and turkey vultures, we were told, have no fear of hang gliders while in the air and often fly within inches of appreciative winged humans. We instantly wanted to be up in the air. With no fear or hesitation, we were ready to go! 
When weather conditions are right, the pilots are out in force. As we all know there are no cliffs in Florida. So how do you get in the air? 
By a simple system called aerotowing. A specialized ultralight airplane called a "Dragonfly" was designed specifically for towing hang gliders into the air. The pilots of the ultralight are absolutely incredible. After gently towing up the hang glider to the right altitude, they release and literally fall nose first out of the sky only to pull up at the last minute, land, then quickly taxi into position to pull yet another anxious hang glider up. 
Like skydiving, hang gliding tandem is the way to go for your first time. "It's an accelerated form of instruction," describes Malcolm. "The learning curve for a student pilot is much more rapid with the instructor hanging right next to them. The student is able to fly the glider on their first flight and learn hands-on the correct and incorrect ways to handle hang gliders." 
Our time to fly finally arrived. After signing release forms similar to those for skydiving, I settled into the harness suspended under the wing for each of our respective flights. The ultralight tow plane was connected and Malcolm, our instructor for both flights, signaled go. 
The energy and excitement of taking off and landing were equally incredible. As very little airspeed is needed to hang glide, we were off the ground in about 50 feet. Everything was balance--Malcolm's balance. I played the role of hanging cargo. As first - time passengers/students our instructions were to relax, enjoy the experience and don't grab the control bar too tightly. Smooth, minor movements kept the hang glider properly positioned on tow as we circled upwards for about eight minutes until reaching 2,500 feet. 
While the way up gives you an adrenaline rush, it wasn't until we released from the tow plane did I fully understand the extraordinary feeling of soaring like a bird. I felt I now knew the extreme peacefulness and freedom that only a bird could feel. Seeing the Wallaby Ranch from the bird's-eye view was a blast and downtown Orlando looked like a short flight away. 
Once I was comfortable with flying, Malcolm taught me some hang gliding basics. Showing how the hang glider was naturally in balance, Malcolm suggested letting go of the control bar. My beginner's instinct preferred not to let go, after all it's the control bar and we have got to be in control, right? I let go and the wing supporting us simply continued flying straight ahead. The basic flight lesson continued as we looked for circling birds in warm air thermals. Only a few turkey vultures were flying that day and they also seemed to be searching more than finding those free tickets to higher altitudes. We floated back down for a smooth landing on one of Wallaby's soft green runways. 
Our exceptional afternoon at the Wallaby Ranch was about over. We walked around watching more takeoffs and landings, dogs playing, a ping pong game and a boy challenging the climbing wall. We also saw Malcolm, still barefooted and wearing sunglasses, but now on an ATV, buzzing out to help launch another round of hang gliding friends. 
We really didn't want to leave, partly because Smooch, Florida Sports Magazine's West Coast dog, was still wet from splashing around in swamp water, but mostly because Wallaby Ranch is a special place. 
Hang gliding will make you feel like a bird.