All new students who have no previous hang gliding experience are encouraged to take a ground school class before their first flight class.  This ground school provides the student with information about the history of hang gliding; the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association; basic aerodynamics of how a hang glider flies; instruction on how to control it; basic micro-meteorological information related to hang gliding; and flight class scheduling.

Realizing that sometimes attending a ground school class before your first flight class is difficult, I now offer an alternative where you read over a special ground school page and schedule for a normal flight class paying an additional $10 ground school fee. You may then attend a ground school (already paid for) when one is offered.

Ground school is offered during an evening at the Arlington location, costs $10 and lasts 1 1/2 hours, and is not available weekends.

Flight class instruction is offered during weekends  weather permitting.  Classes require a minimum of two students and generally have 2 - 5 students.  The site chosen for a class is determined by the wind direction and is a gradual sloping grassy hill with a large landing area.  These training sites are located in Virginia and Maryland and travel time from Arlington is 1:10 to 2:00+ hours.  Classes last all day with the students usually meeting at the Arlington location at 10:00 AM.  Students then carpool to the training site.  Return to the meeting place is between 7- 9:00 PM.  Flight classes are $85 for the entire day including the use of equipment. Payment by cash or check.

Upon arriving at the training site, gliders are assembled by the instructor and students with preflight inspection by the instructor.  We try to give each student at least 5 supervised flight attempts depending on the weather and the student's physical ability.  Students sometimes get over 10 flight attempts during a class.