Welcome to the Dales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club.

May your flying career with us be happy and successful. The Club was founded in 1974, after a few enthusiasts had felt the need to organise themselves in order to control the activities of the flyers and to retain the good will of the land owners. We were made official by affiliation to the British Hang Gliding Association at its inception in 1975. Since those early days the Club has grown in strength and today is one of the most successful and well supported in the country. We hope that you continue the Club spirit which has always been encouraged, and that you will want to take part in our activities, and maybe even in the management of the Club at some future time.

If you are fresh out of a flying school, with little experience, you will find that if you make yourself known to Coaches, and more experienced members within the Club, on or off the hills, they will be glad to see that you can manage your new sport safely. Please do not be afraid to ask, the Club's good safety record has been mainly due to the awareness of each others shortcomings, and the willingness on both sides of the experience scale to communicate. The pilot who keeps himself to himself in this respect is very often like an accident waiting to happen. If it has not already been done for you, you should refer to the list of coaches published in every club newsletter. This is a method of making contact with an experienced flyer who can be of help to you. In this way, one person can monitor your progress and perhaps help you with any weak points in your new skills which would not be apparent to those who do not come into such regular contact with you.

Club sites tend to be mainly for pilots who can soar competently as bottom landings are generally not easy. Sites with clear bottom landings are Tailbridge, Whernside, Nont Sarahs and in good conditions Cow Close Fell. Baildon Moor is used for training and social flying, IIkley Moor is used by some in NE winds but is not recommended for inexperienced pilots, especially on modern gliders, as the bottom landing area is by a busy road and an alarming cross wind landing is often required. New flyers usually develop their soaring and manoeuvring skills pretty quickly in the Dales given good weather, as sites are generally quite large, and as mentioned earlier, you will easily find help from experienced fellow members and coaches (usually displaying the cloth observers badge). Before long, you will be up on the big hills with the rest of us, preparing to venture off cross country. Dales sites produce some good thermalling and cross country conditions in the spring and summer, but winter is not without its good times as we are lucky to fly in an area well known for its wave lift.

All this may be looking some time into the future for you, so remember that if you have just obtained your Club Pilot certificate, you still have a long way to go, although you now have a sound base on which to start. Many new skills must be developed before you reach your potential in the open sky: Flying cross country.

Events and activities in the Club are detailed in the monthly magazine; Skywords: and monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month (Sep - Apr) in the function room at The Dyneley Arms (LS21 1ET) near Otley.  At these meetings, there are often seminars on relevant subjects, which are published in advance through the Club magazine. Other Club activities, procedures and general information are detailed elsewhere on this website. Please read them carefully so that you can familiarise yourself better with the sites information and rules.

We hope that you will enjoy your flying with us, and would like to say that this is your Club and, like your flying, it can only be what YOU make of it.

Happy landings
The Committee of the Dales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club