How Old Do You have To Be To Hang Glide?

If you or your kids are interested in hang gliding, you might be worried about age requirements. Find out how old you have to be to hang glide here.

Too young to hang glide? Too old to hang glide? Is there even an age limit to hang glide? With how little information there really is out there about hang gliding, it can be tough to find what you’re looking for. But that’s what we’re here for! Find out everything you need to know about being old enough or being too old to hang glide in this article.

In the United States, there are no federal laws that set an age requirement for hang gliding. However, many states have their own regulations, and most companies that offer hang gliding tours will have a minimum age limit of around 16 or 18 years old. Some allow passengers as young as 10.

Getting into hang gliding is something that I personally wish I would’ve done at a younger age. But how young is too young? Whether you’re driving a car, going skydiving, or even buying an alcoholic drink, there seems to be an age limit on just about everything. What about going hang gliding? In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about age limits surrounding hang gliding.

Flight Notch prides itself on providing you with helpful, engaging content that you won’t find on any other gliding sites. With a topic like this one, there’s a lot of research involved to make sure we’re giving you nothing but the most accurate information. After all, we don’t want you to plan a hang gliding trip or a set of lessons for you or your kids only to find out you don’t meet the age limit!

‍Is There An Age Requirement For Hang Gliding?

With everything that I mentioned above, the regulations are typically set out by the government. This includes things like flying a plane, buying a beer, driving a car, and more. But you might be happy to hear that these typical rules and regulations actually don’t apply to hang gliding. Not in every case. That’s because hang gliding, in general, isn’t federally regulated like flying other types of aircraft.

So is there an age requirement for going hang gliding?

In the United States, there are no federal laws that set a minimum age requirement for hang gliding. That means you can go hang gliding at any age as long as your parents or legal guardians let you and sign a waiver form. However, most states in the US have their own local regulations that set an age limit of 16 years old to glide solo without adult supervision.

Additionally, other states like California have stricter guidelines where they require minors under 18 years old to be accompanied by someone who is over 18 while they fly alone. But when it comes to tandem hang gliding, i.e. when you’re attached to an USHPA-certified instructor, some companies will even start accepting people that are just ten years old.

In addition to those state regulations, many companies will also enforce an age minimum of around 16 or 18 years old before allowing people to go on a tour with them without parental consent and supervision. So if you're young and want to go hang gliding, it's best to check with your state and the company you're interested in flying with to see what their age requirements are.

Is There An Age Limit On Hang Gliding?

Generally, no. As long as you're in good health and can handle the physical demands of hang gliding, there's generally no upper age limit for going hang gliding. In fact, as mentioned above, many companies that offer tours will allow children to go tandem with an instructor or parent if they aren't old enough to fly on their own.

That said, you might want to think twice about letting just anyone in your family that’s getting older go hang gliding. Even though many companies will take people on a tandem flight until they’re 90-95 years old, keep in mind all of the exhilaration and excitement that’s part of going hang gliding.

If someone is physically and mentally healthy enough, then by all means, they should be able to enjoy hang gliding. But at the end of the day, it’s still an extreme aerial sport and it should be treated with respect. I’m not trying to scare away anyone that’s 90 years old or older, but I don’t want to make it sound as if anyone at all should do it. It’s a mentally and physically demanding activity, so everyone needs to be ready for what’s required before they hit the skies.

Who Sets Age Limits For Hang Gliding?

That answer can vary depending on the country or state you live in. In the US, many states have regulations that set an age limit for hang gliding, but there are not actually any federal laws prohibiting hang gliding at any age. But that doesn't mean that anyone can just start hang gliding, especially not when it comes to tandem flights with a company. That's because most companies  that offer hang gliding tours have their own age requirements and restrictions that they enforce.

For example, many companies will require all flyers to be at least 16 or 18 years old before going on a tour with them without parental consent and supervision. So if you have younger kids that want to go hang gliding or you’re on the younger side yourself, just make sure you check with both your state and the particular company that you’re planning on flying with. Some companies will even set the age limits as low as just 10 years old.

Is There An Age Requirement For Other Air Sports?

There are some similarities between skydiving and hang gliding when it comes to the minimum age requirements, but there are also some differences too. For example, most states set a minimum age requirement of 18 years old for solo skydiving but that doesn't mean you have to be 18 years old before you can go skydiving at all. It just means that if you want to jump out of an airplane alone, you have to be at least 18 years old. However, the age requirement for tandem skydiving is typically lower and some places let kids as young as 12 go tandem.

Paragliding has a similar minimum age requirement to both hang gliding and skydiving. In most cases, you have to be at least 16 years old before you can take a paragliding lesson and work towards flying on your own. There are a few exceptions where pilots can start training younger if they have experience with other types of aviation sports. But even then, the youngest someone can actually fly solo is usually around 16 to 18 years old.

So, what's the answer?

Overall, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how old you have to be to go hang gliding, skydiving, or paragliding. It depends on your state or country's regulations, the company you're flying with, and your own age and health. But as a general rule, most people start learning at 16 years old and can continue flying into their late 70s or even 80s. So, if you're young and eager to try this exciting aviation sport, there's no reason to wait! Just make sure you check with your local authorities first to see what the requirements are in your area.