Lookout Mountain Flight Park

I wish I could give this 10 stars! This was an incredible experience with a fantastic crew. A friend and I went over Labor Day weekend. We went to the top of the mountain and filled out the paperwork and were able to watch the planes take off on the landing strip. Then we drove down the backside of the mountain towards Trenton to get to the landing strip. We watched a safety video and then were told the wind conditions were not safe and we would need to come back in a few hours. The crew was very sympathetic, great at getting us rescheduled, and recommended a few activities and restaurants to enjoy until we could come back. Upon our arrival for the second time, the crew said the weather had improved and quickly got us into our safety harness and helmets. I had an awesome flight instructor/​tandem partner, Ozzy. He was great at explaining the safety mechanisms and helping me to relax before takeoff. The view was absolutely incredible as the plane took off and towed us to 2000 ft. After the release of the tow line, it was quiet and relaxing. Ozzy was great and patient at teaching me how to control and move the hang glider. It was absolutely amazing and I wouldn’t hesitate to go again or recommend them.

5 stars aren’t enough. I had such a GREAT time today hang gliding with the crew at the Lookout Mountain Flight park and I really can’t thank them enough. The location of this business is right around the Lookout mountain area, so the views before you even get strapped in and off the ground are simply breath taking
Taken from their brochure, «Lookout Mountain Flight Park is the largest and most popular full time hang gliding school and resort in the United States. Each year, we teach, certify and solo five times as many pilots as any other school.» That expertise shows with these guys!
Me and a friend visited with a groupon deal for the 9:30 am jump, and after signing a couple of waivers, nope we were not off to hang glide. These guys were professionals and were concerned about the strong winds, which they check via plane before getting anyone in the air. Ultimately we got the green light, and we headed down to the take off field about a couple of miles from the main check in location.
My tandem hang glide was with the manager of Lookout mountain (i’m so sorry for forgetting his name), but after getting strapped in, he walked me through all the do’s and don’ts of what I could do, and ultimately, you do get to control the hang glide (you ARE a pilot for a few minutes!) They attach the hang glide to the back of a small plane, and you’re pulled up to right at 1500 feet (we got to about 1600) before they release the hang glide and you’re off, typically staying in the air for about 10 minutes.
When you land, you come in fast, and having skydived and landed poorly, I braced for impact, but he smoothly set us down with little incident. I did head the warning of another review that said not to wear shorts (which definitely worked for me)
I was only going to get the photo package, which takes photos at about 1 photo every 10 seconds (I walked away with 70 photos) for $ 25, but for $ 65 you got video as well, which they have to mail to you. The photos are on an SD card, and I assume the video is on DVD.
There are a couple of things I need to mention. You can’t bring any cameras or mount any go pros to helmets, as we found out the hard way, but that’s fine. Also, there is a weight limit of 250 lbs. They measure that weight with your clothes on, and they do have a scale on site. If you don’t meet the weight requirement (give or take a few pounds), just for safety concerns, they may not be able to take you.
GPS gets you within 1 mile of the place (basically it gets you ON scenic highway), so keep on driving and it’ll be one of the only buildings out there. Parking can be done on the side of the road in front of the store, but there’s extra parking on the side of the building as well (gravel bed parking)
If you’re up for more adventure after this, Cloudland Canyon is only 7 miles away, so you’re covered!
Great, professional crew that do a super job. If you’re thinking about hang gliding, definitely consider these guys.

The 3000′ tandem is something I’ll never forget! My pilot made it so awesome and fun. Definitely going back to try the training hills this summer.

This was a truly great experience from start to finish… I went a day early with my RV and just hung out at the airfield (There is camping on-​site for $ 10) … I participated in the Saturday night BBQ… and I talked to several genuinely enthusiastic hang glider people…
The next morning I got up early for my lesson on the training hills. This was a well-​rounded lesson, beginning with assembly of the glider. Then we worked on carrying it, then strapped into the balance ‘simulator’ before making the first trek up the training hill. I think I had 5 or 7 ‘flights’ before my time was up, but it was enough. The learning came quickly, and the instruction was good. One important tip: DO NOT WEAR SHORTS. You land by skidding on your front torso, not on your feet, and you will get scratched up…
So, after the lesson, I went back to the airfield for my Towed Hang Glider Tandem flight from 3,000 feet. It was really great. I let slip to this guy how much flight experience I have, and I’m glad I did. He gave me a truly exhilarating ride, demonstrating the flight limitations of the wing. He got me to stall the wing aggressively a few time! I loved it! That said, don’t be scared; I’m sure they will cater the flight to your desires… it can be quite smooth as well
You should try this!

Me and my family had a blast doing this! It was absolutely terrifying but a great experience. The staff was awesome! There wasn’t a long wait for an available spot and the valley is absolutely breath taking both on the ground and during the glide. Can’t wait to go back!

I’m so happy I tried this. The guys you go tandem with were really nice as well.
DO NOT USE YOUR NAVI TO FIND THIS PLACE. I got lost cause my navi had me in the wrong little road. Luckily the workers there were able to figure out where we were and give us directions over the phone. We were a little late which they were fine with so no worries.
The experience itself was amazing. I felt like a bird soaring above the ground. This was a gentle and relaxing experience. I’ve been sky diving and parasalling before that was very rough but this was just amazing. I did not feel scared at all it was just amazing. I now want to go again and again. Actually as soon as I got down I wanted to go back up. It is well worth it to pay the extra for the 3,000 feet. You get more air time. If you ask about a flight package at the end they will give you a discount on your next flight. I had Jason the Tomahawk as my tandem guy. He makes you feel very confident with his flight experience as he explains everything step by step. You even get to fly the glider a little which rocks. I also paid $ 25 for pictures and at the end they give you a memory card with all your pics I believe it takes pictures every 10 seconds or so. Very beautiful pictures to show your friends and family how bad ass you are for trying these stunts:) Now my mom wants to go.

This was such a great adventure. We did the beginner experience which immediately thrust us into small solo flights on a completely safe hills. We were only about 10 feet in the air but for our short flight we got to feel the controls of the glider. After lunch we were brought up in a 2,000 foot tandem flight where we were handed the controls. It should have been terrifying but I had some clue of what I was doing and when my skills weren’t up to par the glider really did the work for me. Plus, my pilot was right next to me. Such a great experience. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.

INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!!! I had never been hang gliding before, and honestly, have a great fear of heights. The instructors are so wonderful and helpful. They made me feel so comfortable on the training /​bunny hills, and then on the tandem 2000′ flight, truly gave me an experience I will NEVER forget. They are one of the top training schools for a reason. If you are looking for the best, look no further.

I didn’t know what to think when Christmas rolled around and Santa gave me a gift certificate to go hang gliding; two thoughts crossed my mind:
1.) My parents want to see me enjoy thrilling adventures!
2.) My parents know they’re the beneficiaries listed on my life insurance policy!
I had an awesome time hang gliding – certainly a thrilling adventure! I’m still Unilocaling, so my life insurance policy has not been of benefit to anyone yet. Hopefully my parents had Thought #1 in mind when they gave me a hang gliding trip.
This is a perfect place for every experience level, including novices like me. I did the introductory tandem flight to 2000′ – the typical flight. And it was way less intimidating than I’d anticipated. You don’t jump off the top of a mountain – instead, you and your pilot are towed behind an ultra-​light aircraft to 2000′ and then released. (You can pay more to go higher; it’s an extra $ 70 to go to 4000′.)
The unexpected part was the sense of freefall. As soon as the ultra-​light released us, we immediately banked to the right and rapidly accelerated into freefall. Exhilarating! Then we leveled off and simply glided peacefully through the air. Incredible! The weather was perfect so we could easily see the Smoky Mountains stretching above the horizon. After ten minutes of gliding above the spectacular mountains, we did a crazy descent back to the launch/​landing zone – a Superman nosedive that really made me think I was about to die. YESSS! That feeling is absolutely worth every penny.
The Lookout Mountain Flight Park is the largest hang gliding school in the country for good reason – they have their operation well-​organized and staffed by friendly and competent employees – important considering their line of business! I would highly recommend this business if you’re interested in hang gliding.

This place is AMAZING. I had such a great time learning how to set up the glider and take runs off hills on my own, and my instructor was patient as she kept trying to get me to keep running no matter what. It was such a fantastic experience, yet the training session pales in comparison to the tandem flight itself. 2200 feet in the air then released from the plane, the flight can take up to half an hour depending on winds and your tandem guide. My guy was wonderful and let me play with the «controls» a little before chasing birds through the sky. A little scary but a whole lot of fun!
I would highly recommend to come out for an entire weekend. You can camp here, experience the great meal and large bonfire on Saturday night, and have a great time meeting all the people who make this place possible.
Love it! Am definitely planning on doing this again. There is also a more expensive tandem flight offered that starts at 4000 feet… tempting!

Spread like an eagle and strap on some hang gliding equipment at Lookout Mountain. Or for just an introductory foray into getting your glide on, go ahead and also strap on an additional person for a tandem quickie.
I randomly went hang gliding because of a group of people that were going, and am glad to have done so. .. especially since we’re so close to a super hot hang gliding spot, with Rising Fawn only being a couple hours away from metro Atlanta.
The actual flight park and reservation experience was cool and well organized. And as for the hang gliding, it was really fun. Totally a very laid back experience. Like so laid back I would want my mom to do it — it was really pleasant.
They also have these really cool cabins right around the landing zone, which we didn’t get to stay in because they were booked — but how nice of a day would it be to hang glide, step right into your cabin, pop open a bottle of wine and watch the sunset?
Makes for an awesome weekend trip from the city, or if you’d like to go all pro, a supafine facility to get your glide on!

This is the hang gliding capitol of the U.S. It’s one of the more prominent school in the country. My instructor came all the way from California to come train here — pretty cool, so I had confidence in my instructors.
ROUTINE: So basically we drove up there from Atlanta (northwest), which took about 2 hours (100 miles). We went to the office at the top of the mountain to pay and sign our life away. Then you drive about 3 miles to go to the landing strip where they strap you to a hang glider and hook you up to a plane to tow you up to 2,000 or 4,000 feet. They do it this way as opposed to running off of the jump off point where the office is since it’s sometimes hard to coordinate running with 2 people so it’s safer.
All of us were beginners so we flew tandem (with an instructor). Depending on you, the instructor will be as aggressive or slow as you want. We did a couple of stalls where you pull the hang glider in (towards you) until you come to a complete stop and start free falling. OMG — that was scary but so fun. Then you just catch a current easily afterwards by pushing the hang glider away from you. Basically, you instructor can do tricks and all that or whatever you want up there. They will let you drive the thing too. Average speed up there is 30 – 40 miles according to my instructor. Not very fast since it’s a bigger, bulkier hang glider built for 2.
SERVICE: All the instructors were very cool and accommodating. People in the office were all very nice and helpful. No complaints here!
PRICES: We got the group rate — $ 219 for 4,000ft, and $ 119 for 2,000ft for groups of 10 or more. For $ 20 you can get in air photos — cameras attached to the left most point of the hang glider. One of my friends just took his camera up there. It’s pretty calm up there so taking you camera and taking video/​pics is not too difficult.
ADVICE: Bring food for a picnic! It’s so nice up in the mountains and where the jump off point is. Water. Sunscreen. Wear athletic clothing. Camera. Nothing else really to bring but the basics.
CONCLUSION: This is very cool sport and is relaxing. You can basically spend forever up there as long as you catch a current every once in awhile. They even have cross country competitions. If you haven’t done sky diving, you should do this 1^st then do sky diving. I think hang gliding was a little less exhilarating since I’ve done sky diving already.