After a short taste of the sky at Lookout Mountain in 2014, life on the ground happened for a while. Seven years and now living in Houston... I finally decided it was time to pursue flying for real.
Thankfully, there are plenty of hang glider pilots in the Houston area, and I quickly found a place to fly at Cowboy Up in Wharton, TX. The flight park here is an excellent place to learn with aerotowing providing instant instructor feedback on tandem flights. I had a great experience learning from instructor Matt and the other experienced pilots around the hangar.
We worked on many tandem flights building up flight skills, and then we waited for calm winds. Once conditions were smooth as glass, I was finally able to fly solo like a bird once again! As a new pilot, I'm continually watching for the right wind conditions to stay within my limits while building experience.
After renting a glider for a while, the team at Cowboy Up helped me find and purchase my own glider and gear. Getting to take off under your own wing and fly like a bird is a truly incredible experience that everyone should try at least once. It's both thrilling and incredibly peaceful to float silently over the Texas farmland, and I hope to see you out at the hangar soon!
-Zach Bateman
Thankfully, there are plenty of hang glider pilots in the Houston area, and I quickly found a place to fly at Cowboy Up in Wharton, TX. The flight park here is an excellent place to learn with aerotowing providing instant instructor feedback on tandem flights. I had a great experience learning from instructor Matt and the other experienced pilots around the hangar.
We worked on many tandem flights building up flight skills, and then we waited for calm winds. Once conditions were smooth as glass, I was finally able to fly solo like a bird once again! As a new pilot, I'm continually watching for the right wind conditions to stay within my limits while building experience.
After renting a glider for a while, the team at Cowboy Up helped me find and purchase my own glider and gear. Getting to take off under your own wing and fly like a bird is a truly incredible experience that everyone should try at least once. It's both thrilling and incredibly peaceful to float silently over the Texas farmland, and I hope to see you out at the hangar soon!
-Zach Bateman
