Silver Wings, Inc.

495 North in Virginia from 95 on Inner Loop:
Take exit for Rt 66 East toward Washington, D.C.
Take exit 69 off of Rt 66 and go straight which will become Washington Blvd.
Go through two lights from exit ramp + 5 streets.
Left onto Powhatan St. N.
Right onto 20th Street N.
Go 1 1/2 blocks, house on the right, 6032 20th Street N.

From Washington, D.C. Constitution Avenue:
Go West on Constitution Avenue across Teddy Roosevelt Bridge into Virginia.
Take exit for Glebe Road and turn left.
Right onto Washington Blvd.
Go 1 1/2 miles and you will pass through small shopping center (Westover).
Continue another few streets.
Right onto Powhatan St. N.
Right onto 20th Street N.
Go 1 1/2 blocks, house on the right, 6032 20th Street N.

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. View the price sheet.

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.

Flight class checkin procedure: Students scheduled for a flight class call in (703)533-1965 just after 9:00 AM on the day of their class to verify if class is a go and where we are meeting.

Initial flights start low on the hill where you glide a few feet above the ground for a short distance. Emphasis is placed on takeoffs and landings. As the student gains experience and confidence they progress higher up the hill and get longer and higher flights. How fast a student progresses is entirely dependent on their ability. Safety is always of utmost importance. Mountain flight classes are available for students that have a Hang 2 rating. These classes involve on site discussion of landing approaches, evaluation of launching conditions and procedures, and radio communication during the flight.