Hang Glider Manufacturers Association
Between 1977 and 2022, the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association was an international association of hang glider manufacturers that administered a set of industry consensus airworthiness testing standards for hang gliders.
The beginnings of the HGMA date back to December of 1973, when a group of hang glider manufacturers met in Westchester, California to talk about forming an industry association and developing construction standards for hang gliders. Although the first few attempts to develop and administer such standards were not successful, eventually a viable manufacturers association came into being and meaningful hang glider design and testing standards were developed, based initially on the FAA standards for certifying light airplanes.
Over its forty-five year history, the HGMA administered a highly evolved set of standards that constitute a current industry consensus definition of what represents airworthiness in a hang glider, and how to test for and document it. During that time, four hundred and sixty-five documentation packages and addendums were submitted to and accepted by the HGMA.
The HGMA was dissolved in June of 2022 as a result of the decline in activity in hang glider manufacturing. The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association maintains these web pages for the purpose of preserving information about the HGMA airworthiness certification program, including a list of hang gliders certified under the airworthiness standards of the HGMA.
Please Note: this is an archived copy of the website and data for the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association as of 6/15/2022