Learn to hang glide or paraglide, achieve a rating, donate to our cause, fly with a tandem pilot, or teach others. Through certifications, information resources, specially negotiated insurance, competition sanctioning, partnerships with the FAA, FAI, NAA, and more - USHPA remains America's only nationally recognized free-flight governing body of these sports.
Your membership directly supports the preservation of free flight:
- Advocacy. USHPA helps counter the threat of drones, works with federal land management agencies and partners to protect and expand access to federal land, lobbies for legislation such as tariff relief on glider imports, supports chapters with local challenges, maintains exemptions with the FAA, and much more.
- Self-regulation. FAR Part 103 is predicated on effective self-regulation by our community. USHPA provides safety standards, ratings, testing, certification and more so that the FAA doesn't regulate our sports.
- Protection. USHPA provides insurance benefits for instructors, recreational pilots, and landowners at sites nationwide. Most of our famous and historic sites require insurance to fly them.
- Support. USHPA subsidizes instructor memberships and chapter renewal fees to help keep new students learning to fly and to maintain access to sites for large and small pilot communities. We also work hand in hand with our partners at the Foundation for Free Flight toward site preservation, safety and education, and other improvements for the free flight community.