I have read through these posts with great interest because I recently took up gliding and I am now obsessing about it in the most frightful way. My wife is worried for my mental health. This thread interests me because it sheds some light on some of the issues I will have to deal with given my new addiction. Having come from a hang gliding/paragliding background I think I have a unique perspective on the whole thing. I started HGing in the early 80’s, a kind of golden era of the sport. I remember when the first primitive paragliders came along in the mid 80’s. No one ever thought they’d really catch one. And now? HGing is virtually dead and PGing rules. Why? Easy to learn, cheap, and a very direct experience. Plus, and this is not to be belittled: good show off potential. PGing has sucked the life blood out of HGing and indirectly out of soaring. Why? Because aging HGing pilots are a good source for sailplane pilots and because there are fewer of them that means fewer potential recruits for sailplanes. Soaring needs to appeal to the saner side of PGing pilots – why risk canopy collapses, broken backs and snapped ankles when you can fly safely and comfortably in a sailplane?