Thats really cool Jim... D*mn man Sailing... Flying... You stole my hobbies !!!
I have had a fascination with flight since at about 5 or 6 I was given a kite by My Grandma's boyfriend... He was really 'into' kites and took me to a kite festival and I got a cople of books on how to make them... By the time I was 8 or 10 I had 10's of kites and was always making them...
I remember once making a hexagonal kite about 10ft in diameter and told my Dad he was to tie me to the cross piece and fly me... I got a funny look...
Then about 14 I got into radio control slope soaring gliders. That taught me the physics of aerodynamics and was the kinda thing that while being a fun hobby I would encourage in any kid.
Around 16 I went and bought a 150 quid 70's Hang Glider (without my parents permission or knowledge)... Horribly outdated and heavy and without any instruction had my buddy drive me to the biggest slope we flew the glider off and just ran off the darn thing... Was lucky to get down from that one in one piece... Never flew it again... sold it for 300 though
About 19 or 20 I got a paraglider and used that regularly for 2 summers or so... Paragliders have an incredibly soft / slow / relaxing flight... They are easy to transport around and simple to learn... I enjoyed that sail immensely..
But it was too soft / slow / relaxing so I took up skydiving... Heart pounding and the adrenalyn puts you an a genuine hyped up high... Loved it..
Then I shattered my leg !!! Wasn't skydiveing at the time but I nearly lost my lower right leg and 2 years and 7 reconstructive surgeries later I could walk again but it was not Skydiving strong (it is now but theres none here) by then I was living in Holland so hang or paragliding hills were not common.
What is common in Holland though is Glider clubs.. I was working too hard to have enough spare time but I did go to a couple of public open days and have flown a couple of 10 minute bursts both thermal soaring and in Germany slope soaring... To be honest glider flying has a much lower barrier of entry (cost) and is something I really think I could get into, if I lived in an alpine region I would be all over that like a rash...
Now to satisfy my fancy of flight (groan) I have gone back to RC flying... Couple of little convienient planes and just picked up a cheap second hand electric heli (that is a bugger to fly... Still learning there)... One of my relations in Washington has a pilot license and Heli license (in fact he is purchasng a Heli
) and has offered me free airtime for either or both if I stay in W Virginia / Washinton anytime... I have that one in my black book of promises !!!
Long post but basically I can totally understand why you want to do it... Personally with planes I have a bit of a preference for the silent flight of gliders as well as the aspect of you havge to be smooth, not to loose altitude, to stay up there...
Good luck with it and Happy landings...