Gift cards make great gifts for the holidays. The lucky recipient can use them for hang gliding or paragliding at Morningside Flight Park and the Kitty Hawk Kites Flight Park on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Gift cards are available for purchase over the phone (1.877.359.8447) and can also be purchased from the Kitty Hawk Kites Online Store.
Come by Morningside through this Sunday and check out some of the new line from Skywalk Paragliding. Choose from the Mescal, the Tequila or the Chili 2. Give us a call for details at 603.542.4416. We would love the opportunity to show you what these gliders can do and if you are a rated pilot, give you a chance to test them out for yourself.
Come by Morningside this Saturday and Sunday and check out some of the new line from Skywalk Paragliding. Choose from the Mescal, the Tequila or the Chili 2. Give us a call for details at 603.542.4416. We would love the opportunity to show you what these gliders can do and if you are a rated pilot, give you a chance to test them out for yourself.
Be sure and check out the new Jet Flap Technology developed by Skywalk Paragliders found in the Chile 2.
Pressure distribution on a profile with and without JET FLAP
Move your pointer on top of the red brake and pull it down
Greetings!
My name is Frank Campbell and I flew at Morningside for the first time back in 1976…..it was a “magical” place to me back in the early days, and now the future of this flight park seems very bright with the help of Kitty Hawk Kites. I have many special memories at Morningside, but one really stands out for me. I used to spend weeks at a time camping out there during the Summer months in the late 70s and early 80s……one weekday night, I left my campsite and walked up to the launch at the 450. The moon was full and the valley below was lit up in an amazing moon glow. There were two gliders set-up and tucked into the tree behind the launch. As I sat there, I heard one of the jeeps we used back then to transport the gliders to the top coming up the hill, it was getting late, maybe 11:00 or so.
It was Phil Haynes the property owner at Morningside. His dog was running behind the jeep and was bouncing around the jeep as Phil pulled to a stop. His dog was a beautiful Husky whose name I believe was “Streak”. Phil greeted me and proceeded to carry one of the gliders out of the trees and up to launch. I was a bit surprised, the conditions were dead calm, perhaps even blowing downhill slightly. Phil positioned the glider, climbed into his (supine harness) hooked in, and after a few moments away he went….smooth as silk. It was a perfect launch, he made it look effortless. I will never forget that sight, Phil floating across the sky in the summer moonlight. I watched for several minutes as he made his way to the landing area. I recall Phil had a bad leg or hip and always landed on his backside (hence the supine harness). He had really mastered that landing technique, and that evening was no exception, because he nailed his landing dead center on the bulls eye below. “Magical”!
Thanks for the opportunity to share this…….
Best of luck to you guys!
Frank Campbell
Morningside: A Kitty Hawk Kites Flight Park has opened its doors to the public for the 2011 season. Hang gliding lesssons, paragliding lessons and tandem hang gliding are all open and operational. The hangar even got a facelift as you can see from the pictures below.
The opening day was a great success. Here are a few photos from the throughout the day.
Nags Head, NC, July 8, 2011 - Kitty Hawk Kites announced today that, in partnership with wind energy entrepreneur David Blittersdorf, it has reached an agreement to purchase Morningside Flight Park in Charlestown, NH. Founded in 1974, Morningside has been an important part of the hang gliding and paragliding communities for nearly 40 years. The park will continue to operate under the Morningside name, and no major changes in park operations are expected. Closed in October 2010 after the death of long-time operator Jeff Nicolay, the park is expected to reopen on or around July 16.
For Kitty Hawk Kites, the acquisition serves multiple purposes, including the preservation of Morningside Flight Park as a center for hang gliding and paragliding in the Northeastern United States. Kitty Hawk Kites has also announced its intention to work with The Foundation for Free Flight to place a conservation easement on the Morningside property to ensure its long-term use as a site for hang gliding and paragliding. The acquisition also provides an opportunity for Kitty Hawk Kites, which operates the world’s largest hang gliding school on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to further expand its mission to “teach the world to fly.”
Situated on several hundred acres in the Connecticut River Valley, Morningside’s sloping topography makes it an ideal place to teach hang gliding and paragliding lessons. As students advance in skill, they can increase the altitude from which they launch without ever leaving the park’s training facility and be fully prepared for mountain flying.
“We know that Morningside is a very special place, and we’re grateful we can play a part in preserving it as a flight park,” said John Harris, Kitty Hawk Kites’ founder and president. “We look forward to building on what Jeff Nicolay and Phil Haynes built.”
Morningside will continue to offer beginner through advanced instruction in foot-launch and aero-tow/tandem hang gliding, as well as paragliding. Kitty Hawk Kites will also hold a community social to celebrate the park’s reopening. Details are being finalized and will be posted on Morningside Flight Park’s website: www.flymorningside.com.