Hang Gliding & Paragliding in Maui

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Hang Gliding Maui. Armin Engert will take you on an instructional powered hang-gliding trip out of Hana Airport in East Maui. With more than 7,500 hours in flight and a perfect safety record, Armin flies you 1,000 feet over Maui's most beautiful coast. A 30-minute flight lesson costs $130, and a 60-minute lesson is $220. This is easily one of the coolest things you can do in Hana. Snapshots of your flight from a wing-mounted camera cost an additional $30, and a 34-minute DVD of the flight is available for $70. Hana Airport, Hana. 808/572-6557. www.hangglidingmaui.com.

Maluhialani. The name means "beautiful serenity" in Hawaiian, which is appropriate for an airborne trip taking off from Kula, and soaring as far as the West Maui Mountains. Dwight Mounts, your pilot, built a grass runway on his scenic Upcountry property that serves as home-base for his powered hang-gliding trips. 808/280-3307. www.maluhialani.com.

Proflyght Paragliding. Proflyght is the only paragliding outfit on Maui to offer solo, tandem, and instruction at Polipoli State Park. The leeward slope of Haleakala lends itself perfectly to paragliding with breathtaking scenery and upcountry air currents that increase and rise throughout the day. Polipoli creates tremendous thermals that allow one to peacefully descend 3,000 feet to the landing zone. Owner-pilot Dexter Clearwater boasts a perfect safety record with tandems and student pilots since taking over the company in 2002. Ask and Dexter will bring along his flying duck Chuckie or his paragliding puppy Daisy. Prices start at $175, with full certification available. At this writing, the company was using only its lower launch site, following an early 2007 fire in the park that resulted in the closure of the road to its higher site. Polipoli State Park, Kula. 808/874-5433. www.paraglidehawaii.com.