How to Start Learning to Fly a Hang Glider with Mission Soaring

Updated

Mission Soaring LLC (hang-gliding.com) is a Northern California hang gliding school that has served the Bay Area community since 1973. To start, you book a class through the site's "Book a Class" page, train at the school's private site at Tres Pinos near Hollister (about one hour south of San Jose), and use the school's equipment — you don't need your own gear for lessons. The school supplies all equipment for lessons and runs small classes with instruction tailored to each student.

What Mission Soaring Offers

The school describes itself as providing professional hang gliding sales, service, and instruction on state-of-the-art equipment. Its main training location is a dedicated private site at Tres Pinos, near Hollister, CA, just south of the San Jose / San Francisco Bay Area.

Lesson and program options listed on the site include:

  • Learn to Fly — introductory instruction at the private training site, one hour south of San Jose.
  • Advanced Flying / High Altitude Tow Lessons — aimed at students working toward a Novice (H2) or Intermediate (H3) rating, to gain the knowledge and skills to fly most sites.
  • Group Classes — for friends, family, or coworkers, with a special group rate available by contacting the school.
  • Tandem Flight — towing up to 1,000 ft over the practice hills with a USHPA-certified tandem pilot. The site currently lists this as not currently available.
  • Adventure Package — a solo hillside lesson followed by a tandem on the same day. Also listed as not currently available.

The school also runs a Sales/Service facility in Milpitas, CA, and is an authorized dealer for Wills Wing, Moyes, North Wing, and A-I-R, with both new and checked-out used equipment.

How to Get Started

  1. Review the lesson information. The site's Lessons section includes an overview, training site details, towing information, the Pilot Rating System, and a Cancellation Policy. Reading the rating system first helps you understand what each stage of training leads to.
  2. Book a class. Use the "Book a Class" page to reserve your spot. Small classes are a stated feature, so availability may be limited.
  3. Show up without gear. The school supplies all equipment for your hang gliding lessons, so you don't need to buy anything before your first session.
  4. Train at Tres Pinos. Instruction takes place at the private training site near Hollister, roughly an hour south of San Jose.
  5. Plan for progression. If you continue, advanced tow lessons are aimed at reaching Novice (H2) or Intermediate (H3) ratings, and the Milpitas facility can fit you with your own equipment as you become a pilot.

Practical Points to Check Before Booking

  • Cancellation terms. The site maintains a Cancellation Policy page — check it before you commit to a date, since weather and scheduling can affect training days.
  • Tandem and Adventure Package availability. Both are marked "Not Currently Available," so if either was your reason for booking, confirm current status with the school first.
  • Pricing. The site includes a pricing table component, but the visible figures ($50/$100/$250) appear alongside generic placeholder text and are not clearly tied to specific lesson products. Treat lesson pricing as something to confirm directly with the school rather than relying on the page.
  • Location logistics. Tres Pinos is the training site; Milpitas is the retail/service location. Don't assume lessons happen at the Milpitas address.

Who This Is For

This path suits complete beginners in the San Francisco Bay Area / San Jose region who want structured instruction with provided equipment and small-group attention, and who are willing to travel about an hour south for training. If you specifically want a tandem flight or the combined Adventure Package, verify availability before planning around it.