Longest straight-distance hang gliding flight

What to remember

The starting point was Zapata, Texas. In 2012, Dustin B. Martin took off from there and landed 764 km (475 mi) away in a straight line, the longest straight-distance hang gliding flight.

Distances like this were out of reach in the sport's early days. The first hang gliders had a low lift-to-drag ratio and were mostly used to glide down small hills. By the 1980s that ratio had improved significantly. Most modern wings are built from aluminium alloy or composite frames covered with synthetic sailcloth. Since then, pilots have used thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours and glide cross-country for hundreds of kilometers.

Under this engineless wing, the pilot hangs in a harness and steers by shifting body weight. Take-off and landing are done on foot. Dustin B. Martin's flight was therefore made without an engine, all the way from Zapata.