You know that question, the one that goes, "What do you get the person who has everything?" Have you ever considered that the answer might be a hang glider ride? They're a bit on the upper end of the budget range but you can be relatively sure that the experience will be a unique one and well worth the expense.

Most hang gliding schools offer gift vouchers for lessons or tandem flights. Gift vouchers can also be bought from various online gift sites offering unique gift experiences or action adventure gifts. If you get a tandem flight in the UK, your instructor should be qualified with the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA). You will get a full briefing on the equipment involved and safety precautions. Depending on the school you might be towed to the requisite height, of around 2000 feet, by a microlight and then you are let go and are free to soar as the wind takes you.

There are, of course, a few rules and guidelines that must be followed. The minimum age for a hang glider is 16 and the maximum weight is 95 kilograms. If you are over 40 you will need to be declared fit by your medical practitioner before you will be allowed to take to the air. The weather needs to be suitable for hang gliding, if it's not and the weather is too bad to go up, your flight will be re-booked for another day. It is recommended that you wear flat-soled shoes and bring a jersey in case you get cold as you get higher. In winter you should bring gloves and in summer sun block and a hat are essential. Sunglasses are recommended all year round. Do not drink alcohol before you fly, even if you need it to clam your nerves, they will not let you up if you are on your ear or can melt wallpaper with the fumes on your breath. You will be asked to sign a form agreeing to abide by all the rules and regulations and also to ensure that you recognise that hang gliding is a potentially dangerous thing to do and so if you die horribly it is no one's fault but your own.

It may interest you to know that the first person in recorded history to fly a hang glider was a German engineer, Otto Lilienthal. He published all of his research in 1889 and had a great influence on later designers.

Hang gliding has a reputation for being an unsafe sport. It doesn't help that even its inventor, Otto Lilienthal, died in a glider crash after gliding for only 5 years. In fact that's probably where all the trouble started. Modern hang gliders are far sturdier than those of even a couple of decades ago, thanks to modern materials and the high standards of the various hang gliding bodies around the world. They are, however, still lightweight and easily damaged if not taken care of properly.

In an effort to reduce the inherent danger involved in hang gliding, there has been a huge effort to improve pilot training. In early days most learning was done through trial and error, leaving not much room for error, at least not for the one making the mistake. Plenty could be learned vicariously, however, and through this, effective training techniques and programmes have been developed for pilots to become better acquainted with the dangers and pitfalls of flying. Great emphasis is also placed on instilling the discipline not to fly when the weather conditions are not conducive to hang gliding. As an extra precaution, pilots carry parachutes with them when they fly, which carries them and their glider safely down in case of emergency. Pilots also wear helmets and carry other safety items for any foreseeable mishap.

As you can see, hang gliding is the perfect gift. It may not exactly be as safe as houses but it's exciting and anything that's exciting is going to carry an element of danger. If you want safe, buy a chess board, but make sure that no one swallows the pieces.

Recommended Sites:

http://www.redletterdays.co.uk/Experience/Ref/LTFAI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_gliding