Shop for Travel Day at Kitty Hawk Kites Plan, browse, and pre-book your Outer Banks adventures This is your shopping guide for Outer Banks recreation—built for travelers who are planning ahead and asking the big question: “What can we do when we’re there?” Think of this as a curated adventure shop, not a schedule for … Continued
The Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School just celebrated a pretty significant milestone; the first all female led Hang Gliding Lesson in company history! What better time to celebrate this accomplishment than on International Women’s Day? Read on to learn more about Lead Instructor Alex Jones, Hang Gliding Instructor Skylar Grindstaff, KHK’s part in getting … Continued
Today is a special day in Aviation History. We are celebrating what would have been NASA Engineer Francis Rogallo’s 113th birthday. Rogallo, along with his wife, Gertrude, worked together to invent the flexible wing which led to the development of modern wind sports such as hang gliding, paragliding, kiteboarding, and stunt kiting. In his honor, … Continued
This blog post takes us back to the early days of Kitty Hawk Kites, when a close friendship and a shared passion for adventure led to something much bigger. In this story, Buxton reflects on his journey with his friend and fellow co-founder, John Harris, as they discovered the thrill of hang gliding on Jockey’s … Continued
Welcome to the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina! Now it’s time to find something to do! Good thing you’ve come to the right place. At Kitty Hawk Kites, we offer over 25 activities ranging from eco-tours to aerotowing. Check out some of our top picks for things to do below: Kayaking Ready to paddle … Continued
Kitty Hawk Kites is thrilled to be starting their 50th year of operation as the cover photo for the January issue of popular North Carolina publication, “Our State”. A monthly magazine featuring travel and history articles from across North Carolina, “Our State” is the longest running regional publication in the US. 50 Years as “first” … Continued
We’re here to share amazing stories about Hang Gliding as a family tradition. Recently, we got to sit down and chat with 2 Hang Gliding Dads, and their kids who have followed in their footsteps at Kitty Hawk Kites.
The Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Spectacular is the longest running hang gliding event in the world! This year, the Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School is proud to be hosting the 50th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular. Pilots and friends from all over the country are driving and flying to the Outer Banks the weekend of … Continued
This past May 13th-16th, we hosted the 49th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular at Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg, NC. Pilots from across the United States joined us to compete and celebrate hang gliding. Get yourself up to date on the results of the Spectacular with this recap. Enjoy! Scoreboard Below … Continued
Francis Rogallo was born on January 27th, 1912. The NASA aeronautical engineer is widely known as the father of modern hang gliding. He eventually celebrated 97 birthdays, but one in particular stands out, in 1974.
This past weekend, something amazing happened. Against all odds, the 48th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular Competition took place on October 25-27. The Spectacular is the longest continually running hang gliding competition in the world. We were afraid that we wouldn’t be able to uphold that tradition due to the current circumstances. But thanks to the … Continued
Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, honored John Harris as a recipient of its 2020 Winners Circle Award for his contributions to tourism in the State. The Winners Circle Award originated in 2004 in an effort to recognize communities, organizations, events, and people in the tourism industry. Particularly those that … Continued
Very simply, I love teaching hang gliding because I love watching someone’s life change right in front of me. We have all sorts of students; there are those who are confident it will be easy, those who’re just along for the ride, those who are scared, and those who truly believe that they simply can’t … Continued
So you want to learn how to fly. Great! But before you head out to the dunes, there are a few things that we recommend you bring with you on your hang gliding lesson.
On this day 46 years ago, July 13, 1974, Kitty Hawk Kites founder John Harris became the first person to hang glide at Grandfather Mountain.
As a string of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks offers over 100 miles of beaches. But that’s not all. The Outer Banks has so much more to offer.
When people think of the Outer Banks, one of the first things they think of is flight. As home to the Wright Brother’s National Memorial and boasting the title of Birthplace of Flight, the Outer Banks has a rich history with human’s pursuit to fly through the sky like a bird. Since 1974, Kitty Hawk … Continued
Our OBX hang gliding school assistant manager, Billy Vaughn welcomed paragliding pilot Joe Seitz to our bi-weekly zoom discussion and Q&A. We covered the topic of staying current.
This Father’s Day, make it clear how much Dad means to you with an amazing gift! Make Father’s Day unforgettable with one of a kind experiences!
We look forward every year to hosting outstanding events for our Outer Banks guests. This year our events will look a little different in order to keep everyone safe. For now, we are asking everyone attending any of our events to wear a face covering and maintain social distancing. We also have had to reschedule … Continued
How to Thoughtfully Anticipate and Manage Risk On Friday, May 8th we held a Zoom call to present tips and advice on flight planning for Hang Gliding and Paragliding pilots. Several experienced pilots came together to share their knowledge on the best ways to manage risk and ensure safe flights. Our panel included Wolf Gaidis, … Continued
Take advantage of everything there is to do with kids on the Outer Banks including hang gliding, surf lessons, kite flying, and more!
Kitty Hawk Kites has celebrated its 45th anniversary this year. Since then, our mission has been teaching the world to fly! But have you ever wondered how it all started? So we asked John Harris, founder and president of Kitty Hawk Kites, to give us in his words how he started this great company.
In February 2019, I ventured to Valle de Bravo, Mexico to participate in the legendary El Peñón Classic Race, a hang gliding competition known for attracting the fiercest sport class competitors in the world.
I wish I could bottle up Randall Dickman’s attitude and sell it at a Kitty Hawk Kites location near you. The results would be impressive and the world would transform into a much happier place. And I never even met the man. But I did have the good fortune of spending half an hour with … Continued
How my brain ever chose to be a comp hang glider pilot I will never understand. But this is my genesis story.
So, the 39th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular got off the ground today, May 20, 2011. Day 1 was a success! Perfect weather, acceptable winds, and hang gliding talent aplenty. As of the start of the competition, we have 59 participants. We have not gotten a standings list from Bruce Weaver yet, but we’ll make sure … Continued
