florida ridge airsports park

I found this place on Groupon. It is a bit of a drive, but it is totally worth it. I went all way and did a the mile high glide, got the video, pictures, and paid for my 59 year old dad to do it.He did the shorter ride, but still absolutely loved it. Just by looking at him, I could see in his eyes how much he liked it. I highly recommend this activity to anyone. Never did I feel unsafe or uncomfortable. You can easily communicate up in the air and enjoy the gorgeous views. Without the tricks; it is very calm and relaxing ride.We did so many tricks up in the air, I never wanted the ride to stop. Towards the end, we even glided over a pond and could see our reflection. When we did the tricks, I got the feeling you get when you are just about to jump out of the plane to skydive. The cool part about this was that you can experience that moment over and over again. Everyone there was very friendly and communicated well. I enjoyed being at their location almost as much as being up in the air. They have a pool, cabins, well shaded areas, well taken care of grass, no bugs, picnic tables, vending machines, clean restrooms, and even palm trees. Being out in the middle of nowhere, it was almost as if it was a mirage. This family operated business is AWESOME. They were very kind. The owner even gave us a tour of his cabins that he built. By the way... these are some awesome cabins. It would be a great experience to stay in them for a few weeks. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because I had brought my GoPro the night before to use and video tape the glide. Well, they don't allow customers to use their own cameras due to past experiences. Although they use a GoPro to film and take pictures. There was no way around it. I understand that they didn't want to be responsible to any lost or damaged cameras, but it would of been nice to even just have them use my memory card in their camera or something. Overall, this was an amazing experience. Next time I am in Florida I will make sure to make another visit and bring some new people along.

Pros and Cons. First, the pros – For our first hang gliding experience, my daughter and I loved it. The staff at Florida Air Ridge Hang Gliding was always concerned with our safety and yet was able to make this fun, easy, and exciting. Cons – I purchased the event on groupon a few weeks prior to arriving in Florida. At the event, I was asked to pay the tip and tax prior to the ride, which seemed odd. When do you ever pay the tip before the experience, but we had no choice. James (the owner) said the tax and tip were not included in the groupon. When I returned home, I realized that the groupon amount I paid should have included the tip/tax. After calling James, a portion of the amount was refunded so I don’t want to harp on this. Second, I believe we could have stayed up in the air longer. After being harnessed into the glider, the plane pulls the rider and the instructor (we had Derek) up with a tug line. Within seconds, you are flying. It’s very smooth. You are being pulled for about five minutes and then you are released from the plane. Also, very smooth. Then, for another five minutes, you are learning how to go up/down and right/left while gliding in the air. It’s fantastic! However, I felt that the instructor took back control a little too soon. He explained afterwards that the air currents determine the ride. I’m not an expert so this may be true. He brings you down gently to the ground. Nice and smooth. That being said, I loved the experience and would like to do it again, but I wouldn’t go back here. It was too costly for too little time.

I will be disputing the charges with Groupon and my Credit Card company as the gratuity and tax charges were forced onto us. James the Office guy is a fast talker and doesn't give you the chance to understand or ask why there is such an insane amount charged on top of what we paid for the groupon voucher. Ridiculous!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FLYING HIGH WITH THESE GUYS! The whole process is relaxed yet informative. Everyone there is nice and it is a big area with drinks and a pool to hang out by. I highly recommend paying extra to go 4,000 ft. It is triple the time then the intro package and seeing your cloud shadow surrounded by a rainbow circle is an amazing view, besides the experience of flying like a bird. I've done skydiving and compared to it, hang gliding with these guys is such a calm and magical experience. Even when doing tricks in the sky, it wasn't scary at all! My instructor was the best, with perfect landings the whole day!

A friend bought a Groupon so, I tried hang gliding for the first time this weekend. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. Although it was a tremendous experience, if you are afraid of heights, I would re-think this.. I consider myself pretty adventurous. The staff were excellent, making everyone feel at ease. The takeoff was great, so was the landing -- very smooth and fun. After getting up to 1500 feet though - whoa- I couldn't look down - or let go of the instructor's neck. I held on pretty tight and felt much better when it was time to land. I'd recommend wearing a long sleeve shirt even on the warmest day (I was cold up there). All the other folks that were hang gliding for the first time reported having a wonderful experience. I was very glad I did not choose the 4000 foot altitude for my first time! Note that they will charge and automatic tip just before flying..

While driving have you ever looked at the birds soaring in the sky and wished it was you catching the wind current instead of being earthbound?Go see the nice folks at Florida Ridge in Clewiston. I have been many times and will keep going back.I usually fly with Socrates, first time up he can give you a bio of what's below you. There are other fliers but he is my fave.Once you are safely harnessed to your tandem buddy, the hang glider is towed up by plane. Once the plane releases the glider, your ride begins. If it helps you feel better, there is a parachute on the hang glider in case of emergency.My preferred flight is the mile high ride. It lasts approximately 30 minutes. It is quiet and cool...sheer bliss.Groupon usually has a coupon that you can upgrade at the park. The mile high rise allows a higher and longer ride.The only negative is they are always off schedule by approximately an hour but I have learned not to be in a hurry.Enjoy.

What a great introduction to the sport. Fly like a bird! This is what it's all about. The staff is knowledgable and takes safety seriously. This is something everyone who is interested in free-flight should try.

My wife and I went hang gliding for the first time at The Ridge and loved the experience. The staff was great, the facilities were fantastic (their buildings, restrooms, chairs, benches, and pool are very well maintained), and most importantly the experience of hang gliding was thrilling? So beautiful and peaceful that it puts an overwhelming smile on your face. Would highly recommend to everyone!

Socrates Zayas gave our party of 5 a great intro,short video and we were off to meet our gliding instructor . The facility was clean , organized and very professional . Great time , Very exciting !

My family and I were going to Naples and saw a Groupon for hang gliding in Clewiston so we decided to stop here before going to Naples. The Groupon is for the basic flight and it only last for about six minutes so of course they offer you the option of upgrading your flight to several different packages. One of the packages if for a mile high and it is the most pricey which was I believe 120 dollars more but we decided to go for it because we will probably never do this again. It was worth the extra cost we had to pay. The mile high flight last for about thirty minutes from the time you take off until the time you land. The mile high flight also takes you above and through the clouds. It was so neat to be able to go in and out of the clouds you were able to feel free and like a bird. I would recommend if you are going to do the mile high and want to fly through the clouds,there is a better chance of clouds moving in as the day progresses. I am sure any of the packages would be a great experience but for us it was all about being able to experience the most that we could. My husband and son could not say enough about it as well. They do offer you a picture package which is somewhere around eighty dollars. For us it was not worth it to get the pictures. The pictures are taken through out the entire flight and are probably worth the money but we chose to upgrade our flight instead. The other flights offered are of course the 1200 foot flight which was the Groupon, the 1500 foot flight, there was one more between 1500 feet and a mile high but I can not remember how high it was but the cost was an additional 90 dollars. It is worth the money and an experience you will never forget.

If you have wonndered what it feels and lookslike tosoar likeam eagle, good oddsfor youWe were a party of three. Great service. They were a little behind schedule. Very safe.

Got a groupon to use a Tandem discovery flight at Florida Ridge Sports Air Park to hang glide. Was a bit nervous but had a ball. Everyone was extremely helpful and got me and two friends up in the air. Only problem was the lady that was booking us and getting use in the bag to fly. Told the pilot only THE TWO OLD LADIES were left in Spanish. Didn't think that was appropriate or nice. She had no idea of how old or young we were and didn't realize we spoke Spanish. The flight was breathtaking and I'd do it again if she wasn't there to call me OLD!. Pilot told me where to put my hand and he took his hands off the bar and I flew before I yelled at him to put his hands back on the bar. There was a teen there got also got the tandem flight for his birthday. Nice parents. If this is on your bucket list DO IT..We went to 1000 feet but they have higher flight. I just wanted to see my campground in the area and lake Okeechobee. Remember to pay the extra bucks to get the video and pictures of your flight its REALLY worth it. Thanks again Florida Ridge Sports Air Park for crossing another thing off my bucket list.

I took six girlfriends for my 59th birthday to the airpark and we had a blast! The staff were accommodating and helpful, but also FUN! They covered all aspects of safety and by the time we were ready to fly, we were comfortable with our pilots. They also posed for pictures afterwards and I definitely know I will be back. I used a groupon special promotion and they let all of us use that price. Great experience!!

If you cannot afford to pay for a service, then do not use it! Yes a tip is earned; but most tipped people (i.e., servers, bartenders) do it based on experience and how well they perform. These guys don't just take you up there, do their life-threatening job, keep you out of harm's way (if necessary) and bring you back down. There's much more to it, so I think there's nothing wrong with an included gratuity of a measly 15%. I'm sure it's not like those tips just go straight into their pockets--there are certainly plenty of ongoing safety classes and courses to take and keep up with (not cheap), regulations to follow (and therefore certifications to be renewed) and gear to always be updated so you know that you are in the safest of hands. Hey, guess what? Those people have all those certifications and requirements, that's why they're going up with you in the first place!! You need an EXPERT because you can't go alone! If I'm trying out something new that I have no idea about and decide to put my life and safety in someone else's hands...and they bring me back down safe and sound...well, I'd say they're more than deserving. They should up it to 20%!

Since I love anything that goes "up in the air", my husband bought me a hand gliding session.From the moment I spoke to James, to arrange the session, to the touch down afterwards, it was a great experience. I did the 12 minutes experience and it was worth the extra expense. The views were outstanding and you could see miles away. You will not forget the experience.We drove 2 hrs from Palm Beach and it was more than worth it!