A local female hang glider pilot will put on a festival this weekend to honor the sport and celebrate women while encouraging others to learn the activity. The fourth Women’s Fly-In Festival at Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding will be held all weekend at the flight park on Rising Fawn’s Scenic Highway.
Everyone, including men and families, is welcome to attend.
The event was founded by local pilots Elisabeth Fortanier and Stacy Murdoch. Fortanier died earlier this year. Her death was not flying related. A memorial event will be held Friday after registration during an evening of festivities.
“It’s going to be about celebrating the women in adventure sports, and more specifically, those in free-flight,” flight park marketing director Janet Chesson said. ” There will hopefully be lots of flying and definitely lots of festival and fun.”
About 30 pilots will take part in a friendly competition Saturday and Sunday in which they will be challenged with different tasks and objectives as they attempt to out-fly their competitors. The pilots will host clinics for registrants to teach them the ins and outs of hang gliding. The flight park will offer $99 tandem flights to first-timers in an attempt to attract more people to the sport.