Things are pretty crazy and uncertain right now. There’s no doubt that just about every industry in the world is getting hit hard by this pandemic and hang gliding certainly isn’t excluded in that. Wills Wing and most of our dealers have been on “lock-down” in one form or another for the last couple of months, not able to build gliders, do tandem discovery flights or give lessons. The situation seems dire but I’m a “lemons into lemonade” kind of guy and think there’s reason to be optimistic. We can make the best of a bad situation and possibly even benefit from it.

One reason to be optimistic: bicycle sales are way up across the cycling industry. That tells me people are wanting to get outside and be active. I’ve personally seen a noticeable increase in traffic on the local bike paths. I’m sure many of you can relate to feelings of being cooped up inside and have a desire to get out and do something fun.

Something else to consider, it’s possible that there will be much less competition for recreational activities due to so many things being closed. Amusement parks, movies theaters, casinos, cruise ships, pretty much anywhere people gather recreationally aren’t likely to be booming industries any time soon. I think many of the people that would normally be attracted to those places should check out hang gliding instead.

Lastly, it seems that there has got to be a change in people’s mindsets. A change the everyone’s status quo. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is short. You never know what might happen tomorrow, or what opportunities that you have today, that might be gone tomorrow. Whether its lock-down/stay at home orders, you get sick, or (worst case scenario) die from a new infectious disease. The time is now to stop dreaming and start living!

With these challenges we’ve seen a number of people stepping up and asking how they can help, so I thought I’d share some ideas. This list is by no means meant to be comprehensive. Just some thoughts based on my experience around hang gliding, cycling, film making, running a business and marketing.

1. The first and most basic thing is just to get out at fly! Don’t lose sight of the dream, the passion. Fly Fly Fly!
2. Be extra active in your community. Ask local instructors or club officers how you can help. Maybe mow lawn, pull weeds, call to follow up with students, help out with lessons, post for them on social media etc.
3. Social media, Social Media SOCIAL MEDIA! – Shoot, edit, upload pictures, videos, stories. Instagram, Instagram tv, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok. Make sure to use hashtags to help connect with similarly interested people. Social Media, especially a platform like Instagram is so powerful for sharing and connecting with people outside our normal Hang Gliding bubble. It’s free, quick, easy to use and effective. Never before have we had such powerful tools for targeted marketing available to our industry.

I get that some people have reservations about using social media. The communities and the companies that run the services can be shady and toxic. However, you sometimes have to suck it up and take the bad with the good. In the year 2020, if your business is not making use of social media you are absolutely missing out, especially businesses (like hang glider manufacturers and schools) that have very limited marketing resources.

If you need help getting started feel free to reach out. dave@willswing.com and I’ll be happy to help. Here’s an intro video I made a couple of years ago (that could probably use some updating but still has value):


4. Get some #HangGliding + glider stickers on your car. In the last couple of years that I’ve been rolling around with these on my car I’ve been approached by, and spoken to, more people about hang gliding then pretty much any other thing I’ve done in the 10 years before that, including having a glider on the roof. Very regularly a quick “oh you do hang gliding” conversation sparks up just because of that sticker. Its quick, cheap and effective. Available on the Wills Wing web shop – /product/sticker-hang-gliding-glider/
5. Follow up! A little sales-101 here. Get interested people’s contact info so you can follow up with them later. The quick conversation starter from your vehicle sticker might plant the seed, but a follow up can make it grow. Now, in most cases it would probably be awkward to ask for a stranger’s phone number. I’m not exactly advocating that. But there are some more subtle, polite, non-spammy ways to go about it. You could suggest they pull out their phone and add you on Instagram (remember the importance of social media I’ve been trying to drive home.) If you can get an interested person to follow you on Instagram, then you can follow them back and maybe a week or two later see what they are thinking about flying. Invite them out to the LZ one day. Pass on the instructor’s contact info. Etc.

What am I personally doing to help?
1. Writing this blog post of course! Haha. Seriously though, motivating others to help with these efforts is almost as important as doing them yourself.
2. Doing what I do best, making hang gliding films and videos. A new film is well underway. Hopefully debuting soon. Keep an eye on my YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/designbydave
3. I’ve got the #HangGliding stickers on my car. I need to work more on the following up thing I mentioned.
4. Social media posts both on my personal and Wills Wing accounts