A4 RISK&INSURANCE
A Perfect
Landing The U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association creates
a captive in Vermont.
By Mercedes Ott
We live in a busy, hectic, noisy world. Many of us wish we could get away from the distractions and
experience peace and tranquility.
Some of us make it happen
through meditation, running, art
or camping. But for one group,
shutting out the noise takes them
to a whole new level — literally.
They are members of the U.S.
Hang Gliding and Paragliding
Association.
Hang gliding and paragliding
have been called the purest form of
flying. Enthusiasts say that without a
motor — just the glider, one’s body
and the wind — one experiences a
thrill, a sense of peace and a oneness
with nature.
“It’s a feeling like no other
feeling in the world,” said Tim Herr,
secretary and risk management
officer, Recreation Risk Retention
Group Inc., (RRRG).
“To take flight is a surreal
experience, especially the first time
you do it. It’s the purest form of
flight. There’s no noise, no pollution
and you feel like you are one with
nature. I am up there with only the
VERMONT REPORT 2018
wind and sometimes a bird. To fly
that close to a hawk or an eagle —
they join you — it is incredible.
When I am up there sometimes, I
still can’t believe I am up there,”
he said.
Herr started hang gliding in the
1980s and still recalls the early years
when hang gliders were made from
bamboo and plastic. Today, he runs
the RRRG, which is the captive that
allows the Association to be self-insured.
Back then, he said, “there were
injuries due, at least in part, to subpar
equipment and the lack of historical
