Volunteer-powered training
RAF's seasonal hang-gliding program normally runs April through July. Capacity, eligibility, weather, and confirmed dates control.
Explore the student journey →
ROCHESTER · FINGER LAKES · ELMIRA
ONE REGION.
ONE SKY.
Rochester Area Flyers is the regional home for pilots, students, landowners, families, and everyone who looks up across Rochester, the Finger Lakes, and Elmira.NO DATE YET · STAY IN THE LOOP
Join the interest list
No public date is confirmed yet. Create one interested-in-learning account and RAF can follow up when volunteer capacity and a genuine opportunity are available.ROCHESTER AREA FLYERS
THE FRONT DOOR TO
FREE FLIGHT.
From RAF's volunteer training hill near Victor to Free Spirit's storied Elmira ridges, this community protects access, develops pilots, and keeps foot-launched aviation alive across Western New York.
Seven active sites now share one planning system. Every site still keeps its controlling club, published wind sector, ratings, landowner permissions, seasonal restrictions, and local briefing requirements.
START WITH THE ANSWER YOU NEED
RAF ESSENTIALS.
Clear answers first. Deeper evidence, current requirements, and the responsible next step are one tap away.
Arrange access before traveling
Membership, USHPA standing, local accompaniment, landowner permission, and briefings vary by site. The site deck is the starting point.
Review visitor guidance →No tandem flights through RAF
RAF does not offer tandem discovery flights. We can still help you understand the sport and find the right responsible starting point.
See how flight begins →Meet, learn, and participate
Find confirmed meetings and public opportunities, ask a question, or discover a volunteer contribution that fits your capacity.
See club events →SEVEN SITES · ONE REGIONAL COMMUNITY
EVERY WIND.
A WAY IN.
Use the live board to see what is available today, available later, or unavailable. A forecast never replaces launch observation, local permission, or a pilot's decision.
01 · RAF
SEE THE TIME-AWARE REGIONAL LAUNCH BOARD →Bristol Mountain
South Bristol, New York
Good SW–WNW (225–290°) · Best SW–W (225–270°)Flight deck →02 · RAFDansville
Dansville, New York
Good SW toward WSW (225–240°) · Best SW (225–235°)Flight deck →03 · RAFHammondsport
Bath / Hammondsport, New York
Good NW–N (300–360°) · Best NW–NNW (310–325°)Flight deck →04 · RAFPadgham Hill
Farmington / Victor, New York
Good W/NW/N (270–360°) or E (60–90°) · Best W/NW/N (286–360°) or E (70–90°)Flight deck →05 · FSFHarris Hill
Big Flats / Elmira, New York
Good WNW–NW (290–330°) · Best NW (300–325°)Flight deck →06 · FSFIndian Cliffs
Big Flats / Elmira, New York
Good N–NE (350–045°) · Best NNE (010–020°)Flight deck →07 · FSFKatydid
Chemung, New York
Good SW–W (230–270°) · Best WSW (240–260°)Flight deck →
LEARN WITH ROCHESTER AREA FLYERS
DON'T JUST
WATCH THE SKY.
RAF has taught student members through its all-volunteer hang gliding program since the 1970s. The seasonal program normally runs April through July and combines ground school, equipment knowledge, weather, safety, launch and landing skills, and supervised progression toward a USHPA H2 rating.
RAF does not offer tandem discovery flights. Training dates, capacity, eligibility, and official club notices control.RAF FILM · LEARN TO FLY
SEE HOW
FLIGHT BEGINS.
The original Rochester Area Flyers training film belongs at the center of the student journey: real equipment, real hill work, and the volunteer instruction that turns curiosity into sound fundamentals.
EXPLORE THE RAF STUDENT PATH →ORIGINAL RAF TRAINING FILM · HOSTED ON YOUTUBE
FREE SPIRIT FLIGHT · ELMIRA
RIDGES WITH
HISTORY.
Free Spirit Flight's pilots have protected and flown Harris Hill, Indian Cliffs, and Katydid for generations. These are serious mountain sites shaped by landowner relationships, local accompaniment, changing landing zones, seasonal closures, and Elmira Class D procedures.
Explore the Elmira sites →
Wings of cloth and aluminum. Air that lifts. A regional community built to keep the dream alive.
RAF + FREE SPIRIT FLIGHT
TWO LEGACIES.
ONE REGIONAL FUTURE.
Rochester Area Flyers and Free Spirit Flight are working toward combined stewardship that keeps Harris Hill, Indian Cliffs, Katydid, and RAF's Rochester and Finger Lakes sites protected for future pilots.
Until each transition step is formally completed, the current controlling club, landowner permission, insurance, seasonal closure, local briefing, and published site protocol remain authoritative.
THE PEOPLE · THE PLACES · THE FEELING
THIS IS
FREE FLIGHT.
Training mornings, mountain launches, wire crews, long glides, and the friendships that bring everyone back. These photographs celebrate the people and places behind every flying day.
OPEN THE RAF STORY ROOMFilms, photographs, people, places, and generations of free flight.
EXPLORE STORIES →REGIONAL FIELD LIBRARY
THE RIGHT SOURCE.
WHEN IT MATTERS.
Stories, safety resources, and flying knowledge are gathered here, while live site decks remain the source for today's operating information.
FILM · RAFWatch RAF: an introductionOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗PILOT REFERENCE · RAFRules of the airOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗BOOKS + HANDOUTS · RAFTraining libraryOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗TWO-PART VIDEO · RAFRescue repack videosOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗FIELD PROTOCOL · FSF SOURCEMedical emergency protocolOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗ONE-PAGE PLAN · FSF SOURCEEmergency action planOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗REPORTING · FSF SOURCEIncident reporting protocolOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗NATIONAL REFERENCE · USHPAUSHPA learning centerOPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE ↗
ROOTED HERE. READY FOR TODAY.RAF and Free Spirit stories, media, rules, and safety knowledge keep their origin visible. Current permissions, closures, weather, ratings, and launch briefings always control the day-of-flight workflow.
YOUR NEXT BEST DAY STARTS HERE
FIND YOUR WAY IN.
HELP KEEP IT FLYING.
Come meet the people, learn how free flight works, plan a responsible visit, share a story, or offer the time you genuinely have. This community grows one good experience and one cared-for flying site at a time.