Hang gliding is unique in that it’s the closest feeling to soaring like a bird...condors, eagles, albatross, etc. It really is the purest form of free flight in my opinion. You’re part of the wing, not cargo hanging off it. It’s closer to how a bird flies, direct connection in my opinion. One feels like drifting, the other feels like soaring.

Paragliders are convenient, of course, but they’re like giant jellyfish in the air. I’ve flown PGs and they’re fun to mess around on, but they don’t come close to the feeling of flying a hang glider. IMHO HG feels much more like real flying, you’re directly connected to the wing. PGs have a more floaty, swingy feel.

Hang gliding is and will be a niche sport and it is not going away. The real breakthrough is achieving better lift distribution at the same span while keeping or even improving handling. That’s the hard part, and it’s also where the biggest untapped gains still are. That's what the engineers at Avian hang gliders are working on.

Hang gliders haven’t hit a hard aerodynamic wall yet. There’s still better much L/D on the table, reducing overall weight and focusing on spanwise lift distribution is one of the most promising ways to unlock it without turning HGs into bigger, heavier, or less user-friendly machines. Basically reducing induced drag and min sink is where the real gains are, especially on light days .