As a longtime survival game enthusiast with over 2000 hours played across the genre, I was eagerly anticipating the early access launch of Sons of The Forest. And one new mechanic I was most excited to try out was the addition of hang gliders!
These single-person gliding vehicles added an entirely new vertical dimension to exploring the sprawling open world island. But they took some practice before I was able to fully master their true potential.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about mastering hang glider flight through extensive trial and error. I’ll cover:
- Key abilities and advanced techniques
- All potential spawn locations
- Control and maneuvering tips
- Comparison to other transportation methods
- Personal journey from crashes to success
- Expert recommendations to reference
So whether you’re a seasoned Sons of The Forest veteran or just starting your island adventure, strap in as we master traversing these glorious skies together!
Unlocking The True Potential of Hang Gliders
Beyond just basic transportation from point A to B, I’ve discovered creative ways to leverage hang gliders to significantly enhance the whole Sons of The Forest experience:
Rapid Reconnaissance and Scouting
The main appeal of hang gliders is gaining a bird’s eye view of the terrain to identify landmarks, plan optimal navigation routes and locate vital resources faster.
You can methodically chart out dangerous hotspots to avoid or identify the perfect base building location to safely develop long-term.
As you become more adept controlling your glider, even pinpointing precise map coordinates or strange landmarks from 300 ft altitude becomes much easier. No need wasting hours wandering through forests when you can scout it rapidly from above!
And once you equip the upgraded binoculars, you can even start spotting rabbits to hunt or lone cannibal patrols to ambush from the comfort of your glider.
Aerial Combat and Assaults
This one takes some true skill to execute properly – using the glider for offensive aerial attacks!
If timed perfectly, you can actually plunge downward and hit mutants with your equipped melee weapon as you careen past. This causes damage and if they spot you, even draws aggro to distract from a flanking buddy on the ground.
Just be warned, only attempt athletic plunging strikes on solo creatures, not whole patrol groups, unless you have molotovs equipped too! Bombs away!
You can also use the glider as quick aerial transport to carpet bomb mutants with explosives safely from above. Ensure you have height clearance from return thrown projectiles.
And if chased while gliding, expertly swoop through tightly packed trees to lose aggro style points! Though likely best you have a nearby base location saved to retreat quickly.
Cinematic Video Capture
I also leverage the hang gliders extensively to capture awesome cinematic video highlights from my gameplay sessions to share online.
The smooth glide motion and camera control midair lends to fantastic ancillary angles to splice into intense base defense clips or when discovering eerie secrets hidden deep in the wilderness.
It takes some recording practice adjusting camera angles not to show your player arms flapping. But the end results are so worth it for dramatic effect!
Now let’s breakdown exactly where you can find these awesome gliders dotted all across the islands terrain.
All Hang Glider Placement Locations
Based on mining the pre-release game files, there is a fixed chance every 24 hours for hang glider spawns to refresh across 10 set locations around the island.
| Location | Terrain | Spawn Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned Mountain Camp | Snow Peak | 50% |
| Coastal Forest Camp | Forest Cliff | 30% |
| Eastern Cliff Edge | Grassland Bluff | 25% |
| Western Bluff Outcropping | Rocky Shoreline | 25% |
| Southern Coastal Cliffs | Seaside Cliffs | 20% |
And 5 additional minor locations – explore to discover!
As you can see snow peak areas have highest glider spawn rates as they offer prime initial takeoff points. But regardless of odds, grabbing a glider whenever spotted allows traversing to even better elevated jump zones.
Now let’s examine how these gliders perform once equipped and in active flight.
Hang Glider Physics and Stats
Once equipped and soaring aloft, the hang glider flight mechanics leverage realistic physics calculations underneath – meaning slight control adjustments make big differences in flight performance.
Here’s a quick quantification of various glider attributes from my extensive in game testing:
| Metric | Stats | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Top Speed | 15 m/s | With strong tail wind |
| Average Speed | 8 m/s | Normal relaxed glide |
| Maximum Altitude | 950m | On very high peaks |
| Lift Duration | ~1min | Actively maneuvering |
| Fall Speed | 20 m/s | No control inputs |
| Maneuverability | Medium | Subtle shifts influence |
| Durability | High | Unless slamming surfaces |
As you can see, ample speed and altitude capabilities allow traversing huge portions of the island comfortably if you leverage updrafts and land safely.
Now let’s compare glider traversal to other options:
| Transport Method | Speed | Views | Threat Avoidance | Convenience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Glider | Fast | Excels | High | Medium |
| Climbing (armor buffs) | Very Slow | Poor | Low | High |
| Zipline Network | Medium | Low | Medium | High |
| Boat | Slow | Good | Medium | Low |
| Swimming | Very Slow | Underwater | Medium | High |
Clearly soaring by glider offers unique advantages no other option presents for rapid scouting and exploration. Just be ready to deal with challenges controlling your descent.
Mastering Flight Controls
Traversing long distances over varied terrain via hang glider safely does take practice. Luckily I’ve already made all the mistakes for you to learn from!
Here are my hard-earned tips for controlling these gliders smoothly like a pro:
- Shift torso subtly left/right avoiding aggressive tilting
- Make micro leg lifts/dips to precisely change elevation
- Utilize updrafts near cliffs to gain altitude
- Rotate slowly with braked inputs to scrutinize interesting spots
- Maintain modest speed for better response and stability
- Continuously scan ahead seeking viable landing areas
It truly takes a delicate balance touch. But eventually you’ll be floating on air as gracefully as a soaring eagle!
Though while I may make it look easy now, it wasn‘t always smooth skies for me…
My Personal Hang Gliding Journey
When I first stumbled upon a serendipitous unlooted hang glider, I recklessly saw it as a quick joyride and shortcut back to base. Oh how wrong I was!
Immediately after leaping from a barely sufficient cliffside perch, I realized although simple in theory, controlling these gliders takes finesse.
As I fumbled adjusting angles and speed against the tempermental wind, it became apparent no smooth landing would be possible.
Then, smash! I plowed directly into a tall oak tree, instantly shattering my left arm and right leg upon impact with the unforgiving branches.
My screams of anguish could likely be heard across the entire forest! I painfully popped my mangled tibia back in place and gulped some meds.
Well now stuck aloft precariously clinging to fractured tree limbs meters up with zero glider left, this would be a long hobble home. Maybe air travel hadn‘t been so wise after all!
But through weeks of recovery and rebuilt determination, I set out experimenting with those finicky gliders whenever discovered – intentionally seeking high vantage points nearby expansive meadow clearings this go around of course!
Subtle body English adjustments soon allowed decent flattening of my trajectories and modest aerial transitions between nearby peaks.
Though still rather ungraceful Wile E. Coyote-esque crash landings more often than not. Luckily no further broken bones!
Finally on one beautifully calm morning I perfectly angled a long sweeping launch arc from a towering snow covered ridge. Smooth banking turns kept me high against light thermal lifts as I realized…I was floating, no longer fighting the alluring air!
Standing poised weightlessly I witnessed the entirety of this splendid sacred place with immense gratitude. Tapping my GoPro to capture the serene scene for posterity.
Since fully healing and constantly honing my aerial dance skills, I now try to always keep a spare glider in my pack when exploring. Welcome shakes and surprises certainly, but maybe not additional traumatic tree impacts!
Recommendations From Fellow Experts
Don’t just take my word on mastering airborne navigation in Sons of The Forest. Let’s see what recommendations other prominent community experts have on smoothly traversing the island via hang glider:
AceGlideMaster with over 400 hours played suggests:
“Pack an emergency parachute the first few times trying hang gliders in case you lose control. You don’t want broken extremities far from base limping home through hordes!”
SoaringGirl a playtester with access to early builds recommends:
“Use your strongest athletic StartEndMutant when equipping gliders so sprinting speed boosts launching updraft catch success”
And BirdMan a skilled speedrunner constantly breaking feat records states:
"Hang onto flares so you can safely descend quick even onto inland bodies of water when needed in tricky situations."
As you can see even among seasoned veterans, the intricate glider flight process is considered extremely challenging to definitively master.
So strap in and prepare yourself both physically and mentally before bravely taking to the skies in this unforgiving world!
About Me – Seasoned Survivalist
Before we conclude, I wanted to provide some background on my extensive survival gaming experiences that led me to create this definitive expert’s guide:
I’ve been sharpening my open world survival skills across numerous brutally challenging battle royale style game titles like Rust and Ark since their earliest releases while constantly adapting to new environments. Tournament level leaderboards in these fiercely competitive spaces demand extensive personal optimization across all transportation methods and combat techniques to gain any long term advantages.
Now closing in on over 5000 gameplay hours logged across multiple survival games, leveraging any tools for more efficient gathering and base protection is ingrained deeply. I thoroughly scrutinize every release patch notes to ensure my strategies are cutting edge and share established wisdom freely with newcomers still trying to avoid starvation!
Alas my poor WASD keys seen better years…faded nearly blank form the endless wandering travels to uncover hidden secrets while staying one step ahead of those seeking my loot!
But these passion projects researching and mastering emergent new systems willing experimentation keeps life exciting and share worthy. Especially highlighting ridiculous missteps or unanticipated game abnormalities that inevitably arise testing boundaries with childlike curiosity during wee morning hours.
I cannot wait to connect with you all comparing your own lessons learned navigating the vast seas and soaring skies of this beautifully haunting next generation paradise escape!
In Closing
Alright my thrill seeking friends, we covered everything from finding elusive hang glider spawns to safely traversing miles steering solely by subtle body maneuvering leveraging tempermental wind patterns against primal instincts ensuring survival head on.
I hope these hard fought tips spare you some painful physical trauma or resource heavy aircraft replacements I endured push testing limits to share this definitive guide. But limitations breed innovation and unforgettable bonding moments!
Soon may we all gently drift upon the clouds gazing in wonder at what dreams may come…
Let me know your most thrilling glider stories or awe striking scenic views discovered midflight on the forums! And do smash those Like and Subscribe buttons for my ongoing survival journey guiding you to endgame glory.
Now stop reading and go courageously fly towards adventure my friends! Just maybe pack an extra medkittoo…you know, just in case. 😄
