Mount Tamalpais State Park
Hang Glider / Paraglider Pilot Requirements

The Marin County Hang Gliding Association maintains a Special Use Permit with the State Park Service to allow hang gliding and paragliding on Mt Tam. All pilots are required to have a current MCHGA sticker attached to their helmet, to be permitted to set up or fly a glider off Mt Tam (see HG Rules and/or PG Rules). The purpose of the helmet sticker is to identify qualified pilots to Park authorities and other pilots.

For a list of current 2025 MCHGA sticker holders, click here.

For a list of current 2026 MCHGA sticker holders, click here.

Mt Tam is an Intermediate rated site. However, P3 pilots must have an authorized sponsor* for their first flight at Tam. All pilots must have a site intro before their first flight. Any of the authorized PG sponsors and HG instructors listed below may provide a site intro.

All pilots must read their respective flying rules, sign an application and waiver, and pay an annual sticker fee. This fee goes towards keeping the site open and accessible to foot launched flying. The fee may be waived for visiting pilots. If you are visiting the site and wish to be considered for a free sticker, see below to see if you qualify.

MCHGA also has a program for novice hang glider pilots. The program requires the novice pilot to be under the supervision of a Tam Instructor, i.e., a certified non-commercial instructor** who has been approved by the club.

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* Current approved paragliding sponsors: Anthony Abate, Lionel Marks, David Beerman, Eric Beckman, and Andrew Whitehill.
** Current approved non-commercial certified instructors: Kurtis Carter, Takeo Eda and Jeremy Spiegel.

Procedures for obtaining a Tam sticker (or Novice card):

1. Pilots who have flown Tam before:
1. If you have a current or recent Tam sticker, you will be invited (by email) to renew your sticker online. If you did not receive the email invitation, then it has probably been too long since your last sticker, and you will have to apply on paper. If you think your invitation was lost, contact stickers@mchga.org.
2. To apply on paper, by mail: download and fill the application, print it and sign the waiver, then mail it to the address shown at the top of the form. (Emailed forms are not acceptable.) You may include a check with your form, or pay your fees online using any of our accepted payment methods. (see below)
3. If you do not wish to print the application, you may apply in person, and a blank form will be provided to you. Contact stickers@mchga.org if you wish to apply in person. When applying in person, you may pay your fees online or with cash or check.
2. Pilots who have never flown Tam:
1. All pilots are required to get a site intro before their first flight at Tam. Site intros may be performed by any club officer, PG sponsor or Tam instructor. (listed above)
2. You will be required to apply on paper. You may apply by mail, as in item I.b, above. Or, you may apply in person, at your site intro, as in item I.c, above. (You may also print the form and bring it to your site intro.)
3. Advanced pilots (H4, H5, P4 and P5) may be issued a sticker by mail. But a site intro is still required before their first flight at Tam.
4. Intermediate pilots (H3 and P3) must get a site intro before a sticker will be issued.
5. Additionally, P3 pilots must have an authorized sponsor observe their first flight and sign off before a sticker will be issued.
6. Novice hang glider pilots (H2) are not issued stickers. Instead, they receive a Novice Card. There are special restrictions in the rules for Novice HG pilots. To obtain a Novice Card, you must first arrange to be taught by one of the Tam instructors listed above. Then, follow the procedure described in I.b, to apply on paper. The fee for a Novice Card is the same as the fee for a sticker. The difference is that stickers expire every year, while Novice Cards remain in effect until the pilot earns his/her H3, no matter how long that takes. Once the pilot has an H3, he/she may exchange the Novice Card for a current sticker, at no additional cost.
7. There is no provision for flying Tam solo if you are unrated, or if your rating is H1, P1 or P2.

Tam Sticker APPLICATION and WAIVER

ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHODS

Visiting Pilots

To qualify as a "visiting pilot", you must meet all of the following conditions:

• Your home address must be at least 100 miles (straight line distance) from Marin County. For California pilots, this means you are either north of Willits, south of Monterey, or east of Placerville.
• Your (free) use of the mountain will be limited to no more than 5 days during any one year period.
• Visitors' stickers are free. However, to obtain one, you must follow the same procedures for obtaining a Tam sticker, as shown above.
• Visitors' stickers are not renewable online.
• If possible, make arrangements in advance! Begin by emailing me to tell me about your trip plans.