A little about us!
UltraFlight OBX wants to share the experience, beauty and fun of powered hang gliding over the historic Outer banks Of North Carolina. Our pilots are Certified Flight Instructors dedicated to guiding you on a lesson through the sky.
UltraFlight Instructors
Andy Thompson
Andy Thompson has always had a passion for aviation. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill his dream began to take flight. Andy began his aviation career in North Carolina's Jockey's Ridge State Park as a Hang Gliding Instructor. Through practice and dedication to the sport he earned an Advanced Hang Gliding rating and a tandem pilot certification. As an Advanced Instructor Andy has flown thousands of tandem flights for Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School. In the winters Andy chases warmth, splitting time between boat-tow tandem hang glider flights in Miami Florida and performing foot-launched tandem flights in Queenstown, New Zealand. This makes him one of the busiest tandem hang glider pilots in the world.
Andy earned his Weight-Shift Certified Flight Instructor license with longtime friend and fellow hang glider pilot Michael Pattishall. Together, they created UltraFlight OBX. Adding the engine to the hang glider has opened up a new world of possibilities. Andy now enjoys demonstrating these possibilities to clients as a pilot and guide. A resident of North Carolina's Outer Banks, Andy maintains that a powered hang glider flight offers a premier way to experience flight and witness the natural beauty of the area.
Michael Pattishall
Michael Pattishall has had a lifelong pursuit of outdoor recreation. Participating and guiding outdoor recreation activities through his life led Michael to a degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management from Penn State University. After graduation Michael moved to the Outer Banks in pursuit of a new sport, which grew into a passion for hang gliding and aviation. From there, he developed his skills as a pilot and instructor, teaching at Jockey's Ridge State Park and traveling across the country to fly and teach. Eventually becoming an advanced rated pilot and tandem instructor.
Since then, he has worked eight years as a tandem instructor in the Outer Banks as well as in Florida and Australia. Michael was then introduced to trike flying, the addition of power to hang gliding only further evolved his passion for aviation. Flying a powered glider brings a whole new experience and enjoyment to hang gliding. Now as a FAA Certified Flight Instructor he has partnered with longtime friend and coworker Andy Thompson. They believe that the experience of flight is unmatched with powered hang gliding. Teaching aviation has driven Michael’s life for the past decade, and he hopes to continue spreading the stoke and sharing the sky with the rest of the world.