How to Get the Hang Glider in Sons of the Forest

The hang glider in Sons of the Forest lets you take to the skies, soaring around the island without worrying about cannibals or mutants. Well, until you land, at least. If that sounds like fun, you’ll want to know how to get it. Here’s the answer.

You can find a hang glider at different locations, but here’s the easiest place to get your hands on one.

The hang glider has been reported to spawn at different locations in Sons of the Forest, but there’s one place in particular you should head to to get one. 

Get out your GPS and, zooming in and out of the map as appropriate, locate the clump of three caves near the base of the central island mountain. Two of the caves are close to each other while the third, though still roughly in line with the other two, is a bit further away. If you take a look at the picture below you’ll see what we mean.

Head over to the area between the furthermost cave and the middle cave and look around the snowy areas. You should come across a rocky outcropping with two red tents. Go to the tents and save your game. We’ll explain why later. Then, wander over the edge of the drop and you should see the hang glider right there. 

How to use the hang glider in Sons of the Forest

The way to use the hang glider is, in theory, simple. Pick it up (E on the keyboard), jump in the air, then jump again to activate the hang glider. Once in the air, press up to dive, lowering your altitude and press down to gain altitude. 

Since this is a hang glider, not a powered vehicle, there’s a limit to how high you can take it. However, provided you jump from a high point, such as the place you found it, you’ll be able to cover a good portion of the island. 

Even better, you can slam into the ground and take no damage. That might get patched out later during the game’s Early Access phase, but it means you don’t need to worry about crash landing and dying. However, what you do need to worry about is dying before you take to the air.

We’ve found the hang glider to be a little buggy. There was one time when it didn’t activate and we just plunged into the ground, dying. You’re protected in flight mode but, until that kicks in, you’re just carrying the glider and can die. We’ve also encountered a glitch where you clip partway through the ground, with the hang glider suddenly wrenched out of your hands. Also, if you’re not careful you can accidentally kick the hang glider off the cliff and end up chasing it down the side. 

Should you use the hang glider in Sons of the Forest? What is it good for?

The hang glider is cool, we’ll give it that. Remember how we suggested you save? Now you can load the same save and take to the air again and again. Soaring over the island can be pretty breathtaking. But is it all that useful? Honestly, no.

If you’ve built a base fairly high up, the hang glider could be used for escaping from cannibals. If your base is too heavily besieged, grab the glider and find a new place to build. Or, wait until the heat has died down.

But you can’t fold the hang glider away, nor can you currently make one. So you have to physically carry it around, like a log. With no fast travel, you’re going to have to pick up the glider, walk all the way to somewhere with a decent elevation, glide off, walk back… You get the picture. So, the hang glider in Sons of the Forest is cool but it’s not useful for much more than messing around.