Hang gliders in Australia and Slovakia demonstrate why the sport isn't risk-free.

In Woollongong, Australia in 2019, a pilot was hit by a gust of wind and botched his take-off, careering down a sleep slope into some trees.

"This hang glider got struck by the sudden updraft on his left wing, which sent him plummeting down the cliff and crashing into the trees," said the filmer.

Luckily the pilot escaped uninjured. "He just has a bent pole but rest assured, he will be back. Setbacks are a part of this sport, and this young fella fully understands it," the filmer added.

Meanwhile footage filmed on 4 February 2017 on Stranik Hill in Zilina, Slovakia, various gliders can be seen taking off.

But one is not so lucky -- crashing after losing control on takeoff.

The filmer of the video, Martin Forgac, said: "That was a bummer! All I can say about that guy with a red stripe on his hang glider is that it was his first time flying with this type of glider. He lost pitch control over this glider and started to take off but without a fully-controlled wing. Luckily, no one was hurt."

'What goes up always comes down but sometimes, one can crash even without taking flight first, as shown in this video.

Footage filmed by Nasty Munta shows a hang glider's unsuccessful attempt at taking off.

Nasty told us: "This hang glider got struck by the sudden updraft on his left wing, which sent him plummeting down the cliff and crashing into the trees."

The filmer can also be seen rushing to the pilot's aid. In that regard, he said: "He [the glider] is fine. He just has a bent pole but rest assured, he will be back. Setbacks are a part of this sport, and this young fella fully understands it."
Name: Nasty Munta
Location: Wollongong, Australia'

''Gripping footage has surfaced from Stranik Hill in Zilina, Slovakia.

In this clip, various gliders can be seen as they work on getting themselves off the ground. While most emerge successful in their attempts, one individual crashes at take-off.

As per the filmer of this video, Martin Forgac: "That was a bummer! All I can say about that guy with a red stripe on his hang glider is that it was his first time flying with this type of glider. He lost pitch control over this glider and started to take off but without a fully-controlled wing. Luckily, no one was hurt."
Name: Martin Forgac
Location: Stranik, Slovakia'