Hand Gliding

Hand Gliding

Hang gliding is an air sport employing a foot-launchable aircraft known as a hang glider. Typically, a hang glider is constructed of an aluminum alloy or composite-framed fabric wing. The pilot is ensconced in a harness suspended from the airframe, and exercises control by shifting body weight in opposition to a control frame.

Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and non-motorized foot-launch aircraft called a hang glider that is of a delta wing design. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminum alloy or composite-framed fabric ("sailing material derived from parachute fabric") wing. The pilot is ensconced in a harness suspended from the airframe, and exercises control by shifting body weight in opposition to a control frame, but other devices, including modern aircraft flight control systems, may be used.

In the sport's early days, pilots were restricted to gliding down small hills on low-performance hang gliders. However, modern technology gives pilots the ability to soar for hours, gain thousands of meters of altitude in thermal updrafts, perform aerobatics, and glide cross-country for hundreds of kilometers. The Federation Aéronautique Internationale and national airspace governing organizations control some aspects of hang gliding. Gaining the safety benefits from being instructed is highly recommended.

History.

Early hang glider designs did not reliably achieve safe flight, their builders lacking a comprehensive understanding of the underlying principles of flight. The first recorded controlled flights were by German engineer Otto Lilienthal, whose research, published in 1889, strongly influenced later designers. The type of aircraft employed by Lilienthal is now referred to as a hang glider. Further hang glider research was undertaken during the 1920s in Europe, Australia and the U.S.A, where designers tested several wing concepts and the 'pendulum weight-shift control system'.

In 1957 the American space agency NASA began testing various formats of a new wing called the Rogallo wing with the intent of possibly implementing the design as a recovery system for the Gemini space capsules. The wing's simplicity of design and ease of construction, in combination with its slow flight characteristics, did not go unnoticed by hang glider enthusiasts; Rogallo's flexible wing airfoil was soon adapted to the purpose of recreational flight, launching a hang glider Renaissance.

The hang glider's wing, called a delta wing or Rogallo wing, is an outgrowth of NASA engineer Francis Rogallo's research on kites and parachutes in the 1960s. Rogallo ­had proposed the wing as a method of returning spacecraft to Earth. The delta-wing parachute was lightweight, durable and highly maneuverable. Later, John Dickenson, Bill Moyes, Bill Bennett and Richard Miller developed the Rogallo wing into the modern hang glider and launched an immensely popular sport shared by millions of people worldwide.

The hang glider is actually a triangle-shaped airfoil, a modified parachute (known as a flexible wing) made of nylon or Dacron fabric. The triangular shape is maintained by rigid aluminum tubes and cables and is designed to allow air to flow over the surface to make the wing rise. Newer, high-performance hang-glider designs use a rigid wing with stiff aluminum struts inside the fabric to give it shape, eliminating the need for supporting cables.

Hang gliding is often confused with paragliding, though the two sports are quite different from one another.

On November 23, 1948, Francis Rogallo and Gertrude Rogallo applied for a kite patent for a fully flexible kited wing with approved claims for its stiffenings and gliding uses; the flexible wing or Rogallo wing, which in 1957 the American space agency NASA began testing in various flexible and semi-rigid configurations in order to use it as a recovery system for the Gemini space capsules. The various stiffening formats and the wing's simplicity of design and ease of construction, along with its capability of slow flight and its gentle landing characteristics, did not go unnoticed by hang glider enthusiasts. In 1960-1962 Barry Hill Palmer adapted the flexible wing concept to make foot-launched hang gliders with four different control arrangements. In 1963 Mike Burns adapted the flexible wing to build a kite-hang glider he called Ski plane. In 1963, John W. Dickenson adapted the flexible wing airfoil concept to make another water-ski kite glider; for this, the Federation Aéronautique International vested Dickenson with the Hang Gliding Diploma (2006) for the invention of the modern hang glider.

Since then, the Rogallo wing has been the most used wing for hang gliders. However, some hang gliders still use swept wings. An example of such a hang glider is the A-I-R ATOS VR and similar models.

Technique.

Launch techniques include foot-launching from a hill, tow-launching from a ground-based tow system, aero towing (behind a powered aircraft), powered harnesses, and being towed up by a boat. Modern winch tows typically utilize hydraulic systems designed to regulate line tension, this reduces scenarios for lock out as strong winds result in additional length of rope spooling out rather than direct tension on the tow line. Other more exotic launch techniques have also been used successfully, such as hot air balloon drops from very high altitude. When weather conditions are unsuitable to sustain a soaring flight, results in a top to bottom fight and referred to as "sled runs"

To launch, the pilot must run down a slope to get air moving across the wing at about 15 to 25 miles per hour (24 to 40 kph). This movement of air over the surface of the wing generates lift, the force that counters gravity and keeps the glider aloft. Once aloft, gravity (the weight of the hang glider and pilot) pulls the glider back toward Earth and propels the glider forward, continually causing air to flow over the wing.

In addition to the horizontal movement of air, hang gliders can get lift from rising currents of air, such as columns of hot air (thermal lift) or air deflected upward by mountainous or ridge topography (ridge lift). As the hang glider and pilot move through the air, they collide with air molecules. The frictional force caused by these collisions is known as drag, which slows the glider down. The amount of drag is proportional to the airspeed of the hang glider: The faster the glider moves, the more drag it creates (see How Gliders Work for details).

How a pilot maneuvers a hang glider

As with soar plane gliders, the balance of these three forces (lift, drag, gravity) determines how high the hang glider can go, how far it can travel and how long it can stay aloft. The performance of a hang glider and the distance it can travel is determined by its glide ratio (lift/drag ratio), the ratio of the forward distance traveled to the vertical distance dropped. Unlike soarplane gliders, hang gliders have neither movable surfaces on the wing nor a tail to deflect airflow and maneuver the craft. Instead, the pilot is suspended from the hang glider's center-of-mass (hence the term "hang" glider) by way of a harness, maneuvering the hang glider by shifting his or her weight (changing the center-of-mass) in the direction of the intended turn.

The pilot can also change the angle that the wing makes with the horizontal axis (angle of attack), which determines the airspeed and the glide ratio of the hang glider. If the pilot pulls back on the glider, tipping its nose down, the glider speeds up. If the pilot pushes forward on the glider, tipping its nose up, the glider slows down or even stalls. In stalling, no air flows over the wing so the glider can't fly.

Tips.

• Walk 360o around your glider, checking key areas; bolts, ropes, wires, buttons, wing tips, etc. Run your hands along the leading edge to verify there are no LE Mylar bends, check for symmetry. Pre-flight harness ropes/straps. Repeat if interrupted.

• Either hook-in your harness as part of your glider set-up (best method), and/or always hang check. Make sure harness lines are not twisted. Check your harness legs straps are secure. Develop a routine and use it every time.
• Be careful changing or adjusting your hang strap. Small hang loop position changes can affect the flight characteristics of your glider. Use a locked, steel carabineer.
• Buy the best full-face helmet and parachute. Re-pack yearly. Helmet choice is a personal preference so choose either open face or full face but make sure it has the padding that is needed to absorb impact.
• Be careful with new gear, or making changes. Small changes (wires, tip tuning, sail, mounting a camera, etc.)) can have a big effect on flying characteristics. Adding extra gear, like a drogue chute, can be useful in cases, but it can also cause accidents (such as when a drogue chute is deployed above the base tube). Think through any change to your glider and gear.
• Most launch errors occur because the glider wing, at the start of launch, is not properly aligned to the wind. Don’t initiate launch unless you have balance in roll and pitch.

• Lock-outs on tow can happen quickly. Both aero tow and static tow lockouts can occur. Follow the tug, know how to react, and release early if there is a problem. Use a 3 point release, that you can release from in <2 seconds. Tow with a fin. Don't push out at the start of the tow; if your weak link breaks, you could be in a stall and too low to recover. Before towing, make sure no lines are caught on the tow dolly. On aero tow, don't get low behind the tug - you will either hit the rotor from the tow plane or have to push out (stalled if released).
• It’s alright to take a few initial slow steps, but then run hard. Slow run launches can cause a wing to stall, the angle of attack change, and/or a wing tip to drag. Many launch whacks occur at high altitude, low wind and/or shallow slopes. These conditions take good launching skills and a strong run with proper glider positioning. Wear gloves that give you a good grip.
• If you are launching in winds that are too high for you alone to handle your glider, consider not launching, unless if you are very familiar with the site and wire crew.

• Create your own "rules" and stick to it, no matter what other pilots are doing.
• If you do launch in winds >20 mph, use a wire crew. Make sure to brief them on what to say and do. Use hang glider pilots to wire. If you use non-pilots, train them on how to wire before walking out to launch.
• After launch, get well clear of the hill before turning, or working on your harness zipper. Gain altitude. Don't turn into a ridge.
• Any hg wing can tuck, tumble and spin. Knowing your glider speeds, and keeping your airspeed is important in preventing tumbles and spins. Never, ever stall or slip near the ground.
• Enough cannot be said about avoiding existing or approaching poor weather. Don’t fly unless you are confident about current and future weather conditions. Check the forecast before flying. Avoid storm cells; don't fly if you see any thunderstorms (gust fronts can reach out 100 miles) or Cu-Nimbus. Fog/clouds can form quickly; watch trends. Study micro-meteorology.
• Clear your turns, and always keep in mind where the other pilots are. Don't assume another pilot sees you. Frequently scan the horizon for air activity. Fly with bright colors. Leave a gaggle if it is too crowded. Don't turn close to a mountain side in thermal conditions.
• Just don’t. Do everything you can to avoid a water landing.
• Learn how to exit your harness quickly in an emergency.
• The lee side of a hill or mountain can be ugly, and has put many a pilot down quickly with little control. Don’t go “over the back” without sufficient altitude. Keep well in front of ridges. Get even further in front of the ridge before you a traversing a canyon where compressed wind speed will increase.
• Don’t fly an advanced level glider, until you are ready for it. Wait until you squeak out every bit of juice from a lower-performance glider before moving up. And even then, question your reason for moving up.

• This typically happens to beginner or intermediate pilots flying a glider they are not ready for. If it happens, relax, loosen your grip, and slow your glider down.
• Rotor behind another aircraft can be severe and long lasting, the larger and slower the other aircraft.
• Don't get caught back on a ridge or in a place that you can't easily glide to an LZ. Take care of a venture effect when above canyons; your sink rate will increase dramatically in a canyon. Always assume a worse L/D to the LZ than you have.
• Most poor landings are a direct result of a poor landing pattern approach. Pick a big landing field that is uncrowded. Be conservative. Don't get close to tree tops. Take a long final, come in with sufficient speed, use the base bar, and avoid turns close to the ground. Watch for your base tube getting caught.
• Power lines are hard to see, and they can fry you like a hot dog. Try to avoid fields surrounded by power lines. Even safe on the ground, don’t walk under power lines while carrying your glider.

• Keep your eyes open for kites, RC planes, balloons, etc. An object caught in your side flying wire can make your glider un-controllable. Use/know FAA airspace maps.
• If you are injured, you will need support. Fly with a good 2M radio and cellphone.
• Unless you are in perfect tune with your glider, use wheels. They can save you in downwind landings, thermally active landing areas, or a premature jump off a tow cart. 
• Locking wheels will allow you to ground your glider in high winds.
• Avoid landing in the lee side of trees, buildings, mountains, cliff/ridge edges, etc. 
• These areas can put you on the ground before you are ready for it. Land as far as possible from rotor causing trees and buildings.
• Many pilots do not have sufficient landing skills. Practice. This is a skill that we can always improve. Don’t fly with uncoated front wires. Make sure your harness can not throw you under the glider nose in a whack. And at some point you will whack hard, so learn how to whack properly to avoid injury (let go of down tubes, arms balled up in front of you)
• Let an experienced local pilot, who knows the site intimately, launch first. Talk to them about conditions; weigh their opinion heavily. Don't be a wind dummy unless you are 100% sure of conditions.
• Don't fly fatigued, or with less than a high mental and physical standard.
• If you are in tuned with your glider or just do not like the idea of wheels. Think about wearing knee pads. It only takes one knee drop on a rock to do damage to your knee.

Types of Gliding.

Flexible Wing Gliders (class1)

These hang gliders look the most like the traditional gliders most people are familiar with, though they now are produced in many shapes and sizes. First designed by French engineer Francis Rogallo in the 1940s, hang gliding enthusiasts sometimes honor its inventor by referring to them as Rogallo Gliders. As the name of this class suggests, the wings are flexible. They are made of sailcloth and are stiffened into place through wire tubing. The pilot takes off and lands on his feet and steers the glider simply by shifting his weight. These gliders are popular for a variety of reasons. Their light weight make them easy to transport on the ground and maneuver in the air. They are also easy to take off and land. And, perhaps most important, their light weight allows for slow, leisurely gliding in the air.

Rigid Wing Gliders (class5)

This class of gliders looks more like airplanes without the tails than traditional hang gliders. These hang gliders were rare in the sport until they exploded in popularity over the past several years. Now they are commonly seen at hang gliding locations around the world. Rigid gliders are popular because they allow for more precise control than the flex gliders. This means pilots have better control over their speed and altitude, and fly greater distances. The wing controls are also more responsive, making it easier to correct mistakes. Though they are increasing in popularity, they are significantly more expensive than their flex wing cousins.

Ultralight Sailplanes (class2)

Most people would not think of sailplanes as hang gliders, but many areas classify any aircraft under a certain weight as a hang glider. Sailplanes are sturdy vehicles that can travel greater distances without losing much altitude, meaning longer and more satisfying flights. They look like small planes complete with a cockpit, wheels, and tail. For this reason, unlike flex and rigid wing gliders, these crafts cannot be launched or landed on foot. They need an assisted takeoff, usually being towed by a powered aircraft. This can make for more expensive outings, but if you have the money it is worth it.

Maneuvers.

Loop — a maneuver that starts in a wings level dive, climbs, without any rolling, to the apex where the glider is upside down, wings level (heading back where it came from), and then returning to the start altitude and heading, again without rolling, having completed an approximately circular path in the vertical plane.

Spin — a spin is scored from the moment one wing stalls and the glider rotates noticeably into the spin. The entry heading is noted at this point. The glider must remain in the spin for at least 1/2 of a revolution to score any versatility spin points.

Rollover — a maneuver where the apex heading is less than 90° left or right of the entry heading.

Climb over — a maneuver where the apex heading is greater than 90° left or right of the entry heading

Equipment.

1. Camera
2. Car Rack
3. Gliders
4. Glider Storage
5. Hang Glider Manufacturers
6. Harness
7. Helmet
8. Instruments
9. Parachute
10. Radios
11. Release Systems
12. Payout Winch
13. Open-Side Tow Dolly (Cart)
14. Sunglasses
15. Wheels

Best Hang Gliding spots.

Chamonix / Mont Blanc, France

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

Annecy, France

Treh, France

Babadag (Olüdeniz), Turkey

Dune du Pyla, France

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

The Alps

Byron Bay, Australia

England

Norway

Nepal

Cape Town, South Africa

Tuscany, Italy

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

La Jolla, California

Salt Lake City, Utah