Hang Gliding
Hang gliding is an aerial sport where pilots soar through the air while suspended from a lightweight glider frame, typically made of aluminum and covered with rip-stop fabric. This exhilarating activity has historical roots dating back to the sixteenth century, with early designs conceptualized by figures like Leonardo da Vinci. The modern sport began to take shape in the late twentieth century, evolving from a hobby into a competitive pursuit, thanks in part to pioneers such as Otto Lilienthal and the Rogallo family, who contributed essential innovations to glider design.
Pilots utilize thermal and ridge lifts to gain altitude, with many launching from mountains, hills, or sand dunes. Safety measures have significantly improved over the years, including the regulation of equipment by organizations such as the US Hang Gliding Association and the widespread use of helmets and parachutes. Competitions governed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale allow pilots to showcase their skills in categories like distance and speed. For those interested in learning, accredited schools provide comprehensive training, emphasizing safety and technique. Overall, hang gliding remains a popular sport, attracting enthusiasts worldwide with its blend of adventure and technical skill.
Hang Gliding
Throughout history, humans have concocted novel ways to overcome gravity and go where butterflies and birds venture so effortlessly. In the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci sketched a design for a primitive hang glider called the "flapping-wing," in which a man is supported by a frame of wood and rope; however, the knowledge needed to move the dream to reality was centuries away. Da Vinci and other adventure-seekers who shared his vision would surely be fascinated with the invention of the hang glider, which enables enthusiasts to soar with the eagles over Yosemite Falls or the Grand Canyon.
Hang gliding is a hobby that evolved into a competitive sport during the late twentieth century. The term comes from the fact that a pilot "hangs" from an aluminum glider frame in a harness. The glider's wings, which are balanced over the pilot's shoulders, are made of lightweight Dacron or other rip-stop fabric. The pilot steers the glider into thermal or ridge currents to gain lift.
Otto Lilienthal is considered one of the most important hang gliding pioneers. In the late nineteenth century, Lilienthal discovered that he could use his body motions to steer a glider, and was able to fly as high as 750 feet. Though he fell to his death, his progress allowed the next generation of adventurers to experience the thrill of lift.
In the 1940s, Frances M. Rogallo, an engineer employed at the Langley Research Center (now part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA), and his wife, Gertrude, designed a glider with a delta-shaped wing, the "flexible parawing." After testing it in a wind tunnel, they obtained the first significant hang glider patent. Other NASA engineers improved on the parawing design, but the original Rogallo model is the direct ancestor of contemporary hang gliders.
Gliding captured the attention of Australian skiers Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett, who took the contraptions to the ski slopes where they discovered an advantageous ridge lift that gave them the needed aerodynamic boost unavailable elsewhere. In 1969, Bennett, who became known as the "Birdman," flew over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and around the Statue of Liberty. He opened one of the first glider manufacturing companies in the United States, Delta Wing Kites and Gliders, at a time when most pilots made their own gliders.
As interest in the hobby increased, the high number of deaths and injuries caused concern to hang gliders as well as to the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which threatened early hobbyists with legal action for flying an aircraft without a license. The FAA supervises the Hang Glider Manufacturer's Association (HGMA), which regulates the manufacture of gliders and provides guidelines for pilots.
The formation of the US Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) in 1973 also made the hobby safer. The USHGA certifies pilots and supervises and rates many of the top hang gliding sites in the country. Certification is required to use the USHGA-rated sites. The widespread use of helmets and parachutes has also contributed to a drastic decrease in the number of deaths and fatalities, although they still occur, mostly as the result of overcrowded flying sites or poor judgment.
The sport of hang gliding attracts serious enthusiasts from around the world. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI; World Air Sports Federation) sanctions world events. Pilots can compete for awards in categories such as distance, speed, and elevation.
Additional materials for experienced/advanced hang gliders:
- Variometer (measures speed)
- Altimeter (measures height)
- Compass
- Reserve parachute
- Oxygen mask
- Two-way radio
- Cell phone
- Rescue kit that includes emergency supplies such as rope, space blanket, flares, and a signal mirror.
- Camera
Techniques
The lightweight aluminum frame and the flexible nylon wings enable a hang glider to catch thermal lifts, or columns of rising hot air, and ridge lifts, which occur when air reaches a mountain and is deflected upward. The air moves across the surface of the wings and provides the rise needed to counterbalance the effect of gravity. The third element involved in the aerodynamics of hang gliding is drag, a force created by the collision of air with the glider. Drag slows down a glider and is related to the speed at which one is traveling.
The best condition for launching a hang glider is in a 5- to 20-mile-per-hour wind, although gliders can be launched with slightly less or more wind speed. Foot launching is probably the most common method of launching, and involves jogging down a slope to catch a ridge lift. Mountains, hillsides, and sand dunes offer optimal sites for foot launching. In flat regions, hang gliders can be towed by a motor vehicle or an ultralight aircraft. The Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the Finger Lakes region in New York, and the Pacific coast of California and Oregon are popular sites in the United States for hang gliding.
Unlike a paraglider pilot, who sits in a seat, the hang glider pilot lies prone underneath the frame, suspended by a harness. A control bar is used to shift right or left, up or down, and to move faster or slower. Hang gliders have been known to go as fast as 80 miles per hour and as high as 20,000 feet. Experienced gliders can stay up for many hours.
Everything a novice needs to know to get a good introduction to the sport and hobby of hang gliding will be taught at an accredited school. A student will learn how to ground-handle, or how to balance the glider over the shoulders, and how to foot-launch while jogging down a small hill or sand dune. The first flights are limited to just a few feet above the ground and a few dozen yards in distance. As a beginner progresses, directions are provided from the instructor via a two-way radio. Many important safety issues are addressed in the lessons as well.
Trends
Posting hang gliding videos on YouTube is trendy and offers an exhilarating look at the sport.
Although most glider frames are aluminum or an alloy, carbon fiber is also widely used.
Flights are becoming more high-tech among advanced hang gliders, who attach GPS units and computers to the gliders to track their altitude and path.
Learning More
Organizations
U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association <https://www.ushpa.org/>
Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada <https://www.hpac.ca/pub/>
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale: Hang Gliding <https://www.fai.org/sport/hang-gliding>
DVDs
"Starting Hang Gliding: Fly Like an Eagle!" Prod. Paul Hamilton. DVD. Cloudbase, 2002.
Books
Fair, Erik, Rod Stafford, and Rick Zimbelman. Right Stuff for New Hang Gliding Pilots. Laguna Beach: CA: Publitec, 1987.
Holmes, Len. Fly the Wing: Hooking into Hang Gliding. Southern Pines, NC: Carolinas Press, 2002.
Pagen, Dennis. Hang Gliding Training Manual: Learning Hang Gliding Skills for Beginner to Intermediate Pilots. Spring Mills, PA: Black Mountain Books, 1995.