irish hang gliding association

THE AIRCRAFT Hang gliders weigh between 15 and 100lbs; the average is 35 lbs. They can be easily transported by car top. The hang glider is a simple aircraft, but it must be properly rigged and adjusted. There are a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from the basic rogallo for club and school use to more complicated models.

THE WIND The hang glider pilot needs a launching spot at which there is a constant and smooth upward flow of air. Flights are made into the wind and one should fly down the slope, not across it.

The wind speed needs to be between 5 and 15 mph to start, and gusts should not exceed 5 mph. If the wind is a problem during assembly of the glider, it is probably too windy to fly. You will want to use a hand held wind meter to check the wind speed.

TAKING OFF Foot launched hang gliding is the most popular and most closely reflects the activities of the birds. To learn, many begin with the original hang glider system: parallel bars. They hang by the armpits and grasp the bars to maintain control. All the control is effected through the weight shifting. The swing seat or harness arrangement with the trapeze bar gives more control because the craft may be tilted as the weight is shifted.

In learning, it is best to master the landing before the take off. You will be more confident when you are up in the air if you know that you can get down easily. Once up and flying, you will listen for the flapping of the sail's trailing edge. If it is flapping loud and violently, the speed is too high. If it is quiet and there is little or no wind in your face, you are near the stall. The sail should flutter lightly and there should be a light breeze in the face. As you become more experienced, you'll gauge speed more by feel than sound.

CONTROL The way a pilot controls the hang glider is simple. All changes of direction are made by the pilot changing the position of his or her own body in the craft, and thus changing its centre of gravity. Secure in a harness or sitting in a swinging seat, the pilot's hands rest on the control bar. To change direction, the pilot moves the bar one way or another.

TURNING IS EASY The kite goes in the direction your weight goes. So to make a turn, you move the bar to the opposite side, pushing yourself in the direction you want to turn. The flying speed must be maintained during turns, and this means the flying speed of both wing tips. When flying slow and close to the stall point, it is common to stall out one tip in a turn because one tip speeds up while the other slows down. Once a tip stalls, it loses lift, quits flying and drops. The remedy is to keep the speed up for turns and this means pulling the bar back slightly before moving it to one side. In a turn, the glider banks and the lift force generated is less so more speed is required to keep above the stall. Higher flying speeds also provide faster turns; if the turns are sluggish, it's probably because the flying speed is low.

STAYING AIRBORNE Many beginners think that once launched, the glider will fly by itself. But this is not so. This is really an aircraft that must be guided by human hands. You must maintain your flying speed. It is difficult to estimate air-speed. A wind meter strapped to the front of the craft is helpful once well clear of the ground and flying, but it is difficult to read when attention is constantly directed to the terrain and changing air currents. Learning to fly a hang glider properly is difficult work. It is a good idea to find a school not too far away and take a four-day course. Then, go gliding every weekend for a few months. You start out low and slow and progress to greater heights and speeds.

CLOTHING Obviously, a helmet must be worn. Other than that, no regulations apply. Strong boots are recommended, to absorb shock and for climbing back up the hill. Gloves protect the hand from possible abrasion and keep them warm. Remember it can be cold up there with the birds. The flier should dress for the weather.

Contact email for club is ihpa-chat@googlegroups.com