Freqently Asked Questions about Hang Gliding
1. Basic Performance Questions
A. How do you steer ?
B How high/far can a hang glider go ?
C. How long do flights last ?
D. Where can hang gliders launch and land ?
E. What are typical performance specifications ?
F. How safe are hang gliders ?
2. Flying Conditions
A. Is lots of wind necessary to launch/fly/land ?
B. How do gliders gain altitude ?
C. What sort of temperatures are encountered in flight ?
3. Pilot Requirements:
A. Is hang gliding physically demanding ?
B. Do pilots need to be of a certain age, gender, weight or size ?
C. Do pilots need to be licensed to fly hang gliders ?
D. How does a student go about learning to fly ?
E. How much does all this cost ?
F. How to get more information
1. Basic Performance Questions:
A. How do you steer ?
Hang gliders are controlled by shifting the pilot's weight with
respect to the glider. Pilots are suspended from a strap
connected to the glider's frame (hence the name "hang" glider).
By moving forward and backward and side to side at the end of
this strap, the pilot alters the center of gravity of the glider.
This then causes the glider to pitch or roll in the direction of
the pilot's motion and thus allows both speed control and turning.
B. How high/far can a hang glider go ?
This depends a lot on the conditions in which they are flown, but
flights in excess of 300 miles in length and altitudes of well over
20,000 ft. MSL have been recorded. (These last have all been with
FAA permission for the rules nazis reading this). More typically,
pilots in the summer in the western US will frequently achieve
altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 ft AGL and fly for over 100 miles.
C. How long do flights last ?
Again this depends on conditions, but a high altitude flight is
frequently several hours in duration. On good days, pilots don't
have to land until the sun goes down.
D. Where can gliders launch and land ?
Pretty much any slope that is relatively free from obstructions,
is steeper than about 6 to 1 and faces into the wind can be used
to foot launch a hang glider. The pilot just runs down the slope
and takes off when the air speed reaches 15 to 20 mph.
Alternatively, towing by trucks, stationary winches and ultralight
aircraft allows gliders to get into the air when no hills are
available.
Where a hang glider can be landed depends somewhat on the skill of
the pilot. An experienced pilot should be able to put a glider
safely into any flat spot clear of obstructions bigger than about
50 by 200 ft. This area requirement can vary somewhat, though,
depending on wind conditions and the surrounding terrain.
E. What are typical performance specifications ?
Just like in sailplanes, hang gliders come in various combinations
of ease-of-handling and performance, ranging from docile trainers
to full-on competition ships. For a modern (ca. 1995) competition
glider, typical performance will be on the order of:
Speed range: 16 - 19 mph (stall speed) to about 70 mph.
(VNE is conservatively set at 50 - 60 mph)
Best L/D: 13:1 at about 30 mph.
Degrades to about 6 or 7:1 by 50 mph
Minimum Sink Rate: About 180 ft/min. at 20 - 25 mph.
(Depending on wing loading)
For training gliders, typical numbers are more like a
16 - 40 mph speed range with an 8 or 9:1 best L/D.
F. How safe are hang gliders ?
Like any form of sport aviation, hang gliding can be dangerous if
pursued carelessly. That said, however, hang gliding can be a very
safe sport. Gliders in the US are now certified for airworthiness
by the Hang Glider Manufacturers Assn. (HGMA) so structural failures
on recent equipment flown within its placarded limits are a thing
of the past. In addition, reserve parachutes are used on all high
altitude hang glider flights now and provide a measure of safety
in the rare instances of severe glider damage or complete loss of
control.
Also, hang gliding instruction has been standardized and most
students learn from certified instructors using a thorough gradual
training program. So the days of untrained pilots trying unsafe
maneuvers at dangerous sites are also largely gone.
Despite these advances, people still make judgment errors and
aviation is not very forgiving of such. The bottom line is that
out of about 10,000 active pilots in the US, 5 to 10 will have a
fatal hang gliding accident in a given year and perhaps 10 times
that many will have an injury requiring treatment. The majority of
pilots fly their entire careers without sustaining a serious injury.
2. Flying Conditions:
A. Is lots of wind necessary to launch/fly/land ?
Hang gliders can be launched, flown and landed in winds from zero to
about 30 mph safely. When winds get above about 40 mph, the
associated turbulence makes all aspects of flight substantially less
comfortable. Generally, ideal winds for launching and landing are
from 5 to 20 mph depending on the flying site. Wind speed is less
important in flight since the pilot controls the air speed of the
glider whatever the wind speed may be.
B. How do gliders gain altitude ?
In addition to the horizontal wind we're accustomed to on the ground,
air moves vertically as well. If a glider encounters an upwardly
moving chunk of air, it will go up along with it. The whole trick
of soaring a hang glider (or any other glider for that matter) is to
figure out where the air is going up and then to get there. While
there are many sources of upwardly moving air or "lift", the most
commonly used by hang gliders are ridge lift and thermal lift. Ridge
lift occurs when horizontal wind hits an obstruction (like a ridge,
for instance) and is deflected upward. Thermal lift occurs when
terrain is heated by the sun and transfers this heat to the
surrounding air - which then rises.
Typically ridge lift exists in a "lift band" on the windward side of
a ridge and pilots get up by flying back and forth through this band.
Thermal lift on the other hand usually starts at some local "trigger
point" on the ground and then rises as a column or bubble of air. To
get up in a thermal, pilots thus typically circle in this region of
rising air.
C. What sort of temperatures are encountered in flight ?
Hang gliders are flown in sub-zero conditions in the winter and in the
hottest deserts in the summer. Since the air temperature typically
falls by about 4 degrees (F) for every 1000 ft gain in elevation,
however, high altitude hang glider flights are frequently cold.
Pilots expecting to fly over about 12 - 14,000 ft in the summer will
generally wear warm clothing to protect against exposure.
3. Pilot Requirements:
A. Is hang gliding physically demanding ?
Almost anyone can fly a hang glider. If someone can jog while
balancing a 50 - 70 lb. weight on their shoulders they can learn to
fly. While flying does not require great strength (since the straps
- not the pilot's arms - hold the pilot up) long duration flights in
turbulent conditions require a moderate degree of upper body endurance.
This typically develops as the pilot progresses through training to
these longer flights.
B. Do pilots need to be of a certain age, gender, weight or size range ?
Hang glider pilots range in age from teens to octogenarians. The
limits are more mental than physical. If someone is sufficiently
mature to make decisions significantly affecting their safety and has
sufficiently good reflexes to make such decisions promptly, then they
probably are of a reasonable age for flying.
Since flying depends more on balance and endurance than on brute
strength, women and men make equally good pilots. While the fraction
varies regionally, about 10 - 15 % of the hang glider pilots in the
US are women.
While pilots of virtually any size can fly, the limits here are mostly
dictated by available equipment. Heavier and lighter pilots require
commensurately bigger and smaller gliders. Since most hang glider
pilots weigh between 90 and 250 lbs, however, it may be difficult to find
equipment appropriate for pilots beyond this range. Specially designed
tandem gliders are available, however, and may be used for extra heavy
pilots. While height per se does not determine who can fly, again,
equipment tends to be most available for those between about 5 and 6.5
feet tall. Harness and glider modifications may be necessary for
individuals outside this range.
C. Do pilots need to be licensed to fly hang gliders ?
Not really, but a program analogous to FAA licensing exists and is
administered by the USHGA (US Hang Gliding Association). This program
consists of a specific set of flying skills corresponding to a series
of pilot proficiency ratings (Beginner through Master) each of which
carries a set of recommended operating limitations. Beginner rated
pilots, for instance, should only fly from hills under 100 ft in height
in mild winds and under the guidance of an instructor. While these
ratings don't carry the force of law in quite the same way as FAA
pilot's licenses do, the majority of flying sites in the US require
that pilots hold some specific USHGA rating to be allowed to fly.
D. How does a student go about learning to fly ?
The USHGA certifies hang gliding instructors and schools. One of the
major reasons hang gliding is safer now than 20 years is this
certification program and all students should thus learn from a
certified instructor. Lists of certified schools can be obtained
from the USHGA at (719) 632-8300, or by posting a request to the hang
gliding mailing list at:
hang-gliding@lists.utah.edu
The time required for training varies considerably with the student's
innate skills and with the type of training conditions. Typically
though, a student will spend 5 - 10 lessons to obtain each of the first
two USHGA pilot ratings (Beginner and Novice) - a process which generally
takes from 3 to 6 months. At the end of this primary training process,
the student is usually flying from moderate altitudes (several hundred
to a few thousand ft) in relatively mild conditions. Progression to more
difficult flying conditions continues from then on under the supervision
of more experienced pilots or USHGA Observers/Advanced Instructors.
E. How much does all this cost ?
If a student goes to a certified school in a large urban area and buys all
new equipment at retail prices, learning to fly can cost $5000+. If one
purchases used equipment, however, this price can easily drop to around
$1000. Whenever used equipment is purchased, however, it is IMPERATIVE
that an experienced pilot familiar with the equipment inspect it thoroughly.
Costs vary a lot, but as of 1995 figure on:
Training through the Novice level: $400 - $1000
Training glider: $400 - $1500 (used)
$2000 - $3500 (new)
Harness: $50 - $300 (used)
$200 - $700 (new)
Parachute: $200 - $300 (used)
$350 - $500 (new)
Helmet: $80 - $300 (new)
Fortunately, this can be purchased in stages. Usually instructors will
provide training equipment as part of their package through the Beginner
rating, but will expect students to obtain their own equipment beyond
this point. Parachutes aren't really useful for altitudes below about
500 ft AGL and thus usually needn't be purchased until reaching the
Novice level.
F. How to get more information:
There is an active mailing list dedicated to hang gliding, paragliding
and related issues. Pilots and other interested parties worldwide
participate and can offer a wealth of information on these topics. To
subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to:
hang-gliding-request@lists.utah.edu
Thereafter, any mail you (or anyone else) sends to:
hang-gliding@lists.utah.edu
will get to all subscribers on the list.
Later,
Fred Vachss
USHGA Advanced Instructor / Examiner
Ventura County, CA
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