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Title: Hang Gliding
Source: United States Hang Gliding Association
URL Source: http://www.ushga.org/
Published: Jun 18, 2005
Author: Me
Post Date: 2005-06-18 22:02:12 by timetobuildaboat
Keywords: Gliding, Hang
Views: 368
Comments: 25

Have any of you guys done this or considered learning how? By God I have a burning desire to get up there and soar on the wind. I've looked at Ultra lights but not real keen on the constant drone of the motor. There is a school for hang gliding in Indiana and I have written to the instructer to acertain costs and scheduals, still waiting for his response.

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 25.

#8. To: timetobuildaboat (#0)

Never done hang gliding but I have done cessna's and ultralights. Yes, ultralights can be noisy, but a good radio headset can block a lot of that out. They're also coming out with 4-stroke engines when before when I did it much noisier 2-strokes were the only thing available in small size.

There's one ultralight called a mitchell wing that I'm kind of partial to. Never flown in one but they are tailless wings with an under carriage you sit and and on which a small engine is mounted. They boast a 16-1 glide ratio which is unheard of for an ultralight, and supposedly you can soar in them as a sailplane.

http://www.mitchellwing.com/

The designer of the wing was the same guy who designed the flying wing bomber for the air force back in the 50's. That didn't take off, so to speak, perhaps because the tailless design is not given well to high speeds.

Generally speaking, flying is safe, but it does require caution. Be smart about what you jump into and know the risks, and always leave yourself more than a couple options at all times. Never let that number drop to one.

Neil McIver  posted on  2005-06-18   23:12:08 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

There's one ultralight called a mitchell wing that I'm kind of partial to.

The Mitchel Wings were out when I was doing the sport. But they weren't powered then. They were the ultimate flyers at the time. The problem, as I mentioned above, was that they were hard to repair. At the time they were made of plywood ribs and foam. They sort if exploded on impact. If you clipped a tree you had a big job putting things back together. My guess is these are now foam core and fiberglass. This is probably a little better.

crack monkey  posted on  2005-06-18   23:15:52 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

The problem, as I mentioned above, was that they were hard to repair. At the time they were made of plywood ribs and foam.

Ahh.... didn't see that comment. Yes, they go back to glider only form.

I've seen conversations debating whether a metal or wood wing is better. Some are saying wood wings are much easier to repair. I guess mainly because you can glue wood back together.

Neil McIver  posted on  2005-06-19   0:21:20 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I've seen conversations debating whether a metal or wood wing is better. Some are saying wood wings are much easier to repair. I guess mainly because you can glue wood back together.

If the wing is powered I would thing either would be OK. You're not nearly as likely to bang up a powered wing. The power allows you to decide when and where you will set it down and lets you go around on a botched approach.

The unpowered kites were the ones that were always landing in the Chaparel or clipping fences and trees. These have to be easy to repair as there is a 100% probability that they will get banged up.

crack monkey  posted on  2005-06-19   20:52:37 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

To heck with all of that "hang glider" nonsense. Try a L'il Buzzard instead. Way more stable, way more useful, way more comfortable. They use them in Canada all day long. I'm not sure what the U.S. laws are concerning them.

Elliott Jackalope  posted on  2005-06-19   20:57:56 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I'm not sure what the U.S. laws are concerning them.

I'm thinking of building something like that when I retire. I'm not sure what. It's something I've wanted to do all my life. Rutan's Veri-Eze is another good one. I have a friend who built Rutan's other small plane, the single seater with the two little wheels on the cannard. Can't remember what you call it. He cut it out of foam with a hot wire and some templates. Glued it together and fiberglassed it. Took him a couple of years.

The kit maker is free from liability if you build 51% - I think this is the figure. Hence, these kits are designed so the last 51% is easy. The problem is that once you're finished the aircraft is an experimental aircraft. This really limits what you can do with it. It takes years to get it out of this category if you can do it at all.

I looked at the brochures for a Pitts Special. This looks doable. You might finish it in five years if you had a lot of time to work on it. It has welded fusalage and wing frames, but the rest is wood and fabric. Here you would have a much more enjoyable aircraft. There is even a two seater version. The engine seems to cost around $30K however - at a minimum - and this is a choking point.

crack monkey  posted on  2005-06-19   21:59:20 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

The kit maker is free from liability if you build 51%

Don't know about liability, but I believe that's the magic percentage for experimental designation, at least. And I think a federally certified guru has to inspect your construction at various points during build to give it the experimental signoff as well.

Neil McIver  posted on  2005-06-19   22:22:39 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Don't know about liability

It's liability. I don't know exactly how the cases have evolved, but that is the reason there are no cheap and ready to fly light planes sold in the US. Only kits. I'm not certain, but I don't even think the small Cessnas and such are being made anymore.

People have been lobbying for an exemption for light, sport aircraft but it isn't here yet.

There are catalogs with the available kits and plans. You can build some pretty sophisticated small planes. There are usually communities to help you. The advantage of the ultralights is that they go together quickly. The disadvantage is that they are slow and underpowered and not really good for cross country travel. I think if you built an ultralight you'd buzz the field a few times and then realize you needed a real airplane.

I think Rutan's Veri-eze is the best compromise between time of contstruction and performance. The two seater Long-eze variant might be best. Here you could have a fully instrumented airplane that could travel around 125 - 150 mph.

crack monkey  posted on  2005-06-19   22:44:29 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

I'm not certain, but I don't even think the small Cessnas and such are being made anymore.

I think they did stop building them in the 70's when lawsuits were getting popular, but that they resumed making them when Clinton signed something into law limiting manufacturer liability.

There are quite a few kits on the market for planes that fly substantially faster and on substantially less fuel than the cessna's do with their continental engines. I toyed with the idea of getting one about 10 years ago and got a few video's and info kits. A Canadian company made a Pelican aircraft I remember as being a good looking one. Two seater highwing tricycle gear, composite construction. All you need is 25-30K and a year or three.

Rutan has of course made some good ones. One of them has a 2000 mile range. That might be the EZ. Unfortunately John Denver's crash in one raised a bit of a safety question.

Neil McIver  posted on  2005-06-20   0:32:25 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

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