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[ hang gliders]
A study of excellence
The hang glider practically reinvented the idea of flying for fun and it remains a hugely satisfying machine to fly. This applies whether you just want to feel like a bird or are determined to break a world record, for this class of machine includes examples which can fly as slow as 25km/h and high-speed variants with a Vne of 120 km/h, capable of flying an ambitious closed circuit of several hundred kilometres.
n the years between its invention in the mid-60s and the i appearance of the paraglider, the hang glider was the only option for those seeking unpowered flight from unregulated launch sites. The classic delta shape originated by Rogallo, with a tubu- lar frame covered in fabric, has always dominated the genre, but right from the start there have been fixed-wing alternatives. Some, like the Fledge, used the same materials but added moveable control surfaces, while others like the Mitchell wing dispensed with tube-and-fabric alto- gether in favour of a rigid wing, which could be folded to simplify trans- port. Nevertheless, the main advances were achieved with the Rogallo: easier to rig, lighter, simpler, more easily available, less expensive and – bit by bit – offering a performance equal to that of a fixed-wing. Hang glider aerobatics: modern The biggest single leap came in 1980 with the famous Comet, the first Rogallo to use a double-surface. wings are remarkably strong. Enclosing the cross-tube made for less drag, and allowed designers to hone the wing section with more battens, a development process which has seen glide ratios rise from 8/1 to 14-15/1 over the last two decades. But the dream of a truly high-performance hang glider had not gone away. The desire to foot-launch a high-performance rigid wing led directly to the creation of the extraordinary Swift, whose sink ratio of 27 at 75km/h is equal to that of 1960s wooden sailplanes and is still without a genuine challenger. This was followed by the fabric-covered rigid-wing with integral leading-edge main spar, such as the Atos VR, which has a sink rate of 20. However, although takeoff is by foot-launch, aero-tow or winch, from flatland or mountain, just like any other hang glider, these performance improvements were asso- ciated with a number of constraints. These proved unappealing to some older pilots, who switched to > Remember! This is an international publication, so all prices exclude ultralights or even paragliders. local and national taxes, eg VAT and Today, the hang glider remains an extraordinary compromise between performance, simplicity and safe- sales tax. > For a full list of abbreviations and ty; in sensible hands, these machines are virtually indestructible. In 2001 Manfred Ruhmer established metric / imperial conversions, see a current distance record of an astonishing 700.4km, saying much about the potential of the flexwing in page 6. > Manufacturers, importers and the hands of a skilled pilot. Aerobatic pilots push these machines into extremes of the flight envelope, to advertisers are indexed at the back of the amazement of onlookers. this publication. In 2008 guise, the rigid-wing hang glider is more user-friendly than before, but with virtually no loss in performance, as typified by Félix Ruehle’s Atos VQ. It is much simpler and faster to rig and derig than ABBREVIATIONS Model Model of aircraft its competition big brother, the standard class glider. WA Wing area, square metres In recent years there has been another development in the shape of three-axis ultra-light sailplanes (1m² = 10.8ft²) such as the Archæoptéryx and XXtherm. However, like all rigid-wing designs, they require a container Cert Certification PW Min/max pilot weight range, or trailer for ground transport. kilograms (1kg = 2.20 lb) Whatever their design, all these gliders have one thing in common: the prone flying position. We should WS Wing span, metres (1m = 3.28ft) NA Nose angle, degrees not be surprised that there are no supine hang gliders in current production, for the bird-like flying posi- AR Aspect ratio tion is the hang glider’s special magic, the thing that keeps the passionate pilot coming back for more. Price Assembled price Noël Bertrand 102 LEISURE AVIATION - DIRECTORY 09hangglider-AN.qxp 30/05/2008 11:51 Page 103
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A-I-R Introduced in 2007, the Atos VQ – Q for Quick – is much quicker to assemble than its predeces-
sors and has also been on a strict diet, such that it now only weighs 40kg. It splits into two parts Atos VQ for transport. None of these changes are detrimental to performance, as was demonstrated in 2008 in Namibia, when the aircraft set a world record in the expert hands of Carlos Pugnet. Its high-performance brother, the VR, remains very much available: it is faster and more efficient and remains the competition pilot’s mount of choice. Most Atos models can be equipped with aluminum A-frames instead of the more expensive carbon.
Model WA Cert PW WS NA AR Price Atos VN 14.1 DHV 90/150 12.8 - 12.1 8 823 € Atos VQ - - -/- 13.35 - - 11 331 € Atos VR 14.7 DHV 90/150 13.74 - 13,3 11 584 € Atos VS 11.8 DHV 83/122 11.4 - 11.8 9 773 € Atos VX Bi 16 DHV 110/222 14 - 12.6 11 109 €
A-I-R Borsigstr.17 • 71277 Rutesheim • GERMANY Tel: +49 (0)7152 351251 • Fax: +49 (0)7152 351252 [email protected] • www.a-i-r.de
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