Glider license hours?

[DKjens]

Have you considered hang gliding? I was an avid hang glider pilot from '89 to '96, but conditions are very close to perfect for that hobby here in Southern California. I preferred thermal flying much better than ridge lift, the more unstable air the better he he. I did run into one glider pilot one summer up in Owens Valley, who was giving hang gliding a chance. He only did that one XC flight, then he went back to gliders. Something about the delay in control with weight shift gliders he couldn't get used to he he. I would love to fly gliders, but there's also something to be said about hanging under a flex wing at 17,999' having some 2-3 miles between you belly and the ground he he.

[Toro]

god bless balistic chutes.... Wills Wing forever brother !!! Made locally here in Orange California

[GremlinX]

No way would I ever consider hang gliders. I have no desire for that at all! I do not have the testiclidos for that stuff! Too many of them get hurt or killed. Thats the motocross of flying...

[DKjens]

Toro, wuzzzzz, if your hand thrown chute doesn't open you're not falling fast enough to get really hurt he he. I've never had to use my chute, and I'm greatfull for that.

Actually hang gliders have become quite safe, it's the pilots who make bad decissions, when somebody gets hurt, just like with everything else. Yes, the first "Rogallos" that the pioneers built in their garages and towed behind speed boats etc., they were death traps. But hang gliders, since the mid eighties, more or less, have been very safe. Nine out of ten times when you read, or used to read, that some guy got killed or hurt in one of these, it was because the idiot thought he could fly it without instructions. Hang gliders are actually stable aircrafts, they have wingtip wash out that gives it great pitch stability, and the delta angle of the leading edge gives it decent yaw stability. The whole flex wing design gives it roll stability. There are a couple of gliders, the Swift which is a glass wing and the more expensive, and the Predator, which is an aluminum/carbon/mylar wing, that are controlled from a reclined seated position with a joy stick that control ailerons, rudders and they have flaps. I always wanted one of these when I was into the sport, but I never had the $10-15k it required.

If I weighed 50 lbs less than I do, I would probably have attempted to build a Carbon Dragon.

Toro, if you go again and you need about 220 lbs in the nose, give me a shout, I'd love to be that weight he he.

[GremlinX]

	Quote: Originally Posted by DKjens
	Toro, wuzzzzz, if your hand thrown chute doesn't open you're not falling fast enough to get really hurt he he. I've never had to use my chute, and I'm greatfull for that. Actually hang gliders have become quite safe, it's the pilots who make bad decissions, when somebody gets hurt, just like with everything else. Yes, the first "Rogallos" that the pioneers built in their garages and towed behind speed boats etc., they were death traps. But hang gliders, since the mid eighties, more or less, have been very safe. Nine out of ten times when you read, or used to read, that some guy got killed or hurt in one of these, it was because the idiot thought he could fly it without instructions. Hang gliders are actually stable aircrafts, they have wingtip wash out that gives it great pitch stability, and the delta angle of the leading edge gives it decent yaw stability. The whole flex wing design gives it roll stability. There are a couple of gliders, the Swift which is a glass wing and the more expensive, and the Predator, which is an aluminum/carbon/mylar wing, that are controlled from a reclined seated position with a joy stick that control ailerons, rudders and they have flaps. I always wanted one of these when I was into the sport, but I never had the $10-15k it required. If I weighed 50 lbs less than I do, I would probably have attempted to build a Carbon Dragon. Toro, if you go again and you need about 220 lbs in the nose, give me a shout, I'd love to be that weight he he.

You've done it, and I have not. So, what I am about to say is not very credible. Guys that ride Donorcycles on the street also say it is safer than you think and that only idiots get hurt. I've lost too many friends on them. I think it's the same mentality personally...

[pitviper51]

i would say hangglider would be safer then a paraglider.. no chute to fold up with no warning... i would still much rather be seated.... and stick and rudder control.... i visited a ridge launch site for hanger and paragliders,, was so cool watching them buzz the top of the hill hahah
mike

[GremlinX]

I want to eventually get into powered flight when I can afford it. A paraglider or hang glider shares nothing in common as far as controls and intuitive controls go...

[pitviper51]

your right aboutthe control of the para/hang gliders,, however they do get ya closer to being a bird then sailplanes will.. but i still like my stick/ rudder hehe not to forget flying laying on my stomach would not be fun..
mike

[DKjens]

	Quote: Originally Posted by GremlinX
	You've done it, and I have not. So, what I am about to say is not very credible. Guys that ride Donorcycles on the street also say it is safer than you think and that only idiots get hurt. I've lost too many friends on them. I think it's the same mentality personally...

There is a world of difference between flying hang gliders or paragliders and riding 'donorcycles' on public roads. Donorcycles are to some degree also as safe as the the rider makes them, but you have all the other motorists to deal with, and they are usually the most dangerous part of riding a 'donorcycle' on public roads.

Flying a hang glider/paraglider, you don't 'run into' peers in the air, unless you're extremely careless. Flying HG/PG is like all other sort of flying, it takes a minimum amount of preparation as well as a little foresight into weather conditions, and it asks that you make the right dicissions.

I tryed paragliding after getting out of hang gliding, but I had a hard time getting used to the different position, the pendulum effect, the low flight speed, the soft canopy, you name it he he. Hang gliders and paragliders have differences just like fixed wing and gyros have big opposites. We all know that when approaching stalling in a fixed wing you push the nose down to gain airspeed over the wings. In a gyro you pull the nose up when approaching stall. In a hang glider, flying fast makes for a more stable platform, in a paraglider flying slow, on the brakes, makes for a more stable platform.

One thing can be said about crashing in any airborne vehicle and that is that chances of surviving is far greater in a hang glider/paraglider than in a sleek glider or motorized airplane, the impact velocity is simply not nearly as great.

I still have a hang glider in Europe, one here at home and two paragliders, if somebody is interested in aquiring any equipment cheap. I also have a really nice Flytek flight instrument.

I have some film from my first flight in Owens Valley, I should put that on wmv and post.

[pitviper51]

great insight, lets see the vid!
mike