If you are a person who has always had the desire to fly, hang gliding may be what you are looking for to face the challenge and feel the experience of your dreams. There are different reasons why people may be interested in flying, ranging from the fact that it is a simple hobby, to the need to practice it professionally, to a sporadic act where you feel the fusion with nature and with the air, flying totally free like birds. If you have always wanted to feel the feeling most similar to that of a flying bird, there is no doubt that flying in hang gliding is one of the best options available, so in this article we want to talk about this modality and about the experience you can feel inside.
WHAT IS HANGLIDING?
A hang glider is a glider that can be transported, taken off and landed using only the pilot’s legs. In this way, it is a sport in which you must make the most of the different updrafts of the air. It also uses the same principles as any other aircraft, so we can see a wing supported by the main structure, where the pilot is suspended by means of a harness and in a lying position. Taking all this into account, it is clear that of all the inventions that can help man to fly, even for a moment, hang gliding represents one of the greatest personal challenges that anyone can face. This sport allows the pilot to feel great freedom when he is in the air. It is a glider that is made up of two different types of wings: rigid or flexible. The flexible wings of the hang glider are usually the most used internationally, since these do not have a very high cost and have a composition based on aluminum tubes or carbon fiber for aviation. These are joined together by braided steel cables and some screws, revenges and nuts, so that the hang glider is well configured. The entire structure is covered by the sail, which is responsible for allowing the pilot to plan and live one of the best experiences of his life.
HOW TO FLY ON A HANG-GLIDER?
As mentioned above, hang-gliding starts on foot, from a hill or mountain, which causes the descent of the sail to fill with air to form a chamber with sufficient lifting power to reduce the descent when hang-gliding. For a team to be considered as a hang-glider, it is necessary to be able to demonstrate that it can take off and land in complete safety and with a headwind speed equal to or less than 1m/s. When the hang-glider flies in an updraft, the pilot must make the most of it to stay in the air for a long time, during which he can perform a large number of aerobatics. The hang-glider can reach a greater altitude thanks to thermal air masses, which are hot air bubbles created when the sun heats the ground. In this way, it is important to remember that the hang glider can only fly if there is an air flow passing through its surface, which gives it enough speed so that it can maintain an angle with that air flow. This angle is called the “angle of incidence” and is of great importance for the free flight technique in hang gliding. The hang glider is not capable of developing a speed of more than 80 km / h, in addition taking into account the climate and geography of the place from which the practice takes place.
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF HANG FLYING ACCORDING TO FAI
Let’s now see the different categories of hang gliding that are available:
HANG GLIDER CLASS 1
This class of hang gliders has a “flexible” primary rigid structure, where the pilot is responsible for exercising control of the displacement with his weight. In this type of hang gliders, secondary controls for adjustment and regulation are allowed as long as they are operated symmetrically in both planes. The candle they have is made of fabrics made of plastics that are extremely resistant to erosion, wear and the stresses generated when folding.
CLASS 2 HANG GLIDER
The Class 2 Delta Wing has a rigid primary structure that also has mobile aerodynamic surfaces to be able to control it on any axis. This class of wing has a higher rigidity compared to Class 1, therefore it has a higher price. Within this class you will find the Swift, which have only been on the market for a short time but have gained great popularity. Now you know what it is made of
