DexterHang Gliding – An Introduction
May 17th 2008 00:02
Natures Flight
The Silent View
Yesterdays post on Fusion Man’s pioneering the jet wing triggered awareness that I had failed to do an introduction to the sport of Hang Gliding. Growing up on Sydney’s Northern beaches a familiar sight each weekend was witnessing daring thrill seekers launching themselves off the many high peninsulas that the area is blessed with.
The concept of hang Gliding is simple, practitioners achieve sustained flight using the thermal wind and body movement within a harness to manipulate the direction or altitude of a large canvas wing.
Conquering Everest
The idea of Hang Gliding is one of the oldest extreme sports. According to wikipedia there is evidence of rudimentary gliders as far back as 875AD! Of course these early daredevils knew little of aerodynamics and nothing about what the Wright Brothers would achieve thousands of years later.
Modern hang gliding technology is believed to have started development in the 1880’s with German designer Otto Lilienthal leading the way. The model that now forms the foundation for what we consider the fundamental motorless wing came in the 1950’s. From Wikipedia:
“In 1951 Francis Rogallo and Gertrude Rogallo applied for a patent for a fully flexible wing, the flexible wing or Rogallo wing, which in 1957 the American space agency NASA began testing in various flexible and semi-rigid configurations in order to use it as a recovery system for the Gemini space capsules.”
Just don't look down
In this era of increased environmental awareness this clean form of air travel and recreation seems more attractive than ever. Popularity soared in the 1970’s and the technologies of the sport have been inspirational in evolving greener concepts of aeronautical travel.
Video 1 - Bill Heaner performs extreme Hang Gliding Aerobatics
Video 2 - Some intense risk taking Hang Glider ridge racing action
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