Weighing only 13 to 14 kilograms, paragliders are more portable than hang gliders, and can be carried up and flown from high mountains. Pilots usually launch the paraglider by running down a gentle slope, which inflates the wing. The direction of the glider is controlled by pulling on the brake handles. This is suspended from the wing by four or five sets of lines, the last of which, the brake lines, are attached to handles. Paragliders do not have a rigid frame the pilot sits in a harness with a back protector. Paragliders, also known as parapentes, differ from hang gliders in that they consist of a simple wing inflated by the air that enters its gills during the launch. Most flying sites are managed by local hang-gliding clubs. Hang gliders are usually launched from hills or cliffs. By shifting weight from side to side he or she can bank and turn the craft leaning forwards makes it descend leaning backwards makes it climb. The pilot is suspended from the glider in a harness at its centre of gravity. The modern hang glider frame is constructed from aluminium with wings of synthetic fabric, has a wing span of about 9.7 metres and weighs between 22 and 32 kilograms. In September 1973 Gerald Nairn, from Wairoa, flew both over and under the Auckland Harbour Bridge, to the consternation of civil aviation authorities. The 1977 Oscar-nominated documentary Off the edge, set in the Southern Alps, encouraged more people to try the sport.Įarly hang glider pilots attempted some risky but spectacular stunts. With the establishment of the New Zealand Hang Gliding Association in 1974, safety regulations for the sport were formulated, and a pilot rating system was introduced in 1976. It quickly became popular, but there was a spate of fatal accidents. Hang gliding began in New Zealand in 1972, when American pilot Jeff Jobe made demonstration flights in the Aoraki/Mt Cook area. The ability to achieve and sustain flight through your own efforts is one of the greatest rewards of these two sports.Īlthough stories of flights in kite-like contraptions date back many centuries, the modern hang glider was invented in 1947 by aeronautical engineer Francis Rogallo, who experimented with flexible wings that would respond to the wind. #First hang glider manualAttached to a wing by a harness, the pilot uses air currents to stay aloft, and body weight or manual controls to change direction. Hang gliding and paragliding provide the simplest introduction to non-powered flying.
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