Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminum or composite frame with a fabric wing. Pilots usually control the aircraft by shifting body weight, but other devices, including modern aircraft flight control systems, may be used. The pilot wears a harness and is hung beneath a lifting wing by flexible straps.

In the sport's early days, pilots were restricted to gliding down small hills on low-performance hang gliders. However, modern technology gives pilots the ability to soar for hours, gain thousands of feet of altitude in thermal updrafts, perform aerobatics, and fly cross-country for hundreds of miles. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and national airspace governing organizations control some aspects of hang gliding.

Contents

Show All>>

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Fri Aug 7 06:36:14 2009. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
'Hang Gliding' News
Paragliding, Waderio win in Dandi-Biyo - Republica
news.google.com
Paragliding, Waderio win in Dandi-Biyo

Republica

kathmandu, June 8: Nepal Paragliding and Hanggliding Association and Nepal Waderio Karate Do Ranmai Association won their respective matches in the First ...



and more »
Google News Search: Hang Gliding,
Sat Jul 4 01:52:00 2009
[Hide]▲