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Hang Gliding Training Manual
Table of Contents


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PREFACE

PART I - BEGINNER SKILLS

CHAPTER 1 - THE STORY OF HANG GLIDING

HANG GLIDING AND YOU
Fear and Danger...Getting Started...Organizations

THE TIMELESS DREAM
Those Legendary Greeks...The Genius of da Vinci...Success at Last...Powered Flight...Back to Basics...The Birth of Modern Hang Gliding...The Fever Catches on

HOW DO THEY DO THAT

CHAPTER 2 - THE FLYING EQUIPMENT

THE RIGHT WING
Every Part Has a Name...Hang Glider Construction...Setting up...Preflight Inspection...
Performing a Preflight...Putting Your Wings Away...Transporting a Glider...Storing a glider

THE HANG GLIDING HARNESS
Harness Construction

OTHER IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT
Helmet...Wheels...Airspeed Indicator

CHAPTER 3 - WHY IT FLIES

CREATING LIFT
The Airfoil...Lift and Drag

THE PULL OF GRAVITY
Angle of Attack

THE BALANCING ACT
Trim Speed...Flight Control...Glider Stability...Pitch Stability...Roll Stability...Yaw stability

PERFORMANCE PERCEPTIONS
Good Handling...Minimum Sink Rate...Best Glide Ratio...Best Glide and Minimum Sink Comparisons...Stalls

THE SPEEDS OF A GLIDER
Cardinal Speeds...Airspeed, Groundspeed and Windspeed

CHAPTER 4 - FIRST FLIGHTS

PREPARING TO BE A PILOT
Physical Effort...Mental Preparation...At the Site...Watching the Wind

GROUND HANDLING
Wind Sense...Lifting a Glider...Controlling Pitch...Controlling Roll...Carrying a Glider...Parking a Glider...Ground Handling Tricks

RUNNING THE GLIDER
Warming up...Directing Your Vision...Floating the Glider--Unhooked...The Hang Check...Hook-in Check...Floating the Glider--Hooked in

THE DECISIVE TAKEOFF
The Gravity Run...Simulator Time...Instructor's Input...Into the Air...Imaging...Repetition, Repetition, Repetition...Troubleshooting

LEVEL FLIGHT
Body Positioning in Flight...Flying Speeds...Stall Warnings...Airspeed Control...Troubleshooting Level Flight

COURSE CORRECTIONS
Pendulum Action...Bump Turn Corrections

LANDING LIGHTLY
The Setup...The Perfect Flare...Flare Timing...Troubleshooting Landings

THE END OF THE DAY
Keeping Records

TANDEM FLYING AS A STUDENT

TOWING AS A STUDENT

BEGINNING FLIGHT CHECKLIST

RECOMMENDED OPERATING LIMITATIONS FOR BEGINNERS


PART II - NOVICE SKILLS

CHAPTER 5 - THE AIR AROUND US

A NOTE TO THE BEGINNING PILOT
Limits

THE EFFECTS OF MOVING AIR
Wind Causes...Upslope and Downslope Winds...Wonder Winds...The Sea Breeze...Other Circulations

JUDGING CONDITIONS
Wind Strength...Wind Direction...Wind and Turbulence

TURBULENCE TYPES
Mechanical Turbulence...Rotors...Thermal Turbulence...Shear Turbulence...Wing Tip Vortices...Watching the Wind

LIFTING AIR
Slope or Ridge Lift...Thermal Lift...Convergence Lift...Wave Lift

THE AIR YOU FLY IN
The Density Effect...Pressure Effect...The Temperature Effect...Stability...Thermal Production

CLOUDS
Cloud Causes...Cloud Types

GENERAL WEATHER
Circulation...Air Masses...Fronts--Cold and Warm...Pressure Systems...Circulation Around Pressure Systems

OBTAINING WEATHER INFORMATION

RISK MANAGEMENT

CHAPTER 6 - LEARNING NOVICE SKILLS

LEARNING TO FLY PRONE
Orientation...Going Prone...When to Go Prone...Flying Seated

SPEED CONTROL
Fast Flight...Zooming...Roll Oscillations...Flying Slower...Glide Control

PERFORMING TURNS
Understanding Turns...Maximum Efficiency Turns...Proper Roll Control...Practicing Turns...Pitching a Curve...Linked Turns...Turn Limits...Rolling in...Rolling out...Turn Timing...Turn Problems...Turn Variations

FLYING IN MORE WIND
Ground Handling...Wind Effects...Wind Limits...Penetration...Control Problems--Flying in Turbulence...Wind Gradient...Upwind Turn in a Gradient...Downwind Turn in a Gradient...Turns in Wind

FLYING HIGHER
High Flight Preparation...The Site...The Conditions...Dive Syndrome...Flight Judgement...Judging Glide Point...Judging Obstacle Clearance...Windows in the Sky...Planning a Flight...Flying at Altitude

STALL PRACTICE
Stalls and Control

TOWING SOLO
Air-to-Air Towing...Platform Towing...Static Line and Winch Towing

JUDGEMENT
Risk Management

NOVICE FLIGHT CHECKLIST

RECOMMENDED OPERATING LIMITS FOR NOVICES

CHAPTER 7 - PERFECTING LANDINGS

FROM FINAL TO FLARE
The Four Phase Final...Landing Positions...Troubleshooting Landings...Nosing in on Landing...Wind Gradient...Ground Effect

LANDING SETUPS
The Figure Eight Setup...Judging Final Height...Preventing Approach Problems...The Aircraft Pattern...Entering the DBF--Staging Areas...Boxing the Field...Learning the DBF...Landing Setup Rules

LANDING VARIATIONS
Wind Factors...Landing on Slopes...Landing in Varies Ground Cover...Landing in Traffic

CHAPTER 8 - PERFECTING TAKEOFFS

TAKEOFF PERFECTION
Takeoff Skills...Solving Launch Problems

HOLDING THE CONTROL BAR
The Bottle Grip...The Grapevine Grip
LAUNCH VARIETY
Wind Factors...Wire Assisted Launch--as Crew...Wire Assisted Launch--as Pilot...Launching From Various Slopes...Ramp Launches...Rough Terrain


PART III - INTERMEDIATE SKILLS

CHAPTER 9 - RULES TO LIVE BY

RULES TO LIVE BY
Launching Rules...In-Flight Rules...Landing Rules

THE ANNUAL PILOT REVIEW
APR Practice Flights...APR Critique Factors

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Airsickness...Harness and Helmet Problems...Tree Landing...Power Lines...Still Water Landings...Surf and Moving Water Landings...Failure to Hook in...Parachute Deployment

COURTESY RULES

RIGHT-OF-WAY RULES
General Traffic Rules...Soaring Rules

FEDERAL AVIATION RULES
Aplicability...Inspection Requirements...Waivers and Certificates...Hazardous Operations...Daylight Operations...Right-of-Way Rules...Congested Areas...Operation in Controlled Airspace...Visual Reference With the Surface and Cloud Clearance...Notams

CHAPTER 10 - MORE ABOUT EQUIPMENT

ALL ABOUT GLIDERS
Tubing... Cables and Fittings...Sails...Washing a Glider...Salt Water...Folding and Storing...Sunlight Damage

GLIDER MAINTENANCE
Every Month or Ten Flights...Every Six Months or One Year...Every One to Two Years...Damage Control

GLIDER REPAIR
Batten Bending... Broken Battens...Torn Batten Pockets...Folded or Wrinkled Mylar...Replacing Downtubes...Tubing Repairs

TRIMMING YOUR WINGS
Trimming for Speed...Removing a Turn

BUYING YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT
New or Used...What to Look for...Inpecting a Glider...Test Flying and Transitioning...Customizing Your Wings...Small People

HANG STRAPS
The Ideal Hang Strap...The Proper Length

HANG GLIDING KNOTS
The Overhand Knot...Waterman's Knot...The Grapevine...The Bowline...Half Hitches...Cargo Knots...Rolling Hitches...Shoelaces

YOUR NEW HARNESS
Selecting a Harness...The Hook-up...Adjusting a Harness...Flying a New Harness...Harness Care

PARACHUTES
Parachute Types...Parachute Care and Function

INSTRUMENTS
The Variometer...Altimeters...The Airspeed Indicator

CHAPTER 11 - HOW OUR WINGS WORK

PERFORMANCE FACTORS
The Airfoil...Lift and Drag...Drag Types...Wing Loading Effects...Design Effects

HANG GLIDER STABILITY
Stability Types...How Pitch Stability Works

HANG GLIDER STALLS
Stall Progression...Stalls in a Turn...Stalls Attitudes

TURN EFFECTS
How a Turn Works...Turn Limits

CHAPTER 12 - INTERMEDIATE FLIGHT SKILLS

YOU, THE PILOT
Recurrent Training...Decision Making...Fear of Flight...The Intermediate Syndrome

MORE TURN SKILLS
The 360...Diving Turns...Precision Flying...Soaring Turns...Using a VG

STALL PRACTICE
Turn Stalls...Straight Ahead Stalls

FLYING NEW SITES
Judging Safety...Flight Procedures...Model Behavior

FLYING IN TRAFFIC
Turns in Traffic...Judging Traffic

LEARNING TO SOAR
The Story of Soaring...Soaring Qualifications...Ridge Soaring Steps...Crabbing on a Ridge...Soaring Launches...Ridge Soaring Problems...Ridge Soaring Rules...Ridge Soaring Lore...Crossing Gaps

LANDING ON TOP
Safe Top Landings...The Crosswind Top Landing Approach...The Downwind Top Landing Approach

THERMAL SOARING
What is a Thermal...Thermal Soaring Qualifications...Learning to thermal...Using a Variometer...Where to Find Thermals...Thermal Safety...Cloud Suck

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Photos in Flight

APPENDIX I - ADDRESSES

APPENDIX II - SOARING CERTIFICATE

APPENDIX III - TEST STUDY GUIDES

TERMS USED IN HANG GLIDING

INDEX


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