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Wills
Wing Articles About Hang Gliding &
Paragliding
Wills Wing publishes
a library of relevant documents pertainig
to the sport of hang gliding and paragliding.
In addition to articles written by the current
staff of Wills Wing, and glider or product
reviews, we will also be publishing relevant
safety and technical articles from older hang
gliding publications.
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A Brief History Of Hang Gliding, Paragliding, and Wills Wing
Aerobatics in Hang Gliders: Understanding Operating Limitations
Aerotow Release Attachment Points for Wills Wing Gliders
Attaching A Trike, Mosquito or Other Power System To A Wills Wing Hang Glider
Battens - How To Order Them
Comparative Analysis of LTF and HGMA Airworthiness Standards for Hang Gliders
Controlling Roll/Yaw Oscillations on Flex Wing Hang Gliders
Covert Parachute Installation Process
Falcon Basetubes Not Interchangeable
Free Flight Enterprises PDA Parachute Specifications
Hang Glider Design and Performance
Hang Glider Placard Specifications
HGMA Certified Wills Wing Gliders
How To Choose Your First Glider
How To Get The Right Hang Height
Is This The Right Glider For Me?
Lessons Learned – Equipment Maintenance
Parachute and Harness Care
Pitch Stability & Center of Mass Location
Polar Data For Wills Wing Hang Gliders
Reflex Bridle Adjustment and Maintaining Pitch Stability
Sailcloth Options -- Construction, Performance and Durability
Scooter Towing, an Easy Way To Learn To FLY!
Slipstream Downtubes/Control Bars: FAQ
Slipstream Downtubes: Wind Tunnel Test Results
The Story of the Design and Development of the Fusion
Warning - Unsafe Flying Conditions Ahead
When Will I Get My Hang Glider?
Why Can't We Get A Handle On This Safety Thing?
Wills Wing Winglets Q&A
WW Z Harness History
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A Brief History Of Hang Gliding, Paragliding, and Wills Wing
by Mike Meier
The history of hang gliding - which is the history of flight itself - from Lilienthal up to modern times. Includes the history of Wills Wing and recent developments in the sport, like paragliding.
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Aerobatics in Hang Gliders: Understanding Operating Limitations
by Mike Meier
A discussion of the concept of "operating limitations" as they apply to hang gliders, how such limitations are determined, how hang gliders are tested, and recommendations concerning performing aerobatic maneuvers with hang gliders.
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Aerotow Release Attachment Points for Wills Wing Gliders
by Rob Kells
Discussion of locations and methods for attaching the upper tow line to a current production Wills Wing hang glider when Aerotowing using a system with one attachment point at the pilot's shoulders and the other on the keel of the glider.
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Attaching A Trike, Mosquito or Other Power System To A Wills Wing Hang Glider
by Mike Meier
We often get questions and requests for technical support from pilots who are interested in attaching some form of motor system to one of our hang gliders. This article is intended to provide pilots with answers to their questions, to the best of our ability.
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Battens - How To Order Them
by Mike Meier
Guidelines for avoiding mistakes when ordering battens
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Comparative Analysis of LTF and HGMA Airworthiness Standards for Hang Gliders
by Mike Meier
The LTF and HGMA Airworthiness Standards for Hang Gliders represent two similar, though slightly different approaches to setting forth a definition of how to describe and test for airworthiness in hang gliders.
The purpose of this document is to compare the two standards to one another, and in so doing, to determine whether one standard or the other represents a significantly more effective way to define and test for hang glider airworthiness.
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Controlling Roll/Yaw Oscillations on Flex Wing Hang Gliders
by Mike Meier
Discussion of causes and remedies for a common flying situation.
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Covert Parachute Installation Process
by Jeff Shapiro
The purpose of this description is to detail the methods needed to properly install a parachute into your new Wills Wing Covert harness.
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Falcon Basetubes Not Interchangeable
by Mike Meier
Description of why Falcon 3 basetubes are not to be used with Falcon 1/Falcon 2 gliders due to different basetube lengths.
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Free Flight Enterprises PDA Parachute Specifications
by Wills Wing Support
Free Flight Enterprises PDA parachute specifications provided for reference.
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Hang Glider Design and Performance
by Paul Dees
An introduction to the aerodynamics of hang gliders, by Paul Dees of Boeing Commercial Arplanes.
This article is available only as a PDF file.
Originally presented and published at the 10th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference, 13 - 15 September 2010, Fort Worth, Texas.
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Hang Glider Placard Specifications
by Wills Wing Support
Hook-in weight ranges, operating limitations, as listed on our hang glider placards, for both current and non-current Wills Wing hang gliders. (Imperial and Metric units)
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HGMA Certified Wills Wing Gliders
by Wills Wing Support
A listing of Wills Wing glider models and their HGMA Certification dates.
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How To Choose Your First Glider
by Mike Meier
An Overview of the Decisions That Need to be Considered When Choosing One's First Glider
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How To Get The Right Hang Height
by Mike Meier
Discussion of hang height and hang angle with instructions for finding your desired hang height and properly specifying and ordering a custom hang loop. Notes on mains length with respect to WW Standard, DHV Standard, and Rotor harnesses.
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Is This The Right Glider For Me?
by Mike Meier
An overview of our hang glider line with short descriptions of each model and the types of pilots, flight parameters and conditions for which they are intended.
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Lessons Learned – Equipment Maintenance
by Mike Meier
Short article stressing the importance of inspection and maintenance of aircraft, even something as simple and reliable as a Wills Wing hang glider. Makes particular reference to preflighting 1/8" and 3/32" cables.
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Parachute and Harness Care
by Rob Kells
A comprehensive overview of hang glider and paraglider reserve parachute care and harness maintenance, based on Rob's outline for his popular seminars on the subject.
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Pitch Stability & Center of Mass Location
by Mike Meier
This article appeared in the December 1997 issue of Hang Gliding magazine as a sidebar to the article Reflex Bridle Adjustment and Maintaining Pitch Stability
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Polar Data For Wills Wing Hang Gliders
by Mike Meier
A brief discussion of issues relating to measurement and comparison of hang glider glide polars and a chart and tables for various Wills Wing hang gliders.
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Reflex Bridle Adjustment and Maintaining Pitch Stability
by Mike Meier
Reflex Bridles (luff lines) are an integral part of the stability systems of kingposted hang gliders. These systems don't generally require tuning or maintenance, but over the long term the effects of age and UV exposure on the sail can render the bridles ineffective unless adjusted. This article describes the problem, which applies to virtually all kingposted gliders (at least those made by Wills wing), and tells how to inspect and adjust the reflex bridles so that they can perform the intended purpose if needed.
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Sailcloth Options -- Construction, Performance and Durability
by Steven Pearson
A discussion of Dacron, PX laminates and UVM laminates and their application as hang glider sail material.
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Scooter Towing, an Easy Way To Learn To FLY!
by Rob Kells
Rob discusses Scooter Towing, a newly popular method for teaching hang gliding. A stationary, low-powered scooter, with a reel of rope in place of the rear wheel, is used to tow a student and hang glider at low speeds over flat ground. The advantages over doing the early parts of pilot training on a low hill are numerous, and include being able to train whatever the wind direction, low stress, low fatigue and lots of quick practice to reinforce skills.
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Slipstream Downtubes/Control Bars: FAQ
by Mike Meier
Description of Wills Wing Slipstream and Carbon Competition Performance Streamlined Control Bars, including application guide, requirements, and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Slipstream Downtubes: Wind Tunnel Test Results
by Dr.-Ing. Werner Würz, Translated by Carsten Friedrichs
Answers to frequently asked questions and results and explanation of wind tunnel tests on various hang glider downtube designs. The tests were conducted by Rüdiger Keck, with the authorization and supervision of Dr.-Ing. Werner Würz, and with the assistance of Carsten Friedrichs, using the facilities of the University of Stuttgart, Germany.
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The Story of the Design and Development of the Fusion
by Steve Pearson
Wills Wing Designer Steve Pearson wrote this article about the development of the Fusion hang glider in 1997 for "Hang Gliding" magazine. The article is a good overview of the processes of modern glider design, the design challenges, and how solutions to those challenges are developed.
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Warning - Unsafe Flying Conditions Ahead
by Mike Meier
The newer paragliding designs are more stable and user-friendly than ever, which is great. The flying community needs to be careful that these advances don't lead pilots into taking their aircraft into correspondingly unsafe situations or conditions. There are lessons for paraglider pilots to learn form the early years of hang gliding.
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When Will I Get My Hang Glider?
by Mike Meier
Answers to some frequently asked questions on hang glider orders and estimated delivery dates.
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Why Can't We Get A Handle On This Safety Thing?
by Mike Meier
An exploration of why overall pilot safety statistics don't seem to change. Mike theorizes that over time our perception of "acceptable risk" gets lower and lower because repeated success with less than "100% safe" decisions changes our definition of "100% safe".
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Wills Wing Winglets Q&A
by Wills Wing Service Dept.
A brief description and discussion of the accessory winglets that were designed for the XC, Fusion, and UltraSport hang gliders.
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WW Z Harness History
by Gene Atkins
A brief summary of the various Z series hang gliding harnesses Wills Wing has made over the years.
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