Hang gliding

Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorized foot-launch aerospace craft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered with synthetic sailcloth to form a wing. The pilot is ensconced in a harness suspended from the airframe, and exercises control by shifting body weight in opposition to a control frame.

In the sport's early days, pilots were restricted to gliding down small hills on low-performance hang gliders with a low Lift-to-drag ratio. In the 1980s, this ratio significantly improved. Since then, pilots can soar for hours, gain thousands of metres of altitude in thermal updrafts, perform aerobatics, and glide cross-country for hundreds of kilometres. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and national airspace governing organizations control some regulatory aspects of hang gliding. Obtaining the safety benefits of being instructed is highly recommended.

History