![]() Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) created pilot proficiency ratings to measure and monitor the experience and skill-level of pilots. Today’s designs allow pilots to control and change the tension of the sail during flight, making flying much safer and flights longer and higher.Īs the hang gliding population grew, the sport became organized. In 1980, the free-floating internalized crossbar was introduced, along with double-surface sail construction. The slack sails and seated harness of the Rogallo model have been replaced with drum-tight Dacron sails, prone body position, and a heavier rig made of high-tech aircraft quality aluminum and stainless steel cables. Since then, hang glider design has gone through dramatic changes. Not surprisingly, this was also a time of serious accidents. All you needed to make a “rigid wing” hang glider was a few hundred dollars, a sewing machine, a double layer of sailcloth, a pattern to follow, and some aluminum tubing. By the 1970s, some people were building them at home. It wasn’t until the 1960s, though, that more recreation-minded individuals like aeronautics engineer, Barry Palmer, and Australian enthusiast, John Dickenson, began modifying and testing variations of the Rogallo wing for hang glider use. ![]() The technology that finally made hang gliding possible was developed in1948, when NASA engineer Francis Rogallo invented the self-inflating “Rogallo wing” as part of a spacecraft recovery system. Although he made over 2,000 test flights, his gliding career ended in disaster when, in 1896, he crashed from 56 feet in the air, breaking his spine. Hang gliding has come a long way since the 1890s when Germany’s Otto Lilienthal designed, built, and tested his series of gliders. ![]() ![]() Ballpark Estimate: $5,500 to $7,000 (lessons and new gear) ![]()
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