is it a good idea to design make and fly your own hang glider off a mountain?

Question

i cant afford to buy one but ive found some info on how to make one but how will i know if it works for the first flight

Answer 1

Definitely not.



The reason is that a badly designed glider (and you can't be sure to make a good one) is likely to fly just fine (if you are lucky) at the start, but suddenly go unstable without any warning. Look at this youtube video (at 5:20) where the plane is going downhill and it suddenly turns over:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7rCw4wZZo0



All modern gliders are much more stable, but even then it will take 10 days at a hang gliding school to learn how to fly them (cost £1200 or $2000) by running down the side of hills, and you WILL crash many times as you learn - but not injure yourself because you are only 2 feet off the ground.



Then you need to buy a glider made in the past 10 years - any older and it might have a bad design. Cost from £600

Answer 2

Here are my suggestions,



At one point gliders did not exist, only birds and seeds possessed the ability to glide. Someone had to make the first glider for a human and had no option to purchase it... so I think your desire to make your own is totally reasonable and high adventure.



However, take into consideration that you will need the time and money to build your first glider and then the time and money to improve your design. Likely, as you have already stated, you can't afford a proper set-up so you'll be purchasing less than adequate materials. This could mean that your first glider(s) will break. That's OK as long as you expect this as a strong possibility and attempt to protect yourself from physical harm.



I don't think there's anything wrong with saving money, inventing, creating, or taking risk, but I think you should be in contact with someone who knows what they are doing to help you get familiar with good building practices. Find a local club to hang out with and volunteer to help them set up their rigs. I imagine that you could learn a lot of information first-hand on a few days out with a group. Besides, this would be a great group to be in contact with in case you decided to buy a used glider.



My suggestion would be to buy used or rent for this summer season until you have the basics down. Then try to make your own glider over the winter after you've learned what a quality rig should feel like.

Answer 3

I'd certainly want to figure how to test it before flying it at any height myself.



Maybe find someone who has a boat who can give you/it a tow, and generate lift that way, rather than by dropping altitude/riding air that's rising. Then you needn't be that high, nor moving that fast. (water is still HARD if you hit it fast). If it does break then there's only a small distance to fall. But you'd have to figure out how to attach a tow point, and figure out how you'd get out it if it did crash.



But before then I'd serious consider using some kind of test rig. Maybe use a length of rope and use it to control the path of your glider (bit like an aerial runway, set at the gliders glide path). Fairly sure sure George Cayley did something like this with his prototypes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Cayley



Remember such a model/rig would need to be loaded with a dummy that's the same mass/mass distribution as you would have when flying it. Maybe you could even figure out a way of using Radio control to control the position of the dummy, and see how your hang-glider behaves/turns in free flight?

Answer 4

You will have only one chance to get it right. Also, only an experienced hang glider pilot should test fly a new design and likely off a hill where the slope approximates the glide path for a safer landing. An inexperienced pilot may panic and make matters worse if the design needs any tweaking.

Answer 5

no longer unlawful, yet once you learn and get your licence you will get to understand whilst and the place you are able to or can no longer fly. There are 2 significant regulations : airspace and climate. You (needless to say) can no longer fly close to any airport and your altitude would be constrained if airplane are flying overhead into an airport (e.g. interior the peak District close to Manchester) that is not any longer a stable theory to fly into clouds when you consider which you lose situational understanding and would fairly stall, fly inverted or placed the airframe previous its limits. And in spite of if it is cloudy the cloud would sink and you will no longer (fairly) come across a place to land. the place.... seem online there are lots of golf equipment.

Answer 6

Unless you are super confident about making a glider I would just rent one is it really worth your life? and to make a good one you'll need tools and good quality equipment which all cost money. Be careful.

Answer 7

Join a gliding club and talk to the members first. Remember, as someone said - If at first you don't succeed - Hang gliding is not for you.

Answer 8

I would highly recommend that you don't jump from a mountain first go. Seriously.



Try jumping off into a soft landing, otherwise who knows what's going to happen.

Answer 9

It is a good idea but I'd try and get someone you don't like to take the inaugural flight.



If you messed anything up you wouldn't want to hurt yourself and if you died who would be there to iron out the faults.

Answer 10

Sure man. Knock yourself out :) pick the highest one

Answer 11

ummmm.....NO!