>Is hang gliding where gliding was in the 20s-30s? Not quite. These things are 3 axis ultra-low-cost sailplanes not hang gliders (where hang glider means weight shift as opposed to slope soarers which was probably the meaning of the word in the 20s-30s.)
In fact, hang gliding is probably where sailplanes were 20 years ago. The performance has plateaued and huge expenditure and radical design changes make only a small difference to the gliding performance. The pilots are all ageing and few young people are getting into the sport etc. PG is where it's at if you are young. The key advantage of a hang glider is that you can roll it up and put it on the roof of your car or in the case of a PG, in the boot. The problem with things like the superfloater and GOAT gliders is that they offer the same performance as a hang glider with all the disadvantages of a hang glider and sailplane with none of the advantages of either… the need for an airstrip, hangar, trailer or box to keep them in, inability to foot launch, low wing loading and therefore low penetration and narrow wind range. It's a shame because the idea of flying in a modern primary and thermalling on a puff has a lot of attractions. D _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
