GB1578787A - Hang gliders - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN HANG GLIDERS (71) I, WILLIAM GEORGE DOWSON, a British Subject of 28 Espedair Street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Great Britain, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to improvements in hang gliders.

Hang gliders have been known for many years but in recent times hang gliding has become an extremely popular sport. Presently known hang gliders generally comprise a rigid tubular frame which is substantially V-shaped and which has a central load supporting spar under which the user is suspended by means of a harness or the like. Guy ropes or wires iare used to maintain a rigid structure and a nylon or other fabric sheeting extends over the entire frame so as to form two substantially triangular wing areas joined by the common central spar. Such hang gliders can be manoeuvred by means of selective distribubution of the user's weight and can be used for soaring in thermal current and against air currents in the same manner as a kite.

Disadvantages of presently known hang gliders are that no forward motion can be achieved except for that provided by the wind or air current, when the wind is not strong it can be difficult to gain altitude, and it is not possible to soar in any direction apart from into the prevailing wind or air current.

An object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a hang glider having a pair of pivotally4nterconnected wings, a trailing edge portion of each wing being flexible, and means for pivoting the wings in use in a flapping motion and including treadbar means connected to each wing for pivoting of the wings.

Preferably, the leading upper portion of the wings has greater surface area than the leading lower portion thus giving the wings aerodynamic properties.

In use, when operation of the treadbar means is stopped, air pressure or other means can return the wings to their original attitudes ready for pivoting by the treadbar means again, thus producing the flapping motion.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a hang glider ef the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the glider of Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a front view of the glider of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a side view of a reinforcing strut of the glider of Fig. 1.

The hang glider of this embodiment of the invention has a tubular frame indicated generally at 1 and formed by two leading edge struts 2 connected at 4 to two side edge struts 3, a number of parallel reinforcing struts 5 extending from the leading edge struts 2. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the leading portions of the reinforcing struts 5 are shaped so that air passing over them has further to travel than air passing along their undersides, and this confers aerodynamic properties to the glider.

Lateral struts 6 interconnect the reinforcing struts 5 intermediate their ends.

All the struts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are made of tubular aluminium or alloy or other rigid lightweight material except for rear portions 7 of the side edge struts 3 and reinforcing struts 5, which are of glass fibre or other flexible material. A further pair of glass fibre struts 8 are provided at each side of the framework from support struts 9. The leading edge struts 2 are pivotally connected to a central spar 10 as are the lateral struts 6 and support struts 9, and a framework 11 is suspended from the central spar 10 to accommodate a person dying the hang glider.

A treadbar 12 is provided within the framework 11 and is connected by guys 13 to the leading edge struts 2 and to the lateral struts 6.

The frame 1 is covered with "Ripstop" sheeting coated with PVC to form a pair of wings pivotally interconnected through the central spar 10, the trailing edges of the wings being indicated at 14. Generally a suitable device is included to restrict the amount of pivotal movement of the wings.

In use, a person wishing to fly the hang glider of this embodiment positions himself in the framework 11 by standing on the treadbar 12 and at the same time supporting some of his weight by gripping a pair of handbars 15 in an upper portion of the framework 11. So long as the user remains with his weight constantly distributed in this manner between the treadbar 12 and the handbars 15 the hang glider behaves in a conventional manner.

Should it be desired to move forward or to climb, more of the user's weight is transferred to the treadbar 12, thus pushing it downwards and tensioning the guys 13; this causes the wings to pivot downwards about the central spar 10. However, the flexible nature of the struts 7 and 8 at the rear of the glider causes their downward movement to lag behind that of the rigid struts, thus causing the outer trailing portions of the wings to "waft" air backwards of the glider, causing a corresponding forward motion of the glider itself.

The weight on the treadbar is then decreased by transfer to the handbars 15, and air pressure below the wings forces them upwards again; once more the outer trailing portions of the wings lags behind, again causing air to be displaced rearwardly and moving the glider forward.

Alternate application and release of pressure on the treadbar 12 thus causes the wings to flap and the glider to move forward through the air, and this forward motion can be produced even in still air, so that the aerodynamic configuration of the wings allows the glider to rise, fall and turn with a much greater degree of control than conventional hang gliders.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A hang glider having a pair of pivotally-interconnected winges, a trailing edge portion of each wing being flexible, and means for pivoting the wings in use in a flapping motion and including treadbar means connected to each wing for pivoting of the wings.

2. A hang glider according to claim 1, wherein each wing is a frame covered with sheeting, the frame of each wing being pivotally connected to a common central spar.

3. A hang glider according to claim 2, wherein the frames at each flexible portion are of glass fibre and the remainder of the frames are of metal.

4. A hang glider according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an upper leading edge portion of each wing has greater surface area than a corresponding lower edge portion so as to give the wings aerodynamic properties.

5. A hang glider substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. each side of the framework from support struts 9. The leading edge struts 2 are pivotally connected to a central spar 10 as are the lateral struts 6 and support struts 9, and a framework 11 is suspended from the central spar 10 to accommodate a person dying the hang glider. A treadbar 12 is provided within the framework 11 and is connected by guys 13 to the leading edge struts 2 and to the lateral struts 6. The frame 1 is covered with "Ripstop" sheeting coated with PVC to form a pair of wings pivotally interconnected through the central spar 10, the trailing edges of the wings being indicated at 14. Generally a suitable device is included to restrict the amount of pivotal movement of the wings. In use, a person wishing to fly the hang glider of this embodiment positions himself in the framework 11 by standing on the treadbar 12 and at the same time supporting some of his weight by gripping a pair of handbars 15 in an upper portion of the framework 11. So long as the user remains with his weight constantly distributed in this manner between the treadbar 12 and the handbars 15 the hang glider behaves in a conventional manner. Should it be desired to move forward or to climb, more of the user's weight is transferred to the treadbar 12, thus pushing it downwards and tensioning the guys 13; this causes the wings to pivot downwards about the central spar 10. However, the flexible nature of the struts 7 and 8 at the rear of the glider causes their downward movement to lag behind that of the rigid struts, thus causing the outer trailing portions of the wings to "waft" air backwards of the glider, causing a corresponding forward motion of the glider itself. The weight on the treadbar is then decreased by transfer to the handbars 15, and air pressure below the wings forces them upwards again; once more the outer trailing portions of the wings lags behind, again causing air to be displaced rearwardly and moving the glider forward. Alternate application and release of pressure on the treadbar 12 thus causes the wings to flap and the glider to move forward through the air, and this forward motion can be produced even in still air, so that the aerodynamic configuration of the wings allows the glider to rise, fall and turn with a much greater degree of control than conventional hang gliders. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A hang glider having a pair of pivotally-interconnected winges, a trailing edge portion of each wing being flexible, and means for pivoting the wings in use in a flapping motion and including treadbar means connected to each wing for pivoting of the wings.

2. A hang glider according to claim 1, wherein each wing is a frame covered with sheeting, the frame of each wing being pivotally connected to a common central spar.

3. A hang glider according to claim 2, wherein the frames at each flexible portion are of glass fibre and the remainder of the frames are of metal.

4. A hang glider according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an upper leading edge portion of each wing has greater surface area than a corresponding lower edge portion so as to give the wings aerodynamic properties.

5. A hang glider substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.