13 Interesting Facts about Hang Gliding

After getting valuable information about hang gliding, the adventure sport in our previous two articles, now it is time to know some interesting facts about hang gliding. As the name suggest hang gliding means hanging while gliding. Hang gliding can be very interesting flying adventure so let us know some of the interesting facts about it as well.

Interesting Facts about Hang Gliding

1. The idea of hang gliding is as old as the imagination of the humans to fly in the air someday like a bird. Otto Lilienthal built the first ever controllable gliders in the year 1890 by using wood and fabric. His first try to fly was by using a spring board.
2. Thermals, ridge lifts, mountain waves and convergence along with thermal lifters are used by the hang gliders especially during their launch.
3. The thermal lifts take place only when the air is heated by the sun and thus it makes a rise.
4. This kind of lift is also known or called as slope soaring because a vertical slope is used for the lift and it redirects the hang gliders in the air.
5. The Aussie hang gliders use a rare lift phenomenon which is called ‘the Morning Glory’.
6. When a group of pilots fly together a specific term is used which is called ‘the Gaggle’.
7. All the hang gliders carry a Varometer which helps them to perceive acceleration forces when they catch thermals. This gadget also enables the gliders to determine the sink and climb rates as it beeps each time.
8. The open distance hang gliding world record is 700 km which was achieved by Manfred Ruhmer when he hang glided from Zapata to Lamesa in Texas, USA.
9. A cross country hang gliding requires an Altimeter which helps the gliders to decide the distance.
10. The first ever foot launched hang gliding was done in Australia in the year 1972.
11. The modern hang gliding blue print for the Rogallo wing was found by Francis Melvin Rogallo in the year 1948.
12. The American Space agency NASA has also made significant research in Hang Gliding which has made the professional hang gliders feeling more safer as they are well equipped with the technology now.
13. It is also believed that the idea of making of an air craft was actually came from the success of hang gliding in early 1900s.

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