Hang Glide!! Hang Gliding Flight Simulator

See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXFblIoShg8

Don Burns and I just finished installing a Hang Glide!! flight simulator at the Fantasy of Flight Museum.

http://www.andesengineering.com/Products/HangGlide/

This installation brings to four the number of major aviation museums where you can see and enjoy these marvelous flight simulators. Besides the Fantasy of Flight Museum our simulators can now be seen at Museum of Flight in Seattle, the Anderson-Abruzzo, Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, and the Oshkosh Air Venture Museum.

The Fantasy of Flight Museum, between Tampa and Orlando, is one of the coolest aviation museums I have seen. The owner, Kermit Weeks (another south Florida Palmetto High School graduate like me!), flies most of the scores of antiques and warbirds in his collection. Kermit also has done a fair bit of hang gliding both solo and tandem with Malcolm at Wallaby. Kermit and a couple of his friends had fun competing with each other on the hang gliding simulator after we got it up and running. Not surprisingly for such an accomplished pilot, Kermit flew the simulator like a champ. When they finished, Kermit walked out to the tarmac and took his friend up in what may be the only operational two seat P-40 Warhawk (of Flying Tigers fame). What a life!

When in central Florida this is a museum not to be missed. It is only 15 miles from Wallaby Ranch. When it's blown out for hang gliding go fly the Hang Glide!! simulator.

During the week we were in Florida working at the museum we stayed at the Wallaby Ranch. Malcolm Jones treated us like royalty although I suspect he treats everyone that way! I never found time to fly but I will definitely go back. There seems to be absolutely everything a pilot could wish for and I can't imagine a better place to vacation for a hang glider pilot. Malcolm and Lori are the most gracious host and hostess and Don and I thank them for taking such good care of us.

You will recall seeing a very early version some years ago of Hang Glide!! at the Soaring Convention in Ontario, CA however the differences between that one and the current version are night and day.

HangGlide!! is an interactive, full-scale, first person flight simulator, built for entertainment and training. Participants experience flight and control that resembles closely that of a real hang glider. By use of multiple, large, synchronized displays, HangGlide!! convincingly immerses the user in the virtual world.

Participants are given the task to land their hang glider as close as possible to a bulls-eye target. For assistance, a second glider flies ahead of the participant's glider, leading the way. The experience teaches fundamental weight shift control skills as used by real hang-gliders, and glide management. Glide management involves choosing a flight path that takes into account the hang-glider's glide slope (amount of units of distance flown forward for every unit of descent), and choosing turn points that will put the pilot directly on the bulls-eye when it comes time to land.

The visual database is of an actual hang-gliding flying site named Ed Levin Park, in Milpitas, California. Takeoff positions and landing site are the same positions on the terrain, complete with tree obstacles, fences and all visual cues of the actual flying site.

The flight dynamics model used to control the hang glider is the result of years of development and research. At its base is a rigid-body dynamics package. Forces are applied to the rigid body which are derived from static load and stability testing data taken during glider certification processes. The hang glider can be looped, if the pilot is skilled enough!

The flight simulator is designed primarily for high-traffic participation as would be found in a flight museum or location based entertainment venue. The unit has a single button control to initiate each participant's experience and can be left largely unattended. Flights last about 90 seconds with a 20 second interim stage, replaying the previous participant's landing and landing score, which allows time for the next participant in line to get in place for their flight.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• hang
• glider
• hanglider
• gliding
• flight
• simulator

[axopro]

Never mind.. i read the full description. I will visit the museum next time i am in Wallaby :)

[weflyuniv]

Both Don the designer and I have 1000s of hours each and, not surprisingly, feel that it is a powerful tool for teaching the visual markers for setting up approaches and many other important parts of flight. Please do post your impressions after you have a chance to try it. Try to make at least a dozen flights on it to get used to the experience. If you can become good at spot landings on it I know you will see that reflected in improved landing ability in real flight.

Ken de Russy Anacortes WA

[jwm239]

...looked like a realistic 'ride,' though I

am curious why the 'pilot' was in a seated

harness instead of usual prone position...

I assume that it is easier and simpler for

'pilots' to use seated harness; easier to

get into, more natural feel, etc.

[weflyuniv]

Your conjecture is pretty close to the mark although the primary reasons are to make possible faster switching between "riders" and reducing the likelihood of "riders" failing to correctly shift their weight right or left.

Did you read the accompanying comments? Unfortunately I think most folks fail to see that they can expand the "more info" button to the right of the video.

Ken

[olsonspeed]

Gary Wilson, Virgil Dahrens and I flew the simulator at the Seattle Museum Of Flight Sept, 2011, very realistic and loads of fun. We need one of these at the Kasperwing Skunkworks!

[xlentertainment]

1.When will the software be available? 2Also can it provide a closer view like if you're on a real hang glider? 3. Can it hit Thermals, or Ridge Soaring yet.? But that is kool too that you all got this far with the project. I think the WII has a hang gliding game called Thermal Rider I saw it on you turbe somewhere that looked kool nothing like this. Keep up the good work let me know were I can get the software.

[axopro]

Very cool!

I am a new HG pilot with 10 hours airtime.

Is there one of these simulators near the Miami area? I would like to try it myself.

Thanks.

[nilesriver2]

I have seen MANY students who could benifit from this. Very nice! Simulators have a way of allowing you to learn a few things that arn't real fun to learn on the training hill.

[FCbisleybob]

cool well thanks for the info and for the clip good luck with it :)

[weflyuniv]

Rarely do new pilots acquire much (less than 25 hours) airtime in the first two years. The sim allows unlimited airtime and those things that CAN be learned are learned well, quickly and in complete safety. If you had my hang gliding experience in years, airtime, the thousands of lessons taught with the typically small number of pilots retained in the sport, as well as the experience on the sim that I have, there would be no question of the extreme value this device offers.