FAQ

Do you fall if you let go?

I really hope not! Hang Gliding is called Hang Gliding, not Hand Gliding (as I've sometimes heard!). It's named Hang Gliding because the pilot hangs below the wing. The pilot is attached to the glider by the hang-loop and a karabiner. The photograph to the right shows a pilot performing a hang-check before takeoff. If you look closely you can see the hang-loop dropping down from the wing, which attaches to a karabiner which in turn connects to the harness.

The pilot controls the glider by shifting their weight beneath the glider; weight forward moves the centre of gravity forward, lowering the nose of the glider causing it to accelerate and descend, weight to the left causes the left wing to drop resulting in roll control and directional adjustment.

So what happens if you let go?

Assuming that the glider is correctly trimmed then the glider would simply settle into its neutral position and continue to fly safely, and the pilot? The pilot will merely dangle beneath the wing and enjoy the view!