Ultralight—the Thrill of Gliding

The literal meaning of ultralight is extremely lightweight if compared with others of its size and kind. In aviation and sports, it refers to a small, light, inexpensive aircrafts that has a single seat and which may essentially be considered as a hang glider. As there is an ultralight vehicle, which is usually a single-seat airplane, as the existence of an ultralight glider which is constructed as an ultralight sailplane or a slow-flying glider that has a pilot sitting outside of the aircraft rather than the vehicle’s fuselage. This ultralight glider is an unpowered aircraft used for sports and, most often, for fun. It is flown without an engine and has a place inside only for the pilot. It is typically so designed as to make it soar in open air and provide convenient, thrilling transport. In the United States, these unpowered ultralights are called paragliders, hang gliders, or airchairs or basic ultralight gliders (BUG) which are regulated by the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA).

In many countries, the more popular ultralight aircrafts are the hang glider, seaplane and the powered paraglider. The hang glider has wings made of fabric and aluminum alloy and is flown by a pilot strapped on a harness linked to the airframe which is in turn fastened to the wings. The ultralight seaplane has a fixed wing and has the ability to take off from and land on water. The powered paraglider is a favorite of many gliding hobbyists because it can be built easily by anyone from an available building kit. It has a motor attached to a wing and worn by the pilot while on flight.

How does a glider take off the ground? The most popular method is to get it dragged and lifted up by a powered airplane by tying the glider and the plane with a rope. Called “aero-tow,” this method is preferred by most pilots who can easily start the free flight once the rope is released upon takeoff. Another method is “winch-launching” which is lifting up the glider with the use of a land-locked engine and by connecting the winch or a hoisting machine to the glider with a long rope. Upon release of the rope, the pilot is now ready to experience the thrill of his free flight.

Yes, this is the thrill of gliding. Once in the air you will experience a winter wonderland flight in smoother air currents. You will see for yourself views to the horizons that are definitely clearer than summertime when there are humidity, dust and smoke. When there is no thermal air up there, you can stay soaring or can cruise anywhere you want even for cross-country travel up to 100 miles away from flight start. If you are on first flight, you can experience longer flight time, the smoothest and gentlest flight, most comfortable position in your aircraft and the best freedom to stay up in the air or fly for as long and as far as you want. If you are a hang gliding student, the flight prepares you to continue learning how to master flying an unpowered aircraft and learning advanced skills towards becoming an experienced pilot who can stay aloft solo for hours. The best experience for both gliding buffs and students is flying on the wind and feeling the air all around you as you soar with the birds in the sky without any worry about an engine breakdown or fuel exhaust. Fore more details click here.