[JoeF]

Neat posts, ARP and msoaring!
I joined your posts into viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2257 topic where motorized methods for flatland are considered.
Facing Flatland HG Challenges may be branched: "without towing or motoring" and another branch: "with towing or motoring". Flatland invites both realms. In each realm may be considered a host of options each perhaps deserving keen study, perhaps development, and perhaps adoption by interested pilots.

The present topic does tease motorized methods, but the topic here is aiming "without towing or motoring". Bungee is a towing rubber-motor method. Drop-mass is a towing remote gravity-drop-mass-motor method. Both and other motor methods deserve robust study for the involved motor gear and consequent kiting dynamics; such all could be rich studies.

=================================
The present topic on "Flatland Hang Gliding without towing or motoring" invites focus on ways and means and activity that are bare of traditional or non-traditional "motors" or towing (with some kind of prime mover). The "motorized" or "towing" methods easily could benefit from having specialized topic threads---hopefully so.

The present topic invites unfolding possibilities for hang gliding in Flatland
by running,
by leaning,
by walking,
by jogging,
by sprinting,
by ramps,
by buildings,
by towered ramps,
by AoA changes in apparent winds,
by hair,
by mini wings,
by intermediately-sized wings,
by large wings,
by groups of pilots in one long-span wing,
by models,
by micro hang gliding,
... and by more

And for purposes:
= exercise
= education
= wind-sensing practice
= review and mastery practice over wing handling
= practice assembling and packing
= practice tie-downing
= meditation
= demonstration
= promoting
= materials testing
= advancing physical fitness for hang gliding objectives
= ... and more

[Rick Masters]

Alternative #2
A car is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation. Most definitions of the term specify that cars are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.

Imagine:

you + car ================================> hill

[JoeF]

carinclineHG.png (98.79 KiB) Viewed 4649 times

[JoeF]

Modifications to car garages, water towers, windmill towers, shed roofs, home roofs, barn roofs to have incline up there.
Set some beams to guide tensed tarp from the edge of the mods to guide tarp shape to get slope lift. With wing and self on the high point. Launch into gliding flight.

barmodHG.png (165.33 KiB) Viewed 4649 times

[JoeF]

Water surfaces (despite the waves) might be seen as part of the "Flatland" scene. Also, view the platform launch of Birdman contests around the world as cousin to the Flatland ramp-platform challenge. In Flatland, there may be artificial slopes, inclines, of a great variety of design. Turreted inclines allow facing the wind. Soft slopes of tarp centered with a firm narrow running surface could save some dollars.
Tease:
See through the eyes of Northumberland 'Birdman' Ron Freeman as he soars out to sea
Click to the article to see also a video of his flight.

[JoeF]

It seems yet an open art that could receive careful scientific attention:
Fence Soaring in Flatland

FlatlandHangSoaringFence.png (4.41 KiB) Viewed 4639 times

Have non-porous fence 100 yd long. Set the fence traverse to the prevailing wind in Flatland. How tall should the fence be for successful hang soaring? Should the fence be slanted or not? What wind would be optimal for safety and enjoyment of the hang soaring? What would be a good top edge design for the fence? Keeping costs down? Staying fence posts by windward anchors might provide a slanting of the fence. A fence may be built without digging holes if gambions or soil bags or water bags are used.

Hundreds of hang glider pilots could use one hang-soaring fence.
Hang-soaring fences could be portable devices.

Study also the waves in the air that may be made by a fence and also from a series of fences. Making the air visible by some means might let a hang soaring pilot utilize some waves leeward of the first fence.



Recall also that a fence's top edge may be supported by kite system.

KitedFencingForHangSoaringInFlatland.png (8.05 KiB) Viewed 4639 times

Recall ram-air parafoil fencing for Flatland hang soaring:
Anchor lower edge of long parafoil fence. Let wind fill the parafoil; the billowing is enhance by the airfoil shaping of the textile ribs. The prevailing wind both rams air into the parafoil fence and then forms a slope-lifting wind windward of the parafoil fence. Want to get out of the sun and out of the wind? Just walk inside the ram-air-filled parafoil fence.

Join to this topic thread some (not all, as some in that topic involves towing of the topic discussion: Portable Mountain http://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1625

[JoeF]

Facts? How flat is Flatland USA?
The Flattest U.S. States? Not What You Think

Bumps, rolls, levees, abandoned piles, holes, ...
... getting to know one's flatish land ...

[Bill Cummings]

I've often looked at railroad grades that were high enough to soar along hwy 54 between the TX panhandle, through the Oklahoma panhandle, and the state of Kansas.
Now if a railroad train of flat cars stacked two shipping containers high were to be parked on a siding waiting for an opposing train to go by I might possibly blow a gasket if I didn't have my glider on my vehicle.

two high.PNG (229.93 KiB) Viewed 4631 times

[Rick Masters]

I've soared a lot of windbrakes, reached from higher launches or via cross country flying.
The thick ones can keep you aloft for hours when the wind is right.
You can land behind the thinner ones if you land hot into the wind because the rotor is not well-formed.


Another unexpected source of lift is a low dam at a lake.
If a warmer wind is blowing toward the dam and over the cool lake beyond, the cap of cool air on the lake can force the warm wind over it, creating a broad lift band hundreds of feet high. An invisible mountain!
I have encountered this several times and it is a real mind-blower.
Lift can be everywhere.

[Bill Cummings]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=big+grain+elevator&view=detailv2&&id=0573385854A39C9991CFBC13043A1435600299EA&selectedIndex=1&ccid=iqILGzYk&simid=608048236223203554&thid=OIP.M8aa20b1b36246a473e1aadf72da8781bo0&ajaxhist=0
Very high and very long grain elevators.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=big+grain+elevator&view=detailv2&id=103985442DD4420D5D77DA22AE0B0E448FB8B197&selectedindex=24&ccid=eq%2FgbPvv&simid=608007369611284038&thid=OIP.M7aafe06cfbef631fe558d1c8abc513b1o0&ajaxhist=0&first=1
Be sure and click through other pictures at the sites.