[Frank Colver]

And they say hang gliding is dangerous

FC

[Dayhead]

At this point in my flying, I've made the decision to always land on my belly, with the glider then touching down on wheels. I usually use large diameter "training wheels", but not always. I do prefer wheels large enough to not get stuck in sandy soil or a gopher hole.

My technique is kinda hard on harnesses, I really need to get off my lazy a** and make a Mylar "bib" for it. But at least 90% of my landings are at Andy Jackson's, in nice grass.

I occasionally practice a full-flare, so that I'll be ready for a landing on terrain unsuitable for wheels. These flares are aggressive and timed to be a bit on the early side, often producing a "zoom" up to 10 feet or more, the idea being to avoid having any forward motion on contact with the ground.

Landing on my belly unloads the glider so much that it is moving forward very slowly when it touches down, and even in nil wind it doesn't roll more than a couple/few feet.

I really believe that more injuries could be avoided with the addition of a nose wheel.

Modern HG's have short forward keels, and I have both seen and experienced first-hand pilots getting hit in the head by a leading edge or the nose plate. I recently watched a video of a good lady pilot going through re-hab after suffering TBI in just such a scenario.

In 39 years of HG I have never seen a restraint system that limits the pilot's forward travel through the bar. I wonder why this is. Perhaps there is a problem with such a system that I can't think of.

[Frank Colver]

Check out my post about repairing Big Wheels, on the Friends of Dockweiler Gliding Society in this forum. I repaired two of Windsport's Big Wheels to use on my new Alpha 210 and posted a tutorial video of the project.

I flew the Alpha for the first time last Saturday (Aug 29) and didn't get enough altitude to bring my feet into position for running so I did a wheel landing on the soft beach sand. Because of the short flights at Dockweiler I have rigged my Blue Sky harness to keep me upright. The landing worked perfectly with the glider rolling to a stop while still at a positive angle of attack, the nose never touched the sand. Narrower wheels would have dug into the sand.

Frank

[Bill Cummings]

John (Ole) Olson staples Mylar onto his cocoon harness and uses big training wheels. Mylar, lapping fish scales system.
Or like roof shingles.

[JoeF]

http://www.3ders.org/images2014/scientists-from-northeastern-university-use-printing-to-create-fish-scale-armor-1.jpg
The graphic forgot the Hanglasplatus of the modern era.

... in honor of BillC's note

==============
Good landing, Frank!

[KaiMartin]

At the DHV forum there is currently a thread on DIY skids for the base bar. ( http://www.gleitschirmdrachenforum.de/showthread.php/31968-Carbon-Kufen-herstellen )
The discussion focusses mainly on replicating the all carbon stuff sold by A.I.R and others. But there is also a shot of a remarkable alternative approach:



These skids connect to the bar with a skilfully carved piece of wood. There is a thick portion of (polyethylene?) foam -- the kind frequently used for packaging. And the bottom surface is made of the tips of cross-country skis. An instrument pod can be attached with a ball joint. The whole contraption weighs 250g.

IMHO, this is the way to go. Skis are already better optimized for the task of skidding than any small scale production can hope to achieve. And the foam protects the bar from excess force spikes on impact.

---<)kaimartin(>---

[JoeF]

Kai, thanks for nice lead and your furthering ...

==================================================
My comment: Small. Limited splat environment. Low face area. Hard. Could give false confidence on grass or shrub that would whip-wrap the basebar anyway. The discussion includes the recognition of sliding sideways; thus such is a teasing approach to the idea of "spoon" geometry.
:::::::::::



See: http://www.fluggeraete-zubehoer.com/html/skids.htm
====================================


The following image is the enlargement of a small photo that one of the posters placed when discussing ski:
http://www.gleitschirmdrachenforum.de/a ... 1441211132


Some tags and slants: eggs, runners, ski tips, skid, simple skids, ski, runner, bad grounds, double uses, penetration protection, impact types, forces communicated to the basebar;
challenge of more clearance between basebar and ground is mentioned;
built-in damping mentioned as a principle. Removable damping materials.
[I am noticing that the discussion there did not look to integrating front lines or nose.]
Secondary or double uses: instrument holder, lights, water, ballast, storage,

[KaiMartin]

My comment: Small. Limited splat environment. Low face area. Hard. Could give false confidence on grass or shrub that would whip-wrap the basebar anyway. The discussion includes the recognition of sliding sideways; thus such is a teasing approach to the idea of "spoon" geometry.

I too think that skids on the base bare are a little small and provide less distance to the ground than would be desirable in various circumstances. IMHO, the streamlined ones on the image you show are a prime example. They are undoubtedly beautiful. But they provide no cushion and little distance.

With regard to sideways slides I am not sure if this helps that much. The main direction of ground speed on touch-down will always be straight ahead. This is guaranteed by the strong sweep of our wing and the absence of a vertical rudder. We essentially can't pull a slip like pilots of conventional aircraft can.

---<)kaimartin(>---

[JoeF]

There is a world of apparel-pocket technology. In that world may be some pocket systems to serve some Safe-Splat needs. What is placed in those pockets may solve challenges.

[JoeF]

Goodyear hydro skid landing gear

[youtube]2gGygxDIJX0#t=149[/youtube]