Modeling of the Longitudinal Dynamics of a Hang Glider

This paper presents modeling the hang glider dynamics as a system composed of two bodies interacting with each other under kinematic and geometric constraints. Specifically, first the wing and the pilot suspended from the wing are independently modeled by taking account of internal forces at two joints, i.e., the hang point on the keel and the control-frame bar gripped by the pilot as well as the geometric constraint that the pilot is suspended by the hang strap. Then the internal forces are analytically eliminated to derive a state equation that describes the hang glider dynamics including the interaction between the wing and the pilot. After showing a general framework, the detailed descriptions are given to the longitudinal dynamics. The proposed modeling method has been applied to a hang glider in literature. The numerical analysis and simulation results indicate the validity of the dynamic model.