Full Scale Wind Tunnel Tests on Hang Glider Pilots

The weight shift control of hang gliders and the position of the pilot makes the aerodynamic characteristics of hang glider pilots an integral part of hang glider stability and performance calculations. Full scale mobile facilities have been developed to measure the characteristics of the wings but very little information is available about the pilot. A series of full scale wind tunnel measurements have been carried out to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of hang glider pilots. Five pilots were tested over a range of positions and wind speeds with various types of pilots harnesses. The results are strongly dependent on each pilot and the flying position he adopts. They suggest that a range of pilot drag figures should be used in stability calculations rather than just one mean value. Starting in 1946 as the College of Aeronautics, the Cranfield Institute of Technology was granted university status in 1969. In 1993 it changed its name to Cranfield University.