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By Mystery
#397207
Hello, my name is Val. I'm new to this, but very excited about flying. I bought this beauty very cheaply, but it's missing battens. What are my options? Is it possible to buy or make new battens? I do not know the model of my glider, but here is a picture. Thank you for your advice in advance.
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By waveview
#397208
Foot launched hang glider wings and powered microlight wings can look very similar but are designed for very different flight speeds and characteristics. Generally speaking a microlight wing will be totally unsuitable for foot launched flight work.

I am not familiar with the make or model of the wing shown in the attachment to your post, but I did notice that this wing uses twin wires running out to the wing from the control frame. I have only ever seen this double wire (belts and braces approach) used on the heavy engine powered microlight craft.

Trust you can do some research to find out what the make, model and age and normal (microlight or hang glider ) use of the wing is.
Last edited by waveview on Sat Apr 01, 2017 11:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
By red
#397209
Mystery wrote:Hello, my name is Val. I'm new to this, but very excited about flying. I bought this beauty very cheaply, but it's missing battens. What are my options? Is it possible to buy or make new battens? I do not know the model of my glider, but here is a picture. Thank you for your advice in advance.
Val,

Welcome to the pilot's evening campfire! Pull up a chair, and be among friends.

What you have there is a French trike wing. It has double side wires, to take the loads of trike flying. The news here is not good. The leading edge sailcloth is SERIOUSLY ragged out, which tells me the glider (sail) is useless, due to long-term UltraViolet weakening. It would probably cost more to replace that sail than a decent used glider, complete. Then you would still need the ribs, if available.

I doubt that you would enjoy flying that heavy wing as a free-flight glider, because trikes have lots of mass. A solo pilot would need to "replace" that mass with serious control efforts. I hope that you did not pay much for it, and maybe you can go get your money back. Buying a bad wing is a fairly typical beginner's mistake. When you learn to fly Hang Gliders, all of the gear is provided in lessons. You don't need to buy a glider, until you are ready to fly it away after lessons. There is a lot of good flying there, in California.

Check out my web page, linked below. This is a mostly friendly bunch, and we can give you lots of good advice. Welcome to the sky! 8)
User avatar
By selbaer
#397210
It is a trike wing for sure. Double side wires and short keel is a giveaway. Bring it back and try to get your money back.
I just caught a little girl with an Bennet glider and frayed side wires today. She flew it anyway and got away with it.
I used to be young and stupid, now I'm just stupid.
User avatar
By Mystery
#397211
Cannot return it. Got it dirt cheap, but "as is" with no guarantees.
So is it completely useless, or I can do something with it?
User avatar
By miraclepieco
#397213
Since Mystery brought it up, I have hundreds of battens of every size I would happily donate to anyone who needs them. Too much trouble to ship - local pickup only.
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By BubbleBoy
#397215
Sadly Mystery, your wings is of no value unless you were to find someone who flew that model trike and wanted to take it off your hands for spare parts.

Battens are critical and the *right* battens are critical (and not cheap).

JB
User avatar
By red
#397216
Mystery wrote:Cannot return it. Got it dirt cheap, but "as is" with no guarantees.
So is it completely useless, or I can do something with it?
Val,

When you connect with a HG instructor, you might get more than "scrap aluminum" prices for the trike wing. You may not see green money coming from an instructor, but you might negotiate for HG lessons in exchange for the trike wing, which is still better than a trip to the landfill. To a trike pilot, it may be worth finding a good sail with the correct ribs (probably used, though), and probably from France. The airframe would need to inspected for fatigue and corrosion, of course, and some cables may be overdue for replacement. We have members here from England and France, and they may chime in with some ideas for you.

The tubing is probably Metric sizes, and would not "fit" USA gliders. You *could* use the tubes and hardware to make vehicle HG racks,

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=28724#

but anything else here would be outside of HG uses.

:mrgreen:
User avatar
By dbotos
#397217
Here is the US dealer info for Air Creation:

Spirits UP~ Since 1996, fully certificated Training Center in the heart of the Sonoma/Nappa coastal wine country of California.

32 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Enjoy a fabulous Air Creation demo-flight with Spirits Up!

800-971-5233 / Petaluma - California - USA

Email : michael@spiritsupusa.com
Tél. : 800-971-5233
Web : http://www.spiritsupusa.com
User avatar
By selbaer
#397218
miraclepieco wrote:Since Mystery brought it up, I have hundreds of battens of every size I would happily donate to anyone who needs them. Too much trouble to ship - local pickup only.
I have made many of them but does anyone ave a batten layout and size?
Pickup only in exchange of a cold beverage :)
User avatar
By selbaer
#397219
Mystery wrote:Cannot return it. Got it dirt cheap, but "as is" with no guarantees.
So is it completely useless, or I can do something with it?
For dirt cheap it would make a perfect sun screen above your back porch.
Sorry buddy.
User avatar
By AIRTHUG
#397221
I'd suggest going back to the seller, with a cold six pack, and thanking them for not including the battens.

They saved you from the temptation of actually attempting to fly that thing. Probably saved your life :thumbsup:

40 years ago hang gliding started much this way, with people getting their hands on a glider, or even making their own, and learning to fly through the school of hard knocks. Some of those early pioneers are still flying today, and a few are here on this forum. Sadly, though, many many more were scared out, hurt, or killed. To this day the sport of hang gliding hasn't been able to shirk it's "dangerous" reputation. Which is not to say it isn't dangerous... it is... but it's not nearly what the general populous thinks it is.

So, welcome to the addiction, and I'm very sorry your glider purchase didn't work out. It makes for a neat shade awning, or sometimes you might find a restaurant with high ceilings like would like to hang it as tchotchke decor. Or the aluminum tubing can be useful for flag poles, or constructing anything where relatively light weight (aluminum vs steel or iron or whatever) tubing might be nice.

Lastly- since you are obviously interested in hang gliding- I'd encourage you to seek out a local instructor and take an intro lesson. There's no obligation to continue with that instructor if you don't feel good chemistry... so don't feel like picking someone and taking ONE lesson is any sort of commitment to anything but getting a taste of what we're all about... and you're obviously thirsty :wink:

Flying is truly amazing, and hang gliding is one of- if not THE- purest forms you will find. It's a natural connection of man (or woman) and wing, steering purely by moving our bodies. It is bird like. And there's no better time to get started, because training equipment makes learning easier and safer than ever before, and glider performance and forgiveness is better than it's ever been. Harnesses are more comfortable than ever before. And instructors have been continually "getting their act together" for years, with most approaching the craft of teaching with the respect and professionalism that FLIGHT INSTRUCTION deserves. So again, WELCOME! and let's meet up in the sky!

Cheers,

Ryan
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By TjW
#397225
Mystery wrote:Cannot return it. Got it dirt cheap, but "as is" with no guarantees.
So is it completely useless, or I can do something with it?
It probably has a nice, beefy crossbar. That can be the basis for a nice rack for a more appropriate wing. Get some lessons. Up through H2, the equipment will generally be supplied.
If you're still serious about it after a couple of lessons, probably your first equipment purchase should be a comfortable helmet.
By the time you're ready to fly your own glider, you'll have much better information on what you really want, and you'll be connected into the hang glider community, so finding a decent glider, new or used, will be a lot easier.
User avatar
By Angelo
#397227
Bad news, good news. You've already gotten the bad, that wing you bought, even if you had the battens, is no good as a first hang glider.

Good news - There are several Hang Gliding Schools not too far from you.
http://www.pasaschools.org/certified-fr ... t-schools/

The school will provide all the equipment you need to learn. And you really do need to take lessons, this is a sport where learning by trial and error can get you killed.

Good luck!
User avatar
By TomGalvin
#397229
Mystery wrote:So is it completely useless, or I can do something with it?
You can make windsocks out of the sail. You could re-use the aluminum for other projects. The control frame and battens can be used to make a short pack flagpole, etc, etc...

Image
User avatar
By Mystery
#397517
Follow up question... any HG instructors in north Cali are willing to trade that trike wing for a lesson or two?
User avatar
By Nicos
#397529
I doubt you'll get any money for that wing, especially given the state of the sail. It might also need a nose cone to stop it becoming a pillow in-flight... hope you heed the advice to NOT use it at all.

It would be a bold move to foot launch that thing, even for an experienced pilot. Here's what old pilots say:

'There are old pilots, but no old bold pilots' — for they are mostly all dead or eating life through a straw.

Good luck with your training :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
By kermit
#397532
That's a nice pool