Looping a hang-glider

I have seen Hang Gliders being looped in France and endlessly on videos, I have even seen it done on a para glider. Is there anything really dangerous or difficult about this manouver, assuming you have a fast enough wing or is it just a case of confidence?? I am dying to give it a

GIVE IT A TRY AND YOU WILL DIE ! ! OR, you night take some ground school on the subh of aerobatics and then get some training, and THEN, you might survive it.

Can't you just SEE you at the ytop of a para-loop, discovering you don't have the velo to shoot thru?

There you hang, for 1/3 second, then you dive headfirst into your para. Wild, if you're on the ground looking up.

Not too hot at close range.

Remember that it IS dangerous, and get some competence BEFORE you try it.

It is good you asked.

that shows promise.

Keep it up.

Lou H. Prolific inventor, Lousy Salesman, Incompetent businessman. (Typical of the Breed) Tulsa OK, USA

I find it interesting that you use the word 'dying'.

In his book 'Performance Flying' .. Dennis Pagen writes ...

'We do not condone aerobatics and wish to discourage pilots from performing them. By aerobatics we mean any maneuvers (sic) outside the tested limits of our gliders. The fact that aerobatics are outside these limits should say something about the wisdom of getting radical.'

In the same book, John Heiney, aerobatic demonstration pilot and World Champion is quoted ...

'My first advice is: do not do aerobaticsat least not the radical maneuvers (sic)' ... 'What makes inverted maneuvers (sic) in a hang glider unwise is that you hang from the wing by a flexible support. If you mismanage your energy, and get too slow upside down, you fall into the wing. This can result in a broken glider, or a tumble followed by a broken glider.'

Your call ...

Fly safe,

<I am dying to give it a try!!

You probably WILL die if you give it a try! Seriously, the handful of people that can do aerobatics will also tell you that it took years of commitment and training in less radical manuevers before they were able to do loops. Simply having a fast glider isn't enough - that's like saying all you need is a Formula One car to go Grand Prix racing.

Angelo Mantas USHGA instructor Angelo Mantas

Pls ensure ypu have adequate life insurance(stating HG before you try this)

I have gotten seriously out of shape in wingovers when I thought they were a piece of cake, it's not as easy as it looks (not that I've ever done it myself) Flying is a wonderful sport / activity . Know your limits. ' it is a far far better thing to be down here, wishing you were up there, than to be up there wishing you were down here. . . . '

<http://www.wintermute.co.uk/users/ratbag/welcome.htm>

If your not dead, TRY HARDER. A loop should do it.

Dominic,

Looping a tailess aircraft is an amazingly dangerous task, if you just go and 'give it a try.' I'd recommend talking to some of the top aero pilots for advice and a bit of instruction before hand. Don't know any personally? At least one has e-mail access and might respond to requests for advice: Aaron Swepston, write me if you want his address, I don't feel right in posting it on the net for general consumption, since I don't really know him at all. One of our pilots here accidently began a loop (he tried to flatten out a wingover 'just a little bit more' and found himself completely upside down - this was a guy with 4 years of practicing wingovers). Start small - shallow wingovers, progressing slowly and talking a lot with people you know who do them safely. I tumbled in my first wingover attempt because I really didn't understand how much force was involved at the speeds I was going - glider recovered, but I decided enough was enough and I haven't done any aero since then.

They do look fun, but be careful! Confidence is necessary, but overconfidence is fatal.

TAKE LESSONS FIRST, LEARN HG OR PG AND THEN WHEN YOU HAVE FOUR TO FIVE YEARS OF HG OR PG THEN WORRY ABOUT LOOPING. IF YOU ARE OVER 200LBS YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT LOOPING A GLIDER. IF YOU'RE A SMALL GUY OR GIRL, AND YOUR WEIGHT IS 175LBS OR LESS YOU WILL BE A GOOD CANDIDATE ONCE YOU LEARN FROM A USHPA INSTRUCTOR. LEARN TO FLY ONE FIRST. IF YOU GO OUT AND TRY TO BUY A GLIDER ON YOUR OWN; NOT THAT ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MINE WILL SELL YOU ONE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT U ARE GETTING, AND THEN IF U TRY TO TEACH YOUR SELF YOU WILL DIE AMIGO, OR AMIGA. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO HANG GLIDE, OR PARAGLIDE, TAKE LESSONS FROM A USHPA TEACHER, WE ARE ALL OVER THE WORLD. GOTO WWW.USHPA.AERO
FOR INFO ON INSTRUCTORS IN YOUR AREA. THE DUDE