You’ve got to fly at the right airspeed, and you have to get the right conditions. A good takeoff in the right direction is essential. You have to get three things correct to do a good Birdman flight.
That was the delicate thing to get right. So we had to try and optimize performance for controlling the craft. has to be very accurate to fly on this line. The 100-meter jackpot distances are measured at a 90-degree line going straight out from the pier. When the rules changed in 2014, and we could go up to a full-size hang glider, that went up to about 95 meters (312 feet). Mathematically, 80 or 85 meters (262 to 279 feet), which is what we were achieving, was theoretically as much as we were ever going to achieve with a hang glider of 30-foot wingspan. By the time you get to the end, bearing in mind the takeoff run, you’ve only got about six steps. But it’s not very long, the takeoff platform. If you work that out from a platform 30 feet high, is just about achievable. They’ve worked it all out.įor every one foot of height, a hang glider will glide 12 feet forward. The people who organize the events, they know exactly what we’re up against. You would think if your airspeed doubled, the drag would double. The faster you fly, the more parasitic drag. Matt Griggs/Alamy Stock Photo What are the aviation challenges of the Birdman Rally?ĭrag is our worst enemy. I’m letting one or two secrets out here! Some competitors don thematic costumes. Getting the sail tensions right, getting the whole thing balanced, and steerable was quite the task. There was an awful lot of metalwork to do. We got rid of 95 percent of drag with that harness. We had a piece of aluminum in the back, and a wire coming down from the glider, connecting the piece of aluminum.
Once it was wet, it would sink you to the bottom of the sea in no time, so we developed the “hip harness.” It was basically just a strap around my backside, supporting my legs. A manufactured harness had too much webbing, and it was too heavy. If you pull the wing too tight, we couldn’t steer them! The wings became too stiff.
We weren’t restricted to any safety standards, so we could really push the bar, and some of the tensions on my wing were up to 750 pounds. It took me quite a few attempts, but once I learned how it all went together, we quickly progressed to developing a really, really fast wing. The tension on a hang-glider sail, when it’s fully rigged and taut, is about 500 pounds.The sewing has to be done correctly.
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So we had to cut the wing tips, and I had to learn how to chop and cut the sail. In the earlier days, we were only allowed a 30-foot wingspan, and most hang gliders were around 36 or 37 feet. Once we’ve stripped it down to the bare necessities so it’s safe to fly, it only weighs about 25 or 26 pounds. What’s special about your modified hang glider?Ī hang glider’s a fantastic design because it’s light.
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Meanwhile, Atlas Obscura spoke to Freeman, a pro hang glider who has clinched 23 victories at the competitions in Bognor Regis, Eastbourne, and Worthing since 1997, to find out how he became one of the men to beat. This year’s events are suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, but competitors hope to fly again in 2022. Instead, entrants take on the challenge in hang gliders, weird and wonderful homemade flying machines, or little more than a costume. But there’s a catch: They’re not allowed to rely on an engine. Competitors raising money for charity leap off an elevated platform at the end of a pier, and try to stay airborne for 100 meters. The International Birdman has been a stalwart of a smattering of British seaside summers since the early 1970s. Now, all that stands between Freeman and the £10,000 prize is 100 meters (roughly 330 feet) of the English Channel. His mind, body, and glider (the Geordie Flyer) are ready. It’s warm with a slight breeze, the perfect conditions for the day’s International Birdman rally. Hang-gliding instructor Ron Freeman stands tentatively at the edge of a pier on England’s south coast, assessing the wind speed.