US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

US Hawks Training Manual - Outline (Work in Progress!!)

This first post of this topic will be the current working version of the outline. Separate topics will be created for each chapter as they are written.

Note: This first post will be changed as contributions are made in subsequent posts!!!

Current Outline:

• Disclaimer
• Broad Introduction to Hang Gliding
• What to expect during a typical training session
• Organizations and Regulations
• Aerodynamics
• Control Inputs and Responses
• Weather
• Equipment
• Launching
• Landing
• Ridge Flying
• Thermal Flying
• Tandem Flying
• Towing

Also note that some work is being done by Joe Faust at: http://www.hangglidingtrainingmanual.com. Anything we do here is welcome to be used there as well. In fact, that might be one of several locations where we can post the final result!! Here are some existing resources from that site:

United Kingdom - http://www.bhpa.co.uk/pdf/BHPAEPTrainingGuide.pdf - Elementary Pilot Training Guide, Ver. 1.7 (BHPA)
Australia - http://www.hgfa.asn.au/Ops%20Man/opsman.htm - Operations Manual (HGFA)

The idea for a US Hawks training manual has been discussed before, but now we've got a new pilot who just became a USHPA member who will need some help learning our sport (Congratulations Sara!! ). Fortunately (at least for us), Sara will be snowed in for most of the winter in Lakeview, so we can take some time to gather contributions to this manual. The purpose of this particular topic is to start building the basic layout of the manual. Once that's completed, then we can begin to write each chapter.

This is intended to be a grass-roots effort, so all contributions are welcome. In particular, I'd like to include comments (maybe in sidebars) from pilots of all experience levels who have something to offer. Sometimes that will be a mistake they made or a particular tip that helped them past an obstacle in their progress. So don't be afraid to chime in regardless of your experience level.

At this time, I'm thinking that the actual manual will be written through posts added to this topic and other topics for each chapter. The very first post (above) will contain the current working version. As comments (additional posts) are added, the editor (or editors) will then integrate those additional posts into the first post. That gives us both a history of contributions and a current working version. It's sort of what a Wiki does, but rather than allowing anyone to make any change they want, we'll rely on the editor (or editors) to integrate the suggestions into the working copy.

I think this will be a fun project, and I hope Sara will chime in with any questions she has as we progress. Everyone who contributes will be listed as a contributor to the final product.

If everyone is OK with that, then I think we can get started with an outline for the manual. Please post some suggestions for chapters below and describe what you think should be covered in those chapters. I'll add those suggestions to the first post as we go.

WorldHangGlidingAssociation has linked through to the US Hawks Training Manual (work in progress) via the link to world's hang gliding training manuals. Great initiative.

Thanks Joe!!!

I've also been thinking today about how we could do this so that it would work for the writers and work for the instructors and students as well...

I think writers will tend to want to write their own sections. It's difficult to edit someone else's work, and it's difficult to be edited. So I'm thinking that each section could be written as a stand-alone piece and there might be duplicates and overlaps. We could then create "threads" which string a series of sections together into complete works. These threads could be created by the authors or by individual instructors or even by students themselves. For example, a particular instructor might not want to teach the "flare" landing method right away and would prefer his students to use the "run it out" technique. So the "thread" that they string together for their students would include the sections that handle landing the way they want to teach it. Of course, there should be plenty of cross referencing so students who want to find out about other techniques can do so. But there are some differences in teaching approaches, and our on-line training manual could be easily adapted to each instructor's needs.

The good thing about this approach is that we don't have to restrict ourselves to choosing one person's technique or one person's presentation over anothers. Instead, we just have a series of potentially overlapping articles and each instructor is free to string them together as they see fit. We may even offer some pre-packaged "threads" with some "core topics" to make it easy on instructors. How does that sound?

Here are some broad suggestions for topics in no particular order:

Broad Introduction to Hang Gliding
What to expect during a typical training session
Organizations and Regulations
Aerodynamics
Control Inputs and Responses
Weather
Equipment
Launching
Landing
Ridge Flying
Thermal Flying
Tandem Flying
Towing

One of the nice things about an electronic manual (over a paper version) is that we can include dynamic graphics. This is a crude example, but with a little refinement, this kind of animation could be used to demonstrate many aspects of flight...


Of course, we could include actual video footage as well. I think this would make the manual much more effective than what's currently in use.

Sara wrote:"Sometimes that will be a mistake they made or a particular tip that helped them past an obstacle in their progress."

Exactly.

By the way, I just finished reading my copy of "MANBIRDS" by Maralys Wills (thanks for the very nice gift, Steve!!).

The first part of it is a very good (and fascinating) history of hang gliding up to around 1980 or 1981. But there's also a section in it about learning to fly. It was a good effort, and it reminded me that I've gotten diverted from my effort to build an on-line training manual for the US Hawks. I don't know when I'll get back to it, but I wanted to give it a "bump" on the forum to remind me of the effort. I really believe that an on-line multi-media training manual would be very helpful to new students.


Thanks again Steve!!

Folder changes, as I will be discontinuing the raw base domains regarding manual project.
New home for efforts from my end besides the work to be done at USHawks here.

http://energykitesystems.net/HangGlidin ... ingManual/

US Hawks Training Manual - Outline (Work in Progress!!)

Which method of learning to safely hang glide will:

1) Yield the least risk of physical injury?
2) Yield the least risk of equipment damage?
3) Yield the least travel, logistics, and expense?