[JoeF]

I've a pile of aluminum, steel, and Dacron; I am walking with that hiking gear. Such gear is useful to me when in the air and when hiking on the ground. Only when off the ground is my collection a hang glider; while I am on the ground, that gear forms exercise weights for a hike. And sun shade for rest along the way. And umbrella to move the rain aside. And wind block when I read and watch the birds or enjoy the panorama. Sometimes I arrange the things to form a backrest. Should I fall from a steep drop, then that gear set will let me return from the fall in a gentle manner; it becomes a neat fall arresting device when hiking in the hills and mountains. Or cougar guard. Or mountain lion deterrent. The pile of gear ...

Big cats think: "No, too big for me to eat!"

Get your mountain-lion guard for your next hike!

Get your hiker's umbrella for your next hike and keep in shade!

[magentabluesky]

Joe,

Is a wing suit a hang glider?

Is base jumping with a wing suit a Part 103 activity or a Part 105 activity or both?

Part 105 only covers Parachuting from an aircraft.

Is the wing suit considered an aircraft?

Parachutist means a person who intends to exit an aircraft while in flight using a single-harness, dual parachute system to descend to the surface.

Parachute operation means the performance of all activity for the purpose of, or in support of, a parachute jump or a parachute drop. This parachute operation can involve, but is not limited to, the following persons: parachutist, parachutist in command and passenger in tandem parachute operations, drop zone or owner or operator, jump master, certificated parachute rigger, or pilot.

Aircraft means a device that is used or intended to be used for flight in the air.

[Red]

I've a pile of aluminum, steel, and Dacron; I am walking with that hiking gear.
it becomes a neat fall arresting device when hiking in the hills and mountains. Or cougar guard. Or mountain lion deterrent. The pile of gear ...
Big cats think: "No, too big for me to eat!"
Get your mountain-lion guard for your next hike!

Joe,

Went to fly in Arizona one fine summer, and a couple of friends and I flew the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for a week. (Forgiveness is always easier than permission.) We cliff-launched from the edge when soarable, and we all had great flights. We landed by the truck each day, before the lift quit. So somebody had to stay on the ground to be the launch wireman for the other two, each day. On one day it was again my turn to walk. The others got airborne nicely, and I would not see them again for hours. I walked back to the truck, following my own footprints because we parked the truck in a low spot, so nobody on the ground would see us parked. I saw, inside one of my own shoe-prints, there was the large paw-print of a big mountain cat. He had followed us out to launch, and was probably stalking me right then. I knew not to run, because that is what prey would do. I walked, scared stiff. When I got to about 20 yards (meters) from the truck, I couldn't stand the tension any longer. I made a stupid mad dash to the truck, and dove in. SAFE! Never saw the big cat. Once everybody was back at the truck that day, we decided to set out for our next destination, hopefully with some nicer neighbors.

The good folks at the University told me I didn't see the big cat, because before they hunt, first they roll around in the dust to give themselves exactly the same coloration as the local landscape. Wonderful!

[JoeF]

Is a wing suit a hang glider?

I'm with a habit to discern audience and context. (Naw, that is not my habit; rather my habit is to poetically reach to see if I can discern "kite" in a flight system. )
In facing the quoted question by Michael, I hesitate; he put the question in a context or post that has many FAR phrases. I do not want to disturb his flow in the FAR realm, but actually may want to; I get challenged on these matters and sometimes just toward the habit mentioned. Maybe both kinds of answering could be done while identifying what is unfolding; I'll try.

FAR context: FAA is not considering wingsuit as a hang glider. So, in that context: FAA does not equate wingsuit with hang glider at first glance.

Kite context: Some of us, at least one of us, can see mechanical equivalence of wingsuit with hang glider with kite system. I see that a wingsuit flight is a flight of a free-gliding kite system that is a hang glider system. How does that go? Mass of good portion is hanging some via threads (tethers) to wing of wingsuit; the mass forms a kite-system anchoring to the effective main wing portion of the flight system. The threads (tethers) from the anchoring free-falling mass are in tension as the wing portion lifts and drags in the kiting action. That these parts of the wingsuit (kite system) are quite close coupled does not cause the system to be disqualified as a kite system. The wingsuit (as kite system) flight system operates to glide. Kite systems need not have fixed anchors; notice how the kiteboarder's kite system during a jump is still a kite system. Explore FFAWE for some cousins on this matter. And since the wingsuit (kite system) significantly hangs some mass for the glide, the wingsuit in this context is a type of hang glider with both weight-shift control and wing-warping control and variable geometry control and even airframe control (bones of the pilot). The human in wingsuiting holds the airframe within his skin.


In some courts: I'll know it when I see it. "THAT is not a hang glider." Refer shown linked photo.
But in some company what is shown is a hang glider.
Decide how one wants to get along to get along, if wanted. '
Perhaps be able to be comfortable in various contexts.

[Rick Masters]

Tandem hand gliding.

I think a hand glider is a hang glider.
I see skydivers flying hand gliders all the time.
Then they pull their parachutes.
It is a very good idea to wear a parachute when going hand gliding.

On a hand glider, the hang straps are your arms.
Your hands, of course, are your wings.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Tandem hand gliding.

[magentabluesky]

Notice the difference in hang position between the base jumper and the tandem hand glider.

Definitely an example of Tandem Hand Gliding.

[Frank Colver]

I've got to hand it to you, you have put your finger on the problem at hand. This information could be handy to those involved.

Glad to lend a hand,
Frank

[Bob Kuczewski]

I've got to hand it to you, you have put your finger on the problem at hand. This information could be handy to those involved.

Glad to lend a hand,
Frank

This topic is getting a little hard to handle ... and a bit out of hand.

[Frank Colver]

If it gets to be too much to handle then hand it off to someone else. Perhaps to a handyman.
FC