Microlift glider
Encyclopedia
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
that are able to exploit lifting forces
Lift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
weaker than the conventional lift used in traditional gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
. These weak lift conditions are called microlift.
Classification
The Fédération Aéronautique InternationaleFédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
Gliding Commission
FAI Gliding Commission
The International Gliding Commission is a leading international governing body for the sport of gliding.It is one of several Air Sport Commissions of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale , or "World Air Sports Federation"...
's Sporting Code defines the classes
Glider Competition Classes
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports...
for gliding competitions
Gliding competitions
Some of the pilots in the sport of gliding take part in gliding competitions. These are usually racing competitions, but there are also aerobatic contests and on-line league tables.-History of competitions:...
and records. One of the classes is the ultralight glider. These are defined as gliders with a take-off mass not exceeding 220 kg (486 pounds). Examples of these are the Apis
Albastar Apis WR
|-References:* Flight Manual: Apis WR*...
and Silent 2
Alisport Silent 2
|-See also:-References:*Silent 2 Flight Manual*http://www.alisport.com/eu/eng/alianti.htm*http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/glider_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-13.pdf*Soaring March 2005*http://www.glidingmagazine.com/FeatureArticle.asp?id=368...
. Microlift gliders are a sub-type of the ultralight class, further defined by a wing loading
Wing loading
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of wing, so a smaller wing can carry the same weight in level flight, operating at a higher wing loading. Correspondingly,...
that does not exceed 18 kg/m2 (3.69 pounds/ft2).These definitions were adopted for inclusion in the Sporting Code, Section 3, Gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, effective on October 1st, 2004.
World records for the ultralight class have been recognized by the FAI but there are no World Championships
World Gliding Championships
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere....
for these types at present. For world records microlift gliders are classed with the other ultralight gliders and/or hang gliders.
The FAI has developed a 2-dimensional diagram to depict the different domains for glider classes.
Characteristics
In addition to the traditional forms of liftLift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
used in the sport of gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, microlift gliding also aims to exploit non-traditional sources of weak lift. In typical conditions, conventional sailplanes may be unable to exploit weak vertical movements of air. However a sailplane that is specifically designed to have a very low rate of sink and a very small circling radius, may be able to exploit these feeble air movements for sustained flight and may even allow the glider to climb. This is the microlift glider.
Microlift gliders
- Advanced Aeromarine SierraAdvanced Aeromarine Sierra|-See also:...
- Aériane SwiftAériane SwiftThe Aériane SWIFT is an unusual family of aircraft. Originally conceived as a rigid hang glider with sailplane-like performance, it was designed by Bright Star Gliders in collaboration with engineers at Stanford University as a boomerang-shaped wing with fins at its tips...
- EEL ULF 1EEL ULF 1|-See also:...
- Glidersport LightHawk
- Maupin Carbon DragonMaupin Carbon DragonThe Maupin Carbon Dragon is an American, high-wing, single-seat, glider that was designed by Jim Maupin and made available as plans for amateur construction...
- Moyes TempestMoyes Tempest|-See also:-External links:*...
- Reich ULF-1
- Ruppert ArchaeopteryxRuppert Archaeopteryx|-See also:...