Travelling in air not as a passenger but independently, is possible with many types of vehicles, lighter or heavier than air. In order to enjoy the free flight, you must first learn how to fly. In the club delta sport of NTUU KPI "Altair" you are taught to fly on hang-gliders.
What is this?
Hang-glider is a no motor glider of aerodynamic scheme "no-tail" with a flexible wing that takes off and lands with the help of the legs of the pilot. It is driven with an equalizer, i.e. the movement of the center of gravity of the pilot.
Modern gliders are no longer sets "of folding beds, sheets and lacings", with which more than forty years ago the capture of the mass sports began. Today they are a synthesis of the latest technology and proven solutions that meet strict aviation requirements to the design strength and flight safety. For the design of aerodynamics and construction modern engineering tools are used.
At this, educational models are optimized for simple takeoff and landing characteristics and most predictable reactions to control. Sport apparatus on which drivers win world-class competitions, are accented to maximize aerodynamic quality (K = 15..16), flight speeds (up to 140..150 km / h) and climb (1500..2000 meter rise in thermals is an everyday reality of shuttle flights), ease of control and hours of route of hundreds of kilometers. Incidentally, in 2009, the graduate of our club Serhii Semenov showed the result of 233 km of open range, and in April 2016, our mate Eugene Lysenko fulfilled the mission to stated objectives of 202 km. To enable fine tuning of the device under current conditions and flight objectives all sports gliders are equipped with a mechanism of changing the wings’ arrow-likability in flight and for safety of landing on limited platforms, the brake parachute can be used. The rescue parachute ensures the pilot’s safety in the air.
However, for mastering high-end technology you must first learn how to fly on devices of training class. The club of delta sport of NTUU "KPI" "Altair" is engaged in teaching this science for over forty years.
What is this club?
The club "Altair" is an amateur community that connects people who know how to fly on gliders and those who want to learn this. Since the beginning among its members were students and teachers only of KPI. Then, the club actually acquired the status of city delta club for Kyiv and the oblast. Venues for theoretical training, maintenance and repair of training equipment are provided by the Faculty of Aviation and Space Systems and cell CPDU "KPI". Lectures and communication about the carried flights, preparation for the next flights are held once or twice a week, depending on the current phase of education process. The basics of meteorology, theoretical foundations of flight, stability and control of gliders, rules of training flights, sports flights technique and tactics, construction and repair techniques of gliders are taught at the lessons.
The latter are necessary because all repairs and maintenance in flying condition the training equipment in the club are performed by the students on their own under the guidance of the elders. For this only original metalwork skills and simple tools are enough. The newcomers who do not have the necessary skills get a fair chance to acquire them during their training.
How do they teach?
It should be stressed that training flights on gliders is a rather lengthy process that requires serious efforts and personal time. Simply "coming to fly on cute gliders" will not work, you have to learn. You should condider that you will need to spend at least two or three weeks at the "Hora" and make serious efforts during runs on flat and sloping grounds with the device weighing 26 kg. And this is only for the first flight, lasting two to three seconds. And all further progress in training will depend on the stability of attendance, personal psychophysical condition and availability of favorable weather. Despite the media created image of "dollish", gliding is a rather serious technical sport where progress does not allow instancy. In aviation, including the ultralight one, you can not jump over the steps of training.
Practical classes of the club "Altair" are held in Kyiv on deltadrom "Kruhle Horodyshche" (in the jargon - "Hora" - with a capital letter). Usually on weekends, 1-2 times a week, throughout the year. Note that autumn-winter period is the most favorable for the first stages of training. That is when the weather is stable and predictable, which is very important for the safety of beginners who do their first steps into the sky. Spring and summer are the seasons for flight meetings and events, sport flights and developing already acquired skills.
Tight familiarity of the students with the equipment "inside" increases the level of trust and confidence in its reliability. Repairing the beginner-level wings is necessary, because they are designed specifically to smooth the consequences of mistakes of young pilots, absorb possible shocks, under the right defensively oriented actions absorb the energy of falling through the controlled destruction of the structure. Training and exercising methods of self, allowing the students to protect themselves from injury while non-regular landings, take up much of theoretical and practical training.
The whole training process in "Altair" is fully equipped with vehicles and equipment. The students do not need to purchase gliders, suspension systems, helmets, the desire to fly and willingness to learn is enough. Training equipment is maintained in flying condition, if necessary, repaired or renewed after exhausting its own resources with the efforts of club members.
How to start?
First, it's worth taking a day off to visit the "Hora" and meet the instructors of the club. Coming to "try and see" is possible and worthy! Even when first coming, you can start training with ground preparation, see gliders and training flights "live", if the weather is appropriate.
Getting to thу deltadrom "Kruhle horodyshche" is quite simple with public transport, the trip on one bus from the subway is unlikely to burden anyone. The contacts of the club and a wealth of information about training and flights can be fully got at the club website www.hangglider.kiev.ua.
Any formal restrictions because of the level of fitness are absent, everyone can try. As the years of experience show, delta sport is suitable for a person who may, for example, ride a mountain bike not only on smooth asphalt. There are also no specific limits on age. The club successfully trained the students of 18..50+ years, you need only will and power.
And then ... You just have to contact the club and come to the "Hora." Look, try. Perhaps that is exactly what you dreamed about. You can learn to fly only trying to fly, instead of dreaming or theorizing on this topic!