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Initially, all the equipment you need will be provided by the training school you attend, but once you return home you will need to buy your own. Here's what you will need: - Glider - You will almost certainly be able to pick up a second hand beginner's glider here in Ireland for under €1000. Contact the
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who can help you locate a suitable glider for you. You will always be able to re-sell your first glider when you trade up to a higher performance wing.
If you intend to buy a wing from abroad, make sure that it has been fully serviced and that the side wires have been replaced in the last 12 months. Your life depends on the structural integrety of the glider, so have your instructor or a senior pilot inspect it before you hand over any cash. Suitable gliders for novice pilots are the Airwave Calypso, the Aeros Target, the Icaro Relax and similar low performance gliders with easy handling characteristics. Don't be tempted to buy and fly a hot-ship before you have many hours of flying experience... it will be the last thing you ever do.
Helmet - Don't compromise here. Buy yourself a NEW full-face helmet. You cannot say with certainty what treatment a second hand helmet has had. Any damage may not be immediatly visible. The Charley Insider full-face helmet is a good model, offering both comfort and protection. Check out the Green Dragons or Firebird UK shop. - Flying Suit - It gets cold up there in the air, so you may want to invest in a one piece thermal body suit to keep you warm. There are several manufacturers in the UK and Europe, but the cheapest appears to be Skywears in Pakistan! Dispite the distance, they have proved to be reliable and reasonably fast.
- Harness - You can probably pick up a second hand harness in Ireland if you search around, but you would be just as well to look for one while you are abroad training. Harnesses are personal items and it is important that you get one that fits your particular body shape and is comfortable in flight. If you intend to buy a second hand harness, have your instructor or a senoir pilot thoroughly inspect it first. Like the glider, your life depends on it.
- Parachute - If you can fly high enough to throw your reserve parachute, you are flying high enough for it to save your life. Except when you are on the training slopes, NEVER fly without a reserve parachute. Like your helmet, this is one item that you should buy NEW. It must be correctly sized to match your all-up flying weight (your weight + clothes + harness + glider) if it is to return you to Earth in one piece. There are many reserve parachutes available; some for hand gliding and some for paragliding. Get professional advice before you buy. One make that has proved its worth time and again in competition and recreational flying is the Metamorfosi Conair.
- Instruments - You do not need any instruments while you are training. In fact, they will only distract and confuse you until you become comfortable and proficient in the air. You can probably pick up a second hand variometer (vario) and combined air-speed indicator / stall alarm for a reasonable price here in Ireland. They really only come into their own when you are flying in thermic conditions across country... which you won't be doing in your first year! For simple ridge-soaring flight, the best instruments are your senses! If you want to check out what is available on the market, try looking at the Brauniger, Flytec, Digifly, Aircotec and Garmin web sites. These toys tend to be expensive, new, so get the advice of another pilot as to what you should be looking for.
Resources for New Hang Glider Pilots(What kit you need, where to get it… and other useful info) Insurance, Waivers and Membership Forms: Before you can fly in Ireland you *must* have valid insurance to cover third party damage and public liability. This is not optional. You will also need to sign a declaration and waiver to protect the landowners from whose lands we fly from and over. Without this, you will not be able to fly some of the most spectacular sites around the country, which are protected by locked gates. Insurance costs around €60 and IHPA membership only €40 – cheap at twice the price when you consider what you are getting, the sites you get to fly and the unpaid work the IHPA does on your behalf. So, if you haven’t already sent in your membership forms and applied for insurance, contact the IHPA Treasurer (see the Contacts page) or send an email to
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.
IHPA Mailing List: First things first – The IHPA is an association of pilots, run by pilots. You can join the IHPA mailing list by going to www.ihpa.ie and clicking on the Contacts link. Sign up and jump in – no question too stupid! The mailing list will keep you up to date with what pilots are doing around the country; when and where to meet for flying; safety notices, etc. The mailing list is the IHPA’s main way of keeping all pilots in the frame and bringing pilots together. You might also want to sign up to the UHPC mailing list at www.uhpc.f9.co.uk and The OzReport at http://ozreport.com/index.php for news on the international scene. The IHPA mailing list should be your first port of call when looking to pick up second hand gear, and could well save you an unnecessary trip to the UK.
Magazines: The BHPA's SkyWings magazine and Cross Country magazine are two good places to start reading, but check out the Web Links page of this website for more magazines and books. Buy & Sell sites for gliders and equipment: Check out the Buy & Sell page on this website. It also has links to several other Classified Ads pages in the UK. Skywings magazine is also a good place to look for second hand equipment, but you'll need to subscribe to receive it.
Choosing and Sizing a suitable wing: When choosing your first wing after your training course it is very important that you not only get the correct type of wing (beginner / low-end intermediate) but it must also be the correct size for your weight. The size of the wing plays a very significant role in how quickly the wing responds to your control inputs; how it feels in turbulent air, and how well it stays up in light conditions. Choose a wing that is too big for your weight and it will feel stiff in roll and will frighten you in strong conditions. Choose a wing that is too small, and although it will respond very quickly to your control inputs, it will also sink out more quickly on light wind days! It's all to do with 'wing loading' - a subject you should already have thoroughly read up about in your Hang Gliding Training Manual. Ideally you want to choose a wing size that puts you somewhere in the middle of the glider's certified weight range. Check the manufacturer's websites or the Hang Gliding Bible for glider certified weight ranges and specifications. You need to work out what your 'Clip In Weight' is going to be. This is the sum of your own weight, fully dressed for flying, and the weight of your harness, helmet, parachute and any other gear you take with you into the air. Beginner / Intermediate Hang Glider Wings:
*** Make sure you get NEW side wires with your new (second hand) wing, or find out from the seller where you can buy them. Side wires MUST be replaced every year without fail. You should treat them as a disposable item (like tyres on your car or toner in your laser printer) and replace them without fail. Your life depends on these wires – don’t compromise your safety.
Check out the specifications (and in some cases, the original manuals) on many new and old hang gliders in the Hang Gliding Bible.
Also, check out the BHPA Links to shops and companies selling HG/PG gear and more. Hang Gliding Harnesses: Full Face Helmets: Don't compromise here. Buy yourself a NEW full-face helmet. You cannot say with certainty what treatment a second hand helmet has had. Any damage may not be immediately visible. There are lots of different makes and models, but make sure that the helmet you choose is certified to the EN966 standard. - Charley
- Icaro
- Other helmet names?
Reserve Parachutes: Contact
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who is the agent for Metamorphosi in Ireland. Mike can get you a substantial discount on the list price. Mike does not make any profit on these parachutes, so you will owe him a pint or six if he helps you out! These are the acknowledged best reserves available. The Metamorphosi website also has a table of comparisons of all the popular reserve systems on the market. Google on ‘Metamorfosi Parachutes’ and read the independent testimonials. Almost all of the top pilots (HG & PG) use them. Other manufacturers to consider are:
Flight Instruments: A variometer (vario) is an instrument that tells you your altitude above sea level and above take-off, your airspeed and how fast you are climbing or sinking in the air when flying. There are a number of different models available, ranging from the simple to the very complex units that some competition pilots use. The more complex varios will not make you a better pilot than the simpler ones, so don’t waste your money on a lot of hi-tech gadgetry you don’t need. A simple vario will suite your needs for many years. You can always upgrade to a flashier GPS model later and sell on your old equipment to new pilots coming into the sport.
Radios: Read the section on radios in the Flight Safety section of this website. Then do a search on eBay for Alinco DJ193, DJ195 or similar 2m band radio. Push To Talk (PTT) switches, wires and connectors are   notoriously prone to problems and soon fail (either totally, or giving intermittant or constant transmission.) The Motocom PTT system is reputedly the best of the lot according to many pilotswriting to the OzReport.
Red Ribbon: For your own safety you should attach a two foot length of broad red ribbon to the top of your king post to identify you to other pilots in the air as a low-airtime pilot. Other pilots seeing this red ribbon will try to give you as much room to manoeuvre as possible and will generally try to stay out of your way, and will be aware that you still have limited control of your wing. This is for your own safety – take advantage of it. Most new pilots keep flying with the red ribbon until they have well over ten hours of airtime.
Irish Agents for flying gear:
- Fran Denny – Aeros gliders and harnesses
- Mike Butler – Metamorphosi reserve parachutes
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