How to Do a Pre-Flight Check for a Hang Glider

Video Transcript

Hi, this is David Duke. Welcome to Expert Village. The next part of this video is preflight of your glider. We have an aircraft here and we have to make sure that it's ready to go, and hasn't suffered some damage in transport. The wires aren't bent, kinked, damaged, etc. and every thing's good from the last time we flew it. So we start over here at the base tube. We make sure that we're bolted in here correctly. That each of our bolts has a little bit of a thread coming through and correct, nothing is kinked, nothings been worn out. These wire are replaced every year and they hold something like three tons of energy, but when your life is depending on them you want to make sure that they are in the best condition possible, they haven't had any corrosion. And so, you'll replace them every year. About one hundred hours of flight. We check up here. OK, so the nose battens in place, I checked the nose plate, make sure everything is good here. This is called the heart bolt. Make sure everything is structurally in tact here. Sight my down tubes, make sure they're not bent from the last time we were messing around with it. This is a cross bar that we pulled back a little while ago that gave the wing its structure. Make sure that these things are straight, there's no kinks or dents in here. Make sure all these attachments are good. The battens are all in place, didn't flip over the Mylar. Sight from this end to make sure I got a smooth curve, no kinks all the bolts and wire are correct. Knock a little of the sand I got in here out. Touch every single one of these things back here. Put my hands on it, look at it, inspect it. None of my wires are crossed. Haul back bolt looks good, bolts, connections everything is correct. Step back from the glider. Does it look like my glider; is it symmetrical, is it tweaky looking? Looks good, looks symmetrical. Check my king post, straight, bolts are there good. The said in general is in good condition. Come back to my original starting point. The retaining clip was not put on here, so I've got to fix that. Everything that needs to be inspected is out in front in the open. As a matter of fact we put these wing nuts on from this direction so they're easier to inspect than the other direction, upside down. And now that won't come apart, this won't come apart, and we're all good.

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