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Old 9th July 2010 | 16:10
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911slf
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Joined: May 2008
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From: Sheffield
Flexwings in turns

With a flexwing, be it a microlight or a hang glider, the pilot shifts his weight. If he shifts it to the left, he loads up the left wing, this increases the camber and drag on that wing relative to the right wing, and the aircraft turns left. High performance hang gliders are stiff and hard to turn, and this is usually addressed by a variable tension device (piece of cord on a pulley). Slack it off for take off, landing, and slow flight. Tighten it up for reduced drag at high speed, and accept the reduced controllability. In this condition, a weight shift will cause little effect, possibly even adverse yaw. Some foot-launched rigid microlights use differential spoilers for roll control. I seem to remember reading, probably in Flight Magazine, that the B2 is steered in the same way.
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