Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 3: March 2014 | Page 25

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s the sun climbs higher at winter’s end in the northern hemisphere, its increasing angle of
incidence on the earth begins to warm
the approaching springtime seasonal
airmass. With the flying season rapidly approaching this is a perfect time
to thoroughly inspect and perform
annual maintenance on your hang
glider. While it is important to follow
your manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations, there is no substitute
for having your dealer perform an
annual inspection together with you.
As a flex-wing pilot I’ve limited my
discussion here to flex-wing gliders and
broken down inspection and maintenance items into three basic categories:
sail, hardware, and cables. I am not
an instructor or a hang glider dealer.
Instead, I contribute the following article after several decades as a flex-wing
pilot with the desire to contribute to
your safety. While I cover a broad range
of inspection and maintenance items,
you must consult with your manufacturer’s owner’s manual for your specific
glider.

The Sail
Today’s hang glider sails can be made of
various types of Dacron, mylar and/or
a blend of layered materials that make
up the skin of our aircraft. With every
flight the sail gets unrolled, exposed to
the sun’s UV radiation, sand, dirt, and
sea salt (along coastal areas), and rolled
back up again. Over time abrasion of
sail material commonly occurs out near
the tips from contact with the ground
and along the leading edges, particularly from pilots still honing their landing
skills. It’s no surprise that the sail takes

a lot of abuse.
To inspect the sail, start with the
glider completely set up, the crossbar
haul-back tensioned and tip wands (if
applicable) installed. When inspecting
my glider I start at the nose and walk
down one leading edge, go along the
trailing edge and then back up along
the opposite leading edge back to the
nose. I start at the nose cone, checking
not only the sail material around the
area, but also the quality of the Velcro
attached to both the nose cone and the
sail. Run your hand down one leading
edge feeling for loose stitching, small
rips, tears, or broken fibers from PX
materials. Loose threads or minuscule
tears in the leading edge sail are usually
not a concern and can be easily patched.
Your dealer, however, should inspect
larger rips or tears. Carefully check for
abrasion around the tips, particularly
on the outside and undersurface around
the tip wands. I also carefully check the
cam lever bolt attachment for abnormal
wear on the undersurface.
Once the inspection of the tip area
is complete, inspect the trailing edge.
Look carefully for threads coming
loose, and holes or small tears near the
trailing edge of your glider. The sail’s
trailing edge is highly stressed and your
dealer should inspect any anomaly in
sail material in this area. After inspecting the other wing tip, move up along

the opposite leading edge going back
toward the nose. This is also a good
time to lubricate stubborn undersurface
zippers. I use a silicone zip stick (found
on the web) to lubricate undersurface
zippers. Closely inspect the sail-mount
webbing and grommets. Once the sail is
inspected and zippers are lubed, I clean
the sail.
To clean the sail, use water and a
cotton cloth or very soft brush. A weak
solution of Simple Green (one part
Simple Green to eight parts water)
can be used on Dacron material that
is particularly soiled. It’s important to
rinse the sail completely. Do not use a
high-pressure hose on the sail. Do not
use well water if your water contains
lime ܈Y