Hang gliding is an air sport in
which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launch able
aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang
gliders are made of an
aluminium alloy
or
composite-framed
fabric
wing.
The pilot is ensconced in a harness suspended from the
airframe,
and exercises control by shifting body weight in opposition
to a
control frame,
but other devices, including modern
aircraft flight control systems,
may be used. In the sport's early days, pilots were
restricted to gliding down small hills on low-performance
hang gliders. However, modern technology gives pilots the
ability to
soar
for hours, gain thousands of feet of altitude in
thermal
updrafts, perform aerobatics, and glide cross-country for
hundreds of miles. The
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
and national airspace governing organizations control some
aspects of hang gliding.
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