| 摘要 |
A hang glider attitude recovery device that may be rapidly deployed with a minimum of pilot action comprises a drag element having an effective point of attachment rigidly spaced above the point from which the pilot is suspended, and a mechanism for activating the drag element at a point clear of upper structural members. The separation between the attachment point and suspension point provides a lever arm which is responsible for the operation of the device. When the hang glider is in a position where the lever arm is inclined from the vertical (hang glider out of attitude), activation of the drag element provides an upward force at the upper end of the lever arm, which force produces a moment that tends to bring the suspension point back into a position under the attachment point. In the preferred embodiment, the drag element comprises a small parachute stowed within the tubular king post. The activation mechanism comprises an expulsion device such as a spring loaded position within the king post and a deployment device such as a parachute opening spring. The parachute is attached to the hang glider by a line extending down to the bottom of the king post, but since the line is laterally confined by the small opening at the top of the king post, the effective point of attachment is at the top of the king post.
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