Rigid-wing Models - The Hippie

Thanks to Koen Van de Kerckhove for the following information:

The Hippie is a simple ultralight glider built by Start+Flug, also builders of the Salto. It first flew in 15 August, 1974. Some time later, there were already examples flying in five countries apart from Germany. The glider had three-axis controls through rudder pedals and an overhead stick. The glider's basic structure was made of fiberglass, with carbon-fiber reinforcements; the wings were plastic-covered, while the tail surfaces were fabric-covered. Later, a second version was built, with honeycomb-construction wings, a longer tail structure of aluminum tubing, an enlarged rudder, quick-connect fittings for the controls, and an enlarged seating area for the pilot. The glider could be broken down and carried in a box measuring 5 x 1.1 x 0.6m (a little shorter than a Swift box).

The design could be foot-launched, car-towed, aerotow-launched, or with some other assistance. (Rolling off a hill like the BUG was apparently not thought of). After a foot-launch, the pilot would draw up his legs into the hoop-like fiberglass seat fairing at the nose of the aircraft (see photo above), though's it not known how often the glider was ever foot-launched. The fairing also served as the landing skid (again, no wheel is mentioned). The designers recommended that for foot-launching, the following guidelines should apply:

Applying this guideline, here are some examples of minimum wind suggested for foot-launching. On a shallow slope, the values seem a bit extreme!

Specifications

Pictures of the Hippie

• There's one on the Hippie page at Alex's Sailplanes Directory