Man, is that a big box! Well, to a hang glider pilot it looks big, but to a sailplane pilot it may look small.
In fact, it's 21'6" long, at the front it's about 23" high x 28" high and at the rear about 23" high x 37" wide. There are doors at the front and rear, and a little one on one side near the front. The wings lay flat on two hammock-style shelves made of some soft, heavy cloth material. The cage pieces, fairing, winglets, D-tube, wheel, skid, airspeed indicator, ballistic 'chute and airspeed indicator lie on the bottom of the box.
The box itself is made of 1/8" plywood and weighs about 200 lb, while the wing weighs about 125 lb (I haven't weighed it yet). Lifting this thing onto a rooftop car rack takes two strong men! Obviously, the way to go is to trailer it. I've purchased a boat trailer, and modified it to add support behind the axles. If I need to drive up a mountain, I can always enlist the aid of 3 of my closest friends and transfer the box to the vehicle!
The manual is a bit skinny compared to that of industry leaders like Wills Wing. For instance, there are no specs on the aircraft in the manual (at least, not the copy I received, though I bought my Swift used, perhaps the manual's been updated recently). The set-up instructions gloss over a few key points. In particular, I had some difficulty figuring out how to atatch the supporting arms for the front skid. Eventually I figured it out.
The manual does mention speeds to fly for the Swift:
According to an article in Hang Gliding back in 1992, the Swift (with fairing) should have a glide ratio of about 15 at 60 mph (I'll soon see). In real terms, that means better performance than a conventional hang glider at more than twice the speed.
Set-up is not very difficult, and is greatly speeded up if you leave the cage assembled. It's about 6' (2m) long fully assembled, so it fills the inside of my Four Runner when set up. To set up the glider, you bolt the D-tube to the top of the hang cage vertical members, plug in the wings, and connect the elevons and flaps. Most of the time is taken up with undoing and doing up those pesky little round lockwires.
Sailplane pilots may risk injuring the wings, particulary by puncturing them on something, since they're not as robust feeling as sailplane wings, and are considerably lighter than, say, Jantar wings. However, are plenty strong enough! The glider is designed for about +6, -4 g, and will easily do loops (just don't try them low to the ground, without the airspeed indicator, and without your parachute, right?).
The manual recommends not using the fairing for the first 10-20 flights, so I can't tell you yet about setting that up.
The wing is very comfortable to sit in, you are quite reclined, and the ballistic chute makes a soft headrest (the air-powered rocket is attached to the rear side pointing up and aft); the deployment handle attaches to the right side shoulder strap. There is a harness to wear, this merely attaches to the parachute bridle and is not strictly required to fly the glider.
The seat itself is a hammock-style seat which is wider at the rear; at the front, wide webbing leads into a spring-loaded take-up reel. When disengaged, the seat will hang loosely, while when the reel is engaged, as you take weight off the seat the reel will tighten up the seat (i.e. after a foot launch).
Getting into the cage is best accomplished with aid, though apparently it can be done alone. The glider has much of its weight on the aft wheel, so if you lift the nose to put your arms through the shoulder straps you'll have a hard time getting the nose down again. Once nicely in place with the glider lifted, you'll find it well balanced.
Roll control is excellent, thanks to the size of the elevons - half-span. In a wind of 10 mph I had no trouble keeping wings level while sitting in the cage. Even in a 25 mph wind behind a row of cars, Kevin Caldwell could keep the wings level.
Pitch control is another matter, and is the reason some flights in a sailplane are recommended. I have a sailplane licence and experience in a Phoebus (VERY sensitive), so I was able to handle my first flight with no problems. However, for pilots with no stick time the recommendation is well worth while. The European training idea of close-tethering the Swift to the roof of a van and driving down a runway while the pilot "flies" the Swift 10-50 cm above the roof is a very good idea for the first day out.
My first flights were using a pay-out winch mounted on a tow vehicle, at a local airport. Wind was straight down the runway at 10 mph, increasing to 25 mph by the 2nd flight a few moments later. We then quit while we were ahead!
The Swift has a neat foot-operated release mounted near the aft end of the skid. I simpled set the half-span flaps to 20 degrees, rolled on the rear wheel and skidded on the skid for a few metres and was off. (I have since mounted a small plastic wheel on the skid's left side, extending only an inch below the skid so as to roll on a hard surface).
Normal hang-glider towing tension was too much, or maybe it was the wind gradient, but the Swift climbed quite steeply on tow (maybe it's the feeling from being recumbent, with head low on tow). I was aware of over-controlling in pitch slightly, exacerbated by the gusty air aloft. Anyway, the foot release worked flawlessly and I had a smooth descent to a safe landing (the skid makes an awful sound on asphalt!).
On my second tow, I was smoother in pitch control, and was able to consciously enter ground effect with additional energy then hold off for an extended period as I felt for the stall to approach.
We did not try to tow to circuit height, as I did not relish the possibility of having to release near the end of the runway with, say, only 300 feet AGL and have to complete a circuit in a strong tailwind. So, a more complete flight report will have to wait a week or two. I won't be trying foot-launches or landings until I understand the flight envelope a lot better than I do now.
In the meantime, if you have any queries, just send me a note.
After 10 days flying with my new Swift, I have some additional comments (see 'Flying Swiftly - Part One', above).
Total experience to date: 10 days, 12 flights, 28 hours, 428 km XC. All my flights to date have been tow-launched (via vehicle-mounted payout winch) and wheel-landed. While the Swift is foot-launchable and landable, I believe taking the introductory course from Bright Star would be a good idea for those wishing to foot-launch or foot-land it.
Set-up:
The first time I set up the glider alone, it was a real bear and took forever. However, the setup location was rocky and dust-devils were a constant threat. With practice, I was able to drop the set-up time down to about 20 min. (with the cage left assembled between flights). Most of this time is spent connecting clevis pins and lock-wires! I can't tell you about the time required to assemble the fairing, not having used it yet (Bright Star recommends making 10-20 landings without the fairing as it increases the 'float' on landing by an order of magnitude).
Towing:
The default placement of the release is a bit too far forward on the skid for surface towing. Moving it aft 5 cm (2 in.) helped reduced trim speed on tow. Rather than abuse the skid on the takeoff, I mounted a wheel on one side of the skid. This worked for a few flights but the arrangement lacked enough rigidity to withstand the landings (more later). Setting 20 degrees of flap and using full aft stick produced an early liftoff but it was necessary to quickly reduce aft stick on liftoff in order to avoid rocketing upwards.
On tow, the Swift flies very straight with little tendency to yaw around as many flex wings do. Keeping the legs bent and aft helps to reduce trim speed, as does use of flap. I was able, with practice, to hold the speed down to 50-60 km/h (30-35 mph) on tow... but the first tow was at speeds of up to 80 km/h! (50 mph).
Tension used was the normal amount for flex wings, but the weak link used was for tandem flex wings. I did not want an unecessary weak link failure on the first flight! On day 9, I experienced a weak-link failure at 100 ft. and was easily able to reduce attitude to a normal free-flight level and circle back to land.
I wanted to move the towline parachute away from the glider to avoid entanglement, as it would not be possible in flight to reach the nose and clear the 'chute out of the way, so we used a 5 metre long polypro leader between the 'chute and weak-link. I didn't carry a hook knife as, again, it wouldn't be possible to reach the release easily in flight. However, we preflighted the sailplane-type release carefully before each flight.
It's recommended to have the tow truck stop or otherwise lower the nose to reduce tension before releasing the tow line, especially if you are using lots of back stick to keep the speed down on tow. I found the alternative rather exciting...
In flight:
My first real flight on the Swift (apart from the two 30-second tows mentioned in the last post) was over 3 hours. In this flight, I had a chance to extensively test the glider's flight characteristics, to my great pleasure. First and foremost, the Swift is a joy to thermal. In fact, I would say it has an 'auto-core' feature. Once established in a mild bank angle, say 30 degrees, the glider will continue to circle hands-off quite happily for a number of turns, allowing one to adjust the radio, take pictures, etc. So if you need to let go of the stick for a bit, even in turbulence, no problem.
The glider climbs well in thermals and appears to be efficient at a wide range of bank angles and speeds. I was able to outclimb many flex wings in light thermals (without the fairing). I also had occasion to scratch, getting up once from under 300' in a dust devil, requiring bank angles of 60-70 degrees.
I had heard a few things about spin tendencies. With this in mind, if flown like a sailplane (with the vortilons on) there should be no problems. A number of times I tried stalling in a turn, and the glider only increased its sink rate. I also tried to level the wings at the stall, with no difference in results. Apparently, to induce a spin it is necessary to stall not the rear of the tip but rather the leading edge; this is done by driving downward the tip at the moment of stall (not a control movement you'd be likely to do). I also tried stalling in level flight and slamming the stick to the side at the moment of stall, with no effect on normal stall recovery.
With no flap set, full aft stick did not produce a stall. However, with 20-30 degrees of flap set, it was possible to produce a mild break. Recovery was trivial.
Flap settings of about -5 to +50-55 degrees are possible. Use of the flaps is fundamental for controlling the flight characteristics and control comfort of the Swift. Recall that the glider's name itself is an acronym, standing for Swept Wing with Inboard Flaps for Trim. Zero degrees of flap provides a trim speed of about 30-35 mph (speed will vary with pilot weight and leg position). However, reducing this to -5 degrees is very useful for interthermal glides, as the trim speed increases to 40 mph or more. As increasing positive flap is selected, trim speed slows more and more. Above 35-40 degrees, the glider will actually slow into a stall if let go, so large flap settings are only recommended for use as dive brakes. A positive pitch stability is felt at all flap settings; I found thermalling with 10-20 degrees to be most comfortable. I never tried thermalling at more than 30 degrees flap setting, as drag would be too great.
I tested the use of max. flap setting as dive brakes. With full flap and full forward stick (which required a lot of force in this situation), and by sliding forward in the seat, I was able to obtain a descent of more than 1000 fpm at speeds of 80 km/h or more. I also used 45 degrees of flap on final glide a few times for glide-path control, which was quite effective.
Interthermal glides in the Swift are not as precise in the Swift as in a conventional sailplane as there is not rudder. Accordingly, it is common to experience slight variations in heading of up to 20 degrees or so. This is comparable to other flex wings, so it didn't bother me. At higher speeds, the glider deviated less in heading. I tried glides at up to 110 km/h (70 mph).
Roll initiation does not produce a lot of adverse yaw if done smoothly and slowly. If the stick is slammed over, the glider briefly adverse yaws up to 20 degrees or so before rolling in. Roll authority is very good due to the half-span elevons. However, I did experience a reluctance to roll in a few times while working strong devils down low; I was always able to eventually roll in and was never locked out of a thermal as sometimes happens in a flex wing. At best glide speed, 45-to-45 degree roll time was between 2 and 3 seconds.
As I mentioned earlier, pitch is fairly sensitive in the Swift, and the control is very direct. Basically, however much you move the stick forward, the nose will immediately move an equivalent amount. Having previous sailplane experience, I was able to adapt to this within a few seconds on my first flight. Full comfort with this characteristic took a couple of flights. Pitch sensitivity is likely to be an issue only on the first few landing approaches, when the consequences of over-control are most visible (and worrying!).
Turbulence:
The Swift seems to handle turbulence quite well. There was only day that I noticed turbulence, and only once did I lift at all off the seat (in addition to having one's shoulders tightly restricted by the shoulder straps, the pilot usually also wears a parachute harness connected to the main bridle). Because of the rigid structure and aerodynamic control, I felt that I just powered through most of the turbulence. Even in numerous wind shears I felt comfortable and never had any doubts about pitch stability or other glider characteristics.
Landings:
This is the phase of flight that I have the least to say about. I don't feel I understand this aspect very well, and was glad to have the wheel and skid to land on. I set up a standard sailplane-sized circuit to land, and found two things to consider: it's helpful to have to have both sailplane and hang glider experience, for this craft has the glide of a sailplane, but the wing loading of a hang glider. This means that you'll glide forever like a sailplane, but you'll be raised or dropped by lift like a hang glider. Accordingly, your landing approaches should be conservative.
I had some difficulty managing simultanaeous changes in flap setting and airspeed during the approach, in terms of their effect on touchdown point. So I'd advise a long final to allow time to get all settings well established, so you don't need to make last-minute changes.
If you land on the wheel, you'll notice the ground seems to really rush by when your head is only half a metre off the ground. This makes it difficult, if all your experience is in flex wings, to determine true airspeeed and whether it's safe to pull back a little more on the stick to hold off a little longer. I found it helpful to mount my Braueniger airspeed indicator on the nose strut and set the stall warning for 35 km/h (about 22 mph). (This also helped me in thermals, allowing me to keep a good eye on other traffic while warning me should I get too close to stall speed).
My next move will be to make many small tows in smooth conditions to practice the landing approaches.
Structure:
The stock landing gear is acceptable for the occasional wheel landing or takeoff, but is not beefy enough for continual duty (after all, the wing is designed to be foot-launched and -landed). Specifically, rolling off a hard surface on takeoff is hard on the skid. (Well, plywood is cheap, I guess). Also, the skid abrades quickly on landing on hard surfaces. I tried adding two 6" wheels aft of the rear skid support for landings, and on my last landing had them dig in, go sideways, and break off the skid support arms. (Better to break the skid than the entire cage, though).
Another point is that there is no protection for the wingtip undersurface, so dropping a wing on landing will abrade the winglet fairing, the elevon tip, the wing undersurface, or all three. Adding a little tip skid would extend the life of the glider. Also, it's a good idea to add an assortment of little pads and covers to the glider to protect it while in the box.
Summary:
For me at least, the Swift is not merely a hang glider made of fiberglass. Flying it is very similar to flying a flex wing, but definitely different. On the other hand, it's closer to a hang glider than any sailplane I've flown. It's a unique, and enjoyable, aircraft, very good at what it does. Like all aircraft, it represents a compromise in design. If these compromises suit your style, you'll like flying the glider. If not, you might just find it to be more of a hassle than a flex wing hang glider, without the performance of the newer sailplanes (though with the fairing the glide ratio is about the same as that of a 1-26).
1st foot-launch on the Swift! I took her out to Golden, BC, and dove off the HG ramp there. The wind was puffing up about 5 mph, it was five steps to the end of the ramp and step off. After launch I had a few pitch oscillations while trying to swing my legs way up to the cross tube, then flip the take-up lever. (On the 2nd flight, I set the lever just before launch, so when I lifted my legs the seat tightened up by itself).
After settling in, I got up and flew an 80-km O/R and stayed up 3-1/2 hours, landing at the Golden airport in perfectly calm air. The sailplane pilots were all intrigued by the glider but thought foot-launching it was nuts.
The increased glide of the Swift over flexwings was apparent when my return leg was a straight glide with no turns. Also I ventured north up the Blaeberry River valley, a direction I've never dared to attempt in a flexwing.
2nd takeoff was not so good, the wind was just 2-3 mph and upon leaving the ramp, felt I was barely mushing so pushed the stick forward and dove for speed. My new minimum windspeed limit will be a solid 5 mph straight up the hill!
I climbed out right away and attempted a 100-km O/R. Got below the peaks in a headwind on the return leg and had to land out, no problem on the wheel in a nice hay field.
Though I leave my Swift box on a converted boat trailer for highway travel, I moved the box to my vehicle's roof-top rack for the trip up the steep mountain road.
Thermalling the Swift in the mountains requires an approach closer to that used with sailplanes than with gliders. Particular care is required when circling near a mountain face, as the glider requires a little more room than a flexwing. Also, you can't just woof the bar out to get away from the trees if you get in a little too close.
All things considered, the first flights in the mountains were a success.