From: Dennis Holverstott Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 3:24 PM To: Hang Gliding List Cc: Rigid Wing List; Rob Kells Subject: Mill CB
I asked Rob Kells about landing the Millennium with a control bar. He gave me permission to post his reply.
P.S. - I'm not a Wills dealer nor do I play one on TV :-)
--
Dennis
Rob Kells wrote:
Hi Dennis,
It's amazingly easy to land, I'd guess with the tip boards out at 80% it's glide path is somewhere around 7 to 1, kinda between a Falcon and an Ultra Sport. Easy / obvious flair window with no steppers possible in 1 mph wind. The rear keel hits the ground after it stops flying which helps keep the weight of the thing from coming down and squishing you like a bug:). It looks wicked like a Lear 60, yet flies like a Cessna.
I think a hang three could fly it easily.
You are welcome to come fly the pre-production plane when it's done. I'm hoping we can make it lighter and in some form that we can afford to produce. It brings giggles when flying with other gliders, kind of an unfair weapon if ya know what I mean.
Cheers,
Rob
From: "Davis Straub" To: "OZReport" Subject: Oz Report, Vol 2, #56 - 1999 US Competitions Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 19:27:44 -0800
... snip ...
The following bulletin went out to Wills Wing dealers recently:
"The folks at Bright Star, (designers of the Swift and Millennium) put a control bar on a Millenium for us to evaluate. It is weight shift controlled in pitch, and aerodynamically controlled in roll and yaw, activated through pilot pressure on the control bar. To the pilot the aerodynamic controls are "transparent," i.e.; you fly it like a flex wing.
"If it turns out that the project is feasible aerodynamically, structurally and financially we may choose to produce and sell a control bar configuration of the Millenium. We'll keep you updated as we get further into the project. Please give us your feedback on what you think the market might be for a glider like this in your area."
The downside? We've heard that it might have to be priced at $14,000 to make it feasible for Wills Wing to build. If true, Millenium owners have been getting a great deal. Of course, most of us who've flown the Millenium wonder at how they can do it for the price.
Co-designer of the Swift and Millennium , Steve Morris, wrote in the AirHOG mailing list on September 11th 1988:
"Yes, it exists as a prototype. We took the remains of Brian Porter's
Millennium #00 and retrofitted the wing with an 'A' frame that actuates the rudders and elevons when the pilot moves his body side to side. The
modification was simple to do and the glider was test flown 4 days after the decision to try it out was made. At this point four people have flown the
wing and we are considering putting this glider into production. Why, you may ask, is Bright Star Gliders building its first design with a control
frame since the Odyssey? Because pilots want it, and we think we can offer some advantages over the Exxtacy in control response, handling, and glider
set-up. With so many Exxtacy clones coming to the marketplace we wanted to offer a prone-flown wing with a positive difference and it only seems
natural to modify a successful design rather than start from scratch. It also demonstrates something that we've felt all along, that the Millennium
is really as much a hang glider as any other design. Whether it has a cage or 'A'frame is a matter of pilot preference and not an inherent property of
the design itself. I'll post some photos on my web site
(www.sirius.com/~mlbco) next week."
Millennium distributor John Borton of Thin Air Designs, also in the September 11th edition of the AirHOG mailing list, wrote:
It's real, and no it doesn't look anything like the Lumina which to me
looks like an Exxtacy with Horner tips and ailerons. The Mill CF (my
designation) currently looks exactly like a Millennium with the cage replaced by a control frame.
The Millennium has always had a bit more roll authority than the Exx if for no other reason than there are three control surfaces working to turn you
(both ailerons + one rudder) rather than one spoileron. The limiting roll factor on the Mill has always been the short side stick controller...there
is just not enough leverage to really throw the controls around. No longer a problem on the Mill CF. The control frame and weight shift input method
allows for plenty of throw on the ailerons and plenty of rudder input resulting in impressive roll rates. I was on the wing for only 5 minutes
before gaining the confidence to do things that rigids aren't seen doing...mainly turning on a dime.
Is the CF that has been seen a production unit? Far from it. Are there still design/production issues to be worked out? PLENTY. Will the R/D be
completed and will the wing enter production? Too early to say. Did I have a blast? Oh Yeah!!
Here are some photos of Rick Cavallaro's new Millennium (serial. no. 7).