Determining Free Flight Performance by Surveying Engineering Techniques
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 2
Abstract
Time aloft and distance traveled in free flight with a paraglider are determined by three factors: weather conditions, pilot skill, and paraglider performance. The latter factor can be represented in a performance curve. To construct an accurate performance curve, a surveying engineering approach was applied. Sensors (a variometer and a wind speed indicator) were first calibrated by Global Positioning System receivers. A test flight was then carried out with a paraglider which was launched to an altitude of using a stationary winch. After release, the variometer and wind speed indicator logged vertical velocity and horizontal velocity, respectively, for different angles of attack of the paraglider airfoil. This data, corrected for atmospheric conditions, was analyzed, via least-squares adjustment mathematical models, to determine an accurate performance curve.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Rob Radovanovic who assisted with some of the early performance tests. Research funding provided by NSERC is gratefully acknowledged.
References
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© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 23, 2003
Accepted: May 20, 2005
Published online: May 1, 2006
Published in print: May 2006
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