Flyhistorisk Museum Sola · Gliders
Hiway Cloudbase
Hiway Cloudbase is an iconic British hang glider from the mid-1970s, when the hang glider was starting to become a common sight in the skies.
Slow flying and a soft landing make for the perfect hang gliding trip. The pilot climbs up a steep slope and secures themselves with carabiners under the long wing. Then the pilot sets off, and runs until their feet no longer touch the ground. Once safely airborne, the pilot crawls into the bag. The hang glider turns when the pilot moves to the right or left. The speed increases or slows down when the pilot leans forwards or backwards.
A typical hang glider has a wingspan of ten to twelve meters, a wing area of 14-18 m², and a stall speed of about 30 km/h. The stall speed is the lowest speed the glider can maintain before it loses lift.
Hang gliders and paragliders have a lot in common. Both fly on rising air currents without using engines. The main difference is that paragliders do not have a rigid frame; only air pressure keeps it in shape. Today, paragliders are a much more common sight than hang gliders. Jokingly, paragliders sometimes refer to hang gliders as drying racks.
THE MUSEUM’S AIRCRAFT
The museum’s hang glider is a Hiway Cloudbase. This is an early and very simple version of a hang glider from the mid-1970s. It was donated to the museum by Magnar Nordal in the late 1990s
