Hang gliders are generally launched when the pilot runs quickly with his or her craft, before taking off from a hilltop or peak. The faster the glider goes the more lift the wings make. They maintain flight by employing a flying surface (wing) called an aerofoil. Hang gliders are unpowered wings that can be foot launched from hills, towed aloft by a land based motorised winch, or towed into the air behind a microlight aircraft. How Gliders Work. First, gliders cannot add power if they won't make the touchdown zone. To land the hang glider, you have to stall it. Even so, pilots can usually manage to keep both wing tips off the ground until the plane has slowed sufficiently (kind of like riding a fast bike down the runway). How do hang gliders land? The wings on gliders are very strong, and the tips are reinforced to prevent damage in case they scrape along the ground during a landing. Glider tails typically have a tiny wheel that prevents the tail from scraping while on the ground. Angling the glider downward, trading altitude for speed, allows the glider to fly fast enough to generate the lift needed to support its weight. However, if due caution is taken, towing can be a very effective way to get a hang glider up into the sky. The wings on a glider have to produce enough lift to balance the weight of the glider. To do it well, you must come in fast. Propelled upwards solely by hot air, hang gliders make engineless flight possible. Hang gliding is an active aerial pursuit that sees a pilot fly a motorless, lightweight glider through the open air. Hang gliders have a rigid, wing-like frame, and the person is held in place via a strap or harness connected to the frame. Flying a Hang Glider - A hang-gliding flight starts by running with the glider in order to generate lift. The string on the windshield tells the pilot if the plane is yawing. How do Hang Gliders Work. Generally speaking, hang gliders have less control authority than sailplanes, especially in the roll axis, so towing hang gliders is more complicated than towing sailplanes, and more care is needed to maximize the odds of a safe outcome. The way you measure the performance of a glider is by its glide … Hang gliding is an exciting method of one-person aircraft travel. The hang glider is actually a triangle-shaped airfoil, a modified parachute (known as a flexible wing) made of nylon or Dacron fabric.The triangular shape is maintained by rigid aluminum tubes and cables and is designed to allow air to flow over the surface to make the wing rise.