hang glider

Equipment made up of two wings connected to a harness; it is used to take off from a height and gain altitude on lifting air currents.

king post

Vertical piece attached at the center of the keel; it supports the rigging wires.

trailing edge

Back edge of the sail.

crossbar

Metal tube that is perpendicular to the keel and attached at the center of the two wings; it keeps the sail deployed.

sail

Triangular surface made up of pieces of fabric; it is stretched over a metal skeleton to form a wing.

batten

Stiff strip inserted into batten pockets on the sail to help it retain its shape.

leading edge tube

One of two metal tubes running along the front edge of the sail to keep it taut.

keel

Metal tube attached longitudinally to the intersection of the two wings; it supports the leading edge tubes and keeps the sail taut.

wing

Horizontal surface that is acted upon by aerodynamic forces to keep the hang glider aloft.

tip

Outermost portion of the wing; it forms a point.

nose

Forward end of the hang glider where the two leading edge tubes meet.

rigging wire

One of the cables stretching from the king post to the wing structure; they increase resistance to tension.