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Human-powered aircraft
human-powered aviation, man-powered flight, woman-powered aircraft, woman-powered aviation,
sport HPA.    HPA hybrids in FLPHG, in kiting, in powered aircraft (fixed-winged or rotary-winged)
Proposed Classes of HPA    (Rough draft stage ...) (discussion is open for anyone in the world) 
  • Free-flight sustaining without any assist from thermals or gusts under one-wing-span altitude.
    • No use of LTA gases in the system
    • Use of LTA gases in the craft
       
  • Free-flight sustaining without any assist from thermals or gusts over one-wing span altitude.
    • Fixed-wing
      • No use of LTA gases
      • Use of LTA gases in the craft
    • Rotary wing
      • No use of LTA gases in the system
      • Use of LTA gases in the craft
         
  • Free-flight sustaining that may find some assist from thermals or gusts or stored pilot-energy. Periods of soaring and gliding with pilot relaxing brings this class into gliding assisted by pilot muscle power.  During the soaring, a pilot might continue working to make electricity to charge an onboard battery to obtain sustained flight under use of the stored electricity made during the flight.  Some of this might not have been achieved yet.  A sector of this class might include hang gliders that have means for the pilot to help sustain flight by use of pilot muscle immediately or via stored-pilot-energy methods; such has been tried; several patents involve this method; extreme expression of these directions have yet to be fulfilled.
    • Fixed-wing
      • No use of LTA gases
      • Use of LTA gases in the craft
      • Use of stored pilot energy prior to flight
      • Use of stored pilot energy generated during the flight
      • Use of energy obtained by gust-reacting driven by pilot muscle actions.
    • Rotary wing
      • No use of LTA gases in the system
      • Use of LTA gases in the craft
      • Use of stored pilot energy prior to flight
      • Use of stored pilot energy generated during the flight
      • Use of energy obtained by gust-reacting driven by pilot muscle actions.
         
  • Conceptual:  Free-flight glide obtained by use of wing that gained its potential energy from the operating pilot, followed by momentary loading of the wing with pilot weight for a glide. This concept might be achieved through calm kiting where the wing is worked to altitude by pilot power followed by the loading of the wing by rapid gather of the tether.
     
  • Swinging a wing at the end of a tether by a human pilot is a class of HPA, as the wing is an aircraft powered by the human pilot.
     
  • A hybrid class: The pilot works to make electricity to charge a battery for an e-wing; then the pilot flies the e-wing. This is using the stored energy of the pilot.
     
  • Calm kiting in its pure form is a class of HPA.     In its most ancient form, this sector of HPA has been expressed by "running to get a kite to fly" in  wind that is insufficient to power the flight of the wing by way of a static or fixed mooring.    The kite pilot has many realms in which to operate.
     
  • Note to FLPHG group:   A project to sort human-powered aircraft classes (conventional, unconventional, hybrid, etc.) is underway; anyone may assist.
    http://www.energykitesystems.net/HPA/index.html   Anyone in the world is invited to help on the project.  FLPHG members are invited to help sort and define classes that particularly affect FLPHG.    Indeed the propelling running of conventional FLPHG involves use of pilot muscle power to fly the wing as the short kite tether is strained in part by the pilot's muscle input.

    The e-FLPHG with the charge for the "e" batteries given by way of the pilot's generation energy prior to flight is a class.

    The FLPHG that uses pilot muscle power during flight forms a class of  hybrid HPA with subclasses:

    • That muscle power during flight might directly propel the wing.
    • The muscle power during flight might be used to react with gusts in an asset-growing manner to help sustain flight. 
    • The muscle power during flight might generate electricity to charge batteries; the energy would be used at tactical moments to sustain flight.
    • The FLPHG comes in sorts according to use of LTA gases or not.   Use of LTA gases may be minor or major in the system. Such LTA considerations branch the subclasses of HPA and hybrid HPA.
    • FLPHG that has PIC with also friends pushing or pulling during the launch flight sequence.
    • Then too for the FLPHG realm:
      • Fixed-wing FLPHG
        • No use of LTA gases
        • Use of LTA gases in the craft
        • Use of stored pilot energy prior to flight
        • Use of stored pilot energy generated during the flight
        • Use of energy obtained by gust-reacting driven by pilot muscle actions.
      • Rotary wing FLPHG
        • No use of LTA gases in the system
        • Use of LTA gases in the craft
        • Use of stored pilot energy prior to flight
        • Use of stored pilot energy generated during the flight
        • Use of energy obtained by gust-reacting driven by pilot muscle actions.
           
  • Launching a manned kite/hang-glider by use of the muscle power of friends on the ground provides a class of HPA.  Aviation achieved by use of people towing power.
     
  • Great collection, Roger!    Your file photo HERE shows a green tow line that I took the meet for possible use by anyone; Taras Kiceniuk and crew made use of the line.  The flight shown was powered by two pilots on the ground as well as by some reactions by the pilot in the cockpit. ~JoeF
     
  • Stored pilot-generated might be used by a ground-based power winch for towing the hang glider in launch sector of the flight.
     
  • Concept: Pilot stores his or her energy in a ground-based battery. Use that energy to power a launch of a hang glider via cable transfer or power-beam transfer, or carried-battery.   The stored energy for the power beaming or cable transfer could also be sited in a balloon or kite system or even in a powered aircraft in the environment.
     
  • When human power loads springs or rubber elements with energy for propelling an aircraft, then one has a HPA sector.
     
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