Air Design Ultralight Flying Object 18", Manual And Service Book

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The UFO is a revolutionary single surface glider with no bottom sail, developed by Stephan
Stieglair and Joe Keppler. With this new design, it has been possible to reduce glider weight to
just 1.7kg (in size 16²).
First appearance and impression of the UFO is that the design is completely unconventional,
but we’ve built in flying characteristics to be more or less the same as what you’d expect from
a standard conventional glider.
Our main goal during development was to create a very light and usable glider. For alpine
applications, it’s important to have a wing with good speed and durability. The UFO fulfils both
criteria. Trim speed is around 38km/h (at 75kg) and can be accelerated up to 43km/h via a
speed-system. Although using lightweight materials, we’ve incorporated durability with the
integration of edging tapes along the ribs. Another direct result and benefit of the concept
means that the glider has an extremely low packing volume.
RAM-AIR-STRUTS
With the implementation of our ‘RAM-AIR-STRUT’ technology, we are able to achieve excellent
speed and performance (glide angle around 7) within the hike and fly category. These struts
are v-shaped closed cells that are pressurised by ‘shark nose’ styled leading edge intakes.
These self-inflating struts provide the glider with greater overall stability in all flying
conditions.
Launch
The art of simplicity…
Irrespective of whether you’re adopting a forward or reverse launch technique, the UFO
inflates overhead with one step, and resists overshooting tendencies that you may normally