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Alpha 180 and 210

Owner / Service Manual

June 2015

Summary of Contents for Alpha 180

Page 1: ...Alpha 180 and 210 Owner Service Manual June 2015...

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Page 3: ...llswing com E mail comments willswing com June 2015 First Edition Copyright 2015 by Sport Kites Inc dba Wills Wing Inc All rights reserved No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form without...

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Page 5: ...hipping And Reassembly Procedure 6 Launching And Flying The Alpha 15 Using Wing Tufts 15 Trimming Your Glider In Pitch 18 Speeds To Fly And Using Your Airspeed Indicator 19 Landing The Alpha 20 Alpha...

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Page 7: ...hat your Wills Wing dealer cannot answer please feel free to give us a call Please visit our web site at http www willswing com on a regular basis The site features extensive information about Wills W...

Page 8: ...not designed manufactured tested or certified to any state or federal government airworthiness standards or requirements Hang Gliders are not required to be registered with the Federal government As a...

Page 9: ...ired test speed for the Alpha was 27 m p h 4 For the Alpha 180 and 210 pitch tests at speeds of 20 m p h 32 m p h and 44 m p h which show the glider to have a positive pitching moment coefficient over...

Page 10: ...excess of Vne Abrupt maneuvers should not be made at speeds above 38 mph The stability controllability and structural strength of a properly maintained Alpha have been deter mined to be adequate for...

Page 11: ...in all possible circumstances A Note About Platform Towing When platform towing it is necessary to attach a nose line to the front of the glider to restrain the glider at the proper pitch attitude wh...

Page 12: ...e that the correct replacement parts are provided The serial number is a five digit number and can nor mally be found in three places on the glider written inside the nose of the sail most reliable on...

Page 13: ...in with the head in the forward and the safety on the back of the leading edge Pull the sail down the leading edge 5 Remount the sail to the rear leading edge making sure to align the inner sail mount...

Page 14: ...e fit ting or the outside of the basetube If the fitting is forced onto the basetube it may be im possible to remove See your dealer if the fitting becomes difficult to install or remove 4 Flip the gl...

Page 15: ...attach the keyhole tang for the top rear wire and again verify that the button lock snaps into place behind it Never install the keyhole tangs onto the keyhole collar without making absolutely sure t...

Page 16: ...he clevis pin c The safety ring on the clevis pin that secures the front end of the rear leading edge tube 15 Go to the nose and attach the keyhole tang securing the bottom front wires by pulling down...

Page 17: ...ease in the mylar insert could cause a premature stall or stall hysteresis delayed stall recovery that can adversely affect both handling and performance Check the nut which secures the leading edge c...

Page 18: ...ural defect that could cause an in flight failure in normal operation At the left wingtip Check the proper installation of the number one batten and the sail mount webbing Along the trailing edge left...

Page 19: ...d condition of the top rear wire and bridle pigtail wire Check again that the keyhole tangs are fully engaged on the keyhole collar and that the button lock is properly engaged Check that the bolt sec...

Page 20: ...acket and is actually secured by the installed bolt Check the control bar apex bracket hardware including the clevis pin safeties the control bar top plug bolts and nuts and the elbow to apex bracket...

Page 21: ...ow to help determine when you are flying at minimum sink airspeed There are two important airspeeds with which all hang glider pilots should be intimately familiar minimum sink airspeed hereinafter re...

Page 22: ...ow but other fac tors influence the stall propagation on the wing Specifically a flex wing hang glider usually stalls first somewhere outboard of the root on each wing approximately one fifth to one t...

Page 23: ...sink rate has increased significantly In this mode the glider is mushing Once you have familiarized yourself with the glider s characteristics in this range of speeds you will not need to look at the...

Page 24: ...ang loop towards tail to reduce trim speed Velcro is used to cinch loop tightly to keel Hang loop must be centered on bottom of keel when velcro is fully cinched Back up loop not shown Move hang loop...

Page 25: ...s 2 mph above VNE speed and Va speed lies within the green area There are four color coded bands on the ASI White This is the range from 20 mph to 30 mph This is the normal flying speed range While th...

Page 26: ...er to be able to land within the field In winds of less than 5 mph if the slope is steeper than 10 1 you should seriously consider landing down wind uphill or crosswind across the slope Landing attemp...

Page 27: ...speeds faster than trim you will be holding the bar in pitch against substantial force and if you let go to move your hand the glider will pitch up and roll towards your remaining hand The second is...

Page 28: ...erating the rate at which you push out on the bar At the same time draw one leg forward put a foot down and start to run as hard as you can This run should be very much like an aggressive take off run...

Page 29: ...k away from the anticipated hard landing with feet extended in front This moves the pilot s center of mass forward ahead of his shoulders effec tively shortening the pilot s arms and reducing flare au...

Page 30: ...he keyhole button lock on the bottom of the noseplate to allow the keyhole tang to be disengaged Disengage the tang by pulling down on the nose of the glider while pushing up with your thumbs on the p...

Page 31: ...rear leading edges and zip up the bag Alpha Stability Systems Stability in pitch is provided by reflex in the root section which is determined by the lengths of the kingpost control bar and front to r...

Page 32: ...the following ways Bridles too loose If the bridles are adjusted too loose it will not affect the glider in normal flight as the bridles are always slack in this range anyway At angles of attack below...

Page 33: ...ll safeties for proper installation and possible damage Inspect plates and fittings for damage holes in tubes for elongation 3 Inspect the sail for wear tears UV damage loose stitching etc Every twelv...

Page 34: ...ith every flight Bottom side wires are subject to the highest loads in flight and are therefore the most critical This is why we recommend that these wires be replaced annually even if there is no kno...

Page 35: ...ritten instructions of what you want done your name and a phone number where you can be reached during the day Reinstalling the sail on the frame 1 Position the sail on the floor with the keel pocket...

Page 36: ...ear leading edge This is most easily done with all of the battens removed from the sail the crossbar de tensioned and the wings spread approximately 1 3 of the way You will first need to disengage the...

Page 37: ...noseplate on each side Sail tension is adjusted by adding or remov ing shims in 1 8 or 1 4 increments to or from the sail mount plugs on the rear ends of the leading edges See the discussion above abo...

Page 38: ...stalled turn As the glider gets older and the sail stretches you may need to add shims to maintain the proper ten sion Please note that adding shims may reduce the speed at which trailing edge sail f...

Page 39: ...sail from sunlight is probably the limiting factor in the life of your sail Try to avoid exposing your sail to sunlight any time you are not actually flying it We also know that there are forces in n...

Page 40: ...all essential parts and without coverbags and nonessential parts 46 lbs 2 Leading Edge Dimensions a Nose plate anchor hole to 1 Crossbar attachment hole 123 0 2 Rear sail attachment point 209 0 209 2...

Page 41: ...all essential parts and without coverbags and nonessential parts 51 lbs 2 Leading Edge Dimensions a Nose plate anchor hole to 1 Crossbar attachment hole 127 0 2 Rear sail attachment point 222 5 222 7...

Page 42: ...Alpha Front LE slv3 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1 3 Alpha 180 Front LE middle slv 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1 4 Alpha Rear LE Left 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1 Rev...

Page 43: ...slv 4 63 118 44mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 03 1 2 Alpha Keel middle slv 9 00 229 44mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 06 1 3 Alpha Keel rear slv 6 00 152 44mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 04 1 4 Alpha 180 Keel 145 67 3700 42mm x 0 9...

Page 44: ...Xbar 98 25 2496 52mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 78 1 2 Alpha 180 Xbar Outboard slv 50 2 00 51 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 02 1 500 BLUERIDGE AVE ORANGE CA 92865 PH FAX 714 998 6359 998 0647 TITLE SLDDWF ID DRAWN Al...

Page 45: ...1 2 Alpha Front LE slv3 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1 3 Alpha 210 Front LE middle slv 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1 4 Alpha Rear LE Left 123 500 3137 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 96 1...

Page 46: ...5 67 3700 42mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 95 1 2 Alpha Keel front slv 4 63 118 44mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 03 1 3 Alpha Keel middle slv 9 00 229 44mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 06 1 4 Alpha Keel rear slv 6 00 152 44mm x 0 9...

Page 47: ...210 Xbar 107 25 2724 52mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 86 1 2 Alpha Xbar Outboard slv 50 9 00 229 50mm x 0 9mm 7075 T6 0 07 1 500 BLUERIDGE AVE ORANGE CA 92865 PH FAX 714 998 6359 998 0647 TITLE SLDDWF ID DRAWN...

Page 48: ...nnersleeve Spec F3 145 40G 1215 40F 1329 40F 1328 40G 1478 40F 1365 40F 1521 60 0 49 5 1 125 x 065 6061 T6 61 188 52 75 none F3 170 40G 1225 40F 1329 40F 1328 40G 1477 40F 1365 40F 1521 62 0 49 5 1 12...

Page 49: ...75 X 316 X 020 2 16 10A 3231 AN5 23A 1 17 10N 1030 LOCKNUT 5 16 AN365 5 1 18 10C 5111 NAS623 4 11 2 19 10C 2291 NAS517 4 29 1 20 10G 1370 MS20392 2C37 2 21 10G 2370 MS20392 3C37 2 22 10P 1100 SAFETY R...

Page 50: ...st Top Ball Cable 3 32 Alpha 1 6 20G 2326 Kingpost Cap Ball Cable 3 32 Alpha 1 7 10T 5108 Spacer Nylon Shoulder with Flange 31 x 75 1 8 10M 1101 100 Degree Flat Head Phillips Machine Screw 8 32 x 875...

Page 51: ...011 T3 375 035 1 6 20A 1511 BUTTON SPRING HAULBACK LOCK 1 7 10R 0364 RIVET AL 3 16 X 375 CHAAPQ6 2 1 8 40P 3302 WIRE SET BTM REAR SLPSTR LTSTR 1 9 20E 2321 TANG 1 HOLE 2 SLOT 5 8 WEBBING 1 10 40P 2402...

Page 52: ...UNGEE RETAIN 1 15B 0608 ENDCAP 3 4 MULTIGAUGE 1 30J 3101 BUNGEE 1 8 1 3 NA Number 1 Batten Stud Assembly 1 10T 1108 SPACER AL 250 X 028 X 0 25 1 10G 1710 MS20392 2C71 1 10P 1100 SAFETY RING AN 9491 SM...

Page 53: ...2 6 10U 4100 WASHER BRASS 625X 281X 04 4 7 10U 5125 WASHER NYLON 75 X 316 X 020 4 8 10U 1130 WASHER STEEL AN960 10 4 9 10U 1140 WASHER STEEL AN960 416 1 4 THICK 2 10 10C 4081 NAS623 3 8 2 11 10N 1730...

Page 54: ...15A 2010 Threaded Nutcap 2 14 10A 2251 AN4 25A 1 ID Part No Part Name Qnt 1 20G 1110 XBAR LE BRACKET 52MM LDNG EDGE 1 2 40P 3103 WIRE BOTTOM SIDE 3 32 AT STYLE 1 3 40P 2202 WIRE TOP SIDE BALL SWG 3 3...

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