FLEXIBLE WING INDIVIDUAL DROP GLIDER

Abstract

The feasibility of the paraglider concept as a means of descent for individual airborne troops is presented. Full-scale 22-foot inflatable wings and instrumented dummies were designed, fabricated, and flight tested to demonstrate this feasibility. Specific areas of investigation included packing method, deployment, transition from the parachute mode into the wing, controllability, glider performance, and the human tolerance aspect in relation to opening shock, landing loads, and velocities. Considerable testing was directed toward determining the best packing method and deployment technique in an effort to achieve system reliability. The feasibility of using the paraglider as a means of controlled delivery of airborne paratroopers was successfully demonstrated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 21, 1963
Accession Number
AD0420814

Entities

People

  • B. E. Kurz

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Characteristics
  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Center Of Gravity
  • Control Systems
  • Engineering
  • Fabrication
  • Government Procurement
  • Load Distribution
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Mechanics
  • Reliability
  • Stress Analysis
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Equipment
  • Wind Velocity

Readers

  • Aerial Delivery - Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Software Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs