SPORTS. Part 1
AIR SPORTS
Aerobatics - spectacular stunts, such as rolls and loops, flying upside down or in a circle, performed in an airplane or a glider or by groups of airplanes flying together. The term aerobatics came into use in early 1914 and was originally synonymous with stunt flying.
Air racing - sport of racing airplanes, over a fixed course or cross-country to transcontinental limits, with the winner either returning in the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previously estimated time. Air racing dates back to 1909, when the first international meet was held at Reims, France.
Precision Flying - the sport is a single crew operation comprising three sections: firstly, there is a flight planning (theory) test. No aviation or scientific calculators are allowed here and pilots have to use the traditional “Whizz Wheel”. The second section is a flying test. Pilots have fly along a track at a nominated speed, accurate to the second. Finally there is the landing section where the pilot has to perform four landings from 1000ft on downwind. Two of the landings are glides (one flapless) and the other two are powered approaches (one over a 2 meter barrier). The concept of Rally and Precision flying started in the Scandinavian countries between the two world wars. The object was to create a set of skills that combined hunting, flying and cross country skiing. A further evolution was to split the sport into two disciplines, Precision Flying and Rally Flying. The main difference between the two is that Precision Flying is a solo effort by a single pilot while Rally Flying is a two crew operation. World Championships are held on a regular basis with entries from all over the globe.
Ballooning - unpowered balloon flight in competition or for recreation, a sport that became popular in the 1960s.
- Cluster ballooning is a form of ballooning where a harness attaches a balloonist to a cluster of helium-inflated rubber balloons.
- A hopper balloon (or hopper) is a small, one-person hot air balloon. Unlike a conventional hot air balloon where people ride inside a basket, there is no basket on a hopper balloon. Instead, the hopper pilot usually sits on a seat or wears a harness similar to a parachute harness. Hoppers are typically flown for recreation.
Parachuting - (or skydiving) is the action sport of exiting an aircraft and returning to Earth with the aid of gravity, then slowing down during the last part of the descent by using a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal velocity. The first intentional freefall jump with a ripcord-operated deployment is credited to Leslie Irvin in 1919.
- Banzai Skydiving is a form of skydiving that originated in Japan. The Banzai skydive consists of flying to a jump altitude of 10,000 ft. (3,000 m). Before exiting, the diver throws her or his parachute out the airplane door, waits two seconds, and then jumps after it. To be successful, the skydiver must secure the parachute and glide to the projected landing zone.
- Wingsuit flying is the sport of flying the human body through the air using a special jumpsuit, called a wingsuit. Modern wingsuits (birdman/flying squirrel/bat suits), first developed in the late 1990s, create thesurface area with fabric between the legs and under the arms. A wingsuit flight normally ends with a parachute opening. So a wingsuit can safely beflown from any point that provides sufficient altitude for flight and parachute deployment (normally a skydiving drop aircraft or BASE jump exit point). Wings were first used by 19 year old American Rex G. Finney of Los Angeles, California in 1930.
- BASE jumping (sometimes written as B.A.S.E.) is parachuting or wingsuit flying from a fixed structure or cliff. "BASE" is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: building, antenna, span, and Earth (cliff). BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous than skydiving from a plane. In the U.S., BASE jumping is currently regarded by many as a fringe extreme sport or stunt. In some jurisdictions or locations, BASE jumping is prohibited or illegal. BASE jumping became known to the wider public by depictions of BASE jumping in a number of action movies.
- Skysurfing is a type of skydiving in which the skydiver wears a board attached to his or herfeet and performs surfing-style aerobatics during freefall. Surf Flite was the first sky board company, copyrighted by Jerry Loftis(January 1, 1969 -August 12, 1998).
Indoor Skydiving - it’s simply a vertical air tunnel which gives you a pseudo-free-fall experience. Going to an indoor skydiving center involves gearing up in a jumpsuit, goggles, and helmet, and putting yourself in a vertical wind tunnel chamber powered by a strong, consistent stream of air generated by fans underneath a grate in the floor. The resulting environment is like gliding above a giant hand dryer placed upside down, complete with the effect of your skin rippling from the force of wind.
Gliding - is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in theatmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport. Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s.
Paragliding - is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. A person jumps from a high place (such as a cliff or an airplane) wearing a wide, rectangular, steerable parachute.
Paragliding is related to the following activities:
- Hang gliding - an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and non-motorized foot-launch aircraft called a hang glider that is of a delta wing design. Some hang glider flights have been recorded in 875 AD.
- Powered paragliding (also known as paramotoring) is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on his back (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using an adapted paraglider or paramotor wing. It can be launched in still air, and on level ground, by the pilot alone — no assistance is required.
- Speed riding (or speed flying) is the separate sport of flying paragliders of reduced size.These wings have increased speed, though they are not normally capable of soaring flight.The sport involves taking off on skis or on foot and swooping rapidly down in close proximityto the slope, even periodically touching it if skis are used. These smaller wings are alsosometimes used where wind speeds are too high for a full-sized paraglider, although this isinvariably at coastal sites where the wind is laminar and not subject to as much mechanical turbulence as inland sites.
Microlighting - flying a hang glider with an engine (ultralight aircraft). Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1or 2 seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight shift and 3-axisaircraft, calling the former "microlight" and the latter "ultralight".
Bungee Jumping - is an activity that involvesjumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure isusually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from amovable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that has the ability to hover abovethe ground. The first modern bungee jumps were made on 1 April 1979 from the 250-foot (76 m) Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, by members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club.
Parasailing (parascending, "parakiting") is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to aspecially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as aparasail wing. The manned kite's moving anchor may be a car, truck, or boat. The harness attaches the pilot to the parasail, which is connected to the boat, or landvehicle, by the tow rope. The vehicle then drives off, carrying the parascender (orwing) and person into the air. Two or three people can parasail behind it at the same time. The parascender has little or no control over the parachute. The activity is primarily a fun ride, not to be confused with the sport of paragliding.
Aeromodelling - building and flying model planes (aircraft), usually as a hobby. Flying model aircraft used in the range of different aeromodeling activities can be placed inone of three groups:
1. Free flight (F/F) model aircraft fly without external control from the ground. This type of model pre-dates manned flight.
2. Control line (C/L) model aircraft use cables (usually two) leading from one wing to the controller. A variation of this system is the Round-the-pole flying (RTP) model.
(Control Line)
(Round-the-pole)
Radio-controlled aircraft have a transmitter operated by the controller, sending radio signals to a receiver in the model which in turnactuates servos which manipulate the model's flight controls in a similar manner to a full sized aircraft.
AeroMusicals - a wonderful aerial ballet featuring specially designed ectrically powered model aircraft. The competing pilots demonstrate their aerobatic skills and flying precision whilst performing a freestyle aerobatic routine in harmony with music. The routine performed is developed to convey the appropriate mood of the music. The pilot is also the witness of his own performance; he enjoys the precision of his piloting skills as well as the variety and artistic quality of his flight routine.
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