Icaro Laminar 13 MRX
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.jpeg) Soaring over Nordkette/Innsbruck (near LOWI) | |
.jpeg) Ready for take off at Seegrube/Innsbruck (near LOWI) | |
| Type | Hang glider, Glider aircraft |
| Configuration | Delta-wing aircraft |
| Propulsion | Unpowered aircraft |
| Manufacturer | ICARO |
| Author(s) | D-NXKT |
| FDM | JSBSim |
| --aircraft= | Icaro_Laminar_13_MRX |
| Status | Production |
| FDM |
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| Systems |
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| Cockpit |
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| Model |
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| Development | |
| Website |
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| Repository |
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| Download |
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| License | GPLv2+ |
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This model represents a Laminar 13 MRX hang glider build by ICARO in the early 2000s.
It is an advanced kingpostless hang glider which still represents the characteristical properties of a state of the art hang glider.
One aim of the development of this glider is rather to have a very realstic generic hang glider model than an exact copy of the Laminar 13. This means that some features and properties of this model can deviate from the real glider. However, since performance and flight dynamics don't differ so much between different hang gliders, the flight behavior should be very close to the real thing.
One more purpose of this model is to provide a tool that allows real hang glider pilots to exercise flight conditions that are way too dangerous to exercise in real life.
Features
- Weight-shift controlled
- VG (Variable Geometry)
- Semi flexible hang strap
- Realistic performance and stall behavior for all VG-settings
- Drag is dependent on pilot attitude (upright pilot and/or legs outside harness generates more drag)
- Tumble
- Spin
- Ground effect
- Impact of rain on performance and stall behavior
- Wing failure caused by aerodynamic overloading
- Drogue parachute
- Emergency parachute
- Horizontal stabilizer (optional and customizable)
- Vertical stabilizer (optional and customizable)
- Winch (incl. 2-stage release and step towing)
- Aerotowing
- Smoke system
- View of instantaneous flow vector, aerodynamic force vector and center of gravity location
- Gust generator (trigger a 1-cosine gust on demand). Gust strength, direction and duration are customizable.
- Drop test
- Flight recorder (incl. vector, c.g. and winch animation)
- Highly customizable (via GUI)
Limitations
- Wing flexibility is not taken into account in detail.
- No interaction between towrope and glider frame
Recommended flying sites
A very beautiful site is the real life hang gliding launch "Seegrube" which is located near LOWI (--lon=11.379070 --lat=47.306263 --heading=155 --on-ground). Choose 15kt wind from 180deg for all altitudes and soar up to the summits.
External links
Some acro examples
- Acroproject (vimeo)
- A perfect day (youtube)
If things go wrong or the special flight dynamics of hang gliders
- A classical tumble (youtube)
- Wing failure (youtube)
- Spin, looping, tumble (youtube)
- Looping, tumble, ... 2 rescue chutes are not enough (youtube)
- Things become violent (youtube)
- Bad wingover (youtube)
References
- (de) Schönherr, Michael, "Der Flattersturz" 1977-1979 (PDF, 60.1MB)
- (de) Schönherr, Michael, "Das Phänomen des Vorwärtsüberschlags" 1987-1988 (PDF, 10.5MB)
- (de) Nickel Karl, Wohlfahrt Michael, "Schwanzlose Flugzeuge: Ihre Auslegung und ihre Eigenschaften", Basel, Boston, Berlin, Birkhaeuser, 1990, ISBN 3-7643-2502-X
Related content
Gallery
Hang strap
Stabilizer
Optional and customizable horizontal stabilizer
Optional and customizable vertical stabilizer
T-tail configuration
Horizontal stabilizer in landing configuration
Canard configuration
.jpeg)
For nerds ... and hang glider pilots who want to survive this sport
This section will take a closer look at the special flight dynamics of hang gliders due to their weight-shift control and flexibility.
All the points described here can be tested and verified using the FlightGear hang glider Laminar 13 MRX. This should improve the understanding and might help to avoid extrem flight situations or to train safe recoveries from such situations.
This section is still under construction. The current status is April 25, 2025.
As an introduction, reference is made to two threads in the German Hang Gliding Forum, in which the static and dynamic longitudinal stability of weight-shift controlled hang gliders is examined in more detail: Das Momenten-Quiz and Einfluss von Böen auf Längsstabilität. The aim is to present here the most important topics to a broader and international audience, or in short: to translate them into English.
Tuck avoidance
Below are links to 5 different videos in which tucks or near-tucks occur.
Although the initial situations and the sequence of events appear to be very different, it will be shown later on that they all follow the same pattern and can therefore be avoided using the same control methods.
The pictograms in the diagram are intended to indicate the approximate pilot position. They are aligned according to the mean attitude angle for each phase.
