The Wills Wing Eagle is an American
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
, single-place,
hang glider
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...
that was designed and produced by
Wills Wing
Wills Wing, Inc. (legally Sport Kites, Inc) is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Orange, California and previously located in Santa Ana, California. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of hang gliders in the form of r ...
of
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...
. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied complete and ready-to-fly.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 50. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ]
Design and development
The Eagle was designed as an intermediate-level glider. It is made from
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
tubing, with the mostly double-surface wing covered in
Dacron
Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...
sailcloth and
cable braced from a single
kingpost
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above fro ...
. Its nose angle is 122°.
The models are each named for their rough wing area in square feet. The Eagle was certified to HGMA and DHV standards.
Variants
;Eagle 145
:Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing is , the wing area is and the
aspect ratio is 6.2:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Eagle 164
:Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its span wing is , the wing area is and the aspect ratio is 6.6:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Eagle 180
:Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its span wing is , the wing area is and the aspect ratio is 6.1:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is .
Specifications (Eagle 145)
References
External links
Official Eagle Owner's ManualPhoto of a Wills Wing Eagle
{{Wills Wing aircraft
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
Hang gliders