Wills Wing Condor 330 User manual

500 West Blueridge A ve • Orange, CA • 92865-4206 • Phone [phone] • FAX [phone]
Internet Web addr ess: http://www .willswing.com • E-mail: [email protected]
September 2000 - First Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Sport Kites, Inc. dba Wills Wing, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of
Sport Kites, Inc., dba Wills Wing, Inc.
Condor 330
Glider Manual

Notice and Disclaimer
The Condor 330 is intended for sale to professional hang gliding instructors. This manual is not
intended to be comprehensive. It provides some specific information about the special attributes of
the Condor, but contains minimal information of a general nature, and assumes a high degree of
familiarity with hang glider design and construction, set up procedures, and flight training techniques.
Contact Wills Wing directly if you have questions about the set-up, use, or maintenance of the
Condor that are not answered in this manual.
Condor Specifications
Model CONDOR 330
Span 39’ 11.9 m
Area 330 sq ft 30.7 sq m
Glider Weight 53 lbs 24 kg
Control Bar Size WW AT 62/60
(62 inch downtubes, 49.5 inch basetube)
(157 cm downtubes, 126 cm basetube)
Pilot Weight 100 – 265 lbs 45 – 120 kg
Vstall 13 mph 21 kph
Vmax sustained 32 mph 51 kph
Maximum Positive Test Load 884 lbs 402 kg
Ultimate Positive G Load Capability 3.5 G’s at max pilot weight
Vne (Speed never To Exceed) 32 mph 51 kph
Va (Max Maneuvering / Rough Air speed) 24 mph 38 kph
The Condor airframe and battens are entirely 7075-T6 (except for the control bar and kingpost which
are 6061-T6).
Condor General Description
The Condor 330 is a special-purpose training glider designed for first solo flights by hang gliding
students under direct instructor supervision, at very low altitudes. Focus of the design effort was to
produce a very large span, very large area glider of very light weight, that would be easy to ground
handle, launch and fly, and that would easily achieve flight in little or no wind at very low ground-
speeds from a shallow slope.
Condor Operating Limitations and Flight Characteristics
The Condor is intended for use in still air, or in very light winds which are very smooth and uniform,
without appreciable gusts or thermal activity. Because of its large area and span, control of the glider
can quickly become very difficult in any degree of wind, thermal activity, or gusty conditions. The
intended flight profile for a student pilot is for a foot-launched flight from a low and shallow slope, in
calm or near calm wind conditions, with a straight glide at low altitude to a landing. Maneuvering
should be restricted to minor heading changes of 20 degrees or less, and bank angles should not
exceed 25 degrees and are better limited to 15 degrees or less.

It is suggested that the instructor should fly the Condor, both from the training hill, and from a higher
launch, in mild conditions, in order to become familiar with the glider’s flight characteristics. Operat-
ing limitations for the student pilot should be significantly more restricted than those under which the
instructor would operate for the purposes of becoming familiar with the glider. Still, the instructor
needs to be aware of significant areas of caution in the operation of the glider as the Condor does not
meet normal utility class airworthiness standards.
For the launch phase of flight, the glider generally balances well, retains a suitable pitch attitude
during the brief launch run, and leaves the ground within a few steps even in light or no wind.
In wings level flight, the Condor exhibits flight characteristics typical of a large single surface glider
with ample sail billow. The roll rate is slow and highly damped, though initial response in smooth air
is relatively immediate. Pitch response is damped, and pitch pressures on either side of trim are high.
We recommend trimming the glider for flight at the speed the instructor wants the student to fly. In
our experience a trim speed of 15-18 mph works best. Trim speed increases with increasing bank
angle, and for this reason it is best to limit operation to shallow bank angles, especially for students.
In a 20-degree bank, you can expect a trim speed increase of 3 to 5 mph. Beyond 45 degrees of bank,
the glider can become significantly roll unstable, and develops an increasing nose down trim. During
recovery from a 45 degree banked turn, the can glider exhibit continued nose down trim and roll
instability resisting the recovery until the bank angle is reduced to about 25 degrees. We therefore
recommend that flight operation be strictly limited to bank angles of 25 degrees or less even during
operation by the instructor.
During landing there is relatively high back pressure on the bar during the flare.
The Condor 330 is a special purpose glider. It is not a utility class glider, and does not meet utility
class airworthiness standards. It utilizes a very lightweight structure and has very limited structural
capacity. It is most certainly not in any way suitable for tandem flight, nor for any abrupt maneuver-
ing. It is designed for solo flight only, within the placarded weight range, at very low altitudes above
the ground (no higher than you care to fall). It is designed for straight and level flight, with minimal
maneuvering. At no time should the bank angle be allowed to exceed 25 degrees, due to concerns
with roll and pitch instability at bank angles above 40 degrees.
Condor Vehicle Testing
The Condor is not certified to any airworthiness standards, nor does it meet general utility class
standards. We have conducted pitch tests and positive load tests on a three-component test vehicle
over a limited range of speeds, loads, and angles of attack.
In pitch tests at 15 mph, the Condor was shown to be stable over the entire tested angle of attack
range from plus 35 degrees to negative 18 degrees. In pitch tests at 22 mph, the Condor was shown to
be stable over the entire tested angle of attack range from plus 35 degrees to zero degrees. In pitch
tests at 28 to 32 mph, the Condor was shown to be stable over the entire tested angle of attack range
from plus 15 degrees to minus three degrees.
In positive load tests, the crossbar was observed to be approximately one foot out of column at the
maximum recorded load of 884 lbs (440 kg) at 32 mph (51 kph) with the glider at maximum lift angle
of attack, indicating that airframe structural failure was imminent. (There was no damage to the glider

in this test, and all deformation was elastic). Applying a standard aviation safety factor of 1.5, the
Condor should never be flown so as to allow for the possibility of more than 590 lbs (268 kgs) total
load. This represents a limit load factor of 2.3 G’s at the maximum recommended pilot weight, and
requires that maneuvering speed be limited at 24 mph.
Notes on Condor Set-Up and Tuning
The Condor comes configured with a two-position xbar sweep wire. (Two tangs are attached at the
end of the sweep wire.) This allows for a looser and a tighter billow setting. The looser setting
provides a slight increase in roll response, but reduces the glider’s inherent tendency to track in a
straight line, lowers the glide ratio and raises the stall speed by as much as 1 mph. The tighter setting
makes the glider more likely to track straight, improves the stall speed and glide ratio performance,
but reduces control authority somewhat.
We recommend the tighter setting for straight flight in true calm air conditions or light winds which
are extremely smooth. (These are the optimum conditions for the use of this glider). The looser
setting may be more appropriate in conditions where thermal activity of wind gusts may require the
student to make corrections to maintain directional control.
When setting up and breaking down the Condor, be aware of the fact that it utilizes a very light
structure, with very long frame members. Take care not to exert bending loads on the keel, and to
keep the keel as much as possible in plane with the leading edges. We have found it helpful to erect
the kingpost and attach the top rear wire before spreading the wings during set up as this adds stabil-
ity and support to the keel. (The wire must then be detached and re-attached after the xbar sweep wire
is attached. Please note that there is a webbing loop on top of the sail at the trailing edge. It is
intended that the top rear wire be passed through this loop, in order to support the reflex in the rear
of the keel pocket.) This will also prevent the kingpost top from being wedged behind the crossbar as
the wings are spread, which otherwise has a tendency to happen.
Inserting the battens is best done with the xbar not tensioned. The longest battens will tend to catch
behind the leading edge. Sometimes you can pull the batten out slightly, fluff the sail upwards and re-
insert the batten, and it will clear the leading edge. Sometimes you will need to go to the front of the
batten and lift it over the leading edge tube.
The plug-on number one battens are bent in order to better match the curve of the sail. The shorter
segment is the front, and when installed properly, the batten should curve downwards towards the tail
like a normal cambered batten would.
During breakdown, take care when folding the wings in that the crossbar center does not drop down
between the keel and leading edges, and become wedged there as the wings are folded in.
If you are short-packing the glider (removing the rear leading edges) for transport, take care when re-
installing them for set-up that they are installed in the correct side, with the proper orientation, and
that the slots in the rear leading edges are fully seated and locked against rotation.