|
|
|---|
Safety
Zing Wings are safe products, but care must be taken when flying them.
Here are a few safety tips:
| Do... Fly your Zing Wings in a large, clear, open area Read and follow the instructions Help and supervise your children if needed Launch lightly Launch straight up Use common sense |
Don't... Launch Zing Wings at other people or yourself Fly in crowded areas Climb trees or buildings to retrieve Don't enter bodies of water to retrieve Hold near your face when launching Chase across roads |
| Tuning your glider |
| I am a hang glider pilot, and we use the
term "tuning" to describe the process
of adjusting a hang glider so that it flies
properly. I use the same term to describe
the adjustment of a Zing Wing. There are
2 creases in the foam at each wing tip that
we use to tune a glider. Both of the elevons
or flaps, as we call them, must be bent upwards.
The glider is designed to fly with the hooks
up, so by upwards, I mean bend them up on
the same side the hooks are on. This provides
what is called reflex, and allows a flying
wing to fly. The flaps do not need to be
bent upwards much, just enough to get the
glider flying well. If you bend the flaps
up too much, the glider will stall, and if
you don't bend them up enough, the glider
will dive. We have 3 videos you can down
load which show a well tuned glider, a glider
that stalls, and a glider that dives. Zing
Wings are easy to adjust. Simply bend the
flaps up a little, and give it a light toss
into the wind. Make sure you hold it between
your thumb and index finger on the trailing
edge behind the hooks, with wings level.
Give the glider a smooth but light toss level
to the ground. If it is adjusted correctly,
it will fly nicely and land a good distance
from you. To make the glider turn, simply
bend one of the elevons up a little more
than the other, and it should turn on that
wing. Making a glider to turn is usually
desirable unless you enjoy running a lot.
One last note, a well tuned glider will launch
higher than one that is not tuned well. The
secret is to bend the elevons up just enough
to get a good glide. |
| Watch How to tune a Zing Wing flying model
(1.21 Meg) |
Launcher
| The launcher is a very important part of your Zing Wing. It is assembled by pressing the vinyl caps on both ends of the dowel, and attaching the launching rubber band using a lark's head knot on one end of the dowel. The vinyl caps serve several purposes. They make the dowel blunter and softer in the event the launcher slips out of your hand. The cap on the rubber band end helps hold it on the dowel during launch. The other end cap helps keep the dowel from slipping out of your hand during launch much like the knob on the end of a baseball bat helps you hold the bat when you swing. The launcher should not be used without the end caps on the dowel. |  |
Launching
| Zing Wings are simple toys, but they require
certain techniques to operate successfully. Launching the gliders
is an easy task, but must be done properly. There is only one
good way to launch them. For some reason, I usually have better
launches when I use the hook on the left wing. |
|
1. Hold the launcher in which ever hand you write with. 2. Fold the glider in half. 3. Hook the launching rubber band under ONE of the hooks. 4. Hold the glider between your thumb and index finger in your other hand. Make sure you don't bend the wings. 5. Make sure the hook you are using for launch it towards the launcer so that the glider will clear tthe launcher when released (see photo). 6. Pull the glider down about half the stretch of the launching rubber band. 7. Release the glider so that it shoots straight upwards. |
Correct |
 |
|
This photo shows a common error in launching Zing Wings. Look closely at the glider and the hook that the launching rubber band is on, and compare it to the above picture. The glider is positioned with the 'launching hook' away from the launcher. When the glider is released, it will impact the launcher dowel. The arrows highlight this mistake. |
Incorrect |
 |
|