Eagle Review by Ursula Edwards-Howells

Eagle Review by Ursula Edwards-Howells

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Pilot Report: Wills Wing Eagle 145

By Ursula Edwards-Howells
Originally published in Hang Gliding Magazine, October 2001. © 2001 United States Hang Gliding Association. Reproduced with permission. Photos by Ken Howells.

This review reflects the author's personal experience and assessment at the time of publication.

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The Wills Wing Eagle 145, planform view.

Disclaimer

A complaint that I have heard about glider reviews (and one which I felt acutely when I was getting into the sport) is that they all too often concentrate on the advanced-level gliders, and especially on the large sizes thereof. This frequently leaves the smaller and novice-to-intermediate pilots out of the loop when it comes to reading about gliders that are appropriate to them. By writing a review of the Wills Wing 145 Eagle, I hope to at least partially fill that gap.

Although I am married to Ken Howells, a Wills Wing employee, I was in no way compensated by Wills Wing for writing up my impressions of the small Eagle, other than getting a couple of bonus flights on it. I do not fly a Wills Wing glider; in fact, I have never owned a Wills Wing glider, having started my flying with an Airwave Pulse 9M, and then moved to a Moyes 127 Super Xtralite. However, I have been able to fly a number of Wills Wing gliders, as well as those made by other manufacturers, and I believe that I can be completely objective in my reviews.

I am 5'4", have a body weight of just under 110 pounds, and hook in at 135 pounds. I have been flying since 1994, hold an advanced rating, and have somewhere between 450 and 500 hours of airtime. I flew the 145 Eagle twice, on two days with different conditions, for a total of 3½ hours, and had fun every minute with it.

Hardware, Setup and Ground Handling

Like any well-made hang glider, the setup of the Eagle is very straightforward. The standard control frame has 62" round downtubes, a speedbar, and very clean fittings. Other nice glider features are the Dacron leading edge pocket material with full length Mylar inserts (which saves weight), and the kingpost hang system.

Ground handling the glider is very easy. It has good static balance with no tendency for either nose- or tail-heaviness. The light weight of the glider makes it a joy to carry, especially for someone who has gotten used to regularly having to muscle far heavier gliders around.

Launching

Launching the 145 Eagle is absolutely straightforward and relaxing. Holding it balanced in a neutral position is natural and requires no correction or special effort. I launched the Eagle in moderate (10 mph) winds and in extremely light to no wind conditions, and both launches were very easy. This glider is eager to fly.

In-Flight Handling

For an entry- to intermediate-level wing, the control inputs are easy, and handling is relatively light. Unlike the "trucky" feeling of many gliders in this class, pitch pressures are light, and the glider responds readily to roll inputs. However, the glider does not feel the least bit squirrelly or skatey, and overcontrolling it is very unlikely. There is a nice, reassuring brief lag between the turn input and the turn, and the glider is very spirally neutral, meaning that it neither wraps in nor rolls out of a turn without definite pilot input.

Thermalling the glider at steeper bank angles was not difficult at all. The sink rate was phenomenal, and I found myself climbing out above everybody with an ease that put a goofy grin on my face for the entire flight and for hours afterwards. In light lift, the Eagle truly shines. At the end of the day, with weakly buoyant small bubbles coming off of the valley floor, approaching sunset saw only two paragliders and myself in the Eagle still in the sky.

Comparing it to the other gliders in or around its class that I have flown, it gets better glide than either a Falcon or even a Pulse. With my wing loading, I could not get the top speed very high (45 mph airspeed was the best I could do), but the good news is that at top speed, I did see good forward glide with the Eagle; the other gliders mentioned above, especially the Falcons, lost glide dramatically as speeds increased.

Landing

The landing characteristics of the Eagle are everything that one expects from a glider this easy to set up, carry around and fly. Like higher performance double surface wings, the glider holds energy, is easy to bring in with extra speed, and has a good glide and penetration, but similar to the Falcon and other entry-level wings, it has a very large and obvious flare window. The Eagle's predictability should make landing this hang glider a relaxing non-event, a positive end to a fun experience.

Overview

The 145 Eagle is a fun, relaxing glider for lighter weight pilots, and it handles thermally afternoons and light, late-day conditions with equal aplomb. It is easy to carry and set up, fun to fly, and relaxing to land. Its handling is light, yet it feels very solid and stable in the air, and its sink rate will put it at or near the top of the stack on a regular basis. It offers a combination of performance and ease that is everything that a hang glider ought to be. From novice pilots who want more than a single surface wing can offer, to advanced pilots looking for a recreational glider, this little sweetheart could make a lot of pilots very happy. Wills Wing has provided a great hang glider for the smaller pilot by making the 145 Eagle.