The UPHG-20 Moonshot:
Ultra-Portable Hang Gliding
for the Future
Vision

Imagine a hang glider light enough to carry on public transit, compact enough to pack in a backpack, yet rigid and safe enough to fly confidently in turbulent conditions. The UPHG-20 aims to redefine personal flight by combining extreme portability with the proven stability of traditional hang gliders.

The Challenge

Modern hang gliders typically weigh 45 - 70 lb, while ultralight alpine paragliders achieve wing-only weights as low as 6 lb. However, paragliders rely on flexible canopies that are prone to collapse in turbulent air, posing serious safety risks.

The UPHG-20 moonshot seeks to deliver full-scale, foot-launched hang gliding performance at a system weight of 20 lb or less, without compromising structural integrity or safety.

Key Moonshot Objectives

Weight & Portability
  • Total system weight: ≤ 20 lb (moonshot benchmark)
  • Packable length: ≤ 4 ft, backpackable, urban-transport friendly
  • Pack volume: ≤ 2 cu. ft. (perhaps spread among several sub packs)
Structural Integrity
  • Rigid-airframe design stabilizes the wing covering
  • Safe operation under turbulence, stall, and crosswind conditions
  • Prevents collapses that can occur with soft-wing paragliders
Flight Envelope
  • Achieves glide performance comparable to certified Class 1 hang gliders
  • Provides stable pitch and roll behavior with minimal pilot compensation
  • Optional future extensions to higher-rigidity classes (Class 2, 4, 5) for advanced performance
Setup & Usability
  • Rapid assembly (<10 minutes, single pilot)  More time may be tolerable!
  • Modular, nestable spar segments for compact transport
  • Intuitive handling suitable for experienced hang glider pilots

Strategic Approach
  • Phase 1: Class 1    UPHG  validate full portability, structural stability, and safety
  • Phase 2: Optional rigid-airframe extensions — explore Swift-like (Class 2) and Atos-like (Class 5) designs for enhanced glide and control
  • Materials & Technologies: Carbon fiber, Dyneema, advanced couplers (Joe Cups), adjustable camber, reflex tail sail, additive manufacturing

Why It Matters
  • Safety: Eliminates the collapse risk of ultralight paragliders without adding significant weight
  • Accessibility: Makes hang gliding feasible for urban and older pilots, hikers, and travelers
  • Democratization: Enables personal flight to be truly portable, akin to the bicycle of the skies
  • Innovation: Combines advanced materials, modular design, and aerodynamic engineering to achieve a previously unthinkable performance envelope

The Moonshot Statement

The UPHG-20 is not just a lighter glider. It is the first full-scale, safe, foot-launched hang glider that fits in a backpack, distinguished by merging extreme portability with rigid-airframe stability to democratize soaring flight for a new generation of pilots.

UPHG-20 is distinct from 2-meter or even 5-ft  or 4.6 m clunky packs that have been known as "short packs" which remain too big and too weighty relative to the UPHG Moonshot. Short packs that remain quite "troublesome" remain outside of the UPHG-20 Moonshot.