Wills Wing XC-185

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  • Period: 1970-1979
  • Uses: Hang Glider
  • First Flight: April 1977 (Museum example)
  • Display Status: On the Museum Floor.

Early in 1973, two brothers from California – Bob and Chris Wills – formed one of the first hang glider manufacturing companies, Sport Kites which became Wills Wing in 1978. Both men proved highly successful as designers and pilots. In 1973 and 1974, for example, they won first and second place in the first and second national hang gliding competitions held in the United States. In the past thirty years, Wills Wing has maintained this tradition of excellence. Pilots flying the company’s hang gliders have won almost half of the titles awarded in the American national competitions.

In 1984, Wills Wing became the largest manufacturer of hang gliders in North America, a position it still occupies. Since then, the company has become the largest hang glider manufacturer in the world.

Built in the second half of the 1970s, the Wills Wing XC-185 is an early example of a commercially-produced hang glider.

Museum Example

  • Registration #: None
  • Manufacturer: Wills Wing Inc., United States
  • Manufacture Date: 1977
  • Construction #: Unknown
  • Aquisition Date: 1982
  • Provenance: Donation

The Museum’s XC-185 was purchased and first flown in 1977. Active until 1980, it was donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in 1982 by a well known Canadian hang glider pilot, Stewart Midwinter.

Specifications

Wing Span:
10.9 m (35 ft 8 in)
Length:
3.4 m (11 ft)
Height:
n/a
Weight, Empty:
25 kg (54 lb)
Weight, Gross:
n/a
Cruising Speed:
n/a
Max Speed:
n/a
Rate of Climb:
n/a
Service Ceiling:
n/a
Range:
n/a
Crew:
One
Power Plant:
None