Anyone that has been following my blog is aware of a project that has been occupying my thoughts and dreams over the last 8-12 months. Steven Pearson and I, along with helpful brainstorm sessions between myself, O'Brien and Dustin, have designed an advanced harness for the competition and cross country minded pilot looking for the cleanest, most aerodynamic design to achieve the best polar results and reduction of parasitic drag.
I am what most would refer to as a "Drag Nazi". I love nothing more than cutting all zipper tangs off my new gliders, creating custom carbon components to clean up areas of drag and having all of my flying gear be as efficient and as "sexy" as possible. Rob Kells used to say "non of the little things matter by themselves but when you do it all, by the time you are on final glide at 70+ mph the advantage is, for sure, there".
I believe that the single most important thing to having a "clean" and aerodynamic system, aside from your wing, is your harness and harness position. When we started talking about collaborating on this project, Steve and I decided that we really wanted to achieve 3 things. First we wanted to make an advanced level harness that someone with intermediate skills could land in safely and easily. Second, we wanted it to be safe, comfortable and at the same time, as aerodynamically pleasing as is possible and third, we wanted it to be easily accessible (fast and reliable delivery time for your custom built WW harness).
To start, we built a form study with no place for chutes, no pockets, no frills at all. The purpose was to test shape only. After getting the form study done and making needed adjustments to the patterns, back plate and boot shape, I started on the first "mock up" prototype harness. This version would be used to test the refined shape, to try what I had in mind for a distinctly Wills Wing graphic, to try the functionality of my parachute deployment system and to try out a newly designed slider mechanism which will hopefully make for easier landing.
It wasn't until I got into the "meat" of the project that I realized how many components go into a harness of this type. I've gained respect for the harness designers from around the world because before designing one myself, I had no idea how thoughtful some of the solutions on other harnesses were. I have tried very hard to come up with my own solutions and have gained perspective on how difficult (yet rewarding) it is to attempt to live up to our 3 major goals.
As you can see, this is the first flyable prototype of the Wills Wing "Covert". I want to call it the "Covert" because the feathers on falcons and hawks that help to blend in the legs and wings to the body of the bird are called "covert feathers". If we are trying to blend into our wings in the most aerodynamically advantageous way possible, I figured it was a fitting name for a harness that does just that.
We still have a few things to work out and refine before going to production but I wanted to share with those of you that are interested how our prototype looks and will follow up with a flight report (hopefully) sooner than later. If you are interested in a custom built harness and can wait for the solutions necessary for a production level product, I will be happy to work with you and/or your local Wills Wing dealer to take measurements and ensure a good fit. I'm REALLY motivated because, more than anything else, I can't wait to race in one myself;-)
Coming soon. Please comment on the blog if your interested and I will get back to you with more details. Soon you will be able to purchase the proven T2C and the Wills Wing Covert and have the most efficient flying system offered in hang gliding today!
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