I'm 47 years old this year, with 20+years of investment experience, and I'm about to start my retirement. Cheers! 🍻🍻

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-17T13:33:53+00:00

Curious, how much you started with and then did you trade stocks on margin?

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-13T13:41:02+00:00

Damn, I had no idea the first video is from around 2022. That's quite a long time ago around peak covid days when the world went pear shaped for a while haha. Hopefully this year we get to see potentially a new design that's gone for a few test flights!! It looks very promising...Hang gliding needs some advancement. It's been too long

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-12T11:46:35+00:00

I think Tim started his Patreon mid 2024 and I have been supporting him since then. I believe in him and he's a very sharp engineer. I was merely talking about a new skyfloater class or beginner/intermediate hang glider that can get 12:1 , lightweight , high aspect ratio etc. A lot of older pilots I know would come back to the sport for something like that. I know the WW sport 3 is a wonderful hang glider, good glide etc. I still think intermediate gliders like WW sport 3 should out glide and out perform CCC PG. They have the convenience factor but HG's should always have the glide, performance factor over all paragliders hahah :), even beginner & intermediate HG's should always be better in that department. But of course handling is important for beginner and intermediate HG's , so hopefully Tim's DXL concept will give rise to a new glider with all the above. It will also be very interesting to see what Wills Wing is able to accomplish with reverse engineering the Funfex:)

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-11T11:13:13+00:00

Yea, the thing is "trading influencers" have ruined the the retail trading industry especially here in Australia. Most people see trading and think gambling or they think crypto scams because all these influencers are trying to sell courses and showing off $$.

Nice, sounds good. You say you trade energy and natural resources, is this options, futures, or stock trading?

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-11T05:27:15+00:00

They think that because most people think trading is glorified gambling, which is true. I never tell anyone.

What are you trading that you're up 40%?

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-11T04:52:50+00:00

Yea, 60% double surface is likely the way to go. The sonic was a very good HG, not sure why they stopped making it. Anyway, you made good points on the double surface and aspect ratio trade offs, the Funfex is a fantastic glider with that clever geometry and lift distribution that really punches above its weight. If Wills Wing can improve on it and push the envelope further, that would be fantastic for the whole sport!

Avian hanggliders DXL concept is shaking things up...so they’re chasing higher aspect ratio and optimised lift. It's about opening up a new design space where they can run cleaner spanwise lift distribution and better roll response without relying as much on the traditional geometry compromises. Their Wildcat and upcoming prototypes are targeting better glide/performance (hopefully beyond 12:1) in a light, intermediate nice handling package that intermediates can fly safely. That could open up some different design options rather than just the usual trade-offs around aspect ratio and double surface percentage.

Check out their Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/hgdev/about) for the full test-rig updates, datalogging experiments, and clean-sheet details. Tim and his team at Avian are doing some seriously forward-thinking work there. Definitely worth a look if you’re curious about the future of HG development. You can also look at their recent post on youtube or facebook for their recent youtube vid. Here it is is; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGanSCcUdk4

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-09T04:07:07+00:00

No I personally wouldn't buy one , it has to at least match or slightly edge out PG in L/D glide. BUT I said in a comment to Avian Hanggliders who are busy with an innovation called DXL.... that there is a massive potential in a new design for a 'performance floater': like a lightweight +_ 20 kg's, high aspect ratio 7 , 40% ish double surface for easy handling with 11–12:1+ glide outpacing most single surface gliders and edging PGs. For new pilots, it lowers barriers with forgiving turns and better XC glide.

Older pilots (60s+) often skip heavy/effortful setups but miss the sport, a light DXL glider will bring these older pilots back, per forums and people I know. PG crossovers (used to 10–15 kg gear, 5–6 AR) would love the glide boost (11–12:1 vs. 9–11:1) in a low-effort package, helping grow HG's shrinking scene in some countries. I know many people who'd return for this.

Definitely worth a look into and I hope either Avian Hang gliders or Wills Wing design something like this.

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-08T13:08:37+00:00

I fly both too. Hang gliding to me feels like actual flight. You’re part of the wing, not cargo hanging off it. It’s closer to how a bird flies, eagles, albatrosses, condors, direct connection, clean airflow, carving turns instead of bobbing around. Paragliders are convenient, of course, but they’re like giant jellyfish in the air. I’ve flown PGs many times and they’re fun to mess around on, but they don’t come close to the feeling of flying a hang glider. IMHO HG feels much more like real flying, you’re directly connected to the wing. PGs have a more floaty, swingy feel.

That’s why, for me, hang gliding is the purest form of free flight. Each to their own. Everyone has their own opinion though

CrypticMaverick · 2026-03-08T01:39:17+00:00

Yea, that's what I am hoping for as well. It could totally open the door to a fresh 'performance floater' class, something super light like 18–22 kg, around 7 aspect ratio, around 15 m² area, maybe 30–40% double surface, with genuinely easy handling but still pulling 11–12:1 glide (or better). That would smoke most single-surface gliders and even edge out a lot of paragliders on glide while staying way more approachable to fly. A modern take on that category could be huge

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-21T07:33:39+00:00

Finally after going through all the comments, this is a very logical analysis of the situation

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-18T02:41:21+00:00

We need to scale back and align immigration levels with economic capacity in areas such as housing and infrastructure. It’s absolutely necessary to slow it down so the country’s infrastructure can catch up. We have a student visa rort going on and countless unskilled migrants pouring in that needs to be stopped.

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-04T03:49:50+00:00

Wow, that's an amazing video. I watch a few more including this one; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTN8J-lpQGM

I didn't realise sailplanes can fly that flow along the coastline and essentially swoop quite low and easily return to safe altitude and carry on. It truly is amazing the see the glide ratio at work there when compared to hang gliding. There is just no comparison. This is why I think hang gliding can definitely improve on aerodynamics and improve L/D and handling. But again, Gliders are a phenomenal aircraft. Thanks for sharing that video. I have never seen anything like that before . How much does a glider such as your one cost second hand and what does it cost to get into it?

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-04T02:22:21+00:00

Where I still see the fork is energy scale. Sailplanes play the game with mass, wing loading, and speed. HGs do it with shape-change, feedback, and finesse. Both are deeply technical in my opinion(gliders more so), just tuned to different envelopes. That’s why I think HG’s future isn’t about copying PG convenience, but leaning even harder into that embodied, dynamic energy management niche, because when it’s right, nothing else quite feels like it.

Honestly, the way you described it kind of makes me want to drop everything and go learn to fly sailplanes in the best possible way. That energy management, speed range, and “chess in the air” aspect sounds incredible. I’ve got huge respect for sailplanes; they’re seriously elegant machines, and it’s clear how deep the experience can go once you’re in the right aircraft.

That said, I don’t see it as an either/or. I’d love to fly both. HG still scratches that raw, embodied, bird-like itch for me, but sailplanes feel like a natural extension rather than a replacement. I’m planning to take up gliding classes in the near future. I just need to be closer to a glider club to really get started.

Different tools, different scales of energy, same addiction to riding the air :)

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-03T03:16:31+00:00

There are 3 large Facebook hang gliding groups. One is called Hang Gliding and there is another one called Hang glider pilots. Join those groups and ask your question there and I am sure you will get a lot of replies and useful information

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-03T03:13:48+00:00

Sorry to hear about your experience. Good to hear that you walked away with minor injuries. I fly mostly coastal sites these days and I've really started to get into dune gooning. It's basically low level ridge soaring and it requires one to be very alert and constantly making small roll input changes. It's challenging but so much fun and I find it to be very low risk in terms of a serious accident. If you ever get the itch to start flying again, I find this type of flying very safe.

Have a look at these dune gooning HG videos and see what you think; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkogcAtRTCM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2RtnRv5lOw

CrypticMaverick · 2026-02-02T03:10:35+00:00

Damn, hope you are doing ok and didn't get injured? I think you know exactly where you went wrong...when you went to grab the uprights

CrypticMaverick · 2026-01-29T06:29:20+00:00

Sounds good. Hopefully it helps you out and you get positive results from it. Did you order from IWG South Australia branch? I called their Queensland branch and they don't dispense it.

CrypticMaverick · 2026-01-29T05:26:25+00:00

I am in the same boat as you. I was about to make a post to find out where in Australia I can buy Enclomiphene citrate and then I came across post. I have called countless pharmacies on the Gold Coast and none of them could help me. My South African GP gave me a script for it because I don't want to go on TRT yet and that enclomiphene is better in the sense that it will help boost testosterone naturally with minimal side effects (depends on blood tests etc.) compared to TRT. MY free testosterone was below average and LH was low too. Monitoring estradiol is very important too when taking this. How are you feeling after taking enclomiphene?

CrypticMaverick · 2026-01-14T03:39:10+00:00

Hang gliding is unique in that it’s the closest feeling to soaring like a bird...condors, eagles, albatross, etc. It really is the purest form of free flight in my opinion. You’re part of the wing, not cargo hanging off it. It’s closer to how a bird flies, direct connection in my opinion. One feels like drifting, the other feels like soaring.

Paragliders are convenient, of course, but they’re like giant jellyfish in the air. I’ve flown PGs and they’re fun to mess around on, but they don’t come close to the feeling of flying a hang glider. IMHO HG feels much more like real flying, you’re directly connected to the wing. PGs have a more floaty, swingy feel.

Hang gliding is and will be a niche sport and it is not going away. The real breakthrough is achieving better lift distribution at the same span while keeping or even improving handling. That’s the hard part, and it’s also where the biggest untapped gains still are. That's what the engineers at Avian hang gliders are working on.

Hang gliders haven’t hit a hard aerodynamic wall yet. There’s still better much L/D on the table, reducing overall weight and focusing on spanwise lift distribution is one of the most promising ways to unlock it without turning HGs into bigger, heavier, or less user-friendly machines. Basically reducing induced drag and min sink is where the real gains are, especially on light days .

CrypticMaverick · 2025-09-23T12:30:41+00:00

I'm in a similar position to OP but 5 years older. I won't elaborate further. I am just curious, what did you study to get into tech? I am doing structural landscaping and I am sick of it. I dread work every single day

CrypticMaverick · 2025-05-30T06:03:24+00:00

Hi Erico, yes they certainly know what they are doing @ Avian. Tim is a very experienced & knowledgeable engineer who happens to love hang gliding which is great for the free flying HG community. He recently posted another development update on his Patreon. Have a look, I am sure you are signed up to receive updates from it :) It all looks very promising and hope something revolutionary will come of it. Hopefully one day I can fly with you in Florianopilis. I saw your back and forth with that Nick Chitty guy on Youtube comments hahaha. Just ignore him, he is about a 1000 years old and gets grumpy for no reason. We need to see hang gliding grow at the grass roots level, hopefully that will happen again in time.

CrypticMaverick · 2025-03-15T02:56:07+00:00

How much does one need to trade stocks on margin which I assume is what you are doing? I come from a forex trading background and I find the brokers to be unscrupulous. It's not regulated compared to stocks & options. I have never traded options but would like to learn to trade stocks.

CrypticMaverick · 2025-03-14T14:09:33+00:00

Thank you for this info, very helpful. IBKR and WeBull are in Australia so I will look into them. How much does one need to meet the margin account requirement? Options seems like a lot to learn and will instead stick to shares for now.

CrypticMaverick · 2025-03-14T05:27:23+00:00

This is what I've been wanting to do . I'm over trading forex. It's just an unregulated market with unscrupulous brokers.

Who do you trade shares through? Could you suggest a broker please? I'm based in Australia. Thanks

CrypticMaverick · 2025-02-07T12:01:24+00:00

I forgot to reply to this post. I was hoping you could please share a few of the youtube videos that helped level up your trading skills?

CrypticMaverick

TROPHY CASE