Morph Harness

Morph Harness Does Prone and Seated

The Morph is a unique harness that can be flown hanging, prone or seated by easily changing position while flying.

It is made by Cloud 9 ; a hang gliding harness manufacturer owned by Bill Pain based in Australia.

This harness is a remarkable achievement involving some complex design; Firstly the pilot has to be able to rotate through the 2 main risers, so a spreader bar allows the pilots body to pass through. Then webbing attachments need to hold in two directions as well as during rotation, and ropes that support one way have to provide the right support the opposite way up.

The Morph achieves this by having four lower support ropes off the main risers to the harness shell while the main risers are attached inside to a ‘belt’ of padded webbing with a seat board on one side. Shoulder and leg ropes support in both directions.

The result is a harness that is fully usable in each position plus it has a variable angle option which allows angle adjustment when seated. In prone, upper body support isn’t quite as good as dedicated prone harnesses; it feels a bit different but once set with my upper back straight for prone, I was glad to find it didn’t detract from seated comfort. If I let the adjuster rope off, I could fly feet first lying on my back, which isn’t comfortable or aerodynamic and that position wasn’t so good head down in prone either. Bill confirmed he felt it was best set at one position, however the angle adjuster is a good easy way to find the right angle, which you can then tie off.

Flying prone gives more speed range and feels most natural to experienced prone pilots. It surprises many people that the supine/seated position has less drag than prone because of the angle that the air passes the pilot. Think of a body angle that matches say 9 or 10:1 (assuming a skyfloater) and also remember the wing has a high angle of attack as it moves forward and downwards through the air at that 10:1 angle. When leaned back seated your body lines up pretty much perfectly to the actual airflow.

Another factor I find when prone is that turbulence seems to not feel as bad; possibly because a water filled human body is spread out more when prone. It could also be that I’m more comfortable with what I’m used to. Getting in

As with all harnesses, I recommend hooking in and locking the harness

Bill Degen tests the Morph harness with thanks to James Paulus

Above; Seated and on glide past Sumner beach. Looking at the telltale angle on the front wires, I could have leaned back a little further for less drag

Right; Out of prone for approach, note the excellent vertical body position; much better for feeling glider trim at launch and landing

Below; The upright extensions are simple and light weight, they fasten with velcro ties in a few minutes

Morph Harness Does Prone and Seated

Right; Thermalling in prone with the turtle back full of gear

to the hang loops before getting into it. That way you can check all ropes are routed correctly and the angle adjuster is positioned and cleated correctly. The 50mm wide webbing risers look a little odd with the half twist in them when prone, but rotate the harness to seated and it all lines up correctly.

Putting on the harness is easiest if it’s hooked in and it takes a little care; you step into the orange leg loops on the internal belt. I appreciate the bright orange leg loops, too many harnesses have black loops that are hard to see against the black interior.

Standing in the harness with the leg loops on, you then lift it by putting your arms through the arm holes of the top part, zip up the side zipper and fasten the safety buckle. It encloses your upper body much like other full body harnesses. You can then do a hang check.

Your shoulders carry the harness so it hangs lower than most and the parachute will be against your thighs. Perhaps not ideal for a nil wind launch but if you’re flying a skyfloater or lighter recreational wing, the glider flys and lifts the harness in the first few steps and you can then run as hard as you like. Changing

Going prone from launch; just step into the stirrup and push yourself prone as you would normally. Then reach for the plastic ball on the zipper rope and pull the zip up. I had a little trouble with the zip not moving up at

cloud 9 owner Bill Pain started hang gliding in 1976 aged 16 and was soon working in the hang gliding industry. He designed and built various notable hang gliders. He first started work on a combined prone/supine hang gliding harness back in the 90s, when he was commissioned by the late Colin Lark to design and build the Discovery Skyfloaterproduction glider. Bruce Hudson did the initial work on the suprone harness but Bill has refined the design, recently adding the leg pod.

first but found if you point your toes, the zipper straightens, allowing it to slide up easily. A pad in the boot might help here. The zipper stops about 3/4 way up and supports your legs. Then or later if you’re busy flying, reach down and feel for the plastic hose on the zip slider to zip up the remaining top section to keep your thighs out of the wind.

To go seated; when flying straight and level with no other pilots flying too close, rotate backwards, letting go of the basebar, allowing the main risers to come from behind and pass your shoulders. Reach for the uprights or extension bars (which I recommend). Hopefully the manoeuvre will take just 2 seconds or so and leave you seated nice and comfy. You need to make sure you maintain speed and control so don’t do it in turbulence or when close to terrain.

For landing, you need to get out of seated by leaning forward and bringing both arms inside the risers to the basebar or uprights. Do this early or before your landing circuit. Getting your legs out of the pod requires pulling that hose on the zipper about 200mm down, then just spreading your knees opens the zip completely.

After kicking out of prone and in vertical hang position, it’s easy to feel pitch trim and maintain a vertical position, probably the best of any prone harness, so it’s great for feeling trim and landing flare timing. Benefits

People who have back or neck issues flying prone will find the seated position solves that problem. This harness has potential for XC flying too; you could work your butt off aggressively thermalling up in prone, then when at altitude or on glide, observe the clouds ahead while resting, have a snack, take photos or plan your flight. It could add physical and mental endurance and all while sitting in a lower drag position.

For racing, a typical prone harness with a head down angle of attack should perform better, but many pilots can’t comfortably hold that head-down position for long and how often are we actually racing? The ability to sit back, relax and recover could be a huge advantage on long flights or even cruising long ridges.

After flying and waiting for a pickup, you could hang the harness up in say a tree and take a comfy rest or even a nap in your ‘armchair’.

Another benefit of this harness, is that a beginner can use the base version on the training hill, then add the parachute container or leg pod later on. Best get to get the turtleback container at purchase though, as it’s sewn on.

I’d tried paraglider harnesses with a spreader bar on a hang glider before

Below; Bill Pain flying seated with legs above the basebar

Right; Nic Welbourn flying a Sting 3 with the stirrup version of the Morph

but they were only able to be flown seated and it was more troublesome getting my arms through for landings. The Morph does this very easily.

Hanging in the harness during launch or landing is similar, but actually better than an apron harness, it doesn’t throw you forward like a backplate harness, nor do the risers push against your back. You have full pitch feel while hanging vertical, without having to pull your body vertical and lose trim feedback. That’s the benefit of 2 risers and a spreader bar.

The upright extensions are easier to reach and fly with when seated, especially if you are leaned back. You can leave the upright extensions off and use the uprights, but the extensions are lower, giving more precise control as well as a more natural seated position. They never get in the way and there’s less drag as your arms are more in line with the airflow than when holding the uprights. It takes just a few minutes to velcro them in place.

You can also use them for doing a stronger flare and even for carrying the glider. Above or below?

Should you fly with your feet above or below the basebar when seated?

I’ve tried both and the harness I tested felt best to me with my feet just below the bar. Using a standard DHV (1200mm from loop to basebar) hang-loop with one hitch in the loop raising it 50mm, it allowed me to either have my feet above or below. In the end I preferred below as control was lighter and more precise, plus I could hook straight in easier. I found it more awkward to revert to prone quickly from above the bar and it’s possible to catch your legs on the basebar a little if you’re not coordinated. Above the bar has quicker, but less precise response and you can speed up more but I preferred to go below.

The parachute is mounted low on the harness so that the bridle can rotate with the harness position and allows a clear throw from seated or prone. It is a cloverleaf type secured with 2 bungee safety rods on the handle. It’s on your lap when seated and at your stomach when prone, so slightly further to reach than usual but it has to be there as there’s not much space to pull it between upper support rope and riser.

It’s not as streamlined as other harnesses, but unlike many, you can actually see the parachute handle, which could be a lifesaver. The whole chute pack can be removed or rotated to different positions.

The optional zipped leg pod can be removed. You then have an apron harness that is perfect for training or can be used with just the rope and stirrup for dune flying. Considerations

Initial setup may take a while to get right. I have a simulator with the correct A-frame angle and pitch response but most people would be best to put their glider on props with an assistant holding to avoid a simulator accident.

The spreader did not contact with the uprights on my Airborne Fun2 190 but gliders with shorter uprights or short hangloops might connect and affect pitch. Best to check before flying.

Hang height must be correct: Ensure the parachute bridle is routed correctly and doesn’t catch on the base bar. Hitching the main loop or changing to custom hang loops may be required.

Support ropes must be set right as well as the angle of attack limit. It may take many adjustments to get your back support, shoulder ropes, leg ropes and stirrup correct as they interact.

After actual flying, settings are likely to require further tweaking. Best you know how to tie a bowline or keep knots intact and feed the ropes through them. Once set correctly the knots can be taped in place.

Practise bringing the arms through the risers going seated and back to hang or prone is essential. Likewise practise using the pod zipper.

Where to put your instruments? If it’s on the customary left upright, that’s fine when prone but too far away to bee seen when seated. If mounted say on the handles or top of the chute container, it wouldn’t be visible when prone. You should still be able to hear the vario in any position though. How you mostly fly in the harness will determine where to mount the instruments.

There are various micro varios such as the Syride SYS’GPS V3 which I had on hand, it velcro’ed to my arm and was visible both prone and seated. You could run 2 instruments perhaps or set up your instrument for the hang position you use most with the vario volume up high. Or you could use an instrument in each position, having one silent perhaps or a vario/alti plus an alti watch. Construction

The Morph presently doesn’t have official certification but Cloud 9 states; “Double integral continuous loop of 2000kg webbing, one for seated and one for prone. Leg loops are sewn around these, forming a secure webbing surround for the hips, legs and shoulders.

Shoulder, chest and thigh supports transfer weight via six 500kg ropes. The main suspension consists of an integrated spreader bar system (with redundancy) and double 2000kg polyester webbing on each side representing an enormous safety margin. Body material uses high

Left; Top of the spreader bar and riser connection showing the parachute bridle and angle of attack pulley

quality UV-treated 600 denier rip stop polyester.

All webbing, rope, cloth and stitching is comprised of UV (ultra violet light) resistant polyester, however care should be taken to minimise unnecessary exposure to UV.

A Kinglock Finsterwalder 800kg buckle secures the zip entry. Shoulder VG cleat is an alloy clam cleat and the integrated spreader bar is preformed HT30 drawn aluminium.”

Ropes are sewn to the main risers so replacement in the future will require a some unpicking and resewing. Ropes are tied with bowlines for easy adjustment but the coarse weave should make knot loosening unlikely. Cloud 9 advises you know how to do knots correctly and to tape them with dacron tape.

The Turtleback storage easily fits a standard glider bag, all pads and ties, plus a camelback with space left over. Unlike storage on other harnesses, it has no effect on comfort or landing ability. It is external to the harness but fits in perfectly aerodynamically. Wish list;

Thicker, softer shoulder pads. The review harness had the optional pads but I’d prefer them thicker.

Double stitched pod zipper velcro. Some single stitching on the velcro came away. Easily fixed.

Velcro pad for zip pull; The ball is easy to find but drags in the wind when zipped up. As the parachute is nearby, a conventional velcro pull tab might also reduce the possibility of tangling.

Extended velcro or padding in the boot to keep zip lined up straight or a webbing tab to stop it spreading too wide (my zip stopped until my toes were pointed into the boot).

Scuff protection for the boot, It’s on or close to the ground until the glider lifts to fly. No problem on grass but rocky ground could cause wear.

Longer turtleback zipper for easier packing, glider bags are large and hard to squeeze in.

A zip or flap on the backpack to keep everything closed in.

More detailed set-up instructions; Instructions are currently on the web with videos. Cons

More complex initial set-up and practise compared with prone full body harnesses.

Unless using an arm mounted instrument, you have to choose between mounting for prone, seated or use 2.

Chest/back support not as good for long prone flights.

More knots, velcro and bungees. Plus

Choice of flying both prone for speed/handling or seated for comfort/glide.

Goes fully upright for safer landings and launches.

Removable and configurable parachute container with visible handle.

Improved ability to rest, eat, take photos, navigate etc, during flight.

Ample storage with no effect on going upright or comfort.

Light and compact; Just 3kg for standard bare harness.

Autolocking carabiner

Spreader bar included.

Bright coloured leg loops.

Tow loops.

Adjustable length internal foot stirrup.

Hang gliding has suffered in recent years with the trend to race style backplate harnesses that require more skill to land with but this takes things in a different direction.

Bill is still making refinements to the harness and I think Cloud 9 deserves support for this concept as it has many benefits. I look forward to seeing how the concept develops.

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