I think that nails it. Flying prone in a hang glider is not a problem
because the G's are rarely significant even with the extra weight of
the helmet. Visibility and comfort also add up to make the
"lawn-chair position" ideal as several have suggested. You can just
take a lot more G's that way.

The reason I asked this question is because I took sailplane lessons
last year, after several years of hang gliding. I found a number of
things that took some getting used to, starting with the comfy seat.
It took many flights before my instructor stopped telling me to not
weight-shift the plane with my shoulders.

GillCouto.com


JJ Sinclair wrote:

I think if you look deep enough you might find that the "head first" position
is prohibited by the FAA regs. Mac


Something that no one has mentioned yet is the effect on your inner ear when
pulling G's with your head down. Maybe some of our medical types could expand
on this. I once saw an F-102, roll into an overhead pattern, looked down to
change radio frequency and flew right into the ground.
JJ Sinclair