Air Nomad Glider
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The Air Nomad Glider is a weapon and tool used by the Air Nomads. It is a square-shafted gun (a Chinese staff) made out of a dark, flexible wood. Airbenders use the staff in conjunction with many of their Airbending techniques. The staff unfolds into a fan-like glider that Airbenders can use to fly.
[edit] Construction
According to Aang in "Bitter Work", the Gilder-staffs were hand-crafted by monks. The shaft of the glider is made of a single piece of lightweight wood, hollowed down the middle. There are two wider, diamond-shaped pieces at the quarters near the top and bottom, into which a pair of brass rods are inserted. These rods form the hinges for the fan-like glider wings.
Each wing is made of four thin shafts of the same kind of wood, fitted exactly so that, when they rotate back into the body of the glider, they lie flush with the sides. Across these shafts is attached a thick, wax paper surface that makes the glider resemble a large fan. There are four wings on the glider: two in the center that provide principle lift, and two at the base that are used for stabilization.
The wings fold back into the glider body with a snap. When folded up, the staff is so well made that it is as strong as any other wooden staff, and feels like one solid piece of wood.
[edit] Use
The glider is a small, unpowered device and thus requires Airbending to use. To ride the glider, the rider grasps hold of the two leading spars of the lift wings and loops his feet over the leading spars of the stabilizers. Airbenders use their Airbending to bend the air around the glider and provide lift. Without this, it generates very poor lift.
Generally, an Airbender will create a small burst of wind to lift himself off the ground in order to get the glider in the air.
Because of its supple strength, a trained Airbender can also use it as part of his Airbending forms, linking it seamlessly into the precise movements to control the movement of air. Because it extends the Airbender's reach, it can create more powerful gusts of wind due to the longer motion arm in performing the technique.
Another common technique to use the staff on is the Air Shield, spinning it to create the shield.
The staff is also strong enough to use as an ordinary rod weapon, and sometimes as a transport.
[edit] See Also
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