SKY SPORTS GLIDERS of the
Late '70s
by CHRIS GONZALES photos courtesy TINA SHEPPARD The year was 1976. In the Northeast, US hang gliding was thriv-
intrigued by the Feb. 1972 article in
ing in all directions—to my north,
National Geographic about the first
flying a standard Rogallo. With that visual connection to hang gliding burned into my brain, I was
south, east, and west, each site within
Otto Lilienthal meet in southern
primed for what was about to come.
an easy drive. Yet I was totally un-
California (a commonly cited trigger).
One day, while walking into Herman’s
aware of the activity.
In both cases, flying gliders resulted
Sporting Goods, I found a standard
from images, without plans.
Rogallo hanging from the ceiling
If you were lucky enough to witness an actual flying hang glider in those
22
Sky, Chris Wills talks about being
Those two events had consequences
and walked out with a copy of Dan
days, the sight may have been enough
for hang gliding. Terry Sweeney
Poynter’s Hang Gliding. The book was
to draw you in. For others, all it took
eventually designed for the East Coast
years old and hopelessly outdated, but
was a simple photograph.
company Sky Sports and, of course,
at least it provided a start. To get hang
In the 1969 Fritz Wetherbee film,
everyone flying today is familiar with
gliding into my future I first was going
Sweeney’s Glider, Terry Sweeney talks
the name Wills Wing. In fact, both of
to have to briefly access its past. So
about getting the idea for his Chanute-
those evolutionary paths were well
I ordered plans for Taras Kiceniuk’s
style foot-launched biplane from
underway by the time I had seen
bamboo-and-polyethylene glider,
Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia. In
what first influenced me—an almost
Batso.
Bill Liscomb’s documentary Big Blue
thumbnail-sized image of Hall Brock
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
As it turned out, bamboo doesn’t