LIFT     December 2011        Page 1
...grows during month from your sent lift notes            Lift@UpperWindPower.com

Photograph above is by Frank Colver.

Dave Cronk in flying-wing single-layered paraglider hang glider (single tether to resistive set r which is the seat and pilot here) Cronksail. This kite system is freely gliding. Full backstory is invited. Photograph is from a slide in the archives of Frank Colver, pioneer in non-paraglider with his Colver SkySail hang glider.

The caption in the Popular Science, May, 1974 issue : "Strictly experimental, the light and simple Cronksail is essentially a tailless Quicksilver. Dave Cronk designed this advanced flying wing, using Quicksilver technology, components. It now has wing-tip rudders for improved control." 

Matt Colver in Colver Skysail.    1973.       Photograph by Frank Colver. 
Dave Cronk on above photo: "I think the image was taken near La Paz Rd in Orange County." [site is not confirmed yet.]

I should have attached this photo in my previous reply. This shows Matt Colver flying my Skysail and Dave Cronk's Cronksail wing can be seen sitting on the ground in the distance. I think there is a Quicksilver there also. This also gives a good view of the flying-site foreground.

There was a very nice wood-and-cloth biplane at that meet that I have a couple of photos of. I don't know if it was a Montgomery replica or not.  
~~Frank Colver

PS: The event where that photo was taken was the 3rd Montgomery Meet, in 1973. The slide was processed in September of '73. We were at some back country area of San Diego County but I would be hard pressed to find that place now.

Dave Cronk happily reports some further items on the Cronksail:

• File is 1.5 mb high resolution image of specification sheet on Cronksail I  and the Cronksail II.    Must visit the page!    Click thumbnail images for the large images:
                                                           

• Good to hear from both of you.

   

  I think the image was taken near La Paz Rd in Orange County. I think I also see the Quacksilver and Quicksilver # 2 or 3 down at the bottom of the hill.

   

  I have attached a few images of the wing I did in 73. It was flown extensively by myself and others, and it flew pretty well. Influences were Richard Miller and, of course, Frank's beautiful wing. Taras came out with the Icarus V at just about the same time. We did many side-by-side flights at Torrance and Torrey. He had a performance advantage, but not by a large margin.

   

  Tom Price did the sail for me. We experimented with many wing sections and twist arrangements, and finally got it working pretty well. I'm not sure why I did not pursue this any further; perhaps because of all of the other flex-wing and Quicksilver projects I had on my plate.

   

  Several years later(?) Klaus Hill and Jeff Magnan* followed with the Fledgling and Sundance designs respectively.

   

  Frank, if you could pass me any images of this wing I would really appreciate it. I have started building a hang-gliding library of images, and have a Hang-Gliding folder on my Facebook page.

   

  Hope all is well,

   

  Dave

  *[[ED: Three spellings occur on the Internet:  Jeff Magnum  and Jeff Magnan and Jeff Magnun.   Ken de Russy points to Magnan in a discussion about a meet, but also has Magnun in another place where talk of Centurion 165 was in focus.  We have not primary data yet on the spelling. Request from anyone? Posted question to KdR in HGM.]]

• Eipper wing and Dave in recent years?
• Dave Cronk in Quicksilver. Bob Lovejoy at wing assist?

Dave Cronk  flying the Quicksilver #2 or #3  over Torrance Beach, California, USA.    1972 or 1973.       Scroll to the right to see more =====>>>>>

Neil Larson recalls: *right foot over left cross leg typical Cronk flying stance back in the day.

Dave recalls his red shoes.    No helmet. No parachute.   

Quicksilver #1 was flown by Joe Faust in Malibu as testing editor and by Joanne Faust in Simi Valley.

• The following video went viral on the Internet news.  Paraglider Vs Van     
  • With so very much landing space available, what happened?
  • Analytic comments are invited.
  • Kite rule broken: "Fly your kite away from power lines and roads."
  • Wakes of vehicles on roads can join other turbulence events to give a net helicity that can affect a soft-canopy string-formed wing. But that matter was not seemingly operating in this incident. But, in general while low, stay away from where speeding vehicles may pass, not only to avoid direct collision, but to avoid wake events.
     
• Sikkim: Steps taken for the safety in Paragliding
• India PG schools
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