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Women in Hang Glider History |
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Some notes: Some possible places to be researching: 1. Water-ski kite inadvertent glides. 2. Early glider aviation wives and aviators practicing with hang gliders. 3. Give-it-a-try efforts at Otay Mesa meet near San Diego. Bill Liscomb may have data on the flights of women. 4. Jackie Terrell tried something of Art Bean's wings. She is still very healthy and active. She lives in Southern California and has posted in this group about the 200? Dockweiler meetings. 5. For instance, did Amelia Earhart ever hang glide? http://www.acepilots.com/earhart.html That is, in any gliding instance, was she a gliding hanging pilot? Recall that some reputable turn-of-century people called some powered aircraft "hang gliders" (Scientific American). 6. Were woman present and near and maybe in the air in hang gliders at the 1920s Wasserkuppe? 7. Early women aviators --- possible source of pertinent data. 8. With the thousands of 1900 to 1912 build-it-yourself plans out in public media for hang gliders, it would seem likely that some female took a glide in a hang glider; biographies will be a source for such comment, maybe school news organs, college newsletters, etc. 9. "Fay Gillis Wells abandoned college in 1929 for flying. Three days after making her first solo flight, she was invited to take a ride in an experimental aircraft while the pilot maneuvered through some acrobatics. While flying upside down, the plane fell apart, but Wells managed to survive with her parachute." Was the shape during free-fall of that parachute ever in a non-zero glide format? If so, then she was hang gliding during part of the flight down. "Caterpillar Club for aviators who parachuted from disabled aircraft." Quote source: http://www.wai.org/resources/pioneers.cfm 10. Betty Skelton Frankman test piloted gliders; the question is, did she ever test a glider that was a hang glider. 11. Anne Morrow Lindbergh has promoted aviation from its earliest days and has, in turn, inspired many women. Lindbergh was the first woman to earn a glider pilot's license in the U.S. The queston would be, were any of her flights in a glider that was then called a hang glider? 12. We could ask: alaboda@wai.org Aviation for Women Magazine Editorial Amy Laboda about her awareness of some early women who may have flown a hang glider. [[I just sent an e-mail to her with a question.]] Or: Women in Aviation International Morningstar Airport 3647 State Route 503 South West Alexandria, Ohio 45381 Phone 937-839-4647 Fax 937-839-4645 13. "1961 November issue of Popular Mechanics November issue"...I wonder if his lady friends had a go at it. Article: "Exclusive: I Flew the Flex-Wing" sits at the top edge of that issue. http://tinyurl.com/3b7wlk 14. Did Gertrude Rogallo ever jump off a mound while flying a kite? If so, she may have glided just a bit. 15. Who was the mother of hang gliding? Of modern hang gliding? Of modern flex-wing hang gliding? Of modern stiffened Rogallo-forwarded hang gliders? Could her name be Gertrude, a patent holder and deep supporter of two decades and more the evolution of the wing used in many modern hang gliders? Gertrude, what say you? I know you are listening. 16. Was there a woman who flew the early parawing parachutes that were hang gliders? What woman first flew a gliding parachute? See above. Did David Barish launch a woman friend or child in one of his early Barish gliding parachutes? 17. ""Shortly after Jessie Woods eloped in 1928 with her husband to be, Jimmie, he formed the Flying Aces Air Circus. They did not realize they were making aviation history as they created the longest running of America's flamboyant air circuses. For 10 years, the show continued week after week, with Jessie as the leading lady. She did it all. She stunted airplanes as a pilot, scampered about on wings, parachuted and dangled by her knees on rope ladders that swung beneath the biplanes"" CLIP from http://www.wai.org/resources/pioneers.cfm Did she have any glide in any of her parachuting flights? Etc. Lots to explore. Fun. 18. Did Bessie Coleman even once fly a hang glider? 19. Associated questions, perhaps? A. What women first flew a biplane hang glider? B. What women first built a hang glider from scratch by herself? And flew it! C. What woman first built a monoplane hang glider and flew it? D. What woman first built a Paresev-like Rogallo-winged kite and flew it? E. What woman first built and flew a constant-chord monoplane hang glider? F. What woman first built and flew a Kilbo Kite? G. What woman first shows on an official patent as inventor for a major hang glider-related claim? H. What woman first built and flew a hang glider? I. What woman first lost her life in a hang glider incident? Was she the pilot? J. What woman first lost her life while being a solitary pilot in a hang glider? K. What woman was first to fly a hang glider in her own nation's airspace; name the woman for each nation. What nations are yet without such a first woman hang glider pilot? Hang glder builder? Hang glider patent holder? Same questions for each state of a federation, province of a provincial nation, and each major city? Lots of excitement open for each hometown! M. What woman was the first to marry while on a hang glider flight? N. What woman first streaked flew a hang glider? Maybe that first is yet to arrive; a male so flew, if I remember correctly (reference needed). ...and more. Send some foci in. 20. International Women's Air & Space Museum The http://www.iwasm.org/ may have some data on the questions. Office and Research Room: M-F 10am - 4pm. Admission is FREE Burke Lakefront Airport, Room 165, 1501 North Marginal Road Cleveland, OH 44114 An e-mail was sent asking the the curator of research questions about the matter. 21. Fun article. What woman did Broyles see? ""Summer of 1972 I pulled in the control bar, released the tow rope, flew the little 15 12 ft Delta Wing Kite down to the water, flared and skied to a stop:"" CLIP from Dave Broyles great historical article: Deep In the Heart of Texas, Dave Broyles (c) 1997 http://kite-enterprises.com/articles/Texas.htm Further in the article: ""The difference between a Bill Bennett water ski kite and a Bill Bennett hang glider was the control bar. If the glider had a control bar of stainless steel, very heavy with floats on the ends of the base tube, it was a water ski kite. If the glider had an aluminum control bar, it was a hang glider. Either way, it was a standard with no battens or ribs and a very noisy sail. Airspeed control was done by listening to the sail flap. The Jobe Wing, which had a much quieter sail was my favorite and got the longest glides from the Lake Lewisville Dam."" Later: ""I still had a trip planned to California. I had been to the Mecca of tow, and next I was going to the Mecca of foot launch."" What was the name of the nude woman who took the picture at Black's Beach; and did she ever hang glide after that? Review clips from: Deep In the Heart of Texas, Dave Broyles (c) 1997 http://kite-enterprises.com/articles/Texas.htm
22. Joanne Faust in early 70's flew Seagull II at
Trabuco Canyon meet, 23. Each woman surrounding one of our 1800s
pioneering hang glider men could be carefully investigated for their
involvement and possible hang glider facts.
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