[JoeF]

1972 photo by Neil Larson in a time of transition that reminds me of BobK's good works.

FaustAndTaras1972byNeilLarson.jpg (32.55 KiB) Viewed 6534 times

http://www.energykitesystems.net/hgh/NeilLarson/FaustAndTaras1972byNeilLarson.jpg

Photo by Neil Larson, first official historian of the movement.
Shown left is Joe Faust, meeting moderator, and right: teen Taras Kiceniuk, Jr.
1972. Both today are advancing wing things that affect the world of hang gliding.

Recalling those early meetings gives me a sense of validation for the good works that BobK has been doing for hang gliding.

On October 15, 2010, AWEIA International gave "Press Release." [[The appreciation by Mr. Wayne German is one of my most treasured colors of my wings. Thank you, Wayne! ]] http://energykitesystems.net/WayneGermanAWEaward

[Bob Kuczewski]

FaustAndTaras1972byNeilLarson.jpg

http://www.energykitesystems.net/hgh/NeilLarson/FaustAndTaras1972byNeilLarson.jpg

Photo by Neil Larson, first official historian of the movement.
Shown left is Joe Faust, meeting moderator, and right: teen Taras Kiceniuk, Jr.
1972. Both today are advancing wing things that affect the world of hang gliding.

That is very very cool Joe!!! I wasn't much of a history fan when I was a kid, but as I've grown older I've gained a much deeper appreciation for the importance of preserving the knowledge of what (and who) went before us. With respect to recent events on other forums, I'm growing increasingly concerned at how easily our new electronic histories can be erased or rewritten. So it's great to see independent people like you working to be sure that information is preserved as it actually happened. Thanks.

Recalling those early meetings gives me a sense of validation for the good works that BobK has been doing for hang gliding.

I can't hold a candle to what you and the founders of this sport have done. Thanks so much.

On October 15, 2010, AWEIA International gave "Press Release." [[The appreciation by Mr. Wayne German is one of my most treasured colors of my wings. Thank you, Wayne! ]] http://energykitesystems.net/WayneGermanAWEaward

Wayne German has chosen Joe Faust to receive the 2010 "Germy" award [ Wayne German Award for Contributions to Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) ] .

Wayne notes:
"Joe deserves it a thousand times over. My enthusiasm for Joe and his work has not "Wayned". No, if Joe dies before I do I think that I am going to get him bronzed and installed on a high over-looking promitory somewhere where he can continually watch kites pass by."

The Airborne Wind Energy Industry Association (AWEIA International) warmly congratulates Joe on this well-deserved honor.

Signed
John Adeoye Oyebanji
President protem, Airborne Wind Energy Industry Association -
AWEIA International
http://www.aweia.org

Congratulations Joe!!

[SamKellner]

Congratulations!! Joe knows

[Neil Larson]

Congratulations Joe Faust-
*I also recall the early time, all most innocent, we stepped through time-
We unfurled recycled wings with a painter on 60 Minutes- feet dashed in sand
Grinning you showered with Zest on TV, we didn’t see the bird machine intended-
We had to “Change Our Horizontal into the Vertical” before we flew
As duly noted by an old Venice Wino – strolling on the Metro Depot grass-
We seared albumen into alloy upon a roof top Mid Day “dark room”-
Which dream like seemed as a Stairway to Heaven -
A dusty Parking Garage became Universal Flight Control Headquarters –
In some Hobbit Fantasy Realm of Antique Autos
Each Mistake had a positive result , lifting us higher – closer to Heaven
So we worked hard to think of the most humorously outrageous concepts
Eventually even Dr. Paul outside the box used McDonalds wrappers as fuselage,
Meat Market Shrink Wrap became wing surface &
Skateboard wheels made landing gear & put the tail back in front like Wilbur
For a moment leading Edge Scientists threw away Slide Rules
& began to take their Ques from Hang Gliding Boys in T-shirts & cutoffs
Then we lived Hanging Loose & Low & Slow…Inspiring the all World beneath us
Sharing all our dreams & ideas with one another , Smiling as we Gave- Everything Away
First names were all we knew, phone numbers scribbled on pages,
A sport spawned from Word of Mouth , the Underground Network began-
“Faust-Speak” twisted inside out, stretched like a rubber band on a Balsa model airplane-
You have been the elastic motor to energize the propeller of our dreams
We thank You Joe , for having the Spirit of the Renaissance Men who leapt before you-
Breathing Inspiration Life into the lives of Generations around you.
I pause to humble myself knowing my life is richer and more full
For having known you as a friend….
Neil Larson-
* message sent to "LIFT" online magazine of all things related to man flight
Thought it would be appropriate to paste in here as well -

[JoeF]

From Day One,
Your poetic prose has story behind each line.
And now it it neat to be a Torrey Hawks member #146 and US Hawks #5.
And much thanks BobK and SamK and NeilL.

Currently at site and meals I'm hearing the unpublishable stories of Greg DeWolf
one of my retraining instructors with Windsports.
Over 80 flights in a month; what a blessing to be receiving some instruction from Joe Greblo
and Greg.

Attached is kite energy JoeF training in October 2010. Be sure to play with the % view, as it is a high resolution photo by WindSports. It might take a minute or so to load in Adobe Reader, so give it some time. I deliberately kept the full ressolution.
Photographer: Greg DeWolf, master instructor and of "Fly America" fame announced in 1986 Popular Mechanics, June issue; later his team completed the project of hang gliding in multiple flights across the continental U.S.A. He is one of my flight instructors at Windsports.

Kitricity2010atWindsports.jpg (79.59 KiB) Viewed 6472 times

Photo from:
http://energykitesystems.net/WindSports ... sports.jpg
AWECS :: Airborne Wind Energy Conversion Systems

[JoeF]

From Day One,
Your poetic prose has story behind each line.
And now it it neat to be a Torrey Hawks member #146 and US Hawk #5.
And much thanks BobK and SamK and NeilL.

Currently at site and meals I'm hearing the unpublishable stories of Greg DeWolf
one of my retraining instructors with Windsports.
Over 80 flights in a month; what a blessing to receiving some instruction from Joe Greblo
and Greg.

Attached is kite energy JoeF training in October 2010. Be sure to play with the % view, as it is a high resolution photo by WindSports. It might take a minute or so to load in Adobe Reader, so give it some time. I deliberately kept the full ressolution.
Photographer: Greg DeWolf, master instructor and of "Fly America" fame announced in 1986 Popular Mechanics, June issue; later his team completed the project of hang gliding in multiple flights across the continental U.S.A. He is one of my flight instructors at Windsports.
[Found this in my drafts; so I am guessing it was posted; sorry if it a duplicate. ]

[Craig Muhonen]

https://www.si.com/vault/1975/11/24/613 ... lying-high

The early history of modern hang gliding is like any other exploration into the unknown, chalk full of curiousity, danger and wonderment. The HG videos of the 70's "world championships" should be required viewing for those who wish to go back in time to a truly special time. There were actually spectators and network announcers who were "engrosed" in this new sport of "aerial ballet" .
Of course when something is so new, and excitement so high, there is a steep learning curve, and the young "test pilots" pushed the envelope.
I was lucky enough to be a small part of that envelope, from a "ground skimmer" and ground crew point of view. We were driving and hiking for hours to get to the mountain tops, but if the wind wasn't just right , the gliders went back on the racks, but some times it was right and a 15 minute flight was something to remember, and the drive back down in an old international was also.
One day a young Hal Brock (12 yrs old) came to town and hitched a ride up tomboy road, and walked a 4 mile ridge (which was amazing in itself) to the top of Ajax, overlooking Telluride at (13,500') set up his glider, and sat under it for a half an hour, decided the wind wasn't right, folded his glider up (I think it was a UP glider of course) and walked back to town. We had watched him from main street, but we knew the wind had changed, so we were not surprised to see him not fly. The Brock name was iconic in the early 70's, and Hal was a pilot beyond his years, but like happened so much in the 70's, he pushed the envelope the very next weekend in Aspen. It was July, he tried to fit in one more 360 in "sink" air, and with his friends watching, "knife edged" his glider into the ground. They were not able to save this young man's life.
This was the nature of early 70's Hang Gliding, and maybe a reason it was looked at by the public as too dangerous, but "free flying" and dangerous were just part of the (as Joe so aptly says,) "playful jumping and tumbling nature of young aeronautics.
The years between 1970 and 1978 saw the greatest advances in hang glider tecnology, that may not be seen again. It was a special time, but to the pilots it was just another day at the office, and the back of a pick up. "Hang Gliding is hard to learn, but easy to master", and maybe that is a big reason why there is a decline in hang gliders and a rise in "easy to learn" hard to master, paragliding, and what they don't know will kill them. Go figure.

Craig

[Craig Muhonen]

https://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag ... 180972601/

Erica Klein (communications director of u$hpa ) should once again dissociate herself, But her words are true. And Martin Palmas (executive director of u$pha) words betray him. They are trying to speak out, but are constantly being suffocated by Skytex.

Tiki Mashy (Cowboy UP) coined her phrase "Hang Gliding is harder to learn but easier to master" is so spot on.

It's about making the newcomers to hang gliding more comfortable when they are sitting quietly under a wing, feeling the nuances of the wing in the breeze, as opposed to "fiddling" with a bunch of "strings" trying to control a big piece of "nylon" that is "tugging" at you to fly it.
Not as many are coming into hang gliding these days, but the ones that are, find themselves, for the most part, in good hands. They are brought step by step by step into the "playfull" running aspect of hang gliding, and feel like a "kid" again.
Helping them choose wisely, is what it's all about.

Craig

[Craig Muhonen]

https://youtu.be/AyPszC_Jqaw

David Cronk once said "nobody cares any more".

Young people coming into "sport flying" today, should do their research carefully, and I don't see how anyone could ever choose a "nylon bag of strings" that is trying to "yank" its pilot' into the air, and then "let him down , quite ungracefully". A hang glider wing will "stick by" its pilot, even in tough times.

Starting at 25:00 in this video
David Cronk did his research, and came up with one of the most beautiful models and gliders ever built. His testing of a model, and then his first flight at Torrey, were watched by many, who were used to watching gliders fly. This barefoot, beach boy from up north, was a newcomer, and out of his league ......until they all saw him fly his own hand built glider ........ And the rest is history. I am wondering if this original "Cronk" glider is still "hanging around"?
Frank Clover and David Cronk were model builders and pilots of history.

Was Franks flight at 83 years, kinda a challenge to Dave at 70?

Watch these old videos........ Write Dave and Frank a letter, and say thank you.. ..we do care.

Craig

[Craig Muhonen]

Oct. 29, 2014, note from Dave Cronk, hang glider pioneer: HG.org



In the pre-Colver vario/standard-Rogallo days, I purchased a new PZL (Polish) mechanical vario (designed for sailplanes) along with the required reference flask, and a spidery static source system. It was accurate, but had a slow response time and no audio. It was expensive, and it was a clunky package. Nevertheless, using this system, I had a clear advantage flying against the Wills brothers and other top pilots, particularly when mountain flying. Nobody seemed very interested, and I thought: Great, I will have this advantage for years to come. Unfortunately for me, this advantage was short-lived.



A few months later Mike Arrambide showed up at my house with Frank's tech wonder; it was compact, very sensitive, had great audio, and was relatively inexpensive. I was astounded that Frank had designed this exquisite instrument specifically for hang gliding. It was perfect for the time. Hang gliding was changed forever. I used Frank’s vario from that day on, never looking back.



Thanks for your profound contribution Frank!



Regards,



Dave

================================================

I just have to repeat what Dave said, "thanks for your profound contribution Frank".

Submitted by a humble observer.

Craig