U.S. Hang Gliding Pilots

WATERMAN REVERTS TO GLIDERS
Those who attended the reunion in Dayton saw moving pictures of Waldo's flights made at Palomar, California. The plane which he built and flew was a reproduction of Cal Roger's VIN FIZ, the first airplane to fly coast to coast, in 1911. After a number of successful flights with this plane it was donated to the San Diego Aerospace Museum.

Many Early Birds were first airborne in what became known as the Popular Mechanics Glider. Do-it-yourself drawings were published by that magazine in April, 1909, from a design by Early Bird Carl Bates of Chicago. Hundreds of these machines were built thereafter, one of them by Waldo Waterman. Six years ago he built two more, one now hanging in the Smithsonian Institution and the other in the San Diego Aerospace Museum. They were capable of making very short flights down 30 degree slopes into 8 mile winds, but were not easily controllable.
Waldo has always felt that, by using modern know-how in a redesign, a reasonably good hang glider, retaining all the simplicity of the original, could be built. Consequently, he has built just such a glider which has been flown by Stephen Ballas, age 21, who helped to build it.
From The Early Birds of Aviation CHIRP
January 1973, Number 79

I am yet teased by Waldo's remarks. How would a carbon-fiber frame Chanute biplane type hang glider go? Maybe put some stagger. Maybe put more gap between the two wings. Optimize the airfoil for slow flight? Maybe use top-of-arts rigging wire? Maybe aim for snap-to collapsibility? Or aim for one-person city-bus carrying pack? The adventures of the biplane hang glider are still open.