[JoeF]

There is a HG debt to Degen
Jacob Degen
even though his device was an ornithopter.
Tracing that hang gliding debt to him could be the flow of this topic.


Examine first Degen's works in themselves. Circa 1807. Then note the incomplete report in Nicholson's Journal about Degen's "flight" and how such incompleteness spurred Sir George Cayley to report steps that affected hang gliding. See in our forum: Sir George Cayley as part of the Degen deal.

[Rick Masters]

T. Forster claims he heard that Degen had taken his flying machine up attached to a balloon.
Too bad. Sloping hills are definately safer. No word what happened.

T. Forster, Annals of some Remarkable Aerial and Alpine Voyages (London: Keating and Brown, 1832), 61.
https://books.google.com/books/download/Annals_of_Some_Remarkable_Aerial_and_Alp.pdf?id=TFUVzzFM7HUC&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U1xAGuRit67eSsKGPGMfRE048w5jA

[Bob Kuczewski]

1807 !?!!    

[Rick Masters]

Notice how similar to a pair of parachutes Degen's wings were.

[JoeF]

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/354666

and

https://previews.agefotostock.com/previewimage/medibigoff/88ec767905bf70ddaae9d5ebcf6ca5ba/mev-10610239.jpg