Bob, thanks for posting this forgotten piece of Hang Gliding History.
Found this great picture from a fellow TB bum.
The pilot of this classic airplane, Nick Hefflinger, is also the pilot that Cronk watched
fly his bamboo bomber.
Nick's dad captured this great picture in his plane, the Blimp, and the "cliffs", and "Rat Cove".
Quite the shot.
We all grew up and went to grade school basically under this airplane. What a time that was.
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The cliffs that david flew.png [ 218.85 KiB | Viewed 1043 times ]
David's gliders were instantly the best ones, so inventive, and so beautiful.
The tip spoilers on his first wings allowed him to stay in the narrow lift band,
while others struggled.
This picture is Dave's first flights at Torrey around 1972.
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David Cronk 2.png [ 144.77 KiB | Viewed 1043 times ]
I think Cronk was the first Hang Glider to be "Banned" from flying the cliffs,
because of some Real Estate broker saying it was an "invasion of privacy",
"him looking into our back yard and all", and when the cops came and got their bullhorn out
and told Cronk to land, he just waved (that's what surfers do) an flew off down the Esplenade.
This guy and his lawyer friend did make it stick though, and Hang Gliding
really was "banned" there forever after.
I guess it could be said that this was the beginnings of the association of USHPAS. ha ..
No big deal though, we were footloose and fancy free.
C:+o)
