U.S. Hang Gliding Pilots

To appreciate the robustness of the renaissance in hang gliding in the mid-1900s, the Markowski flow would be essential. Markowski history is invited in this thread in order to put on the table a flow that was very substantial in establishing many of the gifts we have available today in hang gliding. What Markowski? Michael A. Markowski. In the Markowski flow one will find early model-world influences, early 1959 Jack Lambie factors, branching of Self-Soar Association into a cooperative eastern USA resonance, a tree of publications that give us very key reprints, international impacting Scientific American magazine presence, and more. Please post Markowski flow items, stories, facts, images, etc., until we have a rich picture of one of the core flows that help to make our hang gliding community widespread and with variety. His story is one of dreams being brought to effective works.

A file that needs some sharpening: http://energykitesystems.net/hgh/markowski/eaamm.htm

His contemporary site has a strong set of items that may be discussed after study:
http://www.aeronauticalpublishers.com/P ... out_us.htm

Personal flight was a foundation sector for a branching publishing career; get a hint of such from his other site:
http://www.possibilitypress.com

His own classic HG authorship flowered in The Hang Glider's Bible.

I personally continue to be in gratitude for his early aggressive foresight to republish some of Otto Lilienthal's works.
And more, the republishing of the famous classic works by James Means in three volumes. Any hang glider pilot wanting to give oneself core foundations would reach for those four books and weave the texts into their wings.

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

A new folder of files will collect matters on the Markowski flow:
http://energykitesystems.net/MichaelAMa ... index.html


Recent:
See full document HERE .

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

The long catenary cables in the photograph are part of the environment, not part of the hang glider. Those lines are not part of any tow or connection. The images are of the first hang glider flight by Michael A. Markowski in early 1970s (details as become available by any poster). Mike employed parallel bars as well as the empty-basebar control frame; he could move mass fore and aft as well as sideways as he hung from his body-tendon hang lines.
Special observations:
1. There is what I call "empty" basebar of control frame to allow full body motion without interference with the basebar that was featured in 1908 triangle control frame for a most simple hang glider in Breslau. Soon the team would employ the ancient non-empty basebar found in many craft in the first decade of 1900s and even earlier. Posts will be up soon as possible.
2. The control frame uprights are strut-braced laterally.
3. At the bottom of the uprights is apparently some roundish something. We seek confirmation whether the seen roundish things are wheels or balls or bundle of cloth? The gouge quotient seems high, as whatever the tips are, they are small; it would not take much soil or grass to form a gouging.
4. Detail clip seems to indicate the item might be wheel, yet I am guessing.

5. What is seen in the aft of the cockpit structure?

6. I am noticing the traditional airman's headgear and goggles.
Keep the gnats and dust out of the eyes while concentrating on keeping up airspeed.

7. What is that at the keel? See detail 3:
Guessing only: cushion for head hits?
8. Appears to be kingpostless.
9. Appears to be single-filmed or single-membrane or single-sheet-thickness airfoil.

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

Some updates in the Markowski flow:
1. http://www.energykitesystems.net/Michae ... index.html

2. Tom Peghiny makes a PG entry: Mike notes:
"This is near where I made my first flight on the Cape, May 23, 1972, my birthday and Otto's!, which I did close to where Marconi made history's first transatlantic radio transmission. (My first HG flight was on September 18, 1971 at a Ski slope in Mass. There's a stone plaque commemorating the site. Tom was first to join me in HG after we met in June 1972. He's now President of Flight Design USA, importer of the CTS line of Light Sport Aircraft, the most popular brand in the world! He never went to college, but focused on HG stating at 16 when we met. He joined USHGA right after me; I'm #261, he's #262. http://www.vimeo.com/77824418

3. Mike's book Birdflight (of Otto Lilienthal's book) plays a core part in finding the name of W. Simon

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org
View my rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System
Every human at every point in history has an opportunity to choose courage over cowardice. Look around and you will find that opportunity in your own time.

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

_________________
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization: US Hawks at ushawks.org

View pilots' hang gliding rating at: US Hang Gliding Rating System

Scientific American hang glider: Mike Markowski’s Eagle III, the ‘Princeton sailwing’, in Hang Gliding History.