[JoeF]

Little known is that Francis Rogallo on two occasions ... separated by years--flew two different Flightsails built by Thomas H. Purcell, Jr.. The first occasion has been little noted and Francis did not disclose the first session in Francis' correspondence with JD, only the second flight session was shared, the one in 1965. But the first Rogallo session of flight in a Flightsail early version was either in end of 1961 or in 1962, scholarship on my desk is still sorting out the date ([ ] ) for the first flight session when three (Francis Rogallo, Victor Horton, and Milton O. Thompson) from NASA flew the early Tom Purcell Flightsail. Anyone with confirmation of the date when those three flew the four-boom kite-glider on that special visit with Tom Purcell? The record of the fact, so far, is in a 1962 article in Sport Aviation of the Experimental Aircraft Association. One confirmation by Tom Purcell of the second flight by Francis Rogallo in 1965 was in Sport Aviation in a 1969 article as Tom was forward a drastically changed Flightsail VII. The precise date in 1965 for the second flight of Francis in a version of the Flightsail is sought; anyone? [ ] Purcell preceded James Hobson and Mike Burns in the use of the public-domain wing for kite glider; JD trickled in later. But Palmer and Purcell are near tie on the 1961, but Palmer with foot-launching and Purcell with kite-glider mode using towing. Hobson was did foot launch with a firm simpler hang glider in 1962 of the four-boomer Rogallo-NASA-Ryan-inspired public-domain glider wing. Hobson would broadcast not only in Sport Aviation, but on national TV in 1962, about his hang glider.
Purcell moved fast to sell plans to the world. We await to know the date of his first ad for plans. ([ ] )
Anyone on the date of Purcell's first ad to sell plans for the Flightsail? ([ ] )

[JoeF]

So far, the earliest ad for plans for the Flightsail is the ad in 1962 Sport Aviation in April issue. Any earlier?

We have the following curated text from HERESOURCE:


For study and archive and editorial work: (apologies for ALL CAPS, as that is the way the site record presents, as you may see by click through of above hotlink)
Note: There may be errors in the collections' text; if any of us can prove a need for a change, then we may write to the collections people; already we have done so concerning the date of Purcell's first flight... to Oct. 27, 1961, with himself as PIC over land. Later he would in 1962 do flights over-water with floats. The small photos are of a scale model, size described, that is held in the collections.

North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
MODEL GLIDER

NCDeptofCulturalResourcesOnPurcellFlightsail.jpg (15.44 KiB) Viewed 4400 times

Accession #: H.2002.78.1
Agency: Museum of History
Date Made: 1961-1963
Dimensions (English): [Lt]1' 7 11/16" [Wdt]1' 7 11/16" [Ht]1' 3/16"
Dimensions (Metric): [Lt]50.0 cm [Wdt]50.0 cm [Ht]31.0 cm
Category: MODEL
Class: --models (representations)
Alternate Name:
Signature/Marks:
Description: MODEL OF FLIGHTSAIL MK 1; RESEMBLES HANGLIDER WITH PONTOON FLOATS; WING (OR SAIL) IS MADE OF CLEAR PLASTIC WITH BLACK GRID PATTERN; PONTOONS ARE PAINTED RED, REMAINDER OF CRAFT IS LEFT NATURAL WOOD COLOR OR PAINTED SILVER; INCLUDES RED-CLAD PILOT FIGURE WITH WHITE HELMET.
Vessel Name:
Title:
Associations: PURCELL, THOMAS HECTOR, JR.\MAKER/DESIGNER
Place Made: USA NORTH CAROLINA WAKE RALEIGH
Place Used: USA NORTH CAROLINA WAKE RALEIGH
Use History: THIS MODEL WAS ORIGINALLY A TEST MODEL. IT WAS FLOWN LIKE A KITE TO EVALUATE THE STABILITY OF HIS PLANNED DESIGN. THOUGH THE CONTROL-STICKS DO MOVE THE WINGS A LITTLE BIT TO SHOW HOW THE DESIGN WORKS, THE MODEL WASN'T USED TO TEST HOW THE CONTROL SYSTEM WORKS, JUST THE OVERALL STABILITY AND AERODYNAMICS OF THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. LATER, HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO REVAMP THE MODEL TO MAKE IT MORE FOR SHOW THAN TESTING. THAT'S WHEN HE ADDED THE PAINTED FLOATS AND THE FIGURE OF A MAN IN THE GLIDER. HE ALSO ADDED WIRES TO THE WINGS TO SUPPORT THEM IN A SHAPE LIKE THEY WOULD HAVE IN FLIGHT RATHER THAN HAVE THEM SAG. MR. PURCELL IS AN ENGINEER BY PROFESSION, AND ATTENDED NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY. HE LIVED IN RALEIGH FOR FORTY YEARS AND NOW RESIDES IN CHAPEL HILL. DURING THE TIME HE DEVELOPED THE FLIGHTSAIL HE WAS WORKING FOR EXIDE IN THE RALEIGH AREA AND HAD HIS OWN BUSINESS PART-TIME ON THE SIDE: FLIGHT DYNAMICS. FLIGHT DYNAMICS IS NOW FLIGHTSAIL. RYAN (A CORPORATION OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO) HAD DEVELOPED A FLEX-WING GLIDER FOR THE U.S. ARMY WHICH HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP IN PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS POPULAR MECHANICES, POPULAR SCIENCE, AND LIFE MAGAZINE. THROUGH HIS BUSINESS, PURCELL WAS ALSO GETTING PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ON THE AERONAUTICS FROM NASA. HE DECIDED TO TRY TO BUILD HIS OWN GLIDER. FIRST, HE BUILT A GLIDER ON WHEELS AND USED A TRUCK TO PULL IT. HE DID TESTS AT RALEIGH DURHAM AIRPORT AND WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP A WORKABLE, STABLE GLIDER. HE CALLED FRANCIS ROGALLO, WHO WAS THEN WORKING AT LANGLEY AND SUGGESTED THAT HE SHOW THE GLIDER TO ROGALLO ONE FRIDAY WHEN HE WAS GOING TO BE IN VIRGINIA. THEY MET AT ROGALLO'S HOUSE AND ROGALLO INVITED PURCELL TO GO WITH HIM TO THE FIELD AT LANGLEY. AS THEY WALKED INTO THE BUILDING PURCELL NOTICED ROGALLO SPEAKING TO SEVERAL PEOPLE. HE SOON FOUND HIMSELF EXPLAINING HIS GLIDER TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN A CONFERENCE ROOM. HE SAYS THAT AT THAT POINT HE COULD TELL FROM THEIR QUESTIONS THAT HE HAD DONE SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD NOT FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO YET - ACHIEVE STABILITY IN A TOWED GLIDER. THEY WERE INTERESTED BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP WAYS TO HAUL THINGS BEHIND PLANES. THEY HAD THE RYAN MODEL AT LANGLEY FOR TESTING WHEN HE WAS THERE. IT WAS MUCH LESS STABLE THAN PURCELL'S GLIDER. HE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH HIS GLIDER. FIRST HE WORKED OUT MECHANISMS SO THE WINGS COULD BE FOLDED UP WHEN NOT IN USE FOR EASE OF TRANSPORT. LATER, HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA TO PUT FLOATS ON IT IN PLACE OF THE WHEELS AND HAVE IT TOWED BY A SPEEDBOAT. HE FLEW IT THIS WAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AT LAKE WACCAMAW ON JULY 26, 1962 AND IT WORKED SO WELL, HE NEVER WENT BACK TO WHEELS AGAIN. MR. PURCELL SOLD BOTH PLANS AND KITS TO PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO BUILD THEIR OWN FLIGHTSAILS. HE SOLD THEM TO PEOPLE BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING ENGLAND, SOUTH AFRICA, AND ITALY.
Style:
Maker: THOMAS H. PURCELL, JR.
How Made:
Materials: WOOD --PLASTIC --METAL
EXPANDED DESCRIPTION:
MODEL OF FLIGHTSAIL MK 1; RESEMBLES HANGLIDER WITH PONTOON FLOATS; WING (OR SAIL) IS MADE OF CLEAR PLASTIC WITH BLACK GRID PATTERN; PONTOONS ARE PAINTED RED, REMAINDER OF CRAFT IS LEFT NATURAL WOOD COLOR OR PAINTED SILVER; INCLUDES RED-CLAD PILOT FIGURE WITH WHITE HELMET.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
THIS IS A MODEL OF THE FIRST FLEX-WING GLIDER TO TAKE OFF FROM WATER AND BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT AND FIRST FLIGHT TOOK PLACE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND WERE DONE BY A NORTH CAROLINIAN.

Comment: Single-point hang for the kiting-gliding. Weight-shift-control as fundamental control method: move position of pilot-mass relative to wing attitude. Such methods were in the public domain for a very long time already.

[JoeF]

Popular Mechanics, April 1975