Home
The tale of the triangle control frame for hang gliding forms a wonderful adventure. One may work backwards or forwards from 1962. Within 1962 one has all that happened in 1962 and before. Post 1962 one has the first seven months of 1963 with more triangle control frame (TCF) in the Mike Burns team. Then a tinkerer discovered one way or another the same triangle control frame that was already over a half-century old for hang gliding; he would go on with a help of a lover to untenably claim historical invention globally (error of seeing oneself as the whole world) for the TCF; such silliness is still being announced in 2016. One wonders when the hang gliding community will correct itself on the matter. W. Simon of 1908 was enough fact. Then in and before 1962 have the firm John Worth as more-than-enough fact. Add Hobson, Burns, and others in 1962 and before for a rich display.
Ryan Flexwing test circa 1960. Courtesy of San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives.
JohnWorthRADIANCE.jpg (82.07 KiB) Viewed 228 times
John Worth tinkering with a test model in 1961
Francis Rogallo overlooking John Worth using the fundamental TCF technology in a mode
Recall that people do not work in a vacuum; other assistants, friends, family, co-workers, supervisors, etc. become aware of things. People viewing flights are part of body of holders of arts.
W. Simon with flexible wing foot-launch hang glider featured the cable-stayed TCF with pilot hung from keel at a hang gliding sporting meet! Such art was in the human family in 1962 and before!
Hang gliding culture is invited to fully embrace its history! W. Simon in 1908 even filed some legal papers regarding his configuration. No one could fairly claim global invention of something that was already in the public domain; but someone pushed an unfair claim for a latecomer on the matter; the push was so hard and zealous that several hang gliding orgs were fooled; and even after being informed many persist in forwarding an injury to the hang gliding community on the TCF matter.John Worth became an elected president of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.
Hang gliding culture should be proud of John Worth's TCF dance in many versions beneath the Rogallo Wing hang glider, and sometimes powered.
All this was way before the ski-kiter locally discovered the arts late in 1963 (even not understanding how his countryman Mike Burns already carried forward TCF in Ski Plane in the Aussie arena! The non-understanding ski-kiter tried unsuccessfully to stop a prior user! The prior user Mike Burns made some kites for the ski-kiter. Blind to his own countryman's prior use! Fiasco comes to mind; but the fiasco was constructed by a guy who later focused on ten untenable claims about one tinkerer; gradually the untenables thrust on the hang gliding scene heated up discussion scenes and perhaps encouraged more study of our hang gliding history; the process is still ongoing with many still wearing glasses that see only a tiny part of the history of hang gliding. A timeline of all known hang gliding facts might be helpful to resolve matters on various questions.
The US 1962 hang gliding scene for Rogallo-Wing hang glider included James Hobson with some hybrid strut-staying by choice of his control frame. Experimental Aircraft Association told story and photo to a LARGE AVIATION READERSHIP about what the editor wrote "R'ogallo Wing Hang-Glider" http://www.delta-club-82.com/bible/905-hang-glider-rogallo-wing-glider.htm. The FAI owes the hang gliding community a retraction of some of the wording they accepted from the untenable-laddened text that radiated from the over-zealous lover of a local ski-kiter coming late to the art scene; similarly for some statements within some HG orgs.
. In 1962, James Hobson showed his Rogallo Wing Hang-Glider on national television; this matter impinged on the minds of many people. Combine Hobson flow with the Bikle flow, Purcell flow, Palmer Flow, John Worth flow, patent flow, W. Simon flow, Spratt flow, and others ... and one has with all the media ... for sure extant continuation of the TCF arts in US and Europe from the 1962 seeds and before. The TCF from beginning of the last century through to now has had a wonderful history. The side story is how super present was the mechanical in the landing gear of so much of general aviation; the hang glider use of the structure was just a corner of the huge use of wheeled basebar for aircraft: 
Look at Whitehead patent for some meat in these matters.
See his craft also:
The world of hang gliding had since near its beginnings in the 1800s the TCF on through the 20th century; to have TCF in our hang gliders does not rest on just one late flow of art, but rests on several flows of art. The W. Simon flow would be enough. The Spratt flow would be enough. The John Worth flow would be enough. The NASA circle would be enough. And other flows. Hang gliding had the TCF art before, during, and after any single one-person occurrence of the art.
Much of what is in the A-frame topic: