[JoeF]

As control frame, rigging frame, undercarriage, combination of these: The A-frame, the triangle control frame .. has had a long history in aviation beginning with at least Leonardo da Vinci. Tracing that history enlightens to many nuances. The development of the A-frame for hang gliding is an ongoing live matter. Wing runners and Safe-Splat designers are involving with the A-frame in new ways. We attach and embed things in the A-frame. We stay the A-frame by struts, cables, or a combination of such, or just leave the A-frame without obvious staying...cantilevered. Dimensions vary, materials vary, cost varies, etc. Fuel is sometimes stored in A-frame compartments. Consideration of have the A-frame as an ultra-capacitor has been mentioned in the literature. In 1800s, it was clear that hung trapeze was understood by glider patentees (Beeson, for one).

Starting this thread which may become robust:

Did Rogallo invent the triangle control frame for hang gliders?
No, the triangle control frame or A-frame for hang gliders was invented mechanically for foot launch hang gliders in at least the early year of 1908 in Breslau in a hang glider in an organized gliding-club setting--cable-stayed and with pilot hung from keel behind the control frame, just as many of us know today; further use was in many places including the Spratt before the 1950s; and a firm use was in a kite-glider for homebuilders by Igor Bensen...well published in the first half of 1950s; Mike Burns SkiPlane used the A-frame in 1962 for the NASA-inspired flex-wing kite-glider (as he referred to it); then Bensen-influenced-kite-tinkerer-John Dickenson and the following two Bills used the ancient A-frame on Rogallo-NASA-influenced flex-wing kites. The first decade of 1900s had a first issue of FLIGHT; in that issue was a featuring of the triangle A-frame for aviation. The Pilcher hang glider had a firm A-frame. JD and the two Bills chose the ancient A-frame for their waterski kite-gliders. ~JpF

There was no triangle bar Rogallo at Otto Meet of May 23, 1971. The first triangle bar Rogallo at a So. California meet was Kilbourne's at the Montgomery meet in August of 1971 (ref: Matt Colver).

Kilbourne's Kilbo-Kite plans referenced for the wing: NASA; Self-Soar Association put those plans into 23 countries to help explode and expand the HG renaissance; such did spawn DIY makers and manufacturing centers. We added free the Seagull III plans to the world within an issue of Low & Slow. These two plans also featured the ancient A-frame cable-stayed. Seagull Aircraft sold a single formed tube for the A-frame. Belly bars, speed bars, etc. followed.

In the play, recall all one might know about triangles. Consider the null triangle, the degenerate triangle, the triangle using an infinitely remote zenithal vertex point netting parallel uprights, the tensional A-frame of Tony Prentice in 1960 kite-hang-glider of rigid frame, the Worth triangles beneath flex-wings, the inverted triangle, the X options, the double options to cinch payloads, the wheeled base, the ski-based triangle, ...

[JoeF]

The A-frame for foot-launch hang gliding was evident, used and historically shared by at least 1908 exactly as we know it today. Then the rush to powered aircraft with large payloads and engines put the most simple use of the A-frame into morphed enhanced roles as aerodynamic controls were explored. Then decades later the water world in Spratt and then ski kites again directly simply used the A-frame. Mike Burns in Australia strongly returned to the primitive simple A-frame cable-stayed, followed a year later by his countryman John Dickenson who apparently thought he was first for such, but was not by a huge margin. Moyes experimented further and just shared a neat double-wing flexwing kite arrangement he put together in 1969 where two morphs of the A-frame (one with standard triangle and one with the two sides nearly parallel). The kite of two wings was to give him a comfort and platform for prone for an endurance tow flight effort. He shared the following two files for the Timeline, though the arrangement was for boat-tow kiting, such gave him some foundation for later escapes.

Analysis is invited.
Just to presevere history, in case I wont' be around after this moment, I uploaded for your study and preservation the two clips Bill Moyes shared of the double-wing configuration tow-kite: Two large files;
http://energykitesystems.net/BillMoyes/ ... gkiteA.jpg
http://energykitesystems.net/BillMoyes/ ... gkiteB.jpg

June 17, 2012
Hi Joe,
A lot of my ideas don’t make much sense.

I saw wedge tail eagle using its tail to make low speed approaches to landing. I figured that we have our hands full when flying but don’t use our feet. The white line you mentioned is the base bar of the top wing. A drop frame is in my hands that telescoped up into the air.
When approaching the ground I used to slide back on a board to increase the load on the tail and increase the angle of attack and drag on the tail and unload the wing. It worked well but I was still 9ft in the air, the tail hit the ground and we all came down like a house of cards.

It wasn’t one of my best ideas.

Best Regards,
Bill Moyes
Liteflite Pty Ltd

Hi Joe,
Attached to this email is an article in the paper. The first attachment consists of the photo itself and the second is the article (the article was too large to scan as one).
Best Regards,

Bill Moyes
Liteflite Pty Ltd
1144 Botany Rd, Botany NSW 2019 Australia
TEL: 61 (02) 9316 4644 FAX: 61 (02) 9316 8488
http://www.liteflite.com.au

Late in the day of June 17, 2012,

Great Bill,
Only a start, but first share is in
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1061&p=4792
where free forum join is available. Would love to have you or others in your circle add to the historical discussion in that very open forum.

It would be great to preserve a photo of your skiing off the mountain for the first time. Date, details.

It has been most curious why Mike Burns does not share all his NASA Rogallo facts openly. I am guessing he has photos and notes of his 1962 experimental efforts prior to his finalized Ski Plane kite-glider. Mike used the at-least-50-yr-old triangle control frame A-frame in Australia much prior to the Dickenson effort. Do you have a guess why such history is not being openly shared?

Lift,
Joe

[JoeF]

Copy of original at Ken de Russy's HangGlidingMuseum at
http://tinyurl.com/FMRtoBHP4Oct62atHGM

October 4, 1962
Dear Mr. Palmer:
A copy of your very interesting letter of September 17, 1962, to Mr. Paul Bikle was forwarded to me. If we had "a convenient hill" here in Tidewater Virginia I would probably have made a paraglider somewhat like yours many years ago, as I have felt since 1945 that gliding from hill tops with a simple, inexpensive glider would be great sport and could become a very popular one.
You may find the enclosed reports interesting. Our studies are continuing, including investigations of many control systems in addition to the center of gravity movement used on the paraglider at (_____??______). The low cost and simplicity of the flexible-wing/aircraft, however, provides an opportunity for private individuals like you to participate and make valuable contributions. Several have already done so. We will be interested in hearing further of your progress.
Sincerely,
Francis M. Rogallo

============================

1. Term "paraglider" for stiffened flexible-wing was common in that 1958-1962 era until the term was taken over by gliders of full flex being used for foot-launching. Rogallo's "parawing" was stiffened into then "paraglider" and then parawing morphed to full-flex later paragliders as we use term today.
2. Notice how FMR pointedly mentioned understanding of the shifting of center of gravity as one control method. He and his related researchers were already deep into other control systems for the limp and stiffened or boomed or boned flexible-wing for kites, gliders, and aircraft. Note how FMR wrote inclusively.
3. Note how FMR pointedly anchored that "several others" had already contributed to the focus at hand.
4. Palmer had gotten in a flight at the closing of 1961, December, wherein also Paul Bikle, director, had directed Charles Richards to get going on a low cost quick hung-pilot kite glider in the Paresev program that paralled the earlier-started strands on flexible-wing paraglider vehicles at Ryan Aeronautical Company and other entities NASA related.
5. Earlier Rogallo had already flown for others a model manned hang glider in a hangar to help show why NASA might involve hang gliding devices in the space program. One photo with a dark background of a man-doll in the flying hang glider in the hangar is available on the Internet. Such would lead to the later Ryan Aeronautical contracts and published developments. See for one start world-available key article: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/ ... 00723.html of June 1, 1961, in FLIGHT.

Notice the Otto Lilienthal birthday flight by Lou Everett on May 23, 1961, as Ryan test pilot. Neat birthday present published to the world! See also that March 23, 1961, issue of FLIGHT. Clip of the March 1961 issue article:
Notice how much work was DONE BEFORE the contracting of the powered version of the four-boomed hang glider.
Quote from clip above: "Configurations have been tested, both in free flight and in tunnels, from sea level to 200,000 ft and from low speeds to M4.9." Look to the crafts and works and flights of the hang gliders from the hands of John Worth related to these programs and tech. See John Worth as a special story itself along with his use of the A-frame for payloads from the hang glider.

Silly-but-interesting history:
After the A-frame was deep history for hang gliders (prior to 1910 even) and aircraft, even exactly simply cable-stayed with payload or pilot hung from keel, and after profound worldwide extant show of the NASA-Rogallo-Ryan hang gliders of hundreds of variations, some tinkerers would try to claim mechanical invention globally late in the history for hang gliders. Such silly invention claimers spice aviation history in many ways; the tinkerers confuse his or her local breakthroughs with global already-extant arts available to those skilled in the arts. ~JpF

[JoeF]

And also look to the exploits of Effinger for the wing related to all of this worldwide display from 1958 through 1962 on the hang glider wing.

[JoeF]

ARP just mentioned in another part of USHawks:

[JoeF]

Who, what, when?

ELLEHAMMER (1905). On 12th September, 1906, this machine made the first free flight in Europe. On 28th June, 1908, it won the prize at Kiel for the first flight in Germany (distance, 47 m.) It was a tractor biplane with a revolving Ellehammer motor. It also had a pendulum seat as a stabilising device.

Engine off: glider with pilot hung by tension behind the A-frame.

[JoeF]

Study of A-frame and rigging. Dunne-Capper. Year: 1911. This is about three years after the most-simple hang glider with A-frame cable-stayed with pilot hang for foot launching (no motor, no skids, no wheels) with a most simple battened wing of sail (as we have in many hang gliders of today).
Here in the Dunne-Capper there is seen three skids and the pilot behind A-frame. Wire-profile drag is high on this effort.

[JoeF]

Notice that after hang gliding knew the most simple A-frame cable-stayed for foot-launch pilot in a very simple hang glider in 1908,
one finds morphs and evolutes of the A-frame, many in the powered evolutes. A close study of the HM-9 shows pilot behind the A-frame, not too unlike how birds are built.
Source page has some related HM http://www.airwar.ru/enc/law1/hm8.html
Henri Mignet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Mignet

[JoeF]

Early first decade of 1900s morphed A-frame as power began its BIG drive. But removed the motor of from so many experimental power efforts and have some neat hang gliding choices ...
This Gilbert 1909 is mostly fun eye candy ...

[JoeF]

Santos-Dumont and the A-frame