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History of Hang Gliding - Dark Ages
Dark Sides in the Early Days2020-3-5....reminiscen'... If there were any"dark sides", to our "Beach Bum" era, on the California Coast, it was how we totally scallywagged and connived our parents into saying, "oh...go on,.. get out of here,. ..but be back before dinner"! WE then proceeded, once again, to connive our parents into actually believing that I was borrowing the car to go over to "Johns" house....My friend John, actually talked his parents into buying him this 1949 Ford Woodie, painted Canary Yellow! and I had talked my dad into buying a 57' chev. station wagon. All in good fun though, because ..well ....it Was South Bay, The absolute center of a perfect storm, and the whole coast was our campground. This was the every day **SPIRIT** of living at the oceans edge. We chose to paddle out, where most, would not dare. It could be said that we were spoiled, and selfish, and arrogant, and lazy, but as we were sitting out on our boards, in 57 degree water, and shivering,... we were the ones who were free......zing,..and look what a bunch of "surfers" did for the modern sports of HangGliding, and Sailing, And **So Much More** Who was first to fly at the HollyWood Riveria Cliffs? Dick Eiper, Steve Wilson, David Cronk, Nick Hefflinger, Chris Parker, Dave Hefflinger. * what year and pictures did Francis Rogallo fly a model of his glider at Torrance. 57 degree saltwater was the ultimate "cure all". specially when its 6' and glassy. We Were Bums....but it wasn't about the beach so much, as it was always about the security of the Ocean, and its communities. (my parents never new how many times we went on a "surfn' surfari into Mexico, through the "Blue Fox", and into Ensenada.) 1971-6-1... 1971-6-2...By the time I left the beach in Aug. of 71, the fledgling HangGlider Industry had "Mushroomed" into many builders, and manufactures, and that came with A "Dark Side of its own. Every time a Hang Glider was involved in a deadly accident, "They sued every name on the Wing, even the "swedge cables", and any instructors. The "Pilot error" aspect of the sport had not quite entered yet, but the Liability Insurance and "club Membership", drove a wedge in between the more classic liberal minded flyers, which, still exists even stronger today. again a dark side. The HangGlider Rating systems which were put in place by these early pioneers, put a "lodgical and Gradual Training Process" in place, so first time flyers would feel good when they (The Instructor, and the "crews" too). attained the Hang ratings. Watching videos of students "dancing" with a HangGlider, in a good breeze, while the crew steady the wings, was mesmerizing to watch. My father taught me how to be a pilot at a young age, And watching them do many, many straight off, landings and flares, and many, many hours of "hanging on" to the glider back up to the top, and ground training and critiques. put gradual training process, into a perspective that first time flyers is of course, Each HangGliding site had an "H" rating, so as not to intermix novice training pilots, with others. Some sites like Telluride and TPGP, were always rated "experts only, and no training" sites, for A VERY GOOD REASON. Telluride Retains its expert status today, with no training, because they are "Not a business", they are, and have always been The Telluride Airforce. TPGP, has seen their raitings crumble since 1989, when "a business" ( Tottally un qualified to run the gliderport flight operations) set up a paraglider sales operation and a Hot Dog Stand, and abandonded the long standing , Citizens volenteer pilots council at the behest of "how many people sign their waiver". HangGliding at (TPGP) dark ages. HangGliding Telluride....dark ages. In 1991, TAF was 12 HangGliders, and one Paraglider , now it's , 14 paragliders, and one HangGlider...Luigi Chiarani, hanging on. Telluride HangGliders loved to fly Torrey in the early days, to give them a break from "flying in squirly conditions", but they felt somewhat uncomfortable flying there since 1995, because of how overcrowded the "Lift Band" was, with tourists. It was said, " we should be able to fly on the even days, and the paraglider trainees and tandumb flyers on the odd days......because they are. Between December of 1969 and February of 1970In The Begining Of Modern Hang you had to learn to not be afraid while running Headlong down the Sand Hill at Torrance Beach, We had been doing that since we were 12. After returning from my VaCation at the "Hanoi Hilton" in 1968, I got to run down that hill again. Only now, some of our coharts were running down with these "Kite like contraptions" . how much fun. "Hanging out", "Hang Loose", "Hanging-in-there", "Hanging around", "Hanging-a-Lugie", "Hanging 5", ....and now , "Hanging by your armpits and "Hanging" on for dear life.... "COWABUNGA"....Whats this world comming to? Running headlong into that "rarefide" , negative ion air, every day, was down rite addicting for all of us, and i can totally see why some of "The Torrance Beach and Sand Hill Gang" went , jumping into the "On-Shore winds" (a dirty word) , and gleefully carried away.......into the beach, That is the spirit of it. |