British Hang Gliding History 'The Golden Years from 1971 to 1981'.
()
About this ebook
The British Hang Gliding History (The Golden Years) 1971 to 1981.by Terry Aspinall
This book covers the invention of the Modern Hang Glider by John Dickenson in Grafton N.S.W. Australia in 1963, and of how it reached the United Kingdom in 1971. It then covers the first ten years as each Chapter is a separate Timeline for a particular year. It also contains an article on how the Towing of Hang Gliders was invented, a method that is still used to this day. While another Chapter concentrates on how Powered Hang Gliding that became known as Microlighting in the UK, and Ultralighting to the rest of the world got started and was developed. Once again the so called Trike design is still used to this day as are many other designs. For Tablet, Ipad and Iphone users there are live URL hyperlinks to websites and Photo Galleries. While others take you to a collection of the early 'Wings' Hang Gliding Magazines, and the early 'Flight Line' Microlight magazines.
Terry Aspinall
I was born during the Second World War while my father was chasing Rommel out of North Africa and Italy, for this reason I never saw him until late 1946. I grew up in the sleepy little Suffolk country side town of Stowmarket, and underwent an education that to me seemed an absolute waste of time. Although with that wonderful tool known as hindsight, my reading and writing skills would have served me well in the writing of this book. I should have taken the trouble and given the teachers my full undivided attention and not the girls sitting next to me, while behind me was always the wall. Yes I was a back of class type of guy who was always getting into trouble and talking during class. Upon leaving school I became what was known as a Teddy boy and hung around with the Ipswich town local gangs. Once the novelty began to wear off, and I realised that if I carried on along the path I had chosen, it would only lead me into trouble with the law, so I decided on a complete life style change and joined the Royal Marines. My growing up during this period of time can certainly be attributed to my Royal Marine training, something that is still part of my life to this day. I tell of my service years and of being on active service in Borneo. Upon my release I became very interested and involved in the Rock n Roll music of the day, and helped form a local band in the town of Leiston in Suffolk. I also became involved in the then new sport of hang gliding. Which later lead me to strapping an engine on to my glider, and being amongst the first in the UK to pioneer the sport of Microlighting, and to set a record that still stands to this day. Eventually while working for Bernard Matthews I upped my family and immigrated to New Zealand, to help build a new factory in a small county town of Waipukurau on the North Island. Where I experienced a complete new style of living that my family and I all enjoyed, and took to it like ducks to water. It was a taste of what was to come when after three years I once again up rooted my family and move over the ditch as they say to Australia, but that’s another story?
Read more from Terry Aspinall
Royal Marines Slang and Sayings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMichael J. Thompson. Chasing Shadows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Royal Marines Historical Time Line, Volume One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyal Marines Historical Time Line. Volume Two Third Edition. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Personal Bucket List Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyal Marines Historical Time Line, Volume One. Third Edition. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of Henri and Charlie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnexpected Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoincidence. Right Place Wrong Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Landguard Fort' Royal Marine Museum Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohnny Morris and the Convertibles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTransfer Music from iPod to Computer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Autumn Reunion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyal Marines Historical Time Line Volume Two Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Royal Marines' 350 Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMatthew Returns Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fabulous Spawlszoff Brothers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Birkdale Road Seasonal Colours Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Aldeburgh' Photo Memories 2014 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlmost Total Recall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChris Lawler 'One Of A Kind' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Correcting History' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kansas Rascal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Easy Guide To Self Publish Your E-book. Using Smashwords. Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Related to British Hang Gliding History 'The Golden Years from 1971 to 1981'.
Related ebooks
Alaska's First Bush Pilots, 1923-30: And The Winter In Siberia For Eielson and Borland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiary and Letters of Madame d'Arblay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStories of the Border Marches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWarlock o' Glenwarlock: A Homely Romance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurvivor's Obligation: Navigating an Intentional Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flying Tiger: Chennault of China Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast of the Long Hunters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Angler 1653 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPaine Field Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIsland in the Sky Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51919: Learning to Fly in a “Jenny” Just Like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelaware Aviation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSailing Alone Around The World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex: The True Narrative that Inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shute the Messenger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the Wings of Geezers: Life Lessons from Old Pilots Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPitcairn's Island Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Cursed Forever to Sail the Seven Seas - The Tales of the Flying Dutchman (Fantasy and Horror Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Windships: How Sailing Ships Made the Modern World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spy in the Deuce Court Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlight Of The Setting Sun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSailing Made Easy and Comfort in Small Craft Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of the Malakand Field Force (Unabridged): An Episode of Frontier War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTurbulent Times & Clear Skies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFly-Fishing Secrets of the Ancients: A Celebration of Five Centuries of Lore and Wisdom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Lessons from Little Airplanes: 31 Daily Flights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taildragger Tales: My Late-Blooming Romance with a Piper Cub and Her Younger Sisters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart: American Legends of the Sky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Patrol: True Adventures of an Alaska Game Warden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/514 Days to Alaska: Two Brothers in a 57-Year-Old Airplane Fly the Ultimate Cross Country Flight Training Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
History For You
The Secret History of the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Richest Man in Babylon: The most inspiring book on wealth ever written Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Library Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know: Secrets, Conspiracies, Cover Ups, and Absurdities Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ZERO Percent: Secrets of the United States, the Power of Trust, Nationality, Banking and ZERO TAXES! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for British Hang Gliding History 'The Golden Years from 1971 to 1981'.
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
British Hang Gliding History 'The Golden Years from 1971 to 1981'. - Terry Aspinall
Front Cover photo was taken in Grafton NSW Australia
The memorial was created and erected by the Grafton Council in 2007
Remembering the birth of the Modern Hang Glider on the 7th September 1963
'Correcting History'
Who Invented The Modern Hang Glider
© Copyright 2014 by Graeme Henderson & Terry Aspinall
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying) recording, or otherwise without prior permission in writing from the author.
ISBN: 9781310513787
Published by Graeme Henderson and Terry Aspinall
Smashwords Edition
This book is available in E-book format at most online retailers.
It is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This E-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to Rod Fuller and his family.
Sadly I never got to meet Rod, but I did meet his family while attending his memorial service. This was held at Hogbin drive Crematorium and Memorial Gardens, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales (NSW) Australia, on Thursday 26th April 2012. The Celebrate being Paul Winder.
The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association had earlier recommended Rod Fuller's name for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's (FAI) Hang Gliding Diploma, for his services to Hang Gliding. This nomination was successful but sadly Rod passed away before the Citation arrived.
Without Rods courage and skill to fly and control the Dickenson wing on the 7th September 1963, thousands of people around the world may never have been able to enjoy the freedom of flight.
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Graeme Henderson for the friendship we have carved out together. (He is a wood carver no pun intended) For his forcefulness in trying to find out who really did invent the modern hang glider. A subject a couple of historians had earlier picked up on. Unfortunately they did not receive encouragement or help from others to pursue their research. Without Graeme's persistence in trying to get to the truth this story may never have been told.
Thanks also must go to Mark Woodhams (UK) who had picked up on the story during 1976. Of his sending to me his complete private collection of hang gliding 'Wings' magazines, and to the 'British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association' for granting me permission to copy those magazines and to display them on one of my websites, the British Hang Gliding History.
To Stéphane Malbos (Fr) for being one of the first to publish (during 1993), and present to the world his personal theory that John Dickenson from Australia had invented the modern day hang glider. Also thanks to Stéphane for his personal help to me in my use of the English language. It's a sign of the times and of the computer age we are now enjoying. It's hard to believe that a French man can teach me an Englishman in English, but he did and I appreciated all the help that he gave me. A learning curve that is still ongoing, along with Graeme's tutoring.
Of Ken de Russy (USA) who has spent many hours researching information and to passing it on so we could expanded the websites data base.
Of Andy Abbott (Aus) who Graeme had known for a few years and was well versed with the information we were seeking.
I cannot go any further without mentioning Rod Fuller, and of his skill to fly the 'Dickenson' wing on 7th September 1963, without that we would not have had a story to tell.
While the same praise must also go to Pat Crowe and of his boating skill in seeing that Rod came to no harm during that first flight.
And lastly to my dear wife Emily, who has taken a back seat in my thoughts and deeds for the past six year. Sorry and once again as you can see she is the last to seek my praise. Sorry and thanks Emily Love you xxx.
Without the help and cooperation of all those listed above the award presented to John Dickenson during July 2012 as the 'Inventor of the Modern Hang Glider' would not have been possible. And thousands upon thousands of people around the world may never have taken to the sky to enjoy their dreams of flying like a bird.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Chapter 1 The Modern Hang Glider
Chapter 2 The Jacaranda Festival 1963
Chapter 3 John Dickenson
Chapter 4 Rod Fuller
Chapter 5 Pat Crowe
Chapter 6 Development Timeline
Chapter 7 Dickenson Wing Replica
Chapter 8 Author and Website
Chapter 9 Mark Woodhams
Chapter 10 Stéphane Malbos
Chapter 11