Crazy homemade hang gliding from the 1970's. Flying fun!

My best friend and I began building our own hang gliders in the early 1970's from bamboo poles and contractor plastic sheet. We had several successful designs and eventually purchased our own factory assembled gliders. Here are a group of 8mm, super 8mm and photos of some of our exploits from that time. We had so much fun and always flew safely. A great experience that lives strong in my memories. Hope you enjoy this little bit of personal hang gliding history.

[@VTSifuSteve]

Wow, does that bring back memories! When I was 16 back in '71 a friend and I did the same thing and built a huge bamboo and plastic rogallo wing from mail-order plans. It was put together mainly with duct tape and nylon strapping tape! You hung from parallel bars like Lilenthal back in the 1800s. Then I built a couple of aluminum and dacron kit jobs. Very basic old diamond-shaped rogallos with low aspect ratio and crappy glide ratios. Flew seated just like in your video. Took the kite with me a lot of places. None of us had licenses or formal training in hang-gliding back then (although I did train in sailplanes). Flew off some hills in Vermont, then from big cinder cones E. of Flagstaff here in AZ, Ski launch in Sun Valley Idaho, Cliff launch at Torrey Pines, almost died jumping off the Whitney Portal road, and actually saw a guy die almost at my feet while I was a spectator on the dunes at N. Truro on Cape Cod. Finally came to grips with My ADHD and sold the kite.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

You're just a couple years older than me. You've flew at some cool places! My friend and I were also self-taught. I probably logged over 10 hours out on the Cape at several sites there. A beautiful place to fly back in the day. I eventually moved on to ultralights and then sailplanes.

[@chucklohre8740]

Thanks for the great video collection.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

You're welcome Chuck.

[@oldaviator]

Your video is a flight to youth👍🛩

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Yes indeed. 😊

[@arnehansson8178]

We were young, thin and with no High School trim. JK thanks for the memory's.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Some of the best times my friend. 🙂

[@wilsonhardy2100]

Your rigallo wing was pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Thank you for the comment, Wilson. Glad you enjoyed my video. Great memories for me.

[@christheother9088]

Osprey, Sirocco and I think a Bobcat. Sky Sports stuff. Was that homebuilt biplane a Terry Sweeney design? Very cool watching the guys in the Olympus spiral right down to the ground. Very nice!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Sounds like you were there in the thick of it. You know your vintage hang gliders! Flying in New England, Sky Sports was a popular company at the time. The Sirocco you see on the smaller hill was the prototype. Sky Sports was doing test flights with it. The homebuilt biplane was built from plans I found in a 1911 encyclopedia I found in my grandmother's summer kitchen stuffed in a box of other old books. Thanks for watching. Great memories for me.

[@christheother9088]

@@Watchingthevideos99 I have a Sirocco I in my boat barn. It's not in good shape anymore!

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Wow, a piece of hang glider history! My friend kept his Bobcat II for a long time but finally trashed it. The sail had begun to rot. The remainder was surprisingly still in pretty good shape but it still had to go.

[@christheother9088]

@@Watchingthevideos99 Took another look this morning. Looks like a Merlin at 5:24. Double surface "on top" like the Kestrel. Rare sighting of a rare bird. It liked to tip stall :)

[@Watchingthevideos99]

@@christheother9088 spot on! That's Dean Williams flying at Talcott Mt., Avon, CT. Deane set early XC records in our state. I believe he was the first to fly from Avon the coast and land on the beach. Pretty cool stuff at the time.

[@evamachalek2296]

Did you designed these planes, or you purchased them?

[@Watchingthevideos99]

The bamboo gliders were homegrown. There was a series of seven gliders in total. Each glider flew better than the last with changes incorporated as we learned about how to improve the design. The biplane glider was built using plans found in a 1911 encyclopedia. It was constructed of spruce and muslin cloth. The remaining gliders you see in the video were factory made. Thanks for watching.

[@tonywright8294]

Must have been the best fun ever !

[@Watchingthevideos99]

Tony thank you for the comment. Yes indeed. A wonderful time in my life. Almost a lifestyle for me at the time.