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Early powered ultralights part 1

Broadly, the early days of modern hang gliding (mid- to late 1970s) gave rise to powered ultralights (known as microlights in Britain because of an existing ultralight category). However, powered Rogallos (too heavy to be regarded as ultralights) preceded man-carrying Rogallo wing hang gliders.

Most of the images on this page are artistic derivations of contemporary photos. See Copyright of early hang gliding photos.

…Two people where I worked at Aerojet General, in Nimbus, California, came to see me independently and showed me a magazine photograph of Ryan’s first powered flex wing. I don’t know whose light went on or whose buzzer went off, but the conclusion was that a hang glider could be built. I sized up the wing and studied its performance, using a digital computer, in late 1961.

— Barry Palmer quoted by Dan Poynter in Hang Gliding by Martin Hunt & David Hunn, 1977

For more about Palmer’s early Rogallo hang gliders, see 1960s in Hang gliding before 1973 part 1. See also the Computing in hang gliding related topics menu.

But as you know, ideas are cheap and it’s the doing that counts.

— Barry Palmer quoted by Dan Poynter in Hang Gliding by Martin Hunt & David Hunn, 1977

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See under External links later on this page for film of this one in action.

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In the early days of hang gliding, it was not certain that the Rogallo wing would become dominant and the same question was unresolved when power was added. See the related topics menu VJ day — Volmer Jensen’s hang gliders for more about the VJ-23. Its most successful descendant is the CFM Shadow.

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These photos by Frank Colver document the powering of a higher performing Rogallo: The Wills Wing Swallowtail of 1974. The placement of the engine and propeller places the thrust line closer to the center of mass, negating the problem of the rig pitching over in the event of stalling the wing with full power applied. The horizontal tubes across the control frame presumably help to remind everyone to keep clear of the propeller.

I assume that this is one of the Swallowtails that was painted black for the 1976 movie Sky Riders, filmed in Greece in 1975. (See Paint it black, a review of that film.) On their way home after flying for the film, the Wills Wing team stopped by at the British championship at Mere in Wiltshire, England, where Bob Wills was the highest scoring pilot in one of the black-painted Swallowtails. At least one of these gliders, the sail of which had distorted under the hot sun in Greece, was given to a hang gliding school in Britain. The sail of this one appears to be in good shape.

Chris Wills, the first U.S. hang gliding champion, became an orthopedic surgeon and he continued to build and fly powered aircraft.

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Powered hang gliding brought problems additional to those inherent in hang gliding.

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The late 1970s Soarmaster power pack for hang gliders was simple and effective, but its high thrust line posed a serious danger in turbulent conditions.

(See also Sail painting in Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2.)

Boris Popov was filmed from a helicopter for some great views of Minneapolis–Saint Paul in the alleged comedy Foolin’ Around. What it lacked in humor (in this author’s opinion) it compensated for in documenting the ‘twin cities’ and north American culture as they were in the late 1979s, including conflicting attitudes to rich and poor.

Technical: The Soarmaster power unit was attached to the keel tube of the wing and the thrust line of the propeller was significantly above the center of mass of the whole rig. If you stalled the wing when flying slowly in powered flight, the consequent immediate reduction in lift and — more importantly in this scenario — the reduced ‘induced’ drag (that results from the creation of lift) no longer fully opposed the thrust. (Drag and thrust are in equilibrium in straight and level flight.)

Because of the high thrust line, that unopposed force caused a nose-down pitch rotation. That added to the nose-down pitch rotation of the wing automatically recovering from the stall because of its built-in pitch stability. The result was too often a pitch-over (the glider going inverted) followed by the airframe breaking. For an example, see under Power in Skyhook Sailwings. (A member of my club was one of several pilots who modified their Soarmasters so that the propeller was set lower; in line with the center of mass of combined glider, engine, and pilot.)

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The Icarus V monoplane rigid hang glider was designed by Taras Kiceniuk Jr.

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The Power Riser was a powered Easy Riser hang glider, derived from Taras Kiceniuk Jr’s biplane Icarus II.

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The Lazair presumably conferred the additional reliability of two engines.

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Steve Patmont taught retired U.S. Navy pilot George Worthington to fly an Icarus II biplane hang glider to prepare him for the Mitchell Wing rigid monoplane hang glider. (See the Mitchell Wing page.) Patmont had a go in Worthington’s Wing and he then acquired his own. This photo, reprinted courtesy Light Sport and Ultralight Flying magazine, was published in the Motor Glider pages of the May 1978 edition of Glider Rider. It shows the profile of the Mitchell wing with its dihedral outer segments. It shows also the control stick, for the elevons, protruding from the underside of the wing ahead of the pilot. This one has no tip rudders, which all but the first few hang glider versions used, and it is possible that, for the powered version, the spoilers of the prototype and early production hang glider variants were used instead of rudders.

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Craig Catto’s CA-15 wing shape was distinctive, but the reason for it is unknown to this author.

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In the late 1970s, Hang glider manufacturer Larry Newman branched out into powered ultralights with the Eagle. Conceived by Romauld Drlik of Soarmaster(*) the Electra Flyer/American Aerolights Eagle was distinctive and popular. See the related topics menu Electra Flyer of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Eagle was also manufactured by Scotkites (later EuroWing) led by Brian Harrison in Scotland under licence from Electra Flyer. See under Flight of the Phoenix in Hang gliding 1976 part 2 for more about Brian Harrison.

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The Weedhopper metamorphosed into the successful Thruster series of powered ultralights.

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The Pterodactyl was based on the Manta Fledgeling 2 rigid hang glider. (See the Manta Products of California related topics menu.)

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This and the preceding photo indicate that these two hang glider and powered ultralight factories, so far apart geographically, appear similar on the inside, superficially at least. The object on the floor in front of Skyhook boss Len Gabriels is a power unit to be attached to the white glider; a Sunspot. See also Skyhook Sailwings.

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These Pterodactyls landed on a golf course and refueled at a gasoline station across the road. The Pterodactyl was based on the early 1970s Fledgling rigid hang glider. (See the Manta Products of California related topics menu.)

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Related

This topic continues in Early powered ultralights part 2.

Chargus of Buckinghamshire, England, related topics menu containing links to photos of the 1977 powered Midas

External links

Early Trike by Barry Hill Palmer; digitized film from the 1960s on YouTube narrated by Palmer himself

The following are videos on Dan Johnson’s YouTube channel Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer. Dan provided much hang gliding industry information in the early years, some of which is drawn on in the hang gliding history pages. These are just a few vintage powered ulralight videos in the list:

• Easy Riser foot launched part 103 ultralight aircraft, Eric Wallner owner, builder pilot
• Kasperwing flying wing, Kasperwing weight shift ultralight aircraft, Witold Kasper
• Pterodactyl Fledgling, Pterodactyl Limited, designed by Jack McCornack
• Ultralight aircraft, John Moody talks to Dan Johnson about the early days of ultralight aviation

Reference

The Electra Flyer/American Aerolights Eagle was conceived by Romauld Drlik of Soarmaster: Glider Rider, February 1980