About Gliding

Modern aviation traces its heritage to the foot-launched gliders of Chanute, Lillienthal, Montgomery, and other aviation pioneers of the late 1800s. But aviation's history is predominantly one of powered flight. The joy of pure flying was quickly lost in the rush to motorize. In the late 1960's hardy pilots were attempting to recapture those heady early experiences by riding immense flat kites, towed behind boats, with marginal success and less control. Meanwhile, a retired NASA engineer, Francis Rogallo, was testing a controllable toy kite based on his steer able recovery system designed for the Gemini Space Program. The possibilities of a man-sized version of Rogallo's toy were noted, and the modern sport of Gliding was born. Since then, the "kite" has evolved from bamboo and plastic into a sophisticated aluminum, Dacron, and Mylar flying wing. The sport has matured into a safer, relatively inexpensive, self-regulated form of sport aviation with much to offer anyone who loves flight and has a desire to share the domain of the hawks and eagles.

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