Otto Lilienthal Hang Glider Meet, May 23, 1971

[divinedichotomy]

I am a PG pilot and when I see such videos, I feel like we own so much to these guys, thanks to whom we are able to fly

Thanks for the video

[rentatrip1]

IN 2 weeks - a ceremony to be held at San Miguel Park in Newport Beach May23 2011 will dedicate the hill side as a aviation historic site  & celebrate the 40th anniversary of this event - we have come a long way-

[Ldighera]

Thank you for your work on providing this information on IMDB.COM:

Biography for Jack Lambie

Atlantic Flight (1937)

The Winds of Kitty Hawk (TV 1978)

[rentatrip1]

@Ldighera - the 1937 film was NOT the same Jack Lambie - it was "A" Jack Lambie - another Hollywood Movie Actor in 1937 Jack would have aboput 7 years old -LOL ---Jack built the Lambie Wright Flyer with a Honda 4 engine (750cc) for the BBC film -1973-Wilbur and Orville: The First to Fly- in the 1978 film Winds of Kitty Hawk he flew the VALENTINE/WRIGHT Flyer - it used a Ford model "T" engine

[Jbacks57]

Check out Jack Lambie's career at imdb.com (his early career is connected with Dick Merrill and Eastern Airlines).

[woodstockmane]

Those were the days.

[smrndoff]

I love to see enthusiastic amateurs 'have a go'.

I'm quite shocked that they don't seem to have grasped one of the simplest structural ideas of cross bracing. Triangular braces are much stronger than simple rectangles. And there are no concessions in any of these designs to the concept of steering. I admire your enthusiasm but the lack of forethought is laughable.

[Ldighera]

@smrndoff I'm happy you enjoyed this historical footage. Thank you for your comment.

I've no formal education in structural engineering, but Lambie's choice of diagonal cross bracing with light wire seems reasonable in reducing weight and complexity. As I understand it, Lambie designed the Hang Loose glider to inspire his high school students, it had to be simple enough to construct within one semester. Aircraft control was to be accomplished by Chanute's weight-shifting, but inadequate.

[rentatrip1]

@Ldighera - it was an 8th grade summer school science class - not high school

[mfg993]

I met Jack Lambie in London in the early 70's. He was cycling round Europe, financing the trip by selling plans for "Hang Loose". I still have the plans. Watching this video doesn't tempt me to make it.

[Ldighera]

@mfg993

Thank you for your comment.

I'd dearly love to have a copy of original Hang Loose plans. Is there any chance you might scan them and e-mail them to me at: LDighera(at)att(dot)net? 

[arlmovitz1]

I dug up my plans and scanned them in. Too large to email (63mb), but you can download them from amovitz(dot)com(slash)Hang_Loo­se(dot)pdf. They spent 9 months on a garage floor as a friend and I built ours ($200 in 1976). I cleaned them up slightly, removing old notations. We used 1/8" 7x7 galvanized cable with turnbuckles, thimbles and swages instead of bailing wire, but otherwise followed the plans closely. Large bamboo was really tough to find in Massachusetts!

[Ldighera]

@arlmovitz1

Thank you very much for providing a scan of your historically significant Hang Loose plans. Your copy seems a bit more comprehensive/updated to the copy I had back in 1971, particularly in its inclusion of flight control systems. You'll also find an interesting June 1972 Popular Science article on the Otto Meet here: books.google.com/books?id=kcwH­Cy6F4vcC&pg=PA92

[oshkoshflyer]

Thank you for sharing this video. May Jack Lambie's memory live on in the minds of us who enjoyed building, flying or just watching those magnificent men and women in their flying machines.

[midtoad]

Thanks for this trip down memory lane. Reading of this event in National Geographic spurred me to take up hang gliding in 1974... and I'm still flying more than 35 years later!

[Ldighera]

I'm happy you enjoyed the video. I'd very much like to find a copy of that National Geographic magazine issue for reference. I presume you read the Wills account of this event at the link provided in the 'more' information. There's lots more history on Wikipedia under History of Hang Gliding.

[cbmtrx]

quite amazing

[maloktrebado]

Sor Brazilian and I was very delighted with your video ..... gave up the will to retrieve them and perhaps develop a prototype of like a hang glider you got there, and go on a mountain to have a good time like you did ..

congratulations ..

[arpnlaei]

Very nice video, I like the diamond shaped black glider, it flew very well.

[nightstalker500]

this is funny because my family has a newspaper article of when he died and im like his great great grand nephew :)

[Ldighera]

You must be very proud to possess the genes of an extremely courageous pioneer, the father of maned flight actually. It is a sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you are able to locate the article to which you refer, regarding the death of Otto Lilienthal, I would very much like to see a scan of it. Thank you.

[DessoThumbs]

Great video! I started hang gliding in 76 when the glide ratios were all the way up to 5:1.

[immaterialjez]

My Dad refers to this era when he started flying as a time when "sex was safe and hang gliding was dangerous". Awesome stuff!!

[Jogannez]

i wish i could ve been there...!

[gabrielbenitosobrino]

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ muy bueno !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dayworld26]

very cool i thinkof building one what is it made of pls?

[andersdr]

I'm speechless.. EPIC!

[bloke264]

The topless high-aspect raio wing at 2:02 was amazing prescient - shame no-one picked up on the design advantages at the time.

[Ldighera]

That was the late Richard Miller flying his Concuit Condor. Mr. Miller was the editor of Soaring magazine, the official publication of the Soaring Society of America. In 1967 he published Without Visible Means of Support.

[djeverettwm]

oh that must be so cool to create that and fly/glide one of those

[vintagemxr]

Best footage I've seen yet of the Otto Lilienthal meet. I was a late comer to the sport. I started in 1972.

[Swimswithtrout]

Thanks for the flashback !!

Glad I started Hang Gliding in '77

[donnygale]

awesome fun

[tomterahedrob]

PRICELESS.I can soooo remember the 70s from this I can taste it.great history.Thanks!

[blattlausiii]

pretty cool video!

[Ldighera]

Thanks for the comment.

I wasn't aware that the late Jack Lambie's hang-glider plans were advertised in Popular Mechanics. I purchased mine from his brother, Mark Lambie.

The story I got was, that Jack was a high school teacher who had his class construct an aircraft, and the idea caught on.

Among many of Jack's accomplishments was a flying replica of the Wright Flyer that was used in a documentary in the '70s. There is no question of Jack Lambie's inspirational force in aviation.

[FORCETHETRUTH]

That is Jack Lambie's "Hang Loose" A biplane glider made of visqueen plastic and bamboo! It was the very first ultralight and the plans were sold out of popular mechanics magazines for $25!! Hundreds were built! Great film!

[Jesusfreak45731]

otto is like my great great or great great great uncle,or sumthin like that...my last name is lilienthal! i looked it up in our geneology!

[aeophylus]

This is soo cool. Really captures the pioneering spirit of early hang gliding. What's probably most fun was that these early pilots built their own craft.

[NMERider]

Great stuff!!!!! Thanks for recording and uploading this. I still have a copy of the National Geographic that featured this historic event. I didn't know there was any Super 8 out there.

[Ldighera]

Thank you for the kind words. This was shot in 16mm.

[honestnick]

Awesome>> i'd love to get a DVD quality copy and possibly some commentary..

[mammothmouse1959]

An absolutely very enjoyable and historic piece of filming.

Thanks for this!

[pereyt]

Thank you for sharing this video. I thought that someday we may see these pictures!