ClarificationsAbout John Dickenson
This book is not about John Dickenson, but it evolved from our desire to get recognition for John, and our investigation to ascertain exactly what Francis Rogallo had done to have the Dickenson Glider be called a “Standard Rogallo”. John Dickenson is mentioned many times.
Hang gliding, as a sport, began in Australia in 1963 when Dickenson invented the Modern Hang Glider. The Dickenson Glider was robust, able to withstand many crashes and still fly, easy to transport and store. The design could be comprehended after a moment’s viewing and replicated with no special tools, materials or knowledge. The control system was intuitive and efficient. The glider was so easy to fly that one could become a pilot and achieve mankind’s age-old dream to fly like a bird, simply by running off a hill and learning to be a pilot on the way down. (doc-22)
The magic of Dickenson’s Glider is the perfect coincidence of extreme simplicity, user-friendliness and copy-ability. No other aircraft in history is as easy to build, fly and duplicate as the Dickenson Glider.
From 1963 to 1969, the Dickenson Glider was boat-towed and released. By 1969, it was being foot-launched, ridge-soared and taken around the world. In 1975, when hang gliding became part of the International Airsports Federation (FAI), the number of Dickenson Gliders had grown from a few dozen to tens of thousands. Today, more than 60 years after it was created, it is still the template for Sport Class hang gliders.
The rapid increase in hang gliding airtime that the Dickenson Glider provided led to an exponential growth in human knowledge about low speed flight, and opened up all of the possibilities for free flying that are seen as normal today.