John Dickenson getting ready to fly his wing.

Chapter 7Deconstructing the Rogallo Myth

One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.
Carl Sagan ##

A sum-up of the previous chapters. These 44,000+ words of argumentation and some 700 pages of supporting documents are our contribution to a more factual and authentic history of hang gliding and paragliding. We believe that, in the long term, the truth will prevail. We hope that, if you were bamboozled by the Rogallo myth, as we once were, these pages helped you reclaim your power from the charlatans.

Sections

There were many inventors, builders, and pilots before the Rogallos had visions of free-flying or parachuting. Some died in their efforts to fulfill their dream. All heavier-than-air aviation began with Otto Lilienthal, the true inventor of the first airplane. Lilienthal used foot-launched hang gliders. In those days, there were two forms of aviation: Lilienthal’s hang gliders and balloons. Later, there were more hang gliders, gliders, powered aircraft, parachutes, jet aircraft, helicopters, rockets, and in 1963, modern hang gliders. These were followed by powered modern hang gliders, paragliders, and paramotors.
Section 7.1Before NASA
In 1958, after the Sputnik flights, NACA became NASA. Langley became part of a much larger and different enterprise. It took two years and many meetings for NASA to approve the Paraglider Development Program. It was a complex project involving many research groups from both the government and the private sector. It took two years and many meetings to convince NASA. Giving credit for the Program to Rogallo, with or without the support of Werner von Braun, is an extravagant exaggeration.
Section 7.2At NASA
In 1970, Rogallo said that he decided to retire because NASA was stopping its work on the flexible wing. He said he would “try other ways to continue (his) Rogallo wing research and development”. There is no evidence that he did it.
Section 7.3After NASA
The myth started when the Rogallos switched from bi-cylindri-cal kites to bi-conical kites. They were imitations of Bach’s design. Over the years, he printed three different patent numbers on them, none of which applied to them. Then Rogallo claimed that he invented the flexible wing concept and that whatever flexible aircraft NASA et al. were researching was to be called a Rogallo Wing. It worked. While NASA et al. were failing with their efforts to deploy and control their aircraft, John Dickenson introduced the modern hang glider to the world. Rogallo could not allow himself to be excluded from this great leap forward, so he hid it until he could append his name to it.
Section 7.4Building the Myth
Today, the Rogallo myth has not yet abated.
Section 7.5Today