Building the MythThe Australians

In 1965, Ray Leighton bought a Dickenson Glider. As soon as it arrived in Sydney, Moyes went around to Leighton’s house to see it and measure it. However Moyes lacked the skills required to build a copy. John Revelle, a flat kite builder and flyer, did build a copy, which Moyes purchased in 1966. Revelle had used 1-inch pipe, and the leading edges kept breaking. So, in early 1967, Moyes contacted Mike Burns, who was building Dickenson Gliders under license, to get lessons. Moyes implied to Burns and Dickenson that he had never flown the glider, so when Moyes flew a few circuits, released and landed perfectly, they were amazed and believed Moyes to be a natural pilot.

Moyes taught Bennett to fly the glider, and for the next few years they were constantly setting records as they sought to beat each other. In 1969, Bennett went to the USA and started giving demonstration flights for money.

Both Bennett, in the USA, and Moyes, and others in Australia, were now building copies of John Dickenson’s glider. Dickenson was advising Moyes on how to improve the wing to get it to fly slower by increasing the size, the nose angle, and the aspect ratio. Bennett fell behind, continuing to build the original 13-foot gliders. Bennett met Dave Kilbourne, who eventually released plans to Dickenson Gliders, calling it a “Rogallo Wing Hang Glider – Design adapted from NASA”.

Moyes and Bennett each spun their story, each claiming to have invented the glider, or to have been the first to fly it. Dickenson had no place in their accounts. They brushed him aside, or belittled him (calling him Dr. Cyclops), or lied about him (claiming that he did not fly). They never told the truth. They had no problem with everyone calling the Dickenson Glider a Rogallo. They could have set the story straight, instead, they helped to build the Rogallo myth, as they built their own myths, as these book excerpts show. (btm-13)

“In 1957, Bill Bennet became involved with kite flying, in association with Bill Moyes and John Dickenson. At first, Dickenson was the ‘Dr. Cyclops’ of the trio and did not fly. By 1964, Moyes was actually building the new Rogallo tow-kites for sale.”

“Another development in hang gliding was taking place at the same time on the drawing board of Francis M. Rogallo and his wife, Gertrude, who received Patent No. 2,546,078 in 1951 for their Flexible Kite. The Rogallos’ design evolved through several stages and ultimately became the standard hang glider shape now flown by the majority of pilots. The Rogallo Wing has been used for gliding and soaring, lifting large objects off the ground to be towed through the sky, as steerable high glide ratio recovery parachutes for rocket nose cone recovery, and a whole host of military-related projects. The Rogallo Wing concept found its way to Australia and the hands of a young aeronautical engineer, Bill Bennett. Bennett made early experiments with powered kites and kites launched from water skis. In 1969 he went on vacation with his Delta Wing kite and while in the United States, he gave an exhibition at Cypress Gardens. The public and the management were impressed and kite-flying for shows began. Bill Bennett flew wherever he could draw a crowd and bring attention to his Rogallo-type Delta Wing.”

“As early as 1956, Bennet and his friend Bill Moyes were experimenting with a kite of their own. Then a friend of theirs from New South Wales received the NASA report on the Rogallo wing. Bennet and Moyes immediately built one and began soaring.”

“Francis Rogallo kept abreast of whom was doing what: ‘Around 1965 or so, I was corresponding with John Dickenson and he sent me photographs and drawings of kites he had made with the control bar.’ Though Mr. Rogallo didn’t know it then – and John Dickenson might only have guessed – it was the marriage of the Rogallo shape to control bar that made the whole sport of hang gliding possible. It would have gone to nothing without its Great Promoters. And perhaps the ultimate promoter was Bill Bennet.

‘He and his friends in Australia were engaged in the sport of flat kiting. The old flat kites had all the stability of a towing garage door, and Bennett knew it. His friend John Dickenson had already seen the possibilities in the Rogallo shape. At first, the new Rogallo towing kite was not a perfect success – ‘and we have the scars to prove it’…

‘Bill accidentally discovered the forgiving qualities of the Rogallo one day when his towing boat ran into a sandbar on the Hawkesbury River, stopped dead, and left him no alternative except to release at the top of the long line. To his relieved surprise, Bennett was able to guide the new Rogallo in a controlled, smooth glide back to the water. From then on, release at altitude became a scheduled part of the performance.

‘Though John Dickenson (dubbed Dr. Cyclops by Bennett and Moyes) seemed to play no further role in boat towing, he had done enough; Bill Bennett and Bill Moyes decided to expose their new skills to the world.”

“In 1956, the two friends had begun to design and build wing-shaped kites. Their kites featured cloth stretched tightly over a frame. They had tried towing a water skier, wearing this kite, behind a powerboat. The kite would lift a person out of the water. But in the air, the kite was erratic. When the forward motion stopped, the wing dived into the water.”

One day, the two Bills, coming back from a waterskiing session, visit a friend in New South Wales.

“Their friend was excited when the two Bills arrived. He had been following their experiments. He asked: ‘How did it go today?’ He was greeted by gloomy looks and shaking heads. ‘Well, I have got something for you to see. I think it may be the answer to your problem.’ What the friend had to show Bill Bennet and Bill Moyes was NASA’s report on the Rogallo Wing. After they read the article, many things became clear to the two inventors. They immediately went to work on a kite somehow like the Rogallo wing.”

Bill Bennett’s Patent

On September 24, 1969, William Edward Bennett, 12001 Gerald Ave, Granada Hills, Calif. 91,344, filed a Design Patent for a Passenger Carrying Tow Kite. The patent was granted on July 11, 1972. (pin-29)

The patent is for the Dickenson Glider. Neither Dickenson nor Rogallo is cited in the references.

Many years later, Bill Bennett will be interviewed for William B. Liscomb’s 2008 documentary, Big Blue Sky. He said: “When I got to America, I applied and got a patent on the tow kite. And you know, the truth from this, the patent belongs to John Dickenson.” (btm-14)