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Hang Gliding 'Museum'
The Seattle Museum of Flight is a very significant aviation museum and is, I believe, the biggest aviation museum in the West. They have decided to create a temporary hang gliding exhibit. This came about after I helped them clean up and re-hang a Cumulus VB on permanent display and in the process I explained that I had a giant collection of hang gliders and related stuff and was eager to see an expanded representation of hang gliding in their museum. The exhibition will run from April to September 2000 and there is a very small chance that it could be loaned to other museums. The catch on loaning is that they have little motivation to market it so it may only occur if I engineer it.
The area set aside for temporary exhibits is about 2000 square feet and there is lots of room for hang gliders in the space above and around it. It is located just inside the main hall which is a cavernous modern structure covered with a translucent glasslike material so as to make the room very bright. This giant room contains a DC 3, an SR 71, an A 4 Skyhawk, an F 4 Phantom, a MIG 21, the Gossamer Albatross II, all kinds of WW 2 fighters, some vintage sailplanes, and different types of civilian aircraft. It is a very impressive sight to see so many aircraft in such a beautiful room. Outside they have the original Air Force One, a B17, a B29, a B47, an A6 and more. They will soon be building another building to house, among other aircraft, the first 707, 727 and 747!
When visitors to the museum enter, they are in a lobby, which is immediately adjacent to and visible from the temporary exhibit space. As they walk through the lobby to where they pay the entrance fee, they are walking under full size replicas of a Lilienthal monoplane glider, a Chanute biplane glider (Constructed and flown by Seattle hang glider pilot Paul Dees), and a Wright 1902 biplane glider, all with mannequins at the controls. As you well know, there is a special feeling when a glider passes low over your head. (It just occurred to me that it may create a neat effect to have a fan sweep a strong blast of wind over the area immediately below these wings to further enhance the sensation of being under low flying wings!) Passing through the lobby under these wings produces a profound sense of how hang gliding is really where aviation began!
I just met with the museum personnel and we are discussing the following gliders to represent some history and the state of the art: A Batso, an Icarus II, Chris Wills' Standard that he won the 73 Nationals on, some 77 or 78 design, a Comet, a Ghostbuster, a Fusion, and a Pat Denevan simulator with something small like a 145 Falcon or maybe a half size wing. I am cautiously optimistic that they will spring for fully posable mannequins (about $350 each) for each wing which I will attire in the clothing and harnesses consistent with the time frame of each wing.
The exhibit will cover history, record flights and competition, how it works, training, hang gliding in the movies, and whatever else we think to include. Also in the floor exhibit will be instruments, memorabilia, a Soarmaster, posters, and a Laser disc player showing a selection of films.
If you can get me, or point me to, any text of displays or graphics that maybe have already been created and used in public exhibits, that portray or explain our sport, we may be able to make use of them.
I will receive no payment beyond expenses and they have made it clear that the primary reason that they have chosen to do this exhibition is because I can arrange for all the equipment from my collection or from my network of contacts and provide the expertise of almost 27 years of experience in the field to guide the creation of this exhibit. I am doing all this just for my own satisfaction and to promote to the general public the sport that I love.
My collection efforts have entailed a certain amount of persistent and probably annoying begging but the effort is really paying off. Every day another artifact is pledged or acquired which means our history is that much more secure.
I posted this letter on several lists a couple of weeks ago:
Hang Gliding 'Museum'
I am still looking for the an intact UP Comet 165 to preserve in my collection and to feature in the Museum of Flight Hang Gliding Exhibition scheduled for April through September 2000. Time is pressing if I should have to transport it from some distant point.
I am also looking for an early POD harness such as the first Kellar Pod Harness, a UP Cloud Knee Hanger Harness, a Spaghetti Harness, a Pair of Flapchaps, a copy of True Flight by Herman Rice, a Flight Realities Delrin Glide Angle Thingy, a Mehil Airspeed Indicator, a Sports Aloft Stall Speed Warning Instrument, a Litek Vario, and a Theotek Vario.
A second project that I am working on is creating reference sets of hang gliding publications to place in Aviation Libraries. I have delivered to the Museum of Flight such a set containing all the Ground Skimmer/Hang Gliding, Wings, Whole Air, and Hang Glider magazines as well as fifteen hang gliding books. This has consumed most of what I have collected for that purpose.
Although I just delivered two large boxes of books and magazines to the Seattle Museum of Flight Library, there is still much more that I intend to place there. Once I complete the hang gliding section there I will select the next library and start over again! Any materials provided to me will be a big help in accomplishing the goal of creating comprehensive hang gliding sections in prominent aviation libraries.
If you have any hang gliding magazines or books that you are willing to part with please contact me.
I know these items are out there and no doubt some of you prefer to keep these wonderful old artifacts. My fear is that they will get shuffled to some rarely looked at box in a closet or attic somewhere. It is not hard to imagine that they might then be out of sight and out of mind, and finally, lost or disposed of by someone else trying to clean up.
Preserve these great hang gliding bits while you can still put your hands on them! Consider copying this memo to other lists, club newsletters, or other pilot friends. When you are old and gray you will be able to see these great artifacts on exhibition at a museum near you!
The above mentioned items are just the specific things I am searching for right now. If you know of any old equipment, publications or hang gliding memorabilia of ANY KIND, please let me know. I can make arrangements even if it is thousands of miles away!
Please ship to 4417 Oakes Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221.
Finally, I would welcome your vision of what a comprehensive display/exhibit of our sport must contain or say. Please 'cc' me if you post it to the list as I cannot always keep up with reading all the postings. You are also welcome to phone me at 360 293 8621.
Thanks to all who have helped and will help on these projects!
Ken de Russy Anacortes, WA
As a result of this letter I have secured pledges for the 165 Comet from Ernie Camacho, a British Sky Systems (Keller Style) pod harness from Doug Lawton, a Spaghetti harness and a Litek vario from Steve Goldman, and possibly a Theotek vario.
Unconnected to that letter I have also received a copy of the Hang Gliding Magazine Index produced by Deane Williams which will go to the Museum of Flight library, and a pledges for a Wills Wing SST 100B from David Egli and a Craig Catto CA 15 from Charlie Johnson.
Possibly the most incredible acquisition is a completely intact, original bamboo and polyethylene Batso, constructed in 1972 by Alec Brooks from plans he purchased from Taras Kiceniuk! It will be quite a feat to transport it here from LA and assemble it at the Museum of Flight!
It is amazing how much enthusiasm there is for this project among the community of hang glider pilots!!
I am fairly sure that I am the only collector of hang gliding equipment, publications, and memorabilia in the US. I have around fifty gliders, as well as tons of publications and accessories. I am working to place parts of my collection in various museums around the US. I expect that this project, working with such a prestigious museum as the Museum of Flight, will serve to give me a credible introduction to other aviation museums.
It is a big project and an expensive one. I receive no income from this endeavor [actually, since I moved here from Santa Barbara after closing my hang gliding business of 25 years there last year, I have had no income from ANY endeavor! ;-) ] and have no official recognition or funding. It is, however, a lot of fun and very satisfying. Hang Gliding is, next to the war in Vietnam, the most profound experience [outside of my relationship with my wife! ;-) ] in my life. It is great fun to anticipate this first major exhibition. If it comes together anything like it looks in my imagination, it will be INCREDIBLE!
Thank you very much for your support. One day when you are standing in a museum and are looking at something you have assisted in providing as part a hang gliding display, you can take some satisfaction knowing that the enthusiastic support you have shown was a big part of making it all happen!
I will be driving south through California around 28 Dec to pick up equipment around the state and also to be at 'my' training hill in Santa Barbara on New Year's Day. I will return from Southern California to Anacortes around 15 Jan.
I hope to hear from you!
Ken de Russy Anacortes, WA 360 293 8621
PS E-mail me back if you would like to have several photos of a display I created at a nearby hotel, an image of the Batso flying much higher than I would have believed anyone had ever flown one, and one image of the Cumulus VB at the Museum of Flight.
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