A HIstory of Hang Gliding

This is a new book on the history of the sport right from the very first days. It shows how the original inspiration for the earliest experimental hang gliders came from the preliminary investigations in the late 1950s by NASA into a flexible wing re-entry glider for returning manned space vehicles safely to Earth. 


The author traces where the first hang glider flights were made and how the glider designs evolved over the years. He looks at the way the sport spread around the world and how the pilots organised themselves into Clubs and Associations dedicated to protecting the rights of free fliers. 


Mark Woodhams was one of the first people to fly hang gliders in the UK in 1974 and has been deeply involved with the sport ever since. He has written extensively in Wings!, Skywings and in many hang gliding books and magazines all over the globe, and was a founder member of the BHGA and the SHGC.