Hang gliding history

The origins of hang gliding have roots in the birth of flight itself. Many of the pioneers in flight flew aircraft what could be remotely classified as a hang glider.

Leonardo Divinci first sketches of a winged craft have many of the structural characteristics of today's hang gliders.
George Cayley was successful in foot launching a glider in 1853.
In the late 1800's, Otto Lilienthal built and flew several gliders that had resemblence to today's hang glider.

Of all of aviation's pioneers, Francis Rogallo has had the biggest aerodynamic influence on the modern hang glider.
While working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as a aeronautics project engineer in 1948, Rogallo designed a flexible v-shaped fabric and frame wing called the Parawing. Rogallo obtained patents on his wing in 1951. In 1958, NACA would become known as NASA.
NASA expressed interest in using the Parawing in 1958 to return space capsules into the sea after reentry from the upper atmosphere. Eventually, NASA decided not to use the Parawing but concluded that the round parachutes would be adequate for spacecraft reentry.
Photos of Rogallo's Parawing was published around the world in newspapers and magazines. These publications inspired a few individuals to experiment with the first true hang glider designs.
Although called a Parawing, the wing resembled today's modern hang glider rather than a paraglider as the name might suggest.

In 1971, the Southern California Hang Gliding Association was born. Through steady evolution of the sport, today we are known as the United States Hang Gliding Association, with a membership base worldwide.

The modern day hang glider incorporates modern technology of high tech design and instrumentation. Hang gliders today must pass stringent "load" tests and are certified for their airworthiness. Pilots fly with altimeters, variometers, reserve parachutes and even on-deck flight computers. Flights of 100 to 200 miles are not uncommon, with Manfred Ruhmer of Austria establishing a world distance record of 435 miles from Zapata, Texas, on July 17, 2001.