Home (contents) → What’s new

What’s new

See also What’s new in Hang Gliding History, a separate web site to which I moved applicable pages from here in March 2020.

• July 1^st 2020: Added two photos and associated info to About the author
• June 29^th 2020: New page Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch part 3; Purewell
• June 26^th 2020: Added photos from 1996 to Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch part 1 and Miscellaneous photos 4B, Christchurch part 2
• June 25^th 2020: Added photos, some new and some from 2018 and 2019, to Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch part 1 and Miscellaneous photos 4B, Christchurch part 2
• June 22^nd 2020: Split Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch into part 1 and part 2, adding new photos to both
• June 21^st 2020: Three photos added to Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch part 1
• June 15^th 2020: New page Hang gliding 2020
• June 13^th 2020: Photo of Sharon from 2016 added to Eleanor and Sharon
• June 11^th 2020:
  • New photo of Eleanor in Eleanor and Sharon
  • New photo of Angela in Angela, Greta, and Karen
• June 7^th 2020: Four photos added to Miscellaneous photos, Christchurch including one of my new camera (taken with my old camera)
• May 30^th 2020: More photos added to Miscellaneous photos 6, on the hill (some replace earlier photos)
• May 21^st 2020: New page Miscellaneous photos 6, on the hill
• May 9^th 2020: Added more to UP is where it’s at, 1/24^th scale scratch built standard Rogallo hang gliders
• May 4^th 2020: New page UP is where it’s at, 1/24^th scale scratch built standard Rogallo hang gliders. Contains some photos moved from Doing the Samba.
• May 3^rd 2020: Added a second scratch-built hang glider to the Revell 1/24^th scale Volkswagen Samba bus in Doing the Samba. Subsequently moved to new page UP is where it’s at, 1/24^th scale scratch built standard Rogallo hang gliders.
• May 2^nd 2020: New page Miscellaneous photos 5, home
• May 1^st 2020: New page Miscellaneous photos 4, Christchurch
• April 23^rd 2020: Added the first scratch-built hang glider to the Revell 1/24^th scale Volkswagen Samba bus in Doing the Samba. Subsequently moved to new page UP is where it’s at, 1/24^th scale scratch built standard Rogallo hang gliders.
• April 21^st 2020: Added roof bars to the Revell 1/24^th scale Volkswagen Samba bus in Doing the Samba
• April 19^th 2020: New page Doing the Samba — Revell 1/24^th scale Volkswagen Samba bus with Hasegawa and Masterbox people and scratch-built hang glider
• April 3^rd 2020: New page Moose Jaw Hawk: Airfix 1/48^th scale BAe Hawk 100
• March 29^th 2020: Copied the hang gliding history pages to a new web site: History of hang gliding. Updates will be announced on its own What’s new page.
• March 25^th 2020:
  • New page Cronk works, about hang glider designer and test pilot Dave Cronk, who was also the first ever world champion (1975)
  • Added more to Torrance Beach
• March 23^rd 2020: New page Revell 1/12^th scale 250cc Yamaha MX bike
• March 19^th 2020: New page Torrance Beach
• March 18^th 2020: Added a photo (long overdue) of a Sky Sports LARK to Flying squad, a short history of the east coast U.S. hang glider manufacturer Sky Sports
• March 17^th 2020: New related topics menu Seagull Aircraft of Santa Monica, California. In addition, over the preceding several weeks I added more images to many 1970s pages. See Hang gliding (menu).
• March 15^th 2020: New page Rogallo wing definitions and diagrams
• March 12^th 2020: Updated Hang gliding preparation with a new CANP procedure (an online form) — see under Additional things to do the day before you fly on weekdays
• March 8^th 2020: New page Phantom over Vietnam: John Trotti’s F-4 in 1/48^th scale
• March 6^th 2020: Added a photo of my model Vanguard rocket with a painting of an early hang glider behind it to both Space flight and hang gliding and to Rocket science (about the kit)
• March 3^rd & 4^th, 2020: Added more old photos to Early powered ultralights in Powered flight
• February 29^th, 2020: Added section Lace hooks in Dangers of hang gliding
• February 25^th, 2020: Added annotated version of the group photo in Annie Green Springs 1973 briefing photo key
• February 23^rd, 2020:
  • Split Hang gliding 1973 into Hang gliding 1973 part 1 and Hang gliding 1973 part 2
  • Moved School for perfection, about the Icarus 2 and 5, from Hang gliding 1974 part 3 to Hang gliding 1973 part 2
• February 18^th, 2020: Added a picture of the prototype Phoenix 8 of 1976 to For your eyes only in Three-sixty degree appraisal (hang gliding 1976)
• February 16^th, 2020: New section For your eyes only (it follows The man with the golden gun) in Three-sixty degree appraisal (hang gliding 1976)
• February 15^th, 2020: After learning of the death of Len Gabriels at age 93 on February 10^th, I added a couple of images of his 1983 Orion ultralight sailplane to Skyhook Sailwings.
• February 14^th, 2020: Added some images to Hang gliding mid 1980s
• February 12^th, 2020: New sub-section titled Provisional notes on the people in the photo in Annie Green Springs 1973 briefing photo key
• February 10^th, 2020 (my late mother’s 103^rd birthday): New picture under High-performance in Hang gliding 1974 part 2
• February 9^th, 2020: Moved yesterday’s Thermals close to the ground in wind from Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 to a separate page and I added more to it
• February 8^th, 2020:
  • Added more pictures to Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 3
  • Added an image under new section Sierra in Hang gliding early 1980s part 1
  • New related topics menu Hang glider sail painting
  • New section Thermals close to the ground in wind in Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
• February 7^th, 2020:
  • Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 1 is now followed by a new page, Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2. The original part 2 is now Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 3. Added more pictures to each of those pages.
  • Added historical images to Emergency parachute in Hang gliding equipment
  • New related topics menu Photographers of early hang gliding
  • New page Copyright of early hang gliding photos about how and why I obtained them
• February 5^th & 6^th, 2020, added more pictures to the following:
  • Hang gliding before 1973
  • Hang gliding 1973 and new section Fun in the sun about the VJ-24
  • New page Annie Green Springs 1973 briefing photo key
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 3
  • Hang gliding 1975 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1975 part 2
  • New sections Variometer and Torrey Pines 1976 in Hang gliding 1976 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1976 part 2
  • Hang gliding 1977
  • Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2
  • Flying squad, a short history of the east coast U.S. hang glider manufacturer Sky Sports
• February 4^th, 2020, added the following:
  • New section Quicksilver in Hang gliding before 1973
  • More pictures in Hang gliding 1973
  • More pictures in Hang gliding 1974 part 1
  • More pictures in Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • More pictures in Hang gliding 1974 part 3
  • Hang gliding 1975 part 1
  • One more picture in Luff in the time of cholera
  • One more picture in Flying squad, a short history of the east coast U.S. hang glider manufacturer Sky Sports
• February 3^rd, 2020, added images to the following:
  • Hang gliding 1973
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • Hang gliding 1975 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1975 part 2
  • Hang gliding 1976 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
  • Flying squad, a short history of the east coast U.S. hang glider manufacturer Sky Sports
• February 1^st, 2020:
  • Split Hang gliding 1973 and before into Hang gliding before 1973 and Hang gliding 1973, images having been added to both pages
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 1 is now followed by a new page, Hang gliding 1974 part 2. The original Hang gliding 1974 part 2 is now Hang gliding 1974 part 3.
• January 30^th, 2020:
  • New related topics page Lejair (Tony and Rona Webb) prompted by the shocking news of Rona’s death
  • Added images and text to Hang gliding 1976 part 2
• January 27^th, 2020, added images and text to the following:
  • Hang gliding 1973 and before
  • Powered flight
• January 25^th, 2020, added the following:
  • Cruising for a bruising in Hang gliding 1975, an anecdote about transporting a hang glider
  • High-performance in Hang gliding 1974 part 2 about Dick Eipper and the manufacturer Eipper-Formance
  • And I am in the bag flight in Paragliding, an example result of an early translation computer program stretched beyond its capability
• January 24^th, 2020: New hang gliding history related topics page Telluride, Colorado, linking to several newly uploaded images
• January 20^th, 2020: New page Document maintainability, a sub-page of Technical Writing and Programming
• January 10^th, 2020: Added section Hang gliding related topics pages to the Hang gliding menu, but I did not add any new material, although some is better arranged
• January 5^th, 2020: Added the story of the manufacturer Wills Wing to the following pages:
  • Hang gliding 1973 and before
  • Hang gliding 1976 part 2
  • Hang gliding 1977
  • Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
• December 24^th, 2019:
  • Added newly digitized photos to Hang gliding 1994 and 1995
  • Moved the info about Donnita Holland’s own design wing from Hang gliding 1974 part 2 to Hang gliding 1975 part 2. These dates are uncertain, but I make a comparison with the wing tips of the UP Dragonfly, so it goes well there.
• December 21^st, 2019: New page Miscellaneous photos 3, the 1960s
• December 19^th, 2019: Added more newly digitized slide transparencies to the following pages:
  • New page Hang gliding 1974, to which I also moved several photos from Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • New page Hang gliding 1975, to which I moved several photos from Hang gliding 1975 part 1 (but no new photos added)
  • Kimmeridge Khmer Rouge
  • Three-sixty degree appraisal (hang gliding 1976)
  • Hang gliding 1996 and 1997
  • Hang gliding 2000 to 2003
• December 18^th, 2019: Added newly digitized slide transparencies to the following pages:
  • My return to hang gliding, 1989
  • Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
  • Hang gliding 1994 and 1995
• December 17^th, 2019: New page Paragliding continued, to which I moved paragliding photos previously included with my hang gliding pages
• December 16^th, 2019: In pursuance of the separation of church and state, I partly separated out my own photos from those taken by others. That change entailed expanding the Hang gliding main menu so it includes three sections instead of two. Now, you can read the history of hang gliding in general or my involvement in it, separately. (There is necessarily some overlap and duplication.)
• December 15^th, 2019: Added a photo of Tom Peghiny’s Eagle to Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 1
• December 14^th, 2019: Moved About the author to Miscellaneous
• December 11^th, 2019:
  • Added ATA girl Ann Welch
  • Added a safety warning, photo, and a link to a frightening video under Harness in Hang gliding equipment
  • Split Hang gliding 1976 into Hang gliding 1976 part 1 and Hang gliding 1976 part 2
  • Added two more images and some text to Hang gliding 1977
  • Added more advice under Hang waiting in Hang gliding preparation
• December 9^th, 2019: Added the following items:
  • More developments in Britain about the Miles Wings Gryphon in Hang gliding 1976 part 2 along with several links to contemporary photos by Roger Middleton
  • Appendix: Soar and surrender, a brief overview of a romantic novel by Maralys Wills (of Wills Wing) to Eagles among men
• December 7^th, 2019: Added two images to each of the following pages:
  • Hang gliding 1974 part 1
  • Hang gliding 1976 part 2
• December 2^nd, 2019: Added a photo of Dave Meyers in a Seagull 3 to Hang gliding 1973 and before. It is surely one of the clearest color hang gliding photos of the time.
• November 23^rd, 2019: Added Genographic project, which documents the results of my participation in National Geographic’s Genographic project, an attempt to use DNA analysis to help figure out our genetic history
• November 21^st, 2019:
  • Created page Three-sixty degree appraisal (hang gliding 1976) — my own hang glider design efforts. It contains no new content: It has been moved out of Hang gliding 1976 is all.
  • Moved the info about the Wasp Nova from Hang gliding 1976 to under New developments in Hang gliding 1975 part 2 (where it belongs)
  • I also moved the info about prone harnesses from Hang gliding 1976 to under New developments in Hang gliding 1975 part 2
• November 17^th, 2019: Added a photo of my 1/72_nd scale Waco CG-4A to World War 2 plastic models part 2
• November 13^th, 2019: Added a photo of Roly launching in a Solar Wings Storm in Hang gliding early 1980s part 1
• November 10^th, 2019: Added two photos to Space flight and hang gliding
• November 8^th, 2019: Added two photos to Faina in uniform
• November 6^th, 2019: Added photos of my late mother’s Charcoal drawings, Holloway College, about 1937
• November 3^rd, 2019:
  • Added more photos from Roly the sailmaker taken in 1975 and 1979 at Kimmeridge to Kimmeridge Khmer Rouge
  • Split Hang gliding 1975 into Hang gliding 1975 part 1, with some newly added photos, and Hang gliding 1975 part 2, which has Donnita Holland’s own design wing under New developments. I since move the latter to Hang gliding 1974 part 2.
  • Added three photos of Birdman Firebirds to Hang gliding 1976 part 1
  • Added a photo of Roly in his back garden with a Solar Wings Storm in Hang gliding early 1980s part 1
  • Added info about my 1981 crash to Dangers of hang gliding
• November 2^nd, 2019:
  • Added four photos from Roly the sailmaker to Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • Moved the monochrome photo of Liz Sharp in her 1970s comms helmet to the bottom of Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 1 so Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2 starts with the color photo of Liz flying her UP Condor
  • Split Hang Gliding early 1980s into Hang gliding early 1980s part 1 and Hang gliding early 1980s part 2, the latter including a new section about the origins of British manufacturer Airwave
  • Added a photo of Ken Messenger of Birdman Sports in his motorcycle days to Motocross in Off-road bikes
• November 1^st, 2019:
  • Split Hang Gliding 1974 into Hang gliding 1974 part 1 and Hang gliding 1974 part 2
  • Added more photos of Roly to Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2
  • Added text and photos, including Roly the sailmaker flying a Southdown Sailwings Lightning, to Hang gliding early 1980s part 1
  • Added a photo of a Solar Wings Typhoon (Roly again) to Hang gliding early 1980s part 2
• October 27^th, 2019: Added info from Roly the sailmaker under the new sub-heading Birdman and Solar Wings in Hang gliding 1978 and 1979 part 2
• October 26^th, 2019: Added section We don’t need no education in Computer commuter, a sub-page of About the author: An observation on the difference between those educated in the British ‘secondary modern’ schools of the 1960s and those who went to ‘grammar’ schools or private schools.
• October 25^th, 2019: Added article Biopolitics
• October 20^th, 2019: Added a link from Faina in uniform to the award-winning documentary My Silicone Love by Sophie Dros and her team of talented Dutch film makers
• October 16^th, 2019: Added Enigmatic 1970s attack fighter, my Airfix 1/72^nd scale Hawker Siddely/British Aerospace Harrier GR.3
• October 4^th, 2019: Added Forger’s F-106 in 1/72^nd scale
• October 3^rd, 2019: Added a photo of David Parsons flying a Chargus Vortex to the section about that manufacturer in Hang gliding 1976 part 1, part of another re-organising of the page. Another new subtitle I added is Developments Stateside in Hang gliding 1976 part 2.
• September 26^th, 2019: Added Blank slate syndrome, my critique of an evolutionary psychology talk by Johan Nayar, hosted by Dorset Humanists, Bournemouth, September 2019
• September 24^th, 2019: Added Sara and Zoe, which completes the restructuring of my doll pages
• September 22^nd, 2019, added the following pages which include content moved from the old page structure and some newly uploaded photos:
  • Rebecca
  • Rebecca — the early years
  • Rebecca — the middle years
• September 21^st, 2019: Added Virginia and Louise
• September 20^th, 2019: Added Raisa and younger Anoushka
• September 18^th, 2019: Added Meotzi
• September 17^th, 2019:
  • Added Varvara and Lucy
  • Expanded Drawing to a close in About the author
• September 16^th, 2019: Added Lina
• September 15^th, 2019, continuing the new page structure for life-size dolls:
  • Added Kylie
  • Added Laura
  • Added Sharon to Eleanor’s page, now re-titled Eleanor and Sharon
  • Added some more photos to Anoushka
  • Added Anoushka’s spicy Russian apple pie
• September 14^th, 2019: Added Lightning fit for a little prince, building Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Lockheed P-38/F5 Lightning in 1/72^nd scale
• September 13^th, 2019: Added June to my new page structure for life-size dolls
• September 12^th, 2019, added the following to my new page structure for life-size dolls:
  • Angela, Greta, and Karen
  • Joanna
• September 11^th, 2019, created Faina’s pages:
  • Faina the ballerina
  • Faina as Siouxsie including Faina at the factory
  • Faina at the quay
  • Faina in uniform
• September 8^th, 2019: Split Hang gliding 1996 to 1999, creating Hang gliding 1996 and 1997 and Hang gliding 1998 and 1999, both containing newly uploaded photos
• September 7^th, 2019:
  • Split Miscellaneous photos, creating Miscellaneous photos 2, both containing newly uploaded photos
  • Added two more old photos to Paragliding
• September 5^th, 2019 added the following to my new page structure for life-size dolls:
  • Eva
  • Faina the ballerina (in progress…)
• September 4^th, 2019 added the following to my new page structure for life-size dolls:
  • Cynthia
  • Denise
  • Eleanor
• August 29^th, 2019 added Breakage and repair section to Motocross in miniature, Building Joël Robert’s Suzuki motocross bike in 1/12th scale
• August 28^th, 2019 added Caroline to my new page structure for life-size dolls
• August 27^th, 2019 added Annabelle to my new page structure for life-size dolls
• August 25^th, 2019 added Café on the Rue de Remarques part 3, all three Café pages now containing photos previously on the earlier somewhat random page structure
• August 24^th, 2019 added the following new doll pages:
  • Café on the Rue de Remarques
  • Café on the Rue de Remarques part 2
• August 23^rd, 2019:
  • Added Righteous stuff, my review of the movie Toward the Unknown, 1956
  • I am redoing the dolls pages. Here is the first new page: Anoushka
• August 21^st, 2019: Added Metal (and plastic) Husky, my non-kit 1/12^th scale Husqvarna motocross bike
• August 18^th, 2019: Added some memories of Declan Doyle, who died on August 14th, in the Industrial light and magic section of Hang gliding 1994 and 1995
• August 13^th, 2019:
  • I obtained some feedback on A ridge too far, my review of the movie The Bridges at Toko Ri, 1954, which led to some changes and a digression into Toward The Unknown, also starring William Holden as a jet pilot.
  • Added some history of 1970s British hang glider manufacturer Chargus to Hang gliding 1976 part 1
  • Added section Drawing to a close in About the author
• August 12^th, 2019: Added two photos from 2013 of Faina in her MVD uniform to Rebecca and friends (page 5). (Page subsequently deleted during restructuring of the doll pages.)
• August 2^nd, 2019: Added sub-section titled Corporate culture to Why technical authors are unpopular in Technical Writing and Programming
• July 29^th, 2019: Added a new screenshot and paragraph to Neil, a sub-page of T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal—my review of First Man, 2018
• July 27^th, 2019: Added new Jargon section to Technical writing and programming
• July 26^th, 2019: Added images and accompanying text to the following pages:
  • Simulator section of Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 part 2 (more info about Seth B. Anderson and Bob Ormiston, a new section titled Ability, and related external links)
  • Hang gliding 1994 and 1995 (Airborne advert and an image taken at Fort Funston)
  • Forger section of Space flight and hang gliding (pic of Mark Stucky and Mike Meier)
• July 25^th, 2019: Added images and accompanying text to the following pages:
  • Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 part 2 (pic of Bob Ormiston and Seth B. Anderson)
  • Hang gliding 1994 and 1995 (Moyes Xtralite advert and an image taken at the Sandia Classic competition)
• July 24^th, 2019: Added an image and accompanying text to each of the following pages:
  • Space flight and hang gliding (pic of Mark Stucky)
  • Dangers of hang gliding (Pete Lehman under parachute)
• July 21^st, 2019: Added more images to Developments viewed through others’ lenses section of Hang gliding 1994 and 1995
• July 19^th, 2019: Added section titled Developments viewed through others’ lenses in Hang gliding 1994 and 1995
• July 13^th, 2019: Split Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 into Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 part 1 (art based on photos by others) and Hang gliding 1990 to 1993 part 2 (mainly my own photos)
• July 9^th, 2019: New page Small dolls
• July 4^th, 2019: Added images and text to the following pages:
  • Hang gliding 1973 and before
  • Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
• July 3^rd, 2019: Added images and text to the following pages:
  • Hang gliding 1974
  • Hang gliding 1976 part 1
  • Hang gliding 2000 to 2003
  • I also added a few more page header photos. Which one is displayed on a particular page is automatically selected at random.
• July 1^st, 2019: Added another image and accompanying text to Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
• June 25^th & 26^th, 2019:
  • Added three images and accompanying text to Hang gliding 1990 to 1993
  • Added two photos in new sub-section Vintage motocross in Miscellaneous photos
• June 27^th, 2019: New page titled simply Neil, containing some brief comments on two or three important scenes in First Man, 2018, starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong. They potentially constitute a plot spoiler, so I put them on a separate page from my review of that film.
• June 25^th & 26^th, 2019:
  • Added an old photo to Defying Newton, powered ultralight operations at Newton Peveril in Dorset, England
  • Split Hang gliding 1996 to 2003 into Hang gliding 1996 to 1999 and Hang gliding 2000 to 2003, adding new (old) photos to both pages
  • Added parachute repack photos to Hang gliding equipment
  • Added some Miscellaneous photos
  • Added photos from around the turn of the century to Paragliding
  • Added a new photo to Plastic models — land vehicles
  • Added photos to World War 2 plastic models part 2
• June 20^th, 2019: Added sub-section Shortcut to the landing sequence in T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal (originally titled One small step)—my review of First Man, 2018, starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11, including four more images and some text
• June 19^th, 2019: Added two more images and some text to T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal (originally titled One small step)—my review of First Man, 2018, starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11
• June 17^th, 2019: Added an image and text to Aviation computer-based training
• June 15^th, 2019: Added an image to Hang gliding 1976 part 1 and re-organised the page