A Day On Wikipedia

Designer engineer Charles Richards used data from [[NASA]] research over [[Francis Rogallo]]’s mechanical inventions to produce a [[wing]] configuration for manned [[hang glider|hung-pilot kite-gliders]] that was to be found copied only with slight ornamental variation in a decade of hang gliders. <ref>http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/Paresev/index.html NASA Dryden [[Paresev]] Photo Collection</ref> Richards was of the Flight Research Center’s Vehicle and System Dynamics Branch. The four-beamed wing folded from the noseplate; one of the beams was the spreader beam that kept the flexible-wing’s sweep. <ref>Charles Richards and his key designing is noted in the 407 page online-available book ”’On the Frontier”’ at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4303.pdf </ref> Those in the following decade copying the Charles Richards wing configuration expanded [[kiting]], [[hang gliding]], [[ultralight]], and trike flight.

== Timeline ==

* 1961 December : Charles Richards is given a directive from NASA’s [[Paul Bikle]] to build a cheap kite glider that could be used to give pilots practice in flying in free flight using simple weight-shifting that would change the attitude of the wing relative to the hung position of the pilot and payload. <ref>http://www.aviation-news.co.uk/Parasev.html Aviation Journal’s Aviation News, The Rogallo Parasev: A revolution in flying wings</ref>

* 1962 February 12 : Charles Richards and his team completed a first kite-glider that achieved obtaining an FAA registration. Many versions followed first flight tests. <ref>http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/nasaNAS~2~2~6690~108312:?printerFriendly=1 NASA Images Detail View </ref>

* 2004 Charles Richards name was included in the space [[Stardust (spacecraft)]] chip. .<ref>http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/microchip/names2r9.html</ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist}}