A Natural Wind Laboratory

A Natural Wind Laboratory. . , With its mountains of soft sand and consistent wind, the Outer Banks are an excellent place to experiment with flight. The Wright Brothers discovered this in the dunes of Kill Devil Hills just north of there. Here at Jockey's Ridge, a place Francis Rogallo called "a natural wind laboratory," generations of hang gliders, kite flyers, and now wind surfers, kite boarders, and other wind-sports fans come to play and learn., The Dream of Flight for Everyone , "Imagine the thrill," said Francis Rogallo, "of carrying a wing to the top of a mountain and gliding into the valley below." Rogallo's dream of personal flight has been shared with hundreds of thousands of people here at Jockey's Ridge and around the world., While he and his wife Gertrude didn't invent hang gliding, their invention of flexible wing propelled a craze. It didn't happen right away though, and it needed some help from the U.S. space agency NASA., In the 1960s, NASA considered using the "Rogallo Wing" as a way to guide space capsule back to land. The Rogallos patented their wing in 1948, but it wasn't until the United States entered the space race that everyday people discovered their invention here on Earth., Aviation enthusiasts used NASA's research and space-age photos of the flexible wing to develop various simple, inexpensive flying crafts. Experimentation with flight as a form of expression launched the hang gliding movement in the freewheeling culture of the 1970s., Flying in the Park , In 1975, the People to Protect Jockey's Ridge succeeded in preserving the dunes as a state park. By that time it was home to a hang gliding school and "extravaganzas" that brought aviators to the dunes from around the world., For as long as Jockey's Ridge has been a state park, people have come here to experiment in the wind and sand. It's a tradition that continues to this day., What can I do in the wind?. You can build a kite and fly it, or test a model airplane in the wind. You can experiment with flying discs, or even take a hang gliding lesson., How can I help? , Please keep flying objects a safe distance from other people, and collect anything that might blow away. Remember, no drones are allowed in the park., Francis Rogallo played in the wind. He worked in a wind tunnel at his home to revise his designs before eventually testing them in NASA labs. When he and Gertrude retired to the outer banks they continued to test wings on Jockey's Ridge (left). He began flying gliders at age 62 (above right), soaring until he was 80 years old. Today, the Rogallo Kite Festival carries on in his honor (top).