4/7/2023 0 Comments Hang glider with motor nameSo, hats off to you today David for your amazing and record breaking achievement, and your do-it-yourself attitude. It looks like his confidence in his designs to carry him across the Channel was well founded. These are still flown today, and David tells me that in the 30-plus years of these flying there have been no reported accidents or injuries caused by these aircraft. Once he landed a man asked him where he’d come from, and when he told him England the man looked at his glider and remarked ‘All English people are crazy!’ David Cook Piloting the GliderĪfter the flight David went on to design his own microlight, known as The Shadow. He had to wear leather ankle boots to support his feet on the hard landing. As David himself pointed out, his landing gear was his own legs. Honestly, by this point in his incredible account I was perfectly willing to believe that he just held himself up by his arms for an hour while also steering the glider! He told me though that there’s a lightweight seat below him made of plywood however, there’s no seatbelt. I asked David about how his body was supported, as the image below makes it look like he’s holding himself up by his elbows. It seems the safest place to be on that journey was the pilot’s seat. Even more astounding, he revealed that he couldn’t even swim! He was accompanied by a rescue boat in case of any problems, but the windy and rough weather meant that the boat broke down twice! Incredibly, he told me that before the 25 mile journey the longest test flight he had taken had only been 8 miles (over land). I spoke to David to ask him about his experience on the flight. They were interested in Cook’s attempt because they were involved in sponsoring Louis Blériot (the first person to fly across the English Channel) and wanted to be involved with the first powered hang-glider crossing. By strange coincidence, both Louis Blériot and David Cook were 37 when they attempted their respective crossings of the Channel, and in fact David shares his birthday with the anniversary of Bleriot’s landmark flight! The trip was sponsored largely by Duckhams Oil. It took David just over an hour to fly from Walmer Castle, Kent, to a spot just south-west of Calais.įor this accomplishment, Cook was awarded the ‘Medal of Aviation Achievement’ by Prince Charles at the Royal Aero Club, and the hang-glider was acquired by the Manchester Air and Space Museum, which joined with the Museum of Science and Industry in 1985. He travelled with about 10 litres of fuel in order to keep the glider as light as possible, and used all of it in the 25 mile journey. He also made his own speedometer, as he would need to carefully keep track of his speed to ensure he didn’t run out of fuel. The glider itself was not manufactured with an engine, but was modified by David Cook to include an engine taken from a 125cc go-kart, giving an output of just 9 horsepower (for reference, that’s relying on an engine with less output than a standard ride-on lawn mower). This was a record-setting trip not only because this was the first time someone had crossed the Channel in a hang-glider, but it was powered by the smallest engine that had been used on any aircraft crossing the Channel. © Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester / SSPL. This is the Volmer VJ 23E powered hang-glider, and today marks the 40th anniversary since aviator David Cook used this glider, powered by a go-kart engine, to cross the English Channel in 1978. But if you’ve not had the chance to check out this hang-glider you’ve been missing out, because it’s by no means any less important than the giant jets that take your breath away. It’s possible you’ve wandered past a small hang-glider while heading to see inside the Bristol Belvedere Helicopter, or going to try out the flight simulators. It can be difficult to tear your eyes away from some of the massive aircraft that you can see when you’re walking around our Air and Space Hall. The hang-glider is now part of our collection here at the museum, and to mark the occasion, Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard spoke to David about his historic journey. Today marks the 40th anniversary since aviator David Cook used his modified Volmer VJ 23E hang-glider, powered by a go-kart engine, to cross the English Channel in 1978.
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