Delta Wing Phoenix VI B Jr.
{"id": "ld1-1643400021979-1643400034638-0", "version": "", "unitCode": "NASM", "linkedId": "", "type": "edanmdm", "content": {"descriptiveNonRepeating": {"record_ID": "nasm_A19840715000", "online_media": {"mediaCount": 3, "media": [{"thumbnail": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-NASM2020-11363A-000001", "idsId": "NASM-NASM2020-11363A-000001", "usage": {"access": "CC0"}, "guid": "http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/gf4571f5568-7105-489d-bbf3-7cebb25214d5", "type": "Images", "content": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-NASM2020-11363A-000001"}, {"thumbnail": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-A19840715000cp02", "idsId": "NASM-A19840715000cp02", "usage": {"access": "CC0"}, "guid": "http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/gf42412466b-a7e7-4ff1-b984-280e11b54603", "type": "Images", "content": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-A19840715000cp02"}, {"thumbnail": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-NASM2020-11364", "idsId": "NASM-NASM2020-11364", "usage": {"access": "CC0"}, "guid": "http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/gf4dfe86d1d-6f0a-47ad-bb29-617d1bf70f10", "type": "Images", "content": "https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=NASM-NASM2020-11364"}]}, "unit_code": "NASM", "title_sort": "DELTA WING PHOENIX VI B JR.", "guid": "http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv96ed774d9-5b56-401c-b1e8-b77c10a1a867", "record_link": "http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv96ed774d9-5b56-401c-b1e8-b77c10a1a867", "title": {"label": "Object Name", "content": "Delta Wing Phoenix VI B Jr."}, "metadata_usage": {"access": "CC0"}, "data_source": "National Air and Space Museum"}, "indexedStructured": {"exhibition": [{"building": "HAZY"}], "geoLocation": [{"L2": {"type": "Country", "content": "United States of America"}}], "object_type": ["Aircraft"], "name": ["Delta Wing Kites and Gliders Incorporated"], "onPhysicalExhibit": ["Yes"], "topic": ["Aeronautics"], "place": ["United States of America"], "online_media_type": ["Images"]}, "freetext": {"setName": [{"label": "See more items in", "content": "National Air and Space Museum Collection"}, {"label": "Location", "content": "Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA"}, {"label": "Hangar", "content": "Boeing Aviation Hangar"}], "identifier": [{"label": "Inventory Number", "content": "A19840715000"}], "notes": [{"label": "Physical Description", "content": "White / light blue / purple / dark blue sail; without harness or cover bag; 18ft. 5 1/2in. leading edge long; aluminum and dacron; 1974."}, {"label": "Summary", "content": "In 1973 and 1974, Bill Bennett and his hang glider designers experimented with numerous variations of the standard Rogallo wing. Bennett then incorporated the results into a new line of hang gliders he named the Phoenix series. On these gliders, Bennett increased the leading edge convergence angle from 80 to more than 95 degrees. The first Phoenix hang gliders flew with a long fantail, a device thought to improve stability. Total wing surface area was slightly less than standard Rogallo models but the aspect ratio (wingspan to wing chord ratio) increased substantially. As Bennett continued to develop the Phoenix series, he increased the leading edge convergence angle even further, and removed the fantail after flight experience showed that it did not increase stability."}, {"label": "Summary", "content": "The docile handling characteristics and good stability of the Phoenix VI made it a popular trainer at hang glider flying schools. More experienced pilots also favored this model type because it flew relatively fast, had good rough air penetration and handling characteristics, and the glider could soar on updrafts far better than earlier standard Rogallo designs. This success encouraged Bennett to develop the Phoenix series further, and variations continued to appear well into the 1980s. In the next variant, the Phoenix VI.B, Bennett and Boone added 'deflexor' cables mounted on the wing leading edges to stiffen and carefully curve the wing for better flying performance and increased stability. During assembly at the factory, technicians rigged and tuned the glider to fly with a tendency to pitch up in high-speed flight. This built-in auto-recovery mode was aimed at helping pilots recover safely from high-speed dives. The VI.B also used wing tip battens arranged in a radial pattern. This technique made the tips stiffer, reducing drag and improving roll response. The keel of the 'VI.B was shortened and Bennett added additional battens that extended all the way from the wing leading edge to the trailing edge. By tautening the wing in this way, performance improved at low and high speeds."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Bill Bennett's Phoenix series belongs to the second generation of late twentieth century hang glider designs. Bennett founded Delta Wing Kites and Gliders in 1969. He played a key role in making hang gliding popular in the United States when he developed hang ski kites such as the Model 162 (see NASM collection) into glider that pilots could launch on foot from the ground. Bennett continuously refined his designs to make them safer and to improve their performance. His work helped to grow the sport during the 1970s."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Australian John Dickenson does not get enough credit for his monumental breakthrough to invent the technology that allowed pilots to precisely control hang gliders. Early in 1963, the Grafton Water Ski Club in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, asked Dickenson to build a kite for an upcoming water ski festival. Dickenson studied the classic pentagonal-shaped ski kite and noted its dangerous lack of control and stability. After exploring several ideas, Graeme Henderson, in his article, \u00e2\u0080\u009cThe Concise Revised History of Hang Gliding 1963-1973 \u00e2\u0080\u0093 Part 1, published in Soaring Australia (May 2010, p. 28), explains what happened next. \u00e2\u0080\u009cDickenson was shown a photograph of a wing NASA was working with. The photo shown to Dickenson was of a paraglider, a structureless wing being designed by a number of engineers at NASA.\u00e2\u0080\u009d The paraglider Dickenson saw was probably a flexible wing designed and patented in the USA by Francis M. Rogallo and wife Gertrude. NASA engineers flight tested the Rogallo wing from 1961-65 to evaluate its potential to recover spacecraft reentering the atmosphere and flying down to a controlled landing."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "NASA found no reliable way to deploy the Rogallo wing from a spacecraft but the wing\u00e2\u0080\u0099s simplicity, low cost, and stability in flight encouraged Dickenson to choose it for his new ski kite. He made and tested models of the Rogallo wing and they showed that control would be little better than the classic ski kite."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "While swinging his daughter sideways on a swing set in 1963, Dickenson had the flash of insight that transformed the hang glider from a crude device that gave pilots so little control, they were frequently warned to fly no higher than they were willing to fall."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Since Lilienthal\u00e2\u0080\u0099s first flights in 1891, pilots had tried to guide their hang gliders by clinging to the framework and swinging their legs, shifting their weight in the direction they wanted to go. Only the weight of their legs was available to shift the glider, and there was almost no leverage available because the pilot was positioned at the center of the wing. Control was feeble at best."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Dickenson\u00e2\u0080\u0099s idea was both brilliant and simple, and added little weight. It consisted of a control bar and strap. He bolted the control bar directly to the overhead keel tube of the glider and braced it with wires attached to the wing tips. From the hanging strap positioned just behind the control bar, he suspended a seat for the pilot. The strap bore the pilot\u00e2\u0080\u0099s weight, but the wing could move freely and easily overhead. Pilots could shift their entire weight beneath the glider, pushing and pulling the control bar to make the glider climb, dive, or turn."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Dickenson tested the controls on a half-size flexible Rogallo wing too small to fly. The tests were promising so Dickenson built a kite large enough to lift a person. On September 8, 1963, as John Dickenson looked on, his friend Rod Fuller first flew in tow behind a ski boat a Rogallo wing ski kite with the improved Dickenson control system. The Dickenson system provided precise control in pitch, roll, and yaw. In 2022, nearly all hang gliders are controlled with the Dickenson system."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Bill Bennett began flying hang ski kites with Rogallo wings in Australia during the late 1960s. The Dickenson control system was fitted to these gliders. In 1973 and 1974, Bennett and his designers experimented with variations on the standard Rogallo wing, and then used what they learned to design a new line of hang gliders called the Phoenix series. Bennett increased the leading edge convergence angle from 80 to more than 95 degrees. This change reduced the sweep angle of the wing and increased the span. This reduced the wing surface area but increased the aspect ratio (wingspan to wing chord). Bennett also added a longer keel tube called a fantail, a feature thought to improve stability. As Bennett continued to develop the Phoenix gliders, he increased the leading edge convergence angle even further and removed the fantail after flight experience showed that it did not increase stability."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "By January 1975, Bennett and chief designer Richard Boone had completed the Phoenix IV. This variant used more rounded wing tips to improve the glider\u00e2\u0080\u0099s stability, but the modification made the glider more difficult to turn and reduced stability in turbulent air. Bennett and Boone solved this problem when they introduced the Phoenix VI. They made pockets in the sail to hold metal tubes called battens. The battens curved up slightly at the wing trailing edge to reduce the wing angle of attack at the wing tips. This design feature reduced stall speed and helped prevent one wing tip from stalling, a condition that could result in loss of control. Batten tips also kept the center of lift point closer to the center of gravity, improving overall control of the glider."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "The docile handling characteristics and good stability of the Phoenix VI made it a popular trainer at hang glider flying schools. More experienced pilots also favored this model because it was capable of higher speeds and handled well in rough air. The glider flew better in ridge lift and in thermals than earlier standard Rogallo designs."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "The success of the Phoenix VI encouraged Bennett to develop the model further, and variations continued to appear well into the 1980s. The next variant was the Phoenix VI.B. Bennett and Boone retained the 'deflexor' cables mounted on the Phoenix VI wing leading edges to further stiffen and shape the wing for better performance and increased stability. During assembly at the factory, technicians rigged and tuned the glider to pitch up in high-speed flight. This built-in auto-recovery mode was aimed at helping pilots recover from high-speed dives. The designers shortened the keel of the Phoenix VI.B and added more battens to the wing to stiffen it further and improve performance across a broader speed range."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Bennett offered the Phoenix VI.B in three sizes, Junior, Standard, and Senior. Pilots who weighed from 63.5 - 90.7 kg (140 - 200 lb) selected the Junior. The Standard was designed for pilots weighing 68 - 95.3 kg (150 - 210 lb), and the Senior for pilots weighing 72.6 - 108.9 kg (160 - 240 lb)."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "By the mid-1970s, many hang glider enthusiasts were making cross-country flights. The technological innovations that Bennett and Boone had designed into the Phoenix VI.B made it a good choice for flights in the varying wind conditions that might be encountered when flying cross-country. The deflexor cables and battens made the wing stiff enough to improve handling in rough air. Several Phoenix VI.B pilots set records for distance and altitude."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Delta Wing Kites and Gliders ceased producing gliders in 1989. Bill Bennett donated a Phoenix VI and a VI.B Jr., along with four other hang gliders manufactured by Delta Wing Kites and Gliders to the National Air and Space Museum in 1984. The flight history of this particular Phoenix VI.B Jr. is not known."}], "creditLine": [{"label": "Credit Line", "content": "Gift of Bill Bennett."}], "name": [{"label": "Manufacturer", "content": "Delta Wing Kites and Gliders Incorporated"}], "place": [{"label": "Country of Origin", "content": "United States of America"}], "physicalDescription": [{"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 5 in)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Length: 2.7 m (9 ft)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Weights: Empty, 19 kg (41 lb)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Gross, 109 kg (241 lb)"}], "dataSource": [{"label": "Data Source", "content": "National Air and Space Museum"}], "objectRights": [{"label": "Restrictions & Rights", "content": "CC0"}], "objectType": [{"label": "Type", "content": "CRAFT-Aircraft"}]}}, "url": "edanmdm:nasm_A19840715000", "hash": "828bd5ef9e206ea149d23f5f56db711ebcd5582a", "docSignature": "75a179e7ce5c374a8ef2b0b1ce98f374", "timestamp": 1666664365, "lastTimeUpdated": 1663680169, "title": "Delta Wing Phoenix VI B Jr."}