Delta Wing Phoenix Viper 175
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Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA"}, {"label": "Hangar", "content": "Boeing Aviation Hangar"}], "identifier": [{"label": "Inventory Number", "content": "A19840713000"}], "notes": [{"label": "Summary", "content": "Bill Bennett was a trendsetter in hang glider design throughout the 1970's. He founded Delta Wing Kites and Gliders in 1969 to build and market boat-towed kites, such as the Delta Wing Model 162 (see NASM collection) piloted by water skiers. These kites used a wing design invented by Francis Rogallo. They contributed to the rapid growth of hang gliding around the world because they performed reasonably well, cost little to build, and they were easy to transport. By the late 1970s, Bennett's standard Rogallo designs became obsolete and modified Rogallo wings began to appear. These hang gliders were relatively safe, high-performance aircraft capable of performing loops and wingovers."}, {"label": "Summary", "content": "Throughout the 1970s, Bennett designed and sold a succession of popular hang glider models, including the Phoenix and Mariah series (see NASM collection), and the Lazor. In 1980, Bennett introduced another upgraded hang glider, the Viper, with a stiffer, more aerodynamically efficient wing structure but without a significant increase in overall airframe weight. A pilot could assemble the Viper as rapidly and easily as pervious Bennett designs. This model was designed specifically to appeal to competition pilots or individuals with a 'Hang 3' glider pilot classification, an advanced skill rating. The lower wing fabric now extended from the leading edge more than half-way to the trailing edge and covered 57 percent of the lower wing surface area. Bennett devised new methods to stiffen the leading edge and he abandoned the cumbersome, drag-inducing leading edge deflexor cables used on earlier models such as the Phoenix VI.B (see NASM collection). Bennett also did not used the drooped wingtips seen on the Mariah. The Viper flew with other innovations including a new, lighter sail material, and a split keel. The designation '175' refers to the area of the wing in square feet. Bennett sold the Viper in 1981 for $1,795."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Bill Bennett founded Delta Wing Kites and Gliders in 1969 to build and market ski kites towed behind boats, such as the Delta Wing Model 162 (see NASM collection). These ski kites used a wing design patented by Francis M. Rogallo and wife Gertrude."}, {"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. 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. The Rogallo wing gliders with the Dickenson control system contributed to the rapid growth of hang gliding around the world because they were simple and inexpensive to build, they flew well enough and with good control, and they were easy to move around. In 2022, nearly all hang gliders are controlled with the Dickenson system."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "Throughout the 1970s, Bennett designed and sold a succession of popular hang glider models, including the Phoenix and Mariah series (both gliders in NASM collection), and the Lazor. In 1980, Bennett introduced another upgraded hang glider, the Viper, with a stiffer, more aerodynamically efficient wing structure but without a significant increase in overall airframe weight. A pilot could assemble the Viper as rapidly and easily as pervious Bennett designs. Bennett designed the glider to appeal to competition pilots and individuals with a 'Hang 3' hang glider pilot classification, an advanced skill rating. The lower wing fabric now extended from the leading edge more than halfway to the trailing edge and covered 57 percent of the lower wing surface area. Bennett devised new methods to stiffen the leading edge and he abandoned the cumbersome, drag-inducing leading edge deflexor cables used on earlier models such as the Phoenix VI.B Jr. (see NASM collection). Bennett also did not use the rounded and drooped wingtips seen on the Mariah. The Viper flew with other innovations including a new lighter sail material and a split keel. The designation '175' refers to the area of the wing in square feet. Bennett sold Vipers in 1981 for $1,795 apiece."}, {"label": "Long Description", "content": "By the mid-1980s, Bennett's hang gliders were no longer keeping up with the performance of gliders sold by other manufacturers. Delta Wing Kites and Gliders ceased operation in 1989. Bennett donated a Viper and five other hang gliders manufactured by Delta Wing Kites and Gliders to the National Air and Space Museum in 1984 but nothing is known about the flight history of this specific Phoenix Viper 175."}], "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: 9.7 m (32 ft)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Length: 2.5 m (8 ft 3 in)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Weights: Empty, 34 kg (75 lb)"}, {"label": "Dimensions", "content": "Gross, 134 kg (295 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_A19840713000", "hash": "a6ac32ddb1b9749ccae311f87168396ddf49ee87", "docSignature": "2ace4e34e71fdcada0b81c751bd273f6", "timestamp": 1666664365, "lastTimeUpdated": 1663680169, "title": "Delta Wing Phoenix Viper 175"}