Hang Gliding
The Sport of the 1980s
Hang gliding, like windsurfing, comes from America. The person who thought of this sport, Francis Rogallo, got the idea when he was watching space capsules falling towards the sea. The capsules had a sort of wing which helped them to go more slowly until they reached the sea.
But this idea isn't as new as you might think: in the fif¬teenth century, Leonardo da Vinci drew pictures of a hang glider; it was a sort of kite which could carry a person.
The modern hang glider can go with the wind or against it, and the pilot can change direction by moving the control bar. Hang gliders rise and fall with the movements in the air — near lulls, for example, they usually go up.
All over the world, these giant butterflies are becoming more and more popular, as people d
iscover the fun of flying. (From "Modern English International". Mozaika, 1984, No. 264)