Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 55F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight
Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low near 40F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Tomorrow
A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High around 55F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
SHERIDAN — Each year over the Memorial Day and Labor Day holiday weekends, individuals jump off of the cliffs at Sand Turn Interpretive Site and glide slowly down to the ground with a hang glider in the Bighorn Mountains.
Instructor Johann Nield is one of those individuals participating each year. He has been hang gliding since 1978 and conducts classes to train individuals in the sport of hang gliding.
The U.S. Gliding and Paragliding Association describes, in depth, the history of hang gliding and the association as a whole.
Late 19th century: German Engineer Otto Lilienthal conducted 2,000 successful flights with his hang gliders controlled by shifting one’s weight. This inspired early aviation pioneers.
Late 1940s: NASA scientist Francis Rogallo experimented with a glider that could recover space capsules. This caused a lot of individuals to create their own hang gliders, ending up in mass killings due to safety issues.
1971: The U.S. Hang Gliding Association was created to police the air and create regulations. Regulations include the testing of hang gliders before use up to speeds of 80 mph.
May 1971: Tom Dickinson covered a distance of 300 ft in 15 seconds, attracting over 50 pilots.
1971: Geoff McBroom, Steve Stanwick, Howard Holdie, Les Hockings and Tony Gillette created the first British hang glider with balloonist Don Cameron. The glider had a ratio of 3 meters per second.
