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Fri, Oct 08, 2004

Hang Gliding Legend Bill Bennett Lost In Trike Accident

ANN friend Dan Johnson has informed us that a true legend in the hang gliding movement, Bill Bennett, perished after an engine failure on takeoff downed his trike, Thursday, 10.07.04.

Bill was killed on impact, but his passenger survived. 

Dan notes that, "As much as anyone I know, Bill Bennett helped give birth to modern hang gliding. His early exploits were the stuff of legends... 

New pilots may not even recognize the name as he left the business many years ago, but he was a true character and his Bill Bennett's Delta Wing Kites was one of the first successful hang glider enterprises, once employing Bob Wills before Bob left to start Wills Wing."

Bennett was an amazing and vocal spokesman for sport flying. A July 4th 1969 flight around the Statue of Liberty, towed along by a speedboat, excited thousands of people world-wide about the possibilities of inexpensive soaring flight and helped to build interest in the sport of hang gliding.

FMI: www.ushga.org

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