Moyes Was a Trailblazing Hang Glider Pilot

Bill Moyes, a record-setting hang glider pilot, passed away on September 24. He was a legend in free flight and is known to be one of the founding fathers of hang gliding.

His family announced his death on social media, stating: “Bill Moyes passed peacefully away this evening, surrounded by his loving wife of 73 years, kids, grandkids and great grandkids.”

Moyes was born in eastern Australia in July 1932. In 1967, just weeks after his first tow flight, he set the world’s first hang gliding altitude record by reaching 1,045 feet above Lake Tuggerah on Australia’s Central Coast. The following year, he soared to 2,870 feet over Lake Ellesmere in New Zealand.

Moyes was the first pilot to transition from towing to foot-launching in the hills, a significant milestone in hang gliding history. He launched from Mount Crackenback in the Australian Alps, peaking worldwide interest in the discipline.

“Bill never anticipated when he first flew off the mountains that [hang gliding] would explode as a sport, but it wasn’t too long before friends began asking Bill to build them a hang glider,” the Moyes website stated.

He crafted 12 gliders within his first year, refining each design along the way. This laid the groundwork for Moyes Delta Gliders, which officially launched after he fulfilled 20 orders. As hang gliding gained global popularity, Moyes traveled to the United States and, in 1970, conducted the first flight in the Grand Canyon.

Moyes returned to Sydney in the mid-1970s to focus on the design and development of his gliders. His company became one of the leading hang glider manufacturers for over 50 years.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Moyes Delta Gliders, he stated: “Once you get up there knowledge is forced into you. You don’t invent things, you make discoveries. Some things work better than others.”

Moyes received the Order of Australia in 1998 and the FAI’s Gold Air Medal in 2013. This prestigious award honors individuals who have significantly advanced aeronautics.

“In honor of Bill’s legacy, Bill’s wife Molly has requested that instead of sending flowers, you share your photos and memories.”

FMI: www.moyes.com.au