I have been going through my old Super 8 movies and taking some of the best footage and putting it on YouTube. The latest on is of the early years when Bill Moyes brought a group of fliers from Australia to the USA and flew the tow competitions around the USA. This footage was taken at the Chicago Lake Front festival competitions in the years 1974 to 1977.
The launch point is in downtown Chicago on Lake Michigan right next to a fourteen lane street. In those days we were towed behind the Correct Craft ski boats to a height of 700 feet and then released. The points were awarded by the number of 360 degree turns that a pilot could do and they could only be two in any one direction at a time and then change directions and then finally we had to land in or as close to a truck tube that was floating in the water.
At that time Steve Moyes was undoubtedly the very best. Both Bill and Steve Moyes are caught on film in this action. Bill Bennett was also on the scene with his new gliders which were called the 18x16 Skytrek and later the Phoenix 12 which I flew in 1977.
After the Chicago meet the tow boys would head to Florida and fly in the Cypress gardens tow meets. We had some really good times as many hang gliding pilots will remember. The link to the video is at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuYD6D8aWlw
