Subtly, the accepted word became glider. Ten second glides down a grassy slope became unlimited soaring above ocean cliffs and mountain ridges. The transition in those four years could be compared to a telescopic leap from the Wright brother's contraption to the early jets of the 1950's. Hang glider flights have expanded from 28 miles to a present record of 308 straight-line miles. Particularly in the west, thermaling pilots can use nature's lift to climb as high as 18,000 feet.
Men now do fly like birds - hugh, multicolored birds.