I was Batman for Halloween in first grade. “WARNING” read the tag on the cape, “Cape does not enable user to fly.”
Flying was always my goal, but I was a smart kid. But costume or no, I also knew that I was special. My mommy told me so. So I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I used the cape to catch the wind just right, I would be able to get at least a few seconds of airtime. So I climbed up the jungle gym and leapt, arms outstretched, into a pile of woodchips. My pride wounded, I retired my avian ambitions and decided to pursue my cheap thrills in other places (luckily in first grade you’re introduced to the wonders of Elmer’s glue). But this surrender of idealism always seemed sad to me, so I was excited to meet a local man who had the same dream that I did, and refused to let that dream die. David Moore, a former Air Force jet engine mechanic and Middletown resident, has been working on developing a flying machine since 1984.
I first learned of David and his project when I saw his picture in the paper. He was dressed in a complex bat suit and was mid-leap, with wings extended. He was frozen in a flight attempt similar to my primitive playground jump, except, of course, that his leap was from 35 feet above ground. The picture was from the International Bognor Birdman Festival in Sussex, England, a yearly contest for human-powered flying machines. Entries this year included Santa Claus and his Sleigh, the Riding Yellow Chicken, and the Flatulent Fairies. Moore’s entry was his Fletcher IV bat suit.
“It’s mostly a comedy event that includes hang gliders,” said David, “but for me, it’s strictly business.”
See, David didn’t make the leap just to be in the event. He didn’t do it for the fame of having his picture published in papers around the world. He didn’t even do it for the trip to England or to see the other crazies jump off a thirty-five foot pier with nothing but a pair of Wal-mart angel wings to protect them. David is just really passionate about flight.
“Most people have given up on human powered flight,” he said. But David thinks that in the right conditions, with the right equipment, humans too can take to the sky.
The current prototype for his flight suit is called Fletcher IV. It’s basically a pair of bright red nylon wings pulled over a metal frame that was modeled from the anatomy of bats. The suit allows for a full range of mobility in the arms and also butterfly like kick for further control of the flight pattern. Unfortunately, the most successful flight so far has only been 1.6 seconds, but the Fletcher suit captured the Leonardo DiVinci prize for best design at the Bognor Festival. David has plans for further modifications to lighten the suit and hopefully to provide more lift.
So what does David hope to do with his flying bat suit? I immediately thought of its crime fighting potential: underground laboratories transformed into a real life Gotham City where evil stands no chance and college students will never again have to fear the dark walk back to their dorms. But that was just me. David’s vision for his invention is athletic.
“I see this becoming an extreme sport and eventually, an Olympic sport.”
X-treme flying will be practiced in a wind tunnel (to provide lift and resistance, because even David acknowledges that perhaps humans are not suited for flight in calm conditions) and involve different tricks and dances.
Although this vision is less heroic than my Gotham II plan, it would still be revolutionary. Middletown wouldn’t be transformed into a place of fantasy, but it would be the home of a new sport. “First in flight without the aid of a woosy airplane, so suck it North Carolina.” I can already see it printed on the next generation of quarters.
Many people question the viability of David’s idea, but he remains committed. He has traveled around the world, leaping off piers, diving boards, and walls to perfect his invention. Maybe it’s because we shared a vision long ago, or that he’s doing what I would have had I not given up after that first try, but I wish him the best of luck in advancing human flight and the potential fame of X-treme flying, and bringing a little bit of fame to our humble Connecticut town.
Leave a Reply