Chuck Smith: Rogallo Hall of Fame Inductee
Growing up on the beaches of outer Cape Cod, Chuck admittedly had a unique and special upbringing. A “Norman Rockwell childhood with a twist” as he describes it. His hometown of Wellfleet, on the Outer Cape has a long and fascinating history dating back to; the Wampanoag tribes, the arrival of the Pilgrims, (before continuing to Plymouth), pirate captain Sam Bellamy and his ship the Whydah, Guglielmo Marconi and the first transatlantic wireless transmission, and the environs of countless writers, artists and architects such as Henry David Thoreau, Edward Hopper, Marcel Breuer, etc.
What Chuck wasn’t aware of while growing up, was the rich history of gliding in the area. Numerous soaring endurance records had been flown there many decades previously. However, just a few minutes from his home was a launch site for hang gliders. He was fascinated watching them soar the dunes along the shore. In the mid 1980’s he began his quest to pursue gliding. While saving funds to purchase a hang glider and seek instruction, he came across a magazine article describing how alpinists in Europe were using “parapentes” as decent tools. As a mountain climber for the past six years, Chuck became obsessed and his focus quickly changed direction from hang gliding, to what would become paragliding. With little more than a book about meteorology and a VHS video cassette showing some people flying, his flying obsession became reality. With his brother Rob, the two quickly learned by trial and error what was feasible and what wasn’t so, let’s say, aerodynamically sound. Fortunately, their flying experiments would only result a few bruises on occasion and nothing serious that would require an explanation to mom.
After nearly a year of travelling and climbing around Europe, gaining as much flying experience as possible, Chuck returned to the USA and started instructing. The paragliding community in the USA was extremely small at that time. Most pilots were brand new to aviation, and like himself, came from the mountaineering community. Some others were veteran hang glider pilots experimenting with this new form of free flight. It was then that he became involved with the pilot community which started forming the seminal roots of what would become the American Paragliding Association, (APA). The first pilot proficiency programs were established, including safety regulations, flight requirements, etc.
In 1990, while instructing a paragliding clinic in the Kitty Hawk area with longtime friend Greg Smith, Chuck had the privilege of meeting Francis Rogallo. Chuck understood the significance of such an encounter and was in admiration of the quintessential pioneer. He wishes he could relive that meeting again. For now, many decades later, he has many more questions to ask Francis!
After becoming the USA’s first National Paragliding Champion and USA Team member at the Paragliding World Championships in Kössen, Austria, Chuck took a job with UP International as a test pilot and assisting in the management of the paragliding department in the USA. It was a great learning experience for Chuck; flying sites and competitions worldwide, working with European DHV test pilots, and undergoing the certification process for UP’s new glider models and product line. A few years later after becoming somewhat disillusioned with competition flying, he found that sharing free flight with others was a passion that filled that void. Thus, his focus turned to tandem flying. He assisted Aspen Paragliding develop its tandem flying program and became co-owner within a few years. Several years later in a strange turn of events, he ended up in Sun Valley, Idaho, establishing Fly Sun Valley, the commercial paragliding operation on the resort.
During his tenure in Sun Valley, he hosted the 2006 National Paragliding Championships and supported the local flying community as much as possible as numerous national distance flying records were set and reset. He also dedicated as much time as possible to building an adaptive program. Working with the local adaptive center, Higher Ground, and with invaluable assistance from Project Airtime, Fly Sun Valley was able to offer flying experiences to the disabled and non-ambulatory. Given the terrain, Bald Mountain isn’t the ideal location for adaptive flights, but when conditions permit, it’s a wonderful success. Over the years, Chuck has personally flown approximately 6000 tandem flights. Of those, some of the most memorable have been with disabled veterans, (Iraq and Afghanistan war vets). He has also had the honor to conduct “end of life” flights with persons afflicted with Parkinson’s, ALS, etc.
Chuck dedicates a considerable amount of time to the Ghana Paragliding Festival, an annual event in West Africa. It’s a unique flying festival supported and hosted by the Ghanaian Ministry of Tourism. One of the primary purposes is to promote tourism to Ghana, but it goes far beyond that. Paragliding is embraced by an entire country and its government. On his first trip to the festival twenty years ago, Chuck took a young Ghanaian man on his very first tandem flight. He later assisted with his initial flight training and ground schooling. Today that young man, (granted, a little older now), is Ghana’s first and only certified tandem pilot.
Chuck’s lifelong journey with free flight has been an amazing adventure. Paragliding, both literally and figuratively has been his vehicle to see the world. From flying over the mighty Himalaya, to scratching along a concrete sea wall on the French Riviera, it’s all been a magical journey. Free flight has given him more than he could ever give back to the sport. He’s had the privilege to know, learn from and fly with some of the greatest pilots in this sport. Being recognized by the Rogallo Foundation, alongside the truly great pioneers of free flight is a great honor.
