Inspiring the Rogallo wing used in many modern hang-gliders
Aviation career
Famous flights
He established two world soaring records on 25 February 1961 while flying his Schweizer SGS 1-23E near Lancaster, California, achieving an altitude of 46,267 ft (14,102 m) feet and a total-altitude-gained mark of 42,300 ft (12,900 m).
His career with the U.S. Air Force began in 1940 when he was appointed an aeronautical engineer at Wright Field. In 1944 he was named Chief of the Aerodynamics Branch in the Flight Test Division there. While working closely with other government agencies in establishing the first flying qualities specifications for aircraft, he also wrote AAF Technical Report 50693 Flight Test Methods, which was used as a standard manual for conducting flight tests for more than five years. During the World War II years he was involved in more than 30 test projects and flew over 1,200 hours as an engineering observer.
In 1947 Bikle was appointed Chief of the Performance Engineering Branch, and directed tests of the XB-43 Jetmaster, the first U.S. jet bomber; the Convair XC-99, and the North American F-86A Sabre. With the transfer of this part of the flight test mission to the newly formed Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, he advanced to Assistant Chief of the Flight Test Engineering Laboratory in 1951.
NASA career
Paul Bikle was technical director of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in September 1959, when he was named Director of the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) at Edwards, California. In July 1962 he was awarded the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership for his part in directing flight operations and research activities on the highly successful rocket-powered X-15 program. After Paul's retirement on 31 May 1971, The FRC became the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976.
During his nearly 12 years with NASA he was responsible for several major aeronautical research programs, including those involving the X-15, the supersonic XB-70, the fleet of wingless lifting bodies that contributed to development of the Space Shuttles, and the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle that paved the way for successful Moon landings by Project Apollo astronauts.
Just before Christmas 1961 Paul Bikle gave a directive to Charles Richard to quickly and cheaply design and build what would become the template for the Rogallo wing used for a high percentage of modern hang gliders. Following successful test flying of the Paresev (paraglider research vehicle), many prospective hang glider pilots made their own hang gliders with various fuselage solutions; including the use of the triangle control bar, parallel-bar, full-cockpit, tri-cycle undercarriage and powered hang-gliders. Paul Bikle's directive synergistically birthed a wing that would dramatically change personal aviation in powered and un-powered forms.
While director of the Dryden Flight Research Facility, Bikle designed and completed his own sailplane, the Bikle T-6, flying it to fifth place in the 1970 US Nationals.[5][6]