This 1984 painting is based on a photo of the Boomerang undergoing flight test at Rhossili on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales. A 600-foot-high hill facing west, Rhossili features that test pilot’s dream, an enormous beach.

Note the knee-hanger harness. During the take-off run, as the glider lifted you, the knee-risers pulled your legs up and back, while your upper body rotated head-down into the prone flying position. This had one of two outcomes. You either got a face full of earth or you became airborne. Perhaps surprisingly, the outcome was almost always a successful take-off. Even so, the knee-hanger harness is long gone.