SELSEY BIRDMEN - COLOUR

(17 Aug 1975) They were trying hard again, at Selsey Bill, to win £3,000 in the Birdmen Competition. Birdmen with varying kinds of wings tried to glide 50 metres out to sea to win the prize. David Cook of Suffolk nearly made it but for the rest it was just a big splash.
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[@mikevanin1]

In his book, Flying From My Mind, David Cook says he was eliminated for using the human boosters. There is also some discrepancy about the height of launch (30 ft proclaimed, but closer to 20 ft on the day) - and distance to the target was more like 75 meters rather than the 50 meters proclaimed, due to the marker buoy being swept from its anchor by the tide). Cook claims he flew 66 meters. Ultimately, the organisers welched on the 3000 Pound prize and all he got was 30 quid from the astronomer, Patrick Moore, and "a handshake from a pretty lady". Cook went on to design, build and fly one of the safest ultralight aircraft, The Shadow.