"After a considerable amount of ground testing, using car tows, and some minor modifications, the BKB-1 took to the air on its first aero tow on the 10th of October, 1959.  During the following weekends up until the 15th of November, 10 flights were made for a total of 4 hrs. 15 minutes in the air.
        The BKB-1 handled well in the air both on tow and in free flight.  First impressions were of sensitive, rapid response to elevator control and surprising distances covered due to good penetration.
        Gentle turns were attempted first, then the steeper ones.  Good, co-ordinated turns could be made but strong rudder control was required to overcome adverse yaw.  Ground tests had shown the directional control, by means of wing tip drag rudders, to be excellent.
        The ailerons were made to continue the wing airfoil section including the reflex training edge.  This acted as a fixed trim tab, which gave a rather unpleasant nose down stick force, which could not be trimmed out.
        Flight tests were continued without correcting this condition as time before the end of the season was limited and more flight data would be a useful basis for changes.
        Elevator control was sensitive, with almost instantaneous response, a characteristic of tailless configuration due to low pitching moments of inertia and low aerodynamic damping in pitch.
        Roll response was lively with an estimated 4 seconds to roll through 90 degrees at 50 miles per hour airspeed.
        Directional stability was about normal, disturbances set up by kicking rudder or suddenly releasing the full rudder were highly damped.
        Drag rudders used as spoilers were not as effective as might have been desired.  A very steep approach could be made by sideslipping, a maneuver which is safe to use on approach to landing because of the way the BKB returned smoothly to un-yawed flight.
        The aircraft proved to be easy to land.  Good landings were made over the wide range of touchdown speeds with no tendency to porpoise or nose over.
        The stalling characteristics were not fully explored on these preliminary flight tests.  When the stall was approached by gently reducing airspeed, only a controlled mush resulted.
        Tufts showed separation beginning at the wing root, near the trailing edge and spreading spanwise.
        The BKB group was successful in building a sailplane, which was easy to handle and rig, and, except for the difficulty with trim to be remedied, had satisfactory handling characteristics.
        Performance tests have not yet been made, but the aircraft has noticeably better penetration than the medium performance sailplanes in the Olympia II, Schweizer 1-26 Class."

THE REVOLUTIONARY KASPER WING

         From the distance, and after a lapse of years, (Kasper must be close to 90 now, last seen somewhere in Portugal) there are some unanswered questions : 

1. Why the American Authorities permitted unlimited aerobatics to be performed over the crowds of air shows in a machine not designed for it. Perhaps as a result, one Curtis McPhail, 2nd officer for Northwest Airlines and fighter pilot in the reserve was killed in the BKB in November 1971.

2. Why the US Patents are awarded apparently without the proper  investigation of the invention's origins.  All technical records were available then as they are now.  Kasper was an enthusiastic partner and  courageous pilot but his contribution to the original BKB design ideas was  absolutely zero.

3. Why, in spite of the demonstrated unusual flight characteristics of the  glider, was so little interest was raised?  Perhaps because of Kasper's  inherent modesty?

PROSPECTS

          After 3 years of not necessarily every day, but persistent effort, we might say : "Habemus Papam".  Our last configuration yields promising enough performance to warrant continuation of work.
         We entered now the stage of detailed drawings and part stressing.  Sizing the components made of composite materials is tricky in view of the uncertainties of the allowable stresses appropriate to various combinations.  Testing of actual parts is strongly recommended in order to avoid possibly large errors.
          The choice of structural solutions must be governed by the thought of practical manufacturing at the stage of the prototype and after.
         The labor of love is nearly over, now next stage needs money, facilities, labor force, in a word : Sponsor.  So far, nobody seriously looked for one.
         Before commitment to expenditures, some institutional cooperation from university, wind tunnel and or manufacturers would greatly add substance to the project.
         With a great deal of that kind of assistance it took 6 years to bring the  prototype of the SB-13 to the flight stage.
         To distinguish our variants we used names like "Orlik", "Tern", "Shark". We shall probably choose the "North Star" for the current one.
         In this talk I thought appropriate to limit a vast subject to fragments of personal involvement. I have to apologize to those who perhaps expected lots of graphs and formula's. Perhaps some other evening."

         Thank you.