Glider Takeoff Preparation at Bishop, California – Symons Wing-Walking with Bicycle (Press Photo)

Original press photograph showing glider launch preparations at Bishop, California. The typed caption on the reverse explains: “Symons prepares to ‘walk’ the wing of a glider a half mile for take off at Bishop – on a bicycle. A car tows the glider.”

The image captures a striking scene: one man balancing the wingtip of a glider while riding a bicycle, another preparing the tow rope, and a car positioned for towing against the dramatic backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This unusual launch method demonstrates the improvisational and resourceful techniques used in American soaring during the mid-20th century.

Stamped on the reverse: Picture Stories by Don Downie, The Star News, Pasadena, Calif., providing provenance and confirming the origin in California aviation press coverage.

This photograph is valuable for its documentation of American glider operations, capturing not only the technical aspects of launch procedures but also the regional soaring culture of Bishop, long associated with high-altitude and distance