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Scott,

Thank you for posting these outstanding photos!? Now that I have had a look at more than a single photo of Mark's ring-tail design, I don't see any evidence of the "mass balancers" on any of his other planes. To paraphrase the Wizard of Oz, apparently I was not merely wrong, I was most sincerely wrong!? Mark was evidently a minimalist when it came to structure, though, and I think Ken may have been on the right track when he mentioned Mark's comment on the flexibility of the tail booms on his aircraft.? Did you take these photos yourself?? Were you well aquainted with Mark?? He was obviously an extremely bright and dedicated man, and it must have been a privilege to know him.

I noticed that you (or someone) had circled and arrowed in photo #196 to a piece of cable and rod assembly that went from near the rudder pedals up and over the wing, which is even more visible in photos #205 and #206.? Is this something pertinent to Mark's accident?? Is it some sort of flight control cable, like flaps or something?? I would be interested to know, if it is not too painful a subject for you to discuss with a stranger, in which case I understand completely.? In any event, thank you again for sharing the photographs with us.? When my time to leave the planet does arrive, I can only hope to go out doing what I most loved in life, as I expect Mark did.? ?by Bill Storto? o5/17/2020
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I dont know anything about his designs other than I was impressed by his creativity and thinking outside the box approaches to design etc and felt that
it would be a real waste if all his efforts and designs were forgotten l? ? I am not even sure which of his designs he died in? or what if anything he overlooked that caused his death or whether? the design should have been adequate and there was a mechanical or material failure.? ?We have seen a lot of prolific aviaition guys perish because of their haste and insistence on testing themselves where there could have been other ways to progressively test... maybe models or wind tunnels or? swivel attachments to trucks or trailers etc.
One thing that I always thought technology could provide today and even back then would be the use of remote control? of a full size model that was fully loaded and that could be tested to destruction without the need for risk to human life.? ?More than 20 years ago I attended an RC? model plane fly-in? and there were several full size planes that were using adequately large servos? and motors to control the full size planes.? ?Sadly,? all that equipment is probably too expensive for the average back yard designer.
There were dozens of creative geniuses from around the world that were involved with ULs? and it is too bad many are already lost and forgotten.?
I have been searching for ideal hosting sites that would allow organized archival of all the significant UL planes? and I have not been able to really find a good solution. For the time being the SHUTTERFLY? site? is useful for individual album topics

Scott,

I'll bet that Mark built some balsa-and-paper models to toss around the back yard before getting out the rivets and hacksaw.? Roger Mann of Rag Wing Aero piled bags of cement on the airframe of his relatively conventional MotorBipe ultralight to make sure it wouldn't collapse under a few Gs of load, and Mark probably performed some sort of strength tests on his much edgier designs.

The photographs you provided seemed to indicate that Mark always tried to fly with the least possible associated structure.? While there are many who consider this a purer form of flight, I have never been a proponent of the "flying lawn chair" school.? My personal preference is to be as completely enclosed by solid airplane as the FAR 103 weight limits permit.? The Mariah! T100-D fits this criterium and is of tried-and-true design.? I am reasonably confident that if I don't make a basic flying error or exceed it's performance limitations, it will bring me back safely onto the ground.? Now all I have to do is build it!....? ?Bill? 05/18/2020??

?someone) had circled and arrowed in photo #196 to a piece of cable and rod assembly that went from near the rudder pedals up and over the wing, which is even more visible in photos #205 and #206.? Is this something pertinent to Mark's accident?? Is it some sort of flight control cable, like flaps or something?? I would be interested to know.........................

My GUESS is that that wire served as a point of reference for the horizon and forward direction.? ?It would otherwise be hard to know whether you were flying level or descending or what direction you were going in etc.