Roy Martin Mueller - Biography:

It all started back when I was 3, it was 1968 and we were on our way to the moon. My father owned a Jack and Jill grocery store in Cooperstown, North Dakota. The Green Giant vegetable company was giving away premiums when you would buy 3 cans of vegetables of their brand. The premium was a paper kite with the Jolly Green Giant printed on the front. One day my dad brought one home for me. I ran with that kite all around the block. I told my dad I was going to fly that kite up to the moon. My dad told me, "Son, you are going to need a lot of string."    In the seventies growing up I continued to learn more about kites and I experimented building my own kites and more than 20 rockets, some 2 and 3 stages. In the early 80's I built several electric balsa wood gliders. Sometimes it would take 6 months to build them and then they would crash on the first flight. So when I was 18 I seriously got back into kites, especially Box Kites and Parafoils.    My senior year in high school I went looking for high quality kites to buy and I could not find any. So, I decided I would design and sell the kites that I made. On April 12th, 1983 WindMueller Kites was born.    In 1985 at the age of 20, I saw a news clip on a man from California who was building a flying car that could take off and land vertically. I knew back then that this was what I wanted to do, but I also knew it would take a lot of money.     So in 1986 I became a Licensed Real Estate Agent. In August of 1987 I became a Licenced Stock Broker. I learned all I could about bringing companies public and raising money.    Between 1987 and 1988 on several occasions when I went flying kites, people would come up to me and ask if I knew Dom Jalbert; The inventor of the Parafoil. At the age of 23 on 8-8-88 I met the man I had heard so much about. Since he was trying to retire, over the next 2 1/2 years, I slowly bought his supplies and equipment. In January of 1991 we began work on an highly advanced retractable wing for the Paracar 1204, which could be deployed for lifting the Paracar for forward flight. Five months later he died at the age of 86.    Since then I have designed and tested over 100 different types of parafoils for performance and stability for the Paracar 1204. It is now 1999, I hope to have a working prototype by 2003/04. The pursuit continues.

Sunday January 1st, 2000

The Winds of Change and the 21st Century.

The Young Visionary

When I was 3, in the late 60's, every night when the whistle would blow at 10 PM, my dad would take me outside to say good night to the moon, and then I would go right to bed. To me it was a night light, in the sky, put there just for me. But on nights when the moon wasn't visible at bed time, there would be some serious trouble. I would have a fit and would not go to bed. I just couldn't sleep knowing it wasn't there. One day my dad brought me a paper kite home from the grocery store that we owned. I ran with that kite like crazy, all over our yard. In my hand was something new that connected me to the heavens. At 20 or 30 feet in the air, I thought surely I must be halfway to the moon. I ran inside and screamed "Daddy, daddy I am going to fly my kite to the moon," He told me, "Son your going to need a lot of string."

The next year, when I was 4, I watched it happen live on TV. We didn't just fly a kite to the moon. Three men actually traveled there and stepped foot unto this beautiful night light in the sky. I was so excited... I had come to the conclusion that day, back in 1969, "Apparently the answer was as simple as just getting enough string." This is when I started to believe, anything I could imagine, could become a reality.

Defining Moments

I didn't realize it then, but I have been an Aerologist since I was 3. I have always been fascinated by the power of the wind and how you could use this invisible energy to defeat gravity. In the 70's growing up I continued to learn more about kites. I experimented building my own kites and more than 20 rockets, some 2 and 3 stages. In the early 80's I built several 6-8 foot winged, R/C electric balsa wood gliders. Sometimes it would take 6 months to build them and they would crash on their first flight, so when I was 18, I seriously got back into kites, especially box kites and parafoil’s. My senior year in high school I went looking for high quality kites to buy and I could not find any. So I decided I would produce and sell the kites I had designed, that I was making in my father’s garage. On April 12th 1983, WindMueller Kites was born.

In 1983 at the age of 18, I saw a clip on a man from California (Dr.Paul Moller), who was building a flying car that could take off and land verticality. I knew back then that this is what I wanted to do, but I also knew it would take a lot of money. So in 1986 I became a licensed Real Estate Agent. In August 1987 I became a series 7 licensed Stockbroker. I learned all I could about raising money and bringing companies public. Mostly though, I learned about human nature and the ugliness of greed. Between 1987 and 1988 after the market would close, I would go to my favorite fields to fly my kites. On several occasions, people would ask me if I knew Domina Jalbert, the inventor of the parafoil. One man was so eager that I meet Mr. Jalbert, he took my address and mailed me some articles on him.

On Monday, the 8th of August, 1988, I woke up very disillusioned with my occupation. When I went into my office, I was asked to resign from my six figure position at the firm. Without a question or hesitation, I sat down at my desk and started to write my resignation letter. I decided that it was time for a new beginning. I thought to myself, “I will go and see if this man Jalbert, would take me under his wing and maybe teach me something about the wind I didn't know.” So that afternoon I left the brokerage firm. I stopped at home, picked a bag of oranges from our tree, changed into street cloths out of my suit and headed out to find Jalbert. At the age of 23, I had met the man that I had heard so much about. Since he was trying to retire, over the next 2 1/2 years, I slowly bought up his supplies and equipment. In January of 1991 we began work on a highly advanced retractable wing for a flying car, which could be deployed to give vertical lift and forward flight to the paracar.

Five months later Jalbert died at the age of 86. But before he died, on his death bed he asked me if I knew what the word "Aerology" meant? I said no. He told me it was the study of wind dynamics and wind manipulation in order to better produce lift and eliminate gravity. Jalbert said "He had become an Aerologist at the age of 4 when his mother had made him kites to play with. He was baffled how some days it worked great and other days it wouldn't work at all. He set out to solve this mystery and spent the rest of his life doing so. Jalbert told me that he didn't really have an idea what he was trying to do, or what the real meaning of the word Aerology actually was. It finally came to him when he was 60. In March of 1964, Jalbert came up with the most efficient wind manipulation device to produce lift that had ever been created, which had an operating cost of Zero. Jalbert went on to tell me, "If you are going to succeed in getting to the next level in Aerology, you need to have a good definition and understanding of what you are trying to do." Something Dom didn't have until late in His life. Jalbert said for him things came very slowly, because in the 1900' s, we were just waking up to the secrets of the wind and how to use it. In fact he said, "The sun hasn't even come up yet… but for you Roy", He assured me, “Things will be different. "You will be living in a time when things will happen rapidly for you. When you find the answer, it will be simple. The answer will be so simple, you will not be able to comprehend why nobody hadn't seen it sooner. Maybe we have had the answers before and have lost touch with them over time. The Old Saying,"There Nothing is new under the sun," is really true. Maybe we have to look backwards to move forward. If we could just understand the wind better, and what was truly possible, tapping into the full potential of the wind, we could convert every type of hydro-carbon fuel, petroleum, coal & nuclear... to a clean and renewable nonpolluting source of Energy. You have so much more than I had starting out... I've done all I can do Roy . You now go… and do something with it." After he had bestowed upon me all the wisdom of his experience, and revealed to me his final wish, we prayed the Our Father together. After we had Prayed, I took his hand and I told him, "Don't worry Dom… soon you will be back home.” Jalbert died that Night. Three days later, my sister Lu Ann, found me having dinner at my girlfriends house to tell me, she saw Jalbert’s obituary in the paper. I missed His wake, but thanks to my sister I made it to His funeral.

On November 21st 1991, I moved to Boca Raton, just a few blocks from The Aerology Lab Jalbert had established on 20th street in 1949. On that day I changed the name and focus of my company from "WindMueller Kites" to the "WindMueller Aerology Lab"…with access to it, at Parafoils.com.

The Progress We Have Made In Aviation

The 20th century will go down in history as the dawn of aviation. Up until this point, besides Hot Air Balloons and Dirigibles, we have only had 3 basic types of aircraft. Fixed wing, designed by the Wright brothers in 1901. The rotary wing or helicopter, developed by Igor Sikorsky between 1909 and 1940, later perfected with a stabilizing bar by Lawrence Bell in 1943. The VTOL Aircraft became viable in the mid sixties, developed by McDonnell Douglas, British Aerospace and Rolls Royce. Today it is better known as the British Harrier Jump Jet, which is capable of short vertical take offs and landings.

In 1940 Henry Ford predicted, the technology for a combination airplane car, would be here at the turn of the century. He was wrong. It had come 35 years earlier then he had predicted. By 1965 both the parafoil and the VTOL technology for the Harrier Jet were a reality. Ford was close in his prediction. But what he had foreseen, was the need. There wouldn't really be a need for a flying car until the turn of the century.

Timing Is Everything

Towards the end of 1990, Jalbert and I proposed to each other, "There needs to be a forth type of aircraft. Something that was safe, economically viable, so that everybody could afford one, and it had to be so simple, it would require no experience to fly. “A new mode of transportation for the common man." What I suggested was, a "Pop-up Wing Aircraft using the parafoil," which could take off and land vertically or like an conventional airplane, horizontally. We agreed that the parafoil and VTOL technology coupled together a GPS guidance system, (which was just arriving on the scene at this time), was our answer. Finally a practical contraption designed for both the highways and the skyways that would be very safe… Very slow at first, but safe. An elegant way to get around, but still faster than being stuck on the freeway or having to dealing with downtown gridlock and red lights at every intersection... The main problems with other flying car designs at this time, was how to get rid of the fixed wing idea, so you can drive it on the ground and be in traffic. The next problem is 2 fold, fuel consumption and weight. By 1990, Dr. Paul Moller from Davis California, had already created the XM-4 Volantor which could remain in the air up to 40 feet and move in any direction for up to 10 minutes. With the XM-4, which I will call the wingless carriage, Moller had put the cart before the horse. But if you add a parafoil to the XM -4 you can increase your flight time by 700 %. Now you can get somewhere and it is viable. But MoIler’s next design and the one he is still working on today, the Moller 400, Jalbert told me is nothing more then a fixed wing VTOL vehicle. “He is reinventing the wheel”, Jalbert said, “It won't work at this point and time because of weight and fuel consumption and it has already been done successfully in 1965... just on a larger scale.” The wingless carriage will become a reality soon for transportation, but not until the Pop-up wing aircraft has had a short run first. It will be the first step that will take us to the next level in aviation. Once the general public can get a taste of a Flying Car and see that it is viable, safe and an effective mode of transportation, things will rapidly change.

Thinking Outside of the Box

Using the skyways as means to get around is a relatively new idea. Between Dr. Paul Moller & Domina Jalbert, my mind had been opened to the possibilities of using the Wind and the Science of Aerology to fill the skies with vehicles. Ever since I had seen Dr. Moller's work in 1983 on a CNN Clip, and was able to meet and work with Domina, my way of thinking had flipped upside down. Because of the influence of these two Men, today I look at aviation as still being in a state of infancy. Most people think that we are as far as we can go concerning air travel. In 1899, Charles H Duell, the commissioner in the US patent office stated in the local paper… "Everything that can be invented, has been invented”. Look at what had happened in aviation just a few years later. Unfortunately once again at the end of this century, we have the same attitude today. We have had a mental block in aviation since the mid-sixties. Everybody just keeps copying each other and we keep going around in circles. Nobody really studies the fundamentals of the wind to solve our problems any more. The sky is the largest untapped resource for transportation. It is getting plenty crowded down here on the ground. To add one more lane to the interstate highway… the cost of life, Billions of dollars of expense and the inconvenience is ridiculous. In fact at this point it would be impossible to add another lane to 1·95 in most places in South Florida. The amount of traffic is expected to double in the next 10 to 15 years down here. Then what? The only place to go is up. I realized this back in 1985. The people that I have talked to about the concept of the Paracar, are beginning to see it now. The only thing between my dream and this being an actual reality... is if I can get enough string to reach it. It is the same problem I ran into when I was 3. All the necessary elements are in place.

The Paracar Corporation

In 1995, while I was flying several of my kites, I had a vision of a huge teardrop suspended by 13 very large Parafoils about 1000 feet in the sky. I could only estimate it's size to be approximately 600 yards by wide, with a length of 1200 yards. The ropes to anchor the 13 Parafoils were as big as tree trunks at the base. Several months later after having reoccurring dreams night after night of this, I sketched what I had been seeing from the top and side views of this suspended teardrop. This flying teardrop was the most beautiful thing I had ever dreamed. After I had gotten it down on paper, the dreams stopped. Later that same year, I had dreams which had changed to the Pop-up Wing Aircraft which Jalbert and I had foreseen. I hadn't really thought about it much since 1990. They were so clear in my mind, it was like watching them on TV. It was so great to watch them take off and land. I would watch these pop-up parafoil vehicles retract and deploy their wings, as the paracar’s would make their final approach to land on the interstate, using designated sky ramps. This went on for years. All I wanted to do, was sleep all the time, in order to watch the continuation of these visions. In 1998 something changed in my dreams instead of watching them, I was inside of one, behind a control panel, flying it and talking to other aircraft in front of and behind me. It felt like a Blimp ride, but it was not controlled manually... but rather by a G.P.S. & voice command system. It took just one dream like this to finally take some action, or I would have gone crazy. When I woke up I said to myself "I need to get this thing on paper so I can see it while I am awake." So I set off to the Cartoon Museum in Mizner Park to find me an artist...and I found one. He came to my house and I described to him exactly what I was seeing. After he had finished his first sketch I said "That's it!!! You have just drawn the world's first image of a Paracar, draw me another from a different angle." A few weeks later Margo Harakas found me flying a large Parafoil I had just finished, over at F.A.U., across the street, from where I lived. She asked me what in the world, I was doing. I told her I was testing a wing for a flying car. This nice lady wrote an article about me and the Paracar entitled, "Go Fly a Kite." I leaked out to her a small glimpse of my vision of the Paracar, without telling her exactly what I was planning to do. I didn't want to let the entire cat out of the bag back then because quite frankly, I didn't want to be locked up and put away. After the article had broke, I had received 43 Messages on my answering machine in one day, pertaining to the Paracar article…all just from this glimpse of the Paracar 1204. The next thing I did was to go to blockbuster and purchased the video "Tucker, A Man And His Dream." I have studied this film to learn how not to structure a new and innovative type of car company. Today is the first day of the 21st century.

Time Warp to 09-15-2008

Coming Soon!

Last Updated 1-13-2009