John Pendry

John Malcolm Pendry (b. c. 1957) and 1992.

Early life Pendry grew up in Brighton, and started flying hang gliders whilst still a schoolboy aged 16 on the South Downs in Sussex, England. He graduated from University College Cardiff, Wales in 1980 with a civil engineering degree. and set an official World Distance record of 186 miles in July 1983 in the Owens Valley, Nevada, USA. He also set a British distance record of 132 miles in 1984. From 1981 until 1995 he flew in many international solo and team hang gliding competitions around the world. In 1989, the British team, with Pendry leading, won the World Team Cup in Brazil; they retained it in 1991. He was considered one of the few hang gliding pilots to earn a reasonable income from the sport. and Prince Andrew.

In 2000 he created the kitesurf school and shop, Adrenaline, in La Franqui close to Perpignan, France and ran this until 2015.

Pendry has two daughters, Alix born in 1991, and Charlotte, born in 1998.