Performance Designs Paragliding, Inc. Your One Stop Paragliding Supply Company Paragliders
Instruments
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Excalibur 27 Cell
$1670.00
16 Gore - 125 lbs.
$290.00*
Hand Held Wind Meter $ 12.90
Excalibur 33 Cell
$1970.00
18 Gore - 200 lbs.
$315.00*
Electronic Wind Meter
$ 99.95*
Excalibur 39 Cell
$2270.00
20 Gore - 275 lbs.
$360.00*
Brauniger LCD Vario
$225.00
Edel Corvette 22
$2607.50
18 Gore Hang Glider/ Paraglider Reserve $390.00*
Brauniger Vario/Alti.
$360.00*
ParaPorter Harnesses Standard Harness Semi-weight Shift Speed Seat
$ 185.00 $ 185.00 $ 245.00
Hand Held Radios 2WattFMVBF
Helmets, Carry Bags, Risers, Locking Carabiners, Toggl,es, Tubular Toggles, Books, etc. Call today for our complete product list with prices.
16 Gore Pocket Rocket Reserve -125 lbs. $750.00 18 Gore Pocket Rocket Reserve - 200 lbs. $775.00 20 Gore Pocket Rocket $850.00
$ 135.00* Reserve - 275 lbs.
Wholesale /Retail
Brauniger DeluxeVario/ Twin Alitmeters $425.00*
20 Gore Hang Glider/ Paraglider Reserve $435.00*
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* Note: Prices in italics* are Sale Prices, I effective until December 31, 1990
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USHGA Books l',\l\.\l,IIDl'-,C
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RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HANG GLIDER PILOTS by Erik Fair Reprints from Hang Gliding magazine. Light humor, overviews, techniques and personalities of our sport. Very fun to read!
HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Peter Cheney
Our most popular book! Highly recommended for the beginner to intermediate pilot. Covers launching, landing, equipment, and much much more!
Covering all aspects of paragliding, i.e., skill levels, background equipment, XC, tandem, etc. Over 140 illustrations.
The OFFICIAL USHGA training manual. Over 200 pages with more than 160 easy-to-follow illustrations. The most complete training manual for the beginner to novice pilot!
HANG GLIDING TECHNIQUES by Dennis Pagen
FL YING CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagen
Continues where FL YING SKILLS left off. For the novice to advanced pilot.
Micrometeorology for hang gliding.
$9.95
$8.95
F.A.R. (not shown) FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS covering ALL types of aviation.
$8.95
Please send me (check the following): RIGHT STUFF $8.95 FAR $8.95 =HG Flying Skills $9.95 _HG Flying Techniques $7.50 _ Flying Conditions $7.50 _ Walking On Air $19.95 _HG For Beginner Pilots $29.95
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WALKING ON AIRPARAGLIDING by Dennis Pagen
HANG GLIDING FL YING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen
$19.95
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USHGA Books, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300
THE GLIDER FROM DOWN UNDER COMES OUT ON TOP.
From the mountains to the flatlands, from the glide ratio contests to just cruising up the coast the XS 's unique package of climb, glide and handling is proving unbeatable. After winning the 1990 US MANUFACTURERS' MEET on an XS155, Drew Cooper had bigger things on his mind. He opted for the XS169, and flew it to victory in the 1990 N.S.W. STATE TITLES. Drew said of the 169's competition debut:
''At last, a high performance glider for the big guys.' ' Steve Moyes remains at his peak, having won the 1991 AUSTRALIAN NATIONALS on an XS155. Tomas Suchanek continued the XS success with a win in the 1991 FLATLANDS. Whether in competition or recreation, the XS is your flight to the top. Contact the factory to test fly the glider that's winning all over the world.
MOYES CALIFORNIA INC. 22021 COVELLO ST, CANOGA PARK, CA91303 PH. (818) 887 3361 FX. (818) 702 0612 MOYES DELTA GLIDERS P/L, 173 BRONTE RD, WAVERLEY N.S.W. AUSTRALIA PH. 011 61 2 387 5622 FX. 011 61 2 387 4472. XS 142, 155, 169 U.S.H.G.M.A. CERTIFIED
XS 142, 155 GUTESIEGAL CERTIFIED
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM HUNT
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BAU. VARIOME1ERS INC. 6595 ODELL PL, SUITE C, BOULDER, CO 80301 (303) 530-4940 MODEL 651 VARIO/AUDIO/ DIGITAL ALTIMETER $530
THE AERIAL ADVENTURE
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Puts you in the air and lets you feel the excitement of flying. Pilots say: "Now I can show my friends and family what the flying experience is really like." "It's nice to tune up for flying on non-flying days." VHS - 90 Minutes - send $29.95
MODEL M20 WRIST VARIO $250
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(702) 972-3518
Cross Country
Available from hang glider manufacturers and dealers
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I\ 752 Casiano Dr. #B, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
805-687-4663
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Intemationa[ Magazine of!Hang (j{iding) Parag[iding) 11[traliglit 1991 Introductory Subscription 1 year I 6 issues $30.00 Issues: February - April - June - August - October - December 1991 Experience the world of Hang Gliding from your own home . .. Europe's most comprehensive, full-color magazine - printed in three languages. Name: Address: Phone: Payment: CHECK or MONEY ORDER to: "Schutte Sails"
CROSS COUNTRY
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USA
~Glliio THE PUBUCATJON OF THE
O
UNITED STATES HANG GUDJNG ASSOCIATION
(USPS 017-970-20)
Features
Columns
19 Meet The 1991 U.S. World Team
24 Hang Gliding 101 © hy G.W. Meadows All about parachute maintenance.
by Mark M ocho
40 USHGA Reports
Here are the guys who are competing at the World Meet as you read this.
22
Rescue
Towing and paragliding ratings.
Page 31
49 Competition Corner
by Carl Shortt Another BRS rocket deployed parachute save.
27
Accident Review
;I
by Doug Hildreth
ff
/ / /
Our annual in-depth accident report for the previous year.
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--rAJi-.WIND PATH
The Sandia Classic, by Mark Mocho - The 1990 Arizona X-C Contest, by Bob Thompson - The 1991 East Coast Championship - Paradox Valley Memorial Weekend FlyIn by Nick Kennedy - U. of Lowell Intercollegiate results -The Owens Valley World Championship Series with a sidebar on the upcoming Nationals, by Tom Kreyche.
/-"IGUR!= 2.
Scratching Small Ridges
66 Product Lines Page 36
hy Dan Johnson The Wills Wing paragliding seminar, harnesses, aerotugs and more.
by Pete Lehmann More how-to advice from the derelict semiacademic.
36 Landing
Departments
© 1991 by Dennis Pagen How two wrongs can make a right.
Page 49
U.S. Women's by Briggs Christie And now, meet the ladies who will represent us in Austria.
COVER: Looking down on the Paciric near Montara, CA. Photo by John Heiney. CENTERSPREAD: Above Inspiration Point launch, Provo, UT. Photo by Mark Bennett. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service for
USHGA members. The USHGA makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the validity or any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. Copyright CO 1991 United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. All rights reserved lo lla11g Gliding and individual contributors.
MARCH 1991
7 10 12 16 21 58 64 65 67
Airmail Update Calendar of Events Ratings Cartoon by Russ Brown Classified Advertising Stolen Wings Index to Advertisers Region 7 News
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THE ULTIMATE XC GLIDER BAG! Aluminum coating to block UV Waterproof (zipper down) Fits anywhere-Weighs only 19 ounces Includes carry sack
Ordinary nylon XC bags provide very little protection for the glider from sun, heat and rain. In addition to the UV damage to the glider sail, the lightweight bags erode very quickly from the sun. We use aluminized ripstop nylon, developed for high-altitude balloons. Prototypes of these bags made in 1983 are still in use. Never be without a bag again! Order now. Introductory price $98 plus $5 S&H. Send glider type and size, or length and gi11h. Optional handles and reinforced ends. Dealer inquiries invited.
EQUALIZER!
Still the most comfortable, safest and most streamlined harness in the world. Made by Eric Raymond.
Optional BRS
Custom Designs
One suspension point with internal backup and chute bridle. Full back-plate for load distribution. Heay-duty zipper front entry. Foot-controlled body angle. Reinforced tail, steel carabiner and many other features standard. Call or write for prices.
Ultralight Soaring Software 33274 Baldwin Blvd. Lake Elsinore, CA 92330 phone/FAX (714) 678-3931
Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Director John Heiney, Doug Rice, Leroy Grannis, Eric Raymond, Photographers Harry Martin. Illustrator Tim Rinker, Design Consultant Office Staff Jerry Bruning, Executive Director Pat Robbins, Advertising Greg Huller, Member Services Cindy Evans, Member Services Stu Clark, Member Services P.J. More, Office Operations Patti Sparks, Member Services Jeff Elgart, Merchandise Services USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: Gregg Lawless, President Jim Zelset, Vice President Russ Locke, Secretary Dan Johnson, Treasurer REGION 1: Gene Matthews. REGION 2: Ken Brown, Russ Locke, Connie Bowen. REGION 3: Bill Bennett, Sandy King, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Mark Macho, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Ron Kenney. REGION 7: Rod Hauser. REGION 8: Randy Adams. REGION 9: Pete Lehmann, Jeff Sims. REGION 10: Rick Jacobs. REGION11: Carl Boddie. REGION 12: Paul Voight, Paul Rikert. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Peter Zimmerli, Glen Nicolet. HONORARY DIRECTORS: G.W. Meadows, Tom Kreyche, Mike Meier, Rob Kells, Fred Stockwell. Terry Reynolds.
The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA. which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl-related hang gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. HANG GLIDING magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, by a means of open communication and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, selfaddressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions o1 contributors. HANG GLIDING editorial offices: 6950 Aragon Circle, Suite 6, Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 994-3050. HANG GLIDING (USPS 017-970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 559 !:. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 101, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417. Second-class postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG GLIDING, P.O. BOX 8300, Colorado Springs, 80933-8300.
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The USHGA is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of ultralight flight. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $39.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding), ($42 Canada & Mexico, $47 foreign); subscription rates only are $35.00 ($38 Canada & Mexico, $47 foreign). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue.
MARCH 1991
Volume 21, Issue No. 3
AIRMAIL CALCULATING FATALITY RATES
Dear Editor I am writing in response to Doug Hildreth's Accident Reports column. Let me first say that I read his column with great interest each month and find it to be an invaluable means of learning from the mistakes of others. I believe that there is a much easier and more accurate way of calculating our hang gliding fatality rate. We presently know the number of fatalities, but have to make some pretty wild guesses at the number of participants, because we don't know how many non-USHGA pilots are out there flying. Why not, instead, count only the number of fatalities of USHGA members, and include only USHGA members in the number of participants? These numbers are both readily available and accurately known. This would give us an accurate fatality rate for USHGA members. Besides, insurance companies doing business with the USHGA or its members are really only interested in the fatality rate of USHGA members, because they're not insuring non-USHGA members. It is my opinion that fatality rates for members and nonmembers do not differ drastically anyway. Assuming fatality rates for members and nonmembers to be equal would certainly be better than the assumptions currently made to determine the number of participants. I suspect there may be some reluctance to calculate our fatality rate in this manner because we lose a large number of assumed participants in the equation: fatality rate= number of deaths I number of participants. This would drive up our rate if the number of deaths did not drop proportionately. I suspect previous estimates of the number of participants were too high, which lowered our apparent fatality rate. The method I am proposing for calculating rates requires no estimating. Let's be realistic and accurate. Greg Arend San Diego, CA
A DANGEROUS LEARNING GAME?
Dear Editor, From one editor to another, let me just say that the mag looks great! I'm amazed; each month Hang Gliding gets better. I don't
know how you do it, but please keep it up! As with all things in this world, there are two sides to every story. I enjoyed Nelson Howe's article "The Learning Game" (Jan. 1991) very much. I too, several years ago, chose the competition route as a way of enhancing my flying skills. And many of the thoughts he expressed I have shared in the air. Competition is a way to improve your flying skills. By watching and flying with the best, you do become a better pilot. I never realized how close you could fly to a cliff until Dan Racanelli blasted past me (underneath!) at the 1982 Fort Funston Air Races. And I did learn that I could get closer to the cliff that way. I never knew that you could get so close to trees and ski lift cables until Stu Smith showed me how at Grouse Mt. in 1983. And I learned. I'll never forget the time at the 1984 Region 2 Regionals that I watched Dick Cassetta thermal up from about 17 feet\ I didn't even know you could do a 360 at that altitude. And I learned. But those guys are all dead. I have discovered since then that I have my whole life to learn to fly. I have decided that I don't have to do it or know it all tomorrow. I want to explore this sport like a true connoisseur-slowly, completelysavoring each flight and wanting nothing more than to have taken off, flown and landed perfectly. If I land near my car or 300 miles clown the road it makes absolutely no difference. And I think that is what I wanted to tell the membership. Competition is a quick way to become a better pilot. But you have your whole life to fly. Your whole life to learn. These remarks are dedicated to the memory of Dick Cassetta. It was just too short Deke. Jerry Sorenson. Lewisville, TX
POLAR THEORY
Dear editor, All this infonnation about speed-to-fly and glider perfonnance is just theory unless it can be applied to our own glider's characteristics. Here's a simple and effective way to obtain a polar for your own glider, pilot weight, equipment drag, etc. Of course this 7
AIRMAIL must be done in calm air to be meaningful. Use a small cassette recorder or microcassette, whatever is available, and mount where it doesn't interfere. The microphone should be shielded from wind noise, especially at higher airspeeds. During the flight speak into the microphone and record the airspeed and descent rate. Make sure that your variometer and airspeed indicator have stabilized after making a change in bar position. Record as much data as possible; more data makes a more accurate polar. Play back the tape and chart the data to make your own personalized polar. Now all that theory becomes reality. Chris Pyle Seymour, TN
warmer than the sunounding air, it is accelerated upwards as a convective cunent." We definitely have wann moist air, cooling aloft, upslope winds and an invading cold air mass, which all adds up to great lift on the lake "front." To summarize, the cold air mass or cold front moving in from the north, over the top of a wann, moist air mass produces unstable conditions. When this air mass, wanned a little by the lake and surrounding air, meets the cliffs it punches right up through the cold air mass above. This happens on much too large a scale and is caused by too many other conditions to be called a "lake thermal." Brad Fallowfield Belmont, Ontario
REMOTE CAMERAS LAKE THERMALS Dear Editor, Every time I hear "lake thermals" used to describe the lift we use to soar the ridges around our Great Lakes I get shivers down my spine. It's like "trustworthy thief' or "honest politician." In the book Flying Conditions, Dennis Pagen describes a thermal as a bubble of air, wann compared to its smTmmdings. He goes on to say that if a good source of thermals is protected from the wind it will produce bigger, stronger thermals and a wind-swept field will produce weaker, smaller thermals (pg. 70). To have a thermal there should be a core of lifting air with an area of sinking air around the lift to feed the rising mass. Dennis Pagen and many other cross-country pilots advise pilots to stay away from wet areas since these are areas that produce sink. I don't think it is a good idea to promote the idea that there is flyable lift produced above moisture, which the tenn "lake thennal" does. I was told that the best "lake thennals" occur just as a cold front with its northerly winds moves in. This I can believe. This cold front moving in over a warm air mass creates very unstable air. As the book A viatio11 Weather puts it "when air near the surface is waim and moist, suspect instability. Smface heating, cooling alofl, converging or upslope winds, or an invading mass of colder air may lead to instability." Later on in the chapter it says, "If the upward moving air remains
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Dear Editor, This letter was prompted by a number of letters I've seen in Hang Gliding magazine related to cameras and their use in our sport. I recently visited Japan as a guest of a major photo finishing and camera company. While there, I explained the needs of our sport and asked to see what the ctment crop of cameras was, and the features that would best apply to our sport. Although I can't state the names and model numbers of all cameras that will work, I can state that there are very many that won't. On the face of it, compact cameras seem ideal for the sport of hang gliding. Close observation, however, reveals problems with many on the market today. While a great idea, remote triggers (wireless type) have serious limitations. The most serious is their automatic shutoff feature. In order to conserve battery power, most compact autowind cameras will shut off after 30 or 40 minutes. This is so people don't forget to turn them off and run down the batteries. The only way to reset them is to replace the remote trigger back on the camera body. Tough trick while in flight! Another type of remote trigger that was pushed for a while is the radio trigger that plugs into the side of a Ricoh camera. Although the camera works great, the radio trigger has failed so many times that some dealers refuse to sell it. Cold can also make them malfunction.
A serious problem with many compact cameras is their inability to focus to infinity without pushing a button while depressing the shutter. This isn't an issue except that in our sport clarity at distance is very important. Here are some features to look for while shopping for a 35mm camera. Choose a wired-type remote camera with no automatic shutoff. A wired-type camera has no need for this "feature." "Data back" camera with date, hour and minute. These are in use in some European X-C competitions. They basically show the date, hour and minute the picture was taken, right on the print. Interval picture taking. This allows you to press the shutter once and the camera will continue to take pictures automatically, at the interval you set, until all the film is shot. This is more of a convenience than you might think. Many of my best pictures were taken while I was busy flying. My recommendation? I recommend a Ricoh FF-7 cl. This uses a wired remote shutter and you can either purchase it from Ricoh or make your own for about $5 from stock items at Radio Shack. The speaker wire you 'II need for the shutter is so thin that I leave the wire right in the wing, even folded up. The wire runs inside my streamlined downtubes to a simple doorbell-type button taped to the downtube. This camera has the added feature that you can interrupt the interval timer without losing the timer function. Example: You set the camera to take pictures every ten minutes, but if you see a picture you want, just press the shutter. The camera will take the picture and return automatically to interval timing. While I recommend the Ricoh there are other cameras and models with similar features. I hope I've helped by pointing out what to watch out for when shopping for your next camera. Bob Bradley
PRODUCT LINES COMMENTS Dear Editor, I would like to make a few comments on what was written in Product Lines in the November issue of Hang Gliding. A little more than half the column was HANG GLIDING
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AIRMAIL dedicated to platfom1 launch towing. That is great. We need coverage of this rapidlygrowing area of our sport. What wasn't so good was the amount of misinformation presented. The article was heavily slanted toward the old saying, "More is better." The author clearly felt that a more complex and expensive tow system is more durable and smoother than a less expensive, simpler system. Well, Im not sure what school of thought the author subscribes to, but I think my reliability professor at Saint Louis University might take exception to this theory. Our sport has historically been based on simplicity; to quote Francis Rogallo from the book Manbirds, by Maralys Wills: "I never believe in adding any additional parts or complexity to any piece of machinery if you don't have Lo have it. If you keep everything as simple as you can, it's apt to be more reliable and less expensive." With a philosophy like that, I sure wish Mr. Rogallo would have designed my VCR. The author of Product Lines has not flown with my tow system or the one he compares it with. His column was written without first-hand knowledge on how each system was designed or how they compare in quality or reliability. Why and how a comparison was clone without seeing or using either system or contacting the pilots who have used both systems is another mystery. I don t like having to write a letter to the editor, but my sole source of income is derived from designing and building tow systems, and I can't afford inaccurate or misleading information being published without debate. Product Lines is a good column which provides an avenue for manufacturers, schools, dealers and suppliers to get exposure. But I feel strongly that responsible reporting by doing your homework is much more important than filling space with unqualified opinions and inaccurate analysis just to make copy. Chris Gagliano, Owner, Tow Launch Systems San Antonio, TX
Who ccm argue ll'ith KISS.? I l\'011' t. And, yes. Chris is right that I hal'e not flown his system. He's im·ited and one day I will. ft MARCH 1991
simply isn't possible to personally examine each product mentioned in my column, certainly not if the material is to be fi·esh and timely as readers seem to enjo_,·. On the other hand, if simpler is better, I guess l\'e' d hal'e 110 VG systems 011 modern gliders. Surely this list goes on; 11•e are apparently willing to accept some level of complexity to get the features or pe1formance we desire. TLS' units appear well designed. His owners seem happy with their rigs. The price is not only right; he offers money saving kits. For those seeking idnches, I believe I've always said, look at them all, pick the one most appmpriate for you. The ATOL line has equally :ealous Ol\'ners. Clearly there's room for both. -Dan Johnson "Product Lines"
TOW INSURANCE COVERAGE Dear Editor, In response to Larry Haney's letter in Dec. '90 HG I'd like to explain why some pilots ·'bitch" about paying $39 USHGA clues. My newest glider is a 1984 model bought for $1,800. My harness is eight years old and my partner and I split the cost of $ l 50. My vario was $160. The total cost of my equipment was $2, 110-Larry and his group spent $5,300. It must be nice to have money and not have to bitch about fees. In each of my purchases, however, I got more than I paid for which is more than I can say about my $39 clues. Being a tow pilot I'm excluc!ect from coverage of the $1 million insurance. For two weeks of every summer I fly out West at a USHGA site, however, every other flight of the year is in Minnesota and is not covered. Bill Cummings Hoyt Lakes, MN
While it's trne that you're not cm·ered by USHGA 's insurance ll'hile 011 tol\', you arc covered as soon as you release. -Ed.
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FEBRUARY ISSUE DELAY Our apologies for the delayed receipt of your February issue. The expansion of the magazine created delays which resu11ed in further delays al the printer. This pushed the mailing dale of the Febrnary issue back to February 5th. We appreciate your patience.
WOMEN'S WORLD TEAM FUNDRAISING FLY-INS
camera helicopter. The commercial ends with each of the three pilots either diving out or their harnesses or flying their paraglidcrs into the center or a group of teenagers floating on inncrtubes in a lake.
HIGH-TECH HANG GLIDING SIMULATOR
Here are two fly-ins you won't want to miss. Both arc fund raisc:rs for the Women's World Team. The Women's World Team Benefit Bash will be held Easter weekend, March 2931, 199 I at Crowley Lake, Owens Valley, CJ\ (Mammoth area). Reservations arc recommended. The Girl's Just Wanna Go Fly Fly-In will be held Memorial Day Weekend, May 25 -26, 199 I at Ed Levin Park, Milpitas,
CJ\. Both fly-ins will feature raffles, giveaways, demos, paragliders, and more fun stuff for all to enjoy. Hang II pilots arc welcome, since both events will he held at sites that accommodate a wide variety of skill levels. US! IGJ\ membership and parachute required. Please join us and help support your Women's World Team as they prepare for their trip to Kiissen, Austria to compete for the first time in a World Championship. Contact: Sue Christie, 629 Mac J\vc., Salinas, CA 93905 (408) 757 9924.
PARAGLIDING COMMERCIAL Mark Wright and Tony and Tim Domenico, of Performance Designs Paragliding, recently returned from filming a Mountain Dew (a Pepsi product) commercial in New Zealand. The thrcc··Wcck shoot was plagued by bad weather (the worst spring storm New Zealand had experienced in over IO years-lOO+ mph winds), but with the persistence aud skill of all involved the shooting was a success. The three paraglidcr pilots fkw Excalibur paraglidcrs. One shot required an aircraft dGploymcnt and many f'lights were made from Sutherland Falls, which, at over 2,000' vertical is one of' the tallest waterfalls in the world. One of the pilots became the first paraglider pilot in New Zealand to use a reserve parachute when his gl icier became tangled during an intentional collapse for the I()
Francis Rogallo tries a computerized flight simulator at Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head, NC. KHK will be the first school to incorporate the simulator into its training program. are, from left, Michael Mountcastle, engineer, Brad Gryder, manager of Flighl Dynamics, KHK President John Harris and KHK instructor Roger Coxon.
Flying without leaving the ground is now possible, thanks to two North Carolinians who have invented a computerized hang gliding night simulator. Brad Gryder, manager of Flight Dynamics of Raleigh, NC, and partner M ichacl Mountcastle, aerospace engineer, recently brought their new "toy" to Nags I lead for the Kitty I lawk Kites team to try. "It's rcalislic," one pilot eornmcntccl, as he hung in the harness, pulled in the bar ancl fought the turbulence on the video screen. Gryder learned to hang glide in Boomer, NC, and was "convinced there had to be a belier way lo train." For the past six months he's worked diligently on the simulator. "l wanted something instructors could use to teach how to properly shift weight," he explained. This a lot or practice time. "It's also a great way lo exercise the same muscles used while hang "(,rydcr added. The protolypc Gryder brought to Kl IK included a quadrapod and harness, with the hang loop clcclronically linked to the computer. Using software with video and
audio feedback, the pilot is able 10 ridge soar, thermal, approach and land the glider just as in real flying. The future holds great possibilities for the simulator, Gryder believes. One possibility is that local geography could be programmed inlo the system. "We lricd to make it as accuralc as possible without changing the basic software," Gryder said. "There's room for improvement hut that will come as i l progresses." To "fly" the simulator, a pilol needs a minimum of an XT class personal compulcr (IBM compatible), an EGJ\ monitor and math co-processor. Bruce Weaver, KHK assistant manager, said, "This has great potential for personal use. People ask all the time how to practice shifting their hips instead or their shoulders. This would do it." Gryder said there is also potential to use the simulator lo promote hang gliding with demonstrations in malls, al fairs and at exhibits. "It's fun, and has tremendous potential for training," KIIK president John Harris said. Kitty Hawk Kites will be the firs! school to incorporate the new simulator into its training program. KHK will also he a dealer for the simulator, which is expected to retail at $495. Francis Rogallo, "father or hang gliding," stopped by to try the simulator. He said he invented a simulator l O years ago in his garage. The mechanical model operated with a fan blowing in the pilot's face. "I( was crude, but it worked," Rogallo said. Although it takes a little computer knowledge to operate Gryder and Mountcastle's simulator, its use is certainly not limited to computer nuts, Gryder emphasized. "It's for people who want to learn how to hang glide," he said.
NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP The U.S. National Team Championship will be held near the town or Dinosaur, Colorado July 28 ihrough August 3. While the formal will be different f'rom last year's meet, the same auention to detail can be expected from 1990 U.S. Nationals' meet organizer Chris Reynolds or Rocky Mountain Glider Company I GcnTech Corporation to insure the success of the contest. This will be a learn meet with five pilots on each team, not necessarily on the same BANC: GLIDINC
UPDATE type of glider. The requirements for team members will be full USHGA membership and Advanced pilot rating with TUR and X-C signoffs. Awards will be given to each member of the top three teams. Pilots will also be scored individually for WTSS points (the contest has been designated as one of three guaranteed points meets per the 1991 USHGA Competition Rulebook). No one can guarantee the weather for any hang gliding contest, however, July 28Aug. 3 should yield seven straight days of outstanding flying conditions. If there are days when thunderstmms appear likely, those rounds will begin early and shorter tasks will be called. The U.S. National Team Championship will be limited to 125 competitors. Pilots paying their entry prior to July 1 will receive a $50 discount from the $275 entry fee and will receive rules, maps and task booklets (with photos of each possible turnpoint) prior July 15. See the Calendar of events for details on entering. GREAT RACE TO PRECEDE EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS April promises to be an exciting month for flying in the Chattanooga area, with two competitions slated back-to-back during the best soaring time of the year. Lookout Mountain Flight Park's annual Great Race ridge-running event will start on Saturday, April 6 and continue through Friday, April 12. Pilots can warm up with The Great Race before competing in the East Coast Championships, April 13-20. It's not necessary to compete all seven days, however, as the fastest single flight over the 21-mile ridge course will be the winner. "Weekend" pilots can compete on Saturday and Sunday only, if they wish. Prizes for the fun event are trophies and gift ce11ificates for LMFP merchandise. Last year's winner, Mike Barber, received a Perfo1mance VZ vario, while second-place finisher Mike Dance and third-place Jim Prahl received $100 and $50 gift ce11ificates. Entry is $35 (which includes The Great Race dinner/party on Saturday night, April 6) $5 for non-competitors. Contact: LMFP, Rt. 2 Box 215-H, Rising Fawn, GA 30738 (404) 398-3433 or (404) 398-3541.
March 1991
UPDATED LOG & DAT ABASE Version 3.0 of the Flight Activity Log and Database was just released by Cloudburst Computer Works. This upgraded version of the software, which is a PC-based flight log, includes many enhancements over the two earlier versions and now interfaces with Ball Variometer's M22 and M50 barograph products. Some of the new features include a more direct menu, graph and barograph capabilities, an expanded reporting function, and a mouse interface. The Flight Activity Log and Database program stores a multitude of flight data and was developed for pilots interested in using their flight log info1mation to better understand their flying trends and plan future flights. The program is very flexible and allows the user to select various sorts and selection criteria for graphing and reporting logged flight data. The suggested retail is $34.95 plus $2 shipping. Contact: Cloudburst Computer Works, 2935 Rolling Wood Loop, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. CALENDAR PHOTOS! The time has come! Photo solicitation time is here for the 1992 USHGA calendarAND WE NEED YOUR HELP! Got a hot photo that you can part with for a few months? SEND IT IN! If our calendar photo selection committee likes your shot, it could be showcased for a month in our calendar. Imagine millions of eyes admiring your photography (the USHGA Calendar is distributed throughout the world). Prospective photos will be accepted through May 31, I991. We ask that you submit COLOR SLIDES only, because of the fine-art quality of our calendar. Your slides will be returned to you after the selection process is complete. Please submit your slides to: USHGA, Attn: Jeff Elgart, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs CO 80933-8300.
SYSTEK VARIO METERS Systems Technology Inc. is celebrating its 10th year is business, and has announced its newly redesigned Systek II Variometer. The affordable, compact vario has "up" audio with an adjustable set-point, extra long battery life, one year warranty, and many
other options. According to the company it is especially suited to the entry level hang glider pilot and the paragliding market. Suggested retail is $ l 59. Contact: Systems Technology Inc., P.O. Box 585, Seymour, TN 37865.
ATTENTION OBSERVERS & INSTRUCTORS As of April I, 1991, USHGA Headquarters will no longer accept outdated rating forms. Please destroy any and all old rating fmms in your possession. New rating forms have been sent to all current Observers and Instructors. If you are still in need of the updated rating fonns, please contact USHGA Headquarters (719) 632-8300 so that we may supply you with them. If your current rating forms do not have sign-offs for TOW and FL, then you need new forms.
CHANGE IN RATING FEES As of January 1, 1991, the new processing fees for ratings are as follows:
Beginner (H-1) ..................................... Free Novice (H-2) ......................................... $7.50 Intermediate (H-3) .................................. 7.50 Advanced (H-4) ...................................... 7.50 Master (H-5) ............................................ 7.50 TOW (by itself) ....................................... 7 .50 FL (by itself) ........................................... 7.50 Tandem I ................................................. 7.50 Tandem II .............................................. 10.00 Basic Instructor (1st time cert.) ............. 10.00 Advanced Instructor (1st time cert.) ..... 10.00 Tandem Instructor (1st time cert.) ........ 10.00 Class I Paraglider (C-1) ........................... 7.50 Class II Paraglider (C-2) ......................... 7 .50 Paragliding Instructor (1st time cert.) ... 10.00 All Instructor recertifications are free.
A WCL CLINIC AT LMFP Lookout Mt. Flight Park will be holding an Assisted Windy Cliff Launch seminar over Easter weekend, March 30-April 1. The program is designed for both pilots wanting their AWCL Special Skills sign-off and pilots or non-pilots who want to learn how to assist in a wire-launch from Lookout Mtn.'s launch ramp. $10 per person. Contact: LMFP (404) 398-3433.
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Calendar Of Events Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact infmmation (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets. Until Dec. 1: 1991 Region 9 X-C Contest. All flight data must be received by Dec. 15. Must be Region 9 pilot and current USHGA member. Contact: Tony Smolder (304) 6224475. March 14-17: Torrey Windsprints. $150/ glider, first 30 pilots only. Contact: Joe Bill Henry, TotTey Pines Flight Park (619) 4523202 FAX (619) 452-3203. March 16-17: 2nd annual aerobatic clinic with John Heiney. Rain dates March 23-24. Contact: Silent Flight (916) 938-2061.
phies. Contact: C. Lawrence, 303 Main St. South, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada S6H 4V8 (306) 692-9455 (evenings).
April 13-20: 1991 East Coast Championships, Dunlap, TN. One of four World Team points meets this year (450 points guaranteed). Limited entries. Contact: Sequatchie Valley Soaring (615) 949-2301.
May 25-June 2: Lariano Triangle Competition, Lake Como, Italy.
April 13-14: Demos. April 15-16: Hang Gliding Technician Seminar. May 1819: Adventure Sports Fly-In. Contact: Ray Leonard, Adventure Sports, 3680 Research Way#6, Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 8837070.
May 25-27: Paradox Valley, CO Memorial Weekend Fun Fly-In. Glide ratio contest, X-C contest. Prizes! $10 entry per event. Free flyers welcome. Hang III with cliff launch. Contact: Nick Kennedy, P.O. Box 1026, Telluride, CO 81435 (303) 728-3905.
April 13-14: Umpteenth Annual Frostbite Festival '91, Dog Mt., Morton, WA. Spot landing contest and overall good time. Proceeds benefit Dog Mt. Contact: Debbie Bowman (206) 293-3282 or Tina Jorgensen (206) 847-4595.
May 25-27: Rio Grande Soaring Assn. Dry Canyon Fly-In, Alamogordo NM. Spot landing, duration, X-C. Pilots' meeting 9:00 AM May 25 in Dry Canyon LZ on Scenic Dr. near Space Hall of Fame. $20/pilot. Contact: Dave Church (505) 525-3331 or QJ Wilson (505) 434-2001.
April 18-21: Torrey World Paragliding Meet. Contact: Joe Bill Henry, Torrey Pines Flight Park (619) 452-3202 FAX (619) 452-3203.
May4-5: Haney's Point Spring Fly-Out. Atkins, AR. Fun & games. Contact: Sail Wings, (501) 227-4920 launch, or (501) 641-1902.
May 25-June 8: Belocani/Azerbejan USSR Cup. June 11-28: Soviet Nationals, AlmaAta. July 15-30: Keuzil, Touva Republic (Siberia), Russian Republic Finals. July 1925: Second Annual USSR Peace Cup, Yampol, Moldavia (U.S. pilots encouraged to attend). Aug. 29-Sept. 9: Women's Soviet Nationals, Alma-Ata. Sept. 19-28: Feodocia Senior Cup (ages 40+ ). Contact: Vadim Kakurin, Interaero, ul. Panfilova, 20, 125080 Moscow, USSR Tel. (7.095) 490.1294, FAX (7.095) 943.00.59 or FAX Windsports (818) 988-1862. (Mail is slow so FAXing is recommended.)
May 9: Swiss Championships, south of Switzerland (Italian-speaking). Americans invited. Contact: Zurcherstrasse 4 7, PoMfach 1301, CH-8620 Wetzikon, tel. 01/932-4353 FAX 01/932-42-82.
June 15-23: Sandia Classic, Albuquerque, NM. 450 WTSS points. 60 pilots max. Entry $275 until May l, $300 after. Contact: Mike Gregg (505) 822-8586 or J effWolford (505) 275-1406. June 21-23: Wild Wild West Regionals. Contact: Adventure Sports, 3680 #6, Research Way, Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 8837070.
April 5-7: USHGA Board of Directors meeting, Seattle, Washington, at Radisson Hotel. Contact: USHGA Headquarters (719) 632-8300.
May 10-12: 19th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular. June 2: 7th Annual Triathlon of Windsports. June 8-9: 9th Annual Rogallo Kite Festival. June 26: Wit-Bear's Festival of Fun. Aug. 15: 43rd Anniversary of Rogallo Wing Invention. Sept. 22: 2nd Annual Flying Wheels Rollerblade Spectacular. Oct.19-20: 4th Annual Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition. Contact: Kitty HawkKites,P.O.Box 1839,3941 S. Croatan Hwy at Jockey's Ridge, Nags Head, NC 27959 (919) 441-4124 FAX (919) 4417597.
April 11-14: World Freestyle Masters, Crescent Head, New South Wales, Australia. Contact: tel. (065) 66-0166 FAX (065) 660546.
May 18-20: First annual Saskatchewan HG Open. Three days ofX-C competition. Truck tow; bring your rig or rent. U.S. pilots welcome. $30 entry. Cash prizes and tro-
March 16-May 19: Region Nine Championship. Open window cross country, any site in Region, weekend flights; best three totalled. Contact: Pete Lehmann (412) 6613474 BEFORE 9 PM. March 30-April 1: Assisted Windy Cliff Launch clinic. April 6-12: Great Race. April 27: Glider tuning clinic. Contact: Lookout Mt. Flight Park, Chattanooga, TN (404) 398-3433 or (404) 398-3541. March 30: Easter fly-in fund-raiser for women's World Team. Makapuu, HI. Contact: Lani Akiona, Tradewinds Hang Gliding (808) 396-8557. April 1- 7: Paragliding training program*. April 13: Novice ground school. April 19-21: Basic instructor course.* April 19-22: Advanced instrnctorcourse. * May 3-4: L.A. tour.* May 11: Glider maintenance clinic. May 12-18: Ridge soaring camp.* May 19: Parachute clinic. June 1: Big Sur demos.* June 8: X-C seminar.* June 9: Novice ground school. June 16-22: Owens Valley X-C tour.* Contact: Western Hang Gliders, P.O. Box 828, Marina, CA 93933 (408) 384-2622. *Reservations required.
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April 19-21: BasicICP. April 19-22: Advanced ICP. Contact: Jim Johns (408) 384-2622 (Marina, CA). April 27-30: Jeff Scott Challenge, Kagel Mt., Sylmar, CA. Contact: Andy Beem (818) 988-0111.
July 1-8: West Coast Hang Gliding Festival. X-C expo, swap meet., Lakeview, OR. Contact: John Kelso (503) 752-4817. July 1-14: Women's World Championships, Kossen, Austria. July 28-Aug. 3: 1991 National Team Championships, Dinosaur, CO. Five per team. Minimum of 450 WTSS points guaranteed. Each pilot's entry fee $225 postmarked before July I, $275 after. Contact: Chris Reynolds/GenTech Corp., Box 281, Conifer, CO 80433. HANG GLIDING
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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TOTAL $_ _ _ __ INSURANCE INFORMATION The cost of the insurance is included in the full membership fees with the member as additional insured. USHGA provides a Combined Single Limit Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Master Policy in the amount of $1,000,000 per claim which covers all recreational flying. USHGA's insurance is valid ONLY while flying in the U.S., U.S. Properties and CANADA
*Foreign payments must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK. USHGA, PO BOX 8300, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300 FAX (719) 632--6417
(01/91)
1991 USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM QIY,
TOTAL
1991 USHGA CALENDAR 12" X 12" Full color pictorial to the sport that you love. Buy one for a friend! ................................................ $9.95 OTHER USHGA CALENDARS SPECIFY YEAR: 1990 1989 1988 More Excellent Photography-collect them all! ............... $3.00 USHGA SCRAMBLE KNIT SWEATER by Nutmeg Mills Embroidered with Min. Glider emblem, 100% Cotton, "Natural Color" SPECIFY TYPE: CREW NECK or VEE NECK and SIZE: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE ............................................... $39.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER PULL-OVER JACKET 100% Supplex Colored top with black base. Pouch pockets. SPECIFY COLOR: GREEN YELLOW RED BLUE & SIZE: Small Medium Large X-Large ...................................... $29.95 USHGA LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT 100% Collon "Simplistic" Design SPECIFY COLOR: WHITE or GRAY & SIZE S M L XL .......... $16.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER T-SHIRT White-100% cotton. Our most popular shirt. SPECIFY SIZE: S M L XL .................................... $10.95 USHGA YOUTH MTN. GLIDER T-SHIRT For those up and coming pilots. SPECIFY SIZE: S(6-8) M (10-12) L(14-16) ................. $9.95 USHGA NEON LOGO T·SHIRT 100% Cotton Our beloved official logo, color revised of the 1990's. HOT! SPECIFY TYPE: WHITE TANK TOP or BLACK T-SHIRT & SIZE: Small Medium Large X-Large ............................................ $9.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER CAP Embroidered SPECIFY COLOR: RADICAL PINK WILD YELLOW NAVY WHITE ........................ $9.95 USHGA CORDUROY CAP Embroidered with "Glider Trails" design SPECIFY COLOR: ROYAL BLUE OFF-WHITE ..................... $9.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER SHORTS 100% Supplex. Neon and lradilional colors. Side pockets, lining and drawstring. SPECIFY COLOR: PINK GREEN YELLOW RED BLUE & SIZE: Small Medium Large X-Large .......................... $13.95 USHGA "BARS" T-SHIRT Horizontal color bar across chest. SPECIFY COLOR: WHITE or YELLOW & SIZE: S M L XL ............... $8.95 USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRT The original logo T shirt. SPECIFY COLOR: LT. BLUE or TAN & SIZE: S M L XL ........................ $8.95 USHGA EMBLEM BASEBALL CAP Foam white front, colored mesh back. SPECIFY COLOR: RED NAVY GOLD ORANGE .......... $5.00 USHGA LAPEL PIN Beautiful multi-colored Mtn. Glider design. Custom shaped pin w/ military clutch and epoxy dome ...................... $4.95 USHGA 1988 WORLD TEAM PIN Commemorating the world meet in Mt. Buffalo, AUSTRALIA ............................................................ $2.95
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HANG GLIDING FOR THE BEGINNER PILOT by Pete Cheney The Official USHGA Training Manual. Over 200 pages.................. $29.95 H.G. MAGAZINE- Special New Pilot Edition Covering several aspects ie. equip., instructors, log books, 1st solo, etc ...................... $4.50 PARAGLIDING FLIGHT - Walking on Air by Dennis Pagen Covering all aspects of Paragliding. Over 140 illustrations ................... $19.95 HANG GLIDING FL YING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen Our most popular book. For the beginner to intermediate pilot. ......................... $9.95 HANG GLIDING TECHNIQUES by Dennis Pagen Continues where FLYING SKILLS left off. For intermediate to advanced . .............. $7.50 FL YING CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagen Micrometeorology for the hang gliding pilot. Over 90 illustrations ........................................ $7.50 RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HANG GLIDER PILOTS by Erik Fair Overview, humor, techniques and personalities ................................. $8.95 FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS 1991 Federal Regulations covering ALL types of aviation ......................................................... $8.95 USHGA INSTRUCTORS MANUAL Syllabus, information, teaching methods, flighl training maneuvers and procedures ...................... $5.00 HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG by Dan Poynter For the beginner, covering the basics in Rogallo set-up and flight. ....................... $1.50 USHGA DELUXE LOG BOOK 72 pages. Covering pilot ID, ratings, rules, maintenance, inspection, terminology ... and more .............. $4.95 USHGA X·C LOG BOOK 64 pages. Very clean! For those who like to document their flight ................................................................ $3.95 USHGA FLIGHT LOG BOOK 40 pages. The Official USHGA Flight Log Book ...................................................................................... $2.95
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USHGA DELUXE LOG BOOK COVER Gray colored and debossed with the Min. Glider design. Show off your flights ....................... $9.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER SEW-ON EMBLEM The most beautiful patch you'll ever own. 12 different colors used .................................. $4.95 USHGA MTN. GLIDER DECAL Full color 6" diameter vinyl decal. Guaranteed to last! .......................................................................... $1.50 USHGA DESK CLOCK Clear acrylic base w/ gold face plate. LCD Quartz movement Mtn. Glider emblem screened in blue .............. $6.95 USHGA FLYING DISK Min. glider red on black color. Completely soarable. Thermal finding capabilities ............................................ $1.95 USHGA DRINKING MUG w/HANDLE Unbreakable 14 oz. frosted plastic mug. Min. glider screened in blue ....................................... $1.95 USHGA KEY CHAIN "Soft Feel" Plastic. Custom Min. Glider shaped. Screened white on red .............................................................. $1.50 USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM Our original logo, in its original colors on this 3" circular emblem ............................................................... $1.50 USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors on this 3" circular sticker. .................................................................... $ .35 USHGA LICENSE PLATE FRAME "I'd Rather Be Hang Gliding" PLASTIC-white with blue lettering ........................................ $5.50 METAL-(zinc) with white on blue lettering ............................ $6.50
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MAGAZINE COLLECTOR BINDER Brown vinyl binder w/ gold lettering. Wire inserts to hold 12 issues of HG ................................... $9.00 *USHGA ERIC RAYMOND POSTER 24" X 37" Eric doing oxygen at 17,000 ASL over the Sierra Nevada Range ................................ $5.95 *USHGA HANG GLIDING POSTER 22" X 28" Colorful nostalgic standard rogallo flying into the golden sunset. (Circa 1977) .............. $3.95 'Posters are NOT AVAILABLE on lnternalional Orders-SORRY!
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PAYMENT must be included wilh your order. FOREIGN orders must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK! CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD ($2.00 S/C) VISA or MASTERCARD (circle one) acct#_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ exp . _ __ Signature_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
SHIPPING .01 - 4.99 ADD $1.25 ADD 5.00 - 9.99 $2.00 10. -19.99 ADD $3.00 20. - 34.99 ADD $4.00 35. - 49.99 ADD $5.00 ADD $6.00 50. + Canada & Mexico add $1.50 extra Int'\ surface add $4.00 extra In!'\ air add $8.00 exlra
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COLORADO RESIDENTS add 6.5% TAX
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USHGA#
CITY/STATE/ZIP_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING ASSN. P.O. BOX 8300
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
80933-8300
(719) 632-8300
FAX (719) 632-6417
Affordable Variometers Since 1980 The SYSTEK II Variometer THE AFFORDABLE CHOICE
Hang Gliding Spectacular SYSTEK II Variometer $159.00 Systems Technology Inc. P.O. Box 7203
• Hang Glider Pilots • Paraglider Pilots • Compact Size I Mount Incl. • Up Audio Set-Point Adjust • High Sensitivity • Quick Response Time • Extra Long Bauery Life • Add-on Altimeter $38.00 • One Year Warranty
Knoxville, TN 37921 (615) 558-8414
NEWS FLASH ... Is hang gliding a hot news item in your local paper? Please send clippings of stories, photos or articles to the Public Relations Committee through the USHGA office. We want to see your name, your club or your site mentioned in print! USHGA - Public Relations P.O. Box 8300 , Colorado Springs, CO 80933
FASCINATION IN PERFECTION
RATINGS JANUARY, 1991, RATINGS The following ratings were proccessed in January, 199!. This does not necessarily mean they were awarded in January.
SAFE PILOT AW ARDS MATT YODIS
LILIENTHAL AW ARDS Bronze RON L. DIVELY RICHARD P. CAMPBELL FRANK SUSKO MICHAEL HEINSOHN DONALD J. INDRIZZO
Silver STEFANOS MAKRINOS
BEGINNER RATINGS
Regions HJELDE, HANS: Salisbury, CT; P. Voight/Fly High HG OPATRNY, DON: Shelton, CT; G. Keoho/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 9 DAVENPORT,RAWLINGG.,JR: Harper'sFeny, WV; R.Cox/KittyHawk DA VIS, THOMAS W.: Germantown, MD; J. Middleton/Silver Wings DICKERT, BACIL F., JR.: Pasadena, MD; R. Coxon/Kitty Hawk Kites FOLEY, BRIAN: Paoli, PA; B. Umstattd/Sky High GANGLOFF, BEN: Lakewood, OH; M. Delsignore/North Coast HG NEILL, WIL: Philadelphia, PA; B. Umstattd/Sky High WINAND, LEONARD: McKeesport, PA; J. Hostlet/Mountain Top Rec. Region 10 ELFERS, WALTER M.: Lauderhill, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG LAWRENCE, ANTHONY W.: Raleigh, NC; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites LISLE, JOHN REX: Nashville, TN; J. Reynolds/Lookout Mtn. POERSCH, HOLLY: Hixson, TN; B. Chalmers/Lookout Mtn. FP SMITH, LYNN: Marietta, GA; J. Hooks/Lookout Mtn. FP Region 12 HUGHES, JAMES T.: APO, NY; G. Elhart HULBERT, LEEK.: APO NY; G. Elhart ZUNIGA, MARCOS: Freehold, NJ; F. Valenza/Mountain Wings
PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School NOVICE RATINGS Region 2 CONNOLA, DAN: Brentwood, CA; R. Palmon DOCKTER, ARTHUR A.: Newark, CA; R. Palmon FROESS, STEVE P.: San Jose, CA; R. Engorn MARGULIES, SUSAN: Berkeley, Ca; B. Smith PANG, DR. TIA-MIN: San Jose, CA; R. Engorn SCHAUB, GARY: San Francisco, CA; R. Palmon/Mission Soaring Center WOLF, DEXA: Bishop, CA; M. Axen/Vertical World Systems Region 3 WALTERS, DOUGLAS: Paso Robles, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Spmts HOMMEL, TRINKA: El Ce1Tito, CA; C. Bolfing/Airtime of SF Region 4 ARMAS, RAYMOND: Tolleson, AZ; S. Aycock SHOFFNER, JUSTIN: Flagstaff, AZ; S. Mish/Bandito Action Sports Region 7 BROWN, DEAN: Empire, MI; B. Fifer JAMES, CRAIG: Chicago, IL; B. Kushner/Raven HG STOLP, LARRY: Monticello, MN; P. Caulfield STOLP, TROY: Clearwater, MN; P. Caulfield THIMSEN, BILL: Minnetonka, MN; P. Caulfield
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PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 2 CA VENER, RENNY: Mt. Shasta, CA; D. Thomson/Silent Flight HABEGGER, ERIC: San Mateo, CA; C. Bolfing/Airtime of SF JEREMIAH, RANDY: San Francisco, CA; J. Woodward/Natural Flying LOCKHART, MIKE: Sacramento, CA; K. Dearborn/Airtime of SF STALLING, DENNIS: Sacramento, CA; J.L. Anderson Region 3 BAIN, ROBIN: Costa Mesa, CA; D. Skaclal/Hang Flight Systems HUTCHISON, BRIAN: Santa Cruz, CA; J. Williamson WALTERS, DOUGLAS: Paso Robles, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Spmts Region 4 ARMAS, RAYMOND: Tolleson, AZ; S. Aycock DUBBERT, DALE: Tijeras, NM; C. Wood ORTON, JAMES M.: Aspen, CO; G. Greer PATTON, JOSEPH A.: Denver, CO; T. Hackbart/Golden Wings PATTON, TERRY: Golden, CO; T. Hackbart/Golden Wings SCOTT, STEVE: Lake Havasu City, AZ; B. Haneke/Action Soaring Ctr.
HANG GLIDING
RATINGS Region 6 STOVER, JAMES E., JR.: Little Rock, AR; L. Haney/Sail Wings Region 7 MAYS, PAUL: Chicago, IL; B. Kushner/Raven HG YOON, MIN-HO: River Falls, WI; R. McKenzie Region 8 OPATRNY, DON: Shelton, CT; G. Keoho/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 9 BENFIELD, WAYNER.: Pottstown, PA; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites BREDEN, LOIS: Huntington Valley, PA; S. SchaefferNalley Forge HG RODRIGUEZ, JORGE A.: Oaks, PA; G. Ball/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 10 ARMAS, OSWALDO LOPEZ: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG GREESON, FRED: Signal Mountain, TN; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley HANNON, VINCENT, III: Kill Devil Hills, NC; G. Keoho/Kitty Hawk MASSEY, STEVE: Raleigh, NC; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites RIGHETTI, ALEXEI P.: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG Region 12 FARLEO, JIM: Olean, NY; J. Ryan GRAND, GREG: Buffalo, NY; J. Ryan HUGHES, JAMES T.: APO, NY; G. Elhart YABROUDY, ALANE.: Guilderland, NY; P. TI10mbu1y/Torrey Pines FP
INTERMEDIATE RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 CRANDALL, PAUL: Sedro Woolley, WA; T. Johns Region 2 ALEXANDER, MICHAEL: Modesto, CA; K. Muscio CLOSE, JOHN: Castro Valley, CA; D. Wills CROSSWHITE, CLYDE: Berkeley, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime SF ELHARD, THOMAS: Lodi, CA; K. Muscio ROBSON, ANDY: Murrieta, Ca; D. Skadal Region 3 COLE, CHARLES L., III: Morro Bay, CA; K. deRussy STROTHER, BYRNE E.: South Pasadena, CA; A. Beem/Windsprnts Int'l
MARCH 1991
Region 4 BUNCH, JIM: Boulder, CO; T. Hackbart/Golden Wings KNOPINSKI, JACK: Aurora, CO; J. Yocom SEESE, BLAKE: Phoenix, AZ; S. Mish/Bandito Action Sports WESTWOOD, DA VE: Orem, UT; C. Stockwell/Southwind Region 8 MANGEKIAN, STEPHAN: Nashua, NH; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP Region 9 ATER, JEFFREY: Louisville, KY; B. Moffett ATTAWAY, BARR: Anapolis, MD; B. Chalmers/Lookout Mtn FP Region 11 CLEWER, BERNARD: Houston, TX; R. Fisher Region 12 WRIGHT, PETER R.: Warwick, NY; G. Black/Mountain Wings
ADVANCED RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 2 KORNBLUH, ROY: Palo Alto, CA; T. Low SULLIVAN, CLIFF: Carn1ichael, CA; M. Lake/NCHGA Region 3 DARLING, DIRK: Whittier, CA; P. Burns/Windgypsy SCHAG, J.B.: Newport Beach, CA; R. McKenzie ZAPF, ERIC: San Diego, CA; J. Henry/Torrey FP Region 4 GOPPENHAMMER, LUDWIG: Golden, CO; T. Hackbmt/Golden Wings TOPF, TIM: Boulder, CO; T. Hackbart/Golden Wings Region 9 COOPER, DREW: Chesapeake, VA; K. Fleet
FOREIGN RATINGS NOVICE MARTINTHOMA: Frankenthal,Ge1many; A.Hageman/AdvancedAirTech
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WORLD TEAM RAFFLE PRIZES Thermal Snooper, Air Bags, Harnesses, Varios, Altimeters, Helmets, Bumper Stickers, a Glider of Winner's CHOICE!, Flying Gloves, Windvanes, Sweatshirts, Windsoks, T-Shirts, Stained Glass Glider, Videos ... and much, much more! Be sure to enter! THE USHGA WORLD TEAM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THESE CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: Pacific Airwave , Wills Wing, UP international , Leo M. Bynum, Digi - Log Circuits Co. , Publitec Editions, Mission Soaring, High Energy Sports, The Airflow Imaging Co., Sentek Instruments, Mantis Harness, Mountain Wings, Hang Flight Systems, Pro Hang Gliders, Sky Life, Sierra Cloudbase Video, FL YTEC/DODECA, AIRCOTEC/ DODECA, Crystal Air/Sky Gear, Morningside HG, Paul Voight/Fly High, Lookout Mtn. Flight Park, Silver Wings , Sail Wings Hang Gliding ,Wasatch Wings, Thermal, Hang Gliding Emporium, Raven HG School, McLaren Products, Air Wear Sports, Pendulum Sports, Sandia Soaring Assn ., Roberts Glider Insturments, Sequatchie Valley Soaring, Desert Hang Gliders, Hall Brothers, Corolla Flight/Fly Arner. , Systek
Last Chance To Enter! **Raffle drawing April 1, 1991 **
----------------------------------------------· 1991 U.S. World Team Fund-Raiser/Raffle Lots of hang gliding equipment prizes, including a GLIDER of your choice from:
Wills Wing -
Pacific Airwave -
UP International
$10.00 gets you a World Team pin. $20.00 gets you a World Team tank top. $40.00 or more gets you a team sweatshirt with hood. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PLEASE. Enclosed please find: 0 $10.00 for a World Team pin. 0 $20.00 for a World Team tank top. Circle one: Sm. Med. Lg. XL 0 $40.00 for a World Team sweatshirt with hood. Circle one: Sm. Med. Lg. XL XXL Please add $5.00 more when ordering an XXL size. 0 Other contribution of$ to help out the team. I understand I'm entered in the raffle with a donation of $10 or more. Make checks payable to U.S . Hang Gliding Foundation. NAME:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRESS:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CITY:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_STATE~_
PHONE: (
_ _ _ZIP~~~~~)_ _ _ _ _ _ _SOCIAL SECURITY NO. _ _ _ __ _ __ Send to: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933
by Mark Macho the time you read this, the World onships will be underway. I that this would be a good time for USHGA members lo learn a little more about the pilots representing the United States. The information I have is mostly basic data like contest results, age, hat size and so on, so I'm going to try to include a few other details about the guys. I've known some of them for a long lime and some arc recent acquaintances. And in hang gliding, you naturally learn some strange things about people. Since lhe team is in Brazil and I'm not, it should be safe enough for me to include some of these interesting tidbits. So let's sec what we've got!
and holds five FAf World Records: Open Distance, Distance to a Declared Goal, Out and Return to a (]oal, Altitude Gain and Tandem Distance. He's the only pilot to have broken the 300-mile harrier and was the first to break the 200-milc barrier ( 1983). Be has more 200-milc flights than everybody else combined, and who knows how many hundred-milers. In 1989 he was second at the manufacturer's League Meet, third at the U.S. Nationals and second in the Governador Valadares X-·C. In 1990 he was second at Govcrnador Valadares in the PreWorld's and second at the r lobbs Tow meet. At 36, Larry is an accomplished acrobatic pilot, competition pilot and X-C pilot, but I think he's happiest just being a recreational pilot. Wills Wing knows a good thing when it secs one, so Larry gets to fly as much as he wants. lie also gets to travel around the world to fly, and as a result, is probably the most recognized U.S. hang glider pilot. Larry works for Wills Wing and has been sponsored by them since 1986. Larry's sense of humor is subtle, to say the least. I can remember being awakened once (at 2:00 AM) by a long distance call from Japan. ft was asking in Japanese f'or Chuck Y cager's address.
.Jim Lee
Number one on the Team is Larry Tudor. Unless you have just taken up the sport or have been in a cave for the last I years, you 'vc probably heard about Larry. He is without a doubt the most widely experienced pilot we've got. has been on the last three U.S. Teams MARCIi 1991
Jim Lee is the Team Captain, and has been the number two ranked pilot in the U.S. in both 1989 and 1990. I rnct Jim in l 978 at Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado. (Strangely enough, I met Larry Tudor for the first time on the same day.) Jim moved to Albuquerque (my home town) soon after. He and his wife Kathy have been my close friends ever since. It's been a real lesson flying with Jim over the years, watching him get so good. His nature is really easygoing, until it's time to fly. Then he turns into a machine, dedicated to getting the most
out of his glider, his skills, other pilots and the weather. Following Jim is a real lesson in just how inefficient you arc. He just keeps get.ting farther and farther ahead. Jim is 37, and during the winter he's the Director or the Ski Patrol at Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. Tie's been on the National Ski Patrol for longer than I've known him, and he moved around the country following the snow until ending up in New Mexico. In Utah, he cliseovcrccl hang gliding ancl proceeded to teach himself how to survive a crash. In 1976, this was an aceeptcd method. Eventually, he learned how to postpone a crash, and finally discovered how to avoid crashing at all. Jim started competing seriously in 1981, and has won orplacecl high inmost contests he's
entered. Along the way, he has gotten three 200+ mile flights, was the 1986 U.S. National Points Champion and holds an FAI World Record fort he 25-kilometcr Speed Triangle. He flew on the 1988 U.S. Team in Australia and he's been sponsored by Wills Wing since 1986. Psychology plays an important role in world-class hang gliding, and the sight of .Jim asscmbl ing his custonHnadc carbon/kcvlar rigid pod harness shakes up many competitors. They know he's got the only one around and it works better than any harness available.
Barlon Tony Barton (U.S. #3) is a resident of Tucson, Arizona. He works in lhe construction business when he's not leaching hang gliding or com" pcting. !!e's been sponsored by Ultralile Products for the last two years, and his contest placings over that period have been usually in the top five. [ le won the 1990 Hobbs Tow Meet,
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him in action at the 1<)88 World Championships in Australia. This guy takes compclition scri· ous!y. During the cntirc contest, I think I saw him crack a smile about three times. l mean, when Ted puts on his "race face," it stays 011. The Australian team got lo calling him "Chuckles" to try and pct his goal. It clicln 't work.
Terry Rc·vm:1l<ls
Chris Arni
took third in the l 989 East Coast Championships, 1989 Chelan X·C contest and the l <)()() U.S. Nationals. Tony, flew in the 1990 Governador Valadares Pre World Meet in Brazil and took fourth place. Tony is a great X·C pilot, having won the Arizona X-C contest in 1989, and he made a 270 mile l'light from tow in llobbs, Mew Mexico. I've known him since about 1985, and I don't remember him doing anything hut smil ing and lm1ghing most of the time. These arc of hypoxia, so Tony helter watch it.
Ted Boysc ({J.S. 115) is 28 and lives in the l .os area. I le started l'lying in I <)82, and has been a hang gliding instructor for seven years. In that time he's logged over 2,200 t;mdem flights. In competition, Ted has scored enough WTSS points to be 011 the U.S. World team in 1988, 1989m1d 1991. Ik'splacedinthc1opl'ivc in three out or th<'. last !'our lJ.S. N,1tionals, and he won the 1988 Owens Valley X·C Classic. Wills Wing has been Ted's sponsor since I 98'/. I don't know Ted too well, hut I've seen
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Chris Arai ( U.S /t6) is a 33·ycar-old electronics cngim'.cr who lives in Oakland, California. I le started in I 9'/4, having built a bamboo, plastic and duct Uipc marvel. Like everybody els(~ who learned in that era, he is a graduate of !he world renowned "Krnshenlmm Institute of Self-Taught Jiang rniding." Fortunately, he survived and went 10 work for one of the most advanced manufacturing companies of the I 970's, Albatross Sail Clliders. I first met Chris in 1979 al lhc Owens Valley X-C' Open. All l remember is guy with litlle round .lolm Lennon glasses who was al· ways 011 time for the ride up, almost always made goal, and who played Emmy Lou I Iarris tapes non ·Stop. Chris took a few years olT from compeli·t ion lo start his engineering career and mess around with sailboats, if you call sailing around lhc world "messing around." I le got back into the competition scene in I 988, and has consis· tcntly placed well in everything J'rom the Manu· fac11m::rs League Meet to the Nationals, the Owens Valley Meet and the l lobbs Tow Mee\. I le has also been to Brazil for the last two contests ( 1989 and 1990), so he is familiar with the flying site. Chl'is got on the Wills Wing Team in I 9<)0.
At 43, Terry Reynolds ([J.S. 117) is the oldest pilot to ever make the U.S. Wmld Team. I le lives in a remote local ion in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, and is a pilot for a major U.S. airline. I !e's ranked as a Captain, but voluntar· ily look a step down to copilot slalus so he could have enough time ror competition. I !e's been working at getting on the U.S. Team for llm,t: years. Terry holds the r:Ar World Open Distance Record for Class II gt i<krs. One unusual part or Terry's flying career is the kind of flight experience he's gotten.! le siarted flying hang gliders in 1979, but he lkw fort he U.S. Air Force prior to that. I le racked up 2,000 combat hours in Southeast Asia, flying roran "Air Amcrica"typcoutl'it. I le was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses during that time. Arter getting out of the service, Terry was a civilian pilot/adviser for the Royal Saudi Air Force. Compared to that kind of flying, the pressure associated with hang gliding competition must seem like a walk in the pmk. Terry is committed to competition, and he and his wife Christ inc were responsible for running the excellent 1990 U.S. Nationals at Dinosaur, Colorado.
Nelson Howe Nelson I !owe, 28, is the first alternate Cor lh<, team, ranked number eight in the U.S. I le lives in Franconia, New llampsl1ire and is an English teacher. I le is sponsored by Enterprise Wings and has been hang gliding since 1980. I've only met Nelson a few times, but I've been impressed by his quiet confidence and
l li\NC CJ.JDINC:
Team members to act as the Team Leader in Brazil. I le has extensive international experience, having traveled worldwide for much of' his life. Pete's first experience with hang gliding was in I 2 yearn ago. He took his first instruction !here, and has logged over t ,()00 hours and thousands of X--C miles in lhc U.S. and around the world since then. lfo is seriously interested in competition, and regularly competes in most National events. Pelc is ranked 14th in the I 990 U.S. points standings. Experience with modern compel ii ion rules formals aml familiarity with the Team members makes Pete well suited for the job of Team Leader. Also, Pete notes, "None or them hale mc ... yeL"
compclcncc. I (is recent article in this magazine shows off his cxccllenl writing abilities, and after gelling a chance to fly with him at Sandia Peak and Telluride I can tell you that he flies a lot belier than he writes. When I asked for some biographic cl ala on Nelson, his response was cxlrernely brier, only listing his job, basic experience and in two contests: first place in the 1990 East Coast Championships and ninlh in the 1990 Govemador Valadnres Pre·World Meet. I know there's more to this guy, lmt since I don'I have 1ha1 information and he's loo nice to make up lies about, I guess this will have 10 do.
Pete Lehmann
Pete Lehmann (pronounced "Li\ Y-man, dammit!") is, in his own words, "a 38 -year-old Master rated pilot and derelict semi--acadcmic." Talk abouttrnth in advertising! Pete is a USIIGJ\ Region 9 Director, and was selec1cd by the MJ\RCJJ ]991
So those are your Team pilots and the Team l ,cader. In casG you arG wondering, .Joe Bostik is rn11kcd #4, but has chosen not to compclc in the World Championships this year sincG he is actively pursuing his career as a commercial pilot. J\s you can sec, wc'vG got a highly expe-rienccd team going to BrnziL The contest starls with qualifying on February 25, with the final rounds ror the pilots who make the cut beginning March 3. Competition will March 9. Evcnthoughlhc Team is on its way, USJIGJ\ 's fund--raising efforts will continue lhrough April 1, when the winners in the product raffle will be selected. Please help the Team 0111 by sending a donation to the United Stales llang Gliding Foundation. J\11 donations to lhc Foundation arc tax deductible (less Ilic value of prizes received). J\ donation of $10 or more will au1omatically enter you in the produe1 ralllc, and you will
rGceivc a gift in return. For a $10 donation, lJSHGJ\ will send you a 199 l World Team enamel pin; $20 is good for a tank-top shirl with the 1991 World Team logo. For a $40 donation, you will get a really nice hooded sweatshirt with the large, colorful logo screened on 1he back and a small one on the front. The products in \he raffle arc listed in the World Team ad. Note 11ml the top prize is the
glider of your choice from Pacific Airwavc, Ultralitc Products or Wills Wing. I'm sure you know what a large wad of cash that represents! Also, for more signif'icanl amounts raised,many more valuable prizes arc available. Tl1cy range from posters and hook knives lo a BRS rockel-clcployed parachute systGm and custom a har-ncss wilh a BRS system included. See the article in the October issue of! fang Gliding for <fotails. Meanwhile, join me in wishing our Team the best of luck in Governador Valadarcs, and send your donations today! United Stales Hang Gliding Foundation P. 0. Box 8300 Colorado CO 80933
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repair. Bui while J walked down the hillside I just couldn't stop whistling some nerdy tune, happy as hell I spent the money some time ago to give myself the best protection possible. Now, I'm retrofit.ting my chest mount to a rocket also and will have a fast reserve as well. You might call me the "dual rocket dude."
X-C JN PARADISE
rolling out of bed each morning lhc first thing I check is my windsock. Sprouting out the top of a pine tree well up the hilt behind my home in Hauula, the story the windsock tells is a famil· iar one: trades blowing 1().2(). Of course it's sunny, too. God I love Hawaii! After a 20·minutc hike up the hill with my glidcron my shoulder, Carl Shortt is ct 41 ·year--o/d lnterf was fully alcrl. After another con· mediate·ratedpilot with 150 hours ditions check-they're almost al· (Jf'airtime andJ1ies a Sport J80. He ways the same·· T began to set up. has been.flying since 1974 and has Carl flies his Sport 180 over the Kualoa Ranch and Activity Club, site My takeoff site is a modest a commercial balloon license. of the new Hawaiian airpark. 300 feet above sea level, only part Ed. way up Oahu's windward moun· fains. But with strong, steady trades COMMENTARY FROM BRS Several./iicts are worth noting in Carl's ridges to the south· and a series wild ride and succes.;ful deployment. east, I can expec! to launch and We commend Carl's use rfa work the lift up much higher. Then second parachute, which we ./i'el is l'll be able to cruise. heller than compromising the desir;n qf' Pour beautiful valleys lay be-· our rocket.deployr'd system by making tween me and Chinaman's Hatit versatile enough to be hand deployed. the island of Mokol ii-··:iust offshore RRSfindsa second /'/'serve to be the pre/erred choice. from Kualoa Ranch past the small town of tip gets the rug pulled out from under it. Pow! This choir·e is shared by several other lmowlcdgmble Kaaawa (Sec map depicting flight route; arrows My tail gels kicked up and over into a half leaders whoare.fc1111iliar with deploying a 'chateafier show the direction of lhc trades on the day of lurnble. Good Goel, il's the big inversion! an upset. A sernnd complete parachu/1' is hy.fitr the this flight.) My route will turn out lo be nine I found rnysclftracking steadily back away heller alternative as it can improve desce/11 rate miles in a straight line. Bui by following lift from tht: cliff, hanging 01110 !he basetubc. Now, under canopy and can stop a spin (as with Greg back into the valleys, I'll fly perhaps three times these days f fly with a siclc·mountecl BRS and a "Jersey" Rossigno/'s .1·ucccs.;fiil BRS/hanc/-·dcploy that distance. hancl·deploycd chest chute. Having logged 54 Pxperience written up earlier). This is an aerial tour I've done before; parachutes jumps in the '70s, J trust a parachute Modern sky divers now r~(ten equip themselves when the trades fill these valleys with air, lift is but like to carry a reserve. wilh a terliary (third) parad1ute. Redundancy has a plentiful, so I was sure l could cruise lo the In spite of my previous parachuting cxpe· placP in aviarion. Parachute experts will tell you that Ranch where Bill Fulton and some of his friends ricnce and at best only several hundred feet over round canopies have less than a 95% rcliahility.fiJr arc at work on thci r airpark. the trees, I found myself wasting precious time opening. An additional reserve simply makes good My plan was to circle Chinan1an's Hat, sense .fi>r the low cos/ it may add to your gear doing two things. investment. well out in the ocean. The small island is inter-· The first was simply realizing what just By comparison, rockets are proven 99.9% reli· csting in that it marks the end ofunrcslrictcd air happened. Nothing short of acrobatics work able. Thae(i!rc your rocket is more likely 10 ignite and the two-mile distance without lift and over could have prepared me for the sight of my sail than your r·mwpy is likely lo open without ma!fimrwater has kind or a sexy appeal. with earth as a background. So bizarre did this tion. You sense this as you get closer and the hat look that in my mind !he wing appeared 20 feel For those who can r(ifi1rd ii, a sffond system starts to look like a giant breast. Shooting fort he away, as though it wcrcn 't really mine. with rocket deployment has to /Jc an even /Jetter I lat only cost me about 1,500 feet but as I went Second, and worse, I began to dread the choice. As Carl concludes, speed is of the essence, for it, cloudbase restricted me to 2,:lOO feet. spectacle of a tree landing even with the para-and nothi11g wi/1 deploy o parachute jiwer than a Thus I came back lo the ridge prctly low. chute. I waited for the unlikely: that the glider rocket. would correct itself in time. Last, we encmirage pilots with any parachute to ROTOR-INBlJCEn UPSET 1 guess that l rtcw inverted for five or six do some mental planning hejr1re they ever have 10 The normal 70° trade winds were 10° more seconds before that light bulb came on and I deploy. You prohah/y now review the /oration rfyour northerly and this subtle difference was forcing realized my decision time was spent. .. as in deploymc/11 handle---rocket or hand -so that you can the winds at 600' MSL to cross the cliff face consumed, used up, expended, over with. .find it withoHt looking and with a minimum o/Jimzhle horizontally (sec detail of map near arrow at I pulled the rocket handle and watched my in a tense siruation. U'you don't already do this, start Kaoio Point). 'chute fly away with a loud hiss. ln what seemed immedilllely, and do it often. This produced some hefty turbulence as the same instant I sidc·slippcd, steep and fast. You should also men/ally p/anjiJr the scenarios the wind moved over the waves of grooves that Just before the sound of brnnches brushing where yo11 will want lo 11se your reserve system. The line the faces of the windward cliffs. Allowing wings, I fell a strong tug. The parachute had rocket may allow obit more de/oy ond sti/1 resulr in a sati4i1ctory conclusion as ii didfi1r Carl, hut time is a clearance of a couple hundred feet, I apworked, thanks to the cxlrcmcly quick extracimportant with all reserve systems. The quicker you proached the bend that I needed to pass in order tion by rocket motor. can deride to/ire or throw your' dwre, rhe more likely to gain lifting air. Unfortunately I met a force you arc 10 gel rhe desired results. Remember, even that may as well have been one of the 20-foot POSTSCRIPT qfier a rnnopy is ,\'ln'U's.1yi,i/y deployed, some second.1· waves that some\ irncs pound the shores of J Ja .. I retrieved my canopy, packed it in my harness, are requiredjiJr Iha! canopy to decelerate your mo· waii. and hiked it oul with this funny feeling. J was tio111oward termjirma. Give !he mnopy all the time Joe Rotor pals me on the but! as he certainly going lo take heat from my flying you can by planning ahead. Iii turns me 180° back into the ridge. Oof! My left friends and I would have to pause for glider
or
article and photo by Carl ShorU
2.2
HI\NC CUDINC
HANG GLIDING 101
Parachute Maintenance or, Why You Should Take Such Good Care of Something You Hope You'll Never Use © 1991 by G. W. Meadows NOTICE: The opening segment of this article is strictly fictional, although plausible. It is highly unlikely that an occurrence of this kind will happen to you, however, it is possible. The purpose of this article is to hopeji1lly prevent an incident of this type.
John was thennaling pretty aggressively in a small gaggle when he heard the sickening thud-crack noise and he instantly knew it wasn't business as usual. He looked toward his left wing just as his glider broke and went inverted. He found himself lying on the undersurface of the rapidly spinning glider with his left ann caught behind him in the suspension straps of his harness. He tried to move around a bit to reach his parachute handle, but being zipped up inside his pod harness made any use of his legs a ridiculous proposition. This wasn't anything like he'd imagined it would be. The G forces caused by the rapidly spinning glider were holding him out past the right downtube and on his side. Only after an enormous effort was he able to free his left mm. He quickly unzipped his harness, allowing his legs the freedom they needed. Being able to bend at the waist, he was able to roll over enough to allow him to get at his 'chute handle. He grabbed it, pulled the pins loose and pulled the 'chute from its container all in one desperate motion. As the 'chute came out of his harness, the lines and bridle fell from the deployment bag onto the trailing edge of the glider. Two of the lines snagged on the protruding end of the most inboard batten. John instantly realized that the rubber bands on his deployment bag had dry rotted,
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If your parachute doesn't have a Type 18 bridle and a modern staged-deployment system, update it.
allowing the bridle and lines to fall in an untimely fashion from the deployment bag. John cursed himself for not repacking his 'chute for the new season. He chucked the rest of the 'chute over the trailing edge and hoped that luck was on his side today. Within seconds, the spinning glider had wrapped the 'chute completely up and John knew that things weren't going his way. Seven revolutions later, he impacted on an outcropping on the backside of the ridge that he'd been soaring. After more than eight months of therapy, John can walk without his crutches. He's convinced that if he'd had a fresh repack on his back-up system, he'd be flying right now. What can we learn from this scenario? Lots!
First, your back-up system is designed to be used in a particular manner for optimum performance. The 'chute is packed into the deployment bag along with the lines and bridle in such a way that it deploys in stages. In the past few years, parachute manufacturers have come out with a complete "staged" deployment bag which outperforms the older type. The bag is separated into two different chambers. The larger chamber is for the properly packed and folded 'chute and the smaller chamber is for the lines and bridle. With the use of rubber bands, each segment of the deployment stays in the bag until its precise time to exit. This does a couple of things. It prevents the lines from being exposed to parts of a spinning or tumbling glider until the bridle has been completely extended (which in most cases will be past the reach of a wing tip). Also, it keeps more mass in one place (the deployment bag) for a longer period of time, which will tend to keep that mass moving in the direction that you've heaved it until it reaches full canopy extension. A securely packed hand deploy 'chute will withstand you pulling it from your harness and shaking it violently without any part of it falling out of the deployment bag. Another thing we can learn from this scenario is that when it comes to actually deploying your parachute, all bets are off. Your biggest concern will probably be simply being able to get the 'chute out of the container unimpeded, and heading away from the glider. In a genuine emergency situation there's no telling in what attitude you or your glider will be. This is one of the many of valid arguments for ballistically-deployed
HANG GLIDING
.
HANG GLIDING 101
WARNING: The Instructor General has determined that using the information contained in this article without the assistance of a USHGA-certified instructor can break or kill you. Seek professional help! parachutes. With a ballistic 'chute, one of the more difficult stages of deployment is taken care. Pulling a cable is all that is necessary to fully deploy a ballistic 'chute. If John had had a ballistic chute he'd most likely have been okay, but there are no guarantees! I've recently attended a seminar in which much information about parachutes was presented. I thought you might be interested in the same information, so I took good notes.
TREAT YOUR PARACHUTE NICE! Here are some preventive steps you can take to make your parachute last longer. Stains~ There are many things that can stain a parachute and some of them can weaken the fabric. Acidic stains are the worst! Acid comes in many forms, from orange juice to urine to dead bugs that have crawled up in your ·chute and died. Acid is extremely harmful and should be dealt with in a timely manner. If you know that your 'chute fabric has had long term contact with an acid-based substance, then have it checked out by a professional. If you are aware of short term acid contact, then wash and rinse ' the material thoroughly and hang to dry indoors. S1111/ighr - We've all seen the effects of sunlight on our gliders, cars, clothing, skin, and so forth. Parachute material is very vulnerable to damage from sunlight. For this reason, it is imperative that you shelter your canopy from the sun as much as possible. Most of the new deployment bags which I mentioned earlier are made of a special UVresistant material which protects your canopy from damage. Once you're done flying your harness should be one of the first things packed away, to help prevent this problem. Heat~ Heat is also bad for your canopy material. It poses much the same problem that stains do, so you want to be sure you don't cany your harness and 'chute around in the MARCH 1991
trunk of your car. Not only is it bad for the material, but it's hell on the rubber bands which are the heart of the deployment system. The heat that can build up in your trunk is enough to melt the rubber bands. Hu111idity - Prolonged periods of exposure to high humidity can reduce the strength of your canopy by up to 50%. A lot of this humidity you can do nothing about. Some of us live in regions where high humidity is just part of life. Common sense should be exercised elsewhere to prevent the canopy from being exposed to excess humidity. Let's talk about the different kinds of parachutes. Most or us are familiar with and own a conical or flat round parachute. A few years ago some folks played with the idea of using a pulled-down apex 'chute for hang gliding with mixed results. Recently, however, we've seen the reincarnation of this type or 'chute. Basically it's a round 'chute with the apex (or center) pulled down in the middle when it's inflated. This creates more drag and thus a lower descent rate. (If I made it sound as though you could take your nomrnl parachute and pull clown the center to make a pulled-down apex 'chute, then I shouldn't have. Stability will be affected. Pulled-down apex 'chutes should be designed, not retrofitted.) Since a pulledclown apex 'chute descends more slowly that a regular 'chute, you can use a smaller 'canopy of the pulled-down apex variety. Here are some numbers on the difference in descent rates of the two canopies. All descent rates are with a 350-pouncl steel slug attached to the encl of the bridle, so your descent rate with a hang glider attached should be about 20% lower. A 20-gore conical will sink at 25-26 feet per second, which is approximately 17.4 miles per hour. A 20-gore pulled-down apex sinks at 19 feet per second, which is approximately 12.9
miles per hour. Obviously, you can use the same size 'chute in a pulled-clown apex design and get a 25% better descent rate. Another advantage to the pulled-down apex design is the fact that it opens significantly more quickly than the traditional parachute. All in all, I'd say that if it's time for you to buy a new parachute, a pulled-down apex type would definitely be a good choice. Here's something that you'll probably have a hard time believing: pulledclown apex 'chutes cost no more than conical designs. Ask your dealer.
SWIVELS A discussion about parachutes would not be complete without covering the latest in parachute accessories. Swivels are put in line along the bridle and keep a spinning glider (such as in our opening scenario), from knotting up the bridle and lines and eventually closing the skirt of the 'chute. My opinion is that they are an extremely valuable accessory. Be sure chat if you get one, you have it installed exactly as suggested by the manufacturer. BRIDLE LENGTH The length of the bridle on your parachute should be 25 feet. This will allow 20 feet of bridle to extend from your harness to the wing tip and another five feet of bridle to run up your harness mains to the carabiner. This one detail can make all the difference when it comes to the successful deployment of a reserve system. I hope you've found this information about parachute systems helpful. If you have any questions, ask your dealer or call up one of the manufacturers who advertise in this publication. Above all, get your 'chute repacked for the upcoming flying season. Let's keep the accident numbers low and put Doug Hildreth out of a job! • 25
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1990 Accident Review The First 20 Years by Doug Hildreth
Hang gliding has been around for 20 years now. As I have reread the old accident reviews from the magazine, I am impressed with how some things change, and with how many things stay the same. Let me go through some of our old and current data to illustrate. Over the years our mode of flying has changed. Those first few flights were ground skimming glides from a sand dune to the beach. I can still remember the first description of true soaring flight and how excited we all were by it. Today we soar mountain themrnls, tow on flatlands, and fly for hours crossing great distances. There are more pilots, and the number of flights and air hours have increased exponentially. During those early years of rapid maturation a number of problems sutfaced. First and foremost, everyone wanted to try it. Equipment, instruction, sites and wind conditions were no concern: "I'll just go ahead and try it. I watched someone once and it's real easy." Hang gliding has inherent risk that cannot be eliminated, and as long as weather changes, as long as pilots are human (and can forget and make mistakes), as long as equipment can fail, as long as there is something new to try, and as long as there are people who won't listen to authority (I already know it all), then there are going to be hang gliding accidents. and some resultant fatalities. Fatalities As we all know those early years were marked by a plethora of foolish mistakes and a soaring number of annual fatalities which reached 40 by 1974. But we learned rapidly too, and by 1977 had lowered our annual number of fatalities to under 25. By l 984 we were able to push it under MARCH 1991
10, where it has essentially remained for the last six years. There were eight hang glider pilots who lost their lives in l 990. This translates into a fatality rate of 32 per 100,000 participants. That's not quite as good as last year (six fatalities), but it is ··acceptable" and close to what I suspect is our honest average.
efforts have not shown any visible effect so far. The mechanics of a crash on landing haven't changed and the pilot is still at risk of injury or death. Whenever the control bar hits the ground, the glider is going to nose over and stop immediately, while the pilot decelerates by smashing head first in to the glider or the ground. This means broken heads, necks and chests.
Launch Crashes on launch have al ways been one of our major nemeses. Both launch and landing speeds are low-near stall. It doesn't take much to stop the glider from flying. Although gliders now have higher stall speeds and are a bit less responsive than in the old clays, crashes on launch have increased only minimally. When we made a concerted effort to decrease them a few years ago, they did decrease, only to rise again as we relaxed our efforts. Launches still need our continued active attention. Crashing on launch continues to be caused by the same things: poor run, nose-high attitude, wings not level or nowind I crosswind I downwind conditions.
In-Flight Stall This remains common with beginners on the training hill and novices on early altitude flights. Frequently the in-flight stall occurs soon after launch (essentially a part of the launch sequence), or while scratching close to the hill in an attempt to stay up longer. The third most common event is stalling on landing approach (with or without a wind gradient). These scenarios have been the same for the last 20 years and the insidious nature of an in-flight stall continues to bring down pilots.
Landing It used to be that launch and landing accidents were equally frequent. But over the last three years the number of crashes on landing has increased alanningly. There are now twice as many as crashes on launch. We all know the new gliders arc harder to land and land at higher speeds, but this knowledge has not been translated into effective action. Higher landing speed can be controlled with a properly timed and executed flare. There has been much written in our magazine about landing technique, and instructors are reemphasizing landing skills to their students. but these
Hook-In Failure to hook in has been around as long as the sport. Oclclly enough, the incidence remains the same: five to ten reported cases per year. Fortunately, most are non-fatal. The primary cause is almost always pilot distraction. Typically the pilot is hooked in ready to go, unhooks to adjust his radio or camera, or goes to the car for something, or assists another pilot, etc., and returns to launch without hooking back in. Failing to hook in can happen to anyone. Those people to whom it has happened didn't expect it to ever happen to them. Plan ahead, think about it, and rehearse what you will do if it does happen.
27
Improper Assembly I Inadequate Preflight As with failure to hook in, the common theme is distraction and haste. Fortunately, these accidents occur infrequently, but we always hear of a couple a year. The incidence has remained constant despite the more complex assembly requirements of newer gliders. This shows that it's not complexity but routine I memory lapse that is the problem. You've done it 1,000 times and can do it in your sleep, so you do. Sleeping through assembly and preflight could be very hazardous to your health. Flew Into Something Murphy's law applies here: "If it can be flown into, it will." Originally we flew into gliders, people and cars. This still happens, but now we've added trees, fences, rocks, sprinklers and power lines. Avoidance requires proper planning of setup and approach. Every year a few pilots land in the suif. Ocean waves are very powerful and very dangerous. We have lost a number of pilots to the surf. Don't land in it; if you do, unhook immediately while calling for help. Keep the sail out of the water if possible. Mid-Airs Twenty years ago there wasn't the problem of the hang glider gaggle. Now, with fewer sites and more pilots, we have two or three mid-airs each year (through the SO's). We can expect this number to rise as the concentration of pilots increases, so we need to be particularly attentive to others sharing our airspace. Don't stake your life on the assumption that the other guy will get out of your way. Weather Strong weather has always played a significant role in hang gliding accidents. With last year's unusually strong weather throughout the country, there was an increase in weather-related accidents both in competition and recreational flying. We are all guilty of occasionally leaping into threatening skies, greedy for more airtime. Sometimes the weather really does sneak up on us, but most of the time we are flirting with a stonn and get caught. Our sport requires know! edge of, and respect for, all types of weather, balanced with our knowledge of our glider's perfo1mance envelope and our own skills. Aerobatics In the early 70's, a 360-degree turn was a radical maneuver and fatalities resulted, as pilots pushed
28
the limits of their craft and themselves. With the rise of aerobatics over the last several years there has been a rise in accidents, as you would expect. Some accidents result from inexperienced pilots perfonning their first maneuvers incorrectly. Some, of course, are experienced pilots who either make a technique e1rnr or simply push the glider farther than it can go. Parachutes Early on, many pilots who are now saved by parachutes fell to their deaths. Almost every pilot who flies at altitude now wears one. Some wear two. Every year there are between 10 and 20 reported parachute saves. The rocket-deployed systems are a significant advance. There are occasional reports (two or three per year) of unsuccessful chute deployments. Hopefully, as more pilots get rocket-deployed chutes this number will disappear. Structural Failure The incidence of structural failure has dropped over the years. Primary structural failure occurs in two settings these days. One is in a tumble when some part of the glider breaks. The other is in an old glider whose sail or cable failure is essentially the result of an ignored maintenance problem. TheHGMA has made a real difference in structural safety. Ten to 15 years ago fatalities resulted from pilots modifying gliders. This cause of accidents has all but disappeared. Towing Towing has been around since the beginning of (some may say before) hang gliding. With our current techniques, towing safety has been dramatically improved. But towing still carries extra risks. There were 17 reports submitted with three fatalities last year. Please note that two of the fatalities resulted from nose-high attitude and accidental release from tow close to the ground. Summary Over the past 20 years we have been able to mitigate or nearly eliminate several causes of hang gliding accidents. But too many of them we have not been able to change. Crashes on landing have actually doubled in spite of our efforts. We must strive to further reduce both the causes of accidents and the resultant injuries.
Injuries Hang gliding injuries run the gamut of body parts. The preponderance of serious injuries involve the head, neck and chest. Lesser injuries involve upper and lower extremities. Head The hallmark of serious hang gliding accidents is the prone pilot who is virtually guaranteed to hit his head first. Despite universal helmet use, head injury remains the most common cause of death. Deceleration forces are so great that the helmet simply cannot absorb them. Face While not frequent, face and dental injury are seen in association with head trauma. The fullface helmet is protective but can-ies a number of disadvantages. We need an acceptable, nonrestrictive extension from the helmet to protect the face. Neck Fracture of cervical vertebrae is only slightly less common than head injury. The two go together, of course, as the mechanism of injury is the same. The incidence of death, permanent paralysis or temporary nerve deficit from the spinal cord being severed or contused is high. Chest The third most common cause of death is aortic arch tear. This is a typical deceleration injury and tears the large aortic artery shortly beyond where it leaves the heart. Immediate death from hemorrhage may occur, or it may seal off temporarily only to have delayed bleeding minutes or hours later. Rib fractures are fairly common, but puncture or contusion of the lung is less frequent. Shoulder The prone pilot with his arms outstretched is susceptible to both shoulder dislocation and ligament tears. Collar bone fracture is relatively infrequent. Arm The supraconcly Jar humerus fracture ( upper mm just above the elbow) is a classic hang gliding injury. This fracture usually results from the upright pilot starting through the control bar as his glider suddenly stops and hitting the aim or elbow on the downtube. Forearm and wrist fractures result from falling forward on the outstretched hand, or HANG GLIDING
from maintaining a death grip on the control bar. These last two upper extremity injuries are typically found on the training hill. Female pilots tend to break their arms a bit more often, which can be explained by their lesser bone density. It has been speculated that their lack of experience on the athletic field with tuck-androll, falling-down sports may also be a factor. Abdomen, Lower Back, Pelvis These are occasionally injured. These injuries are more likely to occur when the pilot and glider are falling vertically rather than flying forward and running into something. Lower Extremities Sprains and bruises are fairly common while fractures are not. Again, the more serious lower extremity injuries occur when the glider and pilot are falling straight down. Often this injury is in association with multiple other injuries. Summary Injury patterns have changed little over the last 20 years. We have, however, clone little to protect the pilot during crashes. Over the last 20 years there have been many hang gliding safety milestones: Hand-deployed parachutes and, more recently, ball istically-deployecl parachutes. The formation of the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association and the creation of a glider certification program. The creation of USHGA-certified instructors and the push for all pilots to have graduated from a lrnng gliding school. Theclealer/manufacturer's test flight program for all new gliders before delivery to the customer. The safe pilot program as a means of rewarding those pilots who practice safe flying. Challenges Where do we go from here? Pilot air bags. The original accident review chairman, R.V. Wills, encouraged their development in 1975. Maybe someday. Instruction using radio communications for all flights. Dissemination of towing information MARCH 1991
through this magazine. Doing something to decrease crashes on landing. Doing something to decrease failures to hook in.
ACCIDENT CAUSES 1990 Crash on launch Crash on landing In-flight stall Flew into tree power line ground other Landed in stuf Strong weather Aerobatics Mid-air collision Improper assembly Harness problems Failure to hook in Parachute deployment
79 135 28 42 14 I
8 19 I
19 7 3 1 6
FATALITY RECORDS Year
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Foot Launch 0
Tow Tandem Total 0
2 4 9 40 32 38 24 23 22 16
5
II II
3 4
4 6
2
5
17 10 6 5
2
(2)
3
2 4 9 40 32 38 24 23 23 21 12 14 8 9 5 18 12 6 8
15
1990 FOOT LAUNCH FATALITIES Tow Foot
17 276
HANG GLIDING INJURIES 1990 Head Face Neck Chest Shoulder Atm Elbow Forearm Abdomen Back Pelvis Thigh Leg Ankle/foot
23 6 14 14 6 20 9 15 6 2 6
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Bob Allmon
42 Advanced Moyes XS
1/6/90 Waihee Dune, Maui, Hawaii Ruptured thoracic aorta
Event: Experienced pilot launched from dune, worked up and flew clown the ridge, top landing. Landing may have been hard and glider could have been damaged. Pilot re-launched and instead of continuing on clown the ridge as is customary, headed straight for the beach seeming to have control problems. Crashed in a rotor behind ridge near the beach.
I
3 9
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
David O'Neal
34 Advanced La Mouette
3/25/90 Reel Rock, Reno, Nevada Head injury, broken neck, died next clay
Event: Launched into strong winds, made a pass, then seemed to start a 360 too close to the
29
hill. With the strong wind, downwind leg was very fast and he was unable to complete the turn. Tried to flare but to little avail.
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Bob Bautz
58 Advanced Wills Wing Raven 229 5/6/90 Hensons Gap, Tennessee Head injury, broken neck, chest injuries
Event: Light pilot on large glider, launched into what had been mellow conditions. A sudden gust right after launch turned him back into the cliff at high rate of speed, pilot and glider then fell another 125 feet. High winds moved in just after accident. Dead at the scene.
tempted parachute deployment, but too low. Some question of sail failure.
locked out, was released, whip stalled, and crashed head first onto the ice. Died instantly.
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
C.E. Shue 55 Advanced Wills Wing Sport 6/3/90 Shasta Dam, California Head, multiple injuries
Event: Pip pin carabiner failure during wingovers, probably secondary to hang strap being looped around the pin handle. Pilot hung on to basetu be and attempted to fly glider back to the hill. Hit a themrnl, was jerked from glider and fell 200 feet. No attempt to deploy parachute was made. Died instantly.
TOW LAUNCH FATALITIES Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Joe Gillis 33 Advanced Airwave Magic IV 5/19/90 Point of the Mountain, Utah Head injury, chest injury
Event: Experienced, reportedly conservative pilot doing wingovers at 250 feet. Reporters describe attempted loop with stall at the top, inversion, tumble, structural failure and at-
30
Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Jeff Martel 26 None Aeolus Echo 3/3/90 Gilmanton, New Hampshire Severe head injury
Event: With essentially no experience, attempted static tow on frozen lake with snowmobile. After lift-off, glider oscillated severely,
Brad Anderson 24 Novice Flight Designs Javelin 3/29/90 McMinville, Oregon Head injury, ruptured thoracic aorta
Event: "Strong novice" pilot with truck tow experience and instructors present launched and rose to 50 feet over truck. Pushed out hard enough to release and continued to push out after release. Whip stalled and dove into the ground. Died instantly. Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:
Eric Aasletten 25 Intermediate UP Axis 7/5/90 Hobbs, New Mexico Head injury
Event: Towing competition in midday thennal conditions. Normal launch sequence to 50 feet where apparent thermal caused glider to go into extreme nose-high attitude, accidently releasing tow line. Hammerhead stall with head first crash onto runway. Helmet broke. Died immediate! y. •
HANG GLIDING
for you to develop a mental picture of the ridge's shape. That image of the ridge combined with knowledge of the wind's strength and direction will enable you to plan your first pass on the ridge with the highest probability of flying in lifting air. Planning With your knowledge of the ridge's shape, wind direction, velocity, bird behavior, etc., you can plan before launch what you will attempt. Where will you go, and why? For example: today the wind is cross from the left, therefore you will want to go to the right oflaunch to the section of ridge facing more into that wind. How far down the ridge? To the steeper rock face where lift is more likely to be found. Are you going to stay in one bowl? How low will you let yourself get before heading out to the landing area? You must think about your landing approach before launch, because if you scratch until you are low, you might leave yourself in an odd position for a landing. It is far safer to plan rather than improvise an approach. Your plans may be very wrong at first, but they give you a framework on which to build your scratching knowledge: "The last time it was like this, I tried to go left and it didn't work. This time I'll try to go right," and so on. It is a far more efficient path to wisdom than just randomly winging it when you launch. Remember, we are discussing small ridges where even one mistake often means landing rather than soaring. Thinking ahead minimizes mistakes. Picking A Launch Cycle Because you are flying a small site it is important to launch at the best possible time. You don't have any altitude to waste searching for lift, and, in addition, if you get more than a few feet below the top of the hill at a small site you might never get up. The lift is often concentrated right at ridge top height on a light day. To be able to pick a good launch cycle you must gather information by observing conditions while you are setting up. Don't let your buddies distract you with idle chatter. That's what we have bars for. What you should watch for are relationships between clouds and cycles, sun and cycles, windlines on water, directional changes and velocity changes. Watch the leaves. Are they moving to the right of launch, and is a bird or glider going up in that area? Try to get a feel for the pattern of the day's wind behavior so that
32
when you do go to launch you have a clear idea of what constitutes a good launch cycle for a given day. It is pointless to go to launch with unrealistic expectations of the day's conditions. If you do that, you will sit on launch growing roots waiting for perfect conditions that will never come. While setting up you should detennine the characteristics of the best conditions that you can expect on that day so that you have a firm, realistic idea of what to look for on launch. After setting up, hook in and go to launch with that list of the desirable launch conditions in mind. On a light day, useable cycles may be very short, and there may be as few as two or three a day. You will not have time to observe the beginning of a cycle. Hook-in, do a hang check and get to launch in time to get off in the cycle. You need to be all set to go when a recognizable cycle begins. Once you have recognized a good pattern watch for it and launch. Don't wait too long or you may well launch into the sink side of the cycle. Unfortunately, you will never be absolutely sure it is the right time, but each launch you do make fills your data banks and improves your judgement for the future. Sitting on launch is useless. Be prepared for some sled rides. Your inexperience guarantees that you will mess up a fair bit, but it is critically important that you gain actual experience to improve your decision making ability. Because you are fairly likely to make some sled rides, take some care to aITange for a quick turnaround from below. Get to the hill early enough to aITange to leave a vehicle in the LZ, or ask other pilots if they will come to get you if you break down quickly. One advantage of small sites is that the turnaround time is short if you hustle your breakdown and setup. That means that the penalties for taking a chance in light conditions are not too severe.
THE NUTS AND BOLTS: HOW TO FLY Now that you have set up, diligently observed conditions and f01med a plan of action on launch it is time put it into action. I. Launch hard, every foot of altitude conserved by a good launch counts. Unnecessarily losing even 20 feet by dogging your launch can make the difference between soaring and a sled ride on small ridges. 2. Tum immediately. Your objective is to stay close to the ridge because on a light day the lift band is very narrow and close to the hill. 3. Follow the contour of the hill. If the
ridge line drops back a bit, you should follow that change in the ridge's shape to maintain a constant distance from the hill. If you don't do that, you will actually be flying futther away from the hill and consequently you will be in a weaker part of the lift band. 4. As you gain altitude, move in on the ridge until you are right over the top. If you don't do this you will effectively be moving away from the hill as you climb, because the ridge slopes backward as it rises. 5. THE GREAT PARADOX: Fly with extra speed, but push out in lift. The air near the hill is very uneven with pops of lift quickly followed by sink and turbulence. The extra speed is your safety margin. It prevents you from suddenly being stalled when the wind suddenly drops off. It also enables the glider to maneuver more quickly to avoid problems caused by turbulence. A good speed to fly is somewhere between minimum sink and best glide speeds. After having warned you not to fly too slowly near the hill the next rule is a contradiction: Push out in lift. Each patch of lift is an opportunity to gain altitude. By pushing out you increase the altitude gained in two ways. First, you improve your glider's sink rate by flying closer to its minimum sink speed. Second, by flying more slowly you spend more time in the lifting air than if you were to speed through it. When pushing out in lift, don't do it too abruptly because that may slow you to near stall speed and make you vulnerable to abruptly flying into the sink beyond the lift. Your glider will then be stalled and quickly lose a lot of altitude. As we are discussing scratching in the context of flying close to the hill, it should be obvious that it is dangerous to be stalled close to the hill. To minimize this danger gradually reduce your speed in lift and be acutely aware of any sign that the lift is weakening. Immediately, but smoothly, increase your airspeed. Your ideal flight path along a ridge should be one of smoothly varied airspeeds-slower in lift, faster in sink. 6. Always leave a way out, and use it the second you feel even the slightest bump into the hill. Try to avoid pointing at the hill as much as possible. This can be done by crabbing to let the wind drift you back onto the hill without having to point directly at it. 7. TURN IN LIFT. This is the cardinal mle of scratching. A turning glider is inefficient. Turning in sink makes a bad situation HANG GLIDING
worse. You can lose enormous amounts of altitude by turning in sink, so think ahead about turning points. Remembering how yourridge is shaped, and the day's prevailing wind direction will give you an idea of where to go to make turns in lift. At all cost, try to avoid turning in sink. Speed up instead, and pass through the sink until you get to lift, or at least a more promising spot to turn. Altitude you laboriously gained at a 50 fpm climb rate is lost in a hurry when a hasty turn in sink generates a 400 fpm sink rate. 8. Be flexible in the air. Remember that lift moves around with minor changes in wind direction, velocity and thermal activity. If an area that has been working isn't now, look elsewhere. It is a common mistake for rookies to do well for fifteen minutes, but then get flushed off the ridge as conditions change slightly. Rather than move on to new lift pockets, they continue to turn in the spots which had been generating lift minutes before. 9. Look ahead for indicators of changed liji: Are the leaves still moving? Did a hawk just
come out of the trees, are the gliders ahead of you getting lower? Is the smoke in front of the ridge suddenly moving in a different direction? Pay attention because you can read a lot about the air you will shortly be flying in. My home site is above a wide river on the surface of which one can often see a detailed picture of coming changes in the wind. 10. Be alertfor thermals, don't just think about ridge lift. The two are often found together. You will learn that those bumps you feel close to the hill are generally not "turbulence," but thennals. As you gain experience and confidence you will learn to figure out their dimensions, and how you can best stay in them and climb to sufficient altitude where you can 360 in them and climb away from the hill. The usual tactic will be to do figure eights in the lift until it gets you high enough to do 360's. Whatever you do, the main point is that those bumps are likely to be thermals, and should be viewed as potential tickets off the ridge. Failure to recognize these bumps as lift is one of the most common scratching e1Tors com-
mitted by even experienced pilots. Think thermal. 11. Don't gil'e lip too early. Work bowls and spines that might be producing lift all the way to the LZ. Some sites are so small that this advice is not too useful. But at higher sites you can often scratch your way back up from well below launch. Henson's Gap in Tennessee comes to mind. The key is to not give up until you are on the ground, and to pass over every possible lift source on the way to the LZ. Don't just give up and fly out to arrive over the field with lots of wasted altitude. That altitude should be invested in searching for lift.
CONCLUSION These methods are universal. I have described them mainly with respect to my club's small sites. However, they are equally valid at any other site, large or small. The basic lesson I am trying to impart is that staying in the air at small sites is a learnable skill, and one that rewards eff011 and intelligence far more than sheer nerve, as is commonly thought. •
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33
PATH WIT/-! TAIi-WiND AND NO G0'/D1ENT 'PAT/-1 IN
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The Art And Practice Of
Uphill, Downwind Landing Two Wrongs Make A Right © 1991 by Dennis Pagen
erforming unnatural acts, while providing a certain perverse allure, is likely to get you thrown in jail. But here we are going to show you how to get away with an act seemingly against nature. Actually, what we are going to do isn't in violation of any natural law, but our senses tell us the contrary, so it is this prejudice that we are going to have to dispel. Then we are going to land up a steep slope while traveling downwind. 36
HANG GLIDING
Why would you want to do such a thing? Well, if you are a cross-country pilot, sooner or later you will be compelled to land in a place less hospitable than the groomed fields of the local sites. Quite often these ad hoc landing fields are not flat. If you are very familiar with uphill, downwind landing technique your options are increased and consequently safety is enhanced. ln a cross-country article, Pete Lehmann pointed out that one of the most important skills necessary for excelling at X-C is that oflanding. Rodger Hoyt in the January, 1991, issue of this magazine lists sloped landing fields as one of the most common types of hazards when landing out. He further illustrates the need to have uphill, downwind landings in your bag of tricks. Finally, Butch Peachy, former world team member, has this to say: "When in doubt land uphill." What is implied here is that it doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing, as long as it's not too strong and you land uphill. But many readers have no great desire to log mileage. We still contend that knowing how to land uphill (tailwind or headwind) is an important skill to use when caught by surprise by a conspiracy of bad air, bad judgment and bad luck.
Tudor Sets Two World Records With
303 Mile Flight On Wms Wing HP AT Hobbs, NM - Wills Wing factory pilot Larry Tudor flew his HP AT 158 into the record books twice in one flight here recently, when he launched on an incredible 303 mile flight from Hobbs to Elkhart, Kansas. Tudor became the first pilot ever to fly a hang glider more than 300 miJp· -larir "is goal before Jwonch " · ',p "n;-·
Wms Wing Team Wins Fourth Consecutive League Meet Title Telluride, CO - The Wills Wing factory team continued their domination of the highly competitive Manufacturer's League M, by winning their fourth consecutive team title here recently. All three team members were flying Wills Wing's top of the line competition glider, the HP AT. In 1987, Wills Wing placed first, second and third in the team standing~ in the League Meet, as wt - - - - - - - 1 rl
Wms Wing HP AT Pilots Take Top National and International Ranki
MY BRIEF TESTIMONIAL I first experienced an uphill, downwind landing of any consequence in 1977 while flying at a ski area. Unexpected sink and headwind put me in a position of grave doubt as to the possibility of clearing the trees, buildings and power lines ahead of me. I took my only other option and went for the slope. I fully expected to end up looking like one of those Salvador Dali paintings where normally solid objects are draped across the landscape. To my surprise and no little relief, I had a perfect stand-up landing facing uphill on the 35-degree slope. Since that time I have learned much more about such landings and have experienced them on numerous occasions, with headwinds, tailwinds, near takeoffs and on cross-country ventures. Last winter in Brazil, I landed three times on slopes of nearly 45 degrees (you can barely walk on such a steep slope) with fine results. The ability to do this with comfort was a great aid when crossing unfamiliar territory. THE WORLD HISTORY OF UPHILL LANDINGS Last month we gently chided the British aristocracy. This time we applaud the British middle
MARCH 1991
Wills Wing HP AT Pilots Larry Tudor, Jim Lee and Randy Haney have garnered the top U.S. National and International competition rankings based on their recent competition performances. Tudor is both the number one ranked pilot in the world and the top ranked pilot in the Ir · ~·1tes. Ji"' Lee i~ Wins Wing HP AT
158 H~~ranker. united s·
t;
Highest Measured L/D In a recent L/D contest held in Europe, the Wills Wing HP AT 158 recorded the highest L/D of all gliders T P'l t tested, at 12.49 :I. Other competing gliders, in thf F order of finish in the contest, were the Enterprise OUr O IX • • J. I O S Wings Foil Combat 152, the Airwave Kiss K2_ l Choose Wms Wing HP AT For Moyes XS Race, the Bautek Zephir CX, the Air Kiss K2 155, and the SeedwinP" Sensor 510 F World Championships
f s· U S
earn
Four of the six pilots qualifying for the 1991 U.S. Team FA! World Championships have chosen the Wills Wing AT 158 to fly in the World Meet. Known for its superit combination of climb and glide performance, the HP A'1 expected to perform especially well in the conditions ex at the site of this year's contest, which is to be held in B Many foreign pile,•- ' -,~ also ere pn the HP AT fort~
and need lo do it'? Essen I ial ly, scratching means soaring on a light day by making optimal use or every hil or available Ji rt. There arc two kinds of scratching, thermal and ridge scratching. This article will only address ridge scratching as it is the crucial initial skill ror a pilot wanting lo soar smaller ridges or, say, 500 vertical feet The lack of ahi111de means thal you will have li!lle time in which to encounter a thermal immediately after launching from small sites. While this docs not precl11clc the presence or useable thermals (sec below), it docs mean I hat ridge lift is wlrnl you will most likely first encounter. \Jnl'ortunalely, on light or crosswind days there will he little ridge lift, and what Ii ft there is will be close in on the hill. lf'you want airtime there will be;days whe;rn you arc to have to fly closer to lhc hill than you have in the past. This is 110110 say you arc to have to spend a lot ol'limeclosc lo the trees. II is a common occurrence for conditions to he rnmginal at launch height, but fairly only 50-100 feel above the top. This often means that after only one close pass on the you will be ablt: lo get up into of course, is the ability 10 heller air. The safely accomplish 11ml first pass. This article is meant to serve as c11couragcmcn1 for, and a 10 the learning of close-in There exists a misconception that the primary rcquircmc:nl for Joi of guts. While it is true thal a fearless will undoubtedly closc:r to lhc hill than somGone; with a more heallhy rcspeGt for leaf.. rnsh, it misses the point that 1s a learn ah le ski II like all other aspects or lhc sport. I\ nervekss, hul ignorant pilot may he willing 10 get iu very close to trees (or, better yet rocks), however, that pilot may not know how to scratch i111clligcn1ly. Sheer proximity lo the hill is only part of and it is of course the part most likely to get you into trouble.
CHEAP PHILOSOPHY AND HASIC PREPARATIONS
How to learn to scra1ch Ruic number one is that you must try lo soar on light Don't jusl sit on the hill waiting for itto "You need to gain experience. If you are scared of sled rides you won 'I learn to scratch. The corollary is that the more you master scratching the fewer sled rides you gel. MARClf ]991
by
Lehmann
The author wails for a cycle on lhc small Tempelton ridge. Note prnximity of the
I can guarantee that you will often reel like a fool before you consistently get soaring nights like the! Jang !V's do. Just remember that they as clumsily as you, if nol more so. When they started out nol much was known about in general, or our local ridges in parcombining lheir experience with liculm. your enthusiasm you can learn much more rapidly than they did. Don't be afraid to ask for local experts' advice, and, even more impor· lmllly, don 'l be afraid 10 gain your own firsthand by trying on your own. As I said above, you will oJ'ten screw up, but ii is trying that you will learn. Just he sure that your mistakes are not safely related.
Learn Your Lifl characteristics arc highly clcpcmknl on the shape of your local hill. Al most sites there is a clcfinile pattern to the location of lift and sink spots, and their relationship to in wind clircclion and velocity. Lift patterns even vary with the sc,ason, as the presence or absence of leaves changes the clTcclivc shape of the hill. Remember that because you arc rlying very close to the ridge you arc subject to extremely localized changes in lhc lcxlurc of the air. Each lit Ile face or spine will have a bit of sink, lift or turbulence assoeiated with it. Because of lhc important role these contours play in determining the location or lift and sink, it is necessary 31
Gte4.VltY ST0P5 G.L!DEr(.S AT 7H6
-3AMe !./EIGHT
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The point to realize here is that you can go no slower with respect to the ground than the wind's speed with respect to the ground (you can't back up in tl1e air). If you land in a five mph tailwind you have to hit the deck running at five mph. That is why we exhort all pilots to perfo1m no-step landings in calm wind. If you are in the habit of running out your landings, and you are called upon by the Fates to perform one downwind, you'll have to shuffle fast. The second part of figure I shows the effect of landing downwind with a pronounced wind gradient. Your glide path is decreased with respect to the ground as you descend to a lesser velocity tailwind, but your excess speed clue to the inertia acquired in the higher velocity winds prevents a stall. This is the opposite of what happens when landing into a headwind with a gradient. In this latter case your glide path increases close to the ground and a stall can easily occur as your headwind quickly diminishes as you descend. Now look at figure 2 to see the behavior in the free air (away from the terrain) as the pilot gains speed by diving, then zooms upward. NOTE: This is a dangerous procedure that will lead to wmb/ing, breakup and a chance to test yourparacl111te system in most cases. We are simply i//11strati11g matters here. When you actually perform an uphill landing, you do perform a maneuver similar to this zoom pattern, but the ground is there to catch you at the peak of your climb. In the figure, the solid line is the path in no wind. The dashed line is the path with a tailwind. Here the pilot performs the same controls in
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class, or at least a small portion of them, for they perfected the uphill, downwind landing. The reason they did this is that they have many low, grass-covered sites where soaring is often marginal. To maximize airtime, they sample the air with a flight, then turn and land back into the hill if they don't go up. Landing uphill, downwind saves them a hike up the mountain and is common practice for the Brits. However, the real hero of our investigation is the pilot who tried it first. To understand how it happened, we must realize the extent of England's foggy, rainy weather. The old myth is that England was first populated by Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Celts and Normans who were hiding in the fog from their enemies, creditors and wives. Of course, that's not true, that was Scotland. The current story is that England is so foggy that when the sun does occasionally appear the police departments are flooded with calls about UFO sightings. It was during such a fog, hunkered down over England in the mid 70's that the first uphill, downwind landing occurred. Two pilots known only to history as Nigel and Neville were fed up with the inclement weather and decided to go flying anyway. They arrived at their favorite flying site in the Sussex South Downs and found the wind to be straight in. The only problem was they couldn't see more than a wingspan, let alone their landing area. But they knew it was wide open and unobstructed, so maintaining a stiff upper lip they launched into the soup. You can guess the rest. A little turbulence and disorientation had them arcing back at the hill and discovering new possibilities. They practiced uphill, downwind landings the remainder of that day and announced their findings to the world for all of us to incorporate into our flying.
38
WHY IT WORKS To understand how and why uphill, downwind landings work, we must turn to fizzicks. Fizzicks is just like physics but without the Greek letters, ponderous equations and rigor. The first thing a fizzicist will tell you is that we fly with motion relative to the air but land with motion relative to the ground. It is this transition from air reference to ground reference that we must investigate. (Praise Allah that we don't also have to consider cosmic expansion, galactic drift and rotation, or planetary orbit, spin, wobble, precession and retardation or we probably would have evolved as creatures hugging the earth like crabs. Those effects are there, but masked by the overwhelming strength of the earth's gravity and the air's flow.) Our first view of the problem is figure I which shows a downwind landing on flat ground.
:-,.._
FIGURE 3 HANG GLIDING
both cases and the glider slows to a stop at the same altitude. Now look at figure 3 and you will see what happens to the flight path when an initially horizontal tailwind is cleflectecl upwards in the latter part of the zoom as is the case neara slope. Note that the glider climbs higher in this case before it stops and travels less downwind. Finally, look at the situation pictured in figure 4 with a horizontal tailwind, with an upslope portion and gradient close to a hill. In this case, the glider cloesn 'tclimb nearly as high as the previous case, but you have a lot of excess airspeed that helps with the flare. Figure 4 represents the real-life uphill, clown wine! landing situation and is what we are trying to duplicate. In all cases, gravity helps reduce your ground speed to offset the effects of tailwind. The steeper the hill, the more this is true.
ACTUAL PRACTICE Now let's leave the theory behind and see how to do an uphill, downwinder. In very light winds with very shallow slopes you essentially perfonn your standard everyday landing as long as that includes a fast final and a good, crisp flare. However, when the wind gets stronger and the hill gets steeper you must perform a more serious dive at the hill, a well-timed roundout and a full flare. When you first dive at a steep hill, your hypothalamus will be sending up May Day signals, and your innem1ost desire is to slow clown. But you need this speed to climb next to the hill. This climb is initiated by the rounclout (see the Four-Phase Final in the January, 1991, issue) which must be well-timed to leave you climbing parallel to the slope a few feet away. If you round out too soon, you will plop clown hard unless you stop the roundout and allow yourself to angle to the hill, in which case the flare will be more critical. If you round out too late, you can make seismic sounds on the hill with your glider and body. The flare itself is not so critical on a steep hill as long as you don't round out too soon or late. If you flare early. you'll simply climb the hill higher before you touch down although you may contact harder. In any case, don't expect to run or even take a step if the hill is steep. It should be apparent by now that the steeper the slope, the faster the rounclout-toflare phase occurs, and the more precise is the required roundout timing. For that reason, we strongly recommend the gradual approach just MARCH 1991
GLIDER W!77-/1/4!LW/ND VPSf-OPE_ WIND AND G/?,4DIENT
pc/L/.....Ows
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/ as when you try any new practice, such as 360clegree turns or soaring. Start with gradual rises and work your way up to steeper slopes in light winds. Then try increasingly more tailwind on the steep slopes only (see the limits below). Remember, you cannot safely handle a strong tailwind on a shallow slope because gravity cloesn 't help slow your speed with respect to the ground. Here are two special items: A trick I recommend for steeper slopes (over 20 degrees) is to keep your VG on at least halfway (all the way preferred on some gliders) to maintain speed retention. Otherwise, you slow down quickly out of the rounclout and have to flare too soon. The more speed you retain, the softer your landing-trust me. The second point to note is that when the wind is downhill so that you are heading uphill into a headwind-a common landing field situation-the timing is again more critical and you have to flare before you can say Galapagos Archipelago. Don't delay or you'll pound. Also, be aware of the possibility of rotors on the downwind side of a hill.
THE NATURAL LIMITS As with any flying practice, the key to expert skills is expert judgement. This means knowing the limits. Obviously, if the hill is too steep, you'll fall backwards. Your keel may help support you like a woodpecker, but unless you have a reasonably strong tailwind, chances are you 'II
tumble backwards. This has happened. I set my steepness limit at about 45 degrees. I have not plumbed the tailwind velocity limits and I am not inclined to, but Bruce Goldsmith, a British team member quotes the following:
SLOPE ANGLE Shallow 20 degrees 30 degrees 50 degrees 70 degrees
APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM WIND 2-3 mph 5 mph 7 mph 9mph 12 mph
For me, the maximum slopes seem a bit excessive and the wind speed a bit conservative, but you can set your own limits with care and practice. Uphill, downwind landings are obviously more complicated than the plain vanilla kind. However, they can be pe1formed safely with a bit of experience to learn the timing. Study the problem carefully, talk to pilots about the possibilities at a given site, and watch others with more experience try it first. Remember, the first time you dive clown wind into the hill, you 'II feel as unnatural as Billy Graham at a Madonna concert. Don't take the big plunge all at once, but start with the gentle stuff first and soon your uphill, downwind landings will be natural acts. •
39
USHGA REPORTS
Progress In Towland! by Ron Kenney, Temporary Towing Committee Chairman
At
the Fall USHGA Board meeting, significant strides toward the development of a well-defined USHGA towing program were made. Based upon a proposal from Mike Meier, the Board acted to create several changes in Part 104 (Pilot Proficiency Program). These changes created a Tow Launch rating and an Aerotow Pilot rating; established the Aerotow Special Skill and eliminated the Platfonn Launch (PL) rating. This is how the program works: Primary launch ratings, either Foot Launch (FL) or Tow Launch (TOW), have been created. Every USHGA pilot must have a launch skill and may be rated for both. These launch ratings will be printed on the "Ratings" line of the USHGA membership care!. As it stands now, all newly-rated and renewing pilots will automatically receive a Foot Launch skill rating. For those wishing to upgrade their card to the Tow Launch skill, you must seek a USHGA Instructor or Observer and successfully complete all requirements for that rating. This rating will not require a rating fee if you are renewing your membership. That is, if the office does not have to issue a card specifically for this rating, there is no cost to you. However, if you wish to have this rating on your card before renewing, the cost will be $7.50. I will discuss each rating and special skill under their subject headings.
FOOT LAUNCH REQUIREMENT As usual, tasks are separated by rating level. A pilot must perfonn all of the listed witnessed tasks for his/her rating level and below. Any pilot holding a Foot Launch skill at the time he earns a higher rating must also demonstrate the appropriate witnessed foot launch task for the higher rating level. No changes so far, right? As we reference Part 104 together, we move clown to Subpart B, Item 4 in the Beginner rating, and Subpart B, Items 4 and 5 in the Novice rating. Note here that "foot launches assisted by tow line tension rather than gravity along a slope, 40
where the wind is less than six mph" may be used to satisfy the requirement. In other words, if a pilot knows how to foot launch on a slope, he should also have the basic skill to foot launch on tow, and vice versa. If a pilot wishes to foot launch tow, he will also have to satisfy the task for the tow launch requirement.
TOW LAUNCH REQUIREMENT The tow launch witnessed tasks are also rating specific; that is, Beginner and Novice. Here again, the pilot must perform all the listed witnessed tasks for his rating and below. Any pilot holding a Tow Launch skill at the time he earns a higher rating must also demonstrate the appropriate witnessed tow launch tasks for the next higher rating level. BEGINNER RA TING 1. (a) Must demonstrate system setup and pre-flight, including a complete discussion of all those factors which are particular to the tow system used, and those factors which are relevant to towing in general. (b) Must demonstrate complete understanding of both nonnal and emergency procedures, including checklist for nonnal procedures and indicators of impending emergency. (c) Must convince instructor of his ability to execute emergency procedures. 2. (a) Must demonstrate successful, confident and controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude. (b) Must demonstrate smooth transition to flying with proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the tow line. (c) Must maintain proper tow line tension and airspeed. Note: such demonstrations should be made in ideal flying conditions.
NOVICE RATING Repeat demonstrations of Item 1 under the tow launch requirement for the Beginner rating. Demonstrate Beginner rating flight requirements in less than ideal flying conditions where there is at least 15 degrees crosswind component and some level of thermal turbulence or gustiness.
AEROTOW SPECIAL SKILL The aerotow skill is simply a demonstration of the pilot's ability to launch and tow successfully and safely behind a flying tow vehicle. This Special Skill will be issued to Inte1mecliate and above rated pilots, however, it may be available to Novice pilots while receiving instruction and under the supervision of a Certified Instructor. The launch method may be demonstrated by foot launch, "dolly" launch or by other launch procedures. Pilots participating in aerotowing are required by the FAA to carry a copy of the FAA Aero Tow Exemption #4144. This copy will be distributed by the USHGA office upon successful completion of the required witnessed tasks and sign-off. REQUIRED WITNESSED TASK FOR AEROTOWING 1. (a) Demonstrate assembly and pre-flight of the system including inspection of the tow line, tow line connection and preflight release. 2. (a) Demonstrate understanding of signals between tow vehicle pilot and glider pilot. (b) Understanding of all factors particular to the specific tow system used and those factors which are relevant to aerotowing in general. (c) Must demonstrate understanding of both normal and emergency procedures. (cl) Must have complete understanding of checklist for normal procedures and convince instructor of his ability to execute emergency procedures. 3. (a) Gives a complete discussion of the dangers to the glider pilot and tow vehicle pilot concerning improper positioning in flight of the glider pilot and improper management of tow line tension by the glider pilot. (b) Must demonstrate smooth transition to flying with proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the tow vehicle in both straight and HANG GLIDING
USHGA REPORTS turning flight. (c) Must maintain proper tow line tension and airspeed that demonstrates ability to control glider position relative to the tow vehicle.
Paragliding Ratings The fc;l/owing material originally appeared in the Sept./Oct. issue of Paragliding - The Magazine. -Eel.
USHGA AEROTOW PILOT RA TING The USHGA Aerotow Pilot rating is a new creation by the USHGA. A pilot must possess this rating to operate a flying tow vehicle involved in hang glider aerotowing. Pilots participating in aerotowing are required by the FAA to carry a copy of the FAA Aero Tow Exemption #4 l 44.
CLASS I CERTIFICATION Paragliding Training Program C1ass I certification teaches the student skills necessary to launch and fly in low to moderate, non-turbulent wind conditions at sites with appropriate glide ratio, and open launch and landing zones. Time required to obtain certification will depend on conditions, site availability, student aptitude and class size. Listed below are the minimum requirements an instructor should teach.
REQUIREMENTS l. A minimum of ten hours logged airtime in type for the tow vehicle used, and either: (a) FAA private pilot's license with single engine rating, or (b) Minimum of l 00 hours of logged powered Liltralight flight time. 2. (a) Five flights dual with a USHGA rated Aero Tow pilot while towing a hang glider, or (b) Five flights, either single or dual, as pilot of a hang glider being aero towed, and five flights as Aero Tow pilot aerotowing a hang glider which is piloted by a USHGA rated pilot with Aerotow Special Skill sign-off. 3. Must give complete discussion of tow vehicle operations including all normal and emergency procedures and signals between tow pilot and glider pilot.
l. SITE: Site Layout, choosing launch and landing areas. Site protocol. 2, EQUIPMENT: Introduction to equipment and terminology. 3. GROUND CREW: Briefing and duties for ground crew. 4. PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS: Canopy connections, rigging and control lines, harness, helmet. 5. EMERGENCIES: Briefing on emergency procedures: drag-back, low turns, slope landings, tree and hazard landings. 6. LAUNCH PRACTICE: Preparation, in1lation, launch practice on gentle slope progressing to takeoffs. Stop-launch and practice canopy collapse. Static flying to practice canopy control. 7. STRAIGHT FLIGHTS & LANDING: Takeoff and straight-ahead flights in low to moderate wind with stand-up landings. 8. CANOPY CONTROL FLIGHTS: Flights with ·'S" turns, stall and recovery procedure, minimum sink flying. 9, RULES OF THE AIR: Briefing on rules of the air and conditions for use of ridge. Collision avoidance. Relationship with other air users. IO. THEORY: Basic theory of flight and airflow. Importance of airspeed. Soaring sites: area of lift/sink, curl-over, rotors, eddies, etc. Matching canopy and pilot weight/skills to wind speed.
USHGA TOW VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS A tow vehicle used under the USHGA Aero Tow Exemption #4144 must have a minimum controllable airspeed of not more than 27 mph and must be able to sustain a minimum of 300 feet per minute climb rate while towing at that speed. That about covers it, folks. Please direct any questions to your Regional Director. They should have the answers for you, and if not, they will be able to get one. I am sure there will be a few bugs to work out, so please let your Director know of your concerns. Until next time, see you in the skies over Kansas!•
.
CLASS I TASKS All witnessed flights must be pre-planned by the pilot and discussed with the rating instructor. All flights must be self-launched and include proper canopy setup for conditions. Demonstrate the following:
1. Preflight while explaining what to look for. 2. How to brief and instruct ground crew, and explain when assisted launch is necessary. 3. Clean launch with each flying task (i.e., tight lines, riser control, proper stance, smooth transition from running to flying, etc.) 4. Two straight flights, launching and landing into the wind on feet. 5. Three flights with S-turns 30 degrees off wind line following a straight line path ending with a controlled landing on feet into the wind. 6. One flight with at least two l 80-degree (figure 8) turns. 7. Two no-wind launches, two moderatewind launches, two high-wind launches (1015 mph) 8. Five spot landings within a 50 ft. diameter circle. 9. Hands-off CTying, Cront riser use, and mild stall and recovery (above 500') 10. Two cross-wind launches approximately 30 degrees off wind line. l 1. Smooth airspeed control ranging from minimum sink to fast conditions. l2. Standard aircraft landing approach: downwind, base and final. 13. Proper strong wind landing procedures and how to keep from getting dragged back. 14. Demonstrate and explain coITect packing procedure, canopy care and maintenance. 15. Pass AP A Class I oral/written exam. After student passes Class I requirements, he/ she should maintain a flight log. Also, the following should be obtained and understood by the pilot: 1. "Recommended Operating Limitations." 2. Canopy manufacturer's specifications, instructions. etc. 3. "Special Skills." 4. European Canopy Certification Procedures.
1
MARCH 1991
41
USHGA REPORTS SPECIAL SKILLS These are special skills a pilot should practice and perfect after achieving a Class I rating. In order to attain recognition for a special skill, you must follow the requirements listed and pe1fonn the skill for observation by an instructor. While working toward these skills, remember your limitations as well as your capabilities. Some of the special skills will require an oral or written exam. Ridge Soaring 1. Explain and understand right-of-way (traffic) rnles. 2. Demonstrate smooth, deliberate airspeed control. 3. In a wind sufficient to cause drift, two points will be selected on a line perpendicular to the wind. The pilot must fly a figure-8 course consisting of smooth turns around the points with the straight segments crossing midway between the points. 4. The pilot must complete two consecutive figure-S's around the course compensating for ground track without over-control or hesitation. 5. Demonstrate one flight on a ridge with other traffic lasting 15 minutes or longer. 6. Demonstrate one side-hill landing. 7. Pass written exam. 360° Turns Note: Pilot must demonstrate ability to judge/ allow proper clearance from ridge or other aircraft. 1. Demonstrate smooth, coordinated 360's in both directions using various speeds and bank angles. 2. Demonstrate consecutive 360's with minimum altitude loss. 3. Demonstrate spiral diving 360's to lose altitude. 4. Demonstrate negative turns.
Cliff or Ramp Launch I. Demonstrate the ability to launch safely from a shallow slope ramp or cliff top where running is severely restricted, drop-off is precipitous, and wind is 5 mph or less, such that positive attitude control and strong aggressive sprinting starts are required. Stalled, falling diving launches are not acceptable even if flight is achieved. 2. Demonstrate ability to launch with assistance in windy conditions from precipitous cliff or ramp. Must show proper use of release signals and confident, aggressive launch. Spot Landings I. Demonstrate three consecutive landings within a three-foot diameter spot. 2. Demonstrate and explain how to shorten flight path. 3. Demonstrate and explain how to lengthen flight path. 4. Demonstrate standard aircraft approach: downwind, base, final. 5. Demonstrate spiral dive landing approach. Towing Must successfully complete APA-approved towing clinic.
2. Must have logged at least 150 flights plus 30 hrs. airtime. 3. Must have logged flights from at least five different sites (one at sea level, one above 5,000 ft. MSL) 4. Must have logged at least 80 flying clays. 5. Must have logged at least five flights of 30 min. or longer duration.with at least l onehour flight in thermal lift, without ridge lift, and at least five ridge lift flights of 30 min. or longer. 6. Must have logged at least 10 flights from a launch over 1,000' above the landing zone. 7. Must have flown at least three different types of canopy. TASKS Observed I. Smooth coordinated 360-clegree turns in both directions, with reversal at various speeds. 2. Three consecwive spot landings within an 8' diameter circle (turns are required to set up an approach). 3. Demonstrate side-hill landings. 4. Full stall and recovery above 500 ft. 5. Negative turns, flat spin, spiral dive. 6. Successful completion of Class II written exam.•
CLASS II REQUIREMENTS 1. Must have completed Class 1, or Foreign equivalent, plus one year logged airtime.
S/IICE. tfll, ROBERTS INSTRUJ;IENTS HAVE BEEN REqoGNTZEO FOR THEIR- S-DISmYITY AND OUICX RESPONSJ;.S.
ANO rnArS WHAT COUNTS lf-J MARGJNAL CONDITIONS,· OVER 650 -Pli:-01~ INC_,tUD~N(J_-F,4MOU~ NAME?,_ !"L~ THE~ THEY SHOULD KNOW,_
Thermals 1. Define and understand thennal conditions. 2. Have practiced and can demonstrate stall and recovery. 3. Perform two supervised flights al tbe1111al sites. 4. Perfonn one observed 15-minute flight in themial lift without sustaining ridge lift. 5. Understand and explain use of reserve parachute. 6. Pass written exam.
42
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typical day al Eel Levin Park in Milpitas, Cali l'ornia, just outside San Jose. The haze and smog ofa high pressure day have nil but rlaucned the small punchy thermals tliat arc despcrnlcly trying to break through a thick inversion layer. Pilots arc dow11 at the bottom of the hill at a lcismely pace as I drive up to watch for a bit on 111y way lo a meeting, and it lakes me a few moments to realize that a lone glider is circling !;izily above me. Scvernl minutes or hnng""lalking later, tile green and yellow s,iil is still there, not gai11ing but not losing. Thirty minutes go then 10. A stream or fly Crom lhc top to the holtom or the mountain and still the soli1ary Magic scrapes circles in a rocky canyon. I'm new to Ilic area
44
and don't rec:01,m;1,e who lhc pilot might he, and a smiling Ccmale student says tome with obvious
pride, "Oh, that's Kari She docs ii all the time." The three pilots representing the lJ11i1ed States for the f'irsl time have exactly the quali tics needed in international competition: patien1, outgoing, l'ull·of life without i11fla1cd egos, and incrclliblv gil"icd as pilols. The US! l(lA sends only the best to a World Meet and !liesc lhree most qualify. !\!low me 10 introduce your ll)()J Women's World Team:
has for so many or us, but Wyoming and Killy llawk arc worlds apart and the opportunity 10 fulfill her dreams or flight dicln '1 present itself ror two years. In J l)7l) a day of skiing changed all tlrnL.and a lot mon:. "l met Jim Bowman on a chair lift al Jackson I Joie. I le lold me he was going to teach hang gliding in Dayton (close lo where I lived). f took lessons from Jim starting in May, bought a l,.ircfly IIB and had my first 1700,l"oot rtigll1 in early June. Jim and f continued flying ill Samii urn on an almosl daily basis f"orlheenlire summer." Sarah married Jim a year later and they Iive on a ranch outside Parkman, Wyoming, s\ill flying Sand1urn whenever possible. Samii 's skills and persistence have p111 her at the top of the pack al Sandt um, where she bcltered the silL'. x.c record 20 miles this past summer, cruising the flatlands ror 70 miles. She also placed as high as sixlh in the Region V Regionals, although the cornpelition formats or the mid 80's eventually calmed her desire 10 compcle. "I found that competition led to more problems ,11mmg friends than it was worth, so I
Sarah Bowman Samii Bowlllan comes 10 us from Wyoming, land of" air and nights. A magazine advcrtiscmc11t in 1977 lit the spark in her as it
BELOW: Lef!
Sarah Howman; Right
Alke llngclhardL
l lANC: GrrrnNc
began to prefer the light competition of every· day flying that developed between myself and the people I fly with. This last year I decided to try competition again. The competitions I've gone to have been nothing but a great time. I love the people and the challenge that is made on my flying skills." Sarah has been pursuing challenges this c111irc season, altempting a world record flight from Whiskey Peak but lll,ing stopped by the weather af!cr only l 00 miles. !for goal is 200 and, with her tenacity and the support of her follow pilots, this is certainly a realistic en deavor.
Alice Stapleton The name Alice Stapleton should sound rmniliar to any hang pilot in the country, though now that name has become Englelrnrl. gliding marriage destined to Another prosper (Arc we seeing a pattern here?) Alice of rJigh1 a pic1urc of was drawn lo 1hc Yosemite Falls taken from wings of dacrnn and aluminum. Within days she had signed up for lessons at Clrnndclle in San Francisco and, in June of 1980, look to the air l'or the first t imc. San Francisco has a group or exceptional pilots with the glow of X--C around them, and by 1986 !\lice was a part or the "British Team," whose ringleader, Geoff [ ,oyns, has become a world record holder. GeolT and the rest of the team turned Alice's mind to miles and she too would dearly love lo be the first womm1 to brc,1k the 200--111ilc barrier. Alice has always been a vocal supporter of women in the sport, along with other Bay Arca lady fliers, lhc real reason behind her competition e~1w.,·H\rw,,,. "My participalion in competitions is an offshoot or another intcresl of mine, promoting 11 started in my first Io1mrct1a Mc/\dam., and Carol Clark. Over the years we have rm·"mlr•II support and encouragement for each other and have tried to encourage other women. Mosl women gain strength and incentive from flying with and having contact with other women in the sport. You can sec what you arc of and it gives you motivation lo do more." And what is a woman capable of') I low about winning two days oC a major champion-ship? Not just over the women, hut the lop ranked male pilots of the U.S. and other counin a seasontries as well! I low about third compel ition with the Iikcs or Cleo ff
MARCJi1991
Kari Castle. Photo by Pat Conners.
Loyns and his pack or skilled cohorts? (Alice also mentioned thal she wa:; the Fastest Woman at the 1986 J.ort Funston Air Races, bu! thought that 1itle sounded a little tacky.) Alice's competition record shows a rise through the top I 00 pilots in the nation and she feels she is more than ready to go to Kossen to represent the United States.
Castle of Crowley Lake, Calil'mnia. Her me·
Levin Park)! Come on! or conrsc, the competition required one 360 over the field and Kari had never actually when done one of those. Imagine the the scores were tabulalecl...anc\ she had won! "I guess it's safe 10 say that stirred Lile com pct ii ion bug inside me. Now l have many competitions under my belt and I still enjoy it, for a fow reasons: I) the pure fun or it, 2) 11ying with old friends nnd meeting new ones, and 3) !he amount of learning that takes place. I lovl; it!"
thodical assault 011 the Women's World Open Distance Record and her resultant success place her alone at the top or the world of women's rtying. No woman has ever flown as far, and she too /ms her c:ycs on 200 miles. Unlike most ol' the rest or us, though, Kari has been within one thermal or achieving just that, with a flight of over 180 miles! Kari's first with hang gliding was in and lhat started lhc wheels turning, rcs11l!ing in her moving from Michigan to Calirornia to become a hang glider pilot. After sell! ing in am! getting ajob, it was a quick look in the Yellow Pages and lhcn olT to Mis· siou Soaring Center, where Pat Dcncvan lrndcd work l"or kssons, and a champion was born. Kari's entry inlo competition was a bit more "sideways" tlian hlir tcammalcs, however. "I was conned into entering my first comTom Gill and Dai Middleton told me, 'Come on, we have to havl: at least one chick enter, lliis is a show (The Silent Air Show al Ed
How good is our team'> Anyone who has flown with these women knows how ii feels to get shown where the real top or a thermal is, and their combined competition record is staggering, from 11th place in the prestigious East Coast Championships to an incredible 8th place in the mighty Owens Valley X-C Classic; rrom silc records to world records. It docsn 't maHcr exactly which of these women accomplished each of these, because the mos! spectacular par! about our Women's World Team that every female pilot I've ever met approaches other women who f'ly. They support one another and work as a team. Women in the sport ol'hang gliding arc a tight-knit group and arc a force to be reckoned with. This month and in the months to come you '11 probably be asked to contribute to the fund that will send these pilots to Kossen, and the supporters or I his team hope that you will be behind lhem. They're trm, champions and should prove that without a doubt in July.•
the best-known of our trio is Kari
45
Model Span Aspect Ratio Nose Angle Glider Weight Pilot Weight
144 31 feet
6.7 120 degrees 54 lbs. 110 - 210 lbs.
A smaller Spectrum for smaller pilots, the 144 brings first purchase high performance to a whole new group of pilots. A complete 7075 airframe and battens, drag reducing wingtips, optional streamline downtubes and speed bar, and AT hardware are featured on the 144. If you've been waiting for a high tech, high performance glider that's just your size, see your dealer about the new 144 Spectrum!
Spectru,n 144
165 Spectru,n In just a few months on the market, the 165 Spectrum has taken the recreational pilot market by storm. No glider before has combined this level of quality, performance, and value into a glider that is so much fun to fly and such a pleasure to own. If you are looking for a superior combination of advanced engineering, reponsive and predictable handling, and top of the stack soaring performance, backed by Wills Wing's unmatched record of customer service and satisfaction, check out a Spectrum today!
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Model Span Aspect Ratio Nose Angle Glider Weight Pilot Weight
165 34 feet
7.0 121 degrees 60 lbs. 140 - 240 lbs.
Phone(714)547-1344 • FAX(714)547-0972
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Make _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Model _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Year _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Serial # Date Purchased Cost $ - -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_* Sail Color: Leading Edge Upper Surface Lower Surface Canopy Color: # of Ribs _ _ _ _ _ __
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Macho l 991 will be lhe dales for the firsl lJSll(,A-sanctioncd hang gliding contest ever held from Sandia Peak in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the Novcm1bcr USIIGJ\ Uoard or Dircclors the Compctilion Con11nit1cc voted lo lhrcc meets lhat will receive a minimmn of 4.50 World Team Selection (WTSS) poi111s. The other two 4.50 point mccls will be the 1991 1,:ast Coast Championships and the I <)91 IJ.S. Team Championships. The 450-point mecls arc designed lo let competition pilots plan their schedules, knowing that ccrlain conlesls will be worlh a11cndi11g. This article is inlcndcd to provide additional assurance thal lhc Sandia Classic will dcfinilcly be worlh it! The conlcst is open to a maximum or 60 compclilors, dm, to limilations on transporl and setup space. Included in the contest package aw launch transport via the world's aerial lrarnway, turnpoint l'ilm and computerized scoring, awards ceremony and paid officials. n.w. Meadows to he Meet Director, and the Mccl are Jell Wolford and Mike Jeff is the President of the Sandia Soaring J\ssociation, and both arc members of' the club's ''Mo11111ain Cornmitlcc," which sets flight rules ror Sandia. The Sandia Mou111ains currently have lwo launch sites. One is located among the TV towers 011 Sandia Crcsl, and is known as lhc "Crest I ,atmch." The other is only accessible by lhc Sandia Peak Tramway, and is called tile '·Peak 1.aunch." the facl that the two sites arc within l. miles of each olhcr, they arc difTcrenl flying sites with very different ranges of' flyable conditions. Because of limilcd sc:tup and restricted launch access, the Peak Lmmch and tramway trnnsporl will he: utilized by lhc competition pilots only. Free flyers will use the Sandia Cresl launch. Due to the long distance to legal landing fields, Class Ill (paraglidcrs) arc nol allowed at Sandia.
MARCIi 199'1
The Sandia Mountains provide the backdrop for Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sandia Peak The launch at the Peak is at l 0,378 fc:ct Cl, l 60 111c1crs) MSL, and the vertical relief 10 the below is approximately 4,000 foci (1,220 meters). The ramp is located I 00 feet north or the High Finance rcslaurant and is reached from the upper tram terminal via a short walk across a boardwalk and obscrva1ion deck. Compclitors will ride up the world's longest lramway (2.7 miles) while gliders will be transporlcd by a trnck with padded rncks. No of gliders will be: necessary, and the road up the back is paved. Tram tickets and glider 1ranspor1 will be provided as part or lhc contcsl package. The: ramp faces into a huge canyon wilh a sonthwcst exposure. It is necessary to lravcrsc this I S-milc canyon and clear Tower ridge hefon: pilots arc safely away from Ille mot mt a in and within easy reach or landablc lcrrai11. There arc many large, rocky thermal generators along lhc normal flight path, so is no problem.
during the rnect by prcrcgislcring wilh the contest organizers. There will be a fee for free t'lyers, with a discount for prcrcgislrnlion. An overview or the f'lying conditions wil I bt: provided by a launch director al the Crest every day, along with launch assistance. The Crest launch is at I 0,(J78 J'cct (3,250 meters) MSL, and lhe vertical relief to the landing area is approximately 4,300 l'cct (1,310 meters). The ramp faces ;1 large bowl with several free-standing rock pinnacles located dircctly along the night path. Access lo Sandia Cn:st is via pavc:d road. The highway is open throughout the year (cxccpl when closed during cxlrcmc winier conditions) and is maintained lhc state. Passenger cars can normally make the grade, and it lakes approximately one hour to get from lhc landing area to the lop. There is a lockc:cl gate that restricts entry to the lower area, so free flyers will need to show proof' or rcgistralion to the launch dircctor(s) to gain access to the scl~up area and launch ramp.
Sandia Crest The launch ramp at Sandia Crcsl was built and is maintained by lhe Sandia Soaring Association. II is located among the radio and TV alllcnnac al the Crest Electronic Sile. Visiling pilots may use lhc launch facilities
Sandia Peak and Sandia Crest arc USHGA Advanced (I Jang IV) sites. l lclmt:t and paraclrnlc, along with a cmrent USIIUA Advanced rating card arc required. The l'irst thirty (30) slots in the Sandia Classic arc reserved for pilols based on thc:ir National 49
COMPETITION CORNER and/or International ranking. The remaining slots are open to other pilots according to registration date and contest and/or flight experience. Free flyers will be accepted according to registration date, experience and how many we think we can handle. (Setup space must be allotted so that access for Electronic Site technicians is not hindered at any time.) Logbook verification of mountain thermal experience will be required prior to registration. These requirements are not to deny anyone the right to fly, but to promote communication and safety. The Sandias are terribly unforgiving, and flying in maximum thermal conditions can be hazardous, even for the best pilots and equipment.
The Mountain Although the Sandia Mountains appear to be one massive ridge from the valley, the view from the top proves otherwise. The mountain is comprised of one main ridge from which you launch. Between takeoff and the desert below is a network of canyons, bowls, cliffs, ridges and huge, free-standing rock pinnacles. Because of the vast array of geomorphic features, the mountain is not suited to highwind soaring. You will be happy to know that it takes very little wind to generate intense lift on this mountain. One unique feature of Sandia is that it is often "too good" for flying (i.e., 10,000 feet of cumulus clouds stacked above the top). June is n01mally a period of low thunderstorm activity, but you know what weather forecasting is like. Sectional charts will be at both launches, so pilots will be aware of restricted airspace in the vicinity of Sandia. Our normal flight operations border the Airport Radar Service Area (ARSA) surrounding the Albuquerque International Airport, and there are numerous Military Operating Areas and Low-level, High-Speed training corridors within X-C range.
Landing Areas Remember that you will be landing in the desert at 6,000 feet (1,830 meters) MSL. At this altitude, and in summertime thermaling conditions, you can expect higher stall speeds and rapidly shifting winds in the landing areas, so set up a conservative approach. East of Sandia, where most contest tasks and goals will be, the terrain is wide open and flat. Landing areas are virtually unlimited. 50
The Contest The Sandia Classic will have a minimum of six tasks over an eight-day period. Pilots will meet at the tram, load gliders on the transport truck and ride the tram up for the pilot briefing. Tasks will be selected by a task committee comprised of the meet director and pilots selected by the competitors. Scoring and rules will be based on the system used by the 1991 World Meet. Most contest tasks will be over the back of the mountain (to the east) and will be straight-line, triangles and dogleg races to goal. With the type of weather n01mal to New Mexico during this period, task lengths of 50 to 100 miles are expected. It is possible that a 150+ mile straight-line race will be called. An aerial start gate will eliminate the problems associated with timed, ordered launches, although there will be a backup method based on random launch order. Radio communication with the start gate will be on one of the USHGA licensed FM frequencies. Turnpoint film will be provided, but competitors will have to provide their own 35 mm camera. Scoring will be by computer, and turnpoint photographs will be processed and judged overnight. The rulebook will have photographs of all possible goals and turnpoints. These will be easily recognized landmarks and where possible, goals will be selected to minimize retrieval distance.
After pilots complete the day's task (or land out) they will need to stop by Players Bar & Grill, which will be the scoring headquarters. Film will be turned in and pilots will place their numbered pins in the official contest map. Once that is done, the day is over for the competitor. Have a beer and grab a burger at Players and you 'Jl be ready for the next day. Players is a nice sports bar located conveniently near the primary retrieve route into Albuquerque, Interstate 40. Several inexpensive motels and a KOA campground are nearby. The dates for the contest were selected on the basis of 17 years of experience at Sandia. (Also, the Hobbs Tow Meet will be a week later in southern New Mexico, for pilots who wish to compete in both.) This period offers the most consistent, quality flying. Nearly all of the really long X-C flights (up to 201 miles) were made in June. There is usually no cumulus overdevelopment, and cloudbase is usually between 15,000 and 20,000 feet MSL. Bring your oxygen and get ready for some serious racing! For competitor and free flyer registration information, please contact: Sandia Classic 6913 Black Pine NE Albuquerque, NM 87109
The 1990 Arizona X-C Contest by Bob Thompson Nineteen-ninety has now come and gone, and hopefully so has a year of mostly poor hang gliding weather. The last time I remember a season this poor Lany Tudor found the right stuff in the Owens and broke the magic 200-mile barrier while we mostly flailed around in Arizona. Well, it looks like Larry did it to us again this year; he blasts the 300-mile barrier and Arizona ends up with the lowest number of 100-mile flights since 1982.
There were a few shining lights in the gloomy weather, though, and the 1990 Arizona X-C contest was still competitive. Wills Wing once again dominated, with winners in both classes on their products. Fifteen pilots entered the Unlimited class and 20 duked it out in the 50-Mile class. World Team pilot Tony Barton started things out in the Unlimited Class with a 161mile flight from Miller Canyon to Deming, New Mexico, which resulted in a third-place finish. Tony spent much of the summer out of
HANG GLIDING
photo by John Heiney
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Additionally, you will be eligible to apply for any of the following special programs: • Theft of glider insurance • Participant accident insurance • USHGA's VISA Gold card • USHGA expanded merchandise program Your membership also helps support: • USHGA instructor certification programs • USHGA membership development programs • USHGA administrative operations • USHGA special projects and events A full membership (U.S. only) in USHGA is $39.00 per year until March 31, 1991.
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the season with a serious crash al Torrey Pines while test flying a prototype glider that had some licavy duty stability problems, and missed most of tile lousy summer He recovered more quickly than the doctors could believe and got hack in the saddle in mid-August, just in time to catch one or the rare days, flying l n miles rrom Flagstaff to I ,imc in ! Jtah for second place. I !ans flcydrich got one of the days, and managed to rare early summer coax his l!P AT for I 03 miles from Flagstaff lo south of' Shiprock, NM, before the headwinds and strong sink put an early (lhrec hours of sunlight left) end to his flight, slill enough for J'irst place in the Unlimited
with 10(1 miles from Mingus to just short of Dilkon. I was out of state from until late August, returning just in time to squeak a I 04-milcr from Oatman to Skull for sixth place. I sure picked a good year to be gone most of the season! And John .Johnson rounded out the class with a ()<)-mile flighl in April from Mingus 10 Oarcias Mesa, which g,1rnen:d him a seventh place finish. In lhc "up and coming" class (the 50 Mile class, which is restricted to pilots who have yet to surpass the 50 mile mark), 20 pilots gave it all they could, and provided a tight race. With all the lousy weather during the usual season, virtually all the placing flights occurred in the J\H(iA President Jimmy Clark wanted to win this one in the worst way, and probably got in the most flights trying. Jimmy planned it right, getting a new hirmula cmly his girlfriend lo drive lots. on, and llowcvcr, an April 7 flight of' 54 miles J'rom Oatman to Cashion netted him a tic J'or second place. Jacque Neff, from Tucson, made a flight from the Whctslone Mountains to Carnelsback for an equal miles, ticing him for second distance of with two different flights on two diffcrc111 days from two different sites, resulting in distances equal to within I/I 0 milc ... ama,.ing! Dennis Tubbs has been a regular at Oatman for several years and figured he really had a chance of winning. He
picked up a new Sport 150 and gave it his all, 62 miles in from Oatman to win the 50 Mi le class. And he earned it the hard way, to spot land in a small wide spot in the road which winds its way through the Vulture Mounlains. I wonder how many wi1111ing flights end up as a spot landing conies!'! Rounding out the submitled Jimmy Clark, 2nd place tic in 5() .. J\llilc class; Dennis Tubbs, of so .. Milc class; Jim Grissom, 2nd place in Mark Stockwell madt, a 50- lJnlimitcd class; Hans Heydrich, winner of lJnlimited cla;;s. rnilc flight from the Whctslone Mountains to past Peach to Wilcox in for fourth place, and Scott (which took a long time, and was lots Sindelar flew over lhc back of Mingus for a work) I really did have a good time, and it 13-milcr and rif'th place. foci good tu land next lo !fans after a For some pilots it was a good year, as flight through such a variety of conditions they made their longest flights ever, and they taxed our ahilitit:s lo the max. arc tickled pink with their accomplislm1cnls. World-record distances are what wt: set Rightly so. For I hose of us used to lots of sights on, hul fun is slill whal ii all 100-milc flights --and hopefully 200, and shorter, challenging can dreaming of 300 -we moslly had to settle for there's ncxl he satisfying. And one and lots of' maybe one shorler ones. I must admit that on a 07-milc
Unlimited Class Place Pilot l) Hans ffoyclrich Jim Grissom 3) Barton 4) Jim Whitelaw Rockhold 6) Bob Thompson 7) John Johnson
50°Mik Class Place Pilot I) Dennis Tubbs 2) Jimmy Clark 3) Jacque Neff 4) Mark Stockwell Scott Sindelar
Miles 193 173 161 112 106 104 90
Miles 62 54 54
50 13
Site Ml. Elden lo Shlprock, NM Mt. Elden to Lime UT Miller Canyon to Deming, NM Mingtrn to Dilkon Mingus to near Dilkon Oatman to Skull Valley Mingus to Garcias Mesa
Site Oatman to Vulture Mts. Oatman to Cashion Whetstones to Cnmclshack Whetstones to Wilcox Mingus to 89A
Glider HPAT 158 4 177 Axis 15
HP Axis I HP AT 158 Ill'
Gilda Sport J\T l 50
Formula Sport 167 Sporl 167 Axis l
I IAI\C CLJJ)JNC
1 by Nick Kennedy April 1]th approaches, the l C)9 I Easl Coast Championship is shaping up to he and helter than ever. As one or the four World Team points meets, this year's winner will cam 450 world learn JlOinls, as well as the chance for lots or cash and prizes to be to daily. The cvt;nl is sponsored Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supplies, located in Dunlap, Tennessee. The; contest has received great reviews for the l'riendly atmosphere and great thermals the Scquatehic Valley holds. The East Coast Championship is in its third year and each year. For l 99 l, the field or entrants bas been increased lo 60 lo accommodate thc world learn points requirements. Thc compelitors will hl'. divided into lwo heats··· both of which will fly the same task from the same site. In order to accomplish 1his anw,.ing feat, one-hour launch windows will again he used. An adequate launch crew will be provided to insure all pilots arc able lo launch within their dcsignalcd window. I ,ocal merchant participation is expected to be at its highest level yet, with many discounts available to visiting pilots. Keeping with its "I Jang Gliding Capilal or the East" rnotlo, the of Dunlap goes all oul for the Championship. The local restaurants, clubs and skating rink will all he a parl of the aftcr-contcsl activities this year. Media exposure should be on the level wilh the 1988 Nalional Championships, which were J1eld in the ScquatchiG Valley as well. In the past, media coverage has included video and print, with daily rcsulls reporlcd on local radio and newspapers. US/\ carried daily reports as well. As in the past, free fliers arc welcome, with the 1hat a major contest is conduclcd and everyone's cooperation is ncc'.ded to insmc a safe, smooth, fun time for everyone. Wind leclrnicians should contact SYS to for those limited spots
MARCI 1 1991
event, May early morning glide-ratio conics I, a cross-country event, ancl just good action--packcd Paradox Valley is located halfway between Tclluriclc, CO, Moab, UT and (,rand Junclion, CO. This area is in the I •:astern ( :anyonlamls district. and is high Paradox Valley, Colorndo looking north toward Dinosaur, CO. lighted by a scrni-vcrlical Photo by Nick Kennedy red rock miles Paradox offers a variety of conditions and launch sites. Directly above the town or Paradox the ridge faces due south and hosts
1hrcc launches: a ramp and two steep slope launches from the road cut. The gliclc .. ratio contest will take place in this area. The launches from the road cut arc easily Jaunclrnblc in calm conditions. The l ,900 vertical feet at this site should result in at least a 3.5-milc glide. All pilots wilh at least an Intermediate rating and a cliff launch off arc cncournged lo atlencl. ;\JI certified gliders an, welcome. Paradox has launches on both sides of the facing norlh and south, These launch sites have been the stepping off point for dozens of cross .. country advent mes. Pilots have flown in all directions from Paradox, following the clouds, ;\ good network of roads makes rclrcvial easy. Memorial Day wcckend was chosen for this event based on yl:ars or weather ohservat ion in the area. "wonder winds" frequently easy 25-milc nms up the ridge. occur, These arc great conditions for low time pilots and those vc:nturing out on their firsl crosscountry adventures. The crnss . country event will be fun and one flight scored per day, total miles low wins! Pri'1:cs will he awarded in both contests.
Entry fee is $10 per event. No charge for the free r!ycrs. Facilities arc bare bones. Primitive campsitGs exist at launch and at (hound !log Reservoir, I :i minutes west or launch. Ground I log Reservoir is one of the uncliscovcrccl gems or Colorado; grassy meadows srnTmmd a pristine blue lake in the pines, a short eightmile night from Paradox. Come join 11s in the air over Paradox. 'T'liis is a true diamond or a rlying site! For more information contact: Nick Kennedy, P.O. Box 1026, Telluride, CO 8143:i Cl03) 728-)90:i.
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• Safety • New Products • Glider Reviews • Competition News • European U ndate •Who's Who • Facts & Figures
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COMPETITION CORNER
U-Lowell Wins Intercollegiate Fly-In The University of Lowell Hang Gliding Club took first place at the 13th Annual Intercollegiate Fly-In, held at Morningside Flight Park, Claremont, NH. The event took place during Columbus Day Weekend. The U-Lowell Hang Gliding Club was presented a plaque for the most points accumulated over the weekend, beating other colleges U-Mass. Amherst, Connecticut U., and SMU. This victory was a joint effort between current U-Lowell students and alumni coming back to participate with their school. The students who participated on the team were John Donahue, who came in seventh place in the intennediate 450-foot division, Ken Boermeester came in third in the beginner division, and the club's advisor, Bill Blooci, who came in sixth in the open 450-foot division. The alumni who represented U-Lowell were: Lorina Hillman and Keni Bonner, who placed third and fourth respectively in the novice 250-foot division; Dennis Rentschler who came in 12th; and Ken Loehle who won the intennediate 450-foot division. In the
open 450-foot division there was Doug Wicks, Chip Doherty and Bill Caroll who came in first, fourth and fifth respectively.• RESULTS New Beginner l. Wayne Seaholm UL 2. David Wall SMU 3. George Lackars Ellenville 4. David Kinahan UL Beginner 1. John Bolan 2. Andy Deitch 3. Ken Boennester Novice l. Jeff Sanchez 2. Ron Lavoie 3. Lorina Hillman 4. Kerri Bonner 5. Bob Fraser 6. Pete Coyer 7. Henry Terefenko
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The Owens Valley World Hang Gliding Championship Series by Tom Kreyche USHGA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS~ AUGUST 1991 CROSS COUNTRY CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL~ JUNE 1992 WORLD HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS~ JUNE 1993
INVITATION TO THE OWENS VALLEY Ti1e World Hang Gliding Championships has been hosted by a wide variety of countries since its inception; many of the contests have been held in Europe with an MARCH 1991
I
occasional venture to another corner of the globe. These Championships provide an excellent method for the world-wide promotion of our sport. A continually changing location is important to increase participation by a wide variety of countries,
Intermediate - Ramp 1. Ken Loechle 2. Phil Tanguay 3. Tony Stelek 4. Rich Christoffers 5. Bob Chapman 6. Dan Walker 7. John Donahue 8. John Heden 9. David Engen 10. Frank Valenza 11. John Atwood 12. Dennis Rentshuer 13. John Martin 14. Liz Burtang 15. Steve Rich 16. Barry Morse 17. LaJTy Cope 18. Stepehen McC!etus 19. Lee Minardi 20. Clifford Lull Open-Ramp 1. Doug Wicks 2. Lany Tudor 3. Bob Hastings 4. Chip Doherty 5. Bill Caroll 6. Bill Blood 7. Walter Nemi 8. Bud Brown 9. Carl Cameron IO. Tom Ward 11. Nelson Howe
UL Morn. Side UFO UFO Morn. Side Sky Riders UL Mom. Side Morn. Side UFO UFO UFO UFO
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and to help broaden pilot experience. The first country of the Americas to host the Championships is the South American country of Brasil, in 1991. A World Championships is planned for 1993 to take place in the Owens Valley area of California and Nevada, in the U.S. on the North American continent. It is doubtful that any hang glider pilot exists who has not heard of this place. Many legends have been told of the Owens; it has been said that there are only two groups of pilots existing, those who have flown the Owens and those who will. There are many splendid countries, mountain ranges and hang gliding sites in the world. There are many which have yet to be explored from our unique perspective. Yet there are few sites which have provided sucl1 a rich history of hang gliding experience. Even if this history of rumors, records and
55
COMPETITION CORNER contests of the Owens Valley is completely ignored, the simple truth is that it is just a fabulous place to fly! We wish to share our sites, culture and friendship with pilots from every part of the planet.
INTRODUCTION A series of three hang gliding contests are planned for the Owens Valley, culminating in the World Hang Gliding Championships in 1993 (pending final CIVL approval). The time is long past due for the U.S. to host the World Championships. The Cross Country Classic and other Owens Valley contests in the late 70's and early 80's played a major role in the development of our sport. The Classic pioneered cross-country hang gliding contests, helped extend pilot skills and accelerated glider development. Now that cross-country flying is universally embraced, it is fitting that the World Championships be held at the birthplace. A CONCISE SOARING HISTORY OF THE OWENS VALLEY
Sailplane Activities The Owens has been a famous site for sailplane contests and record attempts for many years prior to hang gliding activities. An extensive exploration of the Siena wave conditions was conducted in the 1950's, when some of the first high-altitude soaring flights were made, to over 40,000 ft. (12,000 m). Numerous regional and national sailplane contests have been held in the area since the 1950's. Another famous sailplane airfield is 140 miles to the north in Minden, Nevada. Contests have been held here since the 1950's, with many tasks bringing pilots over the same terrain used by hang glider pilots flying out of the Owens. Early Hang Gliding Activities In the early 1970's a small group in Bishop, California acquired a few primitive hang gliders and taught themselves to fly at nearby sand dunes. As pilots gained experience, they began flying from higher sites in the mountains, and on a few occasions found themselves accidentally gaining altitude. Second generation gliders and improved skills provided pilots with more opportunities for soaring, and numerous sites were
56
explored, including Horseshoe Meadows and Cerro Gordo near Lone Pine. Distance and Record Flights A few short cross-country flights were made in Southern California in the mid l 970's. Gene Blythe and Trip Mellinger electrified the hang gliding world in 1976 with 47-mile flights from Cen-o Gordo in the Southern Owens Valley. The next year, a small number of fanatics descended on the Owens, and a few long flights were made, culminating in Jerry Katz's 103-mile flight in July 1977. The 100-mile mark became an important symbol of achievement, and a larger horde of fanatics attacked Cerro Gordo in 1978 and 1979. These efforts were frustrated until 1980 when the mark was broken by about I 0 pilots. The very next year (198 l), records were completely shattered with 40 flights exceeding 100 miles. A fortunate open distance task during the 1981 Cross Country Classic produced a memorable day when 15 pilots flew over 100 miles, with a couple of flights exceeding 150 miles. Attention shifted from Cerro Gordo to Horseshoe Meadows in 1983, when pilots achieved numerous long flights, aided by the eastern-facing launch. Official and unofficial records were broken almost daily, and it became impossible to chronicle all the amazing flights achieved. Over 15 flights have been made over 200 miles; about half made by Larry Tudor. Owens Valley Competition The Cross Country Classic and other Owens contests developed from discussions between George Worthington and Don Partridge. George originally flew sailplanes, set a few records, gravitated to hang gliding, and became one of the original Cerro Gordo record-seeking fanatics. Don Partridge was an Owens Valley native, and the unofficial leader of the original Bishop pilots. Between George's competitive instincts, and Don's wish to attract expert pilots to help explore the potential of the Owens, the Cross Country Classic was born. The first Cross Country Classic in 1978 attracted about 60 pilots from the U.S.; its immediate success generated two separate contests in 1979, which attracted over 100 pilots including a small number of foreigners. The Owens became a phenomenon, and three contests were initiated in 1980. From 1980
through 1983, the Owens contests were attended by a large number of pilots from the U.S. and other countries, and became an unofficial cross-country championships. Pilots suggested that a bid should be placed for the World Championships in the Owens, but the Forest Service had not yet developed recreation plans for the area and would not guarantee permits. By 1984, advancing glider technology and pilot skill spread crosscountry flying and competition to many other areas of the globe, and contests in the Owens diminished in importance. Directory of Owens Valley Competition 1978 Cross Country Classic 1979 2nd Annual Cross Country Classic Cross Country Open l 980 3rd Annual Cross Country Classic 2nd Annual Cross Country Open 1981 4th Annual Cross Country Classic 3rd Annual Cross Country Open Cross Country Qualifier CeJTo Gordo Cup 1982 5th Annual Cross Country Classic Cross Country Challenge Races 1983 6th Annual Cross Country Classic Cross Country Open 1984 XCPA Contest l 985 XCP A Contest 1987 USHGA National Championships 1988 10th Anniversary X-C Classic
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP BID I've always been an enthusiastic promoter of flying in the Owens! At the fall 1988 USHGA Board of Director's Meeting, I informed the Competition Committee that I was planning to investigate the possibility of a U.S. bid to host the World Championships. I attended the 1989 World Championships in Fiesch, Switzerland and spent considerable time discussing issues with the organizer and CIVL President, Thomas Bossard. Details of the contest organization and operation were examined, and discussions were held with numerous team captains and pilots. This trip convinced me of the feasibility of a U.S. World Championships, especially because of the enthusiastic support of many pilots. My report to the Competition Committee on the 1989 Championships appeared as an article in the September 1989 issue of Hang Gliding magazine. At the fall 1989 Board of Directors meeting I submitted a HANG GLIDING
COMPETITION CORNER preliminary bid proposal, and in early l 990 it was accepted by the USHGA Executive Committee The bid was also approved by !he National Aeronautic Association, which is our national organization representing the U.S. before the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the international governing body for aviation. The next step was a formal presentation to the Commission Internationale de Vol Libre (CIVL), which is the hang gliding division of the FAL This took place in March 1990 in Governador Valadares, Brasil in conjunction with the preWorld Championships. To gain further expertise, I participated in the Brasilian pre-World Championships in 1990 and in the 1991 World Championships as a member of the International Jury. The next step is a presentation to the CIVL in April 1991 in Switzerland, where it is anticipated that the U.S. bid will receive final
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approval. (There are no competing bids at this time; the French submitted a preliminary bid, but withdrew it in 1990 in favor of the U.S. bid.) After approval, the serious work begins!
The immediate task is a search for a major sponsor to provide prize money, and continued development of a professional contest organization. •
The 1991 USHGA Nationals
The
Nationals are scheduled this year to be held in the Owens Valley in late August, which is a change from past Owens contest history. The traditional schedule has been in June and July, but with advanced gliders the strong conditions during these months are no longer necessary to provide high quality competition. Long tasks are easily possible in late August, but in less intense conditions. One hundred plus mile flights have now been flown in the Owens in seven months of the year! The schedule has been coordinated with other contests, to prevent conflicts and allow pilots sufficient time for travel. Pilots from the Eastern U.S. will be able to return home after the Nationals for their prime fall season. European pilots will be able to fly their sites during their p1ime spring season, and easily attend our Nationals if they wish. The schedule is the only major change from recent Owens contests. The tasks, launch site and other features have been well proven, and will continue with a few new enhancements. The Owens successfully hosted the USHGA Nationals in 1987. A full six rounds of competition were flown, with pilots flying record cumulative distances. The competition is sanctioned by the USHGA and will be operated under a U.S. Forest Service special use pennit. USHGA membership is required for all participants, for insurance purposes. Positions are allocated per the USHGA Competition Rulebook, based on regional contests and pre-qualification. Pilots from regions which are not hosting contests will be accepted based on recommendation from a Regional Director. Foreign pilots have traditionally participated in the Nationals, improving the quality of competition. Positions will be reserved for foreign pilots; a number are already planning to attend to gain expertise for future events. The entry fee is $275 if paid in full before July 1, 1991, or $325 thereafter. Positions may be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis with a 50% deposit. Deposits and entry fees are refundable up to one week prior to the start of the contest. The entry fee does not include transportation. Pilots are encouraged to provide their own transportation to the launch site. Optional transportation to the launch site is available for an additional $80, and must be reserved in advance. Prizes will include the traditional stained glass windows and equipment donated from outdoor equipment manufacturers. Owens Valley contests have traditionally incorporated a "theme" drawing, which is used on the stained glass window prizes, T-shirts and other contest material. Artists are encouraged to submit theme drawings for this year's event. For further contest infmmation, write Torn Kreyche, Cross Country Classic, 355 Mariposa Ave. #2, Mountain View, CA 94041 or call (415) 965-8608. Infonnation regarding accommodations and public campgrounds may be obtained from the Bishop Chamber of Commerce, 690 N. Main St., Bishop, CA 93514, phone (619) 873-8405. Information regarding hiking and camping in National Forest areas may be obtained from the U.S. Forest Service, Inyo National Forest, 873 N. Main Street, Bishop, CA 93514, phone (619) 873-5841. Pilots may also wish to join the local club, the Eastern Sie1rn Sport Pilot Association. The objectives of the club are to pramote flying with a smile, encourage safety, and provide reputable representation of pilots to various government agencies. A newsletter is published, and membership is open to all pilots. For further infonnation, write the ESSPA, P.O. Box 547, Bishop, CA 93514 . •
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CLASSIFIEDS ADVISORY: Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used N yloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with noncircular holes, and on Rogallos, sails badly tom or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, many hang gliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHGA-certified school.
HP II - Full race, very good condition, $1, IOO, Lan-y, eves (614) 467-2022.
SPORT 167 - Race face euro, two hours, b. orange L.E./ white, $2,500, (407) 851-5988.
HP II - Full race, extra batten, white/blue, flies great! $1,300. Vision MK IV 17, $1,400, Paul, evenings at (714) 676- 4425.
SPORT 167 - Euro, full race, excellent condition, 15 hrs airtime, garaged, $2,000 (602) 893-2523.
HP II - New blue L.E., magenta undersurface, low hours, superb handling, sail in excellent shape, will split shipping, $1,200 OBO. (702) 345-0612 KISS 155 - Late model, three flights, $2,700 (800) 6352247, (206) 256-7935.
ROGALLOS AIR-ZONE-A - Towsters have the new Phoenix Soft Release and a Pagen glider dispenser. Just bring your harness. Jeff Reynolds (602) 482-9723. AMERICAN WINDWRIGHT - 160 Zoom, Custom built for 1989 ieague meet. VG, halfribs, faired downtubes, kevlar L.E. 30 hrs., flies great! Excellent condition, $1,400 (503) 389-8305, Mike.
MAGIC III 177- VG, Magic III 166, $500each (218) 2252682. MAGIC IV 166 - New side wires, clean glider, IOO hours, $999 (907) 688-6080. MAGIC JV l 77 - Sixty hours, $900. (317) 758-9239.
MAGIC KISS - Awesome performance, light handling, great condition, $1,750 OBO will ship. Call Hang Flight Systems, (714) 542-7444.
C-2 - 1985, low hours, very clean. Black L.E., spectrum D.S., blue sandwich body. Very nice glider $800 (503) 3898305, Mike.
MAGIC KISS -Two, late 1989 and 1990, $2,400 OBO. These gliders are in great shape and won't stick around. Cail now for details, (619) 450-9008.
DREAM 145 - Very low hours, very good condition, $1,000. Kim (619) 729-9504 (CA).
MOYES METEOR 190-Red/white, $5000BO. Cloudbase spaghetti harness, with chute container, $75. (713) 280-9005. 6Y
DREAM 220-Excellent condition, only 15 flights (6 hrs.), $1,200. Mark(719) 528-8944 (eves), (719) 590-5359 (days). DUCK 160-Trade for Dream. Vision MK IV 17, $1,600. (501) 227- 4920.
UP AXIS 13 & 15-Lowhours, excellent condition,$2,100 each (919) 441-4124. UP AXIS 15-1989, HTPT.E., yellow trilam L.E., yellow/ blue lower surface, 7075 ribs, 50 hours airtime. Excellent condition, S1,400 OBO. Also: HP 1.5 VG equipped, new custom crilam L.E., 2.5 in. crossbars, U.S. flag on lower surface. Ex WW Team glider, $700 OBO (505) 298-2922, leave message. UP COMET III 185 -One llourairtime, $2,495. (919) 4414124.
MAGIC KISS 154-$2,100, (919) 441-4124.
C-2 165 - The best sink rate for the money! $800. New glider bag, orange L.E., spectrum, white T.E. (619) 9446881.
DREAM 185 - Excellent condition, ideal for training, $1,500 OBO (415) 969-6208.
SPORT 180 - Excellent condition, eight hours, purple, magenta, orange, white, $1,300. (209) 686-9210, (209) 6885558 message phone.
MO YES MISSION 170 -
$1,799 (919) 441-4124.
MYSTIC 155 VG-Less than JO hours, crisp sail in red, blue and gold. References. $1,200 OBO. Delta wing pod harness, $180 OBO (619) 270-6867.
VISION 16 148 - Clean, never broken, 45 hours airtime, low U. V., $750. Ten minutes from 1-80, Nebraska (308) 2365892. VISION MK JV 17 - Very good condition, rainbow on gold undersurface. (619) 481-4448. VISION MK IV 17 - New August, 1990, full race, speed bar, white, magenta (B) Panel, $1,900. (805) 252-6102. VISION MK IV l 7 - Two to choose from: Blue - $1,300. Orange - $l,600. (619) 450-9008. VISION MK IV 17 and 19-3DCG,camerazippers, trilam L.E. $2,235 ea. Test flown only, shipped anywhere. (303) 750-3226. VISION MK IV 19 - Trilam L.E., mint, one owner, low hours $2,000. (615) 828-4343.
DUCK 180 - Clean blue L.E., rainbow spectrum, $550 (803) 666- 2494.
NEW MOYES XS - Be the top of the stack in 1991 ! This glider is fast, responsive, easy to land, and priced lower than anywhere else. Call-demo-before you pay $4,000+ tax. Certified-American made-learn to tow (209) 368-9665.
VISION MK IV 19-Hot pink, magenta, purple, trilam L.E. faired downtubes, comfort bar, camera zippers, <7 hrs,excellent condition, firm $1,750 (817) 488-7932.
GTR 162 WB -Blue L.E., blue wedge, excellent condition, $1,250. Brian (619) 935-4688.
NEW GLIDERS - Best Prices! Pacific Airwave, Wills Wings, Seedwings, Delta. Silver Wings (703) 533-3244.
VISION 19- Excellent shape, low hours, $900 (509) 6273624.
GTR 162 WORLD BEATER -Blue L.E., fluoro. yellow undersurface, new wires, less than 90 hours $1,200 (213) 451-2016.
PRO AIR 140- H-III, DSAF, new condition, sharp custom colors, $900 OBO (714) 535-5600 days, (714) 535-1447 eves. (So. Cal.)
WILLS WING 167 - USA, IO hours T.T., white/green, PERFECT CONDITION, $1,950. So. Cal. 1-800-356-5686.
HP AT - New, full race, all options, extra downtubes, $3,500. (919) 945-2327.
SENSOR 5!0 B VG - Excellent condition, $900 OBO. (800) 635-2247, (206) 256-7935.
HP AT 145, $3,400. HP AT 158, $2,800. Wills Wing Z3, $450. CG IOOO harness, $225. FFE20 gore chute, $300. BRS system, $350. Ball 652 deluxe, $300. Will ship (818) 7610085, leave message.
SENSOR 510 C - With pigtail and F.R. sail. Excellent condition, must sell, $1,200 (603) 529-2010.
HP AT 158 - Ten flights, perfect condition, $2,700. (800) 635- 2247, (206) 256-7935.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA USED GLIDER REFERRAL - BUY-SELL-CONSIGN, ALL MAKES, MODELS. CALL TODAY (619) 450-1894 OR (619) 450-9008.
HP AT 158 - $2,650. (219) 845-2856.
SPORT 167 -$1,100. Dream 165, $850. Duck 180, $450. All have crisp sails (916) 938-2061.
HP AT l58- Excellent condition, new in June. (412) 6613474 PA.
SPORT 167 EURO - Excellent, low hours, red/white with black L.E., snap on wheels & extras (415) 355-9179.
HP II - Full race, al1 options, extra downtubes, never damaged, excellent condition, $1,400. (919) 945-2327.
SPORT 167 - Low hours, excellent condition, $1,550. Awesome perfonnance/great handling! Bob (619) 286-5604.
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COLORADO HANG GLIDING (303) 278-9566 24 hours Region !V's oldest, largest, full time shop. Never used chutes (all sizes) ......................... $265 New NAS PDA chutes ..... .......... ............... $388 D.O.T. helmets (colors!) ............................... $50-$129 NAS vario/Alt (intro price) ........................... $388 Heavy duty glider bags ................................. $74 Steel biners (2 min.) ...................................... $14.80 Paragliders (demos) ...................................... $900-$2,000 Vario's (demo's, all brands) ......................... $75-$500 Used clrntes repacked/inspec. by FAA cert. master rigger w/ new bridle, deployment bag. 100% guarantee all equipment. MC/VISA/AMEX/DISCOVER ACCEPTED. (303) 2789566 24 hours Magic Fomwla .............................................. <5hrs$2,900 Magic Kiss <5hrs .......................................... $3,000 Demon 175 <2 hrs ........................................ $1,000 Harrier 177 < IO hrs ....................................... $700 Lt. Dream 205 <1 hr ..................................... $1,500
HANG GLJDJNG
CLASSIFIEDS Skyhawk 188 <2 hrs ....... ... $1,445 L!. Mystic l 77, I 88 <40 hrs.. .. ................ .. $ l,300 ca Mystic I 77VG<60 hrs ... $700 Lt. Dream 205, I 85<40hrs . .. $900 ea Raven 229<20hrs . .. $600 Atlas l 7<25hrs .... .. $600 Seagull 140, 170. .................... ...$350 100% guarantee on all equipmenr, inspected, and .shipped anywhere. (303) 278-9566 24hrs. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER
............. New Magic Formula, in stock . . ........ New Magic K2 145 .... .. $2,500 Magic Kiss, like new ... ... $2,700 167 Sport AT. ... New HP AT, in stock . Magic Ill 166, great glider. .. .... $900 Vision l\!K IV 17/19, in stock . ........ New Vision MK IV 17/19, used..... ..Sl,200 Equalizers, used s/m . . .. .. $425 4206-K Sorrento Valley Blvd .. San Diego, CA 92 l 2 I. \Ve have instruments and parachutes in stock. (619) 450-9008. 8 Special travel incentives on some glider purchases. GOLDEN WINGS l l03 Washington Avenltc, Golden, CO 80401 (303) 278-7181 or(800) 677-4449 Vision 19 (used) (Exel Cond) . .... $[.800 .. $1800-$2,200 Several Spo,1 I 67 ... HPAT, Demo .... .. S2,800 ... S450 - $1,000 Many other good used gliders ... SANTA BARBARA HANG GLIDING CENTER 29 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93 IO l (805) 962-8999 FAX (805) 964-3337 Orders only: call collect Ball 652 ... Ball 651. Ball M .,o .... Brauniger LCD 5 . Brauniger Alto Vario P2 ... Afro XC 8000 Afro Cirrus 8000 .. Flytec OF 2030 . Flytec Pilot I . Litec Vario
... $595 ........ $495 .............. $675 .............. S575 . ..... S450 .. $799 ... ..... $759 .. .. Sl,200 .... $580 .. .. S269
.... $345 HE chute. BRS 4 HG ... ......... S799 Helmets Rochelt Karban Fiber . . S285 .. .. $129 Bell Helmet .... UVEX Jct Helmet .... $89 . $75 Aerodyne ... Gliders .. .......... call UP. WW. .. ... call ...call Pacific Airwave . Moyes . .call ... call Foil ....... Used ... 51,350 Sport 167 Euro FR . Sport AT like new .. ..... $2,600 Vision MK 9. 7 hrs .. .. ........................ Sl,500 Axis 15 lOc. .... $2,495 Light Dream 165 .... .... .......... .... .. ............ S l ,000
WANTED- Used hang gliding equipment. Gliders, instruments, harnesses and parachutes. Airtime of San Francisco, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) SKY-! I 77 . RIGID WINGS ODYSSEY - Foot launched sailplane. 16-l glide ratio. 10 minute set-up. Excellent condition. Includes transport box. $3,500. Dudley Mead. (415) 775-9560. PARAGLIDERS EQ SPORT - European paraglider (like Corvette) only 3 mountain flights $2,000, April-July in CA, contact (615) 886-6487 . EXCALIBUR's, EDEL's, UP's - Instruction, all equipment, Southern California and European tours. (714) 6548559.
WESTERN HANG GLIDERS, MARINA, CA (408) 384-2622 VISION MK JV !9. .. .. $1895 VJSION MK IV 17 (new) ..... .... 2700 VJSION :'v!K IV I 7 . .. .. 1995 VISION MK IV l7. ... 1600 VlSlON ECLIPSE 17. .. ....... 1500 .. .. 1695 VISION GENESIS . ................... 1350 MAGIC IV 166 ... .. . 1250 MAGIC IV 177 . .... 2500 MAGIC KISS (demo). .... 2350 MAGIC KISS. SPORT AM 167 ... .. 1395 .... 1400 SKYHAWK 188 .. . ... 1250 SKYHAWK 168 .. . .... 950 HARRIER 147. DREAM 165 ... .. ... 995 .. .. 1995 DREAM 220. WANTED WANTED-DEALERS small/large, domestic/international
ULTRALIGHTS SOAR MASTER - Trike unit, less wing. Excellent condition, strobe light included, 22 HP twin, $850. finn. (207) 8466028. SCHOOLS AND DEALERS ALABAMA UvlFP - Two hours from Birmingham (see om ad under Tennessee.) (404) 398-3541. ARIZONA ARIZONA WINDSPORTS-Largest hang gliding center in the Southwest. Lessons utilizing the world's first manmade trainer hill. All our sites face every wind direction. Highest percent of flyable student days in America. Dealer for Pacific Airwave, Wills Wing, High Energy, Ball and Seagull classic parts. 1327 E. Bell De Mar Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7 l 2 l.
(0 repre.,ent North Amerjcan Sports' complete line of adven-
ture sports equipment. (303) 278-9566. WANTED - DREAM 220 and/or DREAM 240, may require photograph of glider (415) 487-3424. Ask for Rudy.
DESERT HANG GLIDERS - USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspt1r, Glendale. AZ 85304 . (602) 938-9550.
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I USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 40 cents per word, $4.00 minimum. I Boldface or caps $.95 per word. (Does not include first few words I which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs $22 per I column inch. (phone numbers-2 words, P.O. Box-1 word)
I photos-$25.00 line art logos-$15.00 I Deadline-20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the I issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June20 for the August issue).
I Prepayment required unless account established. I Please enter my classified ad as follows: I I I Number of words: @ .40 = I Number of words: @ .95 =
Section (please circle) Rogallos Emergency Chutes Parts & Accessories Business & Employment Miscellaneous
Schools and Dealers Ultralights Rigid Wings Publications & Organizations
Begin with 19 issue and run for conseculive issue(s). My check 0, money order 0, is enclosed in the amount of
I I I I I I I
$_ _ _ _ _ _ _
NAME: ADDRESS: PHONE:
I I I I I I
L : b :o~ont~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ USHG':,_P.0. Box~300, Colorado Springs~~0933~~ 632-830~ MARCH 1991
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CLASSIFIEDS ARKANSAS
COLORADO
SAIL WINGS HANG GLIDING-Full-time lessons,salcs, service. Pacific Airwave, CG 1000. New, used, rental equipment. P.O. Box 321, Atkins, Arkansas 72823. (501) 2274920. Haney's Point (501) 641-1902. We OY PROMOTE the sport!
COLORADO HANG GLIDING/PARAGLIDING - 1st USHGA certified school in U.S.A. Region's largest and oldest. Operating full time since 1972. (303) 278-9566. COLORADO WIND PARK - "Come up for Air!" Sales, service, complete instruction on our 500-foot, 360-degree training hill. $10/day lodging. Dealing all brands. 5526 S. Pitkin Ct., Aurora, CO 80015, (303) 762-6505 or (303) 6806443.
CALIFORNIA ACTION SOARING CENTER - In Lodi near Stockton. Personalized USHGA certified instruction, sales and service. Emphasis on special skills and techniques, T.0. and L. Call to demo XS, EZ, WB. Ask about tow clinic. 1689 Armstrong Road, Lodi, CA 95242 (209) 368- 9665. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO - Hang Gliding & Paragliding. USHGA & APA Certified Instrncrion, Sales, Service, Rental. - Pac. Air, UP, Wills, Sensor, High Energy, Mantis, Second Chantz, B.R.S.///Pro Design, Apco Hilite, I.T.V., Edel, Skywalkcr and MORE! Large selection of 2nd hand gear (buy & sell). Next to Fort Funston. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) SKY-1177. AIRTIME UNLIMJTED-SOUTHLAND HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Pacific Airwave gliders in stock. Tandem instruction, ATOL towing. We need your used glider tradeins. c/o David Engel, 12120 Severn Way, Riverside, CA 92503 (714) 589-0109. CHANDELLE SAN FRANCISCO, INC. Since 1973, complete hang gliding and paragliding sales service and instruction. Dealers for Wills Wing, Pacific Airwave, Delta Wing, Seed wings, UP, High energy, CcntcrofGravity, Ball, BRS, Second Chanrz, ITV, Firebird, Edel and more! N011hern California's most complete repair facility, including 7th class rigger's machine. New and used equipment, spare parts, and demos. Complete training, including introductory lessons, packages, clinics. ground school and tandem. Five minutes from Ft. Funston. 488 Manor Plaza, Pacifica, CA 94044. (415) 359-6800. COMPACT WINGS PARAGLIDING- Instn1ction, sales, service, Sou them California and European tours, at Soboba (best site in S. Cal.) (714) 654-8559. H-l's - H-2's - SILENT FLIGHT - Tandem towing instruction. Get more in-flight training than any training hilL Learn landing approaches, steep and shallow turns, towing, sta11 recoveries. High hang two's may be eligible for solo. H· 3's, H-4 's - rowing, aerobatic clinics. Example tow day skybear drops, windspcar practice, hawk chasing, fun! Mt. Shasta (916) 938-2061. HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS - DIRECTLY across the street from WILLS WING. DEMOS and rentals available to qualified pilots. HP-AT small, medium & large Sport-AT's, Kiss, Mark IV, Genesis, Dreams and Axis. FLY 'EM ALL and decide what you like. We sell and service all major brands of gliders and accessories. USHGA certified XC clinics and training program. 1202 E. Walnut, Unit M, Santa Ana, CA 9270 I (714) 542-7444 Near Disneyland. HANGGUDER EMPORIUM-The best training hill in the west is in Santa Barbara, a hang gliding VA CATION PARADISE. High quality PERSONALIZED instruction focusing on the skills that most affect your SAFETY. Call for vacation info and glider inventory. Tues.-Fri. 10-5, Sat. 10-4. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbma, California 93103 (805) 965-3733.
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HIGH ADVENTURE- Full service facility located on site at Southern California's famous mile high mountains, Crestline. From sand hill to XC thermal t1ying,our20 tandem accelerated training program is quick and thorough. Instrnctor Rob McKenzie. Dozens of new and used gliders for sale or rent. Other services include~ \\/Cather information, mountain shuttle, towing seminars, XC trips, repairs, ratings (714) 883-8488. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - Located in beautiful San Diego. US HGA instrnction, equipment rentals, local flying tours. Spend your winter vacation flying with us. We proudly offer Wills Wing, Pacific Airwave, High Energy, Ball and we need your used equipment. 4206-K Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121 (619) 450-9008. MISSION SOARING CENTER-Serving the flying community since 1973. Complete lesson program with special attention to quality take- off and landing skills. All major brands of gliders, parachutes and instruments sold. Sail repair and '1ir frnmc service available. l I I 6 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. (408) 262-1055.
EAGLE'S NEST School of Hang Gliding - USHGA certified school. Dealer for Delta Wing, Pacific Airwave and Wills Wing. P.O. Box 25985, Colorado Springs, CO 80936 (719) 594-0498. GOLDEN WINGS - Sales, service. USHGA certified instruction. Tandem Towing Instruction. Dealers for \ViUs Wing, Pacific Ainvave, Delta Wings, Moyes, UP. Clinics: Soaring, Parachll\c, Instructor, Mtn. Tours, Towing. I 103 Miners Alley, Golden, CO 80401. (303) 278-7181 or 1-800677-4449. L/D ENTERPRISES -Sail and harness repair - Equipment manufacturing - Towing winches and supplies - 5000 Butte #183, Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 440-3579. PEAK PERFORMANCE PARAGLIDING SCHOOL Paragliding instruction/equipment sales. P.O. Box 213, Crested Butte, CO 81224. (303) 349-596 l. CONNECTICUT MOUNTAIN WINGS- Look under New York. FLORIDA
SILENT FLIGHT - Fly all winter! Towing year 'round. Demo Axis/Comets. Full service school/dealership (916) 938-2061. TORREY FLIGHT PARK, INC. - At the launch of the world famous Torrey Pines Glider Port, one of San Diego's highlights! Unmatched convenience for pilots c1nd spectators. Refreshments and souvenirs at the Cliffhanger Cafe. Certified Training program featuring tandem soaring lessons. New, used, rental and demo equipment by Dehn \Ying and UP. 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037 (619) 452-3202. TRUE FLIGHT CONCEPTS - USHGA Certified Instruction, Sales & Service. Become a better pilot in less time with our small personalized classes & tandem instntction. Our head instructor has over 12 years teaching experience. Only minutes from our local Kagel l'v!ounlain flying site. 13185 Gladstone Ave., Sylmar, CA 91342. (818) 367-6050. WINDGYPSY - USHGA Ce1tifiecl school specializing in personalized tandem flight training. Full service sales & repair facility in Lake Elsinore - call for site info. \Vide nmgc of new & used gliders & flight accessorie<;; in stock. Paul Burns, 33041 Walls St., Lake Elsinore, CA 92330 Phone (714) 678-5418: FAX (714) 678- 5425. WINDSPORTS SOARING CENTER - Los Angeles' largest and most complete school since 1974. We specialize in personalized tandcnl instruction, sales and repair. Spend your winter vacation flying with us! 16145 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 988-011 l. "Professionals You Can Trnst!"
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MIAMI HANG GLIDING, INC. - has the most advanced training program known to hang gliding today. Certified instructors specialized in personalized tandem flight training. Full service and sales of pai1s for all gliders, makes and models. For more infomrntion call (305) 667-2392 or (305) 962-6968. ORLANDO - Solo in one hour. Paraplanc (powered para, chute). Flights on large private airfield. (407) 351-4510. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK -Sec ad under Tennessee. (404) 398- 3541. GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK under Tennessee. (404) 398-3541.
See our ad
IDAHO
HANG GUD!NG
CLASSIFIEDS TREASURE VALLEY HANG GLIDING -
USHGA CF!,
service/sales, Pacific Airwave, L'P, American \Vindwright, La Mouette, 11716 Fairview, Boise, ID 83704. (208) 3767914. ILLINOIS RA VEN HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Largest and most popular in the Midwest. Traditional curriculum, ridge soaring, mountain clinics, tandem by Brad Kushner. Sales/ service/accessories for all m.ajor brands. 300 N. Green Bay Rd., Waukegan, IL 60085 (708) 360-0700. MICHIGAN PRO HANG GLIDERS - USHGA instruction since 1978, advanced instructor, observer, safety is #1. Towing specialists since l 978. ivlaintain and enhance your basic skills. We still foot launch- none of those platform blues you have been reading about. All brands sold and serviced. Contact Norman Lesnow, 569 W. Annabelle, Hazel Park, MI, 48030 (313) 399-9433. T-N-T HANG GLIDING, INC. - Know how to lly'' Want to learn to fly? Corne see Michigan's first A TOL launch system in action. (313) 382-3977.
SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK - Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturcrs. 40acre park, 5 training hills,jccp rides, bunkhouse. camping, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. \Ve have the best facilities in N. New York state to teach you how to Oy. RD 2, Box 348A, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (315) 866-6153. THERMAL UP, 1\/C. - Most complete hang gliding shop in area. Located on top or Ellenville Mountain. USHGA Certified Instructor and Observer. Concentrating on hang gliding instruction with emphasis on launching and landing techniques. Dealer for all major brnnds. Offering expert sales and service with lowest price in area. Large mail order inventory. Tom Aguero, P.O. Box 347, Cragsmoor, NY 12420. (914) 647-3489. NORTH CAROLINA FLY AMERICA, Corolla Flight-All introductory flights and lessons taught by USHGA Master Rated, Advanced Tandem Jnslructor. Greg DeWolf instrncts new through advanced students with ATOL and Tandem. Tow from your blanket or doorstep on beautiful CmTituck Beach on the Outer Banks. Call (919) 261-6166 or write: Corolla Flight, Box 1021, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949.TY
ADVENTURE SPORTS - Sierra tours our specialty USHGA & APA certified school and ratings. Dealers for Pacific Airwavc, Wills Wing, UP, Enterprise Wings. Fly the Sierras with a full-service shop. 3680-6 Research \Vay. Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 883-7070.
KITTY HAWK KITES, lNC.-P.O. Box 1839, Nags Head, NC 27959 (919) 441-4124. Learn to hang glide on Jockey's Ridge, the largest sand dune on the east coast, just south of where the Wright Brothers' first flight took place. Beginner and advanced lesson packages and camps offered. Advanced tandem tow instruction, 1500 ft. plus up. Dealer for all mi~or brand gliders, complete inventory of new and used glider~, accessories and parts.
NEW JERSEY
OHIO
NEVADA
MOUNTAIN WINGS -
Look under New York.
NEW MEXICO UP OVER NEW MEXICO, INC. - Instruction. sales, service. Sandia lvlountain guides. \Vills, Seeclwings, Pacific Airwave, Delta, Moyes. Albuquerque, NM (505) 82 l-85H.
MARIO MANZO-SKYWARD ENTERPRISES - Certified instruction, inspection, repair, CG-1000, Dayton and Chillicothe, OH (513) 256-3888 (wkd. eves.) NORTH COAST HANG GLIDING-Certified Instruction. New & used gliders. Specializing in Pacific Airwave gliders. Mike Del Signore, 1916 W. 75th St., Cleveland, OH. 44102 (216) 631-1144.
NEW YORK
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Since 1978, Southeast's largest USHGA-certified mountain flight school. Complete !raining, from grassy, gently-sloping training hills to soaring high above Lookout lvlounlain. Our specialty: gelling you your first mountain flights. Lesson packages, USHGA ratings, glider and mountain bike rentals, camping, local site information. Largest inventory of new and used hang gliders and mountain bikes, harnesses, helmets, instrumenls, T-shirts, Repair services. \Ve buy used gliders, equipment! Send S l.00 for brochure, rates, directions, accommodations information. Twenty minutes from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Route 2, Box 215-H, Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738. (404) 398-3541 or 398-3433. SEQUATCHIE VALLEY SOARING SUPPLY, INC. Dealers for all major brands. Small training classes, with USHGA certified instruction, including tandem flights with group rates available. Famous radial ramp located just across the street. Great first mountain flight location with a huge landing zone and camping available with a comfortable clubhouse. Fly over 100 miles of ridges and enjoy challenging thennals with two launches, soon to be three, right here in "The hang gliding capital of the East." Fully stocked pro shop. Rentals, storage, USHGA ratings and all the latest fnshions. Proud dealers for Wills Wing, Seed wings and Delta Wing gliders with reasonable pricing on all products. Brochure, maps. site info., Tennessee Tree Toppers Club mcmberships available. Visa, !vlastercharge and Discover Card accepted. For personal service that you can trust call SYS, Rt. 2, Box 80, Dunlap, TN 37327 (615) 949-2301. TEXAS AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Still the one in central Texas, quality service since 1978. Inslrnction, sales, rental, and a complete airframe & sail repair facility. 1712 Waterston, Austin, TX 78703 (512) 474-1669. KITE ENTERPRISES - Instruction, sales, repairs, platform towing, Dallas, NmthTexas area. 211 Ellis, Allen, TX 75002 (214) 996- 7706 daytime, (214) 727-3588 nights and weekends. Dealer Pacific Airwavc. RRA=RED RIVER AIRCRAFT -The pro's shop. \Ve specialize in turning students into pilots. Flying trips. Jeff Hunt (512) 467-2529. Austin.
PENNSYLVANIA AAA MOUNTAIN WINGS HANG GLIDING CENTER AND FLIGHT PARK - Nm, offering PARAGLIDING instruction and sales. Base of ELLENVILLE MTN. Four exclusive training hills. Area's only dealer for Pacific Airwave, UP, Seedwings and Delta \Ying with demos in stock. \Ve are the largest, most complete H.G. accessory and repair shop of its kind in the country. i"vtany new and used gliders in stock. R/C supplies and kits, Ultra Pod camera systems. VISA and MASTERCARD accepted. Stop in and get your flight pass and gate combo. 150 Canal St., Ellenville. NY 12428 (914) 647-3377. In N.E. 1-800-525-7850. FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, !NC. - Serving S. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas {Ellenville I'vltn.). Area\, EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands. accessories. Certified school/i nstrnct ion. Teaching since 1979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices/ repairs. Excellent secondary instruction .. .if you've finished a program and wish to continue. Fly the mountain! ATOL towing! Tandem flights! Contact: Paul Voighl, RD 2, Box 561, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (914) 744-3317.
MARCH 1991
UTAH MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION -Certified instruction, Pittsburgh. (412) 697-4477. C'MON OUT AND !'LAY! MOUNTAIN WINGS -
Look under New York.
WASATCH WINGS - USHGA certified hang gliding school, dealers for Wills \Ving, ~v1oyes and Pacific Airwavc. Flight operations at Point of the Mountain. Call Gordon (801) 277-1042.
TENNESSEE VIRGINIA CRYSTAL AIR SPORT MOTEL- at Raccoon Mountain. Bunkhouse, private rustic rooms, regular & watcrbeds, video in-room movies, private jacuzzi room, pool, sky gear gifts, lliers work program. FF!: 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37409. (615) 821-2546. Chuck & Shari Toth. HAWK Al RS PORTS - New and improved hang gliding! Attention Novice and beginners! New 360 degree training hill designed and built specifically for you. Conveniently located. Fun! Fun! Fun! Clinch Mtn. -The longest ridge, two launches. The popular light wind indicator \Vindsok. Brochures available. Your satisfaction is the key to our continued growth and success. Hawk Air Sports, Inc., P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN, 37940-0056, (615) 453-1035.
SIL VER WINGS. Inc. Certified instruction and equipment sales. (703) 533-1965. WASHINGTON AIRPLAY'N PRO SHOP & Hang Gliding School. The largest full time, full service hang gliding shop in \Vashington. All major brands sold and serviced. 800 ivlercer, Seattle. WA 98109. (206) 467-8644 OR (800) 753-4264.
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CLASSIFIEDS INTERNATIONAL DEALERS SWITZERLAND SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI - For quick, easy flying May to October, call or write Ron Hurst, Jostenstr. 2 I, 8854 Galgenen, Switzerland, Dir. Dial USA OI l-41-55645229, FAX#: 011-41-55- 645223. EMERGENCY PARACHUTES ALL BRANDS - Bought, sold, and repacked. Inspection and repack $20.00 - Parachutes, bridles, inspected and replaced. Airtime of S.F., 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) SKY-1177."Y NEVER USED CHUTES! - I 00% satisfaction guaranteed. $265 each. All sizes, new bridle, deployment bag, repacked/ inspected by FAA cert. master rigger. (303) 278-9566. TOWING PROTOTYPE PAY-OUT WINCH - Level-wind and all the goodies! Runs great, well proven, mounts to any vehicle. Call Ion (303) 440- 3579. TOW ROPES - Continuous lengths, spectra-dacron-kevlarpolycster- polypropylene. All sizes - available with synthetic finish. Call (215) 723-1719. FAX (215)453-1515. Ask for sales - David F. Bradley, P.O. Box 291, Telford, PA 18969. ULTRALINE - Get ready for the flying season with our new best seller, 3/16" Ultraline, $105.00 delivered orour old favorite 1/4", $145.00 delivered. From the original Ultraline source, Cajun Hang Gliding, I IO Kent Circle, Lafayette, LA, 70508, (318) 981-8372.
Place your ad in the perfect market place, the Hang Gliding classifieds. Call Pat at (719) 632-8300.
BELL SOARING HELMETS- White, blue, red and neon. $I 29 plus. Nearest dealer? (303) 278-9566. BRAND NEW MAXON RADIOS -$175 shipped! Colorado residents add 3.5% sales tax. Colorado Wind Park, 5526 S. Pitkin St., Aurora, CO, (303) 762-6505 or (303) 680-6443.
HIGH QUALITY HELMET - at an affordable price. Meets and exceeds new 1988 D.0.T. standards. Well finished brushed nylon liner with high strength polycarbonate shell. ONLY $55.00 + $4.00 S/H. Great for schools. Dealer inquiries welcome. GOLDEN WINGS, 1103 Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 8040 I. (303) 278-7181.
BRAND NEW NAS VARIO/ALT - Large digital/analog readout. Extremely accurate+/- IO feet at 10,000 feet with one foot increments. Radio shielded, adjustable up/sink alarms. Large face, yet only I 1/4" thick. Five year replacement guarantee. Complete with Ball clamp $388. Nearest dealer? (303) 278-9566. DELTA WING HARNESS - $300, High Energy emergency parachute, $350, AFRO Cirrus 8000 Instrument (airspeed, 2 altitudes, vario with lotal energy compensation) $550, virtually new, must sell (818) 449-2088, evenings.
PARTS & ACCESSORIES
THE FAMOUS "LAMBIE LID" - Aerodynamic hang glider helmet, $75 postpaid. State size and three choices of color. 8160 Woodsboro, Anaheim, CA, 92807 (714) 7791877.
ARA MID FULL FACE- Superlite full face cover helmet. Excellent vision, yet cold weather protection, $295. Visors $25. Pendulum Sports, Inc. (719) 539-3900. BALL 652's-Deluxe vario, all options, slightly used. New M50's in stock with or without barograph from $550. Pendulum Sp011s, Inc. (719) 539-3900. BALL VARIO 651 -Excellent condition, $350, (800) 3565686.
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DON'T BE CONFUSED - Helmet pictured $50, red, blue, neon colors $5.00 extra. Nearest dealer? (303) 278-9566.
FINGER FAIRINGS
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I
f{ LITEK IS BACK! - With a new model E variometer. This $275 instrument has the fastest response time of any we make. Many new features: longer battery life, takes Ball clamp both sides and bottom, all metal rugged, all controls and audio now face pilot, audio level infinitely adjustable, and ... thcy're in stock! Free brochure. At your dealer, or direct (VJSA,MC,AMEX) from Litek, (503) 479-6633, 4326 Fish Hatchery Road, Grants Pass, OR 97527.
~ • Always there when you need them • Warm, comfortable, durable, slide easily across control bar • Instant bare hand dexterity for launch, CB, chute, camera • Quality construction, 1/,-in. neoprene, nylon inside and out • Available in red or black S, M, or L only $32.50 dealer inquiries invited
THE AIRWORKS 3900 Van Buren NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505)
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884-6851
GRADE A SHEEPSKIN HAND FAIRINGS-Wann hands in all conditions. Endorsed by Kevin Christopherson, "I wouldn't fly without them." Special orders and dealer inquiries welcome. Send $47.00 to Wyoming Aerolites, P.O Box 880, Casper, Wyoming 82602 (307) 235- 3367.
MAXON RADIOS - $325. VHF FM 5 watt crystal, includes 3 USHGA channels, charger, case, antenna and warranty. Best prices on Maxon hand-held, mobile and accessories, plus fast, reliable service facility. Maxon I watt, $170. Pendulum Sports, Inc. (719) 539-3900.
HANG GLIDING
CLASSIFIEDS PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS
PARAGLIDING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - A complete line of equipment and accessories available. \Vhatever your needs, from Alpine descents to ocean, thermal, and ridge soaring, we have it. PEAK PERFORMANCE PARAGLIDERS INC., P.O. !lox 213, Crested Butte, CO, 81224. Tel/Fax (303) 349-5961.
PARA-SWIVEL - Don't leave the ground without one! S79.00 + $3.00 S/H. Available as an option by Free f-light, High Energy, BRS, Second Chantz. Dealer inquiries welcome. GOLDEN WINGS, 1103 Washington Avenue, Golden. CO 80401. (303) 278-7181.
DON'T GET CAUGHT LANDING DOWNWIND! Perfect that no-step landing by watching our \Vindsok. Constructed wilh 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon. UV treated to maintain its brilliant color. 5'4" long with an 11" throat. Available colors arc lluore-;ccnt pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39. 95 (plus $4.00 shipping/handling) Colorado residents acid 6.5'k tax. Send to: USHGA Winclsok, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417. PHONE (719) 632-8300. VISA/MC accepted. X-C SMOKE BOMBS -$5.00. Signal mirror, $6.00. Jack the Ripper cutaway knife, $15.00. Silva compass, Sl00.00 Pendulum Sports. Inc. (719) 539-3900. HUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
QUICK RELEASECARABINER -$49.95. Extra ball lock pin, S29.00. 10,000 lbs., dealers welcome, patent pending. Thermal 19431-41 Business Center Drive, Northriclge. CA 91324. (818) 701-7983. SAILMAKING & RIGGING SUPPLIES - All fabric types. ivlassachusctls ;\'1otorized, P.O. Box 542-G. Cotuit. MA 02635. (4!3J 736-2426. SPORT KELLER HIGH TEC II PODS - Regularly S850 1 \Vintcr special on demo and new pods: Neon orange, height 5'7"-5' l 1". chest 43", one flight, S550. Red. height 5'7''5" l l ", chest 43", three flights, S500. Neon yellow, heigh I 5' l l "-6 '3", chest 43'', new, BRS holster unit with new frontmounted parachute from BRS, total value, SI, 700, your co.-;t. SI, I 00. Black, height 5' I I "-6'3", chest 43", used, in excellent condition, $350. Call Hang Ventures at (206) 322-1184 and press 3, then the pound(#) ~ign, before the beep on your touch tone phone.
MARCH 1991
ATTENTION - LICENSED HANG GLIDING li\STRUCTORS. Contact us for free information on opening your own Paragliding School. \Ve provide everything you need to start a school, and lrain you to use our proven methods of inslruction. Free introductory Paragliding ground school and flight to Licensed Hang Gliding Instructors. For information on your own Paragliding School, contact: PEAK PERFORMANCE PARA GLIDERS INC., P.O. Ilox 213, Crested Ilutte, CO 81224. Tel/Fax (303) 349-5961. COME TO NAGS HEAD' - Killy Hawk Kites is seeking instrucwrs: beginning, advanced. tandem tow, paragliding, soaring. Resume to: John Harris, KHK, P.O. Box 1839, Nags Head, NC, 27959. HANG GLIDING INSTRUCTORS WANTED - Western Hang Gliders, P.O. Box 828, l\farina, CA 93933. INSTRUCTORS WANTED - Basic-Advanced, Tandem, also Paragliding. Top pay and great working and flying conditions year round. Send resume to 161---lS Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406. MOUNTAIN WINGS - Is looking for advanced hang gliding and paragliding instructors. Salaries negotiable. Full and part- time positions available. i'v1anager position available-requires knowledge of computer .sy.s.,teins. Call Greg or Judy at (914) 647- 3377. Send resume to 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428.
HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS- by Pete Cheney. The Official USHGA Training Manual. Learn to fly with the world's finest hang gliding manual. Complete flying instructions from the training hill to soaring technigues. Over 260 pages. with more than 160 easy-to-understand illustrations and photos. Guaranteed to satisfy the most inguisitive pilot. NOW AVAILABLE FOR S29.95 (plus S4.00 shipping/handling) Colorado residents add 6.59c tax. SEND/ FAX/PHONE TO: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417, PHONE (719) 632-8300. VISA/MC accepted. **SPECIAL NEW PI LOT EDITION**-Covering many aspects of hang gliding for the beginning pilot. $4.50 plus S 1.50 S/H. SEND/FAX/PHONE TO: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417, PHONE (719) 632-8300. VISA/MC accepted. PARAGLIDE USA - Subscribe to North America's most widely read paragliding magazine. S25/year/12 issues. VISA/ MC 12662 Sortwind Dr., Moreno Valley, CA 92388 (714) 924-5229 or FAX (714) 242- 4718. SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership S45. lnfo. kit with sample copy S3. SSA. P.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-1 !77. VIDEOS & FILMS VIDIW TAPES FOR HANG GLIDER PILOTS Flatland Flying-ATOL towing and XC flying Texas style with Larry Tudor and Joe Bostik. Mountains High-Festival flying at Silverton and Telluride, CO. TELLURIDE!-World Champion Aerobatic competition. Each tapcS37 (Calif. Res. add state tax) plus S3 shipping perorderto: Robert Reiter, 800 Heinz Street #9, Berkeley. CA 94710, (415) 649-8111. ''NEW* "HANG GLIDING TODAY" - The official LSHGA Headquarters membership video. Produced by Robert Reiter and narrated by Russ Locke, covering member programs and benefits. S9.95 plusS3.00 S/H. Send to USHGA Video. P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933.
You can FAX your classified: (719) 632-6417
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CLASSIFIEDS MISCELLANEOUS
USHGA DELUXE LOG BOOK COVER -Be proud to show off your flights with our deluxe log book cover. American made from "reconstructed" gray vinyl. Looks and feels like leather and "debossed" with the Min. Glider design. Will fit any hang gliding log book! Only $9.95! (plus $2.00 S/H) Colorado residents add 6.5% sales tax. ORDER YOURS TODAY! USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933. (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417.
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USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEMS-Our original tri-colored logo emblem $1.50 each. The NEW multi-colored Mountain Glider emblem $4.95 each. Please add $1.25 S/H. SEND TO: USHGA, P.O. BOX 8300, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 80933. HAVE YOU SENT FOR YOUR NEW 1991 USHGAMERCHANDISE ORDER FORM TODAY? FREE! USHGA LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT-Our long sleeve tshirts arc colorfully screened with a "simplistic" hang gliding design across the chest and down the left sleeve, I00% cotton! Now in ORA Y or WHITE. $16.95 (plus$3 S/H)Plcase specify color and size (S,M,L,XL) when ordering. Colorado residents add 6.5% sales tax. SEND TO: USJ-IGA, P.O. BOX 8300, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80933.
DON'T FORGET YOUR HANG DRIVER - Buy them an I'd Rather Be Hang Gliding license plate frame for their retrieval vehicle, $5.50 for a plastic frame, $6.50 for a metal (zinc) frame. Please add $2 S/H (CO residents add 6.5% tax) SEND TO: USHGA, P.O. BOX 8300, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 80933.
SALE! Limited offer! - USHGA PORTFOLIO and DESK FOLDERS. USJ-IGA PORTFOLIOS feature easy-carrying handle, double-flex "snap- top" spring-opening closure for easy access. Turned edge construction with nylon stitching, debossed with the moutain glider design. NA VY OR BURGUNDY, $9.50* USHGA DESK FOLDERS have color and grain matched linings and pockets. Gold tone metal comers, tumcd and sewn edges, 50- sheet letter pad included. Dcbossed with the mountain glider logo. NA VY OR BURGUNDY, $9.50* Both for only $18!*. * plus $3 shipping and handling. Send to USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300 FAX (719) 632-6417.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES: The rate for classified advertising is $.40 per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $4.00. A fee of$15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each photo. Bold face or caps within the text $.95 per word. Please underline words to be in bold print. Special layouts of tabs $22.00 per colunm inch. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instmctions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing I 1(2 m.onths preceding the cover date, i.e. October 20 for the December issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept. HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300 or FAX (719) 632-6417. STOLEN WINGS DON'T FORGET ABOUTUSHGATHEFTOFGLIDER INSURANCE. STOLEN from Johnson City, TN. 1987 Raven 179. Colors from center out: black, white, red, green, black and white ti11s. Also, Seagull Ill, orange, yellow and red with white duck tape patching on sail. Leave message day or night (work#) (615) 926-5211. Mitchell Brown, 1743 Skyline Dr., #20, Johnson City, TN, 37601. MILITARY DUFFLE WITH EQUIPMENT -Large green dufllecontaining red Wasatch Wings spagheui harness. With high energy parachute and two Maxon 3-channel radios in red cordura cases with lvlaxon headset and Roberts Alt/vario. White helmet stenciled with 1139490. Also, black Region 4 championship dufflc with HG hardware and smoke bombs, blue Columbia poncho with grey sweater. Home burglarized in Craig, CO. 9-17-90. Scott (303) 824-2454 leave message.
ULTRA GOLD WINGS- YOURSTATEMENTOFFL!GHT (in fine jewelry) NEW DESIGN Available in 14K gold or sterling silver. Satisfaction guaranteed. Contact Antero Jewelers, 130 F St., Salida, CO 81201 (719) 539-7611. 14K SS Necklace and chain $119.00 $39.00 Tie tack or pin $99.00 $32.00 Add $3.00 for shipping and insurance. VISA and MASTERCARD accepted.
USHGA POSTER! - Full color, 24" X 37" poster of Eric Raymond doing oxygen at 17,000' MSL over the Sierra Nevada Range. $5.95 plus $2.00 S/H. USHGA Poster, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300.
MAGIC KISS - Fluro. yellow LE., white chevron, pink undersurface, airfoil, down tubes pitchy, bar mitts, 2' skull and cross bones on wing tip, over Kiss emblem inlay, many skull stickers on glider. Serial No. KM 83707. Also HP AT 158, serial no. 22504, with Lt. blue L.E., red chevron on bottom, custom plan. Serial No. 22504. Stolen in L.A. with van 6-26-90. Van recovered without gliders. (619) 274-8254. MAXON - Three-channel radio, lost or misplaced at the Telluride Aerobatics Competition. Serial No. 81171758. (602) 745-6739 days, leave message. BRAND NEW J-JJGH ENERGY COCOON -Stolen along with contents of my vehicle in Durango, CO in early May,
64
HANG GLIDING
CLASSIFIEDS l 990. Stripes from toes to shoulder, brmvn, tan. orange, yellow, red. Red stuff sack with yellow, orange and brown palches. Please conlacl Tim ,11 (213) 375-8438. Leave message. 155 MOYES XS - Full rncc, stolen from side of road at IOI and Scheller exit, between San Jose and Morgan Hill. It was taken away with no bag or ties. Colors are: L.E.-ornnge, main-green, bottom-whjtc. Contact Kevin Dutt. (415) 9342189 ITALJAN /vlOYES XS - Red L.E., yellow, white T.E. Stolen from my home in Birmingham, Alabama on June 4, I 990. European tubing, I of 5 in U.S. Call Allen (205) 5958641. STOLEN FROM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 2/90- 167 Spon Euro. Full Race. All white with dayglow orange undersurface. S300 re\vard for information leading to recovery. Call Dave Rodriguez al (801) 572-IOOO. FIREBIRD COBRA PARAGLIDER-24m2, yellow, pink. orange. Stolen from car in Kentfield, CA on 4-15-90. Call (415) 456-7272. STOLEN WINGS are listed as a service to USHGA members. Newest cntric~ arc in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in to (719) 632- 8300 for inclusion in Hang Gliding magazine. Please call to cancel the li~ling when gliders are recovered. Periodically, this listing will be purged.
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Adventure Sports .............................. 43 AirWorks ....... ,.................................. 62 Ball Varios ............... ,......................... 4 Brauniger .......................................... 15 Bredel Tours ......... ,........................... 65 BRS ...... ,............................................. 9 Cloudburst Computers ..... ,............... 54 Cross Country Magazine .................... 2 Hall Bros ....... ,................ ,... ,............. 65 High Energy Sports .......................... 65 Kitty Hawk Kites .................. ,.......... 15 Lookout Mt. Flight Park ....... ,.. ,........ 30 MBNA ... ,................................. ,........ 26 Morningside Hang Gliders ,.............. 43 Mountaineer Trikes .......................... 53 Moyes···············-·········-·····-········ ......... 3
Hang Gliding Lesson #1 Fly hard, fly safe, fly with High Energy Sports To reduce risk of bodily injury or death while hang gliding you need a complete safety system. From your glider to your hang straps you need to know you have the best system for you. We at High Energy Sports specialize in harness-parachute systems designed for the worst circumstances.
COCCOONS, PODS, PARACHUTES, etc. • Flat Circular Solid Gore Construction • Vent Cap Covering Apex Hole • 1/2" Tublar Nylon Reinforcement At Apex • All Seams Reinforced With Type III Webbing • V-Tabs At Each Line Attachment • Type XVIII Bridle FAX (714) 972-1430 • Parachute Safety Lock System • Continuous Webbing Sewn With Five Cord Thread • Each Harness Custom Sized • Safety Back Strap • Adjustable Padded Leg Straps • Two-Week Delivery • Custom Options • Your Choice Of Colors
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2236 W. 2nd St.• Santa Ana, CA 92703 • (714) 972-8186 MARCH 1991
Pacific Airwave ................. Back Cover Paragliding Magazine ...................... 54 Performance Designs ......................... 4 Raymond Harnesses ......... ,................. 6 Roberts Glider Instruments .............. 42 Seedwings ., .......... ,... ,............ ,.......... 43 Sequatchie Valley Soaring .. ,...... .43,54 Sierra Cloudbase ............................... .4 Sport Aviation Publications ............. 33 Systek ......... ,................... ,................. 15 UP International ........... ,.................. ,23 U.S. Aviation, ................................ , .. 57 USHGA ..................... 2,13,14,47,48,51 Wills Wing .................................. 37,46 World Team ..................................... 18
RIO DE JANEIRO FL YING TOUR August until December - open Minimum of 2 persons - For Hang II thru IV PRICES INCLUDE: • First-class hotels with private • Transportation bath, sharing double occupancy. • Rides up • Breakfast included • Retrieval • Bi-lingual guide service • GLIDERS PRICE U.S. $90 PER DAY CONTACT: Patrick Brede I barao de jaguaripe 323/3 lpanema Rio de Janeiro RJ 22421 Brazil (21) 259-0159 FAX (21) 239-7339
The Hall Airspeed Indicator A precision instrument for tl1e serious pilot Rugged, dependable and easy to read.
Airspeed Indicator with Long Bracket
.. $23.50 Airspeed Indicator . Long Bracket . .... $7.00 Foreign & C.0.0. orders add $2.00 Control Bar Protectors 5" diameter ABS plastic wheels. Specify 1" or 1-1/8" control bar. Wheels - $20.00/pair.
Control Bar Protectors
Hall Brothers P.O. Box 1010-H, Morgan, UT 84050 MasterCard I Visa I C.O.D. Phone Orders (801) 829-3232 FAX (801) 829-6349
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ST. PAUL, MINN - Last month the big news focused on UP; this time look to WW (we all know who I mean) . The reason? Wills held their first-ever paragliding seminar. Intended for dealers, the event drew well, including Morningside (NH) and Fly High (NY) from the east, five pilots from Japan, and the usual pros from the west coast (Windsports, Mission, HG Center, and Hang Flight, among several others) . Total attendance was 35+ for the 10-day long event. The first days were basic training in flying paragliders, followed by an ICP and advanced canopy handling. The basic days were incredibly reminiscent of hang gliding 15 years back. Guys like Larry Tudor, Rob McKenzie, and Joe Greb lo were seen jumping on the launch truck like it was their first day of flying, counting the number of flights they made in a day, and looking everso novice as they grappled with new wings and techniques. I got to join in this, and you know what? It was really fun. Still not sure I want to fly these things in potent soaring conditions, I have to admit I truly enjoyed the outing with so many friends in the trade. The instructional duties were handled by Claudia Stockwell, Mark Axen, and Chandelle SF' s Andy Whitehill. From Europe came Helmut Walder (instructor of 4,000 students) and Armen Graf (designer of Wills' paragliders) . This quintet proved they knew their stuff. The event took place at Ken de Russy' s superb training hill in Santa Barbara. Between Ken and wife Bonnie Nelson, and the professional advance preparation by all the Wills partners (Linda was also out flying!), the seminar came off extremely well. Over one thousand flights were made without an incident. And hey, those WW-brand paragliders ... gosh, they flew beautifully. Only time will show whether Wills can jump start American paragliding, but the seminar effort cannot be faulted no matter the outcome. Look for another report the seminar. • • • Mentioning Wills, prez Rob Kells reports sales of the company's Z-3 harness line are doing extremely well. They implemented changes basically making most options standard -- and now production runs better and quicker. Kells feels the Z-3 will become the leading model in sales of this important kind of equipment. ••• They won't have the market all to themselves, as Chris Smith's Cloudbase company readies a "Z-3 type harness" for customers. Much the same as the
Wills predecessor, the Tennessean's new harness will employ tubes on the sides. It also boasts in-flight variable pitch (first popularized by Jay Gianforte' s Center of Gravity line, if memory serves). Plus the Smith model will feature zip-in, zip-out breathable panels so you needn't sweat summertime soaring. This feature is a Cloudbase original says Chris, and he expects it will be well received. Of course, it's front opening in the current tradition. Call Cloudbase at 615/344-2993. (Gianforte is 315/687-3724 and Wills is 714/547-1344.) • • • A very familiar address for American hang glider pilots is no more. After twenty productive years -- many of them as a leading mover and shaker for our sport Bill Bennett's facility on Saticoy in Van Nuys has been closed. Today Bill's activities concentrate on his Torrey Pines operation. He reports he will seek other space as he still has plans to manufacture again (as reported here a few months back ... an opportunity involving his old friend, designer Dick Boone) . In the meantime, Bennett/Torrey Pines are focusing heavily on paragliding. The famous San Diego site is well suited to the newest aviation segment. • • • Pleasantly, I can report that the Florida aerotug gang is hard at work on two new tugs that offer several significant changes: further wing shape enhancements to lower the towing speed, better towing attachments, and more versatile cockpit. Two aircraft are in the works; the first to be finished was slated to fly near the end of January. Near this firstflight date, lead designer Bobby Bailey was to leave for his second trip to Bill Moyes' facility in Australia. Bailey was down under last year to build a first prototype and may now be in Australia crafting five more tugs for Moyes. Facts and photos were promised to keep you aware of the exciting potential offered by these leaders of aero towing. In closing, Russ Brown (associated with the tug builders) reports a possibility that the Disney ultralight and hang gliding show will be restarted. The flight spectacle at Disney World's Epcot Center was one of the most widely seen promotions for sport flying. Let's hope this rumor proves true. Will keep ya posted! • • • Got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Or call 612/ 457-7491 (days). Fax: 612/457-8651. THANKS'
© 1991 by Dan Johnson
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HANG GLIDING
WE DON'T HIBERNATE, WE CELEBRATE! Here in Region 7, most people think that we hibernate in the winter. Instead we celebrate! A tournament sponsored by the Sky Dogs Club was held on January 12 and 13, at Duluth-Superior, on the St. Louis Bay just south of Lake Superior. A good time was had by 16 or 17 pilots despite a balmy 20 degrees and a 10 mile an hour wind. A snowmobile and a trailer ATOL system were used for towing. Some of the highlights were several tandem flights by Gerry and Shelly Uchytil, smoke bombs, one accident, and lots of flying. The main contest was spot landing. Landing on ice isn't easy, but try to spot-skid land is quite amusing. Some were eeking or sliding in while a few others nailed it. The spot-landing winner was Doug Kohner, second was Paul Krlstofte, third was Larry Smith, fourth was Greg Ballantine, and fifth was Doug Johnson. We all thawed out Saturday night at Doug Johnsons' home with food, videos of past and present tournaments (full of laughs of course) and a band. Thanks Doug for a great time! Sunday's weather was not as cooperative. Snow that looked more like
Pat Coffman (driving) and Curt Knutson (on trailor A TOL) getting ready for a tow. Brrrrrrrrrr! hail and winds of20+, made for a short day. This being the 7th Annual, we're sure to have an 8th Annual next year. Any brave pilot wishing to try their luck
STATE QUALIFIERS I would like to try something new this year for our regional qualifiers. After talking to alot of pilots, this seems to agree with most, so here goes. We will be having state by state qualifier meets, of which three pilots will advance from each state to our regional meet. From there, our regional qualifiers will advance to the nationals. Preferred tasks will be out and return, triangle, dog-leg and or open distance. The same scoring system will be used in each state. Examiners in each state have been contacted as to where their state meet might be held. Sites will hopefully be any wind direction, cliff or tow launch. If you have a particular site in mind, please contact your state meet director. The directors are as follows:
Wisconsin ..................... Gerry Uchytil Minnesota ..................... Curt Knutson Illinois ......................... Marty Bunner Indiana ............................Rich Sacher Michigan ................. Norman Lesnow? Iowa .............................. Scott Lesnet I hope everyone will support this attempt to try to send our best pilots to the nationals to represent Region 7. More to follow next month on this.
FUND RAISER I am looking for ideas for fund-raisers to help send our regional qualifiers to the nationals, for travel and entry fees. One idea is a Region 7 flying shirt with the qualifier and regional championship sites marked. Part of the purchase price will be donated toward our goal.
with spot-skid landings, are welcome. We love to watch first timers land on ice! If you think the landings at Tellurictes Seizure Field are something, don't miss next year!
QUESTIONS?? The Board of Directors meeting is April 5-7 in Seattle, Washington. If there are any questions or ideas you may have, please contact me before I leave March 28. I will try to find out the answers and share your ideas. I would also like to hear how you like our page this month. If you have any upcoming events or news you'd like to share, please send it to me as soon as possible. I'd also like to know all the clubs in our region and what they are up to. Please HELP!! My number is (608) 269-6304, or Rod Hauser, Route 1 Box 73A, Cashton, WI 54656.
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