USHGA Hang Gliding March 1977

FORMERLY GROUND SKIMMER MAGAZINE

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FLYING TURBULENCE TANDEM RECORD-25 MILES HOW TO BUY A NEW GLIDER TOM PRICE INTERVIEW

ONE DOLLAR MARCH 1977

PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT

GET THE BEST-SELLING I CIR~S FOR L-E-$-$ M '°

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In 1976 the CIRRUS was the best selling high performance glider on the market. In 1977 the CIRRUS will very likely continue that trend, as the CIRRUS line becomes the top value with new lower price tags.

While our competition has been forced to escalate prices in the face of continued inflation, ELECTRA FLYER has been working hard to keep the lid on our once reasonable sport.

We happily DECREASE our prices hoping to help still more fliers discover the easy, fun flying in the world of CIRRUS. SPECIAL NOTE:At the 1977 Nationals, the CIRRUS will qualify as a standard (some minor modifications will be necessary).And based on the support of our largest dealers, we have now determined that the CIRRUS is right for Hang II fliers! So why consider a quickly out-grown standard, when for virtually the same cost you can speck out in a high flying CIRRUS?

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ISSUE NO. 50 MARCH 1977 ED ITOR: Rich Grigsby CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Carol Price, Hedy Kleyweg EDITORIAL ASS ISTAN Sharon Grigsby, Phil Warrender ILLUSTRATIONS & LAYOUT: Mark Allison STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: W. A. Allen, Leroy Grannis, 0-ettina Cray, Stephen McCarroll.

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OFFICE STAFF MANAGER: Carol Velc;Jerrain Ca1hy Coleman, Susan Bischof, Hedy Kleyweg,, Janet Meyer.

USHCA OF FICERS PRESIDENT: Vern Roun d tree VICE PRESIDENT: John lake SECRETARY: John Harris TREASURER: Lloyd Licher USHCA REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION 1: Vern Roundlree, Gil Dodgen, RE· GION 2: John Grace. REGION 3: Lloydlicher, Dan Poynter, John Lake, Chris Wills. REGION 4: D6n Bench. REGION 5: Gary 0$aba. REGION 6: Darryl Smilh. REGION 7: M ike Ziaskas.

REGION 8: Tom Pegh iny, Dan Chapman.

REGION 9: Vic Powell, Chuck Slusarczyk.

REGION 10: Harry Robb, John Harris. REGION 11: Dave Broyles. DIRECTORS-AT-I.ARCE: REG ION 1: Bil l Johnson. REGION 9: Dennis Pagen. REGION 11: John White. HONORARY DIRECTOR: Hugh Morton. EX OFFICIO DIRECTOR of lJSHCA as we are a· division of NM: Gener,11 Brooke Allen.

The United States Hang Gl iding Association, 1nc., is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the officia I U.S. representative of the Federation Aeronaut ique Internationale (FAI), 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 atte,npts and i::ompetition sanctions.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. llems appearing in HANG GLIDING are published with all rights reserved lo HG and the respective contribul(lrs.

HANG GLIDING magazine I~ published 1or hang gliding sport enthusiasis to crea1~ further lni~re<I in 1he ~port, be a means of open communication and 10 adv~nce hang glld,ng methods and safety. Contribu1,ons au, welcome. Anyone 1s invited to conuibute articles, photo,, and lllus1ra1lons ~oncerorng hang glld"'S aclivlhes. 1r 1he material ls to be retutned, ,i Slamped, sell-addressed return envelnpc must I,~ ;.n. closed. I IANG GLIDING maga21ne re,erws lhe righ1 to edit contribu11on1 where necessary. The Association and publlcallon do no! assume responslbillly for the malcrlnl or op,nlon1 or contributors.

HANG GLIDING maga,ine is publlshed monthly by the United StatEtS H,lnff GlldingA.soc;iation, Inc. whose mailing addre,s Is P.O. Box 66306. Los Angeles. C,1hf 900£,6 and whoso off,ces arc loca1cd al 113121'. Venice Blvd., Lo, Angeles. Calif. 90066; telephone (2J 3) 390-3065. S<!cond-cfa<< postaiic is paid .lt Lo, Angeles, Calif HANG GUD I NO magazine is printed by Sinclair Printing & Litho.

Alhambra, Calif. Subscr1pl1on IS available only as part (If membership In 1he USHCA. a m~mbcr ulntrolled eduqt,onal and sclenllflc organi,allon ded icated to exploring a ll facftS of fuelless, sell· launched ul1rali,ht rlight. Membership is open 10 anyone mlerestcd in this realm of Tligh!. Due, for full membership are $15.00 per year IS 16 for foreign ad· dll!S<e>); dues tor Ass1>clate member.hip.ire S 10 per year, of which $4 are deslgnatt!\'l for subscription to HANG GLIDING ma11az1ne. Changes o f addre~s should be sent slxwlleks In advance, includingnume.

USHGA r"rlembersh,p number, previous and new.address, and,, mailing l,1bel lrom ,1 recent Issue

HAIIIG GllDIIIIG CONTENTS FEATURES

20

. YOU'D BETIER SHOP AROUND

by Chris Price

How to buy your next glider

24 FLIGHT TESTING FOR HGMA CERTIFICATION Drop everything you're doing

28 "MORTON'S" MOUNTAIN

by Trip Mellinger

by Hugh Morton

Hugh's views on hang gliding al Grandfather Mtn.

32

HANG GLIDING INTERVIEW: TOM PRICE

by Carol Price

A conversation with hang gliding's best known sail designer

poem by Bill Allen 34 ANOTHER STEP MORE 38 EASTERN BREEZES-TWO CAN TOO! by Dan Johnson 25 mile out-and-return, TANDEM

40 TURBULENCE-PART II

by Dennis P;;igen

2nd in a series of excerpts from Dennis Pagen's book Hang Gliding and Flying Conditions

44 THE TRAINING RELEASE FORM

by R. V. Wills

No harm and probably some good

DEPARTMENTS

4 8 10 10 12 18

ULTRALIGHT CONVERSATION USHGA NEWS ULTRALIGHT NEWS CALENDAR AERO-INNOVATIONS USHGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

by Lloyd Licher

26 46 46 52

USHGA POLICY CHANGES FOR 1977 by Dennis Pagen HGMA IN ACTION STOLEN WINGS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Hang Gliding and USHGA, Inc., do not endorse or take any responsibility for the products advertised or mentioned editorially within these pages. Unless specifically explained, performance figures quoted in advertising are only estimates. Persons considering the purchase of a glider are urged to study HGMA standards.

CONS UM ER ADVISORY:

COVER: In an effort to establish a record of compliance for HGMA certification, the Phoenix 8 Jr. was dropped from a balloon 10,000ft. above 1he Mojave Desert. Test Pi lot Trip Mel linger maneuvered in close to a second balloon where Mike Jones photographed this beautiful aerial shot. The cover was donated to Hang Gliding by Bennett Delta Wing Gliders.

Should the U.S. Send a Team to South Africa?

During the January Board of Directors

Meeting, a discussionmsued over whether or not the U.S. should send a team to the South African World Hang Gliding Championship in October. A vole on the issue was tabled and a motion made that two opposing viewpoints be written in the iorm oi Letters to the Editor in order to get membership input. We are urging all members to read the following two letters and acknowledge their position on the issue by fi//,ng out the form provided below and send to· USHCA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. The results of this polling will be used by the Directors as an indication of membership sympathies and will strongly infJuence their decision on

whether or not to send a team to South Airica.-Ed.

Dear Editor, The USHGA Board of Directors has before it a motion, made and seconded by the undersigned, to have the United States nor participate in the 1977 World Hang Gliding Championships in South Africa.

The motion at the January Virginia Board meeting was tabled until the July Oklahoma meeting. This gives all members a chance to register their views by 1) writing a letter to Hang Gliding, 2) contacting your local Director (listed on contents page).

We introduced the motion to bring the issue out into the open for discussion, and would like to see lots of response pro or con.

It has been argued that by not going to the meet in South Africa, USHGA would be out of place in making a "political statement." We maintain that by going USHGA will be making just as important a political and moral statement.

CIVL, in accepting South Africa's strong meet bid, has forced member countries into a position whereby world hand gliding can be used as a tool to help counter the boycotts South Africa has been subject to in other responsible international sporting activities.

We are troubled ourselves with the idea of boycotting. We believe fully in leaving politics out of sports. We enjoy the concept of a world brother and sisterhood of flyers. We even welcome South African participation at meets held outside of South Africa. But the requirements of a moral/political statement has been forced upon us. Our consciences tell us that the decision can only be against South African racial practices.

The issues are ... Which is more right -to protest or to ignore apartheid? Do we send a World Team to a country where, if we have blacks in the entourage, they wi_ll be subject to open discrimination? Do we sanction by our presence a world meet at which the majority of the world's population would not feel welcome? And do we bury our heads on an issue no less important than Viet Nam or Chile?

Please register your views.

Jim Aronson, Region 2 Director Bill Allen, Director-at-large

Dear Editor, At the USHGA Board of Directors meeting, January 14-16, 1977, a recommendation was made that the United States not send a team to the FAI sanctioned World Meet this coming October in South Africa.

The board did not take action on the recommendation, and the motion to keep the US team at home was tabled until the next meeting. The board approved a re-

·- ------------ ------------ f SHOULD THE U.S. SEND A TEAM TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN WORLD HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIP? USHGA in conducting a poll to determine membership views.

O NOT I do NOT support sending a team to South Africa.

O YES! I DO support sending a team to South Africa.

Please send this form (handwritten and photocopied letters acceptable) to: USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

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solution supporting competition by South Africa in other countries.

Governments are not perfect, and some are less so than others. But I propose that the real issue is whether the sport of hang gliding should be a forum for international politics.

It is my belief that if hang gliding were to become a vehicle for the overt expression of political doctrine the sport will have an increasingly turbulent future; that its organizations will become useless to those who participate in the sport, having been usurped by those more interested in political expression; and that the potential will seldom be realized of utilization of the common bond of ultralight Hight experience to allow those of different cultures to better know one another. In my view it is a high price to pay.

This is not to say that I am disinterested in politics or fai I to recognize the necessity of political activity. In fact just the opposite is the situation. I happen to make my living in the political sphere.While political dialogue and activist effort can help change government policies, and those interested in such pursuits should be encouraged, there is a basic question as to whether every human endeavor should be so oriented.

In the United States there are several forums available for those interested in such activities, indeed anyone is free to create their own forum. The present interest of some individuals in having the USHGA move into the international political arena may be the attempt to create their own forum. I don't believe this national organization should allow itself to be so used.

Hang gliding is a sport, not a political activity. There is a proper time and place for politics. I believe the USHGA is not the place for international political activism. I do not wish to dissuade those interested in expressing political doctrine. But if they seek such activity they should create their own forum outside USHGA, or familiarize themselves with those organizations already in existence which have been established for such purposes. Further, if those individuals win a position on the US team and want to follow through with their beliefs, they can remain in the Uniter! States and their place be filled by others.

Nations sending teams to compete in a sporting event in another country does not mean the attending nations endorse and embrace the host country's political philosophies. Indeed, one of the reasons for participating in sporting events is that they can be outside the restrictions of political dogma, providing an opportunity for meaningful interchange among peoMARCH 1977

pie. I believe this a valuable and enriching activity for the people of the nations invo lved and should be continued.

The United States has a leadership position in the world hang gliding community.

I bel ieve the US should exercise that leadership position and send our team to the world meet in South Africa. I also believe that the purposes of the USHGA as given in the by laws, whi le not prohibit in g the proposed political activity recommended to it, are intended to keep it a hang gliding organization and that those purposes should not be distorted to embrace international politics.

A sid e issue on this matter is the expense involved in send ing our team to world meets. Those representing the US at the Kossen, Austria meet in 1976 had to dig deeply into their own pockets in many instances to meet expenses. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to do that, and the expenses for the '77 World Meet are expected to be even larger.

Most peopl e want to know what they can do when such nontangible issues as international politics is discussed. It can seem impossible to help the situation when one can't do something. May I suggest that in thi s case there is something you can do. USHGA has a World Team Fund which consists entire ly of contributions.

There are no administrative costs deducted from it, the rund is spent entirely to help finance our team. If you agree with my position on thi s issue - that hang gliding should remain a sport and not get involved in internationa l politics, and to demonstrate that fact it should send a team of our best pilots to compete in the FAI world meet in South Africa - I ask that you make you r decision known by send ing a contribution to: USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066, and indicate on your check that it is for the World Team Fund.

(Minimum contribution is $5.00J The US shou ld send the best possible team to compete with other nations. The team is going to need your sup port, both fina ncially and in spirit. You can let them know, in a tangible way, that they have your enthusiastic backing by sending your contribution. I urge you to do so. We'll let you know how the fund is doing.

VIC POWELL President, USHGA

Hang Rating System in Need of Clarification Dear Editor, After talking to the U.S.H.G.A. observers in my area, and writing a letter to the Region 8 Director-at- large, it has become

apparent that the Hang Rating system is in need of clarification. Many changes have taken place in the system since the last complete statement was printed in the July, 1975 Ground Skimmer.

It would be of great help if an article si milar to the 7-75 GS article was printed with all the latest changes. This would help both the people who issue the ratin gs and those who are trying to get rated.

I hope you are able to see that an article of this nature is written and published as soo n as possible. Please consider this suggestion for an article in your fine publication.

Carl Berger Boston, New York Changes in the Hang l~ating Program appear in chis monch's i ss u e of Hang Gliding on pg. 27 -Ed.

VOLMER AIRCRAFT Blueprints Now Available

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What the Hell's so Great About Being Popular?

Dear Ed itor, Hang Gliding is getting so good it scares me. Suddenly Ground Skimmer is gone and USHGA members are being asked to help promote newsstand sales. For what?

"To recru it new members and strengthen the organ ization and the sport". I don't object to organization, and I'm proud of the way Ground Skimmer matured into an interesti ng and professional magazine.

But the day we hit the streets looking for new members is the day this sport starts to die.

I can hear the howls of protest already.

But wait. Take a look at other popular sports. Take sk iing. When I was a kid in Colorado you didn't need to be rich to ski.

Sure, they didn't groom the slopes like a golf course but you got a lot of skiing for $3.50. And at least you had the fee ling that the others o ut there actually enjoyed and respected the mountains. But that wasn't good enough. Someone decided there was more money to be made as a mass sport. " ... if only we could find a way to get all those office workers to spend lots of money on fl ashy clothes and expensive

PLAYGROUND IN THE SKY ... is a 35mm feature film on hang glid ing and skydiving showing March 24-29 at the Lake Theatre in downtown Elsinore, Calif.

Come and see it at 7:00 or 9:00 P.M . tickets only $2.00 ea. Free ticket to everyone who can soar the Ortegas and land at the Theatre. See you there! Carl Boenish and Ted Webster.

VJ-23 Swingwing • Has been soared for42min. on34'-high hill. 23-slope, 17 mph wind • Takes off and lands in 2 steps in a 15 mph wind • Fully controllable in 3 axis • World"s first high performance hang glider • Send $2 for literature, 3-view, and color photograph

VJ-11 So-Lo • Build the world's first fully controllable hang glider • Standard aircralt controls • Fully engineered • Can be built in 6 weeks spare time • Material cost approximately $400 • Send $2 for literature, specifications. and photograph Plans, Kits & Materials

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vacations." Who in their right mind today can say that for all the expensive plastic nonsense, the $15 lift tickets, that skiing is better today?

It's different you say? Well how about ski touring? Only a few years ago you could pick up some inexpensive equipment and walk away from all that downhill craziness. Try it today. You've got a rude shock in store. l:!ack packing/ 5ame story. River rafting/ You guessed it.

Rock climbing? That's popular today and the similiarities between ii and hang gliding are striking. Both appeal to a relatively small group. Both involve a certain degree of risk. Both require judgement and skill to reduce those risks. And both are in the early stages of becoming popular sports. Yet for all those limitations you have to line up to climb a rock in some places. Who says our sport has anything to gain by recruiting new members"!

Again, l compliment the editors of Hang Gliding for the job they've done. But it's time we stop and ask ourselves a very simple question: What the hell's so great about being popular?!

D. Youmans Hang IV #736

Classified Advertising, Successful Advertising Dear Editor, Please continue to run our Hang Glidingclassified ad. I want to tell you that reaction has been very good. Last season we sold 5 gliders and taught dozens of lessons to folks who found out about Aerial Techniques in the classified ads. With Hang Gliding coming out on the newsland the ads should be more effective than ever.

Jim Aronson Douka Kafnes Aerial Techniques, Monroe, New York dealer inquiries w,f,oo,e

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6

Rogallo StandardsModify, Don't Ban Dear Editor, Responding to Dave Pinkston's letter in the February issue of Hang Gliding, I think he misrepresented the issue of banning standard Rogallos. lt is not a matter of trying to sell higher-performing models. It's a matter of safety and trying to get people off of a clearly unsafe design.

No one is insisting that anybody buy a new glider. Many sail lofts can modify a standard into a safer configuration for about $50. For $200 it would still be cheaper and easier than hospital bills.

Sure, people now condemning standards once promoted tbem. I am one. But let's use the knowledge gained in the 10 years since standards first took flight. We used to tell standard Rogallo pilots to avoid full-luff dives with their minimum 500-ft. recovery altitude. Now we just tell people to avoid standard Rogallos. (How many people flying standards in New Eng· land spend any great amount of time above 500 ft.?)

By Dave's reasoning, we should allow Hang Looses and Bamboo Bombers because their pilots "like to fly also." (The FAA probably wouldn't ban them either.)

Hang gliding is a self-regulated sport.

Education, site regu la lion, and peer pressure are our only enforcement tools. So lel's continue to bad mouth and, where possible, restrict standard Rogallos to make it harder and harder for present owners to fly or sell them without modification, and harder for anybody to get into manufacturing by making the easily copied standard Rogallo instead of originating a safe training design.

I was prepared to burn my treasured but retired standard Rogallo rather than even give it away for free. Now I'm gong to modify it so 1 can sell it and still sleep nights. Bill Allen Wilton, New Hampshire

Is a Hang Glider an Aircraft?

Check your Insurance.

Dear Editor, In the early days of our sport way back in 1972 that question would have brought responses ranging from chuckles to all out laughter even from participants. Well, things have changed, we are not participants but rather "pilots". We fly gliders, not kites. We deal with aircraft terminology and properties and have entered the realm of the sailplane. A hang glider is an aircraft.

The United States Federal District Court, District of Colorado, in Civil Action No. 74-M-1096, September 1975 made that a

legal determination. So what? Insurance policies both liie and accident frequently have an aircraft <:"xclusion. This means if you are hurt or killed in any aircraft other than a scheduled aircarrier, you're not covered. Any policy you have should be carefully .i::hecked for this problem. Talk to your insurance agent; he should be understanding and attempt to get you covered regardless of this fact.

The way I solved this problem was to have an "aircraft rider" attached to the policy. This is how a private pilot would probably handle it. All my insurance company wants to know is how many hours I fly a year and the make and model of my aircraft. Your insurance agent should know best but check around for the best deal.

Bob Caldwell Boulder, Colorado

"Storms of Wlndnaven" Dear Editor, 1 have been following the serialization of my novella, "The Storms of Windhaven," in Ground Skimmer/Hang Gliding with much interest, as has my co-author, Lisa Tuttle. Both of us were pleased when we learned of your decision to reprint the story, and took it as a sign that we had captured the feelings of flight with at least a rough accuracy, even though neither of us has ever had the opportunity to hang glide ourselves. I hope your readers enjoyed the story.

George R. R. Martin Dubuque, Iowa

Bag of Tricks Dear Editor, Remember the character in Lil' Abner with the black cloud over his head? Recently, I heard alx>ut some experiments using carbon black to make thermals. Powdered carbon when dispersed in the air is heated so quickly and intet;1sely that it makes its own thermal which continues to rise even in the absence of a good atmospheric lapse rate. It might be possible in the future to market "thermals" - bags of carbon black with a small explosive charge delayed to enable the pilot to put the thermal below him. It might be just the thing to use to punch through an inversion layer on an otherwise poor soaring day.

Al Lissen Los Angeles, Ca. Have something on your mind? Hang Gliding welcomes Letters to the Editor.

Please address your letters to Hang Gliding, % USHGA Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

MARCH 1977

by Hedy Kleyweg ELECTION OF REGIONAL DIRECTORS

The ballots from the mail election to select nine Regional Directors with twoyear terms to run through December 31,

1978, have been counted and verified by Carol Velderrain, USHGA Office Manager, and Lloyd lie her, USHGA Treasurer.

The winners are as follows: Region l, Jeff

Johnson; Region 2, Jan Case; Region 3, Alex Duncan, John Lake; Region 4, Lucky Campbell; Region 8, James Aronsori, Region 9, Dennis Pagen. John Lake and James

Aronson are both incumbents re-elected to the Board. For further election results see Lloyd Licher's report of the last USHGA Board of Directors Meeting in this issue of Hang Gliding.

HGMA NEWS The USHGA Board of Directors meeting resulted in some important HGMA policies that Gary Valle, on behalf of the Hang Gliders Manufacturer's Association, proposed in a written report to the Directors. Adopted as policy were the following: 1. The USHGA supports and endorses the HGMA Airworthiness Standards and Compliance Program.

2. The USHGA requires all models of hang gliders which continue in production or being produced after January 1, 1977, that participate in the 1977 Nationals and all sanctioned contests and events thereafter, to have valid HGMA Certificates of Airworthiness.

3. Hang Gliding refuses advertising from manufacturers stating compliance with the HGMA Airworthiness Standards in their advertising, when in fact no Certificate of Airworthiness has been issued.

BIDS FOR LOCATION OF 1978 NATIONAL HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS

,-'

Bids will be evaluated by the Site Selection Sub-Committee of the USHGA Competition and Rules Committee. This Commit-

tee will then make a recommendation to the Board of Di rectors for their consideration at the July 15-16, 1977, Directors' meeting. The decision will be announced at the end of the meeting so everyone wilt know at the start of this year's Nationals where next year's National Hang Gliding Ch;impion~hips will be held. A deadline for receiving bids will be given in the April issue. \I will probably be some time in June.

Pilot entry for the 1978 Nationals wi II be according to a point system based on performance in sanctioned contests during 1977 and 1978. Regional qualifying meets will still be held but will no longer be the sole means of qua I ifyi ng for the Nationals.

An explanation of the point system will appear in one of the next few issues of Hang Gliding.

NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

South America is in the process of developing a well-organized hang gliding network. When the second Argentine Championships were held in Villavicencio last October, five presidents of South American Hang Glider Associations met together as the South American Federation (continued on PJ8(' 22)

------------------------------------------....---JOIN THE USHGA TODAY!--suPPORT THE ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS YOU THE UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING ASSOCIATION, INC.: • Offers pilot babUity insurance • Provides a medium for discussion via its monthly publication, HANG GLIDING magazine • Rates pilots and certifies instructors • Sanctions meets for local, national and international championships • Recognizes outstanding flying with Otto l.Jlienthal Awards • Represents you nationally and internationally through the National Aeronautic Assn. (NAA), a division of the Federal Aeronautlque Internationale (FAI) • Acts as liason between pilot and the public representing hang gbding at government levels I apply for membership in the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc.

NAME

_ _ _ _ _ _ PHONE (

__AGE

ADDRESS_ CITY ___

)_

.STATE

_ZIP

I include my check or money order for annual dues as indicated: 0 $15 FUU. MEMBER ($16 foreign)-A<, a full member you receive 12 issues of HANG GLIDING magazine, pllot liability insuran~,e. and all USHGA membership benefits.

0 $10 ASSOCIATE MEMBER ($11 foreign)-As an associate member you receive 12 issues of HANG GLIDING magazine, and l"JK'lst USHGA membership benefits.

Subscription to HANG GLIDING magazine, fonnerly GROUND SKIMMER. is available ONLY as part of membership in the Association.

Send check or money order to USHGA. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

8

MARCH 1977

Back Issues of Ground Skimmer for only 40¢ per Issue!

A great opportunity for anyone interested in the dynamics of hang gl1d1ng! Recapture the excitement of last year's meets and competitions. Enjoy fantastic photos of some of the world's too livers and read articles to increase your understanding of what hang gliding is all about Hang Gliding magaz.ine is offering issuco # 19-34 of Ground Skimmer for the low price of 40¢ each. These issues will prove invaluable for beginner and experienced flyers alike. Send for your copies today and treat yourself, and your friends. to lots of en1oyable, informative reading. Offer good while supply lasts.

For the serious collector: Mimeographed copies 1 -10 are still available tor 50¢ each.

#19 April/June 1974 FEATURES: Questions & Wives Tales About Cables, Pilot Report; Quicksilver, Elementary Aerodynamics; Rogallo Flying Tips; Learning the Hard Way

#27 Aprll 1975 FEATURES: USHGA Board of Directors' Elections; Records & Awards. #28 May 1975 FEATURES· 1975 World Hang Glider Championships; Tree Landing; Tree Landings Aren't That Bad II; Stability and Performance of Flexible-Wing Hang Gliders.

#20 July/September 1974 FEATURES: Evolution of the Quicksilver: Tubing Size?; The Once and Future Wing, Takin' 11 With Ya' #21 October 1974 FEATURES: Cryderman's No-Crash Course in Kite Flying, Airspeed Indicators: Pre-Flrght Check; The Methods and Dimensions of 360" Turns.

#29 June 1975 FEATURES: Otto Lilienthal Meet 1975: Rogallo Wing, Turn Performance: Tales of Fragile Cords & Altered Kites; A Dangerous Trend

FEATURES: Save Our Sites: Guidelines for the Potential Buyer, On My Way Downwind: Hang Glider Aerodynamics & Flight Dynamics

#30 July 1975 FEATURES: International Hang Gl1d1ng Commission Formed: The Great Mojave Desert Balloon Drop Adventure: Makapuu to Hauula 27 Miles: Ski-Kite Takeoffs Made Easy.

#23 December 1974 FEATURES· Tennessee Tree Toppers Tangle for Trophies: 1975 Hang Gliding Calendar: Wheels Made Easy; Hang Glider Performance; The Split-Sail Rogallo.

#31 August 1975 FEATURES: World Invitational Hang Gliding Championships Telluride, Colo.: Eastern Hang Gliding Championships: Recovery from a Vertical Dive; The 360" Hazard

#24 January 1975 FEATURES: Public Flying Sites; Theories are Cheap; Send Us Facts: Micro Meteorology and Hang Gliding.

#32 September 1975 FEATURES: Watching the World's Newest Bird, First National Board Meeting, Summary; 25 Miles Out & Back, The Fledgling.

#25 February 1975 FEATURES: Big Southern Butte Marshmallow Factory: The Evoluhon of the Icarus V: Building an Inherently Pitch Stable Kite.

#33 October 1975 FEATURES: U.S. Hang Gliding Nationals; Pacific I Ou1ckarus: Pitch Stab1l1ty and Control-Part I.

#26 March 1975 FEATURES: Labatts World Snow Flying Championships; The Intermediate Syndrome: A Dangerous Confidence, Terrain Effects: Valley-Slope Circulations.

#34 November 1975 FEATURES Rainbow Flight Park; How to Photograph the Newest Form of Bird: Keel Launch Teaching: More on Dive Recovery, Whip Stalls {or My Most Memorable Flight)

#22 November 1974

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USHGA

P.O. Box 66306

Los Angeles, CA 90066

Please send me the back issuAs I havf! chP.ckf!d hP.lnw.

D #19 Apr/Jun 1974 D #20 Jul/Sep 1974

D #21 Oct 1974 D #22 Nov 1974

0 #23 Dec 1974 O #24 Jan 1975

0 #25 Feb 1975 O #26 Mar 1975

0 #27 Apr 1975 0 #28 May 1975 0 #29 Jun 1975

0 #31 Aug 1975 0 #32 Sep 1975 0 #33 Oct 1975

0 #30 Jul 1975

O #34 Nov 1975

O Please send me all of the above issues. (Total $6.40)

D Please send me mimeographed copies 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 • 10 (Circle desired issues) Enclosed is my check or money order (made payable to USHGA) for ______ back issues at 40¢ each (mimeographed copies 50¢ each).

Total$___ __ _ _ NAME __

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .USHGA#

ADDRESS _ __

CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

_ _ _ _ STATE _ _ __

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ULTRALIGHT NEWS

Roland Davies Dies We are saddened to report the death of

Roland Davies on Feb. 6 in a hang gliding accident at Lookout Mt near Chatta-

nooga. Roland, 25, of Cypress Gardens, Florida was a professional water skier who came to foot launched hang gliding after several years of towing experience.

A skillful competitor, Roland placed 2nd in the 1976 World Towing Championships and represented the U.S. at the World

crashes galore, and the thrill you get when you finally realize: "the birds in the sky have got nothin' on me, as long as I'm here, that's how long I'll be free."

The storyline centers around Jerry Bird, Bob Wills and Dave Kilbourne, three main characters whose ski II, daring and spirit of adventure have led them around the world: soaring an enormous volcanic cliff in Hawaii, jumping out of Russian airplanes in Yugoslavia, parachuting onto a glacier hidden two miles high in the Swiss Alps, and more. Interspersed with highly dramatic visuals are comedy sequences where beginners and experts alike are bashed and thrashed, landing in trees, hang-gliding in a SO-mph gale, being mistaken for a UFO by the Arizona State Police, etc. Above all, the three central characters demonstrate what fun it can be to truly fly and be free, to float everywhere on the wings of a breeze."

Carl and Ted consider PLAYGROUND IN THE SKY to be a labor of love and have spent many hours in attempting to make it thl" best possible showcase for the uplift-

flying team (The Moyes Boys) at Hang Glider Heaven.

Although the official report is not in yet,

flight, he attempted high banked wingovers.

The glider apparently became inverted and

PLAYGROUND IN THE SKY, a feature film on hang-gliding and skydiving, has just been released and its co-producers Carl Boenish and Ted Webster hope to get it into general theatrical distribution i11 Lhe near future. The film is an hour and a.half long and weaves both hang-gliding and skydiving into a single fabric of man's age old dream of self-flight. With lots of exciting aerial POV sequences and outstanding long-lens photography, the lheatre-goer will know what it is like to take that small step out of an airplane with the ground 12,000 feet below, swooping together with fellow skydivers at 120 mph to form a perfect free-fall "star," or to soar the massive rock face of a 4,000 foot c\iff, almost "sparking" the granite with your leading edge. PLAYGROUND IN THE SKY shows the pain and laughter of being a hanggliding beginner with bumps, bruises and

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Escape Country is in a serious dispute with Orange County and may have to shut down all operations including hang gliding if the county decide, to revoke its Special Use permit~. Please call (714) 586-7%4 before planning your next trip to the ranch.

The World Open, scheduled for May 21-29 will proceed as plJnned, but the location will be changed if EscJpe Country Park i~ forced to close.

JULY 18-31, 5th Annual USHGA National Championships, Heavener, Oklahoma. These dates are tentative. For more information contact USHGA (213) 390-3065.

a witness reported that after a long soaring

New Feature Length Hang Gliding Film to be Released

Orange County May Close Down Escape Country

fee (refundable ii bad weather or cancellation).

Contact Mr. Scott Warwick, R.R. -#1, Cumberland, Wisconsin 54829.

Meet in Kossen, Austria last August. He recently became a member of the Tut's

suffered a structural failure. Roland and his many contributions will be missed by the hang gliding world.

ing sports of hang-gliding and skydiving.

The picture has been culled from ·over 100,000 feet of 16mm film shot in the space of four years. Mmt oi the skydiving sequences were films in free-fall by Carl himself, falling at 120 mph with a special camera mounted on his helmet. The film wi II be showing on a limited engagement March 24-29 at the Lake Theatre in Elsinore, California. Free tickets to everyone who can soar the Ortegas and land at the theatre.

MARCH 5-15, First Pan American Hang Gliding Championships in Santiago de Chile. A package is being offered which includes hotel, meals and transportation. Registration limited. Contact USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066 and/or Vicente Arce A. Casilla,5524, Santiago, Chile.

MARCH 21, Monttfy meeting of the S0Jthland Hang Gliding Assoc., Steve McCarrcil will present a slide and music show. 7:30 p.m., 111 No. Hope St., Los Angeles.

MARCH 24-29, New film, Playground In the Sky

by Carl Boenish and Ted WP.bster. Features lots of aerial point of view shots, long lens photography, and outstanding historical sequences of hang gliding and skydiving. $2 admission. Showing at 7 and 9 p,m. at the Lake Theatre, Elsinore,

CA. APRIL 18, Monthly meeting of the Southland Hang Gliding Assoc., "Great Paper Aeroplane Contesf' plus films and discussion. 7:30 p.m.

111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles.

MAY 21-29, 1977, 3rd Annual World Open Hang Gliding Championships, Escape Country, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678. $25 entry lee. For more information call (714) 586-7964.

JUNE 17 & 18, 1st Annual God's Country Delta Tow Glider Championship, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. $500 guaranteed minimum 1st prize. There will be nightly entertainment Camping and/or motel accommodations available. $30.00 entry

JULY 20, Annual USHGA mooting to be held in conjunction with the USHGA Nationals at Heavener, Oklahoma. The purpose of the meeting is to brief the members present on the affairs of the Association and answer any questions that might be asked.

JULY 23-24, N.Y.S.H.G.A.'s Annual German Alps Festival Meet for advanced pltots at Hunter Mountain, Hunter, N.Y., contact N.Y.S.H.G.A., 393 Rye Beach Avenue, Rye, N.Y. 10580. (212) 294-7949.

AUGUST 20-21, Second Annual East Coast Beginner's Safety Meet and Clinic for Class I and II pilots only. (1st Prize: Brand New Glider.) At Ward pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River New York, contact N.Y.S.H.G.A., 393 Rye Beach Avenue. Rye, N.Y. 10580. (212) 294-7949.

SEPTEMBER 2-5, Masters Championship, Grandfather Mountain, Linville, N.C. 28646.

OCTOBER, Dates to be announced.

Chattanooga's Great Race, P.O. Box 6009, Chattanooga, TN 37409.

OCTOBER 8-22, World Championships in South Africa. For more information contact Harry Robb, 2909 Gulf to Bay, Apt Q-203, Clearwater, FL 33515.

let Hang GNding magazine help you to publicize your upcoming hang gilding events. Send In your calendar Items at least 8 weeks Jl advance, Calendar of Events Hang Gldlng magazi'le Box 68306, Los Angeles, CA 90066

MARCH 1977

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REGISTRATION FORM - 1977 UNITED STATES NATIONAL FLY-IN July 18-31, 1977 HEAVENER RUNESTONE HANG GLIDING ASSN. HEAVENER,OKLAHOMA Participants must be Full Members of the United States Hang Gliding Association and hold a U.S.H.G.A. Hang 3 (with Cliff Launch Check-Off) or Hang 4 Rating Registration and $10.00 fee due no later than June 1~, 1977 to:

NOTE: Fee is refundable only to United States National Championship Competitors

U.S. National Fly-In P.O. Box 361 Heavener, OK 74937

Name--- - - -- - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - -

Region # _ __ _ _ U.S.H.G.A. # - - - - - -- - -

Street & Number

U.S.H.G.A. membership renewal date

H":ng Rating - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - City, State & Zip Estimated date Estimated length Estimated number of nonof arrival of stay _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _pilots in your party Probable mode or transportalion (automobile, commercial mght, private aircraft, etc.)

- - - - -- - - - - -- - - -- - - - - - -- - - -- - - - - Number of other pilots using same c a r - - - - Anticipated accommodations: O motel D camping (speci[y: van - - -- - trailer - -- - - tent - - - - other Do you plan lo: Cook Out Use Available Food Service Both - - - - (The host will arrange for food services in accordance with response to this question.)

Please answer all questions as accurately as possible so that the host will be able to arrange ·adequate Jacilities at the site and in surrounding communities. All registrants will be sent a Registration packet with complete information concerning the area, facilities available, prices, etc., upon receipt of the registration form and fee; the host will, therefore, appreciate early registrations.

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AERO-INNOVATIONS Major Improvement in the ASG-21 The ASG-21, already well-known for its high performance and easy handling

characteristics, has undergone a two-fold major design refinement. The result is an improvement both in performance and handling.

To improve the already high UD ratio,

the billow of the sail has been reduced from the old setting of 1°to. 34°, allowing a higher top speed. Using the same frame

configuration this change would normally result in a much higher dihedral effect.

Essentially the glider would be harder to turn and would have a strong tendency to adverse yaw when initiating a turn. To counter this, the unique cambered keel pocket has been raised, taking out some of the sail dihedral.

The raised keel pocket has another advantage, that of greatly improving the hand I ing of the glider. The effect is that of a delayed aileron control. By reducing the dihedral, the glider wants to turn easier initially. Once the turn has been initiated,

the keel pocket will rock to one side, creating a differentia I slackness of billow effect.

As a result, turning is easier and the roll rate is higher.

As a result of the research and development of this new innovation, the production model ASG-21 will feature both the flatter bi l\ow and the raised cambered keel pocket as of April 1st. As with all refinements of the ASG-21, this change will also be offered to current owners of ASG-21's as a retrofittable option. ASG-21 pilots should contact their dealer or the factory for instructions concerning this option.

Olympus Features Swivel Tips® Swivel Tips1ill are an Electra Flyer innovation featured on the Olympus. (See photos) The last 6" of the leading edge rotates freely from a positive 10° to 60°.

Protruding from the tip is a strong tube which supports the last batten. In the minimum 10° position, the tips offer a strong positive pitching moment. Coupled with nearly 6" of reflex and "O" billow, the Olympus is extremely pitch positive.

New Training Film-Every Man's Dream EVERY MAN'S DREAM is a thirteen and one half minute, 16mm film which explored the complex world of hang gliding in an enjoyable, easy to understand way. Intended primarily as a training film for the novice pilot, EVERY MAN'S DREAM covers an amazing amount of material for its compact length, but still dazzles the viewer with spectacular air-to-air and glider-mounted camera footage. Like any other form of aviation, professional hang gliding training is essential for the safety and pleasure ot the pilot. EVU<Y MAN'::, DREAM provides the cornerstone for a complete professional training program.

Frame lrorn an,mated segment

12

The film is divided into two basic sections. The first section deals with the student's first contact with the glider. Their "first day of instruction" includes: safety equipment, how to properly hold the glider, ground handling procedures, proper flaring technique, and the student's first·actua\ flight. The second section of the fi Im contains general knowledge for hang gliding. Pre-flight inspection is highlighted, flight controls are vividly explained with kite-mounted camera footage, and animation is used to graphir.:ally explain the complexity of rotors, thermals, and stalls.

The producers, Bill Pierce and John Androit, are both hang gliding pilots. EVERY MAN'S DREAM was created because of the need for an educational as well as informative film, and through the support and advice of Dan Poynter, Ken de Russy and John Baird, EVERY MAN'S DREAM promises to bring us one step closer to complete knowledge, understanding, and above all ... safety. For availability write to: Every Man's Dream, 1729 San Pascua\, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Price; $175.00 per copy.

GREAT BOOKS for a GREAT SP.

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HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG

A basic llight manual; authoritative, compact, concise, complete. $1.50 postpaid. (Californians add .06¢ sales tax).

. =

HANG GLIDING

The !1rst complete book on . foot launched ultralight flight.

7th revision, 205 pages, over .

100,000 sold! $5.95 postpaid. . (Californians add .36¢ sales tax).

KITING

The only book on tow launched hang gliding. 2nd revision, 102 pages, over 12,000 sold! $3.95 postpaid.

(Californians add .24¢ sales tax).

DAN POYNTER, Box 4232-G, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 MARCH 1977

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Public Relations-Lucky Campbell Research, Deve lopment & Technical -Gary Valle Safety & Training-Dennis Pagen Various Directors and members present then volunteered to serve on the committees of their choice and the meeting recessed whi le the committees met to discuss past work and come up with specific proposals to present to the Directors for their action.

GARDIA TROPHY FUND It was voted to establish an endowment fund for the Association's perpetual award, the Ed Gardia Trophy, to begin with a $25 contribution from Bill Allen.

by Lloyd Lieber, USHGA Treasurer The January 14- 16, 1977, USHGA Directors' meeting, held in ,Arlington, Virginia, was the best attended o ne to date, with all but two of the Directors present. It was twoand-one-half days of concentrated, productive activity, with many actions taken on oohalf of the Association. This report will summarize what happened, for the information of all members. Those who desire a copy of the complete minutes of the meeting may obtain one upon request w ith a large, self-addressed, stamped envelope.

DIRECTOR VACANCIES One of the early orders of business was to fill a number of vacancies on the Board.

Wally Anderson was elected as a Regional Director for region 2 (northern Ca lifornia), Stephen Thorne for region 4 (Rocky Mountain area), and Skip Smith for region 10 (southeast). It was decided to fi 11 the region 7 (Great Lakes states) vacancy by a mai l vote in that region. Five Directors-at-Large for 1977 were elected ,also, namely William A. Allen of N .H., Kay Brake of Okla., John Harris of N.C., Don McCabe of N. H., and Harry Robb of Florida. Then two ex-officio Directors were elected, Gen. Brooke Allen, as the representative of the National Aeronautic Association, and Gary Valle, to represent the Hang Gl ider Manufacturers Association,

and Hugh Morton was re-elected as an Honorary Director for 1977.

OFFICERS FOR 1977 After the Board was brought up to nearly fu ll strength again elections were held for officers for 1977, with the followi ng results: President-Vic Powell Vice-President-Vern Roundtree Secretary-Kay Brake Treasurer-Lloyd Licher An Executive Committee, w ith the full power of the Board unti l the next Directors' meeting, was also designated, comprised of Powell, Roundtree and Licher.

NEW COMMITIEE CHAIRMEN Shortl y after his election, President Powel I announced the titles of committees he was co ntinuing or c reating, and appointed chairmen for them, as follows: Awards-Alex Duncan Bylaws & Organization-Lloyd Licher Competition & Rules-Harry Robb Elections & AllocationsWi lliam A. Al len Insurance- Trip Mell inger Membership & Developme ntDon McCabe National Coordination- Vic Powell Publications- Wil liam A. Al len

NEW REGION 12 A proposal to create a new region 12, compri sed of the states of New Jersey and New York, to be represented by Regional Director Jim Aronson who lives there, was approved. In addition, the Elections and Allocations Committee was authorized to make minor changes to region boundaries in three instances where local activity favors it, to include adjacent counties, namely Reno to region 2, El Paso to region 4, and Kansas City, Kansas, to region 6.

SAFETY RULES A comprehensive revision to the safety rules for hang gliding, proposed by Dan Poynter and refined by the Safety and Training Committee, was adopted as those endorsed by USHGA. The rules will be published separately in this or a subsequent edition of HANG GLIDING. HANG RATING PROGRAM The Directors approved all changes to the Hang Rating Program proposed by the Safety and Training Committee, which should be reported on sepa rately, but included the following: size of spot for landing to vary with glide ratio of glider used; the task of land ing over a barrier was altered to a 180-degree approach within specified limits; Hang !Rating cards will be combined with membership cards; Ratings will expire/be renewed with members hip; specia l skil ls for 360-degree turns, engines, and towing were provided for; all Observer designations will expire at the end of each year and renewed only if an Examiner so specifies; and the Hang V requirements were changed to in-

cl ude having a Hang JV for three years, none to be issued until 1979, application/petition signed by three Observers via local Director, must be approved by two-thirds of the Directors at a meeting.

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Proposed changes to this program were approved, to include reducing the first-aid requirement for the Basic Instructor to Multi-Media, and revision of the Advanced Instructor Program. It was the sense of the Board that all Directors could participate in all USHGA programs equally, i.e., appoint Exam iners, approve Instructor Rating Programs, etc.

BYLAWS AMENDED A number of amendments to the bylaws were approved which have the following effects: the purposes of the Association were altered to provide for the promotion of foot1aunched powered flight; an Associate Member class of membership was created; Regional Directors elected by the Directors to fill a vacancy wi ll be limited to a one-year term; provisions for a Flight Committee and Flight Director were deleted as no longer applicable; and the Article on Suspension, Expulsion, and Removal from Office was altered and expanded to delete reference to suspension and flight regulations, provide for recall elections of Regional Directors elected by the Directors to fi ll a vacancy, require that copies of items requesting expulsion or removal be sent to the person in question, and provided for removal of Directors for excessive absence from meetings. In addition, a policy was adopted concerning the removal of Examiners, Observers and Instructors, requ iring that the accused be sent copies of all communications concerning the case.

ANNUAL MEETING The date for the next Annual Meeting of USHGA, as required by the bylaws (for the briefing of members) was set as July 20, 1977, at Heavener, Okla., the site of the Nationa l Championships and Fly-In. NEXT DIRECTORS' MEETING The dates and site for the next Directors' meeting were also set, as July 15-16, 1977, at Heavener, Okla.

HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE It was voted, with applause, to express gratitude to the magazine and office staffs for getting HANG GLIDING on schedule and advancing its quality to a high degree. The Directors also agreed that it was proper to accept non-hang gliding advertisements in the magazine. The sense of the Board was to have the Editor try and devote about one page in each issue to news of and input from USHGA Chapters. And it was voted to refuse ads in the magazine that state compliance with HGMA Airworthiness Standards if no HGMA Certificate of A irworthiness was issued.

PRODUCTION GLIDERS As requested by HGMA, it was voted to require all production gl iders in USHGAsanctioned contests to have HGMA Certificates of Airworthiness.

BUDGET FOR 1977 A balanced budget for 1977 was adopted which required raising advertising rates for HANG GLIDING by about 25%, effective with the Apri l, 1977, issue, terminating the $2 rebate plan for new Members, raising merchandise prices about 10%, and cutting down on the number of pages in HANG GLIDING (by 8 per issue) beginning in July if income by then does not exceed amount expected at this time. Total cash flow for the year is predicted to be $181,545.

1977 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS A significant discussion developed over w hether or not to send a U.S. team to the next World Hang Gliding Championships, scheduled for October of 1977 in South Africa. One result was a vote to support allowing South Africa to compete in other countries. A motion and second that the U.S. not send a team to South Africa was tabled, after which it was decided that a letter to the Editor of HANG GLIDING should be pub1ished which would explain the concern of some Directors, try to present both sides of the issue, and sol icit input from the members. Before leaving the subject, an informa l vote showed that 12 Directors favored sending a team and five were opposed.

COMPETITION RULES A new set of rules for USHGA-sanctioned competitions was reported out by the new

Competition and Rules Committee, essentially those prepared by Harry Robb as chairman of the previously separate Rules Committee, but modified as a result of input

by Directors and committee members, and approved by the Directors. The essence of the rules cannot be easily summarized, except perhaps to say they emphasize more soaring ability rather than maneuvering and spot landings, in an effort to keep pace with the advancement of machines and pilots.

Copies of the rules wi ll be provided to each registrant in the Regional qualifying competitions this year, and to each pi lot who qualifies for the Nationals. Other pilots and interested parties, or those who can't wait for registration/qua lifying, may order copies for $2.00 each from USHGA.

1977 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Preparations and plans for the Nationals and associated Fly-In were reported on and some dec isions concerning it were specified. A detai led Competition Announcement will be avai lable by the time th is magazine reaches the members and those who would like a copy may obtain one upon request with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to t he loca l organ izer, the Heavener Runestone Hang Gliding Assn., Box 361, Heavener, OK 74937, or to USHGA. Some of the information it wi II contain is as fol lows: Lloyd Licher has been named by USHGA as Meet Director for the Nationals, and the organizers have named Richard Kingrey, of Heavener, as Meet Chairman, in charge of operationa l preparations and affairs during the Championships.

The nine members of the 1976 U.S. team w ill beexemptfromqualifyingand 101 positions have been allotted from Regional qualifying competitions to be conducted before the Championships, in proportion to the USHGA membership population in each region. The breakdown is as fol lows: region 1, 9; 2, 10; 4, 10; 5, 4; 6, 3; 7, 11; 8, 5; 9, 12; 10, 7; 11, 4; and 12, 8. Breakdown for each of three classes will be determined by Regionals qualifying partic ipation. The top three w inners of each class will comprise the U.S. team for the 1977 World Championships.

Heats of six pilots each wi ll be used, where called for, to equa lize competition in similar meteorological conditions. The entry fee w ill be $35.00. ,-...

.. YOU'D BeTTel\ Stlo-P AR0Ut4-0 How to Buy Your Next Glider Article by Chris Price Each spring, about the time everybody's tax return check comes in the mail, all the hang glider manufac-

turers come out with their latest, highest performing, easier-to-turn, 4th generation, thermal seeking, greaterspeed-range hang gliders. Every single one of them outperforms every single one of the others. It's a confusing scene. This article, I hope, will help a pilot look for the right things so he can get the best glider for himself at the best price. This article is for pilots who already know how to fly, are Hang-3 rated or better, and own a glider that they are trying to sell.

The glider one should buy is the one that keeps a pilot from landing, and in the air, the easiest to fly through a wide variety of lift conditions. To this end all the manufacturers' performance claims of sink rate, glide angle, speed range, stability and turning ability are meaningless. The only thing that counts is that the glider can keep the pilot in the air without a fight.

The only way to find this out is to test-fly the gliders you are considering buying. Buying a new glider without test-flying it would be like buying a new car without driving it first. Buying a new glider after only talking to a sales person would be like marrying a girl without ever meeting her and only talking to her mother. No matter how ugly she was, the mother would say she was beautiful when you asked.

Bµying a glider without test-flying it is an inexcusable sin.

Before one test-flies a glider, one should ask a few basic questions.

These questions are mainly to find out how much of a test pilot or guinea pig one might be.

20

QUESTIONS TO ASK, 1. How many gliders have been built and sold?

2. What kind of unusual attitude testing has been done?

3. How many people have test-flown this kind of glider?

4. Does the production model differ from the prototype?

5. Was the testing done on the production version as well as the prototype?

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, 1. (1-5) come back later; (5-10) fly straight and level; (10-15) watch out; (over 20) fly with caution.

2. Only acceptable answer is "all kinds": stalls, full dives, wingovers into stalls, full spiral dives, etc.

3. Same as #1 4 & 5. These are very important. Manufacturers have changed minor things which proved to be fatal.Only test-fly gliders that have been test-flown by someone else and does not differ from the glider that had all the unusual attitude testing done on it.

"The glider one should buy is the one ... easiest to fly through a wide variety of lift conditions."

As one goes around to the different dealers test-flying different gliders, the easiest way to find out how each new glider performs is to bring a friend

along. Have the same friend fly his own glider right behind you each ti me.

Preferably he should be flying a yearold model such as an SST, Phoenix 68 or Cumulus SB. How quickly he sinks below you will give you some idea how well the glider you are test-flying performs.

First test-fly the glider off a 200-ft. hill you are familiar with. If there are any problems such asover·control I ing, they can be talked over with the dealer letting you test-fly the glider. The short flight will probably go perfectly. Then find the tallest mountain around with the smoothest air for the next flight.

On this high flight, how the new glider feels will have more to do with the glider you have been flying for the past year than how the new glider really handles. So try to keep an open mind.

Let me discuss for a moment the effects of stability, trim, dampening, authority and control over the three-axes and how they might effect a glider's ability to stay in the air. Pitch stability (positive trim) over a full range of angle of attacks and attitudes relative to the horizon is necessary to keep the glider from plummeting to the ground.

Too much pitch stab ii ity can be annoying when trying to soar. As the glider goes around and around in a thermal, the airspeed can vary as much as 15 miles an hour due to the tumbling turbulent air. If a glider is too stable, as the air speed increases, the nose will pitch up, and if the glider is slowed down, the nose will drop. The pilot will have to keep pulling in and pushing out to keep the glider in a somewhat level attitude. In ridge lift,if the wind is blowing faster than the glider is trimmed to fly, the pilot will MARCH 1977

TEST-FLY IT?/ IT'S ALRE;ADY BEEN TEST-FLOWN! BESIDES THERE'S NOTHING IN YOUR EXPERIENCE -n\AT YOU COULD COMPARE __......;:::::-..:1~T~Tor1v~~:::::::-rr1r'ii

tire quickly holding the nose down.

A glider without enough pitch stability, even though it will pull out of vertical dives, has other problems. As the pilot goes over the falls while thermaling, if the glider does not help

the pilot get the nose back up, it can be quite discouraging, especially when

he's thermaling close to a ridge and the pilot has to jam the bar out to keep from hitting the hill. Also without

glider is, the better. Any resistance to rolling into a turn or resistance to rolling out of a turn means more work for the pilot. Different gliders' roll stability varies. One glider might be stable in a 20° bank but unstable when trying to fly straight or past a 60° bank.

Another glider might be stable only when going straight. When turned it feels like it wants to flip on its back.

How fast a glider is flying call also

enough stab ii ity the glider will seem to be always flying too fast or too slow; holding the glider at best sink will be difficult. Dampening also helps the pilot hold the glider at a constant attitude. Pitch authority is the ability to adequately dive and flare the glider.

What happens to a glider in a turn when a pilot lets go of the control bar?

If the turn steepens (unstable), a pilot will find himself rolling out of turns most of the time. If the glider levels wings (positive trim), a pilot will find himself rolling into turns most of the time. If the glider is neutral, a pilot will find himself rolling in and out of turns.

For thermaling, the more neutral a

"For thermaling . .. the g/ ider with the most neutral roll (stability) over the widest range of bank angles would be optimum." affect the roll stability. The faster it flys the more stable it should get. Preferably the glider with the most neutral roll over the widest range of bank angles

would be optimum.

Yaw stability amounts to the ability of the glider to fly in the direction in which it is pointed. Gliders that are perfectly yaw stable give a beginner a confident feeling. Somehow a glider that is a little less than perfectly yaw stable and flies sideways once in a while can help a pilot do flatter turns.

To sum up the last couple of paragraphs, stability (positive trim) works against control. Some stab ii ity in pitch is needed to keep the glider from diving into the ground. Stability also helps the pilot right the glider after being upset by turbulence. lt helps the pilot maintain a constant attitude. A compromise of these factors that feels best varies among pilots.

The test-flights on the various gliders should be done in the stillest air possible. Still air is still air. There are all kinds of turbulent air. How a glider feels compared to another one depends a lot on how turbulent the air was that each was flown in. To make your test-flights valid, avoid making the comparisons in turbulent air.

The test-flights should all be done in your own harness at the same height above the bar you are used to. This wil I rule out 'the harness variable' as a factor. Make double and triple sure you are hooked into the glider securely.

Don't Mickey Mouse it in a hurry trying to get the right height above the bar and end up falling out of the glider.

During the test-flight off the high mountain, fly straight over the landing area. On the way feel out the pitch by pulling in the bar and feeling the pressure at different speeds. See how slow the glider will f\y. Stall it. Make some abrupt changes to see how quickly it responds. Once over the landing area, with plenty of altitude, do a series of figure-S's. Once the glider is set up in a turn, \et go of the bar and see what happens. Maintaining a constant bank, slow the glider down till it stalls in the turn. When rolling out of one turn and reversing direction try and force the glider to roll as quickly as possible. Try and feel the glider out.

Do not just float around not really doing anything. During the whole flight keep an eye on your friend in his glider to check your sink rate. Set up for a landing early and try and land short of the spot. The new gliders' better glide angles shrink \anding areas.

After flying three or four gliders test fly the best one again at your favorite soaring site in your favorite soaring conditions to see if it cuts the mustard.

Now you're sold. You want one.

Now to get the best price.

Hopefully, the gliders you chose to test f\y were not based on price. Once you have decided on one,call every dealer within a day's drive. If a dealer lives within two days but is located at a guoc.l flying site, ca\l him also. Dealers buy the gliders from the manufacturers at different prices according to what kind of volume they do. Different dealers can afford to make better deals. Some place there is a dealer that is giving gliders away at just about manufacturer's cost. Shop around.

Once the best deal is found, come back to the dealer that let you test fly the glider and see if he can match the dea\.

Delivery is an important factor. One pilot last summer finally received his glider that he had bought 2Y2 months 22

earlier in the spring. By the time he got it he did not even want it after test flying some other glider. Do not let the dealer promise you a delivery date he has no control over. Call the manufacturer and ask to talk to the production manager. Ask him when the gliders were ordered that are being shipped that day. ln Summary. Test fly every glider you are thinking about buying. Bring along a friend to use as a constant to measure performance. Try to fly each different glider in as equal conditions as possible. Do not just float around in the glider. Fly them off a tall mountain and make some mistakes. Stal I them to see how easily they recover. Do not let the retail price influence your decision, how hard one shops will determine the price. Don't put your money down ti\! you get a delivery date.

Why buy a new glider at all? Test fly one; then you will know. ~

Chris Price is regarded as one of the world's best flyers. He was 1975 National Open Class Champion and set a cross-country distance record last March when he flew 34 miles from Mt. Lukens to Thousand Oaks (Calif.).

Chris has worked in various capacities in the hang gliding industry since 1971.

He now works for Wills Wing Inc. as a test pilot and manufactures the Price Prone Harness.

Chris is an independent thinker, guaranteed to speak out on any con· IToversia/ hang gliding issue. His sometimes vociferous manner has earned him many labels; But Chris is critical, not cynical. H;s positions are directed toward Positive change for hang gliding. His opinions" ·are often applalided and often condemned, bu't ··n¢ver ig· nored. And the quick wit ·artcJ compel· ling grin give away that he doesn't take himself too seriously.

(com1nued lrom page 81

of Hang Gliding. Jaime Marull from Venezuela was elected as the new President of the FADSA, a federation founded at the aborted First South American Championships in Chile. According to Johan Byttebier, President of the CIDCAVA (Club lnterprovincia I de Carro a Vela y Aeroac. tividad whew), the October competition was a success "in every sense." l 4 Argentine flyers and 23 invited pilots from Chile and Venezuela took part in one or both of two classifications: a general one with all the pilots participating, and an Argentine one for local pilots. Jorge Caoa, the new champion, placed first in both classifications. Flights ranged from 4 to 12 minutes.

The conditions were ideal. All participants were enthusiastic about the site, the transportation to the mountaintop (so wellscheduled no pilot ever had to wait for a lift up). and the free accommoations provided for pilots. The organization of the meet extended to the thousands of spectators who were kept well-informed by no less than twenty loudspeakers.

The next South American Hang Gliding Championships are scheduled for March 14th through the 20th at the Chi lean site of la Reina. Alas Delta la Reina, a new Chilean club, will be in charge of organizing the meet and will have a tough act to follow with the beautifully-planned Argentine Championships as their model.

The March competition will have a broader spectrum as the Championships have been extended to an invitational Pan-American meet. After the meet in Chile an International Festival will be held in Villavic.encio, site of October's competition and just 20 minutes away from la Reina by commercial airliner.

For registration information contact Vicente Arce R. Casilla, 5524 Santiago, Chile or Johan Byttebicr, CIDCAVA, San Martin 359, las Heras, Mendoza, Argentina.

CHAPTER NEWS /-fang Gliding magazine would like

to recognize and welcome the Georgia Hang Glider Association as USHGA's 15th and most recent Chapter. Of the Association's 30 members, 19 are members of USHGA. Current officers of this organization are as fol tows: Cl ate Sanders, President; Skip Smith, Vice-President; Sigrid Sanders, Secretary. To contact this Chapter write the Georgia Hang Glider Assn., 730 Jefferson River Rd., Athens, GA 30601. We invite you to find out how your club or organization can become USHGA's 16th Chapter. All inquiries directed to the USHGA office will receive a prompt response.

-

MARCH 1977

Easy to carry, easy to set-up, easy to look at, easy to buy, but most of all, easy to fty. Ask some of the people who know, like Joe Miller (PA.) or Chris Duplaga (OH.) or Art Markiewlc:i (MICH.) and they'll tell you why they have all turned on to the Falcon flying experience. It's a special feeling that combines sensitive response with exceptional ease of handling. No more struggling to keep your kite In a turn or fighting to roll back.

Falcoo almost does It for you.

The CGS Falcon h;; the new dynamic flying machine that hai;; been turning heads wherever it has debuted. If you haven't had the unique opportunity to see one of these outstanding gliders In the air, consider the following facts and use your Imagination: • L/D....8 plus at 24 mph • Min. Slnk .... 189 feet per min.

• Nose angle .... 105 degrees • Stall Speed .... 15-16 mph • Max Speed .... 40 plus • Sail Blllow.... 1.65 degrees All this is available In three sbes (18'/20'/22') with pilot weight ranges from 100 lbs. to 250 lbs.

But that's not all. We believe In making things easier for you on the ground too. Our new tubular deftexor set-up solves four major problems with all previous designs. 1) It creates less drag than blade type; 2) our complete set-up folds neatly away for storage (wires and deftexors stlll In tact); 3) they cost less to replace If you break one; 4) they're stronger than any other deflexor on the market. Negative deflexors are optional.

Here's the cllocherl Standard on all Falcons (and Spitfires for that matter) Is our Quiklte set-up that allows you to set your Falcon up (umbrella style) In about a minute and a half. You can be set up and ready to fty while everybody else Is still trying to untangle their wires.

When you're finished or ready to truck It back to the top, you're ready to go in Just a couple of minutes. At last, the hassle's gone!

For more Information on the CGS Falcon and Spitfire, send your name, address and $1 to Chuck's Glider Supplies. Find out for yourself that quality and good flying do exist In one ftying machine.

CHUC~'S' GLIDER S'UPPLIES' 4252 PEARL RD. CLEVE., OH 44109 (216) 398-5272

FLIGHT TE/TlnG FOR HGffiA CERTIFICATIOn r

Article by Trip Mellinger Photos by Mike Jones Fostered by the new HGMA specification and Comp I ianc e Program, manufacturers are fina lly on the road to insuring the airworthiness of their gl iders to the consumer. The days of al lowing the consumer to do the testing of hang gliders are fading away as each manufacturer accepts the respons i bi Ii ties our growing sport needs. As a test pilot, I look at the new HGMA procedures as a real blessing to hanggl idi ng, especially when structural failures and questionable stabi lity in several gliders resulted in serious accidents or fatalities last year. This is serious business and it wi II be good to see every manufacturer with the required "Certificate of Compliance" at the '77 Nationals.

To help Delta Wing fi le for a HGMA Certificate of Compliance on the Phoenix 8 Jr., I dec ided to use balloon drop tests, such as Manta has been doing, coupled with movie film to estab lish the record of compl iance that must accompany the application to HGMA. As described in Gary Valle's artic le in the January issue of Hang Gliding, if the record of compliance meets the HGMA airworthiness standards for the particu lar glider in question , a Ce rtificate of Compliance is issued and placed on each glider sold.

It was good to find two balloonists, Steve Hodgston and Gary Cervany, very interested in see ing Delta Wing's testing program initiated. Both pilots have flown hang gliders, dropped gliders from their balloons and have a list of balloon accomplishments respected by the av iation community.

The testing program was divided into two phases, requiring two drops and

24

The Phoenix 8 is being towed to 12,000' AGL to undergo Oight testing for HGMA certification.

the use of two balloons on the second drop. Phase one wou ld test Rich Piciri l li' s emergency hang gl ider parachute using a Phoenix 68 glider.

This parachute is carried by the pilot and, weighs approximately 8 lbs. The 20 ft. chute is sewn into the pilot' s harness so that he may hand deploy it.

The suspension lines of the chute are attached by a bridle cord to the heart bolt area of the glider. When the chute is deployed the glider and pi lot descend together. One balloon would be used on this test with a photographer for documentation. The second phase would utilize two balloons with three photographers, and provide a portion of the ,~cord of comp I iance on the Phoenix 8 Jr. for HGMA. Two balloons were used because of the equipment weight. After releasing from # 1 balloon, the glider would fly to #2 bal loon and perform the required maneuvers while being filmed. The beauty of using a balloon for fi lming is that it can descend at the glider's sink rate, providing good air to air photography so the glider need not be close to the ground while testing. Since the glider flies close by at gondola level, the horizon provides good reference for bank angles while being filmed .

The maneuv ers to be performed would demonstrate controll ability and stabil ity of the glider. Some of the requirements cou ld be determined at a local flying site leaving us to concentrate on stalls, roll rates, spins, and steep dives with good recovery and structural integrity.

California City airport in the Mojave desert was chosen for the location of the drops and January 22nd was the Drop Day. That day, all personnel and MARCH 1977

H

Steve landed nearby and Gary began inflating the second balloon for phase two of the program. Equipment and people were loaded into the balloons, the parachute was- repacked, and my Phoenix 8 Jr. was readied for lift off. This time we were on our way to 12,000 feet AGL, plenty of altitude for the HGMA maneuvers and everyone was briefed on what pictures were requ ired and what maneuvers were to take place. Mike Jones was the stil I

In this dramatic aerial shot, the moment of release and ensuing dive is seen.

equipment arrived at 6:00 A.M., but the weather didn't. A thick layer of fog 300 feet deep plagued us for the major portion of the morning, but soon gave way to one of the best days we cou ld have hoped for. We inflated the first balloon and phase one began. Steve Hodgston was balloon pilot and Rich Picirilli was observer-photographer.

Drifting silently, except for periodic burner bursts, I found out what Rich meant when he said "Ballooning is a romantic way to fly."

At 4000 ft. above ground level, I gave the signal that I was ready to drop. Upon release Steve maintained a good sink rate until gl ider and balloon were at the same altitude. I then flew by the gondola and released the parachute while Rich was filming.

There was a beautiful deployment and the glider slowed to a stop and swung directly vertical under the parachute.

Since the bridle cord was connected to the heart bo lt at the control bar, the nose of the glider pointed straight down and I had to stand in my control bar. I was assured, however, that in a() emergency situation, the parachute wou ld slow glider and pilot down to a safe sink rate. After several thousand feet of checking the characteristics of the glider and chute, I thought it best to bring the nose of the glider to a reasonable angle of attack and cut away from the chute. There was no sense in possibly damaging the glider by landing on the nose.

HANG GLIDING

maneuvers, Rich, who was high above us in the other balloon, jumped out, did a free fall to our altitude and deployed his Para-commander. It was really a thr ill flying around a parachute and a balloon, and to my knowledge, that was the first time a parachute and a hang glider have been filmed side by side in the air together.

The day was over and for once, everything that was planned on worked out right. When the fi Im was processed, the testing of the Phoenix 8 Jr. was shown and the record of compliance was submitted to HGMA. Minor modifications were made to the parachute to help eliminate the vertical attitude of the glider and decrease the sink rate.

It shou ld be on the market when you get this issue.

We learned that a bal loon not on ly affords a fast,reliable testing vehicle for a hang glider, but also permits excellent air to air photography. I hope that soon noonewill buy a hangglider un less it has a HGMA Certificate of Comp Iiance on the cross bar. Ask your dea ler when his gli ders wi ll have the certificate and spread the word about the importance of the HGMA program. It cou ld save your life one day.

....

___

Trip prepares for lift-off to test parachute r,ounted on harness.

_..----,

Roll rate and stability are teRted and filmed

as Trip maneuvers In close to the observation balloon.

photographer and John Jacobson was shooting 16mm movies riding in #2 balloon. Arriving at 12,000 ft. AGL, I released and flew over to # 2 balloon to begin flight testing. I kept in mind that I wasn't out to destroy the glider, just exceed the limitations placed on it by the HGMA Specification Program.

We were not filing for an aerobatic airworthiness certif icate; consequently, maneuvers along those I ines were not executed.

Upon successful completion of the

25

USHGA POLICY CHANGES FOR 1977

by Dennis Pagen, Chairman-Safely and Training Committee

0

The subject of this article is the resu lts of the Safety and Training Committee's last meeting of the Board of Directors. These

results set new policies updating the Hang Rating Program (including the Hang V level), providing for advanced instructor certification and imposing extensive safety regulations.

SAFETY REGULATIONS Why do we need them? The obvious reason is so we can reduce the number of sport related injuries. Another, less apparent reason is to have an official USHGA selfregulatory document in working order before the FM decides to impose its own rules.

We must begin to follow certain procedures in order to maintain our overall freedoms.

Most of these rules are alre.idy being observed by sane pilots. They consist mainly of guidelines found expedient during the past few years of flying (e.g. wearing of helmets) and rules obeyed by all aircraft (e.g. traffic rules during soaring flights).

A few of the rules which may be new to many pilots are as follows: 1. Nopilotshallflyhigherthan 18,000ft.

ASL without FAA clearance (this holds for al\ aircraft}.

2. All take-offs must be preceded by a static harness check (obviously most important on cliff launches).

3. IFR flights are strictly prohibited. Pilots shall maintain visual contact with the ground at all times.

4. Flights shall not be made with less than 100ft. horizontal or vertical clearance from buildings, power lines or assemblages of persons.

5. All hang gliders shall meet or exceed HGMA specifications as published for that category.

The last rule is a JX>tentially controversial one. It is apparent to those long in the sport that there are certain minimum standards of glider design that must be met for safe flying.

The rejuvenated HGMA under the directorship of hardworking Gary Valle has set these standards. The Safety and Training Committee feels compelled to supJX>rt the HGMA program in order to protect USHGA memDers. In truth, the USHGA cannot enforce

26

these Safety Regulations in any manner other than revoking membership or invoking peer pressure. However, there may come a time when these rules are adapted by the FAA itself. All manufacturers are urged to support and comply with the HGMA regulations. We want safe and thoroughly tested equipment

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM After a year of successful programs certifying Basic Instructors, we have a much clearer idea of how best to organize and administer such an intense session. A more detailed guideline is being prepared for the use of program administrators. This will include a written test composed of questions gathered from certification programs across the country. The main additions to the requirements for a Basic Instructor are: 1. A prospective instructor must be sponsored (recommended) by a certified school or an Advanced Instructor. He must have observed and assisted in at least 10 lessons prior to the recommendation. Since Mvanced Instructors ratings are just now coming into existence, this requirement may be waived until the next Board of Directors meeting.

2. A Basic Instructor must keep current by attending a seminar (clinic) once every two years.

Remember that an Instruction Certification Program is not intended to teach a pilot how to instruct, but to simply test and certify that he can instruct in a knowledgeable and safe manner. The programs of the past year often followed the format of a seminar since we were exploring new territory and had to trade ideas and techniques. We are still working on a USHGA approved teaching method. When we finish developing this "method" it will be included in the Instructor Certification Manual and will be the major concern of the program.

The First Aid requirement for Bask Instructor has been changed to the Multimedia Course. For an Advanced Instructor we have chosen the Standard First Aid Course. This course takes about 14 hours of classroom work.

The guidelines for an Advanced Instructor Certification Program will be very simple for the first year. To be certified a pilot must: 1. Hold a current hang IV rating.

2. Be a Basic Instructor for one year and present his log book of students taught.

3. Pass an extensive written and flying test.

4. Demonstrate teaching of advan.ced skills.

5. Be endorsed by a Regional Director or Director at large.

If a pilot is being ce"rtified as a watertow instructor, he must also hold a senior life saving card. A certified school certificate will eventually be prepared by the USHGA. This will be available to schools employing an Advanced Instructor. In the future, inquiries about schooling from interested parties will be referred to these certified schools. This policy is meant to improve our image and our safety record.

HANG RATING PROGRAM Much corresJX>ndence has taken place concerning the Hang Rating Program. There are many criticisms and requests for changes. Indeed, there have been several disputes concerning the rating of some individuals. Some pilots complain of too few Observers and others of unscrupulous Ob· servers.

All these problems were considered as well as that of administration. The changes that were made are meant to upgrade the program with a minimum of confusion.

Some of the tasks have be€-n alterer! to be more appropriate to today's skills and advanced designs. In addition, the whole process of getting rated has been revamped and an expiration date of ratings is in effect First, let us look at the Observer program.

Please remember that a hang rating is not an award. lt is merely a statement of proficiency level useful when control ling sites, meets or instruction certification. The sooner we get away from the tendency to be proud of our hang rating, the sooner we will relieve the pressure from Observers to give out ratings without observing the completion of specific tasks. Al I Observers should be aware of the importance of handing out ratings carefully. lives are at stake. There is at least one incident where a pilot who was given a rating MARCH 1977

[

above his ability was tempted to Oya site thq( he would not have been allowed to w·1th his true rating. He could not handle the conditions and was injured. Part of the blame for this accident lies with the irresponsibility of the Observer. You don't do a friend a favor by "overrating" him.

Starting with the date of the Director's meeting (Jan. 15, 1977), Observers will be renewed every year. Each Examiner will keep a list of the Observers he appoints throughout the year and submit the names once a year at the first of January. Those Observers still on his list will receive new cards. It will be the responsibility of each Observer to check on the Examiner to make sure he submits this list. Examiners are appointed by all Directors (from any region) but are responsib!e to the Regional Director in his region. An Examiner can be removed by his Regional Director and can appeal to the Board of Directors. Examiners appoint Observers only in their regions.

Observers will reta-in the same job of signing off Hang Ill and Hang IV pilots. Hang I and Hang II ratings are signed by an instructor. As soon as the materials can be printed, new cards will be issued. These cards will be six sided and will combine the membership card with the rating cards.

All ratings except Hang I must be renewed annually. This renewal take place at the time of renewal of membership. A pilot doesn't have to redo the tasks for his level, but simply obtains the signature of an Observer that he has kept his skill level current. An Observer attests to th is by way of personal observation over the past year or by examining the pi lot's log book. If the pilot renews his membership but does not get an Observer's signature on the renewal form, his card will return with a rating one step lower than he previously held. He can at some future date submit a form with the Observer's signature and receive a new card with the proper rating.

However, a fee wi II be charged to cover the expense of the extra bookwork. This renewal procedure is intended to avoid the problems of inactive flyers not maintaining their skills at the level of their rating.

The following is a guideline for each rating: HANG I -A new pilot sends in his rating and membership application form signed by an instiuctor. He will re,;::eive his card with Hang I signed by the office. An individual joining USHGA without passing Hangl level can apply for Associate Membership, which does not supply liability insurance or a rating. Since all rated pilots must be full members of USHGA (due to insurance requirements), the novice will send in the extra amount for full membership when he passes and applies for Hang I. HANG JI -When a pilot.passes his Hang II requirements his instructor fills out a form and signs the membership card at the appropriate place. The pilot then sends the form in to the office where it is recorded. He does not receive a new card until he renews his membership. The office will then sign the

HANG GLIDING

Hang II section. Until that time the signature of the "Instructor on his membership card validates his Hang II rating.

HANG Ill and HANG JV - The same process is followed as for Hang IJ, except an Observer signs the card and form. In addition, new questions relating to FAA flight regulations and flight maps {sectionals) mus! be answered on a written test. This test will be sent to the office with the rating form. A score of 80% is required in order to receive the rating.

The following material lists the changes and additions to the Hang Rating tasks. The entire revised Hang Rating requirement sheets will be sent to Instructors and Observers and and is available from the office.

HANG I - No changes were made.

HANG II - The diameter of the spot in the landing task is 20 times the L/Dmax (a pilot flying a 6: 1 glider is required to land in a circle 120 ft. in diameter) of the aircraft used.

Thiscompensates for the poor spot landing capabilities of higher performance gliders.

The maximum wind velocity a/lowed for a Hang II pilot is wing loading x TO+ 50%.

Thus, a wing loading ofl lb.tftl allows a maximum wind of 10 + 5 = 15 mph.

HANG Ill - Spot size (diameter) is equal to 10 times the L/Dmax of the aircraft {a pilot flying a 6;1 glider is required to land in a circle 60 ft in diameter).

The maximum permissible wind is wing loading x 10plus 100%. Thus a wing loading of llb.tfP permits a maximum wind of 20 mph.

HANG IV - The 15 ft. barrier task has been eliminated. This was originally conceived as a landing task. Replacing it is the following: the pilot approaches a spot downwind no further than 75 ft. away. After he passes the spot he must make a 180° turn and land (upwind) within 50ft. of the spot.

He cannot go more than 100ft. past the spot at any time.

SPECIAL SKILLS - The turbulence skill is reworded to read: Controlled flight in conditions requiring quick, deliberate, correct and substantial control applications.

The 360° turn skill (line B) is amended to read: the turn should be entered from a cross wind leg so that the first portion is downwind.

Two other special skills have been added.

AUXILIARY POWER SKILLa. Must comply with FAA requirements. b. Demonstrate proper preflight. c. Oral examination relating to torque and P factor, power on and power off trim changes, relationship of pitch and throttle control with respect to airspeed and altitude. d. Demonstrate normal take-off without significant turn from straight flight. Demonstrate minimum running distance for takeoff. Demonstrate normal take-off then immediate landing required by power loss within 5 seconds of being airborne. Takeoffs m(Jst be from level ground. e. Demonstrate steady climb out at best angle of climb airspeed and at best rate of climb airspeed.

(. Make passes with alternating power settings. g. Demonstrate "power on" and "power off" landings. h. Demonstrate slow flight including at least two 180° turns with at least 20° of bank for a continuous period of at least one minute.

TOWING SKILL a. Pilot shall be orally tested for knowledge of approved towing signals. b. Pilot shall be orally tested for knowledge of emergency release procedures, and recovery from a lock-out. c. Demonstrate abir1ty to launch safely with a standing land start, or a sliding beach start using skiis. d. Demonstrate ability to track behind tow vehicle through a turn of at least 180° without locking out. If lockout occurs it is acceptable if the pilot recovers immediately.

HANG V - This level has been through a few changes. We have finally arrived at the requirements for this important rating. The main attributes of a Hang V pilot are total knowledge of the sport, unquestionable skill, a good safety record and most important, the maturity to make wise decisions and set good examples. The pilots receiving the ratings won't necessarily be the best known ones. We are looking for dependable and careful pilots. These are the requirements: 1. Must be a Hang IV pilot for at least three years and have completed the special skills except Towing and Auxiliary Power. There will be no Hang V ratings issued before the first Board of Directors meeting in 1979.

2. The pilot must obtain the signature of three Observers attesting to his safe conduct for the three years prior to his application. If he has moved he must get three Observers to sign for the time period he flew at other areas. The three year period must be covered by the signatures of three Observers.

3. He must pass an Instructor Certifica· tion Program (flying test, written test and First Aid), auditing the teaching test. This assures h'1s knowledge of technical aspects of hang gliding.

4. He submits his Observer signatures to his regional Director who checks to see that the Certification Program was passed. The Director then submits his name to the Board of Directors with or without his recommendation. A twothirds vote by the Board of Directors is required to approve the Hang V rating.

The programs outlined in this article developed from the work of many pilots. I would especially like to thank Dan Poynter, Dan Chapman, Jan Case and Bill Allen for submitting their useful material. Also making significant contributions were John Lake, Hariy Robb, John Harris and all the Northern California fixed wing flyers. It is with such a combined effort and devotion that we will shape our organization into a smoothly operating entity and earn for our sport the respect it deserves. -.P

27

MoRTON's MouNTAiN Photos and Story

by Hugh Morton

Ille Ort/er <!{Ille R1111e11

Hang gliding had its beginning at Grandfather Mountain less than three years ago, and it's difficult to believe the development of the sport since then. It is fortunate for Grandfather Mountain that John Harris of Kitty Hawk is the one who introduced the sport here. John is a persuasive person who instills confidence. His calm, matter of fact approach quickly dispelled our instinctive first thought that he was a fool for wanting to fly from Grandfather Mountain. John Harris was our Lindbergh at Grandfather, and things have gone remarkably well since.

As property owner ( see hang gliding a bit differently than most of the flyers who have flown our mountain. My thoughts are that flying must be strictly controlled to be safe, and that the owners of the site must be absolved of any liability. We have devised a program at Grandfather for protecting the property owners which shields them better

TOP: Joe Foster, Gran dfather Mtn. Team Flyer, set the distance record of 24.1 miles. He is shown rounding the peak and heading for a landing at Grandfather Golf and Country Club.

Landing area is beside the lake. CENTER LEFT: Reproduction of the Order of the Raven certificate featuring the work of famous wildlife artist Ray Hann. CENTER RIGHT: When the wi nds are from the East at Grandfather Mtn., flight patterns are generally over Mildred the Bear's habitat, giving pilots added incentive for making it all the way to the prescribed landing area. BOTTOM: John Sears is seen approach ing the tight landing area during the Masters of Hang Gliding Championships In September, 1976. John is Grandfather Mountain's Flight Director for the 1977 season, and heads the flying team whose members are Scott Bucha nan, Joe Foster, David Murchison, and Stewart Smith.

MARCH 1977

than any other site in the nation. This involves a series of releases signed by the pilots, liability insurance carried by the flyers, workmen's compensation insurance for our staff flyers, special event site insurance. and a strictly enforced policy allowing only expert rated pilots to fly. More sites, both publicly and privately owned, will open up for hang gliding in all parts of the United States when the conditions enumerated above have been established.

At this writing no one has been killed hang gliding in North Carolina, though there have been thousands of coastal and mountain flights. North Carolina kills as many as 90 per year on motorcycles. With the safety-minded supervision that hang gliding has provided for itself here, Tar Heels are hoping that their remarkable flying safety record can continue.

There is a human trait which breeds opposition to whatever one·fails to understand It is largely due to this trait that we attribute the opposition we experienced in the early days of hang gliding at Grandfather. Ultimately the opposition was pinpointed as originating from a vocal minority, because last summer the members of Grandfather Golf and Country Club voted 6 to 1 in favor of continued hang gliding landings at the Club. This was quite a tribute to hang gliding by the members of one of the finest and most exclusive country clubs to be found anywhere. The fellows flying here have been great ambassadors for the sport.

One of the guests at Grandfather Golf and Country Club who became enthralled by what the hang gliders were doing was Ray Harm, one of America's great wildlife painters. After viewing flights at Grandfather, Harm volunteered to paint the certificate of the Order of the Raven in appreciation of the pilots' accomplishments. Today each person who soars for one hour from the peaks of Grandfather receives a true collector's item, "The Raven Certificate" by Ray Harm. More than fifty certificates have been awarded.

The new high performance gliders have opened great new vistas for hang gliding at Grandfather Mountain. A year ago our soaring record was two and one half hours and our distance from launch record was five miles. During the year Scott Buchanan soared for 7 hours and 10 minutes, and Joe Foster launched from Grandfather and landed 24.1 miles away. Prospects for the future are very exciting.

Even though Grandfather has been a hang gliding site for less than three years, we have had considerable experience in holding the 1975 Nationals, as well as scheduled daily exhibition flights and three of our own meets.

This experience has brought us to conclude that our Masters of Hang Gliding concept is ideal for our hang gliding competitions. Mike HANG GLIDING

Scott Buchanan, a member of the Grandfath er Mtn. flying team has soared the site for 7 hours and 10 minutes.

Arrambide won the first Masters of Hang Gliding Championship in September 1976, and the second Masters is set for September 22-25, 1977. In a nutshell, the Masters format consists of invitations being issued to 40 of the top flyers in hang gliding, as determined by their performances in other competitions during the previous year. Because of the small number of entries, each flyer is given enough fllghts to make the meet a fair representation of his flying skills. By inviting only the proven best flyers, the sponsor of the meet can be assured that there is less likelihood of accident. The 1976 Masters was held without so much as a sprained ankle.

As a strict layman in the art of flying 1 observed one inequity in our rules of competition for the 1976 Masters Championship which will be changed for 1977. It was obvious to all that too much emphasis was being placed on control bars not tagging the ground on landing. Beautiful fli~hts by several con testants were wiped out on the score sheets for that one reason. Our rules will be changed

to cre~it an excellent landing, but at the same time not demolish the score of the pilot whose control bar grazes the ground. Also we seriously question the wisdom of any competition task that requires or encourages wingovers or any other maneuver which tends to tax the glider to its structural limits. The so-called free style events seem to produce that type of danger, and unless the kites are properly stressed and designed for it, stunt flying is out as far as Grandfather Mountain is concerned.

Our current project at Grandfather Mountain is to complete a movie we have been working on for more than a year. We hope the film will show hang gliding with its best foot forward; and if we can obtain national sponsors it will be thoroughly circulated. The film will show scenes from the 1975 Nationals and the 1976 Masters, and we have also obtained interesting footage to include from other parts of the country. Hopefully folks who heretofore knew nothing about hang gliding will acquire a greater appreciation of the sport.

29

''Just Being Entertained'' Interview Conducted

by Carol Price

To set things straight, Tom Price is not related to Carol Price (the interviewer). Carol Price, lhe former editor of Ground Skimmer, is married to Chris Price, who is not related to Tom Price, either. In fact, they don't even look alike.

Tom Price is a very serious person.

He's very serious about his hang gliding. Hang gliding is Tom Price's whole life. Yet anybody who has spent any time with him knows how much fun he is to be around. I hope that his enthusiasm, the twinkle in his eye, and the smile behind his beard will be conveyed to the reader through his answers to my questions. If somebody were to ask me, "What is hang gliding?", I would have to say it's people like Tom Price.

TELL US A LITILE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU BECAME INVOLVED IN HANG GLIDING, ABOUT YOUR WORK AT EIPPER-FORMANCE, AND YOUR EVENTUAL OPENING OF YOUR OWN HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURING BUSINESS: ALBATROSS SAILS. I've always been interested in ai rplanes- in flying. I've been flying airplanes since I was in high school, and my educational background is aviation-oriented. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. I have about five years experience working in aerospace: this was all at McDonald-Douglas Aircraft 32

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cf where I was working on commercia l aircraft in the structural mechanics department. I was involved in what's called design criteria in flight loads which fortunately gave me a diversified job because I had to deal with almost all the company divisions involving the aerodynamic section, wind tunnel section, the powerplant, weights, and the hydro-mechanica l section.

Since high school, I have obtained my commercial and instrument pi lot ratings in power airplanes. But I don't fly power planes anymore. I'm tota lly engrossed in hang gliders.

I left aerospace, took a two-year vacation, and got involved in making sails at a company called North Sails in Seal Beach, and became heavily involved in sai lmaking and ocean racing. Got a lot of sail ing exper ience.

This is where I learned to make sails. I discovered hang gliders just by watching TV. I saw a guy flying a Roga l lo and it crossed my mind that these were sail gliders. I was interested from that point on. My first contact with gliders was a repair that came into the North Sai ls' loft. I knew immediately what it was. I was so excited that within two weeks I was working for EipperFormance making sails part time ... moonlighting, so to speak. And in about a month I was working fu ll-time for Eipper. I qu it my job at North Sails and was then involved fu ll-time in hang gliders. I worked a year for Eipper-Formance and somehow got motivated to start my own business. I was primarily in terested in just hav ing a sail loft to supply manufacturers and individuals with sails the way boat lofts are run. After two years experience, we learned that this wasn't rea lly feasible. Making sai ls for gliders is very similar to mak ing boat sa il s; however, the design, the accuracy, the subtleties dictate that you just can't make sails when someone else makes the frames. You have to make the complete glider. And that's why Aibatross Sails is now a glider manufacturer, not a sai l manufacturer, and that's where we are today.

WHAT IS MORE HELPFUL IN DESIGNING GLIDERS: YOUR BACKGROUND IN AERODYNAMICS OR YOUR EXPERIENCE IN SAILMAKING? My aerodynam i c background MARCH 1977

"The subtleties dictate that you just can't make sails when someone else makes the frames. You have to make the complete glider. And that's why Albatross Sails is now a glider manufacturer." seems to help every facet of glider design. The sa ilmaking experience he lps the engineering, not vice-versa. The engineering background does not help the sail making. The engineering helps sail design because a sai l is a wing and I know a lot about w ings and airfoils and what I'm looking for in the shapes of sa ils as far as their airfoil shape, washout distribution, and all this sort of thing. All these things [hang glidersl are, are airplanes made out of sai ls.

They're sail gliders, That's what we cal l them . That's why we call it the A lbatross Sail Glider.

WHAT IS YOUR RELAT IONSHIP W ITH YOUR PARTNER, KEITH NICHOLS? HOW DO YOU WORK TOGETHER? DO YOU DIVIDE UP THE BUSINE SS INTO TWO SEPARATE HALVES OR DO YOUR ACTIVITIES OVERLAP? My skills lie in engineering. I know a lot about sail fabrication and structure. Keith is also very ski ll ed in these things although his background is not in the design, but in actual fabricating.

He has been a sailmaker and a frame builder. But where he rea lly becomes valuable as a partner is in his skil ls in the graphic arts, in writing, and in things of this nature. He does al I the ad wr iting, ad layouts, some of the photography and a lot of promotional work.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DESIGN A GLIDER YOU PLAN TO PUT IN PRODUCTION? HOW MANY PROTOTYPES (ON THE AVERAGE) DO YOU BUILD BEFORE YOU COME UP WITH THE FINAL VERSION? That's a difficu lt question to answer because we're very new to the complete glider market as far as building complete gliders. The way we used to do it was, as sa ilmakers, we were involved with people who were experimenting. We were right in the front of development so people would come to us with their ideas and questions (we did have information ). During the period we were just sailmakers, we

col lected a large amount of information about gliders and sai lgl iders.

From this we've been able to extrapolate that information and come up with designs, sometimes with only one prototype. It was just a custom gl idertype thing. We were buil ding gliders for ind ividuals. Once in a while we'd do production work for a particular

signed. There definitely are places to go with other configurations but my development effort is going to be with the flying wing. We're not going to start putting on canards, tails or things of this nature. This company's thinking is in weight-shift controlled, se lf foot- l aunched portable flying machines.

WILL A FLEXIBLE-W ING ROGALLO EVER GO 100 MILES? OR ARE WE JUST ABOUT AT OUR LIMITS? I don't rea l ly know what the limits are as far as the capabi Iities of flying 100 miles. Most likely it'll be done.

Time seems to be the critical factor.

There's only ... uh ... ten hours of light in a day, and averaging 20 miles per hour, you might be able to get a 100-mile to 200-mi le day in if you could average that speed. There are .,, performance increases which we ~ haven't reached yet in these types of z gliders although that performance fs ~ going to come slowly. We're starting ;_ to push the limits now with mem.o 2 brane, weight-shift gliders.

WHAT LIMITS THE PERFORMANCE OF A FLEX IBLE-MEMBRANE GLIDER? Tom Price flying an ASC-21 The main thing limiting glider percompany that had des igned its own formance now is the parasitic drag ingl ider, although some companies cluding the wires, cross tube, pi lot, have built gl iders we designed. Howtriangle bar, kingpost - everything ever, none of these gliders became that is not essential to the wing. itself. real popular. But our greatest experiThe induced drag cou ld probably be ence is with the ASG-21, our top-ofreduced by increasing our span. This the-1 ine production glider, and it took seems to be feasible now with some of about half d tluzen prototypes to get it the new design features people are where it is right now. using on gliders, but I think the priWHAT DO YOU FORESEE IN THE mary stumbling block is the parasite FUTURE OF HANG GLIDING? drag.

As far as future developments, I can I SEE SOMEONE AT ELSINORE see that hang gliding has now reached QUITE OFTEN WHO HAS A COMa point where development is going to PLETE PILOT FAIRING ON HIS VJ-23. be a lot slower, main ly refinements of existing designs. Gliders have reached WHY DO YOU THINK OF THAT ASA a stage where they're really flying SOLUflON TO THE DRAG PROBwings, and there's really not much LEM? further that you can go with aircraft. A Wel l, if it's designed properly it flying wing seems to be the simplest, shou ld reduce the pi lot drag. Howcleanest flying machine ever deever, does the pilot want to sit inside

l

(continued on page 35)

HANG GLIDING

33

"Our accuracies (sailmaking) are within a sharp pencil's width. If we vary from that width, if a seam does not match correctly, if there's a little squiggle that doesn't follow the line exactly, there'll be a wrinkle at that point." the glider? I'm into weight-shift control, flexible-wing machines, and I like the idea of being out in the breeze. It's part of the sport. It's part of flying. Unless someone comes up with a unique way of fairing the pilot, we'll probably be stuck with pilot drag for quite a while.

WE SEE A LOT ABOUT THE MITCHELL WING, THE EASY RISER, AND OTHER RIGID WINGS, AS WELL AS THE TREND IN ROGALLOS TOWARDS BATTENS AND ZERO BILLOW. DO YOU THINK FLEXIBLE GLIDERS WILL EVER EVOLVE BACK INTO RIGJD WINGS? Even with the battens, Rogallos are not rigid; they're still flexiblenembrane wings with little rib stiffeners in them. A Mitchell Wing won't fold up and you can't carry it on your shoulder and you can't put more than one on a vehicle. You can't even put ii on a vehicle, without some special box or rack. A Mitchel I Wing is a footlaunched sailplane. Jn my eyes it's still in the ultralight aircraft category, although it fills a different spectrum in ultralight flights. At the moment, we're not involved with this type of wing. As I mentioned before, Keith's and my design criteria are flying in the open air with weightshift control and simplicity. Flying a Mitche!/ Wing is too much like flying a sailplane and we;re into man flying, the manflight concept, so we're membrane advocates.

ONE OF YOUR POINTS OF EXPERTISE IS IN SAILMAKING. DOES EVERY SEAM HAVE TO BE PERFECT? JUST HOW CRITICAL IS SAILMAKING? Accurate sailmaking definitely does make a difference. A sail will have wrinkles unless every seam is perfect.

Every line on a sail has to be a smooth line. Every piece that is overlapped and is put together must be matched to that line as perfectly as possible. If this is not done, the sail will have a bunch of wrinkles, and wrinkles don't make clean airfoil sections. In our own sails, HANG GLIDING

accuracy is important due to the fact that we are shapfng, which means that the seams are being cut; there are curves everywhere in the sail. These curves are very subtle. We strive to be accurate to within a sharp pencil's width. If we vary from that width, if a seam does not match correctly, if there's a little squiggle that doesn't follow the line exactly, there'll be a wrinkle at that point. Anyone who looks at our sails will see that there are always wrinkles ·in the sail. We're not able to fabricate them rerfPrtly, although we're continuously striving to perfect the sail, to make it perfect.

I don't think it will ever be totally possible, although we can just keep in mind that we want the sails to stay clean, the people who do fabricate the sails are continuously being reminded that speed is not the criterion; accuracy is the criterion. Accuracy is very important.

I SAW A SIGN IN YOUR OFFICE THAT SAID, "WHITE KITES FLY BETTER." WHAT DO YOU MEAN? DO YOU MAKE COLORED SAILS (RELUCTANTLY)?

We do make colored sails for our beginner gliders, gliders that don't have shaping in the sails. It's definitely possible to shape colored sails; it's just that we're still in our early stages of making production-shaped sails, and the techniques that we use require that the cloth lay very flat on the floor, must have smooth edges, and must have consistency between the panels.

These things help to insure that the sails are being put together consistently. The question before, about the accuracy, well ... accuracy becomes easier, fabrication is a little faster, stocking doth is easier. We're able to maintain a stock of cloth so that we have colors available for those items on the sails that are colored. What this amounts to is that on our "21" sails which are the shaped ones.we' re only offering white sail bodies. Only the sleeves and thing~ likP this are made from colored cloth. I can see making

colored sails in the future although the accuracy won't be there, the quality of the sails won't be quite as good, and it'll be more expensive. So it seems that where our prices are today, we'll have to stay with the white sail bodies for now.

DO YOU FEEL THAT THERE IS AN ADEQUATE SAFETY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR NEW GLIDERS? At the moment, it looks like there's just no required documentation of proving the airworthiness of these gliders. We're really lacking. It's totally inadequate the way it's being done, although most gliders seem to be all right. ln the field they're proving to be adequate although this is not the way it should be done. It really should be a bureaucratic-type trip.

DO YOU THINK A GOVERNMENT AGENCY SUCH AS THE F.A.A.

SHOULD SET THE AIRWORTHINESS CRITERIA AND ENFORCE THEM, OR DO YOU THINK THE HGMA CAN BE EFFECTIVE? The HGMA seems to be effective right now in that they're setting up an airworthiness standard that is exactly modeled after the Federal Aviation Regulations. The HGMA, however, may not be able to enforce this. They don't have the power to; only government bureaucracies have the power to enforce laws. There are no Jaws that say that a hang glider has to be certified according to a standard of airworthiness. Right now, it's purely going to be up to the ethics of the manufacturer that he be willing to comply with these new airworthiness standards. From what I've seen of the airworthiness standards now, they're excel lent, and they'I I be the way to go in the future.

WHAT ABOUT AEROBATICS? ARE YOUR GLIDERS STRESSED FOR THEM? No, they're not. According to the airworthiness standards, we have to design to a 4V2 G limit load which 35

"We've bsen testing with a G meter and the most we've been able to put on a glider has been 5 G's and everything held together. The only yielding was at the thimbles .. . they elongated slightly." converts into a 7 G ultimate load. This means that the glider shou ld hold together up to 7 G's. We'd be al lowed to have a failure, a yield failure, anywhere between 4Y2 and 7 G's, but nothing should actua ll y break apart up to 7 G's. We've been testing with a G meter and the most we've been able to put on a glider has been 5 G's and everything he ld together. The only yielding was at the thimbles of the wires. They elongated slightly so the only other real hard data we have are some analyt ical stress ana lyses which are really not acceptable. We have done the analytical portions conservatively, but as far as being able to certify based on this information, we can't do that. It has to be substanti ated by tests.

So, right now we're not stressed for aerobati cs. We haven't proven that a glider can hold up to 7 G's. An aerobatic glider would be required to hold up to 9 G's - a 6 G limit and a 9 G ultimate.

WHAT WOULD AN AEROBATIC GLIDER PROBABLY LOOK LIKE? It would be heavy and smal I. We plan on working on an aerobatic glider in the future although right now we're mainly concerned with performance, stability, and making the glider so that it conforms to the ai rworthiness standards in the utility category.

YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU'RE HAVING MORE TIME TO DO MORE FLYING. DO YOU WANT TO REALLY GET INTO FL YING IN COMPETITION, FL YING PURELY FOR PLEASURE, OR WHAT? Yeah, I do plan on flying in competition. What I meant by getting back into flying is that I've become overly involved in the business. We're still a relatively small company and it requires that I handle almost everything: the business management, accounting, production scheduling ... just a ll kinds of things. We're now evolved to the point that we have people who are learning these things . The business management will be handled by other people. Production skills are being learned by people who will be 36

doing production. So this w ill free .both Keith and I to do those things that we feel we should be involved in and would be most valuable. For me that would be design and flying. So this means I'll be doing a lot more flying than I have in this last year because of my other involvements.

I'm familiar with. Sai ling's exactly the same way. If a particular boat wins with a particular set of sa ils on it, the boat manufacturer and sail maker both advertise the fact. And the fact that that boat won may not have had anything to do with the boat itself or the sails; it may have entirely been the skipper or the crew or the tactician or whatever. The same kind of thing extends over into gliding. There are so many variables that play a part in a gl ider-pilot combination w inning that you real ly can't say ... but this is advertising today so that's what we do.

HAVE YO U EVER STUDIED MICROMETEOROLOGY? A bit.

-~ HAS IT HELPED YOUR PILOTING ct SKILLS ANY? Yes. To be able to effectively fly a ,._ glider, it means all the difference in .Q 2 the world to know something about 0 if micrometeorology. We get our energy from the atmosphere, and you have to WHAT ABOUT CONTESTS? DO know the atmosphere to utilize that YOU LIKE THE DIRECTION IN energy.

WHICH THEY'RE HEADING? HOW DOES A Pl LOT LEARN I'm very interested in contests. ConMORE ABOUT THAT SUBJECT? tests, just Ii ke the gliders, have been an It's been kind of evolutionary. Pilots evolutionary thing. From what I can see, have just learned it. It's been passed contests are evolving into rea lly good from pilot to pilot by word of mouth . things. Contests, I hope, wil l become There have been a few publications races, hang glider races. Sai I boats that have come out with this informarace. Sai lplanes race. This seems to be tion. Hang Gliding Magazine has been where gliding needs to go to help peran excel l ent source on microfect the machines and the pilot skills. meteorology. Dennis Pagen 's book EVE RYBODY SEEMS TO BE INis another excel lent source. There are TERESTED IN WHO WINS BIG CONnumerous textbooks, but most of these TE STS. DO YOU THINK THAT HELPS tend to become involved in macroSELL GLIDERS? meteorology, although they can help It seems to, as far as advertising give a knowledge of what's going on. goes. I think th-at if your glider can win,

!

it does definitely make a difference in your sales. A gl ider can't win a contest by itself; so usually it's a combination of many things, a few of which are: pilot skill, the glider's performance and the conditions at the time of the pilot's flight. These three things· usually determine who the winner is. So it's not necessarily the glid~r, although in all advertising, if your glider wins, you play it up as much as possible.

This is true in almost every sport that

DO YOU HAVE A GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE THAT APPLIES TO HANG GLIDING? WHY HANG GLIDING? My basic philosophy on life is that as long as we're here we should ... be entertained. ·1t you're not doing something you're intecested in, you're bored. I think you should be entertained every minute that you can be.

Aircraft totally entertains me, so that's why I'm into hang gliding.

-., MARCH 1977

by Dan Johnson (Introduction) December the sixteenth, 1976, became a spec ial occas ion for two Chattanooga area pilots. That cool fa ll day brought Paul Burns and Caryl Syjuta new record as they happily stretched a tandem soar in g flight into a twenty-five mile, two and a half hour, thri ll of a lifetime.

Their story is presented to herald an achievement of significant importance. Such a flight can have a stunning effect on the non-flying public. To measure the resu lts, find an acqaintance who does not fly, and impress he or she with the sensation realized by a twenty-five mi le ride about the Earth . Then, casuall y, toss in the tandem aspect and watch some faces I ight up.

I present Paul and Cary l's story w ith special pleasure, as continued interesting news from the East. After last month's improbable 20 mi le flight

by Mark Hayes, and this month's tandem 25 miler, what can April hold?

More than fools I am sure. Stick with "Eastern Breezes" and see.

Paul's Story (Pil ot Introduction) Paul is a Chattanooga resident. He manages Crystal Air Sports. Paul has been totally immersed in flying for a year and a half. He has a hang IV rating and in 1976, accumulated over sixty soaring hours. As Paul's tandem experience has gradually led to this crowning achievement, he has sol idly gained the respect of his close flying friends, and flyers al l over the Southeastern United States.

"Morning brought fog and no w ind.

Around 11 :30 a.m., Bil l Glen, a local flyer, cal led from atop Luukuut Mt. to report soarable cond itions. Suddenly, I felt a surge of anticipation with the thought of a tandem flight.

"At 12:30, I called Cary l Syjuttoask POINT PARK

if she cou ld get off work early to go flying. Caryl said she would be at the shop in an hour.

"We made it to the launch site at McCarty Bluff around 2: 20 p.rn. Some other pilots were already up soaring with good altitude. Everything looked encouraging.

"Our Cirrus 2 was taken off the truck, set-up and given a carefu l preflight check. Another look at the soar in g gliders - they were sti ll up 500 to 700 ft. I recruited a crew to be officia l observers, checked the time, 3:00 p.m., and decided to launch as soon as possible. I figured we would need at least a couple of hours to accomplish the twenty-five mile trip from Cloud land Canyon to Point Park (ten miles downridge from launch) and back before nightfall.

"The take-off was clean. We cranked a turn and started to climb out, paralleling the ridge. Winds on take-off had been fifteen to eighteen miles per hour. Four passes along the ridge in front of take-off and we had gained eight hundred feet. I announced to the ground crew that we were going to the 'Po int.'

"First we flew southwest to Cloudland Canyon. Our path would later take us northeast, but to gain the twenty-five mi les, we first had to fly south some two and one half miles to the canyon entrance. Here, Caryl attempted to take a picture with the camera we had brought along. No such luck; the camera wou ldn't work!

'Well, they will just have to believe us, I guess.' We headed north to Point Park, twelve and a half miles away.

"Once aga in, we passed by take-off and the other gliders us ing the ridge lift. Then we flew across Burkha lter Gap a nd on to Stedman Gap. I did not think we had sufficient altitude to cross Stedman's and the power lines on the other side, so we made several passes along the ridge face in an STEDMAN GAP

attempt to work up higher. After fifteen or twenty minutes we had ga ined nothing. I decided to' go for it' and see what would happen. We sank steadily until we reached the midd le of the gap, then encountered good lift! We climbed from only one hundred feet over the ridge to about three hundred feet and coasted over the power I ines with two hundred fifty feet of altitude.

My confidence was restored that we could make the trip to Point Park and return.

"Next we passed Covenant College and the city of Chattanooga began to appea r from behind the mountain.

Near the po int ,'Sunset Rock' sl id by underneath w ith a comfortable four hundred foot margin. The winds seemed to be picking up steadily and we arrived over the top of Point Park with five hundred feet of altitude. We saluted the 'Point' with a three 360°, waved to our ground crew and turned south for the long ride back.

"As we again passed 'Sunset Rock' I noticed that we were ga ining altitude steadily, and our ground speed was decreasing. It was not until we were crossing Stedman's Gap on our return that I realized the winds had increased significantly. We found ourselves having trouble penetrating even with our 1.7 plus wing loading. It took perhaps fifteen minutes to move through the gap. Once on the other side I thought it would be easy to move on down the ridge south toward 'Cloud land Canyon'. Very few minutes had elapsed when we again had difficulty penetrating and even drifted backwards over the edge I After a few tense moments, we began to achieve a slow but sure forward speed.

Then past Burkhalter's Gap, take-off, and down to the 'Canyon'; we had made it, twenty five mi les tandem!

"We soared until sunset and landed at 5:33 p.m. This was a flight that would never be forgotten by Caryl or

myself. I hope other pilots w ill turn to tandem flying·. It is certain ly fun and very rewarding."

(Co-pi lot introduction) Caryl is also a Chattanoogan, although a more recent arriva l to the Lookout Mountain flying community. The Syjuts: Caryl, her husband Hank, and their son Scott, moved to Tennessee this last summer and are an enthused hang gliding family. Caryl is a new flyer, but is learning rapidly by the tandem flight experiences with friend Paul Burns.

Her viewpoint on this breathtaking flight is un ique from several aspects: first, she is a co-pilot, a rare occurrence for any type of record.

Second ly, she is a she -we simply see too few female participants, although th is experience may help change that.

And thirdly, Cary l is now an unusual Hang II pi lot who has nearly four hours air time, nearly al l of it soaring, plus a twenty-five mile "dual" cross-country fl ight logged. Hear what Cary l has to say.

"Just after noon, Paul cal led to ask if I could get off work early - we were going to 'go for it.' I immediately got this big grin on my face, and all I could think about was getting up in the air. It seemed to take forever to get things together and get up the mountain.

"My excitement began to mount.

Paul made a last check of the wind and the glider, then announced that we

were ready. The take-off was breathtaking. We did not lose any altitude, and there I was aga in . . . in heaven. As a Hang II pilot with low altitude exper ience only, I was trying to watch Paul's every moye. Butl must admit I was just overwhelmed. I was flying! Not just a short flight off a sand dune, I was soaring six hundred feet above Lookout Mt. "We agreed it has been our best take-off and both of us were feel ing great. (note: Paul and Caryl have made three other tandem fl ights total ling nearly an hour in the air) We were on our way to the 'Canyon' and as I looked around everything seemed unreal. There is no other experience in your life to compare to hang gliding.

What freedom! Flying is very sensual, very magica l.

"As I listened to Pau l and watched the ridge slip by, I real ized how lucky I was. W hat a way to fly! The tension was gone; I cou ld relax and learn. Paul is always right there to tel l me when I a·m fly ing too fast, to teach me clean turns, how close to get to the ridge when soaring, how to set up an approach, what kind of turbulence to expect, and how to handle it. What an advantage! I have seen the whole ridge from the air before flying it alone.

"The trip to the 'Po int' and back was simply fantastic. As we approached the 'Point,' we could see the whole city of

CLOUDLAND C AN YON

Chattanooga. The three-sixty around the monument at Point Park was definite ly one of the high I ights of the trip. We could see our observer on the ground, and heard him hollering. After pointing out several landmarks to each other, we started back for the 'Canyon.'

"On the way back, flying at over six hundred feet, we spotted a hawk. He was busy looking down, hunting, we thought. So he did not see us unti I we were nearly on top of him. When he finally looked up and saw us, he freaked. A I ittle farther down the ridge we passed another hawk. Suddenly, he dove straight down at a terrific speed, al I the way to the tree tops.

Where else can you ga in these experiences?

"As we approached the 'Canyon' for the second time we were both elated - we had made the round trip.

We properly congratulated each other, and decided we had enough daylight left to fly down to the 'Gap' again. As we flew over the take-off for the last time after returning from the 'Gap', I realized we wou ld soon be flying away from the ridge. I remember not wanting to leave the ridge, not wanting to land, not wanting to end this fantastic feeling. I on ly wanted to do it again."

(Epilog) This was obvious ly an incredible experience for Caryl and Paul and for us to share. It seems inevitable that this shall help sµawn a renewed interest in tandem flying. We have the technique, we have the machines, we have the sites. But we also have a need for caution with tandem wing loadings. Paul and Cary l loaded their Cirrus 2 to 1.74 pounds per square foot. Things are much different at those co-efficients.

Do it tandem, certa inly. But don't be a fool. Consu lt someone with exper ience before you leap. ~ Pano,ama by Tr.icy Knauss

TURBULEDCE PART2

by Dennis Pagen MICR0.\.1H[0ROLOGY

Copyright© 1976 by Dennis Pagen All Rights Reserved

FOR I'll.OH,

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SURFACE CONDITIONS Special attention should be given to the details of flying conditions in the vicinity of obstructions, as hang gliding so often takes place in the friction layer (area affected by mechanical turbulence). The rectangular object in figure 1 (Hang Gliding, Feb., pg. 42) could represent the flow of wind around a building as seen from aOOve. A closer view, as in figure 8, reveals how turbulence is initiated at the sharp corners of a building. The inertia of the air prevents it from conforming to sudden changes in the building shape, and thereby creates internal forces that cause turbulence.

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Fig. 9 Wind cooditions at cliff faces.

Fig. 8 Flow around a bu;ldmg.

This same mechanism can operate at any sharp <,urface Ji.,c.on1ir1uity found in nature, such as a cliff edge. Figure 9 illustrates several different shapes of cliff faces and wind conditions with the associated turbulence. In figure 9 (b), we show how a more or less stable rotor may develop with lighter winds.

With higher winds, more erratic eddies may appear, as in figure 9 (c). As the wind becomes more dense (cold and dry}, the inertia forces become greater, and thus, the turbulent condition begins at lower wind velocities.

The amount of rounding at the cliff edge is another big factor in determin40

ing when the various conditions in figure 9 will set in - the sharper the bend, the greater will be the turbulence at any given wind velocity. The situation depicted in figure 9 {d) is potentially dangerous, as there may be turbulence well awaY from the cliff face, even i11 light wi11ds.

Figure 10 demonstrates the safest method of launching in these different conditions. This is the well known wire assist-highly recoinmended for all cliff launches in winds over 15 mph. The purpose of this method is to get as much of the kite into the undisturbed flow of the air as is possible, so that the effects of turbulence are avoided, and the wing is flying as soon as the pilot steps off the cliff. If the man on the nose wires has to hold down the nose, the nose is too high, and should be lowered somewhat, or the conse-

quences may be a sudden stall on release. If performed properly, a safety rope will be required for the wire man, since the idea is to get as close to the cliff edge as possible.

. ~~J

F,g. 10 Cliff launching ,n high winds.

A condition closely related to turbulence at cliff faces is what occurs at the top of ridges or mountains. Several common situations are shown in figure 11. In the first illustration, we see MARCH 1977

creation of turbulence. Turbulence is naturally,continuous!y created as the wind blows over a surface, but dissipation also occurs simultaneously. The two mechanisms whereby turbulence disappears are the reduction of the eddy sizes until the energy is converted to heat, and the loss of energy by doing work against gravity. Many factors, including wind velocity, surface roughness, stability, air density and temperature gradient determine how long an eddy lasts after it is created. Through the accumulated experience of many pilots, a few rules of thumb have become known. A minimum of 1/4 miles (450m) should be maintained for flight downwind of a large hill or ridge except in the calmest conditions. Gusts due to buildings and trees (depending on size) can possess plenty of energy hundreds of yards downwind, and the pilot should be wary of landing in the wake of even small obstacles.

Various ways of ''seeing" the turbulence include watching smoke, wind streamers, leaves, tossed grass and floating seeds I such as those of the dandelion. Figure 17 presents examples of smoke entering both calm and turbulent air. Often localized ripples on a body of water will indicate the presence of gusts, although wind reaching land after traveling a long distance over water will be relatively turbulent-free since the surface of water presents little drag. lnvar"lably, gusts of the size that are of concern in hang gliding can be felt when standing in the airstream, but there may be turbulence somewhere in the flight path when none is felt at the take-off point.

A sensitive airspeed indicator is very handy for watching the fluctuations of the a·1r, and it has been estimated that a change in measured wind velocity of 5 mph (8kph) within a couple of seconds belies turbulence strong enough to endanger a hang glider. Th is however,

TUF<..SU'-E.NT

F'(j. 17 Effect of turbulence 0<1 srroke.

HANG GLl[)jNG

is dependent on the mean wind velocity, the wing loading on the glider and the flying speed. The lighter the wing loading of the piloVglider system, the more susceptible it will be to changes in wind direction and strength. In addition, since the force acting upon an object is proportional to the rate of change of the wind velocity on the object, a glider will experience much greater stresses at higher speeds.

Therefore, there is a danger in flying too fast in turbulence. The slower one flies, the smaller the forces will be on the glider, but there is also a danger in flying too slow. A glider flying near the stall condition can be suddenly we!I into a stall if a blast from the wrong direction sneaks up. The best speed for

the force of gravity. Continued turbulence of this intensity would cause loss of control because the kite would be deflated and the pilot weightless during the downward thrusts of the air. In addit"1on, the sudden upward shots of air would create G-loads that could possibly damage the kite structure.

Using well-known equations, we can predict when these forces may be present for a given terrain, air stability, wind velocity, altitude and flying speed. It should be noted that the predict ions do not state that I urb ul ence of sufficient strength to cause harm will necessarily be encountered, but that if conditions are unfavorable, the existence of a violent vortex is all too possible. Figure 18 presents three sets of

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flying in gusty conditions is somewhere between these two extremes and would probably be near the best L/0 speed for most kites. Again, the pilot should avoid the temptation to "fly out of it fast" when encountering strong turbulence unless it is in the form of widespread sink. Often an isolated eddy w'ill hit a g/'ider in such a way that it will feel like a sudden shot of lift. This "fool's lift" soon shows its true face however, and if the pilot has slowed up to take advantage of the updraft, he may be spun around and thrown into attitudes most undesirable. Great caution should be exercised when trying to max'1mize a flight in marginal conditions - many pilots have fallen prey to this danger.

A criterion for determining when a gust is of enough strength to cause problems, is whether or not it is strong enough to accelerate a kite more than

graphs representing conditions over ground with three different roughness lengths. The background material for these graphs can be revieweJ by reaJing "Micro Meteorology and Hang Gliding" by Paul MacCready, Jr., Ground Skimmer, January, 1975 (see also Appendix ti}. The material provided in the figures indicates whether a given flying condition is safe or unsafe (indicating the possibility of the presence of turbulence severe enough to impair flying). As an example, refer to 188 where the surface has irregularities up to 3 feet (90cm). If a pilot was flying in a 25 mph (40kph) wind at a height of 40 feet (12m), he would be safe if his airspeed was 20 mph (32kph), but unsafe if his airspeed was 30 mph {48kph). This reflects the fact that higher gust loads occur at higher flying speeds. To find out if you are flying in a "safety zone," find the 41

experienced pilots. When the wind is blowing from the back of a cliff, we have the extreme case of lee side turbulence (see figure 13). This repre-

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sents a real danger if a launch is attempted in winds over a couple of miles per hour.

Another special case is the creation of turbulence in canyons, gullies and other cuts in the terrain. Figure 14 shows a possible situation when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the canyon wal Is. As can be observed, the wind flow will be a combination of figures 9 and 1 3. Not exactly ideal flying conditions. When the wind is

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what takes place if the winds are light, or the downward slope is not steep (actually, a wind meeting a downward slope of as little as a one foot drop for every ten feet horizontal can become turbulent under certain conditions).

The second drawing shows the "lee side rotor" set up in slightly higher winds, or steeper slopes. The fin a\ picture is one of total turbulence that is usually present on the lee side of ?Urface irregularities in high winds. There are many occasions when it is possible to take off in the upward portion of the lee rotor, but the flight commonly requires flying through strong turbu-

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blowing parallel to the canyon, high velocities may be generated by a narrowing of the canyon walls (venturi effect), and may include lots of turbulence since the air is flowing over irregularities on the sides, as well as the bottom. ln figure 15, we see what can occur at the end of a cul-de-sac, or blind canyon. The air may well up over the rim in many directions, and even be soarable if not too turbulent.

F,g 12 Flying ,n lee side rotor.

42

Fig. 16 Turbulence behind a tree trunk.

case, it serves to i11 us tr ate the nature of turbulence behind any slender obstacle and how mixing of various layers is initiated. A row of trees will naturally create many chaotic eddies, but if they are sufficiently dense they can act as if they were a solid wall. Crosswinds over tree-lined trails are particularly dangerous, because they simulate the conditions in a canyon - lots of bumps, sinks and trash air. Often, the pilot will feel a bit of lift as he flies upwind over the edge of a tree line, just as if he were passing over a cliff face. Launching where trees abound requires caution, as a kite is more vulnerable to smaller turbulent eddies when in the near-stalled condition that exists at take-off. Usually, a marked smoothing of the air is experienced when one rises above the tops of the trees on a windy day.

FLYING IN TURBULENCE

-.._

lence at some point (see figure 12). The possibi!ityof the existence of very strong downdrafts (sink) and turbulence suggests that this particular type of flying should only be attempted by

Trees are very common obstacles to the wind at many sites. Their effectiveness in creating turbulence is much greater of course, when they are adorned with leaves. With careful observation, a pilot can learn a lot about the nature of the wind from the trees since they readily display the forces of the wind. Gusts can be seen approaching well upwind by watching the rippling of the leaves as well as the grass.

An example of the turbulence pattern behind a single tree trunk is shown in figure 16. Although this is an ideal

Fig. 15 Wind flow along canyon.

In view of all the different factors affecting turbulence outlined above, the pilot should be aware of genera\ flying techniques for turbulent conditions and also know when to make the decision not to fly. Once again, observation is a necessity in detecting what the flyer will experience once he enters the wild blue. By looking upwind and noting surface obstacles, one can get a good idea of the potential for the MARCH 1977

curve that represents your flying speed. Now, any point of intersection of wind velocity and height lying above the curve represents safe conditions and any point below the curve is unsafe. For flying speeds in between those plot!ed, simply estimate where the curve would lie. The graphs only represent the possibility of turbulence due to surface drag {hence the increased safety with altitude) taking place in stable conditions. If instability or shear aloft is present, the curve will be moved upward quite a bit. Information of this type should be used to help one get a feel for what i-; happening in nature and combined with experience to enhance safe flying.

SUMMARY The reason that turbulence deserves a chapter of its own in a book of this sort is that it is present everywhere in some form, and can present some of the gravest dangers in hang gliding.

Turbulence comes in many dimensions, so to speak, and hang gliding is affected by a wide range of eddy sizes.

In addition to the importance of eddy size is the intensity of the eddy.

Small eddies can have greater energy than larger vortices, and thus represent more of a problem to flying. The causes of turbulence are threefold surface friction, convection (instability of the air) and wind shear. Each of these causes may take on primary importance for different conditions and sites.

The necessity of knowing how different obstacles in the path of the wind create turbulence is not overlooked.

We investigate common obstructions in the hang gliding milieu. A pilot with time on his hands should wander down to the nearest stream and watch the flow of the water over rocks and logs. He will gain real insight into how the wayward wind whirls and spins as it passes through. Attention is given to flying techniques in the presence of turbulence - mainly finding the right speed. Sometimes speedy reactions are needed to maintain the proper attitude in quickly varying gusts. When flying, turbulence seems to consist of up and down bumps, but eddies can be encountered with any axis of rotation. A swirl can turn the kite left or right, or roll it violently to one side (sec

figure 19). These conditions usually aren't too serious unless the pilot is near stall speed, but they can imitate the action of a bucking bronco.

Fig. 19 Effect of a large eddy with an axis parallel to the flight path.

Graphs of the conditions causing turbulence at various levels are provided to help the pilot understand where dangerous conditions are most like!y to be encountered. The importance of studying turbulence is essentially to minimize these dangers. The wise pilot will observe nature carefully, discuss the many factors with flying friends, watch for the wind gradient and fill the sky . ..p

In the Wright Brothers' traal·t1·on

W1rh rhe rapid growih of hong gl1d1ng in re~entyeors. K1rry Howl1 K1reshos ser rhe example of profess1onol1sm.

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Each location provides an om pie 1nvenrory so rhar we con put you in your gl1oer now-theres no need to wo1t our 4-6 week factory delays Our experienced rhoroughly tromed p,lots conducr F,rst Fhghr School or mosr locorions. For learning ro fly or selecnng yourw1n'1s-go fosr class Come ro rhe professionals.

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THE TRAINING RELEASE FORM: No Harm and Probably Some Good

by Robert V. Wills In response to questions always asked at hang gliding instructor training seminars, and often asked in my mail, let me summarize my views on a release form to be signed by students before their first flight The questions most frequently asked are, "Is it binding?" and "What should it say?".

The answer to the first question is, probably not, but it certainly can't do any harm and it may very well be valuable if you get into a lawsuit. I obviously cannot give a legal opinion that would be gospel in 50 different states with 50 different legal systems, and I hate to give free legal advice

anyhow, but I do believe that if the pretraining release form is properly worded, it would be admissible for certain purposes in a trial in most states, and the judge or jury would probably be influenced by cer· tain aspects of it. It would probably be admissible on the question of whether the in)ured student had been warned of the inherent dangers in hang gliding and voluntarily accepted them, because assumption of the risk is still a good defense in a negligence action in many jurisdictions.

As you will see from my suggested form, the student is warned that hang gliding is risky even under the best of conditions,

simply because of the nature of the sport.

For this reason, and in order to put the judge or jury in the proper frame of mind, I believe that the form should compare hang gliding with other high risk sports, as my text does.

Many of the release forms I have seen in use are either too sketchy or too clumsy. l don't offer the following as anything approaching perfection, or guarantee its admissibility into evidence, but I do favor the following form of" Assumption of Risk and Release" agreement for use by training schools . . . -

.-------ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND RELEASE-----The undersigned individual hereby acknowledges that he has requested instruction and demonstration in the art of hang gliding from ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ of his own free will, with the intention of attempting to learn how to operate a hang glider for SJX)rt and personal pleasure. I acknowledge that the sport of hang gliding involves certain inherent risks of personal injury, because of the fact that the pilot is traveling through airspace with a certain amount of forv,ard motion, controlled by the laws of gravity, and guiding the hang glider solely by acquired skills in the shifting of body weight. \ realize that, regardless of the quality of instruction I receive and equipment I may be furnished for the purpose of training flights, the risk of personal injury and death is always present, just as it is in other high risk sports such as motorcycle riding, skiing, scuba diving and sky diving.

I acknowledge the fact that ~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ is unwilling to provide me with instruction and hang glider equipment unless I freely acknowledge the risk involved and knowingly release such party from any claims I might otherwise assert•on a theory of improper instruction or unsafe or defective hang gliding equipment. I therefore do freely and voluntarily release and discharge such party from any and all claims which I or my heirs or personal representatives might have on account of personal injuries and/or death I might suffer while hang gliding during my course of instruction or with equipment furnished to me during my course of instruction. \ am over 18 years of age and execute this document prior to my first flight training session, in consideration of the instruction and training to be given to me.

I likewise acknowledge that my instructor has made no representation or promise that I will be successful in learning the art of hang gliding to the JX)int where 1 would be a safe and qualified hang glider pilot.

197,_ __

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have executed this agreement on thi-s ~-~~- day of

- - ~ - - - ~ - ~ - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - ~ - ~ ~ ~ - ~ - - ~ - ~ - - ~ - - - ~ - , California.

(Signature) (Address) (Representative of Training School)

@ RVW-1977 44

(Phone No.}

(Age) (Driver's License No.)

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ELECTRA FLYER COfl:PORATION 3701 PRINCETON DRIVE NORTHEAST ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

HGMA •

IN

ACTION

each calendar year, including 1977. An application for membership has been sent by registered mail to all known manufacturers. Because of several requests from foreign manufacturers and the need for cooperation between all hang glider manufacturers, the H.G.M.A. has made available a third form of membership, the International Membership.

Due to the apparent increase in the frequency of in-flight structure failures of cross tubes,the H.G.M.A. is assimilating analytical and empirical information concerning this critical element of glider design. Information obtained in this inves-

~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ' then tigation will be as reviewed, evaluated, and presented an "H.G.M.A. TechniBy a majority vote,the Hang Glider cal Report". TR's such as this and on other Manufacturers Association members have aspects of hang glider structure will be the adopted the Airworthiness Standards and principle elements of the H.G.M.A. manCompliance Program proposed by Gary ual "Guidelines for the Construction and Valle. These rigorous standards are based Repair of Hang Gliders." The first edition on accepted criteria for airworthiness of of this manual is expected to be complete conventional light airplanes and gliders, by the July, 1977 Nationals.

A principle 1977 goal of the H.G.M.A. is but modified to better suit the hang glider's demanding flight requirements. The to make available to designers and manU.S.H.G.A. Board of Directors has re- ufacturers a means of obtaining accurate cently voted to support the H.G.M.A. Air- and professional aerodynamic test worthiness Program and, in this regard, to data. Two avenues appear especially require that production gliders in promising. A large Western University is U.S.H.G.A. sanctioned contests have Air- currently preparing a proposal for the worthiness Certificates. Several meet or- funding of a 3-year study in hang glider ganizers and site operators have also indi- aerodynamics; and an engineering firm cated they will require AC's. Descriptions has designed a testing device that will proof the Airworthiness Program have been vide performance, stability, and structural published in Glider Rider and Hang information. The firm is now considering Gliding. Copies of the specific require- the economic feasibility. We have high ment£ have been mailed to all paid mem- hopes for both efforts.

While working for the development of bers as well as to non-member manufacthese advanced testing procedures, the turers for their examination.

At the JanuarY 14-16 U.S.H.G.A. Board H.G.M.A. has put a "hold" on the invesmeeting, the Directors demonstrated their tigation of the aerodynamic problems of the ASG 18 associated with the Lee Sterios desire to support and work with the accident at Ft Funston. The, history of H.G.M.A. by agreeing to: 1) refuse advertising in Hang Gliding these gliders has been closely examined that states compliance with 1he and it is clear that three different frame/sail H.G.M.A. Airworthiness Standards if combinations should be tested to determine no H.G.M.A. Certificate of Airwor- the nature of their pitching-moment curves and how tht'y rt'ldte to specific elemenl5 of thiness has been issued. the .design. The H.G.M.A. does not wish to 2) to establish mutual H.G.M.A.I speculate On the reasons for this problem.

U.S.H.G.A. liaisons to coordinate When factual values of pertinent aeroefforts in areas of mutual interest. dynamic information are oblained, the The next full membership meeting is investigation will be continued. scheduled for the May 21-29 World Open The H.G.M.A. "Open Lettertothe AviaHang Gliding Championships at Escape Country, California. The meeting will only tion Community" (see Feb. HG),a plea for be open to paid members and associate the assistance and cooperation of the genmembers and bona-fide media representa- eral aviation community, has been sent to tives. Due to the need of streamlining time several aviation oriented magazines. consuming H.G.M.A. internal procedures, Soaring magazine, a publication of the applications for membership- as well as Soaring Society of America, has refused to renewals - will only be accepted or pro- publish the letter because of a SSA direccessed during the first three months of tive not to editorialize on hang gliding.

46

TYPE: SST 1008 #819. SAIL PATTERN: Red, orange, yellow, white. WHERE & WHEN: Kitcher, Idaho, on January 18 or 19. CONTACT: Jerry Breck c/o Wills Wing Inc., 1208-H East Walnut St., Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 547-1344.

TYPE: Seagull Ill Z-19. SAIL PATTERN: Yellow sail with black keel panef and black leading edges. WHERE & WHEN: December, Wel\s, Nevada. CONTACT: Freedom Sports, 516 Idaho St., Elko, Nevada 89801.

TYPE: Wills Wing SST#807, without control bar. SAIL PATTERN: All white with orange and yellow panel. WHERE & WHEN: Sept. 27th, Sandy, Utah.

CONTACT: Wasatch Wings, (801) 266-2922.

TYPE: 18' Homebuilt stnd. Eipper. SAil PATTERN: Keel out; lime green, gold, red-orange,

gold,

lime

green.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURE: Keel, leading edges, and cross tube painted school bus yellow. WHERE & WHEN: July 10, from a Los Angeles garage. CONT ACT: Melvin Ford, 1136A, E. Washington Ave., El Cajon, CA 92020. (714) 444-0828.

TYPE: Eipper Standard. SAil PATTERN: Intricate geometric painting on sail by artist-owner Mendij. WHERE & WHEN: Stolen May 4th, Sylmar, CA. CONTACT: John Davis (213) 643-2464 or (213) 973-5032.

TYPE: Phantom prototype. SAi L PATTERN: Keel uul; light blue, thin panel of black, white panels to the tips, black German cross on each side. TYPE: Phantom Scorpion. SAil PATTERN: Keel out; Yellow, gold, orange, red, purple, with white leading edges. WHERE & WHEN: Burlingame, CA. Stolen off car in May '76.

CONTACT: Brian Fallon & Jack Jones, 609 Trowbridge, Santa Rosa, CA., 95401.

(707) 528-8760.

As a service to the hang gliding community, HANG GLIDING magazine is publishing (free) informarion on stolen gliders. If your glider is missing, send us a complete description along with your address and phone number to: USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

MARCH 1977

**********************************

DON'T MISS THE B.U.S. !

********************************** NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR THE INDUSTRY'S FIRST AND ONLY

* BACK UP SYSTEM* WHY RISK

STRUCTURAL FAILURE? MID AIR COLLISION? MEDICAL PROBLEM?

FLY WITH FULL CONFIDENCE CAN BE FITTED TO ANY GLIDER A MUST FOR ALL SERIOUS HANG GLIDER PILOTS

WHAT IS THE PRICE OF COMPLETE SAFETY?

szso

INCLUDING CONTAINER

CONTACT: BILL BENNETT'S DELTA WING KITES & GLIDERS P.O. BOX 483, VAN NUYS, CA 91408 PHONE (213) 787-6600, (213) 785-2474 TELEX 65-1425 HANG GLIDING

47

L/D

9:1+

Minimum Sink Pilot Weight

210 FPM 135 - 210 lbs

Aspect Ratio

6.2

Airfoil Stall Speed Surface Area Nose Angle

Wortman 9 mph.

170-185 sq. ft

Speed Range Flying Style Lead ing Edge

10- 45 mph Seat/prone

Keel (Sail) Empty Weight

8, 9 ft.

51,53 lbs .

Set-Up Time

6. 5 min.

19, 20 ft.

PACIFIC GULL introduces the

A.LPINE

The Desi~i: The Alpine is designed to perform well In a variety of conditions and over a wide speed range.is makes the Alpine I and II (different pilot-weight sizes) exceptionally conducive to crosscountry flying. The sail is almost billowless and has 10 pre-cambered aluminum ribs {battens), and over 55% double surface. This provides a constant airfoil sail shape. For this reason, the Alpine cannot luff-dive and sail inversions are Impossible. The Alpine is also totally pitch-positive, Since the sail is actually held in a hollow airfoil shape by the airframe (unlike all other Rogol lo types with flexible battens and/or air inflation pockets), the 1./D at 45 mph is hardly any less than It ls at 20 mph.

This allows the pilot to move quickly out of sink ar00$ and slow down in lift. The Alpine can be flown seated, prone, or 11.1pine, and comes with a custom cover, The Airframe: The Alpine is constrvcted entirely of oircro~ certified 6061 T6 aluminum, The leading edges have a double deflexer system that stresses the glider equally for positive flight loads (normal) and negative (rotor or Inversion) loads. The glider may be set up in the wind by one person qulckly (6-1/2 mln,tes} due to our patented wing sliders and riser system. The structural integrity, inventiveness, and quality of Pacific Gull hardware is well known in the hang glider Field, Pacific Gull invites you to "Sky Out'' with the Alpine,

---""'~~~--

~- --------- __,,,,,....-

For further details, send $1.00 to cover postage and handling.

-

-....~-~ ...... ...

1321 CALLE VALLE· SAN CLEMENTE·CALIFORNIA·USA·(714) 492-0670

featvred flier:

Steve Murray, Soddleback Mountain

WILLS WING DOES MORE THAN SELL KITES !!!

..

-

, iu ,,,.0 ,.1111••

COLVER SOARING VARIOMETER Researched and designed by Colver Soaring Instruments in con junction with Wills Wing, Inc., the Colver soaring variometer is a dual range audio and visual variometer that offers all the features that the best hang glider pi lots require. It is a must for optimum soaring flight.

Audio and visual for total flexibi lity • Dual sensitivity for even the most marginal or extreme conditions • Super sensitive audio for the qu ickest possible response to lift • Damped visual for easy reading and a s light averaging effect although it is stil l quicker than the best sai lplane electric variometer • Proven circuit in production for over 21/2 years • Entirely self contained with no exterior bottles or flasks • Audio may be turned off for visual use on ly • Shock resistan t • Streamlined for minimum drag • Extremely lightweight - only weighs 33 ozs. • Built in mounts can be attached to any control bar • low power usage insures long battery life.

Distributed exclusively by Wills Wing, Inc. $194.00

TH OMMEN ALTIMETER • Designed especially for Hang Glider pilots • More rugged and far lighter than an aircraft altimeter • High visibility orange Day-Glo needle against black face and white numerals • 19 Jewel oil-free movement • 20-foot increments to 15,000 feet • Superb temperature compensation • Velcro wrist strap $97.00 • Made in Switzerland Visit your local dealer for a demonstration

ndteW1us WING, INC.~ 1208-H East Walnut Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 {7 14) 547-1344

THE PRICE PRONE HARNESS

In the four years Chris Price has been designing and sewing harnesses for hang gliding pi lots, he has developed !he most comfortable, safest, highest quality soaring harness on the market.

In addition he now has custom harnesses to fit every special need.

FEATURES OF THE STANDARD SOARING HARNESS • Six s izes: small, medium, large, extra-large, super extra-large, and extra large wide.

• 3-inch aircraft type webbing used throughout.

• Fully padded shoulder and leg straps.

• Foam-filled body spreads support out, eliminating pr,essure points.

• Pilot can change from seated to prone and back during flight.

• Seated position allows lower pilot CG for easier thermaling.

• Lower CG in seated and landing position makes for sa·fer landings and hitting the spot in contests easier.

• The harness locks into prone position, allowing the pUot to maintain a positive relationship with the glider even in turbulance.

• Adjusters used throughout e liminating the need for knot-tying.

• Available in 4 colors: red, blue, orange, and yellow.

• Comes complete with stirrup, carabiner, & hang loop for control bar.

• Custom Features Available: Side Straps, Knee Hangers, Adjuster elimination, 2-~nch Shoulder Straps, Double Foam, Custom De· signs, Knee-Hanger-Feet-in-the-Wire Harness, Full length Harness, Training Harness, Prices: $56.00 to $98.00 (Write for details and exact prices.)

Also available: Nylon zippered Stuff Bag, with Handles, holds harness, helmet, jacket and jump suit. All harness colors. $15.00 To order standard harness, send height, weight (are you long waisted?) and 2 color choices.

Price $78.50

lt'¥- ....................................... . .

Don't Buy UNTIL YOU HAVE INVESTIGATED THE

MITCHELL WING

** DON'T MISS OUT

i(

i(

NOW - Don't Just wish you had th al Variometer Iha! gels your friends up to cloud base. ~ You too can affordihos'e once out of reach items. Now.buying hang gliding accessories ~ ""f' needn't be an expensive proposition once you become a member ol the National Hang ~ ~ Glidmg Cooperative. Join with the hundreds of pilots and enthusi asts who are finding ~ ""f' out first hand the fantastic benelils as a Co-op member Name brand hang gilding ~ ~ accessories are available to members at low tow prices. Join TOUR Cooperat!Ve now. ~

""f' MONTHLY SPECIAL~ SWEET SUPINE HARNESS BY HAWKWINGeo.'-b'.: ~;;~: J1i: ~ ""'- New m~mbe, s re<:&ivo ll'Al!R ()..Ring or Oulck Pin, plu s 1.0. card, Bumper Sticker and Mon1hly Flyer ~

~ announcing great uvlngs on hang gliding accessories.

~

........ ._.. __.. _... .... -+ .... - - ~

NATIONAL

.,,....

""--

t SEND $5 .CIO FOR YEARLY MEMBERSHIP

~t!PE\LA¥1~r t

~ ''

·

<'<>o,€ ~I'"

18? Sherry St Easllstlp NY 11130

Name • .. • • . . . • .. • • SH<tel . • .... . .. •

f CJly .. . .. •

State •• .

~

.. . . • . . • Age • . . ....

• • .. • . • .. Zip . .

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i(

; ·;/*1i1t1i°"Jt:;;·;•*Mo**t1t*"**i' The Hall Wind Meter ACCURATE-each meter calibrated individually.

DEPENDABLE-not affected by dust or static.

RUGGED-clear acrylic.

EASY TO READ-from front or side. $14.50 Postpaid in U.S. Includes denim bag. Foreign add $1.00.

Order from: Larry Hall, Box 771, Dept. M, Morgan, Utah 84050.

When • world ttOOtd l.t Mt, you d expect CRYSTAL to be involved.

When a company dovelopt a 9hder 1hJ1 le $U~lOrlor to all o lhera. you'd e•poCI CRYSTAL to hove

("ll's rHdy now. gol It")

When a belter !raining te&hnique becomts ,tv.,i1•blo . yo"' d •}IP.Ct CAVSTAL 10 h ovo .11 hand In II,

(WI pra,clle,a:Uy pfone«ed

It'''"

Stalls Under 12 MPH. Sink RatP. ? Ft . PP.r Sec. 18 To 1 Gl ide Ratio. Set Up Time 5 Min. Wings Fold For Ground Handling. Car Top Loading. Safer Than A Kite To Fly And Easier To Take Off And Land. World's Finest And Safest Hang Glider.

Available In Kit Or Assembled. Stabilator Control All Three Ax is. Soaring Performance, And Much More.

Send $2.00 For Full Information And Brochure .

::c t--

(25 mUee. out and return

...TANDEMQ

tendem lr•lflftioy)

Whon new ,nlorrnahon breaks out 10 the newt m1d1a, you d expoct CAYST.AL to

(M1ntt ol lact, we problbl)' WtOlt tht t'ltw•

know about ll.

1nl<:I•)

WtH10 all the b iggest nomes ,n tn• sp.o11 are

(Why do you lhfnk wiecatl

ln 1ht OJ$t. you'd P pecl to find 1h•m " '

hatilngGllderProShop)

CRYSTAi..

When , glider shop can--star1 from nowhere.

.....

COMPANY - 1900 S. NEWCOMB PORTERVILLE, CA. 93257 TELEPHONE 209-781-0778

50

••

WE ACCEPT M.A.SlEAC'HAAG:E Md BANKP,MERICARO

• • • • • •

ONE SIZE FITS ALL Complete with DOUBLE knee hangers 100% made from SPACE AGE MATERIALS Send $1 O deposit with address to: 4320 Cummings Highway Chattanooga, TN 37419 (615) 825-1995

95 II

7702 by IDEA-GRAPHICS

~i;~

HELMET-MOUNTED INSTRUMENTS PELLET VARIOMETER Very sensitive (to 10 ft/min) Always visible No electronic lag $49.50 - less 2-ouart thermos liners (grocery)

(/)

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Th('

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VARIOMET"'ER AND/OR

AIRSPEEDOMETER

Dual Range (0-25 mph) (0-60 mph) Functions AT and AFTER launch $27.50 Complete

MORTON ENTERPRISES 99·904 Lalawai Drive Aiea, Hawaii 96701

fou'i:e ltlclcomc

AIRSPEEDOMETER

s.,erlous ~hnul AAfP.ty,

If yovwheel:!i are a.to a must. good

: -!.~~~~,i~=~~~

Along wl1h careful 1eachlng, nose tkid,

AIR SPEED INDICATOR FOR FLIGHT CONTROL IF OfHERS ARE FLYING HIGHER AND LONGER THAN YOU ARE. MAYBE YOU NffD BETTER CONTROL OF YOUR AIR SPEED. ASK YOUR DEALER MOUT THE MEHi L AIR SPEED IND! CA TOR

sling or prone harnOM. knee pads. and hctmel, HIG.H perspective wnoels make a beginner almost invulnerable.

C,eated aher 5 yea,s' teaching; this wheal Is. 1tgh1 , smooth, and .)f:rodyoamic. lnexponsNe atld virtually mdestructable - designed 10 lake a blow from the side. E.tl\lly positioneo wllh tape on curved or olbOW A·frame

Big onougtl 10 roll lhe kllc around and back up tho niu. even on sand.

l llOl l l'•'f"JH'ClJ\'l' TYPE . . , . •... .. ·· ·~ Direct acting vonewiJh vmioble exi l port

ACCURACY ., , .. • • , Colibroted to lobo,otory standard to 3 o/o RANGE . ..•.. .. ..•. 0 to 38 Mi lei p,e r ho...WEIG HT.••.. • . . ••• 2 ounees lcs~ mounting hordwore SIZE . , ... , • , ....... 3-1/4 in x 3- 1/4 in x 1-3/16 in CONSTRUCTION • • • .High ifrcng th impocr resiston1 plo,tie co.se, aluminum a lloy meehonism Air $petd ll'ldi<:OIOf

Guy Wfrc Brock~, .

Control Sor Brocket.

MEH IL ENTERPR ISES

.

$.22 .50 . 3.00 ... 7

so

Pleo,e specify type homess,gtider,&mfgr.

7883 Fli ht Place, Westchester, CA. 90045

m1d ll1••I o ,111•1Lvin r r :! 1 l.aJ1•tu1111l ,,11t C"";to,111..1

ii I !i2!J.t 26:·~· OR frank;lin mtg. eo,

re, 2 glen rock pa u.s a 717

235-55 12

WEIGHT; 1 1 lb SIZE . 12 x 5 Inches SHAPE : Hyr,erbollc e llipse COlOUR: Chooo1a10 brown MATERIAL Unaar Polyelhylerte SUGGESTED RETAIL $15.00 Poor

SAT ISF ACTION

GuarantEOO

' - - - - - - - - l A . WHEEL-LESS WING IS ANAlOGOUS TO A HELMET-LESS FLYER! 1--- - - -

51

PACIFIC GULL 18'x14', 100° nose (adjustable), 7.1 LID. Excellent condition. Deluxe prone harness, zippered bag. Must sell $500. (213) 786-1104 PACIFIC GULL 19'x15' All the adjustable hardware, bag, helmet, harness. Excellent condition. $400. (714)842-7367.

CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigue - bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts {especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on Rogallos, sails badly torn 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.

Rogallos CAL GLIDER MK IV proto. Excellent flier. Took seventh 1n Nationals Good shape - priced for quick sale. $500. Vince (714) 453-4715.

Can we help you get into the air? Do you want to fly, but are shortoffunds?Wewilltradeanything to help you Hy. Contact Delta Wing Kites& Gliders {213) 787-6600.

CUMULUS VB, 18'. Four battens per side, colored sail, bag and supine. $525 or best offer {213} 328-8800 days, (213) 372-5872 evenings.

PACIFIC GULL 19'x15' Almost brand new.

Flown very little. Includes all extras with an UP harness, Buco flying helmet and doublezippered bag. $650 (805)964-2036, Santa Barbara. CA. Ask for Jon. PHOENIXSX 19'x1 ?'. White and red. completely rigged for towing or as a regular glider. Best offer over $500. Tommy Hamilton, 341 Gordon Rd., Mableton, GA30059 Home (404)941-2270, Work (404) 948-7859.

PHOENIX Vl·B, new, $795. SKYTREK TOW KITE, flown only twice, $595. 18' x 16', like new, $495. 18W (2226) Advanced Standard, near new, $295. 19'x17', used, $195. 19112' Standard, near new, $295 SUNDANCE Brigid wing, $675.

(415) 432-0522.

PHOENIX VI-B Senior (160-250 #). Like new.

Dark and light green, wh~e bag Great ktte but I'm too light for the Senior. $850 (716) 461-5970 days or (716) 728-5978 evenings.

SEAGULL IV. 7 months old, seated/prone. Custom sail, bag. $650. Also SEAGULL Ill. (213} 459-2526, (213) 456-6946.

SIERRA I 17' Rainbow sail, 5' control bar, tip deflexers. Like new. Sacrifice $265. BENNETI Standard, new wires, stable trainer. $195. (213} 461-5974.

EIPPER 1T Like new, white sail. With harness. $300 or best offer. Must sell quick. Richard (213) 967-1195 8·30-6:00.

SEAGULL V. Blue and white. Scalloped and fully battened sail. Excellent condition. Must sell, $550 or best offer. Don Chambers, (213) 763-5403.

MOYES STINGERS now available. Three models to choose from: Mini, Midi, Maxi. Please call or contact: Hang Glider Heaven, P.O. Box 1012.

Clayton, Georgia 30525. (404} 782-3690.

SEAGULL V. Yellow with black leading edges and rudder. Has short battens built in. Complete with covers for glider and rudder. $600 or best ofter. Call (805} 544-2930.

NIMBUS 19'x17', two-tone green and yellow.

Complete with prone and seated harness, bag and helmet. (602) 287-9436.

SOLO FLIGHT 19' Standard. Excellent condition. Prone harness, bag. Cost $700, will sell for $300. (714) 846-9040.

SST 1OOC. Excellent cond1t1on, pure white sail Must sell to buy r1g1d wing. $690. Call Jon early morning (218) 722-5412 SST 100C Excellent condition. 9 months old, flown 15 times. Simpson harness, seat. helmet and bag. So. Cal. area. Sacr1f1ce $650. Jim, (714) 962-1619.

U.P. DRAGONFLY MKll-8. 220 sq. feet o1 sail, leading edge 22', keel length 12', nose angle 105°. Sail billow2 5, glide ratio /.b, speed range 17-40 mph. Pilot weight range - 195-240 lbs.

Beautiful. solid orange kite. $900. Call Ray, (213) 433-4289.

WILLS 20'x20' Swallowtail, $450. WILLS 18' Standard $300, (503) 296-9588.

Rigid Wings EASY RISER. Built by airframe power plant mechanic. With carrying box for car top and hang seat . . $1,000. Call Los Angeles. (213) 566-6364.

EASY RISERS, Fledglings, Quicksilvers - New, used and kijes. Moody motor packages available. Rigid Wing Headquarters of the East WINGS FOR MAN, Box 249, E. Islip, N.Y. 11730.(516) 581-3943.

FLEDGLING "A" Supine harness, twist grips. $900/offer. Contact: W. Hughey, 1627 Gu:y St., San Diego, CA 92103. {714) 296-9923.

FLEDGLING A. Used 2 months only (10 flights).

Yellow and orange, excellent condition. Must sell, $900. J. Bountis, 6 Bunker Ln., Pleasanton, CA 94566. (415) 846-2490.

FLEDGLING B, new, orange and gold. Flown 15 times. $1000. Mark {213) 344-3886.

FLEDGLING B. Used 3 times. Set up for prone.

Best offer over $1000. (213) 823-6845 evenings.

ICARUS V. Built by Free-Flight. Brand new, test flown. W/case. $1000. (213) 281-2539.

ICARUS V, unassembled Free-Flight factory kit. $400 Los Angeles, (213) 882-4244, (213) 882-6673 QUICKSILVER 846-9040.

Sacrifice at $200. (714)

We ofle< you lhe mostb&au1iful custom hang glkling designs you·ve ever seen O!Jal1ty screen printed on heavy we,gh1, 100% ool1on T-sh.-ts

Short-sleeve .......... , .....$4.95 Long-sleeve . , ..............$6.95 WomM's Tops ...........$S.os• Add $1.00 post- & hendllng per ahlrt., '(50-50 inte<1ock kl1~. i"11od on front)

H-2 Clour:ls H-4 Flight

Men'a alzea: S M L XL 'Nomen·, alzll: S M L ShH Colon: Lt. Blue, Yellow, end Beige To Ordlf": Please send check or money order. Specify shirt type, size, design name and numbet, two shirt color choices and your return address to: Go Graphcs Box

Dealer Inquiries Invited

P.O. 3003 Custom Screening Available L.~~~~~~~~~~~::.::::::::::==~~~~~s.n~Oemen~.c~,:·~':":'~'~-==:;:;:!!,:!::_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 52

MARCH 1977

I

V-J-23 with trailer. $1200. 5360 126th St., Hawthorne, CA 90250. (213) 676-2065.

Schools and Dealers ARIZONA

QUICKSILVER C. Beaut1tul, custom built, extremely low-time glider Cover and supine harness. $995 Mid-West School of Hang Gliding, 11522 Red Arrow Hwy., Bridgman, Mich. 49106.

(616) 426-3100.

QUICKSILVER C. Good condition, gold and blue. $800 Contact David Childs at (714) 889-1780.

SACRIFICE SALE Quicksilver B, professionally built from factory kit. Colored, Meh1I ASI, wheels, carrier, never flown, first $400, hurryl Also unused set of Icarus V plans $15 (402) 569-2495 Nebr.

DESERT HANG GLIDERS. Featuring Seagull andWillsWmg. Representatives in Flagstaff and Tucson, too. Complete lessons, sales, service, used kites. Mountain flights up to 4300' vertical.

3433 W Mandalay, Phoenix, Arizona 85023.

(602) 942-4450 in Phoenix, (602) 779-0236 in Flagstaff_ ARKANSAS WESTARKI Call or write the professionals parts, gliders (new and used), flight schools, accessories. Catalogs available. Dealer inquiries 1nv1ted. See Larry Edwards, 3109Grand, Fort Smith, Ark 72904. (501) 782-3456.

Hang Gliders, parts and accessories in the Bay Area, come see us. USHGA certified instructors and observers Free lessons with purchase of a wing. Visit our new shop, open 10 00 to 6:00 Monday through Saturday. Free Ground School Fridays 7·30 P.M Qualified pilots are welcome to come and try the latest high performance gliders After the sale, it's the service that counts. Hang Gliders West, 1011 Lincoln Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 453-7664.

THE HANG GLIDER SHOP - 1351 E. Beach Blvd., La Habra, CA 90631, (213) 943-1074.

Come in, visit, and see our displays featuring Eipper-Formance Hang Gliders, parts, and other equipment. Hours 4-9 Tuesday through Friday, 10-6 Saturday. Sunday flying lessons

----

SEAGULL AIRCRAFT 1s now accepting a l1m1ted number of dealership applications throughout the U.S.A. Please address requests to Seagull Aircraft, Inc., 3021 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405.

HANG GLIDERS WEST-DILLON BEACH FLYING SCHOOL. For the most complete line of

SUPER FLY SKY-SAILS, INC. Dealer for Manta, Electra Flyer. Demos available. Fly the Fledgling t Oldest, most exper~nced instruction 1n the

CALIFORNIA

•••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• • •• •• INTRODUCING •• •• •• •• •• ••• • • •• •• • • •• •• • • •• •• • SKYBIRD Hang Gliders announces the introduction • •• of the SATURN IV to the USA. This is a versatile • performance hang glider, suitable for experienced • • high Controls are sufficiently light and sensitive for •• •• pilots.

Hot Dog flying, yet this is a high lift, high penetration hang glider with excellent performance in strong or light • • winds, in ridge lift or thermals.

SATURN IV is a rugged • •• machine, developed from fully aerobatic production kites.

•• • Its lifting performance, which far exceeds that of many kites LID* • of higher span and area, is achieved through efficient sail and •• structural • design. SATURN IV is produced in Australia by •• •• people experienced in designing and building high performance • •• hang gliders.

•• •• •• • SKVBIRD HllNti tiblDERS •• •• •• • 557 Cypress Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 •• •••••••••• ••••••••••• • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••

~£1r@IB~ DW

19 ft .

9' 4" 170 sq. ft .

32 ft.

6.0 110 7.5:1 Min. Sink" 220 fpm. *averages, 180 lb. pilot weight Other features include: • Cambered Keel • Large blown leading edge pocket • Full length, graduated curve battens Leading edge Keel (sail) Area Span Aspect Ratio Nose Angle

for information write to

PRICE $930 f.o.b. San Francisco .

California residents please add 6'h% sales tax .

Please enclose $1.00 to cover costs

dBal~r inquiries invited

HANG GLIDING

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER $110 OFF for orders received by May 1, 1977.

:

53

South Bay area. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. USHGA Observer. 21383 Aldercroft Hgts. Rd, Los Gatos, CA 95030. (408) 353-2926.

CANADA The AURORA COMPANY. Hang gliders and accessories. All services, 1nformat1on. Associate dealers serving all of Canada. Box 91176, West Vancouver. Canada. V7V-3N6 (604).922-7275 The EYRIE. Dealer for Electra Flyer kites, Golden prone & supine harnesses. "The Best in the Air." 11-125 Columbia Blvd., Lethbridge, Alberta (403) 329-8939.

COLORADO GOLDEN SKY SAILS, featuring Sun and Seagull gliders Our well equipped shop specializes in expert repair and custom work. Huge inventory of parts and accessories, including Chandelle replacement parts. Fast service mail order.

Regular, advanced, and high-performance lessons. Mountain flights up to 2600' vertical. Ratings available. Located just west of Denver at the foot of Green Mountain. Call or write for free price list or further information: (303) 278-9566.

572 Orchard St, Golden, Colo. 80401.

GEORGIA

first dealers and instructors in the U.S. helps me give quality lessons, exclusively on Phoenix kites. USHGA ratings are available. For lessons with me or one of my six dealers throughout Iowa call Boag Chumbley at (515) 244-4669. 1323 Park Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 50315. P.S. We'll even take a Moose on a trade-in (HAPPINESS IS . burning Standards at club fly-ins.)

IOWA Glider Co., Central Iowa dealer for Pliable Moose, New and used gliders, lessons, parts, repairs. 2564 Boyd, Des Moines, Iowa 50317.

(515) 262-5080.

KANSAS E1pper, Kondor, Sky Sports and Pliable Moose Kites. Weekly instruction. Complete outfitting and sales for backpacking, canoe and kayak trips. Stop by and shoot the breeze' Voyageur"s Pack and Portage Shop, 5935 Merriam Dr , Merriam, KS 66203 (913) 262-6611 MONARCH FL YING MACHINES - complete hand gliding service. Training with new generation gliders, USHGA Instructors and Observers.

Electra Flyer, UP. Bennett, Wills Wing, and UFM products. Accessories, parts, repairs, mountain flying trips. ca:1 Jirr\ Wilson, (913) 268-6254, or write Monarch, 10301 W. 77th #109, Shawnee Mission, KS 66214.

GLIDER ASCENSYLNS Hang Gliding School.

Safety/judgement first. 5 hour beginning classes. flights in all 360° winds, training wl2nd generatton standards. Sales - service - rental.

100% unblemished safety record. Atlanta, Georgia. 24 hrs. (404) 448-3516.

MASSACHUSEITS

IOWA

MICHIGAN

Boag's SKYSURFING SHOP Being one at the

MICHIGAN AND MIDWEST ENTHUSIASTS -

Qualified pilots (advanced two's - up) try out the fantastic new HORIZON Abate·s Glider Shop, full sales and service for Hang Flyer Gliders. in Lawrence, Mass. (617) 683-4284.

Eco-Flight Systems, Inc. M1ch1gan. Distributor for Seagull Aircraft-Seagull Ill Z's and IV's 1n stock. Distributor for UFM "Easy Riser". "Hot" standard kit. Complete stock of supplies, instruction, sailmaking. 2275 S State, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. (313) 994-9020.

MID-WEST SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING All levels of instruction, located '¥4 mile from Warren Dunes. one of the best training sights 1n the U.S. 1 Dealers include: Eipper-Formance, Wills Wing, Albatross, Moyes, Bennett, and Electra-Flyer.

Come fly before your buy. Call (616) 426-3100.

Now taking orders for the new ASG-21, Phoenix 8. Otympus, Cumulus 10, and Moyes Stinger.

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HANG GLIDERS Dealer for Wills Wing and Electra-Flyer. See us for lessons, ratings, repairs and a complete line of accessories. 24851 Murray, Mt. Clemens, Mich. 48045. (313) 791-0614.

MISSOURI MONARCH FLYING MACHINES, your complete mid-west hang glider service. USHGA instructor, basic training with medium performance gliders, intermediate and advanced training also. We are dealers for Electra Flyer, UFM and Bill Bennett gliders Call or stop by. Mooer's Alpine Ltd, 14 N. Gore, Webster Groves, Mo. 63119. (314) 962-5731 MONTANA THE HANGAR - Formerly Big Sky Delta Wings and Hangar Nine since 1972, announce their consolidation with the intention of better serving the Northwest Hang Gliding community. We offer - Certified instruction with radios, a complete stock of parts and other accessories, and

MORE FUN FOR YOUR !

Entertainment is our specialty.

Give us a try, --you'll be glad you did.

Check or Money Order to: GLIDER RIDER • Dept. A-1

$65.50 ·="'""= =.::rir ~,-.T'CM ~SU<,.C"TU. '-"'lCQ~...,-,Y

.J<:~l,,"1."'~ce, c.:,;o:orrs

~'fr,.. ,_,.,,

P.O. Box 6009 Chattlmooga, TN 37401

(Circle One) 1 YR. 2 YRS. 3 YRS. Domestic - regular $10 $18 $25 34 49 1st Class 18 Foreign (including Canada) - regular $12 $20 $27 24 40 54 1st Class Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City, St. & Zip - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"''-""'" ;,,.,;eENS,ill,.

PER t!Mc. SPCC:S

• To order your hamess or for more information write or call, SUNIIRD GLIDERS 114t0 CHASE ST. 7J CANOGA PARK, CA 91304

(113) Ht-3177 • Please specify pilot height and weight when ordering by mail.

• A minimum S20.00 dep:)51t must accompany all mail orders.

• ONLY $65 SO f.o.b. Canoga Park. Californians add 6% sales tax.

- DEALERS INQUIRIES INVITED -

Back issues from Feb. '76 available for $1 each MARCH 1977

~Rainbow T-Shirts!~ •• •

Kitty Hawk Kites Rainbow S'un Visor -

,,

"

$2.50

$4.25

$4.25 !

$4.25

$3.75

In the ,~1.r1·ght Brothers' ff •t• raul 100 t J

~

-

Five-color designs, as well as the famous Kitty Hawk Kites two-color design on high quality 100% cotton hi crew T-shirts.

Size (circ le one) Small, Medium, Large, X-Large T-Shirt Color and Visor Color First choice: light blue, yellow, beige (circle one) I enclose$............ for ............ T-shirts or visors Second choice: red, white, orange, tan, green,(circle one) + $1.00 postage and handling for each shirt and 50¢ for each visor. NC residents add 4% tax.

Design (circle one) Total enclosed $.................

Fly A Kite ..........................................$4.25 (5 color design) Surf the Sky ....................................$4.25 (5 co lor design) Get High - Fly A Kite ..................$4.25 (5 color design) Kitty Hawk Kites ............................$3.75 (2 color design) Name ......................................................................................

Add ress ............................................................................... ..

City ........................................ State .............. Zip ..............

ORDERS PROCESSED DAY OF RECEIPT

Send to: Kitty Hawk Kites P. 0. Box 386, Nags Head, NC 27959 Send $1 for poster/catalog

lielt :Buckles SOLID BRASS BELT BUCKLES SAND-CAST AND HAND POLISHED, DESIGNED FOR COMFORT & RUGGED WEAR.$12.50 POSTAGE PAID,

ROGAL LO

OTTO LI LI ENTHAL

FLEDGLING

Please send $12.50 (plus .50¢ postage and handling) per buckle, specify design, OTTO, ROGALLO, or FLEDGLING, & quantity of each. To: Benjamin Winter 35617 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536 (Check, or money order). dealer inquiries requested

Address - -- - - - - - - - - - City _ _ _ __ _ _ State _ __

beginning/intermediate to the highest performing gliders. GSI insurance, hang ratings, and site information also available. THE HANGAR, Route 2 Mullan Road, Missoula, Montana 59801.

(406) 542-2725 or 549-9462.

Phoenix training kites. Complete hang gliding and towing accessories and repairs including tube straightening. New and used kites. Mark Flight Ltd., 691 Englewood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14223 (716) 836-3939.

NEW JERSEY BENNETI DELTA WINGS EAST -Come try a Phoenix, see how it handles. Save $250 on Phoenix by scrapping ANY OLD KITE. Also tow kiting. Save on shipping and cover. Write Kites, Box 36, Berkeley Heights, NJ. 07922. Call (201) 464-0383.

40 miles nort11 of N.Y.C. Aerial Techniques GS! Certified Beginners School with advance trainer kites. Dealers for all Manufacturers. Everything for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced pilot. Dan Chapman, James Aronson, Douka Kaknes, dedicated to the hang gliding movement. (914) 783-6751 , RD#l, 49 Mine Rd., Monroe, N.Y. 10950.

NEW YORK

OREGON

ATLANTIC GLIDERS. *Lessons• Sales; new and used Bennett, Eipper. Manta. Moose, Electra. End of year discounts and club member savings. Save $250 on PhoenixAlladin Trade-In. Tow Kiting too. Greenwood Lake, N.Y. No tax to N.Y. residents. Bernie Yaged (201) 464-0383 or Charlie Kenison (201) 962-6554.

BROTHERS OF THE WIND HANG GLIDING SCHOOL. Safety-first instruction from qualified instructors. Wills Wing gliders, parts, and accessories. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced flight lessons, Box 10222, Eugene, OR 97401 (503) 688-5847.

Hang Glider Shop, representing eight major manufacturers. Flight instruction with USHGA and GSI certified instructors, featuring Bennett

SUPER FLY HANG GLIDERS - Southern Oregon's Source for qualified instruction. We represent Ultralite Products, Sun Sail Corp., and now feature Seagull Aircraft. 853 N.E. 8th Street,

Grants Pass, Oregon 97526. (503) 479-0826, ask for Jeff.

TEXAS ELECTRA-FL YER DI STAI BUTORS. South Mid-Western distributors for: Electra Flyer Corp., UFM Products, Sky Sports, Seagull Aircraft. Now accepting dealership inquiries. Call or write: LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS, 2200 "C" South Smithbarry Rd., Arlington, TX 76013. Metro.

(817) 469-9159.

LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS - Electra Flyer, Sky Sports and UFM. Sales, repair, instruction.

2200 C. South Smithbarry, Arlington, Texas 76013 (817) 469-9159.

UTAH THE KITE SHOP AT NATURE 'S WAY, a complete hang gliding shop featuring : USHGA certified instructors, a full line of parts and accessories, demo and rental gliders, (Manta, Windlords, Cirrus Ill's and the Fledgling collapsible fixed wing). The Kite Shop is easily found at 9th So. & 9th East and includes a great natural foods store and Salt Lake's best sandwiches.

Foot launchable, with 3-axis aerodynamic controls Pilot weight range up to 220 lbs.

Assembly time less than 10 min.

Aircraft material used for pilot safety and performance, vario and airspeed indicator included.

Price $2,200, flight tested, F.O.B . Phoenix, Arizona Kits are available.

High-performance hang gliders are also sold complete or in kits.

High-tiff airfoil Soarmasler F-2 Min. sink rate 2.1 ft./sec. @ 20 mph Gliding ratio 14:1 @ 29 mph 15 mph Stall speed Max. airspeed 70 mph Wing span 29 ft. 31/2 in.

Wing area 121.5 ft.2 Aspect ratio 7.05 Mean sweep 15° Design loading 7 g Weight 75 lbs.

56

SC,\l?M,\STl:I?, INC:.

P.O. Box 4207 Scottsdale, Ariz. 85258 SSA Industrial Member MARCH 1977

We specialize in quality. 898 So. 900 E., Salt Lake City, Utah 84102. (801) 359·7913.

S.H.G.A., 526 E. Manchester Terrace, In· glewood, CA 90301.

WASATCH WINGS INC., School of Hang Gliding features: •Personalized instruction; •USHGA Certified Instructors; •Trim, stable, and well· maintained training gliders; •Rental program to rated pilots, •Complete stock of hardware and equipment. Wasatch Wings, Inc - dealers for Wills, Seagull, U.P., Bennett, andEipper-1630 E. 86003., Sctm.ly, Utah 84070. (801 )561·5224.

SPECIAL!II BACK ISSUES OF GROUND SKIM· MER MAGAZINE #19-34, .40¢ each; current is· sues at the regular price ot $1.00 each. USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

WYOMING Dealers for Electra Flyer, parts & accessories.

Ratings available. Test fly the incredible Gnus 3. Russ Kidder, 743 St. John St., Casper, Wyo. (307) 265·7292.

Parts & Accessories HOMEBUILDERS -We carry most types of the "best" in hardware and supplies at great prices.

Send 13¢ stamp for brochure. Abate's Glider Shop, P.O. Box 1, Lawrence, Mass 01842. (617) 683-4284.

SAFETY ·PRO harness designed for parallel bar sailplanes. Advanced quick release. Designed for comfort, safety. Choice of any two colors.

Send waist and thigh measurement. $64.50 plus $4.00 handling charge. Aero Float Flights, P.O. Box 1155, Battle Creek, Ml 49016.

STREAMLINE - Increase rogallo glide ratios by adding plastic streamlined fairings to all ex· posed tubing. Specify 1", 1\/8'', 1W', 1%", or Hf'.white, black, red, blue, or yellow. $7.50 per 4·ft. ~t10n, plus $3. shipping. Technical report 25¢. LAMINAR SYSTEMS, 5645 Ave Vinedos, Anaheim, CA 92807.

Publications & Organizations BOOKS: Books available through USHGA are Fly, The Complete Book of Skysailing, Guide to Arizona, Guide to Rogallo Flight - Basic. Hang flight, Hang Gliding, Hang Gliding - Rapture of the Heights, Hang Gliding - The Flyingest Ffy. ing, Log Book, Manned Kiting, Man-Powered F/1ghr, Simplified Performance Testing, Skysurf. ing, True Flight and The Complete Book of Hang Gliding. Also available: Hang Gliding and Flying Conditions. by Dennis Pagen, and Hang Gliding and Soaring, by James E. Mrazek Request order form, USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

Miscellaneous BUMPER STICKERS - Tell 'em where ~·s hap· pening. 1) I'd rather be flying. 2) Go fly a k~e.

3) Hang gliding is free. 4) Get prone with a friend 5) Fly like a bird-Hang Glide.

6) Soaring is believing. Your choice in red, orange, yellow, green, $1.00: any 3 !or $2.00: all 6 for $3.00 The Kite Shop, 898 So. 900 E., Salt Lake City, Utah 84102.

LICENSE PLATE FRAMES -''l'D RATHER BE HANG GLIDING"Send $2 50 plus .50¢ postage and handling to: THE HAPPY HANGER, Box 2028·9, Santa Cruz. CA 95063. Retailers: (408) 475·2526.

PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on ernb· lems 3" dia. Full color - $1 Decals, 3Y2'' dia.

Inside or outside appl1cat1on. 25¢ each. Include 13¢ for postage and handling with each order.

Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

TEE·SHIRTS with USHGA emblem $5.50 including postage and handling. Californians add 6% tax. Men's sizes S. M. L. XL. Orange only.

USHGA, BOX 66306, Los Angeles. CA 90066.

METAL LICENSE PLATE FRAMES - "l'D RATHER BE HANG GLIDING" White lettering on a blue background $4.00 including postage and handling. Californians add 6% tax. USHGA,• BOX 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066 Signify what you fly beautifully with a handcrafted sterling silver wing pin or pendant with approximately 2" wing span displaying in scale the details of your hang glider model. Send in· forma!10n and check for $15.00 to Sal DeFran· cesco, 1967 Spear St. So. Burlington, Vermont 05401. (802) 862·8250.

High Performance Gliders

HOW DO YOU DECIDE? There's o lot more to selecting o Mgh--perfOfm· once glider thoo Just seeing which one flys high· est or llslening to manufacturers· claims. If you really want to be confused Just compcre ads in Ground Skln'lmer MoQozoe.

There's a better way ...

Now you con go to one place and ny Just about ooy high·performance glider thol lnt0fests you.

Ou- weekly Hgh--Pe.-formance Glider Cink:: lets you leorn first hand the diffe<ence In feel be· tween bolten lip or.d truncated tip gliders.

Compcre rol response, pitch response, yaw sensltMty. Inertial log. control P<essu-es. and stall and landing chorocl011sllcs - oN Important points to consider. · We don"t wont to sell you just any glkJ0f, we wont lo sell you the one that's best fOf you.

For more information cdl or write to

Southern Callfomla School of Hang Gliding Box 2165-GS2 Van Nuys, CA 91404 (213) 999-5460

HANGING IN THERE. $6/yr. 6301 Knox Ave. South, Richfield MN 55423.

HANG GLIDER WEEKLY. Free packr-igfl, Rox 1860-2, Santa Monica, CA 90406.

SOARING MAGAZINE. Covers the sailplane scene with some ultral1te coverage. Available with membership (Member $20; Associate member, $12/year.) Info kit with sample copy $1.50. Soaring Society of America, Box 66071-G, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

SOUTHERN SOARING SOCIETY: An mterna· tional organization for the peaceful elevation ol Southerners by foot·launched sailplanes. Foun· ders for local chapters needed. For information write to: S.S.S, P.O. Box 17441, Raleigh, N.C. 27609. 'The Soutl") shall rise again."

SOUTHLAND FLYER - Monthly publication of the Southland Hang Gliding Association.

USHGA's largest chapter. $5. per year. Write -

-~-~--·'

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-~~gldef-~• SaesandMMCeotatlT'ICP"br'aidtofnew

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING , BqX2165-GS1 "~••••N'.-,,~1404 ·'·'"' ·•""' U f .:,, l.;.I\ · ,>i;s (ZJJI 999-

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The soaring instrument any unemployed

AT LAST! hang glider pilot can afford.

STYRENE SOARING VARIOMETER

• Accurate • Ael1able-flo batteries to fa!

• Sens~ive-1 ft/sec. response • Versatile raiige---0-2000 ft/ min.

• Low lag-----ooll damping • Easy to read-not confusing • Very light weight-24 oz. w/flasks • Rugged-shock and dust proof-water resistant • Vario size-1" x 1¥<'' x 3'1>.

Developed, tested, refined and used by Brian Porter and Steve Patmon!. $22.50 post paid Send check or money order made out to Steve Patmon!. Post-paid-flasks not included - instructions supplied.

7223 Dover, Dublln, CA 94566

fEATURIIIG EIPPER-f()ttMA.NCE

fLIIHI

\NITUCllOM

~

THE

HANG

,-

SHOP JACK BRITTON

U HAIU, CA.

(213) 10 1011

UL 11. . DI

IUI l. lEACH llVD.

by DENNIS PAGEN

•.:::::===5-,,.~~--S,:'.:::c"'--

Dver 90 Illustrations Charts and Graphs Some of the topics detailed: • GE\'ERAL \'JEATI-IER - atmosphere circulation - air masses - pressure systems - fronts - cloud types • TIJREULENCE - causes - conditions stability - rotors - dangers flying techniques - wind shadow • WIND CONDITIONS - Seabreeze anabatic and catabatic winds altitude effects wind gradient • SOARING - ridges fronts thennals - waves dynamic • SITE READIJIK; - trouble spots finding lift - wind gauging ·te examples

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GLIDER UlES PUTS SERVICE

HANG GLIDING AND FLYING CONDITIONS

hlldl11

IIUl

E

••••••••••••••••••• : ANNOUNCEMENT : FOR

h19h •

• WINGS MAN now has avatlable a complete catalogue of selected .qual;ty hang gliding accessories. We have compiled many of the most after • Many items exclusive wilh W,ngs • ,trms into a concise catalogue ava,lable • for Man.

sought FREE. • We know rl's M,d wcon,,,nce :•••,!1!,~!!o,~v!y9,1!,~,!~!!.~•••. .,u<''Olfymo1/order Wewd /USl</,you,con/<denceinusby • q"al,r, del,uery seruce II ,s ourmmlupleoseond)-oul/De p'eosed by ou, p,omp1 • del,w,y

.Nome___ __ ~ :s,,.,, _ - _ _ __ c,•y s· , _ _ _•_,, _ • ~ - ,;e __ WINGS MAN • • HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM, INC

•

•

--=- •

• •••••••••••••••••••

II

.. ~$-··

This "road map to the sky " is as essential to safe flying as a helmet - for begiJIDers to experts Send $5.95 + 25¢ for postage &handling (45¢ Canada) To: SKY LIGHf FLIGHT - 1184 Oneida St., State College, PeJIDsylvania 16801 Please print name and ~ddress - Dealer inquires invited

BE YOUR OWN SAILMAKER You can build your own sails, bags, harnesses, etc. We stock a complete line of Bainbridge fabrics and sailmaker's hardware. If you are looking for a wide select;on of fabric and assistance in sewing techniques, we have what you need.

Sallrlle Kits has just published The Wing Book by Jim Grant - a complete text on the building of hang glider fabric sur· faces. It Is available along with our Amateur Sallmaker's Catalogue for $1.50 (prepaid). Use the coupon below to order your set now .

FOR

e

BOX 249 EAST ISLIP, NY 11730.

DEALERS - \lil·-IOLESIILE AVIIIL/\Bl.E •SH"DON Lt TTER!iEAD

THE APD-1 "GAVIOTA"

Unbelievable glide, low sink, beautiful! Now you can build the APD· 1 and really fly!

Sailrlte Kits, 12937 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, Ca. 90066

Info pack - $5.00 (refunded with plans purchase) Comprehensive plans - $55.00.

APD Flight Systems 23 Clarendon Or. Binghamton, NY 13901 58

Please send me the Wing Book and the Amateur Sellmaker's Catalogue. I have enclosed $1.50 for each set ordered and understand that they will be sent postpaid.

Name - - - - - - - - - - - - Address City

Zip _ _ _ _~

MARCH 1977

FIRST PLACE 1976 WORLD OPEN HANG-GLIDER CHAMPIONSHIPS

......... 1

-

•

SAFE AND STABLE

•

6 MIN. SETUP I BREAKDOWN (ONE MAN)

•

10'+ :lL/D

•

SINK RATE 180 FPM

•

PARACHUTING CAPABILITY FOR COMPETITION

•

CAR TOPPABLE WITH 2SURF

RACKS

YOU, THE EXPERIENCED ULTRALIGHT FLIER. DEMAND AND GET MORE WITH THE EASY RISER.

HASSLE FREE, -

SAFE HIGH PERFORMANCE. EASU..Y ASSEMBLED IN ONLY FOUR WEEKENDS 'Olf'11E'M')Y BUIL~. JF YOU'RE BEAll.Y SERIOUS. SEND TO U.F.M. FOR ALL INFO AND A COLOR BROCHURE. Sl.00. ;

BOX 59, CUPERTINO. CALIFORNIA 95014, OR CALL US AT (40&) 732-5463 PHOTOS · El> CESAR FLIER • LARRY MAUii()

IhleI meta THE VERY BEST AVAILABLE FAMOUS SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT HELMETS WITH EAR OPENINGS IN ALL SIZES & COLORS .......$28.00

DEALERS- 25 to a carton Ask about our Special Price PHONE (213) 787-6600 (213) 785-2474 P.O. BOX 483, VAN NUYS, CA 91408 TELEX 65-1425

THEO-TEK Variometer

Get Higher With The New

(available through over 115 Electra-Flyer dealers beginning Feb. 1) • lightest on market (1.5 lbs.)

• smallest on market (completely self-contain ed; 4.. square and 5Y2'' deep) • audio sounds in lift ... silent in sink • sensitivity adjustment • extremely short lag time • ready-to-mount (bracket included) • low power usage (4 AA batteries) • rechargable Ni-cad batteries • day-glo orange needle w/blackface and white numerals (large & easy to read) • gold anodized case

The best audio/visual variom eter available! suggested retail: $160.00

This unit was recently used ,n the new altitude balloon

drop of 31,600' in California

• If your dealer doesn't have them, contact us & we'll ship yours immediately

ELECTRA-FL YER • 3701 Princeton, NE • Albuquerque, N.M. 87107

Photos by Dave Cronk: Flexi 2 soaring Pt. Fermin with Dave Muehl, 1975 U.S. National Hang Gliding Champion.

FLEXl2 The F(exi 2 results from Eipper-Formance's intensive effort to create a hang glider with improved control, stability, and performance over the "standard Rogallo." The Flexi 2 has greater pitch control due to its shorter keel length. Two battens at each wingtip allow greater chord lengths at the tip, thus permitting a flatter sail cut. Performance increases, but also washout is concentrated at the tips and provides for a mild, parachuting stall as well as better pitch stability.

The Flexi 2 is versatile enough to be used by beginners and intermediate pilots, but will also be appreciated by the expert.

It is a fine craft to carry on the heritage of the Flexi Flier-the first production foot-launched hang glider, probably the most numerous of all designs, and certainly the most copied.

All tubing is anodized 6061 r-6 aluminum, all wires ar.e white vinyl coated, and the triangle bar is adjustable to prone and sitting positions. Finally, of course, traditional EipperFormance quality throughout.

€ippczr EiPPER-FORMANCE: 1840-GS Oak St., Torrance, CA 90501 (213) 328-9100

Eipper-Formance also manufactures the Cumu lus VB high-performance Rogallo for class-4 flyers. Send for free spec sheets, or enclose $1.00 for complete Information kit.

,,

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NEW In

1977

THE FLYING OF TOMORROW IS AVAILABLE TODAY. With the exciting debut of the PHOENIX 8

comes a whole new concept in hang gliding. Style and performance. Able to rise on a breath of air or penetrate a gale, the 8 is a.soaring delight. Cross-country potentials are phenomenal since the glide ratio remains high in this upper speed range.

Never before has a design brought together all the latest advancements in hang gliding technology in such a well-balanced package. Based on the success of the popular PHOENIX VIB, this new beauty from Delta Wing goes one step beyond. A combination of droop tips, cambered sail, raised keel pocket and other features allow for an increase ln performance and maneuverability white still maintaining portability, convenience and safety.

,,.,.

PHOENIX 8 JR. NOSEANGLELEAOING EDGEKEEL LENGTHSAIL AREA-

ASPECT RATIOSPANWEIGHT RANGECOSTGLIDE RATIOS1NK RATE-

PHOENIX I

...!!!!.:..

110' 22'

110'

20' 9' 9' 185ft.2 170 ft.2 6.315 36.04' 32.76' 155 - 210 lbs.

125 · 175 lbs. $1095.00 $1075.00 Or1matically better than previous dnignll.

Amazingly low. We don't make claims w., ain't support.

,.,

22' 11' 225 ft.2 5.7] 36.04' 185 lbs.+ $1125.00

BE READY FOR THE FL YING OF TOMORROW WITH A~PHOENIX,8~ EXPERIENCE THE FL YING DREAM.

13620 S.ticoy St., P.O. Box 483 Vll'i Nuys, c.lifonu 91408

1213) 787-eeoo • (213) ~2474 T.!,x 861425

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