USHGA Hang Gliding September 1993

The Publication of the United States Hang Gliding Association • September 1993 • $3.95

,

THE MOYES XTRALITE WINS THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN ITS FIRST COMPETITION Tomas Suchanek flying the NEW MOYES XTRALITE won the 1993 World Championships in the Owens Valley, U.S.A. .. with an incredible feat of flying skill he came from 17 minutes behind, on the last day, to win by 3 minutes.

Tomas said "The NEW MOYES XTRALITE helped me get the height and mind blowing speed that left the others scrambling to catch up!"

The Moyes XTRALITE proved to be extra safe in the difficuft Owens Valley conditions when other gliders

were falling apart and pilots parachuting to survive, the XTRAUTES never faltered and proved that the Moyes tradition of using the very best strength tested and quality products equal SAFETY without suffering in PERFORMANCE. Be Safe, Be The Best, Get a WORLD CHAMPION MOYES XTRALITE. MOYES CALIFORNIA INC 22021 COVELLO STREET CANOGA PARK CA 91303. USA TEL (818) 887 3361 FAX (818) 702 0612

MOYES DELTA GLIDERS P'IY. LTD., 173 BRONTE RD, WA VERLEY NSW 2024 SYDNEY NSW AUSTRALIA TEL (02) 387 5622 FAX (02) 387 4472 XTRALITE USHGMA CERTIFIED

The World's best Hang Gliders since 1967

(USPS 017-970-20- !SSN 0895-433X)

1

Site Reports: "Thermal Rise," British Columbia © 1993 by Rob Richardson Hang gliding paradise north of the border. Rob also solicits information for the long-awaited National Site Guide.

24 Using Your New Harness

by Christian Carmichael- Thoreson Getting into your harness without getting into trouble.

3

The 1993 World Championships

by Martha Bellisle The U.S. wins its first-ever World Championship! Sidebars on the U.S. Team and two-time World Champion Tomas Suchanek.

Tumble In The Owens

by Bill Brady An alternately frightening and humorous real-life story.

48 Crosswind Landings - An Addendum

by Roger Ritenour

30

An additional technique to facilitate landing in crooked air.

s

nts

Accident Reports ....................................... 9

Airmail ....................................................... 5

Competition Corner ............................. ..40

Calendar ofEvents ................................... 12

USHGA Reports .................................... 50

Update ..................................................... 15

Cartoon- by Bob Lafay ....................... 52

Ratings ..................................................... 27

by Dan Johnson ......... 63

Classified Advertising .............................. 53

Product Lines -

Index to Advertisers ................................. 62 Stolen Wings ........................................... 62

SEPTEMBER 1993

3

ONLY THE BEST Its one of those gorgeous spring days. The air is like crystal and the temperature is perfect. And best of all, you are free today to go fly.

Launch is not crowded, and everyones mood is a match for the weather.

Your launch is great and you fall into the perfect thermal within ninety seconds. Four minutes later you are nine hundred feet above launch, still climbing. And then you're tumbling with the wing folded. It crosses your mind that the man was right when he said that at times like this, only the best will do.

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Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Director John Heiney, Leroy Grannis Photographers Harry Martin, lflvstrator Dennis Pagen, G.W. Meadows, Rob Richardson Staff Writers Tim Rinker, Design Consultant

Air Mail~ ROD HAUSER

Office Staff

Jerry Bruning, Executive Director Greg Huller, Ratings & ICP's Cindy Evans, Insurance & Member Services PJ More, Special Projects & Competitions Jeff Elgart, Advertising D. Dean Leyerle, Merchandise Services USHGA Officers and Executive Committee:

Gregg lawless, President Paul Voight, Vice President Russ Locke, Secretary Dan Johnson, Treasurer REGION 1: Gene Matthews. REGION 2: Lynda Nelson, Russ Locke, Ray Leonard. REGION 3: Joe Greblo, Sandy King, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Glen Nicolet. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Ron Kenney. REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Randy Adams. REGION 9: Pete Lehmann, William Bennett.

REGION 10: Matt Taber, Rick Jacob. REGIONl 1: Jeff Hunt. REGION 12: Paul Voight, Paul Riker!. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Jerry Forburger, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Ken Brown, Jim Zeiset, Doug Hildreth, G.W. Meadows, Tom Kreyche, Mike Meier, Rob Kells, Fred Stockwell, Gregg McNamec, Michael Robertson, Dave Broyles. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA), Ken Baier (Paragliding).

The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NM) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl-related hang gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

HANG GLIDING magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities.

If the material is to be returned, a stamped, selfaddressed return envelope must be enclosed.

Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary.

The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors.

HANG GLIDING editorial offices: 6950 Aragon Circle, Suite 6, Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 994-3050.

HANG GLIDING (ISSN 0895-433x) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 101, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 (719) 632-8300.

FAX (719) 632-6417. Second-class postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

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The USHGA is a member-controlled sport and educational organization dedicated to exploring all facets of unpowered ultralight flight. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $49.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding), ($55 Canada & Mexico, $60 foreign); subscription rates only are $35.00 ($40 Canada & Mexico, $50 foreign). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue.

SEPTEMBER 1993

VOLUME 23, ISSUE No. 9

Dear Editor, I only knew Rod Hauser for one year.

We worked for USHGA at Oshkosh '92 and Lakeland '93, and the sky was the limit with our future plans concerning the USHGA and these two shows. Rod was highly respected by the officials of both of these EAA fly-in's. They too were convinced, from observing his pilots and communicating with Rod, that future activities at Lakeland and Oshkosh would surely go forward with Rod at the helm. Even when conflict was at hand Rod was always composed. There were several occasions at Lakeland this year on which he could easily have flown off the handle, but he didn't. The USHGA had a perfect representative in this man.

Rod Hauser was indeed a diplomatic and considerate person. He, Bill Bryden and Jerry Bruning worked together well, and were consummate representatives of our national organization. I will miss Rod as if I had known him all my life.

Bruce Hawk Knoxville, TN

OUR MOST DEDICATED MEMBER Dear Editor, In my first of hopefully a series of articles on "Hang Gliding Nostalgia" (HG July '93), I made a statement that might need some clarification. My mentioning of members #101-#118 joining the 1972 Southern California Hang Gliding Association, and those who are still current USHGA members may have been somewhat misleading.

In this space, I would like to mention one of the first original members of the SCH GA, who is still a current member of USHGA, and that is member #00007, Frank Colver, of Costa Mesa, California. Frank is the FIRST CURRENT member found in the USHGA files of 60,000+.

Thank you Frank, for your continued, on-going support ofUSHGA.

Somebody buy this man a beer and put it on my tab.

Jeff Elgart USHGA Headquarters

PHOTO ENTHUSIAST! Dear Editor, How often do we look at the pictures in our magazine and wonder how they/pilots took that shot? How did they get those rich colors? What filters and type of film were they using? What focal length lens was used? Was the photographer using shutter speed priority? If so, what shutter speeds were used? It is this overwhelming lack of specific information that deters the inexperienced photographer/pilot from experimenting with aerial photography.

I would like to propose that every photo submitted to the editor include the following information if possible: 1) Type of film (print or slide), manufacturer and speed (ASA). 2) Focal length of lens and manufacturer. 3) Type of filters. 4) Selected camera mode (automatic, shutter priority, aperture priority; if shutter speed priority, specify speed).

All photos published would have the above-mentioned accompanying information with the photographer's name below or beside the picture instantly informing us the "do's" and the "don'ts" of aerial photography. This will give the amateur the tools to start experimenting, hopefully capturing the beauty of our sport to share with others. By reading our magazine we could then learn how to take beautiful shots. But how do we mount our cameras? Be innovative, salvage some buckles off old ski boots for tool-free attachment capability. PVC pipe is fairly light and is easy to work with. You are limited only by your imagination. Most of all, HAVE FUN! Remember: a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

Reto Schaerli Sacramento, CA

I'll see ifI can get one ofour photographers to write an article on aerial photography.

5

iii Air Mail Bill Bryden has already written an article on mounting a camera on your glider; and it wilt appear in an upcoming issue. - Ed.

HANG LOOP STANDARD Dear Editor, I agree with Jeff Hunt's letter concerning hang loop lengths. I feel this is a serious problem because we have had fatalities as a result of this very thing (looping hang straps) and it is a problem that could be easily rectified.

I am sure that if all the glider manufacturers got together and agreed on a standard distance from the bottom of the hang loop to the basetube that all the harness manufacturers would quickly follow. I realize that some pilots like to hang an inch from the basetube, like myself, and others may like to hang two fists above, but at least they could all be within that much of a difference.

With this standard, pilots would be able to fly other gliders and lmow that they would not need to loop, double up, or knot hang loops to safely fly. If one standard length could not be agreed upon, possibly three positions could be: low, medium and high. Then with a couple of standard hang loops we could safely hook into any position. If there is a good reason why the United States has no such standard, I would like to know what it is. Maybe it is about time we get one.

Recently, I was very disappointed when I purchased a new glider and a new harness from the same manufacturer and assumed that they would fit together nicely, but discovered that they did not.

Imagine how much safer it would be for everyone if all harnesses fit all gliders.

Paul Sussman Daly City, CA

6

"BIGGEST" MEET CANDIDATE Dear Editor, I have read several letters to the editor over the past year or so speculating on the "biggest" hang gliding meet in history. I have been waiting for someone to write in about the first "World Open" that occurred circa 1975.

The "World Open" was held at Robinson Ranch Escape Country, California, a recreational ranch that catered to motor cycles and hang gliders.

It was located across the valley from Saddleback Mountain, a peak that was to figure strongly in my most memorable flight to date.

The concept of the World Open was that of a single elimination meet open to everyone who wished to enter. As I recall the tasks were time aloft and spot landing, with an aerial slalom and aerobatics.

The competition was low-key with the emphasis on fun, and it was fun since there were several thousand participants, spectators and wuffos.

Other than the competition and the crowds, I remember the gliders. Roy Haggard was there with one of the original Dragonfly truncated-tip, high aspect wings. As I recall it was lime and chartreuse, and spent most of the time very high, circling the landing area. Another wing flown for the first time in public was the Seagull IV, or was it the V? In any case, it was an ungainly beast with a large steerable vertical stabilizer/rudder.

The Wills brothers were there, as were Dean Tanji and the pediatric flying team of Ultralight Products.

The sense of discovery and adventure affected everyone. Anyone who washed out of the competition early could try to fly Saddleback. I did and had my first high altitude flight. My fingerprints were pressed into the control bar of that Sun II (19.5' x 20' cut-keel standard) until I sold it. There were even a few flights over the back of the mountains to Elsinore.

I have attended many meets since the First World Open, but the emphasis has changed. Cross-country tasks flown by a small group of experts in cross-country technique have replaced the open, one-

on-one local task format, and the inevitable result has been a loss of interest by sporting class pilots and spectators.

Major competitions today have about the same relationship to everyday flying as the Indy 500 has to the daily commute to work.

I acknowledge the changes in the level of performance, the increasing skill level of the pilots, etc., and I have heard all the arguments about the nature of competition, but I still have to feel that more concern must be placed on the needs and interests of the sporting class pilot (end of speech).

I would like to nominate the "First Escape Country World Open" as my candidate for the largest hang gliding meet ever held. Any comments or recollections would be appreciated.

Michael G. Merickel Coldwater, MI

JOHN NORDLINGER RESPONSE Dear Editor, As a paraglider pilot I don't find it surprising that Hang Gliding doesn't feature paragliding; try Paragliding, The Magazine or PG USA. I think HG is an excellent magazine which addresses the needs of its "niche" in the flying community, as do the paragliding magazines.

If you read HG from that perspective you may find some useful information.

Example - in the July issue an article on reserves points out some very important information about paragliding reserves, and seat-first landings, that can keep you out of the hospital (I know). As far as being "elitist," what does that mean? Talking about old timers and how things were? Hang gliding has a proud history. Talking about the achievements of the experts? That's how we get better, by trying to emulate the best.

It's easy to find problems in the "foot" launch community, but I think that we (PG and HG pilots) have a lot in common and it's a great deal better to look for that common ground than to be negative about the whole thing.

HANG GLIDING

Air Mail~ As far as Icarus is concerned, he probably had a right to be proud, after all, he was hang glider pilot #1. However, his equipment was poorly designed, and he failed to acknowledge weather conditions. That's what got him busted.

petition and George, a consummate dune pilot, showed us all how it's done.

IRANIAN HANG GLIDING

Michael Politano Charleston, SC

Dear Editor, We would like to inform you that the hang gliding school of the Civil Aviation Training Center oflran has been inaugurated. A paragliding school has also been started. Hang gliding is quite new in our country, and we would be extremely grateful if anyone would contact us with information about the sport. We are also interested in hang gliding events and the possibility of our participating in them.

John Wilde Union City, CA

Be sure to provide the editor with caption information when submitting photography.

-Ed.

COVER PILOT

NOT MY RECORD

Dear Editor, I always read the captions for the cover and centerspread of the magazine. I was surprised when the pilot's name was not given for the cover of the July issue.

It is George Reeves cranking his glider around at the north end of the back dune at Jockey's Ridge. Conditions were marginally soarable that day during the com-

Dear Editor, In the site guide for Henson's Gap, TN, Rob Richardson credits me with the site record of 96 miles. It wasn't me, although I once made the longest flight of the year. I don't know who has the site record.

:·ERFORMANCE

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Accident Reports

by Doug Hildreth USHGA Accident Review Chainnan Last month's report on Rod Hauser was phoned in at the last minute by Bill B1yden. Here we include Doug Hildreth's official report. - Ed.

Pilot: Age: Rating: Experience: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:

Rod HAUSER 38 Advanced 20 years Wills Wing Spore 180 June 26, 1993 Mingus Mtn., Cottonwood, AZ Head, chest - fatal

was close to the hill in an obviously turbulent zone. Whether the turn into the hill was gust-induced or a primary stall is immaterial.

"When there's a problem on launch, get the h-- away from the mountain."

Whenever conditions are not perfect (and probably even when they are) carry a bit of extra speed for added control, and keep the nose pointing away from the hill. See the report below for the same lesson.

Pilot: Age: Rating: Experience: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:

Event: Several pilots got off in light cycles, reporting some turbulence leaving the mountain. The wind then crossed and down for 30 minutes. The pilot in front finally launched, sustaining a sail inversion and heavy turbulence f1ying away from the hill. Hauser had trouble balancing his glider as the cycle shifted, then ran down the ramp. The nose popped up and the glider banked to the right. He compensated with his run, but left the ramp in a right turn, high-siding to the left. The turn stopped with the glider heading parallel to the ridge, about 75 feet out, but f1ying slowly, with the pilot centered on the control bar. The glider then banked rapidly to the right, and dove into the hill, with the pilot fully pushed out.

He was unconscious for a few minutes, but then stopped breathing and had a cardiac arrest. CPR was given, and he was transported via helicopter to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Comment: The site is known for turbulence midday, particularly with variable winds. Other pilots sustained moderately turbulent rides. It sounds like the cycles were swirling about launch making it difficult to balance the glider. The popped nose and right turn were partially corrected, but airspeed was low and the pilot SEPTEMBER 1993

Joe MILLER

40 Advanced 15 years experience Pacific Airwaves KS July 2, 1993 Tagues Butte, Abert's Rim, Lakeview, 0 R Rupture, left atrium, pericardia! tamponade fracture, left femer, right clavicle - fatal

Event: Miller was an experienced pilot who came to f1y on the Fourth of July.

The winds were northwest, a small front had moved through and many pilots went to Tagues. The winds were moderately strong (15-20) and quite gusty with significant thermal activity.

A dozen pilots launched and worked their way up above the primary ridge behind and above launch. The winds aloft were manageable, the lift and sink were moderately strong, and the turbulence was moderate. None of the gliders above Miller had undue difficulty.

Miller had a good launch and began to work his way up. He was seen thermaling up below the rim, and then flying along the primary ridge from right to left, either directly above the ridge or slightly behind it. He was probably not more than 100 feet above the rim. He then was hit with a gust or thermal which turned him downwind over the rim and toward the rotor. He tried to correct, and did succeed in coming into the wind, but was severely buffeted in roll as he turned in the rotor and rapidly descended. He then crashed 150 feet behind the rim.

[I

"As I thermaled behind launch, at about rim height, I saw Miller thermaling at my elevation, but between me and the rim. It seemed pretty obvious to me that given the conditions, flying very conservatively was definitely in order.

Then I saw him turning back toward the rim and I thought, 'You can fly back there, no way I'm going over there!'

When I came around again, he was gone.

I began to "s" turn in lift, as I was unwilling to commit myself to a 360 given the wind speed, turbulence and my elevation. I wanted to keep myself pointed out toward my bail-out direction. As I topped the rim, I saw his glider there on the ground."

Comment: Miller's skills have been described as excellent. The day was strong and turbulent but not unsafe. He may have been anxious to join the pilots above him and pushing the limits as he was working the lift.

His margin of error was too small and once he got turned downwind, his recovery put him in the worst of the rotor.

Abert's Rim is 2,500 feet, shea1~ 25 miles long, is quite massive, and like other high desert sites tends to create its own weather. \'(finds can be strong, and the rotor is always vicious. Shear cliff edges alternating with breaks in the rim further complicate the rotor pattern.

The glider sustained a broken left downtube, and a broken left crossbar.

The injuries to the pilot were relatively limited, in comparison to those usually seen in fatal accidents. Had it not been for the heart rupture, he almost certainly would have survived. Rupture of the heart is very uncommon even with severe trauma. One witness thought the crash was not that severe and expected the pilot to walk away. Certainly there was an element of bad luck concerning his heart.

The harness was an Airwave Race 2.

The parachute is mounted on the side and the central chest area has a vertical zipper. The gear pockets are on the side.

There have been a number of anecdotal comments that having the parachute on the front of the chest offers some protection. It can, but it is my opinion that the protection is minimal. (What we need is

9

~ Accident Reports an air bag.) Try jumping off the top of your van and landing on your chest with and without a 'chute.

High desert sites can have strong conditions. We must always remember that there is air out there that can overpower us and render us totally helpless. This was not the first pilot blown over the back at Abert's or in Lakeview. But with respect for the conditions, by being very conservative in terms of staying well in front of the rim, and by keeping the nose firmly pointed away from the ridge and into the wind, we can decrease our risks to a minimum.

Summary: Miller was flying low, directly over the rim, in strong and gusty conditions. He got turned downwind by a thermal or gust, was severely buffeted by the rotor and crashed. His margin for error was too small.

This makes number four.

Pilot: Age: Rating: Experience: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:

Dennis HADFIELD 39 Non-member Reentering the sport ?

July 11, 1993 Williams, CO Fatal

HPAT !

STILL WORLD CLASS AND NOW MORE AFFORDABLE! 1993 Competition Results 1993 Sandia Classic

1st Place 2nd Place

Event: A pilot was preparing for a long cross-country flight.

There were several routine distractions during the final preparation. The pilot had a spectator help him into his cocoon harness.

After routine launch, the pilot was hanging low, and realized he had not put his legs through his leg straps. He was finally able to get one foot into his cocoon and go prone. He was unable to get high and go far, and coming in for his landing misread the wind streamers, overshot the LZ, and as he was on final was concentrating on just how he was going to get his feet out of the boot after he flared. There was only one (other) problem; he forgot to fly the glider. The stall in the gradient and subsequent dive for airspeed resulted in a poor flare and a face plant.

On launch: Say, "Leg straps in, hooked into primary and backup." Do a hang check. Say in a loud voice "HOOKED IN, CLEAR." When there is a "minor" (or even a major) problem during ~ the flight, keep your cool. Always remember to fly the glider first and fiddle with the problem second. ~

10

HP AT 145 HP AT 158

1993 FAI World Championships

2nd Place 3rd Place

Chris Arai Mark Gibson

HP AT 158 HP AT 158

1st Place Team USA Top Three US Pilots and Four Out of Six US Team on HP AT's 1993 Swiss National Championships

1st Place Hermann Franz 2nd Place Olin Schottola 3rd Place Jurg Ries 4th Place Markus Eggler 5th Place Hans Jurg Truttman

HP AT HP AT HP AT HP AT HP AT

1993 Chelan Classic

1st Place Event: Had flown in the old days, but had not flown for many years. Did some training hill work last fall, followed by some towing. On the day prior he took first altitude/mountain flight.

Poor launch but good flight. Next day had better launch. Right turn developed after launch and continued without any attempt at correction until glider crashed back onto the launch site.

This makes number 5.

Kari Castle Larry Tudor

Randy Adams

HP AT 158

1993 Western Canadian Championships

1st Place

George Borradaile HP AT 158

World Records World Open Distance Record 303 miles Larry Tudor HP AT 158 World Distance To Goal Record 303 Miles Larry Tudor HP AT 158 European Open Distance Record 201 miles Blay Olmos HP AT 145 Women's World Open Distance Record 210 Miles Kari Castle HP AT 145 World Distance Via Turnpoint Record 256 Miles Mark Gibson HP AT 158 World Triangle Distance Record 120 Miles Jim Lee HP AT 158 Four years after its introduction, the Wills Wing HP AT is still dominating the national and international competition and cross country scene. Now, with the release of the new RamAir, Wills Wing has rolled back the price on a few remaining brand new inventory HP AT's to the 1989 introductory price of $3700. Also available is a selection of factory re-conditioned competition HP AT's, with prices starting in the low $2,000's. See your Wills Wing dealer for available models, colors, and prices.

~LU~Nti HANG GLIDING

IR 1993 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Jim Lee Chris Arai Joe Bostik Brad Koji

RamAir 154 RamAir 154 RamAir 154 RamAir 154

1993 AUSTRIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 1st

Rupert Plattner

RamAir 154 HGMA Certified - July 19, 1993

500 West Blueridge Ave Orange, CA 92665

Phone (714) 998-6359 FAX (714) 998-0647

If! Calendar of Events Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets.

Until September: Montana Cross Count1y Challenge. For entry info and forms contact: Roger Lockwood, P.O. Box 234, Fort Benton, MT 59442 (406) 622-5677.

Until Dec. 1: Mountain Wings 3rd

Annual "up the valley run" X-C Challenge. $100 to the pilot with the longest flight north and $200 to the first to land at Rhinebeck Airport.

First place gets name on perpetual trophy. $15 entry. Oct. 2-3: 2nd Annual Vision Classic and pig roast.

Low key fun fly-in, tuning and maintenance seminar with Ken Brown of Pac Air. Contact: Mountain Wings, 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428 (914) 647-3377.

Until Dec. 1: 1993 Region 9 Yearlong XC Contest. Recognizes the longest flights flown in Region 9 between Feb. 1 and Dec. 1. $5 entry fee.

Contact: Pete Lehmann (412) 6613474 (before 9:00 pm), fax (412) 661-3436.

Until Dec. 1: Tennessee Tree Toppers Yearlong X-C Contest. Flights must be flown from TTT sites. T-shirts, jackets, trophies. Submit entries to: TTT. P. 0. Box 1286, Dunlap, TN 37327.

Sept. 3-5: Wasatch Wings, Holladay, UT (801) 277-1042. Sept. 4-5: Lookout Mtn., Rising Fawn, GA (706) 398-3541. Sept. 25-26: Elsinore Hang Gliding, Elsinore, CA (909) 245-7627. Oct. 2-3: Hang Glider Emporium, Santa Barbara, CA (805) 965-3733. Oct. 9-10: Chandelle Hang Gliding, San Francisco, CA (415) 488-4202. Oct.

12

16-17: Mission Soaring Center, Milpitas, CA (408) 262-1055. Wills Wing Demo Days.

Sept. 4-6: Morningside Flight Park, Claremont, NH (603) 542-4416.

Enterprise Wings Demos. Contact: Nelson Howe, Enterprise Wings (603) 823-8195.

Sept. 4-6: 5th Annual Ellenville, New York Fun Meet, sponsored by the SNYHGPA. Four-man teams, $1,000 cash prizes, trophies.

Contact: Paul Voight (914) 7443317.

Sept. 4-6: X-C Clinic, Reno, NV area.

Butch Peachy will host this seminar designed to build X-C skills for Hang III+ pilots. Contact: Airtime of San Francisco, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 7591177, fax (415) 759-1182.

Sept. 4-6: Magazine Mtn. Reunion F!,yIn. Come celebrate 18 years of great flying, camping and camaraderie.

There will be a potluck picnic on Sept. 5 in the Albright's landing field, Waveland, AR. Contact: Charrie or Mark Stump (501) 636-7944.

Sept. 4-6: Sailplane Homebuilders Assn.

western division workshop and vintage sailplane show, Tehachapi, CA at Mountain View Airport. Contact: Bruce Carmichael (714) 496-5191.

Sept. 4-12: National Paragliding Championships, Aspen, CO. Contact: Jan Stenstadvold (303) 925-7625.

Sept. 11-12: Skagit River Festival Blanchard Meet. Fun fly-in and spot landing contest. Prize money.

Camping available in LZ. Three categories: singles, couples and tandem.

Contact: Jeff Bowman (206) 2933282.

Sept. 12: Old glider rendezvous. Sept.

13-17: International hang gliding and paragliding club competition.

Sept. 13-15: Film festival. Best hang gliding films of the last 10 years.

Sept. 16-18: The famous French International Hang Gliding Film Festival. Sept. 17-19: 1st International Rigid Wing Gathering.

Sept. 19: 20th Coupe Icare. Contact: Coupe Icare, 38720 Saint-Hilaire du Touvet, France - tel. 76-08-33-99.

Sept. 13-16: Basic ICP. Sept. 17-19: Advanced ICP. Contact: Mission Soaring, Milpitas, CA (408) 2621055.

Sept. 13-18: Telluride Airmen's Rendezvous, Telluride, CO. Featuring world aerobatic championships. $2,500 cash purse. $40 pre-registration before Aug. 1. New fee schedule: pilots only charged for flyable days.

Seminars, slide shows, special guests, speakers. Lodging packages available.

Contact: (801) 254-5285 for aero info, (303) 728-4772 for festival info.

Sept. 16-19: Tow clinic. Sept. 20-23: Tandem clinic. Sept. 24-27: Tow clinic. September 28- Oct. 1: Tandem clinic. With G.W Meadows. Clinics limited to eight participants. Cost $175 with $75 deposit. Contact: Pacific Airwave (408) 422-2299.

Sept. 18-19: 3tdAnnualLilienthalMeet, Guadalupe Dunes/Point Sal. Two-day soaring clinic. $50 ($40 before Sept.

1). Contact: Advanced Air Tech., 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 962-8999.

Sept. 18-19: Pine Mtn. Air Races '.93. 1st annual X-C competition at the site of some of Southern California's longest flights. Two-hour drive from Los Angeles with camping available.

Separate divisions for hang gliders and paragliders. Sponsored by the TOPA Flyers. Contact: Fred Vachss (805) 492-6342.

HANG GLIDING

Calendar of Events Sept. 19: 4th Annual Flying Wheel Rollerblade Spectacular. Oct. 16-17:

6th Annual Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition. Oct. 23-24: 2ndAnnual Vision Classic. Pac Air brings the latest gliders for fun competition on the sand dunes. Contact: Kitty Hawk Kites, 3933 S. Croatan Hwy., Nags Head, NC (919) 441-4124.

Sept. 24-26: Advanced & Bt1sic ICPs, UP Soaring Center, Draper, UT. Contact: Joe Bill Henry (801) 5766460.

Oct. 1-3: October's Best F61-ln, 1993, sponsored by the Sauratown Mountain Hang Gliding Club in North Carolina. Great Autumn flying with cash prizes and "June Bug's Famous Barbecue Chicken Dinner."

The flying site features three different

launches that face SE, SW and NW and handles everything in between.

Free camping in the LZ. Contact: Mike Nester (919) 983-0875 or Doug Rice (919) 994-4377.

Oct. 1-3: 31dAnnual Reunion of Kingman Army Airfield. Looking for former military and civilian personnel and families. Public welcome.

Displays, air show and much more.

Contact: Kingman Army Airfield, 6000 Flightline Dr., Box 3, Kingman, AZ 86401 (602) 7571892.

Ill!

three places in each category. Entry $25. Contact: Valerie Carroll, 11982 S. 700 W, Draper, UT 84020 (801) 572-5869, fax (801) 262-8656.

Oct. 8-10: USHGAfoll board ofdirectors meeting, Manchester, NH. Contact: USHGA headquarters (719) 6328300.

Oct. 9-10: Columbus Day Fly-In, Dry Canyon, Alamogordo, NM. No fees, just come and fly! Meet at Dry Canyon LZ on Florida Ave. in Alamogordo, 9:00 AM. Contact: Robin Hastings (505) 382-7446.

Oct. 2-3: Ga1y Lagrone Memorial F61-ln, Point of the Mtn., UT. All proceeds go to "Save the Children." Hang gliding and paragliding, out-andreturn and air race. Prizes for top

NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH *FLY OZ* EAST COAST!

AUSTRALIAN HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING by

Dennis

.it')ERFORMANCE

Ji'LYING l•ylll .'-;NJ'>l'.\LIN

Pagen

Just wlien you thought you k:tiew it all ..

i[

I ,.!l

1\&w tliere 's Performance !!:Cying covering su6jects from aeromeaicaI to XC and more.

-l"

$29.95 +$4 s/h US, $5 Can. Call for lnt'I s/h.

SEND TO: USHGA Books PO Box 8300 Colorado Springs CO 80933-8300 (77 9) 632-8300

fax (7 79) 632-64 77 MC/VISA accepted

ADVENTURE TOURS Ten pilots per tour, 18 seater bus. Fully escorted flying. Camping, lodging, breakfasts (dinners as per itinerary are included). You'll fly the best sites along 1,500 kms of East Coast Australia in 14 clays.

We travel the coastline, Stanwell Park from Sydney NSW to Rainbow Beach Queensland and back. Visit Cape Byron and fly Australia's most easterly point.

HOW DO I GET THERE? CALL JIM ALLEN, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, AREA CODE (02) 971-1715 FAX (02) (2) 9813728 OR WRITE TO US: AUSTRALIAN HANG GLIDING ADVENTURE TOURS, 3 DERWENT STREET, WHEELER HTS., NSW, AUSTRALIA 2097 WHAT 1s THE cosT? Package includes land content only $1,200 Aust. ($800-$900 U.S.). WHAT ABOUT EQUIPMENT 9 Hang glider hire available. Test fly new gliders or bring your own or buy. WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING? Pods and instrumentation, sleeping bags and personal effects. To fly a hang glider legally in Australia you must be a member of the HGFA which offers a short-term membership (3rd Pm1y Insurance) which is included in our tour cost.

SEE YOU DOWN UNDER!

SEPTEMBER 1993

13

Update HGMANEWS The officers of the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association elected for 1993 are: Mark West, President, and Jean-Michel Bernasconi, Vice President.

Along with the normal operations of reviewing and updating testing standards, the HGMA has initiated a transaction database. This database records the actions of member companies.

Information on a glider model - including dates of certification, amendments and addenda - are readily available.

This information is being offered as a public service.

Anyone desiring a copy of the his glider's transaction record should write the HGMA stating the glider model and manufacturer in question, and include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope.

Contact: Office of the HGMA, Rt. 3 Box 4400-111, Tehachapi, CA 93561.

GARMIN GPS 95 AVD LENEXA, KS - Garmin International, the leading general aviation GPS manufacturer, has introduced a new hand-held GPS receiver with a moving map display for the aviation market. The GPS 95 AVD offers Garmin GPS technology in portable receivers. The new unit also provides innovative, pictorial graphics which give the pilot present location, starting point, destination, nearest airports and satellite visibility charts. Even runway diagram layouts are pictorially represented to help quickly visualize and identify the assigned runway.

The GPS 95 AVD features a gigantic Jeppesen database, complete with the most commonly used frequencies, all runway and fuel information and a large list of E6B and flight planning functions.

Pilots can store 250 user waypoints and updates are done with ease. Database updates can be accomplished from the owner's PC by utilizing a Garmin diskette and patch cable (sold separately).

The GPS 95 AVD uses Garmin's innovative user interface software for enhanced ease of use. The unit provides SEPTEMBER 1993

logical keypad data entry and one-touch access to nearest airports and all needed navigational and flight plan information.

The GPS 95 AVD also uses a unique "softkey" approach, which enables the pilot to scan between any of four useful displays with one-touch ease. The highcontrast dot matrix, back-lit LCD screen displays easy-to-read presentations of all navigation information, quickly and easily guiding the user through the full spectrum of functions. Identification and selection of waypoints can be accomplished with ease. The new unit can be customized by the user for personal use, with adjustable CDI scales, specialized display setup, date/time formats and unique interface options. In addition, the unit provides the user with times of sunrise and sunset.

Using the most advanced Garmin Mu!tiTrac™ technology which continuously tracks and uses up to eight satellites for fast positioning and accuracy, the GPS 95 AVD provides the greatest number of navigational capabilities in the smallest space. The feature-rich GPS 95 AVD is equipped with a full alphanumeric, backlit keyboard, which makes entries easy and accurate, even at night.

The GPS 95 AVD comes with carrying case, yoke mount, power/data cables, cigarette lighter adapter, and six-foot antenna cable with suction cup for remote antenna mounting. This compact and rugged case has ample room for all the included accessories and the GPS unit.

Contact: Garmin International, 9875 Widmer Road, Lenexa, Kansas 66215 (913) 599-1515, or toll-free in the U.S. and Canada (800) 800-1020, Fax (913) 599-2103.

ASPEN, COLORADO TO HOST FIRST-EVER US OPEN I NATIONAL PARAGLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS SEPTEMBER 4-12, 1993 Aspen, CO - The Aspen Paragliding Club, "Parapente Aspen," will be flying high when they host this year's first-ever

US Open/National Paragliding Championships to be held in Aspen,

Bl

Colorado September 4-12.

The top paraglider pilots in America, along with many of the European World Cup Champions, will gather atop Aspen's exquisite cliff sites to vie for the national title. The competition will include open distance and distance-togoal tasks, predetermined flight courses with multiple turn points, "cat's cradle," and timed events. Dick Jackson, partner of Aspen Paragliding, expects more than 100 pilots from around the world to partake in the US Open/National Paragliding

Championships.

Launch sites will include Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands Ski Area, in addition to other locations, pending flight conditions and specific tasks.

Registration/entry fee: $200. Spectators will be able to watch the competition for free from various locales throughout Aspen. And for those spectators who want to go one step further, the ultimate thrill of paragliding can be experienced through tandem lessons being given at a cost of $125 per flight.

Paragliding is the fastest growing form of sport aviation in the world.

Today, there are well over 200,000 participants in the sport worldwide.

Paragliding is often described as a glider that "looks like a parachute but flies like a hang glider."

Parapente Aspen is the local paragliding club recognized by the United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA).

The US Open/National Paragliding Championships is sanctioned by USHGA. Although there are various regional events scheduled, the Championships will be the premier paragliding competition in the United States for 1993.

Contact: Paulina Vander Noordaa, Aspen US/Open National Paragliding Championships (303) 927-4524 (phone/ fax).

NAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAMED The National Aeronautic Association, the national Aero Club of the United States and a founding member of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, 15

m

Update

has named Walter D. Miller to the position of Executive Director.

Mr. Miller has been a pilot for over 35 years and has logged more than 6,000 hours in a variety of general aviation and larger aircraft. He is an FM-certificated single- and multi-engine "Gold Seal" flight instructor. He holds Airline Transport Pilot ratings in addition to others. His aviation experience includes early air sports participation as a parachutist dating from the 1960's.

Mr. Miller comes to NM from the Polygon Group, an aviation marketing, training, and consulting company headquartered in Alexandria, VA, where he was President and CEO. His background includes aviation-related executive positions in a number of corporate, entrepreneurial, and government organizations.

He has also held many volunteer aviation assignments - consulting on fund raising, public relations, and advertising. He is a member of the Order of Daedalians, the National Aeronautic Association, the Aero Club of Washington, and the National Press Club. He is also accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

Mr. Miller is retired from the United States Air Force, where his assignments included command of Air Force flying units, project officer for TRANSP0-72, the largest air show in the nation's history, scheduling of the Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, world record attempts, and presentation of some of the nation's highest special aviation trophies and awards, including the Collier and Mackay Trophies. He served in a variety of other operational and staff assignments in addition to the staff of the Secretary of the Air Force.

USHGA is a division ofthe NAA. -

Ed.

EGGLER RADIO HEADSETS Eggler headsets are designed and built with Swiss quality, and many pilots on the Swiss National Team presently fly with them. This gear was designed for pilots who fly hard and don't want to worry about radio hassles. The sturdy

16

headsets are for full-face and jet helmets, and include push-to-talk button mounts on a velcro base that can be mounted wherever you want (e.g., through the sleeve of your jacket to your speedbar or brakes). The headsets have a two-prong transmission plug which is compatible with FM radio (Maxon, Icom, Yeasu) and has rubber security straps. The fullface headset mic and earphone assembly mounts permanently inside the helmet with a quick-connect plug that attaches the push-to-talk and transmission plug assembly. The jet helmet headset is velcro mounted for quick breakdown and has an adjustable mic. In addition, the company offers 36" flexible antennas for the same radios with a normal Janda 112 wave and -2 db gain. This antenna can be sewn permanently into your harness and can greatly improve radio reception.

Prices: $130 - full-face; $140 - jet helmet; $35 - 36" flexible antenna.

Contact your local flying shop or: Peter DeBellis, 8880 Bellaire Ave. B-2238, Houston, Texas 77036 (713) 271-2829.

FLIGHTMATE PRO FEATURES FOR HANG GLIDING Two new features have been added to the Flightmate Pro especially for hang glider pilots. First is the enhanced Vertical Navigation Page. This page now includes the glide ratio to your next waypoint along with your current GPS altitude. Vertical navigation is critical to glider pilots who know their maximum glide ratios. It tells them when they have reached an adequate altitude to make their next turn point.

The second feature is the UTC or Zulu time stamp. This allows pilots in competition to record their position over a course and stamp it with the UTC time. If the pilot tries to modify the

UTC time stamp the Flightmate replaces the 30 accuracy reading with the phrase "Manual Entry." This can be used in competition as a tamper proof way of verifying where you were and when. We envision the day when ground observers and verification cameras will no longer be needed to verify that competitors have completed the course.

It is our hope that these new features will take some of the guesswork out of cross-country and competition hang gliding.

Steve Burns of Austin Air Sports announces that the company has a new shop on Barton Springs Rd., by Zilk.er Park in Austin, TX. They are in an "alternative Sportsplex" where a number of sports shops are located together. The Sportsplex offers everything from rollerblading to windsurfing and hang gliding.

Steve also comments that they are having great success aerotowing with the Dragonfly and a new dolly design.

Contact: Steve Burns, 1712 Waterston, Austin, TX 78703.

PAC AIR CLINICS Pacific Airwave announces a series of tandem and tow clinics to be conducted

by G.W. Meadows in September and October. G.W. is recognized as an authority in the area of platform towing and tandem instruction. Most equipment will be supplied by Pac Air: Vision 9, 10 and 11 Meters for tow training, and Double Visions and harnesses for tandem training. The Pac Air ATOL truck will be used to ensure that a HANG GLIDING

Update maximum number of flights are made by all participants. During the last clinic one tandem Double Vision was flown over 125 times during the two, four-day tandem clinic. Each clinic will be limited to eight participants to ensure maximum exposure to the instructor.

The cost is $175 with a $75 deposit required. Contact Pacific Ai1wave at (408) 422-2299 for more information, or G.W Meadows at (919) 480-3552 for specific clinic info. See the Calendar of Events in this magazine for dates.

UTAH DISTANCE RECORD On June 27, 1993 a new Utah distance record was set by Charlie Baughman, flying an Enterprise Wings Desire. Charlie launched at 1: 15 PM from Midway and landed at 7:40 PM, 50 miles east of Rock Springs on 1-80. This flight of 179 miles eclipsed an old record of 157 miles which was set seven years ago. Steve Rathbun also flew a similar flight path, for a distance of 166 miles.

Charlie commented that the most dangerous part of the adventure occurred while standing on the side of the highway with his thumb out. A semi truck and trailer passed by him, and then went off the road and rolled over only a few hundred yards away.

NEW EUROPEAN PARAGLIDER The Tornado 61 (34 square meters) has been certified in Europe. The glider recently won the glide contest at Torrey Pines, CA, but is virtually unknown in the U.S. It will now be available to qualified pilots.

The Tornado comes with custom racing lines and, according to the distributor, is faster than many smaller high performance gliders. Demos for interested pilots will be available at the Paragliding Nationals in Aspen, Sept. 4-12, 1993.

Recommended hook-in weight starts at 100 kilos, but competition pilots in Europe who weigh less than 80 kilos fly the glider with ballast in strong conditions.

Also available are the Tornado 59, 57 and 55. Since the introduction of the glidSEPTEMBER 1993

er in Europe more than 1,000 orders have been received.

Advanced Air Technology, Inc. has been named the exclusive distributor for the U.S. and Canada. Contact Tornado USA (800) 424-1983, or write: Advance Air Technology, 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

SIGGRAPH '93 FEATURES HANG GLIDING It was a love fest between man and machine, and in the middle of the show, looming above the Evans-Sutherland booth was a hang glider!

This show, running from Aug. 3-6, 1993 was a demonstration of the computer graphics industry's state of the art. It included advanced 3D computer modeling for industry, imagery tools for hightech motion picture effects (such as in Jurassic Park and Cliffhange1), and virtual reality ride shows - bazillion of dollars worth of electronic gizmos aimed at visually imitating real life.

Ir was like a refreshing breeze for me to look up above the maze of high-res monitors and clicking mice to see a slick UP glider drawing a crowd of people to a hang glider virtual reality ride. Although there were two setups going around the clock, there was no way I was going to be able to get a ride. They were already booked solid for the rest of the day.

Those who got a turn at it lay down in a prone harness, took hold of the control bar and stuck their heads in a "virtual reality" box. Once in there you steered your craft through the last place a hang glider has any business - a cityscape. That's mainly because buildings, with straight lines and flat surfaces (unlike the complicated scene1y of mountains with trees and billowing cumulus), are easily handled by current computer technology. But those accustomed to video arcades and "safe thrills" seemed quite pleased with the show.

To me it demonstrated that there is a large percentage of the general public which, though not willing to try it for real, will go for "virtually'' anything. Personally, I'm waiting until they include fresh air, real scene1y and thermals. It might be a

ID

while. In the meantime I'll see ya on the hill.

- by Mark West

MOYES XTRALITE Moyes is pleased to announce the introduction of a new high performance glider, the Xtralite, released to coincide with the '93 World Championships. The Xtralite is currently available in two sizes, 137 and 147. The glider boasts more performance with improved glide at 40 mph, improved sink rate as a result of a new airfoil, and a top speed of70 mph. The lighter handling and weight (68 lbs. for the 137 and 72.5 lbs. for the 147) is attributed to new leading edge construction. Set-up time has been decreased with the extension of the intermediate battens through to the trailing edge, as well as fully enclosed fiberglass tip levers which give the tips a cleaner finish and aid in reducing drag. HGMA certified.

Xtralite Specs Area Span Aspect Ratio Glider Weight Pilot Hook-In Weight (lbs.)

Pilot Rating Vne Vtz

147 33' 8" 7.5 72.5 lbs.

137 32' 3" 7.5 68 lbs.

130-240 160-270 Advanced Advanced 53 mph 53 mph 46mph 46mph

NATIONALS RESULTS Just as we go to press we've received results from the recent U.S. Nationals held in Lakeview, Oregon. The top ten finishers were:

Place Pilot

Glider

1) 2) 3) 4)

Ram Air Ram Air Ram Air Ram Air Desire Xtralite TRX HPAT Xtralite K2

Jim Lee Chris Arai Joe Bostik Brad Koji 5) Nelson Howe 6) Steve Moyes 7) Tony Barton 8) Mark Gibson 9) Joe Szalai 10) Howard Osterlund

17

have a "home style" restaurant that all the local pilots frequent. Reservations arc recommended during the larger events. Call (615) 949-2184.

The clubhouse (hot) shower is working again, but pilots must bring their own water (3-G gallons is usually enough). ff you bring jugs the local pilots can tell you where ro rrn them.

Pilots should bring their mountain bikes, since there arc lots of' trails to ride if the flying isn't good.

7ai<eofffrorn Cooper's Ric(e;e ("IJ1ermal Rise") in British Columbia.

I I n the July issue I ran an article on

llenson's in Dunlap, T,:nncssce.

Several coneuions have since been supplied to me by rhe Tennessee Tree 'foppers. (l got the majority of my inforrnat ion from Rick Jacob at Sequatchie Valley who was also a Regional Director at the time.)

As of

19, !991, no

1s

allowed at any TTT site. com· mcnts ,md/or information on paragliding at 'T'rT sites should be sent to: Tennessee Tree Toppers, Paragliding Comments, P.O. Box 1286 Dunlap,

had a falling out after I visited the site and bdc)re the article was published. l won't go into the details, but if you're interested l'rn sure you can get some TTT member ro tell you about it.

Therefore, any of the fc)llowing people may he cont;ictcd 10 obtain a membership: Ned Stclzcl, President (615) 949Charlic Yowell, Vice President (615) 9!i9-5012; Bill Colvin, Secretary (G 15) 949-40:Yi; Mark "Curly" Dunn, Bylaws Committee Chairman (615) 949-4965; John Law10n, Site Committee Chairman (615) 9494210; Kenny Sand ifor (616) 698-388'7; Lookout Mountain Flight Park ('706) I.

TN 37'.'>2'7. "

18

Sequatchie Valley Soaring is no longer authorized to collect TTT membership waivers and/or money. TT'T' and SYS

There is a local motel, the Dunlap Inn, which has supported the club and offers clean rooms with A/C, Cable ere. for $:B-$!i3/nighr. They ,1lso

Ok fi,ilks, i FI'm going to put together a complete, accurate site guide, J'rn going to need some help! Please send info on cmy and all sites to me, even only ht1ve partial infiJrnuttion rm them. There's a blank form in this issue which you should feel free to copy as many times as you need just send the fillcd··Ol!t forms back to me! If I don't get a better response, I just may decide that the mcn1bcrship doesn't really want a National Site Guide after all!

It may be pushing it to include a site as far north as this one in our USHGA maga·· zinc, bm try to bear with me this one is worth rhc drive. Western Canada is much warmer than most people have been led to believe, and Lumby is the bang gliding capital of BC. The club members arc all friendly and very active pilots, and rhc townspeople like us too. The scenery is gorgeous, and the small town atmosphere can he extremely refreshing for city boys like me.

The site was opened five years ago under a site use permit, and was called Cooper's Ridge by rhc pilots. Recently rhc town held ;1 contest to rename ir, ,ind "Thermal Rise" was chosen as the winner (rbc name was submitted a local clc · mentary school student). Many of the local pilots srill stick 10 "Cooper's," so the two names arc used imcrchangeably.

There are many other good sites within two hours of Lum by so many that there arc actually more sites around than pilots!

Those of you flying crowded sites would be astonished! Even though the pilot/site ratio is pretty low, there always seem to be at least a few people to fly with. Any flyable day, even dming the week, seems to bring HAN(; CLIDINC

Site Info -Thermal Rise, British Columbia SITE NAME

"Thermal Rise" I Cooper's Ridge, British Columbia

CHAPTER

Lumby Air Force, c/o Peter Warnes, 55 C2 RR #2 Lumby, BC Canada VOE 2GO

LOCATION

Near Lumby, BC (meet at the Shop-EZ in town). Take I-97 north to Vernon, and turn right on Highway 6. Head east to Lumby. Just before you reach the four-way stop in the center of town, the store will be on your right.

ALTITUDE

3,380' MSL, 1,780' AGL.

RATING

Intermediate (Hang III). Paraglider pilots: Class 1. Hang II pilots may be allowed to fly with a local check-out, but 25 hours minimum are required.

PROTOCOL

This is about as low-key and easygoing as it gets. They do ask that you have a current membership with liability insurance, but that's about it!

RESTRICTIONS There is restricted airspace in Kelowna, 30 miles south of Vernon - check with the locals for specifics. There is a turf farm just southwest of Lumby that doesn't appreciate "drop-in's," and fields with crops in them are also off limits (here and every place else!). NOTE: You are responsible for making the farmer happy if you land in a crop field! This will probably mean paying for damaged crops in addition to a strong apology.

FEES

Full Membership: $50/year (available to local pilots only). Daily Pass: Free!

LAUNCH

East (main) Launch: Dirt path with a 10°-15° slope that rounds out suddenly to about 45°. Northeast Launch: Dirt path with a 30° slope and a tree to avoid on the left.

LZ

The main LZ is big and mostly flat, with power lines on two sides. The hay here gets about 1-1/2 feet tall before being mowed, so plan on a no-step landing! Additional fields may also be available, depending on crops. A few miles south is an elementaty school that we are also allowed to land at. (They even have a windsock up in one of the backstops!)

DIRECTION

The main launch faces due east, and is launchable in northeast to southeast winds. The northeast launch doesn't really expand this range much, but makes for easier launches in northeast winds. You should also be ve1y comfortable with cross-wind launches if you plan on flying as often as the locals do.

SETUP AREA

Room for 10 gliders within 50' of launch (30 if the gliders get squeezed together after setup with liberal use of Vaseline).

ROAD

Rugged 2WD road that's dirt almost the entire way. 30 minutes.

CAMPING

There is a Lumby campground available (ask anyone for directions; it's a pretty small town!), and about 30 minutes away there are Provincial Parks with lakes and camping. Some local pilots also have property that" they allow camping on by permission.

X-C

There's fairly good X-C potential here, and there are records just waiting to be set! The site was opened five years ago, and to date many 30-40 mile flights have been made.

EVENTS

The Not-So-Great Race: A fun race that takes place in late spring or early summer. It's a 20-km flight to the Vernon satellite rower and back, and is obviously a spoof on The Great Race at Lookout Mm.

BEST TIME

Cooper's is best from May through July, when altitudes of 7,000'-9,000' are common, and cloudbase can rise as high as 14,000'. September and October are also particularly good, but the site is usually snowbound from the end of November to the end of February.

FREQUENCY

There are few radios around here, but bring your FM. Your U.S. Ham license is good here, but USHGA business band is probably not allowed.

CONTACT

Randy Willford, President 604) 547-6190 Miles Hopkins (604) 542-1632.

MISC

Water skiing, camping, hiking, golf, and a river are all nearby.

SEPTEMBER 1993

Peter Warnes (604) 547-2169- Leo Salvas (604) 547-2422-

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out from three to 10 local pilots llOt too had for a small town.

Local rumor has ir that Dennis Pagen visited Lumby back in the early days and had no success at finding lift. The story goes on to say that he concluded in an car-ly copy of his Micrometeorolop,y book that there arc no thermals north of 1be 49th parallel. J haven't checked out this story with Dennis, but the locals like to tell it whether it's !Tue or not, so T d1ough1 I'd pass it along. (Good thing I don't work for a newspaper, huh?) r can personally attest to the fact that there arc mrmy good thcr-mals near Lumby.

If you've been following my anicles, you may remember a site in Quebec that I wrote up called Yarnaska. Much lime was spent reviewing the different airspace restrictions in Canada. Well, if you're flying around Lumby, you can pretty much frlrget about the airspace and just h;ive fun!

Lurnby is fairly remote and therefore fairly unregulated. X-C presents some obstacles, hm flying with the locals should keep you out of restricted airspace. In case you're worried about it, the primary language in BC is Although it's about 90 miles north of the Washington border, Lumby is well worth the drive. Plan on spending at least a week here in "The California of Canada," and you'll come away with quire a bit of airtime and some folly-charged body batteries.

20

I ii\NC CIIDINC

Site Information Form SITE NAME CHAPTER

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (name) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (address) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (city/state/zip) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (phones including wind talkers)

LOCATION

(general location + directions to LZ, unless launch is monitored and the primary meeting place) ALTITUDE RATING

I

MSL,

I

AGL.

Hang glider pilots: _ _ Paraglider pilots: _ _

(additional skills I sign-offs required or site conditions allowing lower ratings) PROTOCOL

All pilots must be current USHGA members with liability insurance (Yes I No) Waiver required? (Yes I No) Foreign equivalent OK? (Yes I No)

(additional requirements for pilots I check-in procedures I local check-out I etc.)

RESTRICTIONS

(FAA airspace restrictions nearby + any local neighbors to avoid flying over) FEES

Full Membership: _ _ _ _ __ Daily pass: _ _ __

Newsletters/year included: __

(any additional choices or information about membership) LAUNCH

Slope:

0

Cliff? (Yes I No)

Ramp? (Yes I No)

(other information including obstacles I turbulence and any additional launches available) LZ

(size I slope I restrictions I turbulences I grass I dirt I rock I etc.)

DIRECTION

(include direction of each launch and the launchable window or directions)

SETUP AREA

room for _ _ _ gliders within _ _ ' of launch.

ROAD

(2WD / 4WD)

minutes from LZ to launch.

(any restrictions on number of vehicles or speed limits, and paved vs. dirt portions) CAMPING

(info for on-site camping, local campsites, motels, rooms -- try to include prices & phone numbers) X-C

(include info on available LZ's, site records with names of pilots, distances, and final destinations) EVENTS

(info for annual events only -- include name, approximate dates, and a brief description) BEST TIME

(What time of year is good, and how good -- include expected altitudes I flight times. Also note if the site is only open seasonally) FREQUENCY (if your club has a CB, ham, or USHGA business band frequency commonly used by members)

CONTACT

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) (_ _ ) _ _ (HG I PG) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) (_ _ ) _ _ (HG I PG) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) _ _) _ _ (HG I PG) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) (_ _ ) _ _ (HG I PG) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) (_ _ ) _ _ (HG I PG) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (name) (_ _ ) _ _ (HG I PG) (try to include as many names and phone numbers as possible -- This is the most important part!!)

MISC

(anything else important I interesting about the site or surrounding area -- Please enclose any additional rule sheets or maps, and photos of the launches and LZ's) Form filled out by: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please return this form to:

__ - - - - -

(

Rob Richardson P.O. Box 732 Glendale, CA 91209-0732

Copyright 1993 Robert Richardson

$9.95 Pleaae ruah me _ _ 1994 USHGA Hang Gliding carendar(a iat $9.95 each.

SHIPPING Quantity Shipping 1-3 $3.50 4-6 $5.00 7-10 $6.00 In the 48 states, we prefer to ship via UPS. CANADA & MEXICO add $.75 per calendar.

INT'L SURFACE add $1 .50 per calendar INT'L AIR add $5.00 per calendar

VISA or MIC ( circle one )

# _ _ _ _ __ exp. _ _ Sign.

---

Calendar Subtotal $ Colorado residents odd 3 % soles tax $- - Shipping (see chart) $_ __ TOTAL (Make checks payable to USHGA. ) $_ __

Name- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Street Address- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - City _ _ _ _ _ _ _State_ _ _ Zip_ __ MAIL TO: USHGA, PO Box 8300, Colorado Springs CO 80933-8300 Phone: (719) 632-8300 FAX: (719) 632-6417

•

I by · e'd like to take this opportunity to teach you how to use your new harness properly so you will have fun with it and enjoy it for many flights to come. This may sound silly to you, the student, since you've already been flying quite regularly with training harnesses and you may feel you pretty well have it all ured out as far as harnesses go. After all, how difficult can it be to pm your foet in a stir·· rup or cocoon or pod? Well, for most people it isn't that difficult at all; for 01hers it can be hard and even dangerous, and additional instruction is needed.

Whichever category you fall into, take the time to read and practice the following information to help you make rhis transi·· tion, and to ensure that you understand the differences between a training harness and a mountain harness. We want you to safely and comfortably make a smooth transition into your new harness.

Why is your new harness diffcrem from ;i training harness? Let's take a look at train·· harnesses first. 'fhcsc harnesses arc designed to students in a semi-upright flying position, without leg support. This isn't done to keep students uncomfrirtablc and awake so the instrucror will have their undivided anention (although it may do that), but rather frir other reasons: It keeps students upright so they can easily control

24

the glider by flying it from the downtubes.

Ir also keeps students' heads and shoulders higher above the ground for added safety in the event of au unplanned crash landing. And last, no leg support allows students to learn to effccti vel y con rrol rlic glider by bumping their weight over with their hips (where the main harness straps a re).

Yonr new harness is different. It is designed to support all of your weight in a prone position. This makes it easier to fly the glider from the basetube, rather than the downtuhcs, while supporting your entire body, including your legs, for the most comfort. This is quite a difference! With full body support, some students !ind they are apt to over·control rhe glider, or do a con· sidcrable amount of cross-controlling. With a harness designed for the frilly prone position, it becomes a bit more difficult to fly from the downtubes (in a scmi··upright flying position) because the pilot must support his or her weight more to maintain this position. This ofren results in pilots push· ing out or pulling in on the downtubcs in an effort to support their weight.

Over-controlling or cross-controlling is common because as students move their hips over like rhey normally wou Id, all of a sudden their feet follow and go much further 10 one

side than they intended. 'fo correct rhis, smdenrs revert to the old cross··Controlling tendency. It is very important to remember to gently BUMP your weight over and then back to center ro effrxtivcly conrrol the glid. er. Practice this on your first co11ple of' flights with your new harness. And be sure to choose ideal conditions to fly in on your first several flights wirh your new harness.

Keep in mind that getting your foer in your harness and putting your hands on tbe basetube is secondary to flying the glider and watching where you arc going. Up to this point, most all of your flying experience has been with your hands on the downtuhes and your legs dangling from the leg str;ips.

However uncomfortable rhis may be, the glider is still very controllable and handles just fine this way. Your priority is a proper takeoff, flying str,1igl11 away from the mom1tai n (or following another flight plan), maintaining proper airspeed and directional control. Only after successfolly completing the above should you kick imo your harness.

And then put one hand down on the basetube and then the other.

When it's time to move your hands back up to die downrnbes, move one hand 11p to the downtubc, maintaining control of' the glider, then move the other hand up.

If you arc having trouble controlling the glider afrcr transitioning one hand, fly the HJ\NC GUDINC

glider like that (with one hand on the basetube and one on the downtube). You must always maintain control of the glider, regardless of where your hands are! Never let go of the control bar with both hands at the same time.

You may have seen experienced pilots launch from the mountain, kick into their harness, zip it up, put their hands on the basetube, pull their VG cord and make a turn all in a matter of seconds after launch.

You were probably impressed, and may have thought: "Gee, that's smooth, I want to do it just like that."

Don't rush it.' Is there any real reason or advantage to getting your feet in your harness and getting zipped up and putting your hands on the basetube in the first three seconds after launch? We don't think so, and you may lose control of the glider if you do.

Don't be in a hurry to imitate pilots with years and years of experience. They make it look easy, but it took them a lot of practice to do it that smoothly. At this stage of the game, it's far more important for you to practice safe launches by doing each step of the launch carefully and deliberately. If you want to impress your fellow pilots, fly the glider safely!

Remember when you were on the small hill and you kept trying so hard to launch the glider properly, to fly straight, and then to land on your feet? You just couldn't get it right. Then finally the magic day arrived when you could do it instinctively. Without even thinking about it you could just do it!

Getting into your harness, zipping up, etc., requires the same amount of practice, until it becomes instinctive.

The following steps will help make the transition smooth and easy The key to success is, as always, PRACTICE. Practice hanging in your new harness in the shop, or at home hanging in the garage, or impress your neighbors by hanging from a tree in your front yard. What's the most important thing to pay attention to while kicking into your harness and zipping up?

It's to always look ahead (not down at the ground and not down at the harness) and always fly the glider: When you practice getting into your harness and zipping up, practice looking ahead. If you look down, you'll be training yourself to look down. ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD WHERE YOU'RE FLYING! Train yourself to look ahead as you kick into your harness and zip up.

If you can't get your feet in or you can't get zipped up, it isn't that important - you can still fly the glider. Looking down away SEPTEMBER 1993

'7he biggest cause of accidents after launch is looking down at the harness, looking for the zipper pu"1 or looking for the stirrup and forgetting to fly the glide,; thereby getting disoriented.

When you finally get into the harness and bring your attention back to flying the glide,; you have - without realizing it - done a 1BCI' turn back toward launch or are stalled or diving right into the mountain.

11

from your flight path, even for a second, can cause disorientation and unintended pitch or roll input, causing the glider to slow down or speed up and/or turn. You won't notice these changes until you look back up.

If you do look down and this happens to you, how will you react?

The biggest cause of accidents after launch is looking down at the harness, looking for the zipper pull, or looking for the stirrup and forgetting to fly the glider, thereby getting disoriented. When you finally get into the harness and bring your attention back to flying the glider, you have - without realizing it - done a 180° turn back toward launch, or are stalled or diving right into the mountain. As stupid as this sounds, it happens over and over and over. So practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect!

After practicing kicking into your harness and zipping up while looking ahead, you're ready to do it flying off the mountain.

Make sure you do a complete and thorough hang check before each flight. A nice feature of most new harnesses is that they will allow you to hook the harness into the main and backup hang straps before getting into the harness. If you hook your harness into the glider before you get into the harness, you'll never launch unhooked!

FIRST THING TO DO: FLY THE GLIDER You have just launched off the mountain. The very first thing you do is fly the glider. Again, this is the most important thing you can do: FLY THE GLIDER. If you don't get in the harness or the stirrup, it isn't important. You can still fly the glider.

As you do this more and more, eventually, just like the training hill, your launches will become second nature. You should try to establish the very best habits in your launches.

When should you zip up and when shouldn't you? There are different philosophies, and eventually you will probably make up your own. To start with, however, use this rule of thumb: If you are above launch, zip up. If you are below launch, unzip (or stay unzipped). There is no reason to zip up on a sled run. If you use this as a general rule of thumb it will prevent you from doing the following.

Accident Report - Advanced-rated pilot flying a pod harness was on final approach at approximately 40 feet above the ground.

As the pilot was malcing his transition to the downtubes, he realized he had forgotten to unzip his harness. The pilot reached down with his right hand to unzip the harness and the glider pitched up and entered a severe left turn, stalled, and dived into the ground.

This situation could have been avoided!

Remember: always FLY THE GLIDER! What are you going to do if you get in this situation? Hopefully you won't. But if you do, you may just want to forget about unzipping your harness and land the glider on your wheels, just like the tandem flights do in Lookout Mountain Flight Park's landing field, providing, of course, you have wheels and you are landing in a field with ground smooth enough to allow the wheels to do their job. If the field isn't acceptable for wheel-in landings, land the glider as best you can without worrying about unzipping the harness.

If you have any questions about this information, ask your instructor. There's no such thing as a silly question, and the only stupid questions are those that go unasked.

Christian Carmichael-Thoreson has been flying for 14 yean and has held the position of Flight School Director at Lookout Mountain Flight Park and 'Training Center for three years. The author invites any comments or suggestions. He ma)' be contacted at: ~ (706) 398-3541. -Ed ~

25

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Ratings SAFE PILOT AWARDS BRONZE MATTHEW OREY SILVER ERIC MCNETT

LILIENTHAL AWARDS BRONZE TODD PERTEET STACEY BOARD KEN PERZ TODA MASAAKI GOLD BARRY THARAUD D!Alv!OND ERIC WINKLER

X-C FLIGHT AWARDS 50lvf!LES RICK FLOYD GEORGE REEVES JOO MILES ROB RICHARDSON MICHAEL E. CHAMPLIN 150 MILES LARRY TUDOR(l65.8)

BEGINNER RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 BEAVIS, WENDY: Fairbanks, AK; L. Thomas/T & L Sales HECKER, DARIN: Grants Pass, OR; W. Roberts/Southern OR HG JASSO, AARON: Fairbanks, AK; L. Thomas/T & L Sales WALKER, CHRIS: \YIA; D. Raybourn/HG PG School Of Oregon WALLNER, JOHN: Keno, OR; W. Roberts/Southern Oregon HG Region 2 FRASER, SEAN: Olympic Valley, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports JONES, DONALD: Newark, CA; P. Denevan/Mission Soaring Center KIMBER, RYAN: San Jose, CA; P. Denevan/Mission Soaring Center KOOMPIN, JOAN: Modesto, CA; K. Muscio LAVIN, RAFAEL: Daly City, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF QUAYLE, CLAYTON: San Jose, CA; J. Woodward/Natural Fl)'ing SHERIDAN, NOAH: Larkspur, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF SULLIVAN, MARI(: Fresno, CA; W. Brown/Top Flitc HG TAFOYA, RON: Fremont, CA; P. Denevan/Mission Soaring Center WILLIAMS, MARK: San Jose, CA; P. Demecan/lvfission Soaring Center Region 3 DALTON, KEVIN: Upland, CA; R. McKenzie/High Advenrure HARRELL, LINDA: Carlsbad, CA; K. Harrison/Adventures Unlimited HATTORI, CRAIG: Agoura Hills, CA; A. Beem/Windsports KLUG, LEE: Yorba Linda, CA; D. Skadal/Flight Systems MENDOZA, ARTEMIO: Panorama, CA; A. Beem/Windsports SEPTEMBER 1993

Ii

MILLER, LINDA: La Habra, CA; D. Skadal/Flight Systems MORSE, OWEN: Lake Forest, CA; A. Beem/Windsports Region 4 BRANNAN, STEVE: Lakewood, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden \Vings CADWELL, FLOYD: Albuquerque, NM; C. Woods/Up Over NM CARLSON, MARK: Golden, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings KLINE, TIM: Boulder, CO; T. Hackbarr/Golden Wings LONG, TIM: Boulder, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings MADDY, RICK: Boulder, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings O'CONNER, DANIEL: Boulder, CO; M. Windshiemer/Golden Wings PROSSER, GARY: Divide, CO; R. Wilkinson/Eagle's Nest Region 5 LUNDE, BRUCE: Glendive, MT; B. Guderian/Golden Wings Region 7 BANGLEY, DAVID: Perrysburg, OH; S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites HIPPLER, JAMES: Berrien Springs, Ml;]. Darling/Great Lakes HG MCCROSKEY, THOMAS: B. Kushner/Raven Sky Sports Region 8 FARRINGTON, STEPHEN: Wihooski, VT; R. Hastings/Morningside FP LIZARDO, RONNY: Methuen, MA; R. Hastings/Morningside FP MEYETTE, BRIAN: Cornish, NH; R. Hastings/Mornignside FP SNOW, HOPPER: Amherst, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP TORY, SAMANTHA: Topsfield, MA; D. Engel/Morningside FP VASQUEZ, JUAN: Lawrence, MA; R. Hastings/Morningside FP Region 9 BARNESKI, DOUG: Mount Airy, MD; D. Glover/Kitty Hawk Kites BEANE, ANDY: Vienna, WV; R. Cizauskas/Kitty Hawk Kites BUGGS, GARY: Capitol Heights, MD; B. Hagewood/Kitty Hawk Kites BUTLER, LEE: Belcamp, MD; K. Immordino/Kitty Hawk Kites COYNE, DAN: Cleve, OH; M. Delsignore/North Coast HG CRUZ, JUAN: Hampton, VA; K. Immordino DUMM, MARK: Cleveland, OH; R. Cizauskas ELCHIN, SHERRY: Portage, PA; S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites GETTY III, WILLIAM COLVIN: Wallingford, PA; G. Ball/Kitty Hawk HAGEROTT, STEVEN: Hampton, VA; D. Glover/Kitty Hawk Kites HARDWICK, BRIAN: Rockville, MO; J. Middleton/Silver Wings KEMERER, KURTIS: Waynesboro, PA; D. Glover/Kitty Hawk Kites KREIDER, JASON: Hershey, PA; B. Umstand/Sky High MURPHY, FELICITY: Washington, DC; K. Immordino POWELL, DAVID: Centre Hall, PA; M. DeSignore/Norrh Coast SMITH, GARRETT: Pittsburgh, PA; K. Immordino/Kitty Hawk Kites SMITH, DEREK: Chagrin Falls, OH;]. Hooks/Lookout Mrn FP THACH, DON: Ellicott City, MD; R. Cizauskas/Kitt:y Hawk Kites YENCHI, GREG: Springfield, VA; R. Cizauskas/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 10 BAKER, KEITH: Cape Coral, FL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn FP HENSTSCHEL, JEFF: Knoxville, TN;]. Peebles/Lookout Mrn FP HOBBS, SEAN: Cantonment, FL; J. Hooks/Lookout Men FP KONOWAL, ED: Fr. Myers, FL; M. Middleton/Lookout Men FP MITCHELL, LEANA: Huntsville, AL; R. Patterson/Rocket City Airsports NESTER, ARTHUR: Princeton, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG PALMER, DONALD: Ft. Myers, FL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Men FP PESSAGNO, KIRSTEN: Bridgewater, VA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Men FP RIZZI, MICHAEL: Highland, NC; S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites SIDDIQUI, A.M.(ALEX): Adam, GA; C. Thoseson/Lookout Men FP VAN DER GAAG, MARI<: Manteo, NC; S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites WEISS, JOHN: Montgomery, AL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Men FP WOODS JR, ROBERT CHARLES: Douglasville, GA; M. Middleton/Lookour ZIDZIUNAS, MIKE: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG

27

1111 Ratings Region 12 BIERNACKI, STANISLAW: New York, NY; R. Hastings/Morningside FP BLACKWOOD, PHILIP: Aberdeen, NJ; F. Valenza/Mm Wings CROSIER, KENT: Rochester, NY; P. Shultz/Rochester Area Flyers FISHER, JODY: Elmira, NY; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley Soaring JANUSIK, JANUSZ: Hopatcong, NJ; R. Hastings/Morningside FP NEUMAIER, MATT: Edison, NJ; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP O'DELL, BRIAN: Bloomfield, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Area Flyers SAGE, BRUCE: Rochester, NY; B. Lyons/Rochester Area Flyers SELENT, WILLIAM: Rochester, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Area Flyers SHIELDS, D: New York, NY; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP SITARZ, ANDRZEJ: Linden, NJ; R. Hastings/Morningside FP TURAN, MICHAEL: Walworth, NY; B. Lyons/Rochester Area Flyers VOSS, KARL: Rochester, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Area Flyers WELLS, HARRY: Avenel, NJ; D. Myers/Mm Wings

Region 8 FLYNN, MICHAEL: Charlestown, NH; D. Baxter/Morningside FP HEDAYAT, KAYNAM: Chesmut Hill, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP TALEGHANI, BARDIA: Belmont, MA; R. Hastings/Morningside FP Region 9 CARDILLE, FRANK: Fairport, VA; D. Glover/Kitty Hawk Kites DULLAHAN, JOHN: Oxon Hill, MD; J. Middleton/Silver Wings DUTTON, ANDREW: Ellicott City, MD; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP ELCHIN, CHAD: Lock Haven, PA; P. Williams/Kitty Hawk Kites FARBISH, PETER: Alexandria, VA; ].Middleton/Silver Wings FUGINI, TOM: Burlingotn, KY; R. Jacob HARPER, BOBBY: Sterling, VA; J. Middleton/Silver Wings HIGGINS, TERRY: Kill Devil Hills, NC; K. Immordino/Kitty Hawk Kites REISS, MATTHEW: Unadilla, NY; D. Guido/Susquehanna FP ROZEN, YO RAM: Syracuse, NY; E. McNett/Land Sea & Air WOODRUFF, JON: Nags Head, NJ; B. Weaver/Kitty Hawk Kites

NOVICE RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 DUARTE, DENNIS: Mr. Vernon, WA; T. Johns/Cascade Soaring HECKER, DARIN: Grants Pass, OR; W. Roberrs/Souchcrn OR HG JACKSON, LANDIS: Snoqualmie Pass, WA; R. Brown/Airplay KOMAC, MARK: Seattle, WA; R. Brown/Airplay MARTELL, RYAN: Bellingham, WA; S. Kelly/Kitty Hawk Kites MASCHMEIER, WILLY: Langley, WA; T. Johns/Cascade Soaring MOORE, RAY: Anacoutes, \Y/A; J. Fieser/\Xlhatcom Wings SCOTT, BRIAN: Kirkland, WA; R. Brown/Airplay SEGLE, DALE: Entiat, WA; L. Majchrzak/Pacific NW HG Region 2 CARPENTER, LARRY: San Francisco, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF COGGIN, BARKLEY: Mariposa, CA; W. Brown/Top Flite HG INMAN, RANDY:Sutter Creek, CA; P. Godwin/Western HG LAVIN, RAFAEL: Daly City, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF MARS, ERIK: Concord, CA; P. Sussman/Skyline Soaring PERKINS, JONATHAN: Daly City, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF PERRY, OGEN: San Francisco, CA; R. Frey/Airtime of SF SUBLETT, ROGER: San Jose, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring Center SULLIVAN, TODD: Clovis, CA; W. Brown/Top Flite HG TABER, DON: Thousand Oaks, CA; F. Vachss/Ventura County HG Region 3 CHAPMAN, J. RODNEY: Highland, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure DALTON, KEVIN: Upland, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure LEE, CHRISTOPHER: Stevenson Ranch, CA; A. Beem/Windsports MILLER, LINDA: La Habra, CA; D. Skadal/Flighc Systems ROSS, CHUCK: Redlands, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure SCHALLERT, KEVIN: Palmdale, CA; A. Beem/Windsports SCHWARTZ, ANDREW: Los Angeles, CA; A. Beem/Windsports Region4 BIBLER, TODD: Boulder, CO; G. Pollock/Wasatch Wings CADWELL, FLOYD: Albuquerque, NM; C. Woods/Up Over NM DOBBINS, TIM: Aspen, CO; K. Ostrander/Aspen Aero Sports EGAN, BRIAN: Loveland, CO; R. Godman/Ultralight Flight Service HATHAWAY, JAMES: Salt Lake City, UT; D. Sharp/UP Soaring Center KIMBALL, REID: Draper, UT; G. Pollock/Wasatch Wings KLINE, TIM: Boulder, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings MADDEN, LARRY: Aspen, CO; K. Osrtander/Aspen Aero Sports SAMPSON, JIM: Ft. Collins; B. Faris/Front Range HG SHIEVER, ERIC: Frisco, CO; B. Faris/Front Range HG SPORKA, JIM: Crested Butte, CO;T. Hackbart/Golden Wings

Region 10 ARRAIZ, JUAN: Miami, FL; F. Foti/Miami HG BOYD, STEVEN: Hollywood, FL; F. Foti/Miami HG GRAYSON, CONNIE: Newman, GA; D. Jones/Lookout Mm FP HENTSCHEL, JEFF: Knoxville, TN; J. Peebles/Lookout Mtn FP HOBBS, SEAN: Cantonment, FL; J. Hooks/Lookout Mtn FP JONES, KELLY: Rome, GA; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP KONOWAL, ED: Ft. Myers, FL; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP KORDECKI, CHRISTOPHER: Lantana, FL; F. Fotillvfiami HG MANZEL, MICHAEL: Davie, FL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP MCCURDY, MICHAEL: Smyrna, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookom Mm FP MILLER, ROBERT: Tampa, FL; G. McNamee/Graybird Airsport NELSON, JOHN: Menlo, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP NELSON, GARY: Nashville, TN; R. Jacob NESTER, ARTHUR: Princeton, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG PEABODY, BILL: Birmingham, AL; M. Middleton/Lookout Mm FP TURNBULL, MARK: F. Rucker, AL; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP ZIDZIUNAS, MIKE: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG Region 11 HARTER, CHUCK: Austin, TX;]. Hunt/Red River Aircraft JOHNSON, RICHARD: Austin, TX;]. Hunt/Red River Aircraft MCCUNE, DUANE: Dallas, TX; D. Boyles/Kite Enterprises ZIMMERMAN, CHRIS: Pflugerville, TX; J. Holt/Red River Aircraft Region 12 DATESMAN, ANDREW: Somerset, NJ; D. Myers/Mtn Wings FISHER, DAVE: Rochester, NY; B. Bradt/Rochester Area Flyers FORD, ALAN: Spencerport, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Area Flyers JOHNSON, PETER: Williamsville, NY; T. Forster/Rochester Area Flyers NEUMAIER, MATT: Edison, NJ; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP O'BRIEN, MARK: New York City, NY; F. Valenza/Mm Wings SAGE, BRUCE: Rochester, NY; B. Lyons/Rochester Arca Flyers SCHMIDT, JOHN: Fairport, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Area Flyers SHIELDS, D: New York, NY; M. Middleton/Lookout Mtn FP SKINNER, ROBERT: East Aurora, NY; R. McGovern/Rochester Area Flyers

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 COSLEY, KEVIN: Issaquah, WA; T. Johns/Cascade Soaring FRY, BRIAN: Bellevue, WA; R. Brown/Airplay HOFF, TRYG: Olympia, WA; K. Seligman SMITH, GARY: Seattle, WA; T. Johns/Cascade Soaring STONEBROOK, PHILLIP: Ashland, OR; W. Roberts

Region 6 BERTRAM, ERIC: Farmington, MO; D. Jones/Lookout Mm FP

28

HANG GLIDING

Ratings Region 2 ANDRONACO,GREG: El Cerrito, CA; B. Rean/Mission Soaring Center CROMLEIGH, DUANE: San Francisco, CA; R. Travali EATON, STEVE: Pebble Beach, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Sporn EATON, SHEFF: Pebble Beach, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports KINSEY, THEODORE: Lotus, CA; G. Hamilton/Sacramento HG KNUFINKE, RITA: San Mateo, CA; R. Canham LEFHOLZ, LANCE: Carmel, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports VAUTOUR, GREG: Mammoth Lakees, CA; K. Klinefelter/Owens Valley Region 3 GRAMBERGS, KARL: Perris, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure HAMMOND, DAN: Anaheim, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure L'HEUREUX, DANIEL: Vista, CA; R. Mitchell/Eagles Wings HG SARRAILLE, RICHARD: San Clemente, CA; K. Lamb/Windgypsy

II

Region 2 BERESFORD, MARTIN: San Francisco, CA; W. Anderson/Chandelle CONNERS, ROBIN: Mammoth Lakes, CA; K. Klinefelter/Owens Valley EVANS, DANIEL: Monterey, CA; T. Shea/Wings ofRogallo GRAY, OSCAR: Carmel Valley, CA; R. Patterson/Berkeley HG LANCE, REBECCA: San Francisco, CA; K. Fiebig/Airtime of SF LEAHY, DAN: Fremont, CA; R. Visaya/Natural Flying MANION, JULIE: Quincy, CA; P. Gadd/Cloud Street Gang MANNING, ROLLA: Las Vegas, NV; A. Sparks/So NV HG Assn MERRICK, BILL: San Francisco, CA;]. Tindle NAGEL, WILLIAM: Reno, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports PEKIN, PATRICK: Monterey, CA; M. Knowlden/Rebel Wings HG SPEAR, RAY: Roseville, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF SUGG, GREG: Benicia, CA; R. Fischer/MLSR Region 4 MALMSTEN, CARL: Tooele, UT; M. Knowlden/Rebel Wings THOMPSON, CRAIG: Denver, CO; T. Costello YSTESUND, KEITH: Durango, CO; B. Thompson/Desert HG WASIENSKI, ROBERT: Los Alamos, NM; M. Glantz

Region 4 BROOKS, JAMES: Albuquerque, NM; C. Woods/Up Over NM CORLEY, MATT: Boulder, CO; S. Westfall/Boulder Flight FOLEY, WILLIAM: Albuquerque, NM; G. Nicolet HARRIS, JOHN: Albuquerque, NM; M. Knowlden, Sr./Rebel Wings HG MANG, CHUCK: Albuquerque, NM; C. Woods/Up Over NM NELSON, MIKE: Wellington, CO; B. Faris VINCENT, DON: Layton, UT; M. Knowlden/Rebel Wings HG VINCENT, ANGELA: Layton, UT; M. Knowlden/Rebel Wings HG WHEELER, MINDEY: Midvale, UT; K. Stowe/Windrider

Region 8 JESTER, DAN: Bristol, CT; K. Gurskis

Region 6 DIXON, BOB: Havana, AR; D. Dunning/Central AR Men Pilots KERNS, JAMES: Russellville, AR; D. Dunning/Central AR Men Pilots SIMMONS, BOB: Nixa, MO; W. Finn TARVER, ALLAN: N.Litde Rock, AR; P. Dunning/Central AR Mm Pilots

Region 10 LABADO, MICHAEL: Chickamauga, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Men FP NAZARIO, FELIX: APO AE; R. Rojas/Caribbean Airsports SUMMERS, WILLIAM: Rising Fawn, GA; B. Chalmers/Lookout Mm FP WORMSBY, TOM: Stone Mountain, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookour Mm FP

Region 7 EADS, TERRY: Chicago, IL; M. Bunner/Glide Path RAYMER, SAM: Grand Rapids, lvU; lv!. Knowlden/Rebel \'l'ings HG

Region 12 HARRISON, WALT: Lake George, NY; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports HENRY, PETER: Fremont, CA; J. Audy MARIANO, MARK: Danville, PA; G. Reeves/Windsports Intl

Region 7 SIEPMAN, WARREN: Foxlake, IL; B. Kushner/Raven Sky Sports

Region 8 PYLES, TANJA: lvliddletown, CT; J. l'\icolay/Morningside FP MASTER RATINGS Region 9 KLEIN, OLIVIER: Cambridge, MA; J. Greblo/Windsports ROWAN, KIM: Cresaptown, MD; J. Rowan/Mountaineer HG Region 10 AZURMENDI, ALAIN: Decatur, GA; B. Chalmers/Lookout Mm FP COLEMAN, BROOKS: Dania, FL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP GAICOMAZZI, MICKEY: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami Hang Gliding GREKOWICZ, GERALD: Signal Men, TN; M. Taber/Lookout Men FP RUSHING, LARRY: Thonotosassa, FL; S. Flynn/Central FL Flyers SCHMICK, JEFF: Orlando, FL; M. Taber/Lookout Mm FP Region 11 TERRELL, LEE: New Orleans, LA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP Region 12 CARTER, GARY: Deruyter, NY; E. Minett/Land, Sea, & Air HG KEYES, ED: Andover, NJ; P. Jolont/Fly High HG SOBAN, PAUL: Somerset, NJ; G. Black/Mountain Wings

DAVID D UECKER

FOREIGN RATINGS BEGINNER BLUM, VOLKER: Stroud, Ontario;K. Dinzl/Skysailing Ontario GROTE, BYRON: London, England;S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites STRATEMAN, HOWARD: Saudi Arabia; S. Comer/Kitty Hawk Kites NOVICE DILLWORTH, SIMON: Gloucester, England; R. Lisle/Lookout Mtn FP MAKELA, GERRY: St. Catherines, Ontario;O. Jones/Ontario HG

INTERMEDIATE BUDZINSKI, MIROSLAW: Brantford, Ontario; M. Gates

TANDEM ONE RATINGS ADVANCED RATINGS

GEORGE STEBBINS

PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School TANDEM INSTRUCTOR Region 1 MCMINN, JUSTIN: Chelan, WA; B. Mdvlinn ZOONES, MIKE: Waterville, WA; B. Morgan/Rattle Snake HG SEPTEMBER 1993

DAVID BRIDGES STEVE FLYNN KELLY HARRISON

29

I II

I

Ii

World leji to right~ to bottom: Tony Barton, Iehmann, Jim Nelson Brad Koji, Mark Gibson, Chris Arai. Photo by Rob Kells.

.10

rli\NC CIIDINC;

U.S. Team leader T)ete Lehmann accepts the firstpl4ce team trophy. Photo

by Rob T<elLr. small whirlwind stalks up the hillside, gathering sand particles and spinning them into the air. "Dust Devil!" yell several pilots as they run to secure their gliders against this powerful roaming nightmare. With a mind of its own, this wandering windstorm spots an unprotected Airwave glider and takes flipping it over while pilots scramble toterminate its solo flight.

Looking down from the launch site, 4,000 above the valley floor, a procession of vans toting as many as six gliders each winds its way up the steep, bumpy road like an army of worker ants on a mission. vehicle trails a cloud of dust in its wake, blinding anyone directly behind them.

The dust is everywhere. 1t covers your car, your clothes, your skin; it dries out your mouth and irritates your eyes. With each step, a puff of dust rises from tbc ground, resembling an astronaut walking on the moon.

The Owens Valley is a moonscape. The land-shaping forces have been at work for millions of years, leaving behind unmisrnkablc geologic features. Pilots must drive up the alluvial fan that pours out of the canyon next to Gunter Launch; they soar over earthquake scarps and catch thermals off volcanic debris. Students of geology converge on the area to study in this well preserved laboratory; hang glider pilots get a bird's eye view.

This barren corner of the Grear Basin was the honored host to the 1993 World Hang Gliding Championships where teams representing 32. nations came to test their aeronautical skills against one another ,md against the powerful thermals of the Owens

World Meet Director Jim Zeiset presents Chris Arai and Marl, Gibson with the second and third pl4ce individual medaLr. Photo by Rob Kelk

Valley.

The Owens Valley and the White and Inyo Mountains lie in the rain shadow of the Sierra, creating a high desert. All three mountain ranges were formed by crustal I ifting, but to the west, the Sierra is jagged, cut by glacial movement. 'fo the east, the White and Inyo Mountains arc smooth and rounded. Glaciers never formed there due to lack of rainfall. Smooth hillsides coupled with sparseness of trees make it ideal to launch here.

The official race organization directed

by Jim Zeiser numbered 40. Zeisct's rigid managerial style rubbed some the wrong way: he often snapped at his staff and would pace the stage during meetings resembling an army general addressing his troops. However, despite bis temperament, Zeiset strived to accommodate the pilots as they arrived in this foreign land by arranging van rentals equipped with glider racks, offering oxygen system rentals, making available spare glider parts, organizing accommodations and providing foreign money exchange. I fr also cased the pilor's minds when he declared his organization would cover the bill for the use of an emergency helicopter, hence eliminating the apprehension a pilot might have about calling in help because of concern over the high cost.

Their concern was legitimate. Pilots were expecting to fly as high as 18,000 feet in the infamously turbulent thermals gen·, by the hot, dry air baking on the desert floor. Waiting precariously below them was a fohyrinth of canyons, steep gul-lies and sagebrush miles and miles of sagebrush. No one wished to become acqtwinted with the intricate features of

this inhospitable countryside. This was a place suited for lizards and rattlesnakes, not people. Assured rescue procedures were a must!

In an effort to emphasize the seriousness of the flying conditions in the Owens, the race organizers assembled mandatory safety seminars prior to the start of the event.

Hosted by Kari Castle, the meet's safety director, the gatherings were designed to highlight the less obvious and reiterate the conspicuous dangers a pilot might encounter.

The competition began on June 2.8 with an elimination round. The field of 161 pilots was divided into two groups, designated yellow and blue. Each national team was split so that approximately half the team was flying in each group. The launch sequence alternated every day, with both groups aiming for the same goal.

On most days, just prior to launch, competitors and crew were treated to the flying antics of master sailplane pilot John Reilly. As a local, John enjoys an intimate relationship with the Owens. And as a follow soaring pilot, he thrilled in prefimning mischievous stunts for his captive audience.

He often buzzed the hillside, sometimes coming within l O of the ground. lk took his sailplane through loop after loop, often sets of IO in a row. Everyone welcomed the entertainment as it helped break the routine of setting up and cased the tension of anticipation.

Despite the heat on the ground, genera Uy 36° pilots transformed into creatures from space as they piled on layers of clothing and equipment before launch.

During the competition, freezing level ranged from 13,000 feet to 15,500 feet, (continues ... )

51:YTEMBEI, 1993

31

Brenda Stock, meet employee, had pilots in the palm ofher hand. Photo by Gerry Charlebois.

while maximum soaring altitude ranged from 10,000 feet to 18,000 feet.

After launch , the gaggle of gliders ascended, slowly transforming into a cluster of colored specs against the blue sky, spiraling upward, clearly defining the shape of the thermal.

The first day of flying held perfect conditions as the two groups covered 108 km, with 121 making goal. However, an incident involving a British pilot set a mood of caution. Bruce Goldsmith was soaring just west of White Mountain Peak when his glider tumbled and his leading edge failed. He quickly and successfully deployed his parachute and began his descent. Luckily Bruce landed on a snowfield and escaped injury.

His radio was damaged in the fall, making it impossible for him to call for assistance, so he started trekking down the cactus-lined canyon. In the meantime, a rescue team was deployed. They headed up a remote four-wheel-drive road by truck to the area a Norwegian pilot reported as the crash site. The crew found the wreckage and a note from Bruce stating his intention to walk out.

Bruce Goldsmith didn't find his way home that evening, and spent

34

the night with the coyotes. He called the organizers the next morning from a gas station at the base of the canyon; his ream leader picked him up, and he was back on launch, ready to fly, within a few hours.

The second day's task involved a turn point at Basalt, Nevada, with goal set at the Tonopah Rest Area, a point so insignificant that road maps fail to mark its existence.

This route began by flying north along the White Mountains, known for its tremendous lift, and offered extremely bumpy conditions over Boundary Peak, the northernmost point on rhe Whites.

Ir was on this day that world champion Tomas Suchanek made an error in judgment that almost cost him the race. He was flying with a group along a ridge when he decided to break away and head straight for goal. Despite his 10,000-foot soaring elevation, he sunk when he left the ridge and landed 36 km short of goal. Tomas lost hundreds of points with just one mistake.

Instead of beating himself up, he decided to sit back and enjoy the flying, a strategy

BELOW: View ofthe valley and a typical Worl.d Meet gaggle. Photo by Pat Page.

Sailplane pilot john Riley entertains hang glider pilots by buzzing launch. Photo by Gerry Charlebois. which would later prove fruitful.

Forry-four pilots reached that blip on the map on the second day of flying. And 74 made it the 113 km to goal in Luning, Nevada on the third day, this time without incident.

The blue and yellow groups enjoyed a total of five flying days out of eight in the preliminary rounds which ended on July 5. On the morning of July 6, a list of 80 finalists was distributed and the pilots set their sights for the homestretch.

Now the mood on the hill changed; rhe pressure increased; there was no longer room for error.

A mistake like the one Tomas Suchanek made could not be compensated for, as there were only five flying days left. Each day would count heavily; each pilot must give it his all.

Tomas Suchanek had managed to recover his position somewhat. By the start of the finals he sat in 10th place overall. Two German pilots, Bob Baier and Karsten Gaebert, were flying in fine form, sitting in forth and fifth places respectively.

And at the time of the cut, Steve Moyes and Chris Arai were tied for first.

Ar this point, the best teams in the world had established themselves HANG GLIDING

in the top IO the order teams would be shuffled around a bit, but they were sure to never let in any other team. The United States and Australia held ftrst and second, and would maintain this position un1il the And the German team sat in third place.

One of die prerequisites for flying on the German World Team was that each pilot must have flown in the Owens Valley bcfrm:. This experience paid they were making a powerful impression. "We arc not so concerned ahout individual wins," explained team leader Richard Hermann.

"What is most important is to work as a group."

The German team, and every other leading team !mew that this p" included rnore than just the pilot. ft meam that team leaders, drivers, wives, friends and relatives all must collaborate, forming a foundation, a system of support from which each pilot could for any" thing wind direction to a ride home. support crew logged hundreds of kilometers on long stretches of bleak road"" way or mountain roads, battling sunburn, boredom and the high"" way patrol. spent hours Lalking on the radio, as many as six pilots at a time, making sure received helpful information. The days were long, sometimes into the early hours of the morning due to the lengths the tasks and the distances of the goal from home.

And early the next morn the whole would The ftrst day the finals, their sixth day of flying, followed along the Whire Mountains nonh 10 a rnrn point, then south, then north again, ending at an earthquake fault scarp at Fish Slough. The crew was stressed as groups of five or six gliders crossed within seconds of each other. gliders made goal 1ha1 60 of them landing within one hour of each other, with Arai, Cihson and Suchancl, placing one, two, three.

On the second day of the finals, the task committee voted to send the group around the sout:h end of the White Moun 1ains inro Nevada, then north up Fish Lake Valley, an isolated basin occupied by alfrdfo ranches and tumbleweed. The goal was Coaldale, a point which in M;iy, 1()93 made national news for being the epicenter of an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale.

This day on launch was a painful reminder of how powerful the Owens

of

SEPTEMBER 1q<)3

The U.S. team and their "Fly or Die".flag: Photo by

Valley thermals are. An Italian pilot, Andrea Noseda, made the mistake of thermaling too close to the hill. At only 60 foet up, he attempted to do a 360 and stalled.

Pilot and glider crashed to the ground.

Race organizers quickly arranged for emergency services while EMTs provided medical assistance. The standard Hight for Life helicopter was unavailable and the local rescue services were too slow in responding, therefore, much to the alarm of authorities, Jim Zeise! went over their heads and had a marine Chinook heli" copter (a tank) that happened to be ar rhe Bishop airport at the fly in for the evacuation.

"From the time he impacted rhe mountni n until the helicopter had him off the hill was 43 minutes," explained Zeiser. "[ think that set the rest of the pilots at ease when they saw this all happen right in front of them."

Andrea was lucky. I Tc suffered a compression fracture of vertebrae of the spine. There was no sign of paralysis and he was able IO bead home within two or three days.

On the same day, U.S. pilot Brad Koji also had a rnn-in with gravity when he struggled with a violent thermal over Fish Lake Valley. "The glider completely exploded," Brad explained. "fr was a sym" metrical collapse; hoth leading edges failed!" Within a half second Brad hit the sail, then came right side up underneath the glider, completely disoriented. "T didn't get any warning of going over the falls. All

of a sudden there was this Dacron wall in front of me that I ran into," stated Brad.

The pieces of his glider went everywhere, according to a witness who was flying right behind him. Amazingly, tbe glid" cr's control bar was still intact. Brad was lucky to not get tangled in the wreckage.

He deployed his parachute and got a 1O,OO(Hc)Ol, l CJ-minute ride down, making a sofr and safe.: landing in an alfalfa field.

Brad was fortunate and grateh1l for surviving his ordeal unscathed. Unfortunately, he had been sitting in the top l O and lost a lot of rime in his standings.

News of tumbles became common dming the World Championships, Brad Koji's episode being the most dramatic. Besides Bruce Coldsmith, another U. K. pilot, Robin Hamilton, survived a tumble of his glider with only stitches on his nose. Carl Braden of Australia and Jim Lee of the U.S. team also tucked their gliders but rccov"" ered, somehow finding the intestiml fortitude to continue ro fly. Their courage was truly admirable.

The bumpiness and strength of the thermals raised concern among many of the pilots. "The wind picks someone every day," said one French pilot half· jokingly.

"And says 'it's your turn to rumble."'

Midair collisions were feared following launch because of the large number of glid"" ers in the air at the same time. This tension was compounded by the fact that the air was rough, forcing pilots to fight hard to keep it steady.

T'be U.S. pilots who were used ro this

35

disturbance countered that the conditions were not dangerous. In fact, this was a relatively mild season. "You can control strong air to a point," claimed Jim Lee. "It's characteristic of the Owens, and every pilot who comes here has to accept that." Hence, the contest continued with the pilots begrudgingly accepting the vicious atmosphere, swallowing hard with each takeoff Day three of the finals took the gliders into Nevada again. It was a taxing day with only five pilots making goal. Tomas Suchanek consistently finished either third or forth, bringing him up to second place overall. Miguel Gutierrez of Mexico was making an impressive showing and sat in third place. Mark Gibson of the U.S. and Bob Baier of Germany held forth and fifth respectively. And Chris Arai was still first overall.

The next to the last day of the championships came to be known as the "Crater Mountain fiasco." Jim Zieser decided to override his task committee's recommendations and chose a course that would take them off the ridge. The gliders headed north to a turn point, then west toward Crater Mountain, an inactive cinder cone, only to fizzle in the headwind over Glass Mountain. Many pilots didn't make it to the second turn point, and no one made it to goal. This jostled the leaders with Arai finishing 27th, Suchanek 34th, Gutierrez 29th, Gibson 8th, and Baier 10th. T h e overall standings coming into the last day hadn't changed much, except that Steve Moyes and John Pendry had somehow snuck into sixth and seventh place. This was to be a decisive day. There were four former world champions competing, and each had the opportunity to become the first two-time World Champion: Steve Moyes, Tomas Suchanek, John Pendry and Robbie Whittall. Three of them were in striking distance.

The task for the final day was once again a ridge run: north-south-north, ending at Flynn Landing Zone. Distance: 173 km. After making the turn point to the north, the pilots headed south into a headwind, stringing out the field. Tomas Suchanek, well aware that this was his last chance, made a flawless flight and was the forth glider into goal.

Chris Arai unfortunately struggled in the wind and spent a lot of extra time thermaling, trying to maintain elevation to make it past the southern turn point, then head to goal. He finished 16th, 19 minutes behind Suchanek.

36

A teammate of Arai's, Nelson Howe, offered some assistance by not crossing goal, and instead landed at the far end of the field, hoping that fewer people making goal would help Arai's chances of maintaining his lead position. "I really enjoyed the strategy," Suchanek later commented, accepting this to be all a part of the competition.

The team tactic didn't work, however, and Tomas Suchanek moved ahead of Chris Arai, beating him by only 11 points.

Mark Gibson maintained his third position, and Moyes and Pendry finished forth and fifth.

The overall team standings were significantly shaken on the last day. The German team had some trouble with the wind and lost two places, finishing in sixth overall.

Switzerland and Austria slid above them to finish forth and fifth respectively. The

United Kingdom placed third, Australia second, and the U.S. team became the World Champions for the first time in their flying history.

At the closing ceremonies the following day, the Australian team had only one thing to say. "We beat the Brits," declared team leader, Clive Gilmour. "That's what we came for!"

"It is every pilot's dream to fly in the Owens Valley," a Brazilian pilot declared at the closing ceremonies. "And we have lived the dream!"

It is generally believed that no gold medal has ever been won by a U.S. pilot in a world meet. Howeve1; in the second FA! World Championships in 1979, in Grenoble, France, U.S. pilot Rex Miller won the gold medal in Class II (rigid wing) flying a ~ Manta Fledgling. - Ed. ~

1993 World Meet Results Individual

Team Place

Countiy

Place Pilot

Co11nt1y

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 31) 32)

USA Australia United Kingdom Switzerland Austria Germany France Brazil Mexico Italy Japan Canada Norway Czech Republic Sweden Slovenia South Africa Spain Hungary Russia New Zealand Netherlands Israel Latvia Portugal Taiwan Puerto Rico San Marino Poland Slovakia Colombia South Korea

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 31) 32) 33) 34) 35) 36)

Czech USA USA Australia UK Mexico Austria Australia USA Germany Switzerland Italy Switzerland France UK France Brazil Brazil Austria Japan Sweden Australia Australia USA UK Germany Canada USA UK Germany Switzerland Germany France Mexico Brazil USA

Tomas Suchanek Chris Arai Mark Gibson Steve Moyes John Pendry Miguel Gutierez Manfred Ruhmer Mark Newland Jim Lee Bob Baier Roger Strub Karl Raichegger Christian Voiblet Alain Chauvet Darren Arkwright Jean Dumont Coelho Paulo Marcelo Alho Rupert Plattner Masahiro Minegishi Mats Karlsson Drew Cooper Dave Adams Tony Barton Robbie Whittall Karsten Gaebert Randy Haney Nelson Howe Peter Harvey Bob Aumer Federico Martini Ralph Striewski Richard Walbec Rodolfo Gores Sandoli Alvaro Brad Koji

HANG GLIDING

The U.S Hang Gliding Team First-Time World Champions "What constitutes the dignity ofa craft is that it creates a fellowship, that it binds men together and fashions for them a common language... " -

Antoine de Saint Exupery, Wind, Sand and Stars

T

he U.S. Hang Gliding Team, generally regarded as too fragmented to work well as a unit, silenced their critics by banding together, creating a tightly-knit flying machine. At home in their own backyard, this six-man squadron acquired an early lead and held it over Australia and the United Kingdom respectively.

What was their secret? Was their equipment superior? Did they eat special food? Not quite. Perhaps the most critical factor that led to the success of this team, unlike any other U.S. team in the past, was the internal cohesion they maintained. They liked each other; they trusted each other; most importantly, they respected each other.

"We were fortunate in chat this was a uniformly excellent team," asserted team leader, Pete Lehmann. "Every single member had a legitimate expectation of finishing in the top ten." In fact, half the team did. Therefore there was no subordination, no hierarchy amongst the members. They maintained an attitude of reliance and cooperation with one another for the greater good of the team, instead of flying as individuals, which could tear a team apart.

"The concept of team event verses individual event are converse; they're opposed in most instances," explained Jim Lee, firstranked member of the team. "It's real easy for those two things to screw up one or the other because they're differing concepts that you're working towards at the same time. It's one of the main difficulties that every team here had to face."

It wasn't until the very last day of the championship that a member of the team was asked to sacrifice his personal standings for another member.

By the final day, Tomas Suchanek was trailing Chris Arai by only 57 points. Tomas had a great flight and was the forth person into goal. The tension started rising as everyone checked their watches to see how long it would be before Arai arrived. Nineteen minutes later, Arai flew over goal, achieving 16 place; he had not had one of his best days.

The next crucial element in deciding the points for the day was how many pilots crossed goal. The more pilots who crossed devalued the distance points and increased speed points.

"Ac that point, there was some rapid calculator punching," explained U.S. pilot Nelson Howe. "We determined that if I were SEPTEMBER 1993

to cross goal, I might detract from Chris' chances of sustaining his first place position." Therefore, Nelson flew over to the other side of the field and landed, never crossing goal. "It wasn't going to affect the team's standings," insisted Nelson. "Plus, I would have felt really bad if Chris lost his position because I crossed goal."

As it turned out, Tomas had collected the points he needed and finished the championships 11 points ahead of Chris. Nelson's sacrifice was not needed, but was appreciated.

The vastness of the desert region and the distance of the tasks demanded intelligent communication. Therefore, savvy use of the radio proved to be a vital technique in their team tactics. They learned to be economical with their radio use, offering information when available and minimizing chatter.

Flying as a dese:t pilot proved to be another significant factor that influenced this team's victory. Most pilots on the team have flown the Owens on a regular basis. Mark Gibson, who lives in Bishop, could probably fly anywhere in the Owens Valley with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back. For them, flying the desert is "fun." "If we're not freezing cold at 18 grand gettin' our cage rattled," exclaims Tony Barton, former U.S. National Champion, "It's like ... hell, this is boring soaring man!"

For the most part, the team was unintimidated by the characteristically turbulent thermals the Owens dishes out. "The Owens Valley has the biggest air in the world," charges Jim Lee. ''And every pilot who comes here has to accept that." Acceptance and respect for the intensity of the area helped this unlikely ~ bunch achieve their first-ever World Championship victory. ~

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37

cult for him to travel out of the country to compete. llowever, the democratic system now governing the Czech Republic allows free movement of its citizens.

TcHnas has spent two w four months out of the last five winters in Australia, working in the Moyes factory developing new gliders.

"Every glider is just the mirror of its designer," declares Tomas. He believes that every glider manufacturer has a unique philosophy about how to build and test their product. "I like the way Steve is testing the gliders," Tomas explained. "Because of his 25 years of experience, he has really good feeling to test the gliders." Steve flies each one and says whether this is good or that is bad; this glider has a problem with pitch stability or that glider is weak at a certain speed. "He spends a lot of time just tuning the glider before he will release it on the market."

'The Xtra-lite glider has received extrarigorous testing... in the World Championships. It is now on the market and holds great promise! And 'lomas holds promise as well as he continues with his flying career. It is likely success will once again visit his doorstep.

Fi "7o dretirn ttnything that you w11nt to drectm.

That is the beauty ofthe human mind. ]r; do anything that you Wttnt to do.

That is the strength ofthe human will.

7o trustyourselfto testyour limits.

That is the courage to succeed. " Bernard Edmonds

mcrican pilots arc ofren rumored to fly independently, shying away rom gaggles and less likely to work well with ,l te,un. Ironically, it was an independently-minded Czech Republic pilot, Tomas Suchanek, who out-individualized a U.S. pilot by only 11 points to win the gold medal in the 1993 World Hang Gliding Championships, becoming the first person in his10ry to twice reign as World Hang Gliding Champion.

Pour out of five of the top pilots bcnefi ted by having teams which finished in the top three positions. Only 'fomas flew with minimal national team support. "This is the way I do gliding," 'fomas revealed. " [ am just a strong individualist and lly by myself." 'fo his advantage, Tcm1as relied on sever-al allies during the event: the Moyes family and the Australian team. I-le and Steve Moyes llew on the same radio frequency, while the Czech Team Leader Robert Bozik, Bill Moyes, and Steve's wife supplied critical ground infi:)rmat:ion.

Standing little over five-feet tall, with a gentle smile and soft-spoken demeanor, this 28 year old would not strike you as a World Champion. He lacks the aggressiveness and vanity one might expect from such a consistent winner. Nevertheless, Tomas Suchanek possesses qualities most pilots strive for: an eye for recognizing good air and a bead for generating wise decisions.

Prior to arriving in the Owens Valley, Tomas stayed four weeks in Southern California, completing work on the new glider he was to use in the Worlds. He toiled every morning, anxiously testing the glider, fine-tuning it like a craftsman fret-·

3B

ting over a fine piece of wood, in anticipation of lJ .S. certification. Finally, just one week before the championships began, the glider received approval. Tomas flew his new model, the Xtra-lite, throughout the competition. 1t performed beautifully, especially on the last day. While approach-goal, Tomas reached speeds of 85 mph, sneaking by Chris Arai of the U.S. and accruing enough points take the overall victory. 'lomas had trailed Chris Arai throughout most of the race. On the second day, Tomas took rhe risk of /lying out in front of the others, but soon suffered the folly of his decision: he was forced to land out.

"When I lost so much time," Tomas recalled, "I realized I probably lost the chance to win, so I got much more relaxed." He began flying for fun, which helped him tremendously. Tt was now Chris who was under pressure. "Chris was in front; he could only lose," Tomas explained. "Plus, he was /lying the wrong glider.

'Tomas has entered only three World Championships during his 13 years of flying. The Communist Party controlling Czechoslovakia prior to 1989 made it diffi-

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I Vic Powell tto Lilienthal, who in the years 1891 to 1896 performed over 2,000 glides of up to 330 yards in Germany at Werdcr, Stcglitz, Lichtcrfdde and Rhinower, generated enthusiasm and served as a model to the many gliding devotees who would follow.

Wilbur and Orville Wright, inAuenccd by reading about Lilienthal's flights, determined early that mastering control of the aircraft was critical before adding power to the machine. These first successfol gliding experimenters were self taught.

The first major gliding school was established near Palaiseau in l 906 by the Aeronautic Club or France. 'l'he Wrights had not yet demonstrated their aircrafr in France at that ti me, so the school used the bi-wing Chanute gliders developed in the United States. These gliders had the same limitations as the Lilienthal glider: the pilot could only use the weight of the individual's legs to control the direction or the machine. Yet, some or the school's early pupils later contributed to the development of aviation.

The first major aviation meets were also conducted in France at Port-Aviation

40

airfield between Juvisy and Savigny on May 23, J 909. Reports published at the time indicate that the public attended in such numbers that there were not enough trains to return them to Paris.

The Wright brothers learned to fly and control their glider on the dunes al Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, now the town of Kill Devil Hills. Between 1899 and 1902 the Wrights conducted gliding experiments on the dunes augmented with design modifications generated from their wind tunnel studies in Dayton, Obio to improve their aircraft.

Their l 902 glider was the best in the world and served as the model that was enlarged to incorporate a motor.

The Wrights wrote extensively abom their visits to North Carolina's Outer Banks, describing it as the most enjoyable time of their lives. They camped ar the site and were exhilarated by the gliding. They chose the area because of the winds on the Outer Banks, ideal for their experiments.

Some things have not changed on the Outer Banks. The winds are identical to those experienced by rhe Wrights, and the sand dune where they conducted

171e Hang Gliding 5}ectacular, in Nags Head, NCfaatures competition in which both novice and experienced pilots fly the course. Photo by Ntmcy Mc Williams.

their flights is still there.

About three miles south of the Kill Devil dune, now topped by a monument and stabilized with grass, arc the Jockey Ridge dunes in Nags Ffead where conditions are similar to what the Wrights enjoyed -- steep sides, and acres of treeless sand. 'The situation presented to today's flyer al the top of' the dune is exactly what the Wrights enjoyed over 90 years ago. This historic thrill is still available to flyers who seek to follow in the footsteps or the Wright brothers.

Hang gliding has been conducted on the dunes since 1973. Hang gliding instruction and sales have been available at the site since J 974 from Kitty Hawk Kites, the largest and one of the oldest hang gliding schools in the United States, and sponsor or the Hang Gliding Spectacu Iar. Hang gliding competition at the site, the Hang Gliding Spectacular, marks its 22nd annual meet on May l 2-1 5, 1994.

The Wright's dune-soaring record of nine minutes 45 seconds was broken at the I gathering by Bob Keeler, of Manhattan Beach, California, in a Seagull III with a flight or 13 minutes 20 seconds. Time alofr is now measured in hours, and when the winds arc sufficient the flyer is limited only personal comfort. In the intervening years the dunes 1-l/\NC; GUDINC

have been witness to thousands of students, competitors, fun-flyers, and event winners.

In l 994, in recognition of the 22nd anniversary of the annual fun zone event, the Jiang Gliding Spectacular has been unofficially named the "Double Deuce."

The outstanding combination of compe· tirion, dinner, street dance and awards is being augmented by an antique hang glider fun-fly and old-timer gathering conducted during the lunch breaks of the competition. Any glider constructed in the 1970's, and any hang glider pilot who flew during rhe '?O's, qualifies. At the dinner a certificate will be given for the aviation cosrnme that best recalls the l 90(l 1920 pioneer period.

A special invitation and welcome is also extended to hang glider fliers outside rhe United States to attend and/or panic·· ipare in the competition or the old-timer fun--fly. Either bring your glider or rent one from Kitty Hawk Kites, sponsor of the events. For information about equip-mcnt rentals or rcservadons for the competition and fon-fly, or to let us know you are corning, call Kitty I Iawk Kites at (919) 441-4124, or wrire to PO. Box 1839, Nags Head, NC 27959.

Information about motels and restaurants can be obtained from rhc Dare County 'fourism Office, Manteo, NC 27954 (919) 38.

The competition offers great fun to participants and spectators alike. The techniques of the fliers and the pcrfor· mancc capabilities of the latest machines are marvels to behold in the up·-close environment of rhe dunes. 'I 'he Hang Gliding Spectacular is one of the few contests in the sport where one can sec tlie entire Aight, adding to the apprecia· tion of the human dimension of hang gliding.

The unique opportunity presemed by the Double Deuce to sec once again the early kites skimming down the dunes can tng at the heartstrings of those who used sucli machines to become air· borne in t:he early years of the sport. Jusr like the e;irly pioneers of aviation, many hang glider pilots were self taught.

Among the old-timers, swapping "'I'hcrc I Was" stories cm add to one's repertoire

SIPIEMBFR 1993

hm zone clements of the Double Deuce HanK S)ectacular include an old-timersfim fly aviation costume contest. At a previous event the contest: was won by Rog Rogallo costumed rts Captain Midnif!,ht. Vzc Powell is in his Great V?aldo Pepper outfit. Photo by Michr1el Dawson.

with which to later astound ground.hound humans and bring life to stuffy parties.

So, relive those wonderful days of yes-· teryear, and plan w participate in the glory days of today at the Double Deuce 1994's llang Gliding Spectacular May 12-15, at Jockey Ridge State Park in Head, Nortb Carolina. The invitation and southern hospitality extend to hang glider flyers and enthusiasts around the world.

by Mark Sawyer ell, I guess you could go to the Nationals if you didn't have anything better to do, or maybe the Sandia Classic, or even one of the World Meets held this year, but any of those would be small consolation for missing the Mother of All Hang Gliding Meets, the 1993 Miller Canyon Cloud Suck Open.

More than a half-dozen top-ranked (after a weekend of camping, we all smelled pretty rank) pilots showed up for this annual event.

Saturday, July .31. The first day's offlcial task was to have fun. Jerry Fowler, Jason Otto, and Tcmy Irwin launched too early, gening sled runs, which, of course, aren't much frm at all.

Conditions developed (well, overdeveloped) later in tbe day, allowing Mark Stockwell, Randy Kerchill, and me to have lots of fun in the smooth ridge lifr, light virga, and mild cloud suck ing a small monsoon storm cell.

(Keeping an eye on cloudbase and the constantly evolving local storm cells is mandatory at the Cloud Suck Open.)

Randy landed last, thereby winning the flrst round.

That evening the official festivities were held, including beer consumption, followed by high·speed wheelbarrow rides around the campground, the burning of the Cheese Doodle-O's, and a cer·· emonial water-balloon salute for anyone caught leaving rbe outhouse. As Jacque Neff observed at the campfire that night, you only live once, and any little bit of fo n you miss is lost forever.

Sundtty, August I. The second day's task was far more demanding than the first: work on the four-·whecl-drive road to launch, then have fun. lt was a tough task; although everyone worked on the road, only Jacque, Randy and I flew.

Jacque won the second day by flying the longest, getting the highest, and encountering the most cloud suck. Randy placed a close second, and I got a nice little 45-minute Aight, thermaling with a beautiful pair of young recl--rails and a ragged old buzzard missing half his feathers.

Although Randy had flrst and second place scores, and Jacque had another first place, rhc final results revealed me to be the winner because l'm writing this artJ.· cle and I ger to say who wins.

The Miller (-:Cmyon Cloud Sue/, Open is held in latcfuly to early August each yetir, coinciding with southern Arizonr/s mon· soon season. There is no entry fee, but the author wants a new harness and will gladly rlm:pt donations.

41

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7 'he author, center, poses in the "LZ. "

by

here T was ... at l li,000 fel'.t over what w:1s probably Round Mountain, about 20 miles south of Walt's Point, just wl'.st of the Haiwce Reservoir. I was in a huge thermal, just pushing out and enjoying the smooth 400500 1pm up and the shade afforded by the large cumie above me. L was also contemplating the rather intimidating, expansive blue hole rhat confronted me.

I saw a glider, approximately a mile ahead of me to the south. [1 was low over the hills toward Highway 395, but it seemed that it was within easy reach of the next cloud street. I fully expected to be on the ground within minutes ifl followed the oth·er glider, but as I ventured across the blue hole, die thermals, although now smaller and kind of ratty, were abundant. A pre-

44

dictahle product, T thought, of the craggy spires that lined the ridge to the south. [ managed to maintain between 500' and 1,00()' of alritude over the ridge top (an easy glide 011t to Hwy. 395) but the thermals in this area were small, powerfol and difficult to work. There was nothing about them, however, that led me to anticipate what was to come.

I flew into a particularly nasty little can-· nonball tbat pitched up the nose of the g!id. er. I pulled in rhe control bar and started to climb rather quickly. My vario was more than pegged. I'm guessing that the rate of climb was somewhere around 2,000 feet per minute. I thought rbat if I could stay wirh this sucker, my X-C studliness, at least for the weekend, was assured. I usually count slowly to three or four before starting to cir-

de, but unfortunately, bcfrire I got to "two one thousand" I flew right out the other side. Tr seemed that this thermal wasn't more than a couple of wingspans wide.

T'he nose of the glider was pitched down as quickly as it was pitched up, and over the falls I went. I pulled in and waited in deafening silence for the luff lines to do their job. I waited and waited in silence, except for the little voice in my head that had beg11n to speak to me.

The control bar was past my knees and l was flying straight down (falling, actually) long enough so rhat the little voice had plenty of 1-ime to plan for wha1 was to come.

"This is not good, Bill," it said. "This shouldn't be happening. You should return those luff lines when you get a chance. Bill, I think you might jus1 have to deploy." All HANC GUDINC

the while I prayed for a big whoosh of air to rush past my ears, and drown out this little doom-sayer. It didn't happen.

Having the time to contemplate one's fate can be a scary thing. I'd guess that I was falling for five to seven seconds, seeing, as I looked down, more and more of the glider and less and less of the ground. As the ground started to disappear I let the control bar out slightly, enough to try to keep the glider pointed straight down. But that little voice, still loud and clear above the silence, kept reminding me that "stuffed" was where the bar needed to be until I regained some airspeed.

I blinked. Big mistake, because the next instant I was on my back, lying on the undersurface of the glider, behind the apex of the control frame. I had time to look to one side of the glider to check for damage before the glider flipped over. I don't often have the perspective of a glider that I did for that brief moment (and hope never to again), so it was difficult to tell if any damage had been done by my impact.

When the glider flipped back over I'm fairly certain the cross bar snapped, because I immediately began a rapid tumble. Blue, green, blue, green, blue, green - four or five times as I kept trying to reach the red handle on my chest. The red handle, an easy target when dangling in the hang-simulator (even in the most treacherous, instructorinduced turbulence), was less than a foot under my nose, and all of a sudden seemed unreachable. The centrifugal force of my rotation dominated my every movement, preventing me from reaching inward. This was indeed a lesson in real-life physics!

After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. Adrenaline came to the rescue. With both hands, I ripped the 'chute from its velcro enclosure, raised it with my right hand up over my left shoulder, and threw it (needless to say) as hard as I could, away to my right.

When I began the throw, I was looking straight down at green. \'Vhen the deployment bag left my hand I believe I was looking straight up.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the 'chute starting to open. The shock of the 'chute opening was inconsequential compared to the violence of the tumble, but as the bridal became taut and my descent began to slow, my body seemed to twist painfully in every conceivable direction. After several seconds the oscillations slowed enough that I began to orient myself - or so I thought.

When I regained enough of my equilibriSEPTEMBER 1993

um to know up from down, I looked up over my head to try to find my 'chute.

Much to my surprise, all I saw were trees spinning in a circle. I looked down, to find a spinning glider and a spinning parachute.

My feet (I assumed they were mine) were the only things I could see that were not spinning. At the time, this fact provided little solace.

Evidently still needed some time to recover my equilibrium. Unfortunately, time was in very short supply.

I'd guess, at this point, my head was about 300 feet over spinning tree tops. Not needing sound equilibrium to realize the urgency of the situation, I sat up and tried to do what I had been taught to do many years ago in the event of a deployment: stand on your glider. Right! Try it sometime when the thing is in pieces and spinning like a top. (But don't try this at home, kids. Do it some place safe - like, uh, the OV).

I grabbed the closest thing to me, which happened to be my kingpost, and pulled up on it. I had just grabbed another unidentifiable airframe part when I heard snap-crackle-pop. I was in a semi-seated position when I started to fall through two dead trees about 30 feet call. Fortunately, I broke nothing but tree branches on my way down, but shredded my down jacket along the way. Then, "Ahhhh, damn!" THUD! I had landed flat on my back, kingpost in hand, spread eagle on a large, almost flat rock. I lay still for some time, bruised but not broken (I hoped), chest heaving, having just learned the true meaning of the phrase "getting the wind lmocked out of you."

The fact that I had so much time to anticipate the inversion did allow me time to prepare for the worst. By the time I began to tumble it was expected and to some extent long overdue. Being able to anticipate it undoubtedly led to a quicker deployment at a higher altitude.

The fall had dragged my glider through dead trees which definitely reduced my impact speed. My body position was relatively streamlined going through the trees, with arms over my head (reaching for glider parts), and the backs of my legs taking the impact of the branches.

Without a doubt the most important factor to which I can attribute my survival, and the only part of the experience that was nor pure dumb luck, was the fact that I had installed, less than three weeks prior, a swivel.

Not just a swivel, "the" Swivel designed

by Kurt Rohr of SkyRohr, in Denver. (Hey,

the guy definiteh, deserves a plug here!)

There's no question in my mind that having a 'chute fully opened, and not slowly collapsing over a twisting bridle, helped save my sorry butt. A 22-gore parachute isn't big enough to begin with, and a pilot cannot afford to make it any smaller (I hook in at 225+ pounds for X-C flights).

Gliders that have suffered in-flight failure usually start to spin, and usually don't stop after the 'chute is out. This device ought to be standard equipment on all reserve 'chutes!

If the manufacturer of the 'chute doesn't think enough of you to install one prior to delive1y, then have the shop do it'. In 10 years time we'll look back on the "swivel-less" 'chutes the same way we do the Standards of old. We'll be shaking our heads, wondering how any of us survived deployments in the early days! (Thanks, Norma at Chandelle, for recommending it.) If I had hit the ground any harder I would probably still be there. And I definitely would have hit the ground harder had I not had a fully deployed 'chute.

I did not lose consciousness, so the impact is still quite a vivid recollection. I started my self-diagnostic at my toes: they moved, so did my fingers, and my neck too.

I ruled out serious spinal injmy but had not yet dared to test for other "structural damage." I knew, though, as I lay there, that nothing was broken. A brief death wish consummated as a motorcyclist had taught me what broken bones felt like.

I was bruised and not broken, but still a long way from home. Not surprisingly, I hurt like hell and had difficulty moving anything but my extremities. My legs didn't want to bend, which prevented me from exiting my harness the way I had learned to don it. But I discovered a new and innovative method, surely untried in the histoty of hang gliding. I advocate it highly and take full credit. I squirmed out of the shoulder straps, sliding off the rock on which I had impacted, only to go "thud" once again. I slowly dragged myself to my feet confirming I was indeed unbroken. I gathered all that I thought I'd need for the trek home, which consisted of my down jacket and little else.

My water had been consumed hours ago, and my radio had somehow been smashed to bits, leaving the collar bone beneath it unharmed. I was woefully underprepared (for the last time to be sure) as far as survival supplies went.

After plodding down the hill a few paces, I ran into a narrow trail. Two hundred yards later it had grown into a pathway and then a

45

dirt road. What luck!

I was dehydrated and certainly suffering from some small bit of shock, and I walked the road for some distance, maybe two miles, before seeing a house. It appeared as though it might be occupied, but after deviating from my path probably a quarter mile to investigate, I discovered it to be uninhabited, and without water or phone. Another two miles down the road I passed another house in identical condition. I surmised these to be the last strongholds of survivalist pot growers now doing time for income tax evasion.

Plod, plod, down the road for another mile or so, and I spotted a corral of horses.

"Civilization!" I thought. Help had to be nearby. I eventually stumbled onto a family in a trailer, who had to feed me a gallon of ice tea before they could get a syllable out of me. I described my plight, their jaws dropped, and they offered me a ride into town. I graciously accepted, and discovered that "town" was about 10 miles down the road and consisted of one bar and a garage owned by the same guy who operated the bar. I'd always thought that a "town" needed at least a post office. They dropped me at the "center of town," (the six inches that were between the bar and the garage) and waved goodbye.

I stumbled into the bar called "Grumpy Bear's," in a place called Kennedy Meadows, and I was sure the owner was about to exercise his right to refuse service to anyone. I was limping, sporting rather dirty, shaggy, helmet-head hair, a week's beard, and a down jacket leaking a blizzard of feathers.

All I was missing was a swastika tattooed on my forehead and I could have passed for Charles Manson (or a scruffy Morton Downey, Jr.). Upon seeing myself in the mirror behind the bar, the patrons' reactions were not altogether unexpected. Again, I explained my plight, and the few patrons in the bar were instantly interested and began to offer suggestions on how I might find my way back home.

Hmm, "Thanks," I said, "but could I just borrow your phone?" They turned to one another, snickered, and said, "There's not a phone for 25 miles." Instantly, I became interested in their suggestions. One helpful fellow, a doctor, recognizing the remnants of my two-meter radio (Icom 2SAT), claimed to be a Ham and eagerly offered the use of his two-meter.

Well, this fellow had forgotten his call sign (yeah, right) and had a window mount on his car for a rubber duck antenna. Some

46

Ham. I thought the first call I'd make would be to the FCC. Obviously, the rubber duck and his car power were inadequate to reach over the mountain that was now between me and my chase in the OV. A local ultralight pilot, hearing of my plight, offered to take me over the hilltop with the doctor's two-meter, but when we unplugged the doctor's radio from the car we discovered the battery was dead. "No spare, you say?" No surprise.

Just then, the flock of eight or 10 locals who had followed me out to the ultralight field blocked the path of a red Bronco headed down the hill, and convinced the family occupying it that I was only Charles Manson's twin, but was nevertheless in desperate need of their generosity. As it was the end of the Memorial Day weekend, most of the vehicles were headed up the mountain.

This was the first car headed down to pass in the last hour. The father, Rick Coyne, worked on aircraft instruments for a small airline out of Bridgeport, so we spent the next 75 minutes chatting about things that fly. They dropped me at a place at the intersection of Nine Mile Canyon and Hwy. 395, the name of which escapes me, but it didn't quite qualify as a rest stop. I do remember, though, that spelled in hubcaps on the side of a large barn was the name of this "place," followed by HUBCAP CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. "Now there's something to be proud of," I thought.

Anything that resembled a business was

closed, but there was a pay phone.

My first call was to Inyo County Sheriff's Department to prevent a search and rescue that was fortunately unneeded. The dispatcher asked me if I was in the Bridgeport hospital with a broken arm. Gratefully, I said "no." Apparently she'd confused me with another pilot who had had a less-thangraceful landing in the area, accompanied by a fractured humerus.

I gave descriptions of the vehicles in our caravan and the names of drivers Paul Sussman and Kimo Bowden to the dispatcher. She found the license plate numbers and said she would have a deputy try to track them down. "Wow, what service," I thought, ''I'll have to tumble here more often!" She asked if there was any message. I told her, "Yes, Bill is okay, but his radio is broken and he'll meet you at Whitey's Grocery Store in Lone Pine. Not to worry, I'll make my way back to town," (As it turned out, their search for me had taken them past the hubcap place, not half an hour prior.)

Dumb idea.

My thumb in the air, I stood on 395 and watched the sun go down - way down. I think if I had not abandoned my efforts I could have stood there all night and still not gotten a ride. I wandered off into a piece of the desert, far from 395, brushed aside the scorpions and tarantulas, and settled in for the night under my blizzard of feathers with a pile of sand for a pillow.

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HANG GLIDING

Fortunately; on this panicular night, the desert was kind, and it did not get too cold.

This was certainly not to say that I had a comfortable and restful respite. Seven hours later, after cracking an eye every hour or so through the night, the sun finally rose and so did I. This time I employed a different srrategy.

I walked with my back to the oncoming traffic, thumb in the air. The first passing car stopped to pick me up. At this hour, 7:00 am, I thought this was bound to be a churchgoer because it was Sunday. But it was a young farm worker in a big red Cadillac who spoke very little English. The look on his face after taking one look at me made me sure he was reconsidering the ,.visdo m of stopping. He took me 10 miles down the road to a gas station rest stop where I quickly found a ride with a gentleman purchasing a six-pack of Coors Light.

He dropped me 10 miles down the road near his turnoff, where I eventually convinced someone who had previously passed me by to give me a ride. He apologized for passing me, but considering the way I looked, certainly no apology was necessary. I wouldn't have picked me up, either.

He dropped me in Lone Pine where I

\-

1-3 It

.1_

Airspeed Indicator

S:?.3.50 Long Bracket

wandered the streets, maniacally waving, and chasing every vehicle with a glider on the roof. Again, no one would stop for me, and I decided my future survival kit would include some shampoo and a razor. The person who eventually stopped turned out to be the pilot who was standing on launch in front of me the day before. He let me use his radio to contact die pilots I was traveling with (who were now back up at launch). I wandered into a diner, expecting to be refused service, but instead was served a Juicy Burger and milk shake.

Wandering out of the diner I stood at the crosswalk, and who should drive by but Ray Rowen and Rob Newburn. Ray said, "Brady, is that you?" I said, "Indeed it is."

They said, "You look like hell, what happened?" I told them my story and they offered to help me retrieve what was left of my gear if I would drive for chem. Knowing that most pilots were not getting long flights, but that my gear lay about 100 roadmiles away, I thought I was probably getting the best of the bargain.

For Ray and Rob the next two days produced only sled rides, bad landings and a broken arrow shaft. They made good on their promise, though, and were amazed

The Hall Airspeed Indicator™

after seeing where I had come down that I had walked away from it. They expertly extricated my parachute from the trees without causing so much as a pin prick. I was unable to carry anything, and when I said, "Hey guys! What about my glider?" they told me, "What about your glider, Brady?

We're not going to haul it back if you're only going to give it to Tuna Ted to make antennas out of it." I agreed, and we gathered it into a pile and left it as a sacrifice to some unnamed pagan god.

I've gone over the events more times than I've cold the story, wondering if there was something I could have done to have prevented the tumble. But, it always comes down to the fact that whatever I might or might not have done, I did what I did, and lived to tell about it, for which I am obviously grateful. Bur I am still waiting for the day when I will wake up, realize my good fortune, and decide to devote my life to missionary work.

Hasn't quite happened yet. And I plan to take my revenge on the Owens. Lightning doesn't strike twice - does it?

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47

Crosswind Landings An Addendum

by Roger Ritenour

T

he March 1993 issue of Hang Gliding presented a very informative article written by Dennis Pagen, entitled "Performing Crosswind Landings."

This article described a procedure for crosswind landings along with a very clear and rational explanation of the flight dynamics involved. Based on experience and similar methods of reasoning, I suggest one important addition to the crosswind procedure: initiating a shallow turn into the crosswind shortly before the flare.

The timing for this turn into the crosswind is when the glider enters the ground skim phase where it is no longer descending, but is just bleeding off airspeed for the final flare. In Dennis Pagen's article this corresponds to the phase where the glider is flying at just five feet above the ground and has acquired its "relative motion proper for the wind." It is not only from experience that I find this maneuver works quite well; the rationale for the flight dynamics behind this follows.

As the glider is kept wings level during the ground skim and flare, it will fly relative to the air that it is in, that is, straight ahead, neither slipping nor yawing. At this stage, the glider is no longer descending through the wind gradient so the air is no longer undergoing changes of velocity relative to the glider due to the gradient. This is shown in the first position (bottom glider) in Figure 1. The glider is following its intended ground track set up by the pilot during his approach. Its ground speed and ground track are, of course, the result of a combination of its airspeed with its crab angle and the crosswind. Now, as the glider slows down with wings level the airspeed diminishes but it remains pointed in the same direction. This is shown in the second posi-

48

Actual

Intended ,,

'\Wl

!'

i

Wind

~! \

\

Wind

!

\ ~

t !

\ I Wind

uli

Airspeed

Groundspeed

Groundspeed

Airspeed

Fig 1

Fig 2

tion in Figure 1. The combination of this new airspeed and the wind speed (unchanged from the first position) results in a ground track that has turned left and downwind from the original intended track.

In this scenario, the glider still has performed as it always does; it has still flown a straight line relative to the air while only slowing down. Therefore, a simple wings level bleed-off of airspeed and flare in crosswind conditions will produce a ground track that is curving off downwind.

This is where the shallow turn comes in.

The dynamics of this maneuver are illustrated in Figure 2. The first position of the glider is the same as for Figure 1. However, as the glider slows and follows a shallow turn,

it gradually reorients to the second (top) position in Figure 2. Here, the combination of the slower, more into-the-wind, airspeed and the wind speed produce a ground track that is still following the same intended path for the landing. In addition, the vety short arrow for the ground speed in contrast to that in the second position for Figure 1 shows that the ground speed is significantly reduced as well, markedly increasing the prospects of a nice one-step landing!

There is a second, though certainly not lesser, reason for this shallow turn into the crosswind - safety. Landings under these conditions, especially in narrow landing fields surrounded by trees, make it likely that you'll encounter roll-inducing turbuHANG GLIDING

may induce the gJicJ. the pilot to be on his toes ro control of his glider. in had conditions or with jus1 plain had roll may overpower the piloc The rcsuh is a ground This risk is much greater with s1iff~ handling [n crosswind conditions, a loop imo 1hc crosswind is likely LO Ii ttlc consequence beyond cm ha rrass·· ing th pilot. However, a grou loop downwind is a much more serious affair. It will break one or both downt11hcs and may injure the pilo1 as well. Wirh the shallow turn in to the crosswind, the of a downwind ground loop is signir diminished. In however, there is an increased possibility of 1he far less serious upwind loop. This tradeoff; though, favors Crchlo's and advice Such

crosswind smooth conditions and weak crosswinds and progress to more challenging conditions. In the final ground 1hc trick is 10 judge the correuof rum ro achieve rhc dcsi red track. fr stands to will require a tic crosswinds.

Situational awareness your path over rhc ground, or which landmark up ahead you arc is indispensable. You can achieve a landing by simply making the flne turn adjustments necessary to keep path and on track. to perfect technique arc sites landings can be made down on the beach below the ridge.

JI ere one can ex peer crosswinds with smooth L1 minar flow to provide safe and forgiving conditions to your technique.

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49

[I USHGA Reports

USHGA Awards Nominations Solicited ach year the USHGA recognizes individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the sport of hang gliding. We are currently seeking nominations for awards to serve this purpose.

Nominations for this year's awards should be sent to the USHGA office by September 25, with a copy sent to the Regional Director, for submission at the Fall Board of Directors meeting, October 8-10. One may be nominated in more than one category, however, the categories to be considered must be clearly indicated in the supportive documentation. The Awards Committee has set an unofficial goal of recognizing at least one USHGA member in each region with a commendation.

E

safety, membership and development, meetings, and special programs and activities which occurred within the current year. Please submit the documentation which cites location, dates, achievements and appropriate contact people.

Newsletter ofthe Year - Awarded for overall excellence in service to members, layout, article variety, promotion of safety, general enhancement of the sport of hang gliding, and meeting publication deadlines. The newsletter must be published within the current year and must be a USHGA Chapter publication.

Nominations should include three issues of the newsletter and names and addresses of the editors if this information is not included in the publication.

Exceptional Service Award- This

award provides an opportunity to recognize one USHGA member who has provided the most outstanding volunteer service to the USHGA, for activity on the national, regional, or local levels. The volunteer work may have begun prior to the current year, or may be completed at a future date, but must be ongoing in the current year. Nominations should cite activities, locations, and dates as appropriate, and include the name and address of the nominee. Recipients must be USHGA members.

Commendations - This award provides an opportunity to recognize members' efforts in providing volunteer service to the organization at the local, regional, or national level that is of excel~ lent quality and/or of significant importance to the Association. ~

THE AWARDS NAA Certificate - Contributions on the national level recognizing safety.

Requires letter of support.

Presidential Citation - This is the organization's highest, most prestigious award. It is the only award that may be presented to individuals outside the organization. It is presented for a contribution or effort which has resulted in the significant advancement of the sport.

The nomination must cite the effort and include names, dates and location as appropriate, as well as the address and phone number of the nominee. The effort need not have occurred in the current year.

Chapter ofthe Year- Awarded for overall excellence in programs and activities for beginners and novices, site procurement, development and retention,

50

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(615) 933-9296.

K4 - Sept. 1992, <25 hours $3,300 OBO. (312) 282-6337.

KISS 154 - Full race, low hours, excellent condition $1,250. Gerry (415) 567-6032.

KISS 154 - w/K2 upgrades-1989. Royal blue u/surface, excellent condition $1,200. (619) 697-4530.

LITE DREAM 165 - Less than 1 hour airtime $1,390. Pod harness $350. All mint condition! Cathie (714) 840-7480.

ROGALLOS HARRIER 187 - $400. (209) 357-4428.

BEGINNER'S SPECIAL - Demon 175, speedbar, new barren pockets, CG 1000 harness (new) with Pac Air parachute, Roberrs vario, Bell helmet, hook knife $1,000. (501) 664-4794.

HI' II - Full race, custom sail, outstanding condition & performance, many extras $1,000 OBO will ship.

(513) 961-2817 evenings, Paul.

COMET I - Good condition. Pod harness in great shape. $400 OBO rakes both. Mark (616) 962-3640.

Hl'AT 145 - 30 (602) 938-9550.

Hl'AT 145 - Excellent condition, beautiful colors, early '92, 100 hours, Arizona XC winner $2,550. Call Hans (602) 231-1064 (8-5) or (602) 971-7875.

DREA,\1 220 - Excellent tandem glider, low hours, rarely used $1,200. Cajun Hang Gliding Club (318) 981-8372.

DREAiv!S IN STOCK . "0-JI sizes, including l 45's.

Many other used gliders ailable, including Visions & Spectrums. Raven Skfr rrs (414) 473-200 \/1

ERIC RAYMOND HARNESS - New, 6'2"-6'6" pilot. Multi-colored, must sell $525. (808) 396-6906.

FLEDGE II - 1979, excellent condition, must sell $2,000 OBO. Rick (703) 364-2421.

Hl'AT 145 - '90, -175 hours, well maintained.

Custom sail featured in calendar, magazines $1,700.

(619) 286-6045.

HPAT 158 449-0513.

MAGIC KISS - And Raven 229 for sale or swap for paraglider. (612) 683-0414.

MOYES GTR 151 W.B. - Great condition. Factory retrofir with kingpost hang. Handles like XS, extra parts available $725/0BO. (714) 373-1503.

MOYES GTR 162 - VG, Advanced Air harness, Bell helmet, Litek vario, Wind Haven chute. All good condition, first $1,000. (407) 242-8282.

MOYES GTR 175 VG - Rainbow bottom, blue LE, farings $1,200. Also Moyes pod, altimeter, vario.

(303) 972-1245.

MOYES METEOR 190 (616) 469-4332.

Good condition $350.

Great shape, low hours $1,800. (303) MOYES WORLD BEATER 162 - Good shape $1,100. (208) 726-7559 or 726- 1709.

HPAT 158 - Lat '9 . This is a Minnesota glider.

Low rime & UV, vashour tubes. Folding baserube, w/XC bag a~ ' /rs $2,100. Call Pat _at /p12) 688-8218. ~

t/j '

'1.~bl \

HPAT 158 - Mint, excellent condition, low low hours, <30 hours, only $1,995. Brand new LID harness, 6'4" l 80-200lb pilot, with BRS only $799, without $449. (803) 383-4318 Rob.

MOYES XS 158 - Good condition, test fly in the Owens Valley CA. (619) 938-2344.

NEW AND USED· 800-688-5637, (706)

'S - Wholesale prices. 18- 3541.

1.--------------------------------------, USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum.

Boldface or caps $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs $25 per column inch. (phone numbers-2 words, P.O. Box-1 word) photos-$25.00 line art logos-$15.00 Deadline-20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue).

Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations and no refunds will be allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card.

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

Number of words: Number of words:.

Number of Months: _ _ __ Wanted Section (please circle) Towing Videos Rogallos Schools and Dealers Emergency Chutes Ultralights Parts & Accessories Rigid Wings Business & Employment Publications & Organizations Miscellaneous Paragliders Begin with 19_ _ issue and run for consecutive issue(s). My check 0, money order 0, is enclosed in the amount of

$_ _ _ _ __ NAME: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~

@ .50 = _ _ _ _ _ __

1.00 = USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300 L ______________________________________

SEPTEMBER 1993

@

~

53

To A.I.R. is Human Anything Else Is Just Smoke and Hot Air...

Air Initiated Recovery Our New Compressed A.LR. Powered Rocket Motor Will Deploy Your Hang Gliding or Paragliding Reserve Parachute in the Blink of an Eye...

System Features • It can deploy your parachute in under 2 seconds.

• It can be filled from any SCUBA diving tank to 3,000 psi.

• It can be carried on the airlines.

• Inexpensive reloads after each use.

• Extended field use with no pressure loss.

• A pressure gauge to check before each flight.

• Use your parachute in our container system, or purchase one of our state-of-the-art low sink rate canopies.

!3e lt!(ormed I

• Techniques • Safety

!311ck /ss1111S Av111J11/:;/e/ 3314 w. 11400 s.

Subscriptions: $26/year U.S. $36 Canada - $44 overseas Back Issues: $5.00 each - All back issues available starting with July 1990.

South Jordan, Utah 84065 Bus 801-254-7455 • Fax 801-254-7701

• New Products • Glider Reviews • Competition News • European Update • Who's Who • Facts & Figures

f11/I Color Mt1/dZ11/1

Classifieds ~~ PACAIR K-3 - Performance glider for the big pilot.

Excellent condition, low hours $2,800. (616) 4694332.

PACKAGE SPACE SALE - 510C w/NDH, CG I 000, instruments, Spirit 200, OW 60, many extras $2,000. (405) 728-1616.

PULSE !OM - Excellent condition, 10 hours, fared safety downtubes, speedbar, metal TE, small wheels $2,200. (703) 461-0433.

RAVEN 229 889-4937.

Like new $600. Boston area (617)

SEAGULL SEAHA WK 170 $500. (617) 889-4937.

Great beginner glider

SENSOR SIOE - 159 full race. TOP condition, LOW hours, plus extras $2,600 OBO. (209) 5236089.

SENSOR 610 152 - New, love it but want smaller one. (715) 448- 2213.

SOUTHERN O~. l)'L)' ORNIA USED GLIDER REFERRAL - \jWY-SELL-CONSIGN, ALL MAKES, MODfiRI\\ CALL TODA.Y (619) 4501894 OR (619) 4Co,~os.

'h '°'lld

SPECTRUM 165 - 1992, low hours, great condition $2,300 OBO. (303) 920-3501.

VISION MARK IV 17 - w/extras $1,750.; lid floats $225. New Tracer harness w/extras $450.00. New Second Chantz rocket w/PDA chute, paraswivel $700. Ball 651 vario $375. Custom camera mount w/Cannon TSO, 28mm & 20mm lenses, shutter cable $275. Kevlar full-face helmet w/hidden VOX $200.

Yaesu FT-411 w/three batteries & quick charger $375. Equipment carrying case $40. All in excellent condition, see August ad for details. (708) 512-8675 w, (708) 993- 0806 h.

Vu it-

SPORT 150 - Full race, good condition $600. Julie (510) 654-1385.

SPORT AT 167 - 1990, excellent condition. Lime green LE, lime green/white/blue undersurface, white reinforced TE $2,400. (708) 894-5858.

SPORT 167 AMERICAN -All white, good condition, 20 hours $900. (619) 670-4030.

SPORT 180 - Perfect, like new condition. Also pod harness w/chute, vario and vario/alr., Hall airspeed, helmet, wheels. Also static pulley tow system w/2 chutes & 4000' line. $2,250 takes all. (608) 2962811.

SPORT 180 AT - Low hours, never damaged, like new condition $1,800. (509) 627-3624.

TRX 140 - 20 hours, white & black, excellent condition $2,700. (815) 234-5388.

TRX 160 - Flown one season, good shape $2,300.

(718) 638-2054 NY area.

SEPTEMBER 1993

TOLL FREE 1~En~I£.~ ONE 1-800-677-4449 i\\1JJ8-7!81 1

l'

Mystic 177 VG .....~) .~ c. cond ........ $800 used) ............. $1,900 Vision MK IV 17 ..

VisionMKIV 19 .,. 1sed) ............. $1,400 1 HP AT ............ //.\. ed) ............. $2,500

-y···

\

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES VISION MK IV 17 - Low hours, rainbow sail, excellent condition $1,500. (307) 856-1730.

VISION MARK IV 19 - 3 DCG, <30 hours, dark blue LE, light blue A panel, excellent condition $1,375. (703) 678-1143 Virginia.

MS - Bought-Sold-Traded.

473-2003.

VISIONS & SPE

WILLS \XIING DUCK 160 - Pac Air stirrup harness, helmet $500. (501) 753-8024.

WILLS WING DUCK 180 - Good condition $950. San Diego 1-800-356- 5686.

WILLS WING RAM AIR $3,500. (702) 361-1531.

1993, demo glider

COLORADO HANG GLIDING "Celebrating Over 20 Years of Sales and Support!"

REGION IV'S OLDEST, LARGEST , FULL-TIME STORE.

</_ ,}JY\ \

ood condition, clean sail

GOLDEN \XIINGS 1103 Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 80401

RESERVE CHUTES, (All Sizes) never used, inspected, repacked w~1ew bridle and bag ................ $265 (20 ft. PDA's 00) VARIOS/ALT. ......... (Used, ,'\IFBrands) ....... $150+

BRS 4 7119.

New, never installed $350. (716) 937-

HIGH ENERGY - 22 gore chute, four years old, fresh repack $275. (619) 286-6045.

HIGH ENERGY RESERVES - 20 & 22 gore, perfect condition, repacked $225. (510) 254-5608.

PARAGLIDERS NEW AND USEq_~ Paragliders, most brands $500-$3,000. Colo;p\9 Paragliding (303) 278-9566.

n, tandem-s. 'i:)'-fL

3·;··i .°iiN~~louRs ........ $1,950

LITE TRIKE - Lightweight trikes you can SOAR power off. Under 75 pounds. Features in HG May '92, page 39. Excellent chrome moly construction.

(706) 398-3964.

ULTRALIGHTS FLIGHT DESIGNS TRIKE well $3,000. (617) 889- 4937.

Demon wing, flies

2 0 ............... <2 HOURS ........ $2,190

t"fs~o~ 1 I~ ;·

. . .~. ?-

l

s. . .

NEW HEUvlE~(All Brands, Styles) ........ $50+ NEW PARA~(Large) ............... $1,175

1

ALL BRANDS -;,B,6ught, sold, and repacked.

Inspection and r,' $25.00 - Parachutes, bridles, inspected and rn ced. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO, 3620 vona, San Francisco, CA 94116.

(415) SKY- 11

UP, WILLS, _ED~L -it.1795+. Instruc~-i_o.

Southern California)"'{~) 654-8559.

~~~ ~::;; sEs ..d~s·.·cAii"s·;;~d~i·::;~;+ LT DREAl

A BEST BUY! -JlJ5, never deployed, new bridle, bag (PDA's $30 Jphspected and repacked, all sizes.

Fully Guarantee - olorado Hang Gliding (303) 278\'1 9566.

'. ••••••••......••••••••~<10 HOURS ...... $1,550 SPO 1 E RO 150 F.R..... <25 HOURS ...... $1,475 EX EL 160 ........................ <50 HOURS ...... $1,025 LT REAM 185 ................ <60 HOURS ...... $1,015 MAGICIII ......................... <40 HOURS ...... $975 HP II 185 ........................... <35 HOURS ...... $775 COMET 165 ..................... <60 HOURS ...... $625 ea.

DUCK 180, 1GO ................ <50 HOURS ...... $575 ea.

LANCER 180 ................... .<40 HOURS ...... $550 PRODAWN, PROSTARII 160 ........................................... <25 HOURS ...... $475 ea.

PHOENIX 60 185 ............ <45 HOURS ...... $450 SEAGULL SEAHAWKS .... 4 TOTAL .......... $300 ea.

"Safety is our profession, quality our promise - Since 1972" Equipment 100% Guaranteed, inspected.

(303) 278-9566 M-F 9-5.

SOARMASTER - Engine system, like new $550 each. (90 I) 324-4663.

TRIKES TRIKES TRIKES - And accessories. $10.00 info' pack, Jefferson Aero Sports, 15120 Skelton Rd, Jefferson OR 97352, (503) 327-1730.

ULTRALIGHT AVIATION -American and european trikes and wings. 1117 Cold Harbor Dr., N. Las Vegas NV 89030, (702) 399-4044.

55

~~ Classifieds ULTRALIGHT FLYING VIDEO - By United States Ultralight Association, hosted by industry expert John Ballantyne. Flying scenes, interviews with pilots, FAA, manufacturers. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Visa, MasterCard, check. $19.95 plus $3 shipping. 1800-598-8344.

ACTION SOARING ~jNTER - In Lodi near ?51:f GA certified instruction, Stockton. Persona p, asis on special skills, techsales and service. niques, launching nding. Demo's. Ask about tow clinic. (209) 368-9 N F~NCISCO - HANG ING. Complete, safe & /} ainmg p10gram. Mountam 61s. ALL MAJOR BRANDS. wing by factory trained repair rviccs. Large selection of 2nd 1tals available. Next to Fort ice shop in San Francisco! co CA 94116. (415) 759-

M

WANTED WANTED - FLEDGE 3, reasonable condition.

(510) 254-5608. sed Vision Mark JV's, Call Bruce or Kristie, Kitty . 1-800-334-4777. ("i -~- 'l> n

iding equipment. Gliders, d parachutes. Airtime of San a, San Francisco, CA 94116.

SCHOOLS & DEALERS ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTA ad under Georgia. (800)

- LMFP.

ARIZONA ADVENTURES instruction utilizing ing hill plus other si direction. Dealer for Pa and High Energy, 132 · . Bell De Mar Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121.

DE

CHAND ELLE FRANCISCO, INC. Complete hang gl1 i and paragliding sales, service and instruction si1 1973. Northern California's most complete repa cility. New and used equipment and demo's, packages, clinics and tandem is Drake, Forest Knolls CA lessons. 6880 Si I 94933, (415) 48 -42h COMPACT \VIJPARAGLIDING - Tandem, Class III certified .i -_· __.rnctor. All major brands. Yearround flying. Bes hem California site. (909) 654-8559.

f

FLIGHT SYSTEMS - New location. Dealer for the BIG THREE, WIL WI G, PACIFIC AIRWAVE accessories. I understand o get a sweet deal! I need st. ''I'll eat a bug." DAN STEMS, 1915B E. Karella, Orange CA 92667. _14- ew)639-7777.

'HANG GLIDERS - USHGA Certified · Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur, Z 85304. (602) 938- 9550.

ZONIE HANG GLIDING - Tandem & Certified FAA instruction: CFII/MEI ATP. Always looking for used equipment especially for female students. 3607 E. Delcoa, Phoenix AZ 85032. (602) 404-0973.

ARKANSAS

- lnstructio Box 5593, Li

NG GLIDING/PARAGLIDING sales, service. Pacific Airwave. P.O. ock, AR 72215. (501) 663- 3166.

56

."

{_

-

~'

"

. - Hang gliding, paragliding school. Equipme t Pal)s, service, rentals at Southern California's n · Mgh site, Crestline. USHGA Instructor Rob cKenzie. By appointment year round. (909) 8 LAKE ELSINORE HANG GLIDING SCHOOL Wills Wing dealer, Flytec. (909) 245-SOAR. LAKE ELSINO Moyes, AS!. Call 8994.

WINDGYPSY -

Airwave,

f site information. (909) 679\

MISSION SOARING CENTER - Serving the fly1973. Complete pilot training attention to take-off and landing ire training gliders. Comfortable uxe retail shop. Wills, PacAir, ers in stock! Best trade-in prices.

UP, demos, n Try all the new liarnesses in our simulator. Large selection of specialized equipment, beginner to XC. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas (near San Jose) CA 95035. (408) 262-1055.

'1,:)'l,q

•

SIERRA SAILS - PacAir sales and se1vice. Serving Sierra foothills and Lake McClure area since 1988.

(209) 532-1302.

THE HANG rentals, local flyi flying with us.

Airwavc, High E equipment. PO · 561-1009.

G CENTER - Located in HGA instruction, equipment rs. Spend your winter vacation roudly offer Wills Wing, Pacific y, Ball and we need your used 049, Lakeside CA 92040, (619)

CALIFORNIA A BEAUTIFUL SOARING EXPERIENCE Awaits you at Torr!\ Pines~i'!f Port, a full service USHGA certified '1t( 1g gl~lai6/¥~ paragliding school s6a · b e coastal cliffs in the located on the m nation. On-site trait g ~,land tandem instruction using the new dual o c, lightweight carbon fiber XTC 205 for both demon the same glider you use on the trainin hi New/used gliders, equipment in stock. Buy/tr de} e gliders/gear, rentals, glider ey Pines Scenic Drive, La repair. Get UP. 288( Jolla CA 9203 . 19) 4 - 202.

·,,·-·:''.

Our advertising has a two-month lead time-

plan ahead.

Se1vice. Become a better pilot in Instruction, less time with I mall personalized classes & tandem head instructor has over 13 years instruction. teaching exp ce. Only minutes from our local Kagel Moul} ing site. 13525 Eldridge, Sylmar, CA 91342. (818) 3 7-6050.

WINDSPORTS - LA's largest since 1974. Fifteen minutes from LAX. Central to Sylmar, Crestline, Elsinore and era ing tes, Vacation training, flying and glider sales ages including lodging and rentals. The most ar gliders and equipment, new e in your old equipment. 325 sunny days each , ,. Come fly with us! 16145 Victory Blvd., V n uys CA 91406. (818) 9880111, Fax (818) 988-1862.

HANG GLIDING

Classifieds ~~ WRIGHT BROTHERS WINGS - UP, Wills Wing, Ball, BRS, High Energy. USHGA Certified Instruction. (209) 586-6012 Sonora CA.

NO MORE BUNNY...

THE HILL WITH IT!

COLORADO COLORADO CLOUDBASE - Guided tours, drivers, videos, accessories. f_ ) 630-7042, FAX (719) 630-8126. PO Box 16 4, Colorado Springs CO 80935.

COLORADO H - Celebrating 20 y of!essons and sales. 1st USHGA certified schoo,·_-, the U.S.A. Region's largest and oldest. Operating 1 time since 1972. (303) 2789566. ' '

· USHGA certified instruc. P.O. Box 25985, Colorado ~) 594-0498.

9)}lcs, service. USHGA ccrrifor Wills Wing, PacAir. 1103 olden, CO 8040 I. (303) 278-

' and harness repair LID ENTERPRISES -,~ ail Equipment manufacturi ~ - Towing supplies - 5000 Butte #183, Boulder, C 0301 (303) 440- 3579.

TELLURIDE AIRSPORTS - Aurnmn and Spring comprehensive hang gliding camps, taught by USHGA certified instructor. Flying since 1975. Moyes, Pacific Airwave & Wills Wing. PO Box 2076, Telluride CO 81435. (303) 728-9525.

CONNECTICUT

LOOKOUT MOUN Nearest hang gliding 1 Florida. See ad under c:;. or

FLIGHT PARK training center ro

FAX your classified ad, membership renewal or merchandise order:

(719) 632-6417. We gladly accept VISA and MasterCard.

JJ MITCHELL -

h'f~DEM. UP, PacAir dealer.

6741 Columbia Avej/1.{fr.·,ammond, IN 46324 (219) /(\ 845-2856. f OARING -

-·-··

See ad under parts.

~~--=~---

Please see our ad un

\Y/e have the most advanced training program known to hang gliding, reaching you in half the time it rakes on the training-BUNNY HILL, and with more inflight air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. Check and Compare: USHGA Certified School.

Certified Tandem Instructor's.

First Flight at over 1,000 feet.

From Zero to Solo in less than 3 days.

The Country's Largest Landing Area; No Trees, No Rocks, No Dirr!

Full Service Shop.

New and Used Gliders (all brands).

Harnesses.

Tow Lines and Tow Releases.

Floats.

Accessories.

For year-round training fun in the sun, call or write lv!iami Hang Gliding: (305) 285-8978, 2640 S. Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133.

i

MICHIGAN GREAT GA certifi new & us (616) 465-

HANG GLIDING, INC.- USHnstructors. Dealers for Moyes gliders, equipment. Located near Warren dunes 59.

USHGA instruction since 1978. Advanced In tor, Examiner, Observer.

Safety is #I. We've beet owing for a decade. Come on SE Michigan, let's a up! We've got a soaring (313) 399-9433, ast fo~ site now. Give me a 6 Norm. 569 W Annabe le, Hazel Park MI 48030.'7}4.,()1

11~

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS - FULL-TIME shop. Certified instruction, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our 450' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Call Bill ar (61 G) 922-2844.

MINNESOTA CENTER!~·!INNEAPOLIS menr dealers for \Y/ills Wing, Pacific t.12) 557-0044.

GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK America's #1 hang gliding center, flying site. Find out why three times as man/)pilors ~arn their mountain wings at Lookout! Compjfre ce ?,~d rraining-"bunny Tn,wrore USHGA's hill" ro mountain so· 1 Official Flight Training , , LOt'.r special:ies: foor7 1 b.unch, tandem and a· ,r'\vrng l!lStruCtlOll, first

f ,

FLORIDA

INDIANA

rnountain flights, cust ,'

/r service and satisfaction.

NEVADA ADVENTURE (0$,TS - Sierra tours our specialty - USHGA cer i I · school and ratings. Dealers for Pacific Airwave, ' lls \'(ling, UP, Enterprise \Y/ings.

Fly the Sierras w· 1 full-service shop. 3650 Research Way, Carson Ci , N 1 89706 (702) 883-7070.

Lesson packages, rarin · Ider rentals. Largest inven, equipment. Complete tory new/used han/i sail/airframe repair}(JI, m · ($2/person), swimming pool. Send $2 for{,.: forma · n packer. Route 2, Box 215-H. Rising Fa vn GA 3 738 (20 minutes from Chattanooga, Te rnessee) (800) 688-LMfP, (706) 398- 3541.

MOUNTAIN \Y/IN

SEQUATCHIE lJ/LEY SOARING SUPPLY Sec our ad under ;~\essee.

UP OVER NEW MEXI~,i- lnstrucrion, sales, service. Sandia lv!ountain !des. Wills, Seedwings, yes. Albuquerque, NM Pacific Airwave, Delea (505) 821-8544.

-1. . ,,

IDAHO

NEW JERSEY Look under New York.

NEW MEXICO

~JA. RJ LI

T.REASURE,~ LLEY 1:ANG GLIDING . Amvave, Moye kUP. Demos, ratmgs, tours, service.

(208) 376-791 ±. .

ILLINOIS

rs - (312) 360-0700 or (708) RAVEN SKY SP 360-0700. Pleasef~our ad under WISCONSIN.

SEPTEMBER 1993

57

~~ Classifieds NEW YORK

AAA MOUNTAIN G GLIDING CENTER AND FLIG Now offering PARAGLIDING instn n a d sales. Base of ELLENVILLE MTN. Fo I sive training hills. ave, UP, Seedwings Area's only dealer for Pacific stock. We are the and Delta Wing with de ry and repair shop largest, most complete H.G. a of its kind in the country. y and used gliders in stock. RIC supplies and · s, , Pod camera systems. VISA and MASTE ARD epted. Stop in and get your flight pass an gate combo. 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428 (914) 647-3377. In N.E. 1800-525- 7850. ~

J~l

FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. - Serving S. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mrn.). Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialise. Also all her <1° or brands, accessories. · n. Teaching since 1979. prices/repairs. Excellent . ."f you've finished a program the mountain! ATOL towand wish to conti e. ing! Tandem flig~ts! Contact Paul Voight, RD 2, Box 561, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (914) 744-3317t·

NORTH COAST HANG GLIDING - Certified Instruction. New & used gliders. Specializing in Pacific Airwave gliders. Mike Del Signore, 1916 W. 75th St., Cleveland, OH. 44102 (216) 631-1144.

isrs. Instructi MC/VISA. A 78751. (512) 4 WORTH (817)

OREGON

FT - Hang gliding specials, service. Towing supplies.

-4811 Red River, Austin TX 2529, fax (512) 467-8260. FT. 6957.

"ll

UTAH AIRTIME OREGON - Sales, repair and certified instruction. Emphasizing safery=progress. Dealer for WW, UP, PacAir, Moyes, AS! and Airtec paragliders.

Raymond, HES, BRS, Second Chanez, Mantas, CG Inc., Airwear, Aircotec and many others. Tom at (503) 998-1220.

SOUTHERN OREG Certified instruction, A Wills Wing, UP. (503)

REBEL WINGS HANG GLIDING - USHGA certified instruction. Operations conducted at Bauer Ridge and Jedi Jump. Dealer for UP, PacAir, High Energy, Ball. Mountain tours, service & repairs. (801) 822-7042.

HANG GLIDING retrieval. Pacific Airwave, 823.

Full service hang glidSHGA certified instruc-

PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION - Certified instruction, Pirrsburgh. (412) 697-4477. C'MON OUT AND PLAY!

GMI PARAGLIDING SCHOOL - In New York.

Certified Instruction. Free color brochute. (516) 6767599.

WINDWALKER HANG GLIDING - Certified instruction. Pacific Airwave /Air Sports Int'! dealer.

Glider accessories. VISC/MC accepted. RR 2 Box 232-B, Benron PA 17814, (717) 925-5733.

SUSQUEHAN

TENNESSEE

>

rentals, seminars, pilots

camping/morels. 12665 S . r UT 84042 (20 minutes from 6-6460, fax (801) 576-6482.

WASATCH WINGS- USHGA certified hang gliding school, dealers foi.0/f.·s Wing, Moyes and Pacific Airwave. Flight operat s at Point of the Mountain.

Call Gordon (801) 27 42.

VIRGINIA

PARK · ed Instruction, Sales and anufacturers. 40 acre park, 5 s, bunk house, camping, hot . We have the best facilities in N. New York Sta! each you how to fly. RD 2, Box 348A, Coo erstown, NY 13326, (315) 866-

6153.

'l-=il\

ALPINE LODG ly Crystal Air Spo jacuzzi, pool. W Chattanooga, Ch

Raccoon Mountain, formerfeL Private rooms, bunkhouse, (615) 821-2546

HAWK AIRSP

S INC - P.O. Box 9056, . -0056, (615) 933-9296. Hang

NORTH CAROLINA COROLLA FLIGHT l r i c a ' s most experienced tandem flight instructo ches utilizing ATOL and Double Vision. Call or, "te for information Greg Box 1021, Kitty Hawk DeWolf, Corolla Fligh_# NC27949. (919) 26y/;166.

KITTY HAWK KITES, INC. - P.O. Box 1839, Nags Head, NC 27959 (919) 441-4124. Learn to hang glide on Jocke 's R"dge, the largest sand dune on the east coast, st uth of where the Wright Brothers' firstf rgl took place. Beginner and advanced lessr\' , ackages and camps offered.

Advanced tande , w instrucrion, 1500 ft. plus up.

Dealer for all m ~ and gliders, complete inventory of new and used g1iders, accessories and parts.

SAURATOWN MOUNTAIN - Paragliding resident pilot site guide. Tommy Thompson (919) 9839064.

OHIO SKYWARD ENTEIIB,SES - MARIO MANZOBasic instructor. Frar · _& sail repair. Seedwings, CGe. (513) 256-3888 weekday 1000. Dayton/Chilli evenings.

58

Sec

BLUE SKY - Lessons-sales-service. Towing, tandems, cusrom sewing, repair, car racks. Dealer for PacAir, Wills Wing, High,Energy Sports. In Virginia call (703) 432-6557. In \X-'ashington DC call (703) 494-5323.

SILVER WINGS, IN . - Certified instruction and equipment sales. Proudly representing Pacific Ai1wave, Wills Wing, Seedwings & UP. (703) 5331965 Arlington VA.

LOOKOUT MO ad under Georgia.

AIN FLIGHT PARK -

SEQUATCHIE Certified, two pl tain flights are om ings available. De the "Hang Glidin professional servi 80, Dunlap, TN

Y SOARING SUPPLY instruction and first mounties. Rentals, storage and rator all major brands. Located in ital of the East". For personal, can trust, call SVS, RT 2 Box 27. (615) 949-2301.

WISCONSIN

A.A.S. AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Certified instruction, sales and s rvic · for most major manufacturers.

Tandem instruc n ailable. Tow- launched training programs for Ha -Hang IV pilots. Mountain flying d. Write to Steve Burns at 1712 in Mexico year r Waterson, Austi 78703 or call Austin (512) 4741669, Houston (71 ) 471- 1488, or San Antonio (210) 824-1803.

WYOMING

TEXAS

KITE E

ES - Instruction, sales, repairs, unch. Dallas & North Texas area.

75002. (214) 390-9090 anytime. ave, Wills Wing.

RAVEN SKY PORTS HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDIN , ~est and most popular in the curriculum, ridge soaring, Midwest. Trad 1 mountain clinic gonfly aerotowing & tandems

by Brad Kushn ales/service/accessories for all major brands. P x 101, Whitewater WI 53190 (414) 473-2003.

LAMONT INN B&B - In Wyoming near Whiskey Peak, reservations required. (307) 324-7602, kitchen facilities or B&B. PARTS & ACCESSORIES AIR KEVLAR H gray $325. Raven S

ETS - Full face, purple or ports (414) 473-2003.

HANG GLIDING

Classifieds ~~ CCW FLIGHT LOG SOFTWARE - Record your flight data, calculate great circle distances and select various sorts and selection criteria for subtotaling and reporting your logged flights with this "easy to use" automated log book. Ideal for individual, dub and competition logs. PRICES: $24.95 Windows version, $21.95 DOS version. Include $2.50 s&h and indicate 5.25" or 3.5'' disks. Cloudburst Computer Works, 20120 Broken Sabre Lane, Monument CO 80132.

CLOUDBASE SPAGHETTI HARNESS - For tall pilot, good condition $125. (616) 469-4332.

ALL NEW ULTRA-LIGHT LAMBIE LID - The lightest, most comfortable hang glider helmet.

Aerodynamic, low turbulence, low drag shape. Hightech look. Finish is cjear resin over the gold/black weave of the super-slllt1g :;nrbon/kevlar outer shell.

Open face, only 12 oz p~ e $175. Integral full face version, only 17 oz. $ .95. Measure around head and from bottom of e · obe over top to bottom of earlobe for cusromtfiji From the designer, Jack Lambie, 8160 Woodboro, Anaheim CA 92807.

Phone and fax (714) 779-1877.

BALL M50 - Barograph, warrenty, excellent condition $820 OBO. (312) 282-6337.

BALL M50 - With all options including airspeed, TE, barograph, etc. Six months old $675. (619) 2866045. gh, lightweight, excelBIG \'<!HEELS - Stutd lent for training, solo/ta ' m flying, any basetube. $42.95/set, quantity djpf ts. Immediate delivery.

Lookout Mountain F{1gH• •, ,ark, (800) 688-LMFI', (706) 398- 3541.

Proven Pilots Say That... ".. .WlND ADVISORY AIR/WIND SPEED INDICATORS© HELP You LAUNCH & FLY SAFE!"

HIGH PERSPECTIVE WHEELS-REAL LIFE SAVERS! - 12", light, tough. Fits all gliders. Send $37 + $3.95 shipping per pair to Sport Aviation, PO Box 101, Mingoville PA 16856. Ask about our dealer prices.

(With Poplin Storage Bag)

___.. --

_:!,;.7!'f."_,,.,!.,..'

... ..

• /< •, __..

..

•

-

:.~"!:::"-:(Bo, With Speed Conversion Chart)

DEPENDABLE - , ind \nnel rested & calibrated.

BUILT TO LAST, n · ct & corrosion resistant.

Easy to read. Satisfacti Guaranteed. Send check or MIO for $15 (+$2 Sf , , foreign orders add $2. To Pacific Resources u/gh' PO Box 9064, San Diego CA 92169.

KNEEHANGER HARNESS - New, red $60.

Helmet, red, ANSI certified $20. (619) 582-8833.

--e-;,~:,.-~:a.~

BOLT-0:K' WHE1test removable intermediate/advanced whl ~ rurdy, tough, 6" diameter.

Woo', pop off bo,t • , };kemop-oo'.s. S,p,m<c lrnb

1

has hole for VG~ l'i,#i,,; though it, remains on base"~. halves screw together using rube. Removabl thumb screws. $ 9/s~~uantity discounts. Immediate delivery. Lookoul' Mmi'l_\tain Flight Park, (800) 688LMFP, (706) 398-3541.\

SEPTEMBER 1993

HARNESSES - Tired of that aching back? Try a CLOUDBASE HARNESS. Let 21 years of experience custom tailor you a harness. Pods, spaghetti, cocoons, custom designs and now the FLEX. Also UV bags, rockets, varios, helmets & harness repair. Chris Smith (706) 398- 3964.

!---~--'

maxon·

sP-2roJ Series

10-CHANNEL P' MMABLE MAXON SP ay radio with charger. Three 2550 - 5 watt t\ USHGA, three wea ~\ four programmable frequencies. Durable, rugge ; la',\y to use. Nicad batrery (typical 10 hour). p· or 1#'1 choice! Special $349.

Additional optio s available. Lookout Mountain Flight Park, (800) 88-LMFP, (706) 398-3541.

59

E~ Classifieds ~ ~

®I@ @) ® '<7

MINI VARIO - \Vorld's smallest, simplest vario!

Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0-18,000 tl., fast response and 2 year warranty. Great for paragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92705. (714) 541-2625.

"OL' EAGLE EYES" FLIGHT GLASSES - UV and blue blackout with wrap- around frames. Plain AU$105., your prescription single-vision AU$145., bi-focal AU$165. Lenses only also available. ELECTRONIC TOW TENSION METERS - For fixed length line towing, AU$185. Info sheets and dealers welcome. Denis Cummings, PO Box 741, Bryon Bay 2481, Australia. Fax/phone 61 66 856 287.

TEK 6" WHEELS - $25 per pair, plus $3 S/H. Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. (203) 379-1668.

a fellow pilot and licensed deci o a system that fits your needs.

1 $ ., ~ om P2 $354.95, Alinco modJF I TH $312.95, DJ180T 28A $344.95. Mobiles 45w vailable. MARS/CAP MODS

GPS, reviewe in 3/93 HG, special price $790., includes acce sory package. Vario's from Ball, Aircotec, $ call Dealer for all major brands. We've either got the BEST PRICES or we'll match them!"

Kentuckiana Soaring, 425 Taggart Ave., Clarksville IN 47129. Phone/fa.x (812) 288-7111 evenings and weekends, send SASE for sale flyer.

9, a 10st new, strap and hg bracket $300. Ball M30, never used $150. Ball wrist vario, like new $100. (208) 726- 3191.

SYSTEK II VARIOMETER- Ideal for new pilots.

Single most important instrument for thermal flying.

Quick response, adjustable set- point, mount fits faired and/or round tubes. Economically priced $250.

Systems Technology Inc., PO Box 7203, Knoxville TN 37921, (615) 531-8045.

I

QUICK RELEASE CA BI Rball lock pin, $29 .00. 10, · patent pending. Thermal Drive, Norchridge, CA 913

60

$49.95. Extra

DON'T GET CAUGHT LANDING DOWNWIND! 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Available colors: fluorescent pink/yellow or fluocescent pink/white. $39.95 (+$4.00 S/H). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300, (719) 632-8300, FAX (719) 632-6417. VISA/MC accepted.

HANG GLIDING

Classifieds WINDTALKER Ill *

This is the one I I

~

THE WINDTALKER -~~ remote controlled by telephone, and can 20'/;lcfess codes, with preset numbers. of call~ .tha,c f8n,~uto decrement . Also will call you 1/ condmon\ (c· 'l(ed threshold. Pnce 1s only $895 complete. Free\\?'\frmacion. Licek (503) 4796633. /\

kfl~·

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

M~'r,iW/IIS

and Chm Wills HIGHER THAN EAGLES - by Maralys & Chris \'\fills. The life & times of BOBBY WILLS, hang gliding legend. Experience the triL1mphs and tragedies of the Wills family and the evolution of Wills Wing. $19.95 hardcover (+$4.00 S/H), see preceding classified for USHGA BOOKS ordering info.

FULL AND PART ·J'iMJ1y- USHGA certified instructors. Innovative e - •AS_-'1n1enr, the latest rraining

methods. Soaring Safa ·. Send resume Mission Soaring Center, 1116/~fiWey Way, Milpitas CA 1 95035. (408) 262-1055. \

PARAGUDE USA - Subscribe to North America's most widely read paragliding magazine. 12 issues jusc $25. Send check or money order to 1520 Main St., Ramona CA 92065 or call (619) 789-9492 or FAX (619) 789-8563 wich your credic card informacion.

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS BAG IT! - If you don'c have your copy of Dennis Pagen's PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, available through USHGA Headquarters $29.95 (+$4 s&h).

SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $45. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-1177.

TOWING DID YOU SHRED - that nice towline PARACHUTE? \Ve have replacements (chute only, 36"x30") for only $69.95 including shipping. Call Pryor (407) 471-4222.

INDUSTRIAL/10tiMERCIAL WINCH w/rewind and line , .at'.to $2,_IOO. Misc. tow parts $500. Colorado H Glidmg-smce 1972, (303) 2789566.

HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS -

by Pete Cheney. The Official USHGA Training 1'v!anual, NOW IN ITS SECOND EDITIO.N .

Over 260 pages, with more than 160 easy-to-unc:forstand illustratiom and photos. Your libraI}' starts with this book! $29.95 (plus $4.00 s/h) Colorado residents add 3% tax. SEND/FA}C/PHONE TO: USHGA BOOKS, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300, f'AX (719) 632-6417, PHONE (719) 632-8300. VISA/MC accepted.

LINE CHUTES SAVE MONEY - Patterns, material or complete. Two sizes, low as $29.95. Call evenings (303) 371-8873.

ULTRALINE IN STOCK - 3000' and 4000' continuous lengths. Volume discounts. The original Ultraline Source-Cajun Hang Gliding Club, 110 Kent Circle, Lafayette LA 70508, (318) 981-8372.

Sell your unused equipment here.

SEPTEMBER 1993

E~

By Golden Wings

UNLIKE OT ~- SYSTEMS - No deployment mechanism is r ~ d. Fully self actuating when row line is release . , tduces wear on line & rewind motor. Redl ces

N'rn around time. T,vo sizes.

$85/$125 in l. shfpping. Check or monev order.

Golden \Xfings, 1103 Washington Ave., Golden CO. 1-800-677-4449.

TOWLINES SPECTRA-Hollow Braided 2000' or 3000' I Reel Part# .......................... Price ............. \X1eight SPCB-730 ................... 14¢/fr ........... <2#/'Iv! SPCB-950 ................... 16¢/fr. .......... 2#/M SPCB-1500 ..........~ ..... 17¢/fi f......... <4#/M

DAC 15~0· I Reel It , DCCB-650 ..........i, \ .. ¢/~ ............ <5#/ivl DCCB-900 ...... f.. . 9<;:/h ............. <8#/i'v!

DCCB-1500 ............ 1 10¢/fr ........... 12#/i'v!

DCCB-2000 ............. .'l2<t/fr ........... l 7#/'Iv!

1

All in stock, fax orders to: David F. Bradley, Braided Products Division, PO Box 95, Hilltown PA 18927.

(215) 822-1968, fax (215) 822-5852.

VIDEOS & FILMS

EAST COAST VIDEOS presents VIDEOS AVAILABLE - New York Finger Lakes Region, hang gliding and paragliding (50 minutes).

Henson's Gap & Whitwell Tennessee (55 minutes). lvlichigan Hang Gliding & Paragliding (77 minutes).

Old Time Movies, 1975-1980 (93 minutes). All video's $29 each (+$3 S/H). Wayne Bergman, 80 E. Lincoln, Muskegon lv!I 49444.

FLAMENCO DUNE - Awesome paragliding & radical dune soaring in Namibia. Original, unique soundtrack. Weird yes-but you'll enjoy it. 20 min. $19.95 +$4 S/H. Available through USHGA Headquarters.

61

~~ Classifieds checks payable to USHGA Classified Advertising Dept. HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300 or FAX (719) 632-6417.

PARAGLIDE: The Movie

STOLEN WINGS WILLS WING SPECTRUM 165 - Serial #20213.

Taken below Hwy. 8 bridge on 7/10/93 over Thing Valley east of San Diego, CA. Blue LE, flourescent yellow undersurface, High Energy CX bag, blue/red.

Contact: Paul Hurless, 11 llC Decker St., El Cajon, CA 92019 (619) 588-4687.

World class paragliding at the famous Owens Valley.

Probably more paragliding action than you can handle in this 40 minute video. Send $39.95 (+$4 s&h) to USHGA Videos, PO Box 8300, Colorado Springs co 80933. (719) 632-8300.

KNEEHANGER HARNESS & HALF-SHELL HELMET - Loaned at Capitol HGA October 1992 meeting, borrower's name lost. Harness is olive-drab w/logo and parachute container, lots of black webbing straps (not rope). Helmet is yellowed white half-shell, w/ orange "High Rock 1992" sticker on side and a vertical arrow sticker on back which says "Other Brothers-The Pulpit 1982". If spotted, please get pilot's data and call Mark \Vallner (301) 932-2188 MD.

MISCELLANEOUS ASSET PROTECTION - With a NEW .USHGA Stadium Cushion, $5.99 +$3 s/h. A great giftifor your driver! Available from USHGA, PO B~x 8300, Colorado Springs CO 80933.

HANG GLIDING MOBILES 1989 27' Fleetwood Jamboree. Sleeps 6, complete with bath/shower, kitchen, TV, microwave, fridge & glider tubes. FORD BRONC0-1987, automatic, a/c, ondemand 4-wheel drive, am/fm/cass, good condition.

ATOL W/TRAILER. For complete derails, give Rob & Betsy Richardson a call at (310) 764-8012 or (805) 268- 1718 California. \'{filling to sell as a package or individually.

~Adventure Video .................................. 4 ··""'i\irEot~e=. ......................................

<:;-~::i · -

- ,~-Ainek-Par-agliaing~c:, ........................ (fil v ·A-ttstralian~MG Aclventttrt ................ ~ 1,410 r ~lfftigeP. ..................................... C.3)

·=; ~ : -............................................ ~

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yree-................................................(j)"

Rll-Bras:-:::~: .................................... qzY'

lJ{!i.z_ - Migh.--Energy-Spmts .......................... ~

HANG ~LIDil'{ J ELRY - Availab(e in =-Just.fly-.......~..................................... ~ Sterling Silver & 1 t. gold. Pendants, earnngs, l,ooko.uLMi. Fhgh~ ................. ~ sports pins. Amero e, ers, 130 F Street, Salida ~uunt:rrfl'7ftgh" " ........ """"" ......... ".

81201. 1-800-547, 7627. Visa/MC/Discover. 'lJ.t ,~-oy~,,, .......................................... @2.3)':-,

~fh.

VIDEOS BO.OKS POSTERS APPAREL - Call USHGA for your Merchandise order fo;m (719) 6328300.

Your ad is read by more than 10,000 hang gliding enthusiasts. Advertise with us today.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

'l.f.f)cl

FORD QUADRAVAN - 4X4, strong 460 V8 engine. Top condition, hang gliding rack, seats 9-11 people, windows. Lots and lots of extras, ideal set-up for school, instructor or pilots. Asking $6,000 OBO. Call Uwe (415) 990-2388.

GLIDER MARKING INTERNATIONAL CORP. - For any artwork on your hang glider. Free color brochures. Phone (516) 676-7599, fax (516) 6760106.

FOUND - At Lookout Mtn. Flight Park LZ in April 1993. Vario/harness/helmet, please call & ID equipment. (706) 398-3541, ask for Thor.

lJ{!h-~

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~.......................................... ©

'PGGif~.a,ye ..................., ~

P-araglidiog The Magazfne ..................,.§_4-,

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. · ..Para-P1peune :.................................. ()) SELL IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSI- · -·-Ref~ ............................................ @_ FIEDS. 'L~ l&I · "' ~eeond~hantz ..................................(Sj _C_LA_S_S-IF_I_E_D_AD_VE_R_T_I_S_IN_G_RA_T_ES_T_h_e_r~at~e-for

~k~Al:ige+.-~........... '.'.' ............. · ·· ·· ···(D

Spou. Aviation Puhlicatiens .................. 7 classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. '':Ire~kin~T}_SA .................................

MINIMUM AD CHARGE, $5.00. A fee of $15.00 -tl'P fntemafioml .............................. is charged for each line arr logo and $25.00 for each USHGA ...................... 8,13,23,39,43,51 photo. Please underline words to be in bold print. rrr,-'r,.""' ~~W-iHs-W~, ..................................~:?1) Special layouts of tabs $25.00 per column inch.

AD DEADLINES All ad copy, instructions, changes, additious and cancellations musr be received in writing l 1/2 months preceding the cover date, i.e.

October 20 for rhe December issue. Please make

·:_1'13 d'GJ

62

HANG GLIDING

C Product Lines

© 1993 by Dan Johnson

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- The 1993 Worlds is history and Team USA brought home the gold for the first time ever. Hearty congratulations to the Team and all support members. • • • A number of calls or faxes arrived after the mention last month of new rigid wing developments. While rigids have yet to make a measurable impact in the market, interest in these "alternative" hang gliders remains keen. After observing this segment of our sport for nearly two decades, I see more interest and activity today than at any time prior. • • • First, let me pass along contact information (most requests directed to me ask for this info). • Want more on the SWift?

Contact Bright Star at 707 /576-7627. By the

way, I may have sharply understated the cost of the Swift. Obtain pricing from the factory.

• If interested in Don Mitchell's last design, the Stealth II, contact Tim Morley and Jeff Harlan at 209/523-6652 or 209/632-6684.

If interested in Danny Howell's Apex, call Glider Sport International at 909/696-0887. All are located in California, so plan your call time accordingly. • • • If you' re just investigating rigid wings, you should be reading Chuck McGill's Rigid-Wing Reader. I continue to be impressed with McGill's effort to disseminate information. In each issue I've seen so far he hits the high points of several projects, while looking at one of them in greater detail. His editorializing is lucid as he argues for the need for new aircraft to aid the growth/ developnent of hang gliding. So far it's free, though McGill has announced he'll tap you for a subscription at some point. FMI: P.O. Box 304, J\'.'.ercer Island WA 98040. Issues consist of four sheets of legal-sized paper packed nearly solid with text and some line art. • • , A familiar name is behind the "new" Stealth II: Tim Morley. M::l.ny of you recognize Tim from his days as one of Wills Wing's road warriors, traveling the country rep' ing gliders. Others will associate his name with "that guy who put a control bar on a Mitchell Wing." Flying that machine, he made of the cover of my Whole Air magazine back in May of 1984. Unfortunately, not long after, Morley suffered a tandem accident that sharply curtailed his flying ambitions. Now, showing remarkable determination, he and partner Jeff Harlan will take the last Mitchell to new heights (and in some configuration that Tim can fly, I'd expect) . • • • Don Mitchell's longtime associate, Richard Avalon, will break up the business and sell parts to selected buyers who can go forward with the designs in a commercial sense. Avalon sold Morley and Harlan the rights to all unpowered applications of the B-10 and Stealth II designs. Avalon himself will retain SEPTEMBER 1993

right to power these same aircraft (kind of the old powered hang glider concept) . Obviously, he' 11 work closely with Morley and Harlan.

Finally, he' 11 sell the powered ultralight versions of the U-2 and Victory Wing. The latter deal was still in negotiation as of the end of June. • • • Morley and Harlan have set up space to finish the Stealth II design and hope to fly in 1993. You see, talented Don Mitchell was one of those old timers who designed by building. He'd work out the details and then create drawings and plans. Avalon remembers, "This is the same way he designed the Victory Wing. On its very first flight, the aircraft was in .perfect trim .. virtually nothing needed to be corrected. Don was that caliber of designer." Since he was unable to finish the Stealth II before his death, Morley, Harlan, and Avalon will proceed from completed sections, lots of pictures, and a fundamental understanding of Mitchell designs. Though they'll have gaps to fill, Morley is confident they' 11 complete the project. Both he and Avalon say, "We want to keep it strictly Don Mitchell." They promise to keep us informed. ,,, Though Danny Howell's Apex project has been out-of-sight, out-of-mind for many months, he claims they' re definitely progressing. "We will be producing a rigid wing," assures Howell. Presently, work is focused on earning certification. As some rigid enthusiasts feel HGMA is oriented to rag wings, certifying the Apex may take time. Howell has enlisted good help, engaging Tan Price and Mark West for the effort. Howell added, "The wing is flying very well." It was out in trials in early July. , , • To close, an amplification: In my excitement to describe details of Wills Wing's new RamAir technology, I overlooked a significant point.

Wills is proud of and their customers respect a policy of fully completing a design prior to releasing it for sale. I believe most readers are aware of this. However, such a policy means WW may work to refine ideas for a long time before any announcement. Releasing a new and certified glider is risky and expensive. I'm pleased quality builders like WW are willing to take the gamble. • • • Also failed to give proper credit to the chief architect of the new model. Steve Pearson is one of those behindthe-scenes innovators not always singled out when a new product is announced. In spite of my oversights in reporting, customers are clear in their reaction to the new model... the company had a deluge of orders placed without seeing a RarnAir. What loyalty!

••• So, got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax/V-mail to: 612/450-0930. THANKS! 63

KS - the difference is AIRWAVE

Photography Michael Weingartner

AIRWAVE K Series KS 148 - The latest in the K series, the KS 148 is a glider for the lighter pilot. It's not only an out-and-out racer with competition grade performance, but is also an excellent all round machine for the recreational and weekend pilot. It combines easy handling, launch and landing characteristics with performance so fierce that you'll wonder how you managed without it. Designed to exacting standards and produced with the normal AIRWAVE high quality fittings, the KS 148 is a glider that is second to none and one you'll be proud to own.

Sail Design - Composite construction produces the performance of a full mylar sail while retaining the easy handling and longevity of a dacron sail. A highly warp-oriented, structural laminate is used for high load areas on the trailing edge band. This produces high performance but greatly helps the life span of the glider as well as the handling.

The front section of the main body is made from a lightweight fabric with enormous stability which facilitates good luff curve control for performance.

Airframe Design - Every component on the KS 148 has been designed and manufactured using aerospace criteria to reduce weight and drag without any compromise regarding reliability and longevity. The leading edge blends a 52 mm inner section to the suppleness of a 50 mm outer section giving the optimum combination of luff and leading edge curve. This combination gives smooth handling and excellent glide at speed.

Features and Benefits - Every KS 148 comes standard with: airfoil kingpost and/or safedge uprights for low drag; Comfort Bar for superb ergonomics; a Magic Trimmer providing a full range of sail tensions in flight; and internal luff line compensator to maintain the necessary settings for safety in all circumstances while still allowing sufficient sail movement for easy handling; high modulus carbon fiber tip battens give less tip inertia and greater durability; precise and effective tuning with Trim Tips.

The K series, as well as the rest of the Pacific Airwave hang glider product line, are made in the US of A. To receive more information contact your local dealer or Pacific Airwave today.

Pacific Airwave, P.O. Box 4348, Salinas, California 93912 (408) 422-2299 Fax (408) 758-3270