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ARTICLES: UNDER THE RAINBOW

by Richard Bach 1 PARAGLIDING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. 1 .INTRODUCING THE EQUIPMENT.

28 ENVISION FLIGHT (centerfold) 30 CARING FOR YOUR CANOPY

34 WHAT KEEPS YOU UP THERE

by Tim Williams 38 PARAGLIDER POWER SYSTEMS 40 TOWING

18 TANDEM 44 GLIDER PERFORMANCE 20 BUYING YOUR 1st GLIDER. 46 CLASS I RATING 22 PARAGLIDER CERTIFICATION 50 SCHOOLS 25 CERTIFICATION & SAFETY 52 GLOSSARY by Ted Boyse 26 F2 PARAMOTOR

Paragliding Magazine 221 Treasure Beach Rd. St. Augustine, FL 32084 Phone (904) 461-7048 Fa:x (904) 461-7017 Editors; Fred & Claudia Stockwell Art Director Fred Stockwell Editorial Assistance; Shari Asplund Cover ; Valerie Carroll of Draper, Utah smiling after a flight. photo Fred Stockwell Table of contents photograph; Jackson Hole Wyoming

by Neal Henderson The United Sta tes Hang G liding Association Inc.(USHGA) is an air sports organizat ion affi li ated with the National Aeronautic AssoGialion (NAA) whic h is the officia l represen tative of the Federa tion Aero nau tiq ue Internatio nale (FA!), t he wor ld gove rnin g body for spurt aviation.The NAA, whi ch represents the ·u:s. at FA! meetings, has delegaied to the lJSHGAsu.pervision of FA!- related hang gliding/ paragliding activities such as world record attempts and competition sanctions.

Par aglidin g Magaz ine is pub l is hed for members of the paragliding community as well as other interested parties. It is the official pubUcation for the USHGA n_1,,ws for paragliding. The magazine and the association do not assu me any responsibility for the content of published ar!Iclcs, advertising or fo r the opinions of its contributors.

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te?4994 PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 03

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eetering on a sheer mountainside, 50 miles from the airport, having strapped myself firmly into nothing, I figured I was ready to fly.

Forty years in a flash.

I stood, age 14, on the roof of the garage, bedsheet tied with ropes to arms and belt, and leaned to jump.

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 05

continued,

For the first time in my life, I met aeronautical judgment face-lo-face. I untied the ropes, climbed down the ladder, put the sheet back on my bed, and never told anyone how stupid I nearly was. Now however, it wasn't 12 feet to the back lawn - it was 1,800 feet down and there were rocks at the bottom, pointy, sharp st;ne teeth waiting in the jaws of Saddle Mountain, Washington, hungry for a meal of fool. Is this, I wondered, what suicide feels like? What happened to aeronautical judgment? All my life, I've been a flier, not a crazy .. .. Three steps-run hard, run as if I want to die, right now, over the edge.

The giant rag behind me, the structureless nothing of prism-color nylon , instead of dragging crumbled off the cliff burst into the air overhead, a curving rainbow shield, a dream between me and insanity . Instead of dying, I flew. "Aaaaa-haaaaay," I said to the mountain, to the teeth, to the sky . The rocks listened .

"Hey," they echoed back. You ' re not a suicide, you're a paraglider!

To order a copy send $21.50 plus $1.50 S&H to; Paragliding Magazine; 221 Treasure Beach Rd.; St. Augustine, FL 32084 or call (904) 461-7048 PAGE 06 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

More and more these day, American mountains and hillsides and shoreline bluffs are echoing the launch cries of pilots in flying's newest sport. Some 50,000 people fly the bright canopies in Europe, some 15,000 in Japan .

How many in the United States? A thousand, maybe 2,000 at the outside. A few weeks after my Saddle Mountain adventure, I was certified by the American Paragliding Association as a Class I pilot, the sport's equivalent of a private pilot, the l,005th person on the list. Practically a pioneer. Why so few in a country that overwhelms nearly every other statistic in aviation? Beats me. The best I can come to an answer is that American fliers just haven ' t heard about paragliding.

The thistledown aircraft are utterly simple, learned in a day . They pack aviation 's death penalty for terrible mistakes, of course, yet students from what other domains of flight can safely go solo after an hour's instruction?

Where I've flown, running those steps is the closest yet to the magnet that drew me to the top of the garage in the first place, to flying airplanes in the second: Paragliding is the nearest to flying without wings this side of an out-of-body experience.

A paraglider is a 30-foot parachute without jumpplane, without free fall, without wondering after launch if the nylon is likely to open today. It's a wing that can soar, that can take us up in lift as well as softly down on still mornings. It ' s a low-performance

sailplane without runway, winch, or aero tow. It 's a foot-launched hang glider without spars, kingpost, steel cables, or downtubes. It 's an ultralight without cockpit, wing, fuselage, empennage, wheels, or twocycle scream. It 's an open-air helicopter-no moving parts. It 's a steerable hot-air balloon without flames and dragon roar. It 's a 25-pound VFR airplane that stuffs into a backpack and fits in a car trunk with room left over. No noise, no smoke, no runways, no planetary damage. A paraglider leaves one set of footprints going up toward higher ground, nothing coming down but a wide slow brush stroke in the air, color of her choice. A perfect landing touches earth lighter than a walk.

1. Open bag, and unfold wing on launch site, bottom side up.

2. Buckle harness on, tum and face into wind

3. Check suspension lines clear, rear risers over anns, front risers and brake toggles in hands.

4. Run downhill five steps or until feet leave ground 5. Left brake turns wing left, right brake turns right, both brakes up for fas~ both down for slow and stop.

6. After landing, stuff wing into bag, climb or drive to top ofhillside.

7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 for remainder of career.

September afternoon, a wind breathing 13 knots up a hillside near Ellensburg, Washington , Peter Buck and I quizzed our instructor, Mike Eberle of North America Paragliding. How could he stand there in this wind and fly the wing so easily, charm it to be so docile over his head? "Pressures, guys," he told us.

"You don ' t fight the canopy; the brakes aren't here to tug on or haul around, they tell you the pressure in the wing. After a while, you don 't even think, just feel it, like so ... As he spoke, Eberle pressed the brake toggles at his shoulders and ascended, his body lifting slowly to an altitude of 4 feet. Our heads pivoted upwards, beaks open, baby birds hungry to know.

"When the wind 's right," he said, "you can slide back and forth ..."We watched as he floated to our left, talking with us as though we were seated in the classroom. A touch of brake, and he skated 5 yards right, down to within a foot of the ground, grass tops brushing the sides of his boots. "It 's called ridge dancing."

This is how Zen students feel, I thought, when teacher levitates. As though he had lost interest in us, our instructor moved soundlessly away, 10 yards, 30, 50then came slanting back at high speed, never more than 3 feet in the air, following the contour of the hillside. He slowed and stopped, sank till he was sitting in the grass, all the while his canopy a great condor wing overhead . No sound, save for the airy hush of wind through Kevlar suspension lines, an occasional rustle and fluff of the wing flexing above. He ascended once more, drifted far away down the slopes until we could see only the top of his wing, fire-colors against the grass.

"I don ' t know, Pete, " I said . "Think we ' re going to learn this? " "Not likely, " said my attorney friend.

"Not until we ' ve practiced as much as he has."

After a time, the wing turned and floated back up the hill, and here was our instructor once more, hovering just above eye level. " Practice ," he said, as

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continued,

though he had been listening. "And you need the right wind."

He eased the pressure on the brakes, barely, and stood on the ground again. Then abruptly, he turned and pulled the rear risers, changing the wing in seconds from graceful airfoil to quivering bright nylon pond . "You try it. " It 's easy to imagine on a calm day: A sport this simple, I can read the book and teach myself. Possible but not often true. Aviation safety has its cliche ' about doctors in Bonanzas; paragliding has one about skydivers, hang glider, and ultralight and airplane pilots convinced that they don ' t need instruction to fly anything so artless as a big inflated wing. Bad cliche'. Stalls and spins, those mechanical entry textbook-recovery maneuvers for conventional airplanes, are not so tame for paragliders-they are major advanced maneuvers, more the equivalent of outside loops and flat spins than a Cessna 150's basic training events . One paraglider test pilot told me there 's no practical reason for a sport paraglider pilot ever to spin an inflatable wing. Watching paragliders spin on videotape, it 's easy to agree. Every student practices asymmetric wing collapses, from small tip folds to larger ones to "big ea rs," in which the pilot effectively changes the canopy from straight to swept wing and back in midair. Later may come practice collapsing the center of the canopy, allowing the tips to fly forward and meet overhead in a front horseshoe, turning a soaring wing into an oval parachute, sinking nearly straight down .

For all its serene tranquility, paragliding is a judgment sport of the first order. Launch on calm days, or days into a 5- to 10-knot wind, and you ' re guaranteed the slow, gentle adventure that is the essence of the sport. Launch in winds of more than 15 knots, or launch downwind into rotor air on the lee side of a hill, and you ' re lighting the fuse to an explosive learning experience. " We get the question all the time, " says Rob Kells, president of Wills Wing in Santa Ana, California, one of the country ' s biggest hang glider manufacturers. "How safe is it?

Because everybody knows people get killed flying, whether it 's co=ercial airlines or ultralights. It 's not that paragliding is safe or paragliding is dangerous, because paragliding is absolutely both. You can choose any level of danger or safety in-between those two places. "The only way I can see that somebody can participate with any reasonable level of safety in paragliding is if they get the best equipment, they get the best instruction, and they fly with in their own limitations. As long as they do those three things, they can fly eve ry day till they ' re a hundred, and they' ll do fine. " Aviation 's old-timers told each other to keep their noses down ; the IFR pilot remembers to keep the airplane shiny side up. The paraglider pilots maxim is keep the wing over your head , as it ' s hard to do much serious soaring after you ;ve plummeted into a canopy from above . My wing is placarded against pitch angles of more than 30 degrees and banks of more than 45; to stay certified, it needs a factory

PAGE 08 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

annual inspection. For any flying above a few hundred feet, a reserve parachute is standard, and in some countries, and at some sites required.

To learn paragliding, you need an instructor, a wing, and a smooth 100 foot hillside facing into the wind. All three usually come in a rented package, at prices from $150 lo $300 for a weekend. Schools and instructors in these early days are still few. There are more of them in the West than in the East, and learning could require a visit to a school hundreds of miles away.

Chandelle of San Francisco may not be typical because it ' s been around for a long lime as a hanggliding school. It is typical, though, that the owners and chief flight instructors live at the edge of near obsession about paragliding.

Andy Whitehill has been flying hang gliders and paragliders most of his 27 years, but he ' s as swept with flying as any kid with a J-3 Cub. The cool reserve we airplane pilots cultivate is lost in the fun he takes from showing other people what paragliding is all about. Norma Jean Saunders, who was the first woman to climb Mt. McKinley solo, moved south from Alaska to instruct with Whitehill.

A dear sight : Norma Jean running just below a student's first flight down Chandelle ' s soft emerald and-flowers training hill, her hair flying sunlight behind her, outstretched band reaching high toward his harness, calling praise, instruction and encouragement all the way to a landing . The summer image stays slow motion in the mind for a long time afterwards and many an onlooker has been charmed into flying by the scene. It doesn ' t often happen in conventional aviation that students and instructors go on flying together for the fun of it after the rating has been earned. It happens a lot in paragliding.

Notes from a flying journal: My first high launch today, from 500 feet. Why have I never noticed? 500 feet is high up!

My fe!Jow students are n' t the school-kid-skysurfers I had expected. They ' re business people, for the most part, late 20 ' s to mid 40 ' s, salaries to match. They say they don ' t have time to learn to fly airplanes.

Except for a little hush of wind through the suspension lines, the wing ' s as quiet as a helium balloon-you can talk to people on the ground when you fly , hear dogs barking away off.

Takes courage, a hundred feet in the air, to slip forward out of the swing-seat and bang by leg-straps under the canopy . I look down when I do it because it 's so scary, treetops turning below.

How I'm coming to trust that big rainbow overhead ! Do paragliders have soul, same as airplanes?

I'm cutting some of these slopes pretty fine , these days; lightly bashing the wooden seat 15 knots against low grass and loose rock down a hundred yards of mountainside . Yet I' m still Captain Chicken ... could be it's dawning on me that ridge-dancing is not dangerous!

I meant to miss it by inches, but today I flew through the top of a five foot cactus, the kind with the round flat ears and long thorns. Cactus was more surprised than hurt, but those spines were sharp, some sank through the nylon web and a quarter-inch into the wood. Was it a close call? Can ' t tell-

it 's hard to be frightened when you ' re laughing midair.

Nearly every lime I fly , someone ' s seeing a paraglider for the first time. They ply me with questions, ask what it feels like, where they can learn.

Paraglider pilots like airplane pilots, share two major mental states: love of flying and fear of heights. The former ever will overcome the latter, but there are adrenaline moments along the way for that familiar whisper : What am I doing here? The answer is what makes this sport so much fun .

Today a rabbit startled out from cover below, dashed twenty yards top speed, saw I wasn ' t a rabbithawk, stopped and

calmed her little heart. A multi-point buck looked up puzzled as I floated past, tilled his head: Last year it was mountain bikes, now they ' re hanging from rainbows.

All the journal notes aren ' t so pleasant, for paragliding has its trials and disappointments: Too bad you drove those hundred miles to get here. You should ' ve been here yesterday, when the wind wasn ' t this calm, when it wasn ' t blowing downhill , when the lift was so smooth even th e students stayed up for a hour and a half. when it wasn ' t raining and snowing and pouring down hail lhis way.

Upscale paraglider pilots like me whine and complain when there's no stretched white limo waiting at the landing zone to whisk us back up lo launch. Though we suspect that climbing bills is our trail back to teenage physique, I for one am not disappointed to find some way to hitch a ride back up.

Terrible first flight today. Couldn ' t believe it can be dead calm on the ground and blowing so hard i.n the air. Landed in the swamp.

The best and the worst of downsides to paragliding sometimes blend. Your landing gear, for instance, are your feet. Awake and practiced, you can step out of the sky on a rock 2 feel square, then reach for the risers and guide your wing gently to ground.

Misjudge badly, though, or land downwind, you can hit very hard. Do this without good boots or good luck, and you ' ll be one more paragliding lower limb injury.

When you know all this and decide to become a paraglider pilot anyway, it ' s time to go looking for a wing of your own.

There ' s a raft of them available, most of them European designs, from manufacturers as numerous as airplane companies were in the 1930' s. Instead of Cessna and Stearman and Beech and Taylor and Kari-Keen, the manufacturers in this mirror-world of flight go by names like Ailes de K (El d' Ka , in Swiss), Apco, Comet, Firebird , Flight Design , Glidcll , ITV, Pacific Airwave, Pro Design, UP, Wills Wing. Behind the names wait a bewildering choice of paragliders, from first -flight trainers through standard Class I's to cutting-edge Class II and III competition/ experimental wings.

You ' ll spend about $3 ,000 for a new wing and harness; you can find them used at half the price. The difference is that wings deteriorate in ultraviolet- 100 hours in the sunlight and it ' s time to send them back to the factory for a check of canopy and suspension lines. If frayed or broken, if any seam is loose, if the ny lon is so porous that you can blow through it, lhe wing' s in no condition for serious flying .

When you go for it , make sure your instructor can take you through the 30-some flights required for a U.S.H.G.A. Class I rating. No certificate is required from the Federal Aviation Administration , and you can pioneer your own launch places without one, but the sport is serious about safety and you ' ll need the rating to fly from established sites or in competition.

So many of the people involved in paragUding in the US have been its pioneers. Fred and Claudia Stockwell publish the magazine; they were the sport in the United States in its early years; they ' re still a strong guiding force. You can reach them at the address printed in the table of contents.

Last winter, Mike Eberle mentioned he ' d be flying on January 18 at Saddle Mountain, just for fun.

"You ' re talking ice, guy! " I told him, "you ' re talking snow! " "Yeah," he said.

I went to Ellensburg out of kindness, so he wouldn ' t have to fly alone, and found that 29 other pilots had done the same thing.

Frozen gray sky looked like fireworks, for all the wings in the air; the colors forced a crowd of passerby to turn off the road to watch.

Wait till summer.

Richard Bach is a lo11 g1i111 e pi/01, 11o velis1 and aviation wriler. His books include Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Biplane, One, Stranger to the Ground, Nothing by Chance, A Gift of Wings, There 's No Such Place as Far Away, Illusions, and The Bridge Across Forever. He is a commercial airplane and helicopler pilot wifh i11strume111, seaplane, glider and multi-e11g i11 e ratings. O ver !he years, he has flo wn some 125 difJerelll typ es of aircraft, ft'0/11 ivarbirds and classics 10 ultralights and aerobllls. Wh en 11 01 under th e rainbow of his Wills Wing paraglider chasing rabbi1s, he regularly fli es his P337 Cessna Sky111as1er.

PARAGLIDING, THE MA GAZINE• PAGE 09

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ARAGLIDING-~

WHA~ YOU NEED T.O

l16at is it ?

Paragliding is a brand new form of sport flying, which offers perhaps the easiest and most fun way for almost anyone to realize the age old dream of personal flight.

T he basic skills are easy to learn. The equipment is simple , light in weight, and relatively inexpensive compared to any other type of aircraft. While more demanding physically than, say, flying an airplane, paragliding is considerably less strenuous than many other sports, including its close cousin, the sport of hang gliding. In actuality, paragliding is a type of hang gliding, but the difference in the equipment used makes a big difference in the ease of learning and the level of physical effort required to practice th e sport of paragliding. Like hang gliding, paragliding is free flight , unrestricted by any attachment to a tow or tether line.

P aragliding is not parasailing, which is being towed behind a boat under a vented circular parachute canopy. Paragliders, like hang gliders, can be launched by towing when foot-launching from a hill or mountain is not convenient , but they do not depend on the tow line for their ability to fly. Likewise, paragliding is not skydiving, where flight is achieved by jumping out of an afrplane and free fall is the primary goal, although the paraglider itself does resemble (in appearance, though not in design , construction , or capabilities) the high performance ram air skydiving parachute canopy PAGE 10 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

from which it is descended . Finally , paragliding is not base jumping, which is a form of skydiving where the skydiver launches from a fixed to earth object such as a bridge, building or cliff.

Tue paraglider pilot launches by running down the slope of a hill, into the prevailing breeze, until the canopy inflates over his head and lifts him away from the surface of the earth. Also like hang gliding, paragliding is un-powered flight , with none of the complications that otherwise arise from the use of an engine. In the smooth, calm air of early morning or evening, a paraglider pilot can, with a few easy steps, launch himself from any convenient hillside or mountaintop and glide smoothly and silently to a gentle landing hundreds or even thousands of feet below . And even if this were the only experience offered by the sport of paragliding, it would be well worth it for those of us who have dreamed throughout our life-times of imitating the simple, unencumbered flight of the birds.

KNOW

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l O ne of the greatest appeals of paragliding is the elegant simplicity of the sport; from the equipment required to the techniques involved. The paraglider wing itself is a mere 15 lbs. of nylon or dacron cloth, fabricated into a series of ram air inflatable cells, to which is sewn an array of thin supporting lines which attach to the pilot's harness . The harness is a simple sling of webbing and fabric , fitted with buckles and special clips to secure the pilot in the harness and attach the harness to the canopy.

A lightweight helmet and some other simple protective gear, and the pilot is ready to fly. The entire system will fit in a corner of the trunk of your car, or onto a backpack that you can take with you on a hike.

Of course few things are as simple as they first appear, and the design and construction of a paraglider is actually very subtle and very complex. The airworthiness of a paraglider, and hence the safety of the pilot, depend on every aspect of the design, construction and maintenance of the B ut like hang gliding and sailplane flyparaglider being exactly right. A small ing, paragliding offers more . For in the error in design or construction , or an more active air of midday , a improperly done repair, can easily render paraglider pilot with more ~ extremely dangerous what would otheradvanced skills and experience ~ ' ' wise be a safe aircraft. The pilot does, can launch into soaring condi...., \ , - . therefore, need to be a~are of _the tions, where rising parcels of ,~ / I complex na_ture _of paragl1der design, sun heated air can carry vi / and the cnt1cal importance of proper paraglider and pilot aloft , maintenance. Also, while the beginsometimes thousands of feet ~ ning skills of paragliding are easy to above the point of launch, and allow learn , safe flying in soaring conditions for sustained flights of up to several hours. requires a broad range of more advanced At the right flying site in the right condiskills, and a thorough knowledge of airtions, a pilot with the right skill and experimanship and weather as well as an accurate ence can even fly cross country , hopping understanding of the unique operating limifrom one rising thermal updraft to the next, tations of a paraglider as a soaring aircraft. and landing in some previously unknown But all that properly taken into account, the location miles downwind of his original paraglider as a finished product is, for the takeoff spot. end user, a wonderfully simple and elegant

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piece of equipment for the achievem ent of su c h a lofty g oal as p e rso n al fli g ht , a nd paragliding is probably the m ost accessible form of person al fli g ht ye t deve loped.

earing to paraglide Advice and tips from several experienced pilots and instructors Th e re ar e ma ny ways to lea rn bow to paraglide. You co uld bu y a use d glid er and teach yo urself how to fl y (how to die). Yo u co uld have a friend teac h yo u on bis or her high perfo rmance ca nopy, or yo u co uld take lesso ns from a professional ce rtified paragliding instructor. If you wa nt your learning ex peri ence to be safe and enjoyable, we reco mme nd th a t yo u find p rofess io na l ce rt ifi e d instruction.

Instru ctors mu st at te nd a special USHGA tra inin g course to beco me ce rtified . If you have tro uble locatin g a ce rtified instructor in yo ur area, try loo king under a rock (just kidding ), better yet look up hang gliding in the yellow pages or call the USHGA at (71 9) 6328300.

In th e United States paraglidin g and hang gliding are regulated by the USHGA.(U nitcd States Hang Gliding Association ) This national association is so lely responsible fo r developin g, promotin g and protecting the sports of paraglidin g and hang gliding.

Through programs like the pilot ratin g system and instru cto r ce rtifica tion co urses, they strive to promote pilot safety, kn owledge and skill. Bein g a member of the USHGA mea ns,

you w ill rece ive th e fo llow in g benefit s: Yo u w ill rece ive a copy o f Paragliding th e Magazin e, 6 times a yea r. This fu ll color maga zine cove rs, events, fl yin g sites, technica l information, new products, safety articles and membership dialogue.

B e in g pa rt of t he U SHG A Pil o t Ra tin g System, Class 1, Class 11 and Class ill levels for paragliding Th ese guidelin es are imple mented

by USHGA Ce rtifi ed In structors, Obse rve rs, Examiners and Regional Directors. $1,000,000 (per occurre nce) li ability insura nce, pro tecting those not involve d in parag liding. This insurance has made many fl yi ng sites ava ilable to paraglidin g (this insura nce is required at most fl y in g s ites) a nd m any o th e r be ne fit s, too numerous to list !

or o n s ki s, o n a ge ntl e tr ainin g s l o pe o r straight from the top of a high site under radio instruction. There 's a different method fo r all e n v iro nm e nt s a nd a ll tim es of th e yea r.

Tandem flyin g is sometimes used, but it is a compleme nt ary ex peri ence, not a comple te way to lea rn .

M ost schools let their pupils fl y from day one, but as in sailing there is a wo rld of curi osity, wonder and experience betwee n first hops in li ght winds and the in stru c tor 's fr iendl y voice on the radio and solitary high cruising in th e sky. Pilots are not made durin g a week' s co u rse . Th e har des t pa rt of parag lidin g is lea rning to cope with thi s easy , fa nt astic but so m e tim es fri g ht e nin g a ut o nom y . Se ri o us schoolin g is the best fo undation.

Training Hill Flights

School Or No School?

T he tra inin g hill is we re yo u will develop most of yo ur skill and know ledge. During this portion of training you will be learn ing about equipment, developing ca nopy inflation skills, launching skills, turn co ntro l and landing skills.

Also yo u will lea rn about ae rodynamics, and the wind and weather co nditi ons in which yo u ca n safely fl y. Most certified instru ctors will have yo u spend several clays perfecting these skills.

An average student w ill make 35 -50 traioin g hill fli ght s befo re adva nc in g to bis firs t hig h altitude flight. If you beco me ru sty or nervo us abou t fly in g. it's time to go back to the trainin g bill and brush up on yo ur skills.

I t's temptin g to think that yo u can go out and bu y a paraglidin g win g and then run off a hill w ith it jus t like a kit e. Do n' t! Always re memb e r th at mi stakes in av ia tio n ca n be lethal. Thi nkin g that this craft is easy to pilot co uld lea d to a novice suddenly realizing that there arc hundreds of fee t of nothin g below them, and that an a ircraft , however simpl e, is not as easy to fl y as it might appear. What to d o? Pull o n th e brakes to s low dow n th e desce nt - and seco nds later, the wing is deflat ed, it packs itself up and the ground is coming up fas t. Often the best thin g that can happen to this kind of intrepid pilot is a spra ined ankle.

There are a lso DIY (do it yourself) schools, lea rning from friends who have just started to fl y and suggest tow in g yo u up from th e ca r bumper with a rope. Don ' t do it! Buddin g aviators have ended their caree rs with tragedy at a n ea rl y s tage b y thi s fo rm of lea rnin g .

Howeve r we ll-inte nti oned o r tal e nte d yo ur ment or, you'll neve r ge t the rig ht in stru ction to become a safe pilot. A good edu ca tion, like good psychoa nalysis, works best in a clinical re lati onship w ith an ex pe rt , prefera bl y distance d by pay ment. Eve n if yo u have oth e r

Learning Ot all av iat io n sports, paragliding must be the fas tes t to learn. Unlike any other airpl ane, eve n w hen all th e contro ls are release d it still fli es. It ' s said th at the less yo u do, the bette r you fl y! Two handles are the only cont ro ls for flight.

It 's so simple that the sport is ope n to children of 12 or sometimes eve n youn ge r.

There are seve ral teaching methods. On foo t

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 11

After all, puTchasing good quality paragliding equipment is an important part of safely learning how to fly.

Wills Wing has been serious about building quality footlaunched soaring equipment for the past 20 years. The choice is yours... ~ .- -

Model Span Area AspedRatio Weight Cells Pilot Weight Pilot Skill Kari Castle U.S. Woman's Paragliding Open Distance Record 63 miles • Glider flown AT 121.

....,.,

.....,,.,,,,

AT121

AT 121

AT125

2Z2 ft.

JO ft.

32.9 ft.

257 sq ft.

282 sq ft.

31 . 5 sq ft.

2.9 3.2 3.4 132 14315.4 21 23 25 120 - 165 165 - 210 185 -240 From Class One to Record Flights

TedBoyse U.S. Men's Paragliding Open Distance Record 88 miles • Glider flown AT 224.

PARAGLIDING WHAT YOU NEED TO

KNOW

... ... Continued:

I experi ence of flying such as hang gliding or parascending, you still need to go through a school. Impatience isn ' t worth an injury.

Which School There are many schools, using different methods of teaching. In ski resorts in winter, instructors teach ski-launching. A good skier will learn very fast. It 's easy to get to speeds which make take off and landing easier.

From day o ne you can make high flights but to change over to summer conditions, the pilot wiJJ have to practice running fast with the wing.

When spring comes, most schools have access to small hills and teach foot-launched take off. Beginners learn to spread out and inflate the canopy while running, then gradually climb a small slope to lake off. Once the basics of landing and turning have been mastered, the students can make their first high flights with help on the radio from instructors when in mountainous areas. One instructor will stay on take off to give initial instructions once the pilot is airborne. A second instructor waits at the landing area and lakes over "radio control" to bring the pilot in to land. Radio control like this is an effective and precise technique. First high flights can end in spot landings! Some instructors use bats like ground traffic controllers at aerodromes. In hilly rather than mountainous areas such techniques aren ' t used and there will usually be just one instructor on the hill.

You can also learn to fly on flat land under tow. You are under the canopy, attached to an evenJy tensioned towline, pulled by a car or a winch. It is simple to learn to fly , to maneuver using the brakes and to land after quite long flights. Slowly the instructor will increase the altitude and your wing will rise higher and higher until you can release the towline and find yourself flying just as if you had launched from / a mountain. Towing has been practiced in hang g liding and parascending for a long time. It 's less dependent upon weather conditions and saves climbing back to take a number of times. But a pilot trained on the tow system will need to go through a conversion course for hills and mountains.

~

\\ _/ .....

V

How To Choose The right School This is a difficult question - if you ' ve never flown a paraglider you ' re obviously not in the best position to judge the best place to learn to fly one. Above all you should trust your instincts - whether you like the feel of the people that you meet there, by how they sound to you on the telephone, or if they were highly praised by a friend . A long curriculum isn ' t everything. A good instructor teaches through an exchange of enthusiasm. Choose an instructor who flies, and if you can go and watch them at work one afternoon, so much the better. Not only will you learn by watching other students being taught, but you 'll get a feel of their teaching techniques and the general atmosphere of the school.

Your First Flights You don ' t start to play the piano with Rachmaninov, and you don ' t start to fly from difficult sites. The site for the first high flight should be safe and easy enough to make the only worry controlling the craft - taking off, the first taste of flight, the landing approach and the flare to come in softly. And although unlikely, a cut-out on the radio, a mistake by the instructor, a large hole of sinking air or any other unforeseen circumstance just might occur and if that does happen, then a forgiving environment is essential. For example if there is only one possible landing field in a valley, the rest being filled with power lines and houses, then a small error will result badly for the student. A school will not always admit the inadequacies of its sites beware!

The ideal site will consist of a grassy slope or a ramp, with a large enough area to lay out and inflate the canopy, and large enough to give you the chance to stop should things go wrong - a sheer drop of a thousand feet or rocky terrain should be avoided. The landing field should be close enough to the take off, and within a radius of less than twice the top to bottom height, large enough (50 x 200 m), grassy, reasonably clear - no power cables around, and with a windsock. When you fly the w ind should be calm, blowing at less than 5 mph at top and bottom. This calm wind is perhaps the most surprising thing to the new pilot, not used to the importance of

micrometeorology in the sport. Remember that the instructor will know the site intimately. Even if take off looks possible to the novice, only the expert can tell if it really is.

Don' t forget that part of the instructor' s job is to foresee the mistakes their students might make. If there 's an accident then the instructor will take the blame for inadequate precautions.

•

l

.

S It

for me?

Paragliding is a dream come true for many of us, affordable personal aviation. It is the fastest growing aviation sport in the world.

Imagine floating silently through the air, something catches your eye from above - it's a red tailed hawk, gliding in for a closer look at this big nylon bird. This can be your own private view of nature whenever the urge strikes you. It can be almost totally relaxing, laid back and cruising, like a magic carpet ride.

Paragliding is a relatively easy sport to learn. It can be enjoyed by almost anyone, and it is a good form of outdoor recreation. It is flight at its simplest form . The pilot lays the canopy out on the hill top, lifts it into the wind to inflate it and walks forward. The walk changes into a run as the wing attains flying speed, it lifts the pilot off the ground.

Beginners have straight flights on low hills, top to bottom lasting 30 seconds. The focus of the early lessons is FUN and safety.

Once you have become comfortable with the wing, you will be allowed to progress higher up the hill. On longer flights you will learn turns and airspeed control necessary for soaring. In a professional school you will be taught by a certified instructor on state of the art equipment. Most students learn more quickly and have more fun in a small class.

Each person has their own learning style and will progress at different rates.

Paragliding offers something for all types of pilot, from the recreational weekend flyer to the serious cross country competition pilot. You can find your definition of freedom from soaring sand dunes to extreme descents off high mountains. If you think you are ready to paraglide, first take a course at a professional school.

Remember, this is aviation!

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 13

Introducing the Equipment CELL ENTRIES

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paraglider is a simple aircraft, but as with all other aircraft, it is, in fact, the result of complex and painstaking design. Small changes in line lengths or subtle alteration of the cut of the fabric can make the difference between a sweet responsive wing or one with poor characteristics.

The rear of the wing is called the trailing edge . On a typical canopy there may be 20 or more cells. Often those in the center will be longer than those at the tips, giving the canopy a tapered or elliptical shape; this shape, when viewed from above, is called the planform. Modern canopies often have vertical areas at the tips, known as slabilos or "ears". Their function is to provide stability, stretch the wing as they are forced outward, and reduce induced drag. Whether or not they actually achieve this reduction in drag is open to debate: they certainly provide a handy place for the manufacturers to put their names!

The canopy is constructed of a top and bottom surface joined by a number of vertical segments . The resulting chambers are called cells. They have an opening at the front called lhe leading edge. These cell entries are covered with mesh on some models .

Large entries generally indicate a slower and more stable aircraft; narrow or valved enlries are found on craft on which the aim is to maximize performance. Each cell is separated from its neighbors by an inner-cell wall. These define the shape of the wing section: the more inner-cell walls, the more uniform the shape. These walls feature several holes, or ports, so that the air can pass from one cell to the next, helping to keep the internal pressure balanced and the wing evenly inflated . When it is fully inflated, the cell lakes up an airfoil shape with a flattish lower surface and a curved , or cambered, top surface. The point of maximum thickness usually occurs between 15 and 30 per cent of the way back from the leading edge.

A paraglider canopy is an inflatable wing; it is no longer correct to think of it as a parachute. Most wings used for foot-launching wilJ not "parachute" in the true sense of the word except in very limited circumstances . They are ei ther gliding, if the wing has a suitable airflow over it, or stalled . Io the latter case they will probably collapse as internal pressure is lost. One of the major factors that distinguishes a paraglider from a parachute is the material from which it is made. Paragliders use non-porous fabrics (either nylon or polyester) which give much better performance than those used in free-fall canopies. Fluorescent colors are often used, although it is worth knowing that the chemica ls that give the "g low " to these co lors do shorten the life of the fabric.

Occasionally the wing may feature battens made of plastic or fiberglass. These are sewn into the sail to help re tain the shape.(this is not the case on any gliders currently sold in the US) "Flares" of heavier material, such as Mylar, do the same job and help to distribute the load from the lines over a larger area.

PAGE 14 • PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

•

-

• •

The lines The lines are made of very strong materials so they can be kepi thin to min imize drag and we ight. There are two main ty pes : 1) Kev lar, which is a polyaramid (ca rbon fiber) material an d is usually encased in an out er shea th of Dacron (terylene) or somethin g similar, and 2) polye thylene, us uall y known as Dyneema (or Spectra in the USA). In order to minimize drag an d make the whole co nstru ction less complex, th e lines branch into two (or more) about half way up their length. Lines are referred to by their position on the canopy: A-lines are those at the leading edge and C or D-lines are those at th e rear . T he con trol lines , w hich are attached to the trailing edge and termin ate in a handle on the rear riser, are often produced in a distinctive color to make them easy to locate.

The risers

•• •• • ••

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• •

The risers (kn own as V-lines in some co untries) connect the canopy lines to the harn ess. Usuall y made of one-inch, or 25= , web bing, they tra nsfer the loads fro m the harness through the lines. There is usually one atta chment point on each side of the harness and small steel "maillons", or links, to which all the lines are attached. The risers give the pilot a convenient single point to hold when laun ching and make it simple to swap one harness for another wi thout disconnecting lines . The rear risers also fea ture small rings or pulleys, called keepers, through which the control lines pass. These, as the name suggests, prevent the control lines from flying away out of reach in the wind. The co ntrol handles themselves, attached to these lines, are usually fas tened to the riser by some easy-release system such as Velcro or a snap. If you look at some of the high performance canopies you may see addi tional attachments, such as we ig ht-shift ba rs or accelerator sys tems attached to a foot stirrup. There have also been a few designs that included a harness as an in tegral part of the canopy.

•

THE

WORLD'S

FIRST

AND

ONLY

SPORTS

PARAGLtDER,

DES IGN ED T O F I LL THE G A P BETW EEN I NTERMED I A T E AND CO M PET I TION

The harness

H AS A

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Paragliding harnesses follow the same basic pattern- a wooden or plastic seat, a fab ric back with webbing leg-loops an d shoulder straps. In front of the body there is either a single waist strap or an arrangement of diagonall y crossed straps. The latter type prevent the pilot from shifting his weight to one side to assist turns made with the controls but they do make the canopy more stable in some situations. Some recent models offer the facil ity to have either arrangemen t, and may include other fea tures, such as attachments for accelerator systems, back protect ion devices or rear-moun ted rese rve compartments. All harn esses are adjustable so you can vary the size, shape an d flying position.

Reserve parachutes

P A R A GLIDERS .

THE

BARRACUDA IS

FAST ,

F A NTASTIC SI N K R A TE , FE A THER-LIGHT HANDLING ,

AN D THE ST A BILITY TO RIDE OUT THE ROUG H STUFF .

BARRACUDA

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AVAI L A BLE IN 3

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ALSO N E W FROM F I REBIRD : DOLPHIN ( FIRST-T I ME BUYERS)

MARLIN ( I N TER M ED IATE ) & TURTLE ( DE-LU X E HARNESS ) .

It may seem s trange to carry a rese rve system when we are already fl ying un de r a parac hu te . However, because our wings re quire co nstant air pressure to remain infla ted they can be collapsed, either by excessive control movements by the pilot or by turbulence. In these cases, recovery is generally straightforward.

However, there remains a possibility of "wrapping up" the canopy to the point where it is impossible, or may take too long, to recov er. We are not alone in the sky, an d there is always a possibility of a mid-air collision, either with another canopy or (perish the

TEST FLY THE M BEFORE Y OU BU Y A NYTHING ELSE!

4439 N. Broadway Unit E-2 Boulder, CO 80304 (303) 440-0803

•

NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION N Introducing the Equipment

Windmeters-----

Continued: .

thought) with something a lot heavier and faster. Reserves are rarely used, but it is a safety precaution. If you fly in a variety of conditions or with groups of other pilots, you may one day need it.

They are mandatory equipment at some sites or for cross- country or Alpine flying .

A paragliding reserve is usually a 18-24ft. diameter parachute.

There are two main designs . One is a pulled-down apex, (PDA) meaning that an extra line from the top of the round canopy runs down to the attachment bridle. When inflated this gives a flattish top, rather like an inverted saucer with a dent in it. The other is a standard conical design, that looks like an inverted cone. Reserves are generally attached to the side, or rear, of the harness with the deployment handle within easy reach. All the best ones have an airworthiness test and come with instructions for use and repacking. A reserve should be mounted so that when it is opened the pilot is suspended by both shoulder straps . Reserves must be aired, inspected and repacked at least every six months.

Instruments It is perfectly possible to fly a paraglider well with no more equipment than your harness, helmet and senses. However, to use the available lift to its maximum potential, to thermal efficiently and to navigate cross country, you require some senses nature has not provided . The higher you are above the ground, the less reliable your senses become as the visual clues become less useful.

Monitor changing wind conditions. Responsive to slightest variation in wind velocity.

AIRSPEED INDICATOR Use with optional paraglider mounting bracket. Maximize your performance and skill.

RUGGED-Molded of super tough LEXAN®resin.

Stainless steel rod.

ACCURATE- Calibration traceable to National Inst itute of Standards and Techno logy.

Specify: 0 to 30 mph, or Oto 50 km/h Airspeed Indicator: $23.50 Paraglider Bracket: $6.50 ,SATISFACTION GUARANTEED-

Patent Pending

HALL BROTHERS P.O. BOX 1010-P• MORGAN , UTAH

84050 U.S.A.

Mastercard• Visa •C.0.D.

Phone:(801)829-3232 Fax:(801 )829-6349

A hand-held windmeter is one of the most useful i11struments a beginning pilot can own. There a re several designs, little propellers or floating balls are the most common. When using a windmeter, it is good to try to learn to judge the windspeed by closing your eyes and feeling what the meter tells you. After time you will only need the windmeter as a cross check.

Vario meter A vario measures how fast you are rising or falling and displays this information as a sound, on a meter, or both. Most work by detecting changes in air press ure. A human can detect acceleration , such as flying into a thermal and shooting upwards, but smooth constant gains (or losses) of altitude are undetectable .

Your senses can actually work to fool you. Lift of 500ft. per minute may suddenly decrease to lift of only 200ft. per minute.

To the pilot this feels exactly the same as sinking at 300ft. per minute and, without a vario, you may make a bad decision and leave the lift. A vario is therefore essential to know what is really happening.

Altimeter An altimeter tells you how high you are above a specific pre-set point. You may think it is obvious how high you are, but until we have had a good deal of practice most people are amazingly bad at judging altitude, especially from great heights. Why do you need to know your altitude? There are three main reasons :- Personal interest, "I made my best height of four grand today! '" etc.-To help you navigate your position relative to controlled airspace are you under the airway or in it?- It complements the vario when

,V PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE thermaling.

If you are flying in broken lift that is constantly up, then down , then up again, it is soon impossible to know if you are graduall y losing height or gradually gaining. An altimeter gives you this information at a glance. It could occasionally be of use in some com petition tasks where you can work out beforehand that you can reach point B if you are al 3,000ft. or better at point A. Altimeters are freq uently available with a variometer mounted together in one case. Those featuring a digital readout are far superior to the traditional "watch-face" type, particularly for thermaling, but they are more expensive and do need batteries.

Compass-----useful for navigating-it is easy to get lost or disoriented after a cross-country flight involving several hundred circles over unfamiliar territory. Again , good navigation is required for avoiding airspace, etc. It is a useful tool if you get caught in the mountains on foot.

l\,'laps~-------

Mandatory for cross-country flights. Rather than carry an air chart, a practical plan is to mark all the relevant parts onto an ordinary route planner map. Good for finding your way back to the car too!

Radios Yo u may only use specifie d channels unless you a re Ham licensed. Always maintain radio discipline and identify yourself in each transmission . Vox units are not usually a good idea as the microphone can be opened by wind noise and it is easy to forget that it is on .

Helmet,Boots & Clothing The most common injury in paragliding is a sprained ankle.

Take precautions against this by wearing good boots with adequate ankle support for awkward take-offs and la ndings . Good quality boots will give your feet needed su pport and let them breathe. Several dealers are selling boots that are specifically made for paragliding!

A helmet is an obvious and sensible protection, particularly on rocky ground . In many countries, helmets are compulsory for all pilots, this is true in the USA. Having decided to wear a helmet, you might as well wear a good one, skateboard helmets don ' t afford a lot of protection. A well-made, well-cushioned helmet is indispensable as a shock absorber. You might give some thought to protecting your face, as well.

Gloves are useful because your han ds are exposed all the time during flight. If your hands ge t cold you may start thinking of landing. A flight suit will also be useful to protect your clothes and to put on just before launch in hot weather, just in case you get up to cloudbase . Sunglasses, and in general, all the usu al hiking equipment are sensible.

When thinking about clothing, just remember that this is a hill or mountain sport, taking you to speeds similar to those of a bicycle or motorbike. After flying for a little while a pilot will know what to take, and know that in unpredictable conditions maximum protection will be needed.

Randy Liggett 625 S. Jordan Ave. Ventura, CA 93001

For Info. Pak write or call:

• Complete Sales and Service • Miles of Coastal Soaring • Specializing in EDEL

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE • PAGE 17

T A N

D E M

F

or each person there is only one first flight. That's what makes it a thrill, overcoming your fear with elation . It's hard to describe how it feels to watch the landscape slowly diminishing beneath you.

This gift of flight, evokes a true mixture of emotions. It's one day in your life that can change your perspective forever.

t1,! PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEIA PAGE 18 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

andem is a special form of flight. Not only is it a thrill, but it is also a very useful teaching tool. Age and physical ability are not a constraint, people of all ages have enjoyed the wonder of tandem flight. Every day tandem instructors introduce new students to one of the many aspects of paragliding. Take your camera along, the flight is so breathtaking you'll want to remember it and share it with your friends. Besides initiates, many student pilots each year have their first soaring or mountain flight experience tandem. Some schools now routinely use tandem as a regular part of the Class I course.

T

THE TECHNIQUE: Most people who seek a tandem flight have seen paragliding already and know, more or less, what to expect. When you arrive at the flying site, you will be briefed about the pre-flight, flight plan and landing. The tandem instructor or his assistant will make sure you are secured in the harness and instruct you where to keep your hands, so as not to interfere with the controls.

Once airborne the pilot will make sure you are comfortable in the seat.

Most tandem instructors love to share every aspect of the flight with their students. They will usually point out things of interest and explain what they are doing, and why. If the conditions are smooth and you have plenty of altitude, the instructor may hand over the controls to you. Don't worry, the pilot usually keeps his or her hands just above yours, so as to guide or restrain any control moves. There is a lot of input on the first flight both visual and verbal. Sometimes the tandem pair prefers to enjoy the peace and serenity of the silent flight, and barely speaks at all.

All good things must come to an end and as you approach the landing the pilot will will again assume full instructor mode. You will scoot out of the seat , so your legs are down ready for landing. Tandem rated instructors are appointed from among the most experienced pilots around. They have to be fully certified instructors holding a Class III, the highest rating. They can bring the big tandem wings floating in to a tip toe landing.

Tandem flight is a great way to share the air, the experience and the dream of personal flight. If you've been wondering what it would be like, or asking yourself if you should get involved in paragliding, take this advice.

Find yourself a tandem instructor and JUST FLY!!

THE REGULATIONS: A paraglider, like a hang glider is classified by the FAA as an ultralight vehicle, which are governed by FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) Part 103. This ruling disallows "two-place" operations in an ultralight. The only legal means for tandem flight operations in a paraglider is within the context of an exemption to Part 103, granted to the USHGA by the FAA. This exemption states that both occupants must possess a current pilot rating issued by the USHGA. One occupant, the pilot in command, must possess an Advanced rating, Class 3. The other occupant can have a lower rating depending on the level of the Advanced pilots tandem rating (1 , 2 or 3) of the pilot in command.

The USHGA has established a 3 tiered system of requirements for Tandem(two place or dual flying. (Tl) (T2) for recreational tandem flights and Tandem Instructor (T3) for instructional tandem flights .

'Tanrfem Yl.s I sit, I fee[ suspenaea

in 6otfi time ana space. %e worfa unaer me is moving as I f[oat ana watcfi. in wonaer ana fascination.

J<l s[igfi.t 6ump in tfie air currents

reminas me tfiat it is I wfio am moving.

My pifot, my sister, ana I move togetfier in tfi.is etfierea[ space somewfiere 6etWeen eartfi ana fieaven.

J<l ca[mness ana peace intertwine

witfi tfie awe tfiat I feel Yl.s my wonaerment ana lier confiaence unite in tfi.is f[igfit.

I watcfi. tfie otfiers arouna us f[oating ana turning aipping anagfiaing gracefu[[y, silent[y.

J<lna I see tfie angefs at p[ay.

Christyn 1993

PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW Pl PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 19

EW PILOTS EDITION NEW PIL01S EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE

ying your [Il Lr~ (t r! Il n(fil ~ Lr ••• don't let it be a gamble.

by Claudia Stockwell

T

he amount of choice you face when buying a paraglider can be overwhelming. You will need so me knowledge, advice and patience.

Most instructors sell equipment, not only for comm ercial reason s, but as part of their service to you. They are therefore in a position of being both seller and adviso r. Usually the selection offered is based on their experience with the product and the needs of their market. Make sure that the selection isn't limited to the products of one manufacturer. Your instructor has seen your capabilities from the start of your lessons and, using hi s or her ex pe rien ce, should guide you into the canopy that is right for you.

era tion. Beware of exaggerated claims; talk to other pilots who fly the type of glider you are considering. Read manu facturer's guidelines for weight range and glide ratio.

Before you buy, make sure you understand what you are buying. If you haven ' t flown many types of gliders, do so before yo u buy. You ca n ' t ex pec t to make an e duc ate d de cision without first hand knowledge. Demo it! See for yourself how easy it is to launch, tum and land .

Fly next to another glider you are considering. How do th e speed and sink rate compare? Ask yourself, what ar e my personal requirements in a glider?

Here are a few important points to consider before you choose: Where are you going to fly?

How often will you be able to fly ?

What is your price range?

Try answering these few qu estions to the best of your ability to help make your choi ce easier.

First, where will you do most of your flying? Th e site conditions le t you estimate bow much air time yo u can expect in an average season Nex t, how often will you be flying ?

This is an estimate of your own personal time frame.

These answers should start to give you a realistic idea of bow mu ch air time you should ex pect in the nex t six months to one year. Knowing this can help you with how old or new of a wing you should be considering.

Wh ere a nd how often you will fly bring up some other issues as well. If you will be flying where landing areas are sparse, glide ratio is an important consid-

PAGE 20 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

In the beginning of your flying career your learning rate is so great that you can outgrow your fir st canopy faster than any subsequent purchase. You need to evaluate what type of flying you plan to do If you live in an area where tow-launching is an option, you will need to be advised on what type of canopies tow the best.

In an easily soarable area, a pilot ca n o utgrow a beginn er lev e l glider quite quickly. In an area that requires a higher level of skill for soaring, a new pilot may wisely choose a beginning level wing.

You will spend more time with launches and landings and your skills and confidence will grow until you are ready for soaring.

First time buyers, you especially need to be honest with yourself as to your expectations and your abilities. Buying a glider loo far advanced for your s kill level ca n hinder your learning. It may let you get into a situation that can scare or possibly hurt you.

Where you fly can also govern how often you fly. Some areas, such as the coast, have more consistent winds, so it follows that there are more opportunities to fly . If you will only be flying one day a week, it will take you longer to build your skills. A wise choice then would be a beginner level canopy, very easy a nd forgiving to fly , but with slightly less performance.

On the other band if you plan to get a good deal of air time you will need an intermediate level glider, so you won ' t outgrow it too quickly. If you are in this category you should plan on spending extra lime with your instructor to fully understand your canopy.

A second hand canopy, if well maintained, can be a good purchas e .

Whateve r the temptation of an attractive price, the canopy must be inspected and flown before you buy. Remember aviation is a risk sport. Therefore it follows that the canopy should be in good flying condition and you should be able to see it flown and fly it yourself before the purchase . On inspecting a second hand canopy, use your common sense and training. A canopy that is very dirty , faded, or stuffed into an old sack is an example of poor treatment. Do a hands on pre-flight check as you have been taught and you should find any obvious damage.

W PILOTS EDITION

PIL01S EDfflON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW,

Here's some advice on buying a used pmragHder.

must have a factory check-up before you purchase it.

Leading paraglider fabric manufacturers suggest a maximum life of 300 hours of ultra-violet (UV) exposure. A detailed log book is the most important thing to see when looking at a used glider.

Besides the actual number of hours of use, you can also find out where it was used. The difference between beach, desert, and alpine field can be significant.

Abrasion of sand and gravel is very deteriorating to nylon, and can take away up to 100 hours of use.

You should know if the glider was used in a school. There arc two sides to consider here. Students can be harder on equipment than more experienced pilots.

On the other hand, most schools have a good maintenance program and keep the gliders in top shape. Schools also usually have demo gliders, so it's worth a check if money is the main factor.

A glider that is older than one year should have a service certificate given by the factory at the annual inspection. Most reputable companies offer a free annual inspection. I've asked the reps what they do when a glider comes to them for a check-up, and here's what they said.

First, it gets a thorough visual inspection of all parts. Fabric is tested for UV damage and porosity. Most companies do routine replacement of the steering lines.

Some do a break test of 2 or 3 lines to check the strength. Some manufacturers just replace all lines at 50 hours air time, while others check the line lengths against a template or the original specs.

Any damaged or questionable areas can be repaired.

Another important question to ask is, has the glider ever been used for towing?

Tow pressures have bei:n known to stretch '·A" lines and risers and damage quick links. A glider that has been towed

A flight test of the wing sometimes is performed to check for speed range and overall feel of the wing. As should be expected only the inspection is free. If the glider needs work the owner is notified for consent. A very disturbing fact is that many pilots arc choosing to ignore the findings of the inspection. The dealers

cannot force the owner to get new lines, so they return the glider to the owner, who may be trying to sell it to you!

Some things like death and taxes are inevitable, and certainly there comes a time when your old faithful is no longer airworthy. When this becomes a reality you have lo givl: up the idea of selling it.

You are ultimately responsible for your actions. Our sport will suffer if a pilot obtains equipment that is potentially dangerous. The same applies to selling a pilot equipment that is beyond his or her abilities. Sometimes this means saying no to a prospective buyer. It isn't always easy (or profitable) to do the right thing.

Beginning students have the biggest choice and the biggest dilema when it comes to buying a used wing. Hopefully, as a student, you will have the opportunity to fly several different models and compare handling and performance characteristics. Each pilot has different needs.

Remember that buying a pre-owned paraglider is a common practice and a practical idea. Just make sure that you arc buying the glider of your dreams and not a nightmare. ~

NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE ere are currently three different major testing and certification programs for paragliders: The Swiss Hang Gliding Federation (SHV) program, the German Hang Gliding Federation (DHV) program, and a program administered

by ACPULS, which started out as a certification program administered by an association of French manufacturers, and has since been extended to include manufacturers from other countries as well.

The specific testing standards of each organization are continuously evolving, and any written information about the specifics of these programs will almost immediately become outdated. However, the general principles and purposes of canopy testing and certification remain the same.

The purpose of testing a canopy for certification is twofold; one is to determine if it meets minimum airworthiness criteria in terms of strength, flight characteristics and performance, and recovery from stalls and collapses. The second purpose is to determine, for each model canopy that is deemed to be airworthy, what specific behavior can be expected of the canopy m different circumstances.

PAGE 22 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

Testing For Strength As one example of strength testing, the normal ACPULS and SHY testing method for determining adequate strength of a canopy is to tow the canopy (without a pilot) behind a truck . The lifting force of the canopy is measured, and the truck speed is increased until a force of eight times (since April 1991) or six times (for canopies tested before April 1991) the (maximum) weight of the pilot is measured. The speed is held constant for five seconds, and if the canopy or lines do not fail, the canopy passes the test.

There is also a dynamic test, in which the canopy is inflated and loaded suddenly by accelerating the truck against a slack attachment cable. There is a weak link calibrated for 6 times the maximum pilot weight in the connection. If the weak link breaks without causing a canopy or line failure, the canopy passes the test.

Keep in mind that canopy testing and certification is a young, and not completely exact, science. The minimum strength requirements offer a reasonable safety margin for normal soaring operation within the aircraft's recommended operating limitations, but they in no way preclude the possibility of in-flight structural failure in operation outside those limitations.

Standard type parachute canopies for sport parachuting, for example, arc subjected to a shock load test of 5000 lbs. (more than three times the shock load administered in paraglider certification). Further, the results of certification testing are valid only for those individual canopies actually tested, and may not apply to another canopy of the same model if it has been altered by lines stretching, by an increase in porosity of the fabric over the lifetime of the canopy, or if it was not manufactured exactly correctly to begin with. A canopy's response in recovering from various maneuvers during testing, which may be done in smooth air, will not necessarily predict its response in turbulence in a real flying situation.

Also, canopy flight testing is somewhat subjective, as it relies to some degree on the impressions of the individual test pilot, and depends on exactly what control actions the pilot takes.

Traditionally, this has been expressed by assigning to each canopy a specific level at which the canopy is certified. The level was determined by how the canopy responds in various maneuvers and collapses, and by how much pilot input is required to correct a collapse.

Originally, the DHY used a system of three levels, while ACPULS and SHY used two levels. ACPULS and SHY have recently moved away from assigning a level to the canopy as a whole, and essentially give a grade on canopy flight characteristics for each maneuver for each canopy tested.

Not all canopies with the same rating are exactly equivalent.

Certification is a first requirement, but not the only criteria for choosing a canopy. In choosing a canopy you must do more than simply verify that it has been certified; you must take the responsibility to investigate the reputation that the canopy has acquired as a result of its service history in the field. You should fly a very stable, docile and forgiving canopy until you have both solid USHGA Class Two skills, and a Class Two rating. After that you may fly a more advanced canopy, though you should still choose one of the best of the newer designs which offer high performance yet are still more stable and forgiving than early high performance canopies. With the high performance level available in the newer advanced canopies, there is no reason to fly one of the older Level Ill canopies.

::W PILOTS EDITION

PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW

ACPUL TESTING 0.= Objective R.= Result The DHV (German Association) safety and strength test for paragliders is called the Gutesiegel. It is illegal to sell a paraglider in Germany which does not have the Gutcsicgel.

It consists of 2 strength tests (shock test and static load test) and a stringent flight test. Each glider is flown by two DHV test pilots and put through the following maneuvers: takeoff, landing, handling, straight flight, front stall, B-stall, full stall, asymmetric full stall, asymmetric leading edge closure, negative turn (slow and fast), wingovers, spiral and search for deep stall.

The glider is then given a grade as follows: Gradle ].: glider recovers from all situations quickly without pilot input and is considered very safe by the test pilots.

Gradle 2: glider recovers from most tests without pilot input. Even if it recovers from all tests without input, it can still be given a grade 2 depending on recovery time.

Gracie 3: glider is for experts only. Pilot input is needed to regain normal flight, but Grade 3 is not for anything that does not make 1 or 2. Gliders frequently fail the tests altogether.

There arc also grades 1 /2 and 2/3. However, the final grade given to a canopy is only as good as the "worst" grade in any test.

For example if the grade was a 1/2 it does not mean that the glider had grade 1 in some maneuvers and a 2 in others.

A video recording is made of the tests, but the test pilots always have the final say.

The ACPUL is an optional certification carried out in either France or Switzerland. Like the Gutesicgel, it consists of 2 load tests (static and shock) as well as a flight test.

The flight test consists of 12 rigidly specified maneuvers: takeoff, landing, max air speed, aptitude to turn, search for deep stall with brakes, search for deep stall with rear risers, symmetrical leading edge tuck, asymmetric leading edge tuck, full stall, spin, asymmetric stall and wingovcrs.

Then each maneuver is awarded a grade A, B or C depending on the recovery time. The system of grading is extremely rigid and based on careful timing and observation of the video. The opinion of the test pilot is of minimal importance. At the end of the testing, the canopy is not awarded an overall grade, but simply a grade in each maneuver (for example 9 A's and a C).

1st.. .Test - Launch 0. Will the glider inflate from level ground with no wind in less than 2 meters.

R. Passes as A or doesn't pass.

2nd ... Test - Straight flight (at minimum speed and maximum speed).

0. The glider is stable through the speed range- no leading edge tucks at top speed.

R. Passes as A or docsn 't pass.

3rd ... Test - 2-360's and a reversing 360.

0. The glider is maneuverable and will not collapse in a hard change of direction.

R. Passes at A or docsn 't pass.

4th ... Test - Search for deep stall using brakes.

(If a trim adjustment is present, the test is done at both ends of the range).

0. Will the glider deep stall while the pilot is scratching at min. sink? If so, will it stabilize in deep stall?

R. Spontaneous recovery in less than 4 seconds-Level A. No Level B. If pilot intervenes-then rating is C.

N' de confarmite9 aux normss 9i i 21203 US

constructt,ur: Mode le:

IStorm 301

952 309

Poids total mini en vol: min. wt. in flight: Poids total maxi e n vol: max. wt. in flight Poids du mod0le: weight of model:

ech 95

I

ffi3 G

I

26/11/91

Date de d01iverancs:

US VOILES

Revision tousles: Check every:

The preceding article explains the standards that have been used to test and certify paragliders since 1991. You will find this information useful if you arc purchasing a used glider or a new glider that was manufactured before March of 1994.

This spring however the AFNOR committee approved a change to the testing procedures. The basic principles will remain the same. The categories will be changed to STANDARD Class= Training canopies.

PERFORMANCE Class = Intermediate canopies.

COMPETITION Class = High performance canopies.

TANDEM Class The canopies will still be tested for strength, as well as flight tested. The complete guidelines for the flight testing and certification will be published in Paragliding Magazine Vol. 5 #3, May I J unc '94 issue.

Confotmity number

CPUL

6 KG

Annuel Year

I

Oui /YES

Harnais Standard Standard Harness Harna1s a cro1s1llon Cross bracing Sellette de pllotage Stear1ng seat AH1cheurs Trimmers AccelE!rateur Accelerator Barres Trim bar EIE!vaturs Risers

Manoeuvers I Maneuvers

A

Vo! droit vitsass maxi J Max. air speed Vol drolt vftesse mini J Min. air speed

X

Virages 360~ Apptitude to turn

X

Recherche parachutale aux freins Search for deep stall w/ brake controls

X

Recherche parachuta!a aux arrl0res Search for deep stall with rear risers

X

Fermeturs frontal Symmetrical leading edge tuck

X

Non/NO

0 ABS

X

I

'ill

I 4

I

Fermeture asymetrique Asymmetrical leading edge tuck Decrochage stat1que Static stall

X

Vrille Spin

X

DE!crochage asymEltnque Asymmetrical stall

X

Wing over Wing over

X

Sample of certification sticker put on gliders PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 23

5th ... Test - Semrch fo:r d!eep stall using :rear risers.

8th ... Test - Static Stall.

0. Will the glider deep stall? Will it stabilize in deep stall?

(The pilot stalls the glider holds the stall completely then releases the controls).

0. Here the stall is observed and the surge is noted. The surging glider can not go below the horizon for Level 1. 45 degrees below for level 2. Whether the wing tips fold behind or in front is also of interest.

JR. If the surge is greater than 135 degrees off vertical it does not pass. If surge is less than 90 degrees and returns to normal flight instantly- rating is A. If surge is less than 90 degrees with pilot intervention to return to normal flight-then rating is B. If surge is more than 90 degrees but less than 135 degrees, with or without pilot intervention-rating is C.

JR. Spontaneous recovery in less than 4 seconds-Level A No Level B. If pilot intervenes-then rating is C.

6th ... Test - Symmetric Closure.

(The test pilot pulls down the leading edge to simulate a full fron ta! collapse).

0. How fast and how easy will the glider recover? How big, how uncontrollable is the surge?

JR. Spontaneous re-opening and return to normal flight in less than 4 seconds passes at A. No Level B. If pilot intervenes-then rating is C.

7th ... Test - Asymmetric Fold.

(The pilot pulls down 50-60% of the leading edge).

0. How much tendency does the glider have to rotate with more than 1/2 the wing gone? How big is the surge, if any, and how does it affect recovery?

JR. Pilot initiates and holds collapse for 4 seconds or 1-360 degree turn, then releases. If trajectory changes less than 90 degreesthe rating is A. If trajectory changes greater than 90 degrees and glider instantly returns to normal flight-then rating is B. If glider spirals or remains in a turn after release or if pilot inter vention is needed to return to normal flight-rating is C

9th ... Test - Negative Turn.

(The pilot flies at minimum sink then releases one brake while applying the other to the max).

0. Is there a tendency to spin? How quickly will it return to normal after spinning? Is there a surge? Are there any closures?

R Pilot initiates and holds collapse for 4 seconds or 1-360 degree turn, then releases. If trajectory changes less than 90 degrees the rating is A. If trajectory changes greater than 90 degrees and glider instantly returns to normal flight-then rating is B. If glider spirals or remains in a turn after release or needs pilot intervention to return to normal flight-rating is C

1Om ... Test - Asymmetric Stall.

(The pilot flies at minimum sink rate and stalls one side).

0. How easily can the pilot stall a tip? How fast is the recovery?

JR. Pilot initiates and holds collapse for 4 seconds or 1-360 degree turn, then releases. If trajectory changes less than 90 degreesthe rating is A. If trajectory changes greater than 90 degrees and glider instantly returns to normal flight-then rating is B. If glider spirals or remains in a turn after release or needs pilot intervention to return to normal flight-rating is C. (Note: for 7-8-9 and 10, the pilot reactions are according to the flight manual or normal and usual techniques. only the ampli tude of the closures are important, not how they were obtained.)

FLIG T AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL !FOR THE NEW PARAGLIDER PILOT

CLASS 1 TEST PREPARATION

llth ... Test - Wing Over.

100 ILLUSTRATIONS EQUIPMENT COLLAPSE RECOVERY AERODYNAMIC !FLYING SK!ILLS WEATHER THERMAL !FLYING LANDING

I

,/

PARAGLIDING ALPHA FLIGHT

V 4,

by Mark Wright l,l.-

$19.00 PLUS $1.50 SHIPPING AND HANDLING CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR or AT SPORTS, 4206 C. SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD. SAN DIEGO, CA 92121, TEL/FAX 619 450-0437

PAGE 24 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

(The pilot makes oscillating turns so his body is at least 45 degrees off vertical).

0. Are there any closures? Do they affect the return to normal flight? How fast does the glider stop swinging and return to normal flight?

JR. If no closures-rating is A. With closures-rating is B.

12th ... Test - Landing.

0. Can the pilot slow the glider and land on his feet ?

JR. Passes at A or does not pass.

PILOTS EDITION NEW PIL01S EDITION NEW PILOTS EDI-

Both ACPUL and DHV arc based on collap;ing paraglider.; and studying how they recover. Although this is of importance, it is not the essence of safety on a paraglider. The pwpose of this article is to examine more deeply what char.icteristics a pilot should look for if he ttuly wants to undersland the safety of a rmaglider.

Speed Range ... Gliders with a higher lop speed and a lower stall speed provide a pi lot with a larger flight envelope within which to fly. Lower stall speed is like driving a car with better brakes, and a higher top speed enables a pilot to stop from being blown backwards. The glider shou ld be stable and controllable at all speeds.

Arc the controls too sensitive or too insensitive, and do they give the pilot a good warning of any impending problems such as a stall or spin. Is it easy to induce a spiral dive without accidentally entering a spin?

Ha nd ling . .. Is the glider easy to inflate, does it come up straight and if not , is it easy lo correct the direction of flight if it goes off line? How much does the glider overshoot the pilot when it is overhead?

Inflation . .. The certification tests are based on a pilot induced collapse of 50% lo 80% and the pilot not reacting when the canopy deflates. This is a good test as far as it goes, but pilots really need to know the answers to the following questions to truly understand the safety characteristics with regard to deflations: Deflations .. . How easily does the canopy deflate in the first place? How much turbulence or what severity of wingover will collapse the canopy?

If the canopy does deflate and the pilot counters the turn with the opposite control, how easy is it lo stop any rotation?

Is it easy lo stall the other wing tip by countering the turn too hard?

How easy is it to pump out the deflation or does it come out on its own?

When the canopy does collapse. how much of the wing is likely to collapse?

Are the reactions of the canopy much different with different severities of collapse? The certification tests force the test pilot to spin the glider in a certain defined way; he then examines the way it recovers. The following questions still remain fundamentally important to

understand the spin characteristics of a glider.

Spins ... How easy is it to enter a spin accidentally?

If a glider begins lo spin does the pilot have enough warning to know there is a problem or does the spin take the pilot suddenly by surprise?

If a glider enters a spin and stays stable in the spin , is it easy to stop the glider from spinning?

Deep Sta!J ... This is well examined in certification and the results can be taken at face value.

Full Stall ... It is not important as pilots should never induce a full stall on a glider. The important thing is that it should be easy to avoid stalling the glider accidentally.

C onclusion ... The certification bodies do a very good job in that they test paragliders and only pass paragliders which are safe to fly. Thus they protect the public from unsafe paragliders. The certification tests try to check that if a pilot accidentally puts his glider outside of the normal flying envelope it will easily return to normal flight. However it is wrong lo then take these tests and use them as a bible to compare the safety of different canopies. The relative safety of different canopies cannot easily be tested without being subjective and this is not what certification is about.

The most important questions that I have raised here can be examined by the pilot without doing any radica l maneuvers. The true safety of a glider is to examine the limits of the normal flying envelope, lo see how big the flying envelope is and how easy it is lo stay within it. If you do not have the experience to judge these characteristics, seek advice from experienced pilots, or your instructor. Remember never deliberately induce a spin , stall, or radical maneuver on a glider without taking the proper ~ precautions.

CHANDELLE S.F. INC. Hang Gliding • Paragliding • Since 1973 1595 East Francisco Blvd. Suite F San Rafael , CA 94901

415- GLIDING (454-3464)

WER PAGES POWER PAGES POWER PAGES POWER PAGES POWER PAGES POWER PAGES

PAGES

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A look at the

T

his flight test of the F2 was done with a "Rubis " 27 from ITV.

First the fu el mixture was poured into the tank. Then, with the help of a hand pump located between the tank and the engine, the gas was forced into the carburetor until it overfl owed out of the air filter. Tilting the paramotor helped the process. With the seat facing upwind, the engin e was started, lawn mower style with a good pull on the handle.

After warming up the paramotor for a couple of minutes, the engine was shut off The Rubis was spread out on the ground like any other paraglider. The risers were attached to the seat frame . The engine was cranked one more time and placed on my back. Adopting a normal take- off pos ition with toggles in hand, the throttle held in my right palm with the kill switch under my thumb, I waited for a little puff of wind to help during inflation .

As a paraglid er pilot I would lean forward, run , check my wing and take-off. But as a paramotorist, the procedure is a little different. With th e engine idling, I run upwind inflatin g and bringing the paraglider almost above my hea d. Because of the protective cage aro und the propeller and just behind my neck, I've found it a little difficult to do a visual check of the wing, my helmet hits the metal tubing. My chest has to be

The F2 Paramotor from "ADVENTURE " A true compromise between powe r and noise. The F2 is made in France by the company "ADVENTURE" • The power station is a "SOLO" two stroke engine, one cy linder and will accept one or two propellers {70 cm in length).

• 18 horse/power al 6500 rpm.

• Electronic ignition .

• Carburetor has a 32mm membrane and an integrated fuel pump.

• Manual starter.

• Hand-throttle with a kill-switch.

• Fuel tank capacity : 5.5 L. • The scat-harn ess made by "SUP' AIR .. is full y adjustable and high quality .

• Two s to rage pockets , le ft and rig ht are deep enough to accommodate wallet, keys, snacks, etc...

• The engine is attac hed to the backbone of the seat made of composi te materials, with the help of thick rubber, si lent-blocks.

• The cage arou nd the propeller is made of aeronautical aluminum AG3 . . Weight: 15 kg. empt y.

•Max. load 70 kg.

• Comes in a kit with full instruction for assembly.

Asse mbl y time: 5 minutes . . Take-off distance IO to 30 meters.

• Landing O meter.

• Min. speed: 20 km/h.

• Max speed: 40 km/h.

• Climbing rate: l to 2 meters/second . . Fuel consumption: 2.5 to 3 liters/hour.

• Max. thrust:38 kg (minus 20% during the summer time).

• Noise: 60 dB at 100 meters.

• Flight duration on a full tank : 1-1/2 to 2 ho urs . . Idea l n ying altitudes: from 150 meters to 2000 meters above sea level.

PAGE 26 • PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

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kept as perpendicular to the ground as possible while giving full thrust by squeezing the hand held accelerator. The reason fo r keepin g upright is simple. If you lea n forwa rd you will bury yourself into the dirt, the propeller being pointed at the ground .

Keep on running for ten or twe nt y feet depending on the upwind spee d, and yo u will be fin ally lifted off the field . Keep the paramotor at full power until yo u reach a few hundred feet of altitude. No breaki ng actio n is necessa ry, unless turnin g . T hen, decrease the power to a cruising mode, get co mfo rt able a nd e nj oy . Beca use of th e attachment points of the ri se rs to the sea t being higher fo r a proper weigh distribution, between you and the engine, the suspension lin es are co nse qu e ntl y raised al so by th e same amount. It will be, unle ss you have been outfitted with orangutan arms, impossible to perfo rm the "big ears" configuration.

At first as a paraglider pilot you will be at a disadvantage because of the habits deve loped ove r time durin g yo ur fl yin g caree r.

Your brake handles, if not adju sted for the paramotor will be too high and will th row yo u off as fa r as co nt ro llin g th e angle of attack during the first few flights. You will not be able to lower yo ur hands as low as you would paragliding, again assuming that yo u did not touch the length of your bra ke lines. But, since on most of the paragliders

those lines come with some spare material, it would be up to you to co rrect the problem by lowering the controls to a more adapted height.

It is perfectly feasi b le to kill th e engine and catch th erm als, b ut he F2 ca n not be restarted in flight. Fo r the first few times, be awa re of yo ur a dd e d w e ight , es pec ia ll y w hen ente rin g a spi ra l dive . As a rul e of thumb, paramotoring should be done in mild weather co nditions. Make certain that yo ur wing loading is within the placa rds of th e glider.

The Paramoto r has taken its place has a real alternative to paragliding. The weight of the engines has tremendously been reduced over the last year and a half and true compromises have emerged from various manufac turing pl a nt s wo rld w id e, w ith mo re power and less noise. For the purist, strapping a prop. on his back will defeat the purpose of a free spirited flight. But fo r the pilot in need of altitude and excitement when no mountain or towin g systems are available, or when the wind just happened to be fro m the wro ng dir ec ti o n . T hen , th e mos t lik ely choice between staying home watching the weather chann el, or go ing fl yin g co uld be the paramotor!

T owin g is nice, bu t im agin e a situ ation where in a flat land region a pilot is trying desperately to catch the elusive thermal after

releasing the umbilical cord and is now in a d ow nwa rd mo ti o n, loos in g a ltitud e.

Sudd e nl y, no t so fa r aw ay be low, a paraglider that looks like any other is ga ining altitude. Joy!..Lift somewhere!.. A big smile is forming on our pilots face while co nve rg in g to ward his mir age . T he paramotor passes by on its way up! End of the story!. ..

If yo u think heavy and co nstrictive, yo u a rc qu ite wro ng! Some mode ls are li g ht a nd s mall e no ug h, with th e app ropriate wing, to allow yo u to enter a thermal, shutoff the engine and apply yo ur thermal flying skills, ga in lift and go cross co untry.

After loos ing yo ur lift, a few miles later, and hea din g down for a normal landin g, take a rest fo r a few minutes. Rclax ,.have a d rink a nd a "Oreo !". Th e n cr ank yo ur power station again, and fly back to where yo u ca me from to bug your buddies sti.11 hard at work in their co nquest of the skies.

The price of those little wonders is still up there at cloud-base, but will ce rtainly co me d ow n in th e nea r futur e as th e ir popularity increases. The market has been good in Europe so fa r with a few hundred units sold last yea r by various manufacturers.

Wh at do yo u think Sa nta Clau s will be using to come down from ~ the Pole after Ruddy retires?

J.

AT SPORTS MIRAGE (intermediate)

En v 1• s 1• 0

111

C:

~

" " -.; z"'

-0 C:

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EDEL RAINBOW (advanced)

•

F 11 g h t

WILLS WING 223 (advanced)

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I

CARING Equipment Care & Maintenance; a properly maintained paraglider is a safe paraglider.

Proper care and maintenance of your equipment is an important part of flight safety. During normal use your

for your

easily damaged by heat. Take care not to smoke near them and never attempt to dry a canopy by applying direct heat.

Try not to expose your paragliding equipment to high temperatures (120 Degrees Fahrenheit or more).

Do not store your paragliding equipment in a parked car, the temperature can quickly reach more than 120° Fahrenheit on a warm sunny day. Also try to avoid transporting your equipment in the vicinity of your car 's catalytic converter. If you are flying in a hot climate take care to pack your canopy into its bag and protect it from great heat. Canopies with Dyneema lines risk them shrinking if the temperature exceeds 120° F-this has happened where an unpacked canopy bas been left inside a car.

Try not to get your paragliding equipment wet. If it gets wet, dry it in the shade as soon as possible.

paragliding equipment is subjected to material degradation from ultraviolet light (sunlight) and wear that can occur during transport, ground handling and hard landings.

Detailed information on your paraglider's care and maintenance is contained in the owner's manual that came with your glider. If you did not receive an owner's manual when purchasing your equipment, be sure to order one from your dealer or manufacturer. The following care and maintenance are recommended by most manufacturers.

Expose your paragliding equipment to as little sunlight as possible .

Exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet light) is one of the most damaging things you can do to your paraglider canopy, suspension lines, risers, harness and emergency reserve parachute. Try to keep your paragliding equipment in your flight bag until you are ready to fly and pack it up as soon as you can after flying.

This is particularly important where the sun ' s rays are very intense, for example at high altitude or at low latitudes. The fabric and lines are of synthetic fibers and are

PAGE 30 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

If your equipment comes in contact with salt water or animal urine, you should rinse it immediately inside and out. Never pack up your equipment wet, moisture can mildew and possibly damage the canopy and suspension lines. It is possible to get mold or mildew on the fabric which can leave unsightly marks (paragliders dry in a matter of minutes in a breeze as long as water is not trapped in the cells).

Never wash your paraglider with soap or detergent, use clean water only.

Most of the ingredients contained in soaps and detergents can be extremely abrasive and corrosive to the lightweight material of your canopy, suspension lines, harness and emergency reserve parachute. Never use chemicals to try and clean the fabric or lines: some cleaners that will remove oil will also attack the fabric (which is of course a by-product of oil).Never store the canopy near chemicals or fuel as this could affect the material.

If you damage your paraglider, never try to repair it yourself. All repairs should be done by a qualified repair technician.

Sometimes, of course, paragliders do get damaged. If the damage is to the lines or a riser, or to the webbing or metal of the harness, do not fly it until it has been profes-

PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW

ANOPY sionally checked and repaired. If the damage is a small tear in the fabric of the harness, usually found on the bottom of the seat, it should have no effect on safety. If the tear is to the canopy fabric, it should be repaired as soon as possible.

Minor tears, those less than 4 inches long that are not on a seam or line attachment point, can be repaired using selfadhesive rip-stop tape.

The sewing required on both the canopy and the lines is very precise and critical for the proper strength and flight characteristics of your glider.

Major damage should be referred to your dealer. All good dealers should be able to supply lines and other basic components. Apart from physical damage, canopies can be rendered unsafe through material degradat ion . The major cause of this, already mentioned, is ultraviolet light. UV, a constituent of sunlight, which gradually weakens the fibers of the cloth and prolonged exposure will make it increasingly porous and more prone to tearing. This problem is associated with a severe fading of the colors, so if your

canopy appears very faded, ask a professional to check it for you. Do not worry if he appears to be trying to eat it: the easiest way to check porosity is to try and suck air through a sample (some dealers have porosity meters).

Fluorescent colors are more prone to this problem than plain ones . One of the first signs of a porosity problem is difficulty in inflating and kiting the glider, also your glide will deteriorate and the glider will have a slower top speed.

Lines also need maintenance, tests indicate that they get weaker with use. As the canopy is ground handled the lines do tend to get wet and dirty. This can have the effect of shrinking the outer sheathing of the line and so shortening it. As the A and B lines take much more load than the other lines, they may be stretched back again each time you fly . The results are self-evident, the canopy will fly at a higher angle of attack as the rear lines shrink the most.

Stalls and spins become easier to induce and the top speed decreases. A moderate pull of 10-15kg on a line may reveal that they can be re-stretched up to 2 or 3cm to achieve their proper length. If the lines appear excessively dirty , stretchy, or at all worn-replace them.

Never attempt to repair a line by knotting it. If you are in any doubt, seek professional advice.

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Paraglide1· Control Line Adjustments Co nt ro l lin es, also called brake lines should be adju sted so th at in free flight, w hen th e lines are released, there should be no defo rm ation of the sa il at the trailing edge. To test this fl y or kite the glider with no cont rol applied and inspect the amount of slack in the co ntrol lin es.

Not only should the lines be loose when the handles are released, there should be a noticeable bow in them. T his is du e to a combination of drag on the lin es (especially on gliders with thick lower brake lin es) and the low intern al press ure at the rear of th e sail. The amount of bow reco mm e nd ed is appr ox im ate ly 20 to 25 cm fr om a lin e drawn betwee n the co ntrol keeper and the trailin g edge .

Dangerous To Shorten Lines If the co ntrols are shortened so that the ca nopy cann ot achieve its top, clea n fl yin g spee d, a numbe r of dan ge rs manifest th emse lves.

Whe n turning, to achieve optimum control difference, more brake needs to be applied to th e slow win g, not only increasin g the risk of spinning but also makin g the turn less efficient. When dealing w ith turbulence, the can op y is not able to accelerate at its maximum rate, thus making co nt rol response slow er. This can also be a problem upon landin g approach w hen there is a noticeable wind gradient.

Cont rol lin e shortening is not a cure for any ill that the glider might demonstrate. It is ex tremely dangerous and will invalidate the glider 's certification. If your glider has no trimming system, then there is no way you ca n change its trim speed .

If yo u find th e control lin es seem too long to make a good fl are w hen landin g, first practice more, and seco nd co nsider taking on e or at most two w raps on final app roach.

If yo ur glider flies too fa st or you find it difficult to land cleanly, then question w hether yo u have the correct size and model of the glider.

Preflight and Inspection of Your Equipment A pil ot should alw ays perform a th oro ug h prefli ght insp ectio n befo re each flight to assure that the glider and harness are safe to fl y.

It is also recomm ended that yo u do a more thorou gh canopy inspec·

ti on every 3 months, yea rly and an y time you suspect possible damage or wea r (see below).

Every 3 Months: You should inspect the following: • All sea ms on the canopy.

• The surface of the ca nopy, for tea rs, fadin g and degradation, etc.

• The sew n ends of each suspension lin e.

• T he lines themselves, along their entire length , fo r wea r or damage.

• The quick links, risers, brake handles and guides.

• And fin ally, check the ca rabin ers fo r cracks, deep scratches or gates th at do not close proper! y.

• If you have any doubt, have it checked by yo ur dealer or the manu · facturer.

Yearly Manufacturer Inspection On ce a yea r or eve ry 50 fl ying hours, w hicheve r comes first, yo ur paraglider should be inspected by the manu fac turer. T he factory will perfo rm an airwo rthi ness inspection. This inspection w ill include all of th e items above as we ll checkin g th e strength and length of th e lines. Lin es th at show qu esti onable strength will be repl aced. Can opi es not inspected yea rly should be co nsid ered to be of qu estionable airworthin ess, and should not be flow n until receiving an annu al factory inspection.

Note: Spendin g the time lo properl y maintain and check yo ur equipm ent before fl yin g w ill give you sec urit y and co nfid ence on th ose great flights thousands of fee t above the gro und.

PAGE 32 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

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1 Wuffo 's can have a better chance of understanding what is being said without becoming a question pest, I have compiled this list of some of the terms used in the Utah area. I'm sure many of them apply to other areas as well and as l travel around to other US.flying sites I'll be adding to this list Only recently setting the Paragliding hook deep within my soul I am still considered a Wuffo and usually still have at least one question every time I have a conversation with an experienced Paralinguist.

Ken Hudonjorgenson wrote paralingo in 1991. He is now a Class Ill tandem instructor and owns Two Can Fly, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is pictured here flying at Teton Village, Wyoming Photo Neal Henderson

Bag it: (bag'-it) Call it a day, quit flying, pack the glider up in the bag.

Bfown Out: (blon out) Over-developed conditions, wind too strong to fly.

Glass Off:(glas-6f) Wind becomes very smooth and even.

Boink: (b6 ink) A landing that is so hard that you bounce back up.

Lem-mings: (le-mings) Those who fly right after the wind dummy in questionable conditions.

Boomers: (boo-mcrs) Great buoyant thermal lift.

Chase the Wind: (chase the wind) Driving around in a vehicle from site to site looking for good flying conditions Cfoud Suck: (kloud suk) Updrafts produced by clouds that can suck you up into them (not a sought after experience) or can, with small clouds, give a gentle lift.

CooBing Bumps:(kool ing bumps) Turbulent air caused by uneven cooling of surface after the sun has set.

Coired It: (kord It) Found the middle of the thermal and rode it up. This is the smoothest spot to ride a thermal.

Ma-gic Aiir: (ma-gik air) FUN ! ! !

Buoyant comfortable wind conditions that arc not always explainable. You wonder why it's so good. (unusual.)

Moon Walk: (moon wok) Using the lift of the canopy to take giant steps along the ground.

O.D: (oh dee) Over developed, wind and or conditions to strong to fly.

Panties: Usually an affectionate term ( depending on the speaker) for a paraglidcr, derived from the French Parapcntc' also called Jellyfish, Rags, Air Bags or Floating Pylons.

Scrat-chnng: (skrach-ing) Working to maintain flight using ridge lift close to the ground, sometimes within inches.

Skyed Out:(ski'd out) Flying much higher than anyone else.

Specked Out:(spek out) Flying so high they have become a speck in the sky, near the legal limit of 18,000 ft.

Touch and Go: (tuch and go) Touching down on the ground briefly and then flying right back up again keeping the canopy inflated.

Tox-ic Flight Syn-dirome: (tok-sik flite sin-drome) Flying is so good that you don't want to land and relieve yourself thus you suffer the consequences.

Popp in': (pop'-in) Thermal activity is edgy and abrupt.

Voir-ti-ces: (vor-tis-scs) Turbulent flow of air above and behind flying wings. No problem from R.C. planes, use extreme caution around tandem craft and other large flying objects.

Doo Dah's:(do da's) Waiting around launch, on no wind days

Ragged Out: (rag-d out) A collapse of the canopy or airfoil, it looks like a crumpled up rag.

Wind Dum-my: (wind dum-mcc) First person to fly al a particular site and time so others can tell if they should fly.

Duded to Scratch: (doo-dcd to skrach) A paraglider pilot dressed in protective gear from head to toe for very necessary body protection while semi-flying and skimming and scraping along the ground.

Ridge Hog: (rij hog) Inconsiderately using the air space along the ridge making it difficult ( or more challenging if you like) for others to fly. Also sometimes used affcctionatcl y.

Wuf-fo: (Wuf-f6) Derived from the constant questions like "What for you do that?". Condensed to "What ~ for" then to "Wa fo", thus "Wuffo". It's a stretch but so is most everything in paragliding.

Ciranking:(kran-king) Very strong windy conditions.

Diver Drivers: An alternate friendly term for hang glider pilots.

Park: (park) Hanging motionless in the sky.

Rode-o Air: (r6-di-o air) Turbulent, bumpy wind conditions, wind too strong for beginners

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 33

The moving force of the air keeps the canopy inflated

By Tim Williams

Graphics by Dennis Pagen

wonder it took humans a few million rears to learn how to fly!

How to mimic the birds? That question has puzzled mankind since long before the beginning of recorded history. There has been speculation that people in China may have flown on modified kites over a thousand years ago. Similar suppositions feature the Inca and Egyptian civilizations. But the fact remains that aviation has only reached the masses during the last 100 years.

We should not be surprised that flying is poorly understood and that people curious about hang gliding and paragliding should ask questions like "What happens when the wind stops?

How can you fly without an engine?

And what happens when you hit an air pocket?

Pilots often don't understand either. They frequently have misconceptions about airspeed and groundspced, what lifts the wing, kinetic energy and how the wind affects airborne objects.

Flying is poorly understood and the people who understand it are often not good at explaining it.

Here is my humble attempt at explaining some of the mysteries.

What Size Wing Do We Need?

Ideally, an aircraft which has a human undercarriage should land and take-off within an airspeed range of 10-16 mph. This puts limits on the size and shape of wing. For this reason most hang gliders and paragliders have wing areas of around 130- 200 square feet. Because we fly very slowly and don't weigh very much, the range of wind speeds we can safely tolerate for take off and landing is from zero to about 25 mph, with a little lower top speed for

PAGE 34 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

paragliders. Of course, if you arc high above the ground and air is smooth, wind speed docs not matter, whether it be 20 mph or 100 mph.

Because paragliders use pressure to maintain their aerodynamic shape (early hang gliders did that too), they are very efficient from a weight point of view. Whatever advances arc made in materials technology, it is unlikely that wing areas will get much smaller than 120 square feet unless we use wheels to land on.

The wing loading that this gives us compares quite closely with the wing loading that large birds have. This is because the amount of lift that can be derived from a given area of wing is similar for all slow flying aerodynes.

LIFT what makes it?

@

Lift is the major force keeping us in the air.

I! is produced by the wing moving through the air.

As the air molecules flow around the wing they create an invisible vortex system around the wing. Within this vortex air molecules are accelerated above the wing and slowed beneath it. The pressure system created within this vortex is LIFT. Lift always works at 90 degrees to the angle of the airflow.

If the angle of attack of the wing is increased then the air molecules move. The wing must be accelerated more and turned through a greater angle to produce the same amount of lift. At an angle of about 15° -18° the air molecules refuse to take the increasingly difficult path and the flow becomes chaotic and turbulent above the wing. The vortex is destroyed, lift is lost, this is the stall. At the wing tips there is nothing to constrain the vortex, so here it stirs the air up into a continuous cork-screw, left behind in the wake.

At the stall the angle of attack is too large and the air over the wing becomes turbulent. Then most of the lift disappears and the descent rate increases dramatically.

Min sink occurs at a horizontal speed of 24.6 fps or 16.8 mph 12 0

18

I

24 1~

Best glide in still air occurs at a horizontal speed of 26.4 fps or 18 mph I 30

36

,~~~~'."'--"-~'---"---r-'~-'-f--f,~'--~--"'--........_,_-11....

Angle of ~ best glide

8.3 fps equivalent to 500 fpm

Drag

,')

w

The Polar Curve This is a graph which shows the performance of a glider. ff you plot the descent rate against the air speed al which the glider is flying for a variety of air speeds, then you end up being able to draw a curve like this. A high performance hang glider will fly at speeds between 16 mph and 65 mph. Between these two extremes are two very interesting speeds: MAX. GLIDE and MIN. SINK. Max glide is when the Lift/ Drag ratio is best and the glider will travel furthest from a given height. Minimum sink is when the descent rate of the glider is at its lowest figure. The Polar Curve will enable both of these figures to be found easily. Min sink is the highest point on the curve and Max glide is the contact point of the curve with a straight line (tangent) from the zero point.

Lift/Drag & the angle of descent To a certain extent a pilot can influence the glide angle by changing the angle of attack or the wing and hence the speed. If the pilot lowers the angle of attack then the speed increases. As a result the profile drag increases and the induced drag decreases.

The wing then stabilizes at a new "trim speed". At this new speed the glide angle will be different. If we represent lift and drag by arrows, the length of the arrow representing the magnitude of the force and the direction of the arrow the direction of the force, we can build up a picture of how glide angle is affected.

Lift and drag work at 90° to each other, together they produce a force called the "RESULTANT" which is what keeps us in the air. Lift and drag will vary with respect to each other in gliding flight but in steady (nonaccelerating) flight the resultant will always be the same - equal and opposite the weight.

R (total upward forces) W = weight

stall occurs here

Climbing That is what everyone flying a paraglider or hanglidcr likes to do most. Although a glider is on average constantly moving downwards through the air around it, if the air around the glider is moving upwards, then the descent with respect to the ground can be slowed or even reversed. If you are flying downwards at 300 feet per minute and you blunder into a parcel of air ascending at 600 feet per minute, you will climb at 300 feet per minute with respect to the ground. But you will still be descending at 300 feet per minute with respect to the air around you. You will eventually fly out of the bottom of the ascending parcel of air.

Lift and Drag

Drag acts as a force opposing the forward motion of your wing. It is the force which eventually brings us back to earth. Without drag affecting our wings, we could soar forever. We sacrifice height to pay off drag during every inch of flight from take off to landing. Drag can be split into two components. 1) Profile Drag 2) Induced Drag Profile Drag is simply the friction created by moving an object through the mixture of gases we call air. Put your hand out a car window at 70 mph and it is drag trying to break your arm. Profile drag INCREASES with air speed and controls the maximum speed of a wing Induced Drag is made as a by-product of lift. It is the energy loss due to stirring air up into the vortex system around the wing which produces lift. Most of the energy loss attributed to induce drag is bound up in the tip vortices which stream off the wing tips stirring up air behind the wing as it moves along its glide. Induce drag INCREASES with angle of attack. (It is higher at LOW airspeeds.) It is induced drag which finally stops the wing flying when flow becomes turbulent over the wing because the air molecules refuse to be turned and accelerated ever more violently as the attack rises.

The angle of descent is independent of weight, but always controlled by the ratio of Lift to Drag. You control the L/:D ratio by influencing the angle of attack and also (on a paraglidcr) by ~ changing the wing section, with the brakes.

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE • PAGE 35

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Paraglider Power Systems AND DESIGN TRADES

Article by Len Davids can't say it was a matter of choice on how I became familiar with paraglider power systems. My first experience with a paraglider was being pushed off a training hill in Simi Valley California by my son (Rick). This was after telling him that any one that paraglided was out of their mind. That first 40 ft of air was quite a thrill but it wasn't enough to get me going in the sport. I still had reservations about safety. A year later I tagged along with my son to the Marshall site in San Bernardino, Ca. He was going to demo a paraglider supplied by Cary Mendes . It just so happened that Cary was also giving tandem lessons so I decided to go for a flight with a professional. Thirty minutes later after soaring a thousand feet above Marshall in the thermals, I was hooked for life.

So, bow did I get into powered flight? Same scenario, my son! Always looking for a new thrill, he asked me if I would consider going in with him on a paraglider power system (I'm avoiding using the word paramotor because I have been told that it is a registered trademark. Funny, I thought it was a generic term). My first response was negative (should I say, as usual?).

My thoughts on the subject were a bit altruistic. On my first solo flight above Marshall, I had the good luck to catch a thermal that took me 2000 ft over, and my soaring buddy was a hawk. The feelings I had after that flight just didn't mix with the sound of a noisy prop. Never fear, the old male chromosone having to do with toys kicked in and I told him to go for it. Another factor also contributed to my decision to give powered flight a try. The three previous weeks I bad spent my Sundays driving 160 miles for 15 minute sled rides.

Before I go any further, I will warn the reader to take my opinions with a grain or two of salt since the guy who got me into this sport is now the U.S. distributor for the DEFI-2 10.

I

PAGE 38 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

So much for an introduction. What about design trades.

After 30+ years spent in the unrelated field of satellite system engineering, nothing grabs my interest like a good design trade.

Just looking at the propeller design alone, there are a bunch of decisions that the designer has to make. The pilot would like a small little propeller so it won't get in the way of his glider during ground handling. This same pilot would also like a lot of thrust and low sound level. Naturally, all of these desires are conflicting. Normal propeller design wisdom says that for maximum thrust and efficiency at low speeds yo u would like to have the largest diameter possible. Also, the smaller the propeller, the more the pilot's body interferes with the airflow and decreases the efficiency . Since propeller noise is primarily determined by blade loads and tip speed, more power implies more noise. Blade load can be reduced by increasing the number of blades at a cost of reduced efficiency.

Without getting to hung up in theory, lets look at how the three current power systems avai lable in the U.S. have attacked the problem . Pagojet has opted for a relatively large diameter (44 inch) two bladed propeller to absorb the full 24 hp that their three cylinder radial engine is putting out. Because the Pagojet engine directly drives the propeller, the maximum rpm at full power is ra ther high. This results in higher tip speed and more noise. The designer has attempted to mitigate this problem with their optional swept tip composite propeller. In contrast the Adventure and the DEFl-210 both use the same single cylinder SOLO 210 engine with a poly V belt rpm reducing system that brings the maximum propeller speed down to 2700rpm .

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) the engine power is in the range of 15 to 20 hp, otherwise the propeller would have to be very large or have a lot of blades to absorb the power at such a low rpm. In this case, power has been sacrificed for a substantial reduction in propeller noise, although,

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1 suspect that cost had a lot to do with selecting the engine. The designer of the DEFI-210 has gone one step further in redu cing noise by using a small diameter (36 inch) three bladed composite propeller with swept tips. Arplas t, the manufac turer of the propeller has also taken full advantage of the composite material by using a theoretically more efficient bell shaped blade. In contrast, the Adventure systems (that I have seen) have used fairly conventional larger diameter two or fo ur bladed wood propellers, or a three bladed composite Ivoprop.

If you are interested in portability, the Pagojet is the slickes t design with it's integral composite engine motor moun t and fu el tank and break down prop cage. If on the other hand you are not inte rested in taking your power system on board an airlin er, the DEFl-210 is at the other end of the spectrum. It's chassis is co nstru cted of large diameter all we lded alu min um tubing for max imum ground handling durability. If you happen to be a klu tz like me wh o took six tries including a face plant to finally get airborne, this may be a better choice for you. The experienced pilot may also find that the DEFI feels a bit more natural with the riser attach points to the chassis being just slightly above the standard harness attach point rather than being over the shoulder as is the case fo r both the Adventure and Pagojet. Please note that most of the comments th at I have made above apply to th e models designed for the mid to heavy weight pilots.

Right now paraglider power systems are in their infancy and just like the paraglider, we should see significa nt changes occurring over the nex t few years. I expect that propeller designs will evolve first since major ca pital inves tments would not be required. As the sport becomes more popular I would hope th at light weight and less costly engines will also become available.

Lewis Withey workin g with Rick Kirkham from "Inside Editi o n ", while the s how w as being filmed at Riv er Ranch in Ce ntral Florida, Feb. 1994. photo Fred Stockwell

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vV PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION

Lets Go

Towing

1T

he towing special skill program for paragliding was approved by the USHGA in 1993.

The program establishes the minimum requirements for learning to tow paragliders . Even if you are already towing, it is to your benefit to attend a clinic, not only to obtain your rating(s), but also to expose you to alternative techniques and procedures, and to supplement your understanding as this technology continues to evolve .

There are 2 ratings available: Tow Pilot (TP) and Tow Technician (TT). The later is the person who operates the towing equipment. When truck towing, the TT may also act as the driver, or there may be a separate driver who is directed by the TI, as is required for boat towing. You can acquire either or both of these ratings by attending an approved clinic which is conducted by a Tow Administrator (TA). The TA is appointed by a Tow Supervisor (TS), who in turn is appointed by the USHGA Paragliding Committee. To become a TA, you must be a current instructor.

There are three different types of towing systems which differ by the relative movement of the towline. Static lin e use s a fix e d length of towlin e which is first laid out between the vehicle and glider. The longer the towline, the greater the possible tow altitude, but

PAGE 40• PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

~ \ ;,-

y

the more difficult the coordination and visibility between driver and pilot. Also, the safety link strength is critical if some type of towline tension monitoring system is not used. With a stationary winch system, the towline is laid out and connected to the glider just like a static line. A powered drive then rewinds the towline while the glider climbs. The altitude gained is less, but the operation can be conducted in a smaller area because the winch is stationary, whereas with the static line the vehicle must move forward and so uses more space. With a payout reel a few hundred feel of towline are first laid out, then as the glider climbs the additional line spools out, and allows the glider to climb much higher than the distance equal to the initial tow line length .

Payout reel is the recommended equipment for towing, though static line and winch can also be used. This is because it is most popular and available in this country because of our "wide open spaces" relative to say Europe or Japan. Also, because when wind, turbulence, or lift is encountered and increases the towline tension, the brake can be set to automatically payout line faster to alleviate this additional loading.

It is important to recognize that competency with one system does not qualify you to tow using another type. You, as the pilot should seek out a qualified TA to attain proficiency for use of any type tow system which is fundamentally different from a type for which you have received training.

The towing clinic format is composed of three phases: 1. towing theory ground school. 2. equipment and skill demonstration, and 3. flight training. To pass the clinic and earn a TP rating, you must satisfactorily demonstrate all applicable skills for the respective rating. You must also complete the open note written exam with a grade of 90% or better.

To earn a TT rating, you must also have a 100% grade on all the technician specific exam qu estions , and demonstrate consistent success at safely towing a variety of pilots and gliders in varied conditions.

Ken Baier instructing a new student on tow, spring 1994.

NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE The intention of the clinic is lo educate and verify you have the knowledge and proficiency lo low on your own.

However, as in fool launched flight. you are responsible for yourself when it comes lo judgment regarding your own safety with respect lo equipment and site sclcclion, operation, maintenance. and flying conditions.

Towing is inherently more demanding than fool launching because of three added complexities: L more equipment, so more chance for error, 2. coordinating with others, so greater chance of confusion and miscommunication, and 3. the addition of the towline thrust force. which changes the operation and response of the glider. However, lowing can be safer in the sense that il can eliminate such problems as gelling blown over the back of a ridge. If you approach lowing with a conservative and respectful altitude, il can provide additional l1ying possibilities for those downwind days and open up new sites.

' ,,/':'" -.

There is more information on towing available in Paragliding Magazine back issues.

Vol. l #2 Towing in Utah by Fred Stockwell Vol. 2 #6 Which Winch by Richard Johnson Vol. 4 #2 What a Towhead "nosc''.hy Alan Chuculatc Vol. 5 #2 Toe-ing the Linc Part I

by Jan Ala and Alan Chuculatc

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8

The following list highlights a portion of the information, articles and stories, found in back issues of Paragliding Magazine. Back issues cost $5. @ including postage or get a set of 15 (vol. 1 #1 - vol. 4 #6) for $45. including postage. Order from Paragliding Magazine.

Vol. 1#1 July I August 1990 Introduction to the Sport,Cliff Launching Techniques,flying in Europe.

Emergency Reserve Canopies, ACPULS Ratings Vol. l #2 Sept. I Oct 1990 Flying in Mexico, Weather Conditions, Accident Statistics, Technique Flying in Turbulence, Girls just wanna go riy Vol. l #3 Nov. I Dec. 1990 USHGA Board Joins APA, Aspen Fly-in, So. California Open, XC USA XC Canada, Technique - Turning the paraglidcr Vol. 2 #1 Jan. I Feb. 1991 Elk Mountain CA. Fly-in, Panic Paranoia or Practicle Solutions, Flight from Mt. Everest, PG Test Pilots College, Technique - Thermals Vol 2 #2 Sold Out Vol 2 #3 Sold Out Vol. 2 #4 July I August !991 1st Flight from Mt. Whitney, Encounters with Thermals, Linc Comments, New European Testing Program, Pilot Profiles Vol. 2 #5 Sold Out Vol. 2 #6 Nov. I Dec. 1991 Record Flight - Hobbs New Mexico, 1991 USA Nationals Owens Valley, Barographs, Which Winch, General Meteorology Vol 3 #I Jan./ Feb. 1992 Oregon Flying Sites, Radio Communications, PG World Cup USA, Urs Haari Flies 230 K, Technique - reserves

Vol 3 #5 Sept. I Oct. 1992 SkyMaster Series part 2, 1992 PG World Cup, Tandem Compliance or Defiance, The Owl and the Eagle, 3rd Annual Aspen Fly-in Vol. 4 # l Jan. I Feb. 1993 The Joining, Flight of the Penguin, Gliders '93, Parachute, Harness and Equipment Care, Pago praise Vol. 4 #2 March I April 1993 So. Africa 2 World Records, Sites - Vail CO. Capetown So. Africa, Skymaster Series part 3, New Products, What a Tow-head "nose" Vol. 4 #3 May I June 1993 Let's go Towing, Women with Wings, Speeds lo fly and why, The Eagle and the Nez Perce, GPS New Technology for Navigation Vol. 4 # 4 July I Aug. 1993 Cloth porosity, Vryberg Revisited, Squirrel and Hawk, Telluride XC Classic, '93 Elsinore XC Vol. 4 #5 Sept. I Oct. 1993 FAA Airspace re-classifications, VOX Modifications, World Meet at Verbier, US Nationals at Aspen, Winch Towing Vol. 4 #6 Nov./ Dec. 1993 Japan Federation Report, The Envelope Please, Alpine Flying, Soaring the Strip, Paramotoring Vol. 5 #1 Jan. I Feb. 1994 Pressurizing your Wing, Endangered Species, Flying for the President Vol. 5 #2 March I April 1994 BOB A Pilot Profile, The Parapcnte Roteur, Japan Up Date, Caravatle, Airspace 103, Toe-ing the Line

Vol. 3 #2 Sold Out Vol. 3 #3 Sold Out Vol. 3 #4 July I Aug. 1992 Under the Rainbow, More about reserves, Wing Tips, 2 Flights in the Owens Valley, Guteseigle and ACPULS Tests

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HG & PG ASSO. PO Box 28181; Lakewood, Colorado 80228 Contact: Todd Bibler (303) 449 - 7351

SAN DIEGO HG I PG ASSOCIATION PO Box 420238; San Diego, CA 92142-0238 Contact: Reggie Jones (619) 445 3633

TELLURIDE AIRFORCE 960 E. Columbia; Telluride, Colorado 81435 Contact: Hugh Sawyer (303) 728-4772

NO. CA. FOOT LAUNCHED PILOTS 7591 Yellow Pine Rd; Redding, California 96003 Contact:Don Mills (916) 275- 1704

SAURATOWN MT. PG ASSOCIATION Rt. 1 Box 274 - C1; Westfield, North Carolina 27053 Contact: Tommy Thompson

NORTHWEST PARAGLIDING CLUB PO Box 183; Mercer Island, Washington 98040 Contact:Gary Paulin (206) 236-0075

MID-ATLANTIC PARAGLIDING ASSO. #1 O Goshen Court; Gaithersburg, Maryland 20882 Contact:L.E. Herrick (301) 924-2104

SO. CALIFORNIA PG ASSOCIATION 1915 E. Katella, Suite "B"; Orange, California 92667 Contact:Mark G. Misiewicz (714)673-6275

NEW ENGLAND PG ORGANIZATION 217 North Road; Bedford, Massachutes 01730 Contact: Doug Sharpe (617) 275-1792

BAY AREA PG ASSOCIATION 80 Fairfield Way; San Francisco, California 94127 Contact: Chris Northcutt (415)585-9051

ARCTIC AIRWALKERS PO Box 134; Palmer, Alaska 99645 Contact: John Lapkass (907) 345-5923

CASCADE PARAGLIDING CLUB 3024 NE 18th Ave.; Portland, Oregon 97212 Contact: David F~ogers (503) 282-3938

.--------PAGE 42 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

SANDIA SOARING ASSOCIATION PO Box 14571; Albuquerque, New Mexico 87191 Contact: Bill Lemon (505) 891-5370 SOUTHERN ARIZONA HG & PG ASSO. PO Box 43722; Tuscon, Arizona. 85733 Contact: Jan Ala(602) 327-97 41 JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING CLUB PO Box 791; Jackson, WY 83001 Contact: Cam Eddy (307) 733-6571 PACKSADDLE SOARING ASSO. 3505 S. Lamar #1002; Austin, Texas 78727 Contact: Bob Flegal (512) 326- 1437 UTAH HANG GLIDING ASSOCIATION PO Box 757; Draper, Utah 84020 Contact:Christine Warren (801) 254-7455 NORTHERN ARIZONA SOARING ASSO. PO BOX 22369; Flagstaff, Arizona 86002 Contact: Dixon White (602) 526-4579

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VIDEOS PARA.GLIDE: THE MOVIE Rock-N-Roll at the World Paragliding Championships at the rowdy Owens Valley, CA. Professionally filmed and edited. Action packed 40 min. . .... $39.95 FLAMENCO DUNE Special 20 min. version. Extreme dune soaring in Namibia.

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MISCELLANEOUS PG MAGAZINE COLLECTOR BINDER Gold foil embossed, holds 12 issues. . . . . . . . . $9.00 "I'd Rather Be Paragliding" License plate frame. Chrome plated .................. $6.50 USHGA LOGO SEW-ON EMBLEM Original 3" circular sew-on emblem. . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 USHGA LOGO DECAL Original 3" circular sticker. . ........................... $.50 USHGA WINDSOK™ Ripstop nylon, 5'4" long, 11" troat. PinkNellow or Pink/White striped. $39.95

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,JEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE\

GTJllER PERFO

CE 6:1 Glide Ratio over the ground

by Ted Boyse

There are many different types of paragliders.

Everything from older low performance training canopies to modern high performance gliders flown by experienced competition pilots.

When talking about glider performance there are two important factors, "glide ratio" and "sink rate".

Glide Ratio Glide ratio is the measurement of the distance a paraglider flies forward compared to the amount of altitude lost.

Example: If a paraglider launching from a mountain one-mile high in

calm air can fly six miles before landing, it would have a glide ratio of six to one.

0:1 Glide over the ground

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P.O. Box 2432 417 South Spring St. Aspen, Colorado 81612 tel (303) - 925 - 7625 fax (303) - 925 - 7710

Certified Instructors since 1988

Call or write to us today for more information!

'V PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW J How Wind Effects Glide Ratio

•

Wind 10 mph

Let ' s look at bow wind effects your glide ratio across the ground (see left). In no wind, flying at 20 mph your maximum speed with no brakes on, you have a glide ratio of 6:1. If you have a headwind of 10 mph your glide ratio across the ground is reduced to 3:1 .

Flying in a 20 mph wind you will not be able to move forward at all, you have a 0: 1 glide ratio. And if you fly in winds stronger than your maximum speed you will end up going backwards.

'-----------'

~ ~

Check with your instructor to find out the amount of wind you can safely fly in, and always fly within the operating limitation of your skill level. Please understand that flying in winds that are close to your maximum speed can be extremely dangerous.

Flying your glider at different airspeeds, will affect your glide ratio. In calm air all gliders have one speed at which they get their highest glide ratio (usually between no brakes and 1/4 brakes). This speed is called "best glide" . If you fly faster or slower than best glide ,your glide ratio will decrease.

Sink Rate A paragliders sink rate is measured by how quickly the glider looses altitude as it flies through the air. Sink rate is usually measured in feet per minute (fpm).

Flying at different airspeeds will also effects your gliders sink rate. Flying slower will decrease your sink rate up until the point of stalling. And flying fast will increase your sink rate. A modern paraglider has a minimum sink rate in level flight of about 200 fpm and in turns 300 to 400 fpm. A gliders "minimum sink" speed is usually just a few mph faster than stall speed .

Example: If you take a feather and a brick and drop them from the top of a building, you'll quickly be able to see which one has a better sink rate.

PARAGLI DING , THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 45

NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION Nl

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P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX

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CLASS I CERTIFICATION Paragliding Training Program Class I certification teaches the student skiJJs necessary to launch and fly in lowmoderate, non-turbulent wind conditions at sites with appropriate glide ratio, and open launch and landing zones. Time required to obtain certification will depend on conditions, site availability , student aptitude, and course size. Listed below are the minimum requirements an instructor should teach.

means that you have been taught by a certified instructor, set tasks IandUSHGA skills, in varied wind conditions. In I

addition , you have a reasonable knowl edge of what cond itions to fly in and more important what conditions to avoid.

A Class I pilot should be able to iden tify an appropriate site, including landing area. He has a thorough knowledge of the equipment he is flying, and can fly with other aircraft, so as not to endanger himself or others.

A Class I pilot can inflate a canopy in 0 wind to high wind (15 mph) with and without assistance. He is in control of the wing on the ground before launching.

Can make a flight plan, understands lift and sink, also turbulence and its causes.

He _should be able to consistently land in a given area, (should hit a spot 4 out of 5 times).

When an instructor gives a Class I rating,it means this person is a pilot not a passenger and has the maturity and judgment to make decisions, and stay safe. It is up to the discretion of the instructor to require certain tasks relative to the area where the Class I pilot will fly.

When you achieve your Class I rating you are ready to own your firs! paraglider.

What next? Practice- learn- fly- travelsoar- advance. There are several special skills you can acquire as you fly. Then when you ' re ready Class II. Due to the varied geography and large distances in the U.S . the main ingredient in becoming an advanced pilot is time.

You need lo fly at several different sites, in different wind conditions, to become truly proficient. It is impossible to consider someone adva nced if he hasn-' I flown in every season of the year. It is a difficult task to measure a pilots skills and knowledge, because conditions have so much to do with performance . An experienced instructor is a skilled observer, and looks mainly for consistency. I think that many pilots don ' t understand the purpose of the rating system. Your rating is not an award, it is not a race, it is your future. It is a recognition of ski ll levels. The rating is meaningless if it isn ' t backed up with the knowledge, and skill it should represent. No matter what your rating there is always more to learn , please use good judgment, and set a good example, so we can all keep enjoying our wings.

FCS PAGE 46 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

1. SITE: Site Layout, choosing launch and landing areas. Site Protocol.

2. EQUIPMENT : Introduction to equipment and terminology.

3. GROUND CREW : Briefing and duties for ground crew.

4. PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS: Canopy connections , rigging, and control lines , harness, helmet.

5. EMERGENCIES: Briefing on emergency procedures: drag back, low turns, slope landings, tree and hazard landings.

6. IAUNCH PRACTICE: Preparation, inflation, launch practice on gentle slope progressing to take-offs. Stop-launch and practice canopy collapse. Static flying to practice canopy control.

7. SfRAIGHT FLIGHT & IANDING: Take-off and straight-ahead flights in low /moderate wind with stand- up landings.

8. CANOPY CONTROL FLIGHTS: Flights with "S" turns, stall and recovery procedure, minimum sink flying .

9. RULES OF THE AIR: Briefing on rules of the air and conditions for use of ridge. Collision avoidance. Relationship with other air users.

10. THEORY: Basic theory of flight and airflow. Importance of airspeed.

Soaring sites: area of lift/sink, curl-over, rotors, eddies, etc. Matching canopy and pilot weight/skills to wind speed.

I

11. RESERVE CHUTE USE AND THEORY. 12. UNDERSTANDING AND A VOIDING CANOPY MALFUNCTIONS.

CLASS I SOLO RATING A Class I pilot has the knowledge and basic ski!Js necessary to fly and practice without direct instructor supervision within significant operating limitations. It is not expected or intended that the attainment of Class I will be the end of formal instruction, but only the beginning of also learning on one's own .

The pilot bas the knowledge to purchase appropriate eq uipment, understand its limitations, and be responsible for its care and maintenance. The pilot understands the USHGA paragliding rating systems and recommended operating limitations, and the FARs and other flying rules applicable to his flying (ridge rules, thermal right of way, etc.)

CL~~~ l RECOMMENDED OPERATING LIMITATIONS

1. Maximum base wind of 12 mph 2. Maximum peak gusts of 15 mph 3. Maximum gust rate of 5 mph in 5 seconds.

4. Wind direction within 30 degrees of straight in.

5. Visual contact with landing zone.

6. Turns of 45 degrees change in heading or more should be made only above 200 feet AGL 7. Never fly alone.

8. Try only one new skill at a time.

9. Always wear a helme t, proper foot gear, and appropriate clothing.

10. Carry a reserve on any flight where successful deployment is possible.

11. Avoid application of either brake beyond 2/3 of the way from full off to stall position.

12. Limit turns to 30 degrees of bank limit spee d in turns to 1.5 times the straight l.ine brakes off cruise speed, and smoothly ex it any spiral turn which shows a tendency to steepen or accelerate.

13. If not current due to lack of recent

PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDI-

pElD\. ,;._~>-<. ~ --~ ,·,

"1 ADVENTURE .._ / ~ 11/ r

VIDEOS

LEARN from sensory image as the experts take off, glide, soar, and land.

flight experience , seek an instructor 's assistance for re-orientation.

14. Should not fly in thermals where peak climb rates exceed 200 fpm or anywhere near any vertical cloud development until receiving training in and demonstrating under a Class II Instructor the skills of: - small to medium asymmetric tip folds (10-25% of span) with directional control, and; - big ears (preferable) or some other method of canopy reduction for increased descent rate, and; - proper surge control of canopy using properly timed brake application.

15. Should fly a canopy recommended by the manufacturer as appropriate for an USHGA Class I skill level.

These limitations are highly recommended for Class I pilots. The pilot should exceed these limitations only after demonstrating mastery of required tasks and after acquiring a comprehensive understanding of potential problems and dangerous situations which may arise.

25 flights.

5 flying days.

2 no wind (0-5 mph) launches.

2 moderate wind (5-10 mph) launches.

2 high wind (10-15 mph) launches.

2 clean, smooth reverse inflations prior to launch 2 crosswind launches approximately 30 degrees off wind line.

2 flights with S turns to at least 30 degrees off wind line following a straight overall path.

2 flights with at least 180 degree of figure 8 turns standard aircraft approach (minimum of crosswind and final components.)

5 spot landing within a 50 foot ter circle.

diame-

FEEL the air through sites and sounds.

EXPERIENCE the pure essence of flight.

SHOW your friends and family how great

paragliding is.

- Proper layout and preflight check - Explain wind and weather conditions at site.

- Demonstrate smooth airspeed control from min. sink to fast.

- Demonstrate hands off flying and rear riser turn.

- In a wind suffi cient to cause drift, demonstrate ability lo fly a pre-determined ground track at an angle to the wind.

- Demonstrate ability to judge and allow proper clearance from ridge and other aircraft - Demonstrate how to brief and instruct a ground crew and explain when an assisted launch is necessary.

- Explain proper strong wind land procedu res and how to keep from being dragged back - Demonstrate and explain correct packing procedure, canopy care and maintenance.

- Demonstrate and explain how to lengthen and shorten flight path.

- Explain and demonstrate , on the ground, the right of way traffic rules.

- Demonstrate reserve deployment while hanging in a harness in simulated turbulence or malfunction conditions.

Give a thorough verbal demonstration of knowledge of how to: - maintain directional control during and correct an asymmetric wing fold, and; - fly at minimum sink while precluding any chance of inadvertent stall or spin , and; - increase descent rate and/or forward speed.

- Pass written test

fnTIONAL TASKS FOR PANDED OPERAT IN G LIMITATIONS D emonstrate under a Class II Instructor the skills of: - small lo medium asymmetric tip folds (10-25 % of span) with directional control, and; - big ears (preferable) or some other method of canopy reduction for increased descent rate, an d; - proper surge control of canopy using properly timed brake application.

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PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW ASS III 5 ridge lift flights of 15 minutes or longer duration.

5 flights from a launch of over 1000 feet

1. Maximum base wind of 15 mph 2. Maximum peak gusts of 20 mph 3. Maximum gust rate of 8 mph in 5 seconds.

4. Avoid steep turns close to the ground.

5. Never fly alone.

6. Try only one new skill at a time.

7. Always wear a helmet, proper foot gear, and appropriate clothing.

8. Carry a reserve on any night where successful deployment is possible.

9. Avoid application of either brake beyond 3/4 of the way from full off to stall position .

10. Limit turns to 40 degrees of bank, limit speed in turns to 2 times the straight line brakes off cruise speed, and smoothly exit any spiral turn which shows a tendency to steepen or accelerate.

11. If not current due to lack of recent flight experience, seek an instructor ' s assistance for re-orientation or reduce operating limitations.

12. Should not fly in thermals where peak climb rates exceed 500 fpm or where significant vertical cloud development exists until receiving training in and demonstrating under an Advanced Maneuvers Examiner , all advanced maneuvers , up to but not necessarily including full stall and spin.

These limitations are highly recommended for Class II pilots . The pilot should exceed these limitations only after demonstrating mastery of required tasks, and alter acquiring a comprehensive understanding of potential problems and dangerous situations which may arise.

(In each of the "five task" requirements listed below, one flight must be observed by an Instructor.)

100 flights .

50 flying days.

25 hours logged airtime.

5 thermal flights of 30 minutes of longer duration (where altitude gains are made from thermal lift and there is not sustaining ridge lift) PAGE 48 • PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

vertical descent 5 different sites flown .

5 different canopy models flown .

5 controlled top landings.

5 controlled side hill landings.

5 spot landings within a 10 foot diameter circle with an approach that requires turns.

5 flights in windy conditions (>12 mph)

- Significant asymmetric wing folds (2540% of span) with directional control.

- Big ears (preferable) or some other method of canopy reduction for increased descent.

- Demonstrate one method to increase forward speed.

- Proper surge control of canopy using properly timed brake application.

- Give a thorough verbal demonstration of knowledge of how to: - maintain directional control during and correct an asymmetric wing fold - fly at minimum sink while precluding any chance of inadvertent stall or spin, - increase descent rate and/or forward speed.

- Pass written test NAL TASKS FOR EXPANDED

LOGGED REQUIREMENTS

avoidance, etc.)

- USHGA Class II Rating or Foreign Equivalent.

- 2 years logged flying experience.

- 500 flights.

- 200 flying days.

II WITNESSED TASKS

- 150 hours logged airtime.

- Three recommendations from Class II or higher pilots who know and have seen the pilot fly, of which on must be a USHGA Director or Administrator, which verify that the pilot has shown the skills commensurate with the Class Ill rating.

- Pass written test which is to be administered by a USHGA Class III Instructor or RECOMMENDED OPERATING LIMITATIONS

Administrator.

- Always wear a helmet, proper foot gear and appropriate clothing.

- Carry a reserve on any flight where successful deployment is possible.

- If not current due to lack of recent flight experience, seek an instructor ' s assistance for re-orientation or reduce level of operating limitations.

--,c:-·- 11PBJlATING LIMITATIONS

SIGN OFF FOR PARAGLIDING

- Attend an advanced maneuvers seminar and complete all maneuvers up to but not necessarily including full stall and spin .

A Class III pilot has an advanced level of knowledge and skills. The pilot has the knowledge and skills to fly technically demanding sites in strong soaring conditions, and to judge when the site and conditions are within the pilot ' s skill, knowledge and experience level. The pilot understands the USHGA paragliding rating systems and recommended operating limitations, and the FARs and other flying rules applicable to his flying (ridge rules, thermal right of way , FAR 103, sectional use , and restricted airspace

These are special skills a pilot should practice and perfect after achieving a Class I rating. In order to attain recognition for a special skill , you must follow the requirements listed and perform the skill for observation by a certified instructor.

While working towards these skills , remember your operating limitations as well as your capabilities.

1. Explain and understand right of way (traffic) rules.

2. Demonstrate smooth , deliberate air speed control.

3. In a wind sufficient to cause drift, two points will be selected on a line perpendicular to the wind. The pilot must fly a figure 8 course cons isting of smooth turns around the points with the straight segments crossing midway between the

LOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PIL points.

4. The pilot must complete two consecutive figure 8's around the course compensating fo r ground track without over controlling or hesitation.

5. Demonstrate one flight on a ridge with other traffic, lasting 15 minutes or longer.

6. Demonstrate one controlled side hill landing.

1. Explain and understand thermal conditions.

2 . Have practiced and can demonstrate airspeed control, ranging from min. sink to fast.

3. Two flights, observed by an instructor , at a thermal producing site, in moderate thermal conditions.

4. One observed thermal flight lasting 15 minutes or longer without sustaining ridge lift.

5. Explain and understand the use of a reserve parachute.

6. Explain and demonstrate proper directional control and correction of an asymmetric wing fold (30% or greater) at an altitude of above 1000' AGL. 7. Explain and demonstrate smooth and correctly timed surge control.

1. Two logged flights with an altitude gain of 1000' or greater above launch.

2. Two logged flights at a site where the landing area is not visible from launch.

3. Demo nstrate one controlled side hill landing.

4. Understand how to use a sectional.

5. Demonstrate standard aircraft landing approach (downwind, base, and final) .

1. Five flights launched from 6000' density altitude or higher, with at least two of these flights observed by an instructor.

2. Demonstrate a strong running forward inflation launch in winds of less than 5 mph.

3. Explain and understand air density, cloud suck, anabatic, and catabatic conditions.

1. Demonstrate the ability to launch safely from a shallow ramp or cliff top where running is severely restricted, drop off is precipitous, and wind is 5 mph or less.

Stalled, falling, or diving launches are not acceptable even if flight is achieved.

2. Demonstrate abi lity to launch with assistance in windy conditions from a precipitous cliff or ramp. Must s how proper use of release signals and confident, aggressive launch.

.•

l. Demonstrate for an instructor ability to correctly set up and self launch with skis on . skis is a no win d skill. Pilot must have the ability to inflate the canopy in forward launch position first try.

2. Explain and understand flying in a ski area environment: A. snow conditions B. winter weather C. ski lift operation D. awareness of local protocol 3. Demonstrate 2 light wind, high altitude launches and landings with or without skis showing: A. proper set-up B. precise control C. good judgement D. ability and willingness to follow instructions

MINI VARIO ONLY $169.

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The best guide to large and small scale weather effects.

288 pages, 270 photos and illustrations Send total for books plus $1.95 shipping to: Sport Aviation Publications Dept BP, PO Box 101, Mingoville , PA 16856

Worlds Smallest Vario!

The New Paragliding Standard 2 Year Guarantee Clips to helmet, cap, chinstrap etc.

200 Hours on batteries O -1200 fpm Fast Response Very sensitive in light lift or draft only to ;

Mallettec 0 Box 15756 ta Ana, CA 92705

714 541-2625

PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 49

~AGL/DING SCHOOLS PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS A

ABOVE & BEYOND -J

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~

UTAH (801) 254-7455 Above & Beyond is the 1st paragliding school in the U.S. established in 1987, ~ - - - - - - - at the Point of the Mountain near Salt Lake City. This is the best inland training site in the U.S., featuring year round drive to launch sites. Our USHGA Certified Instructors will ensure you receive personal instruction and the best training available. Fax 801 253-3218 3314 W . 11400 S .;So . Jordan .UT 84095

So. California (619) 481-7400 Personalized USHGA Certified PG/HG 1.2.1. . .11.....1....__.i..;L.......:'-AII-....I instruction.Courses are expertly run on a friendly, informative basis.We have been introducing people to the world of foot launched flight since 1976. New and used gliders and accessories. Ball, Comet, Edel, Firebird, ITV, Second Chantz, Wills Wing and others. All skill levels welcome. Fax 619 944-5741 PO Box 1226; Del Mar , CA 92014

AILES DE K •

-

AIR TEK ~

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Washington State (206} 432-8900

Equipment - Tandem - Instruction Alies De K USA Inc . Alpine on Air - - - - - - - - - ' Paragliders from the world 's first and most experienced paraglider manufacturer . Made from the finest materials available , designed and built in Switzerland to exceed the highest Swiss quality requirements .

Fax (209)432-2876 PO Box 1323; Maple Valley, WA 98038

ALPINE WORLD ADVENTURES

i l i . " " ' ~ ~ ~ , , , . . . ; ~ - ~ ~ · . . , , _ - - s , ;......... ea:_-~,__,.1..

San Diego California (619) 450 -0437 Take advantage of San Diego's weather, nearly everyday is a good flying day. Class I certification; $450. Six days of training of training , including high altitude . Accommodations, airline reservations and transport arranged on request. Teaching since 1989 Excellent Safety Record .

Class Ill Tandem rated instructor.

Fax 619 450-0437 4206 C. Sorrento Valley Blvd; San Diego, CA 92121

BIG SKY ~~~"'iA

Colorado (303) 440-0803 Boulders premiere paragliding school ~ - - - - - - - Est. 1988. Come to learn or just to fly , in the Rocky Mountains. We are the U.S. distributor of Firebird products , and dealer for Ball Varios and Hanwag Boots. Other accessories available in our full service shop. For more info. please call Dave Whaley or stop by.

4439 N. Broadway unit E-2 , Boulder , CO 80304

•

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Montana (406) 728-2876 Providing Montana and the N. Rockies with; • USHGA Class Ill Certified Instruction • Tandem Rated • Sales and service on the finest equipment and accessories.

For personalized , quality instruction in a friendly and relaxed setting contact; Dale Covington I Big Sky PG PO Box 7843 ; Missoula, MT 59807

FLIGHT SYSTEMS Texas 1-800-664-1160

1------=----' Learn complete pilot skills with Texas style fun at Hill Country Paragliding Inc. Our personalized USHGA certified Class I Training includes ridge soaring , foot launching and tow launching from sites in central Texas. Motorized paragliding instruction and equipment is also available. We offer a full range of the best paragliding equipment, towing accessories and novelties from a variety of manufacturers.

4800 Whispering Valley Dr.; Austin , Texas 78727

PAGE 50 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

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The Best in So. California (714) 639-7777 Flight systems has been teaching foot launched aviation in Southern California since 1976. We train pilots on top of the line gear, including Wills Wing, Pro Design and Edel. Fly our "secret spots", as well as the famous Crestline, Marshall peak, and Elsinore sites.

Our instructors are the best looking in the industry! Call ; to be included in our lesson schedule , demo flights , or fun flying!

1915 E . Katella , Suite B; Orange , CA 92667

'AGL/DING SCHOOLS PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS A NORTH AMERICAN ,, --- _~!'_ R~GLIDING

Washington State (509) 925-5565 Become a pilot under the guidance of USHGA instructor Mike Eberle. We offer year -round instruction for the Pacific Northwest, and handle all major brands. Our Adventure Tours will entice and excite you with paragliding trips to the South Pacific, Asia, South America and Europe. US distributor for Flight Design , Brauniger, UVEX, Meindl and more! Fax (509) 962-4827 PO Box 4 Ellensburg, WA 98926

SOUTHWIND '••

~

-

.

UTAH (801) 359-6036

-- -_,. _,,.

USHGA certified tandem instruction.

- ~ ~ Come learn to fly with Nationally Ranked pilot Bob Schick. Specializing in advanced tandem instruction , thermal and XC clinics and custom tours of the breathtaking Utah and Wyoming scenery, for both hang gliders and paragliders.Southwind is the proud manufacturer of the Brain Bucket and Back Buddy and new Brain Bucket Full Race.

---------1

SUN VALLEY Idaho (208) 726-3332 Fly High Paragliding School, specializing in personal instruction and sales. Fully certified , teaching foot launch since 1979.

Dealer for Wills Wing , Edel , ITV, Second Chantz, BRS, Flytec, Ball and many others.

We offer the most INEXPENSIVE prices on entry level equipment purchases. Call us and compare! Paul Voight I Fly High 5163 Searsville Rd; Pine Bush , NY 12566

SOUTHWIND /IANG GLIDING

___ -....___ ...

~ §UN VALLEY

PARAGLIDING

We specialize in private tandem instruction .

Our certified instructors and USHGA appointed .___ _ _ _ _ _.,.. towing administrators will ensure you receive the finest training available . The local topography is the perfect location for our XC and mtn / thermal seminars.

Visit our shop at the base of Bald Mtn . where our full line of flight equipment and knowledgeable staff will satisfy all of your paragliding needs.

PO Box 5715 301 Bell Dr.; Ketchum ,ID 83340 fax (208) 726-1100

PARAS OFT

~ . . . ~ ~ . - . 0 - -·~"'-'----,, , _.,

COLORADO (303) 494-2820 Introductory - Advanced Instruction Para-Trekking Trips Tandem Instruction Towing Instruction Complete Sales & Service Dealer for EDEL, Pro Design , Nova, Ball , Brauniger, Maxon 4445 Hastings Dr.; Boulder, CO 80303

Michigan (616) 922-2844 Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450 ' sand dunes! Full time shop. Certified instruction , beginner to advanced , foot launch and tow .

Sales, service and accessories for all major brands .

US A distributor for Pegas Paragliders and motors .

Visa and Master Card accepted.

1509 E. 8th St. Traverse City , Ml 49684

Arizona (602) 526-4579 Year round flying at the easiest site to learn . Drive-up, wide open launches and LZs at 1200' volcanic craters . 1O+ mile flights . 1 hr. from the Grand Canyon. Cheap Lodging . Dealer for almost everything I specializing in Edel.

Class Ill instructor with tandem and motorized backpacks . 2 day classes from $195.

1500 E. Cedar #1 O; Flagstaff, AZ 86004

801 576-6460 - 619 452-3202 Two full service hang gliding and ~ paragliding schools located at the nations most consistent sites; Torrey Pines, CA and Point of the Mtn . UT State of the art training gliders , experienced instructors and ideal conditions set UP apart from the rest.

Tandem and solo instruction , year round.

Call for an informative brochure COME 2 UP PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 51

NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDff/ON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NE CERTIFICATION - official document attesting to a paragliders level of safety. Issued by paragliding organizations such as Swiss Hang Association (SHV) program.

Glossary of Paragliding Terms

ABORTED LAUNCH · stopping launch by collapsing canopy due to improper inflation , such as line- overs , sticks in lines etc.

CHORD - distance from leading to trailing edge of a wing .

CLOUDBASE - altitude of cloud bottoms.

8GJ,. - abbreviation for Altitude above Ground Level.

AIRFOIL · shaped wing section , designed to provide lift.

CLOUDSTREET- cumulus clouds aligned in "streets" by wind . Excellent for long cross-country flights.

AIRSPEED - speed at which a glider passes through the air.

COLLAPSES - advanced maneuvers.

A:..S.J. - abbrev iation for Airspeed

CONSTANT STALL - loss of forward speed and increased descent rate.

Indicator.

ALTIMETER - instrument that measures altitude.

COORDINATED TURN - blending of pitch and roll inputs to produce smooth efficient turns.

ATTITUDE - orientation of the glider in the pitch, roll or yaw axes, relative to the horizon.

CRABBING aligning glider to counteract the effect of wind drift.

ANGLE OF ATTACK - pitch angle at which the relative wind meets the cord of the win -.

DAMPING - tendency of glider to resist change in direction of motion.

QBA.y - aerodynamic resistance force that tries to hold glider back as it flies .

APPROACH - planned path a glider flies toward landing area. Most common types , standard aircraft approach and figure-eight.

DUST DEVIL · start of strong thermal that picks up dust and debris high into the air. (Avoid entering dust devil at any altitude).

ASPECT RATIO - measure of how long and narrow a wing is .

Determined by dividing a wing's span by its average chord.

HARNESS - webbing and seat that attaches to the paraglider to support pilots weight in flight.

INVERSION - weather condition in which warm air traps cool air below inhibiting thermal development.

LAPSE RATE - rate at which the air cools with altitude change. · LEADING EDGE · front edge of the wing .

LIFT- rising air.

LIFT TO DRAG RATIO - amount of lift and drag produced by a wing .

Determines a gliders glide ratio.

LINES - small diameter, high strength Spectra or Kevlar cords that run from the canopy to the risers supporting the pilots weight.

LOG BOOK - book that records a pilots flights . Documents experience and accomplishments.

MINIMUM SINK SPEED - speed at which glider descends most slowly through the air. Often abbreviated as "min. sink."

MSL - abbreviation for Mean Sea Level. Height above sea level.

NYLON - type of material used to make the canopy of the paraglider.

OSCILLATIONS - swinging of the canopy from side to side or front to back . Can be corrected by properly timed application of the brakes.

BACK UP CHUTE - secondary parachute for emergencies .

FAA - abbreviation for Federal Aviation Administration. Federal agency responsible for regulation aviation in the US .

BEST GLIDE SPEED - airspeed at which glider achieves best glide ratio .

F.A.R. - abbreviation for Federal Aviation Regulation .

PENETRATING - your ability to progress forward across the ground into the wind.

BIG EARS - collapse of the outward portions of both wing tips toincrease sink rate and slightly increase the forward speed of the canopy,

FINAL - final segment of landing approach as glider heads for landing spot.

PITCH - nose up or down attitude.

Controlled by pulling of brake toggles .

BRAKES - lines attached to the trailing edge of the paraglider used for turning, slowing or stopping the wing .

FLIGHT PLAN - the predetermined path or route taking into consideration the wind speed and direction, turbulence, lift, sink, obstacles, etc.

CAMBER - cross-sectional curvature of an airfoil.

I

CANOPY - main portion of the paraglider made of woven polyester or nylon.

I

CANOPY INFLATION - pulling canopy over your head , stabilizing and inspecting it before launch.

\

the leading edge of the paraglider.

PAGE 52 • PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

GLIDE RATIO - is the measurement of the distance a paraglider flies forward compared to the amount of altitude lost.

GROUND EFFECT - tendency of glider to glide further when flying close to the ground.

CARABINER - Jocking metal link used to attach paraglider to harness.

~ - chambers with openings at

FORWARD LAUNCH - type of canopy inflation usually used in light winds.

[

GROUND SPEED - speed at which glider passes over the ground.

QUICK LINK - small metal link used to attach paraglider lines to risers .

RATING - official certificate of testing to a pilots skill level. Issued by United States Hang Gliding Association.

RELATIVE WIND - air that flows over glider and pilot in flight. Relative wind is created by moving through the air.

REVERSE LAUNCH - type of canopy inflation usually used in strong winds.

RIDGE LIFT - lift created by upward deflection of wind striking a ridge.

RISERS - webbing straps that attach between the carabiners and canopy Jines.

ROLL - banking or unbanking move-

PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDffJON NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW PILOTS EDITION NEW 1 ment. Controlled by pulling one brake toggle or shifting pilots weight from side to side.

STALL - loss of lift created by excessive angle of attack.

ROOT - center section of wing .

THERMAL - rising column or bubble of warm air.

ROTOR - dangerous downward swirling air behind a mountain building or other large obstacles. '

TIP - end of wing .

SCRATCHING - working lift close to terrain.

SINK- descending air.

SLED RUN - flight in which not enough lift is encountered to extend flight.

SLIPPING TURN - inefficient turn that results in high airspeed and sink rate .

SOARING - staying aloft by finding and maneuvering in rising air.

SPAN - as in "wingspan". Distance from wingtip to wingtip.

TRAILING EDGE - rear edge of wing .

UNDERSURFACE - bottom suriace of wing.

UPPERSURFACE - top surface of wing.

VARIOMETER - instrument that measures vertical speed of sink or climb.

Commonly abbreviated a vario .

VORTEX - contrail of swirling air created at wingtip by differential pressure above and below the wing .

Source of wake turbulence. (Be careful not to fly close behind another aircraft) .

WIND SHADOW - zone of still air behind obstacles such as trees build' ings or hills etc.

WIND SOCK - tubular wind indicator made of fabric and mounted on pole.

Used to determine wind direction and velocity.

WING LOADING - ratio of wing area to weight carried in flight. Determined by dividing glider's total wing area by the combined weight of pilot, glider and all gear that will be carried in flight.

WONQER WIND - pleasant type of ridge 11ft that provides unexpectedly good altitude gains . Created when warm air is release~ from a valley as upper air cools late in the evening.

Y_ AW - movement of a glider or other aircraft in the vertical axis - i.e. - flat "swinging motion of wings from side to side.

SKYING OUT - slang term for soaring very high.

WIND DUMMY - pilot who takes off before others so they can gauge conditions based on his or her flight.

X....J;, - abbreviation for " Cross

SPIRAL DIVE - positive spin, high speed slip that causes glider descend extremely rapidly . Used by experienced pilots to escape from poweriul lift, or lose altitude

WIND GRADIENT - slowing of air next to ground caused by suriace friction . Increasing wind strength with altitude.

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All;Junldes P11r1111Rdlntl

Country". Refers to extend"' ed soaring flight to a ~ distant point. ~ . ~

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ottemw: 01155 1 CBrtlllaltlon.

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•Ul)*to-date text based on airborne radar and satellite data and more than 35 years of cloud observation.

•Poster-size the first cloud chart you'd consider framing, this Is the largest cloud chart available.

To Order send $9.50 + ($3.00 First Class Postage) to; Paragliding Magazine I Ctoud Chart 221 Treasure Beach Rd. St Augustine, FL 32084

.. . the perfect first gilder.

Designed to keep your flying enjoyable and safe - but to take you far ...

Selectlng the right glider for your experience at the early stages of your flying career can make the difference between continuing with enjoyment in the sport or quitting after a frustrating or frightening experience. The Reggae is a glider conceived and produced with the new p ilot specifically In mind, before you buy anything e lse talk to your Instructor about it.

e Super easy ground handling.

•

Effortless Inflation without overshooting.

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•

4 Riser system with accelerator.

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&-line and big ears capability.

•

Skytex nylon cloth,

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Dyneema lines.

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High quality bag.

• Computer designed by Bruce Goldsmith.

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Laser cut templates.

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British made by Airwave.

Reggae 24

Reggae 27

Reggae30

Area (projected) 24.04sq.m Naked pilot weigtlt 45 · 65kg Certification (Acpuls) 12A's

26.92sq.m 60 • BO kg 12A's

29.49sq.m 75 .95 kg 12A's

SPECS PACIFIC AIRWAVE INC. P .O . BOX 4384.

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA. 93912 .

TEL:(408)422·2299 FAX: (408)758-3270

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 55

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