USHGA Hang Gliding September 1996 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

LAMINAR is ICARO 2000's trademark or a super glider, expressly designed for competitions and XC pilots. The resull or such a development is a superb wing responding to pilots' highest performance demands, but still extremely handy in take off, flight and landing. Its frame is entirely made of lhe best tubes available, produced in alluminiurn alloy 7075 by Alumenzikcn, the well known Swiss factory.

Sail

concepts

• laminar leading edge: lower • sail rips in Dacron: stable prof'i le for wing's edges • greater aspccl ratio •reduced# or battens

Laminar's most oz,itsita,;idinu u,,rn,,r,,« • wide range of speed, very low stall speed • improved gliding ratio at speeds of 35-45 mph • amazingly easy handling

Sail area sq fl Nose angle deg Wingspread rt Aspect ratio Double surface area '.Yr> Battens (upper+ lower sail) n Wcigh I (packing bag included) lh Min Pilot weight lb Max Pilot weigh! lb Packing bag length n Short·packd length fl

134.55 130° 32.48 7.84 86 21+4 65.04 l 00.00 144.00 16.08 12.14

142.08 130° 32.87 7.60 86 21+4 68.34 122.00 188.00 16.34 13.62

155.00 130° 34.12 7.51 86 23+4 73.85 166.00 243.00 17.06 13.62

Iii

call for details and prices

USA JUST FLY anounces full stock and immediate delivery of the popular !CARO 2000 full face helmets. After it's initial offering, demand was so overwhelming, it caused the sole North American distributer lo be temporarily out of stock on some sizes for about a 2 week period. The full face carbon fiber and kevlar hang gliding hel· mets are in stock in many hang gliding shops in the U.S., but are also available straight trom JUST FI.Y. Satisfaciton guaranteed. White $249. Carbon Optic finish $ 269.

p.o. box 450 Kitty Hawk. NC 27949

ICARO 2000 srl

Via Verdi, 19 21038 Sangiano (Va) Italy Tel. ++39-332·6.48.335 http: //www.alphasys.it/icaro · E-Mail: icaro@alphasys.it

Fax ++39·332·648.079

(USPS O17-970-20 - ISSN 0895-433)() \

16 Ballistically-Deployed Parachutes Revisited by Betty Pfeiffer Ballisric chute safety concerns.

20 Aerotow Takeoff Checklist by ]wm R. Cruz Making sure all is in order before you launch.

28 Making A Kingpost-Mounted Dipole Antenna by Peter Birren rmdJim Palmieri Improved communication.

How chis t:hree-rime world champion does ic.

40 Hang Gliding In Ireland

byJohn Dullnhan, Capitol Hang Glider Club Flyi.ng che Emerald lsle.

48 Jim Hooks Memorial Fly-In by Lori Tttber

A benefit for the local mow1rain rescue team.

Columns

Departments

Exec's Comer, by Phil Bachman ............. 11

Airmail .......................................................4

Accident Reports, by Luen Miller .......... 15

CaJendar of Events ..................................... 6

Comp Corner, by Stephen Sauerwein ....22

Update........................................................ 8

The High Side, by Russ Brown ..............44

Ratings ..................................................... 12

Product Lines, by Dan Johnson .............63

Classified Advertising ............ ..................52

'J !I

_)-_r

lnde.,x co Advertisers .................................62

SEPTEMBER 1996

HANG GLIDING magnzim; is publishe<:l for sport enthusinsts to cr(iate further inteirestin t11e 10 pr(ivide an educiltfonal forum lo '""" .. 1: ..1: .... ,

methods nnd is invitod to

Dear Editor, f've always believed that two people, given the same reliable informmion, will arrive at the same conclusion unless the discussion is about faith, opinion or mat·· ters of taste. ' [ 'he scientific method is based upon this premise. 'I'hc question oflate is whether the landing techniques taught by most schools arc a matter of individual preference, or if there is anything scientifi.cally verifiable and hence inherently correct. We may approach the matter sciemifr. cally. It is a solvable problem. 'The first matter to be settled is whether or not the pilot should be upright. Presumably there is little dissent, although l have received mail from some who defend hcad .. first landings . ff we can dis· miss them as accidents waiting to happen, the only question is when to transition to the downrubes. Doug Rice (July "Air Mail") states, "The same control authority that works at l 0,000' is also good ar I 00'," i.e., he claims there is greater roll authority in the prone position. This is manifestly false on three counts, The first is a maner of physics. If I he harness is properly designed, it is balanced about the pilot's CG. Thus, prone or upright, the pilot's CG remains unchanged. We may picture rhe pilot in either position as a suspended ball. Visualize the control frame i,x die case of the prone (P) and the upright (lJ) pilot rnovcd as for to one side as possible. l n the case (P) the control frame is a partial constraint. When Doug moves his fccr past rhe comer of the frame, he says this gives him even more roll authority. Unless Doug's spine and harness arc capable of bending sideways, his torso must twist to the inside of the frame when he rorntes bis legs beyond. The net cffc.'.ct on his body's CG partially cancels. Beginning manuals teach that twisting in the harness will not produce a rurn. Since at least part of the pilot's body remains inside rhe control frame, it is a constraint.. In the case of (U), it is clear thar there is no such constraint, since no part of the body is inside the frame. By simple physics, this amounts to

SrPT!:MBER 1996 VOLUME 26, ISSUE No. 9

more roll ambority. Bm such extremes arc not really practical anyway; however for .. thcr (U) may move is much less signiftcaut rhan rhc next two factors. The second reason there is more roll authority for (U) is physiology. There are more muscle groups involved and better leverage for those muscles. And, to really slam the door on rhc case, the third and most practical reason is the geometry the control frame: movement of the con .. rrol frame from the downtubes is through a shorter distance 1'0 produce the sarnc roll as from the basetube. Roll amhoriry for (U) is greater in pendulum, muscle lever-· age and speed. Doug argues that ii roll authority were better for (U) we would fly upright in all turbulence, as when he comments, "I have been tossed around at 10,000' like a paper ,1irplanc, and grabbing the downtubes fi>r better control would be insane." Why Dong uses this comparison is a mystery. He is talking apples and kumquats. Evidently rhis roo needs to be explained. 'I 'he reason we fly prone at 10,000' is thar we have much less drag. The reason we fly upright when we are preparing to land has nothing to do with pitch/roll authority. It is common-sense safety and we don't give a rap about drag . At l 0,000' there is no problem when turbulence suddenly durnps us foct. At 20 fr:ct it is a very foolish pilot indeed who does not under.. stand the diHcrcncc. It often h;ippcns when proners come our to Fort Funston in San Francisco. They arc in their sleek prone positions, with all that pitch author.. ity late on final. Suddenly they hit a juicy cliff rotor rolling through the LZ about the same time they are trying to make the transition. Boom. Bloody noses, broken downtubcs and no respect for what hap .. pcncd. Delaying the upright transition until you arc on fo1al is plain fr)Olish fi)I' more reasons rhan magazine space allows. I have a final note on this matter. What would you think about a landing system in which you arc above the LZ, out of yom harness, sashaying along at 35 mph airspeed with almost no bar pressure? With little or no bar pressure, roll amhori· ty is the main concern, ·fo boot, the sys.. rem virtually nullifies the gradient and gets you to your spot more reliably. Sound too

HANC CUDINC

good to be true? You'll have to ask "Marginal" Mark Lilledahl, ML Funston, for an article on the details.

Kent l larker San Jose, ( :J\

Dear Editor, I usually enjoy reading and flnd it hoth cmertaining and infonnative. However, rhc June l 996 issue contained a major disappointment in "Conquering The Span." It's not that the article wasn't both entertaining and infor-rnativc (in a it's that I believe this type of article is dangerous for the sport. Not having made a name in the sport of hang gliding, ler me list some of my qualifications. l am an ATP-rated pilot, fly airplanes, helicopters and sailplanes, and l1avc logged more than l 2,000 homs in the air, nor counting several hundred hours

in ultralights. I am also a professional aircrafi accident invcstig,nor, and as such can tell you with certainty that one of the ways certain people test themselves is to do what others have done. "Conquering The challenges tfos type of person to do just that. The foct that ir would be illegal just adds spice ro rhc challenge. The two gentleman who arc featured in the article spent a good deal of time choreographing the flights. Anyone who might feel challenged by this article might not have the luxury of being this prepared. My cx11er·1cr1ce performing searches in the J\mericm River Canyon has revealed that it is a very dangerous area i-o lly, especially below the rims. Poor judgment was also dernonsn-ared the statement that they "peeled some bungee jumpers off the back of our launch platform and two safety-lined cameramen off their perch hanging over the rail." This makes fi>r a good story and can he fun, 1mtil someone gets hurt. ],'J\R 103.9 srntes you must nor operate so as to endanger

rhe life: or property of another. Can it honcsdy he said that they were operating within the regulations? "I 'he 1:/\J\ has left hang gliding and related sports pretty much alone so public outcry could very well change diar. Accidents caused by overly-zealous and under-cautious pilots could kindle that outcry. I hope that in the f11tme Httnf!, magazine will insist on articles which either promote provide unbiased reports on equipment, or promote the sport by showing it in the best light. "Conquering The Span" gives imernational exposure to what would be a very dangerous 11ight, making it seem challenging and fun. l hope that sometime in the future L11en Miller's accidc111 column doesn't include a botched landing on a small river bar below a bridge over rhc norrh fork of the American River.

Edward H. W;mnoth Carolina, PR

WW PACAII< NAS E:DEL Bl~S ICOM VAESU GPS BALL COMP NE:W BALL Gi=IAPHICS PLUS $1,495.00 w/free Garmin :38 BALL M19, 1995 Demo $405.00 AFF10 MicroPanel II Demo $575.00 FL YTEC 4010 Demo $533.00 FLYTEC 4020 Dt1mo . $760 00 fCLYTEC 4030 . $CALL AIFICOTEC Piccolo Plus, Domo $445.00 BF1AUNIGEFI ElASIS $402.50 ElF1ALJNIGEFl CLASSIC BF!AUNIGEFi COMPETITION MALLETTEC. TANGENT $199.00 GAFlMIN GPS 38 $?99.00 GAF1MIN GPS 45 GAf1MIN GPS 891111'1 databaso. $449.00 $699.00 GAF1MIN GPS 90 . $5£5.00 GAF1MIN "AFlAI" CLAMP

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$15£500 $149.00 $230.00 $290.00 $320.00 $150.00 $290.00 $CALL

If you don't soe what you'ro looking for--CALU Wf! may have it! YAESU FT1 IR, 5 watt . $30Ei.OO KENWOOD TH22, 5 watt $269.95 PTT & Headsot $89.00 :i/8 ANTENNA $20.95 Ei/8 GAIN DUCK ANTENNA . $17.9Ei EAFi TALK $84.00 $58.95 VC22 YAESU Vox/F'TT $299-375.00 MOBILE, !SO watt . $35.00 TUNE UP w/Warranty Intact . $349 00 MAXON 2Ei50 $CALL !COM, AUNCO

Wills Wing Lara w/Paraswivol $Call High l::norgy Quantum . $Call Edol, NAS, WW, ProDosign,HES WIND ADVISOFW AIFiSPEED W/CLAMP HALL. PG AIRSPEED . HOOK KNIFE: TOW F\ELEASE, Mason ElAH MITTS-U MITTS . AVOCET PILOT WATCH

S1PITMl3l:R 1996

$?3.00 $28.95 $14.95 $£52 00 $3,i-$90 $114.45

r Calendar of events items WIT J. NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to Lhc event. We request two momhs lead time fr)r regional and national meets. UNTIL OCT. 31: Region I I Season-Long Contest. Sum of best three X-C distances. $IO emry to a US H GA Chapter officer required prior to any flights that count. Flight must orig,i· nate in Region 11 (']cxas and I.ouisiana). Contact: Jeff Ifom (512) 467 2529.

UNTIL OCT. 31: Region 7 XC Competition. Monthly-tallied X-C competition. I :liglm must originate from a site in the Region. Scoring determined by best three open X-C or ouhmcl-remrn flights per month. Pilots will vie frll' slot in the Nats to represent Region (March through June). Send $10 entry and flights reports to: Peter Birrcn, 502 Shadywood Lane, Elk Crove, IL 60007. Info, rules and scoring fornm·· lac will he sent. Monthly scores published in RecINews.

SEPT. 1-30: I.a/,evieu;, Oregon Pesti1Jal of

Foot-Lrmnched Night Monthly XC Contest. $ J 00 and plaque i<ir first place for most accumulative miles flown in September from the six contest sires by a registered USITCA pilot. entry fee (fcH purchasing an LZ). Contact: l .ake Co. Chamber, 126 N. East St, Lakeview, OR 97630 (541) 947--6040.

SEPT 4: flamchute Clinic. OCT: 6: Lmmch Clinic. NOV. 8-11: Btisic JCP. Contact: Mission Soaring Center, 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpiras, CA 95035 (near San Jose) (408) 262· l 055, fax (408) 262-1 :'88, c mail mschg@)aol.com. SEP"[ 7-9: clinic, Pinc Mtn., OR. SEP'I'. 14-15: Pine Mtn. Fly-1n, Pinc Mtn., OR. Hosted by Dcsen Air Riders. Contact: Phil Pohl ('54 I) 389-4 086 or George Young I) 317-8300. SEP'I'. 7-19: Pre-Competitionfr1rfim World Air Games in 1997, Anatolia, T1.irkey. Contact: rel. 90-31231044 56, fax 90312-3104690.

Gardens Fant,1sy of Hight J)e/ta Kite !n1Jittttio11a/. Aero row

SEPT. 9-15: UNTIL.OCT. 31: Region 750.Milcimd Under Cornpetition. Cross-country compcririon for Region 7 pilots who have yet to exceed 50 miles in a single flight. Flight 1rnrn1 originate within Region 7. Longest single flight made by October 31 wins. No entry fee, prize for first place. For derails see June lfrmg Gliding or contact: Spectrum Hang Gliding, 51 J 6 Pran, Skokie, fl. 60077 (847) 329-8337. UNTIL NOV. 30: WOR Nationttl 'fr:am Club Challenge. Most cumulative miles flown (HC/Pc; flights) by a cluh. No fee, roving plaque and next year's contest adrninistration rewarded ro winning club. Contact: Mark Mulholland at markmull10J(fi\10l.com or (408) 929-1'753. Send cluh entries to Mark at 3641 Cropley Ave., San Jose, CA 95132. Entries will be tallied monthly and posted on the I mernet.

and ground tow. Duralion, pylon racing, aerobatics, spot landing, mid-air ribbon cutting. Contact: 1-800-282· 2123 or (914) 11 J, http:/ lflorida .corn/ cyprcssgardcns

SEP'[ I 1-14: World Aerobatic !ltmg Gliding Championships, "lclluride, CO. entry includes smoke, banquet & rides to launch. 12 pilots max. Com;icr: Leo VanDcrBosch (970)

Somhern Calif<)mia's longest flights. Two-hom drive from I .A with camping available on site. Launch is at 7,000' MST. overlooking the Scspc Gorge Wilderness Arca. Altitude gains to 12,000' MS!. arc common this time of year. Separate launches for HC and PC available. Borh closedcourse racing and open distance tasks, conditions permitting. No turnpoim cameras required. Intermediate rating with TUR sign-off required. Entry frc of $30 includes Tshirt. Respond by <>·mail to skypig(i:ilvacl1ss.risc.roclz. well.com or call Ventura County Hang Gliding at (80'5) 492.-6342. SEPT. I 5:

Air Force S;ieed Gliding Contest. $20 entry. Cash prize for l st place. Contact: I .co

VanDcrBosch (970)

C.'oupe !care t1ndfreeSai m Hilaire du 'fouver, France. Contact: Martine l.ange, tel. 76-08.JJ99, fax 2056. SEPT. 21 -22: Gliding Contest. Dash l(ll' cash from McClellan Peak to W;1shoc State Park, between Carson City :md Reno, NV. Cash Prizes. Contact: Advcnt urc Sports, 3650 #22 Research Way, Carson City, NY 99706 (702) 88:\.7070 ext. 11 for fax. SEPT 21 -22: l?osarito Beach, Mexico Freestyle 1 fang Contest and Ultml<~ht Ainhow. Pro and sporting classes. Hang 111 and acrorow cxpcri .. cncc necessary. I pilors max. Emry $ J'7'j, Prizes. Aerotow clinic available. Contact: (818) %0-9028. 28-29: CAXC Clinic. Cround school, four days X.-C

SEPT 21

SEPT 13-15: Colomdo Hy-In, Southpark, CO. TIC & PG welcome. Foot-launch ;mcl towing. Croundbased activities too. Contact: Steve Glazener (719) 570-9106 or glazencr(tilrmi i.com SEPT 14-15: X-C !Icing

flying, driver included. $129. OCT: 12-13, 19.. 20: !:'l /)ry !.ahc truck tow Four days towing and ground school. $129. Contact: Adventure Unlimited (714) 496 8000, e-mail: skydog I (rilix.nctcorn.com

Gliding!Part1gliding (.rnnj)etition at Pinc Mt., CA, site of some of

11/\N(; CIIDINC

OCT 4-6: October's Rest Fl:y-!n 1996, sponsored by rhe Sauratown Mountain I-Lmg Gliding Club. North Carolina's traditional autumn flight fosrival has always provided great flying with cash prizes. Featuring "June Bug's Fabulous Barbecue Chicken Dinner" on Saturday nighr. Arrival and practice day oil Friday with a lim competition on Saturday and Sunday. World's easiest cliff launch that can be used in light winds from any direction or stronger E, SE or S winds. 'Jwo other la1mches focing SW and NW. $30 entry foe includes Tsliin and family camping in the LZ. Satmday night's dinner will blow yon away ftw only Contact: Doug Rice(~) IO) 99443T7, Vic J ,ewellen (9 l 0) 595-6505 or 70272. 5:'l 1(ci>compuserve.com. OCT 5: 10th Annutd Gmy /,111,rone Memorial Hy-In to benefit Save the Children. Oct. 6 rain date. Fun fly-in for H C & PC pilots, lots of events, awards for 1st-3rd in both classes. Barbecue, shirts, lots of prizes frorn manufacturers and local sponsors. C:onract: Valerie Carroll, 11982 South 700 West, Draper, UT 8/i.()20 (801) 523-0693 (11), (801) 264-1479 (w). OCT ] 0-13: Super Clinic. Basic & Advanced hang gliding JC]~ Basic paragliding instructor training, 'Emdem Class I & 2 ;ind Tandem Instructor Clinic. Additional clinic days available. Prices from $1 J ,imited space. Comact: (619) 561 1009.

OG[ 12-13: San DiegoUnd Annual Hrmg Gliding&· Pt1ra1,liding Am Meet, Big Black Mtn., Pamo Rd., Ramona, CA. Sponsored by SDHCPA. One or two days advance registration $30 and $40 respectively, on-sire and Send check to SDJ-J(;J\ l~O. Box 420238, San Diego, Cl\ 92142-0238. 1:ec includes barbecue, drinks, lly-in T-shirt, comest entry and campground nse. Comest both days with prizes. T.auncl1 ar 2,900' above heamiful Pamo Valley with huge, flat LZ. Best glassoffin Sau Diego. Plenty of campground space. Contact: Mark I ,aBianca (619) 484-9025 (nights).

OCT. 12-14: First North American Air Ctmzivttl, Morningside Flight Park, ( :taremonr, NH. Categories include paraglidcrs (beginner and advanced), bang gliders (same two categories), motorized paragliders, ultTalights and other aircrafr. Award fi:lr "most creative flying machine." Nearby sites include Mt. /\scurney and West Rutland, VJ; and Mr. Creylock, MA. Non-pilot activities, camping available on the mountain. Contact: Jeff Nicolay (603) 542-4416, or Nicola Cauchy (617) 491-5480, nicocauchy@>aol.com. OCT. 17, DEC. 16: Hangglidingrm Discoveiy Channcl'.r "Go For It, "6:00 PM. Timdcm instruction and freestyle foan1ring Dave Sharp, John Heiney and others. NOV. 6: Segment at 6:00 I'M 011 freestylcr and phorographcr John Heiney and the Blue Sky Predaror. OC1: 19-20: Pacific Airwave Vision Clt1Ssic. Fun meet. Pac Air will hring tbei r latest gliders to Jockey's Ridge, Nags Head, NC:. Open to pilots of all skill levels who have a Pac /\ir glider, regardless of model. Barbecue, prizes. C:omact.: Kitty Hawk Kites (800) 334-e-mail: hang-glideC,)ou rer banks.com, hnp://www.kiuyhawk.com OCl'. 20-26: l 996 Tearn Chttllenge, Sequatchie Valley, TN. Sponsored by TTT ·n:ams of3-5 pilots fly in various X-C tasks. Hang lII and above. 50-pilor limit. Cash prizes and lots of fun! You'll be assigned a team if you don't have one. Contact: 'learn Challenge, EO. Box 544, Signal Mountain, TN .373T7 (423) 8866391. OC1'. 20-26: Br,1zilian Hang Gliding Open. $17,000 prize money for lst3rd, $1,000 for daily winners. Enny $400. Conracr: Projoto Ar Brasil (phones/faxes) 55--1 1-263-72 l 0, 5511 e-rnail: OprikadQ,)u. netsys.com.br OCT. 26---27: Crestline Soaring Society costume with mini-compcti· tion. $100 prize for hcst costume, rro-

phics for competition, giant barbecue. Ccared for intermediate pilots in both hang gliding and paragliding. Contact: Mike J larris (619) 32.4-8824 afrcr 5:00 PM. NOV: 2-3: Wome11J· Fun Fly-In, I ,ake McClure, Co1ilrcrville, Cl\. All Intermediate· and Advanced-rated women pilots invited. Camping $12/day/vehick ( 1-800-468-8889). $10 entry goes to road fund. Waiver required. Specials at local restaurants. Contact: Lynda Nelson, J\O. Box I 17, Coulterville, Cl\ 9531 I (209) 878 3710. NOV. 21-24: Ft1ll US!IGA Hoard of Directors San Diego, CA. /\ll members arc encomaged to attend! Please send your agenda items in writing to the USHCA office. Comact Karen Simon at USHC/\ headquarters for information and reservations: (719) 632-8300.

DEC. 28- JAN. 5, 1997: Hang Gliding Ntttionals, Hay, Australia. 'fow launch. Sneak preview of the Pre· Worlds at Forbes. Open to all pilots wirh tow rating and current HCF/\ membership (available at the meet). Emry, Australian by Nov. 30, aCt:er. !ncl11dcs info booklet, map, film & processing, party. Minimum four entries per team. C:omact: Western Victorian Hang Gliding Club, Cl-RMB 236B, 'frawalla 3373, Australia 61-53492B/i 5 (phone/fax).

JAN. 6-17, 1997: Hogong Cup, Australia. fnterrnediate rating with alpine cxperi-encc. Emry $185 Australian includes $5,000 pri,,e money, shirt, map, awards dinner, film & processing. 30 places reserved for international pilots until Ocr. :31. Max 1:30 pilots. Contact: Bogong Cup, c/o J~O. Box 308, Bright 3741, Victoria, Australia. Inquiries: Steve Snicek, tel. 61 5 51- 503 ((i-1 0 PM eastern Australia time only). /\ccomrnodations: Mt. Beauty Information Centre, 1cl. 61 57-541-267.

···-----·------------------------------·-------·------·--------------·---------------··---------- ---------------- ----SE!'TIM!ll'R 1996

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II update bolster our image and help us inerc..c our crcdibiliry with the FM and rhosc who affect and conrrol our limited Oying sites all over the country For more inforn\ation and availabilicy of videos conracr: Aspen Air Force, 720 S. Aspen SL, Aspen, CO 81611 or call Rick Kemp at (970) 927-4574. - submitud by Rid, Krmp

HANG GLIDING AT SIX FLAGS

or me founh year running. bang gliding was represcnrc:d on Aviation Day a, Six Flags Great A,h'Cnrurc in central New )ency. The nation's largest seasonal amusement park. Great Advenn,rc. once a year invites locil aviation inu:rcsrs ro suge educational displays for tbe public. On hand 10 pass our USHGA li1ernrun: and help with the simulator wi,re Brwdon, Chrissie and Gus Johnson, Karen L<al and Bill Umsrand from chc Water Gap and Wind Riders Hang Gliding Clubs. The highlight of the di,play was Lincoln Michaud's beautiful new Pac Air Pulse Ten Meter. generously loaned for a day's UV resting.

PHOTO CREDIT

ops! l.n ,he July issue we ml.,-idenrified the photos in the Super Floarcr anicle on p>gcs 48 and 49. The photos were otkcn by Barban Flynn.

NEW AIRWAVE GLIDER irwave UK ha., released a new ligh1we1glu sp,m-dass hang glider. the Pullc 2. in three sizes: 13, 15 and 18 m2. The glider fcamrcs easy bu, progressive handling and is well su11ed ro a wide range of pilots. The company fcels that the glider is idc-.,1 for pilots who only Ry occasionally, bur char ir is suitable for aen)(O\\ring and cross~counuy Oying as well. So far the Pulse h"-' bttn given a warm r=prion by pilots and dealer, alike. Contact: 44-1983-531611 (rel.). 441983-531552 (fux).

ASPEN AERO RACES

e of the Aspen Air Force would like ro 1hank all of die competitors fur attending the fim Aero Race series. I know some of them traveled • long w:1y to arrend and I hope they enjo)'Cd the evenc.

[twas difficul, for us ro put rogether sud, a project in such a shon peciod, as CBS and American Atfrenrure Pnoductions required, bu1 ""' managed to pull it off ivilh only minor problems. I hope all of you had • chance 10 sce the

show on CBS. About nine minutes \\-ere shown of each of the three spons: mountii n biking, kayaking, and rhc best C\'l"tlt of course, hang gliding. More ,han l6 hour> ofOying wi,re filmed, >nd the production company is going ,o offer a: onc.--hour-plus \rideo to anyone \Yho is interest~.

ThC' event "''CDt over rnlly well ,virh the film company which is already sniffing

around for sponsors for a bigg,:r, better show ncx1 year. The CBS spons edirors in Aspen were glued to the editing monitors saying, "COOil" and, "We'd like ro do more or th.is." Jn any C\'Cnt, wt: ¥.'anl to do ir apin nexr year, big pciz.c money or no,. and would like your fcedback as to how 10 impl'O\,,: the even, and make ir nin more smoothly. Th.is rypc of public exposure can only

Result$ -Aerobatic Competition Pilor Pria Srort I) Mitch McAlecr $2,500 51.22 2) John Hcmey Si,000 50.69 3) Aaron Swtpston $700 50.57 4) Dierer Goecke S400 49.16 5) Tammy Burcar $250 46.38 6) Tony Barron Avoca altimeter 43.56 and shiru 7) Steve Alford )us, Fly helmet 4280 •nd shiru

Rewlu- Speed-Pylon Races l'ria $2,500 2) ScotlAngd $1,000 3) Robin Hamilton S700 4) J,m l..tt S400 5) Kari Castle $25-0 6) Mike Bod,cr Sl75 7) G.W. Mead.,.., S125 + shiri 8) Net.son Ho•·• 2 shirts 9) Larry Tudor 2 shiru lO) Ray Leonard I shin 11) Sam Westfall I shirr 12) Beau Hagwood Willssbirr P;/01

I) ChrisAr:u

DQ Ken Brown

Oh no! Oops! Whar g;1tc? So d=! DQ Larry Saom Damn! DQ Dav,: Sharp Rats! DQ Allison BumhefTncr Bbsr! DQ Jim Zeiser Hmmm? DQ Duff' King Wh,i ro say?

DQ Jersey Rossignol DQ Mark Bolt DQ Rob Kells

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR WOMEN IN AVIATION BECOMES NEWEST AFFILIATE MEMBER OF NAA

ashingron, DC - The Nacional Atronauric As.sociacion, ofwhich chc USHGA is a division. is pleased ro onnouncc char 1he National Council for Women in Aviation (NCWA) h"5 joined HANG GllotNC

•

r--------------~ Yes! I want to save money and help USHGA with eniry long-distance call I make!

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at that time had written a proposed policy

t's offkial! l 11 the May, 1996 issue l reported that we had received assurfrom rhc J\ppalachia11 'Jiail ( :onlcrcncc management that the propolicy to be adopted by the Na1io11al Park Service rcg;1rding flight along the Appalachian National Scenic' l htil would be modifkd to be more favorable toward flight. Let me rcf'resh yom memory as rn why rhis was such an imponam issue. Origin;11ly, the J\ppaL1chia11 '!\·ail :) management was attempting ro exclude /light 011 tl1c 'frail refusing to renew the Use Permit (SUP) for the Pennsylvania. launch near Pox ( Kirkridge had been csrahlishcd hy the Water ( Hang Clid Club years car lier, before the /\TC had acquired the land and had, ro this point, been operating under a SUP issued by 'frail management 'lwo years worth of foxes and frustration had produced progress umil ( Pa11l Mel !ale from the I 5rh Districr in Pennsylvania ;rnd his staff to look imo the problem. SLl'TIM!ll R I 99h

which was unfriendly toward hang gliding and paragliding. This pro-posed was puhlished in the ATC: The ramifications oft his ncga· rive proposed policy were serious. If adopted, it would establish an unfriendly policy toward powerless flight in H states, /\!so, as an oflicial policy of' the ATC:, which is organized within the National Park it could have been picked 11p and used as a model throughout the NPS. !\ second, and equally scrio11s rcsulr would have been the cs1ablishmenr ol'a require men I to solicit a federal Special Use Regulation fr1r each site. This is a 1 to 18-momh process rc<piiring a lot of rime aud work, and was obvious bureaucratic overkill. We published a call--to,action for US HCA members in 1he January, 19()6, issue of' Hrtng Gliding to help overturn this proposed policy with a lcacr-writing campaign. It produced over 900 letters fi·om you, the members. As a direct result of your letters, the proposed pol icy was rewritten. The modiflcd policy was published in the rcderal Register on June 1996 and became effective on July 1996.

] ,cl me quote directly from the rcguJa.

tion. " ... Mier considering all of the public comments the NPS has decided to endorse a broader rule, and to proceed with a final rule with a modification of the proposed rule from a site-specific regnL11 io11 to a non site-specific special rcg11lation that may allow powerless flight on /\Tacquircd lands at times and locations designated by the Park Manager, pursuant to the terms and conditions of a pcrmir." This regulation creates the authority for a local 'frail manager to issue a Special Use Permit to a local USHGJ\ chapter under their ncgoti1ted terms and conditions. ' is a major success story for the its members and the Water Gap Gliding Cluh. Wi1hout your direct input, it would nor have happened. Please remember this story the next time we need your lctter--writing support to save a threatened site. We know this tactic pro,, duccs results and I suspect the next request will be fairly soon.

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Region 3 LEKAN, GEORGE: Mcnnosa Beach, CA; J. (;rcblo/Windsports lm'I MAC WILT JAMS, BREWSTER: Pac Palisades, Ci\; D. Qrnckenlmsh/'l 'rnc Flil!)1t Region Ii EARNEST, SCOTT: Brcckcnriclgc, CO; W. Thornton/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 6 CANFIELD, RONALD: Lincoln, NF; P. Vcnesky/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 7 CICOTTE, JEFHlEY: Dearborn, Ml; F. Clark/Lookout Mm FP Region 8 BOOTH, DAVID: Burlington, VT; W. Thormon/Kin:y Hawk Kites JUNGMANN, MILOSLAV: Wallingford, CT; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP LIEDTKE, MICfIAEL: Mirror Lake, NH; D. (;Jover/Wallaby Ranch MEDOLO, ANDREW: N i\ndovcr, MA; D. Baxter/Morningside FP

Region J SCHERER, DAN: Redmond, WI\; J. Reynolds/Far Up HG ZATLOKA, GEORGE: Kirkland, WI\; C. Nelson/HG Adventures Region 2 RITZER, STEVE: I )uhlin, Ci\; J. Woodward/Natural Flying COROTTO, LOREN: Berkeley, CA; B. Karlak/Bcrkelcy I Jc; DAWSON, DARRYL: l layward, CA; I'. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring MARTTNCJK, JAN: Milpitas, CA; P. Dencvan/Mission Soaring PERRl\i\ULT, MATT: Sunnyvale, Ci\; P. Dcnevan/Mission Soaring QUIRK, JOE: Berkeley, Ci\; G. Andrnnaco/Bcrkcley l-lG RODRIGUEZ, GORGE: Modesto, C:A; I<. Muscio/Mother I.ode Skyridcrs THOMPSON, RONALD: Pacifica, CA; G. Andronaco/Bcrkeley HG

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CALDWELL, Boise, [I); R. Obscrvc1 CAI DWELL, JOSEPH: Boise, Ill; R. Altig/Special Observer 7 SHORT, DAMANI: Waukesha, WI; B. K11shncr/Ravcn

CICOTTE, JEFFREY: Dearborn, Ml; F. Clark/Lookom Mtn Fl' RY AN, JIM: Minneapolis, MN; I). ZWICKY, CRAIG: Wales, WI; B. Kushner/Raven 8 FIERTEK, ANDRZEJ: New Britain, CT; J. Fl' JUNGMANN, MIT.OSI AV: Wallingford, CT; J. Nicolay/1\;lorningsidc FP LIEDTKE, MICHAEi.: Mirror Lake, NJ l; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch Region IO AYERS, BROOK!•'.: Kill Devil TJill, NC:; P. Ilawk Kircs HOWARD, KEVIN: c:Jrnlnma, 1:1.; F. Clark/1.ookour Mtn FP KOENIG, THOMAS: Destin, J:L; T. Hagcr/Lookom Mm Fl' LANTRIP, GREG: llucyrown, AL; J. Cook/Rocker City UNG, RODGER: Signal Mtn, TN; C. Tliorcson/Lookom Mm FP LINSCHEID, BRIAN: Thonusrnn, (;J\; F. Clark/I.ookour Mm PP MANN, RUSSELL: Orlando, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MFDLOCK, GARLAND: c;adsdcn, AL; 'J'. lfagcr/1.ookout Mm fl' OSBY, CHART.ES: Rossville, GA; T. I lager/Lookout Mm FP PICARD, MARTIN: Tampa, Fl.; R. Mirchcll/Thc STEWARD, RONALD: Land-o-lakcs, 1:1.; T. Hager/Lookout Mm PP \X!OI.FP, DYT.AN: Jacksonville, Fl.; K. 1-farrison/Adventurcs Ulllimitcd

Region 9

DONAHUE, PAUL: Lexington, KY; P. Farina MC CARTY, JUDY: Baltimore, MD; S. Region 10

BARNTIART, DAVID: Dmham, NC; S. rhc f.imi1 SMITH, NED: Atlama, (;A; M. Taher/1.ookom Mt n FP TRIMMER, PHILIP: Fayetteville, NC; M. Taher/Lookom Mtll Fl'

Region

CONNELL, MICHAEL: San Jose, Ci\; B. Ream/Mission Soaring JONES, DONALD: Newark, CA; D. ofRogallo KALINOWSKI, KEVIN: Sanjose, C:A; R. I IC Assoc MC NELLY, BOB: Incline Village, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Region 3

BURKE, JOHN: San Diego, CA; J. Ryan/HC C:emcr MEJIA, MARCO: Redondo Beach, C:A; D. Quackenlmsh/Truc 1:Jigh1 STURTEVANT, EVAN: Ventura, C:A; J. Graham/Foot Launched

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I Chairman

Pilot: Site: Date: Glider:

Cause:

Chris Rider Unknown Thompsonville J\irport, Frankfort, Michigan July 7, l 996 Unknown Novicc raring issued in 1987, reportedly hadn't flown in the last year and a half Unknown Unknown Unknown

The pilot and driver were milizing a grnss-srrip airport for static-line towing using a car and a turnaround pulley. The pilot was using a 1W(Htring release, hut we don't have information yet on the speciflcs of'rhc bridle and release line. J\ line tension gallgc was used. The pilot launched 011 his third or fourth flight of the day and was ohscrved oscillating hriefly before he straighrcned om and flew smoothly. At the top of the tow (abom 800' J\GL) the glider mrned away 70 degrees and continued flying. Other pilots in the area noticed the line hadn't released and yelled fc)r anyone wfrh a radio ro rel! the car to stop. The car sroppcd, began traveling in reverse, then made a quick U turn and began driving straight toward the pulley to relieve 1cns1011.

The glider continued flying straight until it nosed down and dove into the ground. The estimated elapsed time from when a problem was noticed unril impact was approximately nine seconds.

ANALYSTS J\t this time we have nor received an oHtcial accidcrn rcpon and can 011 ly speculate as ro the causes of rhis accident. One reporter raised the possibility that

Sll'TFMBLR I 996

i Miller

one. Now, so can --Chuck lJS Hang Gliding Association

the bridle might have become snared on a corner bracket. lt appears clear at this point that the primary cause was that the pilot remained on line afrcr a problem developed. J\nd rhis is yet another case in which the pilot appears to have been rclaincxperienced or out of practice. There is at least one rnechanical device rec:enrlv developed which is designed 10 cut the towline should the glider tum off line hcyond a certain point, or pass beyond ;1 certain angle of' attack. I haven't sern ir, or heard about how it performs, bm it certainly sounds like a worthwhile development. However, until we have a record of rhc performance of such devices, I will repeat a recommendation made several times in the recent past that will almost certainly prove 10 be pertinent ro this incident as well: lfyou arc going to tow, have someone, somewhere ready ro cut or release rhe line should the need arise. I think this applies w all pilots who tow, but T fox:] rhis is especially true for any pilot new to flynew to towing, or returning to the sport.

It m ighr be a lot of rroublc, it might mean someone doesn't fly, it might nor be necessary most or even almost all of the time, but when a situacion like this one arises there may be no other course of action lefr.

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BALLISTICALLY-DEPLOYED PARACHUTES REVISITED by Betty Pfeiffer

loud shoe and felt his glider decelerate. He was Aying with a fully in/laced parnchucc in ro"'· Upon inspection o( chc system ir \V3S evident ,bar the l•unch cube (rocker) had been ripped off his harness and the rocker had 6ml. It is undear as m in which order this occurred. In May 1996, James, in an atrcmpccd at.rob.3tjc maneuver, 1umblcd once and

s1aned ,o spin. While spianing he reached down ,o pull his deploymcnr handle. The rocker had Ix-en ripped off hi, harness. James found the rocket, tried to point it inro clear air and fued i,. His chute did nor open. We suspe,., thar a coo-short bridle and the fua 1har he was prob.1bly too low for a full inflation may ha,.oe contributed ro the parachucc not opening. He spun into the trees and used his parachure to climb down. (Bums on his hands from trying m slide down the p-;radmte to ,he ground were his only injury. Apparently, sliding down the cmopy and lines worked fine, bur when he reached the one-inch tubular webbing bridle he gaiaed lors of speed. He recommends rying knots in the bridle maid in such a climb.) COMMENTS

The purpose ofthis article is to provide pilots with an update on ismes and safety practices related to ballistically-deplqyed parachutes from anl manufact1,l'l!1: I will not address the pros and cons ofparachute deplqymtm systems or parachute canopy designs. I will try to focus on issues directly related to the use and abuse of ballistic deplqyment systems for hang gliding. t the time of rhis writing. 1996 has aJrc:ady .seen rhrec inc:idenrs invol\'ing pilots flying with ballisric deployment systems who had problems. The follo"ing dcscriprions by no means cover all rhe ramifications and derails of the accidcnu, bur m~rc:lv focu.1o on iS-\ucs re.le,·anc ro this articlt. ·

Ix-red thar he had not released ,he safury. He artempted (with gloves on) 10 release the safcry. grabbed the handle a second time and yanked as hard as he could. His yank ripped che rocket off the harness. He dropped the rockec ,nd manually opened his plr.tchurc concainer and ortracted the

parachurc. The parachute opened ac 200 fc,,L

INCIDENTS In April I996, Scott launched withour

removing cho safery on his rocket. While ,ltlcmpring an aerobatic maneuver at 2.000 feer his glider tumbled. He grabbed che rocket h•ndlc and pulled. He then remem16

In May 1996, Walcer h•d been flying for •bout an hour when he hearo a flapping sound O\·er his shoulder. He realized his parachute had starecd ro slip out of rhe p.:irachute conr:1iner-:1nd arrcmpred co fly lO che LZ. Thirty .seconds l.ter h, heord 3

All three incidents involved a rocket. mounced on 1he hip of the pilot's harness, bcing ripped o[ All three pilots had systems iliac \\'Cr<: attached ro rhc harness with

four seed bolrs. In rwo cases the rocker was ripped off che material char anached the cylindrical pan of the launch cube to the gromme1 plalc:. In cwo incidents che rocket probably caught on something thac ripped ic off the harne.,s. This is purdy speculation; \VC

do nor kno\v fur sul"t'. In Scott's sirua-

rion his abilicy ro rip che rocket off his harness may bave saved hin1 fron1 St:rious injury or wo~. What lessons do these incident~ tcach w? M3.ny emergency situations (e.g.• rum-

bles) are violenc. Rockets mounced on the hip area of 1he harness can gee aughr on paru of the glider and pulled with subsrancial force. Rockets thac are bolted onto the harness. as opposed to sewn on, may Ixmore prone co getting ripped off. While a handle muse be pulled ro fit<: the rockec, i1 is possible thar chis handle can be pulled aocidcncally. A pilot wich presence of mind can rcacr to emergency sicua1ions wich creative solutions (and lots of adrenaline). An ao:idenral deployment can occur when we lease expect it. Dan Johnson, ofBallis1ic Recovery HANG GLIDING

Systems (BRS), worries thac pilocs wich balJisric syStems may perfonn attob3tics at a lower altitude than chey would withouc chem. He fears chat. because ballistic systems do pull the parachute our faster chan a piloc can hand deploy. pilots with such systems may rhink char aerobatics are s:tfe tO p<rform lower thon with hand-deployed system,. He comments di,1 pilots should nt'Vcr perfonn acrobatics ;ar a IO\v altirude because parachutes son1etimes do not work.

ACCIDENTAL DEPLOYMENTS INVOLVING BALLIS11CAUYDEPL0YED PARACHUTE SYSTEMS In the pa.sr year ihrcc accidental deploy-

ott,ched ro the container. Velcro thought 10 be secure with its shear sucngth may actually be in "p<el" mode, and may not hold che paracbute in the container. TI1e best "'".IY to check this is with a knee ccsr. As Velcro is used and gets older i!S strength degrades. It also loses srrcngih when \\'Ct. Ar least t\\'O orha accidental deployments (full a.nd panial) have ccsulctd from weak Velcro. In one case the piloc was on final glide and !he parachute inBaccd as he flared. In anochcr case the pilot nociccd his pamchure sraning to come out of the container in cin1e ro mrff'ic back in and land withouc incidenc The point is, if )'OU have an older ham<$$ you may need to replace your Velcro.

mcnrs have involved freshly packed ballistically-deployed parachuces.1 In one incident the parachute remained an,,ched to che rocker mounted on the pilor's hip and forrncd a gi>nt horseshoe. The rocke-r never fi«d and ,he pilot was able to successfully Oya circle around the parachuce and land. He bent nvo doworubes. TI1c second incident involved rhe parachute staning 10 slip out of the p,11achute conuiner, and the pilor was able to hold ir in long enough to land safely. In the chird incident, as noted above, the rocket fired after the parachute had s-carrttl ro cornc out of the ooocainer and the pilor found himself Aying at .a .5/ 1 glide ratio over tree, with a fully inlla.red p:trachutc in ro,v. 8ALUST1C SYSTEMS AND HARNESS It is important ro know where your pod AITACHMENTS op<ning cord is in relationship to a ballistic We may nC'\·cr know for sure ,vhy we arc system. Ont' unsubsranriared srory in·volved now seeing rockers being ripped off hara pilot =ching for tl,e cord on his pod ha.r• nesses when v.·e h::1vc neve:r had rcporu of ne-"' u.,ed ro open !he doors. Apparen rly, this h•ppening before. We can only spccu• when he reached for che cord to open his lace ang iry 10 prevent it from conrinuing. ha.mess, he pulled !he cable chat connected Whar we do know is thac the F.ailurc the parachure ro the rockcc and ,he cbuce s«:ms to be at boch che grommet harness swred 10 e.cap<. •rtachment points and che rock« launch What c,n w< learn from this? First, freshrube/grommet plarc. 11 would be F.air co ly packed parachurcs rccoin air and pack larg• 2.SSumc cha, an older hames.s '"'ith signifier than chutes char h3\c been packed a few cant obrasion >nd UV exposure would be "ttla. Afier evc::1 ~pack it is \·cry imponan, more prone ro rhc grommecs ripping off the co do a knee tc:>L Velcro closures which may harness. •pp<a.r secure c,n op<n ca.,ily when the harSome remedies are: ness is loaded. Freshly packoo parachures I) H»·e your rocket sewn onro the harness c:on1our to chc shape of the parachutr conwirh proper thread, sri1ch siz,,, reinfora:tainer \Yhcn the pilot is in the harness. mcnr and sritch panem. Although sining on a freshly packed pa.ra2) Sew a reinforcement plote made of chuce when i, is 6m pla<:ed imo che harness heavy-duty doth or webbing inside !he can help squca.c our some of the excess air, harness. This vviU nor reduce rhe chantt$ this will nor ensure that chc parachute is of the rocket e>tching on ,he glider, bur secure. /ti the curve of the pilot's body loads it "~II take more force co rip it off rhe the ha.mess it can pull the pa.rachure cont.linharness with this full-reinforccmenc er Velcro apon. Bc:causc of the CUl\'3ture of place, the pilot's body, and the w•y !he Velcro is 3) Have the launch tube/rocker stitching $~P1{M8ER 1996

reinforced with proper-siz,, stitches using proper-size thread.

BALLISTIC SYSTEMS ANO HARNESS MOUNTING LOCATION The bcsc location co moun1 a rocker on a barncss has long been a subject of debarc. On one hand, you wanr the handle to be within easy reach, bur on the orher, you don', want any body pans to be susceptible to gming in the way of the rocker when ir fires. You wane the rocket co point into clear air, but you don', know where that air might be. The rock<r must be clear of any harness ropes or op<n doors ro work properly. bur th•r is nor always possible since the pilor is in a different body position on

This pilot forgot u, lllk, tht saf"loffa,ul ripp,d Jx rodrn offJx /,arms,. 7k ro<ket is stiU 111t11d,u/ ro t~ oi,1,,. Jxatl,. H, """ abk to handdeploy.

launch or landing than in nigh,, 001 10 1nc:ncion rhe difTtrcnc posilions in v.'hich he mighc find himself in an emergency situa-

tion. The borrom line is that !here are always compromises. The secret is ro minimize rhc risk of complications. To do th•c consider

these quesrions: lo normal flying (l(l!ition whac is there on )'Our harness char m•y in1crftre wiih the rocker h•ving a srraightline shoe inco dear air? Are. dierc pockets on your hamc.ss, loose cords or lines? In launch or landing position, wiU open doors on your pod get in che way? Are any body parts more likdy co gec inco the line of fire? (Can your hand or arm reach in from of the rocker! A,c your legs in rhe way of the r<>ekec ar a.ny time during normal Aight?) These que.<iion.s are particularly imporca.nr when dC\·eloping your own Sranda.rd Op<mnng Procedures (SOP~) in the event of an emerg,,ncy. Although !he« may not be a perfect position for"''")' siruarion. you should be awa« of the limitacions of your harness arrangement. One pilot was fully aware char, wiih his hip-,mounr arr.:mgcmenc, ifhc ever had to use his rocket right after launch he should 17

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try to get as head-down as possible so rhc rocket would not shoot toward the ground. When he launched one day and his home-· made glider went into a screaming dive, his first reaction was roger his head down before pulling the activation handle. Having this clear awareness of where the rocket is pointed relative to your body posi · tion may help you time deployment activa-· tion to your best advantage. (Remember that in an emergency you may not have the luxury of timing your deployment.)

ROCKET PULL DIRECTION VERSUS PARACHUTE CONTAINER CONFIGURATION AND PACKING Harness mounting location of the rocket is complicated by the problem of where to mount the parachute. The chute should be secure when in flight yet easily extracted frorn the container when needed. We have long kuown that rhc safest location for a parachute container is directly on the chest of the harness. Reports of pilots avoiding serious injury because the parachute acted as a cushion between their chests and jagged rocks, barbed wire fences or hard ground arc numerous. We also know that the rocket will work most cfltciendy when the parachute is extracted from the container in the same direction as the rocket is pulling. 'fo evaluate your system's rockct/comain· er configuration, you rn;1y want to do this little test. (Please note: This test requires that rhc parachute be repacked.) SLOW-PUU, TEST I-fang in your harness. Have a qualified disconnect the cord from the quick link attaching the rocker to your parachute and replace it with a cord attached to a I 00-pound fish scale. Hold onto a solid object as the ger docs a slow pull on the fish scale in the same direction that your rocket is pointing. 'The rigger should note at what distance from the rocket launch tube the scale reaches maximum force. Continue the slow pull until the bridle is completely stretched out away from the harness. T'hc slow-pull test will tdl you: 1) if your rocket is poi med in an acceptable direction to ;illow easy extraction of the parachute; 2) if your parachute was packed in such a way as to allow easy extraction; 3) if your bridle is rout· eel properly. This test will aid you in imagining where your rocket is going to pull the parachute in an ideal situation. Evaluating yom findings. If the maximum icircc required to cxtracr the parachute is around pounds, at any distance from the Sii'lTMBII< 19%

rocket, you arc in good shape. If the force exceeds 4-0 pounds you need ro reevaluate your system. Chances arc good that using a slightly difforem packing arnmgcmem cau reduce the hard pull. Remember that this slow-pull test demon st rates a worst-case scenario for a direct pull. In an actual firing, the rocket has mass and momentum to aid in overcoming resistance. Imaginc that you arc walking yom 1O(l-pound Doherman and he secs a fire hydrant ahead. As he tries lo slowly pull toward the fire hydrant you can easily hold him. Now imagine that he secs a sexy poodle and darts o/lto the end of his eight-foot leash. One hundred pounds of yanking on you all at once may really set you off balance. Ease of parachute extraction must be weighed against the increased probability of accidental deployment. It is my belief d1at Vclcro-scu1rcd ballistically-deployecl paraclu1te containers may soon be replaced with better

CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR BALLISTIC SYSTEM As we learn more abom the actual use of ballistic systems during emergency situations, it is obvious that our standard operating procedures must be modified accordingly. Your rocket inspection and maintenance schedule, as per die m,rnufocturer's recommendations, musr be strictly adhered to. As developments take place, you need to keep informed by con-tacting rhc nrnnufocturer or reading this mag·· azinc. For instance, did you know that BRS has extended the service life of their rocker motors to nine Specific potential problems to look for in your system include: • Bent, broken, cracked or corroded launch tubes Loose nuts Rusted hardware Worn or frayed handles • Broken handles Special care should be given to your system in these areas: your rocket/parachute harness our of the din. • Handle your system as though it were a loaded gun. Do not let children around your ballistic system, especially when the safety is not otl • Be sure to release the safety before each flight and put it back on after landing. Do not walk around with your rocket safety

off Store your system in a dry environment. If the unit should become wet, it will be nee-·

cssary to have the system inspected and repacked by a qualified parachute • Look for tears or cuts in the conrainer. This could mean that the canopy under· neath has been damaged. I .ook for tears or cuts in the bridle or main riser material. Even a small nick in the edge of a main load-bearing component can reduce the strength significantly. USE COMMON SENSF! !fir doesn't look right, find out for sure from a quali · ficd person.

CONCLUSION I lang gliding is a high--risk sport. Acrobatics increase the risk. Parachute systems do not always work. Sometimes a potential problem with a system will nor emerge fiir many years. When rhings do emerge don't be lazy about getting your system checked out. We can try ro reduce the risl< by being aware or any design changes or system improvemcms. Learn from other pilots' experiences. Each time you hear of an accident imagine yourself in that situation and mentally prepare your plan of action. Remember, next rime it could be you! Note for Second Chantz owners: \'{!hen Second Chamz closed its door, in ofthisyear many pilots were lcfr with ballistic systems not supported by a manufacturer. At this time an alternate source for support is nor known, although a solution for maintenance ofthe air rocket component of the system will be announced. l would like to commend rhe pilots described in this article for their incredible presence of mind when dealing with difficult situations. l ,ct s hope we can all learn from them. l extend special thanks to Scott, James, Walter, Dominique and all the pilots who have shared their experiences with me. l would also like to thank Dan Johnson and Bill Gargano for their valuable input. Footnotrs

m1!tr1ch !he Vtlcro thl'

by.Juan R.

7'he towline is t~ght, the tow plane is read:y, and so are you, right? Are you sure you are ready.for takeoff The sailplane community long ago recognized the importance ofa pre-takeoffchecklist to make sure every-· thing is read:y before launching into the wild blue. Aerotowing operations with hang gliders are similar enough that we ma:y benefit ~y adopting this practice. In this article I present an aerotow takeoffchecklist suitable/or htmg gliding operations.

This checklist dwells mainly on safoty,,related issues; I've left other important items (checking the vario's batteries, leaving the car keys with your driver, ere.) for you to add. 'fo make rhem easier to remember I've divided them into related groups. You may want to rearrange thern to lx:tter suit yom needs. 'This article makes certain assumptions about the equipment being used. In particular, it assumes that you arc using a cart (sometimes known as a ground-launch-vehicle or GLV) and a V-bridlc with two tow releases (i.e., a main and a backup). This method of aerotowing is popular in the East, but is not the only way to go abom it; other arrangements arc being used with good results. However, this docs not detract from the main thrust of the article: checking that everything is ready for rakcofl-: As you go through the text, modify rhc recommendations as nee"

essary to suit your equipmcnL.

PREFLIGHT Aerotowing adds a few new pieces of equipmrnt that should be included in our standard glider and harness preflight checks. fs the portion of the towing bridle attached to the hang glider in the right place and secure? f n rny glider it is scrni--permancntly mounted so l always check for wear and make sure it hasn't" become loose since the last time I used it. Is the primary release mechanism on the glider properly rnoumed? Will the primary release work as

installed? Be carefr1l about mounting the release handle near the bend in a comfort bar. Depending on how this is done, the comfort bar may nor allow enough travel for the release to work properly. Docs the main release close properly? A premature release may put you in an uncomfortable situation. As a final check, hook up the towing bridle, pull on it, and release it under tension. ([n sailplane parlance this is known as a "release check.") A similar set of checks should be performed on the harness end of your towing bridle, including a release check for your secondary release. Finally, check your towing bridle and weak link for wear and tear. Once you set the glider on the cart, make sure that it sits on it at the proper angle of attack. Many carts arc adjustable: to accommodate different gliders. Note that setting the glider at too low an angle of arrack may prevent you from taking off until a higher-than"-norm;il airspeed is ·1ttained. If you arc new to aerotowing, or are not sure whar the angle of attack should be, ask an experienced aerotow pilot for help.

launch unhooked ( u nlcss you arc foot-launching), but it is not as difficult to launch improperly hooked in (e.g., arc your legs through both leg loops?). Thus, per-frmn a full hang check every time. If nothing else, it reinforces the habit of performing a hang check before every flight. In addition 10 your standard procedure check for possible imcrferencc between your hang straps and the primary release.

PERSONAL

CHECK

There .ire certain personal items I like to HANG Cl IDINC

make sure arc set properly before takeoff. Ts the helmet strap buckled properly? Is the parachute container Velcro secure and the pins fully seated in their bungees? Is the parachute h:rndle bigh enough to keep it from snagging m1 some object on the ground during the takeoff roll? Low parachute handles seem to be a problem with some wheeled tandem glider setups. An unintentional parachute deployment during takeoff is a scary thought. Arc all harness opening and closing lines secure and out of the Having one of these lines get tangled with the cart may result in more excitement rhan you would care fc)r._

CHl~CK The tow plane is in front of you and ready. Arc the towing bridles properly routed and connected? Is the weak link in good condition and appropriate for the towing you arc about ro do (tandem or solo)? J\re all relcaS·· cs properly closed? Some releases may appear folly closed to the untrained eye when they really arc not. Use competent help or take care ofthis yourself: Arc all lines clear of the cart and secure? Again, you wouldn't want any lines, such as the glider's VG line, to ger tangled with the can or caught on sornc object on the ground during takeoff. Are the cart's wheels straight? Hang on l'O the can (this may be with a bungee, cord, or fixed handle).

TAKEOF'F CIIECK At this point the checklist it"en1s become rnore spcciflc 10 your particular towing operation, terrain and local conditions. However, they arc probably some of the most important items in the whole checklist sequence. Right bc/<.)rc cvety takeoff I want to know what the wind is doing what its strength, direction and character arc. Knowing this allows me to estimate how long the takeoff roll will be, the level of turbulence [ will c11conntcr, and what direction I should land in case l released early during tow. Jr also gives me some of the information I need to plan for possible emergencies. l like to perform this assessment just before takeoff Conditions can change rapidly (being aware of this change is useful in itself) and just because they were suitable f<)r takeoff five minutes ago when the previous pilot departed docs not mean that conditions arc suitable now. Next l consider the terrain. What obstructions ;ire there to dear ahead? How will the wind flow around them? What Sil'TIMl3ER 19%

kind of turbulence will be generated by these obstructions? Ar our local site we ofrcn rake off with a certain amount of crosswind. The flcld is long and lined witb tall trees except fr>r the center portion where the trees have been cleared. We often start our takeoffs in the wind shadow of the trees, knowing that we will encounter an increased crosswind component ahead. In all but dead-calm conditions we also expect turbulence near tree-top level. ls there any air traffic gliders or other tow planes coming in? As a sailplane instructor, one of rhc things I drill in LO my sailplane students is to have a plan for every moment during the tow. (ff you were to be disconnected from the towline at a certain point, what would you do?) 'T'he bottom line here is to be ready for emergencies. You will be more successfol in dealing with them if you already have a plan.

SUMMARY The above can be summarized into the fol-· lowing checklist: PRl,l'l.lCHT ® Releases (prinrnry and backup) * 'l<wving bridle and weak link

Clider at proper angle of attack on cart HANC CHECK PFRSONAl.1.<.C)UlPMFNT

All lines clear of cart Wheels straight Hanging on to can bungee/cord/handle

'fAI<EOFF ®

Wind: strength, direction and character

'Tc:rrain: obstructions, emergency land ..

Check for traffic

ing areas Ready for emergencies With some operations many of these items will be checked by the s1aff or fellow pilots to help you have a safe flight. I lowevcr, they can't check everything, and you arc ultimately responsible for your own safety. All this takes longer to describe than to actually perform. Many of these items arc obvious, and you may think,"[ wouldn't forget to do that!" However, ir is human nature to forget, especially when we arc distracted or in a hurry. Although a checklist is not a guarantee that you won't frHgct sornc.>· thing, establishing the habit of going through it every time will minimize the chance of such occurrences. Please consider this checklist as a suggestion; it can be improved upon. Some items may not apply to your particular situation, while others may have been left out. Think about your particular needs. With some care we can keep acrotowing the safest way to get airtime!

I-Id met Parachute: Velcro secure, pins folly seated in bungees, handle clear of ground llamess lines clear of cart T'owlNC EQUIPMENT

Acknowledgments The author would like to thank G.W Meadows of Just Fly and David Glover of Wallaby Ranch fr)r their assistance in preparing this arriclc. II

· lclwing bridles properly routed and connected Proper weak link Releases properly closed

1 by Stephen Sauerwein, Oregon Hang GlidingAssociation flight Director he eleventh annual Oceanside Open was held April 20-21 at Oceanside, Oregon. This quiet lit· tic town is just 70 miles west of Porrland on rhe Pacific Ocean. At the north end of town is 520-foot Maxwell Mountain which has a paved road to the top. It has about an acre of flat, cleared setup and parking area. The launches face west· southwest and south-·southwcst, and there arc several miles of beach for landing. The meet is hosted by the OHGA (Oregon Hang Gliding Association), a Portlandbased club. 'fhe meet is designed to be fon, with many possible tasks that can be attempted by any pilot. This year the scoring was changed slightly to try to include our slow· er-flying but more accurate-landing paragliding friends from the Cascade Paragliding Club. 'fhis is one of the largest paragliding clubs in the country, and they provided half the people for the launch and landing crews during the weekend. The tasks included: Duration wirh a point per minute for the flrst 30 minutes, two points for each additional half hour. M1,ximum Altitude the top 15 pilots, 15 points for the highest, 14 points fi:ir second, etc. HTA Accurtzcy landing as close as possible to 30-minutc multiples oflaunch time, JO points for landing within 30 sec· onds, 9 for within 60 seconds, etc. HJrrn and 5JJot a five-ring circle offering from 5 to poims for a bull's-eye. Bomb Drop a small paper bag with some bird seed for weight, dropped at the spot landing circle. Time to Goal and Return the time from launch to a t:urnpoint about two miles down the beach and back with at least launch altitude, points for the 15

fastest pilots as in the Maximum Altitude 1ask. Out and Bach flying to a restaurant three miles down the beach and reruming to the landing zone. Aerial Reconnttissance - a mystery object on the roof of the restaurant. Our version of "Where's W.1ldo." A full-sized dummy dressed like Waldo was sitting on a deck overlooking the landing zone. About a dozen pilots flew on Friday afternoon the cfoy before the mccr. Tl1ey reported smooth, enjoyable flights, but a squall that came through to the south pro·· duced a fow lightning flashes which l<ept the pilots who were still in the air from fly. ing too fur down the beach. /\r t:his year's meet the weather did not cooperate very well: both Saturday and Snnday started with rain. On Saturday morning only a few pilots chose to launch. On one of those early flights the landing judge reported tlrnt he saw a glider flying above the l Zin the company of two adult bald eagles for about five minutes. 1.aunch was closed for a couple of hours in the middle of tbc day due to a hick of the beach for landing safely. A combination of high tide, large swells and low sand level diminared the close landing zone for a while, but one could still land about half a mile to the south on dry sand. l .arer in the afternoon the tide changed and so did the weather. It dried out, the wind came more on shore, and soon ::iftcr that the sky was Full of gliders. At one count there were well over 20 in the air some above launch, some heading back and forth on the ridge, and a few toying wirh the idea or crossing the hill and heading inland to tlic 'fillamook Valley. The rules called for the landing win·dow to close at 5:30 PM, and gliders were still launching for Fun flights. But upon bnding at 5:26 the meet director and the landing judges decided to keep the landing window open until 6:00 PM. Some of the pilots had radios (we were using 151.625 MHz), so they were told about rbe extension in the air. After all, flying is why we host this rncet. ln the extra half hour I l pilots' flights counred toward the meet, and at 6:00 PM there were still about 10 gliders in the air. T'hose on the ground were scrambling to tear down and get to the dinner, which was scheduled frll' 6::30

ar the community center just 50 yards from 1he LZ. The food was provided by a local pilot who works for a catering company. Needless w say, it was excellent. On Sunday the rain was hack and die wind was southeasterly. We waited until 3:00 PM, at which point rhe launch direc· tor said that it was still coming over the back on top and there was no one with a glider even off his The meet was called. There was a small awards ceremony with plaques for flrst, second and third. First place went to Jeff Gritsch. I le had the fostesr time for the goal-·and-ret:urn 1ask, the second highest altitude gain, and land· eel after flying !c)r 5c) minutes and 51 sec onds, the best ETA accuracy for the meet. Second place went to Chris Dorning. He was the only pilot to report having made it ro the restaurant, bur did not make a guess at what the mysrery object was. ('fhat's good: we can use it again next year.) Chris was also the only one to lcgitirmtely find Waldo, and he had the fourth highest altitude gain. 'Third place went to Stephen Sauerwein. He had the third fastest goaland-·return time, rhe fifih highest altitude gain, and landed after flying for 29 minutes and 2'5 seconds, the second best El'A accuracy for the meet. [ also saw Waldo, but because I was the one to have hidden him the landing judge said it didn't count. Listed below arc the top l O pilors wirh their scores. 'J 'he points were so close that if there had been any flying on Sunday the final standings could have been very different. A very big "thank you" goes to the landing judges who were willing to stay late, and to all the others who worked so hard to make this meet a reality.

P!ctce Points I) 86 2) 3) 62 Ii) 60.5 60 5) 5) 60 7) 57 8) 9) 49 10) 45

Pilot JcffGri1sch Chris Doming Stephen Sauerwein Mike Tingey Orv I laugen Crcgg McMunric Ray Berger Brad Pearson Hasan Akay Davis Srraub H/\NC GurnNc;

Si ECFKATIONS

....

Sa1Area Wing Span Aspec Ratio

I 57 sq. ft. 32' 3·

Nose Angle Double Surface Battens Top Battens Bottom Wetght Pilot Hook In Weight

125 deg. 7091> 14

6.6

66 lbs. I 54-240 lbs.

The First A, he ,vind in 1e'JC:.tS had been so bad that I w,s atiaid 10 lei the dogs or cars outside unless I tied chen, do,vn. \Ve had rhe ,vorsr spring in many years. So when I proposed J dub $potlanding oon1c.<1 I had fuint hope that good cooc.li1ions ,vould pre\'ail. \Vhen 1 proposed the meet 1 had in mind u.sjng n1y crusry scooter co,v sysrrm (a srarionary winch made from a l londa motor scooter). and using n1y nonnal mtlning site whicb only has enough space to lay out I,500 feet of rope. Thar amount of rope. J knc,v, would lin1i1 tO\,•s to about 500 focr, and probably limit the number of piloa who would thermal up and either ha,1g around all day without spot landing or go X-C, diminishing the number of comcsranu. As I thought further about the mecr, 1 realized thar with the limi1ation of a 500-foot row, the idea of going X-C would be more appealing because of the incr=c:d challenge. Further, ou.r dub, the Nonh Texas Hang Gliding Association. had acquiml a number of paragliding mcn,bcrs 110d I "'3.0tcd the conccsc to al)O\v paraglidcrs and h.ing gliders to compe.re on an equal basis. So I pu1 on my tTUSty ·No Fca.r" T-shin wirh a mono on the back thar reads, "You have ro follow ,he rules! By the way, 1 MAKE the rules!" and began making rules. Arbimuily, 1decided thar the standard would be the Vision Mk 4 and its ilk. 1figu.red that few hang gliders, e,-en billow cruisers and single-surfuce gliders, would spot land better than a Vision. 1decided that paragliders should be able to land ""ice as close as a Vtsion. Ag:tin, rora.Uy arbitrarily. 1figured thar comp glider.. should only be able to land half as close. So, 1rhoughr, we'll multiply paraglider .spot d~ta11cc.s cimes nvo and divide comp glide.r disunces by two. This seemed like a reasonable handicap for X-C flights as wdl. J decided thar each pilot should be able tO practice, then declare three 3ttcmprs at c.hc spor whicb had to be cxCCtJrcd sequentially. except thar if a pilot caught a thermal, went up and landed our, that flight would be moved ro the X-C category and not counted in the: spot landing ooncest. The pilo, ,,•ould che.n ger another anc:mpt ac the spot. Oh yeah, the pilor had 10 bad on

Scooter Tow Soot Landi A JUST-FOR-FUN MEET fbR HANG GLII

his fec:t. ,vith no broken glider or body parts. Whacks were okay. The point at which the pilot first touched the ground ,,..ould count as the spoc (no running). So ,hem's the rules, Jack! The big day came. and the wind was ,bsolurcly perfect. Ir was nor such a grca, X-C day that everyone would wam to go cros:s<ounr:ry, but ir "·ouJd be po~iblc co

tJ,ermal ouc. The ,,·ind ,vas from the cast instead of the south. so '"" UStd :in .iuxiliary training Geld with some trees for shade and for the pa.raglidcr pilots to land in should they ha'"• to. (Acrually, a hang glidCC' piloc concacced the trees at crunk l~vel. bur no damage was done.) Unforrunorely, this area is a lit de shorter 1han the usunl one, bur still long enough for 500-foo, CO\\'S.

1brought a big or.ing• traftic cone for the spot landing rarger. Ir was placed in a dear spot wich an approach pattern which

did nor cross any pa.eked cars, .<et-up gliders

or great giant spikes sticking out of the ground. Having seen many atten1pc:s at spot landing, in the past. I also placed it where the ground was sofi to reduce rhe force of impaet to 4.5 or less on rhe Richtc.r scale. So rhc ta$k was scr. The parricipanrs ,,·ere: d1~dcd abour "'lually between hang glider and pa.raglidcr pilots. Several biwingual pilots parriciparcd, and you could clearly detect ,heir thought processes as they flew pa.rag)idcrs. I wa, nne of the biwingual pilots, and had won rwo previous dub spot landing comcsrs on my trusty Vision Mk 4. 1was our to prove I could do the same with a parnglide,. Another biwingual pilot was I.ynda Wacht, a former srudenc of mine 1 who is cum:ndy an intermediate paragJider pilor and a · novice hang glider pilot. Being f.u more confident on a pa.raglidc-r. her choice ,vas obvious. HANG GLIDING

on rhis. Anorh« comcsram, Lc:c Hard<S)', although only a rhird-day srudcnc on a paraglidcr, was a competition skydiver. We considered him ao unknown factor. So le, the games begin. Lynda immcdia,dy popped off a Aighc with a landing onl) s· 4" from i.hc spot which. when doubled. g,ve h« • score of IO' 8". I got a really nice cow and plO\\'Cd through a small thermal. but since l didn't have my vacio l didn't ay to go up. There was a mild headwind blowing, about dght mph, and I set up my approach coo fur back, ending up way shore. Score zip for che old guy. Lee's first official flight put him about IO feet out. The ocher old guy, flying ihe fuJcon, did about as wdl as I did. The of the

pilocs, for one reason or anotltcr. didn'r

even get back to the spot. The pilot on rhe XC just didn't g« high enough with the ,ow rope in from of his speed bar. As chief judge, I dido', count ma, flight, and had him launch from rhc dolly with the release behind ,he comrol bar. His launch was clean and the row wa.< pretty high, but rhc launch dolly flipped o"er and broke >ome pans. His spot was a zip also, bu, not because oflack of height - just bck of aim. The launch dolly was hors de combaL Lee's next Bight resulted in a score of o· O". Multiplied by [WO it was still o· O". I figured out that Lyndas firsr spot would keep her in rhe oomperirion if she just equaled ir "ith anorher, bur afrer releasing and flying halfway back down the field she Hang gliding scooter row is usu.illy performed foor-launch fuhion wirh rhe tO\V rope arrachcd to c.hc pilor's

body, ia a

tO\\' release, bur "'Ith the rope roured

:ibo,., th< baserube. This works wdl wirh incermedi,ue gliders ,,~th :i straight baserube. but less wdl with compctition gliders '"irh 3 speed b:ir. To carer tO chose who brought comperirion h:ing gliders. I provided an aerotow bunch dolly to allow the pilot ro launch wirh rhe rope behind rhe ba.c:rube. We had one candidate for rhis on a new \V.lls \V.ng XC. One of rhe entrant$ broughr • Wills Wing F.tlcon. and \,·e rhre:ue.ned to chusify i, \\'ith the par.,gliders for the spot boding comcn. The pilo, counrerc<J by cJajo,ing th.at he was over 45 and should get special considcrmon. We decided rh,i the two fuetors canceled out, although being 54. I considered tlt>r the Sr.ming age for special con-

~idcr:nion shoold be 53. l \\'as voced do,vn 5fPTf M8fR 1996

Doug Di>utch, Hang II, on II Fnkon 195 ft1wing up. hit a thermal, circled. and wcm up. The Ian we saw of her she w:>s at 2.000 feet and several miles away. Lynda's chase crew brought her oock with a score of three miles (times two) in the X-C compe,irion. Meanwhile, I performed another zip spot landing. Another pilor was Rying a Double Vision with a speed bar. He too had difficulty climbing high enough with the tow rope in front of the speed bar. He g,,ined enough altitude to make ir back several times, bu£ his furn onro final \Yas roo dose co the ground ro aJlow much accuracy. Another pilot on a Pulse Nine Meter kept hirting \-ery close co the 3.f>Ot, and might have been competitive if only he had enrered the meer. Besides him, the hang glider pilots w,re not holding rheir own. Lynda \V('Of up once more to nail down that second arrempt, but again she wem X·C - half a mile chis time. I ch:inged paraglidcrs and rook a vario chis rime, chinking clm if I could just catch a thermal I would ar least be in competition for the X-C prize. I cranked off rwo high flights in succession - neicht;r thermal nor spoL Lee cxecured anorher dose spot, but nor a perfect one. Lynda rowed up 10 try for a spor again. The most COffilllon phrase of che meet w:as rapidly becoming. "Dammir, there she goes again.· This time she miade four miles. Her chase crew w:Ll gcnin_g tired. Becausc we were not :u my usual craining sire the ground was not nearly so ,con. venient for scoorer cow. Instead of using my retrit:Val v.'inch wt wi-re using fooc

power, bicycle power and finally a span: motor scooter to bring che rope back fur launch. We also suffered from pilots being in the launch order bur not prq,arcd to launch. Since this wasn't a "real" competition no one was ptcpatcd to push ro get to 1.-unch, and thu.s the rumaround rime between flights was poor. Noanally. scooter ro,v rumaround cl.me is less than a minulc. but we were taking IO minutes per tow. We kcpr sending pilots up - competition flights intermixed with practice and recreational flights. The competition lasted from noon until 6:00 PM, and Lynda's last X-C was at about 5:00 PM. At 5:30 everyone competing was

cent~ concerning a chermil's appeamncc rdacive to my flights). The next rime I pur on rhr$ meet J may shonen rhc ,ow distance$ for paragliders and lengthen chem for hang gliders, to easure that the hang glider pilo,s don'r ha,·e a tow-height disadvanr.age ,vhcn it comes ro carching a rl1ermal. For the spot landing contest, the tow heights were quire good for both hang glider and paraglider pilors. I don·, chink it was really significant char only a parag~der wenr X-C; i, was more significant thar only Lynda wenr X-C. She seems ,o have acepcional luck when ir comes to hitting rhe.rmals. :and shes very good ar raking ad,•Jntage of them in a paraglider. I suspec, thar ifshe had been flying her hang glider she would have gone X-C anyway. I really would have liked ro s« one or ewo hang glider X-C's, but most of the really good X-C pilors in the club v.·«r our :u tbC" row sites with their platform rigs flying cross-country. I'm hoping cha, next time some of chose pilors will take the chaUenge and r,y some scooter row X..C. Nexr )-r:.af we ,viii ccrcai.nJy have n1ore consisrent "''Cather. ( may fine-rune the rules co ma.kc the contesr much more cqWtable. but then again, I may not. If fun is the name of the game, I guess this m,er wasag:,.me. •

D«V< 8ruyk, smior 1owi11g up 011 a RaJIJ!llt 27 Phow by Pm Hdmmtr.

about worn our, and '\\'t' shur down the m~r. The winners \\-'C'CC Ltt

Hardcsy for spo, landings and Lvnda Wacht for X-C. We uidn', oir,r any second-place prizes, bu, no one came dose co l..tt'i perfonnancc except the unofficial Pulse pilot. As for the X-C conrcsc, no one else chermalcd our. so Lyncb v,on ic hands do,vn. I concluded t.hat the contest

was• great success. I would ha.-c preferred a beuer v.1nd direction, bur most pilors \\-Cr<: gcccing tows to 400 or 500 fee,. I had one ,o :a.lmosc 600 fee, on my paraglider. I would have also preferred more consistent thermal activity (the keyword "consis-

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Hang Gliding Training Manual Dennis

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7/JPCP.P

&ND Tb FIT 8/'(~ t)I' K1 NGl"OST

Ill

)

''"

Ill

C's.., I

I I

I I I

VARJABLl: To f!T ANY

S!RAP

I I

FF:bNT

V/e,W

how to construct the kingpost-mounted dipole ttntenntt.

and folds up to stay on the glider. telc:scc,p1rt1r a1.1t,;11na ;:i,vaifable at rrv,ct 11· irt1n Ol: ele,ctr<)1l!CS 1

1CS/Hl1all··PCJ:l"CC!'. landing which cnr1nc1c ot ctarnag;e. It is .mounted high

a little

pr<)ven to ttans.miU20 mtlesair,·t0· a1t 01

95 miles tor air,,to-gr1:itrt1d t\vo-wmtcc)r:ti• well., is faid y simple

munietnion. It i.s cte1af,;t1ect to fold forward in

STEP4 Bend the top mount area back at a 90clegrce angle. Make sure to keep it flat.

STEP 5 Round out and smooth the edges using sandpaper.

STEP6 Assemble as shown in Illustration 2 and Photograph l.

STEP7

Photogntph 1. A dipole tmtennafully constructed and PARTS UST .. 2 relescoping antennas, 18" long when open, 4"-5" long when closed, with flat mounting rahs. Those shown arc replace· ment antennas for Sony ·n;M·3700W and TFM-825DL radios, Russel Industries' part number SOM·GH. .. l O feet ofRG-58A/U coaxial cable • Female BNC connector to the radio • J /8-inch Plexiglas or similar fonnidahle insulating material " ] !-inch-wide Velcro strap • 4-1/2 by 3/8-inch bolts and nuts with 1(i washers

Plexiglas that you don't want to bend. (B) Over an electric range (not gas), place the Plexiglas on the masonirc pieces holding the mason ire over the burner with oven mitts. Heat the Plexiglas until it is sofr enough to easily bend. Do not allow the Plexighls to bubble. (C) Quickly remove from the hear and place over the form (downtuhe). Using rhe oven mitts, shape the Plexiglas to fit. Reheat if necessary. ('foo much bending, or bending while rhe Plexiglas isn't sofr enough will crack ir t the bend.)

Mount the bracket about I 5 inches up from the base of the kingpost. Feed the coaxial cable either along the downrnbc or through the center of the downtubc if your radio is to be mounted on the downtube. Assemble the BNC connector (;ifier the coax is out the bottom) J;)l!owing the manufacturer's instructions (we prefer the screw-in type for case of assembly). Or use a tic-wrap to attach the coax to your hang straps and run the coax to your harness. For USHGA-band, best tuning is achieved by pulling out fully, then pushing the ends inward 5/8" on each side. For twomerer simply pull both all the way out. Mathematically, it's pretty close; functionally, it's perfect. Making this dipole antenna is simple, will save you about $60, and you will have a custom-made amenna that will work well. II

STEP I Purchase some high-quality Plexiglas at a hardware store to make rhe mount. Using an electric or hand jigsaw, cut the Plexiglas to the shape shown in Illustr;ition l, cut a second piece to sandwich the antennas. Purchase more Plexiglas than you rhink you'll need. (You may make mistakes and also may want to practice bending the Plexiglas.)

STEP2 Drill through both pieces of Plexiglas so when completed the holes will line up.

STEP3 J-·leat,form the Plexiglas to fir the back of your kingpost. An airfoil downrnbc works well as a form around which to bend the heated Plexiglas. I1erc's a simple way to heat the material: (A) Use a piece of masonirc or sirnilar material to use as a heat shield and to keep the heat from sofrening the portions of rhe

Phot1Jgraph 2. Author Peter Birren with his dipole 1mtenna mounted on his HP A'/,' and fallow pi!ot]ohn Uectta lined up to launch. HANG CLJDINC

The Secrets Of

CONVERSAT:

Ton,as Surhaurk, his ,vi.ft Rt11a1,1 and rou Pttr pose 111

fomr ofhu fownr, MflJ" glidn:

om;u competed in our Narion.J,

last>= a, Chelan, Washington.

He won handily. I had flown against him in other oompericions and rd, the pui:ooance orttls vortices as he le/i me fu behind, but in Chdan he pu1 on a display thu ldi <vcn our top pilo,s shaking <heir heads in awe. Item: On a couple days when a luge portion of the 6dd '""" bombing our in the weak lifi a, launch, To=.s repea1edly <pinled down bdow everyone and quickly dimbcd 10 ,he cop of the pack as he waited for condjcion$ to impC'CJ\·c. lccn1~ On one d~y ht launched late and made goal an hour ahead of Dave Sharp. rhe only orh.:r finisher, while headwinds and deteriorating lift de,'Uurcd rhe rest of us. This list goes on, bur you get the poinc.

After this mce< I ,·owed ro discover hi, s:«:rcts. Forrunarely, Tomas is \'cry forchcom~ ing and willing 10 discuss .JI he kn=. at lcasr insofar as he can put it inro words. l had a cha.ace to pin him dO\vn last v.•inta during che Australian competition seriies. From these inrerviews wc,dc,·dopcd a number ofin-dep!h anides for Cross Counrry maga,inc. Rachcr dun duplicate all !bar matcml here, wc'U condense it md present .some new information concerning U.S. piloa and ,he flying !bar we do. Tomas has some opinions on rhtSC matters that will no doubt hdp m0st pilots improve. Tom.., could you provide us with sqme of your background that rolares ro the devdopHANG GuDtNC.

who has Suchanek.

the

bit ofattention

has won the last three World Championships zs

the current weight-sh{fi microlight (tril:es) wins to his

skills? [ began Hying models in my native Czechoslovakia when l was five (imagine the appropriate Czech accent) and hang gliders when l was 15 in 1980. Models are very good tools to teach you micrometeorology since they cm ge1 even closer to the terrain at Hi arc more sensitive to the air than a hang glider. l bllilt my own models, of course, then built my own hang gliders for seven or eight years. We could not afford to buy new gliders and we had to fabricate most parts. The other problems l faced, which in the end turned out to be benefits, were the relatively small hills ro which we had access and the lack automobiles. This meant we had to carry our gliders to the wp of the hill. We le:irned to read conditions exceptionally well out of necessity often there was only a half.. hour soarable cycle and a launch window of only a frw minutes. We developed our scratching and thermaling-efficiency skills to the utmost since we dreaded that arduous hill climb! Later I studied aerodynamics at die university and acquired the equivalcm of a Masters degree in aerospace Bm my independent study w,1s as important as my formal schooling. ln the winter J would devour books about weather, soaring and design, then try to put the ideas into practice during the flying season. 'The next wimer I would reread the books and learn new tricks

SicPTEMfllR .1996

based on my recent experiences. I mnst say that l think this is one of the most necessary paths to becoming an excellent pilot. We can't possibly experience and figure out everything ourselves, so books and articles greatly speed our learning. What physical do you possess that help you excel? l am in good flying shape J get about 300 hours per year which allows me to fly the largest glider that is safe (cir me. This helps my sink rate. l noticed some years hack that I would do well in competitions during the first fow days, thrn more poorly as the meet progressed. [ realized that fatigue was a factor, so I began mainly by bicycle riding, and it seems to helped. The only other physical property rhat I believe is a tremendous asset is my cycsighr. l have better than average (20-20) vision and believe l can spot gliders, dust devils, birds, clouds and other signs of thermals perhaps better than most pilots. This is naturally a great benefit in cross--country you will permit me to change the subto thermal skills, ]omas, J'll begin by that you have an uncanny ability to a of gliders and top out almost at will. I do believe climbing effectively and cfficiemly is the most important part of competition flying. For that reason I have concemrar-

he is a one-man phenomenon.

cd on developing these skills. Mind you, I am not a narnral climber like pilots such as Alain Chauvet, Manfred Ruhmcr or I.arry'li1dor. It comes down to their innate ability ro visualize a rhermal's best lifr and stay in it. I've had to work hard ro develop my "logical" thermal skills, but now I think I have the techniques and models in my head to do well. ( :onccrning techniques, most pilots can turn circles in a core, bnr fow care to concentrate on making every circle as cffkicnt as pos-siblc. Cores arc always changing and moving, and even a smooth thermal isn't static. l check out my progress on every 360 and make an adjustment where necessary. I'm always nying to picture the locacion or the core center. I'm always trying to perlccdy circle in this core and I'm always trying to fly as slowly as possi· ble in it with a margin of safety. In turbulent thermals, in traffic or near the mournain, I cannot fly quite as slowly, but even in these conditions there are times when T can slow down a bir if only for hair a circle. ounce of energy l can extract from the air raises my potential. When thermal cores arc very shifry iris even more important to evaluate every circle. The presence of other pilots in the thermal is usdiil in rhis case, since rhey help indicate where the lift is best. IF a pilot suddenly sinks, I turn tighter to try to avoid his rrack. Sometimes little shots ofli/i move up through the thermal and it is possible to turn tighter to

3'"5

climb in it through the rest of the gaggle. Naturally, if the thermal is very crowded and confused, this may nor be possible. But ofren thermals arc not steady and it's possihle to climb away from the traffic by concenrrating on maximizing each circle. J hate pilots who tum too wide in thermals (laughs). They ruin it for everyone because no one cm get the best of die core without having conflicts. But l usc ;i trick in this case: I fly close behind the offonding pilot, then when a shot oflift occurs I can turn quickly inside of him ,md be up and away. l tend to fly aggressively in gaggles, more so than say Manfred, but that's just my style. l try to stay aware of each pilot's location and trajectory so I can alter my path with safety. /\gain, this is a matter oflearning and practice. I know you some about tbe nature of thermal behavior that relate to how to fly them efficiently. Could you tell us your ideas? Yes, I think it's very important to have an image of thermal shapes in your mind when you arc trying to exploit them to rhc fullest. 1:or example, is the particular thermal a column? J\ short-lived bubble? /\ multi-core blob? Does it tilt? ls it wide or narrow? J\nd so forth. We know that thermals have great mass tons in fact so they also have great inertia. 'fhat means that they do not move freely with the wind like a toy balloon, but act more like a tethered hot··air balloon. 'The air flows around and over the thermal and distorts it somewhat. My image of a thermal in wind includes an increase oflift in both the upwind and downwind side (see Figure l) much like the upwelling produced both in front and behind a post or rock set in a fostmoving stream. This is clue to mechanical lifting in front and convergence behind. 'Tc> make use of this feature I try to describe my thermal circle so that f ride the crest of this outer ring of upwelling air, assuming the center is too small to allow efficient climbing. In this situation the upwind side is most critical because it has tbe sharpest drop-off oflift. You can ofren see pilots go over this edge and lose quite a bit before rhey get back into the core. This is when all my sensitivity and concentration come into play. ff there's any one thermaling secret J possess, it's this model of a thermal in wind and my ability to "surf" the crest. We heard tales of you winning meets recently without using instruments. How did you do this?

"SIDE VIEW

I f'igun•. t: Thermal Lift Profile in Wind

Well, I oli:cn sell my equipment. I sometimes use a different glider every meet, especially if f'm developing a prototype. In this case, last summer, l sold my vario. All I had was an /\vocer watch to use as an altimeter. I entered a meet in E11rope and won it without a vario. Pilots couldn't believe it, but when you consider I spent many years thermaling without a vario (we couldn't afford them), it's not so smprising. I thermal mostly by feel anyway. I use a vario to confirm my fcxling, bnt it really isn't necessary in most cases. Below 500 meters (1,500 feet) Tcan visually detect my climb. Above that height f like 10 have a good aver;1gcr, which l think is the most useful instrument. But with my without instruments and other pilots in the sky, Twas able ro thernul well and win. Developing a sensitive feel for the air by turning off your instruments is a very usefol practice. Can we turn our attention to flying crnss-country? Part of the key to cmss-couuuy flying is finding the next thermal. Do you have any insights into this art? Jah, essentially I t1se the classic signs like you give in your book Performance Flying. Above about half the height of the cloud I'm looking fr>r cloud signs. Below that I'm look· ing for signs of terrain triggers. Of course, in all cases I'm looking both up and down, but the higher I am the more I'm reading clouds and vice ..versa. I am looking for probabilities and constantly try to apply the theory I know. I look for the best combination oflocation and conditions to result in the highest thermal-producing probability. What are you looking for in particular regarding donds? Well, ;igain l'm looking at all the classic stuff such as sharpness of the edges, vertical development, flat and dark bottoms, upwind side, sunny side, etc. Every cloud tells a story

that we can learn to read. The tops tell the wind direction ,md wind can affect the location oflifr in relation to the cloud. J look mostly on the 11pwind side first. J look for a sharp outline and an area oChigher buildup. Jt's very imponan t to feature the state of a cloud. Some days the lift is weak and doesn't last long, bur rhe cloud lingers because the air is moist at cloud level. Other days lift might last a long time bm tbe clouds disappear quickly because the air is dry and they evaporate. On rnoist days the clouds arc less reliable and on dry days they may be harder to get to since they come and go so quickly. So it's a rradcoff Usually all clouds arc similar on a given day, so I observe and learn the current cloud life cycle. 'fhen in the air I'm picturing things about three steps ahead. I know where I'm going long before I top out under a given cloud. There is no substitute /or knowledge of weather. It helps to understand the nature of clouds, temperature traces and airflows. For this I recommend your book Understanding the Sky. Thank you. Can yon tell us what you look for on the ground? /\gain, I'm looking at everything for the maximum probability of thermal production. .However, perhaps the most important thing I do is constantly be aware of the air's flow at all levels (it ofren isn't the same). I have spent time canoeing, and watching the water drift around rocks and logs helps me visualize the wind behavior over hills and mountains. l always try to picture the wind flow. This helps rne fly a site for the first time and figure it om quickly. Ager (Spain) is a complicated area, for example, but the most complicated place I encountered was Fiesch (site of the 1989 World Meet in Switzerland). Most places arc easy to understand logically with flatter areas being easier. 'fo list specifics, ifl know the wind clircction, I look frJr upwind sides of hills and tree lines bm the downwind sides of dark fields, dry fields or parking lots. I also look for con·· trasts such as dark and green areas or the edges of cloud shadows. Naturally, I carefully observe the presence of birds, dust devils, airborne debris and other pilots. With the knowledge of the wind I picture the angle of the thermal based on these triggers or signs. Other potential thermal sources or triggers lie in convergence zones which may occur due to a sea breeze or where the air squeezes through a gap or into a narrow valley. This is where my visualization of the wind flow pays off. llANC CLIDINC

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<0TOPVIEW Figun 2: 'fhermnli Dior.king Wind

Last summer you competed in the U.S. Nationals and won handily. On one round we noted that you went away from the that was on comse line. You cvc:nt1.rnlltv made goal while only Dave Sharp did as well and he took an hour longer. What did you do in that situation? I saw a line of clouds to the north that looked very good. Once I reached them I went: ve1y fast to the turnpoint and back. Then l detoured further north to another group of clouds so I could have a crosswind leg into goal. On that flight T used another trick. Since d1ermals are large masses they will block the wind. So it is easier to go upwind under a line of clouds than in the: blue (see Figure 2). Using this trick helped me get to goal on that day. So you bypassed the obvious thermal tbc gaggle was using for the chance at a better line. We have also heard many stories of you gliding toward a gaggle and avoiding it to find a much better thermal nearby. How do you do that? I don't imentionally avoid gaggles, but they arc: just part of the information I use to determine where to go. In many cases I see signs of better lift such as a bird. Birds are almost always in the best lift in an area. l also try to approach a gaggle or thermal area directly upwind or downwind, because if there are multiple: cores they arc usually lined up with the wind. Also, if pilots arc working several cores in an area, it is sometimes possible to tell the direction in which the best lift may lie by noting who is climbing best. ff gliders arc strung om vertically there is probably one good column working, hut if there are several climbing groups there is almost always one area lifting best. 'The pilots in the group may have 1101 found it and I try to assess that possibility and its probable location as I approach the area. This also brings up an important technique I use lO locate thermals. When I'm close to an expened thermal area l try ro be very sensitive to my drifr. I watch my drifr with respect to the ground and carefolly feel the bar

:rn

frir any yaw or roll acceleration. A tall thermal will draw air in all around it, even well above the ground (see Figure 3). When f detect a sideways drift I turn toward the drift direction and find a thermal 8()()11 of the tirne. These tend to be good thermals if they influence the: surrounding air noticeably. Often when I am near a thermal I will also use a sailplanc··type maneuver and make a big square or circle to find rhe best lift. Again, I try to approach upwind or downwind rather than from the side so as ro have a better chance of finding the best core. At Chelan you flew with many U.S. pilots. Can you tell us what you observed of our skills and wbat you feel can be improved? Well, first you know we cm all improve, and l mysc:lf am constantly learning more. I think U.S. pilots are possibly spoiled by conditions which are too good. 'fhcy don't seem to be able to concentrate on the little bits of

(

Air flows caused

\ t,ythormal } poshing upward and entraining alL

i /

Glidor Is affected by various flows noar thormal.

!ifr that are available when conditions arc weak. When thcnnals are stronger it seems that the pilots arc complacent and haven't developed the techniques to maximize their climb rate. 'T'hese techniques are bnned on the less-than-ideal days. Of course, a fow of 1he best U.S. pilots have developed some of these skills, but everyone benefits from more practice. Perhaps you should hold meets in areas that do not provide such good conditions. Your eastern states might be the best place for training.· rhe English pilots and other Europeans have learned in very difficult conditions and for this reason they excel. And it's not just subrlc thcrmaling skills that can be learned. A pilot's ability to read the conditions and locate thermals must also be developed to a higher lcvc:l when thermals don't go so high and lift is weaker.

Can you us any training exercises to help us improve? Yes. As I said before, l believe climbing is the most important thing in competition. For fun flying it is too, because the pilot who climbs best is usually the one who srays up when others have landed on difficult days. The way to practice climbing is not to stay on top ofthe other gliders, hut ro spiral clown and climb hack up (hopefully to the top) time afrer time. This is especially good practice when other gliders are around because they gallgc your progress. Another important practice is to fly upwind or crosswind. ff you always go with the wind when going cross-·country you have too easy a rime and don't develop such skills as reading the clouds ,me! ground triggers as wc:11. Some cross-country flying requires upwind legs and it's important to practice so you know where to fly to clouds from the downwind direction. Also, it's important to learn the patience and consctv,Hion of altitude necessary for flying upwind. Finally, I would say practice going to a goal and back every time you Hy; even if it's only a little distance away from yom usual sire. Challenge yourself ,md you will improve. Let me end with a talc told by Toni Ranmauf (Austrian) about something that happened several years ago. He was assigned to launch behind you in the Australian Nationals at Mt. 'Jalbingo. He figured this was his lucky day. Then he found a l ,200finn thermal with you just after launch. He knew this was his lucky day. Suddenly he looked around and you had lefr! The next thing he saw was you climbing away from him nearby at l ,800 fpm. How do you do that? I don't remember the details of rhat incident, bur I'm sure I saw a nearby sign that showed the better lift. Most likely it was a bird climbing foster than we were. The important point this illustrares is that even though we were in a very good thermal I was still ccmscious of the need to maximize my climb and still observing my surroundings for better lift. I am never complacent. Por the rest of the story covering competition, mental qualities and equipment, sec the summer editions of Cross magazine (available from some U.S. dealers). We have a commitment from Manfred Ruhmer designer of the Laminar and the only pilot to threaten 'fomas' reign to be equally forthcoming about his techniques and insights. We intend to bring you this interview and others with top pilots in tlic world in the fumre. Ill HANC C!IDINC

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•

As a former resident ofIreland, J eagerly antic- I had con,umed all our drink> and sandwich<>, ,md I s1mcd "derigging" ai S:00 pm. About •n hour later. jus1 as I had C'-erything ipated a three-week vacation there in May and on the car, pilots began launching. The goal was to Oy as far downwiad as possible. One early June with my wife joAnn and two pilot made niae miles.

The nc:xt day ,vas noc as suong. and

daughters, Laura and Erin. As any hang glider we m.ncd launching in the afternoon. The slullow slope with foo,-high heather made

pilot will understand, my goa/.s for the vacation ruaning difficulr, and rakcoff required ai 1cm a fresh wind and a high -s«pping rapid walk, with Lhe control frame bdd high. Abou, 10 pilots were: copping out 400 f«t over launch on a fairly small ridge. (le was vccy crowded and you bad co k«p your eyes open.) After abouc an hour there was one good thermal. I was fcding good about climbing co 1,500 O\'cr until I looked up and saw thra, or four gliders 200 l«t or so above me. Those who made char and wou upwind for another boomer go, high enough co connccc co a cloud screcc and make goal (che village ofJolmscown. about 17 miles away}. Oehm jusr made Templcmorc or landed ouc from. I srnned for Templcmore buc hie big sink which would have put me down in fidds a mile or rwo beyond Devil, Bic, and ic would ha-'<' b«n difficulc for JoAnn co find me. So I cumed around and made it back 10 the ridge and finalIv landed ouc from after one hour and 43 minutes in the air. The few pilou already Lhere helped reduce my

centered on getting as much airtime as possible. iven ,he discam location and lack of an cx1cnsil'e hang gliding nerwork. gming tv<cything necessary for ffying could ha,·e b«n problemacie, howt\·cr. an Irish pilot with ,vhom I had oomacc by c-m.til helped enormously. Wh<n I memioned l would ship m)' HP AT ac a cost of $400 to S4SO he put rnc in contact "ith another Irish pilot who had just pur• 1..hased a tle"\\' glider and ,vas ,,·illing to rent me his ·old" K4 for 50 Irish pounds (about S80) per 1vcck. \,:/hen I picked i1 up in Dublin I found it co be in excellent sh.ape and it fined nicely on a small ladder acop m)· futhds old Ford Escort. I n1ec ahout 15 Jrid, pilors on Jun.c I in Templemore, C.ountv 'lipperary. "here they planned to hold an informal compcri1ion on Uevils Bit, a I ,480foot MSl. site about fi,·e 1nile.., fron, remplemore. Since the ,,•inJ \\la..\ about 25 1t'lph it ,,-.u rhoughc that Dc.-vil's Bic, being lower than Moun, Lcinscer (at 2.460 MSL - chc most popular sice), would less likdy be blown ou1. .<\fi:~r J, 600-n1t:tcr \~lk ,,..-c climbed a heathtr•CO\'• ered I00, fooc ,lope. a.<.en,blcd our gliders and waited ... and waited. h was gusting 25 10 33 mph. Finally. after waiting all day, JoAnn. Laura (four) and Erin (cwo) and

cmbarrassn1cn1 about not going O\'Cr the back.

Lner cha, t'Vening aU pilots and hang dri\'crs made the final goal: Doyle's pub in Ternplcmore. (Goal rccognirion was fucilitated by Lhe long line of parked can oucside, with roof-mounccd gliders almosc couching.) There was much good-nacurcd "slagging" (har-anguing) of chose , ..~lo did not o,ake tht" initial goal ofJohnscown. -n,e non day we kft Lhe Irish pilots and drove to \'carry on the Dingle Peninsula (in the souchwc.st).

by john D11/lah1111, Capitol Hang Glider

Club

Ht\NG GuDNG

,vhere JoAnn has n-lall,~ \vhom she vistt~ fm1n cimc to rin,e. The ,vcll-kno,vn sttc:s. Connor Pass .1.nd !'\·fount bgle. can·c be Ao,vn in the south ,v1nds ''"" c:ncountcrcd, so I did some rcconn:tissancc ""'h a I ;50.000 map and sdect«I "1\n Cnotk Maol Mo'r." a 1.528-fo<>t MSL hill l.290 fo,t over the vrulcy. 5.5 km northC".i.st of

Dingle. It faces south and has a ,mall road going 10 within on(' kJlo,nc:ter of the crc:s1. According to A furmer

in Ballrrishtcen (a few houses at the base) it hadn't been Bown b<:fore. We parked che car and began schlepping the girls, my harness and the glider up the 30-dcgrce slope. After about 30 minutes of S\\'<.a'al)' ~tn1gglc , ..,... Ulotlgln Hannib.il had nothing on us. The drill was. JoAnn and I would carry the glidor and harne<s about I 00 yanh (luckily, there was no heather), until the girls, struggling along b<:hind, started yelfing when,.,. got 100 far ahead. \Vic would put down the glider, go back for <he girls. Clfl)' the cwo-ycar-old, and drag the four-y<ar-old upward co che glider. After doing this for about 900 n1cccrs ,,·c v..-crt' st.ill about 100 meters from chc crest,

•

over what I choughc was a nice long field. As I came in on final I noticed cwo low fences on skinny poles (making them almoot invisible &om 300 feet over) which mluc<d che landing area 10 one-thud of the field. Luckily enough, the 15-mph winds enabled a short final. though 1had ro Ar toward a corner of the field. and on Haring jusr rouchcd a hedgerow with the right leading edg<,. The final Aighr was from Anna,·cma, a 1.050-foot MSL site ahouc six miles north of Dundalk, my home town. which is abour 50 miles due north of Dublin. There are rwo higher soaring ridges ncarny. Slieve Gullion (l.~40 fttt MSL) jusc inside Northern (n,Jand,

then \\Thad to move about 200 mctt'TS laterally to rhc

souch <ide of the hill." hen: 1ngg«I the glider Aat m • 20-mph wind. As soon a; 1 bunched I was on an .i.,,.,,or ride abouc 1.400 fpm. Since C-.onnor Pas, and Mounr Br.111don (the larter ar 1.500 feet MSI.) loomed behind me co the north. I had visions of picking up speed and going ha<k and up\\~rd. unwillingly, at an increa<ing rntc. fn .111 effort ro sray in from of rhe slope I pulled in 1he b<Lr. but ,he V2rio kepr ,inging , i ahour 500 fpm. S1uO.ng che b>r I haired the rapid ascent. bm after oscillacions set in Iler ic our and accepred rhe ride ro 1.500

over :ind straighr up. I WJ5 able ro hold il rhere. bur

pcn<:tration - ,vith the \ 1G on in the: Qitim;ucd 35 mph \\inds aloft - roward rhe nearest ffar ground ,bout 1.500 meters away was \'Cr)' slow. Jjfi extended well our row.ud Vencf)' and 1arri...d \\ich I. 500 fttr

SePT~\llllR 1996

and Slieve Foy ( 1.-?o fc,:c MSL) near the pirnm:sque village ofCarlingford (in 'The South"). Hown·cr. the Brirish Amw has oucposrs on the former (0)1ng aot permirred), and the road only extends halfway up Slieve Foy on the nonh side. The lmcr's srecp slopes would require an cxccnded •nd difficulc climb for someone carrying• h•ng glider. So I opted for

n)l ,111,hor rrady for "'""'h nl Anna1NT11a (Du11dn/J, Bay in tlJl backgrotmd). Photo by Tmy D11//ohn11.

10 n:t:um tOr more passes.

The Irish Hnng Gliding and Paragliding As>oci:uion UH PA) h,s 5~ members. The ~uiixd liability insurance costs - 5 Irish pounds (abouc S120) ,nd is obuincd dir«tly trum a provider. There :m: quit< a few site, which ha\'en'r been nowa by hang gliJcr pilots lx:cut« man) moun1ains and ridge> don't h•"" roads. Msny of the slopes Jr< <'t>Ven:d "ith heather up 10 ., foot high "hit.h <,ln make bunching difficuh kspccialh on ,hallow <lopes and in light winds), l11c nto.st popular sire is 1\founr U:mstcr at 2.460 1<"<:t MSL Lomed Jbout 65 miles

Tlv amhor. kfi- ll'irl, some /ri,h pil,,u at Dn·rls 81t, County TipperJry. Phuto byJ"/111 Du/Mw,. ~-\.nnavc:rn.i because it had nL"\'c'.r l'«'n flo"·n

with J lung slider (Manin Savage, • pilot fronl jwr inside Nonhcrn lrcland, had Bo"n it ma paraglidc1), and on previous ,·acarions 1 often looked at it fro1n my parem's house m Dundalk and had Jcxidcd co tly it someday. (The road co the co1nmunicat1ons to,vcr ;.u chc ,op ,v.u a.bu Jn indu..:.('mcntJ I ,,·;1, accompanied b,· nly broth~r ·r<rry. bur we lound the top too th, fo, (:.1rrying the glider about 800 ntcn.:rlt .'t(>Uth

ui«.,n:

Ii-om the mm and mer the foot-high heather we fow1d a ,mall hill facing r.he I0mph <0uth "ind,. Alter launchmg I go, no more than 160 fc.:t O\'er. Jue 10 the shallow ,lope and the wind crossing from chc right. After a few P"-'"'-' 1 iddcd m.> funhtr gain. I Bt'\1 coward anocher ,lope 800 meters to r.he south which appc.ueJ to offer• s1ccper f.,a, ro the wind. However, that <lopc turned out 10 Ix: llantr than the one I had ldi, so I A"'' out tom unrvcntfuJ {and fin.11 IOr rhi, ,.,.1~<ion} landing afu-r losing roo mut.h :altitude

(;rv,111tl '""' brg:1111ing ,urn,, uf""A11 C,1(}(k J",f,10/ ..lfoi: .. outsid~

Dmglr. ( oumy K,rry. Phcto b)' jolm D11//;,l,m.

>-0uth""-lt of Dublin, ir h,s • rood to r.he rnp an<l cm Ix: Oown in all directions except Jut" ~ouch and due eru-r. l"hc currt.nr sicc m:onl i,, 88 miles. Glidm arc mostly rigged (>et up) on the forwanl <lope "ith the control frame folded. A»cmbly is almost complete befon: the pilot dons helmet and harness. come• around m the no><: and se1S rhe glider up on the control frame. I he last steps arc -itt.1ching the nose Y.ire and nose cont, doing• h.rng check, and launching, The prc"aiLing \\inds in Ireland are >0ucl1wcstcrly and often bring mobrurc and rain from the Atlancic. llewu.,e ,hen: arc, so few pilots and r.hcrc: ha"< been f"',. highly-publici1.ed accidtms. hang gliding in Ireland b unregulat<J. However. mos, of ,he pilocs ha1-e taken at

v::11,ingfar ,1 lull on riv (s/,.1//01u) !t.u,11th s1u· 111 Devils Hit, Cou11ty

"lif'fX"''J- P/,oro bJ john Duft,h,111.

least ,1 short hang gliding course either in Fngland or Dublin, the capital The pilots informally themselves, advice and helping ohrain progressive before flying the rnore demamling sites. They also nm inf(irrnal cornpetit ions almost every rime they ·1:1sks arc scr by individuals on a rot,Hing basis (they also panicipatc), and the meets arc competitive hur friendly. ·1 pilots frel that their skills arc more rapidly the required CJ'OSS·C0Ull1Ty flights. Irish pilots have a great deal of cont;1ct with their com1rerparts in England and on the Continent. They arc generally aware of the latest h,mg gliding dcvclopmenrs there and in the U.S., and their gliders and eq 11iprncnt arc r:(H the most part high·end The new products and of recent Ball vario with graphics and intcrfocc to the Garmin 38 is popular, as is the Davron also with graphics and G PS i11terfacc. /\irwavc gliders and the Xtralitc arc popular, as is a glider introduced in England in l 99r:i, the "Scandal" from Solar Wings. It has an /\PS pressure which consists of'holcs in the leading 10 help maintain the airfoil (;1 la the RamAir). Darren the ctci;tg11cr, this

Championships in glider.

Only one or two pilots use (small) and the good landings I saw appeared to justify their conftdcncc. Because of' overcrowding at flying sites in England and on rhc C:011tincnt, they occasionally host hang glider pilots from there. The Irish pilots also arrange trips abroad, mosliy to the Continent bm also to Somh Amcric1 and other countries (two of them arc :1irline pilots and have flown in many countries). Among upcoming trips, Irish pilots will participate in the European Hang Gliding ( :hampionships in Hungary. 'I 'his year Ireland hosted the ( :dtic ( :up,

an annual compctirion between teams oF hang glider pilors from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland and 1hc Isle of Man. meeting cenain conditions, LJI( pilots arc allowed to participate as individuals.) This year Scotland won the competition. In I 997 i1 will be Iceland's turn to host the event. Anyone wishing to fly in Ireland should contact the Irish Hang Cliding and Paragliding Association (IHP/\), /\FAS House of Sport, Longrnilc Ro;id, l )uhlin 12, Ireland. Northern Ireland (NI), with some excel .. lent flying sites, has a club (the Ul!PC :) with 65 members, about a third of whom arc paraglidcr pilots. Since Nl is part of the United Kingdom, rl1c British ccnification system is used. Though hang gliding instruction has been available, lack of demand makes continued inst mcrnr certi/J .. cation difficult, and rnosr pilots go to England for training. The address o/' the Nl HG/PG club is: UHPC, c:/0 Dave Tweedie, 17 Schomberg Park, BelE1sr BT4 21-IH, Norrhcrn frcland.

The friendliness of the Trish pilots and the satisfaction ofla1rnching fi·om two pre· viomly unllown slopes more rhan compensated for lack of signiflcanr airtime. The trip w;is well worth the effort, and I look for .. ward to once again flying rhc Emerald Isle.

rt1e Improved Tracer (IT) features continuous webbing structure, adjustable padded leq straps, adJustable si1oulci(crs, hook knife, steel carabi11er. easy rotation for excellent sit·up-abili\y, skid plate too protector, bungee retractor channel, custom sizing and a wrdc, ranne of colors & options

~Ill~, llll!iHlllitli 111l11,m11'lllllllllll!lllll,l1ol11,1a1n111lhl1t11, I lllllllllffi in1rn11111sl;m1i!f 1P1111111111111 fin tiiHm 11111111;. 0J:s

;

S11'1Ttv11irn 19%

(

;

The High Side byRussBrown

Always trying to shock the spectators, "Dangerous" Dale runs with a pair of scissors,

OV,e,Ytlow airline Seit-ti,,,,

Re.sra.rel-i ~s f-c.,.

(Jrll.J'li""" eav-ri

st~,·e,;

Successful hang gliding spinoff technologies

HANC CUDINC

SEX **************************************************************************************************************** Division) or 6 issues of PARAGLIDING and other benefits.

a l Division • Please check one: 0 Both Divisions ~ ~ $27.00 (fi'amily Member(.v) must sign separate release from Full Member)

J'AMILY MEMBJ:R:

D 1

(Includes all benefits except

Please check one: 0 0 Pa1rae:liding D Both (Family Member(s) must sign separate release from Full Member)

magazine. MUST reijide with f11ll 111e1t1ber of same division.)

....

SUBSCRIPTION ONLY:

**************************************************************************************************************** 1ST MAIL SERVICE~ HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) ............... . AIR MAIL SERVICE~ HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($30.00-Westcm l!cmisphcrc, $40.00-Europc, $50.00-All Others) ................. -····-·······-·· 1ST MAIL SERVIC~: PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($12.00-lJ.S., Cauada, & Mexico only). AIR MAIL SERVICE - PARAGUDING MAGAZINE: ($15.00-Wcstcm llcmisphcrc, $20.00··Europc, $25.00-All Others).,. NAA MEMllERSHIP: ($moo annual dues).,, .. , .. , .. ,..... . ........ . w

F'Al SPORTING LICENCE: ($18.00 annual foe) Date ofBirth:,.. I,.. _ , . / _ Citizenship: ...._ .....,... - ...- .............. . **************************************************************************************************************** CHARGE MY: Credit

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

TOTAL

(05/96)

In consideration of being granted membership in the USHGA, I,,_.__,,___,__,_,_,___,,___,_______,_,,__,__,_,__________,

for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows: The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. nvr,n1>1V'tv darnaJte and/or 2. IMfU/irJE.f' means n1>1•c:nn::io1 or sustained by me as a result of my PAJ'IT/1CIP.'ATJ'ON as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). 3. means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of my proficiency rating(s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions I launch, fly and/or land; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property I may launch, fly and/or land; D All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where I PAJfTJ(~/P;ITE "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) All other persons lawfully present at the site( s) during my OIS(H,IUU,F the ru;;,1.J;;'1IJl[;;,V P'IJRTl/:Cfrr,m however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the ,ru::,1.c:,.1.;,,;;u P.tunu:c C. I A against any of the for loss or damage on account of INIURJfES. If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the 1r111,,,1.i..,.1.;,11,;u !'JtR11ES. ACIKN 0\ll(U:DC,E that the non-participant third party liability insurance obtained by USHGA does provide coverage for INDEMNIFY AND REIMBURSE the in paragraphs A. 3. d) and A. 3. e) above for their defense and indemnity (to the limited extent that the defense and indemnity are not otherwise covered by collectible insurance) in the event that someone suffers nl"rmPl"tv da1na~1e as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct in 1

TEIRMIN,ml:>N. I can terminate this Agreement only by either (I) sending written notice of termination to the USHGA National Office postage prepaid return receipt requested, in which me the termination will DQJ be effective until one year after I cease being a member of the USHGA or 30 days after I place the written notice in the mail, whichever is later; or by signing and returning to the USHGA National Office a later version of the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. However, even if I terminate this Agreement, all of the terms of this Agreement will continue to apply to INJURIESwhich I suffer in whole or in part before the termination of this Agreement. F. I shall be and rnn,<:h"ll !Prl matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

I have

Participant's JiJ:n3ft1re

Date MR,12/91

THE SENSOR 610F W/Interconnect ed Flaps & VG

SIMPLY OUTCLIMB THEM A New Way To Fly Sailplanes and Paragllders camber their \,ings at \\·Ill. The Trampenau Flap"" system. not only boosts your climt>-rate:, but also allo,"''s slo,,·er and sn1aller concentric turns. You've never experienced a glider that pe.rfonns at such a high level, Y<'t handles this easily.

Climb Fast, Glide Far Loosening the\'<, lo\,·e.rs the flaps. increasing camber into a high lift. slo,, speed. thcrmaling airfoil. Dominating every core, you'll find yourself dlmblng faster 1han )OU e\'er thouRhl POSSible. TIRhleninR the VG raise, the naps and reduces the airfoil camber transfonning your wi:ng into a bladt! for ntaximum speed-range and glide ratio.

Launch And Land With Flaps The launch advan1age is becoming airborne \\1th more marg~n and conirol. Landing with Oaps has dual benefits. You ma) accelerate above 30 MPII lncrcasingly building drag degrading your glide. When it"s lime 10 Oare, your touch dO\\'D s~ed \\'lll be noticeably slm,'er!

New SpeedFoil Tubing Lower drag. our new airfoil tubing for the king post and conuol bar boost the Rlide ratio adding a point or more at higher speeds. Other features on Lhe Sensor 610F are: computer-optimized. laminar·OO\,• airfoil: n,clvc shear rib,; control bar ape, aft of the CG; l,.evlar band & dacron cord TE hem; i'Oi 5 T6 LE •nd ribs; seml-canUlevered cros, 1ulx.>s and a simplified I Z minute set-up. We all knl'- that eventual]) hang gliders would be this good!

-THE SENSOR 6 10F WITH FLAPSWHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED FLYI NG TO BE...

SEEDWLNGS

•

41 Aero Camino Santa Barbara Ca 93JJ7

-- -- ____ -

Ph. 805/ 968/ 7070 Fax 805/ 968/ 0059 ,_, .. ..-. ...

R I

ally dcvdope<l inro a two-pan fund-miser: I) the entry foe ro bcnc6, ,he n:sme tcim, and 2) che 1:shirt s,lcs co benefit Jim Hooks' son, Dylan. Narurally, we called Sherry Hooks Oim's ,vidow) about this, and she was more than excited. Thus ,vas born chc Firsc Annual Jim Hooks Memorial Fly-In to be held on Memorial Day weekend. So, take tw0 gung-ho fem.Jc pilocs with licde or no fund-raising experience, no experience: running nteets or fly...ins, but ,vho belie~ in what they arc doing, combine Lhis ,vith lhose "'selfish air junkics>l' \\'ho ne"\o'cr chink about anything bu, ,vhcthcr it's soarable and

Shrri Hooks, Judy Hi/Jtbraud, Lori Tal,n, M111t 7itbrr a,u/ Tommy law,on, Em"K'lll'J Ma,ragrmmt Dirraor for DaM Oiunry.

do you get?

.~ TR.EMENhe sense of con,municy spirit among the pilo<5 who Ay at Lookout Mountain Flight Park, Georgia, suddenly hit doudbasc? With pilo<5 moving permanently in droves to the Lookout Valley to enjoy hang gliding at one of c.he finest sites a.round. communjcy spirit has been rearing its a,vcsome head.

BACKGROUND Judy Hildebrand and I had previously come up with the idci of getting mort involved in the Dade County community. Over gn:asy but delicious hash browns at Brocks Rtscauranc in Trcnron1 Georgia onr morning, w,, realized that both of us were serious

abou1 doing something for the communi<y and not just caJlcing. We eventuaJly cime up with an idea to benefit the Dade County Mountain Rcscue Team. a group of highly ,rained ,'Olumccrs hcade<l by Emergency Management Director Tommy Lawson and Moun rain Rescue Chief Gary Gross. boch n:sidenrs of Trenton, Georgia. To get che ball rolling l concacred Tommy Lawson. and informed him of our plans. (He really didn't know how co react.) It sc,,med appmpriate to name this fundraiser afcer our dear friend Jim Hooks, who had died rhe year before. and we wame<l ro honor him in a special way. With the valuable inpuc of Tom and Allie Fore ic <"''enru-

DOUSSUC. CESS - all in spire of some various goo& Judy and I made. (We promise ic ,vill be berrer nc:xt year.) Although we were unccrcain :about how tbe bonom-linc rrs-uJrs wouJd look, ,vc were am:ned and overwhelmed a, the commitment and enthusiasm

of the pilocs and srudencs. To begin ,vi,h, the Mouncajn RC$C.Uc Team scane<l looking at us from a new perspective. ("Maybe

by Lori Tk

L y

these crazy hang gliders rhrowin' thcmsd,·es off perf«tly good mounuins really cue about what we're doing. by goll)1"l Man Taber quickly offered his flight park, Dragonfly and tug pilor to aemtow willing rescue team members. and Dankl Jones (a tandem 1nsrruc:tor and member of th(' rc:.scue cc:an1) volunreered ro cake his friends candem. This ga~ che rescue workc:.S sontc

personal airtime so rhey could assess our spon. Rex Lisle (whose artiStic ralenrs ar< combined with a slightly cwisted sense of humor) designed a drawing thac would ultimately grace the fly-in ·1:shin. Su,j Glover puc the

T-shirt design together.

N However. due to 'irrong sourhwcsr

winds thar just wouldn't go ,way. only a couple of ,pot landing conrescs and the golf ball drop ,~re held. Still. it's amazing what c->.n happen in >l'ire ofless-than-sccllar \.\'ea.the~ On Saturday rhe rescue workers and ,heir families showed up for ,he big cookout and rh< tandem lessons. and ir ended up being a jammin' flying d.1y; all participating pilots had a lot of fun. (We think Jim Hook< had • lirrle inAuC'.net: on S.1rurday's ,vearher.) Terry Presley ond Bob Simmons cied for first in rh, golf ball drop (borh managing co get their respective golf balls in the bull's-e)'e in only rwo Strokes after drop· ping t:hem from 200' AGL). Tom fon and Terry Presley each took first place in rhe rwo spot laading comes,s. Daw Curry was nottd for the most specrocular whack of the enrire weekend (an you say

and Mary Clor and Jerry Grekowia saV<d the day by donating 144 ;hirt.< so that Diian's colkgc fund could get all the pro· ccc<ls. OVERVIEW Various fun concem were planned to be held ()\'er rhe w«:kend - the usuoJ spot landing conrr.m. golf ball drop. the V"l!8ie Connecrion (it's a gas) bean bag drop - all capped off by a "best leg,· comes, (since Jim Hooks had incredible legs) " hich didn't go over 100 wdl with the guy,.

CENTER r!r ABOVE: Jim Hooks. Yo11 co111h11« It> iuspire us 10 11w h~ighu t111d nw..lre 111

kiugh.

cartwheel?), which had the reset JC workers grahbing their packs, \mt Dave immediately srood up and said he was fine, replaced one broken dowrnubc and was flying again a few homs la tcr. The cookout, engineered by Kenn and Doris Pollari, was a raging success. Rescue workers c11joycd rhc food while regaling those in ancnd.rnce with stories of their tandem flights. There were a number of rescue workers who initially wanted norhto do with hang gliding, lm1 who changed rhci r rnnc because they finally saw the "good" side of our sport after raking a tandem flight. Several nuy be saving up for lessons now. We gave out prizes for the var· ious contests. '!'he main contest of the event was a challenge to sec who could raise the most money in the form oF donations and pledges. Dave Curry and "liac.y Lawrence (who hadn't even cleared the training hills yet) were running neck and neck all along, but Dave was having so much fun asking fc)r money that he ultimately won the trophy, commenting, "I haven't had this much

fun in the IO or so years I've hccn flying

and competing." Thm evening we were able to present rhc Mounmin Rescue 'fram wirh an initial check for $1,500. Contributions continued to come in after the and, as a result, ;1 total of was raised for the rescne team.

We also raised more than $ l ,'500 For Dylan Hooks. "The "T'..shins were a big hit and an instant and we qniddy sold out. Judy and l were so thrilled at the outcome of the fly-in that, yes, we arc going to make this an annual cvcm. (Oh, help!) Since the fly-in I have had several opportunities to talk to Tommy I .awson and Gary Gross, ,md, to say the least, they were amazed and gratified at the amoum of money that was raised. You see, fimd-rnis··· ing is the Mounrain Rescue Tt:am's only source of income. We want to thank all the pilots who participated and/or donated their hard· earned money LO the hrst Annual Jim Hooks Memorial Ply-ln, whose hearts truly reflected their appreciation of the Dade Coumy Mountain Rescue 'leam and their love for Jim Hooks and his family. Their high level of support, enthusiasm and com11111 nity spirit exceeded our wildest expccta· dons. Tt made all the work, pain and agony of no airtime over the weekend really worthwhile.

Matt 'l\1bcr, without this fund·raiscr would not have been possible. Another hig '\hank you" goes to Rex I ,isle for donating his artistic talents, ;md Daniel Jones, Suzi Glover and Clor, who helped Judy and me bring it all tor;et11cr. We also want to thank ( (The I ,anding), Bill Summers (Flight lne,), Inc. and 'I 'he ( :otmection (Indy I fildebrand) lrnsinesses who and various Dade donated The event was a hlasr for the rescue workers, pilots and wuffos alike. This would not be complete with· Out oflcTing hoops and accolades to Kenn and Doris Pollari, whose unconditional love and sacrifkc f"i:)r the LM FP pilots arc conrinnornly made evident through their awesome cookouts almost every often ;lt d1cir own expense. They put together a fabulous cookout for the and brought everything rogcthcr so we could share our spirits with our community. II

shirt il!t1sln11d rlt !cji) they are $13. 00 each. All proteedsfrmn their sale will go to I )y/cm f-!ool<s' mlle;;e fimd, )0u rnr.lJI order them through Juc61 I lildehmnd r.lt Route 1, /fox 153 ff. I, foohout Mountrtin, .307'50,

11ANC CUDINC: ADVlSORY Used hang should he disasscrnhlcd before lirst time ins11ec1ed carefully fot dented downmhcs, ruined cially the hcan hult), re-used hies, frayed or rnstcd cahlcs, holes, and on ncx wings, sails from their anchor points {i·onr rind leading I( in donht, ln1si11csscs will happy to give an opinion 011 the condition of equipment you 1hc1n 10 inspccL Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional inst met ion l'rom a US! !GA

CFR'l'IFll.:1) INS'J'RUCTOR. FI.F.XWINGS AlRBORNE Sll/\RK, Bl.ADE R/\G:, STING, BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. TIIF

WALLABY RANCH (911) li2k0070.

DREAMS CLEARANCE SALE Raven Sky Spons (/i IIi) IJTl 81100.

lli

& 18'i_

1(2 !Ii 'i -

<IO ho111s, warped cloth TF $1,(,00. (.HU)

'iii'\ <d<,H. I<I.ASSTC llili

FALCONS

lfO hours, rni1H coIJe(705) 859-070l

evenings.

FALCON I 9'i New, zero airtime, immaculrttc, trade or offer. (:lC,O) J78-:\M I.

Kl.ASSJC 1G6

_'30 homs, winglw $2,950 OBO.

(805) (,!iii 886/i.

FALCONS C:LFARANCE S/\LE Scl,ool use, one season. All si,,es $ l ,'500 $2, '500. (Ii 1Ii) li?:l-trnoo.

MARK lV I'/

Cood condition $1,000. Richard

(.,01) /,l(,--O'i26.

Fl .Y TWO '<)5 l'acAir trrnclem glider, one season, top shape $7.,GOO. (Ii Iii) liTl 8800. FORMULA lli4 /\bout 100 homs. Owned, main tr1incd and designed hy Pac:Ai, sailmakcr $1,500 OBO. (719) Ii/iii -0681. CARA(;F SALE

Formula I/iii & 15/i. low time IO VC:l\ $400. l(iss $/00. Many har ncsses, parach,11es ;ind instruments. ((,02) 182 ')723.

MARK !Vl 7 New leading edges, ctlilcs, bolts. lli!,h lZncrgy h;irncss, helmet and car rack. All $1,200. (/i08) .Jl8 0')2'i.

MARK JV I') !iO homs, spcedhar, wheels, cocoon harness, one new Airtime pod wltH·w chute, llall vario $!,'JOO. (llO) Wl 1158.

$1,200 each.

DOUB IF VISION

- Creat huy ,n $1,500. (8GliJ

'i92- lli70.

lll'AT 145 DOUBLE VISIONS & FT.Y2 W:,llahy Ranch (')ii I) li21i-007ll.

New and 11Scd

DREAM lli'i Ve; condirion, pink, glider weight IJ'jll,s $875 lJSD will from Canada. Atlas IG!i, blue/blue/white, VC low hours $79'5 USD will ship. Rick (20/i) 2'5 1i-21 Iii, ])REAM lli'i Cnod rnndition, neon colms $800. (li2l) 587 0877. DRFAM 220 Very {,·w hours, bc:mtil'ul sail, great condition $1,000 01\0. Steve Alford (206) 788

Only V hours, gorgl'o11s crisp sail

$1,500. (;'02) 786 795G Reno.

H!'AT 158 Excellent cnndition, low hours, yellow/white. llruce (602) lili:l 0525.

MOYES XTRAUTE 137 l'low11 1111c season, orrmgclycllow $2,'iOO. (909) '),J5 l)877.

1 lP AT 158 ---- ( ;ood condition, grc:n flying glider. Cusrom sail, most sell $1,000 OBO. Steve All,ird (7.06) 788-(J:308.

MOYFS XTRAI.ITF ili7 G'i hoors, white/orange $:l,000. Y:1es11 radio $_'\00. l'attl ('i(i I) /i8')258 I.

I IPl/ - St ill flies 1;reat $200 OBO. Will rnnsider delivery within California. (805) li89 1728 R111coh\,l(,"aol.co111

MOYFS XTRAI .!TE I 117

I ! I'll

%6 J.

Mylar sail, one year old, & out

condition, extra dmvn111be, :1lio111 ,·vcry1hi11g $:l,000.

$1,000. Clrcr1po special: Kiss I Sit $/iOO. (61 <J) li'/3-

Fxccllcnt condition $750 OBO. CC?.000 h:irncss, ':/II n -(/2n mi11t conditiou, w/p:H;1Ch11tt'

0308.

Co()(\ co11di1ion, $1000 OBO. (909) (,<J')-0851 Elsinore.

$/i'\O OBO. (Ii I 5) 6(,'J n:12.

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web 3 words) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue), Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card. Please enter my classified ad as follows:

Number of months: __________ ,____ ,,, __________________ ,,,, ____ ,______,__ _

SECTION :J Flex Wings

[.J

IJ Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business &Employment

IJ Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders IJ Videos

Begin with

&Dealers i.J Ultralights I.J Rigid Wings tJ Publications & Organizations IJ Wanted iJ Harnesses issue and run

consecutive issue(s). My iJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of$ NAME: __ -------------·----- ----·-----, ________ _ ADDRESS: ___ --·------·,--_,,_________,,____,_,_,, __ ,, _____ ,. _______ ,__ ..,,.....,,-----·-------------- __________ _ CITY: ---- --- -·----------- _________________ __ PHONE: Number of Number of

, r n , u v , ____ ,, ___________ _

USHGA, P.O Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 632-8300 , fax (719) 632-6417

HANC CIIDJNC

MOYES XTRA!JTE XS, XS:l, XT, XL New and 11early new. Available irnrnedi:itcly. Nation's Moyes dealer. TllE WALLABY RANCH (911) 0070. PULSE !OM Cood condition, bluc/whitc/or,mgt· $1,500. lligh Energy COCOON, exccllcm conditio11 10" $2'JO. Reserve PARAClllJTE $350 OBO. (711) 6(iJ.8B 18 cpaut \er I (iilearrhlink.net

SUPERSl'ORT I (,.'J hours, mini rnndition $1,950. Robinson harness with chute $7.50. (91(,) llt'l-7'ili1

TRX ! liO RACL Single owner, excellent condition $2,800. New I.Ii harness for 5'6" & chute $900. (602) %(, Ii 6'71. TRX I GO Fxccllent condition, detailed pictures upon request$ J ,/WO. (619) 7'/2·851/6.

l\r;rnd 11cw, never flown. lllne, green & white $3,000. (li08) 1Jli3 Ll:lC>.

Ul' COM FT 165 -- C:l,ordwisc rnt (old style), good condition) i-wo harnesses, parachute, :iccc~sorics.

New, only I hour, hlnc/whitc $3,000. /A harness, like new, fits 6' J" $500. l'lytet :3020, minr $(,00. (5(, I) 362·8'\ I(,. RAMAIR 1/i(i l'lown one season, 3/i homs, J\rarnid J.F, never whacked $2,200 01 $,'.!,liOO w/winglets. Chuck Woods ('iO'i) 2:3')73/iO. RAM/\JR I '51 - bccllrnt condition, l;1stest glidet around, awesome colors, extta ribs $2,500 OBO. (619) 1i,rn.•;786 hangdvndavcC,,1\101.com SET.UNG OUT $7.,200. Sport American 16'/, llarrier II 1'/'7, condition $1i00. 11:irnesscs w/pa1·actmte $325, Tracer pod w/rockct & new ~;700. Uvcx XI. kcvlar helmet $ I 50. Flytcc 3005 $:\OO. BEST OFFER ON Al.I .. Joel ( :odin (9 I 9) 98:J.IJ)Sl, g<ldinjGilols.nct

SENSOR 5101'. Creal shap<:, extra dow11t11l>l', new bag, must sell $900. (70/i) 6')3 li689. C:ood condition, excellent performance, 7.00 hours $],'/00. ('iii I) :l8'):l89'J.

Sl'FC:TRUM ]!iii 20 hours, cxccllem condition $2,000. (708) 9'i7 :,281 Chirngo. SPECTRUM 165 Brand ncw,no time to fly. and white, spccdbar, 11" wheels $2,750. Also I IE harness, helmet, parachurc. (:160) T78626/i. SPF.CJ'RUMS & VISIONS -- llought·Sold-Tradcd. Sports (Ii IIi) li75-8800. Come out & ily my nice, :md then take it home $700. Upgrading (808) $7,9-9'17;..

FREE to good home-wants to fly again. Also digital vario/altimctcr, make offrr. (%0) .'385 .. 6506 evenings Seattle W /\ area. VISION 18 0703 evenings.

<:ood condition $500. (205) 859-

l\ouglH Sold-Traded. VISIONS & Sl'FC TRUMS Raven Sky Sport.s (Ii I Ii) li73-8800. WILIS WINC l!AIUUER 11 177 $600. I ligh Energy harness $150. Flight I lcsign helmc1 $30 and Thommcn :dtimerer/baromt·tcr $'7'i 01\0. Call evenings (711:l) '503-ll 22. WW SPORT 16'/

1-l/Cll l•:NERCY POD llARNESSES Sizes & monthly, $.HJO-liOll. Cocoons $200

.. -iO homs ...... $1,900 .. ... 75 hours.. ...$1,700 .... $800 .. J 00 homs ..... $1,300 ....... ).5 hours ..... $:>.,300 l<L/\SS!C: [Ji,j C:OMI'.. 50 hours.. ..$2,900 J<J.ASSJC 13:L. . .... 50 hours ....... $2,/00 Vulttll'C Cliders (801) ).54-61,[1

PULSE JOM ... SlJl'F.RSPOR'J' l 11. Sl'OlfJ' lC,/A .. . SPORT I(,/ A .. . FALCON

SUPERSl'ORT 11t:1 trade. (lil/i) /i7JWWO.

Al.I BRANDS Bought, sold, and repacked. lnspcction and $25-$:l'i. Parachutes, bridles, inspected and p:uaswivels installed. AIRTIMF OF SAN HUNCISCO, 3620 Wawona, San Francisrn, CA 9/i 1 16. (Ii 15) SJ<Y. J 1T7. 2/i (;()RI' PD!\

With swivel for tandem $'i20 OBO. (Ii lli) fill 8BOO.

11</\ROS S.i\.

Look under New York. RIGID WINGS

SUPERl'LOATER ULTRALIGHT SAILPLANE Two in stock, available for test llip,hts, /\lien TX (near Dallas). (2 lli) 9%-'/706 weekdays, (2 lli) }')0 9090 cvcnjngs & wcch:nds.

SWIFT --· Fxccllcnr condition, flies been crashed $9,000. Includes delivery, one free lesson, new box, paint, extras. Ct/I Nowl (505) 8229017. Ul.'l'RALlGHTS

COMJ'ORT/\lll.F TR/\ININC 11/\RNESSFS light, dmablc. Four sizes. Call hilly padded, l .,1nd, Sea & Air Cl I /i9).. 1()20.

BIJILD/HY Yom own BACKPACK POW. ERED PARACHUTE fcH iitn/prolit. Takes off f'rom level grnnnd 1massis1cd. Sale, simple, rnc:xp,cnstv,·. Detailed hook with sources. Now only 19.95. I 08') Medford Center 1121/ig, Medford OR Jut p:/ /www.wave. nct/easynp/

Immaculate, must sell ot

IKAROS S.A.

Look under New York.

ROTOR WAY EXl·'.C: 1/i'i

Parts glider, more d1an never used speed liar.

bled, ncvcr flown,

SJl)ffMll\R I 996

AT SI IADOW

HARNESSES

SUPERSPORT 1 (,.') 50 hours, cxccllrnt condition, white wlblack 1mdersurface $1,ll'JO. (808) ')/ij 08iU. SUl'FRSl'ORT !(,l

PA RAG I.ID ERS

EMERGENCY PARA Cl llJTES

SPORT 167 l'J.Y MAUI

SUPERSl'ORT lli3 lllack, magenta, silver, 100 hours $1,800. (909) 9/i I I l'))..

l.i\J:FR $769 JETSTRE/\M $'/8':l Both harnesses arc designed with the same hotly. The differences arc in the spreader frames the Lal.er being flexible and the Jetstream a fidl hack-Crame "comp" harness. Via ;1 conversion cit her harness crn he convened to the other (you virtually get two harnesses in one). Airtime of San hancisco (lil'.i) '/5'J.l l'/7, fox (lil'i) '/59 .. J 182, email ,tirtimcCihmobius.nct

tion, open trailer

J!clicnptcr, fully assem carburetor, electronic igni $JB,OOO. (312) 62.S-9850.

WANTED WANT Nl(W (;LJDER Trade real nice ! ')78 J</1000 Ltd mowrcyclc and I !PAT 158. Tom (352) /i81-J.'l7.2 Florida.

SCHOOLS & DF.ALERS ALABAMA CI.OUDBASE CORP. clba Rocket City Airspons. Sales, rcmals, service and ccnificcl instruction at Keel Mountain, Cmlcy, Alabama. l'or in!,JJ'rn,uion send SASF ,rncl $ I ro PO Box li22, Curley AL Yi7/i8. (205) 880--851 ;,, (2(l'i) 77(,-9') 12. l.OOJ<OlJT MOUNTAIN FLIC!IT PARK

Sec

·Ml under ( ;corgia. AR!ZONA

Cl IANDl'Ll.F SAN FRANCISCO, INC. Complete hang glicli11g and paragliding sales, service and instrncrio11 since I ')Tl. Northern California's most New a11d nscd mcnt and cli11ics and lessons. 1595 F. Ste F, Sall lttfacl CA 94901, (/il5)-GL]l)INC, JIANG Gl.lDER EMPORIUM in the wesrt Full service hang gJ1di11g/parap:ltclrng shop, established J ')7/i. PO Box J 3.l'), CA 'JllliO-J:339, (80'i) %5371:l.

THE HANG GUDlNG CENTER Locared in bcalllil,il San Diego. lJSl !CA instmction, equipment rentals, local toms. Spend yom winter vacation !lying with llS, proudly oiler Wills Wi11g, Pacific Airwave, lligh Energy, Ball and Moyes. M,mufocturcrs o/'TIIE DROGl/F. Clll/TE. PO Box 10/i'.1, Lakeside CA ')20/iO, (619) 'iCil--1009.

()ur comprehensive instruction program, located at

the llay Area's training site, icarnres sloped "bunny " winch rowing, supcrlitc ,rnd com Conable training harnesses! "Fl RST FI.ICIIT," a video of'our lesson prngrnm, is for only $20 ping (mcty he 11jlplitd lo Our deluxe retail shop sh,,w,cases in hang gliding i11novations. We .stock new, nscd and dcrno,

Wills and PacAi,

Trade-ins arc welcome. h·cl free to demo the new harnesses in our custom simulawr! 111 G Wrigley Way, Milpitas (nmr Sanjose} CA 950.l5. (li08) 262-1055, fox (408) 7,62-1.388, MSC:l J(;~,);10\.com www.hang-gliding.com TRUE FLIGHT HANG GLIDING SCHOOL DONALD QUACKENBUSH has the only shop world fo111ous

WINDSPORTS

sin,·e 197/i. Fdtccn to Sylm,ll', Crestline, Elsinore and training sires. Vacation /lying all(! glider sales including lod[',ing, rentals. The and equipment, new and used ill

ARIZONA HANG GI.TDTNG CENTER INC. We arc a foll-time, FULL SERVICE han;,, glidin;\ shop located just minutes from rhc BEST site in /\rizona) Mingus Jv'iountain. \X/c liavc the most comprehensive tandem :1vailable and can teach you to be a SAFE in le.is time! \'(le stock harnesses and instrnrnrnts frnm Wills, PacAir, Flytec, Ball, Energy, C:C and many niord We need your C:enifi,,d instrnctor Rob Richardso11. :l55 FLYABLE DAYS LAST YEAR! 'j 72 I -2 B Robert Road Prescott Valley AZ 863 H 520-772/illli

ARKANSAS OZAl,K MOUNTAIN llANC GLIDERS Sales, service and i11structinn. 160 Jolcnston Rd, Searcy AR 121,u. (501) 279-?AHo.

!IT Cl l J\llVFNTUJZE !fang paragliding schnol. i'.quipmcnt sales, service, ,H Southern California's mile high sit·c, Crestline. lJSI !(;A J11strncun Rob McKenzie. By appoitnnrcnt year

AIRTIME (W SAN PRANCJSCO IIANG GIJDING & PARAGLIDING. Harness mat1nfoctmcr and repair specialists. US] !CA instrncrion, rallckm. ;\II major brnnds of and bang gliding eq1t1pmct1t (new aud Next to Funston. The only service shop in San Fr,rncisrn! 3620 \Xlawona, Sc111 hanci.1co C:/\ <)!( l 1(1. (Ii I 5) 7'i') l

COLORADO

round. (90')) 88:3-81i88.

COLDEN WINGS Lessons, sales, service, US/ ](;A certified instrnctors. Dealers for Moyes, Wills Wing, Hine Sky Aircrah Co. and l\1cAir. ! '540 l W. 9th Ave., Golden C:O 80401. (:lO.'J) 278-7181.

HANG GLIDING ;i,.BICYCUNG PflRflGI.IDING HJ!.L SFRVIC:F SI [OP Located at d,e base of rhc motmtain on l lwy //i. Dealers o/' Moyes, nlnc Sky Aircraft, l'acAir, Ball, l Energy, Avocet & more. Call l,,r free area info Open ,laily. Remals available. Visa & Mastercard accepted.

909-6'/4,2453 31401 Riversidi' Dr.

CALJPORNIA ADVENTURES UNLlMlTED Orallgc Cmmty's school. lJSJ ICA ccTti!,cd instruction and ran, specialist. New & used equipmcm, Wills Wing dcal<'I'. (71 Ii) /i%-8000.

nld cquipmenr. 325 sunny days each year. Corne with ns! 16145 Victory lllvd., Van Nuys Ci\ <Jl/i06. (818) 988-0111, bx (818) ')88--1862.

r,akc Elsinol'e, CA, 92530

MACIC AlR

QlilET PL!(;] !T Certified instrncrion, Blue Sky sales and service, Colorado and smrounding ,treas. C:on tact Stc:vc Dewey (719) oo ,HJ'I; ··t.

CONNECTJCl!T

MOUNTAIN WJNCS

Look under New York.

FLORIDA CRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS INC US!IC:1\ & \JSLJA ccniJfod inS1ruction. Beginnn rhnt adv,inced hang glider pilo1 1a11dcm acrotow training & ratings. USUA ultrnligh1 pilot thru basic flight instructor trai11ing &_ ratings . .'l axis sticktime for Swift, Supcrfloarer or Drngonlly pilot training. Insm,crion / a week hy appointmcnr. llca\er for all and acrotow

minurcs from

Springs, 1. 5 hours Disncyworld. Call Crcgg l\.McNamcc (j52) 2./iS 8263. LOOKOUT MO\JNT/\lN l'l.l( ;J JT PARK Sec ad m1<h:r Ccorgia. Nearest mo1111u1in training center to OrLmdo (only 8 hours).

HANC CUDINC

s The Original & Most

Aerotow !'light Park

YEAR ROUND SOARTNC Ol'EN DAYS A WEEK• FOUR TU(;S 8 MILFS !'ROM ll!SNl:Y/OIUANDO

WE I IAVF - The most advanced training program known 10 hang gliding, teaching you in half the time ir takes 011 the training-BUNNY HILL, and with n1orc in f'light air time. YES, WF CAN TFACI I YOU !'ASTER AND SAl'FR. h,r year-ro11nd train ing fun in the s1111, call or write Miami I f:rng Cliding (305) 285 8')7H. 26/iO S Bayshore Drive, Cocon111 ( ;rove, Florida '.l:l I Tl.

llemos: 20+ NICE RENTALS to try X1rali1c, XC, J(J;issic, Blade Race, XSJ, XT, XL Laminar, Predator, Sting, l\nzz, MKIV, Falcon S1qX'rfloa1er, l:tc. Ages 1.1 10 Tl I Live I ,c';trned 10 Fly I lcre

/'\Ll instructors Advanced Rated & Ccrtilicd Tandem. Tandem lnstruction: Beginner lo J\dv,mccd

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN I'll(;! IT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots cam their wings ,11 Lookout rha11 at any other schooJt We wrote lJSI IC:A's OITicial Training Ma1111al. Om s1wcial1y-rnsromer satisfoction and fim with the BFST FACII.ITIES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For a !lying trip, Intro f"light or lesson packages, Lookout

Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, yom COM-PLF.TF training/service ccntt·r. Inf,,? (800) 688, 1.MFI'. IJAWAII BIRDS OF PARADlSI•: I Jang gliding & 11ltraligh1 flying on Ka11ai. Ccrrif,ed tandem instruction. (80H) 82.2-530') or (80H) 6'.$')-10(17.

all day, every day. rnAHO ( ;reat seem' for l'amily and hicnds. Rentals, sales, storage, ratings, X(: retrievals.

Camping, Nice Mo1cls/Res1,n1r;11lls, climbing wall, tr,11111)()line, ping pong, Mcga-B11ngcc-Swing, picnic, swirnming pool, etc.

TRFASURF VJ\LIYY 111\NC Cl.lDfNC:

I ligh

quality prod11cts from rcpu1ahlc manuCacturcrs.

Proudly Ccaturing Pacific Airwave, lligl, Sports, l'lyrcc and more! Sales, service, serni1urs & ing infri. Boise, Idaho (208) :l'76-7') Iii. ILLlNOIS

1995 Florida/Ranch records: Distance I 00.3 miles. Dmarion 6 hours 3-1 rninntcs. Read ahom tlS in I IANC Cl .!DlNC J\11g. 199/i Oct. I ')')5 KlTl'I .ANL~ Jan. 1995, SKYWINC ;s & 1hcWeh:

(., 12) %0 0700. !'lease RAVEN SKY Sl'OlffS sc·c· om ad under W[SCONS[N.

INDIANA

JI MITCIIELL INTRO! )lJC :ES QUEST AJR SOARIN(; ( :ENTER. ( :omc Fly with the Original DRACONl'I.Y TEAM I .earn to I lang Clide with s1,11e-nf:-1hc-an 1,mdcrn equipment :rnd get a minimum of 6 to B hours of airtime during your J Lrng). we can accclcratl' your thcrmaling take 11s for a tandem soaring flight in prime lime air! ( :;11nping

fishing and swimming available, also close to all Central Florida Attrnctions. Intcrested in hecorning a TUC Pl [ .OT? Come learn to fly the Bailey/Moyes Aero Tug on one of the olclcst grass in ( :cnrral l'lorida, with two 2100 foot runways and over 80 acres of wide open sp;1cc. Find 01.11 liuw you

TANDEM. Ul1, l'acAir dealer. 67.l:3 ( :olumbia Ave., I LtmmmHI, IN /i6.l2./i (21 'J)

Please ask 11.s for rcfrrcnccs in your area.

180'5 lkrn Still Road, Wallaby lbnch, l'lorida .l:38'.\'7 ('>Ii 1) -121t--0070 Ranch phone & fax. State of the Art

( :on.snvativc

Reliable

81J5,28',(,.

KENTlJCKlANA SOARINC

Sec our display ad.

(Ii I Ii) lil.l-8fWO. Please RAVFN SKY Sl'ORTS sec our ad under WISCONSlN.

.H.C. INC.II !YI NC FUlRIDA SINCE 197/i KANSAS Malcolm Jones, David Clover, Rhett J,adford, l\!lltin ( :ollins, Tom Ramseur, Ryan Clover & Jim Applc1011

l'RATRIF. 1IANG CLIDFRS Bed & hreakfost. 1"ull service school & dealer. (;real tandem instructioni towing & XC C\16) 6')7/ilO.l.

CEORCli\

cm get your own Aero Tow ( :J11h or Flight Park started.

MFXJCO

Moyes Assembly and T,·aining l'acility on sire, FOUR NF.W TUGS [N STOCK Bohhy Bailey, Carnpbell l\owen and l,11ss Brown an· lJSUA and UST !CA Certified Tandem Instructors. GLIDER & EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE OPEN Sl'.VEN DAYS A WFFK CALL FOR MORE INFO (90/i) li29-021\.

CO .. l!ANC Cl.llllNC'll Olazabal, Valle de Bravo. 0 I I 52 'i'i.l .lfH5.

(Mexico) Alex 72622/iii'), fox 011

MEXICO WINTER% '!7 Mid-llecemhcr to mid-March. Awesome sites fen hang 0-5. Clidcrs pro vided. Contact ('i I)_) li67-2'i}9 or email: rrajdfQ1\1ol.com MICI JJCAN

WEEKLY CAI\JN RFNTALS i\1 Lookout. Call Creg C:lovcr ;ll The Lmding l--800-,80.\,7788.

NORM LFSNOW'S l'I.YINC ADVENTURES Ridge soarillg, towing, foot-launch hang gliders and paragliders. Advanced !11s1ruc1or, Examiner, Tow Administrator, lessons. ( :all Norm (810) 399-'Jli.1'.l.

Srr)TIMlllR 19%

Tell the world your head Is in the clo1ds, by wearing great new cletblng and accessories

from the United States Haig Gliding Association!

Hile t-Sbl~t fR!'UI tllo.9' l lb

•ta.n.daJ>d polo earth polo I BPO!: $2 ... oo l lb f BPOLB , 21.00 1 lb blue , green a b urguod7 aprq,ce & ol1Ye

atone wa1hect oap1 1u.n &radieat t•ahtJ>t f BH'O'I U ... , , l lb

# IICSV U1.,, 1 1b blue , green & berr7

woodblock t-1h1rt l'l'VB U6.9~ 1 lb blu• PO, brown BO

cla111e t·1b1rt f B'l'CL.l U ... , , l lb

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ Clty_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _.statc__Zlp _ _ _ __ day ( _ },_ _ _ _ _en.

Pbone No.

Qty

1olt eap1

IBCG 112.00 l lb r e 4 1 bl11• 4 p11rph

vool Jaeltet fB,TJ;VL 170, 00 3 ll>o

1te11 #

Size

Color

logo

Price per Tot1I

S MLll

lh/ bb $

S lfl ll

ab/ bb $

S ML n

ab/ bb

S ML n

ab/ bb $

s . l ll

ab/bb s

S•btotal

Colorado residents add 3.0%

Sblppl11

Total

Sblppln1 (USA onlyl Orders up to $35...._______ ..- .add S5 Orders S35 to S70_ ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,,__add S6

Over S70 .._ .._ call. lax or e,mail Outside the USA ..._ _ _ _ __call, lax or e,mail _ Cbtck/MHeJ order enclosed _ Visa

_Jlasten:ard

Card No._ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ £Ip. date_ _Slgnat111._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Mall to: US Hu g Glldl•t Assn., Inc P.0. kx 1330 la41H llH9el- . .as.

IBDIBL U?.ff

i U

Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 1·800-616-6888 lax (719) 632-6417 e-mail: u hga@m1rk1t1.com

Please allow 6 weeks tor delivery.

101oall

an orou •tatf " " " otr101a1 11

s TRAVERSE CITY HANG CLIDFRS/PARAGLIDERS FULL-TIME shop. Certified ins1ruc1io11, fool launch and tow. Sales) service, accessories for

ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our li50' dunes! 150') E 8th, Traverse Ci,y Ml li%8/i. Offering paragliding lessons & a disrribu10r for 1hc new jap:rnese unit, the WllJSPl'R. Iktlcr inquiries welcome. Call Bill a, ((,I(,) 92228/ili. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. C,11 Tracie at (.,07) '/.39-8620.

l'IY IIJ(;J I 11/\NC: C:LllllNC:, INC. Serving S. New York, Connec1icn1, Jersey areas (Fllcnville M111.). Area's EXCI.USIVE Wills Wing ci:ilist. Also all 01her major brands, accessories. Ceriilied school/i11s1rnc1ion. since 1979. Area's most I NEXl'ENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary i11s1ruction ... i/' you've finished a program and wish 10 cun1i11ne. Fly 1he rnot1nt.ain! /\TOI. towing! Tandem llights! Con1act l'at1! Voight, 51 GJ Searsville Rd. Pinc Bnsh, NY 12%6, (9lli) 7/ili-:i.11

OREGON J\IRTlME OR.ECON Certified instruction on modern cqt1ip111cnr. SJ\FETYccPROGRESS. l.01s of new and used eq11ipmcn1 a11d hardware in s1ock. Dealer for Moyes, P:tcAir, WW, Uvex, Center of Cravity, High Energy and !ors mmc. Paraglider sales: FLIGHT DESIGN, Pcrchc, UP and Trekking. Phone/fax (51J I) ')98-1220. PENNSYLVANIA

MINNESOTA

and microlights school. Discrihmors, lcaro 2000, Apco, La

SPORT SOARJNC CFNTEIVMINNl·:J\l'OLIS lns1ruc1ion, equiprnem dealers for Wills \Ving, l'acilic Airwave & Edel. (612) 688--0181. NF.VADA ADVENTURE SPORTS Sierra Soaring· Acrorowing-Tandem. Tours our special1y. ILrng & ing/paragliding \JS! I( :A certified ins I ruction. full service shop for Airborne, Blue Sky, Moyes, Pacific Airwave, Wills Wing. :,C,'50-72 Research Way, Carson City, NV 8')/0(, (/02) 88:l '/070 phone/fax. NFWJERSFY MOUNTAIN WJNC:S

Look under New York.

dealers

MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified instruction, l'i11sh11rgh. (Ii 12) 6')T-lili77. C'MON OUT AND PLJ\Y!

Moucnc, C:os1nos) !Vlountaiuccr, Air Crcarion and

more. Full service and eqt1ipmen1 :ll bes1 prices. The most friendly service in the area. l'or ca1alog send $Ii 10: !SJ\, :l811 Ditmars Blvd //110, Astoria NY 11 IO'i. Store address: 2')3 I Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. !'hone/fox (718) 777 7000, email: Jkaros 1G1l:10l.com l·IJ(;f IT SUSQUIIIJ\NNA PARK Cooperstown, NY. ( :crtified Instruction, Sales and Service lcn :di major manufacmrcrs. IJO acre p:irk, 5 tr.tining hills, jeep rides, bunk l10ust\ camping, hot showers,(,()()' NW ridge. We have rl,c best facilities in N. New York""'"' 10 teach you how to fly. RD 2, Box :lli8J\, Cooperstown, NY 1:'3,126, (:l 15) 86(,. 61'5.l.

MOUNTAIN WINCS

I .ook under New York.

TENNESSEE J\J.PlNE LODGF J\t Raccoon Mountain. Private rooms, bt1nkho11se, jacnzzi, pool. Work program. (615) 821-25/i(, Chuck or Shari.

NEW MEXICO NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN WEST HANC CLIDINC ()ffrring sales, service, instruc1ion in the Four Corners

area. Wills Wing, bcil,c 1\irwavc. ('i05) (,32-8/ili.'l F:Hmi11g1on NM. UP OVER NFW MFXIC:O lnmnction, sales, scr vice . .Sandia Mountain guides. Wills, Pacilic Airwave. J\lbuquerquc, NM (50'i) 821-85/i/i.

WILD BLUE YONDER NM's only foll rime, fidl service school & shop. We've got ir! Albuqunque (505) AIR 12/iO.

America's most

1andem flight ins1rue1or, teaches milizi1>g ATOL and Double Vision. Call or write for information DeWolf, Corolla l'lighr, PO Box 1021, Kitty NC: 2/9/i'J. ('Jl9) 45H800.

Sell

unused

Flight Park

Sec

A.A.S AUSTIN AIR SPORTS --- Cenified foot lannch, 10w & ta11dem training. Sales/service AUSTIN, TFXAS Steve Burns, 17 U Wa1erso11, 7870'3, (512) li71i- I 66'!. HOUSTON (/ll) li71 1/i88. (Dallas) Krnt CO ... JIANC CI.IDINC!!! Robinson, I 57/i2 Overmcad, Dallas Texas 7'i2/i8. (21 Ii) %0--(l'S I(, krdallas~o:101.com 1111.L COUNTRY PAllAC:l.lDJNC INC Learn complete pilot skills. l'ersonalized USI IC/\ ccn ified training,

soaring) J(>ot & tow launching in ccn-·

tral Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQ\JlPMENT J\VJ\ILJ\BLE. (') I 5) .179-1185. Rt 1, !lox l 6F, Tow TX 78672.

• 'J 'andcrn Inst rue1 ion

• Acrotowiog

• Boat 'I\)\ving Paragliding Mountain Clinics • Foot l .annch • Open Ycar Round ' Beach Rcson • Equipment Sales :rnd Service (800) 334--li77'7 Nags Head, NC ln1crnc1 Address: l111p://www.ki11yhawk.com E-Mail Address: hang-glider1)ou1er-banks.co111

513

I.OOJ<OUT MOUNTAIN l'LIGllT PJ\RK ad under ( ;eorgia. TEXAS

NEW YORK AAA Fl.IC:! IT SCI 100! MOUNTAIN WINGS a11d EAST COAST l'ARACLIDING in Flle11ville NY. Simply die MOST PROFFSSIONJ\L 1raining facili1y i11 NE wi1h 1 years experience. 7 full time certified instructors, '1 exclusive 1r:1iHing hills. We s1ock everything available for pilots a11d sell & service AIRWAVE, UP, BLUE SKY, WILLS WING a11cl 110w MOYES, also SWIFT, SUPERFLOJ\TER and ALI. PARAGLIDF.R BRANDS. Unbeatable prices on Full time rowi11g facili1y, tandems, !Cl', clinics. We do i1 all. 1 800-525-7870, (9 lli) 6ii7 .3377. I 'iO Canal Street, Flknville NY 12128. OUR EXPERIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSFLP.

llAWK J\IRSl'ORTS lNC P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN :\7'Jli0-0056, (li23) 93:l 92%. Jiang Gliding and world famous Windsoks.

KITF FNTFRl'RJSES lns1ruc1ion, sales, repairs, towing and foot lau11ch. Dallas &. Nonh Texas area. 2.11 Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (21 ii) 3'JO 9090 a11y1ime. Dealer, Pacific J\irwavc, Wills Wing.

Sell

unused

here. HANC GIIDJNC

RF!l JUVFR /\IRC:RAl'l'!(;O JI;\NC; CL!DlN(;!!' (Austin) Jeff I lunt, li811 Red River St,, Austill 7B/5 I. Ph/fax ('i 12) li6'/ 25'2.') rrajcfff1\1ol.com

Texas

TOTAi. /\11, SPORTS Area's 01.DFST Wills Wing dealer. C:cnif,cd instruction available. ''! only DF/\L with WJLIS'. (,:J'i1 1.imcstonc, l lomton TX 1'70'>2. (/U) 'J'i6(illi7. VIRGIN!/\

lll.UF SKY l .csso11s, sales, repairs, accessories, towing. C:11stmn sewing for li:rn,esscs and sails. Call Sieve Wendi at (5/iO) li:12 (i'i'i7.

l<ITTY I !/\WK l(ITFS

/\I.I. NFW \JI.TR/\-UC! IT IJ\MB!E Ill) -- The lightest, most co111/c1nabk hallg glider helmn. /\erodyllalllic, low tmbulcllCT, low drag shape. I lightcch look. l'inish is clear resin over rhc gold/i>l:1ck weave of the super-srrong carbon/kcvl:tr outer shell. Ope11 lace, only oz., price $160. foll fare version, only 17 oz. $1 ')') includes illstalJ:,. tioll. lvleasmc arolllld bc:id and from ho11om of' ,·,irlobe OVL'r top (O bottom of c;tr\obc for CJIS(Olll fit. From I he designer, J:ick J.:1mbie, 81 60 \Voodsboro, Anaheim ( :/\ '!2.807. l'l,one alld fox ('/ 1Ii) 77'). I g77,

C/\MFR/\ RFMOTF

20', fits most cameras. Snaps 1

on over cxls1ing shu11cr rclcasc, :f;1i ) (ask alimn our intro

d11ctory $IO rebate). Tck l'liglu l'rod11cts, Colebrook St:tgc, Wi11s1cd ( :T 0(,098. (( :,mll'r:t 1101 illclndcd.) operation,

brand new, st ill in box deploy ment system, br,md new $6'i0. Two Willdrider knee h,rnger training harnesses $85 e.1ch. Trekking Cnll face helmet, medium .t 12.0. I ligh Energy SflOrtS harness and 'chute $/h5. (5/i I) '17(, 7).(,8.

Sec Noni, Carolina.

SI I.VER W!NCS, INC: C:crtilied hg/pg instruc(ion and l'quipmcn( s;1lcs. Proudly rcprcscrning Pnci/Jc /\irwave, Wills Wing, Smlwings & UP. (/0:l) 'i:l.l I %5 J\rlillglon \'A.

WISCONSIN RAVEN SKY SPORTS J !!\NC Cl.llllNC /\ND l'/\R/\Cl.lDINC · Largest and most in the Midwcs1. Tradi1ion;il curriculum, so:nillg, mountain clinic.'i, aerotowing & l~rndcm~ by Brad K11shnn. f'or all rnajor !,rands. I'() Box IOI, Whitewater WI S:1190 (Iii Ii) li7l8800.

PARTS l\l /\CCESSORJES

BEST Li" WI I f,FJ.S /\ V /\11.f\Bl], lightweight, a m11s1 fo1 in Dilly u.i/\·tnctct q11a111i1y Immediate delivery. Lookoul Mountain, (800) 688-1.Ml'l'.

/\FROTOWIN(; /\CCFSSORIF.S Sec TOWJNC. THE WAl.l./\BY R/\NCI I (9/i I) li21i-0070.

11/\NG GLIDER CAMERA MOONT Showll 011 I /7." 111bc, $:l'J. 50 includes shipping. TFK FLIGHT PRODUCTS, C:olchrook Stage, Wim1cd CT 06098. (860) T79· 16(,8 (Cllner,1 llot incl11ded). JJICI I l,NER(;y Sl'OlffS

Tracer harness w/2).

gore reserve parclrntc t":< pa11·asw111el. Many cxir:ts, Vl'I'}' cleall, low ainirne 5' .(,'2.". /\lillrn J'S. I HO radio w/c!iargn & many accessories. Br,wnign v:1ri01ncic1

J.Cl)'j, /\II equipmrnt <20 hours, $;'i0 takes the pack:ig,·. ( all Roll :ll (/I(,) 538-'>789. SPFC:1/\l .! $1,ii')C,, l11cl11dcs a free c:arrnin :lil ( ;ps ($200 valne). ( :all I<cntn,-kiana So:irillg (81 ).) 288· 71 I 1 1,,r the best price.

H"\OM arn1EA'DPAN 11 M/11<JW Nm'l f.lMATi[, COMBO UNT'l' FOR H/\NG UL lD i NC 1\NU PAPA(]L i D f.NC.

saw

Iv1y wcl1-lnvcd lightning q11ick v:1rio married to an excel Jeni ,1/tim<·t,.T diank:i 10 ncvv gcncraiion bscr·-trimmcd 1ransdt1cers. Squeezed illto tough little Rl' hox 011ly 'ix:Jx I .Ii" .still has reserve b,1t1c1')'! llllcn:Jungc,1Jilc broad Velcro straps or base tube mounlillg .S2')5 Shippi11g inc. (80'>) 682·· I Oil8. L1s,·1 trimmed retrnlit :1lso av:1il:iblc for breadp:llls $85. ](()llElffS Cl.J!)FR !NSTIWMENTS

Tl10 CLIH DRIVE S/\NTJ\ BJ\RBAIV\ C:/\ 9:l 1O'J SFPT!Mll!R 1996

I JJC:11 PFRSPFC:T!Vl'. WI IFFI.S Real life savns' 12.", tough. his all gliders. Send $41.95 1 .%1.50 pair to Spon i\viatio1L PO l\ox IOI, Millg;ovi/lc l'J\ I 6/15(,. Ask aho111 om dcilcr prices.

KENTUCKlANA SOAIUNG l'RESJ<'.NTS "New" Fingcrswitch Radio lleadset by Cotll1cctions, HEAVY,DUTY HEADSET with gcr mounted switch allows pilot to communicate while their hands on the control har or brakes, and more reliable comrn,mica, tions, Your instrumem is protected with a 90 day ml[; warranty with repair service available beyond the war, ramy, Currently available for Yaesu, lcom, Alinco, Kenwood and other comparible radios, Availahlc for full face or open helmets, $89 +$3, 50 MC/Visa, dealer inquires invirccL Soaring, li2'5 N Ave,, Clarksville [N ii/129, (812) 288,71 11, J 2) 284,,j 1 15, SPECIAL!Z, ING JN ELECTRONICS, RADIOS, VARJOS, Gl'S UNITS & MORE!

<ril] 8,000 ft, and wcigl,s ouly

cylinder) harness) rc,,111:11<,r on/off llowmcrer, only PTT BUTTON SWITCH

Finger mo\\nt with l JT's,uscr selectable, Connects between and radio $3'J,')'), Check or money order, Voice (42:3) 5'$1-8(J!i'j,

TEK 6" WHEELS Tek l'lip;ht Products, , ,u1Lu1uu," 06()')8, (860) 379, 1668,

S/IL

MINI VARIO World's smallest, simplcsr vario! Clips to helmet or chinstrap, 200 hours on batteries, (), 18,000 Ii,, fast response and year warranty, Crcat for paragli,ling too, ONLY $Hi9, Mallcttec, PO Box 15756, Sanr,1 Ana CA, 92Tl5, (llli) %6-12/iO, MC/Visa acceptecL

your classified membership renewal or (719)

gladly 60

17. We

DON'T CET CAUGHT LANDING DOWN, WIND! UV treated, 5'/i" Available colors fluorcsccnr or fluorescent pink/white, $39,95 $/i,00 S/1 l), Srnd tu USI !CA Windsok, l',O, Box co 8090 l 13)0, (71 'l) I7, VISA/MC accepted,

THE ZEPHYR RADIO MOUNT Urilizes a l'lytcc vario momn, a CNC machined Dclri11 adaprcr block, a modified belt clip to bold radio secmcly anywhere on your glider's conrrol frame (requires 20 lbs of force to remove), This mounr in,/light access to radio limctions, full 3,112 axis positioning provision for a safoty line, qnick easy of radio while mount is still ,11tachcd to i,lidcr, and a fleece storage bag is included, Cmrcntly available for Yacsu, !com, Standard, Alinco and Kenwood, Call or send radio brand/model and $80 (+$5 s/h) to: Mfj,,, I Ii l!oxwood Road, 1\risrol CT 06010 or mil at (860) 583,3610, BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

WJNGOVER C()ivtl'OSJ'l'ESTJ>'.E HEI.ME'l'S Fl $200, FJ. $2'\0, Arc $300, All three arc DOT ccr, rilicd carbon/kcvlar hclmcrs, Many colors including clcarcoar carbon or mix and match! Add a clcarcoar carbon chinguard to a red, whirc or blue Arc helmet and you'll be stylin'! Every option a pilot could want is available, ivlosr colors and styles arc in stock, I lave you taken a god look ar your old helmet lately? Call us now! (505) 758,057.6, PO Box 20/8, Taos Nivl 87571 wingoverGilJaplaza,org

WANTFD:P!LOT/(;lJJDE Hang µ,IHJ1ng/\:,ara1i,lt,d1111, for winter '')7, Must be instrnctor ra1cd and some Spanish, Send resume ro Acrolmports, 501 W San Juan Avenue, Phoenix AZ 85013, (602) 285,IJO')/i, fax {(i02) 530-29:38, email: FlvoladorGil:101 ,com

PUBLICATIONS &, ORGANIZATIONS

CALL lJSJl(;A form, hom the

to the prcsc111

!!t1 ng <Jlidi ng

Uv\.A,jJL

HANG Cl!DINC

SPEC11\L NEW PILOT EDITION I Jang Gliding & Now available through lJSIIC/\ I $/i.'J'i each ,$1.50 s/h.

SO/\RIN(; Monthly magazine of' The Soaring Society of' America, lnc. Covers all of fliF)ll, hill mcmhership ,Vi'i, lnfo, with copy $3, SSJ\, l'.O. Box F, l lobhs, NM 882/i 1. (50S)

VIDEOS & I'll.MS FIRST FLIGHT pilot's l!rst lessons. Thi~ video is an entertaining lo show your friends and L1mily how yo11 learn to lly. VI IS I mi111\les. $),() includes shippi11g (n1ily he 11f!j>licrl lo lcssm1 p11rchr1s1' 1). MISSION S01\R INC CENTER, JI IG Wrigley Way, Milpitas CJ\ 'l50l'i, (li08) 2(,2-105'i,

l921117.

TOW!NC

DOWNWIND hom thc early days of'the ?O's, rn air ol' Owen's Valley, DOWNWIND is with d1rill and exhilaration of cross country adventure. The pe1-ft:c1 gi/'1 for both pilots and no11 pilots, SIIJ\RF TIIF EXPERIENCE, J\ true story, well told. J\v,1ibbk from l ISi I(;;\ I leadq11arters lr11 only $ I (),95 ( ,$7 s/h). PO Box 1,3:\0, Colorado Springs CO 801JO J. um

J\EROTOWlNC ACCESSORIES 1lcadquartcrs for: Tl!(' finest rclc:1scs, "''on,hrv "\!" bridles, weak links, tandem kits, etc Tl IE WALLJ\BY RANCH (9/i l) 121-0070, /\TOI. TANDl,M TOW SYSTEM With level wind, d11,1I disk brakes, 'SOOD' ,ii' line, Steal at $1, I()(), c:llllck Woods ('>05) 23'l-Tlli0,

I C:/\N 1/\ND 1'iO good, h:id & 11gly landings, J\ 111ust for all s111dents, ')0 ,. 111i1111tcs & lots o( aero. Sc11d $35 money order to: JdT Reynolds, I 'l02 F Sharon Drive, l'hornix 1\/, 8502?., POINT OF THF MOIJNTJ\IN /\ward wi11ning Fasr Coast Video, lig/pg art ion at this Utah nwcca IIANG Cl.lDING FXTREMF Iv BORN TO FLY by J\dvrnturc Video, great hg acrion $'}/i,'!5 each. I 11\WAll/\N FLYIN hy Space 9, soarinp, in pat adisc, amazing l:111nches $.l.l, Call or fax US/ IC/\ (719) 611.·8:lOO, f,1x (71 '!) Cr:l7A,li Ii', ,$Ii domcsti, s/11 (,$5 for two or more videos). Cre:ll to f'rirnds or for those socked in days, f(H· the launch poi-atn \urned couch potato.

us ahow our p:ir;1gJiding videos!

MlSCEL!ANLOl/S

TI!E ULTIMJ\TE WINCI l SYSTEM. HIGHER TIIJ\N EJ\GLES by Maralys ,"x Chris Wills. The life & times ol' BOBBY WILLS, h,rng gliding the triumphs and tragedies o/' the ,rnd the evolntion of Wills Wing. $19.95 hardcover (1$/i.OO Sil I), sec classified /,,r US! IC/\ ll( )()l(S ordering

J\nd Vl,'R OFFICIJ\I F/\A SFC:TION/\L Tcrmin,d J\rca Charts. /\II areas, c11rrcnt (np to date New Airspace Classifications). Scctio11'li maps $7 each, VFR Terminal /\rc:i Charts $Ii each. J\dd shipping and (C::il. residents only) 1ax, Dealer prices. /\inimeofS.F. (lil'i) 7591177, fox (/il'i) 7'i9 1182.

p:i1,·agl1dcrs & mini-sailplanes• towing• Will you up to 1,000' from a field I leavy· duty, built ro last, highly reliable and easy ro maintain • Ideal lrJ1· schools, flying clubs, commercial tandem /lights and private use, Over years of' intrusive test· ing in schools Very low opcnuing cosi-, nrncl1 chcapc1 as dl!cirn1 as acrorowing Fasy and safr operation, pr('cisc tension cnnirol, rapid lurn-·around time to move, trailer mo1111tl:d system Nn more drivi1ig to find your rlying site! l)clivcrl'd i11 person with complete lrainingff!@ A prod11ct of' c1u,ility from Distance Desig11 !11c To order c,11 (5 iii) .\Ii)-% 11, SCOOTER TOW STJ\T!ON/\RY WINCII Co>1n1,lc11c with training for· instruction $7,500. Dave /\lien TX (near ll,ilhs). (211i) 9% TlO<,

"AEROBATICS" hill color :J l" poster fca1t1ri11g John I lciney doing what hl' docs best-LOOI' JNC! J\vail:ihlc through lJSJ JCA I J(J for j11s1 $(,.95 (, $:l:So s/h). 1,'ill that void on wall! Send to USI l(;A J\crobatics Foster, i'O I JOO, Colorado Springs CO 80'):i:l, (USA & Canada only. posters arc NOT /\VJ\11./\Ill,l,'. 011 orders.) SPECIJ\] ,.J\croha1ics poster & Frie Raymond posrcr-BOTI I F(lF $10 (1$\,'50 s/h).

TOW ROPES,,.TOW ROPFS,.,'J'OW ROPES Spectra, Dacron, David Bradley, Braided Products Division, (21 'i) 822-1 %8, fax (?. l'i) 822-58\2. UlTRALlNF 111 stock, ready to ship. :l/J(i" x j()()()' $1(J'i, J/[(i" x /i()(J()' $145 shipping included. Cajun I Lmg Clidi11g Club, JI O I<cnt Circle, Lafoycttc I.I\ 70508, ($18) 981-i(j/2.

BJ\(; !Tl 1/' you don't have yom copy ol' Dennis l'agcn's l'FRFORMANCF FLYING yet, availabk rl1rough US!!(;;\ Ilc:1dq1urters $2'l.'.Vi (,M s&h),

SIPITMlllR 19%

or Sharon Ch:1se ('!Iii) 587-17.')') or (711) 2'55-5900, or contact tire British School of Paragliding (702) 8%-6000. RAMAIR 15/i Stolen front rlic l lAWAII/\N 111\NC CLIDINC ASSN Cl.Ulll!OUSE, MJ\KA P\JlJ 111, during the fost week :iq1te11n11,cr, 199'i. White I.le, large deep clue Rcward 1 C:dl Mike I kilm:rn (808) 50:l·ltl'l:l.

IF YOlJ NEED INSTANT Yet very cotnfort:1bk frn an upcoming event, lmsincss or pc.:rsonaL then Flight Services :11 (li7.:J) '!(U-7/iO'i and ask l\i\l Snmmers abm11 om I lotel 011 Wheels. We clelivcr "rcmal··rcady" travel tr:1ilers, folly eq11ipped wirh tow els, linens) cookware and diningw;uc Cor the samL' prices that most RV dealers for 11neq11ipped unirs, New and used llnii-s arc ll'Stcd at the deal~ crship to rnsurc all ecjt1ipmen1 is working properly. is f'rcc in some areas. All trailers arc cq11ippcd rcCrigcrator> s\crco, he~H & air, microwave ovcn 1 wis oven and coffee maker. We an'

W!N])SEFl<ER More fun than a harrcl of' down tubes. It so:m, it loops, ir !lies! ONI.Y $3.00 plm $?. s/h (.$'.J .1!/J 1111 ordrn oj'.J. J\1orc than 3 or Int'/ orrlar, plmst mil) US! !CA, PO Box 13:50, Colorado CO 8090 I. (71 ')) 6:32 8.'lOO, fax yom MC/Visa order ro (71 ')) h:Jl-6/i 1'1. VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTERS Call US\ !CA f,,r your Merchandise order form (71 ')) G:l2.-8:l00.

FlYINc; IN Tl!F CANADIAN ROCKIFS? Cited, out "\'X/asa Lakeside Bed & Breakfast and More". Tire ultimate resort for pilros and 1heir f::uni· lies. J:imcs Swanshurg (60/i) li7.2..,'l551, email: l lome PaV,e·. http://cyber·

mms. CLASSIFIED ADVERTJSfNG RATHS Tire rate f,11 classilicd advertising is $. 50 per word (or group ol' characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $5.00. A fre of $15.00 is for each line an logo and $25.00 for each phoro. LINEART & PIIOTO SIZF NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X . Please u11derli11e words to be itt bold of tabs $25.00 per col umn words. Fnwil or web address DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, clia11gcs, additions and cancellations must he received in writing 1 l/2. months preceding tire cover date, i.e. October 2.0tlr for the December issue. Please m·,kc checks payable to USHCA Classified Advertising Dept. I !!\NC CLIDINC MA<;A/,JNF, P.O. Box LDO, Colorado CO 8090 I 1330 ('719) G:\2·8300 or fax with your Visa or Mastercard. STOI.FN WINGS & Tll!NGS IKAROS (KOREAN) PARAGLIDER ~- Stolen fi·orn Si\N BERNARDINO, CA rental car 011 June (id,, 1996. Pink upper, white under wirh blue hawk design on right bottom, left brake liuc replaced with 505 hg cord. Comact Mini lo Yoon (909) 88'7 /i/Mli or IZoh McKcnzie, High Advemure (')()')) 88:$-8!\88.

"MOONSTli\llOW" I liglrly hl11c/whire/prrrplc artwork on black, preshrunk Bed/ T. Specifj, S,M,l.,Xl.,XXI.. short sleeve $15, sleeve $1?. /\dd $2.. 50 order shipping. Send or money order to: Wear. l'O Box 51/i, Signal Mounr,,in TN :)73"/7. (li23) 88(,.(i)') l.

Wll.l.S WING XC 15'5 Lost 011 l.uf'th:tnsa flight between LOS ANCELES :rnd Mrmich, Cennany 011 April 2nd, 19%. Yellow wired XC separating a grey (silver) bot tom (sec Apr 9(1 l l(; cover), Contact Wills Wing ('71 Ii) 998-(,:159. PACIFIC AIRWAVF RAVE 30 PARAGLIDER Stolen from rhc I.AS VEGAS MAXIM, NV on April 6th, I')')(,. Solid white glider. Also purple/black "Parndisc'' harness wlrcscrvc & rnisc.

(v;trio,

c:nnclhak, windmctcr, etc.) $200 reward information leading 101 he recovery of this cq11ipmcn1! J\1iy help will be greatly appreciated. Comae, collect l'.ric

Stolen from VICTORIA WILLS WING Jli5 AT BC:, CANADA on Jnnc I':!, l 9'J'i. White l.F w/orange triangle patch on each side, orange/blue nndcrmrl:,cc. !'ctn Moulton (60/i) 85(). ri70'7. STOLEN WINGS :ue listed as a service 10 US! !CA

DON'T IFAVF YOUR CROllND-BOlJND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN TIIE GARAGE. SELL IT IN Tl!E l!ANC CUDJNG Cl.ASS!·

cmrenliy dealing in (;11\l'Strcam's SF.Al lAWK line. !'LY EVERY DAY With a hang gliding screen· saver for your PC. 0111sranding from the world's best hang photographers. Rio, Owens, Yosemite ro name a few. $1').')5 for 22 images, $29.95 for !iii images (,$1 s/h). M:1jor credit cards accepted. ( ;er it now & 11y every day. l -800-880 18:l 1. Checko11t om web sire www.auralis.com/a11rnlis

Wll.LS WINC 115 AT Srolrn from tire top of Bl.ACK MTN., MAl'LE FAl.l.S, WA on i\1tt\t1sr 16, 19')5. White I.E, orange I st p:rnel, white mid p:rnel, yellow rear panel, white Tl'. l'x top rnrl':rce. Fluorcsccm or;mgc nose cone, nick in righr LL 12" l'rom tip. Conract Jamc·s l'iescr/Wlr:rrcom Wings (%0) 671 .10.l'?.

mcrnbcrs. Ncwcsi- entries ;ire in hold. There is no

charge for this service :rnd lost and found or cq1t1ptnctll may he called in (719) 632 8:300 or it in 9) 6:"2-6/i 1 for inclusion in I Cliding magazine. !'lease call to cancel the gliders arc recovc1w!. Periodically, this listin1•, he pmgcd.

Adventure Producrions ...... , ............ ,27

Arai Design .................................. ,.. 11 Auralis ............................................. 18 Braunigcr ............. ,.. ,...... ,, .............. .47 Ulrrali1e Products .............. Back Cover Plyrec ....... ,...................................... 39 Hall Bros ......................................... 37 High Energy Sports ...................... ,..43 lcaro ....................... ,......... ,... ,............ 2 Just Fly Aviation Gear ..................... 37 Kentuckian a Soaring ......................... 5 Lookout Mm. Flight Park ............... 37 Mojo's Gear ...... ,.......... ,................... 10 Moyes ........... ,, .................... ,... , ....... 23 NAA ............................................... 15 Pacific Airw;ive ................ , .......... 50,51 Soaring Center ......................... ,...... 18 Sport Aviation Publications ............. 27 '[elespccd ....... '" ... ,........................... 27 US Aviation .................................. , .. 18 USHGA ................... 9, I 0,45,lt<i,

Wills

HANC G1 IDINC

Dtm}ohnson ou s

mon, Ly by Fly Nationals over. information rc,su1ted from the good ole, Jate-- bn:akj nq l1c,re to you some of c;w Di rec Gliding n,ad

1: roub] break down ••• Cross country--wir;c?, a with Jots o and l:,11rnin9

enrou Oshkosh ajn;how. vJ:i stop along the way and jn to so, U1ank.,; in back-of the-book

thorough

the

"Product enjoys of the en Enjoy!) part, wholly ed by ~JUfl Fly 1996 memory. Cc- enub Nationals in modr,rn with 144 p Crom 11 tlla t, tllan kr: l·.o He i fic~d turnout, and h Fly Na l:s wi LL offrir WTSS Pc,ints fd or d Mec,t i.n mec':t was "increcb bly up obvious "We flew 0

\·hat.

was few wi Abe LincoJn said about people the time? reaJ good workers," GW he did a smaJ as i t. on. t· o f a1 cache away and they did. While n::,quired such in cen -Uves orous ••• The main ry of course. wha you' 'I'be winner was Manfred I.he Italian Icaro gl followed by Tomas Suchanek Moyes glider, wllil th rd in hi Yankee thu.s becomes L he Nat Congratula t:ion:;, kucfos a I:. o Nationa went Tony

SiPTFMBER 1996

pleted goal . CW' c, made goal every scientis l.:o ali;o ma.de However, other top equ1ar1y. Dinosaur Colt1rado i timr:, able t.o deliver qoods tbe pa of year. done GeeDub ha,; h j way, j will do Meadows says he' lJ bid fm:: the World Meet using the site. '1J submit nearby Vernal, Uta.h t ions. A town Verna] could actually World Meet. "Dinosaur Meadows ••• Obvimrnly par self, and one who ha5 tiaJly sponsor other cLidn '/: cErect), GeeDub t:bat a 1 those wt10 helped him on l:he adverl:. i value main help nl: of the Nats, hi l ncrefl 1 i hood of hi Lll organizers sporn;or.,c;. One such idE:ia wa "Sponsor of the Day" program, d limited-slot opportunity one company to "buy" day. A company :Ln whic.h J: have an inl:E\rc,st, US Aviation, was wiling chase of l:hese Meadow~; reasonably and promis;ed to take sponmni;, making it .n,asonable qarnbl,c; Too the past, donations no measurable sponsor Sponson, are needed l:o do i L look at the jm,t win or on ~;ive, multi do.L1ar Same for many of Meadows had also reward any pilots who chose to come pete wj Lhe world's bes . of it but other clj stinctiorn3 as For examp1<:,, severaJ wj tr1in compeU_ on lowed otr1er,,: t,o tc1ke home some glory of the U. Nationals. Wed 1, more detailed story is 1 know. can't want to offer GW and aJ 1 the th(=, done. Re proud! whal~- new aerial toy,:; got: news or opinions Send •em Sl;. Paul MN '35118 USA. or V-mail to: 617. 4.50-0930. EmaLL l~o CumuhwMan@aol.com. TiiANK$!

----

'.!'he De'li\' 1 u t e r DU! di' at ,. I DHV 2