USHGA Hang Gliding November 2000

A Publication of the United States Hang Gliding Association • November 2000 • $3.95

Wheels

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14 2001 USH GA Regional Director Election Use the ballot attached co rhis issue of· che magazine.

16 Kari Castle Wins The Gold

r~y C.J. Sturtevant T he U.S. Women's World Team brings home the bronze ac the 2000 Women's World Championsh ips in Grc.:ece and Ka ri becomes rhc ·workl C hampion.

22 Awesome Flying Adventures In Texas Skies

by Gaynelle Roach, Mike Degtojfrmd Dennis Dornji:st The Power of Freedom and NASA Ballunar Fe.~rivals.

30 Flight Report: The Speedwings Golden Eagle © 2000 by Dmnis f>t1:<en A new topless gl ider fro m Speedwi ngs lntcrnarional of Europe.

34 Glider-Cam

by John Wiseman Amateur cdevision fli es on a hang gl ider.

40 Manquin Flight Park

by Billy Vaughn, photos by Tex Forrest A terrific hang gliding Aighr park jusr norrh of Richmond, Virginia.

Columns

Departments

incident Reports, by Bill Bryden ......... I2

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

President's Corner, by David Glover ... I.~

Update ............................................... ... 10

Wing Tips, by Rodger Hoyt.. .............. 13

Calendar of Events ................... ............ 11

ProducLLines, by Dan Joluison ......... 55

Classifi ed Advertising ......................... .44 Index to Advertisers ........... .................. 54

C:OVFR: l,.111 ( ·.,,1Jv, \\',>111v11\ \\'1>1 ld ( :li.1111pio11 1 ',,Tll ,lt>I\' t>ll p,1gv 11,. <TNTUlSJ>RF/\1): I .11111eli111g o111 t1id1,· ,101 .11 \X't1t1d,1mk. \' irgi11i.1. l'l,010 l,1 l'n h11Tn l. l>ISC:11\IMJ·. R 01' \'(lt\RRt\NTll·S II\ l'l : BUCt\TIONS: I h, 111.11v1 ial p1rn·111nl linv i, pul> li, li nl ·" p.111 <>i .111 111lt11111.11io11 d1"v111111.11it111 wl\' lc v lt11 l '\I I!;.-\ 111e·111h,·rs. I Ii,· l 1\11( ,.-\ 111.il,n ' "' \\',l1T.11 11ic, l)I" 1q1n::>1t'lll.llh111, .111 d ,l\\ lllllc\ 11 11 li.1hi111y lOlllt'rnin µ. ilw \';ilidil ~· nf ;Ill\.. tllviu.:, opi111 1,i1 01 1,·,01111 11,·11,l.11 1t111 np r,·,.,nl i11 1hv 111.11,11.d. All i11 d1l'id11.d, rl'l_1i11g Il l"'" ii,, lll.llt'n .il do'" .11 d1v11 "" 11 ri, k. ( ·"I'." igli t ,, ; 2000 ll1111nl .'11.11n I l.11 1g ( ,l1d i11 g 1\"11., 111,. 1\II r1gl11, 1,·,nvc,I '" ll,111x

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3

Gil Dodgen, Mill)NJing Editor/Editor In 01/c>f Dave Pounds, Art Dire,:tor John Heiney, Gerry .Charlebois, teroy Grannis, Mark Vaugh11, Bob Lowe Photogmphw, Harry Martin; Illustrator Dennis Pagen, Mark Stucky, Rodger Hoyt, G.W. Meadows, Jim Palmiel'i, llill llryden St,iffWrifors Office stliff

· · · · · ·· · · Phil Bachman, Ex\,cutive Dlr,,ctor, phb,lch1i1a11@ushgn.org

Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jjclgart@ushga.org fo.anni? Peterson, Member Services, rjpeterson1~ushga.oQt Natalie Hi11sley, Mprc:handise S<1rvk:(,s, nlhinsley@ushga.org Clt>da. Ungll,!S, Mcm11ier Services, ct1ngl,1s@ushga.org

USN(,A Officers ,1J1c!Ex1,;:tllive6)r;11n/tte~I David Glover, President, dilvid@riavidalover.com Mark Ferguson, Vice Pr1,Mdent,. rrmrk@ballv«rios.com Billllryden; 5ecref;1ry/bhryderi@hso11/i11c.net Geoff Muinford, TrL\c1surn1; ,i;mumford@npa,oriJ

l'OSTMASTE.R: Sl:ND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG. GLIDING, P.O, 130X 133.0, Springs, C080901,'IJ30.

NOVIMBER 2000 VOUJMI:: 30, ISSUE No. 11

RENTING A GLIDER? CHECK THE S1ZE! De:1r Editor, A few months ago I rcmcd :111 cmry, level glider at a flight park where [ had pre, viously rented and aerotowed, so I felt comfortable when [ "recognized" the g\id .. er. It was already set up and convenienrly waiting on a launch dolly. After preflight· ing rhe glider I hooked in, did my harness check and rolled rhe glider into tow posi, tion thinking I was all set. As the launch assistam anached the towline he GU1tioned me thar "things arc pretty rowdy" and inquired if I was sufficiently experienced. I thanked him for rhe info and said rhar l had approximately 150 rows and should be okay.

At about 50 feet off the bunch can f began to agree that "diings were pretty rowdy," ancl the bar pressure seemed higher than [ remembered for thar glider. But I managed ro maintain an acceptable tow position un ti! 1,800 feet AG J, where I released in a thermal. Wow! Things were rowdy, :md I quickly decided to get our 01 the thermal. It was a day when everything seemed "up," and I quickly realized thar I was only marginally con trolling the glider and tiring quickly. Alter a series of left and right spiral dives I managed to slowly get down and back to the LZ, which had also become turbulem during my brief but exhausting 2.0·mi nutc flight. My marginal landing was witnessed by one of the park's tandem insi-ructors who scolded me for my poor landing and ;idded, " ... besides, that glider is too big for you." (I hook in at about 150 lbs,) I probably looked puzzled :md responded, "It's the s:1me 160 rkn l rented last rime," to which he replied, "'fhat's a 190, we sold our 160."

Obviously, checking rhe glider's nameplate should have been included in my pre· flight. This glider was the same brand, model and, I think, the same color as the l 60. However, the control frame was Luger and that alone should have gotten my attenrion, except rhat [ later realized I had indeed previollsly flown that glider, in addirion to the 160, in mild evcninF, con·di tions. Maybe my fomiliarity with the larger control frame had dulled my atrcn· rion to detail. Tn addition, the glider was already on the launch cart, so J dicln'r have to pick up the glider and therefore didn't notice its extra weight over the 160.

So, I've added checking the glider size and picking it up off the launch cart to my preflight checklist. Picking up the glider

not only gives me a feeling of the glider's weight, it also helps establish rhar the glid· er is not accidenrally attached ro the bunch cart hy a line, wire, rail fin clamp, etc (\Ve have been hearing about cans being unintentionally atlached to gliders, with various results!)

Wayne DcVilhiss Matawan, NJ

HOOKING IN Dear Editor, After reading rhe "J ncidenr Reporrs" in the September issue of He1ng Gliding, I felt compelled ro respond, First, my deepest condolences ro the familv and friends of Richard Morris Zadoroz;1y. Second, I would like to add comment to rl1e ongoing debate abom when to hook in. [ have heard rational, logical reasoning for hooking in before walking to launch as well as for hooking in on launch. f know pilots who actually climb into Lhcir harnesses after hooking them inro their glicJ .. crs, and others who always lift their gliders on launch to feel their harness straps become taut (as a double check). My opin·ion is that the key clement for safety is consistency. A hang glider pilot should be l (l()(yb com mined to the method he has chosrn ro ensure rhat he is hooked in. For me, the site and conditions may influence my choice: to hook in before or at launch, but I always, always, always do a walk· through on launch. 'This is the method T chose when I began to fly and l never deviate, no martcr what. Afrcr you've launched hundreds of rimes at the same sites, for weeks and years on end, ir can be very easy to get complacent, that is why it is crucial to have a system in place, and frillow it.

Angie Kennedy Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

USHGA ALMOST-FREE VlDEO Dear Edirnr, I bought the new video that was produced to promote hang gliding you know the one, the five-dollar one. Well, I think for rhat: price you can't afford nor to buy one, sol honght fonr of them. And rhis is what r did with them.

One [ got for myself, to introduce rhe sport of hang gliding to friends and acquaintances with something I could not HANG GiiDINC

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produce myself: a very professional video about the sport as seen from the ground and air. The second one my father kept after seeing it. He wams to show his friends what his crazy son docs on the weekends. 'The third and forth, and probably the mosr imponam ones, I gave away ro local libraries. They were borh accepted gratefully, and since my mother works at one of rhem, I even have confirmation that the video has already been checked our!

So, if you arc serious about keeping the sport of hang gliding alive and well (since with more members we have a greater voice w keep our flying sites open), I suggest that you too purchase die USHGA video, and help expose your community to the sport of hang gliding. What will it cost I r's almost free!

Mike [lilbcrath Mission Viejo, CA

SAFETY ADVISORY COMMENTS Dear Editor, In September 2000 Httng (;fiding you published a safety advisory rq;arding the nose wire tang releasing during a platform row of a Wills Wing Fusion. While I appreciate Wills Wing notifying pilots of this safety problem I truly resent what seems ro me as Wills Wing rewriting hisro-ry. As rhc pilot in the 1991 accidcn t rhat resulted in the "lock" being added, I may be roo sensitive about this and reading too much into it, but I just can't let this go withom a response.

In rhc current warning Wills Wing says, "In June of 1991, following a second incidcm of this type, we rcdistribmcd the advisory, adding the warning that routing rhe line outside rhc "V" oftl1c wires but behind rhc tang handle could also result in disconnect of the wires." A more accurare sentence would have added "recanting our previous advice." To quore from the June 1989 article rhar I used as advice, Wills Wing said, "To avoid rhis problem, the nose line should be either looped and cinched over the rop of rhc keyhole tang and nose bolt, or ir should pass completely omsidc and to one side of' rhc nose wires."

I was using rhc second recommendation when I had my accident. 1f I was a differ.. cm type of individual l would have sued \)(!ills Wing our of business over this bad advice, but I felt I knew what I was under .. taking and I appreciated that they modified the design alter my accident.

6

[n the current advisory Wills Wing also says, "The critical considerarion is that the nose line must be routed in such a way that rhcrc is no possibility that the line can push or pull forward on rhc tang, the tang handle, or the wires." Personally, I believe rhc scrnp I used when I had my accident met this requirement. [ n my opinion the keyhole tang and "lock" as they currently implement it (even with the rope routing nirrcndy recommended) is a low .. probability accident waiting to happen during plarfrlrm tows. Wills Wing docs finally get around w some truth on this mancr when they say, "We have Ii mired lrnowledge of rhc range of diffcrrnt designs and procedures in USC For pladclrm !OW vehicles." j 11 other words, if you're platform towing a Wills Wing glider you're a test pilot since rhcy arc not into platform towing. They basically admit rhis when rhcy report later, "However, experiments by those investigating rhc accident on site, which have been repeated by Wills Wing, have indicated that it is possible that a swiveling action of the nose tang during ground roll prior to launch could cause the safety locl< (ha!) robe rotated ... " In other words, we didn't actually bother to test our previous fix ro this problem in real-life platform towit1g situations until after we had another accident.

J\s far as the claim that there have only been three reported incidents of this type, this doesn't appear robe rhc case, although l don't believe this is some Wills Wing cover-up. There h:ivc been more incidents but it seems there have only been three serious accidents and apparently only those h:tvc been reported 10 Wills Wing. l per.sonally know of one other incidcm here in North Carolina (prior to my accident) and when l expressed my dismay and disappointmem about' rhc latest accident on the hang gliding e-mail list J got messages from pilots reporting three other incidents. In all of these cases the rang hcing released was noticed before the glider was released from rhc rruck. Lucky for them.

Steve Coldman Pittsboro, NC l'.S. I have my doubts that the lJSHCA will publish ,l lcrtcr critical of the leading U.S. hang gliding manufocturcr ,md big Hang Gliding advertiser, burl would hope that the safety issue outweighs these con .. cerns. After all, the USHGA is supposed to be a pilots' organization.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1. Title of publication: HANG GLIDING 2. Publication No. 0179-7020 3. Date of tiling: September 20, 2000 4. Frequency of issue: Monthly 5. No. of issues published annually: 12 6. Annual subscription price: $35.00 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 101, Colorado Springs, co 80903-3657 8. Complete mailing address oi headquarters or general business office of publisher: Sarne 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor: Publisher: United States Hang Gliding Assn, Inc, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. Editor and managing editor: Gil Dodgen, 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Suite A-256, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-1836.

10. Owner: United States Hang Gliding Assn, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3657. Its Officers are: David Glover, President, 1696 Creek Rd., Wildwood, GA 30757; Mark Ferguson, Vice fJresident, 1173 Ridgeview Cir., Broomfield, CO 80020; Bill Bryden, Secretary, 6608 N. 100 E. Rd., Seymour, IN 47274; Geoft Mumford, Treasurer, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002.

11. Known bondholder, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: none.

12. The purpose. function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes: (1) Has not changed during preceding 12 months.

13. Publication name: Hang Gliding 14. Issue date for circulation data below: August 2000 15. Extent and nature of circulation: (A) Total No. copies printed: 8,058 av.tissue. preceding 12 mo.; 7,082 for August 2000.

(B1) Paid circulation through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales: 526 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 437 for August 2000.

(82) Paid or requested mail subscriptions: 6,899 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 5,845 for August 2000.

(C) Total paid and/or requested circulation: 7,425 av./issue preceding 12 mo.: 6,282 for August 2000.

(D) Free distribution by mail: 38 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 36 for August 2000.

(E) Free distribution outside the mail: 15 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 12 for August 2000.

(F) Total free distribution: 53 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 48 for August 2000.

(G) Total distribution: 7,478 av./issue preceding 12 rno.; 6,330 for August 2000.

(H1) Copies not distributed - office use, leftovers, spoiled: 487 av./issue preceding 12 rno.; 670 for August 2000.

(H2) Copies not distributed - returns from news agents: 93 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 82 for August 2000.

(I) Total: 8,058 av./issue preceding 12 mo.; 7,082 tor August 2000.

(J) Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 99% av./issue preceding 12 rno.; 99% for August 2000.

16. This statement printed in: November 2000 issue.

17. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Signed by: Jeff Elgart, Director of Circulation, 9/20/2000.

HANC GLIDINC

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An incredible adventure book by Judy Leden, hang gliding and paragliding champion. A great gift! Hard back, 24 pages of color photos

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Update

NEW APACHE TRIKE FROM NORTHWING orrhwing is pleased to announce the release their Apache rwo-place trike. After 18 months of design and developmenr, orthwing froze the design in December of 1999 . The company feels that they have come up with a machine that incorporates many of the best ideas available, alo ng with very new concepts in design.

One of the main design criteria besides strength was comfortable searing, and the Apache has lots of searing room in both the from and rear. orthwing offers a choice of engines depending on your use. You can also choose from three rypes of wings, from very slow to very fast, all of which are the easiest to fly on the marker. For hang gliding clubs and flight parks they offer the crike as a super aerorug unir. With the Mustang 17.5 you can tow at 28 to 31 mph with a 700-fpm climb rate at sea level. onhwing trikes are thoroughly tested to certified standards and they make everything in their factory in the U.S. Contact: (509) 886-4605, fax (509) 886-3435, trikes@norchwing.com, www.northwmg.com.

N

1st Brazilian Internationals

Gerolf Heinrichs Bassano Italy Gerolf Heinrichs

FEDERATION AERONAUTIQUE INTERNATIONALE AND DISCOVERYWINGS CHANNEL AGREE ON PRODUCTION AND BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP

T

he Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing body for airspons, is proud to announce the first rime ever long-term partnership with a television channel, Discovery Wings Channel, the premier destination for airsports enthusiasts in the USA and North America.

EilifNess, FAI President, and Tim Knatchbull, Director of Development and Program Partnerships for the Discovery Digital erwork, signed the agreement recently in Linkoping, Sweden, at the FAI annual General Conference, anended by delegates from the 93 member councries. "We are extremely proud to continue our work with PAI and our new agreement significantly augments Discovery Digital Network's continuing efforrs to present timely, indepth, and personal programming for our viewers," said Charly Humbard, senior vice president and general manager for DDN. Said Eilif Ness, FAI president: "FAI is pleased to have reached agreement with a prestigious network such as Discovery Digital Network, and more specifically with a channel that intends to explain airsports to the public as well as show spectacular images. This agreement is undoubtedly a very important srep in FAI's effort to give airsports the wide television exposure they deserve."

FAI's TV production began in 1999, with a series of six programs featuring World or Continental Championships in various airsports disciplines. The programs were distributed worldwide and gained a total audience of more than five million adult viewers. This was only a start as the series continues in 2000 with Discovery Wings Channel's partnership and other programs. The 200 1 plans are already very advanced as FAI is preparing daily programs during the FAI World Air Games in Andalucia, Spain, including coverage of more H ANG GLIDING

u than 20 Championships.

The Discovery Wings Channel partnership will include three one-hour programs on the FAT 2000 World Speed Gliding Championships in Greece, the FAI 2000 World Aerobatics Championships in Muret, France, and the FAI 2000 World Cup of skydiving in Eloy, USA. These events will be part of a new monthly series, "Sports on Wings," scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2001. Discov-· cry Wings Channel will also have the exclusive North American broadcast rights for the FAI 200 I World Air Games.

The monthly one-hour series will air in the USA on Discovery Wings Channel, and on Discovery's international network in the UK, Latin America and Asia. Said Tim Knatchbull, "This is a part· nership made in heaven or at least in the skies."

For more information contact Patricia Lamy-Airault (FAT Media Officer), patricialamy@fai.org.

MOYES HAS MOVED Ven Brown is pleased to announce that as of November 1,

Associate .fudges Scott Stewart, Eric Delf, Steve Staclrnble

Student.Judge Rich Pruett Ground Crew Jim Robison, Terry Ellington, Rosario

EV!·-- USHGA Booth Manager Lorraine Gorkie , ._._.,.....,...., J.UA..,J.V.u.,..., ... ,.

INSURANCE

D&D member insurance coverage is now available to current USHGA members, and includes benefits for accidental death, accidental loss of limb or sight, and accidental permanent total disability for losses which occur as a result of a covered accident, up to $50,000. For more information and to enroll check see the insurance page at http://www.ushga.org/ insurance.asp.

A

!'\..:woo, Moyes glider sales and service will be originating from Auburn, California. Contact: Moyes America, 200 I-Till-· crest Dr., Auburn, CA 95603 (530) 888-8(,22, fax 888-8708, FlyaMoyes@aol.com,www.MoyesAmcrica.com.

, ,......,,..,. . . . EVENTS NEWS ere arc the results of the Fifth Annual Masters of Freestyle Hang Gliding Contest. The contest was held at the San Diego, California Bayfair during the World Series of Power Boar Racing. An estimated 200,000 people were in attendance over the three days oC the event.

The Bayfair organizers were impressed with the crowd's very positive reaction to the more than 40 total flights flown by the ;ierobatic hang glider pilots who were rowed aloft by three ultralight trike aircraft. They have invited Aero Events to return next year to present the next Masters Contest. r-feartfoh thanks go our to all who contributed to this, our most rcccnr event, our appearance at The Flight Worlds event two weeks prior, and all of our past events.

Look for the entire story of the 2000 Masters Comest in an upcoming issue of Hang Gliding magazine.

Place Pilot

Glider

Points

1)

Wills Wing Fusion Altair Predator Altair Predator Altair Predator Moyes Litespeed Secdwings Sensor Wills Wing Fusion Altair Predator Moyes Super Xtralight

2502.8

2) 3)

Ii) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9)

Mitch McAlecr Bill lleaner Morgan Hall John Heiney Joey Fresquez Dave Biddle Bill Soderquist Dino DiNaso Sebastian Lutgcs

2442.6 2438.9 2417.3 2330.9 2299.7 222.4.2 2200.2

Trilee Aerotow Pilots James 'frujillo, Airbome/Northwing Trike Brad Lindsey, Juan/Saber Trike, Joey Fresquez, Juan/Northwing Tl'ike

NEW his log book and interactive CD-ROM arc the latest tools to help pilots frHecast, judge and document their decisions as to "whether to fly" and subsequent flights. From Paul Hamilton and Adventure Productions, they are based on the successful and popular Weather To FlyTM, Basic Concepts for Flight with Dixon White, the instructional video on meteorology for all types of sport aviation. 'rhe CD-ROM includes a review of each section of the Weather to Ry video, printable log book sheets, and a tutorial on how to fill out and use the log book. The review takes the pilot through a "Sources of fnfrmnation" section which provides many options for finding sound weather information, including specific lmcrnct sites, the basic barometer, l-800-wxbrief, the weather radio station, the weather channel and more. The "Overall Wind" section covers rhe macro-weather picture including fronts, lows/highs, pressure syst-ems and the jct stream. ln the "Stability'' section the instruction becomes more detailed, since stability is one of the most important factors in determining whcrhcr to Ay. ·rhc "Clouds" section covers cumuli, multi--layered skies and virga/rain clouds. The final "'Terrain" section discusses sea breezes, flatlands, trigger points, surface materials, mountain/valley systems and high mountains. 'T"hc log book "Sources Preparation" section has entries for fronts, pressure systems, TSO-bars and jct stream.

The CD ROM is the same price as the video, $39.95. ]"here is an introductory special for pilots who have already purchased the video, with proof of purchase, for $29.95. Borh the video and CDROM can be purchased as a package for $69.95. This offer is valid until April l, 200 I. A new, foll-color, six-page catalog is also available for free which has a new section on the "Weather to Fly'' collection of tools for pilots. All the new videos and CD-ROMS arc included in an easyto--rcad and organized format.

Comact: Adventure Productions, 747-0175, www.adventurep.com.

Principal]udge RC Dave Freund 10

H/\NC CLIDINC

Calendar of events items WILL NOT be li sted if only tentative. Please include exact inform ation (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no late r than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets.

DEC. 3 1: 2001 Space Odyssey Party Blast at SpaceStationQuest. See the very latest in glid ers and equipm ent at demo days. Food, drink, live music and flying. Co ntact: 6548 Groveland Airport Rd., Groveland, FL (352) 429-021 3, fax (352)429-4846, qu es tair@sundial.net.

CLINICS/MEETINGS/TOURS COMPETITION UNTIL DEC. 31: The Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge. No entry fees or pre-registration requirements. Open to paragliders, hang glid ers, rigid wings and sai lplanes. For more details visit the contest's Web site at http://www.hanggliding.org or contact: John Scott (310) 447-6234, fax (310) 447-6237, b recto nwoods@email. msn .com.

UNTIL DEC. 31: Fourth Armual Falcon X-C Contest (rhe fifth will start in April of2001).

Prizes awarded in four national regions and one world region (in which all are entered) in all of three rating-based classes: Pro, Am, Rec. No entry fee. Prizes donated by Wills Wing, High Adventure, Tek Fli ght Products and FalconFlyr.

See yo ur local school/dea ler for add ition al prizes. Visit h ttp://www.angelfire.com/ ct/ inscructor/fal conxc.htm1 for entry and landing fo rm s wh ich may be subm itted by e-mail (o ur preference). Fo r the electronically impaired write Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098 including an SASE and request the forms.

JAN . 14-21, 2001: Forbes (Australia) Odyssey.

Practice day Jan 13. AAA and FAI-sanctioned WPRS aerotow meet. We wi ll supp ly tows , you supply glider, tow release, retrieval. Tow Organizer: Bill Moyes. Meet Organizer: Vicki Cain. Essent ials: Aerotow endorsement, HGFA membership, CPS-Garm in or Aircotec. E ntry fe e of $500 includ es unlimited tows and presentation dinner. Last Fo rbes comp in '99 had three world-record days 1 $ 100 deposit requ ired

by Nov. 30 to secu re a spot, balance at registratio n. Make checks payable to Fo rbes Flatlands 200 I and post to: Moyes Delta G lid ers, 11 44 Botany Road , Botany NSW 20 19, Australia, tel.

011 -02-93164644, or register by e-mai l with cred it ca rd. Details at moyes@moyes.com.au.

FUN FLYING NOY. 23: Quest Airpark flying and Thanksgiving dinner. Good food, good fun , just 30 minutes from major theme parks. Contact: 6548 Groveland Airport Rd., Grove land, FL (352) 429-02 13, fax (352)429 -4846, q uestair@su ndial.net.

N OVEMBER 2000

2000: Flying in Brazil 2000. Wonderful warm weat her, flying in an exotic setting. Be part of the Adventure Sports trip to Govenador Ya ladarez, Brazil. Experienced instructors and guides . Take sid e- trips to Carn ival or any of the beautifu l beaches . 12 days, $1,200 for paragliders, $ 1,400 for hang gliders. Includes room with breakfast and lun ch, ride to launch, retrieval and guided tour. Contact: (775) 883-7070, www.pyramid.net/advspts.

OWENS VALLEY 2000: Fly with a World Champion, 10-time Nat iona l Champ ion and X-C wo rld reco rd holder Kari Castl e as your guide in the Owens. Private o ne-on-one or group instruction ava ilab le. Further your flying ed ucation. Contact: Kari Castl e (760) 8722087, karicastle@telis.org, www.norchwestout doors.com/fly/ DEC.-MARCH, 2001: Valle de Bravo, Mexico, flying. Flying eve1y day. Per week, in and out on a Sunday. $895 HG, $695 PG . Co ntact: www.flymex ico.com, jeff@flymexico.com, 1800-86 1-7 198.

JAN . 19-2 1, 2001: Tandem Clinic with the innovators of aerotowing, offered by Quest Air Soaring Center, Inc. w ith tandem adm inistrato r Russe ll Brown and lnstructor/Adm inistrato r Steve Kroop. Emp hasis on aerotow in g methods, techniques and innovations. Basic/Advance Instructo r C lini c as well as CPR and First Aid classes will also be ava il ab le January 15 through 18. Primitive camp ing, RV sites, private, sem iprivate and bunk rooms avai labl e on site by rese rvation. Family members welcome with access to private lake, screened- in pool and hot tub, 30 minutes from O rl ando' s theme parks and attractions. Contact: Quest Air Soaring Center, In c. (352) 429-02 13, fax (352) 4294846, questair@s undi al.n et.

JAN. 20-21, FEB. 10- 11, MARCH 10-11, 2001: Mexico 2001, Cotes C liffs, Baja Ca liforni a, 80 mil es so uth of Ensenada, a 10mil e- long, 250-foot-high cliff on a deserted M ex ican beach. No facilities, so bring everything you need for th e fli ght to G len Crater and The Point. Su rfin g good, fl ying great! Bring househo ld donations that ca n be left behind for the loca ls. Contact: Mike Hilberath, (949) 4550032, eteamer@usa. net, eteam@biteme.com.

by USHGA Accident Review Chairman Bill Bryden earning to fly is an interesting process. Piloting and meteorological knowledge arc critical and probably rhc easier to learn aspects of Hying. Motor skill and coordination development reqllire time and practice. And judgement in assessing situations and estimating distances and /light paths takes lots of experience ro hone.

A novice pilor with a few dozen highaltitude Rights was attempting to soar his intermediate glider in light to moderate wind conditions. Hugging close to the ridge, he encountered some tl1ennal lifr yet bypassed it, believing he was too low and close ro the ridge LO make a turn. When he flew through a stronger core, be turned l 80° away from the moun,• tain. However, before returning to the lifr he encountered the trees and crashed, suffering chest and facial injuries requiring surgery.

A pilot can easily assess his aeronautical knowledge by his performance on a test or by reading a text and noting how much is new information to him. If your ego doesn't· get in the way you can moderately judge how well you arc flying a glider. Bur how do you know if your judgement is refined? How, for example, can a budding pilot determine if he's got the skill to start working in close to the hill?

With towing and tandem insrrucrion, pilots arc /lying and soaring more quickly. It's a super rush to get high those first times. After a couple of dozen flights from a mountain, a kind of confidence may set in that leads a pilot ro think, "Wow, this isn't so hard." The pilot can easily begin thinking that he possesses the right stuff to tackle trickier launches, work lift in closer to the hill and fly in rougher conditions. 'Then, pow! He finds himself in the trees and isn't exactly sure what went wrong.

12

We used to call this "Intermediate Syndrome" (IS) because rhis false confidence was typically setting in with pilots who had obtained their Hang III (Intermediate) rating. Unfortunately, wid1 modern equipment and training, we often sec the situation occurring before a pilot has earned his Intermediate rating. Whatever you call it, the siwarion remains the same: An inexperienced pilot: is overcome by the exhilaration of /light and bis success, and fails to fly within the limitations of his skill. He may exceed his equipment's limitations because he forgets, chooses ro take an improperly calculated risk, or more commonly fails ro fully comprehend what his limitations arc. A victim has a sense ofinvincibiliry and high degree of skill.

Warning signs rnay be few or nurnerous, but arc most always subtle until after a crash. lf other pilors have cau-tioncd you that you may not be ready for a site or conditions because of your eagerness, you may be suffering from IS. If you've done something and then thought, "Boy, that was kind of close," then you may be afflicted. lf your hours of airtime exceed the number of/lights in recent months, you arc a candidate.

So, what is the cure frir this? The typical answer is to trnly know yourself, your skill and limit;itions. That's easier said than done, especially with a healthy ego in action. However, you can take some clues from other aspects of your flying and use them to tell yourself if you've got the right stuff for these situations.

As with rhe above pilot, folks new to working the ridge are often uncertain how close they can get, questioning the drifr and their ability to control the glid· er. Pilots wirh extensive towing experience hut relatively new to the ridge especially share this concern. You can help develop this judgement with your land-ing approaches. Setting up to land requires you to judge your distance fton1 the ground, wind drift, and t:llrns during rhe ;:ipproach. [f you are able to consistendy nail the spot in a wide variety of wind conditions in multiple landing zones, rhen your ability to judge your Hight path is getting

prcny good. ff your landings are sometimes all over the field, missing the LZ target by a hundred or more feet, then you've got a ways to go before trying to work the ridge real close.

How far to the left or right of the tar-get do you deviate when landing in turbulent conditions? ff you are getting turned, landing off to the side of the target, then your abili t:y to handle the turbulence on the ridge is likely of concern and you should give yourself more tree clearance.

Has anyone commented that you need to carry more speed on approach?

Your speed control and selection may require more development before working close to a ridge, which often demands aggressive airspeed control to remain clear of the trees. How quickly and aggressively can you rurn to get back in a thermal at altimde? l f you always make slower, wide turns to reenter a rhcrrnal, give rhe ridge more clearance.

Novice pilots ofren encounter situations with which they have little expcri .. cnce, and are uncertain abour rnaking judgement decisions. Assistance can sometimes be found by looking for analogous situations with which the pilot does hnvc experience, and attempting to draw from these for guidance in the new one.

On a differcnr topic, the UStlGA office has been in the process of relocating and several personnel changes have occurred this summer. During rhese transitions, f think some accident reports were possibly misplaced and not for .. warded to me. If you retained a copy of any reports you submitted this year, please send a second copy if you can. l probably have yours, bur I want to be sure. Submissions arc down substantially and l need everyone's help to have enough data about accidents and incidents to have some statistical significance. As a reminder, accidcnr reports are only used for safety improvement, and US! IGA policy prohibits their being used to a pilot's detriment. We never revoke ratings or anything based upon the content of incident/accident rcpon data. Thank you for your help with this process and safe flying. II HANC GUDINC

The great thing is that many of rhese people are still active in the sporr in some way. They were the early adopters in the Association. Now Nikki McDonald is member 75,000, a woman from Dallas, 'E:xas.

USHGA STATISTICS

Ii;tal Membership Counts Hang Cliding: Paragliding: 'fotal: l 0,053 Both: 679

Fi

1,000 Members

US New

A www.ushga.org

here arc 33 members with a US[!(;/\ number below a thousand that are still current members: 30 Bob Chase, 46 Bill Watson, 6 l lkrbcn Seidenberg, 77 Michael Riggs, 137 Juri Kauk, 148 David Kilbourne, 174 Scon Sayre, l 89 Ed Geller, J 91 Douglas Carmichael, 218 Larry Hall, 262 Thomas Pegh iny, 291 Bob Ellenberg, .'337 Floyd Fronius, 369 Francis Rogallo, 390 Jerry Martin, 394 Cram Smith, 422 Richard 1.indskog, Micbacl Sandlin, 486 Bud Mclaney, 498 Virgil Dahrens, 551 T Cheston , 557 Richard Kelly, 562 W. Roecker, 619 Ken Nead, 735 John Williamson, Sr., 791 Raymond Berger, 845 Joe Kelsay, 868 David Ductor, 921 Chris Wills, Md., 944 Mike Meoli , 946 Doug Wilson, 957 Dave Raybourn and 975 Russell Hodges.

NovrMllFI, 2000

Hang Gliding Renewals: Paragliding Renewals: 'fotal Renewals:

489 265 754

Instructor Count Hang Gliding: Paragliding:

323 195

,'i)ort

Ratinp,s hy Rating revel Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Master

HG: J 3<Yci llG: 28% HC: 22% HG: 31% l!C: 3<1b

PC: 9% PG: 52% PC: 22% PG: 16% [)C: I%

Dollars Processed Through Wehsite September 2000 New Memberships: Renewal Memberships: $23,200

NEW AT WWW.USHGA.ORG Order a video Renew, join, cb:mge, add to your personal information 011 .. linc.

• Sign up for new AD&D insurance policy Cet rhc ),()() I Calendar • Make a membership list for your state • Check out the new USHGA on-line store rind almost anything about the sports •

If you have any questions or comments let me know. Make your flying safe and fun.

David Clover, david@Ddavidglovcr.com, (706) Ill

by Rodger Hoyt ave you ever had to take refr1gc under your while waiting out a rain shower prior to launching?

Hang gliders may make great umbrellas but, as many pilots have learned Lo their horror, a wet wing can fly unpredictably Lo say the least! Water drops on the leading edge can upset the flow over the airfoil, and a wet sail can change the wing's center of gravity. I\ saturated glider can foci downright divergent!

Tf your sail has been rained on prior to flying, take a few minutes to wipe it down thoroughly with ;1 dry towel before launching. Especially concentrate on the leading edge where lifr is generated. lf it's dry, it will fly.

'/his tip

Randy Zimmer of Gmnts

P11ss, Oregon.

pilot hegan to assemble his wing on what promised to be a spectacular lying day, only to discover that his battens were missing. A moment's bewilderment was followed by a palm-smacking-theforehcad realization that he'd left thcni in the landing zone al another site on a previous flight. Besides battens, pilots have at one rime or anorhcr unwitringly abandoned goggles, helmets, radios and almost everything else.

Before you leave a flying sire, make a habit of performing one final walk-around inspection of the area where you broke down your wing. lt's a little riLual that col!ld spare you a lot of headaches.

! lave a hot

to "Wing Tips" do Hang Gliding e-mail rbhoytfllgo.mm, or mr1il to Nodger Hoyt, 956 Clengrove Ave., Central Point; OR 97502.

A

1

Use the ballot attached to this issue ofthe magazine.

REGION I Hill Holoslq

Incumbent

REGION lI R,ty feonttrd ----- Incumbent I Icllo Region 2 Pilots. Since the last time J was elected to represent you l have been ahle to accomplish quire a fc:w priorities. After many years of work, the U.S. Speed ClidingTeam has become a successful reality. This, and hosting the most successful Wild Wild West Rcgion::ils in 10 years was quite an accomplishment. This year we will he in rhc Reno Air Races as a demonstration sport promoting USHCA as well as giving discovery flights to Makc-AWish kids.

On the paragliding scene we have been opening up ski areas in the Lake T1hoc region at the rate ot one new one every year or so. There is still a lor of work to be done here.

On the horizon l hope ro work on the Safoty and 'fraining Comrnittce ::ind Site Committee to assist with fomre projects as well as complete rhe ones in progress, Once again J would appreciate your support with your vote in theses endeavors,

REGION IJT Ken Baier --- lnmmbcnt The USHG!\ is a service organization for its mcrnbcrship. As a member of the BOD I have devoted most of rny energies to rhc Pilot Proficiency Program involving pilot ratings and instruction. I'd like co sec our system become easier for the pilots and instructors to use, without compromising the quality or safory ot our flying. Safe and fim flying is the most important goal for most of om pilots. This is also important to the Association because it leads to healthy growth for the sport with all of the benefits that brings us, things like improved insurance rates, open flying sites, legislative pow-er and a positive image. f'd like to cotHinue as Regional Director, to help the flying comm1mity go flying!

Just a fow resume items, I starred flying hang gliders in 1()'73 and graduated in '76 from University of Arizona with a degree in Recreation Adrninisrration. That means my degree actually applies ro being an Inst rue-

·14

tor/Regional Director! ln T moved to Southern California to avidly pursue hang gliding and became a hang gliding instructor in '81. I starred paragliding in '89 and became an instrnctor later that year. l n '91 started /\irjunkies Paragliding and have been reaching paragliding ever since, I am Masrer-rated in both hang gliding and paragliding and a Paragliding 'Emdem and Instructor Administrator.

Dttvid/cbb Nominee I seek your support and nomination for Region I fl Dirccror, My family and I have operated the 'forrey Pines Glider-

port For the past th rec years. l ;1m asking for your very important vore to the Board because as a free-flight professional, l believe thar l can contribute to the overall wellbeing of our sport. l support the Association and feel that they have done a good job over these past years. The "winds of change" arc upon us and we must take some bold and broad steps to ensure the foture of our sports. 'rhc issues that I would like to direct my attention to arc as follows: First, I would attempL w increase our membership. The future ofhang gliding and paragliding depends on the expansion of mcrnbership.

We must attract new members and contin-uc to expand our horizons, Second, l would like to improve the training surndards as csrnblishcc! by our Association. \<,nhanccd training and instructor standards, in 111y opinion, will result in fowcr accidents and deaths. Last, we must continue to establish site preservation as a goal on the local and national levels. Many ot our older sites arc losing ground to the developers. Our sports continue to be pushed fanher om ro the boonies.

I make no promises other than ro he true ro those concepts and principles of free flight. I am an active hang glider and parnglidcr pilot and believe that we share a very special bond. This unique bond, the fun and excitement of free flight, is whar I

have dedicated my life to. Thank you and I

hope to sec you in the sky.

David Jchb, Master Pilot, Advanced Instructor David Jebb is endorsed for Region III Director by the following members: Bill Kimball, Pa.st President; San Diego HG dr PG' A.1:roci11tion; Rob V;m Zabern, President; Crestline Sottring Society; Joe Greblo, Oume1; Wind,ports Soaring Center, Doclcweiler; Paul Phillips, Owner, Lttlce Elsinore Sports; John Ryan Oumc1; 1he Hang Gliding Cente1~ Pete Michclmorc/Marc Hill, Oumm, Gravity SJJorts; Rod Mitchell; Ptlst President; San· Diego HG&' PG Associlltion; Mitch McAlccr.

REGION IV Metric Fe~Ruson

lnmmbent

REGIONV No election this year.

REGION VT No election this yc;1r.

REGJONVIT Incumbent Bill Hrydm REGIONVIH Douglas Shttrpe --- lnmrnbent For the past two years I have been your USHGA Director. So What? Well, out ofa strong inreresl or maybe a better word, for the passion sports of hang gliding and paragliding in New England or where ever I travel, T would like to continue to represent you and Region 8 as a USHG/\ Director.

Over the past two years, flying in New England has continued to be popular and the role of the regional clubs continues to be an important aspect of flying in this Region, As Director over the next two years I will continue to uphold the interests of HANC GUDINC

these groups and assist in site development and mediation issues that need attention by a Regional Director.

I will do my best to represent Regional interests to the national organization as well as bringing back information to our clubs regarding initiatives occurring on the national front.

I will support continued progress in New England in the development of site-preservation initiatives. This is essemial to the long--tcrm rnaimcnancc of some of our Region's best sites. Without further dialog and work, some of our best sites may be at risk in the not-to-distant future. l believe more work needs to be done in this arena.

I will encourage the growth and developmellt of new instructors, new USHGA Observers, and clubs to better represent the USHGA system and provide guidance and safety to our flying sites.

Please support me in the next two years.

As well, I encourage any of you to work more with me or your local clubs to make flying better iu New England.

REGION IX FeltjH: Amunategui

Nominee

I started hang gliding in 1979, and since l relocated from South America in '8 l [ have been involved with a very active group of pilots in Ohio. Tc) date I have accu mularcd well over 1,000 hours of air-· time through a combination offoot-· launched and towing flights. I hold Advanced and ATP ratings and I have served as an Observer for our Region.

Recently, most my flying has been aero-tow-based, bur I make sure to keep current in the ancient an of foot--launching by attending fly-ins and other hill-based activities. l subsidize my flying habits by practicing psychology. I have experience dealing with complex organizations and serving on committees responsible f-c)r policies and procedures. I am easily accessible through e-mail and telephone, and l am commiued to being responsive ro the needs and concerns of pilots throughout the Region, regardless of their winged persuasion.

I arn running for Regional Director to help with keeping our sport alive and growi11g in our area. [ am interested in promoting sd/:rcgulation through safo, responsible flying and a positive public image. I am also interested in increasing the awareness of USl--fGA administration about issues that· impact the sport in our corner of t:hc Region, such as rhe lack of'

or

NOVJ:MflER 2000

certified instructors and the preservation and addition of flying sites. Since much of our flying is row-based, and it takes place at airports, I also wish to be part of a movemcm to increase awareness and acceptance of hang gliding and paragliding by the general aviation community.

REGJONX David Glover

Incumbent

Hello pilots or AI,, FL, GA, NC, PR, SC, TN and the Virgin Islands.

I care deeply about our sport; ask anyone who knows me. I have made my home in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina to work wirh three different schools for over a decade. J now no longer work at Lookout but still live in the landing field. I have invested a great deal of my own time and money into understanding how the Association works and building relationships. It takes time to become effective and I am making a difference. J will represent all pilots in the Region vigorously. l have much more work to do.

To be elected USI-IGA President, I must be a Regional Director. I have more work to do as Regional Director and President. l don't represent a single issue or cause; I want what is best for all members.

Almost daily I answer questions, return e-mails and phone calls. l have a strong vision for the sport.

There arc important issues I am dealing with: Site access, magazine content and design, FAA exemptions, flight park growth, insurance benefits, website changes, ;:i new revitalized USHCA Foundation, and member communication. 'fake a frw rninurcs to complete the ballot and send it in. Please vote and ler me continue.

Thanks. Call or e-mail me: ('706) 6578485, davidQildavidglovcr.com.

7?'/<i Mashy

Nominee

Some hang gliding buddies nominated me to nm for Region 10 Director. Afrcr thinking about it, [ realized this could be a pcrfr:ct role for me to pursue. I live, cat and breath hang gliding, and this would be an excellent opportunity for me to give sornething back to this sport that has given me so much. 'le) that end, I believe the key to our CVO· lution is working together ro promote

hang gliding to cnrrcnt and potential enthusiast·s, and show those outside our comrnuniry--··- the media, our friends, our family and "Joe the l ,and Owner" respect and loyalty we have for each other and our sport.

Also, let us not frlrget that it is USI-TCJ\'s mission to "preserve and expand pilots' opportunities to fly." Accordingly, we must remember that the lifeblood of our sport courses through the veins of our newbies, the new people coming imo hang gliding.

Their increasing numbers will insure the longevity and evolution of our spon. So, ir is essential that we concentrate on safer, more comprehensive training programs (beginner through advanced), more prudent: competition guidelines and an overall "rally-round-tbe-flag" type support for our local hang gliding shops and flying sites. · lwcnty years ago 1was drawn into hang gliding because of the fun, freedorn :md excitement of flying (and the really cute guys was just a bonus), bm it was the kindred spirit and the camaraderie which made me stay. I would like to use this opportunity as Regional Director to give our organization a "get high, go far" shoL of adrenaline. Keeping our passion for flying burning. Michael "I Iollywood" Champlin once told me: "This [hang gliding] is great ... l hope I always foci this way." And he did. 'fo fiirthcr the feeling behind these simple words would be my goal.

This concludes my sermon !cir today Now, if that didn\ bore you enough, here is a brief description of my background: Master Rating, Advanced Tmclem lnstruc· tor, Acrotug Pilot, two World Records (disrancc), two National Records (distance), college educated, 16 years as a paralegal, media savvy, I've flown all over the world, and I am tenacious as all get out. Addition-· ally, I adore"! Love Lucy" reruns and "The Three Stooges" arc my favorite comedians.

Enough said. l hereby ask for your support in electing me Regional Director of Region 10. Thanks for listening. Fly safo.

REGION XI No election this year.

REGION XII lncurnhent 111111 Pmd Voight

LE NS THE GOLD The U.S. Women's Team Brings Home the Bronze in Greece!

by CJ. Sturtevant, with inputJ,-om Carol Sperry's posts to the OZ Report andJudy Hikiebrand's e-mails to Alice J,-om Greece

THE U.S. TEAM

CULTURAL CHALLENGES, OR WHAT MAKES INTERNATIONAL COMPS REALLY INTERESTING

Kari Castle, gold medalisc in the '96 Women's Wo rld Meec in OZ, is a consistentl y high scorer in every comp she enters, and a T here's always a language challenge, but in Greece, willing and pacient mentor ' this also emailed an alphatoward her less-experienced ceammates. bet challenge. What Patti Cameron spent looked like a perfectly normal capital "P" was in fact much of the past year in Florida getting the airtime "rho" and sounded like her home scare of Col"R. " When the Greeks want "P" they use "pi" orado can't provide, and honing her cross-country yo u know that one from The US. team, (Carol, Patti, Judy, C.j. , C/.aireandKari)showingojftheirspijfy skills under Mike Barber's yo ur calculator. Highway flight suits. Photo by George Sturtevant. excellent tutelage. signs looked like problems straight from a thirdClaire Pagen's experisemester physics book, and our first attempt ence in international competicion, skillful for Greece. His incredible cross-country to navigate with maps and road signs from flying, and strong decermination inevicably expertise, extensive reaching experience, and earn her the respecc of her teammaces.

Athens to Pia.teas was nearly as anxiecy-proawesome and creative glider repair skills (the airlines were not gentle with our Stealths) ducing as a physics final exam.

C.J. Scurtevant, also a seasoned international competitor, brought her newlyThen there's Greek time. We never did made him worth his weight, and then some, in gold. Mike was convinced that chis ream acquired topless gl ider to Greece wich the get chis totally sorted out. In our experience, roosters crow at sun-up. Noc on Greek time firm conviccion that this wo uld be her besthad medal potential, and his confidence and ever finish in a world championship. coaching were key components in making it - they started warming up around 2:00 Judy Hildebrand is new to the internahappen. We love you, Mikey!

AM, got down to serious practice a few hours tional competition scene but she's a well-sealater, and presented their finished opus some George Srunevanr once again headed the soned pilot wi th bouncUess energy and U .S. Women's reuieve crew. H e's been chastime near sunrise. Dogs are not usually nocenthusiasm in both her flying and her fundmrnal, but in Greece they seemed to spend ing C.J. and her teammates through four raising efforrs (see fond-raising sidebar). world championships and too-many-romost of the night barking the lacest canine Carol Sperry, whose first world meet was gossip to their buddies on the other side of coum U.S . comps, and by now he can also her first trip abroad, proved that gutsy retrieve his pilots in a timely manner no town. Bakeries didn'c open umil long pasc flying, never-failing good humor, and suong matter where in the world we land. Add our breakfasc time, but the gypsy trucks ratteam spirit can make even a rookie a signifiKari's friends Brian Kibler and Cookie tled into town shortly afrer che rooster percant member of a medal-winning team. formance, their bullhorns blaring as tl1ey Ogilvy and, briefly, Judy's good buddy Rick Ganone, stage them along the course line pedcUed everything from fruits and veggies OUR "COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT according to Mike's direction, and we had co resin chairs co boxes of warm, limp-lookWITHOUT 'EM" SUPPORT CREW one smooth-functioning, fast-working ing fish . No alarm clocks needed in Greece!

Mike Barber had coached the U.S. Women retrieve system. We are grateful to you all!

And Greek dinner time was not when we in Hungary in '98, and with a minimum of pilots needed it: early, so we could catch a arm-twisting agreed to be our ream leader few hours of sleep before those roosters start-

16

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A Taste of Hang Gliding

Introductory Weekend Package $399.00 Immerse yourself in hang gliding during this 2 to 4 day training program and get the most in a short time! Any 2 to 4 days of time will do.

Achieve Your Beginner Aerotow And Foot Launch Ratings • No Experience Necessary • Beginner Ground School • 20 Training Hill Flights • 3 Tandem Aerotow Instructional Flights To 2,000 Feet • Can be upgraded to a Novice package In just 2 to 4 days, you can achieve the skills necessary to successfully complete the requirements for the Beginner ratings. Students learn to launch and land a hang glider on our 65 foot training hill and acquire beginner flying skills through our high altitude lessons with an instructor by your side. High altitude tandem instructional flights are the perfect complement to your hill training lessons!

Discovery Tandem Flight $129.00 Ages 6 to 86 Have Flown Tandem Try Hang Gliding Once for memories that last a lifetime! Soar like an Eagle in this purest form of flight! In-Flight Photos Available.

No Experience Necessary. Fly with a certified instructor pilot by your side for a birds eye view of beautiful Lookout Mountain. This flight is to 2,000 feet. 12 to 20 minutes of flying time. Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Novice Training Pacl<ages Each of the Novice Training Packages listed on the following pages are designed to provide students with a more comprehensive learning experience necessary to fly solo for the first time from the mountain or behind the ultralight. Students achieve the skills necessary for your pilot rating. Our students have the opportunity to train exclusively on our grassy slope training hills or to combine training hill lessons with state-of-the-art tandem flight training for the best integrated approach to learning how to fly hang gliders in the country. Tandem training makes learning to fly easier and more fun. In fact, increasing numbers of students now choose to learn to fly solo with tandem instruction only.

Lookout Mountain's Training Packages Lookout Mountain trains more pilots to the novice level than any other flight school

Our Most Popular Package

Eagle Package $999 .00 T he Integrated Training Approach ! St ate-oft he-art Tandem Aerotow Instruction is t he perfect complement t o hill t raining and provides t he best method of learning.

Mountain Package $599.00 Fly solo in the mountai ns in as few as five t o t en days. You just can't beat t his price.

Designed Fo r The Active Student O n A T ight Budget!

Ach ieve your Beginner and Novice Foot Launch ratings • Begi nner Ground School • 50 training hill flights • Mountain Ground School • 3 supervised 1340' mountain solo flights This is the best priced solo mountain flight package from the # I schoo l! Lookout Mountain Flight School has trai ned and

- -,-, ce=rt-ifret:I ·

A ch ieve your Beginner and Novice Foot Launch ratings, your Beginner Aerotow rating and fly solo in the mountains in one week or less.

• Beginner Ground School • 6 instructional tandem flights • 50 trai ni ng hill flights • Mountain Ground School • 4 supervised 1340' mountain solo flights ***Additional tandems $75 .00 each if needed

V.I.P. Package $1495.00 The Best Value! The Most Training, The Most Preparation, and The Most Flying Time!

Achieve you r Beginner and Novice ratings, your Beginner Aerotow rating, and fly solo in less than one week.

• Beginner Ground School • 12 instructional tandem flights • Guaranteed foot launch skills • Mountain Ground School • 5 supervised 1340' mountain solo flights • Official Training Manual • One-year USHGA membership • USHGA Beginner and Novice ratings • Complimentary use of the training hills • Free Parachute Clinic

The Eagle Package incorporates the best of traditional aviation instruction in a hang gliding format. Students progress faster and are more confident and better prepared than ever before for solo mountain flying and soaring.

** I 0% discount on all flight gear (excluding gliders)

T he majority of students incorporate high alt itude tandem fligh t t rain ing int o thei r program . Tandem instructional flights offer an unprecedented amount of actual flying time for students . (One tandem instructional flight provides yo u more actual flying t ime than 50 training hill flights.) Emphasis is placed first on developing your flying skills through multiple tandem instructional flights.

Intensive tandem training enables you to take your flying skills to the training hills w here you learn to foot launch and land in a quicker, mo re skilled manner.

a generous savings. It provides the most reliable, streamlined training program for the focused , time-conscious individual who enjoys the benefits of inclusive payment.

***Additional tandems $75 .00 each if needed

This package combines all the best features of each of our training packages for a -~ e d l- - - - -- - -- - - - - - -- - -- -completely-integrated-approad "rto-fearning at

pilots as any other school in the count ry.

During the past 15 years, more Novice rated pilots have fl own solo off Lookout Mountain t han at any ot her site in the country.

T his training package is specially designed to develop the ski lls necessary fo r our students t o successfully co mplete your Beginner and Novice Foot Launch rat ings and t o achieve your first su pervised solo mountain flights.

St udents begi n t rai ning on flat ground and learn to launch , fly and land on o ur 65-foot grassy train ing hill . You progress at your own rate, learning how to execute tu rns and perfect your landings on our 125foot train ing hill . On ce you have gradu ated fro m our com prehens ive hill trai ning program , yo u are ready fo r your first supervised solo mou nt ain flights. The Mountain Package can be ext ended over a longer period of time. We recommend that st udents be in moderat ely good physical condition t o qualify for this package .

You gain valuable fl ying experience at alt itude and you have t he opportun ity to practi ce setting up lan ding approaches .

This traini ng package is designed fo r t he student wh o is t ime co nscious and desires to spend mor e tim e in t he ai r and less t ime on the groun d during you r t raining. Most students fly so lo in the mountains in one week o r less.

Students benefit greatly from nearly three hours of actual flying time with a certified instructor by your side before you solo from the mountain. Students are flying in the mountains and soaring sooner and many students may require only a limited number of additional tandems to qualify to fly solo behind the ultralight.

Solo aerotowing is a fun , fast, effective way to accumulate air time to qualify you for intermediate and advanced pilot ratings. The VIP package also enables students to return to the t raining hills to practice launching and landing even after you have soloed in the mountains.

Most students fly solo in the mountains in less than one week or in two weekends of time.

Novice Flight Camp $899.00 Campers have more fun learning to fly! Immerse yourself in hang gliding for one week and enjoy the camaraderie of other students.

Lodging included.

Achieve your Beginner and Novice Foot Launch ratings , Beginner Aerotow rating, and fly solo in the mountains.

• 6 nights and 7 days of lodging in the Landing Zone bunkhouse • Beginner Ground School • 50 training hill flights • 3 tandem instructional aerotow flights to 2,000 feet • 3 supervised solo mountain flights from I , 340 foot Lookout Mountain

Tandem aerotow training provides the most air time and makes learning to fly accessible to a wider variety of people. Have fun learning to fly with a certified instructor by your side. This package is ideal for students who do not want to learn to fly on the training hills as a result of preference, a previous sports injury, or physical conditioning.

Students learn to fly tandem at altitude with an instructor. Lookout uses ultralights specially designed to tow hang gliders for towed tandem training flights. The student and instructor are flying side by side in the tandem glider. The tandem training glider has big wheels permanently mounted to it for landing gear. This allows for gentle, rolling launches and landings on level ground. Your body does not touch the ground during any part of the flight.

***Transportation and meals not included. Transportation is required. One year time limit on camps, no refund for shorter stays. Lodging not included on subsequent visits.

The tandem hang glider is towed to 2000 feet behind the ultralight plane much like a water skier is towed behind a boat. Once the desired altitude is reached, the instructor releases from the tow vehicle and you and the instructor are free flying side by side in the tandem glider. Students learn to fly the tandem glider, tow the tandem glider behind the ultralight, launch the tandem glider, set up an approach, and land the tandem glider. Once a student can perform these five tasks consistently, without assistance from your instructor, you are ready to solo tow in a hang glider that is just the right size for you.

Novice Aerotow Pilot Package $1349.00 Tandem aerotow instruction, no training hills required! Students fly solo in as few as 3 to 4 days.

Achieve your Beginner, Novice, and Aerotow ratings • Beginner Ground School • 15 instructional aerotow tandem flights to 2,000 feet • 3 solo aerotow flights to 2000 feet, all equipment included • Official Training Manual • One-year USHGA membership • USHGA Beginner and Novice ratings

Solo tow pilots do rolling launches from a launch cart and big wheels are attached to the basetube of your glider for rolling landings.

Students may decide to go to the training hills to iearn to iand the glider on your feet either during or after your tandem training. Rolling in on your wheels is a perfectly acceptable way of landing a hang glider in a nicely groomed, grass field like the one at Lookout.

,.. I 0% discount on all flight gear (excluding gliders) ***Additional tandems $75.00 each if needed (Note: Solo Aerotow Special Skill Sign-Off requires a minimum of 3 solo flights and demonstration of certain skills.)

Rates and Information A Taste of Hang Gliding

Cost

Step 1

Tandem Hill Min Experience Complete Possible Ratings Flights Flights Flights In: Needed Hang 1 Hang 2 Foot Aero Launch tow 1 Hour None 5 None Half Day 2 or 15 Hill None 1 Day Beginner 3 2-4 Days 20 None

Tandem Discovery Flight Introduction to the Hills Introductory Package Weekend Package

$129 $129 $199 $399

Learn to Fly! Step 1 or Step 2 Mountain Package Eagle Package VIP Package• Novice Aerotow Package• Novice Flight Camp

$599 $999 $1495 $1349 $899

None None None

$299 $249 $149 $349 $299 $199

Fly Pkg. Fly Pkg. H2 H2 H2 H3

Continued & Advanced Learning Step 3 Accelerated Tandem Package Training Hills Upgrade Mtn . Solo Clinic (no glider) Novice Aerotow Clinic lntermed. Clinic (no glider) Advanced Aerotow Clinic

Solo Tows

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5-10 Days 4-7 Days 4-7 Days 4-7 Days 7 Days

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1 Day Your Pace 1 Day 1 Day Your Pace Hang 3 1 Day

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50 50

3 4

100+ 0 50

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None None None 3 None

3 100+ 3 3

3 12

• Includes training manual, USHGA Dues and I 0% discount on all equipment except glider.

800.688.5637 • www.hanglide.com

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Lodging

Ground School

Training Film

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ornate traditional costumes, who must've been grateful for the unseasonable chill dur-ing their hour--long performance. A spectacular burst of fireworks signaled the end of the formalities, and (finally!) it was time to cat.

Our American stomachs never did adjust to the lateness of dinner in Greek time!

THE Sundt1y, June 18, D1iy 1 Rain in Greece in June? Not likely, declare the locals, bur whatever was dripping from the early-morning clouds, along with 1he gusiy winds, was suffkicnr to convince the organizers to cancel the first day's task. Perhaps the gods were taking pity on the U.S. team: Patti had encountered a nasty microbe and was for too ill to fly; and Carol's glider was still in need of Mike's repair skills. We gave thanks for small favors, and drove om with our retrieve crew to tour the turnpoints we had not yet seen from the air. ed warming up. Most restaurants wouldn't start serving until I 0:00 l'M or so. fr took us a while to figure out how the Greeks avoid sleep deprivation: on Greek time, everything closes up shortly after noon, and everybody goes home for a long nap through the heal of the afternoon. Too bad the soarable part of the day came when we were supposed to be sleeping, Greek time.

BEFORE THJ<: MEET Except for Carol, the U.S. team planned to gather in Greece a week or rwo early to practice. But airline-induced damage to Patti's and Judy's gliders kept them grounded for several days while they struggled to wrest new crossbars from 1he clutches of customs or waited on parts being brought over by later-arriving teammates. Meanwhile, Kari reported excellent flying conditions, soon confirmed by Claire's observations that in all her visits to Greece she had never encountered such high cloudbase or pervasive lift.

As Mike worked diligently to repair gliders, we poured libations to the weather gods asking them to conrinuc their favors for the duration of the meet.

Within hours of receiving 1hc needed parts, Mike had his ream airborne and flying tasks throughout the valley. Below us in Plateas, meet organizer (and former Creek Women's Team member) Lillia11 LeBlanc and her srnff were Gne-tuning the scoring system. Although the meet was originally planned for photo verification of turn points, meet director Danny Uchytil (a U.S. pilot who directed the Chelan Women's World Meet in Chelan in '94 and will also direct the 2002 Women's Worlds, again in Chelan) 18

was hoping to nrn a state-of-the-art virtual meet with CPS-verified rnrnpoints. But no world meet had ycr been nm to rally virtually, and concern ;ibout possible scoring glitches led Dan and l ,illian to opt for CPS verifica-tion with photo backup. Who could have foreseen rbat a turnpoint photo would be responsible for a near tragedy?

On the last practice day, the wearhcr gods must've decided we were having too rnuch fun in rbese awesome flying conditions. A rogue cold front blew through, with a rapidly developing storm rhat nearly sucked Patti into a cloud and had Kari and Claire backing into their landing fields. Our retrieve drivers were heroes tl1at afternoon, rescuing us from conditions so strong that all we could do was hang on to our gliders until help arrived.

Early tha1 same morning, from the mountain temple at Delphi (the hangout of the ofr-consulred oracle of ancient days), a toga-clad group of Greek runners had set out to carry the sacred fire 50 miles to our opening ceremony in Platcas. As evening approached, the town square in Plateas became a Babel of languages with the competirors, their support teams, and much of the local populace milling about in the chilly dampness. Cheers from the kids keeping lookout announced the approach of the lau1-el-crowncd runners; the teams quickly assembled on the church steps to applaud the arrival of the torch, and wirh the transfer of the Aame r-o the local tripod, our games were declared open! Welcome speeches were expertly translated from Greek to English by Lillian. Then we were emertained by profossional frilk dancers dressed in bcamifully

Mondt1y, June 19, Dt1y 2 The task: a .38-milc triangle beginning with a 12-mile upwind leg to T\Jrnpoint .3 (sec map), then 18 miles crosswind to TP9, with the final eight miles back to goal in Plateas.

Reasonable launch conditions and strongly working clouds had the entire field in the air and out on course quickly; Flying conditions looked similar to the epic days of the practice week and we expected an exciting run. Natalie Petrova of Russia ("Little Natalie") found more excitement than she wanted: a rapidly developing cloud, a 15mph north-northeast wind, and the washingmachine air at "The Gap" forced her over the back. She had a safe landing near TPl but, since no one witnessed her flight path, she was the focus of much concern for a long while that day.

Meanwhile, back at the ridge, the rest of us were experiencing the soon-·to-becomefamiliar rurlmlcncc and sink at "The Gap," where the ancient route from Athens to Thiva (now ;i paved highway) cuts through the mountains. ln the days of the epic heroes, bandits lurked along this road, cutting travelers down and robbing them of their valuables. Perhaps the gods enjoy watching a good fight if so, we kept them well cnter'.,ai!ml :,vith ,;mr daily struggles to overcome Cap Suck.

Only a handful of competitors managed a successful crossing of The Gap on this first task: Kari, UK's Niki Hamilton, and Rosi Brarns and Sybille Baumer-Fischer from Germany scratched their way past and on to the first turn point, with Claire landing just three miles short of the TP As for the rest of us, it was as if someone had pulled the plug on the HANG Gl!DINC

lifr: in one short four-mile stretch threefourths of rhc flcld got Cap sucked to the ground.

Kari's cloud-reading skills kept her airborne along a line that rounded the second turnpoim to win the day with a 30-mile Oight, and Claire's tenacity put her just liir enough beyond the Gap to count. With Kari in the lead and ( :laire tied frir sixth place, the U.S. was off to a strong stan.

Titesdtt)i, June 20, Dt1y 3 \Xlinds were similar to the previous day, with fewer clouds: a 25.5-mile task to TP2, back to launch, out to Tll8 and into goal was called. Kari siayecl high and streaked around the course and imo goal just rhrec min mes behind Fr:rnc;oisc Mocellin of hancc. Pani, finally recovered from her illness, landed just 2.5 miles short of goal. C.J. bombed after nearly an hour of scratching near launch, but the rctTieve crew waiting in the l.Z had her back in the air in rime to 11y to the first TP and abom three miles back, scoring third frir the team for the day.

Carol's tussle with The Gap put her in a precarious position deep in the mmmrains.

I !er cool-headedness and strong skills allowed her a safe landing in a seemingly unlandablc area at a quarry at the pass, bm she became our only retrieve "casua!t y" of the meet when misinformation about her being picked up by another team's driver lcfr her stranded by the roadside for hours.

The Ccrman ream lost two members to serious injuries this round. Monika Schonsteiner suffered a severely broken arm land ing near the second Tl~ and was flown back to Germany for surgery. Monique Werner's accident was far more serious: she rumbled and broke her I.aminar while attempting ro take her photo at the lirsr ·1 ·p Apparently when she reached for her camera she inad-vcrtcndy grabbed her drogue 'chute as well.

She explained later that she'd intended to hold on ro the drogue while she took the photo and then figure out how Lo disable the drogue and continue her flight. Unfortunately, she lost hold of' the drogue, which deployed over her basct ube, tucking and breaking her glider a11d putting her imo such a violcm spin that she was unable to deploy her reserve parachrne. She spun in from about 800 leer, and only rhe 01H he-scene presence of the ( ;ennan team's doctor, some able assisrancc from other reams' support crew (i11cludi11g our Mike Barber and Rick Catrone), and the speedy arrival of the rescue helicopter prcvcnrcd a tragedy. Mi raculously, although her injuries were severe enough to be lifr'--thrcatcning lrir a time (facial injuries, ruptured splee11 and other NOVIMBER 2000

Kari sets up right on lmmch, with infinite 1/.'.r out in the utdley. Photo ft1!u'n hy George the patio on 1he hiosk. internal i11jurics), she was in stable condition a few days later and able to be airlifrcd home

for recovery.

nr,y

WednesdrtJI, June 21, 1 Rising temperature heralded the :1rrival of summer; winds remained north-northcasr I 0- I and cloudbase was high. Pilots climhcd easily to several thousand feet ahovc the Mr. Kitheron ridge to cnjoy incredible views of the ( ;ulf of' ( :orimh during the race across The Cap to TP2 011 the first leg. But instead of returning along the mountains, this task took us five rnilcs upwind to TP4 out in the valley, then 12 miles crosswind to TP7, and 011 a final two-mile leg inro goal.

Kari blazed down ridge while the rest or us worked more conservatively, team flying to spot thermals for each orhcr so we all were able lo cross The Cap high and wit hour incident. But the lilt hecame more elusive as the day wore on. Kari, in the lead gaggle on the way to the second· rf; veered off a bit to rhe cast in search ofbcrrcr lifr under a line of clouds. She landed just beyond the second turnpoint.

'I 'he rest or us groveled together at the first TP Judy went down there, and we lost track of Patti when her radio died. Claire, Carol and C:.J. spread out and flew search mode across the valley toward the second 'I']'. No one f<nmd ,rnything workable. Carol

glided farthest ro score that clay for the team.

And what about Patti? We'd lost rrack of her at that flrsr rnrnpoinr because she had drifted for off course to the cast while scratching low. Serendipitously, she happrncd into a convergence that rook her high enough to blaze across to the second T[J and back to the ridge. (With no radio, she was unable to call the rest of us into her climb.)

She then worked the ridge back ro launch, ran out to· l V7 and back to goal, rhc last of the day's three finishers and our team's rop scorer for the day.

Although the U.S. team had crossed The ( ;ap unscathed, one or the Bri rs was 1101 so lucky. Phillipa Jarvis was scratching in the turlrnlencc at '500 feet when her comrol bar was snatched from her hands and she f<mnd herself· on her sail. She reported later rhat, just as she was reaching for her parachmc, she spotted her basctubc coming back wirhin reach. With quick presence of mind she grabbed rhc basctube rather than the dcploymcnr handle, righted her glider, determined that it was still airworthy, and aimed straight for the first clear fkld for a safe landing. The Cap chalked up another and Phillipa became (obviously!) Hippa frir the duration of the competition.

At rhe cnd of this third round, the ( ;ermans, down to a four-mcrnbcr team, still held first place with Ii, 1% points.'] 'he

19

french were in second with 3,862 points and the U.S. was close behind with 3,807.

Thursday, June 22, Day 5 Summer began to exert its influence; tern-peratures soared into the hundreds, but gliders found soaring challenging as the air mass became more stable. The task committee called a 38-mile fishbowl run: om to TP7, back to launch, over to 'l 'P2 (eliciting groans of "not again, Dan!"), back to la11nch, along the: ridge to a newly designated lllrnpoint just short of Erithres, then bacl< to goal.

Our retrieve crew put on a stellar performance this task. Although Kari climbed through the: inversion on an early launch, the rest of the team was not so fortunate.

Patti, Carol and Claire launched shortly after Kari, worked low for a while but went down. George and Mike rushed to the LZ to help them break clown for a rcflight. Judy and C.J. waited, as gliders continued to rain into the LZ. Judy finally gave it a shot, found light lift out in from oflaunch, broke through the inversion and was on her way, eventually making it around rhe first two turnpoints ro score third for our tearn. !>:mi attempted to follow Judy's climb-out but instead plummeted to the I.'/,, Mike rushed down to get her, while Ccorge helped the others get ready to go. Jr was after 3:00 PM, and the launch window closed at 4:00.

Claire, Carol and CJ. launched in a light cycle, scratched briefly, then sank out.

Claire, who has had !ors of practice with light air and mulliplc reflights at the East Coast Championships, landed running and kept on running until she was in the breakdown area. Already it was 3:40 only with all of us scrambling to break down one glider and rush one pilot up the bill and off launch could we hope to get another teammate on course. Claire's experience made her the obvious choice, and a frenzy of flying battens and f1·antic instructions had her on top, set up, prcflighred and ready to hunch, right behind Patti as meet-director Dan shouted the two-minute warning. The wind cycled in, and Patti dove off with Claire right on her heels. That heroic burst of team effort gave Claire an eighth-place Finish for the day. Patti made the first two turnpoints, crossed The Gap on her way to TP2 and landed just short of]udy and very short of water. The retrieve crew, still on the ball, had the outbnders packed up, rehydrated, and back to town in time frir dinner in spite of the late sm rt.

Carol and C.J., left behind to pack up their gliders in the I.Z (also the goal field), found some compensation in watching the finishers Frnnc,:oisc first with Kari a frac··

20

Whow,is there: Thirry~pne competitors from c.ightcountrics: af:i.11! rcarn of sil) from the U.S. and Gcnmmy, teams of five frmn Ft:ancc and J,ipim, a team <it fo11r fmrn Kazakhstan, two pilots from Russ.ia, two from Britain, and only Bull from Australia.

What they flew: Nine karo Lar:ninars, eight Aeros th1·ce Wills Wlng Fusions, two b1Mouctte 'fop fesses (inel.uding Claire, who was Hstcd as flying a Fusion i.11 the offlcial results), one each Bullet Cm RCS; Moyes Lircspecd, Se:cdwings V14, Ba11tek Twister; Solar Wings SeandaLind Wills Wing Sp.on. The gliders flow11 by three: pilots (from Russia and I<~zakhstan) were not 1dentificdit1.·thc offidalresulrs..

When: Mid-hmeis peak seaS01J in ticc days, 13th to 24th C<ll1)pGdtion days.

Eady June through the J7th were p111c-

Pia

Where: 'The competition was staged from the tiny town of teas, about two h()m·s' drive nonhwest fro111 Athens. Launch, about 2,100 feet MSL but only l,OOOfeet above ·the valley floor, was on the tlOtth side of the. ridge th:.:tt includes 4,200-foot Mt. Kitheron. "Over the back".from Kitherotl is the Gulf of Corinth and our favorite ming beach. On the map the beach is Aglos Vasil!os.(St. Basil), .btit we dubbed it "Calac mari Beach" once we'd tasted the specialty of the beachside Luckily, the beach w,ts an easy half-hour drive from Platcas, as there was no place to land nearby and sati~fy our seafood hungrics.

The HS. team was housed with cwo local families, a delightlbl{mostly) imrn<:Tsion in the local culture. Launch was just minutes from "home, all rurnpointswere in the valley bdow, and tbe goal/bomb-out field was directly below tb.e takeoff point.

Ifowthe tasks.were scoJ·ed: laskforrnat was race-to-goal. All tasl~s triangles, ot· other more emnplex JX>lygons withmiiltiplc turnpo.ints . . valle1y. Te.a.m scores were calculated by adding the individual scores.of the team's top three finishers each day. While Kad, Patti and Claire were our most consistent high scorers; ofus contdbutcd at least once to the team score, making our brnnzc rncdal m1ly a tca.tn accom plishm.ent.

tion of a second behind streak across the goal line. Corinna from Ccrrnany and another French competitor, Stella, were the only orhers to complete the day's course.

The U.S. team's incredibly coordinated effort to get Cl:iire launched, coupled with her tenacious flying around the flrst three rnmpoints for a 17-mile flight, kept us flrrnly in conrcntion for a medal.

June 2.3, Day 6 A good lapse rate, cu's forming early, cloudbase above I 0,000 foct, light wind with a decided cross from the cast this was clear-ly a day for racing! A 42-mile "quadrilateral with a tail" was called, from TP2 ("Not again, Dan!") out to TP4, down the valley to TP IO and hack lo bunch, then om to TF7 and in to goal. With rhc light wind and few straight cycles, launch was a hit more challenging. Kari was off with rhc lead gaggle, staying high and zipping around the course

and into goal with the winning rime of 2 hours 35 minutes. Claire and Patti were flying together not far behind. C.J. got low at The Gap and lost the pack, eventually sinking our on the third side of the guadrilatcral just as Patti and Claire were going on final glide. Carol and Judy took several starts bur were unable to get away from launch and horn bed, joining seven orhcr disgruntled competitors and 15 jubilant finishers in the LZ/goal field. At the end of the round Kari had a solid grip on the gold medal, and the U.S. ream was firmly in third place. One more day with three of our pilots at goal would give us a shot at the silver.

Saturday, June Day 7 Perfect conditions for a final task: lots of cu's, high cloudbase, light wind. The task committee delighted us with a call for a GS-mile run west to TP14 (no TP2!) and back to goal. A paraglider pilot wind-dummied in a H1\NC GLIDINC

slight downwind but immediately specked out; everyone bustled into warm clothing and jockeyed For position in the launch line.

And there we stood, dripping sweat and watching our wind dummy heading on course ar cloudhasc, as the wind picked up and blew steadily down the hill. "l .ittlc Natalie" managed ro survive launching in a near-lull, but couldn't get high. I fer teammate "Big Natalie'' dragged a wingtip on takeoff but had uo more success in finding lilt. Both Russians were soon in the LI.. The flags were now convincingly showing a tailwind, with enough velocity to make waiting in the heat while dressed fr)r altitude almost survivable.

J\n hour went hy with no change. Neva Bull, the usually aggressive Aussie, took oil her helmet. Pilots began unzipping /light suits, then harnesses. The Natalies arrived back ou top, in no hurry to ser up again.

Support crews walked the flight line with bottles of water. Pilots checked watches, checked the windsock, began shedding harnesses and jackets and turning off instrn-mcnts. J\s the time edged closer to 4:00 PM the U.S. team armed themselves with foll water bottles and casually sauntered in Kari's direction. When the whistle's blast declared her the World Champion and us the bronze medalists, the celebrating began!

Breaking down together on top took on a_ party a,;r~ospherc, with frcqu~nt intcrrup-,, 11011s to (,ct over here and be m my phoro! and "Write your e--mail address here in my notebook." As everyone finished packing up the party moved to the beach for a Creektime dinner barbecue and late-night festivities, which for some continued straight through to the awards ceremony rhc next morn mg.

Tc:im gold went to the Germans, in spire of their having flown most of the comp with only four pilots. The rrcnch took horh the team and the individual silver, with Fran<_;:oisc Mocellin finishing 142 points behind Kari. Neva Bull from Australia was third overall. J\nd the U.S. team, for the first time ever, experienced rhat all-over goosebumps pride and elation as the Star Span-glcd Banner played for our teammate Kari and we sported hronze medals of our own.

Was this seventh Women's World Championships a succcssfi.rl competition? Based on our individual and team performances, the U.S. women would answer wirh a resounding In comparison with the organization and management of past women's comps, this one measured up well.· l'bc tasks were challenging, the Creek people were welcoming, the food was awesome, the weather cooper;ited. The competitors clearly

Novnv111rn 2000

Pilot Castle, K.ari Mocellin, Francoise

Btil!, Neva Brams, Rosi Schwiegershausen, Corinna

Khamlova, .Natalia Merillon, Stella B,,emne.r- Pischer,. Sybille .

Regina Cameron, Patti Folmer, Valcdc Hamilton, Niki

Pagen, Claire Suymna, So11oe Guignard, Christi t}e

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.JPN FR.A JPN RUS JPN

'fakahashi, Eril"o Petrova, Namlhi Kagawa, Sh()kO S,i:fonova, Viktoria

Icaro Laminar Aeros.Stealth

Savina, Elena ;

WWSpoi't

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Sturtevant, C.J. Hildebra11d,.JudyBaudeloche, Nath:;(!fo .Jarvis, Philippa Sperry, Carol Yako, Mitsuko Mirakova, Elena

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Matanyu, Amina Werner, Monique

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expressed their opinion that this Women's World Meer was an experience worth repeating, as so many farewells ended with the same phrase: "Sec you next time in Chelan!"

FUND RAISING Competition success was not based solely on the flying skills of the six team members.

The messes of high-level competition can interfere with a pilot's ability to pcrfrmn her bcsr, but having the support of the flying community definitely mitigates the effects of rhat stress. The Y2K Women's Hang Gliding 'I cam extends a heartfelt "thank you" to all who offered their support, both financial and in so many other, often intangible, fashions.

The Wornen's 'learn invariably has l 00%1 of the team members working toward funding the competition expenses. Judy Hildebrand paired up with former U.S. Women's 'foam member /\lice Engelhardt /cir some spectacular movin' and shakin' rhar resulted

USA FR.A

GBR

USA JPN

KAZ

DEU KAZ

DEO

in the Greece trip being almost completely financed through fond raising. Judy and Alice, we enjoyed your hilarious e-mail updates of your exploits and adventures as cooks and con artists. 'Thanks ro both o/' you, from all of us!

Specifically, and in no particular order, we'd also like to acknowledge and thank: Captain Vince Vitta and rhe "Southern Belle" riverboat for hosting the Chattanooga event Gosling's Rum for sponsoring Judy individually, and for all their donations of rum for the team fi.mdraising cvcnrs Man 'I abcr and Lookout Mountain Hight Park for providing the flight simulator few the Southern B~llc parry ® Ken and Doris Pollari for a generous cash donation • Malcolm Jones and all the staff at Wallaby Ranch for hosting our tog:1 party and silent auction, and for their very visible support

Continued on page 48.

21

AWESOME FLYING ADVENTURES IN

The Texas Skies

by Gaynelle Roach, Mike Degtoff, and Dennis Domfest

Mike Degroff had test-flown the day before. The process for wiring the glider with me pyros was long and tedious, but boch Dan and Dennis worked rogemer mroughour the hot day, and an awesome flight occurred later that evening.

Mike Degroff wrote about his experience as a pilot in this spectacular event and oppormnicy. His srory, giving an excellent account of me entire day, fo llows.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2000, TEXAS STYLE - BY MIKE DEGTOFF

POWER OF FREEDOM FESTIVAL This past summer has been a whirlwind of various flying events for Austin Air Spores (AAS). After our rerurn from Florida back in April, where we participated in the Wallaby Open and rhe Atlantic Coasr Championships, we were approached by cl1e Houston Hang Gliding Association (HHGA) ro participate wim rhem in me Reliant Energy Power of Freedom 2000 July Fourm celebration.

We worked wim Bill Misiaszek, HHGA member, and me Power of Freedom's ''Air Boss" Al Saylor to prepare for a "once-in-alifecime" event. We were robe parr of a group in cl1e air show aces mat rook place in downtown Houston over Buffalo Bayou, one of me cicy's 10 winding bayous. This particular bayou runs beside majestic downtown Housron. The event included family activities, music, aerial srunts and fireworks. There was music for all rasces chat enlivened che celebration, with me Beach Boys as cl1e highlight of me day.

The aerial entertainment included me Nerveless Nocks, a fifth-generation circus family, who performed high-pole and trapeze smnts from a helicopter. The 22

E-Team "Elvises of che Sky" performed with cosmmes and wigs, skydiving into che site from 5,000 feet. Brigadier General Steve Ritchie, che only Air Force pilot ace of me Vietnam War, piloted a spectacular series of maneuvers in me only privarely owned Phantom F-4 jec in me world. The show also included ocl1er skydiving acts, a hoc-air balloon glow, ulualighcs, and our hang gliding exhibition which was wrapped up wim Dan Buchanan flying a Wills Wing Eagle, doing his breamcaking pyrotechnic formations in che night sky.

AAS brought rwo trikes for aerorowing, flown by Sceve Bums and Neal Harris.

There were four pilots who were easily persuaded ro participate in such an awesome evem: Mike Degroff and Chris Zimmerman , born from Austin, Texas; John Krueger (AAS cug pilot excraordinaire, see sidebar story), currently based our of Abilene, Texas; and Carl Boddie, HHGA member and local Housronian .

The day began by coordinating wicl1 Dan Buchanan, preparing for his pyrotechnics flighr mar evening. Dennis Dornfest, HHGA member, assisted Dan inserting up me brand-new Wills Wing Eagle mat

One beautiful spring afrernoon, afrer anomer grear flighr at me Austin Air Spores operation in Hearne, Texas, I was approached by Steve Burns and asked ifl would like ro participate in rh e "Freedom Fest" in Housron on cl1e Fourth of July.

"Sure, you ber!" I replied, and clm1 gave me notion liccle choughc until I was driving to Houston on Independence Day morning.

The enormity of flying a hang glider over downtown Housron did not firmly register with me until after I had arrived ar me launch field and my gaze fell upon all che vertical co ncrete mar split rhe horizon off to me easr abo ur a mile away. Jeez, I thought, rhe H ouston Club organizers and Steve weren't kidding abour it being "downtown. " With 8,778 square miles defining the G reater Houston Area, rhe half square mile of 1,000-foot-high concrete, steel and glass was certainly an imposing image from me ground.

Like a grain of sand in an oyster, our objective began to excite me, and it became a pearl of an enrry in my 25 years of soaring experiences. When it was first brought up, the idea had hardly sparked my interest. After all, it's hard ro compete against me memories of elevaror-launches imo the smoom lift over cl1e sheer cliffs of Makapuu, Hawaii, me 10,000-foot volcanoes of Maui and Guatemala, the profile of Grandfamer Mountain, North Carolina, 100mile cross-country flighrs and an hour-long flight over rhe natural grandeur of Yosemite ational Park. However, I had learned while in me Army to volunreer for everyrhing you can; you never know the wonderful outcome mar might awair yo u. The adrenaline began ro flow as I realized I was part of a historic aerial event and I soon knew I had done the right thing by signing up to perform at cl1e Freedom Fest.

We were to aero row behind trikes from a consuucrion sire mat had mounds of dirt interlaced wim rebar and rock, seemingly H ANG GLIDING

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Mif.:e Degtoffon launchfor the Power ofPreedom. strategically placed about like the bumper-kickers in a pinball game. I had chosen one AAS's Wills Wing Falcon l 95's because we were expecting huge crowds around a postage-stamp landing field siruated about half a mile from launch. Our launch win· dow was a short 30 minutes from 5:30 to G:00 PM and tows were limited to a 2,000foot ceiling. Houston Intercontinental Airport was just I .'.3 miles to the south, and even though the large commercial jets had been diverted to the west of us, rhere were still a lot of other general aviation aircraft: flying about. Our flying was robe limited to about a square mile with 1, IO to the north and f-45 to the east forming a boundary.

Much to my surprise, around 2:00, I was asked ifl wanted to do a "test-Hight" to "check out" rhc equipment. With overdcveloprncnt and a light rain shower to our cast, my expectations for a thermal flight were nil as J eagerly slipped into my comfy Acros harness. We quickly staged on one of two parallel roads thar ran the length of om takeoff Field, just as Gaye Roach, Bob Luce and Henry Wise finished sweeping off most of the little rocks and debris to smooth the progress of our takeoffs.

After towing me to J ,400 feet AGL, Neil waved me off in a puffy 50-fi,m thermal, continued ro circle around me to snap some pictures wirh his disposable camera, and then dove for the launch area. After stashing rny tow bridle I began to take in the astonishing view with earnest; ir had to be a sight never before witnessed by any hang glider pilot. The 'Texas Commerce 'fower at 1,002 feet and the First Interstate

or

24

Bank building at 995 feet ( l 0th and J 1th tallest in the ~ountry) were the jewels of downtown Houston.

Leaving the thermal at 2,000 feet AGL, I flew upwind almost a mile and gazed olll to sec the legendary Astro Dome reflecting in the sunlight. Half a dozen lumbering airliners 011 final into Houston Interconti·· ncntal Airport flew well overhead ro the south. Out to the west, another large group of buildings in the Galleria area stood out, and everywhere else were com· mercial buildings, schools, churches, residential neighborhoods and the connecting arteries of infrastructure everywhere.

Another teaser of a rhcrrnal flllcd with rhc delightful aroma of fresh-baked bread lifrcd off a nearby b;1kery. It boosted my flight to well over half an hour, bur it was not enough to soak ir all in. l f everything fell in pL1ce I'd soon get to share the rare experience again, but this time with some of my fellow pilots.

The afrernoon was spent clearing a takeoff lane more into the wind, setting up other equipment and eating watermelon. Quickly the moment arrived. ft was "show time!"

Fighty·-foot crepe-paper streamers were attached to my wingtips and another one, 500 feet long, was tied to my keel. I was the fr rst one scheduled to fly with Chris Zimmerman w follow.

The towline was attached, the signal was given, and I was lifring off the

cart into the air only a minute behind om programmed schedule start. 'l'hc first 200 feet through rbe prominent wind gradiem was quite rough as we climbed east into the wind and directly toward the concrete-· and-glass cliffa of Houston's business district. I was very relieved when the rurbulcnce e1sed off and I was able ro t:,kc out a disposable camera and snap some shots of Steve against rbc massive backdrop of huge buildings.

The higher we climbed and the closer we arrived to downtown, the more concerned I became about getting rotored by the structures which still loomed higher than we were. With my eyes glued to the trike, my senses were heightened to any indication rhat any turbulence was hitting Steve from the edifices below. My fears were unfounded as we turned south at l-45 and continued to climb above the skyline into the late-afternoon sky. Neal and Chris, launching succcsshilly, cleared the cemetery below as l came off tow ar 1,500 feet AC L. John and Carl were launched simultaneously and there were soon four smiling and excited pilots flying together over Houston city center.

An estimated one million holiday-cckbrnting people thronged the brillianr green the crowds were building bayou below in anriciparion of a spectacular fireworks event programmed later. After Steve's rapid departure to go launch "B-1 Bomber John" Krueger (and tug pilot extraordinairc), I was left ro enjoy the ambiance similar to the atmosphere musicians must experience at huge concert performances.

The stage music below welled up toward rnc and the cheering crowd prcsenred their verbal approval with ever-increasing higher octaves as I spiraled down. Whar a rush! l would never suffer from srnge fright per..

H!\NC GLI/JINC

forming a soaring flight for such an approving crowd. The carnival-like scene in the old movie Sky Riders with James Coburn came to mind as l set up to laud and lightly touched down in the "postage stamp."

Chris and John quickly dropped into the field right between the two tall strcam-ers, and we n.1rned our anention to I Jo us-ton native and I-H JGA member Carl Bod-die as he worked a small thermal over the crowd. I could sec him waving at the friendly folks as he set up to land with his teerh flashing behind a huge beamer of a smile. We had pulled it ofA While we did not get to maneuver together or thermal up over the crowd, we had accomplished sornething never accom-· plished before. We had safely flown om hang gliders over downtown Houston and had entertained thousands. It w;1s truly an honor to have contributed to the success or the Freedom Fest. We could not have celebrated the Fourth orJuly, 2000 any bencr!

A Ccw hours later, Dan Buchanan and the spccially·-riggcd Fagle were launched behind Neal at 9:00 PM. And yes, it was getting dark. Dan is an extraordinary pilot who flies hccausc he can't walk. The special rigging that Dan and Dennis methodically attached to rhe glider added an additional 50 pounds of weight to the whole ordeal.

The acrual liftoff from the dolly was uncvcmfol, hm the first 200 fr:et, climbing out over rhc tree line that separated the construction sire from die Power of I;rccdom, caused quite a bit of oscillation for Dan, and we looked on in anticipation of an early release. However, Dan is the Man, and he lined up behind Neal like he was on a rail, pyrotechnics and all. Afrcr releasing at nearly 2,000 feet, Dan entertained the crowd wirh his spectacular, dazzling acrobatics while fireworks blazed from his glid er. It was both an honor and privilege ro meet and work with I )an.

NASA BAJ LUNAR I JFfOFF FESTIVAi, Steve Lombardi, a hot--air b;:illoon pilot who admired NASA's space program, start-cd the Bal lunar Liftoff Festival eight years ago. His goal was ro combine one of rhe first means of human flight, hot--air bal-loons, with one of the most modern, the space shuttle, by taking off near the Space Center. Once again, Al Saylor was the Air Boss.

The Liftoff was held on August the weekend fcJllowing the Lone Star NOVEMBER 2000

l~y Gaynelle Roach uring our first: year as a flight park we were fortunate enough to meet John who had come out to our site to get his aerotow sign-off Lt. Col. John .is a B"l Bomber instructor for the U.S. Air Force. He began flying hang gliders with his older brothers back in the early l970's. John flown many of aircraft throughout his career, military aircraft to various small planes (he currently owns a Bonanza), and John found the Dragonfly to be somewhat intriguing. Fortunately for AAS, has become our chief tug pilot! As an avid hang glider pilot John has remained "in tune" with the pilots who tow behind him. John bas earned the respe'.Ct and apprcdation of the Texas pilots who fly with him, On Marc;h 4, 2000, John "The Bomb" began his day faced with the possibility of fulfilling a lifelong dream to fly in one of the fastest planes in the world and one of the slowest. The morning began with a training mission in B, 1 Bqmber, flying JR 178 (low level) in west Texas, approximately 60 miles southeast of El Paso, at 600 knots and 500 After low level, he and his student raced back to Abilene for some pattern work, where they performed no-flap toud1-·and-·goes (200 lmom approach at 250,000 pounds). After his debriefing, John rushed to the: Abikne Munidpal Airport and flew ro Hearne in a Cessna 182, arriving in just over an hour. At 5:30 PM there was still plenty of daylight to more flights in. John quickly boarded the Dragonfly and aerotowed a fellow Air Force pilot ln .hls Falcon to 3,000 foet. While John was descending to land, we had our Falcon 195 ready and waiting in the launch area and Bumzic towed him to 2,000 feet. After a 20-minute flight, and thinking he had topped out on available aircraft, Bumz,ie pttllcd out our trike. John climbed into the front seat, and with Burnzie on board did a "tour" of the area.

John Bomb" flew three conventional aircraft and two weiglwshifr all in one day, with weights ranging from 340,000 w 70 pounds, flying. at speeds of 600 knots, 500 90 of bank, strapped into an ejection st:at through mountains of west to a hang gliding harness, flying ar 20 knots over Hearne. A well--deserved dream comes true for our good friend and awesome: pilot.

25

Aerial view ofSaturn 5 at NllSA-ballunar li/ioff' Championships. The event included skydiving, ultralight flying, RC planes and helicopters, and hang gliding (along with the usual booths and music). For the past several years 1he 1-IHCA has participarccl in the Ballunar Liftoff, setting up a booth with the USHGA simularor to exhibit hang gliding. This was the second year that AAS has joined the HJ-JGA providing aerotowing. The club also uses truck tow-

ing w get gliders airborne and to show off yet another method of la1mch. The Ballunar l .ifroff is a somewhat special event for Steve Burns, since his dad and hang glid-ing instructor, Fred Burns, worked at NASA for 35 years. This year was even more memorable for him since he was able to fly a hang glider over the NASA com-plcx and Clear Lake, leaving the actual rug flying to Neal Tlarris. The following writeup is Dennis Dornfos1's (HHCA member and lead coordinator from rhe club for this event) flying experience at the I ,ifroff.

FLYING AROVE NASA

BY DENNIS D0RNJ1EST The Ball unar Festival at rhe Johnson Space Center was ho1, bot, and hor. However, the flying was the most spectacular 1 have ever done. We had been hoping thar AAS could make it this year, since the weekend before ended 1he LSC: meet. Otherwise, we were to he destined to platforrn tow from a 2,600-foot road. The smrounding scenery would nor be as dramatic from GOO feet.

26

Well, AAS did show up with a trike, a dolly and Neal Harris. After launching behind the tug flown by Neal, I was able to look ro the left and could sec all of Houston. I then looked to the right and saw Calvcston in the distance. I looked forward and saw d1e boats leaving Clear Lake and heading om to the bay through the Kemah Charmcl. When I looked down, l could sec the entire NASA com-plcx, including the Saturn 5 rocket. These flights were rruly a one-of-a-kind opportunity.

Each day of flying was split into two slots. This was an air show, so we were hound to a time limit. The first slot was scheduled for 25 minutes, but clue to some cancellations we were given over 80 minutes to fly. This was too good to be true!

Ben Eastern aerotowed f1rsr, I was second and Mark DcMarino was third. Bill Misi-aszck decided to truck tow for this event.

The cu's were plenty and the ceiling was around 2,000 feet, which didn'r matter because the FAA ceiling for this event was 2,000 feet anyway.

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Iucr: exhibits gliding to a young crownd with the USHGA simulruor.

Burnzie'.,firstflight.

Burnzie points out his fiworite cloud After Tlanded I handed my glider and harness over to Steve Burns and it didn't take much persuasion to get him to Oy. He and Ben enjoyed a 40-minurc flight under tbose cu's. Steve almost went X-C afo:r seeing his old house in the distance and knowing it was obtainable. Still, he decided to come down and landed in front of the clapping spectators right on top of the X used for the skydiver's spotlanding mark. l'vc never seen Steve grin so much. ]'he other flights we made were

just l i kc these.

On Sunday, Carl Boddie joined us and was rewarded with the same spectacular view. What we were able to witness at 2,000 fcer made rhe heat bearable almost.

THANK YOU AL SAYLOR These events, as you have read, offered some incredible experiences for these 'Jcxas pilots. Who would have dreamed that Houston, Texas, a city made up of mostly

concru-e, steel and freeways, 1101 to mention "flat," could provide such opporrunities? The main connection in both of these events was Al Saylor, skydiver, GA pilot, real-estate agent and the best darn "Air Boss" any air show has ever seen. Al's com·· rnitrnent to the flying community is dedi-cated and focused and our thanks and appreciation go out to him for allowing AAS and the l-1 H GA to participate in such incredible flying opportunities. Ill

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27

THE SPEEDWINGS

e

0 © 2000 by Dennis Pagen

The Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos) is found around the world The adult glows a magnificent gold around its nape and shoulders. Once a Golden saved me ftom a wilderness landing in Colorado by darting out, spearing a thermal and climbing offmy wingtip for 3,000 feet. It is one ofmy two favorite birds.

this name was deemed too suggestive for upright, puritan Americans, so now we have the Golden Eagle.

o it was with some anticipation that I received a shipment of the Golden Eagle, a new topless glider from Speedwings International of Europe. This glider will be distributed by G.W Meadows and will be well-serviced if his past reputation portends the future. Before we discover the highlights of the glider itself, we turn our attention to the company since many readers probably never heard of them.

S

SPEEDWINGS HISTORY Speedwings has been around since 1987 only it was originally known as Seedwings Europe. It was started by the Austrian brothers Andreas and Manfred Bangheri. Andreas began flying in 1979 at age 15 and by 1981 was flying Sensors. In 1989 he entered into an agreement with Seedwings (in the U.S.) to produce a European version of the Sensor 510 and later 610. Sailmaker Bob Schutte of the Seedwings factory moved to Austria to help with this process.

Eventually the agreement with Seedwings Europe dissolved and Seedwings Europe went their own way with further designs. Their very successful Merlin design (reviewed in this periodical several years ago) was developed by Dr. Martin Jursa, a former Austrian team mem-

30

GENERAL APPEARANCE AND FINISH

ber recognized in Europe for his aeronautical expertise and work with the DHV testing institute.

The Golden Eagle project was launched in 1997 with an effort to incorporate ideas learned from the general development in topless gliders and their own design philosophies. The glider has been constructed, tested, tweaked and certified. It is now ready for the international market. The strength of the U.S. dollar means it makes sense to sell the glider here. Only one thing remained to be done: change the names. The company name was changed from Seedwinds Europe to Speedwings International so as to avoid confusion with Seedwings in the U.S. (speed sounds more like flying than seed, anyway). The glider originally came out in Europe named the Viagra, but

The Speedwings Golden Eagle is a topless, curved-tip, flex-wing hang glider. It has a relatively narrow chord at the tips so it looks like a Falcon with sleek lines. The 90% double surface adds to the impression. I've noticed that the curved tip wand is a bit longer than on other gliders like the Moyes Litespeed, and this aspect gives the glider a unique appearance co the discerning eye.

The guiding concept behind the Golden eagle design is to build the Saab (if not the Mercedes) of hang gliders. For starters, that means safety and quality of construction. In terms of safety, my flight tests indicate a solid feel to the bar at all speeds and VG settings. Flight tests do not tell everything about pitch stability, but the proper pressures greatly contribute to a feeling of confidence. The 7075 airframe and fittings look solid and conform to standard practices as well as engineering logic. Speedwings history testifies that they have produced more than 1,000 gliders without structural or design failures.

Quality of construction is where the HANG GLIDING

glider really shines. [t is here that a little thoughr in design results in parts rhar render a glider either disposable or a good long-term investment. I believe rhe Colden Eagle is the latter. 'fake, for example, rhe control bar corner fittings.

They arc machined aluminum extensions of the faired uprights and arc as simple and clean as you can get without sacrific ing convenience.

The nicest thing on the Colden Eagle is the cleanliness of the lower wing at the top of the uprights. In that area many gliders exhibit openings, wrinkles or bulges. On the Colden Eagle a patch of neoprene fairs everything in and there arc no disruptions of the smooth lower surfact. The uprights poke our of two slits in the neoprene. This arrangement is the cleanest I have seen on any glider. 1n keeping with the clean theme, the sail and curved tips only enhance the quality of this glider. Pilots Aying close to me report an immaculate upper surface. The nose cone is an easy-to-install, form-rirting affair. ' The Colden Eagle incorporates a cam VG system, so one frill pull is all you need to go from off to all the way on.

The pnll force is lighr. Inside you can opt for an aluminum or carbon crossbar.

T'he aluminum is cheaper (similar to rhc Aeros bar) and the carbon is lighter (it drops the weight down 4.5 lbs. or 2 kg). l Aew the aluminnm version. There are other hardware details we should mention, bm we'll do that in setup.

PUTTING IT TOGETHI~R The Colden Eagle is fost to set up. l am consistently ready to Ay ftve to ten minutes faster than other pilots when I use the Colden eagle. There arc a couple of minor changes rhat could make rhe process even faster. The belly basetubc slips on ro a nice plug which has no stop and little friction. So when you attempt to line up rhe holes to insert the PIP pin you often find yourself sliding the plug back and forth and fumbling to put in the pin. A lip on the plug would correcl this matter. /\!so, the lower surface bat tens do nor have the from end friction holding rnethod, so you have to catch their tail ends in the opening slot to secure them a la lcaro gliders. This process slows you down.

All other aspects of the setup arc easy, convenient and fast. The sprogs arc fixed NOVFMllLR 2000

'/ 'fn'.r view shows the cable-supported sprog and VG cam at the crossbar end.

31

and you can grab it easily when breaking down. In all, Tthink you'll find the Golden Fagle setup easy with a minimum amount of stress when the wind is in and you've arrived late.

GOLDEN HANDLING AND LANDING

7he keel rear displays the simple and deem crossbar hrtulback system. automatically when you close the access zipper. These sprogs arc supported liy a cable, which makes rhe whole system very rigid for enhanced pitch stability. The washout struts plug into the leading edge in a similar fashion ro many other gliders.

There arc JO curved battens per side (on the 150 size) and three undernurface straights. The curved battens slide in very easily and the spring tensioning ends are about the easiest to hook into the trailing edge hem of any T've tried. That's not because the springs arc weak, but a result of the stiffening tab sewn into rhe hem to keep it from fdding. 'T'he spring batten ends arc lcaro stock items coded in red (left) and green (right). 'fhc lxirtcn hag is

the standard 'fr:u tonic ve-nmst-have--ordcr short skirt with separate compartmcms for left, right, straight and curved.

The crossbar is reasonable to pull (except when the glider is facing up a hill which seems 10 make all gliders more difficult in this phase) and the atrachrnent is a simple keyhole tang on a bolt stud.

I .ikewisc, the lower front cables, with a keeper to secure rhcm. The curved tips complete the picture. They arc very easy to attach, perhaps bec;msc of their longer length. The over--rhe-cenrer tightening system is slightly different from others you may have seen in that the: handle angles back from rhe wand so that you don't smash your fingers as it snaps home

The easiest way to describe the glider's handling is "comfortable." With the VG off it is very predictable, requiring medium effort. Of all the new gliders I have flown (all but one), l would compare it most to the Fusion SP in force required and coordination. That means that it isn't the easiest out there, but it is confidence inspiring. Herc arc two examples from my short repertoire: At one site, light poles ring a parking lot in the landing field. [ was able to weave around two poles while maintaining good approach speed, something I wouldn't do with most gliders. I landed with a smile. On another day I had a line twisted on a VG pulley. It srnck f'ull on but I flew for over an hour without undue angst or fatigue. I have noticed thar l can initiate a mrn into ;1 thermal wirh the VG foll on.

My final assessment is that the Golden eagle has very nice handling. It's dampened nature results in very steady rracking at high speeds and under tow. l recommend this glider to any pilots struggling with oscillation problems.

Landing the Colden Eagle is not difficult. If you look at the upper upright placemrnr you'll see that it is behind the hang point more than usual. This setup

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32

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allows very noticeable flare aut:hority. In fact, I over--flared on some of my early flights. 'Thar means I flared too much, the glider stopped abruptly and my legs went flying forward. I learned to tone down my push. I expect that this glider will give short-armed pilots a new lease on landing-field confidence.

EAGLE-LIKE PERFORMANCE We all want to know precisely how a glider performs before we plunk down our legal (or otherwise) tender. Bur per-· formance is elusive in that ir partially depends on wing loading, a pilot's style and ability, the variation of gliders of the same design and runing. Generally, it is considered that the only way to really tell performance is to compare many gliders of tbe same design with others in com pc·· tition. But how can we tell what gliders have been modified by factories or :H>(rre,,snw pilots? So reporting perfor. mance will always be an inexact science without some body funded to do independent research. I can only provide imp rcss ions.

My thoughts on the Golden Eagle: Ir takes off and lands nicely, it handles well, has a good sink rare and state.-of-rhc-an glide. I've compared it to my usual local benchmarks in thermal climb and /1nd that it docs very well. I didn't feel outclassed by topless or upper-rigged gliders.

I found l could rely on the glider to not surprise me with an undeserving ejection from a feisty rherrn:il. I could also move it around to follow a peripatetic core. I

don't think you'll slouch or slump in the sink rate depart mcnt with a normally loaded Colden Fagle.

The glider's glide also seems to be right up there according to the comparisons l have pcrfrHmcd with other top· lesses. These comparisons consist of poinring into the wind, tip-to .. tip, and flying at various set speeds for a period long enough ro sec who is sinking most quickly while holding the same airspeed.

I've only rcsrcd this a couple of times with a couple of designs, but the Golden Eagle was not beaten.

One of the nice things about this glider is its slow-flight capabilities. With the Merlin, Martin's airfoil was the pm· ported reason for this fearnre. I assume the shape has carried over to the Golden Eagle. Slow flying helps in nearly all sinkrate si tuarions.

Our conclusion about the Golden Eagle after flying it in a variery of conditions (scratchy lift, strong winds, boom .. ing lifi: and turbulence) is that it is confidence-inspiring and good-performing.

T'hc cnrvcd tip format always seems to relieve some gust loading and allows a glider to be pushed out well in a turn.

The moderate, comfortable pitch pres· sure fairly challenges those rasty thermals to show their stuff Perhaps the best part of tbe Colden Eagle is its finish and appearance. If you want a very nice glider that will stand up to close inspection and is a keeper, I suggest you give the Colden Eagle a whirl. lt is one of my favorite birds. II

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33

Glider-Cam AMATEUR TELEVISION FLIES ON A HANG GLIDER

by John Wiseman

My son Scott Wiseman, ready to receive a live video transmission .from a flight at Highland Aerosports in Mary/,and The video camera is under the right wing and the antenna can be seen under the left wing. The electronics are mounted on one ofthe downtubes, just to the left ofScott's shoulder. Scott is holding the !com R3 receiver with 2-inch TV screen.

34

H

ave yo u ever had the opporruniry to bring 11011-pilors with you on one of your flying oucings?

Afi:erwards, when yo u were all ecstacic about whar a great flight you had, were yo u disappointed ro see the sometimes less-than-thrilled looks on their faces when yo u asked them whar they thought?

I have flown from several sires with friends and fami ly present, and their reactions are generally the same. The launches and landings they can relate ro, but the inflight experiences are ro rally lost ro them as viewers, mainly because of the sheer distances involved. The main problem is that the hang glider and pilot are tiny when viewed from distances of several hundred feet or more, and of course, the perspective is very differenc when looking up from the ground, instead of the orher way around.

Fighting to hold on to the conrrol bar in rowdy air or just gliding along in glasssmooth condirions, ir all looks the same ro a remore viewer.

Video camcorders can help demonsrrate the sport to spectators and give them a feel for whar we experience when we fly, bur that, of course, must be done after the fac t. A large percentage of hang glider pilocs are licensed amateurs and fly with handheld two-meter radios, but us ually these transmissions are very shore, ro the point, and technically oriented, such as where thermals might be found or whar direction they may be h eadmg on a cross-country flighr. In addi rion, no marrer how good a pilor is with words, it is hard to narrate feelings ro a non-flying audience so they can relate directly ro what the pilot is experiencing. A much more useful method is ro have a realrime video transmission fro m the pilot to specrarors watching on the ground, where the experience can be shared as it is actually happening. As a res ul t, the idea fo r a glider-cam, a live amareur television (ATV) system that could fly on a hang glider, was born.

Since I had no experience with even ground-based ATV before chis, I had to do some research on the subject to see if the idea of using it on a hang glider was even feasible.

I srarted by reading past issues of a m agazine dedicated to chis subj ect, Amateur Television Quarrerly, as well as several relevant Web sites that I found while searching the Internet. I found quire a few interesting and informati ve descriptions of radio-conrrolled (RC) aircraft, amarem rocker, and balloon-borne ATV experiments that were very useful. From the information I found, I discovered tha t I could indeed build a system d1at wo uld do what I wan red it ro do for a reaso nable price, and at the same rime be safe and reliable in a flight environment.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Witholl[ getring into too much technical derail, video signals contain a lot more info rmation than regular audio-only transmissions, so rhey cake up a lot more frequency bandwidch when modulated in me same fash ion. In other words, the "ch;i.;m el" size necessary to transmit the signal must be considerably "wider" in frequency. T he channel width fo r a standard am plitude modulated H ANG G LIDING

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The tmnsmitter rleclronicr package rmd b1it·· tery packs mounted on one ofthe doumtubes.

The video camem and mount lomted underneath a

Another view ofthe video camera, this time located on the heel.

(AM) radio broadcast is about 10 kHz (10,000 cycles per second), while the chan·

(not broadcast channel 60, they arc different frequencies) and, of course, using an external antenna instead of a cable connection.

Some of you may have seen advertisements for wireless video systems that seem to promise the same thing. These systems are sold for use as remote baby monitors, surveillance and security systems, traffic moni .. tors, etc. In general, these systems arc nm designed to transmit quality color video and audio, much less to transmit more rhan a few hundred feet. Most of these systems arc low power with low-quality cameras, and with lransmitting dec1ronics and antennas that simply will not work well enough to provide adequate performance while transmitting from a highly dynamic environment such as a flying hang glider. 'frying to use one of these systems for an application like this would be analogous to flying with cheap children's walkie·talkies instead of a quality two-meter radio. But as will be shown in this article, it is nor difficult to build a system that will perform very well, is easy to set up and use, is relatively inexpensive, and is legal to use with the appropriate amateur radio license.

easily. This particular transmitter is available as a ftnislied and tested unit, but at a slightly higher price. lf"you choose to build a transmitter frorn a kit, keep in mind that highfrequency video transmitters require very good soldering skills, as well as carefol attention to detail. Component leads must be short, coils must be wound exact:ly right, and ground connections must be solid. ff you don't have: these skills, or if you just don't enjoy constructing electronics boards, then by all means buy a pre-assembled unit and save yourself the aggravation of trying to troubleshoot the unit. After all, the goal here is to enjoy the application and not get hung up on the details.

As is the case frlr two-meter operation, H~C rules require you to identify yourself wirli yom c<1ll·sign ar least once every l 0 min mes. With a video transmitter, this can he done in several ways. Probably the simplest way is to put a small sign displaying your call letters in the camera's field of view.

A piece of masking cape stuck to your har· ncss with your cal! letters clearly written on it with a marker would be sufftcienr to meet this requirement. Also, the identification 1my be done in audio instead. You can just try to remember to say your call letters every 10 minutes, or a simple automatic Morse code audio device with ;1 rimer could be used such as the ones you arc probably used to hearing on repeaters. Since l'rn a gadget freak, l couldn't resist adding a video overlay board to my system so thar T could meet the FCC identification requirement by displaying my amateur call letters (as well as the dare, loc1tion, etc.) in the video signal itself.

This ho:ml is certainly nor necessary, bur T warned to use it in a ground-based application as well, so I wcllt ahead and bought it, packaging it in a separate metal enclosure from the transmitter.

J desired quick and easy programming capability, along with small size and low

nel width resulting from the transmission of a good-quality AM color television signal may be close to 10 MHz (10,000,000 cycles per second), or about a factor of 1,000 wider. 'fo accommodate this large trnnsmis sion channel width per user, it is necessary to restrict television broadcasts to high.frequency bands within rhc amateur spectrum. As such, ATV broadcasts arc allowed in the 70-crn band (420,450 MHz) and those higher in frequency such as the 33-cm and 23-crn frequency bands. Any holder of a 'Technician-class or higher amateur radio license may legally transmit ATV signals as described in this article, and no license is required to receive the signals. ff we can operare on rhe 70-cm frequen·· cies and higher, which frequency band should we choose? That's an interesting question that requires us to look into what the tradeoffa are. First, the lower the frc.quency, the greater the received signal range will be for a given amount of signal power and antenna gain. Second, the lower the frequency, the easier (in general) ir is to work with the transmitting electronics. Third, the rota! system price is usually lower for lower frequency operation. All told, it is helter in rhis application to use as low an operating frequency as possible, the prnalry being a larger transmitting antenna for an equivalent amount of gain.

Because of these considerations f chose a transmitter designed to operate in the 70--cm amateur radio band. By c011vcmio11, the channels assigned to 70-cm ATV use are located at 421.25, 434.00 and 439.25 MHz, which align quite closely ro cable channels 57 through 60. My particular system is cryst:11-locked to transmit on 439.25 MHz, or cable TV channel 60. This means that any cable-ready television can receive my signal by tuning cable channel 60

36

TECHNICAL DETAIVi I started the construction phase of this project by choosing a transmitter. After review· ing what was available I decided that build· ing a transmitter from a kit mighL be enjoyable, :rnd at the same rime I could save a little bit of rnoney. I purchased the Norrh Country Radio ATV] 2-440 M K2 two-wart television rransminer kit with a 439.25 MHz crystal, and went ar it with my tool kit and soldering iron. A few nights later I was tuning and testing the trnnsmitrer with my camcorder used as a ca rnera, and a homemade dipole beaming into a portable TV scr. Fortunately, 1 was able to use a highspeed oscilloscope, so tuning and peaking of the various ft] rers wem fairly quickly and

1-IJ\NC CLJDINC

power consumption. I considered a homehrew solution for this fimction, but afier researching what was commercially available, I found all I wanted and more in the Intl!·· irive Circuits OSD--lD PC-programmable unit. \Xlith this board I can use a laptop PC to design the overlay screen and program the unit afrcrwards via a serial cable interface.

Also, the board is folly programmable for on-off times. When I have used this board I have programmed it so that the overlay comes on once every flve minutes fr>r a period or 20 seconds. As you can sec, this adds complexity to the system, and case of pro·· gramming becomes an issue. l f one or more licensed amateurs arc going to fly with a particular ATV system in the same day, you arc better off just sticking with the masking tape solution so that the required call-sign identi · flcation can be quickly changed.

The camera that l chose is a Supercircuits PC-79XS. This camera is a 400-line resolution color C:CD bullet-style device, with a four--mm lens. The size is small and the shape is relatively aerodynamic, both important considerations when flying on a hang glider. Because the camera can be moumed at several points on the glider, remote from the pilot, such as rhe keel, the wingtips, or even the nose, I chose LO use a camera without built-in audio capability. As such, a relatively decent-quality dynamic microphone that I clip on to the inside of my helmet is used for audio input. The output of the microphone is connected to a 1hin coax cable, which is then connected directly to the audio input connection of the transmitter module.

Power for rhc system is provided by two 7.2-volt nickel metal hydride (Ni MT I) RC: battery packs wired in series. I rigged up a short and compact wiring harness rhar allows for power fi'om the battery packs to be input to the tr;111smitter module, and yet allows for quick and easy access LO a charger.

The battery wiring harness should he as short as possible to prcvcnr any stray radio frequency (RF) energy from coupling back into the system, and also ro reduce the risk of a potcmial short-circuit. Because oflhc variance in battery voltage (over 17 volts when completely charged), it is necessary ro limit the voltage being supplied to the overlay board and to the carncra to prevent dam-age. As such, I placed a rhrce-tenninal, J 2.. volt regulator in the transmitter module, and I routed this voltage to a connector located on the enclosure for use by the camera and the overlay module if it is being used. The NOVEMl1ER 2000

battery packs arc rated at 2,200 rnA-hr, with uscfol lifo in this application at greater than four hours or con rinual use. You might wo11dcr why it is necessary to use batteries with so much capacity. Well, the reason is that when you transmit video you will want to have the transmitter on continuously for extended periods of time. This is very differcm from how a typical two-meter transceiver would he used while flying, where very little power is consumed until the transmitter is actually keyed, and then usually only for a short duration. Most typical hand held radio batteries would he drained very quickly if they had to continuously transmit a twowatt sigual for long periods of time.

The transmitter board is mounted in a 5.5 x 3.0 x 1.25-inch metal enclosure, and the video overlay board is mounted in a sep· aratc, identically sized enclosure. In this way, the system can be flown on vehicles that arc more rightly constrained for space than my Wills Wing Falcon 170 by quickly climinat· ing the overlay module. The two 7.2-volt RC battery packs arc mounted 011 top of the transmitter module, allowing a short wiring harness. The mounting or the barrcry packs is done with an eye on safety. Hang gliders can be subjected rn considerable st resscs in turbulent flight conditions, and it is ncccs sary to allow for flexiug and movement of the system, especially when it is mounted directly to rhc glider frame. Because oft his, the batteries arc isolated /iorn the metal enclosure by a layer of thin foam rubber and held in place with strong Velcro ties. About the last thing you want is to have a hole worn through a battery pack while you arc trying to fly your glider, especially with batteries as strong as these arc. If pyrotechnics are what your audience is looking for, send them to an air show.

The electronics and battery module may be carried in a harness pouch or connected direcrly to a centrally locired portion of' the glider frame. My glider and harness arc easily SCI. up 10 handle either, but I prefer the hardware ro be moumed to the glider fc>r case in running the cables. As such, I have two 12foot runs orthi11 coax running between the camera and rhe overlay module to provide for the power and video connections. Also, a shorter, thin coax is used to provide inpm for audio from the microphone. The Radio Shack dynamic microphone that I use con .. rains its own miniature battery so 110 scpa .. rate power cable is necessary. The micro· phone has a fairly mirdy clip that I use ro attach it to the inside of my full-face helmet,

right near my mouth. [11 this way, wind noise is inherently minimized, resulting in good voice-quality audio. These coax cables arc then routed along the glider frame tubes and taped down to prevent them from coming loose in the windstrcarn. Since all clements or the system arc located relatively close to the transmitting antenna, all interconnections must be made with wellgrounded coax cable to prevent the coupling of RI; energy back into the 1ra11smincr. This is done to prevent all sons of nasty problems such as noise in the video or humming in the audio signal that will prevent normal operation of die system. Radio Shack sells a tl1in, very flexible video coax cable that is very good fort his application.

The transmitting amcnna should provide as much omni -directional coverage down-ward as possible, yet mnst be small for weight and aerodynamic reasons. Also, the antenna must work well when mounted in close prox .. imity to 1he glider, whose large frame is made of thick aluminum tubing with additional structural support provided by several long steel cables not the n10sl friendly high-frequency RI: environment. Initial flight tests were made with a 5/8-wavelcngth whip antenna sticking out of my harness, mostly for the sake or convenience. Performance with this a11tcnna arrangement was only mar .. ginal, with quire a few signal dropouts experienced. An RC: airplane enthusiast who also flies with a video transmitter recommended rh:lt I try what is known as a I jnk: Wheel antenna, manufactured by the Olde Antenna I ,ab.· /'his antenna is dcsig11cd specifically for the radiation pattern that this application needs, and works very well even when die glider is circling around in a thcrrml. The antenna must be isolated from rhc glick:r's frame with non-conducting material such as wood, and is connected ro the output oftltc transmitter with Radio Shack RC; 8 cable of 50 ohms impcdcncc. The length of rhis cable should be kcpr as short as possible because it is extremely lossy ar these very high frequencies of operation.

Cround reception ca11 basically be done in two ways: simple and complicated. First of all, the main reason I fly with this system is to provide a simple and easy way of comnrnnicating directly to a small audience. As such, the typical receiver that J use with my family or friends is an !com R3 handhcld gencr,il coverage communications receiver that has an integrated two-inch LCD video screen. This radio/television is able to receive the 70-cm amateur TV band (as well as stan-

37

A closeup of'the mount located underneath a wing. dard broadcast television) and its brightness is reasonable for using outdoors i11 the sun"" light. It has an extendable whip-style antenna that is foirly adequate for receiving rhe video signal, hut sometimes requires the operator to reorient rhe antenna to acquire a better signal. I should mention here that a regular handhcld LCD TV would probably not work in this application, because arc usually designed to receive the broadcast channels only.'] 'he receiving 'IV must he able to receive the cable channels to work in this application.

The second way of receiving (and more complicated) is used if you want to display a high-quality signal on a big-screen TV (such as the one at \Vil la by Ranch's lounge area) or if you want to videotape and archive your transmissions. When l really want high qua!"" ity, with no signal dropouts, little interference, and good color, I use a specially designed, high-performance 70-cm antenna and a signal downconvcrter mounted 011 a child-si,,e portable basketball pole. This particular antenna was chosen to give good omni-dirccrional coverage skyward, without the need for manual tracking, while the use of a downconvener allows me to run up to 50 feet of RG-8 coax cable from the antenna to the VCR without losing much signal energy. The video clips that I have on my Web page were recorded in this way, with a VCR and a 13-inch portable color TV locat"" cd in the back of my station wagon and powered with a power inverter off of the cig" arertc lighter. Again, this type of receiver system is used when you wam the maximum quality level attainable, and is not what is normally required.

This setup (including the transmitting antenna being mounted under the wing) is 3B

optimizcd fi:ir environments where the hang glider is flying mostly over the receiving antenna. ·rhis is true frir several of the flatland airports from which l fly, where I aerotow my glider. This s;imc configuration will probably work well for most mountain flying as long as the receiving antenna is placed in the landing zone below the flight path of the glider. If it is robe placed relatively high up on a rnoumain in the launching area, then a different problem comes up. In this type of environment one might spend a considerable amoum of time Hying back and forth along the ridge, level with, or even lower than the altirndc at which the receiving antenna is positioned. Obviously, this case dictates that the main radiation lobe be mostly borizomal and not overhead. For this type of flying l would rccornmend mounting a dipole antenna above the wing of the glider, or on top of the kingpost if yom glider has one. Also, it might make sense ro use a more directional receiving antenna such as a small helix for some flying sites, but I have not had the opportunity ro explore these kinds of· setups.

OPERATING THE SYSTEM Once my glider is set up and preflight checked, installation of the Clidcr""C:am rakes about 10 minutes. I first clamp the electronics and battery pack module onto a downtube, then clamp the antenna under one wing and the camera under the opposite wing (or the keel, or wherever else the mounting position is chosen to be). The coax cables from the antenna and the camera arc then nm along the glider frame and plugged into the electronics module. The cables arc then carefully tied down using duct tape to prevent them from dangling down in the windstrcam. When all mounting is completed and checked thoroughly, the unit is turned on, and the lcom R3 receiver is used to align the video camera to make sure that the desired camera field of view is achieved. It's really no more difficult or time consuming 10 set up than a typical glider"moumcd still photography system once you get used to it. or course, if you want to videotape your transmissions, then you will also have to set up and check your antenna, downconvencr and VCR. When l have completed this additional step it has usually taken ahour another IO minutes to perform. ( )pcration of the ( ;lider-C :am is designed to be totally transparent to the pilot. There is no need to do anything other than fly yom

glider just as you normally would, except maybe to provide a little narration to your audience. Because it is video and constantly transmitting, there is no shutter release to worry about squeezing off at just the right moment. And remember, there is no reason why you can't continue flying with your twometer handheld rig just like you normally would. As such, the system can be somewhat interactive, with your ground-based audience asking you questions via rhc two-meter radio, and you the pilot responding appropriately for the video transmission.

There arc some potential problems that pilots should look out for if they decide to rry a system like this. First, of course, is safety. Always keep in mind that this is flight hardware, and that you should never be distracted from your primary responsibility of flying your glider. Make sure that your cons!Tuction techniques arc sound, both mechanically and electrically. It would be bad enough to embarrass yourself in front of your friends by having your poor solder joints result in flickering video, but it would be far worse if poor construction resulted in a shorted battery pack. Remember, battery packs such as these are very high capacity, and arc capable of generating very large spark arcs. I highly recommend that you do several hours of bench testing to make sure that your electronics are reliable, and then take your system mobile to check the mechanical stability. After I was very sure that my system worked reliably I mounted it on a mountain bike and went for a ride around my neighborhood while recording the video on a VCR located in my house. In this way I could check the videotape for signs of dropped video or audio, sure signs of intermittent open circuit-s that may have resulted from poor solder joints. Also, l recommend that you set up your glider and install rhc system along with your two-metcr radio, variomcrcr, CPS, and any other electronic device that you fly with. You will want to make very sure that there is no RT interference to any of these other devices bdlire you get in the air.

Those of you who have flown with twometer radios have certainly noticed that the amateur frequencies are not private; they must be shared with others. Frequencies that we can legally transmit on are open to anyone with the appropriate license, and most of the time we acmally want to share our two-meter frequencies with other pilots so we can all keep tabs on each other as we fly.

'I his sharing of frequencies is definitely not H1\NC GUOINC

whar we wam in a video application, however. The obvious reason is that since we want 1:0 maintain a continuous, uninterrupted transmission, we don't want another station interfering with our signal. As such, if more than one pilot wams ro fly at the same time with an AIV system, they will each have to be on separate channels. Most of the commonly available A IV transrnitters (including mine) arc crystal controlled, and will work on several of the 70-cm channels. Some arc easily selectable via a front panel switch; others require the operator to manually replace the crystal with another one. Whichever route you choose really depends on how ofren you think you will need to switch transmitting channels. Right now, l don't know of any other hang glider pilots flying with an ATV system, so the odds oF interforence from other pilots is nil. But 1 also trans-mit in areas that don't seem to have significanl: numbers of ground-based Al'V Lransmrsstons on MHz. Remember, these arc amateur radio frequencies 1:hat we arc sharing wirh others. l f you Ay around major population areas, you run a higher risk that others in the area will also be using your ATV channel for applications other than flying. lf in doubt, contact a knowledgeable amateur radio operator in your area and ask for some guidance.

dynamic range such that the performance can be adequately described as "VHS-like" in quality. ln other words, the received video will be displayed on a good television with :1bout rhc same quality as typical VHS videotape. This is much more performance than is necessary for a small handheld receiver such as the Tcom R3, yet it allows for the possibility of a quality presentation on larger televisions if desired.

PERFORMANCE

Not Required, But Neat To Have • Video overlay board $125

Quality recep1:ion of high-frequency video signals such as those used in the Glider-Cam ATV system is dependent on several variables. The most imporrant factors arc the quality of the transmitting and receiving antennas, the transmitted power, and the propagation path for tbc RF energy between the glider and the receiver. With the antennas described in this article and the transmitter power level of approximately two wans, very good pcrformatKe can be attained under most conditions, over distances of several miles, as long as a line--of-sight relationship is maintained between the glider and the receiving antenna. 'frees and foliage will drastically decrease performance, and denser objects such as buildings and mountains can totally eliminate your signal. As such, some preflight planning may be necessary depcnd-ing on your flying environment, and, of course, there will be some sites that arc not suitable at all for use of'this system.

When the signal strength is adequate, the received video quality is surprising good.

The particular transmitter and color camera that I use have enough bandwidth and NOVEMBER 2000

COST Of course, one of the first questions that folks ask me when sec the system is, "How much docs it cost?" Herc is a cost breakdown for the transmitter items. [ did not include any receiver items because there arc wide variances in portable television prices, and some of the other more esoteric items such as downconvcrtcrs and special antennas arc more for limited-interest applications.

Required Tim1-,mitter Components • Video camera $100 • Video transmitter $120 $50 • 'fransmitting antenna $GO • Battery packs • Microphone $20 • Miscellaneous (coax cables, enclosures, connectors, etc.)

POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS Some potential improvements that J would like to eventually get around to experimenting with arc listed here.

Do more research on batteries, with an eye toward reducing weight and size. The RC packs I have used here arc a substantial fraction of the total system weight, and lighter is always better for a flight system such as this.

Experiment with a wide-angle camera with a better field of view.

Possibly try a two-camera system, with timed, automatic switching between cameras with different mounting posi-tions on the glider.

Continue experimenting wirh different configurations of transmitting and receiving antennas 1:0 improve reception in non-optimal environments.

CONCLUSION But afrcr all this, the questions remain: Docs ATV work in t!1is application, and docs it

provide an enhanced viewing experience for spectators? The answers that I've gotten arc definitely yes to both! My son enjoys roam-ing the field with his receiver, and several folks have approached him to ask wl1at is playing on his portable TV. Most people expect him to be watching cartoons or Poke-mon, and arc amazed to see that he is watching a live transmission from a glider over-head.

I'm sure that there arc other applicarions our there as well for a system like this. Highprofile sites could use a live video link to demonstrate hang gliding to visitors as it is happening, with additional commentary being provided by a knowledgeable person on the ground, lt might be fun to watch the reactions of first-ti me tandem flyers, and instrnctors could visually monitor students on their first high-altitude flights and provide immediate responses via two-meter radio. Competitions and acrobatic cxhibi-tions would also benefit from video trans-missions to spectators on the ground.

There are probably plenty of other applications as well, and pilots with a Technicianclass or higher amateur radio license may legally experiment with a system like this one. I welcome any comments or questions that fellow pilots might have regarding this system, and I can be contacted via e-mail at johnw39038@aol.com.

APPENDIX MPEG-encoded video clips from some of my flights with the Glider-Cam system are available for viewing at the following URL: http:/ I mem bcrs.aol.com/johnw39038/wcbpagc.h tm. Click on "Flobbics."

These videos, as well as the still photos that arc on the Web sire and in this article, were made by digitizing an analog VCR tape with rhe use ofan ATI All-in-Wonder video tuner card in a PC. Further information about the hardware l used in the Glider-Cam project can be found at the Web sires or c--rnail addresses provided here.

• 'lransmittcr North Country Radio 11ttp://www.northcountryradio.com • Video Overlay lntuitive Circuits http://www.northcoun tryradio.corn C:olor C:am era Supercircuits http:/ /www.scx.com Olde Antenna Lab • 'fransmit Antenna E--mail: w6oal@)aol.com • Battery Packs Radio Shack http:/ /www.radioshack.com II

39

e's jusc chac real life happened. Grad school, chen chree lirde kids, a house, a lawn, ecc., and cime co go flying is in short supply. And even though I live just ease of the Blue Ridge Mountains (including Nelson's nowfamous "Mystery Mountain"), I've opted more and more to spend time at my local flight park. And I'm lucky that it's relatively close, and pretty cool coo.

Locaced just norch of Richmond, Virginia, Manquin Flight Park is a fully functional and properly consecrated (by the great Woody Jones himself) flying fun zone. Owned and operated by Rawling Davenport (and his cast of less than chousands), Manquin has quickly become the complece package - they've got all the coys. Sometimes I don't know exactly what I'll be flying until I get to the park. I can catch an aerocow on a Falcon co just boac around and relax, or I can hop on something wich more performance if it looks like I might go X-C. Or I can jusc jump on the back of the cruck and go, rising to che challenge of a 1,000-foot release in marginal air. Or I can catch a ride on an Exxtacy, or ... I still haven't exhausted all the options. And options are a good thing.

Sceve Wendt operates Blue Sky, che on-sice hang gliding school, and uses a variety of towing methods for his student pilocs. For chose of you who don't have his name on yo ur card, Steve complemenrs his bazillion years of hang gliding instruction with his unique blend of wrescling-coach tough love and Job-like pacience. His high-quality/low-quantity instruction might not have made him a million bucks, but he's goc a million-dollar reputation .

For crue begi nners, Steve uses a scoocer-tow syscem. The mellow pull of the scoocer works greac, caking che hill-climbing ouc of che training hill, and allowing studencs to learn towing skills from che ground up. When studencs get inco unwanced cums, Steve backs the power off and chey're quickly on the ground, facing the unhappy prospect of explaining why they're lying there on their bellies. In six or eighc scooter lessons (15 flights or so apiece), most scudencs transicion co platform towing from Steve's truck. From there chey cow to about 1,000 feet and work approaches into che 180-acre field, graduating co more cexcured air and evencually co aerocowing.

I

by Billy Vaughn, photos by Tex Forrest

Okay, I'll admit it, Im a poster child for flight parks. I've been flying enough years to have gotten through the I m-absolutely-burning-to-go flying-today phase, but I still need to leave this nutty planet on a regular basis.

40

H ANG GLIDI NG

N OVEMBER 2000

41

Tandem instruction is available through Blue Sky's tandem instructor Tex Forrest. The still young and dashing Tex works well with everyone first timers, students ready to transition to acrotowing, and experienced pilots new to the tug. Manquin Acrotow provides the tug (soon robe tugs), and pilot Roland Owens yanks both novices and veterans to lift in consistently comfortable style.

Blue Sky's flexible instruction system provides towing options that allow up-andcorning pilots to balance their ambitions with their wallets. Although you might solo aerotow more quickly if you take a slew of tandem lessons, you'll probably solo to 1,000 feet from the back of the truck for less cash. And in case you think I've totally forgotten about the mountains, I haven'r: Steve has a great set of training hills near Harrisonburg, Virginia to teach foot-launch skills.

So how's the flying at Manquin? Pretty good, and we're only beginning to fly the area to its potential. With a 1.1-mile tow road and crossing strips for the tug, the odds of getting up arc good. So far the best flights have been to 8,000 feet AGL and 50 miles X-C. l flew a new Litcspecd last week (thanks Kenny) at 11 :30 AM and felt like superman; l coulcla gone anywhere! Well, after I landed at l :00 PM, hot flight--park regular Doug Perkins 42

made a casual 25 miles in his Ultrasporr.

But I scored more domestic brownie points by getting home early. And now that Steve's got an Exxtacy on site, J'm hoping ro sec just how for we might go.

Then there's this other kind of flying 1 got the itch for a while back. J was rhcrmaling with John Ballantyne (the ultralight honcho), who had come to Manquin to get his first flights on a Supcrfloater. As I flew around the "lawn chair with wings" I got close enough to see his big bug-collecting grin. He was obviously booked, and so was 1. Tc) get the stick time I need in order to fly it, I've been taking ultralight lessons with Rawling Davenport in his Max Air Drifter. Tknow this is a hang gliding mag, but for those of you thinking about three-axis flying of any sort, seek professional help! Rawl-ing's extensive background in hang gliding is a real asset for the hang glider pilot looking to fly ultra-· lights. His instruction has been awesome, and it's great to be on a steep learning curve again.

And as soon as I can solo the tail-dragger Drifter I'll be putting in some time on the Supcd1oatcr just another cool flying toy on site.

The only other airtime apparatus at Manquin that I haven't flown yet is the Mosquito. The powered harness system may have to be seen to be believed, but J'm no longer a skeptic. Steve has flown it on a variety of gliders, and the launch looks no more difficult than a flat slope.

He's even recorded numerous flights on the Exxtacy with Mosguito power. It may not be a steep climb, but lift is lift, and the Mosquito is yet another option.

With on-site camping at Manquin I've been able to consistently peg the fun meter in the limited amount of time I have to spend. I can arrive in early evening, catch a sled on the bot glidcr-du-jour, do an hour of ultralight instruction, then hang out by the foe with yet another bunch of really cool hang gliding folks. The next morning is ultralight time in the early AM, some R/C hand-launch glider time with Blue Sky's Team Zagi (We Throw Up Harder), and then I can fly hang gliders during the textured part of the day. And I'rn home in time for supper.

Don't get me wrong, I love my local mountain sites. But when I've got a 24hour window of opportunity, 1 can maximize my airtime with the options available at Manquin. J\nd options are a good thing.

For more information contact: Steve Wendt; Blue Shy, (540) 432-6557 or (804) 2411324, www.blueshyhg.com, blueshyhg(a:yahoo. com. II

Steve teaching.

H/\NC CLIDING

M PRlgE: USHGA 2000 HANG GLIDING CALENDAR· CLEARANCE SALE!!! Reg. 9.95.

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WINDSOK™ 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Pink/yellow or pink/white (circle one) .. 2/b $39.95 ZING WING Flying toy. Launch it skyward and watch is soar. Set/ 2.... . .. Boz $ 5.00 WINDSEEKER Hang glider flying model. It loops & soars. Lots of fun to fly, you'll want two ... .. Boz $ 3.00 USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular sticker ...... 1oz $ .50 USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular patch ...... 1oz $ 1.50 MTN. GLIDER DECAL Full color 6" rectangular, long--lasting vinyl decal. Very colorful.... .... 1oz $ 1.50 LICENSE PLATE FRAME I'd Rather Be Hang Gliding or I'd Rather Be Paragliding (circle one) .1lb $ 6.50 *ERIC RAYMOND POSTER 24"x37" Eric 17,000' MSL over the Sierra Nevada Range... .... 1lb $ 5.95 *AEROBATIC POSTER 23"x3·1" Colorful keel-angle shot of John Heiney looping skyward ........ 1lb $ 6.95 *Posters are NOT AVAILABLE on International orders-Sorry!

SPECIAL· BOTH POSTERS FOR $10.00 PAYMENT must be included with your order.

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United Sta1tes .!1ir1i,nn Assn., PO Box 1330, www.ushga.org fax (719) ~~-. ~ .

(719) 632-8300 1-uuu-a

HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hang should always be disassembled bcl,,rc /lying for first time and inspected fo1 beni or dented downrubcs, ruined bcnr bolts (csr,ecrallv the heart bolt), rc··t1scd Nyloc nuts. loose frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-cirrnlar holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and hack 011 the keel and edges. ff in douht, many hang gliding businesses happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of cqnipmcnt yon bring them to inspect.

Buyers should select equiptnelll that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek profossional instruction from a l/Sll(;A C:l\RTlF!FD INSTRUCTOR.

AIRBORNE SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING, BUZ'.L New and nearly new. Demo daily. Tl!E WAL· LABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 --· New and used.

WALLABY RANCJ l (863) li24-0070.

or

AFROS STEA ITH I 'i 1 - Excellent condition, owner buying new Stealth $2,700. (970) 728-3905.

AFROS STEALTH 151 Topless, bcautifitl glider, excellent condition, Ii 1 hours $2,500. Joe (81i7) 8955858 Illinois.

AEROS STEALT[l tlM l'mple/ycllow, <25 homs $3,500. CJ. (li25) 888-1856, 1;corgcs(i1nwlink.com AFROS TARGET 16 Practically new, with wheels and harness $2,150. ('Jl <J) 56:Je(,754, scolc0'nctpath.nct

Gl.IDERS 3'5+ for sale, rigid to single surfoce. ( :all/email for rntTc·nt list. Wallaby Ranch (86}) 124 0070 Florida, g;liders(t\va!Lthy.com

NEW & USED IN STOCK, DEMO EXXTi\CV DAILY. WALLABY RANCH (863) li24-0070.

FALCONS I /iO, 170, 195, 225 new and used.

Wi\LLALW RANCH (86:3) 1240070.

FALCON 170 -·· 5 I lours. Moyes Extreme harness, Apco chute, never flown. $2,500. ((,,16) 528 7700.

FLEX WINGS /\EROS STEA! TI! Kl'L ll 151 Excellent condition, blue w/ycllow tip, l'X IO sail, carbon crossb;ir, winglets, Dec ''J'J, only 5 hours S2,600-·air from New Zealand included. Call Ol l-(,.11.112'J-211z-1 (N/, is 20 hours ahead California) or email phil.sou rhwardQbpa radisc. net. nz

FOSTON~ Demo daily. WALLABY RANCH (863) 42/i-0070.

FALCON 225 ··- Speedbar, vario, harness, chute, wheels, tow releases, helmet, spares and exrras. LIKE NEW $2,950. Pies avaibblc. Mike in Michigan (2:, I) ')Ii 1-0Yi2, mbrown~iltravcrsc.com

JIPATl58 72il-3905.

Cood condition, extras $700. (970)

New lower wires, basetube and hang srraps, flies great $700. Call Steve (828) 681i-WiT7 !CARO LAMINAR - Manfred Rumor 2000 STs available now. New :rnd like new ST's and Laminar R models in stock. (760) 721 e·070 I, indaskyGilyahoo.com

FALCONS CLEARANCE Si\LF School use, one season. All sizes $1,2'i0-$2, 500. (262) 47:3 8800,

K2 1/i2

l'LY 2 ·~ Tandem gliders, three to choose from, $2, I 00 and 11p.

(262) 173-8800,

Kl .i\SSIC: 114 Crear condition, liO hours, one owner, never crasl:ed $1,400. (50'i) 828·-0252, kpcrcs(<1lcartl,I in k.11 ct

FREE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/TRANSPORT TUBE o( any new glider. (517) Uc)u<l'J~;M1'ac,l.com. Largest selection of new and usC'd gliders in J\!fichig:111.

FUSION Iii] Fxccllcnl condition, foldit1[\ specdbar, carbon fI!,cr LF inserts, yellow/lime undersurfacc $3,'iOO 01\0. Ron (:l 10) li7').]360, dcniro1162(1ll1otmail.con1

New sail $600. (80g) 5/5-9968

l<LASSIC: Iliff---· Yellow/white, absolmc mint condition, 5 hours use and tl\Cn stored indoors i()r ), years $2,800. Kl:,ssic I 'i5, 80 hours, clean $1,500 OBO. (2(,?.) 473-8800, infc,(<i>hanggliding.com LAMINAR ST14 <,67-971i7.

1999, /i5 hours $/i,000. (619)

LAMINAR ST!li Virmally like new, low hours, many componcms $2,200. (608) 221-3681,

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 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:

SECTION IJ Flex Wings IJ Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories

IJ Business & Employment U Miscellaneous

U Paragliders IJ Videos

1•.nowing U Schools & Dealers IJ Ultralights ,J Rigid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations UWanted IJ Harnesses

Begin . -·-····--···· issue and run consecutive issue(s). My 'J check, U money order is enclosed in the amount ot $ ·-····-·-··--······-··-··-·--····---······· NAME: ·····-··-··-··· --···--·-···-·····-···--·-··-·······---·· -·-···. ·---··---····-· ----··"-·-· ADDRESS:---···--···-·····-····· -·-···---·--e-··--···-·--···-···-···· -·-·-···--

Number of

--·--······--····--··-·--·---·······-®$.50

Number of .. ---·-·-·--·-·-·-····---···-··---®$1.00 = -·······-·--····------

44

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

HANC CUDINC

1./\MJNJ\R STI/i New 5/2000, '50 hours. The best handling you cau find. Red/white/blue $/i,800.

(41 Ii) 975787.'l, Smli\irCiilcxecpc.com

MOSQUITO 1-1/\RNF!;S --- Never used $/i,000.

Orlando (616) 2')2 .. 6901. M( :/Visa accepted.

MOSQUITO MOTOR 11/\RNESS 1296 Michigan, !llickv11 iavbbs.com

(810) 630

I .AMINJ\R HST Myl:tr, as new, perfrct tune, slow est & fosrcst, very nice, purple/red, w/xc b;ig, c;irhon basetubc, $/i,800/llest. (:110) 559 .. 1:n1, swci1ter9Gilcanhli11k.nct

1'01) l!/\RNFSS 6'+, w/rocket chute $750.

Cocoon harness 5'10" w/clrntc $650. (808) 575,9968.

LAMINAR ST, lit, 13 in stock. WALLJ\BY RJ\NCH (863) lt24,0070.

POD 5'7', w/11ar,1chutc (never deployed), ,, 1990, $250 OBO. (503) lieslG11 1cleport.com

MOYFS CSX 1Tl Pcrfoct conditiou, 58 hours, small control frame, red undcrsuri'ace w/bird logo $2,700. (95/i) 978 .. T\0:l, nancy2(;1lrnindspring.com

PARJ\CUDERS

MOYES CSX SX, XTL, XS:l, XT, etc. New and nearly new. J\ va i \able im rnedia tely. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. WJ\LI.J\IW RJ\NCJI (86:\) li24,0070.

J\IR SPORTS USA WWW.FI.YFORJ:uN.NE'r

l 00 gliders in stock. Lookout Mountain, www.hanglide.com UI TRJ\Sl'ORT 117 red/white/hlue,

<I 00 hums, nice condition, specdbar, extra downtubc, new Windsports 8/')9. $2,000 firm.

MOYES XT PRO 165 $1,000. Call Jim (850) 6/i/i-5282, oreillyv''magnct.fsu.edu MOYES XT !'RO 165 Novice/intrnncdiate clouhlc surface, two available $1,600., $?.,:lOO. (?.62) Ii?:, ..

8800, infovhl,;rnggliding.com MOYES XTIU\l.lTE IT/ Well kept, hluc/grern/whitc $ J, 500 OBO. (2(,2) /iT, .. 8800, infoQDhanggliding.con1 MOYES XTR/\LITE IIi? - Co()(/ shape $1,100. Call M,111 (720) ')89,7660.

MOYES XTRJ\LJTl: IG/i (808) 57VJ%8.

lJsed 2 years $1,:lOO.

PJ\C:J\IR Kli 15'i -- Cood shape $500 OBO. Call M,111 C720) 'J8'J ..}660.

PREDATOR 112 19')7, one owner, liO hours, excellent condi1io11 $2,'jOO. Roger (')Ii]) 92/i .. 0.186, opwO I G,lacun.corn Bought-SoldTraded. Raven PUl,SES & VISIONS Sky Sports (262) /iTJ .. 8800, info<rilhanggliding.rnm RJ\MJ\IR I li6

$1,000. (808) 575 .. <)968

SPECTRUM IG'i - \\rand new condition,'%, <5 hottrs, /'laired downrubcs, folding spcedbar, wheels $2,000 0130. (817) 35/i-5568, gg/(,:J(iillwrmail.corn Three l (,5 SPFC:TRUM C:l.F/\RJ\NCI•'. SJ\LE in 11t·,1r new condi1ion, w/all oprions ,}L,Ctt.JU-~:),Ll.11!. Raven Sky Sports (2(,2) liTl-8800, info(?1)h:1 nggl idi ng.com SUl'ERSl'ORT 15:l __ .. Superneat custom sail, very low hours, WW fin included $2,100. (26?,) liTl,8800, infoQhhanggliding.com

n1en1bership

RIGID WINGS C\IOSTBUSTER ·- Unreal glide' Like new, 25 hours, cxnas $'!,200. (?GO) ')2,f--87')') Sa11 Diego, A11drcw((lJsilvcrwaves.con1

lJI.TRJ\Sl'ORT lli7, l (,6 Rent,d gliders ar flight park, low hours, clean, priced lo sell. (262) liTl,8800, info(?i)]1anggliding.co111

ULTRAUGl !TS J\IR SPORTS US/\

VISIONS & PULSES Bought-SoldTradcd. Raven Sky Sports (2(,2) li73·8800, infovilhangrsliding.corn WW SPORT J\T 167 ~ Very good condition, green/white/blue, ripstop trailing edge, flies great $850. )oc (8!i7) 895,5858 lllinois.

WILL WIN(; XC 15'5 -- Excellent condirion, w/wingkrs, 11111st sell $1600. Sa11rntownSky(ih;10Lcom, (Y\6) 72:J .. fi2')?, days FST.

\VWW.FI.YJ:ORFUN.NET

SI.IP TRIKE·--- No mou111:1ins or tow park? No prob ..

1cm, sclrhrnnc\1 and soarl Ligh1es1 weight, most com· pact, most competitively priced. Call or email for free hrochme; rel'undable $IO for video. l .iberarcd Flight ('Jlil) 71i81231, LIBFl.lCJ-ITGllaoLcom Wi\NTFD

WWXC ] 'j'i .._ Excellent condition, folding spccdbar, outl,oard wheels. ( :lean sail, black/bright green/red logo $2,ltOO. Will deliver within Ii hours Clricago/0'[ !arc. Winglcts & padded case $.300. (6:JO) 8:\7-463 l rashustG1\10l.com WWXC 15'i l'urple/magcnta, located in Florida $1,650. (61 ?) li91-Tl67, admin(r1l/t1tura.lcs.mit.edu WWXC 1 'i5 -- Low hours, clean, nice condition $2,liOO. (2(,2) li73,8800, infoc:11hanggliding.com

MK!i needed. J .. 8()0 .. 688-56T7.

SCI JOO LS & DE/\LFRS

EMERGENCY P/\R/\CHUTES $1'J9.

Many more available. Raven Sky Sports 8800, info(ii•hanggliding.corn

!in

HJ\RNFSSES HARNESS EXCHANGE CHUTES (970) 6/i I 9315, h11p://gnnnisonglidcrs.com/ I ITCH FNFRCY POIJ HARNESSES Sizes & $500./iOO. cc; JOOO's $250.

LMFP pod, 5'9" $/iOO. Kncchangcrs & stirrups also available. (?,6;>) ,f7.l·8800, in foQ/'l 1ang~lid i,,g.co111

NJ\T!ON/\L SU\001 NETWORK -- RlNCS !.OC:/\L!.Y. h,r information call David (706) 657 ..

8/i85, davidvlldavidglovcr.com

McNFTJ' TR/\lNINC H/\RNFSSFS Light, strong, durable, Thousands of' st udcms have 1rained in over the past 10 years. (207) }2') .. ')867.

NOVIMBER 2000

4 .)1:'

ALABAMA l,OOKOUT MOUNTAIN HJCllT PARK ad under Georgia.

Sec

CALIFORNIA DREAM WEAVER HANG GLJDING Train on sratc of:·the-·art WILLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One ft,ur hour lesson $ lOO. Three fom hour lessons, plus randcm off 2,000ft. $300. Five lessons Cor $/iOO. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.lnrroducc someouc new tn om sport. hir each new student th;tt you introduce that takes three or

more lessons from me, you'll get a free lesson or $50 off a ft1ture purchase. Complete lesson programs. Yearround instruction. Launching and l:iudiug and thermal clinics available. Ctll for group rares. Tired of hiking Altair, I'll help you! Dealer f,,r Wills 1-:nergy Sports, llall \'arios, C1111clhaks more.

New and used equipment. We love trade-ins. l'm your northern Calil,,rnia MOSQlJJTO I IARNESS DEAlr ER. Ir you live in central through northern California, give me a c;dl or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Call or email, scheduling lessons live days a week, Friday through Tncsdays. Ideal training hill, np to 150/i., 600ft. moumain. 1,200/t. mountain. Tandem instrnction. l/Sl ]Ci\ Advanced Instructor DOOG PRATHER (209) 556-0li69 Modesto, CA. drmwvrhi;Qi\oftcon1.nl'.I l'LY AWAY HAl\C Cl.lDINC Tammy Bnrc;u (805) www.flyaboveall.co111/l1yaway.ht1n

Santa B,uhar,i.

957-9145,

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLICHT PARK -· Sec ad under Nearest mountain training center to Orlando (only hotirs).

f

Cil DERPORT 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San Diego CA 92037 Sinee 1928 HANC GLJDING AND PARA(;LJl)JNG USHCA certified instruction, tandem flight instruction, sales, service, repairs, paracllllte repacks, and site tours. San Diego's world-class soaring center. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Call (858) Ii 52-9858 or roll free 1-877-FI.Y Tl',AM. Check us ou1 and order onlinc al www.flyrorrcy.com

FLORIDA The Aerorow Flight Park Satisfoction Guaranteed JUST 8 MILES FROM DISNEY WORLD • YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • SIX TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DIRECTION

;w min mes from I .AX. I.A's BFST SINCE 1971 hill service walk-in center. Training for all skill levels, rentals, guide service, sales) lodging at world fornoos Kagel Mountain Flight 1'.irk. '125 snnny days a year.

1611i5 Victory Blvd., Van Nnys Ci\ 91/i()(,, (818) 9880111, fox (818) 988-18G2, www.windsports.c.om

TIIE Hi\NC C:UDINc; CFNTFR--6312 Malcolm Drive, San Diego CA 92115, (619) 265-5:120.

COLORADO

I UCH i\DVF.NTURF. · - Hang paragliding school. Equipment sales, service, at Southern California's mile high site, Crestline. US11CA Instructor Rob McKrnzic.

(909) 883-8488, www.lly1a1,1dcm.com

i\lRTIME ABOVE HANC C:I.IDINC - Full-time lessons, sales, service. Colorado's most experienced!

Hall, Flytec, Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, I ligh Connections and much more. (:JO.'l) 671t· Airtimcl J(;@aol.com

MAC:IC: i\lR Located in Northern California.

Lessons, sales, service. (707) %'.1-31i55.

CONNECTJCUT MOUNTAIN WINC;s

Look nndcr New York.

FIDRIDA

501 NICI' demos to fly: Topless to Tr;iincr Clidcrs: f .,uninar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwavc, Exxiacy, La Moucttc, Sensor; also harnesses) varios) etc.

Ages l :l To 73 have \earned to fly here.

No one corn cs close to our level of experience and s11cccss with tandem acrotow instruction.

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS .., IO morels & rcsraurams within 5 rnins., camping, bot showers) sh:cidc trees, salcs1 storage, ratings) XC

rcrricvals, grc:11 weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, etc. l'lights of over 200 miles and more than honrs, Kitpl,mes, Sleywings, Cro.cr Articles in ! !rm,~ Gmntryand others. Featured on numerous 'IV shows, inclnding Dateline NBC. The Discovery Channel & ESl'N. Visit us on rite Web: http://www,wallaby.com

l.ARCEST !IANC CllDINC; SHOP In the West!

Onr deluxe n·tail shop showrnscs the latest equipment and h,1s two virtual reality h,111g !light simubtors. We stock new and used.

Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the homst new harnesses. Tradeins arc welcome. ()ur comprehensive training located at the San Francisco Bay Area's finest site fo:nurcs: gently slopccl "bunny hills,'· Wills Falcons or all sizc.s aud cornfonahle training harnesses! "l'IRST Fl.IC] lT"l minute video tour of our

Please call 11s for references and video.

1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Arca, Fl ..138J7 (863) Ii 2/i-00'70 phone & fox llyv11wallaby.corn l-800WALI.AllY Conservative• Reliable• State of the i\rr l'.J LC. JNC./FLYINC FLORIDA SINCE 197ft

ncr lesson program shows a student's ski\\ progression

$20 (shipping included).

Milpitas CA 9'i035 (m•11rSr111Jos1').

1116 Wrigley (li08) 262-1055, (li08) 2(,2-1388. missio11((hha11g-gliding.corn www.ha11g-gliding.con1

46

US! !Ci\ CFRTIFIFD TANDEM INSTRUCTION /\crotow training & rarings. :md ,1eroi-ow cquiprncnr, 1. 5

Malcolm Jones, Ryan Clover, Carlos llcssa L,urie ( '.roft, Jeremie Hill, Kerry Lloyd Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Rhen Radford Tiki Mashy, Paris Williams

JJJSllC)'WC,rlil. Call (152) li8'J-'J%9. /ly(r_1lgraybirclairspons.cc}111 www.grayl)irdairsp(>r1s.co1n

Hi\NC GLIDING

BUNNY...

THE HILL WITH IT!

LOOl(O\JT MOUNTAIN FLICJ lT PARK Sec our display acL Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots cam their wings at Lnokom rhan at any other school! We wrote USIJCA's Official Training ManuaL Our spccialty,rnstorncr satislaction and lun with the BEST FACILJTIFS, largest inventnt")', 1ning, vollcyhall, more! hn a flying trip) i111ro or lesson packages, Lookottl Mountain, outside C:hatta11ooga, your COMP!,ETF 1ran11ng,'sc1-vi,;c center, Inf,,? (800) 688-1 ,MFP,

MARYLAND MARYLAND SCHOOL OF JlANC CL!DlNC;, INC:, C:crtif'icd instrnction, in foot Energy, launch, Dealers l,,r Wills Wing, Moyes, year-round instruction, (Ii I 0) 527-0')75, www.111sl1g.cc)n1

MEXICO

\X!F 1Ji\ VF The 111<is1 adva11ccrl known lo hang gliding, teaching you in 1i111c it lakes 011 the !raining-BUNNY HILL, a11d with more in-flight air time, YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER, !'or year-round training fi111 in the Sllll, call or write Miami J fang Cliding (505) 2858978, 2550 S llayshorc Drive, Coconut Crovc, Florida \)l'JJ,

BUNKHOUSE WARM & COMFORTABLE

By LMFP! 32 hunks, hot showers, open all year, 2/i hour self' registration, I "800-80:l-778il!

VALLE DF BRAVO Coming winter, week long tours, in-tHHrt on Snnday, $8'!5 hang gliding, l "80086 \ ,,7198, jcfl~1lflymexicoDim

HAWAII

MICHIGAN CLOUD 'J SPORT AVIATION Acrotow specialists, We carry all major brand gliders, hcc PVC: glider srorage/tr:rnsport mbe with new glider purchase, Now in stock: L:imina1 ST; Wills hision, XC:, Ulrrasport, Sonic; Aeros Stealth 2; Magic Falcon; Moyes Kiss, On1riggcr bunch can ki1s, and 01hc1

QUEST AIR SOARINC CENTER -- Your vacation hang gliding local ion, (J'j2) ir29 0213, fox (352) li29li8/i6. Visit our wchsitc at: www.qucsmid(>rcc.com 01 email us: q11cstair(f:!)sundial.nc1

ncccs.sorics in stock. Call for spring tandem ll'Ssons and

/lying appointments with Liw Soaring C:l11b at Clo11d ') CielcL 11088 Coon RcL W,, Webberville, MI /i88'J2, (517) ).2-\ 8681, ( :Joud'Jsav11 a0Lco1n htt p://rncmhcrs,aol,com/do11d'Jsa

GEO RC IA CABIN RENTAL Tastdi,lly decorated cabi11 for nightly and rentals within walking dis1,1ncc to Lookout Mrn Park J ,/, Sleeps fcmr, fi,11 kitchen, satellite t v, air conditioned, heated, f'ireplace, back porch w/bot tub, Tastcfi,lly fi,rnished with handmade rustic h,rnishings, C,11 (706) 657-2756 or (706) 6'i7 7/rl 1 for info and reservations,

BIRDS IN PARADISF Hang gliding & ul1r,1light flying 011 K:111ai, C:crtiflcd 1andern instruction, (808) 822 5309 or (808) (,'.l'J- 1067, birds(?f)birdsin1iaradisc.com www.bird.sinparadisc.co1n

LI

ILLINOIS HANC CLIDE Cl JIC:ACO hill service acropark, 2 tow pL111es, Full time certified instructors, ultralight instructors, L:1s1 Coast record 213 miles, (815) J?S 1685, www.hangg1idcchicago.com RAVI-:N SKY SPORTS (, 12) 360-0700, (81 'i) li89-9700 or (?Ji2) /;7,l-8800, 2 hours from ')() 111in111es Crom Flgin, Palatine or Libertyville, hcst instructors, 1he bcsl cq11iprnrn1, the brn rcs11lts in the Midwest, Training program for combincd/in1egra1cd fc)()t la11nch and aerotow ccrtificario11, Apply 1OO'X, or your intro Jes.son costs to certification program 11pgrarle! Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN, J

,SOCHl0.3-//88

FULi llOOK-Ul'S Laundry, prop,mc, recreation room, l -80(),80J-7788,

INDIANA RAVEN SKY SPORTS

(262) liTl-8800, Please sec

our ad under Wisconsin. infoe?hha11ggliding.co1n

NOVEMllER 2000

IN

NORM LFSNOW'S FLYINC AllVFNTURFS arc !fl. Acrotmving ,ind hill inlroducrory Cull range of lesson progrnrns D)r beginner to advanced. Acrotow clinics & US! JC;\ appropriate rating,; available, \JS] IC:A ceniflcd school. Please contact Nonn l ,csno\v-Mastcr Pilot, Examiner, Advanced Tandem lns1n1ctor, Tow

Administrator, (21i8) :i'l'J-9/iSl, FULL-TIME schooL nlfac?i>j11no.com, WW\v.sc1·ioi1ssports.com/nlfo TRAVERSF CITY HANG GLIDFRS/PARAGLIDERS FULL-TIM F shop, Certified instruction, f,,ot lannclr and Low, Sales, service, accessories for ALL rmjor hr,rnck VlSA/MASTERCARD, C:omc soar our iiSO' d11nesl 150') E 81\,, Traverse City Ml !i968/i, Offrring powered paragliding lessons & dealer for rbe & used 11nits, Call Bill at (2:l I) 922-28/ili, 1cl,1anggll1d, rl"''J11no,conL Visit om paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming, C:all Trctcie :11 (307) 739-8620, 0

47

videos); Moyes (six gift packs of goodies); Aeros (speed sleeves); Mannino's Pizza (two

pilot! Her teammates attempt to cool down the new Worl.d Champion. Photo by George Sturtevant.

large pies) • USH GA for purchasing our team shons, shirrs, and swearshins • Patti Cam eron fo r her design of rhe awesome "bird shirt" rhar sold out far too quickly • C.J . Sturtevant for arranging rhe T-shins and donations from Women Fly • Mark DeMarino/Total Airsports for donating a p icnic rable rhar was to be auctioned off at rhe Lone Srar Championships in Hearne, Texas to benefit rhe wo men's ream. H owever, since our Greece expenses were already covered, rhe team members chose to turn rhe picnic table auction inro a fundraiser to help pay medical expenses for a Texas pilot who was seriously injured in a recent rowing accident. C ontact Steve Bums (sburns@alphal.net) for info on purchasing raffle rickets for rhe N ovember drawing.

• Paul Ad.rianes from New Zealand for making, and LMFP/M art Taber (yes, again!) for paying for rhe spiffy flight suits rhat made rhe U.S . rean1 by far rhe "besr dressed in rhe ai r" team in Greece. And yes, ir was cold enough ar altitude ro warrant swearing in those warm ourfirs on launch. •

The entire (almost) bronze-medal team: George, Mike, Kari, Claire, CJ, Judy, Brian, and Cookie. Carol returned to the US. before the awards ceremony.

Continued from page 21. of our T-shirt sales and raffle during rhe Wallaby Open • Greg Dinauer for donating rhe beautiful glass etchin g fo r rhe silent auction, and Glen Volk for his generous bid • T he staff ar Quesr Air for hosting our raffle, and for rheir support of our T-shirt and raffle sales during rhe ACC • Red Bull for donating all proceeds from rhe sale of rheir beverages ar rhe Wallaby Open to our team fund • The "Women Fly" company for providing T-shirts at their cost and printing our team logo on the sleeve at no charge ro us, and also for donating "Women Fly" caps and patches for us ro wear in Greece • Lookout Moumain Flight Park/Matt Taber (again!) for hosting, and the LMFP pilots for attending, rhe Greek dinner and raffle organized by rhose infamous cooks and con artists, Judy and Alice • The "Earrh Bound" band for donating rheir evening's performance at rhe Greek dinner • The following donors of prizes for our raffle: Wills Wing (Brauniger Basis vario, Suunto altimeter warch, rwo fleece jackets, rhree T-shirrs); Flight Designs (gear bag/flight case, rwo T-shirrs, fleece sweatshirt, fanny pack, waller, key chain, credit card holder, water bottle); Ball Vtirios (Cricket mini-vario); Flytec (4020 vario); Flight Connectiom (rwo push-to-talks); Mojo's Gear (sweatshirt, T-shirt, UP paragliding harness, Pro-D esign paraglider); USHGA (four T-shirts, two polo shirts, three videos, three Sky Adventure books, 20 calendars);fim and Maggie Palmieri (rhree copies of Sky Adventures); Mountain Wings (bar mim, five glider condoms); High Energy Sports (bar mires); Paul Hamilton (five

48

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter •Wind Speed • Temperature •Wind Chill •Humidity •Dew Point •Heat Index

•Rugged •Accurate • Waterproof •Easy to Use

Nielsen-Kellerman

1 .800. 784.4221 www.nkhome.com info@nkhome.com

Nearly 1,000 articles... hundreds of pilot reports • All "Product Lines" columns • How-to-Buy Guide • Read owner comments Site not open; sign up online to be notified

--

MINNESOTA

NORTH CAROi.INA

PUERTO RICO

(612) 3/i0-1800 or (262) RAVEN SKY SPORTS li73-B800. Please sec our ad tmdcr WISCONSIN.

FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit Hang Gliding, HG classes tandem instrnction available. Wills Willg dealer. rentals for qualified pilots. PO Box 978, Puma Santiago, Puerto Rico 007ft I. (787) 8500508, rshg<i'i\:oqtri.net

NEVADA ADVENTURE SPORTS Sierra snaring at its best.

Tours and tandems available. Instrucrion from ccrrilied US! ICA instructors with 25 years experience. Saks, service and instruction by Carson C:iry/Lakc Tahoe NV. (T75) 8837070 hrrri://hom,:.pyramid.net/a,dvsr>ts LAS VEGAS AlRHORN WJ\TF.RSPORTS USHGA certified hang gliding instruction. Sales and service, boat row, monntain soaring, XC. (702) 260-· 7950 www.virtualhosrs.net/ha11g.h1rn

TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN Fl.!GJIT PARK ad Ullder Georgia.

XC CAPITAL OF Tl!F CAROUNAS

Sec

TEXAS

(8)8) (,3?,-9810 foothill.sfliglJt@hormail.com

NEW JERSEY MOUNI"AIN WINGS

I .ook under New York.

NEW MEXICO

I

CROSSROADS WINDSPORTS - Swre-of-tl1e-art training with stationary simnlaror, BoomBar, tandems, video coaching. Aerotowing. Towing for hang and paraglidcrs. Rentals. C1mping on the Airpark! Call Curt Graham in Hobbs ('i05) 392-8222.

•

NEW YORK AAA FUCHT SC:11001. -- MOUNTAIN WINGS I ELLENVILLE AIR SPORTS. Full service shop, flight park, IJSOOfr. row fidd, winch and aero towing, tandems, two-place U.L. training. Airwave, Altair, Moyes, Acros, Jcam 2000, Flight Star U.L., MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY VALLEY harnesses in sroclc The original V-MITTS $29.00. mtnwings@carskill.net or (8/i5) 61i7-33T7 www.flightschool.net, 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12128. The most complete HG Pro-shop in the North Easr.

AIR SPORTS USA NYC's first and only ccrtilicd hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), most paragliding. Distributors for Avian. Dealers major brands. Full service and equipment at best prices.

The mosr friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 7000, WWW.FLYPORFlJN.NET

FLY HIC:ll HANG CLTDfNG, INC. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas (Fllenville Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dcalcrlspecialisr. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instrnction. since 1979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary instruclinished a program and wish 10 colltillTalldem flights! mmmrain! ATOL Conracr Patti 5163 Rd, Pinc Bush, NY 12566, (815) SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK Cooperstown, NY. Cerrifled lnsrrucrion, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. /i(l acre park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. We have the best in N. New York stare to teach yon how to lly. c/o Dan Cnido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13/i07, Cl 15) 866-6153.

50

• YEAR-ROUND XC 1:LYINC • THREF TUGS • TANDEM TRAINING• OPEN 7 DAY A WFFK • AFRO TOWlN(; • DRAGONFLYTRAJNJNG • WINCI f TOWING• TRJKF TRAINING • FOOT LAUNCf I• FLY-INS AND CLINICS • PARAGLIDING TOWS• 600 ACRE FACILITY • SALES AND SERVICE• 7,200' RUNWAY Steve B!lrns li09.2.79.9.}82. email: sbmns(a\dphal .net Fred llurns · 28l .li7l .1488 email: austillair(i1laol.com www.at1stinairsports.co111

GO ... HANC GUDJNG!!! -- Jeffllunr. Austin ph/fox (512) li67-252<J jcflliilflyrexas.com WIVIV.llytexas.com

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION • AEROTOWINC • BEACH RESORT • TRAINING CAMI'S • FOOT f.AUNC:Tf • OPEN YEAR ROUND • PARAGLIDINC • EQUIPMENT SALES ;\ND SERVICE

HlLL COUNTRY PARAGLIDING INC I.earn complete pilot skills. Personalized USHCA ccrtifled rrailling, ridge so:trillg, foot & row launching in cenrral Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUC TION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 3791185. 1175 CR 220, Tow TX 78672.

• BOAi" TOWIN(;

(800) 334~4777 NAGS HEAD, NC Internet Address: lmp://www.kinyhawk.com E--Mail Address: infovi>kittyhawk.com PENNSY!VANIA MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified illstrucrion, Pittsburgh. (Ii 12) 767-li882. C'MON OUT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WTNCS

Look ullder New York.

Sell your unused equipment

KITE ENTERPRISES Foor Ltunch, platform launch and acrotow instruction too. Training, sales, rentals and rcix1ir. Airwavc & Wills Wing. Dallas, Fort Worth and north Texas area. 211 Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (972) .390-9090 nights, weekends, www.kitc-c11t·cq)riscs.con1

TOTAL AIR SPORTS Area's OLDEST Wills Wing dealer. Ccnifled instruction av,1ilablc. "] only DEAL with WILLS". 16121 Lakeview, Houston TX 770li0. (713) 937-86 l 1, tota\airsporrs(inhormail.com UTAH CLOUD 9 SOARING C:ENTFR

The nation's largest and hang gliding shop, is now offering hang guide services, repairs and sales at Point of the Mollntain, Utah. Contact ns for ,m informatioll stop by the shop. (801) 57612556 S. Minnrcrnan Dr.

HANC GLll)INC

WASATCH WINGS Utah's only fidl sc,·vicc hang gliding school, Point of' the Mounrain. regional mountain sites, towing. Dealer for Aeros, Altair, Wills Moyes, Airwave and much more. ( :all /.ac (80 I)

PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES ·- Sec TOWINC:.

TI IE WALLABY RANCH (86:l) li2fi .. 0070.

7!]9,i, wings<?l\vasa1ch.co1T1 www.wasmch.com/,--wings

AMA/INC:l.Y LOW l'RICFS -·- On all Ball variost VIRGINIA

Boh((11 brokedC,ryo11.corn

BLUE SI<Y f'itlltimc instruction and service at Manqt1in Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, Flight Design, Acros and Airwavc gliders. Mid Atlantic Mosquito dealer. Steve Wendt (5/iO) li:,2.

6557 or (80/i) 2/i 1-ii:32/i, www.bl11eskyhg.con1, blucskyhg~1,yalH)(>.,·,,n1

ALI. J\CC:ESSORIF.S IN STOCK' Flytcc !iOO'i, Quantum :l.lO, call! I.ow prices, fast delivery! Cunnison Clidcrs, l 5/i'J C:onnty Road I'/, Cunnison CO 812:\0. (')70) 6/i 1-'J.l l 5, http://gunnisonglidcrs.com/ 1IANC CLIIWR CAMERA l'J\C:KACJ,

Wired

remote, include;, 1nount, wide angle w/inflnitc standhy, auto (bsh , 3'\rnm auto rewind. S11pcr liglir \Vcight

BFST 12" WI !FELS AVAIi.Aili.i!

Snper tough, lightweight, ;i must fo, tandem flying. lluilt-in bushings. Only USA-huih wheel. $1i2.95, quantity

only 'i.3 oz everything you need $18'). Complete. Visa welcome. ('/02) 2607'JSO. http://www. virtual hosts. net I skysai II c11 nera.h t m

discounts. Immediate delivery. l.ookout Mountain,

(800) C,88-LMFP. COMPJ\SSLS (2) w/bar mou11ts $50 caclt. R;idios (2.), varios (?.) $250 each. Hclnu:ts (2) $150 each. 2 sets of'whccls $25 each. (808) 575-9%8.

FI.Y AT VIRCINli\'S NEWEST TOTAL Fl.IC! IT PARK - MANQUIN oflcrs aerotowing, tandem lessons, plaiform truck towing, training hill and scooter towing for beginner thrn advanced pilots. Certified instniction, glider cquipmcm sales, service and repair through "Bl .UE SKY"

FL!c;I !T C:UNNEC:TIONS, I NC. PTT II

Virgini~,'s leading li:u1g gliding sd100L

Try :l·axis /lying with certified ultralight instruction through "FLY RAWI.ING", learn ro fly and soar the Su11erl'loatcr.

Just 2 hours south o( Washington DC:, minutes NE of

I IICI I PFRSl'FC:TIVF WI !FF.LS Real life savers' 12", light, tough. Fits all gliders. Send $Ii 1.95 t $/i.50 shipping per pair lo Sport Aviation, l'U Hox 10 I, Mingovillc I';\ l (185(1. Ask about our dealer prices.

Richmond. Free c;unping and dose to fast food, restaurants

and J<ings l)on,inio11 theme park.

Visit us on the web www.manquin,1cro1ow.com or

www.bl11eskyhg.co1n.

(5/iO) ii32-6557 KJTJY JIAWK KITFS

Sc,· North ( :arolina.

WASHINGTON HANCTIME- Dealer of tl1c MOSQUITO powered harnesses. Call for CI.TNJC dares. Right here in the Pacific Norrhwcsr. ('iO'J) 52'i-:l571i, lbbrown/irlbmi.nct WISCONSIN RAVFN SKY SPORTS 1-IJ\NC CJ.IDINC: J\N]) PARA(;LJI)JNC: The Midwest's Premier acrotow !light park, founded in 1')97.. i'caturing INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION ot' fciot·-launch and aerotow tandem skills, at package prices to heal any in the USA. Seven beauti!"ul, grassy hills all wind directions.

Four I k1gonf1y tow no Three undem gliders on wheeled nndcrc:trriages.

Falcons for training from the very first lessons. USUA ultralight and instruction. Paragliding tows. 1:rec camping.

Salcs,lscrvi,;-c/an:es,;ories for all brnnds. Open 7 days a week. ( :on tact Brad Kushner, PO !lox IO I, Whitewater WI 5l 190 (262) /i/l-8800 phone, (262) ii'73880 I l:1x,

0

New :111d Improved

• Watcr/Dnsr Resistant Prnh l\mton • Field Replaceable Finger Switch 'Heavier Caugc Wire/Improved Plugs ' Increased Stnin Relief al J\11. Joints Price $119.95. Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchasc.

Dealer inquiries welcome. Call ('J 13) 2(,8-79/i6.

MC :/Visa. Visit our website at www.flighrconn.cotn

Your ad is by more than 10,000 hang gliding enthusiasts. Advertise with us today.

Fl.lC;f JT SIMULATOR Made hy Mission Soaring Center, complete $2,000. (6m) 5/i24/i 16 morning sidc((Dflyrnon Ii 11gsidc .com

advertising has a two-month lead time plan ahead.

Classified advertising: new life for equip1nent and cash in your pocket. What a deal!

www.l1;1nggliding.co111, inf(>((1)hanggli{{i11g.com

NOVlMllER 2000

'5 I

Sell your unused equipment

OXYGEN SYSTEMS KIWI HELMETS - CRISP! BOOTS-~ Two worldwide rccop,niz.cd ltali,m manufactures of fine hanp, glidinp, and parap,liding accessories available now in the USA. Kiwi helmets arc and tested in cornpli ancc with the CF Lininp,s arc made of expanded polyctltylcnc and shells arc made of carbon and composite fihcrs. Tbc helmet opening was studied to allow max. visibility and installation ol' earphones m1crc,pl1or1cs. Shells arc painted in color black or by clear coating. Sizes XS (21 /4"). Kiwi open face - Pick Up $75 (25 ounces). Kiwi Cull face Plain $190 (28 otmccs). Kiwi 1ull face Evolntion $220 (27 ounces) .

Crispi hoots arc made with the finest materials in the industry; warerproof suede, Vibram sole, Kevlar shockabsorbing border and bottom, removable rear insert and velcro band ro keep laces in place. No hooks.

Crispi Airborne $210 (32 onnccs).

For orders or ft1rrhcr information abom Kiwi helmets or Crispi boots please contact AFROUGHT USA, lnc.

Tel. (305) 639-:\330, fax (305) 6.W-.3055, !\mail: infoi?"acrolighr.com Web: www.acrolight.com LAMINAR PARTS

We have wh,11 yon need and we AV8 Call (760) 721-0701 or e111:1i\ at tnclasl,yt,"yal11e10.co:m

DON'T GET CAUGHT LANDINC DOWNWIND! -- 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, llV treated, 5'4" long w/ 11" t hrn,ll. Available colors f'luorcscent pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $:)9. 1)5 (+$4.75 S/1!). Send to USIICA Windsok, P.O. Box l.DO, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-13.'\0, (719) 632-8.300, fax ('71 ')) 632-6/i 17, 11shgav1)ushga.org VISA/MC accepted.

The world-cLtss XCR-180 operates up to 3 homs l?il 18,000 fr. and only lilb. Complete kit with cylinder, hmncss, cannuLt and remote on/off flowmctcr, only SPEC l"AC:llLAR TROPI J IFS Soaring llrcams

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ATOS The B,:st, J lighest performing, Ridged Wing-·/n Stod, LJGHT SPEED---· Second Cencration Topless-In Stock SATURN Best in class, Two site demos-In Stock Glider Condoms-····-'] 'he ultimate glider protection-./n Stock VMitts The ORIGINAL and still rite best, NEW for 2000-/n Stoel< Moyes, Altair, Aeros, Airwavc, Airborne

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Clips ro he! met or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 018,000 ft., fast response and year warranty. Crear for paragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallencc, !'Cl Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92Tl5. (7H) 966 12/iO, MC/Visa accepted, www.111alletrcc.com

R.enew your mernbership online!

52

DRAGONFLY TOW CLUB The success is in the smiles! Dragonfly kits available \!OW for $10,800!

Fully built f,Jr $12.,800 pins you get Bobby Bailey to rraitt yon at yom site. Call for details. Kett Brown dba Moyes America (415) 75:J-1)534 FlyaMoyes~il:wl.com

HAWK AfRSPORTS lNC P.O. Box 90'56, Knoxville, TN 3l'lii00056, (865) 9li5-2G25. World fomons Windsoks, as seen :tt the Oshkosh & S11n--N-l'un EAA 1-lawk(,hwindsok.com,

WANTED J Jang Cliding/Paragliding instructors.

Immediate f'ull time openings available. l.ive the California dream ... instruct srndenrs at the San l'rancisco Bay area's premier site. Service shop for Pat Denevan employment is also available.

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HANC CIIDINC

l'UBIJCATIONS & ORCAN!ZAT!ONS

VIDEOS & FILMS

CALL US! f(;A to the present

NEW' TO FLY: DISCOVER IIANG GLIDING TODAY-· by Adventure Productions ONLY $5.00 FOR USHG/\ MEMBERS ($15.')5 1,,r non-US I \CA member'.-.). I )iscovcr how modem lung gliding can eas-

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This video was created to show hnw liang gliding has evolved into a s;1fo, a/fordable, and fun way "To !'ly".

If you don't have yottr copy of Drnnis Pagcn's PERFORMANC!i FLY!NC yet, available through US} J(;A I lcadquanm $29.95 ( ,$5.50 s,\::I, for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). lJSI-ICA, ]'() Box 1.330, C:olor:ido S1,rings (:() 80')01. I B00-(,166B88

Filmed at several major hang schools in the US 'This production has my best footage packed into a short 10 miullte eye ONLY $5.00. We were ahlc ro cover rl1c and c:1sy training option,<,, for

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NEW* STARTING l-lANC GLIDINC, by 1\dvrnrurc Productions. Produced especially co

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SPEED CUDING: TFAR UP TI-IE SKIES By Advcmure Productions $21.95 Covers rhc speed gliding conrest in K1rnloops, British Columbia and then onto Telluride, Colorado.

S11pcrior graphic ;rnimacior1) grcal camera angles. 2/i mirnl\cs.

TELLURIDE SPEED GUDTNG By Tatttm Productions $19,95. Complete covera!;e of this event.

The sout1'1 of rhe gliders passing through the control gates is totally awesome. :3:3 mirn1tes.

Call USHCA (71 'J) <,:12-8300, fox (719) 632-6/i 17, order from our web site ww,v.ushga.org. PJvasc add +$Ii

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beginners, ,is wdl as, the ext-rem<· aspects of hang glid-

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TURNING POlNT IN ALPJNF TllERMALLING. hy llennis Tron/Alpine !'lying C:rntre. 'i0 1Vr, I IC, 50% l'C. Discover techniques 10 1:11nc the c:lusivc :ilpinc thermal. Beantiful Furopc's most dramatic mo1111tains. Also com-rncnls Crorn top pilots & great animation. ).;j min $35,95 Currently our holiest selling video!

I-JARRY AND THE l !ANC; CLIDER is a beaurilidly illustrated, hardcover children's hook with 10 share the dream 111,is $3 shir>ping to Publishing, 20] N. Tyndall, Tucson, 1\/. 85719 or call (520) (,28--81(,5 orvisiL http://www.flash.net/ .. skyhipuh Visa/MC: accepted.

SOARING - Momhly magazine of The Soaring Society of' America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring /light. Full mcrnhersl,i/J $'i5. lnh kit wirh s:imple copy .$3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 882/il. (50'i) 392-1 /Tl. TOWJNC AEROTOWING ACC:ESSORlFS I lcadquartcrs for: The /Jncst releases, seconch1ry rc/c,1ses, Spectra "V" bridles, weak li11ks, landern wheels, launch can kits, etc.

Tl!E W/\LL/\BY R/\NCII (863) 121-0070.

AFRONAUTS .. IIANG GLIDING MASTERS, by Photographic Expeditions. A dornmcntary of hang today. Superb footage, graphics & interviews. min $29.95.

PARTY AT CLOlJDBASE - A hang gliding music vidrn by Adventure Proclnctions $19.95.

I !ANG GLIDINC EXTREME & BORN TO HY

by AdvL'nturc Productions, great lig ac1ion $3/i.95 c:ich. ]--]/\ WAllAN FLYIN by Space 9, soaring in paradise, amazing launches $33.00 Cd! US/ !CA (719) 6.U-8300, fax (71 ')) 6:l2-61i 17, em:iil: or order off our web www.ushg:1.org. ,$1 domestic s/h (-, (\VO

or more videos). Creal to impress your friends or

fen I hose socked-in days. Perfect gift for I he Lnmch potato rnrncd couch potato. Also, ask us about om ,,aragliding videos 1

From the Tcllnride Festival in l ')81, to the modern d;iy free.style Follow rhc history of this dynamic gathering.

Call \JSI !(;A (71 ')) 6:l2-8300, f:ix (7 J 9) 6.,2 (iii J , order from our web sire www.ushg,1.org. \'lease add +$4 domestic s/h.

REAL ESTATE CIU'.STl.lNE CAIIFORNIA At L,unch site, income potc·nrial, home for sale, possible bed/brcakfost.

Fllrthcr information at www.lcrcsalJrcalcstatc.com or ('Jii'l) C,89-'X\33.

members! New ~-·~i,._ ~'-"--'-"""<;..

promotional

available. only $5.00 ($15

classifieds

for

1-800-61

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53

VIDFO.S BOOKS & POSTERS Call US! JC;\ for yom Merchandise order l,Hrn Cl 19) 6.12-8'.lOO, email: nshga~1lushga.oq;, or check ottr web page \Vww.t1sl1ga.org

"AEROBATICS" h,11 color 23"x 31" poster fr:iruring John Heiney doing wkn he docs hcst--LOOPING! Available through USJ ]GA J JQ lc>r just $6.95 (+$Ii.DO s/\1). !'ill that void on yom wall! Send 10 lJSHGA Aerobarics Poster, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80'>:rl. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, NOT AVAILABLE on international CIAL-J\erobatics & Frie Raymond BOTH H)R $10 s/h). Check the mcrcl1,mc\1sc

NOW 5 MODFLS /\VJ\TLABI.F 12-2/i" wing span. !'riced at 2/$'), 5/$12, J0/$20 (,$3.20 S&JI, WA residents add 8.(,'Yc, sales tax). Chcck/rnoney order 10: Zing Wings, PO Box /i8'), Enumclaw WA 98072. www.zingwir1g.cc)111

DON'T HAVE YOUR GROUND BOUND EQUIPMENT SlTTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL lT IN THE HANG t;UDING CLASSlFJEDS.

section o( our web si1e www.ushga.org for a color pie"

tnrc of these hcmnili,l pos1crs.

---HANG GLIDING CHRISTMAS CARDS--Old black and white etching style. $10 per dozen, $18 for 2 dm.cn, $33 for 50, or $60 for JOO. (Plus 10'){, for shipping.) On the net: lmp://acreation.1ripod.com 01 email tek<Zlls11ct.nc1. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope for an assor1men1 selection sheet to: TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook St:ige, Winsted CT 06098. Call in your order, Vis.1/MC/Discovcr accept· ed, (860) 379-1668.

CLASS!Fl ED ADVERT!SI NC RATES The rate for classified advertising is$. 50 per word (or group o( char MfNfactcrs) and $1.00 per word for hold or all MlJ M All CITAR(;f,: $5.00. A fee of" 15.00 is charged f,,r each line art logo and $2'5.00 for each photo. LINF.ART & Pl !OTO Slf,J,; NO LARCl'.R Tl IAN 1.75" X 2.25". !'lease underline words to be in bold print. Special of tabs $25.00 per colnrnn i 11cl1. !'hone words. Email or web add rcss~:lwords. ;\ I) D l(A D L1 NFS: All ad copy, instntctions, changes, additions and cancclla1io11s must be received in 1. 5 rnonrhs preceding 1bc cover date, i.e. october for the December issue. Please make checks payable to US HCA, P.O. Jlox J ."l:10, Colorado CO 80')01-1:BO, (71')) 6~2-8:100.

Fax (71 <J) or email: ushgavilushga.org your classified with your Visa or MasterCard.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Advcnrurc Proditctions ............................... 5 A ircotcc .................................................... 26 Altair ........................................................ :\ 5 Angle of Arrack ........................................ 5/i Arni Design .............................................. 11 Crestline .................................................. 27 Cross Country Magazinc .......................... 33 Dan Johnson ........................................... .49 Flytcc ......................................................... 9

] Jail Bros .................................................... 5

HANC Cl.lDlNG & PARAGLlDJNG "l'OlJRS All skill levels. Aero, 1r11ck rowing. Easy flying & smooth at a hcautifol lakc. Volcano Jlight, X(; or long ride Crom 12,000' 10 the coast.

Transportation, guide, lodging, glider & more. Basic $100/day. Tcl/Cax 011-li'J-80!i-7.235S,

High Energy Sports .................................... 5 Just Fly ....................................................... 2 Mastadon Dcsigns ...................................... 7 Moyes ........................................................ 8 Ncilscn-J<cllcrrnan ................................... li8 Norrh Wing ............................................. 32 Sport Aviation Puh!ications ........................ 7

Traverse City Hang ( ;Jiders ........................ 2

Urban Apparel ......................................... 27

U.S. Acrm .................................................. 5 USH(;A ....................................................... .li3A9 \Vcsr ( :oast Atos ................................................... 7

Wills Wing .......................... l:l, Back C:ovcr

54

Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll--Free: 888.530.9940 E··Mail: custsvc@angleofattack.net Website: http://angleofattack.net

100% Gucm111teed. If not satisfied, return unused tubes for 100% money back. Major Credit Cards accepted.

OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged.

Ad by Peter 8itren: 847.640.0171

HANG CLJDINC

ST. PJ\UL, MINN., Yo\J know, E,eems like quite r;orne Urn,? since wrol.e abo1Jt a new f:Jexwing hang glicler b1Jt .in t:his monL:h' "Procl1Jc1: l 'm pleased to tell about a new topless entry.

AirBorne' s new 154. J"j rsl: some area 154 ;::,qua res, span 3fl. l foot::, hR is 7. 6, nose an(::rJ c:::: j s 12'7···133 clc9reE-1s, am:I i1'. harJ 90% double surface with 32 battens, o weight of ·17 poundr;, and recomrnendEJd pj1ot weight of: EiS·-275. Ai.rBorne c.;ays it takes only 10 minutes l:o assemble ond packs down to 17. 4. feel ( short pack to J?.. 8 fcc!et:) . Well, the don't: much from any other topless, so Jet's look a little further. A 'rhe company has already found success with th0•ir lecvc:J Fun, intc):i'.TI\edia to Sting II, ancl cecrea Li.onv] Shark. As principal Ricky Duncan said, "'rhe only product miBr;ing from our range was a Lruly pc'erforrnancec glider." Besides the obvious removal of uppor rigging, thc,,y roversed prior AirRorne and wont with t.he more widc,'ly acceptec:I c~l] changed their older Shark cam· VG system to l:ighter VG Eull·-on c;etting. '\'hey claim "much lower operating pressures, which also minimizes the amount of rope flopping around in tho bree,:e. " cam-VG system doe~, not· roquire crm,sbar to be pulled att whidi AirBorne feels bottor preserves the shape of l:.he airfoi l:o hold down trim speeds and maintain more conventional pitch f:orces. T'he believe trim speeds on many topless designs while pitch forces dc,creasE-, and thoy consider both these l:o be "design problom,;. " In addition, Duncan feols the sprogs and tip dive dc~vices work beU:or witb L.heir cam-VG system. A AirBorne' Climax saiJ 1.rnes an "improvecl arrangement" smooths airflow edge) to the lower surface.

This works in conjunction with new doub1o nose ribs because, "'J'crc,ts have shown us that leading edge deformation starl:s at: the nose during higher speeds."

Early flight "exciting" and they sbou1d be nearing as you read this with production montl1. 1'11ey won' sell tbe glider unti] is cornplote and C;xpect to set: a price in November. Info: fJy(slAirBorne.corn.au or see their website. ••• J\ irBorne' s may be tardy but nececssary, at least. according to a review of contest results among Elcxwings. Betihno Schm.itz that average contest speeds before topless (that is, before about 1998) were around 25 mph. Wh0,rea.s, in meets he's since, the" average E;peeds rose to 30-32 IXIPh, an of better L:han 20%. believes t:hic:; incrc2a1;0 :i.s a result of pilots seeking to reduce 1:he:ir draq whilo fr1creasing their effective wing load.i.ng. Schrni tz doesn' L that such reduction in drag is worthwhile on gliders wi t:h upper rigging, normally shaped down tubes, and wiros routed to the convontional control bar corners. E,ome contest pilots e1nploy smal] changes like ot:taching t:he wires halfway down the! downtubes and Schmit,: t:hinks these l:iny drag rr,11,,,,1· 1 ons can iJct.uall hE,lp when pa i.red wi l:.h a cleaner topless wing. ••• We run from latest to the oldest ... Some ca11ed it the "Geezer Fly-in," but wbat:ever t.he name, tho assembly producc,d, as Mike Riggs puL. it, "not a eye U1c; area." Many of tbe Who's Who of hang history gathered at J·oe Greblo's "Reunion F1y·-·in" at Dockweiler Beach.

1'his' LL s1in2ly make a story in our favorite rag, but .it certa:in1y sounc)ed like an amazing gat.horing tbat wished could've attended. Over 300 himinaries or ex· luminaries did qo and the one duy evcc>nt was heralded a huqe succes,;. Tho of old l:imers NOVEMBER 2000

was J engthy and impressive. ••• Mentioning Mike Riggs (Seagull AircrafL boss from the 1970s), want add that the fly-in gave him additiona] Eeedback on his new soaring trike, inspirE,d by my writing or whining .. _ back a few :i.ssuos aqo. The amount of mail and messages J 've received on tbis idea s1Jggests il: could be a big markot success and Mike got more positive strokes for his work Dockweilor. He' lJ cal] it the "Pod Racer," a nifty play on tho .latest Star Wars flick and the company name wil J be... ha! , you guessed, Seagull. Wh.ile out west, wa.s encouraged to make tbc Pod Facer into a of designs to includo a simple Sport Pod modo:L with less streamlining, fixed gear, more, openness, and maybe less weight. Joe Greb lo, who' bc,on i.nterested i.n Mike's work for months, asked for a two seat trainer version. BuL the Lirst one wiJJ be the fuJ.1--on Pod Racer with retractable gear, full windscreen (with openings for arm rnovcmient to allow full control bar range), an integral BRS parachute, faired trike/wing at1:.achrnents, and a weldt:!d steel internal structure! plus a p1asti c body that should resist dings and dent.s. "It s.hould have front-pJate drag not much moro l:han a clean prone pilot.," contends Riggs. I know 'rn pumped by his work. If you aro too, you might dash oE f an ,,·-mail to Mike at rnr:i.ggs(hsd. net. ••• One of the., re:3ponses got. wac; from Kamron Blevins, proprl et.or of North Wi.ng Design. Many of you should know his narno but for those who don' t, Karnron has been building hang glider for noarly two decades. I've flown several of wings ( on trl kes) and 'vo been tickled pink with th12 llandling. He's now branched j nl:o powered trikes whicli I've also flown and liked. One of these, he says, could do duty as a soaring trike if built w:i.thout ,rn engine. may not be tbe highly fairc:-,d Pod Racer that Riggs ifl building but he certainly ought to be a player and he',.; alroady got a woll established production fvci:Lity.

Info: 509 886-4605 or trikes@nortbwing.com. ••• A "former skydiving turned movie stuntman turned movie writer movie di.rec l:or, " Guy J)!lanos j s namE, that may endear iU,elf to the hang gliding community. He says, "I wrote the Wesly Snipe$ movie 'Drc,pzone' and just finished directinq my irst feature... another skydiving ba.sed action flick called 'Cutaway' staring Stephen Baldwing, 'l'orn Berenger and Dennis Rodman. " He made for the E,tudio on these so he adds, "Hollywood anxious for me l:o do another movio." Ho 1,ay,.; they never want to stray too far f:rorn what you know so ho ' s to a make the, hang 70s 9lidc"rs and ,James Coburn. wi:-,h Guy success was D neat movio back when and, done in modern style, might provide quite a boost for our sport. Info: guymanos@reefnet. corn. ••• After bcdng U.SHGA' E:xecutive Director for over six Phil Bachman resignc,d. He citc,d persona] reasons and family for his and wiLL help the association throucJh a period, but: he bid fareweJ 1 only a monU1 befon• l~he [all board of directors meet.ing. Over the yean, I've my contact with Phil and certainly wif;h him well tho future. 'I'hc~ fall. board rneeUng will update diroc:ton, on plans to replace Bachman.

••• Well, more new,.; if, wai but room i.s gone once again. A So, got news or opinions? Send 'orn 0

to:

8

Dorset.:.,

St.

,

Pau1 MN 55118.

Message::;

or

fax

to 651 ·-450·--0930, or C-"-maiJ to CurnulusMan@aol. corn.

A A1.l "Product Lines" columns wil] be available later this year at www.ByDanJobnson.com. THANKS!_

55

Competition?

Oh yeah, we do that too ...

Bo Hagewood Ji m Lee Paris Williams

1st 1st 3rd

2000 US National Championships 2000 Lone Star Championships 2000 Lone Star Championships

Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP

Jim and Paris combined to win six out of seven days of the meet.

Kari Castle F ranc;:oise Mocellin

1st 2nd

2000 Women's World Championships 2000 Women's World Championships

Fusion 150 SP Fusion 141 SP

These were the only two Fusion SP's in the meet Richard Walbec Franc;:oise Mocellin Richard Walbec Sandy Dittmar Chris Muller

1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st

2000 French National Championships 2000 French Women's National Championships 2000 Pre-Worlds 2000 Valida International De Vol Vibre Venezuela 2000 Canadian National Championships

~llli'•" ~

··'

,,i'I

~.>'

Fusion 150 SP Fusion 141 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP

+

""'

'l;

·>.~· - .& ••

But then , we do other things as well. Like the Wills Wing Falcon - the world wide standard for first purchase, entry-level fun. The Wills Wing Eagle - double surface performance with single surface flight characteristics - and maybe the best all around glider we've ever made. The Wills Wing Ultra Sport - the most accessible true high performance you can buy. And the Wills Wing Fusion - the confidence that comes with first quality materials and engineering, and an unmatched safety record .

Wills Wing gliders. Check us out.

~

LU~

Nti

Guality aircraft for exceptional people.

Wills Wing USA, 500 West Blueridge Ave. Orange, CA 92865 , ph 714 .998.6359 fax 714 .998.0647 www.willswing.com