USHGA Hang Gliding July 2001

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M19-M: • Two 1 foot altimeters 0 to 20,000 feet and AGL • Analog vario readout -1700 to +1700 fpm • Average Vario readout Audio vario Selectable audio sound Volume control • Feet or metric selectable • Variable vario sensitivity Temperature readout • Low battery indicator • Auto fiight timer • 128 flight memory Dmation High altitudes • High rate of climb/sink • Accumulated totals • 2 year warranty

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Electronic compass Automalic direction finder 3 altimetfirs Peak value recorder (100 flitihts) Vario dynamic filter Analog vorici to 2400 fpm Digitol vorio to 5000 Average vorio 1 to 60 sec TE compensation Adjustable siall ulorm Barometer Thermometer Batl~HY check (life 200 hours) Feet of metric Real time dock Upgradeable flash memory 2 Year warranty Optional airspeed probe Optional hong gliding mount Optional vario holder

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ntents (LJSl'S O17-970-10 -

ISSN 0895-43.'\X)

16 Flying Honduras by l<ris Crebfo A unique advencme in a little-Aown country.

20 Pilot Report: The Litespeed 3

by Claire /}1ge11, photos hy Dennis Pagen A look at chc lirclc Li cespeed.

22 The Michael Champlin X-C Challenge 2000

by Ke1Jin Frost A universal conrcsc fi1r soaring pilots of all kinds.

30 What Kind of Pilot? Mental Qualities © 200 I by Greg De Wolf; Fly America, photos by />am Estes Nex t in Greg's series on hang gl iding techn ique and sryk.

34 New East Coast Record From Quest Air hy Mrirk J>omtinchi1tn, photos by Steve Kmop Mark flies 225 miles to Tifton, Ceorgia in a GhostBuster.

38 IfYouA1ways Land Perfectly (Don't Read This)

by Jim (Sky Dog) f>tllmieri Com,m:nr~ on landings and a technique that has worked great for the author.

Columns

Departments

RegionaJ Director Nominations ......... .27

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

Product Lines, by Dan Johnson ......... 55

Update ...... ... .............. ............ ..... ............ 8 Calendar of Events ......... ...................... 14 Classified Advertising .... ..................... .44 Index to Advertisers ......................... ... .54

)UI Y 2001

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Dear Editor, 'T'he world of soaring (both hang glid,. ing and sailplaning) recently lost an excellent human being. Pat Page made his last flight on April 14. He was towlaunching his beautiful (recently refinished) sailplane at Williams, California, when, right afrer leaving the ground, it became tragically clear that he had no elevator control. The result was instan ra,, lleOUS.

Several facts make this particularly tragic. Having known, flown with, and traveled with Pat for more than 15 years, I can say with great confidence that he touched an incredible number of lives in soaring sports across the world. Por several years Pat was a globctrotting ombudsman for Wills Wing and a hang gliding ranger at Yosemite National Park.

He was truly a latter-day gentleman and a highly experienced and conservative pilot. Pat was in his early 30's and his entire life was flying. He started hang gliding at age 16. He was a commercial airline pilot for Mesa airlines (a subcontractor for America West Airlines).

A memorial celebration was held for Par on May 20 in Minden, Nevada, his recent home and one of the world's best soaring sites. The event attracted about 60 attendees, hang glider and sailplane pilots from many hundreds of miles away. The proceedings started with a very emotional "missing-man fly,hy." It was mostly a true celebration of life: People shared funny stories, reviewed a slidcshow of his entire life, and learned of the many facets of his life that he kept in the background. Several messages came in from around the world.

Pat's family in Sunnyvale, California has been hit hard by this. Pat was a quiet, but incredibly deep, fomily man. He leaves a father, mother, sister and brothcr-in,,law. In lieu of flowers and other tributes, they have authorized a memorial fund which will be used to honor both hang gliding and sailplaning in some appropriate way. Any suggestions?

For anyone wishing to contribute:

JULY 2001 VOLUME 31, ISSUE No. 7

Pat Page Memorial Fund Account #0049,,6389-5183 Bank of America 1646 Highway 395 Minden, NV 89423 1 »800-,944--·0404

All who knew him would agree: Pat Page was the least deserving of such an end.

Jim F!erd Pleasanton, CA JLHcrd@home.com

Dear Editor, Afrer reading Peter Fencht's article in the March 2001 "Airmail" sectiou I started doing some checking. Mike Meier is right; the first Lilienthal meet took place in Newport Beach, California (sec Hang Gliding, June 1984, page 34). There is a copy of Bill Liscomb's ccrti ficate, elated May 1971, of his participation in the meet.

Richard Miller's Bamboo Butterfly is somewhat more mysterious. Some of the first published accounts of the hang gliding movement in Low and Slow arc less than accurate. Although I do not have issue #1, issue t/2 of Low and Slow, published in October of 1970, makes no reference to any flight by either of the "Australian Bird Men" (Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett). The first Low and Slow mentioning either (as near as l can tell) is issue published sometime in 1973.

It contains a letter of introduction from Mike Moore about Bill Bennett as Australia's "top kite fl icr" to the then fledgling movement of fliers in the United States.

Jerry Sorenson Hayward, CA

HANC GLIDINC

DUST DEVILS - The Women's Worlcl HC:i at Lake Chelan, W/\. 24

HANG GUDING E}ffREME Owen's ancl

I BORN GLIDING: TEAR UP rrnr,wv, at BC/ Canada 24min.

FLY-

Tearn", follow a street, Guatemala & more. 50 rnin. :,3o\l-.'II'~

Dear Editor, Ken Brown and Vicki Moyes made it possible for me to compete in Florida on the state-of-the-art Moyes Litespeed LS4. 'fhanks to them [ wasn't glidcrlcss going into the last two competitions that would count toward making the U.S. National 'I cam. The competition was fierce with more than I 00 pilots and many of the top fliers from around the world. The LS4 provided me with enough perfrmnance ro keep up with the big boys and finish in the top IO at the Flytec Championships.

Needless to say, I was stoked and gratdi.11 for their generosity, and with them, along with my current sponsor, Wills Wing, I have finally qualified for the U.S. National 'fram ranked) that will be in Spain by the time you read this. These arc what dreams arc made f-or. 'Thank you!

Kari Castle Women's World I+mg Gliding Champion

Dear Editor, As I write this, Manfred Ruhmcr has just come off victories in both the Flytec Cb:1mpionships and the Wallaby Open. ln the May issue of Hang Gliding it was announced thar he'd also won Mexico's Millennium Cup. Being European, Manfred Ruhmer perhaps isn't: as familiar w many of us as our American sky gods, yet he soundly defeats them in virtually every competitive encounter. In foct, seeing Manfred's name at the top of the: results in any hang gliding competition has become so commonplace that we take it for granted. Not only docs Manfred dominate in Class I, he routinely nounccs the rigid wings in hcads--up tasks.

Manfred excels in every type of wc.ithcr, terrain and venue. He is rruly in a class hy himself.

I am awed by such sustained performance. T hope pilots of all skill levels real· izc what a rare privilege it is to witness an individual whose supremacy in his sport

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approaches, no, excecdr 1:hai- of Michael Jordan in basketball or Tiger Woods in golf. If hang gliding were a more mainstream sport, Manfred Ruhmcr's face would be on every TV commercial and cereal box in the world.

In this era of exponential hang glider evolution, Manfred's dominance somehow gives us comfort that rhc greatest single factor in overall h~mg glider performance is still tbc pilot.

Rodger Hoyt Central Poim, OR

Dear Editor, The Hawaiian I fang Gliding Association is sad ro report the passing of \Xlaync Ka'ahanui (Nanakuli Wayne).

Wayne died of a heart a track on May 9 while diving for squid. He was a big-hearted guy who always looked om for us, keeping an eye on our things and our safe-ty, and always willing to do retrieves.

Wayne's voice was often the last one you heard as you wcnr over the back in search of flatland thermals. Oahu pilots have lost a great friend and supporter. We wish Wayne's family the best and share in their SOITOW.

Wayne Hoffinan TheHHA

Dear Editor, My friend Sam and f just recently returned from Sun 'n' Fun in I ,akeland, Florida this year. As always, the show was great (anything that involves flying means a good time for me). What made it even better is that this year we acrually got ro see a couple of hang gliders that were not attached ro trikes!

Bruce Hawk of Windsok (dba Hawk Airsports) borrowed a Wills Wing Fusion from Rob Kells and set it up near the vcn-

dor buildings to represent lJSHGA. To show what a nice guy Bruce is, he loaned us his copy of the April issue of Hang Gliding to read while we sat in the shade of the glider to cat our lunch. It's always great to meet other pilots at these kind of events.

I think it may have helped him realize that we were kindred spirits since we were wearing shirts from Lookout Mountain flight Park, our home launch site. '] 'he second hang glider we saw was the: new Climax which Airborne had inside their tent in Paradise City, the ultralight area at Sun 'n' Fun. 'The wing was in the back of their tent behind the Edge Ti-ikcs, and was hard to see unless you were looking fcir it (unforrnnately). Sam made a point ofletting the Airborne people know that we were hang glider pilots and that we would enjoy seeing more wings at future air shows.

Which brings me ro a question that has been bothering me: Why isn't there more reprcscnrarion of the sports of hang gliding and paragliding at shows like Sun 'n' Fun? Unpowcrcd flight has been featured in the event's air shows each year I have attended.

There have been bcautifi.1!, breath raking, silent flights of gliders which were towed up above the field and rele;iscd to do acrobatics, and this year there were several workshops on the topic. But I have never seen any hang gliding demonstrations.

I think that if we want to end the misconceptions some of those outside the sport have (that hang gliding and paragliding arc not: safe), we need to put on some of our own demonstrations and workshops. With Sun 'n' Fun being held around tbc same rime as compelitions at Quest Air and W:1llaby Ranch, it would be easy to have vendors and schools show off the sport. I think that Bruce's efforts to promote USHGA by borrowing the glider from Wills Wing was a good start, bur we need to do more.

I want to again thank Bruce J·Iawk at Windsok and Roh Kells at Wills Wing, along with the people ;it Airborne for bringing the hang gliders along to Sun 'n' Fun. lt was wondcdt1l to sec rhcrn.

Deanna Riddle Kennesaw, GA HANC CUDINC

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to fly (or teach) using the latest equipment and techniques.

Learn to fly solo progressively (inches off the ground at first) with our hydrostatic winch. No hills to climb.

Our stationary winch system is the smoothest, most versatile, weather friendly way of learning. Beginner (Hang I) & Novice (Hang 2) levels can be achieved in a week. We can accommodate any wind direc-· tion. $ I US $1 .50 Tandem $70 US, 40 hr Beginner Course (500 ft) $500 US , Novice (1,500 ft) only $400 US more.

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Hang out and fly in the countryside half an hour from a major cosmopolitan city (Toronto). Access some dynamite resort areas in two hours (Muskoka & Algonquin Park).

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Canadian beer is the best.

8. money. Canadian dollars, although under valued, are gorgeous.

Good-looking instructors of both sexes with US & Canadian instructor ratings.

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of Phone: (905) 294-2536 or (800) 359-9979 . staff@flyhigh.com www.flyhigh.com

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Update 1/500. Steve got the photo he dreamed of and the beginning of what promises ,........_!1111111 co be a full and enriching retirement.

Happy retirement Steve!

NEW FROM SKYDOG PUBLICATIONS

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kydog Publications is proud co announce the release of their third book on September 1, 2001: Hang Gliding Spectacular, Fantastic Flying Stories From The Hearts Of Those Who Live The Dream.

Hang Gliding Spectacular is a compilation of over 70 great flying stories from some of the finest pilots in the world. The editors asked pilots for their most memorable flights and the book is the resulr. In addition to the 70+ articles, Hang Gliding Spectacular includes 28 illustrations by the famous Jules (Skyout) Makk, autobiographies of each contributor and a CD filled with video clips, action photographs of hang gliders, pilots, illustrations, computer wallpaper photographs and much more.

The cover photograph of the book is breathtaking and is from the artistic camera of Mark Vaughn.

Hang Gliding Spectacular is dedicated to the memory of Michael Champlin with a special tribute to Michael by Tiki Mashy. A portion of the profits from the book will be donated co the Michael Champlin X-C Competition.

Hang Gliding Spectacular, published by Skydog Publications, is edited by Jim (Sky

(Right to left) Paul Hamilton, Steve Lantz, Ken Munn and Guy Williams.

"TAHOE MILLENNIUM" PHOTO BY PAUL HAMILTON (SEE CENTERSPREAD)

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ceve Lancz had dreamed for years of getting a photo of his Millennium glider being cowed over Lake Tahoe.

With his retirement as a professional pilot scheduled in the 2001 Millennium, chis photo had even greater significance.

Coordinating his pilot schedule with a cow-plane pilot, photographer, and chase plane proved to be more of a challenge than expected. In addition, he wanted to do chis in the spring with snow on the mountain peaks and on a glorious day with clear skies.

The day was right and schedules aligned perfectly. Everyone met at Steve's Crystal Bay Aviation hangar at the Carson Airport in Carson Cicy, Nevada. Ken Munn piloted the Dragonfly cow ulcralighc, Guy Williams piloted his Super Cub in pursuit, and Paul Hamilton directed the operation and captured it on film.

The photo was shot using a 300 MM lens, Fuji Velvia film, with a shutter speed of

Dog) Palmieri, Bob (Sky Dog) Grant and Maggie Palmieri, and illustrated by Jules (Skyout) Makk.

The book will retail for $24.95 plus $5.00 S/H but is now offered co any USHGA member at a special prepublication price of $19.95 plus $2/book S/H , or a special prepublication club price of six books for $110 includi ng S/H. Please make checks payable co: Skydog Publications, 6511 D eepwoods Drive, Roanoke VA 240 18-7645 USA. Or pay electronically at our website http://www. skynet.ca/ ~skydog/Book-Release.htm. All prepublication orders will be filled the day that Hang Gliding Spectacular arrives at Skydog Publications' office.

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Want to improve your flying, XC, and racing skills? Come train with two US World Championship team members, Paris Williams and Bo Hagewood. Bo and Paris' extensive knowledge and friendly personalities combined with the comfortable atmosphere of Quest Air Soaring Center offer the most enjoyable experience to pilots who want to improve their skills fast. Clinics will be personalized to suit your needs and desires. Learn everything from perfecting landing approaches and flare technique to pursuing advanced maneuvers and smooth controlled freestyle. Master the art of thermaling and expand your horizons with cross-country flying. Already an accomplished XC pilot? Then push the limits with technical cross-country racing clinics. Other Advanced training available: Tandem pilot certification, instructor certification, tug pilot training and certification and more.

company has also moved to a larger location due 10 the growth of their business.

The new contact information is: Aerolight International, LLC, 15020 SW l Miami, FL 33196, (305) 256-5650, fax (305) 232-'5 l 75. Their website (http://www.aerolight.com) and e-mail address (info@aerolight.com) remain the same.

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atch Joe Bosrik's amazing parachute deployment on video in The Florida Hang Gliding Experience. 'The latest video release from Bob Grant Productions has all of the exciting action from a week in Florida starting at Quest Air Flight Park, with awesome thermal flying near the clouds and personal pilot imervicws. Next, our footage rakes us ro Wallaby Ranch Flight Park for the Wills Wing 28th Anniversary Fly-In and party.

The action at Wallaby is hot with the full line of Wills Wing gliders being offered fc)r demos, lots of pretty faces, spectacular flying, and, of course, Joe Bostik spinning down under canopy.

You may have seen the photos on the OZ Report (http://www.davisstraub. com/OZ/Ozv5nGO.htm) and now you can sec it in a foll-featured, 2/i-minute video.

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The introductory is $14.95 plus $3.00 shipping from: Bob Grant Produc· tions, Burbrook Place, London, Ontario, Canada N5W 4B5. For on-line ordering check our website at htrp://www.skynct.ca/ ,,skydog/Paymcnt·· Options.htm. Bob's photo website may be found at www.skynct.ca/,,skydog.

The Best Of Hang Gliding from Bob Grant Productions is also available. This latest 80-minnte foature presentation has many of the best shots taken on hang gliding excursions over the past l O years. From the excitement of mountain launches across the U.S. to many types of towed flight, this video is a pleasure for your collection. The Best OfHang Gliding is all hang gliding, unlike mnny of' our other productions that have a mix of other sports included. 'The imroductory price is $14.95 U.S. fimds plus $3.00 shipping.

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ero Events is bringing the 200 I Masters of Freestyle Hang Gliding Contest to San Diego's Mission Bay during the 3(1th annual Bayfair event, Sep-tcmber 14-1 G. The event is expected 10 draw 200,000 spectators ro make Bayfair San Diego's 1nosL humongous annual sports competition and family event.

Mission Bay Park sprawls across more

than 4,600 acres and is the world's most massive manmadc aquatics park. '!'he year 2001 1mrks the 20th anniversary of freestyle hang gliding competition in the with this, the world's most respected comest. As in all five past Masters Contests, aerorowing will be used 10 increase the fairness, validity and fun quotient of the competition. The gliders will be towed up from Fiesta fsland locat-ed in the center of Mission Bay. The pilots will begin their freestyle routines at 2,000' above the center of the bay between Fiesta fsland and East Vacation lsland. RC Dave Freund will once again be the Masters contest principal judge.

The Masters of Freestyle Contest will be trnding center stage with the World Series of Power Boat Racing. The cvcm announcers will be overcome with excitement as they c;1ll rhe audience's attention alternately to the water, rhcn rn the sky during the three days of this monumental event. Eleven classes of bowel--shaking power boats will rear up rhe water while rhc death-defying acrobatics antics of the hang glider pilots will thrill and amaze the assembled masses! hir general event information check out the Ihyfair website at www.bayfair.com. For contest information contact: Aero Events, (818)71 , www.aerocvcms.org.

HANG CLIDINC

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of HANG GLIDING magazine (HG Division) or 12 issues of niag;azme (PG Division), liability insurance, ratings, and other benefits.

D Hang Gliding

D Paragliding

D 1 Division - $59.00 U.S. ($70.00 Non-U.S. *) ............,, .......................... "'·····--------------···Both Divisions

$84.00 U.S. ($100.00

,.,,.,.,,.._.JIL," MEMBER: I Division - $27 .00 (Famify Member(s) must sign separate release from Full Membe11 (Includes all benefits except

D Hang Gliding

D Paragliding

the magazine. MUST reside Both Divisions - $39.50 (Must sign separate release.from Full Member) ...................... ...................- ............with full member of same division.) Name and lJSHGA number of full member........- - - · · ·........ _ .................. ____.......... .

D Hang Gliding Magazine $35.00 U.S. ($46.00 Non-U.S.) [J Paragliding $35.00 U.S. ($46.00 Non-U.S.)

***************************************************************************** (In addition to member/subscription 1ST CLASS MAIL SERVICE PER DIVISION: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) ................................... ,v............ ,.........- •.- .........

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In consideration of the benefits to be derived from membership in the USHGA, and the parent or legal guardian of a minor, for themselves, their personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouses, minor children and assigns, do agree as follows: ~ The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: I. means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider.

2. or as a result of the administration of

sustained by Pilot's parents or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs.

3. means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, independent contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of Pilot's proficiency rating(s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions Pi/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property launch, fly and/or land; f) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and All other persons lawfully present at the sit1i(s) during g) .-.....u ...- the n1a,r:rr,rri.~- any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have for .,,,.u.. ,r., however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the n&.,..,.,,,.,,&.v to the fullest extent allowed by law.

I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the na;;,..a;;,,-,a;;iv I THAT this shall be and rnn«:i"rl'I

E. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

F. I at least 18 years of age, or, that I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilot and am making this agreement on behalf of myself and If I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilo~ I INDEMNIFY AND the for their defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Pilot suffers even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the n&.&.&.n,,&.

I have read, understand, and Adult Pilot's J11nat11re

Date

f1'tnature offllot's Parent or Legal Guardian ,rfllot under 18years ofage.

Date

USHGA 2001 HANG GLIDING CALENDAR· Outstanding photography. Reg. $10.95 ......... 1/b

PRICE $5.00

QTY . Total Weight_ TOTAL

l"rHANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Peter Cheney.Official Training Manual.250pgs.2/b $29.95 ,',TOWING ALOFT by Dennis Pagen/Bill Bryden. Covers ALL aspects of towing. 372 pgL ...... 3/b $29.95 HANG GLIDING TRAINING MANUAL by Dennis Pagen For the beginner/novice pilot. 350 pgs.2/b $29.95 PERFORMANCE FLYING by Dennis Pagen. For the Intermediate-Advanced pilots. 340 pgs . ... 3/b $29.95 UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. THE most complete book on micrometerology.2/b $24.95 INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL by Dennis Pagen. Hang gliding, used in IP's. Plenty of illustrations .. 2/b $15.00 >'<THE ART OF PARAGLIDING by Dennis Pagen *NEW*. Covers ALL aspects. 274 pgs ......... 3lb $34.95 PARAGLIDING-THE COMPLETE GUIDE by Noel Whittall. Comprehensive, color. 200 pgs ....... 2lb $26.95 PARAGLIDING-A PILOT'S TRAINING MANUAL by Mike Meier/Wills Wing. Covers all aspects.2lb $19.95 RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HG PILOTS by Erik Fair. Reprints of Erik's HG column. Classic ......... 1lb $ 8.95 DOWNWIND by Larry Fleming. Share the experience of over 20 years of hg flight.. .................... 11b $10.95 A RISK MGMT MANUAL by M. Robertson. Includes Charts/Reliability. Become a better pilot! ... 1lb $ 9.95 DELUXE FLIGHT LOG BOOK 4.25" x 7" 68+ pages. Log over 270 flights .............................. 3oz $ 6.50 FLIGHT LOG BOOK The Official USHGA flight log book. 40 pages. Log those flights! ........... 2oz $ 2.95 CERTIFICATION BOOKLETS Document your skill level sign-offs. Specify HG or PG ............. 2oz $ 1.95 ,HO FLY: DISCOVER HANG GLIDING TODAY Special promotional video. (10 min) ................ 1/b l,GROUND HANDLING & The Art of Kiting Instructional. Learn techniques & tips. (44 min) ..... 'llb ,'<A HIGHER CALLING Superb paragliding XC adventure in Nepal. Excellent editing. (45min) .1/b ,'\-THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN Spans the globe in search for the quintessential site. (44 min) . . 1/b ,'\-BALI HIGH Exotic paragliding adventures in Indonesia. (38 min).......................................

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Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tcmarivc. Please include exact information (event, date, contac:r name and phone number). l tems should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two monrhs lead time for regional and narional meets.

COMPETITlON UNTIL NOV. 15: 200 l <J Regionals and 9 Yearlong XC Contest. The Regionals totals three weekend l1ights in Region') from March 17·May 28. The Almost Yearlong Contest acknowledges a comcsrn m's longest flight on any day between March 15 and November 15. Classes for Rookies, Sixty Miles, Open, Rigid and Paragliders. Fmry fees$ JO ancl $5 respectively. Coman: Pete Lehmann, lplchmannl'.ilaol.co111, (li12) 661-}i7/i, 5811 Elgin Sr., l'ittslnngh, PA 15206.

UNTIL DEC. 31: The Michael Chtrm;,lin \Ylorld XC Ch11llenge. No entry kcs or prc··registration requirements. Open to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid and sailplanes. For more details visir the contest's Web site ar http://www.hangglid·· ing.org or contact: John Scott (3 IO) 4,f/.(,2.3/i, fox (3 JO) !iL\7-6237, brcrronwoods(iilemail.msn.com.

UNTIL DEC. 31: 2001 Frtlcon Lr·o.1:<-·L1n11:nn Gmtest. Now includes any other singlc·surfacc flex Sponsored hy manufac·· mrcrs, dealers, insrruci-ors and the generous.

Support invited. Where: All ofrhe U.S. as divided imo four sections to make skill, not flying sires, the determining factor for the winners (plus rhc rest of the world as a single group for entries). For complete information and cmry forms k·m,1il preferred) contact: http:// tekfl ight. rripod.com/fo lconxc. hrrnl, tck(rhsnet.nct, or SASE to Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Winsted, Cl' 06098.

J\ UGUST 11 18: /J.S. Nationalr, Texas, Austin J\ir Hearne, TX. C:onract: sbmns<iilausri. nairsports.com, (979) 279·9:l82, wvvw . a11stir1air1·sporrs.ci:m1 for more info.

SEPT. J,i.16: 2001 M,1sto-s C'ontest, held ar 1he 3(,di annual San Diego I\ayfoir evellt. Bayfoir is also host to rhe World Series of Power Boat R:1cing. Four comest rounds will be flown with a maximum of I 5 con· tcstanrs. lmercsrcd pilors must have con·· test and 1':rst Masters par· will be consideration in the pilot selection process. Emry frc is $300. For general event iuform:rrion visir the l\ayfoir web· sire at For contest information

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contact: Aero Evcms, (818) 71 '5-9631, www.acrocvc11ts.org.

OCT. 8-14: ·n-ee ir:am ,,,1,wr."r.c, Tennessee's Sequatchie Valley. This JI th epic capacit-y tumour, prnmisevent follows last fon, learning and fantastic !lying as teams help tlrcir pilots to goal. Bring a team or show up and we'll set you up wid1 one, hut soon. At $95, including mcer shirt and keg part-y, a week of free hot breakfasts and fireside fon atop the scenic Sequatchie, and ;i prize pot top· ping $2,000, spaces arc sure to go early. And you'll save $20 over the late registration (postmarked Sept. 7 and later). Registration and info at: mem· bers.aol.co111/wca1hcrsci/cliallengc.l1rm or conract Steve at (Ii 16) 588-23%.

9,000-foor launch site and look our over the Mediterranean and (;reek islands. Conrncr: www.fim2.fly.com, (20(1) 320-90 I 0. OCT. 13.

Iii: Octobe1fst. Have fon at t:he second annual Baldy Butte Octobcrfc:sr in picmrcsquc ccnrral WA. Conract: Jeff Davis (509) 697-7835, Peter Gray (509) 925·9280, or Mike Eberle (206) 320-9010. NOV. 17-26: 01i!t·. Mike Eberle once again leads you into the Atacama desert of northern Chile for the advemurc of a lifetime.

All the X-C: you desire. Check om the tour sec·· tion at www.fon2fly.com for arricles and photos of past trips. Contact: (206) 320-9010.

FUN PLYJNG UNTIL SEPT. A: Yosemite N11tional P11rk. For information and registration visit wvvw. y111ga.u1r;.

AUG. 25-26: !lnnurd Mt. Nebo Rnd Of' Summer with the Central Arkansas Mountain Pilots, at Mt. Nebo State Park, D:mbncllc, Arkansas. Pilots musr be :1 current Hang :3 or better to fly. Camping and cabins arc available rhrough the State Parle Contact: James Linscome, (50 l) 890-li8/i9, wispy(i,)rcaintcrnet.corn, or Dave Dunning, (501) 9(,7.()570. For information on cabin and camp sire reservations call Mt. Nebo Stare Park at l -8()().

264.2458.

SEPT 15-16: Ninth Annu,1/ J\l/c(,'rmnc/1'.sin,1r5: l lrm,~ Frsti1Jt1!, Mc( :onnellsburg, PA, Region IX. Fun flying for Hang fl (with Observer) to llang V. Capitol Hang Glider Association and the Maryland I fang Cliding Association will donate proceeds w McConnellsburg Fire and Rescue. Comacr: Carlos Weill, (2AO) 631 3821. ( :heck www.mhga.com frir de1ails.

CI INTCS/MEETlNGS/TOURS THROUGH NOY.: JULY 7-8: Clinic. Ccarcd toward dealers and instructors who arc flying rigid gliders or have an interest in them. Two days in the greater Seat tic arc:1 with two and rest pilots from Flighr Comae!: (206) .'120-'JO 10.

J\ lJG. 16-J 9: Pacific Northwest Cr.tmpolit. Visit Butte, Saddle Mm., Clcman Mm., Mtn. and others. Contact: (206) 320-90 I 0, www.fim2fly.com. SEPT. 29-0CT. 7: Olir Deniz, Join Mike Eberle on his second adventure to the Sea. Soar above the

ired of having your glider blow over in strong winds, or ruining your sail by flat-barring ir on muddy or abrasive ground?

Russ Camp of Grants Pass, Oregon shares this photo of a portable nose tether he invented for securing his glicJ .. er during set11 pin strong winds.

The corkscrew section is a dog tether available at most pct or variety stores. Russ removed the original handle and welded on a longer one for addi Lional leverage. An adjustable strap and quick-connect carabiner complete the device.

Simply screw the auger into the ground, clip the 'biner onto an appropriate pbce near the nose of your glider and you're ready for anxiety-fi:ee setup, claims Russ.

Hrwe a hot tip? rbhoyt~t;,o. com or mail Rodger Hoyt, 956 Glengrove Ave., Central Point; OR 97502.

H1\NG CLIDINC

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T

wo pilots from Oregon went in March. After many delays we finally arrived in May. This was to be our first elective vacation in about 15 years and flying was the priority. Our first plan was a trip to New Zealand during the winter for a long vacation, bur that was postponed hopefully until next year. So, viva Honduras for a long weekend in spring.

When I dream or think abom flying a hang glider I see Superman gliding through the air, smiling, with his hair whispering in the wind, keeping pace with a gently fluttering cape, not Linda Blair in The Exorcist, with head swiveling 360 degrees, puking hellish goo while flying around swearing like a whore. This was indeed Superman flying!

We were astounded by three things on this trip. First was just how soarable the place was each day, so much so that it was too easy! Just point yo ur glider anywhere and up you go in mostly smooth 15-mph wind. Second was the numerous vultures to soar with; it seemed that they were everywhere we looked, hanging out in the best lift. T hird was the friendliness of ail the peo-

16

d The moon was bright and fall as we rove back to our hotel cele-

brating the last night we would enjoy the green panoramas and sultry air ofHonduras. For those ofyou who read Gustavo Erazo's letter to the editor in the February 2001 issue oJHang Gliding magazine, you may recall the gracious and intriguing invitation from the only hang glider pilot in all ofHonduras.

H ANG GLIDI NG

F INALLY HERE IN AMERICA!

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Kris Greblo and host Gustavo Erazo.

pie. Besides the incredible Gustavo Erazo, particularly notable was Gustavo's student pilot Joshua, who had, in 10 mountain flights, safely advanced to the skill level of multi-hour soaring. Tbe bright eyes and wide smile of this l 5-hour pilot gave a clear indication of the magic that be found in the sky above these lush tropical mountains.

'Twenty years ago Gustavo had the fore-sight ro pioneer, purchase and carve out the best hang gliding site in the mountains just north of his home in San Pedro Sula. He keeps the jungle brush in front oflaunch hacked down, and as we flew and perused other areas it became clear that Gustavo had found the best takeoff possible. At that time he was a champion karate enthusiast, lawyer and father of three. The takeoff now has a stntdy concrete ramp, and 1,200 feet below is the LZ which is a huge swath of runway, kept clear of brush in a large field that bubbles with lifr until sunset. It is also next to a road with passing taxis. One day we all wanted to fly but no driver was available (some things never change). Our host flagged down a taxi to take him np the main road, and from there mounted a bus which services the local mountain population. Gustavo was back in about an hour to escort us home, and all for much less than we pay for a driver back here in LA. For this trip I had the unique oppormnity of acquiring an inexpensive, used, "breakdown" glider, a 1984 Minifox by Finsterwaklcr, which, afrer we figured out some of the bugs involved in everyday setup and breakdown, flew quite nicely and was dubbed the "pregnant pigeon." (Even though we put the sail back on in Honduras a bit differently than the fact01y had intended, which made attaching the nose cone impossible, it still flew well.) Those few minutes just before the first launch were a bit dislTacting, however, wondering just how my little pigeon would fly. Happi-

HANC CLIDINC

ly, l soared with the vulrnres on every memorable flight. My husband Joe's flights were all Joe--kinda flights no trauma, uo problem. This 130-pound pilot was flying big-·guy gliders ;md Hoared around like a cork in the; ocean.

The food was great, and they have every kind of fast junk-food as well as some of the best Chinese fi:)od ['ve ever eaten out-side of'faiwan. From the maids, 10 the bank guards, ro Custavo and his beautifi.il wife and children, to student pilot Joshua, the enthusiasm for guests and kindness toward foreigners was a true joy. Where else can a pilot politely pm together a "break-down" hang glider on a cool, clean, marble floor i11 an air-conditioned hotel lobby.

For us LA. folk rhe trip was perfoct, since flight time is about flve hours and there is only a one--honr time difference between here and there. This made jct non-existent, effectively giving us an extr:1 two days of vacation.

Honduras offers some other diversions like ancient ruins and rainforest treks. In addition, there are crystal-clear beaches where you can get fresh-caught fish cooked to perfection, and drink fresh coconm juice straight out of' a real coconut with a straw.

Everything about the trip was great, hut the mosr ourstanding part was Custavo, now :1 popular musician, and the king and knight of hang gliding in 1-londurns. We arc forever grateful to Custavo and his wife Cloria tor being our friends, and we hope others will go and enjoy the sincere friendship and lush flying.

If' you have any questions dig up the February issue of Hang Gliding magazine and reread 1har letter!

Gusttl1Jo Kris a I 5-mph hairdo rm the lrnmch rmnp. Photo hy Joe Greblo

Gustavo Erazo may be cont1zcted ctt (501) 550-9106 (work) or (501) 552-1671 (home), or m.erazo<!hunitec.edu.

Ed.'fA

fun flying and Octoberfest Party kicks off an exciting meet, in the stunning Valley.

Always the east coast event for of all levels of ability, the is a rare to take on tasks, and learn with your team, in a friendly, fun and skills seminars, glider reps and demos, fly in breakfasts, a generous µursc for the top placing teams, and daily draws round out the excitement. entry fee, before 30 is just $85 and includes T-shirt, Octoberfest beer and party, and some big, southem-style breakfasts. $100 after.

Check the website for pix, info and to up an online

]ULY 2001

The Held

1111n:l/m11mb11rs.a111.com/w11111h11rsc11chall1111011.htm

IY

photos by Dennis Pr,gen

'/ 'he thought ofhcmg gliding cmnpetition stirs the juices. Some pilots swear by it~ some are envious, others loathe

Clearly, competition is time-consum-

ing and requires a commitment that many cannot make, but some rfthose who strongly dislif,e the idea may have a few misgivings about the activity 1c following is ofren heard from pilots who do not wish to compete: "T don't have a competitive spirit." T believe this statement is disingenuous, for who docs not get an ounce of sai-isfoction from being on top of the stack, staying in the air longest in marginal conclitions, or flying the farthest on a given day? Have you noticed how your home site eventually gets boring when you don't have anyone else in the sky ro whom to measure up? While competitiveness is found in many levels of intensity, I'm afraid it is innately human.

Competition is what makes us strive for improvement. 'This is tme in hang gliding just as in any other occupation.

20

The enhancement occurs on the personal level, but also with equipment design. 'fhose who deny these facts or any trace of competitiveness rrrnst be blindfolded not ro see the benefits that they indirectly reap from hang gliding competition and how it is intricately linked to the survival of our sport.

What docs all this blabber have to do with a glider review? My point is, wi1hout competition, the Lirespced 3 would never have seen the light of day. And I'm so grateful it did.

THE MAKING OF A SMALL GLIDER I rook delivery of rhe small I ,i1espeed in

March, but poor weather prevented me from putting many hours on it before the Florida competitions. Surely, 14 srraighr days of cross--country tasks with more than 100 other pilots would give the glider a fair test in April. These events also allowed me to interview Gcrolf Heinrichs, aerodynam-icist and developer of rbe Litespeed. My conversation with Gerolf showed how much thought and atrcntion to detail went into the small Litcspeed.

Developing the smaller version of an existing glider is not as simple as it seems.

Simply scaling a glider down ofren results in a spirally unstable glider. Also, Reynolds numbers and the relative stiffness of shorr-er spars for d1e same tuhe diameter conHANC CLIIJINC

spire to give designers a lot of grid: Bur Gcrolf first had plenty of practice scaling down the I ,itespeed 5 to obtain rhe Litespeed 4. This medium size was going to be the one he would use with the ultimate goal of outflying Manfred Ruh mer. The Lircspced 4 was the result of many modifications including less root area, more area on the tip to obtain a more elliptical plan-form, and a sail area reduced down by four percem.

When he had the Litespeecl 4 exacrly where he wanted it, Gcrolf went on to develop the small size. 'fo make a long story sl10n, he again scaled the glider down by four percenr, played with sleeves in the tubes to control bending, added area on the tip to allow more washout and create more lifi:, and redistributed bancns along the span to save weight. At diis stage, the test-flying began, It was mainly performed by factory pilot Kraig Coomber with the impetus of light competition pilot Corinna Schwicgcrhauscn and other occasional ligbt pilots who arc not professional tesr pilots, This latter point was critical to insure that recreational pilots would also enjoy this high-performance glider. Armed with the foeclback earned from the test flights, the designer made the last adjustments, including wider sheer webs and airfoil refinements ro give birth to the current Li tespeed 3.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES The Litcspecd 3 is a copy of its larger brothers when it comes to nuts and bolts, setup and breakdown. The glider uses the traditional Moyes hardware, but also exhibits the innovations developed with the Litespecds 4 and 5. I suggest you reread the review of the Litcspced 5 pub·lished in the August 2000 issue of Hrmg Gliding to refresh your memory.

The Litcspecd 3 dropped a fow battens and a few pounds as a result of its smaller size. The advertised weight of 68 .2 pounds must not include pads or bag, for it feels a bit heavier on my shoulder. Bur the glider is perfectly balanced and easy 10 ground handle. At five feet five inches, I have no trouble with the standard--sizc downtubcs (65" long with a basctube).

Shorter pilots may want to consider the smaller control frarnc option, which will be available soon.

The sail on the glider I fly is made our of the new PX5 Mylar. This Mylar is lighter than its PX] 0 predecessor (used JULY 2001

Cont:in11cd on page li2.

21

THEMICHAI A pilot arrives at a flying site after a bareknuckles fight with freeway traffic, or after a bumpy ride on a dusty logging road, a drive through miles offlatland passing slow-movingfarm equipment,

CI IAT,LE~

perhaps a hike through snowdrifts, or even after following the endless summer across the ocean.

e sets up on a steep mountain side with the glider tied to a stout sage brush and dives at his wing as a dust-devil blows by. She sets up in the early morning on dewy, manicured grass with the noise of aerocow tugs taking off and landing. He pulls his glider out of the bag and untangles the lines. His battens clang on the asphal t as the driver and tech ready the winch.

With a four-man wire crew and instructions shouted over wind noise the pilot does a cwanger launch off a rocky cliff and is yanked into the sky. The glider inflates and the pilot rums and runs down a grassy slope. In light, switchy cycles the pilot waits on his mountain side for a do-able cycle, the flags out from point at him, he feels the airflow pick up, he focuses, lifts his gl ider. The pilot is lying prone on a launch cart with the sharp, oily smell of the tug engine blowing back at him. The cug revs up and the prop wash, spiced with stinging bits of grit, smacks him hard in the face. Tug, cart and glider bounce down the runway, the glider lifts, the pilot drops the cart and plays follow-theleader as the rug bumps and grinds it way to altitude.

The pilot searches ridge lift for a passing thermal, sees two gliders doing high-banked 3GO's and races co join them, they gain altitude and drift behind the ridge, the thermal holds together, they pass the invisible point of no return and fly on.

The pilot is cowed into a nice thermal at 1,000 ', pins off and drifts back, climbs high over the rigs in the setup area, and

22

watches the next glider prepare to launch to the happy chirping of her vario. Bad luck, the pilot struck out to the left of launch, sunk our in front of launch and found nothing of value over the little foothill nubs to the right of launch. Sinking his way to the LZ he finds a bit of lift way low and stays with it as he drifts away from the nice, clear LZ and into acres of rocky gullies and call sagebrush.

A topless glider wangs into a small field surrounded by deciduous trees. A sailplane returns to its home field after a long day and hundreds of miJes. An old RamAir levitates down in high winds and its pilot kisses the gro und. The pilot pulls flaps on his rigid wing and wishes the LZ didn't slope into the wind. A paraglider lands in the lengthening shadows.

I haven't even begun to describe the endless variety and possiH ANG GLI DING

L CHAMPLIN

GE2000

bilities in the world of free flight. Now imagine trying to create a flight-scoring system that allows chis group ew Mexican world-record flying and Pennsylvanian tree-top skimm ing, sail planes and paragliders, globe-rrotcing, endless thermal chasers and small-town yokels - all to compete in the same contest with a reasonable degree of fai rness? But it has been done, and in my opinion very successfully. No entry fee, no extra rime off work, and it's easy. You choose the days of the comperirion, you choose the site, yo u choose the format. The Michael Champlin Cross Country Challenge has finished its second year.

Its inventor and instigator, John Scott, came up with the idea and simply put it into action . He even ponied up his own money for firs t prize. The contestants are scored in a ratio to the longest fligh t ever made at the site they are flying, and according JULY 2001

to their flying contrap tion. Plug a few numbers into a seventhgrade algebra fo rmula and you have your score.

I quote from John's article lase year: "A system had to be in place chat wo uld allow pilots from Hobbs, New Mexico to compete fairly with the pilots from Delaware, for examp le." John should have gone to Vegas the day he wrote that. Lase year's winner made two flights to a Delaware beach.

A teeny tiny percent of pilots, regardless of skill, have che rime or money to go hie the big sanctioned comps. And yet from coast to coast there are talented, dedicated pilots who wage battles against their own personal bests and existing X-C records all flying season. T his contest was sec up to acknowledge chat talent and hard work on a potential wo rld level and at zero additional cost in time or money. Pilots can continue to fly in their own backyards, or globecroc if they please, and still compete on a level playing field, despite the varied X-C potential in each region.

You are invited to join in and be scored, and you will gain another kind of perso nal best to beat next year. If you are wired, check out the excellent si re created by Jack "Bunn yboy" Axaopoulos, with all the rules and tons of information at http: //www. hanggliding.org.

Lase year, first-place honors went to Ric Niehaus, a 36-year-old Maryland pilot who also flies internationally for US Airways.

His first attemp t at free flight was at age eight with a woodframed garbage bag hang glider ch ar didn't quire pass the backporch test flight. His second attempt was in the summer of 1994 when he engaged in a more structured approach at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. He returned to Pinsburgh and became involved with the D aedalus pilots and was mentored by Pete Lehmann, Larry Huffman and Pac Br\c)oks, described by Ric as X-C maniacs all. H e adopted their style and X-C mindset. Until last year, Ric was still registered as a 60-mile class pilot in the Region 9 X-C contest. He decisively graduated to the open class when last year he set four sire reco rds, one of chem an impressive East Coast 159-miler.

Ric's five sco ring flights started with Ric Niehaus with two back-to-back sire records, then lacer his support team/driver, Karen. in the same week he set another sire record.

He comments: "Almost every rime I go hang gliding I intend to go X-C, so my sryle of flying didn't change much with the contest in mind, other than maybe a little more aggressiveness.

With plans of startin g a family soon and knowing my priorities will change, I made it my personal goal to fly 1,000 miles in 2000.

Thanks to my extremely supportive wife who is expecting our first child in May, I accom plished my personal chal lenge with a 1,001 -mile season. All bur 70 of these miles were flown in Region 9. Special thanks go to Chad and Sunny of H ighland Aerosporrs whose awesome hang gliding operation just 35 minutes from my home played a major role in the success of my 2000

23

flying season."

Ric's flights included: 1) May 14 miles Ridgely Airport, MD 2) May 26 miles, new record Ridgely, MD 3) July 6 51 rniles, new record Ridgely, MD Ii) July 7 159 miles, new record Sacramento, PA 5) July 12 46 miles, new record Redwing Airport, NJ Second-place honors went to 1999's winner Mark Poustinchian. Mark was born in Iran and moved to the lJ .S. after high school, went on to earn an engineering degree from the University of Illinois, and in 1990 a bang gliding degree in Arkansas. By 1992 Mark had quickly racked up a 142--mile flight at a small, friendly competition in Texas. Later, after buying an be flew the first 100miler in Arkansas, then racked up six more, three with a flex wing. No one else has ever flown 100 miles in a hang glider in Arkansas. At the end of 1999, M:irk gave up his job as a senior structural neer at the nuclear power plam in Arkansas and invented his own job, flying

24

X-C at Quest Air in Florida. In February of 2000, flying a Ghost Buster, he broke Quest Air's old distance record set by Bo Hagewood with a Iii l--n1iler, then continued breaking his own records with a 163miler to Georgia. 'J'hcn he set a new East Coast record with a ] 92-mile flight in April 2000. Mark later scored another flight into Georgia for 182 miles. (Mark set a new East Collst record o/225 See the in this issue.

Ed.) Mark spent lasr summer visiting fami-· ly in lran and rook his old RamAir. He broke Jran's distance record with a fligln of 73 kilometers. That flight broke the existing distance record of 52 kilometers.

Mark comments: "While I was there, one day T flew 6 hours and 5 minutes and that also broke the duration record in Tran. [ plan 10 go hack there and fly at difforcm sites. T'l1e conditions in [ran were very much like Sandia Mountain in New Mexico, which I have flow about 15 times. I got to 17,500' MSL, which was about 10,000' AGL one time, and was worried about oxygen. However, this was alter a couple of months of living at I 0,000' MSL and J guess Twas used to it.

'J'he view and the scenery were unfr)rget-tablc, but the landings always got my

attention. Ir is not easy to land at 8,000' MSL. So many of my relatives were very much interested to learn to fly a hang glider. I plan to take my tandem glider with me next time 1 go back and take my interested family members and friends on tandem flights. I plan to teach a few of them to fly and hope they know what they arc getting imo. This sport can really change your Ii fostylc.

"The MCXC contest is great to have, and ir gives all the pilots an equal chance to see how they measure up. I want to also thank my girlfriend Samantha for driving and for getting there before my glider was in the bag. Her words of encouragement and having cold drinks after landings were great."

Mark's flights included: 1) Feb 26 155 miles Quest Air, Florida new RW record 163 miles Quest, 2) March 10 Florida new record 3) April l l 192 miles Quest, Florida new record Ii) May 6 182 miles Quest, Florida 77.3 5) Imarn Hashem, Iran, 8/16 kms new FW record

HANC GLIDINC

Davis Straub, who succcssfu lly achieved his goal of setting a new world record hang gliding distance record last summer, and who was the previous second-place winner, took third-place honors in 2000. Davis lives out the dream many of us share of chasing the endless thcnnal to exotic locations arotmd the world. He describes his experiences with news and commemary from rhe world of hang gliding in rhc sometimes lfoily, sometimes bi-weekly Oz Report at http://www.davisstraub.com.

Davis lists his five scoring flights, including one m1t<md ·return and a triangle: 1) May 8 179 miles. My first good attempt trying 10 get 10 Ceorgi:1 from Wallaby Ranch. l tried the long route up Inter.state not a good idea (http://www.davissrra11b.com/C Y/./Ozv4 n 105.htm). This flight set the new site record for Wallaby Ranch, surpassing Michael C:hamplin's flex-wing record of 167 rnilcs (going south).

2) May 13 155 miles. l made Georgia going almost due north (hnp://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/Ozv4 n I 07.htm). I won $1,000.

3) I I miles in Florida.

This is a sire record for Wallaby Ranch, ]UlY 20o-i

the longest flight ever in Florida, the first 200-rnilc flight cast of the Mississippi, and for five days the new Fast Coast record (http://www.davissrra11b.com/OZ/ Ozv4n 11 O.htm). This is the target for all ],'lorida flyers. This netted me a bit more $1,000.

Ii) /\ugust 1G 70. 5-milc triangle flown at the Lone Star meet in Hearne, Texas. I won the day flying foster than my previous new world record /cir speed around a 100-km triangle, set a few days bd<ire (http://www.davissrraub.com/OZ/ Ozvlin 161.htm).

5) 18 83. om-and rcrnrn flown at the I.one Star meet in I learnc, 'l<:xas. I won rhe day with the new sire record for ou t··and-return (httJ 1: //www. davisstraub. corn/OZ/Ozv411 l (13.htm). Flying in ·1t:xas at Hearne is a b]asl and a great place ftlr Oll(··and-return world as well as site records. and t The one flight missing from this list is the world record from Zapata, 9. This was a new site flown on which will he scorc:ablc this year for anyone who wants to beat miles.

I .ikc Dave Sharp set scvcr:il impressive site including his own

world record flight from Zapata of 311 miles, none of them counted under the rules of the comest, and he ended up in fourrh place. Under the mies a sire mLtsl first have an existing site record from the previous season of at least 50 km.

Pere Lehmann was I 999's fifth-place winner. Last year he scored a lot of· poinrs flying only a single-surface glider. J\s the Single Surface division and its scoring is still in an experimental stage, his score is unofficial, but would have pm him in third place. The fl11ctuatcs according to hang raring, but for a I fang JV ir is based 011 GO<Y<i of a sire's a prcv1flex-wing record, or if one crns singlc-smfoce record.

Pete starred flying in Cermany in 1978 on the Wasserkuppc, a small moun-· tain that glories in the title, "The Cradic of Soaring." Upon remrning to rhe U.S. /cir grad school he worked for Kitty Hawk Kites ;is a dune goon, and ar rl1eir then west coast operation in Marina Beach, Califcirnia, for a couple of sum· mers. Later he moved to Pittsburgh and became a member of the local Daedalus Hang Gliding Club, a comnmnity that was even in 1982 a peculiarly X-C-orien12r.;

ed group of pilots. 1-Ie started flying X-C in 1983, his first try a l 2-miler, his next one a 54-mile state record flight. Later, after am1ining his goal of getting onto the U.S. World 'I('.am, he quit serious competition. At that point the Falcon entered the picture. lhe comments: "I srill loved both hang gliding and cross-country flying in particular. What I required was an opportunity to continue those pursuits, but in a different fashion. By flying a Falcon l had a new challenge, one that dirninished the overtly competitive dimension of bigtime contests, bur at the same ti me presented me with an opportunity to do something difficult and quirky. Not even l believed it would turn out to be as satis-fying and amusing as it has. fr is undoubtedly true that T would have gone farther and perhaps flown more hours on a high-performance glider, bm l flatly could nor have had more fon."

Pete's flights included: I) February 21 20.2 miles. From J--Jigh Point, near Cumberland, Maryland.

No recorded previous single-surface record.

2) April 16 miles. J:rom 'fompleton, Pennsylvania wirh a previous record of 51 miles.

3) April 30 58 miles. Also from Ternplcron, Pennsylvania.

4) May 6 6Ci.6 miles. From Avonmore where I no longer have the figure of the previous (very short) single-surface record. I was the only pilot to get up and out: of the li30-foot site that day.

5) July 13 75.9 miles. From 14 Mile Road (near Rock Springs, Wyoming) with a standing record of 114 miles.

Bill Belcourt was the top-placing paraglider pilot. Ile is originally from Wallingford, Connecticut: and currently a Utah resident. He flirted with hang glid ing in Connecticut in 1985 but never stuck with it, and got into flying paragliders in 1990 when he worked for John Bouchard in North Conway, New Hampshire at his climbing gear company.

John Bouchard was a pioneer in parngliding in the U.S., and designed his own wings and distributed ITV (French paragliders).

Bill's background is alpine climbing, and he was originnlly attracted to paragliders as descent tools in the moun-

26

tains. I {c comments: "This became a pursuit in itself as performance increased and climhers, just playing aviator, were getting hurt. I discovered that flying paragliders is serio11s and very add ic:tive like climbing, and demanded full attention. Since it was so amazing what you can do with just nylon and string, flying became my top priority. I approach paragliding X-C: with alpine dimbing's basic premise, try to do rhc most with the least."

Bill has flown many western U.S. flying sites, as well as Canada, Mexico, France, fraly, Spain, Austria and Germany, and be represented the U.S. at the World Championships in '97 and '99.

He is currently USHC;A ranked third and on this year's World 'foam for the 2001 Worlds in Granada, Spain.

Bill commellls, "The paragliding flying scene in Urah is split (not evenly) between those who primarily fly the mountains and those who mostly fly the Point of the Mountain. 'T'he local hang glider pilots have a much more welldeveloped X-C culture than we do, but we have been getting a lot more imercsr in X-C flying over the past fow years and some good new talent. It is an exciting time here. Om small group ofX-C pilots is growing and this year I hope we will continue to push the limits and possibilities here in Utah.

"As for as the flights go, only two were notable; the rest were just fl Iler. The first of the notables was a 9(i-milc flighr in Chelan, Washington. I was flying with the current record holder(l 20 miles), Mark 'J <::lcp, for most of the flight. Cloud base was at 11,000' to J 2,000', with light and variable winds, and the flight took seven hours very nice.

"The next of the notables was a I miler at Snowbird, Utah on 9/15/00. The flight took place during the Snowbird X-C competition. The previous record of 90 miles, which had been set in 1998 by 'lcidd Bibler and myself: had been broken the previous day by Chad Bastian with a flight of91 miles. It was a ripping day with cloud base ar 18,000' and ground speeds over 60 mph (not bad on a rag wing). We were happy to escape the moumains tu the flats of Wyoming before the wind materialized. l was able to cover the distance in just under six hours."

Bill's flights included:

I lorn 1) August 1 Chelan Butte, WA 2) August 5 kms Chelan, WA 3) August 6 91.6 kms Chelan, WA 84.6 krns Chelan, 4) August 7 WA 5) Sept 15 248 kms Snowbird, UT new record

Although the contest has always been open to sailplanes, none entered the first year of the contest in 1999. However, Ramy Yanetz, former hang glider pilot and top flve flnisher in the 1999 contest, took bis talents over to the sailplane community and entered two recordbreaking scores.

As you can sec front the top finishers, the thing they have most in common is that they all fly a l()t, and have lofty goals when they fly X-C, which is as it should be. What they don't have in common is what proves that the concept of this contest is a success. Their equipment and the X-·C potential where they fly is as varied as free flight itself.

'T'he 2001 contest has already started, and as I write this a panry pilot is in the lead. Go to ]-langgliding.org, sec who is ahead by looking under "Flights," and join in the MCXC Challenge, worldwide and open to everyone who flies free.

The $300 first-place prize money was donated by Bretton Woods Foreign Currency Exchange. The $100 second-place prize money, won my Mark Poustinchian, was generously donated by Gerald "Penguin" Myers. Rita Edris was the topplacing female, which earned her a PTT courtesy of Flight Connections, Inc. Peter Birren was kind enough to donate one of his famous Linknives rn be given to the highest-placing tow pilot. That winner was Davis Straub. And, finally, for being the top-placing Canadian pilot, Armand Acchione won a two-night/three-day Executive FlyingAdvcn· nue at Ian McArthur's bed and breakfast in British Columbia. (Note: Davis Straub generously donated $200 robe given to the winner of the "Weekend" division. Because of a lack oC participants in this division we decided to just roll over rhc donation to 2001 's contest.)

Thanks to all of the sponsors. 11111

HANG GLIDING

s USFIGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to lhe national Board of Directors. Eleven positions are open for election in November 2001 for a two··ycar term beginning January 2002.

USHGA members seeking position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later the following information: name and USHG/\ number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected).

Canel id ates 111 ust be norn inatcd by at least th rec lJ SI JG/\ mern hers residing in the candidate's region.

2001

Nominations are needed in the following rcluons. The current Directors, whose terms are up for reelection in 2002, are listed below.

Ballots will be distributed with the November issue or !!!ING GUDING and PJJRAGUDING magazines.

USHGA needs the very best volunteers lo help guide the safe development and growth of the sports. Forward candidate material fcff receipt no later than August 20 to: USI !GA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs 80901-1330.

1 2 3

Mark Forbes Jamie Shelden Scott Gasparian John Greynald Lawless

Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii

4

6 7

Jeff Sinason Nominal ions ore not needed

8

!his c/eclio11. in Rer!,iOn Nominalions ure no/ needed in Region 8fi1r !his election.

9

Randy Leggett

10

Matt Taber

11

Kent Robinson

12

Nominalion.1· are no! needed in Region/2fiJr this election

Arizona, Colorado, Fl Paso TX, Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota New I Iampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vcrrnont Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas (excluding El Paso), Louisiana Jersey, New York

The following f'orm is for your convenience.

**************************************** ************************************************* I hereby Director fc)r Region

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION NOMINATION FORM as a candidate for Regional . . - ·-·······--~·······-· ---··-----·---···-·····-·--···-········--··--· l understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the

2002 Regional Director Election if three nominations arc received at the USHGA office by August 20, 2001.

USHGA#

© 2001 hy ooming tltmul, exit ofthe narrow canyon I UJtls desperately attempting tof!y out of;' - - - stood the infimous 60, 000.-volt Jiower lines. SeventyJve.fl:et helow that weh ofcraclding ene~r;y, Route!, hetter known as Pacific Coast Highway, with.fiJur oftrafjicjust south ofMalihu. Beyond the highway, han:ly a loomed the multimillirm-dollar, ocean.front enclaves ofthe rich ant!famous that together, without more than a walleway hetween them, guardr:d the mirrow hr:ach where I intended to lcmd I glarm:d at the rnaze oftrees, houses lesser power lines 150/eet helow and as!eed myself; "Why did I worle so low two miles hack in the canyon, putting myse/finto this predicttment?" I tit lemt had thr: sense to dismiss the question, that the answr:r would provide no assistancr: in extricating myse!ffrom this life-threatening situation.

Fifteen seconds shy of becorning a rather large morh tangled in a overpowered bug-zapper, physical prowess alone was not going to save my bacon. Since you are reading these words you might wonder whence my salvation arose. That, my friend, is the subject of this month's article.

DISCLOSlJ RE There is nothing scientific about this aniclc. There arc a few delinitions quoted from Wehster'., New World /)ictionary bm all the ideas and discussions of cause and effect arc simply my perception of the world. If you disagree with my logic or conclusions, send me an c--mail.

This has been a diflicult article to since understanding how my mind works is diflicult, but divining the machinations of your collective minds is impossible. l have written about my experiences in the hope that it will give you some insight and pique your interest in probing your thoughts, attitudes, hopes and fears, and their intcr·action with your flying. J believe that

30

understanding promote your quest of becoming a talented and safe pilot.

Your mental qualities your /lying style more than your physical characteristics. However, most pilots will /ind assess-these abilities diflicuk There is no ruler for measuring awareness and it's difliculr to assess your ability to handle fear and panic withom fosi.-hand experience in potentially disastrous situations. In addition, ego often colors self analysis, and the nebulous nature of emotion causes large swings in your degree of awareness many given instant. So try to be honest and conservative with your analysis and maybe ask your flying buds for their opinions too.

The mental qualities we will discuss are reflexes, experience, an:itude, ability to visualize, awareness, how you manage pressure, fear and panic, foresight, state of mind, perceived and accepted level of risk, and the perceived amount of spare cash.

The piloting skills these physical traits and mental qualities affect arc ground handling, launching, ifr<1ir handling, landing and crashing in short, every aspect of preparation and /lying a hang glider.

AND Reflexes Rateyour re.flexes as JTXTS71i'Nl 'or NONEXISTENT. Do you ji·eeze up? Are your re_f!exes APPROPRIATH? Are they trainable? l don't" think quick reflexes arc important in hang gliding, and often the rellex action is disadvantageous. l do believe that it is more importanl to stop, think and then respond rather rhan automatically reacting. Events unfold relatively slowly in bang gliding.

When you're only moving 30 mph it rakes over two seconds to travel 100 feet and you almost never Hy close to anything, outside of launch and landing. Contrast that to driving your car ar 70 mph, often within 10 feet of obstructions, and ym 1 can sec

that if you drive well, your reflexes are quick enough to lly.

'The complexity of flight favors the slower process of perception, thought, decision and action. I Iowcvcr, what's important to know is how your rellexcs work in intense situations, whether they are appropriate, and if you can, and want to, train them.

Por example, the time when we arc the most rcllexivc meaning when we react without thinking is during a crash. (l define a crash as any landing less than graceful.) Inappropriate include pulling your feet out from under you so some other part of your body hits first (your legs are your best shock absorbers; you used them when you jumped off the step, didn't you?), gripping the downtubes firmly with both hands as you through the control bar (there's no better way to spirally fracture your upper arm), or to lock your elbows as you land 011 your hands (bend your elbows to brake the force of impact without breaking your arms).

To train your reflexes you first have to believe that the techniques you are learning arc appropriate. Second, you must practice, either in reality or through visualizing yourself going through the actions. Many people learned how to fall without injury as kids, while either roughhousing or participating in sports such as football, but if it's a skill you haven't practiced much, start on your knees on your bed and fall onto the soft mattress. Bend your elbows.

When r hit the ground and it's impossible to get my feet under me, J always attempt to land flat on my side. I pull my arms into my chest, relax my muscles and attempt Lo spread the impact over as much of my body as possible by hitting flat. This posmon protects my neck and back by avoiding direct contact, but more importantly, by spreading om the force 1 don't pile-drive those crucial body parts with the weight of my lower body and legs.

My was to it. I wanted to plow .fiJrward, to continue on I was already set on, to where I was comfortahle.

I'll clear the lines, I'll will it tYJ happen.

JJ'xperience Measure this not only hy numher qf.'fiights and hours.flown, hut hy the variety ,.md currency qf':your !mow/edge.

Experience in hang gliding, and aviation in general, can be diflicult to judge. For example, although I made 700 to 1,000 /lights per year during my 10th to 18th years in HANC GLIDINC

the sport, I considered myself a novice during my 19th year. Why? Because rhe previot1s eight flights where all made in the silky smooth air of only one site, the beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In addition, all those flights were essentially on one glider, a single-surface tan-dcm, and the launch method was always rruck towing.

When 1closed my tandem business J bought a high-performance, double-surface glider and starred flying inland with thennals and turbulcnce, and foor--launching afrer an eight-year hiatus. At this point in my first IO years of hang gliding J had amassed 5,000 flights, motmtain-launching into California's rowdy thermals, but I was well aware of' my overwhelming power to frirger, and l "reentered" the sport with much caution. I relearned "advanced (lying" with many sled rides in smooth conclitions and took my double--surfoce glider to the beach fr.Jr launch and landing practice.

I succeeded over flvc years with only ,1 few beaks and honks, but hadn't bcm a dowmube. [ Tow well do you know yourscW 1 checlml my rtjlex to attempt to overfly the power lines and started thinlcing. 1 was well experienced at this coastal site and /mew 1 could expect no lift this closr to the ocean. Ih compliaite matters, by this time of'day rl light onshore wind had likely developed, and behind the mansions lining the beach there was sure to be tll least a little sink Knowing whilt to expectfmn the air, I realized there was little chance 1 couJd cleilr thr: wires cmd thtzt reduced the complexity o('my decision-

Attitude

ls the glass ha{fempty

or ha{ffi.dl?

I'm not saying that pessimism is prercrable to optimism (wirbour optimism no pilot

would have taken up the sport to start wirh), bur iris important m foresee problems in order ro develop a plan ro deal with them. I srrongly believe rhe credo, "] would rather be on the ground wishing l was in the sky, than in the sky wishing J was on the ground," and that requires a healthy look at why you might not want to be in the air, before you launch. l sec whaL's wrong with a glider, rather that what's right. An old girlfriend chided me for being negative when I poinrcd out that she frirgot LO install her basetuhc bolt.

She got irritated and instructed me, "I gm JULY 2001

The pilot in hils gotten himselfinto a dangerous predicament. J !is right wing is low and his nose is high as he li/is off with the aid o('a powered winch. everything else assembled correctly." Her optimism seemed dangerous ro me.

My pessimism, along with a good helpof the or others, helped prevent injury and possibly death in my situation with the power lines. Herc's how. 'T'hc sire my friend Raoul and l were flying had long ago been abandoned by pilots in the days of standards, so we had no informa-tion based on previous experience, save the frillowing story, which was told to us by every wuifo Raoul and l ever met at launch or landing.

Back in the days of standards, a pilot flying out of the canyon was too low, and flew into the power lines on a summer Sunday afternoon as the beach traffic was heading home. The pilot was fried, and together with his glider hung in the wires, srnolc1cn1nR fcir hours while rraH1c backed up IO in both directions and newscasters splashed the gruesome picture across every network.

With that image firmly planted in my mind, J came to a very important decision long before encountering my present situation. Power lines arc to he avoided at all cost! They can kill you in three differem ways. One, they can knock you out of the air and you may (~111 ro your death. 'lwo, you could be clectrocutccl. J\nd three, you could burn to death in a resulting fire. Due to rny pessimism I knew that someday I would be foolish enough to be faced with electric and by deciding beforehand

that absolutely any maneuver would be preferable ro landing in wires, I Imel one decision less to deal with when finding myself in that situation.

Ahili~y to visualize-·· Ctm you see yourse{(' peifvrming ,m action you've never tried? do you practice it?

I think everyone can visualize. Maybe some are better at it than others, but that's probably due to practice rather than ability. The question is more, J\rc you willing to spend time visualizing and using it as a learning tool? T believe (and maybe here I'm too optimistic) that if yrn1 visualize yomsclf performing an action in a sirnation you have never experienced, that in the beat or panic you will execute that action rather than freezing from indecision.

1 knew, ] had to avoid the power lines. 1 visualized pulling in and/lying hut the fmr lanes of 50-mph trtl{fic discountged me. /Je.ssmzzst in me knew that someone in frmes wou!dnt stop and I'd be run 01m; not to mention rd! the drivers I'd be putting in I !oohed br:low at the tangled web road,, trees and houses rmd knew thczt was r,Lw not an option. Then I looked the steep canyon wet!!.

Even though 1 bad never attempted landing on a steep incline, l had considered the prospect. l t had seemed w me rhat faced with diminishing alternatives, uphill

31

2)

3) Ii)

dling.

Flying around in comfortable conditions.

Launching, landing and when situa· tions are tense in the air.

Crashing.

How do you rntmage pressure, fear 1.mdpttnic?At what point do you stttrt to be overwhelmed? When do you.freeze?

Looking at the situr:ttion more closely, wr am see that the pilot handles prrssure very well. He's ;m!lcd in about ttsfd1r as possible and has his weight shifted lefi to the extent the control bar wilt allow. He's even !oohing where he wtmts to f/1- But perhaps because this pilot perfimns so well in extreme circumstances do1:.r well in hirnsel{fom difficult situ11tions when they he is lax in prepamtion tmd forethought. Poot·um.nched ground towing with· out a Vbridle to help hold the nose down is a.foolish technique. Notice th11t not on!J is the bridle pushing 011 the b11setube, but also is pushing up 011 the side ofthe high wing. l understand that the pilot.flew muay from this but ! don't w11s because the winch opemtor reduced the pressure or because ofthe pilot's vr.1.lia11t actions. landings would be a piece of cake, ,me! I visualized what it would he like. That previous effort served me well, sillce despite rhe fact that the 30° slope was studded wirb rocks and manzanita, I was confident T would touch down with close ro zero ground speed. Gravity is an effective brake.

I also envisioned the brush helping me avoid sliding down the wall after landing.

With confidence, it wtts emy now to make a decision and I bttnhed the glider lrfi; pulled in for speed and head.ed for the canyon U)(Jll.

sensory input How many sensations can you process con-· sciously, concurrently? Can you foe! the glider lifr off your shoulders during the launch run (slightly aware), while feeling airspeed on your face (somewhat aware), while seeing the path you are running on (very aware), while watching your wing with your peripheral vision (extremely aware), while noticing your wing catch on a rock and watching yourself break both downt:ubcs as you land on your feet unhurt, downwind, on the edge of a cliff (hyperaware)?

32

Awareness is the most important skill you can develop as a pilot. The bad news: lt is not possible ro have enough awareness ro he perfectly safe in the air. 'fhc good news: You can constantly improve your awareness.

Just as coordination becomes easier with experience and as m<Hions become automat· ic (muscle memory), so docs awareness become greater with ingrained experience.

Awareness can vary greatly, depending 011 the pressures one experiences. Everyone's awareness is almosr noncxistem when they are totally relaxed (asleep), and builds as situations become more invigorating or excit· ing. Then awareness stans to fode as the experience hccomes more intense or fear inducing. At this point there are two radically different paths awareness can take. In some people, as fear builds, awareness becomes totally blocked. l n others, the increasing fear evolves into an incredible calm, and hyper-awareness sets in.

Your learning and flying techniques should be specifically tailored to your pre· sent level of awareness. Rate yourself in four srntcs of excitement (no one mes while sleeping), the mode you're in while: 1)

Setting up yom

and ground han·

T manage pressure poorly. Put me in front of a video game and I get flustered when attacked by foes moving faster than molasses. J lose coordination, awareness and the ability to think. fn other words, I panic.

I'm the same when thcrmaling close to the hill or when I'm in a get-up--or-land ther· ma!. f tense, then think and perform poorly when there is an altcrnarive 10 dealing wirh the pressure, like searching else· where for lift or landing.

But, when faced with no alternative, and especially when bodily injury is imminent, my mind operates differently. A pleasurable, overwhelming calm sets in and my mind becomes slightly removed from my physical being as it steps back and surveys the siruation. Time moves slowly and Tfeel as though I see events with unusual clarity.

Decisions are made instamaneously and unerringly. r become intensely aware of the important events around me, and I feel no pain. Without this state, I surely would have died early in my hang gliding career. (Sec the "'T'ip Stall" sidebar.)

Now that ! knew I was going to land on the side rfthe etmyrm, my mind relaxed. I surveyed the possible clear spots between the bushes~ and seeing the difficulties, I first thought about the inconvenience ofremoving the glider from such ttn ttwkward place. I ltiughed ttt myselfar l pictured the alternative, the incon1Jenience ofextracting my gliderfrom the power lines 15 feet above a bustlingfimr-lane highway.

Foresight The ttbility toprediet the future. Rate yourse!f0-, 1 depending on the number ofyes answers to thefollowing questions.

Can you most often predict a turbulent launch before the first step? Do you always seem to launch into lift and climb out? Do you expect turbulence before you encounter it in the air? Do you usually land close ro the spot you've picked? Arc thermals where you expect them? Have you foreseen the possibilities of accidents bd<.lre they happened to Hi\NC GUDINC

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

you? 1o others?

Developing ftuesight in aviation requires learning the characteristics of the medium through which you arc flying. It's impossible to predict the path of your glider without at least an approximate knowledge of the characteristics of the air through which you are passing. Learn to see the air using all your senses.

I wasfeaiful that I rm;e;ht be.flying into descending air as my chosen landing spot was on the lee side ofthe canyon wall, so Jpulled in to my waist fi;r excess speed My planfi;llowed my vision ifwhat a steep uphill landing would be. J envisioned ti steep divefi1r speed so that the glider would its momentum through the quick pull-up climb parallel to the slope. Then stalling at the instant it lost all ground speed, it} nose already high, together we would settle gently and be held in place by the bushes. And, cmticlimactically, that is how it happened Bat-r,ing my glider and it down the steep slope was no picnic, but J was smiling and singing the whole time thinleing about the horriflc circumsttmces Thad avoided. &ate ofmind ···- ls your mind in the right stateforflightl There's an old joke about what you ger if you play a country song backwards. You get your wife, trailer and truck back and your dog comes home. Well, depending on which way your lifo is playing, you may have other things on your mind. Plying already requires more brain cells then I have left, so I pay much attention to any d istrac·· tions in my life. Think abom it.

Perceivetl and accepted level t;frisk It's important to perceive every flight as being potentially dangerous or you may be lulled into complacency. Depending on how much risk you arc willing to expose yourself to, you need to decide how much training you wish to undergo to be prepared for those risks. Your instructor will mostly determine what you'll learn up to your Novice rating, but after that you decide if you'll take advanced lessons. How much risk arc you willing to endure?

Perceived amount ofspare cash Can you afford to buy glider parts?

One pan of the equation is that lessons arc cheaper than glider parts, bur another is that if you arc so poor that you try to protect your glider in a crash, you may he purring yourself in danger. Crashes in which gliders )ULY 2001

Ihill·. v:_

as" t"al.zil·1.gn····].··y· . s··.o_·.· 1.l,_.·.·.fl.·.ttammg >. ·y.in_. . ¥_. . from.the top ofsi.xd·.i·._l•·{)·S·' ] .so~foot and d°,ing gre:it on t11e _mdlow begimrnr glider: T'htough the beginnhig of this lesson l .had _to crunch ;my. ah1m l11 urn,..i.lnd l~as cp11slderif1g huy,, glider <)Wn.- 'fc) tha~ enc,[, nty iustmctor brtmght. along three u.se.d. gliders for lUC; to ._fly.and ~:vahlate;.

I.Hew.the Hrst a11dthe scchn:L and :1lrhough noticed a slight qifference in handling chara,cuedstics frop1what

ofmt h,l~l

I

I

to,· felt cornfortabk: 011: .btnh. With confide11ce,I launcl1ecl

. . glidet, irnd a_t 200 feet' t>.utand above the slope l bankcd/d1e glider to the.right to fly parallel 10 the hill as necessary to avoidovershoorhig rhe,spo,t,: rhe. 11o~e yawed. toward the heading. I desired1 I attempted to the. witi;gs. glicl did JIOt reSI)Oj1(lt() 1ny ·coaxing amLreniaJned·hanked ac 20°.

Most had. hee11 ':"aE~hing birds <) r clouds. ';heh. ~ny instruetbr ~Hsc:11s~cd tipz~talls,_for Jiowl ,had .absolute!? Jl() idea why the gljder:was resp9ydir1g.

I. pecame nervous~Jid threw my weight and left as the .... · coritim1.ed. 1~ajlt the hill appeared infron: ofme. Ev.eh began .happening fastet, and before I .

"Do .what you know. RolLinto .a feral position .;ind t.utn "

lha,jfallen. .

..

jn lJ:lY ptior tQ this h1cid,ent; l practiced gym~ nasties. ap.d.wrestled for fo_ur ye.irs in high s.choo.1, _andhad·.be.en. tl1rnwn t() the J;liat ofren: l had jU.tt1pfd ()Ut of

and off:roofojn.attempt~ t11 ·becon1eairborn.e.as.aJ:l,ild.All_1hi.s pra~t.ic<:: and.the fac1: that I eAter this altered.state it1 Hfe-threatelJ[ng situations (it has happened ma11y tirnes. in myJifo) kept 1ne frpm piling hcadfit·st )nw rhehill ,t11d probabJy kllling 1nysdf hitthe ground aftertakl.ng outadowmube wfrhn1y.body and.sus~ tained no othet than a out on . rnyelbow.

In di,ln't know.

er

likelyJ

nqt

90°

ts

knew it the nose was dt<'.ipping an.cl beading for ~he grciund; Skyclis;1ppeared and ground lopmed

in

of me, Maybe 20 or 30 i!1g, eyetytb.ing slowed· down. thought; "I'.m_soingto.crash,1'wci1t through my mlr1<LThe111 became very

calm.Next:lthqught; "tdon!tktiowthc

best way to ctasha hang.glicl.er. pui~ zled for an instaiit arid the11 told myself, sustain no damage often break hones, and vice versa. Use your glider as an effective shock absorber. If you want to follow the least expensive path in hang gliding, seek out all knowledge and practice and visualize tcchniq11cs.

Yi:m can become a more versatile and safrT pilot hy nnclcrstanding and evaluating your thought processes, practicing techniques on your glider and in your mind, making crucial decisions before you're in dire circumstances, and above all, removing your ego from the learning and flying

state

exp.erienceit, Just.don't expect itto sayeyour all circu n1sti1fices>Tf you t8nd t<:i blank ont duripg crashes, it would be best to fly conservatively l:9 avol~{dan· sltmttibns. Nomanerwhat yot1r awareneBs., pre pate. yourself with

Jl.1ui;:hknowledgoasprssible. [p any l)1st;m.ce; knowlcd:ge is power. a1idpractiee".

·

processes. I'm at the level I am, nm because I'm talented, hut because I have l 0,000 training-hill flights, took every lesson any instructor offered, and practice and evaluate skills and techniques on every flight. You can fly as safely as you wish.

All of'the articles tofi1llow will incorporate the expressed in this one. Next month we will evalut1teyour glider. Comments or idetts should be e-mailed to with nr;n· in the subject 33

I

'

s a wind dummy during rhe Flyrec Championship I rook an early flighr jusr before 11:00 AM on Thursday (rhe fifrh day of rhe contest) and was able ro climb ro 3,600' and then sink all the way ro the ground. I relaunched and was once again able ro climb ro 3,600' and once again went ro rhe deck. Ir was not going ro be an early day, and since the forecast for Friday looked more promising I decided ro bag it for the day. After I parked my glider I ran inro Russell Brown, one of the co-owners of Quest Air, rold him rhat romorrow was going ro be "rhe day," and that I was going ro rake back the East Coast Record. The forecasr low for Thursday night was 55° F and rhe forecast high for Friday was 85°, and rhe wind was predicted ro be southeasr at about 10 mph. I really had a feeling rhat Friday was going ro be rhe perfect day I had been waiting for.

On Friday morning, April 20, I was trying ro kill some time in the morning and wait for the condirions ro get good. I started playing the ''Age of Empire" on my computer and before I knew it I was in rrouble, rhe enemy was arracking me from all direcrions. I lost rota! track of rime trying ro save my Empire. My girlfriend , Samantha, who was outside, walked in and said "rhe sky is full of cumies. " I almost fell out of my chair; rhis damn computer game was going ro cost me a grear day. Ir was about 10:45 and rhe cumies already looked perfect and they seemed pretry high. I was already abour a half-hour !are.

Fortunarely, my glider was already ser up from the previously day and I quickly moved it ro the rakeoff area and asked Samantha to help me carry my flying gear. If I was going ro break rhe record I needed ro ger inro rhe air as soon as possible. I quickly got ready, hooked in and gor on rhe row dolly. I saw Bobby Bailey and asked him if he could give me a row. He informed me that he was on his way ro rhe mg pilors' meering and asked me if I could ger someone else. Oh no!

This was nor good. Every minute delayed was going ro cost me at leasr about half a mile. I quickly unhooked and scarred running around ro see if I could find a tug pilot ro ger me out of there. I found Mike Tomczyk, another one of Quest Air's mg pilots, and asked him if he could

A

] ULY 2001

give me a row. He responded wirh a big smile and grabbed his helmer. All righr, I was going ro finally ger going. I found our lacer, rhar while all rhis was going on, Davis Srraub was in rhe rask commirree meering and had made a commem rhar if Mark was nor in air and gone by now he was nor going ro break the record.

The air was full of rhermal acriviry. As much as I tried ro sray on row umil I reached 2,500' I couldn'r resisr and pinned-off in a good rhermal ar 1,900'. Ir was righr around 11 : 15 AM and I was on my way.

Wow, rhe clouds looked awesome, and a fasr srart was in order. I was about an hour late and rhe conditions were so good that I decided ro race and make up for losr rime. I lined up under a nice cloud street and basically ignored any rhermal less rhan 400 fpm . I kepr on gliding while I was gerring close ro cloud-

base ar about 4,500' . There was little need ro srop and circle. I was only losing about 1,000' ro 1,500' gliding from one cloud in rhe srreer ro rhe nexr, and I was able ro gain all rhe losr alritude back just by slowing down. By 1:00 PM I was abour 75 miles away and over 5,000' .

The conditions were grear but I knew rhar rhis was nor going ro last. As I looked ahead I could see rhar rhe sky had nuned complerely blue and rhere was no sign of clouds. I couldn't believe my eyes, the incredible condirions I had been enjoying had vanished and I knew the hard rimes were coming. I had no choice burro press on and fly inro rhe blue hole.

This was nor good, and all of a sudden I felr rhe need for any lifr I could ger and

my progress became very slow.

Ar about 80 miles out I was down ro abour 1,500' and thinking that I might be landing soon. No thermals were robe found anywhere. I couldn't believe this was happening. Ir wasn't even 1:30 yet and it looked like I was going to be on the ground soon. Desperately, I flew toward some dry fields with a lot of contrasr. I hit some very light, broken lifr and started working it as if it were the only thermal in rhe world.

This is where I really appreciate my new Flyrec 4020 XL instrument. The new adjustable audio excitemem level (which I had cusromized ro my liking) proved ro be very helpful. I had increased the audio exciremem level by two positions above the original facrory serring. I was happy and feeling good about just maintaining at zero sink ro give me time to look for any new signs of lifr.

The zero sink that I was in started ro get berrer. My averager was now showing 200 fpm. About a half hour prior to this I wouldn't have even slowed down for this, and now I was so elated to have it. It's amazing how things can change so quickly. I climbed back over 4,000' and the rhermal fell apart. There were still no signs of any clouds on course, so once again, carefully and with fingers crossed, I venmred farther into the blue hole.

My average ground speed had really slowed down and I was still smck in survival mode, trying ro maintain altimde and waiting for the cumies ro start popping. Afrer a few miles of gliding I hit a thermal a little bit stronger than the last one and climbed back ro 5,000'. I looked above me and rhere were still no signs of any clouds.

Hmm, very interesting. Blue thermals were present, however, the visual assurance of lifr was missing. The presence of clouds makes all rhe difference when it comes ro racking up miles fast. I was still working 100 fpm lifr near the mp of the thermal and I was milking it as if it were my last thermal of rhe day. Not very good for going fast, but I was reluctant ro take a chance and I certainly wasn't ready ro get low again .

An hour passed and now I was about 2(} miles imo rhe blue hole. I had been able ro stay above 3,500' and rhe blue rhermals were getting stronger. It was

35

Mark suited up and ready to go. time to let up on the brakes and go for it.

Now f was only stopping for 300 fpm or better. Soon afrer that I was rewarded with a boomer which took me to over 6,000'. ]'he vario was pegged at times and l was higher than I had been all day.

This was great, the blue hole was corning alive, yet there still were no signs of clouds. After that really good climb I was feeling good and took a direct line to the northwest, which was directly downwind.

My GPS was showing that my ground speed was about 40 mph, so I had about a 7 to l O rnph tailwind.

J was now consistently getting over 6,000' and the air was really cold. All the water I drank struggling in the blue bole, combined with the cold at altimde, was taking its toll on my bladder. It seemed that it was the right time to relieve myself. After unzipping my harness and moving four layers of clothing o\l1 of the way I tried to go. Unfortunately, the air was too cold and T could nor do it. Darn it! After five minutes of trying l had to close the zipper before I froze my little buddy. I passed the 100-milc mark and

36

my ground speed was doing much better.

At about 130 miles our I was getting over 7,000' in the blue thermals. Wow, this was cool. No, as a matter of fact, it was really cold.

Samantha (also my driver) had a late start too and was way behind, too far for my radio to reach her. I could hear her but sbc couldn't hear me. Bo (Hillbilly Hagewood) was in the air on course fr)J· rhe day's 92-rnile task to the north. He was between Samantha and me and came to the rescue by relaying my position to her (crossing In terslate l O). She received the message and kept driving north on f ntersta te 7 5. the clouds started to Soon after appear just to the north what a great sight. At 150 rniles om I was under cumies again and freezing my butt off.

Now that l was up to 7,000' the frJur layers of clothing proved to be inadequate. I was still cold and shivering. At 165 miles out I was crossing the Georgia border for the sixth time since last year. f felt wonderfol. l recognized the terrain and realized that I had flown this route

before. All I had to do was stay west of Valdosta, which is restricted airspace.

Once I cleared Valdosta I called Bo on rhe radio and asked him if he would please relay to Samantha that I had passed Valdosta, that I was about 190 miles away, that I was at 7,000', and that I was going for a new record. He enthusiastical-ly passed on the message and cheered me on. He was also happy since he was getting close to the competition goal.

Thanks Bo, may you go 224 miles.

I had jumped to a cloud street to the west, about five miles away, and was in a good position. However, the clouds were dissipating and the lift was diminishing.

As f approached the 200-mile mark I was getting really excited; this was going to be my first 200-mile flight. My eyes were glued to the GPS 197, 198 and 199. It took forever, hut finally the GPS read 200 miles. lt was a great feeling, but with all the exciternent l was getting low.

At 204 miles out, about nine miles short of a new East" Coast record, I found myself at 2,600' and thinking l might not make it. I altered my path a little to the west ro get downwind from some dry fields. I could feel some light lift in the area and started to focus on the glider's drift and speed near this light and broken thermal. I am lucky that I am able to find thermals when I am near them. A few moments later I gladly started to work this I 00-fpm lift as if it were my last thermal of the day. As it turned out, it was indeed my last one of the day. After about 20 minutes of turning I was back over 5,500' and 206 miles away. l went on final glide and the air was great with minimal sink. At 212 miles I got on the radio and announced that Davis's Easr Coast record had been broken and asked Samantha, who was about 40 miles behind, to call Quest Air and let them know that I was past 212 miles and still going. It was a fantastic: and wonderfrd feeling. A few minutes later she was back on the radio and said that she had called Quest Air and that Russell Brown had announced the news to the crowd that I had passed 212 miles and was still going. She also told me that: everyone was cheering loudly for me. It was great to get support like that. I couldn't have been happier.

As I continued my final glide I picked a nice big brown field on the west side lnterstate 75 and went for it. Since I was HANC GLIDINC

getting close to a major town, the 11elds were not very plentiful and there were lots of trees and building. As l got closer to my intended LZ I noticed that there was a dark objccr in the middle of the field. 11mm, what could it be? As I converged on my intended LZ J discovered that the dark object in rhe middle of the flcld was an electrical tower with power lines running north and south. Not good. I hate power lines, especially when there arc a bunch of them.

I saw another, much smaller fleld abour half a milt farther north on the cast side of 1-75. I was high enough to go check it out. f got a little closer and saw white things sticking out of the ground.

Wow! It was a cemetery. Now T was low and thinking thar f might not have enough altitude to go hack to tht power line field. l could sec the headlines: "Hang glider pilot crashes in cemetery, hit~s big tombstone and gets buried in an empty grave." That thought was enough to turn me around, try to go hack ro the power line field and take my chances dodging the power lines. Thanks to minimal wind and good, late-afternoon air, l made it back ro the power line field, but to make matters worse I saw another small power line nmning cast-west.

Crashing in this field was nor the ending I had in mind for this great flight.

Luckily, I fly with ad rogut chute in case [ need to make an emergency landing in a very small field. The last rime I used it was over a year ago, however, as soon as I saw the other power line I ripped the chute out of its container and held it in my hand. 'This was definitely an emergency situation. I held it in my hand until Twas about 20 fr:et over the power lines, and as I turned to go on final I threw it into the air behind me. I quickly glanced to sec if it was open, and what a great sight to sec that it was. The wind was about zero, but with the drogue chute it !cir as ir I were flying into a 10mph headwind. Thanbi G.W. and US Acros for a great drogue chute. With the aid of the chute l was able to land easily in the 11cld way short of the trees at the other end. l had a great landing and was safely on the ground. I thanked God frH a great flight and a good landing. I was certain that l was the happiest man alive.

I called Samantha on the cell phone to her my position and a few kids showed up to talk to me. T'hey said I had )ULY 2001

landed in Tifton, Georgia. The GPS was showing 225 miles away from Quest Air and th:1t it was 6:/iO PM. Samantha was only abom 25 miles away, and before the glider was in the bag she was rhcrc with ice cold drinks. Lif'e is good. We loaded the glider and headed back to Quest Air. On the way back l watched Br,weheart on DVD on my laptop in a nice cool car enjoying a cold drink. l have the most pcrfc:ct retrieval car and driver. After the market crash l sure don't have a hunch of money to throw around, however, afrcr a long flight, a very comfortable retrieval vehicle with a DVD player and great sound system setms like a good invest which Samantha bought for my birthday, was great and I watched all three homs on the way back. With all the emotions of the record-breaking flight, rhc sad ending of the movie got me roo emotio11;1] and I started crying.

We atTivcd back ar Quest, and as soon as we pulled imo the parking lot we saw a big sign that said, "Congratulations Pistachio... rniles ... new [,:ast Coast Record" with a little pistachio cartoon drawn 11ext ro it. Thanks to the Quest crew that was a great sign to sec.

The next at the pilots' meeting f was asktd to tell ahout my /light, and the support from rhe comp pilots was great. '!'hank you everyone. ( )n Saturday night, at the awards ceremony for the Flytcc Championship, I was :1wardcd a great gift

from Flytcc USA: a new Flytcc lt030 XL complete with airspeed sensor, Garmin 12 map and faired instrument pod. I also received (a dollar for each mile). The value of this gift was about $2,000. I would like to thank Flytec USA and Steve Kroop, the U.S. distributor for Flyrcc instruments, for this great support. It adds so rnuch more pleasure to flying when you get wonderful support like that. The new Flytcc 4020 XI, (rhar l was using during this flight) with the adjustable audio excitement level "rules." I am so happy to fly with one and have it excite me the way I like it. I was also awarded a great swe;itshirt from Mike Eberle of North American r:Jight Design, the U.S. distributor of my wonderful GhosrBustcr. Thanks Flight Design, I can't wait to fly your new glider and set a new world record with it. l .ast, hut dc/1nitcly not least, I wam to thank Quest Air and their crew for providing a wonderful atmosphere, warm hospitality, continued support, and great flying. They have been great to me and Samantha and we appreciate it.

As I was writing this story T noticed that the skin at the bonorn of my nose was dark and itching like crazy. I started rnhbing it with a wcr towel and a layer of skin came ofI With rhc freezing cold temperatures during tht flight it seems my nose paid the price with a mild case of frostbite. fr may take a week to recover but it was well worth it. 1111

37

Comments On Lr:mdinr,s hy Jim (Sky Dog) Palmieri

omchow, I identify with David.

Maybe because we were both new to the sport, rnaybc because of our connection through the Internet, maybe because we both flew al Lookout Mountain, or maybe just because he also had such a deep-rooted love for hang gliding. When David had an accident because of a bad landing, pan of me was also hurt. I identified with his accident.

I learned to launch and land hang gliders mi the dunes at Kitty Hawk. My best instructor ever was David Clover, om fine recelll USI-JGA President. He taught me about flight, not only how to launch and land but how to critically analyze and learn about what I was doing. I will always remember one afrernoon on the dunes. I was with a group of six pilots, all working toward our Hang JI rating. Everyone was having trouble launching and landing on a shal-low slope. Our instructor for that day did not really address the problems we were having, and we were becoming more frusrrated as a group. David Glover came over to us, LOlcl us to pur die glider down and he proceeded to Ice· turc us, using a stick and the sand as his blackboard. He told us that just laund1ing witb the wings level could eliminate all the problems we were trying to correct. After that 45-minutc lecture every pilot had nothing less than perfect launches for the remainder of the day. l presently use that lecture as a metaphor in the classes l teach: If you just begin with your wings level, you will avoid having to correct hnurc problems.

For about four years my landings had been relatively consisrenr and good but bad begun to deteriorate a bit since I was flying bigger air in the mountains, and also flying and landing less frequently. I thought some of the problerns l had with landings were due to my glider. At the least, Twas blaming my poor landings on my glider. Denial is a strong,

38

About eight years ago I rnet a pilot narned David at the Henson's rarnp, horne qf the Tennessee Tree 7hppers in Dunlap, 1ennessee. On this day he was notf!ying but carne to the rarnp just to visit and watch pilots fly the buoyant aji-ernoon air. lie knew rne by narne through the Jiang Gliding Discussion Group on the Internet. We talked for just a few minutes. protective behavioral response and a response that is sometimes difficult to break. Now l know l was wrong. My less--than-perfcct landings were due to my less-than-perfect landing skills, or shou Id I say, lack of skills.

While learning to aerotow at Wallaby Ranch l had pretty much mastered aerotow launch skills with my glider. At least I had no complaints from David Glover or Malcolm Jones about my launches, towing flights, or approaches. When l asked Malcolm, David and the tug pilots, while they were sitting around the breakfast table, what they thought of my landing skills, they yelled in unison across the LZ, "Your landings suck!"

Yup! They sure did. They were correct.

I wcm through five minutes of trying to defend my style. r did the denial thing. I am a male hang glider pilot; J am genetically programmed to do that.

"T'hen I quieted down and listened to what they had to say, tried what they suggested, and it worked. After my next /light I had a perfect landing. During the following flight I hit turbulence on approach, reverted back to my old ways (hard-wired circuits are difficult to change) and landed ungracefully in three inches of water in a wet: LZ. I followed their advice for my next three flights and had perfect landings. The next weekend at Whitwell, "frnnessec, I also nailed my landings.

Malcolm and David gave me great advice, a gem to hold for my very own.

The skills I developed because of their

expert advice arc ones that have saved me embarrassment, downtubcs and maybe even broken bones. I will simplify what they told me.

DISCLAIMER: DON'T BURN ME. J realize that there arc many techniques for landing a hang glider. This is just one that ! use. lt may be of use to you. Everything listed below, most pilots probably already know. J do, but: it is the sequence that makes it work. Since f have been using 1-his technique my nose cone has stayed clean and 1 have nm bent a single downtube. If you arc having problems with less-than-perfect landings, try this technique. What do you have to lose?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONSISTENTLY GREAT LANDINGS I) Check your glider for trim adjustment. When several thousand feet above the ground, and when the air is smooth and not turbulent, pracrice going upright and hanging. While hanging, let the wing fly and reinforce the feeling of being neutral. Let the glider go to trim with little or no bar pressure. If your glider is not trimmed properly, then have ir trimmed properly. An improperly trimmed glider can dramatically and negatively affect your landings and flaring time. It is important that your hang point be the center of gravity (CG) of your hang glider.

2) Once your glider is trimmed prop· erly, while several thousand feet above the ground, practice going upright from basetube to downrnbes four to six times. lt Hi\NC CLIDINC

A full rotation of'the arms and tt slightly rear center lt1ndin,~; (figure may feel uncomfi:Jrtable and maybe unnerving, bur get used LO rhe feeling of jusr hanging. Let the glider Oy straight with little input from you. (Obviously do not do this if the air is turhu le111 or the glider is in a turn.) Lock thar hringing feeling into your brain. Be: neutral with your glider and !er yom bodyin-harness just hang from rhe CG hang point of your glider. You will need to revisit this feeling when on final approach.

3) Set up a good approach, maybe a bit higher than usual for your fornl glide, so you have rime ro go upright. Once upright, make sure thar you arc hanging in a neutral position and not groping and pulling yourself up 011 the dow11tubes. lt is the groping and climbing up the downtubes on final approach that shifrs the center of gravity of your glider fi:Jrward,, making it more difficult to land and Aare properly.

4) Once on flnal appro;ich, as you hang from your ideal CG point, pull in for speed as much as you need 10 to be very safe:, and let the wingfly. It will want to land; let it do so.

5) As you approach the ground (about six foer above the ground on a level field) and arc in ground effect, push out slightly, maintaining thar six feet above the ground position. At some point your glider will lose energy ;ind your feet will rouch the ground.

Remember, at this point wlicn your rcet just touch the ground, the glider sup-pons 90(Y<> of your weight so you can )ULY 2001

with yourfeet I2 inches above the ground, (ftiure 1) will result in a textbookjlt1re

run fost with long strides. As you nm, push oul and this will slow rhe glider down. The more you push out the less you have to run. In a no-wind situation you should srop within four to six steps.

1/'you rotate the wing upward as you nm, the glider will stop in two to three steps.

6) this technique: you can forget about the flare window because you won't need it anymore. Ir is not necessary to flare, but it does look good and it will stop you sooner by two to three steps. Running out your landing in four to six steps (two to three steps if there is headwind) will always work. "li-ying to hit rhe Oare window for your glider will sometimes fail, so a running-out landing technique will result in fc:wcr botched landings. Being upright and running out your landings almost always guarantees that your glider ,.viii never touch the ground and that die basernbe, with or without will remain two to three fc:et ofT the ground.

This landing technique is really simple but it docs require: 1) that you hang from the CC point without pulling up on the downtubes; 2) that you run rhc landing out for a couple of steps, and 3) that you relax and feel the glider and let the wing Oy and land. 'T'hc wing will tell you when it wants to land as the energy is released while in ground c:Hcct. You must be hanging in a neutral position so that you can foci the subtle change in pressure transrnittc:d rhrough the down tubes.

COMMENTS BY SEVERAL PILOTS CONCERNING THIS Comment 1

I do see many pilots really grip the downrubcs on their approach. My own downrubes have very comfortable finger grooves made from white-knuckle landing approaches. If you are not hanging from the glider, making srnall, smooth adjustmcn ts via light finger pressure, then you can't possibly be flying the glider correctly. Many of the neophytes with whom [ have later had a discussion speak of fearing these kinds of control problems and attributing this fc:ar to why they fly slowly near rhe ground a very dangerous thing to do, especially at midday.

Comment Many people do not have rhcir glider trimmed properly. A friend of mine said that this was his problem with a new Klassic he was flying. If the glider is not trimmed properly ir gives all the wrong signals, however, I also believe that this can be overcome following the other points. Jim also had this as his numberone point, we need to test, at alritudc, whether our glider is trimmed properly. l had to move my hang point a long way forward to compensate for sail stretch afrc:r about 10 hours of flying .. rhc stretch in the sail was probably due to both aero rowing and bad whack landings.

Comment 3 The transit ion from basctubc ro uprights

39

Ifyou flare too early and find yourselftoo high as shown in thos photograph, hold the flare and parachute to the ground Do not pull in at this point or you will whack and possibly damage both pilot and glider.

When flaring aggressively, rotate the arms in an upward arc so the wing wi/L rotate upwardly. this type ofaggressiveflare is necessary when the wind speed is low. Under windy conditions avoid flaring this aggressively or the glider may be blown backwards. Theflare demonstrated in this photograph is a perfect flare for Low to moderate wind conditions.

Maintain proper speed when landing, especially during mid-day.

When you approach the flare, have your hands on the downtubes and rotate the glider upward while kicking the Legs back toward the rear keel. Your center ofgravity at this point must be behind you to force the rotation ofthe nowe upward

Ifyou pum to ru.n ou.t the /,anding, rotate the wind upward to about the

is critical, especially if done close to the ground . Ar many flight schools, students generally learn ro fl y and rake their first few mountain flights in training harnesses rhar keep them upright on rhe downrubes. As we learn to fly we become more comfortable on the baserube and rend to stay on the baserube longer on the fi nal approach. Being on the baserube longer gives us much more pitch and, hence, altitude control, bur we are literally sticking our necks out. Unless we practice (Jim's point number two), we

40

angle shown in this photograph and be prepared to ru.n hard for four to ten steps. the farther you rotate the wing upward, the less you wi/L have to ru.n. Be careful ofholes and obstructions in ftom ot you and never look directly down at your feet. Always be focused on the /,anding area in ftont ofyou and not directly under you.

may be very inept at this maneuver.

Comment4 I always come in on my final approach fro m higher than the normal altitude, probably 100-200 feet above the ground.

Ir is m uch easier to lose altitude than to gain it. I am known as rhe "flying brick. " While upright with legs spread and harness open, rhe drag increases and the glide ratio decreases, making landings easter.

Comment 5 Students should learn landing approach skills befo re they start flyin g "hot" fields, especially during the turbulent midday.

Jim also has this as his number-fo ur po int, bur stares to "pull in fo r more speed." In my short, terrifying experience, this may not always be enough if the transition fro m basetube to downtubes is do ne too early and too high in the fi nal approach sequence. Sometimes I need to be on the baserube to attain the speed I need to approach a turbulent H ANG G LI DI NG

landing area. I may not be able co pull in with enough authority while upright and on the downtubes. Speed is our friend.

Comment6 The transition from basetube co downcubes should probably occur at the point on final approach where the pilot feels chat the "ground-skimming" point can be reached without needing funher basetube input. Many authors have written chat che "head-down" approach can be fatal close co the ground. At chis point, I agree with Jim chat the pilot on approach should be upright and just hanging there, pulling in with cupped hands, two fingers, you name it, but not pulling down or in and down on the down tubes.

Comment 1 Ground-skimming at the proper height is the most important aspect of landing

properly in my opinion. Buzz Chalmers once cold me that I landed well, except for being coo close co che ground before setting up my final approach. I agree with Jim chat one should ground skim at about six feet or higher. I measure chis as follows: 1) Stand erect (no glider, etc.) on any level ground with a discernable horizon.

2) Look at the horizon and form a quick mental picture how high you feel chat you are above the ground.

3) ow, form a long, steady mental picture of how the ground and horizon look through your peripheral vision while standing on a small stool. This is the proper altitude or perspective co begin the ground-skimming phase of your landing. A large percentage of the pilots I observe are much coo close co the ground and need co have a carefully rimed and energy-requiring flare co raise chem several feet or more. Most of chem flare coo lace and fall forward or plop on

Soar over to the

the ground.

Comment8 The round-out is the transition from the diving phase co ground-skimming phase of the final approach . Ir should include a gradual lessening of bar pressure which is what I call round-out. After chat, the glider is in gro und effect and che pilot should just be using the downtubes co gently keep che glider level. At high speed chis phase may last for a few seconds.

The final "push-out" occurs when the glider has lost enough energy chat it will not maintain the mentally envisioned altitude as described above. At chis point a gencle push-out is required, which changes quickly co a big push-out (halfflare), at which point the pilot can either run, flare, try co kick the keel , do both of che latter (a no-seep landing) , or whatever.

Continued on page 48.

Online Aviation ~ore

•

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LookoM1t MoM1ntain Han9 Glidin9 800. 688. 5637 - www. ~aH9lide.coffl 41

The Litespeed'.r very clean sail after launchingfrom jack:r Mountain, Pennsylvania.

Continued from page 21. previously on larger gliders) and helps keep the overall weight down. h was originally developed specifically for the sailboat industry and is designed for minimum stretch and lN/salt water resistance. 'fhe Moyes factory claims that the lighter PX5 allows for better handling without any loss of performance. The sail can also be ordered in standard Power Rib Dacron.

Some finishing school must have taught the glider good manners. l immediately felt comfortable on my first flight and ir was a pleasure getting acquainted. It took me the usual lO to 15 hours of airtime to get totally used to a new wing's characteristics, hut the whole experience went smoothly and was confidence--inspiring.

Launching the Lirespced 3 is as uneventful as can be. Handling it in the air is like riding a well-behaved thoroughbred no surprises, and the perfcmnancc is

42

there (see below). The bar gives solid pitch feedback at VG full off. I found the glider's sweet spot to with the VG onc-·quartcr on. This is the setting l now use for taking off; flying in anything but rough air and landing. J find this position most comfortable as l don't have to fight the pitch pressure as much when encountering a thermal.

"I 'he roll response is light and turn reversals are easy with my body weight of I I 0 pounds and no ballast in the harness (now all readers have two of my vital statistics, bm I have no intentions of going any further).

I enjoy the thermaling characteristics of the Litespeed 3. I find that some highsiding is required at higher banks, but it is very manageable and allows quick reversals. This high-siding is also a function of the pilot's weight. Someone at the light end of the weight range will wash out the sail less and therefore have to high-side more. The glider can be trimmed to satisfy a pilot's preference. Both the mid-section leading edge junction and the fiberglass tip plug are eccentrics. This characteristic allows the pilot to play with the dihedral of the wing by rotating the tubes, and leads me to mention the excellent chart Moyes has published about Litespecd tufr· ing. This table indicates how various characteristics of the Litespeed (gliding, ther-1miling, fixing a turn) can be affected hy different tuning methods (sprogs, eccentric junctions, CG, tip c1mbcr, leading edge

tension). T'hc document is extremely usefol to pm finishing touches on a glider and adapt it to your flying style. You can find this document on the Moyes An1erica web-site (sec address below under "Litcspeed Ttming").

'Jhe glider's VG range is very imprcs-sivc. When the VG is pulled on, the bar position goes from chin height to chest level and the bar pressure becorncs very light. This makes long glides very comfortable. 'The handling, on the other hand, becomes quite stiff with VG full on. But I like having all these options available and can always loosen i r a bit on very bumpy glides. The glider has a very fast top speed.

I have flown faster on the Litcspeed than I ever have before.

The 1.itespecd 3 is a pleasure on land-ing. The control bar position surprised me a bit when going back to the downtubcs during final on my first flight. I quickly got used to it and realized rhat having onequarter VG on, as mentioned above, makes the glider easier ro manage in pitch and prevents the glider from slowing down too rapidly. The flare timing is almost brainless. I landed the glider in a few miles per hour of tailwind on one occasion and it folt like a no--wind landing on any other glider. I'm afraid Moyes may have found the perfect trick to pilots addicted ro their brand hy designing a glider too easy too land.

HANG CUD/NG

I had plenty of opportunities to row the Litcspeed 3 in Florida. The conditions ranged from lighr to pretty strong winds and from G1irly smooth to way too rough for my comfort (I'm more ora foot-launch pilot). The J ,itcspced did not produce any surprises in any of.these conditions. In fact, it inspired confidence on the days where breaking a weak link down was an option one had to consider.

BUT DOES IT PERFORM? Most light pilms arc med to rhc fact rhar new designs show up a year later in their size, and that sometimes the small models arc nor as high performing as rhc large ones. While smaller wings usually climb as well as anything else, rhey often foil to deliver performance on glide. This fact involves a hit or adjustment of'nying when you arc conscious of a bit or a hand i-cap. Well, those days a1-c over with the I.itcspccd 3. [ have absolutely 110 com· plaint ahout how ir climhs, and I am very satisfJed with the way it glides as well.

The florida competitions had us flycrosswind and upwind in 20--mph winds. Before the Litcpsccd 3, I didn't stand a chance in these kinds of conditions because of my body weight and/or the performance. With the! .itcspccd 3, I was very pleasantly surprised to sec that I could make progress on such a day, and that I could keep up with other pilots who have natural ballast. Faster glides brought a grin to my face rhat would not h:ivc heen there wid1 my previous gliders. l should also mention that I did not have the fancy conrrol bar and that my harness

jUIY 2001

comes from the dinosaur era.

But how docs this apply to recreational Basically, you don't have to fly X-C downwind anymore. Many possibilities open up when you can go on crosswind or even upwind even in a fairly stiffwind. Heavier pilots may think that have been doing this all along since ropless gliders came on the market, but foathcr weights have fewer options in this regard. With the l .itespeecl 3 there doesn't seem to be any handicap in glide. ln fact, I was on top during glides with other pilots plenty or times a very welcome change.

While competition may have given birth to the Litcspeed, and most recently to the Litespecd 3, there is no need ro enter a competition rn discover the advan .. rages flying one. The glider is so comfortable and user--friendly that it can be enjoyed by any recreational Hang IV of' the proper weight below). You'll find that your competitive side, whether welldcveloped, suppressed or on the: friendly will find satisfaction in it. You rnay also re1lize all the options the glider opens up in your Jr is truly an amazing machine. 1 am now rhe proud owner of' the glider that was just handed to me f<lr a glider review.

or

Contact your Moyes dealer or Moyes America 200 Hill crest Dr Auburn, CA 95603 Tel: 530 888-8622 Fax: 530-888-8708 E-mail: FlyaMoyes(ti>aol.com Web sire: www.MoyesAmerica.corn Ill

I

flcw one of the fow kingp(.)St

ll1

the Flytec Competition at Air in Groveland, Florida this spring and the Austin Air Sports Star Cham pi~ onship in Hearne, last summe:r. I am. really inspired by all great pilots who fly in these meets.

I leaJ'l1ed to fly at Quest Air in July I. 999. Being new to flying, l was cauriom

about m.oving to a high-perform.anee glider, but Claire encouraged me to try tbe Litespeed 3. We are.dose to the same size and she thought I could probably handle it. l took an evening flight on the cfon:10 glider that was set up atQuest the lasr day of the m.eet. The next day I towed it eight times and decided to buy it. I was convitwed that I could tow it and !and it.

I then tried to get a good flight on .it weekend, but the wind was blowing too hard.

Pinally, last Sunday, with the wind out of tbe north, J g()t my first good /:light on the Litespeed 3. Mark Poustinchian set a task tc). fly to W:1llaby and back to Quest (about 45 miles). Mark encouraged me .not to dawdle, and it was with trepida,. don that I crossed the blue space between the clouds to follow him. My sink alarm screamed all way to l,700

I hit lifr and climbed back to dondhase (around 5,200 I never could jumped that sink on my UltraSport. After that I stayed high and was astonished to soon find myself over Wallaby. Unfrmunarcly, on the way to Quest, storm clouds developed and Mark [ got w,ished om or the sky. I landed about 17 mlles short and Mark got abour 10 miles farther <m his rigid wing.

With the little had on this glider 1 am pleasantly at how comfortable I already witb it. I was worried thar would be something 1 wouldn't be able to handle about it. But it's not mo heavy, I can ground handle it, I can tow it and land it okay, it's easy to thermal, I can pull the on, I ca11 set it up and take it down just fine, and it fits on the racks on my car. II 4]

HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used bang first should always be disassembled before flying for time and inspccrcd carefully for forigucd, bent or denred downrnbcs, ruined bushings, benr bolts (especially the bean bolt), re--uscd Nyloc nurs, loose thimbles, frayed or rusred cables, tangs with non--circu!ar holes, and on /lex sails badly torn or rorn loose from rhcir anchor front and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, cs wi II be hctppy ro give an condition of equipment you them 10 inspect.

Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or ratiug. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHCA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. FLEX WINGS

AEROS STEALTH 151

AFROS STEALTH 151 w/kingpost, BRAND NEW, rest flown only $2,500. No time to fly. (603) 5,9-4250, (25.3) 709-85')3.

AEROS STEALTll OLEG RACER 151 Comp t,lider, carbon crossb,rr mylar sail, all orange billboard 11ndersurface, 50 spare downruhcs, AWESOME, priced ro sell $2,200 OBO. (415) 664-5989.

AFROS STEAJ:J'I f l 51 Topless, bcamihd glider, exccllenr condition, Ii I hours $2,500. Joe (8/i7) 8955858 lllinois.

FALCONS 140, 170, 195, 225 new and used.

WALLABY RANCII (863) 424-0070.

FALCON 170 60 hnurs, :> years old, blue/magenta, great condition, baseruhc, will ship $2,000 OBO. (91i9) 795 042 l, mallcttec<iilmallctrec.con1 Southern California.

FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE - School use, one season. All sizes $ i ,250-$2,500. (262) li73-8800,

AEROS TARGET 16 BRAND NEW, test flown only, w/brcakdown $2,350. No rime to fly. (603) 539-li250, (253) /11'/··~1'.>1.

last one $2,400. (262) 47:l-

Blue/yellow, low hours,

excellent shape $1,500. Call Scorr (909) 672,6138,

skyh1cas@'yahoo.com

AIRBORNE SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING, BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. THE WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

AFROS STEAlTI I III OLEG RACER lii2 Fvcry option, very low t:imc, pcrlccr condition, sweetest handling, fastcsr speed, lowest price $2,750 OBO. ('/06)

AJRWAVF Kli

60 hours, blue/green $800.

Highland Acrospom (410) 634--2700.

398-2li67, bofnsfly@compuscrvc.com

AEROS STEALTH II 151

EXXTACY NEW & USED IN STOCK, DEMO DAILY. WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

Matrix cloth, very fast,

billboard glider, white LE, red w/blue undersurfacc (Aug '()() centerfold) 65 homs, asking $2,390 OBO. Sacramento CA. Cell (916) 804-/i063, rci-o_sGPyahoo.com

AEROS STEALTH III 151 Lare 2000, matrix clorh, amo-lowcring sprogs, .ALL THE RACE GIZMOS, !tour wral time. Getting om of comp $3,100 OBO. Sacramento CA. Cell (916) li063, rcro __s@yahoo.com

FREE PVC GUDFR STORAGE/TRANSPORT Wirh rhe purchase of ,my new glider. (517) 22.3,8683, Cloud9SAG"i\wl.com. Largest sclccrion of new and used gliders in Michigan.

TUBE

FUSION--· Demo daily. WALLABY RANCH (863) li24-0070.

Al.TA!R SATURNS 147, 167 park, low hours, dean, priced to sell.

8800, infof1lhanggliding.cnm

hill Race 167 WW, like new, inrcnncdiate, Jli0-240lhs, l owner $950 or trade for tandem. (760) 7/ili-4180, j11ancarloscosta~')lw1mail.com

GLIDERS. 35+ for sale, ro single surface.

Call/email for currcm list.

Ranch (863) li24 · 0070 Florida, glidcrs@wallaby.com

AT EUROSPORT

DOlJBLE VISTONS & PLY2 -- New :rnd used.

WALLABY RANCH (863) 42/i-0070.

UPAT lii5 -

Old hm sweet, red/whirc/hluc, flies 100 hours ldi $500 OBO. (949) 7')5-0!\2\, malJcrrcc0'0n:1all,:,rrc·c.corn Southern California.

1\PAT 145

l 992, cxccllcm shape $1,400. (415)

999-1477.

EAGLES 115, 164 Rema! gliders at hours, clean, priced to sell.

I !PAT H5 -·· Good condition, new leading edge clorh and recent $99'i.(2(,2) 473-8800, infot.Jilbanggliding.com

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 alter deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card.

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

Number of months:--···--····-.. ·--..··---..---·-·-·-----·-···-SECTION IJ Flex Wings

0 Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders IJ Videos Begin with

D Towing IJ Schools & Dealers o Ultraligr1ts IJ Rigid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations CJ Wanted IJ Harnesses issue and run

consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount

of $ --·---··-···-··---···-··----·--··---·· NAME:----------·-·-----------·---------·---------·.. -ADD RESS: ·--·-·- -·····---·----------..-··---···-·-·· ·--·.. ·-------·-··-·--··-----··--·-·-·CITY: --·---·--·---·····--·-..-··---··-·------···-- .. -·---

Number ot ··-·--·------··-·--· ..---------·®$.50 Number of .. -·--·--·-·--···--·····--·----·..-----"'"'

44

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

HANC GUDINC

I<Li\SSIC 11/i Excellent condition, great climh rate $1,500 priced 10 sell. (5/i I) 50/i-'>116.

STEAi.Tl I r<PI. llO 80 homs, red/white $2,000.

Highland i\erosports (Ii IO) 6.1/i-7700.

!./\MINAR Iii --- Super handling, good glide $1,600.

(619) liT!-(,(,')9, cchoaG1)tnsn.corn

STFALTl l Kl'L I 1

Only 8 hours airtime, like

Li\ MOUETTF TOPLESS 11 Crear glider for pilots. Good condition, lrnilt summer of' '9'J, 100 hours $J,OOO. ( :01t1act Claire (81 Ii) li22-0'589, pagen l1ksv1lJazerl ink.com -

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HARNESS EXCHANGE CHUTES (970) 6/il931 5, Imp:/ /gunnisonglidcrs.corn/

new condition, must sacrifice due to work rclarcd

injury $l,OOO OBO. (209) 532-1302.

LAMlNAR ST, H, 13 in stock. WALLABY RANCH (863) li21-0070.

HARNESSES

SlJPFRSPORT 153 Superncat custom sail, very low hours, WW fin included $1,900. (262) li'/3-8800,

Blue/white, harness, helmet, SlJPFIZSPORT 16:l etc. $ J ,200.

(305) 223-'5S28 Florida, gahbi IO I(iil;iol.com

MOYES CSX Ii -- Fxccllent condition $2,000 01\0.

SX'i Near ,iO hours, blue/yellow $2,500. I Iighland /\erospons (4 JO) 6.34-2700.

JIJ(;Jl FNFRCY TRACER POD HARNESSES momhly, $:l00-500. Cocoons Sizes & styles $200 each. LMl'P pod, 5'9" $100. Knechangers & stirrnps also avaibblc. (262) liTl-B800,

MOSQUITO I li\RNFSS -~ Never used $3,000. Call Orlando S. ((, 16) 292 .. 690 J, MC/Visa accepted MOSQUITO lii\RNFSSFS One new $.3,250., one used $J,OOO. (909) 2/ili-0786 I .os Angeles.

MOYES CSX SX, XTL, XS3, XT, etc. New and nearly new. i\vailahle immediately. N:nion's largest Moyes dealer. WAI .Li\llY RANCH (863) liM-0070.

MOYFS CONTOUR 1-li\RNFSS - Blue/teal, hrand new, never used, 5'10"-6'[", w/droguc chmc, free ship-ping S565. (406) 578-1868, craig<iilaerialchair.com

MOYES SONIC: 165 Blue/red, near new $2,500.

MOYES XT PRO I (,'i The model before the SONIC, two available $1,500., $2,100. (?.62) 173-8800,

NFW MOSQUITO I 5hp wirh modified Vision Mark IV 17 (needs new prop), new parachute, pod $3,900. Kirk (802) 8'J'l- l 978.

WWZ5 Only $500 OHO. Ron (310) l79·-5:lli8, deniron62(iDhotmail.com

MOYES SX!i Crear condition, 1>urplc/white, very low hours $2,200. ().62) /i7J8800, i11foQ,1li:1nggliding.co1n

PARAGLIDFRS

(lilli) 282-

MOYFS XL lli'i Exccllenr condition $1,200 OBO. Cl I0) '>Tl 5201 xJ:l}.

All white $1,100 OBO. MOYF.S XTRi\LlTE lli7 (;,62) /iT)-8800, infoG,Jhanggliding.cotn MRX2001 1.1\MlNi\RS /\RE I JERE Experience flex wing available. New and the lightly 11scd STs also available. (760) 1--0701, indaskyv,lyahoo.corn and www.irnro2000.com - ------~--------------- -

PREDATOR lli2 test fly in 1-Iawaii.

----

--------

- - - ------- ----

100 gliders in stock. Lookout Mountaiu, .hanglidc.con1

WW\V

P\JLSES & VISIONS -

SPECTRUM 165 Inclndcs tail kit, 11cw nose cone, great condition $1,500 or lc)l)king for Ult r:isport 16(,.

J•:ric·, ha11gcl1eckG/)yal100.co111 SPECTRUM C:LEARANG. SALE

Three 165

in near new condi1ion w/all options 1

,800-$7,600. One I/iii Sports (2.W.) 17:l f\800,

$1,500. Raven Sky

STl·:ALTl I 2 1'51 (,O hours, black/yellow as seen in Acros ads $:l,000. l lighland i\nosports (Ii I 0) (,:lli 2/00.

RIGID WINGS

UI TRASPORT 117, 1(1(1 -- Rental gliders at flight p:1rk, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) li73-8800,

;\TOS (small) AND CI IOSTBUSTFR Brand new, in stock. Not demos. Why wait? (262) li73-ilBOO, infovilhanggliding.con1

VISION 185 :l 12-0858.

ATOS David (719) 630-3698, davidv/)davidglovcr.com

Needs some assembly $!JOO. (%0)

VISIONS & PULSES - - Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sports (262) li73-8800, info~,)hangglicling.com

lOhrs $1,000. (808) 8Yi7411,

PULSE 11 M High Energy harness, reserve, hclmcl, all hrand new, I tesr flight $.3,900. (920) 623-':i).12, bbeycrG1lerdrnan.cotn

)ULY 2001

AIR SPORTS USA WWW,FLYFORFUN,NET

WW SPORT AT 1(,7 ---- Very good condition, green/white/blue, ripstop trailing edge, /lies great $8'50.

Joe (8!i7) 895 5858 Illinois.

WWXC 117.

120 hours, sail in shape, red/black/magenta, folding baset11bc, ship $1,800 OBO. (')49) 7'J5-0lt71, m:tllencc<rDmallcttcc.com S0111h,:rn C:alif,,rnia.

WWXC 1lr2 Very low hours, clean, ne:1r new condition $2,liOO. (J,62) 473-8800, info(i1lhanggliding.com WWXC: 155 -~ 1.ikc new $2,750. ('Hl9) 2/ilt-0786 Los Angeles.

-------- - - - ~ - - - - -

FXXTJ\C:Y 160 Red, good condition, '99 tip levers, never dspars $'i,300. ('JOI) 9Tl-2/i08, mstumpv1lacp.r:om Cl lOSTBUSTER Like new, 20 hours, retractable flaps phis extras $6,500 OBO. Must sell! W (760) 18988, H (760) 9/i3-8799.

MILLENilJM Like new condition, BRS parachmc, wheels, two rndder pedals, training wheels & transport bags, special car rack $7,500. Out East (819) '565-7249. like new, power pod for self launch included $3,300. Mark (250) 751:3121.

OLT'Ri\LIGllTS

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES 20 CORE f'l)A w/swivel $375. 20 gore $199. Used Quanrum .JJOs, 550s. Many more available. Raven Sky Sports (262) li75-8800, infoGbhanggliding.com

AIR SPORTS USAWWW.FLYFORFUN,NET

NOR'rl IWlNC ATF SOARINC TRIKF --- llirth engine w/all new tandem wing) Ii hour never flown $G,500 ()BO, (727) break-in time 58/i-9233.

TRIKE Ser up for aerorowing hang gliders. All accessories, BRS, includes nice slow flying La Monette wing. (;rear way to starr a new aerotow dnb. $ I0,300.

(507) 895-li2/i0, xchawk~ilaol.com

FLY AWAY HANC GLJDJNC Tammy Burcar (805) 957-9115,

Santa Barbara.

TIIE IIANG CLlDJNG CFNTFR WANTED gliding, paragliding school. Equipment sales, service, rentals at Southern California's mile high site, Crestline. USHGA lnstrnctor Roh McKenzie. Ily appoimmem year round.

(909) 88:J .. 8488, www.llyrandern.com

In rhe West!

DON'T RISK BAD WEATHER Bad instruction or dangerous rraining hills. 350 flyable days each year.

Learn foot launch skills safely and quickly. Train :u world famous Dockwciler Beach training (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly

Om deluxe rerail shop showcases the latest equipment

winter or sumrncr in gentle coastal winds 1 soft sand and

and has two virtual reality hang gliding flight simulators. We stock new and used ... Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all tire hottest new harnesses. Tradeins arc welcome.

Our training program, located at 1hc San Francisco Bay Area's finest beginner site fraturcs: gently sloped "bunny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of' all sizes and comfortable training harnesses! ''l'lRST H.ICJ-!T"l 5 minmc video lour of our begin .. ner lesson program shows a smdent' s skill progression $20 (shipping included).

1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95035 (11e,1rSt111jose).

(408) 262 .. ]055, fax (408) 262 [388. v.,rww.hang--gliding.com

in a thorough prestigious schools

MK!i needed. ] .8()().(i88-5637.

LARGEST I IANC GLIDING SHOP

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

NATIONAL SCHOOL NETWORK RINGS LOCAi.LY. For information call David (?I 9) (,303698, da,ml'~l!davr

wirh one of' America's mosl over 2 5 years.

COLORADO AIRTlME ABOVF l!ANC CLIDINC

Full-rime

lessons, sales, service. Colorado's n1ost experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Acros, Airwave, High Energy, l\all, l'lyrec, Connections and much more. Call (303) I, Evergreen, Colorado Ainimcl I( ;~llaol.com CONNECTICUr MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look nndcr New York.

FLORIDA

ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FL!Gl IT PARK

Sec

ad under ( ;corgia.

CALIFORNIA

G L DERPOl°"T 2800 Torrey Pines San Diego CA S'inee /928

DREAM WEAVER JIANG GLIDING Train on statc.. of.the··arr WILLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One four hom lesson $ I 00. Th rec fonr hour lessons, plus tandem off 2,000ft. $300. Five lessons for $400. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.

Con1plctc lesson progra1ns. Ycar"·round instrucrion.

Launching and landing and thermal clinics available.

Call for group rates. Tired of hiking your J'II help you! Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, l Energy Sports, Ball varios, Carncll,aks and more. We love trade-ins. J'rn yom norrhern California MOSQUITO HARNESS DEALER. lf you live in cemral rhrongh northern C:alitornia, give me a call or email 10 schedule your Mosquito dcmonslration or clinic. Call or email, ,cucu,,uc,1; lessons live days a week, hiday rl1rongh Tuesdays. Ideal training hill, up rn l SOCr., 600ft.

11101111tain. 1,200ft. mountain. Tandem instruction.

USHCA Advanced lnstruc1or DOUG PRATHER (209) 556-0469 Modesto, CA.

46

HANG Gl.fDfN(; AND l'ARAGLIDINC · USHGA cerrified instruction, tandem flight instruction, sales, service, repairs, parachute repacks, and site tours. San Diego's world-class soaring center. Visa and MasterCard Call (858) 45?.·9858 or roll free l .. s77.1:1.y TFAM. Check us om and order onlinc at

More than 8,000

gliding

USHGA CERTIFIED TANDEM INSTRUCTION ..~ By ( ;regg McNamce. Aerotow training & ratings.

Dealer for all major /light and aerorow equipment, 1.5 hours from Disneyworld. Call (352) 489-9%9. www.graybirdairspons.com LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FI.ICHT PARK -

Sec

ad m1dcr Georgia. Ncarcsf 1nountain training center to

Orlando (only 8 hours).

month.

16,000

check out web

HANC GUDINC

MORE BUNNY. ..

THE HILL WITH IT! The i\erotow Flight Park Sarisfoction G,wrameed JUST 8 MTLES FROM DfSNl'YWORLD YEAR ROlJND SOARING OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK SIX TUGS, NO WAITING EVERY DIRECTION 50+ NICE demos to fly: ·1 'oplcss to' l'raincr Gliders: I .aminar, Moyes, Wills, J\irhornc, J\irwavc, Exxtacy, La Moucnc, Sensor:

WF I ·!AVE The most advanced naining program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half the time it rakes on the training-BUNNY Hll.l., and with more inHiglrr air rime. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER J\ND SAFER. For ycar""round fun in the sun, call or write Miami Hang Cliding ?.85-8978. 2550 S llayshore Drive, Coconut Crovc, Florida 33133.

BUNKHOUSE WARM & COMFORTABLE -- By LMH! 32 bunks, hot showers, open all year, 2/i hour self registra· tion, l -800-80:F7788' HAWA!l

also harnesses, varios, etc,

Ages U To Tl have brncd to Oy here.

No one comes dose to our level of experience :rnd success with tandem acrotow instruction.

A GREAT SCENE l'OR FAMILY AND FlUENDS ...

10 motels & restaurants within

rnins,, camping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, storage, ratings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, rrarnpolinc, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic rabies, swimming pool, ere.

Flights of over 200 miles and mme dian 7 homs, Arricks in H11n1; ('ross and ot'hcrs. Featured on nnmerous

shows,

Dateline NBC:, Tl1c Discovery Channel & ESPN.

I

QUEST AIR SOARlNC CENTER Your vacation gliding location. (352) 429,021.3, fax (352) 129" Visir om website at: www.quesrairforcc.com or email 11s: ljllCsrair@sllndiaLnct

BlRDS IN PARADJSE & ultralight on Kauai. Ccrrificd instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) 6:W 1067, birds@birdsinparadisc.comwww.birdsinparadisc.com ILLINOIS

Visir 11.s on the \'vcb: http://www.wallahy.com

GEORGIA HANC CUDE CHICAGO 2 row planes. Full rime certified instructors, insrrucrors, Easr Coast record 213

Please call us for references and video.

1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Arca, FL 33837 (863) 42.4-0070 phone & fax Jly<iDwallaby.com 1-800,Wi\1.1.J\lW

22 l 2, www.hangglidcchicago.com RAVEN SKY SPORTS

(312) 360-0700, (815)

Ii 89""9700 or (262) li73-8800. 2 hours from Chicago, 90 minntcs from Elgin, Palatine or Tire best instructors, rhc hesr equipment, the best rcslllts in rhc Midwest. days/week, March thrn November.

Training program for cornbincd/intcgratcd foot launch and aero row ccrrificarion. Apply l 00°/i, of your intro lesson costs ro certification program upgrade! Please sec om ad under WISCONSIN. info(mhanggliding.com

Con.scrvativc • Reliable• State of the Art

FJLC. JNC./Fl.YING FLORID/\ SINCE 1974 Malcolm Jonc.s, Lamie Croft, Ryan Glover Carlos Bessa, Rhcr t Radford, Tiki Mashy Jeremie Hill, Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod Neal Harris, Bart Paul Moncure Carolina DcC:i.srro, Mcl'cc, Kerry Lloyd

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1n

LOOKOUT MOUNTAfN FLIGHT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookour than at any other school! We wrote USHGA's Official Training Manual.

Our satisfaction and fun with rhc FACILITIES, largest invcnrniy, camping, swimming, more! For a flying trip, intro flight or lesson Lookout Mountain, ju.st outside Chattanooga, yom COMPLETE training/service ccnrcr. lnfo? (800) 688-LMFP.

INDIAN/\ RAVEN SKY SPORTS

(2G2) li73-8800. Please sec

our ad under Wi.scon.sin. info@hanggliding.co1n

No time

(719)

17

47

Continued from page 41.

above.

Actually, as Jim said, you can forger about the flare window and just push out meekly, or even not at all, because ic doesn't matter- you are now com ing down and the glider is through flying.

You can lee it down gently with a flare , run with it and feel che wind in your face and lungs, or just lee it fall with you from shoulder height.

Ground skim at your standing height plus two to three feet. You wane co land

IN SUMMARY

Try to maintain ground-effect altitude with small gentle inputs until the glider refuses to maintain altitude. Try co keep

Fly fast on your final approach and until within a fall wing span ofthe ground.

standing up, so when che glider settles yo u will be at just che right accicude.

When landing, keep your feet back while looking well forward. T he scare of ground-skimming is the proper rime co chink about chis. You will react properly as long as yo u chink abo ut chis well before you need co land.

Don't lee your glider fall our of che sky. le is much safer co carve a controlled path quickly through the air.

Keep a light grip on the glider. le knows how co fly. When yo ur wing has speed, ic will respond nicely.

yo ur feet two co three feet above the ground with small and steady pushes on the downtubes.

Transition to the downtubes smoothly.

maintain altitude, keep pushing.

If all chis fails, have an excuse ready. If you wait until someone asks you why

Hang from the glider and use a light grip and smoo ch transi tions as mentioned

When a small push-out no longer works, push out aggressively. Try the small push-our first. If the glider refuses co

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

48

yo u landed poorly, yo u may nor chink of a good answer. Personal favorites include: 1) My parachute fell our.

2) The wind switched.

3) My harness zipper was stuck.

4) Did you see that dog run in front of me?

Please take these landing hints with a grain of sal e. These are purely opinion and results may vary from pi lot co pilot and flying sire co flying site. Most of all , always fly safely and always continue co work at perfecting your landing approaches and skills no matter how long yo u have been flying. •

-

'

Looko11t Mo11"tai" Ha"a Glidi"S 800.6SS.5637 - www.ltan9lidE:eCOt11

Five times as many students learn fo fly at Lookout

Integrated Instruction of foot launch and aerotow tandem skills The Industry Leader for over 20 Years

44 acre mountain retreat and landing zone for resort

flying; lodging, bunkhouse, clubhouse, bath house, pool, pro ahop; sew shop

Put Yourself in Expert Hands at Lookout Mountain Flight Park & Training Center Lookout Mountain, Georgia Since 1978

TRAVERSE CTTY HANG GLJDERS/PARAGJJD. ERS FULL-TIME shop. Certified instruction, foot Lrnncb and row. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our 450' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml 49684.

Offering powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer&. used units. Call Bill at (23]) 922-2844, rchangglider@juno.com. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (.307) 7.'l9-8620.

MARYLAND

SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK Cooperstown, NY. Ccnificd Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. 40 acre park, 5 training bills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. We have rbe best facilities in N. New York stare to reach you how ro fly. c/o Dan Guido, Ilox 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13407, (315) 866-6153.

NORTH CAROLINA

MINNESOTA Baltimore and DC's foll time flight park Tandem instruction, solo acrotows and equipment snlcs and service.

We carry Acros, Airwave, Flight: Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more.

Two 1J 5 HP Dragonfly tugs Open fields as far as you can see Only I ro 1. 5 hours from: Rehoboth Beacl1 Baltimore Washington DC Philadelphia

RAVEN SKY SPOKT'S (612) 340-1800 or (262) 47'l-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. NEVADA ADVENTURE SPORTS Sierra soaring at its best.

Tours and tandems available. Jnsrrucrion from certified USHGA insrrncrors with 25 years experience. Sales, Carson service and instruct ion by City/Lake Tahoe NV. 883-7070

XC: CAPITAL OF THE CAROLINAS (828) 632-9810 foorhills/lighr@JJ10rmail.com

l.AS VEGAS AlRSPORTS US!lGA certified hang lnstruction. Sales and service, boat row, mountain soaring, XC. (702) 260 7950, www.flylOl.com

Come Fly with US!

NEW JERSEY

Ph 410.634.2700 Fax 410.634.2775 24038 Race Traci, Rd

MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York.

MD 21660 NEW YORK

www.aero.sports.11ct

l1a11gglidc@1acrosport:s.net MARYLAND SCHOOL CW HANG GLIDING, INC. ··-· Ccrriflcd instruction, specializing in foot launch. Dealers for Wills Wing, Moyes, High Energy, year-round instruction.

(410) 527-0975, www.mshg.com MICHIGAN

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVli\TION Aerorow specialists. We carry all major brand hang gliders. FREE PVC glider stomge/transport rnhc with new glider purchase. Now in stock: Wills TALON COMP!, XC 1'i5, Falcons; Moyes Lircspccd 4, Sonic 165; Magic Kiss 154. Omriggcr wheels and other accessories in stock.

Call for summer tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachcnFlicgcn Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, Ml 48892. (5 17) 223-8683.

C:Joud9sa@aol.com. hrrp:// mcmbets.aol.corn/ cl011d9sa

MOUNTAIN WINGS AAA FUCHT SCHOOL I ELLENVILLE J\ IR SPORTS. Full service shop, 1500fr. 10w field, winch and aero rowing, tandems, two-·place U.L. training. Airwave, Altair, Moyes, Acros, lcaro 2000, Flighr Star U.L., MOSQUITO harness, WOODY VALLEY harnesses in The V-MITTS $29.00. or (845) 647-3377 150 Canal Sr., Ellenville, NY most complete HC Pro--shop in rlw Norrh East.

AIR SPORTS USA NYC's first and only certified hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), powered paragliding. Disrrihurnrs l'or Avian. Dealers tor most major brands. Full service and equipment at hesr prices.

The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 3 J Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (7 J 8) 7777000, WWW.PLYPORFUN.NET

FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. MICHIGAN SOARlNG Delivering VALUE with the best combination of SERVICE, QUALITY & PRICE. ALL major brands of and gear. Call Doug Coster (23 l) 882-lt71t4, wi11grna11(a>1mt,,crsc.c,om

a

two-month lead plan ahead.

50

New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas (Ellenville Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Cerr:ificcl school/instruction. Teaching since J 979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Exccllcm secondary instrncrion ... if you've finished a and wish ro continue. Fly the mountain! towing! Tandem /lights!

Comacr Pan I 163 Searsvillc Rd, Pinc Bush, NY l 2566, (845)

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION • BOAT TOWING • TRAJNlNG CAMPS • OPEN YEAR ROUND

• AFROTOWlNG • BEACH RESORT • FOOT LAUNCH • PARAGUDINC • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE

(800) 334~4777 NAGS HEAD, NC Internet Address: http://www.kittyhawk.com E-Mail Address: info@kinyhawk.com PENNSYLVANIA HIGI-lLAND AEROSPORTS

Sec Maryland.

HANG GLIDING

MOlJNTAIN TOl' Rl',CRFATJON Cerril'ied instruction, Pittsburgh. (Ii J 2) 767-/i882. C' MON OUT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN W!NC;S ~ Look under New York.

PUERTO RICO HY PUERTO RlCO Team Spirit Hang Gliding, HC classes daily, tandem instruction available. Wills Wing dealer. Glider rentals for qualified pilots. PO Box 978, Punta Sanriago, Puerto Rico 007ft I. (787) 8'500508, tslt1!~0 ,:otl'lll.rtct TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MO\/NTAlN FLJCHT PARK -· See ad under ( ;corgi:1.

UTAH

WASJJJNGTON

The nation's CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTFR paragl:1tlutg and bang gliding shop, is now offer· guide services, repairs and sales ing ar Poin1 of the Mount:iin, Utah. Contact us for an information packet or stop by the shop. (801) 576(,/i(,(), 12556 S. Minuteman Dr.

HANGTIME-- Dealer of'rhc MOSQUITO powered harnesses. Call for CLINIC ,hues. Right here in the pacific nonhwe.11. (509) 525-157/i, lbbrownCi!lbmi.net

WASATCH WINGS - Urah's only li,ll service lw11g gliding school, Poi111 ol' the Mountain, regional mm111· tain sires, Dealer for Aeros, Airwavc, Alrnir, and mncl1 more. Call 7.ac (80 I) Moyes, Wills 21tli-7/i9/i, wingsvi\vasmch.corn www.was~nch.corn/ -wings VIRGINIA

TEXAS

• YEAR-ROUNl) SOARJN<; • TANDEM !NSTRUC!ION M:RO TOWINC/Tl IRFE TUCS • DRACONFJY/TRIKF INSTRUCTION • INTRO FOOT LAlJNCI I CLASSES • PARACLIDINC TOWS WINCH TOWING FLY-INS AND CUNJCS • SALES AND SERVICF • 600 ACRE FACil.!TY Sr eve Burns 979.279.9382 email: sburnsCiilaJpha 1.ner 8001l Pinc Sr., Hearne 'l 'X 77859 Fred Burns - 28 I .471. 1188 em,til: austinair<iilaol.com 3810 Bonirn Lane, La Pone TX 7'7571 www.a11stinairsports.co1n GO ... HANC GUDTNGI!!

JeFfHurH. Austin ph/fax (5 I2) 167-2529 jcff'<rDflytcxas.com www.flytexas.com Jl!LL COUNTRY i'ARACUDING INC Learn complete pilo1 skills. Personalized US/ !GA certified training) ridge soarjng, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 3791185. lli75 C:R 7.20, Tow TX 78672.

Foor launch, platform

launch and acrorow instruction too. Training) sale~, rentals and repair. Airwavc & Wills Wing. Dallas, Fort

Wonh and nonh Texas arc,L 21 J Ellis, Allen TX 75002.. (972) 390-9090 nights, weekends, www.kite-cnterpriscs.com

TOTAL AIR SPORTS Arc,i's OLDEST Wills Wing dealer. Certified insrrucrion available. "I only DEAL wirh WILLS". 16121 1.akcvicw, Houston TX 77040. (713) 9'.37-86 I ii, toralairsport I()(iilhormail.com

)UIY 2001

RAVEN SKY SPORTS I !/\NG CLIDINC AND l'ARACIJDIN(; ·~ The Midwest's Premier anorow flight park, founded in 1992. Fcaruring TNTEGRAT FD INSTRUCTION of foot··launch and aeromw tan prices ro beat in 1he lJSi\.

Seven grassy training hills all wind directions. hnrr Dragonny row planes, no waiting!

Four tandem gliders on wheeled undcrcan'i:1ges. 'vl/W Falcons for rrnining from rhe very first lessons. \/SUA ultralight and instruction. Free Salcs/ser vice/accessories all brands. Open a week, March rhrn November. Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box J 01, Whitewater WI 5.'l l 90 (262) /iTi-8800 phone. (262) li7J-8801 fox, www.hanggliding.com, info(filhan1;gliding.cot1i

Bl.UF SKY Fulltirnc instruction and service ar Manquin Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Hight l ksi[;ll, Acros and Airwavc gliders. MidMos11uito dealer. Steve Wendt (5/iO) li32· (,557 or (80/i) 7-41-lt:,2/i, www.blueskyhg.co111, hlttcskyhg&ilyahoo.com

• EXCEI.LT\Nl' XC Fl,YIN<;

KITF. ENTERPRISES

WISCONSIN

JUST NORTfJ ..WES'l'

HJ CH LAND AEROSl'ORTS

Sec Maryland.

and

O[ Milwaukee. Aernrow Tandem insu11ction begin

tandem

l<lTIY HAWK KlTFS

Sec Norrh Carolina.

gc;1r. All major brands

of' gliders and gear (Ii I Ii) 915-781.3. www.surf-;1ir.com Herc to keep you safe and happy!'!

PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES See TOWINC. THE WALLABY RANCH (863) /i21t-0070.

Fr,Y AT VIRCINJA'S NEWFST TOTA! FUC:!IT PARK -· MANQU[N offers acrotowing, tandem lessons, truck towing, trainiug hill and scooter rowing beginner thru advanced pilots. Cerri/Jed instn1ction glider equipment sales, service and repair "BIJJF SKY" Virginia's leading hang gliding

AMAZJN(;LY LOW PRfCFS Bob<r1lhmkerforyou.rnm

On all Ball varios!

BALL CRAPH!CS COMP $395. Parachute with swivel $ J 95. (619) 2:35 3000 ft),05.

1

Try 3-axis !lying with certified ultralight instruction rl1ro11gh "FLY RA WUNG", learn ro fly and soar rite Strpcrl'lonrcr.

Just hours south DC, minutes NF of' Richmond. Free camping close to fast food, restan· rams and Kings Dominion theme park.

Visit www.blucskyhg.com.

(51tO) 432-6557 SILVER W!Nc;s, !NC. Certified instn1c1ion and eq,1iptnct1t sales. (70.'l) 53:l-l 965 Arlington VA, llFSf' 12" WT U,:f,:t,S AVAJLABI .F Super tough, ltgltrn1c11;ht, :i must fin tandem flying. l\uil1-in wheel. $1i2.95, quamiry bushings. Only USA-built discounts. Immediate delivery. J ,ookour Mounrain, (800) 688-LMF!'.

SI

TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

mounts

• ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE • Water/Dusr Rcsistanr Pnsh Button • Vicic) Replaceable Finger Switch • Heavier Gange Wire/Improved Pings • Increased Srrain Relief at ALI.Joints

MINI VARIO -· World's smallest, Clips to helmet or 200 honrs on 0l 8,000 fr., fast 2 year warranty. ( :reor for $169. Mallettcc, PO Box Sanrn Ana CA, 92Tl5. (714) %6-1240, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallcrtcc.com

Price $119.95. Extra Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) L.nc.-,1 ·1•1<1, MC/Visa. Visit our website ar www.f1ightconn.com

Camera mount $48.'iO. Camera remote (ask about rebate) $45. Vario mount $23. (," wheels $29.75, 8" wheels $3/i.'75, Add $Ii S&H per (lJS) included. TEK FUGHT Products, Colebrook Srngc, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 3'79- 1668. Email: tekvilsnc:t.net or our page: www.rcldlighr.com

HAWK AIRSl'ORTS INC P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN .'l'791i0-0056, (865) 945-2625. World famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Sun .. N, Fun EAA

ALL ACCESSORIES l\l STOCK! Flytcc 4005, Quantum 330, call! Low prices, fast delivery! (;unnison Gliders, 151') Counry Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230.

(970) M 1-9315, http://gmmisongliders.com/ JIM I.EE AW: HELM I-TS Our of production, but not om of demand. One is brand new, never used $350. Two orhcrs, used $200 each. (262)173-8800, inforalhanggliding.com KLASS!C OR CONCEPT WINCLFTS Two pair.

One pair brand new in the box, other pair slighrly used, Best ollcr. (262) 47.'l-8800, mt,1~"!l1angglidn1g.,:om

The world-class XCR- 180 up to 3 hours (71))8,000 fi. and only Complete kir with cannula and remote on/off

fly. You can bash, crash and on flying. NEW all cpp foam electric RC rogallo wing.

NEVER GET SKUNKED AGAIN. They soar, thermal, loop, barrel roll, crash and still fly! www.rocketwings,com SPECTACULAR TROP!llES Awards & gi/is!

Free So,Hing Dreams (208) 376--79llt, Zoolisatihaol.com DON'T CET C:AUCHT LAND!NC DOWNWIND! l.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Available colors fluorescent pink/yellow or fluorescent $39. 95 (+$5.00 Sill). Send to USHCA P.O. Box 1330, Colorado CO 80901-J.3.'30, (ll'J) 632-8300, fax (719) 17, ushga@ushga.org VISA/MC accepted.

LAMINAR PARTS We have what you nccJ and we arc cornmit1cd to same day shipping. AV8 Call (760) 72 l -0701 or email at indasky@yahoo.com

just $25, a photo of

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

1

52

I-Jang instmctors. fmmcdiate foll rime openings Live the California drearn ... instrnct stt1dents at rhc San Frnncisco Bay area's premier trninin/i sire. Service shop e1T1pl,Dyt11ent is also av,tilablc. Ask for l';n Dencvan (408) MS(:HC<iilaol.com www.hang-gliding.com

HANC GLIDINC

elusive alpine thermal. Beautiful

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Total $28,01:l. A 50% deposit is required. Bobby Bailey can be available for basic training afrer compJc.. rion. Kenny Brown/Moyes America, 200 llillcrest Drive, Aubrnn CA 95(,0J, (530) 888 8622, fox (530) 888- 8708, llyamoyes~llaol.com, www.moyesamcrica.corn

If you don' 1 have your copy of Dennis Pagen's l'FRFORMANC:F FLYING ye1, available 1hrough USHC;A Headquarters $29.9'5 (+$'i.50 s&h for IJPS/Priori1y Mail delivery). lJSllGA, PO Box 13:lO, Colorado Springs C:O 80')01. 1--800-616--(,888 www.ushg;i.org

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AERONAUTS - HANG GLIDING MASTERS, by Photographic Expeditions. A documentary of hang gliding today. Superb footage, graphics & interviews.

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SOARING Monthly magazine of The Soaring S0cic1y of America, lnc. Covers all aspecrs of' srnring flight. Full membership $55. lnfo. kir with copy $3. SSA, P.O. llox 2100, llobbs, NM (505)

TOW[NG AEROTOW!NG ACCESSORIES I lcadquarrcrs for: The /ioc:sr rdcascs, seco11dary releases, Spectra "\/" bridles, weak links, 1,rndem wheels, launch can ki rs, etc.

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NEW* WEATHER TO PLY, by Advcnrnre Producrions. A much needed instructional video on meteorology. Dixon White, Master pilo1 and lJSIJGA l•:xarnincr, rnkes you rhrnrrgh a sim[Jlc step-by-srep showing where ro acquire wca1hrr data and 10 interpret ir. This video will help pilors of any aircra/i llnderstand more abou1 modeling and forecast .. ing. You'll learn about regional and local influences and how to determine winds alofi and stability. "Weather To Fly" is an over-all view packed with uscfol details and incltldes cloud foorar,c. It is a straight-forward is easy 10 follow. 50 min . .$.39.95 prescn1atiofl NF.W* STARTING HANG GLIDING, by Advcntlff'c Productions. Produced especially 10 mole the sport. Covers b:isic preparation, artirnde, groundhandling, launching and those !lights. 30 min $29.95.

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The sound of' 1he passing rhrough the control gates is totally awesome. 33 minurcs.

Call USHCA (719) 632-8300, fox (;; 19) 632-(A 17, order from our weh sire www.ushga.org. Please add r-$1 s/h in the USA.

From rhc Tcllmidc Fcsrival in l 981, ro the modern day competition. Follow the history of rhis dynam ..

1:,,n1llrn1n1,. $24.95 Call USHCA (719) 6 l2-8300, 1 order l'rom our web si1e www.ushga.org. Please add +$It domes1ic s/h.

53

MISCELLANEOUS

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS On April

200 \. flight suit left on

launch at l.ookolll Mo11nrni11 Flight Parle Call and idcnri/y, thrnil11pti1\:ha11anooga.net (706) 820-0365.

FUSJON 150 SP Stolen November 1. 2000 from near the Elk Mtn l.7. (Middle Creek C1mpground), l;1,per Lake CA. hancns, all white upper Slll"· face, all red tip undcrsurfacc. Distinctive fo:,. rnrc: hyclranct cclgc (not mylar like most), serial ti.%/;'!/;, was in grey wired tips XC Contact M:111 Jagclka (7()7) Wl83'591i. l\llatrsl'iv111({''aol.com

J:uJI color 2T'x :l l" poster foatur· what he docs bcst-LOOPlNC! US! !CA I IQ for just $6.'!5 (1$4.00 s/h). Fill th,u void 011 your wall! Send 10 lJSHGA Acrobatics J>ostcr, PO Box UOO, Colorado Springs CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, NOT AYAlLI\BLE on international CIAL-Aerobatics & Frie Raymond BOTH FOR$ IO s/h). Check the mcrchan,iise

STOI.FN WIN(;S arc listed as a service to USHGA members. Newest entries arc in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may he called in (719) 632-KlOO, f,1xed in (719) (,:\2-G417, or emailed at fot indusion in Jlang ( ;Jiding magazine. eel tl,e when gliders arc recovered. tts'11WWltt he purged.

secdon of rnff web si1e \,vww.ushga.org for a color picture of these bcautifol posters.

VIDEOS. BOOKS & POSTF.RS web page www.nshga.org

Check out. our

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSlFIF.DS.

Cl.ASSIFJFD ADVElfflSJNG RATES The rate for classified advertising is$. 50 word (or of char· actcrs) and $1 .00 per word bold or MIN J. MUM AD C:IlARCl'. $5.00. A fee of 15.00 is charged for each line an logo and $25.00 for each photo. l.lNEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER Tl IAN l .75" X . Please underline· words 10 he in of' tabs $25.00 per colnmn inch. !'hone words. Email or web address·,Jwords. fill DFADI.INFS: All ad copy. insrn1ctio11s, cha11gcs, additions and cancellations 1nus1

be received in

I. 5 months preceding the cover date, i.e. J11nc 20tl1 the A11g11s1 iss11c. Please make checks payable ro USHCA, P.O. llox 1330, Colorado CO 8090\.J:BO, (71')) Ci:12-8:lOO. Jiax (719) 17 or email: usil,,,a(,1!11:;Jwa.orn your classified with your Visa or MasterCard.

Adventure Producrions., ... ,.................. 7 Angle of Anack ................................. 54

Arai Design ....................................... 18 Dan Johnson .................................... .48 1:ex America ...................................... I

Flighr Design .................................... 43 .................................................. 9

Hall Bros ............................................. 7 II igh Perspective ................................. 7

Jusr

17

I.ookom M tn. Fligh r Park ......... 8,41 /i9 Meramorfosi ...................................... 15

Mojo' s Gear ..................................... .41 Moyes ............................................... 17

C~uesr Air ............................................ 9

Rocky Mm. Paragliding ...................... 2 Sport Aviation Pu bl ic;1rio11s ................. 5

Team Challenge ................................ 19

(7]

Traverse Ciry Hang Gliders ............... 49

U.S. Aeros ......................................... 10 USI JGA ............................... 5, 11, 13, t 5 West Coast J\tos ................................. .7 Wills

Back Cover

Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll-Free: 888.530.9940 E·Mail: custsvc@a ng leofattack. net Website: http://angleofattack.net 100% G111m111teecl. If not satisfied, return unused tubes for 100% money back. Mujor Credit Cards uccepted.

OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged.

Ad h l'et1>r Birron: 847.640.0171

S4

HANC GLJDINC

ST. PAUL, MINN., Wills Wing froze design of their ,mccesc:ful Talon topless glider. Wills' succesBor to the FuBion, Talon performed well in the twin Florida tow mec~ts. ownerB like their Fusion gliders, the Talon iB Baid to yield superior cross country capabil tieB. the main market, Wills wanted to within rang('! of a broad "Under intensive development: Dince October of J ast year, the Talon in the competition edition ofJ:erB true world-class out of the box. From other manufacturerB you can purchaBe a with the same name aE: the gl:LderB that their top factory pilotB are flying. However, as is welJ known (and fully acknowledc3ed) on the competition circuit, you cannot , at any , the same t.:hat their top are flying.

With the Wills Wing Talon, you can, 11 writes Wills in their E-newB. J,,. They that comp will Talons with mylar LE inserts and full carbon control bars thin" 0:i/64 inch bottom wireD. that factory delivered than contest pilotc; tune However, you can have it the ful 1 ··· blown way if you wiDh. Talon 1':iO :is offered two ways: a "Sport/Cross Country Edition," and the "Full Competition Edition." The Sport model reta:ilB $'5, 450 and includes streamlined downtubes and basebar mylar edge and H'I'P trail battens and an extended range earn VG standard.

The Comp model come,, with the above and also ha,; Downtubes and Carbon World Team Basetube." Of course, XC contest tune their than WWbrand but Wills l:hey will, "be more than happy to t:ell you exactly how t:.hey tune them, and you can Det. up your that way if you want to. 11 The Comp model retail[3 for $5, 975 reflecting the of the optional extra[,. For both modelD you choose custom colors for $300, carbon edcJe inserts for $150, and the speedbar for Both mode1s are 150 squares and spans, a:Lmcc::d at: in the range of 160-210 body Wills reports a 15: 1 glide, 53 mph Vne, 70 mph div(? speed, and 2:1 mph min sink '/14 998··6359 or . com.

••• I'm to see Wills ,,tandinq tall with their new Talon and I wish them well. T 've recently visited Aeros in the Ukraine, and I 'm here to tell you there :Lsn' t. any in factories. Wills iEJ a true world-class operation with and of in demanding market. virtually no risk from a transact.ion standpoint, the gliden; have excellent safety records, and WW-brand service gets marks. turrn, out: c;everaJ wonderful products and personnel deep] y experienced in and But they must make do with a Wills :Left years ago and it:

]ULY 2001

will take the country of Ukraine a generation or more to become truly market oriented.

Yet no one can deny Aeros haEJ made a huge splash in the market, well in countries around the world.

Not: bad for a only set free from Soviet Communist management: ten years ago (this August marks the of their new- found freedom) . Labor rates that are fraction of western standards allow them to employ many t:a1ented workers who are to have a :Job Wages will rise over time remember when cTapan was a second rate, low wage but until then, those eastern builders be western manufacturers on T know thi.s on a first--hand .basis as BRS faces intense pressure .in Europe from .low cost producers. ••• Moyes is enjoying good sales, reports Steve in his role operator at Quest Air. are well in and he feels this drives the recreationa1 cross country pilot.

Moyes got it: after their earlier CSX, expressed Kroop. A For those weekend XC enthusiasts to learn from the best, Quest will host clinics given by Paris Williams who 4th in both the Flytec and the Wallaby Open and by Bo Hagewood who 18th, also in both meetB. The clinics will focus on three development areas : general of skills, customized for each customer; the advice will be one-on-one. Step two includes or intermediate cross country and step l:.hree covers cross country for competition. Quest' B clinics will become available in September. Info: 352··429· 0213. 11184111 Not to be left: out: of the manu:Eacturer game, North has support for their Illusion glider. Dan Guido of Susquehanna Flightpark in Cooperstown, NY indicates that he's and the int.errnediate model. "These are 7075 tubing [airframes] with some of the finest: hardware I have seen in a whi 1 e, 11 he wr:L tes .

"They w:i.1] make 9reat: first gliders. 11 A North Wing also added a two- place trike to their 1.J.u.eu.µ. Of int.erest to HG :i.s the Apache' L:owing capability. When l:he new trike witb his Mustang 17. 5 win9, several towE, at Wallaby proved highly Datisfying. Des Kamron Blevins reported that with the Rot:ax 582 and Mustang produced 700 fpm climb rates.

A And you've missed it, North Wing also makes the A'TF or Time for HG to do their Boaring witli a small attached. 've flown both the ATF and them. In I North Wing's trike to moEJt: other brands. Since gotten to fly nearly every trike sold in the USA, that's a statement. make carefully but deliberately.

Info: 509 886-4605 or .corn. 11111ui.

Well diver fans, we're once ac:rain outta room.

So, 9ot news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset, St.. Paul MN 'i':i118. Messages or f'ax to 651··450 0930, or e-mail Lo Cumu1uf3Man@aol.com. 4 All 11 Product Lines II columns wi J be ava 1ab1 later this year at www. com. THANKS!

I THE WILLS WING

TALON

NO EXCUSES! With the release of the nevv Talon curved tip competition class CHRIS ARAI

glider, Wills Wing is offering pilots an opportunity that is unique in recent history. It is this:

you can novv buy a production flex

vving hang glider that is competitive in performance vvith the oneof- a - kind factory vvorks gliders being flovvn by the top competition pilots in the vvorld .

Novv this may not be vvhat you vvant. Because the reality of PARIS WILLIAMS

vvorld-class compet ition is that the pilots vvho consistently vvin at the top level simply are just that much better than everybody else.

So if you need an excuse for vvhy you're not vvorld cham-

pion , maybe you don ' t vvant a Talon. But if you're the type of pilot vvho doesn't need excuses , vvho vvants the chance to compete against the top pilots and likes to be able to run avvay from the rest of the field, this could be the glider for you .

JIM LEE

Oh , and there's one other thing. The consensus among both the competition pilots and the developmental test pi lots is that the Talon is the svveetest flying competition class glider vve've made in a decade . And the prettiest .

The nevv Wills Wing Talon . Maybe it should be your next glider.

RICHARD WALLBEC

~

LLSllltttw'fNG

500 West Blueridge Ave . Orange , CA 92865 tel 714.998 .6359 fa x 714.998 .0647

www.wil lswi ng .com