USHGA Hang Gliding October 2001

Publication of the United States Hang Gliding Association •

STARTING HANG GLIDIN<:i Promoting Covers the basics. 30 min. ~.e:v.".l,5 HANG GLIDING EXTREME Owen's and

WEATHER TO FLY Dixon White helps u:- answer that very question. lnstruct1onal micrometeorolo9y.

SO min.

BORN TOFLYTeam", follow a street, Guatemala & more. 50 min. ~.:::11<t."i'!:ii

I TURNING POINT - In Thermalling, 50% HG, 50% Beautiful 24 min. Jli.:11:~ .. "A'!'.IO

!

PO Box 1330 Colorado co 8090 ·1 I 80(}·6 'I (1-t1KXK vvvvvv.1..101 ,,::11.,1.vi\.::j

ntents (US PS 0 17-970-20 -

ISSN 0895-433X)

12 The Development Of The Stalker

by Ael'os, Ltd The fasci nating story of rhe design and evolution of a scare-of-the-art rigid wing.

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18 The Making Of Hang Gliding Legends by.firn Palmieri and Bob Grant Comments and ideas by cwo old Sky Dogs on che making of a hang gliding book.

22 Glider Review: The Wills Wing 145 Eagle

by Ursuh Edwards-Howells, photos by Ken Howells A look ar Wills Wing's small version of chis fun-co-fly glider.

26 Staying Alive In Hang Gliders © 2001 hy RC Dave Freund Observations on overco11fidence, complacency and inexperience.

30 Foot-Launching With Power © 2001 by Richard Cobb Ratcheting up che ai rtime meter with a litde assistance.

39 The Yahoo Hang Gliding Digest

by James Gaar Getting plugged into hang gliding on the Internee.

40 A Cuban Flying Adventure artide and photos by CJ. Christopher Flying in a not-so-far-away foreign land.

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

OCTOBER 200 1

Departments Airmail ............... ......... ...........................4 Update .................................. .......... ........8 Calendar of Evencs .............. ................. 10 Classified Advertising ........ ...... .......... ..44 Lidex to Advertisers ............................ .54

3

GI.I O:od~c~/A1ali,l8ing E/1/to1(Editor/;).Ch/of

Da.ve ~ot1ndsrA1t r:>lmctor )QhnHeiney, Gerry Ch~rlehMs;·tertiy· Gramiis/Mark Vaughri, Boli..Lowe fflotqgmphers +tarry Martin, ll!r1strato.,0 D.en11is Pag.el), Mar.k.S1Ji~ky, .Rodgc:,r Hoyt, c;w, Meadows, Jim l'ahpieri, Bin Bryden SMfWriters

LJS/·IGAcJ((!(:ers and #x~dm11e~:ommitte1): . . . .

Jim Z~isl!t; .f'teJside9t, Jirrizgrc1en@11()/.com M/\fK rergUSOl)tV/CI: f'[esldent, .m,1rk@f>:1f/varfos;com Rqss Locke, Secreu1ry,r~ss{ocke,@juno.com lllll llolosky, Tr()ilsww, bo/osky@microsoft.cbm

Dear Editor, I cannot prnise enough the article, "ff You Always Land Perfectly (Don't Read 'This)" by Jim Palmieri in the July issue. I have always had problems with flaring. I never really had a good grasp of "when the glider starts to settle," which is when the flare window starts. Jim's article essentially says to wait until your feet touch down running and then flare. lt is so easy and si1nple.

1 trained at Marina beach in 1981, and flaring never had a high priority until 1 started flying inland sites. I actually had better landings then by running them our with a weak flare (if any flare at all). 'fhcn I starred trying to flare with no-step landings and was never consistent, and almost: always took steps, sometimes followed by a whack.

My landings now keep the nose up high where it belongs. The beauty of this method is th3t you can start flaring earlier and take fewer steps until you are not running at all (if you want to look cool).

For old-time snow skiers, this is similar to gradually transitioning front the "stem christy" to parallel turns. I now feel con· fidcnt that I can live up to my name.

Rick Nowack San Jose, CA

POSTMASTER, SGNO CH.ANGE HANG GLIDING, co llo901:1330,

BOX 1330,

OCTOBER 2001 VrnuMr 31, lssu, No. -1 O

Dear Editor, Jim (Sky Dog) Palmieri's article (July 2001) contains an infrmnative mix of opinions on final approach and landing.

It docs, however, embody a mistake, I believe, in advising pilots to clip into their glider's center of gravity.

(Experienced pilots know that's not what he meant, but here I address what he wrote.)

A hang glider's center of gravity (just the glider without a pilot) has little bearing on these matters. If you took this advice literally, and clipped into a stati-cally tail-heavy wing like the old Aeros Stalker flex wing, it would be unflyable.

(Fortunately, the hang point is not adjustable to a large enough extent to

allow this.)

What matters is the position of the total center of gravity (of the glider including its pilot) in flight, relative to the center oflifr. In other word's, what matters is the glider's hands-off trim.

1nstructors may have a more up-todate view on this than I, but as far as I know, a good trim position is somewhere between minimum sink speed (rather near stall) and maximum glide speed.

Hanging upright with your hands lightly gripping the downtubcs at this speed is ideal for final approach. If conditions arc turbulent, pull in a little to fly at maximum glide speed. For the round-out, ground-skim and flare (or run .. out if you prefer) follow Sky Dog's (and bis follow contribuwrs') advice.

Everard Cunion Dorset, England

Dear Editor, l want to say I'm having a lot of fun flying a Falcon 225 (a glider and half), even though I've been flying for 26 years.

I never had a thought about wanting to fly a single-surface glider again, in fact, I own a topless and thought I wanted a Class 2 glider. But I had a car accident (broken hip and leg) and Mike Knapp let me fly his Falcon when I started flying again and J foll in love with it. Tc flew like my SST did 23 years ago, handled great and, of course, took off and landed great. It: is also easier to set up and break down, and is much lighter. I call it a glider and a half because, compared to a 150-square-foot high-performance glider, it has twice the wing area (150 x 1.5 l think the manufacrurers have forgotten us big boys. er hook in at close to 250 pounds.) One hundred and fifty square feet isn't big enough on rnarginal days, and such a glider is very hard to land for those of us in the refrigerator squad. Many old-time pilots are going to this type of glider because they arc just HANG GLIDING

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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. means nfl"r,n11>rtv aarnasie and/or or sustained by a result of THE SPORTand/or as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). If under 18 years of age, the term lllrnnPrl'V a:am:iu?e and/or Pilot as well as n11> 1•c:nn:ll1 sustained by or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs.

3. NtiC.tAl.>t,fJ P.l#R;rfE.f' 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 Pl/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; of the property owners on or over whose property Pilot may launch, fly and/or land; e) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where f) "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 site(s) during g) DISCHJ~RGiE the PIIRTIESfrom any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I INJ'UR,fES, however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the 111x;;11,.u;;;,1.;,J1;.iv may hereafter have for PAJ'iT/J.fS, 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 ,u,,r.&.J'11..11.,v !'J~R11ES. I shall be and rnn,.::t11•1,11P>t1

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 I the for their E..

defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Pilot suffers .fPJ"JR"J~f l}V]ll.'Rll.::5' even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the n,:;;,r..,:;;,1.1,:;u !'J~R11ES.

I have Adult ?tint's Jignat//re

Date

Jignat11re ofPilot's Parent or Legal 6//ardian if Pilot //nder 18years ofage.

Date

MMR 12-97

plain Fun co fly.

Thanks go to Wills Wing and Pete Lehmann for his article in H!lng Gliding; and especially to Mike Knapp.

by Rodger Hoyt Danny Black Kagel Canyon, CA

HONDURAS UPDATE Dear Editor, l greatly appreciated Kris Greblo's article about flying with me in Honduras, and many people arc Gilling me about it. However, I recently had to change my e-mail address. lt is now m.erazo@u nitccalumni. net.

Gustavo Erazo Honduras

wo tiny dents. One in the leading near the nose and one parallel to it in the keel. Probably the result: of an insufflciently padded rack. Now what?

According to some experts, imperfec-· 1ions within 1wo feet of the encl of a rube, and not in the load·bearing cent:er, generally fall within the parameters of "permissible damage." In turbulence at l 0,000 feet, this knowledge can be meager reassurance.

The answer came in the form of a J.C. WhimeyTM amo accessories catalog...

A "Muffler/Pipe Expansion Tool" is an implement designed to expand automotive

exhaust tubing from inside. They come in various sizes and arc also available ar auto parts stores and rental yards. In tests on my copious supply of broken parts, I found that the device worked perfectly on aluminum bang glider tubing, virtually elimi .. nating small dents in 6061 and even in the more brittle 7075.

Two cautions, however: These tools arc extremely powerful, and injudicious use can create more damage than is repaired.

Second, if the dent is anything more than superficial, or if it's in the midsection of the tube, replace the tube.

Have a hot tip? E-mail rbhoyt@go.com or mail Rodger Hoyt; 956 Glengrove Ave., Central Point; OR 97502. All contributors submitting a usable photo (print or slide) u;ill receive a free set of GllteSavers. Ill

randern c:HKJ Tow I n,n,r,n F'iiol Should Know

Terms tr1c r)ro r/ies"

Plus

fax (719) 632-6417 www.usr1ga.org 0CTOl3ER 2001

7

Update TRAIN WITH THE CHAMPIONS eginning chis fall, two of the country's most experienced instructors will be working rogether with Quest Air Soaring Center ro offer courses in advanced hang gliding. Robert "Bo" Hagewood is a World Team member and the 2000 U.S. National Champion. Paris Williams is currently ranked #1 in the U.S., the 2001 National Champion, and the 1998 Aerobatics World Champion.

Between the two of them, they've caught hang gliding for over 25 years with over a dozen different schools around the world.

The format of the advanced instruction will allow for as much flexibility and individuality as possible. If you simply want ro hone your skills in one or more specific avenues of advanced hang gliding, half-day and full-day cusrom lessons are available. These lessons are scheduled on demand, and ro ensure complete, individualized attention, each instrucror will work with only one or two students at a time. Ground-school instruction is combined with intensive tandem and solo flight training to help you reach your goals as quickly and as safely as possible, whether they be perfecting landing approaches and flare technique, pursuing advanced maneuvers and smooth, controlled freestyle, mastering the art of thermaling, expanding your horizons with cross country flying, or pushing the limits of technical cross-country racing.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a more structured program, the New Horizons program is just the thing. New Horizons is broken up imo three levels, ranging from the basics of flying technique ro extreme cross-country racing.

Level one: Advanced Flying Techniques. This level deals specifically with mastering flying technique and will take full advantage of the benefits offered in tandem hang gliding. The focus in this level is ro develop the skills of smooth, coordinated flight, cemering and optimizing Lift, and nailing good, precise landings.

Level Two: Breaking the Tether. This level focuses on developing the knowledge and skills you need ro break the tether and head out across the countryside. Quest Air's exclusive tandem Ex:xtacy will be utilized ro provide side-by-side instruction on techniques such as finding and centering lift, identifying good clouds and good lift lines, and judging glides. The instructor will then "ream" fly with you in his own glider, initially acting as a guide, picking the best lines, deciding when ro leave lift, etc. He will then gradually ask you ro make more and more of the decisions until you're doing everything on your own.

Level Three: Cross-Country Racing. This level deals with the strategies of cross-country racing and competition flying, with emphasis on developing skills such as effective use of various flight instruments, understanding the theory of speed-ro-fly, calculating final glide, realizing when ro race and when ro "survive," choosing when to stop for lift and when ro leave it. The strategies behind flying at the competition level are endless and dynamic, and our ultimate aim at chis level is to develop awareness and the right attitude for being successful in cross-country compeaaon.

Each level in the New Horizons program is designed ro blend smoothly into the next. In chis way you will have the opportunity to Continued on page 48.

B

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

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

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

UNTIL NOV. 15: 2001 Region 9 Regiorwls and Region 9 Yearlong X~C Contest. The Regionals totals three week· end flights in Region 9 from March 17May 28. The Almost Yearlong Contest acknowledges a contcst:ant:'s longest flight on any day between March 15 and November 15. Classes for Rookies, Sixty Miles, Open, Rigid and Paragliclers.

Entry fees $10 a ncl $5 respectively.

Contact: Pete Lehmann, lplehmann@aol.com, (412) 661··3474, 5811 Elgin St., Pittsburgh, PA l 5206.

UNTIL DEC. 31: The Michael Champlin World X~C Chrtllenge. No entry fees or pre-registration requirements.

Open to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid wings and sailplanes. For more details visit the contest's Web site at http://www.hanggliding.org or contact: John Scott (310) 447-6234, fax (310) 447-6237, brettonwoods@cmail .msn .com.

UNTIL DEC. 31: 2001 Falcon Hang Gliding Cross-Country Contest. Now includes any other single-surface flex wing. Sponsored by manufacturers, dealers, instructors and the generous.

Support invited. Where: All of the U.S. as divided into four sections to make skill, not flying the determining factor for the winners (plus the rest of the world as a single group for foreign entries). For complete information and entry forms (e-mail preferred) contact:: http:// tckflight. tripod .com/falconxc. html , tek@snet.net, or SASE to Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098.

10

OCT. 1-7: USBGA National Speed Gliding Championships will take place at Lookont Mountain, Georgia,, 2001.

The first National Speed Gliding Champion will be determined, and the event is open ro all Advanced-rated pilots. The event schedule will be as follows: Oct:. 1, practice clay; Oct. 2-:3, qualifying (experienced speed gliding pilots may pre-qualify with proof of speed runs front previous competitions); Oct 4-7, National Speed Gliding Championships with awards cercrnony Sunday afternoon, Oct. 7. There will be a competition celebration party Saturday night and lots more! The prize purse will be announced. Registration is $250 (docs not include acrotows) until October 1, $.300 after. For a registration package and more informarion please contact: Alice Engelhardt at LMFP, 7201 Scenic Hwy;, Rising Fawn, Georgia 30738, l-800-688-56.37 or (706) .398.3541, or, alicclan@quixnet.net, and/or fly@hanglidc.com, (Attention: Alice).

OCT'. 8-14: 7fee Toppers 7eam Challenge, Tennessee's Sequatchie Valley. This I 1th epic event follows last year's capacity tumour, promising fun, learning and fantastic flying as teams help their less-experienced pilots gaggle to goal. Bring a team or show up and we'll set you up with one, but register soon. At $95, including meet shirt and keg party, a week of free hot breakfasts and fireside fon atop the scenic Seqnatchic, and a prize pot topping $2,000, spaces are sure to go early. And you'll save $20 over the late registration (postrnarked Sept. 7 and later). Registration and info at: members.aol.com/weathersci/challenge.ht m or concact Steve at sbcllerby@aol.com (416) 588-2.396.

DEC. 9-15: Acrotow Hang Gliding

Championship, Buenos Aires. FAI Class 11 comp for flex wings with a maximum of 30 pilots. Entry fee U.S. $150, prize money $1,000 for the winner, $500 second, $150 third. Daily winner gets $100 extra. Entry foe includes transportation to and from Buenos Aires international

airport, retrieval, maps, and a worldfamous final party. One tow to 2,000' costs $20. Accommodations include camping at no charge, trailers, and cabins for rent. Restaurant open (almost) 24 hours (cheap). Most important goal: enjoy flying together in a relaxed atmosphere and have fon at night! Contact: Flavio Galliussi, flyranch@ba.net, tel: Ol l 54 1 I 449.3 1233, or 011 54 11 454 211.3.

OCT'. 6-8: Columbus Day Fly-ln, Alamogordo, New Mexico. Fun Hying, contest"s, trophies, barbecue, and lots of good air! Enjoy desert thermals while your family secs the aspens turning gold in Cloudcroft. Hang gliders and paraglidcrs both welcome. Pilots meeting 9:00 AM each morning. Entry fee $10, T~sbirts $15. Contact: Robin Hastings (505) 541-5744.

OCT. 19-21: Fal/2001 USHGABoard Meeting; Sheraton City Center, down·· town Salt Lake City. Contact: USHGA Headquarters, (719) 6.32-8.300, or www.ushga.org for more details.

Olu Deniz, Tur!eey. Join Mike Eberle on his second adventure to the Aegean Sea. Soar above the 9,000-foot launch site and look out over the Mediterranean and Greek islands. Contact: www.fun2fly.com, (206) 320-9010.

OCT'. ]3 .. 14: Octoberfest. Have fun at the second annual Baldy Butte Octoberfest in picturesque central WA. Contact: Jeff Davis (509) 697-78.35, Peter Gray (509) 925--9280, or Mike Eberle (206) 320-9010. NOV. 17-26: Chile. Mike Eberle once again leads you inro the Atacama desert: of northern Chile for the adventure of a lifetime. All the x. c you desire. Check out the tour section at www.fun2fly.com for articles and photos of past trips. Contact: (206) 320-9010.

HANC GLJDJNC

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WINDSOKrM 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Pink/yellow or pink/white (circle one) .. 2/b $39.95 ZING WING Flying toy. Launch it skyward and watch is soar.. .. .................................. Boz $ 2.50 USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular sticker ......... 1oz $ .50 LICENSE PLATE FRAME I'd f::/ather Be 1-/ang Gliding or I'd Rather Be Paragliding (circle one) .. 1lb $ 6.50 PAYMENT must be included with your order.

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E

~y Aeros, Ltd

Afier nearf:y three years ofdevelopment, Aeros has created a new breed ofrigid zving; tmd is pleased to present the «Stalker." This revolutionary wing is the result rfthe long, hard work ofAeros Ltd. and Aerola Ltd., as well as all ofthose who encouraged and aJ~r;isted them in its development.

1th the final version of the

glider having successfully completed and passed all load and flight rests at DHV, it can be said that the Stalker is a fundamentally new glider among rigid wings. Unique fea-, tures of the Stalker as a new generation rigid wing arc as follows:

•

•

Aileron control device (as opposed to spoilerons on other rigid wings).

A gel,-coated, carbon-fiber D""ccll that makes the leading edge perfectly smooth.

SPADD Split Aileron Drag Device at the wing tip, designed to prevent adverse yaw.

The most exciting thing is that the Stalker has very easy and comfortable controllability. Pilots who have had a chance to fly it noted that the Stalker is controlled very much like a hang glider, but with much less work.

Alexander Voronin, manager of Acros, comments: "Por almost three years we were trying to 'catch the train of rigid wing sales.' More than once it seemed that we were mistaken about our choice, that it would be worthwhile w produce a rigid wing with spoileron control, and we'd be able to jump onto the last car of

12

that train. But today it's a welcome surprise to realize that we are quite ahead of the train, having advanced to a new level in rigid-wing development."

The manufacturer, Aeros Ltd., has started full""scale production of the Stalk"" er rigid wing, offering to pilots of the new millennium a glider for the new millennium. We'd like to tell you how rough the path to success was, how painstaking and multifaceted the work was, and abom the great many computations and tests of all kinds that had to be done. So, complicated, we offi.:r you this story tragic and touching a story about life.

CREATING A RIGID WING The idea of making a rigid wing glider is not new. This idea has long been in the minds of flying men, from time to time materializing in various inceptions. Some saw in it as an opportunity to implement the idea of an ultralight: sailplane, others, a way to further development and improvement of the hang glider. ·rhesc were the thoughts we shared in J 9t)8 while looking at the first examples of rigid""wing gliders like the Exxtacy and Pegasus which were shown at an exhibition in Augsburg. We talked about the b uge amounts of money spent on such projects, and abom well-known and

obscure companies that went bankrupt, having ventured to implement similar ideas. But the hang gliding rnarket did not follow our skeptical and arrogant attitude concerning rigid""wing gliders, so we lost the first year observing an boom of interest in rigid wings and noting a frantic increase in sales of these gliders.

We had to ponder the subject of develop"" ing a rigid wing again. l t is no secret that at that time Matthias Betsch's Hight Design company, with Felix Ruehle, starred manufacture of their Exxt:acy rigid wing in Ukraine, in the city of Kherson. A designer and the only pilot working there was a Ukrainian hang glider pilot named Oleg Skyrko.

Oleg, chief designer of the Stalker, comments: "'rhe rigid-wing glider sub"" ject interested me since I was a srudcnr, working on student rescareb projects, and 1 was really impassioned with flying.

Usually this longing was accompanied by a desire to fly better than others, which is sometimes assisted by a good glider. Reasoning so, I came up with an idea about a rigid wing that would have maximum possible performance characteristics. I thought myself very lucky when r got a job at Ost"" West Consulting, where at that time Flight Design was developing HANC GLJDJNC

rhe Exxtacy. But l had to leave them.

One oF the reasons was that it was extremc:ly difficulr to see hundreds of gliders being built and not have an opportunity to fly them. I flew some gliders as a test-pilot, bm wasn't able to solve all the problems of arranging flights. So, [ decided to make my own glider and fly it! I had courage enough to approach Aeros with an offer to design a new rigid wing."

The Stalker, in its final configura-· tion, incorporated ideas from each of its creators. Oleg's interests coincided with those ofAeros. He joined the Aeros team to work in the rigid--wing field, r,·r·e,,nna complete creative freedom and the opportuniry to design the wing as he envisioned ir.

Development of the Aeros, nameless at that time, began. We decided on the planform, wing profile and twist. The following people participated in rhe discussions: design/engineer Oleg Skyrko, our Spanish colleagues and disrrihmors Alejandro Gonzalez and Jose Manuel Martinez, and engineers from Aeros and Aerola Lrd., a company that makes all our composite products and pans for our mannfacturing. This company's founders and specialists, as well as most of the experts at Acros, were former employees of Antonov Design Bureau where rhcy designed sailplanes and air· craft for agricultural use. fn this new, difficult rime for Ukrainian industry, they used their experience and profossional knowledge to develop production of composites, in order to continue developing sailplanes. That was probably the reason they were interested and rnok the rigid-wing idea to heart. After much discussion and thorough calculations a decision was made as to the aerodynamic shape.

Ar rhc very beginning there were two possible paths to take. The first was to design a glider similar to the Exxtacy or Atos with a spoileron conrrol system.

The second was to develop a glider with an aileron control system. The benefits of ailerons in all flight modes are apparent, however, there had been a number of projects and attempts to create a rigid with ailerons that had failed.

Choosing the second path, we were ccrOCTOllrn 20m

risks, and the fact that we could quickly produce a glider with spoilcrons and take our place in the market, getting immediate cash flow for further development. Nevertheless, a decision was made to create something new, to take a

use its central part, which had neither twist nor taper, for making a master form of the left and right wings. The process of making the D--cell master form and rhc first proto1 ypc gl idcr also took us over half ;1 year.

During rhis time, compurarions and

step forward.

Vladimir Schehol, director of Aerola Ltd., comments: "Choosing the main

detailed design and engineering of the future glider were underway. But by the time the [}.beam was almosr the

parameters for a glider is always a com· promise between conflicting requirements. Our experience in optimizing a glider's soaring flight performance taught us rhat maximum lift/drag ratio mode is very seldom used, since in thcr-rnals one usually flies with less speed than that frH maximurn LID, and transition from one thermal to anorhcr is usually made at higher speeds. That's why we didn't attempt to design a glider with the maximum possible lift/drag ratio, to the detriment of other important characteristics. We didn't choose the path of increasing wing span and aspect ratio.

We went fr)r maximum lift/drag by less· cning profile and other drag (a smooth D-ccll and wingtips, right sail, no spoilers), which would offer an advantage at high speed and in general. 'The advan-· tage of ailerons lies in the facr thar they increase Iift and do not create drag, unlike spoilcrons that cause drag and lessen lifr. An aileron control system, combined with the smaller size of our glider (it has approximately one meter less span compared to the Atos and ChostBustcr), would allow better climb in thermals and minimize drag increase in roll. We were looking for a good combination of planform, torsion, and tapered wingtips ro reduce induced drag witbom compromising rhc glider's direc·· tional stability. We knew that many rigid-wing gliders, when flying at high speed, closely approach flutter mode, therefore we tried to nuke the wing as rigid as possible."

Afrcr discussions and rhorough calculations (which took no less than half a a decision on aerodynamic shape was made and we started to make a D-ccll sample. By rhis time the first Atoscs bad appeared.

The D-cc:11 sample consisted of two parts, root and tip. This allowed 11s to

engineers at Aerola became concerned, since ir was still unknown to them what was being designed and how it would fly. There was neither a general understanding of tbc design nor detailed solu-

ta inly well aware of the hazards and

Ale:x:ander Voronin, manager ofAeros. tions, although in Oleg Skyrko's com·· putcr almost everything was ready. Then a joinr decision was made: Acrola's engineers were to work simultaneously on anod1cr rigid-wing project. Acrola, as well as J\eros, had by that rime invested quite a lot of effort, rime and money, and naturally they /cl 1- that it was ncccs-· sary to produce a successful implementation of the idea. From this point on there began a period of working in parallel bur in two directions, which could well have proved fatal for the project as a whole, as has happened many times before. But in the end it helped our idea

to stay afloat and advance. All the specialists at Aeros and Aerola were working on the second as well as the first ver·· sion of the new rigid-wing glider.

Another half a year was consumed in the process of making our first rigidwing glider with Oleg Skyrko's project.

Now we began to understand what it would look like. With the first version of our glider the ailerons were activated from the pilot's hang loop, through a rotating shaft placed inside the keel tube. 'fhe control surfaces (ailerons and flaps) were attached to ribs. The sail was also tensioned on the ribs, as a hang glider's sail is on the battens. Oleg made the first test-flights of this version of the new wing. Soon, in autumn of 1999, this glider was exhibited in St. Hilaire, France, and on his way back from the exhibition Oleg successfully flew it in Germany. These initial flights by Oleg led us t:O conclude that, in principle, the aileron control system was working and viable, but the glider was not yet as easy to control as our bang gliders, and not as good as we wanted it to be. It was because of our traditional, demanding attitude at Acros concerning controlla-· bil.ity and comfort in a glider that it took us so long to perfect the glider's control system.

We continued to work on the design and improve it, experimenting with the aileron differential, control-surface area, and dihedral (0° to 1.5°). At the same time the Aerola engineers were developing the second version of the rigid wing, implementing a new idea concerning aileron attachment. Their first model was ready by the encl of 1999. This glider was closer to a sailplane, while another variant resembled a hang glider.

Aerola engineer Nikolay Kononenko comments: "In order to implement the idea of a rigid wing with low aerodynamic drag, new design solutions and experiments were necessary, which have already proven themselves. We made a number of design changes to the basic wing configuration as follows."

Cloth sail attachment to the D-cell via an inset "rope bead" which is very firm and hermetic, and which creates no wrinkles on the surface.

·14

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Rigid, whole ribs and a large-diameter tube at the trailing edge which allowed us to stretch the sail along and across the wing by means of levers. Sail tensioning is adjustable.

Flaps and ailerons are reinforced by a carbon strip with a high coefficient of elasticity.

The main foarurcs of the new design were as follows: l) A tube along the rear edge of the sail on which the ribs rested. This tube was also the axis for attaching the ailerons and flaps.

2) Spadds (Split Aileron Drag Devices): Turning asymmctrica!Jy, they create resistance at the wingtip, preventing adverse yaw.

3) Construction of the new version of the wing and final development of the first model were accomplished simultaneously. Oleg Skyrko was making more and more changes in the initial design, trying to achieve the desired characteristics without additional control surfaces. But eventually, after testflying both versions, he found that spadds were necessary and designed them in to the first model. It is impor-

tanr to note that hang gliders are more dear to our hearts, and we were still attached to the "hang gliding" version of the wing. Nevertheless, in the spring of 2000 we had to take the "sailplane" version to the Garmisch exhibition, since this version was more finalized and didn't require major changes. Oleg, at that point, hadn't finished the "hang gliding" version after another change in the design.

After the show in Garmisch (where a tremendous interest in our glider was observed) we visited our German distributors, Sybille and Jobst Baenmer of Sunglide, in a beautiful flying location at Scbratenbach, for the purpose of continuing test-flights of the new rigid wing model, which had only a few flights to its credit. Although the weather wasn't quite suitable for tcstflights, we still decided to assernble the glider. No doubt, everyone remembers who Jobst Baeurner was, and what a great pilot and person he was. We all miss him very much. During that visit, in the spring of 2000 in Schratcnbach, he decided to launch, despite our concerns, and flew around for about 40 minutes in strong turbulence, making everyone present· feel very tense. Having put rhe new glider through a variety of flight modes, Jobst demonstrated to himself and to us that the glider flew and flew well, and at last be landed on top of the hill.

Jobst, test--pilot of the first prototype of the Stalker's final version, commented: "[ understood that you didn't want me to land on top of the bill, and I wouldn't have done it if I were not sure of the glider, if I didn't foe! that it was fully controllable."

However, even with this version of the glider controllability was not like that of a bang glider; there was still room for improvement. In addition, we came to a general conclusion about another problem: 'fhe control system, which is activated from the hang loop, works only when the pilot is hanging, that is, when the wing is flying. This was not good when on the ground and dangerous during takeoff Before launch the pilot had no ability to control the wing in roll. So, it was decided HANG GLIDING

to design a control system with wires attached to the control frame. Cf"hc Exxtacy and Atos spoilcrons arc activated with such a sysrem.) This design change was made to both versions of our rigid wing.

Pora long time our future product had no name. We superstitiously fol.lowed the tradition of not naming a baby before it is born. Only after the first prototype was ready did we begin to discuss th is, and jusr for fun we even announced a contest for the best name.

During the spring of2000 we were continually trying to solve a dilemma and decide which of the two versions to rake to market . Our disrrilmtors and customers grew tired of asking and waiting, bur we were still unable to and work continued in both directions. Each model had irs advantages. Two gliders were prepared to take p;in in the Prc--Worlds in Spain in June of 2000: rhe first, "hang gliding" variant, with Oleg Skyrko as its pilot, and die second, the "sailplane" version, to be flown by Jobst: Baeumcr. Long before this, as for back ;JS the fol[ of I 999, Aeros ordered ;1 special, cxtra-

Mylar from cloth manlight, 110 u focturcr Dimension Polyant. For half a year we waited to receive it, and it finally arrived in the spring. The sail for Oleg Skyrko's rigid wing was made of this cloth. The glider looked magnificent!

The primary, original feature of both versions of our glider is the D-ccll, which is not clod1-covercd hut gel-coated. Due to this, rhc glider looks like a sailplane, with an ideal, smooth, leading-edge surface. The sail is attached to the 0-cell and held in place by a string in a slot:. According to aerodynamic calculations, this feature alone produces an extra poinr of glide.

Another occurrence preceded the cornpetitions. On rhe first practice day of 1he Pre-Worlds in Spain, Jobst Bacumcr and Oleg Bondarchuk flew together, and in the landing area they encountered very rough conditions. broke his hang glider and Jobst broke the rigid wing on landing.

Thanks to Jobsi-'s 1remendous experience and profcssio1rnlism he was able to 0(TOllER 2001

repair the glider that night, and restore the D-cell so he could fly the next day.

He placed fifrh at the meet. 'T'his competition demonstrated that hoth our rigid wings, although only prototypes and still in need of modification, were quite competitive with the top hang gliders and rigid wings.

Oleg noted that his sail, which was made of the extra-light Mylar thar looked so beautiful on the ground, bal-looncd too mucb at high speeds since it did not provide enough rigidity, which in turn caused a reduction in LID. Jobst Baeumer made a number of comments and suggestions as to how to modify the wing, but said that he loved the glider.

In any event, the final decision was ours, but we still did not have enough in formation about tangible advanrages of one model over the other. The gliders were very comparable; the only differ-encc was in the implementation of the same idea. Acrola's engineers decided to continue devcloprnent of their "sailplane" version, but we fclr tha1· the first version was more finalized and ready for production. Irs controllability was quite good, and Oleg flew this glider in another competition, the Ukrainian Cup. ln September of2000 we performed the final tests in order to make a conclusive decision about production startup, finalize the design, and start build-;i glider for certification. One day, after a 40-rninutc thcrmaling flight, Oleg commented that he was satisfied and didn't know what else he could wish for from the glider. Akx;inder Voronin wanted to compare different pilots' impressions, and asked Oleg Bondarchuk to fly the wing. Bon-darchuk flew for :1bour 30 minutes, climbing in thermals, and everything looked normal. One could sec that he was satisfied with the glider. But suddenly, bystanders saw parts separating from the glider and heard an unusual sound. Afrcr this, the glider flew toward a forest nor far frorn the flying site.

They immediately drove to look for the pilot and glider. Arriving at the forest, they saw Bonclarchuk sitting under a tree with the glider in the trees.

Bondarcbuk comments: "Climbing

"Sasha" Vitchenlw. in a spiral l suddenly noticed that the glider's behavior at minimum speed had become unusual. ln one of the spirals the glider spun, and for some time was out of my control. I tried t:o pick up speed and recover, but it was too slow. l knew that more speed was necessary for recovery and tried again. While recovering, I heard a strange noise. Looking back, I saw the bare frame of the right wing ribs without sail. Without any hcsitarion J reached for my reserve chute and threw it. The chu i:c started to open and pulled on the glider, but because of a "special" way I had attached my parachute, the bridle separated frorn the harness during tbis pull.

However, the glider became more stable a1- this point. Although asymmetric, the glider was more or less controllable and it was possible to fly level. [ had no choice, and not wanting to incur any more risk I flew to land in the forest, about two kilometers from the LZ." After examining the glider it was noted that an aileron and a flap were missing on the right wing, and the root rib was broken. Analyzing the accident, we still failed to come to a concise conclusion as to what caused this accident root rib breakage or flutter that developed in rhc sail, causing ribs to fold. Jr was clear that the parachute started to deploy and stabilized the glid-cr. The sail had moved back in place

and it became possible to continue flying.

As for the reserve parachute failure, after investigation three observations were made: 1) To make the bridle thinner and create less drag, Oleg had used a polyester rope which we had never used for parachutes.

2) Oleg had knotted the bridle.

Experiments later demonstrated that this reduced the breaking strength by 30 or 40 percent.

3) Oleg had flown with this configuration a lot (in Australia, Brazil and the U.S .), and the bridle of his reserve wasn't protected from ultraviolet where it attached to the harness. This greatly reduced the breaking strength of the polyester rope.

Examining the broken glider, we noted that Oleg Skyrko had been experimenting with different methods of attaching the ailerons and flaps to the right and left wings. The system of sail tensioning with "double-hinged," foldable ribs raised doubts as to reliability in case of sail flutter.

After the accident we decided in favor of the "sailplane" version of the rigid wing. We didn't consider the first version unviable, we liked it, but we didn't have the resources to continue working on both projects. The glider had been under development for a very long time, and the many people involved were close to a decision to terminate the project. So, joint work on the second, "sailplane" ver16

sion of the Stalker began. A program of producing prototypes for testing and certification was underway.

Work was slowed by the existence of only a single prototype of this second version of the wing, but by the end of November two more gliders were produced. We were planning to show them at the Thermik exhibition in Germany, and immediately after to start certification tests with the DHV But another, tragic event awaited us.

As usual, everything was happening at the last minute. On the day of our scheduled departure for Germany a group of test pilots drove to the airfield to perform check-flights of the certification gliders.

Alexander "Sasha" Vitchenko was 27.

They say that God's elect die young.

T hey say that a human being leaves this life, having completed his or her mission .

It is difficult to convey how much Sasha contributed and what his role was. He graduated from Polyrechnical Institute, was involved in computers, made miniature aircraft models, built airplanes, flew

ultralights and hang gliders, participated in international competitions, and was an expert in everything he loved: cars, boats and anything that flies. During the rigid-wing project he worked with great professionalism with Oleg Skyrko from the very beginning. They made a great team , and Sasha was very successful and gifted. During the last few months, Sasha, although not a test pilot, flew with Oleg, and everyone noted how insightful his remarks and suggestions were.

On that day Oleg was the first to fly.

He was satisfied in general but noted that the trim speed was only 30-32 km/h. On this particular glider the ability to change the trim was not available, so they adjusted the ailerons in order to increase the trim speed. Oleg flew again, and this time it was 32-34 km/h. Then Sasha flew, and one could see that everything was going fine at first. Witnesses said that he flew to the landing spot and made a steep turn at low speed. The glider spun and made two turns from 30 meters above the ground. It was observed that before hitting the ground Sasha pushed the bar out, reducing the horizontal speed greatly bur not the vertical speed.

After a week Sasha Vitchenko died in the hospital without regaining consciousness. We had to find the strength to make it through this, to try to find out what had gone wrong and forge ahead.

Alexander Voronin, manager of Aeros Ltd., recounts: "We had a number of consultations with leading aerodynamicists at the Antonov Design Bureau and Aeroprakt companies. It was decided to perform stall tests, and to see what effect the downward deflection of the ailerons had on stall characteristics. We wanted to make sure that the ailerons did not induce a stall when the glider completed a turn.

"We placed the glider on the test vehicle, attached tufts to the wings, and shot video of it in the entire range of attack angles. We discovered that in all configurations the stall began in the center of the wing, not the ailerons, and progressed to the wingtips. It was as it should be. We were also surprised and pleased to discover that the downward

Continued on page 38.

H ANG GLIDING

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CornrnentJ and Ideas by ]irn Palmieri and Bob Grant, two old Sky Dogs, on the Making of'a Hang Gliding Book.

FANTASTIC HEAR'.T'S

FLYING S'TORIES FROM THE PILOTS WHO LIVE

DREAM

any ti mes pilots or dubs, or even flying sites, have their own unique culture and heritage based upon events that have previously taken place. Time has a way of clouding the fine line drawn between fact and legend. A flight rnay have taken place and the events surrounding it arc passed on from pilot to pilot, and pilot to club, and over time it may take on a life of its own. Most legendary flying stories have their origins in the places where pilots hang around: the a local bar or restaurant, or sites where there is a fly-in or competition. After rhe initial telling of the tale, just like the roving minstrels of old, the flying story becomes the property of the creative mind and, like the milk week seed, is blown wherever the winds may take it.

Ever since our first book, Shy Adventures, Fantasies OfFree Flight, was published in 1997, we have been keenly aware of the importance of the flying story. Many pilots have approached us, telling about how a flying story influenced the way they fly or how a flying story was identical to a flight they had at their local site. It is the commonality that binds us together.

Earlier this year I interviewed Bob Grant for the May 2001 issue of Hang Gliding magazine. I never met Bob, hut the myriad photographs he has taken over his 20+ years of flying make up a good proportion of the 500 hang gliding images I have on my computer screensaver at home and in my classroom. Perhaps I should blame Bob for distracting my students while I an1 trying to lecture on photosynthesis. After writing the interview, Bob and I began to comnrnnicate by e-mail and trade stories. One thing led to another, and we decided to write a book with nothing but conternporary flying stories not just any flying stories, but great flying stories, stories that come from the hearts of the pilots and stories that will become legends in time.

We tided the book, Hrmg Gliding Spectac-

ulrtr, Fantctstic Flying Stories Prom The Heam Of''!J?ose Who live The Drearn.

Bob had just released a video, The Best OfHang Gliding, so he was still in acreative mood. We decided to harness this creativity by including a CD along with Hang Gliding Spectacular. The CD is

18

HANC GLJDINC

filled with video clips, photographs thar can be used as computer wallpaper or screensavcrs, and photographs of the contributors on the ground and in the air.

Both rhc book and the CD contain flying canoons and illustrations from the pen of the famous Australian artist and pilot Jules M;1kk. 'Tbc bulk of the stories arc by pilots from rhc but many arc from foreign pilots from Australia, Ca nacla, Israel and the United Kingdom.

Initially the book was going to be simple with just 20 to stories, but the submission of material hy pilots was so overwhelming and of such high quality that the book now contains 70 flying stories. We have dedicated the book to Michael "Hollywood" Champlin who lost his life in a tragic flying accident in June of 1999. Tiki Mashy writes the trib ute to Michael c:hamplin.

In reviewing all the submissions for the book we real izcd that flying stories, although unique in their own nature, do hold a special place within the hang gliding community. They help to entertain, to teach and educate, and to record events. As wirh the talcs of wandering minstrels of the past, flying stories become modified each time they are told. .Ir reminds me of a folk-music scrninar f once attended at which a folk musician was talking about how early f<)lk music was passed from person to person, how the songs changed, and how the words became interpreted and even mi sinterpretcd over time. He LOld of how a young boy of seven years climhed on stage wifh his mandolin to play the: Bob Dylan song, "The answers, my friend, arc blowin' in the wind, the answers are blowin' in the wind." Being just seven years old, the words of the song meant little t:o him, so when he began to sing, the words came out as, "The ants arc rny friends, they're blowing in the wind, the anrs arc blowin' in the wind." lntcrpreta· tion is in the eye of the beholder, whether that of a small hoy with a mandolin or big boy about a flight with his new rigid-wing glider.

We noticed thar most of the great contempor;iry flying stories in Hang Gliding S}ectacular could be categorized into the following areas: flights by new pilots with first experiences; flights that were an attempt to accomplish something 0CTOIJII~ 2001

I tlm asked, "How does one go about writing a book about or an article for

magazine?" There is no

easy answer other than to sit down at the computer or with a pad of p11.per 1md write..Most ideas we have come.from conversations with pilots while setting up gliders or while in the cannot thinle

after/lying We

~ra more central thread that binds pilots ofany type

together than the F{ying Story. bur the pilot did not quire make it; flights in which amazing goals were achieved or even exceeded; flights by longtime pilots who learned something new; flights in which pilots escaped danger by the slightcsr ofluck; :ill-out lucky, fantastic flights; and outstanding and daring cross-country flights.

Below is a sampler of some of the 70 articles in Gliding SJJectacular, 70

about four minutes, Chad waved me off J pulled the release and tucked away my bridle. Ir was very hot and humid, and [ was sweating like crazy afrcr that tow. l zipped my harness only about halfway to allow some air to circulate around my legs. By the time f got settled Thad lost about 300 feet. I felt a slight shuddering of my wing. I was about to find out what they meant when they had said, "It looks

Fantastic Stories From The Hettrts Of Those Who Live The Dream. The book

good."

and accompanying CD are now available and carried by the USFIGA should you wan La copy. Sit back and enjoy these excerpts, because they were written to be enjoyed.

CLOUD

BY LARRY FLEM-· MING Looking out across the Owens Valley from Paiutc launch at rhc snowcapped, jagged peaks or the Sierra Nevada Mountains always leaves me a little breathless. 'fhey seem so close until you look way clown at the valley floor and spot the green oasis of Bishop, California surrounded by the brownish desert and the tiny matchbox·-sizcd trucks loaded with pilots and gliders winding up the "road" to launch. [t is then that one rea lizcs the grand size of this valley where the big air can churn up extreme conditions in an eye blink, where pilots' decisions can lead to long··distanee flights across starkly beautifiil mountains and valleys, landings beside hot streams, cold rivers, and shade trees, long walks, waits, or nights in the or death. "Fly not too close wastelands to the sun, nor too low near tbc water," Daedalus said to his son Jcarus when he put on his wings. I was about to start an adventure, like lcarus, which would teach me the lesson of' those words first hand.

MY FJRST THERMAL BY WfSEMAN My launch from the cart was smooth and uncvcntfol, then at about 400 feet the row plane suddenly jumped up. 'J'he tug at Highland is a turbocharged Dragonfly, but for a moment l thought that Chad had ignited an auxiliary solid fuel rocket booster or something. l could not believe how fast he rose, so T quickly pushed way out to keep up. I caught up to him just in time to him sink down, just as far and just as fast.

Now this was requiring some serious concentration on my part. Up to this point it was all pitch correcrion, albeit much stronger ones than I had ever needed before, but at abom 1,000 feet the first roll disturbances hit us. I could sec the plane's wings dip very quickly, with Chad's quick reactions straightening things our rapidly. T knew that J would hit that same rurhulcncc within 1wo or three hut l was ready for it. After riding this invisible air roller coaster for

l l / H A I V < ,.

TRYING TO

BY TERRY SPENCERS I began to cross the gap to Short Moun· rain and hit the sink that seems to be typ19

ical. I was to have doubts. Short is a scary place ro low. f'd only flown Shon three times and been low all three rimes. ft's a "burr-puckering" experience! Landing zones are a off nuns to relief when you know you can make a tiny downhill even if

down... to down? Hey, there wasn't any turbulence at the veil! I was om in the blue l was no longer under the cloud but srill going up, rising al 500 fret per minute and it was really smooth! At this point I had a vision of all of the stancl:111g on launch at a ridgc--soarsirc "TURN!" What's wrong with rhis picture?

BY TRACY TILLMAN Well, my new glider flew great. 'foo great.

On the first flight l hit some lift and just kept on and gliding, hundreds of feet rhan on my previous flights. I saw the of' the slough pass bcnearb me, feeling wonderful and bird-like, until my feet started to skim the surface of the watery muck and l landed in the middle of i1. Nice abom the learns it floats. I hung on to rhe hang cage by my armpits and tried to swim with the glider to the edge, hut it got hung up on some·tbing. [ had to let go of the hang cage and ny ro touch bottom in order to move t:hc glider to gc1 it out. I dropped down into the scummy water and my fc:ct sunk down into the slimy bonom until my nose was just at the water level. Yuck. Stink. Gross.

ICARUS

S71LL HAVJN' FUN AFTER ALL THESE

BY DOUG SON Herc's where rhe flight became so rncmo··

rablc. This is the p,ut of the fligh L 1ba1 will keep me for as as I can.

Normally, when you reach cloud base you have accomplished your mission as a soaring pilot, which is to get as high as you can in a rhermal. And normally, you leave the when you get ro cloud area of the cloud to avoid being sucked into it. As you leave the lifr under the cloud you usually fly into areas of sink.

Near the edge of a cloud there is often a verrica! wind shear as the lighter, heated, rising air under the cloud is replaced by cooler, heavier air from above the cloud.

Pilots 11111st he aware of this phenomenon and add extra speed to compensate for the potemial rnrbulcnce. The less time you spend in this area the bcrrcr. This is known as over the foils, and iris not fun you arc looking at the horizon thac was just behind you! there f was, starring to "white out" at cloud base. Altitude: 4,200 feet. I was up in the dome, 1hc belly of the cloud.

Wispy veils of cloud were hanging down all around me. l I.urned my glider toward the airport to the west and pulled on some cxrra to go through the veil a1 the of the cloud. T wem from dark to light, gray co hluc, up to down, up ro

20

THE INVERTED

BY

STEEL s'lc1·carmng toward rhc treetops in front of me, 1 must have reached 75 mph within ;i second or two (which f thought was great news) before I decided it was the best time to pllsh out. Unfortunately, my 1im· ing was oil and l clipped my right wing which the whole effort to not only was J lacking airlike all get-out and so far down in the canyon that the rotor was having its w:1y with me. The glider was picked up by the lcfr wing and thrust into a cartwheel that I did simulrancous 180° roll and 90° pitch maneuvers in fractions ofa second). l could no longer figh 1· it. I was up and down, nose pointed to the top surface facing back toward Lrnnd1!

(a red-railed hawk) parked over the trees at my altitude, probably looking for lunch. (] believe biologists refer to this maneuver as "kiting.") I approached the hawk from the north, and as l got closer 1 noticed that it was looking sideways at me, but showed no intention of moving. that it lud hecn around enough [ hang gliders not to be bothered by my presence. 1 got close enough so that as [ did a gentle 180 away from him my oULsidc tip came to within a few fret of the hawk. intent was to convince it to about luncl1 for a frw minutes and with me. [ looked back after come rolling our of the turn and, as [ had hoped, there was my red-·tailcd buddy, following me. l cruised north to the end of the bowl in front of the golf course and began a slow roll back ro die sourh. ing formation, the hawk began to turn just as I did, so that when we'd both rolled out I was following him. As we came upon the sourh end of the bowl he began to roll back ro the north, which I mimicked, so that he was following me.

A DlfH;'RfNTSORTOFX~C BY lUClIARD COBB It was really quite magical. 'T'he sun was warm at this low altitude, and the afternoon was advancing so that the lowering of the sun highlighted the texture of the land and the lush spring colors. ·rhc sounds of dogs barking at my passage drifred up to me. I watched and listened to life going on below a tractor in the field, cows in the pastures, a lawn being mowed, people out working and walking and enjoying the bcautifol day. 1 doubt that I was ever as high as 1,000 feet above the valley floor as I drifred. J was flying wirh a very light touch, just h;mg· ing on to every scrap of lift I could find and tnrning as gently as I could. The intermittent· chirps from my vario hlend-· cd in pleasantly with the sounds of life below.

(/LENN/RS, . ,,..,,,.,,.,, BY ADAM PAR-

ER THE

BY MARK GRUBBS A fow years ago in, the fore fall, J was ;11 Ft. Funston on a smooth, Just over I noticed one of the locals

This is a first-·hand story of what it's like m be sucked into a cloud. l was spinning the glider, pulling on speed, and finally praying to find a way out of the imminent fate that awaited me. f had HANC CUD/NC

the glider at foll speed, and as I looked I noticed a slight "S" bend, a mild flex inward from the nose to the crossbar junction, and then a flex back toward the tip. 'fhc bi]· low was extreme. The keel wire from die king post was rattling its shackle where i 1 attached to the keel. My fear went up another level as I contemplated the bility that the Cyro mighr not sray together long enough for me to get out of this, when, with my gaze firmly flxcd on the mountains ahead, my ascem slowed.

"This is working," I thought to so [ kept on, just that my climb would slow. Eventually I leveled out out along the right leading

'These excerpts arc bm a minisculc sampling of what is in tt1cular. J\s stated above, many of the sto-· ries arc passed by word of mouth, hut remember 10 write about yom great flights. You never know, pcrh;ips one these stories will become part of a magazi nc article or a flying story in a gliding book. Remember to fly high, embellish when long, and others about your fligh 1, for that is how legends arc made.

Hang 70 Fantastic Plying Stories From The Hearn Of Those Who Live T'hc Dream is plus 65! l

or visit The boole is tdso the US!!C:A. 1:d. Ill Ocro1i1R 2001

THE WILLS

y writing a review of the Wills Wing 145 Eagle I hope to at lease partially fill that gap. This is the smallest version of Wills' easy-tofly, double-surface wing, a glider that is appropriate as a second glider for the advancing pilot, or possibly even a first glider for the right pilot. It is also a great glider for che intermediate or advanced pilot who is looking for something chat is easy and relaxing to fly, lighcweighc and easy to transport and carry, but has a bit more performance than a single-surface wmg.

Although I am married to Ken Howells, a Wills Wing employee, I was in no way compensated by Wills Wing for writing my impressions of the small Eagle, other than getting a couple of bonus

B

Dacron Leading edge pocket material and nose cone save weight and allow a range ofcolor options.

22

G 14:

A complaint that I have heard about glider reviews (and one which I felt acutely when I was getting into the sport) is that they all too often concentrate on the advanced-Level gliders, and especially on the Large sizes thereof This frequently Leaves the smaller and novice-to-intermediate pilots out of the Loop when it comes to reading about gliders that are appropriate for them. flights on it. I do not fly a Wills Wing glider; in fact, I have never owned a Wills Wing glider, having started my flying with an Airwave Pulse 9M, and then moving to a Moyes 127 Super Xcralice. However, I have been able to fly a number of Wills

Wing gliders as well as those made by other manufacturers, and I believe that I can be completely objective in my reviews.

This review came about as a function of my showing up in the landing zone on a day when Wills W ing was test-flying glid-

Wingtip detail.

Control bar apex pad protects the sail during transport.

HANG GLIDING

HARDWARE, SETUP AND GROUND HANDLING Like any well-made hang glider, the setup

of the Eagle is very straightforward. The standard control frame has 62" round downtubes, a speedbar, and very clean fittings. Other nice glider features are the Dacron leading edge pocket material with full-length Mylar inserts (which saves weight), and the kingposr hang system. I do think that having the optional folding basetube would make for an even faster, more convenient setup. Although it would make installing slip-on style wheels problematic, the corner brackets for Hall or Finsterwalder wheels would make wheel installation simple. Streamlined downtubes would be a nice feature for pilots for whom downtube replacement is not an issue. Both of these options are available.

With six curved, one straight tip, and three bottom-surface battens per side, the assembly goes very quickly. Tensioning the glider is very easy, with the trademark Wills Wing rear haul-back. The only minor difficulties I had at all were attaching the luff lines to the kingpost with the control bar already set up (it's a bit of a stretch for someone my height) and getting the tight outboard batten strings on.

I'm spoiled by the ease of bungee cords. As per usual, all the hardware and fittings are very clean, and there's nothing superfluous, which helps to keep the glider weight down to 54 pounds. Although I did not fly the glider with the included vertical stabilizer (a.k.a. "tail fin"), it is easy and simple to install, and, I think, looks pretty cool.

Ground handling the glider is very easy. It has good static balance with no tendency for either nose- or rail-heaviness.

As I stated before, the light weight of the glider makes it a joy to carry, especially for - someone who has gotten used to regularly having to muscle far heavier gliders around. Even carrying it in the bag is easy, as it balances perfectly on one's shoulder, right where the classic Wills Wing red

The vertical stabilizer frame fits easily into the preimtaffed keel bushings.

The vertical stabilizer reduces yaw variatiom when towing, and looks pretty cool too!

EAGLE

ers. Both designer Steve Pearson and president Rob Kells generously offered a small Eagle for me to fly. They were genuinely interested in getting the impressions of a small pilot flying their small wing, and I was happy to take them up on the offer. I am 5'4" (on a good day), have a body weight of just under 110 pounds, and hook in at 135 pounds. I have been flying since 1994, hold an Advanced rating, and at last tally have somewhere between 450 and 500 hours of airtime. I flew the 145 Eagle twice, on two days with different conditions, for a total of 3-1/2 hours, and had fun every minute with it.

OCTOBER 2001

band and bag handles are located.

Improvements that I could think of off the top of my head include a lighter bag for harness stowage (especially since smaller pilots have limited space for storage in their harnesses), and the Wills Wing bags, while durable, are heavy and bulky. Also, shorter pilots, or those with narrow shoulders (both characteristics apply to me) might appreciate an even tinier control bar, like the 60" downtubes on the 140 Falcon or my old Pulse 9M. Although a 62" frame is hardly large, getting the basetube off the ground for foot-launching, and having flare authority if one is small or has short arms, is easier the smaller the control frame is.

Launching the 145 Eagle is absolutely straightforward and relaxing. Holding it balanced in a neutral position is natural and requires no correction or special effort.

Starting a launch run does not require any extraordinary control input (the nose does not want to get away in either direction, nor does the wing wobble to either side) and the glider floats easily off the pilot's shoulders. I launched the Eagle in moderate (10-mph) winds and in extremely light to no-wind conditions, and both launches were very easy. Granted, I am on the very light end of the weight range, but given the low stall speed and light handling, the no-wind launch required only very little additional effort than the launch in moderate conditions. This glider is eager to fly.

The vertical stabilizer, included with the Eagle, is simple to imtall and packs small.

23

IN-FLIGHT HANDLING Por an entry- to intcnncdiatc-lcvcl control inpms arc easy and handling is rcl,ttivcly light. Unlike the ''trucky" feeling of many gliders in this pitch pressures .1re light, and the glider responds to roll inputs. However, the glider docs not feel the least bit squirrelly or and overcontrolling it is very unlikely.

There is a nice, brief lag between tum input and turn, and the glider is very spirally that it neither wraps in nor rolls out turn without definite pilot input. This characteristic is great for the low-airtime pilot, who generally bas a tendency to overcontrol a glider, all too frequently resulting in oscillations and an unpleasant, white-knuckle Stability can be further the vertical stabilizer, reducing the risk particularly fi:)r aerorowing. This glider is especially easy to put in a 20° bank, requiring neither high-siding nor low-siding to maintain th;it angle; it: tracks in a straight line as

24

though on mils. The glider's inherellt: stability makes this combination ofliglit handling and docile behavior possible.

Thcnnaling the at steeper bank was nor difficult at ,1'1, although my on it, it took ;i hit of effort ro enrer some of the sharpcr--cdged, stronger rhcrnials. The sink rate was phc-nomcnal, and [ found myself climbing out above everyone with an case d1a1 put on my face for rhe entire AiglH hours afrcrwards. However, ;:iltl1ough it was easy and ftm to soar in the thermally afternoon conditions, it was in the late-day; very light conditions that this glider really came into its own. In light lift the Eagle truly sh incs. At the end of the day, with weakly buoyant, small bubbles cmY11r1<r off the valley floor, approaching sunset saw only two paraglidcrs and me in tbc still in the sky, with nearly everyone else already packed up and leaving by rhe time 1 landed.

Comparing it to the other gliders in or around its class rhat I have flown, it get"s a

than either a Falcon or even a betrcr Pu lsc, and the pitch pressure is lighter than that of 1he Pulse. Roll aud10rity of the Pulse and Eagle arc comp,irable, however. With my wing loading f conld not get the top speed very high (45 mph airspeed was rhc best l could do), but again, I rarely managed to get my Pulse 9M much above 40 mph, and l topped out on the l 40 Pa Icon at under 40 mph, while on the 170 Galc<m [ don'r think I saw much above 32 mph. (Keep in mind, I am under the suggested hook-in weight for the 170.) The good news is that at top speed l did see good f<xward glide with the Eagle, while the other gliders mentioned above, especially the Falcons, lost glide dramatically as speeds increased.

LANDING The landing characteristics of the are everything that one expects from a glider this easy to set up, carry around and fly. In other words, this is the way a hang glider shonld land. Like highcr-perfor11/\NC GLIDING

the J45 in the bag is ettsy,

it balances perfectly on one'.r shoulder, riiht where the classic 1X7illr V(/ing red band and bag handles are located.

(IS

ner harduJtm: is cler.m and simple. Wing nuts are provided on both end, ofthe JjJeedbar btisetube to allow easy instal!dtion ofslip-on wheek

All V(lillr 1X7ing come with an owner} batten spare prirts hit, and a Willr 1X7ing hat.

mance, don hie-surface wings, the glider retains energy, is easy to bring in with exna speed, and has good glide and penetration, but like the Palcon and other entry-level wings ir has a very large and obvious flare window. For someone who has only landed single-surface gliders, the extra glide and time in ground effect may require some acljusnnent, bur this should nor be too diff1cult. 'The Eagle's pre· dictability should 1mke lancling this hang glider a relaxing non,event, a positive end to a fim experience.

Sadly, having fim landings is some thing that is ofren not the case, sometimes putting a sour end note on a day th,n was supposed to he all abour enjoyment. This can be true even for advanced pilots.

Ocro!lrn 20crl

Although ir doesn't quite land itsclC the E:1glc is far more of lcss,1hanperfcc1 technique than rnany glid·crs, and serves to reinforce rhc maxim rhat to look cool look a lot cooler hmding au easy-to-fly glider well than a hot ship poorly.· f'hc only downside to the case of landing rl1e Eagle thar I can sec is that it ought l'O reduce the nun1ber of cnterraining whacks in LZ's.

The ] Eagle is a fun, relaxing glider for lighter-weight pilots, and it handles thermally afternoons and light, late-day conditions with equal aplomb. Jr is easy ro carry and set up, fun w fly, and rd axing to land.

h's handling is light, yet it feels very solid ;rnd stable in the air, and its sink rate will put it at or near rhe top of rhe stack on a regular basis. Someone my size or a little smaller will have absolutely no difficulty flying it, ,111cl in my estimation, someone a bit bigger (body weight of 130-1 pounds) will be ideal on it. It offers a combination of performance and case that is everything a hang glider ought to be.

From novice pilots who want more than a singlc·surface wing can offer, to advanced pilots looking for a recreational glider, this little sweetheart could make a lot of pilots very happy. Wills Wing has provided a great hang glider for the smaller pilot by creating the l 45 B

cry few take an original or creative approach to slapping rhe planet. Usually it is the same old things: overconfidence, complacency or inexperience expressed in the smnc old patterns: stalls on launch, stalls on landing, bad approaches and occasionally lack of respect for the we,1tbcr.

Sometimes l can sec them coming. lt's easy when a visiting pilot sets up the wrong approach and you wonder, "Where is that one planning to land?" Other times the setup looks good so l look away as the

lucky pilot whomps in by surprise. I'm not new to this dangle diver thing; l have seen and made a lot of stupid, avoidable mistakes too. lf two wizened guys walk up and ask you whom you were trying to irnpress by diving through launch and wanging while an evil, north-wind rotor teased your wingtips, listen to this. Heed the signs, mind your helm, keep your nose dean, and watch your bun.

Call me a wimp but I'm really tired of having to watch the same stuff over and over. I would like to suggest a list of some more unusual ways to crunch in, but sorne spouses might not be amused and some pilots might get the wrong images implanted in their psyche.

It isn't obvious to a pilot with only a few years of flying just how unforgiving the ground is. Combine this with a naYve trust rha1 the smooth air you are in will nor sneeze or decide to spank you. Murphy's Law will make this occur as you dive into a tight position in a gaggle or when you are thcrmaling against the bill, doing push ups with the lizards. Rotors don't go away as you speed up; neither does the planet. Both hang around until you are distracted.

They wait for you to ham it up for cameras.

'They wait for you to try to impress your friends.

They wait unt:il you arc not concentrating, then bite, sometimes hard.

It is probably a futile being heard by pilors who really need to hear this, and on the hill it ofren takes techniques similar to hypnosis to get the message across. Usually it doesn'r work. It seems that we need to make our own mistakes to really get that message. ] would hope readers of this would simply try to avoid the really obvious mistakes that do not bear repeating. Flying into solid objects comes to mind. I don't want to he watching when you come to rest really wrong.

My personal devil is complacency. Just when I think I've got this flying thing under control, T relax my watch on all the loose threads of Aying. Every three to five years I relearn thar I need to watch for launches that ;ire fine, but weak. Landings that work out bur arc not strong when it comes to Aaring or positioning arc not good enough, f've caught myselftalking to people ['m landing near, wirh catastrophic results. \Xlatch your butL Never stop paying

attention until you are well out of the Impact Zone. Even really good pilots die from this one.

If you have trouble landing, practice landings. Alw:1ys fly aircrafr (square) approaches. A bad landing probably went wrong way back in the early approach phase, since this is where you limit your options. A good approach keeps you away from dangers that may develop as you come in to land. Sled rides arc a wonderfol thing for this. Smooth air that allows you to really feel the glider offers a rare opportunity to get to know your glider's characteristics without those messy turbs upsetting things, It's hard enough to land wdl all the time in mellow air, worse in rough condirions, and nearly impossible while diving at the planet head first. You may be sur-priscd to find that your scratching technique improves too.

The same goes for launching. No wind offers good practice for high-altitude flying.

A good launch is okay, but really strong launch technique will save you money, pans, and bodily harm in the long run.

You can never be too good at this. And don't forget to preflight your rig.

Weather is the toughest ck1llengc to deal with. The more weird weather stuff 1 sec, the more ways of possibly getting slapped I can imagine. Launching in high winds often requires a calculation with lots of variables. The fact that someone else did it is not a good enough excuse for wrecking in high winds. The older I get, the more conservative I seem to become. Maybe "Been there, done rhat," and "Seen that, no thanks," apply here.

So, what I'm trying to say is: We've probably seen that dumb move you are about to make, so please try not to do it.

Those old, wizened guys have probably lost friends to this kind of avoidable accident.

Some of that wiz on tbeir faces may be from just these kinds of experiences. Give the old guys the benefit of rhe doubt when they take the time to care about your sur-vival. This is nor to say Ay boringly, rather, think about where thar loop comes our, where the screaming dive is pointed, and what might be waiting for you there. Better ro err on the conservative side of things. 1t hurts less.

The best advice T have for pilots is to visualize a positive outcome for your flight.

Picture your gently reat:raching to the planet. I do this every hinding. It re1lly helps. Ill

27

It has been over 20 years since I took my first training-hill flight; and I hope to be flying for a long time to come. But the airtime meter seems to get lower every year with more and more demands on my time. My nearest flying site is just over an hour away, but loriding, setting up, wind watching and vehicle retrieval usually ensure that not much else will happen that day, rmd with no guarantee that I will get even a sled ride.

Launching With © 2001 by by Richard Cobb became intrigued with the Mosquito motorized harness when I flrst heard about it, and the idea continued to grow on me, especially as the airtime meter dropped ever closer to zero. It could offer opportunities to fly closer to home and under more conditions. There are nearby ridges facing pre· vailing winds that arc inaccessible for launching, yet they look easily soarable if

a pilot could just get up to tbcm. But information was hard to find. Either there were glowing write-ups about wonderful flights owners had, or second- and third--band stories about disastrous takeoffs, broken props and poor climb rares.

Eventually I found a wealth of information in an Internet discussion list (sec "More Information"). T searched the message archives and corresponded with

This photo shows the effect of'engine torque on the harness.

30

individuals to get answers to my many questions.

Foot Launched Powered Hang Gliding (J1phg), as it is commonly known, has become very popular in Britain and in many other places around the world, including many areas in the U.S. As one U.S. pilot wrote, "Powered hang gliding has reinvigorated our club. It has meant more airtime and less ti.me being ground bound as a crew member." T'heir club is a "group of us (1 O+ Explorers, two Mossies !Mosquitoes], and three NRG's fnew Mosquito model]) here in the flat Midwestern U.S." A flrst-ever "Mosquito Meet" was held in tbe UK in 1998 with 27 flphg pilots participating (Ref. l).

Tasks included duration on a fixed amount of foci and flying an X-C course on tbe minimum amount of fuel. There are enough flphg pilots to currently support six manufacturers worldwide.

But there are also pilots who have sad tales of blown takeoffs and expensive repairs. A Wisconsin pilot ruefully admitted that, with no one from whom to learn, he had to "learn with his wallet," breaking four props in his fast year, although none since. One prospective flphg pilot wrote in to the list that he was interested, but had heard too many stories about broken props, to which a Brit retorted, "Not if you know bow to fly an flphg."

Although deceptively simple on the surface, tbere are a number of things about an flphg that can easily cause diffiI-JANG CLJDING

culties for the beginning pilot. 'This article summarizes wh:1t [ have been able to learn from my searches, combined with my own limited experience (I recently bought a Mosquito NRG).

Good launching skills arc essential! A good run is required with smooth control of pitch angle throughout: the run, similar to a shallow-slope launch. Of equal importance are two differences in fly-ing an flphg that can prove surprising (and costly!) to the unw;:iry hang glider pilot: bar position changes and deci-eascd roll stability.

BAR POSITCON

2)

The Mosquito and other models of similar design have the engine and drive rrain located below rhe feet. Hanging in your harness without applying any bar pressure, the combined center of gravity (CG) of you and the harness will be clirectly beneath the hang point. Adding motor weight below your feet moves the combined CC lower on your body.

Because you arc now located farther fr>r··ward in relation to the hang point, the control bar will appear to be fanher back hy about four to six inches. This appar-· ent bar trim position change occurs without the addition of power. Note that the actual trim characteristics of die glid· er have not changed, only your position with respect ro it.

Most flphg manufacturers claim a maximum propeller thrust of 90 pounds or more. Without applying any pitch pressure to the control bar, the thrust will push you forward through the bar.

Although the bar is far aft of what you are used to, this is still your trim position!

That is, under full power, dic bar posi-tion corresponding to trim ha~ moved [i-orn your chin (with a norrnal harness) to mid-chest (during climb with an flphg harness). Many gliders arc trimmed close to minimum sink, which is jnst above stall, so any bar position forward of mid· chest during full power is very close to stall with greatly reduced control. Optimum climb rate and control arc achieved with the bar even fanher back, perhaps OCTOBER 2001

Richard Cobb.fr1ot-launching the NRG at Blue Shy Hang Gliding} Manquin ht~'l;ht Park, near Richmond, arouud the pilot's waist. lt should be clear that a hang glider pilot must learn control har positions all over again. If a pilot tries to push the bar out to a more familiar posirion during a full-power takeoff, a painful injury to the wallet is a frequent result.

ROLL INSTABILITY

3)

In unpowered gliding flight there is increased roll stability that docs nor occm in powered flight. When executing a constant-bank, stable t11rn with a hang glider, both wingtips are descending at the same velocity (as is every other part of the glider). But the inside wingtip has a lower forward velocity than the outside wingtip, resulting in a higher angle of attack for the inside wingtip. Lifr is a function of velocity and angle of attack.

The higher the angle of attack, or velocity, the higher the lift force. The outside wing has the lower angle of attack bm the higher velocity, while the inside wing

has a higher angle of attack but lower velocity, thus more or less balancing one a not her.

Now think about flying along with power at a constant altitude (in air thar is neither rising nor falling) and in a constant-bank tum. The wingtips have only forward velocity components, so the angle of attack is the same for both. Bur the outside wing has a higher velocity aud therefore higher lifr than the inside wing. Thus, there will be a tendency to increase the roll angle. Ancl the steeper your bank rhc more pronounced this effect will be. For powered climbing flight this becomes even stronger and i ncrcascs with the steepness of the climb angle. ·rims, a glider that the pilot has always found to he quite stable in roll can now seem to be quite unstable once a roll has been initiated. Any departure from level flight under foll power can result in a rurn that wams to "wind up"

31

in the same an10nnt from your powered trim position (although this will be quite a bir farther back than you are used to!).

A word of caution here: 'There is no reason to fly at best angle of climb unless you are trying to clear an obstacle. Bu1 the steeper the angle of climb, the more roll unstable the glider will be and the more likely you will need to reduce power to level the wings again, thus elimimt-ing any advantage you may have been trying to gain by climbing at a steep angle. Better to lirnit yourself to sites where obstacles on takeoff are not a problem! l:'NGJNE l<)RQUF AND Onn:,11 F'AcroRs

Mosquito NRG harness hooleed into the glider and ready to fly. very rapidly; requiring aggressive control input from the pilot in order to correct. lf you are a beginning flphg pilot, stick with wings-level flight under full power. If you cannot immediately correct any roll that occurs, you can release pressure on the mouth throttle to ease roll pressures. If it is very early in the takeoff, it: may be better ro just spit the throttle and land to try again.

Before you become too concerned about this, I should tell you that I made half a dozen flights before I ever noticed this effect. These flights were all on stable days and l was simply climbing on a straight course. My next flights were on some mildly t:hermic days, and it was here that l discovered how strong this effect could be! 'T'he first ti me l found myself in a mild turn shortly afrer takeoff I kt i1 continue briefly (it was a direction l had planned to turn in eventually), then attempted a normal correction. The glider wanted to keep rolling steeper. Not realizing at the time how fost the glider can "wind up" into a mm under full power, I was behind events all the way until f finally decided to spit the throttle. At that point the glider leveled easily and in time to set up a landing. This increased roll tendency is sirnilar to what I have expcri-cnced on tow, bur because there was no tow line I had to follow, l had not expected it with the Mosquito.

32

Simply put, while climbing nndcr Full power, keep the bar pulled in and keep it level!

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW Ci.TM/! R11JH VER'iUS CUMB ANG!-E

Powered aircraft climbing performance is spoken of in terms of climb rate and climb angle. These do not occur at the same airspeeds. The maximum climb angle occurs under a high angle of attack, close to stall speed. The best rate of climb occurs at higher airspeeds. Of course, our bar positions are different with the change of cc; location and addition of power. But ifwc know where minimum sink and best glide bar positions arc with respect to the trim position in nonnal, nnpowered then the relative change in bar position for powered flight will be about the same. For example, if your glider is normally trimmed to fly at minimum sink, the trim position under power will be approximately your best angle of climb position. Most often we are just interested in getting high as fast as we can. Using tbe best glide bar position will get you dose to the maximum rate of climb, that is, if you pull in about 10 inches from trim to get your best glide, then while powered you would pull

Tbrning the propeller requires torque, which also creates a reaction torque on the harness. [n tbc accompanying photo the effects of this torque can be seen. The counterclockwise rotation of the prop (seen from the rear) causes a clockwise torque on the harness. Note that the har-ncss has rotared to where the right harness leg is nearly vertical. If the pilot were to simply hang from the harness, this torque would cause the harness to twist and rise slightly at the base of the support strap, effectively balancing the torque with the pilot's weight, and no torque would be transfr,rred to the glider. Dur-· ing takeoff in the upright position, particularly if something bas started to go wrong, a fierce grip on the downtubes may cause this torque to be transmitted through the pilot to the glider instead.

Especially at low airspeeds immediately after takeoff, this can induce a roll to the right which may require a rapid decision to abort the takeoff'. A light touch on the control bar can help to avoid this.

Other factors attributed to powered aircraft arc p . -factor and gyroscopic forces, but they are nor significant for an flphg. The relatively low airspeeds minimize the P-factor effect, and the gyroscopic forces arc somewhat isolated from the glider in that they act directly only upon the pilot and harness.

UPRIGHT FrvTN(; J>osn10N

When flying prone it is very easy to control the direction of thrust and position of the engine because they arc aligned with the harness. In the upright position (the Brits refer to this as the "gorilla posirion"), however, the mass of the motor

HANG GUDINC

and prop assembly is several feet behind us. With our no longer back in the harness to control side-to-side motion, this mass cm take on a life of its own. 'T<J reduce this effecr, an additional waisr heh is built into the harness. When this is snug the harness frame is essentially connected to our hips, allowing a reasonable amount of control over harness posirion.

Bur control is nor as complete as when in the prone position.

One effect I have heard described (bur nm experienced myself') is that: while fly· ing upright in turbulence t:he pilot and the mo10r can get into opposing oscillations, wirh the motor swinging in the direction opposite to the pilot's control input. This can significantly reduce control aLtthority (with or without power), especially if the waist belt is not tight.

Even one leg back in the harness would restore control. The biggest danger here would be if this happened at a critical time to a pilot who did not know it could happen. Being aware of the problem can go a long way toward eliminating it. Ir is best to get at least one leg back imo the harness for stabilization as soon as it is safe during takeoff, and remain there as long as possible on landing, particularly if it is bouncy. I often fly in a semi-upright position on flnal approach, with one hand on the uprights and one on the hasetubc. Now l modify this to also put one back into the harness if I think it is required.

An7TUDF

There arc rwo concerns with higher alrin1de-clcnsity takeoffs: takeoff speed and rare of climb. Just as with an unpowcred launch, you will have to be moving faster to take off at higher altitudes. Engine power and climb rate will be reduced. A

Sun11BUi LAUNCH ARRAS

mme powerful engine would increase the rate of climb, but it would not reduce the takeoff speed. A large glider with a low stall speed is your best bet here. At 2,000 fo:et elevation and 75° F, the stall speed is increased by 16% (compared to 59" F at sea level). At 4,000 and 6,000 feet the stall speed increases hy 25% and 35%, respectively (Ref. 4). ff you arc starring with a frilly loaded glider that has a stall speed of, say, 20 mph, rhe stall speeds 25 and 27 mph. The need become for fleet feet at higher altitudes becomes obvious! While it is not a good idea, many of us probably get ;iway with using the slope w "cheat" a bit on our runs on those light-wind days. That is, as long as the nose is nor too high, we can gain the last couple of mph by diving a bit. But if you arc launching an flphg from the flats, no cheating is available; you'll have to run out every one of those mph.

Most mountain launches arc suitable for an flphg. L have even seen a video of a Mosquito launch from a ramp on a cliff The surface docs need to he smooth enough to allow the legs to slide easily.

And because of some extra drag from the legs, you might want to give carcfril consideration to launching a zero-wind, shallow slope with the engine off.

Plar-ground takeoff, are easy, althougb they can be intimidating at firsd You will need a large, open area where you can face directly into the wind. As with any powered aircraft, you need to be able to land safely if the power suddenly quits.

Making turns close to the ground to avoid obstacles is not desirable, especially for the beginning pilot. A rule of thumb l am experimenting with is that if you could fly the reverse direction in an unpowered glide, and safely clear any obstacles, then you should have sufficient clearance for a powered takeoff. Keep in mind, of course, that altitude density will affect rhis, and you must have some place 10 go if there is a sudden loss of power at tbe most inconvenient moment possible.

If you arc hesitant about starting out with your first takeoffs from flat ground, try a training hill or easy mountain launch. Launch normally with the engine idling, then apply power only after you arc comfortably flying. You can maintain altitude or climb slowly wirh part duottle, then grnd ually work your way up to full throttle.

TURN\'

Old dogs need to learn some new tricks when it comes to turning under power.

Many of us were taught to "lead with our fret" in making turns. This is effective for unpowered flight, but adding thrust to

®

A precision for the serious pilot.

Rugged, depcndabk and easy to n:ad.

NEW! SMALL HALL Circal for hand-held wind measurement or parnglidcr Airspeed lndicalor using Bracket.

Small llall ................ $23.50 l'araglidcr Bracket ..... $6.50 Now available: Small I fall for hang glide-rs;, 0 to 70 mph

Hall Brnthers, P.O. Box IOIO-If, Morgan. UT 84050, US/\• Mastcrcard/VIS;\/C.O.D. !'hope (801) 829-'.l2]2, h1x (80 I) 82'J-6JtJ<J I,al lbros@carthl i11k.nct

OCTOBER 2001

33

Good LID - For maximum climb rate yo u want the best glide ratio. A blade-wing will climb faster than a floater.

Short to Moderate Root Chord - For propeller clearance. The Mosquito instructions say the keel should be cut off no further than 47 inches behind the hang point. My demo flights were on a Wills Wing Falcon (Re£ 5) adapted for the Mosquito. The root chord of the sail was within the limits, but the pull-back rigging for the crossbar had to be modified, as it normally attaches to the part of the keel that had to be cut off. Be sure to look at all ramifications of cutting the keel when evaluating a glider.

An ideal glider would be an intermediate model that has a low stall speed, easy handling and good glide characteristics. On the other hand, high-performance rigid-wing gliders have also been flown with these power units. It may be char the control surfaces of these gliders would make the roll easier to control during climb th an a normal hang glider, but chat is purely speculation on my part.

There are enough power units out there now that someone has probably already tried the combination you are considering.

Richard Cobb climbing out from the base ofthe training hill where he first took l.essons 20 years

our feet changes things. Yawing our bodies also changes the thrust line. Adding a foot-first yawing component to the turn accentuates the powered roll instability.

Better to keep your body (and thrust line) parallel with the keel.

The Doodlebug is a supine unit that uses the limit lines to keep the prop relatively stationary. As the pilot moves to one side, chis arrangement moves the thrust line so that it actually opposes the turn direction. It is claimed that this is beneficial in helping to create a more stable turn. Personally, I like the freedom of being able to control the direction of thrust, and I find it gives me another way to fine-tune a turn.

HOW ABOUT MY GLIDER? Mosquitoes and the other models have been flown with a wide variety of gliders, and there are only a few that are nor suit-

34

able. Some gliders are better than others, however. Rather than cry to list specific gliders, we will just cover the desirable characteristics.

• Low Stall Speed- Very important, especially for a beginner flphg pilot.

Lower takeoff speeds are safer and less intimidating. Also good for higher altitudes. And don't forger that by adding 40 or so pounds to your normal flying weight you are increasing your free flying stall speed by about 7% or 8%.

• Easy Handling/Roll Stabl.e - Roll stability is important, especially for a beginner. A spirally unstable glider (some high-performance gliders have been tuned that way to help initiate turns into thermals) will be more of a challenge while climbing under power.

WHY NOT MORE POWER? A frequent question is, Why not more power? More power would produce a higher climb rare, and would be especially useful for hi gher altitudes. The Mosquito and all the other models based on this original design use the Radne Rocket, a Swedish-built 120cc 15-hp engine. It is reliable and has an excellent power-toweight ratio. But there are weight limitations to the powered harness design, which is a fine balance of competing demands. More power would mean a heavier engine and an even larger change in bar positions. It would also mean greater instability in turns. A trike, which has wheels to handle added weight (and stall speed) and increased roll authority for steeper climbs, is almost unlimited in power potential. But if you want to footlaunch with power and fly in a style as close as possible to normal hang gliding, there are greater weight and power restncnons.

H ANG GLIDING

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T HE FIRST MODERN AILERON CONTROLLED WEIGHT SHIFT RIGID WING - EVENTUALLY, THEY' LL ALL BE MADE THIS WAY

U.S. Aeros 1125 Harborvie" Dr. Kill De, ii Hills, NC 27948 • 252 480 3552 aeros@'jus1fly.com \\,\\,.justfly.com

LEAVING EARTH UNDER POWER A number of pilot reports have been written about flying the Mosqu.ito, including one in Hang Gliding magazine (Ref. 6), so J won't go into det;ii]s for a particular model. Setup is simple: Attach the harness to your hang loops, attach the fuel container to the glider, and hook up "limit lines" which prevent extrern.c excursions of the prop. Here arc some key points for new flphg pilots: Ply only in smooth conditions until you have gained some experience. Early mornings, evenings, stable cloudy days. A five+ mph breeze is ideal, as long as it is steady.

Be sure yon do an engine warm-· up/run-up. The bleeding procedure may not get all the bubbles out of the fuel .line. Be sure it runs smoothly at full throttle and for long enough to get all the bubbles out. You don't want a coughing sputter in the middle of your takeoff!

•

Be sure your waist belt is tight. This is what stabilizes the direction of the prop until you get your feet back into the harness.

•

Pace directly into the wind for takeoff: and then walk forward a couple of steps to be sure the harness is lined up straight too.

•

Go to foll power using the mouth throttle and accelerate smoothly.

Allow the glider to find its own pitch angle, and fly it on the ground as long as possible you won't be able to stop it from climbing when it is ready.

Whatever you do, do not push out!

•

Once in the pull in the control bar to gain speed. Do not be in a hurry to climb; ir will climb when it is ready.

As soon as it is safe, get your feet back

36

into the harness frn· stability.

Keep the wings level! Keep the bar pulled in and be ready to aggressively correct. Remember that fulf.-powcr turns will become increasingly unstable with increasing roll angle. As long as your wings arc level it will be easy to keep them so. The mouth throttle and speed arc your friends here; even a brief casing of the thronle or pulling in the bar more can help restore con·· trol if you can't immediately level the wings. If you arc still very early (close to the ground) just spit our the throttle. Without the power it will be easy to level the wings and set up for a landing. Then go back and try again.

Restarting difficulty varies with the amount of time the engine has been off and how it is tuned. You will probably need to use both bands at least briefly during the process, although some pilots claim to have rigged workable foot·· starters. Racine is working on an electric starter for their engines which should be on the market soon.

When landing appears likely, be sure to get ready soon enough J ,000 feet is a frequently recomrncndcd altitude. The legs have to be unclipped and the harness unzipped, and ir is a little more complex than a normal pod harness. Definitely not something to try to do on final!

Landings are easy. Wiiit until you feel the harness legs dragging, wait a half second, and flare mildly. Your forward position and extra mass give you more Oare authority than you arc used to. There is one surprising part of this: After the flare and landing on my feet, ] expect the landing to be over. But the mass of the motor still wants to continue forward.

Expect a feeling like a nudge from behind after you have landed, and be prepared to rnke a step or Lwo.

FLYING

WHYNOT A TRIKE?

Once you have gained a comfortable altitude you may choose to reduce the throttle for easier control, especially in turns.

A secondary throttle control can be set, allowing you to stow the mouth throttle.

Zipping up the harness also retracts the legs, which arc then dipped into clamps on the side of the harness. If you find lift you may wish to shut off the engine and soar normally. So far I have flown mostly in smoother conditions while getting familiar with powered flight. But l have worked some areas of mild lift, and did not find it to be much different than thermaling in my normal harness. The biggest difference was noticing extra mass at my feet when I would roll for a turn.

With the engine either off or idling the prop free-wheels. This adds drag, but a prop lock on most models can be set which will bait the spinning and greatly reduce the drag. The new Mosquito NRG and the Booster both offer folding props, and the Doodlebug has jnst announced this option.

In-air restarts arc possible. Some pilots do them frequently, others not at all.

Each engine seems to have its own quirks when it comes to how it starts best.

Why an flphg instead of a trike? Both have advantages, so this is a matter of individual preference. An flphg will add about 40 to pounds to your normal weight, including foci. A trike will add at least double that, making it more likely that you will need a larger glider. A trike needs a smooth surface for takeoffs and landing, while an flphg can be flown at almost any site you would normally fly a hang glider. At altitude, with the engine off, your flphg flying experience will be very similar to that with your normal prone harness. An flpbg is srmllcr and easier to transport. However, a trike offers more comfort for us aging types, and has the option of greater power. The pilot hanging below the bar will likely provide greater roll stabil.ity during climb. And having wheels and the option of increased power make a trike suitable for higheraltitude takeoffa.

NEW POSSIBILITIES As I become better acquainted with my new toy I am thinking of ways to enhance my normal hang gliding with the addition of power. I will be able to fly sites that were not possible to fly before, HANC CUDINC

were i llaccessibk for launch-· wi1h 1hc Mosfrlr rakcofis.

In flatlands I can get "virtual lows" withow ;1 crew. Power up ro a pres· elected altitude and "release" slrnning off the 111otor. ff I have ro land l can take a break and then "tow of mine is ro some 1IH'rnnl1rw with some other reach cloudhase At this l would fire up mowr and pro· cecd to dirnh up above the the other "down there" at cloud .. base ro have the camera for that bccrnsc All

will quito is a suitable l

Booster·· · A Brirish variation of the MosThis unir has a hard shell that is c1c;;1g11ed 10 make i1 to it to ev,c,·,,w harnesses. Orher unique model arc a prop (the flrst model 10 offer one) and wheels instead of skids 011 the

} ermesSft I 'r11 l1P.ilr'r If misfortune doc:s make nice wooden rer,1,.1,r·,, .. strike for about half the cost of the mcnt I) 16. carbon

Another British variation of the JVl(JSCJlllto. lr came on the market while

the old-style and improved upon thar wi rli an easy from entry. The harness can be cus-· tom made to your dimensions. This manufacturer also offers a kit rn modily older l\ll(JS<JUltcH:s to their harness for about IVl<1sq1rn1·0 was still

mum system,

Rirh11rd Cohh'.1 Weh work in progress. I information abow

izcd 011 the market si nee rhc late I 980's. '!'he first models h:1d old Keller!

'!'his allowed many into 1he maron rhe ,m1n111u1 Nl(JS<lllll,10 was cuml>ersome. l ,asr released rhe NIH; model which 1rnpn>vctl and has put it ;ll lvasr nor ahead of the r·nmr"·•·i.. even 1ion. Ir is lrn,nr-01x11mi~ lcs for the chest and and the cnmrols have been srrc1mlined ;md made accessible, There is now a and there arc two

01 her manufacturers to

J\n I tali an model that has come 011 the market. now iris the DV8 name For the North Amer·

J)

lnforma1io11 about the l 998 British "l ,akcs Classic tion":

a

system :ind orhcr rnods. So I have 1101 seen any 0111sidc conflrrnation of the pcrVisit fonn:mcc

2)

ZlllC.

3)

Powered turn 1m;tal)1t:1ty: /how/l111n/ roll. h rm llfscc· ovcrban k

alrit11dc cilc11laror on the

4)

Web:

h.x:;/J/orer ..... An Ausrralian copy of rhc

IVl<Jsqu11:o wirh a harness

rhar was

5)

IOS.

6) the ATOS. sion of the IVl(1sc1mto. inside the ··supr,Dn,c"· harnesses, There arc a number of cntlmsi;1sric owners of this model who claim that it is far more comfortable for extended A prop has hccn announced.

OcJOBIR 2()()1

technical

more thrm been rt US/I(;!} !ldwmced /nstruclor mid I Jc 11tidttl 11 /Ja,,·ae·.11a, r 0

i11dcx.l1rn1l,

!ll11n MortirnerJ \!?th

ht

rnr:cf:J1m1cai nurzn,?er,•nv rmd works as 11 m,:tuslrv mr.!SZtitt!r.1t, s1~cc;111!1-.z,n12 m

Continuedfrom page 16. deflection of the ailerons produced a stall at higher artack angles than with the ailerons in the nemral position, in other words, that wing would Ry slower. fn addition, the information garnered allowed us to make a number of improvements. We improved the stall characteris· tics, increased the lift/drag ratio and reduced adverse yaw. We closed the slot between the rear leading edge tube and the control surfaces, and raised the aileron a bit fi:ir a smoother profile on the top surface."

At this time a nmnber of articles appeared, and information started to spread about rigid wings spinning ,md the potential danger. Afrer a lot of research conducted by the designers of the Atos and Ghost Buster, it was proposed that the control bar he brought frirward to increase trim speed, reducing the likelihood of a spin. Pilots were advised to control their speed at all times and fly at a minimum of 40 km/h. We made changes to our rigidwing glider, taking these recornrnendations into consideration, bringing the control bar forward by 150 mm and trimming the glider at about 40 km/h.

After the final tests were performed iiwas demonstrated that the glider flew well and had good controllabiliry. Oleg Skyrko couldn't find any faults or problems.

Unfortunately, none of our pilots had flown the Atos or any other modern rigidwing glider, so we had no opportunity to compare our glider with others. A conventional weight-shift hang glider represented our standard of controllability when it came to our rigid--wing glider. Although we knew that it was impossible to exactly duplicate the control chanicteristics of a conventional hang glider, we tried to approximate it as closely as possible. In the opinion of our pilots this would be critical for safety, especially when flying in difficult conditions near a mmmrnin or hill.

With good, encouraging resulrs from our tests we went to Gerrnany to have the glider certified at DI-JV After the aerodynamic tests were completed successfully, the load tests began. During rhe load tests a glider is subjected to an overload of +<i/.3 which allows for an operational overload of +4/-2 G's with :t safety factor of 1.5.

38

Oleg Sleyrko.

During the negative load tests rhe Stalker withstood the target load of 420 which corresponds to a suspended Alier the glider pilot weight of 120 passed this test the load was increased fur-· ther until failure. A little turbulence arose as the load increased to kg, and at tb is point the keel broke. It is interesting 10 note thar this corresponded with pinpoint accuracy ro rhc predictions made by our calculations. There w;is no forther failure of the structure, and the glider continued to withstand another 200-kg load!

Afrer the keel was replaced the positive load tests began. We were concerned since there was a significant risk that the wing would start swinging, and finally break as ;1 result of undcsigncd--for asymmetric loads. For test purposes, at our request, the glider was witb an attack angle of about 17°, not more, as is usual. The Sralker withstood the test load without any difficulty and was stable, with no swinging whatsoever. During this test the glider began to fail at 720 kg, which corresponds to 100 kg of suspended weight.

J\t the point of failure the keel rivets broke and there was slight damage to the D-ccll, bm even after rhis the glider con· tinned to carry more than 200 kg of weight. 'T'his would guarantee that the glider could he flown safely to a landing even afrer failure. fn the production gliders we have reinfr)rced the areas where failure: occurred, and in the near foture the Stalker will he again to certify it for up to 120 of suspended weight.

Nikolay Kononenko, ar Aero--

la Ltd., comments: "As of this writing the Stnlker is the strongest among gliders of its type. 'li::sts at DHV have demonstrat-ed the viability of the design. After keel failure the wing continued to carry weight equal to half of· the failure load.

'T'his characteristic will the pilot an opportunity to safely Hy and land the glider in the unlikely event of structural failure. Jn the final phase of development we enhanced control system strength, and work on weight reduction is underway."

We still bad ro pass the flight tests, but during an entire week the weather wouldn't ;1llow it. Finally the weather improved, this phase of the testing was completed, and the Stalker met all of our expectations. 'The following characteris tics of the glider were all confirmed by rests at DHV: The Stalker takes off easily and has good connollability during launch. It is stable and controllable when aero-towing.

'J'hc glider is steady at high speeds (l 00 km/h and higher). There is no oscillation or adverse yaw.

There is no tendency to nose up when the ailerons are deflected.

The Stalker has no tendency to spin :md is spirally stable. Of course, one can stall any glider, but even with the onset of stall the Srnlker remains controllable.

Recovery from a steep spiral at high speeds is not a problem, and does not require special effort on tbe part of the pilot.

Flight characteristics of the Stalker include excellent controllability and sensitivity, as well as quick turn reversal.

So ends our account of the design and evolution of the Stalker rigid wing. We lwve honestly recounted the story of our efforts and the events during this period, wirhom attempting to hide, exaggerate, or sugar-coat anything. We hope this has given you an appreciation of how thorough and responsible we were when creating this glider, and hope that this will you sense of confidence should you decide to fly a Stalker. Ill HANC GlllJINC

straight here too.

39

Ninety miles south ofFlorida is a fantasy/and that once abounded with American tourists and mobsters, a perfect location to satisfy dreams of flying in an exotic location. article and photos by CJ Christopher

r~,

he world's best cigars, mouth-watering rums and salsa dancing in the streets. These were my preconceived notions of Cuba before I made my first trip to chis intoxicating country. I soon found out chat Cuba is all of the above, plus much more, making it a traveler's paradise. No wonder prior to 1959 Cuba was one of the world's hottest tourist destinations. Most importantly, it is the people of Cuba who touch your heart, as they embrace foreigners with an overwhelming friendliness and unassuming charm chat make for lifelong memories. Sparkling clean beaches, lush, picturesque mountains and green valleys (full of LZ's!) make for some of the most scenic flying I have ever experienced.

Inspired to fly a hang glider in Cuba by a previous article in Hang Gliding that recounted a Cuban expatriate's story of returning to fly in his home town (see the August 2000 issue), I set out on an exploratory trip in January 2001.

Although I spoke no Spanish, had no contacts in Cuba, and had only a general idea of where I might find a flying site, I set off. I was determined to explore the possibilities of hang gliding in chis most beautiful country. I knew that in Cuba, any activity slightly our of the ordinary requires jumping through bureaucratic hoops and securing formal permission, so I counted heavily on making friends with local pilots as I usually do when visiting new sites.

As it rurned our, flying acriviries in Cuba during early 2001 were under temporary suspension due to a flying incident involving French pilots violating restricted airspace in a far-away province. Hang

40

gliding, paragliding, parachucing and even model airplane flying were all shut down.

I was told in no uncertain terms chat flying a site without formal permission was not in my best interest. My dream of flying in Cuba was on hold. On chis trip,

however, I did manage to make friends with the Guantanamo area director of flying activities, Jose Angel. He was later to become my trusted friend and main flying contact in Cuba.

Back in the U.S., later chat year, I H ANG GLIDING

. . . . .venture received an invitation from Jose to fly in the Granma Club Regional Competition scheduled for July. The third annual event was an open invitation for all Cuban and international pilots to fly their local site. I knew immediately that I would head back OCTOBER 2001

to Cuba for this monumental adventure.

A couple of months later I packed up my collapsible Target hang glider and simple knee-hanger harness, and headed for Cuba's second largest city, Santiago de Cuba. I arrived bleary eyed but excited

after leaving home 20 hours earlier. Jose met me at the airport. We loaded my gear into his 1957 Rambler, Jose's pride and joy. Replaced with a four-cylinder Russian motor under the hood, the Rambler roared to life and my adventure began.

A couple of hours later we arrived in Guantanamo and Jose introduced me to other local pilots. In addition to an enthusiastic welcome to their flying sire, the club also provided lodging and meals for the visiting pilots. When I was told that the accommodation would be in the form of "camping," I was hesitant and skeptical.

To my surprise, I was housed in a stone bungalow just a few steps from the beach.

It had comfortable cots, running water, showers and flush toilets. I shared the room with a pilot visiting from Switzerland. Breakfast was the standard fare of eggs, bread and coffee, but the dinners were delicious, giving me a chance to savor traditional Cuban cooking. Each evening meal featured arroz congri (rice and beans) , plantanos (fried plantain) and either a pork dish or fried chicken. A large place of mango and papaya for dessert topped off each meal. Dinner conversations were exciting and animated, laced with "hang-babbling" as pilots reviewed and recounted the day's flights .

Sixty miles east of Santiago is the Granma club's local flying site, Mr. Mariana. This 1,000-foot hill is several miles inland from the quaint, small town of San Antonio del Sur, a town nor accustomed to outside visirors. The annual flying competition undoubtedly is the biggest event of the year in San Antonio del Sur. The week of competition began with an opening ceremony in the town square, which included lots of introductions and formality. The obligato1y, ever-present, ear-shattering Cuban dance music played in the background over a horrendously distorted primitive PA system. My Target served as an event display prop in the square. Curious locals surrounded and eyed the bright Dacron. The Cuban pilots admired the glider in awe, no doubt comparing it to their own equipment. All of the other gliders in use during the competition were old and severely compromised, deteriorated from age and moisture. Many of the pilots were flying relics, left behind by visiting pilots from days gone by. The Cubans had done their best to repair and retrofit them with whatever hodgepodge of parts was available.

41

Each morning the contingency of pilots and equipment were driven to Mt. Mariana in a clunky Soviet bus. Along the road we often passed vintage U.S. auto·· mobiles from the 40's and 50's (Desotos, Plymouths, Chevys) that seemed to be held toged1er wirh chewing gum and a prayer. We were dropped off at the end of' the paved road, requiring us to travel rhe final 500 ft:ct of hill on foot. 'fhe young Cuban pilots never grumbled while carrying the gliders up the steep hill on their shoulders. Jockeying frir launch position and ongoing glider tinkering was the order of the day. 'The roll of duct tape l brought along was in high demand and was reduced to nothing after a few of makeshift sail repairs.

H11.ng check prior to/lying tit Mt. Mari1mr1.

The dry desert region separating Mt. Mariana from coast begins generaling thermals by J0:00 AM. Coupled with tbe glassy, coastal air pushing inland, this is smooth, easy flying at irs best. Shortly into my first flight into this breathtakingly beautiful site, I shut off my vario the remainder of the event so as nor to be bo1hered by chirping electronics.

What a pleasure it was to fly in such consistent, smood1, warm air. Any anxiety or tension l harbored about flying at a new site soon as I rose predictably a thousand feet over launch into the glassy air. lt was difficult to think ;ibout turnpoints and tasks prescribed by the meet director in this scenery.

'The cornperitive aspect of the rncet

was at an absolute minimum. The majority of pilots were merely happy to have the opportunity to be flying. 'fhe daily tasks laid our by the meet director were straightforward: fly a few kilometers to the somh, then to the west, then back to launch. Volunteers with binoculars manned bed sheet turn points rhat were laid out in the desert. As no radios or GPS's are allowed in Cuba, this was flying at its most basic. I only saw a couple of variorneters in use among the 30 or so pilots.

Afrer breaking down the gliders at the end of day we promptly headed for the bathtub-warm beach. Several rivers spill into the ocean near San Antonio del allowing swimmers to choose

between either fresh- or salr-water frolicking. For a few pesos, local young boys would fetch a wheelbarrow frill of freshpicked, ripe coconuts and provide a sharp machete for us ro slice them open. l have never known anything to taste so good as coconut juice after a day of flying.

Closing ceremonies six days later at the beach included the announcements and introductions all over again. Much ado was made over rhe proclamation of winners, and l was overwhelmingly surprised when I was awarded first place in the hang gliding division! I am convinced that tbe primitive, handmade, wood trophy was awarded to me in recognition of being the first "Yankee American" to have flown Mt. Mariana, and not: for any stellar flying pedc)rmances. Nonetheless, [ was greatly appreciative and honored to he recognized by the Cuban flying community and the locals of San Antonio dcl Sur. I knew that the camaraderie l developed with the Cuban pilots would make for lasting memories I would never forget.

As I was flying home I thought a lot about the flying experience and the beautifi1l country of Cuba. The Cuban pilots had exhibited a fearless passion to fly that compelled them to fly despite the limitations of antiquated equipment and lack of' ins1-rucrion. When I asked some of the pilots why they felt so driven to fly, they spoke of feelings of personal freedom while airborne. 'fhe harsh realities ofliving in a country with abysmal economic and social restraints could be forgotten temporarily as they rose up to the clouds. One pilot laughingly suggested to me that he wished for a small engine on his hang glider so he could fly to Florida. Unfortunately, as in unpowered flight, Cubans are limited as to how far they can venture astray.

American travel to Cuba is booming, and contra1y to popular belief we are nor prohibited technically from visiting there.

The restrictions imposed by the 'Ji·casury Department prohibit spending money in Cuba unless the traveler is licensed.

Obtaining a license requires a good reason.

The regulations change and are subject to different interpretation depending on the rnood of the cmrent administration.

Thousands of Americans choose to violate the restrictions and slink into Cuba via Mexico, Canada, or other countries.

Apprehension and prosecution arc very rare. However, violators arc subject to stiff fines.

OCTOBER 2001

The author with/ose Angel and his prized 1957 Rambler. 'fravclers heading to Cuba do so at a fascinating time in Cuban history, as Cuba slowly sheds its socialist ideals. The Cuba of today is wrapped in the ideology and customs of the past, yet it is anxious 10 seek out and embrace the conveniences of more prosperous countries. T'he country is anxious for tourists and travelers to visit their wondcrf11I cou nrry and to savor die warmth and hospitality they are so cager ro share.

Cuba is on the edge of a major transformation that promises changes culturally and economically. Some

day this Caribbean island may be overrun with McDonalds and Starbucks coffeehouses. The country is incredibly ripe for a major influx of American tourists. Perhaps the best time to visit is now.

Visiting pilots will find that Mr. Mariana is a place withour the familiarity and predicrabili1y of flying sites at home, there is such an advcn· which is why ture, and why I am already planning for next competition.

43

HANG GLIDlNG ADVISORY Used hang should always be disassembled before flying for rime and inspected carefolly for fatigued, bent or elem· cd clownrnbcs, ruined bushings, bcnr bolts (especially the heart bolt), n>-uscd Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, or rusted cables, tangs with non .. circular holes, on flex wings, sails badly rorn or tom loose from their anchor poinrs from and back on the keel and lending edges. ff in doubt, many hang gliding business .. cs will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of cquipmcnr you bring them ro inspect.

Buyers should select equipment tbm is appropriate for their skill level or rnting. New pilots should seek profos .. sional instruction from a USHGA CERT!F!ED INSTRUCTOR.

DON'T MISS THIS STEAL! AFROS STEALTH II 151 Matrix cloth, billboard glider, white LF, red

FUSTON 424,0070.

Demo daily. WALLABY RANCH (863)

w/bluc undersmfacc (Aug '00 centerfold) 80 hours, reduced ro $1,890 OBO. Sacramenro CA. Cell rcto..sG:ilyahoo. com

GU DERS

35+ for sale, rigid to single surface.

Call/cm.ail for cmTcnl list. Wallaby Ranch (863) 4240070 l'lorida, glid,:rs~hwallaby.com

DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 New and used.

WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-·0070.

EAGLES 145, I G/i Rcnral gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) lt7J .. 8800,

HPAT 145 Good condition, new wing wires. Blue, lime, magct1ta undcrsnrfocc, LOOKS AND FLIES GREAT, GOOD FIRST XC SHIP $950. Jim (607) 732-00:J,i Elmira NY.

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

HPAT 1ll5 ( ;ood condilion, new leading edge clor\-, and recent superpreflight $995.(262) 47:3 .. ssoo, info@hanggliding.com

FALCONS 140, 170, 195,225 new at1d 11Sed. WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

HPAT 158 Good condition, very nice to fly $500 OBO. (9'70) '728 3905.

FALCONS l 70 & 190 Combined airtime hours, best deal around $1,695 each. (90'7) 223 .. ()622.

KI.ASSTC 1lilt Fxccllcm condition, great climb rate: $1,500 priced to sell. (54 J) 504 .. 5416.

School use, one FALCONS CLEARANCE SAT.F season. All sizes $1,250,$2,500. (262) 473-8800,

Kl ASSJC: 155 Good shape, all around great glider, thermals like a dream. Russell (858) 550 .. 0704 So. CaliC

AIRWAVE XTREMF Topless <20hrs, blue/white, mint condition, srored inside, MUST sell $1,800. Bob or Steve (}05) -129-021 :$, qucstair@sundial.net

PREE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/TRANSPORT TUBE of any new glider. (51 '7) UcllJ(l'J~;f\0l!ac,l.c,nm. Largest selection of new and used gliders in Michigan.

LAMINAR ST, 14, 13 in stock. WALLABY RANCH (863) 421-0070.

Al.TA TR SATURNS 147, 167 !light low hours, cle,111, priced to sell.

8800, infoGhJrnnggliding.corn

F{JSlON 1li 1 I.OW HOURS, EXCELLENT CONDITION $3,850. MARClO (203) 253-6404, calegarisp@aol.com

Al'CO HILlTE 25 132-200lb, <30 hours, w/harness $300. Second Chantz Rocket" emergency ballistic parachute $ l 00. High Energy harness, blue $50.

(831) 818-')485,

FUSION 141 ALMOST IMMACULATE, NEVER WHACKED. Blue, lime undcrsurfacc, 20 hours $2,900. Jim (60'7) 7:J2 .. 0034 Elmira NY.

FLEXWJNGS AFROS STFALTH JI llt2 M11st sell, flies great, 70 hours $1,500. (406) 668-7421, billxc@hotmail.com AEROS STf,:Ar:IH IT 151 Exccllentcondirio11, low hours, extras $1,800 OBO. (970) 728-3')05.

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

l'lJSION Grey/black, 90 hours $2,500. xc1rmando@aol.cont

LA MOUElTE TOPI.FSS IT Great glider for light pilors. Good condition, builr summer of'99, 100 hours $2,800 OBO. Comact Claire (814) li22,0589, pagcu-

bks(nl)azcrlink.con 1 MOYES CSX 5 Topless, years old, excellent condition $1,995. (619) 286 SCiOlt, il<>b@websitctrafficb11ilrlcrs.com

MOYES CSX SX, XTI., XS3, XT, etc. New and nearly new. Available immediately. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include firs! few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 3 words) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue).

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

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

SECTION

0 Flex Wings l..l Emergency Parachutes O Parts & Accessories 0 Business & Employment l..l Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders O Videos

C.l Towing

Schools & Dealers Ultralights 0 Rigid Wings l..l Publications & Organizations O Wanted l..l Harnesses

Begin with -·-·-················- ····-·---······ 19 consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, l..l money order is enclosed in the amount of$ .. _...............___ ~......................· NAME: .... -~·----·-

44

Number of ..

v , v v · . -.............................. -

Number of ..

v,~v· .. -

-·----············--···~----····-----....

..... .

... · · · - · -..· · - · · · - · - - ·

@$1.00

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

HANC CUDING

$500 or consider rr;idc. (li2:>) 596 .~065.

LJITRASPORT I/i7 clean, folding b,iscmbe, spare dnwrnube $2,200. (619) San l )icgo.

ATOS For sale, special price. David (l 19) Ci.'.\0369S, davidGildaviclglovcr.com

Crcat condition, pttrplc/whit·c, very low hours $2,WO. (262) liTJ-8800, i11fo@hangglicling.com

(JITRASPC)]ff lli7, J 66 -,~ Rema[ gliders at fligh1 park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) liT\-8800, info(illhanggliding.com

G!IOST!llJSTFR ~- Low hours, like new, perfect and white $7,200. Russell

MOYES Xr PRO 1Ci5 The model before rhe SONIC, two available $1, 500., $2,100. (262) 473 8800,

VISIONS & PlJLSFS Bo11gh1-SoldTraded. Raven Sky Sports (262) ,fl.3-8800, info@hanggliding.com

MILLENNIUM chure, ntdder two rransporr (819) '565-72/i<J.

MOYES GTR 118

New wires, good condition,

Carbon con1rol edge insert,;; two spare carbon downasymmetrical colors: Large blnc/red good condition, only 1300 miles, since li/00. for Hang 4s ONLY! $3,500. Pete Lehmann (It 12) 661-3/i7!i, lpld11na1111/i>laol.com

WILLS WING FlJSlON SP

MOYFS XTRAJ.rTF lli7 All white $1,100 OBO. (262) li73-8800, info((ill,anggliding.com MRX200I LAMTNAR.'i ARE HERE Experience pcrionma11cc flex wing available. New and STs also available. (760) -0701, 111,1as1,y~oyad100.corn and www.icaro2000.com

l'ULSI·: l l M Grca1 $2,500. (706) 687. 531 '), cdhayc,,iii(r.•Jcs., otn

1

WW l'USlON 150 Excellent cnndition, first $1,500 wins (bnying Atos.) Turbo Bob (711) 3507860. 1998 paramotor, Zcnoh 2,50cc demo, low hours $:1,1195.

PULSES & VISIONS Bnughr--Sold-Traclcd. Raven Sky Sports (262) li73-8800, info(alhanggliding.com RAM AIR lli6 Exccllem condirion, low hours, nice colors, flies great $1,000 or consider rrade. (42i\) 5% 3065.

Three 16'i near new conditio11 w/all options t ,ouu--.~L,<>uu. One I!iii $1,500. Raven Sky Sporrs (267) '173-8800, intc,<,:t'Jian((p;lidir1g.com

grccn/whirc/blnc, ripsi-op trailing Joe (Bli7) 895-5858 Illinois.

good condition, flies grca1 $850.

SPFCTRUM CLEAR/\NCF SALE ,'rn,,,-1i-11ms in

1

SMOK!N' DEAL!!! AFROS STEALTH Ill Oleg Ricer I 5 l - Late 2000, marrix clorh, an1,o--!lnV11er11n>. sprogs, ALL THE RACE CIZMOS, carbon control bar! hour wrnl rime. Get ting out of comp flyprice reduced to $2.795 OBO. Sacramento CA. (') 16) 798-7156, rcrn.,sGllyahoo.corn Recently inspected, <50 hours SlJl'F.RSPORT 153 $800 OHO. (:l Iii) li69-4227, jsinason<rhswbdl.net SlJPFRSPORT 153 Superneat custom sail, very low hours, WW /in included $1,900. (262) li?.3-8800, info(1)hangglidi11g.co111

training wheels &. regnlar special car rack $6,500. Out Fast

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES

ULTRA UGI lTS AIR SPORTS USA WWW.FLYl•ORFUN.NET SPARTAN DI'S Soarablc liglmvcight trike, fiber· glass I-lirth FJ3 electric sum, 160 wing paraglider wing also), like new, 15 $5,500. Wills Wing Sport 150, grc:1t condition .t700.

BRS ulrn1Jigh1 chute $500. New McCullough IO I B. Chrysler 1Ohp w/gcar reduction. (570) 629 052.2, koh7 I 50Qrlbonnail.com

WANTED

w/1irc-1"lin,·art.'ll bend. Need one, hut will take 7.-3.

3838 leave message,

h11tz(){i1la1tglohal.nc1

Qnanrnm Raven Sky Sports (262) 473-8iWO, mf,o~t'ha111gr;Jl(J1nr>,.c,,m IIARNESSES

DOODLE BUG Motor harness, sales, service, instruction. Dealers welcome. www.flylOl.com (702) 2G0-7050.

CIHJTES (970) (diHARNESS EXCHANGE ')315, ht 1p://gnnnisongliders.com/

MK4 needed. 1-800-688-%:,7.

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

HIGH ENERGY TRACFH POD HARNESSES rnonrhly, $300-500. Cocoons 5'9" $/iOO. Kncehangers & stir li?J-8800,

MOSQUITO POWERED HARNl'.SS New prop, chme $2,500. (li08) 295

PARAGLIDERS AIR SPORTS US/\ WWW. FI.YFORFUN. NET RIGmWINGS

ATOS Well kept, with extras $G,700, F.XXTACY I :30---low hours $6,200. (206) 2-H-5 122.

NATfON/\L SCHOOL NETWORK RJNCS LOCA!.1.Y. !'or information call David (71 'J) G'.\O %98, davidQ1lchvidglDver.com /\LABA MA

Small, brand new, in stock. Nor demos.

Why wait? (262) li?.3-8800, rnltW"l1anggl1c\Jr1g.eom

l,OOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'LJCllT PARK -- Sec

ad nndcr Georgia.

Ocro11rn 200·1

4 ,)['

NO MORE BUNNY. ..

CALIFORNIA DREAM WEAVER JIANG GLIDING Train on state-of-the-art WlLLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One fom hour lesson $ I00. Three fom hour lessons, plns tandem off 2,000ft. $:lOO. Five lessons for $1t00. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.

Complete lesson programs. Year-round instrucrion.

1.auncbing and landing and thermal clinics available.

I'll Call for group rntes. Tired of hiking your help you! Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, Spons, Ball varios, Camclbaks and more. love rrade··ins. J'm your northern California MOSQUITO HARNESS DEALER If you live in central through northern California, give me a call or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Call or email, scheduling lessons five a week, Friday through Tuesdays. Ideal training up to 150fr., 600ft. rnonnrnin. 1,200ft. mountain. Tandem instrnction.

USHGA Adv,mccd Tnstrucror DOUG PRATHER (209) 556-0169 Modesto. CA. drmwvrhgGi)sofrcom.nct FLY AWA. Y HANG Cl.I DING

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WE HA VE The rnosr advanced training program known t:o hang gliding, teaching you in half the time it rakes on the training-BUNNY HILL, and with more in·night air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For year-round training fun in the sun, call or write Miami Hang Gliding (305) 285 ..

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HANG CUD!NC AND PARA(;LJDJNG USJ !GA cenificd instruction, randcm Hight inst:rucrion, sales, service, repairs) rqx1cks, and site tours. San Diego's Visa and MasterCard or toll free 1-877.. FLY www.flytorrcy.com

THE HANG GLlDlNG CENTER 6312. Malcolm Drive, San 1)icgo CA 92115, (619) 265.S:Wl. HIGH ADVFNTURE Hang school. Eq11ipme111 sales, service, California's mile high site, C:rcsrline. USHG;\ lnstrucror Roh Mcl<cnzie. Hy appoinrmcnt year ronnd.

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Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment

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Om comprehensive training program, located at the San l'rancisco Bay Area's finest beginner site fcatmcs: gently sloped "b11nny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and comfortable rraining harnesses!

"FIRST FLTGHT"l5 minute video tom of om shows a su1dcm's skill 1migress1011 $20 included).

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QUEST A[R SOARJNG CENTER Your vacation hang gliding location. (352) 42')-02 L3, fax (352) 429lt81t6. Visit our website at: www.qucsrairforcc.com or email us: qucstair@s1mdial.net

than 8,000

DON'T RISK BAD WEATHER Bad instruction or hills. 350 flyable days each l.c:irn skills safely and q11ickly. wirh professional ar world famous Dockwcilcr Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coasrnl winds, soft sand and in ,1 with one of America's most

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COLORADO A!RTIMF ABOVE HANc; CLf])fN<;

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RAVEN SKY SPORTS (312) .%0-0700, (815) ii89-9700 or (262) liTl-8800. 2 hours from Chicago, 90 minurcs from Elgin, Palatine or l.ibcrtyville. The best instructors, the best rhc best rcsulrs in the Midwest. 7 thrn November.

Training program combined/integrated foot launch and acrotow certification. Apply 1OO'X, of yom intro lesson costs to cenificarion program upgr~idc! Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. info@hangglicling.com

JUST 8 MILES l'R.OM DISNEY WORLD • YEAR ROUND SOARING OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK SIX TUGS, NOWAITJNG EVERY DIRECTION 50+ NICE demos 10 fly: Topless to Trainer Gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwavc, Exxtacy, l ,a Mouetre Sensor; also liarnesses, varios, etc.

1

Ages 13 'fo 73 have learned to fly here.

No one comes close to our level of experience and SlJcccss with tandem acrotow instruction.

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ...

10 n1ords & restaurants within 5 mins., earn ping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, storage, rarings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic rabies, swimming pool, etc.

l-800-803-7788 FULL I TOOK-UPS Laundry, propane, recreation room. 1 800-803-7788.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their at Lookout than at any other school! We wrote Official Training Manual.

Our spccialty-cuswmcr satisfaction and fun with the BEST FACll.lTIES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, more! For a flying trip, inrro flig;ht or lesson Lookout Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, your COMPLETE training/service ccn· ter. Info? (800) 688-LMFP.

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Baltimore and DC's full time /Jight par!, Tandern instruction, solo acrotows and equipment sales and service.

We carry Acros, Ai1wave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more.

Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com

Plcnsc call m for references and video.

1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Arca, Ff. 3383'1 (863) li24-0070 phone & fax fly@wallaby.com I-BOO-WALT .ABY

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a

OCTOBER 2001

BIRDS IN PARADISE Hang gliding & ultralight /Jying on Kauai. Ccrrilied tandem instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) C,39-1067, birds@birdsinparadisc.co1nwww.birdsinparadisc.com

MEXICO YcaH·mmd, summer in Monterrey, win-tcr in Valle de Bravo. 1-800-861-7198, www.flymcxico.com

47

Continued from page 8. push your skills all the way to the level of extreme cross-country racing in an individually paced program. Less experienced pilots will most likely find that they need to begin with the instruction offered in the first level, while more experienced pilots may find that they can jump right into the second or third level.

For more information about advanced training contact Paris at parisbeckeu@hotmail.com, or to make a reservation contact Quest Air Soaring Center, (352) 429-0213, quesrair@sundial.net, www.questairforce.com.

MOYES LAUNCHES MINIMUMDRAG "WOM" CONTROL

FRAME

D esponding to the demanding environ-

1'ment of top-class competition, the

Moyes team has produced their new, lowdrag "Zoom" control frame, which offers significant drag reduction over standard comrol frames and meets the latest structural

requirements of the PAI. Selected pilots at the World Championships have already tested the Zoom frame.

The downtube section is based on the carbon design used by GerolfHeinrichs.

This produces minimum drag over a range of angles of arrack. Downtubes are produced as an economic aluminum extrusion with an internal strengthening web. The finish is a superior black-powder coating to march the base bar.

The Zoom basebar is mirror-finish carbon fiber with the Moyes logo inlaid in the top laminate. The A-frame geometry repro-

100 foot take off and landing 22 HP engine Attaches to most hang gliders Easy to set up, break down and transport Ready to Fly, Not a Kit SkyCycle Video Available 48

duces the grip position of the standard basebar and FAST bar with comfortable grip sections. This means pilots can swap to the new control frame and feel comfortable right away without any modification of hang height or harness position.

The entire control frame has been designed using state-of-the-art 3D CAD solid modeling techniques. The intersection berween the basebar and downtube has been developed to produce precisely the correct incidence angles for minimum drag, and even the pip pins have been reworked so as not to disrupt the airflow. CAD designer Attila Bertok claims that these prevem drag-inducing incidence errors berween the downtube and basebar, a deficiency in other designs produced with aesthetics in mind rather than aerodynamics. The Zoom frame corners are produced with precision investment casting and finished with a durable black epoxy powder coating. The Zoom frame was designed with careful attention to ease of rigging. No tools are required and it takes no more effort than a standard comrol frame to assemble.

VG operation has been improved over the standard control frame with the use of freerunning ball bearing pulleys throughout. This has allowed for a reduced gear ratio with the same pilot effort, so the VG is applied with fewer pulls and there is less drag-inducing rope projecting at full VG. The Zoom comrol frame firs directly onto Litespeed gliders in a few minutes using the same rigging wires and heart bolt, and can be adapted to any current glider much more easily than other contemporary control frames.

Contact: Moyes America, (530) 8888622, FlyaMoyes@aol.com, www.MoyesAmerica.com. •

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MICHIGAN

PENNSYLVANIA

Aerorow CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION ists. We carry all major brand hang gliders.

PVC glider storagc/rnmsport rube with new glider pm· chase. Now in stock: Wills TALON COMP!, XC 155, Falcons; Moyes Litcspecd 4, Sonic 165; Magic Kiss 151. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in stock.

Call for fall tandem lessons and flying appoinrments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, Ml 48892. (517) 223--8683. Cloud9sa@aol.com. http://mcmbcrs.anl.com/doud9sa MICHIGAN SOARING Delivering VALUE with the best combination of SERVICE, QUALITY & PRICE. ALL major brands of gliders and gear. Call Doug Coster (231) 882-4741, wingman@rravcrse.com TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLJDERS/PARAGLJD. ERS FULL-TIME shop. Certified instruction, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Corne soar our 450' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml 49684.

Offering powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call T\ill ar (231) 922-2841, tchangglider@juno.com. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 7')9-8620.

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

The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 Tl Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 777 ..

7000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET

HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS

MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified instrnction, Pittsburgh. (Ii 12) 767--4882. C'MON OUT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WINGS

FLY H!Gl I HANG GLIDING, TNC. Scrviug S. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mm.) Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified scbool/inmuction. Teaching since 1979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary instruc· tion .. .if you've finished program and wish to cont:in· uc. Ply the mountain! ATOL towing! Tam\em flights!

Contact Paul 5163 Searsville Rd, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (845) SUSQUEHANNA FL!GIJT PARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified lnsrruerion, Sales and Service for all major manufacmrcrs. 40 park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk honsc, campinp;, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. We have the best facilities in N. New York srnte to reach you how ro fly. c/o Dan Guido, Box 29'3 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 1310'7, (315) 866 .. 6153.

See Maryland.

Look under New York

PUERTO RICO I<LY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit Hang Gliding, HG classes daily, tandem instmct:ion available. Wills Wing dealer. Glider rentals for qualified pilots. PO Box 978, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico 00741. (787) 850 ..

0508, tshg@coqui.net TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK ad under Georgia.

Sec

TEXAS

NORTH CAROLINA MINNESOTA RAVEN SKY SPORTS (612) .340-1800 or (262) 473-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. NEVADA Sierra soaring at its best.

ADVENTURE SPORTS Toms and tandems available. I n.struction from certified USHGA instructors with 25 years experience. Sales, service and instrnCt"ion by appointment Carson City/Lake Tahoe NV. (775) 88'3-7070 http://homc.1ryramid.net/advspts

I

•

LAS VEGAS AIRSPORTS USHGA certified gliding instruction. Sales and service, boat row, motrn· tain soaring, XC. (702) 260-7950, www.f1y10l.com NEW JERSEY

• YEAlz..ROUND SOAIUNG • EXCELJ.ENTXC FLYING • TANDEM INSTRUCTION • AERO TOWING/THREE TUGS • DRAGONFLY/TRIKE INSTRUCTION • INTRO FOOT LAUNCH CLASSES • PARAGL!DlNC TOWS • WINCIT TOWING • PLY.. INS AND CLINICS • SAi.ES AND SERVICE• 600 ACRE FACILITY Steve Bnrns ·· 979.279.9382 email: sburns@alphal.net 800B Pinc St., Hearne TX 77859 Fred Burns 281.471.l188 email: austinair@aol.com 3810 Bonita Lane, La Pone TX 77571 wvvw.austinairsports.com

MOUNTAJN WJNCS

Look under New York.

GO ... HANG GLIDING!!!-· Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fox (512) 467 2529 jcff@f1ytcxas.com www.f1ytcxas.com

NEW YORK AAA FLIGHT SCHOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS I ELLENVILLE AlR SPORTS. Full service shop, flight park, 4500ft. row field, winch rowing, two .. place lJ.L. training. Airwave, i\ltait, Moyes, Aeros, learn 2000, Plight Star U.L., MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY VALLEY harnesses in stock. The origi· nal V-MTTTS $29.00. mtnwings@carskill.net or (845) 647-.3.377 www.mtnwings.com, l 50 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428. The most complete HG Pmshop in the North East.

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION AEROTOWlNG • BOAT TOWING • BEACH RESORT • FOOT LAUNCH • TRAINING CAMPS • PARAGLlDING • OPEN YEAR ROUND • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE

(800) 33f4777 NAGS HEAD, NC

HfT.L COUNTRY l'ARAGUD!NG INC Learn complete pilot skills. Personalized USH GA certified training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in ccnrral Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDlNG INSTRUC'J'ION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 379· 1185. 1175 CR 220, Tow TX 78672.

KITE ENTERPRISES Foot launch, platform launch and acrotow instruction too. Training, sales, rentals and repair. Airwave & Wills Wing. Dallas, Forr Worth aud north Texas area. 21 l Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (972) 390-9090 nights, weekends, www.kire-cnterpriscs.co1n

Inrcrncr Address: http://www.kittylrnwk.com F.-Mail Ad,!t-ess: infoG'illdnyhawk.com

50

HANG CLIDING

TOTAL AIR SPORTS Area's OLDEST Wills Wing dealer. Certified insrruction available, "I DEAL with WILLS", 16121 Lakeview, Housron 7'70/iO, (71'\) 937-861/i, totalairsportJOG:!lhomiaiLcom

SfLVER WJNGS, INC

Ccnilicd instruction and cqt11p111c11t sales, (703) 533-1 %5 Arlington VA,

WASJIINGTON UTAH

WASATCH WINGS Urah's only foll service hang gliding school, Point of the Mountain, regional mountain sites, l )caler for Acros, Airwavc, Altair, and much more, Call /,,ic (801) L'l 'J- /'l '.:J'I, wi ngsGhwas:1tTJ1.C(>m

HANGTTME-- llealcr of the MOSQUITO powered hctrncsscs, Call for CLJNIC dcttcs. Right here in the pacific northwest, (509) 525-3574, lbbrown@bmi,nct WISCONSIN

0

ww,,v .wasatch.co1n/ -wings

VIRGINIA

BLUF SKY Fulltimc instrnction and service al Manquin Flight Park near Richmond, Wills Flight Design, Acros and Airwavc gliders, Mosquito dealer, Steve Wendt (5/iO) 43:>6557 or (804) 2/i 1-li32ii, www,blueskyhg,com, blueskyhgCr'lyahoo,com H!CHLAND AEROSPORTS KITTY I IA WK KITES

RAVEN SKY SPORTS HANG GLJDING AND PARJ\GUDJN(; The Midwest's Premier aerorow Hight park, founded in 1992, Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of foodaunch and aerotow tanprices ro beat any in the USA, Seven grassy t:raining hills facing all wind directions. Four tow phtncsi no waidngl Fom tandem gliders on undercarriages, WW Falcons for training from the very first lessons. USUA ultralight and tug instruction, Free camping, Sales/set· vice/ accessories for all brands, Open 7 days a week, March t:luu November. Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box 101, Whitewater Wl 53190 (262) 4;3-8800 phone, (262) li?:l-8801 fax, www,hanggliding,com, info0lhanggliding,com

llFST 12" WlffFLS AVAlLABLE

Super tough, tandem lluilt·in lightweight, a must for bushings, Only \JSA·builr whecL quantity discounrs. li11mcdiatc delivery. Look.ow Mountain, (800) 688.,lMFP.

Sec Maryland,

Sec North Carolina, • ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE

Of Milwaukee, Acrorow JUST NORTH WEST and payollt winch Tandem instruction beginner to advanced, tandem gear, All major brands of' gliders and gear (Ii 11) 'II>- ix 1, www,surf-air,com Herc to keep you safo and happy!!! l'LY AT VTRmNlA'S NEWEST TOTAL FUGl IT PARK-·- MANQUIN offers acrotowing, rnndern training hill ,md scoorer lessons, platform t:rnck towing for beginner tbru pilots, Certified instruction, glider equipment sales, service and through "BLUE SKY" Virginia's leading hang

sclwoL Try 3-axis flying with ccrrilied ultralight instruction through "FLY RAWLING", learn to fly and soar the Supcrfloater.

Just 2 hours somh of Washington DC, minutes NE of RichmoncL Free campi111, and close to fast food, restaurants and Kings Dominion theme park Visit www,blucskyhg.com, (540) 432-6557

Price $ I l 9.95, Extra Dealer inquiries welcome, Call (913) MC/Visa. Visit our website at www.flightconn,com

PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Sec TOWING. THE WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070,

FI.YTFC 4030 Ball CC flight computer, Carmin Plus Ill, Carmin Pilot Gl'S, Ball 51 vario w/baragraph, mini vario, "\ValLtby" type tow bridle, wheels, oxygen system, (206) 244.·'i 122,

AMAZJNCLY LOW PRICES ~ On all Ball varios!

Bob~ilbrokcrforyou.com

(719) ]

0C:TOBIR 200 I

S1

OXYGEN SYS'fEMS

ALL ACCESSORIES IN STOCK! r:lyrec 4005, Quanmm 330, call! Low prices, fast <lclivcry! Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230.

(970) 641-9315, http://gunnisonglidcrs.com/ Out of production, bur JIM I.FE ARCH ELMF'l'S not our of demand. One is brand new, never used $350. Two others, used $200 each. (262)47:3-8800, info@hanggliding.com

The world-class XCR·· 180 operates up to 3 hours @] 8,000 ft. and weighs only 41b. Complete kit with harness, regulator, cannula and remote on/off tlovvm,,tcr, only $400.00.

SPECTACULAR TROPHlES Awards &. gifts!

Free catalog. Soaring Dreams (208) 376-7914, 7.oolisa@aol.com

DON'T CET CAUGHT LANDING DOWNWIND! ·~· 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'4" long w/1 I" throat. Available colors fluorescent pioklydlow or fluorescent pink/white. $:'19.95 (+$5.00 S/H). Send to US! !GA Windsok, P.O. Box l '330, Colorado CO 80901-1330, (719) 632-8300, fax (719) ushga@ushga.org VJSA/MC accepted.

IllJSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

Two pair.

Kl.ASSJC OR CONCEPT WJNGI.FTS One pair brand new in rite box, other pair slighrly used.

Best offer. (262) li73-8800, info@•hanggli<ling.com

TFK FIJGJfl' PRODUCTS WANTED Hang Gliding/Paragliding instructors. lmmediate full time openings available. Live the California drcam ... insrrucr students at rhc San Francisco Bay area's premier training sire. Service shop employment is al.so available. Ask for Pat Dcnevan (li08) 262.1055. MSCHGCal;wl.com www.hang-gliding.com

LAMINAR PARTS We have what you need and we arc committed to same AV8 Call (760) 721-0701 or email at inc!aslq~"y:111!00.com

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

Camera mount $48.50. C:amern remote (ask about rcbare) $45. Vario mount $73. 6" wheels $29.75, 8" wheels $:JLi.75, Add $Ii S&JJ per (US) included. TEK FLIGHT I'J'oducts, Colebrook Srage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379, 1668. Email: tek@snct.net or our page: W'A•W.LCKJJlt:m.LUJIII

MINT VARIO World's smallest, simplest v:irio!

Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 018,000 fr., fast response and 2 ye:tr warrnnty. Great for paragliding mo. ONLY $169. Mallencc, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (714) %6-12/iO, MC/Visa accepred, www.mallerrcc.com

membership renewal or merchandise order:

(719) gladly

52

U'-'>.,,vlJ"

HAWK AJRSPORTS JNC P.O. Box 905(,, Knoxville, TN 3794().()056, (865) 9/iS.2.625. World famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Snn-NFun FAA Fly··lns. llawk@windsok.com,www.wimlsok.com

Otto Lilienthal' s genius in scientific observations and analysis, documcncccl in this work, became the basis for the expcrimcnrarion of the pioneers in aviational brothers, Otto is conflight. The "hem" nf'the sidered robe "The Father of Gliding Flight."

Lilicmhal's dclinirivc book bcis been our of print for almost a but is now available ro everyone for a wonder/iii and journey into aviarional him,. ry. 176 89 drawings and 1Ii graphs.

USHGA 1-800·6 l 6.

6888, or order off our website www.ushga.org

1

Sell

HANC CIIDING

llR/\GONFI.Y B-MODEL KIT Built by Bobby Bailey $U,600. Rotax 582 fitted and plumbed radiator, exhaust $6,62G. Electric start, G blade lvo prop with clutch $1,100. Rear scat and controls $1,250.

Brake kit installed $250. BRS 900 VLS $2,595. fustrurnenr pack: Alt, /\SI, Tacho, temp gauges, Hobbs S1,017. Painted one color $1,200. Tow sysrcm $J75.

Total $28,0 U. A 50 1X, deposit is required. Bobby Bailey can be available for basic training after completion. Kenny Brown/Moyes America, 200 Hillcrest Drive, Auburn Cl\ 95603, (530) 888- 8622, fax (530) 888- 8708, flyamoyes~ilaol.com,

$35.95 Currently our honest selling video!

H/\NC GUD!NC FXTREMF. & BORN TO FJ.Y Adventure Produc1ious, grear hg action $34.95 Call USHGA (719) (i32-8300, fax ('719) 632-6417, email: or order off our web www.ushga.org. ,-$4 domestic s/h rwo or more videos). Great 10 impress your friends or for 1hosc socked-in days. Pcrfocr gift for the launch potaro mrncd couch potato. Also, ask us about om paragliding videos!

www.moycsa1ncrka.com

BAG lT! If you don't have your copy of Dennis Pagen's PERPORM/\NCF FLYINC availahk through USH(;/\ Headquarters $29.95 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). US! !GI\, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 8090 l. I -800-6 Hi-6888 www.tisbga.org

TOW JUC Tl.S winch mounted on 4x8' contained, 3,000ft ultralinc trailer ready to use, $ I ,7()() OllO. Many great fratures (770) 419-8882.

Sec derails :111d pictures ar www.blr.4t.com VIDEOS & FIi.MS

From the Telluride Festival in 1981, to the modern day freestyle compcririon. Follow the history of this $24.95 Call US! IC/\ (719) 632dynamic 8300, fox order from our web site www.ushga.org. Please add +$4 domestic s/h.

MJSCEU .ANEOUS

HARRY /\ND Tl-IE HANG GLTDER is a beamifully illusrratecl, hardcover children's book with 40 color to share the dream plus $3 shipping to Publishiug, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, 1\7, 85719 or call (520) 628,8165 or visit lmp://www.flash.net/-skyhipub Visa/MC accepted.

SOAR.INC Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $55. Info. kir with copy (505) $3. SSA, P.O. Box 7100, Hobbs, NM 392-1177.

TOWING AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES llcadquartcrs for: The finest releases, releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, tandem launch can kits, etc.

THE WAI.LAIW RANCH (863) 42li-0070.

DRAGONFLY Wirh ,ill the options, yellow, 100 houts $2/i,OOO. xcamrnndo<i,laol.com

TO FI.Y: DISCOVER HANG GLIDING TODAY

by Advcntt11T Producrions ONLY $5.00 FOR USHG/\ MEMBERS ($15.95 for non-USHG/\ members). Discover how modern hang gliding Gtn easily help yon realize your dreams ro fly. ONI.Y $5.00. <:reared ro show how hang gliding has evolved into a safe, affordable, and lctn way 'To lily". Filmed at sever-al major hg schools in the US "This production has my hcsr footage packed into a short IO minute eye opener.

ONLY $5.00. 10 min.! This is the video you show your family and friends! ON!.Y $5,00.

WEATHER TO FLY, by Advcnnrre Productions. A much needed instructional video on meteorology.

Dixon White, Master pilot and USHGA Examiner, takes through a simple process showro acquire weather

and

ro interpret

it. video will help pilots of any aircrafr nndcrstancl more about modeling and You'll learn abom regional and local influences to determine winds alofi and swbiliry. "Weather To l'ly" is an over-all view packed with uscfol derails and includes cloud footage. 1t is a straight-forward presentation is easy ro follow. 50 min. $39.95 STARTING f-rANG GUDTNG, by Adventure Productions. Produced especially to promote tire sporr.

Covers basic preparation, wearhcr, proper arritudc, ground handli11g, Lrnnching and those first flights. 30 min $29.95.

TURNING POJNT IN AI.PINE THERMAi.LiNG, by Dennis 50 1Yr, / IC, 50% Pc;. Discover tccl111,1ques elusive :dpinc thermal. Beaurifirl

!;nil color 2.3"x 31" poster fcatttr·· ing John what he docs bcs1-I,OOJ'lNG! Available HQ $6.95 (+$5.00 s/h). Fill that void on your wall! to USHC/\ Acrobatics l'osrcr, PO Box I :JOO, ( :olorado Springs CO 80933. (US/\ & Canada only. Sorry, NOT AVAIi.ABLE crn international CIAL-Aerohatics poster /'I. Frie Raymond BOTH l'C)R $10 (1$'j s/h). Check the me1·chand1sc section of Olli" web site www.ushga.org f(Jr a color pie

ture of these bcami/iil posters.

saw

1n

Europe's rnost dramat-ic tnounrains. comments from top pilots &_ grcar animation. 2/i min

Ocronrn 2001

53

yom classified with yonr Visa or MasterCard.

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS I.A MOUETTE TOPLESS 13.5M Stolen August 4, 2001 from WAS110E, NEVADA. Pmplc/green with pink I.E, missing (at the time) 3 tip barrens on each side. Two worn areas (patched with grey duct rape) on the undcrsurface, 2" worn spors arc 3 feet from around hearrholt. Conrnct Dave Merriman (9 l 6) FOUND On April 2gth, 2001. Flight suit lcfr oll launch at l.ookom Mountain Flighr Park. Call and idcnri/y, rbrmlup<illcl,arranooga.net (706) 820--0365.

---HANG GLIDING CHRISTMAS CARDSOld black and white etching style. $IO per dozen, $18 for 2 dozen, $:33 for 50, or $60 for JO()_ (Plus !()'){, for shipping.) On the net: http://acreation.rripod.com or email tck(a)snet.ncr. Send a self address stamped envelope for an assortment selection sheer ro: TEK PLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Call in your order, Visa/MC/Discover accepted, (860) 3'79 1668.

VIDEOS, BOOKS & POSTERS web page www.ushga.org

HJSION 150 SP

Stolen November 4, 2000 from near the Elk Mtn L'.7: (Middle Creek Campground), Upper Lake Ci\. Spring barrens, all white upper surface, all red w/black undcrsurface. Distinctive feature: hydranct leading (nor mylar like most), serial 1/36494, was in dark grey wired tips XC bag. Comact Man)agclka (707) 838-3594, Mattsnyin@aol.com

Check om om

DON'T I.EAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSIFIEDS. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISlNG RATES The rate for classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of characters) aod $ l.00 per word for bold or all MlNlM OM AD CHARGF $5.00. A foe of 5.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for eacl, pboro. UNEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in bold prim. Special layours of tabs $25.00 per column incb, Phone numbcr=2 wo,·ds. Email or web addrcss,,3words. J\D DEADLINES: J\l\ ad copy, instructions, additions aod cancellations must be received in 1.5 months preceding the cover date, i.e. Scptcmhcr 20th for the November issue.

Please make checks payable to USHGJ\, P.O. Box C:0 80901 1330, (7 l 9) 632I 330, Colorado 8300. Fax (719) 17 or email: ushga((llushga.org

Adventure Productions ...................... 33 Angle of Attack ................................. 54 Arai Design ...................................... .48 Dan Johnson ..................................... 17

Fex America ..................................... .49 Flytec .................................. Back Cover Ff all Bros .......................................... .:33 Just Lookout Mtn. Flight Park ......... 9,35.48 Mojo's Gear ..................................... 35

Moyes ............................................... 49 Sport Aviation Publications ................. 2 Traverse City Gliders ................. 9 U.S. Aeros ......................................... 35 USHGA .............................. 2,5,7, 11, l 7

Wills

ttlf_\ ..........................................

8

gift redeemable their I st lesson from a participating school.

Aslc us about r..,;; .. .,,,.. '" Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll-Free: 888.530.9940 E-Mail: custsvc@angleofattack.net Website: http://angleofattack.net

UHi% G1111ru11teed. If not satisfied, return unused tubes for 100% money back. Major Credit Cards accepted.

OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged.

Ad by Peter Birren: 847.640.0171

54

HANG CLIDINC

PJ\UT,,

KINN. ,

rem,'rnbEc:r, in 7,2 my eolumn l1ad to il mv dc,sk (or, day,;, my compul:er desktop) News from Peter Radman of Altair doubl. about the Amed.can him(] 0J iu i ncr producc:,r. Fortunat:.ely and UK, old orqani zal ion, n0;ws _improved.. A Radman wrote on Allgust- 26tl1: ly my ori.ginc1] news was that· operations. update 1:J I.Lal Altair has sold operations to [a new company Ci'!] h,c!] US Altair, by and wJ-10 cont.i nuinq to rnanuEacLu0:r t:or and Sa urn from n A. second company, Altair Industries LLC h<?aclf,d by Mcazek: wilJ continue to l:hG NT'Cl:3 f:rGm Lit i want to hm, any interest bE,yond l-IowevC',r, hG added, f3eE, this as a positive development.

inv<?sted hocrvi Ly j n <_1Jj in what. compel: tive market." 'J'he l:wo US U.1.ir and Al l:.a Indws l.o support- the "heavy overhead by Alt.air," he explaj ned. cumL>im·d w_i U1 lowc,.r -cos1 imported to make tougl1 going for l:hc Utah-based c:rJjdpr maker, Radman indicated i cr corrcspondcnce.

Peter didn' conl:dct: infornldtion but l:o reach Ivan Mrazek, call fl0l814--3frL~, or e-mail. to _imr@uswc.,c,l.com. W:iU-1 tJ1P cont.inuing c'l1Jccc:ss of l:he ATD'.-, and in country [lyinq, lnduslriec, f:ul.ure. Thanks good I uck and Marcia. GllN U1e dnsl: ,,etl:led from Hearne 'l'exas U.S. Nats, L w,rn able l:o i-,ome of Luti.ve to the gliders flown. Now, uni the i-'1 oridD oJ Lh:i sprinq, tl1is mec't WiJt', mud1 more "llrne1'.ican," that :Lc;, way [oreic1n pi I oU;. l\ r;ol id meet:, Lhc· Lo1wstar Champr; had mm;L Ly <_1ood I ac;k clay,J good-,3:ized eJd ot rm pilots, n of which (':W (7,8%) flew Class riqicl wings. Congrau1ations Paris Williams, Living his Icarn l~o TI winner Robin Ham:i.lton on Millennium) . ·r c,vcryunc and my lying.

Moyes and Ica.ro tied for the mo~:t glid(,n; flown :!8% of /,l%, Id. Next was Wills Wing MoucU:e al: 1%, dnd a l.hrce-way p,1;) bel:weccn A.I l_,Ji r, Sccdwinq,:, and Ai1:wdve. i\rnong dgicl pi Jot.;;, II . . r,. 's ATOS again swept easily, with ha] the F' ighlDcsigrn, (cil:her Exxtacy or Ghor:;l:bustPr) had 21~,, Brighl_ had J 49<: cJnd won tf-w rnf,'Ct OCTOBER 2001

followed with new

by Guqgenmos al 9% cmd Aerm: (.StaLkccr) from FAA. .. conccrninq proposed t:.o "Sport lot. " wi l:hin the hanq CJ] i.cLi.ng Some LnevU-.abie. Ctiange a fool:, and cornrnun:it:y that can be a clcary t11.i_ncJ with b:i.<_1 govf:rnment.

I< c acl ing governrnon t· even duLI lhan r:-eading some computer but the :information contained may be import:anl: to pilots. A OnE: prolJl cJU 1-}1at rema:\ nri unrcsolvc-jd if; the proposccl no-towing provision. convc,rsat: ion~; w:i th n1Je writers, tound Uic,m Largely unaware tbe ma~jor rnpdcl Uia ,K,rotuwing has bad on bang qli di.nq. 'T'r1ei concern about comrnerc.i al towing of ol·.her obj by powered aircraft spurred the no- L.owi ng Lmqiwqe.

When made aware of U10 di February Ai.r Sportf; Expo ind.i catr:,c:! I.hat change the proposal b1.1l: .instead would wail fo.r 1J-1e comment periocl. Jr,,. 'The rule a.in' a ml e J\t the bi O,;hkosh a.irshow which concluded in August, even Secretary of Transportation Norman Min0,tD wa" unabJ Lo make he big announcement.

An anticipated ,;y trip t:11rouql1 l.he Of of Management and Buclqet (0MB) proved otherwise (it' at OMIJ of Ly Sept.ember) . Despite bis specia] appearance and a rc,oorted call made every 10 minutes from hi:, (cxec11t:\ve jet: enrout:e to the big show, no ,mnouncement war; made...

L:J "no-go." Even wit.11 pn,f,crnre from a big sJ1ot, 0MB obviously remains urn.;un, aboul- tile financia.1 ,1,, Backqround poli i c,;: Minel.a, BusJ-1 appoinLee, came to (hopeful Jy) make ::he ,mnouncement. '['he• expecl:ed announcer would have been FAA boss ,Jane Gurvey, but she's a C1j nton appointee and i there:, was good nfiws l o be announced, w,rn going Lx· done by a Bush man, qol' clanq it. [nc:leed, I don' reca1J seeing MineLa at Oshkosh before. .i. But the GOOD NEWS js tha\- Part 103 is not changing, period. So aJ non-towed hang gliding is in no jeopardy from the new rule. Nei t:hc0r qenuinely iqhL-wei qhl: soa ng kes or powered paraql i den:;. Bui who tow, support t.owin(l, betl:er plan to writ:.e your government r:-ep when t.be comment period openB. [Disc) ai.mer: 'Th.is only been a Ii l:J FA]\ news o[Lic I. nor comp}e/;e. J ••• pen;onal note, J 'd like to conqraLula L:e my friend Malcolm Jones arnJ his 1ove1y wifo, Linda., on the 1 of t:hei r new baby ncJmed ,Tol:m ArUrnr, who joins daughter l,aurcn. Jn time, pc,rhaps li U: ,John wU] k:e over hie:; dad' cwccef,ilful fJ qlit park i.n Flciridil. Conqrdtu] al ions to tbe ,Jones fami Jy. ••• So, got~ news or opi_nion:c;? :3end 'em to: g llon:;et, Pau·1 MN 5 1)11fl. Mc,s,,age,3 or Jax L:o 651 !J50- 0930, or e-ma:Ll to CumulusJvlan@aol. corn ALl "Producl Linc-•s" colrnnrrn wiJ be Latc'cr t·.his year aL www.nynanJohnson.com. THANis! 0

55

Never have so many gone so far ...

2001 Flytec World Record Encampment Manfred lluhmer flex wing open distance world record Bo 11.agewood ties previous world flex wing record Paris Williams breaks previous flex wing record

Betinho Schmitz flex wing distance to goal record Kari Castle women's flex wing open distance record Kari Castle women's flex wing distance to goal record Mark Poustinchian breaks previous rigid wing record Davis Straub sets new rigid wing world record David Glover distance to goal rigid wing world record Josh Coho distance to goal world PG record

435 miles 308 miles 318 miles 311 miles 250 miles 217 miles 369 miles 407 miles 220 miles 192 miles

The final score: 9 distance world records; 2 USA national records; four 300 mile flights in one day; two 400 mile flights in one day; the longest flights ever in a flex and rigid wing; the longest flights ever to a declared goal in a paraglider, flex, and rigid wing; the longest flight ever by a female; 21 of the 26 participants achieved their personal best Not bad.

Come join Team Flytec For more information on the 2001 WRE or how to participate in next year's Encampment, please give us a call or visit www.flytec.com

FlyTEC 352,429,8600. soo.662,2449 • www.flytec,com