USHGA Hang Gliding January 2002

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LookoHt MoM1ntain Hana Glidina 800. 688. 5637 - www. ltanalidE:. cont

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16 A Spanish Bug Trip

by Ben Ashman Flying the Bug powered harness in an exotic land.

24 Survivor - The Story of a Teenage Pilot © 2002 by Lincoln Kroll

He learned to fly at age 13 and is sci II at ic, at the ripe old age of 35.

32 Canadian Snowbirds

by Bob Grant Meet some of our Canadian brethren.

34 Tuning A Modern Glider -

Part I

© 2002 by Dennis Pagen How co tune your flying inst rum enc so ir will harmonize welJ with you.

38 Hang Gliding At An Elementary School

by John Wiseman John gives a hang gliding presentation, and the kids ask far more interesting and incelligent questions than the adults.

47 Hang Gliding Photo Gallery This monrh's featured photographer is Bob Lowe.

Columns

Departments

USHGA Reporrs ............................. ..... 11

Airn1ail ...... ................................... ..........4

USHGA Instructor Program .............. .30

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

Product Lines, by Dan Johnson .... .... .54

Calendar of Events ............................... 14 Classified Advertising ........ ................. .42 Index co Advertisers .......... ...... ............ .53

JANUARY 2002

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J'vc just finished reading the Novem" issue of Gliding; and as usual it quite entertaining, with superbly accounts of the sky gods of our doing battle at the comps.

While I definitely got a chuckle out the ambiguity of men speeding phallic symbols in Scott's speedpiece (count me out when it to willingly risking smacking into matter at 70+ mph with my glider), found mysclfa litt:lc mystified as ro the of coverage regarding the talented in our ranks. In particular, l that the only reference to women the Nationals was a single senat the end of tbe article and a singlam shot of "three gorgeous gals."

Please don't get me wrong, l'm not to ram some PC agenda down our throats, rather, l'm genuinely in a possible within a " which, at least frH me, would

J have only flown for years. I work way too much and way too little, and my pilot friends hassle me about this. 1 am not one of those pilots you read about who flies hundreds of miles and I will never win a comp. J am just a pilot who flies for the pure enjoyment of it, but I still work on every flight to improve.

My first glider was a 225 Falcon, and my second my current one, is a Predator 158. This glider is a large pilot's dream come true. It is an amazing wing that easily handles my weight, and I hook in at around 295 ponnds. [ told John 1-foiney about a year ago that Twas light on the glider, and be laughed.

The Predator 158 lands so well it is I'm not saying that it cannot be whacked, but a pilor would have to blow it pretty badly. This is one of the main reasons 1 fly the Predator; I can land it

safe~y. In addition, it bas a great glide, great sink rate, fantastic high-speed ban"· dling qualities, and in raw speed iris simply unreal!

Yes, I bend down on one knee after every flight and give thanks to John Heiney and company for giving me the bird of my dreams.

Chris McKeon Brentwood, CA

POSTMASTER; SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG C,UDINC, J'"O. BOX l'.BO, Colorado Springs,

co 80901 -133ft

JANUARY 2002 VOIUMF

lssur No. I

I read Danny Black's letter in the "Air section of the October issue of Gliding and J felt I had to write

Dear Editor, Attention harness manufacturers! We need your help. We need a solution to an

He talked about being a large pilot, having a good time flying a 225 Fal-He said he hooked in at close to

age"·old prohlcm. If f had a dime for every pilot who flew his harness until it

have forgotten us big " Well, John and company, designers of the glider I fly (a Preda! have not forgotten us.

Let me say that I am not a pilot with

deteriorated into a loin cloth I could afford a rigid wing. I admit that a lot of us arc stingy with our money(] can only speak for myself; mind you), bm the majority of us wear them out because we dread the inevitable new harness ptff· chase.

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

2. or as a result of the administration of

l

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 Mang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USMGA); 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 USMGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions Pi/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; of the property owners on or over whose property Pilotmay 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 "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) the nT"J•IE"lf',r.. any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the e... ,,.....,,,.... ,v may hereafter have for to the fullest extent allowed by law.

I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If Iviolate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, Iwill pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the nc,r.,:;;,,1.;i,r.v I shall be and r,..,..,,.,,t-..,....,..

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If any 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.

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Date

MMR 12-97

ness design is right for you.

feel for what he or she is getting. It

There's one shop wirhin a hundred miles (or even farther). In that shop there arc

This is why we dread buying a new harness. lt's a total crap shoot. Dur the

wouldn't be uscable as a flying harness, because you'd need a variable CG on it,

maybe two to six harnesses. One was made for a vertically challenged person

source of the problem is how a harness works, not the manufacturers. Every bar··

and manufactured in 198:3. Three are used and for sale. When these were

ness has a CG point that is unique to the pilot who wears it. Manufacturers do a

and lots of room to move parts of the harness this way and that:. 'The other possibility would be to have harness clin-

made, they were tailored for the 6'2" or

grcar job wirh the measmements I mail

you go this ronte, however, bring every

5' 1" pilot who bought them, which isn't

in, but as a pilot in the 21st century I

size harness you can find, because pilots

you. When you ask about trying on a

think it should be possible to try on dif.

come in every size and shape.

harness so you can decide which brand

fcrent harnesses so I can make an educat-

and model you want, they hand you a catalog. Now you realize that you could

ed decision instead of a "hey, that one looks comfortable" one.

please address this issue. I've seen too many harnesses that give me chills. Let's

have saved the drive and gone online to sec what's in front of you now. And if

So, should every shop be stocked with every size of every model from

all work together on this.

you're lucky, and l mean really lucky,

every harness manufacturer, or should we look at a realistic alternative? There are

Herc's the reality for many pilots.

they'll have one current harness model that won't fit, and which will therefore nor give you an accurate idea if the liar··

JANUARY 2002

ics just like we have hang glider clinics. lf

So, J ask harness manufacturers to

Leif Thor San Francisco, CA

two that I can think of Create a harness that gives a pilot of any size an accurate

7

2001-2002 USHGAAWARDS

T

www.willswing.com

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LU.....,,,,,NO

he USHGA is pleased co announce the nominees and recipients of the 2001-2002 USHGA Awards. A presentation is scheduled co take place during the spring Board of Direccors meeting in Ontario, California.

Commendations and Special Commendations are given co USHGA members and to individuals or groups in the communiry at large, respectively. The award is given co chose who have made significant volunteer contributions at the local, regional, or nacional levels chat enhance the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. Recipients were members Mark Forbes, Ken Baier, Davis and Belinda Boulter, Gary Osoba, Malcolm Jones, JJ LaMarche, Steve Kroop and Peter Perrone.

Special Commendations were awarded co Bob McVey, Charles Averitt, Joe and Karen Gorrie, and Lawrence and Fay Kopp.

Our Hang Gliding Inscruccor of the Year is Pat Denevan.

For Paragliding Instructor of the Year, nominees included George Ridgett, Rob Sparrer, Steve Mayer and Kevin Bernacki. The recipient is Chris Santacroce.

Newsletter of the Year: This is the first year chat Web newsletters were included for consideration. Nominees included Fly Paper and the newsletter of the SAHGA. The recipient is The Oz Report.

No nominations were received for the Bettina Gray Award (photography), for the NAA Safery Award, the CIVL Diploma, or the USHGA Chapter of the Year.

In the course of selection for the Exceptional Service and Presidential Citacion awards, the Committee noted that those who have served as president of the Association have long gone unnoticed. Serving in this leadership position is frequently thankless . A perpetual award noting past presidents will be created for display in the USHGA home office.

Steve Rori will receive the Exceptional Service Award. We have seen numerous changes and issues arise in the Association over the last year. Steve has acted as a key player in addressing operacional needs, volunteering his expertise, time and support during chis cricical time in our organizational development. Other nominees included Nathan Whechel, Gary Osoba and David Glover.

We were fortunate co have several nominees for the Presidential Citation. Paul Rikert will receive this award. In the past, Paul has been nominated and selected for this award, however, as a BOD member he roucinely declined the Association's attempts co recognize the work he has done to ensure char the Association remains focused on its original mission and support of its members. As longtime chairman of the Bylaws Committee, he created a structure and process that remains in place, despite changing membership on the Board.

The Association relies heavily on the body of work that Paul provided during his more than 20-year tenure on the Board as a Regional Direccor and then Director at Large. This award is the highest and most prestigious, and is given co Paul with much appreciation, thanks and respect.

I would like to recognize the participants of this commitHANG GLIDING

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WHITE RWB HG POLO M, LG, XL S29.95 XXL S32.95

SHIPPING in the USA Up to 2 tbs add $ 5.00 3 - 4 lbs add $6.00 5 - 6 lbs add $6.50 lnt'l-email us for cost.

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tee for their collective efforts. The mechanism for recognizing achievements continues to evolve. We look forward to the awards presentation, and encourage members to continue to provide us with a pool of exceptional nominations for future consideration.

- submitted by Jan Johnson

THE MICHAEL CHAMPLIN WORLD X-C CHALLENGE Here are the final results for the 2000 Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge. Pilots still have until February l, 2002 to submit their scores for the 2001 contest.

There are no entry fees or pre-registration requirements.

The Challenge is open co 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) 4476234, fax (310) 447-6237, bretconwoods@email.msn.com.

Place Pilot Ric Niehaus 2 Mark Poustinchian * Pete Lehmann 3 Davis Straub 4 Dave Sharp 5 Greg Dinauer 6 Kevin Frost 7 John Greynald 8 Armand Acchione 9 Bill Belcourt

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Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing-Rigid Wing Single Surface Rigid Wing Rigid Wing Rigid Wing Rigid Wmg Flex Wing Flex Wing Paraglider

Score 5213.72 5004.19 4969.24 4675.42 4631.12 4367 4119 3537 3207 3194.58

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

TomNejame Tom Truax Ken Kenzie Kure Ziegler Deane Williams Russ Brown Mike Degroff RamyYanetz Mark Grubbs John Scott Mike Ziaskas Dean Funk Steve Rudy Rita Edris Vincent Endter Harry Sudwischer Tim Mcintyre Erich S.L. Richey Peter Birren Wayne Michelsen Scott Smith Mike Christian Lori Allen Nancy Smith Larry Snyder Michael Miller James Asher

Rigid Wing Paraglider Flex Wing Flex Wing Rigid Wing Rigid Wing Flex Wing Sp Rigid Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing-Rigid Wing Flex Wing Rigid Wing Rigid Wing Flex Wing Rigid Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing Flex Wing

3049.5 2987.83 2942 2846.14 2809.76 2366.64 2211.8 2200 1932 1780.4 1752 1578 1438.61 1055 559 527.92 361 353.32 336 326 291.93 276 209.4 160 142 60 50

H ANG GLIDING

ity

r h

Combining Hang Gliding and Paragliding Magazines

by Aaron Swepston, with Gil Dodgen othing is more exciting than change, if that change is for the better. But then again, nothing is more comfortable than the same old rhing, day in and day out. For some reason people generally resist change in order ro maintain a level of security and comfon to which they have grown accus-tomed. But there's always the possibility of excitement just around the corner a grear unknown that could he a tremcn· dous reward or a terrible disappointment. Not knowing what the outcome will be does nothing to entice a person ro take that risk, and even knowing that the outcornc will he a good one often pro· vides only a marginally persuasive argu· ment to take the plunge. Bm we arc pilots, and we arc used to risks, disap·· pointmenrs and rewards. We eat risk for breakfast and then ask for a second helping, don't we?

But we begin a discussion of combin-· Hang Gliding and Paragliding maga· zincs into one really good publication, and for some pilots the sense of adventure withers like a snail in the sun. The barriers fly up and the heels dig in, and we make up our minds before even hear· ing the first of many reasons that we should combine the magazines.

The idea did come up several years ago, was initially accepted and embraced, but was finally shot down. Why should we revisit this proposal since it was rejected once before? The purpose of this article is to explain why we should combine the magazines, and why you will probably be far happier with this than you would be wi1h the status quo that our magazines have been delivering f;x many years.

Will a combined magazine save the Association money? According to the best projections, it won't have a direct JANUARY 2002

flnancial impact. Tt should he about a break-even proposition in terms of money spent or saved. rfowcvcr, finances aren't the only thing to consider. 'There is a lot more.

Delivery time is something to consider seriously. The rnagazincs vary in their delivery times, and generally they aren't getting ro us any earlier than they have in the past. Although recent delays (which are being ironed out) have involved a move to a new printer and mailing location, two magazines must he produced every month, and trying to meet two deadlines, one every two weeks, with a very limited staff is extremely difficult. In addition, because of overlap in the advertising and editorial content, there is a lor of duplicated cffon, which takes an additional toll on production schedules. Producing one, complete, combined magazine would go a long way toward reesrablishing a solid publishing schedule, so watching the mailbox every month would be a lot less painfol.

Duplicate publication of editorial content would be eliminated. Much material that is relevant to both hang gliding and paragliding is being published twice. This includes news and calendar of events items, letters to the editor, USHGA reports and other business, safety-related articles, and much more.

In addition, we ,ire all interested in soaring, flying rncteorology, flying sites and events, ct"c. There arc so many rnore similarities than differences that all pilots would genuinely benefit from a com· bincd magazine.

The primary concern some pilots have about a combined magazine is losing space to the "other side." This a great concern for many, and a valid one. How-· ever, your editor is committed to not let·

ting this happen, and there really are ways to make it work so that we will all get plenty of material each month to satisfy our needs and desires.

'J'hosc who refer to the previous attempt at a combined magazine count pages ,md do comparisons, but there is a lot going on right now LO restructure how the magazine is produced, how it is designed, and how it is presented to rhc members. You simply can't compare that original attempt with what is on the drawing board now. Instead of simply shufning the rwo magazines together, tossing out any pages that exceed the permitted page count, and calling it good, we're talking about a whole new format that will compress some of the more mundane material, allowing for the more i nrcresting and exciting material to shine through. It's a lot of work, bur the Association is dedicated to the task. The goal is to provide a better magazine overall, in a way rhat will eliminate any bus members might have about sacrifking either the quality or quanriry of the con-· tel11" for each sport.

T'he truth of the matter is simply this: It would be better for the US! rc;A if the magazines were combined into a single monthly publication hctter for the oflke, for the magazine product:ion team, for the long-tcrrn financial picture, and for the members. The change would be good for business. There is no question abour thaL 'The change would be good for our mcrn bcrs, and rhere is no question in my mind about that either.

Convincing the membership at large to accept this idea may be a diHkult prospect:, but hopefully our members will understand that this is something that is really needed for many reasons, and something tha1 can and will be extraordinarily good. We hope you will place your trust in rhosc who have been working hard w provide an excellent magazine up to this point, and trust that they will not only continue to do so, but aim even higher. 'fhere are organizational and producrion issues driving the firndarnental need to combine the magazines. If our readers say no to a single publication, these issues will not just go away. It is something th:it really needs to be faced. In

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addition, there arc philosophical, educa-tional and journalistic reasons to support this project, as well as public-,relations considerations. Our magazine is not only one of our most valued membership benefits, it is one of our best potential marketing tools. ft needs to be strong, it needs to be powerfril, and it needs to be of the highest possible quality. All of these issues could be addressed more dfr:ctively if the Association were to publish one and not two magazines every month, and if the editorial staff were not under constant and extreme pressure to

A ubli hin

meet two deadlines every month.

We have the opportunity wil-hin our immediate grasp to make a significant change for the better. This change is exciting, and there arc many tangible benefits that can be realized. But it is a change, and the membership needs to understand it and be supportive of it. We may each have our own reasons to be fearful of this kind of change, but I think that everyone who really understands what is going on behind the scenes will hope that we will all be as courageous about this issue as we arc when we

p

~y Jayne DeAmfilis, USHGA Executive Director

s your Executive Director and a lrnng glider pilot I also share the ·olc of Managing Editor of your magazines in some ways, because I help to make many of the business decisions related to the publishing of both magazines. J claim some expertise in this area because l was the Managing Editor of" an annual publication and, in essence, this job rcprnsented more of a labor of love than anything else. Anyone who has become intimately acquainted with publishing a magazine can tell you that you will inevitably develop an emotional attachment to that publication. It becomes a living, breathing thing by the time you go to press with it. l am this passionate about publishing our magazmes.

I have been focusing on managing rhe business of the United States Hang Clid-ing Association since January of last year. I don't make the business decisions related to the magazines in a vacuum. f consult Gil Dodgen, our very capable Managing Editor/Editor, Jeff Elgart, our Advertising Account Administrator, Dan Johnson, Chairman of the Publications Committee, and Aaron Swcpston, whom many of us already know as a talented hang glider

12

pilot dedicated to perfecting the art of hang gliding. Aaron has a tremendous amount of experience in many areas of magazine publishing, and since the bcgin-ning of my tenure as Executive Director he has dedicated himself to helping me understand some of the nuances associated with the production and graphic design aspects of mag;rLine publishing. Each one of these individuals, and others, provide tremendous insight and good judgment with respect to their individual contribu-tions to our publications.

J believe that, as a group dedicated to improving the quality and timeliness of our magazines, each one of us believes that there arc compelling reasons to reconsider combining Hang Gliding and Pflragliding: While our reasons i-<:ir doing so may diffor in their order of importance, we agree that the net effect, or the outcome of our decision, would be tbe same. r believe that Kent Robinson, USHGA Regional Director and hang glider pilot, expresses my sentiments best when we enthusiastically discussed the possibility of a single, terrific rnagazinc not too Jong ago.

One of the flrst really momentous decisions I made was to seriously entertain

decide to launch our gliders.

We know how exciting it is to take those steps to launch into the air, yet we arc not without at least a little bit of caution or fear when we do so. It is the same with this issue. No one is suggesting that there should be no concern or that we should be cavalier about combining Hang Gliding and Pttragliding magazines.

We just hope you will trust that it will fly, and help the Association and its hardworking people to power through this launch. Ill

the idea of moving the printing of our magazines from a very capable and reputable flrm in Denver to an unknown company (unknown to us, at least) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I spent a great deal of time talking with the folks at Printbridge and consulting with Gil on this matter, and beginning with the May issue, Paragliding magazine was printed in Canada. We decided to move Paragliding flrst because we print about 5,000 copies per month, and this is an ideal number to print on a shcct--fed press. This is how both magazines arc now printed. The transition was a fairly straightforward one, thanks to the efforts of Gil, Jeff and Print-bridge. The change went unnoticed by the membership. We immediately began to save $2,700 per month printing Paragliding magazine with this change.

We closely monitored the printing of Paragliding each month for the next few months, and decided that we would also move Hflng Gliding magazine. We print about 7,500 copies of Hang Gliding every month and arc saving about $1,500 per issue. USHGA now saves about $4,500 on the printing of both magazines every month as a result of this change. We had a cash-flow issue to address in Janua1y, and this was just one of the cost--cutting mea-sures implemented ar that time. I think you will agree that tbis was an important step to take.

While it was my desire to take full advantage of the cost savings to the Association, I had decided early on in this process to reinvest a portion of the savings back into both magazines. I am commit-

HANG GLIDING

tcd to a~sisting Gil in his efforts to improve or enhance rhc photographic and editorial content of both magazines. 'The Pnblications Committee increased his budget for doing so at the fall Board of Directors meeting in Salt Lake Utah.

I expect this budget to grow over time, however, our magazines definitely do not pay for themselves. There is a false economy associated with publishing them every rnont:h, and in order to provide a larger editorial budget, J think we need to be more proactive about taking our magazines to market and selling advertising to outside--our-·industry advertisers. Our membership provides a small but valuable, captive market for the mainstream. It is my desire to begin selling advertising, and as Dan Johnson has pointed out, I believe t·hat one "improved" magazine will allow me to sell more ads to mainstream compa-· nies, which will in turn generate more rev-· enue to facilitate a further increase in the quality of rhc magazine.

It is also important to note that we maintain a very limited exposure ofhoth magazines on the newsstands. While newsstand sales arc often not as profitable as we might like, it is important to consider a wider newsstand distribution for mar·· keting purposes. Aaron likes to use the phrase "eye candy" when we talk about newsstand appeal, and Dan Johnson aprly points out that a single, thicker magazine would be more appealing to those of us who find ourselves flipping through the magazines at our favorite newsstand or book store.

I have also developed a keen interest in solving some of the unique problems associated with publishing two magazines every month, and I believe it would be much easier to address these issues and properly manage them if we produced just one publication. It would be easier for the entire USHGA staff. It is much more efficient to manage one production cycle per month than it is to manage 1wo plain and simple. 'f'hc USHGA office would be able to establish cutoff dates for renewals every month to eliminate mailing 50 to 300 magazines directly from rhc office every month because a member renewed after the mailing labels were generated and senr

JANUARY 2002

to the printing company. This initiative would provide a cost and time savings. lf we publish one magazine, it will be easier to standardize the schedule, members will begin to receive their magazines by the seventh of' every month, and they will be encouraged to renew their memberships before the 15th of rhc month to ensure uninterrupted receipt of' their magazines.

This would be one of the widely-agreed .. upon, desired out:comcs of combining our two magazines into one. It should be clear by now rhat ir would be very difficult to provide the same kind of delivery service without this kind of standardization.

Experience bas demonstrated repeatedly that a production schedule built upon one magazine may be the only way for us ro achieve rhis goal. Tremendous inefficicn .. cies are inherent in the current production system.

Printbridgc a,sistcd me in developing a series of' spreadsheets detailing the income and expenses associated with publishing both magazines every month. I provided a comparative analysis of these budgets, and the proposed budget fc:Jr publishing a sin .. glc, 80 .. pagc magazine revealed no compelling financial reasons ro combine the magazines. This was not news to Gil Dodgen, who drew the same conclusion a few years ago when we first considered the possibility of combining the magazines.

The increase in the priming cost would be negligible, althougb we would be printing about 300,000 additional pages per month. We would rc,1lizc some savings associated with producing one, 80-page magazine rather than two magazines totaling l 04 pages, and we would lose a small but manageable amount of advertising revenue from those advertisers who currently advertise in both magazines, and from those members who currently subscribe to both magazines.

While there arc no compelling financial reasons to produce a single, 80-pagc magazine, rather than two smaller magazines every month, it is my opinion that we would not be able to afford to produce a larger publication at this time. We can expect an increase in the cost of producing this one magazine because we propose to address some of the quality issues during the process of' transitioning to one maga-

zinc, and it would be cost prohibitive to address these quality issues on a larger scale with a bigger magazine at this time.

Revenue-generating strategics for the mag·· azine would go a long way in enabling us to perhaps one day produce an even bigger publication to serve as an even more effective rnarkel'ing tool for our sports.

I was hesitant to write this article in support of combining the magazines because I was concerned that members would consider these "dullish" reasons to be not-so-compelling business reasons to consider a single publication. While these reasons may not be as exciting as the prospect of one magazine with more pho-· tos, new departments, etc., they represent some of the behind-the-scenes considerations that Aaron and Gil refer to in the accompanying article. When l discussed most of these issues with the members who attended the Publications Comrnirtcc meeting in October, J was encouraged to discover that the members do care about the implications of producing two magazines every momh. Once they fully under· srood some of' these bchind .. the-scenes rca-· sons for the desire to produce one magazine, they were quite empathetic. 'rhis is the real re:1son I decided to write this article. You have a right to know about sorne of the disadvantages associated with producing two monthly magazines.

We can afford to combine our magazines, so we need to ask ourselves if a single monthly publication will create a better magazine experience for us. Will combining the magazines facilitate a more manageable production schedule? Will combining the magazines provide a more appealing marketing tool for our sports on the newsstand? Will combining the maga .. zincs make it easier to deliver the magazine at the same time every month? Will combining tbe magazines enable the USHGA staff ro sell more ads to generate more revenue, enabling us to continue to improve the quality of the magazine, and to per.. haps one day provide an even bigger publication for our members?

My conclusion is that publishing a sin .. glc monthly magazine represents the best opportunity to improve our magazine experience. II

Calendar of events items W[LL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number).

Items should he received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets.

UNTIL FEB: The Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge. No entry fees or pre-registration requirements. Open to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid wings and sailplanes. Por more details visit rhe contest's Web site at http://www.hanggliding.org or contact: Scott (310) 447-6234, fax (310) 447-6237, brettonwoods@email.msn.com.

APRIL 13-19: 2002 Wallaby Open and

U.S. Nationals.

Sanction: USHGA A Location: Wallaby Ranch, 1805 Dean Still Rd., Davenport, FL 33837, (863) 424-0070

Entry fee: $400, 50%J deposit required at registration. Does not include rowmg.

Organizers: Malcolm Jones and I ,aurie Croft .Meet Director. J.C. Brown Safety Director. Malcolm Jones Scorekeeper. Peter Gray USHGA Meet Steward1: Jim Zeiset and Brown Awards ,:md Prizes: A minimum of $5,000 prize money will be distributed as follows. Chiss l: A minimum of $3,500 will be awarded in Class l.

First: $1,000, Second: $700, Third: $500, Fourth: $300, Fifth: $250, Sixth: $200, Seventh: $1 Eighth: $150, Ninth: $1 Tenth: $100. Class 2: A minimum of $1,500 will be awarded in Class 2. Pirst: $800, Sec-

14

ond: $350, Third: $250, fourth: $100.

Mandatory pilot briefing: April 12, 2002, 7:00 PM at meet headquarters.

APRIL 2 I ·27: 2002 Plytec Championships ttt Quest Air. Sanction: USHGA Class A and CTVL/WPRS points meet Iocation: Quest Air Soaring Center, 6548 Groveland Airport Road, Groveland, Florida, 34736, (352) 429-0213, fax (.352) 429-4846, www.flytec.com.

Entry fie: within 30 days of the meet). Does not include towing.

Meet Organizers-. Steve Kroop and the Quest Air Family Meet Director. David Glover Safety Director. Russ Brown Scorelceeper. David Glover USHGA Meet Steward: John Borton Award, and Prizes: A minimum of $5,000 prize money will be split over at least 13 places throughout Class l and Class 2 based on registration breakdown. Mandatory pilot briefing, Saturday, April 20, 2002, 5:00 PM ar meet headquarters.

JMPORTANT JNPORMAT'ION 'TO READ that applies to both meets: Registration begins on December 7, 2001 (see contact information above). April 20 is a rest/transition day. No official rest days are planned during the meets.

No official practice days are planned.

There are no rain, weather, or contingency plans to extend or postpone the competition. Number of pilots: 90I 20 pilots, 65%J of the available posi· tions will be held for U.S. pilots for the first 30 days of registration. Compcti· tor entry requirements include: US HGA membership, lJSHGA (or foreign equivalent) Advanced pilot rating (Intermediate at Hytec) with Aerotow signoff Glider/equipment entry requirements include Class l and Class 2 hang gliders. CPS receivers are required for flight documentation. T'he

Following models of GPS receiver will be supported: Garmin models 38, 40, 12 Map, IT, lII and 45, 12, 1 JU+. (Others may also be supported.

Please eon tact meet directors J.C. Brown at jcbfly@qwest.net and David Glover at david@davidglover.com for more info.) The meet format is crosscountry race to goal with or without turnpoints. Rules: 2002 lJSHGA Competition Rulebook and the 2002 and Local Meet Rulebooks. Scoring: GAP/GAP modified.

11-21: T71e First /ltos--Class World Championships, Chelan, Washington. JULY 11-21: The Eighth

Women's World Championships, Chelan, Washington. JULY 11-21:

The Ninth Swifi-Clt.w World Championships, Chelan, Washington. Contact: Chelan Flyers, P.O. Box 907, Chelan, WA 98816, skyd og@tdevar. comb ttp://www.chelan flyers.com/Chelan Worlds.

JAN. 19--20, FEB. 10, MARCH 9-IO: Mexico 2002, Cotes Cliffs, Baja California, 80 miles south of Ensenada, Mexico. Annual series of winter Hying trips. I 0-milc-long, 250-foothigh cliff located on a deserted Mexi· can beach. Hying starts before noon, lasts all day. No facilities, so bring everything you will need for the flight to Glen Crater and The Point. Bring household donations for the local population. Contact: Mike Hilberath, (949) 455-0032, eteamer@hotmail.com, or eteamrules@evmwdorks.com.

JAN. 28-29: Basic Recertification Clin-ic, hang gliding, Santa Barbara, CA, with Instructor/ Administrator Joe Greblo. Contact: Tammy Burcar (805)

HANC CLIDINC

957-9145, or e-mail flyawayhanggliding@juno.com.

JAN. 28-FEB. 2: Mi!!enniurn Cup Sol 2002 (paragliding). FEB. Millenniurn Cup Sol 2002 (hang gliding). El Pefion, Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Prizes: $3,000 USD and trophies. Contact: Erick Salgado, tel: 0 l 1-00-52-72620048, fax: 0 I 1-00-52-726-23279, eneva67@hotmail.com.

FEB. Spring USHGA Bottrd of Directors Meeting, Ontario, California, in conjunction with the Air Sports Expo at the Ontario Convention Center. Contact: (719) 632--8300, www.ushga.org.

UNTIL

Fly Mexico tours,

Valle de bravo. Hang gliding and paragliding week-long tours, in and out on a Sunday. Transport to/from Mexico City airport, lodging, guides.

Cost: $895 with hang glider included.

Paragliding $695. Contact: (512) 467www.flymexico.com.

APRIL Torrey Pines Hrmg Gliding and Paragliding Air Races, featuring the world's fastest hang glider and paraglider pilots. Held at worldfamous Torrey Pines Gliderport. All categories of Serial and Open Classes will compete. Entry fee for three days is $150. APRIL 10--14: Torrey Pines

Hang Glider And Paraglider M1mufacturer'., Jixhibition. Manufacturers show-

plete lines of hang gliding and paragliding gear. Open to the general pllblic.

Torrey Pines

Paragliding And Hang Gliding Costurne Fly-In. California's most extreme, fun costume fly-in. Dress up your paraglider and fly free. Games, contests and prizes for the most outrageous and original flying costumes. All pilots welcome to camp overnight on the property. Saturday night cookout and party for all attendees. Media and filming bluff~ welcome. Contact: David Jebb, Director of Operations, Tbrrey Pines Gliderport, Air California Adventure, Inc., D&M Distributing, LLC, 1--858ZULU (9858), Toll Free: 1-877-FLYTEAM (359-8326), www.flytorrey.com.

case the world's newest and most com-

s

A Look at rr1e of Hang (jJiding The WincJ 2ind Wr1y It Works Skills to the Beginner /_eve/ Skills to the Novice Level Elying Conditions C:ilic:ling Equipment More i.1bour tr1e Principles or for High Altitude in ancJ Tow f-JiJot SrioulcJ Know Terms tr1e Pro F:lies"

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.:c USHGA, PO Box 1

JANUARY 2002

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Colorado Springs, CO 8090 I 1-800-616-6888 fax (719) 632-6417 www.usr1ga.org

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by Ben Ashman

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For more than 10 years I've been involved in migratory flight and bivouac flying, mostly on expeditions, and on one occasion with a hang gliding competition, race and rally in Brazil 16

migratory flying is very simple: You take off from one airfield and land at another, camp overnight, and then it's off co another airfield the following day. Do this over a period of, say, 10 days, and you manage co cover large distances as well as take in the unfolding scenery and social life as you go.

It was always my intention to make some form of migratory/bivouac flight with the Doodle Bug, and last year Stewart

Bond, Barry Tempest and I on Bugs, with Richard Meredith Hardy (RMH) on a powered paraglider (PPG) made such a flight from Hitchin, England to the out-skirts of Paris, France over a period of three days.

Stewart and r were inspired to follow the trip up with an organized bivouac-style holiday for powered hang gliders. RMH, on the other hand, was equally inspired to modify an international PPG competition over a migratory course. "fo make a long story short, the World Air Games PPG comp was organized to follow the roure of the Guadalouivir River from C:ordolx1 City to Sanlucar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast, a distance kilometers. Pilots on the trip would visit six different air-fields, with the average navigational leg being about kms.

The course would take in olive tree-cov-crcd mountains with beautifi1l lakes and fortified towns in its early stages, to be replaced by vast, irrigated plains of rich farmland and low, rolling, sandy hills capped with bleached-white villages as we moved on to the Atlantic and the seaside resorts of the southwestern Spanish coast·.

The powered hang glider pilots were invited to fly along as guests, as there is no official place for our class in FA! competitions. There used to be, but sadly it was dropped many years ago before the rebirth of the sport.

Organization of transport and carriage for our team of IO pilots (Andy Ladell, Alistar Lea, Brian Young, David Bremner, Darren Brown, Marco, Simon Fuller, Stewart Bond, "fom Sutton and me, Ben Ashman) and three ground crew (Cnh, Laura Hayes and "Tcmy Phillips) was very dependent on the good will ofothers. The equip-ment went by lorry ro Beas de Segura and people were flown to Alicante, the forward crew to collect these folks and reunite them with their machines at Beas, a 200-km dri-ve with the PPG road show, and hire cars to Cordoba with no clear way of knowing how we were going to get the machinery back to Beas and pilots back to Malaga (for the return flight home) at the end of the event. We had eight days to think ofson1cthing.

Cordoba was hot. I've been in Arabian deserts that are colder. As we drove imo the field, the local workmen were busy preparing a runway our of t:bc thistle scrub and dust. \Xie took advanragc of our early arrival and assembled our machines, erected our JANUARY 2002

gazebo and made camp in the many archaeological digs rhat were scattered around, purely because they were the only level pieces of ground clear of thistles.

We retired to the local swimming pool and bar, a pat:tern to be set for most days.

Later that evening, as the temperature came down, a fr:w of us took to the air and joined the low-flying PPG's. lt was so good to be back in the air, and even better to be able to play aronnd with the "kicking sticks" (a PPG competition) section of the field, a bit hard for us friot-launch powered hang glider (FLPHG) pilots to do without losing our props on the sticks.

We retired to the bar and lefr rhe Spanish throng early for our beds at: 2:00 i\M, as we needed to be up at G:30 AM, another pattern that would rake its toll later on. "fhc PPG comp suffered from a lack of organization, with cbe morning task being canceled. We, 011 the other hand, took in the local area, flying up to the hills to the north and exploring the many hillside monasteries and hill forts along its range.

We even met up with Colin Lark who had driven out separately with his Bug and who was camping ar another location.

After the morning flying our group moved to the swimming pool and hid frorn the afternoon sun, with lashings oflcnh,11-adc, coke and beer. l ,ovely fr)r who went, hilt I had to stay heh ind ro do some engine surgery on Alisia r's unit. Sadly, he had holed a the first time I have ever seen this on a Racine engine. Luckily, J had brought an entire spare engine, with the idea of robbing parts when they were needed.

The afternoon task for the PPG's was cmceled again because of organizational problems and strong winds, but this did not stop Darren and Stewart from going up to show off their superior weather toler·ancc and thicker skins in turbulence.

'The evening briefing was an important one, as rhc show was goi11g to move off to rhe mountain lakeside and the village of Puebla de los Tnfontes in the morning, a distance of 60 km. The window for the PPG lau11cl1 was from 7:00 to 8:00 AM, and the FLPHC's were to follow afterwards. Preparation for the flight was made before we turned in again at 2:00 i\M in rhe 11101'1llllg.

Monday morning seemed odd. Apart from the roar of over-,cngincd paramotors, the normal Spanish brightness was not there. We had cloud cover and a steady

breeze that was, of course, in the wro11g direction. You never f-i:cl quite so bad if you know that someone else has a tougher time ahead than you, and watching a field of 55 paramo1ors Liunch imo a headwind to try to get rn rhc next goal rnadc the task seem less demanding.

Stewart and l covered the one of 11s flying lead and the on the role of"T:1il-End Charley. The rest of' the group was paired off into buddies, which proved itself many times throughout the holiday.

1 took ro the air first and had 1-0 orbit the field for about 20 minutes before the next piloi-, Brian Young, launched. Instead

of waiting for his buddy Andy to launch, Brian fc)llowed rne and produced the only hiccup in our wellplanned system, luckily not to Andy's detriment who fairhfully followed his CPS to goal.

'T'he first part of the task rook us north to a range of small hills, From there we pushed west and squeezed between the low clouds and the olive plantations. Visibility was down to less than Ave kilometers.

In the distance I could sec a hang glider wing rigged on the ground. It was Colin Lark with his Bug and Disco preparing ro take off from a private farm strip. I waved as we passed, hoping to meet up with him later.

Brian and I marched on, push·· ing against the wind. l guessed we were making about 15 kilometers per hour ground speed. At this rate we did not have enough fuel to get to goal. 'fo make things worse, cloudbase came clown and d1c scenery lost its Spanish charm, looking more like England on a wet day.

Moving away from the hills our ground speed increased, and the fast PPG was sighted. We passed by, politely waving, much like the Queen to her loyal subjects.

Navigation became easier because of occasional ground markers left from the PPG task. Features on the map that took forever to arrive were now coming on fast, an even better indication of our improving speed, but the terrain started to become hillier and less hospitable, with expansive olive tree plantations covering tbe vista.

The second PPG appeared ahead, as did Colin, amazingly. He had been flying almost flat out to catch us. J\s we passed a ribbon lake with steep sides and small, white hamlets studded amongst the olivecovered hilltops, the sun broke through, and wirh it the first of the morning thermals kicked off. I turned south to avoid flying over hills and the olive plantations.

After a few kilometers l decided to go back to the hills and climb over the crest to sec if our lake and goal were there. We circled up in a lazy thermal rhat carried us easily to the hilltops, ,md there behind them the lake slowly unforled, nestled in the valley. lt was idyllic, a perfect setting.

Brian and I glided across to the far shore and rhc make-do airfield which was occupied by the PPG road show.

H:l

Once on the ground, Brian and [ watched as one by one the rest of our party arrived. All appeared as slashes of brilliant color against a backdrop of azure blue. Ir was a proud moment and one to be repeat-· ed many times during tbc trip.

The beer tent was on the top of a sm;d] hill overlooking the runway. Its primary purpose was to keep the villagers and competitors watered. Later in the day it took on a surreal appearance almost out of Don Quixote as the PPG's and Doodle Bugs put on an aerial jousting tournament for the villagers as tbcy shaded under the medieval canopy of the beer tent. We had to go to the swimming pool as guests of the village to hide from rhc afrernoon heat. It's a hard life.

That evening we relived our flights and told stories of sheer horror. The worst was Alistar's story about Oying blindly down olive tree-covered ravines with nowhere to go but straight ahead, with his buddy foithfully following, only to run out of fuel on approach imo goal.

Later we returned to the village and a banquet laid out for all the pilots. It was a fabulous setting in a medieval courtyard, with fully laid tables and waiters on hand ro serve free drinks. We all felt a little guilt)' being dressed in expedition-soiled clothes and sporting the fragrance of something that had died a long time ago. We felt even

guiltier when we had to skip out early to get some sleep before the sun rose in a couple of hours.

Morning came too quickly. With not enough sleep we all went through automated routines, getting our equipment ready and preparing charts for the new task. This was to be a relatively short journey, moving away from the hills w the edge of the great plains leading to Seville.

We had a planned stop at the small mining town of Villanueva de] Rio y Minas kms) and then, if con-ditions allowed, we would make the final flight of the day to Seville (45 kms).

The morning mist was slow to dear and most of it turned into low clouds. The air was calm, with little in rhc way of wind, and what wind there was had no consistency in direction. Everything went smoothly until Brian managed to pull a muscle in his back. I launched and buddied up with Andy who was patiently waiting fcJr poor old Brian, his buddy, in the air.

Stewart held back and joined Andy and me, which made the trip far more enjoyable. Holes in the c:loucls provided enough sunlight to kick off the morning thermals, and we had great fun soaring up and over the lakeside ridge in order to reach the plains on the other side. Once we reached c:louclbase we set o/Tsouth to pick up the main road, river and railway that conveniently led to goal. It wam't long before the clouds became continuous and base began to lower. T'hc rest of the journey was flown at about 500 feet above the ground, occasionally c:irc:ling to let the others catch up or to exploit a bit ofweak lift. With goal in sight we flew into the best thermal of the day, and all three of us circled up near the rnist, at which point I switched off the engine and closed the folding propeller to glide silently into the goal.

Sadly, that day rhc ground crew had trouble getting to us, and stupidly we made a decision to walk the five kilometers into town and the swimming pool. We failed in the 40° C hear and had to accept a lifr from one of the organizers.

Again we were the guests of honor in this small town and free food and drinks were laid out by the poolside. Here we met Bruno, a small hedge sparrow that had managed to train tbc locals to feed him HANG GLIDING

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when he landed on their hands, heads, shoulders or focr. When we told my girlfriend Laura about this she cried real tears, because Bruno was not around when she arrived. 'T'his crnbarrasscd the bartender sufficiently that he went ro get the bird to sec her.

The wind had risen to above 2'5 knots and some gusts were in the high 30's. Here it stayed for the rest of the afternoon and scuppered the plans of the PPG's to fly on m Seville. They had to he in Seville that evening, so they all packed into their vehi cles and drove off.

We were lcfr alone, the chaos ceased, and a calm foll on our camp. This was more what I had envisaged a bivouac holiday to be. Stewart went frw a short flight to put on a demonstration for the few towns-folk who remained. As he rose through the gradient it became obvious that the wind had not ceased, and Stewart starred to creep backwards in the 25- to 30-knot wind. Afrer supper at a local bar we turned in early, since we wanted an early start to take advantage of the still morning air and to avoid the strong afrcrnoon winds.

T'hc new day srartcd bright without a cloud in the and all l O hang glider pilots moved to various edges of the field.

Some wanted to make a downwind takcofJ;

20

over a drop at the end, while others wanted to make an imo-the-wind launch with a sharp tmn to avoid the cliffa. I chose to run into wind, since l know how much harder you have to run when the wind is two mph from behind.

Once in the air everyone adopted the same departure direction. Stewart, my buddy for this flight, had problems with his camera and camera mount. I--Te had to attach a counterbalance and gallantly waved me on, so I teamed up with Darren and Marco. (These two buddied up as poor Alistar, Darren's old buddy, had strained his knee and developed a boil on the side of bis neck, making takeoffs and general Aying very dodgy.)

T'he visibility was stunning, and I could see Seville as soon as I climbed above 1,000 foet. The early morning light gave everything a hint of gold. The small, white vil-lages and towns srood our on a sea of greens and yellows of the Scvillian plains.

The Guadalouivir River meandered in giant loops with cliff, cut Olli: of small hills on the apex. On some of these hills stood villages with streets radiating away from the bullring at their centers. For most of the flight I could not see Marco and Darren, since they had taken a more southerly route along the river. We found each other nonh

of Seville, and the three of us flew along in resplendent style as we went past some of Seville's most spectacular sites, including the grand expo and t:he international stadium.

The airfield was hard to miss with its 2,000-meter-long rnetaled runway. The PPG comp was in full swing, with the air full of brightly colored paramotors. It was rather difficult to la ncl close to the road show trucks, and Marco and Darren wem for the more appealing option oflanding at the other end of the runway, over a kilometer away. Again it was fantastic to see our team arriving one by one. I counted them out and I counted them in.

We were given army tents for the night, but sadly there were no showers or sensible toilets. Stewart, Marco, Cath and I had to disappear into Seville to hire a truck to solve the transport problem for the end of the trip. Darren and Simon decided to join the PPG's in their economy task, as the sky was epic with close-packed cumuli as far as the eye could see, with bases above 2,000 meters. Although Darren screamed more than once during the flight he managed to stomach fr for more than two hours.

Simon, being less emotional, described it as 2,000 fpm up followed shortly by 2,000 fpm clown, with nothing in between.

We managed to integrate more within the PPG community that evening, especially Alistar, who not only speaks Spanish but passable Russian. The Russians responded to his friendship by showing us videos of them flying over Moscow dming May Day celebrations, with fireworks exploding around them. And if tbat weren't enough, it was all at night!

The next day's task was a 50-km trip to the village ofLehrija. Laura and I made a terrible mistake of rigging the tent inside the truck for privacy. lt was the hardest floor I have ever slept on.

The morning broke with clear skies and no wind. Simon decided to fly early and land before the rnorning briefing, and as he launched, bis camera fell to the ground.

Laura waved to him to point out his loss.

Simon waved back, and his watch promptly dropped off L,ter, his engined stopped and he landed a kilometer away. He missed the briefing.

Alistar decided not to fly again as he was suffering from his injury and his boil, which was now the size of a small child's head and egual1y as angry. fn a gallant gesnire he loaned Simon the use of his Bug HANG GLIDING

until I got chance co fix Simon's machine.

David Bremner set off first, followed shortly by Darren, Stewart and me. Darren waited around the campsite for Marco to get airborne while Stewart and I headed south. The air was beautifully still and warm, and we were able to get very close for some air-co-air photography as we sped along, chasing our shadows over huge fields of maze and sunflowers. Above the inversion we encountered a northerly wind that shortened our flight time co under one hour. Ir wasn't long before. we were over the town ofLebrija, searching for the airfield. le was not where we had been cold, bur appeared five kilometers co the west with a lone wing parked by the hangars. David had made it safely.

The landing was interesting on an ourof-che-wind runway smrounded by large thistles that were ready co attack the naked legs of any pilot who made a mistake. It was very entertaining co watch our team land, and luckily no one did battle with the thistles.

Once the ground crew arrived we all made om way to the town and the swimming pool. Stewart and Darren cook off again and headed for the village, landing in a small field opposite the sports ground and swimming pool. We were invited to

camp at the poolside which allowed not only a midnight dip bur an early morning plunge.

The town had laid our a splendid spread, and aperitifs and nibbles were served in a magnificent comcyard along with lashings of beer. The Russians and Ukrainians supplied wicked vodka, and the Poles offered something called "fallingdown water." An excellent evening was had by all, with many new friends made.

The final leg was now upon us with a short flight from Lebrija to the coascal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. The PPG's were off very early to hopefully run an afrernoon cask lacer in the day. We decided co make a more leismely start as om tolerance for the midday breeze was better.

Stewart and I launched fuse, and the takeoff was critical in the light and variable wind. You waited for a wafr to come down the runway and legged it. Many of the others didn't fair so well, with a couple of pilots frantically dodging the waist-high thistles. Sadly, Brian was capcmed by a nasty-looking bunch of them that shredded his propeller into match sticks and ended his migration premacmely.

The final leg was over some of the most beautiful scenery, with small, sandy hills rising our of the large irrigated plains. Each 500 West Blueridge Ave, Orange CA 92865, USA ph : 714.998.6359 fax: 714.998.0647

bill either had a crown of bleached houses or a splendid hacienda surrounded by lush p,1Jms. The air was soft with not a ripple in the sky, and the wind was kindly behind us, producing excellent ground speed. We flew in tight fimrrntion, occasionally shooting off the carneras to capmrc the moment.

The coast started to appear through the haze. The closer we got, the rnore the color shined through the white town, the golden sands and the deep azure blue of the sea.

What a stunning finish to our migration.

Five kilometers from the coast we ran into the early sea The wobbles started, sadly with no solid lift, and we pushed on, flying lower to ger into the smoother marine air. Instead oflanding at goal we decided to carry on to the headland and its lighthouse, flying low along the cliffs and the beautiful sands, waving to the holiday mood changed from that of makers. expedition tension to total relaxation. J was finally in holiday mode.

Reaching the lighthouse r turned around and tried to spy Stewart. He was nowhere to be seen. Retracing rny steps, I found him on the smallest strip of sand underneath the coastal cliff. I flew into the next bay and landed at the official finish, unclipped and wandered off to find him and the reason for his landing. Like a scene from darkest Africa we met halfway between our two machines.

"Mr. Bond, I presume!"

"Mr. Ashman!" came the reply.

Stewart's engine had stopped abruptly from vapor lock as he was following rnc along, forcing an early finish to his tion. 'fo compo1111d his problems he landed

22

by the only bar on the beach that was closed due to construction.

Afrcr securing his machine we wan,· dcrcd back to rhe finish and waited for the others to arrive. lt took ages before anyone appeared, causing great doubts about whether or not the rest of the team would make it in. Simon and TcJm arrived first, shortly followed by Andy. Again we waited for over an hour. Midday passed, and still no more pilots.

Finally David Bremner coasted into view. After landing he told us of a superb sea breeze he had encountered that took him up to 4,000 feet. Lucky man. He reported that Darren and Marco had taken off and were somewhere between Lcbrija and Sanlucar de Barramcda. Another hour passed and David's phone rang. It was and had landed farther Marco. He was along the coast, low on foe] after taking a longer route to goal, enjoying himself instead of worrying about being slightly lost. His buddy Darren had landed with him, then drained the last of Marco's fr1cl into his Bug and set off 10 /ind us.

Another hour passed, and we were now installed in one of the numerous beach bars with the ground crew, PPG's and friends.

There was a familiar noise in the air as Darren came around the headland, made a few passes along the beach for the spectators, and landed within six feet of the bar's entrance. What an arrival!

Darren ,md I flew during the last remaining hours of d1e day as the sun slowly set in flaming glory. Darren managed to clock up five hours of flying for the day and was well pleased if not a little tired.

Marco's outlanding was made in an iclyl· lie field on top of a small cliff with a perfect beach below, where we spcnr the last night of the tonr camped by the Atlantic with a foll moon sparkling off the waves. That night we dined at a nearby bar and talked about our experiences. When asked, "Would you do it again?" everyone put their hands up. There was a definite pioneering air among all of us, We had demon-· srrared what a bivouac-flying holiday can and learned a lot that will make the nexr one jusr as good and probably even better.

JIANG CLIDINC

The nexr day we flew for the last ti me.

Stewart and I caught the fledgling se;i breeze ;is ir started to form just off the coast, highlighted by sw:irrns of swifts picking the flies from rhe early convergence. l could fly to within a hundred feet above the water :ind slow! y work the lift up to 1,500 feet above the beach. The sense of freedom was incredible and my respect for these simple machines has grown even stronger. You make ;i hang glider into a superior machine with a powered harness.

It docs not compron1ise the glider in any way; but enhances it with the ability to launch when yo11 want, from practically anywhere you want, mid to go ,rnywhcre you like. Words fail rnc. l would like to thank all those who bud faith and foresight in rhe project: Alisrar, Andy, Brian, Darren, David, Marco, Simon, Stewart and Tcm1. And thanks to our ground crew who never failed us and made the whole trip possible: C11h, I,aura and 'ferny. Finally, ,1 big tfomks to Richard Meridith Hardy, whose creative turned an idea into reality. B )i\NU1\RY 2002

SURVIVOR The Story of a Teenage Pilot © 2002 by Lincoln Kroll

It was 22 years ago, and it was my 13th birthday when I took my first hang gliding lesson on the sand dunes of Cantamar, Mexico.

This life-changing event would come about, oddly enough, when a vacuum-cleaner salesman visited my mother's humble abode. hile he was trying to sell my mom the latest and greatest in vacuums, I was bewildered by what I knew had to be a hang glider rolled up on the roof of his van. I had been fascinated by flight since I was able to walk. By the time he left, no vacuum sale to his credit, I was equipped with the how's and where's of my first lesson.

My mother, known to eveiyone as "Mom," sported for my lessons as my 13th birthday present. Ir was the good old days of hang gliding, or at least not too long after. We learned on triangular, battenless wonders with a glide angle of about 45°, which was perfect for me. I still remember wanting to buy the first kite I tried. My

W

instructor, Burke Ewing, thankfully dissuaded me. "You don't want that one," he said knowingly.

Burke and I formed a friendship that endures to this day. Ir wasn't long before I was flying off Little Black and Elsinore, California, raking 10-minute sled rides in my Eipper Flex:i II. I nearly killed myself three times because of that glider (and my inexperience, of course). The first two times were my first attempts at soaring, both at Little Black I crashed near takeoff once, bent a downrube, and disturbed a rattlesnake, which I never did see but could hear very well, as could the people on whom I was counting to lend me a hand. Ir was a long wait. The second time I tried to do a 360° before landing. I didn't

A raspberry and a wave!

HANG GLIDING

The author flying down the sand dunes in Cantamar, Mexico, December 1979.

JANUARY 2002

25

calculate and crashed, but this time f saved the From any by using my face as a shock absorber. I was rushed to the hospital where the doctor was called in. [ heard the nurse telling him, "extreme lacerations of the " lt looked worse than it was more dirt and blood than my mom lacerntions. The doctor did explain what she was letting me do.

'J'hc third time I nearly passed from rhis world by kite was when I got my first "real" glider, a Wills Wing Raven. Such was rhe of this fantastic new machine that on my maiden flight l so ovcrcontrolled my turns (having been used to the gliding equivaknr of a l ricyde) ldi, rhat I was just abou I winging over then right, and hack again. l would sec the side of the rnmrnt:1in rushing up and crank it! ] liked to fly fosr in those days, since l was rold that a stall was rny worst enemy. ·1 only my problems on rh1s particular but with my heart pound-

ing I made it to the I Z alive! ln 1979, if you seemed to have an rude, you could skip your Novice rating ,1ltogether, and it only took a minimum of one year of flying to get an Advanced raring.

'TcJrrey Pines was the crown jewel. l wanted to fly there more than anything.

The idea of flying for longer than my usual l O to 20 ,md then landing back on top ready to do ir again, without breaking down, was enough to make me

cry. And cry I did.

My first attempt to fly 'Torrey was met with much apprehension by Steve l:fawkshurst, the then controlling entity at ~lbr-rey. He was afraid that the publicity created by me getting bun or killed might jeopardize the site. I bawled like a little boy. Okay, I was old enough to suck it up, but I wanted this more than anything. My chance came at last, and I showed Steve that this linle boy could fly, and not cry. 1 was in! I finally bad my Advanced rating and was able to fly 1orrey!

What l hadn't told Sreve was that l had written a letter to a 'J'V show called Kid'.1· Vvorld, a show where kids anchor the news about other kids. 'They liked the idea of a hang gliding kid, so they came out to film an episode. On my second day of flying at Torrey Pines a film crew was mounting cameras on my glider, while Steve looked on in amazement (and, I'm sure, fear).

HANG GUDINC

I was J 4 and on top of the world.

Bmkc was there, making sure I knew where not to go. l was expertly flying my Raven by then, and the day wem off withom a hitch. You may still see th::n Kid's World episode from time to time. 1 was told by the producers of the show that it was one of their best ever.

Over the years l did one more TV show, and many news shows and articles.

I have had the oppornmity to take friends and other pilots up tandem (before the rules changed), fly 1notorizcd trikes and ultralights, jump from perfectly good airplanes, and even fly a paraglider once in a while when I'rn feeling bold. 'fhe experience of flying so young gave me a great sense ofsdf', a wonderful view oflifc and the world around me, a personal "spirituality" that belongs to those who long to fly, and memories to fill volumes. I strongly recommend hang gliding to anyone who is curious to know what it is like to step into the no matter what your age.

I am 35 now. I still keep current- and Ay regularly at Torrey Pines and sites around Los Angeles where f now live.

11g,e 13, down the dunes.

SwrEM[l[R 2001

byPaul Voight

A$

a Regional Director and regular Board rneeting attendee for thchst or.so years,Jhavewitni:ssed m1d, atdmcs, bee.na of the evofotion of the USHGAinstructor Traini11g Program (ITP, formerly ICP). I also happen to be an ff PAdministrntot Jhe program has evolved to a point now wh~re LbeJ.ieve itwon'tuhdergo many (any?) more changes fa the near future. Therefore, this a1tifle shoµld help explainhow it now: works, a.nd dear up any c<mfosion (,r misconceptions.that maybe lurking 0\.1t.thete (and things should mn si;noothly fol' a ;while). Tbe notion that it is too hard tobec6.\nean instructor is, in my opinioJ), inacctu:ate: Starting at the beginning, ifyou are ;:i.n intermediate pilot or higher, and you wam tq certified as a Basic Instructor, you need to attend a clinic. (I'll cover Advanced Insrruc: torsl;it~r.)Clinics are often listed ill the endar of events, The office also knows when they arc occurring because a form from the Regiornil Director to the office is supposed to precede any dinic that is planned. If yon can'tflrid a convenient clinic, plan B is to rustle up afew other people interested in certification or rccertlficatit;m (these clinics can be run.concurrently), ~nd then hire one of the people on the ITP Administratodis.t to run a clinic inyom area (possibly cQ.njunction with a local hang gliding/paragliding shop). Administrators don't gener,1Hyrun clinics unless asked, so waiting for a clinic to c:os111icaHy come to · your area won't w~rk. If,ytrn want one, make it happen (or get one tO h<1;ppe11 somewhere you would like to visit).

Next, there arc a number of required tasks that need to be acetimpJished before a candia din ic; First, you need to get a card. Call the locril Rcd()oss number and}tttcnd the next (halfsday) Se.cond, yop nc.ed to apprentice under (at lc;ist onc)alre;idy certified instmct()t:.l";. .checklist of the tasks to be apprenticed needs tobe signed off item by item. Whil~horh of tht:!sc steps wc1·e designed as "prerequisites," they .can be accomplished after tbe clinic (in a timely manner), at the discretion of tht: Administrator.

At t:he actual clinic, you will need to make

in

30

J2

some presentations, watch and critique other prcsentations;as. well as benefit frQn, any prescntadons madeJ,y:the Administrator. In addition, you will.be exposed to teaching risk management (tbe Robertson's Rules of Reliability .cha.tts .and handbook), and take (and pass) the USHGA Instructor.test. Last, but notleast,you1nust take andpass thcUSHGA version of the FAA Fu11damet1tals of Instruction (FOI) test. While designed as a prerequisite, the factthattheITP A.dministrators (and TandernAdmlnistrators)arc the Administrators oftbistcst1 thereallty .is that it is ofren administered at thq:linics, Tbe FAAhmnestudy book, UJithall ofthe question,sand,1ns~ers, is availab.lc through the office and n).anyairports. Ask for "the red PC)T hopk.:' Jhe background to adopting this test is that it relieves the Administrators from having to spend the one or two days needed to cover the material, allowing the clinics to be shorter and more h)cused on our sport instruction tech11iques.

Successfol completion of these requixemer1ts, along with a$ J 5 ratiilg. . wiH f9:akc yot1 a certified .Basic Instructor, which en:ab!cyou to tpach the sporra11d issue Begin.ner an,i Novi~e ratings. The 1[tstruc~ tor rating lasts three after.which you n~c:d to attend a. rccc1>dficati<m clinic in order to become recertified.

The recommended lcngd1 ofa. dinic is three days (two practical and onetesting):A cm1dida,te (~:xample:.an instructor fro1n another com1try) can, at the discrctitm of the Administrator,·attend 01}ly~hc testing portion of a clinic, btJt he'd b~tter be good! Por recertification, two days a'.re recqmmcnded (one clinic day and one tesdn:g ,fay), Now pay attention, because hete are the most recent changes (improvements) to the program; You can only become a11 ''Advanced In1;t1'llCtOl"" at your third c.l.inlc (second rcCCJ'• tifkatlonj. The 011lydlfferejice b~twecn Advanced Basicit;stmctors. is that Adva11ced lnstructol'tcan issue lntcnncdiate andA.d:vaticed}atfogs in addition to Beginner and Novice Once you a11 Advanced. Instructor rating, you may no longer need to .attend

wiU

,md

('11!111 '' . ,,11,r,r•:,n of l'ec.civlng a "11eed to a tec.ertifitatio1i clinic" let.tel' from the offic~, you will receive a "rccertifica., tion fom(wh~d11·equires you to provide ptoofof currency (five: lessons taught per year and a currc11t first-aid certification) to a Regional Director 01' ai1 ITP Administrator, who will sign you off on said form. Sepd the form in with $15 and yo1t're good for three more years. (]f you are not cunent you will t1ecd to attend,! clinic to recertify.) lfyou are instructor, and arc in a siruati,m in whkh you need to be able to administet th/./ Iritermcdiatc and Advanced ratings, bttt Haven't been in the .progra111 long enough to ~styou.r Advanced. rating, siinply obtain.an Observer appointment from an Examiner in your area; While not given out frivoloLJsly; Observer a.ppointai:e generally not commonly (unless you have.a bad reputation!) and a simple, appQiJltment. The poin~ here is that is no downside to having to wait for your Advi11ced Instructor The "value" of the Advanced Instructor rating has simply been changed (to enable J(:\U to recertify via form). thctG is the i 1A%istant fostructor" rating, which needs to be mentioned. This rating is available to Novice pllots, and allows them to assist certified instructors with new stu· de11ts in low and slow flights at smaH ttaini11g hills (very low grounp-clearancc flights). They e;:itinl)t issue ratings. The requirements are the same as for obtainingthc Basic Instructor rating (with the exception ofnecding the Intermediate Normally, upon att:ainfog the Intcri:nediate rating, an Assistant Instructor can be "upgr,id~ eel" to Basic Instructor through their Administrator and a recommcndatior1 from the instructor tbey have been assisting.

1 think that about covers the topic. The prqgram is designed to produce high quality instructors, while minimizing the amount of time the ilJStructor candidate needs to invest in.obtai11ii1g and maintaining thctating.

There is a sizable list of qnality Admjnistrators spread geographically around .the 12 retions, all of whom ate capable and willing to pH((>n top-notch clinics. Many are very wiUipgto travel to run clinics .

I personally believe that this program is R good one. It sl.1oufd enable motivated 1ndivkluals to become a11d remain certified instructors :i:vith relative (:asc. In the long run, this will allow.the pub.lie to more readily and safely learn our sports, and continue on to become active me,m.bers a11d proficient pilots. Ill

rn>

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Canadian Snowbirds

by Bob Grant

You probably think that those Canadians who fly hang gliders don't have a very longflying season because they live way up north.

While we do live north ofthose ofyou in the southern United States, in reality, many ofus in Canada live much farther south than our.friends in Minnesota, for example.

Steve Younger

HANG GLIDING

T

he Southwestern Ontario Gliding Association (SOGA), formerly Hang-On-Tario Hang Gliding Club, had its roots in KitchenerWaterloo, Ontario, Canada, which lies just between Detroit, Michigan and Toronto, Ontario. About five years ago the SOGA club purchased a Dragonfly tow plane and acquired a strip less than an hour north of Kitchener at a private airfield, one mile from the small burg ofTeviotdale. The club has about 20, very active members and flies on weekends and occasionally Fridays. All through the summer, starting sometime in April, the club is very active, and some members have made X-C flights of close to 100 miles and altitude gains of more than 8,000 feet.

Kevin Thompson, one of the original SOGA organizers, gives tandem lessons along with three other tandem-rated pilots: Ken Kenzie, Karl Dinzel and Mike Gates.

Steve Younger, son of the famous Canadian aerobatic champion (Pitts Special pilot) Gerry Younger of Guelph, pilots the Dragonfly tow plane and puts us all into the best parts of the largest thermals.

So, what about the short-season thing?

Sure enough, our towing season usually stops somewhere around the fuse of November, but in 2001 we were able to squeak three extra weekends out of the season, and on November 18, 2001 about 10 of the SOGA "go-for-it" pilots made arrangements to have Steve tow them skyward for their last aerotow flights of the year at Teviotdale.

Sunday, November 18, 2001 was a spectacular day for some of us who had never flown above the clouds before. I was the fust one off at noon, and climbed up to 2,600 feet. The view from that altitude was breathtaking with a sea of puffy clouds 1,500 feet below. The marshmallow clouds were scattered about the sky, leaving lots of open areas between them to scoot down between. It was really incredible to fly along the open streets, trying to catch some lifr on the upwind side of the clouds, but I must admit that lift was not available. However, a sink rate of about 100 feet per minute made for a great, scenic flight.

Many others had terrific flights as well, and the last day of our 2001 aerotowing season was fantastic. The accompanying photos should give you a feel of what a wonderful flying experience it was.

You might suppose that we were finished for the year, but no, we have 100-foot cliffs surrounding the Great Lakes and many of us fly throughout the winter months on these lake cliffs. In addition, many of us enjoy the hospitality of the southern flight parks in Florida throughout the winter months. •

Kris Spkttstoesser

Kevin Thompson

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•

copyright @ 2001 by Dennis Pagm

There are all sorts of metaphors that we employ to help convey the ethereal f~eling offl~r;;ht.

ofmy

favorite images is that ofa beautdul piece of music that transports us to a higher plane as we harmonize with the

any

can be an

too will a flight lose much rf

instruments 11re out of tune. enjoyment fthe glider is out

photo by Scott Tmehlood

very pilot should learn how to tune his or her glider in order to make flying safer and more rewarding. There is nothing worse rhan landing because you are fatigued from fighting your glider, or being shot down because you didn't work that last thermal effectively. "[i:l prevent such soul-shattering

34

happenstance, we offer this series of articles on tuning a We hope you will find them usefrd, and you may wish to keep them as reference material for the next time you have a tuning problem.

This guide t:o tuning comes from my own practical experience as well as that of designers I have talked to. Tn addition, for

more than frmr years I have been collecting interviews with the world's top pilots in order to write the book, The Secrets of Champions. In this hook, very experienced pilots talk about how they win meets and wring better performance out of their gliders. We will be revealing some of their tricks in this series. 'The techniques we present in HANC GLIDINC

We

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these articles have practical applications for recreational and competition pilots alike.

Note that our main focus is on modern, high-performance gliders, but you will find that most of the material applies to all other gliders as well. The goal is co have you flying with the light touch of a maestro in symphony with yow- glider to perform an aria in the air.

A BIT OF BACKGROUND Tuning a modern glider is not much more difficult than tuning an older one, but there are different matters to attend to. New featmes such as sprogs and movable eccentrics, as well as the move toward cmved tip designs, means we must alter our approach to achieve the desired effect.

What makes a modern glider modern?

A combination of using all the best ideas of the past 25 years plus a few recent developments. Before we mention some of these items we need to point out that today's second- or third-generation topless gliders are noticeably safer, stronger, better performing, easier handling and easier to land than most first-generation topless gliders and kingposted high-performance gliders.

That's a mouthful, and certainly a pilot's dream, if you can believe it. To help convince you and lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the derails of tuning, let's talk design.

To begin with, most of the manufacturers have changed to curved tips. With such a tip, a bent composite wand holds outward tension on the sail's trailing edge. This arrangement provides an elliptical-shaped tip (the aerodynamic ideal) bur also allows

the tip to off-load when hie by turbulence.

This latter feature is especially useful in rowdy thermals. In my experience, gliders with tip wands are more forgiving in turbulence and more suited for high-siding and spinning-up thermal techniques (these techniques will be discussed lacer in this series). Most gliders' tip wands are adjustable.

The second important innovation is in the sail. Today, most gliders limit washout (thus maximizing performance) by controlling airfoil shape better and increasing leading edge tension. Airfoil types tend to vary along the span, which is good because different parts of the glider are called on to respond to the air differently. We used to use trailing edge tension as the main means of controlling washout, but increasing trailing edge tension is like tightening the back scrap on a bra - performance may improve, but handling goes to hell.

The third big change involves the airframe . Here's the story: When the learn Laminar ST and Moyes CSX came out about five years ago they gained a reputation for being a bit squirrelly and really difficult to aerocow. The reason was because of their stability setup and airframe.

Topless gliders achieve pitch stability by holding in a minimum amount of wing twist or washout (along with the use of stable airfoils). Sprogs (the slang term for washout struts or dive sticks) are what hold this minimum twist. The sprogs are attached to the leading edge in a manner that renders them resistant to bending down at the trailing edge. Unforcunacely, the sprogs on these early gliders were not

very rigid. A combination of bending sprogs, flexible leading edge fastening and flexible leading edges (both in bending and torsion) allowed the sprogs to move down quite a bit when subjected to negative loads in a pitch test. As a result, the sprogs had to be set quite high in order for a glider to pass cl1e DHV or HGMA pitch tests.

High sprogs hurt handling, because when the sail hits the sprog it can no longer move down freely dming the roll action of a glider. If you turn hard left and your rightside sail is riding on the sprogs, it's as if you were crying to weight-shift a semi-rigid wing. The only way the designers were able to get these wings to handle reasonably was to add a lot of anhedral (angling down of the wings) in the airframe. As a result, the wings had a tendency to fall off to a side and didn't crack ve1y well.

Designers of modern gliders solved this problem by employing much stronger leading edges and sprog systems. Big-diameter leading edges are obvious on the new gliders, with 60 to 62 mm (2.4 to 2.44 inches) being the norm (torsional rigidity varies with the fifth power of the diameter). Also, the sprogs are made of stronger cubes and are cable supported. They often automatically vary up and down at different VG settings in o~der to be most in play when they are needed. The net effect is that today's sprog systems undergo less than a sixth the deflection of the old ones under the same load, according to one manufactmer's test.

The benefit is better pitch stability at lower sprog settings and a return to better handling and more roll-stable gliders.

All the above discussion is intended to

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36

Fun, Convenient, Comfortable and Easy True Lightweight Soaring Trike 95 lbs.

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give you a feeling for how complex the interaction of all the design elements on a glider is, and give you a basis for how important the sprogs arc to the tuning of a modern glider. When we tune for performance or turns we will talk about sprogs.

Also, they arc part of our straight-ahead tuning concepts.

THE STRAIGHT STORY Now let's segue into the main theme: 1\ming. We will look at matters relating to straight-ahead flight, which means speed and pitch feel as well as stability. 'The items we will use to make adjustments arc rhc hang strap position, the barrens, the sprogs and the tip wands. Let's take matters step by step so you don't get confused.

From this point on your first rule should be to write down every change that you make so you can return to the original if things get out of whack. Keep a record of your tuning changes better than you keep your logbook!

We begin by setting trim speed. Trim speed is the speed the glider f1ies hands-off, straight and level. The main way to adjust trim speed is by moving the bang strap fore and aft. We'll call this a CG (center of gravity) adjustment from now on, since moving the hang strap moves where your body hangs which moves the center of gravity of the flying ensemble (you and the wing). If you want to increase the airspeed at which the glider trims, move the hang strap forward. If you want to decrease it, move the strap position back. Until you gain experience so that you know the relationship of strap movement to airspeed change, move the position only in half-inch inc:remcms, or more likely, one hole in the adjustment system the manufacturer provides.

Now here's our fost professional trick. ff you need a fine adjmnncnt which lies somewhere between two holes, move to the forward hole (fastest position) and rhen flatten your outside three battens the amount necessary to achieve the desired speed. About 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) is the most you should flatten them.

T'his trick works because flattening the battens reduces the lifring at the tips a bit, so the glider flies at a slightly higher angle of attack. This method is effective for all flex·· wing gliders and is safe because flattening the batten profiles increases pitch stability.

How fast should your glider be trimmed? The answer depends on your skill level and what you arc trying to achieve. ]ANU/\RY 2002

Some manufacturers trim their intermediate gliders between minimurn sink and best glide, but there arc two caveats here: First, different weight pilots trim a glider at diffr:rent angles of attack and airspeed because of varied amounts of warping in the leading edges and sail (this effect is greater on gliders with more flexible leading edges). Second, if your glider isn't trimmed at least as slow as minimum sink, you will nor be able to thermal as efficiently as possible. This latter point is intended for experienced pilots who know very well their glider's stall signs and reactions, and know very well how ro increase speed in turbulence so as w avoid unexpected stalls. So, the conclusion is, if you arc not: advanced, have an experienced pilot nearly equal to your weight fly your glider to make sure it's in the manufacturer's desired trim range. If you arc an advanced pilot:, trim your glider at minimum sink for best performance. Anything faster and you will have to push out in thcrrnals, which will reduce your sensitivity and have you flying too fast at times.

Moving your CC back not only changes trim speed, it moves the base bar forward relative to your body. This happens because your body moves back a little, bnt also because the nose rotates up a bit. Shortarmed pilots way find the forward bar move uncomfortable, or even notice a bit less landing flare authority. It is not unreasonable to adjust the control bar w where you want: it by altering the front-to-rear cables. Next month we'll rnlk more about this matrcr.

When making your trim adjustments, here's one thing to watch out for. Modern topless gliders have a very large VG movement made possible by much stronger crossbars. As a result, in rhe loose position rhe sail is very baggy, the control bar moves way forward and pitch forces mount. 'The glider has a strong tendency to fly in a rut right at: trim speed. Thus, when you arc trying to find minimum sink speed, which occurs just above stall speed, you may mistake the bar pushing bad: at you for an incipient stall. A stall produces the same feeling in the bar because the nose tries to drop through.

The only reliable way to find the true stall point is to ignore the bar forces and hold the bar farther and farther out as you fly along. Do this high (in case you stall and drop) in smooth air. Let the glider fly m trim, then move the bar forward in oneinch increments. At each increment let the

glider fly steadily ,md check for signs of stall (wallowing, uneven feedback, nose drop· ping, etc.). If a stall isn't appearing, slow down one more increment. Once you find the stall point, back up the bar one inch, note the position and airspeed, and make your trim adjustmcnrs to duplicate those points.

Now for rhis installment's final protricks: Note rhat we do not necessarily endorse these setups and you make any such modification at your own risk. T prefer to have my glider trimmed so that the weight· of my arms and hands on 1·hc baserube in a rchxed mode brings the bar back a little to minimum sink speed. That means when my hands are lifted off the bar, it moves a bir forward and the glider kisses a stall.

Some of the world's top pilots go to a bit more of an extreme. As indicated above, loosening the VG on modern glid-crs moves the bar forward and slows the glider down (this effect is caused by the tips washing our more and losing lift in loose VG settings). These pilots arc thcrmaling with the VG set ar a quarter to a third. (The reason is, full-off is too baggy and not eff1cicnt:. This reasoning does not apply to older gliders with less VG movement.) So, they trim their gliders to be exactly at minimum sink, hands-off with rhc desired VG setting in a 30° bank. The way to achieve this rrim is trial and error.

You simply make adjustments until your glider is flying at the desired airspeed with the selected VG setting and most commonly used bank angle.

WARNING: When a glider is trimmed in the manner described above it may tend to stall when it is flown hands--off level at the chosen VG setting, and certainly will stall hands-off with the VG off. The pilots who trim their gliders in this manner arc very attuned to airspeed and rarely fly level with less than half VG (level Aight is for flying between thermals). Ti.ming in this manner increases the bar-forward tendencies of the new gliders and may be uncomfortable with the VG off. Recreational pilots should stick to conventional trim positions. l hope you enjoyed our first step in becoming tuning experts. Tt should be clear that there are many tricks used by experienced pilots. We'll find out a lot: more in foture installments as we discuss bar position, pitch feeling, pitch stability, removing rums and tuning for performance and handling. •

37

a free lunch, J looked at Scott and asked him what he thought about me coming in to prescnr to his fellow students. He gave me the same kind of look that Kevin Arnold of the Wonder Years gave his mother in the episode where he found out that she had just accepted a joh in his school's office. Of course, Scott's first question was a distrusting "What arc you going to talk about?"

I did some thinking out loud, going through what l had already put together in my own mind when I first read the note. "Well, ['vc done the talk-into-the .. microphone, see.. ito-on .. the .. oscilloscope thing, and I've passed around dinosaur footprints. What do you say l do some·· thing really Scott knows what I'm capable so the look on his face went from vintage Kevin Arnold to one of true panic in seconds. Not wanting to see my son in this awful condition any longer, I came right om with it. "l could give a presentation to your school on

HANG GLIDING."

out, so 1 didn't fill out tbc ftm11.

A few weeks later, another paper wns lefr on the table . Uh oh. Career and Hobby Day was fi cd <nr•,11(Pr<

Right then, Kevin dissolved back. into and he officially blessed my idea as acceptahle. That was cool. At least with this topic, the porential parent-·to..son embarrassment factor might be reason .. ably low. Most of his friends, especially those in our neighborhood, were aware of our little seeret anyway. So, with Scott's acceptance, I filled out the form. CHecr?

No. Hobby? glider pilot. Equipment needed? A room that can hold a 3(Hoot glider. Also, a TV and VCR would be nice. [ then dropped it in an envelope and Scott brought it to the school office rhe next day.

Aficr a days I got a call while at work from the elementary school princi .. pal's secretary who was helping with tbe Career and Ffobby Day organization. I could tell from the initial tone of her voice thar this was not going to go smoothly. "Mr. Wiseman. First of all, we appreciarc your but we have some questions." It seems that this lady was coordinating all the forms that had come back with the PTA committee that was in charge of deciding who would do what. "There arc some concerns with what you arc proposing. Can you please explain exactly what you have in mind for your

or one to turn down

So, I proceeded to tell her that I thought a proper demonstration of my hohby would cntnil having me set up my

words stared out my nine-year-old son had

nonchalantly on the kitchen table .for

"\,Vt, are looking jiJr parents and · rP'/!'J?rrP·n others to give

talles to our students tmd to

their knowledge

had done this kind of thing before, at least 011 a limited basis. Between my daughter Sarah and my son Scon, l had been to the local dcrnenrnry school several the vinues of everything from electronics to fossil collecting. Unfortunately, l was very busy at work, and didn't really come to any conclusion as to how I could help them

3B

PV7lP7/"l,?'Vlf',f'l'

with

HANC GLIDINC

glider and some of my other equipment in a room where the children could sit around ir and really sec for themselves what it was all about. As the glider was about 30 foct wide, I would need a large room such as the gymnasium or the cafeteria. After about IO seconds of silence she came back and said, "So you don't plan on doing a flying demons1ration?" Now I was catching on to the foars. "No, I will show a shon videotape on what it is like to fly, and then I will show the equipment on the ground. No flying."

'That was what she was looking for, rhe no-flying promise. But just to make sure I really got the message, she made it clear: "Well, Mr. Wiseman, we just wanted to make sure that you didn't have any plans to fly off the roof or anything. Our insurance won't allow that."

Once she was convinced that Twould indeed remain ground-bound and wouldn't anernpt to launch from the roof of the gym, she went on and told me about the other details of the presentation. [ was being assigned to the fifth-- and sixth-grade classes, and I would have to give sev-en 45-minute talks, with a one-hour lunch break in the middle. Well, that was a little more than what I bad initially bargained for, but it sounded like fun, so I agreed. Of course, I wasn't going to get a simple yes/no from this person, so she said she would get back to me with a "final approval." I guess the rest of the PTA wanted to make sure I wouldn't be crashlanding on a school bus or anything like that. But the "final approval" note came from the school a couple of days later, making it very clear that I had been assigned a corner inside the gymnasium where I could set up my cquipmenr and use the TV and VCR. Prom the time of my acceptance to the actual presentation I only had about two weeks to prepare for the day. l thought about what I wanted to do and how to ti I. it into a 45-minute presentation. [ decided that, as the group of children came into my area in the gym, I would wait until they were seated, then imroduce myself and give a brief introduction as to what my hobby was and what they were going to learn about it. The folly sct--up glider right behind me would certainly be a dramatic backdrop fcJr this introduction.

From there, I would play a copy of the 10minutc USHGA videotape entitled "'fo Fly: Discover Hang Gliding Tciday." I bad JANUARY 2002

this videotape at home already, and thought it would be perfect for kids of this age to sec. After viewing the video and fielding ;my questions, I would go into a detailed description of the glider itself; as well as other equipment, such as the harness, he! met, variometcr, etc. I\ brief run-through of this procedure had me right just about around 35 to 40 minutes to allow for questions at the end. what worked well with children from my previous visits to the elementary scliool, I decided that J would do two things during these prescmations. l would ask for a volunteer from each class to hdp demonstrate things, and second, f would present everyone wirh some kind of souvenir. Tb help with the latter, I called the US! {GA office, explained what it was tbat l was doing, and requested anyout to children. A thing that I could fow days later there was a large box on my doorstop with 200 buttons, stickers and copies of an article of a young pilot. They were also kind enough to send seven Zing Wings, which I planned to give to each of the sessions' volunteers as a special thank-you.

So, when the big day finally arrived, Scott and I packed up the ear as if we were going flying, but drove over to his school instead. We got there nice and early because I wanted to make sure that T really did get a good space in the gym, and also because it would take some time to get the glider set up and to test the VCR. l signed in at the P'T/\ table, got my presenter's button for the day, and then went to carry the equipment into the side door of the gym.

That's when the fun started. We were attracting a crowd already, even before school started. Kids of all ages were dropping by to sec what was going on in tfo: gym, and rumors were flying around the school about the hang glider guy who was going to talk dming the day. I had ro explain to the gathered masses that I would only be dealing with fifth and sixth graders, bur if anyone else wanted to drop by afrcr school [ would he glad to talk to them then.

We got set up with plcnt:y of time to spare, so when Scott went off ro his class [ went to the PT/\ table and got my complimc11ta1:y chocolate donut and orange juice.

I also fllled my water bottle with ice water, knowing that l would be talking for a long rime during tbc day.

I went to my post in the gym, which J

was going to share with another father who was a soccer coach. He had kind of a neat setup himself: with a goal and a radar gun with which he was going to have kids the speed of their shots.

With the of the 9:00 bell, we wished each other good luck as our first classes were led into the gym.

From what I found out later, the kids were not given an advance schedule, so they did not know what they were going to see when they went to an individual presentation.

As such, the look on their faces when they came in and saw a hang glider in room was priceless. I diately had their which is always a fear talking to children about subject. But that would the case at all during my school, as these kids were deh·· nitely excited to hear what I had to say.

So, on I went, following my mental script. They loved the video, especially the part that showed a flrst-time tandem stu·· dent flying. When I went into details of explaining the glider harness, I called for a volunteer the audience. In all seven tions, evei:y child volunteered! that was befrire they even knew was going to have them l do. When I got my volunteer, l him or her in my harness, them over to the glider, and hooked them in. I then supported the keel on my shoulder and let the volunteer hang from the glider. Si nee they had already seen from the video what the basics of weight shifr con·· trol were, I had each volunteer actually try pulling and pushing on the control bar, and leaning to each side to tum. I then got in the control frame next to them and helped them lift the glider and balance it. Together, we showed the rest of the audience how to get ready to launch from this position, and how to land on their feet. I really wish I were a better writer so I could describe to you what they looked like when I had them imagining that they were doing this themselves while standing on the edge of a 1,000-foot-high vertical cliff~ After my volunteer had "landed" and unhooked, he

or she returned to the audience with their complimentary Wing, much to the extreme envy of their classmates.

With about· 10 minutes to spare, I asked each of t·he sessions for questions.

'Ihere were plenty, definitely more than I had time to field. The surprising thing was that most of them

thrilled, but they weren't really leaving.

Most came right back and insisted on touching the glider or even asking if they could lift it up themselves. This semichaos continued until the next class arrived and the previous one had to leave to make room. That ended up being the only glitch in my otherwise perfectly planned presentation. Afrer the first couple of times experiencing this, [ ended my remaining talks about five minutes earlier than usual to allow for everyone to actnally touch the glider and stand in the control frame. Luckily for me, no one had a pair of scissors or anything else sharp with them. If they bad, they probably would have been cutting souvenir pieces of sailcloth for rhem· selves, they were so excited.

As the three mornmg sess10ns progressed, everything continued very smoothly. The only problem was that I started rcal-

,~~--------~~:::::~1:;;;;;~;;

40

were very directed and intelligent. ·rhese kids had really listened to what they had heard.

They wanted to know things like how I first got into the hobby, how expensive it was to learn and to purchase equipmcm, where such a was taught, etc. But, of course, children are children, and in several sessions the question would arise from tbe self-appointed class down, to howls of laughter. Yup, you got it, the one all adults dread: "What if you have to go to the bathroom?" Interestingly enough, however, not one of them asked me ifI could launch from the roo[ Right as l noticed that the time was getting near the end of each session, I announced to the children that I had something for them to take with them.

As they left the gym I gave each of rhem a button, sticker and an article from my USHGA box of goodies. They were

getting harder and harder for me to talk. By izing that it was the end of the third session I was definitely starting to lose my voice. The good thing was that it was time for my free buffet-style lunch.

The neatest thing for me about the lunch was that it was ro be eaten in the reacher's lounge. That: was always such a mysterious, secretive place during my grade school tenure, so many years ago.

As a matter of fact, my own kid wanted to know more about the teacher's lounge afrer the day was over than about his own father's presentations. All I could say to him afterwards was, "Don't become a teacher when you grow up just for the teacher's lounge."

There were two distinct groups eating lunch there on this day, the teachers themselves and the Career and Hobby Day presenters. Some of the teachers had a mild interest in who was talking about what, so we were asked to introduce 01.!r·· selves and to say what subject we were HANC CLIDINC

presenting. Around the tables we went a lawyer, a nurse, the soccer coach, a quilt maker, and then I uttered it: a hang glider pilot. I haven't felt such an icy chill since the time I launched the previous winter when it was 25 degrees outside. The hang glider guy. Their eyes said it all: "This was the guy who wanted to jump off the roof in front of our impressionable young students."

So, as I poked at my salad, trying desperately to spear my cherry tomatoes with a dull plastic fork, I fielded the usual adult questions: "You can get killed doing that, right?" I wasn't so sure that one was even a question. "How often do you get hurt doing that? " "What do you do when you are up there by yourself?" "Do you have any other interests?" I took that to mean, do I golf, or anything else normal?

Now that my 30-year-old fantasy bubble had burst in less than one hour, I found myself actually looking at the clock on the wall to see if it was time to leave the teacher's lounge and return to my muchmore-inrerested student audience. Finally, it was time to do the four afternoon sessions, so I refilled my water bottle and went back to the gym.

Again, the children amazed me. What a difference between them and the adults, especially when it came to the questions they asked. It seems to me that the questions asked by the children were intended to reinforce a concept that they were visualizing in their own open minds.

Most of the adult questions really seemed to be statements in disguise, about ideas they had already made up their minds

about. Bur nor all the adults acted this way. One of the teachers at lunch actually showed some interest and was quire nice in her approach. She said she would stop by the gym after school and have a look, and sure enough she did, just when I was packing up.

During my last presentation, my son Scott got to attend. Since he was in the fourth grade last year he wouldn't normally have been able to attend my presentation, which was to the fifth and sixth graders, bur they made allowances for children to see their own parents. So, during this talk, I introduced him to the sixth graders, and from then on he had a whole bunch of new, older friends saying hello to him in the halls and on the playgrounds. After the last talk was finished, he helped me pack up the glider and the rest of my equipment, bur the crowd of kids hanging around was still relatively large. Ir seems that the word had spread throughout the school to the other grades - go to the gym before you get on the school bus and see the hang glider.

So, in conclusion, I think that the children I talked to got a pretty good introduction to what hang gliding is all about.

Thar was reinforced to me a few days later when I was in a local pizza restaurant with my family. A woman came over to our table and pointedly asked me the question, "Are you the hang glider guy?"

When I admitted rhat by the laws of chance alone I was probably he, she smiled and said, "My daughter over there is in the sixth grade and saw one of your presentations. She said yo u were great and

that I just had to come over here and tell you myself It was all she could talk about that night at dinner. " At that moment I knew I had really mer my objectives for the day.

And what did I learn from my experiences during Career and Hobby Day? Well, first of all , the teacher's lounge was a big letdown. Not much more than a Coke dispenser in there after all those years of mystique. But speaking of teachers, the one who showed an interest in hang gliding is now Scott's fifth grade teacher. The enthusiasm and energy that she showed me that day is now being demonstrated for Scott on a daily basis, as she has become his favorite teacher so far. Coincidence? I think not. I also learned that talking for that length of time when you are not used to doing so can be murder on the throat, and mine was sore for three days afterwards.

But most of all, I learned what I had suspected all along about myself and my fellow hang glider pilots. We really are just bigger, older-looking children.

Recently, this overgrown man-child brought Scott to school early one morning to deliver a project. As we were walking toward the school I noticed that the gym really was higher than I had thought. The wind seemed to be blowing just right, straight toward the high brick wall, bending up and over the flat roo£ I watched a dead leaf blow up and go well over the peak of the roof, and it got me to thinking about what the secretary had said to me about the no-flying rule. Maybe she knew more than I had given her credit for. •

Lookout Mountain Hans Glidin9 800 • 688. 5657 - WWWe '1an9lid£eC0"1 JANUARY 2002

41

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42

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WW FUSTON l SO+lus, yellow l.F, red (large), yd· low asymmetric, black WW, winglcrs, folding speedhar $1,700 OBO. (509) 525-7281, lbbrownG0 hmi.ncr

MRX2001 LAMINARS ARE HERE Experience performance flex wing available. New and used STs also available. (7(,0) 1-0701, inclaslcyQrlya.hoo.corn and www.icaro2000.com

WW SPORT AT 167 grcen/whire/bl11c, ripstop uailing Joe (817) 895-5858 Illinois.

PULSE 1OM - Green/white, low hours $1,000 firm.

(805) 235-liOOO.

WWXC 142 -·- Like new, 36 hours, winglcts, xc bag $2,JOO. (5.'JO) 51ili-6GO 1, CAfrecspirits@cs.com

PULSE, VISION 11M l'erfoct condition! One hour air time! Not flown since Aunu:d $2500. (.}17) 8/ij.

0085, dbocltcrQ1)worldnet.at1.11et

WWXC: 142 Very low ho11rs, clean, near new um· dirion $2,400. (262) 473-8800, info<rtlhanggJiding.com

good condition, flies great $850.

EMERGENCY P/\RACHUTFS PULSES & VISIONS Bought-Sold Traded. Raven Sky Spons (262) 473-8800, info<,:llhwggliding.com

Ul .TRALIGI ITS AllZ SPORTS USA WWW.FLYPORFUN.NFT

FREEDOM TRIKE -- With WWXC 155, only .3 ho11rs time, paid $9,000 sell $7,000. (803) 725 1226 (BO:l) 6/i'J./i183 evenings, ell nis. flctchcr(r~)svs. gov

SOARING TRIKES WW Falco11 ?.25 wing, l lirth electric start, adjustable pitch pro· pellcr, E(,:T/tac:homc:tcr standard, rest flown. Many optio11s available $7).95. (864) 862- 1386, www.l1a1>pyvallcytrikes.co111

20 CORE I'D/\ -w/swivcl $375. 20 gore $199. Used Quantum 330s, 550s. Many more available. Raven Sky Sports (262) 473-8800, i11fo@>h,rnggliding.com

sail still 8475,cctr,~,el~'1n,1iU.11ew11an11tiltt1es.org

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

HARNESSES

SENSOR 6101' ],i4 Flaps, new wires, extra down· tubes, 20hrs $1,900. John (510) 989-1737, jtg257Qtlj11no.co1n

DOODLE BUG Motor harness, sales, service, instruction. Dealers welcome. www./lyJ OJ .com (702) 260-7050.

SPECTRUM CLEARANCE SALE

1,800-$2,(iOO. One 11i1 Spcctmm $1,500. Rave11 Sky Sports (262) 4THl800, info@hanggliding.com

HIGII FNlcRGY TRACER l'OD ll/\RNF.SSES -111onrhly, $:3()() .. 500. Cocoons 5'9" $400. Kncchangcrs & stir17.3-8800,

Sl/PERSPORT 1 'i3 Mint condition, 80 hours $1,100. High Encq;y harness, Qu,mt11m cb11tc w/swivd & air rocket Gfr. 1 3" $900. Ball M50 & Reflex helmet (L) $200. (5'\0) 541i-G601, GAfrcespirits<,:ilcs.com

MOSQUITO l'OWlmED HARNESS New l'rop, one hour airtime, complete super-preflight $3,500 OBO. l 800-688-56:>7, lly&>hanglidc.com

NATIONAL SCHOOL NETWORK RINGS LOC:/\LI.Y. For information call David ("719) <,3().

3698, david(idavidglover.com

SUl'FRSPORT 153 ·~ Recently $800 OBO. (31,'i) liG9-4227, jsi1:,asc,n([''swbcll.11et

WOODY VAi.LEY Brand new condition, guaranteed $'i75. (608) 221 3681, gdinaaucr(alaol.co111

ALABAMA

Three 1C,5

.wcc.1rn1m in near new condition, w/all options

SUl'ERSPORT 153 Supcrncat rnsrom sail, very low boms, WW f.n included $1,900. (262) 1738800, info(ilhangglidi11g.com TALONS·-· 150 all mylar w/slipstream control frame; HO w/dacron sail & folding bascrube. Both new, nor demos! Special pricing, immediate delivery. [ .. 8()0 · 688-5637, fly@hanglide.com 'fRX 160 - Last one made, very crisp, red and wbirc sail, 11evcr wrecked, 3 sets of tip fairings, extra tip wand, kit, manual, extra set of down rubes, flies great (505) 82/i-0550.

PARAGLIDERS AIR SPORTS USA WWW.Fl.YFORFlJN.NE'l' RJGIDWINGS Small, brand new, in stock. Not demos.

Why wait' (262) 473-8800, i11fo@hanggliding.com ATOS For sale, special price. David (719) 6:lO· 3698, davidQtldaviclglover.com

Flown 3 times, folding conUITRASPORT 135 trolbar $7.,300. (71 Ii) 608-34 51.

UI.TRASPORT 117, 166 Rental park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. infoGtlhanggliding.com

at flight li73-8800,

V[SlONS & PULSES Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (262) 17:J-8800, info@hanggliding.com WW FUS[ON SP 150 Excellent condition, w/onJy 20 hours, less than one old, all white w/lcadiug folding hasernbc, edge insens, spring tip spare dowm11bcs, removable WW wheels $3,250. Ron (31 OJ 479-1360, dcniron62<rtlhotrnail.com

JANUARY 2002

chmc, rudder two transport

Like new condition, IIIZS para· training wheels 1:x. rcg11lar wheels, special car rack $6,500. Om East

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FUGJ-IT !'ARK ..- Sec ad under Ceorgia.

C/\I.IJIORN!A DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING - Train on statc-of-rl1c-arr WILLS WING J,ALCONS. LFSSON PACKAGES: One four hour lesson $100. Three frHlr hour lessons, pl11s tandem oil 2,000fr. $:\OO. Five lessons for $1i00. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.

Complete lesson programs. Year-ro11nd instrnct:ion.

Launching and landing and thennal cli11ics available. l'II Call for group rates. Tired of hiking your help you! Dealer frH Wills Wing, Altair, I Energy Spons, Ball v,irios, C:amclbaks and more. We love trade-ins. f'rn your northern California MOSQUITO HARNESS OF.AI.ER. !f' you live in central through northern California, give me a call or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Call or email, sched11ling lessons five days a week, Friday through Tuesdays. Ideal rraining hill, up Ill 150ft., 600ft.

(819) 565-1249.

mountain. 1)200fr. mountain. T'andcm instTuction.

NEW STAT.KER From Aeros, located in Southern California $7,'JOO OBO. Marc (567.) 129-803:l,

USH(;A Advanced Instructor DOlJG PR/\TllER (209) 556·0/i69 Modem,, CA. drrnwvrhg@sofLcom.ner

rnarcwfl)sJJrintmaiJ.cotn

STALKER As new, tesr flown twice. Denny ('Jli9) 661 .. 54 59, dcnnymallet tvtlhotmail.com

!'LY AWAY HANC CIJDINC - Santa Barbara.

Personalized instruction. (805) 957 -914 5, www.flyabovcall.corn/nyaway.htn1

., 4 .)

THE llANG GLTDINC CENTER 1'0 Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265--5320.

The Acrotow Flight Park Smisfaction Cuaranreed

LARC;EST JIANG GLIDINC SJ-TOP ln the West!

Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment and has two virtual reality hang gliding flight sinmlators. We stock new and used ... Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the hottest new h,trncsses. Trackins arc welcome.

Our comprehensive training program, located at the San Francisco Bay Area's finest beginner site foatures: sloped "bunny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of all and comfortable training harnesses!

"FIRST FUG11T''l5 minute video tour of our beginner lesson program shows a studem's skill progres.sion $20 (shipping included).

1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95035 (nettrSan]ost).

(408) 262-1055, fax (408) 262-1388. mission@hang-glidin;,.com www.hang-gliding.coni

TORREY PINES GUDERPORT Come soar in San Diego! This family owned and operated flying site offers USHCA ccnilicd instruction, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized pg/hg instruction, parachut:c repacks, repairs, and site tonrs. We also have an extensive pg/hg outfitting shop and dining with a view when you cat at our own Cliffhanger Cafe.

Importers for ADVANCE, PARATECH, AVA Sport Accessories, Crispi boots, Center of Gravity hclmcrs, Fly Mike flight suits, (;nr Stuff gloves, and AumiAlpin carabiners and dealers for most other brands. Check us out online for sales and quesrions at: www.flytorrey.com, or call roll free at l-877-FLYTEAM. Also, tune in to the Internet Paragliding Talk Show at www.wsradio.ws every Thursday 5-7:00 pm (PST).

n

JUST 8 MlLES PROM DISNEY WORLD • YEAR ROUND SOARING OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK SIX TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DJRECTJON

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

Learn foor launch flying skills safely and quickly. Train with professional ClTs at world famous Dockwcilcr Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in ,i thorough progrnm with one of America's rnosr prestigious schools for over 25 years.

50+ NlCF. demos ro 11y: Topless to Trainer Gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwavc, Exxtacy, La Monette, Sensor; also harnesses, vados, etc.

Ages 13 To 73 have learned to fly here.

No one comes dose to our level of experience ,md success with tandem acrot:ow instruction.

A GRF.AT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ...

IO morels & resrauranrs within 5 mins., camping, hot showers) shade trees, sales, storage, ratings, XC

COLORADO

retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, ere.

AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDfNC Full--timc lessons, sales, service. Colorado's most experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Aeros, Airwavc, High Energy, Ball, Plytcc, Conncctinns and much more. Call (303) Evergreen, Colorado AirtimcHG@aol.com

Flights of over 200 miles anti more tha11 '7 hours.

Articles in Kitplanes, Cross Country and others. Featured on numerous including Dateline NBC, The Discovery Channel & ESPN. Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.eom

CONNECTicur MOUNTAIN WJNC:S ······ I.ook under New York.

FLORIDA LOOKOUT MOUNTATN FLIGHT PARK Sec ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain training center to Orlando (only 8 hours).

Please call us for references and video. l 805 Dean Still Road, Disney Arca, FL 3383'7 (863) 424-00'70 ··· phone & fax fly@wallaby.com 1-800- WALT .ABY Conservative• Reliable

F.H.G. lNC./FIYING FLORIDA SINCE 197ft

NO MORE BUNNY. ..

THE HILL WITH IT!

Malcolm Jones, Laurie Crofr, Ryan Glover Carlos Bcssa, Rhett Radford, '.J'iki Mashy Jeremie Hill, Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod Neal Harris, Bart Wq,horst, Paul Moncure Carolina DeCastro, Bob McFee, Kerry Lloyd

lS

new

your lll

pocket. What a

State of the An

WE HAVE The most aclvanccd rraining program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half the rime it takes on rhe training-BUNNY HILi., and wirh more in-flight air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For year-round training fun in the sun, call or write Miami [fang Gliding (305) 2858978. 2550 S Bayshorc Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida

by more Advertise

33133.

44

HANG GLIDING

MARYLAND

HAWAII

When you1abso/111cly have to/ly with the bes1.1 THE BEST AEROTOW Instruction available.

The only U.S. hang gliding school with TWO NATIONAL CHAMPION INSTRUCTORS and U.S. WORLD TEAM MEMBERS Bo Hagcwood 2000 National Champion And Paris Williams 7.00 I National Champion. hom yom first tandem ro advanced X,.. c racing instruct:ion. Open every day with heautifol remodeled 90+ acre facilities. Plenty of other activirics like our screened in pool, hot tub, private lake, canoes, fishing, volleyball and just minmcs from Orlando attractions. !,e11rn Ji·om the best .... at Quest! www.q11cstairforcc.com Email: q11cstair<illsundial.nct (352) 429-0213 Groveland, FL

Bait imore and DC' s full time flight park Tandem irn;t-ruct.ion) solo acrotows

BIRDS IN PARADISE Jiang gliding&. olnalight on Ka11ai. Certified r:andcm instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) 63')- 1067, hirds<!ilbirdsinparadise.com www.birdsinparadise.eom

and cquipmclll sales and service.

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

Two l \5 HP Dragonfly mgs Open fields as far as you can sec

ILLINOIS GEORGIA HANC c;UDF. CH!CACO

Full service acrop;irk,

Only l 10 l. 'S hours from: Rehoboth lkach Baltimore Washingron DC Philadelphia

2 tow planes. Full time ccrriflcd instructors, ultralight

instrncrors, Fast Coast record 2 ]J miles. (815) 4957212, www.hang:~lid,cchicag,:,.co,m RI\ VEN SKY SPORTS -- (:l 12) %0-0700, (815) li89-9700 or (262) lr73-8800. 2 hours from Chicago, 'JO rninur,,s from Elgin, l'ala1ine or Libertyville. The best insnuc1ors, the best rhc bes1 results in the Midwest. 7 March thrn November.

Training program combined/integrated foot launch and acrotow certification. Apply l OO'X, of yonr inrro lesson costs to certification program upgrade! Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. info~ilhanggliding.cnm

Come Fly with US! Ph410.6Vi.2'700 Faxlil0.63/i.X/75 2/i038 Race Track Rd Ridgely, MD 2 H,60 www.acrospons.ncr Ila n gglid eC2t\1erospo rts.11c t

MEXICO 1-800-803-7788 FUT.l. HOOK-UPS Laundry propane} recreation room. 1-800-·803-'l7B8 1

LOOKOUT MOUNTATN PUGH'!' PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilms earn their wings at Lookout than at any other school! We wrote lJSHGA's Official Training Manual.

Om specialty-customer satisfaction and fim with rhc BEST FACILITIES, inventory, camping, swimming, more! a flying trip, i111 ro flight or lesson l.ookom Mo1111tain, just omsidc Chattanooga, yom COMPLETE training/service center. Info? (800) 688-LMFI'.

INDIANA RAVEN SKY SPORTS

(?.62) 473-8800. Please sec our ad under Wisconsin. info~1)hanggliding.co111

MFXfCO -- Ycar .. round, summer in Mon1errcy, winter in Valle de Bravo. 1-800-861-7198, www.flymcxico.com

MICHIGAN CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION .._ Acrotow specialists. We carry all major brand FREE PY C gl icier storage/ u·an:,porr chase. Now in stock: Falcons; Moyes Utcspccd 4, Sonic 165; Magic Kiss 154. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in srock.

Call for spring r-andem lessons and with the !Jraac:l1cnl'liq,en Field. 1 I 088 Coon Road -i 8891. (517) 223 -8683. Cloud9s:iQhaol corn.

Imp:/ I memhcrs.aol .rnm/ c\01 ,cl9sa

(71

MICHIGAN SOARING Delivering VALUE with the best combination oF SERVICE, QUALITY&.

PRICE. J\J.L brands of gliders and gear. Call Doug Coster 882./i7iili, wingm:111Ghtravcrse.com

BlJNKlIOUSE WARM &. COMFORTABLF

By LMFP! l) bunks, hot showers, open :1\l year, 2ft hour tion. 1-800-803--7'788!

JANUARY 2002

saw

m

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLJDERS/PARAGLIDERS FULL-TIME shop. Certified instrnction, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our 450' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml 4968/i.

Offering powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Hill at (231) ')22-2844, tcl1angglider@lcharrcrmi.co111. Visit om pa1caglidinp school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at 8620.

TEXAS NORTH CAROLINA

,

F LI

Fly

MINNESOTA

•

RAVEN SKY SPORTS (012) 3/i0-1800 or (262) 473-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. NEVADA ADVENTURE SPORTS Sierra soaring at its bcsL. Toms and ramlcms available. !nsrruction from certified USHGA instructors with 25 years experience. Sales, service and instruction by Carson City/Lake Tahoe NV. ht rp://hornc. pyramid.net/ advspts LAS VEGAS AIRSPORTS USHCA certified hang gliding instrncrion. Sales and service, boat tow, moun-tain soaring, XC:. (702) 260--7950,www.flyl01.com

• SEASONAi. OPERATIONS (JlJNNOV) • EXCEf .LENT XC Fl SIN(; • TANDEM INSTRUCTJON • AERO TOWJNC • DRAGONH.Y/TRJKE INSTRUCTION • INTRO H)OT Li\ UNCH Cl .ASSES • FLY-INS AND Cl .INJCS • SAT.ES AND SERVJCE • 600 ACRE FACILITY • ALL FLYING BY RESERVATION ONLY Steve Burns 979.2.79.9382 email: sburns@alpha 1.nct 800B Pinc Sr" llearnc TX 77859 Fred Burns 281.171.1488 email: ausrinair@aol.com 38 [() Bonita Lme, La Porte TX 77571 WWW.AUSTIN/\JRSPORTS.COM

GO ... HANG CT.lD!NG!!! --- Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fox (512) 467--252.9 jeff@JJyrcxas.com

www.flytcxas.com

NEWJERSIW MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York.

NEW YORK AAA FLICJ IT SCHOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. Your foll service Pro Shop serving the North East. We sell and service all the best brands. www.mtnwings.com mtnwings@carnkill.net 150 Canal Srrcet, Ellenville, New York 12428 WOODY VALLEY HARNESSES, V--MlTTS $25.00 Paragliding, Ultralights, Towing. (845) 647-3377 AIR SPORTS US/\ NYC's first and only certified hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), paragliding. Disrril)!Jrors for Avian. Dealers most major brands. Full service and equipmcm at best prices.

The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., /\srnria NY. Phone (718) 7000, WWW.PLYFORFUN.NET

• TANDEM JNSTRUCTION • AEROTOWlNC; • BOAT TOWING • BEACH RESORT • TRAINING CAMI'S • FOOT L/\UNCH • OPEN YEAR ROUND • PARAGI.JDING • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SF.RVfCF.

KfTE ENTERPRISES

(800) 334~4777 NAGS HEAD, NC

SUSQUFflANN/\ FLIGHT !'ARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. IJO acre park naining hilfs, rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600' ridge. We have the best facilities in N. New Ymk state to teach you how to fly. c/o Dan Guido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13407, (315) 866--61 53.

46

platform launch and aerotow repair. Wills Moyes, Worth and

Slope, starionat-y winch, sales, rentals and Dallas, Fort 390--9090,

Internet Address: lmp://www.kinyhawk.com E-Mail Address: infr,Q1lldttyl"1wk.com Area's OLDEST WiJls TOTAL AIR SPORTS Wing dealer. Certified instruction available. "I only DEAL with WILLS". 16121 Lakeview, 1-lousron TX 77040. (l 13) 937--8614, roralairsport lO@hotmail.com

PENNSYLVANIA

HIGHT .AND AF.ROSPORTS

Sec Maryhtnd.

MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATlON Certified instruction, Pitrnburgh. (Ii 12) 767 48B2. C'MON OUT AND PIAY!

l'LY lllGH HANG GJJDJNC;, JNC:.

Serving S. New Yotk, Connecticut, Jersey areas. Area's EXCLU-SIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instrucrion.

Teaching since l 979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE Excellent secondary instm,cticm .. .il and wish to cominuc. Fly flights! Conract Paul Rd, Pinc Bush, NY 12566, (845)

HILT. COUNTRY PAR/\GLTDING INC Learn complete pilot skill.,. Personalized USHGA certified rr,1ining, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUC. T!ON & EQUlPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 379 1185. 1175 CR220, Tow TX 78672.

MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York.

UTAH WAS/\TCH WINGS Utah's only full service hang gliding school, Point of the Moumain, regional mountain sites\ towing. Dealer for Acros, Airwavc, Ahait,

Wills Wings and much more. Call Zac (80 I) wi11gs(a,wasarch.com www.wasatcb.com/-wings

PUERTO RICO

111a .. 1·11<11,

FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit Jiang Gliding, HC classes tandem instmction available. Wills Wing dealer. rentals for qualified pilots. PO Box 978, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico 0074 l. (787) 8500508, rshg@coqui.net

new

TENNESSEE LOOKOUT MOUNTAlN FLIGHT PARK ,1d II ndcr Georgia.

Sec

1-iANC GUDINC

These are previously unpublished photos by USHGA staffphotographer Bob Lowe. Bob is USHGA member #9182, a Masterrated pilot and a test-pilot for Center of Gravity, and has been flying hang gliders and taking photos since 1973. Daughter Julia Lowe, age eight, often asks, "Daddy, have you been flying like a birdie again?"

Bob is not sure who was the first to shoot nose-mounted, remote-activated hang gliding photos (perhaps Burke Ewing), but he is confident that he was one ofthe very first. Bob comments on his work below.

I started mounting cameras on hang gliders everywhere I could in 1976, because I wanted to show my family and friends exactly what I was up to, and why I disappeared every chance I got. Years of tinkering with various mounts, cameras and film yielded some interesting results, and provided a very good photographic history of the spore. I have pounded in a few times with a camera on board, but have only destroyed one camera in all chose years. le was a Super 8 camera on the rail, and a thousands bucks went flying 50 feet into the din as I dropped the nose of my glider hard.

I have used Nikormats, Leroy Grannis's Nikon with a Zeiss fisheye, a Canon, a Pentax Z:X.7, and a Ricoh AF Super. The Ricoh has at least eight covers or centerspreads under its belt. I'll bee money you can't tell which photo was taken with which camera.

I am of the school chat smaller and lighter is better (the opposite of Heiney, Charlebois and Swepston), all of whom I admire greatly. I prefer Fuji Professional film, but have used Kodak for reds and yellows. I think Aaron Swepston makes the coolest mounts. I build all of my own from super-thin-walled, super-light aluminum. If I get one good shot out of a roll, I feel like I'm doing well.

I have used radio remotes and hard-wired remotes, but I do not use infra-red. In the beginning all I had was a squeeze bulb, and could only take one shot per flight - a tedious task. I don't chink chat most people know what a labor oflove this is, or how complicated or potentially dangerous it can be.

You don't just stick a camera on your glider without expecting some aerodynamic surprises.

In a way, I think hang gliding photographers have been charged with the responsibility of preserving our hisrory.

The best footage I ever lost was a video I shot with the late Duff King in Hawaii. We were flying side by side all over the Koolaua Range on Oahu, having launched at Makapuu. We flew all the way out to Rabbit Island, back to Oahu, down the Green Wall, and up near the clouds. Unfortunately, the camera had turned itself off as a result of condensation, and most of the footage was lost. I had to go back and do it all over again the next day alone, and I got the footage I wanted, but sadly without Duff. •

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

VIRGINIA

AEROTOW!NG ACCESSORIES~ Sec TOWING.

KI.ASSfC: OR C:ONC:FPT WINCLETS -···· Two [)air.

One pair brand new in the box, other p;iir slir;htly used.

Best offer. (?Ji?) /i7J8800, info<iihanggliding.com

THE W/\1.LABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

AM/\/.JNCl.Y LOW l'RfCFS -- On all Ball varios 1 llob@bwkerforyou.com

LAMINAR P/\RTS We liavcwhat you need and we arc committed to same day /\ V8 Call (lGO) n] .()'/()] Or email '1f lll(Jast<VC'"V'1

BLUE SKY

Fulltime instruction and service at Manquin Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Moyes, i:light Design, /\cros and /\irwavc gliders.

Adamic Mosquito dealer. Steve Wendt (540) 432· 655; or (S04) 241 _;1324, www.blueskyhg.com, blttcskyl1gvoyahoo.con1 HICl-ll./\ND /\EROSPORTS .. ~ Sec Maryland. l<ITTY Hi\ WK KrTFS ~ See North Carolina.

• ORDER ONJ.lNE AND SAVE Water/llrnt Resistant 1'11sh Button • held Replaceable l'inger Switch • Heavier Caugc \Xlire/lmprovcd Plugs • lncrca.1t,d Strain Relief at /\LI.Joints

FLY AT VJRCTNIA'S NEWEST TOTAL FLIGilT P/\RK MANQUIN offers acrotowing, tandem lessons, platform truck towing, training hill and scooter for beginner thru advanced pilots. Certified instmcrion, equipmmt sales, service and repair through "lll .UE SKY" Virginia's leading hang gliding school.

Try 3·axis flying with certified ultralight instruction through "FLY RAWLING", learn to Oy and soar the SupcrFloatcr.

Just 2 hours south of Washington DC, minmes NF of' Richmond. Free camping ,111d dose to fast food, restau· rants and Kings Dominion theme park.

Visit

(540) 432-6557

MINI VARIO World's stmllesr, simplest variot Clips to helmet or chinstrap. )00 hours on hatterics, 0 18,000 ft., fast response and year warranty. Crcat f,,r paragliding too. ONLY $169. Malleucc, 1'0 Box 157'iG, Santa Ana Ct\, 9273'i. (714) 96(, 12/iO. MC/Visa accepted, www.mallenec.com

Price $119.95. Fxtra finger switch $19.95 w/pmchase.

Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) 268-7916.

M( :/Visa. Visir our website at f'OR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS

Check out the

Aviation Depot at wwv.r.mojosgcar.corn fcaniring over I000 irems for foot.launched and powered paragliding, sumt and power kiting, and powered secure onlinc shopping. Books, videos,

pans, harness accessories, electronics, cquip1ncnt, complete powered paragliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www.hillco11mryparagliding.com l-800,G641160 for orders only. Oflicc (915) :l79· 15G;.

Sll.VER WINGS, INC. Certified instruction and equipment sales. (703) 5:l:l· 1965 Arlington VA,

The world.class XC:R-180 operates up to homs (ibl 8,000 ft. and weighs only /,lb. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula and remote on/off Oowmcter, only $100.00.

silvcrwingshanggliding.corn WASHINGTON

SPF.< :T/\ClJL/\R TROPHIES Awards & gifts!

Free catalog. Soaring Dreams (208) 37c,.79]!i, /.oolisaGi\t0l .com

HANGTIME- Dealer of the MOSQlJITO powered harnesses. Call for CLlNIC dates. Right here in the pacific northwest. (509) 525·.357/i, lbbrown<71Jbmi.nct WISCONSIN RAVEN SKY SPORTS ll/\~G GL]l)JNC; AND P/\R/\CLlDING ·~·- The Midwest's l'remicr acrotow flight park, founded in 1997. l'eaturing INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of foot.launch and acrotow tandem skills, at package prices to beat any in the USA. Seven bcautifol, hills facing all wind dircctiotis. no waiting! Four tandem Four gliders on wheeled WW Falcons for train· ing from the very first lessons. USU/\ ultralight and instruction. Free camping. Sales/service/accessories for brands. Open days a week, :vtarch thrn November.

Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box 101, Whitewater Wl 53190 (2G?.) 47:3-8800 phone, (262) liTl,880 I fox, www.hanggliding.com, info~1lhanggliding.com

]/\NU/\RY 2002

/\ LL /\CCESSO RIES IN STOCK! Flytec 4005, Quantum :J:lO, calll Low prices, fast delivery! Cunnison Clidcrs, l 549 County Road 17, Cunnison C:0 81230.

(9;0) M 1-·'!:l l http://gunnisonglidcrs.com/

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PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

SOARING Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 19211'1'7.

TOWING AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Headquarters for: The finest releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, tandem wheels, launch cart kits, etc.

THE WALLABY RANCH (863) li24-0070.

TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

Camera mount $1i8.50. Camera remote (ask abo111 rebate) $/i5. Vario mount $23. 6" wheels $79.75, 8" wheels $:H.75, Add $4 S&T l per (US) included. TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) '379-1668. Email: tck(a>snet.nct or our page: www.tckflight.com

Ono l .ilientl,al's genius in scientific observations and analysis, docmncnrcd in this work, became the basis for the experimentation of the early pioneers in avimional Aight. The "hero" of the Wright brothers, Otto is considered to he "The Father of Gliding Plight."

I .ilienthal's definitive book has been out of prim for almost a century, but is now available to everyone for a wonderfiil and absorbing journey into aviarion,11 history. 176 16 photographs, 89 drawings and 14 graphs.

9.95 (+$5 s/h) Call USl !CA 1··800 61 (,.

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

DRAGONFLY B-MODEL KfT Built by Bobby Bailey $13,GOO. Rotax 582 fitted and plumbed radia tor, exhaust $6,626. Electric start, 6 blade fvo prop with clutch $1,100. Rear scat and controls $1,250.

Brake kit insrnllccl $250. BRS 900 VLS $2,595. lnsrrumcnr pack: Alt, AS[, Tacho, temp gauges, Hobbs $1,017. Painted one color $1,200. Tow system $375.

Toral $28,013. A 50'Yc, deposit is required. Bobby Bailey can be available for basic training after comple· tion. Kenny Brown/Moyes America, 200 Hillcrest Drive, Auburn CA 95603, (530) 888- 8622, fax (530) 888- 8708, flyarnoycs@aol.com, www.mc>yesa1ncrica.con1

SMARTOW WINCH With 2,500' Kevlar line, complete system $1,000 OBO. (208) 679-5988, kentwarr(a)pmt.org VIDEOS & FILMS

HAWK AJRSPORTS INC P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN 37940-0056, (865) 945,2625. World famous Windsoks, as seen m the Oshkosh & Sun-N·· Fun FAA Fly·lns.

Tlawkfbwindsok.com, www.windsok.com

DON'T CET CAUCHT I.ANDING DOWNWIND! oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'/i" w/ 11" throat. Available colors fluorescent or fluorescent pink/white. $39.95 (,$5.00 Sill). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330, (719) 6328300, fax (719) 6.12-6417, VISA/MC: accepted.

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BAC IT! If you don't have your copy oC Dennis PERFORMANCE Fl .YING available through USHGA I lcadquarters $29.95 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. I-800-·616-6888 www.t1shga.org

HARRY AND THE l TANG GLIDER is a beautifully illusrrated, hardcover children's book wirh liO rnlor pages writtc.n for ro share the dream of flight! To order: send pins $'l to SkyHigh Publishing, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, or call (520) G28-81G5 or visit hnp://www.flash.net/,skyhipuh Visa/MC accepted.

WEATHER TO FLY, by Adventure Productions. A much needed instrucrional video on meteorology. Dixon White, Master pilot and USHGA Examiner, takes yon throngh a .simple step-by-step process showing where to acquire weather darn and how to interpret ir. This video will help pilots of any aircraft understand more about You'll learn abour regional and modeling and local influences and how ro determine winds aloft and stability. "Weather To Fly" is an over-all view packed with useful details and includes great clone! footage. ft is a straight-forward prcscnration that is easy to follow. 50 min. $39.95 STARTING HANG GLIDING, by Adventure Productions. Produced especially t:o promote the sport.

Covers basic preparation, weather, proper anirudc, ground handling, launching and those first flights. 30 min $29.95.

HANG GLIDING EXTREME & BORN TO FLY by Adventure Productions, great hg action $3/i.95 each.

Call OSllCA (719) 6.'32-8300, fax (719) 632-6li1'7, email: ushga@ushga.org, or order off om web page www.ushga.org. Please add +$4 domestic s/h (+$5 for two or more videos), Great ro impress your friends or for those socked-in clays. Pcrfecr gifr for the launch potato 1t1rnccl conch potato. Also, ask us about our paragliding videos!

HANG GUDINC

STOLEN WINGS & TIHNGS

1 BAG OF CE/\R Stolen November C:OR\IAU.JS, OREGON. Co111aincd: older, smallish, Energy pod hamcss with jury-rigged jamsystem under tape wrapping, yellow 21i gore I Iigh l·~11crgy chute with swivct while 35mm Guncr;1) Brarn1igcr /\ V Comp vario s11. I 0993 IIi, several unusual home-made flight insuurncms (hubblc level sysicm and c;-metcr).

Steve Seibel, (5/i 1) 752.8175, scibcl99%ilhotrnail.com Corvallis p.d. case II O1-1 J195.

From rhe Tcllnridc J:csrival in 198 l, to the modern day fi·ccstylc l'ollow rl,e hiswry of this dynamCall USHGA (719) 6:\2-8:JOO, .(,Ii 17, order from our web site Please add +$4 domestic s/h.

MISCELLANEOUS

1./\ MOUETTE TOPLESS 13.5M Stolen August 4, 2001 from WASHOE, NEVADA. Pmple/grcc:n with pink 1.E, missing (at the time) 3 tip battens on each side .

Two worn areas (patched with grey duct tape) on the green/purple undersurface, worn spots arc 3 fret !i'Oln keel rc.rnliing around heanholt. Contact Dave Me1Timan (916) 798··0701, a.saccu~1l.1oficom.nct FOUND--- On April 28, 2001. Flight suit lcfr on launch at Lookom Mountain Parle Call and (706) 8200.%5.

STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a service to USJ IG/\ members. N cwcsr cnrrics arc in bold. There is no for this service and lost and found or cquipmclll may be called in (719) 632-8300, in (719) 632641 or emailed at for inclusion in Hang Gliding magazine. Please to cancel the listing arc recovered. Periodically, 1his listing will be

"AEROBATICS" Pull color 23"x 31" poster foaruring John Heiney doing what he docs hcst··l ,OOl'ING! Available through USl!G/\ !IQ for just 1iG.95 ( 1$5.00 s/b). !'ill that void on your wall! Send to USHCA Acrobatics Poster, PO Box !:JOO, Colorado Springs CO 809:JJ. (US/\ & Canada only. Sorry, arc NOT /\ \I /\[L/\Bl.E on international CIAL-/\crobatics poster & Eric Raymond posrcrBOTH H)R $10 (,$5 s/h). Check the merchandise section of our wch site for a color pieturc of these beautifitl posters.

Adventure Productions ...................... 31 Airtime Products ............................... 55 Angle of Attack ................................. 53

Dan Johnson ..................................... 41 Fcx America ...................................... 33

APPAREL, VIDEOS, BOOKS & POSTERS Check out our web page www.ushga.org DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND··BOIJND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL TT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSIFIEDS.

Fly Fly tee .......................... ... 1O,Back Cover

Hall Bros ........................................... 31 Just

CLASSIHED /\D\IERTISINC RATES The rate for clas· sificd is $. 50 per word (or group of characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. MINIMUM All Cl l/\R(;F $5.00. /\ fee o/' $15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each photo. UNF.ART & 1'110TO SIZE NO L/\RCER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in bold prim. layoms of robs $25.00 per column incl1. Phone words. Email or web acldrcss~3words. AD DE/\DI .TNES: All ad additions and cancellations must 1. 5 1110111 hs preceding the cover date, i.e. for the April issue. Please make checks payable to USHG/\, P.O. Box LBO, Colorado CO 80901-1 l.'\O, (719) 632-8300. Fax (719) or email: ushga((1lushga.org your classified with your \lisa/M C or /\ mex.

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l.ookout Mtn. Flight Park ......... 2,36,41 Moyes ............................................... 39

North Wing ...................................... ] 1 Scminolc-l.ake Glider port ................ 35 Sport Aviation Publications ................. 7 Traverse City J!ang Glidcrs ................. 2 US Acros ........................................... 35

USHCA ................................. 5,9, 15, 19 Wills

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Windsports ....................................... 35

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

101)% G111m:111teell, If not satisfied, return unused tubes for l 00% money bnck. Mnjor Credit Cards accepted.

OEM/Dealer inquiries encournged.

Ad hy Peter Birren: 1147.640.0171

J/\NlJARY 2002

Pl\UL, MINN. Welcome to a new year of soaring. While much of the country endures cold winter weather, spring thermals make for pleas·· ant. thoughts. to early reportr3, Moyes called the Li tesport. t:y of t.heir topless, high performance Litc~speed, Moyes will reportE,dly build the new Litesport with a kingpost. Naturally it doesn' offer the mance of their top-of-thE?·-Jj mode1, however, MoyeE3 cornpeti tion star Gerolf Heinrichs Lo compete on a Litesport th0, (now summertime) .Australian contests. At least he'll fly one in the Australian Open, though observers say he' 11 rc?turn to the for the Aussie Nationals later in their season.

Keep updated at MoyesAmerica.com where you can also find a detailed and we11··presentecJ guide for the A. An interesting clidebar to this story are numerous comments heard at the October USHGA Board of Dirc,ctors where a number of pilots commented on their enjoyment of flying gliders, " like the Wills Eagle and Falcon. It app1=,ars a new interest is for you can set up quicker, that aren't as heavy, that launch well in any breeze, and ca.n be landed almost anywhere (by an I samplE,d a couplE, F'al··· cons most of the same grim; from On the other side of the spectrum are a number of cross country hang g1ider cmthusiasts who have started flying sai1planes. When in big western air some report feeling "safer" in sailplanes. Given the of the hang gliding populations, sucb changes in both direc ions inevitable " "' "' Next month USHGA wi1J pate with other sport aviation associations at the Air Sports Expo. 'I'he maturing ev(0nt that draws the fly·-for-fun crowd will occur in Ontario, Ca.lifornia at that SoCal s convention center from February 7 9 ('rhurs/Fri/Sat). attended the last Expos in Knoxville, Albuquerque, 'm confident you'd Since the event is held in a stronghold of our sport it should be an easy drive for many t:hough the Ontario a stone's throw away has schedu1ed airline service for those who must traveJ further. ®"" of dates, the board meeting settled t.he contentious a:Efair between Wallaby Ranch's spring contest and the at Quest Air now sponsored by Flytec. An ammal of its own, the board committee settled the matter by Wallaby their desired dates this year while in 2003, Flytec will get irst choice. Both want the ev<0nt to follow the nea.rby Sun 'n Fun airshow which draws huge numbers of pilots and some extra tugs.

'I'his year Wallaby's Open will be held 13·· I

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19 and the Flytec meet will follow on April 2127, competitors a short break between the t:wo XC racing events. Info: Wallaby. com or 1800-Wallaby, or at QuestAirForce.com (a site with a fresh new look that loads Wills Wing unveiled their new streamlined aluminum base bar and it:' s beauty, IMHO. 'l'he carbon versions are exotic looking but I find the sleek shiny ::;l1ape of the a1wninum more visually Both do a simj lar clcag-·n,ducing job, testing FJhows. Combined with WW' s Slipstream downtubes and thc~ir curvaceous corner brackets, the new control bar lookB somewhat like a single of formed aluminum. Info and photos: Wi11·sWinc.:,J. corn. " .. " Some bummer news about flying sites. My old friend Warren Puckett reports that the wel1·-known "Buffalo Mountain, Oklahoma launch is no more." The threat oE lawsuits moved the landowner to not renew the lease. Fortuna.tely, the news improved whE:,n local pilot Mel Hair bousJht 40 acres on the brow and "is starting a new launch about three miles away. " A top landing area is also available. Warren added, "You would be amazed how similar it is to Lookout Mountain (TN/Gl\)" except it's only :Eive miles long. Local clubs are money to assist the land purchase. Puckett and others think the 2: 1 slope to the LZ makes it acceptable for f1 as well. " •" 'rhe famous San Diego area sites of Laguna, Horse Canyon, and &. Little Black are all in some danger.

State land arc, to buy more area. A water treatment plant is going in near Little Black . .And others are the effects of growth in the area. Work to keep i:.,:i t0J,3 open and add new ones is a constant effort that needs strong club actions and leadE:rsbip. " • .. Some places don' t have these prob·· Jems. 'l'he tow parks are often on owned land or sec:urely leased land~ One successful site is Brad. R:ushner' s tow park at 'lw:Ln Oaks Airport near Whitewater, Wisconsin. Brad has built quite an operation to tap the immense popula-t.ion around Chicago and Milwaukee. .A Corning up March 9 & 10 is his annual 'chute clinic. High Enerqy Sports boss, Betty Pfeiffer, is coming for the fifth year in a row. Each event is one day long, so two clinics are planned and Kushner says that typically 40-50 attend each day. Info: Ca11 262 473 8800 or write "·'·".,.·''"''.cJL.L.u.. u,.,cj. com. " .. " By next month I should be able to my reaction to Jim ( Sky Dog) Palmieri' s new book, "Hang Gliding Spectacular," with "fantastic stories" and itt.'l own CD of photos, video I and illustrations.

So, got news or opinions? Send enl to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN :i5118. Messages or fax to 651-·450-0930; please note my new e--mai1 address of News@ByDanJohnson.com. .. but you can sti11 use CumulusMan@aol.com for the foreseeable future.

A. All "Product: Lines" columns will be available 1a.ter thiE, year at www.ByDa:n,Johnson.com. ']l!N'JKS.!

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AtRTtHE PROPliers

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The Internet Era Virtually every reader of Hang Gliding magazine is wired to the Internet. It's the way we find information ... 24 x 7, up-to-date, and hassle-free (well OK, pretty much hassle-free) The ByDan)ohnson.com Website will otter you over 20 years of "Product Lines" columns-for researching, or merely wandering through the history of hang gliding in the USA. You can also find flight reviews

by Dennis Payen for several modern gliders among hundreds of pilot reports and thousands of photos. Unique features like PtaneFinder, PtaneView, SpecCheck, or Pros Er Cons will help you zero in on the right purchase for you. Or-just read it for fun.

Coming, uh ... soon! Sign up now to be notified when the site goes live.

2002 Buyer's Guide Ever wanted to compare specifications on the hang gliders that interest you?

How about paragliders, or ultralight sailplanes, lightweight soaring trikes, or paramotors (powered paragliders)?

Those interested in powered aircra~ might want details on trikes, ultralights, microlights, homebuilt designs, helicopters, powered parachutes, gyros ... the list goes on for 256 pages-all in full color. Photos of each wing (or aircra~), addresses of manufacturers, and tots more information on wings and aircra~ from the USA and Europe.

Now, obtain your own copy of the World Diredory of Leisure Aviation. Only $9.95 + $3.95 Priority Mail. In stock nowsend a check for $13.90 to: Dan Johnson • 265 Echo Lane• South St. Paul MN 55118 • USA • (no credit cards or phone orders)

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one way to go • • •

FlyTEC 352-429-8600 • 800-662-2449 • www.flytec.com