USHGA Paragliding Vol13/Iss5 May 2002

May 2002 - $3.95

Review: Serak Speedgliding Nationals Interview: Mitch McAleer Featured Photographer: David Glover

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Table of Contents Features Interview: Mitch McAleer by Steve Roti 18 Speedgliding Nationals by Scot Trueblood 32 Serak: PG Review by Rob Sporrer 44 Welcome to Chelan by Wendy Campbell 49 Incident Reports by Tim Pfeiffer 47 2002 Australian Nationals by Davis Straub 14 Congestion and Complacency... by Alan Chuculate 42 Dixon’s Notes 53 Gallery - David Glover 62 Departments Editorial Office Notes Mail Update Calendar of Events Marketplace (Classifieds) Index to Advertisers Product Lines by Dan Johnson

Cover: Lisa Verzella, Dinosaur, Colorado © by Aaron Swepston Table of Content Photo © by Othar Lawrence

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Editorial

(USPS 017-970-20–ISSN 0895-433X)

Well here it is, the long awaited May edition referred to as the “Combo Issue”.

From the exterior cover to the interior pages, this issue has undergone some very significant changes.While some of these differences will be easily recognizeable, such as the heavier coated stock covers with an added aqueous finish to add additional luster, to the interior pages printed on a new matte finish paper which is also heavier than the previously used glossy stock, there are many other changes that may go unnoticed. Some are technical, like the paper used, the actual page layout applications used to assemble all the parts, in fact even the process used to assemble all of the various parts which go into the magazines. Others are more philosophical in nature, having to do with how we all envision our sports, how what we do in the present will affect the future growth or decline of the sports.

All of the nuts and bolts of the publication process are most likely not of interest to most members, and if the feedback prior to this issue is any indication of what people want and don’t want, then I think that this is an opportunity for members to really start to see a work in progress as it unfolds.

The magazines are the primary tool with which USHGA communicates with its memebrship.They are also the primary marketing tool for attracting new pilots into our gene pool.As an association publication the magazines are required to do a certain job for the members, there is a certain utilitarian aspect to their nature. On the other hand, in order to best serve the members, the magazines have to provide some degree of stimulation, some amount of education, some undefined kind of entertainment in order to help pilots to learn and grow, to be safe, to be well informed, and to maintain enough interest so that they maintain their interest into the future.

Over the past several months we have been reading about several interesting developments within our organization, as well as some extremely threatening developments happening in the outside world of National and International government.There has been a lot going on, to say the least.Throughout all of this, the USHGA Board of Directors as well as the Executive Committee and especially our Executive Director have been working double duty to uncover and repair any problems that may have been existing for a very long time within the organization.

The results have been measureable in terms of vastly improved financial status, improved member services, and an attention to membership concerns and desires.

You will notice opposite this column a new feature called “Office Notes”.This is where our Executive Director will keep us up to date on all the important business issues affecting our flying, such as the NPRM, the insurance issues, the publication issues, the site issues, and so on. For most of us, hang gliding and paragliding are outlets for excitement and fun, but there is a business side to our sports and somebody has to take care of that. Jayne will be keeping everyone posted on what is going on.You will also notice a lot of crossover content.That’s been happening just the same but with separate magazines. In this issue you will see how eliminating duplication allows fewer total combined pages to more adequately represent both sports. In fact, using the standard measuring stick for content, we thought there would be enough set aside for may, but in the end there was far more room left for additional content. More content is something interesting, and not exactly what may have neen expected. Read on and see if you recognize increased content from what you have been used to.

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Editor in Chief: Gil Dodgen Art Director: Aaron Swepston Contributing Photographers: Ancil Nance, Steve Rathbun, Jeff Diener, Mark Vaughn, Jay Carroll, Bob Lowe, David Glover Illustrators: Harry Martin, Tex Forest Staff Writers: Dennis Pagen, Alan Chuculate, Rodger Hoyt, Peter Reagan, Dan Johnson, Steve Roti –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– USHGA Main Offices Executive Director: Jayne DePanfilis, jayne@ushga.org Advertising Manager: Jeff Elgart, jeff@ushga.org Member Services: Natalie Hinsley, natalie@ushga.org Member Services: Sandra Hewitt, sandra@ushga.org IT Administrator: Paul DeFranco, paul@ushga.org –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: President: Jim Zeiset, jimzgreen@aol.com Vice President: Mark Ferguson, markjf@direcway.com Secretary: Russ Locke, russ@lockelectric.com Treasurer: Bill Bolosky, bolosky@microsoft.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Ray Leonard, John Wilde, Tim West. REGION 3: David Jebb, John Greynald, Alan Chuculate. REGION 4: Mark Ferguson, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Frank Gillette. REGION 6: James Gaar.

REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Doug Sharpe. REGION 9: Randy Leggett, Felipe Amunategui. REGION 10: Tiki Mashy, Matt Taber. REGION 11: R.R. Rodriguez. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Russ Locke, Steve Kroop, Chris Santacroce. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Aaron Swepston, J.C. Brown, Ed Pitman, G.W. Meadows, Bob Hannah, John Harris, Larry Sanderson (SSA), Dave Broyles, Gene Matthews, Ken Brown, Rob Kells, Liz Sharp, Dan Johnson, Dixon White. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA).

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine reserves the right to edit any and all photographic or editorial contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. Hang Gliding & Paragliding editorial offices: 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Suite A-256, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, phone (949) 888-7363, fax (949) 888-7464, GilDodgen@aol.com.

The USHGA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $59 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding), ($70 non-USA); subscription rates only are $35 ($46 non-USA). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding (ISSN 0895-433x) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 104, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417.

PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: Hang Gliding & Paragliding, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service for USHGA members. The USHGA makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the validity of any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. Copyright © 2001 United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding and individual contributors.

Aaron Swepston Art Director, HG & PG Magazine

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Published by USHGA

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May 2002

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Online Automatic Renewal — Sign Up Today!

by Jayne DePanfilis, USHGA Executive Director

“

... .Online automatic renewal is the best way to ensure continuous membership in the USHGA, ongoing insurance coverage, and uninterrupted magazine delivery service on a monthly basis.

”

Former USHGA President David Glover introduced the concept of online automatic renewal to USHGA in the fall of 2000, and referred InFront, USHGA’s web developer, to AOPA’s website to view their template for this feature. InFront began to develop the code for automatic renewal in the fall of 2000, but the development process stalled that winter while USHGA was in transition. I inherited the management of continued development of this feature in January of 2001. Coding glitches were corrected during the months that followed, and finally USHGA was told by InFront that we could go “live” with the service in May of 2001.

The USHGA staff didn’t anticipate that well-intentioned USHGA members would sign up for auto renewal, and also renew their memberships in advance of the auto renewal date. A program feature had not yet been developed to prevent a member who had already renewed his membership from being automatically renewed if he had signed up for the service.

USHGA’s IT Business Administrator, Paul DeFranco, and I scripted a new web page message that appears when a member who has selected automatic renewal attempts to renew his membership in advance of the auto renewal date. The message reminds the member that he has already signed up for auto renewal, and that the renewal process will take place at 1:00 AM on the first day of the month his membership is due to expire. The member also has the option of bypassing the automatic renewal process and renewing his membership at this time. If a member does choose to bypass the auto renewal function, he will need to go back and complete the auto renewal template again to receive the service in the future.

The auto renewal template requires you to enter your credit card information, billing address etc. Your e-mail address is also required because a “result” response is automatically generated and e-mailed to you at the time of the renewal. The automated message announces either that your membership has been successfully renewed for a year or that the auto renewal attempt has failed. Members who receive a failure message are asked to either renew online or call the office for assistance.

Failed attempts to automatically renew a membership generally occur as a result of one of the following: 1) The expiration date of the credit card is invalid, meaning that the card has either expired or the card’s expiration date does not exceed the date of your next renewal. 2) The credit card number is invalid

because the member entered the number incorrectly.

3) The member’s credit limit has been exceeded.

4) The billing address in the auto renewal template does not match the mailing address in your membership profile. Forty-four USHGA memberships were scheduled to be automatically renewed on st April 1 , 30 of them were successful and 14 of them failed for these reasons.

I am pleased to announce that there has been a steady increase in the number of participants in the program since its inception last May.The online automatic renewal program can be utilized as a membership benefit and it is a highly dependable way of ensuring uninterrupted insurance coverage and magazine service.

There is just one issue remaining to be addressed with this service. Members participating in the automatic renewal process are still receiving renewal notices in the mail because USHGA has not yet integrated the two systems, but we plan to implement a process that will correct this in the near future.

Online automatic renewal is the best way to ensure continuous membership in the USHGA, ongoing insurance coverage, and uninterrupted magazine delivery service on a monthly basis. Go to USHGA’s website at www.ushga.org and sign up for automatic renewal today. You can follow the instructions provided to the right.

May 2002

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Accessing USHGA’s Automatic Membership Renewal Feature

1) New Member: Click on the “Renew and Join” button, then click on the “Become a Member” button. Fill out your Personal Info, select a Division and click on the “Next” button. Fill out your Payment Information and click on the Automatic Renewal checkbox.

2) Current Member Renewing Membership: Click on the “Member Login” button and log in using your member number and password. Click on the “Renew Membership” button, select a Division and click on the “Next” button. Fill out your Payment Information and click on the Automatic Renewal checkbox.

3) Current Member Choosing Automatic Renewal Without Renewing: Click on the “Member Login” button and log in using your member number and password. Click on the “Update Your Info” button.

Fill out your Automatic Renewal Information section in the middle of the page and click on the “Update Your Info” button.

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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May 2002

_xààxÜá LEADERSHIP

This letter was originally sent to USHGA President Jim Zeiset. — Ed. Dear Mr. Zeiset,

USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 or ushga@ushga.org

As a 20-year member of USHGA and a fanatical hang glider pilot for most of that time, you will understand my concern about USHGA’s long-term future and that of its members. I have also been involved with significant volunteer work and the club environment, and I have many years of success as an executive in Silicon Valley. Recently, I have also taken up sailplane and power plane flying. These are my credentials for what follows regarding the aftermath of 9-11.

TECH TOPICS Dear Editor, Please allow me to comment on a couple of items that appeared in the February issue of Hang Gliding. The first point refers to the “Wing Tips” discussion about hang loops. I like these little tidbits Rodger Hoyt contributes, but I am compelled to offer my two cents on this one.

He (or his contributor) suggests using seven-mm perlon rope as a backup hang loop. I believe this size is way too small. Since the 1970’s we have been recommending a minimum of nine-mm if the rope is perlon. Seven-mm perlon has a static breaking strength of around 3,200 pounds and less than half the cross sectional area of one-inch Type 18 webbing. When the rope is knotted in the double grapevine manner as shown in the accompanying photo, it loses approximately 35% of its strength (single grapevine loses about 50%). When you factor in the impact from falling into it from the main loop, and slight UV damage or wear, you don’t have the safety margin we all have come to rely on. If you see seven-mm ropes coming from the factory, it’s because they are made of Spectra, a much stronger material.

Also, the photo (which I assume was a file photo and not necessarily checked for accuracy) shows a rope that is not perlon. The rope shown may be Nylon or a type known as Gold Line, but in any event it lacks the protective sheathing that perlon has and thus should not be used. Some of these ropes do not knot as well as perlon (and that includes Spectra). The photo shows the rope backup loop being way too long. Would you really want to fall that far if your main broke? Also, would you really want to be so far behind your CG point when flying on the backup? All these matters are clearly illustrated in our book Hang Gliding Training Manual, beginning on page 277.

The next item has to do with the article entitled “Soarcasting” by Davis Straub. This is a very informative and valuable article, but I believe it needs one correction. This is not a point of safety, but may be confusing to pilots trying to figure out why the predictions don’t match what they experience in flight. In the text (center column, page 26) Davis states that “cloud base is displayed as a black horizontal line intersecting with the thick red air temperature line.” Actually, that horizontal line at the intersection is the top of the lift if cloud doesn’t form at a lower altitude. Cloud base occurs where the dry adiabatic line (starting from the ground temperature) intersects the dew point line starting from the ground level dew point. In Figure 4, the dry adiabatic lines are those slanting up to the left, and the dew point lines are the steeper ones slanting up to the right. The surface dew point shown is about 16.5 degrees. Moving up parallel to the dew point lines reaches an intersection nearly where the horizontal line is in this case, so clouds may or may not form. But cloud base could more easily be below the horizontal line if the dew point were higher. In Figure 3, the base of the clouds would be considerably below the horizontal line (top of the lift). The base could rise if the air at the surface dried out as the day progressed.

Dennis Pagen Spring Mills, PA May 2002

There comes a time in any organization when profound change is an absolute must.

Some may call it an epiphany. It can be precipitated by almost any unforeseen, yet profound, event. Invention of penicillin and the transistor are but two examples, as was Pearl Harbor, and now 9-11. The world has not been the same since any of these events.

In addition to a propagation event, incredibly strong leadership is mandatory for successful passage — leadership with insightful vision, a passionate drive and acute sensitivity to input from others, plus the ability to reduce complex issues to their essence, build a powerful strategy and motivate others to help execute. These are rare skills, especially when combined together.

I firmly believe that USHGA is facing such an epiphany, and I hope and expect that my leaders will rise to the occasion. History demonstrates this as a comforting ability of the human race, so I know you all can and will succeed. Let me be a little more specific, although I must quickly say that I have but a partial grasp of the big picture.

I am concerned that many members have inadequate information to conclude that we actually do face a crisis, perhaps worse than any in our history. This must be addressed urgently and aggressively. As an example, there are far too many hang glider and paraglider pilots who are not properly informed regarding the U.S. airspace system, and potential repercussions range from ratings being pulled, to airborne military escorts, to severe new regulatory constraints, up to and including the complete loss of Part 103.

I would consider initiating a program of training for all USHGA members — articles, seminars, training curricula, testing, Observers, etc. I might even make some kind of airspace proficiency test a prerequisite for rating renewal. This would include a good grounding in the rules, why they exist, how we might be caught in a violation, and what might happen as a consequence. If our pilots don’t fully understand the airspace system, both the theory and the practical issues at their local sites, there is a much greater threat of serious problems down the road.

Faced with such Draconian possibilities that seem closer than ever before, it is time to circle the wagons. This means identifying and corralling the absolute best resources available to us, and getting tight with all organizations with which we have significant overlap, such as the SSA. I have been very impressed with the recent leadership demonstrated by Larry Sanderson at the SSA and Phil Boyer at the AOPA. This means putting aside internal gripes and differences. As in war time, we need to figure out who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. A specific suggestion might be a “President’s Task Force” as an advisory body to the President, dedicated solely to recommending responses to this crisis. I am not talking about a whole new bureaucracy, just a few specifically skilled people for a finite period of time, and they could conduct business mostly by e-mail or conference call. It would be our “Office of Homeland Security.”

One thing this task force could do is assemble the strategies of all similar organizations to look for common ground and piggyback opportunities. They could also brainstorm as a group regarding the myriad facets of this whole thing. They might do some risk analysis and play through some scenarios to build a comprehensive set of recommendations, somewhat like a think tank. I would expect very broad recommendations, but decisions •

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_xààxÜá and action would remain in the domain of the current USHGA infrastructure.

The airspace issue is just one aspect of the need for an aggressive counter-strategy in responding to 9-11. I expect my elected leadership to define a comprehensive new strategy and jump all over it! The cloud of 9-11 may have a silver lining, however, since it could become a rallying point for bold new action, just as it has for almost every organization in the U.S. and around the world.

USHGA must lead, not follow. USHGA must look forward, not backward.

I look forward with great enthusiasm and confidence.

Such communication vehicles as the “President’s Corner” in Soaring magazine can be very powerful when it comes to informing, guiding and invigorating the entire membership as you skillfully lead us through the minefield of the immediate future.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for your tireless effort on behalf of the members.

Jim Herd Pleasanton, CA

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE Addendum to Jim Herd’s letter provided by USHGA Executive Director Jayne DePanfilis.

Jim Herd made the following observation in one of his recent email memos to me. Jim commented that, “...in any event, I am personally convinced that hang gliding in the USA desperately needs a very specific and focused new initiative quite apart from the NPRM.” Jim’s comment interested me very much and while I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what he meant by a new initiative, I asked him to be more specific and he was kind enough to elaborate.

Jim is concerned, and rightfully so, about the potential for increased government regulatory controls resulting from the events of 9-11. He suggests that USHGA should first conduct a thorough review of the ways in which other aviation groups are responding to events in this post 9-11 environment. This comparative analysis would provide the basis for the development of USHGA’s plan of action for the same. This plan of action would best be implemented in cooperation with other aviation groups and it would require constant networking. The plan must be constantly refined to reflect current events and finally, the real key to the success of USHGA’s plan is COMMUNICATION. “Communication must pervade every step of the process and it should include a regular monthly magazine column, updates on USHGA’s website, weekly email updates to the board and the USHGA staff, regularly scheduled meetings with other aviation groups and government communication at many different levels with many different bodies.”

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I applaud Jim Herd’s vision of this new initiative and I concur. In fact, USHGA’s response so far to the Sport Pilot NPRM and to the new initiative is based on just this kind of comprehensive plan, just this kind of strategy. Communication is the key. Recently, a friend suggested that if someone shares one of my ideas and speaks of it first, I should respond, “great minds think alike.” Thank you Jim Herd for this insightful and thought provoking analysis.

THERMAL SCIENCE Dear Editor, Knowing that Dennis Pagen enjoys a lively discussion and the pursuit of knowledge, I looked forward to his response to my December article. However, his letter is long on hearsay, speculation, and faulty analogies, and short on persuasive arguments. I want to address some of Dennis’s points, and I ask readers to refer back to my article, as well as other sources, before making up their minds. I also hope Dennis will reread the article more carefully.

To clarify, I did not write or mean to imply that thermal sources do not exist, or that topography has no influence on when and where thermals arise. I specifically addressed the small, low-energy objects that many pilots believe can mechanically trigger thermals, and I still say that those items can have no meaningful effect. The model I described is consistent with thermal cycles, and with thermals that might be shaped roughly like bubbles rather than columns. My main purpose was to explain thermal cycles without resorting to exotic phenomena such as surface tension or other non-existent gaseous cohesion.

Dennis renounces surface tension in air, but in clinging to triggers, he sticks to several faulty conceptions and analogies: “…air of different densities does not readily mix, in a manner similar to oil and water.” This is misleading and simply does not apply to air. Oil and water can stay apart indefinitely because they cannot form solutions of each other, and they are separated by surface tension. Air masses of different temperatures or densities have no special reluctance to mix. Dennis’s examples of persistent separation are mainly a matter of time and size. None of the things we like to imagine as having sharp boundaries—thermals, clouds, jet streams, or weather fronts—actually have them. It’s all a matter of scale. For example, close inspection (from an IFR-legal airplane, of course!) of an apparently well-defined cumulus cloud shows that the cloud’s “boundary” is diffuse, with a mixing zone tens of meters thick. “ ‘…chaos theory would strongly support the trigger paradigm.’ Small perturbations are often responsible for

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May 2002

large effects in nature.” This is a misreading of chaos theory, which among other things explains how small events sometimes can have large unpredictable effects, given enough time and space. Saying that chaos theory gives evidence for thermal triggers is a non sequitur.

Supercooled water “will ice up in a sudden rush. In the same way a thermal lies on the ground until it is disturbed.” Once again, an appealing analogy, but irrelevant. There is no known effect in air that would induce a thermal into unstable equilibrium—buoyant, but somehow unable to rise. A very powerful and mysterious force would be necessary. Thankfully we’ve gotten rid of surface tension, which would have been thousands of times too weak anyway, but something else is supposedly at work. What, exactly?

“As a heated blob expands it exerts a pressure outward that helps oppose the inward pressure from cooler, denser air at the sides.” This is erroneous, first because air only need expand by one or two percent to form a thermal. A 100-foot-radius air blob that gained two percent in volume would only grow at its “boundary” by eight inches! If heating took a mere five minutes, its expansion velocity would be 0.002 miles per hour—trivial to say the least. We don’t need exotic explanations for how air gets in to replace a departing thermal. Air wafts around all the time with barely any excuse. Look how much wind can be generated by a 0.5% pressure difference across 100 miles!

Implying that my article suggested something else, Dennis points out that thermals often seem to “sit on the ground for a spell” before they “release suddenly.” Yes, they sometimes do, and as I wrote, the cycling phenomenon is readily explained by inertia and low relative buoyancy. There is no factual basis for concluding that thermals are cohesive or sticky and require triggering.

That “sudden release,” by the way, is mainly a product of our perceptions and imaginations, not measurement.

Dennis seems to think I wrote something suggesting that thermals cannot form due to “bleeding off gradually” in tiny bits of convection. Because tiny thermals have a high relative drag, and they mix quickly with their surroundings, they can’t really go anywhere. All they can do is help mix the air near the ground while a thermal forms.

There’s no need for triggers or fancy discontinuities and quasi-meta-stabilities. Inertia and the time required for heating are explanation enough.

Another big red herring is Dennis’s suggestion that my analysis implies “a thermal lifting off as a large, flat, pancake blob [with] an exorbitant amount of drag.” I not only didn’t posit any such thing; I explicitly wrote: “As the air slowly rises, it forms an indistinct dome. Near the surface, cooler ambient air moves in to replace the rising air, and is in turn heated by the ground. This process continues in a gradually accelerating manner.”

Dennis praises skepticism toward myths, but in the next

_xààxÜá sentence he starts one of the oldest and weakest defenses for no-evidence propositions: he points out that lots of other people (smart, successful ones, and writers even!) believe in thermal triggers. But as abundant history shows, popularity doesn’t imply validity any more than correlation implies causation. I doubt that Dennis would advocate that we reject various well-grounded scientific theories because most people don’t accept them, so why should we swallow other theories based on popularity?

In my experience, many (not all) top pilots appear to believe in small mechanical triggers—if only an oddball minority subscribed to the idea, there would have been little point in writing about it! That belief, however, is not inconsistent with making great XC flights. First, the notion of triggers is so squishy that virtually anything can fit into the theory or be left out of it, at one’s convenience. Second, remember that selective memory and sample bias, combined with a handy (if misleading) analogy, make powerful supports for myths that are not too far from reality.

cocted bizarre scenarios based on gravitational attraction between air molecules, electrostatic attraction between ground and air, or confusion about air pressure and gravity. The arguments for thermal triggers consist of farfetched phenomena, repetition of anecdotes, and hearsay. This is accompanied by silence about some basic questions (Why is it okay to ignore triggers that don’t trigger anything? What would cause triggering to happen just when we need it? What happens when an immature thermal loses its heat source and nothing comes along to trigger it—does it sit there and wait? …etc.).

A scarcity of serious debate speaks for itself.

Peter Gray Ellensburg, WA 509-925-9280

Dennis and some email respondents have backpedaled from triggers, claiming that of course they don’t work all the time, it’s just a game of percentages, with triggers offering a slight advantage. But when that low level of effect is combined with the notion that anything from rabbits and bushes on up can serve as a trigger, the whole concept becomes meaningless. It’s virtually impossible to find anyplace on land without numerous items that could be construed (usually after the fact) as triggers. Scientists rightly dismiss this sort of non-refutable hypothesis.

To my knowledge, neither Dennis nor other trigger fans have explained why supposed triggers could be of net benefit to fliers (for anyone who follows the arithmetic, it’s clear that the items in question cannot add measurable energy to the system). If triggered thermals release earlier (i.e., more often), then they ought to be weaker than non-triggered ones

COMBINED MAGAZINES

It’s not surprising that people struggle to hang onto their cherished beliefs. In online discussions, some have con-

I’m a Swiss paraglider pilot (having approximately 1200 flights under my belt) and I have been a member of USHGA for about the last 10 years. During this time I always subscribed to both Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazines. I have long wondered why an association would go to the trouble to publish two different magazines when the content (especially ads and information from the Board of Directors, etc.), is exactly the same.

If you look at Fly and Glide or Swissglider as examples, one can easily see that it is without a doubt possible to represent hang gliding and paragliding in the same magazine. I’m well aware of the possible discussions about “proper” representation of each “group” and that some articles will probably not interest everybody, but that is quite normal with EVERY publication. For example, I personally do not care a thing about competition rankings in paragliding or hang gliding but this doesn’t stop me from reading the rest of both magazines, more or less. I believe both groups would benefit from a “joint” publication.

One more thing: In order to promote our sport, I think it is essential that there should be at least one article in almost every issue about a flying site (maybe a “site of the month” article). This would give traveling pilots a chance to create their own catalogue of the flying sites for both PG and HG. The catalogue could include the necessary directions, contacts and phone numbers for the sites .

Best Regards Great flights and happy landings!

Taggi (H.Tagmann CH-8308 ILLNAU) USHGA #54883 May 2002

Dear Editor, I was reading my brand new Hang Gliding magazine during my return flight from Anaheim, where I had just finished working with ESPN on the opening day of baseball season, when the passenger seated next to me asked, “Do you do that?” I told him I am a hang glider pilot and we talked about my great sport for the rest of the flight. He, like many others I have met, has always wanted to try hang gliding. I left my new magazine with him and encouraged him to give it a try.

Today, I am going to the dentist where I intend to leave eight or ten of my old magazines in the waiting rooms of the professionals who share office space in the complex. I have an appointment at the sports medicine complex on Wednesday and I will likely leave eight or ten more magazines there as well.

Hi! Although many pilots say they believe in tractors and various other mechanical triggers, their behavior suggests otherwise. When these pilots encounter a tractor without a nearby thermal, they fly elsewhere (naturally without noting this event as evidence against triggers!).

They might be believers, but they’re not willing to bet their flights on it and spiral to the deck. As a contest scorekeeper, I have seen even more confirmation of this faux belief. Dennis sat next to me while we downloaded hundreds of GPS tracklogs last April at Wallaby. I know he noticed the consistent distinguishing feature of topscoring pilots. They flew the course, directly from one turnpoint to the next. They did not wander off to chase supposed triggers. If true faith means anything, it ought to mean deviating from one’s course to take advantage of triggers, but only the low scorers seemed to do that.

PROMOTING THE SPORT

I am required to fly quite a bit for my job and I always try to remember to bring a couple of extra magazines to leave behind for the next passenger to read. This is one way I can do my part to increase the circulation of our magazine and to help get the word out about hang gliding (besides, my wife likes this because I am disposing of the old magazines).

I encourage members to recycle their magazines to help promote the sport of hang gliding. I’m lucky enough to work with sports broadcasters and I’ve taken advantage of this opportunity by providing promotional speed gliding videos to the organizers of the Gravity Games and X-Games, etc. hoping that they will consider speed gliding for this venue. Every little bit of effort to promote our sport can make a difference.

I’m sure many members know folks who might be in a position to promote hang gliding (and paragliding too). I hope these members will help spread the word. And, if you fly at a site that has good public exposure, perhaps a box of old magazines could be placed near the bulletin board. You could donate your old magazines to your local high school or college library where younger readers will be more likely to read them.

Thanks for a great publication. I look forward to the combined magazine. I am interested in learning more about paragliders and the pilots who fly them.

I think a combined magazine serves as an even more powerful promotional tool than two separate magazines do.

Rick Cavallaro Mountain View, CA

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FRANCIS ROGALLO, FATHER OF HANG GLIDING, TURNS 90!

Those in the hang gliding community are all familiar with famous inventor and flight enthusiast, Francis M. Rogallo. His research was the primary impetus behind the birth of the modern sport of hang gliding.

With a passion for flight and the unique vision of a flexible wing, Francis Rogallo began his work in the 1940’s. Working as an aeronautical engineer in Hampton, Virginia, he tried to inspire interest in the development of a flexible wing, but found no takers, so he took his idea home. Working at his kitchen table with small paper models, his idea began to take shape. With the help of his wife Gertrude, and using pieces of their dining room curtains, the kite began to develop even further. It was not long before he had a patent on the design and was looking for outlets to share his flex wing. Because those in the aviation industry demonstrated no interest, his design made its way into the toy market.

Later, as the space race intensified, NASA began to look into various forms of flight, including Rogallo’s wing. Never claiming the rights to the patent he held, Rogallo allowed his flex wing design to

be used royalty free, in hopes that NASA would benefit from its use. By the 1960’s, NASA had lost interest in the idea.

However, Rogallo’s invention soon found its niche in the sport of hang gliding, which was closer to what he had hoped for all along.

Now we honor him as the father of hang gliding. Happy birthday Rog, and thank you for all your passion and the countless contributions you have made to the development of free flight!

NORTH WING TOP SALES DEALER North Wing is proud to name Fletcher Ultralights as their top sales dealer of the year for both 2000 and 2001. Since North Wing opened its doors, John Fletcher has been a strong supporter of North Wing products. John comments, “I’ve flown numerous trikes and wings, and none of them fly better than North Wing products. I also like the fact that designer Kamron Blevins and his staff are continually innovating with the most advanced designs on the market. I know I will have something new and exciting to offer my pilots every year. Furthermore, North Wing is a U.S. company, which means I can be assured that the materials they use come from a country known for quality aircraft materials. I feel confident in the testing North Wing does to ensure that their products are airworthy. Kamron also listens to suggestions from his dealers and customers when it comes to developing new products.”

North Wing invites dealer inquiries. Contact: North Wing Design, (509) 886-4605, fax (509) 886-3435, trikes@northwing.com.

MAY 31 USHGA CALENDAR PHOTO DEADLINE IS ALMOST HERE! We need your help. The 2003 USHGA Hang Gliding Calendar and Paragliding Calendar will rely heavily on our esteemed membership for photo contributions to these wonderful projects. If you have some hot photography, send it to us and send it today! Launch, landing, setup, breakdown, truck/aero/boat/dogsled towing — whatever. If there is a hang glider or paraglider in the photo, we want to see it. Imagine your mug, glider, or flying site being immortalized for all the world to admire. The deadline is May 31.

Send your photography (horizontal slides preferred) to: USHGA Calendar, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901. All photography will be treated with the utmost respect and properly returned. Don’t delay, send ‘em today. If you have any questions please call Jeff Elgart at (719) 632-8300, or e-mail jeff@ushga.org.

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May 2002

hÑwtàx NEW PARAGLIDING VIDEO

CRITTER MOUNTAIN WEAR NEWS

The Best Of Paragliding from Bob Grant Productions is now available. This latest 52-minute feature presentation has many of the best shots taken on paragliding excursions over the past 12 years.

Fly Trap I and II stuff bags are now available in a lighter-weight Cordura version.This is for pilots who want to carry a stuff tarp without the bulk.

From the excitement of mountain launches across the U.S. to coastal flying, this video will make a nice addition to your collection. The Best Of Paragliding is all paragliding, unlike many of Bob Grant’s other productions that feature a mix of sports.

The video sells for $19.95 plus $4.00 shipping. You can check out this new offering at http://www.skynet.ca/~skydog/ Paraglide .htm. Payment options are available at http:// www.skynet.ca/~skydog/Payment-Options.htm.

Contact: Bob Grant, 437 Burbrook Place, London, Ontario, Canada N5W 4B5, (519) 453-9961.

Also available is a new line of flying accessories: flight decks, instrument holders (vario and GPS), tow bridles, radio harnesses and windsocks. All of these products are new designs.

Starting in 2002, Critter Mountain Wear will donate either 1% of gross sales or 10% of net profit to the United States Hang Gliding Foundation for site preservation and access.

Want to know which fabric colors have better UV resistance? Confused over “superaramid” lines? Check out the paragliding information pages on the Critter Mountain Wear website.

Contact: Critter Mountain Wear, 86 Jacquelyn Lane, Crested Butte, CO 81224, 1-800-686-9327, fax (978) 389-5900, www.crittermountainwear.com.

2002 WORLD RECORD ENCAMPMENT The premier cross-country distance site in the world, Zapata, Texas, will host the third annual 2002 World Record Encampment. Last year a flight of 432 miles was made in a hang glider, and a distance of more than 200 miles was flown in a paraglider.

Two concurrent, two-week sessions will run from June 15 to July 12. About twice as many pilots will be selected for this year’s encampment. Flex, rigid, paragliders and ultralight sailplanes will attempt to break personal and world records. Seven out of eight attempted world distance records fell last year, and 22 out of 29 pilots achieved their personal bests.

To apply, volunteer, drive, get more information or watch the action, visit http://www.flytec.com.

The organizers wish to thank Steve Kroop and Flytec for their generous support of this event for the second year.

RED BULL SPEED RUN AND X-C CONTEST The world’s best hang glider pilots will be coming to Kitzbühel, July 11-13, once again to face the world-famous Streif downhill run in the Fourth Red Bull Speed Run. Registration is open and is by invitation only. There is no entry fee, and accommodations and meals are fully paid for on all training and competition days.

Sixteen world-class pilots will be chosen from a pre-registration list. Pre-registration is available at http://www.redbullspeedrun.com/sr_registration.htm. Pilots will be notified by e-mail as soon as the starter list is official. The prize money $14,500 euro.

If the Speed Run is not for you, but you would still like to be part of the action, there is another competition held at the same time. It’s a traditional cross-country meet that will allow participating pilots to watch the Streif Downhill in the morning, fly their own competition in the afternoon, and attend all the parties at night. The entry fee is $180 euro and includes an event package and dinner throughout all days of the competition. GPS is mandatory, no photo validation. The prize money $2,200 euro. Participation is limited to 35 pilots, and registration for X-C Kitzbühel will be accepted strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. To register visit http:// www.redbullspeedrun.com/xc_registration.htm.

May 2002

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GRAVITY SPORTS PARAGLIDING TOURS Gravity Sports is Hawaii’s only full-time paragliding shop, operated by 13-year veteran and Advanced paragliding instructor Pete Michelmore.

They are now specializing in worldwide paragliding expeditions and Hawaii site-guiding services for solo pilots or groups, beginner to advanced paragliding lessons, and clinics. Gravity (www.gravityhawaii.com) also offers the latest quality gear from Airwave, UP and Paratech.

Visiting pilots soar with the Hawaiian flying team over 3,000-foot MSL sea cliffs and land on white sand beaches, and there are fun activities for the entire family, great beach accommodations, kite surfing lessons, camping, and more.

Gravity will be leading its third annual European Alps flying trip again this summer. Groups of 10 or fewer will travel in new motor homes through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy for some of the world’s best flying. Tours are suitable for beginners through advanced pilots. Last year they flew nine out of ten days, and visited Bassano, Garmisch,Villenue, St. Gallon, and even flew over Cinderella’s castle at Nueschweinstien. More awesome trips to exotic flying destinations will be scheduled throughout the year.Visit their website.

Contact: Pete Michelmore, Gravity Sports, 749 Kailua Rd., Kailua, HI 96734, (808) 261-7873, info@gravityhawaii.com, www.gravityhawaii.com.

THE 2001 FALCON X-C CONTEST

2002 FALCON HANG GLIDING CROSS-COUNTRY CONTEST

Another year has passed and a lust for miles pushed many to chase frantically around the world chalking up some impressive numbers with the latest, greatest (and most expensive) gliders, while others, with no less dedication but less mobility, demonstrated some phenomenal skill flying more mundane gliders at relatively local sites. In the Falcon X-C Contest, some new names appeared as entries and some “new” gliders appeared. Some really impressive miles were logged and, even more importantly, the pilots all had fun.

The 2002 Falcon Hang Gliding X-C Contest includes any other singlesurface flex wing. It is sponsored by manufacturers, dealers, instructors the generous.

When: Until December 31, 2002.

What:Wills Wing Falcon, MoyesVentura,Aeros Target, North Wing Easy, or any other single-surface hang glider.

Where: All of the U.S. as divided into four regions in an attempt to make skill, not the flying site, the determining factor for the winners.

Prizes will be awarded for all areas in all “classes”:West Coast (west of Route 5, USHGA Regions 1, 2, 3);West (USHGA Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 east of Route 5); Central (USHGA Regions 6, 7, 11); East (USHGA Regions 8, 9, 10, 12);World (for the rest of the world).

Yes, you may now be the winner in the Falcon X-C Contest World Class. All entrants are eligible for that title regardless of the primary region entered.

Why: Prizes have been generously donated to reward pilots who fly for pure enjoyment and go places. Prizes may be added at any time by sponsoring dealers, schools, or any interested party.

Who:Any Hang II and up. Pick the appropriate class to enter: Pro (Hang IV); Amateur (Hang III); Recreational (Hang II). Towing is permitted with a maximum release altitude of 2,000 feet.

How? 1) Enter before the first eligible flight. 2) Fly with a landing form and get landing witness for any X-C flight. 3) Send us notification within two weeks of the flight: who, where, when, how many miles.

There is no entry fee, but a self-addressed, stamped envelope is required for any correspondence requiring a return (entry form, etc.). E-mail correspondence and entry forms are acceptable and preferred. Stupidity or unsafe behavior automatically disqualifies you.

Visit http://tekflight.tripod.com/falconxc.html or send an SASE to:Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage,Winsted, CT 06098.

Prizes have been donated by the following: Wills Wing — a Wills Wing team sweat shirt for winning Falcon pilots in all categories and classes. High Adventure — hang gliding simulator software,“Hangfly 20.” Moyes America — to be announced. Tek Flight Products — vario or mount,“Hang Glider Pilot Needs Ride” shirt for longest flight without a driver.

Aeros, Moyes and North Wing gliders joined the Wills Wing Falcons in this single-surface competition, and manufacturer/ distributor support included prizes from U.S. Aeros and Moyes America, in addition to Wills Wing, with each offering prizes to pilots flying their gliders.

Dealer and school support included prizes from High Adventure, Windsports Hang Gliding and Tek Flight Products, and a pilot offered a prize of a Fire-Fli hang glider beacon.

The best prizes, of course, were the smiles that appeared on every pilot’s face whether listed here or not.

The Pro Class results were: World winner — Pete Lehmann, Wills Wing Falcon, 129 miles; West winner — Dan Conners, Wills Wing Falcon, 101 miles; East winner — Mitch Shipley, Aeros Target, 67 miles. Dan Armstrong made a sweet 86.5mile flight in the West region and Pete Lehmann had a 98.2mile flight in the East region.

In the Amateur class, the only winner was Peter Perrone (East region) flying a 195 Falcon with 12 miles.

It is interesting to note that most of the results were posted

by Advanced pilots. This is a bit sad, as the contest is a great place to start generating new X-C flights and potentially hardcore competition pilots. Perhaps with a bit more impetus from manufacturers, distributors and schools, this will happen.

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

Competition USHGA-sanctioned events Hang Gliding X-C Meets Wallaby Open/U.S. HG Nationals, April 13-19. Contact: Malcolm Jones, 1805 Dean Still Rd., Davenport, FL 33837, 1-800-WALLABY. Quest/Flytec Championships, April 21-28. Contact: Steve Kroop, 6548 Groveland Airport Rd., Groveland, FL 34736, (352) 429-8600.

Chelan X-C Classic, Chelan, WA. July 1-6. Contact: www.cbcc.org, russlfboe@attbi.com.

US Open 2002- Big Springs, Texas, August 4-10. Contact: David Glover at david@davidglover.com or (719) 630-3698.

Paragliding X-C Meets Southern California PG Open, May 23-27. Meet Director and Steward, Mitch McAleer; Peter Swanson, Safety Director; Ken Howells, Safety Director. Contact: Mitch McAleer, 29120 Melby Dr., Lake Elsinore, CA 92532, (909) 674-8844.

Snowbird X-C Comp, Aug.31-Sept. 7. Contact: Ken Hudonjorgenson, 474 E. Tonya Drive, Sandy, UT 84070, (801) 572-3414.

U.S. (PG) Nats/Kari Castle Classic. Contact: Chad Bastian, (805) 8952133.

PG Nationals/Owen’s Valley, Sept. 10-16. See above.

Snowbird X-C Competition. Aug. 31-Sept. 7 Register early; space is limited.

Contact: Ken Hudonjorgensen, 474 E. Tonya Dr. Sandy, UT 84070, (801) 572-3414, khudonj@ qwest.net, www.twocanfly.com.

Hang Gliding Speed Gliding Meets Chelan Speed Gliding Championships , Chelan, WA, May 1-4. Contact: Steve Alford (425) 788-0308 or Aaron Swepston (253) 826-1112.

Ed Levin Meet, Ed Levin, CA, June 7-9. Contact: Meet Director Mike Vorhis, mike@vorhis.com.

Aero-Extreme, Jackson Hole, WY, July 25-28. Meet Director: Scot Trueblood, hang4av8r@aol.com, www.aeroextreme.com.

U.S. Speed Gliding Nationals, Sept. 12-15, practice day on Sept. 11, Lookout Mtn., TN. Contact: Matt Taber, 1-800-688-5637.

UNTIL MAY 27: 2002 Region Nine Regionals and Region Nine Yearlong X-C Contest. The Regionals adds up a contestant’s three best weekend flights between March 16 and May 27, inclusive. The yearlong contest is to honor longest individual flights of the year on any day between February 15 and November 15. Classes for Rookies, Sixty Miles, Open, Rigids and Paragliders. Entry fees $10 and $5 respectively. Contact: Pete Lehmann, lplehmann@aol.com, (412) 661-3474, 5811 Elgin St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

MAY 3-5: Ninth Annual World Invitational Paragliding and Hang Gliding

May 2002

Air Races, Torrey Pines International Gliderport in San Diego, California. Race entry fee is $150 USD. Cash and prizes in sport and open-class elimination series. The races will be held in conjunction with the West Coast Paragliding and Hang Gliding Exposition and Demo Days taking place from May 1-5. Contact: aircal@ix.netcom.com or phone (858) 452-9858.

MAY 12-18: Canadian Hang Gliding (Class 1) Open Championships . Lumby, British Columbia (north of Chelan). Prize money. CIVL Class 2 Sanctioning and U.S. NTSS Sanctioning. Contact: www.dowsett.ca/cdnnats.

MAY 19-25: Canadian Paragliding Open Championships , Lumby, British Columbia (north of Chelan, Washington). Prize money. CIVL Class 2 sanctioning and U.S. NTSS Sanctioning. Visit www.dowsett.ca/cdnnats for more info.

MAY 23-27: So Cal Paragliding Open Meet.Format: GPS verification as used in the 2001 HG and PG Nationals. Meet Director/USHGA Meet Steward: Mitch McAleer.

Scorekeeper: Jim Macklow. Safety Director: Peter Swanson. Entry $225. May 22: Mandatory pilots meeting, 8:00 PM in Riverside. Complimentary dinner for pilots, sponsored by Von Zabern Surgical at the Old Spaghetti Factory Banquet Hall. May 23: First task. May 26: Pilot dinner and party. May 27: Final task. Awards ceremony, 6:30 PM at Andy Jackson Air Park. The meet is USHGA Class A sanctioned, CIVL 2. All are welcome. Limit of 40 pilots. Thermal skills strongly recommended. See the website for details and registration online: http://www.socalpgopen.org. Register by mail: Send check payable to Mitch McAleer, 29120 Melby Dr., Lake Elsinore, CA 92532, (909) 674-8844.

JUNE 21-23: Wild Wild West Regionals, Carson City Nevada. 12th annual X-C racing event. Pilots of all skill levels welcome. Intermediate through competitioncaliber pilots fly a proven course in the Sierras surrounding beautiful Lake Tahoe out to the awesome desert. T-shirts, party for all, and silver belt buckles for the top five places. A no-pressure competition and race. Registration is $100 until May 1, $125 thereafter. Contact: Adventure Sports, (775) 883-7070, advspts@pyramid.net.

JUNE 26-30: King Mountain Meet, King Mountain, Moore, Idaho. This year’s meet will offer a different format from previous years. We will be scoring the best three out of five days, so if you can only make the weekend you still have time to get your flights in. We will still have the best world-class trophies, Open, Recreation, and Team classes, Driver Award, Staff Choice Award, barbecue Saturday night, handicap scoring with bonus LZ’s, Open Distance X-C, great scenery, flying, and fun! Entry $50 includes a beautiful full-color shirt designed by renowned Montana artist, Dan Gravage.

Contact: Meet Director/Organizer Lisa Tate, or a pre-registration packet from 11716 Fairview Ave., Boise, Idaho 83713 (208) 376-7914 or e-mail to Zoolisa@aol.com.

Information also available at http://hometown.aol.com/zoolisa/myhomepage/ extreme.html.

JULY 11-21; The First Atos-Class World Championships, Chelan, Washington.

The Eighth Women’s World Championships, Chelan, Washington.

The Ninth Swift-Class World Championships, Chelan, Washington.

Contact: Chelan Flyers, P.O. Box 907, Chelan, WA 98816, skydog@televar.com - http://www.chelan flyers.com/ChelanWorlds.

JULY 19-21: Adventure Sports X-C Open 2002. Open Distance, Open Direction, Open Window. Open to all pilots. Pilots choose their course. The longest flights win.

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Launches will be from either Slide Mtn. or McClellan Peak, both in the Washoe Valley 20 miles south of Reno, NV. Cameras required. Sponsored by Adventure Sports. Entry $100 until July 1, $125 thereafter. Contact: Box 20066, Carson City, NV 89721 (775) 883-7070, advspts@pyramid.net.

FUN FLYING MAY 17: Kitty Hawk Kites Instructor Alumni Reunion. All instructors past and present who have taught for Kitty Hawk Kites are welcome. Held in conjunction with the Hang Gliding Spectacular and Air Games at Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head, NC. Contact: Bruce Weaver, (252) 441-2426, bruce@kittyhawk.com.

MAY 17-19: South Carolina Springtime Fly-In, at Glassy Mountain near Greer, SC. Come enjoy flying and competing (spot, duration, X-C, balloon toss, etc.) at this beautiful south-facing mountain. Plaques awarded to all first, second and third place finishers in all competitions (except balloon toss). $20 entry fee for competition flying, $10 for fun flying. Fly-In T-shirts available.

Glassy launch is 1,500’ AGL. Contact: Paul Peeples, PO Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712, (828) 885-2536, pbrannenp@msn.com.

MAY 17-20: 30th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular and Air Games, Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head, NC. Fun flying for pilots of all skill levels (Hang 1 to Hang 5). Festivities include: two-day dune competition at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, two-day aerotowing competition, instructor alumni reunion, street dance, Rogallo Foundation Awards Banquet. Compete and/or demo equipment from major manufacturers. All competitors receive prizes. Contact: Bruce Weaver, (252) 441-2426, bruce@kittyhawk.com.

MAY 25-27: 26th Annual Starthistle 2002 Fly-in for hang gliders/ paragliders, at Woodrat Mtn. in southern Oregon. Fun flying with pilots from all over the world. A good place to test your skills. Camping facilities. Close to Ruch, Oregon for all your shopping needs. Reconditioned mid and top launches making this site first class. Enjoy the historic city of Jacksonville. Contact: http:/ /rvhga.org/Starthistle2002.htm, or President@RVHGA.org.

MAY 25-27: 22nd Annual Dry Canyon Memorial Day Fly-In. Competition and fun flying. $25 entry fee includes awards dinner, drinks and good flying.

T-shirts and other apparel also available. Dry Canyon has been changed to a Hang 3 and above site with FL experience and sign-off on USHGA card, for the safety of all pilots. Contact: Tom or Cindy West, 2216 Pecan Dr., Alamogordo, NM 88310, (505) 437-5213, cindy@totacc.com, or George Woodcock (505) 5854614.

JUNE 1: Tiger Mountain Fly-In. Tiger Mountain, Issaquah, WA. Events include barbecue, raffle, spot-landing and uphill race. Area tandem pilots are offering reduced-price tandem flights for the day. A perfect chance to introduce a friend or family member to the sport of paragliding. Contact: Bob Rinker, Brinker@roadway.com.

JULY 3-7: Lakeview Umpteenth Annual Festival of Freeflight. Lakeview, Oregon. Lots of fun flying with your buddies from a great selection of sites and a few friendly contests with cash prizes for the winners. Registration ($10) Wednesday, July 3, fly July 4-6, awards at 10:00 AM on the 7th. Pilot’s meeting July 4, 9:30 AM at the Chamber HQ. Cumulative distance contest for paragliders. Annual Sugar HillLakeview trophy dash on Saturday for hang gliders. Spot-landing contests Saturday afternoon. Adult beverage party at Jules and Mary’s July 4, Chamber barbecue on Saturday at Geyser Hot Springs (formerly Hunter’s). Contact: Jules, (541) 947-3330, freeflite@centurytel.net, or Lake County Chamber of Commerce, (541) 947-6040.

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JULY 6-7: Torrey Pines Paragliding And Hang Gliding Costume 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 bluffs welcome. Contact: David Jebb, Director of Operations, Torrey Pines Gliderport, Air California Adventure, Inc., D&M Distributing, LLC, 1-858-ZULU (9858), Toll Free: 1-877-FLY-TEAM (359-8326), www.flytorrey.com.

JULY 19-21: 1st Annual Texas Open.Texas Open 2002. Texas’ first ever NSFC points meet in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Fly near the World Record Encampment (WRE) route in WRE conditions. $30 entry fee includes a Texas Open T-Shirt, NSFC scoring, BBQ dinner and Awards ceremony, and tons of flying, fun and friends.

This is an aerotow meet, so Aerotow signoff is required. See http:// danbarb.org/txopen for more details or contact Meet Director, Dave Broyles, broydg@attbi.com - (972) 390-9090 AUG. 29-SEPT. 2: Region 9 Fun Fly-In. Rain dates Sept. 13-15. Fairview Airfield in Hyram Township, OH. Camping available at the site with no amenities, but camping with amenities is available nearby. Call or e-mail for details and directions. Aerotow meet only. Pay as you tow ($10/1k, 2k/tow limit). Tasks include X-C (GPS required), out-and-return (GPS required), duration tasks, bomb drops, and spot-landings. Fee: $30 if registered by July 15, $35 after. Fee covers porta-potty rental and land use fee for owner. Register by sending check or money order to: Felipe Amunategui, 3122 Huntington Rd., Shaker Heights, OH 44120, (216) 751-0347, dr.amunategui@att.net. Include name, address, phone, e-mail and a copy of your USHGA card. AT administrators will be available to sign off qualified participants.

AT sign-off required to compete.

SEPT. 14-15: 12th Annual Pine Mtn. Fly-In. Pine Mtn., Bend, OR. Contact: Bill Taylor, (541) 408-2408, www.desertairriders.org.

CLINICS, MEETING, TOURS UNTIL OCT.: Two-can Fly Clinics/Competitions.Point of the Mountain and Utah mountain sites. APRIL 14-20: Lake Powell Maneuvers Clinic (deluxe with houseboat), $1,500. APRIL 21-23: Lake Powell Maneuvers Camping Clinic. $550. APRIL 26-29: Instructor Training, $400. APRIL 27-28: Instructor recertification, $200. MAY 11-12: Tandem (T2 & T3), $200. MAY 17-20: Crosscountry competition clinic. A friendly introduction to cross-country flying with instruction from U.S. and North American X-C record-setters Bill Belcourt and Todd Bibler, U.S. and PWC champion Scotty Marion, and Dale Covington and Ken Hudonjorgensen, who both held Utah records. Utah X-C sites. $300 or $100 per day.

MAY 24-26: Thermal, $300. JUNE 1-2: Mountain flying, $200. JUNE 2-8: Lake Powell maneuvers clinic (deluxe with houseboat), $1500. JUNE 29-JULY 1: Aerobatics clinic with Chris Santacroce. Learn how to prepare your routine for an aerobatics competition. Learn and practice new aerobatics. Find out what judges look for when scoring, and much more. $550. JULY 5-7: Thermal, $300. AUG. 9-11: Three-day maneuvers (safety) clinic, $550. AUG. 13-15: Three-day maneuvers (safety) clinic, $550. AUG. 17-19: Three-day maneuvers (safety) clinic, $550. SEPT. 28-29: Mountain flying, $200. OCT. 4-7: Instructor training, $400. OCT. 5-6: Instructor recertification, $200. OCT. 12-13: Tandem (T2 & T3), $200. OCT. 17-19: Lake Powell maneuvers camping clinic, $550.

OCT. 20-26: Lake Powell maneuvers clinic (deluxe with Houseboat), $1500.

Contact: Two-can Fly Paragliding, 474 East Tonya Dr., Sandy, UT 84070, phone/fax (801) 572-3414, hudonj@qwest.net, www.twocanfly.com.

THROUGH OCT.: Dixon’s Airplay Washington, a.k.a. the “Ranch” (near Wenatchee) will reopen April 20 for the summer season through October. Specializing in new pilot instruction. Each instructor works with only one or two new students.

May 2002

Excellence in instruction with complete training in weather, flight dynamics, kiting and much more. Learn at a private flight park, no crowds, perfect grassy slopes, drive-up 360° launches from 20 to 1,800 feet. Limited weekday and weekend space available. Make reservations early. Complete paragliding store and service center.

Contact: dixon@paraglide.com, www.paraglide.com, (928) 526-4579.

THROUGH NOV: Paraglider Network and Andre Gupta Alps oTurs for novice and better pilots. Non-flying companions and aspiring pilots welcome on some tours. Tours include overnight accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, local transportation, lifts to launch, retrieval, Geneva airport pickup and drop-off, and services of an English- and local language-speaking certified guide pilot.

Introductory tandem flight for non-pilot friends. P2, five-day course, $350.

Contact: www.paraglider.net, freeflight@wanadoo.fr, (703) 273-0123, 9-5 M-F EDT. JUNE 15-22: Introduction to parahiking and paramountaineering.

Possible summits include Mont-Blanc, Domes de Miage, or Grand Paradis. Must be in excellent shape and a P3 pilot. Five-pilot maximum, $749. JUNE 22-29: High mountain flying, Chamonix Valley and Fiesch, Switzerland. Fly 40 miles out and back daily. More experienced pilots will fly over the high passes to Andermatt.

Above launch you will be rewarded with a view of Europe’s largest glacier. P2 pilots with experience, non-flying friends welcome. Eight-pilot maximum, $749. JUNE 29-JULY 7: Lac Annecy and Chamonix. The most beautiful lake in Europe. We will also visit the birthplace of paragliding nearby, and visit other nearby sites including Chamonix. Boat dinner cruise dance, artisanal cheese tour, vineyard tour, and night-time visit of old-town Annecy. P2 pilots or better will get unlimited airtime. Non-pilots welcome. Optional course (P2-French equivalent) for $350.

Nine-pilot maximum, $799. AUG. 30-SEPT. 8: St. Andre les Alpes, St. Vincent les Forts, a flying Mecca. Details to come. MID-SEPT.: St. Hillaire de Touvet flying carnival. Details to come. OCT.: Festival du Vent Calvi, Corsica. Details to come. NOV. 9-NOV. 17: Flying in the south of France and over Monte-Carlo.

Details to come.

THROUGH DEC.: Dixon’s Airplay Arizona open all year (near Flagstaff).

Specializing in new pilot instruction. Start out right with thorough training in meteorology, kiting, flight dynamics and much more. Only one or two new students per instructor. Wide-open, 360° drive-up launch sites from 20 to 1,200 feet.

Limited weekday and weekend space available. Make reservations early. Complete paragliding store and service center. Contact: dixon@paraglide.com, www.paraglide.com, (928) 526-4579.

THURSDAYS: Torrey Pines Gliderport paragliding talk show on Internet radio, airing weekly on wsradio, Thursdays from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Hosted by Gabriel and David Jebb, open to a worldwide audience. Call in toll-free at 1-800327-0061 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-760-476-4111 for the world audience. Surf to www.wsRadio.ws and click under the “live” section. Contact: David Jebb, Director of Operations, 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, San Diego, CA 92037, (858) 452ZULU (9858), www.flytorrey.com MAY-JUNE: Swiss/French Alps, Chamonix, Mont Blanc/Annecy/Verbier.

Fly with Acme Paragliding to the awesome northern French Alps and Swiss Alps.

Week- or two week-long tours to suit requirements of the big sites, with allinclusive transport in country, retrieves, lodging/food in classic Alpine chalets, topquality flying with a great atmosphere. Introduction to high mountain flying for newer pilots, WX, thermal and X-C strategy for more advanced pilots. Day guiding to all sites available. Maximum of six pilots per group, three instructors plus drivers and local X-C professionals. Incredible X-C opportunities for pilots of all skill levels. Over 45 years combined instructional experience with USHGA/BHPA/ FFVL advanced instructors, all resident in France. Relaxed and informal atmosphere with an emphasis on safety and fun. Deals on flights and insurance available. Contact: Paul Pearce, Acme Paragliding, (803) 448-7254, www.acmeparagliding.com.

May 2002

MAY 3-6: Third Tow X-C Clinic with Chris Santacroce and Granger Banks. Learn the ease of X-C flying in the flatlands where participants have had flights up to 35 miles.

Pilots who have not towed should come on Thursday to be introduced to an easy way to get high. Clinic starts each morning with breakfast and thermaling and X-C hints before the day’s X-C task is set. Details at http://parasoft.boulder.net/XCClinic.html.

APRIL 27-29: Safety Aerobatics Clinic the weekend before the X-C clinic. Chris and Granger will coach you through B-line stalls, active flying, spiral dives, wingovers and SAT’s. Clinic structured around each pilot’s individual needs. Clinic will be held over Jackson Reservoir, one hour north of Denver, next to Pawnee Grass Lands where the X-C Clinic takes place. Details at http://parasoft.boulder.net/safety.html.

JUNE 1-2: Second Annual Cape Kiwanda Antique Hang Glider Spectacular, Pacific City, Oregon. Sponsored by the ValleyVille Hang Gliding Club. Dust off the old kite, round up the family, whip up your favorite dish and come relive the old days.

Camping accommodations for all, either on the beach or in one of the close-by campgrounds equipped with full RV hookups and tent sites. Gourmet potluck and party Saturday night. Cape Lookout and other flying sites nearby. See photos and event information at: http://danimal.ats.orst.edu/antiqueflyin.html.

JUNE 13-AUGUST 28: Paraglide in France, 10-day tours, $499. Sites such as Chamonix, Megeve, La Clusaz, St. Andre and many more. Details at: www.skyingout.web.worldonline.cz/home.htm. Contact: skying.out@tiscali.cz or call Ladio Novotny 011 420 606406952.

US Open 2002 - Big Springs,Texas August 4-10, 2002 , • USHGA Class A sanction event.

• Location: Big Springs Airport, Big Springs, Texas. • Organizers: Flying Humans, LLC Safety Director: Russell Brown • Meet Steward: Jim Zeiset • Register at Flytec.com • Entry fee: $195, (Does not include towing.) • Mandatory pilot briefing: August 3rd, 7:00 PM at meet headquarters. • Registration begins May 7, 2002. 90-120 pilots, 65% available positions for U.S. pilots/first 30 days of registration.

Requirements: USHGA membership, USHGA (or foreign equivalent) Advanced pilot rating w/Aerotow signoff. Class 1 & 2 hang gliders. GPS receivers are required.

Meet format: XC to goal with or without turnpoints.

• Rules: 2002 USHGA Competition Rulebook and the 2002 and Local Meet Rulebooks. Scoring: GAP/ GAP 2002 modified. • No: rest days, practice days or extensions. Garmin GPS 38, 40, 45, 12, 12xl, 12map, II, III, III+ supported (others makes and models may be supported.

Contact meet directors David Glover at david@davidglover.com or (719) 630-3698 for more info.

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The Big Out-And-Return The 2002 Australian Nationals

by Davis Straub Not every task is a sprint. Sometimes the task committee blows it, and instead of flying for three hours you’re flying for six or seven hours. Well, since we’re doing this for fun, the more the better.

It’s early January and we’re back in Hay, New South Wales, Australia for the 2002 Australian Nationals. The town of Hay, located in one of the flattest areas in the world, loves to have Australian and international pilots return each year for one of the most highly contested meets on the international circuit. And, we love coming back to Hay to experience the big, smooth air of the Australian flatlands.

When we get to Australia we find that the temperatures in the south have been quite cool, as passing low-pressure systems have been bringing up Antarctic air into Victoria and southern New South Wales. Strong winds have also accompanied these low-pressure systems, and we’ll have four out of nine days cancelled because of high winds.

The government-supported French hang gliding team is here in force with many top-ranked competitors. They are viewed by many other pilots as an aggressive and surly lot, as well as highly skilled. All the top Australian pilots are here, as well as many of the top U.S. pilots hoping to make the U.S. national team. Because all these top pilots bring their points to the meet, this competition is just as important to top U.S. pilots as any U.S. competition when it comes to qualifying for the national team.

Not only are the pilots competing, but there is also strong competition between glider manufacturers. Paris Williams is representing Icaro Laminar. Oleg Bondarchuck, Jerz Rossignol, Kari Castle and Bo Hagewood are flying the new Aeros Combat 2’s. Gerolf Heinrichs, Mike Barber, Kraig Coomber, Gordon Rigg and Jon Durand, Jr. are on Moyes Litespeeds. Rohan Holtkamp is the top pilot on an Airborne Climax.

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Last year the Moyes Litespeed dominated the Australian competitions, but Oleg has already won the Australian Open, which took place just before the Nationals, so it looks like the brass ring is up for grabs.

The same top pilots flew in the Open (although Gerolf was flying the new Moyes Litesport) so Oleg’s victory was not easily achieved.

The Australian competition scene is quite lively with numerous competitions throughout the season, in addition to the big three competitions in January which attract all the international pilots. In addition to all the pilots participating in competitions, meet organizers are trying new competition formats and scoring systems. This year the Australian competitions used a variation of the GAP scoring system, OzGAP, which encourages pilots to get on course early by making it much more likely that they will receive good departure points.

This overcomes one of the great failings of previous scoring systems, in that they didn’t encourage pilots to start flying the task as soon as possible. The top pilots would wait around for the very last start window time and then miss the best part of the day. With OzGAP’s encouragement, pilots at the Nationals would leave early and go fast. Gaggles would go together within half an hour of the first start window.

Hang gliding competitions are supposed to be races, not tests of endurance. Recently, we have been concentrating on calling tasks of about three hours. This cuts down on the retrieval time and gets pilots back in time to turn in their GPS’s and still get dinner and a good night’s sleep. This makes it easier on the meet organizers to get the scoring done and the results up on the Web by the next morning.

Three hours means that you’ll start a task between one and three o’clock and get the

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race going in the middle of the best thermal-producing period. Pilots have time for breakfast and a pilot meeting before having to head out to the tow paddock to set up and get ready.

With hang gliders only able to average about 25 mph (40 km/h) you’re going to call tasks of about 120 kilometers, plus or minus the wind speeds. If the lift is strong, then the average speed goes up a bit.

Round one is pretty much a straight downwind task, 151 kilometers to the northeast down the Mid-Western Highway. This year we won’t find any clouds to help guide us in either the Open or the Nationals. Still, with a good tailwind and strong thermals we are able to race, race, race to goal. A strong lead gaggle forms and at the finish it is Davis Straub in an ATOS-C rigid wing, Oleg, Gerolf, Jon Durand, Jr., then Rohan followed shortly

by Paris. This first task is dominated by glider performance and it looks like all the top gliders are performing well.

Round two is a 116-kilometer out-andreturn task to the east and back against a strong south wind. This wind doesn’t seem to detract from our ability to make about 40 km/h. Because of a late launch start, the lead gaggle is large, takes the first start window, and consists of all the top pilots plus many more.

The gaggle breaks apart after the turnpoint and a few pilots follow me, heading a bit more upwind than the following remnants of the lead gaggle. At the finish the leaders will be Davis, Jean François Gerard, Little Jon and Jerz Rossignol. The big surprise is that Gerolf will land 30 feet short of goal.

This task will really show the high performance of the AIR ATOS-C, as I’m able to stay with the lead gaggle after going out front and getting low. I’m often in the lead which does extract some costs, but I’m always able to make it up.

After two rounds Jon Durand, Jr. is in the lead. Oleg is not far behind.

Round three is a downwind task of 152 kilometers north to Ivanhoe with a turnpoint at Booligal, just to keep us near the roads. The task committee is quite

concerned about making sure that pilots have a reasonable chance of getting a retrieval, not just on this task, but all our tasks.

Even with light conditions at the time of the first start window and an inversion at about 4,200’, Kari Castle and I decide to leave alone together at the first start time.

The next gaggle won’t form up and get out on the course for another half hour.

We figure that the advantage of the extra points for leaving early will make up for any delay that we have, due to the fact that we will only have each other to rely upon when it comes to finding thermals.

While the early going is tough and we get low just past the Booligal turnpoint, working together pays off. I get there first, with Kari being a little careful and coming in next, seven minutes later for third overall in the flex-wing class.

Down below us Belinda will come across hundreds of emus near the road in this desolate area. She’ll stop for photos, so it’s hard to keep up with us even though she’s doing 110 km/h.

It will be almost 20 minutes before Gerolf and then other pilots start arriving. Many pilots, including Paris and Mike Barber, will take the 2:15 PM start window, 45 minutes after Kari and I. Oleg will go down just a few kilometers short of goal after getting out in front of his gaggle.

Little Jon will get bumped out of first place after he almost goes down with most of the French team a little way past Booligal.

With the lead for the flex wings a bit up in the air, with Paris in first and Mike Barber in second, it’s clear that the last two days can produce all sorts of upsets.

The winds are light in the morning but a trough is approaching, bringing mid-level scuddy clouds. By the time we are set up in the paddock around noon, it looks pretty iffy. Those of us with experience at Hay are not too worried, however, as we’ve had great flights here in these conditions even with no sun on the ground.

(Actually, there is in fact heavily filtered sunlight on the ground.)

Round four is the longest task of the meet to be called, and it’s a crosswind one at

that. It’s 186 kilometers to the east up the Mid-Western Highway to Weethalle, with the turnpoint to the northeast at Merriwagga. This is definitely not going to be a three-hour task. I guess they want to make up for the shorter task that they’ll call on the last day.

I’m thinking that it would be a good idea to hang with the gaggle today, given the likely weak conditions, and maybe not start so early. Wait around a bit over the tow paddock until everyone gathers up and we can go as a group.

The lift turns out to be quite weak over the tow paddock, and the pilots who are able to remain in the air huddle together as they drift quickly downwind, away from the safety of a relaunch in the 15-mph winds.

As we climb up over 2,000’ most of the pilots over the paddock fly downwind to join us. Oh, no, what are you guys doing?

I want you to stay in the supposedly nice lift over the tow paddock and be there to show us where to get high in relative comfort and safety. Now you’ve all joined us losers who have just scratched up from the deck. Looks like trouble.

We keep drifting, hoping to stay up, and at first hoping to stay away from the 10kilometer start circle until 2:00 PM. The need to stay up overrides the need to get a reasonable start time, however, and we pass through the circumference at 1:55 PM, 10 minutes after the start window opens. So immediately we’ve all got a 10minute handicap.

We’ll gaggle together and stay in anything until finally the day begins to improve as we drift close to the turnpoint. While there are plenty of scuddy clouds about, the day has finally turned on and it becomes a race.

Into goal it’s Davis, then three minutes later Bruno Metz in a Swift Light, and 20 minutes later, Antoine, Gerolf, Curt Warren, Mike Barber, Jerz, Kraig Coomber and Paris. About 35 pilots make goal.

Last round: On the morning of the last day it looks like it could be close. Paris is in Class I first, with Mike Barber second and Gerolf in third in the flex-wing class.

Bruno Metz in the Swift Lite has pulled May 2002

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within 30 points of me after flying the fourth task so quickly, and is in second overall.

The satellite shows a large mass of high clouds coming up from South Australia.

When we get out to the paddock we can see them coming quickly from the southwest. It looks like they will cover the whole sky and keep the ground dark.

The task committee calls an out-and-return to Booligal with a turnpoint at One Tree on the way out and back, 144 kilometers. The goal will be at the Mid-Western Highway northeast of town, about 10 kilometers southeast of the tow paddock.

The high clouds are looking bad, and, of course, there are no cumulus clouds around at all.

At 1:45 PM Paris, Rohan, Conrad, Tish, Kari and about five other pilots head out.

Mike Barber wants to encourage Paris to go early so he leaves with the gaggle. After a kilometer he drops back and above Paris where Paris can’t see him, and then at seven kilometers out from the tow paddock, turns around and comes back. He’s trying to knock Paris out of first place, to keep him from getting the 10% bonus points (U.S. NTSS system), and to get the Moyes Litespeed that he’s flying into first place.

It is a mass rally start at 2:00 PM and we are all racing fast up the highway toward One Tree point, 40 kilometers to the northwest. We are staying high and finding good lift. There are gliders everywhere you look.

As we approach Booligal I can see the first gaggle climbing just beyond the turnpoint. They seem to be getting up well and it looks like we can join them.

I’m out in front of the second gaggle, and within a few hundred feet of the turnpoint I hit 1,000 fpm up. This is the perfect placement for a strong thermal, and within a few minutes we’ve climbed right up above the first gaggle and drifted right over the turnpoint.

We get to over 6,000’ and turn around to head straight upwind into a reasonably strong southerly wind. Trying to move upwind is quite a struggle. I’m making at times no more than six kilometers an hour average. Gordon Rigg is just going

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for it. He’s down there a ways in the overall scoring and he’s willing to take the big risks and go out in front.

There is a strong headwind, and pilots have to work hard to stay high and keep punching into it to get to the third turnpoint back at One Tree. Numerous pilots have hit the deck as a result of not leaving the sink street that they are in and turning 90 degrees to get into a lift line.

Making the turnpoint still leaves us a long, mostly upwind leg to goal. Bruno and I are out in front and not near each other. The flex wings are about 10 kilometers behind. I get low and there’s Oleg, who catches me from behind and then shows me the strong lift.

Bruno, who is way over our heads, moves forward as we climb up fast to over 7,500’. Then Oleg and I head south, trying to make up all the distance we’ve lost.

The main gaggle with Mike Barber, Gerolf and Paris is working 200 fpm way below us over the highway to our right and away from goal. They are upwind of the course line.

Oleg and I are searching, as we can’t get to goal with this much wind against us even from this altitude. Sure, it is less than 15 to 1 to goal, but we are getting about 8 to 1 over the ground.

At 20 kilometers out we spot Bruno in the Swift on the deck, madly trying to stay in a tiny thermal. Ten kilometers back he was stinking high. That was some serious sink he hit. Bruno gets down to 600’. Looks like I might have a chance to win the day (and the meet) now that Bruno is so low and I’m coming in 5,000’ over his head.

The day is getting late and the sun is getting low, but we’re high and pushing hard against the headwind. I lose Oleg, but get high enough 15 kilometers out to make a run for it and cross the goal first.

Slowly, other pilots come across the line — first Gordon Rigg, followed quite a bit later by Bruno, then Oleg, Paris, Gerolf and Mike Barber. That will be it for goal on this final day.

were dominated by the Litespeed (Gerolf, Betinho and many other top pilots). This year the story is different. The ATOS-C is dominating, although the Swift Lite has the best performance. The Litespeed is doing well, but so are the Laminar and the Combat 2. The Climax is much improved.

Oleg won the Australian Open on a Combat 2. He had a good chance to win the Australian Nationals if he had made goal in round three when we flew to Ivanhoe. Jerz Rossignol did well on the Combat 2, coming in seventh overall (Oleg was ninth). Jerz needed to get to goal on the last day to place in the top three.

Gerolf on the Litespeed did very well and could have easily won the Nationals if he hadn’t landed 30 feet short of goal on the second day. Pilots indicated that he had superior glide, got ahead and then got stuck on his own. This apparently was Oleg’s problem also. I guess the story of the Nationals was too much performance.

Gordon Rigg started with a bad day, and that cost him his chance to win the meet. With his spectacular finish on the last day, getting in way ahead of the other flex-wing pilots showed that taking chances and getting out in front into better lift pays off. (When Gordon drove upwind after he found lift he always found better lift.)

With better focus, Kari Castle improved a great deal over her results from the last meet, rising from 41st to 16th. Her best day was when she went early with me. A few earlier starts to get with the main gaggle and she would have been right up there.

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Curt Warren, a much less experienced U.S. competition pilot, did very well, especially on day four, and he just needs a bit more practice to become one of the top U.S. pilots.

The ATOS-C had quite a performance advantage over the flex-wing gliders. It paid off in many ways and the results indicate that I was able to use the performance without getting into trouble when out on my own.

Overall Results 2002 Australian Nationals Place Pilot 1) STRAUB, Davis

Glider Points Air Atos 145 4661

2) METZ, Bruno

Aeriane Swift 4544

3) WILLIAMS, Paris

Icaro Laminar14 4152

4) BARBER, Mike

Moyes Litespeed 4 4137

5) HEINRICHS, Gerolf Moyes Litespeed 4 4039 6) COOMBER, Kraig

8) HOLTKAMP, Rohan

Rohan on the Climax had a much better time of it this year than last. I don’t have last year’s results in front of me, but watching Rohan indicated to me that the Climax was gliding much better now than last year.

10) RIGG, Gordon

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Moyes Litespeed 4 3991

7) ALONZI, Mario Icaro Laminar MRX700 13 3905

Mike Barber was consistently near the top every day, which is why he came in second. A little improvement on his speed, especially the first day, would have moved him into first place.

Last year the Australian competitions 18

Jon Durand, Jr. started well and was leading after two days, but then slowed down and didn’t make goal on the fourth day. Maybe a little more experience and focus will allow him beat the old guys, like Paris.

9) ROSSIGNOL, Jerz

Airborne Climax 13 3881 Aeros Combat II 150 3848 Moyes Litespeed 4 3809

All the details may be found at http:// www.davisstraub.com/OZ, and complete results at http:// www.dynamicflight.com.au.

May 2002

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along a couple of times. We were juvenile delinquents back then, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, taking turns with one glider doing a glide-ratio contest, to see who could get the farthest down the hill. There was no instruction of any kind. There were plenty of minor injuries. One of my friends imprinted the control bar bracket in his forehead. Somehow the glider survived and my cousin even soared it a few times.

SR: How about paragliding? You were one of the early hang glider pilots in the U.S. to take up paragliding. Why? MM: Before I started there was a core of about 40 to 80 pilots in the U.S. in the late 1980’s, through 1990. I was working for UP, and three gliders came to the shop in Elsinore, California after the Japanese VP, Etsushi Matsuo, crashed one of them and was badly injured. The UP shop in Tokyo closed and the stuff came to the factory in Elsinore. The things just sat in the shop for months. We were hearing about a lot of accidents in Europe and looked at paragliders like they were poisonous snakes.

Interview: Mitch McAleer

by Steve Roti In the world of free flying Mitch has done it all – hang gliding, paragliding, rigid wings, cross-country, competition, aerobatics, adventure travel. Since last summer he has been working at Wills Wing handling paragliding service and support, as well as working in product development, and in production and developmental flight testing in both hang gliding and paragliding.

SR: You started hang gliding 20-some years ago. What attracted you to the sport?

MM: When we were kids we used to drive south on the weekends to Dana Point on the Southern California coast, and would see gliders above the highway. My one-year-older cousin got into it right after high school, and I was given a graduation present of lessons at Escape Country. It was part of the scenery and it looked fun, so we tried it as soon as we could get our hands on some gear.

SR: What was your learning experience like back then?

MM: My cousin got a glider and we went to the hills in Corona. It was open, rolling farm land, and there were perfect ground-skimming hills. I managed to ditch school and go 20

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One day I took the gliders out ground skimming, and had a lot of fun. Then I started progressing toward flying the high sites at Elsinore in light conditions. The gliders were a Randoneuse nine cell, a Genair, the glider that Matsuo crashed, which had three open cells in the center and three closed cells on each side. The other was a seven-cell called the “Speed.” None of them made the LZ in no wind.

It was my job to get paragliding sales developed in the U.S. I hired Scott Gressit to drive around to all the UP hang glider dealers who were interested, and introduce them to paragliding in 1990. No one knew much about them, since the paragliding community back then was primarily composed of a small group of mostly climbers.

In 1991 UP hired Greg Smith, and Greg went to Gin and came up with the Katana.

That glider had an unfair performance advantage, and it was so fun having that edge. I went from novice pilot to national champion inside of a year. Ted Boyse, Bob England, Mark Axen and a few others were into it early, and came to the Owens Nationals in 1991.

SR: Who were your mentors when you

were learning paragliding?

MM: Scott got me started and Greg helped me with the latest gear and ideas, and observed my first maneuvers clinic over hard ground at Soboba, California, flying with no reserve. Hang glider pilots were perceived to instantly throw a reserve during a malfunction, I must learn to fix the main, and a reserve would not be necessary.

I bought into it, I thought the reserve was a hassle to attach, so we blew it off. There was a lot of really bogus dogma back then.

Many early paragliding procedures now look really stupid and evil after the test of time.

SR: Which pilots do you admire and why?

MM: I admire everyone who flies. I may not like your character or personality, but I admire you for taking the risk and becoming a pilot. A very small minority of people try to fly, fewer succeed, and even fewer still are naturally good enough at it to learn to soar. It’s not easy, and I believe that it is an incredible gift to be able to fly on the wings we have now.

I admire the people who have poured their lives into this sport as a business, making the equipment, or teaching. It’s a difficult and often unprofitable choice, but an expression of an individual’s character and an embrace of incredible possibilities, a demonstration of the human capacity for

miraculous achievement. Without people who take risks and believe it’s possible to do anything imaginable, we would still be living in caves.

SR: What is your split between hang gliding airtime and paragliding airtime these days?

MM: These days it’s a bit more even.

Working with Wills Wing again, I’m getting a lot of hang glider testing airtime.

In the last few years, except for one month of preparing for the Aspen Red Bull hang gliding aerobatics competition, I’ve been flying paragliders.

SR: What are some “close calls” you’ve experienced, flying paragliders, hang gliders, or other aircraft? How about non-flying close calls?

MM: My first maneuvers clinic at Soboba included what was probably one of my closest-to-death flights, although I had no clue at the time. Everything was going well.

I had made two early sled rides, doing stalls and totally [messing] up the exit, releasing the brakes when the glider was behind me.

It pitched forward past 90°, then fell past the slack lines and the trailing edge — no big deal.

On the third flight it got strong and I was blown up and back. At about 700 feet over launch I got a big collapse, and after reinflating there was no chance of penetrating out in front. I was able to crab off to a

side canyon, taking several huge hits, and came straight down in high winds into the bottom of the canyon. It was a two-hour hike back to launch and the car in 100degree heat. That was my P2 certification test.

A Cessna 172 passed less than 30 feet beneath me while I was on tow, when I was performing an aerobatics demo at a women’s pre-Olympics soccer game in Milwaukee.

Probably the biggest miracle was surviving my late teens and early 20’s. We were doing a lot of drugs, being careless, and a few friends died from drugs. My cousin, who was my best friend at the time, was killed in an armed robbery. I was working on a boat and started flying right about then. It was the desire to fly that kept me from falling into a life of heavy drug use and death, which was my environment at the time.

SR: What are some interesting LZ’s you’ve landed in?

MM: A landing in the valley at Machu Picchu in a Wills XC hang glider was pretty tight. I landed with 100 feet or more of extra field, but I hit some trees and almost a wire on approach. On one side of the LZ was a river with deep rapids, on the other side was a 1,000-foot rock, and the overshoot had six-foot trees and a 10-footdeep pit.

Another interesting landing is in Telluride, Colorado’s Town Park on a hang glider in ripping conditions. Diving into that ball field at 9,000 feet MSL on a hot day is really tight and fast. In all my years flying there it never got easy, and as the trees grew up in later years it got harder.

SR: I’ve heard that you’ve flown an Edel paraglider prototype nicknamed “Purple Haze.” What are some of the more “interesting” wings you’ve flown?

MM: Actually, the purple Edel glider was a 31-meter Rainbow/Energy proto that I flew in the 1994 Nationals in Aspen. I called it “Purple Nylon Overcast” because it was so big and slow.

The glider I flew in the 1992 Owens PWC/ Nationals was a 21.8-meter Racer proto we called the “Death Wing 9000.” It was really

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fast and known to be unrecoverable from big asymmetrics. I did a 2,500-foot plunge in that thing into the canyon just south of Gunter. It went negative after a big hit and twisted the risers. I was able to untwist and fly out of the canyon just below launch level.

I liked purple. I won the 1991 Nationals on a purple Katana.

In 1994 I made test-flights on a rigid wing called the “Apex.” That glider would still outperform the current production rigid wings and be safer and easier to fly because of its strength and resistance to spinning. The performance was easily 20:1 at 40 mph, and it was really cool to have the performance of a sailplane.

SR: Scotty Marion just won the Tapalpa PWC. He was the first U.S. paraglider pilot to win a major international comp. Is this a turning point in the U.S. paragliding comp scene?

MM: I hope so. The U.S. is not producing many pilots who can compete on the European level, even though we have really great sites and conditions. There’s only one way to get there, and that’s to fly against the best pilots. It’s expensive to compete over there, and few if any are able to compete consistently over a period of years. I’m hoping that we can get them to come over here more often.

The Aspen Red Bull comp was good for that. There was enough prize money, but that’s over. I am hoping to see or be involved in putting on some competitions that will attract the world’s top pilots to the States. I will have CIVL 2 sanction for the Elsinore meet this year, but I doubt that will produce the necessary draw. The Owens Nationals this year may bring them over, and there are precedents for a really awesome flatlands tow meet. I have talked about it with J.C. Brown, who has been meet director for the big hang gliding tow meets in Florida, and he is enthusiastic.

There is the potential for very long flights in the Texas flatlands.

SR: Why did you stop competing?

MM: I started running my paragliding comp in Elsinore in 1991 because there was a crying need for competitions in the U.S. analogous to those on the European scene. I was ranked first in 1991 and fourth in 1993. I felt [that I was treated very badly] by the USHGA and the comp committee chair who rewrote the rules just for that year to prevent my competition in Elsinore from getting a sanction and WTSS points. The Elsinore meet ran until 1995.

I was meet director at the 1995 Nationals in Chelan, which was organized by Joe Gluzinski. It was fortunate that there were not many serious incidents at the Chelan

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meet that year. Until that time there was a core of about 25 paragliding competitors who had been at most of the comps since 1991. Eighty-five pilots showed up at Chelan, and few to none had flown the Butte in anything like midday conditions in August, so I was expecting carnage. Rob Whittal, Richard Gallon, Dave Bridges and a couple of others were so far ahead of the majority of the field that they were flying into the big Chelan dust devils like it was no big thing, out-flying hang gliders and having a great time.

There were lots of hassles and headaches, like guys who said they’d sue me when I threatened to throw them out of a meet for disrupting a pilots meeting, who tried to cheat in sneaky little ways like taking a start photo from the ground, changing gliders, etc. I hated dealing with stuff like that.

No one assisted in fixing the 1993 rules change that cheated 33 pilots out of WTSS points, and punitive action was threatened against me if there were any intrusions into the March AFB ARSA at the Elsinore comp. It wasn’t fun any more.

At that point I stopped. I had no ranking, had been either recovering from injuries or running meets, had a young son, and wasn’t interested in placing an additional strain on my marriage. I loved running the comps for my friends and peers, but there were incidents and individuals that made it uncomfortable and a pain in the [rear].

I got divorced. There was no way to put in the time and energy to be certain of winning. I started flying for fun and enjoyed it much more once I was out of the business.

glider factory workers living in their cars in the LZ are gone.

about Elsinore?

MM: I grew up in Newport Beach 20 miles from Elsinore, learned to fly and chose to live here. I like the desert.

Southern California was the birthplace and heart of the early hang gliding scene. The conditions are super consistent — there were years when we flew somewhere every weekend. My friends logged over 30 consecutive days with more than 1,000-foot gains over takeoff. There are five sites within a two-hour drive that face any given wind direction.

It’s changed now. ≈yny sites have been lost, and the dynamic of the free flight industry has waned. UP, Bennett and Wills Wing were based in Southern California and were the forces that produced a world-class competitive scene in this area through the mid-1980’s. Those years saw hang gliding rapidly develop a high level of performance and safety. Elsinore, Crestline, Horse Canyon, Mt. Wilson, Mt. Laguna and Kagel were the sites commonly used for internationally important competitions, like the Manufacturers League Meet, and they allowed local pilots to get the airtime necessary to compete at world-championship levels.

There is nothing like that in existence in the U.S. today for the sport of paragliding.

The industry is too poor to support enough pilots for an internationally competitive scene. Wills Wing is the only hang glider manufacturer left. The Elsinore site has been threatened with development and neglected by the locals.

I still enjoy competing, but I’m a little more pragmatic about it now. The only comp that’s interesting is the Red Bull; the money makes it worth the effort.

When I first arrived to fly in 1980, Elsinore was infested with pilots who loved to fly — a free-spirited group of individuals who realized the value of the gift of footlaunched soaring flight. Those people created the “E-Team.” It was a team entered in the League Meet. The idea was that this team would be the antithesis of the hardcore, serious, factory-sponsored teams, with an emphasis on having fun. The Bill Griffith cartoon character “Zippy” was the cult figure that inspired an atmosphere of simple, wanton hedonism. There was a different vibe back then.

SR: Your name has long been associated with the Elsinore flying site in Southern California. What’s so special

It’s changed into a much smaller group of a few local residents, without the driving force of the competitive manufacturers. The

There was a time when I needed to prove to myself that I could be good or better than most, and that’s been done. I have profited greatly from those efforts. Now all that interests me is to learn from that experience and move on to the next thing, to profit from the life that I poured into those years.

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The conditions still rock on a regular basis. Last September I flew the new Wills Wing Talon to the beach from the “E” for the first time, arriving 6,500 feet over the sand at main beach Laguna on the Pacific coast. That flight has yet to be made in a paraglider.

Soon the last vacant land around the Elsinore sites will be developed into housing tracts, the sun will still heat the eastern slope, convection and the sea breeze will still balance over the ridge, and the shear will set up to the east of the range, leading us east across the Inland Empire. I still love it enough to live here.

SR: Where did that “E-Team Scream” come from?

MM: When I started flying in Elsinore in 1980, Rick Garrett was running the hang gliding shop Dean Whistler had taken over from Mike and Katie Miller. We liked to have fun and drink a lot. A group of locals were the core members of what was to become the E-Team. There was a party every night at someone’s house or at a bar called the “Why Not.” It had killer burgers, and fresh, pickled cabbage and chili pepper stuff to add to the mess. The walls were unpainted and it was cool to write on them.

The local pilots infested the place until the kitchen moved.

In the Why Not in the early 1980’s we refined the beer bong. We dragged in

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unsuspecting people off the street. When they would come in for a drink they would end up doing a beer bong and blowing foam out their noses, and world records for high-speed beer drinking were set. The record as far as I know is about 1.3 to 1.5 seconds for 12 ounces, set by Jamie Lasser. I think somewhere in there Rick was the one who would do it often, and then unique sounds and handshakes began to be used for the standard friendly greeting.

There was a lot more really insane, unwise and illegal behavior that came with it, but most of it was harmless to the innocent. Rick and I did some really fun things with fuel-air explosions, and there were some epic driving adventures, jumping from car to car on the freeway at speed, stuff like that.

SR: Tell us about your competition with John Heiney for the world record in most consecutive loops in a hang glider.

MM: There was never really a competition in the beginning. Ron Young had been looping Comets for a couple of years before I started flying, and did four in a row at the Telluride comp in 1983.

One year later I was working at Wills, looping the Duck, and was consistent enough to pull off 10, then 12, then 24 with the HP. In 1988 John scored a gig with the Guinness Records TV show to film a world-record consecutive-loop attempt at El Mirage dry lake.

On the Friday before Labor Day he did 33, hauled up under a balloon. On Saturday, test-flying the glider I was taking to Telluride for the comp, I got to 14,000 feet MSL over the “E” and did 40. I called and left a message on John’s machine, let him know, and left for Telluride. He went out the next day and did 56.

Some guy in Maryland (Chad Elchin) did 95 last year. I’m hoping someone will want to make a big deal and a buck or two breaking that record, and that I’ll get to do the flying.

SR: Who do you think are the best aero pilots in the world right now?

MM: I don’t know what’s going on in Europe too much, but it’s pretty much the same crew from the 1980’s. There are a few new faces. It was weird competing against Aaron and John — seriously, set the way-back machine to 1985.

It’s kind of odd. I’m 43 and still winning these comps? Where is the youth of today? Have they no desire to excel, no desire to break the surly bonds of earth and come and kick my 43-year-old [butt] in a contest with flying machines? Most of the better X-C pilots are capable of placing in the money at, for example, the Aspen Red Bull, but it seems like a lot of times there’s a scheduling conflict. There’s always a WTSS meet at the same time. Larry Tudor placed in the money at Telluride one year.

SR: Tell us about your trip to Peru with Kari Castle. What was the purpose of the trip and where did you go? How were the flying sites and the conditions?

MM: The trip originated with the camera man, John Armstrong. He married a Peruvian girl and had the idea of filming hang gliding at the famous antiquities in Peru. So someone made up a fake plot, that we three were on some kind of vacation or mission. There was a letter from the President that got us into everything. I was not actually supposed to go. They asked Chris Santacroce and Dave Bridges, but I was happy to let the record stand as it was in 1988. John balloon- they declined and I scored. It was cool but not lucrative; the deal was dropped and I foot-launched and climbed to altitude. John bumped $750 and all expenses — pretty much just a month-long, free trip to his own record by a few in Florida in 1996, I think. That stood hang glide around ancient wonders. until Rio in 1998 when I did 66 or 76 or something.

Peru is a vast country with great conditions, only it’s pretty desolate The plan to use the loop record to help promote the High Level and trackless. There are few Peruvian pilots, and the whole country is comp in Rio was a wild idea to try to make a buck and put the loaded with great flying. Everywhere we went was rocking. The record away for all eternity. The original thought was to start at sea filming made it difficult to get in the air when it was going off, and I level, go as high as the tug could go, do hundreds, and that would got really frustrated, watching day after day of epic conditions missed be it. Gérard Thévenot was driving a brand-new La Mouette trike because of the filming. and suggested that we could drag it out for a few years, get more money and have more fun. That sounded good, so I went to 15,400 Starting in Lima and going south on the coast, the first spot was a feet MSL and did 76. dune and cliff set up on the beach at Paracas. It was about 50 meters by three kilometers. Only the takeoff was landable, and the rest of the

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ridge was a cliff above gnarly rocks and big surf. It was like clockwork every day. At 10:00 AM it would build, then turn a little cross and stay that way until after dark. It was the most beautiful and desolate place — the rock arches into the sea, huge waves, nothing living on the ground, the sand salt crusted for a kilometer on shore. We flew paragliders in the morning and hang gliders in the afternoon.

The place was famous for a giant figure in the sand called the “Candelabra” and a necropolis that was found in the 1950’s that contained some of the most elaborate and refined textiles that were made more than a thousand years ago. There were figures with wings depicted on some of the tapestries.

The plains of Nazca were the next stop — another arid, killer spot to fly. There were mountains nearby but no roads up them, so we had this lawnmower-engined static tow system. It had a five-horsepower motor, a centrifugal clutch, and a hose reel with about 500 meters of line. Kari went first but it was too early; she only got 200 feet on tow and it was too weak to soar. Dave [Sharp] got the flight of the day, scratching up from 200 feet and going to 15,000 feet MSL, touring the whole area. By my turn it was insane. I got gnarled by a giant dust devil waiting to launch, the tow system was overheating, I crashed when it quit at five feet AGL, and bagged it.

The plains are at the base of the Andes at 3,000 feet MSL, the local hills are around 7,000 feet, and every ridge beyond just gets higher and higher until they are lost in the haze and distance. The figures are everywhere. The lines and figures are perfectly preserved, and in our staging area there were piles of rocks laid down a thousand years ago that are still undisturbed.

We hiked up a 19,000-foot volcano called the Misti above Arequipa, and sledded down something like 13,000 feet. That would be a place to go back to and have some real fun. The script said to hike to the top and fly. The whole time we were hiking the east face it was cycling up great and popping a cu over the peak, and there was a 20,000+ cloudbase as far as you could see.

It would be possible to hike a couple of hours and get up from the base of the cone easily.

That place was the edge of the altiplano, the heart and spine of the mountains that runs through the center of Peru. It’s all 10,000 to 13,000 feet MSL, almost uninhabited. This one café at 13,000 feet MSL, on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, had the best lamb and potato soup. The essence of the place and the people there made it seem very timeless.

The last stop was the greatest, just outside of Cuzco above the “sacred river,” the Urubamba. There is a 3,000-foot ridge above the river, and it went off for us. Kari and Dave got a killer flight, one day I took off to fly to the ruins at Machu Picchu for my birthday, and in the following week we got three great flights at the Mirador “view point” site. It is a tourist turnout on the highway, and all around it are Incan ruins and terraces, still farmed by the locals. We flew 15 kilometers back to Cuzco two days in a row. The lift was ripping, 1,400 fpm, and we were flying around virga and hail over the most beautiful landscape. There were farms, small hand-worked fields of blue potatoes, yellow and lime green grain, red dirt, rugged mountains, Incan terraces and ruins, a lake with an island, and we landed at the ruins of the Incan fortress above the city of Cuzco.

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SR: Where do you see the hang gliding and paragliding industry going in the future? Where do you see personal flight evolving to in a few decades?

MM: As is the case now, the stuff we fly today will look funky and primitive in less than 10 years.

Hang glider and paraglider technology will continue to benefit from new materials and engineering refinement for quite a while yet. We have only just begun to be able to afford using materials that have been common in the aerospace industry for decades. Rigid wings will improve dramatically. They have a hideous stability, spin and break problem due to the current design rut. I flew a rigid wing in 1994 that would still perform better than the Stalker or any of the new rigids, and it was stronger, more durable, and highly resistant to spinning. It’s amazing now to realize that the pilot is the limiting factor when it comes to increasing speed and glide. When I started flying full time in 1980, the gliders looked like a cross between a tent and a starving dog compared to what we have now, but they were perceived as rocket ships and worshipped as sleek and shiny pinnacles of design evolution.

If the pilot base continues to support the industr y, it will grow. It’s a complex system that needs a continuous supply of new pilots to replace the quitters and the old, dead and injured. Only a small percentage of humans are able to become pilots; either economic or self-imposed psychological barriers

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prevent most everyone from doing this. We need to find more natural pilots, entice the type of person who has this unique ability, and cultivate the desire to fly with wings on their backs.

I think there are several important factors that all must work together. Sites must be preserved and developed. Without sites, especially near large urban areas, huge potential pilot resources will be lost, and the sport will remain obscure and remote. In the U.S. it would help to change the litigious climate, to prevent pilots who crash from suing landowners and equipment manufacturers. Gear does not hurt anyone until it’s misused. This will make it easier to survive and be profitable as an equipment manufacturer, and allow us to access more private property, to be able to train more pilots, to feed the cycle.

It must be made easy to access sites. I have heard too often that people are turned off by paperwork and regulations.

My fantasy is to become more bird-like. Current hang gliders outperform birds in straight glide, but are like aircraft to land. I would like to be able to land anywhere and re-launch, in trees, anywhere a 200-pound bird can fit. Sustaining long flights, eating, and other bodily functions could be made easier to accomplish in the air. Who knows what’s possible: infrared vision to see thermals, small, efficient power systems for re-launch, whatever can be imagined by the man who will build these things and fly them. We have to learn to think more like the soaring birds, and hope the equipment continues to evolve in a dynamic industry.

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gxv{ one of the true triumphs of the new topless designs.

Here’s how it works. The Litespeed and the Icaro MR2000 have an eccentric that is an insert inside the inboard leading edge to step it down to the much smaller-diameter outboard leading edge tube. An eccentric is a half-moon-type piece as shown in Figure 1. On these gliders, the eccentric position can be adjusted by removing a screw and twisting the eccentric either up or down.

The inside end of the outboard tube is captured in another (non-adjustable) spacer, so when you move the eccentric up, it tilts the tube down. This change results in an increase in anhedral in the glider. The opposite adjustment tilts the tube up, increasing dihedral. These effects are shown in Figure 2.

Tuning A Modern Glider — Part V copyright © 2002 by Dennis Pagen

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f you have been faithfully reading this series you know we’ve been hinting at an eventual payoff. Well, here it is. In this installment we will look at tuning our gliders for performance. That’s cutting edge performance as defined and developed by the leaders in the world of cross-country racing. Certainly the vast majority of us cannot fly like these leaders, and we may not want our gliders to be the same tightly strung machines that these experts in flight prefer. However, I believe we can learn a lot from their techniques that can be used in part or toned down for our recreational flying. The more we know about the limits of tuning, the better we will be able to set up our glider to suit our personal needs.

In this, our final installment, we will look at adjustments for quick handling, crosstuning and the various matters of balance in thermaling turns. Much of the material in this series has come from my personal experience in tuning gliders. In the matters we will cover concerning performance

tuning, my own techniques have been refined through the process of goal-field and hangar discussions as well as formal interviews with the world’s top pilots. I wish to thank the pilots who have revealed the secrets they have discovered. In such a manner the sport progresses.

DIALING IN HANDLING Handling means how responsive a glider is to our control input and how light the necessary control forces are. Really, the two go hand in hand, since quick response means you don’t have to move far to get the glider to roll the desired amount, so little effort is required. In the past it was almost an axiom that you had to put up with stiff handling in order to get the best performance. Eventually, designers learned sail and airframe tricks to improve handling, but the all-around perfect setup eluded us until recently. Now you can have a glider strung like a drum yet still get marvelous handling when that glider is set with the VG from full loose to half on. This aspect is May 2002

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Adding anhedral makes a glider respond more quickly to roll input, but makes it less roll stable. With this feature on these gliders you can dial in the handling you want.

From my experience it seems that there is a wide range of acceptable roll stability, so essentially you can make a glider as “twitchy” as you want it. I have played around with this a bit and have had a single glider go from one of the stiffest gliders I have ever flown to one of the easiesthandling gliders, all by adjusting that little eccentric. In the past I have often written that a glider is designed for an ideal weight, and any weight above or below that ideal twists the sail out more or less, respectively, which alters the dihedral and thus handling.

That truism is no longer valid with the handling dial-in eccentrics. Not all modern gliders have this feature, but I would guess that in the future they all will, since it works so well.

If you have a glider with such handling adjustment eccentrics, don’t hesitate to dial in the handling you want. To do so, move the eccentrics a small amount equally on both sides. Caution: As little as a quarter of an inch change is quite noticeable. Remember, you’re swinging a big stick out there, well away from the center of gravity. Take things in small steps. Note that if you go too far the glider will have a tendency to oscillate or fall off to one side, especially in turbulence or when aerotowing.

For older gliders and those without such a feature, we offer a few hints to help you adjust for handling. Remember, however,

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that you are limited in what you can do. In general, handling is traded off for performance with these adjustments. To improve handling you can (listed in order of effect or ease of application): 1) Change the leading edge sail tightness.

To do this you usually add or remove shims. On curved tips you can shorten the wand (a hacksaw works perfectly) or add washers inside the tip cup. If the sail gets too loose, however, the effect is like adding dihedral and the glider becomes more roll stable.

2) Twist the tips. By twisting the tips up, you lower the angle of attack at the tips so the lift distribution moves inboard.

That means it is easier to initiate turns (but the glider will glide less efficiently).

The opposite effect occurs when you twist the tips down. Twisting the tips up too much may lead to the dihedral effect mentioned in point one.

3) Loosen the batten tension. Batten tension has a minor, but noticeable effect on handling. Don’t go overboard on this loosening since a certain amount of tension is needed to keep the sail clean.

4) Changing the basetube or side wire length. With older gliders I used to change the basetube length as much as two inches to accommodate different pilot weights, or when developing a prototype. Changing side wires is not as easy for the lay pilot, but for me this is the desirable way to adjust dihedral with older gliders. When prototyping I have gone through changes as much as an inch on side wires. Such changes are safe as long as you use the increment approach and don’t go overboard.

Here’s a story to illustrate these points. One of the U.S. team members in the World Meet in Spain got a new glider and retrofitted some speedy uprights to it. It turns out that these uprights required special top fittings that were not used, so the glider essentially had way-too-long side wires. The pilot flew like this for half the meet, always struggling to stay in the thermals and avoid traffic. Once he discovered the problem and made the correction, his handling became magical and he went on to win a day. Don’t settle for less than the handling you deserve!

CROSS-TUNING This item, cross-tuning, is not a matter of 30

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tuning for performance, but rather, a crosstuned glider will lose performance. Crosstuning means that the glider flies hands off in a straight line, but each side of the wing is tuned differently so that it progresses along its path slightly cocked. This is a very subtle effect, and I doubt that anyone can visually detect such a problem. In fact, I never detected a glider in such a bad form until I began aerotowing, which is a situation that exposes a cross-tuned glider. I have encountered two such miss-tuned gliders. On the first one I was constantly struggling to stay behind the tug and on two occasions had to come off line since I was so far out of whack. Eventually I realized that if I stayed well to the left of the tug’s centerline I could tow happy as a lark with no lockout tendency. The glider flew perfectly straight, however, off tow. The other glider exhibited similar behavior on tow, and I eventually realized that it would thermal with the best of them to the right, but was a clumsy slug to the left.

In both of these cases I was able to detect an unequal tuning on the left and right sides of the glider. The differences were very slight and the effects hard to discern. However, there is no doubt in my mind that such cross-tuning hurts glide performance a little, and in the case of the second glider, climb performance as well. These gliders had the tips twisted differently with different sail tensions to compensate. When trying to correct such a glider problem I like to reset the sail evenly on the frame and start over from there. Remember, if others have tuned the glider it may fly straight but may not be in perfect tune.

Note that in Part IV we described several

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items inherent in the glider’s construction that may induce a turn. For example, there may be sail or airframe differences from side to side. In such a case there’s nothing you can do but have the glider tuned differently on the left and right. This may not be such a bad thing if the sail itself comes out balanced. The undesirable form of crosstuning is one in which the sail itself is not producing equal lift and drag on the left and right. The only way I know of to detect such a situation is to aerotow it and be very sensitive to its behavior in turns to either side. This latter point is what we’ll explore next.

THERMAL TUNING What we refer to as thermal tuning is setting the glider up so that it thermals as efficiently as possible. After all, that’s a big part of what we expect from our modern wings. The items we’ll cover here are turn balance, turn speed and high-siding (by high-siding we mean keeping the weight to the outside of the wing).

Turn balance simply refers to the glider being set up so that it thermals exactly the same to the right and left. That means it slows as much both ways and requires the same amount of high-siding (or the opposite, low-siding). If a glider tends to require high-siding we say it “winds in” or falls off on a wing. If it requires low-siding we say it “flattens out.” To test for this balance, take multiple flights and be very sensitive to the bar position and airspeed in maximum-climb turns. Can you slow down equally in both directions? At the same time, pay attention to how much roll pressure you need to apply (and in which direction) to maintain the chosen bank

angle. Is the roll balance the same in both directions? Check it out for equal stall behavior both ways as well. If you have a strong turning direction preference when flying, be especially focused when turning to your “off ” side. It’s possible that the reason you don’t like turning in that direction is that the glider is not as friendly to that side.

Turn balance is a subtle effect, on the order of dropping a wing during landing. In fact, I suspect that the two are closely related since they both stem for the most part from a difference in twist on the left and right. A glider may fly perfectly straight ahead, but be unbalanced in turns. I have flown many gliders owned by other pilots with a turn imbalance, so I suspect that many pilots aren’t sensitive to this issue, yet it is extremely important when it comes to climb performance.

The method I recommend to adjust for turn balance is to twist the tips. With the new curved-tip gliders all you have to do is turn the tip fitting in the appropriate direction to tilt the tip wand up or down.

This adjustment was detailed and illustrated in Part III of this series. For older, squaretipped gliders, such as the Klassic, the HP AT and the XC, you can easily turn the tip fitting as described in Part III. Make an adjustment, then take a flight. Put it in a thermal turn, slow down to the max and concentrate on what you feel. You can perform these tests in calm air or when ridge soaring, but the best test is actually flying in a thermal, since it’s often the edgy turbulence in a thermal that most readily reveals a difference in response, left and right. Tune it perfectly for perfection of

flight.

SPEED IN A TURN The second part of tuning for thermal turns is correcting the speed. You may think that all you have to do is set the pitch right and you’ll have an efficient turn. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me begin with an illustration. Some years ago I took a great group of pilots to Russia on a flying adventure. We flew via Frankfurt on Lufthansa airlines. Despite promise after promise our gliders never arrived (they sat in Frankfurt the whole time, much to the shame of Lufthansa), so we rented a motley array of gliders from the Moscow club. We took them to the Caucasus Mountains and had our fun. One of the gliders, an HP AT copy, had an unpleasant peculiarity. You could not produce a 360° turn with it without falling out of the sky (but it sure glided hellaciously well). The problem was that the tips were turned down so much that the glider couldn’t be slowed down in a turn. It would either stall or wind in if you were careful not to stall it. This was the most severe case of over-turned-down tips I had ever encountered. But there are plenty of other gliders I have flown with a milder form of the problem.

I recall that in the early days of the Klassic we played with this tip effect extensively in order to wring out the best climb and glide balance from the glider. I adjusted the tips of an XC when this design first came out, and made a noticeable improvement in the climb performance for a competition pilot.

Recently, I found an intermediate glider with the same erroneous setup, which shows that the problem isn’t limited to high-performance gliders.

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In general, twisting the tips down improves glide performance (unless it causes you to fall off to the side in turbulence and lose altitude) while it hurts climb performance.

On the other hand, twisting them up helps climb performance because you can slow the glider more in the turn. The more you can slow down, the closer to the thermal core you can stay at a given bank angle. In many thermals a paraglider can out-climb a hang glider for this reason, just as a hang glider can often out-climb a sailplane. In a turn, the stall occurs on the inside wing first because it is flying at the highest angle of attack. The rest of the wing isn’t reaching its maximum angle of attack, so it is not producing the maximum lift possible. The more you lower the angle of attack of the inside wing by twisting up the tip, the better sink rate you will have in a minimum-speed turn. In addition, more twisted-up tips result in a glider having less tendency to fall off on a wing in thermal surges.

Of course, you can go too far in twisting up tips — there is a rule of diminishing returns. How do you find the best tip setting for your purposes? Competition pilots like to have them twisted down more because they are willing to trade off a little climb performance for glide. Recreational pilots may want them up a bit. The thing to do is experiment. Fly with your buddies (or competitors) and compare climb and glide as you make changes. This process may take a month or a whole summer of flying to perfect if you don’t have much tuning experience. Be aware that different glider designs and wing loadings achieve different maximum performance values, so don’t expect miracles.

HIGH-SIDING ADJUSTMENT The final thing we will cover in our quest for perfect tuning is roll balance. We will state right from the get-go that setting a glider up so that it thermals hands off is not difficult to do, but will not result in the best climb performance. In the words of Manfred Ruhmer, which are echoed by most of the world’s top pilots: “If you aren’t working in thermals you aren’t climbing.”

By that he means that thermals always need focus and constant adjustment to wring out the maximum lift. But more importantly, these pilots set their gliders up so that they have to high-side in a turn, which means they are working harder than pilots with

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gliders tuned to be neutral in steady turns.

This is one of the most important prosecrets for performance.

Here’s how high-siding works: By adjusting the glider’s anhedral (or reducing dihedral), you can set it up so you have to remain on the high side of the basetube when in a steady turn. The reason for this effect is that more lift is developed on the outside wing in a turn when more anhedral is in the glider. The benefit of being on the outside of the turn with your body is that the wing itself describes a smaller-diameter circle since the diameter is determined by the path of the entire flying ensemble’s center of gravity. If your body can stay outside, the glider can move inward.

To make such an adjustment I recommend using the newer glider’s inboard eccentric (described above) to dial in the anhedral and thus the high-siding you desire. Most competitors on the new gliders use the inboard eccentrics to dial in the anhedral they want, and twist the tips up a bit to get the glider to slow in thermals. If you could see the subtle shape of a naked leading edge, it would start level in the inboard section, then angle down in the outboard section, then angle up at the tip — exactly like the wing of an eagle. This shape is shown in Figure 3.

On older gliders, factory pilots would change side-wire lengths to achieve the same effect. But the average pilot would have to resort to twisting the tips down to get more high-siding (undesirable if it keeps the glider from slowing in a turn) or change the tip battens’ camber. You can see why I’m such a fan of this eccentric idea.

Too much high-siding results in falling off on a wing and fatigue. Again, as with most tuning factors, you must strike a perfect balance for your style and needs. Personally, I set my glider up so I can straight-arm the inside arm to hold the high-side position,

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May 2002

then use my outside arm to make roll adjustments by yawing my body and thus the CG inward or outward. I like to work a bit in the air, because it gives me exercise and keeps me alert. The more turbulent the thermal, the more you have to work, of course, and this effect is increased when your glider is set up for a bit of high-siding.

High-siding is not for everyone, certainly, but I prefer this over roll neutrality because when I have a certain amount of steady roll force I can better map the thermal’s texture.

Recall that we described in Part I how top pilots set their gliders’ pitch to trim hands off when they are in a normal thermal bank. Thus, they concentrate mainly on roll control except when working surges of lift with pitch input. They often push out and go to the high side of their glider when they wish to tighten their turn in a surge of lift.

The result is that the inside wing kisses a stall and the glider yaws around the inside tip. This technique is called “spinning up” by the pros. For a glider to react properly to this technique it must be set up in the manner described, with the correct balance of batten camber, wing twist and anhedral.

We discuss it in much detail in our forthcoming book, Secrets of the Champions.

The whole point of this article series is to get the reader to realize that only by luck does a glider come from the factory set up perfectly for your weight, body dimensions, flying style and preference. The adjustment points on a glider are there for a reason. Use your owner’s manual suggestions and this series to learn how to tune your glider and get it right for you. If you get confused or can’t figure things out, refer to your notes to go back to the original settings and start over. You can also enlist the help of an experienced tuner — there are many of them out there. But remember, you are the only one who truly knows what you feel. So get tuned up and have the best-handling and performing glider (your) money can buy. See you 500 feet below cloudbase.

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In the Blink of an Eye, Part 2 The 2001 U.S. National Speedgliding Championships

By Scot Trueblood

I

n the chronicling of human events, it is hard to say when the scribe goes from reporting news to recording history. At what precise nanosecond does this occur? Between the first tower being hit and the second on Sept. 11, our reporters were reporting news simultaneously as they were unwittingly recording history. On a stretched-out timeline, who can precisely determine, after a cucumber has been committed to the vat, the exact moment when it is transformed into a pickle? I say nobody, for news and history are concurrent.

“I, your half-hearted scribe of history, will relate to you the compelling story of the US National Speedgliding Championships 2001” – Scot Trueblood 34

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However, news gets old, and history merely ages, like people who make it, or fine wine. The pickle cannot be returned to a cucumber, and only rarely does history become fresh news again. News is like fistfuls of microwave popcorn shoved into hungry salivating mouths, Elian Gonzalez or Monica Lewinski, while history is more akin to aged whiskey, to be slowly examined, with much retrospection, lots of sentiment, and a resolve to do better and avoid mistakes the next time around, like JFK Jr. or Princess Di. News is the daily Oz report, with Davis’ ravenous “I was there and I won the sonovabitch” gluttony, history is more a realistic examination of events passed, the swirling of the slimy liquid, the bouquet of the stink, the somewhat pretentious re-examination of events gone by. It is in this spirit that I, your half-hearted scribe of history, will relate to you the compelling story of the US National Speedgliding Championships 2001, in Lookout Mt. GA, for this story is no less relevant today than it was the moment it happened.

My sojourn to Lookout Mt. was a brave one, traveling less than 2 weeks from the horrific events of 9-11, but I figured only a total loser would attempt to hijack an airliner as the entire American public knew what to do if they did. The 767 from SLC to Hotlanta was almost empty and leapt off the runway like a hang glider off a tow dolly, we could have played touch football in the aisles if not for the center section of seats. Upon my arrival in Chattanooga, after a brief spell of confusion, I was able to finally contact the lovely and talented Alice Engelhardt, who would for the next 2 weeks be my hostess, tour-guide, sympathizer, shoulder

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to cry on, and Meet Organizer. HAHAHA. She’s one helluva girl.

Being there several days in advance of the competition, we had a number of things to get in order, such as getting my Aerotow rating. After all, how could I expect, as Meethead, these guys to do something I would not do myself…? I’m

SERIOUS. Thanks to Matt Taber and the rest of his staff, they were able to baby-sit me through the grueling process of transforming, like a werewolf, from a scaredycat foot launch pilot, to a fully qualified, dolly-experienced, hand-signal trained, tow-launched LION. What a GAS…! The written test was by far the most difficult part of this process, and no amount of sweet-talk could convince Alice (the Malice) to just pass me through the 50 obviously trick questions. (as Halkeye and Scott Angel later experienced…hahaha!!)

By this time, the contest was drawing closer, and there were a number of things being done by all of us on the LMFP staff. You see Speedgliding contests are very difficult to put on, as they require tons of logistical support and infrastructure. Pylons to be set, volunteers to be conned, scoring spreadsheets to be devised. In this case, tug pilots to be worshipped & cajoled, and free flying to be interfered with.

In an XC contest, you need a few people and a computer to dump GPS stuff into. In SG, you need a lot of sharp-witted folks to tell you what they saw, and razor-sharp timing.

Now here’s the funny thing about the timing: the most important person in the timing of the US Nats happened to WIN it. Not because he somehow was able to manipulate or trick the system, but because he was just plain the fastest guy. JB, with his video/sports reporting experience, has the SG timing thing so figured out. Working his ass off, JB set up and drove the timing system with cameras recording to 1/60th of a second at start and finish, with absolute results there for anybody’s review. He was there working like a mad dog to assist me with the scoring every day there were times recorded, and the results are indisputable.

I was beginning to get the hang of this aero tow perversion.

When Halkeye (Chris Giardina) and Scott Angel showed, I had the pleasure of sharing the experience. We all got the

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HANG of being pulled into the sky by LMFP’s brutish turbocharged tugs.

in excess of the widely accepted 2.0 suggested limits.

By the morning of the first official practice day, I was no longer flying; only an official slave. The BIG BOYS were starting to gather.

Rob Kells was tugging & tweaking on his Mylar Talon 140, exhorting Scott to do the same on his. Paris had showed and his super-tight Laminar was suddenly on the lawn, with teammate Giardina’s bird (with electric VG) nearby. Kenny suddenly popped up with some mysterious plywood crates; guess what was inside…? Buncha Litespeeds, he & Curt Warren immediately went to work with socket wrenches putting ZOOM bars on at least 2 of ‘em.

This left all the lighter guys quite a bit of leeway to add weight, and they gleefully set about to emptying the surrounding community of all available lead. Scott & Rob were drilling the back plates of their Rotor harnesses, using zip ties to secure flexible diving weights. Chris had his King Kong lead back plate slipped into his M-2, and Kenny had his usual tube of lead shot woven into the frame of his Matrix. Rumor had it that Paris was melting down lead into tubes like a mad scientist. It takes no genius to do the arithmetic, judging by their wing loadings some of these guys must have been packing on 65 lbs. or so. The ballast war was on and these guys were using some HEAVY weapons.

Meanwhile, JB’s poor old Stealth 3 had set silently to the side, shunning the limelight. When I went and poked my head under the sail he knew what I was looking for; the elusive pneumatic/electric VG/sprog arrangement. HAHAHA! As I pulled my head out of his sail and out of my ass, JB’s eyes were sparkling. After all the controversy, his answer was to simply not fly with this rigmarole. He was quite confident of winning the contest without it.

First day of unofficial practice: Everything is normal, with perfect conditions for towing. All the BIG BOYS (including now GW with the brand-new Combat) are gathered at the head of the tow field. Safety/Launch Director David Glover is orchestrating the noisy but graceful waltz of the tugs leading the gliders on the dollies. Several guys go, Paris, Rob, GW, then it’s freshly minted aero tow pilot Halkeye’s turn. Now the most heartless & cruel thing about experience is that: First comes the test, then comes the lesson. The tug lost the towrope at its own weaklink, and Chris wound up with the rope, off course and crossing a tree line. Observers watched the mini-’biner cross the field, go up a tree, and the question on the test read: Which will stop first, the glider or the towline? Unfortunately it was the ‘biner which came to a screeching halt in the branches of the tree, and subsequently so did Chris’ glider, fortunately only about 15 feet above the ground when it was YANKED to a halt.

Luckily, the rope was at the corner of the control bar and spun him in rather than a direct face-plant. He had a fashionable nose-cut while being interviewed for the local TV station, and his Laminar suffered only a broken downtube.

Practice over for the day, that evening was devoted to weigh-in of pilots & gear and a brief pilot’s meeting. We were well intentioned when we wrote the rule, which stated that no flier’s wing loading could exceed the heaviest un-ballasted pilot’s wing loading, the idea being to avert the dreaded ballast wars. What transpired however, was somewhat unforeseen, in the form of the heaviest un-ballasted pilot having a wing loading of 2.16, well

Next day was official practice, with the course fully marked for the first time, and we even put the clock on many of the fliers, as did many of their own crews. Lots o’ guys were looking fast, with a number of times in the 1:13 – 1:14 range. The tugs were going like a swarm of worker bees, and quite a number of practice flights were performed.

You could feel the tension building, the sound of the heartbeat, and everybody knew that they had to make it count on race day.

First day of racing was PERFECT. Wind was nearly calm on top of Lookout Mt. We scrambled to have turn point judges in place, and before we had time to grab our [butts] the show was ON. The tugs were pulling gliders to the extent of their turbocharged capacity, and everybody was diving at the start gate from about 200-300 above, stuffing their gliders into magnificent dives straight at a point about 10 feet above the top of the Lookout Mountain ramp.

These were the highest speeds on the course, and full-tweaked Mylar racing gliders were going by fluttering like psychopathic dragonflies, easily topping 80mph at the start gate, average course speeds were 55-60+mph.

I’ve seen a lot of Speedgliding, and I’ve never witnessed anything like this.

Tell you the truth, it was ugly, you don’t want to see your favorite glider deformed by speed like this…The guys were coming through, one after another, in rapid-fire succession which I will not equate with anything you or I have ever seen. Henry Bittner in a mongo sick dive. Curt Warren using the whip to make a Litespeed go faster than you’ve ever seen. Kenny B. shifting minutely side-to-side with the bar fully stuffed controlling the finest details of a banshee dive. JB approaching the start gate at a higher angle than anyone and then rotating the glider downward in a sustained 60 deg dive, straight at Gate 1. Scott Angel doing his specialized vertical dives and rounding Gates 1&2 with zero clearance. Paris doing much the same showing what the Laminar is all about, and GW in perfect form with the coolest racing helmet anybody ever saw… Time after time, each flier making at least 4 runs, absolutely incredible….

Clearance around gates 1 & 2 after the start was critical, the slightest missed timing and the gliders would sail 2 wingspans beyond the turn point, I think this is where the contest was won or lost. Coming out of turn 2, the gliders had lost much of their momentum and it was time to rev it up for the relatively long traverse to Turn 3, which was a sharp right-hander, and at this point, it was a treetop level dash to turns 4 & 5 followed by the finish.

Now, when I say treetop level, I don’t mean 10 feet above the trees, I mean AT treetop level, many fliers finished their runs with branches stuck in their basetube corner brackets. JB narrowly averted disaster when he smacked a tree HARD at Turn 3, this was no glancing blow but a head-

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on collision. He luckily had the momentum to coast out into clear sky, but was badly off the course and all but aborted the run.

The approach to landing was a short straightaway after a diving right at Turn 5, plenty of room to put the pedal to the metal for the final dive across the finish line, and dive it they did. All the fastest fliers flashed through the finish head down, bar completely stuffed, about 2 – 3 feet above the ground. Many then pulled up to a safe altitude to deprone and try to burn off speed, many just stayed on the deck to do some ground effect landscape runs 1,000-1,500 feet up the length of the field, gobbling up the entire remaining length of Lookout’s expansive landing strip, finally touching down back up near the tow paddock. That’s what ballast and lots of airspeed can do for you.

Funny thing about landing with ballast is: good landings are easy, but bad landings are BRUTAL. Chris apparently didn’t get enough adrenaline from the towline incident, so he decided to spice up his life with one of these very landing approaches. Sounds like he was telling the glider to stop, but his solid lead back plate was still ears-down, headin’ for the barn, and he got between it and his composite basetube, which then peeled his shin just below the knee like a carrot. Truthfully, this was not very funny, as he had to be hauled to the hospital for repairs, showing back up with his entire leg in an impressive bandage, a bad limp, and a silly grin from the pain meds.

When it was all said & done, we had only one day of competition, and yet the field was able to achieve more runs in two hours than ever before, in several days worth of competition, anywhere else in the history of American speedgliding (largely thanks to the hardworking staff of Lookout Mt. Flight Park). The next several days of weather unfortunately sucked, with winds over the back at 12-15+mph no matter what.

While unsuitable for hosting folks to splatter themselves all over the famous Lookout Mt. concrete ramp, several die-hards such as Paris, Bo, and Scott A. did loops from 2,000’ above launch culminating at the (20’) start gate (whoa, maybe it was 10’), just for amateur thrills and to entertain the crowds (which included JB’s very worried mother, I hugged her and told her not to worry, I’d take care of him…HAHAHAHA). Local hotshot LMFP Staffer Gauthier (Gucci) did a very impressive buzz job on the launch ramp, which was perfectly choreographed with a local News station’s live interview with Matt & others. It could not have been timed any better, just as the reporter lady turned away from the camera stating “…and they come trough the start just like this…” Gucci flashed through the scene at about Mach 2.

After all, speedgliding is meant to appeal to the spectators and media, and both were there in force.

Thanks to LMFP’s outstanding tandem program, for being able to give tandem rides to some very old REPORTERS (and even some young ones) as a result of all this. There were almost daily features in the local newspapers, and a couple of excellent spots on the evening TV news.

On the final day, winds were over the back stronger than ever, 20-30mph. With heavy hearts, at 10am Sunday morning, Oct. 7, David Glover & I had a brief radio conversation, and the 2001 US National Speedgliding Championships passed into history.

Everybody involved and many who weren’t gathered in the LMFP clubhouse where many good raffle items were given out, thanks to Rob Kells of Wills Wing, Kenny Brown of Moyes America, and GW Meadows of US Aeros. GW gave us a speech outlining the recent Grandfather Mt. Reunion Fly-In along with a slideshow from that event, followed by a most excellent slideshow movie of the present contest put together by himself and David Glover. Awards were handed out with cash generously donated by Matt Taber, and the event came to an anticlimactic close.

So as the cucumbers transform into pickles, and news transforms into history, I can say without a doubt: Get off your butt and get to a Speed meet, because history is passing you by. If you are afraid of speedgliding, at least go watch or help out by manning a turn point, your notions of what flying fast in a hang glider is all about will likely be altered.

After all, history is about those who make it, and the rest just read about it. @ XÇw May 2002

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The Zapata World Record Encampment

by Gary Osaba Every one there was asleep, for it was still the hour when only idiots were moving. There were not even any beggars about.

— E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread, 1905

T

here are things to be seen early in the morning at four or five o’clock which cannot be seen at any other time of the day.

Some of us do our best thinking then, and just as every great accomplishment is preceded by intention, Zapata is portentously transformed long before the earliest fingers of light crawl through its landscape. The stars are flung across a flat, black sky, but not in a way we may be accustomed to elsewhere. There is a more humanlike effort discernible, as if Millet’s Sower had been at work early before anyone else arose. Rather than fiery chips of ice burned immovably into a deep velvet, these stars take on a different aspect — more disc-like, planetary in nature, oddly more diffused, and seemingly able to skate and glide about as something separate from their background. Even while in motion, their gaze is steady. If they do blink it’s deliberate, purposeful, and does not really alter their staring down at this elemental landscape and the great snake that is strewn across horizons.

Many hundreds of miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of miles into the Atlantic Ocean, a great wheel is already turning, still turning, driven by the sun. Soaring craft are gravity and solar powered, and the wheel will soon be felt in the most marvelous and minute of ways. For now, it’s moving like a great machine, a rotary engine, and a gigantic piston of air will be pushed through the cylinder of the Rio Grande Valley, that sleeping snake with its head buried in the Gulf — pushed through its pre-dawn stroke, penetrating deep into the heart of the continent where the serpent’s tail is hidden.

When the winds come on, they do so with a commanding presence. There are other places where gusts and gales seem to play with the earth — skipping here, dancing there — but the earth remains in control, solid and resolute, immovable. The early morning piston stroke at Zapata is overwhelming. It permeates the landscape, filling every void with fluid movement, and its constancy is its trademark. The sound it makes overtaking intrusions into its world — a tree, a tower, a sudden thrust of rock — subjugates and is monotone, singular in purpose. There is nothing so feathery as the sound of white noise leaving the needles of high mountain pines to be found in it. This is a serious wind, and it has serious work to do. There was a time in the history of man when his ears heard it in the rigging of the tall ships on the high seas and understood it only too well, that time now long gone with only echoes reverberating.

Yes, the wind has continued.

It was there before the man. It continues afterward. It does not change.

It will continue throughout the day, punctuate the approaching division of light and darkness with an evening stroke, and then continue throughout the night. Even so, the heart of the wind, the soul of it, is in the early morning. All of the other manifestations are simply reminders.

The wind steadily blows the stars apart and then away, and eventually blows away the darkness as well. It is one thing to overcome the solid ground, and entirely another thing to conquer May 2002

The “Men”, Davis and Manfred, the only two members of the “400 Mile Club”. photo; David Glover

the darkness and introduce the light, something so ethereal, so pure, so essential in this elemental landscape. In other geographies — mountainous terrain, jungles, forests — the light, like the wind, may jump and skip about in fits and catches. Light and shadow may engage in a whimsical dance of interplay.

Not here. If those distant nighttime orbs were seen to stare down upon the snake, the sun will now veritably glare upon it with an ominous aspect. With real fierceness. By midday, it will glare down the muscled arm of shadow, pinning it completely to the ground in this arm-wrestling contest that repeats itself daily.

It’s always the same outcome. You can count on it.

A man without help, alone and unprotected, caught during the full strength of the day, will go the way of the shadow. Vanquished.

Gone.

But that brings us to one of the amazing truths about the whole thing: that with 70 or 80 pounds of help, yet never himself conquering, a man can both immerse and protect himself in the greater conquest.

This early morning light originated in the core of the sun, a thousand or more years ago, began its energetic course, bouncing off a layer back to the core, bouncing back out a little further, back to the center, gathering energy, gathering, growing, bouncing repeatedly until bursting forth, free into the cold vacuum of space.

Proceeding onward with a purpose. A man in his sleep might breathe some 80 times — drawn out of an eddy of the pooling Zapata wind, submerged in his bed — during the eight minutes or so it takes the light to transverse vast distances of space. It hastens with a constancy of pace that regulates the breathing of our universe, its very time and mass. It speeds upon our earth and bears down squarely upon the back of that old, writhing snake.

When the sea first threw the serpent across the continent, it fastened its head deep within the water and has never let go. So it is that the light is now extracting some life, some moisture from the back of the snake. It is immediately snatched by the wind, which is already irritable and unstable, and has been producing some wisps of clouds even before dawn.

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And now, standing upon the ground, as I stare up through the enormous ocean of wind — with the dawn’s light, with that speeding energy beginning to bear down upon the skin of the snake — the landscape gives forth something very much like the oyster producing incomparable beauty out of irritation.

A procession of wonderfully formed clouds, lining up like pearls strung from horizon to horizon, engages itself to the wind and promises to marry it this day.

Intentions now declared and earnestly complete, it is time for the ceremony to begin.

The clouds raced with her mastheads; they rose astern enormous and white, soared to the zenith, flew past, and falling down the wide curve of the sky seemed to dash headlong into the sea — the clouds swifter than the ship, more free, but without a home — the shadows of clouds ran along the sunny plains, leaped over valleys, without a check darted up the hills, rolled down the slopes; and the sunshine pursued them with patches of running brightness.

Joseph Conrad, The Nigger of the Narcissus, 1897 We were sitting in the renowned and original Cadillac Bar and Grill (now called the El Dorado) as the reports continued to stream in. Each dinner table was attended by an expert waiter, replete with formal white shirt and black bow tie and jacket.

Sipping Ramon’s gin fizzes, the setting was chosen from a long series of restaurant holdings that the Longoria family has in the Nuevo Laredo area. Carlos was our host that evening, and it proved to be a special one.

We knew it was going to be, and had so arranged to accept the weeks-long invitation shortly after lunch time. Everyone had been so busy with the World Record Encampment that there had not been time to step over into Mexico and sample the hospitality. However, today was an exceptional day among a host of grand ones, and world hang gliding records would be falling by the handful. It was obvious early in the day.

The cell phone rang again. “This is Gary,” I said quickly. The digitally chopped voice on the other end reported, “Manfred at 340 miles and high.” Before one conversation could end, David Glover’s phone would ring and the report of “Davis 40

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at 320 miles” was relayed. And on it went with pilot after pilot, excited driver after another, and our elated receipt.

“Bo now moving more eastward to rejoin the line the others have taken.”

“Paris without VG from 150 out, muscling the glider around and closing in on Larry Tudor’s mark anyway.”

“Manfred taking a more westerly course, continuing good tailwinds and 370 miles out.”

“Davis closing in on Manfred and a bit more easterly.”

There was elation in every communication. There was plenty of time left in the day. There was unbelievable accomplishment in the most natural of human flight.

Before night fell, all four of these pilots would have tied or broken the existing world records for open distance in both flex and rigid wings. Given the storied history of these sorts of endeavors, “broken” may even be too mild a term. “Smashing,” or better yet, simply “vaporizing” might be more fitting. Several other pilots would have set personal bests, and but for a zig here and a zag there could have watched the 300- or 400-mile marks move underneath them as they were transported over the almost surreal landscape.

It proved to be a most satisfying repast for the five of us at the dinner table. Rhett Radford had launched each pilot with expert skills in the Flytec Dragonfly. This he had done, and continued to do with almost machine-like precision throughout the fiveweek-long event. David Glover could be particularly happy as the event manager, and would himself go on to set a world distance-to-goal rigid wing record at the close of flying activities a week and a half later. Prior to that, he had forfeited many personal flight opportunities to help the others achieve their goals.

Carlos Longoria, the shining young star of the Longoria family business realm had recently graduated from the American University in Paris. But he had also graduated from simply being a local Millennium pilot to a participant in the World Record Encampment, rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best extant and potential pilots. My son, Michael, had been working hard to help the event come off successfully. Assisting on the launch line, towing paraglider pilots aloft, running every kind of conceivable errand.

And I was very satisfied as well, having founded and sponsored the event in a location studied and hoped to be consis-

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tently the best for this type of flying — having these dreams come true.

By the close of the 2001 World Record Encampment, nine world and ten U.S. national distance records for paragliders, flex wings and rigid wings had been broken.

In addition to the generous help provided

by Steve Kroop with the Flytec/Quest Air tug, Steve had also made a Flytec 2002 available to any person who guessed the closest to the combined longest flight distance for the three classes of gliders. At 1,057 miles, the best average of 340 miles (including paragliders) was impressive.

How fitting it was that Brent Harsh, an early participant in the Encampment, was the closest guesser! He and his fellow band of North Carolinians represented a class of pilots who don’t enjoy the luxury of following the competition circuit, but who aspire to quantum increases in personal performance. We were happy to include many like this group in the event.

One of these pilots asked, “How did this all begin?”

For my part, the story began pretty early. As a young man of 12, I built a rudimentary Rogallo “hang glider” that provided a couple of semi-controlled crashes from the home roof. Later, at the turn of the 1970’s, I would build and begin manufacturing controllable ones.

When the USHGA was founded, I was privileged to serve as one of the original Regional Directors. Having sold my manufacturing concern in the latter 1970’s, I expanded my flight venues considerably. Presently, all I fly is sailplanes. I particularly enjoy designs at opposite ends of the wing-loading spectrum, exploring microlift techniques and dynamic soaring implementation in the lightest of sailplanes and in the heaviest of open-class ships. I have been fortunate to set several world records myself, and at the turn of 2001 held more general category sailplane world records than anyone.

Enough of that. The fact of the matter is that hang gliding provided the rich humus of my flying dreams and realities and I have always felt connected in this regard. Always wanted to give something back. Likewise, flight strategies for the lightest of sailplanes and for today’s highest-performing hang gliders are very similar. So, when Davis Straub, Larry Tudor, Michael Champlin and others had asked for advice about prime locations for the setting of distance

records in foot-launched gliders, it was a relatively simple matter to include them in my thinking and planning.

Although Larry Tudor is presently and fully engaged in other endeavors, it is interesting to consider whether or not he could have broken the 500-mile barrier out of Zapata last year. He is a master of long flights, and only a fool would write him off for future attempts. Michael Champlin usually pursued his own agenda and strategy. Even though he asked lots of questions, it was not readily apparent how many answers he heard, and now we will never know for sure. Davis Straub, love him or disagree with him, is an entirely different animal.

With the dedication demonstrated by his on-line Oz Report, he really keeps his ear to the ground concerning any new developments that might impact the sport. As early Internet participants, he and I had corresponded several times over the years. However, we met personally when I lectured at Knoxville in 1998 and he began visiting Kansas to fly with me the following spring. When Davis posed the question, “Where would you go to break the open-distance hang gliding record, Hobbs or Wyoming?” I replied, “Neither.” I then proceeded to tell him why. So often there has been an emphasis on tradition or upon sites that provide “big air.” However, comprehensive analysis of flight characteristics and how they relate to atmospheric phenomena over long geographic lines would require a different approach.

Utilizing these new strategies, much was accomplished during the World Record Encampment of 2001. Even so, some have wondered, “What’s the inside story on how this was done?

What kind of future is foreseen for this event? What kind of distances are really possible in 2002?” A future article will discuss these issues. @ àÉ ux vÉÇà|ÇâxwAAA

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Congestion and Complacency Converge to Collision A hang glider / paraglider midair

By Alan Chuculate, USHGA Hang Gliding Incident Committee Chairman

Midairs are multiplying! More so between two paragliders than between two hang gliders, but recently a mid-air collision occurred between a hang glider and a paraglider. This is the second in the U.S. that I am aware of. I learned about the first one while investigating the second. In the former, it was between two pilots who were aware of one another and deliberately flying close, but the later was totally unexpected by both pilots. An interesting factor of this incident was that no one witnessed it, not in the air, not on the ground, and not even the pilots involved. It was a total surprise!

probably would have seen the hang glider climbing up toward him. The hang glider pilot was not aware of the paraglider traffic to the south prior to launching.

On President’s Day, February 18th 2002, on a busy post-frontal day at Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego CA, a hang glider wing impacted a paraglider pilot’s back in a midair collision. Both advanced rated pilots had launched and turned south. Presumably, the paraglider pilot had launched first and was ahead and above the hang glider pilot who launched second, and was unaware of the paraglider traffic. The paraglider pilot never saw the hang glider coming from behind. After clearing the launch area, the hang glider pilot was distracted for about ten subsequent seconds while trying to zip his harness. He never saw the paraglider pilot’s body, and possibly couldn’t have because the paraglider pilot was in the blind spot of the hang glider pilot, above and in front. The hang glider climbed directly into the paraglider pilot while both were flying straight. The left leading edge of the hang glider near the crosstube junction impacted the back of the paraglider pilot. The hang glider yawed, slowed and partially stalled. As the hang glider pilot dove to accelerate, the paraglider pilot’s feet dragged over the top surface of the topless hang glider and the two gliders separated without entanglement.

Congestion has long been the lurking hazard at Torrey Pines. The ease of soaring in coastal ridge lift can make a pilot complacent. In this case, congestion, complacency and distraction all converged to the point of collision.

Had the hang glider had a kingpost with top rigging, entanglement could have been possible. If the hang glider pilot had been looking up, he probably would have seen the paraglider pilot’s feet prior to impact. If the paraglider pilot had looked back, he 44

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Hang gliders have blind spots above and in front of them. The only way for a hang glider pilot to see these areas is to check these blind spots by making clearing turns.

Paraglider pilots need to make a visual check behind them periodically, particularly in the context of ridge soaring because faster moving traffic (a hang glider or a tandem paraglider) can overtake them.

Two other hang glider incidents were reported in February. The first one was a low airtime Novice rated pilot being radio supervised on a ridge soaring flight at an inland site by an experienced pilot who was not a rated instructor. The pilot unconsciously moved in close to the hill, and the unrated instructor began yelling on the radio to get away from hill. This caused the pilot to panic and mush or stall the glider into the trees on the face of the hill beneath him. Fortunately, the pilot suffered only minor abrasions.

Yelling directions into the radio is clearly indicative of someone who is uncomfortable with the responsibility of guiding a pilot, or who is not familiar with providing direction in a tense situation, probably because of their own inexperience in this supervisory role. This certainly led the inexperienced pilot to panic and in this case, lose control of the glider. Maintaining one’s composure in a critical situation, and particularly providing calm and clear radio direction is one measure of a seasoned instructor and is a stabilizing influence for a potentially nervous pilot. Perhaps more

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important is that a seasoned instructor would have recognized the developing situation and provided the corrective direction sooner before the situation became critical. These types of problems are usually avoided by a discussion of the flight plan during a preflight briefing. It takes more than just being a good pilot to be a good instructor.

The other incident was an experienced pilot flying an advanced kingpost glider at a familiar site on a day when the wind direction was unusual for this site. The north-facing launch was used this day instead of the normally used northeastfacing launch because it favored the northnorthwest wind at launch. The northeast wind in the LZ was the normal direction due to the channeling of wind in the valley.

In between the launch and the landing there had to be a low level wind shear (a change in direction), with it’s associated turbulence. Compounding this were the foothills to the north of the LZ, which probably generated rotor not usually present. Two other pilots flew first and were observed to successfully negotiate sink and rotor on their approach and land successfully in the field, which was bounded on the downwind side by a line of trees and power lines. During his landing approach, when this pilot encountered the same sink and rotor on the downwind leg as the previous pilots had, he extended his downwind leg rather than shortening it.

He subsequently came up short on the final leg and clipped the power lines with the kingpost and upper rigging. The pilot fell to the ground relatively unscathed with minor burns and a dislocated toe. This pilot failed to compensate for the different conditions when landing in a familiar field. He said he forgot the power lines were there and was trying to fly between two trees, the gap of which was about equal to the glider span.

The key to survival is adaptation. An advanced pilot recognizes the differences, understands the solution, and possesses the skill to execute.

i|xãÑÉ|Çà currently manages two separate magazine production cycles every month. One production cycle increases their ability to innovate and improve the magazine, to solicit key feature articles and photography, to develop a unified editorial calendar including articles of interest to all pilots etc., and to do it on a set schedule every month. Producing one magazine enables USHGA to avoid the first class shipping charges required to mail magazines from the office every month because members renew after the mailing labels for the magazines are sent to the printer. Two production cycles makes it almost impossible to avoid this expense. The cost savings associated with printing one magazine every month will be invested back into the magazine to further improve its quality.

2. Combining the magazines facilitates USHGA’s efforts to advance production methods into the 22nd century, utilizing digital techniques to improve the magazine’s visual appeal. This advancement will progress more slowly and in a less unified fashion with the demanding schedules of two separate production cycles.

A Member’s Point of View A reaction to the articles promoting a combined magazine This USHGA member searched each article from beginning to end and isolated every point or sentence that seemed to present a reason, benefit, comparison, or argument for combining the magazines. He set out to dissect the articles in a “laborious” fashion and the result of this truly “anal-retentive” and “multifaceted dissection” is what follows. This member was probably correct in concluding that other readers wouldn’t take the time to go through this same thought process and this concerned him.

After completing his thorough analysis, he concluded three things: 1. It would be difficult for the average reader to know how to vote after reading these articles.

2. The reader has a preconceived notion about whether or not we should combine the magazines, regardless of the arguments presented in these articles.

3. A succinct, bulleted list of pros and cons, presented without “flair or flimflam,” and without editorializing would provide the most help to members who are still trying to decide.

The cost associated with maintaining the status quo will eventually become prohibitive for USHGA. We can save hundreds of dollars per month on prepress charges if we change now.

We can reinvest these savings into the magazine to create a larger budget for contributions.

It has been proposed that the Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazines be combined. This May issue is a “pilot issue” (no pun intended), showcasing just a few of the possibilities. You notice a number of changes and enhancements in format, color, content and style. These changes were made possible by the energy saved from reducing two magazine production cycles to one. Further improvements are possible, this template can continue to change and evolve as we see fit.

We are asking you to vote on whether or not we should combine the magazines. Your vote will determine whether we maintain the status quo by producing two monthly magazines or we agree to break new ground in a unified style. This threepoint summary is intended to show you why breaking new ground makes the most sense.

1. Combining the magazines allows us to combine the magazine production cycles. The same staff May 2002

Advertising designers will be more likely to create new ads on a more frequent basis as we continue to switch to a digital production process.

3. Combining the magazines promotes solidarity in our national organization. National solidarity requires us to change and evolve and it enables us to increase our sphere of influence.

Solidarity enhances our group buying power and can promote the development of new flying technologies. We must eventually become a single, unified team to survive.

Remember, USHGA relies on the visionary nature of its members and this vote will affect our viability as a unified organization for years to come.

– A USHGA Member •

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Pilot Report:

The Windtech Serak

by Rob Sporrer I’ve enjoyed reading articles and reviews over the years in this publication, and have wanted to share some information about Windtech paragliders, specifically the Serak. Be aware that this article is not unbiased. I am a Windtech paraglider dealer and kite-surfing dealer with Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. I fly all of Windtech’s paragliding wings, and get powered on their kites as well.

Paragliding instruction is my profession and I rely on referrals, so it’s important that my instruction and equipment are top notch. I certainly was unbiased before I got involved with Windtech.

I

train my students on Windtech’s entry-level DHV 1-2 wing, the Ambar. It’s a great first wing and hard to outgrow unless you fly all the time. It has proven its X-C capabilities to me, and has been the glider I’ve preferred until the Serak. Windtech wings offer a great combination of performance and security, and I encourage you to demo one.

COMPANY BACKGROUND Windtech, a Spanish company founded in 1995 and now one of the largest paraglider manufacturers in the world, is the only major company that manufactures its wings in Europe. Windtech has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility ideally situated right next to both Atlantic coastal soaring sites and Pyrénées mountain thermal sites. However, it is not Windtech’s desire to be the largest company in the world. Their focus is on quality over quantity, and Windtech’s manufacturing staff are professionals when it comes to materials and construction. Most companies manufacture their gliders in third-world countries with low-paid, unskilled workers, and the difference in construction is noticeable.

Windtech has done well throughout the world, especially in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Their distributors are highly 46

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respected in the industry, and they have no doubt helped make the products a success.

Gabriel Canada, co-owner and manager of Windtech, is responsible for manufacturing and distribution. The other owner, Alvaro Valdes, the quiet man in the background, is responsible for the design of the wings. Alvaro is a perfectionist when it comes to designing wings and kites. His specialty is computer cad-cam software design, and he has designed a unique, three-dimensional cad-cam program specifically for paraglider wing development.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Windtech paragliders are no strangers to the podium at World Class competitions. Josh Cohn won the 1999 U.S. Nationals on the Quarx and the U.S. 2001 Serial Class. The Quarx was the glider he flew to capture the world Declared Goal Distance record of 196 miles. Kari Castle flew the Serak and the Quarx to win the 2001 Chelan U.S. Nationals women’s title.

PERFORMANCE The Serak is an intermediate glider with terrific performance for a DHV 1-2 wing. The glider was inspired by the design technolMay 2002

exä|xã nal cell ribbing across the span of the glider, with cell widths decreasing toward the wingtips, which makes the wing very clean and crease free in the air. This is necessary because of the different curvatures and tension distribution inside the wing.

The different cell widths and diagonal rib concepts do affect the line diagram. In the center of the wing the relatively long upper lines cover two cells, in the outer area they cover three, and at the wingtip there three extra stabilo lines that can help prevent a cravat.

ogy of Windtech’s high-performance gliders and offers beautiful handling, especially for thermalling.

The Serak maintains excellent glide throughout the entire speed range and has a high top speed without compromising safety, thanks to a riser system that keeps the profile of the wing perfect at all times. Performance has also been achieved with a totally new profile and planform, and the use of a unique and complex diagonal rib system, which means fewer lines and therefore less drag. Trim speed is 37 KPH for all sizes with the pilot in the middle of the weight range at sea level. The Serak boasts top speeds of 50 KPH for all sizes. The recommended weight range for the small wing is 70-90 kg, 85-105 kg for the medium, and 100-125 kg for the large. An extra-small Serak is currently being certified and should be ready by the time this article appears. It is projected to be ideal for a pilot in the 55-80 kg weight range.

I now have about 70 hours on the Serak in a wide variety of conditions. I flew the glider at full speed on many glides at the U.S. Nationals against DHV 2-3 wings and did surprisingly well. I was flying the medium size and was just over the middle of the weight range at 170 pounds. The medium Serak weighs 6.5 kg. The glider is certified Standard in AFNOR and DHV 1-2 with the standard production speed system.

DESIGN AND MATERIALS Much of Alvaro’s innovation is inside the wing, and he decided against the more basic and common construction technique of equal cell width and diagonal ribs. He combines three different concepts when it comes to diago-

A great deal has been done in the search for reduced drag. There are only two floors of lines, except at the very edge of the wingtip. There is no external stitching on the upper or lower surface, and there are 22 anchor points per side. In the planform one finds that there is a small amount of arrow form. (“Arrow form” means that

used on the leading and trailing edges, which helps protect the sailcloth in these vulnerable areas. On the stitching of the line ends, the Kevlar lining is slightly shortened at the end, which ensures smooth transition and minimizes entanglement.

High-quality materials include the new Skytex from Porcher Marine and Vollmetalrollen from AustriAlpin, to name just two of them.

RISERS The risers are made of pre-stretched 900 daN polyester webbing. Plastic inserts in the Maillones (quick links, stainless steel, four millimeter) at the top of the risers hold the lines in place. In the past, these plastic inserts were the only bummer when it came to the risers. They would pop out on earlier models, but this problem seems to be have been solved.

The A-riser is split for big ears, and the A-lines are identified with a sewn-in Windtech logo. The A-riser has three lines, the B-riser has four, the C-riser has three, and the D-riser has two. The brake handles attach to the rear risers with magnets instead of snaps. Line colors alternate between red and yellow, and the stabilo is the only red line on the B-riser.

The speed system is a 3:1 pulley affair attached to the risers, and is limited to a truly safe top speed. I was pleased to see that Windtech has improved the pulley and line system for the accelerator on the latest models.

the trailing edge is straighter, and the leading edge is curved forward.)

GROU N D HANDLING AN D LAUNCHING The Serak ground handles easily and has only a slight tendency to drop back if inflation in light to no-wind conditions is insufficient.

Don’t let go of the A’s too early during no-wind launches. The Serak responds quickly to commands and slows immediately and sensibly.

Excellent attention to detail and high quality standards are evident when one looks at the wing’s zigzag sewing, the strong tension relief at the hang points (reinforcement tabs) inside the wing and at the wingtips, and the finish of the line stitching. Tape is

I inflated the Serak in both the reverse and forward positions without any problems.

When lying on the ground, the glider’s leading edge sits up nicely, and upon inflation easily ventilates air all the way out to the tips. There is no tendency to overshoot when forward or reverse kiting in

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exä|xã stronger conditions. It stays in the sweet spot when I maintain nice, light pressure on the controls. Launch characteristics are well balanced.

FLIGHT BEHAVIOR The Serak is quick to respond to control input — there is no lag time waiting for the wing to respond. Using weight shift was effective as well. I am really pleased with the seat steering, especially when I’m thermaling. I like to get the Serak up on a wingtip in a tight thermal core, and it seemed to fly best this way. Any asymmetric tip folds I encountered were quickly reloaded without any pilot input required.

Pitch, roll, turning circle and brake pressure behave in a constant, well-balanced relationship. The brakes are light and gradually increase in pressure, making it easy to adjust to a thermal core and gain maximum height. The wing is solid, and I enjoy that peace of mind on a strong day.

I have flown the Serak in very strong conditions and found it to be extraordinarily stable. In the most intense conditions I hardly ever took an asymmetric tip fold. I did B-lines, asymmetric tip folds, frontals, asymmetric spirals, and a couple of SAT’s on the Serak at two different clinics with Enleau and Anne O’Connor. The wing responded well during all these maneuvers and I was happy with its ability to recover to normal flight with nominal pilot input.

Enleau and Anne flew the glider and had nothing but praise for it. They felt that the glider was quick, responsive and secure.

CRITICISMS Earlier models from Windtech used soft, plastic sky clips to manage the lines at the quick links, and they could be knocked loose too easily. This problem, although not of any serious consequence, seems to have been resolved on the latest gliders. Earlier speed systems had a pulleyto-line interface that wasn’t very smooth, but this seems to have been resolved as well. I really like the new magnetic brake toggle holders, but Dixon White isn’t excited about them. He would prefer to repair snaps occasionally than to have toggles coming loose and potentially tangling with the lines. There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution for brake toggle retention.

The glider pack, although roomy and comfortable with padded shoulder straps and 48

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a waist strap, has an upper chest strap that is not really necessary and that is a little too high.

THE DISTRIBUTOR Dixon’s Airplay Paragliding became the United States importer for Windtech paragliders in the spring of 1999.

Windtech and Airplay have taken a similar approach to paragliding: Both companies are dedicated to excellence in service, attention to detail and long-term growth. Airplay was impressed with Windtech’s wings and service record, and Windtech was impressed with Airplay’s customer service and reputation.

I was able to spend a week flying with Gabriel Canada this past fall, and now have even more respect for Windtech.

Gabriel is a great pilot, very bright, dedicated to excellence and also a gentleman.

He invites everyone to visit northern Spain, not only to visit the Windtech factory, but also to fly their incredible sites.

Dixon has been a leader in the sport of paragliding since just after its inception in the United States, and he continues to contribute to our sport through his passion for teaching and flying. His ethics as an importer are unmatched. There are no direct sales to unknown pilots with Dixon.

He always refers unknown pilots back to their instructors or to the local Windtech dealer in his network. Dixon’s dealer network is worth joining if you’re looking for integrity, quality and support. I encourage owners of schools who are interested in trying out Windtech’s line to give Dixon a call.

SUMMARY The Serak is an ideal glider for recreational coastal and thermal pilots. I feel that it is a great intermediate wing for pilots who fly big air and want more performance without sacrificing security. It’s both Dixon’s and my favorite glider. The Serak is certainly a paraglider that someone could own for a long time without compromise, and there is no doubt that dealing with a solid company and respected people is very valuable.

Rob Sporrer is an Advanced-rated pilot and Advanced Instructor. Visit his website at www.eagleparagliding.com. — Ed.

Incident Reports: More Entanglements

by Peter Reagan Mountain site, gentle afternoon thermals A student pilot with about 20 flights was flying north along a steep, heavily wooded slope. He flew into the local house thermal area and began a 180° turn to the left, away from the ridge. He was being followed by a tandem pilot and passenger. He heard the tandem passenger scream, looked up and noticed them for the first time as they were bearing down on each other.The tandem pilot tried to turn away from the ridge to reverse direction and the two aircraft collided.

The tandem duo hit the solo rig about halfway up the lines and became enshrouded in the solo canopy.The tandem pilot successfully deployed his reserve and then the solo glider slipped off and deployed his own. It is not clear what configuration the solo was in after the impact.All three pilots ended up in tall timber, requiring expert tree rescues, but none were injured.

In subsequent correspondence there appeared to be a certain amount of disagreement about whether the student was thermaling or whether the tandem could have flown inside the oncoming solo glider.There was also a certain amount of discussion about many less relevant details, and close witnesses appear to disagree on particulars.

Mountain site, Mid-Day Thermals, uphill base wind, 10 mph Two pilots had a mid-air collision at 500 feet AGL in a crowded house thermal over launch. One was climbing in the upwind portion of a right turn going momentarily straight to compensate for downwind drift. The other was in the downwind portion of a right turn at a higher altitude in the same thermal. The other pilot saw the first one flying straight and thought they would miss each other. Whistling loudly, he impacted the first pilot’s right side leading edge and that pilot was forced into a right turn. There was no time to evade. He immediately deployed his reserve. The other pilot, temporarily blinded by the wing, had his helmet ripped off and cleared the wing after pilot one had rotated 180° right. Turning right to face upwind, pilot one noticed that the seventh cell right of center on his leading edge had sustained substantial damage. The reserve was behind him, opening normally. He felt the tug of the canopy as his wing began to dive down in front. He collapsed the wing and drifted downwind, facing upwind. A gentle landing in five-foot bushes near launch on his back protection ensued. The other pilot landed successfully. There were no injuries.

Very popular coastal soaring site An advanced paraglider pilot was in the air heading south and had just passed in front of launch. A hang pilot launched and turned south. The hang pilot was distracted for about 10 seconds, trying to zip into his harness. During this time the left leading edge of the hang glider impacted the paraglider pilot in back. The hang glider yawed and partially stalled, and the pilot dived to recover airspeed. The paraglider pilot’s feet dragged across the top surface of the hang glider, but no entanglement occurred due to the absence of top rigging. There were no injuries or reserve deployments. There were no witnesses in the air or on the ground. Neither pilot saw it coming. The hang pilot might have been able to see the paraglider pilot’s feet immediately prior to impact if he had been looking up. The pilot had to turn and look back to see what he had impacted.

In the first report the solo pilot was looking down instead of up and out to clear his turn. The tandem pilot may have been able to continue north close to the ridge and passing, in fact, on the right. In the second report, the lower pilot in the thermal could have shifted position in the thermal to center his orbit more congruently with the upper one. They could have each circled wider and observed each

May 2002

other more closely, or talked to each other. Both of these accidents were “preventable,” but occasional mishaps like this are unfortunately inevitable as more and more people fly. The third accident is a significantly more complex scenario involving differences between hang and paraglider traffic.

I’m reporting on collisions twice this spring. We have had several rather interesting ones and also some near-miss reports. I believe they are becoming more common. After a near-miss involving two very experienced local pilots, we’ve had a lively discussion about right-of-way rules and collision avoidance. I think a more careful discussion of right-ofway would be helpful as well as a few comments about communication.

Chris Santacroce teaches that, when one turns, one should first look in the desired direction, then weight shift, then turn. This maximizes the chance that you will see other traffic, and maximally signals others as to your intent. But think about when we learned to drive a car. No one ever has the right-of-way, but there are many times when we are required to yield it. The California Driver’s Manual states: “Remember, signaling does not give you the right-of-way. You must make sure the way is clear.”

Right-of-way rules are confusing. Steve Roti looked up the right-ofway rules for competitive sailing and found roughly 20 pages, and they travel in only two dimensions. In general it is clear that there are ridge rules (pass right, turn away from the ridge) and thermal rules (first one in the thermal determines the direction of the turn). However, it is common to be flying where there is a mixture of ridge and thermal conditions, and pilots will change rule sets whenever they see fit. There is no hierarchy between these rule sets and each of us must notice what flight rules another is using. You actually cannot assume that the other pilot is following any rules. Leave enough room, so you have a safe way out even if the other guy does everything wrong. Finally, ridge lift bands may be wide enough for several “lanes,” so it is not at all clear whether a pilot in an outer lane should go clear into the ridge when he reverses direction just to get to the right of an inner-lane pilot.

These ambiguities are not completely reconcilable. For better or worse, this means that our safety depends not only in knowing the rules and heeding them as well as we can, but also in three other things. First, we

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need to remain utterly vigilant in traffic. All of these accidents involved some delay in becoming aware of the other glider or understanding its trajectory. Second, we need to communicate. If a mid-air seems possible, yell. Annoying someone because you aren’t sure they see you is far preferable to a collision. Third, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Crowded sites will become more common and more dangerous. Look for new sites. Fly ones less used. Take turns at the busy places.

At busy sites with mixed hang and para traffic it is very important to remain aware of the differences between the two craft. Hang pilots cannot see upward, especially on launch, and they will have a window of distraction as they pull on their cocoons. Parapilots fly a lot slower. The third accident was difficult to prevent. Any parapilot in coastal ridge lift passing in front of a launching hang glider will do well to remember that the hang pilot can’t see him and also may well overtake him from below without ever being able to see him.

Finally, note that collisions are more likely than other types of accidents to result in acrimonious exchanges. When cars collide police and insurance settlements happen. Money changes hands. So far in our sport it has not been necessary to assign financial responsibility for a collision.

We therefore have the luxury that we can learn from our mishaps. Let’s take advantage of it. When a mid-air occurs, both parties will be considered equally responsible. The interaction is a result of actions by both pilots, and almost always they each had options they didn’t choose that would have been safer. Learning to be safe in our sport has far greater value than either shame or self-righteousness.

Thanks again, pilots, for reporting these near injuries. We continue to learn from each one. Increased safety means we all get to have more fun.

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WELCOME TO CHELAN

by Wendy Campbell Yells of “DUST DEVIL” filled the air and I whipped around towards the lakeside launch. I saw at once that it was too late. As pilots and spectators raced over, one unmanned hang glider rose gracefully into the air. Doing a superb imitation of a somersault, it flipped around and about landing hard on top of two other gliders. All three gliders were damaged and their pilots now out for the day, if not longer. And this was only the first day of the competition.

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ells of “DUST DEVIL” filled the air and I whipped around towards the lakeside launch. I saw at once that it was too late. As pilots and spectators raced over, one unmanned hang glider rose gracefully into the air. Doing a superb imitation of a somersault, it flipped around and about landing hard on top of two other gliders. All three gliders were damaged and their pilots now out for the day, if not longer. And this was only the first day of the competition.

Welcome to Chelan Butte where dust devils make a meal of gliders on a regular basis.

On launch nothing is safe. Glider bags, jackets and hats have been seen swirling more than 200 feet above launch.

Sometimes you get them back, often you don’t. Last year one creative pilot made a miniature hang glider and let it loose in a dust devil. It was out of sight within minutes and never seen again.

Why would anyone fly at such a site?

Located in central Washington, it’s a long drive from anywhere. Chelan Butte is hot, dry and dusty. The dust devils are wicked and it will rain when you least expect it,

turning the road to launch into a slippery mess. And why do you think someone would name a launch “Ants in the Pants”?

Pilots come here because Chelan is known world-wide for its outstanding flying conditions. Thermals abound and there are hundreds of miles of flat lands to the East, making 100 mile cross country flights more the norm than the exception. Chelan has hosted many major events including the 1994 Women’s World Hang Gliding Championship and the town has even named itself “The Recreational Hang Gliding Capital of the World”. On nonflyable days there is more than enough to keep everyone busy. You can spend the day boating, water skiing, playing at the waterslides or browsing the numerous little shops. Shops? Yes, you may cringe, but they’ll keep most of the drivers happy and that’s important if you expect them to spend the next 7 hours chasing you across the desert.

The Butte Chelan Butte is mostly surrounded by water with Lake Chelan on one side and the Columbia River on the other. Launch is May 2002

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only 800 feet higher than the “flats” to the East, but you have to cross the huge gorge that contains the river. The gorge is 3,000 feet deep, 4 miles across at the narrowest spot and up to 7 miles across if you follow the main trade routes.

There are five primary launches facing a variety of directions. At times pilots are launching off two or three at the same time.

Many are flat slopes and can have a run out of up to 40 feet. Two in particular, “Between the Rocks” and the “Green Monster”, have been known to pick a glider up and then put it back down again ending your flight if your feet aren’t still moving.

“Never trust a dust devil, even if you’re glider is tied down”, says Larry Jorgensen, a local pilot who has been flying the Butte since 1981 and winner of last year’s Chelan Cross Country Classic. Dust devils on launch are a given on a good XC day, so remember these tips if you want to keep your glider in one piece. Use a tie-down. It will help with most dust devils. However, strong dust devils have been know to pull the rebar tie-downs out of the ground. So if you need to leave your glider, have

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thins out and disappears a few hundred feet into the air, but you can spot them from a long way off. You’ll also find that the flats breed a different type of dust devil than you’ll find on The Butte. They are larger and much more powerful because they have huge, flat fields from which they draw their heat.

“We were on our way back when a dust devil hit the truck,” remembers Bill Langfitt, a new pilot who was chasing on the flats last summer. “The base was at least 20 feet across and when it hit I thought the truck might flip. I had slowed down to 20 miles an hour and came to an abrupt stop when it put us in the other lane. I can only describe a dust devil as utter chaos and a total lack of control. They have the right name.” someone stay with it while you’re gone. I’d recommend a driver or spectator rather than a pilot setting up nearby, because when the dust devil comes through whose glider is that pilot going to hold onto, yours or his?

“When you do get caught by a dust devil,” Larry advises, ”keep the keel on the ground, get in the control bar and put all your weight on the glider. Then yell for help.

Many people hold the nose of the glider, but then you have put the glider in flying position and fly it will!” Fortunately, during the competitions there are lots of people around to help.

“Timing is the key to flying the Butte,” Larry continues. “When it’s soarable, get up and go. Don’t hang around.” The Butte is the thermal generator and as the day progresses the wind tends to increase, creating a cooling effect from the surrounding water. This reduces the thermals so if you wait too long you may end up landing at one of the LZs next to the Butte. The favorite is the ‘Soccer Field’, a large, mowed sports field next to the river.

The winds are usually smooth and there are bathrooms, showers and swimming. The ‘Junkyard’, a rough field on the east side of the Butte, is located next to a junkyard and is close to town. It has a reputation for punching off strong thermals just as you’re getting ready to land.

hot,” says Davis Straub, author of the popular Oz Report.

The Flats When you’ve caught that great thermal and are close to 8,000 feet, less for rigid wings, you can cross the river. Be sure to have enough altitude because the gorge is a sink hole and you won’t get any lift. And if you don’t reach the rim you’ll have to search for the light lift from one of the two canyons on the eastern side.

When you’re over the rim of the gorge, you’ve reached the flats that make Chelan so special. Miles upon miles of fields where you can easily spot the thermals, because they are marked by the fine soil that easily takes to the air. The swirling dust usually

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To get the best lift keep watch for the smaller dust devils. The great big ones, similar to the one that hit Bill’s truck, look like tornados and are near their end. It won’t do you any good to get there after it’s gone. The little ones are usually just starting and sometimes there are more than one in a field. As they grow, they tend to combine and that’s where you want to be.

However, be cautious about flying into a dust devil too low because they are responsible for plenty of chute deployments. If you are desperate for that low save and decide to risk it anyway, remember this advice from Larry Jorgensen.

“I recommend against it, but if you do fly into a dust devil, be sure to carry extra speed, get a death grip on the bar and hang on. It’s going to be a ride.”

Landing: While LZs are plentiful on the flats, you need to know a few basics. NEVER, EVER, land in a farmer’s wheat field. Not only is it bad publicity, but you’ll also get a zero for the day. Land in a pasture or fallow field if possible. You can also land in one of the numerous plowed fields but remember that the dust from these fields is what marks the thermals. You can expect to sink past your ankles in the powdery stuff and it will coat everything, especially if you whack.

Once you have landed stay alert and keep your eyes open. “When you land a dust devil will come by. You can count on it,” states Larry.

Tina Jorgensen, Larry’s wife and also a longtime Chelan flyer gives this advice. “Break down quickly. After a landing out by Coulee City, I saw a dust devil approaching.

I laid the glider flat and got on top of it. It felt like a magic carpet ride as I hung on and watched the shingles fly off the barn next to me.”

Summary: Chelan is a terrific cross country site and a fun town to visit. The views are amazing

and the thermals are marked. But keep in mind that the traits that make those long flights possible are the same ones that make it dangerous. So come visit us, have fun and fly safely.

For more information about Chelan visit these websites: www.chelanflyers.com www.cloudbase.org click on ‘Competition’ www.visitlakechelan.com

Sidebar: Do’s and Don’ts — Tips from the locals Davis Straub • Do hang on to any lift you can find right after launching. You need to get above launch ASAP as the lift is much worse if you get below launch.

• Don’t get low on the downwind side of the Butte in strong wind conditions.

• Don’t launch between the rocks when it is coming up from the right. Be sure that there is some wind in your face. Stay on your

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downtubes and fly fast until you get past the rocks on both sides.

Larry and Tina Jorgensen • Do: Be responsible. Be an ambassador of goodwill because everyone in Chelan knows what that thing on the top of your truck is. We have great relations with the community and we intend on keeping it that way.

• Do: Be prepared for a retrieve with gas money and your own tie down straps.

• Do: Know where the car is going before getting in for a retrieve.

You just may end up in Canada or Idaho.

Details: Site Protocol: Forest fires are a big concern so there is absolutely NO SMOKING on the Butte and every vehicle driving to launch must carry a shovel and a fire extinguisher. You must be a USHGA member and a Hang III+. Sponsored Hang II’s may launch on the lake side of the Butte during the morning hours.

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Sharing the sky, Chelan, Washington - photo by Othar Lawrence

Dixon’s Notes: Lifting Air – Part II You may want to read or reread previous “Dixon’s Notes” to follow the terminology and concepts. You can order back issues of the magazine by contacting the USHGA, or me. The website, www.paraglide.com, has a reprint of these articles and the books and videos recommended in my columns.

When preparing to fly in lifting air you want an academically clear model of what the air is doing, and what it may do as the day progresses. Keep reviewing your books, videos and notes, and ask your instructor loads of questions. Make sure to check the upper atmosphere on the Internet or through WX briefs to confirm that it won’t eventually blow so strongly that you could find yourself unable to penetrate. Run a thermal index and note the pressure level, since this can help you determine how gusty the thermals may become.

As summer advances some sites get very gusty and turbulent from late morning through most of the afternoon. Be sure to adjust your flying schedule to an earlier or later flying window. We fly in Arizona in mid-summer up until 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm, yet our Washington Flight Park is often flown all day. Take your time getting to know a new area, or make sure a local site guide or instructor gives you all the details.

Take a few minutes to think through “what ifs” at the ridge or slope you plan on flying. What if the wind increases and you’re unable to penetrate forward? Is a side-hill landing, top-landing, or a downwind run back behind the hill a viable option? What if the wind switches and you are pushed around the ridge or hill? Keep in mind that it’s very common for conditions to change, and be ever mindful that you want to continually monitor for that change.

Some sites are pretty forgiving, and being blown back or around the hill isn’t as awful as it might be at other more demanding sites — know the difference. Is there a chance that thermals may begin triggering and you’ll then be flying in wind mixed with thermals, a potentially dangerous combination. Remember that it’s less stressful to fly in either wind or thermals, but that a strong combination of both is wicked. (Ideally, you launch in pure thermals, climb 4,000 feet and enter into an upper-level, 25-mph wind heading along a retrievable route.)

The last article reviewed the concept of the “seam.” A change in the seam should be something you always monitor. If you’re flying at a site like Torrey Pines and the seam begins to change, you can easily find yourself in rotor spots that weren’t “there” just a few minutes earlier. Develop a keen sense of how airflow may be behaving around ridges, spines, trees, rocks and bowls. Air tends to speed up as it flows through gaps, creating a venturi, it tends to swirl over the back of an undercut ridge, etc. You can find yourself unable to May 2002

penetrate back upwind to your landing target, so always have a bailout in mind just in case the wind switches or tapers off, leaving you unable to glide back to your normal LZ. Learn to accurately judge your heading against the wind. Being reliant on streamers and windsocks is like waiting for someone to honk their horn at you to stay in your lane. Treat your flying like you treat driving at night when there may be black ice: Keep your eyes peeled and give yourself plenty of room for error. Take it easy.

When launching into mechanical lift (a.k.a. ridge lift), you may want to pick a launch spot down the slope and on the seam, so you don’t get blown back across the crown of the hill or ridge when you inflate your glider. This can be especially critical if there are vehicles, people, or other obstacles downwind of your launch spot. Anticipate your glider “spronging” you off of the hillside, and be ready to dampen the inflation by moving toward the glider and applying either rear risers or brakes to dampen the sudden surge. Prior articles address many of the launch considerations.

If, after launching you’re going up, go out. Seek out the front edge of the lift band and work that zone as opposed to flying the back edge of the lift band where you’re in jeopardy of being blown back.

By being farther away from the hill you give yourself more margin for error if conditions get stronger. If you start to notice that you’re sinking, fly back closer to the hill or ridge where you may pick up more of the lift band. Try to keep in mind a three-dimensional model of how the lift band is forming.

All the while, be aware of the other pilots in the air and pay attention to traffic rules. And, all the while, being attentive to surge and roll control, don’t hold onto your risers. Make good use of the lifting zones by adding a little brake to utilize minimum sink, and be sure to fly faster in non-lifting zones. Note your fast and slow beat — very important! If you notice that you’re starting to pick up ground speed you may want to immediately turn back into the slow beat so you can stay close to the seam. With a ridge cross to the wind, you have no choice but to have a slow and fast beat. Be aware that if a zone on the ridge is rounded you may become trapped by flying too far on the fast beat; you’ll be unable to get back around the hill to the seam. Have your instructor help you with these skills and observations. Take a soaring clinic.

Check out the following book. It’s new and has some great diagrams, etc.: Mountain Meteorology, by C. David Whiteman, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195132718. The video, The Art of Kiting, offers an excellent review of glider management skills. The video, Speed to Fly, will help you model lifting air and is an excellent resource. n •

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Thermalling the Columbia Gorge

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Soaring Torret Pines - John Heiney

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2003 USHGA Regional Director Nominations Solicited Deadline July 20th

USHGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Ten positions are open for election in October 2002 for a two-year term beginning January 2003.

Candidates must be nominated by at least three current USHGA members residing in the candidates’ region.

Nominations must be received at the USHGA office by July 20, 2002.

Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors, whose terms are up for reelection in 2003 are: Reg# 1 2 3 4 5

Current Director Bill Bolosky Ray Leonard David Jebb Mark Ferguson Nominations are not needed

States within region Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso TX, New Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

in Region 5 for this election.

6

Nominations are not needed

Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas

in Region 6 for this election.

7

Bill Bryden

8

Douglas Sharpe

9

Felipe Amunategui

10

Tiki Mashy

11

Nominations are not needed

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas (excluding El Paso), Louisiana

in Region 11 for this election.

12

Paul Voight

New Jersey, New York

Ballots will be distributed with the October issue of HANG GLIDING and PARAGLIDING magazines. USHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sports. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than July 20th to: USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330.

USHGA members seeking position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later than August 20, 2002 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate’s hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected).

The following form is for your convenience.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate____________________________________________________ as a candidate for Regional Director for Region #__________. I understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the 2003 Regional Director Election if three nominations are received at the USHGA office by July 20, 2002.

NAME__________________________________________USHGA#______________REGION#___________ 60

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USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM CALENDARS USHGA 2002 HANG GLIDING CALENDAR - Outstanding photography. CLEARANCE! .......... 1lb USHGA 2002 PARAGLIDING CALENDAR - First ever! Outstanding photos. CLEARANCE! .... 1lb

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United States Hang Gliding Assn., PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 1-800-616-6888 www.ushga.org fax (719) 632-6417 email: ushga@ushga.org

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW APPAREL AT WWW.USHGA.ORG May 2002

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2003 USHGA Regional Director Nominations Solicited Deadline July 20th

USHGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Ten positions are open for election in October 2002 for a two-year term beginning January 2003.

Candidates must be nominated by at least three current USHGA members residing in the candidates’ region.

Nominations must be received at the USHGA office by July 20, 2002.

Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors, whose terms are up for reelection in 2003 are: Reg# 1 2 3 4 5

Current Director Bill Bolosky Ray Leonard David Jebb Mark Ferguson Nominations are not needed

States within region Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso TX, New Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

in Region 5 for this election.

6

Nominations are not needed

Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas

in Region 6 for this election.

7

Bill Bryden

8

Douglas Sharpe

9

Felipe Amunategui

10

Tiki Mashy

11

Nominations are not needed

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas (excluding El Paso), Louisiana

in Region 11 for this election.

12

Paul Voight

New Jersey, New York

Ballots will be distributed with the October issue of HANG GLIDING and PARAGLIDING magazines. USHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sports. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than July 20th to: USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330.

USHGA members seeking position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later than August 20, 2002 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate’s hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected).

The following form is for your convenience.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate____________________________________________________ as a candidate for Regional Director for Region #__________. I understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the 2003 Regional Director Election if three nominations are received at the USHGA office by July 20, 2002.

NAME__________________________________________USHGA#______________REGION#___________ 62

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ZtÄÄxÜç Wtä|w ZÄÉäxÜ

David and Francis Rogallo

David Glover has been an instructor, manager and tandem instructor at Kitty Hawk Kites, Wallaby Ranch and Lookout Mountain. He was President of the USHGA for a year and a half and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his girlfriend Jayne. He is the manager of the 2002 World Record Encampment which will take place in Zapata, Texas. In 2001 David set the distance to goal world record for rigid wings. He also flew a singlesurface glider 96 miles a few years ago, seated in a paragliding harness, and has more than 5,000 tandem flights to his credit. You may reach him by e-mail at david@davidglover.com.

Hang gliding still thrives on the International and European competition circuit - Italy 64

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Waiting out a n incredible dust storm at the WRE provides time for other chores - Texas

Capturing the essense of speedgliding in a blur of aerodynamic cleanliness - Greece

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UP Speed earning its name while cutting the imaginary low fly gate ribbon at 60mph - Greece

Low level, high speed, downwind race across the finish line - Normal Speedgliding

Competition frustration - Tennessee

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VÄtáá|y|xwá

MARKETPLACE ADVISORY Used hang gliders & paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. If in doubt, many businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect.

BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLEX WINGS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIRBORNE CLIMAX 13 — One nearly new $4,995; One demo, looks new $4,595. 1-800-688-5637, fly@hanglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIRWAVE EXTREME — Topless, 3 hours, yellow and blue, priced to sell. fly@hanglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ALTAIR SATURNS 147, 167 — Rental gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AV8 — ICAROThe MRX700World Record Editions are in stock.

We can help you go RIGID if you want to. (760) 721-0701, indasky@yahoo.com and www.icaro2000.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DREAM 220 — Excellent condition, very low hours $1,200 split shipping. (407) 892-8072, deb3163@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EAGLES 145, 164, 180 — Rental gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EVEN-UP TRADES — Looking to move up from your Beginner or Novice glider, but can’t put up cash?

(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FALCONS — 140, 170, 195, 225 new and used. WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FALCON 170 — New condition, <20 hours, white/magenta/ blue $1,800. (805) 682-0640, jspencer@silcom.com Free PVC storage tube.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FALCON 195 — Only 1.5 hours of flight time, year 2000 model, black/red, excellent condition $2,800 OBO. (310) 822-5067 Los Angeles, CaptainJoelEve@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FALCON 195 — Great shape, pod harness, wheels, helmet, reserve chute $1,800. May trade for paraglider and harness in good condition. (360) 592-2922, bugfishn1@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE — School use, one season.

All sizes $1,250-$2,500. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FORMULA 154 — Excellent condition, like new, low hours, extras $1,100. (407) 892-8072, deb3163@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FREE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/TRANSPORT TUBE — With the purchase of any new glider. (517) 223-8683, Cloud9SA@aol.com. Largest selection of new and used gliders in Michigan.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FUSION — Grey/black, 90 hours $2,000.xcarmando@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HPAT 145 — Good condition, new leading edge cloth and recent superpreflight $995.(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KLASSIC 144 — By Airwave, excellent condition, great climber, green/blue $1,050. (541) 504-5416.

LAMINAR MR2001 13 — Perfect condition, 60 hours, Get state-of-the-art handling and performance for $2,000 less than a new one. (619) 286-6045, mtryon@ucsd.edu, http://daneel.ucsd.edu/sdhgpa/lamie.jpg ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LAMINAR MRX 2001 — Mylar 14, simply beautiful, white/ flouro red/magenta. Email for pixs, 1 year old, babied. Faired basetube, carbon ribs $4,700/best. Scott (310) 559-1231, cloudbase@mediaone.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LAMINAR MRX 2001 14 — Very clean. White/black/blue $4,200. (262) 783-7747, SurfAir@execpc.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LAMINAR ST 14 — New wires, new mylar, just tuned & flies perfectly $2,200 OBO. (510) 223-6239, ortiz@tdl.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES CSX4, SX4, SX5, MAX — Great condition, very low hours, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES LITESPEED 3 136 — Top condition, low hours, flies straight and fast $4,000. (604) 328-3537, freebirdspike@hotmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES LITESPEED 4 — New in April 2001, zoom & fast control frames, low hours, excellent condition. Cheapmake offer. (706) 398-2467, bofusfly@compuserve.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES LITESPEED 5 — Perfect condition, all mylar, speedbar, 50 hours, black/yellow/white $4,000 OBO. (561) 252-4007.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES SX5 — Very good condition, extra downtube, batten prints, 20’pvc transport tube $1,000 OBO. (310) 974-5520, cranknbank@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES XT PRO 165 — The Novice model before the SONIC, two available $1,500., $2,100 or trade for?

(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES XTRALITE 127 — Very good condition $1,900 or trade for Falcon 140. (760) 934-2125, caldera@qnet.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES XTRALITE 147 — Good condition $1,500 OBO. (760) 934-2125, caldera@qnet.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES XTRALITE 147 — All white $1,100 or trade for?

(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES XTRALITE 164 — Like new, <30 hours, SX modifications $2,000. (541) 840-6472, asktech@wave.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PACIFIC AIRWAVE K5 145 — Very good shape, rib chart & manual included $850. Flytec 3005 vario $200.

Vlad (510) 849-1579.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PULSE 10 METER — 20 hours, purple and yellow, airfoil dt’s, clean. fly@hanglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PULSE II 10M — Excellent condition, purple/green $1,800.

(423) 949-8678 Tennessee, thetennisboy@hotmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PULSES & VISIONS — Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RAVEN 149 — Great training glider $300 OBO. (760) 934-2125, caldera@qnet.com SPECTRUM 144, 165 — Rental gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– STING 2 XC — 2 hours, red and yellow. fly@hanglide.com

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SUPERSPORT 153 — Mint condition, 80 hours $999. High Energy harness, Quantum chute w/swivel & air rocket 6ft $900. (530) 544-6601, GAfreespirits@cs.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SUPERSPORT 153 — Superneat intricate custom sail, almost zero hours $1,700 or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TALON 140 & 150 — Demo any time. Kite Enterprises (972) 390-9090.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TALONS — 150 all mylar w/slipstream control frame; 140 w/dacron sail & folding basetube. Both new, not demos! Special pricing, immediate delivery.

1-800-688-5637, fly@hanglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TR3 — Topless, white leading edge $2,000 or trade for clean 170 size Falcon or Target. Also Stealth 155, clean $2,900. (248) 394-1220 Michigan, mboltglide@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TRX — Good condition $600. WW Sport 150-good condition $700. (727) 733-1450, kob7150@hotmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ULTRASPORT 135, 147, 166 — Rental gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ULTRASPORT 166 — Excellent condition, low hours, folding basetube, tail fin, red undersurface, white top $2,600.

(661) 822-8852, danarmstro@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WILLS WING SKYHAWK 188 — Easy glider to fly $300 OBO. (760) 934-2125, caldera@qnet.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WW FUSION 150 — Excellent condition, 50hrs, white LE, silver, black, red undersurface, 2 extra downtubes $2,000 OBO. HPAT 158-good condition $300.WWZ3 harness, 5’7”-5’10” $125. (626) 332-3663 japarawlings@yahoo.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WW FUSION SP150 — EXCELLENT CONDITION, w/only 100 hours, less than one year old, all white w/leading edge inserts, spring tip battens, folding basetube, 2 spare downtubes, removable WW wheels $2,800 OBO. Ron (310) 479-1360, deniron62@hotmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WW FUSION — 150+hrs, yellow LE, red (large), yellow asymmetric, black WW, winglets, folding speedbar $1,400 OBO. (509) 525-7281, lbbrown@bmi.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WW SPORT AT 167 —Very good condition, green/white/ blue, ripstop trailing edge, flies great $850.

Joe (847) 895-5858 Illinois.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WWXC 142 — Very low hours, clean, near new condition $2,400 or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOYES LITESPEED 5, All white, Dacron sail, airfoil basetube, excellent shape, low hours, $4,000 AIRWAVE KLASSIC 155, Red/White/Blue, Excellent shape, winglets, $1,500 PULSE 11 METER, Blue/White, good shape, $2,000 PULSE 10 METER, White/Pink, very good shape, $2,200 PULSE 9 METER, good shape, $2,000 VISION MK4-17, several, $1,200-$1,500 DEMON 185, blue LE, fair shape, $500 COMET 185, fair shape, $400 LEAF TALON trainer, $200 ’89 MAGIC KISS 154 White/magenta/Cyan, Coby fins, excellent shape, $1,000 Kite Enterprises (972) 390-9090

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VÄtáá|y|xwá ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EMERGENCY PARACHUTES ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 20 GORE PDA — w/swivel $375. 20 gore $199. Used Quantum 330s, 550s. Many more available. Raven Sky Sports (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AUTHORIZED CHUTE REPAIR —And service center forAPCO, Elan, Chiron powered parachutes and UP/Perche/Independence paragliders and more! We have a full-time loft available with quick turn around for small to huge repairs and annual inspections. Ship your chute to MoJo’s Gear Ltd. Co., 1475 CR 220,Tow,TX 78672 Attn:REPAIR or INSPECTION.Include a note about the service(s) you require as well as a contact phone number and email.We will contact you with an estimate prior to starting the work.

Office: 915-379-1567, www.mojosgear.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HARNESSES ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DOODLE BUG — Motor harness, sales, service, instruction.

Dealers welcome. www.fly101.com(702) 260-7050.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HIGH ENERGY TRACER POD HARNESSES — Sizes and styles change monthly, $300-500. Cocoons $125-$200 each.

Many others available. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOSQUITO HARNESS — Used once, with new parachute.

Young family, no time $3,000 OBO. (712) 276-8098.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOSQUITO POWERED HARNESS — New Prop, one hour airtime, complete super-preflight $3,500 OBO. 1-800-6885637, fly@hanglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PARAGLIDERS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ADVANCE EPSILON 3 — 30m, DHV 1-2, 105-122kg., red w/black trim,Woody Valley airbag harness, reserve, radio and backpack. Under 5 hours on all. Will sell entire package for $2,355 OBO. Steve (570) 326-3120, smc@suscom.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIR SPORTS USA — WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– APCO BAGHERA — Small $1,800. Octane M DHV 1-2, 05/ 01 $1,830. Nova Carbon M, 04/01 $1,995. Booster M, 65-95kg $1,750. Super Space II, medium, reserve, harness $1,700. Bolero, small, like new $1,900. (808) 968-6856, tofly@excite.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EDEL RESPONSE L — Good performance, very friendly, 100 hours, great condition, just inspected $900. Nate (208) 788-8455.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EDEL SABRE — Excellent condition, 90-125kg, 10 hours, military cammo colors $800 OBO. Shop demo equipment: like new 2 XIX wings. Inter L 28M, 80-104kg $1,500. Form 28M, 80-104kg $1,500. Pro Design Compact 33M, fair condition $600. La Mouette motors: 250 with tandem gear $3,000; 210 with extra prop $2,500. (509) 886-4605, skypilotbrian@yahoo.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GIN BOLERO XL - Perfect! Includes all accessories. 105-125 kg, DHV 1. First $1,475 kark1@aol.com or (406) 458-0435. It won’t last long.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ITV AGENA 26 — Beginner-intermediate wing, <40 hours, recent porosity check, includes harness, new Supair reserve, Brauniger IQ Basis vario $2,500 Canadian. (416) 686-7591, (416) 877-6956 Toronto, gjbennet@hotmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PRO DESIGN RELAX — Small (65-90kg) Crispy! Less than 20 hours, includes Pro Design Jam harness w/ side mounted reserve (never thrown), backpack & stuffsack, Kiwi helmet w/ installed radio earpiece and PTT system. Everything in excellent shape-$2,000 for the whole package. Erika (307)7344450, erikaboggs@yahoo.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FIREBIRD FLAME XL blue and white low airtime, excellent condition $1,500

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PRODESIGN CHALLENGER 27 TANDEM glider 200KG max, excellent condition $1,000 EDEL CORVETTE 22 M with harness $400 EDEL CORVETTE 25 M with harness $400 KITE ENTERPRISES, (972) 390-9090 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– POWERED PARAGLIDERS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ADVENTURE F-1 — 31 lbs, 27” prop, Solo 210 engine, low hours, spare prop $750. (310) 372-3648, taylor@logicalevolution.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PARAPOWER USA — New paramotors and wings. Special motorparagliders, designed with safety and easy handling: Silex & Dudek. Perfect balance between motor, harness and glider.

Engines: powerful, quiet, reliable Solo 210. Made in Germany.

Great prices. (630) 595-9346, www.parapowerusa.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– POWERED PARAGLIDER — Solo 210, 42 inch prop,T-6061 frame, 1.3 gallon tank, tiny tach, dry weight 62lbs. Comes with harness, Space 27m wing and new reserve $1,900 OBO. Call or email me for pictures. Call (802) 877-2486 or email: angierfam@surfglobal.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RIGID WINGS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ATOS — Small, brand new, in stock. Not a demo. Why wait?

(262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EXXTACY 135 — Small, 80lbs, 70hrs, comes with extras.

MAXIMUM HOOK-IN WEIGHT 230lbs $5,500 OBO. (206) 244-5122, redris1@attbi.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GHOSTBUSTER PARTS — Sail, flaps, spoilers, ribs, hardware, wires, everything but the leading edges. (970) 641-9207, skyout1@webtv.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEW STALKER — From Aeros, located in Southern California $6,500 OBO. Marc (562) 429-8033, marcw@sprintmail.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ULTRALIGHTS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIR SPORTS USA — WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DRAGONFLY TUG — Excellent condition, see www.geocities.com/kimdonndenman/tug.html for details.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SKY CYCLE — With WWXC 155, only 3 hours flying time, paid $9,000 sell $7,000. (803) 725-1226 days, (803) 649-4183 evenings, curtis.fletcher@svs.gov ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SCHOOLS & DEALERS

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ARIZONA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DIXON’S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING — Dixon White: USHGA’s Instructor of the Year! Airplay:Top ranked school for years and featured in the best selling videos “Starting Paragliding”, “Weather to Fly” and the “Art of Kiting”. The perfect beginner training areas at both our Washington and Arizona locations. Arizona’s “best” beginner season is September through May. Washington is open May through September. At both locations drive-up to 360 degree treeless and rockless launches. Land in wide open fields, enjoy many flights each day! Limited access to the Flight Parks reduce traffic and crowding. Excellent individualized instruction with state-of-the-art lesson plans and equipment. Comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micrometeorology. Great new/used inventory, specializing in Windtech Paragliding Gear and M2 Harnesses, repair center, and superb customer service. In ARIZONA or WASHINGTON appointments are required.

PO Box 2626 Flagstaff, AZ 86003. (928) 526-4579 www.paraglide.com or dixon@paraglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CALIFORNIA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING — Join KEN BAIER for your “Pursuit of Paragliding Excellence” in the land of yearround, excellent paragliding: Southern California and the Baja. Courses for Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor ratings. Powered paragliding, soaring and maneuvers clinics, guided tours, tandem and towing instruction and special events. USHGA certified. Handling the latest equipment. Call (760) 753-2664 for information, airjunkies@worldnet.att.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING — Train on state-ofthe-art WILLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One four hour lesson $100.Three four hour lessons, plus tandem off 2,000ft. $300. Five lessons for $400.Ten lessons plus tandem $750. Complete lesson programs. Year-round instruction.

Launching and landing and thermal clinics available. Call for group rates. Tired of hiking your glider? I’ll help you! Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, High Energy Sports, Ball varios, Camelbaks and more. We love trade-ins. I’m your northern California MOSQUITO HARNESS DEALER. If you live in central through northern California, give me a call or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Call or email, scheduling lessons five days a week, Friday through Tuesdays. Ideal training hill, up to 150ft., 600ft. mountain. 1,200ft. mountain. Tandem instruction. USHGA Advanced Instructor DOUG PRATHER (209) 556-0469 Modesto, CA, drmwvrhg@softcom.net –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

NATIONAL SCHOOL NETWORK — RINGS LOCALLY. For information call David (719) 630-3698, david@davidglover.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ALABAMA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia.

EAGLE PARAGLIDING — We are an Airplay sister school, and teach the same high quality program which has made Dixon’s Airplay a top ranked school for years. We specialize in beginner instruction. SANTA BARBARA caters to paraglider pilots of all levels. Our training hill is unparalleled, and offers year round instruction, equipment sales, SERVICE, and support. By appointment only. www.FlySantaBarbara.com (805) 968-0980.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM CALENDARS USHGA 2002 HANG GLIDING CALENDAR - Outstanding photography. CLEARANCE! .......... 1lb USHGA 2002 PARAGLIDING CALENDAR - First ever! Outstanding photos. CLEARANCE! .... 1lb

PRICE $ 5.00 $ 5.00

QTY Total Weight TOTAL ____ ______ $________ ____ ______ $_______

$24.95 $19.95 $29.95 $29.95 $29.95 $29.95 $24.95 $15.00 $34.95 $19.95 $ 8.95 $10.95 $ 9.95 $ 6.50 $ 2.95

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______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

$________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $_____

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______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

$________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________ $________

PUBLICATIONS ∂HANG GLIDING SPECTACULAR 70 great flying stories, over 250 pages, w/comp CD ............. 1lb ∂BIRDFLIGHT: As the Basis of Aviation. Otto Lilienthal’s flight documentation a century ago. ..... 1lb HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Peter Cheney. Official Training Manual.250pgs. .. 2lb TOWING ALOFT by Dennis Pagen/Bill Bryden. Covers ALL aspects of towing. 372 pgs. ........... 3lb HANG GLIDING TRAINING MANUAL by Dennis Pagen For the beginner/novice pilot. 350 pgs . 2lb PERFORMANCE FLYING by Dennis Pagen. For the Intermediate-Advanced pilots. 340 pgs. ..... 3lb UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. THE most complete book on micrometerology. 2lb INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL by Dennis Pagen, used in IP’s. Illustrated. Check one o HG o PG .... 2lb ∂THE ART OF PARAGLIDING by Dennis Pagen *NEW *. Covers ALL aspects. 274 pgs. .......... 3lb PARAGLIDING-A PILOT’S TRAINING MANUAL by Mike Meier/Wills Wing. Covers all aspects. 2lb RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HG PILOTS by Erik Fair. Reprints of Erik’s HG column. Classic. ........ 1lb DOWNWIND by Larry Fleming. Share the experience of over 20 years of hg flight. ..................... 1lb A RISK MGMT MANUAL by M. Robertson. Includes Charts/Reliability. Become a better pilot!. .. 1lb DELUXE FLIGHT LOG BOOK 4.25” x 7” 68+ pages. Log over 270 flights. ................................ 3oz FLIGHT LOG BOOK The Official USHGA flight log book. 40 pages. Log those flights! .............. 2oz

VIDEOS All our videos are in USA/VHS NTSC format. ∂TO FLY: SPECIAL PROMO VIDEO. Free Shipping. Check one ❏IHG (10 min) ❏IPG (7 min) ... 0lb WEATHER TO FLY Dixon White educates us on this very important subject. (50 min) ................ 1lb SPEED GLIDING: TEAR UP THE SKIES Great camera angles & animation. (24 min) ............... 1lb STARTING HANG GLIDING Basic preparation, attitude & what to expect. (30min) ..................... 1lb DUST DEVILS Fly with the Women’s World Hang Gliding Team in Chelan, WA. (24 min) ........... 1lb PARTY AT CLOUDBASE A hang gliding music video, set to hard driving music. (20 min) .......... 1lb TELLURIDE AEROBATICS Follow the dynamic history of this event, from “81-95”. (50 min). ... .1lb BORN TO FLY HG action. Meet Larry Tudor & Green team, fly Owens, Sandia, etc. (50 min). ... .1lb HANG GLIDING EXTREME Fly spectacular sites in the US. Meet the top pilots. (50 min) .......... 1lb ∂SPEED TO FLY World tour instructional video on XC PG flying techniques & tips. (70 min) ...... 1lb GROUND HANDLING & The Art of Kiting PG Instructional. Learn techniques & tips. (44 min) ... 1lb A HIGHER CALLING Superb paragliding XC adventure in Nepal. Excellent editing. (45min) ..... 1lb THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN Spans the globe for the quintessential paragliding site. (44 min) .... 1lb BALI HIGH Exotic paragliding adventures in Indonesia. (38 min) ................................................. 1lb STARTING PARAGLIDING Basic preparation, attitude & what to expect. (30min) ...................... 1lb MASTERS AT CLOUDBASE A paragliding music video, set to hard hitting music. (20 min) ........ 1lb FLY HARD Rob Whittal & C. Santacroce paraglide the westcoast. Rock soundtrack. (36 min). .. .1lb CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING Great intro. video. Meet the hot pilots, fly the hot sites. (36 min) ... 1lb All our videos are in USA/VHS NTSC format only.

$ 9.95 $39.95 $24.95 $29.95 $19.95 $19.95 $24.95 $34.95 $34.95 $39.95 $36.95 $32.95 $36.95 $29.95 $29.95 $19.95 $35.95 $34.95

MISC. WINDSOKTM 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, 5’4" long w/11" throat. ❏IPink/yellow or ❏Ipink/white . ......... 2lb $39.95 ____ ______ $________ ZING WING Flying toy. Launch it skyward and watch is soar. ..................................................... 8oz $ 2.50 ____ ______ $________ RED/WHITE/BLUE DECAL Two color on white vinyl, UV coated. Check one ❏IHG ❏IPG ........ 1oz $ 1.00 ____ ______ $________ LAPEL PIN Two color enamel. Check one ❏ HG ❏ PG ..................................................... 2oz $ 2.95 ____ ______ $________ USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular sticker. ....... .1oz $ .50 ____ ______ $________ LICENSE PLATE FRAME: ❏ I’d Rather Be Hang Gliding or ❏ I’d Rather Be Paragliding . ....... 1lb $ 6.50 ____ ______ $________ PAYMENT must be included with your order.

NON-USA orders must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK! SUBTOTAL WEIGHT (for shipping) ______ ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————

SHIPPING (USA)

CHARGE MY VISA /MC/AMEX

SUBTOTAL $___________

Up to 2 LBS ADD $5.00 2.1-4 LBS .. ADD $6.00 Acct#_______________________ Colorado residents add 3% tax $____________ 4.1-6 LBS .. ADD $6.50 6.1-8 LBS .. ADD $7.00 expires___________________ Shipping (see chart) $____________ 8.1-10 LBS .ADD $8.00 TOTAL $___________ Over 10 LB..Call/fax/email signature____________________ NON-USA SHIPPING-Call/fax/email Email____________________

Send To: ___________________________________________________ USHGA #___________ Phone_____________________ Street Address (if possible)_________________________________________________________________________________

United States Hang Gliding Assn., PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 1-800-616-6888 www.ushga.org fax (719) 632-6417 email: ushga@ushga.org

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW APPAREL AT WWW.USHGA.ORG May 2002

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FLYABOVE ALL — Experience year-round paragliding instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA! Our friendly, experienced staff offers hands-on, personalized, radio-controlled lessons. Enjoy soaring the best training hill in the Western US and when you land, shuttles will whisk you back to the top for your next scenic flight. USHGA certified, solo, tandem and powered paragliding instruction,equipment sales and tandem flights.Visit our Website at www.flyaboveall.com or call at (805) 965-3733.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLY AWAY HANG GLIDING — Santa Barbara. Personalized instruction. (805) 957-9145, www.flyaboveall.com/flyaway.htm ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– THE HANG GLIDING CENTER — PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265-5320.

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TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT — Come soar in San Diego! This family owned and operated flying site offers USHGA certified instruction, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized pg/hg instruction, parachute repacks, repairs, and site tours.We also have an extensive pg/hg outfitting shop and dining with a view when you eat at our own Cliffhanger Café. Importers for ADVANCE, PARATECH,AVA SportAccessories,Crispi boots,Center of Gravity helmets, Fly Mike flight suits, Gut Stuff gloves, and AustriAlpin carabiners and dealers for most other brands. Check us out online for sales and questions at: www.flytorrey.com, or call toll free at 1877-FLY-TEAM.Also,tune in to the Internet ParaglidingTalk Show at www.wsradio.ws every Thursday 5-7:00 pm (PST).

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THE BEST AEROTOW — Instruction available.The only U.S. hang gliding school with TWO NATIONAL CHAMPION INSTRUCTORS and U.S. WORLD TEAM MEMBERS Bo Hagewood 2000 National Champion And Paris Williams 2001 National Champion. From your first tandem to advanced X-C racing instruction. Open every day with beautiful remodeled 90+ acre facilities. Plenty of other activities like our screened in pool, hot tub, private lake, canoes, fishing, volleyball and just minutes from Orlando attractions.

Learn from the best.... at Quest! www.questairforce.com Email: questair@sundial.net (352) 429-0213 Groveland, FL –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Aerotow Flight Park Satisfaction Guaranteed JUST 8 MILES FROM DISNEY WORLD

LARGEST HANG GLIDING SHOP — In the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment and has two virtual reality hang gliding flight simulators.We stock new and used…Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the hottest new harnesses. Trade-ins are welcome.

Our comprehensive training program, located at the San Francisco Bay Area’s finest beginner site features: gently sloped “bunny hills,” Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and comfortable training harnesses!

“FIRST FLIGHT”15 minute video tour of our beginner lesson program shows a student’s skill progression $20 (shipping included).

1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95035 (near San Jose). (408) 262-1055, fax (408) 262-1388. mission@hang-gliding.com www.hang-gliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OJAI PARAGLIDING — Ojai is Southern California’s best kept secret. Year-round, great soaring in this beautiful valley surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest. Near Santa Barbara and Ventura. Great cross-country possibilities.

Courses for beginner to advanced pilots. Motorized paragliding, guided tour and tandems. New and used equipment, 12 years in the business! Tel# (805) 646-9660, info@flyojai.com, www.flyojai.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

THERMAL DYNAMICS PARAGLIDING — & FlyaGlider.com Visit Southern California’s most consistent flying site! Marshal/ Crestline! We can arrange complete vacation packages, combining the beauty of mountain living with some of the best paragliding in the country. Beginning and Advanced instruction as well as specialty clinics are available. Our Lead Instructor,Tim Nelson, has flown locally since 1993. Currently, he is a Four Diamond Master Rated Advanced Instructor.

With his local experience, we can make your flying vacation one to remember! Go to FlyaGlider.com for more information and to see the new live flycam! Or call us direct at 1-888310-8998 and (909) 338-4099.

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• YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • SIX TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DIRECTION 50+ NICE demos to fly: Topless to Trainer Gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwave, Exxtacy, La Mouette, Sensor; also harnesses, varios, etc.

DON’T RISK BAD WEATHER — Bad instruction or dangerous training hills. 350 flyable days each year. Learn foot launch flying skills safely and quickly. Train with professional CFI’s at world famous Dockweiler Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in a thorough program with one of America’s most prestigious schools for over 25 years.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– COLORADO ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING — Full-time lessons, sales, service. Colorado’s most experienced! Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Aeros, Airwave, High Energy, Ball, Flytec, Flight Connections and much more. Call (303) 674-2451, Evergreen, Colorado AirtimeHG@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CONNECTICUT ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLORIDA –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Ages 13 To 73 have learned to fly here.

No one comes close to our level of experience and success with tandem aerotow instruction.

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS...

10 motels & restaurants within 5 mins., camping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, storage, ratings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, etc.

Flights of over 200 miles and more than 7 hours.

Articles in Hang Gliding, Kitplanes, Skywings, Cross Country and others. Featured on numerous TV shows, including Dateline NBC, The Discovery Channel & ESPN.

Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com Please call us for references and video.

1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Area, FL 33837 (863) 424-0070 - phone & fax

fly@wallaby.com 1-800-WALLABY Conservative • Reliable • State of the Art F.H.G. INC./FLYING FLORIDA SINCE 1974

18265 E. State Road 80, Clewiston FL. (863) 805-0440, www.thefloridaridge.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain training center to Orlando (only 8 hours).

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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May 2002

Malcolm Jones, Laurie Croft, Carlos Bessa, Rhett Radford, Tiki Mashy, Jeremie Hill, Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Mike Barber, Neal Harris, Bart Weghorst, Carolina de Castro, Paul Moncure, Bob McFee, Emily Boespflug

NO MORE BUNNY… THE HILL WITH IT!

WE HAVE — The most advanced training program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half the time it takes on the trainingBUNNY HILL, and with 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 Hang Gliding (305) 2858978. 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GEORGIA –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Lookout Mtn. GA/TN FULL HOOK-UPS — Laundry, propane, recreation room. 1-800-803-7788.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookout than at any other school! We wrote USHGA’s Official Training Manual. Our specialty-customer satisfaction and fun with the BEST FACILITIES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For a flying trip, intro flight or lesson packages, Lookout Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, your COMPLETE training/service center. Info? (800) 688-LMFP. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HAWAII –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– IDAHO ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KING MOUNTAIN GLIDERS — Alluring site plus shop supplying all your HG/PG needs. Instruction, equipment sales, complete accessories. Visit our website www.kingmountaingliders.com or (208) 554-2224.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ILLINOIS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HANG GLIDE CHICAGO — Full service aeropark, 2 tow planes. Full time certified instructors, ultralight instructors, East Coast record 213 miles. (815) 495-2212, www.hangglidechicago.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RAVEN SKY SPORTS — (312) 360-0700, (815) 489-9700 or (262) 473-8800. 2 hours from Chicago, 90 minutes from Elgin, Palatine or Libertyville. The best instructors, the best equipment, the best results in the Midwest. 7 days/week, March thru November. Training program for combined/integrated FOOT LAUNCH AND AEROTOW certification.Apply 100% of your intro lesson costs to certification program upgrade!

Please see our ad under WISCONSIN. info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– INDIANA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RAVEN SKY SPORTS — (262) 473-8800. Please see our ad under Wisconsin. info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MARYLAND –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Baltimore and DC’s full time flight park Tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service.

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

Two 115 HP Dragonfly tugs Open fields as far as you can see Only 1 to 1.5 hours from: Rehoboth Beach Baltimore Washington DC Philadelphia Come Fly with US!

BIRDS IN PARADISE — Hang gliding & ultralight flying on Kauai. Certified tandem instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) 639-1067, birds@birdsinparadise.com www.birdsinparadise.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MAUI WOW WEE — Proflyght Hawaii, first school in Hawaii, located on Maui, is now under new ownership. The best just got better.When it gets cold in the north, Maui is the place to fly, explore, relax and/or learn to fly.Team Proflyght sports an incredible training facility, wonderful year-round weather, 1,000' training slope, 100' to 7’000 vertical descents off Haleakala Crater (10,023'). Toll Free 877-GO-FLY-HI.Visit our website WWW.PARAGLIDEHAWAII.COM

Ph 410.634.2700 Fax 410.634.2775 24038 Race Track Rd Ridgely, MD 21660 www.aerosports.net hangglide@aerosports.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MEXICO ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MEXICO — Year-round, summer in Monterrey, winter inValle de Bravo. 1-800-861-7198, www.flymexico.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MICHIGAN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION — Aerotow specialists. We carry all major brand hang gliders. FREE PVC glider storage/ transport tube with new glider purchase. Now in stock:Wills TALON COMP!, XC 155, Falcons; Moyes Litespeed 4, Sonic

May 2002

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165; Magic Kiss 154. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in stock. Call for spring tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, MI 48892. (517) 2238683. Cloud9sa@aol.com. http://members.aol.com/cloud9sa ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MICHIGAN SOARING — Delivering VALUE with the best combination of SERVICE, QUALITY & PRICE. ALL major brands of gliders and gear. Call Doug Coster (231) 882-4744, wingman@traverse.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS — Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450' sand dunes. FULLTIME SHOP. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering POWERED PARAGLIDING lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (231) 922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 739-8620.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MINNESOTA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– RAVEN SKY SPORTS — (612) 340-1800 or (262) 473-8800.

Please see our ad under WISCONSIN. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MONTANA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HIGH PLAINS PARAGLIDING — Superior quality paragliding equipment, excellent prices, and friendly service. On the web at: http://hometown.aol.com/hiplainz or phone (406) 458-8636.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEVADA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ADVENTURE SPORTS — Sierra soaring at its best. Tours and tandems available. Instruction from certified USHGA instructors with 25 years experience. Sales, service and instruction by appointment Carson City/Lake Tahoe NV. (775) 883-7070 http://home.pyramid.net/advspts ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LAS VEGAS AIRSPORTS — USHGA certified hang gliding instruction. Sales and service, boat tow, mountain soaring, XC. (702) 260-7950, www.fly101.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEW JERSEY ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEW YORK ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AAA FLIGHT SCHOOL — MOUNTAIN WINGS INC.Your full service Pro Shop serving the North East. We sell and service all the best brands. www.mtnwings.com mtnwings@catskill.net 150 Canal Street, Ellenville, New York 12428 WOODY VALLEY HARNESSES, V-MITTS $25.00 Paragliding, Ultralights, Towing. (845) 647-3377 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AIR SPORTS USA — NYC’s first and only certified hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), powered paragliding.

Distributors for Avian. Dealers for most major brands. Full service and equipment at best prices.The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 777-7000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET

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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. — Serving S. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas. Area’s EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories.

Certified school/instruction.Teaching since 1979.Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary instruction...if you’ve started a program and wish to continue. Fly the mountain! Towing! Tandem flights! Contact Paul Voight, 5163 Searsville Rd, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (845) 744-3317.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK — Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. 40 acre park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. We have the best facilities in N. New York state to teach you how to fly. c/ o Dan Guido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13407, (315) 866-6153.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NORTH CAROLINA –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Kitty Hawk Kites Flight Park

Fly At The Beach!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OREGON –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

SUNSPORTS PARAGLIDING — Hood River, Oregon.

Beginner lessons, sales, service, repacks, tandem flights.APCO, SUP’AIR, FLYTEC, HANWAG, IN STOCK! We have a complete shop with EVERYTHING that you need in stock!

Rick Higgins, SunSportsPG@aol.com, (541) 387-2112; Mark Telep thatspec@hotmail.com, (541) 308-0101 Web: http://hometown.aol.com/rsunsports/myhomepage/ index.html ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PENNSYLVANIA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS — See Maryland.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION — Certified instruction, Pittsburgh. (412) 767-4882. C’MON OUT AND PLAY! ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PUERTO RICO ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLY PUERTO RICO — Team Spirit Hang Gliding, HG classes daily, tandem instruction available. Wills Wing dealer. Glider rentals for qualified pilots. PO Box 978, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico 00741. (787) 850-0508, tshg@coqui.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TENNESSEE ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TEXAS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION ––––––––– • AEROTOWING • BOAT TOWING –––––––––––––––– • BEACH RESORT • TRAINING CAMPS ––––––––––––– • FOOT LAUNCH • OPEN YEAR ROUND –––––––––––– • PARAGLIDING • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE

(800) 334-4777 NAGS HEAD, NC Internet Address: http://www.kittyhawk.com E-Mail Address: info@kittyhawk.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

SOUTHERN SKIES — MOUNTAIN FLYING and POWERED PARAGLIDING instruction, sales and service with full-time shop, 1 hour north of Charlotte. 7 beautiful flying sites nearby.

(828) 632-6000 WWW.SOUTHERNSKIES.NET

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• SEASONAL OPERATIONS (JUN-NOV) • EXCELLENT XC FLYING • TANDEM INSTRUCTION • AERO TOWING • DRAGONFLY/TRIKE INSTRUCTION • INTRO FOOT LAUNCH CLASSES • FLY-INS AND CLINICS • SALES AND SERVICE • 600-ACRE FACILITY • ALL FLYING BY RESERVATION ONLY Steve Burns - 979.279.9382 email: sburns@alpha1.net 800B Pine St., Hearne TX 77859 Fred Burns - 281.471.1488 email: austinair@aol.com 3810 Bonita Lane, La Porte TX 77571 WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GO...HANG GLIDING!!! — Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fax (512) 467-2529 jeff@flytexas.com www.flytexas.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HILL COUNTRY PARAGLIDING INC — Learn complete pilot skills. Personalized USHGA certified training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 379-1185. 1475 CR 220, Tow TX 78672.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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May 2002

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KITE ENTERPRISES — Slope, stationar y winch, platform launch and aerotow training, sales, rentals and repair. Wills Wing, Moyes, Northwings, Firebird, Gin, Ozone. Dallas, Fort Worth and north Texas area.

(972) 390-9090, www.kite-enterprises.com.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– UTAH ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– S U P E R F LY P A R AG L I D I N G A C A D E M Y — T h e P a r a g l i d i n g A c a d e my i s t h e n a t i o n ’s f o re m o s t paragliding center offering comprehensive pilot training programs, powered paragliding instruction, tandem flights, maneuvers training, towing training/ certification, and tandem pilot training.

The Paragliding Academy is the closest shop to Point of the Mountain, open year round and is supported by the Super Fly, Inc. distribution and service center just minutes away. Instructors: Ken Hudonjorgensen, Scotty Marion, Kevin Biernacki, Dale Covington, Bo Criss, Ryan Swan, Jeff Farrell and Chris Santacroce.

(801) 816-1372 www.paraglidingacademy.com.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WASATCH WINGS — Utah’s only full service hang gliding school, Point of the Mountain, regional mountain sites, towing. Dealer for Aeros, Airwave, Altair, Moyes, Wills Wings and much more.

Call Zac (801) 244-7494, wings@wasatch.com www.wasatch.com/~wings ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– VIRGINIA –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

BLUE SKY — Fulltime instruction and service at Manquin Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, Flight Design, Aeros and Airwave gliders.

Mid-Atlantic Mosquito dealer.

Steve Wendt (540) 432-6557 or(804) 241-4324, www.blueskyhg.com, blueskyhg@yahoo.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS — See Maryland.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KITTY HAWK KITES — See North Carolina.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

FLY AT VIRGINIA’S NEWEST TOTAL FLIGHT PARK — MANQUIN offers aerotowing, tandem lessons, platform truck towing, training hill and scooter towing fo r b e g i n n e r t h r u a d v a n c e d p i l o t s . C e r t i f i e d instruction, glider equipment sales, service and repair through “BLUE SKY” Virginia’s leading hang gliding school.

Try 3-axis flying with certified ultralight instruction through “FLY RAWLING”, learn to fly and soar the SuperFloater.

Just 2 hours south of Washington DC, minutes NE of Richmond. Free camping and close to fast food, restaurants and Kings Dominion theme park.

Visit www.blueskyhg.com.

(540) 432-6557

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CURECT1C'NS WITHOUT BCUNCARIES May 2002

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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SILVER WINGS, INC. — Certified instruction and equipment sales. (703) 533-1965 Arlington VA, silverwingshanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WASHINGTON ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DIXON’S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING — Please see our classified ad under Arizona. www.paraglide.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HANGTIME — Dealer of the MOSQUITO powered harnesses. Call for CLINIC dates. Right here in the pacific northwest. (509) 525-3574, lbbrown@bmi.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WISCONSIN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– R AV E N S K Y S P O RT S H A N G G L I D I N G A N D PARAGLIDING — The Midwest’s Premier aerotow flight park, founded in 1992. Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of foot-launch and aerotow tandem skills, at package prices to beat any in the USA. Seven beautiful, grassy training hills facing all wind directions. Four Dragonfly tow planes, no waiting!

Four tandem gliders on wheeled undercarriages. WW Falcons for training from the very first lessons. USUA ultralight and tug instruction. Free camping. Sales/ service/accessories for all brands. Open 7 days a week, March thru November. Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box 101, Whitewater WI 53190 (262) 473-8800 phone, (262) 473-8801 fax, www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WYOMING –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING — Come to Paragliding Paradise and enjoy alpine flying at its absolute best. Ten sites in a ten-mile radius including the 4,139' aerial tram. Jackson Hole Paragliding offers scenic tandem flights, beginner through advanced instruction, mountain thermal clinics, x-c clinics, maneuvers training, aerobatic demonstrations, scooter, truck, and boat towing. The Jackson Hole Paragliding team features advanced instructors Scott Harris and Tom Bartlett, x-c masters Jon Hunt and Chip Hildebrandt, world class aero-pilots Matt Combs and Ranyon D’Arge, tow tech Randy Alfano, and videographer Demian McConnell. Call to set up a vacation package tailored to improve your flying skills and to build your confidence. (307) 690TRAM (8726) flyrun@wyoming.com www.jhparagliding.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PARTS & ACCESSORIES ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AMAZINGLY LOW PRICES — On all Ball varios!

Bob@brokerforyou.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AV8 — LAMINAR PARTS. We have what you need and we are committed to same day shipping. AV8. Call (760) 721-0701 or email at indasky@yahoo.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– BRAUNIGER IQ BASIS VARIO — Never used, $300 OBO. Kenwood TH-22AT Radio, like new $200 OBO. Erika or Jeff (307) 734-4450, erikaboggs@yahoo.com

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• ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE

MINI VARIO — World’s smallest, simplest vario! Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0-18,000 ft., fast response and 2 year warranty. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (714) 966-1240 MC/Visa accepted, www.mallettec.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

• Water/Dust Resistant Push Button • Field Replaceable Finger Switch • Heavier Gauge Wire/Improved Plugs • Increased Strain Relief at ALL Joints Price $119.95. Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchase. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (785) 843-1842. MC/Visa.

Visit our website at www.flightconn.com, mikedillon@flightconn.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FOR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS — Check out the Aviation Depot at www.mojosgear.com featuring over 1000 items for foot-launched and powered paragliding, hang gliding, stunt and power kiting, a n d p o we re d p a r a c h u t e s . 2 4 / 7 s e c u re o n l i n e shopping. Books, videos, KITES, gifts, engine parts, harness accessories, electronics, clothing, safety equipment, complete powered paragliding units with training fromHill Countr y Paragliding Inc. www.hillcountryparagliding.com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only.

Office (915) 379-1567.

————————————————————— GHOSTBUSTER PARTS — Sail, flaps, spoilers, ribs, hardware, wires, everything but the leading edges. (970) 641-9207, skyout1@webtv.net –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DOUBLE BAG! — XC $60., heavy waterproof $100.

Harnesses, accessories, used parts. Low prices, fast delivery! Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305 http://gunnisongliders.com/ ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HANG GLIDING BOAT — For sale, see at www.fly101.com.

(702) 260-7950.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– KLASSIC OR CONCEPT WINGLETS — One pair left, brand new in box $350 OBO or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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May 2002

The world-class XCR-180 operates up to 3 hours @18,000 ft. and weighs only 4lb. Complete kit with cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula and remote on/off flowmeter, only $400.00.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SPECTACULAR TROPHIES — Awards & gifts! Free catalog.

Soaring Dreams (208) 376-7914, Zoolisa@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

Camera mount $48.50. Camera remote (ask about rebate) $45. Vario mount $23. 6" wheels $29.75, 8" wheels $34.75, Add $4 S&H per (US) included. TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage,Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668.

Email: tek@snet.net or our page: www.tekflight.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

HAWK AIRSPORTS INC — P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN 37940-0056, (865) 945-2625.World famous Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Sun-N-Fun EAA Fly-Ins. Hawk@windsok.com, www.windsok.com

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DON’T GET CAUGHT LANDING DOWNWIND! — 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5’4" long w/11" throat.

Available colors fluorescent pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39.95 (+$5.00 S/H). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 809011330, (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417, ushga@ushga.org VISA/MC accepted.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HANG GLIDER INSTRUCTORS — Needed /wanted.

Also needed: tandem instructors, sales people, trike i n s t r u c t o r s . S p e n d t h e s u m m e r i n N ew Yo r k .

Mountain Wings Inc., mtnwings@catskill.net (845) 647-3377.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WANTED TANDEM PILOTS — Seasonal or full time. Must be willing to work long hours. Send resume to fly@hanglide.com or fax to (706) 398-2906.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Otto Lilienthal’s genius in scientific observations and analysis, documented in this work, became the basis for the experimentation of the early pioneers in aviational flight.The “hero” of the Wright brothers, Otto is considered to be “The Father of Gliding Flight.” Lilienthal’s definitive book has been out of print for almost a century, but is now available to everyone for a wonderful and absorbing journey into aviational history. 176 pages, 16 photographs, 89 drawings and 14 graphs. $19.95 (+$5 s/h) Call USHGA 1-800-616-6888, or order off our website www.ushga.org –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

BAG IT! — If you don’t have your copy of Dennis Pagen’s PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, available through USHGA Headquarters $29.95 (+$5.50 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

1-800-616-6888 www.ushga.org –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

THE ART OF PARAGLIDING — By Dennis Pagen.

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! Step by step training, ground handling, soaring, avoiding dangers, and much much m o re . 2 7 4 p a g e s , 2 4 8 i l l u s t r a t i o n s . T h e m o s t complete manual about paragliding on the market. $34.95 +$5.00 s/h. USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fax your MC/ Visa/Amex to (719) 632-6417, www.ushga.org, ushga@ushga.org ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– *NEW* PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL — By Dennis Pagen, available through USHGA. Covers: Learning to teach/Teaching to learn; school organization; teaching beginners; teaching novice; weather considerations and much more. 140 pages packed with illustrations. $15.00 +$5 s/h. USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fax your MC/Visa/Amex to (719) 632-6417, www.ushga.org, ushga@ushga.org

HARRY AND THE HANG GLIDER is a beautifully illustrated, hardcover children’s book with 40 color pages written for pilots to share the dream of flight!

To order: send $24.95 plus $3 shipping to SkyHigh Publishing, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, AZ 85719 or call (520) 628-8165 or visit http://www.flash.net/~skyhipub Visa/MC accepted.

May 2002

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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 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) 392-1177.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– TOWING ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES — Headquar ters f o r : T h e f i n e s t re l e a s e s , s e c o n d a r y re l e a s e s , Spectra “V” bridles, weak links, tandem wheels, l a u n c h c a r t k i t s , e t c . T H E WA L L A B Y R A N C H (863) 424-0070.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DRAGONFLY — 1996, 2-place, 810 hours, 582 w/ clutch, 20 hours since major, salmon color $16,800.

Mike (601) 932-0250W, (601) 845-8503H ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DRAGONFLY B-MODEL KIT — Built by Bobby Bailey $13,600. Rotax 582 fitted and plumbed radiator, exhaust $6,626. Electric start, 6 blade Ivo prop with clutch $1,100. Rear seat and controls $1,250. Brake kit installed $250. BRS 900 VLS $2,595.

Instrument pack: Alt, ASI, Tacho, temp gauges, Hobbs $1,017. Painted one color $1,200. Tow system $375.

Total $28,013. A 50% deposit is required. Bobby Bailey can be available for basic training after completion. Kenny Brown/Moyes America, 200 Hillcrest Drive, Auburn CA 95603, (530) 888- 8622, f a x ( 5 3 0 ) 8 8 8 - 8 7 0 8 , f l y a m o ye s @ a o l . c o m , www.moyesamerica.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– VIDEOS & FILMS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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

Dixon White, Master pilot and USHGA Examiner, takes you through a simple step-by-step process showing where to acquire weather data and how to interpret it. This video will help pilots of any aircraft understand more about modeling and forecasting.

You’ll learn about regional and local influences and how to determine winds aloft and stability. “Weather To Fly” is an over-all view packed with useful details and includes great cloud footage. It is a straightforward presentation that is easy to follow. 50 min. $39.95 *NEW* SPEED TO FLY with Jockey Anderson. A complete video guide to cross country paragliding.

Great air-to-air and in-board footage with Jockey as he takes you around the world, providing flying tips and interviewing the top pilots. Covers thermaling, decision making, competition flying and speed to fly.

70 minutes $39.95 *NEW* A HIGHER C ALLING by Dawn Treader Productions. Winner “People’s Choice Award” at the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2000. A story of six friends attempting to fly cross country together as a group through western Nepal, where finding launches & landings becomes a daily routine. Become immersed into the Nepal culture upon every landing.

Superb editing. 45 minutes $32.95

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May 2002

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Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding ~ 800.688.5637 - www.lhanglide.com May 2002

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Index to Advertisers Adventure Productions........... 39 Aerolight .......................... 39, 48 Airborne ................................ 17 From the Telluride Festival in 1981, to the modern day freestyle competition. Follow the history of this dynamic gathering. $24.95 Call USHGA (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417, order from our web site www.ushga.org.

Please add +$4 domestic s/h.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MISCELLANEOUS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Attack Tubes .......................... 78 Blue Sky Avionics................... 73

By Dan Johnson..................... 31

Critter .................................... 30 Dixon’s Airplay ...................... 36 Fex America ........................... 22 Fly Market ............................... 4 Flytec USA.... Inside Front Cover

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ATTACK TUBES

Apco ...................................... 25

Chelan Flyers ......................... 48

“AEROBATICS” — Full color 23"x 31" poster featuring John Heiney doing what he does best-LOOPING! Available through USHGA HQ for just $6.95 (+$5.00 s/h). Fill that void on your wall! Send to USHGA Aerobatics Poster, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters are NOT AVAILABLE on international orders.) SPECIALAerobatics poster & Eric Raymond poster-BOTH FOR $10 (+$5 s/h). Check the merchandise section of our web site www.ushga.org for a color picture of these beautiful posters.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FLY BEAUTIFUL CHELAN BUTTE — Furnished log home in Chelan, owned by P3 pilot, $800/wk or $2,400/mo. Up to 8 people. Call or write for details or reservations.

(509) 682-4679 or specker5@aol.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MULTI FUNCTIONAL KEY RING — Help-seeking signal, flashlight, detecting illegal sur veillance , distinguishing counterfeit bills. Useful, convenient and inexpensive 425. (801) 808-0146.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rate for classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps.

MINIMUM AD CHARGE $5.00. A fee of $15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each photo. LINEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in bold print. Special layouts of tabs $25.00 per column inch.

P h o n e n u m b e r = 2 wo rd s . E m a i l o r we b address=3words. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing 2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. February 1st for the April issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330, (719) 632-8300. Fax (719) 632-6417 or email: ushga@ushga.org your classified with your Visa/MC or Amex.

G U A R A N T E E D

Hall Brothers ......................... 39 High Plains ............................ 21 Just Fly................. 23, 31, 34, 39 Lookout Mt. .............. 33, 56, 77 Mojo’s Gear............................ 77 Moyes .................................... 35 Skyco Sports .......................... 77

STILL ONLY

37

$

.50

EACH EACH

MOST MOST STYLES* STYLES*

LOWER THE COST OF REPAIR Attack Tubes are about half the cost + of most glider downtubes, and are often stronger than stock tubes.

These replacement tubes are cut and precision milled so they’ll fit perfectly on: • Aeros • Altair • ATOS • Exxtacy • Ghostbuster • Laminar • LaMouette • PacAir • Seedwings • Stalker • UP TRX • Wills Wing. Don’t see yours? Call!

We have aluminum replacements for most “safe edge” tubes and blanks, and we can fill your custom orders as well.

Sport Aviation Pub. ................ 24

We’re so sure you’ll be 100% satisfied with Attack Tubes that we’ll pay for return shipping if you’re not satisfied.

SupAir ................................... 61

Be prepared for that, errrrr, uhhhhh, lessthan-perfect landing at about half the cost.

Superfly ................... Back Cover

* HP-AT VG-side and Exxtacy Attack Tubes are higher price, call. + half-price compared to an average of manufacturer’s prices.

Torrey Pines ........................... 20 Traverse City .......................... 25 US Aeros ................................ 31 USHGA................ Various Pages Wills Wing .... Inside Back Cover .............................................. 17

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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May 2002

Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll-Free: 888.530.9940 E-Mail: custsvc@angleofattack.net Website: http://angleofattack.net 100% Guaranteed. If not satisfied, return unused tubes for 100% money back. Major Credit Cards accepted.

OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged. www.BirrenDesign.com

ST. PAUL, MINN. — My opening segment should start, “Once upon a time, there was Escape Pod, Pod Racer Racer, and Porky Pod...” You’d probably be baffled (though perhaps intrigued). I’m referring to the Pod series from former Seagull hang glider boss, Mike Riggs Riggs.

I’ve unabashedly promoted this project since it came from my challenge for a true “soaring trike.” ◆ Pods are sleek fuselages to house pilots attached to hang glider wings. Their goal is to offer more comfort, low drag and light weight, and a rigid attachment to the glider. You fly seated/supine — and have a full enclosure. Think of a powered ultralight trike except one with all the draggy bits pulled inside. Escape Pod and Pod Racer (and surely Porky Pod, too, when it’s ready) will feature fully retractable tri-gear, in-flight C/G adjustment, and a molded clear plastic canopy that fits smoothly to a composite body. A positive aspect is the rigid connection to glider, such that you can never fall into the wing, possibly preventing broken gliders after a tumble or tuck. ◆ The schedule for Seagull Aerosport’s first offering has now been set. Mike reports he’ll first answer ultralight motorglider demand with the Escape Pod Pod. This variation will have a fully-faired engine and folding prop to make it self-launchable. Riggs calculates weight at 85 pounds but it should be vastly cleaner than anything seen to date. Riggs says he’ll present his first Escape Pod at the Oshkosh airshow in late July. ◆ The UNpowered, under-30-pound Pod Racer designed specifically for hang glider pilots will follow once Escape Pod production starts. These things won’t be cheap, but for some pilots, the Pods will be answers to longtime requests. ◆ Riggs has been in touch with North Wing and Wills Wing to ensure that their gliders will work with the Pod series. He’ll work with other brands, too. Info: mriggs@isd.net ••• At a visit to Wallaby Ranch just three weeks before Wallaby Open the big “Wallaby Open” competition in mid-April, preparations were well underway. The competition field has been enlarged to 110 pilots, “up from 60 the first year of the ‘Open’,” says Malcolm Jones Jones.

If you haven’t been to Wallaby recently, you’ll be amazed how much more land is cleared and smooth. ◆ In addition, Jones stuck his neck out even further, buying an additional 250 acres of land mostly to the east of the current premises. This increases Wallaby to 500 total acres, giving a generous barrier to neighbors who might one day complain if they were next door to ultralight engines and boisterous pilots. I gulped on hearing this as I envisioned how much it raised his mortgage payments. I suspect he may one day profit handsomely from this investment — indeed, huge warehouse buildings have been built only a couple of miles away where once existed only

May 2002

unused “swamp land,” much like that which Malcolm and his team have transformed into the Ranch. But until he may cash out, Jones has preserved a major chunk of Florida for the exclusive use of hang gliding. Who couldn’t love that? ◆ Wallaby was expecting a big month in April — all historical as you read this. The spring month started out with Wills Wing Demo Days Days. WW-brand always throws a good party, participants say, and this year was no exception. ◆ On the same days, members of the Sailplane Homebuilders Association brought ultralight sailplanes of several descriptions, a logical follow-on to renewed interest in flying the two SuperFloaters at Wallaby. ◆ Directly after this gathering, the big Sun ‘n Fun airshow in nearby Lakeland began, followed immediately by the Wallaby Open and then the Flytec Championships at Quest. WHEW! Good times in central Florida. ••• The reason this news is history relates to the combined May 2002 issue of HG/PG magazines and its arrival early in the cover month. As you’ve read elsewhere in the magazine (and in earlier issues), this is “only a test.” You are asked to participate in the final decision. Please do so! ◆ To bring your issue to you early in the month, the late deadline enjoyed by easy-to-edit “Product Lines” was moved up two weeks. This edition was turned in on March 20th at Editor Gil Dodgen’s request; that’s how long it takes for a high quality magazine to turn from electronic page layouts to printed books, delivered by the post office. Though it may seem like a long time, six weeks is much less than many magazines. One title I write for requires material three and a half months ahead of cover date. ◆ True, the Internet offers near instantaneous publishing, but some USHGA members do not use the ‘Net — believe it or not! — and good ol’ paper still has enormous appeal to many readers. Notice the Web has not scuttled magazines or newspapers in other fields (with a very few exceptions). So, enjoy your on-time magazine!

••• Interest continues to build for the 2002 World Record Encampment Encampment, that way-south Texas gathering which has produced world-record flights two years running. Many will merely follow the action via the Internet and other sources, but some want to be participants. FlytecUSA is once again sponsoring the World Record Encampment. Two sessions this year are planned running from mid-June to mid-July. About twice as many people will be let into the 2002 event.

Flex and rigid hang gliders, paragliders, and ultralight sailplanes will attempt new world records.

To register, go to flytec.com and click the WRE button. Questions: david@davidglover.com lll So, got news or opinions? Send ‘em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul, MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. My new e-mail is: News@ByDanJohnson.com. THANKS!

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Kurt Bainum rounding Mt. McCaleb and looking downrange toward Borah Peak, in the distance. Kurt is following Route 1, north to Salmon, and beyond. - photo, Kurt Bainum

Coming in the June issues and beyond; • King Mt. Meet • Winter in Valle • Scary Parachutes • Chad Elchin: Loop Record • Ignazio Bernardi Photographer • Interview: Bob Trampeneau •...and MUCH more!

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