USHGA Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol34/Iss3 March 2004

Volume 34 Issue 3 March, 2004 $4.95

WILLS WING ...

THEY MAKE HANG GLIDERS, RIGHT?

Yes we do. Over the last 31 years we've built more hang gliders than anyone else in the world.

But that's far from all we do.

For more than a generation, we've dedicated ourselves to the entire spectrum of foot launched aviation. When paragliding began to grow as a new sport here in the US, we hosted the first large scale instructor certification seminar and advanced maneuvers clinic to train new instructors and help promote the safe growth of this new form of free flight. Over the years we've teamed up with companies whose commitment to safety, quality, performance and fun is as strong as ours; Airwave and Swing paragliders, Free Flight reserve parachutes, Rotor harnesses, Charly helmets, and Brauniger flight instruments. Our own Works paragliding harness, and the renowned Z5 hang gliding harness round out a complete line of premium products.

What matters most to us is not what type of aircraft you choose to fly, but that you choose to fly.

Because it's all about the flying. It always has been.

Wills Wing, Inc. 500 West Blueridge Ave, Orange CA 92865 TEL 714-998-6359 FAX 714-998-0647 www.willswing.com e-mail: info@willswing.com

R &TPAM NI NT HD A N GE GP L I DA ING R A GEL I D G

Jayne DePanfilis, Publisher: jayne@ushga.org Dan Nelson, Editor in Chief: editor@ushga.org Copy Editor: C. J. Sturtevant Tim Meehan, Art Director: artdirector@ushga.org Steve Roti, Contributing Editor Matt Gerdes, Contributing Editor Davis Straub, Contributing Editor

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 104, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 6328300. FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

Office Staff Jayne DePanfilis, Executive Director, jayne@ushga.org Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jeff@ushga.org Trina Richard, Member Services, trina@ushga.org Bob Archibald, IT Administrator, bob@ushga.org Joanne Peterson, Member Services, joanne@ushga.org

CPM#40065056

USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: Bill Bolosky, President, bolosky@ushga.org Mark Forbes, Vice President, gforbes@mindspring.com Elizabeth Sharp, Secretary, Elizabeth.Sharp@heii.com Randy Leggett, Treasurer, ias@ot.com REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Ray Leonard, Urs kellenberger, Paul Gazis. REGION 3: David Jebb, John Greynald, Tad Hurst. REGION 4: Steve Mayer, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 6: Len Smith.

REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Gary Trudeau.

REGION 9: Randy Leggett, Felipe Amunategui. REGION 10: Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Dave Broyles.

REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Elizabeth Sharp. Bruce Weaver, Dennis Pagen, Russ Locke, Chris Santacroce. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Alan Chuculate, Tiki Mashy, Aaron Swepston, Steve Roti, Dick Heckman, Michael Robertson, Bob Hannah, John Harris, Tom Johns, Ed Pitman, Jennifer Beach, James Gaar, Dave Broyles, Ken Brown, Rob Kells, Dan Johnson, Dixon White, Jan Johnson.

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 United States at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, 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 © 2004 Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers.

We are always looking for good material.

Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 words, however, your topic may demand more or less than this. You may discuss this with the editor.

News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. You are welcome to submit photo attachments, preferably jpeg files smaller than a megabyte.

Calendar of events items may be sent to the email address: editor@ushga.org, as may letters to the editor.

Please be concise and try to address a single topic in your letter.

Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have an idea for an article you may discuss your topic with the editor either by email or telephone.

Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, editor@ushga.org, (425) 888-3856.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for foot-launched air-sports enthusiasts to create further interest in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding and paragliding methods and safety.

Contributions are welcome.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING editorial offices email: editor@ushga.org. ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHGA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. 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 Rogallo membership are $59.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine), ($70 non-U.S.); subscription rates only are $42.00 ($53 non-U.S.). 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. You may also email your request with your member number to: ushga@ushga.org.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

The United States Hang Gliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association,

Cover Image: Photographer Oystein Bjorke captures paraglider pilot Dex Binder flying with co-pilot Chuck the Duck over Maui.

is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

3

“TESTING, I–2,” Field-Testing DHV 1–2 Paragliders DEPARTMENTS

Pilot Briefings: News and Events ............ 7

A team of testers put a handful of new DHV 1-2 wings through their paces.

DHV 1-2s are all the rage, since the newest versions of these intermediate wings offer better performance for advancing novices and better stability for top pilots seeking a more relaxing experience when flying recreationally.

Faces of the Future: Amanda Holmes ...... 9

Review compiled by Matt Gerdes ......................................................... 23

Editor’s Notes: ...................................... 6

Air Mail: Readers write in ....................... 10 USHGA News: ..................................... 13

Wing Review: The Delightful Litespeed S

Master’s Tips: Chris Santacroce ............. 21

The Moyes Litespeed S shows this test pilot that the aging boys at Moyes have achieved their goal of creating a high performance wing for everyman (or omniwoman).

HG 101: G.W. Meadows ......................... 37

Review and Photos by Dennis Pagen .................................................... 31

USHGA: Executive Director’s Letter ......... 15

Site Guide: Finger Lakes ........................ 67

I Went Hang Gliding!

USHGA: BOD directory .......................... 70 Calendar ............................................. 60

Hang gliding is not just for the young.

A 74-year-old adventure-seeker experiences thrills of first hang gliding flight at Lookout Mountain Flight Park.

New Ratings ....................................... 62 Gallery ................................................ 63

By Marshall Trieber ............................................................................. 44

Marketplace/Classifieds ..................... 71 Index to Advertisers ........................... 77 Product Lines: By Dan Johnson ............. 78

4

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding March

D EM PA AR C R HT , M 2E0 N0 T 4

The Third Wave First came the hang gliders, then the paragliders. Now, are the ultralight sailplanes coming to your local flying site?

By Mike Sandlin .................................................................................. 47

Flying Maui Maui offers fun for the family— especially the pilots in the family—any time of year.

By Rich Parry ...................................................................................... 53

A particularly artistic and inspiring collection of images from Dex Binder, J. Patrick Cudahy, Dean Funk, Dan Nelson and Christian Pondella

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

63

5

G U A R A N T E E D

E D I T O R ’ S

C O R N E R

Another Season Awaits Us

J

ust one year ago, this magazine was born. In March, 2003, the first Dan Nelson issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding was delivered to members. That unification of the magazine caused a lot of comments to flow into the USHGA offices, and that’s a good thing. This is your magazine and your association and your voice must be heard.

As with any non-profit membership association, the USHGA is only as strong as its members. Likewise, it is only effective when it is doing the desired work of its members. But unless the membership speaks up, staying on target with membership desires can be difficult. That’s why it is important for members to vote in all elections, to write letters and make calls between elections, and to attend meetings whenever possible.

Twice a year, the USHGA Board of Directors meets to direct actions for the coming months, and to go over past issues. The next meeting is this month in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This meeting allows members the opportunity to not only meet and interact with the board members, but also with the entire USHGA office staff since the association headquarters is located in Colorado Springs. The board of directors and the USHGA staff keep the organization running, but it’s up to members to ensure that it is running in the direction they want. I’d encourage all members to attend the meeting and participate in your association.

Once you’ve written your letters and attended the meetings, though, look outside and take note of this fact: Spring is here! It’s time to dust off the helmet, check out the wing, and head out for some soaring fun in the sun. March marks the start of the flying season in many parts of the country, making it a time of joy and excitement.

6

But before heading out for that first flight, you need to make sure your equipment is in flying condition. Be sure you inspect your wing and your harness thoroughly for any signs of wear, decay or abrasion before taking to the air. Talk to your dealers and instructors about the specific things to look for when checking gear that hasn’t been flown much over the winter. Spring is the time to get all the little tweaks and creaks fixed—things that could cause bigger problems down the road (and maybe keep you out of the air during the peak season while that bigger problem is fixed). Maintain now to avoid losing airtime later. A good place to start would be to read through G.W. Meadows’ Hang Gliding 101 column this month, (and look over last month’s, too—you can use his advice about checking used equipment to look for problem areas in your own gear as well).

Last year was a bad one for accidents and incidents in hang gliding and paragliding in this country. It seemed that as the year progressed, the accidents became more numerous and more serious. I’d like to see that trend reverse this year. Let’s start the year with caution, and keep our gear in top condition, so we can reduce or eliminate the troubling accidents that plagued us last year.

Fly Safely,

ATTACK TUBES 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.

We’re so sure you’ll be 100% satisfied with Attack Tubes that we’ll pay for return shipping if you’re not satisfied.

Be prepared for that, errrrr, uhhhhh, lessthan-perfect landing at about half the cost. * HP-AT VG-side and Exxtacy Attack Tubes are higher price, call. + half-price compared to an average of manufacturer’s prices.

Phone: 209.863.1400 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.

March, March 2004: inquiries Hang Gliding & Paragliding OEM/Dealer encouraged. www.BirrenDesign.com

P I DL O E TP AB R ITE M F I EN NG T S

World Record Flight We received an interesting letter the other day. It seems a new world record in hang gliding was set last year, but most of us in USHGA heard nothing about it. We are pleased to announce that the achievement of Jonas Blanton was accepted by Guinness World Records, and he will be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest solo hang glider pilot, still active.

“My first experience with a dolly launch was in January, 2003, in Florida. In June, I was invited to Raven Sky Sports in Whitewater, Wisconsin. I understood that they had trained a young lady who was ready to solo as the youngest aerotow hang glider pilot in the world. We decided to cover both ends of the spectrum that same weekend, so I went to Wisconsin.

I met the very nice young lady and watched her make a beautiful flight on Saturday, July 12.

“I made my flight on Sunday, July 13. I also joined the Mile High Club by tracking a tug flown by Tim Thompson to an altitude of 5,300 feet.”

Congratulations, Jonas, for a great flight and a remarkable record!

Columnist Dan Johnson takes on new ventures

Jonas Blanton, age 81, made his historic flight on Sunday, July 13, 2003, at Raven Sky Sports. He writes, “I am in my 59th consecutive year of aerial sports, starting with parachute school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1944. Then I went on to the 101st Airborne Division in Europe. After that I enjoyed many years as a civilian parachutist and 19 years as a private pilot. In 1967 I started riding flat kites behind boats and continued that until Bill Moyes and Bill Bennett started building hang gliders.

“Bill Moyes gave me instruction in footlaunch flight behind a Boston whaler boat with a 65-horsepower outboard at Lake Michigan, near Bridgeman, Michigan.

In the last 33 years I have owned, with my friend Mike Ormstead, two Bennetts, three Moyes gliders and one Wills Wing.

For the past several years I have been flying an Airwave.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Dan Johnson, the long-time author of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine’s “Product Lines” column, has announced a new venture: the creation of Dan Johnson Media Corp. This new media business has signed a marketing and publicity contract with BRS, Inc., of South St. Paul, Minnesota. For 17 years Johnson served as vice president of the pioneering parachute maker, giving him a fast-track understanding of its promotional requirements.

“I will be handling marketing activities for BRS, specifically media relations, news releases, press conferences and the preparation of white papers on BRS air safety initiatives,” Johnson said. “The work for BRS, combined with my writing and Internet activities, will keep me busy, although I may pursue a very limited list of other clients.”

Johnson will continue in his roles for ASTM International as chair of the Parachute Task Force Group, for the USHGA as chair of the Publications Committee, and as a board member of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA). He also plans to maintain a schedule of speaking engagements with aviation groups and at airshows.

Dan Johnson is a well-known aviation writer, submitting monthly contributions to Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine as well as to Ultralight Flying!, Kitplanes, EAA Experimenter, GA News and Germany’s Fly & Glide. In 27 years he has published pilot reports on more than 280 light aircraft.

Johnson is the 1999 winner of the USUA’s Moody Award, the 2001 winner of the Spirit of Flight Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was awarded the 2003 Outstanding Leadership Award from the ASTM International. Many of his articles and photos are available on his Web site, www.ByDanJohnson.com.

Safe Pilot Awards presented

• The U.S. Hang Gliding Association congratulates Jon Thompson of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on his achievement of logging 2,000 consecutive safe flights, earning him the Second Diamond Safe Pilot Award. Congratulations, Jon! 7

D E P A R T M E N T

• The U.S. Hang Gliding Association congratulates Kelly Kellar of Gresham, Oregon, on his achievement of logging 2,000 consecutive safe flights, earning him the Second Diamond Safe Pilot Award.

Congratulations, Kelly!

• The U.S. Hang Gliding Association congratulates Paul Voight of Ellenville, New York, on his achievement of logging 3,000 consecutive safe flights, earning him the Third Diamond Safe Pilot Award. Congratulations, Paul!

USHGA Board of Directors Meets The United States Hang Gliding Association’s spring 2004 meeting of the board of directors takes place this month in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The meeting is slated for March 12-14 (Friday-Sunday) at the Le Baron Hotel (formerly the Red Lion) in downtown Colorado Springs. The weekend will be divided between general session meetings of the full board and meetings of each of the standing committees of the board. All USHGA members are invited to come to these meetings; if you are unable to attend but have an issue you’d like addressed, you should contact your regional director before the board meeting.

This year, daily reports from the board will be posted on the USHGA member forum boards on the association’s Web site, www.ushga.org. Members are encouraged to read the postings and leave their own comments and questions—every effort will be made to keep the online postings updated and informative during the meeting weekend.

Board Election Results Are In Speaking of the board of directors, the election results are in. The following incumbents have been re-elected: Mark Forbes, Region 1 John Greynald, Region 3 Jim Zeiset, Region 4 Len Smith, Region 6 Randy Leggett, Region 9 Matt Taber, Region 10 Joining these returning board members are several newcomers (and a couple of former board members who have returned after a period of “retirement”). Joining and rejoining the board this year are: Paul Gazis, Region 2 Urs Kellenberger, Region 2 John “Tad” Hurst, Region 3 Lisa Tate, Region 5 Dave Broyles, Region 11 Alan Chucalate (Region 3), Tim West (Region 2) and Frank Gillette (Region 5) chose not to run for re-election so they will be leaving the board, as will John Wilde of Region 2.

The USHGA offers a hearty thank you to all the individuals who put their names on the ballot. All of the board candidates showed an impressive dedication to our sports simply by running for this demanding position. And our deepest thanks and best wishes go out to the individuals who are not returning to the board. The hard work you’ve put in over the past years is much appreciated. We wish you all the best of luck in your pursuits, and we offer congratulations to all the board members who will be convening in Colorado Springs later this month.

You can find a list of all USHGA board members and their contact information in this issue.

8

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

P I DL O E T P AB R R ITE M F I EN NG T S

Annual Sun Valley Paragliders “High Risin” Fly-in & Dave Bridges Mountain Race March 18-21, 2004 Sun Valley Paragliders Inc. announces the dates of the 5th annual High-Risin’ paragliding Fly-in and Dave Bridges Mountain Race. Over $4000 in cash awards and prizes is offered in the Dave Bridges Mountain Race, Spot Landing Contest and raffle. Other highlights will include aerobatic displays, music and festivities, product expositions, “Kick-Off Party” at Bigwood Bread, and awards ceremony.

The Dave Bridges Mountain Race is a unique competition that, in essence, returns to the foundations of paragliding. Participants race from the River Run Lodge to the top of Bald Mountain (9000 feet MSL, 3300 foot vertical climb) while carrying their paragliding equipment, then fly down as quickly as possible to the base of the mountain for a spot landing on a giant loaf of bread provided

by Bigwood Bread. The race is in memory of Dave Bridges, champion paragliding pilot, mountaineer and former resident of Sun Valley. Dave was lost in an avalanche while on an expedition to the Himalayan peak, Shishapangma. A portion of the funds raised by this event are donated to the Dave Bridges Memorial Fund that helps provide opportunities to athletes in hang gliding, paragliding, climbing and high altitude mountaineering.

For more information: Chuck Smith, FLY SUN VALLEY info@flysunvalley.com, www.flysunvalley.com

Amanda Holmes Amanda Holmes has enjoyed a dozen or so tandem flights. Now, at age 15, she has her sights set on her H2 pilot rating this summer and her instructor’s rating as soon as possible! In the photo above, Amanda prepares to demonstrate spiral recovery while flying under the supervision of her dad and advanced instructor Bill Holmes of Sky Masters School of Hang Gliding. The pair was flying about 3,000 feet above Coolidge Municipal Airport, at Coolidge, Arizona.

Amanda was often found playing in the hang gliding simulator at the age of four, and has been flying since she was 12. Her dad affirms that she is a good pilot and adds that she has firm plans to continue in the sport.

You can find more about Bill and Amanda at www.arizonahanggliding.info.

If you know a child or young adult who flies, please let us know. We’d love to share his or her story in Faces of the Future. Send your suggestions to editor@ushga.org.

A I R

M A I L

January Magazine was Great!

I knew you could do it! Finally, a great Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine.

After all the crap you have received the past few months (and from me, too) I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed this January magazine. To heck with the ads, it was loaded with good, well-written articles and I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed the magazine more.

Thanks,

process of sending in comments about the magazine when I saw the poll for the magazine and the calendar, which I did complete. Not to complain but to just send in feedback, I wish we would go back to a more pure hang gliding-focused calendar. I decided not to buy the calendar because of the paragliding in it. I wonder if you’ll lose money on the combined calendar. I fly with and know paraglider pilots and think it’s great they love what they do but I don’t care to see articles or items related to paragliding.

Bruce Burrus Jason Rider Combined Calendar Crossed the Line First, thanks for doing what you do and promoting the sports. I’m a new pilot and enjoy the information I find on the site and the magazine. I was in the

Columnist Keeps on Delivering I became a USHGA member about 17 years ago but was not active the last 5 years. I just received the last couple of

month’s worth of magazines and I am tickled pink to see that Dan Johnson is still doing the Product Lines. I’d like to see two pages of his words. Please never change this part of the magazine. It is a great overview as to what is going on within the hang gliding community.

Paul Donahue

Aging Pilot Responds I really liked Grant Hoag’s article in the December issue concerning the aging pilot. He makes some really good points that we all should heed. I can relate since I am pulling 50 now, rather than pushing it. I would like to re-emphasize his point about staying in shape. The reason for avoiding McDonald’s and working out is so you can continue to enjoy the fun

through the USHGF

➢ Site Preservation ➢ Safety and Education ➢ Competition Excellence The United States Hang Gliding Foundation supports activities that help ensure that the free-flying community has a future.

Make a tax-deductible contribution today.

The USHGA will match your contribution up to $500 each year when you join or renew your membership.

10

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Contact us at 719-632-8300 — or on the WEB at www.ushgf.org

A I R

things longer. I like to think of Dylan Thomas’s line: “Do not go gently into that dark night, but rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

I would also add the matter of dehydration. Pilots should know that dehydration has been implicated in plenty of aviation accidents and further, that as you age your “sense” of thirst becomes less accurate. You may be very dehydrated and not get the signal in your brain. My approach is to hydrate with a plan.

There are two points with which I disagree. First, I don’t think a pilot should stay local. The flying of new sites is what makes flying interesting and fresh. I think flying the same site forever is what makes pilots bored enough to take up golf. There are only so many times you can polish the same knob, rotate in the same tired thermals over the same wornout terrain. I highly advocate new safe sites and careful cross-countries. I find that most cross-country flights present safer landing fields than our designated landing areas, which are constantly encroached upon by development. Usually my XC flights drop me into wide-open farmlands. Mature pilots can make good decisions and not increase the risk at new sites or terrain.

Secondly, I strongly object to his statement about stopping flaring on landing.

I know some schools may advocate this practice, but I think they are doing a disservice because it is ultimately dangerous.

This technique may work in a nice grassy field at a training site, but certainly a percentage of a school’s students will move on to different sites with perhaps weeds, some rocks, ruts or slopes. It is not safe in my estimation to expect to run when you can trip or encounter an upslope. I know a pilot who dislocated his knee running up a slope. The result is often (as it was in this case) a cut artery. Certainly, as a pilot ages, top running speed is reduced.

Remember, a hang glider stalls around 20 mph. If a pilot can’t flare properly he Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

or she should get to a training hill with a training glider and develop reasonable flare timing skills and stick to gliders that, with an adequate flare, only need a couple of steps in very light wind. Older pilots can be as skillful as young bucks in this regard.

My own plan to keep flying as I age is this: in my 60s, switch to an intermediate glider (lighter, more docile); in my 70s, switch to a single surface; in my 80s, switch to an intermediate paraglider (lighter); in my 90s, switch to a beginner paraglider; in my 100s and beyond, switch to meds.

M A I L

it elicits the, “Wow, is that what you fly?” question. I do not want the answer to be, “No, but...,” for half of the year.

My personal reason not to buy this year is not sufficient to kill the club’s small money-making venture. So I polled the members on the subject on our local listserve. More members said no thanks than said they would buy. Most notably, a couple of biwingual pilots said they did not want the merged calendar. I just did not see enough market for the biwingual calendar to make it worth pursuing this year. With the replies to my quick poll, I recommended to the club board that we forego selling USHGA calendars this year.

Dennis Pagen

Combined Calendar Costs USHGA Sales Here’s a bit of feedback I think I owe the USHGA Board of Directors and Editorial Committee with regard to the 2004 calendar.

The Capital Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (CHGPA) did not buy any USHGA calendars for resale this year. In past years we have purchased between 50 and 100 each year. As the club treasurer and de facto calendar salesman, I made the decision not to buy them this year, after consulting with the rest of the club officers.

Last year we bought a quantity of both HG and PG calendars, and sold out within six weeks of offering them to the members. Some biwingual members bought one or more of each.

This year, when I discovered that USHGA was offering only a 50/50 merged calendar, my immediate reaction was that I did not want any. (I have bought two hang gliding calendars every year since joining USHGA, one for the den at home, one for my office.) I want my wall calendar to relate to how I fly. At the office, I like that

If the 2005 calendars are sold separately for the hang gliding and paragliding communities, I expect us to go back to selling both next year.

Lest anyone think this is a case of paraglider-bashing by hang flyers, let me point out a few items to consider: 1. Our club has had a biwingual membership for over a decade that I know of.

2. Two years ago we changed the club name from CHGA to CHGPA. 3. Last year we successfully sold both calendars.

4. Local members worked hard this past year to open up a 20+ year hang gliding-only site to allow paraglider launches also.

5. One club member produced his own 2004 calendar with all local site pictures he had taken. One month specifically commemorates the inaugural paragliding flight at the site mentioned in #4. His sales were brisk, and at a premium cost over the USHGA calendar price. I bought one.

11

D EA PI AR R M T M A IE LN T

6. On a personal note, I still support publishing a single merged magazine. I, like many, hope that the content balance will settle down, but it has been doing better.

Long-term I plan on learning paragliding myself, once time and money allow.

Hindsight being wonderful, I wish there had been some sort of market survey among the members before producing the 2004 calendar. I voted to merge the magazines. I would have voted against merging the calendars. I can flip past a paragliding article or picture that does not interest me in the magazine. I cannot jump my wall calendar ahead a month to get the wing type I want.

I’m looking forward to continued improvements in our magazine, and two calendars for next year.

Ad Offensive to Pilot’s Daughter I’m enjoying the combined magazine. However, recently my daughter asked if she could look through it and of course I said, “Sure.” While she was thumbing through she made it to the Aeros ad on page 34 of the January issue. As she quickly closed it with the comment, “There’s a bad picture in here, Daddy,” it brought to mind another member’s letter about a picture used in one of your client’s ads previously, with a scantily-clad girl posing on her hands and knees (the company name escapes me now). Please don’t think I’m the same type ninny that protests at rock concerts and the like. I just would like to be able to let my kids, or anyone visiting my home, flip through your magazine and get educated about our sport and know that we aren’t a bunch of crazies that jump off cliffs and have R-rated publications as our official magazine.

Jim Cherry

Sincerely, Cragin Shelton, H3 CHGPA VP/Treasurer

Magazine Design Plans Seem Plain I’ve been reading with interest all the comments regarding the magazine design and I must congratulate the new editors for printing many seeming unfavorable letters to the editor. It does seem that there is a genuine interest in improving the magazine.

Having said that, I must say that I agree with many of the critics on the magazine design. The magazine just looks bad and not very appealing to the hang gliding and paragliding community, and much less to the general public. Is cost the main problem?

The difference with other magazines such as Cross Country is huge. I can give Cross Country magazine to anyone, interested or not in flying, and their imagination will be immediately captured by the stunning photography. The main problem with Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, as many others have pointed out, is the photography: 1) too little color, 2) size usually too small, and 3) too liberal use of photo-editing software to create arty effects. The third point should be easily correctible without cost. I usually see potentially good photos destroyed by either blurring or pixelating them on purpose. Also very often there is a tendency to cram several photos on top of each other or to put text or something else on top of a good image. I think the magazine should strive to present the very best photography without distortion even at the expense of reducing text space.

By the way, some of the best photos sometimes are in the ads.

Just my opinion.

Hernando Sosa

12

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

U S H G A

USHGA Honors Outstanding Individuals

T

By Dan A. Nelson

he sports of hang gliding and paragliding boast many enthusiastic and dedicated participants, but each year the USHGA Board of Directors selects a handful of pilots who stand out as exceptional. These men and women are the honored recipients of numerous awards and commendations presented annually at the spring BOD meeting.

This year, the USHGA Hang Gliding Instructor of the Year Award goes to Sunny Venesky of Highland Aerosports in Ridgely, Maryland. Sunny has been teaching hang gliding for 10 years. He holds a USHGA advanced pilot rating, as well as advanced instructor, tandem instructor and aerotow administrator ratings.

Sunny also has a basic flight instructor rating from the United States Ultralight Association. Since 1994 he has taught more than 5,000 training hill lessons, 3,000 tandem lessons, and has towed over 2,500 gliders in the Dragonfly.

Sunny is also a test pilot for U.S. Aeros.

The USHGA Paragliding Instructor of the Year Award goes to Gabriel L. Jebb of the Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego, California. Gabriel is an avid pilot who started his paragliding career 10 years ago at age 16. He now holds an advanced instructor rating, tandem instructor rating and is USHGA’s youngest administrator for the Flight Instructor and Tandem Instructor training and certification programs. He is also an accomplished powered paraglider pilot, ultralight pilot and aerobatic pilot. What’s more, Gabriel helps promote the sport through his Internet radio show, the first and only paragliding radio talk show in the world, which he co-hosts on World Talk Radio (www.worldtalkradio.com).

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

In addition to honoring instructors, the USHGA board of directors also recognizes the great achievements of several pilots who have been working day-in and dayout to help promote, protect and enhance the sports of hang gliding and paragliding.

Recipients of the USHGA Commendations include: • Doug Stroop and Denise Reed, instructors managing the Airplay Paragliding School property in Cashmere, Washington, who have been tireless crusaders in bringing paragliding to the general public.

The duo developed an impressive multi-media presentation about the joys of free flight. They then convinced such mainstream outlets as REI to allow them to make their presentations at the REI flagship store in Seattle, thus introducing hundreds to the world of paragliding.

N E W S

lawyers, politicians, and public lands managers to keep Point of the Mountain open for hang gliding and paragliding.

• Pete Lehmann has an impressive record of organizing regional competitions while advancing our sports in general throughout Region 9.

• All the pilots who put their safety and competition goals aside and landed out in difficult conditions to help fellow pilots who had gone down and been injured.

These include the unidentified pilots who spiraled down to assist an injured hang glider pilot at the Flytec Championship, and the two pilots—David Wheeler and Honza Rejmanek —who spiraled down and landed on a steep mountain slope to assist an injured paraglider pilot at the U.S. Paragliding Nationals.

The Water Gap Hang Gliding Club, Chapter 44 of USHGA, was named USHGA’s Chapter of the Year. This club serves pilots from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, making it not only an interstate club, but an inter-regional club as well (covering parts of USHGA Regions 9 and 12). The club has a biwingual membership with an enviable safety record—and a reputation for hosting great parties! You can read more about the club and its parties at www.wghgc.org.

Denise Reed and Doug Stroop

• Jack Eckert, past secretary of Water Gap Hang Gliding Club, has been instrumental in developing and maintaining strong, positive relations with land managers in order to keep flying sites open in the Water Gap area.

• Stan Hicks has repeatedly and tirelessly taken on the tedious tasks of working with business owners,

The USHGA Newsletter of the Year comes from the other side of the country. The Ridge Dancer, published by the Bay Area Paragliding Association, was dubbed the year’s best newsletter. Their monthly publication can be found online in PDF format at www.sfbapa.org.

A USHGA Presidential Citation was presented to Chris Santacroce. As one of the principals of Superfly Paragliding and the Paragliding Academy, Chris has 13

UDS H E GP AA NRE W T S M E N T

established himself as one of the top businessmen in the U.S. paragliding market.

He’s also one of the core members of the Red Bull Air Force and a regular favorite in aerobatics competitions around the world. More than that, though, Chris has been an outspoken advocate of our sports. Chris is an active member of the USHGA board of directors and a tireless marketer of free flight.

The Board also presented an Exceptional Service Award to Dick Girard, for his ongoing volunteer work with the USHGA publications teams. Dick played a valued role in helping to develop the processes and practices that helps USHGA to produce themagazine on-time every month.

14

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

U SDHEG PA A / FRA TA MN EE N WT S

News from the Federal Aviation Administration

FAA officials to learn about how Sport Pilot will be implemented.

Plan to be there if you can! Here’s a link to their Web site: www. sun-n-fun.org.

By Jayne DePanfilis, Executive Director UPDATE—Department of Transportation Signs off on the Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft Rule

Jayne DePanfilis

There is a comment period for the rule, but once it reaches this point in the rulemaking it is final. We shouldn’t expect more changes to be made to the rule even though it’s likely that we’ll have some issues with its policy requirements. They’ll be addressed separately with FAA later on.

The Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft rulemaking package was approved December 23, 2003, by Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Norman Mineta. It was then forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final review.

OMB has 90 days to review and return the rule package to FAA, and then it will be published in Federal Register as a final rule. While FAA representatives are optimistic the review will take less than 90 days, past history suggests that OMB may need the entire review period.

DOT approval completes an important step in this rule-making process. With the sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule in its final phase there is no longer any question about whether the sport pilot rule will be enacted, only when it will become an enforceable rule. It could be as soon as in a few weeks, or as far in the future as several years.

LSA Committee meeting to study new Sport Pilot rules The Light Sport Aircraft committee will meet in May, in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s chaired by Earl Lawrence of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and is organized under the guidance of ASTM, an ▼ international organization that manages standards-setting activities for many “If future changes to the rule different industries. The committee are required, Sport Pilot must go (known as F-37) has been holding meetings for over a year to work on design through the entire rulemaking airworthiness standards for light sport process again until it’s in a form aircraft. The standards are established that can be accepted without by consensus of the manufacturers already involved in the industry, rather change. This could take years! than having new rules imposed by some From what I’ve been told, the outside agency. Here is their Web site: new rule package is about the www.astm.org/COMMIT/COMMITTEE/ F37.htm. size of a phone book.”

What’s next for the Sport Pilot package?

Once OMB has approved the rule, the package will be delivered to the FAA Rulemaking office. The FAA folks will need about ten working days to prepare the package for publication in the FAA’s Registry. When it’s complete, the final printed rule will be available for public review at the FAA office in Washington, DC. Interested parties can review the document before it is published in the registry the following day. FAA’s registry is here: www. gpoaccess.gov/FR/index.html.

If future changes to the rule are required, Sport Pilot must go through the entire rulemaking process again until it’s in a form that can be accepted without change. This could take years! From what I’ve been told, the new rule package is about the size of a phone book.

If all goes as expected and no changes are required, FAA will announce the final rule around Easter, before the start of the Sun ‘n Fun air show in Lakeland, Florida on April 13. If you can attend the show this year, you’ll be able to take advantage of briefings by Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

If the Sport Pilot package is approved and published as expected, the May meeting should be another very important event.

End users, manufacturers, industry and association representatives will be able to review the final rules together for the first time, and discuss how to implement them.

I plan to attend Sun’n Fun and the May ASTM meeting along with Region 4 Director Bill Bryden and Mike Meier of Wills Wing.

Tandem HG/PG Group now a task force under F-37 committee The ASTM standards effort only pertains to the aircraft (and not the pilot) side of the sport pilot rule. A standard is also needed for pilots conducting tandem hang gliding and paragliding operations, both powered and unpowered. Sue Gardner is in charge of sport and recreational aviation at FAA, and she asked that a group be formed to develop these standards early last year. The Tandem Hang Gliding and Paragliding Operations Work Group was created in response.

The development of the standard was prompted in part by Jim Stephenson (president of Aero Sports Connection) and Jeff Goin 15

Award Winning Instructors USHGA Instructors of the Year Dixon White & Marty DeVietti

PERFECT PROFILES

Team Pilots Josh Cohn World Declared Goal Distance Record - Nitro 2003 Winner Florida and So. Cal. Open - Nitro 2002 US Natl. Champion Serial Class - Syncro 2001 US Natl. Champion Serial Class - Quarx

Kari Castle 2003 US Natl. Female Champion - Quarx 2002 US Natl. Female Champion - Quarx 2001 US Natl. Female Champion - Quarx!Serak

Specializing in beginner instruction.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon & Washington

Visit our updated website to order from our convenient on-line store and for information on our specialized clinics.

S.I.V., Thermal and tours to Mexico, Brazil and Austria.

Videos, Books and much more!

U SDHEG PA A / FRA TA MN EE N WT S

(president of the United States Powered Paragliding Association) who had petitioned FAA for an exemption to conduct tandem operations. They represent pilots of powered aircraft, but their petition is based on the precedent established by USHGA’s tandem exemption for unpowered flight. FAA officials want to implement a single, comprehensive standard for tandem operations and have asked that USHGA lead this process. USHGA is the only ultralight association to have maintained such an exemption. The other ultralight associations have had exemptions only for two-place powered training.

tive” objections must be resolved before the standard can be fi nalized.

The big reason for this effort is that FAA recognizes the ASTM process as a legitimate and desirable way to establish new standards. The tandem standards that result will be based on USHGA’s current tandem program. FAA will then alter existing tandem exemptions to be consistent with the new standard, and eventually this will result in permanent rulemaking under Part 103. Sue Gardner commented that FAA would like to move to rulemaking about three years after the tandem standard is implemented.

USHGA Regional Director Bill Bryden continues on as chairperson for the new task force, which also includes Mike Meier of Including tandem operations in Part 103 means that USHGA and Wills Wing and myself. The purpose is any other organization that can prove its programs meet the standard will be to develop standards for the “knowledge▼ able to conduct these operations. We able tandem participant”—an individual who is not a rated pilot but who knows won’t have to worry about renewing the “The big reason for this effort is that tandem exemption any more. Tandem enough to understand the risks associFAA recognizes the ASTM process operations are outside the scope of the ated with flying as a passenger. We will as a legitimate and desirable way to also develop other standards: for the Sport Pilot rules, so we’ll still need our establish new standards. The tandem tandem exemption until the rulemaking “tandem trainee” or “expert” solo pilot standards that result will be based on process for Part 103 is completed. who wants to act as pilot-in-command and become a qualified tandem pilot; for USHGA’s current tandem program.

The first ballot on the tandem standards the qualified “tandem pilot” who is able FAA will then alter existing tandem was scheduled for February 17. The next to fly as pilot in command for purposes exemptions to be consistent with the OTHER THAN training; and for the “tanface-to-face meeting of the tandem task new standard, and eventually this will force is during the ASTM meeting in Salt dem instructor” who is qualified to offer result in permanent rulemaking Lake City on May 17-19. instruction while flying tandem. under Part 103.”

We expect to complete four USHGA assists with towing documents as part of the final NOTAM I received several phone calls from local standard: FAA officials last summer regarding the conduct of boat towing 1) Qualifications and requirements for a tandem trainee, and a Standard Guide to Tandem Hang Gliding and and truck towing operations. At least one boat tow and one truck tow operation drew FAA’s attention. In the past, FAA involvement Paragliding Operations, both powered and unpowered. with boat tow, truck tow and other ground-based towing opera2) Practical test standards which detail the skills needed tions has been limited. Towing operations—with the exception of aerotowing, which is conducted under exemption 4174—are for evaluation of the tandem trainee, tandem pilot, and legal as long as they are operated within Part 103 guidelines. tandem instructor.

4) A standard for tandem harnesses for hang gliding and paragliding, powered and unpowered.

There is another FAA rule that’s creating some confusion among some officials. Part 101 covers kites, moored balloons and parasails, and it was in place before Part 103 came into effect to cover our flying. Part 101 craft can’t fly on their own when released, unlike our wings. Part 103 (our rules) covers lightweight aircraft, which can fly around untethered.

Formation of the task force under the F-37 standards committee paves the way for official balloting. Balloting is the way that disputes are decided in the standards-setting process, and allows the committee to achieve a consensus among end users, manufacturers, industry, and association interests. All “nega-

Some FAA officials consider hang gliders and paragliders to be kites due to language cited in rules or advisory circulars predating Part 103. If they defined our gliders as “kites,” they tried to apply Part 101 rules to the boat towing and truck towing activities. Part 101 says kites may only be towed to a height of 150 feet

3) Documentation for how an organization administers a tandem program, including qualifications and qualitycontrol issues.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

17

U S H G A / FA A

N E W S

AGL, or up to 500 feet AGL with permission from Air Traffic Control. You can see that application of Part 101 rules to boat, truck or other ground-based towing of hang gliders or paragliders would make it nearly impossible for us to conduct these activities safely.

We understand the confusion and reluctance of local FAA field officers to make this distinction. They don’t know enough about our towing operations, which have rarely made it to their radar in the past.

FAA’s Sue Gardner clearly understands the differences and she’s aware of the problem. Bill Bryden and I are working with Sue to draft a notice, which explains that boat, truck and other ground-based tow-

▼ “There is another FAA rule that’s creating some confusion among some officials. Part 101 covers kites, moored balloons and parasails, and it was in place before Part 103 came into effect to cover our flying. Part 101 craft can’t fly on their own when released, unlike our wings. Part 103 (our rules) covers lightweight aircraft, which can fly around untethered.”

Women with Paragliding courses, trips and lessons designed specifically for women by women.

June 5-7, Point of the Mountain, UT July 30-August 1, Boulder, CO Additional dates and locations to be announced. Check our web site for more information!

ing operations are conducted under Part 103, and how to make that judgment in the field. A Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) is a standard way that FAA passes information to pilots and officials.

Several drafts of this notice have been exchanged. We discussed the NOTAM when we met with Sue last fall. We were told that FAA hoped to send the NOTAM to all FAA field officers by Christmas.

Unfortunately, we are still working on the draft version of the notice as of this writing. Once the NOTAM is completed and distributed, the next step will be for FAA to develop an Advisory Circular (AC) regarding these operations.

Summary: What USHGA is doing, and how you can help My fortune cookie said, “May you live in interesting times.”

These are very interesting times. The ultralights used to aerotow hang gliders and paragliders will eventually become FAA-certificated aircraft subject to FAA rules and guidelines. Pilots of light sport aircraft used in aerotowing operations will probably need a private pilot’s license, since we know the sport pilot NPRM said that sport pilots will not be able to tow ANYTHING. USHGA is leading the way in the development of the tandem standard, with the intent to eventually bring it to permanent rulemaking and the end of the renewable tandem exemptions.

Part 103 towing operations are on FAA’s radar now, so implementation of the NOTAM and eventually the Advisory Circular regarding these operations is very important.

We are working hard to preserve our rights to tow and to fly tandem. These issues are complex but manageable. The proposed solutions appear to be feasible. Favorable resolution of each one of these issues is very important for the survival of our sports.

Support for your organization is more important now than ever before. Please support USHGA. Renew your annual membership, and ask your non-USHGA flying friends and acquaintances to join or rejoin the association. Help us defend the right to fly freely.

For questions or comments concerning Sport Pilot, the tandem standard or the NOTAM regarding Part 103 operations, please contact me at (719) 632-8300 or email me at jayne@ushga.org.

303/817-0803

w w w. p e a k t o p e a k p a r a g l i d i n g . c o m

18

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

U DS EH PG A A R NT EMWE SN T

New Look to USHGA Staff You may have noticed some new voices answering the phone if you’ve called USHGA headquarters. The office staff has acquired two new members, and two of the folks who have been handling your USHGA business for years have moved on.

A college degree in computer science, a minor in mathematics, seven computer industry certifications, four email addresses, two cell phones, two pagers, seven home computers, two laptop computers, his own personal Web site and his own public domain name: with all those to his credit, you’d expect that Bob Archibald, the USHGA IT/Business Administrator would be a typical computer nerd. Well, you would be right! You’ll almost always find Bob in front of a computer, troubleshooting, researching, playing games, chatting or editing his fantasy sports teams. The office staff keep telling him he needs to get out more, but for the most part he is quite content with his computer in front of him and his faithful golden retriever companion, Ruger, by his side.

When Bob does stray from his computer, he enjoys playing first base for a softball team comprised of computer geeks just like himself, and he fills in the colder months with flag football. He has recently built a house in North Colorado Springs, and still spends a lot of time working on those never-ending “finishing touches.”

Bob is not a pilot—in fact, he says that he jumped once and that is the only time he has ever had air under his feet. Every once in a while he hints that he might consider taking a flight someday, but for now, I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Trina Richard, the newest member of the staff, is a Rocky-Mountainraised novice hang glider pilot with a passion for her sport and for her Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

beloved golden retriever, Carhartt. Known as a jack-of-all-trades, Trina’s work history provides her with a broad and varied pool of knowledge from which to draw. Before moving to USHGA, Trina enjoyed a fiveyear stint overseeing operations for both a successful Colorado-based manufacturing firm and a small aerosports company.

It was through this employment that Trina became familiar with USHGA and the important role it plays in the aerosports industry. When Trina was presented with the opportunity to join the USHGA staff as a membership support person, her answer was an obvious and resounding, “Yes!” Trina now looks forward to spending her workdays knee-deep in the goings-on of two such dynamic sports as hang gliding and paragliding, and to being a part of what she calls “the world’s biggest mom and pop shop”—where everybody knows everybody and everyone has a story to tell.

USHGA recently said goodbye to two long-time employees who have moved on to other challenges.

Six years ago, Natalie Hinsley’s five-year plan included finding a way for her to move back to Arizona to be closer to her family. It’s taken a bit longer than expected, but Natalie has finally been able to put her plan into effect. She always enjoyed telling folks she started her USHGA career in the mail room, which sounds tonguein-cheek but in her case it’s true. It didn’t take her long, however, to assume many new and challenging responsibilities during her six-year tenure with USHGA. She enjoyed helping USHGA members solve problems so they could get back into the air ASAP. Her new five-year plan includes working at Qwest where she intends to pursue a position in customer relations and collections. Longer range plans: she hopes to retire early!

Natalie for her dedication to the members of the association and wish her the best of luck in her new career pursuits. She’s promised to send postcards from time to time and to “IM” us when something really big happens.

Sandra Hewitt originally applied for a data entry position, but she quickly realized there are no such positions at USHGA. Instead, during her three-year stint of handling USHGA’s membership services, she had the distinct pleasure of interfacing closely with association members, particularly our instructors and those who hoped to become instructors. She enjoyed discussing the unique psyche of hang gliding and paragliding instructors, and she loved working with every one of you.

We often heard her on the phone advising an instructor candidate to contact his or her instructor to track down the rating paperwork and get it to the USHGA office.

Sandra loves to hunt and fish and she’d often regale us with stories of her adventures, such as the time she used an innovative elevator contraption to position herself high in a tree in hopes of spying a buck. We weren’t at all surprised when the local Harley dealer called and asked us to let her know her new motorcycle helmet had arrived. You go, girl!

Sandra also thanks Paul Voight for his invaluable assistance during her three-year tenure in the office. In her book, Paul has won the director-of-the-year award for three years straight!

The USHGA staff and board of directors thank Sandra for her hard work and patience, and we wish her the best in her new customer service position right here in Colorado Springs.

Natalie extends a special note of appreciation to Paul Voight for his commitment to helping her and all the staff. The USHGA staff and board of directors thank 19

D U S E H P A G R A T N M EE W N T S

USHGA removes renewal services from Web site

T

by Jayne Depanfilis

his is a friendly reminder that the online registration software was removed from USHGA’s Web site on December 19, and members are no longer able to renew memberships online. The 15% of USHGA members accustomed to the convenience associated with the online renewal process may justifiably feel that removal of this software represents a step backwards in this electronic age. In truth, however, the problems created for the membership by office procedures for following up on “delinquent” waivers far outweighed any benefits that the online renewal process offered. The design of USHGA’s Web site ignored this important waiver collection policy, so members were able to renew and pay online, but the office staff then had to follow up these renewals to obtain a newly-signed waiver before the membership could actually be renewed.

As long as USHGA maintains a mandatory annual waiver collection policy, the increased workload for the membership services staff and the potential lapse in membership and loss of insurance coverage while a member’s updated waiver is sent via regular U.S. Postal Service will make online renewal impractical. We apologize to those who enjoyed the convenience of renewing online, and we hope to eventually reintroduce this process.

USHGA’s insurance broker, First Flight/ Southern Insurance, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, is pleased with USHGA’s relatively low claims history and attributes much of the success of our relationship with them to our attorney’s ability to help us maintain an acceptable level of exposure to liability resulting from participation in our sports.

First Flight will not consider anything less than an annual waiver collection policy unless USHGA’s attorney advises them to do so. Tim Herr feels that it would be inappropriate to make such a recommendation at this time.

20

I’ve received numerous emails regarding the defensibility of online signatures and I’ve explored this topic further with Tim Herr and USHGA President Bill Bolosky. Some members have referenced the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (1999) as supporting documentation for the defensibility of online signatures, and the ability to verify online signatures. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act was approved and recommended for enactment in all states in 1999 but implementation is not uniform even in those states where the legislation was approved.

Legislation regarding online signatures and the ability to verify these signatures still varies widely from state to state. This means it would be very difficult for our attorney to successfully defend a waiver signed with a digital signature in many states. This could create real problems for the association.

Members have argued the point that online signatures are acceptable in other situations and in some cases they can even be used to bind insurance agreements. This is certainly true. However, it would be much more difficult to defend a digital signature on a waiver form in a sport where catastrophic losses do occur.

We simply can’t risk the possibility that waivers signed with digital signatures may not be successfully defended in court. Our insurance broker advised USHGA that “every dollar counts” in the insurance industry today.

Please contact me for additional information at (719) 632-8300 or email me at Jayne@ushga.org.

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M D A SE TP EA RR ’ TS M TE I NP T S

Free Flying Horoscope.

By Chris Santacroce Horoscopes are tricky things. Stars must be perfectly aligned and personalities must be perfectly accepting for the predictions or descriptions to be true. Of course, not everyone believes in horoscopes—in fact, most do not. But hang glider and paraglider pilots know all too well that another supernatural predictor of events— the free-flight horror scope—proves accurate all too often.

Here’s a look at the 2004 Free-Flight Horror Scope:

Leo If you want to realize your dream of becoming a professional pilot, you are going to have to do better than selling your bent battens or old sweaty helmets on EBay. You can’t list dead batteries or bound archives of every last OZ Report on your financial statement.

Aries You will need to make at least a small token move toward progress this year. Begin by deciding you will no longer spend 16 hours a day trying to interpret that recurring dream where your buddies have replaced your reserve with women’s underwear and you deploy it over the local elementary school.

Virgo If you don’t pray before you take off, others do it for you. You secretly fly with a rabbit’s foot hidden in your harness pocket. You think you are really tricky taking off your helmet for a few minutes when you’re high enough that no one can tell for sure. People log your FAR violations.

Try to stick to misdemeanors and avoid the felonies.

Taurus You have a USGHA sticker on your mouse pad and a place to hang your harness in the living room.

You store your flying equipment in a climate-controlled environment. You cringe at the sight of a hang glider being transported zipper-up and you shove your straight battens with your wing in the whack position. If you fly a paraglider, you are embarrassed by its color and you use a Sir Marks-a-Lot felt pen to black out the rainbow on your harness.

Gemini You should try to remember your friends’ birthdays instead of your total number of left 360s.

It’s not easy for you to take off your helmet after you land, so you usually drive to and from the site while wearing it. You sometimes arrive at a flying site and realize that you remembered your signal mirror but forgot your glider. You’re still listening to “Fly Like an Eagle” on reel-to-reel, and need to convert your old betamax flying footage to DVD.

Libra Your flying dreams are the nightmare-type where you can’t remember how to set up your glider or untangle your lines. You are a giving person—you give people something to laugh about. Remember, you don’t have to land on your ass/belly in order for people to like you. You’ll earn their affection just as readily if you do a cartwheel.

Scorpio You write to Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine every month. The editors cringe when they read your letters extolling your formatting preferences.

You have a “Got downtubes?” or “Tree Lander” license plate frame. Remember, your glider can’t be repossessed if you go bankrupt. Don’t worry.

Sagitarius

Cancer Don’t worry; the men rifling through your garage this week are merely USHGA special investigators. They know you didn’t get a reserve repack last year. They are going to subpoena your log books and glider maintenance records. They’re not after your box of broken downtubes, 1980s paragliders and left gloves.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Your world will turn upside down when you unintentionally begin to ponder whether your glider behaves differently when you are flying “downwind” versus “into the wind.”

Take as much time as you need to work this out, because it’s a doozy. Quit your job if necessary. Don’t forget to write your email address on your reserve handle.

21

M DA ES PT A E R ’T SM ET N I PT S

Capricorn

Pisces

Accept that your friends may not be as ready to grow up as you are. It’s OK to have a Charlie Brown sticker on your helmet. People always look through your medicine cabinet when they come over, trying to figure out what you are on. When you’re packing your paraglider, you always perform the “steamroller” to get the air out of it. Your stuff bag is a stolen U-Haul blanket. If you hang glide, you have a golf towel hanging off your base tube and a Sponge Bob Square Pants sticker on your downtube. You transport your glider on an unpadded rack.

If you get a tattoo this year, don’t think you’ll fool anyone with a message like “100Mile Club” or “Dr. Good-Land.” Choose something simple and honest, like “Wing Nut,” or “If found, please return to Mom,” or the Weather Channel logo.

Aquarius You bring your Red Baron scarf and WWII goggles for free flying whether you need them or not.

You have never made a left 360. You spot land every flight no matter where you come down. You were going to fly a new site once but you decided against it. You’ll never go anywhere since you never try. Try announcing to your family and friends that you are now celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Chinese New Year and every legal, public and bank holiday. Use all of your vacation time to go flying.

22

*** Chris Santacroce is a USHGA Tandem and Instructor Administrator.

Chris’s accomplishments range from being selected as USHGA Instructor of the Year in 2001, to winning the 2003 Red Bull Aerobatics Championships. His true passion, however, is for instructing others to be masterful pilots. He teaches more than two hundred people a year in his “over the water” safety training courses.

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

G L I D E R

Matt Gerdes flying the Nova Artax. Photo: Dan Nelson

Field‐Testing DHV 1‐2 Paragliders Review compiled by Matt Gerdes Editor’s note: In an effort to produce more useful stories about the latest wings and flying gear, we are trying a new “field testing” protocol. We are having products used and reviewed not by industry experts, but by teams of volunteer evaluators, pulled from the ranks of every-day members of the association. Our goal with this “review” is to provide readers with information they can use when they consider purchasing a new wing. We focus on the strengths of each wing, but we also mention areas where the wings might come up short. And we provide details on each tester and how they evaluated each wing, so you can compare your flying style with that of the testers to get a better idea of how each wing might feel to you.

This is the first of this type of product review for this magazine, and we welcome your feedback on it.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

A

s the performance of the newest DHV 1-2 gliders begins to exceed that of the competition wings from just a few years ago, many pilots are choosing DHV 1-2 as the class that offers the perfect blend of safety and performance, meaning maximum fun. Last fall, we got our hands on nine of the newest DHV 1-2 wings on the market for this first in an upcoming series of equipment reviews.

We structured this test a little differently from your average magazine review. Three of the testers are relatively low airtime pilots, with less than 100 hours each.

Dan, Patti, and Dave currently fly beginner/intermediate gliders, and are planning on purchasing a DHV 1-2 for their next wing.

When we set out to evaluate the wings, we weren’t concerned with affirming or denying the DHV test pilots’ opinions of whether or not each glider recovered acceptably from deflations, stalls, or other configurations—those guys know what they’re doing (DHV test reports are available online at www.dhv.de/typo/ Paragliding_and_Hang.651.0.html). And

R E V I E W S

we won’t recite to you the same stuff that you can find in the owner’s manual that comes with each glider. Nor will you read only the opinions of pilots who normally fly competition or DHV 2-3 wings, or only the opinions of people who import these gliders to the U.S. What we wanted to capture when we tested each wing were the feelings and impressions that a real prospective buyer of a DHV 1-2 wing would have when test-flying the glider in a variety of conditions. Dan, Patti, and Dave are each currently looking to upgrade to a top-end DHV 1-2, so these three testers directly represent the target audience.

The gliders were foot-launched at Tiger Mountain and boat-towed over Riffe Lake, both in Washington State, and footlaunched in California’s Owens Valley and at Sheba Crater in Arizona. All flights were made between August and October, 2003, in conditions ranging from smooth evening soaring to mid-day thermals of up to 1000 fpm in strength. The testing pilots had the opportunity to accumulate as much as four hours of airtime on each wing, gain several thousand feet in thermals, and top-land repetitively. In other words, they flew the gliders long enough, and in a wide enough variety of conditions, to formulate a solid opinion on whether or not they would purchase each glider, and why. And that’s what you want to know, right?

The Bar Graph Scale (Ratings are out of a possible 5, and are noted on a numberless bar graph.)

1. Talented Beginner: Is this wing gentle and forgiving enough for a talented beginner?

2. XC Pilot: Is performance a priority with this wing? Does it glide steadily through active air without excessive pitch oscillation? Can it turn flat and thermal well?

3. Freestyle Pilot: Is handling a priority with this glider? Does it turn and bank like that’s its job?

23

G L D I ED PE A R RRTE M V IE E NWTS

4. Lazy Cruiser: Can most pilots easily relax on this wing?

5. Conservative Advanced Pilot: Would an accomplished P4 pilot who wants to fly a 1-2 enjoy it?

6. Easy Launcher: Does this wing come up straight and level with little effort, seldom embarrassing the less-athletic DHV 1-2 pilot on launch?

Advance Epsilon 4

The fourth-generation Epsilon is the product of one of paragliding’s most respected manufacturers, Advance. Advance’s aim was to produce a higher-end DHV 1-2 with performance characteristics near the top of the DHV 1-2 category.

The Epsilon was one of the easiest-launching wings of the test. It required little effort in light winds, and had very little tendency to overshoot. All of the testers gave the wing great remarks in this category. In flight, the E4 has moderate brake pressure, lighter than the Pulsar but heavier than the Artax, with good progression—there’s no mistaking the increase in pressure as you reach the end of its range. The E4 doesn’t respond to weight shift like a Vibe or Pulsar, but it cruises well in level flight.

Patti put almost four hours on the E4 in strong conditions at Tiger Mountain (>1000 fpm thermals) and liked the fact that there was good maneuverability available if you weren’t afraid to pull larger amounts of brake. But it was also easy to keep the wing flat in a turn for thermaling.

24

Dave also put several hours on the E4 and felt that it was less responsive to weight shift and that it was really a glider that you flew with the brakes, adding that the ride was somewhat dull compared to the Vibe or the Pulsar. In thermals, Dave noticed that the E4 had a tendency to turn rather flat, an excellent characteristic in an XC wing.

Overall, the glider was very well balanced and hard to fault, with its most outstanding feature being first-class quality of design.

Advance has a reputation for building wings of exceptional quality, and the Epsilon is no exception. No expense was spared, no detail too small to address. And it’s the little things on the E4 that stand out and begin to add up. From fully-taped cell openings to swivels midway up the brake lines (to prevent the spaghetti-twist in the brake lines) and pulley rings on the trailing edge to increase the efficiency of brake input, Advance has addressed more of the mini-issues than any other manufacturer.

The trailing edge on the last cell of both wingtips has a Velcro opening for easy cleaning, and there are finger loops and a pulley system to allow easy performance of big ears. That being said, the brake swivels have been known to cause minor tangles on launch and to collect ice in snowy launch environments, and the riser system may take some getting used to for newer pilots used to simpler riser designs. Overall, the E4 was one of the best-looking wings out there, with an attractive three-color design and a sleek, wrinkle-free profile.

The bag: The Advance bag won, hands down, for quality of design and construction. It also comes in two sizes, the larger of the two being ideal for pilots with L or XL harnesses. All of the straps are luxuriously padded, and there is excellent lumbar support, compression straps, and bomb-proof zippers. The size of the bag is formidable, however, so if your harness has lower volume storage area, it will be a tight fit.

Airwave Sport

Since its release roughly two years ago the Sport has gained a reputation as a, well, sporty glider. Some would consider it to be at the higher end of the DHV 1-2 spectrum. This may be true, but the Sport didn’t strike us as being significantly more demanding than any of the other gliders we flew. On launch, the Sport comes up a little faster than, say, the Nova Artax, but overall the inflation was very manageable, even in higher winds.

Gary flying the Airwave Sport.

Photo: Matt Gerdes

The construction of the Sport is topnotch, on par with Ozone and Advance.

The risers are bomber without being overbuilt; cleanly stitched and tastefully color-coded. The sail material is Gelvenor, and sports the waxy durable feel that reeks of longevity.

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

GDL EI DP EAR R RTE M V I EE N WT S

The Sport is noticeably faster at trim speed than some of the other gliders in the test. Its turning characteristics are more responsive and direct than the Artax, but maintaining a flat turn in a thermal doesn’t happen automatically—the Sport wants to bank and accelerate. It requires very little effort to keep the Sport in a flat turn, though, and its tendency to bank is a boon in tighter cores and smaller thermals.

There have been rumors of the Sport being unstable, having a tendency to deflate (particularly symmetrical front deflations— frontals) and being prone to accelerating too much in turns. While Matt doesn’t want to be so bold as to counterpoint the opinions of other pilots after putting less than 10 hours on the Sport, he feels he can state with confidence that the Sport did not strike him as being prone to frontals or spirals from a thermal-type turn. He would not recommend the Sport to a sleepy or lackadaisical-type of pilot, however. The Sport seemed to be more appropriate for a pilot who appreciates good handling and a more dynamic feel to their wing, and who make a habit of active piloting.

What was really on Matt’s mind while he was flying the Sport in ridge lift and thready, wind-blown thermals above Sheba crater in Arizona was what the Sport 2 would be like. Due to be certified in several sizes by early 2004, the Sport 2 will reportedly be a better version of the original, with (Airwave claims) reduced glider weight, increased pitch stability and resistance to collapse, and increased stability in accelerated flight.

Flight Design Stream

The Stream is currently in its second year of production and has become a relatively popular 1-2 wing in Europe. It is undoubtedly one of the better handling wings that we tested, with a responsive-but-mellow feel, comparable to the Pulsar, and nearing the class to which the Sport and Vibe belong.

Older Flight Design wings featured Dyneema mid-lines which required periodic stretching. While the increased strength of Dyneema is a bonus, having to worry about line stretch is not. Flight Design switched line material, and the new Technora lines do not require stretching. The sailcloth is 44-gram Torray nylon, which feels similar to Porcher Marine only more pliable. One nice extra, as simple as it may seem, is a small marker near the trailing edge, in the center of the wing, which aids in packing the glider.

The brake magnet/snaps weren’t as ridiculously weak as some of the other wings we tested, but still don’t hold together as well as traditional snaps.

Matt flying the Swing Arcus.

Matt flew the Stream at an inland thermal site in Southern California on a day with sustained 1000 fpm lift. Overall, the Stream proved a relatively calm wing, and reacted well to the larger, more aggressive amounts of brake input needed in the active air. The brake lines come a little longer than most pilots prefer, but even with two wraps and a ham-handed style, Matt says the Stream took the inputs well, allowing him to relax in the strong lift. It provided more feedback than the Epsilon 4 with better handling, but not quite as smooth a ride, and was easier to turn than the E4 or the Artax.

Dan flew the Stream at Chelan Butte in the fall and agreed with Matt, noting the dynamic handling of the wing as a high point in its performance. Matt added, “It reminded me of the DHV 1 Boxtair S (a great compliment), which with dynamic handling and great safety has gathered a cult following of freestyle pilots in Europe.”

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Despite this glider being comparatively lively, pilots agreed that launching it was a breeze, even in stronger conditions. It categorically refused to overshoot the testers on launch, and tended to come up evenly and steadily.

The Flight Designs bag is simple-looking but actually boasts several nice extras, such as an integrated mesh helmet pocket and a full circumference zipper to expand or contract the overall size of the bag.

Gin Oasis

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the correctly-sized Oasis in time for all of us to fly it. But a couple of us were able to get some airtime on the Oasis and both liked it very much.

Dan flew the Oasis extensively at The Point of the Mountain, Utah, as well as at Tiger Mountain, Washington. He was 25

G L I D E R

R E V I E W S

impressed with the responsiveness of the wing—it would swing into clean, stable turns with just a bit of weight shifting, and when brake pressure was added, the Oasis would pivot on a dime. Brake pressure is lighter than the Pulsar. But otherwise, the two wings felt a lot alike in the air—both responded well to weight shifting and to brake inputs, and both also felt stable and secure even in textured air.

But for all its quick responsiveness in the air, the Oasis kites easily. In light thermal cycles and 15-mph winds at the Point, the wing came up cleanly overhead with little tendency to pivot or dip. Dan flew the Gin Oasis for nearly 10 hours and also kited it for nearly as much. He reports that it was a joy to fly and to ground-handle in all the various conditions he encountered.

Windtech Pulsar. Photo: Matt Gerdes

26

Gradient Golden

Gradient wings have only started to gain popularity in the U.S. in the past couple of years. But they have enjoyed widespread acceptance and praise on the European scene since before the Italian unknown Luca Donini won the 2001 World Championships in Spain on an Avax RS. The Golden is the freshest of the 1-2 designs that we tested, having just arrived

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

GD L I ED PE A R RR TE V M I EE W N T S

from Europe the week before. It is also the only 1-2 glider in the test that was subjected to the new restrictions in the DHV flight tests, which have put further limitations on the surge angle allowed after asymmetric deflations.

Whether or not these restrictions helped determine the end result of the Golden’s design, the overall consensus from the pilots who flew this wing was that is was as relaxing and easy to fly as any glider they have experienced.

On a day at Tiger Mountain when longtime local pilots were complaining of extraordinarily turbulent air, Dave found the Golden to be a complete joy to thermal, and to fly in general, even near cloudbase over the mountains behind launch. Dave “loved the way it flew,” and commented that it was without a doubt a glider that he could relax under. Dan thought that the wing felt like a DHV 1 on launch, noticing no tendency to overshoot him or slip to the sides, and said that it was almost too easy to launch, if there is such a thing.

Gradient is one of just a few companies worldwide that makes all of their wings in-house at their factory and design center in the Czech Republic, allowing total quality control. The overall design looks clean and well-finished, but visually lacks flair, with a single-colored topsail and very basic bottom sail graphics.

Dave remarked that the V-cell openings were sharp-looking, but the three-riser system was not what he preferred. The topsail is of 45-gram Porcher Marine Skytex with a water-resistant coating that is strong and light. The size-28 Golden weighs less than an XS Oasis, which is excellent for those who hike to launch.

Designer Vaclav Sykora told us that during the long development process, 11 prototypes were used, with the designers focusing on, among other things, the relationship between the leading and trailing edges for increased quality-of-feedback Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

SIDEBAR: PILOT BIOS Dave Cherne: P2

Dan Nelson: P2

In-flight weight: 92K

In-flight weight: 122K

Years flying: almost 2

Years flying: 4

Favorite conditions: 600 fpm fat thermals.

Favorite conditions: Moderate thermal lift or strong ridge conditions.

Home sites: California Bay Area sites.

Home sites: Tiger Mountain, Blanchard, and Chelan.

Dave Cherne started paragliding less than two years ago, but since then has racked up more than 75 hours of airtime at coastal and mountain sites from California to Austria. He is a self-proclaimed “conservative” pilot who currently has very little interest in pushing his flying too fast or too hard— he’s in the sport for the long haul.

Dave is an analytical person by nature and was very thorough in evaluating the characteristics of each glider he flew. He showed little mercy when pointing out what he felt were the weaker points of each wing.

Dave flies more frequently than most pilots are able to. He prefers thermal flying to coastal soaring, but never turns down the opportunity to get more airtime.

Patti Fujii: P2

Dan is a safety-conscience pilot who, in the right circumstances, doesn’t mind going big. But he counts any airtime as time well spent, and is always ready to jump on a morning sled ride to get “juiced up” for bigger flights later in the day. If the later flights don’t happen, he takes satisfaction in at least getting that sledder. A short flight is better than no flight, is his motto.

Dan remembers one of his favorite flights when he and five of his friends got high and went far together at Iguala, Mexico. “After several hours of all six of us flying together, we landed and spent the evening drinking margaritas, snacking on guacamole and chips, and taking dips in the pool—while back home, folks were shivering through the cold rains of January!! SWEET!”

In-flight weight: 90K

Matt Gerdes: P4

Years flying: 5

In-flight weight: 87K

Favorite conditions: Sporty 1000-fpm thermals.

Years flying: 5

Home sites: Tiger Mountain and Blanchard in Washington State.

Patti’s home sites are not known for strong conditions, but she is not afraid of strong lift, and in fact prefers thermal lift slightly stronger than most DHV 1-2 pilots would find comfortable. Given a choice, she’d fly the hot, dry thermals of central Mexico rather than the humid evening air of Tiger Mountain.

She has acquired more than 50 hours of airtime in the past few years, flying on an occasional basis at a respectable variety of sites.

Favorite conditions: Spring thermals in the Alps.

Home sites: Chelan, Washington and Mayrhofen, Austria.

Matt loves XC every bit as much as acro, and believes that pilots should embrace all aspects of the sport, at least a little bit.

Matt is an instructor and tandemrated pilot who has flown extensively in the Alps. He spends six months of every year guiding paraglider pilots in the mountains of Austria where, he says, the best flying on the planet can be found.

27

G L I D E R

R E V I E W S

and higher performance. It seems to have worked—the Golden is a very confidenceinspiring 1-2 that doesn’t feel short on performance, an ideal glider for someone who wants next-generation DHV 1-2 performance with a mellow ride.

The bag: Although very simple in design, this was one of the best bags we tested.

The zippers are plenty strong, there is ample room, and padding at the shoulder straps and hip belt is adequate.

Ozone Vibe

The Vibe is fun to fly. Ozone designer Rob Whittall said that the test and design team focused on making the glider safe in flight, but maneuverable enough to make it fun for anyone to fly. The Vibe comes in six sizes, a decision made by Ozone solely to ensure that your wing fits you perfectly, not “just OK.”

Ozone Vibe over Sammish Bay. Photo: Matt Gerdes

A great deal of testing was necessary to perfect the wing loading of six sizes. But in the end, the performance of each size turned out to be very nearly the same.

Ozone knew that offering the wing in six sizes would make it more expensive to pro28

duce and a headache for dealers to stock.

Apparently their commitment to happy pilots overrode those concerns.

Anyone who has been too heavy or too light on a glider knows the associated problems, and many pilots do not fall within the ideal ranges of many designs.

Being able to choose precisely which size fits you best is a major benefit of the Vibe, because proper wing-loading is one of the most crucial factors in choosing a glider.

The Vibe’s construction is on a par with Advance, with a fully-taped leading edge, Gelvenor topsail, and a Velcro “butthole” at each wingtip. Ozone’s “Dr. Dave” personally manages the company’s own factory, ensuring that each glider leaving the premises is properly finished.

Out of the nine gliders we tested, the Vibe came up the fastest on launch, getting the better of the less-experienced testers in higher wind situations. In light winds, launching the Vibe is an absolute treat—it comes up straight and has zero inclination to hang back. Once overhead, the Vibe is a blast to kite—it’s as responsive and fun on the ground as it is in the air.

difficult to ignore if you just want a lazy cruise. It is an ideal glider for active pilots who want better handling, and for pilots who think DHV 1-2 can’t be fun—the Vibe definitely proves that it can.

The Vibe seemed to agree with Matt’s style of flying the most out of all the wings tested. The performance was great, with a very agreeable sink rate, and the handling was top-notch. He thought the Vibe was just more fun to fly than the others, and it’s a wing that you won’t soon grow out of.

The bag: The Ozone bag is a little smaller than the rest, which is great because a smaller bag carries well, but not so great if you own a huge harness, although the full front zipper makes packing a breeze. The thickness of the material and the amount of padding in the straps is a nice compromise—much less would be uncomfortable, and much more would prove difficult when packing the bag into the harness.

Nova Artax

The handling of the Vibe is top-of-the-line for a 1-2, but with one major caveat—the brakes come from the manufacturer a little longer than most pilots like, so be prepared to either take a big wrap or to consider shortening the brake lines.

In flight, the Vibe is a little more talkative than the other 1-2 wings we tested, but no less stable. Dave didn’t care for the busyness, commenting that the ride was not confidence-inspiring, and the launching characteristics were too demanding for his tastes. Dan liked the Vibe and gave similar feedback, saying that he felt he needed to “stay sharp and focused to stay in charge of this responsive, well-performing wing.”

The Vibe tends to bite into lift rather than bouncing off it or to the side like many other 1-2s, and the feedback it provides is

Nova has implemented some big changes in their wings over the last year or so. First of all, the wimpy Kleenex-like Carrington fabric is history. In its place is a durable waxy-feeling Gelvenor that will obviously stand the test of time. Next, the threecolor design of the Artax is fresh and new—and totally attractive. Third, it was pretty darn fun to fly in strong conditions, mainly because of the fact that the Artax was so docile. On a day when many pilots were complaining of super-active air, I was flying around taking pictures with a smile on my face.

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

G L I D E R

The Artax was Dave’s favorite glider, tying with the Golden for first place. Dave said that, overall, it was the most fun to fly, although the Golden was clearly more stable—a trait he values.

Patti, on the other hand, was not impressed by the handling or agility of the Artax, saying that she felt the wing needed excessive amounts of brake to really get it to turn the way she wanted, and that she much preferred the responsiveness and crisp handling of the Pulsar.

Launching the Artax in high wind was trouble-free, with the glider tending to come up straight at a very steady pace, with no overshooting tendencies. In no wind, however, more effort is required to get this glider all the way overhead.

The Artax was certainly not the most nimble glider of the test. But it makes up for that in several categories (mainly performance) with a glide ratio of over 8.4 at 38 km/h. It had an obvious edge over all other DHV 1-2s that we flew with or around, with an impressive glide and speed, even in more textured air. In thermals, the turn comes naturally, the glider staying consistently flat throughout the circle while imparting a sense of great efficiency to the pilot.

The Artax is an XC machine for pilots who like to fly straight, level, and far, and who want a wing that truly inspires confidence. According to Matt, if he was solely concerned with XC and was shopping in the DHV 1-2 class, the Artax would be his choice.

The bag: The bag is a very acceptable size, and seemed to accommodate most harnesses and wings nicely. There is adequate padding in the straps, plus some nice padding along the back, making for a better carry than most. The overall quality and design of the Nova bag is second only to the Advance bag. Another nice bonus is the windsock and cloth helmet bag that come with each wing.

The Artax’s brake-travel is rather linear—there isn’t a large increase in control pressure as you near the end of the range.

But at the same time, it does take a considerable amount of effort to reach spin from a flat turn. The handling could be described as predictable and precise—you pull X amount of brake, you get X amount of turn. So if you really want to turn, you might find yourself pulling what feels like a little more brake than you’re used to.

Swing Arcus III

What Matt liked best about the Artax was the exact feedback it offered in thermal lift, which translated turbulence into news you could use, really allowing the pilot to work the lift without getting scared out of it. Everyone agreed that it was a relaxing wing to fly.

Swing’s latest edition of the Arcus is by far the most agile to date. The handling was better than expected, and the launch characteristics were pleasingly docile. Matt flew the A3 at the Craters in Arizona on a mild November afternoon in moderate to strong winds and light lift. He was a bit light on the size that he flew, clipping in

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

R E V I E W S

just below the middle of the range, and he had expected to be dealing with poor handling because of this. The Arcus impressed him with its ability to turn relatively flat but still acceptably tight in windblown thermals. It did not impress him with its speed, although he attributes this largely to the fact that he was in the lower half of the range, which is not a happy place on most wings in his experience. He still enjoyed flying the Arcus very much, something he cannot say of many gliders on which he has flown so light.

The “PN6” material of the Arcus is a nicefeeling fabric, with a silicone coating that resembles Gelvenor with its waxy feel, but without the weightiness. The riser construction is average, with a less-complex speed system than the Ozone or Advance gliders.

The brake toggles feature a rubber grip that is original and kind of nice, although the magnetic snaps that attach the brakes are pathetic—they adamantly refuse to stay put during kiting and launch setup, which is a pet peeve of Matt’s. The added weight of the rubber-gripped brake toggles seems to encourage the magnetic snaps to give up and drop the brakes into the dirt, where they immediately become clogged with the ironrich sediment. That was Matt’s largest complaint, however, and his overall impression is that the Arcus 3 is a pretty fun glider to fly. The stability was certainly confidenceinspiring and the handling was acceptable, although not as dynamic or agile as the Vibe, Pulsar, or Sport.

Windtech Pulsar

Windtech, like Gradient, manufactures their gliders in-house, allowing them 29

G L I D E R

R E V I E W S

total quality control. Unlike Gradient, Windtech has enjoyed solid recognition for several years now in the U.S., thanks largely to the success of the Quarx on the competition scene, and the DHV 1-2 Serak (predecessor to the Pulsar).

there have been subtle changes to the profile that are undetectable with visual inspection. Overall, there doesn’t seem to be any significant changes from the Serak, suggesting that Windtech just wanted a fresher 1-2 design on the market.

The Pulsar is very similar to the Serak, with the biggest difference seeming to be the fresh new graphics gracing the top and bottom sails of the glider. Virtually everyone on the scene agreed that the orange/white/red Pulsar we received for the test was one of the best-looking of the 30+ gliders in the sky at any given time at Tiger Mountain.

The Pulsar was another favorite among the testers, scoring highly with everyone who flew it. It seems to encompass an excellent range of qualities: it responds well to weight shift, turns on a dime, and provides good feedback without feeling too sporty. The brake pressure on the Pulsar was heavier than on any of the other gliders we flew, but the travel is progressive enough to be easily understood. The Pulsar turned out to be Patti’s favorite—not surprising, as she was weaned on Windtech, and Windtech pilots tend to appreciate the crisp, firm handling that characterizes their wings.

Windtech Pulsar Photo: Matt Gerdes

Beyond the new graphics, the arc of the Pulsar seems to be somewhat flatter, and

Dave flew the Pulsar on a high-pressure thermal day and felt that he was still able to relax enough under this wing to enjoy the rougher air, although not as much as on the Golden. The Pulsar turns as easily as the Vibe, although when pushed it doesn’t have quite the affinity for high

bank-angle for maneuvers such as big, smooth wingovers.

Patti thought the Pulsar was dynamic— sportier than the Epsilon or the Artax.

She said that it responded better to weight shift than many of the other wings, and still turned flatter than her Serak, although Patti and Dave both found that the Pulsar required significant outside brake when thermaling in order to keep the turn in check.

One major complaint we all had with the Pulsar was the magnetic brake attachments that just would not stay put. Fortunately, the Pulsar is available with either snaps or magnets. Be sure to specify your preference when ordering your glider.

Overall, the Pulsar was an excellent wing, much like the Serak, and fit well into the category of a “higher end” 1-2, with good enough handling and performance to satisfy a more advanced pilot, much like the Vibe.

Windtech Pulsar Photo: Matt Gerdes

DWE I PN AG R RT EMV EI EN W T

L

ong-time readers of my flight reports will know that I occasionally rant about the names given to our gliders. I abhor alphanumeric names that only mean something to those who know what they stand for. With number/letter designations, how will historians a hundred years from now know how wonderful our wings were? Think of the lost potential to capture the imagination if the Wright brothers had called their first airplane the WF, or Charles Lindberg’s airplane was known as the SoStL. Hang gliders are poetry in the air, and they deserve a name that sings of flight. So you would think I’d have a wry negative comment about the name of the latest Litespeed permutation. But the boys at Moyes can be forgiven, for S is the essence of this new glider.

The S signifies the sail cut and it has far-reaching implications in the performance and handling of this new Litespeed. To see how, why and wherefore, we must learn a little about our wings.

In the process we will see what this glider will do for you or your buddies.

Plan of a Form The Litespeed S has only a few differences in hardware and construction from previous models, which we will get to below.

Nearly 99 percent of the newness comes in the sail cut so that’s where we will concentrate initially because it affects the whole nature of the glider.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Young ladies seem to gather around a well-put-together Litespeed S.

Most of us are quite aware of the great differences in the shape of the sail of gliders in different classes. Things such as nose angle, wing span, width in the center section compared to the tips (taper), amount of double surface and number of battens are all readily apparent in a general sense. We also know that these major differences are what make a beginner glider fly slowly with good handling, but with less performance than a competition glider. However, at the limits, when gliders are strung tighter than a salesman’s smile, small changes have a startling effect.

Review and photos

by Dennis Pagen

The shape of a sail when viewed from the top is called the planform (a plan is a view from above). Experience has shown us over the years that many different types of planform will fly with reasonable results, and it is hard to point to one planform as the absolute best because flight characteristics also depend on the airframe and how tightly the sail is strung.

The designer trades all these factors off to achieve his ideal balance of handling, performance and safety.

We do know a few things, however. The more taper (the narrower the tip chord compared to the root area) the more likely it is that the wing will stall outboard (toward the tip). That means the wing will not be able to slow down as much in a turn and therefore not thermal as efficiently. But this factor can be overcome 31

W I N G

R E V I E W

with lots of washout (twist) which prevents the outboard stall, but reduces glide. And so goes the game of aerodynamic tradeoffs that the designer plays.

It has long been suspected that our high-performance gliders with their tight sails could benefit in some ways from having a wider chord in the outboard area. The reason is that the wider area can handle more effective loading. In a steady turn, more effective loading occurs on the inside wing, causing it to stall. Since thermaling is the name of the game in many instances, more tip area relates to better performance or a more docile character in thermals. But more area at the tip usually means that that area is creating more twist and drag when flying straight.

The all-important planform with extra outboard area.

The matter of planform shape is a bit more complicated than this little review, but you have enough information now to understand the Litespeed S philosophy.

The S designer, Gerolf Heinrichs, decided to capitalize on the stiffer leading edges present on most of the current hi-per gliders.

He reasoned that with the tighter sails of today’s gliders, he could get away with more area outboard (a pattern not seen in a flex wing since the Glidezilla—how’s that for a name?—of the mid‘80s, or the Heron of the early ‘80s). Gerolf started by cutting out some area in the root and adding it to the outboard area of the previous Litespeed. The result is a definite S-shape in the trailing edge, as can be seen in the photos. The looks are sexy, but what is the result?

tight glider, and greatly depends on how the glider is set up. (You can dial in handling on a Litespeed by changing the inside leading edge eccentrics.) The glider I flew in Brazil was Gerolf’s spare competition glider and it was tuned for performance. Yet I found the handling to be quite fine. The glider we flew in New York was a demo that handled so comfortably that all who flew it landed with ecstatic scat-scarfing grins.

The proof of the glider’s handling change is that every pilot in the World Meet whom I questioned said they thermal the S with a quarter to a half VG on, whereas the former Litespeed would thermal best with a quarter or less VG. That may be an advantage, if the wing is more efficient with a tighter VG setting. The real important matter in thermals is that the S can be flown slower without the glider “sticking” a wing as it kisses a stall.

This is a performance benefit, which pays off by letting you turn smaller circles or vary your position more easily in a shifting or broken thermal.

The second big advantage to the glider’s “feel” is that the same attributes that make it docile in thermals make it docile on landing. It is simply more reluctant to stall a tip when you get a little too slow just before flare, or you encounter a wayward wind that tilts your wing. I’ve participated in a landing that would have been a beak on my previous Litespeed because I was sliding a bit sideways. An aggressive roll input just before flaring the S leveled me out and I landed no more awkwardly than your average goose.

Comfort level goes up as whack potential goes down and your kids’ piggy bank remains intact, not victimized by a rabid parent needing to buy a new downtube.

One other characteristic of the Litespeed S, which I think is important, is that you can land with less VG cord pulled. Those readers not familiar with the newer topless gliders may not be aware of the fact that most of them should be landed with at least The new center section arrangement closes up the lower surface near the hang strap (cleanliness is next to godliness).

I had a chance to fly the Litespeed S for a week after the World Meet in Brazil in early September. Then later in the month I took it for several more flights at the new Finger Lakes Flight Park in New York. I foot-launched in Brazil, and towed the glider aloft in New York. Each flight extended for more than an hour in thermals, with some XC. In addition, I talked with many of the pilots flying the Litespeed S in the World Meet (there were 42 in total) to get their impressions of the wing. Here’s what I found: A Bird in Hand This new glider has a handling advantage over its predecessor.

This effect shows up in two important ways. First, it seems to initiate turns more easily. Handling is often a bit subjective on a 32

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

DWE I PN AG R RT EMV EI EN W T

The inside story showing the round crosxbar and batten density.

a quarter VG pulled. The reason is that the pitch pressure gets high and the bar tends to move way out with the VG off. Thus it is difficult to maintain the proper ample airspeed during the setup and final approach. This problem is most noticeable when conditions are turbulent. (It is necessary to have good airspeed for control, but more VG hampers control. Thus the best compromise is usually about a quarter VG.) Fortunately, the Litespeed S has greatly reduced the amount of pitch change that occurs when you let off the VG. The result is that you can use less VG during landing. I found I was comfortable with zero to one-eighth VG in all my landings. This aspect of the glider was a boon in Brazil where I landed several times in the long official field with a wind coming right across its narrow dimension.

The Litespeed S control bar corner is typical of Moyes’s simple, no-nonsense design.

Regarding the handling aspects of the Litespeed S, let’s hear from Brett Hazlett, three-time Canadian champion and top world pilot. He says, “With the S model I can maneuver with much more VG. Before, I used zero to one-half for almost all maneuvering.

Now, I typically use one-third to two-thirds. I often thermal with one-half VG and gain a performance advantage, eh? The initial response with this glider is faster than with the previous model.

Also, on landing the glider’s docile nature provides a bonus. I don’t have to have as long and straight a final. I can approach a little slower and make turns a bit lower to the ground. This enhanced control improves the safety of landing in less-than-ideal conditions or in smaller areas.”

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Performance Impressions I have long felt that the best way to really tell a glider’s total performance package is to fly multiple copies of it in competition. The hundreds of comparisons then help to even out the differences in technique, positioning and quality control related to each pilot-and-glider combination. However true this may be, there is a more important matter to most pilots. That is how the glider behaves and performs in the hands of the average recreational pilot. Because the glider is so new, I didn’t get a chance to poll many recreational pilots who have flown it, but most of my flying is with my buddies, and I know what they want: handling, predictability, safety and sink rate.

The Litespeed S does have the handling and predictability as described above. Sink rate in thermals is where it excels in my experience. You can put the glider where you want it and more importantly, you can fly it more slowly than the older Litespeeds in thermals.

That’s The S curve shows like having a rich dramatically. uncle put money in your altitude bank account. Look at this: In straight fl ight the average hang glider gets a better sink rate than the average paraglider. But in many thermal conditions (smaller cores) a paraglider will out-climb a hang glider, just as a hang glider can often outclimb a sailplane. The secret to this upset of nature is that the lighter wings can fly more slowly and thus scribe a smaller radius circle to remain in the central power core. Any incremental shaving of airspeed off your thermal circuit results in a better climb rate. Amen.

Here’s what Brett has to say about that: “In a turn the glider doesn’t necessarily achieve a slower stall speed, but it is so docile that you get away with flying it more slowly in thermals than you could with the previous model. I find there are few control problems, even when it is turbulent. The result is a better climb rate. I am more confident scratching low or close and the work load is reduced.”

It is my assessment from watching, interviewing and flying that the glider achieves an improvement in thermaling capabilities while holding its own in the glide department. If anything, it has 33

W I N G

R E V I E W

lost a tad of high speed glide compared to last year’s model, but that only shows up in the comp racing mode. Furthermore, the gliders I saw and flew were prototypes. Gerolf told me he had a few tricks up his sleeve to work on for the final version. I’m sure the net effect will be a glider that any advanced pilot will find extremely comfortable to fly and capable of producing a king (or queen) of the mountain.

Let’s let Gerolf chime in here with a few insights. His catch phrase to guide his progress towards the ultimate glider is: “performance you can handle.” He believes, he says, “If a glider is more pleasant to fly it will perform better for any pilot. The development of the Litespeed series has been a four-year process. The previous one was a great glider, but I am never satisfied. I always want to improve and continue having the best production glider. With the S we did away with a bit of bar pressure and eased the handling. It feels like it has more bite in the thermals, as if it is climbing with a greater portion of the wing. I think we have increased the effective aspect ratio of the wing without increasing the span.”

And the question of safety? In my estimation, any glider that is more forgiving on landing is a safer glider. The moving of area outboard on the glider has a bit of pitch stability advantage as well,

34

because the more area held up by the sprogs, the more damping there is in a potential pitchover event. In other words, the greater tip area slows the nose-down rotation. I don’t ever want to test that, but there it is.

The Litespeed’s manufacturer, Moyes Delta Gliders, has had an admirable safety record and the data go back to the beginning of hang gliding. I sat down for a chat with the patriarch himself, Bill Moyes.

He was grinning like a poppa with a brand new baby when he spoke of his recently-created glider: “Steve (Moyes) and Gerolf want everybody to be able to fly this new glider. Steve is extremely sensitive about safety. I believe we have the best long-term safety record, and we want to keep it that way. We’re still going strong, and with the advent of the Dragonfly (a tug for towing hang gliders aloft, designed by Bobby Bailey and manufactured by Moyes), we can design, prototype and test-fly 12 months out of the year. For example, just before this meet in our winter we did some developing, tested, tuned and flew 18 gliders in three days, with three pilots.”

Time—that old revelator—will tell how the average pilot likes the Litespeed S performance package. I have no doubts about the outcome.

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

DWE I PN AG R RT EMV EI EN W T

Gear and Goodies I’m not going to run you through the setup and breakdown of the glider, because all the new top gliders are going together fairly similarly. Rather, we’ll look at factors different on the S compared to the previous Litespeed. The first thing is the fiberglass tips.

Because of the different sail arrangement, they become much easier to put on. Gerolf said he reduced tension in the leading edge, and increased it in the trailing edge. This makes the S tips about the easiest I have experienced of that sort. Also the haulback that pulls the crossbar back and holds it at the keel takes less effort than before and again is about the easiest in the business.

While we are on Easy Street, I should mention the VG. The gliders I flew had an extra pulley in them and VG pulling was that much easier. Of course, a bit more distance was required to produce the same effect. The sprogs too are different with a nice curve at their ends to accommodate the sail shape and a simple zip-in attachment (no loops are required).

The only things more difficult on the glider are the battens and sighting the glider for sprog settings. Because of the S-cut, many of the outboard battens are nearly the same length. Therefore you can’t use the fast setup method of separating them by

LITESPEED

S 3.5

S4

S 4.5

S5

Area

13.4 sq.m144 sq.ft.

13.7 sq.m147 sq.ft.

14.1 sq.m152 sq.ft.

14.6 sq.m157 sq.ft.

Span

10 m32.8 ft

10 m32.8 ft

10.4 m34 ft

10.4 m34 ft

Nose Angle

130-132 degrees

130-132 degrees

130-132 degrees

130-132 degrees

Aspect Ratio

7.5

7.3

7.6

7.4

Glider Weight *

33.6 kgs74 lbs

33.6 kgs74 lbs

34.5 kgs76 lbs

34.5 kgs76 lbs

Optimal Pilot Weight

70 kgs154 lbs

75 kgs165 lbs

85 kgs187 lbs

90 kgs198 lbs

Hook-In-Weight

68-109 kgs150-240 lbs

68-109 kgs150-240 lbs

75-120 kgs165-265 lbs

75-120 kgs165-265 lbs

Packed Length

4950 mm16.2 ft

4950 mm16.2 ft

5150 mm16.9 ft

5150 mm16.9 ft

Packed Length - Short

4330 mm14.2 ft

4330 mm14.2 ft

4500 mm14.8 ft

4500 mm14.8 ft

Center of Gravity (Front of Keel) **

1343 mm4.41 ft

1353 mm4.44 ft

1360 mm4.46 ft

1370 mm4.49 ft

Number of Battens Top Bottom

236

236

236

236

VNE

85 kph53 mph

85 kph53 mph

85 kph53 mph

85 kph53 mph

VA

74 kph46 mph

74 kph46 mph

74 kph46 mph

74 kph46 mph

Trim Speed

34 kph21 mph

34 kph21 mph

34 kph21 mph

34 kph21 mph

Stall Speed ***

26 kph16 mph

26 kph16 mph

26 kph16 mph

26 kph16 mph

Maximum Speed

124 kph77 mph

124 kph77 mph

124 kph77 mph

124 kph77 mph

Best Glide Speed

45 kph28 mph

45 kph28 mph

45 kph28 mph

45 kph28 mph

Best Glide Angle

15:01

15:01

15:01

15:01

Glide Angle 10:1

74 kph46 mph

74 kph46 mph

72 kph45 mph

72 kph45 mph

Manufacturer-supplied specifications * Glider Weight is measured from the standard glider. Some options will decrease glider weight by up to 2kg. ** Quoted Center of Gravity measurement is for Mylar sails. For Dacron sails, subtract 10mm. *** Measured at Optimal Pilot Weight Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

35

W D E I NP G A R RT E MV EI N E W T

length. You have to identify them by number. To make that process easier, I wish Moyes would put the number on the working end (the tip that goes into the sail) like other manufacturers do, rather than the rear. Oh well, I guess that’s why God created Magic Markers. Sprog sightings are more difficult for the same reason: the extra sail outboard juts in front of the tip. So you can’t view the twist curve as before. The old measuring string method may have to be used.

Another nice new item is the cleaned-up nose cone. That flowdisturbing ledge at the back of the nose cone has been eliminated with a thin layer to fair it in. Also the undersurface center section has been cleaned up with new zippers so that the hang strap goes into the sail through two slits. Finally, an arrangement at the tips allows the tip wand to be altered, moving it up and down, allowing much better control of the turn and thermal characteristics.

Wish List The Litespeed S has a few more surprises in the options list. You can select the usual variety of control frame options, including different types of aluminum uprights and carbon base tubes.

(See the Web site for all the choices.) But you can also choose any combination of carbon graphite outer leading edges, leading edge sleeves and/or sprogs. All the carbon options reduce the weight by 2 kilograms. (That’s 4.4 pounds for the metrically challenged reader.) Less weight is nice, but the real bonus is that all this weight reduction takes place outboard so the “swing weight” in a turn is much greater. The benefit is ease of handling. The final change we should point out is that there are new sizes of gliders to help extend the range with four selections on two airframe dimensions. See the specs on page 35 for the size best suited to your heft.

The driving philosophy behind the S is to be the essence of finesse.

I think that the aging boys at Moyes have achieved their goal of creating a high performance wing for everyman (or omniwoman).

Certainly you need the skills to set up a high performance landing, which means plan for an ample final glide. But if you have those skills, you can bet your S you will be pleasantly surprised at the docile nature of this raptor with a robin disposition.

Bottom Line: As I write this, it is just before Christmas. Guess what I have asked Santa for this year? I have given up all my bad behavior like potato-rooting at launch, driving like a maniac when it is soarable, swooping down on my flying friends and popping a top in the landing field. Well, maybe not the last, but otherwise I have been good, in hopes of getting my wish. It’s too late for Christmas for readers, but those of you yearning for a new, comfortable highperformance wing should arrange a test flight. Then I guarantee you’ll finagle and connive to get the funds somewhere. Who needs Santa Claus?

To find the dealer or demo nearest you, contact Moyes America by calling (530) 888-8622, or email FlyaMoyes@aol.com. You can also visit their Web site at www.moyesamerica.com.

Moyes America mogul, Kenny Brown, points to the earlier Litespeed rear sail point.

The Litespeed at the point of takeoff on the Finger Lakes field.

36

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E P A H R TG M - 1E N 0 T 1

Hang Gliding 101: Preparing Your Equipment for Flight

By G.W. Meadows

H

ave you ever been bowling and noticed that if you find just the right bowling ball, your game goes so much better? The feel of the ball in your hand throughout the motion and even after the release feels so much better than all those other times when you didn’t have that very ball for your use? Or, for those of you who played Little League baseball or even adult softball, do you remember how the right bat just made your swing feel more powerful and coordinated?

The same thing applies in hang gliding.

Having the right equipment and having that equipment adjusted properly for you is very important to an enjoyable flight.

Competition pilots know better than to try new equipment (if at all possible) during a competition round because inevitably, all equipment—whether it’s the glider, the harness, the helmet or even the flight instruments—need just a little tweaking to

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

make it work best for you. It’s kind of like when you drive someone else’s car. Maybe you need to move the seat forward a little and possibly you need to angle that rearview mirror down just a smidge to make it feel right for you. This month, I will deal with setting up your equipment to work the best for you. I’ll offer simple guidelines that work for most people. If my guideline doesn’t work for you or if your instructor tells you differently, then be prepared to examine things more closely.

Setting up the trim on your glider.

Having the trim position properly set on your glider is crucial to being able to achieve the best climb ergonomics on that glider as well as being one of the most important, but overlooked, factors on a good landing.

Gliders vary greatly in their speed range, bar pressure, roll response and such, but there’s a basic given trim position you can set to make sure the glider works out for

you. Over the years, I’ve test flown many hang gliders both as a dealer and while working for manufacturers. The very first thing I would do after I cleared the hill or released the towline would be to check the trim of the glider. Knowing that the trim was set properly would allow me to evaluate the reactions of the glider to the test I would then proceed to put it through.

The first thing I would do was take my hands completely off the basetube. Once I was in the air and clear of the mountain, I would take my hands off the glider and let the glider trim out. Always, I would have my hands at the ready in case it was trimmed way too slowly and wanted to stall when I let go.

If removing both hands from the basetube is not something you are comfortable doing you should work your way toward it as quickly as you can. There will be many times in your hang gliding career when you’ll need to take both 37

hands off the basetube to attend to something else. It can be as simple and benign as needing to fi x the zipper on your harness, or as urgent as having to keep your parachute from falling out of its container. In short, flying hands-off is an ability that you should have. Of course, you don’t want to practice this skill near the ground, nor do you need to do it when the conditions are bumpy – in fact if the conditions are rowdy, you should keep both hands on the basetube for safety reasons. In fairly calm air, however, letting go of the bar is not a big deal.

When you do this safely and the glider stabilizes—hands off— then you want to make sure that it’s not trimmed in a stall (if the glider is trimmed in a stall, it will be reasonably evident ). Ideally, for most situations, you want the glider trimmed about 3-5 mph above stall. This equates to the glider flying just fine with hands off and you needing to push the basetube out about 4-6 inches or so for it to begin to stall. If you have trimmed the glider too slow (say right at stall or even in a stall), then the downside is that when you are landing, you will not have the proper feedback that you need to time your flare properly. If your glider is trimmed too slowly, when you let the glider go to the trim position on landing (major part of flare timing), the glider will mush and you will not get a chance to do a normal full flare. On the other hand, if you’re trimmed too fast, then the same is true in reverse. The flare timing and result will be off, but for another reason. You’re likely to have too much speed when you flare, which results in too much energy being bled off too quickly and you will “balloon up.” For this reason (among others) you can see that proper trim position on you glider is very important. Ask your instructor or a knowledgeable flying buddy about adjusting the trim on your glider.

Make changes in relatively small increments.

Adjusting your harness for flight.

A good number of harness styles are available to the budding hang glider pilot, everything from the minimal knee hanger to fullblown, highly-faired carbon pods. The average pilot, however, is flying with a cloth-bodied fully-enclosed pod harness. This type of harness (in modern terms) can be broken down easily into two styles: those with backframes and those without. The purpose of a backframe in the harness is to distribute the weight as evenly as possible (while keeping the shape of the harness) without external lines and speader bars, which create drag. Generally speaking, backframe harnesses are less flexible overall and can create some challenges (compared with non-backframed harnesses) when it comes to getting into the glider and getting upright to land. Keep in mind that not all backframe harnesses are created equal and so some of these statements are generalities.

It is pretty much an accepted fact that the non-backframed harnesses are much easier to use. Without the frame running from the pilot’s shoulder blades down past their butt, the pilot is allowed much more freedom to bend and move while on the 38

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E P A H R TG M - 1E N 0 T 1

ground. The frame also offers resistance in getting upright to land. Still, some people believe the non-backframed style harness is an entry-level pod harness and most serious pilots should be flying a harness with a backframe. I don’t personally subscribe to this opinion.

I believe that the simpler and easier any product is to use, the more you will enjoy it. I think one of the major problems of hang gliding is everyone’s pursuit of more and more performance. That, however, is simple human nature and is very unlikely to change.

To adjust your harness for flight you’ll need to spend some time in it hanging from a tree or your garage ceiling. It is best to have something solid to hold onto while hanging for these tests to best simulate being in a hang glider. Note: when testing a harness for comfort, place you hands in a flying position. A harness feels different when you have your arms hanging down at your side or toward the ground than it does when you are in a flying position.

Length Adjusting your harness for length is generally easy. On most harnesses, you can simply loosen or tighten the straps at the shoulders. To determine what length your harness should be, hang in it for a few minutes. Notice if your legs are straight and if your feet are firmly flat against the boot of the harness. In general, you want this to be the case. If your legs are bent at all or if you have to flex your feet to press against the boot then you’re likely to end up fatigued while flying and possibly with a backache. Try several positions with your shoulder straps until you find the one that works best for you.

Angle While doing your length adjustment, check the “angle of your dangle” by either looking in a mirror, asking someone, or even taking the time to hook a video camera up to a portable TV so you can see what you look like while looking straight Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

ahead in the flying position. Ideally, you should be slightly head down. To most people, slightly head down will feel like very head down until you get used to it.

If head down does not work for you then go for level. Get the feel of this and try to fly this way. It is amazing how many pilots who fly prone have their shoulders so much higher than their feet. Flying this way is incredibly inefficient, but mostly it’s hard on your shoulder and back muscles.

Those of you who already have this habit of flying head-high should spend some time hanging in your harness trying to get used to flying with your body level.

Body curve The profile of your body from the side is important to your flight comfort. Do you look like a smile, a frown or straight?

Usually the most comfortable position is a slight smile. Straight is just fine and is the most aerodynamic but if you’re bent so that your shoulders and feet are lower than your hips (in the shape of a frown) your harness is not adjusted properly and likely you are getting all kinds of muscle aches while flying. This shape can easily be adjusted on non-backframe harnesses by shortening the “knee area” to “shoulder area” lines until you get your shape flat. If you have this situation on a backframed harness then the harness is probably too long for you. Try shortening the shoulder straps. If that doesn’t work you might have a harness that isn’t sized correctly for you.

See your dealer for his opinion.

Hang Height (while prone) In my travels I have noticed one undeniable fact: American pilots in general hang higher above the basetube than any other pilots in the world. This makes the glider’s bar pressures higher than they need to be.

We develop this trait quite honestly but it doesn’t mean we have to continue it. I don’t know how many of you have ever noticed that virtually all harnesses manufactured in the United States have the parachutes on the chest while most harnesses manufactured elsewhere have them on the side. The pros and cons of each

parachute location are left for an upcoming article. For now, note that on a harness with a chest-mounted chute, there are two to three inches of extra space taken up between your chest and the basetube so you have no option but to hang higher than in a harness with the parachute on the side.

I’ve been to a lot of hang gliding schools and I’ve seen students taught that they should hang between one and two fists above the top of the basetube. I think that’s a wonderful idea when you’re first learning to fly. It gives you solid flare authority and puts you in a good over-all position for your early days in hang gliding. The problem that I’ve noticed is that many pilots continue this body position well into their hang gliding careers and some maintain it forever. I fully support anyone who wants to hang that way, as long as they know the drawbacks —namely less pitch and roll authority, sore back muscles and excess drag.

Let’s do some math. If you have a parachute that’s 2.5 inches thick on your chest and you decide to hang two fists high (approximately 7.5 inches), then your chest is at least 10 inches off the bar. Compare that to the most efficient and less tiring position of a side-mounted chute with the harness only clearing the basetube by 2 to 3 inches. You’ll have much lighter bar pressures in pitch and much quicker response for the amount of effort in roll.

It’s a significant difference and one worth looking into. Be aware that if you’re changing from hanging high to a much lower position you’ll have to “train” some new muscles as first. You’ll be in the “swing” of it in no time, though.

Hang Height (while upright) Now this will throw a curve into the whole scenario. One of the most important things about your harness adjustment is how high you should be when upright. This adjustment can greatly affect your landings.

I have found a very simple method that works quite well for me. I realized about continues on page 42…

39

Photo: RON LUTZ Thomas Gartlan in flight.

Hyner Run, Sproul State Forest, Pennsylvania.

Canon EOS 10D with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens Shutter Speed: 1/750 Aperture: f 6.7 ISO: 400 Focal Length: 65mm

HD GE P - 1 A 0R 1 T M E N T

continued from page 39…

seven years ago that a harness properly adjusted for me will allow me about one fist over the basetube while hooked in, if I try to sit on the basetube. Since I hardly ever fly the same hang glider twice in a row, it’s a good way for me to check my height properly without anyone else to help me out. It can also be a good “double check” if I have any questions about hang height. I simply pull the nose of the glider to approximately level and then try to sit on the basetube. As I said, about one fist height above the basetube gives me the right height for being upright and the proper position for my hands on the downtubes for good flare authority.

Now, why is this even important since we don’t generally sit on the basetube? Simply because our position in relation to the downtubes will make a large difference in our flare

42

authority upon landing. If we are too low, our hands are forced farther apart when gripping the downtubes at shoulder height. With our hands out wider, we can’t flare as forcefully or with as much range. So, this method of checking our height allows us to properly adjust our legstraps. In a nutshell, the legstraps on our harness should be as snug as possible without pain. At no time should the legstraps be uncomfortable, but by having your legstraps too loose, you’re able to slide down when you get upright and you lose some of your flare authority. For some pilot/harness combinations, however, you have to be careful about your “body in the harness center of gravity” when it comes to getting upright. Pilots who have a very heavy upper body (compared to their lower body) may have to adjust their legstraps a little looser on backframe harnesses just so their upper body does not try to constantly pull them down toward prone. It’s kind of like a seesaw in relation to the main hang strap.

In general, when you go upright, you want to have more weight on the “butt” side of the main than the “head” side so you’ll be more vertical. This is the reason the main strap on a backframe harness slides toward the shoulders when you start to stand. This is yet another reason to spend some time hanging in your garage for adjustment.

Learning the other parts of your harness.

Don’t wait until you’ve just launched on your first flight with your new harness to learn that there really wasn’t enough room for the glider bag and the Camelbak behind you. Take the time to pack all of your bags and other gear into your harness and hang in your garage. Believe me, it’s worth the effort.

Learn to zip and unzip your harness without looking while doing a static hang as

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E P A H R TG M - 1E N 0 T 1

well. Also practice unzipping without the line to help. These lines often wear out with time and it’s a good idea to know how to reach the zipper pull with your hand. Zip it down to your knees and then spread your knees to finish getting out of it. Knowing how to do this will make your life much simpler if you ever need to employ this technique.

Please keep in mind that these harness adjustments have been all relative. With the variety of the different body types and harness types out there it would be impossible to give you directions on how to adjust each one perfectly for you. Your instructor/ dealer will be valuable on this subject.

Adjusting your Helmet Your helmet is often an overlooked piece of equipment when it comes to making adjustments. First of all, make sure your helmet fits you properly. That means that it doesn’t move around on your head when you are simply picking the glider up and touching it with the downtubes or hang strap. If it does, it’s way too loose and it’s not going to do the job it was designed to do—protect your head from impacts. If it is only a little too large and you can’t afford to buy one that’s your size, you could buy some small pieces of closed cell foam (not the stiff kind) and place it inside the liner of your helmet until you get the helmet to fit you better. The helmet should stay put on your head. Also, try a bandana to keep it from sliding on your noggin. If you have a full-face helmet you should make sure that the chin protector is not so large that it obstructs your vision. It’s great to have a motocross helmet since they have superior protection but not at the cost of creating an accident because your field of view is obstructed. Make the adjustment necessary to keep your helmet on your head in a manner where it will protect you while allowing you unobstructed vision.

and controls screens that we can spend a lot of time trying to navigate through them. By being familiar with our instruments before we fly we’ll be able to pay much more attention to the actual flying when we want to switch pages on the vario or GPS during flight. The extra 30 minutes you spend learning your electronic gear could make your first few flights with it much safer and more enjoyable.

Likewise, if you’re using a new push-totalk system on your radio, be sure to check it out in a static situation. Finding out that the wire you’ve just run down your sleeve and attached to your finger is too short is much more pleasant if you’re not 2000 feet off the ground.

Well that pretty much covers this subject—at least as much as we can in a simple magazine story. Remember that you should never use articles you read in the magazine as the “end authority” on any subject. Take this information and use it with the advice you get from your instructor and other flying buddies. *** G.W. Meadows has been hang gliding over 20 years and has held every rating issued in the sport. He was on the USHGA’s board of directors for 15 years and was at one time president of the organization. G.W. has written or co-written much of the USHGA’s Tandem and Training Programs. His Hang Gliding 101 articles are condensed versions of the chapters of his upcoming book, Hang Gliding 101.

Vario and other instruments It is important to be very familiar with your vario’s operation before you fly. All of our electronic gadgets have so many settings Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

43

F D I RE SP TA RF TL M I G E N H T !

flights he had made and he said lots of them. Beyond count. I noticed that he had no apparent broken arms and he didn’t walk with a piteous limp.

The exultant au thor, post-flight tor with his instr uc

By Marshall Trieber

I’m 74 years old, and I just had my first hang glider flight.

There is a mountain overlooking Chattanooga—Lookout Mountain. There is a cliff on the side of Lookout Mountain. Near that cliff is an outfit that provides hang glider flights.

I had visited Lookout Mountain before, and I had seen a person run off that cliff. The person in a flimsy little thing with sort of a wing or sail on it had charged off the edge of the precipice, and floated down.

The group member who had boldly gone first into the office asked about first-time flyers. How does a person begin to hang glide?

The young man, who turned out to be one of the owners of the school and an instructor, spoke the word tandem. A bicycle built for two is a tandem bike. He said two people could go off the cliff together in a tandem glider. “Beginners don’t go off the cliff at all,” he said. “We take off from the ground below here.”

I looked at the ground a thousand feet below. It was indeed a landing place, and it was also a take-off place.

A beginner and his instructor fly in a glider that is a little larger than the regular kind used by a pilot flying alone. The tandem glider is about 18 to 20 feet from side to side, and some seven feet from front to back. It weighs about 70 pounds.

The beginner gets a short training period, which is an explanation of how to get into the harness, how to attach the harness to the aircraft, how to steer the glider and how to land. Then the instructor and the student get into the glider while it’s on the ground and fasten themselves in. They are side-by-side.

An ultralight plane lands. A towrope is attached to the glider, and the ultralight and the glider take off together, the ultralight pulling the glider into the air. At a height of 2000 feet, the towrope is cast off, the ultralight goes its way and the hang glider does its thing.

Launch plat form on top of

Lookout Mountain

I saw that. I had no intention of doing any such thing. I knew better.

One fine day a group of us drove up Lookout Mountain. It was a balmy June day. It was a what-is-so-rare-as-a-day-in-June type of day. Not windy, not cloudy, not hot. Humidity and barometric pressure had joined hands to entice all humankind to the outdoors.

We stopped by the cliff—the hang glider launching cliff. One of our group casually suggested that we go into a building marked “Lookout Maintain Flight Park—America’s No. 1 Hang Gliding School!” An amiable young man seemed genuinely glad to see us, and we talked.

He said that, as a child, he had wanted to be able to fly. Now he goes hang gliding—now he really can fly. I asked him how many 44

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding March

F I DR ES PT A FR LT I MG EH NT T!

The instructor and the student glide over Lookout Mountain and can look down on the take-off cliff. The flight is silent. The vehicle drifts.

My friend said he was going. We would drive down the mountain to the pasture below. There he would meet the instructor with the tandem glider. The ultralight plane would appear, and they would hang glide. I would look on. My friend said I could take pictures.

We went below. My friend got into the harness, got into the glider, lay down beside the instructor. The ultralight tow pilot connected the towrope to the glider and they soared skyward.

I watched them go up, saw the towline release, saw the people glide about, and—oh, bliss!—land safely. My friend said he had enjoyed it.

I noticed that my friend was not visibly aged. He did not seem shaken. He walked steadily to the shed where the harnesses were kept and where people could sit and watch and think.

Thinking can be risky. I found myself thinking strange and wild thoughts. I had seen with my own eyes everything that had happened from my friend’s entry to his exit from the glider.

The second member of our group went up. And flew. And landed smoothly and safely and he actually seemed happy. I thought more. I found myself saying words, strange words. I heard myself say, “I’d like to try it.” Then I said to myself, “What did you just say?” “I’m going hang gliding,” I said.

First the instructor had me sign a form that said I wouldn’t hold him responsible if anything went wrong. That seemed reasonable. If anything went wrong, we’d be in the same boat, or glider as the case may be. That didn’t dampen my enthusiasm.

Getting into the harness was easy enough. I yanked on it. It didn’t seem inclined to break. Then the instructor told me to lie down on the frame of the glider. The glider moved uneasily on its wheels. “Make it stop,” I said. The instructor did. He fastened his harness and mine to the frame and lay down beside me. “Now put your arm across me and rest your hand on the frame, there,” he said.

I seized his shoulder with a death grip. “Hold the frame, not me,” he said. With that encouragement, I held onto the frame on the other side of the instructor.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004flying machines like the Pod Racer and Escape Pod 45 Read about fascinating on ByDanJohnson.com • Sign up today to be notified when the site goes live.

F I R S T

F L I G H T

I bought a T-shirt at the office. It showed Wile E. Coyote standing in

The takeoff was smooth. The ultralight took us aloft, and the pilot cast the towrope off. “We’re up 2,000 feet,” the instructor said after a short time, looking at a small altimeter mounted on the frame.

a hang glider with his feet perched precariously on a crumbling pinnacle.

He looked apprehensive. I knew how he felt!

I looked down on Lookout Mountain. I looked at the sky and the trees and the mountaintop with its launching cliff way below. Way, way below, farther down was the landing area. I gasped.

The shirt also said, “First Flight.” Now I had enjoyed my first flight. I had actually done it! I had enjoyed it! As my grandson might say, “It was neat!”

And I was Cool!

“If you are going to throw up,” the instructor said calmly, “aim the other way.” That made sense and I regained my composure. We glided in a great, descending circle. It was indeed calm up there. It was wondrously fine. I felt good!

The instructor had explained before we took off how to steer the craft. All a person has to do is lean on the right end of the front bar to turn the craft to the right. Pushing on the left end of the bar would turn us left. I understood that. “Do you want to pilot us down?” the instructor asked me. Part of me started to say, “Why yes, that’s a great idea!” But the cry of the chicken was heard in the land. What I actually said was, “You go ahead and land.” And we did.

into the Apprehensive, the author getsinst ructor. har ness with the help of his

We headed toward the pasture. Then we swerved a few feet above the ground. I thought a gale force cross-wind had struck us, but it was only a mild gust. We landed gently.

“Only wind we had all day,” the instructor casually remarked, and then he said, “You did fine.”

I had flown for over 15 minutes. Now I unhitched and got out of the harness. I walked steadily toward my friends. “Well,” I said to them, “how about that?”

Later the instructor told me that an 81year-old gentleman had flown with him the week before.

A 70-year-old man had made several tandem flights and was now soloing right off the cliff.

Student and instructor before takeoff.

Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding School. Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.

A I R

The Third Wave

F

By Mike Sandlin

irst came the hang gliders, then the paragliders.

Now, are the ultralight sailplanes coming to your local flying site?

On a good soaring day, I load my glider on top of my truck and head for my local mountain hang gliding site, where I set up with the gang, launch, soar, land in the LZ and swap stories about the day’s flying. This has been the pattern for years, but this season there’s a new twist. I’m not flying a hang glider or a paraglider anymore—I’m flying an “airchair,” a new species of ultralight sailplane. I’m taking off from the same old launch slope that I ran down when I was hang gliding, but now I roll down the slope until I reach flying speed, and then I’m off into the blue.

Since this kind of launch isn’t being done regularly anywhere else in the world that I know of, some explanation is called for.

Over the last four or five years I’ve designed, built, and flown a series of gliders that fit my idea of an “airchair”—essentially, a garden chair with a wing. This is an ultralight sailplane that allows the pilot to fly out in the open, at low speeds, in a light-weight and simple airframe that has been designed for basic soaring and car-top transport. My latest design, the Goat, can serve as a good example of the “airchair” concept. It weighs about 140 pounds empty, including a hand-deployed emergency parachute. This is well under the ultralight sailplane weight limit of 155

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

C H A I R

pounds so its airworthiness and pilot qualifications are not subject to direct official oversight in the United States.

we tried pushing the glider down the hill. We managed to get some flights, but it was awkward and perilous to the pushers.

I fly seated, strapped in place with a four-point seat belt, mostly out in the open air like a paraglider pilot and usually in an insulated flight suit. This exposed flying is comfortable because the Goat flies at hang glider speeds, a result of having about the same wing loading as a hang glider (that is, the ratio of the Goat’s total flying weight in proportion to its wing area is about the same as that of a hang glider). When disassembled and folded, the glider can be transported on top of my truck on my padded hang glider rack, with no special adaptations, braces, or other baggage. Under perfect conditions I can assemble the Goat by myself in just under twenty minutes.

Next we tried the paraglider training technique of pulling with a short rope, but that really didn’t work at all. The pull wasn’t fast enough and the pullers were in the way. In frustration, somebody suggested just letting the glider roll down the hill until it flew, and to the amazement of all this seemed to work about as well as anything.

Eventually this became our standard launch technique both for training and for mountain launching, since it is easy to do and practical as long as the wind is adequate and the slope is smooth and open. The requirements for mountain roll-launching are slow flying speeds (presumably requiring a low wing loading) and car-top transport (because trailers won’t make it up the back roads).

The rolling launch idea originated while a few friends and I were fumbling around on a training hill with one of my early prototypes, trying to do some first flights. Hang gliders on wheels have been pushed down launch slopes since forever, so

An airchair can be loaded and carried on a car top rack like a hang glider. No launch dolly is needed.

Photos by Mike Sandlin

This season my weekend soaring takeoffs have all been done by roll launching, mostly at Horse Canyon, a mountain hang gliding site near San Diego, California.

The launch pad at Horse is two Goat-wingspans long and drops about 17 feet— adequate for launches in moderate winds, with reasonable tip clearance from the rocks and bushes along the sidelines.

At launch, I sit at the top of the slope, belted into the 47

D AE IP RA RC THMA EI N R T

Goat seat with my feet and the glider’s nose skid down on the ground. The skid is held down by keeping the control stick full forward, a precaution against wind gusts.

In this position I can wait for the best wind and traffic conditions before takeoff—a launch potato once again, but with a few differences from my hang gliding days.

I have to persuade the launch helpers to let go and stand aside, since unlike a hang glider I usually have good roll authority while just sitting there in the wind.

Launch timing is a matter of wind speed and smoothness. Since the Goat has good control and stability in turbulence, I sometimes start launch at the height of the wind cycle, gaining the benefits of strong wind: a short takeoff roll and a comfortable margin of airspeed above stall. Most of the time, however, assuming I have a more than adequately long slope for rolling, I’d rather follow the hang gliding and

48

paragliding practice of waiting through the height of the wind cycle, then launching just after that when the wind is still strong but not so turbulent. The benefit of taking off into a smooth wind is an increased margin of control, especially with regard to ground clearance.

The launch starts when I call out, “Clear!” and push against the ground with my feet to raise the nose off the ground (or, if the wind is strong enough, I just raise the nose with the elevator). Some fast foot action gets my feet onto the rudder pedals as the glider begins to roll and slowly picks up speed. I hold the wings at a level bank (controlled by sideways action of the stick) and keep the nose down but clear of the ground (controlled by fore and aft motion of the stick) as I steer straight down the hill with the rudder (foot pedals). The 16-inch diameter pneumatic tire gives me a smooth ride down to the end of the

slope, where I lift off the ground and dive over the bush tops until I’m sure of some reserve airspeed. When I’m well clear of the ridge I settle into a comfortable flying speed (30 mph is fast in the Goat) and switch to the coordinated flight control technique where the stick and rudder are used together for turns.

This business of having to coordinate foot and hand control inputs, the three-axis control system, is one of the big differences between sailplane or airplane flying as opposed to hang gliding or paragliding, and it’s a major obstacle to a quick transition from foot-launching to “airchair” flying. When student pilots first try to turn with a three-axis system, they will usually try to use just the control stick, with the result that the wing will roll but the nose will not swing into the turn—it will just wallow in place or even go the other way.

You have to use the foot pedal (rudder)

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

A I R

to yaw the nose into the turn as well as using some side stick (ailerons) to bank the wing if you want any kind of decent turn response at all. Of course, while using these two controls in exquisite coordination, you also have to command airspeed by control stick fore and aft position (using the elevator to control nose attitude), so three-axis flying can be a tricky business until you get the hang of it. The reward for using mechanical controls is fast response and not having to use as much muscle in the turns.

Out on the ridge and back above launch, I can mix readily with the hang glider traffic because I’m flying at the same speeds and using the same soaring techniques.

(Typically at Horse Canyon most paragliders don’t come out until later in the day, after many of the hang gliders have landed.) I haven’t measured the performance of the Goat, but I think I’m flying about like the average king-posted hang glider, maybe even a little slower and tighter at times, in thermals. In a small thermal I want to fly as slow as possible in order to stay close in to the lift core, but I can’t just fly at minimum airspeed because I still have to track and follow the lift, and that requires maintaining maneuvering speed about half the time.

Since the Goat has both a light wing loading and good low-

Above: Open air flying in the Goat looks a little like paragliding, but the speed and feel is more like a hang glider.

Photo: Mike Sandlin Above Right: The Goat flies away from a rolling takeoff at Horse Canyon, near San Diego, California.

Background Photo: John Heiney

C H A I R

-

-

-

__

--

-

-

~

--

-

--

-

~ - -

A I R

speed roll control, I can work small thermals comfortably and with good results.

Flying seated in a busy thermal, with whirling traffic above and below, I feel a little like Harry Potter in the middle of a frantic quidditch match, although, of course, our soaring traffic is usually less chaotic. (We don’t see many people turning in the contra-gaggle direction, luckily.) After a couple of lift cycles, having taken in the view from whatever altitude is available, I might be satisfied with my soaring and ready to fly away on a gradually descending tour of the local flying area, cruising down for a landing.

Airchair landings are a lot like hang glider landings. The pre-landing checklist is the same: Check the local area for other air traffic, especially on the horizon; check the wind direction; check to be sure the landing zone is clear. I fly the same box landing pattern as always, at the same airspeeds, and put out my drogue chute at about the same place as I’ve always done. (I’m a big drogue parachute fan, and I used mine for every landing when I was hang gliding.) In the pattern, the ground path is adjusted in response to turbulence and lift using the standard hang glider/paraglider practice, cutting in when low, swinging wide and staying back when being forced up. This is contrary to the general sailplane method, where you pretty much fly a fixed pattern and operate the dive brakes for glide path control. That’s what a lot of the ultralight sailplane pilots still would like to do, but I don’t think it’s going to work for airchairs.

The magnitude of lift effects at these wing loadings can be so great that maneuvering and timing are the best practical method for controlling a descent in the landing pattern. A dive break powerful enough to allow an airchair to fly a fixed pattern under extreme conditions would itself be a hazard in the hands of a weekend pilot (like me).

Landings are generally pretty easy. You just fly a casual pattern down to grass-

skimming altitude and then sit tight until the wheel settles onto the ground.

Hang glider flares and paraglider-type braking maneuvers aren’t needed here, since you’re landing on a wheel, not on your feet, and you can just roll to a stop. If needed, the nose skid can be set down for a brake, but it may grab on soft ground—much like a thin bicycle tire in sand—and it can sometimes produce a more abrupt halt than intended. A quick stop can rock the glider forward, putting the tail high in the sky, an undignified way to end a flight. The more stylish landing method is to slowly roll to a stop while lowering the tail skid and both feet to the ground. Since the wheel is located at the center of lift, the glider is only slightly nose-heavy and it can be landed or launched as either a nose-dragger or a tail-dragger, pilot’s choice.

For ground tow or ultralight aerotow launches (which are what most pilots elsewhere would be doing), airchairs easily fit into a hang glider operation. The tow speeds are the same, you don’t need a launch dolly, the hookup is fast and simple, and there is little or no risk of a lockout or tumble. On tow, one hand is always free, ready to release, and behind an ultralight tow plane the glider is stable enough that when the controls are released the only result is a gradual climb above the level tow position. On the whole, airchair towing is so casual you have to make yourself wake up and remember that this part of the flight deserves your full attention because things can go wrong.

Eventually there will be airchair accidents, probably similar to foot-launch accidents, more often a launch or landing bungle than a plummet from the sky. In this low-speed crash situation an airchair should provide superior protection for the pilot by surrounding him or her with frangible structure, which can absorb impact energy and help isolate the pilot from ground objects. If, on the other hand, control of the glider has been lost at altitude, and something like

C H A I R

a plummet really has developed, it’s time to go for the hand-deployed emergency parachute, which is mounted on the side of the nose section below the pilot’s right elbow. This is an ordinary hang glider emergency chute and bridle in a deployment bag, rigged to be tossed out to bring down the pilot and glider together in the usual way. The usual way, that is, except that the bridle is set up to bring the glider down tail first, with the nose up in the air. The plan is that at the end of a drifting parachute ride, the wing or tail will contact the terrain first and crumple up, protecting the pilot from discomfort.

My fellow local airchair pilot, Floyd Fronius, another old-time hang glider pilot, has reworked the Bug-2 airchair biplane and is flying it on the coastal ridge at Torrey Pines (as well as inland).

His specialty is the airchair cliff launch, which can be made from level ground near the cliff edge in high winds, unassisted. Floyd also satisfied our curiosity about what happens when an airchair lands in shoulder-high bushes (the result: nothing dire, just a gentle forward pitch and nose bonk), and has defined the cliff launch concept of “too much wind,” which is when the wheel starts to rise off the ground even though the nose skid is pressed firmly into the dirt. My own educational misadventures involve landing in ruts, destroying wheels, over-inflating the tire (don’t do it, it locks up the wheel), and various bent tubes.

The Goat airframe is constructed of aluminum tubing, bolted together and braced with steel cable, similar to conventional hang glider construction. For ease of home building, I tried to keep everything down at a “garage technology” level, using readily-available materials and hand-held tools. There are no welded or specially machined parts on the Goat. The covering fabric is light aircraft polyester (Dacron), cemented in place and shrunk to fit with a clothes iron, nominally the Polyfiber process except that I stop short and don’t use the ultraviolet protection (aluminum

paint) or the cosmetic paint layers.

All the sensational details and the complete technical drawings are in the public domain, free for downloading from my Web site, http://home.att.net/~m--sandlin/bug.htm.

Airchairs like the Goat (in particular, the commercial Super Floater) are already flying at ultralight tow operations such as the Florida airparks, and sometime in the future we may also see them flying at mountain sites and training hills. Eventually, airchairs and faster ultralights might be a “third wave” at local sites, joining the hang gliders and paragliders, becoming a part of the local soaring scene. To become popular and be widely accepted, airchairs will need time to develop all the usual stuff: commercial production and certification, standardized instruction and ratings, and an organization that provides unified representation, public relations, insurance, and calendars. It isn’t time yet to say, “Look out, USHGA, here we come!” but ultimately, using the same launch and landing areas would probably mean joining the same organizations.

much improved aircraft, lighter, simpler, more practical, and higher performance.

There’s no inherent reason why an airchair has to be heavier than a hang glider (remember that the average hang glider pilot waddles up to launch with about 110 pounds of equipment, only 20 or 30 pounds less than what I’m flying with now in the Goat). The performance of the airchair can be increased, since my airfoil is primitive, and span limits have not been established. Another great potential here is for crash safety, perhaps an opportunity for pilots to walk away from many of the mishaps that would otherwise have added to soaring injury statistics.

As a designer and home builder with no interest in anything commercial, I have my own ideas for an ideal airchair, leading mainly in the direction of lightweight and simplified control systems. I look forward to seeing more airchair flying, perhaps as a popular third choice for local ultralight soaring, but mainly just to see what develops from this pleasant offshoot of footlaunch flying.

You might ask why anybody would want to fly some new type of wing if it’s heavier, more complex, and has no better performance that an average hang glider. I’d answer that the main reason is just for the fun of it, for novelty and adventure. The comfort of upright seating is not lost on me either. Also, I expect that a few generations of development will produce some 52

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

F L Y I N G

M A U I

By Rich Parry

“Where are we going on vacation this year?” my teenage daughter asks.

Late afternoon flight from the slopes of Haleakala.

Photo: Dex Binder

“Grandma’s,” I answer with authority. “We go to Grandma’s every year,” I add to stress the point that my mind is made up.

“Let’s do something different—let’s go to Maui,” she wheedles.

“Sorry, we’re going to Grandma’s and that is all there is to it.”

A heated discussion ensues. A few moments later I walk away from the argument showing that I am indeed head of the household—I’ve decided we’re going to Maui.

Having settled on our destination, the planning phase of the vacation followed. I discovered that Maui has something for everyone. Traditional activities include hiking, swimming, surfing, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing, golf, tennis, and mountain biking. For the more adventuresome, Maui offers SCUBA diving, snorkeling, ocean kayaking, rafting, kite surfing, windsurfing, parasailing, and of course, hang gliding and paragliding.

I asked a few pilots at the Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego, California—my home base—if they had flown on Maui. Several had been to Oahu, and recommended it, but none had been to Maui. When I looked in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, the articles I found discussed only Oahu. The information was useful for general Hawaiian flying conditions, but lacked specific first-hand accounts of flying on Maui. Turning to the classifieds section of the magazine, I found Proflyght Paragliding’s Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

ad: “Imagine telling your spouse that the next flying trip will be to Maui.” I gave them a call and spoke to flight director Dexter Clearwater. He gave me directions to the site and welcomed me to join him and the locals any day of the week. Just show up at the LZ, fill out pilot registration forms, pay the site fee of $10/ day or $45/month, abide by the site rules, and enjoy.

POLI POLI FLIGHT PARK The Poli Poli Flight Park, located about 25 minutes from the Maui Airport, is operated by Proflyght Paragliding. Proflyght is a full-service organization, offering daily instruction for pilots from beginner to advanced. They are a retail dealer for paragliding equipment and offer tandem flights to the many tourists who visit Maui each year. The flight park is a popular spot for paragliders, hang gliders, and RC glider pilots.

Poli Poli, located on the flanks of the Haleakala Volcano, uses land owned by the Kaonouli Ranch. The ranch is home to a large herd of cows, and I met many of them as I traveled the five-mile winding road to launch. During my stay, I got used to the idea of waiting for cows to get off the road—after all, I was on vacation.

The site rules require all pilots to hold a current USHGA P3/H3 rating or better. P2/H2 pilots are welcome, but additional site orientation is required. Although I met the advanced pilot requirements, I was grateful for the site-specific information Dex provided.

53

.· / ·JJ . ~-. 1 - · , ...z,~~ '..·.· .

o- . ' > ·.

I·,

<•

" " ~ · ·. ·

I

I

~e(O'cali

~~UK

cany:,et~

~11

cfl&d....

D E FP LAY IR NTG M ME ANU TI

Photos this page: Dexter Binder

The summit of Haleakala is at 10,023 feet. The LZ is located at the 3,500-foot level, which is at the bottom of the flight park’s training hill. “Echoes,” located at the 4,500-foot level, is the name given to the launch site at the top of the practice hill.

This slope provides excellent training opportunities, giving pilots a gentle 1,000-foot vertical drop to the LZ. As students progress in ability, they can launch from higher and higher elevations. During the entire flight from Echoes to the LZ, the pilot may be as little as 20 to 30 feet off the ground due to the slope of the hill. The main launch site for advanced pilots is “Ferns,” located at the 6,500-foot level.

I found landing on the sloping LZ different from my previous landing experiences. Since the LZ is located on the side of a mountain, it has a significant downward slope, making spot landing a little difficult. Normally, as you land, you sense the ground is moving up toward you. However, when the land slopes downward, the ground appears to be continually moving away from you. It was like trying to hit a moving target. The slope makes landing different, but not difficult.

Although my flights were limited to extended sled rides, it is possible to catch thermals, soar above launch, and fly for an hour or more. The Poli Poli Flight Park is the main flying site on Maui, but there are other sites as well.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

MORE ON MAUI The summit of the volcano is home to several advanced optical telescopes and military projects. NASA, the Air Force, and the University of Hawaii each have equipment located on top, and all actively conduct scientific research up there.

A portion of the Haleakala National Park is also located at the top. Both the park and the scientific areas are off-limits for flying.

However, hiking along a trail brings you to a launch site called “L,” located on state-owned property not far from the crater rim. This site is strictly for advanced pilots due to the dynamic air you will find there. Extended flights lasting an hour or more with trips to cloudbase are common. However, the site is flyable just a few days each month. I understand that early afternoon is the best time to fly “L,” and flying with someone familiar with the site is highly recommended. Launching from nearly 10,000 55

D E P A R T M E N T

feet should give you one heck of a flight, even if it’s just a sled ride. I didn’t get a chance to try it; I’ll have to leave that for a return trip.

Coastal ridges near Lahaina offer additional flying opportunities. From there you can enjoy good thermals, but high winds often shut the coastal sites down.

I was told there are also sites on the northern portion of the island near Ka’napali and others north of Wailuku on the eastern side of the island.

Maui lies in the path of the trade winds, where the prevailing winds blow from northwest to southeast. Moist air blows in from the ocean and rises over the mountains, causing rain to fall on the leeward slopes. These slopes Photos: Dex Binder would be ideal for ridge soaring if it were not for the thick vegetation and jungle-like foliage.

Even though it’s not ideal for flying, the area deserves a visit. If you have time during your stay, I suggest the 50+ mile trip to Hana, a small town at the eastern end of the island. The road snakes through tropical valleys where you will find streams, waterfalls, pools, and lush green landscape reminiscent of visions of the Garden of Eden. As you travel along the coast, you’ll come across both white and black sand beaches. Don’t pass them by as it is the trip itself that is rewarding.

I found the locals friendly and helpful and a good source for flying information. The Hawaii Paragliding Association Web site, windlines.net, is another good resource. The Web site concentrates on Oahu flying, but information on other islands is provided along with useful links and people to contact during your visit.

56

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E FP LAY IR NTG M ME ANU TI

FORWARD LAUNCHING At the Poli Poli Flight Park, it is common to find light winds at launch, which makes forward launching the preferred launch technique. I couldn’t recall the last time I had done a forward launch, but I was ready to give it a go. Ironically, I had the July 2003 issue of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine with me, which had an article on forward launching by Dixon White. The information Photo: Dottie Binder served as a reminder of forward launching techniques, and at the launch site, Dexter was good enough to give a quick refresher course on the finer points of forward launching. He stressed the importance of laying out the wing properly, clearing the lines, and positioning paraglider cells to accept air and load the wing quickly during the early stage of the launch. These are important considerations since a forward launch can make it difficult to examine the glider for symmetry and cleared lines before becoming airborne.

minimal cloud cover. However, as the day progresses, wind speeds pick up dramatically. This obviously affects flying as well as other sports. Ocean kayaking, SCUBA diving and snorkeling also can get blown out early. Whitecaps can be seen everywhere on the ocean by late morning, making boating difficult, if not dangerous.

Clouds are also a consideration.

I was amazed at how quickly they moved. I remember Dexter launching and suggesting I follow soon since clouds could be seen moving towards us in the distance. When you launch from 6,500 feet, clouds are “below” you, which makes your awareness of clouds more important

I watched several of the locals launch and then it was my turn. It was like riding a bike. The launch went without a hitch. As I look back, I think I could have reversed, but since everyone else was launching forward I thought I would go with the flow.

MORNING PEOPLE I had never been to Maui before this trip, but I’d seen enough Magnum PI and Hawaii Five-O to build up some erroneous beliefs about what I would see and do there. Besides flying, I had planned on SCUBA diving, ocean kayaking, and snorkeling. I soon learned that these sports and most other outdoor activities begin and end early— very early.

There are good reasons why I was up before 6 a.m. most days. A typical day in Maui begins with mild breezes and

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

57

D E P A R T M E N T

Photo: Rich Parry

than usual. I took off less than five minutes after Dex, barely making it through a cloud layer before conditions changed, making launching hazardous. Some local pilots routinely fly with a compass to be prepared for unexpected cloud cover. Although clouds are a significant factor, they are not continuous. Breaks in the clouds occur during the day, providing flying opportunities for those experienced in parawaiting.

Photo: Rich Parry

Due to the wind and cloud conditions late in the day, most pilots meet at the LZ at 7:15 a.m. I had to be up before 6 a.m. and out the door shortly thereafter to make it to the LZ on time. You might want to think twice about going to Maui if you’re not a morning person.

Photo: Rich Parry

58

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

F L Y I N G

M A U I

Animal Planet. In fact, during my stay, one of the local TV channels was airing a short documentary on Chuck and Dex. Photos: Oystein Bjorke

CHUCK THE DUCK During my stay I met several locals and visiting pilots, but Chuck the Duck deserves special mention. When I asked Dexter about a duck I saw following him wherever he went, he told me Chuck was his co-pilot. I didn’t respond to the comment, thinking that he was joking. However, later that day as Dex launched, Chuck ran along side and a moment later, both were airborne. I stood there watching in near disbelief. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the movie Fly Away Home in which Canada geese performed a similar feat.

Photos: Dex Binder

When I landed at the LZ shortly after Dex, I asked how he had trained Chuckie. He said he’d had Chuck since he was a oneday-old duckling, and he essentially became Chuck’s surrogate mother. Over the course of many months, Dex slowly bonded with the duck and put Chuck through flight school. He said he’s spent more time with the duck than he has with most students.

Training began with Chuck walking alongside Dex. When Chuck got used to that idea, Dex progressed to running. Eventually it was time to introduce Chuckie to a paraglider. Dex ran with canopy inflated, letting Chuck get used to the large bulky object. The spacious training hill at the flight park provided ample area for this portion of training. Chuck eventually graduated from flight school and now routinely flies with Dex.

CONCLUSION Although my flying was limited to a single site during a twoweek period in early August, this short description should benefit anyone considering flying in Maui. When I asked one of the locals what they like most about flying there, they replied that it’s Maui’s consistent year-round flying.

If you are looking for epic multi-hour flights or are hoping to set new personal-best distance or altitude records, Maui may not be the ideal location. However, we fly for many reasons, and flying a new site is often its own reward. Meeting new people and learning new techniques required by an unfamiliar site are challenging and satisfying.

I had a good time during my visit and recommend you bring your equipment if you are traveling to Maui. There are few places where you can launch from a volcano and look down on thousands of acres of sugar cane while overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the other Hawaiian Islands. Maui is certainly the only place that you will ever have a duck as a co-pilot.

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS Special thanks to Dex for making me feel at home, and for the forward launch refresher course. You can contact him at (808) 874-5433, or visit Proflyght Paragliding at www.paraglidehawaii.com.

Thanks also to Dotty and Dawn for shuttle Photo: Rich Parry rides to launch. I’ve never thanked a duck before, but in case Dex teaches Chuck to read, I’ll include this thanks to him also. Special thanks to Michael Zanger for sharing his experiences while flying in Maui. Lastly I am most grateful to my daughter, Megan, for suggesting the trip and to my wife, who got me started in paragliding and who remains the wind beneath my wing.

Chuck is an interesting topic of conversation for the locals and tourists. I expect a bright future for Chuckie, perhaps as a star on Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

59

C A L E N D A R

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. For more complete information on the events listed, please see our Calendar of Events at www.ushga.org

USHGA Sanctioned Competition April 16–24, 2004: Flytec Hang Gliding Championship at Quest Air, Florida. Register online at: www.flytec.com or call (352) 429-0213.

April 26–May 1, 2004: South Florida Championship at The Florida Ridge Airsports Park, Clewiston, Florida. USHGA NTSS and CIVL/WPRS points meet. Flex, Rigid, and Swift classes. Registration opens Feb 15, 2003, 9:00am Eastern Standard Time. Fee: $245, $295 after March 15. Pilots responsible for separate tow fees and incidentals. Registration limited to 45 pilots. Register online at www.theFloridaRidge.com or call (863) 805-0440.

April 27–May 1, 2004: Chelan Speed Gliding Championships/USHGA Speed Gliding Nationals. Chelan, Washington. Entry fee $150. Sport Class also available, entry fee $50. Contact: Steve Alford (425) 788-0308 airczr@hotmail.com, or Aaron Swepston, tontar@mindspring.com May 23–29, 2004: Team Challenge at Henson’s Gap, Dunlap, Tennessee. Fun hang gliding meet with a competitive edge. Field limited to 70 pilots. Cash prizes for top 5 teams. Individual and team scoring. All entrants must be USHGA members with aerotow signoff and GPS equipment. Registration: $145, $195 after May 1. Register online at www.treetoppers.org, or send application and check to: Tennessee Tree Toppers, P.O. Box 1286, Dunlap, TN 37327.

June 2–5, 2004: Rat Race. USHGA sanctioned Paragliding Regional at Woodrat Mountain in southern Oregon, home of the Starthistle Fly-in.

Registration: $125. $150 after May 1. Limit 75 Pilots, P3 or better rating required. More information: www.mphsports.com/ratrace 503-657-8911 or mphsports@comcast.net July 5–11, 2004: Chelan Cross Country Classic. For more information, visit www.cloudbase.org August 1–7, 2004: US Hang Gliding Nationals– Big Spring, Texas.

USHGA sanctioned meet at a location with excellent soaring conditions and airport facilities. 75-pilot field limit. Flex, rigid and Swift classes.

Cross country race to goal. Eligibility: USHGA membership, USHGA intermediate H-3 rating with aerotow signoff, previous aerotow meet experience (or written approval from the meet director) and GPS required. Awards & prizes, fairly distributed. Meet organizer David Glover. Registration: $290 before July 1, $350 after. Pilots responsible for tow fees. Mandatory pilot meeting July 31, 7 PM in the airport lobby. Registration opens April 30, 2004, 9 AM EST. Register online only at: www.flytec.com. Questions? Email: david@davidglover.com August 21-28, 2004: U.S. Paragliding Nationals, Snowbird, Utah. Contact Ken Hudonjorgensen, www.twocanfly.com 60

Competition May 29–May 31, 2004: Spring Fling at King Mountain, Idaho. Cash prizes for hang gliding and paragliding categories. Pilot meeting and registration at 8 a.m. at King Mountain Gliders. For more information, visit www.kingmountaingliders.com or call (208) 390-0205.

June 21–26, 2004: Sandia Solstice Soar’n – formerly known as the Sandia Open/Classic. Six hang gliding XC comp days within a 10-day fun fly. For more information, call (505) 304-5306 or email: vanis13@yahoo.com

Fly‐Ins March 18–21, 2004: Annual High-Risin’ Fly-in and Dave Bridges Mountain Race hosted by Sun Valley Paragliders, Inc. For more information, contact Fly Sun Valley, (208) 726-3332 or visit www.flysunvalley.com April 10-11, 2004: Oceanside Meet. Fun fly-in and friendly competition on the north Oregon coast. Registration includes catered dinner/beer on Saturday night, prizes and raffle. H2/P2 and above are welcome. Check www.ohga.org for details, schedule and map.

May 13-17, 2004: 32nd Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular & Air Games, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head, North Carolina. The hang gliding competition begins the 14th on the sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge.

Demonstrations, aerotow competition, Woody Jones Memorial street dance and awards ceremonies are all features of this spectacular event.

For more information visit www.hangglidingspectacular.com/index.html May 14-16, 2004: South Carolina Springtime Fly-In, at Glassy Mountain near Greer, South Carolina. Come and enjoy flying and competing. $20 entry fee for competition flying and $10 for fun flying. Contact Paul Peeples, PO Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712 (828) 885-2536 or email: pbrannenp@msn.com May 28-31, 2004: 24th Annual Dry Canyon Memorial Day Fly-In. Alamogordo, N.M. Contests include Race-to-Goal, Spot Landing, XC, Flight Duration, and Bomb Drop. Contact Tom or Cindy West, (505) 437-5213 or email tommy716@charter.net May 29-31, 2004: 2004 Spring Fling at King. Great paragliding and hang gliding fun at King Mountain, Idaho. Cash prizes for both hang gliding and paragliding categories; XC, racing, flight duration, no handicap scoring this year. Pig roast dinner Saturday night.

Visit www.kingmountaingliders.com or call (208)390-0205.

June 5-7, 2004: Women with Wings Fly-in. All-women flying course hosted by Kay Tauscher with guest instructor Chris Santacroce. P1/P2 pilot levels. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817 0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com June 19-27, 2004: Sandia Solstice Soar’n. Sandia Mountain near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hang Gliding competition and fly-in. For more information contact Sandia Soaring Association’s Andrew Vanis (505) 304-5306, or email: vanis13@yahoo.com March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E P C A A RL T E M N D E A N R T

July 2-5, 2004: Annual Fourth of July pilots’ gathering in Creede, Colorado. Great flying for both hang gliding and paragliding. No entry fees for the gathering and the site is open to all, though high mountain experience is recommended. Contact Larry Smith at (970) 209-5212 or Bill Lemon at (505) 280-3552 or email: blemonbryconaz@aol.com

clinics, meetings, tours March 1–10, 12–22, 2004: Traveling Brazil Tour, HG March 1-10, PG March 12-22. www.pyramid.net/advspts/brazil.htm for more details or call Adventure Sports (775) 883-7070.

March 6–7, 2004: Soar Cote Cliffs, Baja California, Mexico. Located 80 miles south of Ensenada, Mexico. Contact Mike Hilberath, (949) 455-0032, or email eteamer@cox.net March 6, 2004: Arizona Annual Parachute Clinic with Betty Pfeiffer of High Energy Sports. Prescott, Arizona. Harness inspections and reserve repacks.

Contact Greg at (928) 308-2409 or email venture@commspeed.net March 13, 2004 and/or March 14, 2004: Raven Sky Sports’ Seventh Annual Betty Pfeiffer Parachute & Safety Clinic, Deployment Seminar, Practice Session, and Repack Workshop,Whitewater, WI. Led

by Betty Pfeiffer and Bill Gargano. Assisted by the Wisconsin Hang Gliding Club. Cost is $40 per person (which includes either a repack of your parachute, or, if you don’t yet own a parachute/harness, use of a Raven Sky Sports harness/parachute during the clinic). Please email info@hanggliding.com or phone (262) 473-8800 to register for either Saturday or Sunday , or to get directions or motel details.

April 29–May 2, 2004: Glider Demos, Boulder, Colorado. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding. All pilots. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com May 7–9, 2004: Tow XC Clinic over the flatlands of Colorado. For more information, visit www.parasoftparagliding.com/safetyclinic.html, or call (303) 494-2820.

July 16–18, 2004: Ridge Soaring and Kiting clinic and demo at Point of the Mountain, Utah, with Chris Santacroce. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding.

All pilots. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com July 30–August 1, 2004: Women with Wings Fly-in. All-women flying course hosted by Kay Tauscher with guest instructor Chris Santacroce. P1/P2 pilot levels. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com September 10–13, 2004: Ridge Soaring and Kiting clinic and demo at Point of the Mountain, Utah, with Chris Santacroce. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding. All pilots. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com

March 15, 2004: Reserve repack and reserve deployment discussion with Chris Santacroce in Boulder, Colorado. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding.

All pilots. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com.

March 27–29, 2004: Ridge Soaring and Kiting clinic and demo at Point of the Mountain, Utah, with Chris Santacroce. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding. All pilots. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com April 17–19, 2004: Safety Maneuvers Training with Chris Santacroce at Jackson Reservoir, Colorado. Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com April 23–25, 2004: Towing-Thermaling-XC Gala with Chris Santacroce. 1.5 hours northeast of Denver, Colorado. Hosted by Peak to Peak Paragliding.

Contact Kay Tauscher at (303) 817-0803, or email kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com April 24–26, 2004: Paragliding Safety Clinic at Jackson Reservoir, Colorado, hosted by Parasoft Paragliding. For more information, visit www.parasoftparagliding.com/safetyclinic.html, or call (303) 494-2820.

April 27–28, 2004: Paragliding Safety Clinic at Jackson Reservoir, Colorado, hosted by Parasoft Paragliding. For more information, visit www.parasoftparagliding.com/safetyclinic.html, or call (303) 494-2820.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

61

N E W

R A T I N G S

R ATING/R EGION H-2 1 PATRICK KRUSE

CITY BEND

STATE OR

OFFICIAL M. JONES

H-4 1 BRIAN ROUNDTREE

KIRKLAND

WA

P. DENEVAN

H-1 1 TIM STELZER

WASILLA

AK

T. BURCAR

H-2 1 TIM STELZER

WASILLA

AK

T. BURCAR

R ATING/R EGION

CITY

STATE

P-1 1 KURT OAKLEY

WINTHROP

WA DAVID VERBOIS

P-2 1 KURT OAKLEY

WINTHROP

WA DAVID VERBOIS

P-2 1 JOSEPH CHANG JR.

MOUNT VERNON WA

T-1 1 STEVEN WILSON

REDMOND

P-3 2 SUSAN KENT

APTOS

WA

OFFICIAL

DION VUK DIXON WHITE

H-1 2 ERIK AYER

SAN CARLOS

CA

G. HAMILTON

H-3 2 CLINT STRODE

TURLOCK

CA

KEN MUSCIO

P-3 2 WAYNE CLINGINGSMITH SAN JOSE

H-2 2 DOUGLAS GORDON

ATASCADERO

CA

P. DENEVAN

P-4 2 ANDREA OCONNOR

H-4 3 PRESTON HOLMES

LA JOLLA

CA

ALAN KENNY

P-2 2 DAVID MIDDLETON

H-4 3 JIM THOMPSON

SYLMAR

CA

JOE GREBLO

P-3 2 FRANTISEK VESELY

SAN FRANCISCO

CA

PHIL NERI

H-4 3 ADAM STONE

VAN NUYS

CA JOSEPH SZALAI

P-1 2 PHILIP GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-1 3 GWEN CONINE

SAN CLEMENTE

CA ROB MCKENZIE

P-1 2 TIMOTHY GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-2 3 GWEN CONINE

SAN CLEMENTE

CA ROB MCKENZIE

P-1 2 ANTHONY GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-4 3 ROBERT RAMEY

SANTA BARBARA

CA

P-2 2 PHILIP GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-2 4 PATRICK GORDON

AURORA

CO

R WHITLEY

P-2 2 TIMOTHY GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-3 4 PATRICK GORDON

AURORA

CO

R. WHITLEY

P-2 2 ANTHONY GREEN

AUBURN

CA

RAY LEONARD

H-3 5 JIM MASTERMAN

MOORE

ID ROB MCKENZIE

P-2 2 RICHARD DUSEK

HENDERSON

NV

S. MAYER

H-1 5 LARRY WINSTEL

LIVINGSTON

MT

T. MACK

T-1 3 JAMES MADDOX

CARPINTERIA

CA

BO CRISS

H-1 7 MICHAEL VAN KUIKEN NEW LENOR

IL

ARLAN BIRKETT

T-1 3 IRENE REVENKO-PROKSCH SANTA BARBARA CA

BO CRISS

S. STACKABLE

CA

E. O CONNOR

CA

E. O CONNOR

SONORA

CA

E. O CONNOR

SAN JOSE

CA

KARI CASTLE

NAPERVILLE

IL

ARLAN BIRKETT

P-3 3 HANSFORD CUTLIP

GOLETA

H-2 7 MICHAEL VAN KUIKEN NEW LENOR

IL

ARLAN BIRKETT

P-3 3 DARREN STANLEY

REDONDO BEACH CA CHAD BASTIAN

H-2 7 EDUARDO PONTÓN

IL

ARLAN BIRKETT

P-3 3 STEVE SHAW

SAN DIEGO

CA

DAVID JEBB

P-2 3 RANDALL WHITE

GLENDORA

CA

DIXON WHITE

SAN DIEGO

CA

GABRIEL JEBB

H-1 7 EDUARDO PONTÓN

NAPERVILLE

H-2 8 JEFF NOALL

SOUTH WINDSOR CT BEN DAVIDSON

H-1 9 ERIC GUNZELMAN

MANASSAS

VA

H-2 9 GENE TOWNS

WALDORF

MD RICHARD HAYS

H-3 9 JASON BROCATO

RIDGELY

MD

ROBERT LANE

H-1 10 MICHELLE ODONNELL GROVELAND

FL

A. HARRIS

H-1 10 PATRICK DOYLE

OCALA

FL

G. MC NAMEE

H-2 10 PATRICK DOYLE

OCALA

FL

G. MC NAMEE

T-1 10 PER GUSTAFSSON

FT LAUDERDALE

FL

JAMES TINDLE

H-3 10 WILLIAM BOWMAN

MT DORA

FL

M. JONES

J. MIDDLETON

T-1 3 CURTIS BREMER, JR P-4 3 KEN PATERSON

HUNTINGTON BEACH CA M. MASTERSON

P-1 4 TOM SPEIRS

ASPEN

CO

A. PALMAZ

P-2 4 TOM SPEIRS

ASPEN

CO

A. PALMAZ

P-2 4 SAM MONROE

LITTLETON

CO BRUCE WALKER

P-1 4 LAWRENCE WEST

ALBUQUERQUE

NM

D. PRENTICE

P-1 4 THOMAS JOHNSTONE STEAMBOAT SPRINGSCO

J. FARRELL

P-2 4 THOMAS JOHNSTONE STEAMBOAT SPRINGSCO

J. FARRELL

P-1 4 NICHOLAS LEASON

J. JEFFERIES

H-3 10 JONATHAN SMALL

FT LAUDERDALE

FL

M. JONES

H-4 10 ANDREW HARRIS

GROVELAND

FL

R. HAGEWOOD

H-2 10 JOSE MOJICA

TOA BAJA

PR

R.HASTINGS

P-2 4 BOB HERNDON

H-2 11 THOMAS JONES JR

GRAND PRAIRIE

TX

D. BROYLES

P-3 5 HENRY BUTZEL

H-3 11 JOHNNY BURKETT, JR

SPICEWOOD

TX

STEVE BURNS

P-4 5 ANDY ELLIOTT

H-2 12 GURPREET BAL

PLAINSBORO

NJ

W. UMSTATTD

H-1 13 JO STANLEY

NEW MARKET

H-2 13 JO STANLEY

NEW MARKET

62

CA CHAD BASTIAN

SALT LAKE CITY

UT

P-2 4 NICHOLAS LEASON

SALT LAKE CITY

UT

J. JEFFERIES

P-1 4 BOB HERNDON

QUEEN CREEK

AZ

M. DEVIETTI

QUEEN CREEK

AZ

M. DEVIETTI

MISSOULA

MT

A. ONKEN

MISSOULA

MT

A. ONKEN

P-2 5 SEAN BECKER

BOZEMAN

MT ANDY MACRAE

ON M. ROBERTSON

P-4 5 MARC DEVRIES

KUNA

ID

LARS LINDE

ON M. ROBERTSON

P-1 6 ROSS SAFRONOFF

ST LOUIS

MO

DAVID JEBB

P-2 6 ROSS SAFRONOFF

ST LOUIS

MO

DAVID JEBB

P-4 7 GRZEGORZ KRZYSZKOWSKI ELMWOOD PARK IL

DAVID JEBB

P-3 9 WAYNE SAYER

BLACKSBURG

VA

KARI CASTLE

P-3 9 DAN JOHNSON

COLUMBUS

OH

KARI CASTLE

P-2 9 JOSHUA ARNOLD

HARDY

VA

R. ARNOLD

P-2 10 CURT WARREN

VENICE

FL

D. PRENTICE

P-1 11 TOMASZ CIESIELSKI

HOUSTON

TX

D. PRENTICE

P-2 11 TOMASZ CIESIELSKI

HOUSTON

TX

D. PRENTICE D. PRENTICE

P-3 11 TOMASZ CIESIELSKI

HOUSTON

TX

P-3 12 FRED GROTENHUIS

PHILLIPSBURG

NJ

M. HILL

P-1 13 AYCA HOX

KURUPELIT/SAMSUN

M.CAN GUL

P-2 13 AYCA HOX

KURUPELIT/SAMSUN

M.CAN GUL

P-1 13 ALESSANDRO SANTOS CORREA NITEROI

RJ

M. DE BARROS

P-2 13 ALESSANDRO SANTOS CORREA NITEROI

RJ

M. DE BARROS

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

D E P A R T M E N T

Pre-launch inspection at Haleakala Crater on Maui.

P HOTO: Dex Binder

Glorious sunset colors over Maui.

P HOTO: Dex Binder

Worthy of a Busby Berkeley musical, synchronized kiting at Point of the Mountain, Utah.

P HOTO: Dan Nelson A teaser preview of an upcoming photo feature, the Red Bull Huckspedition, shot on location at Monument Valley, Arizona.

P HOTO: Christian Pondella

Remember your last sunset glass-off flight?

J. P. Cudahy captured these images at Woodrat, Oregon.

The kind of picture everyone would love to have hanging over their living room sofa…

Dean Funk captured this poetic image at Henson’s Gap, Tennessee.

D ES PI T A ER TGMU EI N D T E

Finger Lakes Aerosports Flight Park

C

By Davis Straub

ontinuing our tour of the premier flight parks of the Northeast, we head 300 miles due west from Morningside, New Hampshire toward the western end of New York. Our destination is the new Finger Lakes Aerosports Park, set in the rolling farm country half an hour east of Rochester, and a few miles south of Lake Ontario.

Unlike Ellenville and Morningside, Marty Beckenbach’s new flight park doesn’t have a 25-year history, or a hang gliding community that has hung out together at the flight park for all that time. There is a 180-member hang gliding community in and around Rochester—the Rochester Area Flyers (RAF). Historically, they foot-launch off a small bluff about an hour or more to the south. Now they’ve got a full-fledged flight park nearby.

Marty has hooked up with Long Acre Farms, a tourist-friendly farm run as an “agri-tainment” business by a third generation farm family. In addition to farming a variety of vegetables, Long Acre Farms entertains tourists with a corn maze, an ice cream shop, knickknacks, and locally-harvested food. We arrived just as the new crisp apples were coming in (and they still had peaches) and of course there was plenty of corn on the cob.

It was divine. They start harvesting the corn at the end of July.

The farm has a large grass runway that Marty and farm owner Doug Allen recently extended. It accommodates general aviation aircraft as well as the Dragonfly and trike that Marty uses for towing. Marty has a Quonset hut that houses the tug, trike, tandem gliders and other hang gliding gear. Then there are other gliders set up in various farm sheds.

Marty is a regular at Wallaby Ranch in the spring, coming down every couple of weeks for some good Florida flying on his Exxtacy.

He also is a big fan of Quest Air and Bobby Bailey.

Photos: Shown here are the folks running the flight park - Diana (with her back to us), Marty, Doug and Joan Allen - (the owners of the farm); the Finger Lakes Flight park office and set-up area, near the gazebo.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

He really didn’t have a dream to create a successful flight park up in this beautiful New York countryside. But he sure thought it would be cool to get pulled up at Doug’s farm. Now, he has the resources, time and energy from his ongoing successful businesses to devote his time to making this flight park happen.

67

S I T E

G U I D E

There are as yet only a few facilities here. That is, it isn’t yet a destination resort, but when Belinda and I got here we found access to water and electricity, which was almost enough for us.

(The phone line is down at the office and no, there is no wireless DSL yet.) Luckily we were the first to show up for the week-long celebration that took place in midSeptember during the high harvest and wine tasting season, so we were able to set up our travel trailer in the most scenic spot next to the power outlet.

Contact Marty or Mark when you get to the flight park. I suggest that you call ahead to arrange a time to meet them. You’ll need to fill out the waivers and other paperwork—an extensive collection as Marty has a lot of lawyers protecting his assets.

You’ll find the flight park just north of Interstate 90 going west toward Rochester, New York.

Check out the directions and find more details on the Long Acres farm and all it offers for family entertainment by visiting the Long Acres Web site, www. longacrefarms.com.

While at Finger Lakes, you’re looking for northwest conditions The corn maze on the Finger Lakes Farm just to the north of the flight park.

In addition to the flight park, for the best flying. You’d think there are a lot of foot launch sites (low elevathe Great Lakes would dampen the thermal tion) in the area. You can find them at the lift, but apparently a convergence sets up three Rochester Area Flyers’ Web site, www2.ggw. miles away from the flight park in the fall and org/raf/. the tow pilots will deliver you right to it. Open farmland all around us in this rolling countryAs you are near a couple of big cities, there side means cross country flying is wide open are plenty of other entertainments for the heading east, west and south. family. Niagara Falls is just an hour and a half away. Check out www.tourismniagara.

When we first got here, on a Sunday, the winds com/ and www.ci.rochester.ny.us . were strong out of the south and no one was flying. The lake just isn’t that far away, I guess.

The next day it was postfrontal with a strong west wind (10 to 15 mph on the ground and 20 mph at 1000 feet AGL). The flight park was packed with local and out-of-town pilots quickly going up and down under the cufilled sky. The strong winds pushed pilots downwind for vigorous cross-country flights over beautiful farmlands.

On the third day the winds were quiet and the lift was moderate as we climbed out over 4,000 feet AGL. It sure was great being able to fly over the Erie Canal just a couple of miles to the south.

There were landing fields everywhere so no worries there.

We unfortunately had to leave early and miss the big party as well as two great days of flying the day after Hurricane Isabel came through on Friday. One pilot flew to Syracuse to the east on Saturday and they had another no-wind day on Sunday.

The combination of freshly-harvested local food, beautiful countryside, the lake just to the north, Rochester (for more urban requirements) a half-hour away, a robust hang gliding community, and a wonderful setup at Long Acres Farm makes for a splendid hang gliding vacation. We really hated to leave.

68

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

S I T E

G U I D E

S I D E B A R The Finger Lakes Aerosports Flight Park Fly-In September 15-21, 2003

By Joe Schmucker Saturday I had only a 10-minute sled ride. I knew there were thermals around and I probably even drifted through one or two, but I wasn’t able to gain any altitude. Ordinarily, I would have been fairly disappointed with myself, but I was pretty psyched about surviving the tow because it was ratty, nasty air.

The previous night, just before we went into the corn maze, Marty was trying to convince me that I should have a “ground school” session with Mike Barber. I said that it would be a waste of time for both Mike and me because it would be like Einstein teaching kindergarten. Marty eventually convinced me that it would be a worthy endeavor so I joined a handful of other pilots and sat with Mike Barber for some instructional training. We spent a couple of hours on Saturday night and another couple of hours Sunday morning learning from one of the greatest pilots ever. Going into it, I didn’t think I could possibly benefit from someone with so much experience because I have so little. I was way wrong.

Sunday, September 21, was a day I will never forget—a highlight in my flying history. Before that day, all of the flights I’d taken at the flight park had been sled runs. They were nice, long sled runs because they started at over 2000 feet, but sled runs all the same. My first flight on Sunday was early in the day and I was one of the first five or six pilots in the air. The clouds were just starting to develop and we all sank out pretty quickly. I managed a meager ten minutes by hanging out in some buoyant air.

I still had not “cored” a thermal at the flight park.

I stood with Dennis Pagen and watched two pilots flying together in the same lift. Dennis pointed out why one pilot stayed up and the other pilot sank out. Everything he said made so much sense, but it was not obvious to my untrained eye. It was an honor to get this kind of personal tutoring from Dennis Pagen and Mike Barber!

After having my brain flooded with information from the masters, I took another shot at it at around 1 p.m. Keri Lloyd towed me to about 2300 feet and dropped me off into a really nice thermal. I immediately put into practice the teachings from Mike and Dennis and voilà, I went to cloudbase!

When that thermal fizzled out, I used more of the strategies from Mike and what do you know?—I went back up! At this point, my mind was racing with a million thoughts and my whole mentality and approach to flying was changing rapidly.

I was about three miles west of the park at this point and my first thought would normally be, “Oh my God, I need to get back to the flight park LZ!” Not this flight.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

There were plenty of fields to land in so I started searching for thermal triggers (just like Mike told us) and lo and behold, I found another one! I’d been off tow about 45 minutes or so and I was pretty drained, so I headed back to the flight park because my wife and kids were waiting to do the corn maze with me. By the time I reached the south end of the runway, I was down to 700 feet. I felt something pop my wing, so I spun around and took it back up to 1300 feet!

Holy Toledo! I couldn’t believe it! I flew over the setup area and turned 5 or 10 times in zero, maintaining at about 300 feet.

It was way cool circling at 300 feet with all those spectators. I came in slightly downhill, downwind but landed uneventfully.

I feel like I’ve broken through the “mental inversion layer.”

I still love flying the foot-launch sites, and I can’t wait to get out there to fly over the valleys in the full color of fall, but I don’t think I could have learned what I have this summer if it weren’t for Marty and Doug Allen investing in the flight park so that I would have the following opportunities: 1) get my aerotow rating without having to leave the state; 2) get incredible mentoring from pilots like Marty and Mark Frutiger; 3) have the opportunity to learn how to fly thermals (completely different from ridge soaring!) without having to worry about drifting too far behind the ridge; 4) have the opportunity to learn from top-ranked pilots; 5) actually fly in the air at the same time as Dennis Pagen, and have him give me advice on my flying!

6) meet, spend quality time with, and make many new friends with like-minded people; 7) get to watch an old bagged-out glider set ablaze (literally), towed behind an ATV and crashed into a flaming heap all whilst sitting at a campfire with a beer in my hand; 8) fly a bunch of new gliders with no obligation to buy.

I demo’d the Wills Wing U2 160, the first and only glider I’ve ever flown other than my Falcon. Wow, was that cool! It is completely different flying a highperformance wing, but I have a newfound feeling of appreciation for just how tuned into my glider I am and how easy that Falcon is to fly.

I really am grateful to Marty for making all of this possible. He pulled off an awesome flying event that I will never forget.

69

D E P A U S R H T M G A E N NT E W S

2004 U.S. Hang Gliding Assn., Inc. Board of Directors (R=Regional H=Honorary L=At Large X=Ex Officio) Rev 11/10/04

REGION 1 Bill Bolosky (R - 04) 8426 316th Pl SE Issaquah WA 98027 (425) 222-7702 bolosky@microsoft.com Mark Forbes (R - 05) 1840 SW Allen St Corvallis OR 97333 (541) 766-2515 mgforbes@mindspring.com Aaron Swepston (H - 05) 3717 163rd Ave Ct E Sumner WA 98390 (253) 826-1112 tontar@mindspring.com Bob Hannah (H - 04) 9920 51st Ave S Seattle WA 98118 (206) 328-1104 bhannah@paraglidew ashington.com Steve Roti (H - 04) 1081 NW Stannium Rd Bend OR 97701 (541) 385-7184 steveroti@hotmail.com Tom Johns (H-05) 10704 206th Ave NE Redmond WA 98053 (425) 898-8163 cascadesoaring@hotmail.com Ed Pitman (H-05) 34039 Hwy 19 Kimberly OR 97848 (541) 934-2711 ed@pitmanair.com REGION 2 Ray Leonard (R - 04) PO Box 20066 Carson City NV 89721 (775) 883-7070 advspts@pyramid.net Paul Gazis (R – 05) 428 Madera Ave. #1 Sunnyvale CA 94086 (650) 604-5704 pgazis@mail.arc.nasa.gov Urs Kellenberger (R – 05) 2208 San Carlos Ave. San Carlos CA 94070 (650) 802-9908 urs@bearimpressions.com Russ Locke (L - 04) PO Box 519 Dunlap CA 93621 (559) 338-2621 russ@lockelectric.com Ken Brown (H - 05) 200 Hillcrest Dr Auburn CA 95603 (530) 888-8622 flyamoyes@aol.com 70

REGION 3 David Jebb (R - 04) 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic La Jolla CA 92037 (858) 4529858 davidj@flytorrey.com John Greynald (R - 05) 2774 Puesta del Sol Santa Barbara CA 93105 (805) 6823483 throgrog@aol.com “Tad” Hurst (R – 05) 11969 Oakview Way San Diego CA 92128 (858)486-7804 thurst@chemnavigator.com Alan Chuculate (H - 05) 6709 Salizar St San Diego CA 92111 (858) 292-1552 alanc@san.rr.com Rob Kells (H - 04) 500 W Blueridge Ave Orange CA 92865 (714) 998-6359 rob@willswing.com REGION 4 Steve Mayer (R - 04) 12665 S. Minuteman Dr #1 Draper UT 84020 (801) 576-6460 stevem11@mindspring.com Jim Zeiset (R - 05) 13154 County Rd 140 Salida CO 81201 (719) 539-3335 jimzgreen@aol.com Chris Santacroce (L - 04) 552 West 8360 South Sandy UT 84070 (801) 255-9595 chris@4superfly.com Liz Sharp (L – 04) 5555 Bowron Pl Longmont CO 80503 (303) 530-0718 Elizabeth.Sharp@heii.com Dixon White (H – 05) PO Box 2626 Flagstaff AZ 86003 (928) 526-4579 dixon@paraglide.com Jennifer Beach (H-05) 11533 E Alaska Ave Aurora CO 80012 (303) 365-9215 jennbeachushga@aol.com REGION 5 Lisa Tate (R – 05) 11716 Fairview Ave. Boise ID (208) 376-7914 Lisa@soaringdreamsart.com Tiki Mashy (H-05) PMB 25081 Wilson WY 83014 (407) 342-5887 tikimashy@earthlink.net

REGION 6 Len Smith (R - 05) 13141 Bluejacket St Overland Park KS 66213 (913) 8977857 SmithLI@bv.com

REGION 11 Dave Broyles (R-05) 203 Whisenant Dr Allen TX 75013 (972) 390-9090 broydg@comcast.net

REGION 7 Bill Bryden (R - 04) 6608 North 100 East Rd Seymour IN 47274 (812) 497-2327 bbryden@hsonline.net Dan Johnson (H - 04) 8 Dorset St Paul MN 55118 (651) 450-0930 CumulusMan@aol.com

REGION 12 Paul Voight (R - 04) 5163 Searsville Road Pine Bush NY 12566 (845) 744-3317 flyhigh@frontiernet.net Jan Johnson (H - 05) 70 King Rd Middletown NY 19041 (845) 695-8747 jjohnsn2@hotmail.com

REGION 8 Gary Trudeau (R - 04) 595 Outlook Avenue Cheshire MA 01225 (413) 743-0147 gtet595@aol.com

REGION 13 Michael Robertson (H-04) 1150 Hwy 7, RR 1, Locust Ont, Canada L0H 1E0 (905) 294-2536 Michael@flyhigh.com

REGION 9 David “Randy” Leggett (R - 05) 7112 Little Creek Rd Bangor PA 18013 (610) 258-6066 ias@ot.com Felipe Amunategui (R- 04) 3122 Huntington Rd Shaker Heights OH 44120 (216) 7510347 dr.amunategui@att.net Dennis Pagen (L - 04) 318 Bitner Hollow Rd Spring Mills PA 16875 (814) 422-0589 pagenbks@lazerlink.com Art Greenfield-NAA (X) 1815 N Ft Meyer Dr Ste 500 Arlington VA 22209 1-800-6449777 awgreenfield@naa-usa.org

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Executive Director-Jayne DePanfilis jayne@ushga.org President- Bill Bolosky V.Pres.- Mark Forbes Secretary-Liz Sharp Treasurer-Randy Leggett

REGION 10 Matt Taber (R - 05) 7201 Scenic Hwy 189 Rising Fawn GA 30738 (706) 3983433 fly@hanglide.com John Harris (H - 04) PO Box 1839 Nags Head NC 27959 (252) 441-4124 ucanfly@kittyhawk.com Steve Kroop (R - 04) 6548 Groveland Airport Rd Groveland FL 34736 (352) 429-8600 flytec@earthlink.net Dick Heckman (H - 04) 3401 Lookout Dr Huntsville AL 35801 (205) 534-1461 hekdic@worldnet.att.net Bruce Weaver (L-04) PO Box 1839 Nags Head NC 27959 (252) 441-4124 Bruce@kittyhawk.com

COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Competition-Davis Straub Mem.& Dev-Dick Heckman Site Mgmt-Randy Leggett HG Accident.-Tom Johns PG Accident-Steve Roti Awards-Jan Johnson ByLaws-Liz Sharp Nat’l Coord.-D. Pagen Planning-Russ Locke Safety&Training-Dave Broyles Tandem-Paul Voight Towing-Steve Kroop Publications-Dan Johnson Insurance- Mark Forbes Finance-Randy Leggett Elections-Mark Forbes USHGA FOUNDATION: President-Jim Maze paramaze@aol.com Vice Pres-Randy Leggett Treasurer- Stephen Onstad sonstad@worldnet.att.net Secretary-Doug Sharpe dbsharpe@earthlink.net Trustee-Mark Forbes Trustee-Bill Bolosky Exec Director-Jayne DePanfilis

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M CA LR AK SE ST I PF LI A E D C S E

SIMPLY THE FINEST PARAGLIDING RESERVE PARACHUTE AVAILABLE ONLY FROM SUPER FLY, EXCLUSIVE US DISTRIBUTOR. Super Fly Inc. Ozone/ Gin Gliders 552 W. 8360 S. Sandy, UT 84070

801 255 9595 www.4superfly.com www.paraglidingacademy.com

Digifly Runner more features, lower $$ than the competition

The Bug Suprone Harness Sit back and enjoy the view!

North American Distributor:

Kenny Brown sportwings@aol.com (530) 888-8622 www.moyesamerica.com

Defy FLYTEC Gravity 5030 GPS Most Features

On Sale NOW! (866) SNOW-FLY

w w w.p a r a g l i d e r.n e t

USA Service ( 3 0 3 ) 8 1 7 - 0 8 0 3

WWW.PEAKTOPEAKPARAGLIDING.COM

800•662•2449 www.flytec.com

C L A S S I F I E D S

H A N G G L I D I N G A D V I S O RY:

Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges.

PARAGLIDING ADVISORY:

Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. Simply performing a porosity check isn’t sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth.

If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding 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

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, www.hanggliding.com FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE — School use, one season. Falcon 1s and 2s. All sizes $1,250-$2,500. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding.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.

FUSIONS — Three sweet 150’s, low hours, great colors, spare down-tubes. Make Offers.

Fly@TheFloridaRidge.com or (863) 805-0440 for photos, info.

MOYES LITESPEED 5 — Excellent condition, low hours, handles great, no salt air, stored indoors $3,000. (406) 253-7078 Montana.

MOYES XTRALITE 147 — Nice condition, frame & carbon fiber sail, handles great, 100 hours, XC bag included $1,200 OBO. (949) 2579106, pdebellis@hotmail.com Crestline, CA. 72

SUPERSPORT 163 — Really good condition, red/black/white, winglets, folding base tube, storage tube included $1,500 OBO. (928) 282-5103.

INSPECTED RESERVES — For HG or PG $199+up. Used Quantum, all sizes $475+up.

Some trades accepted. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding.com

TALON 140 2003 — Excellent condition, mylar sail, slipstream downtubes, aluminum airfoil basetube, low hours, XC ready, great glide, easy to land $4,000 OBO. (815) 234-5388.

HARNESSES

TALON 160 — 15 flights, red LE, white undersurface, hydranet, Slipstream control bar w/wheels $4,500. danarmstro@aol.com, (661) 821-0346, Calif.

TARGET 180 — Virtually new, perfect condition, red/black/white, flown once by instructor, site closed, perfect beginner glider $2,100 OBO. (831) 443-0982 California, jferguso@guidant.com ULTRASPORT 147 — Great condition, 30 hours, wheels, aerotow release $1,500.

(410) 295-3987, severnelectron@netscape.net

CG HARNESS — w/Lara Gold chute & swivel $1,500 OBO. Eric Raymond tandem harness, chute, swivel $800 OBO. Reggie Jones (619) 445-3633, reggieandvicki@cox.net HARNESSES — 5’0”-6’5”. Cocoons $125+up.

High Energy Cocoons $200+up, Pods $200+up.

Inventory, selection changes constantly.

Some trades accepted. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com, www.hanggliding.com TWO HARNESSES — Both good condition.

M2 5’11” 175lb $100. Moyes Contour $150.

Call Glen Volk (858) 458-3370.

PARAGLIDERS

ULTRASPORTS — Three great 147’s, low hours, nice colors, extras. Less than $1500.

Fly@TheFloridaRidge.com or (863) 805-0440 for photos, info.

AIRSPORTS USA — www.powerparaglider. com, www.flyforfun.net. Manufacturing the BP Parawing! Americas #1 selling backpack motor.

WWXC 132 — Good condition, bright yellow/magenta AS/white LE. 230 hours, extra downtube, folding basebar, xc bag, flies great $1,500. (530) 283-3046 Julie Hyde.

APCO KEARA — New, small, 1 flight, 1 hour $1,900 or possible trade. Fresh from the dealer in perfect condition. (720) 746-1520, deckerkarl@hotmail.com

WWXC 132 — Brand new sail, lilac/white LE/blue AS. New wires, folding basebar, extras.

Perfect! 3 hours $2,000 OBO. (530) 283-3046 Julie.

WWXC 142 — Near perfect condition.

Best offer. Fly@TheFloridaRidge.com or (863) 805-0440 for photos, info.

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES

AUTHORIZED CHUTE REPAIR — And service center for APCO, 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

OZONE PROTON GT XL — DHV 2-3, good shape, re/blue, min. flights, good sink rate $1,700 OBO. tandemrudy@hotmail.com, (510) 776-2341.

ULTRALIGHTS

AIRSPORTS USA — WWW.FLYFORFUN. NET — WWW.POWER-PARACHUTE.COM Manufacturing the DFS Single and DFS dual.

Trike or Powered Parachute, check out our web site for this amazing plane!

COMPLETE AEROTOW TRIKE OPERATION — w/Rotax 503, 3-blade Ivo prop, 2-place seat, tow release, emergency chute, LaMouette Gulf wing, custom trailer, launch cart $8,000 gets it all. (770) 304-8475 or for pixs cctravel@mail3.newnanutilities.org WANTED

WANTED — Used Mosquito NRG harness: large or x-large. (715) 477-2160, miles@nnex.net March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C L A S S I F I E D S

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

COME FLY WITH ROB SPORRER — (USHGA’S

ALABAMA

2002 Instructor Of The Year!) and the rest of

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543, hanglide.com ARIZONA

DIXON’S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING — Dixon White & Marty Devietti: USHGA’S Instructors of the Year. Individualized instruction at perfect beginner training areas. Drive to uncrowded launches, land in wide-open fields, enjoy many flights each day. State-of-the-art lesson plans and equipment. Reservations required. POB 2626 Flagstaff, AZ 86003. Call (928) 526-4579 for Arizona or 509-782-5543 for Washington. www.paraglide.com or dixon@paraglide.com CALIFORNIA

AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING — Join KEN BAIER for your “Pursuit of Paragliding Excellence” in the land of year-round, 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-of-the-art Wills Wing Falcons. Lesson packages: One four hour lesson $125. Three four hour lessons, plus tandem off 2,000ft. $400.

Five lessons for $550. Ten lessons plus tandem $1,000. Complete lesson programs. Year-round instruction. Launching and landing and thermal clinics. Don’t hike your glider yourself, I’ll help you! Dealer for Wills Wing, Moyes, Aeros, High Energy Sports, Rotor harnesses, Ball varios, Flytec, Brauniger, Garmin GPS, Camelbaks and more.

80 miles easr of Bay Area. I’m your northern California Mosquito harness dealer. Call or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Giving lessons five days a week, Fridays 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 Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

Eagle Paragliding’s excellent instruction staff.

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. We offer year round instruction, equipment sales, SERVICE, and support. By appointment only. www.

FlySantaBarbara.com (805) 968-0980.

FLY ABOVE ALL — Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHGA Novice through Advanced Certification. Thermalling to Competition Training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com (805) 965-3733.

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER — PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265-5320.

MISSION SOARING CENTER — 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

TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT — Come soar in San Diego! This family owned and operated flying site offers USHGA certified instruction, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized pg/hg instruction and site tours. We also have an extensive pg/hg outfitting shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. Bring your family for our amazing sunsets and dining at the Cliffhanger Cafe. Importers for Paratech and Independence gliders. We also carry AustriAlpin, Center of Gravity, Crispi and Sup’Air. Check us out online for sales and questions at: www.flytorrey. com, or call toll-free at 1-877-FLY-TEAM (3598326). Also, tune in to the Internet Paragliding Talk Show at www.worldtalkradio.com every Tuesday 9-11:00am (PST).

VUELO LIBRE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA — We offer the best no-hassle flying vacations.

Just bring your wing and clothes! We provide airport and site transportation, camping gear, site intros, retrieves, Tandem flights, scenic tours and more. Contact us at www.eparaglide.com or (925) 964-0476, we’ll make it easy for you!

WINDSPORTS — 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.

(818) 367-2430, www.windsports.com

at the San Francisco Bay Area’s finest beginner

COLORADO

site features: gently sloped “bunny hills,” Wills

AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING — Fulltime lessons, sales, service. Colorado’s most experienced! Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Aeros, Airwave, High Energy, Ball, Flytec, MotoComm and much more. Call (303) 674-2451, Evergreen, Colorado AirtimeHG@aol.com

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

GUNNISON GLIDERS — Serving the western slope. Instruction, sales, service, sewing, accessories. Site information, ratings.

1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230.

(970) 641-9315, 1-866-238-2305.

SAN FRANCISCO HANG GLIDING CENTER — Tandem instruction, solo lessons, gliders new and used. Ultralight seacraft instruction over San Francisco Bay. Apprenticeship program.

(510) 528-2300, www.sfhanggliding.com

PEAK TO PEAK PARAGLIDING LLC — New paragliding school in Boulder! Offering excellent state-of-the-art instruction. Equipment & tandems.

Kay@peaktopeakparagliding.com www.peaktopeakparagliding .com 73

C L A S S I F I E D S

FLORIDA

FLY THE RIDGE — At the epicenter of Florida’s converging coastal winds. XC over 75 miles in any direction. X2’s set up, harnessed and ready to fly. New management and staff, experienced aero-tow pilots, friendly instruction, camping, swimming, fishing. One hour from either Florida coast on State Road 80 between Clewiston and Labelle. (863) 805-0440. www.

TheFloridaRidge.com GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glider towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermalling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport (352) 2458263, email fly@graybirdairsports.com www. graybirdairsports.com LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — Nearest mountain training center to Orlando.

Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide. com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

MIAMI HANG GLIDING — We have the most advanced training program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half the time it takes on the training-Bunny 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.

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, 2002 & 2003 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 74

WALLABY AEROTOW FLIGHT PARK — Satisfaction Guaranteed. Just 8 miles from Disney World. 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.

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 minutes, 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, 1800-WALLABY. Conservative, reliable, state-ofthe-Art. F.H.G. INC., flying Florida since 1974.

GEORGIA

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — Discover why 5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. We wrote USHGA’s official training manual. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

HAWAII

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 PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING — Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full service school offering beginner to advanced instruction everyday, year round.

(808) 874-5433, paraglidehawaii.com IDAHO

KING MOUNTAIN GLIDERS — Alluring site plus shop supplying all your HG/PG needs. Instruction, equipment sales, tandems, complete accessories. Visit our website www. kingmountaingliders.com or (208) 390-0205.

MAINE

DOWNEAST AIRSPORTS — Paragliding and hang gliding instruction; quality equipment sales. Specialize in “biwingual” cross-over training. Extended training/tour packages with lodging in magnificent Acadia NP available by reservation. www.downeastairsports.com, in_a_cloud@hotmail.com, Marc (207) 244-9107.

MARYLAND

HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS — 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! Ph (410) 6342700, Fax (410) 634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aerosports.net, hangglide@aerosports.net 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: 2003 Upgrade Wills Talon Comp, U2 145, U2 160, Falcons; Moyes Litespeed 4, Sonic 165; Airwave Magic Kiss 154. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in stock. Cloud 9 Field, 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, MI 48892. Cloud9sa@aol.com http://members. aol.com/cloud9sa Call for spring tandem lessons and flying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field (517) 223-8683, DFSCinc@aol.com http://members.aol.com/dfscinc TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/ PARAGLIDERS — Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop.

Certified instruction, beginner to advanced.

Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands.

Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at (231) 922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net.

Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor.

MONTANA

BOZEMAN PARAGLIDING — Montana’s connection for all things paragliding!

Instruction, tandems, equipment, towing, XC, maneuvers, guided trips. (406) 522-3955 or www.bozemanparagliding.com for info.

Come join the fun!

March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C L A S S I F I E D S

NEVADA

ADVENTURE SPORTS — Carson City, Sierra tours, tandems, sales. (775) 883-7070 http://home.pyramid.net/advspts NEW YORK

AAA FLIGHT SCHOOL — In Ellenville.

Mountain Wings Hang Gliding and Eastcoast Paragliding Center. The Northeast’s oldest, largest and most professional training center.

Sales, service, demos, towing , ultralight training, pro shop and the “best damn training hill” anywhere. mtnwings@hvc.rr.com www.mtnwings.com (845) 647-3377.

FLY HIGH, INC. — Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices!

Certified instruction/service since 1979.

Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg.com , 845-744-3317.

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.

TX FLYSPORTS — Specializing in powered paragliding, certified instruction. Sky Crusier and other great ppg’s. US importer of MacPara Technology paragliders (Muse, Eden 2, Intox, Pasha). (713) 494-1970 Houston, www.macparaUSA.com UTAH

CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER — Once again, we are the closest shop to the Point of the Mountain. Utah’s only full time PG/HG shop and repair facility. Contact 1-888-944-5433 or www.paragliders.com

FLY PUERTO RICO WITH TEAM SPIRIT HG! Flying tours, Rentals, Tandems, HG and PG classes, H2 and P2 intensive Novice courses, full sales. (787) 850-0508, tshg@coqui.net

SUPER FLY PARAGLIDING ACADEMY — Join Team Super Fly! We offer comprehensive pilot training programs, powered paragliding instruction, tandem flights, maneuvers training, towing training/certification and tandem pilot training. We make great pilots! We are the closest shop to Point of the Mountain, open year round and supported by the Super Fly, Inc. distribution and service center just minutes away. Call about demo and used equipment of all kinds. Instructors Ken Hudonjorgensen, Chris Santacroce, Kevin Biernacki, Dale Covington, Jake Walker, Jeff Farrell. Lessons start at $65.(801) 255-9595 or www.paraglidingacademy.com

TENNESSEE

VIRGINIA

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — Just outside Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot- foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 877-hanglide, (877) 426-4543.

BLUE SKY — Full time instruction at Blue Sky Flight Park near Richmond. Scooter, platform and aerotowing available. All major brands of equipment, with Mosquitos and Doodlebugs in stock. Steve Wendt (540) 432-6557, (804)-241-4324, www. blueskyhg.com

SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN 160’ training hill with rides up. 600’ ridge- large LZ. Specializing in first mountain flights. Dan Guido, 293 Shoemaker Rd. Mohawk NY 13407. (315) 866-6153, dguido@dfamilk.com PUERTO RICO

TEXAS

AUSTIN AIR SPORTS — Check website for schedule of events, all flying by reservation only, Dragonfly/trike instruction, intro foot launch, classes, aerotowing/winch towing, excellent xc flying, tandem instruction, sales and service. Steve Burns, (979) 229-2699, sburns@austinairsports. com. Fred Burns, (281) 471-1488, austinair@aol. com, 3810 Bonita Lane, La Porte TX 77571. www.austinairsports.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

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. To make reservations, call Doug and Denise at (509) 782-5543. www.paraglide.com

WISCONSIN

RAVEN SKY SPORTS, INC — Will re-open in 2004 under new ownership. (262) 473-8800 www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com WYOMING

JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING — Come to Paragliding Paradise and enjoy alpine flying at its absolute best! Jackson Hole Paragliding can help turn flying dreams into reality with our quality instruction and guide service. Long known as an outdoorsman’s paradise, Jackson Hole has evolved into a Mecca for paragliding activities.

JHPG offers tandem flights, beginner through advanced instruction, mountain thermal clinics, XC clinics, towing, maneuvers training, aerobatic demonstrations and paramotoring. A perfect flying day, launch the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram in the morning, tow at the Palisades Reservoir in the afternoon. Contact: scharris@wyoming.com www.jhparagliding.com (307) 690-TRAM (8726) MEXICO

FLYING VACATIONS — Valle de Bravo and beyond. www.flymexico.com, 1-800-861-7198, December – April, in and out on Sunday, PG & HG. Discounts for returning clients, other discounts available. $895 PG, $1,095 HG w/ glider included. Lodging at a Grand Hotel or houses, go flying every stinkin’ day.

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

FLIGHT CONNECTIONS, INC. PTT II — Order online and save, water/dust resistant push button, field replaceable finger switch, heavier gauge wire/improved plugs, increased strain relief at all joints. Special price $99.95.

Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchase. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) 530-8829. MC/ Visa. Visit our Web site 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, and powered parachutes.

24/7 secure online shopping. Books, videos, KITES, gifts, engine parts, harness accessories, electronics, clothing, safety equipment, complete powered paragliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www. hillcountryparagliding.com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office (915) 379-1567.

75

C L A S S I F I E D S

GLIDERBAGS — XC $60! Heavy waterproof $100. Accessories, low prices, fast delivery!

Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.

HALL WIND METER — Simple. Reliable.

Accurate. Mounting brackets, control bar wheels. Hall Brothers, PO Box 1010, Morgan, Utah 84050. (801) 829-3232, www.hallwindmeter.com 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 OXYGEN SYSTEMS — The world-class XCR180 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. 1-800-468-8185.

TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS — Camera mounts $48.50 ($6 S&H). Vario mount $23 (S&H included). 6” wheels $29.75, 8” wheels $34.75, $10 S&H pr. Web page www.tekflight.com for more. Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668.

Email: tek@snet.net WINDSOKS FROM 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 PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

BIRDFLIGHT — 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 76

FLY THE WING! Hooking Into Hang Gliding,

by Len Holms. This is the perfect book for those curious about the sport of hang gliding. Written at a level which will not swamp the reader with daunting amount of technical details, you will learn about hang glider wings and the skills needed to fly them. 84 pages with photos and illustrations. $12.95(+$5 s&h). USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901.

1-800-616-6888 www.ushga.org HARRY AND THE HANG GLIDER 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 www.flash.net/~skyhipub Visa/MC accepted.

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.

THE ART OF PARAGLIDING — By Dennis Pagen. Step by step training, ground handling, soaring, avoiding dangers, and much much more.

274 pages, 248 illustrations. The most 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 REAL ESTATE

SOUTHERN COLORADO — Two story house, barn, tractor, 7+ acres, towing out back door, other sites nearby, solar electric, well, propane, wood stoves, great HG/B&B potential. $165,000/offer. (808) 939-9101 Ward.

TETON CLUB — JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING. Own a million dollar condominium for a fraction of the cost at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Step out your back door onto Jackson Hole’s Aerial Tram and rise 4,139 vertical feet to the top of Rendezvous Mountain for S to E launching conditions. Come to Paragliding Paradise and enjoy Alpine flying at its absolute best! For more information contact Fred Harness @ fharness@tetonclub.com or 307-7340745 Ext. 112 Check us out at www.tetonclub. com “This announcement is not an offer of solicitation to buy to residents of any state in which registration has not been completed.”

VIDEOS & DVDS

VIDEOS FROM USHGA – WWW.USHGA.ORG *NEW* STARTING POWERED PARAGLIDING — Great intro to powered paragliding. From t first lessons, first solo flight, to advanced techniques.

Covers ground school w/simulator training and paraglider wing ground handling, equipment fundamentals , weather to fly, & expert pilots showing advanced techniques. 44 minutes $36.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. *NEW* LIFTING AIR For Paragliding — How to Thermal and Soar. Master the principles of lifting air with Dixon White. Learn where to look for thermals and ridge lift, how to stay in the lifting air to climb efficiently, and deal appropriately with the dynamics of the soaring conditions. 40 minutes $39.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price. *NEW* PARAGLIDER TOWING Instructional.

Learn the fundamentals of paraglider towing with Dixon White. Basic how-to and safety tips.

24 minutes $24.95 ALSO AVAILABLE IN DVD, same great price.

MISCELLANEOUS

“AEROBATICS” POSTER — Full color 23”x 31” poster featuring John Heiney doing what he does best-LOOPING! See www.ushga.org under store/misc for example. Available through USHGA HQ for just $6.95 (+$5.00 s/h). USHGA, 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).

FIT TO FLY — with FitU exercise management system. Reduce risk of injury, improve overall fitness. Only $24.95. Makes a great gift. www.bodysci.com FRANCIS ROGALLO’S — 1963 VW Westfalia Camper Van, professionally restored, serious inquires

only.

david@davidglover.com

(719) 930-6967.

NEW APPAREL, VIDEOS, BOOKS & POSTERS — Check out our web page www.ushga.org March, 2004: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

O KC, LJ UAS TS O S NI EF M I OE RDE …

S

DON’T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSIFIEDS. WORLDWIDE INTERNET PARAGLIDING TALK SHOW — WWW.WORLDTALKRADIO.COM Listen live or to the archives! Live Tuesday 911:00 am (PST). Call toll-free, 1-888-514-2100 or internationally at (001) 858-268-3068. Paraglider pilots and radio hosts David and Gabriel Jebb, want to hear about your stories, promotions/ events or insight: they also take questions!

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

The rate for classified advertising are 25 words for $10.00 and $1.00 per word after 25. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $10.00. Phone number=2 words. Email or web 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. April 20th is the deadline for the June 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.

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

SOL YARIS XL & EQUIPMENT — Stolen Dec. 12, 2003 from car in HEMET, CA. Yellow top w/2 thunderbolts on undersurface, Paratech M3 harness, reserve, 2 stuff sacks, red/black back pack. Contact William Carpenter (909) 658-2929, blwhite84@hotmail.com HARNESS — Lost Sept 20, 2003 at SADDLE MOUNTAIN, WA. Hand-made harness in a 25lb green back pack. Also reserve, helmet, flight instrument. Russ (206) 367-8963, russlfboe@concast.net TRIM HARNESS PACK & EQUIPMENT — Stolen Sept. 21, 2003 on the road to the Rampart Ridge launch at SNOQUALMIE PASS, WASHINGTON. Black/blue trim harness pack With blue/purple striped CG-1000 pod chest entry harness, 26 gore Odyssey parachute, white Uvex carbon fiber helmet w/PTT2 mike & headphone, Ball M-19e vario, Garmin Etrex GPS. Contact Gary (206) 283-2185, braundesign@msn.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2004

INDEPENDENCE DRAGON — Stolen August 29th, 2003 from a car in SAN DIEGO, CA. Red & Grey, size XS, 2” white patch on upper canopy, taped broken sheath, 3rd right D riser, upper line. Medium P4 harness, rear/ top mount reserve, gloves & radio antenna in pockets. Both in light grey Independence backpack. Reward. Diana Tung (760) 271-0425, dineorama@yahoo.com PRO-DESIGN TARGET — Paraglider, stolen August 8, 2003 from car at WINTER PARK RESORT, COLORADO. Red w/large comp numbers “42” on underside, Pro-Design Concept Air harness & reserve, blue helmet, Ball M19e vario, Yaesu FT-411E radio, Hanwag boots. Contact: Mark Ziegler 970-887-3066 mzig@rkymtnhi.com STOLEN FROM MULLER WINDSPORTS, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada between July 1820, 2003. APCO ALLEGRA MEDIUM YELLOW #600271, in purple stuff sack; APCO FIESTA MEDIUM RED #765452 , new; APCO PRIMA 24 VIOLET #25818 , faded bag, w/first harness; APCO FRONT MOUNT RESERVE MAYDAY 20 w/Y bridle; APCO CONTOUR LARGE HARNESS, black/blue; UP TETON HARNESS, large, grey/blue. Please contact us if you have any information: fly@mullerwindsports.com, (403) 932-6760, fax (403) 851-0737 or contact Cst. H. Boilard, Cochrane RCMP (403) 932-2211, fax (403) 932-2842.

APCO XTRA COMP PARAGLIDER & SUP’AIR HARNESS — Paraglider, stolen June 4th, 2003 from SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. Purple w/white underside, minor repair work.

Purple Sup’Air backpack comp harness w/ whire rear mount reserve, log book, green Protech helmet. Terry Stuart, (425) 369-9920, upland_contracting@yahoo.

STOLEN WINGS are listed as a service to USHGA members. Newest entries are in bold.

There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in (719) 632-8300, faxed in (719) 632-6417, or emailed at ushga@ushga.org for inclusion in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders are recovered.

Periodically, this listing will be purged.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Adventure Productions ................................ 71 Aerolight ...................................................... 12 Angle of Attack .............................................. 6 Apco Aviation............................................... 26 Critter Mountain Wear ................................. 22 Dan Johnson ................................................ 45 Dixon’s Airplay ....................................... 16, 71 Flytec ........................................................... 80 High Energy Sports ...................................... 43 Independence/Fly Market ............................ 58 Just Fly ......................................................... 42 Kitty Hawk Kites ..................................... 54, 71 Microgliders ................................................. 71 Mojo’s Gear ................................................... 9 Moyes America ...................................... 14, 71 Para-Ski LLC ................................................. 71 Paraglider Magazine .................................... 57 Peak to Peak Paragliding ........................ 18, 71 Pro Design ..................................................... 8 Sport Aviation Publications .......................... 34 SuperFly ................................................. 79, 71 Thermal Tracker ........................................... 20 Torrey Pines ................................................. 56 Traverse City ................................................ 48 U.S. Aeros .................................................... 38 USHG Foundation ........................................ 10 USHGA ........................................................ 43 77

P R O D U C T

L I N E S

© By Dan Johnson <cumulusman@aol.com> www.bydanjohnson.com

St. Paul, Minn. -- As I write this up here in the southern tundra, the wind howls and the snow flies and the joy of hang gliding or paragliding seems quite distant. Soon enough, though, the thaw will occur and life takes on a friendlier look that invites soaring flight. ••• While huddled inside, I heard from Gerry Charlebois who told me the temperatures in his native state of Hawaii: high of 86° and low of 72°. His invitation to come fly Kauai sounds mighty inviting this time of year. ▲ The real reason Gerry wrote was to report how his DVD production, Extreme Kauai, is doing.

His commercial venture is a means of interesting non-flying folks in what the rest of us enjoy. Gerry wrote, “It has been 11 months since [Extreme Kauai’s] release and four months since the main distributor for Hawaii picked it up. It is now in 280 stores statewide, including Wal-Mart, Kmart, Costco, and Borders.” His DVD may well be the first flying-based production to go mainstream. Gerry continues, “When I walk into my local Wal-Mart and see a five foot tall rack filled with DVDs of Extreme Kauai and people gathered around the TV playing it on a loop, it is good feeling.” I’m sure this warms his heart given the time, energy, and plenty of money that went into producing it. He thinks, “This should expose many non-pilots to the beauty of our sport.” It has also helped Gerry gain some recognition. “During a Christmas shopping trip,” he writes, “I joined a group watching the TV, to listen in on comments. A shopper looked at me and exclaimed to the other shoppers, ‘Hey, this is the guy that made this film. He was in the start of it!’ The fellow grabbed a copy and wanted an autograph! It led to a bunch of folks asking to have their copy signed. The rack of DVDs got emptied. It was pretty funny.” Gerry may be high from that experience but he remains realistic, saying, “Now that I am famous I noticed I can get a free cup of coffee if I have a dollar!” Again, I congratulate Gerry on his production and hope that much more than a free cup of coffee is offered to him. Along with others doing good work to popularize the sport we love, Charlebois is making an impact. FMI: birds@birdsinparadise.com ••• Attending the Copperstate airshow in Arizona, I met a fellow named Mo Sheldon who is involved with powered paragliding (PPG). Mo was exhibiting at the airshow and had one of the nicest PPG trike carriages I’ve seen. ▲ I’ve taken a few lessons on paragliders and find them enjoyable. I’ve never tried PPGs because a take-off run with the equivalent of a passion-crazed gorilla clamped to my back never thrilled me. I found flying and landing paragliders seems to be among the easiest of any aircraft type. But the launch procedures need to be done right and doing so with a power unit seems inadvisable given my aging legs that have been known to stumble.

I wouldn’t want such a misstep to come right before the moment of lift-off. However, a trike carriage with wheels to P

r

o

d

u

c

t

L

i

n

e

s

…

h

a

n

g

g

l

i

d

i

allow a rolling launch caught my interest. ▲ Under the clever business name AirParaMo, Sheldon sells Fly Products from Italy. That company specializes in PPGs, though they also make a light trike for hang gliders, called the Trike Delta.

As evidence of their attention to light weights, the hang glider carriage reportedly tips the scales at an impressive 53 pounds. AirParaMo didn’t have one of these but did have a Flash trike. The wheeled chassis by itself weighs a modest 26 pounds. The power unit used for foot-launched flight can be quickly pinned to the Flash trike and, presto!, wheels for those not so sure of running launches. Since Flash can also be set up for two occupants, it can be a training tool as well. ▲ You can run or roll if you have a power unit sufficient to lift you and trike chassis (plus a second person if you plan to conduct training). Mo demonstrated a quick attachment of unmodified power unit to the carriage. Then, even in the heat of the Arizona desert, the rolling Flash took under 150 feet to leave the ground with Mo flying solo. Landing is skill-dependent, but should take half of a take-off roll. ▲ Run

by Enrico Vignini, a former instructor of 3,000 students, Fly Products started in the early 1990s when paragliders began adding engines. In addition to the power packages, the trikes for both HGs and PGs, plus all sorts of accessories, Fly Products sells their own line of Voyager wings. You may want to check with AirParaMo and see if they have something you’d like. FMI: info@Airparamo.com or 602692-7995. ••• Finally from AOPA’s ePilot of 12/21/03, here’s an interesting bit of 100th Anniversary of Flight news from an organization you wouldn’t normally find talking about gliders. AOPA, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, is a 400,000+ member group (largest in the world) that serves folks who fly around in Cessnas, Pipers, and so on. Their news nearly always includes regulatory issues affecting their membership (yeah, I know, a real yawner). But with the headline, “Glider Club Declares Day of Mourning,” the AOPA eNews editors got my attention. Here’s what they say -- and unlike much of their news, this should warm the hearts of hang glider and paraglider pilots: “The Adrian Soaring Club in Michigan observed a day of mourning on the anniversary of powered flight. To them it was the day that Orville and Wilbur gave up gliding. The club planned to make as many glider flights as possible and even invited club members who also own those noisy newfangled contraptions to the event. ‘We invited glider pilots everywhere to join us in reminding the public the Wright brothers did a masterful job right up until that tiny little faux pas on December 17, 1903,’ according to the club.” ••• So, got news or opinions? Send ‘em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930.

E-mail to News@ByDanJohnson.com or CumulusMan@aol. com. THANKS! n

g

p

r

o

d

u

c

t

n

e

w

s

s

i

n

c

e

1

9

7

9

ta1ke it

eiasy

ll'i!

' 11,n'M!i,u;s :

In

G I IN