NOW
THAT
Photos by John Brower
HITS THE SPOT. by Stacy Whitmore
O
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HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
ne often hears that all that is important in a flight is a good launch and a good landing. No matter what else we do during the flight, is not a success unless we launch and land successfully. My first instructor, Thomas Stankowski, took me to fly a site near the Arizona-Utah border called “The Usual.” He did a “doughnut” in the middle of a cactus-lined road with his Toyota, drawing a circle with the wheels that was very visible from above. Then he said, “This is your target landing area. If you can land in this circle, you are on your way to becoming a good pilot.” That evening I took my first soaring flight, flying for almost an hour. Thomas got on the radio on the far side of dusk and directed, “OK, hot shot, time to see if you can land where I told you to.” I was on a natural high that can only be understood by those who recall their first soaring flight— but slightly less fulfilling, thrilling and memorable than when I (call it beginner’s luck) nailed the very center of the doughnut Thomas had carved out to welcome me back to terra firma. The fun and exhilaration of landing on the “right spot” (or the one you aim for) is one of the reasons for the introduction of the first USHPA-sponsored Accuracy Landing Competition. It will be held at Point of the Mountain, near Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 27 and 28, 2013. Hang gliders will