HANG GLIDING + PARAGLIDING + SPEEDFLYING
SUMMER 2025
USHPA Awards by Cathleen O’Connell
An important tool for the community
Hyner View’s 50th Anniversary by Brian Vant-Hull Celebrating our unique history
Armchair SIV by Calef Letorney What the flap?!
Magic Land by Jeffrey Packard
A festival of flight down under
Building Bump Tolerance by Arjun Heimsath
Re-Winging It by Erika Klein
Six paraglider pilots’ journey into hang gliding
Ladies Unite In Santa Barbara by Liza Verzella
Partners With “The Bear” by Dave Embertson Free flight at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Work From “Home” by Lucas Soler Testing Algodonales as a remote work and flying hub
Lessons From Valle by Jeff St. Aubin Big air, big consequences at El Péñon Classic
Deconfliction: What Is It? by Martin Palmaz
Flying: The Supreme Meditation by Sofía Puerta Webber
HANG GLIDING, PARAGLIDING & SPEEDFLYING ARE DANGEROUS ACTIVITES
USHPA recommends new or advancing pilots complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor, using equipment suitable for their level of experience. Many of the articles and photographs in the magazine depict advanced maneuvers being performed by expert pilots. No maneuver should be attempted without appropriate and progressive instruction and experience.
ALPHA : ONE SERIES, TWO GLIDER MODELS
The series for the perfect start to paragliding. Choose between two versions: the robust classic and a light DLS version with more performance from 3.6 kg. Flying fun and feeling great in the air are guaranteed with the ALPHA.
Distributor: super yinc.com, info@super yinc.com, 801-255-9595
Photo: Adi Geisegger
Do you have questions about USHPA policies or programs? Are there topics you’d like to hear more about?
EMAIL US AT: info@ushpa.org
Interested in taking a more active role supporting our national organization? USHPA needs your skills and interest.
VOLUNTEER AT: ushpa.org/volunteer
For other USHPA business +1 719-632-8300 info@ushpa.org
ASSOCIATION
James Bradley, Executive Director
: In 2005, USHPA’s mission was written: “To grow the membership.” Not surprisingly, it didn’t create growth. That’s because growth isn’t a mission— it’s a byproduct. It emerges when we do the right things well and inspire people.
Imagine if Steve Jobs had declared Apple’s mission “to make money” instead of “to make tools for the mind that advance humankind.” Do you think we’d still be hearing about Apple today?
Steve’s mission aimed boldly at creating value. At USHPA, we’re working to do exactly that—create value for our members. Even more than attracting new pilots, we want to do better at keeping the ones we have. To this end, we’re determined to create a more responsive and supportive association for you than ever, and a stronger national community.
reduce the overwhelm factor of new students on the hill, and they’re really excited about it.
The P2 course, which will complement on-hill training, is in the works. H1 and S1 development will start soon. We aim to have P1-P4, H1-H2, and S1-S2 courses done in time for the 2026 flying season. After pilot training we will add instructor training, including a course on running a flight school.
If it feels like a new day at USHPA, I hope you’ll spread the word. If you know someone who let their membership lapse, I hope you’ll invite them back. We have a lot of work ahead and we’re stronger with everyone on board. You can find our current mission at ushpa.org/about.
The United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association, Inc. (USHPA) is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA). The NAA is the official US representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), which is the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA represents the United States at FAI meetings.
The NAA has delegated to USHPA the supervision of FAIrelated hang gliding and paragliding activities, such as record attempts and competition sanctions.
One exciting piece of this is our pilot training curriculum development. As I write, we’ve completed version 1 of USHPA’s first-ever online course, a ground school and theory course for the P1 rating, with an accompanying exam. It’s hosted on our new Learning Management System (LMS), and it’s being tested by a few instructors and students. Senior instructors say this course will
CALENDAR
If today’s USHPA doesn’t feel worthy of your support, I’d like to know why. Drop me a note at james@ushpa.org, or go to USHPA.org/meetwithjames to book a meeting. I look forward to speaking with you.
In order to provide an up-to-date event list, USHPA Pilot no longer prints events in the quarterly magazine. Please scan the QR code at left to go straight to the list, or visit the USHPA website at: ushpa.org/calendar
REGION 1 NORTHWEST Alaska Hawaii Iowa Idaho Minnesota Montana North Dakota
Nebraska Oregon South Dakota
Washington Wyoming
REGION 2 CENTRAL WEST
Northern California
Nevada Utah
REGION 3 SOUTHWEST
Southern California Arizona
Colorado
New Mexico
REGION 4 SOUTHEAST Alabama Arkansas
District of Columbia Florida Georgia Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Missouri Mississippi
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas West Virginia Virginia
REGION 5 NORTHEAST and INTERNATIONAL
Connecticut
Delaware Illinois Indiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine
Michigan
New Hampshire
New York
New Jersey
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont Wisconsin
Mission
To deliver programs and services that support all our members, foster a community of skilled and knowledgeable pilots, and promote and protect the freedom to fly.
Vision
A vibrant free flight community across the United States.
Core values & guiding principles
Adventure
Celebrate the spirit of discovery and the joy of being in the outdoors.
Learning
Support ongoing education, development of skills, and acquiring of the judgment that comes from experience and attention.
Preservation
Be stewards of our natural places, our flying sites, and the future of our sport.
Integrity
Act ethically, take 100% ownership, communicate clearly, respond effectively.
Respect
Foster a considerate community free from harassment and abuse.
James Bradley Executive Director james@ushpa.org
Charles Allen President president@ushpa.org
Kirby Ryan Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.org
Olga Grunskaya Secretary secretary@ushpa.org
Pam Kinnaird Treasurer treasurer@ushpa.org
Galen Anderson Operations Manager office@ushpa.org
Chris Webster Information Services Manager tech@ushpa.org
Anna Mack Program Manager programs@ushpa.org
Maddie Campbell Membership & Communications Coordinator membership@ushpa.org
BOARD MEMBERS (Terms End in 2025)
Kirby Ryan (region 3)
Nelissa Milfeld (region 3)
Pamela Kinnaird (region 2)
Olga Grunskaya (region 1)
Bob Ferris (region 3)
BOARD MEMBERS (Terms End in 2026)
Van Spurgeon (region 3)
Charles Allen (region 5)
Nick Greece (region 2)
Stephan Mentler (region 4)
FLYTEC WORLDWIDE OBSTACLE WARNING Imagine having an extra pair of eagle eyes with you on your flight, scanning for hazards like power lines and cable cars, that can show you nearby obstacles and warn you when you are on a collision approach. Naviter is pleased to announce that this feature is now available worldwide in SeeYou Navigator running on Oudie N/N+, Omni, and smartphones. Nearby threats are highlighted in red on the flight map, providing crucial time to alter flight path. Tap on displayed obstacles for detailed info and the ability to customize warnings, empowering you to make informed decisions and fly safer. Download selected areas for offline use, and let Oudie N/N+, Omni, and SeeYou Navigator help you spot and avoid obstacles. For more information: info@flytec.com | +1 800-662-2449
LEVEL FUZE
The FUZE parakite wing offers a fresh approach to parakite soaring with a solid design, progressive safety, and exhilarating flight, featuring a noticeably steeper and faster profile than existing parakites. Enjoy intuitive handling with a consistent increase in pressure throughout the brake range for precise control and feedback. The predictable and progressive stall point enhances piloting confidence. Durable materials are used throughout with reinforced leading edge and wingtips, while the simple risers include a “Dive blocker” system. Feel the immediate and precise roll response—the signature “Level Touch.” www.levelwings.com
LEVEL FLAME 2
The FLAME 2 wing keeps the innovative, accessible, and playful spirit of its iconic first version, offering access to miniwing flight and pure speedflying for all. Its new profile provides better exploitation of flight angles, the redesigned air intake optimizes internal pressure, and the redesigned arc improves the overall efficiency of the wing. The mini-ribs on the trailing edge increase speed and performance while going further in responsiveness, dive, and precision. The wing features a 10cm trimmer range on all sizes, which gives a feeling of two different gliders in one. Highlights include intuitive launch behavior for high summits, soaring, and everything in between, and reduced weight for faster, easier launches, and lower pack volume. www.levelwings.com
LEVEL FLEX
The FLEX, EN-A paraglider, is for first flights to first cross-country epics. The Flex is safe, returns to stable flight alone after each maneuver, and reacts gradually to the pilot’s actions on the handles. The long brake travel allows for fine and efficient turning while remaining precise, with a high tolerance for imprecise inputs. Inflations are gentle, and the wing stops naturally above the pilot without effort. Three color options, four weight options, and the iconic Level Wings bird design. www.levelwings.com
OZONE ANGEL SQ 180
The square reserve’s increased stability, combined with the Angel SQ’s excellent sink rate, makes it a higher-performance reserve than traditional rounds. The Angel SQ has a relatively large surface area yet is very light in weight, giving exceptional sink rate and stability performance with fast opening times. Now the line has expanded with the Angel SQ 180, which is designed for pilots with an all-up weight of less than 180kg (including paramotor and light tandem use). The Angel SQ and the ultra-light SQ Pro range are in stock now in most sizes. www.flyozone.com
ADVANCE ALPHA
OZONE SWIFTMAX
2 The Swiftmax 2 is our high-performance tandem glider designed for XC pleasure flights and professional tandem flying. Based on the world record-holding Swiftmax, this new generation pushes the performance envelope even further whilst improving safety, comfort, ease of use, and longevity. The new version incorporates winglets to improve roll stability and reduce parasitic movements, enhancing comfort for both pilot and passenger. It maintains a semi-lightweight construction for easy everyday use but has been reinforced in critical areas to improve durability and longevity. The glider has improved performance with a lower EN-B certification and a wider certified weight range from 120 to 230 kg. The new design also incorporates rollercam trimmers and 20mm risers. It is already holding several world triangle distance and speed records. www.flyozone.com
The new ALPHA 8 takes the classic entry-level wing to the next level in terms of performance and passive safety. The ALPHA series stands out with its clear line setup and col-
or-coded risers and brake handles, making ground handling especially intuitive. The wing launches effortlessly and is exceptionally easy to fly, thanks to its balanced pitch and roll behaviour. Other key qualities include long brake travel, a smoother ride in turbulence, and a great sink rate for an EN-A level glider. Last but not least, the handling is dynamic and fun. It comes in five sizes with a weight range starting at 50 and going all the way up to 145 kg. Medium size weighs 4.5 kg and 4.15 kg in the DLS version. This paraglider is available in both versions through Super Fly, Inc., with your choice of bags: www.superflyinc.com, +1 801255-9595, or your local dealer.
GIN FUSE 4 MINI The Fuse
4 Mini is a tool for professional tandem pilots to expand their mode of operation. It makes it easier for light pilots to fly with light passengers. In addition, it also offers greater mar-
gins when faced with valley winds or stronger breezes. Both sizes still maintain the excellent sink rate and ease of launch/landing that make the Fuse the best-selling tandem. The Fuse Mini comes in 32m and 38m and still carries EN-B certification. The glider weight is 6.5 kg (in the 38m), and it comes in one color only (the 32 is red and the 38 is turquoise). Custom colors are possible with an extended delivery time and a surcharge. This paraglider is available through Super Fly, Inc., with your choice of bags: www.superflyinc.com, +1 801-2559595, or your local dealer.
NOVA VORTEX
The EN-C cross-country paraglider VORTEX is a well-balanced and light two-liner with 65 cells and an aspect ratio of 6.1. Weights start at 3.3 kg for the size XS, and it is available in four
sizes from 60 to 110 kg. It is made from Dominico 20D (35g) on the leading edge and Dominico 10D (26g) on the rest of the upper and lower surface. Internals are Porcher Skytex 32 hard and ultra-light Porcher Skytex 27. The Vortex has Height-Adjustable B-Handles (HAB-Handles); they are made of carbon and can be height-adjusted to five levels. This is a perfect first lightweight 2-line C for any qualified pilot. Still, the speed and glide will let you keep up with almost any glider in the category. It comes in one color, white. This paraglider is available through Super Fly, Inc., with your choice of bags: www.superflyinc.com, +1 801-2559595, or your local dealer.
Liz Dengler
Managing Editor editor@ushpa.org
Julia Knowles
Copy Editor
Greg Gillam Art Director
WRITERS
Dennis Pagen
Lisa Verzella
Erika Klein
Julia Knowles
Do you have a story idea you would like to pitch? We are always looking for stories.
EMAIL LIZ AT: editor@ushpa.org
Are you ready to contribute a complete story? We are always looking for articles, photography and news.
GET STARTED AT: ushpa.org/contributors
All articles, artwork, photographs as well as ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are submitted pursuant to and are subject to the USHPA Contributor's Agreement , which can be reviewed on the USHPA website or obtained by emailing Liz.
Would you like to run an advertisement ? Great!
CONTACT US AT: advertising@ushpa.org
EDITOR Liz Dengler
: We have a jam-packed magazine in store for readers this issue. From technical and mental discussions to travel tales to site management, our writers have covered it all.
First, USHPA reminds members to nominate top-notch individuals in their flying community for the annual USHPA awards. By recognizing and lifting up the pillars of our community, we can continue to improve our flying sites and experiences.
SITES AND FLY-INS
There is plenty to learn about right here on our home turf. A ladies’ fly-in in California demonstrates how easy it is to support one another. In Pennsylvania, Hyner View’s 50th Anniversary Fly-in reminds us how long some sites have been available to us, and of the many tales that span its rich history. Often, we take for granted our opportunities to fly in the U.S., but the story from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore shows us of the considerable work that goes into maintaining relationships and flying privileges at our local sites. In that vein, open communication about other air traffic around any flying site is essential, and sites like Mt. Herman embrace deconfliction to keep everyone safe.
EDUCATION Learning in our sports comes in many forms. This issue covers technical advice, as seen in the Armchair SIV, as well as mental or emotional
aspects, as represented in Building Bump Tolerance and The Supreme Meditation. All approaches to learning require small steps, take practice, and, most importantly, patience with ourselves and our egos as we develop the skills we need to fly well. We also find an engaging tale about paragliders, after years in the sport, taking up hang gliding as a new way to enjoy free flight! Your flying skills might translate more easily than you expect!
TRAVEL We fly around the world in this issue: participating in hang gliding competitions in Mexico, testing a remote work-and-flying lifestyle in Spain, and attending speedwing fly-ins in New Zealand. These travelers give readers a glimpse into the flying opportunities in the far reaches of the globe.
: We received a lot of great feedback from readers about our last couple of issues. I love hearing that you’re enjoying the magazine, and I want to ensure we continue to improve it by featuring stories you’d like to see. We’ve set up a super short and easy feedback questionnaire so you can let us know how we can improve your reading experience. It’s only three questions long and should take you less than five minutes. Scan the QR code and let us know!
©2024 US HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING ASSOC., INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of USHPA.
POSTMASTER USHPA Pilot ISSN 2689-6052 (USPS 17970) is published quarterly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80904 Phone: 719-632-8300 Fax: 719-632-6417 Periodicals Postage Paid in Colorado Springs and additional mailing offices. Send change of address to: USHPA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO, 80901-1330. Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3.
2025 USHPA AWARDS
MAKE YOUR NOMINATION AT: ushpa.org/awards
NOMINATIONS ARE DUE OCTOBER 1.
PRESIDENTIAL CITATION - USHPA's highest award.
ROB KELLS MEMORIAL AWARD - Recognizes a pilot, group, chapter or other entity that has provided continuous service, over a period of 15 years or more.
USHPA EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AWARD - Outstanding service to the association by any member or non-member.
NAA SAFETY AWARD - The NAA presents this award to an individual, recommended by USHPA, who has promoted safety.
FAI HANG GLIDING DIPLOMA - For outstanding contribution by initiative, work, or leadership in flight achievement.
FAI PEPE LOPES MEDAL - For outstanding contributions to sportsmanship or international understanding.
CHAPTER OF THE YEAR - For conducting successful programs that reflect positively upon the chapter and the sport.
NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE OF THE YEAR (print or webbased).
INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD - Nominations should include letters of support from three students and the local Regional Director. One award per sport per year may be given.
RECOGNITION FOR SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION - For volunteer work by non-members and organizations.
COMMENDATIONS - For USHPA members who have contributed to hang gliding and/or paragliding on a volunteer basis.
BETTINA GRAY AWARD - For the photographer whose work (three examples needed for review) is judged best by the committee in aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal.
BEST PROMOTIONAL FILM - For the videographer whose work is judged best by the committee in consideration of aesthetics, originality, and a positive portrayal.
USHPA Awards by Cathleen O'Connell An important tool for the community
: Everyone knows a pilot, instructor, landowner, driver, club officer, rescuer, or mentor (either an individual or team of people) who step up substantially to ensure the accessibility, safety, or enjoyment of free flight. The USHPA awards are an excellent tool to acknowledge their efforts publicly. In this way, not only do we collectively recognize their contributions, but we also may positively reinforce the inclination of others to amplify their own efforts to serve free flight.
I've used the awards for recognition several times, and you can too. It is important to get efforts that support free flight in front of the committee via the this simple process:
1. Collect identifying information about the nominee(s). This can be found on the website at ushpa.org/awards
2. Select an appropriate award as listed on the website.
3. Complete the nomination form, describing contributions you believe USHPA should applaud, and submit.
Making a case for the nomination doesn't have to be a complicated. A few simple sentences will suffice, writing as if you are waiting on launch and telling someone about what the nominee has done that impressed you. Simple, economic language is best.
Telling the awards committee the story of how an individual or team stepped up to benefit others will make a powerful case. You don’t have to decide if your nomination is award-worthy. The USHPA committee will do so if you put the nomination in front of them for consideration.
Let’s use the USHPA Awards program to its full potential and ensure the light of community-wide appreciation shines on those we see giving a bit extra on behalf of free flight. We all will benefit.
Nominate today. Nominate often. Scan the QR code to begin.
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Hyner View’s 50th Anniversary
Celebrating our unique history by Brian Vant-Hull
: It was in February of 1975 that a group of pilots who had been flying the ski slopes in Central Pennsylvania (what is now Tussey Mountain Ski Area) came to check out the Hyner View scenic overlook on a tip from Judy Hildebrand (before she was flying). The group pushed a couple of picnic tables up to the wall of the overlook to create a makeshift ramp so they could launch. Dennis Pagen got the spotlight as the first in the group to launch, “probably because I was the stupidest,” he says. The pilots landed directly out front—across the railroad tracks from our present LZ. Word traveled fast, and the next day a group from Philadelphia came up, found the picnic tables still in place, and flew. An iconic site was born.
Inevitably, a ranger caught the pilots in the act and put a stop to their flying fantasies. In response, the pioneers were first put in touch with the Renovo Tourist Bureau, eventually working their way to the upper echelons of the Pennsylvania Park Service. Initially tentative, the pilots were pleasantly surprised at the enthusiastic reception they received from an agency eager to sponsor a noninvasive activity that would attract visitors (and hence funding).
The next step was securing a permanent LZ. Across the river from launch was an abandoned grass airfield
owned by the Conti family, who operated a bar at the end of the field. They had a friend living on-site who was happy to mow the field, and they allowed camping with easy access to the river. These arrangements were all rolled into the bargain for a very reasonable annual fee (originally free), thus giving birth to a relationship that lasted nearly 40 years.
A great launch with a 150-degree directional window, landing where you camp, a bar you can stumble home from without even needing to check for traffic—is it any wonder Hyner drew people from a 300+ mile radius?
In its heyday in the 80s and 90s, a Hyner summer weekend would draw 200 people, with tents and campfires lining both sides of the LZ and continuing back into the woods. You could spend the whole night wandering from fire to fire, each with a different personality. It was not unheard of for die-hard partiers to see the sunrise.
The phrase “a boo-waa day” was born at Hyner during the 1978 Nationals. In the days before towing, Hyner was an ideal choice for a competition, and everyone came. The Cleveland boys brought a van with only two discernible gears: the low gear would let out a low “booo” which then shifted into high “WAAA!”
Contestants in the 1978 Nationals. Photographer unknown
Drag race contestants in full gallop. Smoke seems to accompany all Hyner activities. Photo by Richard Cobb
So a day featuring weather propitious enough to fire up the van became known as “a boo-waa day.” Though the phrase originated at Hyner, as far as we know, the first exultation of “Boo-waa!” in flight occurred near Blacksburg, Virginia, attributed to Randy Newberry. Now it belongs to the ages.
That van was also a fearsome presence in the bottle rocket wars that raged over the years. People started firing rockets from campfire to campfire, but when the van pulled up and the door rolled back, everyone knew to dive for cover. And then there was the fire jumping, which evolved from the stupid (jump over the fire) to irresistibly stupider (“I bet you can’t jump over that fire while naked”), and a Hyner tradition was born. It developed into an almost programmatic item of the Hyner experience, culminating with 13 naked couples jumping hand-in-hand in 2003.
The “drag races” started in the mid-90s. On some Fourth of July weekend, a group of semi-sheepish contestants emerged from their tents in full regalia—heels, fishnet stockings, makeup—and proceeded to the windsock to start a footrace. Word got around and everyone came to watch; it was a hit. Over the years, the drag races grew to over 20 contestants, categorized
into flats and heels, with the local community showing up to enjoy the show. The tradition continued into the early 2000s.
I made my first appearance at Hyner in the late 90s as an H2 during the heyday of the drag races, knowing nothing of the shenanigans. I had just finished setting up my tent and noticed some folks setting up another tent in the middle of the field, which seemed a strange choice. It was an old army tent with a roof and sides; acetylene gas was quietly being generated inside. Suddenly, a couple of bottle rockets flew towards the lightly closed door, the tent glowed orange, and it jumped 10 feet in the air. I realized I had walked into the Burning Man of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Sadly, so many of the wonderful characters who helped create the special Hyner magic are no longer with us. But the memories are strong, and you can still hear the stories from Dennis Pagen, Bob Beck, and others. Some of the craziness still endures, even though Hyner LZ has moved from private to state property, dampening the wildness a bit. That move is a story worth telling.
The Conti family owned the original LZ, but when the patriarch died and the kids moved away, there
was an opening. A local real estate speculator gained one-third ownership, which wasn’t enough to give him control, but enough to raise the antennae of the previous Hyner president, Shawn MacDuff. MacDuff researched our new owner and saw the profit motive would spell our eventual doom. But a property across the river was to become available, adjacent to where the first flights off Hyner had landed. In a masterstroke of political maneuvering, Shawn convinced the Nature Conservancy to buy the property and turn it over to the local Forest Service for management. The covenant was that the land would be available for pilots to land, and even camp, in perpetuity. Free flight at Hyner was secure, but the script had to play out. The Forest Service cleared and leveled an LZ for us, seeded it, and commenced mowing.
For years, nothing happened with our old LZ. Eventually, the remaining Conti family wanted out, and when they sold, it was time for us to move to the new LZ, which the Forest Service had been patiently holding for us. After we mowed a starter campground on the new land, the Forest Service graciously agreed to clear brush from a forested portion to make a pleasant shady campground, which we’ve continued to landscape lovingly. They maintain the LZ; we maintain the campground. So far, it’s been a match made in heaven, for they get sent usage fees from the state and appre-
ciate how carefully we maintain the land. That move was eight years ago.
: Now, for Hyner’s 50th anniversary, we want to show off our mountain, new LZ, and camping area (with a river for swimming directly across the neighborhood road). The official celebration is planned for the weekend of Labor Day 2025, but if you can’t make it, we’ll also be gathering over the July 4th weekend, and you are welcome to join us.
What can you expect when you come? Let’s start with the flying experience. The launch is a scenic overlook, which means it’s wide open. It’s a popular tourist site mainly due to the flying, so you are on stage from glider setup to launch: you may as well enjoy the attention. The main launch is a steep slope with WNW to NNW directions available. There’s also a west ramp launch for hang glider pilots.
Paraglider pilots who don’t feel comfortable with the steep slope have a grass pad and gentler slope available for W to SW winds. The LZ is a 3:1 glide and plenty large for experienced pilots, though new H2s will need to practice setting up approaches over a larger field before coming to Hyner. Those from the west who have never flown around trees may feel it’s a bit tight. Paragliders should not have any landing issues. Without a long ridge, you may be scratching for
Will Perez over our new LZ. Look closely to see the star Forestry mowed for us. Photo by Will Perez
Mike Hennig soon after launching from the Hyner View Overlook. Photo by Magdalena Rychteva
thermals during many flights. But when Hyner turns on, it’s an unbeatable experience with a river valley as your playground. Even if conditions don’t seem favorable, Hyner is steep enough to get off in light winds from most directions. If you don’t get up, the sled ride from 1,300 feet AGL is beautiful, with plenty of time to check out the river and nearby ridges. On many mornings, the river valley will fill with clouds, with launch poking out above. If winds are not suitable for Hyner, we have sites for the east, north, and southeast within two hours’ drive.
We charge $50 for a tent or camper, regardless of how many are in it (family-friendly), though if a second pilot is included, it’s an extra $25. The flying fee is a monthly membership good for the entire calendar month. Portapots will be on site, the river is available for washing, or you can drive five minutes up the road to a campground and slip them a few dollars for running water and a hot shower. We will cater a dinner on Saturday night during the Labor Day celebration, which is included in the fee. For those interested, a history of Hyner PDF is being compiled by Aron Lantz.
The LZ is not suitable for spot landing contests, and the landscape is too forested for cross country flights (though there have been a dozen over the decades by brave and talented souls). But we may feature a duration contest for fun, with plans to recreate the pilon contest of the 1978 Nationals. And you don’t want to miss the campfires.
Look us up on www.hynerclub.com. Fly-in information is posted and will increase in detail as the date approaches. Our detailed site guide is available for those who register, though you may have to email us to request it.
Hyner is rich in the history of our sport, with incredible views and experiences. Nothing would make us happier than to welcome you to what many of us consider to be our second home.
This article could not have been written without the invaluable input of Dennis Pagen, Bob Beck, Shawn MacDuff, and Aron Lantz. This story has been edited for length. The full-length article and more can be found at the anniversary website: http://www.hynerclub.com/hyner50th.html
Armchair SIV by
Calef Letorney
What the flap?!
Calef Letorney is a USHPA Advanced Instructor who has been teaching SIV since 2017.
: Sage advice is ignored by many, especially while top landing. Flapping—a series of deep brake inputs to create a more vertical descent—is both an effective landing technique and a leading cause of accidents. The platitude “know your stall point” is meaningful, yet it is an incredibly dangerous oversimplification that invites tragedy. In this Armchair SIV, we will discuss the dangers of flapping, techniques for the desired outcome, and the complexity presented by unknown variables before concluding with some simple rules to maximize safety when using this inherently unsafe technique. There’s
significant conflicting advice surrounding flapping techniques, and even more misunderstanding; so, let’s delve into this black art.
“Don’t flap: it’s dangerous!”
This subject is top of mind for me after recently spiraling down to avoid a rescue helicopter after a P4 pilot attempted to flap into a thermic landing zone. The ensuing stall from approximately 60 feet resulted in a loss of consciousness for several minutes, a compound wrist fracture, and a pelvis fracture. Years ago at this same site, I witnessed a master pilot inadvertently spin and then stall while flapping in a top landing, earning a lifetime membership to the Broken Vertebrae Club. There are countless similar stories. Why do we keep flapping, and what can we do to avoid these injuries?
First, let’s discuss the abstinence method. Analogous to unintended teen pregnancy, the only 100% effective way to avoid injury from flapping is to completely avoid the risky behavior. If you master landing approaches, there’s rarely a reason to flap. And if you do find yourself going long on landing, there are almost always alternatives. But as you might expect, preaching abstinence is not particularly effective because, in the moment, flapping seems safer and more convenient than alternatives such as choosing to land in a tree or hiking back up to your car. What follows is a frank conversation about this explicitly dangerous technique because “just don’t do it” isn’t working.
Learn and apply these concepts at your own risk!
If you’re going to flap, do it right. We’re looking for fairly rapid, purposeful, deep brake pumps to bring the glider right to the edge of stall (or actually stalling), immediately followed by a quick hands-up to prevent the glider deformation of a full stall. The
Ariel Zlatkovski flapping in a top landing.
Photo by a passing hiker
depth, timing, and frequency of the hand pumps can vary based on many factors (wing, weight, pilot preference, etc.). Still, we achieve the desired descent by flirting with stall, which can happen unexpectedly early, making all flapping inherently dangerous.
The safest way to learn to descend by flapping is first to learn your stall point while reverse kiting in various wind conditions. Looking up at the wing, rapidly apply full brakes. When the glider deforms to stall, immediately put your hands up to keep the wing overhead.
The next step is to repeat this exercise forward kiting, not looking at the wing and flapping based on feel. Judging our own ability is particularly difficult when learning a new skill: You might demonstrate and discuss the technique with a mentor or instructor before you practice flapping in flight.
The next and more consequential step is to practice in laminar ridge lift, flapping just a few feet off the ground. In this semi-controlled environment, you can do deep pumps and experience the stall point repeatedly. Master instructor Chris Santacroce reminds us that what’s below you matters, so it’s best to practice above soft sand or snow. If you choose to learn over a firm surface (like at the Point of the Mountain, Utah), you might get banged up. Be careful not to apply these skills to too many different situations, as the stall point changes dramatically and will catch you off guard.
“How do you know you’re approaching a stall?”
This is a bit of a trick question. The most reliable way to identify an impending stall is to watch the shape of the wing. During SIV, we teach pilots to watch the glider throughout the stall. The shape and movement of the wing will tell you everything, but when we’re flapping in a top landing, it’s nearly impossible (and certainly not advisable) to stare up at the wing, so visual cues are not helpful while flapping during a landing attempt. We must rely on feel and experience.
Many will argue the signs of an impending stall are
easy to feel; I find it’s not so simple. Yes, the brakes get harder, but that’s uselessly early, way before stall. The remaining pre-stall indicators we feel are often wing-specific, subtle, and unreliable, as they can change dramatically depending on the underlying conditions.
What about the obvious feedback of brake lines going slack, getting yanked backwards, and feeling weightless? Those all happen post-stall, after your goose is cooked. The takeaway is that, contrary to improving safety, learning the feel of your stall point can embolden pilots to flap in situations dramatically different than the practice environment, and the consequences can prove disastrous.
The challenge is that the hand position of a para-
James Willis top landing. Photo by Forrest Cox
glider’s stall point changes with the underlying variables. The term “stall point” itself is misleading as it implies a single location, but in reality, there is perhaps a two-foot range of brake positions at which a stall might occur. A few of the underlying variables that change stall point location include: air density, glider design, wing loading, whether you are standing on the ground with a partially-loaded glider, state of glider (dry, wet, sand or snow inside, porous, or out of trim), vectors of pilot and glider movement, and changes in the vector of air movement.
Wings are agnostic to the movement of a homogeneous air mass. Your glider will fly a normal glide ratio and sink rate through the air; it’s our movement in relation to the ground that changes. Still, the turbulent air we fly in is often anything but homogenous. Rapid changes in air movement momentarily affect our angle of attack until the new airmass overcomes the inertia from our movement through the previous airmass.
Turbulence, especially mechanical and thermal, creates the most dramatic instantaneous change to the brake position at which our gliders will stall. Given all this uncertainty, I argue that instead of “know your stall point,” we are better served by “know that you don’t know your stall point”. Regardless of practice, our stall point in that moment remains a mystery that necessitates ample margin for error.
In strong turbulence, stalls can occur with just a few inches of brakes applied. This was recently illustrated to me when a student asked for my analysis of his big collapse video. I watched the video and quickly paused to comment, “This is a stall; there was no collapse. Look at the tips blowing forward: this only happens when the glider stalls and flies backwards.” He was in disbelief, arguing he could not have stalled as he was hardly pulling the brakes. I asked another SIV instructor who provided the same analysis.
The student then recounted the intense turbulence that preceded the stall, and we had a great conversation about the factors that change the hand position, which may cause a paraglider to stall. Later, the pilot sheepishly admitted that two other instructors had
Gotcha
Factors Look out for these things that can surprise you while flapping.
• Changing your glider: your new glider may stall very differently
• Changing your harness, especially with differing carabiner height
• Turbulence
• Wrap vs. no wrap
• Big winter gloves, especially with wraps
• Wing loading: the smaller the load on a particular wing, the smaller the usable brake range
• Change in density altitude
• Condition of wing: trim and porosity. Gliders can go out of trim and stall earlier. We’ve seen brake lines shrink five inches just from kiting in the morning dew
The list goes on and on. Use your imagination and keep an ample safety margin.
identified the incident as a stall. He was shopping for an instructor to support his collapse theory, perhaps to avoid accepting that a modern EN-B paraglider can stall when normal brake inputs are applied to abnormal situations.
Expert paraglider and aerospace engineer Jason Wallace explained it best: “Aerodynamically, stall comes primarily from wing angle of attack and airspeed. Hand position only influences those variables.” If turbulence and/or other factors have created an abnormally high angle of attack, any amount of brake input only puts us closer to stall. Fortunately, this student stalled with ample altitude, and the recovery of his wing was uneventful. Conversely, flapping does not provide this safety margin: we’re flirting with stalls very close to the hard stuff.
Rules to improve safety
Never flap higher than the height at which you’re willing to stall and fall from.
Prepare to PLF with your feet down and extra forward-lean BEFORE flapping. Your acceptable
stall height should assume a feet-first landing, but stalls yank us backwards. This makes it challenging to land feet-first even when starting from an upright position (and seemingly impossible from a seated position). Landing on your back from just a few feet can be disastrous, so don’t be lazy: lean extra far forward before flapping. Bonus: the additional drag from an upright posture reduces glide ratio and helps our goal of landing shorter.
: The above rules are only as good as our consistency of adherence to them. The false imperative of “needing” to top land leads us astray as we overestimate our flapping abilities and underappreciate the likelihood and severity of adverse outcomes. Indeed, this past season I made precisely this mistake. “Needing” to top land to help novices launch, I set up a fine approach at my home site only to find thermic lift on final. Fearing I’d not get a second chance, I decided to break my rules and force it in. Being dramatically too high inspires the most aggressive
of flapping, and my wing horseshoed into a stall at about 30 feet up. With hands up and a double dose of patience, I prevented the worst outcomes, falling vertically until the glider dove. The ensuing recovery arc worked out perfectly for a smooth top landing that earned applause from the onlookers. Feeling like an absolute idiot, I owned my mistake lest anybody attempt to emulate this reckless behavior. I noted this incident in my logbook and reflected on how, even 20 years into my paragliding career, I still occasionally make serious errors.
My thoughts on this controversial and divisive topic continue to evolve because, like much of paragliding technique, there are no measurably correct answers. With so much uncertainty surrounding this topic, many pilots and instructors will have different opinions. Disagreement on these concepts is great because it’s the discussion that matters most as we work together to move this topic from taboo to a known, discussed, and calculated risk.
Soft landings!
Magic Land by Jeffrey Packard A festival of flight down under
: The enveloping roar of our helicopter sank into a silence pierced only by the shrill echoing calls of a half-dozen kea. These cheeky mountain parrots are a curious bunch—four of them were pecking at my shoes, whilst behind me, several more had a go at my backpack as I awaited the arrival of another load of speedflying pilots.
I was a long way from my newly adopted home of Boulder, Colorado. Even at this alpine altitude, the air felt thick and humid in comparison. What could pull me from my mountain paradise, where spring skiing was well underway? Beyond the joy of reconnecting with old friends, I was eager to reunite with the community of human-powered flight advocates and enthusiasts who’d helped shape my passion for these sports. It had been nearly two years since I broke my ankle on a bad landing, and I was keen to get back up into the mountains where it all began. My first adventure with human-powered flight took place when a friend offered to take me on a tandem flight from the top of Mount Plenty in the Arthur’s Pass region of New Zealand’s South Island. Returning to the birthplace of my pursuit of flight, and doing it alongside familiar faces, felt like the perfect way to leap back in after my injury.
After narrowly missing the Magic Land festival by just a week during my last visit to New Zealand, and hearing dozens of flying friends saying how much fun they had, I was determined to join the crew for the next time around. This annual gathering, dreamt up by epic adventure couple Dan Pugsley and Vicki Zadrozny, lasts for a whole week, with Acrofest qualifying rounds, sky diving and speedflying boogies. Hike-and-fly missions started on Monday and continued through Thursday, when the festival site officially opened to the public and the food trucks and music performances joined
the mix. With a full roster of adventure-sports events planned each day and a mix of music and performances planned for after the sun went down, Magic Land promised heaps of fun, excitement, and good old-fashioned merriment.
I serendipitously found myself between apartments in March and April of 2024, and I packed up to attend the events. With my overstuffed bag of flying gear and two smaller bags for camera gear and clothes, I was off on another adventure. Landing in Christchurch after a full night’s sleep, I was ready for action; the weather, however, was not. The next day, after meeting up with a few friends, I quickly found myself at Taylor’s Mistake, one of New Zealand’s most popular flying sites and the place I first learned to fly.
Wanting to get a few flights under my belt before heading down to Wanaka for the speedflying boogies, I had driven to Taylor’s for some soaring on the big wing and, once the wind died down, a few sledders on my speedwing. I also went on a mission up Mount Plenty with my mate Matt, who had been there for my first tandem flight as well as when I broke my ankle. It was a beautiful morning hike straight up the mountain, and it took a bit of exploration to find a takeoff with the wind in our faces.
After getting this last flight under my belt, I was ready to set off south, winding through the stunning landscapes of the South Island. I stopped near Twizel, where the skydiving boogie was taking place, but in the morning, the pitter-patter of raindrops on my rooftop tent encouraged me to continue driving south towards Wanaka. The next morning, I was picked up shortly after 5 a.m. by Mal Haskins, who was in charge of organizing the speedflying boogie out of the Mount Cook Airport. Driving mostly in the dark, we finally arrived
around 7 a.m. and found the parking lot already full of fellow speedfliers, their petite backpacks lying in little piles around the vehicles.
The view looking up towards Mount Blackburn, our intended drop-off destination, was picturesque. However, the peak was completely enshrouded in clouds. The first crew went up in the helicopter, reporting beautiful views but no break in the clouds. The crew of seasoned locals was confident that the sun would break through and we would be clear to fly before the thermals began. As the waiting continued, crews drifted off to find other hike-and-fly destinations. However, as this would be my first ever flight in a helicopter, I was keen to stay and roll the dice.
My patience paid off. I went up with the first crew and did my best to capture the experience on film whilst my jaw lay squarely on the floor. I’ve flown hundreds of times under my own propulsion, but sitting in the passenger seat of this whirling beast of a machine was unlike anything I’d yet experienced. If my sensory organs weren’t already overloaded, the view of the ragged mountainside colliding with the vibrant colors of Gorilla Stream as it joined the Tasman River was simply stunning.
The machine (how the crew referred to the helicopter) swayed back and forth like a pendulum suspended by a tree limb in the wind, and before I knew it, we had set down on that little mound of crushed rock. It felt like a place one would only hover over for a SAR mission, not some place where we’d set down to drop off a dozen or so speedwing pilots. The engine kept spinning, a
caustic assault on my ears, as the rotors fought to keep us stationary while we all shuffled out.
As the helicopter disappeared around a ridge, a silence set in as one can only experience on mountaintops. The world around me dropped off in all directions, and I had to catch myself to keep from stumbling down the side of this very steep mountain. There was little margin for error on this quite committing takeoff, and I was glad to have listened to my instincts to bring my camera bag instead of my flying kit on this round.
The pilots took off one after the other—due to the steepness of the takeoff, they were airborne in just a couple of steps. Everyone was keen for a second round, so when the heli dropped off the next crew, I jumped back onboard for a ride to the landing zone near the mouth of the Gorilla Stream to capture the tail ends of their flights.
With two rounds of flights complete, the crew headed back towards Wanaka for a solid meal and a good night’s sleep, with hopes of a second day of heli-adventures on the cards for the next morning. In the morning, there were five full loads of pilots queued up for the adventure at 7:30 a.m. I traded my camera bag for the speedwing, this time intent on flying down with that first load.
The views from atop Coromandel Peak were breathtaking as the group of primarily speedflying pilots unloaded from the heli. One after another, they lined up along the ridge, watching with excitement as the seasoned heli pilot dove down over the ridge on a trajectory similar to one of the speedwings themselves. As the final load emptied, the thunderous assault of the rotors calmed, and silence blanketed us once again. It was now our turn to fly down that same couloir, with nothing but the sound of our whistling wings and whoops and hollers as we carved our way down the mountain. After this exhilarating start, the rest of the day was spent at the local paragliding spot, Treble Cone (TC).
The next day was rainy and proved to be a good rest day, and even hike-and-fly adventures out of town ended in hikes back down. The evening treated participants to film screenings, including one by Rick Neeves about
Speedwing pilots finding the best take off spot during the Speedwing Boogie atop Coromandel Peak, near Wanaka. Air lifts provided by Alpine Helicopters.
Speedflyer Rodrigo Paco Andres setting up for takeoff on the scree slope of Mount Blackburn.
last year’s Magic Land, as well as a touching film called Being Human, about the loss of a pilot and his partner’s determination to fulfill their dream of performing aerial silks from a tandem paraglider. There was also a chat with prominent mountaineer and pilot Nathan Longhurst about his recent accomplishment of climbing and flying the 100 tallest peaks in New Zealand in just 103 days. The night was capped off with music and dancing for those looking to extend their merriment until the wee hours.
On Friday morning, the first official day of the festival, I decided to link up with my old mate, Jamie, and head out for a few laps at TC on my speedwing along with another group of keen pilots. Some of them had been training with Jamie at his speedflying school (Jamie’s
Speedfly School) all week, so while I was shaking off the cobwebs, everyone else was positively ripping. However, I quickly found my groove. For the first time in nearly two years, I broke through the fear and moved beyond my deep, intentional breathing at landing. Finally, I let out a yelp of joy upon touchdown! The fear I’d felt since my accident a couple of years ago had finally been replaced by joy, and a grand smile broke across my face. I was back!
After seven laps at TC, I was ready to go back to camp. Upon my arrival at the camping area, I found most of the level and lake-view spots already filled with tents and vehicles, so I was off on the hunt for a new level spot before the sun went down. The evening was filled with tales of the day’s events. Stories ranged from
Home sweet home parked up under the Milky Way at the Glendhu Bay Magic Land campsite.
Pilots who hiked up to meet the rest of the fly-in crew for Magic Land Festival atop Coromandel Peak.
Jared Mulligan barrel rolling his speedwing next to the waterfall at Treble Cone.
A group of cheeky Kea, New Zealand’s indigenous mountain parrot, atop Mount Blackburn, playfully distract me while another two sneakily attempt to open my backpack behind me.
a HUGE New Zealand flag unfurled behind a skydiver to paramotor candy drops to the first of two XC workshops.
As the sun set, artists performed a series of aerial silk demonstrations right outside the main tent. The performances highlighted their strength and beauty, which was balanced perfectly by the golden glow of the setting sun. A host of DJs and performers shut down the night. What energy hadn’t been spent earlier that day was completely consumed on the dance floor. Needless to say, sleep came easily that night.
On Saturday morning, more than 60 people gathered near the main tent, ready for the mandatory helicopter briefing. In perfect time, as the briefing ended, the unmistakable roar of an approaching heli broke the stillness of the morning mountain air. Twelve heli-loads later, 60 pilots were joined by at least another 15 who
had hiked the steep, unmarked path to the top. As best we could manage, we pilots gathered on the peak for a quick photo, then dispersed to lay their wings out on the numerous takeoffs.
Several speedflyers had each thrown $10 into the pot to see who could land on the raft by the beach. I didn’t see who made it, but I did see a lot of splashes from a distance. I opted for a safe and dry landing on the LZ, but not before snapping some photos of the wet wing graveyard for all that went in the drink.
Once everyone had had their opportunity to attempt the raft landing, seasoned pilot Jamie Lee set up to perform a swoop and a ground loop above the lake, with the goal of landing on the raft after the maneuver. The crowd was in awe as his wing screamed towards the water. He abruptly climbed back in the air and rotated fully in a ground loop before coming back down close
top left Group of pilots gathered atop Coromandel Peak before the Magic Land Fly In.
top right Jamie Lee lands on the raft after a swooping ground loop above the lake on Glendhu Bay.
middle left The crowd watches from the beach as people fall, fly, and maneuver in the sky above them at Glendhu Bay.
middle right Paragliding pilots taking off from Coromandel Peak above Wanaka Lake.
bottom left Karolina Sikora performing on the trapeze at Magic Land.
bottom center Prue Beams beaming after an awesome morning lap of Treble Cone on her speedwing.
bottom right Silver Beats plays a laser harp at Magic Land Festival.
bottom lower right Gordie Oliver (of Buttermere Bash in the UK), Alan Swann, Dan Pugsley, Cindy Swann, and Vicki Zadrozny at the closing night party at Magic Land 2025.
enough to tap his heels on the water. With what seemed like nowhere near enough speed, he somehow managed to glide all the way to the raft, fully stalling to bring his butt into contact with the edge, then bouncing up and collecting his wing before it could get wet. His bounding heel clicks with wing bundled safely in hand sent the crowd off into a second cacophony of cheers.
BASE jumpers followed, dropping from tandem paragliders above the lake, many of them also attempting the raft. With wild accuracy, wingsuiter Boris Adamov, roared through the sky above the lake, deploying his chute and then dropping ever so elegantly onto the middle of the raft.
Stefani Henderson danced thousands of feet in the air on her aerial silks beneath the tandem canopy of Andres Contreras. The performance concluded with Andres dropping her elegantly on the raft, and then cheekily dragging her into the water to roaring applause.
The Acrofest finals concluded the events over the water that day with infinity tumbles, helis, and SATs, all with attempted wingtip drags and landings on the raft.
Adequately drenched in both water and sun, the merry festival goers meandered back up the shore to the
main tent, where a silk aerialist once again took to the stage. As the setting sun cast a golden light, the music cranked up a notch and the costumes came out to party. Live acts mixed with DJ sets, and laser lights lit up the night sky. I crawled into bed shortly after midnight, but stories of others painted a picture of wonderfully wild festivities into the wee hours of the next morning. Designed as an opportunity for adventure sports lovers to get together and cross-pollinate, Magic Land was a success. Pugsley and Zadrozny managed a tight ship full of fun and adventure. Even with so many enthusiasts in the air and many more on the ground enjoying the action and party, the event went off without any major incidents, and everyone left eager for the next festival. In keeping with a general theme of leaving the place better than we found it, Leave No Trace was the name of the game, and the space was improved by several generous native tree planting worker bees leading up to the festival.
To find out more about the next festival in March 2027 (plenty of time to make plans), check out the Magic Land website: https://www.magiclandfestival. com/ and follow along with the action on Instagram at @magicland_adventuresportsfest.
Building Bump Tolerance by Arjun Heimsath
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
: During the last two weeks of December 2024, we had one tragic fatality and three serious accidents within our club, the Arizona Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. The fatality was heartbreaking and sent shockwaves through our community. When it happened, I was in Brazil, pushing my thermaling and XC flying limits. The accidents drove me to reflect upon my progression as a paraglider pilot and more deeply consider the challenges and rewards of the sport.
I love facing these challenges in this relatively new passion of mine, and I want to keep improving in the aspects that are difficult for me. However, I continue to face a small problem: I hate bumps. In the aftermath of the accidents in my community, I keep thinking about this. How do I deal with my fear of bumps?
More specifically, I fear the invisible forces in the air that make my wing “thwap,” “thump,” “rustle,” “flap flap” or potentially fold mysteriously in half and send me into an autorotation. I don’t like bumps in airplanes either, especially when I look out the window and see the wing wobbling and down. I really don’t.
Unfortunately, when I learned to fly nearly four years ago, I also learned that paragliding in Arizona comes with bumps—a lot of them. Even a supposedly simple beginner flight off Merriam Crater near Flagstaff, Arizona, can put me in a 1,000 fpm thermal right into the zone of thwumping and thwapping I dislike. The first time I hit that turbulence, it was all big ears and speed bar to get out of it; this only incurred the laughter and admonishment of more experienced pilots watching me fly away from lift. Years later, I now love thermals and that feeling of smoothly turning in circles, getting right into the thwapping and thumping zone. I’m finally comfortable enough to push it a bit so that my wing tips chatter now and again. I’m also learning that the bumps are not only about the invisible forces of the air but also about my skills as a pilot. It helps to meet
more experienced pilots who dislike bumps and feel precisely the way I do about these invisible forces abusing our wings. They also point out that the fear diminishes with experience. Everyone says, “You’ve got to build bump tolerance.”
Part of the magic of this sport is that I’m continually learning. I love it more and more as I improve my skills. The mistakes I make are challenges for me to work through rather than indictments of my abilities as a pilot. I know I can fly, and sometimes I even fly well. I feel excited rather than scared by the challenges I continue working through. Though there have been plenty of experiences, one particular flight in Arizona earlier in my career exemplifies my gradual
“mistakes I make are challenges for me to work through rather than indictments of my abilities as a pilot.”
The author flying at Humbolt Mountian. Photo by T.J. Statt
building of bump tolerance.
Mingus Mountain has a spectacular launch with almost 4,000 feet of relief between the launch and the LZ. Back then, I’d already flown from Mingus half a dozen times or so but hadn’t had the kind of stellar thermal flight folks talk about, probably because I was actively avoiding such a flight. I knew I hated bumps, and Mingus has a reputation for rough air.
That day, I launched into an elevator ride straight up at about 800 fpm and then headed left to the house thermal. Instead of cutting and running by pushing straight out and hoping that I could get out of that scary ride, I let it take me up and turned relatively smoothly in it. When I got into the thwapping and thumping space, though I wasn’t thrilled, I stuck with it.
I tried to relax and breathe deeply, remembered lessons I’d learned in my SIV courses. Most importantly, I saw my friends flying above and around me and not spontaneously falling from the air. I turned and got to the top of the lift and cruised back and forth for a while. I was elated and realized I’d crossed a serious threshold in my flying comfort. Upon landing, the first thing I exclaimed was, “I’m building bump tolerance!”
The author unpacking at launch, in Sapairanga, Brazil. Photo by Ederson
I still don’t like bumps, but I’ve learned I can fly through them without serious repercussions. My fear of bumps has diminished gradually, and I’m trying to trust the active piloting skills I have acquired. In Brazil, the thermals were mild compared to Arizona or Utah, and I found myself in this blissful state of understanding of what thermal flying is “supposed to” feel like. Of course, the Brazilian air doesn’t always stay free of bumps, just like the Colombian or French air I’ve flown. But these relatively gentle experiences have helped me gradually build my bump tolerance. Upon returning from each destination, I find I can fly higher and further in the Arizona air. I am beginning to comprehend that it simply takes time—hours in the air and on the ground kiting—to build the muscle memory and nerve responses that enable me to effectively fly through bumpy air without fear. My SIV experiences have also helped immensely. Beyond building the skills necessary to handle the kind of aerial disaster that we all fear most, SIVs have helped me understand the fundamental stability of my wing. Of course, I still struggle at times. Even just late last year, I found myself pitching and rolling in some tough air above Monroe Peak in Monroe, Utah. I inevitably pushed out, hoping desperately for some calmer air. Despite not hanging with it that day, I reminded myself, “I’m building bump tolerance.” And it’s true: I am. My mind knows that I’m safest in the air, especially up high, but it takes time for this rational knowledge to become an emotional understanding that allows the joy of flight to flow through the bumps. With each flight, I build this tolerance. Whenever I use my rational brain to keep going and overcome my emotional instinct to turn and flee, I feel like I’m progressing. Alas, accidents do happen in this sport. Thankfully, our club is very open about sharing information so we can all learn and grow as pilots. Some can be tragic, but they all lead to reflection about this sport that we love. For me, that reflection yields an understanding that with more time and gradual progression, I will significantly expand the joy that I find in free flight.
Rorato
Re-winging It by Erika Klein
Six paraglider
pilots' journey into hang gliding
: No one, even the most committed hang glider pilot, would argue if I said that paragliding is more convenient than hang gliding. So I was surprised one afternoon in the LZ when a pilot told me he’d recently returned to hang gliding after decades away because he found paragliding to be, in his words, more limiting.
A wing that you can throw in a backpack sounds like the most limitless way to fly, but it turns out that quite a few paraglider pilots have their reasons for picking up or returning to hang gliding. I spoke with six of these pilots: John Bartholomew (the pilot in the LZ), Chris Gulden, Bonita Hobson, Jarred Bonaparte, Reavis Sutphin-Gray, and Chris Santacroce.
Will the next one be you?
I already paraglide; why would I want to hang glide? Jarred Bonaparte has thousands of hours on paragliders after flying them since 2013.
But the Northern California pilot wanted to fly hang gliders for high-wind days, big-mountain air, and XC flights. “I just thought to myself, there’s less to be concerned with in a hang glider when I’m flying in nasty, turbulent air,” said Bonaparte, who did a training hill lesson a few years ago and is now an H3. “That’s my next step: pushing the thermal flying well beyond what I am currently comfortable with on a paraglider.”
He added that hang gliders are, simply, fun. “It feels more like you’re flying your body than a paraglider does,” Bonaparte said. “When I fly my paraglider, I feel like I’m flying with the birds, but when I fly my hang glider, I feel like I am a bird.”
Chris Gulden, an instructor with Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California, who started hang gliding
in 2023 on the same hill where he teaches paragliding, agreed. “Because your center of gravity is closer to the wing on a hang glider, I would say the sensation of flying a hang glider can feel more dynamic and fun than it is on a paraglider,” Gulden said.
John Bartholomew, a Southern California pilot who flew hang gliders in the 80s before moving to powered aircraft, started paragliding a few years ago and has
Bonita Hobson landing at Ed Levin in Northern California. Photo by Bonita Hobson
Reavis Sutphin-Gray getting ready to hang glide. Photo by Vrenase Sutphin
met many of his goals. “With paragliding, I’m where I want to be: I’m flying a two-liner and I can get big flights if it’s a good day,” he said. But while paragliding in the Owens Valley last year, Bartholomew had a realization. “The whole time I was flying, I was like, ‘I just wish I was in a hang glider,’” he recalled. He bought a used hang glider for $1,500 and has been flying regularly ever since, aiming to cover more ground, fly faster, and have improved handling in turbulence.
Windy and turbulent XC flying, especially in the Owens, has also drawn other paraglider pilots to the speed and rigid structure of hang gliders. On a summer 2020 trip to the Owens, Reavis Sutphin-Gray found himself driving more for his hang gliding friends than doing his own flying. A few months later, he began taking hang gliding lessons. Now on an intermediate hang glider, he plans to choose the wing for windy ridge soaring days and, eventually, for flying big-mountain convergence lines and long routes in the Owens. “I hope to use the performance of a hang glider to map out difficult sections of routes that I’ve been attempting on paragliders,” he said.
Gulden shared a similar story. “There are a lot of days out there in the desert or in the Owens where I just wouldn’t want to be flying a paraglider, and that made hang gliding a natural progression for the types of sites, conditions, and times of year that I wanted to continue to fly,” he said.
Adding the wing type also opens up the option of fly-
ing hang glider-only launches like Yosemite in California and Makapu’u in Hawaii, a goal for several pilots I spoke to. But when it comes down to it, it’s simply a way to help you fly in a wide range of conditions.
“I’ve always said, ‘I don’t care how I’m in the air, as long as I’m in the air,’” said Bonita Hobson, a tandem paragliding instructor with Sky Ride Paragliding in Northern California who earned her H3 in 2022 alongside Bonaparte, her partner.
How hard is it to learn? Chris Santacroce, a former Red Bull athlete and owner of Super Fly Paragliding in Utah, regularly introduces paraglider pilots to hang gliding at the Point of the Mountain. Santacroce picked up hang gliding shortly after he learned to
Reavis Sutphin-Gray preparing to launch. Photo by Lauren Pedrazzi
Jarred Bonaparte launching at Ed Levin.
Photo by Bonita Hobson
“hang gliding is probably easier than you think, especially coming from paragliding–but don’t neglect the basics.”
paraglide in the 90s and says that 80% of their skills transfer. “You did all the work for paragliding, and then you didn’t know it, but it turns out that you’re also perfectly tuned for hang gliding,” he said.
“I was surprised at how easy it was,” said Sutphin-Gray, who soloed a hang glider off the mountain after only a few days on the training hill, later flying for three hours on his first hang gliding thermalling flight. “A lot of my paragliding experience translated to understanding thermals and launch cycles, and most of the learning focused on the differences in the controls and the behavior of the aircraft.”
Skills like ridge soaring and landing approaches also felt familiar on a hang glider, according to the pilots I spoke to. Still, a few things might be tricky for some people. “The biggest thing that I would do, even though [my instructor] warned me not to, was
cross-controlling and leaning my body weight to try to steer like you would with a paraglider,” said Gulden. “That was a challenge that was fairly easily overcome after a couple of days of working on it, because all those mechanical things are usually fixable.”
A few pilots noted that although learning to paraglide tends to be easier than hang gliding initially, that advantage quickly subsides. “I think mastering paragliding is radically more [difficult] than mastering hang gliding,” said Bartholomew.
On hang gliders, “there are these axes of control, and once you understand what each one does, you can quickly figure out how to make the glider do what you want,” Bonaparte explained. “Versus on a paraglider, you’re dealing with a pendulum and there’s a less controllable aspect…you have to figure that out before you can progress with a lot of things.”
So, hang gliding is probably easier than you think, especially coming from paragliding—but don’t neglect the basics. “It might be easy for a paraglider to think that they can skip steps because they already know the air,” Hobson observed. “But my advice would be not to skip those fundamentals….so you don’t get scared or hurt.”
Still, have fun. “Get excited because you’ve been training your whole life for this,” said Santacroce. “Get ready for some things to come really easily.”
But hang glider landings seem scary.
“Everyone expresses how fearful they are of landing when they watch hang gliders, and it’s very different than paragliders, but still it’s very manageable,” said Bartholomew. “I’ve had some crazy rough landings paragliding too.”
“Just like anything else, practice makes better,” Gulden said. “You see a lot of pilots out there who nail their landing on a hang glider every single time,” he continued. “If you’re dedicating as much time at the training hill on a hang glider as when you were learning to fly a paraglider, your landings will be just fine.”
For Hobson, landing with energy when speedflying and powered paragliding transitioned naturally to hang gliding. “So I was landing [my hang glider] with a lot of speed from the beginning, and that was just really fun for me,” she said.
Bonaparte agreed. “To me, the landing of a hang glider, in terms of speed perception and flare timing, is very similar to a speedwing,” he said. While he said he’s still working to perfect his flare timing on no-wind hang glider landings, Bonaparte noted that conditions make a difference. “I have found across the couple hundred flights that I have that when you do have just a little bit of wind, 5 miles an hour, it’s actually very easy to land a hang glider,” he said.
Don’t hang gliders take an hour to set up?
(No.) Though it can be slow your first few times, it can go pretty quickly with practice. “The more you do it, the faster it is,” said Hobson. “I’ve watched experienced pilots put the whole thing together in nine minutes flat.”
“I’m not going to say that it’s just as convenient as a paraglider, but it’s not that inconvenient,” Bonapar-
Chris Santacroce introducing paraglider pilots to hang gliding at the Point of the Mountain, Utah.
Photos by Erika Klein
Jarred Bonaparte ground handling (kiting) before launching at Fort Funston in Northern California.
te said. “In full transparency, there have been times where…it takes me as long to untwist my risers as it does to set up a hang glider.”
For Gulden, “Given how persnickety I am when I fold up my paraglider, if I’m current on both aircraft, it probably doesn’t take me any longer to break down a hang glider than it does to fold up a paraglider.” And since he prefers to arrive at launch early anyway, he said the slightly longer setup time with a hang glider didn’t change anything for him.
Transportation is more complicated, but the pilots I spoke to said it was worth it to expand their flying options. “Transport is a paragliding win, but as soon as a vehicle is set up [with a rack] to handle hang gliders, it’s not that big of a deal,” said Bartholomew.
For some paraglider pilots, flying a hang glider doesn’t even change their XC transportation plans.
“Flying a lot of remote areas, I’m just not the type of person who wants to rely on hitchhiking…so we’re hiring a driver for a big paragliding flight most of the time anyway,” said Gulden. “That said, I know some hang glider pilots who will stash their glider on the
side of the road and then just go back for it later, so there are workarounds.”
Which wing type is safer? As with paragliding, hang gliding can be as safe as you make it, and there are pros and cons to both wing types. The advantages of hang gliding include the ability to fly in stronger conditions, essentially no risk of collapse in the air, and an external frame that can help absorb the impact in the event of a hard landing or crash, among other benefits.
Like paragliding, hang gliding has come a long way since its early days. “I was around in the late 70s when people were just dying right and left in hang gliding… but the modern single-surface hang glider is so much safer than anything flown back in those days,” said Bartholomew. “Personally, I think hang gliding’s one of the safest avenues. A paraglider on a big day can just go away, no matter who you are.” He added that the reserve throws he’s seen most likely would not have happened on hang gliders, where most pilots never need to use their reserve throughout their en-
Photo by Bonita Hobson
tire flying career.
Several pilots noted that hang gliders can give you less to worry about in the air. “For me mentally, there’s less of a workload on a rigid wing,” said Bonaparte. “I don’t really ever think about my controls when I’m hang gliding, whereas with paragliding, I think about it a lot, especially if I’m taking big hits or collapses,” Bartholomew added.
Flying either wing involves risks, and the pilots emphasized the need for maintaining currency on both wing types. “I think it’s important to…put in some months or some really consistent time to get mastery,” Santacroce advised. Whether on hang gliders or paragliders, he said, “If people just dabble, then if they take big breaks, when they come back to it, they might not quite have what they need depending on the moment.”
Why try something new? “Treat yourself,” said Santacroce. “Get ready to be really happy that you just tried some other form of free flight, and you might find renewed enthusiasm for foot-launch flying.”
While there are risks involved with learning a new wing type, they may balance out or even outweigh your risks as an intermediate or advanced pilot. “A lot
of people, if they’re going to be in paragliding for a while, are probably going to ramp it up as time goes on—do more cross country, fly a bit more aggressively,” Santacroce explained. “And if you switch to a different aircraft, then you can just fly at the beginner level for a handful of years, the intermediate level for a handful of years, and you’ll fill another 10 years without having to up the intensity and the risk.”
The pilots I spoke to have found learning to hang glide both fun and rewarding. “It was cool to be a beginner again,” said Sutphin-Gray. “I got to a point in paragliding where the gains in skill and performance were incremental, so it was exciting to be on the steep part of the learning curve with the hang glider, having the perspective of thousands of paragliding hours.”
“When I’m on my paraglider, it’s like I need to be doing something, whether that’s going somewhere or doing aerobatics, because just floating in my paraglider doesn’t really bring me joy at the moment,” said Bonaparte. “It may just be the stage I’m at in my hang gliding experience, but I find myself enjoying just being in the air.”
“And,” he added, “it’s silly fun flying like Superman.”
Jarred Bonaparte launching at Ed Levin. Photo by Bonita Hobson
Ladies Unite in Santa Barbara
: As the fall winds down, most pilots living in the four-seasonal areas of the U.S. dream of one last bout of warmth, sunshine, and good flying before the winter sets in. These ingredients all came together this past November in southern California at the 4th annual Santa Barbara Fly-In for Female, Trans, and Non-Bi-
by Liza Verzella
nary Pilots, attended by nearly four dozen hang glider and paraglider pilots along with a supporting entourage of mentors, safety crew, organizers, and volunteers.
This event (and its three predecessors), was organized and mentored by veteran paraglider pilot Sarah
Lockwood. Lockwood’s concept for this gathering is “to create a safe and supportive space for pilots to expand their skills, build community, and connect with mentors.” As an attendee and mentor, I can firmly attest that these goals were well achieved, all within the realm of unadulterated fun.
One might ask: why do we need a separate event just for the ladies? What is the importance of such a gathering, and why do we need to dedicate resources to increasing the number of women pilots? Don’t we already live in a fair society where everyone receives equal treatment?
Based on a recent survey sent out to female pilots by the USHPA Women’s Committee (see Julia Knowles’s article “Calling all USHPA Female Pilots” in the Oct-
All we need is a hacky sack. From L to R, mentors Lisa, Kari, and Summer find the joy in para-waiting.
Dec 2024 issue of USHPA Pilot), the clear answer is no, we’re not there yet. Comments from more than 250 pilots who completed the survey show a large percentage have experienced discrimination or poor treatment at flying sites. Knowles notes in her article, “While respondents generally feel supported, over 60% reported experiencing and/or observing sexism (both overt and subtle) or microaggressions within the flying community.”
One example of this type of discrimination happened on the second day of the Santa Barbara event, when a male pilot on launch loudly interfered during a well-handled textbook emergency response situation by calling the event organizer “emotional and overreactive” while she was on the radio coordinating with Search and Rescue. These impactful comments were not only infuriating to the organizer but also a dangerous impediment to the emergency at hand. (Said pilot later apologized to the entire group in the LZ for his interference and expressed his lapse in judgment.)
The Lady Birds gatherings are just one example of concerted efforts to shift this tide.
Knowles continues, “An overwhelming positive theme that arose from the survey was the value of women-specific spaces. From fly-ins to group chats to clinics and beyond, these environments allow female-identifying pilots to learn with a (female) cohort.” Another survey result showed that participants were much more likely to attend a female-specific event, including fly-ins as well as ground handling, thermalling, and beginner XC clinics.
The first day of the 2024 Santa Barbara Fly-In began with an opening salvo of blue skies, light winds, and balmy temperatures. Though the air became smoky
Fly-in participants on the daily workout up to EJ launch.
Photo by Danni Figueroa
Photo by Danni Figueroa.
Fly-in participants soaring above the ocean.
Photo by Danni Figueroa
at times from nearby fires throughout this three-day event, each day brought thermals, safe flying conditions, and an ample window for both local and cross-country flying.
The crew met bright and early each morning in the “T” LZ, a wide-open, slightly sloping field on the San Marcos Foothill Preserve. After a safety meeting and brief discussion of weather, the gals saddled up in one of several vehicles offered and driven by local volunteers, and headed to the launch(es) of the day. Launch options included the VOR (safest glide to the T and very P2/H2-friendly), Skyport, or EJ. Nearby cliffside launch More Mesa was also an option, but the conditions weren’t optimal during the fly-in weekend.
Pilots and crew came from all over the country, from as far away as Kansas, Washington, and British Columbia in Canada. For mentor Stef Henderson, the sites were right out her front door. Mentor and Paragliding World Cup champion Violeta Jimenez flew in from Seattle, Washington, while Hang Gliding World Champion and Paragliding National Champion Kari Castle cruised in from Bishop, California. Other mentors included infinite looping acro-pilot Lynsey Haynes, Ozone pilot Summer Barham, and myself.
With top of lift around 4,000 to 5,000 feet above ground level, temps in the low 50s, and a limited solar window so late in the season, many pilots had wonderful flights and chose to land in local LZs. Several had their first longer XC flights to the beaches or other
easily retrievable areas. (Always check with the locals before flying a new site to find out where the Do Not Land zones are!) Communication via radio and Telegram was usually optimal enough to get gals picked up and back on launch for a second (or even third) flight.
Those who stayed up late on Friday evening witnessed a rocket launch, carrying 20 satellites into orbit. Being so close to the show, the launch looked like a fireworks display and felt like a small (for California) earthquake.
After Saturday’s flights, the cabal coalesced with the wider Santa Barbara pilot community at local brewery Topa Topa for camaraderie, excellent appetizers, a guest speaker, and the highlight of the evening: the Lady Bird Raffle. Lockwood created this well-sponsored event to raise scholarship money, which was given in its entirety to assist female pilots in progressing their flying careers. Thanks to gobs of merch donated by Ozone Paragliding, Convergence Paragliding, and local businesses, along with clinic offerings from the mentors and enthusiastic raffle ticket sales, 35 female pilots received scholarships that evening!
Jimenez preceded the prize deluge with a fantastic presentation, sharing the significance of embracing the dark sides of our personalities such as fear, pride, and anger. She gave each of us an understanding of how this acceptance enables us to fly and live more safely and joyfully.
Sunday’s conditions were a bit windier ahead of an
Sarah Lockwood gives the morning briefing with mentor Violeta Jimenez looking on. Photo by Emily Reinys
Pilot Emily Reinys sets up to land at East Beach.
Photo by Emily Reinys
incoming weather system, but we all had safe and enjoyable flights. A few folks drove to More Mesa, but winds were too light to assure a top-landing, while the tide offered only restricted LZ options below. Happy pilots and crew gathered post-flight at such beloved eateries as East Beach Tacos and Shoreline Beach Cafe, which offered fabulous spicy guava margaritas.
As the weekend came to a close, participants brought forth innumerable comments of elation, love, and friendship. Castle mentioned her highlight of “Sharing the sky with strong, independent women,” while Jimenez was “overjoyed to be looking at a thermal and realizing I didn’t have to think ‘he or she,’—it was all women!” Barham, who came down from Ashland, Oregon for the gathering, said her highlight was, “seeing these ladies experience a deepened sense of belonging in the sport and to this community.”
Organizer Lockwood noted that group debriefs in the mornings and evenings to review incidents, flights, and questions, while talking as a group openly and honestly, was a beautiful part of the event. One participant put it best: “This event was exactly what I needed to keep up the momentum. I’m even more motivated
now to keep flying and be an active part of the community. It was so empowering to meet other skilled and confident lady pilots.”
Special kudos to Lockwood, who brought together yet another amazing and successful event, with the added stress of being seven months pregnant at the time! (Congrats to Lockwood for successfully bringing Lady Bird Brynley into the world this past January.)
Lockwood’s partner-in-crime, Cole VandenBerg, also deserves acknowledgment for his exceptional volunteer coordination during this event, along with Safety Director Dr. Justin Grisham, who runs the Wilderness First Aid for Paragliding program. (To bring this important safety training to your club, contact Grisham at grisham.justin@gmail.com.) And, of course, huge thanks go to generous headline sponsorship from Ozone, with additional support from USHPA and the Santa Barbara Soaring Association.
If you missed this fabulous event, fear not: others are just around the corner. Another fall spectacular is on tap for Santa Barbara on November 7th-9th, 2025. You can find more info about women’s flying and upcoming events at www.femsfreeflight.com
Partners with “The Bear”
by Dave Embertson
Free flight at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore photos by Wayne Bergman
: The name Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBDNL) comes from a particular sand formation in Michigan known as the Mother Bear Dune. Once shaped in a way that resembled a bear resting along the bluff, which towers about 400 feet above Lake Michigan, this natural feature is a striking landmark. For the Anishinaabe (a cultural group that includes the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, Mississaugas, Nipissing, and Algonquin peoples), the dune holds deep cultural significance. According to their oral traditions, the
Mother Bear is part of a sacred story passed down through generations, rooted in their ancestral homelands surrounding the Great Lakes. The National Park Service (NPS) presents two versions of the story (https://www.nps.gov/slbe/learn/kidsyouth/the-story-of-sleeping-bear.htm).
Located in northwestern Lower Michigan, the SBDNL headquarters is about 25 miles west-northwest of Traverse City, Michigan. Congress authorized SBDNL on October 21, 1970 to preserve the natural environ-
ment and features. It encompasses over 71,199 acres. Approximately 32,557 of those acres are designated as wilderness, including a 35-mile stretch of Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline, the unique North and South Manitou Islands, and a lighthouse built in 1871. The wilderness area contains beautiful sand beaches, towering dunes, lush forests, hiking trails, clear inland lakes, a rural historic farm district, and miles of soarable coastline (perfect for hang gliders and paragliders).
Green Point Flyers Association
In her wonderful recent article in The Betzie Current titled “Soaring High: Green Point Flyers sustain local tradition of motorless flight,” Bree McGregor, Ph.D. writes, “Northern Michigan has a rich soaring history dating back to the early 20th century, and SBDNL is home to some of the best soaring terrain in the country.”
For over 45 years, the GPFA has established and continues to strengthen the partnership between pilots and the professional and cooperative park rangers of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. GPFA is the go-to group for visiting and local pilots when it comes to instructions on site access and protocols inside the SBDNL. The group has remained in the good graces of the National Park Service due to our incredible working partnership with the SBDNL rangers.
Over the last four decades, numerous GPFA presidents and board members have helped the SBDNL
If you come to visit, we highly recommend exploring the park beyond the flying sites! The ranger station at the SBDNL Visitor Center is family-friendly. It features wonderful relief maps that show terrain and locations, as well as trail and park maps, books, apparel, souvenirs, and other memorabilia. The rangers and volunteers who work here are excellent resources to learn more about the area.
rangers develop and update strategic protocols, rules, regulations, guidelines, risk assessments, site guides, and maps, aligning them with the mission statements of the SBDNL and the NPS. This relationship has created a shared mission, mutual understanding, and a professional level of respect for the needs of free flight pilots as well as the SBDNL and NPS. Such a positive and symbiotic relationship between free flight pilots and a national park is extremely rare and desirable across the United States.
Local and visiting pilots alike are privileged to fly in such a beautiful place. It is no secret that the Green Point Flyers Association treasures, values, and protects this vital relationship by serving as a liaison between pilots and the SBDNL. We work closely with the NPS officials and rangers to maintain access to our flying sites here.
For details on how to receive a permit to fly, see Logistics for flying SBDNL and contact Dave Embertson (GPFA Safety Director and BOD member) for more information.
Flying at SBDNL
There are four flying sites inside the boundaries of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where hang gliders and paragliders can launch and land. For specifics, please connect with the locals and visit the GPFA Facebook page. After reading “Logistics for flying at
Launch and tourist overlook at The Bear. Photo by Wayne Bergman
Jim Gibson over Empire Bluff at Sleeping Bear. Photo by Wayne Bergman
SBDNL”, connecting with locals, and evaluating recommended operating parameters, familiarize yourself with the sites!
The Bear: Lake Michigan Overlook via Pierce Stocking Drive (44°51'28.5" N 86°04'00.3" W).
The Bear is the most frequently flown site in the park due to its steep, beautiful, vegetation-free face of pure sand. The Bear creates a smooth lift band as winds travel across 60 miles or more of open water before arriving at launch. It’s a beautiful view of the Manitou islands and the park interior from hundreds of feet above. Many visiting pilots prefer this over our home site, Green Point. And besides, it’s a lot of fun to fly (with legal clearance) over so many hundreds of tourists visiting the site for the view from the overlook—or for the run down the dune face to the Lake Michigan beaches below.
Empire Bluff
(44°48'05.0" N 86°04'17.3" W)
Empire Bluff is known for its scenic beauty, proximity to the town of Empire and Empire Public Beach, and its incredible view of The Bear. Among pilots, Empire Bluff is well-known because of the almost magical light winds that create lift and soarability there. I have personally flown a hang glider there in winds of 6-7 mph! The overlook and launch at the end of the beautiful 1.5mile Empire Bluff Trail rise to a height of about 400 feet above Lake Michigan, where you’ll have stunning views from both launch and the air.
Pyramid
Point (44°58'03.9" N 85°55'25.6" W)
Pyramid Point is known for its challenging launch and steep face—there is no room for error here. However, after a safe launch, the ridge lift propels the pilot upward. The views of the peninsula below, along with the North and South Manitou Islands and Lake Michigan, are unforgettable. The fall colors enhance your flying experience like no other. Though there are more safety considerations at this site than the others, there are several landing zone options to accommodate various wind directions or shifting conditions.
Dune Climb
(44°52'58.1"N 86°02'33.1"W)
The Dune Climb stands out as a quintessential summer experience in the Midwest. This towering 284-foot
Logistics for flying at SBDNL
The Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore began requiring special use permits for free flight activity on April 1, 2025. Chief Ranger Dekker notified us that the ranger previously responsible for issuing free flight permits retired in mid-April. This position will likely not be filled, leaving the SBDNL short-staffed. We recommend that all pilots cooperate politely and patiently with SBDNL rangers and staff. Pilots visiting and flying in SBDNL must comply with all rules, policies, and protocols for flying in the park and using park land. A flying permit and a park visitor permit are both required for pilots to fly SBDNL. Pilots must follow all rules outlined by the permit conditions: https://www.nps. gov/slbe/planyourvisit/hang-gliding-and-paragliding.htm
Pilots interested in getting permits for the 2025 season should apply for a Special Use Permit via NPS Form 10-930s for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Find a link to the form at the Green Point Flyers Facebook site. This application does not serve as permission to conduct any special use activity in the Park. The information provided in the application will be used to evaluate whether a permit will be issued to the applicant. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated. The application must be signed and dated to be considered complete. Send your completed application to the address listed on the form. The new process to attain a permit is still being worked out. Applicants must send a $50 annual fee to the National Park Service at “Pay.gov,” but please contact Dave Embertson, the author of this article, to get details about the process. Note that annual permits expire on December 31 of each year. Pilots have not had to pay for flying permits up until now at the SBDNL. This appears to be a directive from Washington to bring us in line with other special use activities.
slope of bright, wind-swept sand draws visitors of all ages eager to scramble up its face. It marks the eastern boundary of the Sleeping Bear Plateau, a sweeping four-square-mile area of perched dunes that stretch westward to Lake Michigan and northward toward Sleeping Bear Point. The Dune Climb is different than almost all other dunes along the Lake Michigan shore. Most dunes are created when the wind takes sand from the beaches of Lake Michigan and piles it up. But the sand at the Dune Climb has never been in Lake Michigan or on a Lake Michigan beach. This sand came from dunes higher up on the Sleeping Bear Plateau. Though popular with foot-propelled tourists, the Dune Climb is a lesser-flown site at SBDNL. The wind never quite hits the dune correctly for proper soaring flights; but, for those eager, it’s possible to take extended sled rides (during the off-season between November 1 and March 31) from the sloping sandy plateau above the Dune Climb. Keep in mind, though, it’s a significant amount of physical work to climb the dune.
Where to fly if SBDNL is closed or unavailable
Green Point: Our premier hang gliding and paragliding flying site, Green Point is privately owned and regulated by The Green Point Flyers Association.
Arcadia Ridge: This 400-plus-foot ridge is located north of the small village of Arcadia, Michigan. The site is protected, owned, and managed by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. No USHPA rating or permit is required. Also known as Old Baldy, it is one of the tallest coastal dunes along the Great Lakes. For detailed information about the SBDNL, as well as Green Point Flyers Association, contact Craig Carlson, GPFA President, at craig.gpfa@gmail.com or Dave Embertson, GPFA B.O.D./Safety Director at isaiah4031@bignetnorth.net
*A special note of appreciation and recognition goes to Wayne Bergman, Michigan pilot, for his beautiful photographic contributions to this article. He has been our photographic and video historian for over four decades.
Jim Gibson launch sequence. Photo by Wayne Bergman
360° photo by Wayne Bergman
Work from “Home” by Lucas Soler
Testing Algodonales as a remote work and flying hub
: As pilots, many of us continuously pursue ways to build more flying time into our lives. This is especially true for people like me who live on the East Coast, where the flying season is short and distances to launch are long. In Raleigh, North Carolina, my nearest flying site is three hours away, and the average pilot in this neck of the woods might get around 30 hours of airtime per year. As a remote worker, staying near flying sites is a great way to get more airtime, at least on the weekends.
However, I wanted to build more flying time into my daily routine. To push the envelope further, it would be amazing if I could work my regular East Coast hours in a different time zone, allowing me to fly during the day without having to eat into my limited vacation time. What if I were to spend some time in my native Spain, which has a +6-hour time zone difference? Doing so would allow me to get in a decent flight each day but also get in a full day’s work. The idea seemed too incredible not to try, so that’s precisely what I set out to do when I went to Algodonales, Spain in November 2024 with my longtime paragliding wingman, Justin Crane.
For this to work effectively, the site had to meet a few criteria:
Requirement #1: A reliable way to get to launch (either through a shuttle or hiking)
Algodonales has two main launch sites: Levante and
Poniente, each with well-established landing zones. There aren’t taxi services in Algodonales, at least not the type we’re used to in the U.S. Rather, there are two locals, Antonio and Rafa, who each operate some sort of service. As reliable as these guys are, I needed something more firm. CIVA, a local paragliding company, operates daily shuttles to the top and will bring you back to town from one of the main LZs for a mere 10 euros. CIVA is operated by a husband and wife team; they are both helpful and friendly people.
Of course, the most reliable way to get to the top is to hike the beautiful, well-established trail leading from town to either of the two main launches. I hiked it once with my 20 kg gear (including 2 kg of water), and it was a challenging two-hour hike. That said, I would definitely consider this in the future with a lighter kit.
Requirement #2: A landing zone within a 10-minute walk from town
Algodonales has two main LZs; both are large enough for a pilot of any skill level to land in comfortably. However, both are about a 15-minute drive to town. I needed to find alternate landing options so I could quickly walk into town and start my work day before 4 p.m. local time. This was critical. If I landed at a main landing zone and had to wait for a van to fill up to return to town, I would be at risk of being late for work.
After talking with locals and friends who had visited before, I found one central landing zone within a
Poniente launch. Photo by Lucas Soler
Lucas flying near Twin Peaks. Photo by Christin Wagenhaus
ten-minute walk home, though the area was a bit small. I walked it on three different occasions, each time thinking that it was too small for my skill level, but I decorated it with streamers to give me the best chance of nailing the landing. This landing spot is for experienced P3 or P4 pilots, but even to me, it seemed intimidating. Even a one in twenty failure rate is unacceptable when it comes to landing safely.
Requirement #3: A well-established site, with good to great flying conditions
I wanted a site where I could fly a small triangle during the week and go XC on the weekends. Algodo-
nales has a handful of respectable paragliding schools that have been operating for over thirty years. There are professional tandem pilots, two main launches with artificial turf, and established landing zones that even your grandmother could land in. To top it off, there’s “Pepe’s Landing Bar” at the primary LZ for each day: some dude named Pepe opens his hatchback, busts out a folding table, and sells wine, beer, sodas, snacks, and more. All these things show that Algodonales is an established site with good flying infrastructure.
Requirement #4: Must have XC potential Algodonales is a small town in the foothills of the Sierra de Lijar and it’s stunningly beautiful. There are so many neighboring mountain ranges that it’s easy to see why flying in Algodonales offers so much XC promise. When looking at xcontest.org, the top ten distance flights are 200+ kilometers. There are plenty of XC opportunities for a P4 pilot like me who often struggles to get seat time. Most long-distance record flights take place in May and June, but locals told me that the best time for XC in Algodonales is from April into May and September.
Requirement #5: Must offer more than just flying I wanted to find a place that would offer fun activities for days that are not flyable. Algodonales is in the autonomous community of Andalusia, about an hour and a half northwest of the municipality of Malaga (and
A sunset shot in Ronda. Photo by Lucas Soler
Zahara de la Sierra. Photo by Lucas Soler
the closest airport). There are a few must-see towns around Algodonales that are tremendously charming. My favorites were Ronda, Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, and El Gastor. Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, and El Gastor are small, unique towns with white buildings and terracotta-shingle roofs and are all within a short drive of Algodonales. Ronda is an ancient city from the Neolithic period, and it is on the way to Algodonales from the airport. Ronda is an XC goal for many pilots. Visitors may consider attempting a flight to Ronda to enjoy the late afternoon in the old city before returning to Algodonales by bus. That’s one way to combine flying and fun! Also worth a visit is the castle at the top of Zahara de la Sierra, with olive oil tasting and tours available at the nearby Oleum Viride grove and mill.
My daily routine in Algodonales
I woke up at 9 a.m. local time, got a “cafe con leche en vaso” (coffee and milk in a glass, how the locals like it) at the main square, got a ride up to launch with the CIVA shuttle, flew for a few hours, and landed in town with a short 10-minute walk to the apartment. I cracked open my laptop to start my eight-ish hour shift of work with the rest of my work colleagues who were
just starting their day on the East Coast of the U.S. As I joined online meetings, I definitely looked more tired than the others. My Mona Lisa smile concealed my gratitude and excitement from the day’s accomplishment.
This working and flying experiment worked wonders for me. I encourage the pilot community to try alternatives to our busy work schedules that bring us more gratitude, air time, and overall satisfaction. If you’re considering dedicating some time to flying in Algodonales, I definitely recommend it. It has all the right elements to make a great paragliding getaway.
Lucas and Justin on a hike-and-fly.
Lessons from Valle by Jeff St. Aubin
Big air, big consequences at El Peñón Classic
: Year in and year out, Valle de Bravo, Mexico, delivers the thermal goods. Maintain a healthy respect for the realities of technical mountain flying, and there is no better place to hone your cross-country skills. Throughout December and January, paraglider pilots flood launch at El Peñón, flitting between clouds and running convergence lines. But come February, the skies empty of jellyfish and the sharks come out to play.
The global hang gliding family descends upon Valle de Bravo for the El Peñón Classic, hosted by Rudy Gotes and the Wills Wing factory crew, every third week of February. Central Mexico’s thermic and high-altitude air and restricted landing zones have created a unique race on the hang gliding calendar. In the name of safety, Open-class pilots step down from their maximum-performance topless blades and compete alongside Sport-class pilots on intermediate king-posted gliders. Centered around fun and mentorship, the El Peñón Classic offers developing Sport
pilots the opportunity to try to keep up with some of the world’s best while learning what their king-posted gliders can do.
One of the best things about the El Peñón Classic is that the Open and Sport class tasks overlap. The pros use the same turnpoints as the Sport pilots, just with smaller radii and bigger overall distances. The terrain around Valle encourages zig-zagging, back-and-forth tasks that force us to use the convergence highways that crisscross the mesa and surrounding ridges. In any given task, pilots stretch along the course, marking lift the entire way. The constant presence of other pilots makes it much more encouraging to head out farther than you would if you were alone.
For the 2025 competition, I made the 1,800-mile drive from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Valle with North Carolina’s Erik Kriner. We joined a ragtag collection of dedicated pilots already in town, including Doug Hale, Antony Davirro, Thomas Hallock, Nathan Contreras, and Willy Dydo. Two weeks of cloud-flying
The Classic assembles pilots from all over the world. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
Hang glider heaven.
Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
El Peñón’s pine-lined slot launch.
delight ensued for our rotating cast of homies visiting from other states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, and California, as well as countries like Brazil, Colombia, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. Every day, our crew piled into the back of Doug’s loyal GMC and wound our way to launch, fueled by juice, goat tortas, and roadside pastries. We were dubbed Team Dirtbag and made the most of our flying time.
A few days before the competition started, I was stuck low, trying my best to get to an elusive cloudbase, when some excited Spanish came over the radio. I kept flying, unable to process what was happening in the moment. Finally finding a ripper over the LZ, I saw a speck of fluorescent green in the trees as I circled up. The radio chatter suddenly made sense. A pilot’s sidewire had failed, and his glider had tacoed from about 400 feet AGL. (A hang glider “tacos” when its wings collapse and fold in half.)
Thankfully, the unfortunate pilot got his reserve out at the last second, and the steep, tree-lined slope slowed his impact. He is expected to make a full recovery, but we were shocked at the incident. Such equipment failures are incredibly rare with modern hang gliders. We soon learned his wires were over six
years old and original to the glider. Check your manufacturer’s recommendations, but the general rule is to replace your side wires if there are any visible kinks or frays, after a serious pound-in, or at least every season or 100 hours of airtime, whichever comes first. Fifty hours may be better if you have thinner-gauge comp wires, regularly perform aerobatics, or like to fly in really big air. And remember: always preflight your glider before every flight and check for damage.
The weather was weird in Valle in February 2025. The last few years’ racing conditions had been gnarly fist fights with squirrelly blue skies offering climbs to over 14,000 feet, if you could hang on. However, there was so much low pressure this year that it regularly overdeveloped. Gust fronts ripped through late afternoon LZs, and cloudbase rarely topped 11,000 feet. Only once did I break 13,000 feet.
Despite the lower altitudes, conditions were still Valle strong (I registered more than 1,000 fpm climbs under completely overcast skies). While waiting on launch for conditions to ramp up on the practice day before the comp, I had reconvened with friends when someone suddenly shouted, “What are they doing!?” A paraglider was spiralling 500 feet above the foothills.
Photo by Richard St. Aubin
We watched as the pilot accelerated, wingtips in, spinning parallel to his wing in autorotation, hoping to see a reserve. It never came.
Only the most gung-ho paraglider pilots fly El Peñón between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. in February. Even in January’s Monarca competition, reserves are regularly thrown in midday air. By the time of the Classic, tandems and locals will circle about in the first thermals of the day, but come noon, once things start to cook, the skies over Peñón empty of paragliders like clockwork. On launch, multiple peers had warned this pilot that he was not current enough to fly in the strongest part of the day, in the strongest time of year, but he didn’t listen.
The next day, the weather matched our mood. The skies for the first task were completely overcast. Reaching the start cylinder was a struggle, and no one tagged a single turn point. Alvaro (Nene) Sandoli, patriarch of the Brazilian Rotor family, took the first day in Open class, and Peter Song lasted the longest in Sport class. The two worked together for scraps of lift and struck off the mesa, landing by San Pedro, collecting what meagre distance points they could.
The conditions for Task 2 on the next day were more promising. With one turnpoint to go, I couldn’t see any gliders in front of me. I had goal on a 6:1 glide as I zoomed along the ridge. Bar nearly to my thighs, I raced through lift, thinking I would tag the edge of the radius at the end of the ridge, completely ignoring the “optimized” arrow pointing to my left on my vario: 0.7
km to turnpoint… 0.6 km… 0.5km… I got this!…0.6km… 0.7km… what the…? The arrow was pointing over my shoulder; I had flown completely tangent to the cylinder!
Now a kilometer away, I was pinned low, struggling for enough altitude to brave the 15 mph headwind I had to face on my dive back from the turnpoint. It was a costly mistake, and Antony Davarrio took the day in Sport class, beating my time by 12 minutes.
The next day for Task 3, I committed to following the optimized arrow and found myself running along the spine in the opposite direction. Having clawed my way up the trees from below the wall, I thought I had the turnpoint low along the ridge, but I quickly realized I still had to jump over the back into the valley to reach it. If I had stayed high earlier on, I would have had a longer glide, but I wouldn’t be grovelling here stuck to the terrain! Searching for a solid climb on the roiling mesa top, I doubted if I even wanted to be back at cloudbase, looming a mere 1,500 feet over me. My phone’s lightning tracker suddenly flashed, showing multiple strikes within 20 miles—time to hightail it to the LZ.
The sky never turned truly ominous over Peñón that day, but it did pour rain in town. I was content with another lesson: follow the arrow on the screen, but don’t always follow the arrow! Really, I knew I needed to study the course better before each flight and have a clear plan.
After a rainy rest day, we returned for another back-
Antony Davirro and Zac Majors in a packed goal at Piano. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
and-forth course for a fourth task in unforecasted sun. I barely turned a circle. Instead, I milked the converging lift crisscrossing the mesa, efficiently speeding a hundred feet over the terrain. A quarter kilometer from the end-of-speed section with goal on lock, I realized Antony Davarrio had been right over my shoulder for the last two legs.
Racing from a thousand feet above me, he had the distinct height advantage in his Sport 3 Race, but I was in the lift band! Wringing out all the experience from miles of Tennessee and Georgia ridge runs under my Gecko’s sail, I completed the 32.5 km task a mere
six seconds ahead of Antony. After taking the second start, John Maloney and Manuel Gotes both bested my time by 18 and 7 seconds, respectively. The four of us all finished within 30 seconds of each other, averaging over 40 kph! Despite having the third-fastest time, I won the task due to lead and arrival points.
It was a jubilant LZ when the Open class pilots raced into goal after a great day of flying. Following the eyes of others, I looked up to see a hang glider low below the spine doing what appeared to be extreme wingovers. Back and forth the glider went. Dumbfounded, we all watched helplessly as the glider entered a rapidly
It is not hard to find lift at the G-spot. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
left to right Tacos, tacos, tacos! Photo by Jeff St. Aubin The daily caravan to launch. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
A stoked Antony Davirro. Photo by Karen Bergueño Erika Klein at the task briefing. Photo by Karen Bergueño
accelerating spiral to a flat spin. No, not again!
There was no reserve thrown. My eyes welled as we looked around in shock. We use the Volandoo app to provide GPS tracking and could tell where the pilot was. The wind was strong from the west that day, and the pilot had lost control in the lee of the spine, a dangerous rotor zone with potential for extreme turbulence. Knowing his location, a pair of his teammates jumped in the truck with a handful of locals and raced off. For the second time within a week, a helicopter circled uselessly. The images of both the spiraling paraglider and hang glider are seared into my mind.
The next day’s task was canceled out of respect for our lost brother. As I rode back up to launch for one final task two days later, I kept asking myself if this thing we do for fun is worth risking our lives. I try to be present in this reality every time I head to launch. I took off as soon as the window opened, to be alone in the sky and use flight as a tool to help process my emotions. I had first encountered a flying peer’s death during my first trip to Valle four years ago. I was aware of what flying could cost, but I kept flying, racing, and learning, returning to Valle year after year.
Twenty minutes before the start of our final task (Task 5), I found myself eerily calm while low, heading to the LZ. I accepted I may have botched the day, but I gave myself one more opportunity to sniff for lift before coming in to land. Skirting by the lowest foothill where the paraglider had gone down, a bubble slowly took shape as I twisted back up to launch, no longer thinking of unzipping my harness.
Flitting in bubbles marked by pilots John Maloney and Pete Lehman, we struggled to break 9,000 feet.
Nathan started to run the ridge behind Peñón on his Gecko. Skimming the rising terrain over the shoulder of the ridge, he showed us that there was just enough wind to surf the terrain. I followed a well-placed climb that synced us up with the start, and we raced along the spine of the mesa. Turning back toward launch, I saw Doug, Eric, Peter, and Antony spread out ahead of me. The homies were united, and the race was on!
We zoomed by El Peñón side by side, tagged launch, and turned back for another lap. Returning barely above launch, the others chose to fly that same inside line for the second-to-last turnpoint. However, I saw a few Open pilots out front above El Peñón’s towering pinnacle. I beelined it, arriving under them, and hooked an elevator ride up the limestone face to cloudbase. I raced over the mesa to hit the cylinder, chuckling as my friends scratched below the wall. This task’s final turnpoint called for a dogleg route east to the airport before goal at Lago and kindly forced us over well-known LZs. Cloudbase was just over 10,500 feet that day. I had made it to Lago from less than that before, but it was a nail-biter of a direct line. Many found out on that final glide that once you leave the security of the mesa, you’re just one wrong decision away from the ground.
Slowing down to milk my glide, I planned my trajectory to pass over Peñitas and nibble at lift. I turned my last circle when I saw an 11:1 glide to goal. I was at 9,900 feet. I had discussed with Doug and Pete Lehmann how the farther away from goal you are, the more chances you have to find lift and the more aggressive you can be. With 13km to goal, I rode the tailwind out of my last cloud, thinking things looked
Zac Majors zooming into goal. Photo by Karen Bergueño
Full goal field at Lago on the final task. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
pretty good.
Past the turnpoint, I suddenly found myself scoping fields, swimming in sink and pushing against the headwind from the lake. I only needed a 7:1 glide to make goal, but I wasn’t even eeking that out! It was tense until I hit one last patch of lift, giving me just the bump I needed to make it. I completed the 35 km task in 46 minutes.
In the final results, Zac Majors reasserted his position as one of America’s top pilots, taking first place in the Open class, followed by Mexico’s Rudy Gotes and Italy’s Filippo Oppici in third. In the Sport class, I took first place, with fellow U.S. pilots Antony Davarrio and Peter Song rounding out the podium. Rudy’s brother,
Manuel Gotes had been the original discoverer of El Peñón back in the 80s. One day, Manuel was flying over the area in an airplane and saw the volcanic caldera surrounding El Peñón del Diablo and said, “We have to go fly that!” Back then, local pilots only flew their hang gliders off Torre, the small hill overlooking the lake in Valle de Bravo. Some friends listened to Manuel’s recommendation, and they pioneered the launch at El Peñón using a road to an old gold mine. The rest is history.
Nothing like
Manuel, had been sitting in second place before the final task; if he hadn’t missed that last day due to work, his local knowledge might have made for a different podium.
There are many what-ifs in racing, but there are few things more fun than flying fast with friends. It is hard to beat the skills and friendships you develop, but no race or flight is worth risking it all for a result. Racing mentors will help you progress safely and open up doors to soar all over the world. I encourage you to go and see for yourself just how uplifting and educational the competition community can be. Just be ready for what the conditions can entail. Big air equals big consequences, but flying is always dangerous, no matter where we do it.
celebrating with your friends after making it to goal. Photo by Karen Bergueño
Gaggling up over launch. Photo by Jeff St. Aubin
Deconfliction: What is it? by Martin Palmaz
: While it might sound like a strange medical condition, deconfliction has a specific definition in aviation. It is the active prevention of an air-to-air collision. Air Traffic Control (ATC) and distributed systems such as the Traffic Collision and Avoidance Systems (TCAS) are standard methods for handling deconfliction within mainstream aviation.
Imagine you are enjoying an epic flight, concentrating on sniffing out thermals, when you hear a jet in the distance. You become progressively engulfed by its unmistakable sound and frantically search the horizon to locate the source. Next thing you know, a jet fighter has streaked by your flight path. What else can you do but brace yourself for the brutal wake turbulence about to hit you and hope that you can handle the recovery?
Having flown paragliders for nearly 30 years, I’ve heard versions of this story recounted numerous times. One can only imagine how frequently it might happen throughout the country after hearing so many anecdotes. Considering the velocity of military jets in relation to free flight aircraft, this is a worthwhile topic to raise awareness of in order to avoid catastrophe. Finding yourself within 500 feet of a military jet capable of flying at speeds over 1,500 mph would be a harrowing experience.
After moving to Colorado Springs in 2005, I immediately connected with the local flying community. As time passed, we began to form a more cohesive group, sharing stories, safety concerns, and
The sign at Mt. Herman launch. Photo by Martin Palmaz
mentoring. During those early years, we reached out to the Air Force Academy (AFA) to better coordinate flying in close proximity to a high-traffic military facility and airspace. We had spotted several jets and soon discovered that a low-level, high-velocity Military Training Route (MTR) exists one mile north of our launch site at Mt. Herman. It is the entrance to a 500-mile route used for hundreds of flying missions each year.
Since free-flight activity lacks the typical instrumentation, communication, and infrastructure of standard aviation traffic, we must rely on other methods and types of preparation. As technology evolves, manufacturers may develop small ADS-B systems that are compatible with our limited flight decks if there is enough demand to produce them for our market. In the meantime, existing resources and relationships go a long way toward managing deconfliction with adjacent aviation activity.
The Air Force Academy’s previous airspace controller went above and beyond his duties to assist and inform our community about the hazards related to military operations in proximity to flying sites. These MTRs extend to every corner of
Drone APPs
(Also useful for HG/PG Pilots)
Airspace link
https://portal.airspacelink.com/ Aloft
https://airaware.aloft.ai
AutoPylot
https://www.autopylot.io/B4UFLY/ Avision
https://avision.io/faa-services/ UASSidekick
https://uasidekick.com/b4ufly_laanc/
Air Traffic Control uses the following standards of deconfliction: For IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) aircraft, the term “approved separation” is applied (1,000 feet vertically or three nautical miles laterally), unless wake turbulence is involved, for aircraft that are more than 40 nautical miles from the radar antenna or if the aircraft are being worked in a non-radar environment. If so, greater standards are then applied. VFR (Visual Flight Rules) procedures require aircraft to be “well clear” which usually implies 500 feet vertical or lateral separation from other VFR aircraft.
the country, and all pilots should become familiar with their existence. In the spirit of mutual safety, sites near these MTRs should consider contacting the military facility to inform them of your flying activities. The AFA has been incredibly helpful in assisting with deconfliction, and I would imagine that proactive engagement would elicit a similar response at other locations.
Table 1 from Advisory Circular 90-48E illustrates the reaction time to avoid a collision in a powered aircraft. While this is problematic in any craft, it is exacerbated at high speeds.
Deconfliction Resources
Advisory Circular 90-48E
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/
Military Training Routes (MTRs)
https://repi.osd.mil/map/
Temporary Flight Restriction (TFRs)
https://tfr.faa.gov
NOTAMS
https://notams.aim.faa.gov/
Windsock Installation at Mt. Herman Colorado Springs, Colorado
People who participated: Lt. Col. “Fast Eddie” Lombard, Troy Brines, Mike McElroy, John Gladney, Stephanie DeJesus, Daniel Rund (previous USAFA Airspace Controller),
DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE who is motivated to help with the protection and growth of free flight? Someone who can create and communicate goals and then follow through? Please nominate them for the BOARD of DIRECTORS of USHPA. You may also nominate yourself! (Sitting directors needn't be re-nominated).
John Hugely Major, Laika (the black dog)
Directors are the cornerstone of USHPA. They develop policy to support USHPA's mission while representing our members in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. We’re seeking individuals who can see the big picture, are willing to try new things, and have the ability to understand and work for all our pilots, regardless of any individual affiliations.
Director requirements include:
• Participate in bi-monthly board meetings via teleconference.
• Actively collaborate with committees.
• Represent USHPA members, both regionally and nationally.
USHPA welcomes and encourages your participation in this process. We also encourage members with unique viewpoints (such as women pilots, younger or college-age pilots, instructors, etc.) to run and contribute their valuable perspective to the organization.
Find information about incumbent candidates and submit your nomination BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1st at ushpa.org/Public/AboutUSHPA/call-for-nominations.aspx
Flying: The Supreme Meditation
by Sofía Puerta Webber
Paraglider pilot, creator of Shiwido™ and Yoga and Paragliding Tours, wellness consultant, yoga practitioner, and teacher
: Julie Tseng and Jordan Poppenk published a study in Nature Communications in 2020, introducing a method to detect transitions between human thoughts using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). They found that individuals experience approximately 6,200 thought transitions per day, equating to about 4.3 thoughts per minute. Science has started to tell us that our minds are full of thoughts. Our brains make trillions of connections to create neural pathways. In 1949, psychologist Donald Hebb proposed the idea that “what fires together, wires together.” This concept suggests that neural pathways can make new con-
nections through repetition. Essentially, we all have the capacity to shape and change our mentalities, and maybe even our flying habits, through practice. It would be interesting to know what neuroscientists would find if they studied the minds of free flight pilots. Perhaps they would report that when we fly, we experience a reduction in extraneous thoughts as the mind narrows its focus, often leading to a state of heightened clarity. In this state, the number of thoughts per minute may decrease to allow for a clearer, more present experience in the moment. This shift in cognitive processing is part of what many pilots and adventurers describe as a
Deep listening means silence
Silence is a key element in the practice of meditation. It is the common denominator of various traditions, including Aboriginal people in Australia, Native American Pueblos, and shamans in the Amazon Rainforest and the Andes mountains, as well as religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam (Sufism), and Judaism. It is also common to secular and modern mindfulness. Silence does not only mean quiet with regard to speech but also quiet of the mind. It is an important skill that we cultivate as meditators and also as pilots. A focused mind is a silent mind.
I first learned about this when I lived in the Amazon and then in the highest mountains in Colombia: silence connects us with the spirit world or nature. Later, when I lived in Australia, I learned of the Aboriginal word ‘dadirri,’ or deep listening with respect. It represents an inner quiet, stillness, and awareness that is available to everyone. In Vedanta (a philosophy in Hinduism), I learned in my later studies, it is called “mouna,” a concept that allows us to connect with the divine and experience the true self or “atman.” And once more, when I lived in a Buddhist temple practicing Zazen, I encountered the same theme. The path to piloting the mind is silence.
meditative or “flow” state. The mind becomes fully engaged with the task at hand. Pilots are able to achieve mental efficiency, a deep sense of serenity, and full recognition of their thoughts.
This flow state reveals a wonderful truth about the capacity of our mind to concentrate as well as its relationship with time. When we experience a pleasant flight, we feel like time does not exist; the expression “time flies” makes perfect sense. Conversely, if we are having a difficult flight, we may feel like it is never going to end.
When we are in the meditative flow state, something amazing happens: we feel a sense of calm alertness that creates the perfect conditions to reduce inner chatter, allowing us to focus entirely on the present moment. We also feel the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that enhances focus, motivation, and pleasure. This rewards us during our athletic performance, reinforcing our engagement. With practice, we can discover that when we fly, we are piloting our wings; when we are meditating (or in flow), we are piloting our minds. It is also important to know that wherever our mind goes, our energy goes.
What is meditation, and how can it help?
Many see meditation as a path to personal growth, peace, and self-awareness. One of the many definitions of meditation that I personally like is from some Indigenous communities: “deep listening.” This relates to our capacity for silent awareness. As pilots, we know how important it is to listen to our body, emotions, and feelings, ultimately using those perceptions to understand our state of mind. If we launch while afraid, we create a flight colored by fear; if we take off with joy, we’ll experience that vibration throughout our flight. As we move through our daily lives, both in the air and on the ground, our mind moves ceaselessly and our thoughts collapse into others. This turbulence is one of the reasons why it is vital to pay attention to our minds. We make constant and important decisions at every moment; with practice, we can develop a focused and attentive mind. We can sharpen our senses and body reactions to better respond to situations where our lives depend on
The five steps of meditation
1) Stand, sit, or lay down in a comfortable position.
2) Bring awareness to a focal point in your body, usually your breath. Notice your inhalation and your exhalation. Count to three as you breathe in and four as you breathe out. Listen to your breath as you listen to the wind. Notice the length, the rhythm, and the quality of each inhalation and exhalation, as well as the brief pause between the currents of wind entering and leaving our body. You can also bring your attention to a part of your body in contact with the surface. For example, feel your feet in contact with the ground, or feel your back supported by the floor, the mat, the chair, or your harness.
3) If you’re comfortable, close your eyes. If not, soften your gaze and focus on a point in front of you.
4) Allow yourself to be present, with your breath and body supported by the surface, without judging or trying to change anything.
5) Whenever your mind wanders, kindly bring it back to your focal point. This is meditation, the cultivation of alert and calm attention that allows us to be present in the full dimension of the experience, moment by moment.
FREE MEDITATIONS in English and Spanish can be found at https://www.shiwido.com/audio-meditations--yoga.html And at https://insighttimer.com
them. Mindfulness can also help shape our perception of an event or flight. With time, this capacity for deep awareness can be applied to every part of our lives.
: Meditators often emphasize the importance of being mindful of the breath to anchor awareness in the present moment. In this way, we can guide our flight, fight, or freeze tendencies of our “lizard brains” to concentrate or even calm down. We can learn to maneuver our breath, maintain focus, befriend our nervous system, and manage the many feelings that can arise while in flight. Awareness of the rhythm of our inhalation and exhalation becomes an important tool for physical control and emotional and mental balance.
Meditation is increasing in popularity as more people discover its many health benefits, from managing stress to reducing pain and suffering. For those who practice, it can become a way of living as we begin to notice the flow of our lives, working to balance our fears and anxieties with the breath and joys of understanding flow.
So, what does all this meditation talk have to do with us as pilots? How can we benefit from the practice?
For those who wish to take their flying to a deeper, more meditative level, incorporating mindfulness before and after flights can be a good idea. Groundbased meditation practices such as focused breathing, visualization, and body scanning can help calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and prepare us mentally for the experience of flight. Similarly, post-flight practices such as sitting quietly and observing thoughts and memories of our flight without judgment can deepen our connection to our flying experiences and promote a lasting sense of calm.
Pilots who practice meditation or have experienced a flow state while flying know that the combination of height, movement, and focus provides a mental reset that can be hard to find in the rush of daily life. Flying can be described as meditation in motion—it allows the practitioner to temporarily step outside of the clutter of thoughts, worries, and distractions by embracing a state of pure focus and peace.
THE SHARED COMMITMENTS
Welcome to Recreation Risk Retention Group. Recreation isn’t just an insurance company, it’s YOUR insurance company. You and your fellow insuredsownthecompany.WesucceedwhenRecreationanditspolicyholders committodothehardworkofriskmanagement.Thiscommitmentincludes:
T THE COMPANY’S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO ALL POLICYHOLDERS
• To work to provide a long- term market with stable pricing
• To provide coverages that support policyholders’ operations and risks
• To insist each policyholder implements required risk management, making every policyholder an even better insurance risk
• To reward those who do the work to be better risks by providing a long-term insurance program not available to those unwilling to so
THE POLICYHOLDER’S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
• To do ongoing risk management, actively improving their risk profile
• To embrace a long term relationship as a shareholder, a policyholder, and a trusted risk manager through hard and soft insurance markets
• To demonstrate a commitment to risk management success
POLICYHOLDERS’
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER
• To do the hard work of risk management to lower the risk faced by our group
• Maintain a long term perspective, knowing that Recreation supports your industry for the long term and will not capitalize on your industry for short term profits
• To demonstrate a commitment to shared success
To find out more about Recreation RRG, contact info@recreationrrg.com
Ratings Issued JAN, FEB & MAR 2025
H1
H1 3 Zachary Lang CA Bob Steven Bendetson
H1 3 Cole Sakamoto CA Bob Steven Bendetson
H1 5 Seth Magee NY John Heiney
H1 5 Eric Simon PA Jude Denton
H2 4 Enoch Daugherty GA Matthew Taber
H2 5 David Harvieux NY Robert Skinner
H2 5 Kenneth Luebke WI Rik Bouwmeester
H2 5 James Nageldinger NY Matthew Taber
H3 2 Derek Deike CA Michael Briganti
H3 2 David Olkkola CA Richard Sibley
H3 3 Lance Ashworth AZ John Heiney
H3 3 Elle Opitz CA Bob Steven Bendetson
H3 4 Nihad Ajdinovic GA Matthew Taber
H4 3 Alvin B. Fernandez CA Andrew T. Beem
H4 5 Andrew R. Macfie Jr NY Daniel C. Guido
H4 5 Ryan Salvo NJ Luke Myles Robinson
H5 2 Richard Sibley CA Chair Safety and Training Committee
P0 2 Jeremy Kough NV Mitchell B. Neary
P0 3 Jianqi Liu CA Emily Wallace
P1 2 Siddharth Iyer UT Patrick Johnson
P1 2 Zachary Stickney UT Arias Anderson
P1 2 Jiabin Xiang CA Jeffrey J. Greenbaum
P1 3 Michael Sherbakov CA Emily Wallace
P1 3 Kalei White CA Jay Whiteaker
P1 3 Gabriel Zenteno AZ Chandler Papas
P1 4 Austin Collins FL Alejandro Albornoz
P1 4 Mackey Cotton TX Jason R. Laughlin
P1 5 Nicholas Hirs MI Mariyan Radev Ivanov
P1 5 Stephen Jensen NY Jay Whiteaker
P1 5 Ursula Lozano CA Jay Whiteaker
P2 1 Hardik Amin MT Joshua Phillips
P2 1 Elliot Bertrand AK Jay Whiteaker
P2 1 Gabriel Conkel AK Christopher Grantham
P2 1 Jaron Coombs AK Jonathan Jefferies
P2 1 Aaron Cox WA Maren Ludwig
P2 1 Adam Fredette HI David Dexter Binder
P2 1 Uriel Gelbart AK Nathan Alex Taylor
P2 1 Cody Heaps HI David Dexter Binder
P2 1 Brian Johnson MT Joshua Phillips
P2 1 Kislay Kumar WA Jeremy Bishop
P2 1 Josh Landry HI Peter Fay
P2 1 Alan Lundstrom MN Mariyan Radev Ivanov
P2 1 Brent Murphy WA David Dexter Binder
P2 1 Noëmie Néré HI Paul Gurrieri
P2 1 Zuber Osmanbhoy WA William Pardis
P2 1 James Robertson SD Christopher Grantham
P2 1 Nicholas Rutgers WA Maren Ludwig
P2 1 Carey Scheer HI Paul Gurrieri
P2 1 Sierra Schemenauer WA William Pardis
P2 1 Joseph Shetz HI Paul Gurrieri
P2 1 Christopher Sommer OR Kelly A. Kellar
P2 1 Patrick Winkler WA Randolph Ruffin
P2 2 Dmytro Borodin CA Robert Black
P2 2 Jay Cline NV Jeremy Bishop
P2 2 Jerrad Cross CA Robert Black
P2 2 Kody Dangtongdee NV Chandler Papas
P2 2 Arthur de Waleffe CA Robert Black
P2 2 Christopher Derrickson CA Hayden Waddle
P2 2 Michael Donat NV John Tosti
P2 2 Coleman Floyd UT Brian Petersen
P2 2 Rodrigo Guerrero UT Nathan Alex Taylor
P2 2 Whitney Hart NV Mitchell B. Neary
P2 2 Harley Hiles CA Robert Black
P2 2 Toshio Hiratsuka CA Rob Sporrer
P2 2 James Hodge CA Christopher Grantham
P2 2 Hayden Hughes NV David Dexter Binder
P2 2 Ben Kendall UT Nathan Alex Taylor
P2 2 Luca Kushner CA Robert Black
P2 2 David Liefert CA Jesse L. Meyer
P2 2 Mike MacLaren CA Chris Kennedy
P2 2 Kevin Martin CA Robert Black
P2 2 Phil Monteith CA Chris Kennedy
David W. Prentice
David W. Prentice P2 4 Rodrigo Ricaurte
P2 4 Robert Talley
P2 5 Joshua Casey
Juan David Ochoa Pena
Nathan Alex Taylor
Ryan Patrick Kerschen
P2 5 Nathan Conroy ME Austin Kasserman
P2 5 Corey Dallaire UT Arias Anderson
P2 5 Rafael DeLeon MA Thomas McCormick
P2 5 Scott Ewaskowitz WI Mariyan Radev Ivanov
P2 5 Daniel Gatto NJ David W. Prentice
P2 5 Lisa Haswell NH Salvatore Scaringe
P2 5 Eric Holm OH Chris W. Santacroce
P2 5 Jim Robertson IN Nathan Alex Taylor
P2 5 Joshua Rushing OH Chris W. Santacroce
P2 5 Justiin Sung NY Max Leonard Marien
P3 1 Cheyenne Calvert WA Kelly A. Kellar
P3 1 Cameron Dupre AK Emily Wallace
P3 1 Simon Engler HI Paul Gurrieri
P3 1 Josh George WA William Pardis
P3 1 Jeff Heuseveldt AK Rob Sporrer
P3 1 Erin Lowenthal HI Charles Chuck E. Gordon
P3 2 Michael Black CA Cynthia Currie
P3 2 Blake Cox UT Nathan Alex Taylor
P3 2 Alyssa Haack CA Juan Fernando Molano Madrid
Heishman
Schmelter
B. Neary
Sandoval
Lisa Davis P3 2 Aaron Schwartz CA
P3
P3
P3 3 Steven Frazier CA Jay Whiteaker
P3 3 Chandler Garrison CO Mauricio Fleitas
P3 3 Spencer Heinemann CO Misha Banks
P3 3 Redouane Ihaddouhen CA Jordan Neidinger
P3
P3
P3
P3
P3 3 Christopher Swan CO Nathan Alex Taylor
P3 3 Eric Wustrow CO Brian Doub
P3 4 Clay Christian WV Rob Sporrer
P3 4 Alan Morris NC Robert Black
P3
P3 5 Joao Victor De Sá MA Davidson Da-Silva
P3
P3
P3
P3
P3 5 William P. Selent OH Christopher Garcia
P3 5 Kallie Spidahl MI David Hanning
P3 5 Andrew Spidahl MI David Hanning
P3 5 Brian Thompson PA Thomas McCormick
P3 5 Tianyi Zhao NJ Max Leonard Marien
P4 1 Chris Dunlap MT Lisa Davis
P4 1 Thomas Hoole WA William Pardis
P4 1 Levi Jordan WA Mike Bomstad
P4 1 Barukh Brian Schwadron OR Brian Kerr
P4 1 Yogesh Simpson MT Andy Macrae
P4 2 Garrett Barclay CA Mitchell B. Neary
P4 2 Thomas Reichert UT Jonathan Jefferies
P4 2 Jason Seto CA Jesse L. Meyer
P4 2 Ryan Tuttle CA Rob Sporrer
P4 3 Kyle Correia CA Max Leonard Marien
P4 3 Scott McDonnell CA Jay Whiteaker
P4 3 Manabu Odaka CA Max Leonard Marien
P4 3 Eric Schweisberger NM T Lee Kortsch
P4 3 Matt Segler CO Austin Cantrell
P4 4 Ghassan Al-Akwaa VA Felix Figueroa
P4 4 Stephen Messinger VA Thomas McCormick
P4 4 Anandatirtha Nandugudi TN Lisa Davis
P4 5 David Garber PA Thomas McCormick
P4 5 Nathaniel Gooden NY Peter Williams
P4 5 Gabriel Paraizo CT Esau Diaz Guerrero
P4 5 Thomas Schray PA Thomas McCormick
S1 3 Nick Gengozian CO Arias Anderson
S1 3 Justin Schaller CA Duane Hall
S1 5 Alex Noyola MA Duane Hall
S2 1 Brice Alexander AK Arias Anderson
S2 1 Alexander James Beasley AK Jeremy Bishop
S2 1 Kyle Beckler AK Arias Anderson
S2 1 Ian Clarke AK Arias Anderson
S2 1 Michael T. Harston AK Arias Anderson
S2 1 Heather Harston AK Arias Anderson
S2 1 Kenneth Strunk WA Arias Anderson
S2 1 Lucas Zuniga AK Jeremy Bishop
S2 2 Nicolas Davis UT Arias Anderson
S2 2 Philip Swirsky CA Jeremy Bishop
S2 2 Zoe Thompson UT Arias Anderson
S2 4 Joey Jones TX Duane Hall
S3 2 Calvin Freeman UT Carl Weiseth
S4 1 Cade Palmer AK Carl Weiseth
Certifications Issued
BAS INST PG 1 Jeff Miglionico ID Max Leonard Marien
BAS INST HG 4 Timothy Glenshaw GA Oswaldo Lopez-Armas
BAS INST PG 4 Ian Cherteiny NC Christopher Grantham
BAS INST PG 2 Ciara Kamahele UT Dale Covington
BAS INST PG 4 Joe D. Hutton TN Dale Covington
BAS INST HG 5 Daniel Lange WI Jon C. Thompson
BAS INST PG 3 Hadi Golian CA Max Leonard Marien
BAS INST PG 1 Justin Caprari OR Jeffrey J. Greenbaum
BAS INST HG 3 Micah Jackson CA Andrew T. Beem
BAS INST PG 2 Nate Scott CA Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST SF 2 Jeff Katz UT Carl Weiseth
ADV INST HG 3 John Heiney CA Andrew T. Beem
ADV INST HG 3 Mel Glantz NM Mark A. Windsheimer
ADV INST PG 2 Patrick Johnson UT Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST PG 5 Jaro Krupa IL Gregory Kelley
ADV INST HG 4 Billy B. Vaughn NC Paul Voight
ADV INST HG 4 Richard Westmoreland GA Jon C. Thompson
ADV INST PG 2 Blake Pelton UT Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST PG 2 Chris W. Santacroce UT Scott C. Harris
ADV INST HG 5 Rick Brown NY Paul Voight
ADV INST HG 1 Larry C. Jorgensen WA Aaron Swepston
ADV INST HG 4 Jordan Stratton GA Matthew Taber
ADV INST HG 3 Bob Steven Bendetson CA Andrew T. Beem
ADV INST PG 3 Juan E. Silva CA Kari L. Castle
ADV INST PG 2 Brian Petersen UT Dale Covington
ADV INST HG 4 Mitchell N. Shipley FL Jon C. Thompson
ADV INST PG 3 Charles Beaudoin CA Max Leonard Marien
ADV INST PG 3 Todd Gray CO Gregory Kelley
ADV INST HG 2 Kurtis Carter CA Kari L. Castle
ADV INST HG 2 Patrick J. Denevan CA Kurtis Carter
ADV INST PG 1 Matt Senior WA Gregory Kelley
ADV INST PG 3 Stephen Nowak CA Rob Sporrer
ADV INST PG 3 Douglas Brown CO Gregory Kelley
ADV INST PG 3 Kelly O. Davis CO Gregory Kelley
ADV INST PG 2 Dale Covington UT Gregory Kelley
ADV INST PG 1 Julian Carreno WA Gregory Kelley
ADV INST PG 1 Maren Ludwig OR Brad Hill
ADV INST PG 4 Jason R. Laughlin TX Brad Hill
ADV INST PG 3 Max Leonard Marien CA Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST HG 1 Jeff Beck WA Aaron Swepston
ADV INST PG 1 Fred Morris WY Scott C. Harris
ADV INST HG 4 Michael Pattishall NC Jon C. Thompson
ADV INST SF 2 Jonathan Jefferies UT Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST PG 2 Jonathan Jefferies UT Chris W. Santacroce
ADV INST HG 3 William C. Dydo CA Andrew T. Beem
ADV INST HG 4 Eric Williams FL Jon C. Thompson
ADV INST PG 1 Charles Chuck E. Gordon HI Paul Gurrieri
ADV INST PG 3 Charles (Chuck) Woods AZ Scott C. Harris
ADV INST PG 1 Denise Reed WA Kari L. Castle
ADV INST PG 3 Kent E. Erickson CA Max Leonard Marien
ADV INST HG 4 Gordon Cayce TN Matthew Taber
PL TECH1 HG 1 Jeff Beck WA Jeff Beck
PL TECH2 HG 4 Mitchell N. Shipley FL Jon C. Thompson
ST TECH1 HG 1 Jeff Beck WA Jeff Beck
ST TECH2 HG 4 Mitchell N. Shipley FL Jon C. Thompson
ST TECH2 HG 4 Jordan Stratton GA Matthew Taber
TECH1 PG 2 Nate Scott CA Chris W. Santacroce
TECH1 PG 2 James MacDonald CA Randall Shane
TECH1 PG 5 John Murphy MI Christopher Rancont
TECH2 PG 5 John Murphy MI Christopher Rancont
TECH2 PG 1 Maren Ludwig OR Brad Hill
TECH2 PG 1 Fred Morris WY Scott C. Harris
TECH2 PG 2 Nate Scott CA Chris W. Santacroce
TECH2 PG 3 Charles (Chuck) Woods AZ Scott C. Harris
Take your ratings and expiration date everywhere you fly. View from the Members Area section of the USHPA website. Print, trim, and store in your wallet. Great for areas without cell coverage. Save the PDF on your mobile device for easy reference. Available at www.USHPA.org
John Heiney, Legend
Venerable pilot lands in Hall of Fame
: In the autumn of 2024, the World Acrobatic Society inducted legendary hang glider pilot John Heiney into their Gallery of Legends Hall of Fame. John is a legend among the free flight community, known for his acro maneuvers on his hang glider. One only has to watch the short video of his exploits at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdlbI7Od1L0 to understand how well-deserved this honor is. Of course, John being ever humble, was quick to say he was standing on the shoulders of giants, having learned by watching acro from Dan Racanelli, or Dave Gibson, or Eric Raymond, or Ron Young, or Mitch McAleer or Aaron Swepston, or Larry Tudor, or Rob Kells, or Wayne Denny, and Billie Floyd. “As honored as I am to be a part of this group, I can’t help but feel that I don’t belong here with all of you real athletes. I can’t do anything acrobatic without a hang glider,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I wish to thank Dave Thor for his unwavering effort to persuade the Nomination Committees that a hang glider should be in the World Acrobatics Society’s Gallery of Legends Hall of Fame,” he continued. “If the committee members knew how easy it is to fly a hang glider, Dave might not have been successful in convincing them. When I think of all the physical training the other nominees endured to be here tonight, I feel humbled to be a part of this. Flying is so much fun that your workout doesn’t seem like work.”
Congratulations John! You said it best at the end of your speech, “The hang gliding community will be gratified to finally see some mainstream recognition of our beloved sport.” Thank you for always being a fantastic steward of the sport!
