USHPA Pilot Vol49-Iss5 Sep/Oct 2019

September/October 2019 Volume 49 Issue 5 $6.95 UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION

Level Up Your Kiting Wills Wing Sport 3 170 S Green Swamp Sport Klassic

X-ALPS

Flying All Seven Continents Open-class Kingposting

The M7 is made with Zeno and Enzo 3 technology. It bridges the gap in our range between the Delta 3 and Zeno, delivering near-Zeno performance. Compared to the M6, it is a significant step up in performance, especially in accelerated flight, but with better collapse recovery characteristics, reduced pilot workload, and more cohesion in turbulent air. In short, it is higher performance but also more comfortable. This is the ideal wing for experienced pilots stepping up to the D class who want the performance and pleasure of a modern 2-liner, but with more comfort, security, and confidence.

Photo: Jorge Atramiz Pilot: Alex Colby

Custom colors shown. To personalize your M7, visit www.flyozone.com 2 US HPA P I LOT

USHPA PILOT 3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1 NORTHWEST [ AK∙HI∙IA∙ID∙MN∙MT∙ND∙NE∙OR∙SD∙WA∙WY ] Mark Forbes Doyle Johnson Randall Shane Owen Shoemaker

Martin Palmaz, Executive Director executivedirector@ushpa.org Beth Van Eaton, Operations Manager office@ushpa.org Erika Klein, Communications Manager communications@ushpa.org Chris Webster, Information Services Manager tech@ushpa.org Galen Anderson, Membership Coordinator membership@ushpa.org OFFICERS Alan Crouse, President president@ushpa.org

ON THE COVER Gavin McClurg launching in the 2019 Redbull X-Alps.

Randall Shane, Vice President vicepresident@ushpa.org Ken Andrews, Secretary secretary@ushpa.org Mark Forbes, Treasurer treasurer@ushpa.org

2 CENTRAL WEST [ Northern CA∙NV∙UT ] Neil Hansen Steve Rodrigues 3 SOUTHWEST [ Southern CA∙AZ∙CO∙NM ] Ken Andrews Alan Crouse Ken Grubbs Greg Kelley 4 SOUTHEAST [ AL∙AR∙DC∙FL∙GA∙KS∙KY∙LA∙MO∙MS∙NC∙OK∙SC∙TN∙TX∙WV∙VA ] Larry Dennis Kate Griffin Daniel Lukaszewicz Tiki Mashy Matt Taber Bruce Weaver 5 NORTHEAST & INTERNATIONAL [ CT∙DE∙IL∙IN∙MA∙MD∙ME∙MI∙NH∙NY∙NY∙OH∙PA∙RI∙VT∙WI ] Felipe Amunategui Mike Holmes Paul Voight

Photo by VITEK LUDVIK The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. (USHPA) is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the United States at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHPA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association, is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.

For change of address or other USHPA business +1 (719) 632-8300 info@ushpa.org POSTMASTER USHPA Pilot ISSN 1543-5989 (USPS 17970) is published bimonthly 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.

4 US HPA P I LOT

USHPA PILOT 5

Flight Plan [ Editor > NICK GREECE ]

Martin Palmaz, Publisher executivedirector@ushpa.org Nick Greece, Editor editor@ushpa.org / advertising@ushpa.org Greg Gillam, Art Director art.director@ushpa.org C.J. Sturtevant, Copy Editor copy@ushpa.org PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeff Shapiro

STAFF WRITERS Annette O’Neil Dennis Pagen Jeff Shapiro C.J. Sturtevant

SUBMISSIONS from our members and readers are welcome. 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, a copy of which can be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the editor at editor@ushpa.org or online at www.ushpa.org. We are always looking for great articles, photography and news. Your contributions are appreciated.

ADVERTISING is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy, a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing advertising@ushpa.org.

COPYRIGHT ©2019 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.

Autumn is here, and hopefully you are finding the mellowing conditions are lining up with your free-time schedules. This summer’s highlights for me were flying until sunset, working on the New Pilot edition of this magazine, watching the Red Bull X-Alps and cheering on the X-Flight Team!

One thing that gets me moving to launch is the desire to make memories and create new key life experiences every year. As the year wraps up, I’m already scheming where my winter fix will come from. I’ll be heading back to Valle de Bravo to share the sky, and taco alley, with great friends. How about you?

The September/October issue kicks off with Martin Palmaz checking in with the state of affairs at USHPA, and a letter from a member about preparedness that every pilot should read.

Peter Loncar has finally completed his grand project to fly from all seven continents, and reports on the samurai spirit it takes to actualize a project of such magnitude. Conversely, a fantastic backyard adventure hike-andfly journey was also sent in from Southern California pilot, Greg Mills. You don’t have to go too far to create all-time memories under wing!

This issue’s hang gliding content is incredible, kicking off with one of the coolest hang gliding expeditions to go down in a very long time: the X-Flight.

Robin Hamilton sends in the first of a three-part series on the team that flew from Mexico to Canada this summer.

Ben White is back with a primer on kiting a paraglider and how to increase your safety margin in the air by practicing on the ground, with very little risk.

Jonathan Dietch offers another hang gliding review, this time of the Wills Wing Sport 3. You may remember his review of the Sport 3 155 several issues back (spring 2018), but after adding a bit of weight to his kit, he was thrilled to see the 175 released and sent in a glowing review.

We have two articles on flying hang gliding competition. The first is from Sara Weaver documenting what it was like to fly a kingposted glider in the Open Class at the Nationals this year, and the second is Ken Millard’s tale of one of his epic days at the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic.

Red Bull provided a re-cap of the 2019 X-Alps, and we pulled their interviews of all the USHPA members who participated. We will have detailed stories from these pilots in coming issues, but the Red Bull press releases should serve as a great primer to get caught up, in case you missed it.

And in closing, a reminder: USHPA, and all the pilots in this country, must continue to focus on safety. Identifying risky behaviors in each of our flying practices must be done every time we fly, and we must all work harder to mitigate risk for ourselves, and our flying friends. If you fly cross-country but don’t have an inReach tracker, get one (learn more at inreach.garmin. com). Work with trained instructors to hone skills, and find mentors who practice and preach safety. Hopefully, most of us can escape this winter to fly somewhere warm and keep current so that when the spring hits, we’re ready to make those memories whose recollection will keep us smiling for years after.

2019 September/October CONTENTS

22

8 LAUNCHING 9 AIRMAIL 10 FINDING LIFT 60 RATINGS 63 CALENDAR 65 CLASSIFIED

16 26 12 FUNDRAISER

X-Flight

Gulf of Mexico to Canada

by ROBIN HAMILTON 16 SKILLS

Kiting = Safety

42

Take the time to train!

50

by BEN WHITE

52 COMPETITION

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic Another Epic Year for Sport Class

by KEN MILLARD

50 CROSS COUNTRY

36 22 WILLS WING SPORT 3 170 S

Wills Wing with Another Winning Design

by JONATHAN DIETCH

Backyard Adventure

Adventure Awaits at Home

by GREG MILLS

36 SPORT-CLASS GIRL MEETS OPENCLASS WORLD Flying a Kingposted Glider in an Open-Class Nationals

by SARA WEAVER

26 SEVEN CONTINENTS: ONE PILOT

42 2019 RED BULL X-ALPS

by PETAR LONCAR

by REDBULL CONTENT POOL

A Dream Realized

A Brief Rundown from the Organizers

HANG GLIDING AND PAR AGLIDING ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES

USHPA recommends pilots complete a pilot training program under the direct supervision of a USHPA-certified instructor, using safe equipment suitable for your level of experience. Many of the articles and photographs in the magazine depict advanced maneuvers being performed by experienced, or expert, pilots. These maneuvers should not be attempted without the prerequisite instruction and experience.

6 US HPA P I LOT

USHPA PILOT 7

The Joy of Flying

The Intermediate Classic

The EPSILON 9 combines performance, safety and precision in equal measure. The ADVANCE Intermediate Classic is for those many pilots who want to enjoy their flying – an easy-to-fly, good performing wing with a high feelgood factor – whether a long-serving thermal pilot with cross country ambitions, or just the fun flyer who relishes of the latest technology to enhance performance and user-friendliness – and your safety. Enjoy! www.advance.ch /epsilon

distributor: superflyinc.com info@superflyinc.com 801-255-9595

Picture: Adi Geisegger

the joy of flight. This EPSILON 9 includes most

Launching

[ The Latest Gear ]

NIVIUK E-GRAVITY Niviuk states that their new E-Gravity’s goal is to be the ideal acro/freestyle wing to start aerobatics, and is intended for pilots engaging in acrobatic maneuvers who don’t intend to use the wing for tumbling.

Stability and easy recovery allow continuous progression in acro with an agile and safe wing. They claim that gliders made for tumbling sacrifice security in order to achieve suitable dynamics. The E-Gravity isn’t for tumbling—it’s a favorite for the wide array of acro you love without the bite. Once you move through your acro progressions, the F-Gravity 2 and the N-gravity 4 are waiting if you want to tackle tumbling maneuvers. Visit eagleparagliding.com/ shop for details.

EAGLE ZIPPERED SPEED SLEEVES Eagle has released a zippered speed sleeve with a plush interior finish designed for warmer environments.

The Lycra back panel offers a better fit, greater freedom of movement, and reduced back perspiration. The 4-way stretch nylon material allows pilots to layer up and stay warm in colder flying conditions. The Eagle logo is on both arms, and the California flag is on the left chest. Available in M / L, L / XL, or XL/XXL Black body with teal sleeves only. Visit eagleparagliding.com/shop for details.

PHI TENOR AND TENOR LIGHT Hannes Papesh has been designing paragliders since 1988, and he has brought his 30 years of design experience to his new brand, Phi. He previously worked at Nova and has expanded his concepts with his range of Phi gliders focused on performance and security.

The Tenor and Tenor Light are Phi’s EN-Bs that go like an EN-C. liftparagliding.com for more information.

UP KANGRI The Kangri is a lightweight glider at the top end of the B-category. UP states that their vision was to create a new benchmark in its class. The medium Kangri weighs 3.9kg, with a mix of 32g and 27g Porcher Skytex material. The intelligent mix of Aramid and Dynema lines gives this three-liner a lightweight and long-lasting setup. Visit eagleparagliding.com/shop for details.

WOODY VALLEY FOOT-SLIDING LEG COVER PROTECTION FOR GTO LIGHT This accessory was designed to make adding and coming off speed bar smoother inside the pod leg cover on the GTO Light. It also protects the Lycra from potential damage and fabric overstretching, which can occur when your heel grabs the pod material when getting on bar. It weighs only 55 grams, and is easy to install. Visit eagleparagliding.com/shop for details.

WOODY VALLEY LEG COVER GTO LIGHT The GTO LIGHT is available in classic black or blue. Pilots putting in loads of hours on their gear won’t need to purchase a new harness. The Pod Leg Cover on the GTO light is removable, so adding it is easy. Visit eagleparagliding.com/shop for details.

8 US HPA P I LOT

USHPA PILOT 9

Airmail

󲢫 One person is all you need to save another’s life. One person can direct rescue efforts. One person with these skills maximizes the chances of saving a friend— of having the capacity to DO something. 󲢻

[ Letters to the Editor ]

Recently, the most tragic of accidents unfolded right in front of me. In a dramatic loss to all free-flyers of all skill levels, Justin Boer, co-founder of Horseshoe Bend Flight Park, passed away. Fortunately, a team of supportive and experienced pilots was there at Justin’s side.

Several pilots rushed to Justin’s aid in his time of need. We can whole-heartedly say, Justin had the best support team he could have needed.

After much discussion, we arrived at a mutual conclusion: This incident was handled with swift action, because of the medical/emergency response training those involved had. Amongst the team of people we had EMT, CPR, AED, Basic First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness First Aid certified people on scene.

These skills were instrumental in giving our friend his best chance at survival.

As we look for the silver lining while our friends are put to rest, thoughts of future prevention/improved response arise.

Prevention is priority. Our efforts should be focused there, but we are all human. Human factors and other variables, sometimes beyond our control, arise. Are we prepared if we’re confronted with the worst?

There’s a new era of pilots, with some of the top schools in the country like Superfly and mentors like Lane Lamoreaux, cranking out fresh-faced, stoke-filled students by the dozens.

They’re doing something equally, if not MORE important than just promoting a safety-conscious culture: They’re teaching self-checks and checking your friends, and encouraging active-piloting.

These incredible instructors and mentors are changing the culture of free-flight as we know it. They are actively working to rid the community of its blind eye towards pilot-induced errors. They take responsibility for their privilege to fly. They hold each other accountable for each other’s safety and hold one another to a higher standard of flying. Challenging reckless attitudes, and double-checking your pal before they pull their wing up, is normal for these communities. These instructors hold themselves and others to a level of emergency response that was recently tested. In the wake of such tragedy, the free-flight community is faced with a daunting question.

“What skills do I possess if/when worst case

scenario happens to my friends?”

If we’re making the conscious decision to take the time and practice good piloting skills, use those skills to show off to our friends, gain sponsorships, and have fun, why can’t we also take emergency response training? If you’re faced with the worst do you have training that will kick in? Is it too much to take the time to complete a wilderness first aid course, or CPR, and SHOW one another that we WILL be there when the worst, happens? To gain the ability to show your friends, “Hey, we’re taking this risk, but if anything happens to you, I have your back. I expect the same of you”?

Take initiative to learn spine stabilization/ CPR/basic first aid and HONOR our past, present, and future friends. This training has the potential to keep a bad situation from becoming a terrible one. It would be a WIN to take this opportunity to make medical training for all pilots the norm.

The Wilderness First Responder certificate was REQUIRED in Arizona to be a kayak guide, two years ago, where I couldn’t fathom needing this skill on some gentle class II whitewater, but, I’m thankful I had it. I know now, when my friends’ need me, I have the skills to stabilize their spine, check vitals, and perform CPR, I know I can be there for them. I can make makeshift splints and, most importantly, I can be there for others in their time of need.

One person is all you need to save another’s life. One person can direct rescue efforts. One person with these skills maximizes the chances of saving a friend—of having the capacity to DO something.

As a private pilot, sailplane pilot, hang glider and paraglider pilot, I’m writing this open letter to the whole free-flying community in hopes of using this friends passing to join forces and make medical training a self-imposed skill.

We’ll be able to take care of our friends WHEN they need us. Because, what else is family for?

Horseshoe Bend Flight Park was a mecca not only for free-flyers and cowboys of aviation alike, but a gathering place where you immediately found a family. Thanks to Justin Boer, future preparedness and excellence is going to be increased for ALL types of pilots.

In other words, taking some emergency medical training is a solid way of saying, “We’re taking care of our own.”

- Yvette Aguayo, USHPA # 100595

Finding Lift

[ Executive Director, USHPA > MARTIN PALMAZ ]

USHPA Hang-Check

Fall Board Meeting October 25-26, 2019 Colorado Springs, CO

Visit the website for further details and the most up-to-date information ushpa.org/boardmeeting

AIRS Accident/Incident Reporting System is standing by at airs.ushpa.org If you've been injured or experienced a close call, file a report today.

All AIRS reports are completely confidential.

10 US H PA P I LOT

Dear Membership: The challenges we face as an organization are considerable and complex. That said, one of the primary challenges we face at USHPA is also, seemingly, one of the least complicated: Exposure.

A great many potential free-flight athletes are not aware of our sport as a viable activity.

As a result, exposure is not only a challenge for our organization, but a challenge faced by the sport at large. A site with active flying easily visible from town can more easily maintain its viability and sustainability; more remote sites, however, suffer greatly from the reality of “out-of-sight, out-of-mind.”

Public perceptions of safety and questions about the sport’s accessibility also contribute to fewer people thinking of becoming hang glider or paraglider pilots.

To make up ground, we’ve been doing some strategic outreach that we find really exciting. As I mentioned in this column in January, we’re focusing on connecting with the US military community, active-duty and veteran alike. We firmly believe that military people will strongly connect with the camaraderie, outdoor environment and risk profile of free flight—we just have to put it on the table.

And we’re doing just that.

We’re excited to have recently applied for a grant to make free-flight instruction available to veterans through the VA’s Adaptive Sports Grant Program. These grants are facilitated and managed by the National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events Office (NVSP&SE), whose mission is to provide opportunities for veterans to increase their independence, well-being and quality of life through adaptive sports and therapeutic arts programs. Honestly, we can think of no better fit.

This particular initiative has been an idea at USHPA headquarters for several seasons, but its realization has been a long time coming.

First, we had significantly more pressing issues to attend to; then, when we were ready to move forward, the process was delayed by the government shutdown. Finally, everything came together and we submitted our grant proposal before the close of their twomonth window this spring. Grants will be

awarded this fall before the next fiscal year (which starts in October). Keep your fingers crossed.

We’re not just reaching out to veterans; we’re also engaging with the active-duty community. Recently, we’ve contacted military MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) departments across the country, working steadily down a master list of the nation’s military bases. We’ve provided each department with a list of all the schools, instructors

󲢫 The National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events Office (NVSP&SE), provides opportunities for veterans to increase their independence, wellbeing and quality of life through adaptive sports and therapeutic arts programs.

Honestly, we can think of no better fit. 󲢻 and chapters within a given radius of their base. Our goal is to make sure the military rec departments at the bases know about the resources available in their area so they can share them with the interested potential pilots in their communities.

USHPA is in the midst of a flurry of other outreach efforts, as are the Foundation for Free Flight and PASA alongside us—but we’re always looking for more. As a member, if you have what you think is a strong outreach idea, please get in touch and propose it. We welcome and encourage your input.

As always, your support in these efforts— and your continuing feedback—is deeply appreciated.

Blue skies, Martin Palmaz Executive Director, USHPA

USH PA PILOT 11

BASETUBE STICKERS $1.00

STORE

Durable all-weather vinyl decals

USHPA Flight Jacket $149.95

USHPA T-SHIRT: SWIPE $14.95 100% cotton tee that's light and comfortable to move in.

Available in Black, Garnet Red, and Natural.

Durable soft shell jackets by Marmot are water-repellent, windproof, and breathable. Stand-up collar with zipper chin guard, zippered chest pocket w/ headphone port, zippered hand pockets, LYCRA bound cuffs.

Mens - Gray and Womens - Black, with embroidered USHPA logo on the front and “U.S. Hang Gliding & Paragliding Assn” on the back.

2 0 2 0

2020 WALL CALENDARS

AR ND

LE

CA

are on the way, and they're incredible! AVAILABLE AFTER OCTOBER 1st.

2 0 2 0 DAR

CALEN

8/15/19

USHPA

dd 1

r 2020.in

Calenda

All this and more at USHPASTORE.com

5:06 PM

X-Flight

[ contributed by Robin Hamilton of THE X-FLIGHT TEAM ]

Gulf of Mexico to Canada As soaring pilots, many of us have dreams to take our wings and fly and fly as far as the wings and the wind will take us. Last year, Larry Bunner, inspired by the XC flying out of south Texas, thought, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful (and maybe crazy) to start a flying journey from the Gulf of Mexico and continue north over the Lower 48 prairie, mountains and deserts to the Canadian border ?“ It would be some 1600 miles.

To make this dream happen, Larry first recruited long-time Ohio tug pilot, Rick Mullins, to bring a “mountain” from one end of the country to the next. When I heard of the project, I was immediately attracted as it was also my dream, so I contacted Larry to join him on this epic

awareness and action. With 1 in 8 women affected with breast cancer during their lifetime, most everyone will know someone who has been affected. The Susan G Komen organization enables breast-cancer education, screening, treatment, support and research. Our goal was to continue to raise awareness through the X-Flight media presence, while also organizing direct fund-raising.

Some of the challenges we saw up front in X-Flight planning included getting supportive soaring weather along the proposed course line in our late-June through July time slot. Historical weather and wind data indicated the original TX-OK-KS-CO-WY-MT “flatlands” corridor

X-FLIGHT TEAM L to R :

FUN D RAISIN G

John Enrietti Pete Lehmann Larry Bunner David Glover Robin Hamilton Sasha Hamilton Rick “The Mountain” Mullins Glen Volk Mike Degtoff

12 US H PA P I LOT

adventure. Soon we also added Glen Volk and should see the best conditions, but each year Pete Lehmann as seasoned XC and competition can be a little different. Other challenges includpilots, looking for new challenges and attracted ed having bullet-proof aerotow launch logistics by the scope and “audacity” of what we were by first identifying and getting permission from planning. Other pilots were welcome to come fly well-placed regional airports along the course legs of the journey with us, including Sara Weav- line (Larry pre-called over 80 airports and had an overwhelming positive response that ranged er and Kevin Carter in Texas and Colorado. up to and included offers to organize local press We needed a name and so X-Flight was born. coverage and even provide breakfast). Next X-Flight describes eXtreme XC Flight where only the start and end points of the journey are was getting the tug in place and rigged every defined and what lies between is the Adventure. day and ready to go with a high expectation of reliability (e.g. no engine/equipment down time) What I think we also found is that X-Flight is and capability to tow in an ever-changing set of not about the miles or the ultimate destinalaunch conditions. Solid ground support for the tion—it is all about the people on the journey four pilots was essential from dedicated retrieve and the quality of the Adventure. It’s all about drivers Mike Degtoff, John Enrietti, David Glovthe ride.

To bring more purpose to X-Flight we parter and Sasha Hamilton; this included tracking pilot positions, retrieving them from remote nered with the Susan G Komen organization to areas (some yes, god-forsaken) with often no cell support their cause of raising breast cancer

USH PA PILOT 13

coverage and poor access, and then being ready to get to the next day’s starting point that was often hundreds of miles from the landing.

We set some guidelines for how we would execute the adventure. We would fly the course in stages, launching each day from an agreed airport location and by the end of that day, the pilot who had gone farthest would set the marker for the start point on the following day. Where our immediate northerly path was blocked by weather or some logistical issue, such as a lack of suitable airports, we would move laterally to find better weather or launch point.

We started the adventure with a media event with the Susan G Komen Foundation at West Houston airport on June 21st with Houston TV and Press in attendance. A big shout out to Sara who set the X-Flight tone by jumping in her truck to drive down overnight from Colorado to make the start event.

We had weather down time over the weekend, but on June 24th (Day 1), we started distance flying in earnest from Falfurrias in south Texas, where we were coinciding with our buddies from the annual XC camp. It felt good to have company as we started on the 1600 miles of continent ahead of us. The day itself was unremarkable with light-to-moderate (200-400 fpm) lift and fairly low cloudbase at 3000-4000’ AGL. Meanwhile, it is south Texas so we still found ourselves about 120 miles out at 4 p.m. with potentially more than 3 hours of flying remaining, giving a high likelihood of a >200mile start to our journey. As good as that mid-afternoon perspective felt, it was soon gone as our supportive 10-15 mph southerly tailwind was replaced by a strong (20+ mph) north-easterly blow that was coming from some large thunderstorms off to our east. In no time, we were all on the ground, the cool breeze having also killed all activity along the course line.

The troubled weather pinned us down for a few days, so it wasn’t until June 27th (Day 2) that we got rolling from Dilley, TX. We had low, overcast skies and again soft conditions but

they were at least good enough to get us some 65 miles up the course line to Uvalde, a town located at the gateway to the Texas Hill country.

We launched from Uvalde’s large regional airport on June 28th (Day 3) with the optimism that the difficult weather and soft conditions over wet, saturated ground we had seen so far in Texas would be offset by the rocky terrain of the hills and we’d have better soaring conditions.

That optimism was dashed after only a few thermals and transitions as we came off the plain and up into the hills. While the thermals weren’t ABOVE Robin Hamilton getting started with help what we wanted, the scenery and views up from Rick "The Mountain" through the Hill Country were really stunning.

Mullins We got to see a lot of it up close and finally, after only a couple of hours and another 60 miles or BELOW Uvalde Launch. so, the Hills claimed all of the X-men. Each of us at least had a good “landed-out on the side of a hill in middle of nowhere with no cell coverage” retrieve story to tell. If not for a friendly ranch owner with an ATV and a satellite phone I might still be there.

Meanwhile, Larry landed in a box canyon called Buck Hollow, stowed his gear and walked to what he thought was a house a mile away, hoping to get to a phone with service. The house turned out to be a barn so he began heading back to pack away his glider. Not too far down

the road he heard rushing water and scampered down the slope to the Frio River. He doffed his TOP LEFT X-Flight worked clothes and immersed himself in a waterfall with the Susan G Koman Foundation. to cool down (no, the Swedish women’s rafting team did not show up but, thankfully, no Deliverance crew either!). On the walk back his phone BOTTOM Sara Weaver and suddenly alarmed with the ESPN theme (dun, Kevin Carter make guest dun, dun…dun, dun, dun). He quickly called John apperances. to give him directions and 40 minutes later was picked up, no worse for wear.

RIGHT Hill Country is a At about this time, Glen had been marveling at glorious place to fly when just how cool the Hill Country was up close and you're high. personal. “The farther along I got the lower I got, which was a bummer because the ground was FB Group page rising rapidly. I’d go from a glide to nowhere to a X-Flight: glide to maybe somewhere. Eventually I found Gulf of Mexico to myself flying along the river and started sorting Canada out landing options on the occasional beach. I got to what appeared to be a fishing camp and NEXT: common sense told me the smart thing would Onward through be to land there as I was pretty sure there would the Heart of New be good access and maybe people. But there Mexico were clouds and it was still early so onward I pushed until finally, the field I ended up in was framed by hills on one side and the river basin on the other. It was surrounded by tall trees but offered a sort-of into-the-wind approach on the longer stretch. So out came the drogue and I landed in a fine spot. This field was about 100 feet above the river basin, with a paved road to Susan G Komen the other side of the field uphill. The first thing fundraising page:

I always try to do upon landing is check in with crew. But there was zero service in this area. After breaking down I stashed the glider and hiked up to the road. I waved down the first truck that went past and asked the driver if he would take my coordinates and text them to Mike for me when he got cell service. He agreed and as I was in the process of giving him the digits the very next vehicle to drive up was Mike! He used his amazing Ninja powers to find me. We all had terrific crew that trip. These guys are all top notch.”

Taking stock at that point, we were almost a week into the venture and still less than 300 miles out, making only plodding progress through a state that we thought might be our fastest to traverse. The weather and soft conditions had been a surprise, especially over the Hill Country. More positively, our ground support and aerotow operations had performed flawlessly. And courageously—Mike with his truck pioneered new trails into the Hills to pick up Glen where a kayak may have been more appropriate, and had the previous day befriended a farm dog only to be bitten by the same sneaky canine when he turned his back! Another big bright point was the very supportive following we were growing on our Facebook page (700+).

It was unexpected and very warmly received by all of the crew. As tough as the trip was becoming, we began to feel we weren’t really alone out there . Thanks for all who took part!

http://www.info-komen.org/site/TR/DIYFundraising/HOU_HoustonAffiliate?px=25152683&pg=personal&fr_id=7388 14 US H PA P I LOT

Your expertise as a pilot has earned you exclusive access to top brands.

Your involvement with the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and your status as an advanced or master-rated pilot have earned you an invitation to join Experticity. It’s an exclusive community where you can get deep discounts and insider information from brands like Kelty, La Sportiva, The North Face, Brooks Running, Diamondback Bicycles and many more you know and love. Because brands like these recognize that experts like you know more, do more — and deserve more.

Signing up is simple and free: • Go to the members-only section of the USHPA website to learn how to sign up • Join the USHPA team • Complete your profile to lock in your access • Start enjoying up to 70% off top outdoor brands

Kiting = Safety. Get into it!

SK ILLS

[ contributed by BEN WHITE ]

16 US H PA P I LOT

Getting dragged sideways across launch is not cool for so many reasons. Equally as bad are failed inflations and feeling a lack of control, especially when other people are watching. The basics of inflate, turn, and go, are often enough to get a pilot in the air, but are far from adequate to handle more advanced scenarios during launch, flight, and landing. Practicing kiting on a high mountain launch is not very practical, and the lack of an amazing kiting location might make the task of wing-mastery daunting. Spending a long weekend (or more) at a ridge-soaring site can open the world of kiting to a pilot, especially if they can keep their knees bent and eyes on the horizon. There are plenty of ways to maximize the time spent kiting, with a new challenge always around the next corner.

Eventually, kiting can transform from frustrating to fun.

Kite a different wing â–ś

Two very different tools for very different jobs can teach somebody a lot.

Finding access to another wing for kiting purposes can be difficult, but very rewarding.

Nobody wants to loan their gear out for a day,

USH PA PILOT 17

used to learn some new tricks. Compared to an A or B, they require much more pilot effort to keep inflated. They tend to be more eager to overshoot, and often leave their tips stuck in when deflated. Knowing how to fly the good side while pumping brake or pulling stabilo to re-inflate an advanced wing on the ground will translate to confidence in the air on a more friendly wing.

â—€ Tip Touches and The Slide â–ź

knowing that it will probably be smashed against the ground a bit. Trading wings with another pilot for some kiting can benefit both pilots, and both pilots can agree to treat their friend’s gear nicely. Kiting something a little bit different can bring a pilot back to many basics, such as smooth motions, weight in the harness, and feeling brake pressures rather than positions.

Borrowing a little wing can teach a paraglider pilot a lot. They can also be used in much stronger winds for kiting, because they do not yank a pilot around as much. A wing that is designed to tip over side to side and recover back to center quickly can help tune a pilot into a few subtleties. Any asymmetry in the hips while ground handling will manifest itself in the wing quickly wanting to dive to one side or the other. Kiting a mini-wing in some higher wind can also provide great lessons in patience and anticipation. Despite everything moving so much more quickly, it is almost always better to just let the wing come back to center with minimal input than to try and correct and end up over-correcting. Kiting a mini-wing is also very useful before flying one.

A much more advanced XC wing can also be

To be able to slowly and gently touch one wingtip to the ground and hold it there for a moment before doing the same with the other wingtip is surely a sign of knowing exactly how to control the wing. Sometimes during a hurried inflate-turn-go, the wing might be a little bit off to one side, making for a rather exciting launch. Being able to tune into which way to drop a hip and which brake to add or subtract while the wing is off to one side is a neat skill that directly translates to launching and flying.

If done right, a wingtip can be held inches off the ground and maintained with judicious addition and subtraction of brake on the high side of the wing.

A bonus move after tip touches are mastered is being able to slide in a chosen direction. This one is fun if there is space and wind. Start by holding a wingtip slightly off the ground, then add a little bit of brake to both sides. Those who keep their weight low will be rewarded

with a stylish slide downwind and in the direction of the low wingtip. Straight-legged students expose themselves to getting yanked over.

Kiting with no hands â–ź

Paragliders fundamentally want to be flown with a bunch of weight in the harness pulling down on the carabiners. They are designed and built within tight tolerances, and the first thing to disrespect those tolerances is a pair of human hands yanking on the brakes or A-risers.

Simply dumping the brakes suddenly might allow the wing to surge and overshoot, but letting off on the brakes smoothly and gradually will let the wing find equilibrium overhead.

Similar to riding a bike with no hands, starting with small moments of letting go completely will likely yield to longer moments. Eventually, in smooth wind, kiting with no hands can be done for an indefinite amount of time. Being able to adjust a harness strap, put gloves on, re-attach the speed system, high five a best friend, pet the dog, and take selfies all come from mastering this no-hands kiting skill.

In the right amount of wind and with a modern glider that inflates easily, the no-handed inflation can teach pilots a lot. Instead of yanking on the A-lines and having the wing come up ridiculously fast, followed by smashing on the brakes in order to prevent it from overshooting, try a reverse inflation with a solid step backwards, knees bent in an athletic stance, and hands out to the side. Often, the wing comes up smoother than ever, and hands naturally reach for the brake lines to correct anything small.

18 US H PA P I LOT

Eating Wakes â–˛

At ridge soaring sites, a plethora of friends can be found. Instead of joining them in the air for smooth passes back and forth, kiting on the ridge for an extended period of time can yield some incredible results. As friends pass by, their wake can interrupt a glassy-smooth kiting moment. Some friends pass by closer or are heavier and can make for different-sized wakes that can ruffle a wing. These moments of feeling a wrinkle and catching the surge afterwards demand solid kiting posture and actively feeling the brakes in a thoughtful way.

This drill can be thought of as preparation for preventing deflations in turbulence while flying.

Kiting up the hill or with the wind â–ź

So much effort is made to travel from inflation to launch. It is largely a single direction activity: into the wind and off launch into the air. To be able to go backwards opens up an entire world of possibility. Kiting downwind

USH PA PILOT 19

󲢫 Back flying is done by flipping the glider

over and flying it backwards. It is doable, and demands incredible precision. 󲢻

◀ Back flying is an exercise in finding the perfect amount of brake, footwork, and A-risers in order to keep the wing overhead and moving where the pilot wants it to go. The wing can even be flown in such a manner that it helps to pull a pilot up the training hill, making for less hiking and more flying up the training hill. Combining a top landing, kiting downwind, and a tip touch, a pilot can artfully stack their wing sideways into an open stuff bag.

One of the truly next level moves, back flying is done by flipping the glider over and flying it backwards. It is doable, and demands incredible precision. The leading edge becomes the trailing edge, and vice versa. Most success is found by using the brakes (which now act as the A’s) to help the glider jump into the air. Instead of preventing the glider from overshooting overhead, very fine use of the brakes must be used to prevent the glider from shooting into the ground, fully pressurized, and potentially blowing out some cells.

IT’S THAT FEELING EN/LTF - A

EXPERIENCE MAGIC Big Sky Paragliding www.BGD-USA. com

(801) 699 -1462 www.flybgd.com

Ground spins â–˛

Spinning the wing with feet on the ground while keeping the wing from touching dirt is considered to be the ultimate cool-kid trick.

Ground spins demand incredible precision and finesse as well as extensive practice with stall point and back flying. Learning to dial in amazing and clean ground spins not only is a fun way to pass the time, but it also builds a strong foundation for acro flying. Spinning the glider one line-length above the ground can ruin the glider, as the wingtips get scraped against the ground much more and the glider can end up shooting downwards, nose first, and blow out the trailing edge as the leading edge pounds into the ground. Many people who have dedicated enough time to learn ground spins have their own kiting-specific glider, often a very well loved one that is not fit for flying anymore.

Multi-wing kiting â–ś

Multi-wing kiting is the next evolution of ground handling. While it does not translate directly to flying, it is the next challenge, however practical it might be or not. If one guitar neck is not enough for legendary rock stars, then kiting one wing is not enough for legendary ground handlers. Multi-wing kiting is best done with smaller wings with varying line lengths. Smaller wings pull the pilot around less when not overhead and different line lengths allow them to stack in different ways.

20 US H PA P I LOT

These are just a few of the many tricks that can be learned while kiting. They can be combined with each other, built upon, and perfected. Every pull on a line is like a pushup, and after millions of repetitions, can make for an incredibly strong and practiced pilot. Being able to fly a wing and maintain a tolerance to the ground within inches is an ultimate exercise in precision and mastery. Kiting is to paragliding as the simulator is to flying an airplane or helicopter. Everybody can benefit from more.

USH PA PILOT 21

THE

SPORT 3 170 S SURPRISE

FROM

WILLS WING

by JONATHAN DIETCH

L

ast year I reviewed the Wills Wing Sport 3 155 (https://issuu. com/us_hang_gliding_paragliding/docs/ushpapilot1804_issuu/36).

I typically fly with bags and gear, hooking in at 193 lbs. at the high end.

Many pilots present a significantly higher payload, so the demand for a Sport 2 175 replacement has been around since S3 introduction. This review addresses pilots in my weight range with similar desires.

Last August, factory pilot Ken Howells let me demo a prototype Sport 3 170, after I promised not to go XC and land out. It was late in the day, during marginal but smooth conditions, so I immediately pulled the VG cord and headed east to the highway cloverleaf that has appeared in three of my past calendar submissions. This ridge of triggers and hazards is a great makeor-break bench-up spot. I arrived low and gradually worked my way up, until I was firmly established and flying in conditions that past experience

22 US H PA P I LOT

would have sent me sledding for the LZ on my Sport 3 155. What caught my attention, in addition to the noticeably improved sink rate, was my ability to turn the glider tightly, but flat and slow, when I normally would have been banked up higher and slipping down, while trying to work weak and narrow columns or lines of lift.

Another attention-grabbing headline was its surprising ease of handling and great tracking in every mode of flight and VG setting. Is this my ticket to glass-off and marginal weather XC joy? I wondered to myself. Will this glider give me the ability to gaggle up and go X/C with my paragliding buddies? Blasphemy? Hardly!

Last October, I began flying my own Sport 3 155 and gradually tuned it to match my flying style. This March, I got the opportunity to fly a production model Sport 3 170 demo.

Two things about the glider made an immediate impression: 1) the empty weight was only 65 lbs. and 2) the control bar legs (downtubes) were only 65” long.

The glider was very easy to transport, ground handle, and launch. So, it was late in the day and local groups of evening paragliders were slipping below the ridgeline as I launched. After a few passes, I was established above the ridge; the demo glider was almost effortless to fly. When I headed east, I was rewarded with having the ridgeline in glassy conditions and golden, glowing twilight all to myself.

By this point in my avocation of hang gliding, which formally began in 1973, my tolerance for turbulence had turned into loathing and cringing. I have never looked forward to toughing out mid-day turbulence, but I could weather the storm—until the past few years. Even on my well-tuned Sport 3 155, I just wasn’t enjoying getting jostled and tossed. I’d gotten into the habit of leaving overly

USH PA PILOT 23

textured lift and landing wherever I could, then hustling a ride back to launch and flying late in the day.

With only 155 square feet, I found the easternmost sections of the Crestline ridge a poor bet, because I wasn’t making it back to the LZ in such marginal conditions.

I had been bugging Wills Wing to build me a custom Sport 3 170 since that March demo flight. My wife generously helped me refine my pattern and color selection, which I submitted for production. At 5’7” tall, 163lbs + equipment, I hook in near the very bottom of the 170 weight range (https://www.willswing.com/ hang-gliders/sport-3/). I was asked to wait until early May 2019, when the same demo 170 became available locally. In order to get my custom 170 built, I agreed to fly the demo anywhere I chose to take it and, until I were certain, not to whine about the glider’s being too big. Enter the surprise alluded to in the title. I took the demo 170 out in mid-day turbu-

lence I would have suffered through on a smaller glider and was delighted to find the larger glider not only gave me a significantly smoother and more plush-feeling ride, but also was easier to handle than any smaller glider I’ve ever flown in like conditions. I only needed to adjust to the larger size and for a bit of clearance from terrain. But at no point did I feel overpowered or that the glider was flying me. I was sold!

I requested production of my

OPPOSITE JD launches his Sport 3 170 from Marshall Peak, June 13, 2019.

ABOVE JD showing his true colors with custom Sport 3 170 at Andy Jackson Airpark, June 8, 2019.

custom 170 and even put my money where my mouth was, offering to submit full payment to my local dealer in advance. I was invited to continue flying the demo 170 until it was delivered to Northern California for more introductory demos. Because I customize everything I fly, I

Pick up these hot titles by

DENNIS PAGEN

www.DENNISPAGEN.com Sport Aviation Publications PO Box 43, Spring Mills, PA 16875 pagenbks@lazerlink.com | 814-404-9446

began testing personal modifications that I intended to use on my personal wing. Because I operate at a low wing loading, near 1.5lbs/sq. ft., airframes and sails don’t flex or shape quite the same as for pilots closer to 2lbs/sq. ft.

I made mental notes of things I would be tuning on my own glider, assuming it initially flew the same as the demo wing, which, by the way, it did.

During June, I managed to cajole a factory test pilot into performing the ritual ceremony of my freshly minted Sport 3 170 on a non-test-flying day, in exchange for a ride to Regionals launch, plus 4 oz. of my home-roasted coffee. I flew chase on my Sport 3 155. The factory pilot weighed 10 lbs. less than I do and did not carry any bags or gear, other than his vario. The air was fairly active, but not what I would consider turbulent. From my vantage point, I could see he was having fun—more fun than usual, I thought—as I watched him carve out lines into places I’ve rarely seen him go on other gliders. Ultimately, he stuffed the bar and got it up to 65 mph at a fairly steep angle with wing loading near 1.4lbs/sq. ft. I landed right on his heels, and we debriefed in the breakdown section of Andy Jackson Airpark.

The first five minutes of post-flight review consisted of non-stop laughing about just how easy the glider handled and how smooth it was in turbulence that was normally a whole lot of “no fun”. Following that came the deep introspection, What was I thinking by landing after only 24 US H PA P I LOT

26 minutes, when I could have stayed up all day? or words to that effect.

I studiously avoided any hint of, “I told ya so” since this same pilot also

TOP JD launches his Sport 3 170 at Crestline, June 8, 2019. BOTTOM JD making base leg turn on his Sport 3 170 at Andy Jackson Airpark, June 8, 2019.

controlled glider production as part of his other duties, and I am loathe to “bite the hand that flies me” (pun intended). And so the glider was mine and there was time to get in another flight, as well as give a paraglider pilot a ride to Marshall Peak launch.

As luck would have it, my passenger flew an Ozone Zeno at a wing loading below 1.1lbs/sq. ft. and was an accomplished former hang glider pilot, as well as a competitive, current paraglider pilot. Now I had a benchmark for comparison to see what I could expect on future, joint HG/PG XC. Although I did not measure up on my S3 170, I was more than close enough to seriously consider the benefits of cross-platform team flying. It was time to get busy tuning and customizing the glider to match my personal requirements, as well as get out there and fly.

I already knew I could fly the 170 so slowly that the wind stopped making noise. I was barely able to stall the glider in steady, level flight. I was running out of reach to push out and the glider trimmed fast for my weight.

I ordered a set of custom lower wires that moved the control bar aft by 1.5in and moved the kingpost to the rear hole. The glider now trimmed at 26mph at 5000’ MSL, and at 5’7” tall, I was afforded the reach I wanted to turn the glider as tightly as I needed.

Landing flares were easier, too.

I have since flown my 170 in a number of different gaggles with pilots I have known for years, in both good and turbulent conditions. What has been a remarkable development for me is that I have been enjoying the very same air I would have formerly loathed. Now I listen to other pilots complain about how turbulent and un-fun the turbulence was, while I keep (mostly) quiet about how great

USH PA PILOT 25

󲢍 I could fly the 170 so slowly that the wind stopped making noise. 󲢝 the air felt to me.

So what began as an attempt to save my pursuit of hang gliding by sticking to late-day glass-off conditions on a big glider has turned into maximizing my fun and aerial exploration in my big, all-day, every-day glider. I cannot speak for pilots who hook in near the middle or above the specified weight range or for pilots who are much taller than I am, where 65� control bar legs become relatively short. I already know there is an audience and a niche within the sport who can relate to what I have been surprised and delighted with. I am, in fact, looking forward to getting back on my Sport 3 155 and my T2C 144, each of which offers a unique way of enjoying local soaring conditions. I could ramble on about more esoteric aspects of my post-production tuning, but those of you who know me

personally understand that I would be speaking to a sub-set of an already limited pilot clique.

In Summary

My Sport 3 170 will not keep up on glide with my 155 and falls short in penetration, as speed required increases. My 170 has a noticeably slower minimum useable airspeed, as well as better sink rate, but only when I fly the glider more slowly, which I often forget to do. If I try to fly my 170 at 155 or T2C 144 speeds, I find myself with too much wing and at a disadvantage.

I have been altering my approach and mindset to keep the advantage.

I am always at an advantage on my 170 in turbulence, plus I experience more favorable handling and tracking most or all of the time. I can land my 170 easier and with better glide path control by entering downwind leg

at zero VG, with body upright and legs spread. It comes down steeply without excess speed, and the flare window is very long. The 170 is somewhat heavier and at the limit of what I can carry without assistance, where the 155 is much easier for me to deal with logistically.

Note: I design, build, and fly with my own raked tips. I own factory-raked tips that function well as intended, but as part of my personal customizing, I do things a little differently.

I have a tentative arrangement to demo a Moyes Gecko 170 and am looking forward to seeing what advantages this offers me, and, possibly, others.

I hope to report favorably on that experience when it comes my way.

I can be found on Facebook under my author name or on YouTube as Vicarious Icarus.

Flying the 7 Continents Peter Loncar dedicated his life to flying from all seven continents, and when it was all said and done, it was well worth it. by 26 US H PA P I LOT

PETER LONCAR

USH PA PILOT 27

󲢫 Antarctica was, by far, the most difficult and unpredictable mission I have ever undertaken. 󲢻

E

ver since I started paragliding in 2007, I had a dream to visit, and fly on, all seven continents. On March 6, 2019, after 12 years of flying in more than 60 countries, I became the first person to fly on all seven continents, after launching and landing safely in Australia.

The world is a fantastic place, especially when experienced from above, and I’ll show you through pictures and stories how my journey through seven continents unfolded!

Asia

I chose Pakistan as the first story because it is by far the nicest spot I’ve

ever flown and probably my favorite of the journey when it comes to stunning flying arenas and all-time story-generating experiences.

Throughout the trip, I had great flying partners to share the journey. In Pakistan, I went with Bulgarian legend Veso Ocharov and online video producer François Ragoloski; we shared truly special tracks flying over 6000m to Masherbrum and just a mile from the

famous peak K2 (8611m). The flying was incredibly spicy, as was travel in country, where I had a problem upon arrival to Pakistan, immediately after landing in Islamabad. Just to get a visa in the first place to attempt to fly in Pakistan was a fiasco: I was told at the embassy in Europe that to get a visa was impossible and was promptly asked to leave the consulate. After much negotiating and numerous trips to the embassy I ABOVE The greatest short hop in the history of flying on Antartica OPPOSITE Camped out to get the morning sled-ride and tick off another continent.

was granted entry and given a visa, but it still took two and a half hours of persuasion with the officers in Pakistan to convince them that I did in fact have a legally issued visa. Eventually, after much discussion, I was allowed in and the officer wrote a bit in my passport, which I did not read at the time due to

my sheer excitement of getting to fly the Karakoram.

We had plenty of big flights in Hushe area where K2 looms supreme, and which is also the last stand for civilization before the Baltoro glacier. Those flights will remain seared into my memory for life.

The next mission was to get to Booni Chitral and chase long-distance record flights, and after a week of waiting, we finally had a promising window to go. The plan was to break the distance record in Pakistan, which was around 210km from Booni Chitral area towards Gilgit Baltistan.

ABOVE The greatest team in Pakistan!

Flying near Booni. LEFT Francois Ragolski and Veso Ovcharov enjoying what Pakistan offers.BELOW Selfie game, Pakistan style.

28 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 29

LEFT Landing in the Salt Flats of Bolivia. RIGHT Flying in Chile BELOW Camels! Flyining the Gobi, Mongolia means camels are your friend!

The start was very early and the first part of our route was difficult and slow, as we had very strong west wind, in this case a head wind, over 6000m.

We had cameras with us always, as all of us wished to put together a film of the trip. We switched cameras each day so that all of us would be in the other pilot’s shots.

One day it was my turn to film Veso and François. After they got into posi-

tion in front of me during a transition at 6300m over one summit that was covered in snow I decided to release my brakes and film, as I thought it couldn’t be too turbulent over so much snow.

Shortly after, I had a huge right collapse with a cravat and auto rotation at very high altitude. I always say that my acro skills saved me that day as I found the brakes quickly and opened

the cravat and start flying again. Veso told me later that he found it strange to see me directly behind filming and then the next moment he looked, I was 200m below him!

We didn’t complete any record flights but we had plenty of amazing and unique flights. One that stands out is my flight to 6300m in the Rakaposhi area. There are few places in the world

where such elevations are relatively normal on good days, but the Karakoram does not disappoint.

South America

The first country I visited in South America was Colombia, where I spent two months with the Banditos acro team. I came into Colombia with only 200 euros in my pocket, but luckily my friends gave me a chance to work and survive.

I flew and moved all around to great places in Colombia including Chicamocha Canyon, Bucaramanga, San Gill, Santa Marta and Cartagena. Every place I visited I was warmly welcomed and found like-minded pilots to work with and fly with.

Since then I’ve travelled around all of South America, flying in almost every country; on the top of my list, Iquique, Chile,

30 US H PA P I LOT

Africa

My first flights in Africa were with Veso Ocharov and Tom Deolordt, who make up the Fly The Earth team in 2015. We went to film a project in Namibia where we got to fly amazing places like Spitz Koppe, the oldest dunes in the world near Swakopmund, and Red dunes around Sossusvlei.

We also pioneered two new spots in Savana.

Those flights with great friends in Africa, will remain some of the best in my career.

Years later, I took a job in South Africa in Cape Town and got a chance to fly amazing locations such as Table Mountain, Langeeban, Hermanus and Lions Head.

North America

North American flying started in Canada, as I am not sure Hawaii counts as part of the great North, no matter

what mainland USA says.

My first flights in Canada were in 2017, from Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver with Herminio Cordido. For two years I worked for the North Shore paragliding team and did approximately 300 tandem flights and around 50 solo flights. I took this job to make money for the Antarctica trip and, thanks to the amazing support from brothers Herminio and Carlos Cordido, things worked out for me.

Antarctica, November 2018

Antarctica was, by far, the most difficult and unpredictable mission I have ever undertaken. I was struggling with my personal feelings and the harsh reality that, after all of this effort and dedication, I might not have the right weather or enough money to complete this leg of the journey. To come to terms with the reality that my complete dedication of my life for last

USH PA PILOT 31

decade toward flying all seven continents and then to realize that it may have been a fool’s errand was hard to swallow. Anxiety was high.

Physically I was more than ready, but it was more about the actual logistics of getting to Antarctica with a budget of $5500 dollars where it normally takes $15,000 just to get there. This was weighing on me heavily, and while free flight pilots often thrive in uncertainty, this was becoming too much for me.

I arrived in Ushuaia with no reservations or spot on any available boat heading to the South Pole.

Yes, I went there without having anything organized with a wing, and a dream, and very little money.

I spent five never-ending days in Ushuaia waiting for an opportunity to get any available place on a boat. My budget was $5500 dollars, the amount I had been able to save flying tandems over the last three years. But to join on

ABOVE Flying Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. OPPPOSITE LEFT Headed out on the Search Project with Tom Delorodt RIGHT Chasing the setting sun.

an expedition boat, the price would go up to $15,000. So now everything was about the luck. I had given up travel and competition so that I could squirrel away this small amount of money, and now, I had to confront the reality that I might not be able to finish the game. You can imagine the thoughts in my head: How is the terrain? and the weather? and will it be possible to fly?

Will the expedition leaders allow me on their boat? If not, maybe I can just not tell them and pull it off? What if the weather is bad the whole time I’m there?

But the ultimate reality was, I still did not have a place on a boat, and that made all my perseverations a moot point.

On the fourth day of waiting and hoping I set about my usual plan to

search for a last-minute berth on an outgoing vessel. I learned that paragliding is definitely not allowed if I joined an official expedition, but how else could I make it to Antarctica?

Swim?

Luckily, on my fourth day of Antarctic hitch hiking, I found and accepted an offer to join a boat for a last-minute deal of $5100, and I would depart the next day.

I was informed, again, that I would not be able to do any independent activities, but would have to stay with the group who were skiing and taking photos. I decided to pack my things and give it a shot. I had come too far to not try, as I would regret that for the rest of my life.

My chances for a secret mission diminished when I had to show all

the contents of my bag, and bring all my clothes and gear for a sterilization process. At this point I gave myself a 10 percent chance to succeed.

Luckily for me, the inspectors didn’t know what a paraglider is, so I simply said it’s my blanket for cold Antarctica days. My very light hike-and-fly kit was so small that it did not raise any alarms.

So, finally, I was on a boat with the cast of characters that makes up a season on the ice: volunteers, scientists, expedition leaders and some exceptionally wealthy people who wanted to visit Antarctica. After we boarded the vessel we had a briefing about the rules that did not exactly align with my dreams. Basically, I would have to stay with whatever team picked me up, and I could not deviate at all from their objective!

I felt like a dog on a short leash. I kept thinking to myself, Oh, god what am I doing here? This is not going to work!

At the official briefing, around 100 people from all walks of life and full of various levels of extreme personalities that attract folks to Antarctica, the leaders of each group were introducing themselves. Then it was time for Pit, the leader whose crew I had jumped

32 US H PA P I LOT

ABOVE Lauching above Sydney, Australia. BELOW Antarctica.

on, to introduce himself and explain his XC ski mission to watch the penguin colonies. This was a very popular mission, of course, that everyone wanted take part in and that I somehow won the lottery for one of five spots out of 100 applicants. This was also the only trip and trip leader that offered any shot to get my wing above me.

Pit was an older man who had lived

a full life in the mountains. He was an experienced climber and as I was about to join his expedition he wanted to check my bags again before we left the boat.

I sheepishly presented everything for his inspection and as he picked up my harness with a look of concern, I felt very uneasy. He asked, “What harness is that?”

USH PA PILOT 33

“It is not a harness,” I replied, to which he responded, “Don’t lie to me.

I climbed Everest, I know what a harness looks like.”

The fact that he had been to the top of the world was a good sign for me. I had hope that if I explained my dream, he might give me a chance.

I decided to tell him everything, and as I told him my tale, I could see he was getting more excited than I was. However, he informed me that he could get in big trouble if he let me fly on his trip.

In fact, there were so many rules in the ice that I had to pee in a bottle and carry it out.

My head was just exploding, every day. Even if they allowed me to attempt to fly, which they had not as of yet, the weather and wind were insane. There are no takeoffs, no paths, nothing like we are used to in our world. It was just ice and snow, ice cracks and ocean, yet absolute beauty that I had never seen

TANDEM GLIDER

before. It is a breath-taking experience to spend time on Antarctica.

I tried hard up until the end and on the very last day, Pit said the weather was forecast to be bad and we might stay on the boat on our last day before departing home. But, an hour later he decided to give it a go as they really needed to drop some supplies at a base at the UK base at Port Lockroy.

And as if on cue the fog lifted, the wind calmed down, and I got a miracle chance to try to fly!

We delivered the supplies and as everyone else was busy doing something for the mission, I wandered a bit away, set up my tripod and flew down from a little hill! I took a great photo in front of a small iceberg where I landed. It was, a 30-second flight, but I have never been more happy or proud at accomplishing a nearly impossible task: to fly in Antarctica!

Australia: March 6, 2019

I went straight from the airport to Stanwell Park in Sydney, where Milan, my good friend from the army, waited for me to arrive. This is the same guy who introduced me to paragliding in 2006 and was now living in Australia.

He was incredibly proud to see where I took the sport and how far I went from our first conversation. I flew at Stanwell Park in spite of jetlag coming from Cape Town, and I felt privileged and happy that I had made my dream come true.

O

f all my adventures in life, this was definitely the most complex, and most difficult, “To fly over all continents.” It took me a while, exactly 11 years and 11 months. After it was all said and done, I wouldn’t have changed my course for anything in the world!

EXCEPTIONAL INFLATION CHARACTERISTICS PRECISE STEERING UNWAVERING BEHAVIOR GREATER FEELING OF SAFETY

34 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 35

Flying Tandems in the Pale Light over Oludeniz, Turkey. Photo by PETER LONCAR

SPORT-CLASS GIRL MEETS

OPEN-CLASS WORLD

Flying a Kingposted Wing in the Open Class at the Nationals by Sara Weaver The annual Quest Air Nationals took place in April 2019 at the newly named Paradise Air Sports at Wilotree Park near Orlando, Florida.

Nearly one hundred pilots attended the first week: 28 competitors in the sport class and 70 in open. This year’s Nationals also acted as the Women’s and Sport-class Pre-Worlds, a test event for the FAI Category I 2020 Worlds. As the most popular competition in the United States, the roster was stacked. Pilots representing 19 countries flooded into the Florida countryside for some of the best XC flying the US offers.

This was my 7th comp since I was 36 US H PA P I LOT

introduced to race-to-goal cross-country flying at the 2017 Green Swamp Sport Klassic, and my first time entering the open class. Typically, open-class pilots fly topless hang gliders—their increased performance is critical for completing long tasks.

After six competitions in the sport class, though, I chose to enter the open class on my kingposted hang glider. It was an uncommon decision; with the development of the sport class in recent years, pilots flying with

kingposts have an accessible and competitive league of their own. In the open class, I knew I’d be in over my head.

Differences: Open and Sport Class

Open- and sport-class flying are different. Open tasks are longer, retrieve takes substantially more time, tasks are more challenging with hard upwind legs, and more pilots are competing. Open-class hang gliding competitions use start

󲢫 I had to shift my personal goals away from doing well overall, to doing well for just me. 󲢻

USH PA PILOT 37

gates, sometimes with much larger start cylinders, and because there are more pilots, start-circle gaggles can be massive. Open pilots control the launch line, often pushing back the sport-class launch if they choose not to go when the window opens. The international open-class competitive field is almost four times bigger, with 1225 pilots ranking, compared to just 335 in the sport class.

The sport class brags a competitive environment with a higher safety margin, thanks to kingposted gliders.

Developing pilots have the opportunity for mentorship from organized competitions like the Green Swamp and from more experienced pilots.

Because the rosters are shorter, the sport class has a closer-knit community than the open class. And, with shorter task lengths and the general avoidance of hard-to-penetrate upwind legs, the sport class is an excellent place for pilots with kingposted wings.

not to let us launch in front of the open class, so we waited. Back of the line… end of the day… I was unhappy.

After towing up for three sled runs, I finally caught a dust devil 200 feet above the ground and followed it wildly off course, thrilled just to even touch lift. I didn’t care about the competition anymore.

I think that’s when I got the wild hair. It was a classic I-do-what-I-want

Kingposted Wing in the Open Class

If I’m honest, I’m not really sure where the idea came from, but I think it started at the Santa Cruz Flats race in September 2018. I was having a terrible week. After a single poor performance, I dropped from the #1 seeded sport-class pilot to nearly last. The thermal days in late-summer Arizona are short, and I was launching at the end of almost 50 open, rigid, Swift and sport-class pilots. By the time I was in the air, the day had shut down, and I’d be on the ground before I could get high enough to stop sweating. By the end of the week, I was launching in a t-shirt and shorts, knowing I probably wouldn’t be able even to get high enough to get cold.

Sometime mid-week, the open-class pilots didn’t want to launch when the window opened, because conditions were light. Sitting in the back of the line, I thought, “I’ll go!” and I said so out loud. Other sport pilots voiced agreement. The organizers decided

ABOVE You can never be reminded enough. The pilot checklist is an essential item on launch. Photo and caption

by Audray Luck. OPPOSITE It was a beautiful sight seeing the release of the new Wills Wing T3. The sky was littered with many pilots flying demo gliders.

Everyone seemed very happy with the performance—lots of big smiles! Photo and caption by Audray Luck.

moment. If I had been in the open class, I could have pushed the launch and they’d let me go. And who said you had to fly topless in open anyway? That’s not a rule.

During the following months, I subconsciously sifted through reasons to stay in the sport class. I can hold my own at a comp without much mentorship, but I don’t fly a topless hang glider. My ultimate goal is to fly in the open class in the next few years, but I don’t fly a topless hang glider. Women’s Worlds is quickly approaching, and I don’t have any NTSS points, but I don’t fly a topless hang glider. I want to practice start gates, but I don’t fly a topless hang glider…

I settled on that phrase a thousand times. I don’t fly a topless hang glider, so I don’t belong in the open class. I always wanted to win the sport class and sometimes I did well. But I never achieved that goal, so how could I be ready for open? Sport-class days already tire me out, and I’m wrecked by the end of the week. Tack on a few more miles in the open class, and how would my endurance hold up for an entire week? I have a community in the sport class, and it won’t be the same after I leave. What open-class pilot wants to be in a retrieve vehicle with someone with a kingpost?

What’s it going to feel like to never make goal? I’m going to be flying alone every single day. I don’t fly a topless hang glider.

Eventually, I said screw it and signed up with my Sport3. Over the months, messages trickled in. “Are you really flying in the open class?” “Did you mean to register for the sport class?”

“Are you flying topless now?” Yes, no, no. I started preparing mentally, knowing that I needed to learn to lose.

The phrase, “You’re not going to make goal for a few years, and that’s OK,” was in my mind from the moment I registered. I had to shift my personal goals away from doing well overall, to doing well for just me. Practicing start gates became my modus operandi. I

was also looking forward to practicing on the T2C when I could, building experience. I stuffed the competitive side of myself into a box in the back of my mind.

Flying in the Open Class

Day 1 arrived, and the wind was strong from one of Paradise’s worst directions, west. I was in the very back of the launch order, since I didn’t have any WPRS points for the open category. I watched as wave after wave of pilots launched, only to drift off course, downwind. Several pilots relit multiple times. I didn’t put my harness on, fully aware that if I launched, I would never recover from that much drift in my kingposted glider. The sport class waited, too, in a similar situation.

Gaggle after gaggle drifted downwind, only to break up and return to land at Paradise. An hour later, I spotted one gaggle staying upwind as they thermaled. The gliders weren’t drifting as much, so I suited up and headed to launch. After an uneventful tow, I was waved off in the best thermal I’d catch all day and began turning. The wind had calmed just enough to let the thermals organize, and I was able to stay upwind of State Road 33, which generally traced the course line south. There was a strong inversion around 3000 feet, which meant we weren’t getting high. I started flying the landable fields near

For once, I wasn’t racing anyone. I knew I was at a disadvantage on my glider, and I had no one to compare myself to, so I simply focused on my own flight. I’d thermal up to some disappointing altitude, have enough glide to get to the next safe field, and somehow find another whiff of lift to keep me aloft. As I approached the first turnpoint alone, the fields disappeared. Having flown a similar route

hoping to catch the same thermal and try again, but failed. I landed with my cross-country mentor, John Simon, and Pedro Garcia, his teammate on the US National Team. “Shit,” I thought. “If I have landed with these guys, I must have had a really good flight…”

Turns out, I did. I got 22nd out of 70 pilots. I was completely and utterly shocked. I had a kingpost, yet I outflew nearly 50 pilots on topless hang gliders. “Beginner’s luck,” I thought, and tried my best to brush it off. Zac Majors won the day, followed by Olav Opsanger and Bruce Barmakian.

During task 2, we had better conditions, but a more challenging polygon task. The first downwind leg wasn’t too memorable, but I started getting worked on the second leg, which was almost straight into the wind. There were plenty of thermals, so I wasn’t too worried. I’d fly upwind, catch a thermal, drift downwind. Upwind, thermal, drift. Upwind, thermal, drift.

I think I did that about nine times.

The differences in glide between my Sport3 and the topless gliders became extremely evident during that leg. I’d punch out to the next thermal, sink, sink, sink, until I found the next thermal. I’d watch topless hang gliders that I’d shared the previous thermal with come in hundreds of feet above me. I kept pressing. We came to the last span of good fields before crossing a small forest, and try as I might, I

󲢫 All of my help was gone. After topping up, I left along course, losing altitude at the fastest rate I had all day—just as I was approaching a massive forest. 󲢻 33, because I was getting low on every glide, before miraculously capturing another pocket of lift. I needed easy outs for the whole flight. I was with a few others, most notably Matt Pruett, who had also jumped up to the open class from sport. He was flying a Combat, and we shared three thermals and glides together—the two newbies in the bunch, happily trucking along.

38 US H PA P I LOT

the year before, I knew I’d need to fight hard and get high if I wanted to make goal. I caught a bubble over the last landable field, but it wasn’t good enough. Corinna Schwiegershausen came in under me, climbed past and took off, her glider’s performance far surpassing mine, giving her enough glide to get her to the next set of fields. I flew back to the last good field,

couldn’t get up. I landed, happy that I’d almost made the second of four turnpoints. I was glad that I had a good start and pleasantly surprised that I’d had friends to fly with during the entire task. I got 50th place, while Jonny Durand, Kevin Dutt and Zac took the day.

Conditions were even better for task 3, a long dogleg task of 109 km. I knew

USH PA PILOT 39

I couldn’t win the open class, which meant I was feeling surprisingly level-headed, even after two days of flying. Not all my competitiveness had disappeared, but the stress of beating anyone had, and it made a huge difference in my mindset. I felt that I was flying for the right reasons; I didn’t want to win against anyone else, I just wanted to beat my own best flights. While flying, I felt almost calm, which rarely happens for me at a competition.

Once I got in the air, I took the first start gate and then changed my mind.

There were too many gliders above and behind me. I flew backwards along the course for the first time and started with the main gaggle 20 minutes later. I knew the first 50 miles of this course really well, having lived in Florida and flown the route a handful of times in 2016-17. There is nothing more comforting than having the best and worst fields already memorized, and it felt good knowing I had this insignificant advantage over most of the pilots with whom I was flying.

That home-court advantage sustained me over the next couple of hours. I got low at the first turnpoint but tracked to a familiar thermal trigger after tagging it. I caught up to a small gaggle, and just relaxed as we buoyantly drifted down the course. The other pilots left as the lift weakened, and I followed only a short distance, before I found the thermal again upwind.

I stayed in that promising little bubble, while everyone else left. Crap.

All of my help was gone. After topping up, I left along course, losing altitude at the fastest rate I had all day—just as I was approaching a massive forest.

I was 1100 feet over the last landable field when I saw a gaggle of tiny birds to my right. They weren’t really going up, but I was desperate. They scattered as I entered their territory, and my vario revealed that lift was present, but very light. I had nothing to

ABOVE From above you get a different perspective of launch. You can watch everybody and see all the preparation it takes to get off the ground safely.

Photo and caption by Audray Luck.

BELOW Moments after the pilot left the ground I snapped this picture of him and his shadow. Photo and caption by Audray Luck.

lose at this point, so I stayed, spotting Rob Clarkson downwind thousands of feet above me. From my angle, it

seemed as if he might have been in the same thermal I was letting slip through my fingers.

Survival mode. There were fields downwind, but off course, that I could follow to get over the forest. I was just hanging on when gradually, zero became 50, 50 became 150, and 150 became 300fpm up. The thermal was solidifying and I was in it, and I knew I was getting out of there. Excited, I settled into a rhythmic left-hand turn.

Out of nowhere the thermal tuckered out, or I lost it to the drift. I still wasn’t high enough to bridge the forest, so I was left with two choices: either follow the fields farther downwind and off course to hop the gap, or fly upwind and on course. I chose the former, because the distance was shorter with the wind at my back.

Thirty seconds into my glide, something made me freeze. I don’t know what it was, but I remember clearly saying out loud, “This is wrong.” Was it the thought of drifting too far off course? Maybe, but I was still catching little bubbles of lift along the way and covering ground downwind. It didn’t make sense to leave.

I did it anyway. I threw a massive U-turn, and I felt as if I lost 300 feet.

I chose my landing field, knowing I’d made the wrong choice, watching Rob fly away under perfect fluffy clouds. I could have turned around again and looked for the weak bubbles I’d been playing in, but I stayed my course. As I searched for any last saving grace, my vario asked me to circle, so I did.

Two turns later, I realized I had locked into something big, and the ground fell away. Mere minutes passed until I was laughing at cloudbase at 5600’, turning in 800 fpm. My reckless upwind turn had paid off in gold.

With 25 km left, my eyes traced the cloudstreet I was under all the way to goal. I had the perfect line; all I needed to do was not mess it up. “You’re not going to make goal for a few years, and that’s OK,” echoed in my head.

As the airstrip crept closer, I started

crying. I wasn’t supposed to make goal in the open class on a kingposted hang glider, but I was doing it. I took every thermal to its cloud. And my altitude above goal reached 2500 feet AGL. I knew I could have made goal long before I initiated my final glide, but I kept saying, “Don’t f*#% it up, don’t f*#$ this up…” I didn’t care about making goal fast. I just wanted to be there.

Marc-Andre Rathe, with whom I’d been flying all week, pulled up beside me and winged over. I could see the smile through his visor as his eyes said, “Let’s do this.” We pulled our base tubes in and made goal. It was the best flying day of my life. My second-best distance, my second 100+ km flight, and the first time I made goal in the open class. I did it with a kingpost, after telling myself that goal was literally years away. It took me only three days. That day, 32 pilots made goal; I was 29th. After three days of flying, I was ahead of 40 pilots, and I was not chill. I have never been more excited about anything in my life. Suan Selenati took the day with a massive 24-minute lead, followed by John and Jonny.

40 US H PA P I LOT

LEFT No competition would be possible unless we have meet directors. Belinda not only organized but she stood out in the heat where she was needed to help things go smoothly. On this day she helped control air traffic and vehicle traffic. ABOVE Longtime pilot Linda Salamone takes a break in the shade before her busy day of retrieve starts.

CENTER I always look at the morning meeting as the calm before the storm. People are drinking their coffee and relaxed. As soon as it’s over, the organized chaos begins! Photos and captions by Audray Luck.

Magic can’t last forever, and day 4 got me down. It was one of the biggest tasks ever called in a Florida competition, 245 km north, all the way across the Georgia border. Day 4 was the reason pilots go to Florida to fly. For me, the day was a hard lesson in patience. Conditions were good, but the strong south wind meant the thermals were broken. Kevin Carter, one of only two pilots to make goal that day (the other being Rudy Gotes) said that it wasn’t a day to race.

After getting high in the start circle, I punched out ahead and crossed a cloud street, flew under a perfect-looking cloud and found nothing.

On the best day of the week, I was on

the ground, barely 15 minutes from Paradise.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little mad, but I surprised myself with how quickly I was able to glaze over my failure. I broke my glider down as quickly as possible, thinking I could get back to Paradise, relaunch and make it to Georgia anyway, even if I didn’t earn the points for it. But then another thought crept in… I could practice flying the T2C in calm conditions that night. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad day after all.

I considered both options all the way home and settled on flying the topless glider at sunset. In the end, practicing on that wing was one of my primary reasons for coming to Florida. With the weather devolving over the next two days, it was likely my last opportunity before heading home. After two incredible evening flights, I settled happily back on the ground. It was the first time that I wasn’t nervous clipping into that intimidating wing, and it was pure magic playing with its incredible glide.

I can’t wait until I’m ready to fly it in competition.

USH PA PILOT 41

ABOVE No competition is complete without its signature t-shirts.

RIGHT Ground control to Major Tom! Take your protein pills and put your helmets on; It’s time to go go go!

Timothy Ettridge did a great job at putting smiles on faces while keeping everything cool on launch. Photos and captions by Audray Luck.

Flying in the 2019 Quest Air Nationals and Women’s Pre-worlds was one of the most personally rewarding weeks of my short career in hang gliding. Jonny Durand took gold, ahead of Larry Bunner and Kevin Carter. Corinna Schwiegershausen took from sport to open class will likely the trophy for women at 16th overall, have a major impact on the sport followed by me and Claudia Mejia. class in the coming years.

Erik Grabowski took gold for the In the last decade, the sport class sport class after winning every single has grown from primarily a mentorday. There’s not a lot of words that come to mind to describe what it feels ship-focused category to one chock like to enter a stacked competition ex- full of experienced, skilled pilots. pecting to earn last, and finishing far, This growth is extremely valuable; it means the United States has space far above that. It really goes to show to develop a recreational class for the incredible performance achievless experienced pilots and a highly able by the development of high-percompetitive sport class capable of forming king-posted gliders like the international competition. If a pilot’s Sport3, and what we can accomplish ultimate goal is to fly topless hang when we attempt the unknown. gliders in the open class, then by Implications for the Sport Class all means, he or she should accelerMy decision to fly in the open class ate his/her progress by moving up. (and the surprising fact that I found However, if a pilot prefers to fly only marginal success there) had a small kingposted hang gliders, staying in ripple effect on week 2 of Nationals, and strengthening the sport class when two sport-class pilots decided could be far more impactful. to fly their kingposted gliders in open.

To avoid losing our competitive If the trend continues, this small shift sport-class pilots, I believe we should

increase the difficulty of sport-class tasks and add start gates to accommodate the advanced pilots who choose to fly kingposted wings. To accommodate new pilots, organized, mentored, recreational classes could be operated in conjunction with the competitive sport class to bring novice cross-country pilots up to speed. There’s room for growth in the United States, and it lies largely within the sport class.

I will continue to fly in the open class with my kingposted hang glider, until I’m fully capable of flying a topless wing. It’s an enormous step up both in performance and maturity.

Flying a topless hang glider means accepting more risk, and accepting too much risk has mortal consequences. Flying my Sport3 in the open class was my way of increasing my skills as I prepare to accept that risk—if and when I choose to—and it’s not a choice I take lightly. The implications for the sport class indicate that we need to balance catering to highly competitive pilots on kingposted wings with entry points for novice cross-country competitors, so we may continue expanding competitive hang gliding.

2019 Red Bull X-Alps courtesy of Redbull Photofiles

T

TEN FINISH IN MONACO

hey came from 20 countries to do battle across the skies and mountains of the Alps. This summer some of the world’s toughest, fittest and strongest adventure athletes—all expert paraglider pilots— from the ages of 24 to 59 assembled in Salzburg for world’s toughest adventure race, the Red Bull X-Alps.

It is a race from the historic city to the Mediterranean Sea, via 13 turnpoints in Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France.

At the finish line, as the clock stopped at midday, 10 of those athletes had made Monaco, five were eliminated and only one retired due to injury.

“It’s been an incredible race and most likely the toughest and most challenging one in Red Bull X- Alps history,” said race co-founder Ulrich Grill.

“The performance of the athletes has been phenomenal and stronger than ever before.”

For the sixth time in a row, the race was won by “Chrigel the Eagle,” the incredible Swiss paraglider and ad42 US H PA P I LOT

venturer Christian Maurer, in a time of 9d 3h 6m. Second place went to French rookie Maxime Pinot, whose brave performance saw him refuse to give up the battle against Maurer throughout the race. He crossed the line in 9d 21h 52m.

󲢫 No matter where they finished up, they and their teams all deserve credit for achieving what they did, and safely. 󲢻 Third place was shaping up to be an epic duel between Austrian athlete Paul Guschlbauer and the French firefighter Benoit Outters. But in the spirit of the race, they joined forces on the last day and crossed the line together to take joint third place in time 10d 8h 45m Grill added: “I co-founded this race with Hannes Arch back in 2003 and you cannot believe how much the performance of athletes has

improved. Ten years ago you would have expected a third of the field to pull out with injury or foot problems.

These athletes are not just stronger and better prepared, but also incredible mountain athletes and runners, not just paraglider pilots. Maurer’s performance once again has been amazing, but he is not the only great athlete out there. We are seeing new young talented adventurers come through who promise to be great stars of the future.”

This year’s race was particularly challenging for the 30 men and two women who started. The course entailed several crossings of the main chain of the Alps and the weather conspired to make it even more tough.

A fast start in the air was soon replaced by bad weather in Switzerland, forcing athletes to hike to many of TOP Chrigel Maurer wins another X-Alps. To witness one of the greatest athletes ever is a special thing.

OPPOSITE Chrigel at the finish in Monaco after his sixth win!

USH PA PILOT 43

the turnpoints, including the highest, Titlis, which was at 3000m. For some athletes, this required an ascent of six hours.

On some days athletes were hiking up to 5000m of vertical, equivalent to the height of Mt. Everest every second day.

Race director Christoph Weber said: “Once again it’s been an amazing adventure for athletes and I pay tribute to their endurance, fitness and mental strength. This has not been an easy course or an easy year, with tricky weather and lots of snow in the Alps.”

High snowfall in the Alps meant athletes had to use mountaineering equipment in much of the mountains.

They also experienced extremes of weather from rain, snowfall and towards the end, a heatwave in France.

“No matter where they finished up, they and their teams all deserve credit for achieving what they did, and safely,” added Weber.

Aaron Durogati (ITA1), who reached the final turnpoint of Peille in 9th place after hiking through the night, summed up the feeling among athletes: “It was a beautiful race and a great adventure—the best Red Bull X-Alps from the fun side of things and the flying. But the last hours were tough.”

Simon Oberrauner (AUT2) added: “There were so many experiences—I could write 10 books about it.” He added that it was the camaraderie among competitors that made the race unique and special. “Of course we’re all competitive, but there’s a spirit between everyone.”

The last athlete to make goal was Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) who has competed in every edition of the race since 2007. But this was the most special ending, as it was the first time he made goal. Wiping away the tears of joy and exhaustion, he said: “Reaching Monaco has been my dream for 14 years. It’s a special moment. It’s a good feeling to be here.”

RED BULL X-ALPS 2019

FINAL RESULTS

1. CHRISTIAN MAURER (SUI1), 9 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes 2. MAXIME PINOT (FRA4), 9 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes 3. BENOÎT OUTTERS (FRA1), 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes 4. PAUL GUSCHLBAUER (AUT1), 10 days, 8 hours, 45 minutes 5. MANUEL NÜBEL (GER1), 10 days, 11 hours, 26 minutes 6. SIMON OBERRAUNER (AUT2) , 10 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes 7. GASPARD PETIOT (FRA2), 10 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes 8. PATRICK VON KÄNEL (SUI2), 10 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes 9. AARON DUROGATI (ITA1), 10 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes 10. TOM DE DORLODOT (BEL), 10 days, 22 hours, 33 minutes 11. TOMA COCONEA (ROU), 78.1km to goal 12. GAVIN MCCLURG (USA1), 206km to goal 13. TOBIAS GROSSRUBATSCHER (ITA2), 212.7km to goal 14. MARKUS ANDERS (GER2), 215.8km to goal 15. NICK NEYNENS (NZL1), 263.3km to goal 16. EDUARDO GARZA (MEX), 265.4km to goal 17. EVGENII GRIAZNOV (RUS), 270.3km to goal 18. JURAJ KOREN (SVK), 290.1kmto goal 19. ADRIAN KELLER (SUI3), 350.5km to goal 20. CODY MITTANCK (USA3), 399km to goal 21. THOMAS JUEL CHRISTENSEN (DNK), 423.8km to goal 22. BARIS CELIK (TUR), 449.1km to goal 23. WILLI CANNELL (USA2), 471.4km to goal 24. MARKO HRGETIC (HRV), 478.3km to goal 25. KAORU OGISAWA (JPN), 500.9km to goal 26. HELMUT SCHREMPF (AUT3), 503.4km to goal OUT CHIKYONG HA (KOR), 530km to goal DNF ANTOINE GIRARD (FRA3), 554km to goal OUT KINGA MASZTALERZ (NZL2), 580km to goal OUT ALEX VILLA (COL), 743km to goal OUT DOMINIKA KASIECZKO (POL), 870km to goal OUT RODOLPHE AKL (LBN), 990kmto goal

PROFESSION: Wilderness River Guide SUPPORTER: Rob Curran GLIDER: Niviuk Klimber P 19,24 SPONSORS: Solitude River Trips

mountain west, primarily in Idaho, Nevada and Owens Valley, California.

The foundation of my XC and vol biv paragliding skills come from flying the mountains around my home in Sun Valley, Idaho. I love flying in Idaho! The high-desert mountains are so spectacular and flying high over the vast wilderness areas that I’ve spent so much time in is really a great part of the experience for me. We get to fly really high in Idaho, which I enjoy greatly. I’ve been up to our FAA ceiling

highly unstable day and the line I chose was slightly off courseline. To both the east and west were building complexes of cu-nimbs. The line I took followed the sparse clouds along the main ridge of the Pyrenees from the dry flatlands of Spain to the wet farmlands of France. I was able to stay in the good air and passed/made headway on a lot of the competition.

It was a beautiful, majestic day of flying as well as one of my tactically best moments in the race.

󲢫 I’m confident in my potential to optimize the crucial moments of opportunity that every pilot will have to perform well at the race. 󲢻 When and why did you begin paragliding? I learned to paraglide in 2014 after a conversation with a friend about “updrafts” and “cross country.”

Once I discovered the sport, I knew I had no choice except to commit completely. Free flight simply captured me. Paragliding has taken 100% control of my recreational time since then, and I don’t see that slowing down soon.

What is your mountaineering experience? Many of the mountains in central Idaho are my close friends.

I’ve summited several of the 3000m+ peaks in Idaho, and many in the winter (we don’t have any mountains over 4000m here). Also, for the last 10 years I’ve worked as a wilderness river guide on multi-day (usually six-day) trips through the remote, rugged Idaho wilderness. I sleep outside about a quarter of the year. I am familiar with wilderness medicine and the respect for the mountains that is necessary to succeed in wild settings.

What is your paragliding experience? Most of my paragliding experience has taken place in the inter44 US H PA P I LOT

of 18,000 ft. several times, and each time is very special and memorable for me. Traveling internationally is also a fantastic part of this sport. I’ve flown in South America twice (Colombia a couple times, and Ecuador once) and also in Mexico many times. The most beautiful experience yet was flying in the Himalaya around Bir last October. It’s really special to fly deep and committing lines in the Himalaya because they are so magnificent and empty. And, of course the 2018 X-PYR was certainly the most fun I’ve had with a paraglider!! It was perhaps the most physically and mentally demanding event I’ve ever taken part in (besides my job guiding on wilderness rivers in Idaho), but by day 7 I was seriously sad that it was over.

What is your adventure racing/ endurance sport experience? 2018 X-PYR (awesome!) 2018 Yakima Skyline 50km ultra (10,000ft. elevation) What are your best and worst adventure/flying moments? I think my best adventure/flying moment was day 5 of the X-PYR, flying over the crest of the Pyrenees. It was a

What are the sporting moments you are most proud of? X-PYR 2018 What appeals to you about Red Bull X-Alps? Experience the Alps in the most unique way possible.

What was your strategy during the race? Do my best, have fun.

Why do you think you will make it to the finish? I’m confident in my potential to optimize the crucial moments of opportunity that every pilot will have to perform well at the race.

What scares you the most about the event? My helmet rolling off the top of a mountain while I'm setting up.

Have you ever done anything of this magnitude before? 50% magnitude: X-PYR 2018

TOP A Redbull Athlete gliding on course. BOTTOM LEFT Flying the Alps is all-time. RIGHT Audi sponsored this years event. Paragliding is getting bigger sponsors on board which will only mean good things for the sport.

USH PA PILOT 45

long push. Some highlights are: “Scenic Cruise” in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison 13 pitches 5.11 and “Tricks of the Trade” V, 5.10+, A2. A couple of multi-day big-wall climbs such as “Sling Shot” 5.9 C2 and “Prodigal Son” 5.8 C2 in Zion Canyon. I have also done many difficult ice climbs including “Stairway to Heaven,” 10 pitches WI6 M6 in Provo Utah.

What is your paragliding experience? I fly race-to-goal and XC competitions in at least six or seven competitions per year. I fly solo for distance in the western US. I do hike-and-fly PROFESSION: Ecologist/GIS Consulmulti-day adventures for fun within tant the Rocky Mountains and Nevada. I SUPPORTER: Huntley Brockie also train acrobatic. I can competently GLIDER: Zeolite MS SPONSORS: Ozone Paragliders, Braven, do all the old-school stuff like mistyto-heli, heli-to-heli, mactwist, infinite, XC Skies, Coalatree esfera, as well as some new-school stuff like the Joker and Cowboy and I When and why did you begin paraam working on everything twisted. I gliding? In 2009 I hiked up a hill with recently did my first twisted infinite. some friends and watched them What is your adventure racing/enlaunch, core a thermal, and take off down the range. That was when I real- durance sport experience? Nothing official. I have only done long endurized the potential of the sport. Living

the table!

What are the sporting moments you are most proud of? Taking 3rd at the Bright PWC. Have you competed in Red Bull X-Alps before and if so, when? No. What was your strategy during the race? Stay in the air as long as I can each day. The race is won in the air. I plan to be smart about when I hike, thinking of hiking as putting myself in the right position/launch to take advantage of the flying window.

Why do you think you will make it to the finish? I know if we get good flying weather I can make it to Monaco. But anything can happen. If I am accepted my primary goal is to make intelligent decisions and not put myself in desperate/dangerous situations. Flying a paraglider is all about being patient and taking advantage of the possibilities that are presented to you. As soon as you try to force an outcome you are no longer perceptive to the reality that is in front of you. I try to remove my ego from my decision-making and

󲢫 My primary goal is to make intelligent decisions and not putmyself in desperate/dangerous situations. 󲢻 in the U.S. I didn’t have any exposure to it and had no idea what you could do under a wing.

Do you paraglide competitively?

Yes. I am currently ranked 19th in WPRS. My best finish was 3rd place in the Bright PWC 2018. I have had four top-10 PWC finishes: 7th Castelo 2016, 8th Serbia 2017, 10th Baixo Guando 2018, and 3rd Bright 2018. I also took 3rd in the U.S. Nationals 2014. I came 1st at the Willi XC Challenge 2016 where I flew 700 km in three days and broke the Canadian distance record. I have won the Utah Cup for the last three years with 293km, 313km, and 328km flights.

What is your mountaineering experience? I have climbed 5.13b sport and 5.12d traditional. I have done many bold big-wall climbs alpine style in one 46 US H PA P I LOT

ance bike rides, climbing adventures, and bike rides for fun.

What does your typical training week consist of? When I am not competing or training acro I am doing three to four hours each day of mountain biking, swimming, hiking or XC flying.

What are your best and worst adventure/flying moments? Worst are the accidents I have witnessed, for sure. I recently got hypoxia while doing a hike-and-fly adventure with Gavin McClurg in Nevada. We didn’t have oxygen since we were going lightweight. I spent most of the flight above 15k and after six hours with a cracking migraine and nausea I finally landed and puked. But the worst part was seeing the beautiful cloud streets from the ground and leaving three hours on

I think that is what has kept me from having any bad accidents during my career.

What scares you the most about the event? Fatigue affecting my decision making and as a result making a bad decision and injuring myself.

Have you ever done anything of this magnitude before? Not as a competition, but I have pushed myself to my limits physically and mentally plenty of times.

TOP One of the reasons the RedBull X-Alps thrives is because the course-line is over numerous cities.

BOTTOM LEFT Paul Gushelbaur on the move RIGHT TOP Maxime Pinot, who took second place, making moves in the snow. BOTTOM Almost every launch is a full commitment!

USH PA PILOT 47

PROFESSION: M&E Engineer SUPPORTER: Bianca Heinrich GLIDER: Skywalk X-Alps4 XS SPONSORS: Hitachi Cable America

Inc., Corning Optical Fiber, Skywalk Paragliders When and why did you begin paragliding? Right after I moved to the US. I found a hang gliding school nearby, so I said, why not? Right after that I switched to paragliding (pack convenience). Without my knowing it, the sport took over my life so I started

years now. I’ve flown in very turbulent 2018 when we flew 140km to tag TP #4 and TP #5 which took us through conditions all around the world from the highest peaks while crossing from Mexico, Colombia and Brazil to Japan Spain to France. Figuring out how including all countries encompassto tag TP #5 in the air was a thing of ing the Alps and the Pyrenees! I’ve beauty. Worst would be sinking out crossed the Alps twice from Chamonix, France to Tolmin, Slovenia, follow- the first day on the X-Pyr 2016 which ing two very different routes, and had made things much more difficult for my team during the following days. a blast while learning about valley This helped me learn a lot about that winds, foehn, etc. and just marveling area, which I used to my benefit for at the amazing scenery. I have also the next race, so it wasn’t that bad competed in XC race-to-goal comps after all! and held the New England distance What are the sporting moments record for several years. I currently you are most proud of? Hiking/runco-own the Vermont state record with the US Women’s champion, who ning 100+km in the span of 24 hours happens to be my main supporter for at the end of the 2018 X-Pyr in order this race. to get to goal in Port de la Selva. When What is your adventure racing/enI arrived to champagne and cheers, durance sport experience? X-Pyr 2016: Inigo the Race Director asked me if I wanted to sit down or take off the 10th place (TP5: 220.3km); X-Pyr 2018: pack, but I was feeling totally fine so 5th place (Goal: 567km). Before startI told him “No, I’m ready for another ing to paraglide, I ran plenty of 10km, half marathons and one marathon. In 500 km!”

What appeals to you about Red Bull addition, I competed in the New EnX-Alps? I love the Alps! Unless I have gland Mountain Bike Championship series winning my division during my a race in the Pyrenees, every year I final year. Lastly, I’ve practiced martial go to fly in the Alps. In addition, the

󲢫 The challenge that this race represents is so enticing! And doing this with some of the best pilots in the world is the perfect game for sure. 󲢻 traveling, looking for higher mountains and longer flights. After my first trip to the Alps, I discovered how to use my glider as an actual means of transportation, thus discovering hike & fly.

Do you paraglide competitively? I competed in standard XC races back in 2014/2015, but just this year I did three more XC race-to-goal competitions in order to be selected for the Mexican team that will participate in the FAI Worlds Championship in 2019.

What is your mountaineering experience? I’ve been a mountain person all my life, starting in my hometown nestled in the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico.

What is your paragliding experience? I’ve been paragliding for eight 48 US H PA P I LOT

arts for 10 years and currently hold a 2nd degree black belt in Kung-Fu (tests for higher ranks can be considered endurance sports since these are 5+ hours!)

What does your typical training week consist of? For the two X-Pyr races, I’ve been training with Ben Abruzzo, who is my friend, so I pretty much have the same training program as Gavin McClurg. This consists of strength training twice per week, aerobic (running, biking, XC skiing) twice per week, and hiking/walking with packs twice per week (one day rest per week), while flying any day when the conditions allow.

What are your best and worst adventure/flying moments? One of my best memories is from this past X-Pyr

challenge that this race represents is so enticing! And doing this with some of the best pilots in the world is the perfect game for sure. As I said before, I’d love to participate and show that a Mexican team can also compete at a high level.

What scares you the most about the event? Not being able to enjoy the race due to illness.

Have you ever done anything of this magnitude before? Competed twice in the X-Pyr, albeit shorter overall distance.

TOP Toma Coconea doing what he does best, walk. BOTTOM LEFT A Red Bull X-Alps athlete takes a line to a turnpoint. RIGHT Gavin McClurg calls in for more Red Bull!

foot traverse of the Alaska Range from east to west, nearly 800 kilometers (37 days to complete), which was documented by Red Bull for their Explorers Series.

What is your paragliding experience? I crossed the Canadian Rockies with Will Gadd in 2014. That mission took us 18 days. I crossed the full length of the Alaska Range (500 miles) in 2016 and finished the last 1/3 of that route solo. I currently hold the foot-launch distance record in North America (set in 2013: 240 miles from my home town of Sun Valley). I competed PROFESSION: Paragliding pilot/athlete in the 2015 X-Alps (8th place) and the CEO Offshore Odysseys 2017 X-Alps (14th place).

SUPPORTER: Ben Abruzzo What is your adventure racing/enGLIDER: Zeolite S SPONSORS: Patagonia, ONNIT, Garmin, durance sport experience? 2015 and 2017 Red Bull X-Alps. I sailed around Niviuk the world for 13 years, completing When and why did you begin paraglid- nearly two full circumnavigations.

What are your best and worst ading? Back in 2004 I was sailing around venture/flying moments? Best: Flying the world and my girlfriend at the the full length of the Alaskan Range time handed me a wing and showed

Bruce Marks and I would watch the event on our laptops whenever we could get cell service in tiny little ports in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In 2013 I hung my harness in front of the computer and didn’t move for seven days, watching Chrigel massacre the Alps by air. It is the best race in the world!!!

What appeals to you about Red Bull X-Alps? The risk, the strategy, the teamwork, the physical challenge—it is everything awesome wrapped up into one event! I’ve been fortunate to have done a lot of crazy and wonderful things, but the Red Bull X-Alps was the highlight of my life in 2015 and I’ve been dying to do it again since I got to the raft (although I didn’t actually land on the raft). And in 2017 we didn’t make it, which was a huge disappointment but I felt strong at the end and made a fraction of the mistakes we made in 2015, so it’s time for another go.

What was your strategy during the

󲢫 I’m confident in my potential to optimize the crucial moments of opportunity that every pilot will have to perform well at the race. 󲢻 me how to groundhandle. I took a couple tandems and thought it was painfully boring. But one day I got to take the controls, and when I learned you could use a wing to fly distance, I was totally hooked. I’ve been a junkie ever since.

Do you paraglide competitively? 1st Place US Nationals Owens Valley 2015, 2nd place Pre-PWC Colombia 2014.

What is your mountaineering experience? I was a guide/instructor for Outward Bound in the Northwest of the United States for several years where I instructed rock climbing and raft/kayak guiding. I have mountaineered in the Andes (Bolivia and Peru), run many class 5-6 rivers in North and Central America and have done vol-biv expeditions across the Canadian Rockies (“The Rockies Traverse” in 2014 with Will Gadd, a Red Bull Production), and recently completed a full paragliding/ 50 US H PA P I LOT

and finishing solo; crossing the Canadian Rockies with Will Gadd; being the first American to make goal in the Red Bull X-Alps in 2015; and every time I launch. Worst: Getting blown over the back and landing in a river in the Dominican Republic and walking out over a series of massive waterfalls; nearly getting killed in the Red Bull X-Alps 2015; getting caught in a gust-front in the Wallis of Switzerland; and battling SUPER high winds in Alaska on a very dicey day!

What are the sporting moments you are most proud of? Red Bull X-Alps 2015 and 2017, becoming a Patagonia ambassador, and making the US Ski Team.

When and how did you first hear about Red Bull X-Alps? I’ve been a Red Bull X-Alps junkie since I first heard of it in 2007. In 2011 I was captaining our vessel “Discovery” and my supporter

race? The same as it has been: have a blast, laugh a lot, be TOTALLY prepared and fit, and punch it as hard as we can but be smart.

What scares you the most about the event? The race can be absurdly dangerous. Training, good decision making and understanding thoroughly that it’s a just a race—it’s not worth getting injured, or worse. I understand the risks but proper training mitigates all but dumb decisions, which I don’t plan to make.

Have you ever done anything of this magnitude before? Alaska Traverse was harder! And it was 37 days so this is just a warm up.

TOP Banked up in the Swiss Alps.

BOTTOM LEFT Gavin McClurg checks off another turnpoint. RIGHT TOP Launching! BOTTOM Red Bull XAlps athletes hike for hundreds of miles.

USH PA PILOT 51

2019 GREEN SWAMP SPORT KLASSIC

by KEN MILLARD

O

n March 24, 2019 I flew my first 100-kilometer XC flight. It was a big day for me as a developing pilot, with personal records set and many lessons learned. Fortunately, none of the lessons were the kind that lead to unwanted landings in strange fields or send you to Urgent Care. It was a very good day.

I began entering competitions in 2018, starting In March with the Green Swamp Sport Klassic. The Green Swamp is a sport-class competition that matches intermediate pilots with mentors who coach them through a week of cross-country flying in a competition environment. As an Oregon Hang-3 pilot flying some fairly tricky local sites, I was at the frustrating cusp where I didn’t have the thermaling skills to get high enough and far enough to find more thermals and improve my thermaling and XC

52 US H PA P I LOT

skills. The Green Swamp looked like the perfect crucible to move my game up a notch.

Green Swamp 2018 was great. I had my first out-landings (disregarding landing on the wrong beach in 2006).

I flew 40 km on my best day. I never made goal. With the encouragement of other pilots and bolstered by great experiences, I proceeded to compete in sport-class competitions in Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. “Compete” is a strong word, as I never made goal and always finished in the bottom 25%. With my intermediate XC skills, I thought of myself as more of a “participant.”

March of 2019 found me back in Florida for my second Green Swamp.

Not wanting to ship my glider across the country again, I purchased a new Moyes Gecko to fly and store in Florida.

Saturday I took two short test flights

on my new glider, which went very smoothly.

Sunday was Day 1, task 1, and conditions looked great. A classic “Florida Ridge” convergence was expected to set up, providing winds from the south and strong thermals. Given the conditions, and with tailwind, and mentors to help show us the way, the task committee set a 103km task: a dogleg taking us first to 70 km northwest to the only turn point, then turning straight north, downwind to goal. Early in the day, cloudbase would be low, limiting our climbs. The strategy of the day: Get high and stay high, moving along cloud streets. When in doubt, climb and drift.

And we were off! The tow pilot circled through lift before releasing me.

I turned back, hooked it, and climbed to 4400’. So far, so good. My mentor Mark and fellow mentee Steve towed up. Steve had some difficulty early in

USH PA PILOT 53

thermal. Twice I felt a bump and got suckered into turning in sink. I couldn’t stop sinking, relative to Mark. I realized I was starting to grasp at straws. I was trying to have the flight I wanted, the flight and turned back to land at Wilotree. Mark and I headed out along to track with Mark along a lift line to the next cloud thermal. I needed to the course line. abandon that plan and fly the skills, As a developing pilot still learning to predict, spot, and feel thermals, leaving equipment, and conditions I had here and now. Time to reassess. cloudbase to head out on course or The situation? The cloud street was toward the next likely-looking cloud or trigger requires a leap of faith. I feel overdeveloping into a wide contiguous cloud superhighway. It was shadowing acutely the insecurity of leaving the a wide swath of ground. Identifying lift that I know and proceeding into developing clouds was difficult, bethe vast invisible medium, knowing cause of how much relatively uniform that either I will find more lift or end cloud area there was. Also, the terrain my flight in a stranger’s pasture. I below was broken up with small ponds, simultaneously focus and spread my fields, and groves. Nothing stood attention, trying to both feel what out as a strong thermal generator or the glider is telling me about the trigger. Mark was still on glide, looking air around me and look for distant for a thermal. If and when he found signs of clouds, sun/shadow patterns, one, I was unlikely to find its core this ground triggers and birds. (If it were easy, everyone would make goal!) Also, far below him. The air felt dead: mostly smooth sink, with the occasional I realize I do not thermal efficiently texture of less sink. Given the cloud (yet). If Mark found 400 up, I would get into the same area and manage 300. development, shadowing, and the way the air felt, I didn’t trust this street to Initially, this worked well. He would give me anything I could work with. climb to base and then head along the Scanning, I saw that to my right the ample cloudstreet looking for the next lift. By the time I topped out, he would broken terrain gave way to large golden fields alternating with tree lines have my next thermal marked. which should make great triggers, all We followed a cloudstreet that was of it currently bathed in sunlight. Getaligned a little east of our northwestting there would mean turning north ern course. The quartering tailwind and pulling away from the northwest helped move us along. We nibbled course line I was trying to follow. But a away at the task in 5km jumps and cross-track error can be fixed; landsubsequent climbs, never getting below 2700’ msl. Cloudbase was fairly low, ing can’t. I turned right, as I passed through 2500’ msl in 600fpm sink. at around 5500’. After 45 minutes, we Still flying fast through sink, I snuck were at ‘base and 21 km along course a finger onto my PTT button and told with a small cross-track error.

Mark I was diverting. His quick reply ow our plan ran into some trou- was, “Good luck. I’m not finding anything here.” I centered my attention ble. Mark headed out to find on a huge mown field directly in front the next lift, while I finished of me on my new heading, ringed by my climb. I lost him in the mist for a trees and bathed in sunlight. Someone few seconds. Once on glide, I spotted else might see a big yellow rectangle, him ahead of and above me. He had but I saw a place air would collect found a good line and, in losing sight of him and not following directly, I had energy bordered by trigger points.

Once I passed over a big fenced facility, missed it. I pulled full VG and plowed I could track right along the field’s ahead trying to feel for a lift line or a LEFT Rich Westmoreland sets up his glider for another great day of racing in Florida.

N

northern (downwind) border and find any thermals triggered there. The fenced facility looked neither landable nor particularly thermal-attractive, so I ignored it in favor of the field beyond.

About a half mile out, I realized the fenced facility was a prison. Another right bank let me avoid overflying one of Florida’s fine correctional facilities, while still heading for a promising sunny field. I was now flying directly perpendicular to the course line, crosstrack error over 5km and growing.

I thought it likely that I would overfly most of the field and find thermals triggered along the far tree line. Instead, the moment I crossed the trees bordering it, I felt a solid bump.

My vario chirped its agreement. Gun shy from the sink in which I recently had turned, I made a few turns with VG still on. Bumpy, but I was climbing.

I dumped VG and started thermaling in earnest. I was at 1100’ msl. I rode it at 200 to 400 fpm and was still trying to center it. At 1600’ I lost it, but then found it again and stayed with it, as it consolidated and strengthened to 600 fpm. My GoPro captured my vario’s excited keening. Soon I was back at a 5500’ cloud base, seven kilometers off course line but clear of the overcast area and flying over promising-looking terrain. I had been off tow for an hour and a quarter and covered about a third of the 70km distance to the first turnpoint. I told Mark the good news that I was back at altitude. He had landed. From here on out, I was on my own. Consulting my vario, I pointed towards the turnpoint, pulled VG, and headed out.

It’s hard to say how much of what followed was luck versus skill. I saw a couple of other gliders in the air, but none close enough to mark usable lift for me. I saw birds crossing fields, but not circling. I made small diversions from course line for what looked like good thermal triggers or developing clouds. Who knows what I should or could have seen and missed. I would find a thermal, top it out, pull in, and

press through sink watching my altitude bleed away, while feeling the air. Reviewing my track log, I see that 10 times a bump or buffet convinced me to dump VG and turn. Three of those yielded truly productive climbs, taking me back to 5500’ or better after long glides. I dug out from 1100’ again once, but never got below 2500’ after that. Four times I circled in zero lift or sink, but got out before it had cost me too much altitude. Three times I found myself circling in weak lift but stayed with it, trying to sniff out something stronger while the drift gave me distance. Mostly, I stuck to course line and felt the air. A pair of red-tailed hawks thermaled up to fly with me, a high point in an already extraordinary day.

I was topping out a long climb at 6500’ when my radio spoke. Ric and Jon, my flying buddies and retrieval teammates, hadn’t seen me check in as “down safe” yet. I had towed up two hours ago and they were concerned that I was down in a tree or something.

“Where are you?” Ric asked.

“I’m coming up on the turnpoint” I replied.

A slight pause. “You mean you’re still in the air? Good job!”

It was a good climb, but I had drifted past the turn cylinder by over a kilometer. On glide I doubled back to tag it along its northern perimeter, then snapped a quick U-turn to put me on course for goal, now 23 km away. I was at 5800 feet and had a tailwind. It was 5:20 pm on a day when conditions were predicted to weaken at 5:00. The day’s fat cloudstreets were gone and, while there were still many cumulus in the area, none seemed close enough to justify the diversion from course line. I flew north at moderate speed, trying to feel for lift lines, then pulling in hard for sink. After eight minutes, I was down to 3700 feet with goal at 15:1 when I felt a bump. I stopped and turned for what turned out to be my last climb. I averaged 400 fpm for a while, lost it, tracked downwind and found 500 fpm, finishing my climb54 US H PA P I LOT

ABOVE The iconic duo: a Dragonfly and a Gecko­—meant for each other!

and-drift at 6200 feet, 15 km from goal.

Pulling in, I immediately hit sink. My vario said I had goal at 8:1 and was currently managing 7.5:1. Again, I flew at 30 mph through lift and eased the bar when it felt as if I were in weak lift, trying to stretch my glide to make up for my sprints through sink. I must have checked my vario at a bad time, because I actually averaged 14:1 over that final glide. Trying to leave a contingency for sink, I stopped and made four turns in and out of weak lift; I lost 100’. With the drift, even that disappointing effort had given me a half-kilometer at 14:1. Getting back on glide, I saw that I now had goal at 6:1. I pulled in and stayed pulled in—my first final glide to goal.

I was so focused on staying on course and finding lift lines and thermals that I had lost track of the implications. I got another radio call from Ric. “Where are you now?”

“I’m coming up on the LZ.” “You mean goal?” Ric replied.

His excitement brought home what was really happening. I had done it. I had found lift, over and over. I had persisted and drifted. I had stayed off

the ground. I was making goal! My first goal!

I capped off my epic flight with a near-perfect landing, right in front of landing-clinic instructor Mitch Shipley.

Even in its final seconds, that flight kept delivering memorable moments.

My vario warbled and said the flight had been 3.5 hours. The sun was getting low. There were four or five other gliders in the field, packed up and being loaded, their pilots sharing beers and conversation before heading out.

I had flown for so long I assumed that we were the last wave—that the bulk of pilots who made goal had already packed up and left. As I was breaking down, three more gliders landed, all topless.

They were mentors. The pilots packing up and those landing after me, were all mentors. There was no “earlier group.” I was the only participant, or “Mentee” to make goal. I had outflown18 other participants and two mentors, including Mark.

Ric and Jon arrived. “You made goal!”

“I made goal!” I echoed. “My first goal!”

“A hundred kilometers!” Ric added.

Vaguely remembering the task board, I replied “Well, optimized to 89 or something, right?”

“One hundred and three kilometers” Ric said, very firmly and deliberately to the dehydrated exhausted idiot still trying to fold his sail.

And that’s when I lost my shit. My log says that I have had 100km flights before, running back and forth along a ridge or crisscrossing a valley working various thermal sources. This was an honest, hard-won 100 km from launch XC. Our driver caught us on video, three men with arms around shoulders, me in the middle excitedly jumping up and down, holding up a finger and yelling: “First in goal! Number one!

ONE HUNDRED KILOMETERS! A HUNDRED KILOMETERS!” Leave the sound off and we’re obviously soccer hooligans whose team has just won the World Cup. The day was fully valid. I received

USH PA PILOT 55

󲢫 I was so focused on staying on course and finding lift lines and thermals that I had lost track of the implications. 󲢻 full distance points and all of the time points for a neat total of 1000 points. I was no longer a participant—I was a competitor!

Lessons Learned

Analyzing my flight with SeeYou and reviewing my GoPro video shows plenty of opportunity for improvement.

No error was so critical that it cost me the day, but that’s hardly an excuse for complacency. More data from the rest of the week pointed out key strengths to reinforce and weaknesses to overcome.

Fly the situation you have, considering your environment, equipment, and skill level, at all times. Forget the flight you wanted to have or thought you were going to have. Constantly be making the best decision for yourself right here, right now. Knowing what constitutes the best course of action is judgment that takes years to develop; you are incapable of engaging and improving that judgment if you are trying to play out the script you wrote for your flight when you were on the ground or topping out your last thermal five minutes and 2000 feet of altitude ago.

Thermaling efficiency is crucial. I

won my big day due to strong thermals, good judgment in leaving sink and finding lift, and persistence. On weaker days, I could find thermals but was unable to use them effectively enough to create long flights. Our final day had the strong conditions I thrive in and I was in a good position to fly far, until I forgot lesson #1.

Efficiency adds up. I dug out from 1100’ msl twice. If I had been a few seconds slower to leave sink or flown a more-crooked line, I might have found those climbs closer to 900’, which might have put me in a position where I couldn’t use them. Conversely, if I had been quicker to leave sink and flown straighter lines, I could very well have reached those thermals at 1300’ msl or better and, had the lift not been there, had another 1600’ of search area (at 8:1) to find something.

have been practicing how to zoom in my 6030 to see my thermal tracks all week. I fell out of a thermal at 1600’ on the last day, and my track log shows that I missed picking it back up by a tiny distance. My 6030 could have shown me where I had been circling before, had I learned how to read it properly.

“Convergence zone” and “Cloudstreet” make it sound like the flying is easy. In practice, the thermals feeding those broad clouds may be narrow and hard to find. They may be gone entirely by the time you arrive. Telling a growing cloud from a dying one while climbing or at cloudbase is tricky. I have spent years flying at low and mid-altitudes and primarily reading ground sources. Reading cloud development and optimizing how to fly a cloudstreet is an entirely new and complex skill.

Referring back to lesson #1, just because another pilot makes it look and sound easy doesn’t make it so for you.

Use your best judgment to search for lift, and if you don’t find it, assess and adapt.

If it were easy, everyone would make goal.

Always, always, always, be safe and have fun!

A

dozen small tactical lessons learned and missed. I got better at knowing when and how to pull my VG to set and keep a good line.

Turn your radio volume down when you are in survival mode; save chatter for when you are high or turning on final.

Complacency is your enemy. I could

2020 WALL CALENDARS

are on the way, and they're incredible!

AVAILABLE AFTER OCTOBER 1st USHPA Calendar 2020.indd 6

8/15/19 5:08 PM

SUN

All this and more at

USHPASTORE.com

MON

TUE

WED

THR

SAT

FRI

USHPA Calendar 2020.indd 14

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THR

27

28

29

30

31

1

31

1

2

3

4

5

6

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

27

28

29

1

2

3

4

Groundhog Day

President’s Day

23

24

25

1

2

3

Octave Chanute’s Birthday (1832)

Mardi Gras

26

1 5

6

7

2

3

4

8 9 10 11

◀JAN

Valentine’s Day

FEBRUARY

MAR▶

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

USHPA Calendar 2020b.indd 7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Flag Day

Father’s Day

28

29

30

5

6

7

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Photo by RYAN VOIGHT

Flying in Salt Lake City offers a lot of options with glorious views.

Point of the Mountain, Utah.

1 3

4

5

6

7

2

8 9

◀MAY

JUNE

JUL▶

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

29 30 31

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

8/15/19 5:06 PM

SAT

FRI

26

First Day of Summer

1 5

6

7

2

3

4

8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Photo by JEROME MAUPOINT

A classic Jerome Maupoint angle in the Swiss Alps.

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

31

8/20/19 3:22 PM

USHPA Calendar 2020b.indd 15

8/20/19 3:23 PM

Backyard Adventure

[ contributed by GREG MILLS ]

Hike ‘N Fly Ocean-to-Desert in San Diego County A few years ago, inspired by many of the recent USHPA magazine articles detailing far-flung adventures in free flight, I leafed through countless online maps and webpages looking for ideas.

I asked around, looking for a classic, easy hike-and-fly adventure that I could do to get my feet wet in the hiking ‘n flying adventure world. I wanted to find something challenging enough to pique my motivation… yet not so difficult as to compromise safety. The Owens Valley, the High Sierras and Europe all loomed large in my imagination, but those seemed like more substantial adventures, not really the “get-your-feet-wet” kind.

I kept arriving at the same conclusion: There isn’t a classic one. It looked as if I were going to have to make my own. So, I thought, why not start with something in my own backyard? San Diego County, California, is my home, and we have some of the best, most consistent flying sites on the west coast of America.

Surely an adventure was waiting for me there.

Slowly I pieced it together. I would fly from my home base of Torrey Pines to a beach landing, dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean, and then proceed to hike ‘n fly my way across San Diego County into the mountains, while overlooking the desert below.

The route, though heavy on hiking for an intermediate paraglider pilot like me, would boast six fantastic flying spots along the way. The sites and trails were all familiar to me and, most importantly, it would be an epic adventure.

I planned to do the journey in segments, in order to solve many of the logistical, cost, and weather-based problems. This also allowed me to take a recovery day between the longer, more strenuous hikes… and the luxury of sleeping in my own bed at night!

I also planned to carry full gear every step of the way: a Gradient Golden 28 56 US H PA P I LOT

wing, folded neatly into a Woody Valley reversible harness, an Independence reserve chute and a Plusmax helmet. After adding drinking water, snacks, warm clothing, a first aid kit, a flashlight, etc., the pack weighed just under 40 pounds.

I could have purchased lighter gear, or foregone some items, but my rig was already optimized for safety, so I decided to try it out.

Indeed, since I had never really done a hike-and-fly, I didn’t know how heavy my gear would feel after a few miles of arduous hiking or several hours of uphill. I was starting to get skeptical about even wanting to attempt this at all. There was only one way to find out.

TORREY PINES (Day 1)

On a bright October morning, I arrived at Torrey Pines. A light breeze wafted over the cliff, and not a paraglider was in sight against the blue ocean backdrop.

Torrey Pines is a famous ridge-lift site perched atop a string of cliffs rising 350’ above San Diego’s beautiful La Jolla beaches. The site has a lush, green grass launch on top, which doubles as the normal landing area. It’s a fully staffed location, including a gear store, paragliding school, tandem business, café, and everything else associated with paragliding. The site enjoys a steady stream of smooth air most days each year, and favors a westward flow from the ocean into its cliffs.

Normally, I would have been hesitant to launch in that morning’s light conditions, because of the arduous hike back to the top, if I couldn’t stay afloat.

But today it didn’t matter, because I was heading for a beach landing on Black’s Beach below.

I launched into light conditions and an empty sky and was rewarded by one of the most pleasant flights I’ve ever had, with adequate lift and perfectly smooth air. And I had the sky to myself.

Eventually, I spied a glider pop up on the green grass below, creep forward and lift skyward. Then another. And another. I had been the guinea pig today, and the lemmings were not long to follow. Soon I counted more than 10 other wings buzzing the skies around me.

I could have flown all day, but didn’t dare. I had a lot of ground to hike and limited sunshine in which to do it. I turned away from the lift band, pulled big ears, landed softly on the beach below, and packed my wing as carefully and sand-free as possible.

It is worth mentioning that Black’s Beach is also a nude beach. In fact, when I learned to paraglide at Torrey Pines, my first landing EVER was straight into a naked volleyball game (which gets awkward fast… lines wrapping around everything… and everyone… everywhere…). Today, beginning my adventure under a full moon, I marched into the shallows of the unseasonably warm water. The sand and surf felt good under my feet. I was ready for a hike-and-fly adventure!

I packed up my final items and eyed the long, steep trail back to the top, as Lao Tsu’s words flashed through my mind: “Even the longest journey begins with a single step.” I took an exaggerated leap.

I was off.

LITTLE BLACK MOUNTAIN

My first destination was Little Black Mountain in the Rancho Penasquitos area of San Diego. The Penasquitos Creek Trail would take me most of the way there on foot.

USH PA PILOT 57

From Torrey Pines, I walked east, hiked down a hill, and followed a discreet canyon trail. A passing dirt-biker craned backwards to gawk at the size of my pack as he buzzed by. Soon I had gone through the Penasquitos trailhead and caught a glimpse of my destination mountain in the distance. It looked tiny. I was exhilarated (and coated with sweat) as I continued my hike along the trail under the hot sun.

This isn’t so bad, I thought. I am enjoying myself. Maybe I will actually go the distance.

After a few dusty miles, I crossed over a small waterfall cascade and cooled off in the stream. I polished off the rest of the trail and traversed a community park, passing by a remarkable pink cactus as I linked up to another local trail.

The smooth dust was soft under my feet.

I was almost there.

I dropped by a friend’s house near the mountain for a quick water refill.

“You hiked from WHERE?!” he repeated as he filled my bottle with the most delicious-looking chilled water I had ever seen. “Did you say the BEACH?!

That’s well over 10 miles away!” He offered me a ride the rest of the way to the paraglide site, but I declined. “Well, I do admire your passion,” he said, with a chuckle.

Soon thereafter I stood at Little Black’s launch. My buddy Brent joined me, sporting a bag full of his green chili.

The Little Black Mountain site is a small, fickle one. It is stuck on the side of a 1500’ mountain, amidst a sprawl of San Diegan suburbia. One normally parks at a large, shrub-lined LZ and hikes 300 feet up the hill along a steep trail, to find a west-facing launch. Little Black is often flyable, but not often great.

My chances of flying today were good, but my chances of flying far were not.

The sun was sinking low in the distance, and a steady west breeze blew. It was flyable. I launched.

There was not much lift, but the flight was successful. I veered around the mountain, hoping to reach a large flat field on the opposite side of it. Halfway

there, however, I began that slow, familiar downward path towards the earth, so I opted to land in an empty subdivision construction area to the east of the LZ. I hadn’t gotten very far, but I was taking what I could get.

IRON MOUNTAIN (Day 2)

I stepped into another sunny San Diego day, with a spring in my step and a long way to go. My destination was Iron Mountain, a popular hike in the mountains east of San Diego’s Poway: The City in the Country. Iron Mountain was listed as a proper site on the Paragliding Earth web app, but no additional information was given at the time. Being a hike-and-fly only site, it was not often flown. Getting a good briefing for the site proved difficult, but I finally found one through a friend.

The hike to Iron Mountain was pleasant. Within my first mile, I discovered a bush full of delicious ripe natal plums, a welcome treat. Another pleasant surprise came via a high-mounted crosswalk pushbutton intended for people on horseback, in addition to the regular-height one. (I reached up high and pushed the horse-button, of course).

After a particularly sweaty slog, I ducked into a convenience store and refilled my water bottles.

“You hiked from WHERE?” asked the clerk. “The BEACH?” I nodded. It was almost 20 miles away.

“I can’t even imagine that.”

All I could imagine was how much

remained. I was less than a third of the way to the desert.

The next section climbed straight uphill for an hour and a half. I ground incessantly upwards to the base of Iron Mountain. Once I arrived at the mountain trailhead, of course, the climb began anew, winding miles upwards on Iron Mountain’s summit trail.

The trail to the top was nothing short of gorgeous, and ended at some lofty picnic benches with spectacular views.

The launch was tight and sheer, but liked the usual westerly breezes and sported a beautiful landing zone within an easy glide below. At the top, the sun was an hour from setting. The site, thick with brush, seemed neglected by the paragliding community. The only clearing big enough to launch from lay on the verge of a sheer cliff.

I set up.

The breeze was warm and steady. The occasional thermal breathed, but it was a mellow wind. I stood steps from the sheer chasm in reverse-launch position.

My lines were fully extended and my wing laid inches from the scrub brush.

My setup was perfect, checked three times. I teased the A risers with a small tug to see if my Golden would bite the wind. It bit, and I released. It fell limp into a fold. I took the time to right the wing again, making it absolutely perfect.

I took a deep breath.

The weather was perfect. My setup was perfect. The site conditions were perfect.

My launch was perfect.

It felt wonderful. I lifted the wing skyward, checked my lines, turned, and went. In mere steps I was a thousand feet up, relishing the wind on my face.

The LZ was large below me. I did a few turns and goofed around in sporadic whiffs of thermal. Then I looked towards my next destination far to the south, and instinctively turned towards it. I found lift. Plenty of lift. I pressed south, keeping a good landing field within glide at all times. Every moment I spent flying was a moment I didn’t have to hike. I passed field after field. I

was standing there, checking his mail. was really getting somewhere.

As I approached, it appeared that the Shortly thereafter, however, as I scoured the distance for more potential person also clung to a machete blade landing areas, I saw no more. There was longer than my arm and was accompanowhere left to safely go. I was going to nied by three surly German Shepherds. have to land.

The dogs bounded towards me. He imI reluctantly set up an approach for mediately called them back. Luckily for the last good landing field. It was a norme, they were obedient, and begrudgmal landing, into a soft wind. My flight ingly let me live. hadn’t covered an impressive distance, The entire local paragliding communibut I had pushed forward a few miles. I ty at the time was aware that the owner would still have a long hike the next day. of this particular property claimed he had a negative experience with a paraglider pilot that led him to disconBLOSSOM VALLEY (Day 3) My next destination, Blossom Valley, tinue use of his property for landings. is not always filled with blooms, as The person I encountered was not he, the name suggests, but generally has but a man who was a protector of the an earthy beauty. Situated within a property…and judging by the size of the large valley and mirrored by a giant machete, he meant business. I did not granite monolith called El Capitan, the want to be on the business end of that valley funnels westerly breezes like a business. I like my limbs where they are. windsock. It is one of the most mellow, What came next thankfully did not consistent, popular sites in San Diego. involve any carnage, but instead a very The day began cool and overcast, pleasant 15-minute conversation. He which made for a good hike. I hiked invited me to refill my water with his mountain roads at first. The pretty vishose, smiled, and granted me access tas of boulder-clad mountains gradually through the property. He even thanked me for being respectful and reiterated reflected rural homes with horse pasthat some others hadn’t been. It was tures, the entire area punctuated with proof positive of how we all must be brilliant red flowers. The sun slowly ambassadors for our sport and how we peeked out and the sky mostly cleared.

When the pavement eventually ended, can help keep some valuable sites alive with smiles and respect.

I continued along dirt roads. Then, Unnervingly, the dogs escorted me suddenly a spectacular view of Blossom all the way to the base of the mounValley leapt out at me, with El Capitan towering above the valley floor, bathed tain. As much as I love dogs, I definitely in golden sunlight. It was gorgeous. breathed a sigh of relief when they Knowing my destination was in sight, finally pickled off, as I started up the I stopped for a snack and admired the steep trail. view. A solitary wing caught my eye as it The climb to the top felt long, but I launched smoothly from atop Blossom, eventually reached the launch. A light and I watched it sail steadily from side windsock along the ridge blew firmly to side. It had been a beautiful day.

I came across some wild pomegranate trees lining the roadside and plucked a beautiful, ripe fruit from the tree and cracked it open. The juices were tart and cool on my tongue. Looking upwards towards the launch, the mountain loomed tall.

From my direction, it seemed the only way to access the trail to launch was across private land. Luckily, a person 58 US H PA P I LOT

level, while a heavy one nearby held steady at half-mast. The wind was unwavering from the west.

I launched right away.

Immediately above launch, I played in the house thermals. The lone paraglider I had seen launch earlier was still up, floating masterfully above me. When ready to land, I headed for some desolate fields on the distant valley floor that were on my route and I knew were fair game for landing. The venturi winds in the valley slowed my groundspeed, but with some extra speedbar, my penetration was adequate for a soft, slow landing near a large pumpkin patch. It had been a good day.

THE LONG HIKE (DAYS 4, 5 and 6)

The next well-established paragliding site to my east was Horse Canyon, a solid 30 miles away. Although I sincerely hoped to find an intermediate flight among the Viejas Peaks along the way, all I actually found there was an all-youcan-eat buffet at the resort casino with unlimited beer (which was actually not a bad trade).

This stretch of the journey had all the physical and emotional ups and downs you would expect while hiking the San Diego Mountains with a paraglider on your back. Day 5 was particularly brutal.

I negotiated around prohibited reservoir trails, traversed the city of Alpine, admired cactus in bloom, stopped at roadside fruit stands, weaved through Cleveland National Forest, took shortcuts and long-cuts, met friendly faces and generally hoofed my way upwards into the high terrain. I had a gorgeous vista of Mt. Cuyamaca, rested with a cool horchata drink in a town called Descanso (which ironically means “rest” in Spanish), and had a root beer float at a place called Frosty Burger in Pine Valley.

After passing some shocked faces at a roadside Border Patrol checkpoint (they don’t usually see pedestrians that far out), I finally arrived at Horse Canyon to find that the weather had consistently strengthened, with the wind at launch

USH PA PILOT 59

blowing the wrong direction at a 30mph clip.

I was skunked.

But tomorrow was a new day.

HORSE CANYON (DAY 7)

Horse Canyon is a hot, desert-mountain site. It lies along an arid valley lined by towering boulder-strewn peaks. On a mellow day it is superb, but unlike its coastal counterparts to the west, it has a capacity for serious desert-heating differentials, and can be rollicking. It likes a steady southwest wind for takeoffs from its launch area, which is set back a short way from the main cliff. It has a large, easy landing zone about 1200 feet below, which can generate its own share of lift on some days.

I was elated that my friend Travis would join me for the last section of my voyage. Today we hoped for strong enough thermals to fly about three miles to the south, to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). From there, we would hike the long, slow, punishing uphill section of the PCT into the Laguna Mountains.

The windsock at Horse’s launch showed a light, steady takeoff, and we weren’t expecting much more than a sled ride to the landing zone.

I set up, walled my wing, and launched into the blue.

As a pleasant surprise, plenty of bubbles kept us aloft. Travis launched and soared skyward immediately. He was rocking.

Though I was finding bubbles in some areas, it was taking me longer than I had hoped to move in the right direction. In the interest of time and altitude, I decided to land short at the site’s regular landing zone. As it turned out, however, I soared over the LZ with oodles of altitude, and was very pleased to find a pumping thermal there. I rose strongly skyward.

Before I knew it, I had all the altitude I needed to make it all the way to the Pacific Crest Trail—almost too much, in fact, as I seemed to be breaking into a turbulent layer above. I applied full speed bar as I approached the trail and

sank magically onto my intended landLAGUNA MOUNTAIN (Day 8) ing zone along the PCT. Laguna Mountain is a difficult, east-facAs I packed up, Travis sailed into the ing site that is most often used for clearing behind me. Before we knew it, banner XC flights by advanced pilots on we were hiking our way north. Steeply days of good convergence. The launch uphill, of course. sits high on the crest of the Laguna The climb, amongst brush and laurel Mountains, overlooking a brown exsumac-covered peaks, was endless. As panse of desert as far as the eye can see the grueling miles piled up, the wing on 3500’ below. The site is mostly difficult my back felt heavier and heavier. Water because the LZs are all farther away drained from my canteen faster than than an unassisted glide can reach from I had anticipated. I started to worry launch, so some thermaling is required. about my water situation, because there Furthermore, they are all on the desert were still miles and miles of sheer trail floor, a good 45-minute drive away from to go. I was rationing. Strictly. The situa- launch, and quagmired by land-use issues. tion was miserable.

My journey was complete. After 90 Then a gurgle of water echoed in the miles of hiking, and six spectacular San ravine to my left.

Diego paragliding sites, all that re“I’ve got water purification tablets!” exclaimed Travis. mained was to pick a nice easy morning, My eyes lit up. Waves of joy washed launch from the Laguna Mountain peak, over me as I anticipated the cool reand coast into the desert below. freshing liquid I would soon be guzzling.

I was overjoyed. Travis was a hero.

CONCLUSION And guzzle, I did. It was a game I wanted to do something bigger than changer. No water diversions, no thirsty my usual flight routine, and get my misery. feet wet in the world of hike-and-fly.

Hours later, as we plodded our final As sometimes happens in life, I didn’t steps into our destination, the soft see any clearly defined paths before orange glow of sunset covered the me. This adventure taught me that is Laguna Mountains and accented the exactly when you should move forward fine outlines of the tree-lined ridges. It and blaze a path of your own. was spectacular. We watched the sunset With a little planning and a lot of mofade to dark, and the lonely lights of tivation, I was able to find everything tiny desert towns come alive in the disI was looking for right here at home in tance below. I reflected on just how far I San Diego. It just goes to show: Somehad come. It felt like such a long way, in times there are adventures lying in wait such a short time. in your own backyard. You just have to uncover them.

Ratings Issued May/June 2019 RTG RGN NAME

Take your ratings and expiration date everywhere you fly.

Download from the Members Only section of the USHPA website.

Print, trim, and store in your wallet. Great for areas without cell coverage.Always available at www.USHPA.aero Save the PDF on your mobile device for easy reference.

60 US H PA P I LOT

H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H1 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2

1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Nic Baack David Chavey-Reynaud Kirk Evertson Jonathan Hajnos Jade Stevens Kevin Baird Robert Del Valle Hynek Hoblik Octavio Ortiz Anthony Tagliaferro Ava Aabak Kyle Aabak Mark Bauer Marc Plate Andres Jacome Ramirez Owen Michelle Barton Ryan William Chappell Kevin Crandell Elijah Edwards Michelle Kramlich Jesse Lackey Raymond Lin Brian MacLean Douglas Meyer D. Scott Molitor Carson Ochabauer Zain Adam Rathore Clay Smith Jeffrey St Aubin James Scott Trimble Eric Wallace Ric West Debbie Wolford Monte C. Wolford Patrick Broyer Mary Joan Evans Kent Gilges Matthew Porter Nick Ragosta Blake Stock Stephen Deptula Kirk Evertson Vincent Lynn Geer Jonathan Hajnos Joshua Phillips Daniel Smith Bayley Adams Kevin Baird Dmitriy Bryndin Pouya Ghalei Victor Hethcock Octavio Ortiz Anthony Tagliaferro Ava Aabak Kyle Aabak Thaddeus Ryan Barringer Mark Bauer Evan Brooks Juan Guzman Noel Munoz Owen Michelle Barton Maximus Brewer Ryan William Chappell Kevin Crandell Michelle Kramlich Jennifer Louie Brian MacLean Ryan Massey

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

IA WA NE ID ID UT CA CA CA CA CO CO CA CA CA FL KY MS NC TN WV VA TN TN FL GA VA TN TN GA MO AR TN TN MI IL NY PA PA PA OR NE WA ID MT MT CA UT CA CA CA CA CA CO CO AZ CA CA CA CA FL GA KY MS TN FL TN TN

Luke Myles Robinson Eric Ollikainen Matthew Taber Kevin Koonce Eric Ollikainen Ian Boughton Patrick J. Denevan Patrick J. Denevan Eric Hinrichs Anthony Tagliaferro Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Dan DeWeese Josh Patrick Laufer Andrew T. Beem James E. Tindle Ian Boughton Gordon Cayce Luke Myles Robinson Gordon Cayce Ryan Salvo Luke Myles Robinson Gordon Cayce Matthew Taber Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce Ian Boughton Ian Boughton Ian Boughton Gordon Cayce Scott Schneider Scott Schneider Gordon Cayce Scott Schneider Rick Brown Jesse Valenti Luke Myles Robinson Luke Myles Robinson John Calvin Matylonek Matthew Taber Eric Ollikainen Kevin Koonce Paul Roys Paul Roys Arturo M. Melean Ian Boughton Michael Briganti Ryan Matthews George Hamilton Eric Hinrichs Robert Hugel Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Dan DeWeese Dan DeWeese Andrew T. Beem Andrew T. Beem Andrew T. Beem James E. Tindle Scott Schneider Ian Boughton Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce

RTG RGN NAME

H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 H5 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Douglas Meyer D. Scott Molitor Carson Ochabauer Zain Adam Rathore Clay Smith Jeffrey St Aubin James Scott Trimble Eric Wallace Ric West Dustin Wiggins Debbie Wolford Monte C. Wolford Scott Baker Patrick Broyer Mary Joan Evans Kent Gilges Kellen McClain David Pusey Kevin Waddell Todd Bricker Dan Burkhart Plaridel Caparas Victor Hethcock Simon Phizackerley Chi Fai (Tony) Wu Mark Bauer Norman Krohn Cyndia Zumpft Klein Adelino Agostinho, Jr Robert 'Alan' Gibson Donnie Hogue D. Scott Molitor Douglas Warren Ryan Salvo Todd Morrison Jacob Edwards Brian Fallon Howard Osterlund Mario Miralles Gregory C. Mick Andrew Nigh Zachary Hill William G. Vaughn Christian Brocato Jack Cano Kenneth Champadeng Austin Chart Kevin Devore Michael Dooley Thaddeus Gala Sara Malia Gallagher James Gardner Scott Graves David Gridley Robert D. Horn Jr Scott Kittell Caleb Laszloffy Beth Law Ryan Long Jess Neuger Mitch Roberts Tony Skrivaner Winston Turner Strayhorn Paul Trautman William West Johnthomas Williamson Theodore Wogan David Zimmerman

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

TN FL GA VA TN TN GA MO AR KY TN TN DE MI IL NY MI DE WI CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA FL TN VA FL TN NJ OR CA CA CA CA VA GA MD NC HI AK OR OR OR AK OR HI WA AK OR OR OR MT WA WA OR WA OR WA OR WA AK OR WA

Matthew Taber Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce Ian Boughton Ian Boughton Ian Boughton Gordon Cayce Ian Boughton Scott Schneider Scott Schneider Spencer L. Kindt Gordon Cayce Scott Schneider Rick Brown Scott Schneider Gordon Cayce Rik Bouwmeester Patrick J. Denevan Eric Hinrichs Eric Hinrichs Roger M. Jackson David Brose Eric Hinrichs Dan DeWeese William C. Dydo Andrew T. Beem Matthew Taber Malcolm A. Jones William G. Vaughn Malcolm A. Jones Gordon Cayce H-Bruce Weaver-III David Brose Kurtis Carter John Simpson Patrick J. Denevan Andrew T. Beem John Harper Scott Schneider Malcolm A. Jones H-Bruce Weaver-III Pete Michelmore Christopher Grantham Kelly A. Kellar Kate Eagle Kelly A. Kellar Christopher Grantham Samuel Crocker Lisa Dickinson Kelly A. Kellar Christopher Grantham Maren Ludwig Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar Lisa Dickinson Robert Black Denise Reed Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar Marc Chirico Kelly A. Kellar Denise Reed Christopher Grantham Samuel Crocker Derek Baylor

USH PA PILOT 61

RTG RGN NAME

P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1 P1

1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Ariel Zlatkovski Landon Boufford Randy Close Eric Crowley Adam Doyle David Ealy Deborah Griffith Ognjen Grujic Scott Halterman James D. Haskin Dustin Hoffman Sean Hoover Kelly Law William Law Mark Jason Malouin Philip McKee Liam Mooney Aaron Park Joshua C. Pastreich Mathias Rimmel Bernadette Smith Ryan Suen Filippos Toufexis Jeff Watson Christine Wilson Jeffrey Worsnop Molly Brown Alan Busby Riley Coffey Ryan Corley Dan Corley Alexandra Duggal Marta Empinotti Brandon Hankins Jeremy Hayes Jeremy Kindseth BJ Michaeli Danny Nix Natalie Paladin James (Jimmy) Pouchert Rob Sawyer Patrick Wambach Sean Ahrens Marcelo Brosig Brett Burrell David Harding Michael Pattishall Blake Pigeon Teddy Sowinski Daniel Tsegai Niraj Vashi Glaubertt Andrade David Berman Geylani Can Eder De Souza Ames Flatow Matthew Foster Peter Gamache Louis Guske Jr Ross A. Landy Paulo Milko Jonathan Miller Stacy Patterson Jeffrey Pollock Orion Remaniak Charles Ruh Valdir Santana Adam Schamberger

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

WA UT NV CA UT NV CA CA CA CA CA UT UT CA UT CA UT CA CA UT CA CA CA UT CA NV CA CA CO CO CO CO CO CA CO AZ CA CA CA CO CA AZ PR FL TN TX NC TX OK DC TN MA NY MA MA CT MA MA CT RI MA PA RI NY VT WI MA IL

Derek Baylor Patrick Johnson Justin Boer Wallace K. Anderson Emily Wallace Mitchell B. Neary Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Mitchell B. Neary Wallace K. Anderson Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Chris W. Santacroce Patrick Johnson Robert Black Chris W. Santacroce Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Stephen J. Mayer Robert Black Wallace K. Anderson Stephen J. Mayer Wallace K. Anderson Chandler Papas Wallace K. Anderson Nathan Alex Taylor Robert Black Mitchell B. Neary Christopher Grantham Steve Van-Fleet Paul Gurrieri Misha Banks Misha Banks Brian Clark Justin Boer Steve Van-Fleet Misha Banks Chandler Papas Stephen Nowak Luke Weaver David John Hebert Justin Boer Steve Van-Fleet Chandler Papas Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Marcello M. DeBarros Alejandro Albornoz Rob Sporrer Paul Voight Jc Perren Brian Clark Steve Van-Fleet Steven (Taylor) Couch John E. Dunn Sebastien Kayrouz Calef Letorney John E. Dunn Jerome Daoust John E. Dunn John E. Dunn Rob Sporrer John E. Dunn Patrick Johnson Stephen Nowak John E. Dunn Rob Sporrer David John Hebert Mariyan Radev Ivanov John E. Dunn Mariyan Radev Ivanov

RTG RGN NAME

P1 P1 P1 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2

5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Alex Westphal Jay C. Whitehair III Esther Yao Thomas Adams Christian Brocato Oleksiy Buynytskyy Jesse Callender Casey Campbell Jack Cano Robert Carey Kenneth Champadeng Jonathan Cooper Jerimy Crepeau Kevin Devore Erik Dietz Michael Dooley Richard Drake Gabrielle Dryden Shawn T. Eby Arthur Etchells Jessica Freiden Thaddeus Gala Sara Malia Gallagher Darlene M. Girard Scott Graves BaLeigh Harper Skye Hart Jeff Heuseveldt Andrew Hobson Garrison Hoe Patrick Hooper Jasen Johansen Larry Kruse Luc Lachapelle Caleb Laszloffy Chylo Laszloffy Beth Law Barry Lewis Ryan Long Lee Neale Paul Nevers Will Nowack Connor O'Guinn Sam Schultz Jordan Sherman Tony Skrivaner Evan Smith Winston Turner Strayhorn Paul Trautman Marc Turner Joshua Ullerich Wesley Walker William West Johnthomas Williamson Theodore Wogan David Zimmerman Ariel Zlatkovski Brandon Zunin Dmitri Zyuzin Emanuel Balmus Anna Behrens Mica Berchtold-Tripp Michael Borke Landon Boufford Dennis Bowman Adam Bulson Randy Close Adam Doyle

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

WI VT MA MT HI WA HI MT AK MT OR WA MT OR OR AK WA WA MT OR ID OR HI WA AK MT AK AK WA WA MT AK MN WA MT MT WA HI WA ID MT WY MT MT WA OR WA WA OR ID WA MT WA AK OR WA WA HI WA UT CA CA CA UT CA UT NV UT

Stephen J. Mayer Calef Letorney Calef Letorney Lisa Dickinson Pete Michelmore Marc Chirico David (Dexter) Binder Casey Bedell Christopher Grantham Casey Bedell Kelly A. Kellar Denise Reed Casey Bedell Kelly A. Kellar Kelly A. Kellar Christopher Grantham Kelly A. Kellar Chris W. Santacroce Lisa Dickinson Jonathan Jefferies Lane B. Lamoreaux Samuel Crocker Lisa Dickinson Denise Reed Christopher Grantham Jonathan Jefferies Rob Sporrer Scott Alan Amy Jon Charles Malmberg Denise Reed Casey Bedell Denise Reed Steve Van-Fleet Denise Reed Lisa Dickinson Lisa Dickinson Robert Black David (Dexter) Binder Denise Reed Lane B. Lamoreaux Joshua Winstead Scott C. Harris Casey Bedell Casey Bedell Jon Charles Malmberg Kelly A. Kellar Jon Charles Malmberg Marc Chirico Kelly A. Kellar Casey Bedell Matt Cone Casey Bedell Denise Reed Christopher Grantham Samuel Crocker Derek Baylor Derek Baylor Lisa Dickinson Denise Reed Chris W. Santacroce Robert Black Rob Sporrer Jesse L. Meyer Patrick Johnson Cynthia Currie Nathan Alex Taylor Justin Boer Emily Wallace

Ratings Issued May/June 2019 (continued) RTG RGN NAME

P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2

62 US H PA P I LOT

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Jessie Duan David Ealy Kelly O. Foreman Nicholas Fowler Sean Hoover Ryan Huels Ismo Karali Kenneth Kim Kelly Law William Law Liam Mooney Bryce Neilson Renn Olsen Aaron Park Robert Parker Ghalhang Rai Mathias Rimmel Tyler Robbins Clark Robinson Kathryn Silva Kelly Solverson Gonzalo Stevens Katrina Strautina Odin Twite Jeff Watson Leisel Whitmore Christine Wilson Ted Winkworth Brian Zaugg Nicolas Barth Scott Bennett Molly Brown Tucker Cocchiarella Riley Coffey Dan Corley Ryan Corley Chris Curry Shea Dacus James DeGroat Doug Drummond Alexandra Duggal Marta Empinotti Angela Findley Micaela Finnegan Lancelot Gelas Michal Gola Jhana Li Gottlieb Jeremy Hayes Scott Larson Maximilian Malone Peter McLean David McOmber Todd Merrigan BJ Michaeli Kellen O'Connell Ezekiel Ogle Antoaneta Opanova Natalie Paladin Bradley Penoyer Jana Pivkova Mark Pohlson James (Jimmy) Pouchert Chad Pranger Combiz Shams Tyler Shuman Brenton Snipes Sam Stitt Todd Tankersley

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

CA NV CA UT UT UT CA CA UT CA UT UT UT CA CA CA UT UT UT UT CA UT CA CA UT UT CA UT UT CA CO CA CO CO CO CO CO CO NM CO CO CO CA CA CA CA CO CO CA CO CA AZ CO CA CA AZ CA CA CO CA CA CO CO CA CA CO CA AZ

Jesse L. Meyer Mitchell B. Neary Stephen J. Mayer Chris W. Santacroce Chris W. Santacroce Chris W. Santacroce Wallace K. Anderson Jesse L. Meyer Patrick Johnson Robert Black Stephen J. Mayer Chris W. Santacroce Jonathan Jefferies Robert Black Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jesse L. Meyer Stephen J. Mayer Jonathan Jefferies Stephen J. Mayer Patrick Johnson Jesse L. Meyer Chris W. Santacroce Robert Black Jesse L. Meyer Nathan Alex Taylor Stacy Whitmore Robert Black Chris W. Santacroce Chris W. Santacroce Jerome Daoust Casey Bedell Christopher Grantham Chris W. Santacroce Paul Gurrieri Misha Banks Misha Banks Johannes Rath Douglas Brown Charles (Chuck) Woods Jonathan Jefferies Brian Clark Justin Boer Rob Sporrer Stephen J. Mayer Jordan Neidinger Jerome Daoust Johannes Rath Misha Banks Steve Van-Fleet Hal Franklin Christopher Grantham Jerome Daoust Steve Van-Fleet Stephen Nowak Philip D. Russman Marcello M. DeBarros Steve Van-Fleet David John Hebert Stephen J. Mayer Stephen Nowak Christopher Grantham Justin Boer Chris W. Santacroce David John Hebert Jerome Daoust Jonathan Jefferies Steve Van-Fleet Rob Sporrer

RTG RGN NAME

P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P2 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Ken Thompson Aubrey Trammell Tereza Venn Brian Ward Dante Wardlaw David Webb Chad Wilcox Brady Wirkus Chase Anderson Carl Baker Marcelo Brosig Edward DiBuono Christopher Einstein Ryan Engwall Clancy Ewald Jennifer Frayer Chris Frayer David Harding Robert Kotenko Benoit Lemay Vincent Lemay Martin Lemay Robin Moore Kylie Rhoads Tyler Roemer Robert Schneider Teddy Sowinski Justin Strong Maxine Tate Brandon Taylor Lee Vampola Niraj Vashi Curtis Williams John Alexander Young David Berman Mark A. Demore II Sherif Emeira Louis Guske Jr Russell Hanson Lucas Jacisin Jacob Jacisin Egor Korneev Chris McMahan Jonathan Miller Christopher Pham Jeffrey Pollock Orion Remaniak Mason Robertson Chris Roy John Schultz Alexandra Siegel Alex Westphal Will Adams Borce Atanasov Jasper Corleis Alexia Fischer Nicholas Franczyk Jonathan Gleason Julian Harmon Sako Hirata Ralf Kolb Allen Light Antony G. Lisi Grayson Luther Joshua Ogborn Kenneth Peterson Serge Romano John Rousselle

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

AZ Jonathan Jefferies CO Hal Franklin CO Kay Tauscher CA Stephen Nowak CO Johannes Rath CA Jerome Daoust CO Chris W. Santacroce CO Hal Franklin TX Misha Banks FL David W. Prentice FL Marcello M. DeBarros VA Steven (Taylor) Couch VI Stephen J. Mayer NC Jonathan Jefferies NC Brian Clark FL Jonathan Jefferies FL Jonathan Jefferies TX Rob Sporrer VA Nathan Alex Taylor FL Brian Clark FL Brian Clark FL Brian Clark NC Alejandro Albornoz FL Jonathan Jefferies FL Jonathan Jefferies KY Steve Van-Fleet OK Brian Clark TX Chris W. Santacroce FL Jonathan Jefferies GA Alejandro Albornoz NC Jonathan Jefferies TN Steven (Taylor) Couch AL Alejandro Albornoz NC Abhay Okaraio Morrissey NY Sebastien Kayrouz OH Johannes Rath Dubai Stephen J. Mayer CT Rob Sporrer NY Zion Susanno-Loddby MA Ben White MA Ben White WI Rob Sporrer IL Kay Tauscher PA Stephen Nowak MD Jonathan Jefferies NY Rob Sporrer VT David John Hebert VT Calef Letorney NH Calef Letorney WI Jonathan Jefferies IN Brian Clark WI Stephen J. Mayer WA Denise Reed OR Maren Ludwig WA Denise Reed WA Lawrence Wallman MT Casey Bedell WA Denise Reed WA Kelly A. Kellar WA Denise Reed WA Gabriel Jebb OR Steve Roti HI David (Dexter) Binder WA Justin Boer ID Justin Boer WA Marc Chirico OR Maren Ludwig MT Casey Bedell

USH PA PILOT 63

RTG RGN NAME

P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3

1. Publication Title

1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4

Mason Ulrichs Jesse Venteicher Jason Wronski Udoka Joshua Addy Sara Akers Paul Armstrong Henrik Bengtsson Justin Cannon Theodore Cerboneschi Edward Conover Josh Coulter Sean Hoover Colin Karpfinger Pamela Kinnaird Evan Kopack Jennifer Lauritzen Francis Lojacono III Manuel Lugo Shizen Shrestha Rifeta Zejnic Cassandra Castro Ken Cote John R. Dobbins Petar Dopchev Chad Fazio Kristian Hansen Philip Hu Kimball Deor Jenson Ben Kanselbaum Dustin Martin Michael McCaffrey Robert McCullock Scott Nette Brian Pitts Srinivas Rao Michael Ricci Matt Tinnes Dante Wardlaw Tyler Beattie Jeffrey Brown Spencer Buck Jack Burton

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

MT MT OR UT CA CA CA CA CA CA CA UT CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA AZ CA AZ CO CA CO CA AZ CA AZ CA CA AZ CA CA CO CA CO TX FL FL FL

Andy Macrae Nathan Alex Taylor Kelly A. Kellar Max Leonard Marien Patrick Christopher Eaves Peter Thompson Wallace K. Anderson Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jordan Neidinger Gabriel Jebb Jesse L. Meyer Chris W. Santacroce Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Rob Sporrer Wallace K. Anderson Rob Sporrer Jeffrey J. Greenbaum Jesse L. Meyer Wallace K. Anderson Johannes Rath Jerome Daoust Chandler Papas Stephen J. Mayer Jerome Daoust Kari L. Castle Robin J. Marien Stacy Whitmore Jordan Neidinger Chandler Papas Max Leonard Marien Gabriel Jebb Aaron Cromer Gabriel Jebb Gabriel Jebb Douglas Brown Jordan Neidinger Johannes Rath Patrick Johnson Christopher Hunlow Rick Jacob Chris W. Santacroce

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) 2. Publication Number

USHPA Pilot 4. Issue Frequency

1

_

3. Filing Date

7 9 7 0

5. Number of Issues Published Annually

Bi-Monthly

6

7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer) (Street, city, county, state, and ZIP+4 ®)

1685 W Uintah, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 , El Paso County

July 17, 2019 $30.00 Contact Person

Eli Castleberry Alfred Crabtree Nicolas Del Grazia John Dyer Curtis England Doug Herrin Michael Meyer Pieter Penning Monte C. Wolford Owen Duffy Roxanne Lopez Fabio Lourenconi Benjamin Moody Orion Remaniak Trina Turer Eric S. Turer Daniel Warner Joshua Phillips Isaac Amaru Sophie Bourgoin Austin Bryant John Eichenseer Alex Gradziel John Luu Bernie Nowel Chris Pak Zachary Shehabi Greg Aiello Timothy Blagen Nathan Thomas Dennen Randy A. Hughes Jeremy Barr Grayson Brown Kirill Barshevsky Marcus Vinicius Cordeiro Prado Aine Friend Orion Remaniak Marlus Silva Furlani Friederike Wrobel Michele McCullough Hadley Robinson

719-632-8300

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Assn 1685 W Uintah, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 Editor (Name and complete mailing address)

Nick Greece 12243 Stony Creek Ct, Truckee, CA 96161 Managing Editor (Name and complete mailing address)

Nick Greece 12243 Stony Creek Ct, Truckee, CA 96161 10. Owner (Do not leave blank. If the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of the corporation immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, give the names and addresses of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, give its name and address as well as those of each individual owner. If the publication is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name and address.)

Full Name Complete Mailing Address

1685 W Uintah, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities. If none, check box X None

b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

STATE RATING OFFICIAL

GA TN MO NC NC GA GA GA TN NY NY CT VT VT NH NH MA MT UT CA CA CA CA CA CA CA UT CA CO AZ CO TN TN MA NY MA VT MA IL UT NM

Average No. Copies No. Copies of Single Each Issue During Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

9329

8601

7995

8021

Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)

0

0

(3)

Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®

0

0

(4)

Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®)

499

460

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies) b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

8021

0

0

(3)

Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®

0

0

(4)

Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®)

499

460

8481

8494

8481

0

0

0

0

d. Free or (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 Nominal Rate Distribution (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (By Mail and Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS Outside (3) (e.g., First-Class Mail) the Mail)

0

0

0

0

8494

d. Free or (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 Nominal Rate Distribution (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (By Mail and Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS Outside (3) (e.g., First-Class Mail) the Mail)

0

0

714

0

(4)

Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means)

0

0

714

0

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4))

714

0

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4))

714

0

f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)

9209

8481

f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)

9209

8481

g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))

120

120

g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))

120

120

h. Total (Sum of 15f and g)

9329

8601

h. Total (Sum of 15f and g)

9329

8601

i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100)

92%

100%

i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100)

92%

100%

* If you are claiming electronic copies, go to line 16 on page 3. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17 on page 3.

* If you are claiming electronic copies, go to line 16 on page 3. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17 on page 3.

PS Form 3526, July 2014 (Page 2 of 4)

PS Form 3526, July 2014 (Page 2 of 4)

Complete Mailing Address

Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months Has Changed During Preceding 12 Months (Publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement) PRIVACY NOTICE: See our privacy policy on www.usps.com.

8601

Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)

12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes:

X

9329 7995

(2)

None

PS Form 3526, July 2014 [Page 1 of 4 (see instructions page 4)] PSN: 7530-01-000-9931

May/June 2019 Average No. Copies No. Copies of Single Each Issue During Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

c. Total Paid Distribution [Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)]

c. Total Paid Distribution [Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)]

Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means)

13. Publication Title

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

May/June 2019

(2)

(4)

Rick Jacob Rick Jacob Jonathan Jefferies Jerome Daoust Rick Jacob Rick Jacob Mark Dunn Chris W. Santacroce Steven (Taylor) Couch Justin Boer Thomas McCormick Davidson Da-Silva Scott C. Harris David John Hebert Calef Letorney Calef Letorney Stephen J. Mayer Don Lange Brian Kerr Jesse L. Meyer Gabriel Jebb Jesse L. Meyer Richard Kennedy Peter Thompson Gabriel Jebb Todd Gray Chris W. Santacroce Max Leonard Marien Kay Tauscher Aaron Cromer Nathan Alex Taylor Rick Jacob Rick Jacob John E. Dunn Chris W. Santacroce Calef Letorney David John Hebert Davidson Da-Silva Jaro Krupa Neil R. Hansen Tiki Mashy

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Martin Palmaz

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor (Do not leave blank) Publisher (Name and complete mailing address)

Full Name

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 3

6. Annual Subscription Price

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Assn 1685 W Uintah, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

United States Hang Gliding & Paragliding Assn

P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 P5 P5

13. Publication Title

Telephone (Include area code)

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer)

RTG RGN NAME

X-APLS | COURTESY REDBULL PHOTO POOL

2019 CALENDAR Submit listings online at https://www.

ushpa.org/page/calendar. A minimum 3-MONTH LEAD TIME is required on all submissions. Tentative events will not be published.

SEP 13-15 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING PINE MOUNTAIN CLINIC Pine Mountain, California - Two local legends Tom Truax a.k.a.

“Sundowner“, and “Diablo”, Tony Deleo each set the California state distance record from this site back in the 90’s. We held a clinic there years ago where a pilot flew 50 miles on his first Cross Country flight following the Team Flying strategy we share at our clinics and on our tours. Mitch Riley will lead this 3 day clinic - cost is $795. More Info: https://paragliding.com/ shop/services/clinics/thermal-xc-clinic/ SEP 15-21 > SANTA CRUZ FLATS RACE / MARK KNIGHT MEMORIAL at Francisco Grande Golf Resort, Casa Grande, AZ. USHPA Sanctioned HG Race To Goal – AT. We’re back at the Francisco Grande Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona for the 12th annual Santa Cruz Flats Race. Come on out and join us for some unique technical flying and loads of fun in the desert.

Register Dates: December 15, 2018 - August 15, 2019 Organizer: Jamie Shelden | naughtylawyer@gmail.com Website: http://www.airtribune.com/santa-cruz-flats-race-markknight-memorial-2019 SEP 23-28 > RED ROCKS FALL FLY-IN in Richfield Utah. more specifically Quality Center 540 South Main. When *September 23-28 2019 Why * Because flying Paragliders and Hang gliders is awesome. Who * Paragliders and hang gliders from all over the world. We are expecting over200 Pilots this year. How much * 60 Dollars for the whole week. Plus 10 dollars per ride up the mountain to give to the driver. More Info: www.cuasa. com, Stacy Whitmore 435-979-0225 stacy@cuasa.com Jef Anderson 435-896-7999 jef@cuasa.com OCT 5-7 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING OWENS VALLEY CLINIC Owens Valley, California - We fly the Owens in the spring and fall. The Owens Valley offers a variety of launch locations, and we will make a move to the launch which matches our forecast for the day. We can work as a group and team fly here as well.

The area is world famous and worth a trip in the fall or spring for some classic flying, and XC opportunities. Mitch Riley will lead this 3 day clinic - cost is $795. More Info: https://paragliding.com/shop/services/clinics/thermal-xc-clinic/ NOV 29 - DEC 1 & DEC 13-15 > EAGLE PARAGLIDING SANTA BARBARA CLINIC Santa Barbara, California - These clinics are aimed to get pilots familiar with the thermal triggers, and lines to take to get from lift source to lift source moving down the range. After attending this clinic you will have a better understanding of the moves necessary to get down range, and the confidence to get through the pass and fly to Ojai and beyond.

Mitch Riley will lead this 3 day clinic - cost is $795. More Info: https://paragliding.com/shop/services/clinics/thermal-xc-clinic/

64 US H PA P I LOT

USH PA PILOT 65

CLASSIFIED RATES Rates start at $10.00 for 200 characters. Minimum ad charge is $10.00. ALL CLASSIFIEDS ARE PREPAID. No refunds will be given on ads cancelled that are scheduled to run multiple months. For more info, visit www. ushpa.org/page/magazine-classified-advertising CLINICS & TOURS BAJA MEXICO > La Salina Baja’s BEST BEACHFRONT Airsport Venue: PG, HG, PPG: FlyLaSalina.com. by BajaBrent.com, He’ll hook you up! Site intros, tours, & rooms. bajabrent@bajabrent.com, 760203-2658 PARACRANE Paragliding Tours > Nick Crane, USHPA Advanced Instructor, Veteran Guide | Costa Rica 2/11-2/21 | Brazil 3/4-14 | Europe 6/2-16, 9/9-19 and 9/2110/1 | www.costaricaparagliding.com | nick@paracrane.com FLYMEXICO > Valle de Bravo for Winter and year round flying tours and support.

Hang Gliding, Paragliding. Guiding, gear, instruction, transportation, lodging. www. flymexico.com +1 512-467-2529 PARAGLIDE COSTA RICA > Come and enjoy your holidays and the best paragliding flights in Costa Rica. Cozy family atmosphere awaits you in this beautiful country. alexbadilla1979@gmail.com or 5-068-345-5135 for details PARTS & ACCESSORIES GUNNISON GLIDERS > X-C to heavy waterproof HG gliderbags. Accessories, parts, service, sewing. Instruction ratings, site-info. Rusty Whitley 1549 CR 17, Gunnison CO 81230. 970-641-9315.

SCHOOLS & INSTRUCTORS HAWAII > PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING > Call Dexter for friendly information about flying on Maui. Full service school offering beginner to advanced instruction, year round. 808-874-5433 paraglidemaui.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE > MORNINGSIDE > A Kitty Hawk Kites flight park. The Northeast’s premier hang gliding and paragliding training center, teaching since 1974. Hang gliding foot launch and tandem aerowtow training. Paragliding foot launch and tandem training. Powered Paragliding instruction. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Located in Charlestown, NH. Also visit our North Carolina location, Kitty Hawk Kites Flight School. 603-542-4416, www.flymorningside.com NEW YORK > SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK > 40 acre flight park; 160’ main training hill; Bunny hills in all directions; Best facility in NY; New Alphas & Falcons in stock; Trade in Trade up; www.cooperstownhanggliding.com NEW YORK > MOUNTAIN WINGS > Since 1980. Only flight school left in tri-state.

PASA certified advanced instruction.

Moyes and North Wing. mtnwings.com mtnwings@verizon.net Ellenville 845-6473377 NORTH CAROLINA > KITTY HAWK KITES > The largest hang gliding school in the world, teaching since 1974. Learn to hang glide and paraglide on the East Coast’s largest sand dune. Year-round instruction, foot launch and tandem aerotow. 1902 Wright Glider Experience available. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Learn to fly where the Wright Brothers flew, located at the beach on NC’s historic Outer Banks.

Also visit our NH location, Morningside Flight Park. (252) 441-2426, 1-877-FLYTHIS, kittyhawk.com/hang-gliding TEXAS > FLYTEXAS TEAM > training pilots in Central Texas for 25 years. Hang Gliding, Paragliding, Trikes. Hangar facilities Lake LBJ, Luling, Smithville www.flytexas.com 512-467-2529 VIRGINIA > BLUE SKY > located near Richmond , year round instruction, all forms of towing, repairs, sewing , tuning... Wills Wing, Moyes, Icaro, Aeros PG, Mosquito, Flylight, Woody Valley. www.blueskyhg. com WINGS & HARNESSES OZONE RUSH 4 MID SIZE, SupAir XAlps Harness and round reserve. Very lightly used $2,800 OBO. twoflyers@outlook.com

Fly beyond! with the Oudie

• Touchscreen • Color moving map • Highly customizable • Thermal assistant Flytec.com • 800.662.2449

COLUMBUS DAY FLY IN

MORNINGSIDE FLIGHT PARK, NEW HAMPSHIRE AIR GAMES • USHPA FILM FESTIVAL • COOKOUT

FIFTH ANNUAL BREWTAG NAGS HEAD, NORTH CAROLINA

CELEBRATION OF FLIGHT & BEER • KEG FLYING COMPETITION FUNDRAISER FOR THE ROGALLO FOUNDATION

HANG GLIDING SPECTACULAR 2020 JOCKEYS RIDGE STATE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA AIR GAMES • WILLS WINGS DEMOS • FILM FESTIVAL

LEARN WHILE YOU WORK • EARN YOUR RATINGS • • GROW AS A PILOT AND AN INSTRUCTOR • • AEROTOW OPPORTUNITIES • • SPEND YOUR SUMMER AT THE BEACH •

KITTYHAWK.COM/EMPLOYMENT

KITTYHAWK.COM • 1.877.FLY.THIS

USH PA PILOT 67

The combined expertise of Naviter and Flytec help pilots fly farther, safer, and beyond their expectations.

Flytec.com or 800.662.2449 68 US H PA P I LOT