USHGA Paragliding Vol12/Iss7 July 2001 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

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;t',abo,t followiogyodeam, challenging yourself... finding your way... reaching your goals ... flying new skies... it's about GOING FURTHER.

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~-1Lll~l§ PARAGLIDING• JULY 2001

AIR MAIL

INCIDENT REPORTS

UPDATE

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

CA~ENDAROF EVENTS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

CO VER: landing at Tiger Mountain in

Issaquah, Washington. Photo by Dave Nobles.

J ULY

2001

Gil Dodgen, Managing Editor/Editor-in-Chief Steve Roti, Contributing Editor Dave Pounds, Art Director

Will Gadd, Dennis Pagen Staff Writers Office Staff layne Depanfllis, CEO, jayne@ushga.org Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jeff@ushga.org Joanne Peterson, Member Services, joanne@ushga.org Sandra Hewitt, Member Services, sandra@ushga.org Natalie Hinsley, Member Services, natalie@ushga.org

USHGA Officers and Executive Committee:

Jim Zeiset, President, jimzgreen@aol.com Mark Ferguson, Vice President, mark@ballvarios.com Russ Locke, Secretary,russ/ocke@juno.com

llill llolosky, Treasurer, bo/osky@microsoft.com REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Jamie Shelden, Ray Leonard, Scott Gasparian. REGION 3: David Jebb, John Greynald, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Mark Ferguson, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Frank Gillette. REGION 6: Jeff Sinason. REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Doug Shal])e. REGION 9: Randy Leggett, Geoff Mumford, Felipe Amunategui. REGION 10: David Glover, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Kent Robinson. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Russ Locke, Steve Kroop, Aaron Swepston. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Geoff Mumford, J.C. Brown, John Borton, Paul Riker!, Ed Pitman, G.W. Meadows, Bob Hannah, John Harris, Larry Sanderson (SSA), Dave Broyles, Gene Matthews, Ken Brown, Rob Kells, Liz Sharp, Dan Johnson. EXOFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA). The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FA!), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl-related paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. PARAGLIDING magazine is published for paragliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, and to provide an educational forum to advance paragliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos and illustrations concerning paragliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other paragliding publications. PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. PARAGLIDING editorial offices: 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Suite A-256, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, phone (949) 8887363, fax (949) 888-7464, e-mail: GilDodgen@aol.com. The USHGA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $59.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Paragliding), ($70 non-U.S.); subscription rates only are $35.00 ($46 non.U.S.). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label ftGm a recent issue. PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1089-1846) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 104, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417, PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

ON-LINE PILOT DIRECTORY Dear Editor, I'm a paraglider pilot and a Web developer. I recently put together a pilot directory for our club, the South Coast Paragliding Association, and spent some time tweaking it to open it up. What I mean by "open it up" is that I've added the ability to add other clubs and club members. What I would like to do is make this "global" for the entire paragliding community. That way, whoever signs up can use it for their own club purposes and use it to find pilots from other clubs as well. I just got back from Demo Days and I could have used something like this both before and after the trip to get contact information for different pilots. Here's the address: http://www.orbittechservices.com/scpa_memdirect/memlist. php4. If you would like to sign up under a specific club, let me !mow and I'll add it. Once I've finished this project I've thought about creating a site directory and an on-line flight log. I wanted to see how far I could move with the pilot directory first. Tom Beidler tom@orbittechservices.com

THANKS TO THE RVHGA Dear Editor, I am writing to publicly thank the members of the Rogue Valley Hang Gliding

Association for the positive contributions they have made to the sport of hang gliding and paragliding. We recently attended the 25th annual Starthistle Fly-In in Ruch, Oregon. The club has worked with their community for more than 20 years to develop and maintain a first-class flying site at Woodrat Mountain. The launch, owned by the BLM, has recently been upgraded and the LZ is privately owned. The local pilots and the landowners have worked in harmony over the years to create a flying site with a safe and friendly environment. A representative of the BLM, as well as members of the local media, were present at a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the new launch. Several of the hang glider pilots, who first flew from Woodrat during the l 970's, were also present. The family that owns the LZ attended the barbecue later that night. Seventy-five pilots shared the air, in relatively strong conditions, without incident. Thanks to all the members of the RVHGA for their efforts in fostering a positive image of foot-launched flying in their community, for building and maintaining such a terrific flying site, and for hosting this annual event so that visiting pilots can enjoy flying at Woodrat. We plan to make this fly-in a yearly occasion. Kim Galvin Alameda, CA

See the feature story in this issue of Paragliding. -

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RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION Of RISK AGREEMENT In consideration of the benefits to be derived from membership in the USHGA, (Pilot, and the parent or legal guardian of Pilotif Pilotis a minor, for themselves, their personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouses, minor children and assigns, do agree as follows: A. DEFINITIONS - The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement I. "PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORT' means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing} a hang glider or paraglider. 2. "SPORTS INJURIES' means personal injury, bodily injury, death, property damage and/or any other personal or financial injury sustained by Pilotas a result of Pilot's PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORTand/or as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). If Pilot is under 18 yem of age, the term "SPORTS INJURIES" means personal injury, bodily injury, death, property damage and/or any other personal or financial injury sustained by Pilot as well as personal injury, bodily injury, death, property damage and/or any other personal or financial injury sustained by Pilot's parents or legal guardians, as a result of Pilot's PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORTand/or as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs. 3. "RELEASED PARTIES' means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, independent contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the pmon(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of Pilot's proficiency rating{s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), coimty(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions Pilotlaunches, flies and/or lands; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property Pllotmay launch, fly and/or land; n All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where Pilot PARTICIPATES IN THE SPORl 11 AII persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) All other persons lawfully present at the site(s) during Pilot's PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORT. B. I FOREVER RELWE AND DISCHARGE the RELEASED PARTIESfrom any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have for SPORTS INJURIES. however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the RELEASED PARTIES, to the fullest extent allowed by law. C. I WILL NOT SUE OR MAKE A CLAIM against any of the RELEASED PARTIESfor loss or damage on account of SPORTS INJURIES. If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, Iwill pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the RELEASED PARTIES. D. I AGREE THAT this AGREEMENT shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. All disputes and matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement shall be litigated, if at all, in and before a Court located in the State of California, U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. E. SEVERABUUTY. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. F. I REPRESENT THAT Pilot is at least 18 years of age, or, that I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilot and am making this agreement on behalf of myself and Pilot. If I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilot, I AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND REIMBURSE the RELEASED PARTIES for their defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Pilot suffers SPORTS INJURIES as a result of Pilot's PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORT, even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the RELEASED PARTIES.

G. I VOLUNTARILY ASSUME All RISKS, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, OF SPORTS INJURIES, HOWEVER CAUSED, EVEN IF CAUSED WHOLE OR IN BY THE ACTION, INACTION, OR NEGLIGENCE THE RELEASED PARTIES, THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED LAW. I have read, understand, and agree to the above RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION Of RISK AGREEMENT. Adult Pilot's Ii/nature

Jifn;iture ofPilot'! Parent or Lepl 6uarr/i;in ,fPilot under 18years ofa1e.

Date

--~--~'-Date

MMR 12-97

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SHPPI p to 2 lbs add $5.00 3 5-6 lbs add $6.50 7-8 Inf/ orders email us for.

USHGA. PO Box 1330 9 Colorado Springs CO 80901•1 1-800-616-6888 Visa/MC fax (719) 68 uahga@ushga.org www.ushgcr.

paragliding, and is based on the IQ Competition instrument. It is available in two versions: IQ Motor A is the standard version with a flight diary (50 flights) bur no flight recorder. IQ Motor B is the highend version with a flight recorder. It also allows recording the CHT. In addition to all vario and altimeter functions, the IQ Motor reports cylinder head temperature and engine RPM, making flying motorized gliders safer. The information can be downloaded to a PC using the PC Graph 2000 software which is free for download at www.brauniger. com. Here you can also find more detailed technical information about the new instrument.

PARAGLIDERS FLY ACROSS AMERICA n Sunday, June 17, an historic event took place. Will Gadd and Jim Grossman landed at the First Flight National Airport in Kitry Hawk, North Carolina, concluding their 3,000-mile, 50-day epic adventure across the United States. For more info on "Paraglide America" visit www.paraglideamerica. com. On May 1 Will Gadd and his team started their two-month journey with the goal of being the first team to fly across the U.S. from the Pacific to the Atlantic on paragliders. Not only were Gadd and his team pioneers in paragliding across the country, they also raised a significant amount of money through pledges for raptor research. "Both paragliders and predatory birds such as hawks and eagles have similar needs: freedom and wide-open spaces," said Gadd. "Paraglide America was my way of experiencing that freedom and giving back to the birds. " Major geographic landmarks and challenges included the Sierras, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, the New Mexico desert, the Rocky Mountains, Tornado Alley and the Appalachian Mountains. Gadd and his team used lightweight motors to get off the ground and circle in thermals up to altitudes nearing 18,000 feet. Red Bull athlete Gadd was the lead

"\V,7indtech has just released the newly W certified Serak. This hot DHV 1-2 glider is a fast, sweet-turning gliding machine that's choice for the intermediate/advanced pilot. Based on the very successful Quarx:, a DHV 2, the Serak will give pilots plenty of security and comfort. Although the glider is just entering the marketplace, many top pilots love it already. Contact Airplay or your local dealer for more information: www.paraglide.com, dixon@paraglide.com, (928) 526-4579.

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bird and has set world paragliding records for distance (179 miles). He also won the Ice Climbing World Cup in 2000. Jim Grossman, top-ranked U.S. com petition pilot and environmentally progressive developer, joined the team for much of the flight. Kim Csizmazia flew with Gadd when conditions permitted and was in charge of on-road logistics and organization. Csizmazia and Gadd set the U.S. tandem distance record of 92 miles in 2000. Chris Santacroce and Othar Lawrence are members of the Red Bull paragliding team and world-renowned aerobatic pilots who flew portions of the flight and performed paragliding demonstrations in cities across the U.S. Gary Osoba (wo rld-renowned meteorologist and multiple record-holding sailplane pilot) provided daily weather analysis. Eric Green was the crew chief with a strong background in bicycle race team organization and first aid. Supporters included Red Bull energy drink, Linden Press and Iridium Satellite. Paraglide America will be featured in a one-hour TV special with Outside television on the Outdoor Life Network. Look for a major feature story in the next issue of this magazine.

AEROLIGHT USA NOW AEROLIGHT INTERNATIONAL

A erolight USA, Inc. is now Aerolight .J"\Jnternational, LLC. This 13-yearold company has also moved to a larger location due to the growth of their business. The new contact information is: Aerolight International, LLC, 15020 SW 145 St., Miami, FL 33196, (305) 256-5650, fax (305) 232-5175. Their website (http://www.aerolight.com) and e-mai l address (info@aerolight.com) remain the same. EPIC SHIRTS pic announces the release of two new T-shirt designs. You may visit their website at http://fly.to/team.epic and check out the new "Hawaii" and "Huck. "

E INTERNATIONAL PARAGLIDING INC .. Lars Linde 954 West Front Street, Red Bank NJ 07701 USA phone/fax: (732)747-7845, mail: lars@pro-design.at

REGION NINE REGIONALS: PARAGLIDER CLASS

or the first time in the 15-year hisrory of Region Nine's Regionals, paraglider pilots have participated. Paragliders have been welcome to enter for several years now, but not until this year had the minimum of five entries been received. The contest measures the total mileage of a pilot's three longest flights made on weekends from sites within Region Nine between mid-March and late-May. Flying an Ozone Octane glider, Jim Maze, the first Paragliding Class champion, is to be commended for demonstrating exactly how capable a crosscountry machine a paraglider can be, even in the weaker eastern conditions. Jim has in the past already breached the 60-mile barrier on a paraglider, and this year he produced a best flight of 50.0 miles from Little Gap, Pennsylvania. His flight began with a late start due to a morning overcast, but thereafter Jim enjoyed generally excellent conditions. He was often as high as 7,000' ms! and never low, which was extremely helpful as he had to cross the very built-up Allentown/ Bethlehem/Easton urban agglomeration. In the end his flight was cut short when he ran into a solid cloud bank likely associated with the New Jersey coastline 40 miles beyond his landing place in Hopewell, New Jersey. His other flights of 11.3 and 7.4 miles were not of the same magnitude, but the fact that he managed three cross-country flights alone distinguishes him. Behind Jim were the only two other paraglider pilots to register flights, Marc Fink with a 3.4-mile flight, and LE Herrick wi th one of three miles . Marc's flight reflects a rare bi-wingual contribution to the contest that qualifies him for third place in two of the Regionals' classes, the Sixry Mile and the Paraglider Classes. Perhaps next year's contest will see greater participation and longer flights. -

submitted by Pete Lehmann

www.pro-design .at

PARAGLIDING

USHGA Regional Director No ations Solicited

USHGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Eleven positions are open for election in November 2001 for a two-year term beginning January 2002. USHGA members seeking position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later than August 20, 2001 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected). Candidates must be nominated by at least three USHGA members residing in the candidate's region.

Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors, whose terms are up for reelection in 2002, are listed below. Ballots will be distributed with the November issue of HANG GLIDING and PARAGLIDING magazines. USHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sports. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than August 20 to: USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330. Reg# I 2

3 4

5 6 7

Current Director Mark Forbes Jamie Shelden Scott Gasparian John Greynald Gregg Lawless Jim Zeiset Frank Gillette Jeff Sinason Nominations are not needed in Region 7 for this election. Nominations are not needed in Region 8.for this election.

Randy Leggett

Matt Taber

11 12

Kent Robinson Nominations are not needed in Region 12 for this election

§tates within region Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso TX, New Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas (excluding El Paso), Louisiana New Jersey, New York

The following form is for your convenience.

****************************************************************************************** REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate ___________ ______________ as a candidate for Regional Director for Region#________ . I understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the 2002 Regional Director Election if three nominations are received at the USHGA office by August 20, 2001. NAME- - - - - - -

USHGA#

- - - -REGION#- - - - - -

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

COMPETITION

SEPT 1-8: SnowbirdX-C Competition. Sanctioned Class 1, open distance, serial class, GPS verification. Come and help us set new records again this year. Contact: Ken Hudonjorgensen, Two-can Fly Paragliding, 474 E. Tonya Or., Sandy UT, 84070, (801) 572-3414, www.twocanfly.com, khudonj@qwest.com.

UNTIL NOV. 15: 2001 Region 9

Regionals and Region 9 Yearlong X-C Contest. The Regionals totals three week-

FUN FLYING

end flights in Region 9 from March 17May 28. The Almost Yearlong Contest acknowledges a contestant's longest flight on any day between March 15 and November 15. Classes for Rookies, Sixty Miles, Open, Rigid and Paragliders. Entry fees $IO and $5 respectively. Contact: Pete Lehmann, lplehmann@aol.com, (412) 661-3474, 5811 Elgin St., Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

SEPT. 8-9: 11th Annual Pine Mountain Paragliding Fly-In, Pine Mountain, Oregon. Contact: Phil Pohl (541) 3883869.

UNTIL DEC. 31: The Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge. No entry fees or pre-registration requirements. Open to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid wings and sailplanes. For more details visit the contest's Web site at http://www.hanggliding.org or contact: John Scott (310) 4476234, fax (310) 447-6237, brettonwoods@email.msn.com. JULY 28-29: Ojai Comp. Duration event on the 28th, taking off from the Chief and landing in downtown Ojai. Race to goal with turnpoints on the 29th, also from the Chief, landing in Ojai. Contact: Claude at info@flyojai.com. AUG. 27-SEPT. 2: Jackson Hole Aeroextreme, Teton Village, WY. Sept. 3 rain date. Tram access to 4,100' vertical for speed gliding, aerobatics, and match racing for paragliding and hang gliding. Paragliding aerobatics. For info, course map, rules and online entry visit www.aeroextreme.com or call Scot (307) 734-8730.

Lake, UT. AUG 14-16: Maneuvers SIV Safety Clinic, with Chris Santacroce and Bo Criss, at Bear Lake, UT. AUG 17-19: Maneuvers SIV Safety Clinic, with Chris Santacroce and Bo Criss, at Bear Lake, UT. SEPT 1-8: Snowbird X-C Competition. SEPT 29-30: Mountain Flying. OCT 5-8: Instructor Training. OCT. 20-21: Instructor Recertification. OCT 27-28: Tandem II & III. NOV. 5-10: Six-day SIV/maneuvers clinic at Lake Powell, UT. Room and board provided aboard luxurious 72-foot houseboat. Just bring your flight gear. We provide everything else! Contact: Two-can Fly Paragliding, 474 East Tonya Drive, Sandy, UT 84070 (801) 572-3414 (ph/fax), khudonj@uswest.net, www.twocanfly.com.

CLINICS/MEETINGS/TOURS

THROUGH SEPT.: Airplay offering beginner and advanced classes in Washington and Arizona daily. Classes are small with only one or two beginner students per instructor to provide focus. Advanced clinics covering WX, thermal, XC, and kiting for P2- and higher-rated pilots occur daily. Classes restricted to six maximum. Reservations required. Contact: dixon@paraglide.com, (928) 526-4579.

THROUGH NOV.: AUG. 16-19: Pacific Northwest Campout. Visit Baldy Butte, Saddle Mtn., Cleman Mtn., Tiger Mtn. and others. Contact: (206) 320-9010, www.fun2fly.com. SEPT. 29-0CT. 7: Olu Deniz, Turkey. Join Mike Eberle on his second adventure to the Aegean Sea. Soar above the 9,000-foot launch site and look out over the Mediterranean and Greek islands. Contact: www.fun2fly.com, (206) 320-9010. OCT. 13-14: October.fest. Have fun at the second annual Baldy Butte Octoberfest in picturesque central WA. Contact: Jeff Davis (509) 697-7835, Peter Gray (509) 925-9280, or Mike Eberle (206) 320-90 l 0. NOV. 1726: Chile. Mike Eberle once again leads you into the Atacama desert of northern Chile for the adventure of a lifetime. All the X-C you desire. Check out the tour section at www.fun2fly.com for articles and photos of past trips. Contact: (206) 320-9010.

THROUGH OCT.: Two-can Fry Paragliding Clinics/Competitions, Point of the Mountain and Utah mountain sites. JULY 20-22: Thermal Clinic. AUG 10-12: Maneuvers SIV Safety Clinic, with Chris Santacroce and Bo Criss, at Bear

JULY 20-22: Maneuvers Clinic, Prineville, Oregon. JULY 25-AUG. 3: Europe Tour, Switzerland and France. SEPT 20-30: Oludeniz, Turkey Tour. Maneuvers clinic and X-C clinic. For all of the above contact: Super Fly, Inc., (801) 255-9595,

CHELAN BUTTE SUMMER 2001: Tandem X-C flights, private/group guiding, personalized X-C instruction. The eastern Washington flatlands have consistently provided pilots with their personal best X-C flights. Beginners to experts can benefit from Chelan's average of five X-Cable days per week in June/July/August. Contact: Mark Telep, Sunsports Paragliding, (541 )490-8197.

PARAGLIDING

info@4superfly.com. July 23-30: Europe Tour, France, Switzerland and Austria. Eight days of flying some of the world's most beautiful sites. Annecy France, Villeneuve Switzerland, and Andclsbuch Austria. $1600 includes coaching, theory sessions, hotel accommodations, delivery to launch and retrieval. Everything but meals and airfare. Two day maneuvers clinic in Villeneuve included. XC and gorgeous vistas guaranteed. Sept. 17-24: Eight days of flying in mysterious Turkey. Three days in Olu Deniz conducting a maneuvers clinic. $1600 includes coaching, theory sessions, hotel accommodations, delivery to launch and retrieval. Contact Super Fly for reservations -- (801) 255-9595 or info@4superfly.com

AUG: 4-12: Four Cross-Country Paragliding Clinics in the French Alps. Contact: Philippe Renaudin (516) 6767599. Info at: http://www.supair-usa.com/ AUG. 6-8, 10-12: Parasoft Paragliding School Safety Clinic, at Lake McConahay, NE (since 1992). This year's improved simularor will allow participants to practice difficult recoveries on the ground before performing them over water. Contact: http://parasoft.boulder.net/ safety.html. AUG. 18-SEPT. 2: Fly Hard, beautiful British Columbia. 16-day "Fly Hard" tour through British Columbia (BC) Canada. Commences in Vancouver, and ends in Calgary. Fly Ipsuit, Mt. Currie,

Blackcomb/Whistler, Black Tusk, The Chief, West Lion, Mt. Mackenzie, Mt. Cheam, Mt. Slesee, Grouse Mountain, Mt. Mercer, Mc. Elk, Bridal Falls, Woodside, Anarchist, Blue Grouse, Coopers, King Eddie, Mara Lake, Mt. 7, Mt. Swansea. Contact: www.iparaglide.com. DEC. 2-28: Fly Nepal 2001. Two I 0-day tours. Fly the Himalayas! The most stunning, exotic country imaginable. Friendly and consistent thermal conditions. Guidance from Master-rated instructor Dale Covington. Logistics handled by Nepal expedition specialist Kellie Erwin. Limit seven per trip, $1,800. Contact: l800-782-9204, kerwin@ida.net.

-----------------~-----.-------------------------~

The course have been extended to three days with a limit of six students per session, using boat tows and scooter tows. Sign up today! Space is limited to 6 students per session.

JULY

2001

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Paragliding is normally blissfully devoid of things one would term as overtly ''mechanical " Fabric, string, webbing and some wind -

these

things are all we need to get our airtime fix. Well sometimes. The Wa.p engine mounted on a standard Sup'Air Echo harness. Note that full back protection is in plAce.

t all started back in 1997. When it came to my local soaring sites, I was frustrated with the driving inconvenience and consistently uncooperative paragliding conditions for which the northeastern U.S. is famous. Faced with chis, and, being the incessant tinkerer that I am, a concept slowly formed in my not-always-

I 16

keen mind: I could build something to allow me to fly around here! ("Here" is central New Jersey, about as flat as it gets.) Thus was born a great inspiration chat was to become the "Paragliding Launch Assist Engine," more commonly known around here as the Bug/Wasp project.

Test Pilot's Log: The engine is amazingly light.

You know it's there, especially with a fall load offa.el, but still you find yourselftrotting around, setting up, kiting, etc., just as you normally would. Just feels like I'm carrying a bunch ofextra stuffin the rear storage pocket, I guess. It took a little fiddling to get the engine snugged to the harness and then a hang-test to adjust the recline angle. Basically, I simply had to tighten the side straps and shoulder straps a bit. I chink I had been flying with things too loose, anyway. It actually felt better once adjusted, snug and secure an 'Tm one with my harness" sort of thing. Flying paragliders with engines is nothing new. I had flown motorized quite a bit, in fact. But soon I realized that the motorized flight experience was too far removed from what I loved about paragliding. The beauty of soaring flight, silent and pure, captured my heart, and my motorized stints were little more than placeholders to tide me over until the next mountain launch presented itself. Plus, the engines were heavy and the high attachment points of the risers (to keep the harness from flipping backward from the engine weight) produced a "hanging helpless by your shoulders" feeling chat made weight-shift inputs all but impossible, and really compromised the prospect of active piloting. I'd ponder in flight: Could I effectively deal with a large collapse? Can I work the glider in rough air with any authority? I just didn't like it. So, I made a decision to build something and made a very deliberate distinction: I wanted a Paragliding Launch Assist Engine, not a "paramotor." Most motor guys fly around under power the whole time; my desire was to have a means to climb to thermaling altitude and kill the engine, then have the glider behave and perform just like it normally would after a slope launch. Now, yo u may be thinking chat towing would be a good option, and it is. However, you can't do it alone. It's a relatively complicated process to set up and execute, and you need a lot of room to string enough line out for any decent altitude gain. Still, towing is fun and has its place, and I still enjoy an occasional tug from Philippe Renaudin of Sup'Air USA when he decides to lug his winch to the sod farm where we do most of our flatland flying.

Test Pilot's Log: Inflation was a snap. It was absolutely no different.from a normalforward inflation. I always hated the process ofinflat-

PARAGLIDING

ing with an engine because ofthe high riser connections - it feels unnatural and awkward (probably because it is!). Today was a zero-wind day (in the morning anyway) and there is no way I could have struggled that wing up with my other engine. I just can't move that fast with a 60-pound slug on my back. Like I said, with this thing, pure joy. There's an engine on your back but it's no work; there's no down side. Amazing. But back to our story. My electrical engineering I software development I mechanical tinkerer background somehow combined to produce the notion that I could build such a "launch assist engine" that would have all the benefits of a tow start without the typical penalties of going motorized. Weight was the primary factor. Make the thing light enough, I reasoned, and all the other problems go away. Low weight means using regular harness riser attachment points, and this means I could use a standard harness with full back protection. This also means the paraglider flight mode would be unaltered, which means full weight-shift capability and an in-flight pilot poscure indistinguishable from normal, unpowered soaring flight. I was inspired. I turned to the Internet and began looking for small, lighrweight engines that I could build a frame around and stick to my back side. The first contraption to emerge from my garage was powered by a 95-cc, rwostroke "giant scale" model airplane engine. Posthumously named the Bug 1 (it has since been disassembled and sold for pans) , it was direct drive (meaning the prop bolted directly to the engine crank shaft without reduction gearing), absurdly underpowered and noisy as hell. Bur it was light, tipping the scales at a whopping 11 pounds! I strapped it to the back of my harness and headed off to the sod farm with Philippe, he, the now officially designated rest pilot. (I won't go into the implications of me, the designer and builder, not wanting to be the first to fly it, but Philippe never seemed to catch on.) I remember it was kind of cold, and we had to wait until the sun set for the wind to die down. We laid out the glider (a Nova Xyon, I believe), Philippe strapped in, and I started the engine (by the somewhat unnerving process of flipping the prop by hand). What followed in the next few minutes is permanently etched into my mind forever - an easy forward inAation, a loud

JULY

2 0 01

rasp from the tiny motor, and the silhouette of Philippe against a darkening sky as he gently floated into the air, rising at a barely perceptible rate. I ran along with him, easily pacing him as he bobbed up and down next to me, modulating the brakes to maintain 15 feet AGL and weight-shift steering to hold his heading. It was really a surreal image, as if the wing was somehow transformed into a floating balloon, loafing along in just enough ground effect to stay buoyant. Phil would later say that he had this dream-like feeling the whole time, like he could just float out of the harness weightless and drift along with the machine as it hung next to him, almost motionless. Weird. The flight lasted only about 45 seconds, bur the successful rest along with Phil's post-flight enthusiasm convinced me that I was on the right track. The fusion of paragliding and motorized paragliding had been achieved, albeit modestly. So, as a proof-of-concept unit rhe Bug 1 fulfilled its role well, but I needed more power if I ever hoped to get my carcass (175 pounds versus Phil's 145) off the ground. Back into research mode I wem, looking for an engine that would make the power I needed while still remaining light enough for the purpose at hand. I found one, ordered it, and the officially named Bug was born.

Test Pilot's Log: I forgot my vario, but I'd estimate climb at about 200 /pm (very rough guess). Noise Level was absolutely acceptable, no proMem, no earplugs, just peachy. I'd say it's just a tad Louder than a DK Whisper. Weight shift steering was perfect, just as it should be. The engine retains the normal paraglider attachment points and can perform all the typical maneuvers - wingovers, spiral dives, ears, whatever I wanted, my Axon and I just had fun wheeling through the morning sky. I came down, buzzedJeffand AL (gave them a couple ofgood photo ops!), then got on the power and climbed to do it all over again. On the throttle, Im in a well behaved paramotor, offthe throttle the flight mode is pure paraglider. Sweet. Torque is quite evident under full power, but easily offiet with a constant opposite weight shift (I just crossed my legs). No weight shift yields a Large, slow, left-hand spiraling ascent, actually kind ofnice ifyou don't want to bother steering yourselfto stay over the LZ. Everything works very nice as it is. Thrust is adequate (though not overwhelming). I'LL have

Mike performs a forward inflation with the Wasp.

to fly a bit more and just feel it out when the weather allows (windy again today).

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When the box arrived from the engine manufacturer I tore it open and peered inside. It was a striking red color, and big compared to the Bug 1 power plant. At 198 cc it was twice the size, but this being another engine designed for "giant scale" model airplanes (what the hell are those guys building, anyway?) it was comfortably held in one hand. "This is going to be great," I thought. Soon enough the deed was done and the Bug was ready for a test flight. The Bug weighed in at just under 20 pounds. Again, Philippe was pressed into service. One notable aspect of the new design was the retention of the dorsal reserve in the slightly modified Sup'Air Profeel harness we were using. A design collaboration between myself and Philippe, we had really succeeded in adapting the motor to standard flight gear with little modification, and we wasted no time patting ourselves on the backs for it - until Phil flew with it, that is. The Bug had bugs. It took a lot of frustrating hours until the thing stopped breaking and allowed for uninterrupted flight testing. Some of the things that went wrong were downright dangerous. On one particular flight, Phil ran out of gas way too quickly. Upon landing, we discovered that an exhaust pipe had fallen off, allowing the hot exhaust exiting the engine to directly strike the plastic fuel tank. The plastic didn't stand a chance. A large hole was melted clean through the tank wall, and we quickly realized that the bulk of Phil's flight had been carried out trailing a highly volatile spray plume of atomized gasoline. How he didn't wind up a flaming streamer in the sky we still don't know. Anyway, once we got the thing to stop trying to kill the pilot, we decided to test the deployment behavior of the dorsal reserve, now mounted perilously close to the engine frame/harness interface. So, we rigged a dummy reserve (we didn't want to actually deploy, of course), I grabbed a camcorder to capture the historic moment, Phil took off, climbed overhead and, with camera rolling, tugged the reserve handle. Then tugged again. Then pulled hard. Then pulled really hard and eventually wrenched the brick of fabric from the harness, which then fell unceremoniously to earth. "Hmmm, extraction problems," I mumbled. We eventually fixed it, along with a

host of other problems, and continued testing. Actually, it wasn't as much testing as it was just plain fun flying. The Bug was a blast! Loud and often cantankerous, the Bug succeeded in providing the flight experience I had originally set out to achieve.

Test Pilot's Log: If l had to pick the one single thing that impacts the fan and usability aspect it would be that clutch. What a difference - no stressing at the thought ofchewing up the wing on a blown launch, no vibration -- man, it is sweet! The low weight is great too, ofcourse, but Tm already used to it from the previous prototypes. This is just so much better! Plus, the thing makes gobs more power! And is quiet to boot! That's it, l gotta go flyin' this afternoon ... Ground handling, inflations (both forward and reverse) and in-flight behavior were unhindered when using the Bug. The added weight was barely noticeable when setting up and launching, and in flight, with the engine off, you'd never know it was there. Thermaling with the unit was fantastic, as my friend Jeff Weiss and l found out one Saturday morning. Jeff became Bug owner number two (after Philippe), and we wasted no time putting his to good use. Since the thrust output was modest (less than 80 pounds), the rate of climb under power was limited to less than 100 fpm, until you hit lift, that is. Again, the design philosophy paid off, and that Saturday we took turns burning through tank after tank of fuel, climbing toward the southwest corner of the sod field where a very consistent thermal waited to carry us skyward. Circling in the lift, I was able to experiment with using low throttle settings to augment my climb, and it worked beautifully. Of course, killing the engine returned us right to paraglider mode and we could work the lift normally. Flying the Bug was a real treat, and my mind filled with visions of unpowered climbs to cloudbase followed by epic X-C, all from the convenience of my back yard. But still, there were some things I wasn't quite satisfied with.

Test Pilot's Log: Flew this weekend, final-

ly Best flight of my life on any engine, I have to tell you, and not just because of the engine working well. It was just one ofthose perfect flying days. Anyway, the engine is still not quite right (mix-up has me with wrong redrivelprop combo, turning less than 8,000 rpm), but I'd say still a JO-pound thrust increase over previous. Took off around 5:00 pm. Kicked me offin a very

PARAGLIDING

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A little body English while on final. short run (0-5 mph wind), and climbout was better than before. I'll be getting the right redrive primary gear this week, and will test this hopefully final combo. I expect yet another performance boost, so I'm pretty optimistic this thing will handle 190+ pound pilots with good performance. But what a flight! Climbed to over 2,500' AGL and then passed a very apparent boundary layer as I got real chilly real fast. Cruised around at halfthrottle for a while, then killed the engine to get back to warmer air. By now it's around 6:00 pm, and guess what I find over the rolling sod fields ofsouth Jersey - magic air! Not quite enough to stay up, but my descent was probably just below break even, so ! had my glide extended another 15 minutes or so. Beautiful. ! could just forget that I had a dormant engine on my back and just enjoy unencumbered flight. What a joy! Alright, I'm done emoting, but boy, I needed that. The only remaining problem is that the cage hasn't been reworked since we went with the bigger prop, so the prop is "tipping" a riser lightly on occasion if the pilot throttles up before the wing is fully inflated and overhead during the takeoff run. No big deal, we'll just have to push the cage hoop out and bring the prop in a bit, but we were hoping to keep it smaller. Otherwise, looks good. Up to this point I had my sights set on

JULY

2001

spreading the joy around by building a whole swarm of Bugs for general sale. Unfortunately, the Bug design didn't translate into production form very well. Noise, vibration, an annoying tendency to break, and the need to stick your hand into the business end just to start the thing all added up to a device that could arguably be described as "user hostile." So, after producing a few I abandoned the design as untenable and once again began looking for a way to do it better. The funny thing was, I wasn't the only one messing around with this stuff. I developed an e-mail rapport with a fellow pilot named Bill Rich who, as it turned out, had developed a Bug-like motor concept in parallel with my efforts, although he had the good sense not to actually try to fly with one. We discussed the issues plaguing the Bug at length, and he clued me in to yet another engine he had come across which he thought might satisfy my Launch Assist Engine requirements nicely. Light, cheap, and ... Swedish? So, I ordered the Raket engine from the Radne company of Sweden and my new toy arrived, appropriately enough, within a day or two of Christmas. Hunched over and snickering, back into the garage I scurried with my box of parts. What slowly congealed was a 25-pound wonder equipped with a pull-starter, a real muffled exhaust

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and boy did we have a good time! I finally remembered my vario and got some accurate performance numbers: Wing: Nova Axon 26 Wing max weight: 231 pounds Pilot weight: 175 pounds Hook in weight: 220 pounds Average climb: 120+/pm

system, centrifugal clutch and a big, quiet propeller with a reduction drive. A few weeks later I emerged, and the Wasp was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. And the darn thing worked. W ith my friend Alan Wadiak playing the ground support role, flight testing progressed rapidly. After a couple of design iterations in which the redrive was modified and the propeller was made a litcle bigger, the Wasp settled in and became what could only be described as a well-mannered, reliable aviation cool. I don't even have any "there I was at 500 feet when suddenly the engine exploded" stories (although there are a few minor propellerexploding stories). In any case, I was so confident in the thing that I actually test-flew it myself, giving Philippe a well-earned rest. I guess al l the work with the first two prototypes paid off, or I finally got lucky.

Test Pilot's Log: Holy moly! After whacking a brand-new prop we finally got everything fixed and ready for another go. We ran the new and improved redrive and prop combo

Strange weather kept the flight short. I ascended to about 400 feet when I realized that I was no longer penetrating. It was super smooth (low pressure system moving in and cloudy), so I parked myselfat the end ofthe field and took a full-power elevator ride straight up. Hit 600 feet, tried crabbing to no avail so throttled back to descend to slower headwinds (the wind sock on the ground showed less than five mph). Sure enough, at around 200 feet a few bumps, then forward motion. Very abrupt. Anyway, I cruised around below 15 0 feet for about 15 minutes, then the drizzle put it all to an end. But what a great flight! The engine felt spot on. Great power, smooth as gkw and very responsive. I could just watch the altimeter and keep myself within a few feet of 150 and mess around with steep, banking power turns. Weight shift rules! I love this engine! Ac 25 or so pounds the Wasp was a far cry from the original 11 -pound Bug 1. le sics right at the edge of the critical balance point that still allows fo r low riser attachment. It is a true "crossover" technology, where dedicated soaring purists and enthusiasts of motorized flight can comfortably "meet in the middle. " T he Wasp's in-flight behavior is excellent, and, while I would prefer a mountain launch in my back yard, this really is the next best thing. It is a truly

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• •

by Steve Roti

How can you argue with a flying site that is or has: Soarable by 8:00 am, Acres and acres oftop-landing area, Green grass in the LZ, An LZ so close that you practically couldfall offlaunch and hit, X-C potential Alternate launches for other wind directions, A spacious hangar for shade, Gracious hosts that serve great meals, Camping or cabins at the LZ, And great scenery as well?-]ejfHuey inding a new flying site is the dream of many paraglider pilots. Finding a really good one is the holy grail. Ed Pitman, like a Crusader of old, has found a really good one named Lands Inn. It's located in the John Day Valley of eastern Oregon, roughly halfway between Portland and the Idaho border, about 90 miles south of the Columbia River. Nearby is the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, an area of spectacular painted hills and towering rimrock-lined cliffs. SITE HISTORY Ed moved to the John Day Valley last

summer to take a job with the National Park Service near the town of Kimberly. He noticed the cloud streets setting up over the valley and heading east, and he quickly realized that the area had good potential for paragliding and hang gliding. Ed flew his ultralight extensively around the area, but it wasn't until the spring of this year that footlaunch pilots arrived to give the site a try. On May 18-21 about 25 pilots from Portland, Hood River, Bend, Seattle, and Yakima gathered at Lands Inn for a long weekend of flying. First flight honors went to paraglider pilot Andy Nicoll and hang glider pilot Joe Evans. It was flyable all four days with blown-out periods two of the

Aerial view ofthe Lands Inn airstrip and ridge during glass-off (photo by Steve Roti).

afternoons and one of the evenings. Although the pressure was high and there were no cumuli in the sky, pilots still got significant altitude gains during the day (2,800' over launch for hang glider pilots and 1,600' over for paraglider pilots), and there was an excellent glass-off session one evening. Interestingly, it was soarable on two of the four mornings as early as 8:00 AM. There weren't any cross-country flights that weekend, but we scoped out the possible route east to the town ofJohn Day. ABOUT LANDS INN Lands Inn is the name of a grass airstrip owned by Tom and Carol Buce. They moved

Ed Pitman's ultralight in front ofthe hangar at the Lands Inn airstrip (photo by JeffHuey). PARAGLIDING

to the John Day Valley some 15 years ago

and created the airstrip, hangar, houses and other buildings themselves. Lands Inn is off the electrical grid, with power coming from solar energy supplemented by propane for things like hot showers. The airstrip is located on a bench (elevation approximately 3,900' MSL) well above the valley floor (approximately 1,900' MSL) and it serves as the landing zone for foot-launch pilots. The main launch area (approximately 5,100' MSL) is located on the edge of a large mesa-like hill that overlooks the airstrip and faces west-southwest. There are other launch areas nearby that face north and northwest. The flat area directly behind the launch is huge, easily the largest toplanding area in the Pacific Northwest. If a pilot landed on the far side of the toplandable area it would be about a 10minute walk back to the launch. Of course, there's no reason to land back that far because it's perfectly landable right behind launch as many pilots demonstrated that weekend. There's a 4WD road from the Lands Inn airstrip up to the launch area. Much of the road is quite reasonable, but there's a rocky section in the middle that requires good clearance and slower drivmg. Lands Inn offers bed and breakfast accommodations in three cabins located near the airstrip. Camping is also available on the property.

GETTING THERE From Portland drive east on 1-84 to Biggs, go south on Highway 97 to Wasco, go southeast on Highway 206 to Condon, go south on Highway 19 past Fossil and Spray and Kimberly. Between mile posts 118 and 1 19 turn left on the dirt road to Lands Inn. Five miles up the dirt road at the airport sign turn left. Driving time from Portland is four to four and a half hours. From Bend drive to Prineville, go east on Highway 26 past Mitchell, go north on Highway 19 toward Kimberly. Between mile posts 118 and 119 turn right on the dirt road to Lands Inn. Five miles up the dirt road at the airport sign turn left. Driving time from Bend is three hours. Note that Lands Inn is a private airstrip and you must call ahead before driving or flying there. Contact information is listed in the Resource section below. WHAT'S NEXT? More flying, of course. I'm convinced (as are a number of other pilots) that Lands Inn is a good flying site and has the potential for producing long cross-country flights. The only way to know for sure is to do more research (hmmm, research used to sound so boring when I was in college but it's much more fun with a paraglider). So, we've scheduled a fly-in for the weekend of August 25-26, 2001. Details haven't been finalized yet, but the tentative plan is to provide camping, T-shirts, dinner Saturday night, and lots of flying for the

Bill Gordon landing a tandem at the Lands Inn airstrip (photo by Steve Roti). JULY

2001

pilots who show up. See the Resources section below for a link to a Web page with up-to-date information about the fly-in. Come join us for the Lands Inn fly-in. It's always an adventure discovering a new flying site. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at sroti@qwest.net.

RESOURCES

Contact information for Lands Inn: Tom and Carol Buce, Landsinn@oregontrail.net, (541) 934-2333

Contact information for flying in the john Day Valley: Ed Pitman, ed@good-deal.com

Here are links to the Web pages Ed Pitman has put together describing the Lands Inn flying site: http://www.good-deal.com/landsinn http://www.good-deal.com/landsinn/ xcopen.htm

A link to the Cascade Paragliding Club Web page about the fly-in: http://www.kurious.org/ cpc/landsinn. html

And a link to a topo ofthe area, centered on launch, courtesy ofJeff Huey: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z = 11 &n=4941458&e=297820&s=50&si ze=m

The launch area (photo by Steve Roti).

The Michael Champlin World X-C Challenge 2000 by Kevin Frost

A pilot arrives at a flying site after a bare-knuckles fight with freeway traf fie, or after a bumpy ride on a dusty logging road, a drive through miles of flatland passing slow-moving farm equipment, perhaps a hike through snowdrifts, or even after following the endless summer across the ocean. e sets up on a steep mountain side with the glider tied to a stout sage brush and dives at his wing as a dust-devil blows by. She sets up in the early morning on dewy, manicured grass with the noise of aerotow tugs taking off and landing. He pulls his glider out of the bag and untangles the lines. His battens clang on the asphalt as the driver and tech ready the winch. Wi th a four-man wire crew and instructions shouted over wind noise the pilot does a rwanger launch off a rod,')' cliff and is yanked into the sky. The glider inflates and the pilot rums and runs down a grassy slope. In light,

Davis Straub getting ready to fly at Wallaby Ranch after setting the East Coast record.

switchy cycles the pilot waits on his mountain side for a do-able cycle, the flags our front point at him, he feels the airflow pick up, he focuses, lifts his glider. The pilot is lying prone on a launch cart with the sharp, oily smell of the rug engine blowing back at him. The tug revs up and the prop wash, spiced with stinging bits of grit, smacks him hard in the face . Tug, cart and glider bounce down the runway, the glider lifts, the pilot drops rhe cart and plays follow-the-leader as the rug bumps and grinds it way to altitude. The pilot searches ridge lift for a passing thermal, sees two gliders doing high-banked 360's and races ro join them, they gain altitude and drift behind the ridge, the thermal holds together, they pass the invisible point of no return and fly on. The pilot is towed into a nice thermal at 1,000', pins off and drifts back, climbs high over the rigs in the setup area, and watches the next glider prepare to launch to the happy chirping of her vario. Bad luck, the pilot struck out to the left of launch, sunk out in front of launch and found nothing of value over the little foothill nubs to the right oflaunch. Sinking his way to the LZ he finds a bit of lift way low and stays with ir as he drifts away from the nice, clear LZ and into acres of rocky gullies and tall sagebrush. A topless glider wangs into a small field surrounded by deciduous trees. A sailplane rerurns to its home field after a long day and hundreds of miles. An old RamAir levitates down in high winds and its pilot kisses the ground. The pilot pulls flaps on

his rigid wing and wishes the LZ didn't slope into the wind. A paraglider lands in the lengthening shadows. I haven't even begun to describe the endless variety and possibilities in the world of free flight. Now imagine trying to create a flight-scoring system that allows this group - New Mexican world-record flying and Pennsylvanian tree-top skimming, sailplanes and paragliders, globe-trotting, endless thermal chasers and small-town yokels - all to compete in the same contest with a reasonable degree of fairness? But it has been done, and in my opinion very successfully. No entry fee, no extra rime off work, and it's easy. You choose the days of the competition, you choose the site, you choose the format. The Michael Champlin Cross Country Challenge has

PARAGLIDING

Axaopoulos, with all the rules and tons of information at http://www.hanggliding.org. Last year, first-place honors went to Ric Niehaus, a 36-year-old Maryland pilot who also flies internationally for US Airways. His first attempt at free flight was at age eight with a wood-framed garbage bag hang glider that didn't quite pass the back-porch test flight. His second attempt was in the summer of 1994 when he engaged in a more structured approach at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. He returned to Pittsburgh and became involved with the Daedalus pilots and was mentored by Pete Lehmann, Larry Huffman and Pat Brooks, described by Ric as X-C maniacs all. He adopted their style and X-C mindset. Until last year, Ric was still registered as a 60-mile class pilot in the Region 9 X-C comest. He decisively graduated to the open class when last year he set four site records, one of them an impressive East Coast 159-miler. Ric's five scoring flights started with two back-to-back site records, then later in the same week he set another site record. Ric's flights included:

Bill Belcourt getting ready to go on course at Snowbird, Utah. Photo courtesy ofFly Above All.

1) May 14 - 45 miles - Ridgely Airport, MD 2) May 26 - 47.7 miles, new recordRidgely, MD 3) July 6 - 51 miles, new record Ridgely, MD 4) July 7 - 159 miles, new recordSacramento, PA 5) July 12 - 46 miles, new record Redwing Airport, NJ

finished its second year. Its inventor and instigator, John Scott, came up with the idea and simply put it into action. He even ponied up his own money for first prize. The contestants are scored in a ratio to the longest flight ever made at the site they are flying, and according to their flying contraption. Plug a few numbers into a seventh-grade algebra formula and you have your score. I quote from John's article last year: ''A system had to be in place char would allow pilots from Hobbs, New Mexico to compete fairly with the pilots from Delaware, for example." John should have gone to Vegas the day he wrote that. Last year's winner made two flights to a Delaware beach.

Second-place honors went to 1999's winner Mark Poustinchian. Mark was born in Iran and moved ro the U.S . after high school, went on to earn an engineering degree from the University of Illinois, and in 1990 a hang gliding degree in Arkansas. By 1992 Mark had quickly racked up a 142-mile flight at a small, friendly competition in Texas. Later, after buying an Exxtacy, he flew the first 100miler in Arkansas, then racked up six more, three with a flex wing. No one else has ever flown 100 miles in a hang glider in Arkansas. At the end of 1999, Mark gave up his job as a senior structural engineer at the nuclear power plant in Arkansas and invented his own job, flying X-C at Quest Air in Florida. In February

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2001

A teeny tiny percent of piJots, regardless of skill, have the time or money to go hit the big sanctioned comps. And yet from coast to coast there are talented, dedicated pilots who wage battles against their own personal bests and existing X-C records all flying season. This contest was set up to acknowledge that talent and hard work on a potential world level and at zero additional cost in rime or money. Pilots can continue to fly in their own backyards, or globetrot if they please, and still compete on a level playing field, despite the varied X-C potential in each region. You are invited ro join in and be scored, and you will gain another kind of personal best to beat next year. If you are wired, check our the excellent site created by Jack "Bunnyboy"

Ric Niehaus with his support team/driver, Karen.

will be scoreable this year for anyone who wants to beat 347 miles. Like Davis, Dave Sharp set several impressive site records, including his own world record flight from Zapata of 311 miles, none of them counted under the rules of the contest, and he ended up in fourth place. Under the rules a site must first have an existing site record from the previous season of at least 50 km.

of 2000, flying a GhostBuster, he broke Quest Air's old distance record set by Bo Hagewood with a 141-miler, then continued breaking his own records with a 163miler to Georgia. Then he set a new East Coast record with a 192-mile flight in April 2000. Mark later scored another flight into Georgia for 182 miles. Mark spent last summer visiting family in Iran and took his old RamAir. He broke Iran's distance record with a flight of73 kilometers. That flight broke the existing distance record of 52 kilometers. Mark's flights included:

1) Feb 26 - 155 miles - Quest Air, Florida - new RW record 2) March 10 - 163 miles - Quest, Florida - new record 3) April 11 - 192 miles - Quest, Florida - new record 4) May 6 - 182 miles - Quest, Florida 5) Imam Hashem, Iran, 8/16 - 77.3 kms - new FW record Davis Straub, who successfully achieved his goal of setting a new world record hang gliding distance record last summer, and who was the previous year's second-place winner, took third-place honors in 2000. Davis lives out the dream many of us share of chasing the endless thermal to exotic locations around the world. He describes his experiences with news and commentary from the world of hang gliding in the sometimes daily, sometimes bi-weekly Oz Report at http://www.davisstraub.com. Davis lists his five scoring flights, includ-

ing one out-and-return and a triangle: 1) May 8 -- 179 miles. My first good attempt trying to get to Georgia from Wallaby Ranch. 2) May 13 - 155 miles. I made Georgia going almost due north. 3) May 21 - 212 miles in Florida. This is a site record for Wallaby Ranch, the longest flight ever in Florida, the first 200mile flight east of the Mississippi, and for five days the new East Coast record. 4) August 16 - 70.5-mile triangle flown at the Lone Star meet in Hearne, Texas. 5) August 18 - 83.5-mile out-andreturn flown at the Lone Star meet in Hearne, Texas. The one flight missing from this list is the world record from Zapata, Texas, flown on August 9. This was a new site which

Pete Lehmann was l 999's fifth-place winner. Last year he scored a lot of points flying only a single-surface glider. As the Single Surface division and its scoring is still in an experimental stage, his score is unofficial, but would have put him in third place. The scoring fluctuates according to hang rating, but for a Hang IV it is based on 60% of a site's existing flex-wing record, or if one exists, a previous singlesurface record. Pete's flights included: 1) February 21 - 20.2 miles. From High Point, near Cumberland, Maryland. No recorded previous single-surface record. 2) April 16 - 52.4 miles. From Templeton, Pennsylvania with a previous record of 51. 7 miles. 3) April 30 - 58 miles. Also from Templeton, Pennsylvania. 4) May 6 - 66.6 miles. From Avonmore where I no longer have the figure of the previous (very short) single-surface record. I was the only pilot to get up and out of the 430-foot site that day. 5) July 13 - 75.9 miles. From 14 Mile Road (near Rock Springs,

Pete Lehmann near Dixonville, Pennsylvania at 8,000' MSL in his Wills Wing Falcon. Photo by Mitch Shipley.

PARAGLIDING

Wyoming) with a standing record of 114 miles.

munity and entered two record-breaking scores.

Bill Belcourt was the top-placing paraglider pilot. He is originally from Wallingford, Connecticut and currently a Utah resident. He flirted with hang gliding in Connecticut in 1985 bur never stuck with it, and got into flying paragliders in 1990 when he worked for John Bouchard in North Conway, New Hampshire at his climbing gear company. John Bouchard was a pioneer in paragliding in the U.S., and designed his own wings and distributed ITV (French paragliders). Bill's background is alpine climbing, and he was originally attracted to paragliders as descent tools in the mountains. He comments: "This became a pursuit in itself as performance increased and climbers, just playing aviator, were getting hurt. I discovered that flying paragliders is serious and very addictive like climbing, and demanded full attention. Since it was so amazing what you can do with just nylon and string, flying became my top priority. I approach paragliding X-C with alpine climbing's basic premise, try to do the most with the least." Bill has flown many western U.S. flying sites, as well as Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Austria and Germany, and he represented the U.S. at the World Championships in '97 and '99. He is currently USHGA ranked third and on this year's World Team for the 2001 Worlds in Granada, Spain. Bill comments, "The paragliding flying scene in Utah is split (not evenly) between those who primarily fly the mountains and those who mostly fly the Point of the Mountain. The local hang glider pilots have a much more well-developed X-C culture than we do, but we have been getting a lot more interest in X-C flying over the past few years and some good new talent. It is an exciting time here. Our small group ofX-C pilots is growing fast, and this year I hope we will continue to push the limits and possibilities here in Utah. "As far as the flights go, only two were notable; the rest were just filler. The first of the notables was a 96-mile flight in Chelan, Washington. I was flying with the current record holder(l20 miles), Mark Telep, for most of the flight. Cloud base was at 11,000' to 12,000', with light and variable winds, and the flight took seven

As you can see from the top finishers, the thing they have most in common is that they all fly a lot, and have lofty goals when they fly X-C, which is as it should be. What they don't have in common is what proves that the concept of this contest is a success. Their equipment and the X-C potential where they fly is as varied as free flight itsel£ The 2001 contest has already started, and as I write this, a paraglider pilot is in the lead. Go to Hanggliding.org, see who is ahead by looking under "Flights," and join in the MCXC Challenge, worldwide and open to everyone who flies free. The $300 first-place prize money was donated by Bretton Woods Foreign Currency Exchange. The $100 secondplace prize money, won my Mark Poustinchian, was generously donated by Gerald "Penguin" Myers. Rita Edris was the top-placing female, which earned her a PTT courtesy of Flight Connections, Inc. Peter Birren was kind enough to donate one of his famous Linknives to be given to the highest-placing tow pilot. That winner was Davis Straub. And, finally, for being the top-placing Canadian pilot, Armand Acchione won a two-night/three-day Executive Flying Adventure at Ian McArthur's bed and breakfast in British Columbia. (Note: Davis Straub generously donated $200 to be given to the winner of the "Weekend" division. Because of a lack of participants in this division we decided to just roll over the donation to 2001 's contest.) Thanks to all of the sponsors. Ill

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hours - very nice. "The next of the notables was a 154miler at Snowbird, Utah on 9/15/00. The flight took place during the Snowbird X-C competition. The previous record of 90 miles, which had been set in 1998 by Todd Bibler and myself, had been broken the previous day by Chad Bastian with a flight of 91 miles. It was a ripping day with cloud base at 18,000' and ground speeds over 60 mph (not bad on a rag wing). We were happy to escape the mountains to the flats of Wyoming before the wind materialized. I was able to cover the distance in just under six hours." Bill's flights included:

1) August 1 - 75.1 kms - Chelan Butte, WA 2) August 5 - 154 kms - Chelan, WA 3) August 6 - 91.6 kms -Chelan, WA 4) August 7 - 84.6 kms -Chelan, WA 5) Sept 15 - 248 k:ms - Snowbird, UT - new record Although the contest has always been open to sailplanes, none entered the first year of the contest in 1999. However, Ramy Yanetz, former hang glider pilot and top five finisher in the 1999 contest, took his talents over to the sailplane com-

oodratl I

VENERABLE SOUTHERN OREGON HANG GLIDING AND P.

RVHGA work party. Flight Director Chris Wick (center) directs volunteer crew. From left: Phil Stonebrook, Hayden Glatte, Wayne Smith, Kevin Lee (facing away) Simon Gray and Ron Skog in his Kubota. Yards of crushed rock soften the west launch. Photo by Donald Fitch.

RVHGA paraglider pilot Hayden Glatte assists VP Alden Moffat in strong winds at the new main Woodrat Mtn. west launch. Photo by Donald Fitch.

Fred Tomlins ofELM, Woodrat Mtn. Pioneer pilot Doug Hildreth and RVHGA President Donald Fitch cut the ribbon on west launch. North launch at left. Photo by Athena Fitch.

Starthistle 2001 cake at Saturday barbecue feast. Photo by Athena Fitch.

by Donald Fitch

Woodrat Mountain, near Medford, Jacksonville and Ruch is well known for its beautiful views ofApplegate Valley and powerful thermals that carry free-flyers thousands offeet skyward and miles cross-country. Hang glider pilots have flown the mountain since 1978 and paraglider pilots since the early 1990s. It is a ELM Recreation Opportuni-ty Site, an insured site ofthe Rogue Valley Hang Gliding Association (RVHGA) and scene ofthe annual Starthistle Fly-In Memorial Day weekends. 28

he year 2001 opened somewhat gloomily for the RVHGA, as the Woodrat Mountain top launch and mid-launch sites were closed to flying by the Bureau of Land Management to facilitate a new round of helicopter logging and quarrying for roadbed material. The top launch areas (3,800 feet, 2,000 feet above LZ) were drilled, blasted and dropped to provide crushed rock. Our hang glider pilots were especially grieved by the loss of the 20 feet at the main west launch.

PARAGLIDING

ountain Reborn

RAGLIDING SITE SPORTS NEW WORLD-CLASS LAUNCHES

RVHGA newsletter editor Kristin Wick launches from the new west launch. Photo by Donald Fitch. RVHGA member W0yne Smith ofJacksonville departs new north launch. Before being reworked it was a narrow slot, now wide and friendly. Photo by Donald Fitch. Woodrat Mtn. top launch areas during Starthistle. North launch is over the crest at center. The main west launch is past the parking area, below at left, with orange paraglider about to launch. Photo by Dana Hight. Woodrat 2001 design.

Conditions brightened in the spring, however. Helicopter logging was completed and the mountain again opened to flying. With the close cooperation and aid of BLM, the blast rubble has been crafted into world-class paragliding and hang gliding launches. The RVHGA played an active role in the reformation of midlaunch, and both top launches, west and north. Flight Director Chris Wick and RVHGA newsletter editor Kristin Wick met repeatedly with the BLM, crews from Superior Logging, and the private con-

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2001

tractors who were helicopter-logging parts of Woodrat Mountain and vicinity. Through the Wicks and their direction of these crews and their heavy equipment, and with input from the hang gliding and paragliding pilots of the RVHGA, the new launches present some of the best free-flying launch preparations anywhere in the world. Where the bulldozers left off, several RVHGA work crews stepped in, handattacking dozer blade berms, rolling large rocks, filling holes and applying crushed

rock. The result is hand-tuned launches of acre proportions. The largest tree menacing mid-launch (2,600 feet, 800 feet above LZ) is gone. The knoll behind the launch has been scalped for a helicopter pad and now serves as a great parking area. The main west launch lost some vertical height to the rock crusher, bur the resulting slope has been designed to minimize the rotor that sometimes resulted from the sharp crest. T his launch is now literally 200 feet long and up to 80 feet wide. Parts have been optimized for hang

gliding takeoffs. The north launch is no longer the narrow slot left from the last quarry operation, but now is wide and friendly. A dedication ceremony for the reborn launches was held atop Woodrat Mountain on Saturday, May 26, the first day of Starthistle 200 l, the 25th Annual Fly-In of the Rogue Valley Hang Gliding Association. Present at top launch were 70 hang glider and paraglider pilots from around the west, the U.S., and even a contingent from South Africa. Also at top launch in front of a 60-foot ribbon stretched across the west launch stood Fred Tomlins of the BLM, pioneer Woodrat Mountain pilots Dave Palmer, Bill Shaw, Len Leslie, Doug Hildreth and Steve Bisset. The RVHGA publicly thanked the BLM for their long support of hang gliding and paragliding at Woodrat Mountain. Fred Tomlins of the BLM was presented with a plaque bearing a few photos of top launch which read: TheRVHGA wishes to thank the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Medford Office, for a quarter century of support of the flying sports of hang gliding and paragliding at the Woodrat M tn. Recreation Opportunity site. Starthistle 2001 - 25th Annual Fly-In May 26, 2001 Donald Fitch, President, RVHGA 2001 The dedication continued with the introduction of "the gathering" of the first Woodrat pilots. An account of these first flights may be found at www.RVHGA. org/Starthistle200 l .hcm. After honoring these initial Woodrat pilots, the BLM's Fred Tomlins, pioneer hang glider pilot Doug Hildreth, and current RVHGA president Donald Fitch cut the ribbon, officially opening the new launches with these words: "Forty thousand generations of beings that could be called human have walked this earth. In this long chain of 10,000 centuries, what person born has not at some time in his life looked to the birds soaring on currents of air and wished to join them above? Finally, just one generation ago, humankind first mastered personal, non-powered flight and took to the

thermals with the eagles in early hang gliders. Right here in the Rogue Valley, and right here with us now, are many of the pioneers of free flight, those who footlaunched off Woodrat Mountain in the late l 970's. "Each year since then, hang glider pilots, and more recently, paraglider pilots have gathered here on Woodrat Mountain to fly the energetic thermals of southern Oregon in an event called Starthistle. To further this new air sport, they began an organization called the Rogue Valley Hang Gliding Association. "Over these years, the Bureau of Land Management, BLM Medford office, has been a friend. This site was declared an official BLM Recreation Opportunity site. Even when logging sales meant having to blast away launch areas for crushed rock, they have been rebuilt better. Although we lost vertical feet last year, with the help of the BLM the launches we dedicate today are true world-class foot-launches. We also thank the LZ property owners, the Hunters, for the privilege of the use of their land. "On this 25th Starthist!e we look forward 75 years to the I 00th Starthistle Fly-In in the year 2076. No doubt men and women will be soaring thermals in 2076 with strange wings we cannot now begin to imagine. Our hope is that people will still be flying right here in Southern Oregon at Woodrat Mountain. It is to them we dedicate these new launches." The Starthistle Fly-In resumed immediately after the dedication with Dave Palmer, one of the pioneer hang glider pilots, who this year has rediscovered hang gliding, taking to the air that late afternoon for a great flight. For a while, no paraglider pilots were to be seen in the big air of late afternoon. Sunday evening, however, dozens of paraglider pilots launched from mid-launch and enjoyed a massive glass-off. The fly-in was spared rain, and conditions were fairly ideal, except perhaps for the site's characteristic rowdiness at midday. All-in-all, the 68 registered pilots had great flights. John Olson of Portland said, "I had the best time ever this year: six flights, three minicross-countries, and one amazing glassoff." A Web page of photos, multimedia presentations and contest results of the event is available at www.RVHGA.org/ Starthistle200 l .htm.

Although mainly a fun fly-in, Starthistle 200 I did include contests of flying skills. Top scores went to: Hang Gliding Distance - Phil Stonebrook - 20 miles Altirude - Phil Stonebrook- 10,700 feet MSL! Duration - Kevin Cassey - 3 hours and 46 minutes Spot-Landing- Grant Kimbell - 60 feet Paragliding Distance - Bill Gordon - 12.5 miles Altitude - "Billy the Flash" Gordon 6,860 feet MSL Duration - Jim Little - 2 hours and 38 minutes Spot-Landing- Quenton Oats and Thayer Hughes - On The Cone Dr. Philip Stonebrook of Joseph, Oregon, hang gliding veteran of I 0 Starthistles, had his best fly-in flight yet. After scratching around top launch for a few hours, Phil caught a thermal up through a 5,500-foot layer to 6,700 feet. He then turned east, and just northeast of Anderson Peak he cored a colossal thermal that shot him up 1,300 fpm to 10,700 feet MSL, well over a mile above top launch, now five miles to the west. From there Phil headed toward Ashland and arrived at Emigrant Lake 6,000 feet above, roughly the height of Pilot Rock and well above Siskiyou Pass at 4,200 feet. Thunderstorms to the south prevented his continuation on into California, the "Holy Grail" of Woodrat cross-country pilots. He landed near the dam at Emigrant Lake, southeast of Ashland, 20 miles east of launch. Congratulations Phil! Woodrat Mountain can be viewed nearly live over the World-Wide Web at www.RVHGA.org. A "live" Web cam broadcasts a new image of the mountain every few minutes from RVHGA member and paraglider pilot Ron Skog's house, just north of the LZ and northwest of the mountain. Woodrat Mountain is open to flying for all USHGA members, H3 or P3, or instructor's signoff for H2's and P2's. A signed waiver is required ($5.00 suggested donation). Join us May 25-27 next year for Starthist!e 2002 (www.RVHGA.org/Starthistle2002.htm). Ill PARAGLIDING

in a glider I bought new three years ago, so when an extra paycheck came and I got the green light from the budget ro get a new wing, I started looking at and dreaming about the newest, hottest gliders, salivating over the newest numbers: 60 km/h, 8.5+ LID, 40 km/h trim, all from a DHV 1. What were the hottest guys flying? Ozone, Windtech, Gin, Airwave, Apco? How are you going to fly with those guys if yo u aren't flying the hottest stuff? Want ro be like Chris? Fly Ozone. Want ro be like Josh? Fly Windrech. If you're a dad with

three kids, vvhar do you do? My last wing was a SOL Onyx and it wasn't retired because it was ragged out, but because I wanted ro move on. (It is still in the closet and I use it for tandem .) That wing saw flyi ng friends go through several new gliders in its lifetime, bur I was impressed with the quality and durability of the Onyx and was never far behind when flying with the hottest new wings. However, wings have evolved with the promotion of the serial class, manufacturers have shifted ro heavier, more durable fabrics, and it seems like really great gliders are everywhere. So what do you choose? I am a three-rime-per-week pilot when the flying is good (which is year round in Hawaii), don't mind the "risk" of handling a performance-class (DHV 2-3) wing, and

want ro fly like Chris. I was looking at wings like Airwave's Magic, Ozone's Proron GT and Gin's Nomad, but when I checked the prices ... let's just say chaching! Being happy with my last wing, I wondered what SOL had come up with. Looking on the Internet I found SO Ls new performance wing, the Cyclone, and it promised good speed and performance, all at a reasonable price and certified, so I asked them ro send me a red one. When I came home from work to find a box about the size a paraglider would come iri, it was immediately ripped open by quivering hands and taken to the park ro kite. I was struck by its small size, due ro the fact that I had been putting in lots of tandem hours and my last solo wing was five square meters bigger. (Kitesurfers and windsurfers, yo u know how much fabric that is!) Another thing I noticed was the absence of external stitching. That's right, there was no thread on the upper or lower surface - nice for those rocky, stick-filled launches that tend ro catch and pull stitching. The Cyclone uses Gelvenor 49 gm/m on the upper surface and 45 gm/m on the lower surface. Renowned for its long life, Gelvenor has a waxy feel and is used in other hot new wings like Airwave's Magic, Ozone's Proron DX and APCO's Simba. Gelvenor is a South African manufacturer,

PARAGLIDING

and they say that the waxy feel is from the silicone and polyurethane-based compounds used to coat the material. This coating gives the fabric zero porosity, awesome durability, and allows SOL to offer a three-year/300-flight-hour warranty. The material is awesome but a real dirt magnet, as I was to find out later. The Cyclone uses a four-riser system with a floating C, a two-pulley speed system, and the coolest risers I have seen in a long time. At the park the wind was light and cycling with 0-5 mph puffs. The wing pulled up nicely and all the lines were attached to the right places, so it was time to fly. The wing arrived while I was at work on a average flying day for February: 75° F, the wind 10-20 mph from the northeast, perfect for the local hill. But by the time I got home and to the park to check out the wing, the wind had calmed and it was looking like it was going to be good at Makapuu, the perfect place for a first flight! Arriving in the LZ, the wind was light, and there was a glider in the air and several more on launch. On launch the wind was 15-18 with some higher cycles. The pilots on launch were waiting, and one was laying out for a second attempt. The wind looked good and was not gusting but cycling gently. I was aching to get in the air, and after watching another good

JULY

2001

try I asked if it was okay ifl jumped the queue. The glider laid out nicely, I hooked in, facing the glider (thanks Dixon) and chose a low cycle of 15 mph. A light pull and up the wing came. It didn't hang back or overshoot, and with a little brake input the wing stopped overhead as I slid underneath it. With the higher wing loading and trim speed we glided smoothly over the edge and I was off, with less drama than I am used to. Only slight weight shift and light brake inputs were required to point me down the cliff and into the fat coastal

lift. The Cyclone is the second in a family of new wings from SOL and their new designer, Andre Rotte, who has worked for the design teams of MAC, Firebird and Falhalk. The Cyclone uses the same manufacturing processes as the Yess2, Andre's first wing for SOL, which won the prePWC in Brazil this spring. Being derived from the comp Yess2, the finish on the wing is great with no detail overlooked. SOL boasts about being one of the only manufacturers that both designs and builds their own wings. SOI..'.s attention to detail includes a factory that is temperature and humidity controlled 24/7, every day of the year, making the state-of-the-art, precision sail-cutting equipment accurate from day

to day and month to month. Being able to control every aspect of the design, testing and production of each wing allows them to provide an awesome product. Morro das Antenas, a 3,000-foot site in the factory's back yard, allows SOL to test 12 months per year and fly every wing it produces. Each wing comes with a tag that identifies who flew it and when - a nice, warm fuzzy. The Cyclone is designed with a center profile that is focused on glide and sink rate, while the tips are designed for handling and control. The trim performance is similar to that of the Advance Sigma 4 and the Gin Bonanza. I was able to glide head-to-head in smooth air with both gliders and performance was identical. On speed bar, the Gin and SOL were neck-to-neck until about three-quarters bar, but the SOL had a bit more bar and squeaked out a bit more speed with a glide sacrifice. I had a chance to fly the Magic and it seemed to have a similar trim speed, but had more speed than the SOL, again with a glide sacrifice. A few induced asymmetric folds, pulling down one side /\s in smooth air, caused the glider to turn more than I expected, but not with any drastic consequences. I commented on this to SOL and discovered that the distance between the risers affects the response of the glider, and this makes sense. The Cyclone is certified with 40 cm between the risers. I usually fly with my chest strap all the way open, which is quite a bit more than 40 cm.

When I choked up on the strap, bringing the risers closer to 40 cm as certified, the glider turned much less with the same induced asymmetric. B-line stalls resulted in the glider being rock solid and overhead, with the leading edge open and waiting for the pilot to let the B's up. There was no tendency to turn, even with a bit of uneven pulling on the B's. I was able to get it to go parachutal if I let the B's up very slowly, otherwise, a small surge and the wing returned to flying every time. Impressed with the speed and light handling of the glider, I was surprised at how much I could slow the Cyclone down. I was expecting the light feel of the brakes to remain through the entire travel, but it increased as I went to and past minimum sink. I did not take it all the way to stall, but let up on the toggles when the brake pressure dropped rapidly - quite well defined. An interesting note is that you can pull the brakes on this glider enough to make the D's go slack and still fly quite comfortably. I've never seen that before. It also seemed that max slow was much slower than you would ever want to fly. It was a delight in calm air and out over the ocean. Makapuu provided the altitude to try some other maneuvers. With the glider's light feel it is easy to initiate turns, and when you add a big weight-shift to moderate brake input it is possible to do an instant spiral, spin your brains out, or do a wingover to the extreme. Even at extreme angles the wing

really resisted tucking. During wingovers I was able to just watch, while I have been required to brake to keep the tips from tucking with other gliders. I was really surprised to see the wing remain open even when super light, probably due to the reinforced leading edge profiles. The leading edge profiles are Diax 120 P from Bainbridge with black Technora diagonal reinforcement. SOL says this material will not soften over time, making for consistent inflations and recoveries as the wing ages. On several occasions it seemed that would start tucking, then stop with no input. Overall, I was very pleased with how it handled even when it did get ugly. Again, let me stress that this was in calm air over water. Attempting a SAT (Spinning, Asymmetric, Tucking, for me at least) is the only thing that gave me pause, and it resulted in a large surge that was a bit spooky, slack in the lines and a big frontal with the glider on the horizon. Even with a poorly executed maneuver the glider recovered nicely and the laundry stayed neatly tucked away. Although smooth air lets you test a glider's recovery, it really doesn't tell you much about how resistant it is to producing an offending collapse in the first place, and I knew that the true stability test was going to come at Nanakuli. Over the next several weeks I had the opportunity to fly several strong days in both ratty and wellorganized thermals there, and went over the back on a strong day at our local coastal site. The first was on a strong-looking day with big development and flat, dark-bottomed clouds at about 3,600 feet. I made about a 40-minute flight with climbs of 1,100 fpm and spikes up to 1,450 fpm. When exiting one thermal just below cloudbase I flew out and was hit by something as I went over the proverbial falls. It kind of snapped the wing back and it went into a stall. I pulled the brakes to control the impending surge and the wing recovered nicely, with no big surge or change in direction. The next day was ratty with high pressure and bullet-type thermals. The handling of the Cyclone really shined on this day, and it allowed me to chase the thermals about and stuff a tip into the tight cores. It was another strong day with lift in the 1,000-fpm range, but there were no really impressive hits, just several small tip PARAGLIDING

tucks that resulted in no change in direction. The next thermal flight was on another 1,000-fpm day with better organization and X-C potential. On this day we flew from the low launch at 300 feet AGL and I was again thankful for the great handling of the Cyclone. I was not getting much, scraping back and forth in front of launch trying to get up over the spine, when I blundered into a low bubble at about 200 feet AGL. I set the Cyclone on its ear and started a beautiful spiral climb. I committed with my first turn and nailed it. The smoothness of the lift and the ability to turn the wing was perfect, and the thermal quickly grew from 400, to 800, to 1,100 fpm, and I topped out at about 3,700 feet in a clear blue sky. I headed X-C and immediately flew into sink that set off my sink alarm. Thinking that it was a perfect time to test stability at speed, I fully engaged the speed bar. I fly with a steerand-clear mentality, primarily because I'm a coastal pilot who is not afforded the luxury of altitude, and it wasn't long before I got to use the steer-and-dear technique. On full bar the wing feels pressurized but not super solid, and the first hit was a 60% right side asymmetric. As I let the bar up the glider went into a wingover to the right, and I pumped the collapse out while going to the right. With about 180 degrees of rotation I was level and fully inflated. Turning back on course I was dropping fast. It was bumpy but I had a lot of clearance, so I thought I would get back into the bar and see why the Cyclone had received a Performance rating. Over the next few minutes I had several more issues: while on full bar a small 30% asymmetric and instant big ears. Both caused no deviation from the glide path but were hard to pump out without getting off the bar. I was committed to the X-C once through the sink and was at 1,900 feet looking for lift. Soaring along the spine in the back of the valley and finding a drifting thermal, I climbed to 4,200 feet with no incidents and evaluated going over the back. The wind was about nine mph into the valley and I had about 1,100 feet of clearance, so over I went. On the back side I was confronted with 900 fpm down. Even though my Brauniger comp/GPS was telling me I was going to make the nearest road about four miles

JULY

2001

away with 1,500 feet to spare, it didn't seem likely ifI didn't get out of this sink. The bar went back to full on and the glider did well until I got about even with the ridge I had left behind. Now at about 2,000 feet AGL and over some hostile country, I took a frontal and the whole wing went away. With the wing behind me the brakes came down and I put the glider into a stall, then tried something new flapping! I was hoping to keep the upcoming surge to a minimum and it worked. There was a surge, not too big, but just enough to bring the glider back to life and it just started flying again. Cool! Now, being a little shy, I just went to half bar and made it through the sink with no more collapses large or small, and emerged over the flatlands at about 1,500 feet AGL. There was light lift over the flats and I was turning in anything that was going up. This was the first chance I had to work light lift, and the light handling of the Cyclone made it easy to flatten out or steepen up a turn as the lift required. I was in hunting mode and continued to drift and fly about 90 degrees to the prevailing wind. The speed and great glide of the wing were really noticeable here, and I finally dined with about 10 miles under my belt. I should have gone with the wind, but did end up only about a mile from the in-laws who are always good for a retrieve, and 10 miles is not bad for a thermal flight on an island. Overall, the impression I am left with is that the Cyclone is a well-built, solid glider that looks and flies great. In coastal lift it is a blast to fly and in thermals it is well composed with performance to match the latest crop of "hot" wings. It has been added to my quiver as my solo wing and I expect it will last until paragliders have taken another huge step forward. Please note that this wing is a performance wing and needs to be handled as such. SOL recommends this glider for pilots with at least two seasons under their belt and who get at least 70 hours of seat time per year. If you are shy about performance-class gliders take a look at the Yaris, SOL:s new standard, which boasts almost the performance of the Cyclone but with a Standard rating. If you are looking for a new wing and want to give the Cyclone or any other SOL glider a try, contact Cloud 9 in Utah, the U.S. dealer. II

by Granger Banks

Flatland towing has a number ofadvantages over mountain flying. Pilots can regularly be towed to 1,500' or 2,000'AGL and they can choose to release when they encounter a thermal

en they encounter a thermal, pilots can turn in it without the fear of colliding with the side of the hill or staying with the thermal too long and drifting into a lee-side rotor. With flatland towing you can stay with the thermal as long as you wish. Thermals tend to be less violent and more diffuse with altitude. I think of thermals like explosions on the ground; the farther you are away from the explosion (i.e., your altitude) the less turbulent the air will be. Finally, the flatlands allow many safe landing areas with fewer hazards. In order to offer a successful X-C clinic I knew we would have to use the right equipment. I like to teach new pilots tow technique with my scooter tow. Pilots can get their first tows with little danger of a lockout or over-towing. Lockouts will occur if the wing veers more than 45 degrees from the direction it is being towed. In addition, scooter-tow rigs allow the operator to smoothly tow and not overtow a pilot. The first day of our X-C clinic was devoted to teaching pilots how to tow and be towed safely. The second day we met in a restaurant for breakfast and to watch an excellent video on thermaling and X-C flying called Speeds To Fly. Afterwards we discussed using GPS to track location and cell phones and radios to communicate with the chase vehicles, in order to keep our drivers abreast ofX-C flight progress. We handed out map packages so pilots would be able to communicate their positions with the drivers. We also standardized tow commands for the two payout winches we would be using over the next three days. Payout winches work better for getting pilots high. The towline becomes longer as the pilot gets higher, so several thousand feet of line will pay out before a pilot finally releases. A drogue chute is then essential to quickly get all this loose line rewound so another tow can be done. On Saturday, with two payout winches, we were able to provide our 12 participants with 45 tows. Despite the morning's cloudy conditions we had many soaring flights and one l 0-mile cross-country flight the first day. Chris Santacroce brought a number of Gin, Firebird and Ozone wings to demo and helped pilots hone their thermaling skills. Saturday's forecast was better and thermals more abundant. With two rigs runPARAGLIDING

BOULDER PAAASOFT X-C COURSE PARTICIPANTS Dt'st.1

Raul Sanchez Bob Hunt

Michael Giles Julian Tonsmeire Glenn Reynolds Don Whildin Ross Bishop Granger Banks

Dist. 2

Dist. 3

12 10 9.6 10.5

7,600

8,500 9,800

26 11.8

Max Altitude

10,600 13.6

2.3

9,000

13.5

11,200

7.5

8,800

Total - 119. S X-C miles flown ning, tows were started about every five minutes. I had the good fortune of following behind another pilot to watch where he began turning in thermals, and to join him if the 360's looked productive. I would radio him if I found a better one, and working as a team we covered about five miles downwind of the tow area before he landed. Still at 3,000 feet AGL, I raced toward what I thought would certainly be a thermal trigger point, only to ground out a few miles farther. Since I had given my cell phone to the chase vehicle driver, I sat on the side of the road for several hours until a kindly farmer offered to drive me back to the launch area. On my return I discovered that the pilot I had overflown by a few miles had been quickly retrieved and had made another l 0-mile flight while I sat kicking dirt. The lesson gained from my flight was to land where you can be retrieved quicldy.

Sunday's forecast was even better than the previous day's forecast. At breakfast we shared our successes of the past days with each other, and discussed the high points of Will Gadd's excellent article in this magazine about thermaling. On the ground, pilots could hang in a simulator on the back of my truck and adjust their flying posture for comfort and better weight shift. In the air, many pilots headed off X-C, and flights of up to 20 miles were achieved. The highlight for me was watching a former student with one year of flying experience flying 12 miles on his DHV 1 wing. Is X-C flying in the flatlands easy or what? With so much success and enthusiasm about the clinic we promptly scheduled another one for next year: May 2-5, 2002. Derails can be found at http://parasoft.boulder.net/XCClinic.html. See you there. •

Oregon XC distance record of 83 miles set by Rick Higgins on an APCO Allegra!

JULY

2001

Bad Wind Arisi g by Peter Reagan wo weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the 25th annual Starthistle Festival of FootLaunched Flight in Ruch, Oregon. It was a lovely gathering ranging from charter members of the Rogue Valley Hang Gliding Association to a bunch of bagwings from all over the area. We had three wonderful days of strong thermals and beautiful glass-off conditions, cross-country flights and evening camaraderie. Watching the LZ (a wide, somewhat tilted field in the bottom of a valley with strong afternoon thermal winds) was always interesting. It was often strong there and sometimes turbulent. Pilots could count on a lot of variation in the air and lots of finesse was required, but hundreds oflandings took place that weekend and no one was hurt. I was fascinated by the subtle balance and skills with which even less-experienced pilots got themselves to the ground. Turbulence close to the ground is the Achilles' heel of our sport, and perhaps of all aviation. Each year many accidents are

reported in which this is the main focus, and we can all learn how to increase our margin of safety. Here are a variety of reports with a wide range of outcomes. Experienced pilots and neophytes are represented. Some events were just after launch, some right before landing.

MOUNTAIN SITE, SPRING, MIDDAY A very advanced pilot flying a DHV 2 glider was searching for lift just below launch in lee-side thermal conditions. He began to circle to the left when his glider seemed to fall back out of the thermal and begin a negative spin. The pilot went hands up, and a big surge ensued to an asymmetric collapse. He was close to the ground, deployed his reserve and landed safely on his feet. Commentary: He may have been excessively deep in the brakes or not exercising enough weight shift when exiting the thermal which caused the negative spin.

MOUNTAIN LZ, MIDDAY, SUMMER THERMAL CONDITIONS A student pilot on a DHV 1 glider encountered a strong thermal at 20 feet AGL on final approach. He had a 50% right-sided deflation and turned into the hill, impacting without a PLE He was conscious and had back pain. Hospital evaluation showed ~r~cked vertebrae without neurologic lllJUry.

COASTAL SITE, LIGHT LIFT An intermediate pilot on a DHV 2 was scratching for lift, deep in his brakes about 50 feet over a road on top of the hill. He hit a gentle rotor from a small upwind obstruction, probably entered a negative spin and was turned 270 degrees into the hill. He impacted face first, the glider seemed to bounce, become airborne, and dive into the hill again. The pilot was able to hobble to safety on a broken ankle.

HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAIN SITE, SPRING, MIDDAY

An intermediate pilot on a DHV 2 glider experienced a strong thermal close to the ground. He experienced a substantial pitchback, then a surge to an asymmetric deflation. He pulled a lot of brake and went into a negative spin. At 150 feet the pilot deployed his reserve parachute but got his foot caught in a couple of lines. He crashed into a snow bank with a partially inflated reserve and was uninjured.

SAME SITE, LATE SPRING, MIDDAY An experienced pilot on a DHV 2 glider in relatively light conditions tried to milk light lift from small, broken-up thermals in a crosswind close to the ground, trying to turn in each one. Finally, deep in his brakes, he hit some rapidly rising air that pitched the glider back. The recovering surge caused

PARAGLIDING

an asymmetric deflation, and the reinflation turned him toward the trees. Overcorrecting caused a negative spin and a tree landing, resulting in a shoulder strain.

SUMMER, DRY LAND, MIDDAY THERMALS A very advanced pilot launched on a competition wing as part of a gaggle, intent on a long cross-country flight. He stepped into a good cycle, got set up in his harness, looked right to make a turn, and suffered a sudden 80% deflation on the left. The wing rotated and dived into the hill. The pilot slammed on the right brake at 60 feet AGL and was able to get into a deep (parachutal) stall mode. He was concerned about preventing a pendulum into the hill. He fell vertically and crashed into a paved road, sustaining fractures of multiple vertebrae, pelvis and tibia, as well as lacerated organs, and spent a few days in intensive care, three straight days in surgery, and eight weeks total in the hospital. All of these accidents involve collapses too close to the ground for reliable recovery or reserve use. In each case, the most important opportunity for decreasing risk lay in preventing the deflation. After the initial event, the cascade to crash is so fast that the pilot's ability to control the situation is severely compromised. It is ironic that of the two incidents in which the collapse was least preventable, one involved a student pilot and the other a tandem Master. There are several general things one can do to make closures less likely: 1) Fly a stable wing. 2) Don't try flying in air that is beyond your skills. 3) Fly fast enough. The more turbulent the air, the more important it is to get up to speed as soon as possible, and stay that way. Scratching deep in your brakes may occasionally be safe enough in light, steady air, but has absolutely no place in situations with any potential for turbulence. The closer you are to the ground (and somewhat paradoxically, the tighter you are turning), the more important it is to optimize your airspeed. JULY

2001

4) Practice active piloting. This cannot be emphasized enough. Timing is everything. Constantly feel the glider as it pitches forward and back, constantly adding and subtracting brake while remaining calm and relaxed in order to dampen but not eliminate these motions. The optimal timing and the size and duration of brake inputs are learned skills. These skills are very subtle, cannot be explained easily, and require assiduous practice. They can be learned incorrectly. Ask for help from instructors. 5) Do your best to anticipate turbulence. Rotor from obstacles and wing wake are easier to anticipate, but it's sometimes possible to intuit thermal releases. Practice awareness of this and the subtle feelings and noises involved. Listen to other pilots in the air and on the ground, and watch their wings as they launch and land. 6) Pay special attention. Launches and landings can require extraordinary concentration. You won't know which ones will until it's too late. Get centered. Paragliding is usually sedate but occasionally things can suddenly happen very fast. The response to the on-line reporting form has been voluminous and gratifying. Thank you all for your conscientious participation. I want to remind all of you that I will not publish critiques of instructors or glider engineering in this column, but problems will be referred to the appropriate forum in USHGA. We very much need all of your reports, even if I don't publish them here. A final sweet note: After his discharge from the hospital, the pilot in the last report wrote the following at the end of his story: "My time in the hospital has been one large learning curve, and being stuck in bed so long affords plenty of time for solid introspection and soul building. I don't intend to do this again, but then I guess it's not the worst thing that's ever happened either. Whichever way you choose to chill or play, mal<e sure you have a good medical policy or hospital plan. If it does go wrong, let yourself go and be surprised by the resources you will come to discover within yourself Enjoy life out on the edge, because the wide parts are too crowded (and boring)!" Ill

always suspected Otto was a kindred spirit to all those who long to fly like a bird, and now I know. My awareness does not come from an admiring biography, but from a new/old book by Otto Lilienthal entitled Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation written by the master himself. This book copyright © 2001 by Dennis Pagen describes 30 years of aeronautical experiments by Otto and his younger brother Gustav. It is ''Heroes are made, not born, "says the conventional wisdom. Heroes are old because it was first published in 1889 by Otto himself. It is new because it has been individuals with gumption, courage and vision, willing to make sacrirecently reprinted by Markowski International Publishers in a fine modern edition. From the fices to achieve a higher goal. Otto Lilienthal not only qualifies by those beautiful cover to the perfect reproduction of the many original photos and drawings, the standards as a hero, but also as the true prophet ofpure flight. publisher has done an admirable job. He has also performed a wonderful service for those of us who love flight. and also built a cone-shaped hill with a hangar fascination with birds and their behavior, and I talked to Mike Markowski, an acquaininside so he could conveniently fly in any he delves into flapping flight with experiments. tance for 27 years, and got the scoop. He had direction. By the time he wrote the book he One of the most interesting parts comes near knew about taking off into the wind, the need the end where he sets down 30 points summaoriginally read Otto's book in 1972 and was inspired, but couldn't afford to own it back for srabiliry, center of gravity, weight-shift for rizing what he has learned as a basis for future experiments to continue. His first one: "The control, the effect of camber in wings, lift, then as all extant copies were expensive archives. Fast forward to the present. drag and scores of other aerodydesign of practical flying machines is not namic mysteries. With absolutely dependant upon the provision of With modern printing methods, Markowski was able to go to these his book he penetrated powerful and light motors." He would smile to archives and photograph each page see our form of aviation. the mysteries and with high silver-content film to prodescribed his experiGustav gets the first word and also the last duce an exact copy of the original ments. word. He produced an addendum for the book manuscript. It is now available and The main body of after Otto died, and some time after the Wright affordable for all of us. Birdflight describes, in Brothers' success. He speaks of the potential The book begins with an inuoOtto's words, the many dangers they discovered and describes the popexperiments he did with duction by Gustav describing the ularity of gliding in Germany. He also analyzes process and evolution of their models, kites, birds and fullone of Otto's later flights (on a 150 square-foot discoveries and eventual flights. size wings. Here is a fascinatwing, getting a wind-assisted glide of 16.6) as By 1861, when Otto was 13, ing read because it exposes the well as a flight of the Wright Brothers. Here is he and Gustav were experimind of an ingenious individan elder statesman surveying the field of menting with flying models endeavor he helped start. . ·~~ ual, but also illuminates how we and planning for bigger things. Their inspiwere finally given the gift of flight Included in the book are the multiple pho1a.~uu Wi:11:) J-1c :nu1k a.ud ha.wk dldL frc:yuc:1nby u.\e leSsons he learned from the tos Otto published of hini flying his various ed their home near Anklam, Germany. For birds. Otto describes and illustrates the devices craft as well as diagrams of his hill and flight more than 30 years they designed, built, flew he invented for measuring the forces on wings paths. These visual ueats help solidify the realiand tested their flying "machines." This con(he created natural wind tunnels) and how he ty of what he achieved as a lone visionary in the tinued until Otto logged more than 2,000 discovered the proper shape for wings. wilderness of ignorance and unrequited desire by the masses to reach for the sky. Otto alone gliding flights . His untimely fatal accident in Otto occasionally develops equations to 1896 put an end to his quest for the freedom mathematically describe what he observed, and took the first big step to free us from our fetof flight, but not before he had jump-started it's amazing to see how close he got to the curters. He paid the ultimate price and left us with aviation and influenced the likes of Chanute, rently accepted theory. The math is simple, but a legacy and last quote wotthy of any hero: the numerically challenged reader can skip the "Sacrifices must be made." Pilcher, the Wright Brothers and all other would-be aviators who followed. numbers and carry on through the rich text. Otto's sacrifice made our dream come Otto Lilienthal was an extraordinary creOtto's writing inuigues with chapter titles such true. I recommend his book for anyone who ative mind with an engineering degree. He as The Bird as our Model or Surprising has an inkling of the dream and wants to know invented children's toys as well as a modern Phenomenon Observed when Experimenting a kindred spirit as well as whom to thank. boiler, which revolutionized the steam power with Curved Surfaces in the Wmd. It also plants of the day. His success with his patentoffers a glimpse into how the experimenter of Birdflight As The Basis Of Aviation is avai/,able ed inventions allowed him the time and the day worked with tools and materials locally fro m USHGAfor$19.95 (plusSIH). Call 1money to experiment with flight. He built available, manipulated with ingenuity. 800-616-6888 or order on our website at All through the book you can read of Otto's www.ushga.org. • many different versions of his flying wings

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PARAGLIDING

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• r.11nd-bc<id1ng d,:µoymc.'fll speed ,md ION sink

thinredline equipment inc. t604.858.2300 f604.585.3080 sales@thin-red-line.com www.thin-red-line.com

PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. If in doubt, many paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect. BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

PRO DESIGN RELAX - 1998, small 65-90kg. Very low hours, well cared for, never landed on the beach. Aqua top surface/white undersurface. SupAir harness w/17 cm foam back protection and chest mounted UP reserve chute (never deployed). New carabiners, heavy duty backpack, all gear is in excellent condition. Sell as package, a very suitable enuy level package for new 1'2 pilot $2,500 OBO. John Corry, (808) 572-8494 john@johnpeace.org

PARAGLIDERS ADVANCE SIGMA 4 - Great condition, 65-85kg, 150hrs $1,200. (202) 543-1588, c.shinn@edfac.usyd.edu.au ADVANCE SIGMA 4 26M Immaculate! Blue/white. ONLY ten flights/5 hours. Retails for $3,600, asking only $1,600! Spring is near; buy it before I fly it! (303) 638--4052, devietti@hotmail.com APCO BAGHEERA - L DHV-2 100-120kg $1,900. Apco fucura 32 L DHV 2-3 100-120kg $800. Windtech Quarx L DHV-2 95-1 l 5kg $1,395. Swing Arcus L DHV 1-2 95-125kg $1,400. Edel Atlas L DHV-1 90-1 !0kg $1,200. Edel Quantum L DHV-1 90-l 15kg $800. ITV Merak 29 80-95kg $400.Rick Higgins SunSportsPG@aol.com (541) 387-2112, Mark Telep thatspec@hotmail.com (541) 308-0101, http: I /ho me town .aol. com/ rsunsports/ myhomepage/ index.html

DEMO AND USED WING SALE! - Find a great price on a demo of the glider you've always wanted or get even greater saving by buying used. Visit www.flyaboveall.com/sale.htm or call (805)965-3733.

REDUCED IN PRICE! Gin Bolero "XL" now $1,650! Firebird Booster "L" now $1,990! US Voiles Williwaw "100%" now $690! Prices include shipping and insurance. (406) 439-2239. Details at: http://hometown.aol.com/hiplainz (click on "Equipment Specials and Used Gear"). 20 TO 50% OFF - Brand new paragliders & accessories, most of brands. newgliders@hotmail.com

EDEL QUANTUM - Medium, excellent, pink, 45 hours $900 OBO. (208) 939-2891, p3paraglidr@aol.com GIN BOLERO-- DHV-1, 75-95kg $1,800. Edel Atlas M DHV 1-2 $1,680. Edel Adas L DHV 1-2 $1,400. Swing Arcus S, $1,800. Swing Arcus M $1,800. Edel Adas M DHV 1-2 $1,200. Pro Design Effect, demo $2,490. Edel Space $1,200. Omega 2 $950. Edel Promise XL or Edel Response M $1950 new. Advance Omega 5 /27 DHV 2-3 $2,750. Relax 34, DHV 1-2 $1,990 new. (808) 968-6856. tofly@excite.com

POWERED PARAGLIDERS POWERED PARAGLIDER- Solo 210, 2.8 to 1 belt drive reduction, 42 inch prop, T-6061 frame, 1.3 gallon tank, tiny tach, dry weight 62lbs., comes w/harness, Space 27 wing , new reserve, weight range l 70-l 90lbs $1,900 OBO. Call or email me for some pictures, (802) 877-2486, angierfam@surfglobal.net

Be sure to check out NEARLY NEW SOL AXION - Medium, with never USHGXs web page: used Sol airbag harness and reserve $2,200. (801) 7335003. www.ushga.org r------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------, USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 3 words) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., September 20 for the Nov. issue). Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card. Please enter my classified ad as follows:

Number of months: ____ SECTION O Paragliders O Emergency Parachutes O Parts & Accessories O Business & Employment o Miscellaneous O Powered Paragliders O Videos

O Towing O Schools & Dealers O Ultralights O Publications & Organizations OWanted O Harnesses

Begin with _ _ _ _ _ _ 19

issue and run for _____

consecutive issue(s). My O check, 0 money order is enclosed in the amount of$ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ NAME: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ CITY: _ _ _ _ _ _ __

STATE: _ _ __

PHONE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Number of words:

______ @$.50= _ _ _ __

Number of words: _______ @$1.00 = _ _ _

USHGA, P.0 Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

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PARAGLIDING

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES CANOPY REPAIRS - 30 years experience, factory quality repairs, 3 FAA Master Parachute Riggers. 1-800526-2822, gear@paraequip.com SCHOOLS & DEALERS ARIZONA DIXON'S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING - Dixon White: USHGA's Instructor of the Year! Airplay: Top ranked school for years and featured in the best selling videos "Starting Paragliding", "Weather to Fly" and the "Arr of Kiting". The perfect beginner training areas at both our Washington and Arizona locations. Arizona's "best" beginner season is September through May. Washington is open May through September. At both locations drive-up to 360 degree treeless and rockless launches. Land in wide open fields, enjoy many flights each day! Limited access to the Flight Parks reduce traffic and crowding. Excellent individualized instruction with state-of-the-art lesson plans and equipment. Comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micrometeorology. Great new/used inventoty, specializing in Windtech Paragliding Gear and M2 Harnesses, repair center, and superb customer service. In ARIZONA or WASHINGTON appointments are required. PO Box 2626 Flagstaff, AZ 86003. (928) 526-4579 www.paraglide.com or dixon@paraglide.com CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Join KEN BAIER for your "Pursuit of Paragliding Excellence" in the land of year-round, excellent paragliding: Southern California and the Baja. Courses for Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor ratings. Powered paragliding, soaring and maneuvers clinics, guided tours, tandem and towing instruction and special events. USHGA certified. Handling the latest equipment. Call (760) 753-2664 for information.

HIGH ADVENTURE - Paragliding, hang gliding school. Equipment, sales, service at world famous Marshal Peak. USHGA tandem instructor: Rob McKenzie. By appointment year round (909) 883-8488, www.flycandem.com OJAI PARAGLIDING- Ojai is Southern California's best kept secret. Year-round, great soaring in this beautiful valley surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest. Near Santa Barbara and Ventura. Great cross-country possibilities. Courses for beginner to advanced pilots. Motorized paragliding, guided tour and tandems. New and used equipment, 12 years in the business! Tel# (805) 646-9660, info@flyojai.com, www.flyojai.com

DERPORT 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San Diego CA 92037 Sinc:e 192R

ERS - Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450' sand dunes. FULL-TIME SHOP. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced, foot launch and cow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering POWERED PARAGLIDING lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (231) 9222844, tchangglider@juno.com. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 7398620.

PARAGLIDING AND HANG GLIDING - USHGA certified instruction, tandem flight instruction, sales, ser-

vice, repairs, parachute repacks, motorized pg/hg instruction and site tours. Southern California Importer for PARA'J'ECH, AIRWAVE and EDEL. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Call (858) 452-9858 or toll free at 1-877-l'LY-TEAM. Check us out at and order on-line at http://www.flycorrey.com COLORADO

COLORADO'S PREMIER PARAGLIDING SCHOOL Over 30 years of combined paragliding experience

HIGH PLAINS PARAGLIDING - Flying equipment without compromise for your next paragliding adventure. We offer Nova, Sup'Air, Apco, ThinRedLine, Renschler, Advance, Flytec and more. Whether your adventure is in the house thermal or on X/C, High Plains has what's right for you at the right price! On the web at: http://hometown.aol.com/hiplainz or call (406) 439-2239. Ya'll have an excellent summer!!

ADVENTURE SPORTS - Sierra soaring at its best. Tours and tandems available. Instruction from certified USHGA instructors with 25 years experience. Sales, service and instruction by appointment Carson City/Lake Tal1oe NV. (775) 883-7070 http:! /home. pyramid.net/ advspts -----------------

NEW YORK

-------------------COLORADO'S PREMIER PARAGLIDING SCHOOL - We focus on teaching comprehensive lessons to make you a safer, confident and competent pilot. Offering almost every equipmenr brand. Denver area. (303) 579-9971, rmparagliding.com FLY ABOVE ALL - Experience year-round paragliding instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA! Our friendly, experienced staff offers hands-on, personalized, radio-controlled lessons. Enjoy soaring the best training hill in the Western US and when you land, shuttles will whisk you back to the top for your next scenic flight. USHGA certified, solo, tandem and powered paragliding instruction, equipment sales and tandem flights. Visit our Website at www.flyaboveall.com or call at (805) 965-3733.

IIAWAII -- --------- -------

MAUI WOW WEE - Proflyght Hawaii, first school in Hawaii, located on Maui, is now under new ownership. The best just got better. When it gets cold in rhe north, Maui is the place to fly, explore, relax and/or learn to fly. Team Proflyght sporrs an incredible training facility, wonderful year-round weather, 1,000' training slope, 100' to 7'000 vertical decents off Haleakala Crater (10,023'). Toll Free 877-GO-FLY-Hl. Visit our website WWW.PARAGLIDEHAWAII.COM

AIR SPORTS USA - Lessons, service, equipment. Paragliding, hang gliding, powered paragliding, trikes. Phone (718) 777-7000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET

FAX your classified ad, membership renewal or merchandise order: (719) 632-6417. We gladly accept VISA and MasterCard.

'-----------------------------------------------~------------------~ JULY

200 l

----------------------

NORTH CAROLINA

OREGON

VIRGINIA

- - - - - ------------·-KITTY HA WK KITES - - See North Carolina. WASHINGTON DIXON'S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING Please see our classified ad under Arizona. www.paraglide.com WYOMING

---------USHGA CERllFIED INSTRUCTION Powered Paragllding•Tuwingdibotlannclt 'llindem •Equipment•Sales•Service

SOUTHERN SKIES - MOUNTAIN FLYING and POWERED PARAGLIDING instruction, sales and service with full-time shop, 1 hour north of Charlotte. 7 beautiful flying sites nearby. (828) 632-6000 WWW.SOUTHERN SKIES.NET

OVER THE HILL PARAGLIDING/PPG: Now celebrating 10 years in business. Oregon/SW Washington Sales/ Service/beginner/ advanced Instruction/"[ and em. FREE guide service/advice. We have ANY brand related to PG /PPG at the BEST prices. THERE IS NO SALES TAX in Oregon. 22865 S.E. Yellowhammer, Gresham OR 97080 (503) 667-4557 email: othpara@spiritone.com web: overthehillparagliding.com

FIRST CLASS PARAGLIDING - In beautiful Jackson Hole. Ten flying sites including the Aerial Tram (4,139 vertical feet). Awesome flying for pilots of all ability levels. Enjoy early morning sled rides, mid-day cross-country flights, and incredible evening glass-off soaring. Instruction-Tandem Flights-Towing-Kite Surfing-Sales-Service. Scott Harris (307) 690-TRAM (8726), Tom Bartlett (307) 690-4948, www.jacksonholeparagliding.com PARTS &ACCESSORIES

LEARNTO~ PARAGLIDE~ at Kitty Hawk Kites Outer Banks, NC Lessons Daily Towing & Foot Launch Year Round Sales & Service CALL TODAY! 800-334-4777 252-441-4124 E-Mail Address info@kittyhawk.com

SUNSPORTS PARAGLIDING - Hood River, Oregon. Beginner lessons, sales, service, repacks, tandem flights. APCO, SUP'AIR, FLYTEC, HANWAG, IN STOCK! We have a complete shop with EVERYTHING that you need in stock! Rick Higgins, SunSportsPG@aol.com, (541) 387-2112; Mark Telep thatspec@hotmail.com, (541) 308-0101 Web: http:/ !hometown .aol. co ml rsunsports/ myhomepage/ index.html TEXAS HILL COUNTRY PARAGLIDING INC - Learn complete pilot skills. Personalized USHGA certified training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 3791185. 1475 CR 220, Tow TX 78672. KITE ENTERPRISES - Foot launch, payout winch tow and powered paraglider instruction too. Training, sales, rentals and repair. Edel, Airwave, Wills Wing, UP and DK Whisper. Dallas, Fort Worth and north Texas area. 21 l Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (972) 390-9090 nights, weekends. www.kite-enterprises.com

For just $25, a horizontal photo of your glider or product can be featured with your classified.

CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER - The nation's pre-mier repair facility. Bill "Bad Bones" Anderson and the staff at Cloud 9 will take care of any repairs, reserve repacks, harness boo-boos or annual inspections. 1-800475-1504, 12665 S. Minuteman Dr. #1, Draper UT 84020.

• ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE • Water/Dust Resistant Push Button • Field Replaceable Finger Switch • Heavier Gauge Wire/Improved Plugs • Increased Strain Relief at ALL Joints Price $119.95. Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchase. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) 268-7946. MC/Visa. Visit our website at www.flightconn.com

UTAH CLOUD 9 SOARING CENTER - The nation's largest paragliding shop and school. Open for LESSONS, REPAIRS, SALES year round. Next to world famous Point of the Mountain. www.paragliders.com. 1-888-944-5433 or stop by at 12665 S. Minuteman Drive #1, Draper UT 94020.

Sell your unused equipment here.

HAVE EXTRA EQUIPMENT - That you don't know what to do with. Advertise in the Paragliding classifieds, $.50 per word, $5 minimum. Call USHGA for details (719) 632-8300, ushga@ushga.org or fax your ad with a Visa/MC, fax (719) 632-6417. HELMET - Kiwi Evolution full-face, white, size 56 (small), never worn, still in original packaging $200. (253) 840-0155, Dnelson024@aol.com

PARAGLIDING

SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $55. Info. kir wirh sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-11 '/7. TOWING SPECTRA 12 - Braided tow line $0.18 per foot Minimum 1,200 feet. (702) 260-7950,

VIDEOS IS IT SOARABLE? - Be sure with a CSHGA Windsok. Made of 1. 5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'4" long w/11" rhroat. Available colors fluorescent pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39.95 (+$4.'75 S/H). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330, (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417. VISA/MC accepted.

*NEW* A HIGHER CALLING by Dawn Treader Productions. Winner "People's Choice Award" at the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2000. A story of six friends attempting to fly cross country together as a group through western Nepal, where finding launches & landings becomes a daily routine. Become immersed into the Nepal culture upon every landing. Superb editing. 45 minutes $32,95 MINI VARIO - World's smallest, simplest vario! Clips ro helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0-18,000 ft., fast response and 2 year warranty. Great for hang gliding too. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (714) 966-1240, www.mallettec.com MC/Visa accepted. PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

*NEW* PARAGLIDER GROUND HANDLING & THE ART OF KITING, by Adventure Productions. Learn techniques and tips for easy ground handling with this instructional program. Get in tune with your glider and improve your flying skills while on the ground. Various wind conditions are covered with the successful and proven industry-standard techniques of Dixon White-Master rated pilot, USHGA Examiner and USHGA's PG Instructor of the Year. This is for the beginner, intermediate & advanced pilot who wants to do some brushing up on his skills. Be a master of your paraglider. 44 minutes $36,95 *NEW* IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN By Adventure Productions. Searching for the perfect mountain, perfect flight, and the perfect experience that challenges our essence and satisfies our quest for adventure. This paragliding odyssey cakes you to St. Anton, Austria; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; Sun Valley, Idaho; Point of the Mountain, Utah; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Features in-air footage, aerial maneuvers, and local pilot tours. 44 minutes $36,95,

THE ART OF PARAGLIDING - By Dennis Pagen. HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! Step by step training, ground handling, soaring, avoiding dangers, and much much more. 274 pages, 248 illustrations. The most complete manual about paragliding on the market. $34.95 +$5.00 s/h. USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fax your MC/Visa/Amex to (719) 632-6417, www.ushga.org, ushga@ushga.org

JULY

2001

BALI HIGH, by Sea to Sky Productions. A paragliding adventure film. Great flying and a great adventure on the exotic island of Bali, Indonesia. A result of wild imaginations, weeks of filming and three unsupervised pilots in a land of serious fun. Great flying footage. 38 min $29.95, WEATHER TO FLY, by Adventure Productions. A much needed instructional/educational video on

micrometeorology. Dixon White, Master pilot and USHGA Examiner, takes you through a simple step-bystep process showing where to acquire weather data and how to interpret it. For pilots of any aircraft. Learn about regional & local influences and how to determine winds aloft and stability. "Weather To Fly" is an over-all view packed with useful details and includes great cloud footage. A straight-forward presentation that is easy to follow. 50 min. $39.95. TURNING POINT IN ALPINE THERMALLING, by Dennis Trott/Alpine Flying Centre. 50% HG, 50% PG. Discover techniques to tame the elusive alpine thermal. Beautiful footage set against Europe's most dramatic mountains. Also features comments from top pilots & great animation. 24 min $35.95. STARTING PARAGLIDING by Adventure Productions. Covers basic preparations, weather, proper attitude, ground handling & those first exciting launches. 30 min $29.95. FLY HARD: Viking Films newest release. Rob Whittall, Chris Santacroce & a vintage Buick convertible full of paragliders. Ourrageous flying at several west coast flying sites. Meet HG aerobatics champion Mitch McA!eer along the way. Excellent rock soundtrack, professionally filmed & edited, 35 minutes $35,95. PARAGLIDE: THE MOVIE by Viking Films. Rock-nroll world class competition at Owens Valley. Professionally filmed & edited, 35 minutes $35.95. Call or fax USHGA (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 6326417, please add +$4 domestic s/h (+$5 for two or more videos). Great to impress your friends or for those socked-in days. MISCELLANEOUS FLIGHT GUIDANCE AND XC - In the Sierra Nevada, Spain: Horizonte Vertical, www .granadainfo.com/ hv/, hv@granadainfo.com, Tel/Fax: 011 34 958763408

WINTER 2001 - Two 10 day tours starting December 2nd-December 28th, 2001, $1,800. Dale Covington, 1-800-782-9204, kerwin@ida.net

Be sure to check out USHGXs web page: www, ushga.org 45

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------·

«....4!1'.""

e~i<' fill,qiq_G.._ICll"llil °f""

Pinzgau Ruslria 1999

1999 WORLD TEAM T-SHIRTS - We still have a few left. Commemorating the world championships held at Pinzgau, Austria. Soon to become collectors items! Sizes medium & large, ONLY $10 (in the USA). Proceeds benefit the US Paragliding World Team! Send your $10 to: USHG Foundation, c/o PG World Team '99 T Shirt, PO Box 1.330, Colorado Springs C080901-1330. 1-800-616-6888. VIDEOS, BOOKS & APPAREL -- Call USHGA for your Merchandise order form (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417, email:ushga@ushga.org,www.ushga.org DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rate for classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of char-acters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. Phone number=2 words, PO Box=2 words, weight range i.e. 137-185lbs~2 words, web site or email address=3 words. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $5.00. A fee of $15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each photo. LINEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in

J;,9_ld_J2rint. Special layouts of tabs are $25.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES: July 20th is the deadline for the September issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA. Send to: PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE, Classified Advertising, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 or fax (719) 632-6417, email jeff@ushga.org with your Visa or MasterCard. - - - - - - - ---------- -

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Adventure Productions ........................... 20 Aero light USA ........................................ 13 Aircotec. ................................................. 46

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

Apco ............................................ 35,37,39

GIN BOLERO ·- XL Stolen in the MEDFORDWHITE CITY, OR area in August, 2000. Fuchsia color, has damage in center/leading edge, and/or patch, generally in poor shape. Also: XL Pro-Design "Jam" harness, med. High Energy Quantum reserve, Charley "Insider" helmet XL white, Flytec 4010 vario, Alinco DJ-191 2-Meter radio. Contact Kevin Lee (541) 9551"/37, thermaltracker@bigfoot.com

Critter Mountain Wear .......................... 18

"AMERICAN FIAG" PARAGLIDER- Lost by FedX, identical to the one Scott Alan is flying in the inside back cover Paraborne display ad. (407) 935-9912, scott@paraborne.com STOLEN WINGS are listed as a service to USHGA members. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in (719) 6328300, faxed in (719) 632-6417, or emailed ushga@ushga.org for inclusion in Paragliding & Hang Gliding magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders are recovered. Periodically, this listing will be purged.

Dawn Treader ........................................ 15 Dixon's Airplay ........................................ 9 Flight Design ........................................... 8 Flytec ..................................................... 21 Hall Brothers ......................................... 20 Mojo's Gear ........................................... 21 Parasoft .................................................. 13 Pro-Design ............................................. 10 Rocky Mountain Paragliding ................. 47 Sport Aviation Publications .................... 15 Sup'Air ................................................... 15 Super Fly, Inc ........................ 2,Back Cover Thermal Tracker .................................... 19 Thin Red Line ......................................... 7

Our advertising has a twomonth lead time. Plan ahead.

Torrey Pines Gliderport ......................... 25 USHGA ......................................... 5,14,41 Wills Wing ............................................ .41

PARAGLIDING

Features M19-M:

M19-M $345 19-l $495 M19-3D $795

• Two 1 foot altimeters • Oto 20,000 feet and AGL • Analog vario readout • -1700to +1700fpm • Average Vario readout • Audio vario • Selectable audio sound • Volume control • Feet or metric selectable • Variable vario sensitivity • Temperature readout • Low battery indicator • Auto flight timer • 128 flight memory • Duration • High altitudes • High rate of climb/sink • Accumulated totals • 2 year warranty

1 800 729 2602

~~~L---~h:t;::tp:.::llwww.ballvario_s_.c_o_m_ _ _.....,..

Features Explorer:

Explorer $3 Voyager Graviter $775

· Electronic compass · Automatic direction finder · 3 altimeters · Peak value recorder (l 00 flights) · Vario dynamic filter · Analog vario to ± 2400 fpm · Digital vario to ± 5000 fpm · Average vario 1 to 60 sec · TE compensation · Adjustable stall alarm · Barometer · Thermometer · Battery check (life 200 hours) · Feet of metric · Real time clock · Upgradeable flash memory · 2 Year warranty · Optional airspeed probe · Optional hang gliding mount · Optional vario holder

1-800-729-2602 imported Ball Varios http ://www. bal Iva rios.com

Excellent Quality, Handling and Price. Why pay more? Pure (DHV 1-2) $2399

Mission (DHV 2) $2649

Sun (DHV 1) $1899 Moon (DHV 1 $2499

Oxygen (DHV 2-3) $2569 fXT (light weight) $1899

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