Issue 191; August, September, November 2014
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING State of Origin Paragliding Meet Flying in Nepal Motorharness Flying
South African Soaring Throwing your Reserve 7.50 Including GST
$
9 771170 992006
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any pilots visit flying sites outside their own region. To ensure that you don’t jeopardise arrangements between land owners and local flyers you must ALWAYS check with local pilots BEFORE flying. That way you won’t upset land owners or pilots, you will be shown all the best sites and will be welcome back. We don’t publish site names and
locations because flying sites have been lost by careless visiting flyers. To assist travelling pilots, people wishing to learn to fly or to contact hang gliding and paragliding clubs, here is a list of people who can help you. Those on the list or wishing to be listed, should contact their Club Secretaries who should keep Airborn and the NZHGPA website updated of changes of contact details.
NORTHLAND H.G.P.C. C/- Guntram Gross 1 Brook Road Whangarei Email: skywalk@igrin.co.nz Pres, Airsp; Shane Gross...............09 436 0268 Sec/Treas; Guntram Gross.............09 436 0268 PGSO; Wolfgang Harder................09 403 7594 HGSO; Stephen Chambers............09 430 3689 Herman Ahrens...............................09 432 9333
MANAWATU H.G.P.C. C/- Andrew Brownlie 11 Hollows Crescent Takaro Palmerston North 4412 Email: rosscoe@inspire.net.nz Pres, Airsp: Ricky Winduss (Wanganui).............. 06 345 7659, or 027 447 4117 Sec/Treas, HGSO: Ross Gray......021 126 0892 PGSO: Andrew Brownlie ...........027 444 8911
AUCKLAND H.G.P.C. PO Box 90 154 Auckland Email: grahamsurrey@gmail.com www.cloudbase.org.nz Pres: Graham Surrey .................021 0262 5023 Sec: Alex Daley............................021 121 0795 Treas, Airsp: Leslie Graham............09 579 6485 HGSO: Michell Jagersma...............06 622 3210 PGSO: Reuben Muir.......................09 446 0020 Cameron Kennedy..........................09 813 3610 Eva Walton-Keim............................09 446 0051 Tony Cowley ..................................09 426 1264 Website; Wayne Rohrs...................09 630 2939 Active Sky HG, Sebastian Katz....021 170 3646 Skywings Paragliding ....................09 570 5757 Aqua Air Adventure Hang Gliding.027 288 0193 Wings & Waves Paragliding ...........09 446 0020
BAY OF PLENTY H.G.P.C. C/-Dominique Le Sellin 41, Ririnui Place, Maungatapu Tauranga 3112 Email: frogiwi@xtra.co.nz www.facebook.com/BOPHangGlidingParagliding Pres: Dave Washer.07 544 2951/ 0275 992 934 Sec: Dominique Le Sellin.07 544 2951 / 021 617 111 PGSO: Wayne Roberts.07 574 4223 / 021 668 852 HGSO: James Low.......................021 102 5004 Airsp: Rhys Akers.........................021 177 7563 Sites: Dave Shaw...........................07 575 9560 Levitate Paragliding........................07 542 0098 Mount Paragliding..07 574 4223, 027 643 6529
WAIKATO H.G.P.C. Inc. C/- Ewen Tonar 23A Brookview Court Hamilton Email: etonar@infogen.net.nz Pres, Airsp: Neil Howe....................07 304 9631 Sec/Treas: Ewen Tonar...................07 855 3969 HGSO: Paul Brydon.......................07 825 9161 PGSO: Bruce Vickerman ...............07 868 4991
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KEY Pres; .............................................. President
Sec; ............................ Secretary/Treasurer PGSO; ............. Paragliding Safety Officer HGSO; .......... Hang Gliding Safety Officer CFI;...........................Chief Flying Instructor Airsp;.................................Airspace Officer
AORANGI H.G.C. C/- Tom Knewstubb PO Box 5976 Dunedin Pres, Airsp; Kevin McManus........021 134 0463 Sec/HGSO; Tom Knewstubb (wk) 027 289 6103 PGSO: Lisa Bradley......................021 156 3256 SOUTHERN H.G.P.C. C/- Ian Clark, 16 Lake Ave, Frankton, Queenstown 9300 Email: info@southernclub.co.nz www.southernclub.co.nz Pres, Airsp: Ian Hornby..............021 0238 8894 Sec: Jim Rooney....................... 020 4010 1926 PGSO: Blake Round.....................027 367 7679 HGSO: Ian Clark.............................03 442 3992 PG Sites; Mark Dewsbery............022 601 5576 Treasurer: Ian Hornby ................021 0238 8894 Airsp: Mark Hardman.....................021 809 275 Coronet Weather Station................03 442 9974 Coronet Peak Tandem PG & HG..0800 467 325 Elevation Paragliding....................0800 359 444 Extreme Air............................ 0800 PARAGLIDE Flight Park......................................03 442 1586 Infinity Paragliding School..........021 0228 2939 Lucky Montanas PG (Wanaka).......03 443 1680 Paraventures.............................0800 FLYSOLO Skytrek Hang Gliding & Paragliding.0800 759 873
Photo; Ross Gray
TARANAKI FREE FLYERS C/- Dennis Green 38 Kaitake Rd RD4 New Plymouth Pres/Sec/HGSO, Airsp; Dennis Green .......................................................06 752 7618 John H. Morgan..............................06 759 4262
MARLBOROUGH H.G.P.C. C/- Julie Bousquet 122 Wellington Street, Picton. Email: j_bousquet@yahoo.com Pres, Airsp: Vern Sanders...............03 570 5322 Sec: Julie Bousquet.....................027 340 0718 Treas: Derek Wong Nam.................03 577 8857 HGSO: John Urlich: .......................03 577 8886 PGSO: Russell Read....................027 448 0888
CANTERBURY H.G.P.C. Inc. C/- Jennifer Corbett 17 Admirals Way, New Brighton Christchurch 8061 www.chgpc.org.nz Email: jenster66@hotmail.com Pres: Danial Campbell....................03 980 6335 Sec/Treas; Jennifer Corbett............03 382 4404 PGSO; Robert Kennedy.................03 329 3339 HGSO; Danial Campbell.................03 980 6335 Sites PG; Patrick McGregor...........03 328 8333 Sites HG; Derek McKee...............021 251 2300 Airsp; Peter Taylor..........................03 338 6287 Website; Stephen O’Shaughnessy.03 326 7373 Canty HG School; Bill Degen.......021 247 2676 Nimbus Paragliding......................027 432 4874 ParaPro.........................................0800 548 323
Grant Tatham flying near Murchison
HAWKES BAY H.G.P.C. Inc. C/o Rebecca Rae 30 Kaweka Place Havelock North 4130 Email: hbhgpc@gmail.com www.soarhawkesbay.co.nz Pres, Airsp: Euan Talbot ..............022 048 7673 Sec/Treas: Rebecca Rae................021 605 204 PGSO: Sam Elkink........................027 474 7221 HGSO: Ross MacKay...................027 285 4195
WELLINGTON H.G.P.C. PO Box 9824 Marion Square Wellington 6141 www.whgpc.homestead.com Email: firth@xtra.co.nz Pres: Kris Ericksen.......................021 116 4558 Sec: Grant Firth............................. 021 422 698 PGSO: Chris Connolly..................022 676 5599 HGSO: Grant Tatham...................027 636 3491 Airsp: Ian Miller ............................022 176 8205 Newsletter Editor: Kris Ericksen.....04 938 6539 Oceania Paragliding School.........022 676 5599
TASMAN H.G.P.C. C/- Jude Tarr 2 Eckington Terrace Nelson 7010 Email: flytheice@gmail.com www.thgpc.org.nz Pres; Peter Allison .........................03 546 5242 Sec; Jude Tarr ...............................03 548 7944 Treas; Kirk Milligan.........................03 546 9790 PGSO;Greg Benjamin.....................03 545 1543 HGSO; Mark Patton.......................03 548 7944 Sites Maintenance; Dave Newton..03 545 1540 Sites Maintenance; Clint Fraser.....03 544 7960 Sites Owners; David Worthington..03 548 9844 Sites Owners; Rob Boyle.............021 140 8920 Airsp; Ian Woods..........................027 245 1851 Nelson Paragliding.........................03 544 1182 Adventure Paragliding....................021 762 769 Hang Gliding NZ.............................03 540 2183 Tasman Sky Adventures...............027 229 9693
ISSN 1170-9928
printed on recycled paper
Magazine of the NEW Zealand Hang Gliding & Paragliding Assn. Inc. Published every three months for hang gliding and paragliding enthusiasts in New Zealand and abroad ● Subscription is by membership of NZHGPA (a legal requirement for all hang glider and paraglider pilots in NZ) ● For non
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N.Z.H.G.P.A. INC., 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, New Zealand www.nzhgpa.org.nz PRESIDENT
Evan Lamberton, 35A Manly Esplanade, Browns Bay, North Shore City 0630, 09 478 0063, 021 407833, gsifly@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENT
Derek Divers, 106 Lachlan Avenue, RD2, Wanaka 9382, 03 443 7190, 027 493 1112, d.divers@xtra.co.nz ADMINISTRATION/Licensing
Nicky Hamill, 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, 03 547 4845, fax 03 547 4653, admin@nzhgpa.org.nz Hang Gliding Operations Manager
Glenn Meadows, 8 Brook Tce, Nelson. 03 548 9151, 027 275 1022, gmeadows@clear.net.nz Hang Gliding Training Manager
Ross Gray, 7 Nathan Place, Palmerston North 4412. 06 357 8996, 021 126 0892, rosscoe@inspire.net.nz PARAGLIDING OPERATIONS MANAGER
Grant Middendorf, 30 Charles Court, RD2, Wanaka 9382, 03 443 5090, 027 4913 786, middy25@xtra.co.nz PARAGLIDING TRAINING MANAGER
Dean Straker, 35 Seymour Avenue, The Brook, Nelson 7010, 03 545 7511, 021 545 7511, dean@verticallimits.co.nz AIRSPACE OFFICER
Nick Taber, 27 Strathaven Place, Dodson Valley, Atawhai, Nelson 7010. 03 545 0766, 021 420 742, nicktaber@hotmail.com CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR
Paul Brydon, 1431 Main Te Pahu Rd, RD5, Hamilton. 07 825 9161, 021 253 5264, paulbrydon@gmail.com DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE CONVENOR
Dean Straker, 35 Seymour Avenue, The Brook, Nelson 7010, 03 545 7511, 021 545 7511, dean@verticallimits.co.nz INTERNAL AUDITOR
Kris Ericksen, 11 Koromiko Road, Aro Valley, Wellington 6012, 04 938 6539, 021 116 4558, skf@paradise.net.nz NZHGPA BOOKSHOP
Ewen Tonar, 23A Brookview Court, Hamilton. 07 855 3969, 021 041 1418, etonar@infogen.net.nz HANG GLIDING COMPETITION COMMITTEE
● Photos, discs, flash drives and articles will be returned if clearly marked
Mark Alton, 09 480 8871, 022 195 5746, markalton@yahoo.com Dennis Green, 38 Kaitake Road, RD 4, New Plymouth 4374, 06 752 7618, 021 430 436, dennis-green@clear.net.nz Max Gebhardt, 03 312 7899, 022 159 6101, aerosm@gmail.com
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In This Issue... State of Origin Paragliding Meet 2014 .......................................4 Motoring Raglan ..........................................................................8
quote identifying words and phone number ● Advertisements for new hang
Paragliding Nepal.......................................................................10
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Soaring South Africa..................................................................18
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Hang Gliding Worlds..................................................................20
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Throwing your Reserve..............................................................22 Paragliding Triangle Records....................................................23 CrossAlps 2014...........................................................................24 Safety Checks.............................................................................25 Events..........................................................................................26 FRONT COVER: In the house thermal, Pokhara, Nepal. Photo; Lloyd Greenfield
Next issue deadline: 1 October 2014 A
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State of Origin 2014: By Kris Ericksen
THE 2014 CAMPAIGN
K
yla MacDonald, and Johnny Hopper, veterans of the 2013 campaign, did an excellent job at “wild cat herding” and organised a team of 15 people to represent New Zealand at the 2014 SoO. This included Rosie and Pete Darwood who reside in Sydney, but had learnt to fly in Queenstown!
A fair number of Kiwis descended on Godfrey’s camping paradise several days early (having booked up a large portion of the cabins very early on – much to the disgruntlement of various Ozzies) and then proceeded to have some of the best flying for the week! Wednesday 16 April – practice day: Helen Jeffery did a personal best with a 40km plus flight past Barraba, while Ian Douglass flew to Barraba. Mark Curtis flew to just south of Barraba and then hitched “the wrong way” north for a lunch date! Thursday 17 April – practice day: The weather gods weren’t really cooperating, so a day was spent parawaiting on the top of Mt Borah,
until the late afternoon when we all launched and boated around in front of the western launch before flying back to Godfrey’s. Friday 18 April – Task 1: 141 pilots gathered on launch and were briefed by James Thompson, the competition director. Conditions, however, were blustery with broken thermals. Many pilots chose to wait till later in the day, and as a consequence two-thirds of the field flew no more than 5km! Louis Tapper was the NZ winner of the day with 25.5km to Hall’s Creek Road. Saturday 19 April – Task 2: The day dawned with conditions looking a lot better than the day
Above; Western launch; task two Left; Morning weather briefing on 18 April; Rory, Kyla, Merry, Helen, Louis and Ian
before. Thermals were light around Mt Borah, but many of the Kiwi team were well underway when a bombshell was announced over the radio that the day’s racing was being cancelled due to high winds on launch! The Kiwis, however, continued to fly, with Kyla going 38.8km, Ian Douglass 36.1km, Johnny Hopper 29.4km and Kris Ericksen 26.5km. Sunday 20 April – Task 3: Sunday dawned with similar
Left; “Repairing” the western launch after the astroturf had been thrown around by dusties!
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conditions to Saturday with light thermals around Mt Borah. About two-thirds of the pilots ended up bombing within 10km of launch… However, for the Kiwi team Andy Maloney flew past Bendemeer achieving 62.1km and Johnny Hopper made 37.5km. That evening the awards were announced – and the Kiwis were nowhere to be featured…. Competition results can be found at: http://highcloud.net/xc/comp_ result.php?comPk=129 Aftermath: A number of the Kiwi crew stayed on for several days after the competition. The weather gods, however, weren’t all that cooperative, with strongish westerly winds setting in on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The winds would ease in the evenings and several pleasant evening ridge soars were had. However, on Thursday 24 April the winds eased off and
What is the State of Origin competition? The SoO is a fun cross country paragliding competition, held annually in Manilla, New South Wales, Australia, every Easter. The event is aimed towards novice and intermediate pilots with an easy going competition. The objective is to fly as far as you can in any direction. No turn points and no GPSs are required - just a willingness to give it a go and work as a team. It is an Australian “State” competition and it originally started off as a competition between pilots from NSW and Queensland, and is based on where the pilot learnt to fly – not where they were born (as in the “other” State of Origin competition involving an oval ball made out of pig skin!). Each state team is made up of a minimum of 15 pilots. The 15 pilots make up at least “crews” of five pilots. Each crew MUST have one advanced pilot (this is the crew mentor/ coach), two novice pilots (less than 50 hours XC) and the remaining two crew members can be either advanced, intermediate or novice pilots. Last year, for the first time ever, NZ was able to enter a “state” team into the competition - and they rocked it! (coming second over-all) – so the 2014 team had high expectations placed on them! (You can read Kath Jones’s excellent article about the 2013 SoO in the May 2013 Airborn. The beauty of this competition is novice pilots get massive handicap points. An advanced pilot has to fly three times the distance of a novice pilot and an intermediate must fly twice the distance to gain the same number of points. The idea is that the advanced pilots help get the novices fly as far as possible by mentoring, encouraging and otherwise cajoling them to safely leave the confines of the launch hill. It is a fantastic introduction to competition and XC flying. The flatlands surrounding Manilla are fantastic, and there are lots and lots of big fields to land in (most of the time!) The event takes away the ‘where do I land’ distraction, and allows pilots to concentrate on getting high and flying far and encourages flying as a team.
Above; Task two: 19 April
several people had some great cross-country flights – with Rory Devine flying 56km to Bendemeer.
HIGHLIGHTS
Above; L to R; Rosie Darwood, Pete Darwood, Kris Ericksen, Kyla MacDonald, Merry, Andy Maloney and Johnny Hopper at Mt Borah Below; Briefing - task one
Team members were asked what the highlight of the trip was and what their biggest learning had been: Andy Maloney; 1) Highlight of the trip was flying 61km 2) Biggest learning : meeting and making friends with new people, especially Johnny and Kyla Rory Devine; After flying less distance each day i thought this place sux but then on a day after the comp and a low save I shared a thermal with Helen Jeffery almost to cloud. After a couple of minutes on glide together Helen looks up and calls on the radio and asks, Rory how did you get up there and how do I get there. Priceless Mark Curtis; “Paragliding is the most fun you can have with your pants on”. Some one needs to tell Johnny that - I’ve seen more of him than any man should see ha ha. Helen Jeffery; The excitement of reaching cloud base for the first time, which slowly developed into tension as I realised I’d reached cloud suck then anxiety when it was cloud suck despite big ears and speed bar, then a hint (just a hint) of pride as I extracted myself calmly and flew on.... That flight culminated in a secret sense of sumptuous satisfaction when I found myself answering my husbands radio from the ground query re my position with, “Oh, just look up and
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Kiwi League results
Above; Kyla MacDonald “That’s where I’m going!” Task two beyond...” Not that we compete...!!! Biggest learning was the old adage of never give up, and how relevant it is when scratching for lift. Nik Moody; Yeah Nah Wow!! Thank you to Kyla and Johnny and Diane, from my roomy and I, it was cool fun and great to get to spend time with you all and make firm friendships. I succeeded in getting Mark back without handcuffs as I’d promised his good lady - lol. I’m sorry I didn’t really fire and didn’t get much past the kitchen but, I’m sure I will improve on my next outing, haha. The SoO rocks and I hope to be there again next year.
Pilot Task 2 km Points Task 3 km Points Total Johnny Hopper 29.4 870 37.4 545 1415 Andy Maloney 19.3 705 61.1 697 1401 Ian Douglass 36.1 964 16.2 359 1323 Kyla MacDonald 38.85 1000 4 178 1178 Kris Ericksen 26.5 826 12 309 1135 Helen Jeffrey 15.9 640 4 178 818 Rodger Kerr 15.8 638 4 178 816 Rosie Darwood 4 321 11.62 304 625 (Task one was not valid)
Ian Douglass Best moment = the 100 + good people met around the “farm”. Worst moment = the 100 + good people met in the sky on launch!! ...and my biggest learning is that with observation, patience, a modicum of technique (and luck) I CAN get to cloud base. I don’t just have to dream about it. Rosie Darwood; Highlight of the trip: As a novice pilot with barely 10 hours under my belt the highlight for me was definitely leaving the hill for the first time. I was suddenly acutely aware of all the gaps in my knowledge, never mind
Above; Practice day Thursday 17 April. Western launch Right; Riding up Mt Borah in “The Basher”
Above; Kiwi HQ; 22 April. Left; Andy Maloney launching with his new chocolate mint wing! Below; Final flight: 25 April.
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Left; Ivan Anissimov playing with a nine cell wing from 1988 Right; Bonfire on the Sunday night, and it IS as big as it looks!
experience! However it was a fantastic experience to fly over the farm (which was to have been my first goal), the river, the road, the next range of hills and land safely if not particularly elegantly 16km east of Mount Borah. I’ve been smiling inside ever since! Learning experience: I learnt so much its difficult to identify one thing. But I think perhaps watching the more advanced pilots on the stronger winds on the west launch on Sunday afternoon reinforced for me the importance of ground handling and deciding when not to fly. Merry: The people made the event for me. Kyla MacDonald; The highlight for me was having all the Kiwis flying together as a team,
supporting & encouraging each other to fly well & fly far. The biggest learning for me is that timing is so critical to good flights knowing when to launch & when to leave the hill to push on for the next climb. Next season I hope to improve on actually getting that timing right. Pete Darwood; Highlight for me was definitely leaving the confines of the hill and associated bomb-outs for the first time and the biggest learning point was it is not as easy to stay up once you leave the hill! Johnny Hopper; Highlight: keeping my clothes on. Learning: thumb in the carabiner. Rodger Kerr; NZ team HQ, cold beer best cheese scones and a slick DJ mixing post flight tunes.
Above; Team Kiwi! L to R; Louis Tapper, Merry Schimanski, Pete Darwood, Rory Devine, Nik Moody, Matt Williams, Helen Jeffery, Ian Douglass, Kris Ericksen, Johnny Hopper, Kyla MacDonald, Mark Curtis, Diane Cornell (obscured), Rodger Kerr and Andy Maloney Below; Western launch of Mt Borah for an evening glassoff flight Photo; Pete Darwood
Team Kiwi members Johnny Hopper – Auckland Andy Maloney - Wellington Rosie Darwood - Sydney Pete Darwood - Sydney Rory Devine – Queenstown Louis Tapper - Queenstown Rodger Kerr – Auckland Ian Douglass – Arrowtown Kris Ericksen - Wellington Helen Jeffery - Arrowtown Kyla MacDonald - Auckland Matthew Williams - Wellington Merry (Karl) Schimanski - Queenstown Mark Curtis - Waikato Nik Moody - Coromandel
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Ragtown Buzzsaws and Butterflies By Sean Oliver
I
t was the summer of 2010 when I really started to notice a bloody racket going on in the sky above my house.
Strange jellyfish creatures were, on closer inspection, blokes sitting in armchairs with 2-stroke motors and screaming caged-propellers on their backs, dangling from strings below collapsible wings. I live close to the Raglan Airstrip, so I tend to notice whatever is flying in and out of the area. Instead of the usual local topdressing plane, visiting microlights or Cessnas, this was aviation at its most rudimentary. I had seen a few guys with Mosquito-powered hang gliders before but it never occurred to
Above; Mokau-Raglan 90kms Bzzzzzz Inset above; Free flight from beach to Mt Karioi a bunch of blowflies, something resembling a fog began to lift from my imagination...
Going back to the beginning – in a distant time last century; me as something that I would bother with. However, as these paramotoristas started to buzzsaw repetitively, buzzing around and about in my subconscious like
I became intrigued with hang gliding in the mid ‘80s, regularly seeing them hover overhead as I walked back up the steep Manu Bay hill (knackered after having had
my daily surf). They seemed to be having a lot of fun, it looked like the closest thing a human could do to fly like a bird. After one particular day of being swooped by two grinning fliers, I promised myself to learn how to fly one of those big kites before getting old and grey - and turning 20. Fortunately for me the Waikato Hang Gliding Club was well established around this time. There were roughly 30 hang glider pilots in the club and I was able to do a beginners course with Karl Kuebler. In the spring of 1988 I found myself soaring the west coast beaches of the Waikato. In those days, it was not unusual to fly with half a dozen or more guys. I was pretty excited about living in an area with good coastal soaring sites, and I progressed quickly. To temper that excitement early on, there was the day my mate and training partner Patrick misjudged the rotor behind a cliff and crashed into the leeside. He got knocked unconscious for 24 hours. It was a sobering experience to see him recovering from a brain injury and not being able to continue flying. I think because of that I have tended to be quite a cautious pilot. I’ve had times where I pushed my
Left; Over the Whaanga coast
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Left; Mike mozzying his Falcon
Right; Kitesurfchasing mozzie
Flying experiences have expanded to flying the sea-breeze fronts, thermals, convergence and cruising the coast - chasing my shadow 6ft above the beach. I’ve done lolly drops for kids, followed bicycle races, had shotguns aimed at me by furious feral four-wheel driving fishos, supported sand mining protests, filmed surfers, kitesurfers, motocross riders and continue to search beaches and coastlines for the best waves to ride. limits too far, fortunately only ever at the expense of some bruises, bent tubing or a tricky retrieve along with a readjustment of my understanding of technique and weather conditions. I learnt to err on the side of caution as my mate Patrick was only the first of a long line of casualties and fatalities that I have become aware of in this sport. For a few years I really pursued the flying lifestyle. Although I was never a competitive pilot, I really enjoyed myself going to competitions, flying and volunteering to drive. I went to a few different countries and got work in the industry. Being a surfer at heart I really loved ‘riding’ thermals but found the driving and logistics of cross-country flying a bit of a hassle. I have a huge respect for the guys that achieve long crosscountry distances whether it’s HG or PG. I gave paragliding a go a few times but just never got the same sensation with the panties that I get from the hangies - for me flying Superman-style beats Homer Simpson couch-stance hehehee.
harness. After reading everything I could find out about Foot Launched Motor Powered Hang Gliding, I lopped the end of the keel off my old Rumour1/145 and went for it. A couple of years on, a new (Wills Wing U2 160) glider, along with much tinkering, rebuilding, upgrading and maintenance of the ‘Mozzie’ motor harness, have led to an exponential increase of my flying hours along with my skill level and a totally new understanding of flying the area I live in. Although I do still love to ditch the infernal combustion engine and free-fly whenever conditions allow, I like being able to go flying with the mozzie when I have time, without the need for a specific weather event or wind (and I have the lure of a whopping great airstrip 500m from my house!). I’m no longer limited to driving 2 hours inland and up hills hoping to get a thermal flight.
Above; 1989 Mozzie powered Rumour Below; Beach graffiti
Into the future or another space-time continuum; The Piako-Mamata Gliding Club has made Raglan their summer base on and off now for around 15 years, taking tourists and holidaymakers up for scenic flights. I have encouraged my son to fly with them a few times and chatted with Steve Care - a previous member of the WHGC who is involved with the operation and instructing. The sleek gliders (sailplanes) are just awe-inspiring, it’s pretty humbling to share the sky with such an aircraft (kind of like being in a dinghy watching an Americas Cup catamaran foil past!). Seeing them being towed skywards makes me dream of doing aero–towing, being autonomous flying solo has its upsides but having a group of likeminded people would allow for many more possibilities. Tandem flying is also on the to-do list, I would love to
be able to share the fun with family and friends one day. It would be good to have some other pilots to fly with, my mate Mike sold his Falcon soon after I bought my U2 so we only had a few brief flights together in the long dry summer of 2012/13. If anyone is on a flying mission (be it free-flight or motorised, hang-dangler or parapantie) in the Raglan area please contact me - skyriderag@gmail.com Fly free, good skies to you all. - Sean O.
Back to the present; Somehow or other, I became an old occasional coastal flier with an old outdated glider. My flying hours were very low, either the conditions weren’t right or I had other commitments - my young family had taken precedence for the last 12 years. Technology had bypassed me. While gliders started going topless and utilising carbon, I was either working or changing nappies. The ease and convenience of paragliding started to take over, there were fewer active hang glider pilots and no instructors or growth of the sport in the Waikato. In December 2011, ignoring the good advice of everyone close to me telling me not to, I bought myself a second hand Mosquito motor
Right; Raglan looking North West
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Flight of the Scrawny Kiwi By Lloyd Greenfield
I
’m in Pokhara, Nepal’s paragliding hotspot. It’s been nearly two months since I left New Zealand with my little DHV-1 school glider to practice my newfound love of paragliding.
Two months spent soaring with the birds over terraced fields, trekking snow-capped mountain paths beneath frozen waterfalls, and dodging tandems; lots of tandems, and that’s only half the story.
First Flight Standing at launch for the first time; amongst launching tandem, solo and acro gliders, the sky is already full of circling gliders as I nervously await my turn. A window opens; hauling on my A-risers, I run, the ground dropping away beneath me. Phew, my first takeoff was a success! I pick a point and join the circling gliders, climbing
High over a lake in Nepal with two little pins in my hands, the only things holding me to the glider above. “3... 2... 1... HAVE FUN!” Colin shouts & I pull the pins... I hope this works better than last time. higher. Looking down I see a world I had only dreamed of; terraced fields, villages and green forests spread out beneath me. Slowly, the cloud increased and lift weakened; we dropped down, scratching the treetops. Suddenly a massive Egyptian vulture overtook me, perfect white wings outstretched, to
Above; Paul Johnson over Sirkot, Nepal Right; A white Egyptian vulture waiting for a ParaHawking flight to depart, Pokhara. Below; A ‘quiet’ spot between waves of tandems, Pokhara.
land on an outstretched hand from the tandem ahead. After almost an hour I touched down for the short walk back to town. With newfound friends the next few months passed quickly; playing dodgems in the over-crowded house thermal, or escaping to Babu’s hilltop lodge in Sirkot, for serene quiet and real XC flying; scores of children surrounding us with almost every landing. My first ever SIV, then a break, trekking through the mountains for a magnificent sunrise
10 A i r b o r n
Above; Taking the scenic route up to takeoff with Wally Delprado, Pokhara. at Poon Hill and up the frozen paths to Anapuna Base Camp. Then back for more flying, a bird strike in the house thermal, and a D-bag.
Bird Strike Spotting the large bird arcing towards me I realised we were too close. With a thump it slammed into
my risers, wings folding up into a thrashing brown mass of feathers, talons and lines. Looking up at the thrashing bird, now sliding towards me, I’m thinking what can I do? I can’t pump it out, or tug the stabilo line, it’s not a cravat. The wing’s still inflated, so I wait. As the struggling
Above; Playing dodgems in the house thermal. The season wasn’t as unstable as expected, so days stuck here were common, Pokhara. mass reached my maillons, it slipped backwards, tumbling behind me, in and out all within a few seconds. Looking up I was relieved to see no damage to the thick sheathed lines of my school glider and wondered if the bird was so lucky.
Left; My first meeting with Calin Popa (holding camera) little did I suspect I would be dropping from his tandem in a few months, Pokhara. Below; The first tandem to fly over Kushma city, Nepal.
D-Bag “Should I ask my travel insurance company if this is covered?” I asked “Probably not, you know it won’t be,” Colin replied. We’re in the living room, carefully packing my wing into a bag and looping the lines through rubber bands along the outside. Next day, as we glide out over the water in a tandem, Colin carefully unties the safetys and I wonder just what I’ve gotten myself in for. “3... 2... 1... HAVE FUN!” I pull
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11
Above; Calin Popa preparing the deployment bag the pins before I can think twice, and rocket downwards. The glider snaps open, checking my fall, but immediately starts to spin. I look up and realise why; my brake is disconnected, tangled into a cravat around my wing. For the next 10 seconds time slows, as I attempt opposite brake, then D-risers, before reaching for the silk as the wing tightens into a spin. Expecting the immediate tug of the reserve I haul back on the D-risers, trying to kill the wing before it downplanes, then again, harder. The
wing rears skyward, then drops back into a stall, momentarily catching the reserve, just as it finally deploys. As I sunk towards a cold bath in the lake, I cursed my foolishness for trying to kill my main before I knew the reserve was loaded, and wondered why the reserve had taken so long. A day of drying, fixing, packing and reviewing footage later we found the problems; a stray buckle had snagged my brake as I dropped, cutting it clean through, while a bad pack of the reserve (by a company I shall not name) after the SIV had delayed its opening. We decided to try again. “3... 2... 1... HAVE FUN!” Again I pull the pins and plummet downwards. The glider snaps open and suddenly I’m flying! Shouting with delight I crank the wing over and head for landing. Colin beats me down, helico style, the empty D-bag flapping in
Above; Cloudbase over Saringkot takeoff, Pokhara. front of him and suggests I join him again as a passenger. An hour or two later we’re over the lake again, inverted in an asymmetric tumble.
A New Flying Site I’m standing in a small clearing overlooking Kushma City, wedged between two deep valleys below. Yesterday I landed in an armed police compound, others on the airport runway. Today we’re dropping confetti, the gliders ahead fighting their way up a rough thermal, towing banners aloft. After a blessing, I nervously ready myself beneath
the hundred odd people who have gathered to watch. Eventually, we climb high enough to push into wind and look down on the city, the streets glittering with coloured flags for the festival below. On landing we’re treated like celebrities, then again in the evening as we’re ushered on stage for awards and bizarre dance routines, a thank you for being the first to fly this hopeful new paragliding destination. After much more flying, including finally scratching up the Green wall and completing the circuit I’d tried several times before, I’ve had enough
This was not how I pictured my first D-bag attempt.
Above; Spot the problem? Note the rotation & look carefully at the brake handle in my right hand. Below; Relaxing in a warm hotpool after 8 days of trekking, Nepal. Above; Asymmetric rhythmic tumbling with Calin Popa at the helm, Pokhara. Below; As we flew the city partied below, Kushma city, Nepal
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Above; Tandems; an endless source of amusing (& sometimes frightening) take-offs, but frustration if you’re unfortunate enough to be launching with them, Pokhara. of the tandems, the congestion and chaos they bring with them; It’s time for India.
Road Trip Nearly 2 weeks later; overland by bus, train and overloaded taxi through the highs and lows of India (another story altogether), I arrive in Mumbai. My phone rings, “We can see your train... meet us in the carpark”. Shooing off tuktuk and taxi drivers I see the welcome faces of my friends again, standing alongside a rusty, beat-up van. Hitting the highways we find out just how crazy Indian drivers truly are. First stop, Kamshet; we soar in front of wind turbines until the sun sets. Then down
the country; to launch for crowds far eclipsing Kushma, at a flying festival in Vagamon, until Anshuman (mastermind of the road trip) sadly fractured his back in a hairy landing, putting himself out of flying for the next few months. One pilot less, we make one last stop at Varkala Beach; launching from the carpark in shorts, sandals
Above; A final flight at Varkala Beach, India. Right; I haven’t told even half the story of 4 months...
Below; The first pilots (with the scarves) to fly over Kushma city, Nepal. Not pictured is the tandem pilot; who landed safely, but at the bottom of a canyon.
Below; Pokhara’s Backdrop.
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The RX Effe
A
rriving just in time, right before the start of the 2014 European flying season, I took delivery of my new wing: the RX3.5 Technora from Moyes. This glider is not just rigged with cutting edge, newly inlaid cloth, it is also my first RX!
Above; A small gathering waiting for us at launch, Kushma city, Nepal. Below; Soaring until sunset in Kamshet, India. and tee-shirt, to soar over the sparkling ocean, sunbathers and cliff-top restaurants, set amongst an endless expanse of coconut trees, before heading back to see Anshuman (now at his home). Sadly parting ways I left again, riding shotgun with the craziest of crazy drivers, for the last few weeks of my adventure... ...but that’s another story.
Conclusion After 4 months of travelling, and nearly 60 hours of flying, I’m back home, the photos on my screensaver a world away. My mind turns back to my biggest fear when I left; would I regret taking my DHV-1 (EN-A) glider? Well, yes and no; at times I was frustrated, as I reached the limits
14 A i r b o r n
of what a school glider could do, or left for dead by the performance of the EN-C and EN-D cross-country machines. Other times it kept me safe when I made mistakes, even surviving a bird strike without damage or a collapse. Above all however, it took me on an amazing journey and allowed me to push beyond my limits. Incidentally, I have an APCO Karma, it’s well travelled, but will look after you as a first glider just as well as it has me. See the classified advts. Get well Anshuman. P.S. This story is too big to ever tell in one sitting. For more photos and tales than I could ever fit here; http:// flightofthescrawnykiwi.wordpress. com/
For eight years I have flown RS models, gathering some extraordinary XC-flying, including two world records in out-and-return distances (Chile: 353km/343km), European Continental Record as a FAI-triangle course in the Alps (345km) and a maiden flight in hang gliding flying (Lanzarote to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands). I really cannot complain! Additionally the RS3.5 also contributed to my achieving bronze at the World Championships in 2009 in Laragne, Vice-European Champion 2008 and 2010 and being awarded Austrian National Champion several other times. You could say, with this successful record that as a member of the Austrian National Team I have been pretty happy to fly this wing for such a long time!
Testing For two weeks now I have been testing this new RX Technora machine, bringing new challenges and motivation into the game of flying. And the start could not have been any better! The first flight took place at the Ludesch Open (Task 1) a region in western Austria located between the flatlands of Bodensee
and the high alpine mountains of Arlberg and Montafon offering a good mix of technical flying between high alpine mountains and lower valley hills. The conditions are also special due to a strong valley breeze from the west and good thermal lift with cu’s till late afternoon.
Performance I was pretty curious about how the RX Technora would perform, so I was one of the first pilots to launch. With 20 km/h winds at take-off the first exercise was to soar up the low hill in the laminar breeze. Right from the start I was impressed by its good handling which is better explained by the roll momentum of the glider scribing an eight in the air. Here the RX was very handy turning from left to right but even more noticeable was the VG setting I could use: three quarters of rope without much high siding in laminar soaring conditions. Therefore the best glide increased in combination with a better climb rate the more VG you can use. Quickly I reached cloud base still floating around with almost full VG watching others gaining height much slower, or maybe it was just my boredom in a kind or time delay stage until the start gate finally opened... ; )
Glide With a pretty good glider set-up already, the Technora sail now came into action. It has the same weight as the Code Zero sail but with more tensile strength on the upper surface. In combination with a full carbon frame and full VG the whole sail transforms to a clean, rigid wing of higher pitch stability and less torsion. Due to better handling characteristics in general it is easy
ct
Handling, performance and VG-settings by Tom Weissenberger reactions. Or, the better the handling, the more control to center the lift... and the better the climb!
Handling
to control the RX on a fast glide with full VG in terms of better tracking. So any side drift caused by turbulence is easily corrected by motoric weight shift, without oversteering.
Technora Fabric with Inlaid Cut Technically speaking the cloth is a transparent mylar with black Technora fibres which are much stronger than conventional polyester fibres. It is UV resistant, ultra-light weight with very low stretch and high tensile strength. Form follows function! When gliding, active use of a 4m long VG rope is recommended to allow changing positions like a rally car driver shifting gears while they race along a windy dirt road. Each 15cm changes handling and pitch characteristics depending on different gliding aspects. The closer the wing gets to a mountain or the rougher the air, the less VG. Air moves in different flows, like water currents, so the pilot should adjust continuously. I for example, train paddling on rivers and ocean surf zones, to focus and learn from the flow of water, and then adapt what I learn to air currents. It is useful to change the VG-
settings, with gradual arm length step-by-step changes, and not in one fast, last minute, attempt. Anticipatory flying movements are the key to success! The sixth gear is only used on longer and quiet tracks, for example, I save the last 30cm full VG for long final glides late in the day, calm air and/or fast racing! 4/5 of VG is a good compromise between good glide performance and control of handling.
Thermalling Here in Austria we talk about flying in the Alps which means entering the thermal always close to the mountain’s orology. So centering the core by its air flow is one thing. The other is having an eye on the terrain with trees, rocks or snowfields next to you and how the geography affects the vertical drift you are continuously circling. In any case you are always close to the terrain with the need for full glider control, not just for safety but also because there is less space in the thermal. Alpine thermals are more narrow, so we need to circle with a higher bank. A higher bank means a shorter turn with less time for the pilot to react on changing lift. So the smaller the core the faster the
The RX Technora has the best handling I have ever experienced - and I have been flying these Litespeeds for 15 years now. The reduction in high siding brings a new quality of riding pleasure in flight! This means it’s easier to stay in the thermal’s core, pushing the bar out and firing the turbo booster for a better climb. And all this with up to one third of VG and less motoric activity. The weaker the climb or the wider the thermal you still experience less bank and the more VG can be used from one half to three quarters of the rope. This keeps the joy with nine hours XC-flying. Or to win Task 1 and 2 at the Ludesch Open right away... : ) My fourth RX flight should’ve ended up as one of my furthest XC odysseys ever! A flat triangle course of 362km in 9 hours flying time. Unfortunately however I was one and a half hours too late taking off that day, June 7, 2014, which had been predicted to be as good a XC day but only early in the morning! By the time I made it to the cable car station it was 10am and the first glider had already launched. By 11:30am I was running off the hill to get my Technora wing on course as fast as possible. Like every long XC flight it is all about getting the last thermal for the so called final glide into goal, (or not). This requires a smart route, a good average speed, less mistakes and a good glider! It also depends on the pilot’s fitness which again depends on the glider’s handling. Especially after 9 hours flying time.
By 7pm I reached the point of interest, 25km out of goal. The sun was already low but still shining into the west facing slopes, while the valley bottom was already in dark shade. Conditions were dying so the real fight was actually now starting, ironically after 340km or an eight hour working day, but for the whole flight I was very comfortable in climbs and glides making it up to 31 thermals and now looking for the final one, number 32! The RX was handling like a toy, helping me to save mental and motoric energy, the whole day almost over. Therefore my motivation and joy of flying was still high. A big bonus when times get hard and tricky! So I was not tired nor brain dead at all now trying to find the last lift of the day. But the cloud in front of me was just disappearing while the northerly part of the ridge was not working anymore. I could have spent more time searching for weak lift but my concentration came to another weird decision when observing the sky around me: instead of increasing the distance to goal I was decreasing it by flying further into the valley. My last joker was to reach higher peaks and to enter the last active air masses closer to the main alpine chain. After five kilometers gliding off course I managed to find the final lift to climb out from 2,000 back to 3,000 msl and that was it! I set this Technora wing on a 30 km final glide, pulled the VG full on with best glide at 55 km/h and arrived goal 45 mins later at 8:30pm with a big smile on my face. http:// www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/ detail:tomtom01/7.6.2014/09:17 I wonder which colourful RX adventure will happen next...?
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Skyfloaters
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Wilderness Flying Henning Kruger goes flying in South Africa
I
s it going to switch on today?
On this trip to Africa, my Motherland, first time back in 7 years, I was sneakily trying to include flying. The predominant reason was to attend my brotherin-law’s wedding, assisted by two grandmothers; a maternal grandmother turning 93 and a paternal grandmother turning 100. Sneaking away was infinitely possible.
But - Is it going to switch on today? I was given an old hang glider that was past its use-by date whilst still a teenager. We ran underneath that old yellow and blue thing until we got good enough to frighten ourselves.
Above; Getting good height at cloudbase Left; Preflight briefing
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I had to leave the continent to leave the earth... In NZ I trained under Trevor Leighton in Motueka and never looked back. In fact, life now pretty much revolves around flying. For the trip to South Africa, I made enquiries to SAHPA, the South African governing body, as well as to everyone on the hang gliding contact list. It soon became clear that all road signs were pointing straight to Wilderness, and more specifically to Johan Anderson. To boot, Johan knew exactly what sort of difficulties a wedding dodging foreign pilot might be facing, which made all initial communications very easy. Johan Anderson has been flying for 27 years - he
Left and Above; Launching the Falcon Upper Right; Lodge accommodation at Wilderness has won the South African National Hang Gliding Championship title six times. His longest flight was 314km and this used to be the SA Open distance record. He flies and instructs micro-lighting too and the best part; he is passionate about flying and teaching! Things were looking up... Johan lives at Bergen a property in the bush, overlooking 5 launch sites (OK 6 if you include the one where you HAVE to find something otherwise you land in the marsh) where from he guides pilots, and manufactures the soarable ‘ZEE’ powered hang glider in other words he lives the sort of life most dream of. To top it off, Johan offers accommodation and glider rental to visiting pilots as well in idyllic bush surroundings, with excellent views and post flight facilities (as an aside, I can testify that the facilities are mother-in-law friendly...) Things were definitely looking up! Johan is located on the southern coast of South Africa. Based in Wilderness, a quiet coastal village on the Cape Garden Route. (About 4 hours east of Cape Town). The nearest big town is George and they are only a 20 minute drive from the George National Airport. As it turned out, the week spent in Wilderness was way too short, and every day was spent flying. There are a variety of sites around and an abundance of mountain and inland thermal sites within a couple of hours drive. I can definitely recommend travelling to fly and arranging commitments in such a way as to leave
room for opportunity to come knocking I would even go as far as to suggest leaving the door ajar... Some days, it switches on. Let the wind blow through your open door... you may just meet great people, learn new things and have a great time. Thank you, Johan. Now please excuse me; I am off plotting my next adventure. PS; Anyone looking to contact Johan can do so via the following channels: www.hangglidingschool.com wefly@iafrica.com +27 83 229 2919 (m) +27 44 877 1076 (w)
Above; Approach to re-enter everyday life
Right; A sunbathing local
Left; Wire assisted launching
Below; A great place to relax after flying
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World Hang Gliding Champs 2014 116
Learn to Fly Hang gliding, paragliding schools and instructors that you can contact for qualified flight instruction in New Zealand NORTHLAND HANG GLIDING
Skywalk Guntram Gross, Herman Ahrens Phone: 09 436 0268 or 09 432 9333, 021 072 0357 Email: skywalk@igrin.co.nz
AUCKLAND HANG GLIDING Aqua Air Adventure Paddy Monro Phone: 09 528 7594, 027 288 0193 Email: aquaair@ihug.co.nz Web: www.gethigh.co.nz PARAGLIDING SkyWings Paragliding Alan Hills Phone: 09 570 5757, 027 498 2345 Email: alan@skywings.co.nz Web: www.skywings.co.nz Wings & Waves Paragliding and Kitesurfing Reuben Muir and Eva Keim Phone: 09 446 0020, 027 472 7013 Email: info@wingsandwaves.co.nz Web: www.wingsandwaves.co.nz WAIKATO PARAGLIDING Wings & Waves Paragliding and Kitesurfing Reuben Muir and Eva Keim Phone: 09 446 0020, 027 472 7013 Email: info@wingsandwaves.co.nz Web: www.wingsandwaves.co.nz OMAHU, THAMES/PAEROA PARAGLIDING Bruce Vickerman Phone: 07 862 4919, 027 498 9941 Email: bruce.v@clear.net.nz HAWKES BAY PARAGLIDING Airplay Paragliding School Barry Sayer, Phone: 027 451 2886 Email: barry@airplay.co.nz Web: www.airplay.co.nz BAY OF PLENTY PARAGLIDING Levitate Paragliding Ltd Shane and Summer Tims Phone: 07 542 0098, 027 649 2222 Email: levitateparagliding@hotmail.com Web: www.levitate.co.nz Kiwi-Air Mike & Aniko Phone 07 929 5807, 021 104 6208 Web: http://kiwi-air.co.nz Mount Paragliding Wayne Roberts 07 574 4223, 027 643 6529 Email: thermalmonkee@hotmail.com MANAWATU HANG GLIDING SkyVenture (Manawatu HG & PG Inc. Club School) CFI: Ross Gray Phone: 06 357 8996, 021 126 0892 Email: rosscoe@e3.net.nz WELLINGTON/WAIRARAPA HANG GLIDING Wellington Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club Grant Tatham Phone: 06 379 7322, 027 636 3491 Email: tathams@xtra.co.nz Oceania Paragliding School 022 676 5599
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pilots from 18 nations competed from 23rd June to 5th July this year at Annecy in France for the World Championships in Womens (flex wing), Class 2 (rigid wings with pilot fairings), Class 5 (rigids with spoiler controls) and Sport (kingposted flexwings). The classes have different performance; from 95km/h and a glide of 14: 1 for Sport Class, up to an impressive 150km/h at 27: 1 glide for Class 2! Class 1 (flex wing) championships are held separately. Six tasks were held though class 2 managed seven. The Womens and Sports tasks were between 46 to 97kms, Class 5 had tasks of 63 to 175kms and Class 2 had tasks of 109 to 247kms! The Womens event had the usual topless flexwings with Moyes taking the top 3 places. The Sport class had a large range of gliders such as Aeros Discus (1st) and Moyes LiteSports, Wills Wing U2 and Sport 2, as well as European gliders such as Seedwings Spider, Skyrunner, Icaro Orbiter and Bautek Fizz. Class 5 was dominated by 34 Atos gliders with just a single Aeros Phantom entered. In Class 2 Manfred Ruhmer flying a Swift won, ahead of Andi Hediger flying one of 3 Archaeopteryx entered. There were just 10 entrants in this class. Japanese pilot Masakazu Kobayashi 44, died after hitting a cliff in the Lake Annecy area at Lachat de Thones. The accident is being investigated.
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PARAGLIDING Adventure Paragliding & Kiteboarding Kevin Rooke Ph: 03 540 2183, 021 762 769 Email: info@skyout.co.nz Web: www.skyout.co.nz Nelson Paragliding Stew and Zanna Karstens Phone: 03 544 1182, 027 446 3930 Email: paragliding@xtra.co.nz Web: www.nelsonparagliding.co.nz MARLBOROUGH PARAGLIDING High Adventure New Zealand Russell Read Phone: 027 448 0888 Email: russread@ihug.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH HANG GLIDING Canterbury Hang Gliding School Bill Degen Phone: 03 326 6411, 021 247 2676 Email: aero@xtra.co.nz Web: www.hgpg.co.nz
PARAGLIDING ParaPro (Paragliding & Powered Paragliding) Dave Dennis Phone: 03 328 8255, 0508 548 323 Email: info@parapro.co.nz Web: www.parapro.co.nz WANAKA PARAGLIDING Lucky Montana’s Flying Circus Advanced over water manoeuvres (SIV) instruction Rob Darby Phone: 03 443 1680, 027 220 1185 Email: lucky_montana@hotmail.com QUEENSTOWN PARAGLIDING Elevation Paragliding School Shai Lanuel Phone: 0800 359 444, 027 224 2121 Email: elevationpg@xtra.co.nz Web: www.elevation.co.nz Infinity Paragliding School Alan Swann & Blake Round Phone 021 0228 2939 or 027 367 7679 Email: info@infinityparagliding.co.nz Web: www.infinityparagliding.co.nz Neverland Paragliding Dominic Eller Phone: 021 314 730 Email: neverlandpg@hotmail.com
Individual Results
Class 1: 1 Yoko Isomoto (JAP), 2 Francoise Dieuzeide-Banet (FRA), 3 Corinna Schwiegershausen (GER). Class 2: 1 Manfred Ruhmer (AUT), 2 Andy Hediger (ARG), 3 Steve Cox (SWI). Class 5: 1 Tim Grabowski (GER), 2 Norbert Kirchner (GER), 3 Christopher Friedl (AUT). Sport: 1 Mario Alonzi (FRA), 2 Piero Zin (FRA), 3 Balazs Ujhelyi (HUN).
Paraventures Paragliding School Mark Hardman Phone: 0800 FLYSOLO (0800 359 765) \ 021 809 275 Email: info@paraventures.co.nz Queenstown Paragliding School Phone 0800 Paraglide (0800 727 245) Email: lisa@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz Queenstown Hang Gliding School Phone 0800 Hang glide (0800 426 4454) Email: john@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz Extreme Air Tandem Paragliding & Hang Gliding Phone 0800 727245 (0800 Paraglide) Email: info@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz DUNEDIN PARAGLIDING Dunedin Paragliding & Hang Gliding School Phone 0800 Hang glide (0800 426 4454) Email: info@extremeair.co.nz Web: www.extremeair.co.nz
Nations
Photos: Neil Brown, Ross Gray
NELSON/TASMAN HANG GLIDING Hang Gliding NZ Ltd Kevin Rooke Phone: 03 540 2183, 0800 212 359, 021 762 769 Email: rooke@slingshot.co.nz Web: www.hanggliding.co.nz Nelson Hang Gliding Adventures Glenn Meadows Phone: 03 548 9151, 027 275 1022 Email: gmeadows@clear.net.nz Web: www.flynelson.co.nz
Tasman Sky Adventures Trevor Leighton Phone: 027 229 9693 Email: info@skyadventures.co.nz Web: www.skyadventures.co.nz
Class 1 Women: 1 Japan, 2 France, 3 Russia. Class 5: 1 Austria, 2 Germany, 3 France. Sport: 1 France, 2 Austria, 3 Hungary. More at http://dca. ffvl.fr/hg2014/index. php/en/
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Throwing out the Washing A Guide to Using Rescue Chutes By Bruce Goldsmith
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ost pilots think that using is a rescue chute is as simple as throwing it out and being gently lowered to the ground under a beautiful white mushroom. If only life was that simple! Personally I have used a reserve probably about 10 times. Once on a hang glider and 9 times on paragliders, though I have never thrown it in normal flight on a paraglider. Each time I was either testing paragliders or reserve parachutes so I do have quite a bit of first hand experience. I recently also spoke with Alan Zoller of Air Turquise who has been not only testing reserve parachutes for certification for years but also training pilots to throw them in SIV courses. Alan has the impressive experience of observing thousands of reserve deployments and over the years we went over together how to use your reserve chute most effectively.
Reserves come in Many Types There are many different types of reserves and reserve technology is in a constant state of development. Modern reserves are lighter in weight, more stable (less oscillations) and some of them are also steerable. Here is a quick summary of some of the different types: Classic round chutes (older before 1990) were Triconic in the days of HG Pulled Apex (from 1990 to present) can be steerable Rogallo chute (from 2000 to present) steerable Square skydiving chutes (from 2000 to present) steerable acrobase Other unique designs - Seven Up, square chute, double canopy. Cut away systems where your main glider deploys the reserve as it is cut away. But 95% of pilots use pulled down apex chutes, so for the rest of this article my comments are mainly aimed at pulled down apex reserves.
How to throw it The main problem is that it is possible that your main canopy can get tangled in your reserve and stop
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the reserve from working effectively, so the most important thing is to throw you reserve away from the main canopy. When you are in a spin you should make sure that you throw the chute outwards and not towards the center of rotation of the spin. - throw the parachute in the opposite direction to the glider, or the furthest away as possible. - Throw the chute with force behind you - The longer the reserve handle the harder it is to throw the reserve. - Takes 2 movements, one to pull out the reserve, and the second movement to take a swing to throw it behind. - If it does not open quickly on its own, then pull on the reserve bridle
Once the Reserve is Deployed The main issue to be aware of is that sometimes your main canopy can get tangled in your reserve and stop the reserve from working. To avoid this from happening you should stop your main from flying as quickly as possible. The classic advice is to do a B line stall. However Alan tells me he prefers to tell his students to do a full stall. Full stall the glider and do as many wraps as you can to stop the glider from flying at all. Sometimes it can be easier just
is greater than 5.5 m/sec but this measurement is done with only the reserve, with no main chute. Normally the main chute will slow you some more, however the biggest danger is the dreaded downplane. This is when the main chute and the reserve chute pull in opposite dircetions and oppose eachother. Under such situations the sink rate can be as high as 14m/sec. So the sink rate under the reserve depends on what is happening to your paraglider. Here is a list of different possible scenarios: Lowest sink rate is just reserve Next lowest sink rate is with glider on your lap. Glider stopped from flying Higher sink rate if in spin or spiral The worst sink rate is in downplane Beware the Pendulum. Designing a reserve cute is often a balance between sink arte and stability. The stability is the pendular stability.
A Few Useful tips
to grab part of the main parachute and gather in the whole glider until it is on your lap. Before landing you must stand up and get out of the harness. This is super important. Then do a PLF (Parachute landing Fall) on impact with the ground.
What sink Rate to expect? Size is important. The sink rate largely is linked to the size (and type) of the chute. If you have a reserve chute which is too small for you can expect to come down faster and to perhaps hurt yourself when landing. The typical sink rate under reserve is 5m/sec. Reserve parachutes are not accepted if the sink rate with the maximum certified load
Reserve bridles. If your harness has a V bridle and the reserve also one, dont add them together Repack your reserve regularly, Once every 6 months to once a year and according to the reserve manual. Practice in the air putting your hand on the reserve handle. You should know automatically where it is. Also at home try practice taking out the reserve from your harness. This teaches you how much force you will need and it is harder than many pilots would expect. When packing your chute leave enough lines outside the pod so that the pod does not open when it is still in your hand (ie allow full arm extension, so that is approximately 1meter).
Final Words Reserve parachutes give a false sense of security. Most of the time you are too low to the ground to be able to use them, especially if you consider the reaction time of the pilot. If you are below 200m you are unlikely to be able to use your reserve and how much of your flying is above 200m AGL? Photo: Alan Zoller
Bernie Peßl sets EN B Triangle Record
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n the 8th June 2014, 26-year old Austrian Bernie Peßl flying a NOVA Mentor 3 completed the first FAI triangle over 300km on an EN B wing. Here is a brief interview.
Congratulations on your epic flight, Bernie. How are you feeling now? I am still completely overwhelmed. I still can’t quite believe it. I keep looking at the flight’s track and each time I think of a new highlight. Tell us briefly about the planning, weather and the three legs of the triangle. Briefly? Ok. On my last excursion to the Grente I attempted the 300 km FAI triangle for he first time. On that flight I decided to leave the standard route – and then failed miserably! This time I considered everything carefully and adapted my strategy to the weather forecast. I tried to fly the first two legs very fast in order to have enough time for the final turnpoint. Because of the very dry air mass, it was possible to extend the triangle far into the south. You were in the air for more than 12 hours. The final three and a half hours you were struggling through the valleys at low altitude.
Were you sure you could complete the triangle? It was a real thriller! There were moments it was going up and I was optimistic that there would be enough time. But there were also moments when I was happy just to see a landing field in reach. Right until the end it was very exciting. I only flew 300.6 km and when passing the 300 km mark I was only about 60 m above the ground. I am still not certain if I actually did it. A 300 km FAI triangle is just so far out, even if lots of people talked about it and the day before Thomas Walder flew 325 km on his Enzo. You joined the NOVA Pilots Team this year and you “stepped down” to a Mentor 3 from the EN D wing you were flying last season. How do you view cross-country flying with a low category wing? Last year Hans Tockner, a friend from the NOVA Pilots Team and one of the best XC pilots in the world, took me with him on cross-country flights. I thought that with a high performance wing, I would have no problems keeping up with him on his Mentor 3. But I really was mistaken. I had to work very hard to somehow keep up. The seconds I gained with the higher speed I lost very quickly in the thermals. A wing with high aspect ratio and a high trim speed
First 325km FAI Triangle by Paraglider
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displays clear disadvantages when you are trying to dig yourself out of a hole in weak thermals. I stepped down because I get better results by being able to more effectively exploit thermals and avoid the “road works”. And last, but not least, I am more relaxed and can concentrate more on the tactical flying decisions. What were the determining factors in achieving this amazing feat? It was a huge puzzle made from many small pieces. Definitely crucial was that I was able to meet lots of nice people whose tips and experiences all made a little contribution. It helped a great deal. I also invested a lot of time to become mentally strong, so that I would be ready for the 300 km day when the weather was right. Thank you for the interview and we wish you more great flights. Have a closer look at Bernie’s flight at www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/ detail:bernhardp/8.6.2014/06:59 and more on the NOVA Mentor 3 at www.nova-wings.com
Above; Bernies and Toms tracklogs on XC Contest
homas Walder flew a 325.76km FAI triangle on Saturday 7 June 2014, smashing the world triangle record and becoming the first paraglider pilot to break the 300km triangle mark. Tom spent 11.5 hours in the air and flew his Ozone Enzo (EN D) to a maximum altitude of 3,834m. His route took him from launch in Austria’s Zillertal Valley out towards the Stubai Alps close to the border with Italy. He then flew back on himself and continued across the Alps to his second turnpoint, just across the German/Austrian border on the Geigelstein. His third turnpoint was south east near Badgastein. Dozens of pilots have been chasing the 300km FAI triangle in the past couple of years. Several have made 260-280km, but none had come close to 300km. To m ’s t r a c k l o g c a n b e viewed at www.xcontest. org/world/en/flights/ detail:Flughund/7.6.2014/07:09 - F ro m w w w. x c m a g . com/2014/06/thomas-walderflies-first-paraglider-300kmfai-triangle/#sthash.MRNcn3va. dpuf
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CROSSALPS 2014:
Hofbauer, the Superhuman
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he ‘Crossalps’ is a 33 hour out & return hike & fly competition – and the worlds most popular with over 100 participants. In 2014 it took place at the beginning of July 2014 for the 10th time. The participants had 33 hours to travel the greatest possible distance from the start point at Grainbach at the foot of the Hochries (Bavarian Alps) – and return. Clear winner was Austrian Tomy Hofbauer with 192.04 Crossalps points. The NOVA team pilot flew approximately 50 kilometres on his Mentor 3 light and covered 146.26 km, with around 3500 m height difference, on foot. NOVA’s success was completed with Vera Polaschegg, who came in second in the women’s ranking with NOVA test pilot Pascal Purin becoming third overall with his Triton 2. The weather forecast did not look good for flying: strong winds on Saturday with low cloud base, showers and possible thunderstorms. Sunday promised Foehn. It looked like the biggest problem might be to get airborne at all...
But then conditions turned out to be much better. The weather gods looked favourably on the event. Saturday brought moderate westerly winds – ideal for soaring towards the east, if one was lucky, some thermals and only a few showers. Sunday there was “flying Foehn”, which means the Foehn-wind was so weak that many pilots decided it was safe to fly. Altogether, 102 pilots started in the race. A total of 260 flights covered approximately 2700 km and around 6000 km were walked (with huge altitude gain). The furthest turnpoint was 80 km away, the longest ‘walking’ distance was 146 km (both Thomas Hofbauer). Stefan Bocks achieved the longest individual flight at 65 km. Overall winner and 2013 Redbull X-Alps participant Thomas Hofbauer
flew 50 km, walked over 146 km on foot while ascending about 3500 meters – carrying his full paragliding kit! With his physical fitness he has set a new benchmark for hike & fly competitions: an average hiker covers approximately 5 km/h on flat ground. If one uses the rule of thumb calculation that the additional time (and effort) needed to cover 100 m altitude gain equate to a “performance kilometre”, then Hofbauer would have covered 146 km + 35 km = 191 km. A normal hiker would have required over 38 hours without a break – if he could achieve this feat at all. But in his 33 hours, Hofbauer also found time for 50 km of flying, the launch preparation for both flights, packing his glider, breaks and maybe the occasional stop for a number one or two... No surprise then that when he reached goal he was plagued by cramps and needed magnesium. On his Facebook page he commented: “Really I only wanted to see where my limit was. And now I know. I didn’t have much more.” More information and results can be seen at www.Crossalps.com and www.nova-wings.com
Tomy Hofbauer in action
Results:
Individual Pos Name Country Glider points 1 Thomas Hofbauer AUT NOVA Mentor 3 light 192.04 2 Sebastian Huber GER Gin X-Alps 154.26 3 Pascal Purin AUT NOVA Triton 2 150.37 Women Pos Name Country Glider points 1 Christin Krist GER Skywalk Cayenne 4 100.14 2 Lisa Bauer AUT BGD Tala 80.60 3 Vera Polaschegg AUT NOVA Mentor 3 light 80.60 Teams Pos Name Team Crossalps kms 1 Werner Schütz, Herold Bubi Icaro Buam 183.7 2 Niehuesbernd Jörn, Ochmann Remy Rhön Sheep 166.28 3 Barczewski Georg, Piechotka Manuel Flytastics 164.21 Tandem Pos Name Crossalps Route kms 1 Bamberger Josef, Egger Arnold 101 2 Dagn Leander, Fahringer Michael 98.29 3 Rauh Anselm, Weber Christoph 85.15 Overall Pos Name Crossalps Route kms 1 Bamberger Josef Egger Arnold 101 2 Barczewski Georg 79.36 3 Barthmes Sebastian 92.05 4 Lisa Bauer 80.66 5 Blaha Heiko 81.5
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The CrossAlps Format Participants determine their tasks themselves similar to free-flight. The Task Contestants fly and walk as far as possible to a turn point and back. Start and finish is the valley station of the Hochriesbahn. Route and turn point are determined by the participant (depending on wind, weather, pubs, whim). The turn point must be at least 15 km (straight line) from the start point and at least 20% of the total distance must be flying! If less than the required 20% is flown, walking distance is subtracted until the 20% flying content is reached. Other means of transport is not allowed.
N Z H G P A BOOKROOM The art of Paragliding by Dennis Pagen. Instruction manual for beginner to intermediates. Large format 374 pages $80 Hang Gliding Training Manual by Dennis Pagen. Ultimate guide to Beginner to Advanced hang gliding flying skills $80 Performance Flying by Dennis Pagen. Hang gliding for intermediate to advanced flying skills, includes competition, cross country, towing $80 Understanding the Sky by Dennis Pagen. Sport aviation weather and micrometeorology for hang glider, paraglider and microlight pilots. $60 PARAGLIDING, BEGINNER TO CROSS COUNTRY by Sollom Cook. From basic techniques to competition flying $60 A PILOTS TRAINING MANUAL (PG) Includes zone free, 80 minute DVD with 9 chapters including; forward inflation, reverse inflation, manoeuvres, soaring, flying thermals to landing methods. Only $65! NZ Hang Gliding Training Handbook Essential Beginner/ Novice instruction information for NZ hang gliding students learning to fly. $15 NZHGPA Hang Gliding Tow Manual All aspects of towing with clear photographs and step by step instruction $15 NZHGPA Aerotow Manual In depth detail of aerotow procedure as authorised by MAANZ and NZHGPA $15 NZHGPA Paragliding Tow Manual This manual outlines requirements and procedures for towing $15
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NZHGPA MOVIE LIBRARY FLYING OVER EVEREST, DVD, Angelo D’Arrigo and the story of his flight over Mt Everest. PLAY GRAVITY, DVD, Extreme paragliding, snowboarding, BASE jumping, freeriding and speedflying in the most awesome settings. EAST WIND, DVD, German pilots fly hybrid recliner bike/ paramotors 1632 kms across eastern Europe; Hanover to the Black Sea. DYNAMIC DECISIONS, DVD, Shows how different DHV paragliders react when flying the most dangerous manoeuvres. THE RACE, DVD, A race between climber and pilot in the Italian Dolomites. Winner of 4 world film contests. Paragliding Learn to Fly, DVD Tutorial for PG Performance Flying, DVD by Jocky Sanderson Never Ending Thermal Pura Vida Flying Security in Flight & The Speed to Fly Birdmen of Kilimanjaro The Red Bull X Alps Managing Risk in Aviation CAA Red Bull X-Alps 2005 Check the NZHGPA web site for the latest special offers In order to cover the high cost of importing HG and PG DVDs, cost of hire and postage is $10 for 10 day loans Postage and GST is included in price. Please send your order with payment to;
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Safety Checks Skywalk Cult 3 Paraglider Harness Reserve Handle Paraglider harness CULT 3 DHV GS-030377-10 On a Cult-3 S harness reserve deployment handle a shortened deployment rod was found. Checks of other Cult-3 XS S M sizes have shown all measurements to be within tolerance, however Skywalk have issued in agreement with the DHV the following Safety Advisory: Skywalk recommends all owners of Cult-3 harnesses with serial numbers listed below to check the length of the plastic rod attached to the reserve deployment handle before next use. The check may be made by the owner, or by a flying school. The reserve deployment handle for the Cult-3 harness has three separate plastic rods used to secure the 4-leaf reserve container. Measuring the rod from the bottom of the handle to its end is the correct procedure.
Should the plastic rods be shorter than the lengths given in the picture then there is a danger that the reserve may unintentionally self-deploy during flight. Defective deployment handles should be reported together with the harness serial number to Skywalk, who will then organise a replacement. Deployment rod lengths can be measured with the reserve mounted in the harness (see picture). Should it be necessary to remove a rod for measuring, then the reserve must be correctly re-fitted to the harness before the next flight. Serial numbers: CULT3 XS; SHCU3GXS-0712-00580, SHCU3GXS-5111-00309 to SHCU3GXS-5111-00318, SHCU3GXS-0712-00579. CULT3 S; SCCU3GS-3412-0906 to SCCU3GS-3412-0915,SHCU3GS-2212-876 to SHCU3GS-2212-880, SHCU3GS-1912-598 to SHCU3GS-1912-602, SHCU3GS-2212-816 to SHCU3GS-2212-825, SHCU3GS-5111-00319 to SHCU3GS-5111-00338, S H C U 3 G S - 0 7 1 2 - 0 0 5 8 1 , SHCU3GS-0712-00582. CULT3 M; SHCU3GM-3412-876 to SHCU3GM-3412-905, SHCU3GM-2212-776 to SHCU3GM-2212-815,SHCU3GM-2112-666 to SHCU3GM-2112-680,SHCU3GM-1912-603
Wedding Bells Congratulations to Matt Stanford, for marrying Donna Meikle, his guardian angel in paragliding; waiting on a windswept beach as he leaped from a helicopter to cross the Cook Strait and a constant support after his severe crash while flying Mt Cheeseman. Look after her Matt, and never forget what an angel you’ve married. -Lloyd Greenfield
to SHCU3GM-1912-612, S H C U 3 G M - 0 7 1 2 - 0 0 5 8 4 , S H C U 3 G M - 0 7 1 2 - 0 0 5 8 5 , S H C U 3 G M - 0 7 1 2 - 0 0 5 8 6 , SHCU3GM-5111-00362 to S H C U 3 G M - 5 1 1 1 - 0 0 3 7 8 , SHCU3GM-5111-00339 to S H C U 3 G M - 5 1 1 1 - 0 0 3 6 1 , SHCU3GM-0712-00595. Manfred Kistler, 5.6.2014 Geschftsfhrer Skywalk GmbH & Co KG Skywalk GmbH & Co. KG Windeckstr. 4 83250 Marquartstein Tel: 08641 694840 www.skywalk.org Team 5 Paraglider Lines Paraglider Team 5 Green b S DHV GS-011949-11,Team 5 Green b M DHV GS-01-195011, Team 5 Green b L DHV GS-01-1955-11, Team 5 Green b XS DHV GS-01-1956-11 During routine yearly checks it has been determined that incorrect lines have been used on a production model of a Team 5 Green B paraglider. On the glider checked (type-test date 9/2011), the main suspension lines were of Aramid instead of Dyneema (Cousin 989/1.5) as on the type-test example. Optically (colour, diameter and sheathing) the lines appear to be identical. Load tests showed that the required load limit of eight times the maximum take-off weight could not be attained. The legal successor of Team 5, Krilo d.o.o. is of the opinion that this mistake is limited to this single (preproduction series) glider, but cannot guarantee this for all other gliders with complete certainty. Krilo d.o.o. has issued the following safety advisory: The main suspension lines on all Team 5 Green B gliders must be checked. It is to be determined if Dyneema (white core) or Aramid (yellow core) materials have been used. As checking cannot usually be accomplished without partial opening of line stitching it is recommended that it be performed by an authorised paraglider check center. Should an Aramid core line have been used, then these lines must be immediately exchanged. Krilo d.o.o. recommends checking at the flying school Airsport 2000. Checks are free of charge, but postage costs will be incurred for the pilot. 10.06.2014 KRILO d.o.o. Gredjani 4a HR-44415 Topusko Hrvatska / Croatia info@krilo.org www.krilo.net
CAA Inspection Fines Pilots Over summer, the Mt Maunganui paragliding/hang gliding site came under scrutiny by CAA who sent an inspector, randomly checking pilots for ratings, licences, log book and wings WoF. The outcome was that several pilots got fined for breaches. To give an idea of the cost: - No WoF on wings: $1000. - No current licence: $1000. A total of $7000 in fines was handed out by CAA to local pilots. - Dominique Le Sellin, BoPHGP Club
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Records broken EVENTS and huge prize claimed Free Hang World Games Airsports Added he FAI is pleased to announce that The World Games at Worthing Gliding XC TPiloting Glider Aerobatics, Parachuting Canopy The World Games are organised and and Paramotors have been governed by the International World Games Birdman Event Clinic selected by the IWGA (International World Association (IWGA), under the patronage of
Ron Freeman celebrates after his flight
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n adventurer has beaten the record for the furthest distance unassisted flight during a “birdman” competition. After 31 years of failed attempts, two competitors managed to achieve the goal of flying more than 100m unassisted in a modified glider at the Worthing International Birdman competition. The two-day event saw people throw themselves off the Sussex seaside town’s pier in machines and costumes of varying airworthiness in a range of competitions. Competitors in his Condor Class for serious attempts have their final scores based on flights on both days of the event. But it was Ron Freeman who took home the jackpot with a straight distance of 159.4m, pushing Tony Hughes’ 117.1m flight in to second place. The hang gliding teacher, who has attempted to win the prize for 17 years, said: “I’m blown away, I just can’t believe how the glider worked. It was a perfect flight. It was getting a bit scary up there. Right from a young age Peter Pan was my hero. I’ve been hooked on flying since.” His long-term friend Mr Hughes took home the £1,000 prize for the longest flight in any direction, on a blustery day which carried him for 205.5m around the coastline. The organisers, who won a court case earlier this year after a competitor argued that his 99.86m flight in 2009 should have won the £10,000 prize money, said they were delighted to hand over the money. “It was a fantastic weekend, the competitors broke every single record going. We couldn’t believe it when two people broke the 100m mark. We got some very, very good pilots and their crafts are improving and we also had some very good weather conditions so together it helped them to achieve those incredible distances.” The Worthing Birdman is now in its seventh year and regularly attracts tens of thousands of people to the town. - The Argus
Below; Ron Freeman flying in the event
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22nd of October to the 24th of October 2014. Sites: Tamborine Mountain and Beechmont Instructors: Ken Hill, Lisa Bradley, Curt Warren. Advanced Pilot Assistance: Jon Durand Snr, Jon Durand Jnr, Rod Flockhart, Dave Stevens, Dave Staver. This is a great opportunity for novice and intermediate pilots to improve their hang gliding skills. It is also an opportunity to enhance cross-country and competition performance under guidance from some of Australia’s most skilled and experienced pilots. The Canungra Hang Gliding Classic competition follows directly after the xc clinic, so for those who enter, there will be two de-briefings throughout the competition week to monitor progress of pilots who attended the clinic. Pilots are required to supply all hang gliding equipment. Pilots are encouraged to use GoPros (or any other video cameras) during the training camp so all pilots can watch in the evenings as well as helping instructors to give feedback. Accommodation: Camping at Canungra Showgrounds 07 5543 5904. Canungra Motel - 07 5543 5155. Canungra Hotel - 07 5543 5233. Goals * Procedures for setting up gliders and equipment, * Launch and landing techniques, * Safe flying practices, * Improving thermal techniques, * Cross country flying with goals dependent on pilot ability, * Local knowledge on the flying sites and terrain, * Set goals for future flying. Only 15 spots left in the FREE HG XC Clinic in October!!! Please contact me ASAP to book. Also, the 2014 Canungra Classic comp registration should be open online from Monday 7th July. Bookings: Contact the organiser Billy Miller Macleod; 0435 046 335; billymillermacleod@ gmail.com
Hangies and Panties
Aerotechnics is a German company that make a prone jet unit for hang gliders. It attaches to the keel and uprights providing 2.4 - 4m/s climb and ability to reach 3000ft. It is said to weigh just 6kgs plus fuel so should be comfortable to thermal. It drinks .8 litres a minute, holds 15. It has auto shut-off if the chute is deployed, makes lots of noise and can blow smoke. Cost is 6850 euro. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw34cotN92k Brauniger has released new instruments for motor flyers. The improved IQ-MOTOR-eco-GPS is based on The IQ-BASIC-GPS and adds rpm and temp data from a Flylink radio transmitter. It records tracklogs and can use optional Airspeed. A version without GPS is available also.
Games Association) for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland. All three will be grouped as disciplines under the Air Sports banner. “We are thrilled to have three air sports events at The World Games 2017. It means a lot to us to be part of this global multi-sport event, as it brings public and media exposure worldwide to our sports from which they will benefit not only during the event, but also on a long-term basis,” said FAI Secretary General Susanne Schoedel. “The World Games 2013 in Cali were a great success for air sports, and the experience we gained will allow us to do even better in 2017. In the last edition we had two air sports events at the programme, so being granted one more is an honour that we are proud of and a challenge that we take up with wholehearted commitment and enthusiasm.” The details for each air sport event will be decided at a later stage, with the objective for the FAI of making all air sports events a success with the spectators. With this in mind, particular attention will be given to the set-up of the venues and features such as live commentaries. Air sports at The World Games 2017 The Glider Aerobatics competition is a test of the pilot’s ability to perform a preplanned programme of spectacular aerobatic manoeuvres whilst managing the glider’s energy. The silent and graceful manoeuvres are blended together in a sequence aimed at impressing the judges with the pilot’s precise handling skills. His ability to manage the glider’s speed, energy and position within the “box” is of paramount importance to obtaining a winning score. This sport is particularly successful and popular in Poland. Parachuting Canopy Piloting involves a series of tasks designed to test a parachutist’s ability to control his canopy and fly accurately. Pilots compete over a stretch of water for safety reasons because of the high speeds involved - at the same time creating spectacular action as the parachutists whizz across the surface of the water, leaving a plume of spray behind them. Paramotoring (also known as powered paragliding) enables the pilot to take off from level ground unassisted and climb to altitude; there is no need to launch from a hill or high ground. Paramotor units typically weigh 30kg; after a short take-off run of 1020m this weight is carried by the wing. The pilot sits in a chair-type harness, controlling the engine output with a hand throttle lever.
Regional Flight Focus The Past: The ten longest open distance flights of Northland/Auckland. Date 28/08/2004 21/11/2008 24/02/2013 15/03/2005 18/11/2013 19/03/2011 15/02/2014 6/12/2006 8/11/2010 11/11/2011
Site Pilot Dist.(km) Bridges Grant Middendorf 67.1 Puketutu Jeff Ripley 64.2 Dills Hill Wayne Rohrs 59.1 Bridges Reuben Muir 56.8 Moirs Hill Evan Lamberton 50.7 Moirs Hill Jeff Ripley 48.4 Moirs Hill Eva Keim 47.1 Moirs Hill Jeff Ripley 46.8 Moirs Hill Evan Lamberton 44.1 Moirs Hill Jeff Ripley 43.1
the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The next World Games will take place in Wroclaw, Poland, from 3 to 13 August 2017. This decision was announced by Ron Froehlich, former President of the International World Games Association, on 12 January 2012 on the occasion of the awarding ceremony in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The 2013 edition took place in Cali, Colombia, over a period of 11 days from July 25 to August 4 2013. 31 official sports featured in the programme, including Parachuting Canopy Piloting and Paragliding Accuracy, while AeroMusicals (Aeromodelling) was present as a demonstration sport. The Parachuting and Paragliding competitions ran concurrently on the same site, for maximum spectator interest, from 1 to 4 August 2013. Some 65 competitors (36 for Parachuting and 29 for Paragliding) gained entry to the Games. In addition, 2 Indoor AeroMusicals pilots made the trip to Cali to show the beauty of their sport. More at www.fai.org/events/iwga -FAI
Dalby Big Air Hang Gliding Aerotow Meet
The Dalby Big Air is a friendly competition with a view to introducing as many hang glider pilots as possible to the excellent year round flying conditions the area offers. Dalby is situated on the Darling Downs, 2.5 hours drive from Brisbane, Australia. It is the central hub of a vast cotton and sorghum growing district which provides ideal soaring conditions with an excellent road network that facilitates easy pick ups. Competition headquarters is at the Dalby Aerodrome, where the Dalby Hang Gliding Club has a secure hanger as its home base. Competition Dates 12th – 18th April, 2015 (Practice Day 11th April, 2015) Pilot Requirements: Intermediate/Advanced rating with aerotow endorsement Current HGFA membership for Australian pilots Temporary HGFA membership for Overseas pilots Experience in cross country aerotow in THERMIC conditions GPS (including download cables) Competition Entry Fee is $475 which includes the famous Dalby Big Air T-Shirt, Hat, Presentation Dinner at the Hanger and all aerotow fees for competition days, including practice day. A $75 non-refundable deposit is required upon registration. Registrations close at midnight on Friday 27th March, 2015. More info and registration at http:// dalbybigair.com
Hang Gliding Comps 2014/15 Hawkes Bay Comp: November. Date to be advised Contact: Grant: tathams@xtra.co.nz Auckland League; Dates to be advised Contact: Mark markalton@yahoo.com Kaimai Comp: 29 & 30 November 2014. Reserve date 6 & 7 December. Contact: geoff@trades-academy.co.nz Sterling Big Sky; XC in Omarama, over New Years. Contact; Max: areosm@gmail.com HG Nationals Wanaka: 24 Jan – 1 Feb 2015 1 Feb being a reserve date. Contacts; Mark: markalton@yahoo.com Grant: tathams@xtra.co.nz Max: areosm@gmail.com Cook Strait Ferry Discounts When travelling with 15 people or more, or with five or more vehicles, you do qualify for a great group discount. The group rate for passengers is $38 per adult each way & $110 per car each way so a significant discount off our cheapest fare. Please note it’s not available during peak holiday times throughout the year including 15th December -15th January. If you want to take advantage of this group rate your members would need to appoint a “Bookings Co-ordinator” who would simply email details of your group (names of passengers and sailing dates/times) to groups@bluebridge. co.nz and act as the group’s contact person with our Group booking team. - The full balance of payment, along with a final passenger list would be due 7 days before travel. - Any booking cancellations up until 24 hours before travel would be 90% refundable. Any cancellations within 24 hours of travel are non-refundable. - Other Bluebridge terms & conditions can be viewed at: www.bluebridge.co.nz/bookingsand-fares/terms-and-conditions/ For pilots wanting to take advantage of these great rates I will act as “Booking Coordinator” for the pilots wanting to go to the HG nationals in Wanaka. Email me at markalton@yahoo.com
Omarama HG Classic Cross Country Camp 2015
NZ Paragliding National Championships Sat. January 31st to Sat. February 7th 2015
Saturday 31 January to Sunday 8 February 2015 On as usual during the week of Waitangi Day. It’s 2 weekends plus Waitangi Day so there’s 5 days flying even if you have to go to work. At this time of year at Omarama gives the most flying days, the least turbulent and blown out winds and the most cross country flying opportunities. Come for the Nationals in Wanaka the week before and fly that too, or fly the whole week, just the weekends or just fly the best days. Make plans and organise your team now... It can be hot, maybe windy and maybe rough (thermals up to 3000 fpm+) but the competition will be stress free. Flying will be spectacular, expect to get 9000ft plus and 20 to 100km depending on your skill and luck. You’ll probably beat your Personal Best; height, distance etc, and move up the XC Champs table. THE MISSION; fly open distance, in any direction that you choose from the Omarama area. Enter any number of flights. Take any days off if you like, only your best 3 flights get scored. Flights are to be lodged each evening at the Omarama Hotel,at the cottage next door or at the camping area on an entry board. Required; Advanced rating with mountain/ XC skills. Pilots with lower skill ratings may fly only under supervision and if conditions are suitable. Printed site briefings are available. If you don’t feel like driving up hills, bring your aerotow or car tow setup instead. All types of accommodation available; from free camping, cabins to luxury hotel. For more information, contact Bill Degen aero@xtra.co.nz or for further information, site briefing, maps etc; www.hgpg.co.nz
NZ Competition Organiser’s Responsibilities It is the Comp Organiser’s responsibility to; 1. Obtain a list of current members from the NZHGPA Administrator. 2. Ensure every competition entrant is a current NZHGPA member. 3. Sign up any non-members. Any competitors found to be non-members will be listed and scored as ‘Disqualified’.
FAI/CIVL Category 2 - Competition Paragliding Open - Wanaka Comp Organiser - Derek Divers d.divers@ xtra.co.nz Registration, welcome BBQ and mandatory briefing on the evening of Friday, January 30th - time and place to be advised. Full details published closer to the event.
Auckland Regional Paragliding Competition 21st and 22nd February 2015 At sites around Auckland or as far a field as Kaimais or Paeroas, conditions depending. FAI Cat-2 comp (I hope). All qualified NZHGPA member pilots welcome! Includes lemon juggling and chicken husbandry lessons
Forbes Flatlands 2015 Australian National Hang Gliding Championships 2015 8 days of competition flying plus 1 practice day. All pilots are welcome at Australia’s premier competition for the 9th consecutive year! Four classes: Open, Women’s, (Forbes) A-Grade and Sports Class Classification: HGFA AAA, FAI cat 2 event Dates: Practice day and Registration December 31st 2014 1st Comp day Thursday 1st Jan 2015 Last comp day Thursday 8th Jan 2015 Registration opens 8am 1st September More info at our website www. forbesflatlands.com
AHGPG Reunion The Auckland Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club is celebrating 40 years of free flying in November 2014. Date: Saturday 1st November 2014 Time: From 7:30pm Venue: Commerce Club, 27-33 Ohinerau St, Remuera, Auckland Cost: $22 pp. Finger food, entertainment & displays Super-8 movies from the 1970s are being copied onto a digital format to be shown. Photos from the last 40 years will be on display. Guest speakers will entertain. A good dose of flying nostalgia guaranteed! Meet old friends and share tall tales/great stories. Meet current club members & rekindle your love of flight. Spread the word. No cost to register your interest on the website below and we look forward to meeting you all to celebrate with us! Past & present hang glider and paraglider pilots, partners, friends & all others welcome. www.cloudbase.org.nz/reunion Scan the QR code with your smartphone
Kalahari Big Sky Challenge Groblershoop, Northern Cape Province, South Africa , Venue Thuru Lodge 13th December 2014 – 16th January 2015 Please confirm by end of April 2014. Please send me a quick mail to confirm your interest; Oscar Plange oscar@safinfp.co.za www.kalaharibigskychallenge. co.za/2014KBSCInvite.pdf
Share the adventure
300kgs
Power
load test steering weight weight range
6.4kgs
120-220kgs
#speed-to-fly_theory says you should leave #thermalling as your climb-rate at the top is the same as it was when you entered. When #thermalling on stable/high pressure days search wide and slow, then core tight and fast to make the most of them. #volbiv EN-B NZ Agent: Grey Hamilton 027 667 7123, bgdnewzealand@gmail.com
A working cumulus cloud lasts about 15 minutes. #thermalling @BGD_Goldsmith
Paragliding National Ladder Results 2013/2014
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PCC end of season write up
C
ongratulations to Grant Middendorf he has finished on top of the National Ladder. The version here is the final wrap for season 2013/14. The big scoring PG Open rounds caused a lot of movement at the top of the ladder. National Champion, Reuben, is now up at second, knocking the NZHGPA president down a peg. Big names fell out of the top ten like Divers, Ripley and Groves while notable new arrivals in the top ten were Aucklanders Rohrs and Robinson, and the PCCs own Tim Brown. Eva Keim was also up there, and highest female, thanks to great performances in Canungra and Rotorua. Womens Champion, Melanie, climbed 23 positions to finish 19th, just ahead of the Venezuelan Vixen. If you want to do well on the ladder youve got to go to the PG Open, but sometimes the regional and/or overseas tasks can make a difference too, especially if you are quite low on the ladder. Kyla won a 1000 point task at State of Origin in Manilla and scored 38 ladder points, thats not to be sniffed at. So go to regional comps and organise them please! The comp calendar is looking very bare for next season though of course we do have a PG Open! Thanks to Derek for letting us come to his place, Wanaka, again for a week of flying fun in Jan/Feb next year. Full details are available on www.pgopen.org.nz see you there. Incidentally, there are no prizes for doing well on the National Ladder. Its primary purpose was, Im told, to decide who could represent New Zealand at the
World Championships, and this year only three pilots in New Zealand were qualified: Grant Middendorf, Grey Hamilton and Matt Senior. The first two were unable to go, so Matt Senior has once again been selected to represent New Zealand. Please join us in supporting Matt when he flies for us in Roldanillo, Colombia, in January 2015. The PCC has made a couple of rule changes these should be approved by the time you read this. The interesting one is that we have changed the definition of how the Classes work at the PG Open. Until now it was possible to win pretty much all of the trophies if you won the Championship with a Fun Class wing (as happened, of course, nice work, Reuben). We are introducing a Serial Class Trophy, and making the classes distinct. This means that if a similar situation occurs then the winner would still scoop the Fun and Overall trophies, but wouldnt clean up the whole table any more. This is just an intermediate step to address the trend we are seeing of gun pilots dropping to lower rated wings, but we are still interested in any suggestions for a better way to distinguish between the classes just basing it solely on wing rating is obviously not working any more. One last thing a couple of issues ago I incorrectly stated that XC Competition flights have to be logged online within 2 weeks of the flight. Sorry its actually a month, and two weeks only for flights very late in the season. My bad. Cheers, see you in the bombout. - Johnny (and the PCC)
Site Notices
Site Closures
In Springtime throughout New Zealand, farms are expecting newborn sheep, cattle, horses, deer and other animals. Your presence on or flying over farmland could frighten and injure pregnant or newborn stock. Even in places that you usually fly without problems, please check with the farmer if it is OK to fly. This is a difficult time for farmers and they do appreciate your consideration. Not asking has resulted in the loss of many flying sites while asking has earned their friendship. If in doubt or if any stock are present DO NOT FLY without asking.
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■ Paid up NZHGPA members may run one advertisement per classification for free in each issue ■ Please send your written advertisement to the editor, quoting your NZHGPA PIN number ■ Commercial operators, dealers, and non-members must enclose payment of $0.50c per word with their advertisement ■ All advertisements are deleted for next issue unless repeat request received ■ Buyers are advised that all used hang gliders and paragliders are required to have a NEW fitness check (WOF) when sold ■ It is dangerous to fly a glider or with equipment that is above your rated ability ■
SKYWINGS has an amazing range of wings in stock, including: NOVA Ion 3 - Highest performing school safe wing ever, OZONE - New models - Zero - high wind soarer/miniwing - also Fazer 2 & Firely 2, OZONE Delta 2 New ML blue - silly price, OZONE Mantra 6 MS - New, purple/black/ white - silly price. Speedflying specialists and dozens of great XC wings - Happy to trade - all kinds of harnesses in stock as well. Phone Alan at SkyWings 09 570 5757 - www.skywings.co.nz MOTOR Paragliding
PARAMOTORING – Miniplane and PAP motors - contact SkyWings for courses and equipment Phone Alan 09 570 5757 HANG GLIDERS DISCUS ‘C’ 13.7 (147.5), very low hours, (3 seasons old?) Excellent condition, ‘C’ model specs include Wills Wing litestream uprights, aerofoil basebar with streamline fittings & slipstream KP. Spare upright. Recent strip check. Has dacron sail for longer life and better handling. Great combination of performance and handling, read the reviews on the net. $5500 ono. Open to trades. Contact Peter on 027 752-9650 or peterj.deboer@clear.net.nz MOYES Litesport 3.5, Carbon fibre L/E and Xbar. Some minor scrapes on sail leading edges. $6000. Also Xcountry bag for 3.5 glider. $100. Contact Juan 027 243 8174 jgarcia@xtra.co.nz C2 Lite 14. Recent work, New wires & strip check (receipts available). Approx 120 hours. $2200 Phone Adrian 027 247 2436 or 03 326 5689 adrian.brown@lincoln.ac.nz
AIRBORNE C4 13.5. Excellent condition & very low hours. New side wires & 2 spare DTs. $5500. I am also selling my C2 14. Whichever goes first will mean the other’s not for sale so please bare this in mind. Call Adrian 027 247 5436 or email adrian.brown@lincoln.ac.nz
FALCON 4 195 brand new, in stock, with 6ft short pack option and deluxe transport pack, black leading edge and trailing edge with mid blue lower front panel, all set to go, call Bill on 03 3266411 or aero@xtra.co.nz SHARK 156, blue and pink under-surface. $1000 Phone Ross 027 285-4195
ENTERPRISE Wings Foil Combat 152, No Warrant, Last one issued 09/10 season. Fair condition, all the bits there, no structural damage, good for parts/donor. $450 ono Contact Richard Ward 0274413037 richierich-richiepoor@hotmail.com WILLS Wing U2 160, 2004, 150 hours of great flying. Selling as have upgraded to T2C. Very few hours on coast so it’s in good condition. Phone Mark 022 195 5746
WILLS Wing U2 145. 6 years old. Approx. 75 hours. Sail still in good shape and tight. Performs and handles well. Blue and bright yellow undersurface. Custom base bar wheels included. $3700. Owner going topless. Phone Les 021 165 3320, 09 579 6485, email: graham-mackie@vodafone.co.nz
SPORT 2, 175, Blue and red lower, near new, just 10 hours, very tidy condition, No prangs, 1 geriatric owner, contact 03 326-6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info. MOYES LiteSport 4. Full mylar sail. Topsail; white. Underside; lavender, light green. Current W.O.F. Brand new glider bag & zip, grass green, $170 worth. Spare set of S glass tip wands. $3300.00. Dennis, 021 430 436, 06 752 7618
SKYFLOATERS; New & used; Fun, Falcon, fully strip checked, test flown and trimmed, contact 03 326-6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info.
ELITE 151, Sail a bit scratched on leading edges but Ok, 7075 leading edges, spare upright. Make an offer. Buck 027 6551968 jacquipay@slingshot.co.nz ATOS VR 2006 model. Flown lots of 80-100km+ flights. Outstanding sink rate and glide angle. Suit larger pilot. Price $8,000. Contact 03 359 7358, 021 339 336 mark.nichols.home@gmail.com AIRBORNE Climax C2-13, yellow and white. Excellent condition, less than 80 hours. Flys and lands nicely. $1800 ono. Phone Cris on 03 310 3050 or 022 653 3900 flyingfish1@xtra.co.nz HANG GLIDER HARNESSES
AEROS Myth harness. Fits pilot weighing 65-75 kg and 170 to 180 height. $350. Contact Juan 027 243 8174 jgarcia@xtra.co.nz
WOODY Valley harness, size 4XL (but not as big as what you think), suit pilots 5’7” to 5’11” tall, near new c/w parachute. $1600. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john.urlich@nzdf.mil.nz.
NEAR new stirrup harness, black. Suit a larger pilot. $250 ono. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john. urlich@nzdf.mil.nz MOTOR HANG Gliding AIRTIME motor harness, late model, 8 hours airtime, Folding prop, Tiny tac, Tuning lights, 2 owners, contact 03 326-6411 or aero@xtra.co.nz for info.
EXPLORER motor harness with carbon fibre folding prop and reserve. Tony 021 265 8224, email tony@sthlaw.co.nz
MOSQUITO NRG motorharness, very tidy with very low airtime, all the usual features plus folding carbon prop, Stainless auto carabiner, parachute if required. Phone 021 247 2676, email aero@xtra.co.nz ACCESSORIES CHARLY and PlusMax helmets, chin guards etc. Also aerofoil basebar handfairings, Drogue chutes, carabiners for HG or PG, Hall wheels and wind meters, contact Bill 021 247 2676, 03 326 6411 a.h., aero@xtra.co.nz
Helmets in stock, PlusMax, No Limit, Insider, range of colours and sizes including metallics and carbon, No Limit with visor option, PlusMax with chinguard option, phone 021 247 2676 email aero@xtra.co.nz INSTRUMENTS BRÄUNIGER, Digifly and Aircotec flight instruments, basic varios to full GPS flight computers. Large range in stock. Phone or txt 021 247 2676, email aero@xtra.co.nz
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RESERVE PARACHUTES RANGE of Charly reserve parachutes, Front containers, Hook knives, Connectors etc, in stock at HG & PG Supplies, Phone 021 247 2676 or email aero@xtra.co.nz INSTRUCTION NELSON Hang Gliding Adventures HG training course Beginner and Novice rating. Jan, Feb, March. Call Glenn to register interest. 03 548 9151 or 027 275 1022, gmeadows@clear.net.nz
HANG Gliding/Skyfloating. Experienced instruction in Christchurch using latest skyfloater hang gliders, Phone Bill 021 247 2676, 03 326 6411 a.h., email aero@xtra.co.nz Business NELSON Paragliding, established 1993, After 20 years of operation I am looking for a business partner to share in the running of the school and 115 commercial Tandem flights. Nelson Paragliding has excellent equipment and sites where high standards are achieved. Although seasonally busy would suit someone with secondary income. So if you’re a motivated pilot with good people / business skills and like hanging out on hills please enquire as full training will be given. Contact Stew Karstens 03 544 1182 paragliding@xtra.co.nz EMPLOYMENT CORONET Peak Tandems Ltd, Queenstown, are looking for tandem hang gliding and paragliding pilots. Call 021 220 5932 Lost & found AIRCOTEC XC-Trainer Easy vario/GPS, S/N 1473. Went missing from the Blenheim area approx two years ago. Phone 03 577 8886 or email john.urlich@nzdf.mil.nz
NIVIUK Icepeak 6; green leading edge with Blue and white tips. Has distinctive competition numbers 222 on the lower surface along with ABAC (factory race team name)... this is a top comp wing and very obviously a comp 2 liner wing. Very few people should be flying this wing unless they are very experienced. Stolen in a GIN black with flouro green stripes 90 l bag... Reward for return and notifying police!! My cell 027 667 7123... Many thanks and hopefully I’ll get it back somehow... it wasn’t insured :( - Grey Hamilton HARNESS, helmet & hang gliding gear, taken from Omarama March 2010. Custom High Energy Tracer harness (black with blue stripe), Lara parachute with swivel, Spot Satellite Messenger, Olympus Mju Tough camera, Charly No Limit helmet (metallic dark silver) with visor, radio headset, Silkbody top, softshell jacket and other gear in black backpack. Contact Bill 03 326-6411, 021 247-2676 or email aero@xtra.co.nz.
Keep in touch with the NZ hang gliding and paragliding scene, the latest developments, events, new and used equipment...
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All NZ hang glider and paraglider pilots are required by law to be members, and receive Airborn magazine as part of their membership but non flyers and overseas pilots are welcome to subscribe. For Airborn SUBSCRIPTIONS please contact; NZHGPA Administrator, 23 Covent Drive, Stoke, Nelson 7011, New Zealand
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A4 size issues $4.- each Feb/Mar/Apr May/Jun/Jul Aug/Sep/Oct Nov/Dec/Jan 2014 issue numbers 189 190 191 2013 issue numbers 185 186 187 188 2012 issue numbers - - 183 184 2011 issue numbers 179 180 181 182 2010 issue numbers 175 176 177 178 2009 issue numbers 171 172 173 174 Feb/Mar Apr/May Jun/Jul Aug/Sep Oct/Nov Dec/Jan 2008 issue numbers 165 166 167 168 169 170 2007 issue numbers 159 - 161 162 163 164 2006 issue numbers 153 - 155 156 - 158 2005 issue numbers 147 148 149 150 151 152 2004 issue numbers 141 142 143 144 145 2003 issue numbers 135 - 137 138 139 140 2002 issue numbers 129 130 131 132 133 134 2001 issue numbers 123 124 125 126 127 128 2000 issue numbers 117 118 119 120 121 122 1999 issue numbers - - 113 - - 1998 issue numbers 105 106 107 108 109 110 1997 issue numbers 99 100 101 - 103 104 1996 issue numbers 93 94 95 96 97 98 1995 issue numbers - - - - - 1994 issue numbers 81 82 83 84 85 86 1993 issue numbers - 76 - 78 79 80 1992 issue numbers 69 70 71 72 73 74 A5 Issues below $1.- each (Prior to issue 69 all are the smaller A5 format) 1991 issue numbers 63 64 65 66 67 68 1990 issue numbers - 58 59 60 61 62 1989 issue numbers 51 52 53 - 55 56 1988 issue numbers 45 46 - - 49 50
For Back Issues; send your order with payment to; Airborn Back Issues, 99A Panorama Road, Christchurch 8081, NZ
- Sorry issues marked with this symbol are no longer available
PARAGLIDERS APCO Karma, 60-90kg, (155 hours approx. 325s porosity at 8.7.14) colour yellow: $1000 ono, Contact Lloyd at 021 185 3923 or greenfieldlloyd@gmail.com
www.moyes.com.au/store
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moyes@moyes.com.au
www.flyozone.com www.nova-wings.com
www.skywings.co.nz
EN B
EN C
lite
New .6 glide better than the worlds revolutionary Mentor 2, so glide ratio around 10 to 1 Better handling and improved safety - almost no one needs more - this glides like a Mantra 4 but has EN B safet safety. This is the new world reference high B
INDEPENDENT REVIEW GERMAN THERMIC MAGAZINE JULY 2013 “In Summary: The Delta 2 is a force to be reckoned with! It launches superbly, and turns when you move your finger in the direction you want the wing to go. This glider is sensationally solid, glides very well, is easy to accelerate,and it delivers pure pleasure and happiness to the pilot.
- Shark Nose Technology - Glides .1 better than Mantra 4 - (10.3) - Replacable Rods - C Riser control system - Improved agility and compactness - New advanced arc and profile - Clear EN C leader
Although the Shark Nose profile and dynamic nature might make it look and feel at first glance a bit agressive, in the end this is not true. In any case, anyone who flies regularly will not experience any bad surprises. Except that the permanent smile induced by the D2 can only be removed by surgery.This is truly a wing designed how wings should be. Amen”
Shark-nosed rods to 80% of chord gives extraordinary stability. All Ozone’s breakthrough inventions showcased in this EN D class leading M6
Mini Wings
Twice the fun, twice the flying, half the price! Perfect your ground handling skills. Huge fun for soaring and strong day thermalling. We are the specialists with 20 years on the smallest wings.
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High wind soarer/ mini wing