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JULY 2010 Volume 40 Issue 7 $6.95 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
On the cover, Jeff Shapiro banks over Mt. Sentinel near Missoula, Montana. Meanwhile Billy Purden snaps a shot of shadow traffic with his Go Pro camera on the North Side, Point of the Mountain, Utah.
MAGAZINE STAFF Paul Montville, Publisher: paul.montville@ushpa.aero Nick Greece, Editor: editor@ushpa.aero Greg Gillam, Art Director: art.director@ushpa.aero Martin Palmaz, Advertising: martin@ushpa.aero Staff writers: Alex Colby, Chris Galli, Steve Messman, Dennis Pagen, Christina Ammon, Mark “Forger” Stucky, Ryan Voight, Tom Webster Staff artist: Jim Tibbs Staff photographers: John Heiney, Jeff O'Brien, Jeff Shapiro
OFFICE STAFF Paul Montville, Executive Director: paul.montville@ushpa.aero Martin Palmaz, Director of Business Operations : martin@ushpa.aero Robin Jones, Information Services Manager : robin@ushpa.aero Beth Hollendorfer, Member/Instructor Services Administrator: beth@ushpa.aero Terry Rank, Office Coordinator : office@ushpa.aero
USHPA OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SUBMISSIONS HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine welcomes editorial submissions from our members and readers. All submissions of articles, artwork, photographs and or ideas for articles, artwork and photographs are made pursuant to and are subject to the USHPA Contributor's Agreement, a copy of which can be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the editor at editor@ushpa.aero or online at www.ushpa.aero. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions. We are always looking for well written articles and quality artwork. Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. Calendar of events items may be sent via email to editor@ushpa.aero, as may letters to the editor. Please be concise and try to address a single topic in your letter. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have an idea for an article you may discuss your topic with the editor either by email or telephone. Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, editor@ ushpa.aero, (516) 816-1333.
Lisa Tate, President: lisa@lisatateglass.com Mark Gaskill, Vice President: airutah@hotmail.com Rich Hass, Secretary: richhass@comcast.net Mark Forbes, Treasurer: mgforbes@mindspring.com
ADVERTISING ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT
REGION 1: Rich Hass, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Dave Wills, Urs Kellenberger, Bill Cuddy. REGION 3: Bill Helliwell, Rob Sporrer, Brad Hall. REGION 4: Mark Gaskill, Ken Grubbs. REGION 5: Lisa Tate. REGION 6: David Glover. REGION 7: Tracy Tillman. REGION 8: Jeff Nicolay. REGION 9: Felipe Amunategui, Hugh McElrath. REGION 10: Bruce Weaver, Steve Kroop, Matt Taber. REGION 11: David Glover. REGION 12: Paul Voight. REGION 13: Tracy Tillman. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dave Broyles, Leo Bynum, Riss Estes, Mike Haley, Dennis Pagen. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Art Greenfield (NAA).
The USHPA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for Rogallo membership are $270. Pilot memberships are $75 ($90 non-U.S.). Dues for Contributing membership and for subscription-only are $52 ($63 non-U.S.). $15 of annual membership dues goes to the publication of Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHPA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue. You may also email your request with your member number to: info@ushpa.aero.
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Inc. (USHPA) is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the United States at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHPA supervision of FAI-related hang gliding and paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.
TO USHPA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS. All advertising is subject to the USHPA Advertising Policy a copy of which may be obtained from the USHPA by emailing the Publisher at publisher@ushpa.aero.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1543-5989) (USPS 17970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc., 1685 W. Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, (719) 632-8300, FAX (719) 6326417. PERIODICAL postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.
HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for foot-launched airsports enthusiasts to create further interest in the sports of hang gliding and POSTMASTER Send change of address to: Hang Gliding & Paragliding paragliding and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding magazine, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. Canadian Post and paragliding methods and safety. Publications Mail Agreement #40065056. Canadian Return Address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3
DISCLAIMER The publication of any submissions, articles or advertising in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine does not constitute an endorsement of the authors, advertisers, products, services, apparatus, processes, theories, ideologies, opinions, advice and/or recommendations presented, nor does it constitute an endorsement of the authors or companies involved. The statements of fact and opinions as well as any product claims in the submissions, articles, advertisments, artwork and photographs appearing in HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine are those of their respective authors, contributors and advertisers and not of the USHPA. The USHPA makes no representation, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, advice, opinion, recommendation, apparatus, product, product claims or process disclosed, in such submissions, articles, advertising, artwork or photographs. All individuals relying upon any materials published herein do so at their own risk. The USHPA is not responsible for any claims made in any submission, article, or advertisement. Advertisers may not, without USHPA's prior written consent, incorporate in subsequent advertising that a product or service has been advertised in a USHPA publication. COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2010 United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc., All Rights Reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the United States Hang Gliding And Paragliding Association, Inc.
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a division of the National Aeronautic Association, is a representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale in the United States.
For change of address or other USHPA business call (719) 632-8300, or email info@ushpa.aero.
2010JULY EDITOR
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PILOT BRIEFINGS
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AIRMAIL
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Lookout! Terry is sending
SAFETY BULLETIN
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by Jen Richards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
USHPA
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CENTERFOLD
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FORT FLAGLER STATE PARK
DISPATCH
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Washington's beautiful coastal destination
RATINGS
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USHPA STORE
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PAGE 78
CLOSE UP
by Steve Messman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
SPEED FLYING ON A RIVER TRIP Tyler Horne explores the Salmon River by Tyler Horne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
An Interview with Eric Raymond Face time with a living legend by John Heiney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
TRANSITIONS Tow Launch & Foot Launch by Dennis Pagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
GALLERY
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THIS IS AFRICA Nick Greece brings back images from the festivities in Ghana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Kitty Hawk Spectacular | photo by Nick Greece 6 Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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I
recently had the privilege of attending the oldest continually held hang gliding competition in the world—the Kitty Hawk Spectacular. The rich traditions that encompass hang gliding in this country are deep and inspiring on many levels. It was exhilarating to encounter a community so steeped in the history of flight that is also willing to welcome hang gliding neophytes into the circle of esteemed pilots. The event is held a stones-throw from the location the Wright brothers chose to create history. Just being in the zone where flight, which has significantly altered our existence, began was a reverent experience. Also, I was inspired by interacting on a daily basis with a cast of characters who shaped foot-launch aviation not only in the United States, but also worldwide. Bob Trampenau, the creator of Seedwings, was on hand to receive his deserved induction into the Francis Rogallo Hall of Fame from Jon Harris, owner and operator of one of the largest free flight operations in the United States. On a busy day his company facilitates five flights a day for 80 new pilots! With names like Pagen and multi-generation hang gliding families such as the Voights (who happened to clean up during the prize ceremony of the competition) on hand, the well of knowledge overflowed. Bruce Weaver and Andy Torrington welcomed all attendees to the site and did a world class job of running the competition and festivities surrounding the event. It is no wonder that an environment like this propels thousands of individuals each year to leave earth behind to look behind the curtain! The July magazine offers a look into a pioneering flight at Lookout Mountain, where Terry Presley goes out and comes back. A tale of a popular trip down the Salmon River gets even better with the addition of a speed-wing to the dry bag, and John Heiney sets pen to paper for an interview from one living legend to another. Other selections in this issue include a tandem experience, a catalogue of images from faroff lands, a gallery featuring Jorge Atramiz and several other great photographers and, most important, two tales of how members of chapters worked together to save flying sites! Summer is here. We hope the weather is smiling on your sites, and you are having a terrific season of lasting memories and shared experiences.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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SKYWALK CHILI2 ADDS XL The CHILI2 series is now complete with the addition of the XL size. The XL also has LTF1-2/EN-B classification and is the first choice for budding XC pilots with a launch weight of 105 -130kg. As the first true 3-liner in the 1-2 segment, the CHILI2 scores with standout performance and a reassuring
safety margin. According to skywalk, the first CHILI2 – XL test wings will be ready for air-time at the end of May. Web: www.skywalk. info Mail: info@skywalk.org
CULT3 GETS AS-SPEEDSYSTEM
For the first time, the innovative AS-Speedsystem is available on a series harness. The Speed System completely separates from one side of the harness, along with the stirrups, upon pilot activation of the rescue system. This effectively prohibits the rescue from becoming October entangled in the 2010 Speed System, and is therefore a valuable contributor to heightened safety. Another pilot advantage the CULT3 offers more comfort with a separate seat board and - Ushpa Instructors ergonomically - Great Family Destination formed back - Thermal above the clouds part - a clear ad- Launch 6,000 feet above the Sea vantage during www.paraglidingtrips.com launch as well as during ground
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
handling. Additionally, the rescue handle has been optimized and is now ideally positioned, providing for exceedingly smooth-running operation. Thanks to the serial production carbon seat board, the CULT3 has lost some serious weight while offering serious comfort at the same time—size M is only 4,6kg!
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Gradient’s new high performance Avax XC3 is on the market. The new XC machine passed the EN-D certification in size 28. The sizes 30, 26 and 24 are just about to pass. According to Gradient director, Ondrej Dupal, it was a great joy to work on a high end competition wing for the serial class. The Avax XC3 is the tool for XC and competition pilots who still want a certified wing. More info : www.gradient.cx USA: www. atlantaparagliding.com
WE HAVE A WINNER! Randy James of Littleton, MA is one of the three $100 certificate winners awarded for filling out the Membership Survey. The membership survey was a great success with over
1300 members taking part. The survey will be used to find out how to serve membership better through communication, building better member services, and honing offerings that USHPA provides.
WOMEN'S OPEN From August 21st- 28th top female pilots from all around the world are set to compete in the first allwomen international paragliding competition. The event, which will be hosted in Áger, northern Spain, will see around 80 – 100 female pilots converge on the small mountain town for a week of high level competition and learning. The purpose of this event is to provide a safe and fair flying competition to determine the best female pilot, to reinforce friendship amongst pilots from nations all around the world, and to introduce more female paragliding pilots to an international competition environment. This is the first time an all-female competition has been sanctioned by the international air sports governing body, the FAI. For more information, or to register, go to http://www. womensopen.org.
AirMAIL
The opinions expressed in the letters published in this column are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine staff or USHPA officials. While every effort is made to verify facts stated in letters, readers are urged to check the accuracy of any statement before taking action or forming an opinion based on the contents of a letter.
POPPED Vince Endter needs to find another way to evaluate flying conditions. Purposely releasing helium balloons is pollution, PERIOD. This type of pollution is a serious problem and it’s known to impact wildlife. Although some latex balloons are biodegradable (natural latex), many species of wildlife, particularly marine species, mistake the material for food and ingest it. Search the web. There are many links providing information regarding the negative impacts of releasing balloons
the many important functions the national organization provides. One of the items discussed was marketing our type of flying, in an effort to reverse the slow decline in the number of participants the sport has seen over recent years. USHPA doesn’t have the money to run ads during the Superbowl, and the various inexpensive marketing tools the national organization uses are working in a limited way. However, a grassroots approach from the membership could have a much more powerful impact. Regards, Mike Harris I was surprised when Lisa explained that getting the USHPA magazine out Vince replies: A latex balloon is made from on news stands would cost the organiza100 percent organic material and it’s 100 tion about $3,000 a month. How else percent biodegradable. Stress caused can we improve hang gliding/paraglidby inflation starts this decomposition ing awareness in the general population? cycle. Exposure to sunlight accelerates I have a large stack of previous months’ the process; oxygen and ozone continue USHPA magazines sitting around. I the molecular attack, even in the dark. expect lots of other pilots do as well. One Deterioration is clearly evident within a of my frustrations whenever I have to few hours. It begins to oxidize or “frost,” mark time in a waiting room is the poor and soon the balloon will break apart. Research has shown that under similar conditions latex decomposes as quickly as an oak leaf. I chose a latex balloon for its biodegradable properties. I have found several cases of animal deaths attributed to helium balloons, but the deaths were caused by entanglement of the string attached to the balloon. I do not attach a string to my balloons. I have found one case of a sea turtle that ingested fragments of what could have been a balloon, but the fragment was not latex. Weather balloons are made from latex and have been used since the 1930’s. If there was a problem caused by them, it would have been evident by now.
selection of magazines available in most waiting rooms. From now on, I plan to take an old USHPA issue with me to any doctor/dentist/car mechanic/etc. facility where I might be hanging out in the waiting room. I will leave the issue there with all their issues of People, Soap Opera Digest, Home and Gardens, etc. I expect anyone who might be intrigued by flying would pick up the USHPA magazine before most of the other offerings. The magazine always has info on the website and other contacts for anyone who wants to pursue it further. If lots of members disseminate old USHPA magazines to the various offices they frequent, this grassroots marketing ploy could be very effective with no cost. I will start this in my area. Hopefully, it will catch on and we’ll see a real increase in interest from the general public. So round up some of your old issues and leave them where others can read them. Steve Rudy
Vince Endter
USHPA ON THE ROAD Lisa Tate (USHPA President) and Paul Montville (USHPA Executive Director) came by our local club (Nevada Wings) meeting in Reno for our May meeting. Their presentation was very informative—reminding me of Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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Analysis | Preparedness | Incidents
SafetyBULLETIN DEPLOYMENT This month’s column describes a parachute deployment. We all wear them. Many of us practice tossing them (once a year). We have all, almost to a person, never thrown one in anger. What follows is a firsthand account describing that experience from beginning to end—giving ample motivation to keep attending those re-pack clinics. Kudos to the author for sharing this with us! Read on.
and saw that three other pilots were already there. When we got to the parking lot up top, two of them flew over, so we also knew that it was launch-able and that there was lift. We wasted no time, since the day was slipping away. The wind was coming straight in, not gusting at all, with moderate speed, which was perfect for a wuffo-assisted launch, since I was going last. I moved into position with one handler on my left wire and, ne of the things my girlfriend within 10-15 seconds, cleared him and dislikes most about hang gliding ran down the rock. I was able to find lift, is the constant indecision associ- come back higher than launch, and wave ated with flying. The weather is fickle, and to my wire crew before they headed back pilots often have difficulty deciding where to their cars. Although the clouds had (or whether) to go. After a month with- developed into a useless-looking bank of out a decent soaring flight, I was eager gray, the wind was strong enough to proto get into the air on what looked like a vide ridge lift. It was now 5 PM. I found a decent climb and soon was good day. The forecasts were uncertain (of course), but at the end of the day another even with the summit. The lift was never pilot and I ended up going to our primary strong, typically 100-200 fpm, steady, and reliable, almost like wonder wind mountain site. When we got to the entrance at about conditions. At times it was possible to 3:15 PM, we looked at the sign-in sheet point the glider directly away from the
O
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mountain, slow to min sink and just hang there, making almost no forward progress, while barely climbing at 10-20 fpm. I took advantage of the smooth conditions to explore the handling of my glider, which was fairly new to me. My overall impression was the same as it had been, that the Ultrasport basically flew like a hang glider. I guess it did fly more like I wanted a hang glider to fly, in that pulling-in actually made it go forward faster, rather than sink faster like the novice gliders. After a couple of hours, it was time to wrap things up. I saw my partner head out toward the LZ and decided to wait over the summit until he landed, then follow him. After I saw he had landed okay, I pulled on full VG and headed in his direction. I got there with 1600 feet AGL. It was now about 7:30 PM, and I had been flying just shy of 2 1/2 hours. All that was left to wrap up a pretty sweet day was to slowly circle down and do a clean landing. But since I had plenty of altitude to burn, I thought I’d try something different. In times past, when I had done maneuvers like stalls or wingovers with my Mark
IV, a mild wang or two was what I had in mind. I used the same technique that I had used before: pull in, pick up a little speed, let the bar out, and swing over to one side when the glider starts to climb. So I pulled in for about a count of three and let out the control bar. The rest of the flight lasted a grand total of about 60 seconds. Up to this point, I had not noticed much about the handling of the Ultrasport that seemed surprising. However, I had pulled full VG when I left the mountain and had neglected to release it. So when I let out the control bar, I suddenly learned what it means to have a glider that’s very responsive in pitch, but stiff in roll. Because the roll input I gave it was too little, too late, I abruptly found myself fully inverted. The glider had not just climbed, it had done half a loop, and I was looking at the ground above my wing with the sky below. A sickening silence quickly followed as I completely ran out of airspeed. The glider stopped flying, and I lost my grip on the control bar, falling backwards into the sail. I’m not sure if I’ve ever learned what
TEST TOSSING THE RESERVE A couple of weeks earlier, Tom had come to my house to help me repack my reserve. At his suggestion, I rigged some webbing in my garage to hang my harness and stretched out a big tarp to keep things clean. We strung an old control bar from a rope to simulate the control frame, so I could do a practice reserve throw. I got into the harness with my helmet on, and Tom grabbed me by the ankles and started bumping me around to simulate turbulence. When the bumping got sufficiently violent, he said, “Okay, it’s no longer a glider!” I grabbed the chute handle, threw it, and managed to get it out in the direction that I intended. We did it a second time so I could try it with my left hand. Tom said that I did pretty well; he put me in the top 25% among people trying their first practice throw, and said that a lot of people don’t even manage to get the chute out of the container. I was glad that I did well, though I figured the chances that I’d ever need the chute were very slim. I had often said that I considered my reserve chute to be the most expensive thing I had ever bought that I had no intention of ever using.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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you’re supposed to do if you stall a glider the handle and got the chute the heck-outinverted, but the point was moot because of-there. I have a vague memory of trying the glider just broke. Specifically, the to find a direction where there was clear outboard leading edges both snapped. As air, which wasn’t easy because the glider soon as they did, a voice in my head said, was spinning. I remember seeing the “It’s no longer a glider!” And I immedi- bridle snake away and knowing that was ately knew that throwing the chute was an a good sign. absolute necessity. There was no sudden jerk when the I did not go through any five step pro- canopy opened, and, in fact, I wasn’t cess of “Look, grab, pull...,” I just yanked sure whether it had opened or not, until I pulled my head around the wing and saw the big red blossom. There was debris in the air, mostly falling faster than I was. I remember seeing the nosecone and at least one tip batten; other parts were presumably out there as well. My next concern: where was I going to come down? I had started the wingover above the LZ, but the fields in that area are small, and I had drifted back over the trees. I was still spinning when I remembered that some wise men had said you should try to climb into the control frame. However, I couldn’t find the control frame! The glider was hanging inverted from the reserve bridle, and I had slid off the trailing edge and was suspended beneath the glider, down by the reflex bridles. My speed had dropped considerably. The fastest rate of descent recorded by my GPS was 2500 fpm down, and the para-
“There was no sudden jerk when the canopy opened, and, in fact, I wasn’t sure whether it had opened or not, until I pulled my head around the wing and saw the big red blossom.” 14
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chute had slowed me over the course of 20 seconds to about 1000 fpm down. I spent another 30 seconds under canopy, wondering what would happen next. I landed in a dead tree in a strip of forest between two fields. I wasn’t on the ground yet, not by a long shot. When everything stopped moving, I took a quick look around, saw a maple branch in front of me, and grabbed it. It was about three inches in diameter and, although I only had hold of it at least 10 feet from the trunk, it was something. I looked down and saw that I was about 50 feet up. I had stopped falling, but the most dangerous part of the landing still lay ahead of me. The first people to arrive at the scene were some neighbors, and I assured them I was okay. I used my cell phone to call the site director, who lives nearby and has had many years of experience, including multiple tree extractions. Although I was 50 feet off the ground, I wasn’t getting a great cell phone signal, so I asked the neighbors to call the nearby flight park. The first order of business was to secure myself in case the glider came loose from the tree. People on the ground were talking about how to proceed, and I was trying to interject:
“I had stopped falling, but the most dangerous part of the landing still lay ahead of me.” “We’ll need to get a rope up there.” “I have dental floss.” “We’re going to need a really big extension ladder.” “I have dental floss.” “It’s going to be really hard to get a rope up to him.” “I have dental floss!” The site director arrived and understood exactly what I was saying. I tied off one end of my floss to the branch while he tied the other end to a rope combined with a heavy extension cord that I was then able to pull up. I coiled up the end of the rope and threw it over a crotch in the tree. I used one of the long battens from my glider as a hook to snag the loop and pull it toward me. I looped the rope around my chest and tied a bowline. With this system in place, even if the glider suddenly came loose from the tree, provided the dead tree held, the rescuers would be able to arrest my fall and lower me to the ground. While the ground crew was getting a better rope and a ladder, I tugged on the parachute bridle and used it as an additional way to secure myself. I had often wondered how much resistance nylon webbing puts up when you try to cut it with a hook knife, and now I know. It’s like cutting a single sheet of newspaper with very sharp scissors; you barely know anything is there. I tied the loose end of the webbing to a different branch on the dead tree. Once the extension cord had been replaced with a real rope, I was ready to detach myself from the glider so I could climb down the tree. This took much longer than anticipated because of the way I had tied the loose end of the rope to my carabiner. At about this time, the first seismic
Paragliding World Cup Chelan, Wa July 17th-24th
event occurred. A branch broke, causing the glider to shift, leaving me dangling in my harness. Meanwhile, at least three people had come over from the flight park with more equipment, and they decided to send someone up to assist. He climbed up to where I was, tying himself to the tree as he ascended. He had brought a line with him and used that to haul up an additional rope over a better branch, for good measure, when it came time to lower me. After a few more missteps, I was finally on the ladder and safely on the ground around 9:30PM. I eventually got the glider back— thanks to friends who went back at dawn the next day to remove it, so the wreckage wouldn’t spark numerous additional 911 calls. I got out of this thing easy—some minor scrapes and bruises and a trashed glider. Looking forward, it’s not clear where things will lead. I’ve heard that people at my level sometimes have an incident that scares them and drop out of hang gliding. I had a short stretch of fear while I was in the tree and thought I might be doing that last 50 feet unexpectedly, but I wasn’t scared during the time between the wang and hitting the trees. I was unhappy, but the sentiment was more like “Aw rats, this really sucks! Am I really screwing up this badly?!” I do expect to continue flying. But I’ll be taking a break for now. They say you never know which people are going to be able to stay cool under pressure and take appropriate measures and which ones will be like a deer in the headlights. I’m glad to know that, at least on this occasion, I fell into the first group. The goal from now on will be to avoid having to pass that test again.
We’re still working to raise the money required to run this event and we need your help to make it happen. Many pilots and clubs have already donated nearly $7000. We want to give an enormous THANK YOU! to those pilots and to the Northwest PG Club, Cascade PG Club, and Rainier PG Club. With the support of the U.S. paragliding community we can achieve the goal of having the U.S. host a premiere World Cup Event. Paragliding Clubs and individual pilots are encouraged to support this goal: You can make a donation and/or purchase a PWC Chelan support t-shirt at www.chelanpwc.com. All funds above what we need to run the event will be donated to the free flight foundation.If you are interested in volunteering for either the XC Open or the PWC, please contact us at the email address below. Thank you in advance for your generous support and helping us to proudly represent our sport and country, Doug Stroop Aerial Paragliding doug@chelanxcopen.com
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Membership | Policy | Involvement
TheASSOCIATION KEEPING SITES OPEN ď ľ This note from has to do with a proposal to include the Rich Jesuroga to Jon James came into the Williams Peak flying site as part of a USHPA’s inbox from James, who heads “Wilderness Area,â€? which would close the up the Site Committee. It is an example of site (this is why I was meeting with our USHPA and one of its chapters in Colorado congressional representative). We’re neworking together to keep a site open. If your gotiating with the Hidden Gems, the orchapter has an issue with a site and needs ganization proposing that the Wilderness some assistance, please get in touch with Area exclude that part of the mountain USHPA. we use for access and for both launches. They’ve agreed to work with us to keep hanks for the note and a special our site open. http://summitcountyvoice. thanks for the letters from you com/2010/04/20/hang-glider-pilots-conand USHPA site management cerned-about-wilderness-plan/ committee. I believe the Forest Service All of the Williams Peak hang gliding Supervisor was overwhelmed with let- and paragliding news got the attention ters, particularly about the power lines. of the Summit County Open Space and I met separately with staffers from our Trails Department. SCOST has offered Congressional Representative Jared Polis’ us a 90-acre parcel of land at the bottom office, who told me that while attending of Williams Peak to the RMHPA to use a meeting with the Forest Service, the for a permanent landing area. They will Forest Service Supervisor said that he allow us to land there permanently. In got the message “loud and clearâ€? re: the exchange, RMHPA agrees to be good stewards of the area, e.g., monitoring power lines. With regard to site management, the parcel and keeping it clean, somewe’re working on two other issues: One thing they cannot do with their limited
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resources. In the end, RMHPA will end up much better off with a permanent flying site at Williams Peak surrounded by Wilderness and a permanent landing area. It’s amazing how things happen sometimes. A second site retention issue that we’re working on is to purchase the land below Lookout Mountain in Golden CO, from the Colorado School of Mines. Currently, the School of Mines lets us land there, but our use of that property is not permanent. We’ve received a small grant from the Freedom Flight Foundation (thanks to Mark Gaskill), and we’re conducting the surveys, engineering studies, and negotiations with the local city and county governments to buy the land for a Lookout Mountain Flight and Recreational Park. Sorry for the long note. But it’s good to keep you and everyone at USHPA up to date on our Chapter’s activities. Thanks again Jon, Rich Jesuroga
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Acheivements | Projects | Community
CloseUP
LOOKOUT! TERRY IS SENDING On Friday, September 4, after five hours in the air, Terry Presley in his T2C became the first person ever to fly from Lookout Mountain Flight Park (LMFP) to Henson’s and back. Many have tried, some have gotten close, but only Terry made it. “I’ve tried about a dozen times and have almost made it twice,” said Terry. “Truly, this was not the day that I thought this would be done because of the low cloud base; we’ve had many better days.” It was a light wind day (preferred conditions for an out-and-back task), but cloud base was only 5000 msl, about 3000 agl over the plateau. Ideally, cloud base would have been higher, but Terry had already decided that his goal for the day was to make it to Henson’s and back. So with Eric Donaldson and Greg Heckman marking an area of broken lift, he launched off the mountain at 1:45 PM with high hopes. Terry had to take a more southerly route than he prefers to cross Sand Mountain, [above] Terry Presley launches.
under good clouds and over nice LZ’s, until he crossed Nickajack Lake and entered into Sequatchie Valley. He flew up the eastern side of the valley over the plateau. About ten miles before Henson’s, he crossed paths with Ollie Gregory and David Giles. Ollie and David were trying to do the reverse route in their ATOS rigid wings. “We all thermalled up together and headed in opposite directions in our common quest,” Terry said. “We were all on the same frequency and wished each other good luck because we knew we would need it on a day like this.” Terry later heard that Ollie and David were landing in Lookout Valley. James Stinnett had also launched from Henson’s and was about 10 miles from Terry, encouraging him on the radio. It took Terry two hours to get to Henson’s. When he arrived at Henson’s, it was not working very well. “At Henson’s I got way, way below launch,” Terry said. “How low?” I asked. “I don’t know, maybe 600 feet off the deck.” After a couple of low saves and an almost clipping the corner of the Alabama, hour of fighting to stay up, Terry was fiTennessee, and Georgia borders. His pre- nally able to leave Henson’s as it turned on ferred route would have been to cross a again. Turned on may be a bit of an exagmore northerly section of Sand Mountain geration. Terry’s best climbs of the day were only 600 fpm; he averaged 300 fpm. that offers a lot more potential LZ’s. “I had basically flown up towards With cloud base at only 3000 agl, he kept working between 2000-3000 agl, Henson’s at the edge of the plateau, beby Jen Richards
“People just aren’t geared for out-and-backs. Out-and-back is more challenging and is more difficult, especially when you are going to a declared point.” 18
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cause that’s where the clouds were—on the east side of the Sequatchie Valley,” explained Terry. “It was the same coming back, until I got to Inman Point, when I committed to a route I wouldn’t normally have chosen.” The chosen path was a direct route from Inman to LMFP. Terry picked this particular route back because even though cloud base had risen, it was still only about 4000-4500 feet over the plateau. This line isn’t normally chosen because it covers a lot of bad terrain. But, prior to the flight, fellow pilot Rich Annis had pointed out a couple of adequate LZ’s on top of Etna, giving Terry a crutch. Terry was also comfortable with this route because the clouds had been so consistent on his return trip that he only
[left] Terry Presley on launch. [below] Terry at the World Air Games in Algondales, Spain.
In the hang gliding world, he is something of a legend (not that he would ever feel comfortable with that moniker). If you see Terry setting up, it’s a pretty good indication that you should do the same. When Terry launches, people follow. Terry started flying in competitions in 1994 and was on the World Team in 2001, but hung it up in 2006 because “the itch was scratched.” Why had no one ever done this flight before? A 64-mile out-and-back is really nothing with today’s gliders. “I just don’t know,” Terry said. “It’s really not that big a deal. Now that it’s been done, I think it’s going to be done a lot more. People just aren’t geared for out-and-backs. We’re geared for straight line, downwind XC distance. Out-andback is more challenging and is more difficult, especially when you are going to a declared point.” Was it the pilot and the glider? Terry’s been flying topless gliders for many years and thinks that the T2C is the cleanest glider that Wills has ever made. “They’ve listened to their newest group of hot factory pilots and have produced as aerodyneeded one climb to make it safely into namically clean a glider as they possible Lookout Valley. The clouds looked great could,” Terry said. “By far their best and he got his climb, made it into Lookout effort. The performance is really showing Valley, and landed at LMFP at 6:45 PM up from their attention to detail.” All five US World team members this local time. How did it feel? “Probably 20 minutes year are flying T2C’s. Compared to the T2, the T2C is lighter before I landed, I knew I had it,” Terry explained. “But I hadn’t flown in a couple in weight and in handling. According to of months, so I was very tired after five Terry, it is more well-balanced, has better spiral stability, handles better than any hours.” For those of you who have not had high performance glider he’s ever owned, the pleasure of meeting Terry, he is a and lands easier. “For a topless glider very humble, easygoing man—one of the it seems to land easier, seems to track nicest people you’ll meet in hang gliding. straighter and has a bigger flare window,” Flying is just what he does. He has been he explained. Superb performance and easier flying an airline pilot for 26 years and has been flying hang gliders since 1972, often in a characteristics. A winning combination. Stearman, Fokker triplane or other light And, with Terry as the pilot, it made for an excellent flight. aircraft.
Washington's
Fort Flagler State Park by Steve Messman with tons of input from Chris King & Jim Harmon
deep from inside her soul. Together, she and I stand on bluffs that rise above gentle surf and offer unlimited views across the straits. We sip morning coffee as the y wife walks these shores and rising sun shimmers across waters to the feels at home and at peace with east, or we sit fleece-wrapped to gaze at the world. The smell of salt air, fiery sunsets to the west. We share somber the yielding crunch of sand and pebbles moments with the ghosts of soldiers from beneath her feet, the winds that softly unforgotten wars who stood on these touch her hair, all call to her, all beckon same bluffs with one mission: to protect her to this one place. That special feeling Washington’s port cities from the enemy’s of belonging, those feelings of complete- seaward strike. My wife dreams of home ness, of comfort and tranquility well up and security; I dream of flying. Flying at
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Fort Flagler State Park. Coastal waters. Smooth air. Sand bluffs. Long beaches. These were the fuel of passion, the daytime dreams of paraglider pilots at Fort Flagler State Park, located at the northern tip of Marrowstone Island in Washington State. In 2006, someone decided it was time to turn the dreams into reality. Many of us had already spent hours on those historic bluffs daydreaming about the possibilities of flying, and, yes, some actually pirated a couple of flights over the years. Now, though, legal-
ized paraglider flights at Fort Flagler are a reality. The naysayers in the crowd said it would be impossible, that it would never happen. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a handful of people, it did. The idea person, Chris King, took the initiative by sending letters to local park rangers and the state parks director. He did that with some trepidation, hoping that he would not suffer the admonishment of pilots who would rather have him lay low, but that did not happen. Shortly after his independent beginning, Chris asked his club, The Rainier Paragliding Club, to help. The club decided that Chris should continue his personal efforts but use the club’s name in his work. That put the power of an organized group and the talents of many people behind Chris’ endeavor. Legalizing paragliding at Fort Flagler State Park became the effort of an organized group, rather than the wideeyed dreams of an individual. Chris King and Jim Harmon became the club’s team that headed this project. The first thing that our team had to do was bring the park rangers on board. Park Ranger Mike Zimmerman was the man to convince, and Jim Harmon was the man for the job. Both Chris and Jim established a professional relationship with Mike and the park staff, and they confirmed that we were here for the long haul. Chris researched and prepared a DVD that successfully tied a portion of free flight’s history directly to the military. Free flight was indelibly bound to the heritage shared by today’s paraglider pilots and historical Fort Flagler. That DVD, with Jim Harmon’s dedication to working with park staff about paragliding, and other park-related volunteer work performed by the club, told Ranger Zimmerman that paraglider pilots were not what he thought. He found that we were eco-friendly, educated folks who were, in fact, not death-seeking daredevils. He saw that we were actually more interested in safety than he was. He found that, as a group of pilots, we could and would be of service to the park as volunteers. Ranger Mike Zimmerman saw an added dimension of recreation not seen before; he saw a new level of enjoy[above] North launch bluff | photo by Randy Sprague. [right] Jim Harmon signing approval. Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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FORT FLAGLER STATE PARK REGULATIONS Special Rules and Considerations have been put in place by the state in order to accept paragliding as a form of recreation at Fort Flagler. Read the information and regulations posted at the launch site kiosks as this list is incomplete. 1. This is a state park. Honor it and take care of it. 2. Be considerate of all visitors to the park. 3. Comply with all safety regulations. 4. Use safety equipment, including a helmet and radio (158.400.) 5. Launch only in the approved locations per maps on kiosks. 6. Soft sand cliffs break away under your weight. Do not walk to the edge. 7. Paramotors, hang gliders and any form of RC airplanes are not permitted. The cliffs, especially the north launches, present considerable amounts of rotor. Be careful and ensure you have required kiting, launching, and flying skills. Contact one of the locals for a site orientation.
ment that could be available for earthbound tourists, and, most importantly, he became our advocate. Truth be told, without Mike’s backing, without the backing of the ranger staff at Fort Flagler, we would, in all likelihood, not be flying at the park. The state’s Classification and Management Planning (CAMP) process, which is park-specific, was designed to establish and document the types of activities that would be allowed in a state park. The Rainier Paragliding Club was invited to become part of the CAMP process for Fort Flagler. The end result, if we were successful, would mean that paragliding would be listed by the state as a legitimate and approved activity for Fort Flagler. The CAMP process involved a series 22
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of public meetings at local and regional club, we were allowed to physically clear levels. During those meetings, we were launch areas, and we were asked to sign permitted the opportunity to speak of, a volunteer agreement committing the and represent, paragliding as a legitimate club to two or more service projects per form of recreation at the park. We were year. And we were required to WAIT. The also offered the opportunity to answer CAMP process is lengthy and cumberquestions that the park staff or commu- some if all you want is a simple yes or no nity members might ask. We perfectly answer. However, that said, it also works. understood that public objections might During the CAMP process, a few of very well have brought our cause to an our club’s more experienced pilots were early end. As part of this process, our allowed to take flights so the rangers team was required to develop a draft of could ask questions and see exactly what flight rules for the park, meet with park the sport involved. Our focus during rangers and resource managers, tour po- these flights was on safety preparedness, tential launch and landing areas, submit training, and capabilities that included a written proposal to bring paragliding top-landing or landing on the beaches. to Fort Flagler, purchase materials for Those pilots were also asked to take picrequired kiosks, and provide sufficient tures of the bluffs and landing areas for information, photos, and drawings. As a the rangers to use. After meeting success
[opposite] North bluff | photos by Randy Sprague. [above] East bluff | photo by Mike McIntyre.
in all the CAMP requirements, and after successful preliminary flights, the proposal to allow paragliding at Fort Flagler State Park was approved—provisionally. The fact that this process took three years is significant. We worked with, and continue to work with, people like Steve Starlund, Stewardship Director for Washington State Parks. We worked with the Director of the Parks Commission. We provided answers for questions asked by The Department of Natural Resources and the National Parks System. The state parks service was required to prepare environmental compliance and recommendation documents that were, of course, Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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[top] North bluff | photo by Steve Messman. [above] Mike Zimmerman and Jim Harmon on East launch.
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“staffed.” The Director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission was the final approval authority, so it was he who had to be convinced in the end. The CAMP process was the tool necessary to gain that approval. Public opinion remains one our greatest challenges. Simply said, if other park visitors don’t like what they see, we could all lose permission to fly at this state park. Therefore, we are exceedingly careful to present our best face. We make every attempt to be the best representatives that we can be, to be excellent ambassadors of our sport. It is paying off. The public is leaving great feedback, and, as we have all experienced, folks love to watch and photograph pilots launching, landing and flying as much as they love watching the
birds we fly with. It is important for visiting pilots to understand that we have only conditional approval to fly at Fort Flagler. There are rules we all must follow. Of note, all pilots must check in at the ranger’s office near the park entrance or use sign-in logs when the permanent kiosks are placed. Hang gliders are not permitted (sorry), motorized aircraft are not permitted (sorry), and neither is any form of radio controlled aircraft, motorized or not (again, sorry.) All rules are posted on kiosks at each of three established launch sites. They are also explained at our club’s website, www. rainierparaglidingclub.org. Our club reps would certainly love to provide an orientation for those who want to fly a new site
in Washington State. Again, see our website for names and phone numbers. Fort Flagler now has three approved launches. Two face north and will take winds from north to northwest. One faces east, and is flyable in either east or southeast winds. All three are cliff launches that are approximately one hundred and fifty feet high. All present their own challenges with trees, rotors, and undercut sand cliffs. Your best skills at launching, kiting and coastal flying will be challenged. Mike Zimmerman, Chris King, Jim Harmon, and the Rainier Paragliding Club consider this approval to fly paragliders at a state park in Washington as history in the making. We have gone through a complicated, highly political process, and we have successfully added
a new form of recreation to the “acceptable� list of this state park. We consider this to be a nearly perfect example of how the parks and the community can work together for the good of all. Fort Flagler has always been special. My wife calls it home, but it’s not. Churches, schools and other groups hold retreats at the fort, housing dozens in reconditioned barracks or in group campgrounds. Fathers feel safe enough to allow their kids to bike the grounds freely. Hikers walk the miles of beaches gathering water-borne treasures and memories. Eagles and seagulls soar over cliffs, over ancient trees, over the parade ground, over the lighthouse, over wartime bunkers and buildings, and over history. Now, so do paraglider pilots.
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this is
AFRICA
by nick greece
THE KENTE-CLAD CHIEFS of the local area sit in exalted positions, after having blessed the Okwahu festival. They flash their bright smiles and bling rings, as rhythmic high-life beats emanate from a horde of drummers. This is the soundtrack of the jovial chaos permeating launch at the 5th Annual Ghana Paragliding Festival. Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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the African air. When the hermetically sealed cabin doors open, a blanket of moisture encompasses us. yell at my passenger so she can hear me over Lenses fog, cloths cling, and life is altered by a heat the roar. “I’m Santa, and you’re the reindeer; that eventually creates a comforting constant in every you have to pull us off this hill!” She nods in West African day. understanding, and we simulate what the wing will At the hill, my passenger signals she is ready, and feel like as we charge down the small but adequate we charge down the runway. We’re a little off-center, launch. causing spectators, who are lined up in a less-thanWe arrived on the continent only one day earli- ideal area, to dive into the bush to escape the stampeder. Looking out the window upon landing, we saw ing obruni—white man. The roar of the festival fades streams of water cascading down the fuselage as the as the tranquility of free flight liberates us from the air-cooled metal of the 747 squeaked to a halt in seemingly constant frenzy of Africa. I am as stunned as my passenger. She tastes flight for the first time, and my usually routine tandem flight transcends its boundaries and turns into a moment of clarity. As we climb above the celebration in a glorious cool breeze, I am struck by what a remarkable place lies below. The chaos of tribal-chief welcome parties, drummers drumming, rides to launch reminiscent of a smashup derby, and the all-encompassing heat melt away, as I marvel at the wonder of this travel experience. I’m in the moment, looking at the moment, while living the moment. Undeniably unique Ten tandem pilots from South Africa, Norway, and the USA were invited to participate in the festival by the gracious Ghana Tourist Board and Ministry of Tourism. Over the course of three days, 231 tandem passengers were whisked from the intense heat of West Africa and taken on smooth, cool, tandem flights above the town of Nkawkaw. Passengers lined up for days, sometimes camping on launch to remain Nkawkaw, GHANA
[previous page] Sabrina Krewin and Chuck Smith above the town of Nkawkaw. [above] Around the landing field throngs of children happily greet pilots returning to the ground. [below] A vendor in Accra sells Obama flags to cars at a stoplight. [opposite] The city from above. Photos by Nick Greece.
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in line, for their opportunity to take part in this amazing festival. The Ghana festival was hatched in March 2004, when the new Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the capital city, Mr. Jake Tonka Obetsebi-Lamptey, visited the Kwahu ridge as part of his familiarization tour of the country, and, by chance, crossed paths with the festival’s organizer, Walter Neser. The first Ghana Paragliding Festival, in 2005, was officially launched by H.E.Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. The festivals have grown in size each year. The next one promises to be the biggest yet. Walter Neser, who is credited with founding the event, reflects on its purpose: “The Festival is an opportunity to encourage cultural exchange and to introduce people in Ghana to the simple pleasures of free flight. I think the event leaves behind it a lot of good memories—for pilots, passengers, and spectators alike.” Neser designed the launch and, along with Sabrina Krewin, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, runs the event in conjunction with the popular Easter celebration, when throngs of Ghanaians flock to cooler Nkawkaw to vigorously party through the weekend. Krewin, who took her first flight at this festival while working in-country, serves as a perfect connection to Ghanaian culture. “It is my aim to organize the Ghana Paragliding Festival as an inspirational experience that offers participants the opportunity to gain new insights into possibilities they are capable of achieving in life, if they are willing to try new things. During the festival, participants can enjoy exploring aspects of Ghana’s hospitable culture, including tasting local foods, hearing local music, observing traditional customs, flying over the region’s beauti-
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[top left] Launch | photo by Nick Greece. [above] Tandem | photo by Erlend Madsen. [bottom left] The chiefs give the festival an official nod | photo by Nick Greece. [immediate left] Crowd on launch | photo by Erlend Madsen.
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“The flying in ghana is glorious—smooth, consistent, and replete with thermalling vultures marking climbs over the dense green forest below.”
[above] Madsen flies another happy festival participant | photo by Erlend Madsen. [below] Road to launch. [opposite and following page] Sabrina Krewin high over the town of Nkawkaw. Photos by Nick Greece.
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ful ecosystems, and meeting people from different backgrounds.” The flying in Ghana is glorious—smooth, consistent, and replete with thermalling vultures marking climbs over the dense green forest below. It is possible to fly local cross-country routes, where landing-out will create memories for life of joyous locals thrilled to interact with happy pilots. This festival affords a true taste of Africa without many of its hardships, as the organization does a fantastic job of providing all the necessary services that enable pilots to enjoy the region with a high modicum of comfort. The 6th Annual Ghana Paragliding festival will be held April 22-25, 2011. If you can’t wait until next year to fly Ghana, Neser is organizing a tour of flying sites which will run in October. Details about the festival and Neser’s other offerings in the region at: http://www.ghanaparagliding. com/.
CLOUDBASE FOUNDATION • PROJECT GHANA This year’s group of tandem pilots at the annual Ghana Paragliding festival became interested in raising money to invest in a local charity around where the flying festival takes place. After many discussions, we decided we’d like to make a meaningful contribution, in the form of a reserve water tank, to Bless the Children orphanage in Nkawkaw, Ghana. The Cloud Base Foundation took on the project and is spearheading the contribution outreach to helping the orphanage raise the $3000 dollars needed for the new tank. Bless the Children has 25 resident orphans, boys and girls, ages ranging from 2.5 years to 18 years. These children are referred to them by the Ghana Social Services Department. The children live at the orphanage, but attend the local public schools in order to be integrated into society. Local kids from the school often come to play with their friends at the orphanage. The orphanage also provides partial support to 20 parentless children who live outside of the home, for whom the extended family need financial and emotional assistance. The orphanage mainly subsists off of donations from locals and the local Baptist church. The orphanage has been getting water via the local sewage/water system, which, unfortunately, is unreliable. The water pipes are only turned on every one to two weeks, at which time the personnel from the orphanage fill up every available container. They currently have one small tank which isn’t adequate for their needs. When the tank is empty, the kids are forced to cross the street to fetch water from a stream in buckets, making multiple trips in order to have an adequate supply for bathing, washing their clothes, and cooking. This water is often unclean and polluted because local goat/cattle herders bring their animals to drink from the source, and many other inhabitants wash their clothes in the stream. Our group hopes to buy an additional tank, which will serve as a much needed reserve. Besides the critical need for the larger water tank, the orphanage depends on donations for day-to-day operational costs: money to pay for food, school materials and used clothing. If you are interested in supporting this project, please donate via paypal at the Cloudbase Foundation website: http://thecbf.org/ or MAIL your check to: The Cloudbase Foundation, P.O. Box 193, Mandeville, LA 70470 USA.
PLEASE MARK THE CHECK “Orphanage in Ghana."
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“I am struck by what a remarkable place lies below.”
Speed Flying
On a
River Trip by Tyler Horne photos by Trevor Thomas & Amy Jimmerson
T
his fall a group of 13 of my friends and I left the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming, for a little adventure by floating 73 miles down the Lower Salmon River in Southwest Idaho. Having rafted down these mellow class III and IV rapids two years in a row, I was well aware not only of the spots for cliff jumping, swimming, fly-fishing, and beach volleyball, accompanied by the continuous consumption of beer; but of the sandy beaches lining the river with
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several thousand-foot hills with varied terrain, offering excellent launches and landings for either a normal glider or a speed wing. This year the adventure was now not so little, and not just about rafting. I was going to fly and see the Salmon River from a completely different level. I decided that my speed flying missions would take place early in the mornings before the typical strong upriver winds begin in the afternoons, and any PBRs had been consumed. The first afternoon was fairly windy and it rained hard throughout the night. The chance of flying the next day, I thought, was bleak. However, when I woke-up early the next morning, there
was absolutely no wind, bright blue skies and a perfect 1500-foot peak to fly off. Speed flying was back on my radar. The hike was not easy, no trail existed and the slope was loose dirt and shale. Once I finally made it to the top, a perfect launch presented itself. Although the landing was fairly small, this short lap was accompanied with my full adrenaline, as well as astonishment from my friends who had never seen speed flying before. After rafting for 15 miles that same day, and setting up camp in dryer conditions, we embarked on another perfect spot that would be ideal to launch from. Having taken the day off from drinking I decided to head up for an afternoon
“Being probably one of the only people to fly these segments of the Salmon River is one of the best flying missions I have experienced to date.� Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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flight. Though slightly shorter than the first, this flight allowed me to fly very low skimming the sage brush all the way to the beach. The next morning I not only had my favorite flight of the trip, but had another breathtaking experience, literally breathtaking. While hiking up this butte, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the sounds of rattling, which in this part of the country means only one thing—a rattlesnake, who was definitely making itself known. Being terrified of snakes, I put my head down and moved quickly away, scurrying to find the silent sounds of safety. Thankfully I never saw the snake, but it was not far from my thoughts the rest of the trip. Once I could breath again and collect my thoughts, I looked up and before me was an absolutely perfect launch site that led to a tight canyon to rip turns down, with a nice long beach for a soft landing. However, on my approach, I got a little too bold and tried to drag a wing tip on the surface of the river. Unfortunately I missed timed it, and ended up waist deep in the river. Luckily the river was slow
moving in this spot, so I was able to get out with no problem. (Note to self: wings don’t do well in water, nor do the only pair of dry socks I had, or the helmet cam) The next couple flights were not as comparable as the first two, but I did manage to fly almost every day, and had every part of my body and confidence intact at the end. The decision to bring my wing along turned out to be the pinnacle of what made this trip one I will never forget. So the moral of my trip to all of you avid river goers, or those who just go for a quick weekend trip, bring a wing! Being probably one of the only people to fly these segments of the Salmon River is one of the best flying missions I have experienced to date. I only hope next year to be accompanied with some fellow pilots and have the focus be on speed flying, with rafting being the means of our transportation to our many adventures. You can view a short video of the flights at http://vimeo.com/6473071 or search Tyler Horne at http://www.vimeo.com
IquiqueChile November 2010
-Flyable everyday or money back!
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A foggy day on the island of Hawaii | photo by Jorge Atramiz.
An Interview with
Eric Raymond by John Heiney
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
When I started flying in 1978 Eric Raymond was already a hang gliding ,
legend in his own time. Eric was the man everyone respected. He made beautiful hang gliding photographs. He made his own harnesses. He built his own gliders. He looped hang gliders. He won contests. I remember just wanting to be like Eric Raymond. Eric was a pilot’s pilot, and he still is. After about fifteen years of being a major influence in hang gliding, Eric decided to design and build his own solar-powered electric sailplane. When he finished, he flew it across the United States. His plane, the Sunseeker, stood as the only working electric airplane in the world for many years. Last year, Eric moved to Switzerland to work for Solar Impulse, a group that intends to build a 4-motor electric airplane to fly around the world. During his recent visit back in the USA, I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions. Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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An Interview with
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Eric Raymond
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
powered airplanes. I was working with time, it was the best flight. Paul McCready’s group. They invited me to fly the Bionic Bat just before it got re- JH: Do you have a most memorable flight? tired. Then, in Europe I was invited to fly the Musculair II, just before it was re- ER: In a hang glider, it would probably be tired. It was a revelation for me to fly those when I flew from the middle of Switzerland flying bicycles that were so fast. I remem- into Austria. I wish I had started a little ber I could barely keep up with them on a earlier. We knew there was a cold front John Heiney: What got you started hang racing bicycle. coming. I was just trying to stay ahead of gliding? this frontal activity, so I was flying really JH: When and where were you born? fast over the most scenic terrain, right Eric Raymond: I was flying model airdown the core of the Alps. planes and got into radio-control. I tried ER: October 1956 in Tacoma WA. My dad sailplaning, but that was kind of a disap- was working for Weyerhaeuser. JH: Do you have a favorite flying site? pointment from the model airplanes. I saw pictures of hang gliding, and it looked like JH: Where do you live? ER: Fiesch, Switzerland the thing for me. I got some plans and built my own glider. I bought the sail and ER: I am living in Slovenia with my girl- JH: What launch sites did you fly in the started hang gliding. The plans and sail friend, who is a competition sailplane pilot early days that are not accessible today? were from Sky Sports. and instructor. ER: Point Fermin in San Pedro was a really JH: When did you start flying hang glid- JH: Where did you first fly hang gliders? amazing place to fly hang gliders. Escape ers? Country. Imagine a sports utopia with ER: Near the high school I was going to dirt-biking, skate-boarding, hang glidER: 1974 in Maine in 1974, there was a Bill Bennett ing, etc., right in the neighborhood of Los dealer named “Sky Truckin.” They came Angeles. Too good to last. JH: Why have you continued to fly so to the high school and gave one-day leslong? sons on Bennett “standards.” JH: Did you have photography experience before you started flying? ER: I like it. It’s an athletic sport. In flying JH: How old were you when you started sailplanes for example, you’re just sitting hang gliding? ER: Yes. My father was a photographer. As there twiddling controls. Hang gliding is long as I can remember, I had a camera. I a perfect dynamic sport where you get lots ER: Eighteen. went to college for professional photograof athletic exercise. phy, but I dropped out after two years to JH: What is your personal best XC flight? pursue my hang gliding career. I’m glad I JH: Your life seems to be all about flying. Is did, because I was US National Champion there a history of flying in your family? ER: I guess it would be in the Voyager, by the time I would have graduated. I when I did 121 miles in 1980. For that would rather be Hang Gliding Champion ER: No. There is a history of engineering and inventing. My grandfather invented the fist automatic doors that opened by the so-called “magic eye.” My father, an oceanographic engineer, made the first deep-sea cameras that photographed the Titanic, as well as a lot of other deep-sea equipment. [previous page] Eric landing his original Sunseeker at Lordsburg NM in 1990 on the first attempt at the XC flight to Kitty Hawk | photo by RC Dave. [opposite top left] The Comet 2 after a glacier landing | photo Eric Raymond [top right] Eric Raymond | photo by John Heiney. [bottom] Eric conducting flight tests on the original Sunseeker at Desert Center CA | photo Eric Raymond
“I went to college for professional photography, but I dropped out after two years to JH: What other aircraft have you flown? pursue my hang gliding career. ER: I have a sailplane rating, and commercial and flight instructor ratings in gliders. I owned a Stemme, which is a sophisti- I'm glad I did because I was US cated motor-glider, but you can fly it with a sailplane rating. Just hang gliders and National Champion by the time sailplanes. Oh! And the human-powered airplanes. I was invited to fly the two fastest human- I would have graduated” Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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than have a degree in photography. JH: Why did you start taking photos of
to Scripps Institute of Oceanography in 1975.
told them it was impossible. It had to be hand controls. They wanted weight-shift. I didn’t quite have the imagination to do what some other people did later.
ER: Well, they were really pretty. I started, even with my standard, to figure out ways to activate the camera remotely, so I could mount it on the nose or the tail or the wing of the glider. That was real fun.
JH: Tell me about that day. What glider
JH: How much did you pay for your first
ER: I had my standard Rogallo and flew it
ER: I can’t remember what the parts were, but the sail might have been 150 dollars.
hang gliding?
ER: My Dad brought me on a business trip
were you flying? Who else was flying here then?
several times per day to the beach. On the last day I soared for maybe an hour, but was the first to mount a camera on a hang I still landed on the beach. I know Rick glider. Finley was there because he took off right in front of me in his Wind Lord, which ER: Well, the Wright Brothers did that, they called the “spin lord.” The wind was too. (laughs) There were cameras on bal- light and it looked perfect. The thing loons before the Wright Brothers. There is yawed 180 degrees and crashed right back footage from the Wright Brothers. into the cliff below launch.
JH: Leroy Grannis told me that Bob Keeler
JH: Have you “pioneered” any sites? ER: I can’t think of any. I tended to go to the established sites. There were plenty of them then. Actually, with my sky camping, every time I landed somewhere to camp and relaunched, I was flying where no one else ever had. That was all in the Alps. I did do some sky camping in the Owens, but it seemed really dangerous to me. The Alps is a totally different situation.
JH: When did you first come to Torrey
JH: Have you worked for other hang glider
[above] Eric flying the Musculair II at an Expo in Canada in 1986 | photo by Aida Raymond. [opposite] Eric Raymond competing in the ‘84 Illinx aerobatics meet in Monaco on his highly modified Comet 2 with double the normal number of ribs for the time. He won 83 and 84.
ER: I worked in England for Airwave Gliders for a year-and-a-half, developing JH: Was hang gliding more fun in the a carbon fiber rigid-wing. Funny thing is, single surface days? their mandate sounded just like the current ATOS . A weight-shift rigid-wing. I ER: I would say so. It was a lot less equip-
Pines?
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hang glider?
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
manufacturers besides UP?
ment. We were flying at the beach. They enclosed harness that lead to the pod harthink it’s incredible flying with just a bath- nesses of today. Your modification of the ing suit over the beach. Comet design resulted in your “BattenIt seems like a totally different sport to me Bomber,” which was the first easily loopto be able to use it like a beach toy. Now, able flex-wing glider. Your version of Bob we go so high that we suffer from the heat Trampenau’s Sun Seed design performed when we’re down low and the cold when far better than any production glider of we’re up high. We have all this extra equip- the time. You did intentional tumbles on ment. the Sun Seed which has not been duplicated until today’s acro paragliding. What JH: Some people don’t consider beach are your thoughts about your accomplishflying a valid form of flying for some ments? reason. ER: Mostly, I have looked for good ideas ER: Hmmm. When I was working for high and low. For example, with the Airwave in England, I was flying coastal Voyager I used the mylar leading-edge cliffs down to almost nothing. The English pocket I had seen on Gerard Thevenot’s pilots thought I was daft. They wanted to Atlas. I used the “sunken” rib pockets go to Wales and fly the wave lift and get that Bob Trampenau had invented. Jim really, really high. They were just overlook- Hanbury was the first person to move the ing this beautiful sea breeze they had every wires to back of the leading edge. Believe day. I’m definitely a coastal pilot. it or not, the side wires used to bolt to the front of the leading edge. Jim moved them JH: You developed Anchor Magnan’s to the back, a seemingly simple thing, but cocoon harness invention into a variable now you have to figure out where to put a angle-of-attack, practical harness that hole in the sail for the wire. Mostly, I put was the industry standard for years. You together ideas from other people. modified your cocoon design to make an I did invent the trailing camera system that
you see used on paragliders and hang gliders, where you are towing a camera that is pointed at you at all times. By applying the correct G-forces, you can get the camera up on the horizon or even straight above you. JH: What competitions have you won? ER: I finished in a 3-way tie for first in the Southern California Regionals in 1979. I won the US Nationals in ’79, the Great Race in ’79, Owens Valley Open in 1980, the Southern California Regionals in ’80(rigid wing class), Southern California League meet in 1982(a 3-man team), the Telluride World Aerobatics Championships in ’83 & ’84, and the first European Aerobatics Championships in 1984, and maybe some others I’ve forgotten. JH: What do you do for a living? ER: I’ve been building various prototype aircraft for people for many years now. It is really advanced composite stuff, and getting more and more into solar cell integration in composite aircraft. I’m even hoping Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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to do some solar powered boat projects. JH: You took your Sunseeker to Europe
with you. What have you done with it there?
ER: I flew it without a ground crew in 2008 and had good flights. Then I spent the winter upgrading it in every way. New batteries, new instrument panel, three collision avoidance systems. I went on a European tour and flew it over the Alps on April 14th from Zurich to Torino, Italy. Then continued down to Sicily in about five steps. We started again from Zurich
and flew to Vienna and down to Slovenia to the National Sailplane Championships. We also started in Zurich and flew down to the southern coast of Spain, almost to Gibraltar. Then we spent one last week in the Alps, flying over the Matterhorn, the highest glaciers and whatnot. (See photos and videos of this adventure and Eric’s current projects at solar-flight.com) JH: What is the best thing that has ever
happened to you? ER: Learning to fly. I was born to fly.
JH: What is the most rewarding thing you
ER: Designing, building, and test-flying my own solar-powered airplane, and demonstrating to the world that this can be done. JH: If you could change anything in your
life, what would you change?
ER: Only one thing? (laughs) I would stay away from the stock market. I am pretty lucky and happy. I really haven’t had any bad experiences. There would be nothing much to change.
“I’m not afraid to die, but I am
JH: What is the wildest thing that has hap-
afraid not to live. You're going
ER: It would be getting momentarily flipped over in the hang glider in Venezuela. I just hung on, pulled in and recovered. I can think of one other occasion where the glider just went right upside down. Actually, that’s not true. I would say the wildest thing was during a flat spin at Crestline where the glider(a Comet, highly
to die anyway, so you might as well live while you can” 48
have ever done?
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
pened to you while flying?
Celebrating 13 years of making Flight and Dreams come together! [left] Eric after landing high in the Alps to spend the night. His goal was to take a trans-Alps camping trip on a hang glider, but weather did not cooperate. Photo by Eric Raymond. JH: Do you have any more stories to tell
me?
modified for racing) stopped spinning and just tucked and broke. I went down under canopy in Devil’s Canyon Power Plant, for the second time in my life. JH: What is the craziest thing you have
ever witnessed in hang gliding?
ER: I would say watching Dick Cassetta launching at Gunter in Owens Valley. There was a tiny little dust devil coming up the hill. It looked perfect. He had one of my cocoons, and just as he kicked into the boot and went prone, he went straight into a loop, because he hit the dust devil. He came back so close to the launch that the people who were helping him went running to the sides because it looked like he was going to hit the ground. He cleared the ground, but then he hit the dust devil a second time and went into another loop and came even closer to the hill. During this loop he yawed the glider 90 degrees, so he came out parallel to the hill so he wouldn’t hit the dust devil a third time.
ER: I had a rigid wing hang glider with diffuser tips, and I tried to do forward tumbles with it. I thought the glider was strong enough to handle the loads of a tumble. It had big elevons which,when tipped down, would make a flying-wing nose down radically, which was my intention. I built a harness with three carabiners. One you hook in normally. The others you hook in to the other two corners of the control bar after launch. You are just suspended in the triangle when you go upside down. I did some tumbles and found that I could not do just one. It tumbled so quickly that I had to give the recovery input while going straight up, in order to recover going near straight down. When I was testing it at the “E” (at Elsinore), I did three tumbles, witnessed by Dangerous Dave, who was above me, and I broke one downtube. Turns out the glider flew fine with one downtube, so I landed it that way. The fourth time I did these tumbles I got into a horrible side slip, and the diffuser tip caused the glider to go upside down and it broke. I went down in Devil’s Canyon Power Plant again. My favorite place to crash(laughs). JH: Have you made more outstanding ac-
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complishments that I have overlooked?
ER: I brought sky camping to Europe which is now a Red Bull sport for paragliders. It inspired Didier Favre to do it in a hang glider, eventually from the French Mediterranean along the Alps into Yugoslovia. I had many photos published in hang gliding magazines worldwide, including 25 covers, and many center spreads in Hang Gliding. In the early days I had the altitude gain record of 15,200 feet.
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ER: I’m not afraid to die, but I am afraid not to live. You’re going to die anyway, so you might as well live while you can.
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Transitions:
Tow Launch to Foot Launch by Dennis Pagen
for years, are completely comfortable in the air, and conclude: “What can be so his article is about how to safely hard—all I gotta do is run?” But many and consistently transition your a foot-launch flying site has seen pilots tow launching skills to foot launch- trained in towing have problems launching, and vice versa. Many of us learn just ing safely. The main glitch occurs because a tow one method of launching and do that exclusively, since it supports the typical pilot is used to having his/her glider’s flying in our area. However, a lot of tow nose up much higher than is proper for pilots travel to foot launching sites, and foot launching. This all-important factor many foot launchers occasionally tow. So is more ingrained if the tow pilot is praclet’s look at the details to hone our skills, ticed at foot launching on tow. Reel-in heighten our awareness and hedge our winches (scooter tows, for example) and even some payout rigs have the pilots foot bets. launching. With launch dollies and truck towing, where the glider is set on the back FROM TOW TO HEEL Let’s start with transitioning from tow of the truck, there is not as strong a reinlaunch to foot launch. Today, many forcement for keeping the nose up. But, schools teach beginners using tow rigs, even in those situations, the high nose because this approach can provide a lot position (attitude) is in the pilot’s periphof early airtime without the trouble of eral vision, and the implication is there: lugging the glider up the hill. Often they launching requires setting the glider with have a program to transition the pilot to a 15 degree (or more) angle of the keel to foot launching at some point, hopefully the horizon. Personally, I have tow launched on using a training hill. But there are many schools in flatlands that do not spend foot with all of the different systems, inmuch time on foot launching, because cluding aerotow tugs. However, I run off there is none to be had within a reason- of slopes and ramps far more frequently able distance. The pilots are towheads than tow launch, so it always seems to me from the git-go, and everyone is fine that I have to start with my nose w-a-a-y with that state of affairs. The problem too high on tow. But I trust my training, arises when one of these pilots decides I trust the tow operator and, most of all, I to travel to where the mountains block trust in physics. Let’s look at the latter. As figure 1 illustrates, your glider the view. Perhaps they have been flying
T
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needs a reasonable angle of attack to get airborne and haul you off the ground. The stall angle of attack is as high as you can go and maintain flight. It is hard to determine a hang glider’s exact angle of attack at stall because various parts of the wing are at different angles of attack, due to twist in the wing. But for our purposes here, let’s assume it is 15 degrees. Thus, as the figure shows, the nose position has to be low enough so the wing doesn’t stall as the run commences. In fact, an attitude right at stall is too close for safety, so we have drawn the figures with about five degrees less—a ten-degree attitude is about right. Note that as the slope steepens, the pilot doesn’t quite keep the ten degrees to the slope itself, because with a very steep slope the base tube would be hitting his/ her shins. But as the run begins, the pilot leans forward to clear the base tube, and the acceleration with his/her shoulders, along with the glider’s natural tendency to seek trim, helps lower the nose. I know some very short and steep ramps where all you do is take a few steps and dive off the end. No problem as long as your nose is within about 20 degrees of the ramp. All of the above assumes fairly light winds, where the pilot has to take more than a few steps to get airborne. In stronger conditions requiring a wire crew, it is even more critical to keep the nose lowered. In fact, in conditions with a really
steep launch and a properly set attitude, the base tube is often in the way, but the pilot generally makes a forward thrust with his/her shoulders and flies away with the pull of the air, all in one motion. Windy steep launches are beyond the scope of this article, but the reader can explore more in our book, Performance Flying. Look at the last drawing in the figure. Here we see a flat slope and can figure that the nose attitude is about proper for tow launching. Good guess, but not quite right. Look at figure 2. In fact, because the flight trajectory is upward on tow, the proper beginning attitude is even higher than when running the glider on flat ground. The stronger the tow, the steeper the ascent, so the higher the attitude can (and should) be. From all the above, we should be pretty convinced that a foot launch tow pilot is accustomed to setting the nose attitude much higher than is appropriate for slope launching. We can all understand this intellectually. But the crux of the matter arises during launches and other operations that require complex
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“If the pilot in question is a bit fearful because he/she slope launches only once in a blue moon on Friday the 13th when a Republican President exhibits a high IQ, the tendency to fall back on imprinted control patterns is even greater.”
and continuous action and control, when we are normally on automatic pilot. In other words, our muscle memories take over, and we do what we have trained over and over to do. Setting the nose position is often an unconscious action and off we go. You can see the root of the problem and the route of the outcome. In fact, if the pilot in question is a bit fearful because he/she slope launches only once in a blue moon on Friday the 13th when a Republican President exhibits a high IQ, the tendency to fall back on imprinted control patterns is even greater. This recipe for an accident is something right out of the “Cordon Blew Launch Cookbook.” Let’s look at what can and should be done. Any pilot who tows more than 60 % (my WAG) of the time should first stop and think before every slope launch. Sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is to be aware of it and put it in the forebrain. Pilots with little or no foot launch experience or those who tow foot launch but don’t regularly run off slopes should do the following: Enlist the help of an
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instructor or experienced pilot to help you feel the right bar position for a good, safe slope launch. Your assistant should be standing off to the side so he/she can easily see your holding position and the glider’s attitude. There are several things for you to look at. Once the proper attitude is set, note the position of the base tube with respect to your legs. It should be barely a foot in front of your shins while you are standing (it varies, of course, with the slope of the launch). This position is in great contrast to when you are towing. In fact, there is at least a two-foot difference in base tube position between the two launch techniques. This little visual cue should be filed away in your active brain to be used whenever you slope launch. Eyeball the base tube position to keep you in the ballpark. Secondly, feel and check the uprights. In general, they should be only about 10 degrees slanted from vertical. In fact, if you always set this ten-degree angle, held it and ran properly, you would probably never have a launch problem. The upright
R E D R O E R P
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2010
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position is another visual cue, but more importantly, it is a muscle clue. Close your eyes to feel where your arms are in this proper attitude and try to duplicate that in launch position. As a special note: if you are used to using the bottle grip for towing, try changing to the grapevine grip for better control. Practice leads to comfort. To be effective, such training needs repetition. So do it. Work until you can pick up the glider and set the proper attitude for a slope launch without having to be told and without too much varying of the pitch. Then practice running the glider in this position with a focus on not changing the attitude. The run needs special attention. Tow pilots are used to having a powerful force pulling them along, so they often run weakly and sometimes for too short a distance. They may be accustomed to getting off the ground in just a few steps. Again, unconscious habits rule the routine. But you can retrain for this aspect of your launch habits by running the glider on the flat ground with a proper attitude until it starts to fly itself. Do it over and over again. One final note: relax when it comes time to launch, so you can pay attention to the launch crew feedback. Generally, they know what they are talking about, especially when they have done the service at that particular site over and over. They are an integral part of performing a smart start. All this mental and physical exercise will pay dividends in safety. Wise pilots will practice some refreshing exercises before going to a slope launch site after a long period away from the mountains. Do it and your friends, loved ones and life insurance carrier will thank you.
be for pilots new to towing). The key to learning the proper attitude for towing is to have an experienced guide observing from the side and telling you where to set it. You just have to trust the pros. Once you have done a couple of successful launches, practice setting the attitude yourself while the expert looks on and tells you yes or no when you feel you have it set. Within a few tries, you will be comfortable setting and launching with such a relatively high attitude. We should point out clearly that the proper towing attitude depends a good deal on the force of the tow. As stated before, the stronger the initial tow, the higher the attitude. This factor is the result of the principles shown in the previous figure. The stronger the tow, the steeper the climb, so the higher the nose should be to provide the right angle of attack. That’s why it is necessary to get feedback from the tow operators on your setting before launching. Even if you are experienced at towing, it is wise to have a guide when you go to another area or try a new type of system. Finally, the run will perhaps be different. I have experienced a long run in no wind behind a weak tow system, but this run is usually easy, because the tow helps pull you along—you just have to keep running. However, normally the run is short. The secret, just as with a slope launch, is to keep running until you find yourself securely in the air. A downdraft, gear shift or pause in the tow power can easily drop you back down a bit, so it is wise to keep your feet below you until you are at least 10 feet off the ground (this rule assumes you aren’t dolly launching). I have had the opportunity to watch hundreds of launches in detail, mostly on DVDs, thanks to filmed seminars HILL TO TOW and dedicated people like Keith Atkins Transitioning from slope launching to who set the systems up. With this tool it tow launching has almost the opposite is easy to see good practices and, unforproblems, but they are easier to overcome. tunately, the all-too-common bad ones. To begin, a pilot new to towing will have a The biggest problem, of course, is getting well-ingrained tendency to keep the nose the nose too high. A tow pilot naturalposition too low. That is a hard tendency ly has this tendency in spades, clubs or to overcome, but at least the results of a whatever suit you care to name. I hope too low setting won’t result in too severe this short discussion will help increase consequences, as long as good wheels are awareness and make all your transitions used on the base tube (which they should tranquil and transcendent. Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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GALLERY |
FIFTY FOUR
[above] "Dangerous" Dave Gibson doing a textbook South Side slider as Jackson the Dog runs alongside him | photo by Ryan Voight.
Jorge Atramiz is a Venezuelan Pilot currently living on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. For more than ten years he's been driven by the creative possibilities that free flying offers, and inpired by its community which makes the before and after session an experience almost as good as flying itself. He loves to collect images, stories and has been part of various different paragliding projects including the Never Ending Thermal. To see more of his work visit www. jorgeatramiz.com
[below] Charlie “The king of The Dune�, France. [top right] Felix Rodriguez warms up before his flying session, Isla de El Hierro, Spain. [bottom] Calm day in the Pacific, Hawaii. Photos by Jorge Atramiz.
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[top] Eric Meibos launching off of the Outer Banks, North Carolina | photo by Eric Meibos. [bottom] Cal Hadley soaring the South Side | photo by Ryan Voight. [opposite] Yosemite wall shadow | photo by Jeff O'Brien.
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[top left] Base camp, Organya, Spain. [bottom] The Dynamic Cade Palmer, Hawaii. [above] Alex Colby, Honolulu, Hawaii. Photos by Jorge Atramiz.
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[top left] Jim Prahl flies the beach until sunset, Outer Banks, North Carolina | photo by Eric Meibos. [bottom] Cal Hadley flying the South Side of Point of the Mountain, Mount Timponogos in the background | photo by Ryan Voight. [left] Chris Bodin soars the Outer Banks Beach, North Carolina | photo by Eric Meibos.
64 [right] The rarely flown North Shore of Oahu. Alex Colby, Hawaii | photo by Jorge Atramiz.
A
fter not having flown for several years, I ended up at my favorite hang gliding training site: Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, CA. Courtesy of Windsports Hang Gliding (windsports.com), I spent a day floating down sand dunes and sweating up them. The next day I went to my flying birthplace: the mountains in Sylmar (shga.com) and soared several thousand feet over. While relaxing in the LZ that evening, I realized something important; while the well-known author Robert Fulghum learned everything he needed to know in kindergarten, my life lessons came from flying. In life, (and hang gliding) you succeed most when you stick to the basics. Keep your body upright. Never mind the fact that people misread you when you slouch—the important thing to remember is that everyone needs their “gear” under them for strong launches and smooth landings. Maintain eyes forward. Keep your eyes on the prize kid, because where you look is where you go! Above all keep a relaxed grip: On your control bar and in life! Once you get on a roll, you discover that flying is full of life lessons:
1. Choose your launch site carefully and make sure you’re balanced before you go. Whether it’s a flight or an endeavor— no one wants to go off half-cocked. 2. Wait for your cycle, but make sure you take it when it arrives. Patience always pays off, but it must not become procrastination! 3. Getting flushed has lessons, too. Everything in life can be a lesson—even if the lesson is as simple as: “Darn, that was stupid! I don’t want to do that again!” 4. Some days are for caution and some are for going big—the trick is knowing the difference (and hedging your bets appropriately). 5. Thermal with the crowd. It makes life a lot easier, though sometimes you can’t if you want to win. And sometimes the benefit of flying against the crowd is worth the risk, even if it gets you a black eye later! 6. Hard work and practice make you successful. There’s no guarantee, but most of the time it’s true. 7. Have an experienced wire crew. In life (and flying) there’s no substitute for a crew of experienced people giving you good advice and helping you safely take off into your personal adventure. 8. Look before you turn. How many times have we gone off in an ill-thought-out direction only to regret it immediately? 9. Pee before you fly or learn how to do it in the air. We all know that if you don’t listen to and take care of your body, you’ll regret it sooner rather than later! 10. And finally: HAVE FUN and no matter what happens, friends and their lies make a day better!
T
here are many more of these tid-bits to be inked, so if you find your life lacking direction, (or you just lack basic flight skills), go out and find a hang gliding instructor. You’ll definitely have a good time, and you just might find some life lessons waiting in the wings!
All I Ever Needed to Know... by Noah Ponzio
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SANCTIONED COMPETITION OPEN DISTANCE HG jULY 19-24 King Mountain, ID. 2010 King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships. Located at King Mountain, in Idaho’s Lost River Range,near Arco and Moore, Idaho. Open Distance NTSS points awarded. Possible tasks include OD along specified routes, shot gun open distance, triangles, out and return tasks. Open, recreation, and team classes, drivers awards, raffle, trophies, educational seminars and more! Collectors edition shirts designed by Dan Gravage! Free camping, hot showers, breakfasts, BBQ’s, prizes, and tons o fun...PLUS some of the best XC flying the sport has to offer! For more information and registration forms, go to www.flykingmountain.com OR call Lisa Tate (208)376-7914, lisa@lisatateglass.com.
RACE TO GOAL PG July 10-15 Chelan,
WA. Chelan XC Open and PG Nationals. FL Race to Goal XC. Register: 01/01/10 - 07/10/10. More information contact the organizer, Doug Stroop, at doug@paragliding.us. PG July 17-24 Chelan, WA. Paragliding World Cup. Race to Goal. More information: www. chelanxcopen.com. HG august 15-21 Big Spring, TX. Big Spring US Nationals. AT Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 08/15/10. More information contact the Organizer, David Glover, at http://2010BigSpring. blogspot.com, or david@davidglover.com. PG august 28-september 5 Sun Valley, ID. 2010 USA PG Nationals. FL Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 08/28/10. More information contact the organizer, Michael Pfau, at www.usparaglidingnats.com, or pfauboy1@yahoo.com. HG september 12-18 Casa Grande, AZ. Santa Cruz Flats Race. Francisco Grande Hotel. AT Race to Goal XC. Register Dates: 12/14/09 - 09/12/10 More information contact the organizer, Jamie Shelden, at naughtylawyer@gmail.com.
NON-SANCTIONED COMPETITION HG PG July 3-8 Chelan, Washington. The Chelan XC Classic is designed to be fun and challenging for XC pilots of all skill levels. Rather than having declared goals, pilots at the Classic choose their own tasks, and can fly straight-line distance, out-and-return or triangles. A pilot’s four best days of the six-day event are scored. PG pilots: a great site intro before competing in the Chelan XC Open or the Chelan PWC. Entry fee: $80 through April 30, $100 from May 1 on; includes a T-shirt and BBQ. If you want to be scored, but can’t make the whole week, $25 a day will get you in the competition. Payment by PayPal or check; more details on www.cloudbase.org.
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PG July 24-25 Nothern California. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at scpjka@gmail.com HG PG AUGUST 1-7 Boone, NC. Tater Hill Open. XC and race for paragliders and low performance hang gliders w/ concentration on new XC pilots. Handicapped scoring so everyone has a chance to win. More info: www.flytaterhill.com, or contact Meet Director Bubba Goodman at (828)773-9433. Registration opens March 15, $175 includes rides up the hill, retrieve, T-shirt and awards party Saturday night. PG AUGUST 12-15 Montanta. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com. PG AUGUST 20-22 Salt Lake City, UT. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com. PG august 21-22 Nothern California. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at scpjka@gmail.com PG AUGUST 26-29 Sun Valley, ID. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com. PG SEPTEMBER 10-12 Southwest Wyoming (towing). Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com. PG september 11-12 Nothern California. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at scpjka@gmail.com PG SEPTEMBER 17-19 Southern Utah. Intermountain League Meets. Open distance, gps scoring. $12 per day. Details: leaguemeet.com.
PG september 25-27 or OCTOBER 2-4 Owens Valley. Northern California Cross Country League. 2010. The Cross Country league is an informal series of cross country competitions running from March through to October held at flying sites within driving distance of the Bay Area. The league is set to help pilots of all abilities in improving their flying skills by flying set courses with other pilots. These are essentially a ‘fly-in’ with a mission. For more information check out www.SantaCruzParagliding.com or email Jug at scpjka@gmail.com
FLY-INS JuLY 1-11 Villa Grove, CO. Duluth, Minneso-
ta’s Skyline Sky Dogs & Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Northern Sky Gliders OLD TIMERS REUNION. These 2 clubs enjoyed relentless rival flyin meets in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s boasting some 300+ members. Everybody is now dispersed all over the country after following their flying dreams. Let’s meet and fly together again -- come one come all - everyone is welcome! For more info, tiffanyandlarrysmith@gmail.com, or (970)209-5212.
JuLY 2-5 Talihina, Oklahoma. Buffalo Moun-
tain Flyers 2010 Fly-in and Fundraiser. HG / PG / PPG / Ultralights / Sailplanes, all welcome. Flying at Buffalo (recently expanded launches), Panorama, Heavener and Little Yancy. Come enjoy the beauty of the Ouachita Mountains, local fireworks, and small town hospitality. $60 includes barbecue dinner, a limited edition t-shirt (please register with size before June 15), and camping on launch or LZ at Buffalo. Nearby RV parks and limited hotel space available. More info: Dave Ryhal at (918)398-3302 (djryhal@Yahoo.com). Please check BMF website: www.BuffaloMountainFlyers.org for details and registration. More Information: Dave Ryhal 918-3983302 djryhal@yahoo.com, or www.BuffaloMountainFlyers.org.
JuLY 3-4 Lakeview, OR. The Umpteenth Annual
Festival of Free Flight will be held July 3-5, 2010 in Lakeview. This is a fun family fly-in that offers friendly competition and awards for the three top spots in each category. We have five premier launch sites and thermals that will really get you high. Registration of $20 includes a free BBQ and assistance with weather and drivers. For a good time, join us in Lakeview, to fly the best skies in the west. More Information: Caro Johnson (541) 947-6040, cjohnson@lakecountychamber.org, or www.lakecountychamber.org.
JuLY 22-24 Richfield, Utah. In conjunction with
the Monroe Pioneer day celebration, we will be flying in from Cove Mountain. Soaring until sunset then flying out together at sunset, over the fireworks and crowd, landing in a vacant field nearby. More Information: Stacy Whitmore (435)896-1839, stacy@cuasa.com, or www.cuasa.com.
AUGUST 6-8 Maple Falls WA, Silver Lake Group Camp Ground. Black Mountain 34th Annual Hang Gliding Meet of the Canadian & American Hang Gliding Associations. "The Can Am". Come fly one of the oldest sites in the Pacific Northwest. Spot Landing, Speed runs, Fun Fly-in Potluck Saturday night. More information: Della Miller, (360) 421-6995
august 13-15 Silver Lake Park, Whatcom County, WA. 2010 Black Mountain Fly-In is scheduled for the weekend of August 13-15. New event organizers and proceeds to support local site maintenance fund. Friday evening registration, pilot’s meeting Saturday 10am. Potluck/BBQ Satuday evening and hosted breakfast Sunday morning. Fee for the weekend, including camping is $35. More Information: Jim Wagner firstdescent@hotmail.com. AUGUST 14-22 King Mountain, ID. Annual Safari
at the King Mountain Glider Park in Idaho. Awesome glass off and cloud bases at 18,000’. Hang Gliders, Paragliders, and Sailplanes all at the base of King Mountain. Campfires, potlucks, star gazing, hiking, mountain biking, and Fishing. Free Camping at the Glider Park just east of Sun Valley. See the pictures from last years Safari in our gallery. Call John at (208) 407-7174. Go to www.kingmountaingliderpark.com for directions and more info.
clinics & tours THROUGH September 19 Rising Fawn, GA.
Lookout’s Free Sunday Clinic Series. Each Sunday a new clinic topic. Guest and staff speakers. Check out the clinic topics and meeting locations on the Calendar at www.hanglide.com. Call (706)3983541 for more information. More Information: fly@ hanglide.com, or www.hanglide.com.
JULY 9-11 Salt Lake City, Utah. Aerobatics Clin-
ic The third annual Wings Over Wasatch Aerobatics clinic is back! This year WOW will improve on this popular, action-packed weekend by including truck and/or boat towing. With 2500-3000 ft tows, participants will have ample opportunities to explore and perfect their maneuvers! For more information visit wingsoverwasatch.com
july 15-16 Torrey Pines Gliderport, CA. Earn your T1, T2, T3 ratings with the tandem instructors at Torrey who fly the most tandems per year! More Information: Robin Marien / Gabriel Jebb (858)452-9858, info@ flytorrey.com, or www.flytorrey.com. JULY 15-19 Colorado Mountains Get out of the
heat and camp with us at the 10,000’ launch and enjoy long scenic flights. Details at http://www. parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/mountain _ flying _ clinic.php
july 17-19 Torrey Pines Gliderport,CA. Earn your USHPA Basic/Advanced Instructor ratings with the Torrey crew. More Information: Robin Marien / Gabriel Jebb (858)452-9858, info@flytorrey.com, or www. flytorrey.com. july 29-31 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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AUGUST 11-21 French Alps Paragliding Tour with Eagle Paragliding. This flying location is amazing. Call 805.968.0980, or visit www.paragliding.com to get more information, and view the images from previous tours.
september 25-26 Utah. Mountain Flying and learning how to pioneer a new site in Utah with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More info: www.twocanfly. com.
august 21-22 Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
october 15-17 Owens Valley Thermal and Cross Country Clinic with Eagle Paragliding. Many pilots are sure to get personal bests. View photos and videos from our last clinic at www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
august 26-28 Utah. Central Utah Thermal and XC Clinic with Stacy Whitmore, Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail. com. More info: www.twocanfly.com.
november 5-7 Instructor Certification Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This three-day clinic is open to basic and advanced Paragliding Instructor candidates, and those needing recertification. Visit www.paragliding. com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
Mountain Tour There are few states more synonymous with world-class flying than Utah, and now with the WOW Wasatch Mountain Tour, you can experience all of its greatness for yourself. All within 90 minutes of Salt Lake City, WOW will introduce clinic attendees to numerous sites with epic flying conditions via a guided tour. Flying fun at its best. For more information visit wingosoverwasatch.com
(sky GTX also available)
apexbase.com 951.940.1324
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SEPTEMBER 16-21 9th Grand Junction, Colora-
AUGUST 27-29 Salt Lake City, Utah. Wasatch
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AUGUST 1-3 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
MADE BY PILOTS FOR PILOTS.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
september 3-5 Utah. Thermal Clinic. Utah flying sites with Ken Hudonjorgensen. Phone (801) 5723414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More info: www.twocanfly.com. SEPTEMBER 4-6 Provo, Utah. Inspiration Ther-
mal Clinic. Join Wings Over Wasatch for an in-depth instructional review of one of the best sites in the US. This clinic will cover the intricacies of flying Inspiration Point, as well as the various thermal techniques required at such a site. Open to all pilots, from those that have not yet flown “Inspo”, to those that fly it regularly and would like to increase their working knowledge of the site. For more information visit wingsoverwasatch.com
september 6-17 India: Bir Billing, Dharamsala, Manali. Local instructors and guides in India.Includes transportation, accomodation, guide service. Novice/Intermediate/Advanced rated pilots. Side trip to Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama residence. The selection of the sites and take off points will be made according to the skill and experience of the individual pilot. Questions about the trip’s itinerary, difficulty, transportation, accommodations, etc., should be addressed to your trip leader Achim Hagemann, (808) 895-1690, or email: flyaglider@yahoo.com. september 9-14 Over-the-water Maneuvers Clinics in Southern California with Eagle Paragliding. America’s top all-around acro and competition pilot Brad Gunnuscio will be coaching with our state of the art towing set up. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information.
do Ridge Soaring Clinic at Otto’s Ridge and Reader Mesa. Enjoy hours of smooth flying and perfect your top landing skills with Parasoft PG. Details at http://www.parasoftparagliding.com/lessons/ ridge _ soaring _ clinic.php
november 8-9 Tandem Paragliding Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. Classroom and practical training at our world class training hill. Visit www.paragliding.com, or call 805.968.0980 for more information. november 9-16 &/or nov 18-25 Iquique, Chile. Join Ken Hudonjorgensen, and local guides. A great trip to what many pilots consider to be the best place to fly in the world, certainly more consistent than any place I have ever flown. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More info: www. twocanfly.com. November 10-29 Iquique ,Chile. Join Luis Rosenkjer and Todd Weigand to fly the never ending thermals of the Atacama Desert! Soar endless sand ridges high above the Pacific Ocean, then land on the beach next to our 4 star hotel. As Chilean open distance record holders and Iquique Competition Champions, Luis and Todd also have 15 years of combined guiding experience in Iquique! A variety of trips for all levels, plus XC guiding, Acro displays, and master kiting tips! The conditions are so good at this time of the year that we guarantee you will fly everyday or get money back! More Information: www.paraglidingtrips.com. december 12-13 Thermal and XC Clinic with Rob Sporrer of Eagle Paragliding in Santa Barbara, California. This two-day clinic is open to pilots of all levels. The clinic includes ground school, and ground-toair radio coaching in our local mountains. Visit www. paragliding.com , or call 805.968.0980 for more information. JANUARY 9-16 & 16-23 Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Come join adventure paragliding for an unforgettable week long trip in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. We will focus on xc and thermal skills for beginner to advanced pilots. 1600 dollars includes airport transport, breakfast and dinner, accommodation in a very luxurious lake house with pool, transport between sites, and instruction. We have 12 years of flying expierience in Valle. Please contact Pine at (970) 2741619, or visit www.adventureparagliding.com.
february 2-7 Southern Cal. flying trip. Join ken Hudonjorgensen on a trip to thaw out your bones and get your flying brain cells activated and ready for the new flying season. Phone (801) 572-3414, or email twocanfly@gmail.com. More info: www.twocanfly. com.
FLEX WINGS A GREAT SELECTION OF HG&PG GLIDERS (ss, ds,
pg) -HARNESSES (trainer, cocoon, pod) -PARACHUTES (hg&pg) WHEELS (new & used). Phone for latest inventory (262)473-8800, www.hanggliding. com.
Wills Wing Tandem Hang Glider - White/Yellow, less than 50 hours, excellent condition, keel is reinforced for trike. Flys awesome,never crashed, looking for a smaller wing. $2250 OBO or trade. 714350-7860 turbobobryan@att.net
PARAGLIDERS NOVA PHELIX - Size 27, red/white, large, 40 hours
flight time, great condition. $600 or OBO. Call (719) 244-2494
PARAGLIDING GEAR - Windtech Tempus, DHV-1,
size Large, grey & gold, only 10 hours of airtime $1000. Comes with stuff bag and original backpack (which has a few broken buckles). Racer XC Harness, size L, with brand new Large Airwave Reserve - $500. 303-805-7536.
PARACHUTES RESERVE PARACHUTE - Free Flight Enterprises. L.A.R.A 250 (equal to Quantum 330) 320 sq ft. Newly repacked & in perfect condition. Deployed once during maneuvers course. Always repacked yearly and never been used for emergency deployment. $500 (normally $625-$675 new retail). Call 719-2442494.
SCHOOLS & DEALERS ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - The best facilities, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more. Wide range of accommodations. hanglide. com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543, hanglide.com.
CALIFORNIA AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING - Year-round excel-
lent instruction, Southern California & Baja. Powered paragliding, clinics, tours, tandem, towing. Ken Baier 760-753-2664, airjunkies.com.
EAGLE PARAGLIDING - SANTA BARBARA offers the
best year round flying in the nation. Award-winning instruction, excellent mountain and ridge sites. www. flysantabarbara.com, 805-968-0980
FLY AWAY HANG GLIDING - Santa Barbara. Best hill/ equipment, glider shuttles up hill, tandems, sales, service, 20 years experience, Instructor Administrator Tammy Burcar. 805-403-8487, www.flyawayhanggliding.com. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - PO Box 151542, San
Diego CA 92175, 619-265-5320.
6020
Mission Soaring Center LLC - Largest hang gliding center in the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment: Wills Wing, Moyes, AIR, High Energy, Flytec, Aeros, Northwing, Hero wide angle video camera. A.I.R. Atos rigid wings- demo the VQ-45' span, 85 Lbs! Parts in stock. We stock new and used equipment. Trade-ins welcome. Complete lesson program. Best training park in the west, located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pitman Hydraulic Winch System for Hang 1s and above. Launch and landing clinics for Hang 3s and Hang 4s. Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and custom training harnesses. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035. 408-262-1055, Fax 408-262-1388, mission@hanggliding.com, Mission Soaring Center LLC, leading the way since 1973. www.hang-gliding.com TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT — This historic site,
established in 1928, offers all of the services you need. We provide USHPA certified instruction, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, paramotor instruction, SIV clinics, cross country clinics, tandem instructor clinics, paragliding instructor clinics, and a fully staffed cafe. We also have an extensive glider sport shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. We are importers for Paratech, Ozone, Skywalk, and Independence gliders and are dealers for all brands! We also carry an extensive certified used inventory of gliders and harnesses. We are the primary Ki2Fly dealer, and also carry AustriAlpin, Crispi, Black Hawk Paramotors, and too much more to list! Check us out online at: www.flytorrey. com or give us a ring at (858)452-9858.
WINDSPORTS - Don’t risk bad weather, bad instruction or dangerous training hills. 350 flyable days each year. Learn foot-launch flying skills safely and quickly. Train with professional CFI’s at world-famous Dockweiler Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in a thorough program with one of America’s most prestigious schools for over 25 years. 818367-2430, www.windsports.com.
COLORADO APCO AVIATION DEALER - COLORADO'S FIRST &
ONLY DEALER - Paragliders,harnesess,rescue systems and accessories call Ken (303)775-8676 or email:flyboy91369@hotmail.com
GUNNISON GLIDERS – Serving the western slope.
Instruction, sales, service, sewing, accessories. Site information, ratings. 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230.Call (970) 641-9315, or (866)238-2305.
FLY ABOVE ALL - Year-round instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara! USHPA Novice through Advanced certification. Thermaling to competition training. Visit www.flyaboveall.com 805-965-3733.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
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FLORIDA
MARYLAND
NORTH CAROLINA
ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 21 years of experience,
HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS - Baltimore and DC’s fulltime flight park: tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Airwave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115-HP Dragonfly tugs. Open fields as far as you can see. Only 1 to 1.5 hours from Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia. Come Fly with US! 410-634-2700, Fax 410-634-2775, 24038 Race Track Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660, www.aerosports.net, hangglide@aerosports.net.
ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 21 years of experience,
top instructors, top pilots, very consistent weather all year around. Your best choice on the east coast. www. atlantaparagliding.com 404-931-3793.
FLORIDA RIDGE AEROTOW PARK - 18265 E State
Road 80, Clewiston, Florida 863-805-0440, www. thefloridaridge.com.
GRAYBIRD AIRSPORTS — Paraglider & hang glider towing & training, Dragonfly aerotow training, XC, thermaling, instruction, equipment. Dunnellon Airport 352-245-8263, email fly@graybirdairsports.com, www.graybirdairsports.com. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Nearest moun-
tain training center to Orlando. Two training hills, novice mountain launch, aerotowing, great accommodations. hanglide.com, 877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.
MIAMI HANG GLIDING - For year-round training fun
in the sun. 305-285-8978, 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133, www.miamihanggliding.com.
Quest Air - Home to the champions—is dedicated
to your success, whether you want to learn to fly, are honing your landing skills or hoping to medal at the next World Championships. (352) 429-0213, Groveland, FL, questairforce.com.
WALLABY RANCH – The original Aerotow flight park.
Best tandem instruction worldwide,7-days a week , 6 tugs, and equipment rental. Call:1-800-WALLABY wallaby.com 1805 Deen Still Road, Disney Area FL 33897
GEORGIA ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 21 years of experience,
top instructors, top pilots, very consistent weather all year around. Your best choice on the east coast. www. atlantaparagliding.com 404-931-3793.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Discover why
5 times as many pilots earn their wings at LMFP. Enjoy our 110 acre mountain resort. www.hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 1-877-426-4543.
HAWAII PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING - Call Dexter for friendly
information about flying on Maui. Full-service school offering beginner to advanced instruction every day, year round. 808-874-5433, paraglidehawaii.com.
INDIANA CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michi-
gan
Cloud 9 Sport Aviation (hang gliding equip-
OHIO
ment), North American Soaring (Alatus ultralight sailplane and e-drive systems), Dragon Fly Soaring Club (hang gliding instruction), at Cloud 9 Field, Webberville, MI.More info: (517) 223-8683, Cloud9sa@aol. com, www.DFSCinc.org.
CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION - See Cloud 9 in Michi-
TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS
tours, rentals, tandems, HG and PG classes, H-2 and P-2 intensive Novice courses, full sales. 787-8500508, tshg@coqui.net.
Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. Full-time shop. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. Visa/MasterCard. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering powered paragliding. Call Bill at 231-922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi.net. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. www.mosquitoamerica.com.
NEW YORK AAA MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. - New location at 77
Hang Glider Road in Ellenville next to the LZ. We service all brands featuring AEROS and North Wing. Contact 845-647-3377, mtnwings@verizon.net, www. mtnwings.com, FLY HIGH, INC. - Serving New York, Jersey, and Connecticut areas. Area’s exclusive Wills Wing dealer. Also all other brands, accessories. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices! Certified instruction/service since 1979. Excellent secondary instruction! Taken some lessons? Advance to mountain flying! www.flyhighhg. com, 845-744-3317. LET'S GO PARAGLIDING LLC - Paragliding flight
school offering USHPA-certified instruction for all levels, tandem flights, tours, and equipment sales. More information: www.letsgoparagliding.com, 917359-6449.
PLANET PARAGLIDING - New York City area's finest instruction. Come fly with us. Beginner through advanced instruction. Best prices on new gear. Bill 203-881-9419, 203-206-3896, www.planetparaglidingtours.com.
160' training hill with rides up. Mountain site. Bunk house. Camping. Contact info: home (315) 866-6153 cell (315) 867-8011. dan@cooperstownhanggliding. com, www.cooperstownhanggliding.com.
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
KITTY HAWK KITES - FREE Hang 1 training with purchase of equipment! The largest hang gliding school in the world. Teaching since 1974. Learn to fly over the East coast’s largest sand dune. Year round instruction, foot launch and tandem aerotow. Dealer for all major manufacturers. Ultralight instruction and tours. 252441-2426, 1-877-FLY-THIS, www.kittyhawk.com
MICHIGAN
SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK COOPERSTOWN, NY.
72
top instructors, top pilots, very consistent weather all year around. Your best choice on the east coast. www. atlantaparagliding.com 404-931-3793.
gan
PUERTO RICO FLY PUERTO RICO WITH TEAM SPIRIT HG! - Flying
TENNESSEE ATLANTA PARAGLIDING - 21 years of experience,
top instructors, top pilots, very consistent weather all year around. Your best choice on the east coast. www. atlantaparagliding.com 404-931-3793.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Just outside
Chattanooga. Become a complete pilot -foot launch, aerotow, mountain launch, ridge soar, thermal soar. hanglide.com, 1-877-HANGLIDE, 877-426-4543.
TEXAS AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Hang gliding, and LSA weight shift control sales, service and instruction. Steve Burns (512) 736-2052, sburns@austinairsports.com. WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM. FlyTexas / Jeff Hunt - training pilots in Central
Texas for 25 years. Hangar facilities near Packsaddle Mountain, and Lake LBJ. More info: www.flytexas. com, (512)467-2529
UTAH CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Come visit us and check out our huge selection of paragliding gear, traction kites, extreme toys, and any other fun things you can think of. If you aren’t near the Point of the Mountain, then head to http://www.paragliders.com for a full list of products and services. We are Utah’s only full time shop and repair facility, Give us a ring at 801-5766460 if you have any questions. Super Fly Paragliding – Come to world famous
Point of the Mountain and learn to fly from one of our distinguished instructors. We teach year round and offer some of the best paragliding equipment available. Get your P2 certification, advanced ratings or tandem ratings here. We have a full shop to assist you with any of your free flight needs. 801-255-9595, info@superflyinc.com , www.superflyinc.com.
VIRGINIA BLUE SKY - Full-time HG instruction. Daily lessons, scooter, and platform towing. AT towing part time. Custom sewing, powered harnesses, Aeros PG , Flylight and Airborne trikes. More info: (804)241-4324, or www.blueskyhg.com
OXYGEN SYSTEMS – MH-XCR-180 operates to
18,000 ft., weighs only 4 lbs. System includes cylinder, harness, regulator, cannula, and remote on/off flowmeter. $450.00. 1-800-468-8185
SPECIALTY WHEELS for airfoil basetubes, round
basetubes, or tandem landing gear.(262)473-8800, www.hanggliding.com.
WASHINGTON AERIAL PARAGLIDING SCHOOL AND FLIGHT PARK
- Award winning instructors at a world class training facility. Contact Doug Stroop at 509-782-5543 or visit www.paragliding.us
PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS
PA certified) and Trike Lessons. One week full immersion courses. Lumby BC Canada. On-site camping. More info: www.RavenAviation.ca, (250)307-7553 COSTA RICA - Grampa Ninja's Paragliders' B&B. Rooms, and/or guide service and transportation. Lessons available from USHPA certified instructors. USA: 908-454-3242. Costa Rica: (Country code, 011) House: 506-2664-6833, Cell: 506-8950-8676, www.paraglidecostarica.com<http://www.paraglidecostarica.com> MEXICO - VALLE DE BRAVO and beyond for hang
gliding and paragliding. Year round availability and special tours. Gear, guiding, instruction, transportation, lodging - all varieties for your needs. www.flymexico.com 1-800-861-7198 USA
PARTS & ACCESSORIES All HG Gliderbags, harness packs, harness zippers
and zipper stocks. Instrument mounts and replacement bands. Mitts, straps, fabric parts, windsocks, radios. Gunnison Gliders. Contact at (866)238-2305
Flight suits, Flight suits, Flight suits, Warm
of America Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $64. SSA, PO Box 2100, Hobbs NM 88241. 505-392-1177, ssa.org.
SERVICE
Kitty Hawk Kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
RISING AIR GLIDER REPAIR SERVICES – A full-service shop, specializing in all types of paragliding repairs, annual inspections, reserve repacks, harness repairs. Hang gliding reserve repacks and repair. For information or repair estimate, call (208) 554-2243, pricing and service request form available at www.risingair.biz, billa@atcnet.net.
WANTED
WANTED - New or used apparel with old USHGA logo
Mounting brackets, control-bar wheels. Hall Brothers, PO Box 1010, Morgan, Utah 84050. (801) 829-3232, www.hallwindmeter.com.
Atlanta Paragliding | Chile. . . . . . . . . . . 39
Get your annual inspection, repair or reserve repack done quickly and professionally. Super Fly does more inspections, repairs and repacks than any service center in North America. Call or email for details and more information. 801-255-9595, info@superflyinc.com.
FOR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS - Check out the Aviation Depot at www.mojosgear.com featuring over 1000 items for foot-launched and powered paragliding, hang gliding, stunt and power kiting, and powered parachutes. 24/7 secure online shopping. Books, videos, KITES, gifts, engine parts, harness accessories, electronics, clothing, safety equipment, complete powered paragliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www.hillcountryparagliding. com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Office 325379-1567.
HALL WIND METER – Simple. Reliable. Accurate.
Ascent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Atlanta Paragliding | Turkey. . . . . . . . . . 10
WANTED - Used variometers, harnesses, parachutes, helmets, etc. Trade or cash. (262) 473-8800, www. hanggliding.com.
cessories, low prices, fast delivery! Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 641-9315, orders 1-866-238-2305.
Apex Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
CLOUD 9 REPAIR DEPARTMENT - We staff and maintain a full service repair shop within Cloud 9 Paragliding; offering annual inspections, line replacement, sail repair of any kind (kites too!), harness repairs and reserve repacks. Our repair technicians are factory trained and certified to work on almost any paraglider or kite. Call today for an estimate 801-576-6460 or visit www.paragliders.com for more information.
Flight suits, Efficient Flight suits, Light weight Flight suits, Flight suits in twelve sizes. Stylish Flight suits. More info: www.mphsports.com, (54) 702-2111
GLIDERBAGS – XC $75! Heavy waterproof $125. Ac-
ADVERTISERS
SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society
INTERNATIONAL Canada - Raven Aviation Hang Gliding Lessons (USH-
STOLEN - WW Sport 2 155, white, orange and yellow/ green. Also an old paraglider Airwave Fusion, medium blue and white. Both stolen 10-30-09 Stockton, California. Call Tim at (208) 861-9489
/ artwork. Size L. Please contact Theodore at (530) 222-2447
Flytec - Blueeyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Flytec - 6020. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Flytec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Foundation for Free Flight . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Kootenay Twisted Flyers . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Lookout Mountain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Moyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 MPH Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 North Wing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Ozone Paragliders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Paragliding Nationals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Paragliding World Cup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Parasupply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Parque Aventuras La Ceja. . . . . . . . . . . 11 Santa Cruz Flats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Sky Wings Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Soaring Society of America. . . . . . . . . . 74
MISCELLANEOUS kootenaytwistedflyers.ca - Handcrafted cop-
per PG & HG models & mobiles that capture the energy & motion of flying. Make great trophies, or home and office accents. More info: www.kootenaytwistedflyers.ca, or (250) 358-2511.
Sol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sport Aviation Publications . . . . . . . . . . 14 Superfly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Thermal Tracker Paragliding. . . . . . . . . . 39
STOLEN WINGS & THINGS
Torrey Pines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
STOLEN PARAGLIDING GEAR - Van broken into at a
Traverse City HG & PG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
truck stop in Buttonwillow, CA and all my paragliding gear stolen. UP Everest med harness, Niviuk Hook wing small s/n DZ1110, Ozone Rush2 wing med s/n R2M-K-33B-005, UP profile reserve 20 parachute, Flymaster B1 variometer, SOL flight deck, Garmin GPS 72, Yeasu FT60 radio, ICOM 2200h 50 watt mobile radio. Contact Forrest Brault at boatguardian@hotmail. com, or (530) 533-5018.
US Parachuting Association. . . . . . . . . 16 Wills Wing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 USHPA | 2011 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
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HANG GLIDING
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Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
RTNG REGN NAME
CITY
STATE RATING OFFICIAL
H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-1 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-2 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-3 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4 H-4
Truckee Oakland Pacifica Pinole Cohasset San Diego El Cajon Albuquerque Albuquerque Durango Mendon Jefferson Thomasville York Leesburg Candler Pensacola Kill Devil Hills Madison East Point Douglasville Joelton Hillsborough Hillsborough Raleigh Raleigh Waddington Truckee Monte Rio San Diego El Cajon Mendon York Leesburg Candler Pensacola Madison East Point Douglasville Joelton Hillsborough Hillsborough Raleigh Waddington Truckee San Francisco Sunnyvale San Diego Albuquerque Mendon Leesburg Olive Branch Daytona Beach Gardiner San Francisco San Mateo Hayward Mountain View Capistrano Beach Capistrano Beach Venice Lancaster Long Beach Draper Draper Mendon New Paltz
CA CA CA CA CA CA CA NM NM CO MA MA PA PA AL NC FL NC AL GA GA TN NC NC NC NC NY CA CA CA CA MA PA AL NC FL AL GA GA TN NC NC NC NY CA CA CA CA NM MA AL MS FL NY CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA CA UT UT MA NY
2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 2 2 3 3 8 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 2 2 2 3 4 8 10 10 10 12 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 8 12
Jeff Moran Jimmy Hopper Brian Drake Dag Richards Simon Phizackerley Max Marien Dan Buell Angelo Jarmosevich Megan Jarmosevich Cameron Winters Filippo Oppici Christopher Lyons Harold Shank Ii Jae Ho Kim Freddie Craig Michael Boydston Guy Charlton Zachary Behney Eric Vandernoot Allen Thompson Joe Owensby Keel Irvin Mary Waligora Richard Cranfill Jeff Parrott Sky Jones Mark Klosowski Jeff Moran James Fox Max Marien Dan Buell Filippo Oppici Jae Ho Kim Freddie Craig Michael Boydston Guy Charlton Eric Vandernoot Allen Thompson Joe Owensby Keel Irvin Mary Waligora Richard Cranfill Sky Jones Mark Klosowski Jeff Moran Jesse Byler David Gray Max Marien Greg Wickstrom Filippo Oppici Freddie Craig Scott Matherne Katherine Phillips Jorge Rodas Vann Pelham Allen Justh Brian Spyksma Charles Fiebig Jerome Locke J R Sterling Frederick Wagner Adam Newman Lou Oscar Arias Shadd Heaston Thomas Baumann Filippo Oppici Justin Lamarche
Ray Leonard Jonathon Blome Jonathon Blome David Yount David Yount Steve Stackable John Heiney Mel Glantz Mel Glantz Kevin Koonce Jeff Shapiro Daniel Guido Richard Hays Paul Voight Gordon Cayce Benjamin Burril Dustin Martin Johnathon Bland Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Trebor Clavette Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Ray Leonard Joe Greblo Steve Stackable John Heiney Jeff Shapiro Paul Voight Gordon Cayce Benjamin Burril Dustin Martin Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Gordon Cayce Ray Leonard Scott Seebass Patrick Denevan Steve Stackable Mel Glantz Jeff Shapiro Gordon Cayce William Stroud Jim Prahl Bryon Estes Eves Tall Chief Eves Tall Chief David Yount Patrick Denevan Bill Soderquist Bill Soderquist Fred Ballard Joe Greblo Steve Stackable Ryan Voight Ryan Voight Jeff Shapiro Paul Voight
M A R C H
PARAGLIDING
2 0 1 0
RATINGS
RTNG REGN NAME
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RTNG REGN NAME
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STATE RATING OFFICIAL
P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-1 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2
Portland Renton Gig Harbor Shelton Shelton Santa Cruz Chico Pleasant Hill Pleasant Hill Kailua El Cajon San Diego Hauula Santa Barbara La Habra Santa Barbara San Diego Swall Meadows Simi Valley Lakewood Ft Collins Gillette Kansas City Mclean La Grange Red Springs Tampa Clearwater Austin Austin Austin Apo Brooklyn Kowloon London Pemberton, Bc Surrey, Bc Portland Renton Gig Harbor Shelton Shelton Santa Cruz Mountain View Foster City Pleasant Hill Pleasant Hill Kailua El Cajon San Diego Hauula
OR WA WA WA WA CA CA CA CA HI CA CA HI CA CA CA CA CA CA CO CO WY MO VA GA NC FL FL TX TX TX AE NY
P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-2 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-3 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4 P-4
Santa Barbara La Habra Santa Barbara San Diego Swall Meadows Simi Valley Laveen Lakewood Gillette Kansas City Mclean La Grange Red Springs Tampa Clearwater Apo Brooklyn Kowloon London Pemberton, Bc Surrey, Bc Kennewick Conway Vancouver Reno Santa Cruz Pleasant Hill El Cajon Goleta San Diego Saratoga Springs Frisco Tucson Salt Lake City Missoula Jackson Jackson Palm Beach Brooklyn Kowloon Pemberton, Bc Surrey, Bc Port Hadlock Santa Cruz Sausalito Bishop Bishop Santa Barbara Missoula Dummerston Spencer
CA CA CA CA CA CA AZ CO WY MO VA GA NC FL FL AE NY
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 13 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Eric Miller Ken Blanchard Brent Roberts Lawrence Yount Jarrett Martin Frederic Bourgault Annie Rafferty Brian Cork Ashley Van Horn Nicholas Lantz Brianna Kufa Farzin Fallah John Mallard Corey Cardenas Mike Lissow Katia Baumgartner Troy Ponthieux John Gillmore Bryan Davidson Todd Selley Brandon Smith Todd Cross John Wirt David Oneil Md Michael Nissen Jeff Hoy Jeffrey Brown Adam Szwedo John Holder Kevin Lehnert Bradley Aldrich Jim Fardette Elodie Soret George Christofis Sissel Smaller Janet Roddan Louise Bouchard Eric Miller Ken Blanchard Brent Roberts Lawrence Yount Jarrett Martin Frederic Bourgault Chad Worley Peter Nuetzel Brian Cork Ashley Van Horn Nicholas Lantz Brianna Kufa Farzin Fallah John Mallard
OR WA WA WA WA CA CA CA CA CA HI CA CA HI
Kay Tauscher Marc Chirico Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Jason Shapiro Wil Brown Hugh Murphy Hugh Murphy Pete Michelmore Kyoung Ki Hong Bradley Geary Pete Michelmore Rob Sporrer Robert Peloquin Bruce Kirk Max Marien Robert Peloquin Doug Gotthard Granger Banks Granger Banks Andy Macrae Darius Lukosevicius Robert Peloquin Kay Tauscher Luis Rosenkjer Tyler Sporrer Gregg Mcnamee Paul Greenwood Paul Greenwood Paul Greenwood Rob Sporrer Benoit Bruneau Hugh Murphy Tyler Sporrer Pete Michelmore Pete Michelmore Kay Tauscher Marc Chirico Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Chris Santacroce Jason Shapiro Jeffrey Greenbaum Jeffrey Greenbaum Hugh Murphy Hugh Murphy Pete Michelmore Kyoung Ki Hong Bradley Geary Pete Michelmore
3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 9 10 10 10 10 12 12 13 13 13 13 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 10 12 13 13 13 1 2 2 3 3 3 5 8 12
Corey Cardenas Mike Lissow Katia Baumgartner Troy Ponthieux John Gillmore Bryan Davidson Dave Lynch Todd Selley Todd Cross John Wirt David Oneil Md Michael Nissen Jeff Hoy Jeffrey Brown Adam Szwedo Jim Fardette Elodie Soret George Christofis Sissel Smaller Janet Roddan Louise Bouchard Chris Kontogianis Madhu Chikkaraju Thomas Seaman Tim Robinson Frederic Bourgault Brian Cork Brianna Kufa Michael Lin Troy Ponthieux Don Carlos Bateman Sean Mcdonald John Wolfe Joshua Sonkiss Dennis Pekny Christopher Drews David Robinson Mark Boxshall Sebastien Nicolet George Christofis Janet Roddan Louise Bouchard Mike Mcintyre Frederic Bourgault Katrina Karkazis Wayne Sayer Paula Sayer Justin Kiel Dennis Pekny Neill Unsicker Douglas Stoner
WA WA WA NV CA CA CA CA CA UT CO AZ UT MT WY WY FL NY
WA CA CA CA CA CA MT VT NY
Rob Sporrer Robert Peloquin Bruce Kirk Max Marien Robert Peloquin Doug Gotthard Rob Von Zabern Granger Banks Andy Macrae Darius Lukosevicius Robert Peloquin Kay Tauscher Luis Rosenkjer Tyler Sporrer Gregg Mcnamee Rob Sporrer Benoit Bruneau Hugh Murphy Tyler Sporrer Pete Michelmore Pete Michelmore Richard Shallman Jonathan Jefferies Kelly Kellar Mike Fifield Jason Shapiro Hugh Murphy Kyoung Ki Hong Bruce Kirk Max Marien Kevin Hintze Chris Santacroce Rob Sporrer Jonathan Jefferies Chris Santacroce Scott Harris Scott Harris Bob Hammond Jr Benoit Bruneau Hugh Murphy Pete Michelmore Pete Michelmore Stefan Mitrovich Jason Shapiro Rob Sporrer Christopher Grantham Christopher Grantham Chad Bastian Chris Santacroce Jeffrey Nicolay David Brien
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
75
USHPA STORE
B O O K S
|
MAGAZINE COLLECTION 1971-2008
ou hold the history of our sport, from the earliest
38 great years of free flight fun Within these pages you’ll find the evolution of foot-launched flight from the first days of bamboo dune-skimmers to the modern variety of hang gliders, paragliders and rigid wings. Each PDF file is one complete magazine, just as originally published. Pages with color have produced as color scans, the rest scanned as black and white images. Blemishes or imperfections are present in the original source magazines, some of which were the only known copies remaining.
are packed into these digital
Complete
MAGAZINE
COLLECTION
A P P A R E L
FOR SALE IN THE US ONLY.
So you're over at mission control and the launch coordinator sets down his soy chai latte in a little plastic NASA mug. Nice guy for a desk jockey. But he doesn't know what it's like to have a billion pounds of burning thrust under his butt. You don't either, but you're a free flying pilot working a day job as a propulsion engineer in this weird scenario. So you pull out your steel USHPA mug and set it next to his. "Whatcha drinkin' there, birdbrain?" he asks. Your answer – "The right stuff."
Ydays of bamboo and plastic to the present.
|
BIG BLUE SKY DVD | $29.95
STAINLESS STEEL MUG | $10.00
HG & PG MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ON DVD | $30.00
F I L M S
Big Blue Sky is a feature length documentary about hang gliding, the first extreme sport, and how it started. Big Blue Sky is the story of the Lost Frontier of flight, tracing the origins of hang gliding from the 1880s thru today, focusing on the golden years of this exciting sport, the 1970s. The story is told by the pioneers of the sport, and their stories are illustrated by exciting neverbefore-seen vintage movie clips and still images. They describe their part in history, and the profound effect hang gliding had on their lives. Big Blue Sky is written, directed, produced and edited by Bill Liscomb, a pioneer in the sport of hang gliding. Through his experiences and personal friendships with the pioneers of hang gliding, Big Blue Sky tells an engaging story in a way that no one else can…..
PLAY GRAVITY DVD | $41.95
FLEECE JACKET | $35.00 - 45.00
Speedflying, paragliding,
So you just made 10K
BASE jumping. A plethora
and sent it over the
archives. Watch technique and
of multi-sport action packs
back. No retreive? Why
technology evolve. Learn how
this slickly produced DVD
let that stop you? Be
with more great moments
prepared for a chilly
sites have opened and closed. 1971 - 1973 Low & Slow 1972 - 1976 Ground Skimmer 1976 - 2003 Hang Gliding 1993 - 2003 Paragliding 2003 - 2008 Hang Gliding & Paragliding
Get to know the old school.
1971-2008
than a Mariah Carey holiday
hike out. In Zero Viz
Recently updated to 2008.
special.
Black.
MENS TEES | $16.00 - $18.00
FLEECE VEST | $35.00
APRES-VOL CLUB POLO | $30.00
The inspirational
Your mama told you to in-
Now you can wear the
message on the sleeve
sulate your core. But if you
same polo shirt we wear to
Future issues will be available on an update disk. Compilation copyright. 19742008, US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association. All rights reserved. Other material republished by permission of copyright holders. Please don’t duplicate or reproduce this work without permission. For limited reprint permission (club newsletters, etc.) contact the USHPA office at 1-800-616-6888 or E-mail: info@ushpa.aero Pages scanned and indexed by Scandoc, Inc. of Aracata, CA. www.scandoc.com. Cover design by Gregory Gillam, greg@gillamdesign.com.
Each disk includes Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems.
reads "Looks good, you
want the top of the stack
go first." All sizes listed
to know you're IN the core,
the country
online.
send them an odiferous
club. Where we
message by setting your
work our second
pits free. In Zero Viz Black.
jobs. In Navy & White.
DENIM BRUISER | $30.00
CAPS $20 | OUTBACK HATS $24
Youth XL out of stock
Big air taking you for
Our sky blue Baseball Cap
Limited quantities
a rodeo ride? Get a
is made with sueded twill
remain - order yours
bruiser.You know what
and brandishes the logo.
soon before they're
this is, because your dad
At $24, our Outback Hat
gone!
wears one. Keep it real.
is a real steal. Solid
In High Pressure Blue
construction and snap
denim.
up bill! Crikey!
WOMENS AND KIDS TEES | $5.00! Youth M = Womens S Youth L = Womens M
WOMENS $5 !
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78 | Vive el Valle by Steve Messman
I
t began when my friend, Jim, wanted to go to Valle de Bravo. He gathered a few interested people and began making some inquiries that paved the way. Mike assumed the job of trip coordinator when Jim decided he couldn’t go. Jim ended up going after all, and I did my normal thing of tagging along for the ride. Believe me; the ride, my first visit to Valle de Bravo, was wonderful. I normally dislike travel articles that spend multiple pages saying “the flying was great.” After all, when is flying not great? So, this article is not about flying—too much. The mountain launch that makes Valle de Bravo so famous stands in the neighborhood of 7600 feet. Thermalgenerated climbs to 11,000 or 12,000 feet are common. The thermals are huge and powerful. The gaggles are even bigger: without exaggerating, 100 to 150 pilots in the air at one time. The lift can be phenomenal and even a little wing shattering. The distance flying can be bigger than you have ever experienced, at least in my part of the northwest, and the view in any direction is nothing less than a spiritual awakening. The last thing I will say about the flying at Valle is that if you go, you should definitely be prepared. My week included hours of perfect flying interrupted by seconds of sudden, unexpected, and mind blowing SIV maneuvers. For me, it was a flying experience of a lifetime. More than a flying experience, visiting Valle de Bravo and the surrounding areas was truly a life experience. I spent several non-flying hours walking neighborhoods and sitting in the town square. I toured the mercado several times. I noted that a main requirement for setting up shop seemed to be ownership of a blue tarp, sticks, and ropes, though some didn’t even have that. One man had a stack of hats and his feet. He walked for hours, ever hopeful that even one person in a few thousand would buy one of his wares. Another had a wheelbarrow full of nuts and a stool. That was “shop.” He didn’t
78
Hang Gliding & Paragliding | www.USHPA .aero
sell much, but that man’s face, crevassed by weather, work and worry, partially shaded by an equally tattered hat, was filled with a hope that shadowed despair. Most of the businesses I saw were about the same size as my pantry. Every 10-foot by 10-foot corner became a place to sell something; to sell, literally, anything. Almost every shop had a specialty. There are shops that sold only t-shirts and shops that sold only telephones, teddy bears, wooden toys, chips and cokes, bread, underwear, shoes, CDs, movies, or games. The food markets were postcard beautiful. Most items were fairly local and ultimately fresh, and the variety ranged from lettuce to peppers to tomatillas to bananas and papayas and so much more. For me, the market was a remarkable palette of colors, flavors and smells. I noticed that social activities were not as important as being social, or perhaps better said, being social was an activity all by itself. The people in Valle spend time with each other: not with video games, not with their noses glued to smart phones, not hiding behind ear buds plugged into iPods, not surrounded by television sets, but with each other. They spent time talking, laughing, giggling, smiling, joking, and having fun. Valle de Bravo is not a particularly large city. It has approximately 60,000 people (2005 count). It is, however, a tourist town. The affluent of Mexico come here to play, as do others from many countries. In fact, the area attracts over three million tourists a year. In and around the city, you will see shacks and hovels. You will also find mansions and people that drive huge Dodge Ram 2500 pickup trucks, expensive Toyotas, and Mercedes Benzes. Valle de Bravo, like any city, contains a not-so-hidden world of huge and clearly obvious contrasts. Paraglider and hang glider pilots also come here to play. During the peak flying season, our winter, there are, maybe, a couple of hundred extra people in Valle on any given day. I was asked how we (pilots) affect the Valle community. I
have no real way to answer that, but in my mind and in my heart, I think I know. For a little while during the year, pilots fill some of the spaces in local hotels, often seeking the cheaper rooms. We provide a small financial boost for a couple of restaurants, a few taco stands, and some taxi drivers. We spend a little on trinkets, jewelry, t-shirts and frozen fruit bars, and way more on beer. But we only do it in earnest for a few months out of the year. What would happen if pilots did not visit Valle de Bravo? I can’t be sure, but I can’t believe we have a particularly significant impact compared to the other three million visitors per year. Without us, maybe even without the other tourists, I get the distinct feeling that these wonderful people would continue living and continue being with each other to talk, laugh, giggle, smile, joke, and have fun. And more than anything, and under any circumstance, I believe they would continue to work, continue to sell their nuts or hats or telephones, and continue to look forward to a hopeful future. Vive el Valle.
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