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Kodachrome by Richard Hovie
Chris Wills soaring his Wills Wing
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GR OUND
SKIMMER
JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HANG GLIDER ASSOCIATION, INC. EDITOR:
LLOYD LICHER
No. 11, June, 1973
Submit material for GROUND SKIMMER to the Editor at 12536 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066. Items in GROUND SKIMMER may be reproduced (unless it is noted as copyrighted or all rights reserved), provided crdit is given to GROUND SKIMMER and the author or photographer, if noted.
CONTENTS cover The Colver Skysail, Matt Colver pilot, near Norco, Ca., photo by W.A.Allen 2 President's Report, by Lloyd Lieber, SCHGA President • • • • • • • • . . . . 4 First National Tactile Flight Meet, by Vic Powell, Meet Director The Third Annual Universal International Hang Glider Meet Celebrating the 5 Birthday of Otto Lilienthal, by Jack Lambie, Meet Director. . • . • . . • 10 A Note From Your Flight Director, by Kaz De Lisee • • • • • • . • . . • 12 Ultralight Mail • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 13 SCHGA Hang Badges, Rules • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 SCHGA Hang Badges, Application Form • • • • • • • • 16 Conquest of El Capitan, by Carol Boenish • 20 An Answer to "Buyer Beware," by Paul Whitney • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 Montgomery Flight Competition, by the International Aerospace Hall of Fame • • • • • • 25 New Members • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . • • . . . • • • . • 28 Calendar; Classified Advertising
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SCHGA OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS President: Lloyd Lieber, 12536 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066, (213) 397-4848 Vice-Pres.: Frank Colver, 3076 Roanoke Lane, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626, (714) 546-9647 Secretary: Carol Velderrain, Sr., 4237 w. 160th St., Lawndale, Calif. 90260, 542-4153 Treasurer; Charles Kocsis, Jr., 12328 Otsego St., North Hollywood, Ca. 91607, 762-4774 Flight Director: Kasmer "Kaz" De Lisee, 1138 N. Gordon St., Los Angeles, Ca. 90038 (213) 467-7620 SCHGA is a nonprofit, member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of fuel-less, self-launched ultralight aircraft. Dues are $5.00 ($6.00 for foreign addresses) and include a subscription to GROUND SKIMMER (12 issues). Dues should be payable to SCBGA and seat to 12536 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066.
ADVERTISING RATES, SIZES AND CONDITIONS Display ads: Inside Front Cover/Inside Back Cover, $50 (7~" x 9~"); Back Half Cover, $30 (7~ x 4~); Full Page, $40 (7~ x ~); ~-Page, $22 (lls x ~' or 7~ x ~); ~-Page, $12 (lls x 4~). Photos, $2; reductions, $2; if not photo-ready, $3-$5 for make-up. Classified ads: $1.00/line (no charge to members selling personal items). Deadline: While attempting to catch up and put GROUND SKIMMER on schedule, ads received will be placed in the next available issue unless otherwise specified.
Note: By the time you reaeive this issue, the ne:ct wi't't a'tready" undszt ~ P'tease submit yOUzt ads as soon as possib'te. The June, 1973, issue of GROUND SKIMMER, published in early September, 1973, had a circulation of 3525. Advertising pays for one-half of GROUND SKINNER'• printing bill, a cost savina to subscribers. Support the advertisers, and SAY YOU SAW IT IN GROUND SKIIIIIBRI
GS, 6-13
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT By Lloyd Licher, SCHGA President With this issue of GROUND SKIMMER we have graduated from mimeographing to all printing. Besides enhancing the quality ol che magazine and adding versatility this will also require less time for our staff and hence permit the publication schedule to be caught up in the forseeable future. Membership continues to grow, both in Southern California and nationwide. At the end of August the last number issued was 3718, less 118 dropouts from 1972 puts our membership at 3600, of which about 75 are Family Members so the circulation of GS is approximately 3525. Processing of all backlogged new memberships was finally caught up on August 24th and is being kept up on a daily basis now, thanks to our diligent office staff of Clara Allen and Laurie Aranda. We list another 100 or so new members in this issue, in the 750-850 range, and may do so in the next issue, also, because they're already typed; however, after that the numerical listing will be discontinued because there are too many to make it practical. Instead, we will try to print a directory-type listing of all current members, covaring a number of states in each issue, thereby helping the members know who their local compatriots are so they can contact each other and perhaps start new clubs. For those who can't wait for their state listing, addressed mailing laba!s for all SCHGA members in any specified state(s) may be ordered for 1¢/name (minimum charge is $1.00). Use of such labels is restricted to mailings concerning hang gliding. If any member would prefer that his mailing plate not be used in this manner, let us know and it will be used for SCHGA mailings only. The 1973 Lilienthal Meet, reported on by Meet Director Jack Lambie in this issue, was quite a success, attracting twice as many gliders,~lots and spectators as expected. Fom.mately the site at Escape Country could ace date everyone, and although the winds could have been more favorable there was a ot flying and activity. Our collective thanks to everyone who helped make it happen the way it did. Souvenier posters of the Meet, made by Wayne Donaldson, will be available at SCHGA meetings for 50¢ to members, $1.00 to others. The SCHGA Hang Badge achievement award program is described in this issue and an application form is printed, also. Additional forms may be obtained at meetings or upon request with stamped, self-addressed envelope. Recipients of the awards will be listed in future issues. Bill Allen's ''What's Up!" column is being skipped in this issue because he wanted to help us get to press sooner by typing pages for it instead, as did his wife, Clara. The column should be back in the next issue. This is a good time to give credit to those who helped assemble the May issue, also: Nick Da~fern, Janet and Chuck Kocsis, Chris and Mel Kolisnyk, Rose Marie Lieber, Mark Matthews, Carol Velderrain, Sr., John White and George Williams. I regret to report the death, from cancer, of SCHGA member #133, Margery Cosgrove. She was special in that she had a keen interest in the people active in soaring and gliding, and it was through her insurance agency that SCBGA was able to obtain liability insurance for its flying sites and meets, at very reasonable rates. Nothing like this happens these days without insurance and she helped make it poss• ible. She will be missed. _ In the May issue we printed a member's comments on how some prQducts are, and should be, marketed. In this issue is a rebuttal. SCBGA is not in a position to test and evaluate hang gliders and related equipment so will not make value judgements on them. The pages of GS are an open fo'J"IG for members, however. We just ask that you try to be constructive in your criticism an4, if possible, emphasize the positive way. In this connection, the booing heard at the Lilienthal Meet and SCHGA membership meeting was uncalled for. If you don't like something ignore it, refrain from applause and make private comment to tbe person concerned but please don't intrude on other peoples' enjoyment.
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GS, 6-7j
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CHANDELLE SKY SAILS I 511 Orchard I Golden, Colorado 80401 I (303) 278-9566 CHANDELLE WEST I 1700 West Coast Highway I Newport Beach, California 92660 I (714) 645-5811
FIRST NATIONAL TACTILE FLIGHT MEET By Vic Powell, Meet Director Sunday, Jul y 1, 1973, at Nags Head, near Kittyhawk, N.C. Although the winds were not the best during the day of the meet they w-ere high enough to fly in. .The following day, Konday, tne winds were fl'Om a much better direction, But at least the skies were clear and we didn't get rained or blown out. In the words of the participants the meet ••• "was a success." At the pilots' briefing in the morning I said the meet was called to achieve three goals: to enjoy the sport of hang gliding; to get in as many safe flights as possible, and to provide a forum for the exchange of information and techniques through personal contact, seeing the latest equipment, and watching others fly. '!here was ample opportunity for all three. The meet was certainly a shot in the arm for midwest and east coast fliers. It brought them out of isolation. Many contacts were made between individuals who previously thought they were the only ones hang gliding in their regions. Also, many people attended who did not have kites and were looking closely at the equipment. I expect those manufacturers attending will have an increase in sales. Some enthusia.Bta had never seen a real kite fly and became even more certain that they would obtain a machine of their own. Twenty-Six gliders and 63 participants were registered. Twenty-Three &>gallos, 1 Icarus, 1 Quicksilver, and 1 monoplane by Mike Koman. The people of the outer banks were very kind. Permission was given for the fliers to assemble thsfr equipment near the base of the dunes. 'llle media gave it coverage (newspaper, 'IV) and even t.he rangers at the Wright Mexoorial mentioned the meet in their guided tours ("The spirit of aviation is still alive on the outer banks at the first national hang gliding meet scheduled July lst.ry) And suggested the public see it. It has been suggested that a later date be considered for next year. The winds are good as late as October, and the weather is cooler. I'm not certain that many fliers could take several days off during that period. Most people have vacations during the summer. Perhaps it is something that can be decided du.ring the year. I'd like to hear commrnts. (My address is 7358 Shenandoah AVE, Annandale, VA 22003.) I believe next year will see an increase in vai:iety of gliders, experience level, and number of fliers. I couldn't ask .for an increase in helpfulness, cooperation and attitude though. The fliers and spectators were just great. Thanks for the help Q§ gave in publicizing the meet.
Bob Keeler in a Seagull III at Nag's Head, N.C.
Photo by R.L. Dunston
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GS, 6-73
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THE THIRD ANNUAL UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL HANG GLIDER MEET CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF OTTO LI LI ENTHAL By Jack Lambie, Meet Director The sound of wind whistling through rigging and the flutter of Dacron and plastic wing material marked the biggest hang glider meet in history, July 21 and 22, 1973. Over 400 flights were made by 165 gliders and 305 pilots.· The bowl-shaped site was superbly situated for various levels of experience and spectator viewing. The low "Free Hill" was used for new ships and gaining experience for low-time fliers. The "Middle Hill" was the main contest flying site with its 150-foot crest lined with a brilliant display of beautifully colored hang gliders. The 11High Hill" at 400 feet enabled the more experienced fliers to make straight glides of one to two minutes. Friday night while we put up a few signs and discussed where the registration area and traffic patterns would be, vans and cars arrived from Utah, Colorado, Northern California and many places in between. Excitement tingled in the air. All during the night and the next morning hang gliders and their glowy-eyed pilots arrived. Volmer Jensen with the high-performance Swing Wing, Taras Kiceniuk, Jr,, with the Icarus, of Torrey Pines fame, several of the Lovejoy Quicksilvers and the Colver Skysail flying wing would add variety to the dozens and dozens of·the Rogallo flexible wings with both curved and straight leading edges. Chuck Hollinger's new flying wing was also on hand for its first trial runs. His craftsmanship was excellent. Saturday morning the clouds were still burning off over the lower valleys as the pilots' meeting was held, after which first flights began about 11:00 A.M. with a light and variable wind, Flights averaged 25 seconds but one by Rick Perry lasted 50 seconds. Matt Colver made two beautiful demonstrations of skill and flying savvy when he launched the Skyeail on two long-ranging glides from the middle hill and one from the higher starting point, (See aoveP--Ed.) On and on the gliders whistled from the hill, The trail to the top and waiting line were festooned with the multicolored sails. Mark Lambie, traffic controller at L.A. International Airport, had a busman's holiday operating the take-off line Saturday morning before he had to go work moving the ''big tin" around. Good wind was so scarce that the fliers flew very carefully to extract the maximum float from their wings, The showmen of Bill Bennett's group were real hotdoggers. You could see they were used to long flights from motor boat tows and hadn't had to worry too much about the long climb up the hill. Sharp turns don't prolong a flight. Volmer Jensen pushed his super hang glider, the VJ-23, up the high hill as evening approached and when the light wind died he put the ship to bed for the night. Taras took the Icarus to the high hill and ran off as a thermal rustled up the slope. He wheeled and srung back and forth in front of the hill and then hissed over the landing area in a graceful arc while the buzz of cameras held by amateur moviemakers sounded a steady clicking sizzle. Thousands of feet of film were expended during his winning 2-minute-25-seconds flight , •• Would Volmer beat that time tomorrow? The most frequent remarks commented on the smooth operation and relaxed flying conditions. Spectators seldom wandered into the roped-off flight areas and a few words of caution easily cleared the take-off area. The middle hill was most popular, being just the right height and angle for repeated flights without getting too tired. Traffic was steady with the starter shouting the number of the flier down to Glenn GS, 6-73
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( A 3-shot view of the site during the Lilienthal Meet, taken near the registration table Photos below by George Uveges.
A view of the top of the medium hill from behind.
Activity from the base of the medium hill, one Rogallo gliding down.
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Some of the dozens of Rogallos. In back ground is peak from which five launched.
GS, 6-7
Blackway, via megaphone, for accurate scoring. For those who took the time to climb the higher hill there was a longer flight reward and a chance to glide across the start point of the middle hill. Saturday night saw lots of happy comedy and sharing of the joyful and exciting experiences of flight. Bill Bennett showed his well-made and humorous movies of towing the kites with boats, using his own portable generator and screen. The moon rose over the mountains after the films. Tired birdmen retired early to rest up for another day as the conversations drifted to sleepy conclusions. Sunday morning saw the take-off area even better cleared and marked so fliers who wanted to go ahead of other resting pilots could move more quickly into position. Many of the heretofore low-flight fliers also felt secure enough to try the higher hill. By popular demand more competition was called for so a cloth X was marked in the landing area. This proved immensely popular with the spectators and those who landed close to it were roundly applauded. Steve Wilson showed a fine skill in landing three times on the mark from the high hill and Allyn Perry spotted exactly from the middle hill. Those who swooped low and pulled up for a full stall landing on the spot were spectacular and the audience moaned audibly when the pull-up sometimes carried the glider right on past the spot. One flier made a belly 11wop 11 and slid right across the mark. Who? Why Kaz De Lisse, SCHGA 1 s intrepid Flight Director, of course. All eyes turned eastward when a group launched from the top of mile-high "Saddleback" and began gliding toward the contest site. Two of the five didn't quite make the long glide and landed just short in Trabuco wash, Bob Wills, using his intuitive soaring skills, arrived many hundreds of feet above the landing area and made some exhuberant circles above the gang before landing. The wind was picking up on the higher hill now and Volmer launched himself for a far-ranging glide. The obvious penetration and manueverability of his machine with its full-cantilever wing and balanced conventional controls was a high point of the meet. Thermals were quiet during the flight, however, and Taras still held the duration from that hill at 2 minutes 25 seconds with his flying-wing biplane. Then the yellow-and-white Quicksilver flown by Ron Richards glided out for a very pretty 35second flight which turned out to be the best flight of that type. Taras tried a Quicksilver a little later from the middle hill and posted the second-longest glide at 33.75 seconds in his first time ever in one of the semi-flex-wing monoplanes. Curt Stahl, son of the well known Captain Stahl, was full of energy and in one of his many glides managed to sustain for the longest time in a Seagull III glider with 26 seconds. Several family groups shared use of a glider, such as Paul MacCready, ex-world soaring champion and several-time national champion, and his sons Parker, 13 yrs., and Tyler, 11 yrs., who turned in fine flights. Parker MacCready seems destined to be a winner, too, with superbly controlled glides from both the middle and high hills. Carol Velderrain, fourteen-year-old flier of the Velderrain family, won the best-girl-flier award. Pete Brock, of race car design and driving fame, made many excellent flights and his son Hall, age ten, showed the same enthusiasm with his small Rogallo. His plane showed some of the problems of getting enough lift with a small-area wing. In the light winds he often had a hard time running up enough speed to glide cleanly and made more than one trip from less than the bottom of the hill. Pete Brock, himself, had one hard landing resulting from arriving over the landing place too high of all things. He made a couple of S turns to drop lower, then decided he was still too high and started a 360 which ended in a bang of a landing downwind into the hillside. The only injury was a cracked wrist bone. In over 400 flights, only seven injurtes resulted which needed medical attention. Bill Liscomb cut his leg on one of his Quicksilver flights. Doug F.ronius cut his head when he stumbled on launch in light winds. Also, several sprained or broken ankles and an injured or possible broken leg during various flights during the meet, mostly from the low hill. The injuries seemed due to no particular reason but just GS, 6-73
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the normal missteps one sometimes makes in hang gliding, particularly where the ground is not too smooth, Many thanks are due the volunteer staff of first-aid personnel, headed by Jana Marie Buehner, including Clara Allen, Pat Krueger, Sandra Williams, Penny and Richard Ramirez, Pat and Paul Sabadin, and Mike Norton, plus those who drove the injured to the hospital, including John and Sylvia Anderson and Chris and Vickie Talbot-Jones. Brian Williams made flight after flight. His enthusiastic charging up and floating down the hill resulted in his being awarded a certificate for the most flights. As the relaxed sunny day wore on the peace and quiet was broken by the rasping buzz of the Bennett kite with a flier aboard zooming along with a McCulloch chainsaw-engine-powered propeller. The performance of the Rogallo rose almost to that of an Icarus or Swingwing, but the pilot was roundly booed by some of the pilots on landing. A most interesting performance nonetheless. Rumor has it that on one test
flight he stumbled and the engine pressed him into the ground so firmly he was unable to move. Bystanders couldn't get near but a loaal cowboy lassoed him and was able to flip him over.
He thenfloated at the end of the rope in ground effeet 1"nth his
throttle stuck until they were able to tow him over a pond and splash water on him so the engine quit and he splashed in. Late Sunday afternoon there had to be some kind of culmination after official timing was stopped at 4:00 P.M. or we would all still be there, so a brief pilots' meeting was held in which Otto Lilienthal certificates were handed out, appropriately inscribed with the recipi~nts' accomplishments. The steady increase of gliders at the Lilienthal meets, from 14 in 1971 to 36 in 1972 to 165 in 1973 and the equally dramatic number of pilot participants means that the old days of a few acquaintances getting together for a totally informal meet are going to change into ones in which the sheer size will negate much of that early intimacy and freedom. The many flights being made at a constant and steady rate does detract from the attention of each separate flight, The fliers generally fly to enjoy themselves and each other's company and for the simple pleasures of self-launched flight, Because there is less of a hero complex attached to such flying due to its larger size it is a purer sport, The lack of any selfishness was evident in the smooth operation at the start sites and easy deference to others who wanted to fly ahead of their place in line. The totality of happy and relaxed fun pervaded the site. A fitting tribute to the father of gliding. Photos by George Uveges. A typical flight. air whistling through the wires.
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A Lovejoy Quicksilver over the low hill.
GS, 6-73
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A NOTE FROM YOUR FLIGHT DIRECTOR By Kaz De Lisse It was frightening, lj_fting up the kite and fe'tling the wind fill tbs sail. Trying to keep the kite into the wind on an even keel. People staring anxiously at me wc•.iting fo1· me to take off. f.Tervous1.y glancing over the edge of the slope which was only about thirty feet high. looked nore 11.ks a thousand feet high. The people davm on the beach looked ljke ants. l'y' brain saying "Should I do this crazy thing?ff Glancing side to side to see if my wings were horizontal. Trying to think of some excuse to delcy U.e flight. Saying to myself, "Wllat in the hell am I doing? I r.,i_;_e:t be nuts. Why? Why?" My heart is }Xl:unding, I can feel little beads of sweat or! nzy forehead, I'm starting to breath a little harder. I can fesl the blood racing through my veins. Trying to keep nzy- equilibrium. I suck in my stomach, take a deep bredh, now or never, ready, set, got Run, Runt J felt the wind lift the kite.,. n:t1' feet are off the ground. Wowl FantasticJ I'm flying through the airl ¥..y heart beating faster. I just can't bel-il!V'e it, inC'rediblel Fverything is happening so fast, the wind rushing into my face, my body tense, my l"'Jnd straining. The sickly, scarey feeling in the pit of my stomach. 'Iha grot-r.d is rushing up at me. "Push, pushJ not too much. steady now." The ground only a few feet belo'W. "Pushl F'l.arel Fla.rel" The nose of the kite shot up into the air. I felt my feat touch the gro1.U1d. "Nose down into the wind." Wowl I had made my first hang glider flight. It was a.ne of the greatest thrills of my :ire (one of the other thrills of my life was whan I landed on tha island of I-we Ji.ma with the Fburth Marine Division in World War II). I can rememb9r as a little boy how I would climb up on top of the garaga roof and jump off with an umbrella. There were many nights that I dreamt. that I was flying through the air. !low, ho:ro was the real thingl I was actually suspended in the air by nothing but a piece of cloth and a few pieces of aluminum and cable. I will. a.lwc13"s remember that first flight. Everything was happening so fast that I didn't have til:M to relllltmber what I was instructed to do. The only way that I can describe it is that it was like an accident happening. I guass averyone will always remember their first flight. I have been involvad in this sport for only about a year n:>w and I just can't believe how rapidly it ha:!l grown. Would you belive that in a little less than two years we have over 3600 members in the Southern California Hang Glider Association? Gr~ of the rewards of the hang glid9r 100vament to me was all of the new friends that I have made and all of tha good tim!ts that I have had. I guess we all owe it to Dr. Rogallo. Thanks, Dael I Mt the good Doctor at one of our club meetings and I was very pleased to shake hands with him. Well that's about it for this month. Hava tun, be good and fly right.
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ULTRALIGHT MAIL Dear Sir1
4/73
I would like to report on a one hour and twenty-rive minute flight made near Vornal, utah, on April 30, 1973. Tho nl.ght was made fiom a 975ft hill in a l '/lllph
wind using a 9<f' noood Fl.oxi-Flior built from plans. I took off from tho top of tho hill and turnod to stq in tho lift, making fivo turns a1w~ into the wind. I could go from one end of ths hill to the other, al.ways staying abovo tho top of tho hill and topping out at about loo-lSOrt abovo it. I could have steyed longor but bocame tired and cold(it snowod horo yesterd!ey"J. So made a landing at the base of tbs hil1. I know this ian•t tho rocord or an,ything but it is -thing """ for this aroa. To my knowledge it is tho longoot flight in Utah So, that's tM latsst neW3 from here. I would also liko to complim&nt you on the "Ground Skimor", I enjoy reading it very much.
=·
L,rry Hall #'Zl.8 RT l Box 240-A
Vlern~I, UT 84([/8
Dear Sirs 5/22/73 In Illinois it •s hardor to fly hang glidors, our hills slop, upwards not down.I Rody s. Kim /1750
4934 N Kodzi& AVE
Chicago, n. 60625 Dear Sir1 4/lo/73 ••• Could you adviso as to any kits or plans I could obtain !or Hang Gliders bftcauss I have grown tired of fiyi.ng and watching tin caru,I D. E. Blackadder 1731 l.ongusuil ST st. Bruno, Quaboc, CAIIADA Dear IJ.oyd1 7/3o/73 •• .I sm forming a brand new aircraft company. Thoro aro still JO or 35 "°rking shares open. This company is so new that it hasn't been christemd yet. Yes it will be om h&ll of a good deal and anyone that wants furt.her information can write m • • • • Just ono thing, shaJM holders havs to bo singlo and !roo to rslocato. Woll thanks. llan Hicko /11692 IIR 2
Laurollvillo, 011 43135 ~~of-~ ~ Howzit hanging? Pl.eaoo fill my head up with all possiblo information of hang gliders. l havo to know more about this outrageous oport. All litoraturs rolating to basic designs, histor;r, prices, and fatalities would greatly be appreciated. I am thirsty for kncwlodge. I WllL BE FLYim SOON. Chrio Bskich
35150·23 MIJ.s RD New Baltim>ro, MI 48047 Dear Sir1 7/5/73 •••Ravo lnlllt a 16•611 Kilbo lito from plano in 1ml)!j n.IGHT. l"l.ioo boauti!ully and '111 partnorli oow1ng ino:xporionco and mino provsd IX> problem as our battonleoo oail is aloo "lufflooo". :tbtal cost .... about $].50.co. Jonny Dietch #1550 4500 Groom,ood - 12 Skokie, lL 6C<ll6 GS, 6-73
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HANG GLIDER ASSOCIATION, INC. HAU} BADGES I.
Achievement Awards Fbr Hang Glider Pilots
Purpose and Scope '!he pur}X)se of the Hang Badge Program, as originated and administered by SCHGA for its members, is to provide achievement awards to recognize developing pilot proficiency. 'lhe awards are in the form of card certificates, with optional
pin-on or sew-on emblems available for sale to display one's proficiency level. The Hang-1 Badge is for the first basic hang glider flight, showing that the pilot has experienced that great moment when his feet first left the ground and he entered into fiight. The Hang-2 Badge is given for having learned to control the glider well enough to make consistent straight flights and controlled landings. The Hang-3 Badge is given for the ability to make controlled turns. These three Badges are only a beginning and more Badges will be provided for later, for higher levels of achievementJ as experience indicates what they should be. There is a 25¢ fee payable with the application for each Badge, to cover administrative and mailing costs. Prices for the optional pin-on and sewon emblems for the Badges will be armounced when they become available. IL
General Rules a. b. c. d. e.
III..
All flights must be foot launched with no towing. The witnesses must be notified before the flight as to what is being attempted. (This is not necessary for the Hang-1 Badge because it is obvious that the pilot intends to get off of the ground.) The type of craft fl.own must be indicated on the Badge application form. The applicant must be a member of SCHJ.A (or join at the time of application). Badges must be earned in order.
Badge Requirenents Hang-1 Badge: Make a flight where the glider and the pilot become free of all contact with ground-based objects. The flight must be witnessed by at least one other person wlx> will so certify by signature on the application form. The witness does not need to be a member of SCHGA. Hang-2 Badge: Make three consecutive straight flights, ~ach with a controlled landing (the method of'landing may vary with different glider types). The minimum flight distance is fifty feet along the glide path. At least one SCHGA member must witness the flights and so certify by signature on the application form. Hang-3 Badge: Make two consecutive flights in which a shallow nsn turn is executed in each 11.ight. After this has been achieved, make a flight in which a turn to the right (left) of approximately 45° is made, followed by a turn to the left (right) of approximately 45° to bring the glider back on a glide into the wind. A controlled landing must be made on each of the three nights. At least two SCHGA members must witness the nights and so certi.f,y by signature on the application form.
SC!llA Item #12 (7-7'.l)
,., 6-73
- 13 -
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAN} GLIDER ASSOCIATION, INC. APPLICATION FOR SCHGA HAt'G BADGES (Please 12]'int or type; all information must be supplied for application to be app!'Oved.) Application is made for (circle one): Hang-1 Badge, (Use a separate form for each Badge applied for.)
Hang-2 Badge,
Hang-3 Badge
2.
Applicant's Name, in F u l l : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3.
Street Address:
4. City:
State:
------ Zip:
Applicant's SCHGA Membership Number: and dues expiration date: (Obtain from membership card; applicant must be an SCHGA member or submit $5 dues with application.)
6.
Date of Birth:
8.
Date of qualifying flights:
9°
Location where qualifying flights were made:
10.
Description of hang glider used:
11.
Designer/Manufacturer of hang glider used: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12.
Description of Hang Badge qualifying flights:
7.
Other SCHGA Hang Badges Held:
I hereby apply for the above-indicated Hang Badge 1 (Signature of ~llot Applicant) 13.
Declaration (to be signed by witness; any one for Hang-1, one SCHGA member for Hang-2, and two SCHGA members for Hang-3): I hereby certify that I witnessed the applicant satisfactorily complete all the requirements listed on the reverse side of this form for the Hang Badge circled above. Witness #1: Witness #2: (Signature) (Signature) SCHGA Membership Number: - - - - SCHGA Membership Number: - - - - -
14.
Completed application to be submitted with 25¢ fee to the Administrator of the SCHGA Hang Badge Program, Jana Buehner, 340 Idaho St., La Habra, Calif. 9c:631, #5, within six months of the qualifying flights (no time limit on the Hang-1 Badge). If applicant is not an SCHGA member, $5 dues JlUlst accompany application form.
SCHGA Item #12 (7-73) - 14 -
GS, 6-73
U.S. Pat. No. D22428
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I
CONQUEST OF EL CAPITAN* By Carol Boenish It all st~rted about 8 P,M, Monday night when 7 excited kiters made plans !o fly off Yosemite's sheer-cliffed El Capitan, After making last~m1nute check-ups on their equipment, Murray Travis (58), n~ve Thomas, Curt Kiefer, Chris Wills, Bob Wills, Chris Price, and I packed 7 kites on top of Murray's van and we were on our way, We took turns driving and sleeping, but everyone was so excited over the next day's prospects that it sure was hard to sleep, The whole trip!; success depended upon our "smuggling" the kites into .the park.
We weren'·t sure what the rangers• feelinrs toward
kite flying in their park would be, and we didn't care to chance asking them until after our flight, So we planned to sneak into the park in the wee hours of the morning, hoping that the park attendant at the gate would be too sleepy to notice 7 bright-colored bags with the words "kite'' and ''wing" printed on them. Chris Price took over the driver's seat as we approached the park. It was a little after 5 A.M. and everyone but the driver faked sleep, We wanted to appear to be a group of campers weary from a long di·ive in order to avoid all unnecessary conversation with the ranger, The quicker we passed the gate, the safer we'd feel, The van slowed down and pulled up close to the "hut" so the attendant wouldn't have to move from his chair. "How long are you staying?'' 11 Just for the day." "0,K, That'll be three dollars," Chris gave him the money and the attendant gave him a park newspaper and a yellow receipt. "Thank you. 11 We sighed with relief. But just as we began to drive off, the attendant looked up. "Wait a minute, What's that on top of your van?" "Equipment," said Price and he slowly stepped on the gas before the attendant could ask further questions. Bob Wills whispered, "You mean he doesn't recognize the great kite flyers of El Capitan?" We had to muffle our laughs until we had turned a bend in the road. No one was asleep any more. Now that we had sucessfully passed the gate, we were anxious to prepare for the 6~-mile hike. We winded our way through the mountain roads to the startinll point of the trail to El Capitan. Murray had gotten car sick on the trip and didn't feel up to the hike, so the 6 of us left decided to hike in pairs, Putting a kite over each shoulder and fastening control bars, cameras, and harnesses in the middle, we started off on our adventure. The first part of the trail leads downhill. Bob, Curt, Chris Wills, and Dave were in the lead racing each other and passing. on the curves. Chris Price and I felt that the trail should not be leading downhill and stopped to investigate, !poking for another trail, How~ver, not findinll aff':', we also continued down the road. (This probablj put us an hour behind the others.) But we still couldn't believe that there was a paved road to El Cap! A sign finally appeared and an almost i~oerceptihle trail was spotted, We first started off at a fairly fast pace but.w~ soon ~ound_that we tired too quickly. We discovered that when hiking uphill wit~ two 32-pound kites on our shoulders, a slow steady pace was more sat1s- 16 -
*©Copyright 1973 Carol Boenish
GS, 6-73
factory, What a hike: The trail wound around, seemin~ly in circles: It was not marked, and after a few hours I be,gan to doubt that we were on a trail at all. What made us especially suspicious was that we didn't see any footprints. It had been thunder-showering every day for two weeks and the ground was quite damp in spots, Footprints should have shown up blatantly.
Where could the others bef
They
should have been an hour ahead of us on the same trail. Were we lost or were they? About 4,7 miles up the trail, a sign indicated that ' we were on the right trail. Only 1.8 miles to go: My shoulders felt raw and I was about ready to give up when we saw El Cap, It looked so close! The distance was deceptive because it took much longer to reach than I thought. At last! We reached the top! But instead of a feeling of triumoh and joy, we felt only a sort of relief because we were so-tired and exhausted. The strange uneasiness was confirmed. No one was up on the summit and apparently no one had been there that day. Where were the other kiters? What had happened to them? We were worn out from that exhausting hike. The shadeless summit's temperature was easily 85°or 90~ Our legs ached and our shoulders throbbed under the wei~ht of 2 kites. Worst of all we ·had no water with us and our throate were cotton dry, Having had almost no sleep and no breakfast, we just wanted to fly down to that cool refreshin~ river that looked so tempting down in the valley, We checked out the take~off area. Chris poi11ted out where the best spot would be. He knew where the meadows lay, but we couldn't see the "landing field" from the take-off spot. There isn't as much lip on the cliff as it appears from the bottom. As haggard as we were, we hiked down a good 600 feet (vertical distance) on .~he other side of El Cap from whit~ Chris pointed the landing fieldhYo me. A shiny metal disk was embedded in the granite at that look-out point; it said:'' U.S. Geologica.1 Survey, 7240 feet. 11 By this time we were not alone. Two hikers began questioning us about our kites as we set them up, They gave us some much needed water and as we were too tired to walk an extra few hundred feet to sign the "Made It!" book, they brought it to us. We signed our names, the date and the fact that we were the first to kite off El Capitan. Can you imagine looking down a sheer cliff with a drop of 3600 feet? Most people's hearts would begin pumping furiously as they edgeathemselves back away from the cliff. Imagine sheer granite cliffs with dramatic waterfalls surrounding a lush valley with a river twisting its way through towering pine trees and green meadows. Chris held my nose wires and when the kite was at the proper angle, I ran perhaps two or three steps and was immediately up. Just about this time we heard a shout and a familiar whistle. We were glad that the others were on their way. Later on we found out that they missed the path and hiked a distance before realizing their mistake, (Their hike turned out to be 12 miles.) The lift was so great up the face that you sta)ellevel with the take-off area for several hundred feet. The hikers really freaked out when we turned around and waved. When far enough away from the cliff, I turned back past the cliff and headed past the meadow. The flight plan off El Cap is something similar to Riverside. You.take off into the wind, turn back going with the wind past ~he land1ng area, and then turn back into the wind to land. The w1nd that day was about the same intensity as my first flight off Riverside, I remembered that there was little penetration into the wind. Flying GS, 6-73
- 17 -
with the wind you have ''hauling" ground speed, but al though your air .speed doesn't diminish when flying into the wind, your ground speed is much slower and there is little penetration. After a few turns I becaine concerned with making the landing area and decided I'd rather do any other turns over the meadow if I came in too high,than land in those hundred-foot trees if I didn't make it. That was a wise or at least lucky,decision because as it turned out, it was windi;r nearer the valley floor than at the top so the penetration was really diminished. It was an easy landing, but the meadow grass was at least three feet deep in places so when you were expecting to put your £eet down on solid ground, you found that your feet were merely touching the top of deep grass. So the flight lasted a second or two longer than expected. I saw Chris Price's take off from the air. The lift and winds were sufficient to soar the face of the cliff, but he was too exhausted from the hike to make many turns in the lift, and he 360'ed his way down to the meadow. He followed the winding river and landed next to the bridge on the edge of the meadow. Boy, did he ever surprise a couple fishermen! When we landed,we quickly began to fold up our kites, but a ranger appeared almost immediately. He said that by 9 A.M. someone had reported hikers carrying strange long bags bearinl! the name "Sport Kit.es" on them. Having met Chris Price and Bob Wills three months earlier when they flew off Glacier Point, the rangers were hoping to stop us, but realizing that they were too late, they took down our names, addresses, and ages. "This is a dangerous sport. People could be killed. You could have been blown back into the cliff, You might have landed in the trees, etc., etc., etc. Please stop by the ranger station before you leave the park." But as our driver was no where in sight and we didn't want to leave our kites unattended, the ranger stayed with us to watch the others' flights, In fact, when they realized that there would possibly be 5 others kites off soon, the head ranger and 5 or 6 other rangers hurried out so they could also watch the flights. The head ranger, Jack Morehead, said that there were no rules against kiting in national parks. He stated that their only concern would be the cost of rescuing someone. If we could organize a group that would guarantee paying for a rescue., if it were necessary, kiting there would probably be fine with him. He said that publicity stunts weren't allowed in the parks. He also mentioned that if someone was hurt, things would probably change and regulations enforced. He suggested that perhaps a group or club could make a list of qualifications to determine who's capable of flying off, Chris Wills was the next off and he spiraled down in a series of turns, 360 1 s, and chandelles. I think Chris convinced even the most adamant ranger that kites are controllable, maneuverable, and safe. Curt Kiefer was next. He had the longest flight and also made an impressive landing, further convincing the rangers that kitin~ is safe. The winds apparently had increased by the time Bob Wills launched himself. At take-off his kite almost stalled and began to turn back toward the cliff, but Bob forced the nose down and spiraled 360's in the lift. Then, spotting some mountain climbers halfway up the cliff, he zoomed in close to the cliff for a better look. The rangers loved the flying. Morehead said that he felt that kiting probably was no more dangerous than mountain climbing. To prevent - 18 -
GS, 6-73
kiting because of the danger aspect would mean that they should also prevent mountain climbing. Chris Wills asked one ran~er what his official attitude toward kiting was. The ranger ans.we red: "I can't tell you anything officially, but my personal opinion is that it's great!" The rangers said that they would be eager to hear from us and would like to see how our pictures turned out. Two other kiters had the same idea of flying off Bl Capitan that same day. Ernest Feher didn't bring his kite and was driving for Wynn Nelson. Bob told us that Wynn was settin~ his kite up on top when he took off. We waited for several hours but neither Wynn nor Dave Thomas took off. Later we learned that Dave, thinkin~ he had lost the trail, met with some friendly hikers who offered him help carrying his kite back down the trail . Wynn, however, did take off, He said that he stalled on take-off because of gusty conditions. After he was lau~ed over the valley, the wind threw him back onto the cliff and his kite flipped. Too tired to hike his broken kite back down 6~ miles, he left it on top of El Cap and hiked down alone where his friend, Ernest, picked him up. Late that night some extremely tired but exuberant kiters made
their way home. El Capitan, one of the most spectacular points in Yos~mite, was conquered! More importantly, kiting was introduced to the rangers and proven to be safe. Because of the continuing exponential growth of the sport, people will have to have access to more and more areas. Being courteous and having a professional attitude impressed the officials positively toward$kiting: hopefully this will open the door for tu~ure kiting activity for all kite enthusiasts everywhere. Pertaps the national park officials' favorable impression will set a precedent. Let's hope this represents a trend that will continue in the local areas, beaches, and hills.
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AN ANSWER TO "BUYER BEWARE" By Paul Whitney I read an article in the last issue of .!l§. that made mt feel sor17 for the
writer. He had the improseion that an aircraft designer had to porsonaJ.lT tly 11111'thing he a.signed. 'lhio has rarely been true in the histo17 of aviation - a fact that the writer was thoroughly igoorant of. Another fact that he 1a i&corant of is that a person can be killed from a hunct:red-:toot. :Call. This writer is no '*>ubt upocting some of the ,_ and tut-ruing competition to join in the game of chicken that 80Jll8 of the manutactures aro •111-d. in at this time. '!!lie • - writer is just as muoh aware as UT ot the root of ua that marl7 flV'trry accident to date was due to pilot error. As tar as a designer and ~ facturer spending all his time flying - wh:> wuld tend the storeff Who in his right mind could expect to dictate how much t1- his competitors must spend Ily1ng1 To put the rooord strsight - just about UT llogallo sold todq, or for that matter kits, i f properly put tog9ther by the puroha.. r, wuld !IT, and at _. altitude the pilot caros to fly at.
This is simply a choice of the pilot, u it sh:>uld be, and 1a a test of the man, and not the kite. I was around ,cben ws heard the ..,,. that "I,iok;y Li.nccy" had touchsd down in Paris. This waa a test o! the man. Al.so, when I saw a picture ot the orate that Corrigan flew to Iroland in, it drove hoDB the s - point. Those same manutact"- that ksep talking altitude, tr,y to get their new custo.,,rs to fly off high hills on their first 1'l.ights. I h&ve sffn ID&ITT accide'*happen this wa;r. This writer that wu tl7i111 to chop up his lWW competition 1a not 110rried. about the safety ot hang gliders, but the safety of the innstuent he bu in his
business. Paul Whitney
WHlTIIEY Eli'l'EIIPlllll, P.O. Box 90762, Los Angelea, CA 90Q09 PS. I umost forgot to thank ti,, ID&ITT ro..i.re of .!l§. that responded to our advertise.,,nt of preliminar;r plana. ~ you understood that prelimina17 plana are rough drafts and not sophisticated plana, u you have received on our 1'ly1.ng w:1,pg. You understood that the Porta-Wing is a tuJ.l;r teated, muoh mari<ated, highly 1*vated hang glider. NFJI CLUBS FORMED Escape Country Skysurfing C1ub, Escape Country, Trabuco Canyon" Cal.if'. 92678" (714) 586-7964. $10 dues for the rest of 1973 gives free entrance to !!scape Countcy and their hang gliding site. Mltmt>ership to be limited, 1st come, 1st served. Midwest Hang Glider Assn., c/o Al Signorino, ll959 Glenvalloy Dr., lla17land Hts., lb. 630'+3, (314) 739-3456 or (314) 232-6227 (office). Issue No. 2 of their Newoletter, for August, lists members up through No. 68 and reprints many letters. Oregon H~ Glider Assn., c/o Dave Miller, Pres., 829 HE Imperial" Port.land, Oregon 97232, (50J) 234-4243• Dave has an original Rogallo and a Jobe kite. Wisconsin Self-SOaring Assn., c/o James R. Bunn, 515 Milwaukee Ave., ·South Milwaukee, Wis. 53172, (414) 762-2751. - 20 -
GS, 6-73
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• 21 •
MONTGOMERY GLIDER FLIGHT COMPETITION (Reference 1883 Glider) Issued by the International Aerospace Hall of Fame INTRODUCTION Human nature Deing what it is, considerable importance is attached to matters of priority, and the claim for the first flight in a heavier-than-air vehicle is no exception to this rule. Probably the most widely accepted such claim is that by Otto Lilienthal for a series of well documented gliding flights made between 1891 and 1896. There are, however, a considerable number of prior claims including those by Cayley, LeBris and John J. Montgomery. Tile first published record of which we know having to do with the Montgomery claim appears in Octave Chanute'& book Progress in Flying Machines, published in 1895. Chanute and Montgomery met at the International Conference on Aerial Navigation (August 1-4, 1893) in Chicago at which time MontgOID!" ery evidently gave Chanuce details pertaining to a glider he claimed to have built and flown ten years earlier. The account, as given by Chanute, states that in August of 1883, when Montgomery was 26 years old, he made a controlled gliding flight on a hillside at Otay Mesa, California, of some 100 feet. In later years the claim for the distance changed to 600 feet and so changed in Montgomery's handwriting in his copy of Chanutds book; it is this figure which, by custom., has come to be accepted. Chanute gave the following description of Montgomery's glider in his book: It was "a soaring apparatus, consisting of two wings, each 10 ft. long by an average width of 4~ ft., united toaether by a framework to whi4h a seat was suapended, and provided with a horizontal tail which could be elevated or depressed by pulleys. The wings were arched beneath, like those of a gull, and afforded a sustaining area of about 90 sq. ft. The weight of the apparatus was 40 lbs,, and that of the experimenter some 130 lbs. more." Many people have felt Montgomery's claim of a controlled flight to be open to question due co the lack of suitable documentation. To substantiate the claims for the flights the Wright Brothers made on December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright were able to offer the testimony of independent observers, photographic evidence, and the aircraft in which the flight, were made-.. In Montgomery's case none of these categories of evidence was available. No fragment of the glider was ever offered as proof that it existed. The only corroborating testimonies were statements by James Montgomery that he had accompanied his brother to Otay Mesa in August of 1883 and had helped him launch the glider by means of towing with a short length of rope. The International Aerospace Hall of Fame (IAHF), in line with its policy to support aviation activities, will sponsor the competition to see who can recreate the reported Montgomery hang glider flight of 1883. Anonymous donors have underwritten a grant to provide a $1,500.00 cash prize to be paid to the first person making such a flight under the rules and conditions specified. In the event no successful recreation of the flight is made, the IAHF will award prizes for the best attempts at the end of competition.
COMPETITION RUIES THE GLIDER 1. As a primary guide to the construction of the contest glidet in which the flight attempt is to be made, entrants will be furnished with one set of plans that were drawn by members of the San Diego chapter of the Institut* of Aeronautical Sciences (now American Institute of Aeronautics and Aetrouautics) in 1948 and were based on what was known of the 1883 glider from the extant historical sources and
- 22 -
GS, 6-73
from known examples of Montgomery's work derived from fragments and photographs of his 1905 gliders. While these plans and the specificattons which accompany them show what the I,A,S. members believed to be the most probable construction methods, they do not necessarily represent the only arrangement possible. The amount of negative dihedral, the exact fore-and-aft location of the wing spars and the position of the stabilizer leading edge, for example, are simply approximations. Accordingly, the builder will be allowed a certain amount of latitude in the location of such components. Specifications as to which elements can be relocated and the permissible variation will accompany the plans as part of the contest kit, The foregoing is intended to give each contesttnt the widest possible scope in determining the configuration and characteristics of the glider he builds and by so doing assure the widest possible diversity among the individual aircraft taking part in the Competition. In this way it will be possible to compensate in some measure for the lack of more specific details about the 1883 glider which is one of the weakest points with which the Contest Committee has to work. 2, At the same time, however, it should be unmistakably clear that any glider submitted for the Competition must conform as closely as possible to the spirit of the 1883 machine, This means not only working within the limitations as represented by the plans and ancillary specifications, but, when possible or practical, using practices available to Montgomery at the time in question. Synthetic fabrics such as Dacron and nylon, for example, or dope will not be allowed; shellac, starch, paste, or linseed oil may be used as a fabric sealant. Exceptions will be made as regards certain practices, however. In the interests of safety and general airworthiness, welding will be acceptable as a substitute for brazing and modern solid steel wire and hardware can be used in place of the iron wire and soft-sheet fittings of 90 years ago. Similarly, the choice of woods will be left up to the builder. The completed glider must weigh at least 40 lbs. (a maximum of 5 lbs. of ballast, permanently attached, will be permitted) and must satisfy the Contest Committee as to general workmanship and airworthiness. FLIGHT ATTEMPT 3, To qualify for the MGFC prize, the entrant's glider shall be required to make a flight of at least 600 ft. (double the length of a football field) on a slope not to exceed 11° (about 5:1) in steepness. Distance is measured parallel to the slope. The gross weight of the aircraft and pilot at the time of the flight must be at least 170 lbs., with ballast added as needed to meet this weight. The wind velocity at the time of the flight shall be at least 5 mph, but not exceed 13 mph. A towed assist by a single helper at the beginning of the flight will be permitted, but not required. Thelrlrl.ght of the helper may not exceed that of the pilot by more than 10% and the towline may not exceed 10 feet in length, Release shall be completed within 50 f~. of the starting point. A reaso~able degreee of control will be expected while the pilot is airborne and the flight must terminate with no major structural damage to the glider.
GENERAL 4. The Competition is open to all citizens of any age; however, the pilot for the flight attempt must be at least 21 years of age. 5. All official flight attempts must be under the direct surveillance of an Official Observer of the Soaring Society of America or similarly qualified persons and one other unrelated witness, who, if the flight is successful, will certify to the Contest Committee with photographic material on all aspects of the qualifying flight. E,~3
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6. The Competition will begin on August 25, 1973, and end when the prize has been won, or on August 31, 1975, whichever occurs first. 7. Application for entry in the Competition is made by submitting a $5.00 fee to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame, 1649 Bl Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, Ca. 92101, phone (714) 232-8322. An additional fee of $5.00 must be posted when flight attempts, before official observers, are to be conducted. Entrants will be sent a contest kit which will include one set of I.A.S. plans which may be used for qualifying guidelines for a competition glider. An additional set of plans are available from J.R. Spurgeon, 5590 Morro Way, La Mesa, Ca. 92041 for $5.00; however, they have three non-qualiffing features which must be changed: (1) The front spar must be on top of coverin~ribs, (2) Dacron and 11 dope 11 are not acceptable, (3) The wing area may not exceed the 90 sq. ft. allowable.
SEAGULL AIRCRAFT'S CAMBER CONTROL OEVELOPMENT PROGRAM By H. Michael Riggs With the auccoH of our camber control system (pawnt appl.ud for), u on the Seagull III, ,.. hmt been dloluged with calla regarding tho ,... of this !!n other glidloro. lfo hmt been reNarohing a similar JJirpro,wnt for ohar]>-1111" (W 9rP) l!ogallo gli<ltra. Our testing began with the adapt&tl.011 of a ]1&12' of atook Seagull III leading edge• to a lleagull 1 1 16ft., 8:t' conical, l.'bo aircraft opnd waa l'9duced conaiderabl7. Ha'N9ffr, other of our requinmnt1 wre not JIit. 'Die &IIO'llnt and placonwnt of tho camber is Tiry critical &Cd w hmt undeX'tall.en a ~ a l ana.lyaia of the problem prier to further prototype testing. Y• do nn - a.d&pting lleagull III leading e<1&9s to other maobl ... becauae of the man;r ..rod7namic oonaidloratiollS to be obsened. Tne lleagull III wu dloTlloped for a particular ana, upset ratio, and pnoral ..,.,._ ""nt of tlw glidlor, and it u -•su.r that the s ... treatment be giffn other glidlor t1J'9S• lfo fffl the camber control s111tem will dlofinito]T bentfit the ultralight sport; flT1ng &Cd u ,.. P""" feet the system it will beco• available,
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5-HOUI! DUJU.TIOI n.Illlffll Bob Will.a, of Sport lite,, Ino.,._ Santa Ana, Cal.,
was tho first hang glidel" ¢.lot to break the 5-hour
marl< with a Bept. lat night of 5106118.
He did it on tho Pali in Hawaii whore the steady" trade winds blow against a 1900-ft. ridge, &Cd used a 20-ft, Wills Wing, three ho= into tho night when ho got cold his brother Chris airlifted a Jacket to him on a l~tt. rope from another kite. AIJ soon as Pat Conniry of Seagull Airol"aft, San22 11 x 28" Poster above includes flapping flight information and ta lbnica, Cal,, heard of Bob Will•' night he demembership in American Society Of cided to tey and e:xoood it, He did on llept, Jrd, Ornithopterists. Send $2.00 p.p. stqing up 5121 hours in a lleagul.1 m at Bl!! U.S.A. to: PTERYX MACHINE, Unit 7 Cove, just south o:t the Torrance Beach site. He explored the phononwnal lift fo-d b7 tho 25-mph 7350 Atoll Avenue No. Hollywood Ca 91605 onshore breeze and found it u :tar as 200 yards out. - 24 -
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744.
G. Court, 2 stanley st., Gl~y )046, .:~i:-ctor1,, .Australia
Donald !I, Sweet, 8352 Vereda Del. Padre, Goieta; Ca, 93017 '746, Ernie J, NEBDeth, 53 ~lrey filvd., Georgetown, Ont., Canada, (416) 877-9172 147. Victor Marchi, 2202 S, Forest ·sti, ·Seattle, lia, 98144, (206) 323-1875. _·· •· 748, Grant Ri.cketts, 5637 Keokuk Ave., Woodland Hills, Ca,. 91364, (213) Jl>7-~J27 745,
a..zy Ross, Box 845, Avalon, ea. 90704 . R<>dy Kim, 49)1> N, Kedzie; Chicago, n. 60625 _ 751, stevo Tunnell, 828 Stl!vens HiUs In, #205, ))allas, · Tx, 75208 752. K, J, !-larmon, Bracebridge, Ont,, Canada 753, W, H. 'lolf, )420 Waycross Dr, , Columbus, In, 47201 754, Orlando Morgan, 6501 Ranchester #176, Houston, Tx, 770J6, 771-7817 755, Ronald LeWis, 121 E, )1st St., New York, N,Y, "10016 756, R. A. Colfiesh, 2205 Mt., Camel Ave,, Glenside, Pa, ·190)8 757, Olarles 0, Simmons, Jr,, 2493 Sayner Ave,, Mobile, Al, 36605, (205) 4'19-9004 758. Hugh J. Donahue, Jr., 295.li, Cocanut Lane, ileach, n. 3Jl'.l9 7Y,, Wayne T. l!auschuld, 31?4 N. 55th S1;., Kansas City, Ks. 66104 760, Glen D, stone II, 401 E, Fairb$nks 1 .jC', Winter Park, Fl, 32?89... _ 761. Gerald Morrissey, 21557 Eucaln,t~s Aw., EdgEBDont, Ca, 92507, (714) 65)-4214 762. Ted Sharp, 4624 PJ.acidia Ave,, Ho, Bol.ly,iood, Ca, 91602 763, Christopher Holmes, 417 N, lloria, Redondo BoacI:>, Ca, 90277, (213) 3'19-)422 764. Linda A, Kutcher, 2487 S, Ola Viota, San Clomonte, Ca, 92672_, (714) 492-4896 765, John c. St\111111, 173 Corona Ave,, Long Beach, Ca, 90803, (21J) 439,-8271 766, Barry R, Ungles, 5019 Ocean Front. Walk, ..arina Del liey, Ca, 90291, (21J) '.l96-75!'fi 767, Charles E, Stahl, 26671 La Sierra, l'.ission Viejo, Ca, 92675, (714) 8)1-1861 768, Curt stahl, 26671 La Sierra, lll,ss_ion Viejo, Ca, 92675, (714) 8Jl-1Q61, Flll1ly 7fl:J, Hike llilson, 4149 llegel Oak Dr,, Encino, Ca, 91316, (213) ~ 1 2 · 770, Yrl.ke lll.tchell, 26652 La Sierra, ~sii:on Viejo, Ca, 92675, (714) 8Jl-2J68 Terry s. Urie, 10Jfl:} Marklew Ave .. :.Mission Jl1lls, Ca, 91340, (213) J6.5-6114 772, Erwin L. Long, 5741 College Dr,, ,\i,chorage, Ala.ks 99504, (907) 33~78211 773, Otris Bend.er, 206 Pirie ild,, Apt. H,. Ojei, Ca, 93023, (805) 9'6-76S7 774, Nick Hall.ace, 22031 W, Mc Michals #3, Detroit, Ml., 48219, (313) 5)2-4282 775, Bob Morrison, 1635 Superio; Ave., Corl<! Mesa, Ca, 92627, (714) 548-4098 776, Alan H, S1m<>11, 10921 Wilshire mvd, 16()4; Los Angeles, Ca, 90024; (21J) 478-8788 777, John w•. Clark, 1866-F l!orth1191it Blvd;, Colwnbus, Oh, 43212, (614) 488-;)017 778, George D, Gibson, 9080 Bloomfield Ave;, Sp 21, Cypress, Ca, 9()630, (714) 821-3242 779, Charlotte Gibson, 9080 dl.oolil'ielli Aw., Sp 21, Cyp~ss, Ca, 90630, 821-3242, Family 780, Robert S, Wing, 118~2. Lak~isboro Dr,, Felton, Ca, ..950l8_, 3J5-S607 . 781, Bob Skinner, 5014 µtchfield dd,,' San Ill.ego, ca_, 92116, (714) 28l-90l8 782. Leighton Wells, 548 Pl.ain Tre11, 90290, (213) 455-1909 783, Micha&l M, .Yomag11chi, ).01 s._ &r~+ Ave., !,a• Ang,les, Ca, 9Q0J6 784,' &rt1n I);· Patterson, 1879 La'"!PD, ~,-,(la,. 93QQ5 785, Les Clanton, Boll:,264, Ronkonk"'!'!',;N,Y, ,117?9. ,f · . . 986. Werrii>~, UI,aer, Rodelstr 43, 8266, s,teck],qJ'll, ~tz~r;f.~d, _· : , .. 787, Ron Ascheman, 2)612 Ai,alia PJ..,. MissJ,on:·Viejo, Ca,.,92f75, (714) 8)7-_5615 '788, Donna Ascheman, 23<>l2 ~i!!J').. ,; \'l,J1siO!'l .\'l.ejo,. Ca, 9?675, (714) 837-.5615, Family 789, Cre1/l,Lalloy; 14f39~t.li119st Bl.]1\1., 9µ.Ci;t¥,)'a,.l6'.X)). . , 790, Joseph stoodl&J!!i-29V., {l;;llcott,:-st,,: !)os,-fl.~• .:P:,.,§0018[ :, .. . , 791, Amn. P.obert'Hillor.i,:56'194J.9l;J.,-l'~iiBol1::l-3~, Laredo AFB, ,'I)<, 78040 792. Ralph Byrne, 8201 llamrnotbif,Ave., ,. 11JlOr"'1a, ca,, 91402, (213) _782-4350 . ?93, Ebbert M, Dabl:, J.Q8-A,Ca11,t;i.,•. Ro~!< J/d:•.,. Wal.nu,~ C;eek,. Ca, 9f>~, 935-0182 794, Dan Br1-, 169•A'lle~t,.j'r9~J;}Jr.,,,,So~e, Jlc\l .. Ca, 9?075, ("n,1/) 7S5-J8J9 ?95, Robert I, Woods, 475 _i:v,11rg~ep~c,~1rst,..-JJ.,, 60~9,, (_Jl~) 2?9-4137 796, Lockton Park, 1012 Lincoln Ave,, ~' Ill.ego,. . . Ca, .QZJ'.OJ ·. .· 749,
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llel Kolll!!IYk, 12840 Adffliral Ave., Los Angelos, Ca. 9oo66, (213) 391-319S
196. llark Scll111.nge, 1331 Berea Pl., Pacific Palisades, Ca. 90272
799. Richard P. Kinser, 2SS Sherwood Dns. H, Hewark, Ohio 4JOSS, 366-431&9 Boo. Bill Barnhart, l21S Forest Ave., lluncie, Ind. 47304
8ol. llichael C. Borey, 3227 s. Niagara St., Denver, Colo. 8o222, (303) 758-0771 802. c. W. Clifton, 98S0 Estrella Dr., Spring ValleT, Ca. 92077 803. James Gore, Box 302S, San llateo, Ca. 94403, 347-83SS 8o4. Tom Dabel, l422S Bodmer Dr., San Jose, Ca. 9Sl27 sos. Clarence E. Apel, 6102 w. Aval.on Dr., PhoeniX, A•. 85033 806. Bill Learn, 1683 Lexington, San llateo, Ca. 94402 807. Dr. kudolph Toews, S400 Port.age Rd. AT, Kitchemer 116o2, #1, Niagra Falls, Ont.,can. 808. V. C. Zi11111erman, Star Ht. 1001, Wioaton, Or. 97496 8o9. John MahonoT, 16227 SE 10th., Bellevue, wa. 98o08, (206) 746-7414 810. John Whitmore, 4 Wellington Rd., Del liar, N.Y. l20S4 811. Michael llragila, Box 231, Gathodral CitT, Ca. 92234 812. James E. Carvish, 200 Uranville st., Vanier City, Ont., Canada., KIL6Y6 813. s. L. Franks, 183 Glenmore St., Wellington S, llew Zealand 814. Allan Crommett, St. La1rrence Univ., Rebert !lall, Canton N.Y. 1)61.7 sis. Stan Stokes, 4618 H Hollenbeck, cov1na, ca. 91722, ( 213~ 332-31S0 816. Donald P. Campbell, 1Sl8 Judson ATe., Evanatm, Il. 6o20l 817. Roger Bacon, Rt. 17, llollavillo, H.Y. l489S 818. Frederic H-nwq, 9 Seaman Ave. tli-K, llew York, 11.Y. l.0034 819. Doug Grimes, 317 lat. st. w, Sonana, Ca. 9S476, 938-SJ23 820. Kent Wa,'1181', lll2 Warren St., San Fernando, Ca. 913li0, ( 213) J6l- 1026 821. John Stevens, 866 Filmore, llonteroy, Ca. 93940, 373-0267 822. BilJ. Joplin, 20928 133rd. SE, llmroo, wa. 98272, (206) 79h-6S40 R. Lerui, 28o2 NE lS Terrace, Ft. Lauderdale, n. 33308, (JOS) S6b-l&BS8 e2;. 824, Gayle Wood, lS222 Newcastle Ln., Buntingt<lll Boh., Ca. 92647, (714) 894-1279 B2S. Brian Johnson, 16322 Fellows Dr., Orange, Ca, 9266S, (714) 637-9788 e26. Arthur Guion, 1626\ S.llayflower, llonrovia, Ca. 91016 8?'/. John Maxim Jr., 200 N, Boundal')' St., Butler, Pa. 16001, (412) 287-S419 b2f;. Jack B. Berber, ll8 Centre St•• llilton Ac~, llilton, Ila. 02186 (617) 69S-)488 6£:'9. David B. Farlow, ll S. Termino /120S, Long Beach 1 Ca. 9Q8o3, (213) 431,-068S 830, Robert L. Dunham, Box 671, Canaan, Ct. o6018, \203) 824-S'/71 831. Hoger E. orr, 68S s.orr Rd., Santa Paula, Ca. 9)060, (SOS) S2S-7890 6:32, John Duncan, 222> N. Valeria, Fresno, Ca. 93703, ( 209) 2~3266 833. B. Lavicky, 7'!,7 E.Jeasamine, St. Paul, lln. SSlo6 8)4. Harold D. Ritchie, 4007 Darb,, Ct. NW, Huntsville, Al, 3S810, 8S2-7886 83S. Laurence s. Edwards, Slo8 llarlyn Dr., l!ashingtoo, D.C. 20016, (301) 229-9229 836, Richard Gammon, 1039 Ogden, Bend, Or. 97701, (S03) 382-3082 8)7. Bill Torrell, 2296-A Orange Ave., Costa llesa1 Ca. 92627, (714) 6li6-2S87 838. Dennis Vail, Box 64S, Pnce, Ut. 84S01, ( 801J 637-0043 639. J...,a H. Symons, Jr,, 28)6 - 27 St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008 840. Douglas 11. Bentley, 1S70 HollJ"Wood Ave., Sa1t Lake CitT, Ut. 8410S, 486-9489 841. Jerry L. Hatzfeld, 3948 r,oodtellO¥<,Dsllas, Tx. 7S229, ;!Sl-~8S 842. Ttomas Kunz, 3308 Morris St. NE Ill>, Albuquarque, 1111 87lll, 296-1769 643. Honcrt Beck, l94S Norfolk, Westchester, 11. 6ol.S3 844. Jw,es A. Lyne, Jr., 730 l>J.Tsian Fiolda Rd., Nashville, Tn, 3720li 84S. Joe Kel11a7, 2!,201 Leytan HS, Torrance, Ca, 90S0S, (213) S34-4100 846. Oary Br-ownell, 404 w. l'orsst, //J08, Ypailanti, 111. 48197 C47. Paul JI. Brna, !lox 69, Roscoe, Penn. lS477 AUJ'OJ'a, Co. 80012, 343-4869 848. John H. HouOBr, 13199 E.Center
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VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN & CO . < r-
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VELDERRAIN & CO.
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FLY IN A FLIGHr-TESTED KITE
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GREAT FOR SOARING
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VERY RESPONSIVE
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Under $200.00 with Polyethelene sail.
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Plans, Kits, Hardware and Accessories.
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VELDERRAIN &CO. Box 1946-G Los Angeles, California 90028
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VELDERRAIN & CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN &CO. VELDERRAIN & CO.
TRUE FLIGHT
THE BIBLF REAL BIRDMEN HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR Here's the whol, story on the principles and p , actice of building and flying Hang <'.aiders. The emphasis Is on tt e popular Rogallo Wing, using Kllbo , rans and Author Herman Rir.,! takes the beginner through the whole procedure in acquiring m .rterlals, proper construction, safety and flying of this exciting Oelu. wing glider. D The book, comple"e with plans, Isyours for a $5.00 check mailed to: True Flf8ht, Oeot-GS.-1719 Hlffsdale Avenue. Sar, Jose, California 9512A Ppd.
LEARN TO FLY OR JOIN THE NEW SPORT IN A VOLMER J-11, "SO-LO"
* Build the world's firs.t fully controllable hang glider . * Standard aircraft controls. * Fully engineered.
* *
Can be built in 6•weeks spare time. Material cost approximately $200.00. Send $2. 00 for literature, Bpecifiaations, and photo.
VOLMER AIRCRAFT
Box 5222 ~Dept.GS Glendale~ Calif. 91201 GS, 6-73
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
C~~5
for ~~~-: $~.00. peri,line (no._ c!1_,rge t_o meJlil'\>ers a~vertising -per_sonal, i~e~). HANG GLIDERS CRONKITE 5. $275, Needs no wind to glide. Super soarable. Very good condition,
.'~ DacronJiij~l'{.Waul Hofman, 6470 Lake Mere Ct., San Diego, Ca. 92119. (714)463-5262.
CRONK 5 tJr:'~-!ile:
.. offer.
Excellent soarer •. .,No' problelils. 'Poly sail with design.
Make
(:llJj 454-8205, or 1331 Bere~ Pl.,,.Pacifi~,Palisades, Calif. 90272.
MU_ST SELL:
16~-foot kite.
cable,
Flies like a bird.
Blue and··white 1:8.dial DaCi:-Oil sail.
All plastic-coated
Only .$200.00.
(213) 375-6197, Tom O'Brien. QUICKSILVER. BuiH from Eip"per kit. Red and purJ)le 'Sail Forms wings, swing seat, custom cover, gold anodized tubing. $550,00. Brian Jacklin, Newport Beach. (714)M~7712. . .. • . MISCELLANEOUS FO~ SALE: 6061 T-6 .049xl~ 11 18- & 20-ft, lengths. 80¢/ft. Complete frames $80.00. Concepts, 1635 Superior Ave., Costa Mesa. (114) 548-4098, WANTED: Fabrication materials, parts, partially assembled or completed VJ-23, Icarus, Quicksilver, etc. Jim Stuart, 1300 Meadowbrook Rd,, Altadena, Calif, 91001. (213) 794-3891. PTERYX MACHINE, 7350 Atoll Ave,_, Unit 7, No_. Hol).ywood, Ca. 91605. Man-carrying Ornithopters, Ultra-light Sailplanes, machine shop services. Exploded ornithopter drawing and parts list, $2.50 postpaid. 11 I want to fly like a bird" poster, $2,50 postpaid. Headquarters American Society of Ornithopterists, membership $2.50, includes "I.want to fly like a-bird 11 po1;1ter, postpaid. SUPPORT GROUND SKIMMER, Tell advertisers you saw their ad in GROUND SKIMMER/
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Sept. 8-9, 3rd Annual John J. Montgomery Memorial Hang Glider Championships, Pio Pico Pa-rk, 2S IDiles sou~~t-.,~~i}iP.R-'Diego, Calif. on ot:a:y Lakes.:Rd',, near Hwy. 94. sept. 11, Tues., 7:30'\~ljf/,'.~·::bi~E!ctors' Meeting, -at_ home of ,Vice-President Frank Colver, _307_~ 'Rbariolce.. Lane, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626, p]:u>n~ (714) 546-9647. Sept. 15-16, Midwest -Hang Gl;i.deT;\Mftet,- Cjhokia MotDlds State ·Pa-rk'~ tll., just ~ast of St. Louis, ~o. contact AJ.. SUAAbti?W~~~:J1959 Gleftvall~y ;or., Mi(ryland Hts_., ·Mo. Sep~. 18·, Tues·.·, --7 :·-~-~:'._11 .M'~~'_:'SCl:fGA.f_' _·~~hi. Meeti~ , Dep~_. ~~ Wate_r & Power ~uditorium, 111 N. Hope -$.t., Los Ail_ •L:~.:-, _osite Music Center). · _·Park ... free at Gate 6. Sept. 29-30, Escap='r Co~tJ:Y.lfahf.'~l:i.:.9•.J'~.'.-eet, Escape Co~try~ T~a.bui;o Canyon,. Calif.__, _1~ 1J1L:;~,",.:.Offil1Jt!:·ni~~9,}~~~-;-:}.i.t El T?ro Rd. frophie~ t_o .. be awarded._ Oct •.4, . Th~r~; .7:3.Pc.,.~~~,\~:~l~;,p~--?!'1'1·Ult7ahte Fl~ers Organu~~1,on, Aerospac~ Museum, 1649 El firaclo, 8alb6'a ·'l'lh:''k, Di.ego, Cahf. . Oct. ·7-8, Seattlt!c Hang Glider Fly-Inj · Contact Bruce Barr, 17360 ~each Dr •., @j:. Seattle, Wash. ,98155;' phOtle (206) 363-0900. ··· ,'.:' · . ,' · Oct. g, Tues., 7: 30 P .M., SCHGA Directors' Meeting, location to .be.~_annoUnced,•.. Oct. 17, wed., 71--30 ·p~·Mv, --SGHGA Memb&rship Meeting, Dept. of Wateir: & Power ,~4.~torium, 111-'N. Hope St. /IUoS.CArtgeles (opposite Music Center). P3.:rlc free __ ~t,'-_~a:~e 6. Fall, AU-Day Seminar .:on·,tta:ng GU-ding; tO be cospQ_nsored by Northrop Institute of Technology and SCHGA~ ·:'Date ·and loCation in LoS ·Angeles to be anno\lllced. FaU,,·Hang Glider Fly-In· in Washiligton State·, dates and location to be ann?llllced. Cont'act Bill JOpUrti1B0x 144, •Mortroe, ··wash. 98272, p-~~~ ,~) 794~-;..77.. ,1l7! Nov. 24-25, Annual Turkey Fly, to be sponsored by SCHGf(:::t _ __ pe C~, , Trabuco Canyon, Cali-f-;,··'5o·nti.;"·'.'5~--C!f Los Angeles. Exit San\. ,;, .. -·.; _ ~· .att-..1 Toro Rd., go east 13· JD.L\· 2 mi. "p&st -o~Ne'ill Park. "'}rt'. -· ...,_. :·. :C->' . Jan. 26-27 1st Annual Or. Francis M. Rogallo Hang Glidir Meet, a,b1rthday tribute, to be sPonSO:ted·-'bY sciiGA/at Escape Co\Dltry, Trabuco Canyon, . Calif •
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EIPPER-f()RMANCE INC. (Adnrtlseunt)
NVMBEltDNE
AUGUST1973
741-CS East 233rd Street carson, Califnrnia9D74S
Copyright O 1973 Ei pper•formance 1 Inc.
BIRfflDAY BIRDMAN SOARS FROM VOLCANO 9! ML Highest Foot Launch Mark Also Set 4t m Feet
Dealership Program Starting in mid 1973, Eipper-Formance, Inc., has begun a dealership program which will help the sport of hang gliding to grow smoothly and safely. to qualify, dealers must be advanced hang gl ider pilots with the ability to manage a business serving beginners and experienced pilots alike. We are happy to introduce these many fine enthusiasts to .)IOU:
*
CALIF./ORANGE CO. Sky King ~nterprises, 1101-EC W. Stevens #47, Santa Ana, CA 92707;(714) 556-0916~ask for Terry Raymond. CALIF./~AN DI EGO Flight Realties, 5014-EC Litchfield Rd., San Diego, CA 92116; (714) 2819018-ask for Bob Skinner. CALIF./S.F . BAY J&G Aircraft, 1137EC Jamestown Dr., Sunnyvale,CA 94087; or (408) 245-0146 (415) 948-0294 . Ask for Gerry Ross or Jim Diffenderfer.
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Cronk Gets Above It All Dave Cronk really • caught attention with his long, we ll controlled glides wi th the Quicksilver at the 3rd Annual Otto Lilienthal Meet at Escape Country, Calif. on Aug. 21-22, 1973.
Weather
... or not to fly. Avoid gusty or high wind conditions. Avoid over confidence. And don't let peer or crowd pressure override your better judgement. Think before you leap:
COLORADO STATE Get High, Inc., Box 4551-EC, Aspen, CO 81611; (303) 9253275-ask for John T.otman. HAWA II N ISLANDS Bird's Nest, P.O. Box 244-EC, Kula, Maui, Ill 96790. No phone, but ask for Dick Eipper.
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~EW ENGLAND AREA Sky Sports, Inc., P.O. Box 441-EC, Whitman, HA 02382; (617) 447-3773-ask for Ed Vickery or Tom Peghiny. NORTHER1f ROCKIES Upward Bound, Dept. EC, c/o General Delivery, Missoula , MT 59801;(406) 5495076-ask for Bill Johnson.
*
CALif./L. A. AREA Eipper - Fo rm ance , Inc. (see address a.bove); (213) 6494420 or 775-3087.
BIRTHDAY BIRDMAN, DICK EIPPER, flying a Flexl Flier at Torrance Beach, Calif., earlier in 1973 before his record flight from Haleakala Volcano in August.
Dick Eipper, age 27, celeorated his birthday Wednesday, Aug. 15, oy runni ng off of 10,023-ft. Haleakala Volcano in Hawaii with his 17-ft."Flexi Flier" establishfng new world's records for altitude drop and distance in a hang glider. Dick's flight began at 8:40 AM HOST when he leaped from the 10,012-ft.level and descended to the volcano's base at 1,650 f t . , droping a record 8,362 ft. while traveling 9-1/4 miles crosscountry and staying
airborne 19 mins., 39 secs. Dick reported a spectacular panorama of the Maul countryside~an unobstructed, bird'seye view which lasled more than a quarter of an hour while the goddess, Pelee, slept below the volcanos slopes in the windless, early morning. A co-founder of Eipper - Formance , Inc., Dick Eipper now resides on Maui where he operates a factory outlet serving the Hawaiin islancls. Right on, Bird!
Cronkite Retirement Told
Lovejoy's Quicksilver In Mercurial Rise Dave Cronk,designer of the Cronkite and supervisor of Cronkite and Quicksilver production at Eipper-Formance, In c. has phased out the
Escape Country motorcyc l e park, site of the 3rd Annual Lilienthal Meet, is now open for hang gliding . There is a sma l l admission fee, as you would expect. Take the San Diego Freeway to the El Toro Rd. offramp in Orange County, Ca., then head east following the sig ns past O'Nei l Park to Escape Country. With hill s suitable for beginners, intermediate pilots and advanced pilots Escape Country is a well chosen l ocation also for Te rry Raymon d' s schoo l and Eipper-Formance parts outl et (what other flying site has the proper spare parts on hand? '. ). Besides Terry, E-F dealers Get High, Inc. (Colo.) and Flight Realties (San Diego, Cali f . ) orfer formal, regularly sc hedu l ed trai ni ng programs.
Cronkite in favor of added emphasis on the Quicksilver and developme nt of his new Cronksai 1 flying wing. In convincfng his partners in early 1973 that the Cronkite should be discontinued, Dave cited several reasons: The low public interest vs. growing interest fn Bob Lovejoy's Quicks i1 ver monop1ane. The dema nd on his time by the wh i1 e the Cronkite Quicksilver sti 11 wa~ not in fu ll production. The difficulty in convincing builders and pilots to stay within the safety parameters of this high perfonnance design. The redundancy of having two high ·performance designs and also the then recent addition of, the Flexi Floater {large std. Rogallo) wh1cl\ can be flown a 1most as well by advanced pil ots at lighter wing loadings in smooth coasta 1 winds. And t he need for Ei pper-Forma nce with designs such as h'is Cronksail to continue to lead in developi ng simple high performance hang gliders . Si nce the Cronkite was discontinued, Dave Cronk has put the Qu i cksi l ver on a full production basis with parts, kits, and complete models being readily
available. Also , the Cronksail prototype has been constructed and its test flight program has been entered successfully.
Plans Updates FLEX! FLIER-- 1st (1971) and 2nd (1972) editions. People holding t hese plans are encouraged to obtain the 1973 all new edition by ret urning their old set along with $2. FLEX! FL i tR-- 3rd (1973) edition. Pages 4.12 and 4.13 have been replaced with new ones dated B-20-73; and pages 4.3 1 to 4.33 and 4.X (errata sheet) have been added with date 5-11-73. People hol ding this edition without the above pages may obtain them by sending either 50¢ or a stamped #10 business envelope with return address. QUICKSILVER--Holders of these pl ans wit hout revision sheets U' s I and 2 may obtafn the re visions by sending either 50¢ or a stamped ~10 business enve l ope with return address.
Bob Skinner's "Guide to Ro gallo Flight" is now available either by itse l f ($2, postpaid), or as a part of the new EipperFormance ~jng Glider Man ual 10, postjiaTc!T"", which includes the Fl ext Flier and Quicksilver plans and large catalogue. The "Gu i de to Roga l lo Flight" has 14 pages packed with instructions and ILLUSTRATIONS on how to fly a std. Rogallo. This-probably the most accurate and complete set of i nstructions yet written, is a result of Bob Skinners exte ns ive flyi ng and teach ing experience. Bob oper; ates the School of Flight Rea liti es at Cantamar, Baja California, from his locati on in San Diego where he represe nts Eipper-Fo r mance,l nc . Webster Noah has just flow n his hang glider, t he "Ark, " for 48 days and 48 nights.fighting torrential waters for a new wor l d's record for bladder control. After l anding,he was seen running for a distant tree line. (Congrats,Bob & Pat!)
The Ground Skimmer, No.11
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