USHGA Ground Skimmer October 1976 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

. '

Although only 14 WILLS WING SST's entered the 1976 World Open at Country among a field of over three hundred and fifty competitors, 10 SST's qualified among the top one hundred gliders. When the field was cut to fifty, 8 SST's were still in the running. When it was cut again to ten, there were still 4 SST's in contention, ,rnd when it was all over a WILLS WING SST was the highest placing rogallo in the meet, as Dave Saffold finished second overall in a production SST 1OOC. The other three in the top ten were Dave Vincent, Curt Kiefer, and Bob Wills, all in production SST lOOB's. Meanwhile, Al Bartholomew was flying his SST I OOB in the U.S. Nationals qualifying meet at Mountain. Al took first place by over ·1,000 points. These impressive accomplishments follow on the heels of Chris Price's incredible 33.6 mile world record cross-country flight across the San Fernando Valley in a production SST 11 OP. Find out for yourself why the SST is performing these feats. Don't just talk to a salesman. Test fly an SST and discover,

I LS

I l

1208 H East Walnut Street Santa Ana, California 92701 (714) 547-1344

I N

i Ii

Dear Cood News! At long last the USHGA finally red its own liability insurance for its members and is in the process of irnplemen1ing lhe program. The coverage is for $50,000.00 limit personal liability and property with $250.00 deductible per claim. Thf're will be no lirnil on the policy, me,ming that coverage for all rnernbers would not be lost if there were a nurr1ber of claims paid. USHCA's contingent liability for meets will be covered for no additional premiums and all coverage should be worldwide (there may be restrictions for some countries with local laws that make it difficult to provide coverage). Also, there will be no site restrictions in the U.S., so anywhere you fly, you will have liability insurance if you are a USIICA member with coverage. At this very moment, the Board of Directors is voting on a membership dues increase from$ J 0.00 to$ 15.00 to accornrnodale the insurance premium. There rnay be a provision for non-flying associate members who do not coverage to pay dues of $10.00 per year, although only membership they would receive would be a membership and ption to "Crounc/ Skimmer." Insured members would be those who had paid the new dues rate or the additional dues arnoun1 of $5.00. Insured members will be issued a new membership card with a statement printed on the back certifying they coverage, needing the members signature to validate it such as on credit of insurance will not be issued to insured rm~mbers, but those who need it can be with a photocopy of the master policy which will be issued to USHCA. Individual members will be able to purchase additional coverage if needed. As soon as the vote is in frorn the of Di you will be notified to the established of our new policy and how you may obtain the insurance as soon as possible. This is a step for our wonderful sport and should open up and preserve more flying sites for everyone. We urge you to participate in the USHCA which is continuing to provide the amount of to its rnembers available anywhere in hang gliding.

Trip Mell Chairman, Membership and Development Comrnittee

OCTO BER, 1976 ISS U E NO . 45

EDITOR : Rich G rigsby LAYO U T & D ES IGN : M.irk All ison EDITOR IA L ASSISTANT : Sh.iron Grigsby OFFICE STAI- I MANAGER: Caro l Veldcrrain - Sus,,n Bis· clrnf, Cathy Co lman , H edy Kleyweg, Jan et Meyer

GROUAD ,HlfflffllR

USHG A OFFICERS PRESIDENT : Vern Rouncli re e V ICE PRE SIDENT : Johri L.i k•' SECRET ARY: Joh n I ld11·1~ TREA SU RER: Lloyd Li cher

fflAGAI IRI

U SHCA REG IONA L D IRECTOKS REG ION I : Vern Rou nd treE,, G il Dodgt•n. Rf . C ION 2: l ee Slerio,, John G rJ ce.REGION J: Lloyd Lit her, Dan l'oyn tl'<, lohn I ake, Chris W al l, REGION 4 . D on Ben ch . REG ION 5 : Ga ry O sJb,1. REGION 6: Darry l Sm ith . REG ION 7: M i k e ,!. l ,i,k,IS . REG I O N 8 : r om Peghrny, [),rn Ch ,,p man . REGION 9: Vi<. Powe ll. Chuck Sl u, .uu yk. RE GION 10 : Harry Rob.b, John 11.irm REGIO N l I : Dave Broyles. DIRECTO R!> - AT- 1.ARGE: RE G ION I : Bi l l lohmo n. REGION 8 : A l M u lal li . REGION 9: D e n n is Page11 . l<EC IO N 11: Jo h n W h ,te. HONORAR Y D IRECTOR : Hu gh Morton . EX O FFICIO [) tREClOI< o l UStiGA as w e arc a d ivision of NAA: Gen eral Brooke A l l0:,n .

The Uni ted States H ang Gliding Associ atio n, Inc., i, a <l ivision o f the Nationc1 I Aeron autic Asso cia tio n {NAAJ w hich i s the officia l U.S. represenlative of the FecJerution Acro n.:iutique Interna tionale (FA il, the world go verning body for ~po rt aviation . The NAA, wh ich represent s the U.S. at FAI meeting, , ha s delegated to the USHGA superv ision o f FAl-relctted hang gliding activ i tie~ $uch as record attempt~ ;md competi tion sanctions.

CON TENTS

U LTRALI G HT CONVERSATIO N

ULTRALI GHT N EWS

CA LEN DAR

TH E WIN O G RADIEN T by lo hn Lake

SOA RIN G BIRD AERODYNAM ICS- CLUES FO R HA N G G LI D IN G hy Paul B. M acCready, Jr.

1976 TELLURIDE INVI TATIONAL by Shine

TH E STO RMSOF WIN D HAVE N-PA RT I by Lisa Tutt l e and George R.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

R. Martin

BOOK REVI EW by W. A . A llen

BALLOON D ROP TESTIN G by Wi ll iam Pregler

1976 FATALI TIES: A FIRST LOOK by R.V. Wi ll s

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

C O N SU M E R ADVI SORY : GRO U ND SKIMMER and USHGA. Inc. do not endorse or take any responsibility fo r the products advertised or mentioned within these pag es. Please consult the HMA or pilots and dealers in your area. LROUN U ~KIM,'.tl--R 1, publii, hc!d ttu h,1nt4 )tl1 drnK "POlt en1lw ,,.,..,t" 10 < 11•,1w 1w 1li1! 1 111ll're~1 rn 1tw , p,ut. h e ,I l'He.11, .. 0 1 O pt•u < Olllflllll\lt ,I IIOH ,l n d l o ,t d VJII( t' hanp, ).!l 1d 1ng mc:,lhocl, ,i nd .,.,fol"' . Con1 1thu1101h Mc· w elcome . J\nvon c •~ 111 v11cd 10 c o n111 l,0 1(• ,l1t 1<. lc-....

p holm,, ,rnd diu:-. 11:11 1t 111 .. , o n, t~,n,ng li.1ni,; ~licf,n~ .u -

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<u o pmJon, of Lo n 111hvtor..

C KO LJND ~KIMM I I< " 1>u hla,h ,•d nau nih ly 1,y lht• U ni ted ~ l ..1H.'" t-1,.m g G lidu1H 1\ v~o<.:i ..10011, IIH. wflo.,_e m ..,.t111K dd<l,e~, , .. P.O . n ox. 66 W 6. Io, Annc·l e,,

C ..1h( ~OOUb .t nd w ho,e oH,n·~ arc lo cateU ..,1 1 l t 12 11, V e 11 1l1.;· Bl vd , Io, A ngelt'!t, r.111 1 9 0060, l(lh•p hor1l' (2 1 11 Jq(}. J06'l Sctoncl-c l,t1olio 1K,.. 1~,~e 1, 1>,1otl ,ll I us An ~ele,, C.d11. CROLJN I) \KIMMl'R " 1, rin red hy \ i 1H Ja11 f1110 11n~ & I 11ho, Alham h ,.1 . CalaL Sub'>c. t 1p110 ,, 1, ,-tvMIJblc• o nty .-.., p J tl ol membt',.,h1p 1n the U~H t,A, ,1 memb1•r t onlrollccl educa11onl1l .rn<l ~Cit'fl lifi<. o rg.:1111 ,JUon

ded•ldte<l l o ~x plo, ing <,JI

i.'ll<'h of lut•II (' .., , :.t.: 11-twnched uhr<-1 hgh1 1l,~h1 Mt_1m bersh i 11 i , 0 1.H:n to ,tnvune i nlen.>.,te<l tn ti)" re;dm 0 1fl1MhL Due., M C $ 10 per yt'.H f$ l l 1o r 10 ,e,i,tn ,J(hJ, e<:,!lt'')I 0 1 w h1<'h M l! ,le!t1g11J led lo r n p·

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lion 10 G ROUND SI\IMMER. Ch,lllRe s 0 1 addre,, ,holJl<l l).-~-,er1 1, ix wt:,.,k, in ,1dv,11,c c , ,nc l1uling thHnc,, USI IC A ro(•11)b1..-r, h i p numh<•r, p rev10"1, ~ul d 1ww ,trl-

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COVER : Rocky M o untain High -

Rob Reed from Sylma r, CA fl ies his Phoenix 68 10 3rd place at lhe 1976 Tel l urid e Invi tational in Co lo rado. (Complete story and photos, page 20) . Color cover donated by Delta W ing Kites & Gliders, Inc. Photo by Bellina G ray.

Dear Editor, Torn

Cmund Skimmer

my article on Battens (CS July 76) has touched on some interesting points. The intent of the article was not to imply that American manufacturers havf? just now started the investigation and use of battens, but to discuss what has now become almost a plague. There is too often a in this business for individuals or companies to claim that they were the first to develop a certain idea. In very few instances do good (or bad for that matter) ideas spring full grown in a given instant. They grow from the combined experiments of lots of peo pie, and becaui;e of that they frequently grow in many heads at the same time. Bal· tened roach kites and truncated kites are two designs where this has occurred. As an examplt>, here is a short h lesson on kite design. Truncs have been around for at least 14 years. NASA did wind tunnel research on some aspect ratio 6 kites with sm,11/ !runes in 1962, and reported very favorable gains in IJI). As early as 1971 Bill Liscomb built and flew several truncated kites, one of which had cylindrical lead Starting in late 1973 things got hot. More truncs wen.> built by several Some some BAD. Also, kites started showing up that were using full length battens. Mid 1974 saw a rather remarkable looking fully bat· tened, roach tip (sound familiar?) k.ite by Dave Cronk. Wink Saville built a glider similar to some of the newer Electra-flyers and Bennetts, except he had cylindrical leading Torn Peghiny came up with two battened, truncated One with aerodynamic control, the other with pure weight shift control. Chris Price made an enormous !run· cated glider to carry elephants with. And all this before the celebrated Nationals of 1974, at which Roy Haggard debuted the Dragonfly.

All of these have made major contributions to the adwincement of kite sorne their successes and some by their failures. The one u note in Tom Eckles' letter is when he claims that the fixed c:irnber of tubular battens is an He has touched on the problem, bu! has go1ten it all backwards. When a cambered section gets to cenain of attack, usually around zero it develops mornent, unless lhe will1 sufficient reflex. What this means in practical terms is tha1 ;in un cambered airfoil, when flown at zero of attack (or thereabouts) will try to turn upside down. That, in kite talk is tuclc rhis is not idle it is I-JARD, REAL, IiONEST, aerodynamic FACT. OnP well known manufacturer is having I his sort of problem right now, ,ind they are finding out the very hard w;1y that when tubes arc bent into an airfoil shape, (in this case the keel), the glider h.Js, because' of 1ha1, a strong to tuck when in a ng" or deflated dive. Apparently, the only way to counter that tendency is to have either a st reflexed kee'I (/ikr~ the Seagull IV), or truncated tips with high Pnough washout settings lo provide total, system wide, dive recovery. One other note, just because a kite feels (has positive bar pressure) when it is flown in a dive, doesn't mean it won't tuck when dropped deflated. There are a corn· pletelydiffcrent set of aerodynamic effects in play in each inst,rnce. Camber is if not understood, and fixed camber fixed camber. That means it's always there. If a sail is made with battens that wi 11 blow down when the of attack gets low, the camber goes ;iway. 13ut a batten or keel sits there obeying laws and trying to turn your kite over. Neat, huh? Torn, but you are Wrong, Wrong, Wrong. And I nobody gets hurt beca use of it. Jim Walker Solana Fleacl1, Cal if.

Dear Editor, Reference is made lo Ground Skimmn Issue #41, June 1976. Particular reference is made to an article, "The Crowded , by Kendall Hopkins. I w;:is cxttl!mely pleased to find M1·. Hopkins accurate in the information he was providing along with a quiet humor that attracts a!tentivc reading. The subject is most timely and one of major impor1,rncr: to all hang glider enthusiasts. I feel thP importance of lhe subject is great enough that in some rn,;inner it should be mandatory reading for all persons involved in the sport. As Mr. Hopkins points out in several "the FAA will step in, etc ... ", I can assure you the FAA does not want to be placed in the position of regulating the h;ing gliding sport, and if persons are responsible in policing them selvesand theareJsMr. Hopkins has ind then common sense and will prev<1il I might point out that it is not only the FAA that i regulatory; local and will also gel state enforcement into the act if "damphools" prevail. While you ,md I were discussing the promulgation of an article on this subject, Mr. Hopl<im beat us to it. He has done well. Good judgment i not inherent in this sporl. Continuing safety education such as this article portends is il must! V. E. Brophy FAA Accident Prevention ist Van Calif.

Dear Ed I would like to applaud the Wills Wing effort to detenni ne the strength of their SST series kites. Their method is extremely and is something I believe all hang glider manufacturers should do prior to introduction of new models. Because many pilots are now using thermal lift, which can at times be quite

1976

I beli<:ve lha1 kite~; should also

should nol repeal th(• u11stalilP

lhe with

of co11venlio11al wings with t'lc!vor1~,. If I )on is l'V(!I' un,1vailable to forewdl'n about potenti;il 11,u,mh, then (•ven I, his first foot launch collahorc1tor ,111cl ll'sl pilot or SteV(!

AssL Prof. Ae·roi,ri,ice Lngr. Pomona

would likely lw abll' P;itmo11t, his to s11ggest s;ifer test ure•,. I dlso li111 ly1111's Stratus IV prototype, kite with a •;irnilar to the Mitch,, ell Wing: l4 foul span, I l(J nose, foot . 11, like• 111.rny of llw new kite "taillc!SS " is stable ,ind controll,1hccausc of tlw grPc1t 11oi;sil")lcwith the pilot 7'i% and ,1blc> lo movP and v,, its span in less than Vi secomL l<ilcs, too, Me here lo stay! I lowc1rd Long Pleasanton, Calif.

or really wan1 confused jus1· compare Ground Skimmer Magozine,

There's

the difference in f,1Eil be-lip and truncot,,d tip gliders. pitch response, yow inertlol control pressurHs, and choracterlslics all important

Editor, My Mitclwll Wing taillPss is slcible. It 11,is no twist or vntical ,;urfan";.

hori;:onlal siabili;:er-eleva!ors (not just pa rt of the rn a i 11 w in g) and s (• e rn to stabilize the

flow

1ha1 I

ified in such turbulence that few othn,; tried.

The di11edral must give the stabilator;; some wrtic,il st,1bilin,r effect (like the Bona11;:a V tail). !he urwxcelled sponsc to shift allows the hold this Wing in cleaner tio11 (likl, Dave l<ilhourrw's feel j US!

an st,11 or in turns. This cle,rner stabil,itor position could no1 he exnlc>ilcid in tile 400 Mitchell Wing 30 years rhat one also hc1d the rudders recommended S1a11. I don't rnind liltle yaw, since I'm not boml>inl~ runs. My "tail" covery was like that' Mitchell's neat permit me to yaw, roll and descend with co11trol tha11 else I've seen footlaunch.

Don Mitchell does cohort Stan Hall that

GROUND SKIMMEF'.l

f)c,ar Editor, is one of the besl countries in [mope for lfang activilies, It is the second most 1110untaineous, after Switz.er, land, and bordered more than 2000 milPsofcoast li1w. Why hasn't it been heard frorn until now/ becrnse "l::spana 1,;f>,c111.11111:that all air sports are the government, and ,1 small group ol detenninerl pilots worked with the officials lo establish one of the country's na,, sanc!ioned air sporti;, On B, I 97h the results of over a year c1nd a half of l<'rminaU:d i11 official accep,, lance. We would like to open lhe doors of comrnuniG1tion to the world gliding cornmu11ity liy you know where we

WH don't want to s,,11 want to sell you the on(,

glider, we you

For more informotion call or write 1o:

Southern California

School of Box ?lt15-c;;s2 Van

started in June 1971 when Rafoel im,1nrlP11 a Kilborne Rogal lo himselr 10 fly and w;is alone un1il August 1 when I wtumed to after shm! visit to Southern California with Wills Wing No. 63. I met l~afoel in tJ<,1u1ucr 1 ;ind we lal)lishecl a

startc>d training 2!h hr. course. One thing was very

clear to us from the

because of

mdsting

gowming air sports, either we had lo establish a section of !fang Cl id-

within the rederation of National Air (FEN DA) or risk DOS.Sible curtailment of c1II Alter "Vuelo Libre" was recogni,:cd by thP r.A.L at their Sept 1 confer,

ThermaJlr,g Instruction for the, actva11ced pilot.

Weekly hlgh-performar,ce gilder clinics. Sales and service of all major brands of new and used gliders,

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING BOX2165-GS1 VANNUYS,CA

ence in Ottdwa, the Roy.ii Air Club of was very to our proposal of establishing the sport 011 an official basis. is a member of the F.A.I. and participates in all its internationally sanctioned air sports. To further strengthen our position Sr. Roman attended lhe November 1975 Inter .. national I tang Cl iding Commission lll(~eting of the F.A.I. in Paris as the of "Vuelo Libre" in Spc1in. This action promp·· ted the Spanish Royal Air Club (R.A.C.L) to give us the we nee0ded to follow for legal izalion. First, we had to form an officidl club within the FENIJA, which is a section of the National of Education and Sports. This was by writa club constitution, similar to a charter, its and officers. The ,m,,i,lPr,1 of the R.A.C.F:. our "Acta de Con· stitucion dd Club de Vuelo Libre" "LOS HOMBRES f'AJAROS" and we had our foot in the door. The next step was to write a Tccnico" consisting of all norms tions needed lo govern the sport. What seemed to be an easy Iask 1urned out to be an enormous amount of work. We sl urlied the existing norms adopted by 1hc USI IC!\, Switzerland, and Ccrrnany, then tracted the best of each and ,iddcd a few of our own to conform to policies. In its completed form the Tccnico has pages and is broken down into th rec sections. 1) Practice of the ) Schools and In 1ruc\or 3) Fa bric:ation of gl idcrs. After a careful ,1cstudy was made by the FEND!\, it llcrc arc a few of the important governing the sport: 1) In order to purchase a glider and obtain a pilot's license one must complete the standard 22 hour course taugh1 by an accredited school and instructor. 2) To receive his license he must join one of

the federated "Vuelo Libre" within the FENIJA. 3) Once he is ;1 member of this club he can then for the gerwral license of the FEN which is a liability and acciden1 insurance policy. 4) With 1he ITNDJ\ license in hand 1he school can license and lhe appropriate rati11g. It may be interesting to see a few of th(, bendils offered I his governnwnl controlled sporl; I) lntema1ional n'cognition of pilot licenses in all counlries affilia1ecl wilh the F.A.I. 2) Covnrnment insurance for schools and instructors. 3) Financ:i,11 supporl lor F.J\.1. sanctioned a <J . rn,rn team to Kossen, all expenses If anyone is for dynamite ma lion dbou1 our ur ),;,1111/.<llll/l more than happy to co1rrP',nn,n(1 to: John C. Morrison, ':Ya Los Hombres f'a .. jaros, Chile 32, Madrid H),

the usage of lwo-way radios. Tlwse helpful th1d11nrt aids allow tlw instruc1or to have belier con11nunic;1tion with his or her students while th(! student is in the air, or the kite b,1ck up the hill. We find 1he radios to be excell('nt for in\Pr· mediille ,rnd advanced s1udents also. Now I don't know if any of this is firs!, and I doubt 1ha1 it is, hut that's what's in our neck of the

Cary Wm. Koehier San

Cdif.

TWO GREAT BOOKS ON ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT

on foot launching. 6th revision. over """ '''"' sold $5.95 postpaid. (Cali· fornians O(id.36¢ soles tax)

Dear lelter in the J\ugusl "Another level, I'm to ,rnnounce that we a1 H,rng Cl iders Wesl·Dil Ion Beach School lha1 in the San Fr,mcisco Bay ,irea, milestone last year. \Ne are now in our second year of at Sonoma State and not only do we have a successful program, bul are about to introduce an intermediate progrcim. add, we leach a at the Universi1y

Write for Fl<EE hong gliding information kit. Box4232-96

A new item we've employed in our school which is very well, is

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i On Saturday, August 14, Phil Warrender and Jack Franklin therrnalled up to 19,000 ft from the 11,950' Mammoth I idc takeoff at Telluride. Jack, from Clendale, and Phil of Sun Valley, both fly Sun bi rd Stratos equipped with variometers and altimeters. Neither pilot carried a barograph for official documentation, so they won't be applying for an altitude record. The Telluride Invitational officially started the following Monday, so most pilots took advantage of the free tirne and fine flying conditions frorn Mammoth SI ide. f ai r·-weather cumulus clouds dotted the sky at mately 20,000 ft. Almost everyone found good and lots of pilots "skied out". in town got

out binoculars to sec all the high flying pilots. Jack and Phil, at 10,000 ft, ;ibove the town, were mere in the sky. Neither pilot noticed symptoms of hypoxia, hut decided that even a few minutes al 19,000 ft. was pushing it, so they headed out of the lift. Bolh felt that they could have easily continued up to cloud base. These h iglh.iltitude flights at Telluride have opened up another realm of hang gliding. Chances are, the near future will bring 1nany more high-altitude flights. Many rilots ,He looking into oxygen packs, generally recommended for flights above 12,500'. considering such high flying should be awJ re of the of hypoxia and its effects on the body.

(Telluride, Colorado) Plans were jointly announced here by Torn P('ghiny and Dan Johnson, for this first of a kind event in hang gliding. After an informal discussion regarding the excellent resources of Lookout Mountain, located near the popular flying co'rnmunity in Chattanooga, Ten·nessee, Peghiny and Johnson agreed to lay plans for a speed distance soaring event. The objective was to give any flyer in any craft an opportunity to race only against the clock on a distance course not too different from those used by sailplane competitions. "Th is type of contest, mainly for flyer enjoyment, will feature no judges, no 3GOs, and no landing targets," Peghiny announced. A gate over the takeoff and a pylon at "the Point" (about 12% rniles down-ridge) will provide that the distance requirement is met. The race will be a round trip flight, covering some twenty-five miles. "Air horns for

start/finish and syslcm of three CBequipped vehicles will a flyer honest, in !his otherwise unfettered race," John son explained. Basically the event is a just-fodun idea. If it proves popular a second such competition will be planned. The Derby was overwhelmi well received by the nation's top flyers, who were competing at the HM!\ Invitationals. Since the race follows the Grandfather Mountain Masters Tournament, attenda nee of many of the persona I it ies in the sport is The dale of the event is October 1-4, 1976, the ac-· tual days for ion will depend on soarahlec;onditions. Crystal Air tfw informal sponsor, assun~s that an order has been placed with Mother Nature for proper weather. The G real Race wi II be cove red by

Ground SkimmN Rider.

and Glider

Carol Velderrnin, USHGA Office M,mil·· gcr, has announced 1hc Board's new plan lo recruit new USHCA rnembPrs. Any hang gliding business will receive a $2 rebate for each new member brought in. This applies to manufac:lurcrs, schools, dealers, and clubs with ten or more members. There is new rnernbr!rship application form to be used, so don't send in the old one if you want the $ rebate. At the end of each month, the USHGA office will send your business a rebate check crediting you wilh $ 2 for every new membership application (with full $10 membership The 50¢ display advc1iising credit plan is still in bu! such credit will not be issued for recruited under the new$ rebate plan. If your business would like the new application form, write the USHGA, Box 66306, LA 90066 and ask for form 1() .. 2.

Something new has come out of N(:•w Hampshire to serve lhe hang gliding community. Several different aviation businesses still retaining their independence, but coalescing to better serve recreational flying, carnc together in July to form the new Flight Resources Glider Supplies, (owned by Terry Odyssey Ind us! ries, ,rnd the Aerial Underground News Service have co-located in a ont>-time lcxtile mill. Dave and Steve Agui I ar of Odyssey Sky glider sails, deInds. make custom signed Sky supine harness, and r balloon envelopes. Dave, make and of Sacrarnenlo, CA is a sky diver and parachute , Brother Steve is now in· volved in hang glid and sailrnaking, and has an impressive background in surfing co1r1petition and motorcycle road racThe Aerial Underground News Service, owned by W. A. Allen, was formed in 1974. It is an advertising agency with its also in marketing, public relations, writing, editing and photography. Bill Allen's articles and photographs have been a asset to CrourlCi Skimmer. The above businesses and/or people can be reached % Resources

N.H. 03086. (603) 6.54-6154.

1976

Tile Soaring of Americd, S,111t;i Monic,1, CiliL, hds ,1n11ot111cPd llw rr•sig, nation of I loyd M, iclH·r, Lxecutive Di rec/or Licher, who lo pursw· olhc1 h11•;i1H·ss ;rnd intl'rPsh, h;1s i,crvcd Fxecut Di rr·ctor oft lw Soc ic•ly sinn· I whe11 the' Society's rrn•mliPr, w,;•; I, I C:urn·11t rncrnlicrship i•; 13,41 I lis resignation will IH' cffC'ctivc I I lw llo;ml

I )irr·ctors of iii(' So,iring SociPty of AnH·ri( ,1, in ;iccepling [ iclwr',, ils ,ippn•cia, ,rnd df•dicatcd •;ervin· to Editor's NotP: will lrc·,1surcr of tlH· lJSI I(

rlw l,11c,sl from Mant;,'s R/IJ is an irrnova,, tivc concept called the lntPrior, custom M,rnta l'nr11c;1liorL Util llw uncfor tlw dir<'<lion of Jim Ddvis, ha, bePn r<'G,iving considerable attention frorn Nortlwm C1lifomia pilots, Initially conn•ivc,d as ,, factor, it is a which climin.itcs the· of "blow down" ,md loss of w;1shout As ,in interior truncation with mdched tips, the vi des the best of hol h worlds; the <><>'1nrm, of the trunc,

of the point(•d tip """' ii,ln bPGlllS(' th!' wing af.,

I B, 19, Tl1P l<J ickitat by the MirU:olumbia held m',ir l<I

and prizes will be awarded for duration ,rnd spot l'or 111ore tacl Joh11 Lyon, P,O, llox 9BG2B, or call ('i09)

IB,26, F,capp Country will host .i man team open, Send to Robinson Trabuco 'J2Ci71l or call Sllii-7%4.

fords the

a variablr· washouL In ,Hldi" tio11 Mc1nt,1 has tlw sarrw theory of

C1"cJ11dfa1h('r Mou11t;1i11 M.islPrs Call (704) B'l/J,4.720 for rnore

inherent in the cl [)OSII IVf',,[)lfCll

Inc ;11mou11c:es lhP lion of ii'i Merlin, double ble wing h,rng glider ig11er [0111 s,iys, "Tlw Mc•rl in is an 11purpose glid<'r, hut ii oplirnizf·d for cr,ns•,,co1mtry and compelilio11 ng,"

for mild ,ierohalin with I Y4" X ,04')" wilh 'JO" <h:ll(,:x,:·r• I Y/' ,OSB" The ;isppct rc1tio i•;h.4,with glidc,ratioofil:1, MC'rlin prolotypc·s have• be<'ll thi,; ye;i1, hut llw fi Mt>rlins ;ii the

conWA

livl' dive• recovery, W(·II as the outer rih, i11nc,1sc•s the (within ;i

1:or

ll21,0097 11p (,ilso within a rc111g<'), ,1ddi11g w,ishout and ;iiding tests havP been quite f,ivora11earing the final ;;t,1ges <1nd d testing program ,rnd t1alloor1,,<Jron wi 11 soor1 be• cnrrn,IPl1•r:

"The• Cr(!ilf l<an•" from l.ookout Mormtc1in, Jenn, A just-for, f1m competition op<'n to all will he an ouh111d-return fl each w;\y the clock, For forrnation con1.K1 Air

ll21 0097. OcL 24, I brig Meet at Tut,.; Hang (;lider Hr:avcrL Pilots rnPcling kL 7:00 l',M,, al Dillard Motor I ton, Ceorgia, Cash prizes: 1st $1 ',00, 2nd $1 000, 'lrd $ SOO, 4th $200, For further i11fmrn;1tio11 call (4(M)

7112 · l690,

the 3rd A11nual World was held at Florida, Steve from Australi,1 took top honors ill dominated the Australian made gl fhe competition consisted of 360D turn•; and target landings, Several pilots ;iblc to use> therrnal activity to sustain of up lo 4 minutes frorn ,1 'j()() fL tow,

1st Sh·V(' MoyPs, Austr;ilia Moye·, Maxi 211d Roland Davies, Florida Moyps M,ixi lrd Jerry Welch, florid,1 Moyes 4th Rob Hendricks, Maxi 5th Tom c;oodm,111, [ll'ctra Cirrus 6th Ian Sutherl,md, l\usl, Moyes Midi 7th Ricky Dunc;m, l\ustrali.iMoyes Mc1xi Bth Bob Bri('rly, Australia Moyes M,1xi 9th Kurt Johnson, Illinois Skysport•, 10th Mitd1Pll,C,ilif. Se,igull

program made available to our fellow

Balloon

te~;ur1g-1eac;n des1an is to normal limits break stalls-not su<JaEisttA~:t1nin purposes only) to be structure and c:haracteristics under severe conditions.

a year flying maneuvers. Production are flown advanced and dealers for evaluation and feedback. tested and tuned

more confident

Dealer inquiries welcome. Send for your free brochure.

most marginal or

DAVID CRON!<

GARY THOMPSON

STEVE WILSON

JOHN McVEY

con di-

effect variow

self contained with no separated and mounted separately to adapt to turned off ~

visual use only.

Strearnlincd for minimum Extremely lightweight only weighs Built in mounts can attached to any control bar power insures long battery life. be adapted for with two visual guages. Distributed exclusively by Wills Wing, Inc.

demonstration

THE BELL SOAHING HELMET IS AVAILABLE TH HOUGH YOUR LOCAL BELL DEALEH. Distributed world wide by ipper-Forrnance, Inc, Torrance, CA 90501

U.S.A.

DISTRIBUTORS

Pl1oto: Stephen McC:moll

The effocls of wind icnts probably injure more hang glider pilots than stalls, yet they are rarely mentioned by f\1ul and Wind gradients and theiref.fccts arc fairly simple to understand. This article is a brief introduction and will provide a few for that can help avoid wind n,·c,d,,ont induced in flight. Any sailor will tell you that boats with taller masls hold an advantage over boats with relatively shorter masts. The reason is that they can carry their sails h where the winds blow stri:rn12er where the tal I masts reach because the winds arc not slowed as rnuch by friction with the Earth's surface. A wind is the differential a line across the wind, vertical line fig. 1). When pilots of the wind grad are talking about the gradient near the Earth's surface caused by friction. If there is any wind, the wind icnt will be The more quickly the wind increases with altitude, lhe is considered the

f"ig. 1 Schematic representation of a Wind Grodient.

1976

Pictun) tr,1i have about with crn,l'ni!h

ly,itwill

haw stronger

than unstable air. N stable' rnarine corn beach will invaria h,ive relat rhe reason for this r which rolls round round e 11 momentum within itself, itself and, near the slides lone 1he stronger winds i1; left

aloft. icier fi 1·st Pn· of the wind

Stall Duo to Wind C,raclion1

The that smooth air

u bl

tab I

i;tmnger

ient.

far we have

on land-

ing. making fl or 40 hP will known effect of tlw As the glider cfo.. down the wil I lend to d irn inish. In order lo maintain pilch stable glider will want lo descend more up, tlw airs·· off. Th won't be read use h rnclsr>cr•cl will remain the sarnc or

the ef..

ient in straight and IPvel fl or in a flare straigh1 into the get little more cornplica!ed when we i 11troduce the factor of turns in th lack of understand dfects of the i<:>nl can be more' serious and can lead to accidents quite ,··,n·,""' of inj the pilot. Indeed, it is here that we enter into situations tliat ly have hurt a lot of in gliding and con1inue to re many because some instructors fail to in the situation. It almost that those who try to learn wilhout the bPnefit of proper instruct will almost certainly encounter some rd knocks from crashes attribute to "t

feels of the

In any turn glider rnust bP in banked attitude. One must be h than the other end and will be in stronger wind than the is closer to the Fu ii should be evident that the h wing will be blown downwind relative to the low This should be nn<H"'.Um-'I anyone who one of the basic and arvsolut(:IV ti al consequences of this fact. you are as of your land intention is to !urn into the wind and land when you get down to an altitude· of 1 or 20 foet. When you attempt lo bank into the turn, the glider will tend to resist the unless you have the turn will shoot the line you intended to follow to your land rhat's not too !)t"(\hl.PrY1 LJn less there to be

The result is often hard stal I and

ual, more a would advised in more stable other th not equal. In little extra airto

Turning l"'rotJleins in a Wind CracJiont. A. Tile glidor wants lo ovm-tiank. flie glider resists bankinr1

mmuND Sl<IMMEn

arily, as you go around the must start off applying a control but as you turn into the wind this effort can pul you into too a bank and even, aps, turn you into a ro wind o ro downwind head The reason for the over control is lhat the gradient does nol affect your banking ility when he;iding into the wind ... it is just lhe crosswind porlions of turns where the ient the banking. Now, imagine a turn away from the direction which is into the wind. This is frequently seen in land con· tests. A glider to orw side of the spo! and the pilot starts a tum which will him a crosswind track to the spot. Often l he glider flicks around in a downwind turn and ends up in either a downwind landing or crash. What happens is that the high to blow over low wing turn. This "blowing wing can be very strong; thnn is controllable when corning as a It is hard to over-emphasize the rapidi and power of th is effect. The best advice is to never turn out of the wind near the ground unless really necessary and in rnind that the glider will want to turn very quickly and These last four that, when flying in the wind ient a glider will want to tum downwind and stay flying downwind. When entering a ]60° turn from a direction into the wind, the gl will snap right into a nice tight turn until pointing downwind. At that point, it will start to want to roll out of the turn and flying almost downwind and the pilot will have to apply much more control application to maintain constant turning rate. The slow turning part of the l60° during the to the hill and when you suddenly are filled with the desire to a round the turn A very few years ago a large aviation magazine carried an article by two pilots, one a crop duster and the other an airlinP pilot. The article was over the argument (as old as aviation) about downwind turns. The crop duster arthat the downwind turn wns

ngerous you to lose airs where.is the airline pilot arthat there no difference in a turn due to the wind. The was bas his a on He just knew that the downwind turn was bad news. Unfortunately, he laid the sourcP of this very of the real the wind. The fact that his wns at very low ltit was in the ienl. It was the grad not the wind itself, that was causing him to think downwind turns are different if you are different. re in tlw but not if you are above the ient As pointed out, turn is affected thr, ienl use the high w is in wind nnd is blown downwind more This is the same as saying that the w which is further rn the gro nd i blown rnore strongly downwind. The is that you can be in ight and level flight, n sti II be across the just as if you we re banked in a turn This iluation exists whPn flying or soaring near to or a a or and the ground is banked, instead of the glider

will i and act to roll the glider into the hill. Pilots died use of th is. They scratch a long the of a and a hits them, blowing them towards the lip. As they lo turn away, into the wind, the ient is lifting their windward wing making the turn slow or impossible r, even, caus them lo turn to· w,irds the cliff. A more common accident with or ring pilots occurs when they turn Sometimes this turn is when they first turn away from into the wind to fly along the don't realize how tough it is ng to be lo the turn, so they allow the turn to go far and they hook a wing tip. Just as , an accident occurs when the pilot turnss to go down the slope in the other di rection. When he starts the turn he is turning into the wind and he needs aggressive control applicntion. liowever, as soon as he has tu across the wind, the glider will want to tum and can catch him surprise. He turns too far and n ends up hooking a p and cartwheeling into the . This can be very pronounced both the glider and the ground are banked There can be no clear ut rule for handling the gradient in turns and along My own suggestion is initiate the roll out of the turn as soon as the glider is nted into the wind. If you end up recovering from the turn too soon, it is easily dealt with, but if you allow a turn, in conditions, lo go too far, the result can be serious Be wary of any downwind tum if you s gradient may exist and, if you must turn, just sort of nibble at it that the tum doesn't out of hand. nll, think the whole of ient over and over in your mind so that you will reduce the of being ca by urprise When the Hnng Rating tasks were ight were included One thing about them is that tend to introduce wind gradient factors In add they teach about other factors. In the near future, there will be an article considering figun' eight rr1aneuvers their whys and 1

All pilots who have soared along hnve that they have to pply a banking force away from the nearby . Th is t<~nds to be state thing and hasn't caused too much trouble in When a h the effect of ient up the

1976

l urkoy Vt1ltum. Photo: f1011ina

areas.

limit to th

rna in1urn

hird

is very observations are the time for the bird found with the aid of

one needs lo know what birds really have. There have been i1 few nee tests on bi in wind tunnels and flying with sail nes. A summary by one of the leaders i11 the field (Pennycuick, I tells of maximum lift coeffic from 1.1 to 1.6 for birds. These

rd operatin Id Numbers of ordinary light ai very h when ng the Numbers of bird flight. In the during therrnaling somewhat below the max· to try to find out and of soarwith

SKIMMl:R

iof bank, mated thP !lw wing I which comes measurements for that bird in the technical literature. The method is not very accmate, but should at least reasonabl "bal I park" estimat suitable for rnaking comparisons with gl This is an ideal sort oi in that ii n be conducted on without any special eqLli with observers of II ifically

sons Pa

16,

shall, 9). I had an reading watched soaring birds during a long ocean voyage, whether soared in i stra lines, or didn't soar al all, noted 1he

dif. and the between air and water; and found that the atmospheric flow pal· terns indicated by the techniques for the various wind nd stabilities were analogous lo the patterns of Benard cells in I which had been studied in laboratories. Somehow, advancing sciPnce by watching birds soaring seems like an elegant sor1 of research techn 1pr1,nr·,,

starts with ascer· taining the flight speed of a bird soar· in a thermal. This can be done watching their circling flight, finding the time to make a circle (T) and the bank angle Ill). Note that you do not need to consider the distanc(' to the bird, wind, or accurate geometry. The flight v turns out to bP sirnply

The typical loadings of each type are given by Hartman (1961 ). The 79 average for the frigate bird is and for the lurkey vulture is Since !he values are so close W<! can take ihe average for our calculations here. ll1e average trans. I ates to 0. 1 lbs/ft 2 • The area is based on the orn it1 the body and tail; if these we're included, lower "wing" and lift coefficie11ts would be found. Using equation and W/S and v" values for these birds 0.91 I estimate this value to be within aboul I 0% of tlw I rue value, in spite of the crudeness of the i>VIV>l'tmDnJc

The turning is at increased ,1cceleration load, and hence higher that would be involved at the same lift coefficient in straight flight. To calcu· late v,,, the st1·aight flight at this lift we note (2)

Cornbining l.dlll:11/UJ,()

(3)

For a pa rticu Ia r bi rd, if it flies a Iways near the> rninirnurn sink conditions, v., should be constant. If you observe T and(} for a shallow bank angle, say 20°, you should del'ive the same v,, as if your observations were for a steep bank angle, say 35°. During the vacation trip we made observations in Florida on corn· rnon types of soaring birds. The best 1 mph for both turdata gave v., vu ltures aura) and ate birds 17.4 mph is POUJ\lcllE"tlt rn/sec. For ascertaining Ct, the definition Pv

is used. p Ls density in slugs/ft\ taken as

2.38 • 10\or standard sea level conditions. 18

Discussion rhe soaring birds are obviously aided in their utilization of lift by their ability to in circles. Their turning flight at low altitudes seems to involve mostly banking at 20-30°, with the occasional bank of 45° only a transient maneuver. Sailplane and hang glider pilots have usually considered 30° to be a good corn· steep<,r bank starts than it

in radius, for all bu1 the strong('Sl thermals. For hang glid. ers, keeping banks no greater than 30° offers another bonus· since turbulence is during strong convection, 1he sh;illow bank lessens the chance of being flipped into a severe 90° roll. AtO 30°, the turning radius R can be found from R

(5)

For the birds with v" R 41 ft. We obtained one tal point for a black vullt1re (Coragyps alratus) in North Carol showing v., 24.4 rnph (35.B ft/sec, 10.9 rn/sec). Hartman (196 I) the wing lo;iding of tlw black vullure as 1.33 lbs/ft\ 1.87 limes that for the turkey vulture. These values yield C1 0.8S for the black vulture in therrnaling flight, virtually the sarne as the Ct for the turkey vulture. the black vulture would circle in a 30° bank at R 80 foet. For a hang gl W/SCt is probably closer to that of the black vulture (thP hang glider W/S is a bit higher, but the operating C1 may be slightly higher). Hang glider turning radii at 30° bank are probably in the range of 60-BO feet 1 considerably l;irger than the 40 foot radius for those soaring birds having low wing loadings. The hang gliders also have the possible problem that in such a turn the inner tip is going 20-25% slower than the and rhe outer tip 20-25% but actually this should have negligible effect on performance (although of concern in stability and control). For the hang glider, one can achieve the bird turning radius by de .. creasing i Ct, or both. The use of lateral controlling devices on the wing ratherthan relying on weight shift, rnay be required Such devices would be indicated if a glider were to be employed to lower W/S, or if less washou1 at the tips were used in order to achieve a higher overall phasis on improving the breed of hang gliders has been to improve high np1·tn1"tY\:) nr•p SO that CrOSS (()Un .. try flight in strong conditions is bet .. However, if one is to try to dup-

1976

However, in normal convection cells higher than a hundred feet above lhe the gl id<'r pi lot of I IH' prcscnl should be able to up with some birds which soar ,rnd ilw pilot of the future lw ablr! lo out.soar cvc'n the best

Reference, Hartman, F.A. (19(11). Locomotor rnccha11isrns of birds. Smithsonian Mi llaneous lle:ction 14 l 1, Pub I ication 4460. Pcnnycu . ( 1CJ : Mechanisms of flight. Chapter I of Avian Farmer and l<ing ( .), Acadernic Press. A.H. (1 : Soaring ovc!r thP open ocean. oaring, Novcrnlw December. (Reprinted frorn Scientific Monthly, . I

Note Aft1•r

art Dr. wnt the: author letter and some aclclitional which relate to the birds. lie

relied obst•rv,.llions of birds from sa One of is parlicu The slow flying, turning, lrigato tiircl and turkey vulture sl1own sharing tho circlo, whiln the llmig glider and the '11riall herivy black vullurn smallor (41 fl. swenp lmgor (80 ft. radius) path wilhin this srm,11 thermal

ion of a II is V<'ry lanl 1 bi11 I thin!< thnt much

licate the n°markablc, thermal soaring oftbe ring bi the low no matter what at high I he

pilots get and instrumt'ntalion i irn· can be i some· what for gliders but tlw bird will win because his sp,rn is only large and his shape is fully and quickly controllable. can be

GROUND SKIMM[Fl

improved for hang liders, but is least important; sorne glidPrs I ink as slowly as some> birds which I As one obse1·ves the flight of a turkey vulture at low altitudP one is irn· al how continually it is correct· its flight path, ng and shal the bank. One is the bird can fly in ;1 g(•m,r;illy Ii 11e at ;1 low alti1 udc without ng. It can evidently rnarwuver so lo take of turbulent withoul iring the l;irgcr convcctio11 which it and glider pilots use, to go to gn?c1ler heights. Th is sort of of turbulence rnay be an for il rr1ar111ed aircr;,ft size of the vehicle.

is equally important. My estimates of vultures' are not all that sens.itional but their control is son1Nh else'. 7 rty with absolute cordidencc· very clow in to turl>ulunt cliff faces: in t/1c,rrna/s seem lo be, almost lo they hit a bit, ancl then ly round on one tip. The birds arP certa well ahei!d of and even ahead of in this respect. I us peel that even if you could irnulate a bird's control systern, you would so full of levers that it to fly it fl is ubject to gliding but it m worth a loo!< al this 1

hine

TELL URI U.S.A.A straight competition, August has concluded with Barry Gordon taking honors. The 29year old ion al hang glider pilot, who was free flying in Telluride a month before the consist· ently scored high for the Electra Flyer using the Cirrus II model. Three nom1alized scores in his three qualification rounds gave him a comfortable lead going into the final rounds of competition No mistakes or errors in judgen1enl 1 stacked up 631.0 cumulative points, out of a total possible of BOO points. Waiting for the chance to move in OCTOBEFl, 1976

over Telluride backdrop an Alpine. Photo for David Hettina Gray LEFT: Pylon f0 arkor MacCrnacly signals to pilot rounds the pylon. Photo Stephen Mccarroll

Meet

of the upcoming nships has filled with a of k~ss than 1,000, is

A while later he works his way up to the 14,000 foot two thousand above take off, in an hour long fl N of the town has never seen a glider that high and more radical flying is envisioned n a rriv· teams ing in town.

manager, consrsl·

n1s for their company. l

stron

Eipper and Albatross teams fell short ach group lost a pilot as the semifinalists were cut to the finalists. The fi rsl ever p ion al team glider event had four qua! one semi final final com . The 7 4:i foot Mill Competition Hill, one mile west of town, was the site of the three u lificalion fli and the three mi fin I flights. The top of luride's ski area, Mammoth SI the launch point for the finals, consisting of a morning frees fl an afternoon cross country rn·distance fl

An uni sounding as pilots take to the sky. Keith Nichols launches backside of Mamrnoth Slide and makes his way to the Chair cliffs and wind soars for while. He then up a I lift and rides il back to Mammoth, and disappears from the watching. Ten minutes later he reappears a in the h over Mamrntith, return· le journey over to Basin, n rea never been flown. Then he cornes over town with at least vertical feet, and takes minutes to land his kite. The in town now are their heads in disbelief of the magnificent flying c,>11. Local pilots estimate that Telluride has a bout five of these per year. A day where everything goes up, workable Is, about ten drop per thousand up, rate of the ible fl (continued on page 24)

GROUND SKIMMER

TOP LEFT: Mike the new Mooso heads toward courso at Miko placod 14th. Photo Bottina Gray TOP RIGHT ,Jirn DolJaucho, his flying style characlerizod by feet in tho wires, cranks hard around pylon to finish 9th. Photo: Stephon Mccarroll. BOTTOM ,Jack ancl Mary ShroedE,r, soated at table, tabulate heats. Photo: Mccarroll. scores durino

Whero the ride ends ancJ the OPPOSITE F'AGE>TOP walk up tho steep trail at Mill Creok. Photo: Stephen Mccarroll Mccarroll. TOP F11GHT used infa-red filrn to capture this odyssey." CENTER 111GHT· Burke Ewing scrambling for target points. Burke 2nd in a Wills SST. Photo: Bottina Gray. 130TTOM F:wing, a rneet-curcuit is seen wearing tiis pilot carcL F'hoto: Stephen

was by Rich

who climbed up

to 16,500 (ASL), and flew

he he

wanted. Following him into heavens were the Arrambide Bn1th,er~ Parker and Paul Courtney. After taking off the back side of the SI ide, following the Coonskin Ridge, the prlots had to search oul a good bubble and work it. Only a handful of the estimated forty flights off the resulted in any significant altilude

ns. flying a Sunbird complete with instruments, set a new unofficial world's record by taking off Mammoth Slide (11,906 ASL), and coring a in thermal after take-off, finally flying out of the I ift at '19,000 feet above sea level, over 7,000 feet above the launch, and fly. ing 10,000 feet above the town of Telluride. Landing a short time after Phil's hour long flight was Franklin who rode the same bubble to I a,aoo and decided to pull out. Phil said at I feet he was still clin1bing and could have gone much higher, but the lack of oxygen and the cold made him decide to pull the bar in and hunt for some sink to core. At the end of this day, the townspeople, even the Phil

glider pilots were up over the "sky outs." Pilots were considering driving to shop for oxygen supplies, and mounting baro-· graphs for tomorrow's big flights. AUll!USI

A totally different day, a rnrn,·,ln11,., and what a let down. The few flights off Mammoth, and the several off Mill Creek competition hil I were the kind you to record in book. The town is now full of everyth is to go for competition, but the weather conditions have dro below par Everyone went hiking, fishing, or to the bars and talked about ve!,le1°d;iv· flights.

AUll!'ll'it

lifications, Group II pilots. Conditions improved over yeslerday, but it still wasn't orw of those memor· able flying days. A round of flights was , but wilh some difficulty. Monday's poor conditions and hairy flights some of today's pilots who haven'! flown in high altitude conditions in tum delaying lhe for awhile. Mike inn flying a protolype curve tip, cruised in the supine position to a first round lead.

AUl.!.Ll!H 16

Qualifications, I pilots. The fifty entered were randomly split into two groups, and would qua I ify every other This would them time to free fly, the mountains, and relax. Early this morn it looked I ike it rnight be all right, but by the time cornpetition the was mewing 50 m.p.h. with some webby ice clouds forrning then d ng. In the middle of round one, competition was halted, due to the lousy air.

phcitog1raph0)d MikEi Arrambide, flying Cumulus VB, about to "max out" course during a preliminary event. Photo: Bettina Gray.

Bumps and 180 wind direction had mos! of the pilols flying on the verge of control, concen·· on ng down ting the qualification tasks. rheln<"HSC

Some cloud ()\/,Prr-lP\/Plt,nrn~lf'll east of town, but nothing involv-ing the stable conditions at Mill Creek. Gordon was hot today, with three normalized scores of 100 each All during the pilots frorn II were taking free flights from the top, with everyone enjoying themselves, becoming used to the h altitude. alifications, Group II pilots. Since I ended !heir qualifying rounds with 3 flights ( 4 today's group went for two fl and were added to first round. Burke flew two flights with normalized scores of 100 points each. ing went as plan with pilots and contest structure fallal the Mill Creek sile. ·rh,,rc,"l•n, PVf•nirrn the HANG GLIDERS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIA" TION was re -formed at the Telluride . Gary Val le (Sunbird) was elected Mike gull) as Vice Trip Mellinger (representing Delta Wing) as Secre·· and Bill Liscomb Albatross) as Treasurer. (Glider Rider did an outstanding presiding over the lengthy which drew 1 manufacturers of ultralight foot-launched flying (rnn1inued on page 3]) 1976

know what said. The words used her voice without troubl

them. did not turn toward home. flew with the storm

would

he turned

touched Maris

held it

II "He was in Maris said, He was I knew he'd miss the of the too slow storm winds, He would have nobt1t rain, and it would have taken him for<:'ver to get there. If he did, not in rain "Then he must learn to be better. must make hi sown mistakes now. You were his teacher, but soon the will be his, the not you. 11 struck, This was hfH to fly, who had she her and the mst1rn·t1,1e>Jv what do, he 1d told her more than once, she was not of his blood, He and his had taken her in when it seemed that he would n,iverfather child of his own to inherit the He,' d had his accident and lost the it was important to find a him if not someone of his someone he loved, l,is wife had refused to she had lived th1rtV·tl\1e and shEi

was too So it was Maris he had and come to love Maris the fisherman's who would rather watch from cliff than with the other chi!,, And

Coll after

Maris, remembered dark rrn,nino and latElr her but

Maris came from a family who had to leave her but the scattered 1A11·pclk::111f' of wooden boat

a She was years she son 1 while, under her father's watchful Until the when the same father told her that must t1e. t!1\1en

her "I am than he will ever 11 Maris told him now, on the her voice trembl "I do not It mak1:~s no difforout the

come. He could be more kind, she thought wildly, He must know what it means to up the 0 Now come with me," he said, "You'll not fly still fullyextended; only one was undone, I'll run away," she said "You'll never me I'll go to some island where they of their own. be have have me, no matter how I got my 11 Never her father 1 would shun the other Easterns did after thEi mad Landsman of uted the Flyer-WhoBr<>u1<;ht,Bad-~sle\l\lS You would be

then!" Maris rid-· hV!,te1ria, 11 Then he 1II never any more than , than .. ,"

1976

(conli11ued from pc1gc )4)

therrmil lift for the cJum1ion

for onfl

GROUND SKIMMEJ!

the F.P.A. Tracy Knauss, :i, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Editor/Owner of CLIDER RIDER Magazine, President Tennessee Tree Toppers, irman Lookout Mt. Regulatory Board. Jack Schoerder, 2B, Torrance Beach, California, 1974 National Fixed Wing Champion, professional test pilot and designer. Art Gray, Golden, Colorado, alternate judge. The absolute exhibition of freestyle flying ever seen was the first round in final competition. Pilots had at least 2,000 vertical feet lo work with, most of them with much more altitude. Sixteen pilots times two thousand vertical equals 32,000 vertical feet of radical flying within a three hour period. Arnazing, beautiful, precise flying was demonstrated. An extreme workout, fin al ists were actually exhausted when they landed, they hadn't done that much aggressive flying ever in one flight. Ed Cesar from Honolulu, Hawaii and Jim DeBauche from Encin California, received the highest scores for th is flight. "This task is going lo s<:parate the men from the boys," commented one pilot in his description of the final event of the meet. An out-and-return cross country flight, where the fifteen finalists can take off from the top of the Slide anytime between 3 and o'clock. The starting begins at the fields west of the condos, then five pylons are out along side the road, heading out of the valley. Two j were at the landing field, another j was al a distance pylon, and the other was up top Mill Creek overseeing the CB equipped people were stationed at each pylon, there was: Wing Nut, Devil, Marco Pogo, D,rn, Fall Creek Hermit, Rlue Jay, and Solo. Everything was ready to go at 3 o'clock, but the first pilot off, Keith Nichols, didn't launch till 4 o'clock. Seven pilots made it out to Pylon# 1 and back to the landing field, a total estimated flight of 3% miles. Rich Grigsby was the first to attempt a dif.forent flight plan for finding lift. From Mammoth SI ide he went to Need le Rock to search for thermals, then headed out of the valley. Nearing the first pylon, cruising the red shale cliffs west of town, he n making passes,

maintain waiting for a bubble of heat to lift him to a better altitude. It never came, so he headed back to the landing field for his safety points. The judges, pilots, I talked to said they thought Rich's flying demo in front of the red cliffs was some of the most incredible they'd ever seen. Mike Pope, Jim DeBauche, Ed Chuck and Jack Martin took off just before the 5 o'clock dead1ine, and ended up flying in a nasty cloud suck. The wind wasn't too but the velocity of the thin air pilots were making was strong. All it out the val to pylons 3 and 4, with lift sending Jim De vario off the scale and his audio wouldn't respond, as he

ovm Telluride that fulfilled many Stephen Mccarroll. BOTTOM Mccarroll ,arry Gordon won it all. Photo

wero "corralled" by the winds the final event Photo [:lettina put on . Frorn 2000', show of aerobatics tho Freestyle E:Jvont Photo Stephen Mccarroll. Vallo, newly elected HGMA F'resident, rnanrn1vors his Sunbird Stralo towrmJ tho tmqot Photo Bettioa Gray.

nd the others worked the north

it, but everyone flying skills It's to remPrnber hours to li"!kP their them into the when the

A free ng demonstration that wasn't under ideal conditions. Several several in in the mom GF{OUND

MMrn

cour1 Telluride. And awhilP la cloud situation was building to the west nd was looking really y. still leaping off the mountain inks to the ground and he goes up. Phil Wa another and limbs to 1 level, then decides to pull out because 200 him the cloud base and the ingsuc into cumulus cloud worried him. He bailed out of the lift and cruised the valley before ing. (continued on page l7J

OPPOSITE PAGE-TOP: Most impressive of all was Cesar's flamboyant flying style. Ed, flying his beautiful MKIIB Draqonfly finished 4th. Photo: Mccarroll. BELOW Back the t1ill for one more fliqht. Photo: Mccarroll.

ABOVF: Pilots met to discuss the final day's tasks; the Freestyle and Cross··Country events. Photo Stephen Mccarroll. f'llGHT l<eith Nichols, "standing up" to drag for downhill to the target. Keith flyinq Rn ASG-21 owJmll. Photo Bettina Gray. BOTTOM Bull'l,·eye for Irv AlwRrd flyinq a Cirrus Ill. Photo F3ettina Gray.

TEAM IUSUI.. TS Products, Temecula, CA. Pilots: Roy

2nd lrd 4th 5th 6th 7th 11th

9th 10th 11th 12th

13th 14th

15th 16th 17th

:36

Mike Quinn, Ed Ces;ir. [ipppr.forrnance, Torr;inn·, CA. Pilots: David Arrarnbidc>, Mike Arrambide, Rich Crigsby. Albatross Sails, Solc1na Beach, CA. Keith Nichols, Bill Liscon1b, Chuck Persons. EIPctra Flyer, Albuquerque, N.M. Irv Alward, Barry Cordon, Mark Wariakois. Wills Wing, Santa Ana, Pilots: BurkP [wing, Jim DeBauclw, Charlie [l,1ugh111an. Delta Wing, Van N11ys, CA. Pilots: Mellinger, Rob Rc:ed, Mike Miller. Seagull Aircr,1ft, Santa Monica, CA. Pi Ray Crabiac, Bill Sloatrnan, Bob Kec>ler California c;Jiders, San Diego, CA. Pilots: J,1<:k M.irtin, Don Cohen, Dan Lenox. Pacific Cull, San ClernPnle, D;ivid 13;iiley, David Beardslee, Larry Ross. Telluride Air Force, Telluride, CO. Reggie Jones, Mitch Stanfield, Don Dusatko, Jim Lincoln, Clinton Wolf. L.E.A.F., Colorado Bill Rasiner, Mike Blackett, Lee Skovgaard. Stc've Sylvester, Duhon, Jim Davis. M,rnta Products, Pliable Moose Delta Wings, Wichitd, KS. Cary Mike Pope, Bill Frary. Sunbird Ultralight Clidc>rs, Canoga Park, CA. Cary Valle, Dennis 11urton, J,ick Franklin. Sports, Whitman, Mass. Torn Pa11l Courtney, Joe Creblo. Sun, Denver, CO. Phil Ray. Flight Systems, Sylmar, CA. Brown, Bob Slwlton

1976

just l he corn

rnuch

it ion

nd pilot skill, Telluride

NAt STAN

4th :3th (,th 7th Hth 91'1

10th 11th 121h I lth 14th 15th lhlh

Cordon, USA, Fwing, L,1 Jolla, Rob l~PPd, Sylrnar, CA Ed llonolulu, I IA Irv Alw,ml, Kr·ith Nichol,;, lk:dch, Jack Martin, lsco11dido, Ray Ontario, Jirn Encinitas, Mikr; inn, )rtegc1 Mountains, !)avid ilr•y, S,mla Rich Crigsby, Chc1tsworth Chuck l'c•r,;rrns, San Diego, A Mike ColdPn, David Ventura, CA Roy llagg,ml, R,1r1cl10 L1liiorni,1,

GnOUND SKIMMEFl

N I lr>ctr,1 I Iyer Cinrl'i II Wills Wing I IOOB Delt,r Wing, PlroPnix 61l UY I MK B 1 l<'ctra I

IOOB Alpine

:urmilus mss ASC Ill Pliable Moose lipper Eipper Cumulus

lJ,I', Ml(.21l

w. Stand or, a hilltop and feel the wind strike your face and outstretched palms, That air has arcked out of the Arctic down across North America in giant waves. The big ac1ions of 1hese air masses 1,1ake the weather news, bu1 the Iittle ones don't. Like what is ng at yourflyingsi1e. Will theairholdyouup, let you or throw you around? The most exciting part of the sport to me is nol glider design development, but rather the discovery of how lo use rnicrometeorology, One might say hang gliding is still at the "Hang Loose" level of u ndersta11d i ng the environ mcnl i 11 which we fly, Many are 11w masterful pilots who carve up the with only rninimc1I ;1wareness of the air around them, At las1 there is a textbook on mic:rmneteorology fm hang glider pilots, After all, it is a new science and all who choose to fly, choose to help

\Nil

IC 'I Ill. An HOil

tion, solar

circula-

Cliding and Flying Micrometeoro/ogy for Pilots by Dennis Pagen is the first real a1 putting on paper what is understood today about the subject It should becorne standard reading for all termediale level and the I Rating exams toughened accorcl ingly, Dennis starts with classical meteorology, describing atmospheric

scale weather in a chapter on turbul ence a subjecl close lo the pi1 of every stomach. From there he hi1s a variety of su including local winds, wind ien1, glider vor1ices, and soaring conditions, The author shines best when explaining and how lo ana flying

sites. And well he should, Dennis flies, competes, and runs meets among the spectacular ridges of central Pennsylvania with endless possibilities for new sites, The book suffers from three major flaws: a verbose, somewhat convoluted writing an incomplete job of simp1ifying compl subjec:1s, and an gap in the author's own under-standing of how some meteorology applies to hang gliding, An editing is badly needed for conciseness, Retter paragraphing and perhaps more subject headings would help, There is a tendency toward uncommon words, such as "milieu," "inII tri and my favorite, "that old bete noir, turbulence." A good technical would make reading easier. Dennis put some of the more complicated explanations in a small set of appendices, Even more could have been put there including almost all the mathematics and detailed graphs. Take the excel lent explanation on pages 58-5 9 of the vertical cornponent of I ift as a function of wind angle to a ridge, The treatment is more complex than that of coriolis effect reserved for Appendix L The author reports digesting "over fif1y texts, periodicals, journals and theses in addition to interviews with pilots

1976

ain:rafL" One lw didn't quite catch the

He dwells on tmhulence ;issociated with some wind shear conditions. Hut he writes off shear line liil i11 one lost ;111 unaesthetic hang glid· Hawaii and

h,we been ished without turns a shear

many other

four almost useless mountain waves lo for pres-

when thermal action is glidi in most of the U.S. di rectly feels arge frontal niovemenis, rc1ther wel I ned here over many Southern California is ffecled. What is impor tant much of the year to the world's la conce11tration of glider pilots potential book buyers) are the Santa Ana winds. These receivP only one brief mc,ntion. Also much ,HP lift sources such shear lines caused by cin:ul,ir hills, tree-lines and doudstreets and of hadow, and high As Dermis c:oncl there is need for gl id<!r pi lots to their knowledge and ences" to fill the gaps. Some small crilicisrns are an number ol ling errors, inconsis-· lent inclusion of metric equivalents (a cmnrnendable and glue binding that fol ls with any hand I ing. Now for !fief news. ThPrf' is not one pilot who cannot lc;irn plenty from thi no matter how nded he or she is. Ni

point of views, entertainment and information about the great international sport hang gliding.

April Please check if you wish your subscription to earlier

June with any of the

plus illustrations by the author ,He of real help in understand lhc 102 p,1ges of lext. Drawings include some unique attempts at visualizing wind flow at flying sites. If nothing makc> sur·e to read pages 30-34 on surface lu on soaring conditions, and B2-g I on "Read an Arca." For pPopleflying drm111d lots of trees for the first pages l3, and as are helpful. To write this first text was a large undertaking. Fm every thing rnentioned as missing, many items did included. Some material here has never been before. In addition to

reader, have jumped inlo the ocean of r, choosing to do with your head what your and earth used to to hold you up. f lerp's a aid to help you afloal. from your local glider m id from USl-1 A (P.O. Bo Los Cal if. g()OfJ6), or from the author ( 1 I /34 Oneida State Col Penn. 16BOI ).

More than ever

thNe is rather unfortuna1e situation arising between the marketing of wing manufacturers and the ng "habits" oftheirc:lientel On one hand, pilots demands upon the ng manufacturer for Not ng reel atte>ntion toward the pursuit of intermediate and advanced pilots lo higher go further than anyone else ... consequence be as it may. The rneantime, 10 in a manner which gluts the rnarkel with cl ims which examination. the consequence of such is that fewer wings are time necessary for uate tPsting and/or verification before are before the hungry market. to why glider pilots future pilots) continually base "solid nion" on tha1 which taken for without validation, or sin1ply not known. At the same will sell anything. n;:irne of the rests on game in this shoulders; ly, however, 1he ultirnate decision must be rnade the pilot. The truth of the rnatter remains:

;ire often in th!• dark that most h wh n advan isadv,mlages of des on manufacturer's claims). No1 mi led (n c1rily), but no1 di criminati with the demands place upon the rnanufacturer. has become a ine"headlirw of ive nature. nt that i1 at10 derive valid by the mere statement of the "fact." What is I acki ng behind these claims of perform;:ince is at least a valid of Glider technol-

tl1P short comings of uct rather the the dr;:iwing and the sales ca I t;:ike full issue with and ing of "Qua I ity." With the advancements in LID technology, I find structural des increasingly stressed to more demanding conditions and allitudcs. Whal is implied is tha1 wings must be flown by test pilots who pl ace higher demands on these crafts for much of time. How long, of course, is still at the discretion of the manufacturer. HMA where are The final test of a dPsign must go convention. The structural inand ultimate (and short,comi can only be decided when a test pilot pushes the limits ... and to literally destroy a wing in the air. Certainly such methoc!s of testing be cond uctccl u rider controlled situations ... balloon-drops the lPst pilot sufficient equ at sufficient altitude in the Pvent his test is "successful" (i hiswingcornes To date I can think of only two testings of gliders under such demc1nds. The first w;:is back in of

forward

th.at I do

OCTOBrn, 1976

111 SeptClmber, ID7!S, l1ich l'inlDy olonq wilil tlalloonisl F-'mtis Wooloy, tested ll1cJ Wir,dlorcl 13110W 111 197fi, Wayne M1ilgrnw mlensuc1 frorn /000 ft, ,.11t(,mr,tnc1 terminal clrvo,;, bmak stalls, spins, ,ind sr1,.ip rolls, in the I le(JplintJ

rnPrils of hi~ craft. upon lhe resul <)ach lest, the manuft1clurcr decided prog rarn co11ld be initiated the respcr upon lhP rnarkPL Manlc1 will this

fi nti I on

qualitat tai nities and unknowns c;rn to the m:ov,rn

Photo\ COUJ'(('\y Wil/i,llll Pregler

GllOLJNll

MMFF1

DATE (1976)

PILOT'S NAME

1/10

Brent Appldldy

·-·

LOCATION

FLOWN

Cr.1nts, N.M.

11omemadP Rogal lo

BRIEF SUMMARY

I c.

'·' son of eminent ' "'""b "' new at ng, hit direct

.....

. , ..

....

[dward Monty

Shaw Butte, New Mexico

ElcctraflyPr Nimbus

Approaching tlw landing drc>a, stalled and divPd in from 50 feet.

211 :l

Sam Arbor

Brownsvi lie, Oregon

Dragonfly

Forgot to attach two wing nuts to /rarne, in Pnthu· siasrn to tilke off. I ound in his Report rn;irijuana bdore .ke .. off

Stt!V(: Spurlock

El (Air

Nol give11

cnced

accident. and

S0111c

'I~

.... C

Rii.;f1 leading edge broke at re<ct, spir,iled in.

Wills

2/28

Becziuse there was some! !hat people involvPd in lung gliding, and people observing the sport from outside, should nol hPcome preoccupied with ac· cidents and fat;il ities, the editor of Crounci Sl<immer ;isked me to refr,1in from submitting accident summaries on an Pv,·,rv-1ss11, basis. I foweve:r, it has now been severa I months since we g,ive you any accident data, so I submit ihq following tahle of repor1ed fatal ,1ccidents since the first of 1976, both to give you an idea of how many are being reported and also to solicit further information on any accidents which are not included in the table or which obviously need further re1iortrng It is probably too early lo draw any statistical conclusions from the 1976 fatality st,1tistics thus far. Accident reporls sorneti mes come in rnon I h s after I he even I. And, unlil I throw out a table like the fol· lowing and ask llw readers how ,·nmr,lr>IIP it is, I do not have a very good feel fo1 whether the reporting these is reasonably complete. We can only hope that everyone connected with the sport feels a continuing responsibility to send in data on accidents, both fatal and non, fatal, whether complete or partial, as con1ribution toward il safer sport. And again, don't assume !hilt lack of J response to your letter or accident report means that it lost in the shuffle. thing you to rne or to the USHCA office in Los gets thoroughly read, I assure you and hopefully adds to the lure. The known fatal accidents for '1976 to date are a~ follows: 0

Darrell Schroder

Sandia Mtn., Albuquerque, New Mexico

Frr e Flight

)/3

Paul C1ldwell

Torrey Pines, California

Old Sf!,rgull Ill

3/ 14

David Ewing

Monument Peak, Not Stated San Bernardino, California

Soared for 40 seconds, cl ived in f rorn bOO'. No good expla11,1tion.

3/19

1 lenry Holmes

Lake Osborne Florida

Bennett

Towing ;iccidPnl, 64 .. yr ... old clirnbed l1,1rd to 200 after beach t,.1ke .. off, lost grip on control bar, fell out of se;it and into w,ltt)r.

Escape Country,

Not Statc>d

17'

Dived into pi11e tree, then hit rock hard, no direct eyP-witnesses. Some turbulence after takeoff. Fl(!W for several rninutes, then went into a spiral dive ,titer a whipstall or sail inversion, hil cliff h,llf-w,1y down.

3130

Mich;:id Le,ich

4/4 Casas 4/lb

4/20

f'hil O'Brien

4/24

4/2/l

Thomas Rohen

Ca.

11 ight manpuvpr not known. Died five days after crash.

Milpa Alta, Fed. District, Mexico

Wills Wing Swallowtail

Council Bluff, Nebraska

Homemade Roga Ilo

TethPred the kitP with a rope to the bumper of his van, flying in ;i gale. Winds reported up to in the varied 21·.) and 44 rn.p.h. al sitf'.

Azusa Crnyon, C1lifornia

IJragonfly

1,000' dive aftc!r some aerobatics. On ,1 b mi le flight. No good explanation.

Pacifica, California

Eipper Cumulus V

Ceiger was flying a cloud bank, got too far out lo landPd in the ocean to 112 mile from shore. Kile sank with pilot ,incl could not be found. Ceiger failed to ,illow for change in wind direction.

l<alama Valley, behind Waimanalo, I lawaii

Brock Red T,1il rn . Jb

Rohen was flying in and out of clouds, lost orientation, ended up in the' rotor and severe turbulence behind Waimanalo Ridge. Excellent report detai Is stress to kite. Rohen brokP from kit,' before impact.

Stall immediately dfh·r take ..

off, tunH·d back into hill. Fractured neck.

OCTOBER, 1976

4/ l()

ldw,mJ

Cu1Viitc P,1s~ /\ri1on<1

Iron go

Se,igull V

You will notP !hat we haw d lolal of )0 f.11,d ;1ccidenls list(·d, I(, fool···lilll11ch ,rnd ii

rongc/s q~dt harnet;\ Jiad

lowing (incl tl11• tethered kilP). We have 110 ovcrscc1s faLilitiC's incl IHII WC' h,lVl' lw,irc/ of orw i11 South Africa c111d one i11 J,lfldn. Will ou1 ru.1dcrs fi 11 LIS i 11 I no1P of 1he cont i II u · ing f,iilurc,;. A fair pl'ITt'lllagc• oftht·,c L1u1lities wcrl' '"''"""'r equipment failure's and the lw made lh,11 sorric· of the locLiy h,is IJeen hmken down and put to· l1trndrc•ds of times, and some of tlw parts may nol st,rnrl th<' lesl of lurliulence.

IJy

iJC('l1

One

f,1ilcd, t111·ovv11·11i him 0111 ot nrntrol. Ohvirnrs t'quiprncn\ [,iilure.

low«

l<Pm Bluff, rwdr 13,ikcr,. fiPld,

lkr11H•tt 20' St ,rnd,i r·d

Lowl' h,id rnadr• rn,iny flighls di this '>ilt', wa, d good flyt~r. Orie of hi<; cro'"· hdr bolt, lfip Reporter that the bolt tl1rt·,H1" wr'rt' si111ply wom out.

fdw,ml C(:iger

W;iim;i11,1lo, I l,1w,11i

Not (;ivt'l1

I lying by moonlight, fll'w

l.<1rry

(,/1

into clilf. No direct

witnPs~t~s. CcigC>r set i1 I J hour c11dur;111lP rr,cord at this ',ill' in /\ugust, 1 (i/2(,

lfoh

Cotto11wood, /\ri1on,1

SPdowski

i,J;)')

Rohn!

I lugh1",

11,1,;hrnore, Virgini,1

[l('ctrallyl'r Nilllb11,,

"l)Plta Wing"

7/S lo11i /\nn l'e,ivirw Mtn., BMrc1g,111 north of i<Pno

Sc,dowi,ki was just about to touch down when a dust devi I c,iught the kite ,rnd thrl'W ii up JO'to SO' I I<' in <111d hit hi,; head on the kPPI. Report inrlicatPs he had hPPII ,rnd w;mwd about

was towi11g lwhind d lost his control h,11

on the tum, IIPV('I it (perhdps lwc.111,,e ho;il opcr,1101 lrrnwd inlo tlw wind). Struck or1 [,111d. d

acr,11nento,

Not Ciwn

111inutes, thc11

2',00' Skt'tchy

NORTH CAROLINA

VIRGINIA flowl, Kill:S--1,i,:hnnorid Potts

Kit,~S··-Gror1df<Jrl1,er Mouritoir1

Ashlond, Vo (804) m,,,. ", 1·;,u

Lirw,lle. N

MAIWLAND

Willard Mochine fiichord Horris

Flight lrK Morlin fior,rJollsro,wr\ Md c:J01) 655·6818

Gre•en,,bor·o. N

(94 Q)

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VOU, THE EXPERIENCED ULTRALIGHT FLIER, DEMAND AND GET MORE WI TH THE EASV RISER. HASSLE~FREE, - SAFE HIGH PERFORMANCE. EASILY ASSEM~LED IN ONLY FOUR WEEKENDS OR READY BUILT. IF YOU'RE REALLY SERIOUS, SEND' TQ U.F.r.f. FOR ALL INFO AND A COLOR BROCHURE. $1 .00. BOX 59, CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA 95014, OR CALL US AT (40&) 732-5463 PHOTOS • ED CESAR

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THE EASY RISER - TURNING A LOT OF HEADSf

AIR SPEED INDICATOR FOR FLIGHT CONTROL IF OTHERS ARE FL YINC HI GHER AND LONGER THAN YOU Al< t . MAYllE YOU NFFD BfTifR CVN I i<OL OF YOUR I\ I R SPFfD. ASK YOUR

DFAI ER ABOUT THF MEHIL AIR SPFFD INOICATOR TYPE . .. . . . . • , . O i,ect o el in~ vo,n: with vcrioble exit port ACCURACY .. . • . .. • Colibroted lo lu lx.m:,tQry ,tondctd to 3 % RANGE. . . .. . . . .. . . 0 to 38 mi les pe, huv WElG HT. ....... . .. ? ounees lc-ss mounli119 l,ord-.vc,e SIZE . ... .. .. . .. .. . . 3• 1/4 in x .1-1/4 fn x 1·3/16 ;., CON STRUCTION .. , .High streno th impo ct rcsisto,11 p lu)fic c<::te, olvmlnvm a lloy mechanism Ai r Speed lndlcoior..... .. . 522 .50 Guy Wnc .B101;lu : I

••

. . . .. 3.Ct>

l' leu~e )pecify lyiJ-e hu1 m:')),~li<le 1, &ml!-J•.

Cuulrul lk.11 01<..n...kt-:!, , , , , • , . , / ,!)U

7883 Flight Place. Wes lcl1esler. CA. <J004~

M~HI L EN I ER PRISES

F[ AT URIHG l'JPPF.R·fORMANCF.

fll GIIT

High Quality Chrome Plated LICENSE PLATE FRAMES $3.SOea. plus SOC postage per frame Duncan, Box 122, San Gabriel, Cal. 91776

IHSIRUC.llOH

THE

HANG GLIDER

SE.NO $14, 95 PL-US f50

SHOP

rOSTAr.F. A."'n H~OLI /'l'C N , Y . S . RES• .fJ)O 1\

TAX

l)t;A.t.fiR IMQS INV J.Tt;O

P~TENT PENOJ~'G

WINGS FOR MA,"1

SALES. PARTS SERVICE llSI S. BEACH BLVD.

LA HAIRA. CA .

H/\NG ~

JACK BRITTON All IONDS

f;C;RJUM

(213) 90 · 1074 8ulfd l nt

90'31

E P.O. SOX 2d9, E. ISLIP. N. Y. l 1'l0

~Rainbow T-Shirts! ~ •• • •·

Kitty Hawk Kites ·• • Rainbow Sun Visor - $2.50

$4.25

$4.25 Five-color designs, as wel l as the famous Kitty Hawk Kites two-color design on high quality 100% cotton hi c rew T-shirts. Size (c i rc le one) Small, Medium. Larg e, X-Large

Design (c ircle one) Fly A Kite ..........................................$4.25 (5 co lor design) Surf the Sky .................................... $4.25 (5 color design) Get High - Fly A Kite ..................$4.25 (5 color design) Kitty Hawk Kites ............................$3.75 {2 color design) Name .................................................. --................................ Address ............................................................. City ........................................ State .............. Zip ............

I enclose $........ . for .......... T-sh irts or visors , $1 .00 postage and handling for each shirt and 50¢ for each visor. NC residenls add 4% tax. Total enclosed$ ................. ORDERS PROCESSED DAV OF' RECEIPT

Send to: Kitty Hawk Kites P.O. Box 386, Nags Head. NC 27959 Send $1 for poster/catalog

CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first lime and inspected carefully for fatigue bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, with non-circular holes, and on Rogallos, badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading businesses edges. If in doubt, many hang will be to on the

EIPPER 19x17. Must sell. $360.

897-8475.

PATHFINDER 19xl9, ELECTRA-FLYER. Good condition, three colors, nose and wing wires. $350. H. Morgan, 3370 Frontier St., Las Vegas, Nevada. 876-4705. SKY-TREK 18/Hl (Bennett) Modified. Adjustable wing camber, adjustable leading deflexers. Can be flown without wing for hAr1inn,Arn and cambered for experienced flyers. black sail. Some sail damage but expertly repaired. Make offer. Gene Stanley, 6215 Omaha, NE 68104. 571-4486. SST-90. Ten months old. Excellent condition. All white sail. With zipper bag. Dick, Lake Tahoe, CA. 546-4444.

----·--·····-····-··--·-····-

Can we help you get into the air? Do you want to fly, but are short of funds? We will trade anything to help you fly. Contact Delta Wing Kites & Gliders 787-6600.

SUN BIRD BUTTERFLY 19-16. Medium performance, rainbow sail, beautifully new. Perfect !or beginners or intermediates. Cost $870, will sell for $450. 892-1880.

EIPPER-FORMANCE 17' ST AND ARD. Good buy for beginning pilot! Clean, multi-colored green and yellow sail. Has had excellent care. With flight bag and harness, $325 or best offer. (805) 965-5754.

Delta Wing otters weekly classes tor becJinr1ing with all fee is $30 which is furnished. .applied toward the of your if Delta Wing kite or after tt1e course. You will be only. from qualified, top notch instructors and. of course, the equipment is the best available. Lessons with ground school. Ready?

ICARUS 118. Test flown only. Heavy duty box. Must sell, $800 or best offer. Dave, (406) 848-7794. -·----···············..···············--·······-···

ICARUS V. Constructed by Pacific Ultralites from Free Flight kit. Test flown, ready to go. Special harness included. $995. (714) 560·0888. ICARUS V. Free kit. $59S. 560-0888. QUICKSILVER 8, very good condition. Red and yellow, with dacron New daughter forces sale. $500. QUICKSILVER C. Factory built and tested. Purchased 1975. Like new condition. Custom color sail, includes cover. $1000. (717) 957-3669...... Ready for a more exciting glider? See my new QUICKSILVER C. Factory built. Two .. toned blue, orange. Supine harness, cover. Check price of new one. This one's only been flown three times discount. 884-3728.

10 USED SUN Bl Fm GLIDERS, all sizes all colors. Ideal for beginners. $250 .. $350. Includes 892-1880.

-····--···- .......................... ..

$1200 with rack. $1500. with trailer and rack. Has 20 successful flights. Bend, 382-5357.

WANTED new or used Pacific Gull Alpine #1. Jim Moore, 910 Songbird Rd., Bradford, PA i 6701. 362• 177fi.

VJ-23. 9-1 Glide ratio. Glider and trailer, $1810. Fred Williams, 305 South Lincoln, Santa Maria, CA 93454 925-2675

FLEDGLING MODEL B. wing. (913) 631-4812. 7009 Kansas 66216.

CALIFORNIA

EIPPER-FORMANCE 17'. Rainbow sail, seat Bell helmet & tools. $300. 477-6525.

··--····------•·'"·

USED GU DE RS. 17'-18' -19' Standards in good condition built by various manufacturers. From $180. USED HI-PERFORMANCE GLIDERS. Dragonfly MKI, Sun Ill, Quicksilver B. Vortex Cumulus V, Cumulus VB, Dinger Wing Dart, Nimbus. Monarch Sails, 136 E. Olive, Fresno, CA 264·6880. ·-··· ..-- ...............

CUSTOM SUN 4. Excellent condition, multicolor, w/windows and custom sewn bag. $750. Will deliver 1,000 mi. radius from Springfield, Ill. by car. 624-6591.

been crashed. New dacron covering, metal trailer fully enclosed, variometer, helmet, wind· meter. After flying for many years the pilot has developed a serious back ailment (yellow stripe) and must sell. Asking $1000, but will consider all serious offers. Gaylen Grover, 10673 Pebble Pl., CA 95014. 739-2075.

........ -·---

ICARUS II with trailer. The finest Icarus ever built. 34 ft. span. for super big pilot, or motorizing). Beautifully crafted, never

_____

FLIGHT REALITIES, Hang Glider lessons and tours. USHGA available. Local sites include sand dunes, ocean cliff soaring, mellow mountain flying, and thermal soaring on a 3,000'

more information and or call The Delta Wing Flight PO Box Van Nuys, 91408. Phone~13) 785-2474 or 787·6Q00

instructions on flight the student into the glider assisted by the instructor.

1976

and custom work, Huge inventory includin\J Chandelle mail order, Reglessons, up to verticaL Ratings available, just west of Denver at the foot of Mountain, Call or write for free price list or further information: (303) 278-9566, chard Colet 80401 IOWA IOWA

standard kiL CompletH tion, sailmaking, on1f'n1n:,n 48104, The MidwHst School of Hang , and !t1H nHw Flexi-Flier II, Cumulus VB, the well all other models of EippEH, Wills and the Kestrel available for demo l1ave a complete line of accessories instruction in all levels of hang including on the Quicksilver B Our training is clone at the Warren DLJnes sinc(l we are located :Y4 of mile north of th(l park entranc(l, Call (616) 426-3100 or write: The Midwest School of Hang R(ld Arrow Highway, Bridgman, Gliding, 11 Mich. 49106, MISSOUFll MONAFlCH FLYING MACHINES, mid-west hang glider service, instwctors and observers, basic training with mEJdiurn performance gliders, intermediate and advanced trainin9, Monarch gliders, Bill Bennett products, repairs, parts, accessories, ,Jim Wilson and Tim Louis, MO 6~'3'1 Emerson, I 043 Diversey, 4) NEW

wood, NJ

MICHIGAN

NEW YOFlK Han~J Glider Shop, repres(lntin9 manufactumrs, instruction and certified featuring Bennett

DRILL ACCURATELY ALIGNED TUBE HOLES ANYWHERE ... Wml ANY TYPE DRILL

ll ST Pl11[:l W111rl Meler C11111rol Ror 0111c! Pin Mei1I A.11 Spee1l 11111. ['.lrnnrlclle Prone llmm Rell S11a111111 llelme1

the lube ond hardened bushing your vertical center of the tube hold-down keeps tube from shifting. pin previous holes wHh drill, and bot·h blocks con used for Press-flt ore ovoiloble in many Tube copocity to i'wo inch dicimeh:,r. Send drawings for qool·es on special tooling suit your noeds.

M!MRfRS PAY

4Of) n5ll

1~,llO 30,IJll

C11r1e1111110111l1li specrnl availal1le ID nm rnernlie1s 1\1rc CI\RRICR, Na1ir111ulli auvertisetl al S1iec1ill 1111rcliase !or 111ernl1m onli

[11 lier:11111e ii rnernlm anrl receive l.0111 lrr:e Caral11ne1 01 P1j1 fl111. B11111ier ~11cKe1, 1.0 Ca1u, a111I Mon1l1li seno 10

rn1 Slie111 S1 Tul1r

N, Y11m

detoils 1n the brochure, HANG GLIDER TOOLING. Write: MANTA PRODUCTS 1647 East 14th Si'-Oaklond, 94606

Phoenix training kites. hang gliding and towing accessories and including kites. Mark tube straightening. New and Flight Ltd., 691 Englewood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14223 836·3939. ROCHESTER HANG GLIDER, lessons, parts, new and used Dealer for 381 ·0075. Formance and 40 miles north of N.V.C. Aerial Techniques GSI Certified Beginners School with advance trainer kites. Dealers for all Manufacturers. for the beginner, intermediate, and pilot Dan Chapman, James Aronson, Douka Karmes, dedicated to the hang gliding move· ment (914) 783·6751, RD#I, 49 Mine Rd., Mon· roe, N.V. 10950.

lions in the country. So, take ,,,.i.,nr.,+<>,,o well-equipped flight school, (free llla,«Jnl\/S 8 p.m.), Complete full line hang gliders & accessories. Wings, 3998 300 W. #66, Sall Lake City, Utah 84107. (801) 266·2922. Come by and we'll show the sites.

BACK ISSUES OF GFlOUND SKIMMER MAGAZINE; Mimeo newsletters #'s 1-10, .50¢ each; issues, #19·36, 75¢ each; current .00 each. USHGA, Box 66~306, Los CA 90066.

the Southland Hang Gliding Association, USHGA's largest chapter. $5. per year. Write S.H.G.A., 526 Manchester Terrace, In· Ult1WUUU. CA 90301.

CABLE SS 3/:32 7x7 white vinyl $.20 ft. Uncoated $.15ft. Nicos$.07. Thimbles SS 1.09; $.60. Polyrope 3/a $.10 ft Send for free sheet. We sell discount! BIRD 22225V2 Pac. Coast Malibu, CA 90265.

PENNSYLVANIA

-···-·-···"··-··

ENDLESS MOUNTAINS HANG GLIDE11S· ··-Dealer for Zephyr, Electra·Flyer, California Glider, Manta, and U.P. Sales, instruction, ser· vice. Tom Delovich. Rd #1, Box 33A, LeRays· ville, PA 18829. 744-2832. ROGER'S HANG GLIDER SHOP. Dealer for Pliable Moose. Lessons, parts, accessories. 222 Verbeke St., Marysville, PA 17053. 957·3214.

NEW! The Hall Wind Meter. Accurate each not meter calibrated individually. Dependable affected by dust or static. Rugged. Easy to read. Comes with denim bag. $12.50 postpaid in U.S. Foreign add $1.00. Larry Hall, Box 771 Dept M, Utah 84050.

TEXAS LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS Electra flyer and UFM. Sales, repair, instruction. 2200 C. South Smithbarry, Arlington, Texas 76013. (817) 469·9159. UTAH

BASIC. Simple, but elfective. $2.50 Prepd. FLIGHT REALITIES, 1945 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA 92116.

-···"'"'""'""''''

THE KITE SHOP AT NATURE'S WAY, a com· plete hang gliding shop featuring: USHGA cer· tified instructors, a full line of parts and accessories, demo and rental glicjers, (Manta, Wind· lords, Cirrus Ill's and the Fledgling collapsible fixed wing). The Kite Shop is easily found at 9th So. & 9th East and includes a great natural foods store and Salt Lake's best sandwiches. We sm1cia11ize in quality. 898 So. 900 E., SalUake Utah 84102. 359-7913. WASATCH WINGS, dealers for Seagull Aircraft, Ultralite Products (U.P.), and Wills Wing. Utah has some of the best teaching and soaring condi·

HANG GLIDING. outfitting and source book. Free details. Write: Great Outdoors, 109·A Second St, Sausalito, CA 94965.

HANGING IN T/-IERE. $6/yr. 6301 Knox Ave. South, Richfield MN b'._5...4...2..3·-·......................................... . SOARING MAGAZINE. Covers the sailplane scene with some ultralite coverage. Available with membership. (Member $20; Associate member, $1 Info kit with sample copy $1.50. of America, Box 66071 ·G, Los 90066. SOUTHLAND FLYER

"'"-""'"'""'"

HOMEBUILDERS We carry most types of the "best" in hardware and supplies at great prices. Send 13¢ stamp for brochure. Abate's Glider P.O. Box 1, Lawrence, Mass 01842. (617) SPECIAL SALE! PRONE HARNESSES: $35, regularly $50. 5,000 lb. nylon web construction. High density foam padding. Adjustable for prone or upright flying. D·Ring included. SM, MD, LAG, XL NICO TOOL: $10.50 Small home size nico tool allows easy, safe cable repair and replace· ment at home or at flying sites. BUSHING INSTALLATION TOOL: $3.50 allows you to install perfectly finished bushings on your kite or Installs or aluminum bushings. FLIGHT INC., 12424 Gladstone, Sylmar, CA 91342 (213) 365·5607.

l•:XCEI,LENT HA~G GLIDING l)f,;S lGNS SJ LK-,SCHEENED ON HlGII QUALITY, HEAVY WEIGHT,

4t MENS 811111T •

Sll THT COT,OH8:

,M,L,XI,

tnn,

1 ·1 ow,

hl lH', ornnge .Pl mnke ;.;encl them ong w1 Lh your

to:

DAVE MEVERS BOX 1403 HAWTHORNE CAUF. 90250

1976

tax. Men's M, L, only. LICENSE PLATE FRAMES ''l'D RATHEf'l BE HANG GLIDING" $3.50 plus .50¢ postage. USHGA, BOX 66:306, Los CA 90066 THE WIND", an award winning 16mm Hang GlidintJ film, is ideal for showing club meetings, for promotional and tainrnent Re purchase, rental, information, con· tact GibCo Films, i 28i 4 Collins North Hol CA 9i 607, :3) 766-3489 AVAILABLE OutsidG Commis· California GlidGrs, i 1661 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite D, San Diego, CA 9212i Attention: Dick MGssina.

The rate for classified advertising is 15¢ per word group of cfiaracters). Minimum charge, .50. A fee of charged for each oraph. Please make chBcks payablB to Classified DBpL GROUND SKIMMEF1 Box fl6306, Los

DIICOUNT 111\NC CLIDCR I\CCCl\01/Y U\TNC)GUC

$3.00 with USHGA emblem $5.50 includ· handling. Californians add 6%

DESIGNS ··DEPT H BOX 6 LECANTO, "DEALEFi INOUlfilES INVITED."

audio and your tiang precision or in thermals smooth

To order your harness or for rnore information write or call SUHIURD GLIDERS 21420 CHASE ST. CANOGA PARK, CA 91304

(213) flH-317'1 Please specify pilot height and weight when ordering by 111 A minimum $20.00 cleposit must accompany all mail ONLY f.o.b. Canoga Park. Californians add 6% sales DEALERS INQUIRIES INVITED

Malcolm Hawksworth est>ecia111v the Hawksworth of

All leather with ankle for support and comfort, shock absorbant sole to cushion hard for maximum traction, lace anchors that cannot hook in boot waterhook and hold harness

* Sold cxc:lus,1vc1v I NC. and their

Send American shoe diffcrc:nt) to:

sizes are slightly

l i;:co- NAUTJC6 , eox 1 I '5'+", RETJLA N D5

1208-H East Walnut Street CA Santa {71 4) 54 7-1 3 44

W I</\ T 1..1../\ /\VI Of1/\N(; , Cl\ D7(i(i/ IPIPplw1ll' I 71111DD/ 0701 Memhe1 of Nanyli<il'f ll!Jan11f.,ctr,rers Assonat,on

Manufacturc!rs of DUALITY ki1es and cornponents R INOUI

INVI

lwrch\'1/tl' ancl .10/111·an· '"" ,viii he lli!/!/J\' to 11110/1' qua 111 /11· /Jric·n o/ {///\' \/)('Ci/irnliOII.\. li'I' rnnT /}\ ///IV!) a /ar.,;,· i111·1·111n1T o/ 111111<1 arc/ 1,11r/.1

and 1111111/in

li'n/1' nr

1000 'leet abovH flnt land tako off site. Lake Michigan shorelinu 1s G rniles away

Pho to by

INFORMATIONAL PACKAGE----,

tlw the wind

hill with correct direction. Now,

pa1~k,1ge containing color answers to often asked questio11s. perto1rrn,mc:e data, and prices, corn· plete this and mail to: Ultralight Flying Machines of Wisconsin

P.O. Box 21867 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53221

f rorn any up to those above you. Pvnr,nonN> what is

Enclos,;d 1s $4, plcns<; s,ind 1nfonnntion pncknqe. N:1rnu

Adclross

C,ty

State

Tim Arram/Jirle brothers slrnring the over Point rormin, San

Poc/ro,

Photo /JV

Cronk.

Cumulus

In the air ev1)1vwhore since 1972.

U.S.

champions.

Eipper-Formance rnanufact· sleek and stable ures Hie Flexi performer for beginning and interrnecliate flyers. Send for sh11ets, or enclose $1.00 complete catalog.

With like the tip feathers of birds, this new Dick Boone sail design produces incredible performance with unsurpassed three axis control and stability. radial tips@ allow for: • improved 1f4 chord sweep • less sail billow ( 1h permitting high penetration without sacrificing good parachuting rh:~rnr:tP,ristir.s • reduced induced drag • better washout curve 11111 prevention of tip stalls and flat spins. 0

)

the Vl-8 gives you performance you need for winning meets. High speed glide for speed runs, yet Vl·B slows down to 200 FPM for aerial slalom and when it's time to land, it's DEAD CENTER on target.

on and has proven it's excellent therma/ing and soaring a thermal in a Vl·B is a breeze because of it's excellent roll res.001rise and sink And when it's time to move out of sink areas to another thermal, the VI-B's top really comes in handy.

CUSTOM ACCESSORIES • "Enduro" mesh harness meters ll Helmets • • Films • AD!oar·e1 • Kite

DELTA WING KITES and GLIDERS, Inc. 13620 Saticoy Van Nuys,

California 91408 PHON[,: (213) 785-2474