USHGA Hang Gliding January 1977 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

ONE DOLLAR JANUARY 19n

THAN Researched and by Colver Soaring Instruments in coniunction with Wills Wing, Inc., the Colver soaring variometer is a dual audio and visual variometer that all the features that the best hang pilots require. It is a must for flight. • Audio and visual for total flexibility • Dual sensitivity for even the most marginal or extreme conditfons • Super sensitive audio for the possible re· sponse to lift • Damped visual for reading and a slight averaging effect although it is II quicker than the best sailplane electric variometer • Proven circuit in production for over 2V2 • Entirely self con· tained with no exterior bott or flasks • Audio may be turned off for visual use only • Shock resislan1 • Streamlined for minimum • Extremely I only weighs 33 ozs. • ilt in moun1s can Low power usage insures attached lo any control bar long battery life. Distributed exclusively by Wills Wing, Inc. 94.00

Chris Prim has been designing and sewing In the four harnosses for pilots, he has developed the most comfortable, safest, quality soaring harness on the market. In addilion he now has custorn hurnosses to fit every special need.

FEATURES OF THE STANDARD SOARING HARNESS

from seated to prone and back allows lower pilot CG for easier "'""'•;,,..,. makes for in contests

• More ·"''""'" altimeter • High visibility orange face and white numerals • 19 Jewel oil-free movement to 1

Glider pilots than an aircraft

easier. • The harness locks into to maintain a even in turbulance. used throughout colors: with for control bar. • Custom Features Available: Side Knee

• Made in Switzerland

2-lnch

Visit your local dealer for a demonstration or write to:

·1208-H

Walnut Street Ana, CA 9270'1 (714)

To order standard you

the need for orange, and

•

DON'T BUY AN ADVANCED UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE ONE THAT'S BEEN TURNING HEADS f'ROM SYlMAR TO CYPRESS GARDENS COMBINING SOPHISTICATI'.D STYLING WITH THE HOTTEST DJ::SIGN BREAKTHROUGHS, THIS CRI\FT IS DEFINITELY STATE-OF--THE·ART. RAISED KEET. POCKETS, VARIABLE WASHOUT, DROOP TIPS AND ZERO BILLOW COMBINE TO YTELD AN INCREDIBLE GI.IDE RATIO, SURPRISINGLY LOW SINK RATI: .AND RESPONSIVE BANDUNG. THE EXTENDED SPEED RANGE BJ~COMES A POWERFUL CROSS-COUNTRY TOOL IN THI~ HANDS OF A GOOD PILOT. YOURSELF SKY BOUND WITH l\ GI.TDER THAT IT.TES ITKE IT LOOKS THE PERFORMANCE IS OUTSTANDING. THE PRICE IS COMFORTABLE. THE CHOICE IS A ~""'""'~t.:s

BEA UTI T'Ul.

FOR MORI: EXCITING INFORMATION ON THE ENTIRE LINE or GLIDERS AND AND HANG GUDTNG ACCESSORTT'.S, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEAT ER OR:

P.O. BOX 483 @ VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA 9'1408 • PHONE (213) 785-2474 / 787-6600

EDITOR: Rich Grigsby EDITORIAi.ASSiSTANTS: Sharon Grigsby, I le<iy Kleyweg LAYOUT & DESIGN: Mark Allison STA FF PIIOTOGRAPHERS: W . A. Allen, Leroy Gr.inn is, Bellina Cray, Stephen M cCarro ll. OFFICE STAFF MANAGER: Ca rol Velderra in Cathy Coleman, Susan Bischof, He<ly Kleyweg, Janet M eyer. USHGA O FFICERS PRESIDENT : Vern Roundtree V ICE PRES IDENT: Jo hr1 Lake SEtRETARY : John Harri~ rREASURrn: Lloyd Licher USHGA REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION ·1: Vern Rounchree, C il Dodgen, REGION 2: John Grnce. REG ION 3: Lloyd Licher, Dan Poynter, John lake, Ch ris W ills. REGION 4: Don Bench. REGION 5: Gary Osaba. REGION 6: Darry l Smith. REGION 7: M ike Ziaskas. REG ION 8 : Tom Peghiny, Da n Ch apman REGION 9: Vi, Powel l, Chu ck Slusarczyk. REGION 10: I larry Rohb, lohn Harris. REGION I I : Dave Broyles. DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE: REGIO N I . 13il l John son. REGION 9: Denni s Pagen. REG ION 11: John Wh ite. 1-IONORARY DI RECTOR: I lugh M orton. EX O FFICIO DI RECTOR of USHGA As w e are a d ivision 01 NAA: Gene,al Brooke Al len.

The Un ited St ates Hang GI iding Association, Inc. , is a d ivision of the Na tion al Aeronaut ic A ssocia1ion (N AA) wh ich is the officia l U.S. representat ive oi the Federation Aeronau tiq ue In ternationa le (FAI), the world govc rn i n g body for spor1 aviat ion. The NAA, whic h repre;ents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to th e USH GA supervision of FA l- rel<lled hang gliding ac tivities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. CONSUMER ADVISORY: HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE and USHGA, Inc. do not endorse o r take any responsibilit y for the products advertised or mentioned within these pages. Please consu lt t he HMA or pilots and dealers in your area . HANG G LI DING m;, g;11m,• , -. 1lu hl i , hctf io, h,m g gl1dmg :,,po ,1 en1hu~i ,l sl!-, to crf'.1t e itu1he1 i11t('Jl',I ,n th,, s1J<>1 l, lw :1 rn~:in:,, ot open c ommuoic.1tio n ;u1d ro

,,dv.ince hang g lid 111~ rnett1od> .rnd s,uety . tonrubu. t1on-. ,He welLome AnycHH· i~ i1\v1 ll...._l to t.ontribu lt• .irl lclc(;, photo, , ,m <I 1llu!>tr,11 1o ns c 0111.1..·H'11og h,l lli,t ~lidioA ;Jtl i vitw,. If the m.,ter,,il I:, lu b1.! 1e1w n t"CI, ,1 stamped, self-.iddrr'SSt..'<l 1etu rn envelope rnu:-1 l>e co

rlo,MI. 1-IANG GI H)ING m,1n.i zsne rc,;•·:,v<•, 1lw 11Rh1 to t'(li l contnhu1ion, wht'n· O('U."\:,,,uy The A'J)Oc.-t,l · 1tuf1 <rnd publil ,ll io n rfo no t a>sumc rcspv1h ib ility tw

rhe malt-ri(ll o r o r1111 ion:,. of uu) tfibutor-,. HANC GI IO ING nl ..1R,1z ine 1s p ublts hc<l mon ll1f~· hy lht- Uni le<I State!,, I ianp. ( i liding ASSO< 1.1110n, In<: who:.~ m.1ilmij .1ddre~, 11i P.O. Box f>OJOI), l o~ AngelC'~, { .iltf. 90066 dt\tl whu!ie olficc, art• fnc,,t('cl a l 1 1 l1 2Y, Ve 11 itc lllv1I. , lm Angeles, Calif 900M,: trfC'p hdnC (2. 1]t JlJO~J06S. S<•.roo<l < I.ch'> 1.kJ~l ..lKf' j .. p;11d a l lo, A o Aele,, C,lt f. IIANC G LI DINC nMg..11me •'> p nnted hy !irn cl.: ur PfmlH'IM & L1 1ho. Alha m b1(l, C(1 li l. ~uU~<.npuon 1s .1v(lil.1hlP o n l y as pMI ol mcm lw r~h,p in thl' US I IGA, .,1 member• coo1 ,ollec.f educ.1tt0nJ I and .;dC'n 1tfit o,gan1lJ lion

ISSUE NO. 48 JANUARY, 1977

HANG GllDING CONTENTS FEATURES 10. WHAT'S YOUR HAN G UP? by Dennis Pagen 14. HGMA SPECI FICATION & COMPLIANCE PROGRAM by Ga ry Va lle, President HGMA 16. STALLS by Jo hn Lake 20. CALEN DAR 46. BIG BLACK FLY-IN by Keith Nicho ls

dcd ic.,tcd 10 (•x plori,,g (111 fJ CCI!> u { fucllc~~. ~elf l.1unchcd u llraligh1 il iRhl, Membersh ip 1s open to J nyone lntcre-slN I i11 1J11~ lt!dlm o rtltgh1. Dues for iull membershi p MP i 1'l.00 per YttJr ($ 16 ior foreig n ad4

DEPARTMENTS 4. USHGA NEW S by Hedy Kleyweg 9. CA LEN DAR OF EVENTS 54. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

d1l'i.~e~); due~ for A?1soc1<1I<: nwmber.:.tu p ...ire 1i 10 µc,

yeJr, of which $4 ,1f<' fl pi;.igf1;i1c•d (o r subscriplion to HANG C l ID IN(i m ,1g;1z i11c . C h Jngc'- of ,1 ddn~,s .,houlcl l>e :>Cnl ~i,c Wf'ek!; 11l .tdv.ln<:I!. 1nclucl,ng name.

USt IGA meml:x:rsh1p n uml ,er, prcviou~ and nC'w ad dress. and J ma1lcng lah£11 irom ;l tN.e n 1 b sut!.

COVER: All Erickson OI New Sporl in Sweden lloats over the beautiful countryside ol Austna flying an Electra Flyer, Cirrus Ill Leroy Grann1sPhotographer. Color cover donated by Electra Flyer in Albuquerque, New Mexieo.

Blueprints Now Available

VJ-24 SunfLm 11 Airplane controls

"' All rnetal, except fabric 111 Easy 10 build • Semi-cantilever, monoplane hang glider • Send $2 for brochure

11 Has been soared for 42 rnin. on 34 '-high

hill, 23-slope, 17 rnph wind Takes off and lands in 2 steps in a 15 rnph wind 11 Fully controllable in '.3 axis • World's first high ""'·tmm"~"~ hang glider "'Send $2 for literature, 3-view, and color photograpl1 @

VJ-11 So-Lo o Build the world's first fully controllable hang glider • Standard aircraft controls "' Fully engineered 111 Can be built in 6 weeks spare tirne • Material cost $400 11 Send $2 for literature, and photograph

Plans, K'1ts & Materials

The following clarifications should be noted by a 11 pi lots who've some confusion about USHGA's new insurance program. The new dues rate, ef. fective 20, 1976, is $1 S.00 for Full-Members and provides liability and property-damage insurance coverage as one of the primary membership benefits. As perthe USHGA bylaws, dues for Family Members are one-half of Full-Members, hence became $ 50 on September 20th. The insurance coverage is for $50,000 single-limit PL and PD, with a$ 250 ded uc· lible per claim. The sole exclusion is for instruction. is worldwide, except for restrictions in some countries with laws that make it difficult. There are no site restrictions in the U.S. In the November issue of HANG CLIO/NC, it was noted that members who desired insurance coverage were giveJ1 the option of sending $5.00 to make up the difference between the$ HJ dues last paid and the new dues rate of $1 S, or renewing early by sending in the amount corresponding with the member' expiration date. If you've sent in the amount shown in the expiration table, fine, you're if you haven't, disregard the table because it wa only effective in November. Instead, send in either $S.OO for the dues increase or $15.00 for early renewal and we will give you appropriate credit for unused dues. Family members may obtain the insurance by sending $2.50 to cover the increase or 50 to renew early. Although some USHGA members have sent in their new dues to obtain insurance coverage and extend their membership expiration date, WE NEED MORE MEMBER PARTICIPATION to pay for the large deposit premium USHGA is obliged to pay. It would take 3430 members paying the new dues amount to pay the deposit prerni um, but only 500 have so far. USHCA urges members to renew at the new rate, if they have not al ready done so.

Some of our members have asked us to elaborate on "events sanctioned by the USHGA," as printed on USHCA's new Full-Member membership cards. The wording was provided by the insurance company but is a statement. The conditions of the policy are as follows: "It is understood and agreed that the word 'event' shall be held to include participation in competitive meets sanctioned by the United States Hang Cliding Associa· tion, Incorporated, recreation gliding at sites sanctioned by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Incorporated, and activities whereby members, with the approval of property owners, are researching locations for the purpose of sanctioning such sites for competitive meets and recreational flying of the United States Hang Gliding Association, Incorporated."

The newsstand distribution of HANC GI.ID/NC ne began with 1400 copies of the November issue being sentto a national distributor, 48 States News Dis· tributing Company. They specialize in special-interest magazines and deal di, rectly with independent newsstands all over the U.S. They've been distributing Soaring for 15 years, currently IOOO copies per month. USHCA members could help to increase distribution by contacting i ndependent newsstands (non-chain store) in their area and soliciting direct accounts (terms to newsstand d istri bu tors are 50% of the cover price, with credit for unsold copies, billed monthly or quarterly). The organization is presently distributing approximately l,000 issues to 55 independent newsstands, six of which are located outside the United States. Newsstands can also order the magazine from 48 States News Distributing Co., 1460 Williams Hwy., Grants Pass, OR 97S26. Increased newsstand sales of HANG CL/DING will help recruit new members which in turn will strengthen the organization and the sport. of the ne sent to newsstands will have a special USHCA membership application form/business reply envelope inserted in each one.

As more and more hang gliding pilots are joining the ranks of the rated, USHGA has come up with some for 6)

JANUARY, 1977

Detail of new negative· positive wing post system.

When an SST flies, it

for itself

characteristics and structural i

have always come fost with us. (For competition results, soc footnote)

But now look at one up dose!

new

new turnbuckles, new saddle

coated

stainless steel tangs, new

turnbuckles, new king

and

You'll

The

has won the

in FLYING contests. Now il's

win some ribbons in

Bf:AUTY contests. SST's have won 10 firsts, 9 seconds, in the top ten. And a Wills Wing Japanese Championship!

East Walnut Street CA 92701 (714) 547-1

.ALASKA Anchorage Alaska SchL of H,G, (907) 279,74'54 Klean Fun Kites (907) 274-4120 Curt McBride (907) 277-4686

College Klean Fun North (907) 452·3879

Eagle River Flite Unlimited (907) 694-2709

Kula Jerry Burkhart 1808) H78 .. 6l

.IDAHO ldaho Falls

Ak, Oalloon (907) 745·4222

.KANSAS

C913l 262-6611 Ventures Unltd, eKENTUCl<Y c/o No, West Const, Louisville

(602) 944-1655

.CALIFORNIA Arroyo Grande CenL Coast /LG, Ctr. <805) 489·2220 Bakersfield Flight Rlts, Bksfd, <805) 323-9759 Daly City Chandelle SS, C415l 756-0650

Fresno Monarch Sky Sails (209) 264··6880

La Habra The 11.G, Shop (213) 943-1074

Paradise

Sport Flight <:JOll 840·9284 Randallstown Econ-0-Flight Sys, DOll 655-6818

.MASSACHUSETTS Randolph East Wind H,G/s (617) %3-6107

illMICHIGAN Bridgman Midwest Sehl. of !LG, (616) 426-3100 Grand Blanc Frnnk Shefiett (313) 738-2,505 Harbor Springs Chandelle of H, (616) 526·5051

.MONTANA Kalispell

Denve1·

Crown

Rocky Mtn, Marine (406) (303) 355 .. 9477 Missoula Hesperus Upward Bound No. 4 Corners Sehl. of H,G, (406) 549"7292 (303) .NEBRASKA Lakewood Sutherland Charlie Baughman Sam Burchard 12371 W, Colfax Box 651

8HAWAll Kailua

.NEVADA

Flying Uurritos /LG, Club P.0, Uox 1467

Albuquerque Neil Bakkum (505) 265,7113

8NEW YORK Pittsford llochesler fLG.'s (716) 381-0075

West

Kiles

(914) 353·0109

8NORTH CAROLINA

Greensboro Willard Mm::hlne (919) 27:3·1132

Davidson Kitty Hawk Kites (704) 892·79SO

Linville Kitty llawk Kites (704) 963"4969 Morganton Hawk Kites 584,3118

(IJ08) 261·2640

Sierra Wind Sp!s, (702) 7H6·5111

Butterfly Inds, 522-0202

llill Ctry H,G.'s 3402 Catalina Dallas Pcadon/!~ozicr (214) 692·8643

Houston Crow Flight (713) 528·6867

Wasatch Wings (801) 266-2922

@VIRGINIA Ashland

Roanoke

Windsong (703) 989-6487

.WASHINGTON Richland Desert Sehl. FIL (509) 943 .. 3951

Spokane Sky

Inc.. (509)

VIRGINIA 80REGON Gresham Cary Solberg (503) 665 .. 6788

Milwaukie Dick Wade (503) 654"3342

.PENNSYLVANIA Downing!on Sweet

ML State /LG' g, (606) 324"1600 ew1SCONS1N Milwaukee n Ski Shops (414) 462-5880 Terry Wadina (414) 463·6892

Gliders 269-5109

Oil

Horizons Aerospts. (604) 876·2631

fl.G, Shop (717) 957·2047

Waynesburg Blue

Kites 304

Morgan

RICO

Reno

Soaring Unlimited

Dr, ,J & Mr, G (615) 929-3468

8NEW MEXICO Alamagordo

(502) 895-7353

IIMARYLAND Gaithersburg

(615) 648·8915

Johnson City

l(noxville

Sky Action Spts, 1201) 962·6192

Great Outdoors

Oryan Elhard\ (916) 8'/7·8832 l)MJNNESOTA Redding Sail Wi119 Sky Sehl. No. Duluth (916) 241-1105 The Lift Shop Santa Barbara (218) 724·2'll6 Channel Js, /LG, Emp, Minneapolis (805) %5-FREE Oo It H.G!s Van Nuys (612) 338·8365 So. Ca, Sehl. of 11.G, .MISSOURI (213) 999-5460 Joplin .COLORADO Sky Unltd, H,G, Aspen (417)

Gel

17 Hampton Rd.

Ringwood

Merriam Voyager's P&P Shr,p

Valdez

.ARIZONA Phoenix US Hanr1 Gliders

Buster Yates

Brunswick Sky Sailing, Inc.

Inkom Upward llound So, (208) 775·3400 e10wA Davenport Jim Shadt

(803) 242-42.29

Wilton

Walker Rec. Prods. (208) 523-087]

llrady

Palmer

The Hanger (603) 82'.l·lllSO

esourn CAROLINA Greenville The Great Escape

Gunnar Williams P.0. 13ox 6356 LS

Clause L31·es H, Mussard 12 1208 Geneva

Swi lzerland Joe Schmid 8881 Burlhagel 12 West Germany

strea ml i ni ng the process of applying for Hang Ratings, From the initial implementation of the program in March, 1975 1 through November 18 1 '1976 1 1444 pilots have received Jiang 31 s while 88'1 flyers have earned Hang 4's, At the tirne of this writing I I 3 Examiners, 522 ObsmvPrs and 130 (this numbPr is to incrPasP along with the growing number of Instruction Certification Programs bPing conducted throughout the country) Certified Instructors are working with thP program. Due lo the grnat amount of rnagazine space required and the high cost of typesetting, IIANC CUD/NG will no longer be publishing the names of rated pilots. Instead, regional lists of rated pilots are now available lo USrJGA members upon request Since several organi ations have adopted the USHGA Hang Rating Prog-· to allow pilots to get a if they have completed the tasks under another program. Any pilot who wishes to convert his GSl 1 Fellow Feathers or other Hang Rating to get the USHGA equivalent will, however, have to do so quickly as a deadline will be determined at the next Board of Directors' meeting, The following are re·· quired for the conversion: a copy of the comrating card, USHGA's Item #'17 pleted and by nn Observer, $LOO processing fee for USHGA members or $2.00 for non members. A copy of the hang rating card issued by the other organization must he enclosed (just noting the number is not sufficient) or the application wi II be returned, A pilot who applies for his Hang 3 rating should make sure his Instructor has previously submitted his name for a Hang 2 rating. The application form for the rating should be completely filled out to prevent having the application returned for the necessary information, To expedite the process even more, the pilot may want to send in the application himself as some Observers to let the ratings accumulate before sending them to USHCA

1 The USHGA Board of Directors will start off the new year hard at work with a three .. daymeeting to be held in Arlington, Virgin nn on January 14th. rneetings c1re scheduled to take place the first day with the following lwo days designated to seat newly elected elect new officers for 1977 and discuss major matters of concern to the organization. (continued on page 9! JANUARY, 1977

I I

3021 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90405 (213) 3941151

Soar Ohio? Of Course! for those of you who thought that soaring was reserved for shoreline diffl!l and mountain tops, Chuck's Glider Supplies has finally set you free with the Introduction of the falcon. The falcon h; the ultimate high performance hang glider that has proven Itself soarable 111 nearly all flying situations. The serious glider should consider the following information after co11slderi11g any other machine. FALCON soared for 10 minutes at the 40 ft. Edgewater Park hill in Cleveland (in freezing temperatures and 20 mph winds)/ holds the current altitude gain record at Crystal Cavern, Tennessee/ holds the Ohio soaring record of 29 minutes (200 Ft. Dean Robertson ,Farm hill)/ and tied for third place at the grand opening of Hang Glider Heaven 111 Georgia. When you down and the owner of available 111 market. Standard quiet luff-less sails/

PPLI form for maximum efficiency and lift distribution/ heat ou all thimbles and sink rate/ wide certified aircraft excellent tics/ for complete catalog and spec sheets, send your namEi, address and $1.00 to Chuck's Glider Supplies. MEMBER H.G.M.A.

FEBRUARY 12·1'3, 1977, 6th Annual World Snowkite Championship, British Columbia. MAY 21·29, 1~l77, 3rd Annual World Open Gliding Country, ~· ·· ··· '·· ·· ··· Canyon, fee. For more information call (714) t;A1;. 7qr;,11 5th Annual USHGA National Heavener, Oklat1oma. These For more information con· dates are tact USHGA (213) 390<3065. r.h::imni11nc::i1inc::

N.Y.S.H.G.A. intermediate to ad· al Ellenville, N.Y., contact 393 Beach Avenue, Rye, N Y 105BO (212) :;,q,,. 7c,4q

"' Tondem glider Instruction ovcilloble to novice and Intermediate pilots, .. Thermollng instruction for the advanced pilot. " Weekly high-performance glider clinics. " Soles ond service of all major brands of new and used gliders.

N.Y.S.H.G.A.'s annual German Alps Meet for advanced pilots at Hunter Mountain, Hunter, N.Y., contact N.Y.S.H.G.A., 393 Beach Avenue, Rye, NY to5BO (212) 29~1·79149.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING BOX 2165-GSl VAN NUVS, CA 91404

,JULY

Second Annual East Coast Meet and Clinic for Class I Prize: Brand New Glider.) At Ward Pound Reservation in Cross New York, contact N.Y.S.H.G.A., Beach Avenue, Rye, N.Y. 105BO

(213) 999-546.0

HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG

A basic flight manual: autt10ritative, compact, concise, complete. $1.50 postpaid. (Californians add .09¢ sales tax). HANG GLIDING The first complete book on foot launched ultralight flight •7th revision, 205 pages, over I 00,000 sold! $5.95 postpaid. (Californians add .36¢ sales tax). KITING The only book on tow launchEld hang gliding. 2nd revision, 102 pages, over 12,000 sold! $3.95 postpaid. (Californians add .24¢ sales tax).

Box 4Z32··l:i. R<:>rh,:,r,:i,

HAN(; GLIDING

CA 93103

nis

Picture yourself riding the wind with booming "blue thermals" heaV·· ing you skyward The cool air fills your lungs as you survey the rolling green countryside two thousand feet below. Suddenly, a powerful jerk is felt and you feel By the time you realize that your suspension has failed, the ground is rushing at you with d ng . Shocking, isn't it? Fortunately, we don't have to continue this I situation to its end. there have been a few actual occurrences similar to the one described. With the proper attitude and understanding, there is no chance of a suspension system fai I u re. To fully understand the strength requirements of a suspension system we must the involved. Sir Isaac Newton tells us that equals mass times acceleration (F mA). In a normal gliding situation the on the and suspension is equal to the mass of your body times the acceleration of gravity and is referred to as one "G" load. It is easy to see that if a shot of lift the glider upward the "G" loading will increase proportionally to the acceleration. Most pilots have felt the results of this acceleration as their body heavy and their suslines creak in strong condi-· tions. This type of loading is of no consequence, creating a few "G's" at most. A downdraft can produce acceleration and cause a If violent up and down occur in quick the lines can slacken then JANUARY. 1977

thern to The sudden indirection of travel of the pi lot's body

ng il Lo the free end of the mow your hand obed

your hand up and you will break the string. If the is made ctr,nn,nnr the made lighter, the tm·a~:,11,:e will not occur. This is a clear illustration of the support dr.nn,nlh to body ratio. 11 should be noted the faster one flies in turbu· the gn•ater Lhe rate of of and hence the greater the stress on tlw structure. Another situation in which high ~rcesoccuronthe and the glider a whole is during turns <1nd m<1neuvers. The basic law that applies here is: force mass times ve· locity divided the radius of the described ( F-rnV'!r ). In ure 1 we see a body moving in an arc

point A with a velocity V. A felt in the AB since the is constantly inward to follow P instead of V. The radius of the described is the distance AB. From the formula and the nhvs1cal model it should be "n''"'"'""1 that the force F will increase as the thi with a swung in a circle. In like rnanncr, forn' on a hang glider system increases drama· tically as the increases or radiu turn or main a turn is HANG GLIDING

well known and should make a pilot aware of the of tight maneuvers in turbulenn'. Tlw combination of added "G's" from both factors can overload the with this insight into the problem, let's look at different methods of hooking up. Starting al the top, we usually find a rope or wire providing a loop for a carabincr which in turn is attached to the harness risers. This hook-up rope or wire is usually the weakest link in the 1/Bth inch stainless cable is strong enough in most cases, but can weaken with use nd abuse through wear and The two main drawbacks of a cablt> hook.up are the requirement of a certain arnount of technical skill when replacing the system and lack of elasticity. If the connection between your body and glider is slightly elastic, the high force felt in a sudden change of velocity will be lessened. Preferred is a rope loop for several reasons. Rope is easier to inspect for wear, adjusts for length changes readily, can provide very high strength with little weight, is readily available and edsily aced, and finally, stretches slightly to ease the shock of high turbulence sail inversions. Any rope rated to :moo lbs. or greater can but braided polypropylene is be one of the best. Remember the Chinese handcuffs of your childhood? You can use the same principle to form loop from this rope after cutting to length ,rnd melting the ends to prevent unraveling. Proceed as in figure 2a by ing open the braid al a point I/4th in from one encl. Insert the other end in this opening and feed it in sev .. eral inches. Now open another braid along the loop and insert the free end.

Figur,3

Continue both ends along until ;i closed loop is formed in The length of this closed loop will be ]/4th the length of the original The ropes will not slip out no matter how much tension is applied since they grip tighter with increased tension. The trick to opening the loop is the same as you may have figLHed ou! as a kid grab the outside rope al the point of the opening and simply pull the inside rope out. Hook the loop lo the control bar as shown in figure 3. Make sure the part

Figure 3.

of the loop where the ends meet is not in the free swinging part of the loop, as this is only as strong as one thickness. If applied properly this hook-up will be twice as strong as a single strand Avoid knots in the free part of the loop. Any rock climber will verify the fact that a knot greatly reduces the strength of a rope or webbing. At this point, ii is useful to incorpo rate a back-up system. This is simply another suspension loop to hold the pilot if the main one breaks. This loop should be just long enough to avoid taking any weight under normal conditions. One such arran i shown in figure 4a. Note that in a turn the relative length of the two loops The difference in the two lengths should not be too great as the fall occurring between the of the pri rnary loop and the support of the secondary loop wil I cause a shock and high load lo the system. This is the fault of the common back-up cable illustrated in 4b. Here the drop ac .. companying a broken loop would probably also break the cable, especially since the support force is at such an angle to the load from the carabiner (see figure ll

Ano1her method of attachment to the glider is with a quick release. Prone in cornbination with a carabiner are often impossible to unhook in an emergency situation. Landing in deep water or in tall trees may result in some frantic struggling unless a quick method of detachment is available. By using a #8 Maillon quick link, any harness can be connected to a quick release. Some pilots have a fear of such devi ces but there have been no known failures of the type made from parachute equiprnent. The best attachment of all is a quick release in combination with a carabiner. The quick release is the prirnary The carabiner is hooked to another rope and serves as a back-up If the rope is the proper length, there will never be weight on the so it can be easily unhooked before pulling the quick release. There are many types of carabiners available. The strongest are of a D 11 configuration. This extra strength results from the rope slipping to the straight side of the carabiner put1

Figure 5. 12

ting most of the on th is unbroken Pilots should be aware that carabiners can unhook themselves in certain situations (see figure This may occur in extreme turbulence. Locking carabiners are available, but they additional work to unhook. The next thing to consider is the harness itself. There have been enough cases of harness failure to warrant a careful of each new design or inspection of your worn old standby. The main problem is in the sewing of the risers to the harness webbing. The best designs route the main risers completely around the pilot's body. The method of stitching is the running W (see figure 6). This is approved for parachute rigging, while the often used box stitch is noL The box stitch has only three threads holding at one time if pulled from a corner. Like dominoes, support have a to fail consecutively. Thus, each part should be designed to support the entire weight. The whole secret to safety is to leave plenty of margin for error. The human body can take about 9 "C 1 s11 in an position and up lo 100 11 G 1 s11 lying flat. This means that at a mini1num 1 the support system should be able to hold 10 11 C s11 ( 1500 lbs, for 150 I b. pi lot). Perhaps the glider structure would fail under such extreme loading, but when considering the wear a harness this absolute minimum is not unrealistic. The last point to consider is the incredible fact that pilots do occasionally take off unhooked. This is usually a matter of being distracted. Several u~·"'-'-·-' can prevent this. Develop a pattern of checking conditions, making a flight plan, then ,-rllnr,,nt1r:iti,na totally on the take·-off. The most important life saving technique is to create a mental block nst starting the take-off run without first lifting the glider and feeling the tug from the straps. Try this in the landing area; pick your glider up without hooking in. Start a take-off run then irnmediately and think of something unpleasant (like a fall from a HlO ft. cliff). After few you' 11 have a strong urge to check your hook-up just before each launch.

If you do go oH unattached, or the suspension system does fail, all is not lost. Hanging from a control bar invariably puts the glider into a dive (especially when rigged for prone). The only way to control is to stand in the control bar. On your next weathered out flying day suspend a control bar about 8 feet from the ground. Support a.pilot by a rope at, tached to his harness in a normal flying position in the control bar. Sud-denly release the rope and time how long it takes to climb into the control bar and stand up. The best method found to date is to bring the knees to the chest and pu 11 the legs over the rear of the bar, then reach up and pull the body into a seated position before standing up. This seems to be quickest for mosl pilots (strength is a factor) with most and causes the

- -,71

f,I \

I I

' '

I I

l, , I

I \

\ .. ··-.;,\

R:.,VNNIN(r-\lv'

Figure 6. amount of bar swinging. The other phase of this emergency procedure is to prnctice ground skim .. ming while standing on the bar. This is not a stunt and can be safe if attempted ca ref u I ly a few feet off the ground. The whole secret lo successful operation in stress situations is preplanning and

Of course, the ultimate in preparedness is to carefully inspect all equipment continuously and thereby avoid of having to perform aerial aer·ob,atics. The proper attitude is one of for the potential dangers that can arise with insufficient attention to detail. The best way to achieve continued enjoyment from hang gliding it to have confidence in your equipment. Start by making your suspension as safe as possible and you'll be hooked for sure. JANUARY, 1977

SAFE AND

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WITH 2SURF

PHOTOS - EO CESAR -1..ARRYMAURO

II Scver·al yuilrs ago I watched from above as a friend of rni rw attempted the as yet unpcrfected feat known as a "th Full over and somewhat forward, he was hurtling downwind towards a chapparel covered fly-swatlcr. In an attempt to com· plctc the turn before hitting the mountain, he pulled forward even further to "increase the speed of the tum," but only succeeded in making matters worse, soon disappearing behind the scrc1ggly bushes on the lip of the ridge. I ran towards the expecting to hear a big CRUNCH at any time ... instead hearing a WHOOP of relief as I saw my friend heading away from the hill. That was the day we discovered you had to "push out" to do a reasonable 360° turn! For dec;1dcs pilots of aircraft had known "up elevator" was necessary to turn an airplane. My friend was lucky, others died without "discovering" this well known rcquirenwnt. Tlw problem w;is that we, and rnost other hang glider pilots, did nbt consider our "kites" aircraft. We thought of them as something different sort of an airborne surfboard. Try to stand up ... fall off, stand up again ... foll off -Ouch! If ii was humanly possible to fly ii, and it didn't fall apart prior to landing, it was considered "airworthy." That was fineduring the "don't fly higher than you care to fall" days but those days are long gone. Today, we know we are !he pilots of aircraft. Talk around the landing area is in aircraft terms span ... angle of atla< k . washout.. Birds thermal soar, sailplanes thermal soar, we thermal soar. We all work within nature's well defined (but sometimes elusive) bounds. Fvolution assures the structur;il and aerodynamic in-· tegrity of the soaring bird, the Federal Avi· ation Administration that of the sailplane . it is our hope that in enacting a cornprehensive H.C.M.A. Srwcification and Compliance Program, we may help assure the airworthiness of our unique aircraft. In formulating the airworthiness specifications we had to keep this thought

firmly in mind thehanggliderwasa low speed, unpowered <1ircraft. Accordingly we could" borrow" from the existing body of knowledge concerning the airworthirwss of gliders, modify it where necessary, and acfapl it to our needs. Several well known documents dealing with airworthiness were studied. Most pertinent were the federal Avi,ition Regulation Part 23; the I A.A. handbook, "B,1sic Clider Criteria;" and the N.A.C:.A. Technical Note, "Appreciation and Pre· diction of Flying Qualities." All concur, in that lo be considered airworthy, an air craft must: 1. rneel minimum performance requirements 2. be controllcible 3. be stable 4. show favorable stall and spin characteristics 5. be structurally sound. Certainly any meaningful hang glider airworthiness ficitions should be based on these Both F.A.R. Part 2l and Hasic Clider C:riteri,1 follow this format; we chose to do so as well, and I will surnrnari1e !he rPsulting requirements in a few moments .. At this point you may be saying, "Fine and dandy, it sounds good, hut how will the 1-LC.M.A. enforce any requirt!ments?" The answer is, the H.G.M.A. can't e11force it, but the the

and YOU can!

The program works like this: A member manufacturer, Arel urus Aircraft, wishes to commercially produce the "Snipe," a high perform,rnce glider of moderate aspect ratio. As specified in the H.G.M.A. Airworthiness Standards, A.A. flight and load tests the Snipe, document· all tests per the appropriate specification. Upon completion of lhesu lesls, ,lp· plication is made lo the H.C.M.A. for ,1 "Certificate of Comp I ia nee" and al I test documentation in the forrn of a" Record of

MA Compliance" this applica· ti Oil. Upon receipt, the H.C.M.A. verifies that the Record ofC:ornpliance is complete and in the proper format. No check of the accuracy of the com pi led dc1ta is made at this lime; however, the manufacturer does sign a document testifying that lo the best of his knowledge the i nformaf ion is correct ,md accurc1te, and the penalty for distcJrtion or falsification of the Record is quite severe. If verified, the H.C.M.A. issues a "Certificate of Compliance" which states that a "Record of Compliance" has been submitted and that the manufacturer has found the aircraft, in this case, the "Snipe," to comply wilh the H.C.M.A. Airworthiness Standards. A formal staternent is then issued for publication in !he hang gliding rnedi,i. By this action, YOU, the hangliding community, are made ,1ware of those gliders for which ccrtifi. cates have been isstwd (or have not been issued). In the event of a fatal or near fat;il acci· dent in the Snipe, or hy a vole of trw H.C.M.A. members a "Question of Cornpli,rnce" action may be raised. In the case of the accident, the H.C.M.A. reviews all available information pertaining 10 the accident and then rulPs whether or not there is a "Question of Compliance." If it is de cided there is a "Question of Compliance," a formal s\alemenl will be issued for publication in the media again, YOU are informed that there issorneques· lion rq;arding the airworthiness of the Snip(!. Al this point, the H.C.M.A. Certification Cornmil1ee pulls from the file tlw "R('cord of Compliance" orginally sub· milted by Arcturus Aircraft. The Record is then rc,viewed, flight tests are made on a glider of identical 1ypt' and construction 10 the glid<:'r in question. The results of tlwse tests are carefully reviewed and a formal statement issued for puhliccition in !he media concerning t lw airworthiness of the Snipe. Several possible courses of action may be taken. If folsific;ition is found, a severe penalty will lw the result. If no apJANUAl<Y. 1977

C,LIDER MUST BE ABLE TO n.lE AEROBt>-T\C MANEUVEf"<S

IF·ICATION 1~::i REQ\)ESTED.''

4, Spins (if approved) , C:h,rndelles and sleep turns i11 which the c1 of bank is more than 60° (but less than CJ0°), In our case, the Utility lype will refer 10 rnod("rate performance, non-,1Prob,1tic lype of hang glid<;r designed fur norm.ii operation and g(;neral use, sale, and pro"· duc1io11. Aerobatic attitudes ,ire not encouraged. llw ability 10 operate safely in these ,11" ti1udes, i.e., more th,rn 60° bank or 30° nose up or nose dow11, is necessary i11 order to provide a reasonable margin of s;ifety, ~ince hang gliders in turbulence may experience these atliludes inadvertantly, It should be noted that no distinction is made between gliders "intended for thcrmal i and those' "intended for soaring ridge lifL" Such a dis1inction would br; ar1ificial and not in the best interests oftf1(; hang gliding community,

PERFORMANCE charac, parent violations or tcristics are found, ;in appropriate state), n1c111 will he issued. In any case, YOU, the rnedia, will be made aw,1re of any informa1ion per1aining to the compliance of the Snipe to the I LC.M.A. Airworthiness S1andards. 11 should be noted that a "Question of iancp" action may he raised ,igainst glider m,rnufaclurcd by a non,I LC.M.A. mernlier in lhc same circumstance ,ind rna111w1· as a 11 ,.M.A. mt)mber A formal statemc11I is also issuc!d for publication in the hang gliding media. How rigorous are these specifications? As as any aviation stan danL The text of these standards is qui1e specific Bec,1use of its language and hit will no1 he prin1ed in its en1irety; I will summarize the rc>quircments and in1e11t of each major sec1io11. The Airworthiness Standards discussNi here are for "Util category ultralight hang gliders ( I ligh perform,1 nce/aprohat ic category will be specified at ,1 later date), Utility category is a term used by the F.AA. 1o describe those aircraft intended for "Ii mited aerobatic opera1 ion." !Jon' t think for a rnrnnent that this phrase refns to or l.omccvaks. "Limited aerobatic operation" means that an aircraft in the Utility category may he used in thPse norrnal maneuver incident to normal flying, HANG GLIDING

whip s1alls), ,rnd, Stalls ], Chandelles and steep turn in which the of hank is not more tha 11 6() 0 , and the following limited ,ierob,llic opera, lion:

The stalling speed, with the wing load· ing in the middle of the recornrnendcd range, may not exceed 2.'i rnph, Them.ix"imum LID of the glider may not be less than : I. The top speed of the glider may not be less 1han 3S mph. (continued on page 413)

Most "explancrtions" of flight take you into an intellectual land filled with Bernoulli, vector and elegant equations. This may be a garden for designers, but it is <1 swamp for pilots. Have you ever heard a pilot in trouble cry out for Bernoulli or offer up a final expletive of "p+ 1/2pV2 H" just before the crunch? Exhaustive research in the field has shown that the pilot' most frequent final words are "Oh shit!" It has been assumed by these researchers that pilots are simply an uncouth crew of semi-literates. However, independent research has brought out the fact that the expletive refers to the pilot's opinion of a theory of flight which he has discovered, too late and is useless in crisis. Elegant theories of flight, laced with impressive differential equations, are not the stuff frorn which a clear mental picture of controlI flight is drawn; lfo:y are the tools of designers, not pilots. These quantitative theories are generically classed as the "Oh shit" grour. Pi lots should learn useful concepts from a qualitative group, sometimes referred to as the "Made it again" grour of explanations. We must never confuse theory, no matter how hoary from reretition, with explanation. All of us have read countless books and articles describing tlw airflow over and under a wing or airfoil. The stall is defined as the point, or of attack, at which the airflow separates and dissolves into a mess of eddies. That's true enough, but the writers spoil it by then announcing that most of the lift is lost because the top surface is the rnajor source of lift yet they fail to speak of the role of drag. And this failing is where they lead us down the paths of rain. The fact is, assuming a constant airspeed, not that much lift is lost as you stall. The loss amounts to something like 20 or 30%. That loss cou Id be corn pen sated for by an increase in airspeed of only about I 5'!'o or something like three miles per hour in an

ordinary hang glider. Of course, the problem is getting that three miles per hour! This brings us to the sin of not emphasizing the role that drag plays in a stall. It is the increase of drag, not the decrease of lift, that can bring worry lines to the face of a pilot. But first, the Law of Stalls: I. The severity of a stall is proportional to surprise. The pain of a stall is relative to how hard you hit the ground. 3. A painful stall grows from a severe stall. The study of the role of drag during a stall is the Rosetta Sterne (means of discovery) of these laws. Suppose your glider had two instruments which showed its lift and drag characteristics. Suppose that each instrument read half sc;ile say fifty on a scale of 0-100 at an airspeed which gave minimum sink performance. Now, suppose you slowed up a little, so that a stall resulted. The lift indicator would drop a little to around 3.'i or 40, butthe drag indicator wou Id go right off the top of its scale. The clear result would be that you would have to increase your rate of descent drastically to maintain what airspeed and lift you have remaining. If the glider is not allowed to cfrop to compensate for this huge increase in drag, the airspeed will be jerked right out from under you and, then, lift will be reduced sharply and you will fall out of the sky. But keep in mind that the original culprit is the increase of drag. An explanation of the three Laws of Stalls is now in order. When you expect a stall, you react as soon as it occurs. You get the nose down a little and immediately, so that you don't lose much more airspeed and what littlE' is lost is quickly regained. But if the stall comes as a SLlfprise, you will react late in the game and you may try to maintain altitude for a brief period, forcing the nose ever higher. This allows drag, the lime needed to suck away your airspeed, insuring the necessity of a longer JANUAr<Y, 1977

recovery

Lven worse, llw chances ,Hl' that one will the other into the stalled conditio11. The much greater drag will tend lo pivot the glider around, which will reduce that wi and lift relative to the otlwr wing. This, of course, is the start of a spin or a roll crunch into the grotmd The proof of this pudding lies in the fo<t regardle,s of aircraf1 type, very few practicP stalls they ;ire not suqirises rpsult in spins, whereas most accident,11 stalls result in a wing dropping out. All this is to emphasize the first Law: The of a stall is proporlional to se. The Second Law should be obvious. Air ecwses no pain. Thu does. And the awkwardness with which you hit tlH' can contribute to how hard you hit it. The Third Law should be simple. If somelhing will hurt, you won't want to do it. The only intentional stall you'll be likely to do when near the ground is during the landing. B11t if your mine! is rn1 the winning the spot landing contest, trying to gt'f rid of altitud(· with low S turns, or ng on to altitude lo clear some wires, then the stall can sneak up on you and be painful in its severity. Now let's get into flying. Consider a pilot who thinks himself advanced. I le decides to soar tr1e> foce of a hill where he sees Henry I lot shews staying up. Our hero's glider is known to be mellow and he has practiced stalls a number of times. He rnakes a few passes back and forth along the hill and finds himself right up therP with llenry. I le vows that now is the time to show that he can stay up there with the " He slows up a little more, milking the lift I le finds himself a little above and behind llenry and is really with himself. HE thi "how great this is;" how he is a born bird. I le lose~; a little' c1ltitude ,rnd, without thinking, pushes out a little more. Without any appc1re11t w,irning hi mellow glider starts to roll into the hill and to drop its nose. llis momentary response, lieing caught by surprise, is to out and try to turn ,1way from the hill The glider just f<1lls off into the hill and he w;1kes up in traction. Our hero was the vkti m oft hi nki ng I hat practicing intentional stalls would prepare him for accidental stalls. I-le was not rHepared for this stall, so he failed to do the only thing that will correct for a stall get the nose down immediately and sharply, before takes its toll of remaining airspeed and lift. Now let's relate an actual accidental stall at a had time during a tight turn near the ground. A national champion glider pilot was competing at the Dog Mountain Nationals. lie was doing a series of figure over sonw downwind of the l;rnding area and he was getting very low. lie had a chance at the contest if he could cr,rnk out one more turn around the pylons, so he turned towards them, aw,iy fro1T1 the l;rnding <1rea, for one last pass. He suddenly realized that he was getting too low ,ind would haw to get hack or he'd land short lie> turned abruptly and stalled the glider at an altitude of about 10

feet. I le realized his error and momentarily pullf'd forward. I le lo'1 about 1 'i feet of altitude and came up short of the landing area. The point is th;it, with every I hi ng riding on no! losing a Itit ude, he still allowed his conditional reflex to cause himself to pull in al the first sign of a stall. If he had hesilated at all, he would have piled right in and would have been hurt. Thal conditioned rdlex is what every pilot has to acquire. There is only one way to dC:quire this rdlex and ii is nol to go up and practice intentional stalls. They will help to teach you that a well designed glider will recover, but that is about all they do for you. The way to learn about stalls is to practice not stall just how close you can come to them wilhout stalling. This b, of course, called "slow flight." The first stc•p is lo pick .i nice l,irge smooth landing ,m:a. Then make d fast approc1c:h and try to keep the glid(!r about(, feet above the ground and pay attention to the feel of the glider jusl before it lets you down. Then follow this exc>rcise at an altitude of at le,1st a few hundred feet. to not let j us1 see how close you can come lot he sta II. If the glider stall you do it right, you will stall sometimPs. When you do stall, POI) the nose down a little just as soon as you realize what' h,1ppening. Pretty soon, you will seldom really stall and you will gain a feel for things when they are slow ,ind sticky. Then, the next step is to do the same things in gentle turns, then steeper turns. Always practice this slow flight aw,1y from the hard ground and only in a well designed modem glider. After il few hundred "accidental" partidl stall out of slow flight, you will be ready to t1ke on llenry llotshoe,,. And you will be a far better pilot than those who spend their time flailing around the impressing all those who l1dvc yet to recognize precision flying when they see it. .,.-

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eight i::ipper~Formance Leroy Grannis

1976

DECEMBER

1977

FEBRUARY

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the Lilienthal Livermore, Nationa, Geographic) flys Taras

1972

AUNS

LINCOLN'S BIRTH DAV

WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY

ASH WEDNESDAV

i977

1977

MARCH

r,'\.

7 10

:.;:;

- clos'-ig the gap betvvee;;

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SI PATRICK'S DAY

1977

FEBRUARY

i977

7 10

9 15

The Easter

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EASTER

1977

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Quicksi1ver,

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Llt.,JDBERG'S FLIGHT 1927

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5 12

18 25

7 13

1977

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Space Od~rssey,

Stephen McCarroil

FATHER'S DAY

1977

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Brad

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Steve Hasterlik 0:1 a

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YOM KIPPUR

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1977

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Nichols< 1976 Open Class Naticnal Champion looking sky. Stephen McCarroil

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What was originally planned as a local, fun-type, fly in, sponsored by ization of the Ultralight Flyers San Diego, wound up with over 100 pilots flying in what must have been one of the largest, highest, and most enjoyable non-commercial fly-ins yet. The scene was Black Mt., a 3000' vertical site overlooking a 5 mile long valley fi I led with fields and trees. The site is owned by one of the nicest ranching ever. Ray and Helen Foster have been overseeing flying in their valley for over 2 years and of the exceptional

cooperation they've they still really enjoy it. The day off bright and sunny, with a few ng frontal clouds off in the distance. It had all the ly cookin' day. indications of a After the brief pilot's meeting in the landing area, a virtual caravan glider-loaded trucks started up the hill. In no the set-up area was overcrowded and people started ng out new takeoff Because of the excitement of the first flight off a new mountain for many, and no doubt the lack of any

competition, pilots were mellow and things flowed smoothly. Under the launch direction of Don Betts, editor of the UFO Flier, gliders were coming off about every 2 minutes for most of the day.The 1st pilot off was Bill Liscomb in his ASG-21, amazing the group by in gable to hook some very marginal lift out over the valley and circle lazily up and back over the takeoff area. It was the flight to match and only two others managed it., Jack Martin with his Wind Gypsy and Keith Nichols in his ASG-21. It helped to be a local and know the area. By noon, the sky was totally overcast and lift was marginal. The highest consistent lift reported was about 150 fprn up. Flight times ranged from minutes to almost an hour; some pilots cru straight to the landing area, others roamed the ranges searching for the elusive "big one". When pilots decided to take a break and land, some informal events were set-up. Two colored pylons were set up somewhere off in the distance but nobody knew where. The object was to find them. Next was a bomb drop from over the landing area frorn any altitude you wished For a while it as though the object of this task was to see how far from the your bomb could hit. Then, the typical accuracy landing, with winds that switched every now and then, pilot's scores were totalled, and the overall score sheet was destroyed with no results announced. Thus celebrated the spirit of the fly-in. gathering had lots of visitors from out of the area. Dick Boone and Robbie Reed were down with their Phoenix B's; Roy Haggard and Mike inn were Bill Sloatman and Sean Devers came out from Colorado; Bob Wills, and Dean Tanji were soaring their newest designs;

of course, almost every L1ua1111cu pilot frorn the San area was there. Late in the

the

The Fosters had

a steer,

had

deviled eggs, baked len·1on1afj1e, and the UFO of beer. was started and after dinner, mandolins, and fiddles were broken out and the music went till after midnight.

The next with d and r·nniin11Pfi of the mountain and was below the occasionally the landing area was 1n,uw,r1 in. Pilots started to up and go home. As neared to go the coast, a few by and check oul out of pure habit more than any rational reason. What a it was to arrive and be with winds blowing out of the west at 20 mph. Several were high in the air, and there were relatively

for a ',11r111;o,v It turned into a seen for almost a year. With over 30 gliders in the air at once, it was often

fow

lo the L.A. The north to just soaring. It was reserved for ct:in,i;irr1c tandem flights, and up landing pp1roa.cnes. The system worked very UFO rnembers in traffic flow and control with 6 people The line to

rn1°nn;ir?>11

there were no or bad feelings. The winds blew late into Scenes from Big F31ack Fly·in

Due to i.lf:td woatheron trio ?nd cJayof the f~ly-in, pilols migrated to Torrey Pi nos ancl found near perfect conclitions

the night, and after sunset landing were laid out and running I rnounted on few gliders. Flying continued till 10:00 p.rn. What had to be a

hopes and The First Black Mt. Fly.in was ,uc""xu a success and of course everyone as patted each other on the backs, that next year, it would be even better

(continued from f)il[l(' 15)

Each of these requir,,rnents has bPen chose11 with m,iximil'ing the of tlw pilo1 in rnind. Tlw stalling speed was chosen in order to pres(•rve tl1e fool launched (and l;111ded) 11,1t1m· of the sport. /\11 LID of

held to be for ihe pilo1 to feel cornfortclblP, yet for each airpl<11w the "helix angle" would be about ihe samc>. 11 is ly staled 1hat in convenlion.-il ,lircraft ,1 helix angle of .07 or greater is

11.C.Mi\.: "11 rnusl be under all conditions of opera lion probable for tfw type, to make c1 smooth 1ransition from one flight condition to anolhe1·, including turns ,rnd slips, without requiring an exceptional degree of ski 11, alertness, or streng1 hon the parl of the pilot and without danger of Pxcceding the limit load facto1·."

STABILITY five is required l>Pc;iuse many popul,ir flying sites havl! l,rnding Meas in which gliders with less perform,rnce typically "come• scraping in." The value of five ;1ssun·s margin of ,illitude. Similarly, the top SfWC'd of 35 mph assures c1 margin of speed and sinn· rpsponsible pilots fly in winds gre,iler than mph.

CONTROLLABILITY AND

MANEUVERABILITY Perhaps lfw most common criticism of hang gliders is ofthc)ir controllability. Critics stclh', and rightly so, Iha\ any aircrafl rlown in lfw turbuletlC(', shears, and conveclion found in the hang glidt!r's low level airspace should have rwtter th;in av-· erage conlrol, particularly roll control. In researching control requirenwnts and specific1tions we made some interesting discoveries concerning this topic Normally rolling performance is 1101 measured in terms of roll rate, but rather another parame1er called the "helix angle." It was found that if test pilots evaluated rolling performance ;:ic,·nrrl,nu to "feel" i.e., what w,1s needed vs. what was available that regardless of size or flight speed, the "helix angl<'" would b(! the besl indication of rolling pcrforrnann'. For instance, !he· foster the normal flighl speed oft he aircr;,ft, the fas\er \lw roll ra\e

indicative of te rolling performance. Tlw 11.C.M./\. specifications re quire that" utility glider be able, to revPrse a circling tmn at 45° bank in no more than seconds. The rolling performance, ;1s ncHmally evalua1cd in aviation circles, shows thal gliders meeting this re-quirement have twice ihe rolling performance of conventional ai1-cr;if1! ln1Pres1· ingly, the cu1-rent crop of gliders ge1wr,1lly roll even faster than the requin)d seconds, many being able to perform the maneuver in less than three seconds. Also specified in this section is minimum pitch control rt•quin·rnents. II must be to accelerate from a near stall to 30 rnph in less ilu11 seconds. Flee a use of 1he possibility of a pi lol 1aki ng off witho111 properly actuating the glider's deflexer system (or any similar systern) it is required that it be possible' to fly the glider 1o a safo l.inding in the event of incomplete flight assembly in these systems. In particular, it rnus! be shown tlw glider can be flown lo a safe landing with any possible deflcxer configuration. The following is the general requirement ng contrnllahility found in F.A.R. Part 23 and" Basic Clider Criteria." Bee a use of its succi nctrwss and appl ic1bi 1-i t y ii h;is also been adapted by the

rlw gl id('r must he longil ud in ally, di rect ionc1 I ly, and laterally stable over the nor· rnal operating range of Vs to V1J. Here Vs is the st,illing speed with the ligh1est recommended loading and Vii is the fastest the glirk·r will fly with the heavies! recommended loading wilh lhe pilot full forward and with his hands on the conlrol liar. ,nnr-,hr ---Over the entire speed range V, to VD, the pilot pulling forward (or equivalent) should he required to obtain and maintain faste1· than the trim speed, and pilot pushing back (or equivalent) required to oblain and maintain speeds slower than the !rim This assures,pitch stability over this speed range. ·-In the roll 1·ate test discussed earlier, the glider should no\ show dan 1wrous skid characteristics. This assures adPquate directional stability. --Pilo1 bottom of center, or centered on the control b,ir should be required to hold the glider in a coordinated !urn of ]0° hank or less. This is indicative of adequate spi1·al stability. It is recornmended that unmanned flight tests he performed in orck•r lo de1erniinc the total pitching moment at small positive and neg;itive angles of attack. Concerning this point, the H.C.M./\. is investigating several possibilities for in depth, profe, .. (continued on pilgl' 50)

NOW, BlLL !3ENNETT' DELTA W!NC KlTES AND GLIDERS JNC. OFTEFS fOR /\NY STANDARD Rl:GARDT i:ss OF MAI<T:' MOrn:r. OR CONllTT!ON WT!CN YOU PTJRC HAST: ONE or Fl NT: PHOENIX LINT: or GJ.mrni,' ALLADJN NL:VJ~R H/.\D TT SO GOOD DELTA WING KITES and GI.IDERS, Inc. lM/\GJNJ: SOARING WITH HALF THE EITOR'/' AND TWlCJ: THE STAJ3IlJTY. 13620 Saticoy Van Nuys, CHOC1sr: I'ROM A wmr: VArm:TY or PHOI:NlX MODELS AND ST7.ES. CaJ1forn1a !)1408 DONT LI:T YOUR FLYING CRAl'T LJMTT YOUR !'LYING ART. PHONL: (213) /!J5·247,1 WRlTI: OR CALI FOR MORE CXCJTING

of conditions and over a wide speed ex,:ep,tio110fly oonduc:ive to cros:1ore-eomb1,red ond

conthe

with ffexit ot 20 mph, The Alpine can be Flown

less

of oircroft certified 6061 16 aluminum. The for

flight loads (!l<lrm,11) ,1rid

CLEMENTE·CALIFORNIA ·

Featured Fli,m

HANG GLIDING

StEive Murray, So:ldlebock Moitlnl·afn, I 49

(continuc,i/ from page 4/J)

sionally supervised studies in hang glider persons with infonna·· this important in· to contact the

STALLS Favorable stall characteristics ,He int· portant in any airplane, llyonelhat flies close to the ground much of the tin1e. The 11.C.M.A. Airworthiness St,rnclards require that in a stall from straight and level flit~ht, it should he possible to prevf'llt more than I rol I or yaw by normal use of the controls during n:'covery, and there should be no uncontroll,1ble tendency for the glider to spin. Similar characteristics are required when the glider is stalled in a turn at :30° of bank.

SPINS If it has not been shown to lw "charac· terislically incapable of spinni ', a glid!:'r meeting 11.C.M.A. specs must b<, able to recover from d two turn spin in not more than one additional turn.

STEEP DIVES Cliders in the Utility Category must de· monstrate recov(!ry from a dive in which the keel or more appropriate reference makes an of al least with ilw horizon.

HIGHT LOADS The required strength of an aircraft structure is normally specified in terms of limit loads or ultirmite loa<js. The lirnit load is defined as the largest load that c,rn be expected in normal service i.e., re· suiting from proL1ahl<' gust velocities and normal maneuvering loads. The ultimate load is defined as the limit load multiplied by factor of (normally 1.5), thus

providing a rnzirgin of strength largt) to cover all liut the most improiJa. ble flight loadings. Because of the nature of the load testing of h,rng gliders, wl1ere the glider is tested until airframe failure occurs, required strengths are most con· veniently ex in terms of an ultimate load, with placarded values of strength lo the equivalent limit load. In determining strength requirements, two types of loads must be considered: loads resulting from abrupt rnaneuvc>rs and loads resulting from vertical gusts. Throughout this discussion the following values will be assumed for a "typical" glider. Wing load W/S 1.1; max I.ID or cruise spet>d, Ve 23 mph; stall spPed, Vs I B mph; lift curve slope, a CJ.07; lop V1, 40 mph. The principle maneuver that GIil result in high loads on an aircraft is the abrupt "pull.up." In the case of a conventional airplane this is achieved hy pulling back on the control stick or wheel; in a hang glider, by pushing out abruptly on the con· trol bar. An upper limit on the load factor (either gust or maneuvering) that may be expPrienced by an aircraft flying al a speed V is n (V/Vs)', where Vs is the stalling speed of the aircraft. At Ve (23 mph) the most abrupt pull.up could only result in a locid factor, n 1.6 C. High speed pull.ups are another matter. Flying al V1, (40 rnph), a hang glider could ex· perience as high ilS a 5 C load. Many con ventional aircraft can theoretically obtain loads in excess of 25 C in an abrupt pull· up, yet are only capable of withstanding one-fourth that load. This is why such air· craft have a "never exceed" spec,d and is why all pi including hang glider pilots, should avoid excessive or man· euvers that could inadvertently result in excessive

The loads i upon an aircraft by vertical gusts are normally computed by using an equation that Likes into account the gust velocity, the speed of the aircraft, the "lift curve " and a fudge factor called the gust alleviation factor. Corn· puted va I ues of this factor for hang gliders range from a low of K . 2 to a very con. servative K . . The following table su rn ma ri zes the load facto rs resulting from several combinations of gust velocity, flight speed and gust alleviation factor. It should be noted that a 2r; fps "sharp edged" gust is considered a rnoderatPly strong, not too infrequent gust, while a 40 fps gust is considered strong and uncom .. rnon. One study, covering 2l,OOO hours of flying at altitudes, showed about BOO in· stances of gusts of 10 fps; about 100 in· stances of gusts of 2r5 fps; and about 10 instances of gusts at 40 fps. Another study shows that at low levels in mountainous terrain the proliabi Iily of expPrienc:i ng a gust of 25 fps is about I 00 times as great as experiencing a gust of 40

FLIGHT L.OAD CHART Gust flight Wlocily (fps) Speed (mph) K I.

I 40

.:l

I ).

i 2.n1

I irnit I 0,1d

HJ.I

·O.ll

I irnit Load

lJ!tirn;itp! 0,1d

1.7 7l

(,.

lJltirn;itp ! O,ld

Ultimc1t(' Load 0.'J

Ullirnall' I oad tThc,oretical only, f· 1.6 limited to 11 by stc1!)

The values of load factor marked with an asterisk are theoretical. In actuality, they cannot be achieved because at 23 rnph even moderate gust of 25 fps will in, (continued on page 52)

E! If on1rns /\RF Fl YINC 111c11rn /\Nil LONC:rn TH/IN YOU /\In, MAY YOU NfFD BIHER CONTROL OF YOUll /\Ill Sl'llD. /\SK YOUll PF ALFY I\ HOUT THE

1\1\JJLI ·. ..:c. :.:.:....c'.. :.:c:.c:. '.:.'. ''·'·"·"·"·""·'

Increase LID by 7-20% by streamlining glider cross bar and kingpost. Foam· filled strearnlininq fairinqs weiqh only 10 oz. per 4·ft. section. 1 ", I Ya", 1 W', 1%", or Hf' tubinq. Available in black, white, red, blue, or yellow. 4 ft. sections $750 each plus $.'3 ship ping per order.

P!1,osc

type hornns~,nlider ,&

7883 Fliqht !'lace, Westchester, Cl\. 90045 50

LAMINAR SYSTEMS 5645 Ave. de Vinedos CA 92807 JANUARY, 1977

n fill

(continul'd from page 50)

crease angle of attack I 2° to 20°, and the glider will stall before high loadings arc' obtained. The maximum load factor the assumed glider flying at 23 mph can achieve has already been shown to be 1.6

C. Experience suggests the actual value of

I< is lik(!ly to be closer to .3 rather than ..S. For I< . 3 moderate up and down gusts results in approximately 2 G and O G (weightless) loads; while I< .5 results in 3 C and 1 C loads. The former is more in line with what pilots actually have enced. Examining the chart, it is evident any glider that can withstand the maximum possible positive maneuvering load factor (V1ws)' will easily withstand all but the most extraordinary loads due to vertical gusts. The information also implies some precaution for negative ultimate loads of at least I C should be taken. In the absence of a more rational or accurate analysis 011 the part of tlw manufac·· t urer, where specific values of positive and negative normal force curve slope, gust alleviation factor, etc. have been detcrrnined by professionally supervised and accepted analyticc1I and empirical rnethods; and unless the glider ha documented design features that make it impossible to exceed these values, the H.C.M.A. Airworthiness Standards require: I. A positive u/tirnate load factor pqual to (Vii/Vs)', except such load fac. tor must be at least 4. 5 and is not required to exceed +6.75. V1J is the top and Vs is the stalling speed of the glider at the rnean recommended wing loadin1;.

2. A negative ultimate load factor of 2.0.

"f'.light operation should be limited to non .. aerobatic rn,rneuvers, i.e.,

those in which the pitch angle will not exceed either 30° nose up or nose down of the horizon and in which the bank angle will not exceed 60° ··The recommended pilot wc,ight range, ,ind !he positive and negc11ive limit load factor. The recommended level of pilot skill in terms of U.S.H.C.A. rati

GLIDER HIGHT MANUAL A glider flight manual must accornpany all glidHs. Any information that is re· quired for safe operation because of un .. usual design, operating or handling characteristics, must be furnished. Particularly: airspeed limitations allowJble pilot weight range authorized maneuvers -·positive and negative lirnit load foe. tor - ·the kind of operation lo which the glider is limited 1o or from which it is prohibited ···recommended level of pilot skill ··-mcornmended assembly procedure and pre.flight check ·-any information pertinent to safe OP·· eration

MARKINGS AND PLACARDS A conspicuously placed placard must list the following information· The stalling at the maximum recommended loading and the maximum speed at the rninirnurn recommended loading. ····-The kind of operations (such as towing) to which the operation of the glider is limited, or from which it is prohibited, by the equipment instal led (tow bar, floats, etc.) ·-A list of approved aerobatic maneuv· ers or the following statement:

It is hoped this rigorous Specification and Compliance Program will meet lhe needs of tlw liang gliding con1munity. The benefits resulting from the successful enactment of the program are nurnerous. In addition to assuring levels of aerodynamic and structural integrity, the program will also: -Result in a generally raised level of hang glider technology. In docu .. menti ng flight tests the manufacturer cannot help but examine gliders more and analytically.

··Enable manufacturers and consumprs to better compare glid(:1·s. Documented flight tests will dPterrnine roll rate, stall spt>ed, maximum speed, spin characterisl etc. In this regard, the U.S.H.C.A. Technical Comrnitt(;p could expand its scope and act as a consumer oriented group whose func:· tion is to ol>jectively evaluate, on behalf of lhe consumer, the overall flight charac .. teristics of various gliders, and the validity of questionable or dislorted advertising claims. -·Provide an equipment standard for hang gliding clubs, organizations, and flying sites. For instance, the U.S.H.C.A. could require that glider, participating in sanctioned events hold valid Certificate of Corn·· plianc:e, similc1rly, an organization such as the Tennessee Twe Toppers could requirE' Certificates for those gliders flying the sites they regulate. ......J-lelp to prevent the premature rE'· lease of new bee a use of the investment in time; required lo properly document the gliders'airworthiness. - .. Improve; the credibility of the industry and the sport. 0

YOU can lwlp make; the H.C.M.A. Specification ;rnd Compliance Program work and at the same time be more confi. dent in the glider you fly. Support the rnanufacturers who show the interest and responsibility of procuring Certificates of Compliance for their production gliders. My thanks lo the following manufactur-

ers for their assistance and support: Albatross Sails Chuck's Cl ider Supplies Delta Wing l<ites Airfoils Leading Seagull Aircraft Sky Sports, Inc. Sunbird Ultralight Cliders Electra Flyer Wills Wing U I tra I ight Products And to Torn Dick Boone, Trip Mellinger, Dennis Pagen, Bill Liscomb, and Mike Riggs for their aid in formulating the Stand<1rds, and a special thanks to Rich Crigsby and Tracy Knauss for their enthusiasm and dedication to this sport of hang gliding.

JANUARY, "1977

DAVE KILBORNE

DAVID Cl~ONK

GARY THOMPSON

STEVE WILSON

JOHN McVEY

Stalls Under 1 MPH. Sink Rate 18 To 1 Glide fic1tio. Set Up Time Fold For Ground Handling. Car Top Than A l<ite To Fly And Easier To Take Land. World's F inesl And Available In J<it Or Assembled. Stabilator Control All Three Axis. Performance, And Much More. $2.00 For Full Information And Brochure.

•

THE BELL SOARING HELMET IS AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUf~ LOCAL BELL DEALER. Distributed world wide by E ipper·Forrnance, Inc, Torrance, CA 90501

HANG GLIDING

Pilot 4965240.

110-145 lbs. $525. (714)

PACIFIC GUL.L HA-20. Top quality, ornal tlyerl Tandem capability $595. Also X-large prone harness. 946-5095 . ....... .. . . . . ,

p!Gle with car-top carrying box. $1200. 364 3083. OUICKSII..VEFl B, ariodized. Excellent condition, llyer. W/cover, extra parts. Box 471, Belt, . (406) 277-4453

PHOENIX VI Multicolors, flown very little. UP harness, new t,elrnet. $1350. w/bag. Rusty (71 637-4247 eves.

CONSUMER ADVISOF1Y: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before for the first time and inspected carefully for bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, anc on Rogallos, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, many hang gliding busines· ses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to

c-Jdges, red keel, strnngthenect king post, outrageous rate and UD. 6 months old. Pilot weight range 150-175 lbs. $825. Leave namE, and number at (714) Can wEi help you get into the air? Do you want to fly, but are short of funds? We will trade fly. Contact Delta Wing Kites & to help ors (21 7B7-6600. FL.EXl·FLIEFl 1tl' frame with Manta color sail. Flown once only. Must sell. $350. ,.John (914) 452-6752. Poucihkeepsie, NY. Call after 5 30 HIGll PERFORMANCE 18'x1ff Bright orange and yellow. UkG new, fliGs rifice at $445. Will ship R.B 1036 Sheridan, WY. 82801. PACIFIC GULL HA18, w/custorn bag. Excellent I LID. condition, clean, quiet sail. 100° nose,

SEAGULL. VB, modified w/scalloped and batbluG tene(J sail, spGcial supine handlebars. w/yellow L.E. and rudder. Super clean. 883-4775, 882-4392. SILflRA I 1T. Flainbow sail, tip cJeflGxors. Sacrifice $2%. Also BENNETT Standard 1tl', $210. (21:l) 11615974 STANDAFm 1B' DINGER. Red & blue, 7 months old, oood condition. Includes bao and harness. $250. 539-6fl59 STANDAFlD Ro~Jallo 20'. c;re0m and white sale, prone harness. ExcellGnt condition. $450. or best ollGr desperate 1 (213) 835-5897 days or 427·0575 eves. WIL.LS 2CJ'x20' Swallowtail. All orioinal tubing, never crashed, very clean sail. Askin[] $575. Call or write Vitamin, 18542 Woodcrnst, Harper Woods, Mich. 4fl22G (31 ~-l) 372-3417 after 6

VAL.KYFllE: A high-performance rioid wing with 81 LID, positive control and sGlf.launch capability. Weiol1s only 50 lbs. and can be constructed in 60 hrs. f0 1ans are professionally illus· trated and are in every detail printeci on fourteen I pages. Send check or M.O. for $20. to Bill Wolf, 3420-G Waycross DrivG, Columbus, IN 47201. VALKYRIE 30' flyino wing. Red and white sail, all anodized tubing, 8 1 Olide ratio. Good soaring machine. Excellent concJition. Will sell for $650. 7) 881-8316

EASY RISLflS. New, usGd, kits, motor packages in stock. Poworecl demonstrations availablG. New and used Fledglinqs availabltJ Call tho t1eadquarters ot H1C0 Fast. tor 581 ·3943 - · · - ..,...... _ . , , ,

FLEDGLING, Used 6 times. cisco. ICAflUS V. Beautiful white clouds airbrushed on blue sky. Flies real fine. Heavy duty covered trailer included for $1195. Other good used gliders too. f'ly Sky Sails, Inc. (408) 353·2926 ICARUS V. Uke nGw, only a tew flights. Corn·

ARIZONA DESERT HANG GUDERS. Featurin9 Seagull and Eipper. f1eprese11tatives in Flagstaff and Tucson, too. Complete lessons, sales, service, used kites. Mountain up to 4300' vertical. Arizona 85023. 3433 W. 968-3658 in Phoenix, CALlf=ORNIA_.. ....... ,

... , .., - , , ..

,.,-,,-,

_,,_

HANG GL.IDEflS WFST-DILI..ON BEACH FL.Y-

Short-sleeve .. Long-sleeve .. Women's Tops . . . . . . ... Add $1:00 postage

handling per shirt.

H-2 Clouds H-4 Flight H·6 Sunset

printed Dk. Brown on Siege Yellow, Navy on Lt. (Highly full color.) H-8 Rocket Man

M611'11 11lze11: S M L XL

Wom<111n'1111izes: SM L Shirt Color1: Lt. Blue, Yellow, and Biege Order: Please shirt type, size, choices and your

check or narm1 and address lo: Go P.O. 3003

Dealer Inquiries Invited Custom Screening Available

li..-..~..-----.....~--~--~...-..--~-~==::::llllilfll1111q"""",._,,_s.__ an,aemente,C:a:.~9:2:6'~72;,....oc;::::;::;::~:::::-.........._,....~~~....,......,..._...._.,_..----'"' 54

JANUARY, 1977

ING SCHOOL For thG most complete linD of Hang Cllidms, parts and accessories in tho Bay Aroa, come see us. USHGA certified instructors and observers. hoe lessons with purchase of 10:00 te 6 00 Visit our new sl,op, Ground School are welcome perfom1ance the sale, it's the service that West, 1011 Uncoln Ave, 94901 453-76611. ----··~----·········-HANG ClL.IDEB SHOP 1351 E Beach Blvd, La Habra, CA 90631, (213) 943·1074 Come in, visit, and our displays 10,,1, ,r;nn Eipper Formance Hang Gliders, Hours 4-9 other SEAGULL_ AIRCBAFT is now acc(0pting limited number of dealership applicatior,s tl1rouohout Um U.SA Please nddress requests to: Aircralt, Inc, 3021 Airport Ave, Santn CA 90405.

COLOF1ADO GOI_DE:N SKY SAILS, featuring Sun and Soaoull gliders. Our well EiquippecJ speeializes in repair and custom work. irwGn1ory of parts and includino Chandelle replacen1ent parts. service rnail order. Regular, advanced, and IGssons. Mountain flights ings available. l.ocated west ol Denver at tl10 loot oi Green Mountain. Call or write tor trne price list or furthor information: (303) 27f3-9566. Orchard St, Golden, Colo. B0/\01. IOWA

KANSAS

(advanced two's try out Glider new HOFilZON. full sales and servico for Hang f"lyer GlidLawrenco, Mass. G83-1284.

CANADA

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

and ai> cessories. All services, Associate dealms serving all of Canada. E3ox 91176, West Vanco11ver, Canada, V7V-3N6 (G04)

MICHIGAN -------------------·--MICHIGAN AND MIDWEST ENTHUSIASTS Eco·flight DistrilJutor for Seagull A1rcrE11t·::;e,wc:11 stock. Distributor for standard kit. Complete stock of "ufJtJ11·c0, struction, sailmaking. 2275 S. State, Mirhincm 48104. 9949020.

·-·-------------·-----"

IOWA Glider Co., Central Iowa dealer for Pliable Moose, New and used gliders, lessons, parts, rnpairs. 2(i64 Beyd, Des Moines, Iowa 50317. ;>62-50f30

SUl)E:Fl 1=1y Sl<Y SAILS, INC. Donlm for Mnnta, Electra r=1yer. Domos avnilablo F'ly the ing! Oldest, most experiencod instruction in South Intermediate, AdvancocL 21383 Aldorcroll FM , I.OS Gatos, CA 95030 (40f3)

Weekday instruction enroll, contact AEOLUS I NC, 13ox lf34, Littleton, MA 01460 (617) 486-8278.

Try a FBEE practice run at Aeolus Center, Groton Hills Ski Area, Aeolus instructors can teach you to fly easily, and are certified by USHGA and

The Midwest School of new 1--w,x1-i-11t01r Cumulus VB, the SST, and as well as all other models of Winos, ancj the Kestrel available demo flights. We have a complete line ol accessories and instruction in all levels of eluding lessons on the Quicksilver training is done at the Warren Dunes since we aro located 3,4 of a mile north of the park entrance. Call 1126-3100 or write: The Midwest School 11522 l'led Arrow 49106. MISSOUFll -------------- ·--·----·-·------MONARCH FLYING MACHINES, complete service. instrucwith medium performance 1nt10m1Pr1i:OtP and advanced We arn dealers for Eleetra UFM Bill Bennet\ gliders. Call or stop Alpine Ltd., 11 N. Gore, Webster 63119. (314)962-5731

Unbelievable glide, low sink, beautiful! Now you can build the APD-1 and really fly! To orc1er your harness

for more information write

call

SUNDIRD GLIDERS 21420 CHASE ST. 11.All'IIU~A PARK, 91304 (21 l) ""''- 11 • ·-,-, spcciry pilot height and weight when ordering by " A rninirnurn $20.00 deposit must accompany all mail ONLY $65.50 f.o.b. Canoga Park Californians add 6% sales DEALERS INQUIRIES INVITED

HANG GLIDING

$5.00 (refundable with pur·ch,:1se $55.00.

Comnrehem,ive plans

APO

23 Clarendon Dr. Bi111gh,11mtton, NY 13901

ment (914) 783-6751 , RD# 1, 49 Mine Rd , Mon .. roe, N.Y 10950.

MONTANA

·······-····----··--·- ......

THE HANGAR Formerly Big Sky Delta Wings and Hangar Nine since 1972, announce their consolidation with the intention of better serving the Northwest Hang Gliding community. We offer Certified instruction with radios, a com .. plete stock of parts and other accessories, and beginning/intermediate to the highest perform .. ing gliders. GSI insurance, hang ratings, and site information also available. THE HANGAR, Route 2 Mullan Road, Missoula, Montana 59801. 542 .. 2725 or 549 ..9452.

PENNSYLVANIA ROGER'S HANG GLIDER SHOP Dealer tor Eipper .. Formance, Pliable Moose. Lessons, accessories. 222 Verbeke St., Marysville, 17053 957 3214. TEXAS LONE STAR HANG GLIDEriS Elec{ra flyer and ur0 M. Sales, repair, instruction. 2200 C. South Smit11barry, Arlington, Texas 76013. (817) 459 .. 9159,

NEW JERSEY SKY ACTION SPORTS INC., Authorized dealer for Manta and Eipper ..Formance. Gliders and parts in stock including cable and tubing. Com .. plete selection of Bell Soaring Helmets in stock. Send $2.00 for complete packet of information to SKY ACTION SPORTS, INC, 16 Weir Place, Ringwood, NJ 07456. NEW YORK Hang Glider Shop, representing eight major manufacturers. Flight instruction with USHGA and GSI certified instructors, featuring Bennett Phoenix training kites. Complete hang gliding and accessories and repairs includin;;i tube New and used kites. Mark Flight 691 Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14223 836 .. 3939 40 miles north of N.Y C. Aerial Techniques GS\ Certified Beginners School with advance trainer kites. Dealers for all Manufacturers. Everything for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced pilot. Dan Chapman, James Aronson, Douka Kaknes, dedicated to the hang gliding move

UTAH THE KITE SHOP AT NATUHE'S WAY, a com· plete hang gliding shop featuring: USHGA cer· lilied instructors, lull line of parts and acces .. series, demo and rental gliders, (Manta, Wind· lords, Cirrus Ill's and the Fledgling collapsible fixed wing). Tt1e Kite Shop is easily found at 9th So. & 9th East and includes a great natural foods store and Salt Lake's best sandwiches. We SPElCiailize in quality. 898 So. 900 E., Salt Lake Utah 84102. (801) 359 7913. WASATCH WINGS, dealers for Seagull Aircraft, Ultralite Products (U.P.), and Wills Wing. Utah has some of the best teaching and soaring con· ditions in tl1e country. So, take of our we11 .. equipped school, (free Scr1ool Tuesdays, p.m.), complete repair shop and our full line ot hang gliders & accessories. Wasatch Wings, 3998 So. 300 W. #66, Salt Lake City, Utah 84107 (801) 266-2922. Come by and we'll show the sites. WYOMING Dealers !or Electra Flyer, parts & accessories.

Tlw

Ratings available. Test fly the incredible Cirrus 3. Huss Kidder, 743 St. John St, Casper, Wyo. 265-7292.

CABL.E SS 3/32 7x7white vinyl $.20 ft. Uncoatecj $.15 It. Nicos $.07 Thimbles SS 1.09; UP Tangs, $.60. Poly rope 3/a $. 1O It Send for free price sheet. We sell discount! BIRD BUILDERS, 22225Y2 Pac. Coast Malibu, CA 90265. HOME\3UILDEHS .. We carry most types of the "best" in hardware and supplies at prices. SencJ 13¢ for brochure. Glider PO Box , Lawrence, Mass 01842. (617) SAFETY .. F'RO harness designed for parallel bar sailplanes. Advanced quick release. Designed for comfort, safE,ty. Choice of any two colors. Send waist ancj thigh measurement. $64.50 plus $4.00 handling charge. Aero Float Flights, P.O. Box 1 Battle Creek, Ml 49016. SPECIAL SALE! PHONE HAHNESSES: $35, regularly $f:i0. 5,000 lb. nylon web construction. High density loam paddin9. Adjustable for prone or upriglit flyinn. D·Hing included, SM, MD, LRG, XL. NICO TOOL: $10.50 Small home size nico tool allows easy, safe cable repair and replacement at home or at flying sites. BUSH· ING INSTALLATION TOOL: $3.50 allows you to install perfectly finished bushings on your kite or Installs or aluminum bushings. INC, 12424 Glads365-5607 Increase rogallo glide ratios by adding plastic streamlined fairings to all ex·

You can build your own sails, etc. We stock a complete line of Bainbridge and sailm,3k€,r's hardware. If you are looking for a wide selection of fabric and assistance in sewing techniques, we have what you need. Sailrite Kits has just published The Wing Book by Jim Grant a complete text on the building of hang glider fabric sur· faces. It is available along with our Amateur Sailmaker's Catalogue for $1-50 (prepaid). Use the coupon below to order your set now.

II you are sonou:, obout safety, good whools are a must Along wit!\ careful teaching, noso skid, slinn or prone llarnnss, l<noo pads and holmnt; HICiH porspoctlvo wt10ols rna\w a bog in nor almost invulnerabln

Sailrlle. Kits, 12937 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, Ca. 9001!6

Crnated aftor G yc'Jars' teaching; H1\s whee! light, smooth, Bncl aorodymimic. lnoxµenslve ancl virtunlly indostructablo dos\gnod lo tal..n a blow from tho sidn. EHsily positioned

Please send me the Wing Book and the Amateur Sallmaker's Catalogue. I have enclosed $1.50 tor each set ordered and understand that they will be sent postpaid. Name

OF~

Address ... ___,.........................- ........ ·-·- ..... .. City ................. -

--·-· .. _... Zip ........... - .......

JANUAf?Y, 1977

i", ·1Ve", IV2", 1%", or or yellow. $7.50 per foct1nical

Qhlnn,nn

l'wo Tell 'em wt1ore it's hapI'd rather be !lying. 2) Go 11y a kile. is free 4) Get prone witr1 a like a bird --Hang Glide'! bel1evino. Your choice in red, .OO; 3for $2 00; all Tlie Shop, B98 900 Sall Utah 84102.

PATCHE:S & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems dia. Full color $1. Decals, 3 W' dia. Inside or outside applica1ion. ?5¢ each. lncludc1 and with each order 13¢ for Box l_os t·\I IU<::lwC>. "WINGS OF THE WIN[)", c1n awarrJ winning Gliding film, is ideal for sl1ewing at rne,fltlr1,SP, for promotional uso zmd ontor-rental, information, con-12814 Collins St, North Hol 607, or telephone (?13)

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CUSTOM PINS AND MEDALUONS YOUR EX CLUSIVE GUDEJl DESIGN, CUJf3 INSIGNIA, OR COMPANY LOGO fif"PRODUCED IN FINE JEWEUW Trade with other pilots, sell them at idea I FJioces 1Y4" (largest no color limit. Minimum oacl1, Medallions $1. 1O Please each, plus one-time $30 die Pins or medallions, or color base. color or $30 die charge (one-tirne only per detotal cost ol pieces ordered. Indicate any changes to be made from photo (omit etc.) Do request sample betore Allow additional 3-4 weeks order for yo11r sample or include $1 for attractive stock samplo. includes if iully paid in c1dvance. Other Allow G-13 weeks for PRISES, I' 0 Box 44G, G0056 4396975

SPECIAL.!!! BACK ISSUES OF GROUND SKIMMf::11 MAGAZINE #19 34, 40¢ each; currnnt is-

TEE:-SH1ms with USHGA rnnblern $550 including and handlin[] Californians add 6/ tax. sizes S. M. L. XL. only USHGA, ROX 66306, I -----------

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METAl_ Pl.AH: f'.FlAMES FlATHEFl f3E HANG GUDING" White lotterinci bac:kgrou1nd. $4 00 includinQ 11;1,v11,nn Californi,ms add 6/ tax. CA 90066

The rate for classific,d acJvertising

1[i¢ por ol cliaracters) Minimum charge, of $5. charoed for each graph. Please rnake checks to Classified /\C1VEH·t1s1nq GROUND SKIMMER MAGA.ZI\\JE. Box 66306, Los ""u'"""· ----·-·--····-···-····---··-····--

LICENSE F'LATE rnAME'S HANG GUDING" Send $2.bO and handling to THE' 2028-F3, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 Retailers ('1013)

NOf\TH CAROLINA

Kirry Howk Ki1es----Chorlo11e

(704.) 89?-5J94 -- (irandfo1her Moun1oin

VIRGINIA Howls 1,,tE•s--!\iclhrn,::,nd Potts Ashlond, Vo (504)

MARYLAND

Linville, N

Inc Ror,dol,lstown. Md OOi) 655-6811:l (919)

PENNSYLVANIA SOlffH CAl,OLINA (814) 04:l-·'.>1 U4

WASHINGTON,

Md CJ01) 840 92134

HANG GLIDING

MPH MPH MPH ............................. 70 MPH IN.

SOLD COMPLETE OR IN KITS.

.JANUARY, 1977

ACCURATE-each meter calibrated individually. DEPENDABLE-not affected

in LLS. Fon?-ian add $LOO.

I IANU GLIDING

INSTRUMENTS PELLET VARIOMETER Very sensitive (to 10 ft/min) Always visible No electronic lag $49.50 less 2-ouart thermos liners (grocery)

Join the fast growing list of subscribers who receive RIDER on a regular monthly basis. In it's first year of monthly publication, GLIDER RIDER has become the focal point of news, views, entertainment and information about the great international sport of hang gliding.

,,. VARIOMETER AND/OR

mph) mph) Functions AT and AFTER launch $27.50 Complete

MORTON ENTERPRISES 99-904 Lalawai Drive Aiea, Hawaii 96701

AIRSPEEDOMETER

Mail Check or Money Order to:

GLIDER RIDER

1 VEAR $10.00

fllGH1

INSTRUCTION

3 YEARS $11:WO

$8 Per Year for So,ecial

Class Mailing)

*Foreign Add $2/yr. For 1st Class Double The Given Back Issues Available: (Please Circle Month) tt Aug 111 Feb & March III April 111 May June III

JACK BRITTON BLVD. 106 31

(213) 913 · 1014 l~lldlng E

Phot1>s by ROBERT WARE

we do not care too much about "fh~ppim1 c;iur over co1rnp,etiti()Jl•. 1 results. We build that are more. fun to So lots of who love flying have

to har1dl1~.

to love .....

even See who what the 1975

Find

can't fly But how to avoid fowl gliders are flown last overall U.S. National Champion, by men's World (~h,::irr1n11·1n<: and by countless fun in the air

was first to manufacture foot-launched standard and We ht quiet sails to your ears, special helmets supine harnesses to your and to your glider. with customers and dealers. contest and flight reports. Check into materials and finist1. Ask wouldn't you like your new glider f,::ir•tru"tl test flown? fact , • , If you don't want a turkey, be sure with Write today for free spec sheets and dealer list, or send $1.00 for full information on the Flexi 2 beginner/int(~rmediate and Cumulus VB advanced flex wings.

Where It Belcmgs Spe1cial Buy a new Flexi 2 or December 31 and we'll you can put a turkey where it h,~rnn,nc your holiday table!