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, EDITOR: Gil Dodgen ASSISTANT EDITOR LAYOUT & DESIGN: Jonie Dodgen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Leroy Bettino Groy, Stephen McCorroll ILLUSTRATIONS: Brigitte Groom
ISSUE NO. 79
USPS 017-970
Grannis.
Hang Cliding
OFFICE STAFF. MANAGER: Corol Velderroln Tlno Gertsch (Advertising), Kit Skradski (Renewals), Amy Groy (Hong Ratings) USHGA OFFICERS: PRESIDENT· David Broyles VICE PRESIDENT: Dennis Pagen SECRETARY Joy Roser TREASURER: Hal Spivak EXECUTIVE COMMITIEE: David Broyles Alex Duncan Jon Cose USHGA REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION l; Michael Pringle, Doug Hildreth REGION 2: Wollooa Anderson. Jon Cose REGION 3; Tom Mllkle. BIil Bennett. John Lake REGION 4, Ken Koerwitz, Lucky Campbell REGION 5: None REGION 6; Jim Wilson REGION 7· Ron Christensen, David Anderson REGION 8. Horry Taylor REGION 9' Dannis Pogen, Les King. REGION 10: Jerold Welch, Richard Heckman. REGION 11 David Broyles. REGION 12: Poul Rlkert DlRECTORS-AT·LARGE· Alex Duncan, John Horris, Joy Roser. Horry Robb, Hol Spivak. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Vic Powell HONORARY DIRECTOR: Hugh Morton. CIVL DELEGATE: Horry Robb. The United states Hong Gliding Association. Inc,, 1s o division of the No11onol Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official US. representative ot the Federation Aeronoutique lnternotionoJe (FAI), the world governIng body tor sport aviation. The NAA. which represents the U.S ot FA! meetings. hos delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAI relofed hong gilding activities such os record attempts ond competition sonctton$. HANG GLIDING mOQOZlne is pu~lshed fa< hong gliding sport enthuS10sts to create further 1nleresl In the spert, by a means of open cummun1cohon and to advance hong ghd1ng methods and solety. Contributlons ore welcome. Anyone Is lnv,fed to con. tribute articles. photos. ofld Illustrations concerning nong gliding activities. If the moleriot Is to be returned, a stomped self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed No!l/icotloo must be mode or subm!$sion lo olhel hcng gi1d1ng pUb!icotions HANG GLIDING magazine reserves lhe flQhl to edltconlrlbuhons where necesso1v The Associotion pr,d DUbJicotion do not assume respons,bJhty for rhe moterfOI or opmlons of contributors HANG GLIDING mogoz,ne lspubflshed monthly by the United States Hong Glid<ng Assoc1ot1on. Inc whose moilfng address Is P.O, Box 66306. las Angeles Calif 90066 and whose offices ore IOcoted at 11312'h Venice 81vd. Los Angeles Calif 90066; lelephone (213) 390-3065 Second-class oosroge ,s pold .al las Angeles. C-0lif HANG GLIDING magazine is pcimed l:ly Sinclair Prinrlng & Ulho, Alhomcm Colif The typeserf[ng is pcovl(led by 1st lmp,ession Typesethng Service. Cypress, CoU The USHGA Is o member-controlled educotionol ono scientific orgonlzotJon dedJcoted 10 exploring oil facets of Ulllollghr flight. Mamba/ship Is apen to anyone lntet05ted In this realm of tllght Dues for tun membership ora S20 pe, veer (S21 for f01e;gr, address~): subscoptron rotes ore $15 for one year $26 for two years. S3o for thr.ee year! An fnlroduclorv slx-month rriol is ovoiloble l()(S7.SO. ChQnges of oddreS1 should be sent six weeks in advance. Including name, USHGA membership number prevK>Us and new address. and o mo,hng label tram
o recent rssue.
AUGUST 1979
CONTENTS FEATURES
19
THE SCOTTISH OPEN If the sun doesn't shine, the whiskey is good
22
by Liz Squlre.s Photographed by Bettina Gray
HAIL CALEDONIA
by Bettina Gray
A photo essay
24
ARNCLIFFE TO HARTLEPOOL
by Bob Bailey
A 50 mile flight In the British Isles
28
FLYING IN THE GREAT INDOORS Short flights but smooth a ir
36
by Michael Pringle Photographs by Alex Duncan
THE PITCHOVER QUESTION· Part I © Copyright by Dennis Pagen Another look
39
CROSS COUNTRY OPEN
by George W orthington
The bottle of the rags and the Fledglings
44
CARSON HILL Lost flights from on historic site
48
THE BIRDMAN OF SAN MIGUEL Hong gilding's image in o small Mexican v illage
52
GLIDER EVALUATION Sunblrd N o vo 230
Article and photographs by Daniel Brown
Article and photographs by Glenn Taylor Article and photographs by Gil Dodgen
DEPARTMENTS 4 ULTRALIGHT CONVERSATION 4 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 9 USHGA CHAPTER NEWS 12 NEWS AND NEW PRODUCTS 17 BIRD'S EYE VIEW by Lauran Emerson 57 USHGA REPORTS 59 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 60 CALENDAR 65 STOLEN WINGS COVER: Joe Greblo flies his Seagull 10 Meter Into the view of Leroy Grannis' split-Image lens. CONSUMER ADVISORY: Hong Gilding Magazine and USHGA, Inc,, do not endorse or toke any responsibility for the products advertised or mentioned editorially Within these poges. Unless specilicolly explained, performance figures Quoted In advertising ore only estimates. Persons considering the purchase of a g lider ore urged to study HGMA standards. Copyright © United States Hong Gliding Association, Inc. 1978. All rights reserved to Hong Gilding Magazine and lndlvldual contributors.
tJLTRALIQMT CONVERJATION Moore Comments Dear Editor, Please permit me to make some comments on Steve Moore's comments on my reply to his original letter entitled "Supine is Safer," appearing in February, 1979 Hang Gliding. Steve claims that flying supine is superior on all counts. He states, "A supine pilot with a reasonably sized bar actually has more control (especially in pitch) during the first step or two of the run ... " I have heard too many remarks from former seated pilots to subscribe to this. One of the main reasons they switch to prone is for the more secure take-off it affords. Prone pilots do not depend on harness tension to provide pitch control, as stated, but on a very firm full-arm grip on the downtubes. Steve also claims that the lower suspension of a supine pilot results in better pitch stability. He backs this up with results from a model he tested. The model I tested performed just the opposite. The high C.G. test resulted in a faster pull-out from a stall every time. The low C.G. run exhibited faster downward pitching and occasidnal tumbles. Our two very different results may have been due to psychotelekinesis (wishful thinking), but I doubt it. The difference lies in the design of the models. Steve does not mention it in his letter in the June, 1979 issue of Hang Gliding, but his Zeke Ill model has a 158-degree nose angle, swept forward trailing edge and considerable reflex maintained in the inboard section. This is a different species from my model, based on the design of a typical high-performance hang glider (120-degree nose, swept back trailing edge with ample defined tip setting). Steve's glider has very little damping in pitch. It achieves pitch stability through the use of wellsupported reflexed battens. With this set-up, pitch damping is only effective during rotation about a low C.G. On the other hand, a swept back wing with much greater wing area in front of and behind the pilot will produce more pitch damping about a high C.G. Thus, both our models performed as all good models should. They were on different wavelengths. The above subject is discussed further in Part I of my article on pitchovers appearing in this issue. One matter I do not cover is pendulum stability. Steve, have you noticed that the gliding parachutes you mentioned have shorter lines than the old military chutes? One of the reasons is that pendulum stability can backfire. A pendulum has a habit of swinging. This oscillation can increase until a pitchover occurs. Parachutes have tumbled. Pendulum stability can make a wing docile and easy to handle due to static stability. However, when large disturbances hit the wing, the complex action of changing aerodynamic forces,
4
swinging weight and the acceleration of gravity can create instability. A pitchover involves dynamic stability which a pendulum action may hinder. I have seen models that would not fly with a weight suspended well below them, despite the fact that they appeared very stable with the weight suspended just below the wing. What usually happens is that the acceleration of the wing leaves the ballast behind and an arcing pitchover results. Through all this, my conclusion remains the same: flying prone is safer than supine since it raises the center of gravity of the pilot. However, I would qualify this by saying that gliders like Steve's Zeke Ill would probably benefit from a lower C.G. I have been wracking my brain to figure out where I had heard the name Steve Moore before. Then I remembered flying alongside your ZQ I in Santa Barbara back in the fall of 1977. I am impressed with your designs. In fact, I have been floating a design along the lines of the Zeke Ill around in my head for some time. Perhaps I'll work on it if I ever stop all this debilitating writing. To let you know how much in agreement I am with most of your beliefs, I'd like to strongly support a few statements you made in the May, 1979 issue of Hang Gliding. First, there is no doubt that your unswept wing produces less induced drag. I also agree that reflex actually increases the effective aspect ratio. Designers are just beginning to use this trick. Your point about washout reducing effective span is well taken. Excessive washout is what hurts the performance of some newer designs. Finally, your statement concerning the large center of pressure travel on swept back wings when a stall occurs is correct. This is what causes such rapid nose drops in our current wings. On the other hand, the large sweepback also helps dampen the pitching motion once the flow reattaches. The net effect of your ideas is that you have exchanged a pound of cure for an ounce of prevention. Your wide-nosed wing would certainly exhibit little damping around a high C.G. if it could ever get started pitching violently downward. Perhaps it never can. There is a problem with testing such a design that departs radically from our slowly evolving tradition. It's no good to take it up in nasty conditions and wring it out. Only so much can be discovered on paper. The glider needs to be put through its paces by a test pilot willing to perform hard stalls. Unfortunately, I can think of no safe way to do this since we can't readily eject from a flopping wreckage. Eventually, your design will have enough airtime accumulated to prove its worth. I hope everything works out because I'd sure like to try it. Can I please fly it prone?
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Advanced Air Sports .......................... 15 Aerial Techniques ......................... 47, 61 Aerie Design ................................. 55 ATS Systems .................................. 59 Bennett Delta Wing Gliders .......... 14, 31, 33, 58 DAR Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Duncan ..................................... 62 Eco-Nautlcs Inc ............................... 61 Eipper ...................................... IBC Electra Flyer Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 54, BC Etzion ....................................... 10 Flight Designs ............................. 32, 41 Gianforte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Glider Rider .................................. 66 Golden Sky Sails ............................. 60 Hall Wind Meter ........................... 59, 62 Hang Diving ................................. 59 Hang Glider Sail Repair ....................... 62 Hlghster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Kile Enterprises . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . 3 7 Kitty Hawk Kites ........................... 10, 51 Lancer ...................................... 32 Leading Edge Air Foils ........................ 60 Litek ......................................... 67 Manta Products .............................. 64 Mehl! Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
U.S. Moyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Ocean Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Odyssey.....................................
8
Ontario Hang Gliders ......................... 63 Pacific Ultralight .............................. 67 Pagen ...................................... 60 Poynter Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 17 Price Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
Scott's Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Seagull Aircraft .............................. 43 Skyfllght .. . .. . .. . . . .. . . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. . 61 Skysalling .................................... 25 Sky Sports....................................
7
Snyder Ent.................................... 68 Soarmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC Striplin Aircraft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Sunbird.....................................
5
T.C. Electrosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 The Hang Gliders Bible ....................... 60
Dennis Pagen State College, PA
Towing Mistakes Dear Editor, I am writing this letter in the hope that no one else will have the experience that I had last weekend. I am a tow pilot from the Michigan area and have been towing for about one year. I own a Moyes Maxi MK. Ill and use a Moyes tow bar. I replaced the metal motorcycle release
Ultimate Hi ............................... 47, 50 Ultrallte Products ............................. 26 USHGA ................................... 27, 42 Wills Wing, Inc .............................. 9, 38 Wlndhaven ..................... 1, 6, 17, 41, 47, 62
HANG GLIDING
SUNBIRD OF UTAH
2M E. 5th Street South sandy, Utah 84070 (801) fj6M013 S.E. MICIHGAN IIANG GLIDERS
SO. CAL. SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDERS 5219 Sepulveda Blvd. Van Nuys, CA 91414 (213) 78,1"0836 SUNBIRD OF MIAMI 8786 S.W, 1:l3 S!reot Miami, FL 33156 (306) 596·0503
ULTJIAUTE SPORT.S OF .AMERICA H800 Westinlnstor Way No. Seattle; WA 98133 ,(206)363:6364
INDHAVEN HAS IT ALL IN CATALOG 1979
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6
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levers with the high impact plastic motocross type, thinking that these would be better for use around water. To complicate matters further, my boat crew was inexperienced and my winch operator had never operated the winch before. I had two futile attempts at getting off and then one decent flight releasing at about 1,000 feet. On my fourth flight I went into a right lockout. After trying to correct for this I found that the lockout was too far advanced and I decided to release. I clamped both releases all the way down, but the top release did not let go. The plastic grip actually distorted under the additional load of a lockout and would not allow the top to release. At this same time my winch operator realized that I was in trouble and free wheeled the winch. This allowed me to get the glider into a flying attitude. The winch overran itself and caused a bad backlash. No one told the boat driver to kill the engine and as a result the boat pulled the slack out of the line up to the backlash. When the line went tight the glider was violently pulled nose down and the sail loaded negatively. The right leading edge broke behind the crosstube and the glider tumbled over the nose twice and spiraled until impact with the water. Fortunately I was not hurt, but tumbling in from 100 feet is an experience that I do not care to have again. I can see now that I had made several mistakes. I should not have changed the release levers, and should have heeded previous signs of malfunction. The boat crew was completely inexperienced and I was flying in poor conditions. From now on the winch man will be fully trained and will be provided with a hook knife as a last resort. Negative deflexors would have prevented the leading edge from breaking and I would highly recommend them for all tow gliders regardless of make. I hope that something can be learned from my unfortunate experience . Gary Harkins East Lansing, Mich.
On Aerobatics Dear Editor, In the interest of preserving our sport and perhaps lives in general, Manta Products, Inc. will again address the flying community and manufacturers on the topic of aerobatics. It was our sincere hope in 1976, the last time this matter arose, that potential "stunt" pilots would heed the warning and realize the inherent dangers involved; inherent to the extent that even expert ability would do little to avoid the inevitable, tragic consequences. While our last appeal seemed to have had some short-term effect, we now again find an alarming preoccupation among pilots to revert to the "aerobatic highs." Admittedly, there is no way to control these pilots other than to appeal to their common sense and responsibility. Their actions invariably have an effect on everyone else in the sport. What most "advanced" pilots forget is that they are unwittingly responsible for the attitudes and behaviors of the developing (beginning through intermediate) pilots. As these advanced pilots sometimes become bored, they resort to radical flying styles. Unfortunately these styles
are then emulated by those who not only lack the skill required, but are fooled into thinking that aerobatics are a demonstration of pilot ability. There is not one hang glider built that is designed for aerobatics. There is not one manufacturer in the world that can, with honesty, promise you that their ship will hold together under the tremendous loads that can be generated by aerobatics. You might contact the HOMA and ask if anyone bothered to certify their wing for aerobatics. For some unknown reason, pilots assume that their wings are unbreakable just because they have been certified by the HOMA. Today's hang gliders are designed around specific criteria and within certain parameters. They are then tested within those limitations. Therefore it is dangerous for the pilot to assume extended structural and aerodynamic capabilities beyond those primary limitations as intended by the manufacturer and certified by the HOMA. Ken Kewklewski was the caliber of pilot that most pilots today hope to become. He died doing a loop in Germany after having done several with success. We all hoped that this great pilot would at least stand as a tragic example to other pilots. What seems to have happened, however, is that people feel Ken's modification of the wing was the only reason he died. People are still under the impression that the Fledgling will sustain any and all maneuvers. The Fledge is one of the strongest configurations available. However, it is not designed as an aerobatic hang glider and Manta is not about to certify it as such. March 25, at Tollhouse in California, another Fledgling was subjected to radical aerobatics. In this particular instance the pilot, Bill Whitmore, an experienced Rogallo and rigid wing flyer, took his Fledge into a past vertical whipstall. He then entered a tailslide. Immediately the nose broke through in an attempt to regain airspeed, but the pilot kept the control bar pushed out. The consequence was that the wing tumbled. While this is not the first time that a pilot has managed to tumble his Fledge as a result of intentional whipstalls, it is the first time this mode had broken the wing. Bill Whitmore also established a limitation. But he was lucky - his parachute deployed. Whipstalls and tailslides are the most dangerous maneuvers you can attempt in any aircraft. Only a specialized aircraft (such as a Pitts) can withstand the unusual and extreme forces generated. In a hang glider, when upside down, it is almost assured that you will end up on the keel. To further demonstrate just how far some people are willing to go, it is known that at one major flying site, where hundreds of people have learn how to soar, a movement has been and launched to certify or rate certain "advanced" pilots for aerobatics. There is even a manufacturer who thinks he will help the sport by providing "aerobatic" gliders. Again just who is going to test the actual limits of this equipment? Not only is this idea totally irresponsible, but it also demonstrates a disregard for human life! The most dangerous pilot is one who makes something very difficult and dangerous look easy, just so he can "impress" other people at the site. An impressive pilot is one who establishes cross country records. A respected, re-
will
HANG GLIDING
P.O. BoH 507 Ellin9lon.Conn. 06019
u.s.n.
/lroccom
How do you improve a glider that had the most successful competition season of 1978? You listen to pilots, then calculate and experiment until you have an even better design. The Sirocco II showed up in the winners circle more than any other glider last year, so it would be easy to sit back and let the rest of the industry try to catch up. However, we couldn't resist the challenge to develop the best all-around glider possible. The results of our modifications and refinements is the sleek, new Sirocco Ill. We concentrated on two design factors: pitch stability and handling. With the addition of a keel pocket, luff lines and stronger defined tips, the Sirocco Ill becomes one of the most "anti-tuck" gliders on the market. By virtue of the shifting sail, liberated tips and relocation of the batten cables, the Sirocco Ill turns as fast as any glider available. Of course, we have retained the super low sink rate, flat glide and speed range that made the Sirocco II a winner. In fact, we have improved the sink rate by slightly increasing the sail area while maintaining the glide and speed capabilities by reducing parasitic drag. Wonder how we manage these feats of magic? The illustration below shows some of the Sirocco Ill's fine details.
A. Double surface for high performance at fast speeds. Cross-bar drag is eliminated. Think of where you want to be, then go for it! B. Super strong control bar breaks down for quick storage in the cover no fumbling with cables. C. You can't see it, but the Quick-Slide mechanism lets you set up and be soaring while your friends are still fussing with nuts and bolts. D. Ram air vent carefully designed to inflate the sail to form the perfect airfoil. You'll like the way the glider lifts immediately on takeoff. E. A differential deflexor system which allows the leading edges to flex in a limited amount to promote fast turning. F. Stronger deflexor posts add to the overall structural integrity of the glider. G. Leading edges are specially constructed of 13.4 inch tubing to increase strength and al low breakdown to about 31/2 meters. H. The defined tip is now connected to a supporting cable. These firm tips help keep the glider more pitch positive. I. New tip design increases the performance as well as adds flexibility for handling.
J. Lines from the kingpost create a large amount of reflex at negative angles of attack, improving pitch stability tremendously. Note how the batten is held down in flight by a cable which reduces washout and increases performance. K. New curved keel permits the sail to shift which greatly improves the roll rate. L. The only thing missing is a pilot. Why don't you put yourself in control of a Sirocco Ill and enjoy the freedom of the sky with safety, performance, and response. See your dealer soon and become part of a continuing success story. Test fly a Sirocco Ill.
'
sponsible pilot is one who sets good examples and who helps developing pilots learn how to fly safely and well. It is not impressive to knowingly and willingly overstress equipment that is not designed for it. Manta Products Oakland, CA
A Gathering of Eagles Dear Editor, On the late afternoon of May 28, 1979 (Memorial Day), Vic Eskildsen was killed in a tragic accident on Shaw Butte in Phoenix, Arizona. Vic will be remembered by all of us in Arizona, as one of the positive influences in our sport. In a time when detractors of all sorts were expending their energies on the negative, Vic spent his time knocking down barriers, and building strong, lasting friendships within the hang gliding community. A small service was held for Vic on the top of South Mountain in Phoenix. In attendance was a large number of pilots with more than their hang gliding in common. They all had the opportunity to share Vic's effervescence, and will never be the same for it. Among the pilots present at the South Mountain gathering was Vic's brother, Jim. It occurred to me that we could all draw some benefit from a short statement that Jim read as his brother's ashes were cast to the wind: "We live in this four dimensional world of space and time and limitations; but some of us dare to search for the eagle within us. As we fly and soar and experience the freedom of birdlike flight, let us not forget this ability to fly depends on help from a man-made machine, and therefore imposes limitations on this freedom. Let us not forget these limitations at this, a gathering of eagles." Since I never saw a frown on Vic's face, I'll remember only his warm smile and friendly handshake. I'll remember also, those principals for which he fought so hard, and the poignant message in his brother's words. Lucky Campbell Phoenix, Arizona
Ad Explanation Dear Editor, We have been running an ad in your magazine showing me in freefall deploying one of our back-up systems. Because we have received several inquiries regarding the meaning of this ad, I am writing to explain. As you can see, I am also wearing my skydiving rig under my flying harness. Under Federal Aviation Regulations, Part 105, Subpart C, Paragraph 105.43(a), "No person may make a parachute jump, and no pilot in command of an aircraft may allow any person to make a parachute jump from that aircraft, unless that person is wearing a single harness dual parachute pack, having at least one main parachute and one approved auxiliary (TSO'd) parachute ... " The purpose of the picture is to convey the message that although chances are you will never have to deploy your hang glider parachute at
8
freefall speeds, it should be a comforting feeling to know that our back-up system will exceed any and all limits placed upon it while flying hang gliders. Another advertiser used a news clip in one of their ads telling about Richard Bryant's save at Mt. Tamalpias on Jan. 13, 1979. Actually, Bryant was wearing an Advanced Air back-up system and was separated from his glider after several wingovers above the beach. Bryant states that he was shot out into freefall at about 400 ft. AGL. He remembers seeing "lots of white" because he thinks his eyes were shut, but he states that he positively remembers reaching for his deployment handle and throwing the bag out. Witnesses say that he had canopy showing at 200 ft. This is an actual save where the user had to deploy his parachute in freefall. When I spoke with him the next day about the accident, all I could get from him at first was, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Then he told me the details of the accident and subsequent deployment. Although not FAA certified (nor is it required to be), the Advanced Air back-up system does meet all FAA requirements. I, myself, have more than 2,000 sport parachute jumps and have been flying hang gliders for four years. I skydive and fly almost every weekend. Therefore, I am very concerned that both of these sports be as safe as possible and that includes the equipment we use. For this reason, I have tested our hang glider parachute under all conditions and am satisfied that it will perform under any conditions that may arise while flying hang gliders. Jim Handbury Advanced Air Sports Products, Inc.
Powell Editorial Dear Editor, I would urge every hang glider pilot in the United States to read The Key to Self Regulation in the June issue of Hang Gliding. I would urge them to save this article and reread it every few months. In my opinion, every statement and argument presented by the author, Vic Powell, is valid and extremely important to those of us who love to hang glide. The USHGA is our organization. I feel very strongly that those people who believe that the USHGA is not doing certain things (that they feel should be done) should resist the temptation to start a rival power group. Instead, they should become directors of the USHGA and make their wishes known. They can express their views and state their arguments. If they truly have a better plan, that plan will be adopted. The USHGA is, I believe, constantly adapting and changing in an endeavor to better serve and represent hang glider pilots. I am proud of its past and present efforts. Please, let's work within the system, not against it or outside it. Please, let's keep the FAA out. Please, let's try to continue to be responsible and free. George Worthington San Diego
ODYSSEY has everything for the hang gliding enthusiast! Our huge inventory includes gliders, instruments, harnesses, safety equipment and accessories. We are distributors for name brand hang gliders like SENSOR, WILLS WING, SUNBIRD, MANTA, and FLIGHT DESIGNS. And quality instruments like the fine LITEK V ARIOMETER and the new G IS CHARD ALTIMETER; both carry one year warranties! We can finance any glider, with approved credit, and VISA and MASTER CHARGE are accepted, of course! Now, you can see it all together in the colorful new ODYSSEY PRODUCT PORTFOLIO. Send name, address and zip code with on€ dollar (refunded on purchase to:
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Edited by John Ballantyne Yankee Flyer Connecticut Hang Gliders Assn. USHGA Chapter 34 A very concerned discussion took place at our last meeting about illegal flying at several sites by CHGA members, and what steps can be taken to correct these acts and to punish the offenders. This discussion goes to the very heart of self regulation. Illegal acts cannot be tolerated. Deane and Russ Lord had a meeting with the FAA about our flying at Talcott and they seem to be satisfied with our present arrangement of calling them each day that we fly there. The only black mark so far has been one report from an airliner captain, who reported a hang glider below him while he was at 4,500 ft. A suggestion has been made that the CHGA have a perpetual trophy for distance and duration records in Connecticut by a CHGA member, to be given out each year with the winner's name inscribed on it.
Winds Aloft Pacific Northwest HGA, Chapter 6 Editor - Dave Freeman At the last meeting Vern Roundtree (formerly USHGA president) announced that he was leaving the Pacific Northwest and moving to Puerto Rico, taking both gliders. We wish him luck! Ken Fine discussed his parachute clinic, and Mark Phillips announced that his Aerosails school is going to start soon. Pilots from Grouse Mountain in Canada would like to arrange a one-on-one competition with Washington State pilots in the near future. Ken Godwin announced that the National Forest Department will recog-
nize hang gliders and their needs, and as such, we will be allowed to build a few ramps and clear a few trees, with their permission, in the National Forests. A collection was taken for Mike Finley, for his work on the road to Fraley. He earned $61.65 for his hard labor.
The Flier Ultralight Flyers of San Diego Editor • Ken Bryenton There are a few problems with the City and Big Black regulation. If the City sanctions flying in the valley then they open another front on which they could be liable to law suits in the future. So they are likely not going to give any blessings. We do have Big Black insured and will keep it that way and work at ensuring that everyone follows the few rules for the site. It is important that UFO members inform outsiders of the procedures for flying Big Black. In general, the club is doing well. Membership has grown in the past few months and interest in the meetings and flying get togethers has increased greatly. Please continue the good work at individually promoting the club, membership, and general care for our flying sites.
reported. But it wasn't exactly a safe month. It was rumored that there was a swarm of glowing Condors, Owls, Ospreys, Fledglings, Bats and one very old and tired Pliable Moose gliding on the thermals above Three Mile Island last month in a frenzy of Reactor Riding, sub-category "First (and last) On Your Block." Next stop - Mount Vesuvius.
The Ridge Rider New England HGA, Chapter 22 Editor - Lynn LePelley Even though people are usually sad when something is buried, visitors and pilots flying at Morningside in Claremont will notice that those power lines on the east side of the road - you know, the ones with the little plastic footballs tied on them - are no longer there. Right under where they used to be is a nice freshly filled trench. Hooray and may they rest in peace.
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SBHGA Newsletter Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Assn. USHGA Chapter 26 Editor • Kammy Low
Wills Wing for the dealer nearest you.
Only after one month of emphasizing safety reports and providing constructive criticism on how to help make the air a safe place to hang around, the results have already paid off. No accidents were
WILLS WING, INC. 1208-H E. Walnut Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 547-1344
AIR SPEED INDICATOR FOR FLIGHT CONTROL IF OTHERS ARE FLYING HIGHER AND LONGER THAN YOU ARE, MA y BE YOU NffD srnER CONTROL OF YOUR AIR SPEED. ASK YOUR DEALER ABOUT THE MEHIL AIR SPEED INDICATOR TYPE.. . .. Direct acting vane with variable exit port ACCURACY . . . . . . . Calibrated lo laboratory ~tondard to 3 % RANGE. . 0 to 38 miles per hoU"" WEIGHT 2 ounces less mounting hardware
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AUGUST1979
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ETZION METAL WORKS Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, Tel. 02- 742852, Israel. Telex 33499 (Techen, E.M.W) HANG GLIDING
HANG GLIDER EMERGENCY DESCENT SYSTEM KEY FEATURES Elephant ear handles (sure-grip) Envelope deployed. The envelope is part of the throw away container cover. One Step Deploym ent Container will open in any direction. System is designed in a one step, one hand motion, using either hand.
Life Saver 24 $325.00 Life Saver 26 $350.00
DESIG ED AND MANUFACTURED BY PEOPI£ WHO KNOW AND CARE. Rich Piccirilli - Designer ·Designer of one of the first back-up systems. •ouer 8 years acUue hang glider pUol.. ·Approximately 2000 sport parachuting j umps. Joan Anten • Production Manager (Picture below) ·Past experience In the supervision and manufacturing of s eueral hundred back-up 511stems and gooemment parachute relaled equipmen t. ·Acliue sport skydiver.
E TERPRISES, Inc. Post O ,ce Box 3044 e:.por· Beach Ca , orn ,a 92663 ~t 4 642- 788
Burke famous of old age at 13. Curtis, on Burke's back as they flew Southern California sites, was widely celebrated in both and the news media, on TV's To Tell The Truth and in a recent article in When Burke was years old, he found a stray puppy, kept him and named him Cur· tis. One in 1974, after his mastt:r had launched from the cliff al Torrey Curtis ran after him, falling off the cliff and his This Burke to harness so the dog could with him. We will
scanner radio capable of both the VHF-AM aircraft chan· nels and UHF-FM channels has been intro· duced Electra carry in their will them informed of both tower·tO· and control communications. The new "Bearcat@ Thin Scan Aircraft" scanner is inches wide, l inch thick, and 10 ounces. The radio is capable of up to 4 channels in any mix of the two bands covered. Each channel is pro-· vided with a lockout control for when desired. Price is $149.95 less crystals and batteries. Contact: Electra P.O. Box Cumberland, Indiana 46229.
12
World War I, Irvin Parachute Company started the Caterpillar Club for pilots who had to abandon their and save their lives under one or Irvin's parachutes. The pilot was sent a catcrpillar·shapcd pin with a ruby eye. (Parachutes used to be made of silk.) The Caterpillar Club has evolved to where any pilot who is saved under any parachute is now a member. There is now a similar club for glider pilots who have to deploy a para· chute anybody's parachute in order to save their lives while hang gliding. It is be· ing called DIVER SURVIVOR, and a pilot who has a deployment which is a save has only to complete a questionnaire and mail it in for membership. The pilot will then be sent a patch and a membership card. Because the patches are still being and sewn, cost is unknown. The fee, how·· ever, will only be enough to cover the cost of the patch and the card, and so will be very small. We arc now asking all pilots who have had saves to rm out and return a question· naire as soon as possible. will be held until Aug. 31, at which time numbers will be issued in the order of the date of ment for those questionnaires returned. Following that date, all numbers will be issued in the order that the questionnaire is received. The information received will be used to obtain statistics and these statistics will be published on a regular basis. Hopefully, the more we learn about why problems happen, the fewer problems will be happening in the air. DIVER SURVIVOR 990 East Lakcshore Drive Elsinore, CA 92330 (714) 674•1495
The First Pan American Gliding Championships has been scheduled for Ocl. 28 through Nov. 8, 1979 in Bogota, Columbia. Hosted by the Columbian Gliding Federation, it is being Ed Vasquez, a long·tirne resident or New York Straddling the Andes from the Pacific to the Carribean, this South American coun-· try is filled with ideal flying sites. In a recent visit to Columbia with the Aviation/Space Writers Association, Dan took time out to visit with the local HANG GLIDING
flyers and to show Hugh Morton's new film The Masters Of Hang Gliding. Covering the year-round flying at Grandfather Mountain, the film recently won the CINE Golden Eagle award. For further information on the Pan Am meet, write: Ed Vasquez, 1er Pan Americana de Vuelo en Cometa, Aptd Aereo 20564, Bogota, Columbia.
IN-FLIGHT LOAD CELL The "in-flight load cell" designed by John Zurlinden for Gary Valle of Sunbird Gliders, is an instrument to measure crossbar loads during flight maneuvers. In-flight load cells are available to hang glider designers and manufacturers for both crossbar compression and flying wire tension measurement. John will build them on a custom basis. The new information available from the accurate hydraulic instruments is of obvious value to the designer during testing, designing and certification. The load cell pictured is for the crossbar of the Sunbird Nova. John's professional services are also available in advertising, photography, artwork, technical illustrations, engineering drawings, and the design and production of jigs and fixtures. Plastic parts produced. Contact John Zurlinden (213) 933-4089.
USHGA SURVEY RESULTS The results of the USHGA member survey, which appeared in the June issue of Hang Gliding, have been tabulated. As of this writing, 108 responses have been received. In response to the question, "Should the proposed hang gliding FAR (from the "Chattanooga" Committee) be formally recommended to the FAA?", 66% responded no, 34% responded yes. Of those who answered yes, some cited the individual enforcement argument and many said that they hoped any federal regulation would end there. Of those who answered no, some commented that they thought the proposed regulations were good guidelines but that self-regulation had worked and FAA involvement was not necessary. In response to the question, "Should the USHGA be involved in motorized hang gliding?", 59% responded no, 41 OJo responded yes. Of those who answered yes, some commented that they hoped the two sports, motorized and non-motorized, would be treated separately. Some felt that the USHGA should place limits on the motorized craft, i.e. fuel tank size, weight, foot-launchable etc. Of those who answered no, many seemed to feel that motorized hang gliders violate the spirit of the organization and that the motor people
should form their own group. In response to the question, "Should the name of the sport be changed?", an overwhelming 78.5 OJo responded no, 21.5% said yes. This was particularly interesting, because letters to the editor had been overwhelmingly in favor of the change. Most commented that the public is finally used to "hang gliding" and finally knows what it is, and that a name change would be unreasonable. In response to the question, "Should competition be a major concern of the organization?", 56% responded yes, 44% responded no. Of those who said yes, many commented that they thought competition helps to produce a positive public image and helps promote the sport. Of those who answered no, some were quite vehement, and commented that competition only benefits a small minority of the membership. In response to the question "Does the USHGA need an Executive Director?", 36% said yes, 32% said no, and 32% did not comment. Many did not feel qualified to answer and of those who said yes, some added, "If we can afford it." The editorial staff read all the comments with great interest and we appreciate the concern shown by those who wrote i11.
PTERODACTYL RECEIVES AW ARD First prize for best new microlite aircraft at the 15th annual Watsonville Antique FlyIn was awarded to a Pterodactyl Fledge created by Jack Peterson of Berkeley, CA and Russell Thompson of Oakland, CA. Performing before a cheering crowd of 20,000 gathered to see everything from Jennys to fully aerobatic Pitts go through their paces, the best designs of aviation's
AUGUST1979
newest wave quickly captured the crowd's fancy and established its credentials to share the sky with the more than 400 antique and home-built aircraft which flew for the Memorial Day weekend. The prize was awarded to the Pterodactyl on the basis of overall function and the craftsman-like attention to detail lavished on the microlite by its builders.
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Wills Wing 1208-H East Walnut Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 547-1344
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THE DOVE: Gentle to fly. Easy to own. Priced amazingly low. See your authorized Electra Flyer dealer. $895.00 retail Once again we offer a two week delivery on all gliders from the time orders are received until shipment is made
700 Comanche N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 505-344-3444
Bird's Eye View
Brief Encounters by Lauran Emerson Ours was a fleeting relationship. We met, and touched, and I had to go. I flew to the embrace, and walked away with bowed head. The tree never said a word. Looking back, I have kindly feelings towards that tree. It was a friendly sort: a pine, full and bushy and not too tall. It was friendlier than the hundred-foot ponderosas on Mt. Sentinel, where you get a forty-foot free-fall below the branches. It was much friendlier than the burned-out spires on the hillside at Miller Creek, where Hugh flew his Standard in '74 and Bill Johnson thrilled the crowd by doing a 360 in his Quicksilver. My own tree was much nicer than those. It commanded a fine view of the Big Horn Mountains, with the Sand Turn landing area to the north and Sheridan in the east. But, despite the view, landing there was not part of my flight plan. Looking for lift in new terrain, I'd flown too low and too slow over the forest. I turned into the hill, into some sink, and into a stall. When I saw that I couldn't clear the trees, I picked up what speed I could and headed for the biggest pine in sight. The landing was head-on and soft, but I forgot to grab for branches. I slipped to the ground and bent a wing. My affair with the tree was over. My own reaction to that landing was to feel a bit more humble about my flying skill and power of judgement. The reaction of the other pilots at the fly-in was overwhelming. I was sought out, congratulated, and offered beers and handshakes by about half' of the sixty pilots there. "Welcome to the Club!", they said. The Society of Tree Landers was out in force. In fact, I've been a member of this particular group since 1976, when a stalled take-off on Sentinel put me into one of those unfriendly ponderosas. At that time; AUGUST1979
Steve Hasterlik and Matthew Pavolich rounded out the Montana membership in the Tree Landers. The Tree Landers form one of the largest of hang gliding's brief-encounter groups. But there are other, more obscure, landing societies around. My favorite is the Trash Can Landers, to which Glade Thompson holds exclusive membership although he'd be happy to welcome any newcomers. To qualify, just land in a full garbage can at a big fly-in with lots of spectators around to verify the touch-down. Hugh and Jack Olsen form the local Federation of Fence Landers. Jack can claim chairmanship of that group for his finely balanced ballet on barbed wire. Hugh's brief encounter with a fence wasn't as graceful, and his membership card was a little more painful. Roby and Wild Man formed a new group shortly after they started flying two years ago. They jumped off a cliff near the river, and the Missouri River Landers were born. The River boys have never increased their membership, though. It's too hard to strap a life preserver on over a harness. Over in Missoula, in the days before hang glider pilots watched where they were going, Matthew outdid his multiple membership in the Tree Landing Society by forming the local Line Levelers. It turned out to be a hazardous group, and Matthew dropped his active membership after knocking out the sound system at the annual rock concert. About the same time, Bruce Stoverud quietly handed in his resignation from active Line Duty after doing an eggbeater line landing which brought him the award for best choreography over a football field. Holly Raser just missed full membership in the Locomotive Landing category last summer on her first flight in her Condor. Her conversation with the conductor before touch-down was enough to warrant partial membership, and she's decided against trying for a full one. Until this afternoon, Larry Tudor was the only member of the Society of Saab Squashers. He initiated the group at the Swansea meet three years ago. Approaching the landing area with minimal altitude, Larry clipped a pine tree on the far side of the road, clipped my Saab's antenna, bounced off the trunk and landed in a ditch. No one else had ever bounced off that trunk until this afternoon, when Jose doubled the membership in Larry's club. He climbed into a visiting car, aimed it at the Saab and took it out of gear. It rolled into the trunk, bounced off and rammed our hang glider rig. Jose got a spanking and a membership in the Society of Saab Squashers. And he doesn't even fly. If you've never belonged to a Strange Landing Society, you have something to be
proud of. Membership is nothing to brag about, and usually comes when something else takes precedence over good judgement. If the time comes when you find yourself headed for a strange encounter, just keep your wits about you. There is usually something you can do to make an unplanned landing better than it might be. I wish you good judgement and good luck. If you have to land in a tree, try to pick a friendly one. If you're going to ram a Saab, stay away from mine. It's easy to spot. It's the red one, with all the dents in the trunk. ~
w
GLIDER TRADE-IN SPECIAL
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Windhaven takes trade-ins on new gliders from anywhere in the country. Ship or deliver your glider. and we will apply it to your new purchase. We sell: Electra Flyer Novas Seagull Wills Wing
U.F.M. Mitchells Wing Delta Wing Eipper-Formance
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THE BEST BOOKS ON THE SPORT HANG GLIDING, the first book on the sport has been updated 9 times and now includes a special section on motorized flight. 186 pages, 350 illustrations, over 125,000 sold! The complete flying, designing, building handbook and buyer's guide. $6.95 postpaid (Californians add 42 ¢ sales tax). HANG GLIDING MANUAL with Log. The most authoritative. compact. concise. complete and least expensive basic flight manual available. Used as a training text by schools worldwide. $1. 50 postpaid I Californians add 9a: sales tax) MANNED KITING. Fly the flatlands with the only book on tow launched hang gliding. Step-by-step instructions carefully guide the novice through taxi practice, towed flight and release to free flight. $3.95 postpaid. (Californians add 24a: sales tax). SEMO FOR FREE DESCRIPTIVE BROCHURE
DAN POYNTER, Box 4232-G, Santa Barbara. CA 93103 17
OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FHOM UPPER LEFT: Scenic set-up. The new British Emu bowsprit design. A view of the picturesque Scottish countrysicie at Braemar. Gustav Fischnaller, left, manager of Glens/Jee ski area and operator of hang gliding school. Pilot awaits his tum at launch. A Scottish pl1ot flies from Mt. Blair. ABOVE: Mark Sylvester in his Skyhook Safari. Mt. Blair in background. HIGHT: David Squires in the driv1,r's seat and Trevor Birkbeck do battle with scoring.
AUGUSTl979
On June 14, we woke early, enthusiastic with fond memories of the brilliant sunshine and cross country flying of last year, and the successful completion of the League meet two days previously. Our feelwere soon deflated as we watched the inside walls of the tent lean in the wind and listened to the heavy rain on the roof That night saw some thunderstorms and and it was forecast to stay that way over the second day of the meet, so that afternoon was spent eating and drinking and touring around some of the beautiful of the area. David Squires, Bettina and I went around the grounds of nearby Balmoral Castle. On our way we noticed the wind had moderated and we turned a corner to sec a few in the sky. We headed toward the hill they were flying and found about 15 pilots enjoying a wave which had formed. Bob (Britain's XC record holder) and Chris Johnson were very high, and later we found out that Chris had 4,500 ft. above the landing field. came down when it started to get cold and dark. It doesn't get dark until midnight, and then it gets 19
light at 4 a.m. in this part or the world in summer. Cairnwcll Mountain is 3,059 feet above sea level. The road takes one to 1he base at 2,050 feet, a chair lift another 800 feet (it's a ski resort), and then a walk takes you the remaining 200 feel. It follows that because of its altitude it is often clouded in, and it suffers from high winds up the u-shaped of Glenshee Valley. It does
have the advantage that it opportunity of mountain flying with easy access to the summit, is multidircctional and has cross country potential. The locals are quite used to hang gliding, as one of Scotland's two schools is based here. Saturday morning dawned with clear skies and sunshine, but with what appeared to be an increasing northwesterly wind. As was dreaded, the wind at the time of' the was too gusty for flying Cairnwell. This was the make or break point of the competition, so we all dashed off to Mount Blair, a nearby site which caters to most directions except south. It was quite a
climb to the top. Most of the competitors were Englishmen and are spoiled by road access to the lops of' most of their flysites. More than one complaint was heard as they staggered up the hill. A few of the first to reach take··Off flew around and it soon became apparent that conditions were marginal for a soaring task. Discussion look place with some of the League pilots who were in the Open and the decision was made to run a down task as it didn't look as if auything would develop for awhile. Eventually the task was set up for a speed nm, reverse 360 and spot landing. After I or so had l1own the task, a few
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPE:R LEFT: The British Emu, a 52·1/J. glider with 140-degree nose angle. A bicyclist tours the valley road followed on Sunday's task. Launch at Caimwell. The chairlift · 800 ft. to Caimwell summit. Launch site transportation.
TOP: Captain Farquasson prosents second place winner am/ highest placed Scottish pilot, ,Jirn McDougall, with his trophy. ABOVE: Bob Harrison, overall champion.
pilots in free flight were noticeably than and a few competitors out to go and join them in the 1hcrmals. A few folks shot off down 1o Cairn well to find it flyable and Dave Thomas and Jonathan Stirk flew seven and four miles. However, there wasn't enough time to get all the pilots over there before the chairlift closed. 11 was decided to hold another task The were not at all as this meant a sec-· ond walk up the hill. We were determined not to have a one or two task competition which wouldn't really be a competition, and set.tied for a minimum of three tasks while time was running out on us. AUGUSl 1979
Conditions that evening became virtually still and a glide angle task was run down the valley. It was won by a Skyhook Safari flown Mark Silvester who was then dis-· qualified because he had changed gliders. Second came a Gryphon flown by Scotland's Jim McDougall. We kept our crossed for a cross cmu11ry task on our final clay. Unfortunately, rnany pilots had a long drive ahead of them and wanted to finish early afternoon. The wind on day four was light and variable and the clear. We all raced to Cairnwell and for the first time in four days gol to the top. A cross country task was set with an open window. A few wcllt off to test the conditions and managed a few miles upwind. Mark Silvester, a 16-ycar-old, launched into a blob (thermal) and circled back lo a top landing. The take-off window was extended to sec if lift would improve, but 1he thermals stayed small and hard to work, so competitors launched and worked their way into the sonthwcstcrly wind to land several miles up the Glen. It really turned out to be a "down the valley" task rather than cross country. The final scores were worked out and the landowner, Captain Farquasson, presented the provided by the Scottish Sailwing Association and the Glen Shee Touris1 Board. The were disappoin1ccl. We were spoiled last year with four competition days and lots of fun and no hassle. The entire competition had been cross country. This year there was a number of participants who came from as far away as and It was nice 1o sec that the Scottish was self supporting as there were only about 1 League pilots in it and the rest were relatively unknown. It
was nm entirely from entry fees with no sponsor The meet also brought together many of the clubs in Scotland and, as result, we have a few future holiday weekends organized. Perhaps this is one of I he most valuable reasons for hang meets as clubs tend to be a bit insular Your own lady of hang gliding, Bettina came over for the League and for the Open. It was a great pleasure and such good fun having her here. We welcome her back anytime along with any one else who cares to visit and fly om c01m·· try. We do have some excellent sites and the sun has been known to shine. Hit clocsu't onr mall whisky is good. Contact the Secretary of the Scottish Association, Robin Laidlaw, 105 Clermiston Road, Scolland, for in format ion. HESUJ, I) Bob
Yorkshire, England Chargus Cyclone.
2) Jim McDougall, Fife, Scotland
Gryphon Ill 3) Ron Freeman, Northumbria,
Wills 4) Dave Harrison, Y orkshirc,
5) Trevor Birkbcck
Birdman
Cherokee 6) Paul Frain
Birclman Cherokee
7) Henry
8) Graham Leason
Gryphon Birc!rnan
Cherokee 9) Robert
Birclman Cherokee
lO) Roy Richards
Flexiform Vector 21
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tJ.BOVE: Target for lunch. TOP RIGHT: Set-up on Falkland 's 360-degree take -off. RIGHT: Bettina 's telephoto makes a 'ree landing look inevitable. BELOW: Bottom row, left to right : J. Carr, B. England, L. Cruse and B. Wood. Top row, left to ·ight: K. Reynolds , B. Calvert, G. Snape, G. Hobson , B. 3ai/ey, M. Maher, C. Johnson , T. Bi,kbeck and G. Slater. 'American Cup , Bleriot and World Cup teams .)
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Pilot:
Robert (Bob) 200 lbs. 6'3"
Glider:
Birdman 'Cherokee' 220 squares
Cross country flying in usually consists of one of the many small hills or and picking up a thermal to cloudbasc, which averages out at 3,500 ft. on most This means that to get dislances each thermal has to be worked very so as to make the maximum distance with this limited height. The I made my 50 miles was an ceptionally for cross country flyone of perhaps six in a year that may occur in the very unpredictable climate we (endure). There was a soarable breeze, 15 mph southwest, and by mid-afternoon cloud base had risen to a very 5,000 ft. ASL On noticing the high cloudbase, decided it was the ideal day to attempt distance. The cumulus clouds were small and flat by what looked like an inversion above. l was a Birdman Cherokee, British of the many different, the manufae-· lurers, but best and range. I left the at 250 rt. in a very thermal, and relatively smooth, at 4 p.m. The whole valley seemed to be as I climbed at 500 feet per minute lo what was to be my maximum height of the flight, 5,800 ft. Most of the in the Yorkshire Dales is between 1,000 ft. and 2,400 fl ASL. The Yorks Dales is a series of named after the rivers running at the bottom of each. I used my usual that has worked well for me in the past Distance 24 miles in 1977 and 29.6 in 1978, besides numerous flights between l O and 20 miles). This flight I was to take my time and just lazily drift in the wind, con .. with my thermal at cloud .. before heading on downwind and catching the next thermal, if the gap did not prove too This I did for the first part of the flight and it proved to be successful, with the added lux· the extra !,()()() ft. or so of The circling I use most is to search out the size of the thermal and tighten in on any small core of lift, which often seems to die after four or six circles, then open up and flatten the turns off until some stronger core is found. One one, that , is that it is criss-crossed by tiny country lanes eon .. usually no more than three miles apart. So one can lose out after
HANG GLIDING
maybe two or three thermals and get to a road and a lift back fairly easily. Last summer, in the Dales, I made three separate cross country flights in a day, landing out, thumbing a lift back and soaring to cloudbase once more. After 15 miles I flew out of the hills and into what I remember as a ten-mile sink hole. This is the north end of the Vale of York, a very flat plain from here on to the coast, 35 miles away. All the very weak thermals around this area seemed only to rise a few hundred feet before decaying, and, as on most of my cross country flights, I was made to scratch hard and look to the ground for my next area of lift, working every available bubble. Across this ten miles, I was down as low as 1,000 ft. several times before climbing just a few hundred feet and drifting on downwind all the time. This is very typical of British cross country, and the need for a very light, responsible glider is essential if one is to be able to concentrate on the job at hand and not have to worry about heaving a heavy glide angle machine into a bank. After several more miles of hard work, I started to climb successively higher with each thermal until I was comfortably back at cloudbase, which was now around the 5,000 ft. mark. The day was late, 5 p.m., so I decided I had to push on for miles if I was to make a new record, now dimly in my mind. The route I was following I had carefully planned out previously, so as not to violate
air space, both civil and military around this area. On each cross country flight I've had, I've experimented with new ideas and gained from the experience of past flights, and so I was confident that with the day being late, it was now time to put several new techniques for cross country flying into practice. I pulled speed under several large cumulus clouds, flew crosswind to areas of stronger-looking development, as well as flew back into wind when I'd left good strong lift and hit the heavy sink associated with it, waiting awhile before trying the gap again. Everything paid off and half an hour later, the English east coast was in sight, which from my planning, I knew was 50 plus miles. I had now made 40 miles and had already broken the British distance record, using 60 or more thermals to get this far, when I noticed that the smoke from the LC.I. works at Stockton appeared to be drifting towards me. "A sea breeze has pushed in," I thought, and I decided to head straight towards the coast to get more miles. Two miles of flat out flying, and I was alongside the works where I could see clearly that it was still southwesterly and very light by now, as the day was cooling down quickly. I was able to slow up and use the typically smooth evening thermal back to cloudbase, sometimes climbing at 100 ft. per minute, but all the time moving downwind still at 4,900 ft.
I reached the coast at Hartlepool, with one of the best thermals of the day, under a cloud at least a mile across, with blue sky eight miles to either side of it. I decided to try for more miles and head northwards up the east coast, but this time the blue hole proved too big to cross, and within minutes I was looking for a suitable field. I landed at 6 p.m. in Hartlepool, having set a new British distance record of 50 miles, and as I landed, a passing motorist stopped and then several other people came dashing across to ask the usual questions like: "Where have you come from?", "Isn't it cold?", and the best one of all, "Would you like a cup of tea?!!" In England, most of the flyers travel around the country flying other clubs' sites, and so inter-club comradeship becomes a good thing, especially when you are looking for a lift back, 100 miles or so on the winding English lanes to the cottage in the Dales. Most pilots in Great Britain are keen to fly cross country, and each weekend many miles are covered flying, usually off behind the ridge with the thermal in the hope of picking others up on route. Ridge hopping, although possible, is usually only resorted to when the thermal dies and a last resort is needed if flight is to continue. I think a world record distance could be done in Great Britain, but obviously, the day would have to be chosen and the site and route planned very carefully so as not to run out of country as I had on my 50 miles. ~
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AUGUST 1979
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"I support the USHGA because it is the only organization that represents our sport, not only on the national level, but on state and local levels as well. Hang Gliding magazine is something everyone looks forward to every month. The Pilot Proficiency program and the Instructor Certification program have been extremely important to the safe growth of the sport. With the sponsorship of meets and fly-ins, and the insurance coverage, a membership in the USHGA would be a bargain at twice the price." Tom Peghiny Tom Peghiny is one of the great pioneers of the sport, glider designer, sponsored professional pilot and past USHGA director. He was the 1977 Masters champion and holds 29 first places.
ISN'T IT TIME YOU SUPPORTED YOUR NATIONAL HANG GLIDING ORGANIZATION? The United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc.: • Offers $500,000 pilot liability insurance. • Offers site insurance to chapter clubs. • Publishes HANG GLIDING magazine, the largest circulation hang gliding publication in the world. Beautiful color photography. I include my check or money order as follows: D $20 FULL MEMBER (21 foreign) - As a full member you receive 12 issues of HANG GLIDING magazine, pilot liability insurance, and all USHGA membership benefits. D $15 SUBSCRIPTION ($16 foreign) for one year. D $26 SUBSCRIPTION ($28 foreign) for two years. D $36 SUBSCRIPTION ($39 foreign) for three years. D $7.00 TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION ($8 foreign) for six months. PHONE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ NAME ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AGE CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Send check or money order to USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066
you think I could learn to Even with trick knee? What about insurance? don't want to take chances. I can if want to put the effort into it'/ It will be as docs it take? as l am? How r heard over of years ago from a potential student named Gene Matthews. Today I'm standing on launch ramp as the "wire man" for the world's first indoor named Gene Matthews. of the World Indoor An indoor attraction The road to the top is facilities arc set-up area is poor, it is 75 ft. from launch to zone and winds arc non-existent. Charlie Brown, D.J. of local fame from Seattle radio station KJR is on hand to blow blow account of each flight; and as well since his is the only air hot, wave, or otherwise available at the launch site. I Gene static check. Charlie Brown and Chuck Drake hold the sides of the condown the trol bar to ramp. Charlie's goes up to as Charlie barks, "How docs it feel to be the world's first indoor "Uhh, !'II tell you when get down. "And how long will you be in the air?" "Oh, about eleven seconds, I hope." what's your mind my mind on one, I'm hooked in; two, I've got my helmet; three, knee brace is in four, level; six, seven, run mind clear and like hell ... " check audience of Seattle radio audience, "And now he's for the count down ... ten, nine, ... the audience joins in ... thrcc, two, one ... and here he Gene obliges, pounds down the ramp and is off' in five steps, diving for airspeed and the stadium floor a short flight below. The crowd with short few sec-onds later Gene is the astroturf and up for a smooth landing at the far end of the field. "I sec you have a new hat. That's about the only comment I get from Steve Hollister when I appear near the ramp as the set up their for the demonstration of the first public indoor hang exhibit ion. meets, 've been to mountains,
Yosemite and the quiet rolling hills of western I've flown with most or these pilots in hale storms and howling gale winds. But I've never felt more tension and concentration thau the period of to the 75--foot launch that was about lo occur. Nine pilots with an amount or air I imc; ready to fly together another time, but now feeling somehow out of their clements. There were no wind socks, no wind meters or wind dummies, no wind! No air, except lo breath, but no air masses or thermals., no gusts or crosswinds ... just was what you stillness. The only could create in four to seven steps off the ramp, then dive for and control, case off, get in your harness and start up your landing. No room for turns or landing Just fly it out and squeak in for a landing at the other end of !he floor.
A ratio made it more difficult because if you flew too far, you got too close to the other end of the stadium floor, with not altitude to turn and set up a landing in any direction other than the one you had established at the time of the launch. Very tricky. No room for error or correction. No place to which to abort. .lust one way to do it. Straight ahead and correctly. The ultimate test of piloting. No chance for isolated concentration or choosa launch window. The fans were waiting. Charlie Brown was interviewing every pilot and each to take part in a "count-down to launch" for the benefit of the crowd. Some pilots obliged and others said ' off." We were all nervous. Walk your gliders down the tops of the backs of the stadium scats from above the ramp, balancing the glider and placing each step like a tight rope walker. Set the control
HANG GLIDING
the 300 ft. level of the dome to the floor, with no mention or credit of the hang exhibition on the evening news. (That's show biz.) Chuck Drake: Father of Chris Drake (a feat and financial sacrifice in itself he will tell you). Also holder of the World's Indoor Hang Duration Record of 15 .9 seconds and probably one of the best unknown unprofessional with the most airtime in the world. rcfnsed, on principle, to be parl of the countdown.)
Mark Fredrickson: One-time President or the Pacific Northwest. Hang Glider Assn. Computer programmer who suffers from the normal psychic disruptions inherent in that profession, but a good and strong PNHGA supporter. Jon Dawkins: A ski mechanic and pos sihly the most mellow hang glider pilot in 1he Pacific Northwest.
Hollister: Descendant of Doc Hollister of old west fame; known for shoot ing from the hip with a scoped sniper rifle, also sells and sometimes has good sense of humor. Ken Fine: The Northwest's oldest new and used hang glider salesman and school teacher who sold me my first kite (I didn't say glider because no one made in those days). Jeff Johnson: Once a Region One Direc·is a commercial pilot in his spare time. Too nice a guy to be in hang poli1 ics, Jeff sticks to flying his homebuilt and DCIO's.
1or who
bar on the ramp. Static check with someone on each side of the control bar to hold il in place on the ramp. The wire man is trying to hold the nose oft he without falling off the ramp, while at the same time the Local with the names and of each of the
pilots. Gene Matthews: Organizer of this exhihilion at the Kingdomc. Worked on it for and half before ii became school senior year. Started with his father, Chuck, the age of 13. this with the added encumbrance of TV news camera strapped to his control bar. The footage will later be used as a or view shot of paper airplane
AUGUST1979
nave Freeman: One of the most mature kids on the Northwest Hang Glider Block and a mainstay in the PNHGA. Charlie Brown finishes his interview with Dave. "What's the main thing you have to keep in mind on this flight?" Dave doesn't really answer, although as he yells over his lcfl shonlder to Scott Price (who got his silver 1o Kossen but couldn't get it in the the radio and live audience hear Dave's voice filter through the microphone, "That left wingtip's got to clear!" " ... four, three, two, one" the crowd chimes in with Charlie Brown, and Dave's hand-·painted Super Eight just nicks its left droop tip on the far hand rail as Dave off the ramp. determination and strong launch straighten out the momentary yaw and the crowd cheers the ninth and final perfect flight and landing of the exhibition. Jeff Johnson had managed to get in a
well deserved plug for the PNGHA his preflight radio in1crview and now Charlie Brown's ringmaster voice echos over the PA system, hear it for the pilots of the Pacific Northwest Hang Gliding Association." Again the crowd roars with timultuous approval. "Remember, you can join in 1hcir meetings on the last of every month at seven o'clock at tbe Shakcy's Pizza Parlor in downtown Renton. Now for the second period of flying in the 1979 World Indoor Paper A11·n11H11' Ch,m1pi,:,n· ships. So in less than rive minutes the World's First Indoor Hang Exhibition has become history, by the continuation of the World's Second Annual Indoor Paper Airplane Championships. The evening news will carry the Paper Airplane Championships without a word about the hang gliding exhibition. But many people will, no doubt, wonder how they managed to get that point of view shot of a paper airplane sailing down to the floor of the Few people will realize the thousands of and hours of airtime (not 1o mention the and coor·· dination with 1he Kingdomc owners) tha1 went into that 12 seconds of movie footage. A small flight for the pilots but a gian1 tlight for the sport. A very outdoor sport taken indoors. Calcula1ed risks had been taken and conquered by planning and practice. Liability risks had been taken by a big private enterprise (the owners of the facilily). And it all came off withoul a hilch! New world records set (unofficial). Great PR for the sport. All proceeds went to benefit the and Girls Clubs of Seattle and County. It was good advertising for the dozen or so local and national commercial sponsors. And politicians take note; it was a great plug for ''Father of the World Indoor Airplane Championships, King County Councilman Bob Grcivc. The function was produced by Campbell Sports, Inc., a local spor1s promotion company, and Simpson Paper Company provided the 1000/o recycled paper for con· struclion of Jhc Printed on the paper were the rnlcs, entry information box, a step by step set of instructions for folding, trimming and flight testing the planes, history, promoters, contributors and paid advertisers of the event, and dotted Jines for the folding of the more uninnovatively designed craft. Probably of more interest to Hang Glid-ing readers arc some comments about this hang gliding first. Were there any insurance problems? No, there wasn't any insurance. In fact, as Gene
Matthews owners were just to find out that an insurance company had written a to cover our spor1 in general. So for this exhibition, trns1 and a liability release waiver sufficed. (Insurance agents cat your hearts out!) How did the pilots compare these conditions to outdoor "dead wind" take· off's? It was a bit different in that there was of a "lack" of air a "neutral air" condition. Also noted was a lack of depth rela live to the floor of the Dome, due to arti· ficial lighting and the uncommon indoor environment. In it was f'elt that this would be the for a valid LID contest if the stadium itself were larger, providing for take.off and further line flight to I he floor The Houston Astrodome would be a better candidal c for these reasons. the management has set an encour· ,,,.,,,•r,ct,,,nt and con ficlence booster for the management of larger indoor facilities. There is still a chance for someone 10 be the official hose, of the world's first "official" Indoor Hang and LID Contest! There is still a chance for someone to be the "official" bolder sanctioned indoor gliding world records, or to promote the world's First Official Indoor
or
But we'll all know that the world's real first indoor gliding has It started in the Seattle and became "official" on June 17, 1979, at the World Indoor Paper Airplane Chamlhanks to the trust and conri· dcnee of the management, the skill and confidence of a group of Northwest pilots, the hard work of the PNHGA, and one person who was not afraid to ask knew that tence pays off, and even with a trick knee, has learned to fly.
TOP: Charlie f3rown, KJR disc jockey, inter· views Dnv(i Freeman prior to launch. CENTER: The flights were short, but the air was smooth. BELOW: Pilots queue up in the take-off area.
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THE PITCHOVER QUESTION Part I © Copyright by Dennis Pagen
Beware the Jabberwock my son The teeth that bite, the claws that catch. Beware the Jujube bird and shun The frumious Bandersnatch.
pitchovers, we need to develop certain attitudes and control responses to keep our wings above us, where they belong. OUR TERMS
These few lines taken from Lewis Carroll's famous poem Jabberwocky in Alice Through The Looking Glass may very well characterize the mysteries and unknown beasties that populate the wonderland through which we fly. There are dragons in that sky, son. To put it in less vague terms, I am speaking of thermal-induced turbulence and the pitchover problem. To many pilots, this has become a matter of concern and doubt. Flying through a sky filled with unseen forces is a little like riding through a medieval forest waiting for the dragon to pounce. Like knights of old, we must take sword in hand and slay the foe. Our weapon is knowledge knowledge of the atmosphere's erratic behavior and our glider's response to this behavior. A major breakthrough in defining the problem of hang glider pitchovers was presented by Gary Valle in his article printed in the March, 1979 issue of Hang Gliding. Gary's work is commendable and shows a real dedication to insuring the safety of our sport. However, the main content of the article may have eluded those readers not familiar with graphic representation and analytic mathematics. For that reason, we continue to discuss the pitchover phenomenon, hoping to interpret both Gary's article and the excellent piece by J.B. Allred which appeared in the same issue. How well do we understand the cause of pitchovers? It seems we have plenty of qualitative information, but little quantitative data. This means we have a good idea of the causes and remedies for pitchovers, while we don't have exact values for the forces or velocities involved in the real situation. Computer models have demonstrated what happens to our gliders under certain conditions, but we need more testing and in-flight recording. Until this data is forthcoming and we can assure ourselves that our gliders are immune to 36
Before we proceed with our armchair investigation, let's define a few terms. Words like pitchover, tumble and tuck need some distinction. We'll take pitchover to mean the action of a glider turning head over keel, like a flapjack. This heart-stopping maneuver is what concerns us in the discussion below. A tumble is a pitchover that continues until the glider is again upright. In other words, the glider performs a somersault, or outside loop. A tumble may consist of one or more revolutions. The word tuck refers to an extended dive that ends with a sudden upside down flip. The high forces built up in all of these maneuvers often cause a glider to collapse or break - usually at the aft leading edge. For the sake of completeness, we'll describe a full luff dive as continuing flight straight down with the sail flapping like a flag. A full luff dive can end with a tuck, a pull-up or an impact. Two of the three results are catastrophic - not very good odds. Full luff dives were a problem with standard gliders, but fortunately are virtually nonexistent with the current crop of ships, due to the use of keel pockets, fixed battens and defined tips. One more important term to understand is pitch stability (or instability). Pitch means nose up or nose down movement (rotation about the axis through the crossbar). Pitch stability then is the tendency for an aircraft to return to level flight if some disturbance lifts the nose up, or drops the nose in a dive. A glider unstable in pitch is one that shows little resistance to forces pushing the nose up or down. An unstable glider will readily accommodate a pitchover. More of this later. Now that we have our terms sorted out, we can begin to explore the problem. A hang glider is a complex object floating through the tide of air. It reacts to changes and discontinuities in this air according to aerodynamic forces predetermined by the design. The reaction can be modified some-
what by the pilot's control movements. Thus, we come to understand that all flight depends on three factors: the air, the glider and the pilot. It is in this context that we must investigate the pitchover problem. THE TEXTURED AIR We have already alluded to the mysterious forces in the air. Actually, mysteries only exist in a void of knowledge. This is the case here. The fact is, we can readily understand the random patterns of the air. For instance, we know that any nonuniform movement in a gas consists of swirls or eddies, not straight line variations in speed. Thus, when we feel gusts in flight, we are simply meeting one portion of the rotating airmass (see figure I).
FIGURE I.
It should be obvious that flying along in a smooth airflow is not going to cause even mild attitude changes, let alone a pitchover. The conclusion is that some sort of sudden gust is what starts a glider tumbling. Without a doubt, massive swirls can exist with sufficient strength to tumble not only a hang glider, but large airplanes as well. However, these conditions occur in special cases where the air is organized and highly energetic, for example, in thunderstorms, jet stream-related shear and rotors in the lee of a hill. Any pilot with the will to live avoids these conditions. Most pitchovers have occurred well away from the above aerial terrors, so something else must be involved. This turns out to be a gust-induced stall. The reason a stall can lead to a pitch over will be discussed later. For now, we should look at how a gust causes a stall in our normally docile wings. When we enter a patch of swirling air, we can experience a headwind, tailwind, upHANG GLIDING
•
draft, downdraft or combination of these, depending on the orientation of the swirl and where we enter it. For example, the glider in figure 1 will feel a sudden headwind. A headwind will decrease the angle of attack of the wing, then slow it up and make it rise slightly. A glider meeting an upward gust will pitch up initially, then rise, accelerate forward and pitch down as the gust reaches the entire wing. The downward pitching is not too severe unless a stall occurs. Even in the event of a stall, the glider quickly recovers. A downward gust will pitch you down, drop you, then pitch you up. The only problem here is the loss of altitude. The final type of gust, from the rear, is the most dramatic. In this case, the forward airspeed that the glider feels is suddenly reduced. This increases the angle of attack to such an extent that a sudden radical stall occurs. Remember, a stall is due to too high an angle of attack. A wing can stall no matter where the nose is pointing, if rapidly changing air velocity causes the angle of attack to exceed the critical value. A gust from the rear turns out to be the demon that can really cause rapid downward pitching. The severity of the motion depends on the strength of the rearward gust as well as the suddenness with which it hits the glider. If a powerful gust starts a rapid downward pitching on a glider with low pitch stability, a pitchover will occur. How can we encounter such a blow from the rear? The answer is in a thermal. These hot bubbles have an interesting life history. When the sun is beating with such intensity that the super-heated air at the surface can't be redistributed through slow convection currents, we have an imbalance. Warm buoyant air on the ground breaks away in lumps that go pushing and lunging skyward. On the upward journey, a thermal experiences a curious rolling and swelling motion induced by its passage through the air. The result is pictured in figure 2. The drawing shows an ideal thermal. In nature, this regular form would be altered by wind and the presence of other thermals. However, for simplicity, this model will suit our purposes. Let's look at how a thermal affects an aircraft. A large airplane would pass quickly through the thermal and feel only a mild lurch. Pilot to co-pilot: "That was quite an air pocket, Snavely." On the other hand, a hang glider with much less speed and wing loading feels the real pulse of a thermal. Look at figure 2. Imagine yourself entering the thermal at point A. You feel the glider's nose lift and you rise like a boat on a wave. As you progress to point B, then C, you feel your airspeed reduce and a stall buffet your wings. The wind is now at your back. If you don't increase your airspeed by AUGUST 1979
/: pulling your body forward; the stall will progress to the point of dumping you ''over the falls" in a radical dive. At point D, you will either pull out and fly away or pitch over. This depends on how fast you pitch downward at C, the inherent stability of your glider and whether or not the air continues to assault you from behind. When you fly through the thermal, you first encounter a headwind, then an upward flow followed by a tailwind. In a small, strong thermal, the change from headwind to tailwind will appear to be a gust from the rear. Here is our elusive dragon. The velocity of these gusts can easily exceed 15 mph. Note that a 15 mph updraft may only register 1,000 feet per minute or less on your vario, since you may not be in the core and your sink rate reduces your climb rate. Also notice that a 15 mph headwind changing to a 15 mph tailwind will result in a net change of 30 mph - significant indeed. The real effect that this changing air has on your glider depends on how sudden and how virulent the apparent gust is. The worst case is a small, strong booming thermal. These occur most readily in hot, dry land areas. This may explain the much greater frequency of pitchover incidents in the Southwestern U.S. compared to the verdant, tree-covered North and East.
We now have a good idea how the air can harbor such insidious gusts that create the possibility of a pitchover. It should be obvious that the presence of thermals sets the stage and plays a major role in pitchover incidents, but the glider and pilot are no bit players. In next month's installment, we will investigate glider stability and pilot response. For now we end the first portion of our quest. ~
No Mountains? Soar Anyway!
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37
WILLS WING
OMEGA THE MOST TALKED ABOUT NEW DESIGN OF 1979
"I originally bought the 260 OMEGA primarily for tan dem use and flying in marginal conditions . After getting a few hours on it, I find l'ue underestimated its abilities . I'm amazed that so large a glider rolls so easily, yet feels so stable at high bank angles . I had so much fun thermo/ling my 260 last weekend that my other glider probably won 't leave the house for awhile ." - Wally Anderson USHGA Region 2 Director
''The 220 OMEGA can be flo wn at very slo w speeds with no sacrifice to its light roll response . Th is lo w speed han dling makes soaring in marginal lift a breeze . ., - Dave Rodriguez Owner - Wasatch Wings - Draper, Utah Winner of 1978 Masters Championsh ip
"Having flown the Condor, the Mo yes Mark I and Mark II, and the Wills Wing OMEGA, I find the OMEGA offers more control authority across the entire speed range , which , if they 'd let me fl y one more often , would probably give me a significant advantage in effective soaring performance ."
- Chris Price "I flew the OMEGA 180 for the first time at the "E" at Elsinore , and was able to easily climb above and stay above all the other gliders in the air."
- Jim Handbury Designer of the Advanced Air Sports Emergency Reserve System
There will be two cross country contests near Bishop, CA this summer, Last summer, the firs! Cross Counlry Classic took place. This was the world's first purely cross country bang gliding competition. It was a tremendous success as shown by the applications for entry this year. Don Partridge, who resides in Bishop, singJc. handedly put ii all together. He produced, sp011sorcd, managed and conducted the meet. After last year's Classic was over, Don received requests from Fledgling pilots that they be allowed to enter. He knew that he'd have more than 100 pilots wanting lo fly and that realistically the Classic could only handle 50. The obvious and excellent decision was to have two contests one for all types of hang gliders and the other for weight shift Rogallos exclusively. This article covers only the Open, which took place June 27 July I. The contest was to be an exciting confrontation the Fledgling and the Rogallo. The Fledgling has a dramatic and ohvious superiority in performance over the best of the Rogallos. So if pcrfor. mancc alone is as important as many people believe, the Fledglings should capture the first ten places. The question was: Would the Fledglings dominate the contest'/ Would they have their greatest advantage in open distance, short speed nms, or the longer speed tasks'/ Was it a question of experience'/ Well, at least one of the pilots, Tom Wilson, who placed in the
lop five in last year's Classic, was here this year in a Fledge. Eric Raymond has been practicing his cross country technique in the Cerro Gordo and Gunter areas and holds the unofficial 1979 world distance record of 80 miles. Tom Kreyche, who flies a Voyager (a type of Fledge), has been making astounding flights which have unofficially tied the existing world goal and return distance record. Many other Fledge pilots had several days of practice before the meet started and they arc the top cross country pilots of their areas. So there was an abundance of talent and experience among the Fledge pilots. What about the "rag wing" pilots? There was talent and experience there also. Three pilots who placed in the top seven in the Classic were flying Rogallos in the Open. Gary Patmor was one of the leaders in the Classic until his unfortunate tucking accident last year. He would be a tough com"" petitor this year. Gary was flying the new Lazor. In addition, two pilots entered with British Gryphons; in my opinion one of the world's best performing Rogallos. The Ciryphons were llown by very experienced cross country pilots. So it promised to be an exciting meet. Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., 50 pilots were transported from the 4,800-fool valley level to the 8,200-foot Gunter take""off area. Don set a short, simple 16-mile elapscd"·time race to Zack's Ranch as the task. It was a task designed to be gentle on the pilots who were flying the site for the first or second time.
At about l :30 p.m. a wind dummy launched. He had a sled ride to the Pitts, which is a landable area halfway down the mountain, between the launch area and the valley floor. People who may have been thinking about launching setllcd back for an extended waiting period. At 2:30 another wind dummy flung himself in" lo the air. It was the same story-"" another skd ride. Some of us wondered if these particlar wind dnmmics were experienced and resourceful at scratching for lift. But it didn't really matter. No contestant wanted to be the first to prove that there jusl wasn't any thermal action out there. Finally, al 3:45, probably in desperation and certainly with their fingers crossed, some con· test ants took off. They were staying up but none seemed to be encountering any dramatic lift. At 4 p.m., with about seven gliders milling around in front of launch, with some 500 ft. or so above and some a bit below, I decided that it was now or never for me. After gelling into my harness and lowering the vario I did a strange thing. I turned on a beeline course for Zack's Ranch. Why fool around flying 80 degrees to the left of course hunting for thermals when you can fly straight toward your goal? The only trouble was that my course led over a deep and forbidding canyon which claimed a couple of Classic pilots last year. But it worked. Three quarters of a mile out I caught a nice thermal and climbed to 12,000 ft. Three more thermals along the way kept me just barely
AUGUST1979
ABOVE: Don Cham/Jers in a Seagull 10-Meter climbs out above Gunter launch area.
39
or
alive. Each succeeding one pooped out at a lower and lower altitude. And then there were none. I was at 7,000 feet in the foothills and four miles from Zack's Ranch. It wasn't enough with a 9 to I glide ratio. But maybe there was some lift over the desert floor. My vario registered zero a couple of times for a few minutes and it was enough to squeak into the landing area with 50 feet of altitude remaining. A Fledgling had landed a half a mile further on. In the next hour, there were only five other finishers. My plan had paid off. I was the day's winner. On Thursday, the second day of the contest, Don called for an open distance task. I carefully chose 2:30 p.m. as the best possible take-off time. An earlier launch would excessively risk going to the Pitts. A later launch would risk having the day die before I had flown very far. Again, as happened the day before, about seven of eight pilots had taken off by the time I launched. I had to wander around 100 feet above take-off in ridge lift for quite a few minutes before finding a thermal. But I did find one and topped out at 14,000 feet. It was a much stronger day, but it still required great concentration and intense work. I stayed above 14,000 feet most of the way for the 30-mile run to Boundary Peak. I stopped climbing in each thermal when I reached 16,500 feet. A massive fortress of rugged mountains and canyons guards against a pilot's progress as he reaches the end of the White Mountain Range. These are known as Montgomery and Boundary Peaks. Some of the deep (6,000 feet) canyons run north and south. This means that the prevailing westerly winds will spill over the canyon walls, causing monsterous rotors which patiently wait for the unwary hang glider pilot's least mistake. A pilot, in my opinion, must have at least 15,000 feet and hold on to it for the long mile and a half flight that it takes to cross this deadly area. If he hits any real sink he must scurry for the safe exit. With 15,000 feet he can do that. If he can't get and hold the 15,000, he is forced to circumnavigate this fortress which will cost about four miles of distance, which could slow or stop his cross country progress. I was lucky and went right over the top. The next major hurdle is Montgomery Pass, a low collection of rugged hills about ten miles from Boundary Peak. Normally, the wind blows in the direction the pilot is flying, so that with this excellent tailwind he can expect about two miles of progress for each 1,000 feet of altitude loss. So, without the aid of any lift, he should need 5,000 feet of altitude to reach the pass. The summit of the pass is about 7,000 feet. He would have about 3,000 feet above the pass to use in crossing the four miles to nice ,landable desert terrain at 6,000 feet. I caught thermals and overflew the pass comfortably. More thermals got me back up to 13,500 feet. l turned north again and flew 14 more miles before the lack of good thermals and my weariness brought me to earth. I hadn't seen one other glider since leaving the launch site. That was strange. I had flown 55 miles. I thought that surely I was way out in front of the pack. I had kept my wife, driving our retrieve car, as near to me as the road would allow. I landed and 20 seconds later she drove to
40
my spot. This was the first time in all of my dozens of cross country flights that I had had perfect communication with and control of my retrieve vehicle all during a flight. What a delight. What a difference from the previous hours and hours of waiting and wondering. It turned out later that Eric Raymond had won the day. But with my second place finish I was still first overall. Friday's task was open distance for the second day in a row. Everything went very much as the day before. I took off at 2:30. Basically the same flight experiences except that the wind was much more westerly than southerly and as we flew we were being pushed powerfully and relentlessly toward the mountain. I had to use a terrific crab angle to maintain a safe position. I allowed myself to go up to 17,500 feet for no particular reason other than it meant more safety and more speed. There was one other dramatic difference. The turbulence was the most vicious I had ever encountered. Even so, I felt relatively safe, because I believed that I was flying the strongest and most responsive and competitive glider made. I never felt out of control. However, I used extreme care to fly only in the areas of greatest safety. I overflew Boundary Peak again. I overflew Montgomery Pass but in doing so I got drilled. I was at 14,000 feet when I entered the pass and 9,000 feet when I had reached the other side. It was 1,000 feet per minute down for four miles. Conditions were better after crossing the pass, but my flight was only 45 miles. I figured it was good for third of fourth. Was I wrong! I was 14th or 15th and lost the overall lead to a Fledge. Saturday morning I learned that Friday's fierce conditions had taken their toll. One pilot was killed and three or four gliders were damaged beyond repair. The pilot who was killed was in great need of lift because he was so low and deep in the mountain. He saw a dust devil, eye witnesses say, and purposely entered it. His glider was thrown out of control and he died on impact. A Mosquito apparently got into rotor near the north side of Boundary Peak. The glider turned over into an inverted attitude but did not break. The pilot deployed his parachute. The chute bridle line rubbed so violently on one of the flying wires that the bridle was severed as if a hot knife had cut it. The chute floated away into space. The glider flipped right side up and the pilot landed at Janie's Ranch. The pilot dropped out of the meet. Another incident, involving an Antares, occurred Friday. The pilot, Rick Star, was working lift rather low at the head of Coldwater Canyon, a canyon just north of the launch site. While working what he thought was a bubble thermal, he got hit from behind by a gust of wind. The glider nose dropped down past 90 degrees. The pilot was floating weightless toward the sail and had not yet had time to physically react when the glider pulled out of the dive. The glider lost so much altitude in this maneuver that it was down in the fierce canyon rotor area. The glider was out of control, but the pilot managed to get it into a flared attitude just before it hit the mountain. The downtubes took a lot of the landing impact, but the pilot's body still bounced hard on
the ground. He came up "punchy" but later found that he was unhurt. He drove up the next day and recovered the glider. He had a reserve Antares and on Sunday (the last day of the meet) he made the 33-mile goal to Janie's, and in doing so, climbed at one time during the flight to 19,200 feet (with oxygen). Mike Jones, flying a Lancer, landed in the mountains near Ray Dean Ridge, damaged his glider and withdrew from the contest. Other pilots felt that the turbulence was too strong for safety and landed early rather than continue. Friday was the kind of severe day that can happen in the White Mountains. Only cautious and experienced pilots have an excellent chance of flying cross country without incident on such a day. Saturday the task was an elapsed-time race to Janie's Ranch 33 miles away. I launched at 2:45 p.m. The flight to Boundary Peak was uneventful. I got to Boundary Park with 14,000 feet. I felt I needed 15,000 to overfly the "Fortress." It was a race, not open distance, so I couldn't afford the time it might take to prospect for a thermal. I decided to add four miles to my route and circumnavigate the Fortress on the windward side. I hoped for lift but went the four miles around the side of the Fortress without getting any. I was down to 10,000 feet. The highway looked awfully far away. The wind could be a headwind. I turned toward the highway at a point still four miles short of Janie's. Then 1,000 feet above the sagebrush I got a reprieve. I gained 500 feet, while drifting closer to Janie's. I knew I had it and flew in and landed. There were only three other gliders on the ground. I got something like third or fourth for the day, but remained strongly in second position for the contest. Sunday's task was elapsed time to Janie's. Lift conditions were very similar to those of the day before and my flight was therefore almost identical - with one great difference. Dudley, a young, ambitious, experienced and talented pilot of 20, had slowly forged into the lead in the contest standings. He had flown masterfully on every single day and was six points ahead of me. He was flying a Fledge. If I was to win the contest I had to be fast enough so that my elapsed time, and the elapsed time of six other pilots, were better than Dudley's on this final day. Dudley took off several minutes after I did. My take-off time was 2:50 p.m. I couldn't be certain, but out of the corner of my eye l thought I saw him getting quite low while he headed out toward the valley near the Pitts. There was hope that I could win. I was the first contestant to land at Janie's. Two other JO-Meters which had been ahead of me by several miles, earlier in the race, landed after I did. This was very satisfying. One of them, Andrew Starkey, had beaten me in the Classic last year. 1'm sure there wasn't a pilot in the contest who didn't have his own little personal contest with some other contestant every day during the meet. That's the fun! I waited for Dudley. Each minute that he didn't appear gave me more hope. Finally it seemed inevitable. I had won the contest. It was a moment of quiet satisfaction. I've never won a contest before.
HANG GLIDING
time I'll get great lift there and the next time I'll get drilled and lose thousands of precious feet." Yvonne Lawson flying a IO-Meter and the only woman in the contest: "Everything turned out just as I had expected. It really is a nasty place to fly, but I still think it's fun. Seeing Owens Valley and the surrounding mountains from 14,000 feet is just beautiful! I'm hoping to be a wind dummy in the Classic so that I can fly there some more. Pepsi Cola is sponsoring most of my finances here. I didn't fly the last day because at 3:30 the site got blown out. It caught a dozen of us on the ground." Andrew Barber-Starkey flying a IO-Meter: "On Friday I had a very close call. I made a serious mistake and allowed myself to be forced down into Coldwater Canyon. I got out but was very lucky. Then on Saturday, two miles south of Boundary Peak I was at 16,000 ft. I hit sink that was over 1,000 feet per minute and lost 11,000 feet in the next few minutes. Because of that incredible sink, I had to land rather far from the highway and of course short of the goal." These first-hand accounts form a pattern. They seem to say that one shouldn't fly in the Owens Valley area unless he is very experienced. Conditions can become unexpectedly fierce. If you fly there and don't fly cautiously and learn quickly, you may not survive. What about the battle between the Fledglings and the Rogallos? It was, I think, pretty much as expected. The Fledges did capture six of the first ten places and yet they were comparatively much smaller in number. I have always maintained that in contests like these, it doesn't make much difference which Rogallo you fly. The differences
The Cross Country Open is now history. There are some valuable lessons to learn from it. The best way to state these lessons is to give you brief descriptions of several pilots' thoughts on flying conditions at Gunter. Mike Nash flying an Omni: "On Friday, in front of Boundary Peak, I experienced the worst turbulence of my life. It lasted several minutes. The glider was rotated involuntarily through an arc of 60 to 80 degrees (yaw wise) over and over. Other than that, the air conditions and all other conditions of flight seemed reasonable and expected." Eric Raymond flying a Fledge: "On Thursday, two miles past Montgomery Pass, while thermalling at 18,000 feet, I felt I was getting too high for safety. I pulled the bar in for maximum speed and tried to fly out of the lift. But I just kept going up for another 500 feet. Suddenly the bar was ripped out of my hands. The vario swung upwards. I felt as though my arm was broken from its collision with the downtube. Then I was flung downward and assumed a normal body position and flew on for 15 more miles." Robert Millington flying an Antares: "On Friday I was climbing in a thermal at 600 feet per minute near White Mountain Peak. All of a sudden I hit a gust so hard that I found the glider pointing straight up at 90 degrees. I did a chin-up on the bar and completed what must have looked like a wingover. I was scared and decided to get a way from that particular thermal." Tom Kreyche flying a Fledge: "I didn't experience anything I did not expect or that I had not already experienced in Arizona. I feel though that Boundary Peak is very unpredictable. One
FLIGHT DESIGNS
VARIOMETER
INST ANT RESPONSE AUDIO UP ONLY SINK ALERT 700 FPM/DWN LIGHTWEIGHT SWING DOWN ARM AV AIL.ABLE s 14995
FLIGHT DESIGNS
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between Rogallos are relatively small where performance is concerned. So, the pilot is the key to winning. Luck is, of course, always a lesser but still an important factor. But when you mix Fledges and Rogallos, I believe the equations change in favor of the highly superior Fledges. The score results of this contest bear that out. But I also believe that the scores in this contest support the theory that the pilot difference, plus the luck that is always there, can outweigh differences in performance. ~
RESULTS 10 Meter I) George Worthington Fledge 2) Tom Wilson Fledge 3) Dudley Mead Mosquito 4) John Johnson Voyager 5) Tom Kreyche Fledge 6) Eric Raymond Fledge 7) Mitch King Fledge 8) R. Miller Antares 8) Ted Zinke 9) Andrew Barber-Starkey 10 Meter 10 Meter 10) Tom Haddon Moyes Maxi 11) Kevin Beddoe Lazor 12) Gary Patmor 11 Meter 13) Glen Hockett Omni 14) Mike Nash Antares 15) Robert Millington Antares 16) M. Adams Mosquito 17) John Davis Scorpion 18) David Harris Alpha 18) G. Williams Spyder 19) J. Green Floater 20) Barry Gordon
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OFFICIAL
USHGA FLIGHT LOG GLOSSARY OF TERMS - LOG ENTRY ABBREVIATIONS ALT/ASL- Alt,tude abc,w>ca le,-.,1
Vi_
/,!ODEL
LAl.lNCH
'/EATICAL
ALT/ASL
DEscon
015T Af<CE TO L l.
WIND
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TE/,'P
S,<;Y COVE A
DIA_
VELC
°F
TYPE OF
L z.- L.ar,d,r.;irooaora,eo.
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anlhropology al gave me Don's number l call him to sec if he wanted
(lold was discovered in California in l 848 and within two years the name "California" was known throughout the " as they world. Thousands of were called, journeyed to the country, the fabulous "Mother Lode," in search of riches. Located in the foothills of I he Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mother Lode tends northeast about 110 miles from Yosemite One inclined author described it as "a lay set with metals and the and its st reams with aurifcrous, sands; the treasure chest and Pandora's box combined of the mid-nineteenth century.''
This same author wrote that men came to the Mother Lode "across waterless deserts and uncharted infested with hostile wild beasts. Pioneers, advcn.. " In March, 1979 pilot also came to the Mother came in sports car on Route 120 and encountered nothing more hostile than cows, an occasional dealer and tattered air junkie. Don Potter is a forester who lives in the old Mot her Lode town or Sonora. Don has been the area for n10re than six years and is considered to be the Mother Lode's senior pilot by the sheer fact of being around longer than anyone else. I recently moved to the Mother Lode from the San Francisco Bay area and was anxious to do some Jim'··''''"'''"""' a mutual friend and pilot,
and to go flying. "You bet, said Don (who doesn't), and we were off to Carson Hill "W c better fly the site as soon as possible," he said "because the landing area will soon be underwater. New clam." Carson Hill, l ,840 feet high, is localed about ten miles north of Sonora and overlooks the reccn1ly clammed Stanislaus river. The Corps of the dam's builders, claim the dam will bring uncounted bcnefi1s to the area and that only a few wild conserva1ionists, white water rafting enthusiasts and the country hang glider population of six had opposed its construction. Don, our driver, Chcrene , and I drove over the new Route 49 bridge and
LEFT, TOP: Don Potter assembles his Olympus at thci crest of Carson Hill, not far from where a ·t 95·lb. gold nugg1,t was found. BOTTOM: Don heacfs toward the f'/outo 49 EJridgr,.
HANG GLIDING
rnade a righ1 turn into a poorly maintained 1ha1 turned out to be the smoothest part of 1he ride np Carson Hill. Don checked with the landowner and we drove off on a dirt path. The path Don wound its way to within called it a road 50 feet of 1he summit. The journey was in·· 1crruptcd by numerous slops to open and close calf Jc gates. It took about ten minutes, but we finally made our way around to the south side of the hill near the top, where we got out of the car and admired the panoramic view. To the cast were the snow-·covcrcd peaks or the Sierra Nevada. To 1hc south and wcs1 were green hills, some heavily timbered, others occupied only grazing cattle and rattlesnakes. Directly below us was the magnificent gorge or the Stanislaus River which soon would he inundated by t llc water. We could sec in the gorge the remains or 1hc abandoned town of Mcloncs, which a1 one 1imc was the largest and richest mining camp in California and may have been the camp" of the Bret Harle story. 11 too would soon be under the water which had already begun to back up behind the recently completed dam. James H. Carson, a Mexican War veter·· an who gave his name to 1hc hill, saw a somewhat different sight when he stood on the same summit in the early of 1849. "The hillsides," he wrote, "were dotted with tents and creeks filled with human beings to such a degree that it seemed as if a day's work of 1l1e mass would not leave a stone 11nturned in them." We saw only a peacefully flowing river. Distracted by the view, we slowly set up our kites not far from where a 195-pound gold nugget had been found. Don pointed flat, nearly out the landing area barren mound of sand near the river, jus1 cast of Mclones. The mound is composed of tailings from the Carson l lill Mine. The tailings contain a high concentration of cyanide which the Corps claims won't contaminate the reservoir that will cover it. Don, as senior pilot and acknowledged wind dummy, lannched first. There was a slight crosswind but he and his Oly got off without difficulty. Don turned right, caught a little lift and then turned southeast and flew to the landing area. Fie had good altituclc, made a few passes and landed. The flight lasted about five minutes. My take-off wasn't as good as I was blown immediately to the right, but was able to correct my Scahawk performed with its advertised mellow qualities. The air was smooth but there was little lif1 or I didn't know where to find it. The flight lasted about four minutes. After Don and landed, we broke down our kites and walked out of the tailings. We
AUGUST1979
forded a small creek and waited for Chcrenc. She could not bring the car down to the landing area because archaeologists were working on the si1c and it was closed to vehicles. Chercnc parked about a mile uphill and assembled a golf cart-like device that Don had devised to carry the kites. She pulled tlie cart clown to the stream and we loaded the As I was congratulaling Don 011 his ingenuity, the cart broke down. Don apologized, hut did not offer to carry my glider. We picked 1hc kites up and carried them l'or about 011e half mile through I he remains or Mcloncs pronounced Malonics by the locals. The town was named Mel ones cit her by Mexicans because the oval, flaked gold found nearby reminded them of melon seeds, or after an Irishman named Maloney and corrupted by the miners to an anglicized form of baloney. The lesser known, prosaic version is that the town was named after a family named Melone. After walking for about one-half mile uphill and realizing that we had at least another half mile more to climb, I was ready to dcposi1 the glider among the arti facts, when an archaeologist drove by and gave us a ride in his van to where Chcrenc had 1hc car. We wearily loaded the kites and drove toward Sonora. On the way back, we were in the stopped by the driver of a car opposi1 c direction. He shouted, "Stop! Don't go any farther. Pull over to the side." I i llought the road was washed ou1 or that an earthquake had struck. I quickly pulled over to the side as did the other driver. He leapt out of his car, waiving his
arms, and charged toward us. We were near the place where Black Bart robbed stage coaches. I hurriedly unbuckled the scat belt as the wild man approached. Chcrcnc tensed and Don sat bolt upright being rudely awakened from a deep sleep. "Ifoy," he said, "Any of you guys want to buy a hand glider? I got four of them I want to sell."
1-/igh above Me/ones. Route 49 in the foregroul)(i and Table Mt. in the rear.
The waters of the Stanislaus mver will eventually rise to Just below tt11, /Jridge.
45
Blgbster Aircraft, Inc. The Highster is the highest performing intermediate glider on the market today, and probably the highest performing wing of all g I iders certified last year.
Top View of Sail
Gentle handling and stability (easy to fly), are mated with excellent sink rate, exceptional LID at high speeds, and one of the quickest roll rates in production (highly maneuverable). Due to extensive research by Michael Giles, the tips have been improved in 1979, increasing sail area allowing the Higbster to achieve its maximum performance in lift conditions, whether ridge or thermal. All models of the Higbster now have much better slow speed ca pa bi Iities and take-off characteristics. Higbster still has the highest speed range of any glider tested.
;4oada61.e ~ 190 ~~g =:~:!~; - $1,455
Bottom View of Sail
In actua I flight comparisons and during competition the intermediate Higbster, in overall conditions, out performed the top gliders in the world.
JEFF MOTT, Instructor at Hang Gliders West, San Rafael, CA - "In all mi• experience I've never run into a glider quite like the HIGHSTER. Not only do I recommend it to my students as their first glider because of its predictability, but all of us ar Hang Gliders West, with a total of 17 years in the business, personally own the exact same HIGHSTER that we sell to our beginners. It's fantastic!"
Approved by
1/~4~1~. Street Address City and State Sizes Available
1508 - 6th ST. BERKELEY, CA. 94710
2
2
2
l 50 - l 70 - 190 Scale
Date
For the Dealer in you area Phone (415) 527-1324
1 - 1 - 79
Ball 500-H VARIOMETER
THE ULTIMATE HI BAH HARNESS ALUlWS THE PIUlT TO SOAR IN COMFORT ?On HOURS BY DISTRIBUTING oEIGRT EVE~LY THROUGHOUT THE HAMMOCK. THERE ARE NO PRESSURE POINTS IN THE HAMMOCK WHICH rs SUSPENDED FROM 2 BARS, ONE AT EACH SIDE OF TBE RAR!IESS, THESE BARS ARE PREDRILLED AND BY f!OVING 2 SUSPENSION BOLTS THE PILOT IS ABLE TO SELECT THE BALANCE HE PREFERS, THE BAR HARNESS LOCKS INTO PRONE POSITION h'HEN THE PILOT STEPS INTO THE STIRRUP AND HE ;/ILL REMAIN PRONE EVEN W TURBULANCE, TO LAND HE STEPS OUT OF THE STIRRUP AND SITS IN THE LEG STRAPS, THE PILOT CAN C'rlANGE FR0:1 SEATED TO PRONE AND BACK AGAIN DURING FLIGHT,
* comes complete with D-ring, knee hangers and stirrup. * Six sizes: standard, large and extra-large in regular length or long.
* Available in a rainbow of colors. * Custom features available. To order, send your height, weight and color choice, 8, 0, D, ACCEPTED
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Price: $95
$265.00 ppd. • Specially designed for sky-sailing • Lightweight, rugged, durable, and stylish • Temperature compensated, self-zeroing, stable • Pressure transducer operated • Audio/off/visual switch, external 9 volt battery • Fits standard 3 - 1/8" panel opening • Available for immediate delivery • Used by hundreds of pilots the world over • One year guarantee
INDHAVEN
HANG GLIDING SCHOOLS, INC. 12437 San Fernando Rd. Sylmar, Ca. 91342 (213) 367-1819
California residents add 6% sales tax. Dealer inquiries invited.
ROUTE 209 SOUTH EW YORK 12428
"The cust
•SALES•
TRUCTION
ift certificate with every "Balloon Ascension Division" • FAA certified instruction • FAA certification for balloon drops
"Avian" u/tra/ite high performance balloons • Aerial displays • Champagne charter flights
Dealers invited to participate in AUGUST1979
re optimum reliability t demo and repack for our immediate repair service SEAGULL, U.S. MOYES, HIGHSTER s Wing, Manta, Electra Flyer, Delta Wing, d, Skysports, Ultimate Hi anding dealer network program
'RETAIL ONLY
47
The sun climbs up over I,oma de the Hill of the Three Crosses. A thousand feet below nestles colonial San de Allende, a of colorful red tiled roofs, walls and Ian adobe easas. Day, I Suddenly, bright reel banner flicks out into space from the crest of Tres Cruces. As it looms larger, the town, it resembles a crimson with heard
Nuevo. " The more dis! inct, as the maneuvers over San . This is El liomhre bird man of San populace. Three and Cleaveland, came to San with his lashed to the top of his white van. in Sout hcrn California, had advanced in from Novice to Advanced Pilot and lnstrnctor. He came to San with his Phoenix Mini 6B and a strong desire lo fly for the ninos of Mexico. childhood he had st udicd birds in flight and dreamed of high and 1hc thermals. Thal fanlasy hav·ing become reality, he wanted lo the same of desire to the children of Mexico.
48
As he for his first fligh1 from the crest of the Hill of the Three Crosses, he unaware of thi: dist urbancc his first would cause. For the past week, a horror movie had been showing at the local cinema, "El Vampiro," all abou1 a bloodbat with a preference for ninos. So when Roger over the casas of San this first time, parcn1s hurriedly children, bmros, cattle, even goats, and put I hem under shelter. Shouts of "El ! " could clearly he heard alof1 Roger as he banked and turned. St ill another clear cry rang ward, "El Hombre Diablo!," man of the Devil. Unnerved by this totally unexpected and not yet aware of the cause, pilot went 10 sec a priest for advice and guidance. The churchman imsinccrit y of purpose, and devised a clever, effective to dispel the fears of the native people. The would visit the principals of all the schools in San Miguel and nearby even as far as Dolores Hidalgo, 30 miles distant. (Evil rumor travels fast and far.) would tell lhcm that El Hombre Pajaro was not El Vampiro, that he was a man, and would be a wooden cross on his next . Further, Roger was the /\ztcc king, Netz.alma! , who had invented and flown a kit c-likc glider called a "crir"
more than 500 years ago. Now, native superstition dispelled, the Bird Man prepares for his next flight. Dozens of followers leave ! heir fields and stream behind the while van toiling up the rocky lane to the top of Tres Cruces. The final 300 feet to the crest arc steep and The disassembled has to up this last cactus-strewn 1hc of his walks around the 30 foot span, carehis preflight check. The graceful, crimson of the Phoenix arc now taut and ready. The pilot dons his white helmc1 He tosses a handful of dust into the air, following its direction intently. He studies a soaring buzzard. Then he kneels facing the three crosses a few feet above him and fingers his own wooden cross suspended from his neck. he into his harness, takes a final look into the brown and green patched valley far below. He picks up the bird that will soon support him. He continues to look below
TOP LEFT: The children of San Miguel inspect Roger's flying machine. TOP RIG/-IT: Landing approach ovor tho villagH.
HANG GLIDING
side of the street as I Now, wherever white van may be seen on the cobbled streets of San natives of all ages flock around 10 see and 1ry to a word with the object of their admiration the Hird Man. J-.,'/ Hombre Pc(jaro became a beloved household name in San He married a Mexican Irene, her three handsome children.
and theirs.
of eyes arc the tiny red atop the hill. in, breath, then starts running with strides down the hill. At the fifth step he is airborne, and faint cheer comes up from the floor. The many onlookers who made it to the crest for the arc around, gaily brcros "llomhre Pajaro shout. of Roger's kite moves out from the steep hilltop. catches a thcrnrnl, more cheers from below. After minut of turns, he steers for the ninos at the school, much to their scream· wants lo land in the school
disassemble the big hire!. nodded assent wreathes their with ecstasy. Instant status from all the ninos arc
Within
tanned, slender his hundreds of admirers the kite to touch it and lo see it taken apart. To the a young blue-eyed to be
TOP LEFT: A woot1en r:ross dispol/ed tho rumor that tho pilot was a vampire. ABOVE." r:liq/Jt from the Iii/I of the Three Crosses. BOTTOM LEFT: The airier boys help with the disassembly of Roqor's qlider.
winter, in San was several times a week. wife drove him in his van up to the top of to to his New Year to the town. When he talked of his visit to . . the he "I had to have expert and fast. Kids all over town were from their hcds with sheets. Peopie would shun and move to the other
------------------11111 II.AC requires oo plot or vehicle le.
®
Highest LIO of ariy Hano Gl1rlei
o Fastest powei ed lHtral1oht
able
of mountainous Mexico he nears the ground he bleeds off his airspeed, and the children scatter, a clear path for him. I pushes out and flares for Perfect! in the center of the now crowded school the children chorus. "Rogelio! Otra Another time, his and
will call for all his skill.
Pilot must observe FAA Rulll 9Hl
R YING FREEDOM
®
Safes! conven110nal 3 axis control
~ Comfor1ab!c encloserl cockpit
@
Strong built of l 1bei Composite
u Stable 11;:isy to fly and land ® SAFE slow land1r10, l·oot rn Wlleol O SIMPLE 1olds for f ranspo1 t;it1rn1
TO OWN Economy Or Fas1 Fliqht
ask AUGUST 1979
49
NEW FOR 1979 1/2 STARSHIP 124 U.H. OFFERS COMPLETE SERVICE
* Repairs available for most gliders. * Training for beginners & intermediate pilots. * Custom sail design and artwork. * Acomplete line of accessories, chutes & instruments. * Motorized packages. * Manufacturers for Phase A, B & C.
Starship 170 Nose Angle .......... 124° L.E ................ 19' Root Chord .......... 8' Tip Chord ........... 42" Sail Area ............ 170 sq ft Aspect Ratio . , ....... 6.0 Billow .............. 1° Glider Wt ............ 52 lbs Pilot Wt. ............ 120-140 lbs Battens ............. 6 per side Price ............... $1200.00
14328 LOLIN LANE POWAY, CALIFORNIA 92064
714-748-1739 U.H. NOW CARRIES A COMPLETE INVENTORY OF PARTS FOR THE OWL A, B & C ALL GLIDERS TEST FLOWN BEFORE SHIPMENT
Starship 190
124° 19'6''
8'6" 4' 190 sq ft 6.0
10 551bs
150-220 lbs 6 per side
$1225.00
(Dealer' s Invited)
N.C. RESIDENTS ADD 4% SALES TAX TOTAL AMOUNT
P.O. BOX 340 NAGS HEAD N.C. 27959 (919) 44 1-6247
The control bar is with heavily reinforced uprights. The flying wires arc attached to the bar with a stainless shackle whose angle can be adjusted Lo pull the keel to either side for minor lateral tuning. Leading and crossbar are joined with a quarter inch bolt, nut and safety and the side tensioned with an Eipper tensioner. Both tensioners are supplied with a plastic sleeve to secure the device accidental disengagement. The floating tips arc held in with vclcro loops which arc permanently attach· eel to the sail with stitching.
l<'LYING CHARACTERISTICS The bridle system is set quite high and, with the tips, produces incredibly strong positive moments when the sail is deflated. makes ground handling in wind some·· what awkward, althongh with one learns lo maneuver the ship with the sail inflated. The extreme static tail heaviness of many clcflcxorlcss gliders is not found in this design, since the wide nose angle pre·· eludes the need for sweep in the crossbar. The launch is quite straightforward and effortless if the glider is launched with the sail filled. Actually there is no other way to launch in wind, since the nose cannot be held down. Landings arc typical for a state of the art although I found the Nova to have less tendency to drop a than some.
The Nova is a model of Sunbird Gliders' line for this season. It a deflexorless flex
AND ASSEMHLY
raised and the rear wires attached Io the ked with The halves inserted into a center due to Because of its idea to get both halves at once, to avoid load on the heart bolt. An alternate method that I have used is to rotate the center that the first crossbar half 011 the ground when in place. The other half is then and the whole assembly rotated to the keel. The is attached with an type over-center tensioner found it to be
somewhat awkward to use without practice. Since the bridle system is permanently attached to 1he rear kingpost cable the tensioner is on the nose. The glider is so tall that it is then difficult to get to the tensioner. One minor improvement might be to make the bridle removable and to put the tensioner in back, although the designer may have wanted to make sure that bridle attachment would not be forgotten. Since, like most gliders with bridles and tips, the machine will not sit nose down in any kind of wind, a removable bridle might be a double convenience. The battens are the fiberglass fishing with filament tape Instead of tlu: battens arc secured with a leech line that nms through the trailing of the sail. Since the amount of slack in the line diminishes with each batten secured, the last few are difficult to manipulate. I made convenience modification by loopshort of line around the leech line at each batten pocket can then put his through the loop and pull on the leech line with con. sidcrable force. I borrowed the idea from the UP Condor.
TOP: Planform vi1,w. ABOVE: Eipper·style quick release. Note plastic retainer sloeve. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP LEFT AND RIG/IT: Floating tips and roflex support bridlo system support a largo amount of sail. CENTER: Crossbar assembly. li/GI/T: The Nova omploys fishing pole type filJerglass battens.
HANG GLIDING
characteristics arc unique. The leaps into a turn very quickly and then seems to stabilize at about 20 or 30 of bank. Rollout is easy and no is necessary in the turn. Theim. I get is that the yaw stability is high but with low in the axis. One would expect glider with such a wide nose and low sweep to have poor directional but this is not the case at all. I have flown the 190 Nova as well, and it is the only I have Clown which seems to have no lag time at all when from level flight. The 230 is trimmed so that a low bank
Normal flying speed bar pressure in pitch is light, although the bar pressure at high speeds is very high. This seems to provide for low-fatigue thermalling and a solid feel· at the same time. The stall is abrupt, with less warning than most gliders, hut recovery is quick with little altitude loss. There is no tendency to drop a wing. There is no to to the contrary, it will level wings if stalled in a turn. This habit may he a bit disconcerting to pilots who are used to gliders that spin or retain bank angle when stalled in a tum. The Nova is hest suited to an Intermediate III) or Advanced IV) pilot.
CONCI,USION The Sunhird Nova 230 is a well thought out, simple design which, in my opinion, in. corporates one of the hest combinations of compromises. lt is fun to and competitive. I was so bought one.
average L/D retention at Ahhough the Nova does not slow down as well as the
SUNBIRD NOV A 230 SPEClJ/ICA TIO NS Area
area
and
span
that
initial response allows for ag. thermal while once in the turn one can go around and around with relatively resistance to the effects of turbulence. The seems to absorb the sudden caused by turhu. with little effect on its attitude, r,Ymn,<tn>rl or l feel the most all the secure in this one. AUGUST 1979
Ratio Nose Angle Mean Chord Sweep Y4Chord Weight Pilot Weight
230 ft.' 36 ft. .7
130° 7 .7 ft. 18° 63 lbs. 175-220 lbs.
19-3/4 ft. (two internal Keel
45 °--45 °
14.5 ft. 2.3 seconds with 185 lb. pilot 53
AND FOR VERY GOOD REASONS
CIRRUS 5 was the first truly high performance "Intermediate Glider. " Since we were first , we watched everyone else try to play catch up . Everyone has tried. Some of their designs are so slow we consider them unacceptable for our safety standards. Some are so fast they just can 't stay up . Some are so expensive we find it shocking that people would consider the price. And some designs seem to have questionable aerodynamic stability.
So the CIRRUS 5 goes unchanged. Although there have been some refinements in sail craftsmanship the CIRRUS 5 is more than ever what the intermediate pilot needs; a true versatile craft of uncompromising safety , performance and quality .
$1 045 will buy you what you need: the CIRRUS 5 , not compromises. See your Electra Flyer dealer today . 100 C..111tl,1 /I.E.
A/j•t•11t•1, 11,w M1xi1111101
(SOS) 144-14"
r
#1 IN EARNINGS IN THE uSA Lefs talk dollars and some sense, a nice chunk of prize money-this was the amount taken home by Moyes pilots for the '78 season. $15,000 in only three meets. · The MOYES MAXI. has come a 10~9:,~ay since its introduction three years ago. It still has the best~p.~' rgte •. making it a great floater, but it also has the best L/D. Whef l~('Yi2~:f:picks up and th': other floaters can only go ,?,e)A.'n, or. rri, · . t~~/b,9,ekwards. the Max, can penetrate o. ut be. c.a· use o.ij,i~4m>·.· p.•e.r~ tcf . . ~pfed. Which b. rings us arounc::t to safe.ry. Q~cqus, ·,t ,~·- b · if'olso lands better. Nobody likes tur~ulent?;on~ i ¢:,i.it: ' ' r lor 1ater we end up flying in them .. The;M, '·;wi r "" 'ck'$ , die handling seems to be less disturbe-d~~· .· . u ,. · · ·· .k:inding areass When other gliders are ~~9 . ~·~ ,,.,it. 9oesn't lose its composure. And speei~ij o .' .:.been putting Hang II pilots on Maxi5-.y } . ·, ,,; .· So ifs nc:>t a.. hif .t · ' .:'th~;);))ost copied in the ~:. · ~'.industry measures world and ·is, th~ 'yar ~· , performance. i· \ . ),~~ .. Whether yo · · · ci '· t J>.r one that is serious about winning, ,,_ c. t, · GO MAXI-it is still the best above all, a ··
ti\?
<
USHGA REPORTS
COMPETITION COMMENTS One-On-One by Tom Milkie
In the early days of hang gliding competition each pilot flew the day's task to get a maximum score. The best score for the day determined the winner. Unfortunately, if the task was related to duration, those who drew a mid-afternoon launch time often faired better than those who had to launch in early morning. As hang gliding became more advanced, and the general wind and lift conditions played a part in winning in competition, the heat system became popular. In heats, pilots are scored only relative to those pilots launching at about the same time of day. This approach has greatly decreased the effect of changing conditions during the competition, but again, hang gliding advanced to where the exact time and location of individual thermals affected the meet scores. Nevertheless, with rapidly flown heats the effects of luck of local thermal conditions can average out over a contest. Some other solutions to the problem of thermal effects require some complication of the operation of the meet. One solution is to fly in non-thermal conditions. This is not as bad as it may seem. The task can test flying skills used in thermalling, minus the thermal. This was the concept used in the 1975 Nationals at Grandfather Mt., N.C. The task was to fly figure S's over a lake, where thermals were unlikely. Another AUGUST1979
solution is to allow more pilot freedom in selecting the launch time within heats. A third solution is to run the heat as quickly as possible, to reduce the effect of varying conditions. This requires adequate set-up area, timers and officials. Heat size should be at a minimum. The smallest heat size is two pilots, which leads to the current concept of "one-on-one" competition. The use of two-pilot competition heats was first developed at the Palomar Open meets in California in 1977 and 1978. The use of one- "and" -one competition, where two pilots take off about 30 seconds apart, was used at the Pico Peak (VT) Invitational in 1978 and at the Region 6 and 11 meets at Buffalo Mt., OK in 1979. Simultaneous launch meets have also been flown successfully at Grouse Mt., British Columbia, at the Southern California Regionals at Pine Flats in 1979, and at the Region 8 meet at Hane's Hill, NH. The benefits of one-on-one are obvious. With simultaneous or staggered launches, the conditions will be almost exactly the same for both pilots. Flying one-on-one, it is much easier to judge a pilot's performance relative to another pilot, making inflight strategy and skill of the pilots very obvious. This also makes the meet very competitive, and the determination of heat winners becomes undeniable. It also increases the spectator appeal, since relative performance is now very visual and real to the crowd, even before scores are computed. And it is the spectators who make most meets happen, now and in the future. But one-on-one systems are not all roses there are problems too. One problem is that each pilot during the meet will have an opportunity to fly against only a very small number of pilots. As Joe Greblo remarked after the Region 3 meet, it is possible to lose the meet to people you never got a chance to fly against. Proper seeding of pilots is necessary, to prevent top pilots from flying against one another early in the meet. For instance, if the pilot who is really the third-best in the meet had to fly against the best and second-best pilots, he would lose twice early in the meet. By whatever scoring system is used, this has to put him in a low position, if not out of the meet. A good basis on which to begin a plan for a meet launch order and elimination schedule is the standard double-elimination method used in other dual competition, such as team championships, tennis and racquetball. Under these systems, the winners of each round fly against other winners. The losers advance to the consolation round, to fly against other one-time losers from each round. Anyone losing twice is cut from the competition. While this system works well for tennis matches, there are problems for hang gliding meets. First, the system is designed to select a
winner. He/she is the winner of the last round of the winner's group competing against the last winner of the consolation rounds. Unfortunately, it is more difficult to determine the ranking of places after first. For a meet like a regional qualifier, it is extremely difficult to break ties in the lower rankings. Also, the rounds drag on with fewer and fewer pilots in each round. This can be very bad because of the lost flying time when everyone must wait for the next round pilots to get back up the mountain for the next round. Also, the standard double-elimination scheme requires that the number of entries be an even power of two - that is 32, 64, 128, etc. number of entries only. For any other number of entries, pilots are awarded "byes," or automatic wins, advancing in the meet. This can be unfair with the limited number of rounds possible in hang gliding meets. Another problem is that of cutting the meet short. With a doubleelimination system, if the meet cannot be finished as planned, there is a large number of ties and indeterminate rankings of the pilots. A solution for these problems requires some modification of the D-E system for hang gliding, which the Competition Committee will be working on. Suggestions from members are welcome. A more promising system is to allow pilots to fly one-on-one, but award points based on wins and losses, and the relative task scores when a pilot wins or loses. Then the pilot elimination, ranking and eventual winner are based only on these points, while the method of opponent selection is determined separately. Then the cutting of pilots and the termination of the meet can be adjusted without severe scoring penalties. The question of safety has naturally been raised, especially with simultaneous launches. Clearly separate targets must be assigned before launch to each pilot. Launch sites should be separated by more than a glider wingspan, at a minimum, preferably 50 ft. Clear rules on pilot interference under all circumstances must be enforced, and tasks must not be designed to encourage cutting off other pilots. The tasks must also focus the pilot's attention on the other pilot, not on boundries or excessive numbers of markers on the ground. The success of the Southern California meet showed that the danger of collision is actually quite remote, as pilots tend to always remain aware of the location of his or her opponent. The success of one-on-one in a number of meets has led the way to make the 1979 Nationals run completely on a one-on-one basis. The method is still new, however, and any experience gained by people who have run or flown in one-on-one meets would be appreciated. Please send your comments to the USHGA for evaluation by the Competition Committee. ~
57
CLASSIFIED. ADVERTIS.INCr
OWL 160. Very good condition. $550. Includes shipping, contact: Charles Alexander, 263 Awakea Rd., Kailua, Hi. 96734. (808) 261-0708. PHOENIX 12 205'. Perfect shape, few hours. Custom sail, windows, fairings, bag. $695. (408) 842-9705. PHOENIX 12. Immaculate, warm spectrum sail, whitedark brown. $975/offer. Sacramento, CA. (916) 455-6929. SEAGULL 10.5. Almost factory fresh. Soaring windows. Prone/supine wires. $900. Offer. (714) 295-1840.
CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigue - bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (espec ially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and 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 businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring them to inspect.
Rogallos ASG-21B, White w/blue leading edges. One of the last ones built with all late model options. Excellent condition. The 21 is still one of the finest thermalling gliders ever produced. Not for beginners. $495. Call Steve at Flight Realities, (714) 298-1962 or (714) 454-4572 eves.
SEAGULL IO.Sm. 1978, 15 hrs. only. WILLS WING XC-220. Late 1977, new cables, 25 hrs. Both complete with tow system and large floats. Call days Benny (305) 525-7611 or John (305) 442-3784. SUNBlRD STRATO. LID 7.1, sink. 250 fpm. Very well behaved and easy to fly. Must sell. Eves. (213) 691-8376. UP A.S. 90. Red, orange with bag, Bell helmet & U.P. prone harness. All exc. condition, $400. David, 105 N. Pineos Altos, Silver City, N.M. 88061.
Rigid Wings CLEARANCE SOARMASTER! Never flown, $825. PP !06 Must liquidate inventory. Brand new unit. Call days (318) 221-2952. FLEDGE 118. Excellent condition, dual controls. $1200. (805) 541-2771 or 929-3574 eves. FLEDGLING A. Good condition, supine harness, bag. $800/offer. Contact Bill Hughey, 2900 E. Madison B-1, Seattle, Wa. 98112. (206) 329-8833.
CAN'T AFFORD A NEW OR USED GLIDER? With only 10% down we will finance the balance or take anything in trade. 10% off of any new glider, power pack or parachute with this ad! Contact LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS, INC. (303) 632-4959.
ARIZONA
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, (213) 787-6600.
THE BEST IN ULTRALIGHT SOARING EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUCTION. U.S. Hang Gliders, Inc., 10250 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, Az. 85021. (602) 944-1655.
CONDORS 224 and 151 for sale. Brand new. $2,000 for both including helmet, harness and extras. (206) 456-8783. CUMULUS 7. Must sell. Classic, good condition. $550. SEAGULL Ill w/extras, good condition, $350 or best offers. (714) 375-5324. HIGHSTER. Centerfold, May issue Hang Gliding. $950. Call Chris (213) 347-7664. LOOKING FOR A USED GLIDER? Trying to sell your old wing? FREE listing on our used glider board, Mission Soaring Center, 43551 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538. MANTA MIRAGE. Excellent condition, fairings, custom bag, $500. (805) 541-2771 or 929-3574 eves, Paul. OLY 160. Multi colored. Original tips, excellent condition, $675. New floater less than 3 hrs. $1050. Will trade either on late model Fledge. Ken, (919) 996-4118. OLYMPUS 160. Like new, dark blue applied leading edge, rainbow sail. $700. (213) 835-4583.
Schools and Dealers
ARKANSAS WESTARK! Call or write the professionals. Parts, gliders, all major brands (new and used), flight schools, accessories. Catalogs available. Dealer inquiries invited. See Earl Fritchie, Rt. 2 Box 478-A, Fort Smith, Ar. 72904. (501) 646-3575. CALIFORNIA ARCADIA AIR SPORTS. Featuring Sunbird, Seagull, and Electra Flyer (other brands available). Personalized instruction in small groups. Lesson programs based on the USHGA Pilot Proficiency Rating System. Certified, experienced instruction at al! levels. 695 E. Villa, No. 7, Arcadia, CA. 91101. CHANDELLE SAN FRANCISCO. Since 1973 the largest center of Sky Sailing in Northern California. Run by people who love flying! Complete lesson program with USHGA certified instructors, beginning to advanced! Visiting Pilot Program; Fledgling Lesson Program: Vast parts and accessories supply. New and used gliders in stock. '79 demo gliders. Featuring Seagull, Wills Wing, U.P. Bennet!, Sunbird, Electra, Stratus V,
Manta Fledge and Windjammer, with other brands available. Top o' the hill, overlooking Fort Funstun. Contact Jan, George, Ken, J. Fred or Tom. 10 Hillside Bl., Daly City, CA 94014 (415) 756-0650. ELSINORE VALLEY HANG GLIDING CENTER. Certified, experienced instruction, sales for all major manufacturers and repair facilities. Call (714) 678-2050 or stop in at 31381 Riverside Dr., Elsinore, CA 92330. FREE FLIGHT OF SAN DIEGO. Expert instruction utilising modern, safe equipment. (714) 560-0888. HANG GLIDERS OF CALIFORNIA, INC. USHGA certified instruction from beginning to expert levels. All brands of gliders, a complete line of instruments & equipment are available! For information or catalog, write or call: Hang Gliders of California, Inc., 2410 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, Ca. 90405. (213) 399-5315. HANG GLIDERS WEST-DILLON BEACH FL YING SCHOOL. We sell and service all major brands, parts, accessories. USHGA certified instructors, observers. Free lessons with purchase of a wing. After the sale, it's the SERVICE that counts. Hang Glider West, 1011 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael, Ca. 94901. (415) 453-7664. Hours 10:00 - 5:30. SOUTHERN CALIF. SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING Largest and most complete hang gliding center in Los Angeles. Featuring Bennett, Seagull, Electra Flyer, Sunbird, all other brands of gliders available. Come demo. '78' model gliders today! Beginner to advanced instruction with USHGA Certified Instructors. MOTORGLIDING - Sales, demos and power instruction available. 5219 Sepulveda Blvd., Yan Nuys, Ca. 91411. (213) 789-0836. MISSION SOARING CENTER Dealer of Seagull, Eipper, Manta, Sunbird and Electra Flyer. With other major brands available. Fly before you buy. End blind
1979's Hang Diving • magazine
tlte hied~ poop $ 2.50 pp
$ 1 . 75 / doz. or more! send check or m.o. to: Hang Diving mag., P.O. box 32 Rancho Sante Fe, CA 92067
THE HALL WIND METER ~
A precision instrument for the serious pilot. Rugged, dependable and easy to read.
Seated
$18.50 postpaid in U.S. Foreign add $1.00. Prone bracket $5.50. Seated bracket $4.50.
~
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Prone AUGUST1979
HALL BROTHERS Box 771-M, Morgan, Utah 84050 Dealer Inquiries Invited
C.O.D. Phone Orders Welcome (801) 829-3232
Available, compact ducted fan A.T.S. SYSTEMS engine for glider, hang gliders, EAA etc. 75 # thrust, 25# weight, 1021 ANDOVER PARK EAS1 TUKWILA, WASH. 98188 shrouded. Send $5.00 for info packet. Design engr. service available. 59
Golden Sky Sails, Inc. AUG. 19-26. Seventh Annual U.S. Nationals. Crestline, San Bernardino, CA. Must apply by July 31. For more information contact Tom Milkie, 5645 Avenue de Vinedos, Anaheim, CA 92807 (714) 998-2154.
SEPTEMBER 7-9. USHGA Board of Directors Meeting to be held in Los Angeles area. Location to be announced. All USHGA members are welcome to attend.
Introduces
OCT. 13-21. American Cup Team Championships. Lookout Mountain, TN/GA. Defending champion -Great Britain. USHGA sanctioned; Awards: American Cup, Francis Rogallo trophy, prize money. HGMA certification required for American team gliders.
The Golden Cocoon
Crystal Flight Resort
* Adjustable for length & shoulder pressure. * Spreader Clors to eliminate hip & foot pressure.
AUGUST 10 & 11. Glider Tuning and Maintenance Seminar. Fee Seminar. Write for reservations.
* Positive retention bacl~ & thigh strops. The Golden Cocoon 1 105 00
*•••••••••••••G•• ** KITE TUBIN •
BRIGHT DIP ANODISED TUBING SEAMLESSDRAWN_! -'...1 1/.2 .049X1B',19',20' 2-111 LENGTHS .90FT 'l" ~ 1 SZBX.OIIBX12' 2·111 LENGTHS .99FT _..,_ ~ 1 3i'4X.049X18.11',20' 2-111 LENGTHS .99FT 'l" ~CABLE
**
3/32 7X7 STAINLESS STEEL WHITE OR NYLON COATED
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FREE WHOLESALE CATALOGUE
,20FT
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LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS INC._..,_ 331 S. 14TH ST. 'l" COLORADO SPRINGS CO, 80904 . ' 303-113 2·49119
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The Golden Prone -1
1
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* Tested to 6,000 lb·s···~-· . ,, .~~.Y = ,~Jhe Golden Prone 75
* Super simple. * Comfortable. DEALER INFORMATION UPON REQUEST
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s?'ORDER FROM,
Golden Sk S .1s, Inc.
'y y a1 . ,, . 2 0 h d5 ,{ p'::/. . ~ 57 re er treet · ':__1?';4j j ~ ~ , Golden, Colorado ~~ 80401
**************** INSTRUMENT BRACKET
PILOTS! LEARN TO FLY SAFER, HIGHER, FURTHER
Mount your instruments where you can see them!
['j1-T11-D11t1• !/111.,trntl'II I n/onnotion c; 11r1 rn 11/i'trl To !n1pm,•r· }'"11r Ffrinp:.
Tired of the hose clamp hassle?
' Easv on off rubber padded 1,vin-g nut ·clamp ' Adiustable 6-10 inch telescopic extension • Durable polished aluminum ' Fits all I inch control bars (specity if different size I ' Adaptable to any instrument
Satisfaction Guanmteed SI0.00 plus St.00 postage JAY GIANFORTE R1d)-:e J~d.
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* NEW * HANG GLIDING FOR ADVANCED PILOTS -
DETAILS ON: COMPETITION * MOTORIZING * EFFICIENT TURNING* POLARS* SPEEDS TO FLY * THERMAL TECHNIQUES* DISTANCE SOARING* PERFORMANCE TUNING* DESIGN CONCEPTS * INSTRUMENTS * ADVANCED EQUIPMENT * SPOT LANDING. $6.95 + 45e POSTAGE.
HANG GLIDING AND FLYING SKILLS -A COMPLETE TRAINING MANUAL - DETAILS ON: BEGINNING FLIGHT * INTERMEDIATE SKILLS * ADVANCED MANEUVERS * SIMPLE AND ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS * GLIDER DESIGN* GLIDER REPAIR* SELECTING EQUIPMENT* THERMALLING * HANG GLIDING HISTORY* CROSS-COUNTRY* TANDEM FLYING* TOWING AND MUCH MORE. $5.95 + 45e POSTAGE.
HANG GLIDING AND FLYING CONDITIONS - THE ROAD MAP TO THE SKY - DETAILS ON GENERAL WEATHER * TURBULENCE * ROTORS * WIND SHADOW ' SEABREEZES * WIND GRADIENT * SOARING CONDITIONS * THERMALS * WAVES * WINDS ALOFT * LOCAL WINDS * CLOUD TYPES ' SITE READING AND MUCH MORE. $5.95 + 50.e POSTAGE. $10.95 + 55e POSTAGE FOR ANY TWO $14.95 -~ 75.e POSTAGE FOR ALL THREE. DENNIS PAGEN, 1184 ONEIDA ST .. STATE COLLEGE. PA 16801 DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED
60
HANG GLIDING
loyalty. Demos available. Complete lesson program. USHGA certified instructors, observers. 43551 Mission Blvd., Fremont, Calif. 94538. THE HANG GLIDER SHOP - For the largest in stock inventory. USHGA certified fiying instruction and much, much more! Call (213) 943-1074. 1351 Beach Blvd., La Habra, Ca. 90631. WIND HA VEN HANG GLIDING SCHOOL, INC. Serving Southern California. Complete line of gliders, beginner to advanced instruction. USHGA certified instructors. Write or call, Windhaven, 12437 San Fernando Rd., Sylmar, Ca. 91342 (213) 367-1819.
GEORGIA ATLANTA USHGA certified beginner and novice training using wheels and radios for your safety. Rentals, sales, service. UP - Bennett - Wills - Electra Flyer UFM - Soarmaster - Seagull - Manta. AHG, P.O. Box 48163, Doraville, Ga. 30362. (404) 458-4584, 448-3516. IDAHO MOUNTAIN AIR GLIDER SALES. Serving the Idaho area with the best in ultralight soaring equipment and certified instruction. 1144 N. Grant, Pocatello, Idaho 83201. (208) 233-8179.
CANADA
IOWA
HANG GLIDING SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSAL SPORT ... Our specialty ... Hang gliding lessons, sale of gliders (Seagull Aircraft) and glider repair. USHGA certified instructor - John Szirony, P.O. Box 227, Yarrow, British Columbia, Canada (604) 823-4273.
THE FOUR WINDS! New and used gliders. Power units and complete powered fiex wings. Dealer for Bennett, Manta, Soarmaster (we take trade-ins). USHGA Certified instruction with flight simulator Hang Ratings I-IV. Come see our showroom. It'll be love at first flight! 2708 Mt. Vernon Rd. S.E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52403. (319) 365-6057, 366-3989.
THE AURORA COMPANY - Distributor for Seagull Aircraft, UP Inc., Manta, UFM, Soarmaster Engines, Harness, varios, parachutes, and all hang gliding accessories. In Vernon call John Huddart, 542-8098, Victoria-Les Sairsbury, 382-0004, Vancouver-Robin Pedersen 922-7275, P.O. Box 91176 West Vancouver, Canada V7V 3N6. COLORADO LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS, INC. USHGA Certified instructors. Distributors for Chuck's Glider Supplies, Sunbird and Bennett. Dealers for Electra Flyer, Wills Wing, U.P. Easy risers, Manta and Seagull. 331 South 14th St., Colo. Spgs., Colo. 80904. GOLDEN SKY SAILS, featuring Electra Flyer, J&L, Delta Wing, Leaf, Manta, Mitchell Wing, Seagull, UFM, Ultralite Products, Wills Wing, and Highster. Expert repair and custom work. Huge inventory of parts and accessories, including Chandelle and Sun replacement parts. Power packs available. A complete harness line. Fast mail order service. We offer regular, advanced, high performance, and tow lessons. All USHGA Certified Instructors. Ratings available. We use the most modern techniques and gliders, two-way radios between instructor and student. Located just west of Denver at the foot of Green Mountain. Call or write for free information (303) 278-9566, 572 Orchard St., Golden, Colo. 80401.
ECO-FLIGHT HANG GLIDERS. Now with 2 locations, one serving southeast lower Michigan, and our new shop in the Frankfort area, home of Michigan's prime flying sites. We sell and service most major brands of gliders and accessories, including U.F.M.'s "Easy Riser." We will custom build your "Riser!) and motorize it too. USHGA certified instruction using 2-way radios. Lessons from beginner to advanced. Parts, supplies, repairs. P.O. Box 188, Benzonia, Mich. 49616. (616) 882-5070 or 17390 Redman Rd., Milan, 'vlich. 48160. (313) 459-4545.
KANSAS MONARCH FL YING MACHINES. The Kansas City area source for all major brand gliders, power packs, parts, accessories, repairs. USHGA Certified Instructors. 10301 W. 77th No. 109, Shawnee Mission, Ks. 66214. (913) 268-6499. VOYAGEUR'S. Distributors for J. L. Enterprises (dealer inquiries invited). Dealers for Eipper, Wills, Sky Sports, Sunbird, Moose, LEAF, Windhaven and Chuck's Glider Supplies. The only complete sales, training and repair facility in the greater Kansas City area. USHGA certified instructors and observers. 5935 Merriam Dr., Merriam, Ks. 66203. (913) 262-661 l. MASSACHUSETTS Try a FREE practice run at Aeolus Flight Training Center, Groton Hills Ski Area, Groton, MA. Aeolus instructors can teach you to fly safely and easily, and are certified by USHGA. Open Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday instruction by appointment. To enroll, contact AEOLUS HANG GLIDER, INC., Box 184, Littleton, 'via. (617) 486-8278. MICHIGAN
MID-WEST SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING. Subsidiary of U.S. Moyes, Inc. USHGA Certified Instructors. All levels of instruction - foot launch, tow, and motorized. Located V. mile from Warren Dunes. We are the oldest school and offer the most professional training in the mid-west. The owners placed 1st and 2nd in Open Class and 2nd in Class I at the '77 U.S. Nationals. We sell and service all brands of kites and motorized units. If you're thinking of moving up - check with us first, your used kite may be worth more than you think. Come fly before you buy. I 1522 Red Arrow Hwy., Bridgman, Mi. 49106. (616) 426-3100. SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HANG GLIDERS Distributor for Wills Wing, dealer for Electra Flyer, Soarmaster, Bennett, UP and Sunbird. We are a full time hang gliding business with our own 450 ft. soaring site. See us for USHGA ratings and certified instruction, 24851 Murray, Mt. Clemens, Mich. 48045, (313) 791-0614.
CONNECTICUT
MINNESOTA
TEK FLIGHT Products, Inc. Featuring Electra Flyer and Sky Sports. Also a complete line of parts and accessories in stock. Personalized lessons by experienced USHGA certified instructors. Call: (203) 288-5430. TEK Flight Products, Inc., 2583 State St., Hamden, CT. 06517. Or call Ben or Alegra in Winsted, (203) 379-1668.
NORTHERN SUN HANG GLIDERS, INC. Dealer for all major non-powered and powered brands. USHGA certified instruction. Owner/managers of the hang gliding preserve, soarable ridge with tramway lift. When in the North Country stop by and test our line of gliders and enjoy the sites. 628 W. Larpenteur Ave., St. Paul, MN 55113 (612) 489-8300.
THE HANG GLIDER CENTER. "Sooner or later you'll be our customer." Rt. 66, Exit 28, 1-84. (203) 628-8853.
MONTANA
FLORIDA MOTORIZED HANG GLIDERS OF FLORIDA-North Florida, Georgia dealer for Manta kits, ready to fiy. Easy Riser, Landing Gears. Largest stock of kites and accessories in the south. Free instruction for our customers. Financing available. information $4. Box 50961-H, Jacksonville Beach, FLA 32250 (904) 246-2568.
AERO FLOAT FLIGHTS. Powered ultralight specialists. We carry Easy Risers, Quicksilvers, and the Mitchell Wing, along with the best power systems on the market. We carry only the best and proven products. Manufacturers & developers for the safety-pro harness line & power muzzler tuned muffler. For info pack send $3.00 to: P.O. Box 1155, Battle Creek, Mi. 49016. Phone (616) 965-6455.
FLY WITH BEARTOOTH HANG GLIDERS, 543 Yellowstone Ave., Billings, 59102. (406) 248-4383. NEW MEXICO SKY-HIGH, INC. New Mexico's Soaring Center. Certified instruction: beginning-advanced and rigid wing. Seagull, Electra Flyer, J.L., UP, Bennett, UFM. Parts, repairs and all accessories. 3324 Alvarado NE, Albuquerque, N.M. (505) 883-0391.
", SKYFLIGHT
BEGINNER/<:~
W'fI?
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SOARING INSTRUMENTS BOX 148A KINGFIELD, MAINE 04947
("(,(;) S , E ' . P ~
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$;.25
•'l:::lT~ SEL.ECIION • TURNS •TH.EOR7' • SITE SELECTION • METE.OROLD0Y •RIDGE.le THE.RMAL SOAR:ING • HANG RATlNG5
.., 6%
CAL IA)<
-~~ -~~ -~~ $1.95 +6% CAL TAX
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-r--....J,.6...L.J.-1== PO BOX 11!cS'+, Rlo!7LANPS • CALIFORNIA 92-'37.3
AUGUST 1979
1. Airspeed Indicator
$31.95
(with Compass) 2. Aircraft Altimeter $135 (20,000 ft., 20 ft. increments) 3. 15,000 ft. Altimeter $17 .95 4. Vertical Speed Indicator $120 (± 2,000 fpm)
5. Airspeed Indicator $25.95 6. CHT Gauge $35.50 {with Probe) 7. 8,000 rpm Tachometer $45.50 (magneto driven) 8. EGT Gauge $39.50 (with Probe)
61
FLY ONE. CONTROL BAR PROTECTORS Please send _ _ Control bar protectors at $20/pair C 1" D 1-1/8" C UPS C Parcel Post
D Check or money order enclosed D C.O.D. You pay shipping
Here are ~ dozen good reasons:
1. Red 2. Blue 3. Grey 4. Brown 5. Navy 6. Black
• Rugged 5" dia. wheels feature special flush mounting hub that clamps onto control bar. • Tough ABS plastic • Light weight - only 10 oz. ea. • Fits 1" or 1-1/8" control bars Name Address City _ _ _ State _ _ Zip _ _
Send to: Hall Brothers, Box 171, Morgan Utah 84050 C.0.D. phone orders welcome (801) 829-3232 Dealers invited
HANG GLIDER SAIL REPAIR PROFESSIONAL SAIL REPAIR WORK DONE BY A QUALIFIED SEAM· STRESS WITH OVER F1VE YEARS EXPERIENCE SEWING FOR LEADING HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURERS. • • • •
HOLES, RIPS AND SMALL TEARS PATCHED AND SEWN GROMMETS REINFORCED AND REPLACED BATTENPOCKETSSTRENGTHENED PROTOTYPE SAIL SEWING DONE ALSO • • •
YOU WILL BE ASSURED OF: QUALITY WORKMANSHIP FAST DELIVERY AFFORDABLE PRICES
CALL OR WRITE FOR FREE INFORMATION, SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS AND GENERAL ESTIMATE OR SEND IN YOUR SAIL ALONG WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS.
They're hand-crafted in 100% nylon ( durable, washable, water-resistant) with velcro closures. And, they're so trim and lightweight that they contour to your body! Wallets - $7.95 Key Cases - $6.95 Checkbook Covers - $7.95
HANG GLIDER SAIL REPAIR 1124 ALICE, RAMONA, CALIFORNIA 92065 [714] 789-5312
Postage & handling Included.
duncan Box 33441-K Seattle, WA 98133 Dealer Inquiries welcome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE OBVIOUS CHOICE IN VARIOS IS NO LONGER OBVIOUS MODEL D
MODEL C
Has all the features of the B model plus:
Has features of model D at left:
-New scale with better legibility
-Has high quality 250deg round meter reading to 1600 fpm
-SinkAlarm tripping point and sensitivity changeable by user
-same tight audio response as always
-Mounting bracket fits on either side or on top (without opening case). PRICE
PRICE
$198. 00
$159.00
~itel<._
Kathy Kanavle holds two new Hummingbirds by Litek 1101 Lovell Ave., Campbell, CA 95008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW YORK
TEXAS
AERIAL TECHNIQUES - at Ellenville. The eas1 coast's largest hang glider shop. USHGA Certified instruction, dealers for all manufacturers, most equipment in stock from our tremendous inventory. A.T. is where it's up ... Rt. 209 - in Ellenville, N.Y. 12428. (914) 647-3344.
ARMADILLO AVIATION. Motorized fixed wings (CA-15 now available). All brands - power units - accessories. Call or write for prices. "We have your wings". 703 North Henderson, Ft. Worth, Tx. 76107. (817) 332-4668.
NORTH CAROLINA COME FLY JOCKEY'S RIDGE! If you live east of the Mississippi and want to learn to fly a hang glider safely come to Kitty Hawk Kites. Wilbur and Orville came here to learn to fly. Gliding into the soft Atlantic breezes from Jockey's Ridge is an experience which will always be remembered. Thirteen stories high, it is the tallest sand dune on the East Coast. We have safely taught over 7,500 folks to fly - people of all ages. Hang gliding from the soft sand dune is a major factor in the outstanding safety record of Kitty Hawk Kites, the East Coast's largest and finest hang gliding school. We offer several lesson plans all the way to advanced training in the mountains. Ask about our Fly/Drive Packag~ which includes airfare, car rental, motel, meals, etc. If you need a glider, select one while you're here from our large inventory. We carry the safest and best performing gliders on the market from beginning/intermediate to high performance. Send $2.00 for poster catalog. For a free brochure on the First Flight School call or write: Kitty Hawk Kites, Inc., P.O. Box 386, Nags Head, N.C. 27959. (919) 441-6247. OKLAHOMA WESTARK! Call or write the professionals. Parts, gliders, all major brands (new and used), flight school, accessories. Catalogs available. Dealer inquiries invited. See Earl Fritchie, Rt. 2 Box 478-A, Fort Smith, Ar. 72904. (501) 646-3575.
Beginner to advanced instruction by JAA, JHA certified instructors. We offer a complete line of hang gliders, rentals, sales and accessories. JAPAN HANG GLIDERS ASSOCIATION 1-16-9, Uchikanda Chiyodaku Tokyo 101 Japan. (03) 292-0756.
Business 0 pportu n i ti es
ELECTRA-FL YER DISTRIBUTORS. South MidWestern distributors for: Electra Flyer Corp., UFM Products, Sky Sports, Seagull Aircraft. Now accepting dealership inquiries. Call or write: LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS, 2200 "C" South Smithbarry Rd., Arlington, Tx 76013. Metro. (817) 469-9159.
DEALERS: Add a wind information service lo your line. Set up an automatic wind measuring system at your favorite site ... complete with telephone hook-up. Then your customers can find out when it's soarable by just calling up the machine. The prototype of this system has been on the air now for over two years in the Salt Lake City area. For free info on how to get one like it installed at your site, call or write: Ken Maulden, 121 W. 600 S., Sandy, Utah 84070 (801) 561-3885.
UTAH THE KITE SHOP AT NATURE'S WAY. Our ECO FLIGHT SCHOOL is Utah's oldest and most experienced, with USHGA Advanced certified instructors. Complete parts and service for Electra Flyer, Manta, and Eipper. Distributor for the new STRATUS 5. 898 So. 900 E., Salt Lake City, Ut. 84!02. (801) 359-7913.
STARTING A HANG GLIDING BUSINESS!! For a complete line of gliders, parts and accessories contact: LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS, INC. 331 South 14th St., Colo. Spgs., Colo. 80904 (303) 632-4959.
WASATCH WINGS INC. - Salt Lake's Hang Gliding Center. Located minutes from the Point of the Mountain. Featuring a fully stocked repair shop, USHGA Instructors, 2-way radios, lessons beginning to advanced, new training gliders, pilot accessories, and glider sales and rentals. 892 East 12300 South, Draper, Ut. 84020. (801) 571-4044.
WEST ARK! Let us get you off the ground and into your own HANG GLIDER business. Call Earl Fritchie, Rt. 2 Box 478-A, Fort Smith, Ar. 72904. (501) 646-3575.
Emergency Parachutes
WYOMING
THE HANG GLIDER SHOP - now distributes Free Flight Enterprises' reserve parachutes and harnesses. Dealer inquiries invited. (213) 943-!074. 1351 Beach Blvd., La Habra, Ca. 90631.
CENTRAL WYOMING HANG GLIDERS - Sales and services. Electra Flyer, Seagull, Seed wings. USHGA instruction, Basic and advanced. Box 4206, Casper, Wy. 82601. (307) 266-3731 or 265-7292.
TENNESSEE
JAPAN
WINDHAVEN EMERGENCY PARACHUTE SYSTEM meets rigid TSO testing. The best available! Easily adapted to your harness and glider. Write for free details. Windhaven Hang Gliding Schools, Inc., 12437 San Fernando Rd., Sylmar, Ca. 91342.
TRUE FLIGHT Mid-America headquarters for motorized ultralights. All brands of gliders and motor pacs. 3832 Guernsey, Memphis, Tn. 38122. (901) 324-8922.
Yanaba Hang Gliding School ... 3 day pack system Mt. Kuruma Hang Gliding School. .. 3 day pack system Osaka Hang Gliding School ... 2 day lesson ASO Hang Gliding School ... l day lesson
ODYSSEY has 24' and 26' emergency parachutes for the hang gliding pilot. Lightweight and inexpensive. Dealer inquiries welcome. Don't fly without us! Send for free details. Odyssey, Box 60, Wilton, N.H. 03086.
-I
Foreign Schools & Dealers
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FOR
THE AIRBORNE SIZE CHART.
SYSTEM ONE AND TWO MAY BE
ORDERED BY INCLUDING HE[(lHT, WEIGHT, CHESISIH,A~D LEO INSEAM.
SYSTEM 2
Combinations of these instantly interchangeable components, create a system that can be adapted to your next flight... 30 SECONDS OR 3 HOURS AND 30 SECONDS Airborne Products are Manufactured and Distributed by, GET QUALITY
GET AIRBORNE!
AUGUST1979
ONTARIO HANG GLIDERS INC. 801 WOOLWICH ST. GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA NlH 6J2 (519) 836-4781
Now establishing U.S. dealer network
63
you 7-e od pilot, getting better
Limited number of Shop Demo Parachutes - all excellent condition. 24' Advanced Air $250, 26' Bennett rip-away bag $295, 24' Bennett rip-away bag $285, 24' D.A.R. $250. L.E.A.F. (303) 632-4959.
FINE PEWTER BELT BUCKLE depicting hang glider. Fits 1 3/4" belts. $9.50 ppd. to: The James Collection, P.O. Box 11505, Portland Or. 97211. Check/M.O. Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Parts & Accessories
WANTED: One 19'xl6' Electra Flyer Sunflower in good shape. Contact Golden Sky Sails, 572 Orchard St., Golden, CO. 80401. (303) 278-9566.
EMBROIDERED EMBLEMS, CUSTOM DESIGNED CLUB PINS, Medallions, Trophies, Ribbons. Highest quality, fastest delivery, Lowest prices anywhere. Free info! ND! Box 6665 DD Marietta, Georgia 30065.
WANTED: Fellow flyer to travel from east to west hitting all flying sites possible. I have van. Split expenses. Leave end of May. Call/write Jim Cobb, 2309 Rosewood Dr., Edgewood, Md. 21040. (301) 679-5926.
Instruments, propellers, engines, landing gear, helmets, fuel tanks, hardware etc. POWER SYSTEMS INC. 39B Coolidge Ave., Ormond Beach FLA 32074. (904) 672-6363.
TORREY PINES 1979. Text by Don Betts. Photos by Bettina Gray. Pictorial review of hang gliding at Torrey Pines. 40 pages of photos, maps, flying regulations, and history of the area. Excellent booklet for those who have only heard of Torrey Pines. Booklet can also be purchased at site. $2.50 each (encl. pstg.). USHGA, P.O. Box 66306-HG, Los Angeles, Calif. 90066.
Publications & Organizations SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $20. Info kit with sample copy $2.00. SSA, P.O. Box 66071, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066.
PATC HES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3'' dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3 Y," dia. Inside or outside application. 25i each. Include 13~ for postage and
Ultralight Powered Flight
ULTRALIGHT FLYING MACHINES OF INDIANA. Easy Risers and power packages in stock. Send $1.00 for information: kBox 962, Columbus, Indiana 47201. (812) 372-1670. WIND HA VEN. The ultralite power center of California has complete facilities and information on power packages and adaptations. We sell completed Easy Risers and Mitchell wings too. Call or write: 12437 San Fernando Rd., Sy!mar, Ca. 91342 (213) 367-1819.
Miscellaneous We print your message, team, club name or organization on a quality T-shirt. Tan or blue front or back, 25 lelters maximum, s-m-1-xl $6.95 each. $1.00 postage to S. Clark Company, Dept. 8, P .0. Box 3648, Arlington, Texas 76010. THEFT ALERT PAGING SYSTEM - Protect your wings silently with a new breakthrough in Glider protection. This brand new electronic system is the first really smart and inexpensive way to protect your equipment. You carry a small 4 oz. paging unit-the very instant your glider is moved you know it! The system is complete with 12 volt transmitter, sensors for two glider, pocket page and installation instructions. The powerful transmitter has a one-half mile range. The dual tone sequential coding system provides over 12,000 combinations, a false alert is highly unlikely. Take the worry out of traveling with your valuable equipment. Order your theft alert system today! Only $149.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Check or money order to GULF AIR SPORTS INC., P.O. Box AJ, Venice, Fla. 33595.
AUGUST1979
:vtETAL LICENSE PLATE FRAMES "I'D RATHER BE HANG GLIDING". White lettering on a blue background. $4.00 including postage and handling. Californians add 6'7o tax. USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066. The rate for classified advertising is 30~ per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $3.00. A fee of $5. is charged for each photograph. Art discount for display ads does not apply to classifieds. AD DEADLINES -All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing I Y, months preceding the cover date, i.e., Feb. 15 for the April issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept. HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE Box 66306, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066
FEATURES: Flybox set-up, vario bracket, CG Falcon Vin ripstop on right wing. Blue bag, red flag (#0491). WHERE AND WHEN: San Diego, CA 92120. (714) 265-0455.
POWER SYSTEMS, INC. Gliders from Eipper, UP, Manta and UFM. Power packages, landing gear for Easy Riser and Quicksilver, instruments, helmets, and hardware. $1 info package Power Systems, Inc., 39 B Cooledge Ave., Ormond Beach, FLA 32074. (904) 672-6363.
MOTORIZED HANG GLIDERS OF FLORIDA. Factory authorized dealer for "WEEDHOPPER" - a high performance ultralight rigid wing, tricycle gear, stick control. Complete "WEEDHOPPER" information $5.00 to: Weedhopper of Florida, Box 50961, Jacksonville Beach 32250. (904) 246-2568.
TEE-SHIRTS with USHGA emblem $5.50 including postage and handling. Californians add 6% tax. Men's sizes, S, M, L, XL. Orange only. USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
TYPE: 1977 Seahawk 170. SAIL PATTERN: Keel out Black, orange, yellow, orange, yellow, black. Black leading edges. Red bag with blue tip. WHERE AND WHEN: May 17, 1979 from Virginia Beach, VA. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Upper wires, deflexors and bolts not taken. Mount for Chad unit on right down tube. CONTACT: Bob Hayman, 1029 Cordova Rd., Ft. Lauderdale, FLA 33316. Phone toll free: (800) 327-5826.
NORTHERN SUN INC. The industry's most experienced rigid wing builders offer the following: Custom built COS powered Easy Riser, $2,590. Custom built unpowered Mitchell Wing, $2,690. Call or write: NSHG, 628 W. Larpenteur Ave., St. Paul, MN. 55113 (612) 489-8300.
ULTRALIGHT FLYING MACHINES OF ATLANTA. COS powerpacks, landing gear, Soarmaster, tune pipes, harnesses, instruments etc. Pre-built by A&P and kit form. Immediate delivery, free instruction. Other kits include Mitchell, VJ, Quickie, Hummer, Weedhopper, Catto. (404) 458-4584. #4 Aviation Way, POK Airport, Chamblee, GA 30341.
handling with each order. Box 66306, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066.
TYPE: Phoenix 8 regular. SAIL PATTERN: Keel outblack, red, blue, gold and brown leading edge and tips. WHERE AND WHE'I: Jan. 31, Vancouver, B.C. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Purple patch on left droop tip. CONTACT: J. Peterson, Box 411, Kasie. B.C. Phone collect (604) 353-2277. TYPE: COS Falcon Five Plus, quick set-up. SAIL PATTERN: Keel out - Light blue, dark blue, red, black, white. No cover bag. WHERE AND WHEN: Lexington Reservoir near San Jose, CA June 7, 1979. CONTACT: Mike Ziaskas, 200 Hollis Ave. #30, Campbell, CA 95008, (408) 379-6500, or Art Markiewiez at (714) 968-6129. TYPE: Oly 160, #1046. SAIL PATTERN: Red keel pocket, dk. blue leading edge, white sail, gold/red tips. Yellow bag with red tips. WHERE AND WHEN: San Jose, CA near Lexington reservoir, Dec. 22, 1978. CONTACT: Tom Jensen, 1418 Helmond, San Jose, CA 95 t 18 (408) 264-6406. TYPE: Mini Strata. SAIL PATTERN: Keel out - dk. blue, It. blue, yellow, gold, red. Kite bag - red with yellow star sewn over a rip. WHERE AND WHEN: From home in Glendale, CA. Dec. 21, 1978. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Sleeves (outside) on crossbar (right side), and leading edge (left side). CONTACT: Lynn Miller, 515 Chester #6, Glendale, CA 91203 (213) 244-4503. TYPE: Pliable Moose Zipper. SAIL PATTERN: Red applied leading edge, white with orange and gold half panels, blue bag. CONTACT: Charles Warren, 842 N. St. Joe #3, Hastings, N.E. 68901 (402) 463-4092 TYPE: Dragonfly MKI. SAIL PATTERN: Purple leading edges and center, red wing. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Bennett tensioners, 1/8" wing wires. CONTACT: Bob Henderson, 10842 NE 68th, Kirkland, WA 98033 (206) 828-0570. TYPE: Cumulus IO WHEN: May 12 SAIL PATTERN: Center out, white, yellow, brown. Blue bag. CONTACT: Mike Adams (805) 967-2448 TYPE: COS Falcon V. SAIL PATTERN: Black leading edges and keel. Keel out: orange, yellow (three panels). tips: orange, yellow, orange. DISTINGUISHING
FOUND: Prone harness. WHERE: Santa Maria area. Identiry to claim. (805) 544-8748. TYPE: Phoenix 8 reg. #161 SAIL PATTERN: Keel out, white, black, yellow, red, It. blue, dk. blue, bluish green bag DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: 7i8 in. straightened down tubes, one knurled CO'IT ACT: Ted Lipke (415) 589-3937. S50 reward. Bo, 246 Burlingame, CA 94010. TYPE: Two Soarmaster power packs and one Moody motor package with Rotec prop and mufller. SERIAL NUMBERS: Soarmasters: engine 24857. Soarmaster serial 78150-engine 24389. Soarmaster serial 78145. The Moody pack has redrilled engine mounts. CONTACT: Trip Mellinger a1 Windhaven, 12437 San fernando Rd., Sylmar, California 91342 (213) 367-1819 TYPE: Wills Wing XC 185 #2250. IDE'ITIFYING FEATURES: No fixed tips, control bar is mismatched, new downtubes, used basetube with vario bracket.
CONTACT: Bruce Bardo, P.O. Bo., 8543, Missoula, !\font. 59807 892-3094 TYPE: Cumulus IO, 20' WHERE & WHE'I: Dern·er, Colo. night of Sept. 12, 1978. SAIL PATTER/I;: Keel out; white, red, while, purple, white, blue leading edges. Orange bag. Serial no. 619. CONTACT: Doug Keller, 304-237 Kearney St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R2M 485 (204) 257-6492. $100 reward for info leading to arrest of thief. TYPE: Phoenix 6B serial no. 182. SAIL PATTER\/: From tips in; black, gold, orange, lime, dark blue. Black patch on one wingtip. CONTACT: Scott Hunter, 220F West Tujunga Ave., Burbank, CA 91502 As a service to the hang gliding community, HANG GL!DfNG Magazine is publishing (free) information on stolen gliders. If your glider is missing, send u, a complete description along with your address and phone number to: USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
65
Glider Rider is the world's most widely read hang gliding publication. It's a super way to start your day. Don't miss another issue. Subscribe today.
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ONE YEAR (12 ISSUES) SI 5 CANADA: S17
TWO YEARS (24 ISSUES) S28 CANADA: S30
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PACIFIC ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT COMPANY
#4 STATIO NARY 25 IVO RY SHEETS OF 8 V2 x 11 STATION AR Y PLUS 15 ENVELOPES . LIGHTLY PRINT ED WITH SILH OUETIED GLIDER (DARK EN ED FOR CLARITY)
A Men·s S8 50
B
#5
omen ·s SS.00
SPORT SHI RTS 50% POLYESTER/50% COTION • PROFESS IONALLY APPLIED ARTWORK • TH ESE ARE HIGH QUA LITY SPORT SH IRTS-NOT TH IN UN DERWEAR
#1
#2
18" x 26" CLOC K
#5 _ _ SPORT SHIRT(S) WITH Style A (2 gliders) or Style B (1 glider, (Circle one) Men's Size
PACIFIC ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT COMPANY 6090 LOS A NGE LES AVENU E - #201 SA NTA SUSANA, CA 93063 • (805) 526-7220 •1 _ _ _ _ 18" x 26" CLOCK(S) Batt ery/Electric $35.50 (Circle one)
6' WIND BA NNE R
• BR IGHT ORANGE • 100% DACRON • HEAT SEALED EDGES • MOUNTING POCKET FOR 1" POLE • 14" X 72"
(S, M, L, XL)
Women's Size __ (S, M, L, XL)
PLEASE SEND:
#3
12" x 16" CLOCK
DAVE CRONK • WOOD FRAME • BATIERY OR ELECTR IC
YOSEM ITE • WOOD FRAMED • BATIERY OR ELECTR IC
•2
12" x 16" CLOCK(S) Battery/Electric $24 .95
•3
6' ORA GE BA NER(S) $7 .85 ea. (Pole not ,ncludedl
-¥ 4
BOX(ES) OF HA G GLIDI G STATIONARY $4.75/Box Add S 00 for pos age and handling . Ca lifo rnia res iden s add 6 °0 sa les ax. Dealer lnqu,r1es Invi ted
Colors (men)
Colors (Women)
(check one)
(check one) r, PINK D BLUE r, RED ' WHITE ':l ORANGE .--, YELLOW
BEIGE BLUE - WHITE YELLOW
':l BEIGE
CHOOSE THE WORD(S) TO GO BELOW ARTWORK; (Circle one) PILOT · GROUND CREW · FLY · SYLMAR · ELSINORE · PINE FLATS · CRESTLINE · SOAR PLA YA DEL REY · NO WORDS
COMFORT DELUXE THE WI D H A VEN PRO NE H AR NE S '.\lu l11ple adju table uspen ,on strap
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t
'.\lilitarv Certified webbing
ers
Hu:h densm clo ed -cell foam
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Desig ned and Te ted b Experts Chn Price Tnp '.\! ellini:er and Rob Reed pent mam hour te 11ng th, deluxe oarin g harnes for the ul11mate m harnes design . The qualit, and trength t unsurpassed end now for mforma11on on ho" \\" mdha,en can add co mfort to \'Our oarini: experience'
~1anufa ccured exclu ivel • for Windha en by the Price H arne Compan
WRITE FOR FREE HARNESS CATALOG
-w;NDHAVEN HA"IG G IDt G SCHOOLS I C
l'.!-137 .-\:'s FER:-SA:'\D YL:\1.-\R C.-\ 91342
RD
Sound familiar? Without an altimeter, you really don't know exactly how high you are or, later, how high you've been. Stop guessing by taking an Altimaster II along. It's precision built so it's light, rugged and reliable. It has an easy-to-read face that can be zeroed to any ground elevation.
And the Altimaster mounts practically anywhere - on your hanglider, your harness or your wrist. (It's so small that you probably didn't notice the Altimaster worn by the pilot above.) So stop guessing. Use the coupon below to order your Altimaster II today.
{j){j)/i) ______s_s_E_I_N_co __ RP_o_RA __T_E_D______•
MA!7
5801 Magnolia Avenue• Pennsauken, NJ 08109 • (609) 663-2234
-------------------------, Altimaster II
$89.95 Please rush me an Altimaster II. (We ship within 24 hrs.) D Enclosed is my check or money order for $89.95 D Please charge my Visa Master Charge. Acct.# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Expires _ _ _ _ _ _ _ M.C. Interbank# _ _ Signature------------~
Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip _ _ Dimensions: 3 'x 11/t"
K-1979 SSE, Inc. Altimastcr is a trademark. Photo by Carl Boenish.
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
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• •
GH • A PIT
SY HAND P
VE D GN
NDING OV
U PERFOR A
*STILL IN STRONG DEMAND The OL Y continues as a popular glider although the Electra Floater and even some other brands may outperform it. So why do we continue to sell so many OL YS? If you have flown the OL Y the answer becomes rather obvious . Ease of Handling - Light Control Effort - Quick Response - Safety Versatility - Broad Speed Range - Fun to Fly Being a design that's been proven over two years doesn t make the OL Y obsolete . To be obsolete means that something must be offered that is significantly better. When that happens we will stop producing the OL Y.
Consider the OLYMPUS . A 1979 glider with a 1977 price . $1 ,095 .