USHGA Hang Gliding August 1982 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

EDITOR; Gil Dodgen ASSOCIATE EDITOR LAYOUT & DESIGN: Janie Dodgen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Leroy Grannis. Bettina Gray. Stephen Mccarroll ILLUSTRATORS: Horry Marlin, Rod Stafford

OFFICE STAFF: MANAGER:' Carol Velderrain Cathy Coleman (Advertising) Amy Provln (Ratings) Linda Stahlberg (Membership) Terri Jo Nelson (Acct. Rec.) USHGA OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: Vic- Powell VICE PRESIDENT: Doug Hildreth SECRET ARY: Elizabeth Sharp TREASURER: Ken Koerwitz EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Vic Powell Dovg Hildr~th David Broyles USHGA REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION 1: Doug Hildreth. REGION 2: George Whitehill. Pat Devevan REGION 3: Rob Kells,Steve Hawxhurst. REGION 4: lucky Campbell, Ken Koerwitz. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Ted GIimore. REGION 7: David Anderson, Henry Braddock. REGION 8: ·Charles laVersa. REGION 9: Les King, Richard Newton. REGION 10: Richard Heckman. Scott Lambert. REGION 11: David Br9yles. , REGION 12: Paul Rikert, Steve c;>sterta1;1. EXOFFICIO DIRECTOR: Everett Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Bill Bennett, . John Harris, John Lake; Hugh Morton, DIRECTORSA t-LARGE: Jan Case, Keith Nichols, Pennis Pagan, Vic Powell, Elizabeth Sharp. The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc.. Is a clivlslon of the Nattonol Aeronautic Association (NAA) which Is the offlclOI U.S. representative of the Fsderattpn Aeronautlque lnternatlonole (FAI), the world governIng body for sport aviation. Th~ NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, hasdele~ gated to the USHGA supervision ()f . PAIrelated t\ang gliding : activities svcbh as record attempts and competition sanctions. HANG GUD1NG magazine Is published for hQng , gliding sport enthusiasts to create fyrther Interest In the sport, by a means of open comtnunleatlon and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Cor>- tributlons ore welcpme. Anyone fs Invited to contribute articles, photos, and Illustrations concerning hang gilding activities. If the material Is to, be returned, a stamped, self-ad<;lressed return envelope must be ~nclosed Notlflcotlon m_ust be rrjacJe of submission. to other hang gilding publ/cation1. HANG GUD1NG magazine reserves the right to edit confr/. butions where necessary, The Assoclott,;n and , publication do l)Qt assume respdnsitilllty :tor the ' material opinions of contrlbutorSi HANG GLIDING magazine Is published monthly by the United States Hong Gliding Association. - inc. whose moiling address is · P.O Box 663~, -Los Angeles, Coltt. 90066 and. whose offic.es are localed o.t 11423 Washington Blvd.. Los Angeles. Calif. 90066: telephone (213) 390-3065:Seconctc class postage is paid at Leis Angeles, Col~. HANG · GLIDING magazine is printed by uenett Co; iThe typesetting Is provided by 1st Impression Typesettil)<;l ; Service, Buena Pork, Calif: Color . separations by Sc<;mner House of ~tudio City, Calif. The USHGA Is a member-controlled educational. ond scientific organization dedlcdted to e~plo-ring · oU facets pf ultrolighl fiight. Membership is ppen to anyone interested in this r,;ialm of flight. Dueis for.full members~ip are $29.50 per year ($32.50 tot foreign addresses): subscription rotes ore; $22.50 ,for. one year, $40.00 far two yeais, $57.50 for three years,' Changes of oddre,ss shouid be·sent six weeks In ad-: vonce. including name, USHGA ffiF>mbershlp oumber. previous and new address, and a moittng label' from a r?Cant issue.

ISSUE NO. 115

AUGUST 1982

Hang Olding CONTENTS FEATURES

A HANG GLIDER AIR SPEED INDICATOR AND STALL WARNING DEVICE

article and photos by Alban Liepert

USHGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS SOLICITED

THUNDERBOLT

by Prince of Pine illustrations by Harry Martin

AN EYE FOR AN EVAS

REGION II NATIONAL QUALIFIER

SANT A BARBARA'S WEATHER STATION

THE SO CAL REGIONALS

TEN SECONDS OVER HORSE CANYON

THE REDTAIL

by Dennis Pagen

by Kirk Russell article and photos by Ted Ross the Staff photos by Ines Roberts

by Tom Hard by Jeff Mailes illustration by Hardy Snyman

DEPARTMENTS 4 4 5 8 10 12 16 15 38 43 44 46 49

ULTRALIGHT CONVERSATION INDEX TO ADVERTISERS MILESTONES PRESIDENT'S PAGE by Vic Powell USHGA REPORTS NEWS AND NEW PRODUCTS THE RIGHT STUFF by Erik Fair USHGA REPORTS by Keith Nichols NEWLY ACQUIRED USHGA RA TINGS AND APPOINTMENTS CALENDAR CARTOON by Harry Martin CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING STOLEN WINGS

COVER: Dave Gibson pilots his UP Comet into an unusual attitude. Photo by Leroy Grannis CENTERSPREAD: Bill Floyd and friend over Torry Pines. CA in a U.S. Moyes glider. Photo by Leroy Grannis. CONSUMER ADVISORY: Hang Gliding Magazine and USHGA Inc., do not endorse or take any responsibility for the products advertised or mentioned editorially within these pages. Unless specifically explained. performance figures quoted in advertising are only estimates. Persons considering the purchase of a glider are urged lo study HGMA standards. Copyright ri' United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc 1978. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding Magazine and individual contributors.

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'\tiFRQ~VCiiir1ott Flying In Czechoslovakia Dear Editor,

r would like to take this occasion to inform you_ about hang gliding in Czechoslovakia. We have approximately 1,200 members organized in 70 clubs. There is only one firm which produces hang gliders (only for training purposes) so we are forced to build high performance gliders ourselves. We are not yet members of FAI (expect this next year).

and is intended to insure long-term hang gliding opportunities as well as alleviate the concerns of individual property owners in the immediate area. One of the recommendations of the environmental assessment was to concentrate all hang gliding activities at the playground site. To implement this recommendation the Forest Supervisor issued a forest order making it a citable offense for anyone engaged in hang gliding, including launching south of Playground Road between the permitted area and Camp Paivika. Forest officers will site any individual setting up or attempting to launch a hang glider in this area. This is the first time a Special Use Permit for hang gliding has been granted by the National Forest and it is important that the site be well maintained. The Crestline launch will be used as an example should other clubs or individuals try to obtain a use permit on other National Forest land. It is to the advantage of every pilot to help make the Crestline launch area a success by supporting the Crestline Soaring Society. A pilot must be a member of USHGA and pay a fee of $25 to the CSS to fly for one year. For pilots who only fly occasionally they can pay a daily fee of $3. This goes into effect August 15. Crestline Soaring Society P.O. Box 1464 San Bernardino, CA 9240 I

Landing Technique Meteorological conditions in central Europe are mostly weak and do not allow big cross country flights (our longest flight is 30 km). I am a technical supervisor and test pilot of the north region and have been flying since autumn 1976. I enclose a photo of my latest design. I have reached 2,200 M ASL with 1,300 M height gain. In HG magazine I personally appreciate color pictures, cross country stories, advanced instruction and flying equipment evaluations. I have one dream: to fly in California!

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS AOPA ......................................................................................... 9 Ball Yariometers ................................................................. 35 Bennett Delta Wing Gliders .................................... 19, BC Eco Nautlcs ........................................................................... 37 Embury ..................................................................................... 51 Flight Designs ............................................................... 30, 31 Glider Rider ........................................................................... 37 Hall Brothers .......................................................................... 47 Hang Gliding Press ........................................................... 40 Leaf .................................................................................... 46, 51 Lookout Ml.............................................................................. 11 Moyes ...................................................................................... 47 Owens Valley HG Center .............................................. 40 Pacific Kites ........................................................................... 7 Pagen Books ......................................................................... 47 Para Publishing .................................................................... 8 Pro Air ................................................................................ 22, 23

Dear Editor,

Rotec ........................................................................................ 51

I would like to have some comment from Dennis Pagen or Erik Fair concerning landing technique for double surface gliders. Is there a significant advantage/disadvantage to using a drag chute on landing?

Snyder Ent............................................................................. 40 Systek ....................................................................................... 46 Ultralite Products ............................................................... IBC USHGA ................................................................ 32, 35, 36, 52

Name Illegible Tucson, AZ

Coming up. -Ed.

Jiri Klikar J ablonec, Czechoslovakia

Whole Air Magazine .......................................................... 3 7 Wills Wing, Inc ............................................................. IFC, 1, 2

Well Done? Dear Editor,

Crestline Soaring Society Dear Editor, The Crestline Soaring Society has been selected by the San Bernardino National Forest to develop and operate the hang gliding launch site on Forest Service land adjacent to Playground Road in Crestline. The permit was designed in early June and the club had begun construction on the parking area, on-site sanitation, trash receptacles and water in addition to on-site management. The permit is issued for a five-year period

That person who tried to dry a cat in a microwave oven sure was surprised. It's amazing how even frozen hamburger comes out well done after a few minutes. Such thoughts sprang to mind as I prepared to launch from the base of the microwave tower at Little Black Mountain. Since microwaves heat by exciting water molecules, I wonder what they do to eyeballs? I landed quickly and sent off my questions to Pacific Telephone. They told me that these microwave towers use very little power. Even if you press your nose against the antenna, the level is less than

AD DEADLINES All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l1/2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. Mar. 20 for the May issue.

HANG GLIDING

one-tenth what OSHA considers to be safe for continuous exposure. Furthermore, the microwave beams are straight and narrow; your exposure is practically nil unless you are directly in the beam's path. So relax and enjoy your frying, er, flying. Allen Cypher La Jolla, CA

Water Gap Hang Gliding Club Dear Editor, I was struck with the similarity between the February cover by Dennis Pagen and the logo of the Water Gap Hang Gliding Club of New Jersey. We used to be the North Jersey Hang Gliding Club but people kept getting confused with the New Jersey Club, so we changed our name and logo in October, '81.

A COLUMN FOR UNUSUAL AND EXCITING FLIGHTS

We were fortunate to have Cliff Ghetti, or:>; of the contributing editors of Motor Trend Magazine, and one great designer to do the final work on the logo. He finished the logo last December and except for the fact that the gliders in the respective pictures are turning in opposite directions and some minor details the resemblance is unmistakable. The Water Gap is a break in the Appalachian mountain chain through with the Delaware River flows. Cliff faithfully reproduced the gap right down to the exposed rock on the right side. We can't fly there at this time because it's a National Park but we're working on it. Let's see some more of Dennis Pagen's excellent artwork. It's real quality. Roy Smith Water Gap Hang Gliding Club

Hang Gliding welcomes letters to the editor. Contributions must be typed. double spaced and limited to a maximum of 400 words. All letters are subject to standard editing for clarity. Send contribution to: USHGA, P. 0. Box 66306. Los Angeles. CA 90066.

AUGUST1982

CHICO, CA: Rene Laliberte is co-owner of Silver Wing Flight Specialties with Bryan A. Alhardt, based in Chico, CA. On June 6th, 1982, he took off from a local mountain site with a 1,500' launch. Conditions were exceptionally good that day, with the wind blowing straight in at 10-15 mph. Rene took off at 12:15 PM and immediately gained about 2,000 feet above takeoff. Since he had already told everyone that he was going to. fly where no pilot had flown before (i.e., north along the ridge), we weren't surprised to see him head out. After going about five miles, he turned around and headed back for the landing area, sinking out all the way. He managed to come in with about 500 feet. We could see that he was setting up his landing approach, when suddenly he started turning in some light lift. Next thing we knew, he was specked out at 4,600' above the LZ. He'd already been aloft for an hour, but he must have been determined to go for it that day, because he headed out again. Luckily, he had arranged for a driver to follow him if he should try to fly cross country. (He later said that seeing the driver, Glenn Simpson, gave him courage to keep going for it.) Rene's flight path carried him over nasty foothills, back onto fingers on the main ridge, and over desolate areas with no roads or landing areas for five-mile stretches. He got low, 500-800' above the ground on several occasions, but each time managed to

work his way back up to cloudbase. Cloud suck also played a part in helping him to maintain altitude, but at 150 lbs. on a 185 Cornet, he was reluctant to stay too close to the developing clouds for fear of not being able to get out. He registered several 3,000 to 4,000-foot altitude gains during his flight, got low quite a few other times, and finally ended his record flight 38 miles and four hours later. I might mention that his flight also put him in first place for an unofficial cross country contest being held by the local club, the Northern California Skymasters. Although Rene Laliberte's flight was by no means a record by national or world standards, it is the longest flight ever on record for this area. It was a personal best for distance flown, time aloft, and altitude gains for Rene. He summed up his flight thusly: "Doing your best at anything makes you feel just great; but with hang gliding, you also have a lot of fun doing it." Rene Laliberte is 32 years old, an advanced pilot for seven.

HIGH ROCK, MARYLAND:May 2, 1982 turned out to be one of those dream days as pilots at sites all around the area set new records for cross country flying. Two pilots had their first cross country flights. Eric Logan flew a Lazor 12 miles from Zirks, and Ray Ruff flew his Demon 24 miles from the "Pulpit" after climbing to 8, l 00' MSL at launch (2,100' MSL). A visiting pilot from

Ohio became the first to fly from the Pulpit to High Rock, where he then soared with other flyers before landing. The really spectacular flights originated from High Rock that day. Besides a host of people who had 20-30 mile flights, there were three great flights. Dick Newton set a new local altitude record with 9,100' MSL (7,300' above launch) in addition to drifting 40 miles in his Comet 165. Ward Odenwald flew a Sensor 510 52 miles to Laurel, MD, just a few miles from his home. Ward's entire flight took place between 7,000' and 8,500' MSL, and he was forced down as he tried to get around the Baltimore-Washington International Airport control zone. The real prize of the day belonged to Jerry Nielson and his Comet 165. Jerry flew 60 miles to Ft. Meade, MD, and on three separate occasions he was down to 500' and found a thermal which took him back to cloudbase. At one point he tried to land at a shopping mall but caught a thermal 200' above the mall and up he went again. Jerry was at 7,000' and in a cloud street when he too encountered the BWI airspace, and everything was lost in trying to get around the airport (we've just gotta move that airport!). By the way, all of the above flights were made over flat terrain from 1,000' vertical launches.

MYRTLEFORD, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: We crowded nine pilots, three kids and Judi into the "Cloudbase" land cruiser and started the climb up the "bald" hill behind Myrtleford. Way off over the highlands scattered Cu's filled the southeastern sky and odd clouds formed and dissipated above Mt. Buffalo 12 miles away. The wind was 10 knots from the SE and rising as we sought out a suitable takeoff point. At 12:45 PM Rob de Groot launched, made a couple of passes in front of takeoff then began climbing out from the bowl to the left. Jeff Scott launched next followed closely by myself. We played around in the increasing turbulence, found some lift, lost it and ended up below takeoff with Mike Delay, who had just launched. Rob was still pretty high above the hill as slowly a coherent thermal began to build. Mike missed it and as he headed for the road Jeff and I began to climb. About 1,000' over takeoff (3,500' MSL) the thermal broke up and Jeff turned tail wind while I went back to join Viv Weatherall who was getting up back near launch. We climbed together to about 5,000' MSL before Viv headed out. I stayed with it to eke out another 1,000' as Rob, Emu and Dave Delay scratched around at takeoff. I left and flew toward Myrtleford then out along the Ovens River. Viv marked the first few thermals for me as we gradually lost site of those behind. Approaching Everton, at the west end of Buckland Gap ridge, I left Viv and headed

north to a prom1smg looking cloud street. This almost proved to be the end of my flight (and all others that followed that route including Jeff and Rob) as the sink approaching the street was a steady 1,000' down. I dejectedly pushed toward a landing at Tarrawingee Oval as my altitude diminished to about 800' AGL where the air became more bouyant. Optimistically, I struck out for a large ploughed area just beyond town. I didn't expect much but found sustaining lift which gradually developed into a strong core that took me and numerous soaring birds back to a reasonable altitude. Drifting in this thermal I covered 15 km and slowly worked my way to cloudbase at 8,500' MSL. Picking up chatter on the radio I realized Jeff was also somewhere near Wangaratta but his vague directions failed to help locate him so I pushed on beneath the fading cloud street. The thermals were now topping out in wispy cloud at about 9,000' MSL and although they

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weren't strong they were broad and consistent. Over 30 km past Wangaratta I was still trying to link up with Jeff when heading toward a growing CU. I spotted him closing in on the same thermal. It had been 2 112 hours and over 100 kms from the last thermal we had worked together, back above the takeoff hill. We topped out together at 10,000' and headed northwest toward the Murray. As we progressed we realized a dilemma was presenting itself in the form of a large expanse of swampy forest directly downwind. Should we head more northerly and cross into NSW near Tocumwal or head west paralleling the river to the south of the forest. The latter seemed the best thing for easy retrieval so we headed into the slowly setting sun. At this altitude (6-10,000') the flat land below gave no hint of distance or ground speed and I had no idea how far we had come, although Mt. Buffalo was now no more than a hazy bump on the eastern horizon.

/ HANG GLIDING

The lift was also weakening and there had been no cumulus development for over an hour as we reached the Goulburn river irriga· tion area and an unpromising expanse of lush damp fields. Using Jeff as a thermal marker I turned off my dying vario to conserve its flagging batteries and followed him across the silent afternoon sky. It was quite eerie and very difficult to centre on the light lift and it wasn't long before we were down to 4,000' MSL and scratching to find something workable. I was soon forced to resurrect my vario as we spread out in search of something going up. Jeff headed for dryer fields to the south while I continued to drift straight down wind. He was circling when I looked back and although not going up very fast he was definitely not going down so I altered course and covered the two km separating us as efficiently as possible. Even so, when I got there I was down to about 1,800' AGL and the 0-50 up was hardly encouraging. Jeff lost patience and took a hunch on a small hill just outside the next town. I decided to just drift with this marginal lift as it took me toward a field being ploughed by three large tractors. Every few minutes the dust from the tractors would veer and con· verge and gain some vertical component. By the time I reached the field the thermal was strengthening and was now 100-200 fpm. Above the field it broadened and became

AUGUST 1982

easier to work so I radioed Jeff for his progress but his hasty reply discouraged me from further talk and I gave all my attention to maximizing the lift I was working. Ten minutes later Jeff came in saying he was landing in the town oval, then silence. Another 15 minutes passed and I was still circling in the same thermal when Jeff informed me he had landed in Nathalia. Much to his chagrin I told him I was back up to 8,400' and heading on. After 40 minutes of constant circling in that thermal I had not only gained 6,000' but had drifted 25 km. I was glad to be flying straight again. The air was glassy smooth now and very bouyant but once again the swampy forest along the Murray was presenting a barrier downwind so I set my course slightly crosswind for the village of Barmah on a bend in the river. Approaching the town I realized I had lost very little altitude and decided it was a waste to burn off over 4,000' of ground clearance just to land in a town, so I looked downwind across the river. All I could see in the sunset haze was miles of dry grassland, few tracks, fewer trees and no sign of life. Crosswind along the river but well out of range for that time of day was a large town so I optimistically followed the river in that direction. Above the forest I found workable lift, some sort of evening heat release, but the drift was away from my goal as I plugged on, alternately

working lift then cutting headwind-crosswind. I covered another 20 km in this fashion before I was forced to make a run for a civilized landing area. A farm house with Cessna and windsock presented itself so I turned and floated in to land 100 meters from the house into a 5-8 knot southerly. I was stiff from the 61/2-hour flight but very content as I pulled out my maps to pinpoint my location at five miles north of Echuca. When Dave and Mike picked me up we pieced together the day's flights. Jeff had done 153 km (95 miles), Gary (Emu?) on his second X-C flight had done 76 miles, Viv had managed 55 miles but there was still no word of Rob although the others he had been with dropped out after the first few miles. A phone call back to base had us turned around and heading northwest into NS\XI to pick up Rob at Wakool 156 miles (251 km) from takeoff. He had chosen to fly north of the swampy forest and was able to continue downwind for 7 1/, hours landing at 8:30 PM at a remote homestead on the edge of the Hay plains. Viv, Rob, Jeff and I were flying Meteors, while the others were on Swifts. I actually held the Australian distance record for one hour with a flight of 120 miles ( 191 km). I'm glad Rob's going to the States for a ~ while. Ian Jarman

Presiflenl's Page by Vic Powell

NPRM At this writing in early June it seems certain that hang gliding has won a major victory in its effort to remain self regulating. My sources in Washington, D.C. all report that hang gliding has been removed from the NPRM. FAA has responded to comments received and deleted our sport from proposed regulations on ultralights. This is a significant achievement. I give much of the credit for it to USHGA members who responded to the call to send their views to the FAA, and to hang gliding's friends, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), who contacted the FAA in our behalf expressing support for USHGA's position. The FAA will issue regulations on powered ultralights. The sport is being given the continued opportunity to prove that it can safely regulate its participants and protect the flying and nonflying public. Not all comments received at FAA were in favor of our position. Federal agencies are often accused of being too often focused on their rules rather than results. I congratulate the FAA for their action on this matter, giving USHGA the opportunity for continued self regulation. As the national organization for the sport USHGA has the responsibility to insure that programs for the safe conduct of operations are produced, and that it informs flyers of the necessity of obeying federal and state aviation regulations. Your Association continues its efforts in these areas, but the ultimate responsibility for making self regulation work rests on each flight of every flyer. Your actions and those of your fellow flyers can assure the continued success of our decade of freedom, or guarantee the loss of it through carelessness and neglect. The sport has come very close to having regulatory ropes tied to it. The responsibility

that comes with our freedom must be appreciated and understood by every participant. Communication by USHGA is the key to this process. In the effort to inform about responsibilities and maintain our freedom we must undertake to assure that every flyer, from beginning student to cross-country competitor, is a member of USHGA. When all flyers are informed of their responsibilities to the sport and the public, and aware of the benefits of complying with self regulation, hang gliding will be a long way toward retaining its freedom into the next decade. I urge you to work toward that goal starting today. If you are an instructor make sure that your students join the Association. When you fly make sure that your flying buddy is a member. And vote for the best person to represent your interests on the Board of Directors. These are important steps you can take to assure a bright future for this beautiful sport.

FARs Although hang gliding is a self regulating sport, it is not completely free of government control. There are rules of the road that apply to us. Violation of these rules can bring the government clown on a flyer with a significant amount of force: trial in a federal court, fines, confiscation of equipment and jail term. Its enough to make a flyer want to know what the rules are. Part 91 of the Federal Air Regulations generally applies to hang gliding operations. Applicable parts are available from USHGA headquarters and have been quoted in the past in this publication. If you are not sure of what you can and cannot legally do in the air, and hang gliding's place in the order of things, get hold of a copy and read it. The largest potential for violation of Part 91 is during cross country flights. Restricted areas, prohibited areas, airport control areas, and Victor airways are regions that hang glider flyers should avoid. In some sections of the

country it may be difficult to perform a cross country flight and remain outside these areas. But hang gliders are not to be operated in them. Get your copy oft he applicable parts of Part 91, get out your sectional map and familiarize yourself with the areas in which you can safely conduct operations. Knowing where not to fly can be as important to self regulation as knowing where to fly. May the winds in which you fly the remainder of this summer be smooth, and the ~ thermals strong.

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TOW LAUNCH

There are several ways to get your glider up to launch altitude. You can walk it up, drive it up, fly it up with an engine and tow it up with a car or boat. Flatland pilots have an even narrower choice: engines or tow. Manned KITING by Dan Poynter is all about tow launched hang gliding. In fact, it is the only book on this special aspect of the sport. You will learn how to get to altitude with a proven step by step program which takes you from taxi practice, to lift off, to climb, release and free flight. All the necessary equipment is described in detail with photos and sources.

You can expand your flying experience by sending for this fun, easy to read book now, just $4.95 (includes shipping in the U.S.; foreign add $I; Californians add 30<. sales tax) to: Para Publishing

Books By Dan Poynter P.O. Box 4232-G Santa Barbara, CA 93103 USA Tel: (805) 968-7277 Send for FREE brochure

HANG GLIDING

~ AOPA Ultralight Division, Yotar k9y to. It takes a lot of work to keep the skies free and open for you. Call it ground support. The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) has been doing that work for 43 years, giving hundreds of thousands of pilots the support they need to enjoy flying. Things like protecting airspace, and keeping state and local authorities and the general public informed about the value and benefit of flying. Now we're going one step further for the ultralight pilot - you! We're adding even more ground support by creating an Ultralight Division that oHers benefits, services arid aviation know-how only the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association can offer: • Exclusive Charter Member certificate • Ultralight Pilot- bi-monthly magazine for ultralight enthusiasts. Pilot reports; technicar assistance; full-color photos; fun features; and more • Monthly Newsletter to keep you informed of recent general aviation/ ultralight developments • National fly-In/competition - you can demonstrate your machine, skills, and have your fill of fun! • Automatic $700 Group Personal Accident Insurance policy for ultralight flying · • Optional additional insurance coverage available for pilot and ultralight a[rcraft • Airmen and aircraft certification and registration program developed by the AOPAAlr Safety Foundation. Education, self regulation, safety reporting and anti-theft program, all helping to keep federal government regulation to a minimum • Representation in Washington and at state and local levels; car rental discounts; medical, technical and · legal assistance; personal t.D. card - and much more! Get on board! Fill out the coupon now and add your name to the growing Charter Member Hst of the Ultralight Division. Only $29 per year gets you all the benefits, services and aviation know-how that hundreds of thousands of pilots have been enjoying for 43 years.

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I want to be one of the first to join the AOPA Ultralight Division and help keep the skies free and accessible. Let's get going!

II Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ II Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

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FBO or ultralight dealer? · .Check here: o I wanf to offer Ultralight Pilot to my customers. Enclosed is my: D check or money order C Visa O MasterCard

City/State/Zip_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the amount of _ _ _~ccount # _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp. Date _ _ __

Current AOPA member'

o no

c yes

AOPA #

AOPA 7315 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814

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USHCA REPORTS

COMPETITION REPORT The USHGA And Its Role In Competition by Keith Nichols The USHGA has played a strong guiding role in this country's history of hang gliding competition ever since the first National Championships at Sylmar back in 1973. In some way, the association has had some influence in practically every contest held since then. There are, however, some misconceptions about the USHGA's role in competition that need to be clarified. Awareness of the various roles played by the USHGA, meet organizers, competitors, sponsors, and members will help you to understand the structure of contemporary U.S. hang gliding competition. First, a brief recap of the history of the association and competition is necessary. The USHGA is primarily an educational organization, created to spread the gospel of hang gliding. In its inception as the Peninsula Hang Gliding Club, it gathered together a loosely knit bunch of kite bums once a month for movies, talk and beer, and then published a newsletter to remind everyone of what they talked about and where they were going to fly next month. These informal meetings, however. were important exchanges of information. They helped educate the participants of this dynamic new sport. As the sport grew, so did the organization. Soon, it became the Southern California Hang Gliding Association. More and more members joined, avid for this unique source of information. The meetings outgrew their original room and shifted to a large auditorium. The mimeographed newsletter became a 40-page magazine named "Ground Skimmer," a rather esoteric title for a rather esoteric sport. People from all over the U.S. were becoming members. It soon became obvious that this once local 10

hang gliding club was now a national organization. Membership numbered over 5,000 flyers, both American as well as international. "Ground Skimmer" became a professionally published, color glossy magazine with over 75 pages per issue. People from all over the world were looking to the United States and to the SCHGA for information and guidance. The association finally came of age. It became the United States Hang Gliding Association and was accepted by the NAA and the FAI as this country's voice of the sport. A system of regional representation similar to our national government was set up to both serve and represent the nationwide membership as well as possible. With the growth of the sport of hang gliding, it was only natural that some semblance of competition would evolve. First, there were fly-ins, then bulls-eye landings; soon who could stay up the longest, who could go farther, and who could go faster. Most of these early contests were very informal, with competition being secondary to fun. But with the competitiveness between the plethora of new manufacturers and the rapidly improving performance of gliders, serious competition became a viable consideration. The problem was that no one knew how to put it all together. The logical direction, of course, was the USHGA. A Competition Committee was formed and they drafted guidelines for tournaments. They drew from their own experience and the knowledge gleaned from the early contests. It was confusing but it was a start. As with hang glider design, competition design began advancing faster than the rules could keep up with it. The goal of these rules was to create a competition situation as valid as possible and as fair to the competitors as possible. Launch formats evolved from large heats to small ones, through open windows to two-man heats, and have currently settled mainly on the one-onone format, using dual launch ramps. Tasks started with target landings and bombdrops, progressed through various maneuvers such as 360's and figure eight's, and moved into cross country. Finally, contest organizers and task designers began to consider the philosophy of what makes a good flight: the most efficient use of available lift, reducing the "luck factor" and they designed today's all-purpose task around that philosophy. Little by little, the Competition Committee has drawn on the talents and experience of its competing pilots to create a contemporary, relevant, clear set of rules and guidelines that can be applied to virtually any contest. Again, these rules, which are more guidelines than hard and fast rules, have attempted to insure that tournaments in this country are as valid as possible, while still maintaining an atmosphere of fairness for the pilots. When tournament organizers are willing to

conform to this USHGA philosophy of validity and fairness, the association awards its sanction to their meet. To the pilot, this means that the meet is striving to be of the highest quality, one that will select a winner fairly and one that will promote the sport in a rational manner. This is, always has been, and always should be the primary function and purpose of the USHGA with regard to competition. The USHGA compiles records of competition, sanctions meets, provides liability insurance for the meet, revises the competition guidelines each year, and coordinates this country's involvement with international competition. It also administers the Competition Points System (C.P.S.), which ranks competitors nationally and rates their eligibility for U.S. teams. One of the primary things to be aware of at this point is that the USHGA does not run hang gliding competitions! It never has and probably never will! They have neither the money nor the manpower. What the USHGA does, however, is to continuously draw upon the experience of its members in drawing up the guidelines and rules for hang gliding competition that will protect the competing pilots as well as the credibility of hang gliding competition itself. The USHGA Competition Committee revises the rulebook every year to reflect the experience and new ideas developed from the previous year. In addition, the Association has developed a Sanction Package that has turned into a meet director's manual. It contains guidelines to organizing a meet as well as running one. Quite often, the USHGA Directors get involved in the organization of hang gliding tournaments, usually as the meet director or some type of supervisory capacity. They are not, however, running the meet on behalf of the USHGA. They are running the meet as a concerned pilot and as someone who quite likely is more familiar with USHGA guidelines and procedures. There are basically three types of meets held in this country: Regional Championships, through which pilots attempt to qualify for a seat at the Nationals; the National Championship, designed to select a National Champion from the regional qualifiers; and other competitions. Other competitions include professional money meets, amateur (for lack of a better term) meets such as the X-C Classic, and smaller local meets. The Regionals and the Nationals are the basis for the competition structure in this country that the USHGA has set up. The concepts have undergone many progressive changes, mostly for the better, but the basic concept has remained the same. The twelve Regions select their top pilots and qualify them to compete against each other at the Nationals. While the USHGA does not actually run these contests, they provide the guidelines to insure that they are run well. HANG GLIDING

The Regionals and the Nationals are, by definition, sanctioned meets. To receive this sanction, these meets must conform to the USHGA sanction rules and the competition guidelines. So the responsibility for staging any competition does not lie with the USHGA. The USHGA merely approves, sanctions, and records the results of these meets. It is the responsibility of the competition pilots in each Region to see that a Regional Championship is held. If no one takes this responsibility, the Region cuts its own throat competitively. The same is true with the Nationals. The USHGA does not hold the Nationals. Instead, it ap· proves someone else's plan to hold the Nationals and offers all the help that it can. United States hang gliding competition is, in essence then, a direct function of United States competition pilots. If enough pilots in a Region want to compete, they must get together, convince someone they trust to be the meet director, and help that person design and run the competition. Last year there were 8,000 registered members in the USHGA and fewer than 500 pilots who competed. You who wish to compete, you who enjoy the camaraderie found at a meet, you who wish to finely tune your flying skills through competition - it is YOU who must encourage more competition. If you've competed before, you must help organize. Your experience is extremely valuable. If you're entering your first meet, bring a friend to help out. Hang gliding competition in this country, and ultimately our dominance in international competition depends on you, the United States pilot. Even if you don't compete, you can't help but ap· preciate the rapid strides the sport has taken as a direct result of competition. It must be supported and it must be supported on the grass roots level. So, once again, I make a plea to you all HELP COMPETITION! The entire struc· ture is a low-budget operation. There is no money in it. So if you can offer time, wives, husbands, kids, or friends, radios, construction materials, trucks, political contacts, pro· fessional talent such as a lawyer, doctor, administrator, etc., please, PLEASE do so! We're going to need it. Competition is on the verge of an exciting upswing and the more people who get inolved, the more support it will need. Contact either your Regional Direc· tor, Liz Sharp, me, or the USHGA. Good soaring.

Keith Nichols 160 West End Ave. #12N New York, NY 10023 (212) 496-0573

AUGUST1982

.065" wall to their non-anodized line of tubing. The new April, 1982 price list is now available upon request. Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc. is also offering a larger tubing discount to the current shops or manufactnrers who request our O.E.M. discount price list wholesale only. Contact: Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc., 331 South 11th Street, Department PR, Colorado Springs, CO 80907-4096, ('>03) 632-1959.

A new method of harvesting asparagus began south of Mabton, Washington recently on a 200-acrc field of Yakima Chief Ranches. Nearly 150 people arc pioneering in the use of a system which eliminates stooping to cut the spring vegetable. The workers arc suspended in hang glider harnesses from an I !-tower linear irrigation system which sweeps them in parallel rows across the quarter-mile wide field.

Kitty Hawk the flight center of the Outer Banks, recently celebrated its 10th year in the hang gliding business. Lots of people turned out for the occasion. It all started at 5:00 when lots of the name brand clothing at Kitty Hawk Sports was marked 20 1% off Kitty Hawk Sports is Hawk Kite's newest addition which specializes in water sports like sailing and wind surfing and carries a full line ()f sports apparel. The real l!'eat was a fashion show which presented lots of the season's new sportswear with name brands like OP, Sundek, Bobbie Brooks, and which Hawk Sports now has in stock.

Spectra Aircraft introduces the Sonic, a high performance competition or utility class refinement of the Aolus. According to the manufacturer, an internal cross tube, 95% cf~ Cec1ivc double surface, and increased camber sail, the Sonic is a vast improvement on the Aolus. The Sonic uses an Aolus planform ( 150 ° nose angle) with a very loose internal floating cross tube assembly, a tight folly ribbed lower surface, cleaner leading edge, and internal lock-up tubes for improved high speed performance and overall glide. Low speed performance, sink rate, and landing characteristics were improved by increasing the camber and leading edge curvature throughout. Handling was also improved by incorporating Spectra's split double surface. This unique concept (in development since 1979) allows for greater tortional flexibility without sacrificing a tight, flat sail for performance. As with all Spectra gliders, the Sonic comes complete with king post fairing, nose fiiiring, undersurface fairing, and a new lighter weight storage bag. For further information contact: Spectra Aircraft, 2151 Arnold Industrial Hwy. Shop #5, Concord, CA 91520 (415) 798-9993.

Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of bright dip pewter blne and gold anodized 6061 T-6 aluminum tubing to their current line of tubing. They are now able to offer the pewter blue and gold anodized tubing in the following sizes: l" O.D. x .058" wall and I" O.D. x .083" wall, as well as 1-1/8" O.D. x .058" wall in pewter blue only. In addition, LEAF, Inc. has also added 1-1/8" OJ). x .125" wall and 2-1/2" x

'J'he head of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's ultralight division has been appointed a member of'thc National Transporta·· tion SaCety Board's team which is investigating a recent ultralight accident fatal to a Wash·· ington television personality. Vic Powell, AOP A's senior vice president for special projects, was selected for his expertise in the ultralight aircraft field. This is the first investigation of an ultralight accident conducted by the NTSB. The accident occurred Sunday, June 27. Washington television star Steve Douglas, taping a segment for his "Saturday Magazine" program, was killed when he Cell 1,000 feet after a wing on the ultralight crafl reportedly folded during a descent. "Safety training and aircratl standards arc high priority in the programs of AOPA and the AOPA Air SaCety Foundation ultralight activities," Powell said. "This tragic accide111 and the NTSB investigation of it will result in the saving of many lives in the future which can be another legacy of Mr. Douglas."

Thursday, August 26, 1982! 7:00 PM! Just before the U.S. Nationals! Be there or be square! It's the first and probably last Hang Flight talent show! It's a disco bluegrass, classical rock, urban skypunk fictional fantasy, featuring a bunch of talented hang glider pilots doing something besides yakking about flying! Hang Gliding The True Story. Don't miss it! You think the fashion show was bizarre? Wait till you sec this one! Call Betty or Erik at (714) '512-7441 for reservations. HANG GLIDING

force. He placed in the top five in each of the races. Smith's longest flight in the competition in England was 22 miles. On May 4, launching from Grandfather Mountain, he made his longest flight of 50 miles to Rwherfordton, NC.

Race A, June 8-10:

1) Rich Burton, USA, Comet OVR 2) Chuck Simms, USA, Comet 3) Rainer Scholl, W. Ger., Vampyr

Race B, June 18-20: 1) Lance Lewman, USA, Comet 2) Chuck Simms, USA, Comet 3) Rainer Scholl, W. Ger., Vampyr

1. John Woiwode, Moscnw, ID 6. Lonnie Tiegs, Nampa, IDAHO 7. Mike King, Boise, ID Jeff Feldman, Billings, MT

K.cn Cavanaugh 1 Pocatello Paul I .undquist, Caspec 11. Sara Bowman, Dayton, WYO 1:?. Jim Bowman, Dayton, WY 1·1. Jerry Davidson, SLC, lJT (iary Spears, Rock Spr., WY

15. Jeff Mnzcr, Bozeman, MT 16. Steve Rathbun, Lovell, WYO 17. Mick Jimmerson, Billings, MT IR. Jim Schmit, Casper, WYO Eiji Spurlin, Pocatello, ID Ahrn Osen, Casper, WYO Shawn Osen, Casper, WYO Ricl1 Larson, Bozeman, M'J' 23. Keith Brown, Casper, WYO Johann Nield, Dayton, WYO Raymond Cooley, Dayton, WYO Jay Stephens, Billings, MT Larry McNamcc, Bozeman, MT Chris Kennard, Bozeman, MT

UP UP Comet

lJPGcmini UP CTcmini UP Comet Wills Harrier UP Comet Moyes Missie Sensor 510 Moyes Meteor UP Comet UP Gemini UP Gemini Wills Raven UP Comet

Super Lancer Super Lancer lJP Gemini Scagnoo l IM Super I ,ancer J,anccr Super Lancer Phoenix 6D Phoenix 12

OPEN CLASS

Race C, June 27-28: I) Jcan· Pierre Ohaco, Chile, Comet 2) Mark Bennett, USA, Comet 3) R. Duncan, ASL, Missile YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND Stcwar1 Smith of the Grandfather Mmmtain exhibition hang gliding team was the top individual or the 36 hang glider pilots from England, Canada, Brazil, France, Switzerland, and the United States who participated in the American Cup Hang Gliding Championship which took place at the Yorkshire Dale National Parlz. Smith flies a Sensor 510. Each of the above-named countries entered a six-man team in the competition which was won by Great Britain, with the United States team a close runner-up. Another Grandfather Mountain exhibition flyer, Jeff Burnett, served as Team Captain for the United States, and Burnett finished in fourth place in the individual standings for the pilots from the six nations. Smith's 1,020 poim total was tops for all 36 competitors which included many of the top pilots in the world and the current World champion, Pepe Lopez of Brazil. Tony Hughes of Greai Britain was runner-up to Smith with 919 points, over 100 points behind the champion. Smith becomes the first American pilot to win the coveted Rogallo Trophy named in honor of Francis Rogallo, father of hang gliding and a resident of Kitty Hawk, NC. Stew Smith's heroics were not enough to carry the American 1eam to victory. Britain's overall ,treng1h prevailed for the third time in the four years the event has taken place. Britain accumulated 4,178 team points to the United States' 3,835 points. Brazil placed third. The tasks in the American Cup were five open distance races where 1he pilot who flies the farthest wins. Smith did not win any of the five races held but consistency was his AUGUST 1982

Flight Realities, located in San Diego, California recently announced the opening of their new ultralight airpark. The facility, named McCarrol! Park in honor or the late Stephen McCarroll, features complete sales, service and instruction. According to Flight Realities' President Steve Hawxhurst, the company plans to establish a "total service" FBO. "We currently have a 2,000' x 100' runway and a 1,000' x 50' runway operating and a permanent tie-down line. In addition to our existing sales and service building we intend to add hangar space and complete repair shop facilities." Flight Realities is well known in the hang industry for their facility at the Torrey Pines Gliderpon. Stephen McCarroll was well known as one of the industry's most rnlcntcd photographers for both hang gliding and ultralights.

The "High Country Regionals" at Sand

Turn, WYO were the first of a two-part series to determine the 1982 U.S. Nationals repre· sentativcs from Region 5. The only guaran· teed slot went to the C:lass I winner, Russ Kidder.

CLASS I l. Russ Kiclcler, Casper WYO 2. Chuck Bright, Riverton, WYO

3. Charlie Stone, Dayton, WYO 4. Steve Shotwell, Pocntcllo, ID

UP Comet Sensor 510 UP Comet UP Comet

l. T. Jay Wirth, SI.C, UT

2. Tim Major, Spearfish, SD 'l. Mike King, Boise, ID

PrnStar J,EAFTalon X 180

Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc., one of America's leading manufacturers of hang glider and ultralight aircraft hardware and accessories, is pleased to announce the addition of two new body harnesses to their hang gliding accessories product line. These two new body harnesses, the "Leaf Prone" and "Leaf Supine" are especially designed {1)r pilots who take their flying very seriously. Both body harnesses feature: complete body support, fully adjustable shoulder pressure, 6,000 pound test scat belt-type webbing, and high quality nylon covering. They arc designed and manufactmcd for the ultimate in comfort and minimum aerodynamic drag. For additional information or for the new 1982 parts catalog contact: Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc., 331 South 14th Street, Department PR, Colorado Springs, CO 80904-4096, (303) 632-4959. 13

a:rdcle and In addition to the fine job Doug Hildreth has done in collecting and compiling data, he pointed out the large number of accidents caused by stalls and their possible prevention an audible stall warning device. by It is apparent that the quality of the gliders has dramatically imand their but the training methods and the to and its detection views in have not since the early days of the sport. In 1978, after I paid my painful dues to I the hang gliding myth of "'"'""''"'" and built an indicator with an audible stall warning. Noting the rather facts on stalls, more hang glider and pro· pilots may now have a more attitude toward and stall devices. The unit described here works very well, were not for quantity never had any commercial ambition to them. It is my hope, that public interest, a manufacturer would the from up the idea and

Alban

tion. Besides the safety aspect of the speed indicator, it also gives the pilot a chance to safely a foci for proper airspeed and, in tum, he gets a lot more performance out of his . Even an experienced pilot will benefit from the use of an airspeed indicator whenever a new glider or a one is test flown for proper hands-off pitch trimming.

The Indicator and Stall Warning Device can be quickly mounted on the left upright of any control bar. It should be located near the junction of the flying wires. In this location, it is out of the way when flying or the glider. Note: At the ini· tial mounting, the generator-propeller should be adjusted so that the longitudinal axis points in the direction of the path with the glider in normal flying or, when viewing the glider from the side, the axis should point down apin reference to the keel.

Im,trument Use Before one starts the takeoff nm, flip the audio switch to "on." When minimum flying speed is obtained, the audio will subside. If one should forget to flip the switch, the speed indication still works. During the flight, the audio stall warning may be quickly checked by just touching the propeller hub. Maximum utilization of this or any other airborne instrument can he achieved only if the pilot trains himself to frequently srnn the instrument and learn to the readings.

dicators could be marketed at an affordable

General range of the flex type Besides accurate speed indication, the instrument also gives an audible whenever the drops """'"'-'"" minimum speed.

Recommended Use The indicator is recommended for the novice pilot after he achieves One. At this time, the pilot is out of the direct control of an instructor who would yell: "Pull in" or "Push out." The novice pilot still flies mostly from a hill and is usually not to recover from a stall. In addition, he may not have the skill to do so quickly. Stalls from as low as 20 foet have proven to be very injurious. With the audible stall warnof the indicator, the pilot is alerted of the in time to make a decisive correc·

The stall is initially set for 18 mph It may be raised or lowered by adjusting a potentiometer which is accessible with a small screwdriver through a 1/8" hole next to the meter dial. One tum clockwise will raise the stall speed approximately one mph or lower it vice versa.

Care and Maintenance care different from that of any No other flying instrument is necessary. However, if the huh of the airscrcw wobbles during rotation, the shaft may be bent and it should he repaired properly. The battery for the Sonalert Horn should be replaced after 18 months. If any malfunction should occur return it for service.

Functicmal This indicator uses a metering screw, which drives a small D.C. (cmuinunl on page 4,5)

HANG GLIDING

1983 REGIONAL DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS SOLICITED USHGA is issuing its eighth annual call for nominations to the National Board of Directors. Nine positions are open for election in November, 1982 for a two-year term beginning January 1, 1983. USHGA members seeking a position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later than September 15, 1982 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang gliding activities and view points, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected). Candidates must be nominated by at least three USHGA members residing in the candidate's region. Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors are listed and their term expires December 31, 1982. Ballots will be distributed with the November issue of Hang Gliding magazine. USHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sport. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than September 15 to: USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

REG.#

CURRENT DIRECTOR

8 9

Doug Hildreth George Whitehill Rob Kells David Gray David Anderson Charles Laversa Les King

Dick Heckman

Paul Rikert

2 3 4 7

STATES WITHIN REGION Oregon, Washington, Alaska Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso, Texas, New Mexico, Utah Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island Washington, D.C., Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands New York, New Jersey

The following form is for your convenience.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION, NOMINATION FORM (Please print name, address and phone number)

as a candidate for Regional Director for Region # . I understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the 1982 Regional Director Election, if three nominations are received by September 15, 1982. I have notified the above person and he/she has accepted the nomination. N a m e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - USHGA # _ _ _ _ _ _ Region# _ _ _ _ __ Mail to: Elections, c/o USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

AUGUST 1982

An instructional column for the new pilot. by Erik Fair OK kids, no jackassing around. This month we're gonna get right down to it. Listen. Once you put the training hill behind you and successfully complete your first few altitude flights you effectively enter the single most dangerous stage of your hang gliding career. No matter how well you've been trained, no matter how careful you perceive your self to be, the fact is you are now more vulnerable to inadvenently getting in over your head than you ever have been or ever will be as long as you fly hang gliders. Think about it. While training you are under direct professional supervision. You basically rely on your instructor to keep you from doing anything obviously foolish. On the other end of the spectrum, once you've accumulated a fair amount of experience in a variety of conditions over a fair period of time, you develop a pretty good idea of what's going on. You may get in over your head but it probably won't be because you don't know any better. More experienced pilots generally get in trouble because they ignore the lessons of their experience or the limits of their skills. No doubt about it. Between the training hill stage and the experienced intermediate stage you are a lot like that lovable old cartoon character of legendary blindness, Mr. Magoo. For those of you under thirty who don't knqw

figured out if Yoda is simply an ugly dwarf or the seer he claims to be. Well I've got news for you. Yoda is the seer he claims to be. Furthermore, I've spoken directly with the boy and he's given me a list of skills and capabilities novice pilots need to develop between the time they leave the training hill and the time they begin to work lifting air.

THE FIRST THING

Mr. Magoo from Adam, think of yourselves as young Luke Skywalker. You're eager and ready to take on the whole universe of hang gliding and you think Darth Vadar is an overrated wimp. Worse, most parts of the Force aren't with you yet and you haven't even

In my opinion a pilot needs to accumulate 5-10 hours of airtime in conditions no stronger than the strongest he's experienced at his training hill before he should actively attempt to fly stronger (soarable) conditions. Such an approach gives a pilot an intact frame of reference for judging conditions. Simply, don't fly in conditions that your instructor would deem unsuitable for training were he with you. Generally this means accumulating airtime in "sled ride" conditions (mild, non-lifting air) or in "extended sled ride" conditions (relatively smooth end-of-the-day lift). These are the only conditions which are suitable for practicing the new skills you need to master before you attempt to work moderate to severe ridge of thermal lift.

ON~:

HANG GLIDING

AND ANOTHER THING I'm not kidding. Do not practice any of these maneuvers in anything but mild, relatively smooth conditions. Have plenty of ground clearance (500' or more) and be comfortable enough with high altitude flying to be relaxed and confident in the air. If at all possible fly out to a point where the landing area is thoroughly visible and accessible before you begin practicing these maneuvers. This will mrn1m1ze your chances of becoming disoriented and losing track of the LZ.

COOJt.tllNA1'e'b

AIRSPEED Now that you're going to be in the air 5-20 minutes at a time you'll want to spend part of it exploring your glider's speed range. Remember, trim speed is home base. LOW SPEED: It is extremely important to thoroughly familiarize yourself with low speed flight because once you start working lift, you're going to be cheating slow so you can get higher and stay up longer than your buddies. The slower you fly, however, the more sluggish your glider's response to your attempts to turn it. There is a point at which you no longer have roll authority. Here's how you find it. 1. Start with straight, level, trim speed (SLT) flight. Note how your glider responds to your roll input. 2. Return to SLT. Push out slightly from trim and again note roll response when you shift your weight slightly from side to side. 3. Keep pushing out in small increments and noting roll response. (More pressure and more lag the slower you go.) 4. Note that at a certain point the glider will begin to mush and shortly thereafter you will find it almost impossible to roll the glider. 5. Allow the glider to return to trim speed and repeat the process until you can instantly recognize the point at which you lose roll authority. 6. Once you are comfortable pushing the glider right to the edge of stall, get good and relaxed and actually stall it. Start from trim and push slowly out till your arms are extended. The glider will mush, defining a progressively steeper glide path and then, somewhat suddenly, drop its nose to recover airspeed. When this happens, relax and allow the glider to return to trim position. Do not repeat until you are back at SL T. See Figure I. Now you know how to recognize an impending stall, how to recover from it, and how the glider rolls at the low end of the speed range. HIGH SPEED: It is also important to become thoroughly familiar with your glider's high speed flight characteristics. The glider will roll progressively quicker at progressively higher airspeeds, you will experience increasing pitch bar pressure and you will learn that it is sometimes difficult to maintain a perfectly AUGUST1982

SLl'P'PEb 'f°URN

'DIVING "f"U~N

~ - - ---~-

-L-------------------------------------.1 17

straight heading during fast flight. You will also learn how much ground you can traverse and how much glide efficiency you lose at higher airspeeds. To explore the top end: I. Start at SL T. 2. Gradually and progressively pull in noting roll rates and pressures at various speeds between trim and fast (control bar at navel). Also note increasing pitch pressure. 3. Try maintaining straight and level headings at progressively faster speeds. 4. Take note of increasingly fast progress over the ground vis-a-vis rate of vertical descent. 5. Smoothly, evenly, return to trim by gradually releasing pressure on the control bar. 6. Now that you have experienced the sensa-

slightly out from trim) bank glider 30°. 3. Allow recovery by relaxing, centering on the bar and allowing it to return to trim position. Purposeful controlled slipping turns can be useful for losing altitude more quickly and with less forward progress over the ground than is the case with coordinated turns. DIVING TURNS: Diving turns result in more rapid altitude loss and faster progress over the ground than is the case with coordinated turns. Practice these by: 1. Pulling in and over on the control bar. 2. Return to center of bar but remain pulled in once desired bank angle is achieved. 3. Allow recovery by leveling glider and allowing control bar to return to trim position.

heading. See Figure II for glide path achieved during different types of turns. COORDINATED TURNS: By all means continue practicing these. I've found that most newer gliders coordinate fairly easily using the following method. 1. Start at SL T. 2. Pull in slightly (one or two inches will usually do) and simultaneously shift your weight to initiate roll. The overall effect of this is to diagonally pull your weight toward a corner of the control bar. 3. Just after the glider starts to roll, return to the center of the bar and allow it to come out to a point where you feel no pitch pressure. Some gliders require light pushout to achieve coordination. You should at this point be in a

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" tions and pressures associated with flying fast you won't be rattled by them when you have to haul ass someday to penetrate out of a canyon against a strong headwind.

TURNS Another important area to explore during your 5-10 hours of sled ride airtime is turns. You say you learned how to turn smoothly at the training hill? True enough, but basically all your instructor was trying to do was coax you through low-banked coordinated turns resulting 15 °-180° changes of heading. There wasn't enough altitude nor enough of your at· tention for him to teach you slipping turns, diving turns, and snap turns, all of which are useful for altitude manipulation and evasive maneuvering in addition to changes of 18

coordinated turn of about 15 °-20 ° bank angle. 4. Just before desired heading is achieved, pull your weight toward the opposite corner of the control bar to level the glider out. 5. Progressively steeper banked coordinated turns must be entered with progressively more airspeed and outward pitch adjustment. 6. Do not exceed 45 ° bank angles at this stage of the game. SLIP TURNS: While trying to perfect coordinated turns you will undoubtedly perform some slipping turns. These are caused either by insufficient entry speed for a given bank angle or too much pushout while in the turn. The sensation is literally a slipping down sideways sensation. Practice slipping turns by: 1. Starting with a low bank angle and push out a little more than you know you should. 2. Starting with a slow entry speed (say

SNAP TURNS: (Fig. III) These are useful for evasive maneuvering and showing off. Carefully practice these with lots of ground clearance in mild conditions by: 1. Pulling in substantially so that a crisp dive is achieved. 2. Roll the glider (it will roll quickly!). 3. Push out crisply to snap glider around the turn. You may scare yourself with this one. Work up to it, slowly and remember you can always come back to SLT. FL YING DOWNWIND You should, during this stage of your development, become totally comfortable with flying downwind. Start at high altitudes and (continued on page 45)

HANG GLIDING

from

DEL TA WING

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FLIGHT DECK Build your own • 17 oz. including hardware • Flip up mount for landing • Quick pit pin removal from bracket • Aerodynamic shape I low drag • Vacuum molded rugged A.B.S. plastic • Layout grid plan of front panel • Design a system for your kind of flying P.O. BOX 483 • VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA 91408 • PHONE (213) 785·2474 / 787-6600

THUNDERBOLT by Pirince of Pine illustrations by Harry Martin

It was a dark and stormy night For my one and only flight On that very well-equipped Unbelievable super-ship Called THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt! I ran to launch into the mist The wind hit like an icy fist Just when I thought it all was lost I remembered what it cost For THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt! As pilots go, I am the best! Though often best in air contests For lack of craft on a par with me Tliat matches my ability l[ntil THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt! Control input, "voice activation" Computer center and automation For this I spent my every buck All other divers really suck Compared to THUNDERBOLT ' Boy; what a jolt!

So lightning starts, and I say, "speed!" At once Mach 10 on this fast steed My sonic boom makes lightning quiver Mother Nature made to shiver Before ,)'HUND ERBO LT Boy, what a jolt!

HANG GLIDING

It's dark and so I want to see Fog strobes· turn on ahead of me Accepting even thought commands Frees my voice, not just my hands From THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt! The highest, fastest, longest flight And now I think I see daylight But where? "Above the Southern Continent According to your wish, Sire, compliments Of THUNDERBOLT" Boy, what a jolt!

I say, "Let's land" it says, "On Mars, And then to other nearby stars." Now I know I must elect, To push the button to eject From THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt! The chute deploys, I land unharmed And now I really am alarmed It will be told and be well known The World's Best Pilot was out-flown By THUNDERBOLT Boy, what a jolt!

AUGUST1982

Progressive Aircraft Comnany: A Consumer Report. ProfileProgressive Aircraft Company, in its second year of operation is fast becoming a leader in the hang gliding industry, and a standard by which other high quality/ high performance gliders are judged. Based in Simi Valley, California, just outside of Los Angeles, Progressive Aircraft Company has grown from a limited production/factory direct policy to a worldwide dealer-distribution network. The factory now houses the complete operation, from original machine shop work, to complete sail loft and fabrication area. Manned by only the best personnel, the factory runs with professional precision that guarantees consistently superior gliders. Pride is the feeling in the ProAir factory. Pride in the fact that the Progressive Aircraft Company gliders are the finest produced in the world today.

QualityQuality is the general theme in the complete line of Progressive Aircraft Company products. Only the finest aicraft materials and expensive Delrin plastics are used in the construction of the gliders. Each part is expertly machined to an exacting design, a design carefully engineered for optimum performance in each of the ProAir gliders. All gliders are carefuUy test flown to meet the high ProAirstandards. This concern for quality is maintained throughout all of the Progressive Aircraft . Company products, a line that runs from the new ProLite Parachute and Harness tovarios and helmets.

Product LineProgressive Aircraft Company offers the versatility of three lines of gliders, each designed for varying degrees of pilot expertise and available in different sizes to cover all weights of pilots.

The Breez Designed for the beginning and intermediate pilot, it offers the advantage of tight sail-fixed air foil performance while retaining the ease and forgiveness of the beginning glider. Now offered in two sizes to fit all pilot weight ranges, this glider is being used in the finest schools and has been found the best glider for training beginning and intermediate students. Special features allow the glider to "grow" with the pilot as his skills improve. Advertising for The Breez states "The Breez, truly a glider for the experts of tomorrow," and with all the standard features, it's the best value on the market today.

TheProAir This has been the flagship of the Progressive Aircraft Compay fleet. When introduced to the hang gliding market it immediately set new sales records and standards the industry has yet to match. Each component was designed and redesigned to assure complete function with the whole. The Pro Air offers a wide selection of color combinations and the guarantee of long-lasting sails with its use of the cord wise sail cut. This process is considerably more time consuming, but assures the sail will retain proper camber and shape for its entire flying life. The ProAir excels in handling and performance, allowing th.e recreational pilot many hours of pleasurable, troublefree flying.

The ProStar This is the highest performing of all the Progressive Aircraft company gliders. Designed for the expert andcompetition pilot, it offers a superior sink rate and excellent glide. It features the innovative hardware of the ProAir, a higher aspect ratio and lower twist sail, and the crisp, precise handling and response the compe-

titian pilot demands. The body is made of a special white sail cloth with trailing edge reinforcement. The keel pocket velcros in the front to provide storage areas for cross country flights. Both the ProStar and the ProAir use heavy .14 mil mylar in the leading edges for precise camber support. It is now available in three sizes to meet the exact wing loading demands of the competition pilot. All three gliders, the Breez, theProAir and the ProStar use interchangeable airframes and 12-foot breakdown for ease of shipping and storage.

AccessoriesProgressive Aircraft Company also handles a large accessory line and features the ProLite Harness and Parachute•. Tshirts, hats, and stickers are all available · with the ProAir logo.

Certification The ProAir crew have complete testing facilities that include a load test vehkle, a pitch test vehicle, cameras and airspeed indicators; everything needed for cer· tification. Additionally, seven years .of expeiience on the HGMA board (one year as president and three years as secretary) goes into every package presented.

Distribution Progressive Aircraft Company· gliders and accessories are rapidly gaining professional dealer networks across the world. Inquiries by new dealerships are invited, and literature is available detailing features and specifications. Call or write Progressive Aircraft Company, 4544 Industrial Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063, (805) 583-1014.

Progressive Aircraft Company

Fly One

Pr••rasslv• a,rcra~ company

TheBreez Progressive Aircraft Company's new glider, designed especially for the beginning and int~ mediate pilot. It offers the advantage of tight sail:fi.red air foil performance while retaining the ease and forgiveness of the beginning glider. Built with the same quality and precision as the ProAir and ProStar, the Breez comes in nvo duferent sizes to fit all pilot 1'1/eight ranges. Its price of$1695 includes applied leading pocket, batten bag, glider bag and hang strap, making it the best value on the ma.rlcet today.

Fly One Spetjffcations Model arm ltadingqr root wingspan

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l80

1&5ftl 17.5ft. 8.75ft. 31..4.ft. 1.Z4dLg. 5.33 60 lbs. 1~

140 142ft2 16.0ft. 7.75ft. 28.6ft. 124 dLg. 576

SZlbs. 100-175

AN' E'VE FOR AN' E'VAS by Dennis Pagen Art eyas (pronounced aye-yes) is a nestling hawk. Like a nestling hawk, we hang glider pilots are learning to flow with the wind and feel at home in the sky. Unfortunately, we aren't quite as well equipped as even the most inexperienced hawk. Our wings are crude parodies of a bird's finely articulated flying surface. Our bodies are heavy and coarse com· pared to a hawk's smooth, clean lines. Our sense of sight is but a poor imitation ofa bird's advanced optical organ. Although it's true that our senses of smell and hearing are better than those of most birds, it is vision that is important in flight. Most of the input for judging our position in three dimensions comes from our visual sense. It is interesting to compare the performance of our eyes with that of a bird to see where we are lacking and how we can compensate for our faulty equipment. This is a meaningful study, for recent accident reports have revealed that too many pilots are running into things - power lines, trees and other gliders.

A BRIEF OUTLINE OF EYEBALL BIOPHYSICS An eyeball is a highly specialized organ designed to focus electromagnetic radiation in the wavelengths we call visible light on a small screen called the retina. The light rays hit a multitude of small cells called rods and cones that make up the retina. The rods and cones produce electrical impulses that travel up the optic nerve to the brain, therein forming a detailed image of the light patterns reflecting from the objects in our field of vision. A lens in the front part of the eye changes shape automatically to focus objects at various distances from the eye. The iris (the colored portion in a human eye) is a circular membrane in front of the lens that opens or closes to regulate the intensity of light reaching the retina. The iris also acts like the diaphragm of a camera to vary depth of field. The rod and cone cells are specialized to perform different duties. The rods detect only light intensity and are 1,000 to 10,000 times

more sensitive to light than cones. Cones are able to detect wavelength differences and thus are able to determine colors. Cones also provide high image definition since they are connected to separate nerves (usually), whereas rods are connected in groups to a single nerve fiber. Cones are concentrated in the center of the retina while rods are more numerous around the edges. The fovea is a small depression in the center of the eye containing a high concentration of cones. As such, it provides high detail resolution. The curved surface of the fovea may also serve to magnify the image and thereby increase the image definition. The above anatomical factors determine a few important aspects of human eyesight. For example, our sharpest vision occurs directly along our line of sight and becomes less acute towards the side ofour field of vision. This, of course, is not surprising, but in semi-darkness, the opposite occurs. In this case, our best vision is around the edges since cones do not operate under conditions of lowered light in· tensity. Therefore, to see an object in dim light, do not stare directly at it, but peer a little to one side. A dim star can be seen in this man· ner whereas it may disappear when looked at directly. In a similar manner, motion is more easily detected out of the line of sight since rods are more sensitive than cones to changes in light intensity. We speak of seeing something move "out of the corner of the eye." A further com· plication to our vision is the blind spot that is produced where the main nerve enters the retina. To see this blind spot, close the left eye and stare at the left dot in figure 1. Now, move the paper forward or back until the middle dot

•

disappears. The figure will be about seven inches from your eyeball. Now, move a little further away and the middle dot will reappear while the right hand dot will disappear. This is due to your blind spot. By looking a little to the side of the dot you are staring at, it is possible to get an idea of the extent of one's blind spot. It is surprisingly large. With both eyes open, the blind spot in one eye is taken care of by the other eye. However, one-eyed pilots (there are some) and those who wear certain types of glasses may have the inside vision of each eye blocked so the blind spot is indeed blind. The blind spot is located approximately 16° to the outside of each eye's line of sight.

THE SIGHT OF BIRD AND MAN Before we investigate the importance of the limits of human vision with respect to flying, it will be of some interest to compare our eyes with those of a bird. To begin, a bird's eye contains many more cones than a human's. In fact, the entire area of a bird's retina has as many cones as a human's fovea. This means a bird can see much more detail than we can, but generally has poor night vision (except for owls who have an overabundance of rods). For example, a sparrowhawk can see about eight times more clearly than a sharp-eyed human. Only a small portion of our retina is actually in the plane of focus, while the entire retina of a bird is in focus. This is shown in figure 2. The result is that we can only see objects in our direct line of sight in sharp focus, while a bird sees clearly in its entire field of vision. The retina of a bird does not contain blood

•

FIG-URE. I HANG GLIDING

vessels on the surface as does a human's, so the incident light is not attenuated. Some birds, such as diurnal raptors (falcons, hawks, eagles, etc.) have two foveal areas: one for sharp focus like man's, and one that is quite deep. This second fovea appears to provide a fix on motion by distorting the image moving across it. A bird's eye focuses quicker than a human's does, due to the presence of striated muscles around the lens. This is very useful in flight for close and long viewing distances must often be monitored in quick succession. Birds have a third eyelid which is clear, called a nictating membrane. This eyelid serves to protect the eye generally, but in some species serves as a changeable lens. Most birds can change the shape of their lens much more than humans can, while hawks and owls appear to have the ability to change the outer lens covering (cornea) to create a telephoto zoom effect. Many birds have a foliated protruberance over the retina called a pecten, that throws a shadow over the retina to help detect move-

COMPENSATING FOR OUR LIMITATIONS

Now that we are aware of our inferior equipment, what can we do about it? First, we should look at some of the factors that affect eyesight. Our mothers told us all about vitamin A and its positive effect on vision, so we'll just assume that all pilot eat bunches of carrots daily. Some of us may know of the reduced visual acuity at altitude. At 4,000 feet, for example, there is a 5% loss in image sharpness over that at sea level. The use of drugs also can impair vision. For instance, tobacco causes about a 10% replacemel}t of oxygen with carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. This can result in a 50% loss of night vision. Night vision in general requires 30 to 45 minutes to reach maximum potential. A chemical change takes place in the rods, enabling greater sensitivity to light. A flash of bright light may destroy night vision for up to

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ment against an undifferentiated background. This pecten is most highly developed in birds that pursue moving prey. Most birds do not have binocular (overlap· ping) vision except directly in front which is useful when attacking prey. However, since a bird's eyes are generally spaced more to the side than a human's, their field of vision encompasses a great portion of a sphere, and the entire field is in focus. This is a great asset when flying. Binocular vision is useful for depth perception, but beyond about thirty feet, it becomes unreliable since the changes in angle involved are too small. Depth perception at greater distances is a result of comparing positions and sizes of known objects. The best depth perception comes from mo· tion. When we move perpendicular to the line of sight, close objects appear to move faster than distant objects. (Using this concept, Disney studios pioneered the method of put· ting images on several separate transparent plates which could be moved past a camera at different rates, thereby giving a cartoon a realistic depth and motion effect.) A bird in flight then has little need for binocular vision.

AUGUST1982

30 minutes. From the above we can infer that a flight at dusk when light is fading fast may present the most problems, especially if we are at high altitude and have just finished a cigarette. As the available light wanes, our eyes lose visual acuity, details disappear and motion is harder to detect. In certain situations, when darkness falls quickly, our eyes may not adjust in time to provide adequate vision. Here's what we can do to avoid most of the vision problems encountered in hang gliding: first, be aware of our general night vision ability. If it's getting late and objects aren't entirely clear in the landing area, the best bet is to pack up and wait for tomorrow. Remember, depth perception which is so necessary in judging landings and avoiding hard objects (including other gliders) is reduced considerably in dim light. When you are flying directly at an object it is difficult to judge its distance or position in relation to other objects. For this reason, vary your flight path when you approach a landing field to put things in proper perspective. Remember, flying perpendicular to the line

between you and an object will provide the best visual reference of that object's position. If you cannot greatly alter your flight path (didn't you leave enough altitude to reach your landing area?) at least move your head to gain a slightly different perspective. In dim lighting look to the side of your point of interest to bet· ter detect motion and low intensity light. There are a few special situations to consider. Make sure your glasses do not block the opposing eye's coverage of one eye's blind spot. Do not wear a helmet that is too thick at the brim. Our field of vision is already diminished considerably by the opaque canopy over our head to allow it to be further reduced by an overhanging helmet. When flying with other gliders, constantly check for the position of all other pilots. Clear your turns well before you make them. Some high-traffic flying sites require the use of whistles to warn others of a glider's presence and position. A loud shout can work quite well for the same purpose. Mid-air collisions have proven to be quite dangerous and should not be risked. Usually the problem is perception. It is hard to judge the distance of a glider coming directly at you, or even the turning direction of a distant glider in flat lighting. When two gliders are thermalling in erratic circles, it is extremely difficult to tell where the other pilot will end up in a few moments. Again, good vocal and visual contact at all times is a necessary safety measure in this situation. Finally, the problem of power lines and other objects in the landing area can be solved by the obvious method of scouting the area from the ground before flying. A strange area should not be flown into for the first time in anything but ideal lighting conditions. To be safe, expect a power line anywhere you see a road or a building. Look for poles and cuts in the vegetation to detect lines from afar. Note that it is very difficult to judge the position of power lines due to their one dimensionality. This problem is compounded at dusk. The best way to avoid hitting power lines is simply by not getting close to them. As we soar through our azure surroundings, we must constantly monitor the changing scenery for useful terrain as well as potential dangers. In this sense, we are not unlike the hawks with their need to fulfill hunger and avoid other predators. Ifwe are indeed able to simulate a hawk's unfettered flight, it is with more limitations and less finesse. Perhaps in the future our materials and artifice will improve to the point where we can equal the hawk's aerodynamic accomplishment. However, we will probably never achieve the superior vision of our feathered paradigms. It is in this sense that we remain and must con· tent ourselves with being nestlings.

Kirk Russen

The competition was om'·On . onc 'A pilot was set up on each launch and t.he win· dow was opened and whoever the course first and landed in won the round. If neither pilot could makt all of the course then wboever crossed the most pylons first and landed io won. In the worst rnsc, where nobody made anything the contest became duration.

landing and breakdown area. Photo by Terry Ferrer.

The story goes that Steve Brockman and a of other people from Flight walked up to a house mu on Pine summer Central Culifomia, in the were looking for a ber . about a year ago. ter launch site at Dunlap, and they knocked on the front door and asked the owner ifhc knew of any The owner thought about it. 'Then he walked with them around to his backyard where there are two steep faces overlooking Valley. highway 180 and the "How does this look?" he asked. "How about bere?" 1\ year later in in tbe flat near the front of the house where he usually parb his cars, gliders plus wind dum . mies were s,~t up for the TI National Qualifier. From a deck off the living room the sold lemonade and candy bars and watched the launches. Two launches have been cut out of the scrub are not wide but they behind the house. are steep, and once you arc in the air you are

ABOVE: Winner St111111 McQulill11m11 flares his Duck alter his final lllghl R11canelll. op. POSITE: Second place Dan comes in low and hot around !he only tree in the LZ. Photos by Tarry Ferrer.

quickly away from the hill. During the re· gionals it blew consistently up the face every day and seven heats were nm from the two launches.

Dudly Mead, second place opon class Fledge Ill, Illes past launch. Photo by Dudly Mead.

At Dunlap the course was triangular with the base leg along the launch ridge. After launch a pilot had to go left down the ridge about one and a quarter miles to the opening gate. In the middle part oftbe afl:ernoon when the cycles were most consistcm and strongest down many pilots lannched and flew to tbe gale without much at all. It was about four miles from the gate to the first pylon, and to get there it was necessary to return back up the ridge towards launch. To tbc right of takeoff is a canyon and to cross it usually took at least and continue up the 1,000 feet of altitude over takeoff. most heats, pilots lost that 1,000 feet as they had 10 scratch up crossed the canyon, and and gain again over the rock faces on the far side. Pylon one was 500 feet than launch. The Dunlap Valley is roughly miles southeast of Fresno, CA and in June it is com· mon for the valley temperature to be in the mid nineties. The valley is not flat but rises and falls with small hills and gradually climbs HANG GLIDING

towards the Sierras. Most of it is grown over with grass and scrub and trees. Along one side of the valley is Pinc and the ridge extends like a from the Canyon area and runs northwest toward Fresno until it dies out as small hills. 180 skins the so that when you launch you are looking down on it. the time a pilot reaches pylon the and the road have has fallen back and the off toward the west. Leaving road is pylon one for pylon two a pilot had to either backtrack to when: he could make a smaller across the or he went straight and counted on the strong lifr from the valley floor. It was abont five miles across if you flew Some made it that way consistently. But once a pilot crossed above the hill where pylon two was, he usually had to circle and climb, because the last of the was roughly another five miles back above the valley to the ridge and the opening gate which was also pylon three. There were different ways back from pylon two but the most common way made the course a total of fourteen miles. After seven heats, winning the regionals came down to a few feet of altitude on the last pylon on the last day. Steve McQuilliams was against Don Racanelli. There were not many pilots left in the air and most people watched from the landing area. McQuilliams' wife and child were in the landing area. Someone was announcing with a kind of play by play as tried to get high enough to go for the pylon, and there were people both of them. broke for the pylon and fell short. Racanelli did not think were high enough yet, but he followed when McQuil· Iiams broke fi.)r it because he could not risk the chance that would hit some extra lift and make: it. both sunk out and had to fly back out and try to climb up again. Mcbroke when he thought he had altitude and this time he made it, though in 1he banked arc of his turn his lower wingtip cleared the pylon by no more than five feet. The pylon ducked and waved him

on and he flew out as the winner of the 1982 Seven pilots competed in the Open class. Three of the seven qualified for the nationals. A brown-gold-yellow Fledge III flown by Rex Miller ended up on top again and again. Miller was undefeated in the Open class. As always, there were some problems with the regionals. A fair number of complaints and protests were made. At least one pilot was dis· qualified and thrown out of the competition. That happened after a near miss in a thermal. The pilot who filed the protest said he was forced to leave the thermal to keep from gcthit. After he protested, several others protested the same pilot and though the pilot in question never got to tell his side of the story, he was thrown out of the meet following a judge's meeting that evening. The disqualification happened very quickly and part of it may have been a reaction to last year's regionals at Elk mountain where a pilot died after a mid-air collision. The director of this year's regionals was Pat Denevan. He feels that the contest went well enough but that "The whole concept of oneon-one competition may not be the way to go about hang gliding." As far as competition goes, Denevan feels that "one-on-one is a valid way to come up with hot pilots." But that it's a flawed method of competition because "it's too much to a pilot's advantage to be pushy and " "If somebody really wants to win, he can force another pilot out of a thermal." If he really wants to win he may take dangerous chances. Denevan contrasts one-onone competition to the method used in the Owens valley for the cross country competitions. pilots are flying against conditions and not directly against one another. The launch window opens for everybody at the same time. Pilots choose their launch times and race the clock over the course. It's more like a swim race or skiing competition, or a whole lot of other sports where competitors race in the same conditions but not against one another. But that method of competition isn't prac· tical to most sites because they are like Dunlap and have launches where only a few people

can go at once. And even if they had launches wide enough very few of them would have room for that many people in the air at once. They don't have the open terrain of the Owens. Last year about seventy-five people competed in the Northern California regionals at Elk mountain. This year there were thirty· seven at Dunlap; and there are ways of explaining that away like saying Dunlap is too much of a drive for most people in Region II or that it wasn't publicized enough. But there is also a sentiment around that one-on-one competition around pylons doesn't make it. I haven't heard any new ideas on how to do the regionals but possibly in this next year someone will have an inspiration. There Set.;!llS to be a need fi.l! some changes. On an evening near the end of the regionals A.J. Martinez took Connie Work, the owner of the landing area and surrounding RV park, for a tandem flight. When they landed Connie said, "This is the greatest. I've got to do it." Connie bought the RV park from her parents. It is in one of the flatter opaet:s in the Dunlap valley, and it is easy to spot from the air because there are three small lakes and a wide open area of lawn. In the grassy area are electrical hook-ups, barbequc pits, picnic tables and plenty of room for camping because the grass covers about a third of an acre. The landing area is roughly a hundred yards from where you camp and a dirt road runs to it. There is a store at the park and hot showers and restrooms. It is dry and hot in the summer in the Dunlap valley, but staying in the park you're out of the dust. You've got hot showers. There's the store, so it's easy to get food or beer. It's a two-wheel drive road up to the launch and only about a thirty-minute turn around. You can break your glider down and leave it in the landing area, then pick it up in the morning when you're ready to go up. Several people who flew in the regionals called Dunlap the best flying in Northern California. Certainly it's one of the mo&t con,i;,ttnt and best for ems, country flights. Even the locals are friendly. Ask Roge1 Reinhart. Reinhart flew in the competition and landed out in a field coming back from (continued on pu;;e 45)

AUGUST1982

'29

FULL MEMBER NAME (Please Print)

ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ __ ZIP

PHONE (

D NEW MEMBER

D RENEW/USHGA #

ANNUAL DUES: $29.50 ($32.50 foreign) This accords me full membership in the United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc., 12 issues of Hang Gliding magazine, effective with current issue, liability and property damage insurance, and voting privileges ($10.00 of the Member dues is designated for Hang Gliding magazine). I need not be a rated pilot to bea member.

INSURANCE PLANS AVAILABLE o Plan A: Single Foot-Launch Gliding Coverage (included in Full & Family Membership fee) D Plan B: Plan A plus Powered Ultralight & Tandem Coverage (add $20 to Membership fee)

FAMILYMEMBERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1. NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ D NEW MEMBER

D RENEW/USHGA # _ __

2. N A M E - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

0 NEW MEMBER

D RENEW/USHGA # _ __

ANNUAL DUES: $14.75 for each family Member, everywhere (add $20.00 for Plan B insurance coverage), who resides in my household. Each will receive all Full Member privileges EXCEPT a subscription to Hang Gliding magazine.

SUBSCRIPTION ONLY-· NAME

$22.50 SU BSCR I PTI ON ($25.50 foreign) for one year.

$40.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($46.00 foreign) for two years.

$57.50 SUBSCRIPTION for three years.

$11.25 TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION ($12.75 foreign) for six months.

(Please Print)

ADDRESS--------------~· CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ __ ZIP

PHONE (

USHCA will ONLY accept foreign checks payable on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds. (U.S. dollars or International Money Order.) Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing. I received this application form from:

I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO: USHGA, BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066 D FULL MEMBER ($29.50,$32.SOforeign) (Plan B add $20) D FAMILY MEMBER(S) ($14.75 each) D SUBSCRIPTION, one year ($22.50, $25.50 foreign) D SUBSCRIPTION, two years ($40.00, $46.00 foreign) D SUBSCRIPTION, three years ($57.50, $66.50 foreign) D TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION, six months ($11.25, $12.75 foreign) _ _ __ TOTAL D I would like $1.00 of my membership dues to be used for WORLD TEAM expenses.

P.O.Box 66306, Los Angeles, California 90066 USHGA Item #4

Revised 9/81

($66.50 foreign)

(213) 390-3065

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SANTA BARBARA'S WEATHER STATION article and photos by Ted Ross

Completed a year ago, the Instrument awaits a phone line.

La Cumbre Peak at 3,985 feet above sea level, overlooking Santa Barbara from the Santa Ynez range, offers our most spectacular launch site and provides the best of local flying. The launch, however, is demanding and is rated "advanced" because of the unforgiving rocky terrain, narrow latitude for accept· able takeoff wind conditions, and the short available running space, even after the latest heavy improvements made by the club members on the launch ramp. There are two roads to the peak, both paved but winding and tedious. A turnaround trip from landing comes out to some 38 miles which, largely in second gear, is costly of time and gas. Half.serious schemes have been considered from time to time as to how we might determine the wind conditions at the peak without risking a wasted trip. An obvious move was to plant a big windsock at the launch ramp so we could all see it from the city with a pair of binoculars. Someone pro· cured a beautiful airport style orange windsock with an elegant chevron design and this worked very well. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service who administers this location, found our sock to be environmentally incompatible with the image of wilderness that Los Padres National Forest wishes to maintain. The sock came down, but by then we had another solution coming up, and besides, not everybody had a pair of binoculars. The new solution was an "electronic windsock" that would give us both the wind velocity and AUGUST1982

Don Zellet and the author atop the Forest Service tower attaching mounting hardware to Instrument enclosure.

direction by dialing a telephone number. This equipment has been in the works for over a year and has just come into service on May 2, 1982. This article is written to tell you all about it and to explain how you can make use of it if you decide to fly this site. Our project started with an idea in January of 1981 with what appeared to be insurmountable difficulties. We had to come to grips with the following elements to convince ourselves that the project could be completed: 1) Wind sensor design and fabrication, 2) Communication link (radio? visual? telephone), 3) Location and security from vandalism, 4) Installation permits from the U.S. Forest Service, and 5) Financial support versus a limited club budget. The sensor design and construction turned out to be the most straightforward part of the job. Our Santa Barbara club, probably typical of hang gliding clubs in other areas, enjoys a very broad occupational profile among our members. Just about any combination of needed skills, tools, and resources can be found for a project. The accompanying capabilities for scrounging needed parts proved to be inspiring as well. Locating our instrument advantageously became critically dependent on our gaining the active cooperation of the U.S. Forest Service as administrators of the Los Padres National Forest. We had made up our minds that the absolutely ideal place for our machine was the rooftop of that agency's fire lookout tower.

Our request, simply stated in a letter to Peggy O'Connell, District Lands Officer, was handled with efficiency and following some additional correspondence with Tom Baxter, District Ranger, we were granted a Special Use Permit allowing us to do exactly what we requested. This secured the best possible location. Now we had to come to a decision on the type of communication link to Santa Barbara. Radio was eliminated on two counts, one being the need for continuous transmission with a fair amount of power from the contemplated solar battery supplying the primary energy, and the other was the need for individual ownership of many special receivers. The telephone, we decided, was the best communication medium because it provided the most universal access from anywhere, at a minimal cost to the user, and with superior service reliability. A preliminary inquiry to the General Telephone Company indicated that service would be provided without any special prob· lems and at an acceptably low cost. That was especially reassuring, particularly since telephone service to the top of the mountain range is by a microwave link to a repeater station from which land lines run locally. Additional microwave links also run from this repeater with some heavy usage up range towards Refugio. Now, you all remember about the Western White House becoming established in that vicinity early in 1981.

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the ear a reference against which to judge each tone pulse in the following three-pulse group. Each of the three pulses can be either low (L) or (H). There are eight possible combinations in such a sequence and these are assigned to the eight points of the compass. The following direction code applies:

ANSWERING UNIT

PbWER.

BLOCK DIAGRAM r:c.Ross

tJNE CODE CYCLE..

Nl.:rT CODE.

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:z 2

I-

;:;:

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lu V1

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L L L

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L H H L L 1-t H

w SW

SE E.. NE.

'L" TONE:

"H"

400 Hz. 700 Hz

MESSAGE FDRMAT T.C,ROSS

When we requested connection service in May, the telephone capacity through the repeater turned out to have been completely sold out to supply the added demands of the presidential staff communications. We were promised service in three months. Then we were rescheduled two more. By then it became apparent that some difficulty was found in fitting the required additional equipment in the existing relay racks, so smaller equipment had to be found. This went on through the fall, winter, and into spring. Finally, on the last day of April the telephone service was ready, we completed our installation, and on May 2, I 982 the instrument was in full service. If you want to hear how it sounds, call (805) 965-1824. What you will hear is a direction and velocity code repeated every 3.5 seconds during a total transmission time of about 55 seconds. At the end of this period, the instru-

ment automatically hangs up and is ready for the next caller. To read the wind velocity all you do is count the number of clicks or "chirps" in each code group. That number is equal to the velocity in miles per hour. If the rate gets too high to count, it's too windy to fly anyway, so don't worry about miscounting. If you hear only one chirp per cycle, or none at all, the wind is near zero and the direction information in the rest of the code will tell you only the direction in which the windvane had come to rest. Launching from La Cumbre Peak in zero wind is not recommended. The direction part of the code is a tone pulse group consisting of a warning tone, a space, and then three tones in quick succession. Two tone frequencies are used, a low tone of 400 Hz and a high tone of 700 Hz. The warning tone is always a low tone. Its purpose is to give

Pulse Code L HLL

Wind From WEST

L HLH L HHH

SW SOUTH

L HHL L LHL

SE EAST

L LHH L LLH L LLL

NE NORTH NW

Comments 90 deg. from right marginal best! straight in the face marginal 90 deg. from left blowing down blowing down blowing down

Now, for you technical buffs, the system operating power comes from a rechargeable 6-volt gel-cell of 3.5 AH capacity. A bank of solar cells supplies continuous charging current to the battery through a voltage regulator, at a rate of about 12 milliamperes during daylight hours. No power is drawn by the instrument in its dormant state. When it turns on to answer the phone, it draws 25 milliamperes until it hangs up. The heart of the instrument is a telephone answering unit (Radio-Shack Duofone II) which has all of its high power consumption elements removed, leaving only the FCCapproved front end with its capability to turn on when the ringing signal comes over the line. Using a commercial unit for interfacing with the telephone line avoids any hassle with the phone company as to the suitability of the equipment for unattended connection to their network. An electronic timer triggered by the activation of the answering unit starts its timing interval to limit the output message to about 55 seconds. At the same time, battery power is connected to the windvane and anemometer transducers and to the message encoder logic. At the end of the message period, the timer drops the power to the encoder and momentarily opens the telephone line to force the answering unit back to its dormant state. The windvane and anemometer movements are sensed photoelectrically be means of phototransistors and light-emitting diodes straddling appropriately configured code discs. To save power, all light-emitting diodes are connected in series and the encoder electronics which process the signal consist of CMOS logic. The whole thing is housed in a weatherproof NEMA-4 class steel enclosure painted gloss white for good sun reflectance and resistance to the elements. The size of this box at 8 x 8 x 48 inches is, to put it modestly, oversize, but we did get it for free and it provides a very HANG GLIDING

A final once-over by the author.

The wind machine in action atop La Cumbre Peak.

Special thanks go to fellow pilot Gene Nooney for finding us the rechargeable 6-volt gel-cell battery which stores the benefits of sunshine and allows the instrument to function even at night for those moonlight flights. Thanks for his help with the installation on the tower roof go to Don Zeller who braved dizzy heights, gusty winds, and sharp gravel under his knees while securing the instrument at the edge of the roof. I reserve extra special credit for Sir Gilbert Roberts (famous also for his "Roberts" digital vario) who sweet-talked,

massive base for the wind sensors on top. Availability of contributed components such as this box and most of the mechanical and electronic hardware made it possible to build the entire instrument with an out-of-pocket cost of about $25. The largest single outlay of some $10 was for six packages of random broken solar cell pieces from that famous surplus outfit near Boston, Poly-Paks. The rest went for lag bolts to screw the machine to the tower roof and for caulking compound to insure that no leaks would be left afterwards.

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

charmed, and ultimately browbeat the phone company into sumission, donated the Duofone II answering unit, fabricated the anemometer cup assembly, and manufactured the stainless steel spindles with stainless steel bearings for the anemometer and windvane movements. Finally, to the entire membership of the Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Association a big thanks for your blind faith that we would succeed and for your enthusiastic appreciation when it became reality. It's nice to see a bunch of people so happy. ~

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Name, City, State Region

Paul Couillard, Casto Valley, CA Mike Brewer, Fremont, CA Gary Fowler, Fairbanks, AK Andrew Mrizek, Mountain View, CA Lars Phiilips, San Jose, CA Scott Malerbi, Petaluma, CA Richard Wilcox, Jackson, MI Robert Blais, Ludlow, MA Wiliiam House, Houston, TX Timothy Mc Getty, Madison, NJ Bill Wheelock, Hayward, CA Scott Foster, Manluis, NY Robert Ham, Houston, TX Greg Venneberg, El Paso, TX Robert Newton, Raleigh, NC Dale Preston, Valrico, FL Fabio Carrera, Worcester, MA Katherine Crowe, Woonsocket, RI J. Craig Robertson, Fairfield, CT Robert Gut, Berlin, CT Victor Paulo, Hartford, CT Gary Peruta, Middlefield, CT Catherine Carr, New London, CT Larry Buescher, Fort Wayne IN Elizabeth Drinan, Pontiac, IL Robert Etnyre, Okla. City, OK Gary Prouse, Buhl, ID Glen Brackmann, Glenwood Spgs., CO John Laye, Orinda, CA Susan Wiand, Pearl River, NY Patti Wilson, Wildwood, GA William Salter, New York, NY William Shields, Half Moon Bay, CA Christopher Belkwap, Honolulu, HI Darren Reed, Chillicothe, MO Diana Zeitler, Merrill, MI Mike Faria, Davis, CA James Biesemeyer, Daly City, CA Ron Wisdom, Carson City, NV Fred Hoffman, Henrietta, NY Rodger Sanders Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Mike McDonald, Hayward, CA Tom Walsh, Minden, NV Dennis Murphy, Militas, CA Steve Chamberlain, San Rafael, CA Gary Rice, Portland, CT E. Tonas Kalil, Newport New, VA Pete Olson, Virginia Bch., VA Curt Johnston, Newport, NC Frederick DeNigris, Brookhaven, NY Jody Meacham, Sear Girt, NJ Timothy Buchanan, Dumont, NJ

2 2 2 2 2 7 8 11 12 2 12 11 4 10 10 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 6 5 4 2 12 JO

12 2 3 6 7 2 2 2 12 3 2 2 2 2 8 9 9 10 12 12 12

NOVICE Kenneth Chambers, Sherwood Forest, MD 9 Randy Allen, Tucson, AZ 4 38

Region

Ted Boyse, Venice, CA Harold Beals, Pleasant Hill, CA Lee Aukenthaler, Olympic Valley, CA Darrel Robbins, Santa Rosa, CA Charles Hoffman, Cheektowaga, NY Marshall Nichols, Homewood, AL Gordon Gale, Knoxville, TN Matthew Carr, New London, CT David Kelly, Providence, RI Wayne Prementine, Whitaker, PA Ollie Laughter, Durham, NC Charles Bailey, Woodland Hills, CA Timothy Little, Middletown, CA Curtis Roth, Kingstonn, ID Kevin Williamson, Detroit, MI Leroy Levin, Richfield, MN Richard Schroeder, Black River Falls, WI Dale Fortner, Barberton, OH Greg Tarbet, Camano Is., WA Jody Crookes, Anacortes, WA William Pfefferman, Los Osos, CA John Kehoe, W. Los Angeles, CA Allen Sappenfield, Bellflower, CA Arthur Sherwood, Wichita, KS James Coan, Creston, NC Bob McGovern, Canandaigua, NY Carter Josephs, Sausalito, CA John Steele, Bakersfield, CA Dave Carter, Santa Barbara, CA Allan Reaves, El Cajon, CA Ron Riddle, Albuquerque, NM David Wood, Birmingham, AL Louise Edmundson, Birmingham, AL Randee Laskewitz, Chattanooga, TN Scott Zimmerman, Northbrook, IL John Azevedo, Morro Bay, CA Nelson Chick, Daly City, CA Michael Wolf, Montrose, CA Charles Cummings, Aurora, IL Rickey Mayes, Rogerville, TN Sidney Bartholomew, BlowingRock, NC Richard Holden, Atlanta, GA Paul Dewitt, Lawndale, CA Kerry O'Leary, Longmont, CO Melvin Brown, Tucson, AZ Jeffrey McCracken, Tarentum, PA Steve Wood, San Diego, CA Richard Petersen, Tulsa, OK Mark Mulkey, Tucson, AZ Benny Shipman, San Diego, CA Paul Ryan, Anaheim, CA Richard Ekparian, Encino, CA Jeff Koehler, Oroville, WA Lionel Space, Bellevue, WA Daniel Shoemaker, Elkmendorf AFB, AK Robert Underwood, Long Beach, CA Clay Craigmyle, New York, NY Forrest Ingraham, Colfax, WA Kenneth Boyd, Pearl City, HI

3 2 2 2 12 10 10 8 8 9 10 3 2 5 7 7 7 9

2 3 3 6 10 12 2 3 3 3 4 10 10 10 7 2 2 3 7 10 10 10 3 4 4 9 3 6 4 3 3 3

1 3 12 3

Name, City, State

Region

Budd Herrman, Alexandria, VA Clarence Stanback, Salisbury, NC Anne Bornstein, Troutdale, VA William Richardson, Troutdale, VA Terry Allen, Norfolk, VA Gerald Sobel, Santa Monica, CA Nelson Lewis, Charlottesville, VA Tom O'Brien, Auburn, WA Matthew, Orey, Tahoe, CA Richard Donley, Pittsburgh, PA Michael Clark, San Francisco, CA Kenneth Brown, NAS Lemoore, CA Anthony Barbarite, Fresno, CA Monte Wolford, Coarsegold, CA Debbie, Wolford, Coarsegold, CA Kristiane Nygaard, Woodside, CA Joseph Fockler, Steamboat Spgs., CO Peter Casey, Hopewell Jct., NY Stephen Roches, Smithtown, NY Walter Szanto, Lorain, OH Trevor Harding, San Jose, CA John Carver, FPO San Francisco, CA Tim Washick, Walnut Creek, CA Brian Melot, Aptos, CA William Morris, Carmel, CA Ron Hillegaart, Ft. Collins, CO Ken Wisner, Lansing, MI Ralph Mello, Charlotte, NC Frank Hines, Encino, CA Michael McKirnan, Chicago, IL

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INTERMEDIATE Name, City, State

Region

Harold Locke, Issaquah, WA Jay Piercy, Sunnyvale, CA John Eiche, Carson City, NV Tom Denny, Petaluma, CA Aileen Ichikawa, San Francisco, CA Kevin Pendergraft, Anaheim, CA Melvin Asher, Houston, TX Richard Wilson, Fredericksburg, TX Make Sakas, Houston, TX Wade Leftwich, Lookout Mtn., TN David Westerman, Pittsburgh, PA Mike Wolford, Albuquerque, NM Richard Luddine, Costa Mesa, CA Gerald Smith, Huntinton Bch., CA Dino Dinaso, Sylmar, CA Jim Lang, Kent, WA Wade Williamson, Olympia, WA James Garcia, Arroyo Grande, CA Albert Mendosa, Hawthorne, CA Don Clark, Phoenix, AZ Gayle Calvert, Sandy, UT

1 2 2 2 2 3 11 11 11 10 9 4 3 3 3

2 3 4 4

HANG GLIDING

Name, City, State

Region

8 Jonathan Szarek, Claremont, NH 8 John Rousseau, Claremont, NH Gordon Kadar, Eugene, OR 2 Scott Schnell, Pleasant Hill, CA 2 Julie Winterscheidt, Redding, CA 2 Marc Bottel, Sunnyvale, CA 2 Curtis, Carrico, Chico, CA 3 Terry Mann, Orange, CA 4 Edmund Ward, Las Cruces, NM 8 Robin Seltzer, Claremont, NH 10 Jennifer Smith, Kennesaw, GA 3 Sean Delaney, Van Nuys, CA II Lawrence Haney, W. Monroe, LA 3 Harry Maker, Poway, CA 2 Garhard Tschabitzer, Sunnyvale, CA 2 Gary Roark, Carmichael, CA 2 Erik Johnson, Mill Valley, CA 2 Michael Ward, Petaluma, CA 3 Jim Mederios, Santa Barbara, CA 3 David Flugum, Simi Valley, CA 3 Dean Peterson, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 3 Galen Fisher, Hemet, CA 4 Glen Banks, Fair Acres, NM 4 Steve Stichley, Phoenix, AZ 4 Robin Hastings, Las Cruces, NM 6 Steve Bedwell, Norman, OK 9 Matthew Hasty, State College, PA 9 Douglas Grammes, Coplay, PA 7 William Steitzer, Mewomonee, WI 9 Ken Swarm, Parma, OH 10 Jerry Keith, High Point, NC 10 James Green, Mt. Airey, NC 11 Mark Wadsworth, Ft. Worth, TX 11 Bob Cummings, Dallas, TX II Donald Goode, Rio Hondo, TX 11 Jonathan Leal, Elgin, TX 11 Billy Kail, Ft. Stockton, TX Foreign Kaspar Greber, Epy, Austria 12 Thomas Smith, Hamlin, NY Foreign Pat King, Swansea, Wales, UK 10 Dan Skadal, Nags Head, NC 2 Ken Muscio, Modesto, CA 2 Jeffrey Stransky, Fremont, CA 2 Smith Coleman, Marina, CA 3 Bob Allmon, Paia, HI 3 Mark Brown, San Diego, CA 3 Kenneth Johnson, Oceanside, CA 4 T.J. Wirth, Salt Lake City, UT 4 Greg Adamson, Lakewood, CO 6 Donald Ingalls, Ellinwood, KS 2 Barry Roberts, Upperlake, CA 2 Eric Hempstead, Pleasant Hill, CA 3 Gerald Bard, Los Angeles, CA 3 Brian Wieneke, Huntington Bch., CA 4 Douglas Gordon, Tempe, AZ 6 Troy Fant, Tulsa, OK 7 Wayne Gauvin, Madison, WI 8 Cindy Giffin, Meriden, CT 8 Franz Vettiger, Auburndale, MA 8 Mark Rille, Bristol, CT 8 Thomas Norris, Claremont, NH 11 Paul Westerfield, San Antonio, TX

AUGUST 1982

Name, City, State John Fleming, Rochester, NY Bradley Vincent, Simi, CA Randy Rogers, Simi, CA

12 3 3

ADVANCED Name, City, State Frank Knippers, Chattanooga, TN Gareth Nicholson, Boone, NC Wayne Rick, Urbana, IA Raymond Broad, Bakersfield, CA Ernie Reguly, Sunnyvale, CA Raoul Mazzoni, Santa Monica, CA Joseph Compoli Schenectady, NY Charles Spaulding, Eagle River, AK Leland Keller, Eugene, OR Larry Broad, Bakersfield, CA Fred Bronson, Albuquerque, NM Paul Horak, Albuquerque, NM Ken Cavanaugh, Pocatello, ID Murie White, Oklahoma City, OK Cary Colton, Cedar Rapids, IA Clifford Carlton, Skyesville, MD Norman Simms, San Jose, CA Holly Hayden, Berkeley, CA Ulrich Raffel, Frankfort, W. Ger. Daniel Guido, Mohawk, NY Jim Okamoto, Fresno, CA Steve Bissett, Applegate, OR Anne Glassey, Santa Rosa, CA Bill Albright, San Anselmo, CA James Gray, Porterville, CA Nolan Hamilton, Bakersfield, CA Ron Anderson, Bisbee, AZ Daniel Marcus, Clayton, MO Robert Miller, Richmond, MI Rober Thompson, Los Gatos, CA Fred Nelson, W Eau Gallie, FL Richard Evans, Creston, NC Tom Wimberly, Birmingham, AL James Collins, San Antonio, TX Colon King, APO, NY Roland Sprague, APO, NY James Redding, Tucson, AZ Richard Masters, Shell Beach, CA Arthur Clark, Marysville, CA Charles Kingston, Carson City, NV David Baltz, Albuquerque, NM Eiji Spurlin, Pocatello, ID Robert Stanley, Danbury, CT James Shipp, Danville, CA Daniel Wilde, Modesto, CA Peter Brock, Temecula, CA Leo Buchanan, Kailua, HI James Graham, Santa Barbara, CA Thomas Hard, El Cajon, CA Todd Bohlman, San Diego, CA Ray Ruff, Herndon, VA Peter Adams, Greensboro, NC Richard Arndt, Webster, NY Scott Rowe, Rochester, NY David Koller, Santa Ana, CA

OFFICIALS

Region

Region 10 10 7 3 2 3 12 1

3 4 4 5 6 7 9 2 2 Foreign 12 2 1 2 2 3 3 4 6 7 2 10 10 10 11 Foreign Foreign 4 2 2 2 4 5 8 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 9 10 12 12 3

EXAMINERS Region

Name City, State Paul Voight, Pine Bush, NY Walt Niemi, Lunenburg, MA Chuck La Versa, Northampton, CT David Ray, Albuquerque, NM

12 8 8 4

OBSERVERS David Scott, Fresno, CA Alan Chuculate, San Diego, CA Mark Stump, Greenwood, AR David Ray, Albuquerque, NM Kenneth Rousselle, Loveland, CO Paul Hendricks, Mt. Clemens, MI Gary Lagrone, La Porte, CO Marc Magor, South Bend, IN Nels Johnson, Milpitas, CA Roger Thompson, Los Gatos, CA Phil Sergent, Redding, CA Richard Annis, Golden, CO Neal Atkinson, Boulder, CO Paul Hoffman, Avon, CO Kent Officer, Edmond, OK Ron Harp, Sylvania, OH

INSTRUCTORS -

2 3 6 4 4 7 4 7 2 2 2 4 4 4 6 9

BASIC

*recertification Richard Wagner, Princeton, IL Michael Whelan, N. Bellmore, NY Larry Smith*, Flagstaff, AZ Phillip Sherrett*, Las Vegas, NV Roger Coxon, Des Peres, MO Ken Rousselle, Loveland, CO Robert Miller, Richmond, MI Mark Mulholland, St. Louis, MO Ron Harp, Toledo, OH David Lieb, Traverse City, MI Tim Janiga, Hammond, IN Dan Skadal, Nags Head, NC Mark DeMarino, Houston, TX Gary Lagrone, La Porte, CO Paul Henricks, Mt. Clemens, MI William Comstock, Salt Lake City, UT Greg Shugg, Milan, MI Butch Gragard, Houston, TX Brian Said, Boyne City, MI Marc Magor, So. Bend, IN Thomas Clement, Grand Jct., CO INSTRUCTORS -

7 12 4 4 6 4 7 6 9 7 7 10 11 4 7 4 7 11 7 7 4

ADVANCED

Bill Sloatman*, Frisco, CO R.A. Godman*, Golden, CO Mike Rupert, Albuquerque, NM Lee Metzgar, Boulder, CO Gene Bledsoe, Oklahoma City, OK

4 4 4 4 6

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World Heco Everyone is reading and talking about this book. Over 3000 copies have been sold already. Shouldn't you order today, because sooner or later you will feel you must read it? This is what the December issue of The Soaring Society of America's National journal "Soaring" said in its book· review: " ... Worthington's book is a shout of exultation to those of us who dream of the sky, the wind, the moun· tains ... the very act of flight." To order, send check or money order to Hang Gliding Press, Box 22552-H, San Diego, California 92122. Prices are $9.95 for soft cover and $12.95 for library hard cover. Please add an additional $1.50 for mailing and handling. Applicable state taxes will be paid by Hang Gliding Press.

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The 1982 Southern California Regionals were held over three consecutive weekends, beginning on the Memorial Day weekend, and ending on June 13th. Thanks to consistent weather, two rounds were flown to select three Nationals qualifiers from among the five entrants. Those qualifying, with three wins each, were Jerry Sturmer, Betty Moyer, and Steve Mawhinney. Betty Moyer, a study in com· petitive determination in her Micro Comet and Bulletwoman harness, had 10 fly (and win) a fifth round tie--hreaker flight to earn her spot. Format for the competition was the now familiar one-on-one, win or lose, fly within your win-loss group, cross country goal/duration. Launch was from the west end of the Marshall ridge, about 1,500' above Andy Jackson's Pine Crest Air Parle There was a pylon a mile and a half 10 the east on Marshall, and another three miles to the west of launch on the lower slopes of Pinc Flats. The task varied from three to seven pylons, depending on conditions, whh distances varying from 10 to 27 miles. Conditions for most of the meet were relatively weak spring conditions; and pilots had to work hard to get around the course. Early morning flights were often a roll-thedice affair, as thermals broke off seldom, and the sink was sometimes severe. Steve Pearson jumped out to an early lead in the first weekend as the only pilot to finish the weekend with six wins and no losses. In so doing he earned himself the dubious privilege of flying only the hottest and hungriest pilots for the rest of the meet, and finished the fourteen rounds in fourth place. Third seeded Gene Blythe took the opposite route, losing four out of his first six flights, working his way down to the bottom of the stack, and then winning his last eight in a row to finish in third place. Kevin Kernohan, undefeated in the Southern California Team Meet, lost only to Pearson, Rich Pfeiffer, and Dave Beardslee (twice to Beardslee), and took second place, joining Gene Blythe in the ten win bracket. AUGUST1982

Teel Zinke, Ron Young, and Jeff Huey joined Pearson in the nine win bracket as the last of the guaranteed Nationals Qualifiers. First alternate qualifiers, with eight wins, were Rob Kells, Mike Meier, Steve Luna, Greg Dewolf, and Dennis Yeomans. Following an incident of in-flight contact in the 13th round, Chris Price (7 wins through 13 rounds) and Rich Pfcifler ( 10 wins through 13 rounds) were disqualified from the mee1. The final standings for the meet were:

Pilot

Wins

Dave Beardslee Kevin Kemohan Gene Blythe Steve Pearson Ted Zinke Ron Young Jeff Huey Rob Kells Mike Meier Steve Luna

II 10 10 9 9 9 9

Greg Dewolf Dennis Yeomans Bob England Mark Shell Rick Culbertson Dave Clibson Rick Rawlings Debbie Remhaw Jon Lindburg Raoul Mazzoni Dave Koller Dean Tanji Don Clutter Mike Arrambide Kenny Westfall Gilhm Roberts Par Sheedy Jeff Magnan Ed Daly Scott Smith Terri Wilkins Tim Cobb Fred Hinshaw Laverne Dcjan Mark Whisman Rich Pfeiffer Chris Price

8 8 8

7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6

6 6 6 6

5 4 4 3 3

1 0

D.Q. D.Q.

Glider Sensor 510 Come I Comet Duck Com el Comet Sensor 510 Duck Duck Hawk/ Cornet Duck Comet X Series Comet X-Scries Comet Prostar Com el Duck Duck Duck Hawk Duck Comet X Series Comet X-Series Centurian Duck X-Scries Duck Comet Comet X-Serics Comet Duck Comet

TOP: Bob England, flying an X-Serles glider, waits lo take off. TOP CENTER: Mike Meier, right, talks ii over with Chris Price, left, and Rich Pfeiffer who were disqualified following a mid· air. BOTTOM CENTER: Gene Blythe being seduced by Betty Moyer of Hang Flight Systems lame. ABOVE: Top placing female pilot Debbie Renshaw and friend.

TEN SECONDS OVER HORSE CANYON by Tom Hard The following report is a description of a flight that was first reported in the monthly publication of San Diego's Ultralite Flyers Organization. Following the report, the glider was returned to Ultralite Products for examination and refurbishment. The glider was determined to have incurred bent leading edges, broken and bent battens, bent downtube, bent basetube and stretched flying wires. Without any obligation on their behalf, Ultralite Products completely refurbished the glider without cost to me. To top it off, the local UP dealer, Free Flight of San Diego, testflew it before returning it to me. The most profuse compliments are due UP and their dealership for having designed, fabricated and marketed a glider that did not fail completely under the most trying of circumstances as well as for their outstanding service after that event. I extend to them my most sincere gratitude. Glider: UP Gemini

Harness: UP Cloud, knee hanger, locking carabiner, BUS Parachute Pilot Weight: Hook-in at 190 lbs. Date: April 24, 1982 Location: Laguna Mountains, CA. Launch is visible from Freeway 8 just east of the Buckman Springs turnoff Altitude: Launch is about 4,000 feet MSL Conditions: Strong, steady wind. Slightly crossed on launch. Clear sky with high stratus. Problem: Clear air turbulence departing a thermal at an altitude approximately 1,500 to 2,000 feet above launch that resulted in a flight path that caused the glider to invert twice. The sail was fully reversed at least once. The wind was steady though strong. Conditions did not impress me as being overtly dangerous although some of the more experienced pilots were opting to not fly or to fly elsewhere. All launches were with wire assist. I was with wire assist. I was off in one step. It

became immediately evident that this was a different kind of a day for me. The wind was significantly stronger than I had flown before. I found myself crabbing constantly along the ridge. When on top and slightly back, penetration was difficult. Tending to be conservative, I stayed north of launch and basically out in front and above the ridge. The thermals were quick and I was going slightly negative as I departed them. This was kind of the norm and I wouldn't describe any of this as anything other than strong and sometimes turbulent air. As the flight went on the thermals seemed stronger and the altitude gains were greater. I didn't have an altimeter so I can't report what my altitudes were. I noted that Todd Bohlman was working the northernmost end of the ridge by himself, so I decided to join him. It was great. The gains were the quickest and the highest of the flight. Then I hooked a boomer. My turn was of a very generous radius and I was really in it.

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HANG GLIDING

The vario chirped a constant staccato at over seven hundred up. The ride was quite smooth. Then it all blew apart. The reader needs to appreciate that what happened then was fast. Leaving the thermal I went over the falls and before I had time to realize what was happening the glider was pit· ched over into a totally vertical attitude. The last genuinely clear thing in my memory was that the nose was rolling in under me. Eye witnesses, both in the air and on the ground, relay somewhat different interpreta· tions of what happened. Because of Todd's proximity to the activity - he was really close and slightly above - I've got to go with his rendition. As he stated it, I had dropped total· ly nose down and then was pitched up and over to an inverted position. From this I fell into a double tumble. Several observers verified the double tumble. My orientation was totally lost. What I can recall is: Being bounced off the keel at least twice. The basetube being wrenched out ofmy hands as the nose rolled under. Attempting to grab onto the left downtube with both hands only to have it wrenched away. Looking for a clean opening in order to throw the chute and never feeling that I had an opportunity for a clear deployment. The roar of the sail was incredible. Perhaps it wouldn't have been for an experienced acrobatic pilot, but I couldn't believe it. It was a totally violent world. The whipping action tore away my glasses and my right shoe was barely hanging from my toes

AUGUST 2-6, SEPT. 9-12. Soaring clinics, 5 days long. Refine flying skills and improve knowledge of airflow, experience and practice utilization of ridge and thermal lift. Three days devoted to X-C flying instruction by noted X·C pilot Greg Duhon. Also, mountain clinics, $85.00. Two nights and two days, August 20-22, Oct. 15-17. Designed to familiarize a pilot with mountain sites in Colorado, how to read weather, the site, and utilize lift and experience X·C flying. AUGUST 7-8. Aerial weekend at Crested Butte, Colorado. Contact: Elaine Chandler, P.O. Box 1122, Crested Butte, CO 81224 /(303) 349-7311. AUGUST1982

after it was all over. Just as quickly as it started, I was slammed to a stop and the glider was flying again. A quick check revealed that there was still plenty of altitude to deploy the chute. Next I scanned the wing. The left side was deformed by at least three bent or broken battens. The right side more or less matched the left. I corrected my heading to get out and away from the ridge. The tubes and cables looked OK. The question then was whether or not the glider could make a safe landing. It looked like it could. The directional stability was erratic but controllable. The flying speed was weird. Pulling in the bar firmly didn't seem to do any good. There was an extreme reluctance on my part to try anything that wasn't called for so I worked my way cautiously toward the landing area. The damned vario was indicating lift of over two hundred fpm and it was driving me buggy, so I turned it off when I got to the south end of the ridge. As long as I stayed close to the ridge I couldn't get down. When I moved over toward the freeway I was able to avoid the strong lift. It was necessary to make quite a few large sweeping S turns before I could really set up the approach. The landing was into the bushes just shy of the road. My right shoe fell off and that was that. A number of people asked me what I did as I was pitched over into the nose down attitude. Did I push out? The answer is no. If I did anything I pulled in. But let me repeat, the tuck and the start of the violent behavior was

AUG UST 16-20. Trofeo Sansicario hang gliding grand prix XC competi· tion. Prize moneY.. Contact: Gi Ferraris, Holiday Club Cansicario, 10054 Cesana Torinese, Italy. SEPT. 3·6. Nova-Air Cup, Kossen, Austria. Contact: Gary Elhart, Am Bahnhof, 8531 lllesheim, West Germany (Tel. 09841-8883 or 1039).

SEPT 4·6. Fifth Annual Free Spirit Gliding Contest. $1,000 purse plus trophies. Camping. Ultralight activities included. Contact: P.O. Box 13, Elmira, ·NY 14902. (607) 732-1490. SEPT. 11-12. 4th Annual Canadian-American Chai-

extremely fast. I don't know that I did anything one way or another. Once the glider was totally vertical, my body position was obviously full forward. I was out of control totally and explicitly out of control. Was I considering the chute? Damn right, but I was much concerned with my lack of orientation in the confused state of things. The situation just wouldn't back off and let me get rid of it. I never felt as though I was going to run out of time, but I was aware of the limitation and I was intensely concerned about the possibility of entanglement. A field assessment of damage to the glider revealed bent and broken battens. The graphite shafts don't hold up well to impact· type loads. The right downtube was bent and surprisingly the basetube was also bent. The keel looked as though it might be deformed but that was questionable. My personal damage amounted to a pulled left bicep, some nasty cable rash on the left wrist, some downtube-induced bruises on the left upper arm, a sore right shoulder, a stiff neck, a totally bruised ego, moderate little mental quirks, and missing glasses. It seems clear enough that the tuck and tum· ble was condition-induced, and was not the fault of the glider design. It did pull itself out of all this and was still flyable. Absolutely remarkable! As far as I can recall, I didn't give it any help. The total time span from the start of the tuck to the end of the tumble has been estimated to be on the order of ten seconds .

lenge Cup. Black Mtn. Wash. $30 entry. Contact: Rick Girard, 1911 Larrabee, Bellingham, WA 98225 (206) 733-5467.

SEPT. 14·19. U.S. Masters. Grandfather Mountain, Linville, NC. International invitational tournament. Contact Hugh Morton, Linville, NC 28646 (704) 733-2800.

SEPT. 20-28. Telluride World Invitational Aerobatic Hang Gliding Championships. P.O. Box 456, Telluride, CO 81435.

OCTOBER 16·17. Blue Angels at Point Mugu Air Show. Contact: (805) 982-8094.

...

OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 5. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association 27th annual Convention and in· dustry Exhibit, featuring the Plantation Party. Avia· tion seminars, training programs, exhibits, entertainment. Las Vegas, Nevada. Contact: (301) 951-3947.

NOV. 27-29. Suncoast 8th annual tow launched hang glider championships. St. Pete, Florida. Contact: Hal Elgin, 6639 Emerson Ave. South., St. Pete, FL 33707.

JAN. 17-29, 1983. New Zealand Championships. All advanced p11ots welcome. Contact: Pacific Kites, P.O. Box 45-087, Te Atatu, Auckland 8, New Zealand.

(twllinued from pagr 29)

(Region II Regionals) one of the pylons. A member of the volunteer fire department, an older guy about sixty years old, drove up in a Toyota truck and asked ifhe needed help. Reinhart thanked him but said no because a retrieval truck was already on its way. While they were talking the Toyota started a fire in the grass. The truck stalled and flames started coming up the sides. The driver was able to let it roll back and compression start in reverse. He raced away across the field. Reinhart picked up his glider and heaved it as far as he could on the downslope. He tore off his shirt and started beating the fire out, trying to figure out how to save his glider. Meanwhile the old guy returned with an antique pumper and more of the fire department. As you may have already guessed, they put the fire out and rescued the glider. They're friendly in Dunlap and they like hang gliding.

...

Qualifying in Class I for the Nationals:

pilot can easily put himself in a position where he has to make a downwind turn of nearly 180° just prior to his final approach turn which will also be a 180° turn. That's one too many downwind legs close to the ground. Therefore you should have another landing approach pattern you can use well. See figure IV for an illustration of the standard aircraft box approach. This pattern, though it requires a downwind leg fairly near the ground is safer than the quartering headwind figure 8 because the pilot has only to perform a 90 ° crosswind turn just prior to his final approach turn which is also only 90°. An extremely important point no matter which approach pattern you use is to constantly be aware of the location of the LZ and the wind direction in it. Know where the flag is in any LZ and be sure to look at it several times throughout your approach. Another skill you should be developing at this stage is the ability to use natural wind indicators in case someone steals the flag in the LZ. The motion of grass, ripples on water, smoke, gliders on the ground and ground speed reference all reveal wind direction.

Glider

Pilot

ONE LAST THING Steve McQuilliams ................................ Duck Dan Racanelli ..................................... Sensor Howard Osterlund ................................ Duck Larry Broad ........................................ Sensor Rob DeGroot. .................................... Missile Jim Okamoto ....................................... Comet Walt Nielson ....................................... Comet Karl Paulsen ......................................... Duck Wayne Ashby ...................................... Comet -'·

Open Class Glider

Pilot

Rex Miller. .................................... Fledge III Dudly Mead .................................. Fledge III John Beebe ...................................... Goshawk (continued from page 18)

(Right Stuft) notice the difference in ground speed between upwind and downwind legs at the same airspeed. You will quickly learn that the glider flies the same into the wind, downwind, and every which way. The goals are not to be freaked out by how fast the ground is going by and to judge airspeed independent of ground speed.

APPROACHES The figure 8 approach is simple and useful. You should work on perfecting it so that you can land consistently close to where you want to be. One danger with this approach for inexperienced pilots is in the case of a quartering headwind in the LZ. Figure IV shows how a AUGUST1982

The reason you should practice all this stuff in mild, non-lifting conditions is because lifting conditions tend to be either high wind (ridge) or turbulent (thermal). High wind conditions are horribly dangerous for exploring your glider's flight characteristics at different airspeeds and bank angles. Turbulent conditions are horribly dangerous for launching and landing (skills which are not automatic at this stage). Also, you'll have a hell of a time figuring out whether your own tense control input or the rowdy conditions were responsible for putting you V,'.eightless in an inadvertent 90 ° wingover. It should take you a good 5-10 hours of airtime and a good 30-60 altitude flights to master the above described maneuvers and skills. Pick out one or two areas to explore in each flight and I guarantee that by the time you've logged 5-10 hours you'll have learned a lot of useful information about yourself and your glider. Next month: Beginning soaring, or, how what you've learned so far can keep you from needing to change underwear the first time you go over the falls at the top of a thermal. Please send questions or comments to: THE RIGHT STUFF, c/o Hang Flight Systems, 1202M E. Walnut, Santa Ana, CA 92701. P.S. - The part of Yoda was played by yours turly, Don Burns, Ken deRussy, Joe Greblo, and Greg DeWolf. Any instructor who has ideas for next month's article on beginning soaring, please send them in. ...,_.

(co111im1t'd from pagi' 14)

(Air Speed Indicator) generator with a linear output of seven volts per one thousand rpm. The comparatively steep pitch of the metering screw (20 inches for one turn) was deliberately selected in order to put the generator in the most favorable operating range. At 40 mph airspeed, the generator will turn only 2 l 00 rpm and the undesirable windmilling effect is eliminated. Furthermore, when the metering screw is standing still, it will start to turn in airspeeds as low as five miles per hour, due to the suitable angle of attack of the propeller blades. There is some load from the generator, but in airspeeds above 10 mph it is negligible. The output of the generator is connected to the indicating dial via a calibration potentiometer. When the stall warning switch is in the "on" position, the signal voltage of the generator is also applied to an electronic gate circuit which will activate the Sonalert Horn whenever the voltage (airspeed) drops below a preselected level (minimum flying speed). Power for the Sonalert Horn is provided by a 9-volt transistor battery. Current is drawn from this battery only in "stall" condition, and the battery lasts its normal shelf life. In any case, the condition of the battery has no effect on the speed indication.

Accuracy At airspeeds from 10 to 30 mph, this airspeed indicator is far superior to any commercially available indicator designed for hang gliding use. However, the mounting position of the airspeed indicator on the kite in reference to the airfoil and the shape or billow of the wing itself, do have an affect on the accuracy of the airspeed indicator. These factors may cause a somewhat lower indication of the actual speed, but they will never cause a higher indication than the actual speed and therefore will not adversely affect flying safety.

Summary The Speed Indicating and Stall Warning Device can be a very useful tool to increase flying safety and glider performance - when used properly. It is not a device to make flying foolproof and there are some pilots and instructors who are not in favor of using an instrument like this. It is not the intent of this write-up to sell the idea, but rather to describe the instrument for those who wish to use it. I have no commercial ambition to manufacture speed indicators for profit. Only a limited number of units are available and they are offered on a rental basis for the sake of safe flying . . . Editor's Nore: The author may be contacted at: 96 Everc/ay Drive, Rochester, New York 14616.

live hours flight time. $1100. Clayton Gantz, (415) 441-3251 or (805) 963-2044.

RAVEN 209 - 1981, excellent condition, never crunched. Rainbow sail. (7!4) 947-1578. RAVEN 229 - (2) one for $850, one for $750. - very good condition. (209) 524-1125. RAVEN 229 - XLNT condition. Brown, red, orange and white. Will ship. $800. (805) 735-3867. -~~~~~~~~~~~~

SEAGULL SIERRA - Prototype. 60% double surface. Lex an L.E., faired crossbar. $475. Phoenix 6-C, $275. (805) 685-3243. SENSOR 510 - (180 sq.) Will ship. $! 100. Torn, (704) 264-3600.

CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first time and n or torn loose from their anchor points front and back ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially 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.

SENSOR 510's - Sales & service - immediate delivery new gliders in stock - starting at $1950. (916) 583·6 l 36. WILLS WING HARRIER 187 - Spectrum double surface, fairings, excellent, $ l 400. (704) 875-9486.

Rigid Wings FLEDGE IIB - 1980. Less than 2 hrs. T.T. Excellent condition. $!000./Best offer. (916) 393-5543.

Rogallos

Schools and Dealers

BENNETT KITES - All models sold & serviced. Fly the fantastic new X-series. (916) 583-6136. 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.

ARIZONA DESERT HANG GLIDERS -4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 942-4450.

CIRRUS SA - $500. Excellent condition. 200 ft.' SPIRIT, $600. Good condition. Call (714) 776-1910 days, (714) 751-8599 nights.

SKY BOUND HANG GLIDERS - Full time, full-service shop. New and used gliders and equipment, certified in-

struction, repairs, accessories. 10250 N. Phoenix, AZ 85021. (602) 997-9079.

COMET 165 - Blue leading edge and tips, $1200. Will pay shipping. Wayne, (301) 460-1685, 422-7474. COMET 165', exceptionally clean, mid-1981. Beauty - $1375. (208) 883-0616.

19th Ave.,

low airtime,

COMET 185 - All yellow, good condition. $1200 or best offer. (714) 436-7539.

CONDOR l 94 - Very good condition. $600. Mike, (213) 869-2282 days. (213) 863-4218, evenings.

LANCER 190, l 979 - S600. l 980 ATLAS l 75, $800. Good condition. (804) 851-375!. LOOKING FOR A USED GLIDER? Selling yours? In 213 and 714 area codes call Doug Hertzogs Hang Gliding Referral Service, (213) 436-4891. MOYES MEGA II - 190 sq. ft. Orange LE. and tips. Ex· cellent glider for tandem, large pilots or trike. First reasonable offer takes it. (714) 436-7539.

BEST FLIGHT AIRCRAFT SERVICE - Featuring Flight Designs Products and American Aerolights Eagle. Sales, service, accessories, flight and ground training. Located on Flabob Airport, Riverside, California. Day (714) 781-9222. Night (714) 989-1274. ELSINORE VALLEY HANG GLIDING CENTER. Certified, expericnct:d instruction) sales for all major

manufacturers and repair facilities. Call (714) 678·2050. FREE FLIGHT OF SAN DIEGO. Expert instruction utilizing modern, safe equipment. (714) 560-0888.

81 PROAIR 180, exc. cond., $1250. 80 Nova 190, exc. cond., $595. (303) 539-3335.

FRESH AIR FLIGHT SCHOOL Personalized USHGA certified instruction and observation. An alternative hang gliding establishment meeting all of your flying needs - including expert repairs at realistic rares. Call BRIGHT STAR in Santa Rosa at (707) 584-7088.

RAVEN l 79 - Mint condition airframe and sail. Less than

HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS - Certified instruction pro·

THE SVSTEK VARIO

.,.,K~,·.. -

• Selectable Sensltivily • Audfo Threshold Adjusl • Excellent Battery Lile • Tolal Weighl 12 oz. • Fully Adjustable Audio Sound • One-Year Warranly • Dealer Inquiries Welcome • Padded Storage Bag Add S8_QQ • "KWIK CLAMP" Bracket Add S14.00

$195.00

HANG GLIDERS WEST-DILLON BEACH FLYING SCHOOL - USHGA Certified instructors, observers serving Northern California since 1973. Expert quality repairs. Complete lesson programs. AFTER THE SALE IT'S THE SERVICE THAT COUNTS! All major brands, parts, accessories. Call or write for brochure. 20-A Pamaron Way, Ignacio, CA 94947. (415) 883-3494. Now offering ULTRALIGHT POWERED FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. All equipment provided. We Believe-SAFETY FIRST! MISSION SOARING CENTER - Test fly before you buy. Demos, new & used gliders in stock. All major brands available. At the base of mission ridge in the "Old School." 43551 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538. (415) 656-6656. SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING Private and group instruction by certified instructors. (415) 731-7766; 992-6020.

Post Office Box 548 Oak Ridge. TN 37830

WINDSPORTS INTERNATIONAL, INC. since !974 (formerly So. Cal. Hang Gliding Schools). Largest and most complete HANG GLIDING and POWERED UL TRALITE center in Southern California. Large inventory of new and used gliders, ultralires, parts and accessories. Complete training program by USHGA certified instructors. 5219 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 9141 l (213) 789-0836. COLORADO FOUR CORNERS SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING since l 974. Certified instruction. All major brands, including powered gliders. Repairs & accessories. Box 38, Hesperus, CO 81326. (303) 533-7550. GOLDEN SKY SAILS - USHGA certified school. Foot launch) power, towing, mountain soaring, ground to air communication, video replay. Complete airframe, sail~ power plant repair. We sell and service all major brands.

,.. .................. . ** KITE TUBING~

** **

BRIGHT

DIP

ANODIZED

TUBING

SEAMLESS:

3/8" x .035 x 12' (2·19 LENGTHS) ....................... $0.61/ft. 1 1/8" x .065 x 12' (2-19 LENGTHS) .................... $1.44/ft. '"1' ....._ 1 3/4" x .049" x 12' (2-19 LENGTHS) .................. $1.74/ft. i( ...... 2" x .049" x 12' (2-19 LENGTHS) ........................ $1.91/ft.

"'-.

\....

HANG GLIDERS OF CALIFORNIA, INC. USHGA certified instruction from beginning to expert levels. All brands of gliders, a complete line of instruments & equip· ment are available! For information or catalog, write of call: Hang Gliders of California, Inc., 2410 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405. (213) 399-5315.

ULTRASPORT, INC. is the only Southern California school dedicated Only to powered ultralights. We have a flight simulator which allows you to learn basic flight maneuvers before committing to free flight. USHGA cer· tified. Call or write for more information. Ultra Sport, Inc. !2780 Pierce #14, Pacoima, CA 91331. (213) 896-1805.

COMET 1981, 185 - Black, red, yellow, $1400. 1978 Alpha 245, Black, red, orange, wht., $600, Kurt, (213) 887-8284, night.

HOW TO STOP THIEVES COLD. Free details!! See DEVIL DOG under Miscellaneous.

HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM SANTA BARBARA (Formerly Channel Islands Hang Glider Emporium) Quality instruction, service and sales since 1974. Full stock of gliders (both new & used), harnesses, helmets, varios, ac· cessories, and spare parts. Contact us for details. Located just minutes from major highway and flying sites. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. (805) 965-3733.

SKYWORKS HANG GLIDING & ULTRALITE - of the South Bay Area offers you opportunity and diversification in the art of flying. Complete lesson programs) certified instruction, demos, equipmenl new and used, repair facilities, and major brands available. 527 Sinclair Frontage Road, Milpitas, CA 95035. (408) 946-7115.

CALIFORNIA

HARRIER 177 - Like new - low airtime, $1150. Will negotiate. Jon Bautsch, (715) 842·4 l 03, 848-1316.

gram, beginning to advanced levels. Featuring Wills Wing and Ultralight Products gliders and accessories. 'Duck, Comet, Gemini, Harrier demo flight available to qualified pilots. !202 E. Walnut Unit M, Santa Ana, CA. (714) 542-7444.

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WHOLESALE CATALOGUE

$1.00

REFUNDABLE

ti(

LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS 11-'C, UIS. l4'tHST. '"1' COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.

8090A 303•U2·49119

**************** HANG GLIDING

Golden Sky Sails, 572 Orchard, Golden, CO 80401. (303) 278-9566. LEADING EDGE AIR FOILS, INC. - Write for our complete line of gliders, power packs, ultralight equipment and lessons, (powered, towed and free-flight). Enjoy our unbeatable prices and fast service. A MOST COMPLETE SHOP. 331 South 14th St., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904.

wing ATV and towing. 6040 Ashway Ct., Indianapolis, Indiana (317) 291-9079.

Soarmaster. 24851 Murray, ,\.It. Clemens, MI 48045 (313) 791-0614 - Since 1975.

MARYLAND

MINNESOTA

-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MARYLAND SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING, INC. Serving the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas. Complete line of gliders and equipment. USHGA certified instruction. (30 I) 628-6177. MICHIGAN

CONNECTICUT AIR WISE INC., 15 Long Ridge Road, West Redding, CT. 06896, (203) 938-9546. Training programs for beginner to expert by USHGA certified instructor/observer staff Dealer for all major product lines, featuring Flight Designs, UP, Moyes. Complete accessory line. Lecture-film presentation available.

D & D MANTA - Dealers for new Fledge Ill, Fox Bat Fledgei Progressi\'e Aircraft, featuring Pro Air, Pro Star

and new Pro Lite harness, chute, ballast bag 9 lbs. Simpson helmets. 3220 E. River Rd., Twin Lake, MI 49457. (616) 744-9492.

HAWAII

NORTHERN Sl:N HANG GLIDERS, INC. Dealer for all major non-powered and powered brands. USHGA certified instruction. Owners/managers of the Hang Gliding Preserve, soarable ridge with tramway lift. \X'hen in the North Country stop by and test our line of gliders and enjoy the sites. 2277 W. County Rd. C., St. Paul, (Roseville), MN 55113 (612) 633-3333. NEW MEXICO BUFFALO SKYRIDERS, INC. - Southwest's hang gliding headquarters. Instruction, sales and service for all types of gliders. Coronado Airport, P.O. Box 4512, Albuquerque, N.M. 87106. (505) 821-6842. NEW YORK

MAUI SOARING SUPPLIES - Certified instructors. Sales, service and rentals. R.R. Box 780, Kula, /vlaui, HI 96790. (808) 878-127 l.

AERIAL TECHNIQUES, Rt. 209, Ellenville, NY 12428, (914) 647-3344. Come visit Ellenville. Learn to fly at our new training facility or challenge the mountain with your thermaling and X-C skills. Complete inventory of gliders, accessories, and replacement parts. Quicksilver ultralight sales and instruction. Open all year.

TRADEWINDS HANG GLIDING - USHGA certified instructors/observers. Classes daily. Box 543i Kailua, Hawaii, 96734. (808) 396-8557. IDAHO SUN VALLEY SENSOR - New and used Sensor 5IO's. Sales, service, demo. Bruce McKeller, P.O. Box 3696i Ketchum, Idaho 83340. (208) 788-9692. ILLINOIS ,vUD-AMERICA INC. - Instruction in hang gliding and motorized ultralights. All niajor brands available. Certified instructors and BGI's. Individual and group rates. \X'rite: Box 100, Granville, IL 61326 or.call (815) 339-2282 before 10:00 a.m.

ECO-FLIGHT HANG GLIDERS AND MICHIGAN MOTOR GLIDER continue our FREEZIN' SEASON SALE with substantial savings on gliders, ultralights, windsurfers and accessories, including \XI ills \X'ing, U .P., Flight Designs, Pterodactyl, and Manta. We offer U.S.H.G.A. & F.A.A. certified instruction, complete parts and expert repair ser\'ice, windsurfer rental, sales 1 and instruction. 493 Lake St., Benzonia, Michigan 49616. (616) 882-5070.

INDIANA

HANGER 1.1 GLIDER SALES - Lessons & Repairs. Just when you thought you couldn't purchase your 1982 glider, WAMMO the lift is here. Moyes Meteors. 190 Suggested retail price $2075. now S1775. 170 - Suggested retail price $1995. now $1695. Your choice of colors, 3-4 wks. deli\'ery (shipping not included). (705) 942-2979.

BAT-SAIL ENTERPRISE, INC. Central Indiana's hang gliding and ultralight headquarters. Dealer for Flight Designs, Moyes, U.P., and Wills Wing. Specializing in Jet-

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HANG GLIDERS - Sales and instruction in Ultralights_} Free Flight and towing. Dealers for Eagle, UP, Flight Designs, Delta Wing and

PROAIRIPROSTAR SALES AND SERVICE, flight accessories and Ball variometers - 1\1idwes1 Motorglider Supplies, 2638 Roberts, Waukegan, IL 60087, (312) 244-0529.

......

THE WELCOME MAT IS OUT at Mountain Wings, the Ellenville area's newest and largest shop for hang gliders, ultralights, RC gliders and more. Located just off Route 209 on 1\1ain Street, Kerhonkson, our product lines include Flight Designs, ProAir, 1\-lanta.l Seedwings, Stratus. Top notch instruction programs with audiovisual teaching aids. Mountain Wings, Box 1022, Kerhonkson, NY 12446. (914) 626-5555. NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES, INC., - P.O. Box 340, Nagshead, N.C. 27959 1-800-334-4777, in North Carolina, (919) 441-4124. Learn to fly safely over soft sand dunes through gentle Atlantic breezes a few miles south of where the \X:right Brothers learned to fly. Beginning/Novice packages and ratings available daily. Complete inventory of new gliders, accessories and parts in stock. PENNSYLVANIA SKY SAILS LTD Hang Gliding School. USHGA certified instructors. 1630 Lincoln Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701.

~~~~~~~~~~--:=-~~~~~~~~~~~~-

PILOTS!

BROTHERS

LEARN TO FLY HIGHER, SAFER, FURTHER Up-to-date illustrated information guaranteed to improve your flying. Written by a USHGA instructor.

Fasl and accutale air speed

measurements can be made by using the Hall Wind Meter. A valuable instrument for all hang glider pilots. 121.50

• HANG GLIDING FLYING SKILLS-DETAILS ON: BEGINNING FLIGHT * INTERMEDIATE SKILLS * AERODYNAMICS * GLIDER DESIGN * GLIDER REPAIR * SELECTING EQUIPMENT* THERMALING * MORE. $6.95+60¢POSTAGE.

Our Seated and Prone Brackets shown liere with the Wind Meter, provide an excellenl lightweight mounting for the Wind Meter. Seated Bracket S5.00 Prone Bracket SB.00

•FLYING CONDITIONS-THE ROAD MAP TO THE SKY-DETAILS ON: GENERAL WEATHER* TURBULENCE* ROTORS * WIND SHADOW * SEA BREEZES * WIND GRADIENT * RIDGE LIFT *THERMALS• MORE. $6.95 + 60¢ POSTAGE. Our Control Bar Wheels protect you and your glider on that occasional bad landing and during routine ground handling. The wheels fit 1" or 11:!'' control bars. Specify size when ordering. S20.IIO pr. When ordering please specify the items ordered and how many of

each are desired. Add S2.00 for C0.0. orders and lor orders to foreign countries. Telephone orders welcome. Dealer inquires invited.

MAKE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO HALL BROTHERS, BOX 771, MORGAN, UT 84050 (801) 829•3232

AUGUST1982

•HANG GLIDING FOR ADVANCED PILOTS-DETAILS ON: COMPETITION * EFFICIENT TURNING* POLARS* SPEEDS TO FLY * THERMAL TECHNIQUES* DISTANCE SOARING* DESIGN CONCEPTS* MORE.$6.95+60¢POSTAGE. • POWERED ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT-DETAILS ON: CHOOSING THE RIGHT CRAFT AERODYNAMICS * CONTROLS * AIRMANSHIP * MORE. $7.95 + 60¢ POST. ***NEW*** • POWERED ULTRALIGHT TRAINING COURSE-A MANUAL FOR SELF-TEACHING AND TRAINING SCHOOLS-11 LESSONS AND RELATED GROUNDSCHOOLS-TESTS AND FAA REGULATIONS INCLUDED- $12.95 + 60¢ POSTAGE. $11.95+60¢POSTAGE FOR TWO ~ ExceptPOWERED $16.95+90¢POSTAGE FOR THREE ULTRALIGHT $21.95 + 90¢ POSTAGE FOR FOUR TRAINING COURSE $29.95+ 1.10 POSTAGE FOR ALL FIVE SEND CHECK OR CASH TO: DENNIS PAGEN, DEPT. H P.O. BOX 601, STATE COLLEGE, PA 16801 DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

(717) 326-6686 or 322-8866.

Rekku Shibakoan 2/11/13. Shibakoan Minatoku Tokyo 105 JAPAN. Tel. 03/433/0062.

TEXAS

Employment Opportunities

AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Certified hang gliding instruc· tion. Glider sales & equipment. (512) 474-1669. AUSTIN HANG GLIDING CENTER- Lessons, winch tow to 2000'. (512) 255-7954. ELECTRA-FL YER DISTRIBUTORS. South MidWestern distributors for: Electra Flyer Corp., T.:FM Prod· ucts, Sky Sports, Seagull Aircraft. Now accepting dealer· ship inquiries. Call or write: LONE ST AR HANG GLIDERS, 2200 "C" South Smithbarry Rd., Arlington, TX 76013. ,'v\etro. (817) 469-9159. LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS. Electra Flyer, Sky Sports, Seagull, Manta and LFi\1 sales, repair, instruction. 2200 C South Smithbarry, Arlington, TX 76013 (817) 469-9159. UTAH WASATCH WINGS INC. - Located minutes from Point of the Mountain. Safe, personalized, instruction beginning through mountain flight. Custom harness manufacture and repair. 700 East 12300 South, Draper, Utah 84020, (801) 571-4044. WASHINGTON BIG BIRD'S WINGS - Hang gliding's best. Instruction - sales and service. Dealing & distributing Wills Wing in Washington state. Call Fitz (Big Bird), (206) 523-2436. CAPITOL CITY GLIDERS - New and used gliders and ultralights, accessories, service. Certified instruction. (206) 786-9255, (206) 456-6333. FAIRWINDS INTERNATIONAL is the exclusive Ultralite Products dealer in the Northwest. Comet, Gemini in stock. Some good used gliders also. 1302 Kings Place, Bainbridge Is., WA 98110. Call evenings, (206) 842-3971 Lyon McCandless, (206) 842-4970 Ken Godwin.

International Schools & Dealers

CRYSTAL AIR SPORTS MOTEL - Male/Female HELP WANTED: 15 hrs./wk. Exchange for lodging in Original Flyers Bunkhaus. Call or write Chuck or Shari, 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, Tenn. 37409. (615) 821-2546. Home of SKY GEAR, Apparel & Accessories. Also, vacationing? Pri\'ate Rustic Rooms. Waterbeds, Video Movies, Color T.V., Pool. Reserve early due to World's Fair.

Emergency Parachutes NEW RAPID DEPLOYMENT B.U.S. FLY AWAY CONTAINER SYSTEM is the world's newest, fastest and most reliable system. By the originator of hang gliding parachutes. Bill Bennett Delta Wing Kites & Gliders, Inc., P.O. Box 483, Van Nuys, CA 91408 (213) 787-6600, telex no. 65-1425. PARACHUTES REPACKED - Your parachute aired, inspected and repacked by experienced rigger - $15.00 includes return postage. Send U.P.S. to HANG GLIDER EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 992-6020.

Parts & Accessories HANG GI.IDER EQUIPMENT COMPANY - For all your hang gliding needs. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 992-6020. SECURITY RECOVERY SYSTEMS, $299. Oxygen systems, $145. and Ball Variometers at lowest prices. High Flight Associates, 4019 Vista Way, Davis, CA 95616. (916) 756-4185.

JAPAN

PROPELLERS - All sizes. Wood, beech, birch; maple. Buy the best. Factory direct. Southern Propeller Corp., 1114 Hinson Ave., Haines City, Fl. (813) 422-2335.

SUNRISE COUNTRY INC. - Distributor Japan: Manta, Pacific Kites, Delta Wing, Flight Designs, Odyssey, Litek, Hall Bros., Ball Varios, Altimaster, Quick-N-Easy. 1104

Take a picture of the pilot in action. Our new camera mount attaches the Kodak 4000 Disc Camera to your wing, comes with long cable. Light weight, rugged. $29.95 in-

MISSl[i~i~

YOU

eludes mount, 15' cable. Extra cable $5.95. Add 7% sales tax, $3.00 shipping.PD S, Dept. HG, 216 Hampton Way, Penfield, NY 14526.

Publications & Organizations SOARING - Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $28. Info kit with sample copy $3.00. SSA, P.O. Box 66071, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

Ultralight Powered Flight DELTA WING TRIKE - Built up, ready to fly. Solo engine. $1395. FREE FLIGHT INC., 7848 Convoy Court, San Diego, CA 92111. (714) 560-0888. KITTY HA WK KITES Training specialists for ultralights. FAA certified Flight Instructors. Quicksilvers, parts in stock. P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, N.C. Within site of where the Wright Brothers made their first historic flight. l-800- 334-4777. LONE STAR HANG GLIDERS. Electra Flyer, Sky Sports, Seagull, Manta and UFM sales, repair, instruction. major factory 469-9159. NORTHERN SUN INC. The industry's most experienced rigid wing builders, offers all custom built rigid wings at discount prices. Also dealer for all major factory built powered ultra-lights. Our PO\vered Training Course is designed and taught by pilots experienced in both conventional aircraft and Powered Ultralights. This comprehensive course includes techniques in reading and understanding sectionals, FAR 1 s, micrometeorology, and even float and ski use. Upon completion of course, students receive certification cards. For more details, contact us at: 2277 W. Country Rd. C., St. Paul (Roseville), MN 55113. (612) 633-3333. SKYWORKS California.

Please see ad -

Schools & Dealers -

SPORT FLYING UNLIMITED - Ultralight sales, training and service for QuickSilver, MX and Mirage. Two locations: 2915 S. Logan St., Lansing, MICHIGAN 48910, (517) 882-2468 or 1450 10th St., S., Safety Hbr., FLORIDA 33572, (813) 726-7020.

TAKE HANG GLIDING WITH YOU DON'T MISS THE LATEST ISSUE BY FAILING TO NOTIFY USHGA OF YOUR CHANGE OF ADDRESS!!

DESERVE THE BEST!

NAME

USHGA # _ __

OLD ADDRESS

Stop for a minute and picture yourself on top of the stack at your favorite flying site, feeling relaxed and confident. We've been making gliders that stayed on top for a long time. Imagine heading out for the next pylon running neck and neck with your competition, but finding the extra speed to arrive first. We make very fast gliders. Think about going for the target knowing that the glider lands so easy and slowly that you don't worry about droppln11 the nose or bending the down tubes. You a winner! The Moyes Missile from the company that over the years has produced more winners.

CITY

STATE ___ ZIP

NEW ADDRESS CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ ZIP ____ LAST ISSUE RECEIVED (PLEASE ALLOW FOUR WEEKS FOR PROCESSING)

COMPETITION CORNER MOYES WINS Lawrence Hargrave Intl. Meet

*1ST *2ND *3RD

•• , IIIC.

DW-HIQHWAV /BRIQGMAN, MICHIGAH ,atO! I TELEPHONE !16-

6-3100

Notify USHGA Early! Please Note: You must notify your post office that you will pay forwarding postage on your second class mail or you may miss an issue. USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles. CA 90066.

HANG GLIDING

TRIKES - SalesJ service) instruction, glider conversions,

test flights, Bennett, Soarmaster, (916) 583-6136.

tube, battens, or washout tubes. One down tube replaced with stock 6061 tubing. SAIL: Blue and white, orange bag. Stolen by wuffo expected to be sold in southern California. CONTACT: James McLaughlin (607) 771-1583 days collect. $500 reward for arrest and conviction.

ULTRASPORT, INC. - Dealers for Eipper, Quicksilver, and Pterodactyl Fledglings. Our only business is power. USHGA certified. Call or write for further free informa· tion. UltraSport, Inc., 12780 Pierce #14, Pacoima, CA 91331. (213) 896-1805. VOLMER AIRCRAFT - Established 1925. First to fly three control foot launched glider, first to construct homebuilt amphibian, 1958. First to construct highest per· forming foot launched glider, 1971. Third to construct powered foot launched glider, 1976. First foot launched glider to fly aloss the English Channel, 1978. Complete

TYPE: Black nylon duffie harness bag containing black cocoon harness with red shoulder pads, Flight Designs vario, Thoemen Altimeter, orange F.D. helmet. black leather gloves, blue jackets. WHERE & WHEN: Manressa State Beach parking lot Sunday, 5-2-8 l. CONT ACT: Brian O'Kelly, 2300 West Haven, Bakersfield, CA 93304 (805) 832-3987.

plans available. Brochure for all our seven aircraft in-

cluding our VJ24W · 10 HP Ultralight, $10.00. Volmer Aircraft - Box 5222 · G, Glendale, California 91201.

Miscellaneous Bumper Stickers - "HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR HANG GLIDER TODAY?" White wlblue letters. Sl.40 each (includes postage). P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. CB RADIOS - Smallest most powerful 40 channel available. Complete with mounting bracket, nicad battery pack, charger, antenna, and microphone. $195.00. Send check or use money order for quick delivery. Write for brochure, optional helmet mike or power mike available. Sea Drake Designs, 99 Trish Dr., Novato, CA 94947.

IS SOMEONE STEALING YOUR VALUABLE EQUIPMENT? Amazing new 'DEVIL DOG' STOPS THEFT' Easy installation, ten year warranty. Free info. Dealers inquire on letterhead. Gulf Air Sports, P.O. Box 892, Venice, FLA. 33595. ACT NOW PROTECT YOUR WINGS!

LARGE PATCHES - (2 118" x 9") for collectors only. Great for caps, bags and harnesses. $3.00 plus $1.00 post· age and handling. Call now 1-800-334-4777. In N.C. call (919) 441-6094. Kitty Hawk Kites. PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3'/," dia. Inside or outside application. 25¢ each. Include 15> for postage and handling with each order. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. Powered Ultralight Training Course - By Dennis Pagen. Now available from USHGA. Lessons, Groundschools, tests, FAA Regulations, 81!, x 11 workbook format. $13.55 (incl. postage) P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. PRICE PRONE HARNESS, Windhaven Mark I 24' chute, Colver variometerJ Gischard altimeter, all excellent

condition, $500. Litek variometer, $125. Pro Air glider, $1250. Seagull 10.5 Meter, $600. (303) 539-3335. TEE-SHIRTS with USHGA emblem $6.50 including postage and handling. Californians add 6% tax. Men's sizes, S, M, L, XL. BLUE/ORANGE, USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. 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. The rate for classified advertising is 35¢ per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $3.00. A fee of $10. is charged for each photograph or logo. Bold face or caps 50¢ per word extra. Underline words to be bold. Special layouts or tabs $20.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES - All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations

must be received in writing l 1/, months preceding the cover date, i.e., April 20 for the June issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept., HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. AUGUST1982

TYPE: Wills Wing Harrier 177 #6113. SAIL PATTERN: All white. Six holes in L.E. WHERE AND WHEN: Ultmate Hi, Feb. 22, 1982. CONTACT: Roger Chase (714) 748-1739. TYPE: Gemini /IUPG13400M. SAIL PATTERN: Dk blue LE, Pacific blue center, white TE. Tape on LE. WHERE AND WHEN: 6/28/82 W. Jordon Utah, taken from car. Contact: Claudia Holbrook (801) 561-1974 or 571-4044. TYPE: Eipper Flexi III. SAIL PATTERN: White, blue, green, yellow and white. New, or no control bar. Tear in keel pocket. Reward, CONTACT: Will Richardson, Rt. 1, Box 167, Trout Dale, VA 24378 (404) 436-8504. TYPE: 172 Moyes Mega. WHERE AND WHEN: March 20, '82, 80 miles north of Flagstaff AZ (Echo Cliffs area). SAIL PATTERN: Lt. blue, with dk blue lightning bolt on right wing. CONTACT: Sky Bound Hang Gliders, 10250 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85021 (602) 997-9079. TYPE: 1982 177 Harrier II /16744. WHERE AND WHEN: Fountain Hills area, NE of Phoenix, AZ, April 15, 1982. SAIL PATTERN: All white upper sail, blue lower sail, rainbow center panel. CONT ACT: Sky Bound Hang Gliders. TYPE: UP Gemini 184 #UPG184032. SAIL: Yellow nose, orange middle, red trailing edge (span-wise cut) with white leading edge and keel pocket. WHERE AND WHEN: Alameda, CA July 2, 1982. CONTACT: David Catlett (415) 521-7633. Reward. TYPE: Pterodactyl with Cuyuna 430 reduction dri_ve #111000. LE, yellow, TE, white. Center, brown. Tips, brown. Rudder, white with brown & black stripes. Canard, brown, yellow and white. CONTACT: LEAF, 331 South 14th St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904 (303) 632-4959. TYPE: 135 Comet. SAIL: Black LE, crimson green TE. Red top sail, red keel pocket. Red UP left side. WHEN: April 15, 1982 San Bernardino area. CONTACT: Laverne DeJan, (714) 796-1658. TYPE: 209 Raven /14402. SAIL: Center out: Brown center, two white, two orange, white tips. Brown LE. Orange keel pocket. WHEN: El Centro, CA April 26, 1982. CONT ACT: Mike Sorgaard (714) 352-2116. TYPE: Moyes Mega 172. SAIL: Blue and white with lightning bolt. Red bag. WHEN: Saturday, March 20, 1982. Reward. CONTACT: Russ Gillfer (602) 523-4058. TYPE: Fledge IIB #1032. WHEN: March 1, 1982 Denver, CO. Glider is incomplete. SAIL: White with dk blue LE, tips and keel panel. CONTACT: Richard Siberell, 711 55th Des Moines, Iowa 50312 (515) 255-1456. TYPE: 1982 Super Lancer 200. WHERE/WHEN: Binghampton, NY 4/18/82. CHARACTERISTICS: Will not fly as is. No base

FOUND: Harness and chute in Lancaster, CA near Ave. P. CONTACT: HG of CA, (213) 399-5315. TYPE: Comet #UPCMT 165995 Sail: nose to tail - gold, yellow, white. UP Gemini: #UPG164042. Nose to tail: Green (blue stripes), yellow. Thief is known to be in Redondo Beach, CA area possibly working for Walker Transportation Co. Large reward. CONTACT: Alesandro Gomez (331)-2-38-21 (Colima, Mexico). TYPE: Fire Eagle w/Z-drive. SAIL PATTERN: Red, orange, gold, yellow, yellow wired L.E. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Infinity lettering and logo faintly visible. Sail repair on inside panel. WHERE AND WHEN: Dec. 1981 Cedar Valley, Utah. CONTACT: Infinity Flight Systems, 898 S. 900 E., SLC., Utah 84102 (801) 359-SOAR. TYPE: Robertson Cocoon Harness, light blue liner, brown outside with Flight Designs parachute, gray bag. Red helmet, Litek vario, round face (black), red bag, Flight Designs altimeter. WHERE AND WHEN: Home Feb. 13, 1982. CONTACT: Jon, Los Gatos, CA (408) 354-3041 or (408) 395-2645. TYPE: 1979 Seagull 10 Meter. WHERE AND WHEN: Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 11, I 981. DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Light blue sail with "Seagull" lettering. Keel and right L.E. plain anodized, all other black. Red bag with thumb snaps. CONTACT: Kermit Kinne, 35 Juergens Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 (513) 751-6642. TYPE: R.D.P. parachutes: /l's 3003, 3078, 3042, 3073, 3035, 3037, 3023. Litek Model C varios: /l's 390, 417, 420, 434, 401, 423, 433, 383, 404, 403, 397,256,287,213,230,243,247,233,249,251, WHERE AND WHEN: Delta Wing, Van Nuys, CA. Sept. 1981. CONTACT: Detective Bob Hanson, Van Nuys police dept. (213) 989-8371 or Delta Wing (213) 787-6600. Reward for information. TYPE: Wills Wing Raven 209 /14911. WHERE AND WHEN: Aug. IO, 1981 from Buffalo Skyriders shop, Albuquerque, NM. SAIL PATTERN: Red leading edges. Center out: black, red, orange, gold, yellow, white tips. Also stolen, custom harness, black with custom blue chevron. CONTACT: Buffalo Skyriders, (505) 821-6842. Box 4512, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Reward. TYPE: Olomana /II. SAIL PATTERN: All white. Blue bird emblem on sail near nose. Orange and gold cover bag. CONT ACT: Mikel Dillon, 1111 S. Water, Wichita, KA 67213. (316) 263-1287.

Hang Gliding publishes (free of charge) stolen gliders and equipment. New listings appear at the head of the column in bold. Type up your submission in our format and send to: USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. 49

THE KEDTAIL

by Jeff Mailes illustration by Hardy Snyman

His wingtip was only one foot away. He was almost close enough to touch. As he circled to the left, I followed. I could see him turn his head to look at me. His tail feathers flashed a brilliant red in the late afternoon sunlight. The sight left a spot on my vision, as if I had gazed at the sun momentarily. In an instant he rose above me. Suddenly I felt a jolt upward and began to rise with him. I noticed how subtle, yet agressive his control movements were. His skill was so perfect because he used no wasted motions. As I continued to follow him I tried to make my control more like his. I wanted so much to fly like he did. Using his example, my flight became much more smooth and enjoyable. It was almost as ifI was suspended from a cloud. The whole sensation lapsed into a dreamlike state. It was unbelievable. I began to feel he had more nerve than I had. It was because I was so new at this adventure. He would fly around peacefully, then suddenly dive hundreds of feet down into the rocky canyons. Several times I lost sight of him, only to see him again, above or below me. I noticed a huge rock outcropping just to my right a few hundred yards. Completely surrounded by brush, it looked like a good source of lift. As I approached the mass of granite I felt turbulence and then a sudden blast of warm air. I was climbing. The ground began rapidly to drop away as I circled higher. While I was gaining altitude I noticed a bird hundreds 50

of feet below me. Could it be the same hawk? As my altitude increased, so did his. I would turn to the left and he would follow. Everything I did, he did. When he reached my altitude I noticed his bright red tail again. I think he had gotten used to my company. The flight turned into a game. He would perform a maneuver; I would do the same. We traded off in a game of follow the leader for what seemed an endless amount of time. I would find lift and he would follow. He would find lift and I would follow. I wanted it to last for hours but I knew my time was limited. I could only stay up for so long. The sun became lower on the horizon and I

found it harder to locate sources of lift. It was time for me to go. I made a final turn and headed for the landing area. After a few turns and a few minutes later, my feet touched down effortlessly in the tall grass. The blood rushed back into my feet again and I was back on the ground. It was almost like being reconnected with my place of birth. It felt good, but was too abrupt an ending to such a peaceful event. I turned and gazed back up the mountain. Its purple glow accented the trees and rock faces that were reaching out for a final grasp of sunlight. The sky seemed reluctant to let the night fade into darkness. I wondered where the hawk would spend the night. ~ HANG GLIDING

TEAM SENSOR Winning individuals dedicated to manufacturing excellence and proven performance. First and second '81 U.S. Nat's, Rich Pfeiffer, Jeff Burnett First '81 Telluride Aerobatics Championship, Dan Racanelli First '82 American Cup Pilot Award, Stu Smith First and second '82 U.S. Cal. Regionals, David Beardsley, Dan Racanelli First and Second '82 U.S. S. East Regionals, Dave Ledford, Stu Smith SUPER HIGH PERFORMANCE

HIGHEST QUALllY

The Sensor 510's maximum performance is ideal for Cross-Country racing and full-on competition. The 510's high top speed, very low sink rates and flat glide gives you a definite advantage. Super high performance and nimble handling gives you a glider that's impossible to beat. The Sensor 510 has the best minimum sink, lowest overall sink rate and the best banked flight sink rates ever. It will climb faster, top-out higher and stay up easier in light, marginal thermals. The Sensor 510's noticeably better L/D will extend your range and open up new territory.

When it comes to gaining a performance advantage, attention to detail makes the difference. The Sensor 51 O's frame and sailwork results in a drum-tight wing with unsu11Jassed. aero-dynamic cleanliness, the result is low drag and high lift. Precision craftsmanship in a high strength-to-weight ratio airframe gives you the extra confidence for maximum performance. Seedwings, recognized world wide for design and manufacturing excellence, is proud to offer the Sensor 510. Expert craftsmanship, extraordinary attention to detail, impeccable sailwork and stringent quality control ensures that you will get durability and high performance.

INNOVATIVE DESIGN The Sensor 51 O's outstanding performance is due to its new, low drag, elliptical wingshape, low-swept geometry and low twist. Sensor's original curved wingtips, an integral part of the elliptical planform, offers the lowest drag of any wingtip design. The low-swept (wide nose angle) geometry gives a broadened speed range, faster acceleration and more pitch control. The Sensor 51 O's high aspect ratio and low twist extends the lift producing low pressure over the entire span. Increased lift and reduced drag results in a greater gli<;le ratio (L/D). The sophisticated Sensor 510 is the most technically advanced hang glider in the world.

Find out about having one built for you. Call Bob Trampenau at Seedwings today.

HGMA Certified

Pilot Bob Trampenau

• SEE OWINGS 1919 CASTILLO ST SANTA BARBARA. CA 9310/ • 805 682-4250

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WILL IT FORCE EVERYONE BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD? hen we introduced he UP COMET two years ago a he Owens Valley XC Classic. • we thought 1 was a pe ec glider for the time Others must ha e hough so too because everyone has tried to improve on 11 Finally, somebody has improved 11 e have For 1982's compet11ion season. we·ve made a few (a very few) improvements that keep he Comet exactly where it's been all the lime on the top of the stac We don t need to tell you how many Comet ·clones· have been introduced by our competitors in the last two years Most have disappeared as qu1c ly as they were announced hy? Well there 1s one thing that hasn't changed a Ultrahte Products- quality. We continually go bac to the drawing board to stay ahead while o hers go bac to catch up UP COMET, a classic design Ask the more than 2.000 pilots who fly onel All UP Comets are HG A certified Send 2.00 for complete specs. photos and price list on UP products.

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