MARCH 198J $2.00
FULLMEMBERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII• 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 D Plan A: Single Foot-Launch Gliding Coverage (included in Full & Family Membership fee) D Plan B: Powered Ultralight (add $160.50 to Membership fee)
FAMILYMEMBERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. . 1. NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
ANNUAL DUES: $14.75 for each family Member,
o RENEW/USHGA# _ _ _ everywhere (add $160.50 for Plan B insurance
D NEW MEMBER
coverage), who resides in my household. Each will receive all Full Member privileges EXCEPT a sub0 RENEW/USHGA # _ _ _ scription to Hang Gliding magazine.
2. NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ D NEW MEMBER
e
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY IIIIIIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINAME
D
$22.50 SUBSCRIPTION ($25.50 foreign) for one year.
D
$40.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($46.00 foreign) for two years.
D
$57.50 SUBSCRIPTION for three years.
D
$11.25 TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION ($12.75 foreign) for six months.
(Please Print)
ADDRESS------------CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ __ ZIP
PHONE (
($66 50 foreign)
I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO: USHGA, BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066 USHGA will ONLY accept foreign checks payable on a U.S bank in US funds. (U.S dollars or International Money Order.) Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing.
I received this application form from:
D FULL MEMBER ($29.50. $32.50 foreign) (Pl an B add $160.50) 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) _ _ __ D I would like $1.00 of my membership TOTAL dues to be used for WORLD TEAM expenses. Charge my O MasterCard
D VISA
Card No. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ex. Date _ _ __ Signature
P.O.Box 66306, Los Angeles, California 90066 USHGA Item #4
Revised 9/81
(213) 390-3065
z
0
3
IA.
:c
I I
:E Ill :E
e
IIIIIIIIi IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII II IIIIIIII111111111111111111111111111 -11111111111111111111 --
GfJR
The Original Ultralight Magazine
rlc
~~j\<DESIGNtt~.¢'
t·>
A.;:,;~
FREE!
ULTRALIGHT BUYER'S GUIDE
-- MASTERCDM 99 TRISH DRIVE, NOVATO, CALIFORNIA 94947
and save
50% OFF ~:fc\STAND
415·892·9606
,~. . i'JU/~J{J :_;iJJ!J!
Interested in ultralights? Glider Rider is the ··=,;·- · recognized leader, with extensive monthly coverage since 1976 of all aspects of ultralight aviation. Subscribe today at 50% off newsstand price, and receive one FREE issue containing the Ultralight Buyer's Guide, complete with updated photos and specs of the "hottest" new ultralights.
MONEYBACK GUARANTEE
=YES[ Send me the next 12 issues for just
C::: /.USTERCARD
If charging:
'.:::" VISA
$9.
'::: I am enclosing $2 for a sample issue
-
---
-
Credit Card No.
'.::::: Paymenl enclosed
Exp. Date
:::::: Bill me (in advance)
Card Holder's Name
Interbank No.
NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
~
CITY, STATE & ZIP _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Foreign Postage: Add $2 in Canada, $5 elsewhere - U.S. FUNDS ONLY! Allow 4-8 weeks for delivery of first issue
GLIDER RIDER
The first flight communications sytem designed speclflcally for hang gilding.
P.O. Box 6009, Dept. H211 • Chattanooga, TN 37401
* COMPLl:TE *
South Coast Air Products
HAND FfiiRiNGS
---
The MASTERCOM Is ready to fly. Everv.thlng you need Is Included. Nothing to make or modify.
*POWERFUL*
--
Five watts of finely tuned transmission Rower backed by a space age battery with three times the energy of nlcads.
* VERSATILE *
-Made of high quality 3/16 nylon bonded neoprene. Keeps your hands warm in any conditions. * Inner tube insulates your hand from the bar, grips tight and allows no cold air in the fairing. * All outer seams are glued and sewn for extra durability. * Eliminates the need for gloves or mittens. * Your hands are free to launch, take pictures, use your C.B. or DEPLOY YOUR CHUTE!
one-year unconditional guarantee on radio and mount. one-year limited guarantee on battery.
§-
(In California, add $1.32 sales tax)
1~J~1~~:s INVITED
Make check or money order payable to: South Coast Air Products• 6646 W. Pacific Coast Hwy., Ventura, CA 93001
Call for our brochure for details and options like our dipole antenna kit and home battery charger.
Price
You choose, in flight, whether to wear your hand fairings or just slide them 10 the side.
only $21.95
--
* CUARAN1rEED *
*
*
Recharge from the cigarette lighter In your car. No need to go looking for a place to recharge. Forty channels! If the channel vou·re using gets crowded, switch!
-_
MASTERCOM SYSTEM I ................ $249.95 <Power Mike> MASTERCOM SYS1'EM II ............... $285.95 <Boom Mike Kit> Expand ','01u r horizons with SEA DRAKE DE:SIONS MASTERCOM.
i
-__
_
-
11111111111111111111111111 IIIIIII II 111111111111111111111111111 11111 lllllllllllllllllil
NUMBER ONE BY DESIGN
The Sensor 510-165 NEW SPECIFICATIONS:
SPAN AREA ASPECT RATIO EMPTY WT. LENGTH MAX. DIVE SPEED
35 FT. 165 FT. 2
(10.7m) (15.3m 2 )
7.42 66 LBS. 17 FT.
(30 kg) (5.2m)
51 mph
(82 kph)*
SEEDWINGS
•
• HGMA CERTIFIED SEPTEMBER 1982
SENSOR -
PILASE INQUIRE -
BY ROBERT E. TRAMPENAU • 1919 CASTILLO ST., SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101 (805) 682-4250
EDITOR: GIi Dodgen ASSOCIATE EDITOR LAYOUT & DESIGN: Janie Dodgen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Leroy Grannis, Bettina Grav STAFF WRITER: ERIK FAIR ILLUSTRATORS: Harry Martin, Rod Stafford OFFICE STAFF: MANAGER: carol velderraln Cathy Egelston <Advertising! Amv Grav <Ratings! Linda Stahlberg <Membership! Terrie Jo Nelson !Acc. Rec.> USHGA OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: Dick Heckman VICE PRESIDENT: Steve Hawxhurst SECRETARY: Elizabeth Sharp TREASURER: Doug HIidreth EXECUTIVE COMMITIEE: Dick Heckman Steve Hawxhurst Elizabeth Sharp Doug HIidreth
ISSUE NO. 122
MARCH 1983
HangClding CONTENTS FEATURES
12
YET ANOTHER ASSAULTIVE WORLD TEAM FUND HYPE
USHGA REGIONAL DIRECTORS: Regional Directors elected to 12/31 /83 Indicated first, those elected t612/31 /84 Indicated second.
17
MENTAL NOTES
REGION 1: Floyd Griffeth. Doug HIidreth.REGiON 2: Pat Denevan. Gary Hodges. REGION 3: Steve Hawxhurst. Bettina Grav. REGION 4: Ken Koerwitz. sob Thompson. REGION 5: Mike King (12/31 /83!. REGION 6: Ted GIimore (12 / 31 /83). REGION 7: Henry Braddock. Dean Batman. REGION 8: Charles Laversa (12/31/84). REGION 9: Dick Newton. VIC Avers. REGION 10: Scott Lambert. Steve Coan. REGION 11: Hardy snyman (12/31 /83!. REGION 12: Steve Ostertag. Paul Rlkert. 1983 DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE elected to 12/31/83: Jan case, Dean TanJI, Dennis Pagen, Vic Powell, Ellzabeth Sharp. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: (With vote) NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION Everett Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECTORS <Without vote> elected to 12/31 /83: BIii Bennett, John Harris, Hugh Morton.
21
SOLVING WASHOUT AND CONTROL PROBLEMS
The united States Hang Gliding Association Inc., Is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAAJ which Is the official U.S. representative of the Federation Aeronautlque Internationale !FAil, the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI Meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FA!· related hang gliding activities such as record at· tempts and competition sanctions.
HANG GLIDING magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to creat further Interest In the sport, by a means of open communication and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. contributions are welcome. Anyone Is Invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. If the ·material Is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Assoclatron and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING magazine Is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, inc. whDse maillng address Is P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, Calif. 90066 and whose offices are located at 11423 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066; telephone (213! 390·3065. second· class postage Is paid at Los Angeles, callf. HANG GLIDING magazine Is printed by Sinclair Printing and Lithographers. The typesetting Is provided by 1st Impression Typesetting service, Buena Park, Calif. Color separations are provided by scanner House of studio City, calif. The USHGA Is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of ultralight flight. Membership Is open to anyone Interested In this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are S29.50 per year !$32.50 for foreign addressesJ:subscrJptlon rates are $22.50 for one year, $40.00 for two years, $57.50 for three years. Changes of address should be sent six weeks In advance, Including name, USHGA membership number, previous and new address, and a malling label from a recent Issue.
24
by Erik Fair by Dave Butz
©1983 bY Dennis Pagen
SPACE HUNTER
by Phll Warrender
:sa A SPECTACULAR WEEK !5
A meteorologlcal Phenomenon
by RlckJesuroga
1982 ACCIDENT REVIEW
by Doug HIidreth
!8 AOLI, COMET CLONES AND POD PEOPLE - A Tour Of Rick Masters' Ambitious FIim About The world's Most lncredlble Flylng art1c1e and
mustratlon by Hardy snyman
42
TIME SOARING
BY Walt Dodge
DEPARTMENTS 4 ULTRALIOHT CONVERSATION 8 NEWLY ACQUIRED USHOA RATINOS AND APPOINTMENTS 9 NEWS AND NEW PRODUCTS 10 CALENDAR 45 THE RIOHT STUFF by Erik Fair 48 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINO 51 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 51 STOLEN WINOS COVER: BIii Fulton pllots his comet over Kaneohe, Hawaii. Jeff cotter soars his oemlnl In the distance. Photo by Leroy orannls. CONSUMER ADVISORY: Hang Olldlng Magazine and USHOA, Inc., do not endorse or take any responslbllltv for the products advertised or mentioned edltorlally within these pages. Unless speclflcally explalned, performance figures quoted In advertising are only estimates. Persons considering the purchase of a gllder are urged to study HOMA standards. Copyright © United states Hang Olldlng Association, Inc. 1978. All rights reserved to Hang Olldlng Magazine and lndlVldual contributors.
·qttk;AllQftt.
CO.NVfKJ~TfOft
Rose Bowl Incident Dear Editor, I've just been notified that hang gliding has been outlawed in the city of Pasadena, and that we have our top-rated competition pilot Rich Pfeiffer to thank for it. It seems that Pfeiffer just had to go for a little self-serving publicity by flying over the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1981. This is the only day out of a whole year that the city bans air traffic in that area. He (Pfeiffer) was arrested, but evidently charges didn't hold up in court. This prompted him to pull the same stunt the following year, and again resulted in arrest, only this time he decided to take things one step further and file a counter suit against the city of Pasadena. This one person and this incident alone have led the city directors to enact this new law and any pilot landing in Pasadena runs the risk of arrest and confiscation of all his equipment. I feel that Rich Pfeiffer should be stripped of his title. If it's publicity that he craves, let him gain it in a way that reflects our sport in a positive manner, not by pulling stupid acts that deprive all pilots from the use of a great flying site. We're already up against a mountain of opposition from the non-flying public, who think of us as a group of crazed renegades, and actions such as Pfeiffer's only serve to support that opinion. Kris Woe Ventura, CA Dear Editor, I have been told recently that police in the Pasadena area are issuing warning citations to hang glider pilots flying the Mt. Wilson flying site, and that these pilots have been told by the police that it is now illegal to possess or fly a hang glider within the City of Pasadena as a result of my flight over the Rose Bowl in January of 1981. According to a copy obtained of the actual city ordinance, it states: "No person shall individually or in association with another person possess or fly a contrivance used or designed for manned flight and for which pilot certification is 4
not required by federal law, in or above a city park or other city owned property." As near as I can tell, this ordinance does not prohibit flying from Mt. Wilson, since other landing areas are available. When I flew over the Rose Bowl, it was not illegal to do so. The City of Pasadena arrested me and charged me with, among other things, 104 thousand counts of assault with a deadly weapon. At the very least, they intended to put me in jail for 30 days. I had harmed no one, and thought this was unfair. I defended myself against their charges according to the law to the best of my ability. My defense was successful, and this apparently caused great anger and frustration to the City. They have apparently chosen to take their frustration out on the local pilots who fly Mt. Wilson. I never intended to hurt anyone, nor to jeopardize a flying site. I am truly sorry that the Mt. Wilson site is apparently in some jeopardy because of my actions. If I thought there was anything I could do to help, I would, and if there is, I will. Rich Pfeiffer Santa Ana, CA
WHOLE AIR is for the soaring pilot. Whether you foot-launch, tow, or use ultralight power, you'll love the Leading Edge you'll have by reading
WHOLE AIR. If it soars, we'll find it, fly it, and report it. WHOLE AIR does it all ... the ONLY magazine
that does!
"Skyman" Rebuttal Dear Editor, This is in response to the letter written by "Skyman" (January issue) concerning his problem of having to pay fees to fly at hang gliding sites. First of all, Skyman complains about paying dues to two clubs and flies four sites within a 100-mile radius. So, what's he griping about? If each club is regulating its own private site by charging a flying fee to non-members, then Skyman only has to pay fees to fly two sites, not four as he states in his letter. A point I would like to make is that I've never heard of any club charging extra to its membership to fly its own sites. This privilege should come naturally as a benefit of membership dues and many other fund raising campaigns that the club may sponsor. IfSkyman is. a club member to all the sites he flies, then I agree that he shouldn't have to pay the extra fees. Although, he should attend his club meetings and voice his objections openly. This would be significantly better than merely complaining with an editorial as an anonymous "Skyman." The truth of the matter is that most club members are great complacent critics, but never actively participate to correct what they criticize. If something is wrong within the system of the club, maybe other members will share the same views as Skyman. Then through the democratic process of the club, the problem(s) can be rectified. After all, what
WHOLE AIR
The Magazine for Pilots
HANG GLIDING
.· ·..·· SH : ·-. . --··---·
·.· ....
ifl~ A· .· .... ilois.
• .... . Soaring Pilot.s f()I' ~O~f
~\1\\tb'.J
....•....•.... >.A .•. • .
~.'tir.•;~'(':"-J':'./.'.'.:::
.i/llHl ::::Jn\..~~-
··:·R~l-:1/CJ"Ji1Na/·····=:e~;Qtqti;~;;;:·n·e:w.:·-.:-~1i·:;ui--·::t6'.·.·.·:·:·::·.·:·--.. : ·: ·.· · : . : ·.· ...
. . ·. iinprove.-twi$t ·-and]iiili.pw. C:ontrol ·: ·\·: . : _ . :·. . ---Unsµrpassecf lari<flns:· t·. ..·. :.:· ·. ·. ·:-:" <" i· /_} . . . ..
charact,iristics. :"_. ·. : .· ·. .. ·. ·.< . . ·. ·. . :
ii!fllliltr_:.1;.•.:.•_:.·.ttill ".• _ _._u •...•.••.•...•. ·: •. _
··:.·::-:-·· .. :..-. ···.
'THE ONLY WAY 'TO CA'TCH A SHADOW IS 'TO CON'TAC'T YOUR NEARES'T FLIGH'T DESIGNS DEALER
are clubs for? The problem is that there are too many "Skymen" that complain and do nothing actively to help their club's problems. They just sit back and complain and expect matters to solve themselves. If Skyman doesn't have a memberhsip to some of the sites he flies, I feel he is being outlandishly inconsiderate, irresponsible, and selfish ·to the people who work hard to keep up the sites. He makes a big stink about how fly· iog fees are charged solely for site insurance. Granted, this may be partially true, but it is notthe whole truth of the matter. He musn't realize the magnitude and extent of problems involved with maintaining a site. I hope Skyman will think carefully about his freedom to fly. Everything has its price, including self regulation. Instead of making a motion to drop regulations which are needed, he should try instead to get involved actively with his clubs and learn the scope of all matters involved. Then, indeed, he will do his own part to keep the sky a rightfully free place to be. -David A. Yanashot, President Ultralight Air Force Hang Gliding Club of Northeast, PA
Dear Editor, Tell Erik Fair that I did not sell $50 worth of down tubes last quarter, but I will still donate that amount. Keep embarrassing all those cheapskates who always wait for someone else to do it or until we can get it for free. Haven't you heard, _"Tain't no such thing as a free lunch?" You get what you pay for.
Mike Wooter Statesville, NC
Incredible People Dear Editor,
Stephen T. Urbach Owner, Flunky & Janitor Performance Hang Gliders Dear Editor, Good article Erik! Hopefully, this best yet effort at motivating us lethargic cheapskates to have an opportunity to share in this year's U.S. win in Germany will pay off. I don't care about team suits, nor do I give a wang about our perceived rag tag international image; all we need to do is improve our chances to knock the silken socks off our competition. Only a moron could deny that, more than any one factor, competition has helped us create these remarkable toys we fly.
Generally the difference between a poor anything and a great something in our society is the people involved. I just finished a tour of six months and 30,000 miles as the factory representative for Wills Wing. At the onset, I figured that such a trip could be long (the U.S. is a big country) tiring (where can we fly at 6:00 a.m.?) boring (and what is your next question, Mr. Woof?) and frustrating (it sure seemed in tune last flight).
Dean Morris Julian, CA
Cheapskates Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
Erik Fair's article has inspired me to do without beer for a month or so; here's fifty bucks for the world team fund. Best of luck to our participants whoever they are!
The pain, the chagrin, the embarrasment I can stand it no longer. I got $25 for the dog, now if I can only sell the cat. (And they aren't even mine!)
David Cattell Alameda, CA Dear Editor, As I write this letter I wonder how much >longer I'll keep my mobile home. I was going to send $5 but decided to send $10. I hope this helps one of our pilots to win at Tegelberg. I have always easily tolerated name calling until I read Erik Fair's article in the January issue. The article really gave me a new per· spective on the importance of our world team pilots. Steve Turner Soquel, CA Dear Editor, Just a little challenge to all of us flatland flyers. Here's my $25 donation to the world team fund. Come on you guys and dolls, pitch in and help our team to victory. Terry Ison Pratt, Kansas 6
less of a flier. As long as USHGA remains an amateur organization it should keep the Nationals for choosing its champions. The twoclass system should be retained.
Robert Reiter Berkeley, CA Dear Editor, Erik Fair made me feel sooooo low! Put this donation as coming from Paul and Barbara Voight, Ellenville, NY. Gook luck!!! The Voights
.On Competition Dear Editor, My first taste of competition in 1975 was a joke. In 1980 some friends talked me into entering the regionals. At the last minute I was told that I couldn't fly my Fledge. I tried again in 1981 and thanks to Tom Haddon, .Hugh Morton and the rest of the crew who helped at Grandfather Mountain, we had a great contest. I personally had a hell of a lot of fun. Few fliers from our region were able to make the Nationals so here's my vote for an East Coast meet this year. The suggested elimination of the Nationals would in effect eliminate most amateurs from national competition. Being an amateur doesn't make one
At times it was all of those things, but generally it was a great something, mainly because of the people involved. To all of you who made the Demo Daze tour a success, thanks, to the pilots who flew the gliders, gave me valuable feedback, positive and negative, listened to talks without falling asleep, showed me the sites, drove the cars back down1 housed me, fed me ... , you made my trip, you are making Wills Wing. If you want to experience real flying, go on a flying trip; pilots are some incredible people. James Shaw Wills Wing Factory Service Rep.
Certification Dear Editor,
In regards to your article, "Certification," January '83: Yes, it is definitely a good idea to keep the manufacturer's responsible for certification. USHGA should have the right to HANG GLIDING
waive the certification or
at a meet:
is new and not tested then l) If the only a competent test pilot or 1hc company should fly it. 2) With 1hc signing or proper waivers, so as to protec! !he club having the meet, and the land owner. 3) Or, have a special class for the unccnifiecl
spite of your efforts the landing will be hard, simply lift your legs through the control bar and land on your feet, not your face. Having used !his method on sharp lava fields and other areas, I can attest to its effectiveness. I ,egs arc fantastic shock absorbers and if one must crash, far better to break one's legs than one's back, neck, or yes, one's face. Bruce Morton Honolulu, HI
The most important reason for me to wan1 the to be certified is that I'm not very good with the technical aspect of glidern and feel a lot betlcr knowing the gliders I fly are certified. I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't. USHGA is important as it keeps us in. I regulated without the FAA believe that rnost pilots want their gliders cer· tified, and as long as come from the manufac1urer, then that's who should be re1mcms:ibllc for the certification. Furthermore, a glider should not leave the factory for a customer without certification. Susan Gale Elmira, NY
Dear Editor, I would like to find a hang gliding pen pal in the United States. We could use some contact with and information from your part of the world. Frantisck Rusek S1 epanov 102"3 757 00 Valasske Mczirici Czechoslovakia, EUROPE
Dear Debbie Rcnshaw's lcner "For Women Only" reminded me of a landing technique that needs to be more well··lrnown. True, when one is about to hit the ground hard, it is best to avoid knuckle cmnchers and broken arms by removing one's hands from the control bar at the last second and swinging free, letting the kite take the blow. However, there arc real problems with taking headers in .. to rocks, and I have a daughter who broke her neck swinging into the keel on a crash. I thank a friend, whose identity I have long forgotten, for supplying this very nice alter .. native: Never remain prone when nearing the ground, whether in or out of control. Grasp high on the down tubes and approach the in a vertical standing position. If in MARCH 198a
Dear Editor, 'This is for the attention of all pilots of unlicensed aircraft. The future of the free sport of flying is about to end. Its se!f:rcgu]a .. tory is out of our hands with so much ac .. in the courts and, most assuredly, the FAA. As owner of the A.T.S. (Aerodynamic Tes! see Hang Gliding, March 1981), I realize many of the faults that are overlooked. the buying public. it's the pilots that are bringing this freedom to an end. The aircraft are gfoen limits. If the manufacturer is capable of good ""''"""'"'rm<Y and testing, then you as the pilot of !he aircrafr must keep yourself under those limits. time a person goes in, it's the person flying that's responsible. If the manufacturer isn't telling you the truth about the aircraft's limitations, and you die, you were a fool. Don't let the manufactnrers fool you!! Be absolutely positi-ve of its limitations! Learn how to buy an aircraft; don't buy for looks, buy for the limits. .Here is an assortment of questions you should care about. may seem very abrupt, but it's you who ends up the fool if you don't ask.
1) Has this aircraft been certified or tested'? 2) Has this aircraft been load tested? 3) Has this aircraft been broken in a load test? 4) What was done to correct the failure? 5) How many have failed? 6) What materials are used? 7) Can I sec how the limits were derived? 8) What type of testing equipment was used? 9) Who engineered the aircraft? I 0) What arc their qualifications? 11) How long has rhc aircraft been flown? 12) Have any been in aerodynamic trouble? (Structural or otherwise.)
special aa,va11,ce<11<1,rm ot l,xa!tnt111)l; !tms much, mud1 bcttt:ritt><>n1. t111s <U system after, shall we My, " ... faying real thing." 'Jbe snfo thrill of is yours ... but mllly aUl;l'Jfflltal.
Good luck and remember: "Don't he a fool, no sircee, you could live to be a 103." Michael Giles San Francisco, CA
since
1974 7
NEWLY ACQUlRED USHOA RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS BEGINNER RATINGS Name, City, State Fred Burger, Kent, WA George J. Gubener, Mill Valley, CA Archer Goodman, San Francisco, CA Chuck Beazell, Sunnyvale, CA Robert Reiter;Berkeley, CA Jamie Buxton, Menlo Park, CA R. Gullins, Ewa Beach, HI Otto Von Rosen, Ontario; Canada Michael Maxon, Herndon, VA Dennis Morrison, Sunnyvale, CA Ron Terzini, Pine Hill, NJ Doug Bartlett, FPO San Francisco, CA R. Gullings, Ewa Beach, HI Rodney Herzig, Honolulu, HI Dan Jurich, Eugene, OR John Myers, Arlington, TX Michael Padilla, Tempe, AZ Jessie Pereira, Honolulu, HI Michael Rusho, Las Vegas, NV Andrew Smart, Anchorage, AK Mark Streaker, Ft. Bragg, NC Robin Taha, San F:rancisco, CA Luis Zanotta, Honolulu, HI Mark Nicolet, Thompson, OH Daniel J. Barker, Belgrade, MT Jamil Abdvlla Alkhodari, Clovis, CA Gerd Schaeffer, Tokyo, Japan
Region 1
2 2
2 2
2 3 Foreign 9 2 12
2 3 3 1
11 4 3 2 1 10 2
3 9 5 2 Foreign
NOVICE Name, City, State Chuck Boss, San Leandro, CA Rick Jones, San Francisco, CA James Jacobs, Del Mar, CA Mark Clements, El Cajon, CA Alexandria Clements, El Cajon, CA Matt Melot, Goleta, CA John J. Lochner, Santa Barbara CA Kenneth E. Dennis, Santa Barbara, CA Thomas D. King, Goleta, CA Chris D. Armenta, Anaheim, CA Craig Maisonville, Paia, HI Obe Sweetwater, Arivaca, AZ Thomas Wm. Shook, Arivaca. AZ Alan Johnson, New Brighton, MN Bill Cummings, Hoyt Lakes, MN Teresa Cummings, Hoyt Lakes, MN Brad Vircks, New Brighton, MN Douglas E. Grubb, McConnelsburg, PA Larry Rivenbark, Chapel Hill, NC Douglas R. Hileman, Ring, NC Raymond Hummell, Wurtsboro, NY Bruce Capron, Berkeley, CA Jim Cummings, Clovis, CA Kathleen A. Reeder, Ventura, CA Dedy \YI. \Xlidarso, Los Angeles, CA Rick Simpson, Euclid, OH Horst Locher, Basye, VA Robert Boolukas, Beacon, NY James Ach, Marina Del Rey, CA Jamie Buxton, Menlo Park, CA John Byerts, New Iberia, LA Walter Cottee, Canoga Park, CA Andrew Downing, New Orleans, LA Marta Jimenez, San Francisco, CA Rick Jones, S San Francisco, CA Thomas D. King, Goleta, CA Terry Klein, Long Beach, CA Stephen 0. Liddie, Bethlehem, PA Robert F. McCaffrey, Belmont, CA Gerry McFaull, Union City, CA Richard J. Miller, E Northport, NY
8
Region 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 7 7 7 7 9 lO lO
12 2 2 3 3 9 9 12
3 2 11
3
11 2
2 3 3 9 2 2
12
Ross Rossell, Draper, UT Weston Vogel, Jr., Bethlehem, PA Nat Wells, Waitsfield, VT Mark Wirth, Los Osos, CA Kenneth Wolfe III, Louisville, CO Steve Gordon, Arroyo Grande, CA Marianne Cook, Placentia, CA Ted Smissen, Arcadia, CA Michael Gregg, Albuquerque, NM Vincenzo Daneu, Woburn, MA Glen Nicolet, Thompson, OH Mohsin M. Syed, Los Angeles, CA Albert Henderson, Mission Hills, CA Thomas Barker, Santa Rosa, CA
4 9
8 2
4 2 3 3
4 8 9 3 3 2
4 10
2
12 1
2 2
3
5 6 6 10
9 2
BRONZE AWARDS ISSUED WITH NOVICE RATING
INTERMEDIATE RATINGS Name, City, State Region Richard Martin Francis, Los Osos, CA 2 2 Juda Ben-Jacov, Daly City, CA Chuck Hicks, Chino, Ca 3 4 Patti Campbell, Glendale, AZ 4 Steve Wilson, Provo, UT · William Ziehl Jr., Pullman, WA l Joseph Chmura, Jr., San Francisco, CA 2 Tom Warren, Atascadero, CA 2 Christian Titone, Denver, CO 4 Rand D. St. Clair, Mountain View, CA 2 Scott Richmond, FPO San Francisco, CA 2 2 Nelson Chick, Daly City, CA Larry Reinking, Albuquerque, NM 4 3 Stuart Millsaps, Honolulu, HI 3 Dai Middleton, San Diego, CA 3 John Kehoe, W. Los Angeles, CA James Spooner, San Diego, CA 3 Douglas Fleischman, Fairport, NY 12 Rene Morf, Rudolfstetten, Switzerland Foreign 2 Lee Auckenthaler, Olympic Valley, CA 12 Nelson Gely Alequin, Throngs Neck, NY Arthur Babiarz, Jr., Reading, PA 9 Greg Christensen, Hayward, CA 2 Pete Daigle, Kent, WA I Mark Dunn, Lookout Nltn., TN 10 Richard Charles Ekparian, Encino, CA 3 Daniel Hegglin, San Jose, CA 2 Mark Hermann, Colchester, CT 8 2 Janice Kirkley, Palo Alto, CA David A. Martin, San Diego, CA 3 Kenneth Ohlson, Puyallup, WA 2 Lee Potter, Olympia, WA 1 Dennis Scheele, Bethesda, MD 9 3 Bob Schwartz, San Diego, CA Leonard Smith, Santa Rosa, CA 2 Joe Todaro, New Paltz, NY 12 C.E. Schue, Jr., Shasta, CA 2 Mark Coats, Rohnert Park, CA 2 Tom Barrera, Honolulu, HI 3 Dean Shellenberger, La Jolla, CA 3 John Rourke, Jr., Mission Hills, CA 3 1 Keith Lerew, Tacoma, WA
ADVANCED RATINGS Name, City, State John McCord, Knoxville, TN Danny McGuire, Lenoir, NC Richard Canham, ,vlill Valley, CA Michael Naughton, Pasadena, CA Dave Aguilar, San Lorenzo, CA Russ Van Der Biesen, Cardiff, CA Steve Luria, Santa Barbara, CA Joseph Horton, Quakertown, PA Tom Armstrong, Fremont, CA Mike Christenson, Fallbrooks, CA John Fleming, Rochester, NY
Stephan Gutchess, Loveland, CO Ed Miller, Nags Head, NC Craig Ponnequin, Sacramento, CA Jon R. Wenham, Pughkeepsie, NY Bruce Strange, Bend, OR Tom Suellau, Napa, CA David-West, Palo Alto, CA Alan J. Hamilton, Ventura, CA Michael Smith, Rupert, ID Troy Sullivan, Ft. Smith, AR Robert Hofer, Ft. Smith, AR Dan Skadal, Nags Head, NC Bill Bennett, Circleville, \YI. VA. Ron Roose, Crystal Bay, NV
Region 10
10 2 3 2 3 3 9 2 3
12
Name, City, State Tracey Gasperini Stephen Wall William Epperly Gary Bollman Kim Pedersen Carlos A. Sanchez Larry Ikola William Ahlenius David C. Vetter N.L. Schott Craig Boyer Kevin Conklin Walter R. Cottee
Region
OFFICIALS EXAMINERS Name, City, State David Starbuck, Downington, PA
Region 9
OBSERVERS Name, City, State William Criste, Waynesboro, PA Ted Gilmore, Mission Hills, KS Ron Kenney, Elkhart, KS Wayne Moser, Hawthorne, CA Brian Cassetta, Elmira, NY Calvin Morgan, Heavener, OK Brad Kushner, Richmond, VA Mike Russell, Kansas City, MO Steve Smith, Shawnee, KS Derreck Turner, Liberty, MO Stan Nowakowski, Teton Village, WY
Region 9 6 6 3
12 6 9 6 6 6 5
INSTRUCTORS B - Basic A - Advanced * - Recertification Name, City, State B- Hugh Hoglan, Eugene, OR B - Craig Craw, Honolulu, HI A- Jeff Cotter, Honolulu, HI B - Steven A. Smith, Shawnee, KS B - Mikel Dillon, Tulsa, OK B - Ted Gilmore, Mission Hills, KS B - Mike Russell, Kansas Citv, MO B - Ron Kenney, Elkhart, KS B - William Fulton, Honolulu, HI B - Eric Johnson, Mill Valley, CA *B - Judi Nielsen, San Francisco, CA A - Sam Nottage, Paia, HI A - David Darling, Kula, HI
Region I 3 3 6 6 6 6
6 3 2 2
3 3
HANG GLIDING
STUDENT MEMBERSHIP USHGA has created a special three-month student membership that will be available through USHGA Certified Schools and dealers/schools present! y doing business with USHGA. The Student Membership gives immediate access to the insurance coverage, the Pilot Proficiency Program and Hang Gliding magazine. Temporary membership forms and membership kits will be handled by the schools/dealers. Any dealer, school, manufacturer or individual interested in obtaining the student membership packages can inquire by calling or writing USHGA headquarters. Upon joining, the student will receive a membership package containing a temporary membership card (which will be made permanent upon receipt of the application form by USHGA), the USHGA decal, USHGA Lilienthal Award, and USHGA's directory of hang gliding. The student will receive, each month, their personal copy of Hang Gliding, as well as a permanent membership card, immediate insurance coverage and the rating program.
1983 CHRISTIAN CARE CUP The Arizona Hang Gliding Association will be putting on the Second Annual Christian Care Cup hang gliding competition on April 16-17, 1983. The contest is held to have fun, promote local good relations, and raise money for Christian Care, and old folks home that owns the Shaw Butte landing zone. The 1982 contest was a resounding success and we look forward to an even better time this year. For information contact: AHGA (602) 938-9550 or 944-9433, or write AHGA, 4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304. All pilots Hang III and above may participate.
INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION SEMINAR Dennis Pagen will be administering an Instructor Certification Seminar in Williams port, PA March 25-27. Cost $40. Contact Dennis at: (814) 234-1967.
MARCH 1983
BAR MITTS
Mingus Mountain Hang Gliders presents bar mitts made of naugahide, insulated with polyfoam and lined with velour. They are streamlined, slide easily along the bar and are designed to be used with or without gloves. Price $25. Contact: Mingus Mt. Hang Gliders, 1244 Overstreet, Prescott, AZ 86301.
west and requires a 4 to 1 glide ratio from launch to the landing area. For our first annual benefit seminar weekend, April 23-24, not only have we scheduled lectures, workshops, rating tests and flying for you, but to ease your headache from all this learning you are also invited to the on-site dance hall, where we will have beer, pretzels and a fireplace for your party. (Bring your films and slide shows.) Seminars include meteorology, mountain flying and cross country, rescue and first aid, rating tests and flying. Contact: Santos Mendoza, Flightech, 2732 Pleasantdale Rd., Vienna, VA 22180 (703) 573-3861.
MINI VARIO NOW WITH FPM INDICATOR
MARINA BEACH STEEPLE CHASE This year the Marina Beach Steeple Chase will be held on April 16-17. The annual race consists of a 12-mile out-and-return course along the sand ridge on Monterey Bay. Last year's winner was Chris Bulger flying a Titan prototype, completing the course in 20 minutes. Cash prizes of $500 to $1,000 and trophies will be presented. Contact: Kitty Hawk West, P.O. Box 828, Marina, CA 93933 (408) 384-2622.
MC CONNELLSBURG BENEFIT SEMINAR The McConnellsburg site was recently pur· chased in a joint effort by the Capitol Hang Glider Association and the Maryland Hang Gliding Association. The effort now is to develop the site to its fullest potential for all to enjoy. We are asking each pilot to donate $15.00 to the McConnellsburg Site Development Fund. "The Pulpit," as the site is affectionately called, has been used by local pilots for excellent ridge soaring and cross country flying for many years. It is rated a Hang II-III site. It is 1,000 feet high, employs a ramp launch that sits on a 20-mile long ridge line facing north-
This accurate instrument is designed to help the pilot find and stay in lift as well as save on weight and profile drag. At zero sink the vario emits a continuous tone and beeps more rapidly with increasing climb rate. The meter indicates climb rate in feet per minute. Mount is included. The vario weighs four ounces and measures 4" x 2.4" x l". Available in red, tan and black for $150 with a two-year warranty. Dealers are invited. Contact: Flightech, 2732 Pleasantdale Rd. # 102, Vienna, VA 22180 (703) 573-3861.
MEET THE EXPERTS PARACHUTE SEMINAR Hang Flight Systems is proud to present a unique approach to parachute seminars. This approach will consist of segments: 1) Para-
9
chute manufacturing, with Gary Douris, a long-time manufacturer and designated parachute rigger examiner; 2) Parachute testing with Chris Price, who will discuss how designs are or should be tested and how strong the various chute components should be. He will respond to the question of free fall from cloud suck; 3) Repacking and chute care, with master rigger Rich Pfeiffer; 4) Proper steps to deploying your chute with simulation. The seminar will be Tuesday, March 22 at Hang Flight Systems, 1202 E. Walnut Unit M, Santa Ana, CA 92701, 7:00 PM. Call: (714) 542-7444.
SEA DRAKE DESIGNS MASTER COM As hang gliding expands its horizons, pilots are needing better, specialized flight communications. In response to this need, David Smith and Ron Ober of Sea Drake Designs are proud to introduce the Mastercom Flight System.
cord, center loaded antenna, and a selfcharging power mike with a velcro tubing mount. All this is combined into a compact, self-contained unit that can be used on or off the glider. The Mastercom II has a Boom Mike Kit instead of the power mike. The kit includes a boom mike, a waterproof microswitch for keying that mounts inside the base tube, and all the wire, connectors, and instructions necessary for setup. A standard mike is provided for off glider use. The Mastercom Systems feature the unique ability to be recharged from an automobile cigarette lighter making the availability of house current unnecessary. A regular battery charger is offered as an option. To gain maximum system performance Sea Drake Designs offers a dipole antenna kit. This inexpensive option can be mounted permanently to the glider, has no drag, and even performs well when the glider is on the ground. The price of the Mastercom is $249.95. The Mastercom II is $285.95. Send for their detailed brochure for information on accessories and specifications. Dealer inquiries invited. Contact: Sea Drake Designs, 99 Trish Drive, Novato, CA 94947 (415) _139_2-9606.
NEW "HOOK IN!" TELLTALE
The basic Mastercom system is a miniature full power 40 channel CB radio that is complete with a space age 1.5 amp hour leadcalcium rechargeable battery, shock absorbing
MARCH 13. Ultralight aircraft exposition, Golden Garter Room, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Roland Bolly (204) 944-7262. MARCH 19-20. 1983 Otto Lilienthal meet and fly-in. Two classes, amateur and pro. The Hang Gliding Company, 391 Dolliver, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 (805) 773-5331. APRIL 1-JUNE 1. Open distance XC contest from Vaduz. LHGV, Postfach 271, FL-9409, Vaduz, Liechtensein. APRIL 1-0CT. 31. Pennsylvania cross country competition. Contact: Joe (215) 536-4872. APRIL 28-MAY 1. Fort Funston Air Races. Walt Nielsen, (415) 992-6020.
10
Chandelle Hang Gliding Center has just released a dacron wind direction indicator which attaches snugly to your front flying wire. The words "Hook in! Hook in!" are printed on the ribbon to serve as a reminder to the pilot. The telltale was the brainstorm of George
Whitehill in an effort to curb the "failure to hook in" accident rate. The "Hook in!" Telltale is now available at many hang gliding shops or by sending $1. 7 5 plus tax to Chandelle Hang Gliding Center, 198 Los Banos Ave., Daly City, CA 94014. Price includes postage. No COD orders lease.
A $1.00 donation from each sale goes to the United States World Team Fund. Manufacturers, schools and clubs are welcome to contact Chandelle about quantity discounts.
NEW COURSE Hang Gliders of California is now taking applications for a three-week, accelerated flight course. This package is primarily designed for those living outside of the Los Angeles area. HG of CA is a USHGA certified school and the instructor, Greg DeWolf, is an advanced instructor holding an advanced rating and who placed third in the 1982 U.S. Nationals. Contact: 2410 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 (213) 399-5315.
MAY 15·22. Lariano Triangle International Cross Country Open organized by Delta Club Como. Invitational. Contact: Gianluca Zunino, Via Stoppani 4, 202129 Milano, ITALY (02) 49-89-461.
JUNE 15-19. Cross Country Open. Hang 111, $195 includes transportation. Reservations required. Contact: Owens Valley HG Center, 700 Airport Rd., Bishop, CA 93514 (619) 873-4434.
JUNE 5·19. Fourth World Hang Gliding Championships. Tegelberg Fussen, Federal F1epublic of Germany.
JUNE 30-JULY 10. Cross Country Classic. lnvitatonal. Send resume and $4 filing fee. Entry fee $395. Contact: Owens Valley HG Center at above address.
JUNE 10-12. Maple Leaf International Airshow and Exhibition, Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. Aerobatics, static displays. Contact: Glenn Schwartz, 95 Corbett Dr., Winnipeg, MAN., R2Y 1V4 (204) 837-1126.
AUG. 20-21. 1983 Can-Am Challenge Cup, Black Min., WA. Entry $10 before 7/1. Send SASE to: R.N. Girard, 101 Acacia Pl., Bellingham, WA 98225 for form and details. KITTY HAWK KITES
JUNE 10-12. Second Annual International Ultralight Rally. Trophies $5,000. Contact above address.
MARCH 26-27. Glider tuning, pilot physiology and micrometeorology seminar.
APRIL 9·10. Second Annual East Coast Glider Showcase and Towing Convention. APRIL 15-16. Wilbur Wright flyin. Antiques, homebuilts, warbirds and ultralights.
APRIL 23-24. Mountain fly-in. MAY 1. Ultralight fly-in. MAY 7. Ultralight fly-in. MAY 13,15. Eleventh Hang Gliding Spectacular. Novice through Advanced. MAY 22·23. Hang Ill rating clinic. Contact: John Harris (919) 441-6094 or Chris Lawrence (919) 441-4124.
HANG GLIDING
GREATER L.A. HANG GLIDING WEATHER SERVICE Tired of spending more time in your car than in your glider? Hang Gliders of California is trying to change all that by offering, free of charge, weather information to pilots in the L.A. area. Sites are to include Simi, Sylmar, Kagel, Parker, Delta, Ave. L, Big Tujunga, Mt. Wilson, Crestline, Elsinore, and Playa del Rey. In an effort to make our predictions as accurate as possible we will ask the caller to first relate conditions in his/her area. This information, together with information from various weather services should allow us to make quite precise forcasts of wind direction and strength, thermal abundance and maximum altitude, X-C potential, and shearline formation and movement. Please call Hang Gliders of California (213) 399-5315 with the following information at hand and we will tell you everything we know about the conditions. Please give us your location, altitude, temperature, type of clouds visible, hazy or clear, shear line evident, wind speed and direction, gustiness, and if you flew the day before, the previous day's flying conditions.
REGION VI XC CHALLENGE The results of the Fort Smith Hang Gliding Association's 1982 XC challenge is as follows:
Pilot
Place 1) 2) 3)
Roy Mahoney David Morton David Morton
Glider Miles Comet Comet Comet
57 52 48112
All flights were made from the Heavener site.
REGION IX HOSTS WORLD CUP BENEFIT Members of Region 9 are holding a U.S. World Team Benefit Blast on April 9, 1983 at 7:30 PM to raise funds for the U.S. World Team. The Benefit was initiated by the Maryland Hang Gliding Association and is endorsed by the Capitol Hang Glider Association. It will be held at the "Other Barn," Oakland Mills Village Center, Columbia, Maryland. The cost is $10.00 per person, in advance, $12.00 per person at the door, which includes lavish Hors D'Ouevres and music for dancing. There will be an inexpensive cash bar. Local pilots will provide sleeping space for those who want to spend the night after the Blast. Co-sponsors, M.H.G.A. and C.H.G.A., MARCH 1983
hope that this event will provide an opportunity for all Region 9 members to get together and have fun while supporting our U.S. Team. For tickets and directions call Kari Schaffner at (301) 685-6150 or (301) 272-7807, or Sport Flight at (301) 840-9284, or contact any M.H.G.A. or C.H.G.A. member. All participants will appear in the next issue of Hang Gliding Magazine under "World U.S. Team Donors." Don't let your name be missing.
BRITISH HANG GLIDING OPEN Due to the success of last year's Open, Fosters Sports Foundation have agreed to sponsor the event yet again in 1983. The event will be mainly XC, weather permitting, and based at either Abergavenny or Crickhowell, South Sales. It is anticipated that tasks will be more demanding this time, and the ratio of foreign pilots to British pilots much higher. It is intended to limit the number of competitors to 45, preferably 40, and they will be selected on merit and past competition experience. In order to be selected a potential competitor must complete an application form and return it by March 1983 with the entry fee of 20 pounds. To obtain an application form competitors should send a Stamped Addressed Envelope to Barry Blore, 40 Castle Street, Steventon, Abingdon, Oxon. OX 13 6SR, England.
MILESTONE On August 21, 1982, St. Louis Missouri saw strong southwest winds. Dennis Owen launched from a 250-foot Mississippi River bluff near Fults, Illinois. After playing in ridge lift for about 25 minutes he headed south for the Prairie du Rocher crossing, a major gap, and continued till the bluff disappeared. He returned to takeoff (approximately 10 miles round trip) and then headed north, crossing many more gaps and relying on thermal lift to arrive at Chalfin Bridge. At this point Dennis sensed that conditions were deteriorating and hurried back to launch for a total round trip of over 25 miles. The glider was a 165 Comet and total flight time was 2 hours 20 minutes. Bluff height rarely exceeds 250 feet along the route.
PHOTO CREDIT The photo of Matt Wagner, Great Race winner, on page 8 of last month's magazine should have been credited to Chris Voith. Thanks Chris, for sending in the shot.
HG OF CALIFORNIA INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION CLINIC Hang Gliders of California will be holding an instructor certification clinic for those intermediate and advanced pilots wishing to become instructors and those instructors wanting to become advanced instructors. The clinic will begin 7 PM Friday, March 18 and continue through Sunday, March 20. Contact: Hang Gliders of California for reservations at (213) 399-5315. Fee $50.
SPECTRA MOVES Spectra aircraft has moved to 70 N. Main Street, Porterville, CA 93259 (209) 782-1588. Spectra has been operating out of Concord, CA for the last eight years. They currently manufacture the Sonic, and gained their reputation with the Aolus.
WORLD TEAM BENEFIT PERFORMANCE OF THE FANT ASTICKS Walt Dodge, author of Time Soaring and Director of the 1982 nationals, is producing and sponsoring a World Team benefit performance of the musical play "The Fantasticks." The performance will take place on Friday, 4-1-83 (no foolin') at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA. Curtain time is 8:00 PM and the cost is $6.00 per ticket. All proceeds over house costs will go to the 1983 USHGA World Team Fund. Please call for reservations before 3-20-83 so we can pack the joint with hang glider pilots and their families. Call (213) 447-8444 or (714) 542-7444 for reservations or information.
POETRY CONTEST A $1,000 grand prize will be awarded in the Eighth Annual Poetry Competition sponsored by World of Poetry, a quarterly newsletter for poets. Poems of all styles and on any subject are eligible to compete for the grand prize or for 99 other cash or merchandise awards, totaling over $10,000. Says Contest Chairman, Joseph Mellon, "We are encouraging poetic talent of every kind, and expect our contest to produce exciting discoveries." Rules and official entry forms are available from: World of Poetry, 2431 Stockton Blvd., Dept. G, Sacramento, CA. 11
Yet Another Assaultive World Team Fund Hype by Erik Fair Before I subject you nice folks out there to another rude, out of control, fund raising harangue I want to take a minute to sincerely thank those of you who have already contributed to the fund. Your response to the last two articles has been nothing short of phenomenal. Check out the Hst of donors, baby, it's a full page/ Not only that, the amount in the fund has tripled since I accused ya 'II of being cheapskates. There is still a long way to go, howeve1~ and not much time to get there. With that thought in mind it is time for me to return to the rude mode and zero in on yet another segment of the hang gliding community. You patriots and entrepeneurs keep those bucks coming while I launch an attack on the "Hopeless Romantics" in hang gliding land. The following epistle is totally contrived, without substance, and devoid of any redeeming social value. (One of my best friends told me that.) It is also (according to my girlfriend) "cutely bizarre and therefore better than a sharp stick in the eye." My guess is that 1/ you are a hopeless
romantic, and have the guts to continue reading, you will soon be unable to avoid making a generous contribution to the '83 World Team Fund. Ahem ...
TINKERBELL IS GOIN' IN! ONLY YOU CAN SA VE HER! That's right! Unless Tinkerbell can be convinced that the 1983 USHGA World Team has a chance of winning the World meet in Tegelberg, Germany this June, she's gonna pull her bar to the knees and make a big red mess all over our collective consciences. When a Mr. P. Pan called me from someplace called Never-Never land to report this startling news you can bet I was plenty upset. Now, I don't normally crap a litter of onions everytime some squeeky voiced bozo from the boondocks calls with bad news but this guy was talking Tinkerbell goin' in, and I could tell he meant business.
Here's what Pan told me: After reading my "Cheapskates" article in the January issue, Tink became despondent. It seems that the "cute little fairy" business is in tough shape in N.N. land. Consequently Tinkerbell can't even pay her rent much less contribute anything to the World Team fund. The psychological ramifications of not being in a position to contribute were apparently too much for the poor kid so she settled upon an insane scheme to get all you hopeless romantics out there in Hang Gliding Land to contribute big bunches of money on her behalf. (Tink knows that Hang Gliding Land is filled with hopeless romantics so don't any of you think you can avoid the issue by posing as nihilists.) She's gonna do it, man! She's gonna hook into her pretty little pink 130 square inch diver, gain 6,000' in one of those pretty little Never Never Land thermals, and stuff the bar to her pretty little knees until impact, man. Impact!
LlSTEN UP YOOSH·GA / ! Alt---t'T ND CHEAPSKATE C:OMMIE PINKO.' L STA"1D UP FDR AMER..-t<UH. AN TO PROVE tT...
~:~
~~1 WOULD Llt::E To GtvE f O0
BUCKS jO THE. u.s. 0~ A.
WORLD HAN.D GLIDH-i 1"'EA M / 12
HANG GLIDING
DON·A TIO.NS ......................... $1,714.50
New and Renewal Membership Allocation MANUFACTURERS 500.00 500.00
Wills Wing, Inc., Santa Ana, CA ... Ullralile Products, Inc., Temecula, CA
Della Wing Kiles & Gliders, Inc., Van Nuys, CA Systems Technology, Inc,, Oak Ridge, TN .
500.00 25.00
SCHOOL:S & DEALERS 334.00 50.00 24.00 ..... 48.00
Hang Flight Systems, Santa Ana, CA Elsinore Valley Hang Gliding Center, Elsinore, CA Treasure Valley Hang Gliders, Nampa, ID Hang Gliders of California, Santa Monica, CA
Chandelle San Francisco, Daly City, CA The Hang Gliding Company, Pismo Beach, CA Maryland School of Hang Gliding, Inc... Crestline Soaring Center, Cres11ine, CA
. 24.00 25.00 25.00 100.00
CLUBS & USHGA CHAPTERS· 25.00 25.00
Ullralile Flyers Organization, San Diego, CA USHGA Office Staff Cathy Coleman, Terrie Jo Nelson, Amy Provin, Linda Stahlberg and Carol Velderrain
Rogue Valley Hang Gliding Association, Grants Pass, OR ..
Fellow Feathers, San Francisco, CA Orange County Hang Gliding Association, CA . Kagel Fly-In (Windsports; HG of CA, Delta, ProAir)
........ 43.00 25.00 345.00
.. .. 25.00
INDIVIDUALS Steve Hawxhurst, San Diego; CA . . ... 7.00 The VIiiage Church, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 25.00 Mrs. June Newton, Marshall, VA ......... 5.00. Tim Cobb, Santa Monica, CA . . . 100.00 Phillip Sherrell, Las Vegas, NV .. 5.00 VlcPowell,Annandale, VA 100.00 Francis Turmo, Woodstock, NY . . 10.00 Parker Ledbetter, Mt. GIiead, NC . . .. 10.00 Peter Stolle, Franklin Square, NY. . ... 10.00 Mark Dodge, South Charleston, WV 10.00 Mlctiael Mccarley, APO SF, CA·.. 10.00 Jerry Martin, Dayton, OH 10.00 8111 Greene, Tujunga, CA . 25.00 Craig Baker, Tarzana, CA . 25.00 Dona Roosevelt, Tempe, AZ ..... 20.00 Chuck McGIii, Mercer island, WA 10.00 Eddie Tadea Jr., Los Angeles, CA .. 5.00 Mark Bennett & Judy York, Escondido, CA . ·..... 11.11 Larry Brown, Rancho, CA ..... 111.11 John C. Cook, Arcadia, CA 10.00 Robert Wooten, Slatesville, NC ..... 5.50 Rusty Gross, Riverside, CA .. .. 5.50 .. 15.00 Hardy Snyman, Houston, TX Andrew Smart, Anchorage, AK ....... 7.50 Steve Turner, Sequel, CA 10.00 WIiiiam Aubin, Morris Plains, NJ 25.00. 25.00 James Slaugenhaupt, France William Prince, Inverness, CA .. ... 5.00 Bruce Strange, Bend, OR .. 5.00 David Volkman, Ml. Shasta, CA 20.00 Kurk DIiiey, Menlo Park, CA . 20.00
Ken Ward, _Sunnyvale, CA . Stephen Urbach, Sunnyvale, CA Robert Reiter, Berkeley, CA Dean Morri&, Julian, CA . Elaln Gionet, Las Vegas, NV Doug HIidreth, Medford, OR . Raymond Adams, Berkeley, CA . Richard Cassetta, Sacramento, CA .. Kenneth Nead, Redwood City, CA Dennis Morrison, Sunnyvale, CA . Jeffrey Birak, Daly City, CA Donn Baumgartner, Auslin, TX Jerry Sorenson, Sacramento, CA Mark·Mocho, Albuquerque, NM David Gray, Albuquerque,,NM •. Randy Cobb, Pismo Beach, CA David Catlett, Alameda, CA . Jeffery Bowman, Anacortes, WA . Andrew Millot, Colorado Springs, CO Patrick Brooks, Natrona, PA . Robert Storms, Santa Rosa, CA ..
Alban Liepert, Rochester, NY Azby Chouteau, Corona del Mar, CA Joe Horton, Quakertown, PA George Hugo, Belhany, CT Roger Janson, Jamaica Plain, MA Mailland.Gunderson, Leisure City, FL Fred Darland, Bulle, MT Nalhan Granger, Bayonne, NJ . Michael Mahoney, Healdsburg, CA .. Buzz Lucas, Louisville, KY .
10.00 50.00 ... 25.00, 15.00 10.00 50.00 10.00 10.00 .. 5.00 10.00 ...... 5.00 10.00 25.00 30.00 .. 25.00 . 5.00 50.00 . .... 10.00 . . 7.00 . .. 5.00 25.00 .. ... 20.00 ........ 5.00 ...... 5.00 10.00 ... 35.00 ... 5.00 25.00 . . 6.50· . 3.00 . ..... 2.75
Dave Slawicke, Lexington, KY 10.50 Ray Cady, Tacoma, WA . 10.00 George Woodcock, Alamogordo, NM . 20.00 Timothy Kelly; Pltlsburgh, PA .. 5.00 Jon Leak, Norwalk, OH . . 25.00 Phillip Van gel, Marlboro, MA ....... 20:00 Eugene Palmer, Natick, MA 10.00 Robe11 Nelson, Jackson, WY 10.00 Jeff Roberson, Salt Lake City, UT ......... 20.00 Louis della Penta, Colden, NY 10.00 Don Winkler, North Huntington, PA . . . . . ....... 5.00 Bruce Mankowlch, Suffern, NY ........... 10.00 Terry Fagen, Melbourne, KY . ..... 5.00 Erik Newbard, Coopersburg, PA ..... 5.00 Ralph Karsten, St. Paul, MN ..... 5.00 Roger Martin, Waynesboro, PA 25.00 Coleen's Birthday ..... 25.00 Scott s·ayre, Pasadena, CA Rich Pfeiffer
WHY IS YOUR NAME MISSING FROM THIS PRESTIGIOUS LIST? Make your donation payable to: USHGA, WORLD TEAM FUND Send to: USHGA, World Team Fund P.O. Box 66306 Los Angeles, CA 90066
10.00 5.00
Tinkerbell! You are the only ones who can stop her and the only way you can stop her is to send money to the USHGA World Team Fund. This is no jive. Tinkerbell did just this sort of thing back in the fifties when Captain Hook was still alive. She threatened to go in then too only she- didn't have no diver. (Who did?) She
go in! Send money to the USHGA World Team Fund! My career is at stake! I'll feel so guilty about driving her to the brink with my insipid "cheapskate" article that I'll never be able to write another line without bursting into tears. You don't want soggy articles do you? Clap and send money, send money and clap!
the team with this approach. DINNER THEATRE: If you have a local connection at a restaurant or a bar use it to sponsor a dinner theater. Hang Gliders of California in conju.nction with the Banjo Cafe charged $10.00 per head for a meal followed by bluegrass music, and Hugh Morton's award-winning film.
HURRY - TIME IS .RUNNING OUT FLASH! Things are stacking up! E.T. just called and said that he heard from home and they told him they weren't gonn; come pick his ass up unless the USHGA World Team wins at Tegelberg in '83. You can't let E.T. stay here - he'll die. Not only that, he told me that if itlooks like he's gonna die, he's gonna turn real mean and take all of you non contributors with him. ·That means, of course, that if you don?t send money to the World Team Fund RIGHT NOW: TINKERBELL WILL DIE, E.T. WILL DIE, YOU WILL DIE. Think about it. And don't say I never warned you. had to settle out of court for getti~g a bunch of snot nosed kids to clap real hard and proclaim · unending fealty to her fairy company. Now it's the bad ass .eighties and her company is going in. She's prepared to go in with it. Only you, the hopeless romantics out there in Hang Gliding Land can save her. , So look! Ya gotta,help out! Ya can't let Tink
FUND RAISING IDEAS BENEFIT -BARBECUE: -Charge $5.00 a head for . a ·hot dog, potato salad, beer · barbecue. Local club or shop provides the facility and contributes the food. (Dogs are cheap.) The Kagel fly-in netted $300.00 for
MONTE CARLO NIGHT: The fun of gambling without gambling . .Obtain donated prizes (harness, instruments, helmet, whatever) and sell $10.00 worth of .chips to everyone who walks in the door. Provide some simple games of chance inside and whoever ends up with the most chips wins the prize(s). The world team gets all the money, the spon-
WlllD iilM FIND FUND AL Tl METER
$11,000$10,000-
TAKE HANG GLIDING WITH YOU
$9,000-
DON'T MISS THE LATEST ISSUE BY FAILING TO NOTIFY USHGA OF YOUR CHANGE OF ADDRESS!! NAME USHGA # _ __
$8,000-
OLD ADDRESS
$6,000-
CITY -----~-STATE __ ZIP _ __
$7,000-
YOU DID IT! You cheapskates made us go to a full page listing of "World Team Fund" contributors. This month we have 68 new individual and 8 new Clubs & Dealer listings. A new total of $5,764.97. Special thanks to the following: Larry Brown, Rancho, CA for an individual $100.00 donation, the Kagel Fly-ln for $345.00 and Crestline Soaring Center, Crestline, CA for $100.00.
$5,000-
NEW ADDRESS CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ZIP ___ _
$4,000-
LAST ISSUE RECEIVED
$3,000-
(PLEASE ALLOW FOUR WEEKS FOR PROCESSING)
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.
14
HANG GLIDING
sors get credit for donating prizes, and the patrons get a chance to win something. Hang Flight Systems is trying this out in· mid March, WORLD TEAM MEMBER MEETING: Have a famous world team pilot come to your area to show the world team slide presentation and answer questions about world class competitive hang gliding. Charge everyone $5.00 to $10.00 to attend. The Capitol Hang Gliding Association is contemplating such an approach to fund raising. Contact Dean Tanji (714) 641-2000 regarding availability of team members. Send all contributions to: USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. Make checks payable to: USHGNWorld Team Fund,
USHGA WORLD TEAM FUND ORDER FORM P.O. Box 66306 Los Angeles, CA 90066 For heaven's sake please rush the following quality merchandise! Quantity
Each
Buttons "Dior"
$
Subtotal
5.00
__ T-Shirts "Jordache"
10.00
Team Wuffo Stickers "Flarnbe"
5.00
__ Collected Right Stuffs "DePhair"
15.00
Oh, yes! Send me a deed! Hurry!!! __ Brooklyn Bridge
20.00*
_ _ Iowa (all f1ying sites in)
25.00*
__ Iowa & Kansas (")
17. 50*
__ Hawaii (one ridge)
50.00*
One cubic mile airspace (specify site)
l 00.00*
TOTAL *Sorry: Only one per customer. Date Name
,'vlailing Address
Please allow 30-60 davs for deli\'ery. 1\-lake checks pavable to: USHGA --World Team Fund
MARCH 1983
15
USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM
8-1
8-2 8-3 8-4 8-5 8-6 B-7 8-8 8-9
8-10 8-11 8-12 8-13
8-14
CIA
-
~,- -
8-15 --
~--~Off~~-14
BOOKS
PRICE
MAHBIRDS by Maralys Wills. Entertainingly takes the reader from hang gliding's past to its soaring present. 8 pg color, 150 Blk & Wht photos, 40 pg appendix. USHGA INSTRUCTORS CERTIFICATION MANUAL. Complete requirements, syllabus, teaching methods. HANG GLIDING by Oan Poynter. 8th Edition. Basic Handbook for skysurting. MAH-POWERED FLIGHT by Keith Sherman. History & modern technology, design considerations. FLYING CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagen. Micrometerology lor pilots. 90 illuslrations. HANG GLIDING AND FL YING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen. Beginners to experts instruction manual. HANG GLIDING FOR ADVANCED PILOTS by Dennis Pagen. Tech· niques for cross-country, competition & powered !light. POWERED ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT by Dennis Pagen. Complete instruction manual. POWERED ULTRALIGHT TRAIHIHG COURSE By Dennis Pagen. A manual for self-training & training schools. 11 lessons, tests and FAA Regulations. MAHHED KITING by Dan Poynter. Handbook on tow launch flying. MAH.POWERED AIRCRAFT by Don Dwiggins. 192 pg history of flight. Features !light of Gossamer Condor. FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS FOR Pl.OTS. 1983 Edition. Hang gliding pertinent information. FAI SPORTING CODE FOR HAHG GLIDING. Requirements for records, achievements & World Championships. TORREY PINES by Don Betts, photos by Bettina Gray. Rules, regulations, history of Torrey Pines. HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG by Dan Poynter. For beginners. An asset to instructors. 24 pgs. USHGA OFFICIAL FLIGHT LOG. 40 pgs. Pocket size, skills signofls (all levels), glossary of terms, awards.
$17.95
QUANTITY
8-16
AMOUNT
$ 2.00
$ 7.50
$ 7.50 $ 7.50
S 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 8.50 $12.95
$ 4.50 $ 6.50 $ 4.50
S 1.00 $ 3.00 $ 1.50
$ 2.95
ITEMS "HEW"·USHGA 'HANG GLIDING' T-SHIIT. 100% heavyweight cotton. WHITE only. Men's sizes: S M L X-L (CIRCLE ONE). Women's sizes (French cut): S M L (CIRCLE ONE). USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight cotton. ORANGE or LIGHT BLUE. Men's sizes only. S M L X-L (CIRCLE SIZE & COLOR) USHGA EMBLEM CAP. One size fits all. Baseball type/USHGA emblem. NAVY ORANGE GOLD (CIRCLE ONE) "HEW" USHGA BELT BUCKLE. Solid bronze, custom design, relief sculpture. 31/, x 21/4. USHGA SEW-OH EMBLEM. 3" dia., full color (red wings, sunburst w/black print). USHGA EMBLEM DECAL. 3W' dia., full color. USHGA BUTIOH/PfH. 1W' dia., full color. LICENSE PLATE FRAME. "I'd rather be hang gliding." White on Blue. WALLET. Nylon, velcro closure, mach. washable, water resistant. ROY AL BLUE color. BUMPER STICKER. "Have you hugged your hang glider today." Blue on White.
1-1A 1-1 B 1·2 1-3
1-4 1-5
1-6 1-7 1-8 1-9 1-10
$ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 8.00 $ 5.00 $12.00 1.00 .25 .10 $ 5.50 S 8.95 $ 1.75
HANG GLIDING/GROUND SKIMMER BACK ISSUES ·"SPECIFY BY CIRCLING ISSUE HUMBER"'ISSUES HDT NUMBERED ARE SOLD OUT',. PRIHIED COPIES:
PRIHYED COPIES: PRINTED COPIES:
20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 . 73, '76, 7,7, 78, BO, 82, 83, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 98, 99,100,101,102,103 105 - Current Issue "HO TAX OH MAGAZINES"
$ 1.00
$ 1.50
$ 2.00
MAGAZINE SUB TOTAL MERCHANDISE SUB TOTAL
Orderfng lnfonnallon: All prices include postage and handling. {Pric~s subject to change without notice.)" Enter quantity and price of each item ordered. Allow 3-4 weeks delivery {8 weeks for Foreign). All orders are mailed by the cheapest available rate. If you wish to receive your order faster, please include sufficient postage funds. No C.0.D.'s. Foreign Orders: USHGA will ONLY accept foreign checks payable on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds.
(Californians add 6% tax on merchandise only) TOTAL
.HO CHARGE ITEMS
NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ USHGA # _ _ __ (Please Print)
USHGA MEMBERSHIP "APPLICATION FORM (#4)
USHGA BASIC SAFETY REGULATIONS (PART 100)
USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM (#14)
·. USHGA PILOT PROFICIENCY PROGRAM (PART 104)
ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
USHGA LILIENTHAL AWARD FORM
ACCIDENT REPORT FORM (#15)
CITY
STATE _ _ _ ZIP_ _ __
MAIL WITH CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: USHGA, PO BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066
by Dave Butz
Wow, what a beautiful day to fly, it even looks a little soarable. Let's see, I've preflighted the glider, but I still need to do a hang check. I don't want this backpack flight bag to interfere with the harness support lines. Hey, Dick, could you give me a hang check? Thanks. Look good? Seems okay to me, but I have been flying fixed wing gliders for so long I'm not really cued into these cocoon harnesses yet. Looks okay to you? Good, I guess I'll get up to launch. Boy, am I nervous, It's been a while since I've flown the Peak. Wind looks perfect, 5- 7 mph straight in. Should be a good launch. Well guys, I guess, it's now or never ... oh, okay Bob, you're right, now or later. Okay guys, see you later. Okay Dave, run your ass
om
I'm offi! Oh, no! What's happening? My harness is bunching up around my chest. Oh, my God, I forgot to step through the leg straps. Damn, get into the control bar, it's my only hope! Great! I'm in, glad I was still on the uprights. Damn, the glider is flying fast, and yawing like hell. I'm high also, 500 - 1,000 feet already. Maybe I should deploy my chute? NO WAY!! I'm not completely in the harness. I'm gonna die. NO YOU'RE NOT!! I'm already nearing the Cathedral, gotta slow down and find trim position. God, I'm exhausted! Lean back and slow this baby down, don't lose you're grip, you'll die! It's slowing down, good, maybe I can stand MARCH 1983
upright in the control bar and step into the boot. Go for it. I'm up, unbunch the harness, get the foot in. Oh, no, I'm sideslipping. Forget the harness for now, straighten out the glider. Slow it down, oh no, not a wingover. Don't overcontrol so much, easy, easy. Okay, okay, it's approaching another stall now, get forward, keep it smooth. Crap, what am I doing, I have ro real definite control. I'm going to die anyway, might as well drop out and get it over with. NO WAY! Don't think that way! Okay. I'm okay. Alright, glider's smoothing out again, but I have to lean back so far and hang on. I'm exhausted. What a stupid situation I put myslef in. If I screw up further it's really going to ruin my friends' day. Let's see, where am I really heading. I don't want to go for Cater landing area, too many houses and power lines even though it's closer. I need to head toward Cienagitas landing area, it's more open. Don't know if I can make it, but gotta try. Gee, getting pretty low over Ontare Hill. There is no way around it, I have to get into the boot if I am to get any kind of acceptable control. Think Dave, the bar is raked forward. Every time I get low in the bar, the glider speeds up, so if I stand up slowly, it will effectively move my weight back. Try it. It's working, but slowing down too much. Try upper torso and arms through the front, butt out back, feet wide. It worked! Gotta get into the
boot. Slowly, inch the harness down, that's it. Now get foot in boot; I got it! Go prone! Alright! Now glide this sucker. I'm over the last spine now, it's a clear glide to the landing area, but no turns, I'll just make it. May have to land on my belly, but I think I can kick out of the boot and still stay prone and rotate on flare. Oh no, may overshoot, speed up. Good, right on target. Flare, feet down, I'm down, oops, dropped the nose, but I'm down safely. Damn, what a stupid thing to have done. Maybe I ought to write about it to make others aware, so they don't make the ... same mistake.
Para Publishing Books by Dan Poynter Post Office Box 4232-314 Santa Barbara, Ca 93103 Telephone: (805) 968~7277
Send For FREE Brochu re 17
·--- -------
-1
-,'' ''
r==
'
WHATS MISSING IN THIS PICTURE? Answer: YOUR HGMA-certified wing. That's right. Add the industry's safest, most rugged airframe with its powerful, reduced-drive Kawasaki 440 to your own hang glider and you11 be flying the least expensive Ultralight available anywhere. Discover the excitment of rapid
~ Wings for Man
climbouts (700-1000 fpm) and the joy and . convenience of powered flight for crosscountry or local pleasure flying. Either way, the thrill is yours. Now at special off-season prices. Contact your dealer. (Serious dealer inquiries only, please.)
FLIGHT DESIGNS INC. P.O. Box 1503 Salinas, CA 93902 (408) 758-8898
SOLVING WASHOUT AND CONTROL PROBLEMS ©1983 by Dennis Pagen
In the preceding article, we reported on the successes of an ongoing project, the Accipiter II. This is a 180 ° nose bowed-back graphite leading edge hang glider. The use of composite materials in a hang glider presents many new possibilities and is long overdue. We are currently exploring these possibilities and finding the optimum compromise between stability, control, performance and strength. The problem we face is that besetting most hang glider designers: how to achieve maximum performance yet maintain quick, light control. We have readjusted our airframe so the sail is as tight as a hippopotamus trampoline. This tweaking has virtually eliminated wing twist or washout, a good stride in the performance direction. However, a stiff wing is hard to turn, so after we complete our straight and level flight testing we'll work on control. We have a few tricks up our sleeve in readiness for the control solution. The above paragraphs serve to illustrate part of the designer's dilemma. I have mentioned two important items that must be well considered: washout and control. In this article I will discuss these items in a bit of detail presenting some ideas and inventions. In a later article I will disclose design projects which I believe are the future of hang gliding.
WASHOUT To many of us, "washout" is a term that refers to the sad experience of missing the lift while our fellow pilots are soaring hundreds of feet above launch. To an aircraft. designer, however, washout refers to twist in a wing resulting in the tip being at a lower angle of attack than the root (center section). Look at any photo of a hang glider in flight and you can see the tips riding at a much different angle than the area near the keel. This.is washout. The purpose of washout in an aircraft wing is to prevent the outside areas of the wing from stalling before the center section. When a tip of a wing stalls, increase in drag and loss of lift turns the aircraft and severely diminishes control. Washout prevents this by insuring that the center section stalls first since this area is MARCH 1983
always at a higher angle of attack. Even when a wing employs washout, a stall may occur on the inside wing tip in a turn since the angle of attack on the inside wing tip is much higher than on the rest of the aircraft. The result of a severely stalled wing tip during a turn is a spin. From aerodynamic testing, we know that the more swept back a wing is, the more readily it will stall a tip. This would indicate that hang gliders, with their considerable sweep (say 30° per side) would be very susceptible to tip stalls and spins. On the contrary, due to the considerable washout of most hang gliders (on the order of 14° as opposed to 3° in conventional aircraft), they are incapable of being spun even by a determined experienced pilot. Only hang gliders with fixed, and therefore limited washout such as the Flegling, Easy Riser and the earlier Dragonfly, Cumulus V and Sun IV can be made to spin. Flex wing hang gliders develop a stall in the mid-span area (between the tip and the root of the inside wing when slowed too much in a turn. This results in a dropping of the inside wing and a slight slip which can easily be corrected. Thus, it seems that our great amount of tip washout is ideal. Unfortunately, this is not so, for any amount of washout means a loss in performance in level flight. This is easy to see by noting that if we push out until the center section of our .wing is at minimum sink angle .of attack, the rest of the wing is at a lower than optimum angle of attack for minimum sink. The truth of the matter is, all flex wing hang gliders would receive a boost in performance if they could reduce washout somewhat. The problem is making a stiff wing out of something as flexible as dacron cloth. The conventional methods for controlling washout are tightening the sail on the airframe so it is taut as a clothesline and using solid curved battens so that the sail tension line across the high point of the batten pulls the rear of the sail downward. Recently, the use of lower surface battens has helped control washout by resting on the bottom of the crossbar and pulling down on the rear of the
sail (unfortunately, this action is not placed toward the tip where it is needed). The problem with all the above methods of reducing washout is that they increase the stiffness of the wing and therefore hamper turn control response. We will deal with this matter in the next section. Before we do this, however, its time to clear up a couple of persistent myths. PERSISTENT MYTH #1: The higher the aspect ratio of a hang glider, the better it performs. Aspect ratio refers to how long and narrow a wing is when viewed from above. Aspect ratio is certainly in the equations that describe a wing's sink rate and maximum glide ratio performance, but another term - span efficiency - must also be taken into consideration. The efficiency of a wing is in part determined by how much washout it possesses. A wing. with an extremely high aspect ratio will still fly poorly if it displays a lot of washout. Here we see the problem with high aspect ratio hang gliders. The longer and narrower the wings are, the harder it is to keep the wing tips from twisting up, simply due to the geometry involved. This is shown in figure 1.
VNSUPPOIZTEO
AReA
.:5H.,Lj DED
AG-.! 21
Of course, the designer can try to pull the sail tighter, but this requires a beefier airframe, especially for a long, thin wing. The ultimate penalty is weight which brings in the law of diminishing returns in terms of performance as well as pilot comfort. With our present technology, it appears that a hang glider with an aspect ratio much over seven will not live up·to its expectations. New methpds which we · will discuss later may change this. Flex wing gliders with aspect ratios well over eight have been tried, but they didn't perform well at all. You can bet that designers of currently successful gliders have tried all types of sail modifications to improve their performance, and yet most of the high performers are below seven in aspect ratio. An interested pilot is advised to look at the washout pattern of a glider and not be overawed by a high aspect ratio when buying a hang glider. PERSISTENT MYTH #2: The more double surface a· glider has, the better it performs. While we.are mainly interested in washout and control here, it is worthwhile to scuttle this mistaken impression. Double surface on a hang glider helps to fair in the leading edge under camber at low angles of attack, as well as eliminate crossbar drag. However, it also reduces the mean camber of the airfoil section (mean camber is the curve of.the line midway .between the upper and· lower surface). See .figure 2. It is mean camber, not necessarily the
:S/;VGL/3 SUR.FAC.E3
,-4/RPOtL
/vi 13.A N
cA A1!3ep__ DASH/:=D/_/NE:-
DOU/3LE
SUR.FA CE
was stiffer in handling. For slow speed flight that we foot launchers require, it is doubtful that a full double surface wing will be desirable. The only real indication of a glider's performance is how it stacks up against the competition, not the numbers on the manufacturer's spec sheet.
TURNING CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE Now that we have preached against the evils of washout, let's see ifwe can find some good in the critter. Over the years, we have seen the evolution of tighter and less washed out sails on hang gliders. It is only the invention of keel pockets and floating crossbars that provided reasonable roll pressures_ on these stiffer wings. Also, as we noted before, washout implies flexibility in the tip areas. If we had a fixed wing all the way to the tip, we would have a difficult time initiating a turn. Furthermore, once we begin a turn, washout can actually aid performance. To see why this is so, we must recall that the inside tip meets the relative wind at the highest angle of attack. The angle of attack ofa perfectly flat wing (not washed out) in a turn would be maximum at the inside tip and reduce gradually to the lowest value at the outside tip. I saw this demonstrated dramatically five years ago when I watched a UP Condor coordinate a 45 ° banked turn. Although the inside tip was at very high loading, the outside tip was flapping, indicating a near zero angle of attack on the latter tip. The reason for this difference in angle of attack along the wing is explained in my book Flying Skills For Advanced Pilots. The.result of this angle of attack difference is that only the innermost portion of the wing can be flying at minimum sink angle of attack. Now, however, ifwe introduce some washout on the inside tip as shown in figure 3, more of the entire wing
ance in straight and level flight, a certain amount can actually aid performance in a continuous turn (such as used when thermaling). The classic example of this is the Lazor (I and II) which had a reasonable glide and sink rate but excelled in thermal conditions due to its turn efficiency. The Lazor had a lot of washout in the tip area as a result of its fairly loose sail and large tips. Fixed wings such as the Fledgling tend to be less turn efficient and have a hard time climbing with the flex wings in light thermal conditions. The plots of a sailplane's polar in straight ahead flight and turning flight reveal quite an increase in sink rate during a turn. Some of this increase is due to their lack of washout and consequent inside wing angle of attack limit. As an example, in a 45° bank, an ASW 15 will produce a minimum sink. rate about I. 75 times that of level flight even though the wing loading increases only 1.4 times. Since we need- both turn efficiency and flat-out performance for cross-country flight, perhaps we should look further into this washout matter.
SOME WASHOUT CONTROL SOLUTIONS For months in 1978 1 kept going back to a picture that appeared on page 28 of the March issue· of Hang Gliding magazine. This was a photo of the rear view of a Mariah in flight. At
A/ R..Fr:5I I-
curve of .the upper surface, that provides a high coefficient -0f lift and theri:fore .a good sink rate. Note that some gliders with very little double surface such as the Harrier and Gemini have an,exceptional sink rate. A single surface airfoil is a high lift airfoil. Unfortunately a single surface does not perform well at higher speeds. Again, with the present technology, it appears that a double surface of about 60 or 70 percent of the total ·wing area is ideal. I have flown a glider with 100% double surface•imported from another country. After an hour of comparison to last year's state of the art gliders I found it was slower, did not sink as well and
22
/
/
-n-fI :5 -rA !.3 tv~PP!3=0AND
LEFT 7VR.N
--rAP~O-ro L E:-A D //v G-- E D6t:::
(b) AG;,4-
will be flying closer to minimum sink angle of attack. From the above, it can be concluded that although washout adversely affects perform-
that time I was obsessed with washout curves and this particular glider's curve was curious indeed. It had very low washout for the period, but more interesting was the way the defined tip actually held the sail tip. In flight, the batten inboard of the tip was reducing HANG GLIDING
washout on its own in some mysterious manner. It wasn't until I had a chance to fly and inspect the Mariah that I realized the secret. The batten stops on the leading edge (unique to the Mariah to date as far as I know) were prevent· ing the batten from rotating around the leading edge and thus preventing washout. This is shown in figure 4a. Another way of accomplishing this same result is to fasten the lower surface to the leading edge as show in figure 4b. These methods require some fiddling, but almost absolute washout control could be achieved in this manner. Unfortunately, this adds to the stiffness of the wing so aerodynamic controls would be required. It would be interesting to use this concept to build a light weight fixed wing. Another neat trick Dick Boone used on the Mariah was to attach the sail to the crossbar at several places. This held the upper surface bat· tens down, reducing washout similar to the effect we get with lower surface battens as ex· plained earlier. In truth, if the crossbar were beefed up and placed where the center of pressure is located at each point along the wing, little force would tend to twist the wing if the upper surface were attached to the crossbar. In fact, no leading edge would be necessary as shown in figure 5. It would be
The first technique involves a variation in airfoils from the root to the tip so that these areas achieve their maximum coefficient of lift at different angles of attack. If the tip areas achieve a higher angle of attack before stalling than the root, then we may push out more in a turn and thus gain efficiency. Much experimentation must take place to bring this idea to fruition, but it may be worthwhile for current designs. 01.J'"r:5/DE:. WIA.IG--
1 Nc:.r.:::::. t;:.A:5 EE:5
AN&L&- -o~-A,---,------AG/,,::.. AUIO,h,IAT/CALLY --rHRL>u.s-H PVLL..l=y
S>5TIE.M
~
FIG-.
6
The other technique is one that came to me when I was designing the Sirocco II defined tip some years ago. This defined tip was a swiveling tube limited by a cable. At the time I thought "why not turn this upside down and hook it to the batten to control washout." Well, this system was never tried, but an extension of the idea is ready to be used on the Accipiter II.
bellcrank and to the corresponding batten on this side. Washout can now be set at any desired amount, yet flexibility of the tips is maintained. In a turn, the inside tip will washout while the outside tip washes in. Theoretically, the entire wing could be controlled to fly at minimum sink angle of attack in a bank. The possibilities are limitless. More than one batten can be held down by one bellcrank. With such a positive washout control, sails may be loosened or aspect ratios increased to provide better turn response, better performance or both. A bridle system can run to the center of the crossover cable to pull it back, thus reducing washout on both sides for fast, straight flight. The crossover cable can be connected to aerodynamic controls for automatic activation. Finally each tip holdown may be routed to the pilot for direct wing warping control although this will require additional aerodynamic controls to overcome adverse yaw. The entire passive system may be hidden in the double surface sail. Figure 7 shows a plan view of the simple layout and a trailing edge curve that I am experimenting with (one holdown per side). Note that this curve is similar to that of a soaring bird's wing in flight. BR!Dl-t=: :SYS7E/1 TO NO:SE.i TH.t=N
Cl'<OSS0VJ=/<.,
PIL.O't
/_IN.E
LOwP-P.
~An-EN
~OssBAPATTACHeD
-ro UPPER. SAIL C/-1 Bt 1= LIEADIAJG-
l=DG-:e
Flcr. 5 .RGAR VIEW simple to engineer a control to dial in the right · amount of washout for a· given turn with this design. It appears · the Hiway's . (British manufacturer) new Explorer makes use of this concept, with a cable leading edge, aero· dynamic controls and very little washout. All the above ideas result in designs that may have a straight ahead performance advan· tage, but I doubt if they will be as turn efficient as a current flex wing (note that a hang glider can outclimb some sailplanes in light thermals). However, there are still two tricks which I feel will help solve the washout control problem.
MARCH 1983
PIG. The concept is a passive differential washout control. Imagine a straight wing in a turn with one side of the wing twisting up while the other side twists down (see figure 6). This wing should be more turn efficient than a straight plank wing, and just as efficient in level flight. Now, applying this to a flex wing hang glider, run a cable holding down a tip batten through a pulley or bellcrank across to the other side of the glider through another
7 The concept of variable washout is not used by any other manmade ~ying object (unless you want to include helicopter rotors). Those who dabble in hang glider design are in a unique position to try many new things not appropriate for conventional aircraft. Hopefully, exposing some of my long harbored ideas will inspire others to describe their projects or at least build a 40 pound, 15 to 1, foot launchable, quick turning glider of their own to benefit us all. ~
23
It was a Sunday night in November. I was just about to tum in when I received a phone call from Rich "Hi Phil, can you be at my shop at nine tomorrow morning?" "Why?" "Our plane leaves LAX at 10:30 AM." "I thought we were leaving Wednesday." "Not any more!" Rich Chris Price, and I were on our way to Moab Utah. We were Joe Grcblo, who was already on set, for the production of a 3-D science fiction movie called "Space Hunter." The four of them were to be "Vultures;" bad guys who would swoop down from the skies to snatch up, and then fly away with three bcautifhl space maidens. I was along as a back up flyer, helper, and coordinator for anything that might seem to benefit from my coordination. Rich showed up late at the shop the next morning, and it continued to get later as he kept assuring me that our driver to the airport would turn up any minute. hope gave way to despair and we went thundering off down the freeway by ourselves. I knew in my heart we were never going to catch the plane. One minute prior to our plane's departure time found us frantically pushing our bags at the clerk behind the counter. He just smiled,
24
shook his head, and told us that if we ran like hell we might just make the flight but there was no hope for our luggage. We grabbed our tickets and went running off down a corridor. The race was on as we deftly wove in and out of the knots of people in our way. As we approached the loading ramp we were in such a hurry that we didn't notice the lobby was still full of people. We ran past a startled attendant, down the ramp, and jumped into the plane. I realized something was wrong when I looked down the aisle and saw that there was no one on board. We were confronted by a steward who informed us they were behind schedule and would we please return to the lobby. Chagrined, we retreated to the terminal only to be met by a grinning Chris P.rice. Two flights and a long drive from Grand Junction Colorado found the three of us at production headquarters in Moab, Utah. There we met with Joe and discussed the coming agenda. The director wanted us to be ready for shooting in three days and there was an awful lot that needed to be accomplished in that time. First order was to dismantle and replace the sails on the two Geminis and two Harriers that were being used for filming. The original sails were light blue and had been sprayed with green and brown paints in odd splotches and whorls. The result was rather hideous, which
evidently was the intent. Sometime after this project was finished, the film crew went through a major reorganization. The new director did not like the sails and ordered four new ones, all black. Tuesday morning I teamed with Rich and we had a race against Joe and Chris to see who could replace the sails the fastest. Chris and Joe won, though I suspect they were willing to work faster because it was Rich and myself who were stuck with test flying their product. Later, we spent some time bouncing through an untracked wash to get to a suitable small hill. The flying went uneventfully and we rushed back to headquarters to deliver the gliders to the props department so they could ready the gliders for filming. This consisted of gluing large arching sheets of mylar to the leading and trailing edges and then attaching absurd foam monster heads to the nose of each glider. That night, Roy Haggard and Joe's wife Kris arrived from California. Kris was there to be a stunt double for one of the space girls, and to fly tandem with Joe. Rich and Roy were ABOVE: Chris Price flies down to the potash. INSERT: Kris Greblo is sn11lc:hecl off the trnin by her husband Joe. Photos by Phil Warrender.
HANG GLIDING
also slated to fly tandem but their partners would be costumed dummies. Several hours were spent in wardrobe that night while the were fitted into their vulture outfits. My favorite costume parts were the skin diving masks with the flexible hose dangling underneath. A close second was the helmet with two halves of a plastic football glued to it. The next morning we all woke early, loaded the gliders and props on our truck, and drove to a vertical cifflaunch a couple miles north of Dead Horse Point. This is an area of spectacular sandstone canyons overlooking the Colorado River. Directly below is a potash mining company and the filming and flying were done on their property. This was to be a dress rehearsal so everyone flew with their costumes, durnmies, monster heads and what· ever else they could think of to hang on a glider. The conditions were marginal: two mph straight downwind cliff launch. Most no-wind cliff launches I have seen are harrowing to watch. If possible, the pilot usually stands back several feet, runs like hell and then leaps off the end. No matter how hard they have run, once they are in the air the glider is almost always severely stalled. It quite often breaks sharply and goes screaming down the cliff face until it finally swoops up and flies away while everyone watching exhales a collective sigh of relief. Joe and Rich had developed a new techni·· que. Their procedure was to stand on the cliff edge and point the nose of the glider down as far as possible without tripping over the control bar. They would take one step and then just fall over the edge. If the glider's nose was sufficiently low, the wing wonld be flying almost immediately (since stalling is a function of of attack, not airspeed). They made one-step downwind takeoffs using this system
MARCH 1983
in which the glider appeared to lose less than 15 feet in its swoop away from the clif[ Hxce,,tin,g Rich, who had to fight his dummy for the use of the control bar, the flights were straightforward and the rehearsal was a success. We were ready to go before the cameras. As it turned out we had spent the previous days in frantic activity only to sit around and wait now. Shooting was running behind schedule and they weren't ready for us. We played a waiting game, not knowing day to day when we would be flying. Finally one evening we arrived at our motel to find our call sheets waiting for us. We were to be on location at 6 AM and ready to fly by 10:00. Because launch was over a two hour
turnaround by car, we used a helicopter to transport everything to the cliff site. I was first up with a load of snpplies. Next came the gliders. I spent the rest of the morning ferrying gear to the launch site and assisting the pilots. Wardrobe and props peo· pie were also brought up to make sure the costumes and glider props were set up correct· ly. When everyone was ready to go I took the copter back down to the landing area and donned my "wardrobe." This consisted of one radio to keep me in touch with the assistant directors both at launch and in the landing area, another radio to contact Gary, the helicopter pilot, and two voice-actuated F.M. radios so that I could talk to the pilots. Fully outfitted, l looked like a walking advertisement for Radio Shack. I now took my station in between Lamont Johnson, the director, and Frank Tidy, the director of photography, so that I could keep them abreast of launch and landing times and relay directions to the pilots in the air. I surveyed the landing area for obstructions. It wouldn't have been difficult for one glider, but trying to bring in four at once was going to be tricky. The area itself was a small island surrounded by evaporation and settling pools for potash. Understandably no one wanted to land out. The launch went perfectly and soon all four gliders were overhead. At approximately 45 seconds till landing they each lit smoke bombs attached to the keel to simulate jet engines, and then followed each other in close formation. Joe and Kris, flying tandem, came in first, popped up over a potash berm and skidded to a halt. Rich was close behind and Roy followed him. Chris had peeled out of formation just before landing and he now made a (continued on page 44)
ABOVE: Tec:lmo train and Roy Photo by Rich Grigsby. CENTERSPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Vultures preparing for dive on techno train. Photo Sherri Joe and Kris launch. Photo by Phil Wammder. Crane used for aerial of space girl. Photo Rich Grigsby. - Roy and space girl set up for crane shot. Photo Phil Warrender.
25
the end of last summer, I had accumu· lated some hours on my Harrier flying tandem with my wife, Diane, and even had a chance to make a short cross coumry buzz over the Boulder, Colorado valley, landing east of town. When fall arrived however, the number of soarable days had diminished almost entire· ly, putting the proverbial lid on my flying time. I hadn't been thinking about hang gliding rm1cl1 wh.eQ in November, I reoci-ved the following letter:
the country to get the required information, just how to predicr when a similar airmass is aj>· tell me where. j)roachint;. It was obviously a widespread pheno· Seems that I remember something about an exmenon; Just read some bach issues of Hang perimental weather 111essa1;e service in your area. Gliding Milestones column and it shows up. llow is that project pro1;ressing? If you could find our what happened durint; Well, thanhs jcJr your time. that period and how we could watch for it, we would be eternally grateful. Safe Soaring, Any tips on how to get the required informa· tion would be welcome. I once ashed the local Deane G. Williams flighr service for a ,"soaring forecast" and they Farmington, Connecricut laughed at me. I don 'tea re 1f I hmJe to ct:,l( a~r'?.s~ , "
Dear Rich, I enjoyed your Jiast anicles on meteorology in Gliding magazine and see that you have a go1Jd deal of !mowledge as well as good contacts • (working.for NOAA). I'm writing ro request that you .write an article on a special weather event. Perhaps you remember the spectacular week of April 24 to May 2 last spring. First, Willi Muller had some very long XC fhj:hrs up in Canada and then on the 24'th, Bruce Case went 1.11 miles from a 300'.foot hill in Iowa. Later that week (April 2.9 and 30) rhe East Coast began to 1;et vc1y soarable and on rhe weehend of May 1st and 2nd, XC and altitude gain records ·were ser from Connecticut ro Tennessee. 1711: cloud/Jase was over 10,000 feer MS], during this period and it's usualzy about half of that around here. l ha•ve done some research as to what I he weather situation was rhat week but have nor come up with anything concrete. I'm sure the en· 1ire 1:ast Coasr would give its b1j: roe to /mow
30
feet HANG GLIDING
Jet stream over southwest U.S. is illustrated in hatched area. was surprised by Deane's keen observations of hang glider flights, so naturally, I had to go through my old issues of Hang Gliding to read about them for myself. Sure enough, from April 21 through May 2, 1982, altitude gains and cross country records were set all over the country. I obtained all the weather maps I would need to do an analysis of the meteorological possibilities from my office at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder. Then with my suitcases packed full of summer clothes and weather maps, I beamed down to Florida for the Christmas holidays. After a few leisurely days of sleeping late and relaxing in the warm sun, I spread out the maps and tried to remember some meteorology. Upon analyzing the maps I saw it, clear as day! May lightning strike my nose plate if Deane Williams wasn't correct. A large scale low pressure .system was indeed responsible for creating superb soaring conditions all across the country during that last week of April, 1982. Part one of this two-part series will explain, in general terms, the sequence of events that took place during that week. Having the July and August issues of Hang Gliding magazine at hand will help you follow this discussion. To begin, early on Tuesday, April 20, 1982 a weak low pressure trough moved over the coastal areas of southern California. See figure A. At this point there wasn't· any significant moisture associated with the low. Thus, the trough moved through southern California with no major change in the weather. On Wednesday, April 21, mid-level moisture moved into the trough while the air at the surface remained dry. By early after-
MARCH 1983
noon, the system gained upper level support as the trough pushed eastward into Arizona. The upper level support enhanced lifting conditions at the surface. As a result, towering cumulus clouds developed with bases located between 15,000 and 18,000 feet. All of this combined created the prevailing conditions at the time of Glen Wales's and Andy Rockhold's flights from Shaw Butte (Milestones, July, 1982). Over the next two days the trough gradually moved eastward and slowly intensified, creating scattered thunder showers over the
Rocky Mountains. By Friday evening, April 23, the low was centered over the Four Corners area and had deepened considerably. The trough had encompassed the entire Southwest and was clearly depicted above 40,000 feet. There are many reasons why the system continued to gain strength. One of the most significant was due to the jet stream located over northern Mexico at an altitude of about 40,000 feet. The jet had created divergence aloft over the southwestern United States. This in turn lowered atmospheric pressure on the surface, enhancing lifting conditions. This is illustrated in figures B and C. ·Early Saturday morning, April 24, the center of the low was located over eastern Colorado. It had merged with another low pressure system located in Canada. The upper level weather maps depicted the trough extending from northern Mexico all the way up to northern Canada. Although this was a deep, well developed low pressure system, there wasn't very much moisture associated with it. As a result, only widely scattered showers occurred. Surface wind direction was southwesterly along the eastern portion of the trough while the western portion had northeasterly winds. See figure D. I'll never forget April 24. Neither will Ed Goss, a local Boulder pilot (pictured in this year's calendar). That Saturday our local chapter held a fly-in at Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado. After driving the 30-mile trip from Boulder to Golden, I met the other pilots in the parking lot at the bottom of the 1,000-foot site. Ed on the other hand, flew the 30-mile trip from Boulder to Golden, only to
S\.ARFACE
'F'lGV.Rc
C
31
continue south for another 70 miles setting a new Colorado cross country distance record. Ed had taken full advantage of the intense lifting conditions and strong northeasterly winds created by the low pressure system. By Monday, April 26, the low had moved eastward and was centered over Missouri. The upper level support remained strong. A band of moisture along the eastern portion of the trough brought overcast skies to underlying areas. But as the trough moved eastward the moisture moved with it, leaving behind scattered clouds and northerly winds. It was on this day that Bruce Case made an incredible flight of 134 miles from a 310-foot hill (A Case Of Cold Duck, July 1982). Over the next few days, a reorientation of the jet stream over North America created upper atmospheric pressure changes. As a result, a high pressure ridge from eastern Canada moved southward over the Great Lakes region. The low pressure system lost some of its upper level support and: propagated northeasterly, around the high and up the New England coast. The low had created overcast skies and rain along its northeasterly path. However, cool, dry northerly winds from the high pressure ridge brought clearing skies behind the low. See figure E. On Friday, April 30, the low was centered over Maine where it began to reintensify. The low pressure trough encompassed much of New England and was digging southward along the coast. Its counter clockwise circulation brought moisture from the Atlantic ocean to inland areas north of the low. South of the low however, the air remained very dry. See figure E. On Saturday, May 1, surface winds were
Dashed Line illustrates the center of trough from Canada To Mexico. westerly within southern New England. The air was very dry for this area of the country. Afternoon temperatures were in the upper 60's while dewpoints were in the 30's. It was on this day that Deane Williams (remember Deane?) set a new cross country distance record for Region 8, flying 77 miles (Milestones, July 1982). On Sunday; May 2, the low pressure trough continued digging south into West Virginia. The high pressure ridge over the Great Lakes brought northwesterly winds into the trough over Maryland. The air was very dry resulting in high cloud bases. On this day, Jerry Nielson
~~
1(8) ~ ---1---~~~~~!~
t{ }
flew 60 miles to Fort Meade, Maryland. Ward Odenwald flew 52 miles, landing near his home. Dick Newton set a new local altitude gain record of7,300 feet while flying 40 miles. A great many others flew 20-30 miles as well as Eric Logan and Ray Ruff who each made their first cross country flights that day (Milestones, August 1982). I suppose any time now we can expect those Maryland pilots to proclaim May 2, 1982 a national holiday. I'm all for it! Well, there you have it! A phenomenal week of superb soaring conditions in which cross country and altitude gain records were set all across the country. I'll bet there were plenty of other fantastic flights made during that last week of April, 1982. We owe a great deal of thanks to Deane Williams for bringing these events to lighi. In next month's issue I will conclude this two-part series by discussing the· perplexities associated with gaining the type of weather forecasts we need and offer suggestions of possible sources of weather information.~
INSTRUCTOR WANTED Experience necessary. Long hours, low pay, but fun!
HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS
Clockwise rotation around the high brings cooJ dry air to southernNew England and eastern sea board. Counterclockwise around low brings moisture north of the. low. 32
1202 ME. Walnut Santa Ana, CA 92701 Write or call (714) 542-7444 for more information
HANG GLIDING
~
Edition
Citit .er 7, 1982
C
ORNITHOLOGISTS AMAZED FlVE DUCKS SIGHTED MIGRATING NORTH IN AUTUMN SAN DIEGO-(UPI) Local members of the Audubon Society were amazed recently when they sighted five very large Ducks migrating northward from the vicinity of Horse Canyon. "At this time of year, we usually expect to see the Ducks flying south," said Mrs . Molly Montgomery, president of the local chapter. "These were heading north, and they were not flapping!" Eyewitnesses said the strange Ducks were seen circling repeatedly, and gaining altitude at an astonishing rate. After landing in Palm Springs, approximately 74 miles from where they took off, four of the Ducks immediately carried on their strange behavior by jumping into the backyard jacuzzi of a local resident. The fifth Duck was later seen landing approximately 9 miles further north . Scott Smith, local representative for Wills Wing, Inc. of Santa Ana, explained to reporters on the scene that the apparently strange random migratory behavior of this type of Duck was actually quite common in Southern California. "We see 'em flying in all different directions this time of year," explained Mr. Smith. The FAA reports that one of the Ducks was sighted recently at 15 ,<XXl feet, and appeared to be carrying oxygen. "We are concerned with possible conflicts between these Ducks and conventional aircraft," said the spokesman , "but afterall, only God can regulate a Duck!" Ducks first started appearing in Southern California in the spring of this year, and recently, sightinas ho .. ~ been reported across th,. ,_,,,,_._
<
I
~
~
ZS
~ z
~ w "" :5 w "'> C
;,; z
~ "" < 3= C
:z C
::!'
~
u
~ ~
s:
::!'
<
5
"" "" <
"'Bi :::, C
0
s:
Get high ... in the easiest flyin' intermediate UP has ever produced. Geminis are light, strong, inexpensive, easy to launch and land, and have all the latest high tech details and hardware you'd expect from UP. The new 'M' models are essentially single surface twins to UP'S famous XC champion, the Comet. The Gemini's sail planform is identi cal and many major spars and components are interchangeable, making parts availability a breeze from more than 120 dealers and distributors worldwide. Before you even consider a new glider, test fly the latest from UP. When you decide on a Gemini there's nowhere to go but UP! Send $2.00 for complete parts list. specs. & photos of the UP line.
UP iii~ Ii]• 1jJ.jl
j{I] l]i!ijb'I
UP, INC (ULTRALITE PRODUCTS) P.O. BOX 659 RANCHO/TEMECULA. CA 92390 USA (714) 676-56 52
1982 ACCIDENT REVIEW Play It Again, Softly, Sam by Doug Hildreth
As R.V. Wills said in one of his early accident reviews, "The same old refrain." There is nothing dramatically new or different in this year's accident report: the same mistakes, the same misjudgements, the same kinds of injuries. But the numbers have improved slightly - fewer stalls on launch, fewer structural failures, and most importantly only 12 fatalities; and that is good. Students were given their own separate category this year, and their stalls and fractured arms and forearms become even more glaring when listed separately. Intermediates are still flying in strong conditions, stalling in flight (scratching), and when approaching small or congested landing areas, stalling or running into things. Advanced pilots are making foolish "little mistakes." We are approaching the point where "you tell me the rating, and I'll tell you the type of accident the pilot had." The next step is for you to find the solution and beat it into your friends' brains. It is my distinct impression (undocumented) that the number of hang gliding pilots in the United States has leveled off or perhaps decreased slightly. USHGA membership remains constant, but I suspect pilots are moving into other sports and into powered ultralights. There may be some diminution of the enthusiasm for sending in accident reports, but those arriving are very well done and once again you all have my thanks. There were 115 accident reports submitted this year. The stall remains our major nemesis (see accompanying table). There were 18 stalls on launch, 19 stalls on landing, and 20 inflight or scratching stalls. The efforts put forth to diminish stalls at launch were effective in cutting in half their number (34 last year), but in-flight and landing stalls remained essentially constant. We have really not made much meaningful progress on a national scale to break this cycle and solve the stall problem. Strong weather conditions, predominantly affecting intermediates, were responsible for 11 accidents with six pilots being blown over the back. Aerobatics resulted in six accident MARCH 1983
reports. Four of these resulted in structural failures. The fifth structural failure resulted from fraying of a lower wire. One carabiner failed and one incorreclty mounted hang-strap failed. Running into things, trees, fences, vans, and only one power line, accounted for seven accidents. The usual scenario is a novice or intermediate pilot approaching a small congested landing area. The problem is seen to a lesser extent in students attempting to avoid minor obstacles in the landing zone (driftwood, gear, windsock, etc). No mid-air collisions were reported, though a few were mentioned in Hang Gliding magazine. I am sure that collisions and near misses threaten to become a serious problem. Please report them so we will have accurate statistics (even if you are a famous pilot). Incomplete glider assembly and inadequate preflighting were not reported. One pilot crashed following control problems referable to the kite bag in the keel pocket interfering with the glider's turning characteristics. Landing in the ocean is devastating. Carry flotation gear, an accesible hook knife, and a large respect for the surf. When hooking in do a hang check, step through, lift the glider and feel the tight straps, and repeat the entire process if for any reason you unhook. This year, as last, there were only three failures to hook in. Attitudinal problems persist in causing death and injury with aggressive pilots refusing to listen to advice and plunging headlong into trouble. Be alert to the student or novice pilot expressing concern about accident or injury - the self-fulfilling prophecy. Students are frequently injured late in the day when both thermal activity and fatigue set in. Almost all the students are breaking their forearms just above the wrist or their arm just above the elbow. Wrist fractures result from landing on the outstretched hand with the hand either striking the ground or frozen to the control bar. The above the elbow fractures appear almost universally to result from the forearms and hands going outside the down
tubes, the shoulders and body going inside the down tubes, and direct contact between the down tubes and the lower humerus (arm bone) causing a fracture. Of 38 student accidents, 9 involved fracture of the wrist and 13 fracture of the lower humerus. These injuries are less frequent with more advanced pilots, and another article about "defensive posturing" needs to be written. Perhaps further emphasis in ground school and/or practice on the hill of "letting go and tucking" needs to be incorporated into training methods. Despite several concerns that single surface copies would increase student injuries, most of these fractures ( 13 of the 22) resulted on the traditional "mellow" gliders (see Janine Whitehill's January letter to the editor). There were 11 free-flying fatalities reported to me in 1982. The gradual downward trend in absolute numbers is indeed gratifying and of course we all hope that it will continue. It may be that the above speculated decrease in the denominator (numbers of pilots flying) may mean that the rate has not changed that much, but we will take the smaller number whatever the reason. There was only one fatality involving a beginner auto towing. A 76 year-old wire man died in a fall from a cliff (no safety rope). There were seven successful parachute deployments in 1982. There were 11 last year. Towing: There were three towing accidents. A beginner was killed when he presumably locked out while being towed by a car in Texas. A people tow locked out, and the release failed - broken leg. A boat-towed glider locked out, the boat released, the glider recovered, the G forces caused a homemade swing seat to fail, with serious injuries.
SUMMARY Eleven free-flying pilots died in 1982, along with one tow pilot. There were seven parachute saves. The stall remains our major problem, now equally distributed between launch, landing and in-flight stalls. There were fewer structural failures. 35
1982 U.S. HANG GLIDING FATALITIES Date
Name
Age
Experience
Location
Glider
Injuries
Cause
4-9-82
Dale Totten
36
Novice
Cape Lookout, Oregon
Cirrus 5A
Drowned
Poor understanding of soaring principles and micrometeorology. Flew in poor conditions. Landed in deep surf.
5-26-82
Bruce Woody
22
Novice
Tetilla Ridge, Santa Fe, NM
Olympus
Internal
Soaring high above ridge. Witnesses departed. Presumably got low, was scratching 100 ft. below launch, stall or thermal turned him into cliff. Found dead several hours later.
2-20-82
Raymond Knepper
30
Advanced
Milpitas, CA
Moyes Mega
Massive internal
Low altitude wingover, stalled at top, glider tucked, pulled out and nonlocking carabiner broke in open position, pilot fell 150 ft.
5-13-82
Joe Calvert
50
Advanced
Henson Gap, TN
Moyes Maxi
5-31-82
Terry DeVoll
18
Beginner
Amarillo, TX
Pliable Moose
Severe head injury
Headstrong, refused instruction, obsolete glider, attempted launch in 25 mph winds, stalled, turned downwind and crashed.
6-20-82
Tom Perfetti
32
Intermediate
Waynesboro, PA High Rock
Proair 180
Massive internal injuries
Good conservative pilot on final approach into turbulent and thermal landing zone in early afternoon. Sudden gust pitched glider down radically from 40 ft. No chance to recover.
7-3-82
Roy Hill
50
Beginner
Training Hill, Acton, CA
Ultra lite Products Condor 194
Head injury
Good student had good flight, on landing approach minor gust induced turnJ wing-up} nose pitched down, from 25 ft.
7-15-82
Joseph Frank
33
Beginner
Morgan, AR
Wills Wing SST
Head injury
3ager student flying intermediate site too soon, overcontrol during flight, slowed down on approach, stalled at IOO ft., dove in down wind. Died two days later.
7-25-82
Fred Eiman
28
Intermediate
Crestline, CA
Stratus 5
Head and neck
Low air time pilot with second flight in past year on borrowed glider. Severe overcontrol with ultimate dive into canyon.
7-31-82
Bob Dunn
23
Advanced
Plowshare Mtn. Santa Monica, CA
Ultralite Products Comet
Multiple
Failure to hook in.
11-18-82
George Heckman
Advanced
Hidden Valley, Elsinore, CA
Wills Wing Duck
Head and internal
Soaring a new glider, began swooping close to the cliff, caught a tip, turned into cliff. (Caught tip on a bush.)
1982 FATALITIES Date 2-22-82
36
Name
Age
Ted Walkowiak
30
Experience None
Location Frisco, TX
Probable heart attack with resultant crash. Very conservative pilot flying easily in smooth conditions when glider suddenly "wing-overed" and dove in.
- Towing Glider
Injuries
Cause Glider being pulled by a car, "rose to 300 ft., was buffeted by a crosswind and plunged to the ground.u
HANG GLIDING
RECOMMENDATIONS
1982 ACCIDENTS
1982 All Accidents
1) Incorporate into training methods techniques to avoid forearm and arm fractures to the students. 2) Incorporate into training methods something to solve the stall problem. 3) Intermediates - Respect the weather and know your landing zone. Avoid stalls in flight. 4) Advanced pilots - Do not become complacent. 5) Please hook in. You are all my friends. Do not become a sta~ tistic. Please fly safely in 1983!
1982 Fatalities
Stall on launch ........................................... 18 Stall in flight ............................................. 20 Stall on landing ......................................... 19 Adverse weather. ....................................... 11 Aerobatics ................................................... 6 Structural failures ........................................ 5 Running into things ..................................... 7 New kite ..................................................... 5 New site ...................................................... 3 Emotional factors ........................................ 6 Failure to hook in ........................................ 3
HANG GLIDING DEATHSUNITED ST A TES Year
Free Flying
1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
40 32 38 24 23 30 22 16 11
Stall on landing ........................................... 2 Stall in flight. .............................................. 2 Stall on launch ............................................ I Aerobatics, carabiner failure ......................... 1 Flew into cliff. ............................................. 1 Landed in surf, drowned .............................. I Heart attack ................................................ I Failure to hook in ........................................ l
HANG GLIDING INJURIES -
1982
Experienced Pilots
1982
1981
14 6 5 3 2 1 3 7 3 4 2 3
17 7 5 3 3 I 3 19 11 4 3 3
17 10 8 3 18 11 6 23 9 18 8 2
Injury Towing
I 5
Head Face Neck Permanent paralysis Chest Abdomen Clavicle shoulder Distal humerus Distal radius Legs Lumbar fracture Massive multiple internal
PILOTS! LEARN TO Fi..Y HIGHER, SAFER, FURTHER Up-to-date illustrated information guaranteed to improve your flying. Written by a USHGA instructor. • HANG GLIDING FLYING SKILLS-DETAILS ON: BEGINNING FLIGHT * INTERMEDIATE SKILLS • AERODYNAMICS • GLIDER DESIGN * GLIDER REPAIR * SELECTING EQUIPMENT* THERMALING * MORE. $6.95 + 60¢ POSTAGE. • 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. •HANG ,GLIDING FOR ADV.ANCED PILOTS-DETAILS ON: COMPET'ITION • EFFICIENT TURNING* POLARS• SPEEDS TO FLY * THERMAL TECHNIQUES• DISTANCE SOARING• · DESIGN CONCEPTS * MORE. $6:95 + 60¢ POSTAGE. AIRCRAFT-DETAILS ON: • POWERED ·ULTRALIGHT CHOOSING THE RIGHT GRAFT • 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. ~ Except POWERED $11.95 + 60¢ POSTAGE FOR TWO $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
Students 3 1 0 0 0 0 12 8 0 0
Total
WOULD YOU PAY 25¢ FOR A MAGAZINE YOU DON'T RECEIVE? HELP US ELIMINATE COSTLY POST OFFICE RETURNS Your USHGA now pays a quarter for every member who moves and doesn't report his or her address to the USHGA in time to make the change on the mailing list for the next issue of HANG GLIDING magazine. The Post Office returns undeliverable magazines to us and charges us 25¢ In the final analysis we are all paying for magazines that never get read. Please remember to let 'the USHGA know immediately when you move Thank you fo, vour cooperation.
Replacement parts for
SEAGULL AIRCRAFT gliders and.custom hang ghder.parts
Send $2.00 for our new illustrated Hang Gliding Paris & Accessaries Catalog r$2 OD Refunded w1/h 1st purchase J
P.O. Box 340 HCl
Nag1 Head, N.C. 27959 (919) 441·4124 or OU!lfde N.C. (800) 334.4777
·DEALER INQUIRIES tNVITED MARCH 1983
37
....
...
-
' ,
A Tour Of Rick Masters' Arnbitious Film About The World's Most Incredible Flying - The Owens Valley article and illust1•ation by Hardy Snyman As if Rick Masters didn't have enough to do being Chief Timer, Driver and EMT for The Owens Valley Hang Gliding Center, he contributed a tremendous amount of energy and time, carefully planning and filming every day of The 1981 Owens Valley Hang Gliding Competitions. With a dogged and patient perseverance, he wielded his movie camera in pursuit of the pilots and all the hang gliding events: up and down the rugged White Mountains, to the launch sites, to the landing sites, and to the hang gliding center, interviewing, listening, shooting (over a mile of film!). Oft times he coordinated with pilots and rigged the camera to their gliders for dynamic aerial footage. Before getting to the nitty-gritty, look at a .few timely comments: '!Incredible aerial photography! Memorable!! - Sierra Daily News. "Everyone went wild!" - Walt Nielsen, San Francisco, California. "A monumental dose of Owens Valley." - Yours Truly. "The pods are fascinating ... I wish the film would have been longer!" - Bob Loudermilk, Houston Pilot. "Rick Masters' Compendium of hang gliding horrors!" - Robert Fisher, British consultant to Hang Gliding World. "What? Hell, I haven't even seen it yet!" John Moody, Texas Team Leader (Honduras Tournaments '82). All right everybody - enough already! Let's go for some sights and sounds of the Owens Valley and hang gliding. I'll plug in the video cassette. There. Now watch the screen closely. The movie begins with music from an acoustic guitar, a simple melancholy strumming that will repeat sparingly at other intervals in the film. The camera faces across the width of the Owens Valley, and pans slowly past a backdrop of the lofty Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, roughly 20 miles in the distance. The rugged, blue-violet mountain peaks still show bright accumulations of snow for this early part of summer. The scene switches to The Owens Valley Hang Gliding Center (Bishop Airport), where Don Partridge, host to the 1981 Owens Valley Hang Gliding Championships, is talking to the group of pilots that signed up for the contests. He's obviously been telling some wild, intimidating stories about pilots' experiences while flying in this region; and the video cuts in on a hair-raising description concerning a pilot who got the surprise of his life, after taking off from the Gunter launch area, located on a west slope of the White Mountains. At MARCH 1983
about 200 feet above the terrain, he got smacked by a dust devil thermal, thrown into a loop, recovered and then was.lifted immediately up to the 16,000 foot level! What a ride! Partridge ·adds a parting remark: "In my opinion, one of the most perilous situations for a pilot flying in the Owens Valley is to land at 2 PM on a calm, clear day!" The remainder of the tape leads us through three weeks (June 20 - July 12) and three tough and grueling competitions: the Open, the Qualifier, and the Classic. The Open, scheduled for June 20 - 28, gets off to a start with the big glider transport trucks grinding away loudly, making slow, but steady progress up the Whites to Gunter launch. The old mountain mining road is narrow, dusty and rough, and the mountainous terrain is rocky with lots of small desert scrub brush. At launch, we're treated again to a spectacular view of the valley, far below, and the Sierras looming across the way. Then the camera looks over Eric Raymond, busy setting up his Sunseed, an interesting prototype design rigid wing, with dihedral at the keel, and then two points of anhedral, about two thirds of the way out on both wings. Large black letters spell "Flight Realities" across the underside of the wingspan. Eric makes a bit of small talk for the video, followed by narrative by Rick Masters. "In hang gliding, it is regarded as the ultimate experience to fly the Owens Valley," he says. Again, there's the mention of a pilot hitting a strong thermal near the ground, and then being elevated up quickly to a world altitude gain (18,000' MSL)! A number of English Highway Demon hang gliders are seen entered in the contest, and because of their likeness to the UP Comet, American pilots club them "Comet Clones." We see several closeups of pilots making statements in response to brief interviews. They're geared up and ready to fly with heavyduty cold weather protection. One pilot is smearing some sun and wind protective ointment on his lips. Mention is made of Mike Rabe who flew 115 miles in one day during this period. Rick then gets a shot of a Fledge pilot making his run and then "eating it" on takeoff; with insufficient airspeed, the Fledge's control bar bites the rocky deck, followed instantly by the nose slamming down WHAMMO to a jolting halt! The viewer's nerves are then
soothed with a nice series of flawless takeoffs by other pilots. One ship is an Aolus, unmistakeable with its tail-cut sail configuration. Its pilot, Mike. ·Brewer (a Californian) tells in amazement, some hours •later, of his world record altitude gain (from near landing to 18,000'). Another view of the same set-up/launch area comes to the screen. Dozens of hang gliders are parked on the rocky slopes, some only partly set up. There's only a faint breeze and it's fairly quiet. Pilots are milling about as though there is a period of waiting. But something is wrong suddenly. Some distant shouting is barely heard and the air fills with the sound of an approaching great rush of wind. Pilots scramble madly to their gliders, and now we can see it. Good grief] A monstersized dust devil is swirling and sweeping up the mountain ... right through the launch area and all the gliders. Wings begin rocking wildly to and fro. Some unattended kites are tossed about like so many other ·weeds, dust and .debris. One kite is.continuously tumbling end over end. Unsecured wings of some of the partly assembled ones are damaged, flapped about mercilessly by the fierce winds. Pilots are partly blinded (they wisely close their eyes tight and protect their faces) in the stinging sand and dust. Quickly the furious dust devil passes and fades from hearing, churning its way up the mountain. All is nearly quiet again save for the complaintive moans of many distressed pilots tending to their craft. The picture now shows the final day of the Open - a fair day for the mountain range and the valley, with mild breezes blowing uphill. A wind dummy pilot stands ready with his glider at takeoff "Will he go up? Or will he go down?" questions Rick. "If he goes up - 20 to 30 gliders will be off in moments." He flew out a good distance before encountering some moderate thermal lift. A successful day ensued; all the pilots flew and the flex wings beat the rigid wings. Larry Tudor was the winner with his Owens Valley Racer Comet. We go now to June 29th: the opening day of the Qualifier competition. A unique new pilot fairing is introduced at this time to Owens Valley and the hang gliding world, by UP Designer Roy Haggard: the pod ... a bulletshaped, transparent encasement for the pilot's body, from head to toe. At launch the pilot's legs protrude through a hatch opening only for as long as it takes to run and launch the glider. 39
"Mike Brewer hits a strong thermal near the ground and is quickly elevated to 18,000 feet MSL for a world altitude gain record. " Once flying and proned out, only the pilot's arms extend out through portholes on both sides of the pod. After much hooplah and questioning, the "Pod People" were welcomed to Owens. On Paiute launch, Dave Harris and Alan Reeter lead the group of pod people and they prepare for their inaugural flights. However bad luck once again slapped down its hand; a sudden windstorm damaged their gliders before any one of them could launch! An observation comes to the screen momentarily, and a pilot can be seen flying out a good distance away from launch. His glider is being rocked and trashed about radically in some violent turbulence and Rick states, "They've come here to fly their pods in conditions that would scare an ordinary pilot half to death!" The following day saw a regrouping and the official beginning of the contest, but foul weather persisted with cloudiness, strong, gusty winds, and rain showers. Pfeiffer takes the camera inside his pod and we can see the raindrops beading on the exterior of the clear plastic. There is a small hole opening in the nose of the pod which allows for ventilation. Several hours later pilots are able to launch in partly clearing conditions that have a surprising amount of cloud suck lift. One after another the hang gliders are off. A short way out they all rocket upwards,. with lots of forward speed too. The task for. this competition is a race: fly back and forth in an allotted period of time, between two opposite ends of the White Mountain Ridge, Boundary Peak to the north, and Black Mountain to the South. Amid this very afternoon of flying comes the news from Albuquerque, New Mexico, about the pilot who was sucked into the cumulonimbus cloud. He was found later on the ground, dead and frozen. solid. It was some distance away from where he had entered the -cloud •to where it had spat him. out with parts of his glider. All right! Now we see the first glimpse of Rich Pfeiffer taking off in the pod. He has a· hard time stabilizing his white Comet on launch. Finally he gets it all together and then looks like some kind of giant beetle running as fast as its two small legs will carry it, running down the rough slope with the tapered/ pointed tail dragging noisily behind. He's airborne with no problem - legs and feet retract, hatch closed. The pod looks nice and trim as it glides away with the Comet. What's this? A nice view now from within the pod. The camera is at the pod's nose, looking forward at the mountainous horizon. The visibility is fairly good andI wonder how Rich has managed to position the camera in front of
his head for this unique shot. The irritatingly loud whining of the vario is all the more pronounced inside the pod. But the monotonous noise is well received, since it indicates an abundance of lift in progress. Back at launch, Eric Raymond is making wierd, throaty growls and lunging motions with his hands held claw-like over his head. He's imitating Rich and the pod as being a type of monster, in jest of course. He gives a vivid account of the tail-dragging takeoff. When asked why he didn't fly in a pod, he exclaims, "Because they're death!" His reasons are left to our imagination. Now Rick·. captures some beautiful flying scenes. The camera follows the graceful flight of a sleek, white· sailplane with the elevator mounted atop the rudder (like on a DC-9). The sailplane has decided to join in company with the hang gliders. It's a peaceful, wonderful sight. The lens focuses closer, on pairs of hang gliders circling in thermals, against the spectacular Sierra Nevada backdrop. Round and round they go!
"You can try to stay alive or you can try to win the Classic, but you · can't do both. " -· Rich Pfeiffer A change of scene: a dramatic aerial shot (camera on board) gives us "lots of space." The view is unobstructed and looking straight down. Evidently the camera is hung below the control bar or noseplate. From high above Gunter Launch, other hang gliders can be seen soaring like tiny, white moths, far below. Others can be seen pernhed ready for flight. The arid mountainous terrain below is all speckled from thousands of scrub bushes and small cedars. The switchback road that winds its way up to the launch appears as a thin, white, etched, zig-zag line. Meanwhile back down at launch a pilo't looks into the camera as he. prepares to take off. He chirps some famous last words: "Oh, I'll be famous!" Then he starts his run only to blow his takeoff; left wingtip drops and drags in the rocks, kite yaws sluggishly to the same direction and then · crunches. The kite is moderately damaged and the pilot isn't badly hurt. Now the day arrives for the final contest, the Classic. A pertinent statement by Rich Pfeiffer flashes on the screen: "You can try to stay
alive or you can try to win the Classic, but you can't do both!" Guess this one will separate the men from the boys. Pilots are busily studying. maps of the Owens Valley, which clearly designate the task course. "They're planning to stick close to the course and avoid the risk of getting lost in the valley," Rich informs. "If one does end up lost on the ground, he could easily die of thirst." Frequently throughout this video, comments are made referring to memorable flights and some grim accidents, from times past. We're told of a fatality in which the pilot had been cast into the rocks on a cliff face after flying close to the mountain and encountering a dust devil. Every bone in his body had been broken! Back to the present. There's a clear blue sky and the pilots are again launching. However, the winds vary from almost calm to stiff blasts, so each pilot faces a different takeoff condition. A young pilot is standing poised but nervous on -the slope. "Number one, Go!" yells Rick; The .wind is dead and the poor guy whimpers softly, "N-No wind ... " followed by a mild expletive of frustration. Finally he lunges forth into a sprinting run, gets airborne and squeaks away from the shallow launch. The long smooth sigh of rushing wind echoes back from the glider as it cuts through the still air and accelerates to flying speed. Oh, fine footage, here, Rich! The movie has zoomed in for one-by-one closeups of a number of hang gliders soaring not too far out from the mountain: each one fills the frame with its poetic beauty. As they bank, turn, descend, climb and go streaking past, the camera eye follows with smooth precision. A group of foreign pilots state their impressions of recent Owens Valley flying. "Big turbulence here, especially on landing" says one European, "Something . we never have in Europe." The wind adds.its two cents' worth, blowing into Rick's microphone, interfering with the pilots' spoken words with gusty sput-· ters and roars. Rick tells of remarkable flights that occur during the Classic. "Tom Kreyche flew 158 miles and many others also logged their longest distance flights of their lives to date. Larry Tudor flew halfway to Utah, landing in an area of desolate, southern Nevada. Rich Grigsby foregoes the use of his pod and hopes to increase his competitive edge with improved hearing .. The competition is intense. Jeff Burnett falls from third to 54th place, just because of a landing error! What a splendid view to savor! We're onboard with Eric again, this time looking out horizontally to the right, from beneath his (continued on page 4 7)
40
HANG GLIDING
13good reasons why thef-lE.""Altimaster IV should be on your flying machine
1. PRECISION JEWEL BEARINGS 2. ACCURATE 3. PRECISION GEAR TRAIN 4. TEMPERATURE COMPENSATED 5. LIGHT - JV. OUNCES 6. SMALL - 3" x 1'4" 7. RUGGED & DEPENDABLE 8.STANDARD AIRCRAFT BLACK FACE· 20.000' CAPABILITY 9.CAN BE MOUNTED ANYWHERE ( EVEN ON YOUR WRIST) 10. CAN BE ZERO'D TO ANY GROUND ELEVATION 11. QUALITY BUil T 12. SPECIFICALLY MANUFACTURED FOR ULTRALIGHTS 13. RESISTANT TO DUST AND MOISTURE
~-s_s_E_IN_c_o_R_P_O_RA_TE_D_~ ..
But the BEST reason for using the AL Tl MASTER IV is SAFETY: ALTITUDE IS PRECIOUS. KEEP TRACK OF YOURS
5801 Magnolia Avenue, Pennsauken, NJ 08109 • (609) 663-2234
Stop qucssing your altitude. The AL TIMASTE R IV w,11 tell you at a glance. accurately and rellaoly. Only S 89.95 at authorized SSE Dealers worldwide.
*Dealer inquiries invited
1281
HIGH SPORTS, INC. introduces
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
If you'd like to run a business, t1ere's a good way to get started.
GLIDEMASTER PPE PITCH PRESSURE EQUALIZER
******** ONLY $58.95 ******** (shipping not included)
Kitty Hawk Kites is still growing! Highly motivated individuals looking for new challenges are sought for both East and West Coast opportunities. A leader in the hang gliding industry, we are now diversifying into Ultralighting, Sailing and Retail Fields. We are Seeking:
*
Hang Clldlng Instructors-Individuals at all skill levels with strong interest in hang gliding will be considered. we will train and certify qualified people. This is an excellent starting position to advance to other company positions.
*
Windsurfing and Salling 1nstructors·Higt11y qualified individuals w110 can teach and sell are needed. Experience is desirable. !East coast Only.I
*
Repair Technlclan/Manager·Strong mechanical ability and knowledge of hang gliding and sailing equipment. Experience with sales or own business desired. !East coast Only.I
*
• • •
Attaches to any hang glider in minutes. No special tools required (regular screwdriver) Beautiful blue anodized 6061 TB aluminum. Blue 1" tubular nylon webbing Address inquiries to Thin Air Ltd., Washington distributor for High Sports Inc. 524 221 st S.W. I Bothell, WA 98011 I (206) 481-5878 Dealer inquiries welcome. (First order 3 or more.) * Washington residents add 6. 7% tax.
Managers-Hang Gliding, Ultralightling, Sailing and Retail People with management experience in action sports field. Potential to operate own store. Fringe Benefits include health insurance. bonus. vacation .and liberal equipment discounts. Call Mark A Irey on East coast (1 ·800·334-4777) and Jim Johns on west coast (1-408·384·2622) or send resume to: Ralph Buxton P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, N.C. 27959
BY
WALT
DODGE PART Ill OF VJ The spectators who had been standing in the landing area watching, came rushing up to him cheering and applauding. "At least they aren't mad at me for landing here," he surmised as he sat down too cold and exhausted for the upcoming wuffo orientation he knew was about to begin. He wasn't even going to pick his glider up and move it off the runway. "If someone wants it off, they can move it," he declared. It wasn't until now that he noticed something odd about the people. Their clothing. Strange. Obviously a synthetic, but the style. "Oh God," he though. "Maybe I am dead." "Hey sport," someone yelled. "Where did you get that crazy machine, and in perfect condition too." "What a beautiful antique," came another examining the glider. "Antique my ass," yelled Grebs, trying to feebly defined his aircraft. "This is this year's model." A sudden burst of hysterical laughter broke out in the crowd. Grebs felt a friendly hand reach around his shoulder. He looked over at a smiling face that instantly said, 'trust me.' "Come on," said the face. "You're cold and tired. Let's go inside where we can all talk and you can rest. How about some food?" Grebs, realizing he had no choice and feeling comfortable with this man, feebly nodded acceptance and allowed himself to be helped up. The face yelled, "Zane! Wally! Grab that thing and put it in cove number four."
42
"Right," was the response from behind him. Almost too exhausted to think, he allowed himself to be helped to one of the buildings. As the group approached, he noticed it had no door. Instead was an open arch with a transparent glowing green light across it. He hesitated at the entrance. "What's the matter?" said the face. "Don't you want to go inside?" Grebs thought to himself that where he wanted to go was home. But, since he didn't even know where home was, this was as good as any. He nodded consent and the group passed through the light. He felt a slight tingle as he walked in that sent a chill throughout his body, and instantly he was warmer. The friendly face led him over to an area to lay down. Off came his helmet, harness, gloves and coat, which were instantly picked up and scrutinized by the group. "O.K., you guys," ordered the face. "Drop that stuff and make yourselves scarce. He needs rest." As he lay down he felt like he was being suspended by an invisible force. "Most comfortable mattress I've ever been on," he thought. Just before he fell asleep, he remembered noticing there were no lights, but it was bright. The walls seemed to glow. Then he knew he must be dosing off, so he stopped thinking and let himself be the recipient of that glorious entity, sleep. When Grebs awoke he was startled for a moment at the strange surroundings. He sat up quickly. Looking down, he noticed he was being suspended about six inches off the pad by some unseen force. "What the ... !" he yelled as he jumped to his feet. A more close visual examination of the pad produced no results. His cry had brought the man with the friendly face running from another room. "So, you're finally awake." "How long did I sleep?" Grebs inquired. "Oh, about twelve hours. You must be hungry. Come on, I'l1 get you something to eat. By the. way," said the face as he led Grebs
to another room, "my name's Mark. What's yours?" "Grebs," he replied following the man and taking in the sights all around him. "Mark?" inquired Grebs, stopping in front of a contraption of some sort. It resembled a view screen, but was only a half inch thick and had no glass, just a frame. "What's this?" "What's this?" Mark responded. "Come on, You know as well as I do what it is.'' "A T.V. set?" guessed Grebs. "A What? Say maybe we'd better get you to a doctor." "No, no. I'm O.K.," said Grebs hoping he was telling the truth. "Just hungry and a little confused." "This way," said Mark eyeing him suspiciously. A moment later he turned to Grebs and smiled. "A joke, right? Calling a solar spectrometer a T.V. That's a good one. You almost got me on that one.'' "Uh, yea. I almost got you," laughed Grebs feebly trying to hide his total confusion. "What is this place?" he thought to himself. When they got to what Grebs took for the dining room there were two of the guys he remembered from the day before. Grebs sat at the table and Mark made the introductions. "Grebs, this is Rob and Todd." Then pointing to Grebs, "Grebs." The two sitting opposite him smiled and nodded their greetings. "What'll you have Grebs?" inquired Mark. "Anything you got. Maybe some coffee to start," answered Grebs. Rob, who had been taking a drink out of his cup, suddenly spit it half across the room and started coughing. Todd grabbed him and slapped his back a couple of times. "You O.K.?" he asked of Rob. He nodded his head and caught his breath. Mark stopped what he was doing, sat next to Grebs, looked him in the eye and asked, "Who are you, anyway? "You fly in on an antique, wearing clothes I've never seen before. You're afraid to go through a door. The bed scared you, and you acted like you didn't know what a solar specHANG GLIDING
trorneter was. Then you come in here and ask for coffee. Who, or what are you?" All eyes were on Grebs and he could feel it. "Questions," he thought. "Well, I've got a few thousand myself." "Before I answer your questions," Grebs began aloud, "I've got a few I need answered. Where am I? What is this place? What happened to the flight park? And who are you guys?" Todd took the initiative. "I'm Todd, a pilot and an instructor. This," indicating Rob, "is Rob, also a pilot and an instructor. Mark here, owns and runs this place." "O.K.," said Grebs turning toward Mark. "What is this place?" '.'Andy's Solar Flight Park and Soaring Association," was Mark's reply. The familiarity of the name, except for the solar part brought a sense of alarm to Grebs. "Where are we?" he asked. Rob answered. "At the base of the upper quadrant range, known as 'Sanbardo', on the western edge of the western land mass, on the planet Earth. Third from the star 'Sol', in the constellation 'Curon', in the galaxy home known as 'Milky Way'." This was too much. He had asked a simple question and got back a speed course in astronomy. Greb's mind was spinning. He couldn't even think of the next question, when suddenly his eye spotted a gauge of some kind. He recognized part of it. But, no. Impossible! He turned quickly to Mark with a real sense of urgency. "What day is this?" he asked in desperation. "Sunday," was Mark's reply. "No, no. The date?" insisted Grebs. "February second," answered Mark. "And the year?" asked Grebs almost not wanting to hear the reply. "Thirty-nine, eighty-two, as reckoned on Earth." The numbers rang through his head like a battery of cannons firing a full volley. "Thirty-nine, eighty-two," repeated Grebs. "Two thousand years!" "Two thousand years, what?" asked Mark. With the blank look of total numbness, Grebs made the declaration that froze all of them in their seats. "I took off of that mountain up there, two thousand years ago." The pause, just letting Grebs' words sink in, seemed to last another two thousand years. The silence was finally broken by Todd. "Corne on. Who are you trying to kid. That antique you got out there may be that old. Even your clothes. But you ain't no two thousand year old man." "Wait a minute Todd," broke in Rob. "You know I'm experimenting with time travel now. Though it is still only theory and calculations, what if Grebs somehow, someway got shoved through a time portal? "He shows up flying a glider that hasn't MARCH 1983
been seen except in museums for two thousand years, in perfect condition. Clothes, mannerisms, knowledge of the surroundings, or should I say lack ofknowledge. Ifhe isn't from the past, then where is he from?" "Maybe the guys from the Owens are pulling a fast one," answered Mark. "Corne on," said Rob. "We know every one of those guys and none are dumb enough to fly that antique." "Dumb," yelled Grebs. "That glider is as strong as anything on the market ... " He stopped before he said 'on the market today'. Feeling a little embarrassed, he sat back down. "If you don't have coffee, what are you guys drinking? No, never mind telling me, just give me a cup." Mark got up, poured a cup and handed it to Grebs, which he sipped cautiously.
"That's good," said Grebs a bit surprised at the very pleasant nutty fruit taste. "It's called keeba," explained Rob. "Grown in the underground gardens on Mars." Grebs set the cup down, looked in it, then up at Rob. "I told you not to tell me." He took another sip. The drink seemed to run through his body easing tension. "You think it's hard for you to believe, try being in my shoes," exclaimed Grebs. He set about telling about the occurrences of his flight, to the very interested ears of these three new comrades. The only interruption was the serving of the food by Mark. When he was done, he almost felt as exhausted as if he had made the flight a second time.
The others could hardly believe their ears. "I must have passed through the time warp in the cloud," analyzed Grebs. "Just a minute," said Mark rising up and walking into another room. He came back with a little disc and slipped it into a slot at the end of the table. On the wall was a frame similar to the one Grebs saw in the other room, but bigger. When Mark pressed a button next to the slot, images appeared in the frame. "It is obviously a projection screen, but there's no reflective material," commented Grebs. "Of course not," said Rob. "The disc is scanned and the molecules contained in the frame are recognized according to the codes sent by the scanner. The reorganized molecules are then sent across the sound waves spanning the frame, giving the picture." "Of course," said Grebs jokingly. "A child would know that." In thirty-nine, eighty-two," remarked Todd, "children do." With that Grebs shut up, sat back and watched. The images were like an album of some sort, showing strange objects. They all looked like flying machines, but Grebs had never seen any of them before. As different images flashed there seemed to be a backward progression. Grebs turned to Mark. "Mind if I get another cup?" indicating his empty one. "Help yourself," said Mark watching the scanner closely. "There," yelled Mark suddenly. "I knew that glider looked familiar. Grebs turned to see what Mark was talking about, and almost dropped his cup, cookies, and everything else he had. There on the scanner in front of him was the image of Andy, with his arm around Kris, as usual, and his old buddies Todd and Phil as well as himself, standing in front of his glider. "Where the hell did you get that?" he asked. Mark's answer came slowly, but concisely. "that," pointing to Andy, "is Andy. My direct ancestor, who founded this flight park. That, obviously is you, and this image is dated nineteen eighty-two. Two thousand years ago." There was no arguing it now. The facts were clear. Somehow Grebs had flown through a time warp and was in the year thirty-nine, eighty-two. All that he had known, and all those he had loved were long since dead. A sudden sense of loss hit him. Not a word was spoken. He got up, went into the other room, lay down and allowed his mind to disappear into thought. He thought of his home, his mom and dad. He thought of Kris, and the way she shook her tail when she walked just to tease him. Todd and his never ending wise cracks. Andy, and
43
his smile and warm hello. He thought of the gang meeting at the flight park and sharing the air. All gone now. Just as gone as if he had been killed in that cloud. He thought of the torment his family and friends had gone through the rest of their lives at his disappearance. They probably thought he crashed in the mountains, never to be found. He cried. He just lay there and cried. Later he composed himself, resigned to the fact that he was here and here he'd be staying, he got up and went back to the dining room, The others were still there. "You O.K.?" asked Mark. "Yea. I'm O.K. now. Well, it looks like I've got some catching up to do." "I was named after Andy's son," said Mark. "I assumed as much," said Grebs. "Welcome to our century," offered Rob. "Thank you," answered Grebs. "Say," he said trying to liven the mood. "What do you guys do for fun? This is a flight park, so what do you fly?" "The direct descendants of your machine, with some very definite modifications for our type of soaring," answered Todd. Suddenly a beeper sounded in the next room. "Come on," said Mark as he got up, "We'll show you. A pilot is on final approach now." They all got up and walked through a tunnel into a small room. As soon as they were all in the room Mark said, "Tower." A slight sensation of movement and the tunnel disappeared, to be replaced in a wink by another of a different shape and color. Mark left the little room followed by the others. "Elevator?" asked Grebs pointing back to the room. "Of sorts," replied Rob. "The room didn't move, you did. A transport beam. Your molecules were sent by light wave from one point to another." "Yea, I know," interrupted Grebs. I watched Star Trek." "What?" asked Rob. "I'll explain later," replied Grebs. At the end of the tunnel they entered a room that seemed to be in the open air, yet it wasn't. The top of the tower, which apparently was where they were, was completely enclosed by that same light over the opening to the building through which he had passed yesterday. Before he could ask, Rob spoke up. "Enclosure energy shield keyed to human life forms. Weather, bugs, rain, everything is kept out, but we can pass right through. This particular one is also keyed to keep anyone from falling out. A simple matter of reconstructing atoms to fit a specific purpose." The conversation was broken by Mark. "Here he comes." Grebs looked out but couldn't see anything in the sky. Mark watched a screen with some
waving patterns on it. "There," said Mark pointing to a small dot in the sky. "He won't be down for an hour," exclaimed Grebs. "Thirty-nine, eighty-two remember?" replied Todd and they all turned their attention to the dot. It was heading their way and fast, no doubt about it. Real fast. "How fast can you guys fly now?" "That depends," answered Rob, evading the question slightly. "Watch." Once again Grebs turned his attention to the dot, but it wasn't a dot any longer. For Grebs to estimate his speed was impossible. All he knew was that it was fast. "Final approach," said Mark. The machine came in on the runway at a terrific speed. "He won't be able to stop," shouted Grebs in a slight panic. "He's doing fine. \XTatch," said Mark. The machine suddenly was stopped. It never slowed down, it just simply stopped. "What do you guys soar with those?" asked Grebs not too sure he wanted to know. Mark looked at him and with a totally factual tone to his voice said, "Solar winds."
Continued next month ... (con1inued from page 25)
(Space Hunter) pass over the other gliders and floated over to land right in front of the camera. The director was ecstatic. As I stood there grinning, someone shouted "What about your buddy over there? Is he OK?" I looked over to see Roy lying on the ground under his glider. Haggard had been in an awkward position, flying into a small landing area low behind two other gliders. He had had to pull his glider in quickly onto a small access road and he had not quite cleared a two foot high mound of potassium chloride. It looked like a pile of snow, but when the corner of his control bar hit it, it might just as well have been a boulder. When I saw him I started running. Three steps later the horizon suddenly disappeared. I had stepped through a grating over a potash mixer. With each leg through a different hole I had fallen right up to my crotch. By the time I had extricated myself Roy was up and walking around. He was unhurt and the only damage to the glider was two broken down tubes. Our day wasn't over yet. While the crew worked on other projects, we brought in two 80-foot cranes to set up some landing shots. The first crane was used to lift a glider about three feet into the air while the second crane was placed directly behind it. A rope was passed through the boom on the second crane to the keel of the glider. With the pilot and his captive hooked in, the crew would hand haul
the rope until they were pulled back about 15 feet. When the glider was released it would swing back rapidly and as it passed the bottom of its arc, the crane operator would drop it to the ground. A few days previously, Joe had worked hard at perfecting this stunt and it paid off. The landings were realistic and the shooting went fast. That night Chris Price went to our note board in the production office. Once there, he crossed out our name, Vultures, and penciled in Lemmings. It was several days before we were called on again, and this time the task was going to be harder to accomplish. The takeoff was the same but the new movie set was about two miles and a 6/1 glide away. Normally that would not present a problem but the addition of the heads on the gliders had deteriorated the performance significantly. That morning found the wind on launch blowing straight cross. The wind direction not only made the launch tricky but also provided an unwanted headwind component to the long flight out. All factors considered, making this shot was going to be a close thing. Watching the distant gliders fly towards us, I didn't express my doubts to the director. As the flyers bobbed in the morning air currents, they would occasionally disappear from view behind an intervening bluff. That certainly wasn't a good sign. It wasn't until the last 20 seconds of the flight that it was finally obvious they would make it. With no altitude to spare, passes were made over a train and over a camera on a hill. Roy was the hit of the day as he made a full speed run, just inches off the camera, that dropped everyone to the ground. More crane shots were on order for our final day of filming. We had flying and landing shots. Now what was needed were the shots of the initial kidnapping. This was accomplished by having the glider swoop past and pluck a girl off the top of the train with a large hook. The hook was attached to the pilot's hang strap by a cable. As the Vulture swept by at 20 mph he had to position the hook so that it would clip through a loop on the space girl's harness. Joe took the first run and his victim was none other than Kris Geblo. He grabbed her as he hurtled by and she was pulled violently into the air and far out over the edge of the train. Had the hookup not been complete she would have been tossed end over end into space. An airbag had been set up on the far side of the train for just this contingency. Rich was next and he pulled Beth, a stunt woman, from the train. The final shot was set up on the railroad tracks where Roy pulled Beth once again from her feet. The runs had all been per feet. There was not a single retake. That night we celebrated. The production company was happy and we were happy. Thanks to the great amount of planning and effort put in by Joe Greblo and we who worked under him, the job had gone very well. ~
44
HANG GLIDING
An instructional column for the new pilot. by Erik Fair INTRODUCTION
THE GOAL OF FORCED LANDING
This month The Right Stuff addresses the matter of FORCED LANDINGS. I had originally intended to do an article entitled HOW TO POUND A HANG GLIDER, but in the process of yakking about it with other instructors came to the conclusion that any article about CRASHING just had to be preceded by an article on how to avoid crashing. The best way to avoid crashing, of course, is to not allow oneself to get into a situation where one has to come back to Mother Earth at a time and/or place that is not of one's own choosing. Since few of us are perfect, however, we will from time to time do something stupid or careless and end up staring down the business end of a 12 gauge pine tree or surrounded by leaping manzanita bushes. Blow a launch, grossly misjudge conditions, or scratch too low while trying to work lift and odds are you will be faced with two options: A) A forced landing. B) A crash landing. Thanks to Greg De Wolf of Hang Gliders of California for his input to this article.
The goal of a forced landing is to retain as much control over the glider as possible for as long as possible in order to maximize your chances of putting the glider down wings level at the best possible location at the lowest possible ground speed. The ability to achieve this goal varies greatly from pilot to pilot and involves a working knowledge of the dynamic interrelationship of the following variables: airspeed, control authority, sink rate, glide slope, body position, altitude, slope of terrain, obstacles, and wind speed and direction. The better able you are to recognize the interrelationships of these variables and instinctively manipulate them to meet your needs, the better chance you have of pulling off a successful forced landing. It also helps a lot if you know from personal experience how a well-executed landing flare can save your ass when all seems lost. Let's look at some of these variables in various convenient clusters.
DEFINITIONS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FL's AND RL's
CRASH LANDING: A landing over which the pilot does not or cannot exercise pu_rposeful and effective control, that occurs at a time and/or place that is not of the pilot's choosing. FORCED LANDING: A landing over which the pilot does exercise both purposeful and effective control, that occurs at a time and/or place that is not of the pilot's choosing. The difference between a forced landing and a crash, then is precisely the difference between A) retaining control of your glider and B) losing or abandoning control of your glider. By these criteria a forced landing is infinitely preferable to a crash landing, assuming those are your only two choices. This month we'll look at the theory and execution of forced landings. Next month, after you've all had a while to mull over what it will take for you to maximize your ability to execute a forced land· ing (thereby avoiding a crash landing), we'll get into the theory and execution of crash landings.
Forced landings are definitely more difficult to perform than regular landings. They generally involve fewer, less desirable options, and little or no time to think. Reactions must be immediate and correct. The terrain is, by definition, at least unfamiliar and possibly totally foreign to one's experience. As if that weren't enough, fear of the unknown and fear of injury generally compete to take over your mind and body and thereby force you to relinquish control of your glider to a greater power. Your autopilot, which is based on experience and instinct, is in charge of forced landings. If your autopilot is likely to seize up at the prospect of anything other than a "normal" landing, you and he are both going to be in deep trouble someday when your life depends on his ability to put a glider down between two trees on a 45 ° slope. It behooves you to do everything you can to supply your autopilot with the experience and cultivated instinct necessary to allow him to retain control of your glider during a forced landing.
MARCH 1983
BODY POSITION/CONTROL AUTHORITY/FLARE A forced landing is just like any other landing in the sense that you should always try to land on your feet, and your feet should always be ready to run out of the landing if necessary. Birds never land head first; neither should you. Also if you've flared a little late, or not enough, you can run out the landing. If you've flared a little early, you can hold the flare and land on your feet, using your legs as shock absorbers. Your legs make better shock absorbers than your head. For all but the most primitive gliders your hands should be on the downtubes throughout the landing sequence. Where they should be on the downtubes is a matter of personal taste though you should be aware that you need to strike a balance between pitch leverage and roll leverage. Generally speaking, the higher you place your hands on the downtubes the more pitch authority and the less roll authority you achieve. If your hands are too high you'll be able to flare like nobody's business but you'll have a hell of a time keeping your glider level. Conversely, 1f you keep your hands too
45
FIGURE
I
• FE.E.T U.~ 1 NOT RE,4bY TO 'RUN low, you'll be able to roll like nobody's business but you'll have difficulty achieving a full effective flare. Practice the basic landing position in mid-air (calm conditions, well away from terrain) until you find the right position for you. Remember, always have your legs available to run and find a hand position that gives you a good blend of pitch and roll leverage at low airspeeds. See Fig I.
AIRSPEED/CONTROL AUTHORITY/FLARE You should be thoroughly familiar with how quickly and how much your glider responds in pitch and roll over a wide range of airspeeds. You should be absolutely wired to the variations in control authority at various airspeeds while in your basic landing position; Fly fast in this position and fly slow in this position, Note at various airspeeds the differences in sound and feel (control pressures and air in face). Take special care to tune into the fact that at progressively lower airspeeds your glider will become progressively more difficult to roll. Do the following exercise in calm conditions with at least 500' ground clearance: 1. Assume basic landing position. 2. Pretend you are landing. Gradually slow down from best glide to stall while maintaining wings, level. 3. Flare. Go ahead, do a real flare, experience the stall, the mushing of the glider, and the stall recovery. (Just relax, hold the bar where you know trim speed is, and the glider will recover.) You will be surprised by how long you can hold a flare and not experience a stall break·especially in fixed airfoil gliders. You will also be surprised at how forgiving and stable the modern gliders are. That knowledge, coupled with your increased experience in the basic landing position over a wide range of airspeeds will enable you to in-
46
• ~ ~L\..,LEV~E stinctively perform a successful forced landing someday when you need to.
AIRSPEED/SINK RA TE/ GLIDE SLOPE/FLARE Again in your basic landing position (high drag position) you need to become aware of how you can vary your rate of vertical descent as well as your horizontal progress over the ground. You need to know from experience that you can lose a fair amount of altitude with
relatively little progress over the ground by flying slower than minimum sink in a controlled mush mode without ever experiencing a stall break (glider nosing down subsequent to stall). If you did your homework and practiced landings in mid-air you'll know exactly how much you can deteriorate your glide path (horizontal progress) without losing all roll authority. Use your vario and landmarks on the terrain to help you get wired to your glider's sink rate and glide slope at various airspeeds. In calm conditions, with 1,000' of
r\GU~E II.: 1//ll//ff I
'EAS'I TO MAKE U.PSLO!=>E COINC!l::IE W\Tt·l C":>l.lbE. l>Ail-l ~. GullE MTI!
CAN tE
EAS:tLY Mo\Nil"UtATEi)
OV!SR A WIDE '<ANGE
OF Al~PEED.S,
l>ESPeMTE FLARE.
1:0!>N
Of' 1'\ZUS-n<ATION
It'
1-IANG GLIDING
ground clearance flare your glider and see how long you can hold the flare. Note your sink rate, note what it takes to keep the glider level. Note, if you can, how much altitude you lose during this maneuver. When the glider stall breaks, relax and allow it to return to trim speed. The more ways you learn to vary your vertical descent and horizontal progress while still retaining control of your glider, the-more options you will have for performing a successful forced landing.
'ALTITUDE/TERRAIN/ · WIND/FLARE For the purposes of this discussion altitude means clearance from obstacles as well as ground clearance, terrain means obstacles as well as slope of, and wind means wind as we know it plus whatever it is that results when otherwise benign air gets messed around by trees, rocks, canyons, and gnarly hillsides. With regard to altitude itis essential to constantly be aware of how much of it you· have left and how much time you have before you will have to deal with an obstacle or the ground. Also, forced landings are considerably more fun if you have the flying skill to conserve and/or lose altitude in a variety of ways. With regard to obstacles and the ground it is important to.remember that, next to those that are capable of killing you outright (like a live wire) the most dangerous obstacles are those that can put you out of control, in a weird attitude, more than 30' off the ground. Much has been written on tree landings for instance. The only point I wish to make here is that the better you are at spot landings, the better chance you will have of coming to rest in the warm embrace of a tree that is capable of supporting you and your glider safely above the ground until help arrives. We'll talk about "tripper trees" next month under the heading crash landings. Obstacles should be selected or avoided based on how they rank on the "lethality" scale amongst your list of options. Regarding slope of terrain and wind I want to offer the following comments. Given no wind to even moderate wind {5-8 mph) it is better to land upslope than downslope, even if that means landing downwind. Figure II illustrates this point by showing how a pilot landing upslope has a much better chance, over a wider range of airspeeds, of making his glide path intersect the slope of the terrain (do a landing). Regarding turbulence, wind shadows, and other surprises caused by obstacles and land forms, the only thing I can say is the more experience you have in predicting, recognizing, and dealing with such phenomena the better chance you'll have ·of successfully performing a forced landing. MARCH 1983
FLARE!!! (Forced Landings Are Really Easy) Perhaps the best thing you can do to maximize your chances of performing forced landings (or any landings for that matter) is to accept the flare into your heart. The landing flare is your best friend. A well-timed and executed flare produces gobs of drag quickly and slows you down dramatically. A fiercely held flare is good for a straight down, controlled, survivable, vertical descent of 10-30' depending on your skill level, the length of your arms, and your ability to resist the urge to pull back in. You can't do anything about the length of your arms but you can practice flaring in calm air, with at least 500' ground clearance, so you can directly experience the beauty of the flare and not be afraid of it when it comes time to land in a tight spot.
·SUMMARY Forced landings are more fun than crash .landings because you have control over them. Pilots vary great! y in their ability to perform forced, as opposed to crash, landings because pilots vary greatly in their ability to recognize and purposefully manipulate the dynamic interrelationships of airspeed, control authority, sink rate, glide slope, body position, terrain, and wind. A .skill essential to the performance of a forced landing is the landing flare. Pilots should practice landing flares in calm air with at least 500' ground clearance. Pilots should also practice normal flying in their basic landing pos1t1on in order to familiarize themselves with the sensations and specifics of flying in this position over a wide range of airspeeds. Next month, crash landings, with cartoons and everything! Please send questions or comments to: The Right Stuff c/o Hang Flight Systems, 1202 E. Walnut, Unit M, Santa Ana, CA 92701. (con1inued from page 40)
(Aoli . .. Pod People) "bent" Sunseed wing. The glider is about even with the crest of some portion of the Whites, and the rugged, plunging landscape is no more: than a thousand feet away, drifting slowly by. The competition is beginning to unwind, and on the morning of the next-to-the-last day, the remaining competitors are set up and ready to go with their hang gliders. The peaceful setting at launch is shattered when a dust devil comes tearing through the area, playing havoc with many of the kites. A brief windstorm also ensues. The movie commences at a later hour of the
day when most all pilots are airborne. Looking behind launch, upwards above the summit of the range, a swarm of hang gliders can be seen skyed out ... their tiny, brilliant white wings imprinted against the acrylic-blue sky. We are in the air again witnessing more superb views from Eric's aerial filming. The vario is screaming and the glider is climbing out (circling) in a thermal. Mountain ridges drop away at a steady pace. With the .day's contest almost over (late afternoon), we're taken to .the north landing site in Nevada to watch the flyers coming in. One after another they drift- in on approach and land in a variety of ways. Jeff Burnett skims in with fifth best time of the day. "Due to the desert heat," says Rick, "the thin air at the landing zone makes landing tricky. It's like landing atop a 12,000' mountain." And to prove his point, Eric misjudges slightly and oh no! ... crunches on landing. The Sunseed collapses slightly from the broken control bar. To the inquisitive microphone he says hotly, "I've nothing to say - nothing! Where's my new downtubes?" Rich Pfeiffer comes in hot and scores the best time of the day. An English pilot miscalculates a bit on his flare, his glider shoots back up, followed by a smacking drop to the hard ground, nose first! Steve Moyes floats in like a feather in a Meteor and places with second best time. Rick Masters adds that in the final on the next day, Larry Tudor would win over Pfeiffer in a race to the California/Nevada border - by a mere five seconds! Rick reads off the top 10 winners along with the hang gliders they flew. We're back at the Hang Gliding Center in Bishop where Don Partridge is master of ceremonies for the awards presentations. It is noted that Larry, the winner, is not present. Don shows off the trophies: colorful, hand-crafted beauties, about 15" in height and width, mounted in a base stand. The plaque-like design is like stained glass, semi transparent, giving the many colors a luminous effect. Each color element is divided by a bead of the stained-glass method. Steve Moyes receives his trophy for third place and leaves us with a memorable statement. He gives thanks to those who make the Owens Valley hang gliding events possible, to his fellow competitors and newly-made friends, and says of Owens Valley, "To me it's like going to another world where everyone has wings." The movie ends after Rick confesses that he knows of Larry's whereabouts: "I ran him up to Gunter earlier this morning ... he just wanted the day off to go hang gliding." The final scene is another fantastic view, looking down from Larry's lofty perch in the sky. He's soaring over the High Sierras, across the valley from the Whites. Bye for now and thanks for joining me. Thanks to you, Rick, for the super flic! ~
47
-··-·-
';(UfSS1r1e6:'f':~; ·11bVC.KllllNQ·. ·:
-
.-
---
-
.
__ ,
-;
•,'_.-·'
-
__ .. ;•-.-
-~-<,;
·-- _. c-~ ?'' '
NEW MOYES MAXI 875-9486. PROSTAR 160 444-5455.
Quick set-up. $700. (704)
Superb, clean sail, $1300. (303)
PROST AR 160 -· 25 hours. Excellent condition. Beautiful sail! $1400. (218) 722-5412 or 722-1249. PROSTAR 160, 1982 - $1100. Comet 165, 1981, $1000. (303) 221-3571. PROSTAR 168 - Exe. condition. Black leading edge. White, rainbow undersurface, $1250. Dave, (213) 447-7633.
CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigue - bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (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.
Rogallos 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. COMET 135 - Good condition, flies great. Beautiful, all red, $1050 · B.O., (302) 652-6426.
COMET 165 - Less than 1 hr. air time. Custom colors. Must sell. (918) 542-4086 or (918) 540-?516. COMET 165 - Excellent condition. Low airtime, $1300. Will ship (213) 869-2282, day, (213) 863-4218,. night. COMET 185 - Extra clean. Rainbow colors, $1400. (904) 428-5791. COMET 185, COMET OUR II 185, GEMINI 184. All in ex. flying cond. & reas. priced. (303) 697-5924. COMET - 185, excellent condition, low airtime, $1300. Knoxville, TN, (615) 573-6918.
COMET l 982, 185 squares. Asymmetrical black and spectrum. Flown less than 30 hours by l l year pilot. $1400. firm plus shipping. Contact Doug Barnette, P .0. Box 013635/Flagler Station, Miami, Florida 33101. (305) 326-1409.
PRO AIR 180, 1981 539-3335.
Exe. condition, $1100. (303)
RAVEN 179 - $1000. X-180, $1800. Trike, $2200. Tom Badoud, (714) 678-2050. RAVEN 229 - Excellent condition. Very clean sail, $600. (218) 724-2387. SENSOR 510 - 180 sq., gold under, maroon LE, white sail. $1300., Paul (703) 821-3357 VA. SUPER LANCER 200 - Multi-color sail, harness. Excellent cond. $1000. (412) 352-2884. UP FACTORY CLEARANCE SALE Can't afford to pay $2000, or even $1000 for a good quality soaring machine? UP dealers are now offering new and used late model non-current production gliders at a drastically reduced price. These gliders offer near state-of-the-art performance, are H.G.M.A. certified, and at a fraction of their original cost are probably the best value on the market today. USED NEW GLIDER 192 Spyder I I 149 Firefly 2 2 178 Condor 2 146 Mosquito 3 166 Mosquito 2 196 Mosquito Contact your local UP dealer for a price quote or more details. UP FIREFLY 2B 181 - Great beginner/intermediate wing in excellent condition. Trick rainbow layout. Pilot weight range 110-190 lbs., $700. Call Andrew or Dwane, (714) 679-9164. Will ship.
VAMPYRE 160 - White on- white - excellent condition -only 36 flights Makapuu, Oahu, Hawaii. Plus parachute, harness, etc. $1495. (808) 235-5963.
COMET 185 - Perfect condition. Beautiful spectrum· colored sail with white trailing edges. $1495. (304) 599-4729.
WANTED - Moyes Redtail sail. New or used if in excellent condition. Call (813) 324-5324 or write P.O. Box 97, Cypress Gardens, Florida 33880.
DEMON 175 - Excellent condition, low airtime, $1375. (408) 384-2622 Dave.
WANTED - Used Hang Gliding Equipment. Gliders, Instruments, Harnesses and Parachutes. HANG GLIDER EQUIPMENT CO., 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116, (415) 992-6020.
RAINBOW DUCK 160 (206) 941-7166.
Less than 10 flights, $1700.
DUCK 180 - Like new, 10 hrs. Blue & white, $1000. Ron Russow, (619) 328-7287.
X-200 - Low airtime, beautiful custom Phoenix sail. Will ship, $1350. Call Marty, (716) 873-9742.
NEW DUCK 180 - No reasonable offer refused. (805) 648-2429. ELECTRA FL YER CSA - Excellent condition, has been out of bag 10 times, includes harness. Make offer, (316) 662-3642. FIREFLY 216, 79 - 2 hrs. airtime, $850. Must sell, (313) 728-1230, weekend evenings.
Rigid Wings FLEDGE III and Foxbat trike, low air time. Must sell, (415) 865-2015. Mitchell Wing B-10, Foot Launch and Power Pods included, low time, beautiful!! $2,750. Call (714) 828-9220.
Schools and Dealers
GEMINI 184 - Like new! Very low airtime, beautiful spectrum sail, $1100. (501) 664-1120.
HARRIER 177 - Blue & white, '81. Will ship, $850. (612) 739-4891. ARIZONA
HARRIER 177 - Very good condition-clean-spanwiseearly '82-mylar, $1100. Lytek vario, $ l 25. Both, $1200. (512) 452-5145.
DESERT HANG GLIDERS -4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 938-9550.
HAWK 158 - Excellent handling X-C glider. Centerspread glider in Feb. HG. First place in '82 So. Cal. X-C Competition, B class. $1100. Will ship. John, (714) 498-3380.
SKY BOUND HANG GLIDERS - Full time, full-service shop. New and used gliders and equipment, certified instruction, repairs, accessories. 10250 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85021. (602) 997-9079.
LOOKING FOR A USED GLIDER? SELLING YOURS? Doug Hertzog's Hang Glider Referral Service now operating NATIONWIDE! (213) 436-4891. Distance calls returned collect.
48
CALIFORNIA CHANDELLE SAN FRANCISCO, Hang Gliding Center. USHGA certified school. Stocking dealer for Wills, UP and FD. Come visit us! (415) 756-0650.
ELSINORE VALLEY HANG GLIDING CENTER Certified, experienced instruction, foot launch and power. Sales for major manufacturers. Major repair facilities. Flight instruction and repairs performed under the supervision of FAA licensed management to manufacturers and aircraft standards. See and fly the new Eagle XL! Day phone: (714) 678-2050, night: (714) 781-9222. FREE FLIGHT OF SAN DIEGO. Expert instruction utilizing modern, safe equipment. (714) 560-0888. HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS - Certified instruction program, beginning to advanced levels. Featuring Wills Wing and Ultralight Products gliders and accessories. *Duck, Comet, Gemini, Harrier demo flight available to qualified pilots. 1202 E. Walnut Unit M, Santa Ana, CA. (714) 542-7444. HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM - Quality instruction, service and sales since 1974. Full stock of new and used UP and Wills gliders, harnesses, helmets, instruments, accessories and spare parts. Located minutes from US lO I and flying sites. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103. (805) 965-3733. HANG GLIDERS OF CALIFORNIA, INC. USHGA certified instruction from beginning to expert levels. All brands of gliders, a complete line of instruments & equipment are available! For information or catalog, write of call: Hang Gliders of California, Inc., 2410 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405. (213) 399-5315. 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, pans, 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 Gliders & equipment sales & rentals. Private & group instruction by U.S.H.G.A. certified instructors. Local site information and glider rental. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) 731-7766. SKYWORKS HANG GLIDING & ULTRALJTE AIRCRAFT of the South Bay Area offers you Certified Instruction - Sales - Service. Major Brands. P.O. Box 406, Milpitas, CA 95035. (408) 559-3398. WINDSPORTS INTERNATIONAL, INC. since 1974 (formerly So. Cal. Hang Gliding Schools). Largest and most complete HANG GLIDING and POWERED ULTRA-
~
Para ~ Publishing Books by Dan Poynter Post Office Box 4232-314 Santa Barbara, Ca 93103 Telephone: (805) 968-7277
Send For FREE Brochure HANG GLIDING
LITE center in Southern California. Large inventory of new and used gliders, ultralites, parts and accessories. Complete training program by USHGA certified instructors. 5219 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91411 (213) 789-0836. COLORADO FOUR CORNERS HANG GLIDING & ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT - since I 974. Major Brands, Sales, Service, Professional Instruction. Fly "Earl's Ranch". Box 38, Hesperus, CO 81326. (303) 533-7550. CONNECTICUT AIRWISE 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. HAWAll FREE FLIGHT HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Certified instruction, sales, service and rentals. 684 Hao St.} Hon., HI 96821. (808) 373-2549. MAUI SOARING SUPPLIES - Certified instructors. Sales, service and rentals. R.R. Box 780, Kula, Maui, HI 96790. (808) 878-1271. TRADEWINDS HANG GLIDING - Box 543, Kailua, Hawaii, 96734. (808) 396-8557. IDAHO SUN VALLEY SENSOR - New and used Sensor 51D's. Sales, service, demo. Bruce McKeller, P.O. Box 3696, Ket· chum, Idaho 83340. (208) 726-5399. TREASURE VALLEY HANG GLIDERS - Service USHGA Instruction - Sales of new & used U.P., Bennett, Seedwings & Centurion gliders, accessories - Site info. and ratings. "Come Fly With Us" - Box 746, Nampa, ID 83651, (208) 336-9492. ILLINOIS PROAIR/PROSTAR/FLEDGE Ill/FOX BAT sales, ser· vice, flight accessories and Ball variometers - Midwest Motorglider Supplies, 2638 Roberts, Waukegan, IL 60087, (312) 244-0529. MICHIGAN
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 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.
Plan your Salt Lake vacation with us. We have the only shuttle service to the Wasatch Mountains. Certified instructors & experienced mountain pilots. \Y/e also offer in· struction, sales & repairs. For info. call or write: Freedom Wings, P.O. Box 633, Sandy, UT 84091. (801) 943-1005.
MOUNTAIN WINGS INC. - The northeast's newest and largest hang glider and ultralight center. Located only 6 miles from Ellenville. Our product line includes: Flight Designs, Delta Wings, Seedwings, Manta, U.P., Progressive Aircraft, Pacific \X'indcraft, Stratus, Lazair, Casperwing, Ultralight Flight's Mirage and Phantom, a complete line of accessories and r/c gliders & radios. Top notch instruction with certified instructors on one of five training hills. Come to Mountain \'(lings Inc., Main St., Kerhonkson, NY 12446. (914) 626-5555 for friendly service.
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.
NEVADA
CAPITOL CITY GLIDERS - New and used gliders and ultralights, accessories> service. Certified instruction. (206) 786-9255, (206) 456-6333.
HIGH SIERRA HANG GLIDING & WINDSURFING - Box 865, I 000 N. Plaza St., Carson City, NV 89702. (702) 885-1891. Northern Nevada's complete Hang Gliding shop. Featuring Wills Wing gliders and accessories. Also, dealers for U.P. Sports, Flight Designs, Secdwings and Pacific Windcraft. Dealers for Bic and U.P. SailboardS. USHGA certified Instruction beginning through advanced. Region II instructors, observer and examiner. Pans, ser· vice, gliders in stock, also towing instruction.
WYOMING NORTHWIND AIRSPORTS: Come fly Bennett's new amazing untouchable STREAK!! Glider sales & services at the best possible prices. P.O. Box 432, Jackson Hole, \Y/Y 83001. (307) 733-4915.
International Schools & Dealers
NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES, INC., - P.O. Ilox 340, Nagshead, N.C. 27959 l-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 Wright Brothers learned to fly. Beginning/Novice packages and ratings available daily. Complete inventory of new gliders, accessories and parts in stock. SCOTT'S MARINE, INC. - Full time professional, sales, service, trnining. Wills Wing Gliders, Pterodactyl ultralights, expert repairs. Scott Lambert, (704) 875-9486.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HANG GLIDERS - Sales and instruction in Ultralights, Free Flight and towing. Dealers for Eagle, UP, Flight Designs, Delta \'(1ing and Soarmaster. 24851 Murray, Mt. Clemens, MI 48045 (313) 791-0614 - Since 1975.
SKY SAILS LTD Hang Gliding School. USHGA certified instructors. 1630 Lincoln Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701. (717) 326-6686 or 322-8866.
,\HNNESOTA
TEXAS
NORTHERN SUN 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. When 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.
AUSTIN HANG GLIDING CENTER- Lessons, winch tow to 2000'. (512) 255-7954.
PENNSYLVANIA
UTAH AERO SPORTS INC. - USHGA instruction, sales & service since 1974. 898 So. 900 E., SLC, Utah 84102. (801) 364-5508.
JAPAN SUNRISE COUNTRY INC. - Distributor Japan: Manta, La Mouette, Delta Wing, Flight Designs, Winter, Litek, Hall Bros., Ball Varios, Altimaster, Quick-N-Easy. 1104 Rekku Shibakoan 2/11/13. Shibakoan Minatoku Tokyo, I 05 JAPAN. Tel. 03/433/0062. SWITZERLAND SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI· For complete documentation of this high adventure alpine tour send $5.00 to cover airmail postage to: RON HURST, Kurfirstenstr. 61, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland, Airmail.
Employment Opportunities 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? Private Rustic Rooms. Waterbeds, Video Movies, Color T. V., Pool.
r-----------------------------------------------------------
1 I I I I I I I I I I I I
USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM
35 cents per word, $3.00 minimum. (phone numbers - 2 words, P.O. Box -
1 word)
Photos - $10.00 Deadline, 20th of the month six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad (i.e. March 20, for the May issue).
Section (please circle) Rigid Wings
Rogallos Schools and Dealers Emergency Chutes
Business Opportunities Publications & Organizations
Ultralight Powered Flight
Miscellaneous
Bold face or caps 50¢ per word extra. (Does not Include first few words which are automatically caps). Special layouts or tabs $20 per column inch.
Begin with 19 consecutive issue(s).
Payment for first three months required In advance.
My check _ _ money order _ _ is enclosed in the amount of $_ _ _ _ _ _ __
Please enter my classified ad as follows:
issue and run for _ _ __
I I I I I
Number of words:
:
@ .35 2
Phone Number:
P.O. BOX 88308, LOS ANGELES, CA 90088 I (213) 390·3086
L-----------------------------------------------------------J MARCH 1983
49
WATER SKI, SKY, & STAGE SHOW - Looking for experienced hang glider pilot who is interested in performing for a summer. OPPORTUNITY to learn other marketable skills. Call (314) 348-5103 or write Fort Osage Water Show, P.O. Box 327, Lake Ozark, Missouri 65049 for additional
NEW COMET SAIL, 185 squares, yellow. Used in T.V. commercial. Sail only. $500 plus shipping. Doug Barnette, P.O. Box 013635/Flagler Station, Miami, Florida 33101. (305) 326-1409.
information.
Miscellaneous Bumper Stickers - "HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR HANG GLIDER TODAY?" White w/blue letters. $1.40 each (includes postage). P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
Emergency Parachutes
Publications & Organizations
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.
MAGAZINE COLLECTORS: List of old Hang Gliding, Ground Skimmer and Glider Rider magazines for sale. Dan Poynter, Box 4232-G, Santa Barbara, CA 93103-0232.
MAJESTIC EAGLE PENDANT 12K antiqued goldtone - $23.95 includes shipping, postage. Satisfaction guaranteed. Stan Foster, P.O. Box 4095, Sparks, NV 89432-4095.
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.
PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 31/,'' dia. Inside or outside application. 25¢ each. Include 15¢ for postage and handling with each order. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
NEW & USED PARACHUTES bought, sold & repacked. HANG GLIDER EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) 992-6020.
Ultralight Powered Flight
Parts & Accessories ACCESSORIES: 1 - 124 ft. Odyssey, $225. 1 - new 124 ft. Odyssey Shoot, $275. 3 - Moyes stainless tow bars, $250-$350. (704) 875-9486.
FRENCH CONNECTION (303) 539-3335.
$85. Jumpmaster, Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Camera mount with remote release for your Kodak 4000 Disc Camera. Take color photographs in flight. Fifteen foot cable included.
KITTY HAWK 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. 1-800-334-4777. SKYWORKS California.
Please see ad -
Schools & Dealers -
TRIKE - Bennett Trike, Yamaha engine, good condition, $1100. or B.O., Knoxville, TN (615) 573-6918.
HANG GLIDER EQUIPMENT COMPANY - For all your Hang Gliding needs. We are dealers for all major brands. Write or call for free price list. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94112, (415) 992-6020.
\\
VOLMER AIRCRAFT - Established 1925. First to fly three control foot launched glider, first to construct homebuild amphibian, 1958. First to construct highest performing foot launched glider, 1971. Third to construct powered foot launched glider, 1976. First foot launched glider to fly across the English Channel, 1978. Complete plans available. Brocnure for all our seven aircraft including our VJ24W - 10 HP Ultralight, $10.00. Volmer Aircraft - Box 5222-G, Glendale, CA 9120 I.
$34.95 plus $3.00 shipping. $5.95 for additional 15 foot cable. NY residents please add sales tax. Product Development Systems, Dept. HG, 216 Hampton Way, Penfield, NY 14526. Send for illustrated catalog. Powered Ultralight Training Course - By Dennis Pagen. Now available from USHGA. Lessons, Groundschools, tests, FAA Regulations, 8 1/, x 11 workbook format. $13.55 (incl. postage) P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
uv~•l!.IR~
BALL VARIOMETERS INC.
1ft
5735 ARAPAHOE AVENUE, BOULDER, COLORADO 80303 PHONE (303) 449-2135
I• I lirR lir
UNCOMMONLY GOOD SAILBOARDS AT UNCOMMONLY LOW PRICES
Announcing our new instrument panels and matching Ball Clamp Mounts
BALL-CLAMP (Long or Short) SINGLE PANEL (2% or 3Vs")
7
INTERNATIONAL SAILBOARDS
DOUBLE PANEL (2114 or 3Vs")
11
113 BEIRNE AVENUE HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 35801 (205) 883-8808 - 539-5624 Coming: "SPACE" - Our Fun Board and "SHUTTLE" - Our Jump Board
MODEL 600 VARIO (Other models available)
235
Available through most dealers and manufacturers. Dealer inquiries invited.
Dealer Inquiries Invited 50
HANG GLIDING
TYPE: Fledge IIB #1032. WHEN: March I, 1982 Denver, CO. Glider is incomplete. SAIL: White with dk blue LE, tips and keel panel. CONT ACT: Richard Siberell, 711 55th Des Moines, Iowa 50312 (515) 255-1456 .
.
.
t
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, 5-2-81. CONTACT: Brian O'Kelly, 2300 West Haven, Bakersfield, CA 93304 (805) 832-3987.
\
,_,_._ _ ,£--::...6-:ff"-:,,--....
SHARE THE MEMORY - Last chance for limited edition prints of the late George Worthington. Each one autographed by George himself! Print size, l lxl4; image area, 81/,xl I. $20. for the set. Money back guarantee. Terry Ferrer, 1442A Walnut Str. #326, Berkeley, CA 94709. STOCK IN KITTY HA WK KITES - 222 shares, $30/share. Chris Starbuck, Rt. I, Box 404, Wildwood, GA 30757, (404) 820-9872. 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. WORLD'S BEST BALD EAGLE PHOTOGRAPH: 20" print, $15. Sample card $1. Eagle, Egegik, Alaska, 99579. The rate for classified advertising is 35¢ per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $3.00. A fee of $ l 0. 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 copy1 instructions> changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l 1h months preceding the cover date, i.e., November 20 for the January issue. Please make
checks payable to USI-IGA: Classified Advertising Dept., HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Ball varies ..................................................... 49 Bennett Delta Wing Gliders .............. 28, IFC, BC Crystal Air .......... 7Fllght Designs .......... 5, 20 Cllde Master.................................................. 4 Cllder Rider................................................... 1 Hall Brothers ................................................. 52 Hang Cllder co .............................................. 45 International Sallboards ............................... 49 Kitty Hawk .............................................. 37, 41 Lookout Mt. .................................................. 15 Pagen Books ................................................. 37 Para Publlshlng ............................................ 17 Pro Air ..................................................... 28, 29 Santa Barbara HC .......................................... 52 sea Drale ....................................................... 1 seedwlngs ... ....... ... ...... .... ........... ...... .... ........ 2 Snyder Ent. ................................................... 41 south coast Air ............................................. 1 svstek ........................................................... 52 Tymon ........................................................... 52 Ultrallte Products ......................................... 34 USHCA .............................................. 16, IBC, IFC Whole Air Magazine...................................... 4 WIiis Wing, Inc ................................... 18, 19, 33 world Team ............................................. 13, 14
MARCH 1983
TYPE: Comet 135 No. UPCMT135054. SAIL PATTERN: White body; gold dbl. surface. LE & keel pocket no insignias. WHERE & WHEN: Oct. 11, 1982 10 mi. east of Mt. Wilson in San Gabriel Cyn. (Azusa) CA Los Angeles area. Thief known to drive brown jeep-type vehicle. Glider has mountings for french connection on keel. CONTACT: Jerry Bard (213) 851-8869.
TYPE: X-160 #2. SAIL PATTERN: Black LE, gold center spanwise, white LE and keel pocket. TYPE: Blue Price harness, Windhaven chute, black Delta Wing knee hanger harness, 2 white helmets, Itek vario, Thommen altimeter, airspeed indicator, yellow UP flight bag. WHERE AND WHEN: All stolen with truck from Chatsworth, CA. CONTACT: John Zurlinden (213) 957-5014 or (213) 993-6644 Ext. 312. TYPE: Gemini #UPG13400M. SAIL PAT· TERN: 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: Moyes Maxi Mk. III. SAIL PATTERN: Black leading edges, center panels and tips. Assymetrical rainbow pattern (white, gold, orange, red, purple, blue, lt. blue, green, yellow). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Negative deflexor posts missing. Blue bag with 6" tear. TYPE: Bobcat III. SAIL PATTERN: Orange leading edges and tips. Center out: lt. blue, gold, green. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Gold anodized frame. Blue control bar, raked 21" forward. Faded orange and gray two-piece bag. WHERE & WHEN: San Diego, CA September 3, 1982. CONT ACT: Torrey Pines, (714) 455-6036 (daytime). Paul Gach (714) 279-5403 (evenings). Reward.
TYPE: 1982 177 Harrier II #6744. 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: Gemini #UPG13400M. SAIL PAT· TERN: Dk blue LE, Pacific blue center, white TE. Tape on LE. WHERE AND WHEN: 6/28/82 W. Jordon Utah, taken from car. Con· tact: Claudia Holbrook (801) 561-1974 or 571-4044.
TYPE: UP Gemini 184 #UPGl84032. SAIL: Yellow nose, orange middle, red trailing edge (spanwise cut) with white leading edge and keel pocket. WHERE AND WHEN: Alameda, CA July 2, 1982. CONTACT: David Catlett (415) 521-7633. Reward.
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: Pterodactyl with Cuyuna 430 reduction drive #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) 632-5969.
TYPE: 172 Moyes Mega. WHERE AND WHEN: March 20, '82, BO miles north of Flagstaff AZ (Echo Cliffs area). SAIL PAT· TERN: 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 #6744. 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. CONTACT: 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. CONT ACT: David Catlett (415) 521-7633. Reward.
TYPE: Eipper Flexi III. SAIL PATTERN: White, blue, green, yellow and white. New, or no control bar. Tear in keel pocket. Rewrd. CONT ACT: Will Richardson, Rt. I, 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. CONT ACT: Sky Bound Hang Gliders, 10250 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85021 (602) 997-9079.
TYPE: 135 Comet. SAIL: Black LE, crimsc,.·. 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 #4402. 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. 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.
51
Introd uci ng ... TM
Specializing in the Development of Hang Gliding and Ultralight Accessories
THE TYMON DOWNTUBE FIXTURE
...... .....
Pat. Pend.
No More Waiting For Weeks To Receive Your New Downtubes With the Tymon Downtube fixture you can make your own downtubes on site! All you need is a drill motor, length of tubing, and hacksaw. The Tymon Downtube fixture is made of quality material for long life and continuous accurate reproduction. Satisfaction guarantee on workmanship and material.
Going On A Hang Gliding Vacation? Don't Forget ... The Tymoif Downtube Fixture
The Tymon Downtube fixture comes in kit form with drill bit, fixture, and complete instructions.
39.95 Please specify fixture to lit 1" tubing or 1 1/8" tubing.
Make Checks payable ta: TYMON CORP., P.O. BOX 2118, FLORENCE, AL 35630
OWENS Vl>JJ2/ HANG GUDING CENTEfl , [714) 873-4434
THE SYSTEK VARIO
Don Partridge
• Selectable Sensltivily • Audio Threshold Adjust • Excellent Baltery Life
• Total Weight 12 oz. • Fully AdJuslable Audio Sound
• One-Year Warranty • Dealer Inquiries Welcome • Padded Storage Bag Add ss_oo • "KWIK CLAMP" Bracket Add $14.00
$195.00
Post 011,ce Box 548 Oak R,dye. TN 37830
~-
ITAU'
-
-
~
"JI
The Hall Airspeed Indicator
...!.- -
__,.-
"
FOR INFO PAK SEND S3.00TO:
GO WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM AND SEE THE NEXT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN GERMANY! FLY IN 5 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. 1695,- AIR-ROUNDTRIP, HOTEL, FOOD, EXPERT TOUR GUIDE.
-
-
~- 111' g -
l::~1' \~~-~. •_:'t;~~ -
1· -
-:
Airspeed Indicator with Long Bracket
Airspeed lndicator .................. $21.50 Long Bracke1 ......................... 6.00 Foreign & C.0.0. Orders add $2.00 Control Bar Protectors 5" diameter ABS plas1ic wheels. Specify 1" or 1-118" control bar. Wheels - $20.00/pair Foreign & C.O.D. orders add $2.00
Santa Barbara Hang Gliding P.O. BOX 1386 • GOLETA, CA 93017 USA
l-;;
A precision instrument for the serious pilot. Rugged, dependable and easy to read.
Control Bar Protectors
Hall Brothers P.O. Box 771-H, Morgan, UT 840b0 C.0.0. Phone Orders (801) 829-3232
• FLIGHT LOG, 40 PAGES • POCKET SIZE, 33.4" x 7" • SKILLS SIGN•OFFS INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED AND SPECIAL • GLOSSARY OF TERMS • MASTER RATING
OFFICIAL
USHGA FLIGHT LOG
• LILIENTHAL AWARDS
NOW AVAILABLE
------------·-----------ORDER FORM
Please send: _ _ _ _ _ Official USHGA flight log(s) at $2.95 ea. NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _~ - - - - - - - - - - - CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ ZIP _ _ _ __ Postpaid Californians add 6% sales tax Dealer inquiries invited
.....
Send check or money order to: USHGA P.O. Box 66306 Los Angeles, CA 90066
------------------------