USHGA Hang Gliding June 1985

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I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO: USHGA, BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066 D FULL MEMBER ($39.00, $42.00 foreign) D FAMILY MEMBER(S) ($19.50 each) D SUBSCRIPTION, one year ($29.00, $32.00 foreign) D SUBSCRIPTION, two years ($53.00, $59.00 foreign) D SUBSCRIPTION, three years ($77.00, $86.00 foreign) D TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION, six months ($14.50, $17.50 foreign) D Enclosed is an extra dollar for TOTAL for the World Team fund. I understand that USHGA will Charge my C! MasterCard C! VISA match my contribution.

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

Revised 4/85

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CONTENTS

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(USPS 017-970)

Features 12 Hang Gliding for Hollywood

Columns 3 Viewpoint

by Rick Masters Rick responds to critics of "The Environmental Impact of Hang Gliding" article.

by Lynn Warrender Los Angeles area pilots give the sport some good PR on "Two On The Town."

14 Glider Evaluation Sensor 510 V.G.

by Paul Burns

8 Milestones Page 12

Rick Rickles tells the tale of a 55-mile unofficial tandem record. John Flatte's highest high and a 1984 Oklahoma XC review follow.

Paul reviews Seedwings' variable geometry glider.

18 Towlines

24 The Naked Truth About Stalls

by Dean Batman This month we initiate a new column to help promote safety in towing.

©1985 by Dennis Pagen Dennis recounts his run-ins with the infamous Stall gang.

29 The Answer Man

32 Hang Gliding Interviews Pete Brock

Mike Meier interviewed by Erik Fair Erik asks the tough questions. Mike tells it like it is on glider certification.

Page 14

by Dan Demaree Hang gliding pioneer and Ultralite Products owner Pete Brock talks about his involvement in the sport over the years and the current state of affairs at UP.

5 Airmail 6 Update 7 Calendar 20 Ratings and Appointments 41 Classified Advertising 44 Stolen Wings 44 HOMA Certified Gliders 44 Index to Advertisers Page 32 COVER: Ted Boyse pilots a Pro Air Dawn Comp at Sylmar, CA. Photo by Dick Boone.

Special thanks to Progressive Aircraft, 1985 U.S. World Team sponsor.

CENTERSPREAD: Diane Dandeneau soars with John Minnick at Fort Funston. Photo by Diane Dandeneau.

CONSUMER ADVISORY: Hang Gliding Magazine and USHGA, Inc., do not endorse or take any responsibility for the products advertised or mentioned editorially within these pages. Unless specifically explained, performance figures quoted in advertising are only estimates. Persons considering the purchase of a glider are urged to study HGMA standards.

L.__ JUNE 1985

Departments

Copyright @ United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. 1984. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding Magazine and individual contributors.

J

DAWN

flle Cance11t:

Law 1wist Witllaut 1railing Edge rensian l THE DAWN represents an important new

STRUTS. The most exciting of the Dawn's new

innovation in hang gliding technology.

features is lower side struts. This eliminates the need for top rigging and bridle lines .

RIGID WING. The Dawn can best be described in terms of a rigid wing . Like a rigid wing, flight loads are located around a central structural spar - in the Dawn's case the "cross-spar" (located farther aft than a conventional cross bar). With ribs supporting both the upper and lower surfaces, the trailing edge becomes fixed, eliminating mid-span twist and providing center section stability.

HGMA CERTIFIED. The Dawn 155 and 175 are certified to 1984 specifications.

DAWN SPECIFICATIONS Size

135

155

175

Area (ft. 2 ) Span (ft.)

128 31.3 7.65 55 110-170 Hang 3-5

148 33.3 7.49 62 150-220 Hang 3-5

168 35.3 7.42 73 170-250 Hang 3-5

AIR HANDLING. Since high trailing edge tension Weight (lbs.) is no longer necessary to prevent mid-span Pilot (lbs.) twist, the Dawn retains excellent handling and Rating landing characteristics. (See Dec-Jan '85 issue of Whole Air mag.a zine for pilot evaluation of the Dawn.) ~

4544 INDUSTRIAL STREET. SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 93063 Telephone (805) 583-1014

,....,,.....,.,. aircraft company

Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Director Janie Dodgen, Prod11ction David Pounds, Design Consu/tanr Leroy Grannis, Bettina Gray, John Heiney, Staff Photographers Erik Fair, Staff Writer Harry Martin, Illustrator

Office Staff· Amy Gray, Manager Joyce Isles, Ratings Mary Marks, Membership USHGA Officers: Steve Hawxhurst, President Dick Heckman, Vice President Hardy Snyman, Secretary Gary Hodges, Treas11rer

Executive Committee: ~teve Hawxhurst Dick Heckman Hardy Snyman Gary Hodges

VIEWPOINT

Scared Sheep Response

by Rick Masters 771e folloll'i11g is repri111ed ji"OJn 1he Cross Co11n1n· Pilo1s Associa1ion April, 1985 11ell'sll'/1er.-&I

REGION I: Ken Godwin, T. Michael Boyle.

REGION 2: Russ Locke, Gary Hodges. REGION 3:

Steve Hawxhurst. Ken dcRussy. REG[ON 4: Jim Zcisct, Bob Thompson. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Ted Gilmore. REGION 7: Dean Batman, John Woiwode.

REGION 8: Rohen Collins. REGION 9: Bill Criste, Vic Ayers. REGION 10: Dan Johnson, Steve Coan.

REGION 11: Hardy Snyman. REGION 12: Ken Zachara, Paul Rikert. !984 DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE: Dennis Pagcn, Dick Heckman, Elizabeth Sharp, Vic Powell, Mark Bennett. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: (With Vote) NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION Everet!

Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECTORS (Without Vote) elected to 12i31/85: Bill Bennett, Mike Meier, Doug Hildreth, Bettina Gray, Erik Fair. The Unired States Hang Gliding Association Jnc., is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is. the official U.S. representative of the Federation Aeronautiquc lnternationale (FAI), the world governing body for sport avia1ion. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAT Mec1ings, has. delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAJ-rclated hang gliding activities such as record attempl'i and rompetilion sanctions.

HANG GLIDING maga,.ine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create 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 illustralions 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 Association 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, lnc. whose mailing 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, Calif. 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 provjded by Scanner House of Studio City, Calif. The USHGA is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of ultralight tlighl. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full member· ship are $29.50 per year ($32.50 for foreign addresses): subscription 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 mailing label from a recent

issue.

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: USHGA, P.O. BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066.

JUNE

[985

In the April issue of Hang Gliding magazine editor Gil Dodgen. in yet another typical example of unprolessionalism, allowed tremendously obnoxious and ill-founded criticism of Dennis Baker's "The Environmenlal Impact of Hang Gliding" and John Wehausen's "Footlaunched Aircraft and Bighorn Sheep" 10 be published without allowing a chance of rebuual or correction. What prompted this criticism·> In great part it was due to Dodgen 's inept editing of Wehausen 's important article on the interaction of hang gliders and bighorn sheep in Owens Valley. What did he cut out') Wehausen addresses the trepidation bighorn feel in venturing far from the sheller of rocks.

They like to stay within a "dash" of safety.

"How long that dash is depends on how good visibility is. The further they can see, the greater will be the distance at which predators are de1ected. This provides more time to reach safety, and allows sheep to venture greater distances from rocks." Many pilots have complained that they have observed bighorn on the Sierra that did not seem the least concerned with their flying. Why shouid bighorn on the Whiles be any different'1 The reader of Hang Gliding would have difficulty finding out since Dodgen edited out the following: "What about bighorn in the Sierra Nevada') Because of the steep. rocky terrain in the alpine regions of that range. !he bighorn occupy their habitat with much more comfort than in the White Mountains. The consequence is much less flighty behavior. It is unlikely thal footlaunch aircraft will have any impact on the Sierra bighorn." This article, incidently, was written

by John at the request of the XCPA and first appeared in XCPA's Spring I984 XC Pilm. Yet no credit was given to the XCPA in the Hang Gliding reprint ll months later' It is also significant that 110 letters critical of the silent instrumentation policy were ever received by the XCPA following the publication of the bighorn article and that a great many XCPA members and even entire clubs have modified their instruments willingly since then.

First, I will address the pigheaded prose of hang gliding pioneer and current Ultralite Products shop manager Chris Price, who presumes to be defending the free world of hang gliding against the looming spectre of bureaucracy. I do not believe this reflects the views of UP and I invite Peter Brock to respond. In the Spring 1984 XC Pilot readers were informed that John Wehausen is "one of the world's foremost authorities on the rare Sierra and Desert Bighorn Sheep." yet no such mention was made in Hang Gliding. John has worked as a wildlife biologist under contract to the United States Forest Service for nearly a decade. conducting extensive studies of the bighorn indigenous to the Owens Valley Mountain Ranges. When questions concerning a bighorn in the Owens Valley arise. John is the man consulted and his judgement is frequently the bottom line on any action taken.

For many years John has been intimately involved in the capture and relocation of new groups of bighorn to areas where they had once been exterminated and in the control of predators such as the mountain lion which could endanger some of the small, newly eslablished herds. He is a scientist in the true sense of the word. widely published in his field, totally objective in his studies, and personally and professionally dedicated 10 the survival of all endangered species - in particular, the bighorn. It has been my privilege to know John from the clays before I took up hang gliding. From our many discussions and a trip we once made into the mountains to observe the Seim1 bighorn in the late 1970 's, it is my opinion that John is the most expert individual alive in the esoteric art of observing the elusive bighorn. Furthermore, what John thinks about the interaction of our flying activities and the bighorn is much. much more important that what Chris Price or John Merrill or Rick Masters think because John is the recogni:ed authority - so we damned well better pay attention.

Price seems to miss the whole point of Wehausen 's concern when he draws John's integrity into question based on "only" two observations of sheep fleeing hang gliders.

First. John recognizes a clanger to the newborn bighorn young who are so uuerly

VIEWPOINT vital to the survival of the species. They do not have the strength to run after their mothers down the precipitous canyon slopes, then struggle back up to the rich forage areas of the Pellasier Flats. Therefore, the two examp Ies of "ewes with small lambs" abandoning the alpine feeding areas hold a greater significance than additional instances of adult sheep fleeing hang gliders which have been observed by John and others. Second, when observations such as these are made by a naturalist in a remote area covering over a hundred square miles, the chances of similar, unobserved instances occurring is extremely likely. Wehausen is telling us that he perceives a conflict between something in the way we fly and the well-being of the bighorn sheep.

He is experienced enough to recognize the source of the bighorn's fright. He also collects extensive data on the day-to-day activities of the animals and no doubt could tell Price exactly how many times sheep ran when there were no gliders present. But it must be recognized that what sheep do when there are no gliders present is not at issue here. The problem is the detrimental effect on sheep posed by hang gliders. As long as some ewes are fleeing down the canyons with their young, it hardly matters if others stay put.

The problem exists.

Price seems to sense a conflict in Wehausen 's observations that bighorn possess keen eyesight yet may become aware of hang gliders by the noise they make. However, I fail to understand his reasoning. I frequently first become aware of things by hearing them - airplanes, ravens, jets, hawks, mosquitoes ... if my eyesight was ten times as keen, I still would have to be looking in the direction of something to see it. He lost me. Becoming even more absurd, Price chides Wehausen for not explaining why a sheep could "possibly think that it could outrun an eagle." I suppose that Price would stand still if attacked by an eagle, knowing he could not outrun it? When threatened, bighorn seek the shelter of rocks.

As Wehausen explained, there are no rocks on the Pellasier Flats and the bighorn flee to the canyons. Price fails to understand how boulders, crevasses and outcrops could protect bighorn from a diving eagle. But whether or not he ever figures it out, again, it is not the issue. The issue is the effect of hang gliders on the bighorn. Ewes have been observed fleeing down canyons with their young. The problem exists. As a scientist, John Wehausen makes observations, collects data, and forms a hypothesis - a guess which attempts to explain why things occur as they do. If his

4

hypothesis seems to siand up to any conceivable test, it becomes a theory. A theory is a good guess, but it can still be proven wrong at any time by new, conflicting information. In behaviorial science one deals with probabilities. Therefore one's conclusions are not presented as facts but as liklihoods. It is quite evident by Price's criticism of John's very proper terminology that Price cannot tell the difference between scientists and bureaucrats.

I'm sure the U.S. Forest Service will get a big kick out of Price's attempt at humor when they read this. Ha11g G/idi11g is distributed to the Owens Valley libraries by the XCPA to promote our sport, and the Forest Service is a major employer here. Perhaps they will feel that Price and Merrill represent the voice of the majority - after all, there are no letters of rebuttal or letters in support of either Baker's or Wehausen 's articles. Thanks a lot, Gil Dodgen. Thanks a lot, USHGA. One step forward, one step back. You 're never going to get anywhere. My impression of this is that it demonstrates Price's real concern over what is happening. He could care less about the bighorn or any new evidence that indicates the method in which we conduct our activities has a broader impact on the environment than we had previously suspected. He is only concerned with himself and his fun and he expeels everyone to believe he is right.

There are two strategies involved with getting the things you want in life. One is confrontational politics and the other is reaching a compromise. Price seems to advocate confrontationalism: us against the Forest Service, us against the government, us against the special interest groups. But confrontational politics doesn't work from a position of weakness.

You get squashed. Does anybody think hang gliding is a power bloc? Don't kid yourself.

We will get what we need through cooperation, compromise, and willing self-restraint where necessary or we will get walked on.

The wonderful thing about our situation in the Owens Valley is that both the Forest Service and the wildlife biologists recognize the XCPA's willingness to deal with the problem in a realistic and timely manner, and rather than ban us from flying the Pellasier area altogether, they have left it to us to institute silent flying requirements and make recommendations to the hang gliding pilots who use the White Mountains to avoid low flights over the Flats until cornprehensi ve studies have been completed.

John Merrill's letter was somewhat more thought out, although still of the "us against them" mentality. He states that the real issue is not the bighorn but the desire of the Forest

Service to regulate hang gliding because it could not successfully regulate other government agencies. (That's a good one!) Then he says, "Hence, they direct the bulk of their directives, policies, permits, restrictions, (ad infinitum, ad nauseum), towards ... hang glider pilots." Nothing could be further from the truth. In 1984 the XCPA was required to procure only two permits, one for the management of Horseshoe Meadows and one for the Owens XC Championships. It was no big deal. If we had been marathon runners, motorcyclists, horse racers or a sports car club we would have had to go through the same procedure. You cannot make a case that we were singled out. As a matter of fact, it's been kind of nice working with the Forest Service people. They've gone out of their way to make things easier for us within the mindboggling governmental infrastructure they arc saddled with. The only unusual circumstance is the problem of the bighorn and this must be recognized as unique. It is only occurring on the Pellasier Flats and it is only caused by hang gliders. No one knows why powered aircraft do not seem to disturb the sheep.

Perhaps, as Wehausen speculates, the sheep have gotten used to them through the process of habituation. But this is not the issue. The issue is that hang gliders sometimes cause the bighorn ewes to flee down the canyons with their young, posing a hazard to the survival of an endangered species. Let me assure you of one thing. A solution to the problem will be found. It will be implemented by the people responsible for implementing solutions: the bureaucrats. The easiest solution is obvious ban hang gliders from the White Mountains.

But this is not happening and John Mcrrill 's argument falls apart because of it.

Due to our responsible behavior, outstanding record and willingness to participate in finding solutions (as evidenced in part by XCPA member Dennis Baker's excellent article in Hang Gliding), the proposed USFS mandatory minimum altitude requirements of 14,500 feet MSL 11orth of White Mou111ain was shelved in March on the recommendation of John Wehausen. This recommendation was made with the assurance of the XCPA that its members would endeavor to maintain a minimum 3,000 feet AGL in the immediate area of the Pellasier Flats east of the timberline until the ongoing studies are cornpleted. There is a strong possibility that silent gliders will be ignored by sheep and no restrictions will be needed. This summer we find out. But the studies will not be conelusive without our gliders being silenced and our voices kept soti when transmitting near

HANG GLIDING

AIRMAIL the Pellasier Flats.

The XCPA is indeed fortunate to have a friend in John Wehausen. John does not believe that hang gliding is inherently detrimental to the natural world. He is objective, intelligent. and suspects that the bighorn problem may be caused by our instruments rather than by our gliders. This is why the XCPA has enthusiastically endorsed the silent instrumentation policy. By flying only silent gliders in 1985, we can demonstrate that the bighorn were reacting to the sounds of the vario and radio speakers, and the pilot yelling at the radio - all amplified by the tight undersurface of the sail. making the glider seem closer than it really was and perhaps even fooling the bighorn into thinking a threat was nearby on the ground.

The Chris Prices of the world be forewarned. Silent instrumentation in the Owens is not a request, it is a federal requirement with stiff fines for failure to comply. Come to your senses or stay away from Owens Valley for 1985. We are doing fine without you!•

SCARED SHEEP Dear Editor.

I have never flown over the \Vhite Mountains so I can't say anything directly about hang gliders and their effect on the bighorn sheep there. I have talked to local pilots in the Owens who believe sound from our varios can bother the sheep. Given the scarcity of the bighorns in the Whites, I 'II gladly give the issue the benefit of the doubt and modify my vario for headphones.

What really bothered me about Chris Price's. and to a lesser extent. John Merrill's letters in the April issue was the self-centered naivite expressed in their attitudes toward the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies we pilots have to deal with.

Of course it would be nice if we didn't have to deal with any governmental bodies to tly. but. throwing tantrums and looking at the USFS as our enemy is an attitude worthy of a third-grader at best. As pilots. our needs arc no more "special" than those of dirt bikers.

ORV owners, loggers or real estate developers in regard to using the wilderness. Cooperation. friendliness and a willingness to police ourselves bejiJre we arc forced to, by the USFS or others, is the best way to preserve our autonomy. You can't have the sandbox all to yourself. Chris.

Bob Reiter Berkeley. CA

JUNE

]985

Dear Editor, Now that l am again a member in good standing I feel that I must adhere to my old daddy's dictum, "If you 're not part of the solution. they you 're part of the problem."

It seems that the hang gliding community is at odds with itself again. As a very interested but unwilling participant to this blood letting. let me first of all comment that both sides seem to have something to say. but cannot say it in such a way as to make the other side willing to hear what has been said.

The XCPA has been trying to save the Owens Valley for the hang gliding community to enjoy. I think that we all can agree that this is a noble objective. Likewise. the problems with the bighorn sheep raised many questions in my own mind, some of which were verbally raised in the April issue of Hang Gliding.

Whether or not these questions were silly, or even valid. matters not a bit. Each of us has our own background from which our lack of knowledge about a subject colors our perceptions. The questions have a right to be ansv.rercd.

The XCPA did an exccellent job in publishing the answers, and made an excellent point about getting what you want from life.

Let me quote: "... One is confrontational politics and the other is reaching a compromise." Whereupon XCPA advocates compromise and promptly uses confrontational politics. As a member of XCPA. I apologize to Chris Price for the tone of our newsletter, even though I can understand the feelings which produced it. You know folks. united we might still fall but with the suicidal tendencies shown lately we damn well ought to be on the endangered species list ourselves!

The Original Ohio Hang Glider Association (when there were no others in Ohio. and damn few elsewhere) will fly the Owens again this summer and we ll'il/ be silent. Why nor' It's not expensive and it definitely helps our hearing. And, if in doing it the big horn sheep arc disturbed no more, we 're all the winners.

tabulated all the responses on the questionnaires received. At the beginning of the report, I listed the percentage of forms received in each region and it was in this section only that I left out foreign forms.

The 1984 questionnaire provided us with a lot of valuable information. Now that I have figured a simple way to load the information into a computerized spread sheet, I have hopes that significantly more people will return forms next year.

I apologize for the wording that left anyone with the impression that I didn't feel their answers were important. It certainly is not the case.

Thanks John, for your donation and your comments.

Russ Locke Cupertino, CA

STRUTTED GLIDERS Dear Editor, Just a note in reference to Progressive Aircraft's claim that its Pro Dawn models 155 and 175 are the first and second gliders in modern history to be certified without top wires or bridle retlex lines.

The first strutted hang glider certified (in Germany and Switzerland) was the Firebird CX designed and built in Seeg, West Germany in 1981. It was in production for well over one year and 300 were built. Walter Schonauer of Switzerland flew the CX to a sixth place in the 1981 world championships in Beppu, Japan.

As the chief sailmaker and a test pilot for that particular project I wanted to set the record straight.

Luigi Chiarani Sylmar, CA

Robert Haverstraw Chesterland. OH

FOREIGN QUESTIONNAIRES Dear Editor, Eric Fair received a letter (along with a donation to the USHGA fund) from John Berer of Toronto, Canada. John was concerned about the fact that I lef! 28 foreign responses out of the "1984 USHGA Questionnaire Survey" statistics. He wondered why he and the other YI foreign pilots bothered to fill out the questionnaire. His point is well taken. I

ONCE EVERY SEVENTY-SIX YEARS!

HERE COMES HALLEY' Spread the news this summer with a unique T-Shirt based on a splendid French graphic from the comet's 1835 return.

Black on yellow-sand-gold-blue-lilac or white.

50/50 cotton-poly. Adult S-M-L-XL. Child XS-S-M-L. $8.75 ppd. Send check or M.O. to: HG DESIGNS, Box 33245J. Waverly Sta., Saito., MD 21218

L~~~~~~~~~~~~~___J

ENGELHARDT FLIES 130 MILES TO SHATTER EAST COAST DISTANCE RECORD Engelhardt flew a great circle distance of 130. I miles in April from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. The night shatters the previous cast coast distance record. Gary made the flight on his Wills Wing Duck, which qualifies him as the current leader in the quest for the $2,()00 Wills Wing XC contingency prize for the longest XC flight in the U.S. in 1985 on a Wills Wing glider. Congratula lions Gary'

ALLEGHENY XC CHALLENGE Herc arc the results of the recent fourth Allegheny XC Challenge: First Dave Deming with 44 miles, second Pete Marty Eiler with 30 miles, third Lehmann with 26 miles. Largest total Pete Lehmann with 85 miles.

BRIAN Mn;roN RECEIVES AWARD

AIRWAVE MAGIC IV

Airwave Gliders announces the release of the Magic IV. Based on the successful Magic Ill sail planform, the Magic IV incorporates a new airframe boasting lighter weight out in the span which has improved the handling, according to the manufacturer. New construction techniques and new materials have made for a more aesthetically pleasing airframe.

The Magic IV is available in three sizes: 155, 166, 177. Airwavc Gliders is making no great performance claims, but they feel all of the changes should tend toward an increase in performance.

The Magic IV is certified in accord-ancc with the requirements established by the British, German and Swiss certification boards. These standards arc recognized in international competitions world wide.

Airwavc Gliders USA is also happy to announce that it and Aero Sails Northwest will join efforts in the Seattle area.

Aero Sails, Seattle's oldest and largest hang gliding school, will provide the new location for Airwave Gliders USA. Airwave will ensure the hang gliding shops continued success while increasing parts availability and improving service of their lines.

The location of the new Airwavc Gliders USA shop is 800 Mercer St., Seattle, Washington 94710 (206) 622-8132, P.O. Box 1153, Mercer Island, WA 98040.

6

predicted. These conditions arc ideal for Tiger Mountain, our host site.

The pilot's meeting scheduled for 10:00 AM at the Airwave Glider's U.S. shop on Saturday, February 15 was brief.

Twenty or more pilots bolled up the mountain for what was, for many, to be the first flight of the year. Conditions proved to be as forecast and the pylon course was easily attainable.

All in all, the fund raising efforts were a triumph over the cheapskates. The weekend also proved to me that a scheduled fly-in docs not always get wcathcrcd·-out, but in any case, should he a lot of fun. We took in over $130' Many pilots went without their six-pack to donate to the World Team Fund.

Contributions made by: John Cook $50, Mark Kenworthy $10, Jim Lang $5, Dan Uchytil $5, Lee Fisher $5, George Runnels $5, Garry Reposa S5, Dennis Allen $5, Chris Hansen $10, C.J. Sturtc-· vant $5, George Sturtevant $5, Barney the Balast Bear $2, Eric Wilmoth $.63, Kamaron Blevins $5, Keith Lerew $2, Michelle Kendrick $.01, Spectators $2.50, Bob Welch $3, J,ancc Gene Matthews Chandler $5, Dave Linburg~·Trophy, Airwave Gliders --Sport Shirt.

photo by Bettina Gray

FLYER RESTORATION Brian Milton is to be honored by the British Hang Gliding Association as the person who has done the most for British hang gliding in their ten years of activity.

The award will be presented by Her Ma-· jcsty The Queen Elizabeth at the annual Royal Aero Club awards ceremony in London. Brian will also be representing the Blcriot Club in the yearly contest with the French. Johnny Carr is running this year's meet to be held in Wales, and of course, Milton is coaching the American team at the World cup.

SEATTLE WORLD TEAM FLY-IN Who would have thought that a scheduled fly-in could be such a success?

Weather forecast for the weekend was promising. Southwesterly flow accornpanicd by an unstable air mass was

Karl Heinze!, an aircraft technician on the National Air and Space Museum staff, was involved in the recovering project of the Wright Brothers' first powered aircraft. Working in a glass enclosed gallery in the museum, the NASM crew disassembled the aircraft prior to recovering and reassembly. Each part was photographed, and it was discovcrccl that previously published plans for the machine arc not correct. Writing and signatures of the Wrights on parts they had made were discovered by infrared photography under layers of dust and dirt. The Flyer was under water for several clays in a 1913 Dayton f'lood. The aircraft. was last recovered and repaired in 1926 by Orville Wright.

Karl flies hang gliders in the Maryland/Virginia area, and is an active member of the Capitol Hang Gliding

JIANG GLlDING

Chris Wilson, Steve Marcum, Kevin Wright, Frank Mitchell/Carl Wiseman, David Woods, Danny Stewart, Connie Henderson, Bob Buxton/Sarah Emmons, Scott Griffin and Wally Long/John Martin/Dan McManus/Matt Twickler, respectively.

The fly .. in raised $200 for the USHGA. For informat.ion on next year contact: Earl Christy, 909 Oak Dr., Dnrnngo, CO 8130! (303) 259-1033.

Association. Karl's work is one more in· stance of' a hang glider flyer making a contribution to aviation.

IYD SILVERTON FLY-IN FOR THE USHGA The sixth annual Silverton fly-in was rcccnlly held by the Four Corners Hang Gliding Association (chapter 80) near small 1nining town of Silverton, Colo .. rado. The tasks included a triangular pylon course, duration, and spot landing all in one flight. Jim Lee flew away with first place, Bob Carlton and Travis Olroyd tied fi:ir second. Bill Comstock took third in his Voyager, the only rigid wing in the meet. Dennis Morrison took fourth while one of the local boys, Van Walters, flew to fifth. Sixth to 17th place went to: Jeff Reynolds, Brad Green, Bruce Ruefcr/Paul Startz, Jim Whitelaw,

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JUN!'

1985

JUNE 6-9. Tow Instructor Clinic and Instructor Certification Program. Hastings, Nebraska. Contact: Mike King (208) 465-5593 or Lou Heinonen (208) 376-7245.

JUNE 9. Parks College Open House and Airshow, Cahokia, Illinois. Contact: PR Office, Parks College of St. Louis University, Cahokia, IL 62206.

JUNE 14-16. Hang Glider Heaven opening.

East coast fly-in. Contact: Doug Lawton (404) 476-5446.

JUNE 2~M!3. 13th Annual Cochrane Meet.

XC and target landing. Entry $30. Contact: Willi Muller, Box 4063, Postal Stn. C, Calgary, Alberta T2T 5M9 Canada (403) 250-2343.

JUNE 26-JULY 2. George Worthington Memorial Open. JULY 4-JULY HJ. Don Partridge Memorial Classic. The two events comprise the 1985 Owens Valley XC Championship. Contact: Rick Masters, Box 458, Independence, CA 93526.

JULY 4. First annual 4th of July fly-in and invitational aerobatic demonstration frorn 5,000' aero tow. Ellenville Airport, NY. Contact: Mtn. Wings Glider Shop, (914) 626-5555.

JULY 4-9. 4th Annual Chelan Classic, Chelan, WA. Open distance XC. Entry $40 or $100 in donations. Pilot's meeting 9 AM ,July 4 city park. Contact: Gene Dawkins, 14580 6th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98155 (206) 367-2434. Raised $1900 for Special Olympics last year, 344 CPS points last year for top pilot.

JULY 13-14. Aviation Expo '85 at Naval Air Station, Glenview, IL. Free.

JULY 13-21. 1985 U.S. National Championships, Chelan, Washington. Maximum 80 competitors.

GLIDING MAGAZINE WINS MAGGIE! On May 10, 1985 Hang Gliding was awarded a Maggie at the of the Western Publications held at the Airport Hilton in Angeles, CA. The Maggie is the of magazine publishing and the prestigious award to he earned by a in the western U.S. Details

13-21. U.S. Nationals, Chelan, Washington. Entry pre-registration of $100 MUST be received by June 28. Free tent camping. Contact: Mark Kenworthy, 17630 162 Place SE, Renton, WA 98058 (206) 255-0202.

23-28. Eighth Grouse Mt. World Invitational. Separate contest for men and women. $5,000 prize money. Entry $200.

Contact: Grouse Mt. Flying Team, 5690-176A St., Surrey, BC Canada V3S 4H1.

11MB. Sun Valley Spectacular. Contact: Mike~ King, P.O. Box 746, Nampa, ID 83653 (208) 465-5593.

17-18. Seventh Annual Can-Arn hang gliding challenge at Black Mtn., Washington. Contact: Steve Best, 1633 C Stephen St., Vancouver, BC V6K 3V4 (206) 293-3282.

17-25. 1985 Masters of Hang Gliding.

Contact: Joe Foster, Grandfather Mt., Linville, NC 28646.

31-SEPT. 2. Eighth Annual 94 ROCK/Free Spirit hang gliding festival, held at Draht Hill (Jerusalem Hill) Elmira, NY. $1,000 plus trophies. Team and open competition. Beginner to Advanced.

Ultralights, towing, aerobatics, camping.

Pre-registration necessary. Contact: Free Spirit Flight HGCI, P.O. Box 13, Dept. HG, Elmira, NY 14902. !M2. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association convention and industry exhibit. Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Contact: Patricia Weil (301) 695-2156.

NOV. 30. 1985 !'legion 7 XC Challenge. Open distance XC for any flight originating in Region 7, foot-launch or tow. Sanctioned. $10 entry. Contact: John Sachmeister, Northern Sky Gliders Assn., P.O. Box 365, Minneapolis, MN 55440.

7

MILE UN-OFFICIAL RECORD Rick Rickles

was August, just three days hefore the start of fall semester at college, when my sister, Nikki, and I decided to venture into the Owens Valley to sec what the two or us and my 229 Raven could accomp-· lish. The weather looked promising, so we packed up and headed out on a late night drive from LA. The spontaneity our trip left us without a retrieval crew and made hitch-hiking our only mode of transportation around the valley.

When we arrived at Horse Shoe Meadows takeoff at JO AM, the temperature had already climbed to 80 degrees. Only a small breeze came up the hill, but the steep drop-off helped launch us. With my sister weighing in at only 115 pounds, our gross weight was approximately 350 pounds. That is a nice flying weight for the 229 Raven. We took off at 11:15 and headed toward the left spine to be certain of being in landing field range. The lift was light and quite marginal, allowing only a handful of pilots to get above launch. However, the clouds were already beginning to overdevelop at higher altitudes. Leaving the first ridge at 10.5k (10,000 feet) we proceeded to fly north up the back side of the Sierras. Jumping from ridge lo the lift remained light because the cloud cover shaded much of the ridges.

Progress was slow (about seven mph), and the cloud conditions were getting worse.

I found that even though my sink rate was higher and my glide speed traumatically lower than the Sensors and C2's that were also in the air, I was able to keep up with the best of them and eventually pass most of them. I attributed this to the fact that in light Iii'! one spends a higher percentage of time ther malling than gliding lo the next ridge.

Since the Raven has lighter handling and a tighter turning radius, I could stay in and utilize small thermals more efficiently.

The highest we got was 12k to cloud

8

base as we approached the town of Jndcpenclencc. By this time the cloud cover was almost total and rain began to fall. It was then that Nikki realized the importance of warm weather gear. Because of the hot August weather, I had a difficult time convincing her to dress for subzero temperatures. The rain drilled us clown al the fish hatchery just north of Incle· pcndcncc. As we made our approach, I had Nikki move around behind me for maximum protection in the event of a had landing. The spot I picked to land had a slight slope to it that I could only sec upon final approach. Nikki just about had a heart attack as we streaked just five feet off the ground for two hundred yards, trying to land. We finally settled down more than three hours after takeoff, making 23 miles. Even though our flight was short of the 33-milc record, I thought it was fairly good for the first day.

The next clay Nikki, not being used to so many hours in the air, had a sore neck, and I had a swollen eye from a bug bite the night before, however, the day looked great and our spirits were high. I think Nikki brought all the spare clothing in the car, remembering the day bcl<irc. When we took off a little later that day (11:45 AM), the thermals were

very marginal and many pilots got again. We scratched around in of launch 30 minutes before getting enough to make some miles. Cloudwas up to 14k, so I could show the incredible beauty of Mount and the west side of the We had to get to at least Bk we could peak over the ridge and down into the valleys on the west There arc thousands of varying size green lakes with snow fields the barren slopes. The rock forare dramatic to say the least. J to fly over Mount Whitney, but it too far hack on the ridge. I clipped in the clouds to show Nikki what it and to be in nowhere land there is no up or clown, forward backward, truly a dimensionless The experience of flying in such a took my breath, and Nikki, hav· only a few hours of air time, was away. Flying tandem helps me and appreciate what it is like be seeing the sky for the first time. cannot explain the experience of a bird, but flying tandem makes it to share the experience with all earth-bound friends.

Rick Rickles and sister Nikki set an unofficial 55-mile tandem record in !heir Raven 229.

HANG 0UDIN(i

MILESTONES As we continued up the ridge, the lift grew stronger, and the higher performing gliders started showing their advantage by pulling away, however, I was able to increase my average speed to 12-15 mph.

The thermals, though late in the season, were living up to Owens' reputation by pegging out my vario to 1,000+ fpm. At one point we hit a bad rotor and went from 800 up to free fall for a hundred feet or so. Nikki screamed so loud that I think she single-handedly scared all the big horn sheep down to the flat lands.

As a passenger Nikki is ideal for cross country flight. She does not get air sick or freak out, on the contrary, she likes me to do acrobatics that I will not do with passengers. She is also a joy to be with and loves to fly! For such a frail body, she is one tough cookie! After a couple hours in a knee hanger harness, Nikki got sore and uncomfortable. She tried every position from sitting up to turning around backward (which gave an interesting perspective on the view).

After three hours Nikki got tired and took a nap. How it was possible I did not know, but she did. I was concerned that she might have suffered from lack of oxygen and hypothermia, so I kept an eye on her at higher altitudes.

Between Independence and Big Pine we got low (8.5k), because the clouds were again over-de\'eloping and it was raining. I was scratching around on the lower slopes when a hawk came by and took mercy upon us and showed me a decent thermal, which I took back up to 14k cloudbase. Along the way I encountered another hawk that did not like us in his territory. He started to dive on us with his wings tucked back and talons down. Fortunately, he did not make contact. Upon reaching cloudbase I was ready to make the 15-mile jump across the valley to theWhite Mountains. There was an unusual cloud crossing the valley with us. It was raining, so I decided to stay on the up-wind, southside of it. By this time my arms were cramped, so I had Nikki give me a shoulder and neck massage. There are some ad vantages to having a passenger on an XC flight! Also during the crossing she helped me hold

JUNE

1985

the control bar in. It seemed that the cloud was helpful, because I arrived at Black Mountain about half way up the slope, higher than I had ever arrived in my Fledge III during previous flights.

Ironically, the same cloud that gave me all that lift while crossing the valley shaded Black Mountain, leaving me with only marginal ridge lift from a 20 mph wind out of the south. Looking up the ridge, I saw a beautiful cloud street for the whole length of the whites; all I had to do was get up there, tuck the bar to my knees and wait for 100 miles to come up. I made the mistake of turning north toward sunnier slopes, but the wind was too cross for any decent thermals. (One pilot that day, Scott, did make it up at Black Mountain. The last I heard of him on my radio he was somewhere past White Mountain.) After 4:15 hours we finally landed five miles north of Big Ears. To the best of my knowledge, our 55-mile tandem excursion is an unofficial world record.

We got a ride to Bishop with a few friends and spent three hours walking and hitch-hiking back to our car. There was no question in my mind that the flight was well worth the effort. The beauty and excitement of the journey make up for any shortcomings we experienced.

Tandem hang gliding can be a lot of fun when done safely and properly. I want to urge anybody who wants to practice this technique of flying to use the proper equipment, and know the glider you will be using before you fly tandem.

Even if you are a Hang IV with a lot of hours, you will need someone who is skilled in tandem flying to instruct you on the procedures. Tandem flying is a whole new skill, and you should not risk anyone else's life while you are learning.

Also, get someone who is certified to sign you off for an exemption #3875 Part 103, so you can stay legal with the FAA. Tandem hang gliding is still in its infancy, but is growing rapidly. There are still no official records in any of the twoplaced hang gliding categories. I would like to invite all you tandem pilots to grab your wives, girlfriends and

boyfriends (as the case may be), and get out there with your barographs and set some records. I will be back in the Owens next year to break the 100 mile barrier officially, and get some more of that high adventure!•

MY HIGHEST HIGH

by John Flatte

Ir

was Saturday, March 23, 1985. After listening to a good forecast on the weather radio I loaded up my glider and the family and headed out to our local northwest site: a four-hundred-foot high ridge in the Boston mountains of Northwest Arkansas. It wasn't long until some other local pilots arrived.

The wind was cycling in at five mph to 20 mph. I set up quickly and was the first one off the hill. My little Superlancer 180 climbed out in the ridge lift and in two passes I was up to 600' above. The first thermal I encountered took me to 3,000 feet. I lost this one and sank back down to 100 feet above takeoff before I finally hit another. I cranked this one up to 4,400 feet. At this point I saw Troy Fant, a pilot from Tulsa, Oklahoma turning his C2 165 in a big one out over the Valley. I flew out and joined him in this one. The lift was strong and punchy.

In no time we had passed 6,000 feet.

Right here I should tell you that I have less than two years flying experience.

My previous personal best altitude gain was 1,400 feet. I was feeling great as I left this thermal at 6,600 feet.

These were blue thermals in a clear sky. With no clouds forming, Troy continued up and went downwind for an carly season XC flight of 35+ miles. As of this writing he leads the Region 6 XC challenge with this flight, My biggest mistake was wearing my spring-time gear Ct-shirt, Levi jacket and no gloves). I was freezing and couldn't feel my fingers but I played around over the valley, thermalling with my brother, Warren Flatte, for an hour before the cold forced me down.

Warren was better dressed for the cold

9

MILESTONES than I. He stayed up thermalling in his C2 165 and climbed to 8,200 feet.

Without realizing it at the time, he broke the Region 5 altitude gain record with a gain of 7,800 feet above takeoff. The former record holder is Roy Mahoney of Poteau, OK at 7,700 feet above takeoff.

Another Tulsa pilot, Mel Hair, also had a nice long flight in his Attack Duck and climbed to 8,000 feet at one point.•

1984 OKLAHOMA XC REVIEW

by Steve Michalik and Chuck Hall

Ji

was Saturday, September I, at Buffalo Mountain, Oklahoma and the cloud streets were starting to form early. By 12 o'clock it was promising enough that the cloud base pilots started launching. It was the largest number of pilots flying this year. By the end of the day, Troy Fant (a Tulsa, Oklahoma pilot flying his C2 165) was to take all the marbles. He vectored his glider on a northwest heading for a great circle distance of 84.5 miles. This was an all time straight line distance record for Region VI and held up to the end of the year so that Troy picked up the Region VI XC yearly championship. He was joined by many others who were out to reach personal goals or just take what Mother Nature had to offer, which included thermals topping out at 6,500' AGL.

Many were first timers to go for it.

After all, there was six miles of solid pines between launch and the first landing field over the back. A secure glide calls for a minimum of 3,500' AGL before making an attempt. Steve Daleo, a Kansas City pilot, and Dave Prevatt from Emporia, Kansas, both flying Wills Wing Ducks flew to Bengal, Oklahoma for a distance of eight miles. Yogi Dick logged 18 miles with his Duck to Red Oak, Oklahoma and Scott Greenawalt and Dave Duecker flew 35 miles to Stigler, Oklahoma on their Streak and Harrier respectively. Dave Morton, Comet, made 37 miles to Stigler, Oklahoma while Steve Michalik and Mike O'Leary, Comets, flew 53 miles to Weber Falls, Oklahoma. Bruce Mahoney, WW Duck, made 55 miles to Gore, Oklahoma. Dave Duecker and his WW Harrier recorded the longest known flight on a single surface glider. The total flown this day was well over 380 miles, which is quite an achievement from a 1,200' AGL mounlain in a state known for its flat lands.

The rest of the flying season this year was less than "misty." January started out with great expectations with two-hour flights being logged, but this was also a hint of things to come as the ceiling of attainable altitude was shut off that day at 2,000' AGL. The old inversion layer seemed ever present throughout the season. On the numerous days when the inversion layer was absent, the winds

would be crossed from the west.

June 3rd teased us somewhat. Thermals were topping at about 3,700' AGL, which is borderline to go for it. Mark Stump, an Arkansas pilot, decided to go for it. Since he is not real familiar with the area, he radioed for advice about two miles north, and then changed his mind.

Many visited cloud base but none opted to exploit the conditions.

The last week in June brought the ceiling to 3,500' AGL which was good enough for several XC flights from Heavener (1977 Nationals) and Cavanu Mt. They ranged from 12 to 35 miles.

On July 8th another record was set.

Bruce Mahoney, a Tulsa pilot on a WW Duck, hooked a tow from a car at Inola, Oklahoma and flew 81.6 miles to Agra, Oklahoma. This, to our knowledge, is the longest flight from tow in the region.

At least it is in Oklahoma.

August, for the most part, was sled city. Historically, however, late August and early September heralds the annual occurrence of the break down of the strong dominant summer high pressure and the break through of the fall low pressure from the northwest which brings the best time for cross country in Oklahoma. We are slowly creeping toward a 100-mile flight and we'll bet an old broken down tube that 1985 will be the year.•

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Warrender

pilots don't just sit around wishing they could do something to further their favorite sport. They do it. Such a pilot is Rochelle White, who recently wrote a large quantity of letters to miscellaneous TV news shows in an effort to get one interested in filming hang gliding.

After some months of waiting, Rochelle was contacted by 'Two on the Town,"a southern California TV news magazine show. "Two on the 'fown" covers all rmm·· ner of interesting topics from local events and activities to world travel and entertainment.

According to the show's producer, who spoke at length with a group of California pilots, television has been reluctant to cover hang gliding because of' an incident with an eastern newscaster some time back. The news host had decided to try hang gliding.

That was all very well, except that he got a glider and ran off a hill without any previous instruction. Not surprisingly, he was killed. This accident created a very bad public image for hang gliding and since then television programs have avoided having anything to do with it. But Rochelle's enticing leltcr, which promised "Two on the Town" 011 .. board shots, tandem flights, women fliers, and smoke .. lJomb acrobatics, changed lhc media's mind. "Two on the 1<>wn" contacted Rochel le and told her they wanted to do a news report on hang gliding.

They wanted 10 film a number of pilots and interview them to dtcrmine the state or hang gliding today.

In league with Joe Grcblo, Ken deRussy, and other Southern California pilots, Rochelle decided to hand pick eighteen pilots to film launches, landings, and interviews for the "Two on the 'fown" film crew. In order to show the public that hang gliding is not just a sport done by virile young men, Joe and Rochelle invited pilots of a variety ol' types and age groups. Senior pilots .Jack Jnngerman, 70, and Tim Cobb, 4."i, came along to demonstrate that you're never 100 old to fly hang gliders. Seven accomplished women pilots were asked along to prove that hang gliding is no! something beyond the scope or females. The rest of the company consisted of virile young men from Elsinore, LA., and the Santa Barbara areas.

The site selected as filming location was Rincon, a closed site south of Santa Barbara on the coast. While the site is seldom soarablc due to the stable coastal air, it is a classically lovely site. Special arrangements were made with Mike Arrambide to obtain entrance lo lhc 2,200' grass-covered moun· lain launch that sports a spectacular view of

JUNE ]()85

the California coastline and miles or seascape. The landing area is a three-mile .. long stretch of beach bordered by lapping waves on one side and sandy cliffs 011 the other. This site was chosen so that hang gliding would be presented at its most picturesque.

As always seems to be the case when get:;ome flights in is important, the flying day with a series of problems. On the ride up the hill, site host Mike Arrambide was confronted with a locked gate from which his own lock had been removed. But Mike Meier leaped to the rescue with a seven-inch-long key chain filled with master lock exclaiming "there's only so many to those master locks," and beginning to try every one. The gate was thus opened in a few seconds.

At launch the wind was quite cross. But this could be gotten around by running somewhat sideways off the hill. The pressure was on to produce a safe launch in front of' the camera since stuffing it would enhance the old negative public image. Fortunately all launches were adequately executed.

The on-board camera produced the next problem, as it refused to function properly when mounted on a diver. This held up the

OPPOSITE, TOP: Ken flies his HP with streamers and flag. Photo by Bill Bennett. INSET: The Wills Wing in an aerobatic ballet. Photo by Baker. THIS PAGE, ABOVE: Producer Roberta Dunn, left, and film crew of Two On The ]bwn. Photo by Craig Baker. RIGHT: Joe Greblo launches tandem with producer Roberta Dunn.

Photo by Bill Bennett.

firs1 launches for some hours since the film crew did not want to begin until all was ready. Meanwhile the pilots on the hill watched the lovely scene below gradually disappear behind wisps of clouds until no land was visible below at all. The site re· maincd socked in fi.ir nearly an hour until the cameras were finally ready 10 roll. Then windows opened so that everyone could launch.

Later in the day landings were filmed. The camera crew was treated to an aerial smoke .. bomb ballet by the Wills Wing along with some classic target knee-landings and into the sunset shots. The TV show's pretty young producer was gutsy enough to try a tandem flight with Joe Greblo. Naturally she was quite thrilled with the experience.

The day concluded with several pilots heasked to talk about hang gliding on camera. The point was made that hang glid safety record has improved tremend · ously over the last few years due to improved design and testing methods as well as to qua]. ity instruction. The goal of creating a positive public image to encourage new 11icrs to take up the sport got an enormous boosl this day. II

•

by Paul Burns

of my favorite soaring sites in Southern California is Torrey Pines. Herc, at !his coastal cliff site, local hang gliding pilots can enjoy hundreds of hours of soaring each year. Pacific sea breezes provide reliable light wind conditions from spring through fall, with stronger winds gcncralcd by winter storms. In order to cxploil the maximum hours of airtime, a pilot must choose a glider which will soar light winds effectively yet perform well in stronger con-ditions also.

For several years, the Sensor has dominated the skies above 1brrcy Pines, pro· ving on a daily basis its outstanding sink rate performance. Having flown both the 180 and J60 V.G. at this site prior to this evaluation, I was already convinced that the Sensor is an outstanding coastal soaring machine, but I was unccrlain of its capabilities in soaring rnonntain thcrrnals. My limited exposure had led me to categorize the Sensor's handling qualities as "stiff and sluggish" in com· 14

parison to other popular designs. (It is fair to point out !hat the frequency of my flights on the Sensor had been about one 30-minute flight per month.)

Travelling to the Santa Barbara area, I visited the Sccdwinds factory. My objective was to pick up the Sensor 510 V.G. furnish· eel for this evaluation. Entering the building through the rear door, I was impressed with the tiddy organization and well lighted 4,000 square.foot facility. I was grcatcd by Bob Trampcnau, owner/designer, who gave me the "grand tour." Beginning in the front office, he showed me their new computer which helps organize the office in the price list, mailing list and inventory departments.

As we walked through the shop, Bob CX· plained the various steps in manufacturing the Sensor 51() V.G., pointing out the sophisticated set of jigs used to ensure accuracy of all rigging and frame components.

Inspecting the sail area, Bob proudly drew my attention to the abundance of reinforce··

mcnt points and the use of selected materials aimed at sail longevity. Mylar is sewn into the wingtip panels to provide abrasive protection and rigidity to ensure sail cleanliness at higher airspeeds. Webbing is sewn into the rib pocket ends to protect against batten pocket "blow outs." Webbing is also sewn on the inside face of the nose rib pocket to pro· tcct against possible crosstubc abrasion. All Sensor 510 V.G.s arc available with white trailing edge panels only, using calendered, durapcrm cloth. Trampcnau explains that this cloth is the most stable and stretch resistant material available without using Sand· wich mylars. With the addition of the Kevlar band sewn into the trailing edge, new 510 sails should provide years of fluttcr .. frcc soar.. ing performance. Additionally, generous use of wctsuit·lypc foam is displayed on the frame. Large pads surround the crosstubc/ leading edge junction, and similar padding encloses the crosstubc center junction and associated mounting plates and hardware.

HANG GLIDING

Foam pads also clot the crossbars at points where the rib pockets intersect the bar, to avoid sail abrasion when inserting and removing ribs.

This well-thought-out array of protection against sail wear may go largely unnoticed by the casual observer, as it is only visible from inside the double surface. I find this attention to detail impressive, and encourage competing manufiu:turcrs to follow Seed· wings' lead in this area.

Before leaving the Sccdwings factory, I discussed set-up procedure with Bob, as time did not permit an actual demonstration. On my return home, l recalled a recent encounter with a new Sensor owner who was going through his first set-up on his brand new 160 V.G. After several failed atternpts to install the fiberglass tips, he enlisted the assistance of an "expert" Sensor pilot who made the procedure look easy. I hoped there would he an expert around for my own initial set-up.

It was with :;ome apprehension that I started setting up the Sensor 510 for the first lime. Surprisingly, I found the procedure lo he basically the same as many other current models with only a few exceptions. The glider flown for this report was equipped with faired down tubes, however, the con· trol bar assembly is accomplished with a pip pin (same as its round tuhed counterpart).

Fasten the front flying wires with a pippin and stand the glider on the control bar. Spread the wings to about three-fourths full extension. Then raise the king post and fosten the rear landing wire with the pip pin. Next at· tach the bridle lines to the outside of the rear wire. Insert nine top surface main and half ribs per side, beginning at the root section.

Do not install the two ribs nearest the tip at this time. Tension the wing by pulling the V.G. string and secure the crossbar limit cable with pip pin. Thread the V.G. string through the jam cleat. Now install the fiberglass tips. This procedure requires some practice, but is not difficult to master. Now insert the two ribs nearest the tip, the nose rib, and three bottom surface battens per side. With some practice this task can be performed by one person in 20 minutes. Should strong winds present a problem the wing can quickly be laid flat on the ground.

Having never flown the Sensor in the mountains, I was interested in my ability to handle this design in thermal soaring conditions. That time wasn 'l far off, as I found myself setting up the Sensor V.G. a few clays later at Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley is an inland site on the Santa Rosa Plateau near Temecula, California. Not really a mountain, takeoff is situated facing south at the edge of the plateau where it drops some 700 feet to the valley. This site has a reputation for tricky takeoff and landing conditions and has very unforgiving terrain ·- not the best site for my first thcrmalling adventure with the Sensor 510.

Takeoff was no problem with a wire assist in IO to 15 mph winds. Encountering my first thermal, I initiated a left turn. A bit of "muscle" was required before any response was noticed from the glider. Once in the thermal core, the Sensor required only minimal control input to remain centered.

After topping out the first thermal at around 1,000 feet above launch, I turned up wind and glided for several n1inutcs, /lying over the valley searching for another thermal.

After dropping back down to takeoff eleva-

tion, I found a small "pop" of about 200 feet per minute. As I started to roll the wing into the lift, I pushed out on the bar instead of pulling in for speed, as I had clone previously. This time, the Sensor respond· eel more quickly. I found that once bank is established, a "hump" to the high side seems to stabilize roll nicely, and turn coordination is accomplished with application of pitch control. Some overbanking posed an early problem, hut by the end or this one-hour flight, I was starting to foci comfortable.

Concl itions began to deteriorate as I tu med clown wind to set up my approach to top land on the plateau some distance down wind of the takeoff point. Although I was a bit apprehensive about this maneuver, the Sensor delighted me with a perfect no-step landing.

The next clay found me on the Ortega Mountains above Lake Elsinore, setting up at the popular Edwards Bowl site. On this day, light winds generated "scratchablc" ridge lift and a good lapse rate created some light thermals to 5,000' MSL. After set-up and prc--!light, I moved the Sensor through a wind shadowed area, and discovered a slightly "nose heavy" static balance. With the light headwind on launch (to eight mph) the wing balanced nicely, and takeoff was accomplished easily. Once in flight, I was greeted by zero lift and sink at times of 300 foct per minute. I pulled the V.G. string tight, and hoped I could glide to a resident ther· ma!. Not only did I make the distance, I wa:; treated to the bonus of arriving with a couple of hundred feet of altitude as well. The resident was working and provided a nice 200 l)Jm thermal. Rolling the Sensor into the lift was becoming easier now, and coordina·· lion or turns more consistent. I still needed

Detail of variable geometry mechanism on the Sensor 510 V.G.

JUNE

1985

[5

to define my control inputs more keenly, however, as at times overbanking was still a problem. I was able to gain 2,300' above launch during a two-hour flight, ending with a great landing in light winds. Although still a little confused at times, I felt good about my flight, and my confidence was building.

A few more days were spent flying at Hidden Valley and Torrey Pines, and my control skills were improving with each flight.

My last flight for this evaluation on the Sensor was a memorable one. I had travelled to San Bernardino, California to Marshall Peak near the popular Crestline site. A down wind condition greeted my arrival at the Pinc Crest Air Park landing area, but there were signs of a possible change. Optimistically, we started up the hill. Arriving at launch, the wind was blowing up at 5-8 mph and puffy cumulus clouds dotted the sky above the mountains. Well out over the valley a convergence was visible, but appeared to be several miles away and out of gliding distance. After set-up and pre-flight, I moved the glider to the takeoff. By now, the puffy clouds had increased in area and shrouded the entire mountain in shadow. I waited for a light wind and ran off into the awaiting down cycle. Flying for several minutes, my course traced a route over two usually reliable them1al sources. My vario, however, continued to register down. At a point some 500 feet below launch, I found a weak thermal and began circling, working the 0-100 fpm lift for some time. Once again level with launch, the lift began to increase in strength to 500 fpm. Climbing to around 800 feet above launch, the thermal became quite turbulent and then abruptly dissipated. Again, I started gliding on a heading for the landing zone. The air was uniformly turbulent as I proceeded. Near the landing zone, I focused on the flag which showed a light tail wind.

I continued to glide toward the line of convergence and soon the air smoothed out. The vario read 0-200 fpm clown, a pleasant change from the 500-300 fpm down I had experienced for the past few minutes. Soon the vario began to chirp as I encountered some weak lift at 700 feet above the ground.

I began to circle to buy some time to assess the situation. Still a few miles from the convergence, I patiently worked the weak bubble and climbed 1,000 feet in 50-100 fpm lift.

Climbing another 1,000 feet, the lift increased to 200 fpm, then 300, then 500. My drift was taking me ever closer to the convergence.

At 7,000' MSL, the vario was registering 1,000 fpm lift that carried me to 9,000' MSL 16

and brought me to the edge of the by now very well defined convergence line. I could see the line was moving toward the landing area, but was several miles away. I decided to bide my time by flying along the shear until conditions in the landing area improved. Flying at speeds between 25-40 mph, I completed a couple of laps over a 12-milc course at altitudes between 7,000' - 8,000 '.

Another great landing only a few feet from the target brought this flight to a fitting conclusion.

This flight helps to illustrate the high degree of performance versatility offered by the Sensor's variable geometry. With the string in the loose setting, the Sensor pilot can enjoy slow flight speeds and the ability

to execute 360° turns at a small diameter, useful for working small weak thermals effectively. Roll control is also enhanced with the V.G. loose, as the wing responds to control more quickly and with less effort than in the tight position.

When gliding between thermals, pulling the string tight will achieve maximum glide performance and speed range, without sacrificing sink rate performance.

When landing the Sensor, always try to set up a long straight final approach at an airspeed of best LID or slightly faster. The Sensor will fly at an incredibly slow speed in ground effect, so be patient with your flare. Properly timed, an aggressive flare results in near zero ground speed landings

SEEDWINGS SENSOR 510 160 Sq. Ft. Variable Geometry Box Scores (Scale of 1-5) General Characteristics: Set-up time/ease ......................................................... 4 Ground handling ......................................................... 4 Static balance ........................................................... 4 Frame hardware/finish .................................................... 5 Sail quality/craftsmanship ................................................. 5

Flight Characteristics: Handling, low airspeeds ................................................... 4 Handling, high airspeeds .................................................. 5 Bar pressure, roll ........................................................ 4 Bar pressure, pitch ....................................................... 5 Roll control initiation ..................................................... 4 Roll reversal (45 ° to 45 °) ................................................. .4 Yaw stability ........................................................... .4 Turn coordination ........................................................ 4 Speed range ............................................................. 5 Sink rate performance .................................................... 5 Glide angle performance .................................................. 5

Landing Characteristics: Flare authority .......................................................... 4 Parachute-ability ......................................................... 3 Directional control at "mush" speed ......................................... 4

Sensor 510 160 V.G. (66 lbs.) + 170 lb. pilot

1.4 lb./sq. ft. wing loading

Stall speed, V.G. loose = 16 mph Top speed, V.G. loose = 53 mph Stall speed, V.G. tight = 17 mph Top speed, V.G. tight = 55 mph

HANG GLIDING

with consistency. Should your timing be in error, prepare to run a little, as the nose will have a tendency to drop through. Although the Sensor will remain directionally controllable at very low airspeeds, this design retains a remarkable level of both sink rate and glide performance, which requires some attention on landing.

In recent years, Seedwings has gained recognition as a leader in high performance sail wing technology. Through the development of the Sensor, designer Bob Trampenau has introduced many original ideas and structural component applications to the industry. The most obvious of these Trampenau originals might be the fiberglass Sensor curved tips, first introduced on the 210 model in 1976. The same year saw development of the first known enclosed crosstube design, and composite aluminum and fiberglass shaped ribs for airfoil definition with reflex for dive recovery. And most recently he has introduced the variable geometry system seen on the current 510 series. Designer Trampenau is proud of his contributions to hang gliding technology, and gladly accepts his role as the leader in performance innovation. Although his success is apparent, Trampenau it seems, is never satisfied, as development of new ideas is an ongoing activity.

The Sensor 510 V.G., in my opinion, is well deserving of its advanced or above pilot rating requirement. "New" Sensor pilots may require a period of from 15-30 hours of airtime to become completely familiar with the subtle handling characteristics of this design. In addition, adaptation of pilot judgment is mandatory when dealing with higher levels of speed range and performance. Even the most perceptive pilot may fly this design 50 hours before fully mastering its unique handling qualities and developing the ability to maximize the outstanding performance capabilities of the Sensor.

Although the 510 V.G. is not overly difficult to fly, it does seem to require close attention on the part of the pilot. Certainly, in time, flying the Sensor can become second nature, but this familiarization period may present the need for some pilots to modify their style accordingly.

These qualities were summed up with a fair bit of accuracy by a well known "Elsinore sky ape" following an introductory demo flight on the Sensor 160 V.G. (continued on page 28)

JUNE

]985

SENSOR 160 V.G. Price Breakdown 1984 Sensor 510, all sizes, standard model ....................... .

Variable geometry system device, plus calendared dacron and kevlar bead trailing edge ............................... .

Streamlined kingpost and control bar ............................ .

Surfcoat mylar leading edge overlay ............................. .

Half ribs ................................................... .

$2,295.00 300.00 100.00 25.00 125.00

Sensor 510 165 sq. ft. Standard Model

~:~

·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·_ ·. ·_ ·_ ·_ ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·_ ·. ·. ·. ·_ ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·_ ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·_ ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·..16(/:~~ ~:

Aspect ratio ........................................................... 7.3 Glider weight ....................................................... 67 lbs.

Pilot weight range .............................................. 145-225 lbs.

Sensor 510 180 sq. ft. Standard Model

~r::·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.-1s/:~~ ::: Aspect ratio ............................................... · .. · · · - · · · · -6. 9 Glider weight ....................................................... 68 lbs.

Pilot weight range .............................................. 160-240 lbs.

SEEDWINGS SENSOR 510 160 sq. ft. Variable Geometry Span .............................................................. 34.8 ft.

Area ........................................................... 161 sq. ft.

Aspect ratio .......................................................... 7.52 Glider weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 66 lbs.

Pilot weight range .............................................. 145-225 lbs.

FRAME COMPONENTS

. edge mboard .

Leadmg ........................................ - . . 2" X 11 .8 ft · Outboard leading edge ......................................... l:Vt X 11.5 ft.

Keel tube ............................................ 1·%' X .049" x 10.5 ft.

Cross tube w/4' innerslceve .............................. 2 \/2" X .049" X 9 ft.

King post (round) ........................ lYt x .058" w/innersleeve l" X .035" Down tube (round) ....................... lYs'' X .058" w/innersleeve l" X .035" King post streamlined ............. 27,,£' x lY. 6 " x .035" w/1" x .058" innersleeve Down tube streamlined ....... 27,,£' x 1Y.~' x .035" w/1" X .035 ....... innersleeve Base Tube ..................................................... lYs'' x .058" Nose rib ....................................................... 'h,, x .035 Wing ribs ...................................................... 3/s' X .035" All rigging is aircraft quality stainless steel.

All flying wires are 3hl' x 7 x 7 Front to rear landing wires are %-l' X 7 X 7 Side landing wires are Ys'' X 7 X 19 Bridle wires are Y.t X 1 X 19

17

TOW LINES

Introduction To A New Column

by Dean Batman

Towing has finally earned its place in the hang gliding community, and we owe most of it to Donnell Hewett. Congratulations Donnell on receiving this year's Ed Guardia Trophy. I should also mention that Bill and Steve Moyes, Bill Bennett, Dennis Pagen, Jean-Michel Bernasconi and the Florida flyers have been very instrumental in bringing towing to the hang gliding community. Towing received much attention at the last USHGA Board of Directors meeting and as a result you will be seeing a new set of rules for towing, as well as regular articles in Hang Gliding magazine. Towing has been broken down into two categories, surface and air-to-air. This ai1icle will be about surface towing and Jean-Michel Bernasconi will write about air-to-air towing.

Let me tell you that I do not pretend to be, nor want to be an expert on towing, even though I have been doing it for 16 years. To start off with an "ex" is a has been, and I am very much still here, although my wife questions that at times.

Secondly "pert" means bold, and I am sure that you all have heard that "there are bold pilots and there and old pilots, but there are no old bold pilots," and she says I sure am old. It seems that each time I go out I learn something new, and that is not all bad. Since our tallest mountains in Indiana and Illinois are about 30 feet high, we had to tow in order to get above 30 feet. And since we were water skiers, it just seemed natural to tow hang gliders behind a boat, which is not all bad because this opened the door to soaring "Carp gas."

The two things that can and do cause towing accidents are overconfidence and carelessness. As long as the pilot keeps these under control, towing is no more dangerous than foot launch. Some ex-

18

amples of overconfidence would be towing in a very strong cross wind and thinking, "I can handle it"; not wearing a helmet and thinking "I will make a good landing"; in the case of water towing, flying without flotation and thinking, "Sure I can put it on land or in shallow water." The most important one is using inexperienced crew members and thinking, "I am good enough that I can handle any mistakes that they may make." Some cases of carelessness are: not doing a thorough preflight, not hooking in, not making hang checks, not fully briefing your crew on what you intend to do and what you expect each of them to do. I could go on and on and am sure that many of you could add to the list. It is a good idea to make yourself a list of do's and don'ts (similar to a check list) and to go over it with your crew prior to flying.

Towing is only as safe or as dangerous as the pilot. Since the pilot is, or at least should be, the one in command, it is his/her ultimate responsibility to make sure that certain safety precautions are observed. If the pilot allows these safety precautions to be violated, whether it be by him/her, or a crew member, the result very often can be injury. Some of the safety rules that we have adopted are as follows: (1) Carry a knife in the tow vehicle to cut the rope in the case of a severe lock-out or winch back lash, or to cut the pilot loose in the event of a deep water landing and failure to get unhooked. (2) The person throttling the tow vehicle must be facing the hang glider, and have the glider in sight at all times.

(3) Do not tow a glider into clouds or overcast. (4) No drinking of alcoholic beverages or taking drugs by pilot or crew members while towing. (5) Must have a "Launch Director" to check

harness, helmet, and tow rope hook-up before each flight (hang check). (6) All pilots must wear helmets and have flotation devices. (7) When making deep water landings, the pilot should immediately get free of the glider and give a hand signal to the boat crew. (8) Have a pick-up boat during all tandem flights, and if possible during training flights.

(9) Do not drop the tow rope so that it could cause damage or injury on the surface. (10) Do not use more than one inexperienced person as a crew member at a time. I am sure that each of you could add many more. I highly recommend before towing that you make up a list of safety rules and go over them with your entire crew.

If any of you would like to write articles for this column, please send them to the USHGA headquarters. Jean-Michel Bernasconi and I will attempt to see that those thoughts and experiences are published. However, if they are not published or are lost, you can blame Jean-Michel.

Keep a loose rope and a tight grip.•

FINGER FAIRINGS

• Always there when you need them • Warm, comfortable, durable, slide easily across control bar • Instant bare hand dexterity for launch, CB, chute, camera • Quality construction, V,-in. neoprene, nylon inside and out • Available in red or black$, M, or L only $32.50 dealer inquiries invited

THE AIRWORKS 3900 Van Buren NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505)

884·6851

HANG GLIDING

photo by Pork

Stew Smith

Rich Pfeiffer

We can say the proof is in the winning, but we believe the Sensors real success comes with its climb rate and glide in marginal conditions. The 160 VG Sensor flown by Rich Pfeiffer remained aloft at the US Nationals when other strong competitors who were tuned for speed went down. Pfeiffer's lead over the next place was 6%, the largest spacing in the top 13 places. A total asset, the VG allows instant adjustment of roll rate and handling to match changing conditions with the desired maneuverability. The Sensor's highly developed VG makes greater performance not only possible, but easier to handle.

"This glider performs the best and it's easy to fly! Bar pressures and roll rate are no problem. The VG lets you fly it any way you want. It's perfect. " -Jon Lindburg, San Diego, CA "To win major competitions a pilot needs the best performance available, with the ability to execute in all conditions. The VG gives the 510 top L ID performance while allowing the glider to thermal efficiently, even when good handling is mandatory. Other gliders may be able to perform equally at their specialty, but in world class competition and a variety of conditions the Sensor proves to be superior. 11

Recently, at the time of its HOMA certification, the Sensor 160 VG underwent improvements to its leading edges and upper surface air foil. The new 510 incorporates extended half ribs to the double surface line, a wrap around nose fairing, improved shape on the mylar leading edge inserts, a better supported upper surface root section with a close rib spacing of 1.3 ft (.4 meters) and higher leading edge sail tension. The new wing shape of the Sensor combined with the new aluminum faired tubes adds up to a performance gain that's a pleasure to fly.

IMMEDIATE DELIVERY HGMA CERTIFIED* SPECIFICATIONS - SENSOR 510 - 160 V.G.

-Rich Pfeiffer, Santa Ana "I have flown with many excellent pilots on state of the art equipment. The certified Sensor 510 160 VG has the best climb rate especially in light conditions, and the best L ID and sink rate in the 30 mph range. With the VG system, I can select the best wing tension to launch, fly and land easily, which gives me the safety and confidence I need to maximize the existing conditions. " -Stu Smith, Grandfather Mt. , N.C. "It out sinks everything, has a wider speed range, and the sail stays clean going flat out. " -Bill Liscomb, Leucadia, CA "On my second flight with the 510 I pulled off 45 miles. I especially want to commend you on building a glider with an ingenious design and real integrity.

The quality of workmanship and the sail work is the finest I have ever seen. I feel very confident and safe flying the Sensor. " -Jerry Nielsen, Washington D.C. "The sink rate is absolutely amazing; it simply can 't be touched. As for glide, I swear it's at least what your figures indicate. The wing simply surpasses all of my wildest expectations. Heres to your insight, sweat and perserverance. " -Bob Hofer, Fort Smith, Ark .

Span Area Aspect ratio Empty Wt. Hook-in Wt. Ideal Hook-in Wt.

34.8 ft 161 ft squ 7.52 66 lbs 145-255 lbs 175 lbs

10.6 m 14.96 m squ 29.9 Kg 65-102 Kg 80 Kg

*Includes new aluminum fairings, extended half ribs, Kevlar trailing edge and Variable Geometry.

Recommended skill level: Advanced.

Our new certified aluminum faired tubing. Fits most all Sensors made.

Seedwings, 5760 Thornwood Drive #3 • Santa Barbara, CA 93117 • (805) 967-4848

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS BEGINNER RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

Shannon Good

Mt. Vernon, WA

Charlie Whitehill

Arlen Cravens Byran Longmire Dwight F. Price Chris Ware

Redding, CA Santa Clara, CA Livermore, CA Los Altos Hills, CA

Phil Sergent Rob Engorn Pat Denevan Charlie Whitehill

Robert Bennett

Santa Monica, CA

Ben Espinoza

Andrew B. Smith, III

Honaker, VA

Bruce D. Hawk

Lou Dellapenta David F. Dolan Robert Woodbury

Colden, NY Jeff Ingersoll Huntington, NY Steve Wendt New Providence, NJ Paul Voight

REGION

2 2 2 2

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

12 12 12

REGION

Arlen Cravens Charles M. Greene Rick H. Hawkins Dick House Greg Jokela Eric Lyden Jim Spears

Redding, CA Oakland, CA Sunnyvale, CA Berkeley, CA Santa Maria, CA Sunnyvale, CA Santa Clara, CA

Georges Arseneault Terry Deane Thomas A. Driscoll Richard W. England Ron Fausnaught Michael Howell Gene Claude Hughes, Jr. Phil Nibbelink Bob Ortiz George Sessions Terry Skok

No. Hollywood, CA Ben Espinosa Adelanto, CA Dan Skadal San Diego, CA John Ryan Santa Ana, CA Chris Kirchhofer Goleta, CA Ken DeRussy Camarillo, CA Jim Woods Kula, HI Dave Darling Los Angeles, CA Joe Greblo El Sobrante, CA Wally Anderson Goleta, CA Ken DeRussy Ontario, CA Dan Skadal

Greg Handermann Jake Mola Stephen R. Powell Gary S. Slocum Joe Sztuhowski

Chandler, AZ Golden, CO Tucson, AZ Kittredge, CO Phoenix, AZ

Russ Gelfan Mark Windsheimer Jack Davis Matt Taber Bob Thompson

Enoch Walker

Billings, MT

Dan Bauer

Walter Kasper, Jr.

Fort Smith, AR

Dave Dunning

6

Tony Villalpando

Mundelein, IL

Will Holmes

7

Edward Whitcomb

Essex Jct., VT

Jeff Nicolay

8

Eddie Hyder Leo Juengst

Silver Springs, MD Bellefonte, PA

Bob Deffenbaugh Dennis Pagen

9 9

20

Phil Sergent Ron Hess Jim Johns Charlie Whitehill Ken DeRussy Rob Engorn Pat Denevan

Charlotte, NC Pinson, AL

Tom Phillips Lyell Easley

IO IO

David H. Stephenson

Austin, TX

Will Holmes

11

Morrison Bordinger Dave Dutton Peter Lang

Davenport Ctn., NY Dan Guido Beaver Dams, NY Marty Dodge Tams River, NJ Paul Voight

12 12 12

Jay Wallace

Ancon, Panama

FOR

9

NOVICE RATINGS NAME

Christel Achmus Buddy Patrick

2

2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4

Colon King

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

OBSERVER

REGION

Paul L. Gaston

Eugene, OR

Brad Goosela

Steve Al-Rawi Jeff Bain John E. Basa, Jr. Gregg Delong Jim Flynn Gary Glendenning Daniel Klein Sarah Kurtz Terry R. Miller Wayne D. Ostiguy Michael Pesavento Ronald Thomas William Travers

Oakland, CA Palo Alto, CA Marina, CA Tiburon, CA Fresno, CA Sunnyvale, CA Fremont, CA Oakland, CA Sunnyvale, CA San Francisco, CA Berkeley, CA Mountain View, CA Clovis, CA

Ran D. St. Clair Dale C. Bowyer Mark Lillidahl Rick Canham Dave Bowen Jim Johns Thomas 0. Gill Ran D. St. Clair Pat Denevan James McKee Patrick Link Pat Denevan Duane Tessmer

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Frank Barron Xavier Chabot Joe Duffie Connie Gach Joseph Haagen Mike Hopkins Van Hutchinson Jim LaGuardia Rick Sibson Dave Smith Paul Toce, Jr. Keith Townsend Duane A. Wock

Spring Valley, CA La Jolla, CA San Diego, CA San Diego, CA Honolulu, HI Van Nuys, CA Solana Beach, CA La Habra, CA Santa Barbara, CA San Diego, CA Long Beach, CA San Bernardino, CA Granada Hills, CA

Steve Hawxhurst Steve Hawxhurst Steve Hawxhurst Steve Hawxhurst Lani Akiona Wayne Moser John Ryan Dan Skadal Ken DeRussy Steve Hawxhurst Dan Skadal Debbi Renshaw Joe Greblo

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Chris Carlton Burcham Thomas Hale Sharon Lee Kevin McClure Jim J. Sanders Hugh R. Sawyer

Chandler, AZ Tempe, AZ Sandy, UT Phoenix, AZ Aztec, NM Telluride. CO

Bob Thompson Bob Thompson Gary LaGrone Russ Gelfan Dan McManos Gary LaGrone

4 4 4 4 4 4

Alan Noga Richard Schroeder

Palatine, IL Bob Kreske Black River Falls, WI John Woiwode

7 7

Bucksport, ME Kendal Dunbar William C. Van DeWater Claremont, NH

3 3 3

Jeff Nicolay Rob Bicknell

HANG GLIDING

RATINGS AND APP INTMENTS INSTRUCTORS

Don Blank Holliday Obrecht, llI Glen Sleinkofer

Wesl Middlesex, PA John Scott Woodbine, MD Fred Permenter Mt. Joy, PA Pete Osborne

George W. Stewart

High Point, NC

Jake Alspaugh

10

B-Dean Batman

Indianapolis, IN

DeWolf/Batman

Thomas Forster Thomas M. Koehler Anthony Spiecker

Victor, NY Palterson, NJ Lima, NY

David Hoke Thomas Aguero David Hoke

12 12 12

B-Joseph Zagarella

N. Billerica, MA

Pagen/Pagen

Josip Koprivec

Viganello, Switzerland Ron Hurst

B-Ben Burri!

B-Mike Wooten

Charlotte, NC Winston-Salem, NC

Lawrence/Coan Lawrence/Coan

10 10

B- Roland Sprague

St. Charles, MO

Shaw/Snyman

11

TYPE-NAME

FOR

CITY, STATE

ADMINISTRATOR/ DIRECTOR

REGION

BRONZE AWARD WITH NOVICE RATING ADVANCED RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

OBSERVER

Brad Hill D.W. Magnuson Dan T. Meenach Jeff Moehler Maurice Sumption

Monroe, WA Oceanside, OR Spokane, WA Spokane, WA Portland, OR

Dave Liule Dick Gammon Larry Strom Steve Hawxhurst Gordon Gibbs

Dan Buchanan Bill L. Lloyd Bob Morken Roger Lee Schenken

Castro Valley, CA Shasta, CA Olympic Valley, CA Sacto, CA

John Minnick Phil Sergent Steve Roderick Richard Cassetta

Keith Camp Kevin Clements Joe Fiano Howard Gerrish Paul Kilstofte Greg LaMadrid Rick Rawlings Ludwig Von DerLuhe

Sun Ci1y, CA San Diego, CA Ventura, CA Ridgecrest, CA San Diego, CA Bakersfield, CA San Fernando, CA West Covina, CA

Paul Burns John Ryan Kris Doe Joe Greblo Steve Hawxhurst David Bowen Sieve Hawxhurst Wayne Moser

Dennis Morrison Don Sebastian

Albuquerque, NM Thornton, CO

Robert Carlton Erik Fair

Brooks Ellison

Williamstown, MA

Mark LaVersa

Robert C. Fitch

Tunkhannock, PA

David Yanashot

Bill Misiaszek

Missouri City, TX

Randy McCleave

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JUNE

1985

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21

The Naked Truth About Stalls ©1985 by Dennis Pagen

I

pulled my hat down over my ears, adjusted my collar and stepped onto the wet sidewalk. It was midnight in this hustling city. A cold rain whipped my coat and streaked through the street lamps. I kept to the shadows on my way to a rendevous with fate.

Call me a publlic defender, call me a safety officer. Whatever the title, my job is to prowl the night and protect the public with its innocent dreams. Tonight I had a specific goal: the bust of my career. A year of legwork had turned up the secret hideout of the lower forty-eight's most notorious organization, known as the Stall gang. They were holed up in the back room of a local dive in the seamy section of the city doing business as the Angle Of Attack Saloon.

I edged through a littered alley and reached a rear window of the saloon. The smoky glass revealed what I had hoped for. The entire Stall clan and their minions were gathered 'round a long table. I could see the twins, Tip and Whip, the nefarious Grady, young Turk Highspeed and the dreaded Downwind Stall along with their molls Ayer Speed and Addy Tude, smoking, drinking and planning their sordid business.

You want the naked truth? A cold-blooded reptile like me has seen it all, but you, Mr. and Mrs. Sunnydale, America had better prepare yourself for a jolt to your homespun Sunday school sensibilities. These highrolling guttersnipes were plotting to undermine that lofty pursuit of mankind known as hang gliding. Their modus operandi was to seduce unsuspecting pilots with the wiles of the beguiling Ayer Speed and Addy Tude, then send in one of the Stall brothers to maim, cripple and yes, murder. It was my job to stop them.

Before I go any further, let me give you the facts, m'am.

THE BOYS AND BABES AT THE BAR There is a curious relationship among Stalls, Ayer Speed (a.k.a. Airspeed), Addy Tude (a.k.a. Attitude) and the Angle Of At-

24

tack. For instance, Stalls are dependent on Angle Of Attack. That's where they hang out. When the spirits flow and the general ambiance of the place gets too high, a critical point is reached and in steps a Stall to wreak havoc, bring everything down to earth and spoil the fun.

Ayer Speed is a beautiful but moody mistress. She can be smooth as silk or dangerous as a fer-de-lance. She is as contrary as they come. When the Angle Of Attack is down on a quiet evening, Ayer Speed is active as a magpie; when the house is high, Ayer Speed is down. That's the cue for one of the Stalls to come in and start busting up the place.

Miss Addy Tude is another piece of cake entirely. She goes with the flow. Although she's somewhat independent, she's generally up when the Angle Of Attack is up and down when the joint is down. Addy and Ayer, being most visible are the best indicators of the whereabouts of the Stall brothers.

Now let me clear this all up by quoting from the Anti-Crime Bureau's Handbook for Aspiring Pilots. In layman's terms: A stall is caused by one thing only - too high an angle of attack. As air passes over a wing it follows a curving path. As the angle of attack is raised (the angle between the path of the oncoming air and a reference line on the wing is angle of attack) the air must follow an increasingly sharper curve. Eventually, at the stall or critical angle of attack, the ine11ia of the air prevents it from making such an abrupt change of direction and it separates from the wing. This is a stall (see figure 1).

A stall happens suddenly with a rapid increase in drag, a subsequent loss of lift and a further slowing of airspeed. As soon as a stall occurs in earnest, an aircraft moves downward (loss of lift) which results in a dropping of the nose (since most of the lift is created in the forward portion of a wing) and a dive until proper angle of attack is re-established.

Airspeed is a fairly good indication of an impending stall since airspeed slows as angle of attack is raised and vice versa, as long as these changes aren't too rapid. Remember that a hang glider with pilot weighs from 200 to 280 pounds or so. This means inertia is a significant factor. If angle of attack changes are rapid, airspeed won't have a chance to adjust to the new angle of attack and thus will not be a true indicator of angle of attack. However, for the majority of our flying, airspeed is a good indicator of angle of attack.

Remember, airspeed increases with wing loading so the more excess weight you carry, the higher the airspeed at which stall occurs (about 1/2 mph difference for every IO pound change). You should learn to sense this airspeed (your senses are probably as accurate as most of the airspeed indicators on the market) and increase it when stall or critical angle of attack is approached.

Attitude is another indicator of an impending stall. Attitude means where your glider's nose is pointing. A high attitude means the nose is up; low attitude means the nose is down. Just like airspeed, however, attitude is not always a true indicator of angle of attack, also due to inertia effects. For example, if you arc in a zoom (a dive followed by a climb-out), your nose may be pointed very high yet you may have lots of airspeed and a low angle of attack - high attitude, low angle of attack. If you hold this high attitude for long, your airspeed will slow, angle of attack will increase and a severe stall will result. Note that it is also possible to have a low attitude and a high angle of attack. We look at both cases below. In general though, attitude or nose position is a good stall warning factor for the majority of our flying.

The final indicator of a stall is reduced or lack of control (especially roll control); how airspeeds and detached flow from the wings render our gliders less responsive to our control inputs. The glider will feel like it has a head of its own when stalled. This is a red

HANG GLIDING

letter sign to pull in the bar, lower the nose, increase airspeed and lower the angle of attack - at once!

Note that fixed wing aircraft use buffeting of the wings or control surfaces to detect a stall, but our flexible wings usually don't give us this feedback. Also, in a modern glider (wide nose angle) you can often push your weight back slowly to produce a stall that results in a "mush" with an increase in sink rate and loss of roll control but no real stall break due to the rearward body position. This can be dangerous near the ground for there is a tendency to fall off on a wing.

Here's a summary: Dangers Of A Stall: 1) A severe loss of altitude. 2) Loss of control equally severe.

Signs Of An Approaching Stall: 1) Low or rapidly declining airspeed. 2) High or rapidly rising attitude. 3) Lack of roll authority.

Rules Of A Stall: 1) A wing stalls at one angle of attack. 2) For a given wingfoading, an aircraft will stall at a given airspeed in non-accelerating flight. 3) A wing will stall at a given attitude (noseup position ) in non-accelerating flight.

To give you even more background, here's the file on each of the Stall brothers:

Fl~URe. /

JUNE

1985

TIP STALL You're most apt to meet this stall in a turn or upon landing. That's because in a turn the inside wing is at a higher angle of attack so if a stall occurs it will show up at the inside tip. Actually, due to the great amount of twist on a hang glider wing, the stall occurs somewhat inboard of the tip, but we still call it a tip stall to indicate that the stall occurs further outboard than normal.

In a landing situation, ground effect causes greater loading on the outboard portion of our wings so again a stall is likely to occur further outboard. Usually one wing stalls first and a graceless landing occurs.

WHIP STALL This guy is deadly. Very deadly. If you dive, then push out and hold the bar in stall position, you have created a whip stall. On most gliders, even if you hold the bar at your shoulders or chest after a steep dive, you have a good chance of performing a whip stall due to inertia and the stability of your glider.

A whip stall is deadly because the stall occurs at such a high attitude that the nose falls through rapidly. A severe enough whip stall

will result in a tumble on any hang glider you care to name as well as any ultralight or airplane. A whip stall is probably the most dangerous maneuver you can do on your hang glider short of performing a poorly executed loop. Figure 2 shows the results of a whip stall.

Any intentional stall that begins with airspeed greater than minimum sink speed or is initiated with a fast push out should be considered a whip stall. Don't do it. If you wish to demonstrate a stall, have plenty of ground clearance (say 500 feet), head directly into the wind - smooth, light wind only - and fly at minimum sink airspeed for at least five seconds. Then, slowly push your control bar forward until loss of control is felt (it will seem as if the wings are "sticking"), the glider begins to "mush" or the nose drops through. As soon as a stall is detected, return the control bar to the position for best glide or a little faster (around your shoulders) and let the natural stability of your glider take care of the rest.

GRADY STALL This guy's full name is Wind Gradient Stall. This type of stall occurs when landing or descending into a wind gradient. Normally, the wind speed is reduced close to the ground due to the drag effects of the surface.

Consequently, as we descend to land in approximately the lower 50 feet we may encounter a constantly reducing headwind. If the gradient is severe enough - that is, the wind speed drops off quickly - our glider cannot react to the reduced headwind (again due to inertia) by speeding up so airspeed drops, angle of attack increases and evil Grady Stall wipes us out.

The danger of a stall in a gradient is that it happens so close to the ground. Many a pilot has found his nose to be suddenly pointing earthward with no room to recover due to wind gradient effects. Even more common on a hang glider is descending in a gradient and encountering a mild stall which leaves no energy to flare. Thud!

Remember: you must account for wind gradient effects by putting on speed before you get close to a stall or it will be too late.

You must anticipate the presence of a wind gradient for you won't have time to react if you wait to detect an airspeed reduction. In stable conditions (no thermals) or if the wind on the ground appears to be zero, a gradient is probably lurking to do you in.

25

HIGHSPEED STALL This member of the Stall clan is seldom seen but quite dangerous. Remember we told you that a high angle of attack could occur even with a low attitude? Imagine a steep dive in which you push out hard, very rapidly. It is possible to raise the nose and increase the angle of attack so fast that a stall occurs before the glider begins pulling out of the dive. This is a high speed stall. It is quite dramatic, especially when it occurs near the ground.

Hang gliders have occasionally fallen victim to Highspeed Stall. A typical situation is approaching a landing too slowly, stalling in a thermal, diving at the ground, pushing out vigorously to avoid flying into the aforementioned ground and pancaking hard as the glider performs a high speed stall, sending shockwaves across the countryside.

Obviously, this compromises the joy of hang gliding and should be avoided. How~ Keep your speed up on landing approaches and shun such urges as diving at the ground.

pursuader from the holster under my coat and burst through the back door. Seven heads turned my way and seven faces registered identical expressions of anger and awe. I had the drop on them.

Old Grady was the first to recover. He chomped on his cigar and rasped, "Still trying to make headlines, eh, patrol boy?"

"Shut up and face the wall or I'll be making headstones for every one of ya," I commanded. All seven of them got up and shuffled over to the wall. Seven did I say? One, two, three, four ... a white light seared through my brain and alerted each neuron to the tremendous pain that suddenly invaded the back of my head. I remember thinking how curious it was to see the bar room floor rise up and slap me hard in the face just before my universe turned black.

My senses returned with the taste of blood

and the sound of scraping. I soon realized that the sound was made by my body as it was being dragged over rough cement. I felt strong arms lift me and dump me in the back seat of a car. The door slammed, the driver got in and started the car. I heard a sweet voice repeating my address to the driver. I opened my eyes for the first time and through a blur of pain I saw a beautiful face peering at me with concern, just as the car roared into the street.

For the next two days I nursed a splitting headache the size of the San Andreas fault and a colossal sense of incompetence. I had realized my stupidity too late. In my haste to put away the Stall gang, I had forgotten about the the most conniving Stall brother of all - Gus Stall. He had crept up behind me and cold-cocked me with a blackjack just as I was counting the spoils of my victory.

DOWNWIND STALL This is the culprit many of us have heard about. He shows up when we are flying downwind (that is, with the wind coming from our rear). Because the wind speed combined with our airspeed determines our groundspeed, flying downwind creates a much faster groundspeed than when we are flying upwind or crosswind. Now our eyes are the organs that provide us with the most powerful sensory data. If we are close to the ground, all that earth rushing by may send a visual signal something like: "Hey, cowboy, you're flying too fast." The weak input from the feeling on our face may not be detected so we slow down and tussle with Mr. Downwind Stall.

Four points: Any aircraft reacts the same in terms of stall when flying upwind or downwind, it is perception that is different.

Avoiding a downwind stall is easy - just monitor airspeed carefully and maintain said airspeed. Downwind stalls near the ground are dangerous because your groundspeed is faster at every point in the stall and recovery.

Pain is directly proportional to the relative velocity of your body and the earth as the two slam together.

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So there I was behind the Angle Of Attack Saloon about to nab the entire Stall gang. I was greatly outnumbered, but I had one great advantage - surprise. I pulled my

JUNE

1985

27

"Gus" is the nickname for Gust Induced Stall, one of the worst highwaymen known.

When we are flying along at a slow speed, random turbulence or thermals can quickly change the wind velocity meeting our wings.

Such airspeed and angle of attack changes can cause a stall very rapidly and unexpectedly. Meet Gust Induced Stall.

The only way to prevent such a stall is to maintain good maneuvering airspeed in turbulent conditions, especially near the ground. Good maneuvering airspeed is about five mph faster than best glide speed (don't fly too fast in turbulence or you will increase the severity of the bumps).

I realize that the only thing that saved me on that dismal night was my connection with a certain lady. Yes, it was Ayer Speed that pulled me out of that saloon and had a taxi driver haul me away while the Stall Brothers were celebrating my capture. We've had our romantic interludes, she and I, but now it's mostly business. She's one of the best undercover operatives you could ask for.

Well, the gang is still on the prowl. Any one of them is capable of jumping you or me at unexpected moments. My only suggestion is to get to know Ayer Speed yourself. Get to know her well and pay attention to her information any time you're exposed to the clutches of the Stall gang. She saved my life - she can save yours.•

(continued from page 17)

(Sensor V.G.) When asked how he liked the glider, this pilot replied, "Oh man, the Sensor is pitch weird, roll bogus, and yaw funky, but it scootatcs bovinely!" (Translation: I liked it!)

To be more accurate, he felt it was a bit difficult to fly, but loved the performance.

The Sensor 510 V.G. is a highly refined competition machine whose success has been well-publicized and is a forerunner in areas such as performance, strength, safety, and aesthetic appeal. This single design, in the opinion of this reporter. most accurately defines the "state of the art" in flex wing hang glider technology.•

LEA,

Para ~ Publishing Books by Dan Poynter Post Office Box 4232-314 Santa Barbara, Ca 93103 Telephone: (805) 968-7277

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AVAILABLE FROM HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS 28

HANG GLIDING

interviews Mike Meier

has come to the attention of the respected hang gliding journalisl, Mr. E. Pear (whoops, that's FAIR, E. FAIR!) thal there remain some unanswered questions on !he topic of hang glider cert!fication and airworthiness. So this month, the esteemed Mr. Fair will interview The Answerman on a far ranging selection r~f important topics which are undoubtedly of interest to the hanf? gliding community. Unlike previous published interactions of M1'. Fair and the Answerman, this interview will he conducted wilh a level r>/ di[?nily that be.fits the serious narure (>/ the topic to be rnvered, as well as the mature demeanor and august station of' each <>/ the participants.

EF: So listen up, chump, I got me a fow questions. You listcnin'?

AM: Ayup.

El<': I got some questions about glider certification. Arc you qualified to talk about that?

AM: 1 guess so, What's your question?

EF: Well, recently I heard something about some European certification that's supposed to be better than American ccr· tification. Something called "BVD" ccr· tification or something.

AM: That's D-H·V. EF: Whatever. Anyway, this guy was saying that DHV certification was better than American HGMA certification, and that all the European gliders that arc DHV certified arc automatically certified by the American Hang Gliding Manufac· turcrs Association, and that that's why foreign gliders arc allowed to compete in our Nationals even though the USHGA requires HGMA certification for gliders in the Nationals. ls that true?

AM: Is what true?

EF: Arc you listcning'1

JUNE

1985

AM: Yeah, but you got yourself into a bit of a run-on sentence back there a few blocks. How about if you ask me one question at a time.

EF: Right. Herc it is: Why did this guy say the DHV certification was better than HGMA certification? ls it?

AM: No. EF: Do they think it is?

AM: Who? EF: The DHV, you fool.

AM: Apparently.

EF: Why? AM: There is a fundamental difference between the way the two programs are nm. In the U.S., each manufacturer tests his own gliders according to the HGMA standards, and docs his own documentation of those tests. There arc no Jaws requiring that a glider be certified, and the whole program is a voluntary one, both for the manufacturers and the consumers.

In Germany, a glider cannot be sold unless it is DHV certified.

E. Pear asks the tough questions.

EF: What is the DHV anyway'l AM: I gncss it is sort of a combina· tion USHGA I HGMA with official government recognition. Sort of a hang gliding version of the f<J\A. EF: You guess?

AM: I have to point out here that l 'vc never dealt directly with the DHV. I have a copy of their standards, but it's in Ger· man and I don't read German. l 'vc had parts of it translated, but 1101 all of it.

Most of what I know about the DHV is based on what I 'vc been told by a of friends of mine who make and sell gliders in Austria, and who have worked with the DHV. EF: Is the fact that DHV certification has the force of law in Germany the reason they think their program is ls it because participation is a legal rcqu ircmcnt?

AM: I think so, Apparently the who run the DHV feel that the program isn't a valid program, partly because they can't believe that the manufacturers do an honest job of their own gliders.

EF: How docs it work in the DHV system?

AM: My understanding is that the company provides a glider to the DHV, and that the testing is done by the DHV itself. They have a very sophisticated vehicle, that simultaneously measures lift, drag, and pitching moment as a function of speed and angle of attack.

They arc able to generate all sorts of data from their tests, and graph out all the variables.

EF: It sounds like their testing pro· gram is more sophisticated than ours.

AM: Well, perhaps, but not necessarily. In any case, there's a big difference between more sophisticated and more valid. One docs not automatically imply

29

.

,

the other.

El<': Ir their program isn't more valid, why is DHV certification automatically accepted by the HGMA, when HGMA certification isn't accepted by the DHV'?

AM: It isn't.

EF: What isn't?

AM: DHV certification is not accepted by the HGMA as being equivalent to HGMA certification.

EF: Well, why docs the USHGA let foreign certi ficd gliders lly in the Nationals?

AM: Foreign made gliders with ccr· tification in the country of origin are allowed to compete in USHGA sane· tioncd meets so that a foreign pilot, traveling to the U.S. with his glider, will not be prevented from competing by the USHGA competition rules. Generally other countries extend the same privilege to U.S. pilots. That has nothing to do with any recognition of equivalence between the airworthiness standards of different countries.

El<': Are there important differences between the DHV testing requirements and the HGMA requirements'?

AM: Yes, quite a few. More than we have time to discuss in any detail.

EF: Pick one.

AM: Probably the most important dif.. fcrcnce is in the pitch test requirements.

The DHV standards require only that the glider be stable:.

AM: What do you mean "only?" Isn't stability important?

AM: Stability is very important. But an aircraft is stable in pitch as long as it has an inherent tendency to fly at one trim speed, and wants to return to that speed from any other speed.

Eli': That sounds good to me.

AM: It is good, but I don't think it's enough. In the HGMA standards, the pitching moment requirements specify a minimum strength of the tendency to return to trim.

Eli': I don't get it.

AM: In pitch testing, you mount the glider on a vehicle with a pivot at the pilot hang point, so that the glider can pivot freely nose up and nose down.

Then you drive at a particular speed, and

'

111111!11 illllllll!IIII !Rmil!II . the glider, if it's stable, will assume a particular "trim" angle of attack. As you pull back on the control bar to bring the nose clown, you will feel increasing pressure on the bar trying to return the glider to trim. The difforenc between the DHV standards and the HGMA stan .. dards is that the DHV standards require only that this force be continuously increasing as the angle of attack is de .. creased. The HGMA standards set a cer.. lain minimum value for the pitch up force at various angles of attack below trim (air speeds higher than trim).

Eli': Why is that important?

AM: If we flew only in smooth air, it wouldn't be important. The DHV re .. quiremcnt for stability would insure that the glider would be stable enough to be airworthy. In turbulent air, however, gliders will encounter gusty, tumbling of air that will try to flip the glider tail over nose, upside clown. The more turbulent the air, and the slower the glider flies, the more susceptible it is to a gust induced pitchover. The DHV standards seem to be concerned mostly with luffing dives, as they require only that the glider be stable, but they require lots of pitch testing at very high speeds.

Lull dives had been pretty much left behind in the U.S. by 1979 when the cur .. rent HGMA pitch testing standards were

'

adopted. We have been trying to solve the problem or tumbling. The HGMA pitch testing requirements were based on a fairly sophisticated mathematical analysis of the tumbling problem by Gary Valle. The graph below on the left shows an example of a stable glider which would not pass the HGMA stan .. darcls, but would pass the DHV stall .. clards. The graph on the right shows a typical pitch curve for an HGMA ccr .. lified glider. The hash marked area shows the "prohibited II region for the HGMA curve, or the minimum nose up forces required at each angle of attack.

The area under a pitch curve is a measure of the amount of work the glider will do in trying to resist a pitchovcr.

EF: OK. I sec your point. Both the DHV and the HGMA require a glider to be stable, but the HGMA standards require the glider to be more stable and that extra stability means it will be less likely to tumble. What about their point regarding the fact that the DHV tests the gliders dircctl y, instead of our system where we rely on the honesty of the manufacturer? Isn't their system better?

AM: No. EF: Why not'1 AM: First of all, in their system they do rely on the honesty of the manufac· lurer. What people have to understand is that only one glider ever gets certified; the one that is actually tested. After that, if the manufacturer docsn 't make all the gliders he sells to the same specifications as the one that was tested, the test results don't mean a thing. I have been told that it is very common during DHV testing for the testing crew to tighten the bridles and raise the washout tips on gliders to get them to pass the pitch tests. There's nothing wrong with that, U.S. manufac· turcrs do the same thing. However, most modern hang gliders will not fly proper.. ly if the bridles are tight in flight, or if the sail rests on the washout tips. When a manufacturer makes adjustments to a glider during testing, that's a normal part of the design process. When the DHV docs that to a glider that has supposscdly been presented in final configuration for

The friendly Answerman tells it like it is.

30

HAN(; GLIDIN(;

THE ANSWER MAN testing and verification of its airworthiness, that's a different situation. When a U.S. manufacturer adjusts the stability devices during pitch testing, he then must go out and fly the glider and make sure that in the same configuration in which it passed the vehicle tests it still has the proper flight characteristics.

EF: Doesn't the DHV do this also?

AM: I don't think they do. They don't have much in the way of flight test requirements in their certification program.

The HGMA program, on the other hand, requires extensive flight testing, and requires a certain degree of correlation between flight test results and vehicle test results. The rather poor safety record of DHV certified gliders in Europe would seem to indicate that their stnadards have some serious shortcomings. Based on all the evidence I have, I'd have to say our standards are significantly better.

EF: You got any more evidence you want to share?

AM: Well, the DHV used to allow U.S. made HGMA certified gliders to be sold in Germany. Recently, they decided to rescind their recognition of the HGMA standards. This means that any American made gliders now have to be certified by the DHV to be sold in Germany. Recently a Wills Wing HP was given to the DHV to be tested for DHV certification. At the insistence of Wills Wing's representatives in Europe, it was tested without tightening the bridles, or making any other adjustments. When the DHV saw that the bridles were slack during the positive angle of attack runs (which they should be), they apparently expressed the opinion that the glider would never pass the pitch tests. It did however, with some of the best test results the DHV had ever seen.

EF: Haven't there been several incidents in recent years of U.S. made HOMA certified gliders tumbling?

AM: Yes, there have been. In my opinion, although many of these incidents involve gross pilot errors, such as flying the glider way outside of its placarded limitations, the number of these incidents is very close to being unacceptably large.

It isn't just one model of glider or one

JUNE

1985

manufacturer either, it's all of them.

EF: So what does that imply about the HGMA standards?

AM: To me it implies that they represent an absolutely minimum airworthiness standard, and that anything less is completely inadequate.

EF: In your opinion, are DHV certified gliders unsafe?

AM: No, not necessarily. I would say instead that they are inadequately tested.

An untested aircraft isn't necessarily unsafe, it's just untested and therefore unproven.

EF: Are all certified gliders in Europe tested to DHV standards, or does each country have its own standards?

AM: England has it sown standards.

As far as I know, the other countries in Europe mostly use the DHV standards or a variation thereof.

EF: Can foreign made gliders be certified to HOMA standards?

AM: Sure. Moyes has been doing it for years.

EF: Why aren't other foreign manufacturers doing it?

AM: I don't know. You'd have to ask them. In the past, there hasn't been much penetration of the U.S. market by

foreign manufacturers other than Moyes.

Now, with the strong U.S. dollar, that may change. If the U.S. market demands HGMA certification, those foreign manufacturers who are serious about trying to get into this market will pursue HGMA certification for their gliders. If the market doesn't demand HGMA certification, then they 11 be able to sell their gliders without it, and probably won't bother to pursue it. If that's what they 're planning on, though, I think they 're underestimating the American pilot.

EF: I hope you 're right. I'd like to see the HGMA program stick around.

AM: I think it will. We'll probably never see 100% consumer support for the HGMA program; there will always be some pilots willing to buy a glider that hasn't been fully tested. And there will always be pilots who won't take the trouble to even find out whether their glider has been tested, or to what standards.

But I think the vast majority of pilots want the security that comes from knowing their glider has been adequately tested, and those pilots will insist on HOMA certified gliders.•

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l 31

interview conducted by Dan Demaree

TOP: Pete Brock soaring a Brock standard at ]brrance Beach, CA in "1972. ABOVE: Pele Brock, of UP Inc., one of the pioneers in the hang gliding industry.

HANG Gurnm;

Pere Brock is a high/_,· 111orimred indil'idual \\'ho has grearly injluenced rhe field of auromori\·e desig11 and sporrs car raci11g. as \\'ell as the .1porr of hang gliding. Ar one time Pere was 1he you11gesr rnr designer hired br General Motors. He designed rhe Con'ette Stingray and Cader XP-87 proror_,pes, that later became the Cormii: A fe11· other designs ro his credit are the Th\'()/a J.P6, the British Leland TR 250K, Hino Sa11111rai, and the Shelby Da,·1m1a Cobra Coupe, the fint American car n·er to ll'in ii 1,·orld championship. Pere 111a11aged Shelby'., high performance d1fring school at Ri\·e1:,ide &1ceHn\'jiJr se\·em/ years and 1\'0rked also as a Hol!nrnod s1u111111a11. Pete's highlr successful Brock Racing £111e17Jrises (BR£) racing ream 11·011 num!'l'ous national competitions il!ld captured Sl'\'l.'ral \\'oriel records.

Last mo/Ith a 111m'ie called "Up" about hang gliding 1,·011 w1 Oscar at thl.' Academ,· A\\'(/rds. Pl.'re and right hand man Roy Haggcml are i11\'0l\•ed i11 111am· cli\'l.'l'sified arl.'as r!f the spon \l'i1ich 1hn· .feel i11 rhe /011g /'[/II \1·ill help its public image. UP pilot Ed Cesar and Ho/fy\\'oocl film maker Miki.' Homn took se1·e11 years to co111ple1e rhe fil111.

Pele \'entured inro ha11g gliding d11ri11g rhe earl_,. clays rd'1he sporr i11 1971 a11dfrm11dl.'d U/tra/i1e Products Inc. 11·hich H'as m1e of The .firs! .Jfre hang gliding 111a1111.Ji:1ctu/'C'rs. UP :1· Come/ represen1ed a q11a111u111 leap fbnmrd in hang glider design and set a s1a11da1d by ll'hich all gliders are still 111eas11recl. Pere\ \\'illi11g11l.'ss ro try S0/111.'lhing 11e11·, and his i11cli11atio11 10 "rake a stand," l.'\'en if ir'.1- con1/'(J\'ersial, trnds to e\'Oke thl.' 11'!10/e spectrum ofrn101io11s.Jim11.fi'ie11ds a11cl cm11periwrs in business a!ikl.'. Ar a rime \\'hen SC'\'era! US. ma1111facruren· are hm·i11g to bite the bullet, due to slackened sales, Pete has unveiled both w1 i11trig11i11g !IC\\' glider and a boldly cli.Jjere/11 marke1i11g approach \\'hich are sure to cause a stir in tltl.' i11d11srry.

Dan: When I examine a list of your numerous achievements, an image of Tom Swift. genius inventor pops into my mind.

At what age did you first take an interest in mechanical things·J Pete: I didn't really get interested in this type thing until I was about LL years old. I saw a race car that was fabricated from the ground up, from raw tubing and aluminum.

Up until that time all I had seen was the plastic put-together model race cars. The idea of fabricating something by hand that was really beautiful and better than what was a\'ailable in the stores was absolutely enthralling to me.

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Dan: According to your resume. your major in college was Industrial Design at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Was this interest in cars still your "driving motivation" so to speak at this time?

Pete: I knew I really liked cars but I had no idea that you could make a good living at it. One Easter weekend I drove my chopped and channeled 46 Ford from San Francisto to Balboa because I had heard about a school in the Los Angeles area where you could learn about designing cars. I found the school and after seeing the various models and drawings from the industrial design department I walked into the office and stated, "I want to go to school here." The lady at the desk asked to sec my portfolio and I responded. "What's a po11folio'J" It was obvious to her that I had no formal art background. but she said that if! was really interested that I should go home. make some drawings and bring them back. I drew some pictures of hot rods like you do on binder paper in your most boring high school class and brought them back to her. She said. "It looks like you have some talent even though you don't have any formal training. The school could be very difficult for you but you can try if you ll'ould like." So that's what I did. I decided to become a car designer at that point and I still feel today the urge to design automobiles.

Dan: I understand that in 1957 you were the youngest automotive stylist ever hired by General Motors and that you designed the original Corvette and Corvair prototypes. I thought the Corvette came out in 1953'7 Pete: This should be clarified. Of course the whole Corvette concept started with the original plastic jobs. but the major change from that early body style over to the Stingray model is what I worked on. In 1957 I designed the Stingray prototype which GM raced at Sebring. That car became the basis for the Cor\'ctte Stingray production automobile. which came out in 1963.

Dan: How did the concept in design difference come abou(l Pete: Bill Mitchell. who was our head of styling. had just returned from the Turin Auto sholl' in Italy. He had seen a full bodied dragstcr dream car over there. which was done by Ghia. a famous Italian design studio.

He \\as impressed with the basic shape of the automobile. Bill brought in some photos and said. "I like the feeling of this automobile. Why don't all or you in the research division of styling sec what you can do along these lines for a new Corvette." So each designer came up with his own inter-

pretation and they were numbered and put up on the wall. Then the top management design directors. Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell picked the concept drawings they wanted to continue with. which happened to be mine. Mr. Earl was the man who first put tail fins on the Cadillac and the word styling into the automotive lexicon. At any rate. from that point on Paul Pellman and I were responsible for designing the original Stingray race car. I find it interesting that designs have swung full circle. The 1985 Corvette is closer to my original drawings than any previous model. Things move very slowly in Detroit.

Dan: Ir things were going so smoothly. why did you leave GM'' Pete: The people at GM treated me fine. but I had two problems. I couldn't stand the weather in Michigan. I was pretty much a California kid and at the age of 20 I was very impatient. Trying to slowly work my way up in such a large organization was rather frustrating. GM was a great education. however. and I'm very grateful for the opportunities I had there. I also wanted to race cars ancl there was little opportunity for that in the midwest at that time. So I loaded up my VW van ancl my Cooper Manx race car. which I was rebuilding. and headed back to California. I joined the Air Force Reserves and continued with other work on the side.

I also did some sturn work for movies and a few cigarette commercials.

Dan: What is the name of one movie that you helped with. that we might recognize· 1 Pete: I was the stunt gaffer for a picture callccl. "The Killers." This was a rewrite of Hemmingway's book. but it had a racing background instead of boxing. Ronald Reagan starred in the film as a wealthy car owner. Angie Dickenson and Lee ivlarvin were also in the movie. It was a lot of fun; I still sec it on the TV late nite movies.

Dan: Excuse my ignorance. but what in the heck is a gaffer·) Pete: Well. whenever you do a film. the producer hires someone called a gaffer who arranges all or the special equipment and the people to do a specialized portion of the whole thing. So I was the gaffer. I was working for Ford and Shelby at the time so I arranged for all of the cars in the driving sequences and did much of the lead stunt driving myself. We were considered the second unit. that is, the group that works on location in the film and therefore had only limited contact with the stars who normally work on sets in the studio.

Dan: What was your next full-time job'' 33

Pete: Carroll Shelby had seen some or the work I had done at GM. He had this dream about h11ilding a car. We didn't know it was to become the Shelby Cobra Coupe at the time. So he phones me and says, I want you to come and work for me and take care of the design end or things." So actually I was Shelby American's first """'"''"'"'" and I stayed with him almost all the way through the whole project. When we had grown to 30(H employees, Ford 111anage· mcnt took over and I pretty much lost in· lercst, as much ol' the work was shirted back to Detroit.

Dan: Sounds to me like you have a habit of leaving when things get good and cstabl ishcd.

Pete: Well, I didn't think that they were good. Ford came in with all these who were going to run things from their point of view, not the way I had been doing it my whole Jilc. Not that it was wrong, just different: the individualism or the cars was lost in the quest for a market. I left Shelby American and began doing contrnct work for the Japanese. At that point l started my own company, Brock Racing Enterprises.

Dan: What wc1T a few of the highlights from your days with B.R.E.'i Pete: My work consisted primarily of organizing and running high performance racing teams for promotional purposes for severnl automotive f;1c1ories. We were SCC'A National "C" Production Champions with the Datsun 2000 and 240Z automobiles.

During this two-year period, the B.R. E. Etc tory team raced liictory teams from Porsche, 'foyota and British l ,cyland. win· ning both the Pacific Coast division of the SCCA and the National Championships in Atlanta, Grnrgia. We were also Trans Am chmnpions for two years with the little Datsun 510 sedan. This was the most fun as we competed against teams from Alfa Romeo and BMW. During this time l developed an aerodynamic accessory known as an air dam or front spoiler which was marketed at that time under the name "spook." Air dams have since become standard on many production automobiles. We also developed all sorts or high performance accessories for other cars. These arc _just a few or the things we accomplished at ll.R.E. Dan: It must have been near the end of your B.R.E. career that you first heard or hang gliding. What was your first contact with the sport'> Pete: My shop in El Segundo was about five blocks from the l'laya dcl Rey sand

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dune. I was to my shop one day and spotted a guy on the dune with a bamboo and plastic glider. He turned out to be Russ Ycldcrrain. tht: husband of the gal who later became the secretary for the USHGA office in Los Russ's glider was made of

and hardware store bolts. I couldn't bclit:vc how crudely it was nwdc, but it lkw 1 l watched him do a kw and it sure look· ed like a lot or fun. He offered to let me try and went through all of the basic instruction il>r me in about two minutes. I took off. made a perfect rlight to the bollorn and then I was really hooked! I immccliatcly dccidccl to build my own hang glider hut decided to acid a little more quality to it. l srnrted with an Eippcr Flcxi Flyer kit and designed all sorts of special hardware fen it. When l rinishcd the glider I went back to Eippcr and offered them all my hardware. I said. "Look. l can make all of this for you in my shop. You will only have to raise the price of the three dollars lo covt.:r the additional expense."

They felt that was too much or a crease. Actually, they were just started: they had made fewer than JO when 1 was probably had more i111portan1 than nice hardware. I thought they were crazy not to do it. Dave Cronk, Dave Muehl. and Mike lluetter were the stars or hang gliding back

TOP: In 1967 Brock several prototype cars. Here he works on the model for the JPG. ABOVE: The Hino Samurai GT racer built for the Japanese in Brock's BRE Note ring airfoil control at rear of car.

IIAN(; GLIDING

then and they kind of pooh-poohed the idea of nice quality stuff to Dick Eippcr. When I would show up with the glider I had made. it was obviously more nicely finished than everyone elses and people were constantly bugging me to make them one. It didn't fly any better as we were all flying standard 80° nose angle Rogallos. but pride of ownership created a market.

Dan: So then Eippcr and Delta Wing were the first two glider manufacturers') Pete: Actually there were about six companies that started within about three months of each other. Bill Bennett was the first guy to do it commercially although he was primarily into tow kites. The two Wills Brothers. Bob and Chris. went to work for him along with Chris Price. but Bennett was rather inflexible. He didn't want to change away from the small tow gliders he knew flew well. The Wills guys said, "Look Bill. you've got to change. you arc going in the wrong direction." Evidently Bill didn't think so. so they went clown to Santa Ana and formed Wills Wing which was a good hour and a half drive south of us. The rest of us.

Bennett. Eipper. Mike Riggs of Seagull. and I were all grouped around the Torrance Beach flying site. We were all building Rogal lo style gliders primarily for ourselves and our friends. Manta got started up near San Francisco about the same time. but we had very little contact with them. They were off doing their own thing up there.

Dan: How did you decide to quite B.R.E. and start making gliders full time·' Pete: Well. racing kind of phased out at the time because we were running into the first international fuel crisis. It looked like racing was about to die and I was tired of trying to keep a crew of 18 people busy during the off season. Besides. we had reached a pinnacle in that particular type of racing.

The next level was Indy cars and I didn't have the bucks to do it personally and Nissan wasn't interested. I was having a lot more fun going down to Torrance Beach with my hang glider. It was like a big social thing.

We would all meet clown there in the evenings after work and sec who could stay up the longest. There was a huge sand dune down there and a 200-foot cliff.

Dan: From the time you first tlew with Russ. how much time transpired before your first soaring flight') Pete: Oh Goel. it was a long time ... almost a year. Of course hardly anyone was soaring back then: the gliders just didn't have the performance. The big thing was to find the highest mountain you could and jump off JUNE

1985

because the gl iclcrs did not have near the good soaring capability that they do today.

After we started making gliders full time in '71 we closed the racing shop and moved clown near Lake Elsinore where the weather was more consistent and we could fly 300 clays of the year.

Dan: At this point were you still single') Pete: No. I had been married and divorced.

Dan: A hang gliding divorce?

Pete: No. more like a racing divorce. Dan, you might be interested to know that I am now married to a lady who was my dealer in Hawaii. She has her private pilots license as well as a bunch of ainime in hang gliders.

Dan: It sounds like you hooked up with the right woman. Let's see ... what is another milestone that you recall from the early days of hang gliding'' Pete: The interesting thing is that Eippcr was pretty much the rage at that time because they had the best pilots. Mike Riggs of Seagtdl was al.so making real high quality gliders but nobody wanted to fly them. The gliders had "funny" curved leading edges and didn't look like everybody else's equipment. He found an enthusiastic guy named Pat Conniry and taught him to fly within a few clays. Pat was a natural, a really good pilot. One day at Torrance Pat soared for an hour which just blew everyone away! All of a sudden the "industry" changed. Now there was more than just one glider on the market: Seagull really began to challenge Eipper.

Then Bob Wills soared for three hours and the record kept being broken until it reached around eight hours. Then a marathon runner from Hawaii named Jim Will (no relation to the Wills brothers) informed us that he wanted to set a new hang gliding endurance record. We built him all this equipment and he smashed the existing record by flying non-stop for a little over 24 hours! A record we still hold.

Dan: That's unbelievable! Maybe f am just a wimp. but f usually get fatigued after around four hours. It's hard to imagine anyone staying up that long.

Pete: Yes. and Jim still flies his 164 Gemini. Now he is talking about the possibility of a 36-hour flight! Another record that we now hold is the highest launch in the world. In 1984 Tak Tagano of Japan launched a 185 C-2 from a 25,000-foot Peak in Nepal called Karchcnjunga. It's the third highest mountain in the world.

Dan: Roy Haggard has undoubtedly played a vital role in the design evolution of modern hang gliders. How did he become associated

with Ultralite Products?

Pete: Roy was one of those incredible guys who grew up building model airplanes and taught himself a lot about aerodynamics.

There was not any hang gliding in his home town or Visalia. California. He built his first glider for less than ten dollars from agricultural tubing. plastic sheet and duct tape with instructions someone gave him on the phone! He'd never even seen a glider at that point. Remember all the "technology" was clown at Torrance beach. It was inconceivable that someone who wasn't sharing all this energy could do what Roy did.

After flying his standard and realizing its limitations, he decided then to take his knowledge of aeroclyunamics and build something really slick. So he designed and built the Dragonfly with absolutely no input from the "outside". This was a revolutionary change because it was the first glider with fixed tips. so there would be some washout and pitch stability. Roy came down to our first big championships at Escape Country that year and just smoked everybody with that thing.

Dan: How did U.P. wind up making the Dragonfly'l Pete: I saw that there was a lot of potential in the design but here again the construction and hardware were less than perfect. So I said, "Hey, I think you've got a winner here. Why don't you let me design the airframes and hardware and you take care of the acroclynamics'1 " He agreed to that and we have been together ever since.

Dan: Who were some other people that you feel had a major influence on glider design about that time'' Pete: Besides Roy, Tom Peghiny and Bill Moyes come to mind. Tom was like Roy in that he was off in left field back on the East Coast doing his own thing and he was quite innovative. Tom was the designer of the Kestrel and the first person to put roach in a sail. I feel if Tom had been in California where he could have tested his ideas year round he might have been even more successful.

At the 1973 championships in Kossen.

Austria, Bill Moyes bought one of our first Dragonfly's and took it home to Australia with him for his son Steve. Bill got an idea from Australians who made sails for racing sailboats and he remade our sail complete with battens. He brought it back to Telluride the next year and just blew our doors off' Since that time all gliders have had battens.

Dan: I remember seeing a photo of your Son Hall. taking off at the first Hang Gliding 35

Spectacular at Kitty Hawk (called the Tactile Flight meet back then) in an old issue of Ground Skimmer. I understand that he later died while flying. Do you mind talking about it?

Pete: Hall began flying when he was nine years old. He had a little 12-foot standard glider and we would fly most evenings at Torrance beach. By the time he was II, he was an accomplished pilot and had done quite well at the Telluride meet that year.

When Hall turned 12 we returned to fly in Telluride and Aspen, Colorado and he was killed in a full luff dive. I knew the design limitations on standard Rogallos but he had flown his for so long I felt he was safe. We had planned to build him a small Dragonfly starting the following week when we returned home but it was too late.

Dan: How did this affect your personal attitude towards flying?

Pete: I was real broken up and I quit !lying for a couple of years, because flying for me had been a personal thing to share with Hall, and then suddenly not having my buddy to go with; it was too much of a loss. But, I really loved flying, and I decided that gliders would have to get a lot safer if the sport was ever going to get anywhere, so we concentrated on building safer gliders. It was a real major change in my point of view on flying. Since that time I have never, never compromised on satcty. Roy is the same way.

He has always used his talent to make flying safer. But there are a lot of people in the sport who haven't gone through that sort of pain and are willing to push the design of the glider and forego that margin of safety for the extra one-half point in glide, or whatever.

Dan: In the years that followed U. P. manufactured several gliders including the super floater Condor and the truncated tipped Spydcr. However, when I think of unusual designs, the Mosquito with its bowsprit and tip ruclclcrs comes to mind.

Pete: Well the Mosquito was really a very innovative design. It was probably one of the most interesting gliders technically, that Roy ever came up with. That's because it had what we called a "polycylindrical" wing.

The advantage of that particular set-up was that if the glider pitched over the wing's leading edge would bow down instead of up, giving the glider a tremendous amount of reflex. The Mosquito unfortunately had a lot of wires and was very complex to set up and take down. It met with a lot of resistance on that basis. But it was probably the best single surface design ever produced in terms of 36

performance.

Dan: Improvement in hang glider design seemed like a steady incret11cntal process until U.P. introduced the Comet in 1981. Overnight the Comet redefined performance standards in modern hang gliders and totally dominated the competition scene for at least two years. What design features set the Comet apart from the other gliders being made at that time'' Pete: Well. there were several double surface wings out previous to the Cot11et, including the Mariah and the Scirocco. Other designers were on the right track. These other designs had potential but didn't work very well. Roy came up with the concept of the floating crossbar attached to the king post and made it work. This was the thing that really made the Cornet successful.

Dan: How long was it from the time that Roy first conceived of the Comet until you finalized the production model?

Pete: Unbelievably only around four months. It was one of those incredible times when everything comes together and works right! Once we had the airframe design it was just a matter of cleaning up the sail and making hardware changes.

Dan: I know that the Cornet's slack flying wires caused a real ruckess when the glider was first introduced. Why clicl you make them so slack'l Pete: The slack wires were used in conjunction with the floating crossbar to augment side-to-side wcightshift, therefore improving the handling. The glider felt like a bowl of jello while ground handling clue to this looseness. This distressed a few people, especially Eastern pilots who had to do a lot of cliff launching. We found later that a lot of the movement was occurring at the kingpost base which was mounted solidly on the Comet I. So, for the Comet II. we came up with the swiveling kingpost base which would still allow the whole thing to flex, but enabled us to tighten up the wires. The C2 has become a classic design that would be difficult to improve upon.

Dan: How were you able to keep the Comet a secret while test flying it?

Pete: We have a couple of secret sites where we tested it in the early stages. Eventually though, after ironing out the bugs, we had to compare it to our cot11petition. A couple of times Roy would launch early in the day from another higher site and tly over the "E" at Elsinore quite high before anyone else had launched. and then he would just disappear. You know, it just had everybody bugged. The pilots just couldn't figure out what

it was. And. of course. we would hear all kinds of rumors. I ret11ember one fellow exclaiming. "Gosh, we were all up on the 'E' and some guy came over at 2 .000 feet above launch and we hadn't had one pilot launch yet! And he clisappearccl over the mountain and nobody knows who it was or what's going on." And we would say, "Wow, that's really interesting." So, it was a great game and we had a lot of fun with it for a week or two but then you've got to fly it with everybody else to make real comparisons.

Improvements in hang glider design are usually so small that it's very difficult to measure them accurately. That's why we believe so strongly in XC competition. That. in the final analysis, is the only real test; if you've done it right the glider is a consistent winner.

Dan: To my way of thinking. a great pivotal point in hang gliding occurred at the 1980 U.S. Nationals in Ellenville, New York.

Tom Haddon piloting a Comet upset Rex Miller flying a Fledge in the final round of competition. Up until that time, the Fledge appeared almost unbeatable. It seemed as if the weight shift flex wing had finally come of age.

Pete: I was there and even though the Comet won. I think it was hardly a contest.

A lot of very capable people were at that meet and were not able to compete fairly because they had bad conditions. It is unfortunate when a guy is judged National Champion on the basis of three flights at six minutes each. or a total of 18 minutes airtime! That is why I put so much stock in the Owens Valley. I think it is more judicious to find a champion based on flying six hours . per clay for 10 clays with flights averaging from 80 to JOO miles! This is flying in the most rigorous conditions where a glider really has to prove itself. You can't just tighten the wing up to where you get an extra quarter point in glide like in the fishbowl races where you have minimum sink conditions.

Out there you 'vc got to have a glider that is comfortable to fly for hundreds of miles for hours every day and you can live with. That's also what determines if the pilot is a champion or not.

Dan: The Comet seems to have done quite well in the acrobatic championships at Telluride the last few years.

Pete: Not only Telluride, but every aerobatic contest held anywhere in the world has been won by a Comet. To develop the energy for your first acrobatic maneuver, Eric Raymond tells me he will probably lose around 800 feet in the lead-in maneuver. I HANG GLIDING

maintain that there isn't another built that won't distort out or shape at that One or the reasons that our glider has performed better at top speed i.s that our crossbars arc longer. In other words, they attach to the leading fort her toward the tips than anyone else docs. Because or the greater column length, we have to inner, sleeve it which adds a little more however, it increases rigidity and allows for less clellection at the in high speed flight.

It\ the Comet's ability to retain energy and maintain a rebtivcly decent sail shape at that wins acrobatic contl:sts. l certainly can't recommend doing aero hatics in a hang glider. Tei do them sue and win meets means that we have to build very special that arc not pleasurnhlc to fly They may look spectacular but our personal viewpoint is that acrobatics really have no place in weight shih con1rollcd flight as we know it now. l think Eric Ray, mond is one of the best in the game and he's already had a couple or structural failures and had to deploy his chute. Anybody who !lies acrobatically is living on borrowed time.

Dan: It seems that in the last two years, hang glider have concentrated on reducing twist in the and eliminating drag in through 1hl: use or Ltirings and other techniques. Wills Wing has chosrn to eliminate the keel pocket on the HP in their quest ltir less What do you think if' this idea'?

Pete: I think that the HP is quite a glider, certainly one of the best produced by Wills Also Dan, our new glider the

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"GZ" has no keel poch:1 on it either.

Dan: Rcally' 1 l have always assumed that the that a keel pocket produces in a side slip was an important factor in yawing the nose down and keeping it from tail sliding.

Pete: We used to fr'.cl that the keel pocket was important to stability, but there arc other factors that count a lot more. lt is not as important as we once hcliL:vcd. For example, by keeping the nose angle to less than J:l()° and having a l~1irly long span. we can the wingtips well behind the centl:r of niass which contributes greatly to stability.

Dan: i\rc you that a wing with a [\5 ° nose like the Sensor 510 is not as stable as a gl icier with a lesser nose angle') Pete: It's not a matter of nose angle versus stability: the Sensors work very well. It is more a question of efficiency. You sec. 1hey have this llcxiblc tip out there which aesthetically makes the glider quite beautiful.

But our kcling is that thl:se tips don't you as much positive pitch stability as our so they l1avc to run one, sometimes two extra bridle lines out to the trailing edge to get the necessary pitch stability. We feel this adds a lot more drag and doesn't seem as efficient as the way we do it, but that\ what m,1kcs the game so interesting' Dan: The last time I spoke with you, work was almost complete on your new prototype Arc you to call it the Comet Ill or what' 1 Pete: No, it is a totally new design, not a continuation of the Comet series. The guys around the shop call it the "Glidczilla." It

is awcsomc 1 It is the rirst that we have had in three years that we arc impressed with ourselves and we have built a lot of pro totypcs. You take it out and this thing just flat stomps on the best Cornets that we haw.

It is not cvcn a contest. It is like when we originally took the Cornets out and tested them against the Mosquitos. So we arc pretty excited about it.

Dan: Could you me some planform spccirications on the Gliclczilla' 1 Pete: Well I could, but I think l will have you talk to J.C. Brown about all of that. J.C. ancl Roy have been in charge of the Glidczilla so he might be able to help you more on this. J.C. and Larry Tudor just came back frrnn tcst flying the glider at 'forrcy Pines and arc in the next room. I will get J.C. for you.

Dan: Hi J.C. How arc you doing? ,J,C: Pretty good.

Dan: I am going to put you on the spot. spoke with someone who has seen a Glidczilla and his first impression was that it appeared to be a smaller version of the Wills Wing HP. How do the two gliders differ'?

J.C.: Ir you just glance at the Glidczilla next to an HP there seems to he more similarities than differences: however by tak, ing a closer look you will sec there arc ma .. jor difkrcnccs. The Glidc1.illa is designed to operate at a much higher loading.

Our current model is 154 square feet as com . pared to 164 squares on the HP. It has a fairly high aspect ratio with a span or 14 feet. It has a 126 ° nose angle but the di f~ fercncc is the quarter chord sweep. This takes into account the shape or the trailing edge. not just the sweep back of the leading What we did with the Glidezilla is that we tried to maintain the same quarter chord sweep angle as the Comet II. We reel that this cxtrn little bit of sweep that the Cornet has over other gliders contributes to its good handling and its excellent safety record. This extra sweep back adds an increased level of damping in pitch, that we think could help gliders resist tumbling.

The other thing that's different is that we arc using a greater percentage or double sur . face and a slightly dil'fercnt sct . up.

The hardware is quite a bit different as well as the sailcloth. We have tried numerous cloth combinations and have decided upon a trailing edge or N.YT. cloth (new yarn tempered) and n leading or dacron.

Dan: Will you be corning out with a larger version of the Glidczilla') J.C.: Yes, we plan to have a model 37

somewhere around 175 square feet ready for release in late spring.

Dan: Would you give me one example of how this glider outperforms the Comet?

J.C.: Recently Roy and I took some early morning sled runs in stable air for comparison purposes. I was in a Comet II; Roy was in the Glidezilla. I had the bar pulled all the way in for maximum speed, Roy had his bar pulled in about half and could keep up with me. He pulled in a little more and shot ahead of me. The Cornet was not only falling behind, it was falling below.

Dan: How does the handling compare?

J.C.: There is no question that the handling is different. This new breed of glider with flatter sails and no keel pocket requires a little transition time. The Glidezilla has a much lighter pitch pressure than the Comet as would be expected. In fact the control bar can be pulled all the way back and flown at arms length with one hand in moderate conditions. The roll rate is reasonably fast but in perspective with that the roll pressure is slightly higher.

Dan: Thanks for all of the information J.C. Back to you Pete. What ever happened to your Arrow sailplane that Eric Raymond flew in the Owens Valley a couple of years ago?

Pete: We put a lot of time into developing the Arrow, and it performed real well but there are a couple of reasons we have not put it into production. First of all its set-up time is over an hour ~ it's not a glider to fly unless you're planning a major XC event.

It also proved to be difficult to foot-launch.

It became obvious that the only way to get it up was to tow it which wasn't legal until October 1984. The FAA just suddenly decided it was going to be legal so now we have a product with a tremendous amount of potential.

Dan: What method is best for towing the Arrow?

Pete: It can be towed up by an automobile, an ultralight, or an airplane.

Dan: So it will actually fly fast enough for a Cessna to tow it up?

Pete: Yes, it will go 80 mph real easy!

Dan: I have been a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association in the past and therefore have followed the pioneering eff011s of Bun Rutan. Although Burt is mostly known for his innovative canard design experimental aircraft, he has also helped popularize the foam fiberglass construction tcchnqiue. It seems to me that if someone would make a rigid wing like the Mitchell wing or the Fledge III using these materials,

38

that it would significantly outperform the best aluminum/dacron wings around! Have you ever considered this approach?

Pete: Every day. You know we dream about it a lot. Most hang glider pilots are not familiar with that constrnction technique.

We would have to completely change our whole manufacturing set-up to do it. Also, most people like the convenience and portability of a flexwing glider. I am not sure if the public is ready to put up with the extra hassle in transport even if it would be a performance gain.

I also believe that a wing designed by Reimar and Walter Horton in Germany over 30 years ago would be the best design choice.

When I went to Argentina in the fall of '84 I had a visit with Rcimar Horton. I wanted to meet him because I had heard such incredible tales about this guy and the footlaunchable gliders that he had built in the SO's. He is now a 70-year-old man living a very bucolic life in the mountains near the city of Cordoba. He is probably one of the most overlooked individuals in aviation history. He understood and invented technology 20 to 40 years ago that we are just catching up to today! For example, the Mitchell wing has no twist and therefore has an extremely good glide and sink rate but is not very pitch positive. Well, the Horton wing also has little twist, but Horton found a way to make it pitch positive anyway. His airfoil is designed in such a way that you get stability by creating a relative difference in drag from the main chord to the tip chord.

We actually got to see two Horton wings while we were down there and got photographs of them. Horton is still just as sharp as ever and loves to talk about flying, but unfortunately he is not understood by the people where he lives. He is a genius plagued by politics and the senility of conventional thought. It is unfortunate that no one in Argentina has had the power or money to back him in a serious program.

Dan: This type of wing would open up a whole new dimension in cross country flying.

Pete: I recently received a letter from Argentina saying that the group that owns the Horton job wing intends to finish it this year! I am looking forward to its completion.

Our whole philosophy at U. P. is cross country flying. I am not a believer in fishbowl races. The way I justify that is by looking ahead to where hang gliding is going. Someday there will be a wing that you crawl up inside that has more than a 20 to l glide.

You will be able to go out and fly a few hun-

drcd mile triangle! And that's where our sport and hopefully our company is going.

Dan: We have heard a lot about the tough times the USHGA had last year. How are the U.S. hang glider manufacturers weathering the storm?

Pete: Well, I'd say that this industry is probably in its most serious financial and legal position right now. Because the American dollar is quite high, we have lost a good portion of our foreign market. Although many European manufacturers are reputable we have had a few rip off our designs and we are having to sell against exact copies. So that means our survival is dependent upon the U.S. market. We arc in the process of suing one European manfuacturer now for copying the Comet, but it will probably take years to settle.

We arc also recovering from two other financial setbacks. In the past year several of our dealers went out of business leaving \ts with a substantial debt. Also U.P. had to pay out around $200,000 in a law suit that we lost.

Dan: That's incredible! What in the world happened?

Pete: It was quite unfortunate. Several years ago a pilot was flying in an area known for its extreme turbulence. He got in an asskicking thermal which flipped him upside down and he fell back into the glider and broke it. We had told him that he should be wearing a parachute since he was flying in such a turbulent area much of the time, but he said he couldn't afford one, but planned to get one later. Well, he died and his family sued us and unbelievably they won. We felt we had presented a very thorough case explaining why gliders can be broken but, we feel that the case was not jduged with any fairness or understanding.

This is why when we designed the Comet, we made it absolutely bulletproof. Comets have withstood the wrost turbulence that anyone will fly in at the Owens Valley and passed with flying colors. You can now understand why Roy and I are committed to making very strong, pitch positive gliders even if they weigh five pounds more than the competition. But, a pilot's confidence in his equipment only seems to make him fly into stronger conditions.

Dan: What is your strategy for making things profitable again at U.P.?

Pete: Well a lot of Comet owners have indicated a readiness to purchase the Glidezilla without ever even seeing one. Our philosophy is that we want to support those people who have supported us in the past. U.P. is HANG GLIDING

now selling direct at a considerable discount to those experienced pilots who have earned a 50-mile shirt by flying that far on a U.P. glider. We plan to do this direct selling on a limited basis to sec how it works. Anyone else can still purchase our gliders through a dealer. just like before. It's all a matter of economics. The conflicting problem is that there arc fewer dealers in 1985 than there were in 1983. yet we still have almost the same number of pilots. Sometimes you just have to try something and sec what happens.

Dan: Yes, Phoenix Products did the exact same thing a few years ago with their whitewater kayaks and their sales zoomed.

It will be interesting to see how it works for you. Besides hang gliding. what other projects are you involved in these days'' Pete: We arc working on an exciting new engine that is being designeu for use in ultralights. It is a lightweight four-stroke engine that docs not have a crankshaft. I have also designed a new GT two-place coupe that is projected for limited production. It will be built by a California firm with assistance from one of the big three. I also have new ventures into the banking business and the music industJy. My partners have a lot of ex-

JUNE

[985

perience in the field of entenainment and we have come up with a new concept to back musical groups.

Dan: Sounds like you have too much free time on your hands. Maybe you need to find a good hobby to keep yourself occupied. OK back to reality. In closing. what do you feel is needed to make hang gliding as an industry grow and prosper"' Pete: I would have to give a two part answer to that.

You have a very strange thing going on in hang gliding right now. When the sport staned. it was simple. Everybody could confront jumping off a sand dune. flying six feet off the ground clown to the bottom and it was a lot of fun. Now we arc building 70 pound gliders that fly at 20,000 feet and that you can go a hundred miles in. The average guy sees that as so far out that he can't even think about being a part of that' We have gone beyond the point where the average guy has any idea what we are doing. We have to find a way to appeal to him again.

On the other hand. these l'ery imfHO\'emrnts in perfiJrmance arc what is needed to keep some of the old pro's interested.

Pilots by nature arc very competitive and are

always setting higher and higher goals for themselves. If the equipment begins to run into a barrier where goals cannot be exceeded then these people get bored and begin to look for something new that will challenge their abilities.

So we need to make a broad simple appeal to the general public while at the same time keep improving glider performance and safety for the top pilots in the sport.

Dan: Pete, I want to thank you and J.C. for a very interesting discussion and here's hoping for the best of lift for everyone at U. P. in 1985.•

About the interl'icwer: Dan Demaree is an advanced pilot, a USHGA Observer and certified instructo1: He 11·a.1 assistanr manager of Kitry Hml'k Kites Easr in 1983.

Dan Iii-es in Fhend.n'ille, lv!D ll'here he helps mwwge his bmther's company, 11·hich 111an11ji1ctl/res industrial grade whi1ewater rafts.

Dan is presiclenr of Mountaineer Hang Gliding Associarion, ll'hich co1·ers norrhem West Virginia and ll'estern Marr/and. His first inten·iell' ll'ilh Ste\\' Smith appeared in thl' June 1984 issue of Hang Gliding.

39

HANG GLIDING TOUR OF FRANCE RESERVATIONS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR 3-WEEK SUMMER TOURS. FOOD, TRANSPORTATION AND LODGING FURNISHED. (YOU MUST BRING YOUR OWN GLIDER.)

ENJOY BEAUTIFUL FRANCE FROM YOUR HANG GLIDING POINT OF VIEW!!

For further information including dates open, rates and specific tour routes, contact as soon as possible:

Hang Gliding According to Pfeiffer: Skills For the Advancing Pilot Now available ... the most comprehensive guide around for pilots seeking to expand their knowledge and skills. With 244 pages, 125 illustrations and photographs, loads of TRUE stories, and a complete subject index. You'll learn ...

About soaring: Ridge, thermal, wave and other types of lift. Locating likely lift sources. "Reading" clouds. Soaring techniques for various kinds of lift.

About cross-<:ounfryflylng: XC potential of your area. Training and supplies for your ground crew. Advance planning. When THE day arrives. During the flight.

About competition flying: Competition formats and scoring systems. Psych-out techniques. Evaluating opponents. Strategies. Specific flying techniques.

About equipment: Choosing, caring for, and making best use of a glider, harness, parachute, instruments, and other equipment. Sail cloth tips.

About speed-to-fly calculations: Dolphin vs. classic flight. Your glider's polar. Techniques for gliding furthest, fastest. Speed rings.

Please rush me _ _ _ copies of Hang Gliding According to Pfeltter: Skills For the Advancing PIiot at $9.95 each, plus shipping and handling: $1.00 first copy,$ .25 each additional (airmail $2.50 first copy, $1.00 each additional). Californians please add $.60 sales tax per copy. Total enclosed: $ _ _ _ _ _ __ Name:-------------

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before nying 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 to them to inspect.

Rogallos Attention: MONEY $$ or trade in value for old, obsolete hang gliding stuff including magazines.

Hang Glider Emporium (805) 965-3733.

DELTA WING'S NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF DEALERS can help you gel into the air. Alternative financing plans available. For further information and the address of your nearest dealer, contact: DELTA WING, P.O. Box 483, Van Nuys, CA 91408 (818) 787-6600.

Alpha W.W. 179 - Great condition. Very forgiving glider for beg.-intermed. Yellow, orange, brown. $350. Will ship. (914) 831-3942.

C2 185 - Late 1984. Rainbow sail and all the goodies. Not a scratch. $1800. OVR 185-1982.

Good condition. $500. or best offer. Ian, (303) 443-2031, (303) 440-3579.

BRAND 1'EW - Custom built 135-C2 with 1/, ribs and other extra's. This glider is hot' $1600. Call Dennis. (404) 820-1962. (404) 820-2559.

C5B - $320.00, Fledge II $350.00, Wills XC 215 $300.00, Spyder 168 $275.00, Sun 38 $200.00, Soarmaster $225.00, New Advanced Air cocoon medium size with ballast and chute container 130.00. Will consider offers on any. (503) 276-7462.

CSB - Great Shape 1 Greg (505) 844-9608 (w), (505) 266-1774 (h).

COMET 135 - Will negotiate, lrJ777 Chillicothe, Chesterland, OH 44026 (216) 256-3635.

COMET 165 - Excellent performer and condition, flown in Nationals, $800. John (412) 981-7460.

1982 COMET 185 - Excellent condition, blue & white (805) 541-1275.

PACKAGE DEAL-165 Comet, faired custom XCountry harness, helmet, v aria, skyting harness, chute. Deliver LA or SF free $1500.

(805) 239-1619.

185 COMET-Blue, red, white. $1000. 194 Condor-harness, helmet. $800. (312) 359-6270 (Chicagoland).

COMET C-2 165-Great condition. Ball Vario ineluded. $1300. (714) 980-2378.

1985 HP 170 - Perfect condition. All white with faired tubes. $2150. (503) 256-5135.

COMET II 165-Keller Cocoon, large chute. Tight orange spectrum sail. 40 hrs. Excellent buy. $1600. offer (714) 689-1849.

JAVELIN 208 - (Salinas) White, gold, orange, brown. Harness, parachute, helmet. Excellent condition, less than 2 hours $1100. (213) 749-7782.

COMET 165-Mint cond. Emerald grn. (303) 795-5264 $ll00.

WANTED-JAVELIN 208-Good condition, reasonable price. MT. (406) 388-0100.

FOR SALE-1983-180 Duck. Only 45 hrs. $1000. obo. (209) 268-3746 (Ken).

MAGIC Ills. Fly one today. "Magic" Johnson (218) 724-2387.

LIGHT DREA:-.1 165 and 185 - Nice condition, rainbow sails. $1200. ea. Harness & chute $325.

(818) 988-0ll2/353-5580.

NEW AND USED MAGICS-from $1675. (503) 942-8914.

1984 ATTACK DUCK-Red, white, gold. l hr. airtime. New. $1800. (615) 828-4343.

160 ATTACK DUCK-Less than one year old.

4"half ribs" per side. Cross country bag included. Gold, red, rainbow, white. Good condition, handles great' $1400. Call evenings (303) 440-3579.

180 Duck-Blue, spectrum and white, 1984, low airtime, must sell Si200. Great condition. Call Ted (818) 988-0ll2 evenings.

160 DUCK-All white, red wedge and keel pocket.

Good condition, must sell $700. Call Tiki (818) 988-0112 evenings.

FALCON 5-Hang glider, excellent condition. One owner, bought new in 1981, with prone and training wheels. Test flown once by professional, never flown since due to by-pass surgery. $500.

(216) 884-2372 Parma, OH. GEMINI 184-Good condition. Gold, orange, brown. Mylar, E.L. $900. (717) 762-1981 Roger.

Dream 165 - Low Hours Lazor II 170 - Good Cond.

Lazor I 195 - Good Cond.

Cirrus 5B ..

224 Condor - Excellent Cond.

160 Duck (Have 2) .

180 DUCK (Also 2) ..

185 Comet II 185 Comet I - Used 180 Streak - Good Cond.

. S 800.00 ..... S 350.00 . $ 450.00 .. $ 200.00 . $ 400.00 .$ 900.00 .... $ 900.00 . Sl050.00 . . $ 700.00 ..... OFFERS

Flight Realities, c/o 1831 Clove St., San Diego, CA 92!06 (619) 455-6036.

GEMINI 184 - Wt. range 150-230, blue and white, orange tips. Like new: used only briefly in filming. S1ITT5. Many others, from $200 - Call: UP/UTAH (801) 572-1537.

187 HARRIER II - 22 hours. Red, orange, yellow. harness & parachute. $1000 (619) 941-1354.

COMET 165-Good condition. Yellow L.E .. red undcrsail, orange trailing edge. $800. Jeff (9rJ7) m-4647.

HARRIER 147-Mylar, blue and white, faired X-bar and K-post. $795. Sensor 510-165-$795. or trade for tandem glider (918) 836-4588.

1984 COMET II 185-$1300. 190 Antares-S350.

(303) 499-8236.

HARRIER 147 - Gold & white, flies great, looks great. Low airtime, must sell $900. OBO. (818) 716-9610.

FINE CONDITION-Comet 185, $900. Spaghetti harness $100. (Large). Roberts vario $100. (505) 345-4916.

COMET 165-Custom span-cut multi-colored sail.

(Black, red, orange, gold, yellow, white). Sharp' Well cared for. $850./negotiable. Gary (805) 682-0904.

JUNE

1985

JAVELIN 168 - Rainbow sail, practically new. $890. (206) 488-3820.

FLIGHT DESIGN DEMON 175-Bcautiful black & rainbow sail. Very good condition. 65 hrs. $500. John (503) 231-8555.

HP 170 - Almost new, perfect sail, best offer, trade/car (801) 254-6141.

CUSTOM HP - UV cloth. Pacific blue leading edge/undersurface. Excellent condition $1995. or BIO (805) 965-2447.

MAGIC 3 - 166 - $1500. Will haggle and ship (214) 487-3505.

FOR SALE: Phoenix SX glider, new, never flown, complete assembly with case. Call Frank Calvert (414) 834-5758.

PRO STAR 11-195 - Excellent flyer. Black LE, rainbow, dbl. surface, $800. Doug (218) 724-2387.

PRO AIR 140 - Perfect for small pilots to 150 lbs.

Super flying machine; sweet handling; excellent sink rate. Low airtime. $800. (805) 581-0825.

PRO AIR DAWN 155-Bought June '84. Custom sail, faired down tubes. $1400. PA (717)637-6943.

PRO DAWN-Custom sail, half battens, 4.5 oz.

White trailing edge, faired downtubes. low airtime, must sell $1500. Call Ted (818) 988-0ll2 eve.

PRO STAR II 160. Price harness, chute, Chad deck with clock, altimeter and vario, great condition.

Must sell $1,400 or trade? (209) 432-4800.

RAVEN 209 - Excellent condition $600. w/shipping. Flagstaff, AZ. (602) 526-3620 .

RAVEN 229 - wt. range 170-230, rainbow sail. Excellent for tandem or the larger pilot. $800.

Many others, for $200. - call! UP/UTAH (80!)

572-1537 .

RAVEN 209-0nly 10 flights, like new $800. (303) 841-2523 .

RAVEN 149-Great beginner-intermediate glider.

Good condition $600. Roberts vario SIOO. (505) 345-4916.

RAVEN 209-Excel. cond. with rainbow sail, Bell helmet, Price harness with new secllrity chute and carrying bag. $850. Mike (805) 962-7514.

RAVEN 179-Good condition $300. Write: Bob Pobocik, 26502 Bay Tree, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

RAVEN 209 - Excellent condition. Great beginning glider $399. 95 (805) 489-4055.

WANTED: Raven 229. Call Brad at (804) 329-5324 (Va.) or (312) 360-ITTOO (II.) SENSOR 510-180 - 1982 good cond. $995. Paul (415) 689-5809.

SENSOR 510-160 TRIPLY - Clean sail, t1ies great. $1000. trade/car. (801) 254-6141.

SENSOR 510-180 - $850. Excellent cond., low airtime. Will consider trade. (814) 355-9240. Pa. 160 STREAK - Excellent condition. Less than an hour airtime $1300. Robertson cocoon S120. Bennett ESS chute. $250. (303) 567-4624.

41

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SMALL PILOTS - 130 Streak, brand new condition, cocoon, parachute (619) 434-6824.

160 STREAK-Good condition. Black, silver, white. $700. OBO (315) 986-4438.

STREAK 160- Tri-ply TE; Gold LE, spcctmm LS. Excellent $950. Will ship. Tom (505) 281-1732.

180 STREAK-Fast. good flyer $800. Seagull Seahawk flown twice $450. (406) 734-5472 eves.

X-180 - Dark red, gold and white, good all around glider, very good condition, must sell $800.

(818) 716-9610.

HANG GLIDERS - Rogallo Wing original, great for boat tow. $200. OBO. Delta Wing X-200 double surface. $1100. OBO (805) 259-8'177.

WANTED - Used hang gliding equipment, gliders, instruments, harnesses and parachutes. SAN FRANCISCO WIND SPORTS, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

Rigid Wings NEW MITCHELL A-10 - AS!, vario, tach, egt, brakes, with new customer trailer. Save $3000.

Need cash' $4950. (503) ll6-7462.

FLEDGE JIB-Good condition. $550. Call (612) 545-7680 after 9 PM. FLEDGE IIB - Good cond. Red, white, yellow. $650. OBO S. Calif. Roy (714) 775-0672.

Schools and Dealers

for Wills Wing, UP, Progressive Aircraft, Pacific Windcraft. Delta Wing. Learn to fly with us!

(415) 756-0650.

HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS - Certified instruction program. Featuring Wills Wing and Ultralight Products gliders and accessories. Duck, Comet II, Skyhawk. Gemini demos available to qualified pilots. 1202 E. Walnut, Unit M. Santa Ana, CA 9ll0l. (714) 542-7444.

HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM - Quality instruction, service and sales since 1'174. Full stock of new and used UP and Wills gliders, harnesses, helmets, instmments, accessories and spare parts. Located minutes from US IOI and flying sites. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103. (805) 965-3733.

HANG GLIDERS WEST-ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT CENTER-New and used gliders, SINCE I'J73, CERTIFIED. FREE BROCHURE! 20-A Pamaron, Ignacio, CA 94947. (415) 883-3494.

DEALER FOR EAGLE, XL, & FALCON ULTRALIGHTS' PINECREST AIR PARK vice. (714) 8"87-9ll5.

Instruction, sales, ser-

SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS - Gliders and equipment, sales and rentals. Private and group instmction by USHGA certified instructors.

Local site information and glider rental. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) 753-8828.

SANTA BARBARA HANG GLIDING CENTER Certified instruction, glider and equipment sale.

486 Alan Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93109.

ARIZONA DESERT HANG GLIDERS USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur.

Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 938-9550.

CALIFORNIA BRIGHT STAR HANG GLIDERS Sales - service restorations. All major brands represented. Santa Rosa, CA (707) 584-7088 CHANDELLE SAN FRANCISCO, Hang Gliding Center. USHGA certified school. Stocking dealer

WINDSPORTS INT. since 1'174 (formerly So. Cal. Hang Gliding Schools). Largest and most complete HANG GLIDING center in Southern California. Largest inventory of new and used gliders, ultralites, instruments, parts and accessories. Complete training program by USHGA certified instmctors. 16145 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 988-0111.

CONNECTICUT

Lynda Blau, (103) 267-8980. Hang glider dealer for Wills and UP. Ultralight also available.

USHGA Certified Instructor. Been flying since 1'175. Call me where to go in CONN. HAWAII TRADEWINDS HANG GLIDING - USHGA Certified School. Rentals. tandems. Box 543, Kailua, HI 96734 (808) 396-8557.

IDAHO TREASURE VALLEY HANG GLIDERS - Service - USHGA Instruction - dealers for all major brands, accessories - site info, ratings - Box 746, Nampa, ID 83651 (208) 465-5593.

ILLINOIS MIDWEST GLIDER SUPPLIES - Dealer for Sensor 510, flight accessories, and a complete line of skyting components, 2638 Roberts, Waukegan, Illinois 60087. (312) 244-0529.

INDIANA ALPHA AIRCRAFT-USHGA, AOPA and FAA certified instruction. Dealers for all major nonpowered and powered brands. 145 E. 14th St..

Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 291-6406 or (317) 636-4891.

MICHIGAN SOUTHWESTERN MICH. SCHOOL OF HANG GLIDING - USHGA Instruction at Warren Dunes, Bridgman. MI. Wills Wing dealergliders, accessories and parts. c/o Bob Kreske, R #2-700 North, New Carlisle, IN 46552 (219) 654-7666.

MINNESOTA NORTHERN SUN, INC. Dealer for all major nonpowered and powered brands. USHGA certified instmction. 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. 9450 Hudson Blvd .. Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (612) 738-8866.

CONNECTICUT COSMIC AVIATION - 14 Terp.

Rd., E. Hampton. CT 06424, c/o Bart Blau.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NEVADA HIGH SIERRA SPORTS, INC. - 286 E. Winnie, Carson City, NV 89701. (702) 885-1891. Northern Nevada's complete hang gliding, windsurfing and ultralight shop. All major brands available.

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Distributor major brands hang gliders (Airwavc Magic), instruments, parachutes and ultralights, Tokyo 03/433/0063, Yugawara 0456/63/0173, Kurumayama Hang School 0266/68/m4 (April-November).

NEW YORK

SWITZERLAND

MOUNTAIN WINGS, INC. - 6 miles from Ellenville. Five training hills, five mountain sites, USHGA certified instruction and towing. We are now the area's only Wills Wing dealer, also Delta Wing, Pacific Windcraft, Seedwings and Manta. Sail, airframe repairs on all makes. RIC equipment. Main St., Kerhonkson, NY 12446 (914) 626-5555.

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.

NEW MEXICO

NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES, INC. - P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, NC 21959 1-800-334-4777, In NC. 919-441-4124. Learn to fly over soft sand dunes just south of the site where the Wright Brothers learned to fly. Beginning and Advanced

packages; complete inventory of new gliders, accessories and parts. Ultralight training and sales available as well as windsurfing sales and instruction.

OREGON

Emergency Parachutes NE\\' 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.

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER - $24.95. Dealer inquiries invited. Thermal, 19431 Business Center Dr. #41, Northridge, CA 91324.

ROBERTSON COCOON-Fits 5'!0" to 6'2" with 24' chute and storage, $250. Litek Vario $90.

Tom (505) 281-1732.

ALL BRANDS - Bought, sold, and repacked. Inspection and repack $20.00 - Kevlar, nylon, sis, bridles installed and replaced. S. F. Windsports (formerly H.G. Equipment Co.) 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

EASTERN OREGON ULTRALIGHTS - Certified instruction. New and used. Wills Wing specialists. PO Box 362, Pendleton, OR 9780!

(503) 216-7462.

PENNSYLVANIA SKY SAILS LTD. Hang Gliding School. USHGA certified instructors. 1630 Lincoln Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701. (717) 326-6686 or 322-8866.

THREE RING RELEASE - and bridle $50. (Three ring release only, $35.) Postage paid. Make check payable to Rolla Manning, 6752 Cherry Grove. Las Vegas, NV 89115 (702) 438-4917.

UTAH

Ultralight Powered Flight

FLY UTAH WITH SKYMASTER - Emergency parachute. Light/safe.

Spring activation deploys faster, more dependablv at much lower altitude than hand thrown type: Special offer $599. Also have instruments at discount prices. Free Literature. Microflight Products, 1109 Copperwood Rd. SW, Hixson.

TN 37343.

Parts & Accessories

JETWING TRIKE - With reduction drive, parachute, harness, 2 Demon hang gliders, lots of spare parts. 2 seat adapter kit. All for $1995.

Call Kim (205) 252-7626 or 951-2142. Trailer $100.

Business Opportunities CRYSTAL AIR SPORT MOTEL at Raccoon

Mountain; Bunkhouse. private rustic rooms, regular & waterbeds, video in-room movies, private jacuzzi room, pool, sky gear gifts, fliers work program. FF! 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, Tenn. 37409 (615) 821-2546.

Chuck & Shari Toth.

Delta Wing Products, certified instruction, 9173 Falcon Cr., Sandy Utah 84092 (SOI) 943-1005.

WASATCH WINGS, INC. - USHGA certified hang gliding school, dealers for Wills Wing. P.O. Box 397, Cedar Valley, UT 84013. (SOI) 768-4500.

International Schools & Dealers

price list - 3620 \Vawona, San Francisco, CA

JAPAN

JUNE

San Francisco Windsports (formerly H.G, Equipment Co.) For all your hang gliding needs. We are dealers for all major brands. Send S2 .00 for 94116 (415) 753-8828.

[985

RACCOON MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE PARK (formerly Crystal Flight Resort): TRAM NOW OPEN EVERY DAY. Simulator, Hang Gliding, tandem sky diving, hot-air ballooning, ultralighting lessons and rides: survival games, rappelling, towing, parachute packing and much more. FFI Rt. 4, Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37419 (615) 825-0444, Chris & Leon Riche.

43

CLASSIFIED: ADVERTISING Publications & Organizations SOARJNG - 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.

Miscellaneous SAILMAKING SUPPLIES & hardware. All fabric types. Catalog and colorful samples. $1.

Massachusetts Motorized, PO Box 542-G, Cotuit, MA 02635.

The rate for classified advertising is 35C per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $3.00. A fee of $10.00 is charged for each photograph ·or logo. Bold face or caps 50c per word extra. Underline words to be bold. Special layouts of tabs $20.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES - All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l V, months preceding the cover date, i.e., November 20 for the January issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept., HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

Stolen Wings TYPE: Vision 20. WHERE AND WHEN: Near Butterfield at Mt. Laguna, April 28, 1985. SAIL PATTERN: Under surface yellow LE & undersurface wired tips.

White trailing edge. Upper surface all white. Faired kingpost. CONTACT: John Ryan (619) 450-9008 or Ed Smalley (313) 852-1700.

SOAR through "THE GRAND CANYON" right in your own living room! 2-hour helicopter exploration. Breathtaking music. Critically acclaimed.

VHS or BETA $51.44. Details FREE. Beerger Productions, 3217 Arville, Las Vegas, NV 89102 (702) 876-2328.

TYPE: Olympus 160, red & yellow w/windows, black Litek vario, black harness w/blue chute container. WHERE AND WHEN: Roadside near Hwy. 1, 30 miles south of Carmel, CA on 2/26/85. CONTACT: Peter Rosen, (408) 667-2345 TYPE: Sensor 510-180 11165. WHERE AND WHEN: Outside Galeana Mexico, near Saltillo, April 29, 1984. PATTERN: Reddish brown LE, orange undersurface, remainder dirty whlte. Logo on top right panel #3. CONTACT: Stephen Rudy, 5309 Roosevelt, Austin, TX (512) 467-8078.

TYPE: Sensor 510 180. SAIL: Blue LE, Bayberry double surface, white main body.

Many rips in LE. Was not in bag when stolen. WHERE AND WHEN: Hart Park, Bakersfield CA May 6, 1985. Was seen leaving the bottom of the hill on a small red hatchback car! CONTACT: Larry Broad (209) 784-4618.

AIR BRAKES-Mylar upright and kingpost fairings.

Trailing edge opens for takeoffs. Turn crosswind and decrease LID for tight landings. Three fairings only $48. Delivered USA Air Dynamics, 234 Monte Alto NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123 (505) 296-6146.

PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3 'h'' dia. Inside or outside application. 25c each. Include 15C for postage and handling with each order.

P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

BUMPER STICKERS - "There's No Place Like Cloudbase" $2.00 postpaid. Flight Realities, c/o 1830 Clove St., San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 455-6036.

TEE-SHIRTS with USHGA emblem $8.00 including pos~1ge and handling. Californians add 6 % tax.

Men's sizes in BLUE - S, M. L, XL. Limited supply of ORANGE, sizes S, XL. USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

44

TYPE: Orange Wills Wing Harness with blue bag, Advanced Air 26' chute. WHERE AND WHEN: Roadside, 20 miles SE of Dallas, TX June 3, 1984. CONTACT: Mark Wadsworth (817) 777-5174 or 292-1578. $100 reward.

TYPE: Ball 651 vario, Robertson cocoon harness (red exterior, gold-black-gold chevron), parachute and Bell helmet. CONTACT: Robert Fullam, 551 Jean St. #302, Oakland, CA 94610.

TYPE: 165 Demon. SAIL: Brown LE, orange TE. Disconnected nose batten, slightly ripped velcro on underside. CONTACT: Scott Nichols, Box 3035, Aspen, co, 920-1295.

.

GLIDERS CERTIFIED

BY THE HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 1982: Duck 180, 160, 200 (and DHV) Prostar 160, 130 Streak 160 Moyes Missile 170 Breez 180 Sensor 510-165 Vision V-18

1983: Streak 180, 130 Duck 130 Comet II 165, 185 Attack Duck 180, 160 Missile GT 170, 190 Mars 170 Prostar 160

1984: Skyhawk 168, 188 Light Dream 161, 185 Comet II 135 (and 135, 165, 185 with 112 battens) Pro Dawn 155 HP 170 Sensor 510-160 VG Moyes GTR 162 VG

Index To Advertisers Afro Electronics Airworks ... .

Ball Varios .. .

Bennett Delta Wing Gliders ...

Hall Brothers HC Designs ...

High Energy .

Litek Manbirds.

Midwest Motor ...

Mission Soaring Moyes ..

Pagen Books ..

Para Publishing ...

Pro Air Publitek ..

Seedwings ...

Systems Tech .

Thierny Abric .

USHGA ..

Wills Wing ..

. 7, 40 . .. 18

.28 ..BC "10 5 .28 9 .21 . .. 11

.ll ... 39 .11 .... 28

" 2 .40 .. .... 19 . .. 10 . .. 40 . .IBC, IFC . ..... 26

Ad Deadlines All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l 1/2 months preceding the cover date, i.e., Mar. 20 for the May issue.

HANG GLIDING

USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM QUANTITY B-1

B-2 8-3 8-5 8-6 B-7 8-10 8-11 8-12 8-13 8-15 8-16

BOOKS

PRICE

MANBIAOS 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 CERTIACA TION MANUAL, Complete requirements, syllabus, teaching methods.

HANG GLIDING by Dan Poynter. 8th Edition. Basic Handbook for skysurting.

FL YING CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagen. Micrometerology for pilots.

90 illustrations.

HANG GLIDING AND FLYING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen. Beginners to experts instruction manual.

HANG GLIDING TECHNIQUES by Dennis Pagen. Techniques for cross-country, competition & powered flight.

MANNED KITING by Dan Poynter. Handbook on tow launch flying.

MAH.POWERED AIRCRAR by Don Dwiggins. 192 pg history ol flight. Features llight of Gossamer Condor.

FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS FOR PILOTS, 1983 Edition.

Hang gliding pertinent information.

FAI SPORTING CODE FDR HANG GLIDING. Requirements for records, achievements & World Championships 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

AMOUNT

S 2.00 $ 7.50

$ 7.50 $ 7.50

$ 7.50 $ 4.50 $ 6.50

$ 4.50 S 1.00 S 1.50 $ 2.95

ITEMS 1-1

• •

.. NEW" USHGA 'HANG GLIDING' T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight cotton. WHITE or TAN. Men's sizes: S M L X-L (CIRCLE ONE).

USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight cotton. TAN or LIGHT BLUE. Men's sizes only. S M L X-L (CIRCLE SIZE & COLOR) USHGA EMBLEM CAP. One size lits all. Baseball type/USHGA emblem. NAVY ORANGE GOLD (CIRCLE ONE) .. NEW" USHGA BELT BUCKLE. Solid bronze, custom design, relief sculpture. 31;, x 21/,.

USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM. 3" dia., full color (red wings, sunburst wlblack print).

USH6A EMBlEM Dl:CAL. 31/2'' dia., lull color.

LICENSE PLATE FRAME. "I'd rather be hang gliding." White on Blue.

WALLET. Nylon, velcro closure, mach. washable, water resistant.

ROYAL BLUE color.

1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-8 1-9

$ 8.00

------

$ 8.00 S 5.00 $12.00 $ 1.00

$ .25 $ 5.50 $ 8.95

,,,:f-·-

-, __ ,·=:·_·"--·--·-

(

I

HANG GLIDIHG/GROUHD SKIMMER BACK ISSUES

-.-.-:·; .. ,SPECIFY BY CIRCLING ISSUE HUMBER"'ISSUES HOT NUMBERED ARE SOLD OUT'" PRINTED COPIES:

PAINTED COPIES: PAINTED COPIES:

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42. 43. 44. 45, 47, 56. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63, 64, 65. 66. 67.

68. 69. 70. 71, 72 73, 76, 77, 78. 80. 82. 83. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90, 91. 92. 93. 96.

98, 99. 100,101 102. 103 105 - 14-11

S t.00

14-12

$ 2.50

Current Issue

.. HO TAX OH MAGAZINES"

1.50

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2.00

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MAGAZINE SUB TOTAL

Ordering Information: All prices include poslage and handling. (Prices subJecl lo change without notice.)

Enter quantity and price of each rlem ordered Allow 3-4 weeks delivery {8 weeks for Foreign) All orders are mailed by the cheapest available rate JI you wish to receive your order faster. please include sufficient postage funds. No C 0.0 ·s

MERCHANDISE SUB TOTAL (Californians add 6% fax on merchandise only)

Foreign Orders USHGA will ONLY accepl lore1gn checks payable on a US bank in US lunds

HO CHARGE ITEMS USHGA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM (#4)

TOTAL USHGA BASIC SAFETY REGULATIONS (PART 100)

USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM (#14)

USHGA PILOT PROFICIENCY PROGRAM (PART 104)

NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ USHGA # _ _ __ (Please Print)

USHGA LILIENTHAL AWARD FORM

ACCIDENT REPORT FORM (#15)

ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

0 VISA Charge my O MasterCard Card No. _________________ Ex. Date _______

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MAIL WITH CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

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