USHGA Hang Gliding November 1985 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

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ANNUAL DUES: $39.00 ($42.00 foreign). This accords me full membership in the United States Hang Gliding ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Assn., Inc., 12 issues of Hang Gliding magazine, effective with current issue, liability and property damage CITY - - - - - - - S T A T E - - - - - - - insurance, and voting privileges ($12.00 of the Member ZIP _ _ _ _ PHONE ( dues is designated for Hang Gliding magazine). I need not be a rated pilot to be a member. D NEW MEMBER D RENEW/USHGA # (Please Print)

INSURANCE PLANS AVAILABLE 0 Plan A: Single Foot-Launch Gliding Coverage (included in Full & Family Membership fee)

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ANNUAL DUES: $19.50 for each family Member, everywhere, who resides in my household. Each will receive all Full Member privileges EXCEPT a sub2. N A M E - - - - - - - - - - - - - scription to Hang Gliding magazine. D NEW MEMBER D RENEW/USHGA # _ _ _

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D $29.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($32.00 foreign) for one year. D $53.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($59.00 foreign) for two years. D $77.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($86.00 foreign) for three years. D $14.50 TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION ($17.50 foreign) for six months.

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 CJ MasterCard CJ VISA match my contribution. USHGA will ONLY accept foreign checks payable on a U.S. bank in U.S funds (U S dollars or International Money Order) Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing.

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

Revised 4/85

(213) 390-3065

(USPS 017-970)

Features High Tech In Texas

Columns 8 USHGA Reports

by Ned Negap An extraordinary tale.

The 1985 USHGA Board of Directors election resumes.

26 Hang Gliding

10 The Right Stuff

Interviews John Harris interview conducted by Dan Demaree Dan chats with John about his long-standing involvement in the sport and Kitty Hawk Kites.

Page 10

14 Competition Corner

30 Learning To Fly At

by Catherine Morton photos by Hugh Morton Rich Pfeiffer pulls off another daring win at the 1985 Masters of Hang Gliding Championships.

Kitty Hawk Kites by Mary Lynn Davidek Mary relates the story of her first experience flying a hang glider.

Departments

34 HG Glider

Evaluation - Delta Wing Mystic 155

Page 26

by Paul Burns Paul reviews Delta Wing's new fun-to-fly high performance release.

37 Fear and Loathing On The Road To Telluride by Mike Meier photos by Leroy Grannis A group of pilots trek to Telluride on motorcycles. Mike reflects on where we've come from and who we are as hang glider pilots.

Page 34

COVER: Chuck Dugan landing west of Teluride, Colorado. Photo by Leroy Grannis. CENTERSPREAD: Mitch McAleer loops his Wills Wing HP at Mount Tam. Photo by the pilot. 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 HOMA standards. Copyright © United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. 1984. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding Magazine and individual contributors. NOVEMBER 1985

Erik Fair interviews Rob McKenzie Rob is probably the most experienced tandem pilot in the country. Erik extracts some entertaining conversation and valuable information.

4 Airmail 6 Update 20 Ratings and Appointments 41 Classified Advertising 44 Stolen Wings 44 HGMA Certified Gliders 44 Index To Advertisers

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FLYING TOUR December 28 - January 5 MODEL 651 VARIO/AUDIO/ DIGITAL ALTIMETER $495

MODEL 652 VARIO/AUDIO DIGITAL ALTIMETER/ AIRSPEED $590

MODEL M20 WRIST VARIO $200

Build your hang gliding experience this winter and have fun flying five or more of Southern California's premier sites. Traveling with a small group, you will be introduced to all flying sites by a guide and advanced USHGA certified instructor. This gives you the best opportunity to learn new sites. Southern California has more consistent winter flying than almost anywhere. All sites on the tour have easy launches and large landing fields. Trip includes: Guide Service Coaching on thermalling & other advanced techniques Rating Tests Rides Up Retrieval Accommodation and Camping Fees

* * * * * *

Sites: Sylmar I Kagel I Crestline I Elsinore I Torrey Pines (Hang IV) I Little Black Mtn. I Blossom Valley For Advanced Hang II thru Hang IV. Call for details. Cost $350.00 STREAMLINED TUBE ADAPTER

Ava ilable from hang glider manufacturers and dealers

Jim Johns at Kitty Hawk Kites, Hwy #1-Reservation Rd ., PO. Box 828, Marina, CA 93933, (408) 384-2622

Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Director Janie Dodgen, Production David Pounds, Design Consultant Leroy Grannis, Bettina Gray, John Heiney, Staff Photographers Erik Fair, Staff Writer Harry Martin, Illustrator Office Staff: Amy Gray, Manager Joyce Isles, Ratings Lars Jacobsen, Membership USHGA Officers: Steve Hawxhurst. President Dick Heckman, Vice President Hardy Snyman, Secretary Gary Hodges, Treasurer

Execlllil'e Committee: Steve Hawxhurst Dick Heckman Hardy Snyman Gary Hodges REGION 1: Ken Godwin, T. Michael Boyle. REG[ON 2: Russ Locke, Gary Hodges. REGION 3: Steve H.1wxhurst, Ken dcRussy, REGION 4: Jim Zcisct.

Bob Thompson. REG[ON S: Mike King. REGlON 6: Ted Gilmore. REGION 7: Dean Batman, John Woiwode. REGION 8: Robert Collins. REGION 9: Bill Criste, W.W. Richards. REGfON 10: Dan Johnson, Sieve Coan. REGlON II: Hardy Snyman. REGION 12: Ken Zachara, Paul Rikcrt. 1984 DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE: Dennis Pagen, Dick Heckman, Elizabe1h Sharp, Vic Powell, Mark Bennclt. EX-OFFIClO DIRECTOR: (With Vole) NAT[ONAL AERONAUTrC ASSOCIATION Everett Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECTORS (Wi1hout Vote) elected to 12/31/85: Bill Benneltt Mike Meier, Doug Hildreth, Bettina Gray, Erik Fair. The United States

Hang Gliding Association Inc., is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official U.S. representative of the Fc<leration Acronautique Internationale (PAI), the world governing body for sport a.via· lion. The NAA, which reproscnts the U.S. at FA! Meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of PAI-related lrnng gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

HANG GLIDING magazine 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 illustrations. concerning hang gliding activilies. 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 publicalions. HANG GLIDING magazine roserves 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 A.ssocialion, Inc. whose mailing address is P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, Calif. 90066 and whose offices are located at 1!423 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066; telephone (213) 390-3065. Second-class postage is paid at Los Angeles, Calif. and al additional mailing offices. The typesetting is provided by lst Impression Typesetling Service, Buena !'-ark, Calif, The USHGA is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated 10 exploring all facelS of ullralight flight. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $39.00 per year ($42.00 for foreign addresses); subscription rates are $29.00 f_pr one year, $53.00 for two years, S/7.00 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: SllND CHANGE OF ADDRESS ID: USHGA, P.O. BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066.

NOVEMBER 1985

~IRMAIL '

PUSHING OUT Dear Editor, I read with interest Tom Phillips' article entitled "How to Turn a Hang Glider" in the September issue. Tom does a great job of initiating a new pilot to the mysteries of a turn. However, Tom makes an oft-repeated statement which I feel is erroneous. He indicates that there is no way to tell a student how much to push out in a turn in order to coordinate that turn. I believe there is. The method I recommend for students and advanced pilots alike is to simply push out unti! your airspeed remains constant. The steeper the bank angle, the more push-out required to produce this constant airspeed (and the higher this airspeed will be). If you push out too much, you will gradually slow down in the turn and stall the inside wing. If you push out too little, your speed will increase as a slip ensues. Monitor your airspeed and you can perform perfectly coordinated turns every time. (You don't need an airspeed indicator to do this either.) This method works regardless of bank angle, wing loading or glider design. I have taught this method at numerous Instructor Certification Programs and it always seems to elicit the same response: "Oh, yeah, that's what I've been doing!" Remember, coordinated turns occur at a constant airspeed. Dennis Pagen State College, PA

KEEPING IT SAFE Dear Editor, I'm writing this letter after reading the article about Chris Bulger's accident in your September issue. My husband, Keith Davis, was also killed in a hang gliding accident, July 3, 1985 at Horseshoe Meadows. It's not only sad for the friends and family of both Keith and Chris, but it's sad for your sport that two experienced pilots were killed in tragic accidents. Keith's accident was caused from an improperly installed Speedrail. I talked to Rick Masters a couple of days after the accident and he told me that he has stopped other pilots from taking off with improperly installed Speedrails. I feel that it is important for you to research the accident and write an article that will warn other pilots about the possibility of accidents with the Speedrails. I would also like to thank Keith's friends, Jeff Stevens, Randy Cobb, Les Lollar and Jim

Manning and the San Luis Soaring Association for their help and support. Keith lived for flying. It was probably the biggest thrill of his life and it was just as important to me to hear him come home and tell his stories: "Flew LOO miles," "Flew with a Golden Eagle," "Boy, did we soar today." I hope some day to experience that same feeling he had. I believe hang gliding is safe - it's a sport. The sportsman should be responsible and take precautions. It makes me sad sometimes to read your magazine and see sarcastic remarks and what seems to be bickering and arguing among the pilots. It also upsets me that a few of you have the opinion that you are all just test pilots and your sport is new. Keith did not believe he was a test pilot. He was very proud of the fact that he was a good pilot; he was safe, he strove to get better but he didn't take risks. I know because I listened to him tell all this to the minister at our wedding just 48 days before his accident. Our minister was from Dunlap and a glider pilot from his church was killed about a year ago. Keith knew who he was and he knew it was just an accident. He never believed it would happen to him, because he was safe. Your sport doesn't have to be dangerous! Talk about the accidents, share them with other pilots, learn from your own mistakes. Try to keep your articles informative and positive. Keith learned to fly through the school of hard knocks. His early flight logs talk about crashing, broken arms and smashed-up kites. New pilots don't have to learn that way; you have schools, instructors, and your magazine to make it safe and fun for everyone. Let me share with all of you a direct quote from Keith, he's writing to a landowner so that their club can land on his property: "I don't think there is a person alive that hasn't dreamed of flying free with their face in the air at altitudes greater than most aircraft and birds, over many miles of gorgeous countryside. The death of this sport due to no place to land would be not only be a tragedy to those who participate now, but to the one common dream of all men and women." Let me now just twist his words a little: "The death of this sport due to so many fatal accidents is not only a tragedy to those who participate now, but to the one common dream of all men and women." You can make the difference. Use your magazine, clubs, schools and organizations to make hang gliding as fun, safe and thrilling as Keith always told me it was. Karyn Davis Santa Maria, CA

BACK TO THE WIND Dear Editor, I regretted the letter regarding standardized signals the moment I mailed it as since I did not substantiate what I was saying, someone was sure to jump on it as they rightly did. And so it is that I now find it necessary to write the letter I should have in the first place. We have a lot of non-standard signaling methods in this sport that can be confusing at best and fatal at worst to an already confused pilot on landing. Examples include: • Having a landed glider point nose up or tail down into the wind which is not reliable as people tend to break their gliders down randomly, especially with these pre-loaded frames. • Throwing dust into the air - invisible. • The method of requesting a person to point the wind direction is too confusing. Is that where the wind is going to or coming from? While squatting and pointing is a behavioral improvement, I would have to know and trust the person doing it. Besides, as I understand it that technique was developed in WWII to direct concentrated assault landings and is not in general use. We require a signal which is actively used in day to day civilian and military landing procedures and since aviation in general is not overly concerned with light and variable or downwind conditions we have to look to that section of aviation which does not land on wheels and therefore shares our level of concern. Thus we have to look to helicopters for guidance. Their solution was to adopt the technique used at airports to direct taxiing aircraft for directing incoming landing traffic. That technique, which is recognized, standardized and in active day to day use throughout the world is, I reiterate: I) Stand with your BACK TO THE WIND. 2) Extend your arms straight out horizontally in front of you, palms up, pointing at the landing area. 3) To repeat, flex your arms at the elbows, bringing your hands up to your head. 4) Extend your arms out horizontally in front of you. and repeat. This movement increases your visibility. 5) While you are doing this, look the pilot directly in the eyes to ensure communication. Since few of us are actively involved with helicopters you will be more likely to see this behavior at airports as ground personnel direct aircraft. This technique was chosen and accepted specifically because it is what is termed

HANG GLIDING

. 'Problem Specific Behavior' meaning that it is a unique signal not found in normal human behavior and as such it becomes a safety technique instantly recognizable to a pilot once he or she has become familiarized with it. It is also advantageous and reassuring to the pilot when it is obvious that the ground personnel know precisely and unmistakeably what they are doing. If the signal you request is unclear or confusing you must immediately and decisively take ALL decision making into your own hands. Assuming all other indicators have been exhausted or are available, a recommended procedure is to initiate a sequence of clean 360's over a recognizable landmark and note any drift, and if the field is new to you to fly a circuit around it to note any slope which might complicate matters. For further information contact the Helicopter Association International, 1100 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, D.C., (202) 466-2420. Fred Wilson BCHGA Vernon B.C. , Canada

AIRMAIL POSITIVE IMAGE Dear Editor, Recently an ad featuring hang gliding appeared in the %11 Street Journal. The ad is an attempt by the Parker Hannifin Company to interest investors in the company. It strikes me that the ad reflects positively on our sport in two ways. A picture of a hang glider in flight is used to attract reader attention. Hang gliding is mentioned in the copy, and the company associates itself closely with the sport. A first reasonable conclusion is that hang gliding must be regarded by the company and investors as a safe activity. No sensible enterprise or investor seeks opportunities to place funds in a company operating on the cutting edge of a lawsuit. A second conclusion is that hang gliding has advanced to the stage that a company associated with the sport is regarded by corporate and financial people as a reasonable investment. No organization seeking to attract

investors chooses to flaunt irresponsibility. And individuals reviewing companies in which to invest aren't interested in losing their money through managerial ineptitude. To my mind the ad is one more acknowledgement by those outside the sport that hang gliding is regarded as a safe and a beautiful sport. USHGA and its members deserve credit for this development. Progress in the safety of the sport has come largely through the programs and activities of our Association. If the Federal Aviation Administration ever needs proof that self-regulation works, they should be referred to this item and others of a similar nature. The ad is a statement by the business and financial community that they view hang gliding in a positive manner. USHGA has worked hard for that recognition. It is nice to see it in as prestigious a publication as the %11 Street Journal. Vic Powell

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NOVEMBER 1985

• POWERED ULTRALIGHT TRAINING COURSE This is the only training course written by an ultralight instructor. Eleven lessons and eleven related groundschools (twenty-two chapters) make this an ideal text for self-teaching and training schools. Learn to fly safely in a carefully designed step-by-step manner. This manual is used by safety conscious schools internationally.

* * * DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED* * *

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1sEND CHECK OR CASH TO:

I I

SPORT AVIATION PUBLICATIONS Dennis Pagen I Dept. G, P.O. Box !101 I Stale Co11ege, PA. 16801 :Please rush me the books listed below: ,au,6_,NTITY LJ

I I I :

Flying Condit ions ($6.95) Hang Gliding Flying Skills ($6.95) O Hang Gliding Techniques ($6.95) D Powered Ultralight Flying ($11.95) [.lPowered Ultralight Training Course ($9.95)

I Save 10% · order two or more books! I Save · all five books for only $35.95! Total amount for all books$ _ _ _ __

/ Posta~and Handling__________

1.25

I Overseas airmail ii desired ($4.00/book) _ __ j TOTAL ENCLOSED _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I SEND TO (Please Print):

!NAME-----------lADDRESS ICITY,STATE COUNTRY/ ZIP

WE'l ,L MISS YOU ANDY

·lb most pilots, the landing area at Crestline, California is kown as Pinc Crest Air Park, to some it is simply "Andy's Landing." Whatever you call it, the owner of this precious landing area, Andy Jackson died of cancer on Labor Day 1985. Andy lkw most of his life, whether it was model airplanes, parasailing in the: 60's, his Cessna or since 1972, his hang glider. Andy began developing Pinc Crest Air Park in 1979 and even though he lacked water, gas, electricity and telephone he stuck with it. Even the decline in nurnbcrs of hang glider pilots in the early 80's didn't discourage him. Andy provided transportation for the '79 Southern California Regionals and U.S. Nationals, and hosted the '81 So. Cal. Regionals, '82 So. Cal Regionals and U.S. Nationals and again both the Regionals and Nationals in '84. Andy's dream to have a permanent landing area for hang glider pilots is being carried on by his wile Juanita. Juanita lost her husband and we all lost a dear friend. We'll surely miss him. him.

CONSUMER ADVISORY Last month we printed a consumer advisory on Airwavc's Magic IV indicating that there might be a problem with the stainless steel pins that hold the upright to the fork fittings. U.S. Magic IV owners may contact Ken Drown at (206) 622-8132.

beautifully written and contains the description of a 53-milc flight, by Butch Pritchett, from the chase crew point of view. The flight was tow launch and John includes a description of the techniques and equipment involved. John is secretary of the Mid-South Hang Gliding Club and assistant curator of birds at the Memphis Zoo.

CPS FREE OFFER

HANG GLIDING FLOAT

California Power Systems extends a free offer to any flyer wishing to try the dacron fabric cleaner and protectant AP 303. CPS will provide at no cost or obligation to the first 2,000 requests a free two-ounce spray bottle of the product. Contact: California Power Systems, 790 139th Ave. #4, San Leandro, CA 94578 (415) 357-2403.

AERIAL ODDITY

Tbm Lanros sends us this photo of his unique Fledge III. It sports ten cambered primary feathers. Each set is controlled independently by the pilot to sweep forward or back in a moment. He claims they permit lower landing speeds since the tip feathers are still flying when the main wing is stalled. Contact: 1bm Lanros, 3350 Druck Valley Road, York, PA 17402 (717) 755-3608.

Lauren Storla, Greg Ruiz and Cheryle Cannon built this hang gliding float for a parade in Las Vegas. Although it was a lot of work the materials cost only $200. The float was entered in the Helldorado Day's parade and was a big attraction. Anyone interested in a similar prnject or wishing information about fly-ing in the Las Vegas area can contact Lanrcn at (702) 451-4566. Photo by Cheryle Cannon.

UPSIDE DOWN CLOUDS

WINDSEEKER The Windscckcr is a toy flying wing designed to return to its sender. The manufacturer claims that it is also capable of acrobatics and thcrmaling. Contact: Windscckcr, Sugar Hill, Falls Village, CT 06031 (203) 824-0656.

MEDIA MENTIONS John Stokes sends us a copy of Mernphis magazine which contains an article on hang gliding that he wrote. It's

A strange meteorological phenomenon over the Inyo Mountains? Actually the clouds arc right side up bcind the glider. They arc mirrored in the glass-smooth waters of Inyo Lake. Photo by Jack Hobart.

HANG GLIDING

UPDATE HP MANUAL

five digit number, and which appears on the operating limitations placard on the keel, on the control bar E-bracket, and on the inside of the nose of the sail.

AFRO RFS AVAILABLE

Wills Wing, Inc. has announced the completion of a new, updated and expanded owner/service manual for their HP model high performance glider. The new manual features numerous line drawings detailing the assembly, preflight and breakdown procedures, as well as an expanded text with additional information on flying techniques, tuning and service procedures. The new manuals are available free of charge to all HP owners. They are being mailed directly to those pilots who have returned their customer response forms. Pilots who do not receive a manual by mail are asked to contact their dealer or call Wills Wing at (714) 547-1344. Pilots requesting a manual will be asked for their glider serial number, which is a

There once was a pilot, I heard Who could thermal as well as a bird. His ability drooped while attempting a loop And his thoughts were exclaimed in one word. NOVEMBER 1985

AFRO Electronics USA, Advanced Air Technology announces that all its hang gliding instruments will have optional Radio Frequency Shielding available. Because more people use FM radio and the ever-increasing number of radio towers, it is necessary to protect hang gliding instruments from radio frequency interference. For more information contact Achim Hageman AFRO Electronics USA, Advanced Air Technology, 46 Alan Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 (805) 687-3ll9.

after a 12-mile flight, found themselves between 3,500 and 5,000 feet over the Hotel Intercontinental at Wailea Beach, the site of the contest. This kind of altitude in glassy air allowed the pilots to come up with some creative ways of getting to the spot. There is talk of adding aerobatics to the event next year. A tie for first place was decided by a coin toss with John Beaman of Maui winning, followed by Duff King of Oahu. Dave Neto of Maui placed third with George Kobayashi and Sam Nottage in fourth and fifth places. The top three were presented with beautiful whale sculpture trophies at a sumptuous awards banquet. All proceeds from the event will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an organization dedicated to enforcing international whaling laws and the eventual end of the slaughter of all sea mammals.

THIRD ANNUAL MOLOKINI CROSSING On September l, hang glider pilots in Hawaii participated in the Third Annual Molokini Crossing, a benefit to help end the destruction of sea mammals. Maui School of Hang Gliding organized the hang gliding competition in this all-day event which included catamaran and windsurfer races. A total of eleven pilots launched from the 10,000-foot summit of Haleakala in near ideal conditions. By making the most of the light thermal conditions along the southeast rift ridge, the flyers,

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Boar .REGION I Jeff Bennett - Incumbent

.REGION II Russ Locke - Incumbent

irectors Election

served two terms on the board of directors and if elected to a third I expect to continue to be active and involved in the Association's projects and policies on behalf of the members of Region 3. I think my message really applies to all of you in all regions who are electing directors for the coming term. This is your organization and only your involvement can assure its success. Be sure to vote and my best to you all.

Walt Dodge - Nominee .REGION HI Steve Hawxhurst - Incumbent

ever assembled under the name of the USHGA. I would like to be an official part of that board. My hands have been tied, to a certain extent. Although I have been allowed, as everyone is, to raise questions and make suggestions, I have no vote. Our association is in trouble. You, as the general membership of the USHGA need my voice. I owe allegiance to no one. I am an unbiased voice. I speak for the recreational pilot as well as the competitor. Possessing a Master rating, I stand for safety, fair play, the betterment of our self-regulated sport and our organization. I do not run a dealership. I do not operate a school. I do have time and energy to devote to you because I run my own business and organize my own calendar. Let Region 3 continue to be one of the strongest areas. Vote. And when you do, mark the box next to my name. Thanks. Fly high and for long distances.

REGION IV Jim Zeiset - Incumbent

.REGION V

Although I think I can at this point assume I need little introduction, I would like to remind each member in Region 3 how important it is to take the time to vote in our elections. Hang gliding remains a self-regulated sport because of the continuing work of your elected representative toward that end. I have

Last year, when I ran for Regional Director of Region 3, I made a number of promises. I was defeated by an outstanding adversary who, in case you haven't heard, is doing an excellent job. In spite of that defeat I have strived to fulfill those promises by attending all the BOD meetings and keeping an open line of communication between the directors and myself. We now have one of the finest boards

Mike King - Incumbent

.REGION VI Ted Gilmore - Incumbent

HANG GLIDING

R)Jil

Steve Michalik

Nominee

REGION IX William Richards

Flying has been a part of my life when trying to fly a home built designed, that wouldn't fly, of the parachute sail. From was 10 seconds and 20 yards to hours and 102 miles. Region six has been flying for the length of time. It currently is membership growth in some areas decreasing in others. Tims the number of USHGA pilots in our has been around 165 for the last of years. A regionals was not held this year, even though at least two proposals known. Two competitions (in Ok:Jan1orrrn and several tly-ins were held in and Kansas. Cross country, towing, altitude records have been set this Better management of our current and new sites has improved the flying opportunities. Region 6 will need guidance in the next two years. I would like to help region to grow strong. Communication among the members with a director's letter and establishment of examiners help direct each local area will help. Comments and discussion will be requested of each member throughout year. A regionals should be voted on if approved set before the beginning of this and every year. The tly-ins need only a little publicity to bring out the pilots and public. These and other can help Region 6 with the of all of its members. I would like to put these ideas into action as your regional director. Keep turning!

REGION VII Evans - Nominee Martin Bunner Nominee

NOVEMBER 1985

Incumbent

REGION XII Peter Fournia

Nominee

.REGION X Dick Heckman Rick Jacob

Incumbent Nominee

I began hang gliding 13 Yi years ago. Currently have USHGA Observer and Advanced rating for six years. First pilot to fly Fisher's Peak and soar Tbwertown Mtn. A pioneer with my Order of the Raven award earr.ed at Grandfather Mtn. Now tly Champion Streak tlown by Bulger at '83 Nats. I enjoy fly'n Paradise Point in the Iron Mts. in VA. It's an 800' ridge with a frontal point that slopes to a 500' launch height. This site is treeless with a 45 degree slope down to 100-acre landing fields. Absolutely the best East Coast site! Tired of the bighead system? Support your local unregulated site. There may be a national decline and the locals have lost some sites but private ones (and quite a few) still exist. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out.

KJV I JN 2:19

Our region has elected one director from Western NY and one from downstate. I want to represent Western NY replacing Ken Zachara. I've been ex-· tremely active in the Rochester club and in the Finger Lakes Association of Pilots during my ten years in the sport holding offices in both organizations. I am an active advanced piulot, certified instructor and have a private pilots license. My plans as a director are three. First, to develop an annual spring competition and tly-in at FLAP sites hosted by clubs in Western NY. This will complement the annual Free Spirit Meet but at a higher level of flying. Dates and key club commitments have already been obtained. This will be a USHGA-sanctioned event in 1986 and serve as our regional qualifier. Secondly, I want to increase the number of club operated training programs in cooperation with dealers. This is a popular formula among successful clubs. The decrease in pilot population over the past five years has severely limited the dealer's ability to carry the full burden of student development. Club involvement with student training should be encouraged and supported at all levels within USHGA. Lastly, I will continue the two way dialog between USHGA board and the membership and look forward to active participation at board meetings and on committees. I need your vote.

conducted by

looking jbr a tandem hang gliding experience in Southern California is sure to come across the name Rob McKenzie. With over 800 logged high altitude tandem flights and a perfect safety record to his credit the 30-year-old San Bernardino resident is without question the most accomplished tandem pilot in the state, if not the entire country. Rob has been flying hang gliders fbr twelve years and has logged more than 1,500 hours in 2,000 high altitude flights. 1b this date Rob is the only profes·· sional tandem pilot to secure an aircraft "N" number jbr his glider. He is also the only person to ever acquire a private glider pilot's license using a tandem hang gliding .flight as his flight test. lt is likely that he will remain unique in this regard as the E4A no longer accepts a hang glider as an appropriate vehicle for the .flight test portion of the glider pilot license. Rob earns his living by providing tandem flights in hang gliders. He contracts with local schools to provide instructional .flights to developing students. He also does a brisk business providing "rides" to thrill seekers, of pilots and other segments of the general public who follow through on "the urge" to check out .first hand the and thrilling sport of hang gliding. Not too long ago 1 had occasion to sit down with Rob and work him over with a series of wufjb questions about tandem hang gliding. What follows are his though{ful, informative re5ponses.

HG: Jeez! You got a job that allows you to earn a living by introducing people to the wonderous world of hang gliding. Is it as exciting and glamorous as it sounds? RM: In a nutshell my job is nerve wracking, causes hypertension, gray ulcers, weak kidneys, hardening of the arteries and baldness. HG: You love it, right? RM: Right! HG: What, in your opinion, is the most important qualification a pilot should have before trying to fly tandem? RM: The right attitude. HG: Please elaborate.

Rob McKenzie 10

RM: Above all a prospective tandem pilot should never forget that he is essentiaJly an ambassador to the public for the sport itself. That alone is an incredible responsibility. In addition, the "right attitude" involves a basic willingness to open ones ears and learn from the successes and failures of others, the commitment to use only the proper equipment, and the patience to learn progressively and safely. HG: What is the main skill an individual pilot must possess before appointing himself ambassador to the general public. RM: If a pilot cannot perform con-·

exl:raordinaire. HANG GLIDING

sistently perfect landings even in the worst of conditions he should forget tandem flying altogether and leave it to those who can. HG: What is the right kind of equipment? RM: Insofar as the glider is concerned, the use of a large, HOMAcertified glider is an absolute must. HG: What do you mean by learning progressively and safely? RM: A person should start in ideal conditions with either a very light (75-90 lb.) passenger or, as I did, with a fivegallon water bottle slung in a cocoon beside me. HG: Yes, I suppose a water bottle or a sack of potatoes has another advantage in that neither can barf on you. What percentage of your passengers experience airsickness? RM: Motion sickness can be quite common, up to 75 % of all passengers. HG: ICK! I assume you've found ways to deal with it other than wearing a yellow vinyl flight suit and golashes. RM: I use medication, such as dramamine for first timers and it helps the quite a bit. It also helps to flights shorter (under 30 minutes), do fewer turns, use shallower bank and relate a relaxed, confident attitude to the passenger. Doing all of the above reduces the incidence of motion sickness to 10% or less. HG: You obviously know how to avoid a sticky situation. RM: Right. HG: What happens when you trade in the water bottle or sack of spuds for a real live H.H. RM: What's an H.H.? HG: Human! RM: Right. You raise a good Sometimes a natural reactions may make him do things that are detrimental to the flight. Doing a chin up on one downtube during launch, pushing out against the pilot's back during final approach, grabbing onto and deploying the chute, or taking only one step during a no-wind launch are just some of the

NOVEMllER 1985

Rob and wife Diane soar tandem at Crestline, California. wonderful possibilities. HG: How often have you had a passenger grab the control bar on launch? RM: Out of 800 tandem flights I've only had two passengers grab the bar on me. On the worst occasion I recall a 5-7 mph headwind. The passenger stopped running on the second step and climbed all over the right downtube. 1 couldn't weight shift a correction because the was already supporting all the it could. I had to continue running hard while trying to "torque" the glider left. As soon as I got enough I put all my weight to the left and looked over to the passenger who was still hanging all over the right downtube. Everyone on launch gasped as I calmly and reassuring shrieked "Let Go, Let Go, Let Go" at the passenger. He let go and we rolled level just missing the hill. HG: Wow! I bet you developed a sense of awareness of your "professional vulnerability" out of that experience. RM: What I developed out of that exwas a bald spot. HG: How about let's lalk about some of the technique aspects of tandem fly-

ing. How do you minimize the chances of your pasenger tripping on launch. RM: As in all launches, you should avoid a "jack rabbit" start. It's a good idea to do several practice runs with the passenger but without the glider. Start slowly and accelerate smoothly with the passenger who should be directly beside and at most only inches behind the pilot. Make the passenger put one arm around the pilot and through the pilot's straps just as they will be in flight. The other arm should be kept busy doing some-· thing anything to keep the passenger from grabbing onto the downtube. ] have them grab onto their own shoulder strap. Beware of "naturals" who are likely to take matters into their own hands by running to aggressively or grabbing onto the bar. HG: How high should the passenger be hung relative to the pilot? RM: It depends on whether or not you expect to have to carry the passenger on part of the run. On windy days you can have the passenger the same height or higher it doesn't really matter. But, if the passenger has shown during practice runs that he can only run 10 mph and you know you're going to need to be able

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' to run 12-14 mph in order for the glider to support just the passenger, it is best to have the passenger hung higher. That way when the passenger is no longer running after 10 mph and you're carrying the load, the passenger is less likely to trip you up or slow you down by dragging on the ground. "Carrying the load" in this manner is an extremely advanced maneuver and is not recommended unless you have worked up to it over a long period of time. HG: I see you use knee hanger harnesses for both you and your passenger. Is there a reason for this? RM: The choice of knee hanger versus leg strap (cocoon, stirrup) harness for the passenger involves trade offs. Knee hangers tend to trip the passenger more readily but once tripped they are thrown nearly prone behind the pilot and clear of his legs. Leg strap harnesses allow the passenger to run more easily but if he

does trip he's more likely to interfere with the pilot's legs. Presently I use knee hangers and overcome premature passenger lift off by holding the glider low with, say, two inches of slack in the harness straps until sufficient speed is reached. Then I raise the angle of attack to normal which causes the glider to accept the weight of the passenger. At the same time I anticipate having to "carry some load" and some tail heaviness in the glider. There is guesswork in this technique and very specific body positioning and timing required of the pilot, so don't use it unless you've talked to me p(,rsonally about it. HG: How does flying tandem differ from flying solo in regard to roll control? RM: With large passengers especially there is some problem with limited roll control when pulling in to initiate a turn

in the direction of the passenger. What happens is that the passenger's shoulder wedges against the downtube. To counteract this problem always hang wideshouldered passengers slightly to the rear and be comfortable initiating roll with your legs. Learning to initiate roll legs first also helps the far more common problem of the passenger's helmet banging up against the downtube from time to time. HG: What position do you recommend for landings? RM: First of all, the passenger should swing up for landing in plenty of time, say two minutes before touchdown. You don't want the passenger thinking he only has a few seconds to "get ready." It hasn't happened to me but I've seen a passenger panic under hurried conditions, grab the pilot's chute ahd deploy it for him. The passenger's landing position

We dug this one up in the old photo files. Photo by Gary Severin. 12

HANG GLIDING

THE RIGHT STUFF should be directly behind the pilot with his arms around the pilot's chest and his legs straddled forward and up around the pilot's hips. HG: I've occasionally seen you on approach with your passenger pivoted pretty much sideways. It's like he's mugging for your crossbar-mounted camera or something. RM: I do this with tall passengers or passengers suspended very high. Tall or highly-suspended passengers can wind up with their heads and necks between a downtube and the pilot's shoulder. This of course can dangerously limit roll control during critical approach turns. By rotating such passengers 45 ° to the side it keeps them more to the rear and out of conflict with the control bar. Once you're on final they can safely get back directly behind you. HG: I also have noticed that you come in very fast on final approach. Why? RM: I come in as fast as I can to minimize the chances of being stalled by a wind gradient. Usually it's not necessary to come in as fast as I do but sometimes it is. Because I can't ever be sure as to the severity of a wind gradient I always come in hot - just in case. You should be aware that with the passenger (and his weight) behind you it is sometimes difficult to get enough pitch authority to come in as fast as you might want to. Above all don't be "floating in" on a tandem flight. HG: How is your tandem glider trimmed and why? RM: I keep mine trimmed fairly close to stall because it helps me be more precise in judging the timing of my landing flare. Be aware, in trimming your glider and/or timing your flare, that heavier wing loadings tend to make most gliders trim out at a point lower in the speed range. HG: I'm getting bored. What's the scariest experience you've had while flying tandem? RM: Are you talkin' "peak adrenalin rush" or "sustained terror?" HG: How 'bout both. "Peak adrenalin" first.

NOVEMBER 1985

RM: I had this student in an upright position showing him how to feel for a stall and he flared the glider. I barely caught the basetube but we were vertical, completely floating. We recovered all right but - hey - what a surprise. HG: YOWZER! How about "sustained terror." RM: It was that guy you sent me a few months back. You know, the witch doctor/rainmaker guy. The BIG witch doctor/rainmaker guy. He had me petrified from the time I first saw him in the LZ to the time he drove away after the flight. He was equal parts spooked, spaced and spun. He almost deicded not to take the ride he paid for and I almost decided not to give him the ride he paid for. We ended up taking off, though. In the upright position he was hanging on to the bar so hard that he bent both downtubes inward. I was worried because the guy was about five times stronger than me and he was sweating bullets despite my attempts to calm and reassure him. HG: Sorry about that! RM: I'll never forgive you! HG: OK, well - uhhh - hmmm let's see. Oh yeah! Ahem: Listen up. The more significant tandem flying becomes in training pilots and the more it is used to introduce people to the sport, the more there will be a need for regulation in the form of tandem rating systems and tandem pilot training programs. What are your views regarding the role of the USHGA in regulating tandem flying? RM: The biggest problem is that hang gliding is so small and scattered in this country that even if the USHGA were to put together a comprehensive training program and rating system, it wouldn't be enforceable or meaningful. HG: What would you consider a comprehensive program of tandem regulation to be? RM: I envision something similar to the USHGA pilot proficiency rating system and something similar to the

USHGA Instructor Certification Program. An instructor certification program would need to focus on communicating the specific techniques involved in tandem launching, landing, and flying, Plus there needs to be a means for screening for the "right attitude" which we discussed earlier. HG: But you don't believe such a program would work at this time? Why not? RM: No, I don't. First, I don't think it is economically feasible for anyone to do a traveling tandem pilot certification program. Second, I don't believe anyone in the USHGA, myself included, knows enough about tandem flying on a national scale to put together a meaningful training program for tandem pilots. HG: So what do you suggest the USHGA do? RM: I don't think the USHGA should do anything other than make a call for information at this time. We need to solicit and receive information from around the country before we construct any regulatory system. More space in the magazine on issues pertaining to tandem flying would help to. HG: So do you have any specific ideas as to how such information could be collected? RM: I am willing to act as a collecting point for information. Anyone interested in sharing information or experiences regarding tandem hang gliding can contact me at the following address and phone number: Rob McKenzie 4231 Sepulveda San Bernardino, CA 92404 (714) 883-8488 I'd even be willing to write an article for Hang Gliding magazine in which I'd analyze and share whatever information I receive as a result of this interview. HG: Rob, thank you for the time and for your offer. I hope people take you up on it. RM: Thank you. RM: So - uhhh - no more witch doctors, huh?•

finest field of internationally accomplished pilots and the worst weather ever showed up simultaneously for the 1985 Masters of Hang Gliding sponsored by Grandfather Mountain and Piedmont Airlines. But even under extreme conditions, the man who went home with the trophy, Rich Pfeiffer, earned the title Master with gutsy, high-energy determination and text book go-for-·it style. The 1985 Masters will be remembered as the meet which initiated Rich Pfeiffer as a Tennessee Tree Topper and Steve Moyes as a Leisure Class contender. It will be remembered as the meet where the British hang gliding team discovered the 24-hour weather channel and a bunch of bored little boys discovered the fireworks store just across the Tennessee state line. It will be remembered as the meet where perky T\Jt Woodruff worked overtime to keep the pilots' mood up while the weather kept the gliders down and loquacious Brian Milton stirred up excitement among spectators with his entertaining and informative chatter. And most of all, it will be remembered as the meet which proved that contests at Grandfather can not live by cross country tasks alone. formats arc the current trend," said Stew Smith of the Grandfather "It has and will work here, but we need a longer meet with better weather. We arc working on a launch and scoring system that will accommodate one-on-one as well as large heats, depending on conditions." Stew is, in fact, looking at weather records for the late August and early ""''t,,,Tih,,r to determine the best time to schedule a three-weekend/two-week long to by meet for 1986, a concession

Morton

photos by

Hngh Morton at the awards ceremony five days after the scheduled end of this year's contest. Grandfather provided its usual spectacular convergence soaring at various times. The third round proved to be the most dynamic with nine pilots earning membership in the Order of the Eagle with flights longer than 20 miles. Stew Smith, already initiated as Eagle #2 (along with Joe Foster #1 and Jeff Burnett #3), had the longest flight of the round at 28.5 miles. The newest members of the Order of the Eagle arc: #4----Robert Bailey, 115----John Pendry, #6--lbm Phillips, 117-Mikc Degtoff,

BELOW: The men who make the Morton iUl\.llitl!l"' Mt. founder of Pied-

Morton 118--·Rich Pfoiffcr, 119--Curly Dunn, 1110---Pctcr Harvey, till-Rick Duncan, 1112-Stcvc Moyes. The following morning conditions deteriorated and the long wait had begun. Brian Milton was handcuffod by a format that did not provide an adequate alternative for sled-run conditions, so pilots' meetings turned into bull sessions on how to develop a workable system for Grandfogger's peculiar conditions. Steve Moyes out-classed all other leisure class moves by sending Kim to the pilots' meeting with his FM radio so he could vote on various issues from the comfort of his own bed! Ifugh Morton stood firm that the con·· test would be won in the air, and Brian Milton asked the pilots to give Assistant Meet Director Joe Foster their support as he and Peter Harvey winged their way to London where pressing business obligations required their return.

HANG GLIDING

Now two POMEs short, the contest was still at a stand-still. Conditions were marginal all day Wednesday, August 28, but no pilot was willing to be first off and risk going down in a format secored on four points per mile. After a frustrating week of waiting, Hugh an-· nounced that he would call the contest at the end of the day Friday, regardless of the number of flights flown. Thursday shaped up well with officials rushing to get off the necessary two rounds of finals before the arrival of ricane force winds expected for Friday. Pilots were much more willing to launch with the end definitely in sight. The first flight of the day was relatively short distinguished only by Rich Pfoiffcr's decision to remain on the ridge while other seven pilots went thermal chasing in the valley. A couple of hours later he was down on the Linville golf course having gambled and lost the round. By 5:30 PM the field was set up and ready for the second flight of the day and most sensational flight of the meet. The mountain appeared to have shut down for the day, when a set of cir·· cumstances described by many as "the hand of God" reached out and tapped Rich Pfoiffor for victory. "I was second off the cliff," recalled Pfeiffer as he sat proudly beside the Masters trophy, "and Robert Bailey was first off. Bailey was really intent on looking at his map, so he didn't look up and sec the Ravens circling. When his three minutes were up and he forfeited his turn, I was really pushing to get him away from the ramp so I could launch. By the time I was set the Ravens were gone, so I was really depressed. "Curly Dunn was on the other launch and his time was running out by the I got set. About that time I looked out and the Ravens had come back. I made the mistake of getting really excited and Curly realized that I wanted to go, hut he didn't sec what I saw, so he didn't know why! He only had a few seconds make up his mind, so I waited and forced him to go first. He ran off, hut didn't realize that the thermal was out there, so he turned the wrong way."

NOVEMllER 1985

flew with a camera for a new Pfeiffer then launched and headed straight for the thermal that was support· ing the acrobatic Ravens, making two full spirals upward before he was joined in the lift by the other seven pilots remaining in the competition. Officials who had begged pilots to launch for three days could not believe that it was possible to get eight pilots off the ramp in a minute and a half! Spectators shouted with excitement watching the blue, red, yellow and green gliders all circling together in the thin shaft of lift. Minutes later, the rising air was gone, leaving Pfeiffer and Grandfather Mountain's own Stewart Smith on top with enough altitude to reach to the high peaks where the convergence was building. Five of the remaining pilots went off into the valleys searching for thermals and were all forced to land less than a mile from launch. Mike Degtoff of Mexia, TX took a chance on flying back across the Mountain and found lift in the convergence zone. But within 10 minutes of takeoff, the contest for the Masters of

Morton film in

Hang Gliding title became a race be· tween the pilot in last place, Rich Pfeiffer, and the pilot in first place, Stewart Smith. "First place was all I was shooting for," said Pfeiffer. "Second place didn't matter at all. I was so far behind I had to race it. Stew was being conservative

Rich Pfeiffer holds the trophy after his fast-round 15

because he had a lead to protect. I didn't have anything to lose so I just let it go. That's when I do my best, when I just let it go." Pfeiffer landed 17.75 miles away in Deep Gap, NC while Smith was frirced down IO miles away between Boone and Blowing Rock. Degtoff was able to chase the building clouds and landed near Ap· palachian Ski Mountain, also 10 miles out. "The amazing part about Rich's flight," commented Stew Smith, "is that he flew along the convergence at just the right speed so that it popped off in front of him and shut down behind him. Mike and I were just a little too slow in mov--

ing on and got caught in part of the shut down." "This meet was real important to me for two reasons," explained Pfeiffer. "First, it was a rematch of the World meet. After beating John Pendry every day, except for one tie, and then being disqualified for landing across the German border, I had reason for a grudge match with the British. "But more important,," continued Pfeiffer, "I really wanted to have my name next to (recently deceased 1983 and 1984 Masters Champion) Chris Bulgcr's. He was really a good friend and it is a real honor to have your name next to his anywhere, but cxpccially on a trophy like this." Grandfather Mountain is particularly grateful to the pilots who stuck out the weather and helped us pull out a good meet. We are grateful to the foreign pilots who sacrificed to come here and we hope we can continue to have an increasing number of great international champions attend in years to come. And we are grateful to Brian M ii ton for all he added to the leadership and entertainment value of the Masters! High winds on Friday forced an end to

the meet after five rounds. The final standings in the long delayed contest were as follows: Rich Pfeiffer of Santa 150 points for $5,000; Ana, CA Stewart Smith of Grandfather Mountain, NC 134 points for $2,500; Mike Degtoff of Mexia, TX 121 points for $1,200; Robert Bailey of Leeds, England <J7 points for $900; Steve Moyes of Sydney, Australia 94 points for $700; Curly Dunn of Lookout Mountain, TN 92 points for $600; Tom Phillips of Chattanooga, TN - 86 points for $500; John Pendry of Brighton, England 80 points for $400. Peter Harvey of Milton Keynes, England was forced to return to Great Britain earlier in the week and withdrew with 57 points for $300. Palle Jensen of Denmark was selected by the pilots as recipient of the David Murchi-· son Memorial Sportsmanship Award. Ill

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HANG GLIDING

High Tech In Texas by Ned Negap

l•m a hang glider pilot from a little town in west Texas called Marathon, which is near the Glass Mountains, which ain't near anything at all. I'm the only one who flies in these parts, so I took a hankerin' to make a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico to sec if I could meet some other pilots. The sixhour drive really paid off 'cause I got to fly Sandia Mountain and met all kinds of genuine sky aces. They had lots of new-fangled gear with Mylar sails, variable geometry, French connections, speed bars and even a couple torpedo-shaped fiberglass harnesses. I was wide-eyed and gap-mouthed most of the time I was out there, but it turns out that I made an impression of my own. My glider is an old Comet, stock except for a graphite airframe which gives it an all up weight of 47 pounds. Them Albuquerque boys sure liked that feature and wanted to know where I got the lightweight parts. It was a long story, and after I told it they eyed each other and agreed that it was the best tale they heard in a long time. In fact, they prompted me to write it up and send it in to Hang Gliding. I pared it down a bit and did just that. It all started some two years back when I was waiting beside highway 90 with my glider. Since I fly alone it ain't much fun to float for hours above a mountain, so I usually try to thermal up and see where I can get to. My job as an oil rig inspector allows me to pretty much choose my hours and on good clays I head out to the mountains just clown the road a piece. The peaks there are up to 6,000 feet and there's times when l can fly home. Now anyone who flies a hang glider knows it ain't possible to always tell where you're going to encl up. In fact, where l fly it don't matter where you encl up 'cause you still ain't no place special. So you figger I got a real problem gettin' home. But I tell you. I got it licked. You sec, Marathon, Texas can only NOVEMBER 1985

claim a population of several hundred including those buried over by the Presbyterian Church and a few stray coyotes. Everybody knows everybody and they all know about my flyin'. In fact, since the only form of entertainment available is juicin' and jawin' down at the Lost Pine Saloon, all I got to do is contact the bar and someone will come and fetch me just for a little excitement. When we get back to the Lost Pine, it's always cause for another round. But that's only half the solution, 'cause it ain't so easy contactin' the saloon. You see, I can't hardly walk a mile let alone cany my glider on 'count of I got a bad limp from a hang gliding accident. It happened when I took a little flight off a 500-foot bluff and wallered into a motherIoele thermal. It grabbed me by the britches and didn't let go 'till I wound up at four thousand teet. I couldn't waste all that righteous height, so I aimed my sights on the sunset. I only covered 'bout ten miles when I had to come clown in hostile country. My landing in a dry gulch was smooth as a sow's ear, but I looked clown and saw one granclaclcly rattler in the shade of a nearby cholla. He looked big enough to swaller me whole, and I figgerecl his tail waggin' wasn't on 'count of his friendly disposition. He already had his weapon drawn and cocked, so I pulled my Smith and Wesson which I keep strapped to my leg for such occasions. I drew a bead on that varmit and liked to shoot him clean through. Unfortunately, the critter I hit was an $80 Tony Lama alligator hide boot whose interior was my favorite right foot. That snake just crawled away grinnin' and I haven't walked straight since. The other half of the solution to my retrieval problem is my best friend, flying partner and trusty pet armadillo. His name is Dilly-Dally or just Dilly for short. He has a little harness that fits on my back and he sure likes gettin' high and teelin' the breeze.

He also has a sense of direction that would put a boy scout troop to shame. When we land in the desert, I take a piece of duct tape. write directions to where I am and slap it on Dilly's hard back. I turn him loose and off he trots for the Lost Pinc Saloon. Dilly knows there's a bowl of dog food and a cup of beer waiting for him at the Lost Pine so it usually takes less than a couple hours for him to hike to town and deliver my message. The only time he's failed me is when he took a detour to pitch a little woo with a cute female nine-liner during mating season. I forgave him 'cause I've been known to make similar detours. So there I was, lying in the shade of my Comet along US 90, sippin' on a can of Lone Star that I brought along for the occasion. just waitin' for Dilly to do his stuff. I watched a big white Cadillac come crusin' by then slam on the brakes in a Grand Prix stop. The car backed up, rocked to a halt and out stepped a city cowboy in a white stetson and a western cut suit. ··Howdy, sonl" he called as I stood up. "What's ya'll call this thing?" "It's a hang glider," I said, polite as can be since passersby often offer me a lift. "What ya'll cloin' out here in mesquite country?" I explained a little about cross country flying and he seemed to get real interested. He introduced himself as John Lee Jersey and wanted to know how much weight I could carry. I thought he might want to try a tandem flight, but that was not the case. He said he was a promoter and wanted to produce a show celebrating the anniversary of the Mexican-American treaty ceding Texas to the U.S. With thoughts of flying for hire. it was my turn to perk up an ear. We talked about the possibility of an international flight with smoke bombs and writing on my Comet. He seemed to want me to carry a whole lot of extra weight in special effects, so I mentioned what I had 17

read about how light graphite was. At that point, he offered me a ride home and said, "Let's do business." When we reached my house, he handed me his card and took my phone number. That's the last I saw of him for almost two weeks, when I got a phone call and he informed me was stopping by the next day. He arrived at noon with a friend. We spent the rest of the clay pulling tubes out of my glider and taking precise measurements. John Lee and friend left that night and I didn't hear a word for almost three months. Then one day I came home from work and saw a white Caddy with a long bundle on its roof parked in my driveway. There stood John Lee with a Hollywood smile on his face, smokin' a cigar big as a horse's leg. "Look what I got fo' ya'll!" he boomed. We untied the package and there was a clutter of graphite tubes - leading edges, keel, control bar, kingpost and crossbar. "Go] clang," I exclaimed, "let's see if they fit." "They'll fit, son," said John Lee, "in fact, they were engineered to have the exact same flex as those 'luminum ones ya'll got now. Cost me a passel of sawbucks. We assembled the glider that evening and I was eager as a schoolboy at a rodeo. I hefted the completed glider and couldn't believe how light that thing set. A test flight the next clay proved that graphite glider to be just like the original only a cat's whisker lighter in roll. I was rarin' to go! One week later found us on the way to Mexico. We skirted the border to Eagle Pass and crossed to Pieclras Negras on the Mexican side. We headed down route 57 through Morales then turned north to follow the Rio Sabrinas into the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. John Lee translated for me. "Those're the Eastern High Mothers." I could see how they got their name, for when we reached our destination we were looking at 8,000-foot peaks. Our mission was to find a suitable launch site and practice a flight from Mexico to our rendevous spot in the U.S. John Lee had covered all the details so all I had to do was fly. We established a base camp at the northern encl of the Serranias de! Burro, a small branch of the High Mothers, which stretch to within 10 miles of the U.S. We unloaded our gear then went four wheelin'. Late in the day we found a satisfactory west facing launch site about 4,000 feet above the valley. We headed back to set up camp and wait for good air.

That night I received two surprises. First, I was stretchin' out listenin' to the hoot owls when I heard a scratchin' in my tent. I grabbed a flashlight and went looking. The noise seemed to come from my pack, so I cautiously opened it up. There, in all his glory was Dilly regarding me with the silliest grin you ever saw on an armadillo. "You dang stowaway," I hollered. "Now what am I gonna do with you?" Then I softened as he nuzzled up to me. Well, I reckoned I could use a flying buddy on this trip, so I set about making him a simple rope harness. The next surprise was the clatter of hooves 'round about midnight that announced the arrival of a small band of Mexicans. They seemed to know John Lee for they greeted each other like old friends and broke out a bottle of tequila. I don't speak much of the loving tongue, but I could tell they were talking about me and my upcoming flight. One

"I got down to about a grand and was handed a reality sandwich (that's a slab of adrenalin between two slices of fear)." Mexican came and sat by my side. "Hey, you gringo good pilot, ch?" he said with Jose Cuervo breath. He offered me a bottle then they all came over, drank to my health and slapped me on the back, yelling "Buena sucrte," good luck. Soon everyone crawled off to bed - the Mexicans on their serapes under the stars, John Lee in the car, and me in my tent lying awake wondering just how much luck I would need. By the time I woke up, everyone was gathered around my Comet. I wondered if they were messing with the glider and sauntered over. Sure 'nough, they had the end caps of the leading edges pulled off and were stuffing bags of white powder into the tubes. "Hey ..." I yelled. "Buenos Dias, gringo," grinned my friend from the night before. "We put thees smoke powder in your wings. Ees no problem, si?" I wasn't so sure, but John Lee assured me that the weight would be the same as my original glider and it was necessary to try the practice flight under loaded conditions. They finished their job while John Lee and I went over our maps and plans. I was to wait a day at the launch site so he could make

it back to our scheduled landing site near Sanderson, Texas. Then I was supposed to try the flight as soon as possible. They left a cache of food, a burro and an old man named Nada to help me launch. John Lee shook my hand then everyone repeated, "Bueno suerte." Off they went into the hot afternoon leaving me, Dilly, and Nada with the lizards on the side of that mountain. I tried communicating with Nada but he just smiled and shook his head. I took a little hike with Dilly, but couldn't go too far in that rugged country. Finally, I decided to work on the smoke system. Them boys had put all that white powder in plastic bags in the tubes. I got to thinking that I might as well try to shoot it off on this flight. So I got out some dental floss and my knife and rigged up lines from the tube plugs to the control bar so I could pull out the plugs in the air. Then I took out about half the bags and poured the loose powder back into the tubes. "That ought to put on an aerial display," I thought. On the second day of waiting I was gettin' itchy feet. Around noon the wind started picking up so I set up my glider and harnessed up with Dilly on my back. Old Nada helped me get my glider in the breeze as I checked conditions. The wind looked good and thermals were pumpin'. I did a careful hang check and hoisted my wings. I couldn't feel the extra weight of the glider in the wind, so with Nada on my nose wires I waited for a lull then yelled, "claro!" "Adios" was the last thing I heard as I hit the lift in a climb. In no time I had gained about 3,000 feet in a northerly drift. I stayed with every puff I could find and was looking at the Rio Grande a half hour later. I must have had about 7,000 feet above the flats when I hit the rough border country . It was a good clay. I was making good headway with a tailwind when suclclcnly the lift dwindled. I started huntin' but there wasn't much to be had. I had covered about 20 miles but I needed another 10 to reach John Lee just south of route 90. If I didn't succeed I wouldn't have a job. I flew on with my elbows tucked in until I was clown to about 4,000 feet. Then I saw John Lee's Caddy along with a group of other cars. I milked my altitude so I could put on a show and arrived about 2,500 over the ground. I could see people milling around, so I pulled those plugs and started n,ming. That powder streamed out in clouds. Then some unexpected things happened. (continued on page 32)

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RATINGS AN

APPOINTMENTS

BEGINNER RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

NOVICE RATINGS REGION

Dave Baleria

Medford, OR

Terry Tibbetts

Manuel G. DaRosa Richard Devlin Louise S. Funke Bill Horat Brad Smith Michael Story

King City, CA Fremont, CA Fremont, CA Tracy, CA San Rafael, CA San Francisco, CA

Pat Denevan Pat Devevan Pat Denevan Pat Denevan Wallace Anderson Karen Schenk

Wayne Beaman Ken Howells Jim Rider Javier Sanchez Adam Trahan Gregory Wallace

Yucaipa, CA San Bernardino, CA Honolulu, HI Hacienda Hts., CA Scho Bnks, HI Forrest Falls, CA

Debbi Rendhaw Debbi Renshaw Lani Akiona Debbi Renshaw Lani Akiona Debbi Renshaw

Tor Hansen

Tempe, AZ

Doug Gordon

Ron Gates II Mark Rasmussen

Kansas City, MO Lawrence, KS

Johnny Ray Thomas Phillips

Curt Dechow Steve Gubser Dave Lybarger

Bay City, MI Peoria, IL So. Bend, IN

Matt Taber Rob Kreske Marc Magar

Don Albanese Robert Hastings

Lowell, MA Newport. NH

T.C. Searle Rob Bicknell

Tobin C. Anthony F. Scott Cicora Erik Louis Douglas Tom Elliott Thomas Linder Preston Morrisey Ken Navran Stephen Quintis

Arlington, VA Damascus, MD Rockville, MD McGaheysville, VA Butler, PA Gaithersburg, MD Washington, DC Pr. Frederick, MD

Chris Thompson Lawrence Battaile Lawrence Battaile Steve Wendt Pat Brooks Eric Logan Chris Crescioli Joe Greblo

Jim Hepinstall Claude Huff, Jr. Steve Nagle Jim Stevens

Knoxville, TN Sevierville, TN Fairhope, AL Knoxville, TN

Bruce Hawk Bruce Hawk Chris Thompson Bruce Hawk

10 10 10 10

Joe Benincasa Michael Capuano James Houghtaling Mark Nuwer Istvan Petho Danny Robinson Lawrence Stroud

New Hartford, NY Hamilton, NY Yorkville, NY Utica, NY Hawthorne, NJ APO, NY Mohawk, NY

Dan Guido Chris Crescioli Dan Guido Dan Guido Chris Thompson Steve WEendt Dan Guido

12 12 12 12 12 12 12

2 2 2

6 6

9 9

NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

REGION

Wayne Lueth

Vancouver, WA

Al Gibson

Dale Allen Charlie Conklin David B. Hasenick Steve Johnson Kevin Lande! Bill Lewis John M. Loftus Loreen Ozaki Jeffery Schock Jeffrey Schoen Herschel Wright

Sacramento, CA Cupertino, CA Santa Clara, CA Sacramento, CA Santa Cruz, CA Menlo Park, CA Costa Mesa, CA Salinas, CA FPO San Francisco, CA Berkeley, CA Santa Clara, CA

Steve Perry Pat Denevan Rob Engorn Steve Perry Rob Engorn Rob Engorn James McKee Dave Shelton Dan Sutherlin John Reilly Ron Hess

Gary Anderson Mike Lawrence John Leuck Michael Neverdosky Bryan Riegle Gary Riethle Harte Robba Bob Scott

Signal Hill, CA Escondido, CA Redondo Beach, CA Long Beach, CA San Diego, CA Pasadena, CA Carson, CA LaCanada, CA

Dan Skadal John Ryan Ben Espinosa Dan Skadal John Ryan Dick Snyder Dan Skadal Jim Woods

Mark Francis John M. Isham Mike J. Lawrence Ben Parker

Farmington, NM Albuquerque, NM Durango, CO Albuquerque NM

Chuck Woods Chuck Woods Gary Lagrone Chuck Woods

Jim Roach

Missoula, MT

Roger Lockwood

Michael P. Moore

Talihina, OK

Charles S. Hall

Jimmy Clarke, Jr. John Martineau Dave Robbins Paul Smith

Urbana, IL Vadnais Hgts., MN St. Paul, MN St. Joseph, MN

Rob Kreske Robin Linder Robin Linder Rob Kreske

Dave Armando Michael David

Glastonbury, Ct Denver, CO

Bart Blau Mark Windscheimer

Rob Bachman John R. Barrett Richard LaCourse Thomas E. Miller

Monroe, VA Springfield, VA Laurel, MD Smithsburg, MD

Chris Thompson Eric Logan P.C. Covington, Jr. Bill Criste

Alexander Delia Darien S. Hamlet Gary S. Harvey DeWayne Hasty Brian Heiss John Kummer

Pascagoula, MS Huntsville, AL Marietta, GA Gainesville, FL Tucker, GA Lakeland, FL

Matt Taber Thomas Phillips Matt Taber Matt Tuer Thomas Phillips Matt Taber

10 10 10 10 10 10

Mark DeArmond

Childress, TX

Michael Williams

2 2 2 2 2

2 2

4 4

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RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS Douglas Addington Tom Baity Randy Bowman Colin S. Boyer Robert Bradt Scott Campbell James E. Dellinger Chris Dwiggins Jerold L. Fisher Peter L. Herr Robert Hochstetler William Howard Jeff Johnson Kathy Kryzer Thomas Kryzer Charles C. Lee Ron LeGrande James Lilly Ray Mowery, Jr. B. Kinloch Nelson Leslie W. Noeltre Kennety L. Pine Lynn A. Ricks Dennis Schucker Nathan Secrease Gavin Thomas Kenneth Waughtal Daniel Wilson Charles Valenzuela

APO, NY Chappaqua, NY APO, NY APO, NY Schenectady, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY Utica, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO,NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO, NY Painted Post, NY APO, NY APO, NY APO,NY APO, NY APO, NY

Gary Elhart Eric Beckman Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Dan Guido Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Dan Guido Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart James Kolynick Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Elhart Gary Bihari Gary Elhart

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Robert Voorman

Burlington, Ont. Can.

Matt Taber

FOR

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS Name

Ci~, State

Observer

Randy S. Chaffin David C. Jones

Mt. Lake Ter., WA Seattle, WA

Dave Little Dave Darling

Stephen Herman Gunter Lohrentz Rock Loucks Samuel McClure Chris Satterlee Craig Weiss

Fremont, CA San Francisco, CA Pleasonton, CA Milpitas, CA Palo Alto, CA Fremont, CA

Pat Denevan Michael Giles Rob Engom David Bowen Pat Denevan David Lukens

Ross Acheson Richard England Franz Herbert John Mahoney Gregory Moon Bob Ryan Mark Tomer Kevin Smith Robert Hladky

Anaheim, CA Santa Ana, CA Solana Beach, CA San Diego, CA Fullerton, CA Laguna Hills, CA Ventura, CA Telluride, CO Kearney, NE

Dan Skadal Chris Kirchhofer Chris Kirchhofer John Ryan Dan Skadal Dan Skadal Kris Doe Gary Lagrone Hugh Martin

Mike Fitzgerald Theresa Cummings

Minneapolis, MN Hoyt Lakes, MN

Tim Wuest Doug Johnson

David Beland, Jr. Jeffrey Bernard

Claremont, NH Beverly, MA

Jeff Nicolay Jeff Nicolay

Dennis Cornett Marty Garcia Robert Janson, ill Larry Parmer Cliff Primmer Jeffrey Vaughan

Groveport, OH Ft. Washington, MD Williamsport, PA Vienna, VA Columbus, OH W. Chester, PA

Mario Manzo Eric Logan Birch Phillips Matt Taber Mario Manzo James Keller

Christel Achmus Richard Neuberger Kari Schaffner Ben Wolff

Charlotte, NC Lakeland, FL Knoxville, TN Cullman, AL

Matt Taber B.J. Schulte Vic Ayers E.L. Chambers

IO IO IO

Richard Eisenberg Chris Fragman

Lecnia, NJ Hyde Park, NY

Paul Voight Jon Wenham

12 12

9 9 9 9 9

ADVANCED RATINGS Name

Cit~ State

Observer

Mike Brewer Barry Coghlan Louis Crowder Luis Gonzales Jeff Hershkowitz Max Peterson Bill Ricketts Karen Schenk Brian Smith Bruce Thompson

Fremont, CA Berkeley, CA Palo Alto, CA Sausalito, CA Pacifica, CA Salinas, CA Watsonville, CA Berkeley, CA Berkeley, CA San Jose, CA

Chauncey Douglas Walt Nielsen Ran D. St. Clair Marty Dodge John Minnick Jim Johns Chuck Staedler Walt Nielsen Walt Nielsen Thomas 0. Gill

William Ayres Josef Bastik Chip Davies Doug Kolstead Walt Silbert

Tustin, CA San Juan Capistrano.CA Pasadena, CA Newport Beach, CA Solano Beach, CA

Dan Skada\ Erik Fair Dick Snyder Debbi Renshaw John Ryan

Bill Cummings Mel Glantz Norman Lesnow Scot L. Maue

Hoyt Lakes, MN Robbinsdale, MN Hazel Park, MI Traverse, MI

Doug Johnson Tim Wuest Gary Harkins Gary Harkins

Roger T. Janson

Jamaica Plain, MA

Jakob Schwaiger

Roger L. Martin James R. Strube

Waynesboro, PA Arlington, VA

William Christe Eric 0. Logan

Chris Blyth Robert B. Flint Joseph M. Mauldin John Saari Allen Sasser Cal W. Tax Tony Teague

Knoxville, TN Wetumpka, AL Athens, GA Ooltewah, TN Jacksonville, FL Marietta, GA Winston-Salem, NC

Bruce Hawk Foreign Equiv. Tom "TAG" Guice Gary Engelhardt Matt Taber Charles Toth Tom Thompson

R~ion

2 2 2 2 2 2

Region

2 2 2 2 2 2

10 IO IO IO IO IO

(continued on page 24)

NOVEMBER 1985

RATINGS Art,JID APPOINTMENTS Mark Mulholland

Freenville, TX

Gary Scheer

Richard Kelly Joseph S. Todaro

Bloomfield, NJ New J>aJtz, NY

Bill Watters J>aul Voight

Richard Harris

Cape, S. Africa

John Woiwode

FOR

(R,B) J>aul Michaud

Las Cruces, NM

P. Michaud/ B. Thompson

(B) Gary R. J>ax

Grand Junction, CO

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(R,A) Bill Sloatman

Dillon, CO

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(B) Scott Westfall

Boulder, CO

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(B) Geo. Woodcock

Alamogordo, NM

P. Michaud/ B. Thompson

(B) Collette Carson

Concord, MA

J.N. Colay/ D. J>agen

(B) J. Mike Gretta

Chester, CT

J.N. Colay/ D. J>agen

(R,A) D. Rodriguez

Riverton, VT

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

BRONZE AWARD WITH NOVICE RATING Fred Allen Robert J. Blazer Ron Enck Guy T. Freeman Richard Lacourse Bob Land James P. Lee Frank Merritt

Joseph Pfaff Dave Robbins Andrew Sanders Greg Traxler Rhonda Wachter Jeffrey J. Walker Nathan Whelchel E. John Wright

INSTRUCTORS

Name

City, State

Administrator/ Director

R~ion

(B) Jim S. Egger

?aimer, AK

Jim Shaw/ Mike Boyle

(B) Terry Tibbetts

Selma, OR

Jim Shaw/ Russ Locke

(B) Joseph Barfoot

Las Cruces, NM

P. Michaud/

B. Thompson (B) Dave Church

Las Cruces, NM

P. Michaud/ B. Thompson

(R,A) Bob Faris

Ft. Collins, CO

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(R,A) Al Godman

Lafayette, CO

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(B) Doug Gordon

Tempe, AZ

M. King/ M. King

(B) Curt Graham

Ruidoso Down, NM

P. Michaud/ B. Thompson

A. Godman/ J. Zeiset

(B) Robert Hastings

(B) Wm. Kershaw

(R,A) Lee Metzgar

Las Cruces, NM

Missoula, MT

A - Advanced B - Basic R - Recertification

OBSERVER Name

City, State

Examiner

Jim Donnell

Citrus Hts., CA

Jerry Sorenson

Tom Traux

Ventura, CA

Ken DeRussy

Joseph Barfoot Dave Church Robert Hastings

Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM

J>aul Michaud J>aul Michaud J>aul Machaud

4 4 4

Steve Kingsolver

Casper, WY

Mike King

Bruce Mahoney

Tulsa, OK

Charles Hall

City, State

Director

R~ion

Eric Beckman Richard Cassetta

Santa Rosa, CA Sacramento, CA

Russ Locke Gary Hodges

2 2

Steve Kingsolver

Casper, WY

Mike King

Eric Logan

Alexandria, VA

William Criste

R~ion 2

EXAMINERS Name

HANG GLIDING

BEST BANG GLIDER TIE 0 CHOICE IS E y TO MAKE I

make the 1985 NASA film Rick and Will

HANG GLIDING

Harris is one ofthose rare individuals who would probably succeed In most any venture that he undertook. He was a crew member in the expedition that found the lost civil war ship, the Monitor. John was a pioneer in hang gliding on the East Coast and the fir'st pilot to fly from the lofty peaks of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. He the very first "Master~· competition and was meet director at later ones. Along with his partner Ralph Buxton, John.founded Kitty Hawk Kites in 1974 which is now reportedly the world's largest hang gliding school. John believes that introducing people to the joys of flight is not only personally rewarding, but can be a good way to make a living. He has succeeded in part by diversifying right.from the beginning and changwith the times on an unending quest to core that retail thermal. Dan: John, you are a hard guy to track down sometimes. Just in the last two hours you helped install new equipment in the ice cream shop, you showed one of your employees how to install insulation, and you have run back and forth to the kite shop to help set up lessons. How do you stay motivated to going all of the time? John: Well I like what I am doing. Our clientclle, the people who are interested in to fly with us, are fun people and

they are fun to be around. I get a lot of satisfaction out of making it possible for them to experience that gift of flight and to have a really good time. Dan: In a day and age when some wellknown hang gliding schools have fallen by the wayside, your school, Kitty Hawk Kites, appears to be a thriving business. How do you explain that? .John: We have been fortunate enough to be located at what is one of the best training sites in the country. The combination of sand dunes and steady winds makes it easy to teach people to fly here safely. It is also highly visible, next to a well-traveled road. These factors plus our aggressive marketing approach, that is, letting people know that they can safely learn to fly a hang glider in half a day, has led to our success. Dan: O.K. Let's suppose I am John-Bob or Jo Tburist and have never even seen a hang glider before. In a daring moment I decide to skip miniature golf and sign up for your beginning lesson. What can I expect from this class? John: In the very first lesson you would get a ground school including a short training film. Then we would outfit you with a harness and take you over to the dunes. You would hook into the glider and the instructor would help you practice the control movements while the glider is stationary. Then you would do a practice mn with the

glider on flat ground. Y<mr instructor would demonstrate proper takeoff techniques by doing a short flight. Then you would have at least five flights the first lesson. A typical beginner flight is about six feet off the ground and lasts around ten seconds. Dan: Do you have many people that fail to get up in their first lesson? John: Very rarely. We can teach almost anyone to fly. For example, we had a old student last week who from what I hear did very well. He is scheduled to come back for an advanced lesson. Dan: What is your student-to-teacher ratio and how long does a beginner class usually last? John: We find that five students per each instmctor is ideal, allowing each student time to rest briefly and observe the others inbctween flights. The beginner class takes approximately three hours. Dan: You have mentioned the phrase, "learn to fly safely" several times. What is the safety record here? John: We have taught over 50,000 students to fly since 1974 and our most serious in-· juries have been broken arms or legs. In an average year about one out of a thousand student~ breaks a limb although last year we had over 6,000 students and only three broken limbs so it was only one out of 2,000 last year. Dan: I do not know the exact figures but

It was housed in a 20x40-foot converted garage with an outhouse. NovEMllER 1985

that is probably much safer than a few of the ski resorts l have been to in the wintertime. I have often heard Kitty Hawk Kites re· forred to as the world's largest hang gliding school. Do you know of any other school that has the number of students that you do in

a John: I don't know of anyone that even comes close to 6,000 per year. l believe that one or two of the schools in California teach around 1,000 students per year. Dan: I have heard that west coast schools get a higher percentage of people that stick with hang gliding after the beginner lesson. Would you agree with that'? ,John: Yeah, I'd agree with that. It is most· ly because of sites more readily available in California. It is a 5 1/2 hour drive from Nags Head to the nearest mountain site. Dan: I would like to change pace for a minute and inquire about your pre-hang gliding What were the highlights? Jolm: I grew up in Missouri and majored in engineering in college. After school I went to work for Western Electric. I was a hydrographer or ocean engineer for them for three years. Dan: I understand that you were a crew member on the team that found the lost civil war ship, the Monitor. How did you become involved in this project? Jolm: John Newton who put together the Search for the Monitor expedition (see January 1975 National Geographic) phoned Western Electric to borrow some video television equipment. I told my boss that he could have the equipment as long as he took me on the expedition. Dan: I am a little unclear as to how the Monitor sank. Did that happen in a battle with the Merrimack? John: No, actually hnth were so well armored that neither one could sink the other. The Monitor was being towed by the U.S.S. Rhode Island bound for a battle in Beauford, N.C. when a monsterous storm arose. The Monitor sank losing 16 of the crew members. In August 1973 our expedition found the Monitor in 210 feet of water 16 miles south Hatteras. I was responsible for help· ing operate the underwater T.V. cameras that gave us data which proved that what we had found was indeed the Monitor. It was one of the most exc:citing adventures I had ever participated in. Dan: When did you first become aware of hang gliding? John: That same year 1973, I saw a UPI 28

newspaper photo of Dick Chaney in a standard hang glider. I couldn't find any infor· mation about hang gliding in the library so I found Dick's phone number in Utah from information. He was manufacturing gliders at the time so he shipped me a 16-foot stan· dard with no king post and an 8 mm instmctional movie. Ralph Buxton and I came down here to the sand dunes and taught ourselves to fly. Dan: Were you the first ones to fly at Jockey's Ridge? .John: No, I think Vic Powell might have been the first. He was down here organiz·· ing the first Hang Gliding Spectacular when Ralph and I were learning to fly. Dan: What do you recall about your first mountain flight? John: A guy named Vernon Hollins and I went to western Notth Carolina to scout sites. Some people that ran a backpacking store drove us to the top of Hump Mountain in their jeep. The Wind was light and we had a great flight! We didn't get too high but the way the landing area was situated, we took off in North Carolina and landed in Tennessee so it was a big event. Dan: How about that, interstate XC on your first mountain flight. Okay. Did you then visit imother hang gliding school or start Kitty Hawk Kites from scratch? Dan: We put together our own program based on our own experiences in 1974 and at a later date I visted Flight Realities. Bob and Robbie Skinner were extremely helpful in going over their program and sharing ideas

with ns. Dan: Did you and Ralph just suddenly quit your jobs to start this hang gliding school'? John: The business could not support us both so Ralph kept working during the week and taught hang gliding on weekends. I had quit my job and grad school to teach foll time. It was a couple of lean years before Ralph joined me full time. Dan: How many students did you teach the first year? John: I am not sure. I think less than 500. Dan: Was Jockey's Ridge a state park when you began the school? .John: No, it was privately owned. A developer had tentative plans to build Condos on the northeast side of the dunes which would have affected the migration of the sand. Some local people started a campaign to make Jockey's Ridge a state park which we supported. It became a state park in 1CJ77. Dan: You know, you mention the migration of the dunes. Well I find it quite amazing. Here you have this 13 story sand dune that even though it shifts back and forth, has basically appeared to stay in one area. Most of the surrounding dunes are not even half as big as it is. Why doesn't the top of it just blow into the ocean? John: Because of the location, the winds seem to shift 180 ° all the time. One week we get a hard blow from the north and a week or so later we get one from the south. So the dunes keep moving back and forth, but I would say overall it blows a little harder from the north. So it seems the dune is migrating slowly south at a rate of seven to ten feet per year. Dan: Wow, it could be real interesting for that one house south of the dunes in say roughly .. .472 years! Have you ever had any hassle with the park officials about lessons? ,John: At one point the park officials stopped hang gliding in the park, but many of our students and the hang gliding com· munity in general mounted a masssive peti-· tion drive to our legislatures and the park was reopened for flying. Dan: In over a decade of flying at Jockey's Ridge, what are a few of the highlights that come to mind? John: Well, Chris Starbuck had some of the first soaring flights here in a bamboo and plastic glider. He made it perform like crazy. Jim Johns thennalling out of the park and landing 41/2 miles north at the Wright Brothers Monument was just fantastic! There have been some real dramatic moments in the Hang Gliding spectaculars over the years.

HANG GLIDING

Dan Skadal's 5 hour 23 minute soaring record still stands. You know Kitty Hawk Kites is offering $200 to anyone who can break the duration record or thermal out of the park. We are also offering a new Seagull Award, plus $50 to anyone who can soar the dune for one hour. This is similar to the Raven Awards out at Grandfather ex·· cept that we plan it to be an ongoing thing. Dam Doesn't Francis Rogallo have a standing challenge and cash of his own totally separate from Kitty Hawk Kites? John: Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Rogallo have uq,u~'""u $1,000 in a special account for anyone who can thermal out of the park, round the Wright Brothers Monument and return to land in the park. People have gotten high in thermals, but no one has even matched Jim Johns flight yet. Dam Would you describe your current facilities? .Johm Our hang gliding pro shop is a thou·· sand square feet, stocked with all of the various harnesses, helmets and accessories necessary for hang gliding. The balance of the shop is 1,400 square feet and features kites from around the world, tee shirts, and flying toys. Ralph oversees the other shop which is 3,000 square feet and filled with windsurfing equipment and action spm1s clothing. Dam How many employees do you have total? ,John: We have about 60 employees in peak season and from six to ten in the off season. About 13 of these people are hang gliding instructors who are kept quite busy in August. That is when everyone takes their vacation so they all want to fly at once. At that time of year we fill classes up to 80 students per Dan: If you don't mind saying, what kind of money does Kitty Hawk Kites gross in a year? Johm Let's see ... business-wise we gross over a million dollars every year. I would guess the hang gliding department brings in around three hundred thousand or something like that. We have a lot of expenses though. We are still forced to borrow every winter to help carry us through the off season. Dan: Yilu received some notoriety last year with the 10th Anniversary of your flight off of Grandfather Mountain. How did you pick Grandfuther as a spot from which to fly? John: Well, I had studied topo charts and I knew that Grandfather Mountain could be flown without any problem, but the launch NOVEMBER 1985

from Grandfather Mt. with a camera for PM by off the cliff face was pretty scary just to look at. In fact it scared the hell out of me so I picked a spot a little farther down the slope for the first flight. The flight went great. I did not make the planned landing area, but landed on the golf course. I then decided to go back up and launch off the cliff face. This was before any ramps and the tricky part was skipping across the rocks. I got a little cocky for this second one and thought I would fly down the and work the lift in front of the photographers. I stayed along the ridge too long and basically when I turned to head for the landing area I hit a strong headwind which my standard couldn't penetrate. l touched down in some 50-foot bushy trees. With the help of a few friends and a chain saw, I retrieved my glider. It was still a really fun flight! Dan: Weren't you involved in the first Masters Competition at Grandfather? John: Yes, I was involved in organizing all of the competitions at Grandfather from 1CJ74 through 1980. One of the great things I remember from back then was seeing Mike Arrambide thermal from just above the golf course to 1,000 feet over Grandfather. It was an incredible feat at a time when it was a rare thing to see someone thermal at all! Dan: Then in 1984 you flew off Grandfather again to celebrate th 10th anniversary of flying there. How did this flight gd? Much better. I had not flown much

the last few years, so I went with Vic Powell to Massanutten Mountain and got a half:hour flight in light conditions for a warm up. J could hardly believe how mueh better the new generation of intermediate gliders like the Wills Wing Skyhawk perform. It is so much easier to soar with today's equipment than with what was available a few years ago. The owner of Grandfather, Hugh Mm1on invited many friends in to celebrate the 10th anniversary flight including Bill Moyes, Dr. Francis Rogallo, Vic Powell, John McNeely, and Stew Smith. The flight was only a sled run but it was a lot of fun. The real highlight for me personally was a few day's later when most everyone had gone home. Dam What happened? John: Well I never took the time to get the Raven Award when I was there because I was usually preoccupied with helping run the Masters. So last year I hung around for a few days waiting for good weather and Joe Foster and the follows up there helped get me off in the right conditions. I got around 1,500 over and soared for over an hour. It was beautiful! Dan: That is really neat. I didn't realize you had done that. John: Of course the 200 official Ravens were already given out, but Mr. Morton said he planned to cook up an unofficial honorary Raven just for me. You know, hang gliding needs more pco29

pie like Hugh Morton. He is one of the sports greatest promoters. When I flew off of Grandfather in 1974, he got it in almost every newspaper in the country through Associated Press and UPI. It even showed up in Japan and Iceland! I've got clips from all around the world. And through the years he wanted the best competition that there was. When he put the Masters together, he asked the pilots what they wanted and they said a purse. It is the one competition that you can count on to pay a purse every year. He has made tremendous movies that have been circulated by Piedmont Airlines and shown on ESPN which show hang gliding in a positive light. If it had not been for Mr. Morton, I think the sport on the East coast and probably the U.S. would be a lot worse off than it is now! Dan: I guess you would realize the power of the press if anyone would. Your seeing that

"One of the great things I remember from back then was seeing Mike Arrambide thermal from just above the golf course to 1,000 feet over Grandfat her." one hang gliding photo in the newspaper years ago triggered you into becoming involved in the sport and in turn introducing it to thousands of other people. You have been involved in shooting several films and commercials lately haven't you? John: Yes, probably the most exciting was some footage shot by the Smithsonian Institute for the IMAX large screen in the National Air and Space Museum. This features Rick Young's recreation of the 1902 Wright Glider and Ken Kellett's replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer. I hear the footage is fabulous. This same film will feature hang gliding shot in a different location. Hang gliding needs more coverage like the Wriggleys Gum commercial. It really captured the excitement of flying. We also need articles and films that educate people on how to get started in the sport. People need to know that you don't just go out and jump off a· cliff to get started. Dan: What advice would you have for someone wanting to start a hang gliding school in an area other than your own? 30

John: Every area is different of course. If I were going to open another school, I would look for a good sand dune or some type of safe training site with very high visibility and very accessible. Dan: What about finding a good location and building a hill with dozers as was done in Arizona and also at Sand Hill Kites in North Carolina? John: Every time we looked into doing that and expanding into a different area, it looked like a pretty expensive undertaking. It was a risk we didn't need to take, however with the right person and the right location it would probably work.

Dan: Thank you for your time. I am sure we will be seeing more of John Harris and Kitty Hawk Kites in the years that follow.•

About the interviewer: Dan Demaree is an advanced pilot and cenified instructor living in Friendsville, Maryland. He is currently president of the Mountaineer Hang Gliding Association. At one time Dan was rated #3 in the U.S. in whitewater kayak racing and is the designer of the well known "Slipper" kayak. Future plans include other interviews as well as an article on hang gliding in lli?st Virginia.

Learning To Fly At Kitty Hawk Kites by Mary Lynn Davidek

M y heart is pounding like a kettle drum in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. My blood is racing through my veins like alcohol through a high perfomiance engine at the Indianapolis 500. My palms are moist with tiny beads of glistening sweat. As I stand, I can feel a slight, almost uncontrollable quivering sensation about my knees. Anytime now the volcanic excitement in the pit of my stomach will surely explode. I feel like a bottle of pop shook full of bubbly foam and ready to burst. But I am not sitting among kettle drums in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, nor am I waiting for the green flag at the Indianapolis 500 race track, nor am I watching a volcanic eruption on the island of Hawaii. No, today I am standing on top of a sand dune called Jockey's Ridge in North Carolina. The July wind is blowing through my sunlightened hair, and suddenly the overwhelming thrill of dancing in its motion overtakes my imagination. Today I am going hang gliding. "OK, Mary Lynn, just have a seat outside on the flight deck and the instructors will be out to assign groups according to your weight," the girl at the Kitty Hawk Kites desk says. "Good thing I didn't lie about that ques-

tion on that form that I filled out," I chuckle to myself. Then the girl wearing a Hawaiian print outfit at the desk hands me my flight manual log book. Then I turn and watch the video of experienced hang glider pilots. My mouth hangs open in awe. Gosh, they make it look so easy. Someday I want to look that great in the air. Goose bumps invade my arms and I notice that volcanic excitement starting to stir in my stomach and working its way to my throat. Clang! Clang! Clang! "OK, can I have your attention please," a voice says as it breaks through the breezy morning air. "Welcome to Kitty Hawk Kites, my name is Dave and this is Ron, L.arry, Bob, and Rich, and one of us will be your instructor for the 10:30 session." "Oh my gosh," I say to myself. "I've never seen so many gorgeous guys in one spot before. Geez! Am I dreaming? Ouch, no this is for real. Remember, summer vacations, hang gliding, learn to fly ... but the brochure failed to inform me that every instructor was absolutely movie star material. OK, maybe not all Hollywood, but close, real close. Where was I? Or where am I? Out in the sun too long I think. Talk about a distraction? Just when I want to concentrate on the fundamentals of level flight, not to mention tryHANG GLIDING

should probably gag myself so I don't start What punishOur instructor and two volunteers grab our by the wires and I grab the water jugs as our group of five starts its journey to the far side of the sand dune. This dune was created between the bay and the ocean, and I realize that this has to be the best place to learn this sport. Our friend the wind is blowsteadily from the northeast at IO to 15 mph, Ron informs us. I love this kind of talk Our footprint path is momentarily etched in the sand as we finally reach our sp()t. "The wind is perfect today;' Ron says as he kicks some sand up in the air with his toe. "We should some really good flights in," he adds with a holler. There is no question in my mind that this is where I want to be. "Who wants to be first?" Ron eagerly asks. All five of us look at each other as the wind dances the swirls of sand around us. "I guess I will," I say bravely on the outbut think, "Why did I say that?" on

the inside. The onter self triumphs again. I snap the white plastic strap of my red helmet under my chin. Then I walk under the linen-white wings of the glider and hook my harness into the hang loop. "Harness check, looks good. OK, pick up the glider, Mary," Ron says. "Now remember what we went over in class and ground school. Your manual-logbook says, "... as soon as the wind picks up the sail start running. Transfer your hands to the control bar. Ease out slowly. Let the glider lift you off the ground. As soon as your feet leave the ground, smoothly pull the bar back a couple of inches. This wlll build up airspeed." I listen to every word and try to translate these words into some coordinated actions. Now I try a little pep talk in my mind. "OK, body, brain and glider, please cooperate... think positively Mary." "Ready Mary?" Ron asks as he squintq in the bright July sun. "Ready!" I answer with a smile. Oh, my stomach.

airborne <>n The author

waits launch on her with instructor stand:in2

"Let's do it!" Ron cheers. "Don't be I'll be right here running beside you," Ron assures me. "Pick out a target and try to fly a straight path to it. OK, start running!" It feels like a gun goes off. I'm running; my tennis shoes sink some into the sparkling sand. Transfer your hands Mary. Push out a little. I can't feel my feet anymore ...WOW! "Pull in the control bar just a little, not too much," Ron screams. NOVEMllllR 1985

'Tm off the ground! I'm off the ground!" My breath is wisked away. "I'm flying! YA-HOO!" I'm smiling till I think my face is going to crack. "Relax!" Ron yells. "What? Did he say relax?" I'm dizzy with excitement. Terrific. Now I'm losing airspeed as I near the ground. Ron yells for me to push the bar out all the way as I near the ground. I do as he says and land on my feet. ''Alright! Great Mary! Terrific first flight!" Ron yells. I'm in total shock. I can't believe it. "How did that feel?" Ron asks as he helps me turn the kite around. "Wow!" is the only adult word that I can dig out of my vast vocabulary at the moment. I hear the sound of whistling and clapping echoing from the other people higher up on

Jack, a young guy in my group asks. "Need you ask?" someone answers. "How about you Mary?" someone else asks. "Me?" I answer as I point to myself in surprise. "Heck no." "What? You're kidding!" Ron states in confusion. "Nope. I'm not going tomorrow. I'm going tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that, and next year on my summer vacation, and maybe the year after that, too!" I say as I watch the shadow of a glider sail over my head on Jockey's Ridge, North Carolina.• Editor's note: Mary Lynn has returned to Jockey's Ridge every summer for the last four years. She's now working on her Novice rating. (continued from page 18)

"I'm in total shock. I can't believe it. 'Wow!' is the only adult word I can dig out of my vast vocabulary." the dune. We hang glider pilots get pretty excited when someone does well. My only sad thought is that it wasn't quite long enough. But, who's complaining? I think the fever has set in. So I pick up my kite and my partner and I walk it up the sand dune. "Nice flight." "Sure looked pretty." "Good control." "Thanks," I say, almost out of breath and wanting nothing more than some of that cool water in that plastic jug. "The walk back is a killer, but the flight down sure is sensational," I think to myself. Birds sure are lucky. "Next!" Ron yells. I plop myself on the dune to watch the others in my group. We get five flights each. The July sun bakes the dune. The wind wisks the sand over my arms. I'm sweating. The water in the green plastic jug really hits the spot. My hair blows everywhere. So what. I talk to the others, this is great! "Hey is anybody going flying tomorrow?"

(High Tech) The people on the ground started jumping around like crazy, I stai1cd feeling kinda wild as I flew through the powder smoke and my glider got real nose heavy. I remembered those bags in the leading edge and realized they were all stuck up front. It only took me a few reversing 360's to fling those bags out and fix my trim problem. For some reason the sight of those flying bags created an even greater ruckus on the ground. That didn't concern me none, though, cause I was startin' to feel my oats. I flew in and out of those smoke trails. I left and started doin' wingovers for the first time in my life. Dilly was kickin' up a storm and lickin' my neck. I guess he felt good too. I got down to about a grand and was handed a reality sandwich (that's a slab of adrenalin between two slices of fear - hold the mayo). All the cars except John Lee's were police cruisers or pale green and brown border patrols. I knew something was fishy when I heard a bullhorn command me to land immediately. Now I may be from the country, but momma didn't raise her no fool. I figgercd if anybody wants me all that bad then I don't want to be had. I'd noticed a few bumps when I was coming down so I went scarchin'. Sure 'nough, I found a weak thermal and started circlin'. I doubt if they knew what I was doing until I was well out of range. At any rate, I climbed out and flew west. They tried to follow me, but I headed for no-man's land and left them spinning in

the dry washes. I landed about 20 miles south of Marathon just before sunset. Dilly had more energy than a barrel of crude and went runnin' off to the Lost Pine. I folded my glider and laycd low under a pinon to wait for dark. I heard a chopper go by, but I was well hidden. About two hours later I heard a truck grinding along. I ran towards it and found my ride home. I left that Comet hidden in the desert and picked it up a week later, good as new. So there you have the story of my graphite glider. I know there are still some mysteries left, but I never heard from John Lee Jersey again and I guess I never will. He must not have had things arranged with the authorities as well as he claimed. I figgcr he don't have much use for graphtic glider tubes and since he can't run his promotion he don't have much use for me. That don't bother me none, 'cause like I was saying to Dilly just the other day while we was soakin' in the hot springs over in Dead Man's Canyon, we'll stay happy long as we can sky out together. Besides, with such a light glider I now can carry a whole six-pack up in that Comet for those long cross country waits.•

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HANG GLIDING

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casual arrangement was made with Bill Bennett for me to pick up a Mystic 166 to be flown for research for this project. However, due to a period of brisk sales, the 166 model was sold and a 155 was made available. Admittedly I was a bit disapas I thought my sink rate would be adversely affected flying the smaller size. As it turned out, my concern was unnecessary. My introductory flight on the Mystic 155 took Pines, California. After set-up, and a harness check I moved to the launch point. This was performed with case as the Mystic combines excellent static balance with a comfortably sized control bar and modest Pulling in the V.G. string on ahont 14-travel snugs the to enhance control in ground handling. (It is recommended that initial launches and landings he performed with the V.G. full "off.") My own first launch was ac· complished without difficulty in 12 mph a left tum, the ex·· winds. hibitcd eomfortabfo response through light bar pressure. The seems to respond in lift, and its cxccllellt sink rate enables the pilot to compete for at the of the stack." With the V.G. in the "off' position a run was This exercise revealed a 34

moderate top speed of about 45 mph with retention of excellent handling qualities and stability. My first lauding approach was rather interesting as I underestimated the ratio which resulted in a slow, steep final. Although my hook-in weight is at the top end of the weight range for the L55 model, the Mystic remained directionally stable at very low Flare authority is excellent and even slow approaches can be converted into stand-up landings with a good flare. The next day at Marshall Peak near San Bernardino, California good thermal conditions provided gains of 1,000 feet above launch, and the Mystic provided a flight of over an hour. Although the launch here is a fairly shallow slope, the Mystic 155 was airborne quickly. Handling in the thermal conditions and associated turbulence proved to be only slightly more difficult than in the smooth lift of 1brrey Pines on the day. A slight in roll was noticed and slight adverse yaw was apparent when initiating roll reversals. I attributed these characteristics to the newness of the sail and that handling in these areas would with a fow honrs of air time. After topping out in a thermal, the V.G. was pulled and remained in this position for the

majority of this flight. Roll control initiation displayed a bit more Jag and bar pressure was noticeably heavier, but the Mystic remained comfortably controllable. Some high siding may he required to maintain a constant hank attitude with the V.G. full on. As the wing becomes slightly spiral unstable (tends to stay in turns) control cffmt here is minimal. Setting up for an approach to top land on Marshall Peak, I relaxed the V.G and once again misjudged the glide performance of this design. Again I was forced to make a "mushing" final approach. An anxious moment was felt when through the rotor, but the Mystic came through with another fine landing. The next opportunity to fly the Mystic 155 occurred at Edwards Bowl above Lake Elsinore, California. Light winds off the desert brought a warm day with clear visibility and good altitude gains. Launch from Edwards in light winds to five mph was easily accomplished. Wind conditions proved to be too weak to produce sustainable lift, and the situation demanded a fairly long

ABOVE: The author soars the 155. Photo W.A. "Pork" Roecker.

HANG GLIDING

glide to reach the first thermal. The Mystic accomplished this task nicely. Furthermore the transition from glide to climb proved very effective, as a slow flight capability and excellent sink rate combine with comfortable control authority to allow confident gains in small, weak thermals. Landing this day was a light wind affair with some mild sink and turbulence. My judgement had improved some through my familiarization with the glide performance of the Mystic, so this approach was not as steep. This landing was another beauty within a respectable distance of the target. Another flight was made from Lake Elsinore, this time at the "E" launch. On this day higher humidity caused a hazy air quality. A relatively strong wind persisted as I waited on takeoff. This condition makes the site turbulent and difficult to work. Launching into a "lull" I turned on course for the reliable house thermal. Arriving with a safe margin of altitude I began to scratch for lift, but was greeted with sink and turbulence. Proceeding on an upwind course through choppy air, the Mystic and I bounced and churned until reaching the windward slope of the ridge. Here a small thermal was working. As I rolled the wing to a moderate to steep 360 ° turn, I was again impressed with the Mystic's smooth transition from glide to climb performance. Once the Mystic is cored, little pilot input is needed to remain centered in lift. Relaxing somewhat, I concentrated on adjusting airspeed to take advantage of the Mystic's excellent sink rate which enabled me to climb quickly to the top of this th.ermal. Topping out at 8,000 feet I became affected with a case of "cross country fever." As I glided out over the middle of Lake Elsinore I was pleased to find a good thermal working which I employed for a 1,000-foot gain. Gliding to a usually reliable area over a ranch of small hills I watched a local pilot scratch several hundred feet below, without apparent success. I decided to glide to another reliable area a few miles ahead. Arriving over my favorite rock pile, my vario registered 500 fpm sink which persisted for a few anxious minutes and brought the Mystic and me within 500 feet of the ground. After a long silence, the vario began to chirp as zero sink to 100 fpm up began to register on the audio. Hearing this my attention shifted from selecting a landing field to thermalling as efficiently as possible. Again the Mystic impressed me with its ability to climb in marginal air with minimal

NOVEMBER 1985

pilot control input, even with the V.G. full on. Climbing 6,000 feet in this thermal revealed significant drift, indicating stronger than normal winds. Gliding for several miles I was unable to locate any more thermals. I glided to a field near the Hemet sailplane port. Trees and blowing dust indicated strong ground winds as I set up a final approach. My approach consisted of a vertical descent for about 300 feet to ground effect with the control bar full in. Little flare was needed to produce a perfect zero ground speed landing in 25 mph winds. The ability to lay the glider flat on the ground was a real asset in the conditions at hand and made breaking down in strong winds a tolerable experience. Circumstances prevented any valid performance comparisons between the Mystic 155 and other popular models. Although comparisons were attempted, unstable conditions rendered these tests inconclusive. Therefore, the box scores are pretty much an educated guess, especially in the area of glide angle performance. Overall handling characteristics are excellent with the exception of a couple of areas. A slight lag in roll control initiation was ap-

parent on the glider flown for this report. Also some adverse yaw was noticed performing 45 ° to 45° roll reversals. It is possible that these problems could be solved through simple adjustment of sail tension, and it is fair to add that the handling seemed to be a bit more comfortable on the last flight than on the first few. The sail on the glider flown suffered from a bit of flutter at the wing tips at speeds above 30 mph. A call to the Delta Wing factory at the time of this writing informed me that this problem was currently being worked on and Bill Bennett assured me this would not be an ongoing problem. Sail layout is in the spanwise configuration. All sails which I inspected exhibited straight seams and ample reinforcement points at high stress areas, and at the wing tips. All popular sail cloth colors and weights are available including spectrum, and surfcoat leading edges. All Mystic sails sport foam-backed leading edge pockets. Frame construction is clean and strong. Hardware is light-weight and functional. The streamlined control bar uprights are nicely fabricated and machined, sporting a ball bearinged pully internally mounted for the

MYSTIC FRAME COMPONENTS All tubing is 6061-T6 seamless anodized aluminum. Landing side wires are 1/8 11 stainless steel coated. All other rigging is 3/32 11 stainless steel coated. All hardware is AN quality. All brackets and plates are 6061-T6 or stainless steel. Leading edge is 1-3/4 11 x .049 w/5' innersleeve and 1-7/8 11 outersleeve. Cross tubes are 2 11 x .049 w/innersleeve on the 155. On the 166 and 177, 2-1/2 11 x .049 w/6' innersleeve. Streamlined king post is l II x 2-1/4" X .058 w/innersleeve. Streamlined uprights are l 11 x 2-1/4 11 x .058 Ribs per side (top surface) 6 each plus 2 each half ribs Battens per side (bottom surface) 3 each

Pilot weight range Aspect ratio Wing span

155

166

177

100-170 lbs.

140-210 lbs. 6.8 34.1'

170-240 lbs. 6.84 34.8 1

6.72 32.8'

Standard features include: streamlined kingpost and streamlined control bar uprights, half ribs, ball tips, foam-back leading edge pockets, storage bags for glider, control bar and battens. Options: Variable geometry system, rainbow cloth, surfcoat leading edge.

V.G. system. This system provides smooth movement and quick travel. Interestingly, the V.G. never has to be disconnected through set-up or break-down procedure. Top materials and quality craftsmanship arc apparent throughout. set-up by unzipping the cover bag and extend the control bar while removing the control bar storage bag. Extend the base tube and attach it at the upright corner with bolt, wing nut, and safety. Stand glider on control bar, remove glider storage bag and all tics. Spread wings to 3/4 extension; stand up the kingpost and deploy the luff lines, then secure safety. Attach the rear landing wire at the rear of the keel with a pip pin. Remove all battens from their storage bag and separate into left and right side battens.

Install the six top surface ribs and two half ribs per side and deploy the defined tips. Tension the crossbar with the pull string inside the keel pocket, then secure with clevis pin and safety. Close the rear seam of the keel pocket by pressing the velcro closure. Install the six bottom surface battens and the wing tip tensioners. Position the nose rib on top of the keel and secure with a bungie. Connect the front flying wires to the cable tensioner at the front of the keel and secure with a pip pin and safety. Install the nose cone and pre-flight. This set up task can be completed by one person in about 15 minutes. The Mystic seems to have bridged an obvious gap in the current American glider market. A review of the glider models

previously featured this year reveals that the HI~ Sensor and Dawn Comp all require an Advanced or above pilot proficiency rating. It is doubtful that a Mystic will win many races when matched with the aforementioned hybrids, as its speed range in comparison may seem limited. However, the Mystic's performance key lies in three areas: excellent sink rate and landing qualities and impressive handling characteristics. The Mystic is a sport machine, simple and forgiving enough for the advancing pilot, yet with enough performance and sophistication to appeal to the advanced recreational or cross country pilot. II

Box Scores MYSTIC 155 of Ito 5) Set up time/ease . . . . . . . . . ....... 5 Ground handling ................. 4 Static balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 5 Frame hardware/finish ............ 4 Sail quality /craftsmanship ......... 4

:Flight Characteristics Handling: low speed ............. 5 Handling: high speed ............. 5 Bar pressure: roll ................ 5 Bar pressure: pitch ............... 4 Roll control initiation ............. 4 Roll reversal (45 ° to 45 °). . . ...... 4 Yaw stability .................... 4 1\Jrn coordination ................ 5 Speed range ..................... 4 Sink rate performance ............ 5 Glide angle performance .......... 5 '-"'"''""'" Characteristics: Flare authority .................. 5 Parachutability .................. 4 Directional control at mush speed .. 5 Mystic 155@ 63 lbs (66 lbs. in bag). Pilot weight@ 170 lbs. ft. wingloading.

1.5 lb. per sq.

Stall speed with V.G. loose was 18 mph; tight was 19 mph. lbp speed with V.G. loose was 45 mph; tight was 47 mph. Retail price: $2,395.00 plus $100 for V.G. option

CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: ""''""''""'" tcms,m1r1.u11g device. --VG 36

Mystic 166 and 177 are both HGMA certified. Certification is in process on the 155 model.

HANG GLIDING

photos by

walked into my office and said, "Herc's what we gotta do. We gotta get ourselves some Harleys and ride them to Telluride." A few days before, Erik had turned forty with the help of about a hundred of his at Erik's closest friends. We had shop, danced boisterously to the music of Chuck and drunk copious quantities of beer and cheap whiskey. Erik, anesthetized by booze and noise, and repeatedly distracted by raucous calls for "MORE BEER!" slid into his fifth decade of life about as gracefully as can be ex1Jecrea for any American male in these times. NOVEMBER 1985

But birthdays in even multiples of ten do strange things to the gyroscope of one's soul, and the vague s,~nse of panic which Erik successfully choked down with multiple mugs of beer and double handfuls of pretzels on the night of his party was to resurface a few days later in the guise of a fantasy motorl'}'cle trip to Telluride for the annual Airmen's Invitational Hang Gliding Meet. At first I wrote the whole thing off as total·· ly unfeasible. I had owned a couple of motorcycles a dozen years or so ago, before I got into hang gliding, but I hadn't ridden since. When I discovered hang gliding in 1974, I made it the central passion and focus of my 37

life, as did most of the people I knew who entered the sport at that time. The early seventies were, in sociological terms, realIy the tail end of the sixties, and the newborn sport of hang gliding was a perfect metaphor for the laid back, dropped out, expanded consciousness counter culter context of the times. I was twenty-four in 1974, and every,· one I knew in hang gliding was twenty-four. We were just out of college, armed with largely useless degrees in the humanities or equally impractical undergraduate degrees in science. We were not simply broke, we were committed to poverty as a political ideal. We were looking desperately to rise above the unholy focus on material success of our parent's generation and commune instead with the essential profundities of the universe. We didn't simply "take up" hang gliding, we embraced it with spiritual fervor. It did more than give us wings, it lifted us above the mundane lifestye of the nineto-fivers. The public perception of the dangers of hang gliding made it more, not less attractive to us. We were brave men on the cutting edge of a brave new frontier. We were outlaws, and we were proud of it. By 1976, I had become an rated pilot, purchased my third new hang glider, and taken a 30% cut in pay to work in the hang gliding industry. I had sold my moton:,)'cle. Besides my long absence from motorc)'cling, I had other problems with Erik's fantasy. Motorcycle touring is a sport for single men or couples with no children or grown children. I was neither. I could not envision where on even as large a motorcycle as a Harley I could put both my wife and my twoyear-old daughter, and I didn't want to go on a ten-day trip without them. "No sweat," said Erik with a gleam in his eye that left little doubt as to the distance by which he was presently separated from reality. "We'll be taking the Woof Mobile to carry gliders and gear; Linda and Amelia can ride in that." The Woof Mobile is an aging Chevy Van that Erik acquired in trade for six hundred dollars worth of hang gliding equipment. I had trouble imagining that it could successfully negotiate the one thousand-mile and nine thousand-foot climb into the Rockies to get to Telluride. I had no hope that Amelia and Linda would endure three days of rattling around inside of it so that Erik and I could thrash out t11c demons of our encroaeh·ing middle age on a couple of motorcycles. Then there was the problem of the Harleys 38

themselves. Erik had ours all picked out. Two brand new shiny Evolution II Aramid Belt Drive Eighty Cubic Inch Eight Thousand Five Hundred Dollar Four Hundred and Ninety Seven Pound Harley Davidson Super Glider Two's, fresh from the ironworks of Milwaukee. We even went down to the local Harley shop and test drove one. God, it was beautiful! An absolutely elemental piece of sculpture; a throbbing, low slung master-· piece of fire and steel that grabbed one squarely by the solar plexus. It was a primal machine that was obviously equal to the task of fending off advancing senility and reuniting us with our lost youth, in all its virile glory. There was one small obstacle, however, and it could be seen winking at us as it hung from the chrome plated handlebars and twisted slowly in the air conditioned breezes of the motorcycle showroom. There are many satisfactions that accrue from a career in the business end of hang gliding. Large accumulations of excess wealth are not among them, however, and try as we might there was no way to keep the dream alive in the face of that implacable eighty-five hundred dollar price tag. A fow days later, Erik walked into my shop again. "Hondas to Telluride!" he cried. His plan was to substitute thirty-five hundred dollar Hondas for eighty-five hundred dollar

Harleys. Honda makes a V-four "cruiser" type motorc)'cle called the Magna. Its styling is somewhat reminiscent of that of a Harley, so we went down to the Honda shop to check them out. "When can we test ride them?" Erik asked the salesman. "You can't, our insurance doesn't allow it. We were incredulous. How could they expect someone to be so stupid as to buy a thirty-five hundred dollar motorcycle without riding it? We left. A few telephone calls to other Honda shops in town drew the same response; no test ride. "These guys are nuts;' said Erik. I had to concur. Then we heard about some left over 1982 Yamaha Viragos that were going brand new out of the crate for two thousand dollars. Even better, the dealer we called was happy to let us test ride them. The Virago was an even closer copy of the Harley than the Magna; it was a twin instead of a four, with the cylinders at seventy-five degrees instead of ninety, and it was aircooled instead of watercooled. It didn't have the horsepower of either the Harley or the Magna, but it probably had more than enough to kill a couple of aging hang glider pilots pretending to be bikers. We test drove one, and a few days later put down deposits on two pretty little silver Virago 750's. It felt good to buy from the dealer who had given us the test ride, and to know that we had paid a price that

HANG GLIDING

was fair for him and still a great deal for us. this time the trip was starting to take on a life of its own. Chris Price had heard about ·it, and was going to eome along. He had sold his last motorcycle about the same time I sold mine but he was going to buy a new one just for the trip. Before long we had a list of twenty-odd hang glider pilots who had heard about the trip and were planto ride motorcycles with us to Telluride. Those that didn't own motorcycles were plan·· to buy them. Without to, we had struck a chord of fundamental resonance and the imaginations of a si?..eable group of pilots. We took cm the bikes a week after the order, and then things began to go wrong. Erik's bike began to run poorly.

We attributed this to sludge from the long dormant and possibly rust filled gas tank which the dealer had assured us had been completely cleaned out following its threeyear hibernation in the crate. We sent both of our bikes back to the shop several times to have them re-flush and eventually replace the gas tanks. Finally, Erik discovered the cause of the problem with his bike. He had stowed his owner's manual under his seat, and partially blocked off the air intake. I thought of the old story, allegedly true, from the early standard days about the guy who called the factory about a problem with his brand new Rogallo. "I just can't take off in the damn thing. I run down the hill as hard a I can, but e'rytime I get the scoops filled up the dang thing wants to spin around on me!" Turned out he had been pointing the glider tail first down the hill and trying to launch. Here we were, two leading professionals in the hang gliding industry, "fillin' up the scoops" as a couple of neophyte bikers. We worked out an itinerary that would take us to Telluride in two-and-a-half days, taking mostly scenic two lane roads aud hitting several National Parks on the way. As the day of the trip approached, the weather turned A cold front was sweeping down from the Pacific Northwest, and it was already raining along most of our route. Joe Aldendifer, the only experienced tourer in the group, was unperturbed. "What do we LEFT: A

dimbs out over Fear and Lm1thitni;i; Check out the license

NOVEMBER 1985

do if it's raining on Wednesday?" I asked. He shrugged and then smiled. "We put on our Dryriders and go," he said. Erik and I spent the next day driving all over town looking for dryriders rain suit5. On the last day before we left, I bought a fairing. By the day we were scheduled to leave, we were down to six motorcycles. We left Santa Ana more or less on schedule at a quarter to nine Wednesday morning, and we were on our way. After the months of anticipation and preparation, the trip turned ut to be surprising· ly easy. We had perfect weather. Nobody broke down, fell down, or got lost. We stayed pretty much on schedule for the two-and-a· half days, and we rolled into Telluride in formation and pulled up at the Floradora Saloon at l :40 on Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful, warm day, and dozens, if not hun· dreds of gliders circled under the clouds above us. The weather had been bad all week, with rain, wind, and more rain, but it turned the day we got there. Dan Skadal hustled up the hill in time to fly that day, hut each of us got a flight in on Saturday. The wind had turned south, and the usually more accommodating "leisure" land· ing area turned into a boiling cauldron of rotors and wind shears. Erik nailed down the coveted Golden Hammer award with his "landing." As he approached the field, his minimal ground speed indicated a strong headwind at his altitude, while the windsock stood out stiff and straight, 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Given the choice be· tween landing into the prevailing wine!, but with the windsock, or vice versa, he threw up his hands in despair and crashed into a tree. Most pilots who landed in the leisure LZ had similar conditions, with similar, if less spectacular results. A lot of tubes got broken that afternoon. Later in the evening, nine aerobatic pilots set off their smoke grenades and put on a one round competition in the sky over the ballpark landing area. Four judges applied subjective criteria of their own choosing to the performances, and when it was over, Mitch McAlcer had taken first place, with a routine that included numerous wingovers and two near loops. That night a banquet was held to hand out awards and wrap up the weeklong celebration of what is still the most bitchin' form of flight known to man. Ken Grubs won the

Launch Potato award, for the second consecutive year, and took home an ingenious trophy depicting "Boots with Roots." The "White Knuckle" award went to Jim Zeiset, and several other awards of similar humor were distributed. Telluride is not a hang gliding contest, it's a hang gliding party. According to one report, two hundred and fiftyseven pilots registered for the week long flyin, which makes it by far the biggest such celebration in our sport. After the banquet, Linda said to me, "You know, we've talked about this before, but the thing that struck me as I looked around that room tonight was the abundance of wrinkles and gray hair. All those pilots are old!" And indeed we are. I thought about our own group of motorcyclists. Half ofus were over forty, and only one ofus was under thirty. Half of us began hang gliding more than ten years ago; only one of us started less than nine years ago. None of us started hang gliding in this decadde. There's been a lot of speculation on the causes of the present decline in participation in hang gliding. Too

much bad publicity, too much good publicity, or just not enough publicity of any kind. Gliders that are too hard to fly, or too expensive, or perform too well, or don't perform well enough. Yet the sport seems to have held on to a surprisingly large percen-

"Half of us were over forty, and only one of us was under thirty. Half of us began hang gliding more than ten years ago." tage of its original participants, while failing to attract more than a handful of new ones. This beautiful, magical sport, once the perfect lifestyle expression for the college kids of the sixties, hasn't found a place among the "upwardly mobile" young men

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Systelr Vario I Altimeter 0·15,000 FT Altimeter

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and women of the eighties. The meet ended on Sunday, amidst stormy and unflyable weather. We stayed on until Wednesday, but wind and rain kept us on the ground. It was raining Wednesday morning as we climbed into our yellow vinyl Dryriders for the two-day, eight hundred and fifty mile trip home. The rain stayed with us all the way into Flagstaff. As we rode out of Telluride and climbed slowly up the rainswept two-lane road toward Lizard Head pass, I was thinking about hang gliding. It is a truly magical thing that seems to have happened primarily to one small group of people in almost a single moment in time. Each year, a couple hundred of us gather in relative seclusion in a tiny box canyon high up in the Colorado Rockies. We celebrate again our induction into that mystical brotherhood of pilots and we renew old acquaintances. Each year the gliders get a little heavier and the acquaintances get a little older, but the joy of the celebration does not diminish. See you next year.•

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HANG GLIDING

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

Rogallos DELTA WING'S NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF DEALERS can help you get 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. USED UP GLIDERS-Comet 165 I's & !I's, Condors 224 & 269, Mosquitos 166 & 196, Spyder 192: All cheap!! Call UP (714) 676-5652.

1981 JAVELIN 168-Helmet, harness. Must sell. $500/0BO (805) 969-9429. MOYES MEGA II-1980, VGC, 172 sq. ft. White and light blue, harness and helmet. $900/offer. Chicago (213) 495-0262. PROFILE-177 ft.2 New demo summer '85. Spectrum cloth, heavy duty rigging, $1495. Chris (303) 879-4603. Colorado.

INSTRUCTORS SABRE 205-LTraining glider with 5 training harnesses & helmets. $400. OBO (805) 481-2304. Randy. SENSOR VG160-Excellent condition, under 30 hrs. on glider, will deliver on West Coast. (503) 597-2230. $1450. WILLS WING SST-Very good condition. Excellent condition. Low air time, (2) control bars-std. Raven folding type. Price Harness, G.Q. Security chute. $700. (313) 264-9465. 180 STREAK-$1,000. 209 Raven $400. Both for $1300 shipped. (214) 382-3305.

C2-165-10 Hrs. airtime, 'h ribs, speed bar, extras, very clean, $1400. (805) 735-6284 eve.

STREAK 160-Exceptionally clean sail. Blue, silver, white. Streamlined control bar for small pilot, with extra control bar. $750. (818) 882-9041.

C2-135-Brand new with half ribs - must sell make offer. Dennis (404) 820-1962.

U.P. 165 OVR-With U.P. cocoon harness and chute. Less than 10 hrs. on both $1500. (818) 334-3761.

COMET I 165-Very good condition, low hours, clean wrinkle free sail, will ship $600. Near new Raymond cocoon $100. (619) 789-5312.

UP GLIDEZILLA-Blue, spectrum and white sailJune 1985 very good condition. OVR 185-trade for 229 Raven-(303) 440-3579.

COMET 2 165-Y, ribs, 2 sets fairrings, speed rail, cocoon harness $1300. OBO (805) 481-2304.

PACIFICI WINDCRAFT VISION 20-Brand new, rainbow colors, $1300/0BO. Prone harness w/parachute, helmet $285/0BO. Call Casey (415) 967-8179 (eves.)

COMET OVR II-185-Excellent condition, great flyer, many extras. Will deliver. $805. Will negotiate. (805) 652-0463. COMET 185 UP-Like new. Real beauty, super condition. First place winner. Included is flotation & towing equip. Total value $1800. Must sell, make offer. Will ship. Tom. (904) 428-6548. COMET 185-Good shape. Flies great. $700. Dan (216) 543-8381. 180 ATTACK DUCK-Excellent condition. Wills Team glider '84. Winner of 1984 L.A. Regionals. $850. (818) 445-1406. 1984, 180 ATTACK DUCK-Red, gold, white. Three flights, four hours air time. New, must sell. $1200. Clinch Mtn. Tenn. (615) 828-4343. 160 DUCK-Great condition. Low airtime. $950. (503) 253-2309. DUCK 160-Excellent condition, less than 30 hours, great handling, will deliver in Region 9. Dave (412) 381-2284.

X-200-Bought for trike but not used. Excellent, $500. (615) 476-1575. WANTED - Used Hang Gliding Equipment. Gliders, Instruments, Harnesses and Parachutes. HANG GLIDER EQUIPMENT CO. 3620 Wawona, SAn Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 731-7766. BARGAIN-Sail only. Fits 165 Comet 2. $200. OBO (805) 481-2304.

Rigid Wings MITCHELL B-10-50% complete. All materials to complete wing. $1500 (303) 443-5736. WANTED-Fledge III ET or Fledge III. Call (608) 249-7721, Wis. MITCHELL WING B-10-Wing elevons, rudders, covered, painted. Test flown. No cage. $1250. (918) 341-4009. P.O. Box 313 Claremore, OK 74018.

UP FIREFLY 181 28-Good condition, rainbow tip to tip $350. ASG 21 all white except LE & KP $150. Eddy (805) 646-6544. GEMINI 164 M MODEL-Black LE with mylar, rainbow spectrum, black TE, excellent condition. $995/0BO. (206) 383-1134.

Schools and Dealers ARIZONA

HP 170-5 hours. New, $1700 OBO. (503) 256-5135.

ARIWNA WINDSPORTS-Certified instruction utilizing skyting and the World's only man-made trainer hill. New & used gliders, accessories, parts & repairs. 1114 W. Cornell Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121.

HP 170-Excellent condition. Dk blue LE, pacific blue Dbl surface, white 4.5 ounce top sail. $1600. Glen (619) 284-5206, or 457-2900.

DESERT HANG GLIDERS USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 938-9550.

177 HARRIER II-Black LE, red, white, 30 hours, goood condition. $1000. (415) 644-0614.

NOVEMBER 1985

CALIFORNIA BRIGHT STAR HANG GLIDERS Sales - service restorations. All major brands represented. Santa Rosa, CA (7ITT) 584-7088 CHANDELLE HANG GLIDING CENTERUSHGA certified school. "The best damn hang gliding shop in the world!' Dealers for Wills Wing, Delta Wing. Five minutes from Fort Funston (415) 359-6800. HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS - Certified instruction program. Featuring Wills Wing and Ultralight Products gliders and accessories. Duck, Comet II, Skyhawk, Gemini demos available to qualitied pilots. 1202 E. Walnut, Unit M, Santa Ana, CA 92701. (714) 542-7444. HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM-Quality instruction, service and sales since 1974. Full stock of new and used Wills Wing, Delta Wing, and UP gliders plus complete accessory line including harnesses, helmets, varios, and spare parts. Located minutes from US 101 and flying sites. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103 (805) 965-3733. PINECREST AIR PARK vice. (714) 887-9275.

Instruction, sales, ser-

SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS - Gliders and equipment, sales and rentals. Private and group instruction 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. 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 687-3119. WINDSPORTS INT. since 1974 (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 instructors. 16145 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 988-0111. CONNECTICUT CONNECTICUT COSMIC AVIATION - 14 Terp. Rd., E. Hampton, CT 06424, c/o Bart Blau, Lynda Blau, (203) 267-8980. Hang glider dealer for Wills, UP, and Airwave. Ultralight also available. USHGA Certified Instructor. Been flying since 1975. Call me where to go in CONN. HAWAII MAUI SOARING SUPPLIES - Certified Instructors. Sales, service and rentals. R.R. 2, Box 780, Kula, HI 96790 (808) 878-1271. 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. MINNESOTA NORTHERN SUN, INC. Dealer for all major nonpowered and powered brands. USHGA certified instruction. Owners/managers of the Hang Gliding Preserve, soarable ridge with tramway lift. When in the North Country stop by and test

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SWITZERLAND

FLY UTAH WITH

SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI - For complete documentation of this high adventure alpine tour send $5.00 to cover airmail postage to: RON HURST, Im Brunnli 10 CH-8152 Opifikon, Switzerland. Airmail.

NEW YORK ELMIRA AIR SPORTS-Instructors and dealers for the finest flying equipment: Wills Wing HP and Skyhawk and UP demo gliders available. Five free soaring sites and training slope within 10 minutes of shop. Check in first. (6(J/) 732-1490. MOUNTAIN WINGS, INC. - 6 miles from Ellenville. Five training hills, five mountain sites, USHGA certified instruction and towing. Delta Wing, Pacific Windcraft, Seedwings and Manta. Sail, airframe repairs on all makes, R/C equipment. Main St., Kerhonkson, NY 12446 (914) 626-5555. NOIU'H CAROLINA KITIY HAWK KITES, INC. - P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, NC 27959 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.

Emergency Parachutes

Delta Wing Products, certified instruction, 9173 Falcon Cr., Sandy Utah 84092 (801) 943-1005. WASATCH WINGS, INC. - USHGA certified hang gliding school, dealers for Wills Wing. 12129 S. 2160 W. Riverton, UT 84065 (801) 254-2242.

International Schools & Dealers

NEW RAPID DEPLOYMENT B.U.S. FLY AWAY CONTAINER SYSTEM is the world's newest, fastest and most reliable system. By the originator of hang gliding parachutes. Bill Bennett Delta Wing Kites & Gliders, Inc., P.O. Box 483, Van Nuys, CA 91408 (213) 787-6600, telex no. 65-1425. 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. ESS 24' PARACHUTE-$175/Theoteck Vario $50. (805) 963-4896 after 6:00 PM.

Parts & Accessories

JAPAN

SAURA1DWN KITES - Winston Salem (919) 760-1390 or 983-3570. Hang Gliding School w/certified instructor; dealer of Seedwings, Wills Wing & Delta; new and used equipment. OREGON EASTERN OREGON ULTRALIGHTS - Certified instruction. New and used. Wills Wing specialists. PO Box 362, Pendleton, OR 97801 (503) 276-7462. PENNSYLVANIA SKY SAILS LTD. Hang Gliding School. USHGA certified instructors. 1630 Lincoln Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701. (717) 326-6686 or 322-8866.

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

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER - Breaking 10,000 lbs. $24.95. Extra o/, 6 bail block pin $10. Thermal, 19431 Business Center Dr. #41, Northridge, CA 91324.

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t USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 35 cents per word, $3.00 minimum. (phone numbers - 2 words, P.O. Box -

1 word)

Section (please circle) Rogallos

Rigid Wings

Emergency Chutes

Business & Employment Opportunities

Photos - S10.00 Deadline, 20th of the month six weeks before the cover date of the lesue In which you want your ad (I.e. March 20, for the May Issue).

Ultralight Powered Flight

Bold face or caps 50c per word extra. (Does not Include first few words which lire au!omatlcally caps). Special layouts or tabs S20'per column Inch.

Begin with 19 consecutive issue(s).

Payment for first three months required In advance.

Parts & Accessories

Schools and Dealers

Publications & Organizations Miscellaneous

issue and run for _ _ __

My check _ _ money order _ _ is enclosed in the amount of

$ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

Address:---------------------

I I Number of words: -------@ .35 • - - - - - -

1 I

Phone Number: P.O. BOX 8130t, LOS ANOELES, CA IIOOM / (213) 390.30t5

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HANG GLIDING

PILOT: RON YOUNG

PHOTO BY: LEROY GRANNIS

When it comes to competition class hang glider performance, you've got two choices. You can talk about it or you can demonstrate it. Over the last twelve months, we have the following evidence to offer on behalf of the demonstrated performance of the Wills Wing HP.

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP Wills Wing HP

1986 USHGA #1 Ranked Pilot Rick Rawlings 1985 Canadian Nationals Mark Bourbonais 1985 Telluride Aerobatic Meet Mitch McAleer 1985 Wings of Rogallo XC Contest Russ Douglas 1985 Grouse Mountain Aerobatic Meet Mitch McAleer 1985 US National Champion Rick Rawlings 1985 US Nationals World Class Champion Rick Rawlings 1985 Owens Valley George Worthington Memorial XC Open Jim Zeiset 1985 Longest XC Flight in US - 198 Miles Rick Rawlings 1985 B.C. Championships Willi Muller 1985 Cochrane Cup (In Progress) Cliff Kakish 1985 Region 2 Championships Steve Roderick 1985 Region 12 Championships Paul Voight 1984 Tennessee Great Race Rob Kells

HP PERFORMANCE

It's a matter of record

~LU"'WINti 1208H E. Walnut Santa Ana, CA 92701 New dealership opportunities are now available. If you are interested in a Wills Wing Dealership, and you are, or would like to become a USHGA Certified Instructor please call us today .

CLASSIFIEip ,ADVERTISING M .D. Only $7. 95 plus $1.00 shipping. 5 or more, $4. 95 plus $1.00 each. Write "Manbirds," 1811 Beverly Glen Dr., Santa Ana, CA 92705.

Miscellaneous San Francisco Windsports (formerly H.G. Equipment Co.) For all your hang gliding needs. We are dealers for all major brands. Send $2.00 for price list - 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

RAY-BAN WINGS-Sunglasses at discounts up to 40%. FREE CATALOG. Write. L&J Sales, Box 605, Dept. D, Fairports, New York 14450.

SAILMAKING SUPPLIES & hardware. All fabric types. Catalog and colorful samples $1. Massachusetts Motorized, P.O. Box 542-G, Cotuit, MA 02635. (413) 736-2426. CRYSTAL AIR SPORT MITTEL at Raccoon Mountain; Bunkhouse, private rustic rooms, regular & waterbeds, video in-room movies, private jacuzzi room, pool, sky gear gifts, fliers work program. FFI 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37409 (615) 821-2546. Checi & Sheri Toth. 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 Rte. 4, Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37419 (615) 825-0444, Chris & Leon Riche.

PRESCRJPTION FLYING GOGGLES-Famous Mark 9 flying goggle complete with single vision clear lenses $98.50. Changeable color gray. Lenses $20 extra. Bifocals $30 extra. Send prescription and pupil distance. Leonard Maggiore, Optician, 69-03 Fresh Pond Road, Ridgewood, NY 11385 (718) 386-5339.

-·. )>~-·,9.

Ultralight Powered Flight

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....'1~::.... ~

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FLIGHT DESIGNS TR1KE-(No engine). Make offer, Chris, Colorado. (303) 879-4603.

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Publications & Organizations SOAR1NG - 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. MANBIRDS: Now really affordable! Authentic history of Hang Gliding. Over 100 photos and input from Hang Gliding's greats. Inside look at heydey of sport. By professional writer Maralys Wills, and first U.S. Champion, Chris Wills,

SOAR through "THE GRAND CANYON" right in your own living room! 2-hour spectacular helicopter exploration. Breathtaking music. Critically acclaimed. VHS or BETA. Details FREE. Beerger Productions, 3217-Y Arville, Las Vegas, NV 89102 (702) 876-2328.

COMPUTER SIMULATION-WJNDMASTER, a simulation of one cross country hang gliding, arcade style. Thermals, dust devils, clouds, and lightning. For the Commodore 64 (disk). $29.95 PPd. Maui School of Hang Gliding, PO Box ll19, Paia, HI 96779. TOWING REEL-Light weight aluminum reel with electric motor and 3,000 ft. line. Fits in back of small station wagon. $400 or best offer. Call Paul (208) 233-4208. COMPELTE SET OF GROUND SKJMMER, Hang Gliding magazines less March, 1975 and May, 1976 issues. Mint condition. $100. (918) 341-4009 P.O. Box 313, Claremore, OK 74018. CASH FOR MAGS-I will pay cash for pre-1978 issues of HG magazine and Ground Skimmer. 3919 Turnagain 119, Anchorage, Alaska 99517 (9ITT) 248-5909. PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3W' 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 postage 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. 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'/, 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.

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WOULD YOU PAY 30¢ FOR A MAGAZINE YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE?

The Hall

Airspeed Indicator A precision instrument for the serious pilot. Rugged, dependable and easy to read.

HELP US ELIMINATE COSTLY POST OFFICE RETURNS Your USHGA now pays 30¢ for every member who moves and doesn't report his or her address to the USHGA in time to make the change on the mailing list for the next issue of HANG GLIDING magazine. The Post Office returns undeliverable magazines to us and charges us 30¢. In the final analysis we are all paying for magazines that never get read. Please remember to let the USHGA know immediately when you move. Th'ank you for your cooperation.

Airspeed lndicator.................. $21.50 Long Bracket ....... 6.00 Airspeed Indicator with Long Bracket

Foreign & C.0.0. Orders add $2.00 Confrol Bar Protectors 5" diameter ABS plastic wheels. Specify 1" or 1-1/8" control bar. Wheels - $20.00/pair Foreign & C.O.D. orders add $2.00

Control Bar Protectors

Hall Brothers P.O. Box 771-H, Morgan, UT 84050 C.O.D. Phone Orders (801) 829·3232

HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

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 #165. WHERE AND WHEN: Outside Galeana Mexico, near Saltillo, April 29, 1984. PATTERN: Reddish brown LE, orange undersurface, remainder dirty white. 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. 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. 11302, Oakland, CA 94610. TYPE:~f65 Demon. SAIL: Brown LE, orange TE. Disconnected nose batten, slightly ripped veicro on underside. CONTACT: Scott Nichols, Box 3035, Aspen, co, 920-1295. TYPE: UP Gemini 164, '81, 11164053. Orange leading edge and keel pockets, white sail, no mylar. FROM: hangar at Morningside Recreation Area, Claremont, NH. WHEN: Sometime in November, 1983. CONTACT: Jamie Burnside, 12012 Broadway Terrace, Oakland, CA 94611, (415) 654-4539. TYPE: Comet II 165 #1650 and Robert cocoon harness (red) with blue parachute container, and Litek vario (red) in blue bag. WHERE AND WHEN: Livingston, MT along highway, Feb. II, 1984. PATTERN: Red LE, spectrum dbl. surface, white main body, white keel pocket. CONT.ACT: Bill Snyder, 3751 S. 19th, Bozeman, Montana 59715 (406) 586-1840.

GLIDERS CERTIFIED BY THE HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 1981: Gemini 164, 184, 134 Sensor 510-180 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 1/2 battens) Pro Dawn 155 HP 170 Sensor 510-160 VG Moyes GTR 162 VG

1985: Light Dream 205 Dawn Comp 160 GZ 155 Mystic 166 VG, 177 VG

Index To Advertisers Airworks .............................. 7 Ball Varios ........................... 2 Bennett Delta Wing Gliders .......... 2, BC Hall Brothers ......................... 43 High Energy ...................... 16, 32 Kitty Hawk ........................... 40 Kitty Hawk West ...................... 2

Litek ................................ 33 Lookout Mt ........................... 40 Mission Soaring ....................... 40 Pagen Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Para Publishing ........................ 44 Publitek .............................. 33 Santa Barbara HG ..................... 33 Seedwings ............................ 25 Skylife ............................... 7 Systems Tech ......................... 40 USHGA ........................ IBC, IFC Wills Wing ........................... 19

Ad Deadlines All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing I V2 months preceding the cover date, i.e., Mar. 20 for the May issue.

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

Send For FREE Brochure '---~~~~~~~~~~~~__,.,