USHGA Hang Gliding April 1986 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

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Columns 10 The Right Stuff

Features 16 Unveiling a New Glider Design

by Eric Fair

The last rites.

by L.O. Ojlirpa

12 Tow Lines

Mr. Oflirpa reveals the astounding results of his recent research into forward-swept flying wing technology.

by Dean Batman

18 Return Of The Pod People

32 Competition Corner

Dean covers the all-important topic of communication.

As a follow-up to Dennis Pagen's harness review series Mike discusses the pros and cons of pod harnesses.

Dave Deming reviews the 1985 Region 9 Cross Country Team Challenge. The East shows its XC potential! Results of the 1985 Pennsylvania XC Contest as well.

20 Blame It On Rio

37 USHGA President

by Jim Grissom with Mike Sandlin and Bill Graf - photos by Jim Grissom

by Russ Locke

A flying dream come true in an exotic land.

Departments

by Mike Sandlin

Russ talks PR.

26 Tandem Flying

3 Airmail 8 Update 9 Calendar 13 Ratings and Appointments 40 Classified Advertising 44 Stolen Wings 44 HOMA Certified Gliders 44 Index To Advertisers

by Greg De Wolf - photos by Greg Robinson

Greg DeWolf, of Fly America fame, talks about the advantages of this increasingly popular teaching technique.

Page 20

Page 26

COVER: Greg DeWolf takes photographer Greg Robinson for a ride at Parker Mountain, CA. Photo by Greg Robinson. 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. 1986. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding Magazine and individual contributors.

--~---------------------APRIL 1986

ADECADE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE

NEW DIRECTIONS Like other pioneers before him, Bob 'Irampenau came west with a dream. His dream was of soaring without the sailplanes he had built and flown, soaring on small light wings like a bird. Ton years ago, Trampenau built his second hang glider, the 210-B, serial number 002. The remarkable features of this early Sensor included a sail with 75 percent double surface, a preformed Wortman air foil and curved fiberglass tips. The 210-B also had a low-profile, cambered keel pocket and a folding, internal crossbar. After ten years of development the 210-B evolved into today's 510-B. Measured by its performance, its good looks and great strength, Bob 'Irampenau's dream has become the world's best hang glider.

Pilot: Bill McKellar Photo: Bob lrampenau

HIGHER PERFORMANCE The struggle wasn't easy. A design for performance is never easy, though the end product may have great beauty. Concentrating on a low-twist, low-drag wing with a heavily reinforced sail, 'Irampenau innovated high strength internal structure with short leading edges and wingtips that relieve gust loads in a natural and dynamic way. In the new 510-B the Sensor's speed range has been dramatically improved over the last tall keel pocket models, and sink rate (which has always been the best in the business), benefits from increased glide. A problem with many new gliders with high speed performance is directional staiblity. The 510-B gives stability and confidence with a carefully designed keel fin. The keel fin and the kingpost hang system are developments that will benefit the whole sport of hang gliding, and will be seen on other brands in the future. The future belongs to the Sensor, which exemplifies the state of the art. Why glide when you can soar? Why fly anything less than the best. If you're an expert pilot you should be flying a Sensor, the world's best hang glider at any price. Call Seedwings or your nearby dealer today. Jake Alspaugh Sauratown Gliders Winston, Salem, N.C. (919) 760-1390

Bob Beck Endless Sky Tamaqua, PA

Gregg Black Mtn. Wings, NY (914) 625-5555

Sal Defrancesco Air Wise Redding, CT (203) 938-9546

(717) 386-5104

(302) 652-6426

Erik Vielbig The Glider Hanger Fresno, CA (209) 264-7627

Scott Westfall Boulder Flight, CO

Prices Start at $2595

5760 THORNWOOD DR. #3 SANTA BARBARA CA 93117 (805) 967-4848

Steve Schaeffer Valley Forge Gliders

(303) 444-5455

•

SEEDWINGS

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

AIRMAIL

Office Staff· Amy Gray, Manager Joyce Isles, Ratings Lars Jacobsen, Membership

USHGA Officers:

Russ Locke, President Dick Heckman, Vice President Bob Collins, Secretary Dan Johnson, Treasurer Executive Committee:

Russ Locke Dick Heckman Bob Collins Dan Johnson

REGION I: Ken Godwin, Jeff Bennett. REGION 2: Gary Hodges, Russ Locke. REGION 3: Ken de Russy, Steve Hawxhurst. REGION 4: Bob Thompson, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Steve Michalik. REGION 7: John Woiwode, Bruce Case. REGION 8: Robert Collins. REGION 9: William Criste, William Richards. REGION 10: Steve Coan, Rick Jacobs. REGION II: Warren Richarson. REGION 12: Paul Rikert, Pete Fournia. DIRECTORS AT LARGE:

Dan Johnson, Rob Kells, Dennis Jl-agen, Vic Powell, Elizabeth Sharp. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTOR: Everett Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Bill Bennett, Walt Dodge, Eric Fair, Bettina Gray, Doug Hildreth, Mike Meier. 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 Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents lhe U.S. at FAI Meetings, has delegated 10 the USHGA supervision of PAI-related hang gliding ac1ivities .;;uch as record attempts and competilion 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 activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publica1ion do not assume responsibilily for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING magazine i; published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. whose mailing address is P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, Calif. 90066 and whose offices are located at 11423 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90066; telephone (213) 390-3065. Suond-class postage is paid at Los Angeles, Calif. and at additional mailing offices. The typesetting is provided by 1st Impression Typesetting Service, Buena Park, Calif. The USHGA is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of ultralight flight. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $39.00 per year ($42 .00 for foreign addresses); subscription rates are $29.00 for one year, $53.00 for two years, $77.00 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: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS W: USHGA, P.O. BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066.

APRIL

1986

HARNESS BACKUP Dear Editor, Every hang glider pilot knows that it is good practice to use two hang loops, a primary loop and a secondary loop, so that if the primary loop breaks for any reason the second loop is there to save him from a long fall! My question: is there any harness which incorporates the same kind of protection at the point of connection to the carabiner, as the double hang loop system affords? My harness (a Robertson cocoon) suspends the pilot by a single reinforced loop. I am assuming that the point of failure of the harness is most likely to occur at the point of connection to the carabiner where the sum of the weight of the pilot is concentrated at a single point. After realizing the potential for disaster of having only one loop and the fact that I had bought my harness second hand I promptly decided to hire a master parachute rigger to sew on an additional waist band and main support lines to my harness. I know that some people may think that such a precaution is redundant or unnecessary. I suggest that the next time that they hook into their glider they should think about how much exposure their harness has had to the sun, dirt, abrasion, and sweat. Maybe a secondary loop on their harness system will become more appealing. As for me I can stand a little more air drag if it will increase my chances for survival during a hostile flight situation. James Green Winston Salem, NC

ON HOOKING IN Dear Editor, I would like to agree with Dennis Baker's letter in the February Hang Gliding on how hang checks at launch can be dangerous and relate an experience that happened to me. In February of 1985 I was attending a competition in La Victoria, Venezuela. On the first day I was finished preflighting my Glidezilla and hooked in, then got in line to launch. Several pilots were already in the air and climbing slowly. I was anxious to launch because of the increasing cloud cover. Al Bitker was behind me and asked if I was hooked in. I checked again. I never approach launch without first hooking in. All the lift was getting weaker, the pilot in front was hesitant about going. I said I would launch immediately if he would move aside. He

graciously moved aside and I moved forward. Greg Rosell, a pilot who was watching and helping out came over and took my front flying wires and asked if I wanted a hang check. Since a few pilots were having difficulty and dropping below launch I saw no reason not to. While doing the check I noticed one of my legs was not in a leg loop. I reached around and unhooked, unclipped the shoulder straps from my Raymond "Streamliner" and took the harness off. I put the harness back on taking care to enter both leg loops, After clipping the shoulder straps again I crouched down to see how the gliders in the air were doing, my harness rode up under my armpits and felt like I was hooked in. The conditions looked good so I picked up the glider and Greg said, "You've got it" and moved aside. Luckily, the grassy slope dropped away slowly and I realized in time to let go. The glider did a perfect launch and even soared for a few passes for the amusement of the crowd. Then it turned downwind into Al's glider and we were both out of the competition before it began. It was fortunate none of the spectators or Al was injured. There were many reasons for this accident; being nervous, having checked the carabiner several times, a break in routine and a faulty hang check. I was sure I would never forget to clip in, and had even read an extensive article on it in the previous Hang Gliding. Perhaps a way to help minimize failures to hook in would be by using a technique Australian pilots have. They hook their harness in, check their lines and then get into the harness. They never unhook while they are in their harness. All pilots should also stay alert when someone else is launching to catch this mistake before it turns into a tragedy. Don't let an expensive and potentially painful experience happen to you or your fellow pilots. Larry Tudor Draper, Utah MORE ON INSTRUMENTS Dear Editor, As a beginning pilot, I felt fortunate to obtain an excellent, older model Litek vario at a very reasonable price from a fellow club flyer. The analog German Gischard altimeter, which is temperature compensated, calibrated to 15,000' in 100-feet gradations, only 2-1/8" diameter x 7/8", only 3,5 ounce and only $49.95 from REI, appeared to be a good companion, Then I began seeing references to using

· digital altimeters that indicate to the nearest 10 feet or even one foot to function as longterm varios for working marginal lift effectively. About that time REI introduced the Peet Bros. Co. Ultimeter Model 12 professional altimeter/barometer. It weighs only 6.5 ounces, measures 5" x 2-13/16" x 1-1/4", is powered by one or two sets (automatic backup) of 3 AAA alkaline or Ni-Cad batteries (wall and cigarette lighter chargers available which recharge the Ni-Cads while still installed) and has a wide temperature transflective LCD with 3/8" numerals. Of particular interest for hang gliding, it displays altitude from -980 to 21,000' in only 10-foot increments, elapsed time quartz crystal control) from 1 second to 59 minutes, then up to 60 hours to the nearest minute, and has an audible alarm for altitude, instrument and/or remote temperature, either above or below a set limit for any or all of these variables. Push another button for instrument temperature from -20 °F to 120 °F in onedegree increments. There is a remote temperatuare probe (10-foot cord, easily extendible) with a range of -80° to 350°F in one-degree increments. Another button gives the high and low remote temperature readings for any desired time period. You get absolute barometric pressure from 12 to 31 inch Hg and sea level barometric pressure, both in 0.01" increments. For our European flyers, a push of the "metric" button converts all readouts to metric: the temperature to the nearest degree C, barometric pressure to one mm and altitude, unfortuantely, only to the nearest 10-meter increment. Battery life is about 66 hours at 70°F when continuously displaying altitude and further reduced from 1/2 to 1/3 of this at 32 °F. Battery life should be adequate for one day at sub-freezing temperatures. One could easily rig a remote 3-AA battery pack for inside harness wear at sustained high altitudes. All data can be accessed by pushing one or more of the twelve 5/16" x 7/16" keys, spaced generously 1/8" apart, on a pressure-sensitive pad adjacent to the 1-3/4" x 5/8" display. I immediately ordered this incredibly compact microprocessor wonder and affixed it to the top of my Litek. It cost $179.95, the 6 AAA Ni-Cads and wall charger (sub miniature plug) was $21. 95 and the cigarette lighter adapter $8.50. Combined with my used $55 Litek, I had the less-aerodynamic equivalent of a $495 Ball 651 for only $235, less the accessories. Then along comes AFRO Electronics USA, Advanced Air Technology's new Aerocom laf

AIRMAIL mentioned in your January issue. Please have Dennis Pagen test this 5" x 1-1/4" x 1-1/4", 12 ounce, $298 sleek 10-foot digital altimeter/analog variometer as soon as possible. It just made my creation obsolete, even if I had combined the Ultimeter with Litek's compact VE-12. Unless, of course, you want the other features of the Ultimeter for a weather station in your den. Dave Baleria Medford, OR

GET A NEW EDITOR Dear Editor, Regarding my recent letter about your editorial policies (see Airmail, February, 1986), since you asked me, I'll be happy to tell you where to draw the line. You draw the line at the point where the article or photograph in question flaunts a flagrant violation of a ligitimate regulation in the faces of your readers. There's a tremendous difference between an article about a cross country flight during which the pilot encounters unexpected conditions, or commits some pilot error, gets sucked into a cloud, yet survives and ultimately flies to safety, and an article in which the pilot intentionally launches into conditions where he knows, before launching, that he must fly through clouds in order to reach a landing zone, or in which the pilot intentionally flies into clouds in order to show his passenger what it's like in a white-out. I can tell the difference, I'm certain that most of your readers can tell the difference, and there's no question that any representative of the FAA could tell the difference, too. One kind of article is responsible, educational, and shows some respect for safety and current regulations; the other is just the opposite. Despite your professed inability to distinguish between what is acceptable and what is not, I'll bet that if you tried really hard, you could figure it out. (Here's a hint: the activities in one of the articles, while technically in violation, are unintentional, accidental, and provide some basis for a defense; in the others, pilots simply and intentionally violated the rule. Articles about the former can be defended in terms of educating the readers about potential accidents; articles about the latter only serve to glorify and condone the conduct of the law-breaker). We all make mistakes, and we probably all get into situations that violate regulations once in a while. That's understandable, excusable, and probably even justifiable to the authorities. But if we do it time and time

again, or if we do it despite warnings from the FAA, then that's rubbing their noses in it, and ultimately, that arrogance will come back to haunt us. When FAR Part 103 was adopted, the FAA gave clear warning as to the consequences that articles in Hang Gliding could have in the future (and if you doubt the existence of that warning, then I suggest that you re-read the explanatory comments that accompanied the adoption of the rule). When the spectre of regulation rears its ugly head again, which it will, despite the current lack of proposals, you can be absolutely certain that the FAA will go through the magazine, just as they did before, to find ammunition to support the need for increased regulation and controls. With that history in mind, it's unconscionable, and a damnable disservice to the sport to continue to publish such articles and photographs. Carrying my comments to illogical extremes doesn't serve any particularly worthwhile purpose (the SPCA? It's cute, but it doesn't solve the problem). The point is this: use your judgment, and don't continue to flaunt intentional, flagrant violations of current regulations in the official publication of the USHGA. And if, as your response suggests, you don't have the ability to make those judgment calls, then perhaps we should find an editor who does. Eric Nelson Missoula, Montana

You make a good point and it is a debate that should be held. But the line is not as clear-cut as you think. Most of the examples I cited in my response to your letter meet your criteria. A number of major meets like Telluride are imentionally carried out over congested areas. This is just as willful and flagrant a violation of the law as intentionally flying in clouds. Bob 1110mpson intentionally flew after sunset (an illegal activity) to produce his award-winning cover photo. Larry Tlidor intentionally and willfully flew at 18,000' without oxygen (the limit is 12,000') to make his record-breaking 221-mile flight. T11e fact is that these and other intentional violations of the law have been standard practice for so long that they attract 110 attention, but they could be just as useful to the FAA as the examples you cite as excuses to regulate the sport. -Ed.

AIRSICK Dear Editor,

In last May's issue Chris Kendall wrote in to request remedies for vertigo and air-

HANG GLIDING

AIRMAIL sickness. I hesitated to write for a long time in hopes that someone else would come forth and admit that they too get the flying squeamies. No one has, so I'll own up and offer my hard-earned learning. First off, Ginger does work according to some tests. If it doesn't totally cure the problem, try using more. It's fairly innocuous. Secondly, you can become somewhat immune to vertigo through practice. Keep trying, Chris. We recommend that beginners start with one circle at a time and build up gradually to multiple 360's because of vertigo problems. Years ago I saw a pilot auger into the ground when attempting to do his first multiple 360s. He was totally disoriented. Finally, I offer what I consider to be the best solution. It is the drug Bonine (available over the counter) that was introduced to me by Jim Kolynich of Elmira, NY at the 1984 Nationals. In that meet you had to dress warmly for 10,000 ft., but if you got shot down to the foothills below Marshall Peak you were in 100 ° temperatures working in jerky air. I saw quite a number of green-faced pilots on a bad day there. Bonine does not appear to cause the

drowsiness of Dramamine, Marezine or the scopolamine-containing ear patches. I am pretty cautious about combining any chemicals and flying, but I feel Bonine is safe for me. Anyone considering using this product should try it first in a non-flying situation to make sure that their reaction is equally benign. Dennis Pagen State College, PA

REGULATION Dear Editor, I have made an interesting observation. When our sites were unregulated, hang gliding flourished. Now that these sites are controlled by certain individuals it is a dying sport! What does that mean? Alan White Winston-Salem, NC

Looking for compact, simple, stowable pitch control ? Get a Speed Rait:M • Reduced pull-in effort. Flat body attitude for less drag. Static load tested to IOG's. $ 78-00'complete. Available from:

Hll551DJ1~ SOARlnG CEnTER ~

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

APRJL 1986

Lynda Nelson Concord, CA

OLDADDRESS CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ ZIP _ __ The Hall Airspeed Indicator

Control Bar Protectors

Dear Editor, I need to inform you of a correction that didn't make it into the "Women In Hang Gliding" article in the February issue. According to Russ Locke, current USHGA membership (not including family and magazine-only members) is about 6,000. This is down from as many as 8,000 a few years ago. Based on Russ' preliminary results from the USHGA survey, current female membership is close to 450. My initial estimate for the number of female pilots (an optimistic 200) was taken from a Whole Air survey done in 1982, in which only 2 % of the respondents were female (of around 4,000 subscribers). Quite a difference from Russ' findings of 6.6 % in 1985. Even though these numbers are a rough estimate at best, I feel they reflect a positive trend in the sport - more women flying hang gliders.

DON'T MISS THE LATEST ISSUE BY FAILING TO NOTIFYUSHGA OF YOUR CHANGE OF ADDRESS! NAME USHGA# _ _ __

43551 MISSION BLVD. FREMONT, CA 94539 (415)656·6656 'add $3shipping&6\\%taxinCal.

Airspeed Indicator with Long Bracket

WOMEN IN HANG GLIDING

Airspeed Indicator . Long Bracket .

. .$21.50 6.50 Foreign & C.0.D. Orders add $2.00 Control 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 Hell Brothers P.O. Box 771-H, Morgan, UT 84050 MasterCard I Visa I COD Phone Orders (801) 829-3232

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Attention All Pilots: If' you're planning to buy a new glider this year we'd like to talk to you about your choice. Whatever your hang gliding goals for 1986, there are many reasohs for you to choose a Wills Wing glider. We are the only company that HGMA certifies ALL of our gliders before the first unit is delivered to a customer. We are the only company that requires USHGA certified instructors at all of our U.S. dealerships which are authorized to sell our gliders, and the only company that provides a USHGA recognized traveling instructor certification program so that all instructors can have the opportunity to become certified. Over the years, the quality of our products, and our unmatched customer, dealer and industry service and support have made us the number one manufacturer of hang gliders in the United States. Beyond that, for those of you specifically interested in cross country and competition, here are 16 more good reasons to consider flying a Wills Wing glider in 1986:

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

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

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

Rick Rawlings 1986 Buffalo Mountain Australian XC meet Rick Rawlings 1986 USHGA #1 Ranked Pilot Mark Bourbonais 1985 Canadian Nationals Mitch McAleer 1985 Telluride Aerobatic Meet Russ Douglas 1985 Wings of Rogallo XC Contest Mitch McAleer 1985 Grouse Mountain Aerobatic Meet Rick Rawlings 1985 US National Champion Rick Rawlings 1985 US Nationals World Class Champion 1985 Owens Valley Don Partridge Memorial XC Meet - Rick Rawlings Jim Zeiset 1985 George Worthington Memorial XC Open 1985 Longest XC Flight in the World - 198 Miles - Rick Rawlings Willi Muller 1985 B.C. Championships 1985 Cochrane Cup 1985 Region 2 Championships 1985 Region 12 Championships 1984 Tennessee Great Race -

Cliff Kakish Steve Roderick Paul Voight Rob Kells

And now, in 1986, there are three more reasons for you to choose a Wills Wing glider:

$3,000 · For the longest open distance XC flight in 1986, anywhere in the world, which is over 222 miles, and which qualifies for an FA! Class I (flex-wing) World Open Distance Record. $1,000 · (If no new FA! Class I World Open Distance Record over 222 miles is set in 1986) For the longest flex-wing open distance XC flight anywhere in the world. (Adequate documentation required). $1,000 · For the winner of the World Class at the 1986 U.S. Nationals. (All of the above are contingency awards; the pilot must be flying a Wills Wing glider throughout the duration of the event which qualifies him for the award, and must agree to the promotional use of his name.)

Whatever your level of skill and experience, and whatever your personal hang gliding goals, Wills Wing has the right glider for you in 1986. If you are already a Wills Wing pilot, we'd like to thank you sincerely for your support. If you are about to become one, we welcome you to the Wills Wing team.

1208H E. Walnut, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 547-1344/6366

FLY AMERICAN UPDATE

support America by purchascopics of the video presentation. America has received many calls and letters from fliers around the country who arc interested in having them pass through their area. Thanks to you all for your suppott. Forms will be sent out to those people to detail cross country flights that have been made in those of 5 was the areas. Mike first director to put his invitation in and America thanks him. Others arc to write: America, 822A S. Mill Ave. #ll5, AZ 85281 or call DeWolf: 426-5441.

INSTRUCTOR CERTHl'ICATION PROGRAMS Drozda of Boulder, Colorado, winner of 1985 Grouse Mountain Woman's Division, has joined was the female America. entered in the Owens XC Meets last year and finished a very there. She middle of the has flown to 18,000 feet with oxygen and to her credit She is has a 100-·mile holds her Basic

welcomes ward to the "·"'"'·r''"'"''' touch that she will DeWolf and Raoul Mazonni traveled to the USHGA Board of Direcin Las to present America to the was excited by the ore,ser1tation of cuts of several national television shows, which all featured in a light and that national coverage of can be obtained without showing on the of the

a to have the Board of Directors endorse America. draw up the proposal and it was voted on and the Board. Several Directors Ken Steve Michalik, Rick Jacobs and Dennis 8

Colorado, 18-21. Contact: GOLDEN SKY SAILS, (303) 278-9566. leader: Jim Shaw. New 2-5. Contact: FLY HIGH HANG GLIDERS, Paul (914) 744-3317. leader: DeWolf. California, 19-23. Contact: WIND· SPORTS, Joe (818) 988-0lll. leader: DeWolf/Joe Greblo. Also available at this program will be: TOW CLINIC: April 24-25. TANDEM CLINIC: 26-27. Washington, June l'.H6. Contact: BIG BIRDS WINGS, Fitz (206) 523-2436. leader: Jim Shaw. by the These ICPs are fully USHGA. have been organized by Wills and sponsored by the dealerships listed to help increase the level of If you are interested in 1 " " · · " ~ ' " " ' a certified instrnetor contact the people listed, or Wills Wing for details.

GIRLS UPDATE month to go until the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Fly-In, coming 17 and 18 at Ed Levin Park

in Milpitas, CA. Along with hang gliding, the park of:. fcrs pienicking and horse back riding. A variety of fast food places, shops and motels arc a five minute drive from Ed Levin. There is an entrance fee to the park: $2.00 a car and $2.00 for each glider. The park opens at 8:00 AM and closes at dusk. All rated pilots must bring their USHGA cards as the Park l, quire everyone to sign a waiver. 2, and 3-ratcd pilots should also bring their log books. WOR members have volunteered to drive visitors to the launches, and Observers will be available to help pilots new to the site. Take intersatc 680 to Milpitas (between Sari Jose and Fremont), then cast on Calaveras Blvd., left on Downing Rd. and follow the signs. Contact Nelson at 2141 Sunshine Drive, Concord, CA 94520 for more information.

SC XC OPEN The 1985 Sonthern California Cross Country sponsored by Windgypsy of Lake Elsinore, CA ran from to September 31, 1985. It was a "launch anywhere and find your own witness" type contest. John finished first with a 56-mile flight originating at the "E", and Paul was second with a 45-milc flight from the "E". John won a second category with the best three-flight total of 136 miles. Hanel have been made trophies and cash awarded.

SMALL BAR FOR 135 COMET Due to increased requests and his concern for pilot safety, Bones Strickland of American Windwrights (founder of Star Gliders) is offering the public his 135 Comet small control bar Bones originally the bar for his wife in 1982. Since then several

HANG GLIDING

UPDATE northern California pilots have logged hundreds of hours of air time with it. Bones has several points to make to anyone considering this modification: 1) This control bar has been flight pro-

ven over the years as safe. However, this modified configuration has not been HGMA (Hang Glider Manufacturers Association) certified. Applying these changes to your glider removes its HGMA certification. 2) We have not requested nor has UP (Ultralight Products) offered to endorse this modification. The 135 Comet is no longer in production. 3) This modification is not designed to be used on C-2's. 4) Most 135 Comets still in the air are several years old. Many are worn out or fast wearing out. Will applying this modification encourage you to fly a glider that should be retired?

10. Flight Realities ................ 13 Hang Flight Systems ........... 13 Maui School of Hang GLiding ... 13 Mountain Wings ............... 13 11. Windsports International ........ 12 Morningside .................. 12 Chandelle ..................... 12 12. Free Spirit Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 13. Aeolus Hang GLiders ........... 8 14. Kitty Hawk West .............. 6 Bright Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tradewinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 15. Pine Crest Air Park ............ 5 16. Lookout Mountain ............. 4 Up over New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . 4

5) There are small gliders currently being manufactured. Shouldn't we support the manufacurers that are building them? Think about it. If you are still interested or have questions, contact:

Aprll 21-23: Wills Wing Demo Days, Calgary, Alberta CANADA. Contact: Muller Kites (403) 932-6760.

TOP 25 BUSINESS MEMBERSIDP CREDITS JULY, 1985 - FEBRUARY, 1986 1. Nova ........................ 67 2. Hang Glider Emporium ......... 57 3. Kitty Hawk Kites East .......... 49 4. Mission Soaring .............. .43 5. Golden Sky Sails .............. 29 6. Kitty Hawk Kites West ......... 26 7. Hang Gliding Center of San Diego .................. 25 8. San Francisco Windsports ....... 15 9. Susquehanna Flight Park ........ 14

APRIL [986

The Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Center is putting together their 4th trip to Europe, May 20-June 10, 1986. This safari leads to Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Lichtenstein. The average trip results in 20 hours of airtime and 3,000 miles of driving through Europe. Group is limited to six pilots, intermediate and advanced pilots only. The fee is $1,795. Contact: Achim Hageman, Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Center, 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 687-3119.

Calendar April 25-27: Monterey Bay (Marina) Steeple Chase. May 10-11: Manufacturers Demo Days. May 31.June 1: Mountain Clinic. June 7: XC Seminar. June 8: Chute Clinic. June 14-22: Owens Valley Tour. July 19-20: Mountain Clinic. Aug. 17-24: Hawaii Tour. Aug. 30-Sept. 7: Owens Valley Tour. Contact: Kitty Hawk Kites West, P.O. Box 828, Marina, CA 93933 (408) 384-2622.

AMERICAN WINDWRIGHTS 509 UMLAND DRIVE SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA 95401

EUROPEAN SAFARI

May 1-4: Fifth Annual Fort Funston Air Races. Contact: Kelly Dearborn, 43-B Downey St., San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 431-6598. May 9-11: 14th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular. Jockey's Hidge, NC. Contact: Kathryn Howd (919) 441-4124. May 24-26: 1986 Dry Canyon Fly-In. Pilot's meeting 8:00 AM May 24 at Space Hall of Fame, Alamogordo, NM. Entry $20 advance, $25 at LZ. Contact: Scot Trueblood, Box 1131, Ruidoso, NM 88345 (505) 378,34678. MAY 17-19, 24-26: Region 12 qualifier at Bath, NY. 30 pilot limit. Sponsored by the Finger Lakes Assn. Contact: Peter Fournia, 1744 Jackson Rd., Penfield, NY (716) 377-0535.

May 24.June 7: Tyrolean World Masters. Contact: World Masters Organization Committee, Post Office Box 32, A-6345, Kossen/Tyrol, Austria. May 24-31. June 1-2: Region Ill regionals. Registration deadline May 9. Fee $40. Location San Diego. Contact: John Ryan, 4206 Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121 (619) 450-9008. June 9-15: Lariano Triangle XC Race. Aug. 2-9: American Cup 1986. Hosted by Hang Gliding Assn. of British Columbia. Six-man teams. Mt. Swansea, lnvermere, BC Canada. Open distance XC. Entry fee $100 per pilot. Contact: Hang Gliding Assn. of B.C., 2960 Manitoba St., Vancouver, BC CANADA. Aug. 23-24: 8th Can-Am hang gliding competition at Black Mtn. in Maple Falls, WA. Entry $20, includes camping. Trophies and prize money. Contact: Jeff Bowman (206) 293-3282 or Steve Best (604) 985-8521. Sept. 4-17: Masters of Hang Gliding. Invitation only. Contact: Joe Foster or Hugh Morton (704) 733-2013. March 1-0ctober 15: 1986 Montana Cross Country Competition, open class. For entry form contact: Roger Lockwood, 100 Tower St., Missoula, Montana 59801 (406) 728-8727.

THE RIGHT STUFF

The last Rite Stuff by Erik Fair

ah fullow 'Muticans. Ah come to you this month with a heavy heart. It is time to report the killin' off of a good friend· of mine. Having never held much truck with murder - especially the murder of a pal - I've managed to postpone the inevitable far too long. This here is the last installment of the column I started in 1981. This here is the last Right Stuff Now, whenever a murder is committed there are two, three things a body's gotta do. First, yuh gotta catch the "perpatraitor." Second, yuh gotta find out why this here perpatraitor done what he done. Third, yuh gotta make a little puddle or two over the victim - kinda like a pass and review of the "life and times of so and so" - kinda like what preacher folks call a eulogy. It's a mercy to everyone, of course, if the sap and droozle is kept mostly the hell out of the eulogy so that only a respectfully light "blanket of dew" is allowed to form over the body of the deceased. With that in mind les' get this over and done with. WHO DONE IT AND WHY Who done it is the easy part. It was E. Pear. The why of it is more of a poster. It's not like ole E. jes' up and stove in po' "Stuffs" head. Now, Pear jes' gradually got sick and tired of the high pitched yammerin', the pontificatin', the posture'n, the "happy talk," the whine and the grind. First, he jes' let ale Stuff get sick and peakid. Then he hired up some strangers to "guest columnify." And, THEN, faced with a "put up or shut up" kinda self imposed ultimatum,

he done picked up an overbuilt downtube and stove in Stuffs head. It was a mercy killin. PASS N' REVIEW The Right Stuff started out mostly nervous and kinda silly, progressed to purty good and kinda funny, peaked out downright informative and real entertaining and then slid into politickin' and whinin' for "cause" money. Reflectin' back I'd have to judge that at best, the Right Stuff provided good instructional information. That probably helped a fair number of pilots fly better and have more fun. Insofar as the "Fun

Drives" are concerned, the best aspect of them is they served as a unifying force in a national hang gliding community that needed a unifying force at the time. They provided an opportunity for involvement and, thanks to the people who contributed, they also provided a goodly amount of money (over $50,000 altogether) for two world teams and a financially beleagured USHGA. At worst - ah yes, at worst - there was some wrong information about turns, about how to crash, and about practicing flares at altitude. There was (Gulp!) perhaps a touch too much foolishness from time to time and, yes, the fund drives drug on much too long for anyone's comfort. And that jes' about sums her up. All in all The Right Stuff was a good thing to do and I'm glad I done it. And now that we're layin' her to rest I'm pleased to report that good ol' Gil Dodgen is gonna let me do some feature articles and viewpoints from time to time - when I got somethin' to say. Being semi-retired the work won't be as regular but it's liable to be more fun. One last thing I'd like to say as far as the passin' of The Right Stuff is concerned: To all of you who have read the column over the years, and especially to those of you who responded with comments, letters, and donations to the fund drives: As Bob Hope might say at the end of one of his U.S.O. shows - let's say a show that included country western phenom Dolly Parton: "Thanks (Heh, Heh) for the mammaries."•

HANG GLIDING

HANG GLIDER PIUYrS:

Don't wear helmets. the

zone. smoke paint

tobacco chaw into the

and Into the

seat

columns of BFD about FAA's or

pronounce micrometeor-

we paint.

the car, we

That's the wuy 11 Volkswagen ll<I in the sixties described their dedication to quality in areas that the ordinary customer wouldn't notice unless he looked for it. At Paeific Windcraft we put the same dedication into each VISION-ECLIPSE sail, even in places you wouldn't see unless we told you about it. That's what this report is all about. Let's start at the cable patches where the rigg·ing disappears into the sail. IVIost sr1ilmakers reinforce this area with an eight-ounce patch. That's what you see under the top surface sailcloth. Whnt you can't see unless you looked inside the VISION·-ECLIPS.E is that we back up that patch with one of polypropylene webbing, so it won't tear in the evcut of a hard landing. Did you notice that the slot where the cable goes h is sewn on each side with four rows of stitching? Because each row o stitching is precisely overlapped on the other, it looks like a single row. It's not easy to backstitch so accurately, but we clo it because it makes the stitch line 11 little more attractive. Another example of our fastidiousness can be found in nearly every area where we need to cut a notch in the cloth to form an angle . . . at the hole in the bottom surface where the keel enters the sail, for example, or at the kingpost hole. Rather than use a conventional cir1,ht·· ounce reinforcement, we run a piece of nylou ribbon around the corner, folding and double·-stitching it at the corner. It's light, yet so strong that we've yet to see a rip at any corner of any one of the sails we've made. Somethine; else you won't sec unless you look inside the VISIONECLIPSE is our method of constructing stops in the rib pockets. First, we use an eight-·ouncc batten stop, not four·-ouncc (or nothing, as we've seen on a few sails). Scconcl, we make the folded-·over portion of the batten pocket a little longer and let the excess protrude from tht; batten stop, which makes that area a little strongm• and helps uidc the rib into the Third, the rib pocket is made from fivE1-ounee cloth, finished and to our own specifications, not four ou nee sail tape availatJlc off-·the-shclf. That makes it harder to get, but it's the only material we'll use for our rib poekcts because it's tourr,h ancl rip-resistant. That's just a few examples of our making VISION·-ECI.IPSE sails you won't notice. Why do we pay sueh attention to de-because we're the only manufacturer tllat our Maybe it's because we want our as reliably after a hundred hours of airtime ns it did when was nEiw. Or maybe it's because we arc perfectionists, taking a little more care because we wouldn't feel good about it otherwise, like the carpenter who finishes the backs of the cabin()t drawers as well as the fronts. Actually, it's for all of these reasons, and one more.

We want you to feel as good and us confident obout our sails as we

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TOW LINES

Towing Communications by Dean Batman

The

most important aspect of towing a hang glider is communication, and in most cases this is the one item which receives the least attention. Many past accidents have been attributed to towing, when actually it was not the towing, but rather the lack of communication that caused the accident. We humans have four methods of communicating. These are sight, sound, touch and mental telepathy. It has been proven that best communication is achieved through the use of the most methods available at a given time. In an ideal situation we would use all four methods simultaneously. However, when towing hang gliders we are not afforded the opportunity of having all methods of communication available to use simultaneously. Since life and limb are at stake, it is best for us to use as many methods as we can while towing hang gliders. The most effective communications method is sight. When towing, we should use this channel as much as possible. The person doing the throttling should, if at all possible, be placed in a position of having direct eye contact with the glider being towed. If direct eye contact is impossible, then indirect eye contact through a mirror or another person should be used. Through sight, the throttle person can detect if the tow vehicle speed is too slow or too fast and take

corrective action. The throttle person can also detect the early stages of a lockout and take corrective action. The pilot can also communicate if he wants more speed, less speed, or the tow vehicle to stop. We have used the following signals over the years very effectively: The throttle person holds up one hand to signify that he is ready to start the tow. When the pilot is ready he will kick one leg out to the side. Once the pilot is in the air he can ask for more speed by kicking one foot forward like running. The pilot can ask for less speed by holding one foot out to the side and keep it there until you feel the speed that you want. If at all possible, you should al ways use the right hand or leg for signals. However, using the left is much better than no signal at all. If the pilot feels that he has just had all the fun that he can stand at one time, they can ask that the tow vehicle stop by crossing the legs in continuous scissors action. It is best to have a slack rope before releasing, otherwise the glider will pitch up into a stall attitude. We should also use some method of sound communication, which is the second best communication channel. This may be done through the use of CB or FM radios. In most cases it is only necessary for the pilot to communicate his wishes to the throttle person, so if

you do not have a push-to-talk switch mounted on the control bar, or a voice operated relay (VOX) system it is a good idea to tape the mike button down and also tape the mike onto the control bar in front of you. If you do this let me caution you to not talk to yourself, and watch your language, as those #$*?!# will be broadcast to the world. Using radios is next to impossible when towing over the water, since you may get them wet. The next communications method, touch, is impossible unless you have very long arms. Last of all comes mental telepathy. The method of communication is very difficult and is practiced very little by hang glider pilots. As a matter of fact, most hang glider pilots have very cluttered minds (thermals, variometer, altimeter, LID, sink rate, air speed, stall, etc), which makes them a poor candidate for mental telepathy. Another communications tool is the pre- and post-flight briefing. It is very important to hold a pre-flight briefing in order to make sure that all people fully understand the communications methods and signals that will be used. The preflight briefing is as important as preflighting your aircraft, yet is the most overlooked of all safety practices. We as hang glider pilots do not have a problem with post-flight briefings. As a matter of fact, some fifteen-minute flights have been discussed for days, especially if something out of the ordinary happened. So as you can see from all of this we as tow pilots really have only two methods of comm.unicating available to us while flying, sight and sound, and we should use them to the fullest. We should also make use of the pre- and post-flight briefings. Many a towing accident could have been prevented through better communication.•

If you would like to contribute an anicle to WW LINES or ask questions, please submit them to: Editor, Hang Gliding United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc. P.O. Box 66306 Los Angeles, CA 90066

HANG GLIDING

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS INTERMEDIATE RATINGS BEGINNER RATINGS NAME NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

Gary R. Collier

San Francisco, CA

Rob Engorn

Craig Kirkpatrick

Cascade, CO

Ron Wilkinson

Stephen Refsell

Rice Lake, WI

Gary Ash

Barry Carter

Boydston, VA

Lawrence Battaile

James C. Brannigan Te<l Cory John Goodwyn

Houston, TX Leander, TX Houston, TX

Hardy SNyman Hardy Snyman Hardy Snyman

II II II

NOVICE RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

Martin Walters George Walters

Everett, WA Bethel, AK

Mike Daily Sam Nottage

Phil Brennan James Cassidy Richard Devlin Stephen Rider Richard Wood

Sunnyvale, CA Milpitas, CA Fremont, CA Oakland, CA San Francisco, CA

Dan Murphy Dan Murphy Dan Murphy Sam Nottage Charlie Whitehill

Kaj Hoemle Dane Morrison P-atrick Rogers

Santa Barbara, CA San Diego, CA Kailua, HI

Ken deRussy John Ryan Jeff Cotter

Jack Levantino John McCormick

Phoenix, AZ Phoenix, AZ

Bruce Ruefer Bruce Ruefer

Bruce K. Burrus

Oklahoma City, OK

Steven M. Gage

CITY, STATE

OBSERVER

REGION

Lee Barry Charles Williams

Washougal, WA Snohomish, WA

David Darling Dave Little

Robert Allgeyer Brian Heuckroth Ron Stein

San Jose, CA Menlo Park, CA San Jose, CA

Norman Simms Pat Denevan Jim Johns

2 2 2

Dan Conners Edward Gore, Jr. Robert Hanie

Mammoth Lakes, CA Long Beach, CA Newhall, CA

John Reilly Craig Baker Joe Greblo

3 3

Brak Lindsay

Phoenix, AZ

Bruce Adams

Dave Tyrrell

St. Charles, MO

Te<l Gilmore

Steve Schultz

Racine, WI

Gary Evans

Rob Bachman

Nags Head, NC

Steve Wendt

Lionel D. Hewett Eric Rasmussen Paul Sussman

Kingsville, TX Austin, TX Austin, TX

Hardy Snyman Hardy Snyman Hardy Snyman

II II II

Maria-Dedspina Capidi

Athens, Greece

Michael Theocharis

Foreign

ADVANCED RATINGS CITY, STATE

OBSERVER

William Boling John Flick

San Diego, CA Granada Hills, CA

Steve Hawxhurst Joe Greblo

Brad Koji

Littleton, CO

Steve Sweat

Charles Hall

Larry Bunner

Byron, IL

Martin Bunner

E. Detroit, MI

Matt Taber

Robert T. Lesser, Jr.

Banner Elk, NC

Joe Foster

W. Ben Bidlack

Gladwyne, PA

Thomas Aguero

Ward H. Graham

Glen Cove, NY

Paul Voight

Frederick Baker Thomas Ertel Roy E. Ferguson Bill Jones James Stevens

Atlanta, GA Winston-Salem, NC Sevierville, TN Buford, GA Knoxville, TN

Matt Taber Jake Alspaugh Bruce Hawk Matt Taber Bruce Hawk

IO IO IO IO IO

Steve Best Lillain LeB!anc Spilios Spilotopoulus Panagiotis Theocharis George Vaxevanakis

N. Vancouver, Canada Athens, Greece Athens, Greece Piraeus, Greece Athens, Greece

Foreign Equiv. Michael Theocharis Michael Theocharis Michael Theocharis Michael Theocharis

Veli Schlunegger

Kerville, TX

Curt Graham

David Marrier John Zeising

Rochester, NY Flushing, NY

Pete Foumia Thomas Aguero

12 12

Rainer Gessmann

Tokyo, Japan

Sam Nottage

Foreign

APRIL 1986

NAME

4 4

REGION

Foreign Foreign Foreign Foreign Foreign

MASTER RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

DIRECTOR

Larry Strom

Spokane, WA

Ken Godwin

Fre<l Lawley

Del Mar, CA

Steve Hawxhurst

Charles Woods

Albuquerque, NM

Bob Thompson

REGION

4 13

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS EXAMINERS

NAME Steve Burns Carl Wiseman

CITY, STATE Austin, TX Austin, TX

EXAMINER Hardy Snyman Hardy Snyman

REGION 11 11

BRONZE AWARDS William Hewes Pim! Kaptchen David Merrier Paul Sussman George Walters Terry Wilde

William Woodruff

San Diego, CA

Steve Hawxhurst

Chris McKeage Eric J. Smith

Steamboat, CO Tucson, AZ

Bill Sloatman Jack Davis

4 4

Brad Hays Birch Phillips, Jr. Jeff Sims

Cockeysville, MD Williamsport, PA Williamsport, PA

Bill Criste Jeff Sims Jeff Sims

9 9

Rick Chastain Jerry Foreburger Mike Haley Mike Wadsworth George Waller

Lancaster, TX Lubbock, TX Lubbock, TX Fort Worth, TX Dallas, TX

Warren Richardson Hardy Snyman Hardy Snyman Warren Richardson Warren Richardson

11 11 11 11 11

James Wise

Dover Plains, NY

Paul Voight

ADVANCED INSTRUCTORS Recertification

OBSERVERS Name Paul Eikens Carter Josephs

City, State Seaside, CA Belvedere, CA

Examiner

Region

Jim Johns Wally Anderson

2 2

Name Pat Denevan Rob Engorn

City, State Fremont, CA Santa Cruz, CA

Examiner Gary Hodges Gary Hodges

Region

2 2

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HANG GLIDING

readers who have been subscribing for some time may recall my misadventures some years ago. Since that time I've been content to lay low here in the backwaters of western civilization. It's not that I've lost my desire to fly, but the trnth is, I'm a might bit jaded after my earlier flights (Editor's note: see A and A in the April 1982 issue and The Glide in the April 1983 issue). But a new passion has enthralled me. Hang gliding design has occupied my every waking moment. I have not taken this interest lightly either, for in the past two years I've devoured every book and article I could find on aerodynamics and aircraft dreams are now nightmares haunted with differential equations, vector diagrams, sub·· coefficients and phalanxes of Greek letters that pursue me relentlessly. This discomfort is a small price to pay, however, for what I believe to be a breakthrough that will revolutionize hang gliding and the sport in

Oflirpa

scy observing nature intently when my attention was distracted by a bird overhead. I looked up to see a graceful white tern cnlising on the afternoon heat. The most strikthing about this fair creature was its wing planform. It was easy to sec that the majority of the wing area was swept forward. I pondered the implications of forward swept wings and discovered other birds such

ABOVE: Close up shows high camber airfoil and faired Harness forward with ethefoam a helmet with prc,tecition. BELOW: Overall

Tem showing forward and bowsprit. Note body harness affoct1onatetv known as the "beak".

A REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN CONCEPT I have always gained personal enlightenment from observing nature. One particular two summers ago I was at a clothingoptional beach west New Jer16

HANG GLIDING

as the frigate bird and albatrosses with such wings as well as a number of aircraft including the Blanik sailplane and the Marske gliders (Pioneer II and Monarch). I soon learned of the advantages of forward sweep. To begin, induced drag is reduced when the wing tips are forward of the root area. Also, just as a conventional hang glider's tips act like a tail and employ washout for pitch stability, a forward swept wings's tips act like two canard surfaces and employ washin (the tips are at a higher angle of attack than the root) for stability. Armed with this information I grew increasingly excited as I tore through one design permutation after another. Finally I was satisfied with the paper project and began building the real thing. I won't assault you with the details of cut-and-try caveman engineering, inspiration, frustation, perspiration and ultimate jubilation that accompanied my extreme efforts over the past two years. All I'll do is present the finished product and let you and history be the judge of my success.

THE WRIGHT TERN My forward-swept flying wing hang glider first flew high in September, 1985. Since that time I've added a few cosmetics and tightened up the sail some. The accompanying photos show the glider in its final configuration and were taken some time last October. As is evident in the photos, the wings have about 20° of forward sweep each at the leading edge. Also note the highly cambered airfoil with the curve near the leading edge. This arrangement was found to produce the best sink rate/glide combination. Other unique items are the cable leading edge and the glider's tail and allows a very strong construction in combination with forward sweep. I have whimsically named this glider after those pioneering brothers that first flew at Kitty Hawk and the beautiful sea bird that provided the original inspiration. I present the Wright Tern. At this point my extensive flight and comparison tests indicate that the Wright Tern outglides state of the art conventional gliders

by at least five points. Since the top manufacturers are claiming a maximum 15 to 1 glide ratio under carefully controlled tests, the Wright Tern most certainly achieves 20 to 1 max glide. Sink rate is equally enhanced. The high performance and exceptional handling make this glider an outstanding cross-country and competition ship. I expect to have all HGMA testing completed by May.

WRIGHT TERN SPECIFICATIONS AREA ................... 160 SQ. FT. SPAN ........................ 34 FT. AR ........................... 7.2+ WEIGHT ................... 56 LBS. MIN SINK ... 153 FPM (170 LB. PIL0f) MAX GLIDE ................ 20 to 1 VNE ....................... 68 MPH ROLL RATE .... 1.3 SEC 45° to 45° WEIGHT RANGE ...... 140 - 190 LBS. COST ................... $1,650 FOB For more information contact: RETROGLIDE WINGS, INC. 435 Pseudo Circle Spurious, WV 78610

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by Mike Sandlin

Self portrait by the author while flying Delta Bowl overlooking Palmdale, California.

can you feel like an invincible sky warrior when your harness makes you look like Mr. Peanut? This is one of the critical questions when considering the pros and cons of the increasingly popular but decidedly strange looking soft pod harness, also known as the Keller, Airstrearn, etc. The most likely answer to this question is that if you like the way it flies, you'll get used to the way it looks, or at least you'll come to accept it. I've just about reached the point where I think my pod kind of looks cool, so I feel inspired to tell you something about it. To begin with, it's evident that the pod is an aerodynamically clean harness, since it encloses most of the pilot in a smooth, tapering fairing and has only one main suspension line instead of the array of ropes and straps strung across the breeze that one sees on the more conventional set-ups. If glider development really has brought us to the point where half the drag is due to the pilot hanging out in the windstream, then this 18

harness might be making a significant contribution to performance. At least, I don't see how it could hurt, and if you believe that your equipment is superior then you get a psychological boost, if nothing else. There seems to be a widespread belief that the pod is more popular in Europe than here because it is much warmer than a cocoon harness, and Europeans tend to fly under generally colder conditions than we do. There's some truth to this, and staying warm in cold air is probably a good reason for getting a pod, but don't accept the implication that the pod is too hot for American summer flying, because it isn't. I've flown my pod in the tropics in summer, both open and sealed, without overheating, and other pod flyers tell the same story. If you get hot, you open the leg doors and let some air flow through the harness. Theoretically, this flowthrough cooling is made possible by a vent hole in the tail end of the harness which acts as an exducer, producing suction by entrain-

ment of vented air with the adjacent slipstream (in other words, this harness sucks). Even this may not be enough on a hot, inverted day at a place like Sylmar (also called Smogmar) where your best soaring efforts will only serve to raise you up to warmer, more concentrated layers of smog. Under those conditions I've felt clammy even when flying bare-legged in my totally foamless cocoon, so there just is no perfect solution to the hot air problem - except a trip to the Alps. The pod is a very comfortable harness, simple to get in and out of, and simple to use. There's not much to look for during a hang check, since there's just a single hang strap bundle, no lines to crossover or stick your arms through. One thing you MUST check for with this harness, however, is to be sure that your legs are actually through the leg loops, since these loops are internal and not visible during self-inspection or hang check. At the Telluride Festival last year one HANG GLIDING

pod pilot got the big surprise when he started to slide out the bottom of his harness just after takeoff, resulting in a fast trip to the bottom of the hill. I don't know what technique he invented on the way down to stay with the kite, but I'm sure it made for an interesting ride. Walking around in this harness is awkward (you have to waddle, actually) but running is easy. Takeoff is no problem, and I have the impression that I can now run faster during a no-wind landing than I could with my cocoon. I never thought, when I was using the cocoon, that the boot dangling between my legs was slowing me down, but now, I think it was. The storage and cargo capacity of this harness is great. There's room for the glider bag in the hump pocket above the pilot's back (although some pod persons insist that the bag should go in the empty space behind the pilot's feet), and you still have a glove pocket and ballast bag to fill up with goodies (maybe even ballast!) This is the first harness I've ever owned that still had room left over after putting in my survival kit, first aid bag, water, spare radio batteries, hat, maps, tape, rope, toilet paper, traveler's checks, and all those other indispensables. One thing you have to get used to with this harness is the fixed body angle you wind up with. In my old cocoon I could stick my head up in the air or rotate down and put my nose on the base tube, readily changing my body position for streamlining or comfort, but with the pod, forget it. You can set up whatever hang angle you want before the flight by adjustments which reposition your body (and, thereby, your center of gravity) fore and aft within the harness, but no inflight variation is possible. This fixed position bothered me a lot at first, but now it seems natural and I don't much miss the ability to rotate. (This is not to be confused, by the way, with the ability to hold an upright position for landing, which is easily accomplished by removing your legs from the unsealed harness and then rotating.) Also, I hear there's a new version coming out with a built-in gizmo that solves this fixed hang angle problem. When you take off in a pod, you can immediately shift your hands to the base tube and stick your feet back into the tail, unlike the cocoon situation in which, if you come off the down tubes too early, you may never get a foot in the boot. The harness is sealed by pulling a lanyard that zips the door flaps closed under your legs. Before landing, the APRIL 1986

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harness is unsealed by pulling another lanyard that reopens the flap zipper partially, full opening usually being accomplished by knee pressure. My most stimulating moments in the pod have occurred when, on late final approach, I have realized that I forgot to unseal the harness, and I visualize myself trying my first kangaroo hop landing with no visible means of support. The solution has usually been a little fast hand action to get the harness open, or, in some cases, a maneuver called a "breakout". The zipper that seals the harness is attached to the

"One thing you MUST check for with this harness, however, is to be sure that your legs are actually through the leg loops. 11

harness by velcro, so with enough knee pressure you are supposed to be able to break the harness seal any time and bypass the zipper without damaging anything. Unfortunately, the velcro on my harness is so strong (or, my knees so weak) that I couldn't always break out when I needed to. I solved this problem by blanking-out some of the velcro strip that holds the zipper with another piece of velcro, weakening the zipper attachment and thus reducing the required breakout pressure. Please don't suggest that it would be simpler just to remember to open the harness before land-

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ing; this would be unrealistic in my case. I do a lot of dual flying (this, by the way, is the proper general aviation term for flying with a passenger beside you, since "tandem", the term most often used by hang glider pilots, actually means "one in front of the other", as on a tandem bicycle or in a canoe, and I don't know anyone who hang glides that way) and I plan to try out this harness in that application. I've never used a cocoon for a dual flight because I didn't want to be distracted from dealing with my passenger by the hassle of getting into a harness in flight. This is still a concern, but I think the pod is straight forward enough for dualing. Right now I'm a pod man all the way, and I don't even want to look at a cocoon any more, but you never know. Maybe the first time I have to carry this massive bulk out of the desert I'll change my mind. •

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movie "Blame It on Rio" left me with om: reaction, "I want to Well, I fhlfillcd that recently and would like to share that some of my memories. It is only a by a movie would leave memories tied to other movies.

THE EMERALD J<'OREST Rio's local site is "Pedra Bonita" or Rock" which overlooks Sao Conrado Beach, better known as Pepino. It is as spec·· tacular and exotic as any place I've flown. vertical rock walls like Yosemite climbing out of rain forest slopes, overlook· rows of highrise condos on a long white beach with tropical islands dotting the emerald green water. Now you to get the picture. The seH1p area was a knob cleared of its jungle growth about 1,700 ft. above the beach and about two-thirds the way up the peaks. Launch was from a wooden ramp of awe· some proportions: 50 ft. wide x 36 ft. long with a 4-to··l slope and a drop off of hun· dreds of feet. It was a popular place for "wuffos" and sun worshippers, allowing plenty of room for people and launching gliders. The ease of launch was shown when even tandem flights were able to lauuch in a light downwind. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Most of the flying conditions we found were very mild; takeoffs requiring a nm and landings (on the beach) often being pcrform1xl in still air. Even more surprising, the lift in Rio was thermal lift, not the ridge lift I had on the ocean. Usually on a day, we would be sandwiched between low-forming clouds and jungle tree tops, never more than a hundred feet or so above takeoff. 'fakcoff was often socked-in (takeoff timing was important). We would work mild thermals over the forest or cruise along the rock faces when altitude permitted. The beauty of the jungle increases from the air, especially when you're down low and can sec every flower in the trees. It looks soft and inviting not dangerous a real temptation to go in close when the lift is elusive. I did a lot of closc·ir1 "scratching" there that I would never try at home, partly due to the stimulation of flying a new site, and partly because l never encountered any sharp gusts or gradients there in onshore conditions. We were told that the conditions under which we were flying were typical, namely, wide· spread mild lift under clouds. The conditions sometimes allowed for a flight of several 20

by Jim

with Mike Sandlin and Bill

photos by Jim Grissom

miles to the Christ statue at Corcovado, but seldom yielded enough altitude to reach the levels of the peaks. We were encouraged to come back in January and February, when conditions would improve with the rising temperatures.

BEACH PARTY When lift gave out or clouds squeezed us clown the mountain, we came out over a row of 15 story highrises that border Pepino Beach. Pepino is the favorite of Rio's gilded youth, probably because it is less crowded tlmn beaches closer to the older heart of town and because it is where the beach front dispensary specializes in natural food. The beach had an 80-ft. strip reserved for hang glider landings, but a crowded day

assured a large number of people crossing your path as well as volleyball and soccer play. So, we had to plan our landings with eare. Oceasionally wind direction would allow the better pilot, to land on a small grass strip above one end of the beach. This avoided a hike up a ramp and through three rows of parked cars to get to the tcar. ·down area.

THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL Rio sports a friendly, easy-going, helpful and tolerant atmosphere that made us all feel comfortable. "Cariocas", the residents of Rio, speak their own form of Portuguese, (which is not a common language among American hang glider pilots). Nevertheless, we learned to carry on amazing convcrsa-

HANG GI.lDING

OPPOSITE: The awesome launch ramp. BELOW: landing over Pepino Beach. Twin Brothers Peak in the background. CENTERSPREAD: Jeff White and John El'ickson soar over Twin Beach. Brothers at the end of

forget that you sank out while your friends managed to soar. One particularly stunning girl was asked (by hand signals) to pose with us for a picture. Her response was "Sorry, big boy!" possibly the only she knew.

THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THinR FLYING MACHINES over "Morro Dois frmaos" (Twh1 Brothers Mt.) with Ipanema

words supplemented tions with a few with lots of hand Y<m have to be careful though because while "thumbs up" is not in may be universal, the "OK"

APRIL 1986

HOW TO STill'F A WILD BIKINI The women of Rio are beautiful and they 1nkc good care of their bodies a fact made obvious by the "tanga," a very small bikini. A short walk on the beach would make you

Rio has approximately 1,000 pilots, most of whom fly conventional and modern tXJuipment. Even though foreign equipment is expensive in Brazil due to duties intended to discourage imports, most pilots flew American or European gliders with the Magic IV being the most evident. The primary difference I noted between Rio and flying in the states was that many of the Cariocas fly without parachutes or in·· struments. Pod harnesses (Keller, Airstream, etc.) were rare, perhaps due to the belief that they arc too hot for the tropics. Three of us flew in ours and suffered no discomfort. Obviously due to the cost, the rich do most of the hang gliding, but some of the poor do get involved. A fow helpers were around who would carry your glider and gear up that last 50-ft. climb to launch, set up your glider, drive your car down the hill, wait for you to land, carry your glider up the ramp and through three rows of cars, tear it down and put it on your car, all for less than a dollar! Mike chose to use this service a habit very easy to get used to while the rest of us were accused of acting macho for refusing it. Robson, our main helper, became our constant companion and friend. Nixon was our guide, fellow pilot, driver, 21

BEWW: Mike Sandlin flies out near Pedra Da Gavea. After a week of marginal conditions that didn't allow us to soar Gavea John said, "I think Gavea will haunt me like Devil's Tower haunted the people in Close Encounters:' INSET: John Erickson soars over Rocinha, one of the largest city slums near the end of Pepino Beach.

and owner of one of the two hang gliding shops in Rio. He was friendly, spoke English, and was very accommodating. I especially liked the fact that he showed complete confidence in our abilities, allowing us to pick and choose our own flying conditions.

THE RIGHT STUFF Whether it is the lack of parachutes or the habit of stretching every flight duration to the limit, aerobatics are rarely performed by Rio pilots. We dedicated a few "sled rides" to aerobatics and became very popular pilots.

IT'A A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD Weekends and holidays brought out a lot of Rio's pilots, and launch became quite hectic. As soon as a glider moved to launch, a new arrival would set up in his spot instead of letting others move up in line. The fight to launch was so hectic one day that John, so relieved to finally get there, started his run without hooking in only to be caught by the rear wires by several onlooking pilots. One hectic day, Eleanor (Jeffs girlfriend) serenaded us on launch with her flute. The musical score fit in well with the jungle atmosphere. At one point I felt that an Englishspeaking pilot was trying to talk me into launching. I told him I didn't come all the way to Rio for "sled rides". At first he was amused, but later he became frustrated when he could find no way to translate what I meant by a "sled ride." 24

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION We were on launch for hours Wednesday waiting for the clouds to lift, and because Thursday looked like a repeat, we decided to take up Nixon's offer to go sightseeing. We spent all morning and early afternoon visiting the beautiful waterfalls and forest in the "Floresta da Tijuca," the huge state park. At one particular mountain vista, birds were soaring everywhere and we asked Nixon if we would get in trouble for flying there. He said in Rio you only buy trouble - what he actually meant was you won't get in trouble if you have the money to buy your way out.

RISKY BUSINESS When visiting the Christ Statue on the Corcovado Mountain, we noticed a stiff breeze,. something we hadn't all week. So, with the thought of ridge soaring, we headed back to launch. Launch conditions varied from 0-25 mph downwind to an occasional crosswind. Nixon informed us that "Morro Dois Irmaos" or "Twin Brother Mountain," the third peak to the left of launch, would probably be soarable in these conditions.

Mike decided not to fly. Jeff decided to watch some flights before setting up and John, Nixon, one other local and I set up. John launched first in light crosswinds and made it to "Twin Brothers" without losing a foot. I launched five minutes later in similar conditions only to hit some of the most butt-kicking turbulence I've ever encountered. I arrived at "Twin Brothers" only a few hundred feet over the beach and found the wind blowing almost directly up the spine. Luckily, it was still providing steady, glass-smooth lift. After an hour of smooth lift and 2,000 ft. of altitude gain, I told Jeff (via radio) that the beauty of the flight was worth the turbulence en route. Jeff set up, launched and encountered a flight similar to mine while Nixon tore down. I kept myself busy taking pictures of the most beautiful scenery I've ever flown over while directing John and Jeff to the most picturesque locations. I became extremely frustrated when John told me his camera had broken (Don't you hate it when it does that?) and I wouldn't get to see any pictures of (continued on page 36) HANG GLIDING

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ly America is the first transamerican hang gliding flight ever and its is to promote gliding nationwide. This will be done with airshows to the and articles to educate the pilot.v. In this vein, DeWo(lsubmits the following article on tandem flying and instruction. The method of instruction, rm""'""' different from the nrr:1el"tf1Jr,0 .< was to make '""'"''"'·" more fun, easier. uses this method in his private lessons, and it has been adopted in part by in operaboth schools which are tion in the Los area. Gliding does not erulm:Ye any particular in.muctional method. The tandem method of instruction can be used only instructors ex:r1eri Pn,cf'a with tandem, using proven tandem emuD11ie1 u in airworthy condition. This article is not meant to teach tandem flying or instruction, but rather to infmm the community and to promote further interest. will be instructor seminar L'alifr1rn.ia Instructor held at Windsports International, 16145 Victory lJlvd., 11:m Nuys, C4 91406, (818) 9880lll, from 19-27, 1986. na·rn.ru. \J

It must be noted here that tandem flying is permitted by the FAA as an exemption to part 103. Both the passenger and pilot must be members of the USHGA and the pilot must be an Instructor when flying for instructional purposes or an Advanced rated pilot when flying recreationally. At least this is the way it used to be. At the moment tandem flying is completely illegal because the exemption has lapsed. However, the USHGA has applied for another exemption which it will most likely receive within the next few months. Tandem flying on a hang glider is an art which may have profound implications on the of our sport. Depending on the skill with which this art is performed, is the P'-""""111,v of our ranks and public acceptance, or harmful, bad publicity along with further stringent government regulations. However, I am optimistic and will delineate a proposal that will feature tandem flying as a practice that will have a impact on our sport.

PROMOTIONAL RIDES We could introduce thousands of people a year to the thrills and joys of sailing the using tandem flying and that is just what the USHGA needs. There are many reasons

why one would want to take a passenger along on a flight. As an instrnctor and shop owner I was approached many people who wanted to the thrills of a high flight before committing to taking lessons. This practice is common to soaring and powered plane operations and has been a useful tool for whetting the appetite of the uninitiated. More can be accomplished in a single 20-minute flight than a week of talkand showing movies. It seems that no matter how adept the salesperson or eloquent the speech, it is not possible to communicate the through The tandem night becomes the only possible method of introducing the potential student to his ultimate goal, and therefore is the best incentive.

MAKING MONEY This may seem foreign to most all glider pilots, but it's time for all to understand that if no one makes money from hang gliding that the sport will all but in the United States. I used tandem flying to supplement the income of the shop. It was easy to fly two tandems on the that I was giving high lessons. Since high altitude lessons were not very cost effective the tandem flights at $75 a piece helped to make HANG GLIDING

an old goat like myself can excite a young woman. This brings us to our next reason.

IMPRESSING YOUR FRIENDS

sional tandem pilots in this country spreading the joys of hang gliding to the masses. ABOVE: The author takes off with Lilly Hill. Note that she has left the ground first and her legs are out of the way.

the day's business more profitable. An added advantage to mixing tandem with students lessons is that the passenger will inevitably talk to the excited students (your best salespeople) and will have a chance to judge the effectiveness of your training methods. Also, the tandem flights give you a chance to show off your skills, impeccable launches, superior thermaling and incredibly smooth and graceful landings. All this adds up to more money as the passenger is convinced that you are the only person who could teach them to fly that well. Although tandem flying for purposes other than with a member of the USHGA is strictly prohibited by the FAA, in the future there may be professional tandem pilots, who would sell rides to the general public. There are pilots in Europe, who are making a good living doing what they normally do for free. Not a bad way to work. If tandem flying is approached responsibly during the present by the USHGA, the future may see profesAPRIL 1986

T.V. PROGRAMS I have also done tandem flying twice for national television. I took a girl who worked in my shop along with two Betacam video cameras for an afternoon show called Fantasy. We flew at Kagel mountain and it was great publicity for both the site and my shop. The editing was great and hang gliding was depicted in a positive light. Although I spent the day filming for free, I was given a copy of the video which I still show as an introduction to tandem flying. The publicity and experience were well worth a day's work, especially when I was doing what I like best to do, flying and spending time with a pretty girl. The second show I did was for the Playboy channel. I took the July 1985 playmate, Hope Carlton, on four short sledrides that were edited together to form a wonderous and enchanting sequence. Again, hang gliding was represented as a wonderful experience and this time I was even paid, not to mention the thrill I got when the exhilarated playmate planted a lip lock on me after our first flight. It's great to know that there is still a way that

I feel there is a great difference between impressing someone and sharing the joy of soaring with someone close to you. While it's true that tandem flying impresses the hell out of your passenger, tandem crashing definitely has the opposite effect. There is another truism, that when my mind is on impressing someone it is not completely paying attention to the task at hand. For this reason, everytime I fly for the cameras or take along a passenger, I fly much more conservatively than normally. To fly solo or tandem to impress someone is a bad idea as many tenets of safety are usually tossed to the wind in order to be more impressive. For example, a top pilot and designer recently launched his glider, laden with camera equipment for a national television program and forgot one basic rule, to hook in. Fortunately, the pilot's brain was more centered after launch and he managed to pull himself into the control bar and hook in. No one was hurt, but the public's attitude about the professionalism of our sport took another nose dive. When the show aired it reinforced the public's opinion that no matter how accomplished a pilot might become, there are still unavoidable risks, the possibilities of something happening that the pilot has no control over. Of course, we pilots know that just isn't true. Hang gliding would fare far better without any publicity than with bad publicity. And so it goes with tandem flying. Hurting one tandem passenger would undo the good publicity of a hundred perfect tandem flights. This is an area where we need a perfect safety record.

AREA ATTRACTION Throughout the U.S. there are many mountains that attempt to draw the public with the lure of various attractions and activities. Tandem flying would be an ideal operation with its high visibility and promise of thrills. The only thing that prevents just such an activity is the impossibility of obtaining insurance due to the unfounded fears of unavoidable dangers present. Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, Canada has asked me to present a proposal to do tandem flying from their peak overlooking the Transportation Expo occurring during the summer of 1986. This would be a wonderful showcase for our sport, so long as every flight could be flown safely. Such

rm,,,·~1hm,c arc

where

is more contained and may be feasible in Canada. this type of will to the lJS.

WORLD RECORDS There is a tandem category in the system of world records, for open distance, distimce to a altitude and out and return for both masculine and feminine Tudor set two of these records in the masculine category: altitude at l0,3(1'/ feet and open distance at 100 miles. The other six records are still up tor The altitude record could be set with a minimum of a 3,28Hoot and the a minimum of 16.5 mile others need So here is a way you and your passenger could own world record, if you can fly tandem

INSTRUCTION

····-~-,.,,h, reason for "")"""'rni, in tandem is for the purpose of instruction. All other methods of flight, from balthere is every reason that be in the same manner. It's the logical way to teach. the first thret~ years of my student, were to learn the comof before beor roll the J1ight control, Now, a quick zone of any site look at the launch or will reveal that even the most ac-'""'"P"~'""" find these skills to be among the most difficult to master. open

nation and contro Is of the of a beached whale to walk. As we rolled down the nmway behind the tow plane with my hand and feet on the controls, I much and was only , calmed the knowledge that my instructor was fully in control. So much duriug the 20 seconds of that 28

first launch that I couldn't even track of the control movements, and I was sitting down having only to pay attention to the slight movement of one hand and two foet. Il made me think twice about what it was like for the hang glidiug student, who had to nm full down a hill with both hands on a control bar, physically much more ac·· to pay just as much attention to tive, controls, and without the security of having the instructor along to help. With the tow finished my instructor introduced me to the controls of the sailplane, one at a time. "Take hold of the stick and forward," my instructor said calmly, after I had had some time to collect my wits. The analogous situation in hang gliding is the instructor at the student dur.. his first second in the air "PULL IN, PULL IN". As I forward on the stick indicator hovered at red line. I'm only here to .. pen in hand, because my bemused in .. struetor was in the rear seat and gently eased the craft back to below maneuvering speed without pulling the wings off. With a little I learned pitch control then roll control and finally gave my foet workout playing with the rudder and how it affected our flight. All this time my instructor was giving me a runcommentary on pitfalls to avoid and immediate feedback on my progress. I ex11,.,11·11•1,rr•,n three that day during that one hour and ten minute lesson, with a total

air time of minutes. My brain was saturated with information. I couldn't have learned any more despite my desire to spend more time in the air. I eould maneuver the craft around the sky well enough to stay in the vaeinity of a rather thermal, but the ground still intimidated me enough during landing to induce the loss of coordination and made the process of the control responses almost impossible. J started to compare this first lesson with the first lesson my hang gliding students went through. The hang student spent 10-15 minutes in a simulator hanging in the shop while I spent approximately the same length of time in the sailplane on the ground, playing with the controls. This was the tent of the similarities. The hang gliding student got to listen to a couple of hours of ground school, see a bunch of pictures and even a movie designed to him/her an idea of what he/she was about to ,w,·,r>r,c>n,,,, After two and a half hours of class the stu .. dent was allowed an hour break for lunch and to help assimilate the information presented. Then the fun It was out to the beach where the student watched pa· tiently while l set up the I folt that he had enough information to without having to memorize proper set-up technique. A fow demonstration flights were made so that again he could see the right techniques; after this extensive training the student was ready for solo. First I would run the student on the flat grnund so that I could tire him out a bit (they HAN<; GLIDING

California.

were always too full anyw<1y). After I had the student breathing hard I would allow him to take his first real flight off our thirty-foot sand dune. On this first flight the student would need to launch flawlessly to prevent him from piling back into the hill with because he had no practical turns. Also the student would always stay low, where the ground rushing by would him in a steady state and his adrenaline level soaring even though it tended to impair the student's judgement. Five seconds after launch (sooner if he made any mistakes) the student was preparing to land, hopefully bringing to mind in the next two seconds I had taught him in the previous four hours. the end of the day the student had ex· ten flights with a total air time of one minute and ten seconds, and a total of 5-6 hours laid out for the entire lesson. Compared to the 50% of total lesson time I spent in the air during my sailplane lesson my students spent 3/10 of one percent of their total time actually flying hang Additionally, they wolw up the next morning with sore muscles and probably some bruises to boot. So I said to myself, "Self, obviously there are people who are willing to go through all this to the wonders of hang would get involved if it were more and more fun in the beginning. Why not teach like I had learned to soar?" hang gliding nsing the tandem APRIL 1986

method would have been a radical change in the techniques I was using. I was afraid to try something totally new, so I comI started taking each student for three tandem flights as part of his normal lesson The timing of the tandem flights in relationship to the normal lessons varied from student to student but the overall results were universal. The students learned to control the glider, especially leveling the wings after a tum, in fewer lessons. They also learned airspeed, effective weight shift, altitude recognition, landing approaches, soaring, thermaling, how to handle turbulence, and above all to relax and think much more quickly and more safely. I defin·· itely liktxl the tandem method. Besides, it gave me more air time than my previous approach.

IMPROVING THE APPROACH This summer, Jack MacKenzie (an instructor from Jackson Hole) and I got a chance to teach three follows how to fly in ten days at Point of the Mountain, Utah. We camped out on the bench and t1ew every chance we got, but we were still grounded a few days because of bad weather. Each of the three students received four hours of tandem instruction and afterwards learned how to launch and land solo. They all learned to launch and land well, in less than ideal conditions, during three two-hour sessions. That was much quicker than the normal five to ten four-hour lessons it usually took me to teach the average student without tandem

the end of the ten days they were soaring the 300-foot hill without mishap or scare, and landing without ever dropping the nose. Even though these fellows were well coordinated and athletic I considered the tandem training method ily responsible for their quick nrr1rrr,,0c111m If the instructor is a safe and accomplished pilot himself, can fly tandem properly and in good possesses a proven tandem condition, I believe that this method of in·struction reduces, by many orders of magnitude, the risk of learning to hang glide. The student should receive between four and eight hours of dual air time before learning to launch and land solo. The student should amass half of the dual air time as pilot in command, with the instructor standing up in his harness well out of the way, observing, critiquing, and lending a hand when necessary. At Point of the Mountain we had ridge soarablc conditions almost every day with workable thermals on half the days. These were ideal conditions as the student had some smooth air to learn proper control responses while ridge soaring, and still had a chance to experience turbulence. The students even learned to thermal fairly efficiently, sink and strong headwinds behind the ridge, judge glide and the extent of the lift band, and in general to experience safely those parameters of flight which normally take a year of solo flying to learn through experimentation. It seems that tandem instruction can condense between six to twelve months of flying into ten days of instruction and give the student the benefit of much of the instrnctor's practical experience during that time.

IMPROVED LANDING APPROACHES I found that it is almost impossible to get a non-tandem student to make a fast, safe approach at the beginning of his solo career for a number of reasons. First of all, he is starved for air time. He hasn't spent more than minutes in the air and it's difficult to make him do anything that will reduce his air time, like pulling in for speed. Second· !y, the ground moves slowly by when he is flying high and up speed as altitude is lost. The inexperienced student already foels that he is moving faster and the extra in disconcerting. This phenomenon a causes the student to try to slow down very dangerous sitnation. Thirdly, the student already knows that the ground is hard from previous and speeding up steepens the angle at which he approaches 29

this unforgiving mass. He feels much safer approaching it more obliqnely, slowly. Fourthly, the student has no idea how quick the pitch response of a glider is at higher and is not willing to experiment in a way that might be embarassing if it were not quick enough to pull out of a steep ap· proach. Another problem is that many students their hands too high on the control bar and that makes it impossible to pull in far enough. The landing approaches of the tandem students arc flown much more safely than the non·tandem students. During the first few tandem flights they my landing first·hand what is possible and correct. On subsequent t1ights I let the student the glider on approach and him immediate feedback on his effmts, adding more with my own control im· puts when necessary for safety. I have the student stand up and practice flying with his hands on the down tubes while we are soaring so that he has 15-30 minutes with control in this posi· tion before he attempt~ his first solo landing. While: soaring we practice sideslipping, stall· with wings level and in turns, and maneuvering at both high and at mush. This the student all the tools he needs to accomplish a safe landing approach. Through tandem instruction the student can everything the instructor does while flying and gets a chance to practice all but launching, ground skimming, and Oaring. The student can then learn launching and landing after he has hours flyiug the glider. This doesn't mean that he will learn launching and landing automatic· ally, but he will learn it more quickly and safely.

OfHER SKILLS BEST TAUGHT WITH TANDEM hooked in alongside the student me a that is impossible to obtain from the ground. It makes it easy to notice and correct such problems as pivoting (not correct weight shift), not turns, not coordinating turns, and flying at the wrong When the student is pivoting I can simply tap his hips, the part of the body he should he moving, to remind him. I can see exactly where he is looking and remind him to watch the horizon for other gliders. The student can explain to me what he is of, and ask the questions that arc on his mind. We can fly the mountain and I can out the places where lurks, from precisely the pertinent 30

America promoter Greg DeWolf takes a solo flight in his 229 Raven on top at Avenue "S", Isn't this the best way for the student to learn the flying site that he will he flying solo? This is much safor than the old trial and error method or trying to explain everything in ground school. As tandem instmctor, I can monitor the student's skill level. I watch to see what makes him nervous and/or freeze, when brain fade occurs, whether he is over or undcrconfident, when he begins to tire, and how aware of his surroundings he is. I also get immediate feedback from the student on

whether or not he understands what I'm try.. ing to communicate to him. All this and we both get more air time and have more fim. Isn't that the name of the game?

TANDEM Tandem flying has been accomplished on a wide variety of equipment, with a cor· responding variety of results. I have flown tandem on an SST IOOB, Alpha 215, Phoenix 6D Raven 209 and Harrier 177 and 187 and a Duck 180 and would not recom· HANG GLIDING

mend any of them except the Raven 229. I have heard of people flying on many other gliders, and I would like to make some recommendations based on what I've seen and heard. Other than knowing the handling and performance characteristics of the gliders I've flown, the rest of the information I am about to give to you is subjective. The most important guideline to follow in tandem flying is to never load a hang glider past 2.0 lbs./sq. ft. The heavier the wing loading, the sharper the stall speed, the greater the sink rate, the greater the distortion of the airframe and therefore the greater the twist and the worse the high speed LID, the more difficult the flare (pitch pressure increases greatly), and the greater the chance of damage to equipment, pilot and passenger during a less than graceful landing. The additional problems created by launching and landing tandem demand that a glider be used that performs well in these areas. I've found that the double surface ships launch as easily as single surface gliders despite their higher stall speeds. This is due to the reduced drag they create at the high angles of attack found during launch and their tendency to lower their angle of attack when close to, or at stall. This all translates to having less drag to overcome during takeoff, allowing the pilot and passenger to build up speed more quickly. But everything that helps the launch makes the landing more difficult, and landing is the most difficult and important part of the whole flight. The only time during a flight when it is possible to get hurt is when the glider and passenger return to the Earth's surface. In all instances it is the pilot's flare authority and timing that are the determining factors in the safety and gracefulness of this event. And the primary parameter in flare authority is the tendency of the glider to lower its angle of attack at or near stall. The Raven has almost no nose-down tendency at high angles of attack and very low airspeeds and may even have a slight noseup tendency. Although this requires the pilot to pull in on launch, it makes landings easier than on any other glider I have ever flown. Also the high drag produced by the glider at high angles of attack helps to bring the glider and occupants to a screeching halt. With all the help the glider offers, good landings are not guaranteed. The utmost skill is required of the pilot to time and choose the correct extent of the flare. Other parameters that contribute to graceful, safe landings are too numerous to be within the scope of this article. APRIL 1986

Other, but not all, single surface gliders have these same characteristics, but no double surface gliders that I know of share these safety features. Although double surface gliders can be landed tand1~m easily and safely in winds of ten miles an hour or more, I find it almost impossible to land them tandem in no wind without the cooperation of the passenger in running out the landing. Considering changing wind conditions and the possibility of landing down wind in light conditions, I find flying tandem on double surface gliders to not hav,e enough margin of safety and believe that it should be discouraged. Flying tandem I use the ,.ame cocoon harness that I use flying solo. The passenger I put in a kneehanger harness for a number of reasons. The less the pa,:senger has to do

"I have flown tandem on an SST 10GB, Alpha 215, Phoenix 6D 215, Raven 209

and 229 and a Duck 180 and would not recommend any of them except the Raven 229. The most important guideline to follow in tandem flying is to never load a hang glider past 2.0 lbs./sq. ft." the less chance there is that he will do something wrong. With the kneehanger harness the passenger automatically goes prone at the same time I do. During launch the passenger's legs are pulled up out of the way as soon as he leaves the ground, leaving my legs unencumbered to finish the takeoff run. For the same reason, I hang the passenger four inches higher than myself. On launch this means that he is off the ground and out of my way soon, with his weight helping to stabilize the glider and promoting weight shift control. On landing it means that his feet don't touch the ground until after mine do, preventing him from injuring himself by kicking something during ground skimming. I always fly with a parachut,!, and when flying tandem it is doubly important. A 22-gore chute, repacked within the last six months, with a type 18 bridle is highly recommended. I put my passeng,!r on my left side because I'm right-handed and want that arm free to toss my chute if necessary. The

bridle runs up the right side of my harness, away from the passenger, to avoid tangling the passenger's arm in case of deployment. Of course, the only people who don't use helmets are those who don't have anything to protect. Instruments are optional and care may be needed to prevent them from getting in the way. Wheels on the base tube may prevent a mishap from turning into a disaster. An airspeed indicator is interesting for learning the exact increase of the stall speed tandem over solo. I have never used any kind of pitch enhancer tandem and would be reluctant to because of the added complexity.

TUNING A TANDEM GLIDER Every glider I've flown tandem needed to have the hang point moved forward to bring the trim speed above the higher stall speed of the heavily laden glider. In most cases moving the trim point forward an inch or two sufficed. If the glider is not speeded up the reduced roll authority of the slower speeds along with higher roll pressures makes the glider almost impossible to tum. This makes landing extremely difficult, especially considering that the high pitch pressures make pulling in to best glide speed an aerobic workout that tires the arms out just getting to the landing area. Roll pressures are greater and roll rates are reduced on heavily loaded gliders and if a tum exists it will be magnified and require more strength to correct. If this situation is coupled with a low trim speed it can make recovery from a bank in the direction of the turn in the glider, almost impossible without the direct assistance of Superman. Hang gliders are not certified for tandem so little is known about the loads that can be experienced at 2.0 lbs./sq. ft. But Mike Meier feels that our modem craft could support at least 2,500 pounds positive load without sustaining any structural damage as long as the glider was in perfect condition to start with. But if you want to be safe, I would not recommend flying on unproven equipment or double surface gliders. When approached responsibly tandem flying and instruction could be a boon to our sport. It could help to alleviate the bad reputation hang gliding has by exposing more people to our type of flying. It could make learning the sport easier, safer and more enjoyable and induce more students to complete their instruction, flying better and safer once they are on their own, thereby keeping them flying longer. These are all things that hang gliding needs desperately. Happy flying to you all!• 31

) lly

Deming

'gion 9, cut through the middle by the Allegheny Mountain Range, provides some of the most rewarding cross country flying in the East. Between the rolling hills and endless mountain ridges lie lush valleys of produce and dairy farms. Though the potential exists here for very long cross eountry flights, the region has yet to see its first one hundred miler. Part of the reason for this is the un·· predictability of good flying days and part is due to these good flying days occurring in the middle of the week. Thus it is that planning a regional cross country meet on a weekend and having it coincide with fine cross country weather is usually reserved for winter dreams. This fall however the odds were challenged. The author and the Daedalus Hang Gliding Club sponsored a Region 9 cross country event with a format that attempted to satisfy every need. First, the contest was scheduled for one weekend with the following weekend reserved as the backup. Good thermal activity and favorable winds were expected to be predictable for at least one day of the two weekends. Competitors, registered in advance by mail, were called on the Thursday night before with either a "go" or "no for that weekend. This eliminated the long drives for a weekend of "hang waiting. Secondly, the contest called for teams of three from each club to compete against one another. This was an attempt to encourage friendly interclub competition while building club pride through team work. It also Meet Director and author Dave Deming of Team Daedalus launches his HP leaving the contest to run itself. Photo by Gerald

HANG GLIDING

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CO~PJBJYlYION COBNBlll eliminated the effect of one good pilot on the results. The task was straight forward and patterned after a normal flying day; open window all day Jong, launch as often as necessary, and fly as far as you can! This format made officiating easy as pilots flew as they would on any normal flying day, showing up later with a proof of landing to register their distances flown. In fact, this format worked so well that it enabled the meet director, yours truly, to participate as well (the prime objective of the meet!). The meet was scheduled for the weekend of September 28/29 with the following weekend of October 5/6 as the backup. The Thursday night before was set as the deadline when the choice of weekends would be made. On Wednesday, September 25, the chances seemed bleak for holding the contest on that first weekend as Hurricane Gloria was hammering the mid-Atlantic states and threatening to continue northwest into the heart of Region 9 and spread dense cloud cover for days on end. Thursday afternoon the reports had not improved as Gloria was still tracking northwest and slowing down and even Pittsburgh to the west was feeling the effects. One final desperate check at the county airport's flight service center at 9PM Thursday night however proved good fortune. Gloria had veered and was picking up speed to the Northeast! The region would be clearing by Saturday morning with strong northwest flow following in her path. A phone call was immediately placed to each club involved, the message eagerly relayed within each club, and the meet was on. Saturday dawned partially clear as the last of Gloria's scud clouds passed through from the northwest. The air was cool and crisp and the morning breeze strong and steady. The primary site chosen (out of three sites in the area made available to us by the Capitol and Maryland Hang Gliding Associations) was The Pulpit in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, just south of interstate 76 and some 15 miles east of Breezewood. This site sports dual wooden launch ramps facing WNW at about 1200 feet above the valley floor. The ridge is part

APRIL 1986

·;

The packed set-up area showing 27 of the 35 gliders we crammed in! Photo by Robert S. Tedder, m.

of the Tuscarora Mountain and runs NNE to SSW, extending some 10 miles to the north and 13 miles to the south. Over the back, past the twin sister ridge running parallel with Tuscarora, the valley is about 400 feet deeper than out front and prime farm, pasture, and thermal land extends about 28 miles east before the next and last ridge is encountered on the way to the East Coast. By 11 AM most pilots had arrived, registered, and been waivered to frustration. Conditions were improving with each new waiver signed so everyone hustled to get set up and jockey for launching positions. The first surprise of the meet was the fact that some 42 pilots had registered to compete. This is more than at most of the past regional championships held which says a lot for what the local pilots want in future competitions (pure XC!!!). Topping off this number were another 15 or so pilots who came for fun and free-flying or just to help out. The second surprise was that the set-up area actually held most of the assembled gliders, about 35 were counted at one point. After most everyone was set up, a pilot's meeting was held to explain and clarify the rules. Rule No. l: Fly as far

as you can! Rule No. 2: There are no other rules! And except for the scoring rules, that is about how it was, and with a minimum of chaos. Most every pilot pursued the day's flying as if the primary goal were to have a nice long, fun flight (which it was). The main decision to be made concerned launching, the choices being 1) launch one pilot from each team before any second pilots or 2) allow each pilot full freedom to decide the right time to launch for the best flight. The latter course was chosen since conditions looked better than adequate to the Meet Director and it was expected that the majority of pilots would be airborne and on their way down wind by early afternoon while good cross country conditions prevailed. Strong air with a fair northerly cross, however, kept pilots on the ground and indecisive until about noon. Then three or four pilots launched and confirmed strong conditions on the ridge as they demonstrated that good penetration meant "parking" on the ridge at best. But 15 minutes later two of these early birds, Bo Frazier and Peter Lehmann, were circling out to the south. The cloud development was good, cycles were rolling through launch, and radio reports found

Bo and Pete clearing 2,000'. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to affect any change in the now packed set-up area as the second wave of pilots remained concerned about penetration. About 2 PM conditions began to lighten a bit and soon the second wave of 20 or so gliders were up and climbing out all along the ridge to the south of launch. Lift was plentiful and strong as some pilots found out by launching into the cycle that would begin their journey downwind. However, now the delay by everyone to launch earlier on caught up to those last 10 or 15 pilots unfortunate enough to be last to set up as the wind was dying and the cycles at launch becoming fewer and farther between. Most of the last few pilots off couldn't get downwind simply because they were last off launch in weakening conditions. Regardless of this though, the day's flying was judged to be just superb! Early launchers were taken on a more southerly route down the valley behind. Bo Frazier, being the first to test the day's conditions and the first to leave the ridge, flew 18 miles down the valley behind before losing it. Peter Lehmann, being the impatient type and following Bo closely off the ridge, found good lift often enough to carry him south across the Potomac River and land two states away for the meet's best distance of 62 + miles, netting him the current Pennsylvania State distance record. The second and most numerous wave of pilots were treated to a more easterly drift as the gaggles headed straight back across the valley behind. Ward Odenwald and Rich Riegel headed southeast while John Middleton and Dennis Pagen headed near due east, all reaching and passing over the next ridge for distances over 37 miles. The remainder of the pilots who got away were happily scattered over the valley with intermediate distances hoping their teammates had done better than they. At day's end, when all had been retrieved (Did anyone go for Pagen and Middleton?) the mileage was tallied up revealing an awesome accumulation (by eastern standards) of 571+ miles flown from one eastern site on one day! An

equally satisfying statistic was that 70 % of the pilots made flights exceeding the minimum required distance and quite a few of those flights were the pilots' first XC experiences! The day was so successful and everyone so pleased with the accomplishments that on Sunday, with wind dumping over the back and forecasts for light breezes from the southeast (only available southeast site holds only about eight set-up gliders), everyone agreed to call the meet and all left more than satisfied. Some pilots headed to the local southeast site and

LEFT: Peter Lehmann launches his HP for what was to become the new state record. Photo by Gerald Doyle.

Team/Pilots 1. Daedalus Hang Gliding Club Pete Lehmann Dave Deming Mike Nueman

Glider

Distance Pilot Team 111

HP 170 HP 170 Comet 1

62% 27% 20Yz

Sensor 510B HP 170 Dawn Comp

37% 37 15%

Sensor 510B Sensor Sensor 510

381/2 171,4 10%

Sensor 510 Comet I Sensor 510

381/2

Vision Magic IV Magic IV

26 10%

901/2

2. Capitol Hang Gliding Assn. "A" Ward Odenwald Rich Riegel George Emmerthal

66 1h

3. Maryland Hang Gliding Assn. ''A" John Middleton Brad Hays Danny Brotto

381h

4. Nittany Valley Hang Gliding Club Dennis Pagen Matt Hasty Randy Grove

36%

5. Wind Riders "A" Jim Keller Joe Gorrie John Watson

361/i

6. Maryland Hang Gliding Assn .. "B" Jerry Neilson Joe Sherman Rich Hays

?131,4 ? Pro-Dawn

12 11'.4 281,4

7. Tower City Tree Stompers Steve Krichten Pete Osborne Rick Downs

Dawn Fledge III Dawn

15 131,4

HANG GLIDING

COMPETITION CORNER were treated to hours of good soaring while others headed home to their own sites in hopes of an uncrowded late afternoon flight. All agreed that this is the way contests should all be run - good

"The mileage was an awesome accumulation of 571 + miles fiown from one eastern site in one day!" conditions, lots of friends, loads of distance, no pylons, and no rules! Overall, Team Daedalus topped the event at lll miles with significant help from Peter Lehmann's record flight. The Capitol "A:.' team pilots flew consistently well in maxing their distances for the day

for a total of 90+ miles. The Maryland "A:.' and Nittany Valley teams finished third and fourth with 66+ and 38+ miles. Maryland "A:.' team's Brad Hays and Danny Brotto both put in good mileage to combine with Middleton's 38+ miler netting them the third place purse. All teams performed well even though some were plagued with late launches. And by all accounts, the team aspect allowed a good bit of the serious competitiveness to give way to fun flying and a more relaxed competition with pilots working together. The spring edition of the 1986 Region 9 Team XC Challenge will be held in late April, again from The Pulpit. For more information, contact Dave Deming, 230 Bausman St., Pittsburgh, PA 15210

(412) 381-2284.• Distance

Team/Pilot

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l lVz

INSTRUMENTS AND STUFF

111.4

Ball-Model 651 11ight deck. Variometer wilh altimeter in 10' steps. . . $449.95

22%

11. Daedalus Hang Gliding Club "B" John McElravey Jeff Hostler Pat Brooks

Demon Comet OVR II Sensor 510

Comet I Comet I Comet I

20V2

19%

9% 18

12. Wind Riders "B"

Ball-Model 652 flight deck. Variometer w"ith altimeter and airspeed. 529.95 LITEK-Model VE-35. 179.95 LITEK-Model VE-7 variometer, (superceeds model VE-10). 159.95 LITEK-Model VE-12. 159.95 LITEK-Model VE 12-0V . . 169.95 MAKIKI-Model 1 (flask & static source not included) . 38.50 MAKIKI-Model 2 variome1er, tube mount . 79.95 AFRO-Cross Country 8000a. Includes airspeed, variometer, altimeter, speed ring and UD calculator 629.95 AFRO-Owens Valley 8000a. Includes airspeed, variometer and altimeter . . 489.95 199.95

HIGH PROSPECTIVE-Wheels. . 27.95 Strobe light-Mounts directly onto king post. 12 joule intensity, remote switch, battery pack, 49.95 waterproof. Runs 8 hours on two D cells . PACIFIC WINDCRAFT-Emergency Parachute Model S-26. 20 gore 26' . . 339.95

Profil Dawn Pro-Dawn

Free Price list-MasterCard, Visa, COD Accepted

11¥

14. Mountaineer Hang Gliding Assn. Duck Duck Attack Duck

Complete system . _$139.95 Bogen mounting system only, including arm . 59.59 Ansco 1080 Camera only . . 69.95 20' bulb type air release for most cameras . . 13.95 Extra arm for VCR camera . 15.00 (DI Invited)

SYSTEK-Systek II variometer with kwik clamp

13. Capitol Hang Gliding Assn. ''C''

11%

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Total 571 Vi

APRIL 1986

Complete In-Flight Photographic Outfit ......... $139.95

Sensor 510 ? Attack Duck

26Vz

12 8V2

Tony Smolder Jim Rowan Dan Demaree

1g·

18 8V2

Sunbird Stratus HP

Art Newman Robert Tedder III Tim Carder

·ill

Streak Streak Sensor

10. Roanoke Valley Hang Gliding Assn. ''B'i Dave Aker W. W. Richards Larry Hinton

Jeff Harper Fred Mack Jody Meacham

• "''Y,

Pilot

9. J-Team Juan Sonen Cliff Carlton Niel Dirst

Glider

8. Capitol Hang Gliding Assn. "B" Bo Frazier Corby Overstreet Randy Newberry

Team

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COMPETITION CORNER (continued from page 24)

1985 PENNSYLVANIA CROSS COUNTRY CONTEST

The Pennsylvania Cross Country Contest has been in existence for quite a number of years now, previously under the direction of the Blue Ridge Hang Gliding Club. This past year the contest was sponsored by the Daedalus Hang Gliding Club but the format remained unchanged from the years before. Pilots were required to launch from within the state. Flights made between April 1 and October 31 counted, provided adequate flight and landing info was submitted. This year only 16 pilots entered the contest and of those pilots only five submitted any flight information. But those five pilots between them accounted for almost 600 miles, and this doesn't count the additional 206 miles that they flew in March! It was unfortunate that March was not included in the contest period since the weekend of March 9-10 produced some of the best flights of the spring with a 61-miler by Peter Lehmann, a 45-miler by Eric Logan, and several other flights of shorter distances, all from The Pulpit in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. The longest flight submitted during the contest period was made by Peter Lehmann from the Pulpit. The flight took him two states away across the

Potomac River and netted him the current Pennsylvania state distance record of 62-3/4 miles. Congratulations Pete! Pete also had the second and third longest flights of 61-1/2 and 57 miles and racked up over 300 cumulative miles from Pennsylvania sites during the contest period. The next notable flight was Dave Deming's SO-miler from a seldom-used site on Bald Eagle Ridge aptly called The Dump (the downwind set-up area effectively eliminates launch potatoes). Dennis Pagen added a 38-1/2 miler to the records and Ralph Eckert a 28-miler to roll into the prize money for third and fourth places. Other flights are listed below. For any of you pilots who entered last year, flew far, and don't see your flight listed, it is because you either didn't enter the contest or didn't send in any info on your flights. Sorry, but it's your responsibility to submit the info at the end of the year. For 1986, Daedalus Hang Gliding Club plans to continue sponsoring the contest, however this year the format will be changed to include launches from any site in Region 9, any flight made between February 1 and December 15, tow launches with a maximum release altitude and minimum distance requirement. Each Region 9 pilot entered must be a USHGA member. For more information and entry forms for the 1986 Region 9 XC Contest, contact Dave Deming, 230 Bausman St., Pittsburgh, PA 15210 (412) 381-2284.

(Blame It On Rio) myself flying in paradise. But I realized he felt just as badly when I saw him beating his camera against his base tube. SUDDEN IMPACT Our flight became marginally dangerous when clouds began to form around and below us. Unfortunately, we pushed the margin too far and it ran out with a quick change in wind direction, throwing John and me into a tremendous rotor. John broke a rib on impact and was taken to an emergency hospital in "Ipanema" by a lifeguard ambulance. Numerous x-rays were taken. John was kept a few hours for observation and given a prescription for pain pills, about the only thing you can do for a broken rib. Rio's social medicine was fast, thorough, and free, providing a certain reassurance to flying there. BLAME IT ON RIO II We found Rio to be an exotic and exciting place to fly, but not a serious flying site in the sense of "get high, go far, get lost." Rio was very fun, inexpensive and worth the trip even without the flying. I would encourage people to go for a minimum of two weeks because one week turned out to be far too short to take advantage of everything Rio has to offer. For years to come, I'm sure I'll be caught with a blank stare and a smile on my face, but I'll just blame it on Rio. I can't wait to return and I hope to see you there. •

1985 PENNSYLVANIA CROSS COUNTRY CONTEST RESULTS PILOT

GLIDER

LAUNCH

DATE

DISTANCE

1. Peter Lehmann 2. Peter Lehmann 3. Peter Lehmann 4. Dave Deming 5. Dennis Pagen 6. Peter Lehmann 7. Peter Lehmann 8. Ralph Eckert 9. Dave Deming 10. Dennis Pagen 11 . John Scott 12. Dave Deming

HP HP HP HP Sensor HP HP Comet HP Sensor Comet 2 HP

The Pulpit Hick's Hill Templeton The Dump The Pulpit Templeton Templeton The Pulpit The Pulpit Burke's Templeton Templeton

9/28 5/10 5/3 5/4 9/28 10/25 6/1 4/28 9/28 6/6

62-3/4 61-1/2 57 50 38-1/2 32 31 28 27-1/2 27 23 23

5/8

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HANG GLJDING

USHGA PRESIDENT

Public Relations by Russ Locke

ln the 1985 questionnaire, one of the main concerns of pilots across the country was how to raise the public image of our sport. There are a number of obvious reasons for this. Increasing membership roles will make it less expensive for us to manage our organization, a more positive attitude on the part of the general public will make it easier for us to acquire and keep flying sites, a more positive attitude on the part of federal, state and local governments will result in decreased regulation and more flying sites, etc. The USHGA Board of Directors is working on a number of central programs to increase public awareness on the positive side of our sport, but the purpose of this article is to let you, the individual pilot, know what you can do individually to further this process. WOMEN: Women represent the largest underutilized resource of our organization. Better than fifty percent of our society is made up of women and yet less than seven percent of our pilots are women. There are a number of barriers they face in this sport (large gliders, large control bars, etc.), but I won't go into them here since Lynda Nelson covered them adequately in her February article. Those of us who fly with women pilots have heard at some time or other a spectator say, "Look, there's a girl doing it!" Our society still has many prejudices and while this may sound a little bit sexist, we can use those prejudices to our advantage. The more ladies that participate (fly), the more they will be seen by the general public. This will go a

APRIL 1986

long way towards destroying the "suicidal crazies" label that has been put on us since the general public doesn't normally associate that sort of behavior with "girls". I am not saying that each one of us should do everything possible to help the women who do want to fly. If we do that, the numbers of women in the sport and our public image relative to that will take care of itself. Once again, women's organizations need to be continually encouraged. It's in everyone's best interest. WORLD RECORDS: I recently received a copy of the 1985 Aviation World Records handbook from the NAA. It did not speak very well for hang gliding. The picture in the handbook was one of a student launching off a sand dune in an old standard glider with large wheels. The caption under the picture labeled it as "the takeoff of a typical hang glider". About half of the records in the book were set by pilots from outside the United States, even though the place that those records were set was some strange country called Owens Valley, California. When I considered the amount of energy and emotion that is put into competition issues by a number of people in this country, I was amazed that something as public as world hang gliding records was as neglected as it was by the U.S. pilots. In fact, when you remove the world records held by George Worthington, who is no longer with us, all the remaining records held by U.S. pilots are held by women (see previous paragraph). The fact that all but a couple of these records were set on U.S. soil only adds further insult. If you're interested in setting a world record, contact Bob Thompson at

4319 Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304, or contact the USHGA office. We will see that you get the necessary information. It is more or less accepted that the United States has some of the best flying conditions in the world. I also think that we have some of the best pilots. Now that I have brought Nationalism into the discussion ... OLYMPICS: The International Olympic Executive Committee decided at their December meeting to officially recognize Sport Parachuting, Soaring (Sailplanes) and Free Flight (European terminology for hang gliding). This has many longterm implications for us, but there is one big short-term gain - Public Relations. This recognition formally raises us into the ranks of acceptable recreational sports since the Olympic structure does not recognize "suicidal crazies" (although personally, I think downhill racers and luge participants are a half a bubble off). Any time we are dealing with the general public or local regulatory agencies, we can use this Olympic recognition as leverage to further the image of us as a responsible recreational activity. We can be proud of the recognition - we've earned it. HANG NONE: The problems of the unrated student pilot are something that should concern everyone, even though it's a major concern of the schools and instructors. There are no easy answers here, but we should understand the problems. The drop-out rate of the beginning pilots is very high. There are a number of individual reasons but the most significant one, in my opinion, is the time and effort gap between when a student starts taking lessons and when a point is reached where he/she can just enjoy soaring flight. In other sports, such as snow skiing or sport parachuting, the time spent from the beginning lesson stage to the point of individual participation (read enjoyment) is relatively short and can usually be measured in hours. For obvious safety reasons it takes much longer in hang gliding. We as individual pilots can do the following things to minimize this problem. 1) Set expectations. When our friends or someone that we just met gets into the sport, help

USHGA PRESIDENT them understand that yes, the beginning lessons are frustrating and demanding but the reward for getting through them is well worth the price. 2) Be supportive. Every student faces some frustrations with the training process. Some just handle them better than others. I remember at least twice in my early days when I quit the sport (for at least a couple of hours). Thank goodness there was someone there (Walt Nielson, Jan Case and JFred Lucas - Thanks!!) to listen to my frustrations. They didn't talk me out of quitting, but provided an ear and I talked myself out of quitting. Sometimes, that's all it takes. 3) Share the joy. I think most of us do this anyway. When I'm asked by a groundling (read potential pilot - not wuffo) what it feels like to fly, I usually try and relate the experience to something the person already understands. Everyone has experienced that awe of Mother Nature whether it's standing in the valley floor of Yosemite or Yellowstone or something as simple as watching the surf pound into a rocky sea shore. There are a number of other things we can do. The key is to not forget what it was like when we were first learning to fly and be a little extra sympathetic to those who are still in that stage. What's the point of all this, you might ask, especially if you believe as many pilots do that we have reached our saturation point in terms of the number

of active pilots. The point is, that even if this is true (which I personally don't believe), we can't allow ourselves to become complacent now that we have achieved a reasonable level of acceptability. We either move forward or we slip backward; there is nothing in between. We don't even have to guess what will happen to us if we allow things to slip. All we have to do is look at our friends flying ultralights. They started with a lot more going for them than we did and, in fact, we paved the way for them in the early days. However, their lack of a strong central organization like the USHGA is a decided handicap. They are having significant problems getting insurance (worse than ours!) and the FAA hangs in the wings waiting to implement formal federal regulations that will be expensive for ultralight pilots in both money and effort. There are a number of reasons why their organization(s) are not as strong as the USHGA, but the main one is that all of their pilots are not working in the same direction. The strength of the USHGA is not in the office in Southern California nor is it in the elected Board of Directors. It is in the thousands of individual members in this country and the summation of all the things they do makes up the personality of the USHGA. Your actions today will determine how easy or hard things will be for all of us in the future.•

1986 SPOT LANDING EVALUATION In the past year, many of you have asked for revisions to the current rating system. At the same time an experimental spot landing system was being tested in Nonhem California. At the 1985 fall Board of Directors meeting, we decided to extend this experiment nation wide to all pilots. This new system is designed to test landing consistency. All ratings achieved in 1986 using this system are valid. In order to fairly evaluate this system, we need your input. If you have a chance to use or observe the system, please send your comments to USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

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HANG GLIDING

USHGA 1986 SPOT LANDING EVALUATION DATE

SITE

OBSERVER

POINTS

DATE

SITE

OBSERVER

POINTS

POINT SYSTEM: Controlled landing within 25' of spot (H-4) ..................... 8 pts. Controlled landing within 50' of spot (H-3) ..................... 5 pts. Controlled landing in designated landing area .................. O pts. Uncontrolled or out landing ............................... -5 pts. Dangerous or highly unsafe maneuver ..................... -1 O pts. Pilot must have a score of 35 points to satisfy Hang 3 spot requirements and 48 points to satisfy Hang 4 spot requirements. The points must be within a 10 flight window. The Hang 3 and Hang 4 requirements must be satisfied separately (any flights used for a Hang 3 sign off may NOT be used for a Hang 4 sign off).

~LASSIFIED 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 WJNG'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. C2-185-Good condition. $500. (303) 'm-7770 (evenings). C2-165-Great shape. Stored during 1985. $1000. (303) 424-5]]9. C2-165-Speed bar, rail, 1/2 ribs, KP fairing, string kit, must sell $700. OBO (805) 653-0587. Comet 165-X-country harness, chute, helmet, vario, 3 radios, skyting harness, $950. (805) 239-1619. COMET 165 OVR-Exce!lent condition $675. Eves. (516) 766-0597. COMET 165-Mint cond. must sell $1100. or best offer (303) 237-5770 eves. COMET II 165-Half ribs, less than 20 hours air time, immaculate condition, orange LE and Dbl surface, white top sail and TE. $1450. (602) 893-2523. COMET 165-Blue leading edge, rainbow under surface, excellent condition, $700 OBO. (805) 653-0405. COMET 165-and Price prone harness. $500 takes both (714) 656-5583. CONDOR 151-$600. Size small Wills Wing stirrup harness $75. Rita (805) 963-4896 Evenings.

160 COMP DAWN-custom sail design, surfcoat leading edge, clean sail, extra half banans, faired downtubes, U.V. trailing edge, handles great, low airtime, $1100. Call Tiki (818) 894-1371. DEMON 175-(Salinas) Custom sail; trike adaption; cocoon harness with parachute. $600. for all: Buzz (502) 459-2905.

GEMINI 134 - Very clean and well kept. 1984 w/16 hrs. Nice custom colors, extra parts. Plys great $825. (215) 436-5395. GEMINI 164-Yellow, blue, white. Very good condition. Cocoon harness w/chute. Vario, altimeter. $1200. (313) 247-7135. HARRIER I 177-Blue & white. Great handling. C612J 731-,im. HP-Pacific blue leading edge. Ex. condition, Wisc. $1600. (608) 362-8174. HP 170-Excellent condition, low airtime, $1500. OBO (704) 298-7261. 135 MAGIC lll-Excellcnt condition. $1500. OBO. Flight Realities (619) 455-6036. MAGIC III 166-1985, Surf coat leading edge. Blue & white zebra cloth double surface. White upper and trailing. Faired tubes, V.G. Sail still crispy, very fast $1350. (215) 522-9694, 583-3564. MAXI II-Breaks to 6 ft. European glider, made for airline and tram transport. Harness, helmet and kit bag also. San Diego (619) 239-7159 evenings. $1150. 1981 MOYES MEGA 172-Flies great, low hours. Hamock Harness. Windhaven Parachute. $850. Detroit, MI (313) 979-3305. 166 MYSTIC-IO hours airtime. Black, Pacific blue, white. Will deliver. Best offer (415) 652-5641. OLYMPUS 140-Harness, helmet. Good condition. $295. (812) 779-5307. PRO DAWN 155-Good condition. Great handling double surface glider. $!000. Call Greg (818) 993-1595. 160 PRO-STAR I-Excellent. Red/white/black Wasatch Wing custom faired cocoon 5'9" 6'0" with chute. Complete. $650. Condor (218) 722-3137. RAVEN 229-Excellent, low time $495. (205) 942-9603. SENSOR 510 180-Blue & white. Benny (619) 286-6896. SENSOR 510 180CExce\lent condition. $850. (814) 355-9240. 180 STREAK-Dark blue, pacific blue, light blue, excellent condition. Make offer! (214) 382-3305. STREAK 160-Completely black. $650. (303) 442-7949.

ATTACK DUCK 160-Ex. cond. Wills Team colors, Special, $1000. (Wis.) Dale (414) 473-4093 or (414) 473-6898.

WANTED-Used hang gliding equipment. Gliders, instruments, harnesses and parachutes. San Francisco Windsports, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

DUCK 160-Excellent condition, rainbow and blue, less than 30 hours airtime, make offer. Dave (412) 381-2284.

WILL TRADE-Moyes Meteor 170 (Comet type), good condition, for Gemini, Dream, or Raven. (608) 274-0163.

180 DUCK - 2 hrs. total time. Immaculate condition. $800. (415) 583-9165.

WANTED-I'od harness, lg. with parachute. Batten set for C-165. (602) 482-6471.

180 DUCK-Mint condition, low hours, factory modified (attack duck tips) V.G. system $850. (612) 559-0816.

WANTED-Raven 179, 209, or Lancer 180. (608) 274-0163. (Wisconsin).

EIPPER FLEX! 3-20", 185 sq. ft. Line new. Best offer (502) 459-5371. ESPIRIT 20-Like new. Low airtime. 180-300 Tandem. $900. (408) 475-5431.

Schools and Dealers ARIZONA ARIZONA WINDSPORTS-Certified instruction utilizing skyting and the World's only man-made trainer hill. New & used gliders, accessories, parts & repairs. J114 W. Cornell Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121. ARJZONA HANG GLIDERS USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 938-9550. CALIFORNIA BRIGHT STAR HANG GLIDERS Sales - service restorations. All major brands represented. Santa Rosa, CA (7CJ7) 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 gliders and accessories. HP, Skyhawk, demos available to qualified 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, varies, and spare parts. Located minutes from US 101 and flying sites. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103 (805) 965-3733. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER-Located in beautiful San Diego. USHGA certified instruction, equipment rentals, local flying tours. We proudly offer Wills Wing, Delta Wing, Pacific Windcraft, U. P. Airwave, High Energy, Ball and we need your used equipment. 4206-K Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121. (619) 450-9008. HANG GLIDERS WEST - ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT CENTER - New and used gliders. SINCE 1973, CERTIFIED, FREE BROCHURE! 20-A Pameron, Ignacio, CA 94947. (415) 883-3494. DEALER FOR EAGLE, XL, & FALCON ULTRALIGHTS! MISSION SOARING CENTER-Serving the flying community since 1973. Complete lesson program with special attention to quality take-off and Ianding skills. All major brands of gliders, parachutes and instruments sold. Sail repair and air frame service available. 43551 Mission BLvd., Fremont, CA 94539. (415) 656-6656. MOYES CALIFORNIA - 22021 Covello St., Canoga Park, CA 91303 (818) 887-3361 or 173 Bronte Road, Waverley, 2024 N .S.W. Australia 61.2.387.5114 PINECREST AIR PARK - Instruction, sales, service. (714) 887-9275. SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORI'S - 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.

HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 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 (fonnerly 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) 988-011!.

PENNSYLVANIA

JDAHO

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 our line of gliders and enjoy the sites. 9450 Hudson Blvd., Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (612) 738-8866.

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.J:ReeOOrTI

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 and Dealers

NORTH CAROLINA

NEVADA

FLY UTAH WITH

JAPAN

KITTY 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.

HIGH SIERRA SPORTS, INC. - 286 E. Winnie, Carson City, NV 89701. (702) 885-1891. Northern Nevada's complete hang gliding, windsurfing and ultralight shop. All major brands available. USHGA Certified Instructor, Observer, and Region II Examiner. Sales, service, rentals and lessons.

UTAH

THERMAL UP, INC.-Most complete hang gliding shop in area. Located on top of Ellenville mountain. USHGA certified instructor and observer. Concentrated hang gliding instruction with emphasis on launching and landing techniques. Dealer for all major brands. Offering expert sales and service with lowest prices in area. Large mail order inventory. Tom Aguero, PO Box 347, Cragsmoor, NY 12420 (914)647-3489.

MINNESOTA

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

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

TREASURE VALLEY HANG GLIDERS - Service - USHGA Instruction - dealers for all major brands, accessories - site info, ratings - Box 746, Nampa, ID 83651 (208) 362-1848.

EASTERN OREGON ULTRALIGHTS - Certified instruction. New and used. Wills Wing specialists. PO Box 362, Pendleton, OR 97801 (503) 276-7462.

FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC.-Serving New York City/Albany, New Jersey, Connecticut area. (Ellenville Mtn.) Area's exclusive Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also carry all other major brands. Certified Instruction, Certified Aerotowing. Featuring the most INEXPENSIVE prices on gliders, repairs, parts, and accessories available. Call or write: (914) 744-3317, Paul Voight, RD 2 Box 561, Pine Bush, NY !2566.

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.

OREGON

NEW YORK

CONNECTICUT

NEW MEXICO UP OVER NEW MEXICO INC. - Certified instruction, sales, service. Albuquerque, NM (505) 292-0647.

SUN RISE COUNT,,Y INC

~~~ Distributor major brands hang gliders (Airwave, Magic), instruments, parachutes and ultralights. Tokyo 03/443/0063, Yugawara 0456/63/0173, Kurumayama Hang School 0266/68/m4 (April - November).

SAURATOWN KITES-Winston Salem (919) 760-1390 or 983-3570. Hang Gliding School w/ccrtified instrucot; dealer of Seedwings, Wills Wing & Delta; new and used equipment. _

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L'F - · - -

I f USHOA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM I 35 cents per word, $3.00 minimum. I (phone numbers - 2 words, P.O. Box - 1 word) I Photos - s10.oo

I Deadline, 20th of the month six weeks before the cover date of the

I Issue In which you want your ad (I.e. March 20, for the May Issue). I Bold face or capa ~ per word extra. (Does not Include first few I words which are automatlcally caps). Special layouts or tabs S20 per I column Inch. I Payment for first three months required In advance. I I Please enter my classlfled ad as follows: I I I t I : Number of words:-------@ .35 • - - - - - -

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Section (please circle} Rogallos Schools and Dealers Emergency Chutes Ultralight Powered Flight

Parts & Accessories Rigid Wings Business & Employment Opportunities Publications & Organizations Miscellaneous

Begin with _ _ _ _ 19 _ _ _ _ issue and run for _ _ __ consecutive issue{s).

My check _ _ money order _ _ is enclosed In the amount of $ _ _ _ _ _ __

Phone Number:

P.O. BOX M308, LOS ANGELES, CA toOM I (213) 390,3085

L--------------------------------------------------------·' APRIL 1986

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SWITZERLAND SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI - For complete documentation of this high adventure alpine tour send $5.00 to cover ainnail postage to RON HURST, Im Brunnli 10 CH-8152, Opiftkon, Switzerland, Ainnail. Telefon 01/810 26 48 From USA 0041/18 IO 26 48.

Emergency Parachutes NEW RAPID DEPLOYMENT B.U.S. FLY AWAY CONTAINER SYSTEM is the world's newest, fastest and most reliable system. By the originator of hang gliding parachutes. Bill Bennett Delta wing Kites & Gliders, Inc. P.O. Box 493, Van Nuys, CA 91408 (818) 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 (fonnerly H.G. Equipment Co.) 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

Parts & Accessories

Business & Employment Opportunities Experienced USHGA Certified Instructors needed NOW! Lots of students ... not enough instructors. Send resume to: Mission Soaring Center, 43551 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539. School and dealer. Certified instructor needed: Madison-Janesville, Wisconsin area. Write/call: 1033 Spaight St. #3-C, Madison, WI 53703. (608) 274-0163.

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

Videos & Films

PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3'h'' dia. Inside or outside application. 25C each. Include 15C for postage and handling with each order. P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. BUMPER STICKERS - "There's No Place Like Cloudbase" $2.00 postpaid. Flight Realities, c/o 1830 Clove St., San Diego, CA 92106 (619) 455-6036. TEE-SHIIITS 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!/2 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.

IF YOU WANT YOUR PARACHUTE TO HAVE.

FLAT CIRCULAR SOLID GORE CONST. • High Drag Benefits • Low Volume • Faster Openings

VENT CAP COVERING APEX HOLE • Quicker Openings • Slower Descent Rates • Reduced Risk of Apex Line Entanglement

W' TUBULAR NYLON REINFORCEMENT

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER - $24.95. Breaking 10,000 lbs. $24.95. Extra 5116 ball lock pin $10. DEALERS WANTED. Themrnl, 19431-41 Business Center Dr., Northridge, CA 91324.

AT APEX

• Adds strength to area of greatest stress during opening shock

ALL SEAMS REINFORCED WITH TYPE Ill WEBBING

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. Bcerger Productions, 3217-Y Arville, Las Vegas, NV 89102 (702) 876-2328. SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS (fonnerly 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. SHOPS: Want 6-12 used trainer harnesses, helmets. Send info/call !033 Spaight St. #3-C, Madison, WI 53703 (608) 274-0163. BALL 652 VARIO/AUDIO-IO ft digital altimeter, 0-80 mph airspeed - new price $590. - LEAF new price $490. Ball 653 vario, JO ft digital altimeter, 0-70 mph airspeed new $540. Demo $275. L.E.A.F. (303) 632-4959.

AGAIN AVAILABLE, VHS or Beta, 60 minutes NTSC or PAL. $54. 95 postpaid (domestic or foreign). Owens Valley competition. "Hang gliding film of the century! - Drachenflieger. Winner: 1982 Gray Prize. Rick Masters, PO Box 478, Independence, CA 93526 USA (619) 878-2255 for C.0.D.

Miscellaneous SAILMAKING SUPPLIES & hardware. All fabric types. Catalog and colorful samples $1. Massachusetts Motorized, P.O. Box 542-G, Cotuit, MA 02635. (413) 736-2426. 1978 4 WHEEL DRIVE - Ford F150 P.U. Tool box & rack. (415)534-0659.

• Necessary for strength in the even1 of a high speed opening

V·TABS AT EACH LINE ATTACHMENT • Helps to distribute opening shock load • Important in the event of a high speed opening

400 LB. TUBULAR NYLON SUSPENSION LINES • Stretch characteristics help reduce opening shock load on canopy, harness, and pilot

TYPE XVIII BRIDLE

• Sewn with 5 cord thread • Strength rated at 6000 lbs.

DROP TESTS TO FAA C23B TSO STANDARDS COMFORT PACK DEPLOYMENT BAG • Safety locks • Protective side line cover

• UV resistant material

, , , THEN YOU WANT A HIGH ENERGY SPORTS PARACHUTE! For complete information on all High Energy Sports Products, contact your local High Energy Sports Dealer or:

2236 W. 2nd St. • Santa Ana, CA 92703 (714) 972·8186

HANG GLIDING

MODEL 651 VARIO/AUDIO/ DIGITAL ALTIMETER $495

MODEL 652 VARIO/AUDIO DIG ITAL ALTIMETER / AIRSPEED $590

MODEL M20 WR IST VARIO $200

Hang Gliding According to Pfeiffer: Skills For the Advancing Pilot Now available ... the most comprehensive guide around for pilots seeking to expand their knowledge and skills. With 244 pages, 125 illustrations and photographs, loads of TRUE stories. and a complete subject index. You'll learn . About soaring : Ridge, thermal, wave and other types of lift. Locating likely lift sources. "Reading" clouds. Soaring techniques for various kinds of lift. About crou-<:ountryflytng: XC potential of your area. Training and supplies for your ground crew. Advance planning . When THE day arrives. During the flight. About competition flying: Competition formats and scoring systems. Psych-out techn iques. Evaluating opponents. Strategies. Specific flying techniques. About equipment: Choosing , caring for, and making best use of a glider, harness, parachute. instruments, and other equipment. Sail cloth tips. About speed-to-fly calculations: Dol phin vs . classic fl ight. Your glider's polar. Techniques for gliding furthest, fastest. Speed rings. Please rush me _ _ _ copies of Hang Gliding According to Pfeiffer: Skills For the Advancing PIiot at $9.95 each, plus shipping and handling : $1 .00 first copy,$ .25 each additional (airmai l $2.50 first copy, $1 .00 each additional) . Californians please add $.60 sales tax per copy. Total enclosed: $ - - - -- -- -Name: - - - --

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Stree t:

BAL LCLAMP $18

STREAMLINED TUBE ADAPTER

C ity: - -

State/ Z ip - --

Avail abl e from hang glide r man ufac t urers and dealers

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••• Dealer inquiries invited -

Make check payable to Publitec and mail with form to : Publitec Editions, P.O. Box 4342, Laguna B each, CA 92652, USA .

714/ 497-6100 • ••

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Stolen Wings TYPE: '78 Elite 174. Stolen Dec. '85 Billings, Mont. COWR: Red leading edge, keel pocket and tips. Yellow sail, blue bag, orange training wheels. CONTACT: Dick Irwin, 512 S. 36th St., Billings, Mont. 59101 (406) 259-2901. Reward. 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. #302, Oakland, CA 94610. TYPE: 165 Demon. SAIL: Brown LE, orange TE. Disconnected nose batten, slightly ripped velcro on underside. CONTACT: Scott Nichols, Box 3035, Aspen, CO, 920-1295. TYPE: UP Gemini 164, 81', #164053. 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) 6S4-4539.

GLIDERS CERTIFIED BY THE HANG GLIDER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

Index To Advertisers Airwave .............................. 36 Airworks ............................. 19 Ball Varios ........................... 43

1981: Gemini 164, 184, 134 Sensor 510-180

Bennett Delta Wing Gliders ......... 43, BC Gianforte ............................. 15 Hall Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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

High Energy ...................... 38, 42 Litek ................................ 17 Microflight ........................... 35 Mission Soaring ..................... 5, 17 Pacific Windcraft ...................... 11 Pagen Publishing ...................... 44

1983:

Para Publishing ........................ 44

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

Publitek .............................. 43 Santa Barbara H.G ..................... 25 Seedwings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Systems Tech ......................... 17 USHGA ........................ IBC, IFC U.S. Moyes .......................... IS

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

Wills Wing .......................... 6, 7

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

1985: Light Dream 205 Dawn Comp 160 GZ 155 Mystic 166 VG, 177 VG Sensor 510-8 160 V.G.

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

Send For FREE Brochure 44

HANG GLIDING

USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM 8DDKS

PRICE

MANBlflDS by Maralys Wills. Entertainingly takes lhe reader from hang gliding's past to its soaring present. 8 pg color, 150 Blk & Wht photos, 40 pg appendix. USHGA INSTRUCTORS CERTIFICATION MANUAL. Complete reQuirements, syllabus, teaching methods. HANG GLIDING by Dan Poynter. 8th Edition. Basic Handbook tor skysurting. FL YING CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagan. Micrometerology for pilots. 90 i\luslrations. HANG GLIDING AHO FLYING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen. Beginners lo experts instruction manual. HANG GLIDING TECHNIQUES by Dennis Pagan. Techniques tor cross-country, competition & powered llighl. MAHHED KmHG by Dan Poynter. Handbook on tow launch \lying. MAH-POWERED AIRCRAFT by Don Dwiggins. 192 pg history of \light. Features llighl of Gossamer Condor. FEDERAL AVIA TIOH REGULATIONS FOR PILOTS. 1983 Edition Hang gliding pertinent information. FA\ SPORTING CODE FOR HANG GLIDING. Requirements for records, achievements & World Championships. HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG by Dan Poynter. For beginners. An assel 10 instruclors. 24 pgs. USHGA OFFICIAL FLIGHT LOG. 40 pgs. Pocket size, skills signoffs (all levels), glossary of terms, awards.

$17.95

QUANTITY B-1

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

AMOUHT

$ 2.00

$ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 4.50 $ 6.50

S 4.50 $ 1.00 $ 1.50

$ 2.95

ITEMS 1-1

.. HEW" USHGA 'HANG GLIDING' f.SHl!IT. 100% heavyweight cotton. WHITE or TAN. Men's sizes: SM L X-L (CIRCLE ONE). USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight co\lon. TAN or LIGHT SLUE. Men's sizes only. S M L X·L (CIRCLE SIZE & COLOR) USHGA EMBLEM CAP. One size fils all. Baseball type/USHGA emblem. NAVY ORANGE GOLD (CIRCLE ONE) "HEW,. USHGA BELT BUCKLE. Solid bronze. custom design, relief sculpture. 311< x 211<. USHGA SEW-OH EMBLEM. 3" dia., full color (red wings, sunburst wlblack prinl). USHBA EMBLEM DECAL. 3'h'' dia., full color. LICENSE PLATE FRAME. "I'd rather be hang gliding." While on Blue. WALLET. Nylon, velcro closure, mach. washable. water resistant. ROY AL BLUE color.

1·2

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

$ 8.00

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$ 8.00 $ 5.00

$12.00 1.00 $ .25 $ 5.50 $ 8.95

HAHG GLIDIHG/GROUHO SKIMMER BACK ISSUES • .. SPECIFY BY CIRCL\HG ISSUE HUMBER"'ISSUES HOT HUMBER ED ARE SOLD OUT"' PRIHTEO COPIES:

PRIHTED COPIES: PR\HTEO COPIES:

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 28. 29, 30. 32. 33. 34, 36. 37. 38. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 47. 56. 58. 59. 60. 61 62. 63. 64. 65, 66. 67, 68. 69. 70. 71. 72 73. 76, 77, 78, 80. 82. 83. 86, 87, 88, 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 96. 98, 99. 100. 101. 102, 103

$ 100

105- 14-11

S 2.00

14·12

$ 150

$ 2.50

Curren! Issue

"HO TAX OH MAGAZINES"

MAGAZINE SUB TOTAL

Ordering Information: Al! prices include postage and handltng_ (Pnces subiect to changew,thou! notice.) Enter quanl1ty and pnce of each item ordered Allow 3-4 weeks delivery /8 weeks for Foreign) All orders are ma tied by the cheapest available ra\e. 11 you wish to receive your order fastec please include sufficient postage funds No C Q_O ·s

MERCHAHDISE SUB TOTAL (Ca\lforrnans add 6% tax on merchandise only)

Foreign Orders USHGA will ONl Y accepl foreign checks payable on a U S bank in U.S. funds

N A M E - - - - - - - - - USHGA # _ _ __ (Please Print)

HD CHARGE ITEMS USHGA MEMBERSH!P APPLICATION FORM (#4)

USHGA BASIC SAFETY REGULATIONS (PART t 00)

USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FOAM (#14!

USHGA PILOT PROFICIENCY PAOORAM (PART 104)

USHGA LILIENTHAL AWARD FORM

ACCIDENT REPORT FOAM (# 15)

Charge my O MasterCard

ADDRESS CITY

TOTAL

D VISA

Card No. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ex. Date _ _ _ _ __

ST ATE _ _ _ ZIP _ _ __

Signature

MAIL WITH CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

USHGA, PO BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066

DEL1A WINli FOIi 'll&l The '86 Lite Dream combines the best features of any intermediate glider on the market today . That's why it continues to be'the #1 selling glider! The Lite Dream offers: more sizes 145 , 165, 185, 205 & 220 ; light weight - 42 lbs . (145 Dream) ; smooth predictable inflight handling ; excellent performance & best price . Price ........from $1595.

Ll1E Known for its excellent performance & ease of handling , the highly competitive Mystic has undergone significant re-engineering to provide this year's pilot with the lightest all American airframe glider available today! Weight savings have been gained without having to use more expensive & exotic thin-walled tubing .. . The Lite Mystic also features: 5 sizes - 144, 155, 166, 177 & 188; foam leading edge pockets; streamline kingpost and best of all the price. Lite Mystic ......... . $2295 Reg. Mystic with VG & all options ... $2495

Ll1E /tlY5JIC

Box 483, Van Nuys, CA 91408 818/787-6600, Telex 65-1425 • Watch next month's ad for the release of Delta Wing's new high performance glider - the XCEL!