USHGA Hang Gliding February 1987

Page 1


photographers as Doug Barnette, Leroy Grannis, John Heiney and many newcomers. The 1987 Calendar can be proudly displayed in home or office. Order several and reward a driver, surprise a parent or brag to a friend. Show off hang gliding with this quality calendar that is both beautiful and practical.

6%

90066


(USPS 017-970-20)

by Cindy Brickner Results of the recent BOD election.

©1987 by Dennis Pagen Another look at putting your glider down in the LZ.

by John Stokes How to do wingovers on launch.

by Bob 1hompson Jim Grissom and Hans Heydrich tie for first with identical llights of 179. I miles.

by Russ Locke Results of the recent membership survey.

4 Airmail 8 Update 9 Calendar 10 USHGA Chapter Newsletter 27 Ratings And Appointments 37 Competition Corner 39 Classified Advertising 42 Stolen Wings 42 Index To Advertisers

by Paul Voight Paul gives his impressions of Wills Wing's fun-to-fly and race··face gliders.

by Geo.ff Loyns Geoff relates his adventures massing 1,576 miles and an FA! Silver Award in 1986.

Page 34

COVER: Ridge soaring in Hawaii. Photo by Sun Star.

CENTERSPREAD: Hang gliding collage. Photos by Doug Rice.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service for USHGA members. The USHGA makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the validity of any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. Copyright © United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. 1987. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding Magazine and individual contributors.

FEBRUARY 1987




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

Office Staff: Cindy Brickner, Executive Director 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 Cindy Brickner REGION I: Jeff Bennett, Ken Godwin. REGION 2: Russ Locke, Jay Busby. REGION 3: Steve Hawxhurst, Walt Dodge. REGION 4: Jim Zeiset, Bob Buxton. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Steve Michalik. REGION 7: Bruce Case, John Woiwode. REGION 8: Robert Collins. REGION 9: William Richards, Jeff Sims. REGION 10: Rick Jacob, Dick Heckman. REGION II: Warren Richarson. REGION 12: Pete Fournia, Paul Rikert. D!RECJDRS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Rob Kells, Dennis ?agen, Vic Powell, Elizabeth Sharp. EX· OFFICIO DIRECJDR: Everett Langworthy. HONORARY DIRECJDRS: Bill Bennett, Mark Bennett, Joe Bulger, Eric Fair, Bettina Gray, Doug Hildreth, Gregg Lawless, Mike Meier, Rich Pfeiffer, Bob Thompson. The United Slates 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 (FAD, the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents 1he U.S. at FA! meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of PAI-related hang gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions.

HANG GLIDING magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, by a means of open cqmmunication and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited 10 contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. 1f the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING magazine (USPS 0!7-970) is 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, 398-0198. Second-class postage is paid at Los Angeles, Calif. 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, :i/7.00 for three years. Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA membership number, previous and new address, and a mailing label form a recent issue. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS 10: UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING ASSOCIATION, P.O. BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066.

4

VOLUME

17, ISSUE No. 2

AIRMAIL STEP TOWING Dear Editor, In Southeast Michigan we have been towing on a Yarnall Skyhook winch for the past five years. We have been using a single release skyting bridle for the past three years and have had great success. We have had several XC flights over 10 miles and altitude gains above 4,000 feet. For some time I have been contemplating step towing with the Yarnall winch. In August of last year I modified my skyting bridle to incorporate two releases and decided to experiment with this controversial method of towing. On my first flight I towed to 600 feet, signaled the operator, spun a 180 and ran downwind pulling the line behind. At 400 feet over takeoff I turned upwind and towed above the winch to 800 feet on my second pass. At this point I signaled again and shot downwind again towing the line (instead of the line towing me). The system works perfectly and I have since towed as high as 2,350 feet using this method. The bridle has been modified using the simplest method I could come up with, leaving the pilot with only a lower release hanging from his harness upon release of the rope. As far as I know this is the only step towing going on in this country. If any of you have any questions or suggestions please contact me and I'll be more than happy to relay all information. Norman Lesnow 569 W. Annabelle Hazel Park, Mich. 48030 (313) 399-9433 FM COMMENTS Dear Editor, I think a response is necessary to Mike Sandlin's article on 2m FM. First, to say there are 800 unused frequencies at 5 kilohertz is misleading. Only certain portions of the 144-148 MHZ (2m) is designated for legal simplex or "radio to radio," and the others are for special use and repeater inputs and outputs. Also, the proper separation is 15 kilohertz, not 5 kilohertz. Second, amateur radio is a very serious hobby to many "hams." To say in a public article that you are "supposed" to have a license, and that the testing and licensing of amateur radio operators is archaic does not portray a very good image of hang glider pilots to the serious "hams." However, he was correct in stating that the testing is a barrier.

It is a greatly appreciated barrier by the legal users of amateur radio. If not for the current testing methods or something similar, there would be no separation between the cluttered 40 channels of C.B. and the clear, "respectful" frequencies of amateur radio. As we transition our communication systems to 2m FM, hang glider pilots must remember that our transmissions are heard great distances because of altitude. Every pilot should respect the standards, rules and professionalism that amateur radio operators have striven to maintain. John Zeagler La Jolla, CA

SOAP OPERA Dear Editor, I am frankly fed up with the ongoing soap opera I've found each month in the Airmail section of Hang Gliding. If the big boys in the manufacturer and competition arena want to duke it out, let them do it elsewhere (preferably in the air). I believe in free speech but a two-page letter ... come on! The same names appear over and over again. I don't know what a page costs you to print but there must be more worthwhile topics (how about simply making each issue one page shorter). I'll probably be vetoed by those soap opera loving diver pilots out there. At the very least I'll expect a flaming point-by-point counter blow in the next issue by one of those literary geniuses trying to secure a job on Days of Our Lives. Casey Lenos Salt Lake City, UT

RETIRING YOUR SAIL Dear Editor, Halfway down the ramp I knew the launch had gone bad. What I found out as a result of that mishap really ruined my day. The promised NW at 10-20 on a cold day after a frontal passage had turned into NE at 5-10. In the launch slot the wind was light and switchy, but occasional straight-in cycles promised the hope of at least a sled ride to salvage something out of the day. I had just leaned aggressively into the launch when my right wing started to rise. I attempted to correct it, but within a heartbeat my feet were leaving the ramp as I was hanging my full weight on the right downtube. My "flight" consisted of

HANG GLIDING

i


AIRMAIL a quick 90° left turn into some small trees. Damage appeared limited to some scuffs along the leading edges-until I saw blue sky through the trailing edge of the sail! My heart sank. There was about a 12-inch rip alongside the #2 batten. Inspection of the "flight path" did not reveal any obvious sharp branches. A close look at the rip seemed to indicate a hole being poked in the sail by a blunt object, rather than a cut from a sharp one. From this hole the rip had propagated freely back to the kevlar trailing edge and forward nearly to the double surface line. My heart sank even further when I found that by gently tugging on the sail I could tear it further with about the same ease as one tears an old bed sheet! I was the third owner of this glider, a 1983 Sensor. The first owner flew it for an unknown (by me) period of time. The second owner Jogged 150 hours on the glider as an exhibition pilot at Grandfather Mountain. Given the nearly daily use that it saw, I suspect that it spent a substantial amount of time exposed to the sun. I had only recently acquired the glider, and had less than 10 hours on it. While the sail was soiled and obviously not new, I could find no obvious signs of UV degradation at the time of purchase (though the dark blue on the leading edge did appear slightly faded). May you never experience the pain of ripping handfuls of sail from your favorite diver! After careful checking at different locations on the sail, I became convinced that I had no option other than to retire the sail. Try as I might, I could not poke a finger through the sail. But once even a slight rip had been started, it would spread with sickening ease. I grabbed the kevlar line where it briefly exits the sail above the keel. Pulling on the kevlar bare handed, without discomfort, I was able to rip the trailing edge seam open from tip to tip. Other than using a knife to cut through the heavily reinforced areas, I removed the entire sail by just grabbing and ripping. The sail was not uniformly weak. Some areas would show a reasonable amount of tear resistance, making me wonder if I was doing something crazy. Then I'd get to another weak area where the sail would tear with only the gentlest of pulls. I could tell no difference in appearance between the strong and weak areas. Surprisingly, the only visual signs of UV damage that I found were inside the double surface. As I was opening up the double surface pocket I found that I was getting white dust on my clothes and hands. It was only evident where the sail did not regularly rub against itself or the bag, such as inside of the

FEBRUARY

1987

I !

leading edge where it is formed by the mylar. I assume this dust was from degradation. There was not much of it, and I wouldn't have spotted it if I hadn't had that whole section of sail ripped open and brushed against it. (In fact, only several weeks previously I'd had the sail off the frame for an inspection and hadn't noticed the dust.) Given that I could not poke a finger through an undamaged portion of sail, I believe that I could have flown the glider for many more hours without incident, so long as it was subjected to only normal flight loads without the presence of any rips or holes in highly stressed areas. But I'm also convinced that any deviation from that ideal case could have resulted in sudden and catastrophic sail failure. A small rip unnoticed during a preflight or a batten broken from severe turbulence may have been all that was necessary to n1rn a tight sail into a flapping bedsheet. Sorry as I was to lose my "new" diver, I'm glad to have found the damage when and how I did. Beware, UV damage does exist. If those colors aren't as brilliant as they once were, they may be your only clue that your sail is not as strong as you think it is. Richard Cobb Blacksburg, VA

SELLING OLD STANDARDS Dear Editor, In a few issues of your magazine I've seen ads in the classifieds for old standard Rogallos. Seeing as how we are trying to promote safety in the sport, I don't think we should allow people to advertise these things. A beginner might buy one because it is the only thing he can afford and injure himself. Kamron Blevins Bothell, WA

GLIDER EVALUATIONS Dear Editor, I am writing in hopes that you will be able to provide what I feel is a much needed service. After flying my Comet 1 for the last six seasons I'm convinced that '87 is the year to buy a new glider. I've noticed the trend has been to produce the fastest, best LID machines possible, which appears to have been done at the expense of handling. I've not been willing to buy a glider that makes me competitive in the Regionals but that I won't

enjoy flying the rest of the year. So, rather than any more glowing evaluations, what I'd like to see is comparison testing between a Sport and a basic Sensor, or between an HP, a Sensor, a GTR and a Magic 4. I'd like you guys to stick your neck out and tell us which glider is better at LID, top speed, handling or landing. Michael O'Leary Oklahoma City, OK

The problem is not that we are unwilling to stick our neck 0111, but that modern gliders are very similar and it is difficult to get truly objective data. So far, no one seems to have fig11red out a consistent way to measure hang glider performance. I think that if yo11 'II look at 011r recent Pilot Report articles you 'II find most of the information you 're after. Our authors have been comparing gliders of different make and model, and, I feel, have been very straightfonvard about giving their subjective impressions on handling and performance, for whatever it's worth.-Ed.

OLD MAGS Dear Editor, I have a collection of old Hang Gliding and Gro1111d Skimmer magazines, through June of 1975, for sale to the highest bidder. The proceeds will go to the Sylmar, CA landing area preservation fund. Rome Dodson 8520 Burnet Ave. Sepulveda, CA 91343 (818) 892-9890

PARACHUTE SYSTEMS Dear Editor, The conventional hand deployment parachute system provides security to many hang glider pilots. How reliable is it? I have heard about, and observed many parachute deployments since parachutes were first intraduced. My estimate is that half of those deployments tangled on the glider and never fully opened. Most broken gliders spin. The spinning glider will usually snag the parachute system, unless the bag has been thrown far enough to clear the ~pinning wing tip. A successful throw might be difficult to do if the bridle is shorter than 20 feet. Assuming the bridle is attached to the center of gravity, and the span

5


AIRMAIL of the glider is .34 feet, the bridle would need to be at least half span or 17 feet. Most pilots attach the bridle to the harness webbing with tape. This is three feet of bridle that will not extend until canopy opening. I think another three feet of bridle is necessary as a safety margin for clearing the wing tip. So, this makes a total bridle length of 23 feet. The pilot needs to throw the bag far enough to tension the bridle and release the bag locking stows. If the throw is weak, a spinning glider might snag the bridle, which could deploy the chute before it is clear of the glider. This brings up another problem. On many bag systems, a hard throw can break the locking stow rubber bands and release the chute from the bag before the throw is completed. This problem is a result of having the bag opening opposite the bag handle. Increasing the size and strength of the rubber bands would solve this problem, but would create another problem. When the bridle reaches extension, the bag locking rubber bands should release the locking stows under light tension and could be deadly if they do not release. The perfect sized rubber bands should be used on this system. One parachute system currently on the market has two sets of locking stows on the bag. One set releases the lines, and then the inner set releases the canopy from the bag. This type system won't blow out from a hard throw, and it also protects the lines and reduces the chance of an entanglement. The bridle material needs to be strong, abrasive resistant, and resistant to ultraviolet degradation. Type XVIII material is popular and appears to be very adequate. Its disadvantages are that it is bulky, stiff, and possibly more resistant to deployment. If a successful parachute deployment is to be achieved, a good throw cannot be overemphasized. More important than the power put into the throw is the direction of the throw. First, the bag must miss parts of the glider in order to retain the full velocity of the throw. Second, the easiest and safest direction to throw the bag is at the horizon. The horizon is relatively easy to find whether spinning, tumbling, upside down or right side up. Another basic problem of deployment is finding the bag handle and being able to get t~e ba_g out of the container under terrifying, d1sablmg and disorienting circumstances. Some of you will be real surprised when you find out that you cannot get your bag out. The sticking power of the velcro or the amount of velcro can be reduced to allow for easier opening. To prevent accidental openings, a locking pin system can be put on the container

6

and bag handle. To be prepared for a parachute emergency, pilots should practice deployments over and over, until the procedure becomes automatic. Until near perfect parachute systems are developed, and everyone has one, we all need to be better prepared for an emergency. Charlie Baughman

LANDING PRONE Dear Editor, I was very impressed by Dennis Pagen' s Accident Report on Stewart Smith's accident (Nov. '86 issue). I was particularly impressed by the fact that we also lost one of our finest (World Class) pilots in Mexico, about a year before, under somewhat similar circumstances. There were no direct witnesses of the accident in that case, but it looked from the air like he did a fine landing, except that he did not move afterwards. He was found with massive brain damage after probably hitting a boulder in the landing area, his glider almost untouched. I had an accident myself years ago that invalved sink in the landing area and a stall ~fter trying to go over an obstacle. I was flymg prone but reacted unconsciously and fast enough to get in a standing position, try to flare, and hit the ground feet first. The impact broke both by ankles and I wore casts for a couple of months, but I don't want to think about what could have happened If I had stayed prone. This brings me to my point, which is that many pilots may not be getting in a standing position high enough. (This may have had nothing to do with Stewart Smith's accident.) I see everyday, here and in the U.S., pilots flying prone to the very last moment, then standing up for a final flare. Although you do lose some maneuverability by standing up, I would think that not doing so, say below 60 ft. above the LZ, is at best risky. First, it's always better to contact the ground feet first in case of unexpected conditions. Second, if a stall should occur at all, you may be able to flare _rushing upwards on the downtubes aggress1vely enough to get some parachuting effect. No being an expert, I would certainly appreciate some discussion on this topic. Jose Zarco Colima, Mexico

HIGH FLYING IN MONTANA Dear Editor, This letter is about a dream come true and a new flying site in Region 5. In late August of last year I met Bob Combs through a friend of a friend. In September we pioneered a great new mountain, Ellis Peak, Montana - elevation 9,600 feet. It has launches in nearly any direction from 1,000-2,800 feet AGL. In two flights I soared about 2-1 /2 hours; my longest flight prior to this was 15 minutes. Bob has flown all over the world and he says Ellis Peak is one of the best places he has ever flown. There are miles and miles of good landing areas all over the place. Anyway, I guess the point of this letter is to let the rest of our flying friends know that in 1987 Region 5 is going to be recognized as having some of the best flying in the country. Monte Ellick Grant, MT

BACK TROUBLE Dear Editor, I am writing this letter out of concern for pilot safety in an area that doesn't get much exposure--the lower back. I have been flying a 180 Duck with which I have been having a long running argument about who's the boss on landing. I suffered my last ''beak'' in August and am recovering from a ruptured disc in my back. In May I had had a bad landing in a borrowed 205 Sabre, that wasn't that bad, but which apparently started all the back trouble. I have been wearing a light-weight AXO kidney belt when I fly, in an effort to offset the stress of a bad landing. Up until August it seemed to work well. With all the odd lifting and twisting we pilots do, not to mention bad landings, doesn't it make sense to make some kind of back brace standard safety gear? The unit I wear is light, inexpensive and available from most good bike shops. Tim Kelly Daedalus HG Club (412) 733-2262

Hang Gliding welcomes letters to the editor. Try 10 make your letter concise, and please submit it typewritten and double-spaced. If typing is not possible, please print double-spaced. -Ed.

HANG GLIDING


16018- 68th.Avenue CT. E, 98373


UPDATE Business Credits For The Month of December 1986

Place Business Name

No. of Memberships

I

Mission Soaring Center

15

2

Lookout Mountain Flight Park

9

3

Eagles Nest Kitty Hawk Kites E Windgypsy

4 4

4

Chandelle Flight Realities

3 3

5

Hang Gliding Ctr. of San Diego Maui School of Hang Gliding Pinecrest Air Park San Francisco Windsports Windsports Int'!.

2

Aeolus Airplay'N Hang Gliding School Desert Hang Gliders Hang Glider Emporium Hang Gliders West Hawk Air Sports Mountain Wings Sauratown Kites Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Ctr. Treasure Valley Hang Gliding

I I

6

4

2 2 2 2

l 1 1 1 l 1 1

I

PARAGLIDER

Pacific Windcraft, Ltd. is proud to announce the Paraglider, a foot-launched square parachute that promises to bring the fun of sport aviation to a new sector of the public. According to Pacific Windcraft President Jean-Michel Bernasconi, the Paraglider presents an excellent opportunity for people to get involved in sport aviation at a low cost. Mr. Bernasconi also pointed out that hang gliding schools can gain additional income through sales and instruction of the Paraglider, and can use the Paraglider as a "first flight" vehicle for people who would otherwise not be drawn into hang gliding. Foot-launched parachutes are outselling hang gliders by a ratio of three to one in Europe, he

8

noted. The Pacific Windcraft Paraglider boasts a nine-cell, medium aspect ratio canopy which inflates easily, yet produces good performance. Its docile launch characteristics make it perfect for teaching the sport of paragliding. The Paraglider package, consisting of the canopy, lines and harness seat with integral backpack and accessories pocket, weighs only six-and-a-half pounds and retails at an attractive price. It is in stock and ready for immediate delivery. The Paraglider is certified in Switzerland, the only country which has a certification program for foot-launched parachutes. Contact: Pacific Windcraft (408) 422-2299 or Telex: 4944863 PACWIN. Inquiries may also be mailed to Pacific Windcraft, P.O. Box 4384, Salinas, CA 93912. Dealer inquiries invited. MAST AIR RECORD ATTEMPT DOCUMENTATION

In the December Updates section there was an item about the Mast-Air flight recorder which claimed that it could be used as a replacement for a barograph in record attempts. To our knowledge no request for such authorization by the PAI has been requested by the manufacturer. Certainly no such application has come before CIVL. At the present time, the only official method of certifying a record attempt for hang gliding is by the use of a barograph plus official observers. The problem is the possibility of falsification of data by any other method. It appears that anyone with a little programming experience and a computer could reproduce the printer output of the device with made up data. Since a barograph trace is created real time and is supposed to be installed and removed under the supervision of an official observer, it is difficult to fake the results. With changing technology, other verification methods could be approved but again, to our knowledge, no such request has been submitted.

FACE 1D FACE

A photographer for National Geographic took pictures some time ago of Eves Tall Chief flying Yosemite. One of those pictures of "Chief," a wingtip perspective with Half Dome in the background, has been included in an international exhibit entitled "Face to Face." The exhibit is part of a cultural exchange with the Soviet Union and after being on display at the United Nations building in New York, will travel around to several cities in the U.S. and eventually end up in the USSR.

FRANCIS ROGALLO INDUCTED -

INTO NC SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Francis Rogallo, inventor of the flexible Rogallo wing and considered the father of hang gliding, was recently selected to be included in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Under contract for NASA, Rogallo, an aeronautical engineer, developed the flexible wing design. He later encouraged the use of the invention for recreation and competition. Today, North Carolina is second only to California in hang glider instruction. Rogallo is also in Funk and Wagnall's dictionary, an honor shared by no other member of the Hall. Rogallo is a resident of Kitty Hawk.

TANDEM TOWING ICPs

Greg DeWolf of Fly America in conjunction with Delta Wing Kites and Gliders and Airtime of Lubbock is traveling around the country offering a selection of seminars. Included are class 1 and 2 tandem certification, the Airtime of Lubbock truck towing seminar and the instructor certification program. The combination of tandem, towing and instruction blend well into a unique program that is interesting to instructors as well as pilots of all skill levels. Bill Bennett of Delta Wing is sponsoring Greg on the road by supplying

HANG GLIDING


UPDATE tandem gliders and a vehicle, while Jerry Forburger of ATOL is supplying the truck towing system and support equipment. In January two clinics were presented, one at the ATOL Annual Airfest in Lubbock, TX and the second in Tacoma, WA in conjunction with the FAA Safety Symposium. Another towing seminar is being hosted by Pat Denevan of Mission Soaring in San Francisco on Feb. 7-8. Individual seminars are $125/person with discounts available for multiple seminars. Shops, clubs or individuals are paid for hosting the clinics. Contact: Greg DeWolf at (213) 596-7642, Bill Bennett at Delta Wing or Jerry Forburger at (806) 745-6039.

ANNUAL HANG GLIDER PARACHUTE CLINIC The Cross Country Tow Pilots Assn. is sponsoring its first annual hang glider parachute clinic. It is scheduled to take place from noon to 6 PM on Sunday, February 15, 1987 in Hangar 1, Glenview Naval Air Station, Glenview, IL. The clinic will include a practice deployment, hopefully under simulated emergency conditions, followed by a repacking session under the control of a U.S. Marine Master Rigger in the Glenview NAS Parachute Loft. Pilots wishing to participate are urged to bring their own flight harness and chute. All are requested to bring along their own printed repacking instructions, if available. All hang glider pilots, their friends, prospective students and others interested in hang gliding and parachuting are welcome and encouraged to attend. There will be a minimal charge of $15.00 for the clinic. For more information contact Peter Birren, Secretary XCTPA, (312) 640-0171.

DEALERS' ASSOCIATION A Dealers' Association Meeting will be held February 16, beginning at 9:00 AM at the Hang Glider Emporium, 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, CA. All dealers and manufacturers are invited to FEBRUARY 1987

attend. Topics to be discussed during the meeting will include instruction techniques, business recordkeeping, professionalism and public relations. For further information, please contact (805) 965-3733.

HORSESHOE REGULATIONS The Lone Pine Hang Gliding Center in cooperation with The United States Forest Service, Mount Whitney Ranger District, announce the operating plan for the Inyo National Forest hang gliding launch at Walt's Point. (Commonly known as "Horseshoe.") Horseshoe has gained popularity to the point where over-crowding and traffic congestion at the launch have become a severe problem. For the 1987 flying season (May 15, 1987 to September 15, 1987 inclusive) a new approach is being tried. The launch site is relatively small, so only 24 gliders will be allowed to set up at any time. These spaces may be reserved in advance. This is not to say that only 24 may fly, rather that the excess will have to wait until space is available to set up. Parking will not be allowed at the launch, nor on the road by the launch. Parking is available .2 mile up the road at the trail head. Loading and unloading of gliders and gear at the launch will be allowed, if done in a timely manner. A full-time monitor will be in attendance to enforce these regulations, issue permits as needed and to act as witness for record attempts. All pilots must be members of the USHGA, rated advanced or qualified intermediate (or Foreign equivalents) and have a valid permit in his/her posession to use this launch. The Forest Service does not issue these permits. Fee for the permit is $3.00 per day per pilot. This may be arranged in advance by writing for a reservation. No phone reservations are available. Advance reservation request start date is March 2, 1987 and end date is May 1, 1987 inclusive. Your USHGA membership number and non-refundable fees of $3.00 (U.S.) per day per pilot must accompany the reservation request. Reservations not postmarked within this time span will be returned. Alternate

dates should be included with the request. In the event of requested dates being full, the request and fees will be returned. Accepted reservations will receive confirmation and their permits by return mail. Checks must be made payable to the Lone Pine Hang Gliding Center. Advance reservations are available from: Horseshoe Reservations, P.O. Box 540, Lone Pine, CA 93545.

MINI-CARABINER SAFETY NOTICE USHGA has recently offered a minicarabiner for sale. The following safety practices should be observed: DO NOT use the mini-biner for flight suspension. DO NOT wear or use the mini-biner on your lower body while flying; accidental entanglement in flying wires is possible. A notice to this effect is included with each mini-carabiner shipped.

PACKSADDLE NOW OPEN The Packsaddle Soaring Assn. has just signed the lease on Packsaddle Mt., near Austin, TX for the 1987 season. This is a member-leased site and membership is limited to the first 50 pilots. Dues are $135. Contact: Mark DeMarino, 6354 Limestone, Houston, TX 77092 (713) 956-6147.

Calendar May 9-10: Second Annual Women's Fun FlyIn/Demo Daze at Ed Levin near Milpitas, CA. Small and medium sized gliders to demo. USHGA membership required. Contact: Lynda Nelson, 210 Calderon Ave., Apt. 2, Mountain View, CA 94041. July 3-12: Owens Valley XC Classic. Con tact: Tom Kreyche, P.O. Box 1535, Bishop, CA 93514 (619) 873-8367 Sept. 17-20: International hang gliding film festival, St. Hilaire Du Touvet, Isere, FRANCE. Contact: 38720 Saint-Hilaire Du Touvet. Tel. 76 08 33 99.

9


USHGA Chapter Newsletter

Hang Gliding Safety Quiz by Brad Kushner

S.

Hang loop has abrasion damage. The only spares you have are either 3" too long or 3" too short. However, you have a brand new harness that matches the shorter loop.

T.

One or more of your safety pins for your wing nuts are bent and have become loose.

U.

Your helmet has a crack in it.

Reprinted from the Newsletter of the Chicago Hang Gliding Organization You're at a mountain site with your modern hang glider. It's windy, but not too windy for your skill level. A gust grabs your glider and flips it before you can catch it. When you get your glider upright again you give it a thorough preflight inspection. Which of the following will be fixable on site? Which will make you pack up your glider and go home rather than fly? [Note: "Slight bend" means, for our purposes, that it can be restored to shape without any evidence of weakening.] A.

One-inch tear on leading edge two ft. away from nose plate.

B.

One-inch tear on trailing edge two ft. from keel.

C.

Slight inward bend of left leading edge behind crossbar.

D.

A straight aluminum batten is slightly bent.

E.

A curved aluminum batten is slightly flattened.

F.

One batten at or near the wing tip has poked through its batten pocket.

G.

One batten at or near the wing tip has poked through its batten pocket. The hole is the full width of the batten pocket.

H.

Half-inch creased dent on leading edge 6" from nose plate.

I.

Half-inch creased dent on leading edge halfway between nose and crossbar.

J.

Half-inch creased dent on leading edge one ft. from the wing tip.

K.

Slightly bent bolt at leading edge/crossbar junction.

L.

Nose plate is dented.

M. Slight bend in down tube of control bar. N.

Small dent in down tube of control bar.

0.

Slight bend in base tube of control bar.

P.

Side wire of lower side has evidence of one broken strand. It is constructed, as usual, of 7x7 stainless steel cable for a total of 49 strands.

Q.

Side wire of upper side has abrasion damage to one of the two nico press sleeves on that side.

R.

Training wheel, 12" M&M shaped, has large dent in it.

IO

QUIZ ANSWERS A.

It's usually OK to fly. Small tears on the leading edge rarely spread. Singe the border of the tear with a big lighter. Have all tears repaired professionally.

B.

GO HOME. A tom trailing edge can spread forward with severe results.

C.

GO HOME. A bent leading edge will cause a glider to turn toward the bent side. It's best to replace it.

D.

It's OK to fly. Thu can straighten a batten without too much trouble.

E.

GO HOME. Unless you carry your batten pattern template with you, you should not attempt to "eyeball" a correction to curved batten shapes. If you are even slightly off, you can severely affect the stall characteristics and handling. Don't fly until you've re-profiled your battens against a factory template sheet.

H.

?*

I.

GO HOME. A crease in this location or on the crossbar can fail catastrophically. Replace. Do not repair this kind of damage to tubes.

J

?*

K.

GO HOME. Do not ever straighten a bent aircraft bolt no matter how good it may look. It is much weaker after bending and straightening. Replacement on site is permissible, but only with an aircraft bolt. Make sure it is long enough so that the nut shows exposed bolt threads or the wing nut exposes the safety pin hole. Long bolts may require extra washers.

L.

Usually OK to fly. A dented nose plate is OK as long as it does not distort the relationship of the keel and leading edges that it holds together.

M.

?*

N.

GO HOME. Never fly with a dent in the down tube or with a down tube that has been bent but not properly restraightened. S-curve down tubes will not fare any better than dented down tubes because they carry compression loads like the crossbar.

0.

Usually OK to fly. The base tube is under tension in flight. A slight bend that has been properly straightened is not hazardous.

HANG GLIDING


USHGA Chapter Newsletter GO HOME. The lower side wire is the most heavily loaded component of your glider. If it is not in perfect shape replace it before it fails. See "Safe Working Life of Hang Gliding Flying Wires" (Oct. '86 issue of Hang Gliding magazine).

T.

OK to fly if you can beg, borrow or steal extra safety pins. Another alternative is to replace a wing nut with a lock nut. Never fly with an unsafetied wing nut!

Q.

?*

U.

R.

Usually OK to fly. Dent can be pulled out by drilling or punching a hole in it and then inse11ing a nail or similar object in it for leverage. However, be sure to double check the base tube. Any impact hard enough to affect the wheel probably bent the base tube too.

GO HOME! A cracked, weak helmet will not protect you well enough. Think of it as driving your car in the rain with bad brakes. Always use a well-fitting helmet. Premium helmets such as Bell only cost from $50 to $70 and are more likely to see use than your reserve parachute. BUY ONE.

s.

OK to fly. Replace the hang loop with the one that is 3" .too long. Loop it several extra times through the carabiner to effectively shorten it. Do not tie any knots in a hang loop ever/ This decreases strength by almost 50%. Don't be tempted to use the new harness/hangloop combination unless you're very experienced and have tried a wide variety of equipment combinations. A mountain flight in windy conditions is not a good time to experiment with any new equipment unless you are a solid Hang III or bet-

P

r I i-

r,, . f

ter. Unfamiliar equipment, including harnesses, is a major contributing factor to our accident statistics every year.

Now, what about all those questions with (?*). These are all grey area damage problems that you will be tempted to fix and fly. I will stress now that any damage should be repaired, without exception. Many pilots elect to fly with minor dings and they will probably not have any accidents caused by these blemishes. If you are considering flying with these or similar problems, seek advise first. It is better to go home if in doubt.•

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USHGA REPORTS DIRECTOR ELECTION RESULTS

Let's report the simple news first. All our unchallenged incumbents retained their seats on the Board. This includes Ken Godwin in Region 1, Robert Collins in Region 8, and Paul Rikert in Region 12. There were three regions in which directors chose not to run for re-election. In Region 2, Jay Busby swept the 22 %· return as the single candidate. In Region 3 a choice of three candidates spurred 26% to vote, with Walt Dodge netting a 7 % margin over Steve Koji. A closer race emerged in Region 4, where no candidate came forward in time to be included on the ballot. Write-in candidates abounded. Robert Buxton of Flagstaff, Arizona, was elected and 30 % of the region balloted. The most exciting races took place in Regions 7, 9, and 10, where incumbent Directors ran against motivated and qualified opposition. Region 7 felt strongly enough about their election to involve 37% of the members in polling! John Woiwode retains his seat in Region 7. Region 9 offered the most choices, four candidates, and saw the only defeat of an incumbent. Jeff Sims of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is the new Region 9 Director. Region 10 saw the closest race in the country, with Dick Heckman holding his office by a slim margin. Thirty percent of the Region voted in this race to the wire. Some of the newer USHGA members felt deprived of an opportunity to vote, even though they conscientiously completed and returned their questionnaires. Regions 5, 6 and 11 have only one Director's seat which is filled for two-year terms in odd-numbered years. Region 8 does the same in even-numbered years. Overall interest in the director election helped generate a high return of ballots and questionnaires. The survey tabulation appears elsewhere. Many of the comments made on this year's survey will help us serve you better in the coming season.

12

ANSWERS TO LETTERS Some survey comments and mail to me over the last months had to do with USHGA answering and returning your submissions to the magazine columns. Specific letters to staff are answered as quickly as possible. General letters to the magazine and unsolicited manuscripts, articles, poems and photographs are returned when a self-addressed, postpaid return mailer is provided. Due to the sheer volume of mail and only a single pair of hands on the magazine "staff," sometimes the letter or photos get set aside in the "do later" stack. If you need specific materials returned, and did not include a return mailer at the time of submission, take this opportunity to participate in our spring cleaning. Send a letter now describing the materials to be returned and the postpaid return mailer and we'll do our best to get your items back to you promptly. SPRING BOARD MEETING The spring Board of Directors meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in Boulder, Colorado from February 28 through March 2, 1987. Members are invited to attend, observe the general sessions and participate in working committee sessions through the weekend. Special room rates are available at the Holiday Inn for reservations made prior to Feb. 12, only $42 per night regardless of numbers of persons sharing the room. When making reservations tell the Holiday you are with the hang gliding meeting. Weeknight rates are $23 higher. Whether attending or not, members are welcome to submit items to the Board for consideration at this meeting. Written submissions for agenda items should reach the USHGA office by February 15. USHGA CHAPTERS We receive several inquiries through the year on how a club may apply to become a USHGA Chapter. The process is straightforward. A club must submit a copy of their current bylaws, a list of current officers, a roster of members' names and addresses including the USHGA membership number, a list of

flying sites with rating requirement and flying rules. Clubs are required to have a percentage of their members be USHGA members. The USHGA percentage must be at least the percentage of members required to change the club bylaws (typically 51 %) . There are several benefits accruing to affiliated Chapters of USHGA. These include purchasing selected merchandise items in quantity discounts, special news coverage in Hang Gliding, the political leverage in negotiating as a local representative of the national body, the privilege of purchasing insurance for site landowners and special assistance from USHGA staff. If your group would like to affiliate as a Chapter of USHGA, please feel free to contact the office.-CB.

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HANG GLIDING


landing Approaches Take 2 article and illustrations ©1987 by Dennis Fagen Winter has settled across the North American continent; thermals are anemic and the chilly air precludes any exceptional flying. Now is the time to review your techniques of the flying season past and prepare for the flying season to come. To assist you in your musings, we offer this second look at landing approaches.

SELECTING THE BEST APPROACH Rob McKenzie's article on landing approaches in the November issue of Hang Glinding was excellent. I would like to add some flavoring to it here. Rob describes two distinct methods - the standard aircraft landing approach (downwind, base and final) and the figure eight approach. I strongly recommend that all pilots become adept at using both methods as well as a combination of the two (downwind and base legs followed by figure eights before entering the final leg). What is implied here is that neither of these approach methods will suffice in all conditions. Here are the exceptions: In light winds with higher performance gliders or in nar-

row landing fields, the figure eight approach is ill-advised. Higher performance gliders tend to be slow to respond (due to adverse yaw), especially during roll reversals. Trying to perform reversing turns of 220° heading change when obstructions abound can leave you dangling from a tree or power line with a snarl on your lips. With a narrow field (lined by trees, for instance) it is dangerous to wander too far to either side of the field when performing figure eights in case a slight misjudgement or lurking patch of sink again leaves you stranded in the branches. If you don't wander too far, then your figure eights may be short enough to tax the capabilities of even the best handling gliders. In both of these cases I recommend using the downwind, base, final approach. The other exception is high winds. In this situation the great difference in groundspeed when flying upwind or downwind precludes using the downwind, base, final approach because it becomes very difficult to judge where to turn. I recommend the figure eight approach in this case.

OBJE-CT /16 VE:5 CONSTANT

LANDING APPROACH RULES Let me summarize my personal rules for landing approaches: 1) Use downwind, base, final approach for all landings in restricted fields in winds under 15 mph. 2) Use a figure eight approach for all restricted fields in winds over 15 mph. 3) Use any combination of approaches in unrestricted fields. Unrestricted landing fields offer a good opportunity to practice the various approaches. Of course, the definition of a restricted field varies with the skill and equipment of the individual. The best advice is to proceed with caution - leave plenty ofleeway - in your approaches until your skills and judgement are perfected. The 15 mph windspeed may vary with the individual, but some such determining windspeed should be established. Remember, the stronger the wind the less you have to turn to maintain your position over the end of the field. Also remember that in fields surrounded by trees, thermals may drift to the end of the field and create lift, sink and tur-

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FEBRUARY

1987

13


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bulence. In this case, a figure eight approach at one end of the field may not be desirable.

SMALL LANDING FIELDS This brings us to our second main argument. That is, a downwind, base, final approach is the best method to use in turbulent or thermaly conditions with small landing fields. The reasoning behind this is the requirement to make fewer turns and spend less time turning in wing-lifting air. To meet the requirement of controlling your altitude and getting into a short field, I recommend using slipping/diving turns. With this method I have been able to land in a much shorter distance in a tree-lined field than with the figure eight approach. Slipping/diving turns are discussed in a later section. JUDGING HEIGHT The final point I'll make concerning landing approaches deals with the height judgement. It is very common for pilots to have trouble judging when and where to direct their ground path or make their final turn. Such judgement is impossible to acquire by looking straight down at the ground since the three methods the eye uses to judge distance - triangulation, relative size and relative motions - do not work in this case. Triangulation is only useful up to about ten feet from our eyes, and we have nothing to compare the ground or the tops of trees to in order to get a fix on their distance from us. Another problem is that of looming. When we are high, the ground seems to approach us (from our point of view) very slowly, but 14

DOWNWIND

as we get lower, the same descent rate results in a much faster apparent approach. This is due to the fact that an object of a given size expands exponentially in our field of vision as it approaches at a given rate. This is shown in figure 1. The solution to these problems is to judge angles - something the eye can do - not distances. To see what I mean, look at figure 2. Here you see a downwind, base, final approach with the pilot judging the angle from the desired landing spot. The judgement is a continuous assessment, although the cardinal points are when the pilot is abreast of the spot on the downwind leg and at the two turn points, A and B. Use a 30° angle beside the spot in an unobstructed field and a 45° angle with slipping/diving turns when tall obstructions line your landing field. The angles at points A and B will vary with the wind velocity and your glider's performance. You must learn them yourself for the different conditions. Obviously, some practice is involved, but practice these judgement skills in non-challenging situations (big fields, light conditions) so they will be well-honed before they are required.

SLIPPING/DIVING TURNS As mentioned earlier, slipping/diving turns are used to control altitude. Normally, I call these turns slipping turns, but the average pilot can probably best visualize them by imagining a diving turn. The truth is, due to the fact that we have no direct yaw control on our gliders, when we slip we turn and dive so a slipping turn is a diving turn. A word of caution is in order here. A slipping/diving turn can lose a lot of altitude

fast and build up a lot of speed equally as fast. Furthermore, as you produce such a turn your change in heading lags behind your actual flight path direction. This is shown in figure 3. It takes practice to know when to pull out of the turn so as to produce the desired heading. A final warning: pushing out when you are in the midst of a slipping/diving turn will result in a rapid (and possibly undesirable) change of heading as the glider tries to coordinate. Despite all these warnings, I think that slipping/diving turns can be performed safely and are so useful that every pilot of intermediate skills or better should know how to use them. To perform such a turn, simply pull in and move to the side of your control bar. The more roll control applied, the more altitude you will lose per degree of heading change. The more pull-in you apply, the more the glider will seem to steer into the turn initially, since you'll have more yaw stability to begin with. The way to learn slipping/diving turns is to try them first at altitude with various amounts of bank angle and pitch control. Try reversing them and pulling out on a preselected heading. You'll find that these turns are eminently controllable and you'll gradually gain the confidence to use them close to the ground. Slipping/diving turns are most useful with the downwind, base, final approach method to control your position as you enter the final leg. I often combine turns A and B in this approach to produce a sweeping 180° turn that may lose 50 to 100 feet to get me through tree top turbulence, wind gradient and the uglies that grab at a wing if my final HANG GLIDING


glide is too slow. These turns may also be used on the final tum of a figure eight approach. Over the past couple of years I have seen a number of tree landings and a few crashes (that would have been better as tree landings) performed by pilots making poor landing approaches. Talking to these pilots after their mishaps usually revealed that they didn't know how to judge their height and didn't have a fail-safe system that they could move from one site to another. They were trying to approach each landing as a separate problem and therefore could not draw on the judgement they had previously acquired. The key to consistent safe approaches is to practice the techniques Rob and I have outlined and develop a consistent method that you can apply to all landing fields. That method is both downwind, base, final and figure eight approaches according to the conditions. The winter season is a good time to learn these techniques so they are at your disposal when the spring thermals start booming.•

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FEBRUARY

1987

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USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066


by Bob Thompson hen yon'rc hot you're hot! And when you're not, you're not. This can be said of both the pilots and the weather in Arizona this past X-C season. Overall, there were far fewer X-C flights this year in Arizona than last year. However, ' ' Jim Grissom managed to beat the odds (and the weather) more lhan anyone else, ending up on the top of the stack, along with last year's champ Hans Yup this year's Class ended in a tic, and a new state distance record of 179.l miles. And, once again, low saves and massive sink holes were instrumental in determining the standings. Indicative of the more than usually funky weather arc numerous factors: (l) Arizona weather statistics show a near··recorcl number of Monsoon clays; (2) fewer flights over 100 miles were recorded than last year; (3) none of the pilots entered in the 50-Milc class exceeded 50 miles, (4) yet three pilots still managed to equal or beat the previous state distance record. Two produced long flights worth 16

noting for the contest--June 12 and July 6. early June, Russ Douglas and new wife Tammy were over from the Bay area to try for some long X-C's. The first days didn't work out too well with crummy weather and then the clutch Jetting go in their Toyota. The 5th looked to be a super clay, but neither Hans nor I eonld get away from obligations and Russ and Tammy were stuck with a rental car and no rack. I managed to get away for the 6th and we used my truck for chase, although it did not have the same radio setup that Tammy and Russ were used to. Up to Mt. Elden we went, and after a few scratching saves (I got down to about 100 feet AGL about 8 miles out, and Russ had to ridge-soar Merriam Crater for a while) high cumulus began to form and we were on our way for sure. Fifteen to eighteen thousand feet were easy altitudes to hold until we got to the Oraibi "hole" ahead of the clouds. For over an hour wc scratched and clawed at the air to stay aloft, finally being rewarded with the blue hole popping a few puffy cu's and lift

back to 16-18,000 feet. Lift was abundant for the next 100 miles, and a new route was pioneered through Black Mesa. The hour of flailing and scratching around in the low, hot altitudes tired Russ in his HP more than it did me in my Sport, and then various radio failures (radios are Russ' s forte) conspired to help us get low near Rock Point. Russ landed a few miles east of there giving him a distance for the clay of 153.50 miles. I continued a little farther, hooking a nice 500 thermal, drifting with it, climbing, looking down towards Cortez, Colorado, and dreaming of200 + miles. It was only 4:30 PM, cloudbase was about 18,000 feet, and I was climbing out at the 165-milc mark. Once again, I made the terrible mistake of thinking I had a 200-milc flight in the bag. And, once again it was not to be. At about 12,000' MSL I got slammed around like a rag doll. Heading back a bit I found the lift again, but it was rapidly drifting back the wrong way. A quick radio check to Tammy confirmed my fears-a wall of strong north-cast wind had stopped HANG GLIDING


OPPOSITE: Bob Stout 10,000 feet above the LZ his flight to second in the 50-mile class. Photo by Bob Thompson. LEFT: Hans and Jim Grissom celebrate after winning flight. Photo by Meng Heydrich. the rainbow. There BElDW: were a few to all the monsoon weather this year. Photo by Bob Thompson.

my progress. The line of clouds that stretched to the northwest, southeast, and in front ofme was not just more convective lift, but compressive. With the bar stuffed I plummeted forward and down to eek out as much distance as possible; 165 .49 miles was the final result. It's hard for most folks to imhow someone can fly 165 miles (a personal best and tie for the state record) and feel robbed, but I can. I would think that Tudor might too, after exceeding the 200-mile barrier several times this summer, but still falling short of his intended goal. l knew 165 miles would probably not be enough to keep first place, especially when considering the caliber and abilities of other pilots in Arizona. Sure enough, July 6 provided another op·· pmtunity for a long flight. Russ was now back in California, but many of Arizona's best were at Elden. There was a lot of wind that day and getting up was time consnm· and hard work at first. Hans and Jim found a good thermal at the west end of the mountain, zipped up to cloudbase, and headed out. Thermals on the cast end, where I was, were more numerons, but seemed to shred at lower altitudes, and as Hans, Jim, and the chases were heading out, so did I, nailing another low save at Koch Field. Arriving at Merriam Crater at 13,500', and with Hans and Jim 4,000 feet lower and only a few miles in front of me, I felt confident that we'd soon be together and a long day would be in store for all three of us. I was right----sort of. They started chattering about the horrible sink and radioing their chase drivers, FEBRUARY

1987

Meng and Alice, that a landing was imminent. About that time I began to plummet, too, and looking around, conld sec others below and in every direction doing the same. Last year there was a national convention of vacnum cleaner salesman just north of Flagstaff that sncked me to the ground when I was ahead of Hans, and this year I thought I'd play it smart(?) and let him try the lead. Wouldn't you know it, this year there was an INTERNATIONAL convention of those guys at Merriam Crater, and they brought the newest super-duper high suck models! My Ball vario pegged at 1,500 + down, Bob Buxton's Colver was at 2,000 + down, and everyone seemed to be free-falling. For a minute I felt as if I threw my chute it would have accelerated my sink rate. Five of us hit the ground within a few miles of Merriam, a glide (?) ratio for me of about . l: 1. Fortunately for Hans and Jim, what goes down en mass (if you are talking about air) must also go up. With hands on the down tubes and out of their pods, they smack-

ed into lift while on final for landing. And did they ever go up! From 5,000 feet to 16,500 feet in about four minutes. Their radio chatter abont "the most incredible thermal ever" certainly didn't help my mood. By the time I settled down and got my battens out Hans and Jim were passing over Orabi, 50 miles away. It was going to be a very long day, distance-wise for them, and waiting to hear, for me. Sure enough, it was a long day for all ofus. Hans and Jim earned their long flight, getting up from low saves several more times. Their landing zone had a bit of irony. Both landed in the same place, and it was the same place I had landed two years earlier the Tome residence in the Navajo Reservation, a few miles short of Shiprock, New Mexico. (I flew from Sheba Crater in 1984 so their distance was greater.) At 6:50 PM Dave Tome and family watched Hans and Jim land on their driveway and exclaimed, "Didn't yon land here several years ago?" The obvious answer was, "No, that was 17


DEL1A WINli

Accessories another pilot who is back in Phoenix shaking his head." Their flight calculated out great circle to be 179 .1 miles. I was destined for third place again. I would like to point out that this flight was no fluke. Hans and Jim had several other 100 + mile flights in northern Arizona, and Jim also set two other site records, 98.S miles from Oatman Mtn. and 85 miles from Shaw Butte. Both pilots were HOT when they flew. Jim flew a lot, Hans missed most of June due to work commitments, and I was unable to fly with them most of the days when conditions and specific sites were happening. Besides that, I flew poorly much of the season this year. The "50 Mile" class pilots had a very tough time this year with no one ''breaking out" of the class. On the very last day of the contest Steve Farnsworth landed, exhausted, after horsing his Sensor 510VG for 36.25 miles to win the class. Bob Stout made a test flight on an Eclipse 185, coming in over the 26-mile mark at 10,000 feet, but with 15 miles ofunlandable wilderness and a strong cross-wind ahead he decided to land, giving him second place. and Mike Boyle scooted over Mingus at 9,000 feet to outrun a massive oncoming storm front, landing his C-2 165 at the 17-mile mark to take third place. Kurt Ziegler made his first ever X-C attempt, heading out in his Mystic from Shaw Butte with Hans and me, landing at the 15.7-mile mark for fourth place. Several other flights of note were made by pilots who had not previously flown very far. Ray Olroyd flew his Duck 180 67. 1

miles from Yarnell, and Dave Smith got 44.5 miles in his Sensor the same day that Steve Farnsworth made his winning flight. Neither Ray nor Dave entered the contest. And last, but not least, John Kemmeries flew his GZ 40.95 miles from Mingus. He was entered in the contest but had no witnesses. In retrospect, having fun and doing our individual best is what it is all about. Hans, Jim, and Steve won the contests, but I'm sure Kurt is just as proud of his 15 + mile flight, Larry Kovach was pleased with his 77-mile foray, Don Jones was excited with his 75-mile flight to Kohls Ranch, and 165 miles was certainly nothing for me to scoff at. Awards were handed out at the November meeting of the Arizona Hang Gliding Association. Hans and Jim each earned 40% of the pot money and were presented a gorgeous new Flylite Delux harness by Wills Wing, I about broke even with winnings of 20% of the pot for third, and in the "SO Mile" class Steve Farnsworth won a snazzy new "Skywatch" wind speed meter from Pacific Windcraft and 50% of the pot for first place, Bob Stout won 30% of the pot for second and Mike Boyle 20% for third. All six placing pilots were presented with beautiful custom wall plaques and every entrant in both classes got a contest T-shirt. One final note: Peter Brock should be ecstatic about the results. With Hans as a co-winner flying a UP-GZE, Ultralight Products gliders have been in the winner's circle for six straight years-a remarkable feat. As the saying goes, "Come on next year!"•

FINAL RESULTS

OPEN CLASS 11 pilots entered 1. "Magic" Jim Grissom Hans Heydrich 3. Bob Thompson 4. Larry Kovach 5. Don Jones 6. Jim Whitelaw

179.1 miles 179.1 165.49 77.27 75.52 69.2

Magic 4 VG 177 UP-GZE 160 Sport 167 Eclipse 171 Mystic VG 167 HP 170

AIRSTREAM HARNESS The low drag profile harness leatures: • Adjustable C.G • Faired parachute & ballast container • Ad1ustable loot stirrup. • Custom sizes to lit all pilots. • Large choice of colors. ......_____...__ ___. • Price . S340 ROMER HELMET Made by German manufacturer with over 125 yrs of experience. it was designed to provide a light weight helmet that gives maximum proteclion • DOT approved • Exe. temporal protection • Special ear openings. • Made ol polycarbonate. • Available in Y. 0, While. • Price. S 75

~------.J

HIGH ENERGY SPORTS "BUS" PARACHUTE High quality chute designed lo withstand highspeed openings. • Built to TSO standards. • All seams reinforced. • V tabs at each line attachment. • Type XVIII bridle rated at 6000 lbs • D,ployment Bag w1cont ....__ _ _ _ _ __.. • Price. $395 BULLET BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEM The bullet 1s a ballistically (spring) deployed chute that is easily attached to any glider. It virtually eliminates any chance of chute entanglement • Fast deployment time • 18 gore chute • 20.4 · canopy • Tola! system wt. 3.3 kg • Price .$545 ,__.......,_ _ _ _ _ __, DEL TA WING TRAINING WHEELS. A must for all beginner and novice level pilots no more sudden stops with these high impact. urelhane landing wheels Prevents injuries to hands. etc. . Less chance ot damaging your glider with a hard landing. • Lifetime guarantee. • Dealers inquire about additional vol. disc • Price. . .$40 INSTRUMENTS Ball 620H Vario/Audio . .$280.00 Ball 651 Vario/Audio-Allimeter w/10 IL steps .. $495.00 Ball 652 Vario/Audio-to It. Altime1er-A1rspeed .. S590.00 Retrofit Airspeed to Model 651 . $130.00 Ball 670 Airspeed, 2.25 inch. 70 mph . . .. $125.00 Ball M-20 Wrisl mounled Audio/Vario . .$200.00 Ball M-20 w/earphone jack. . .$250.00 litek VE 12 wrist mounted.. . .$169.00 Lilek VE 12 w/earphone jack . . ... $179.00 Lilek VE 7 .. $169.00 Litek VE 35. S198 00 Roberts Vario & Alt . .$295.00 Hall Windmeter. . .S 21.50 MISC, MATERIALS & SUPPLIES Delta wing T shirts . . .S 8.50 Golf shirts . . .$ 12.50 Streamline tubing-1" x 2\'i' X .058 wall. . .S 7.50/h. lnstabushings-1 11,". Ha ... 1'/a" .S 2.00 Order 100. . .S 1.00 lnstabush insert for boll . . . .$ .20 Della Wing slacks all Progressive Aircratt parts & accessories.

H','.

v,·

See your Della Wing dealer nearest you or contact:

50 MILE CLASS 12 pilots entered

DELTA WING

1. Steve Farnsworth 2. Bob Stout 3. Mike Boyle 4. Kurt Ziegler

18

36.25 26.11 17.10 15.71

Sensor VG

Eclipse 185 C-2 165 Mystic

Box483 • ,. ,, VAN HUYS, I · ., ' CA 91408 ! , 818/787-6600 ., . Telex 65-1425

DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

HANG GLIDING


VG: VERSATILE GLIDER

Pilot: John Coyne Photo: Bob Trampenau

THE PH FACTOR

NEW B FAMILY MEMBER

We're talking about what makes up performance and handling, not acidity. Some manufacturers may have it backward, but most of them have been coming around to our way of thinking. They're using variable geometry these days, or a raised king post suspension point, and a progression of sailcloth that is heavier or stiffer at the trailing edge and lighter or softer in the forward body of the sail. Low twist and therefore performance is obtained by the trailing edge doth of the sail. These are ideas that Seedwings and the Sensor 510' s have been using for some years. No matter how you add it up, in sum total the B model sensor scores the highest in the performance-handling equation.

Responding to customer request, Seedwings' designer Bob Trampenau introduces the new 3/4 Race 510 B with the in-between sail and performance many pilots have been asking for. Easier to fly than the Full Race version, the Easy 3/4 Race's handling pressures are nearly as light as the Standard's, the one the Hang 3 pilots, ladies and occasional flyers have been raving about. And the Easy 3/4 Race has a VG, the original pilot-operated device that supercharges glide ratio and top speed yet tames the handling for landing. No other glider offers you so many options or model choices as the Sensor 510 B. Versatility is what a Sensor 510 B is all about. No other company offers as much, in research and development, in performance, in handling, in quality, in real product value, in customer satisfaction and pride of ownership as Seedwings .

It makes you wonder - what will the other manufacturers think of next? Curved wingtips, keel fins, variable geometry?

SEEDWINGS DESIGNS The advent of airfoil ribs with arrow shaft aft sections and the use of steel trailing edge reflex cables did much to promote performance, handling, safety and stability in hang gliders. That's why things like raised suspension points and tail fins are important. These ideas may not be new, but their successful use is an innovation that benefits the sport. For instance, most manufacturers offer faired uprights as a performance option for control bars . Did you know that they're hardly more efficient than round down tubes if they're not "toed in" correctly? And did you know that only Seedwings offers them at the proper streamlined angle? Why fly an old-fashioned design that's trying to catch up and offers you less for your money? Buy the one that's got it right the first time!

SEEDWINGS

YOUR CHOICE OF CERTIFIED MODELS AND SAILS FULL RACE 510 B V.G. - Includes: a 4.5 oz. calandered trailing edge with Kevlar in the hem, four half ribs per side and round control bar up rights. $2895.00.

3/4 RACE 510B 160 SAIL AND V.G. - Includes: a 4.5 trailing edge with dacron cord in the hem and your choice of half ribs . $2695.00. STANDARD 510 B 160 - Includes: a 3.8 and 4.0 oz. sail with a dacron cord in the trailing edge hem, streamlined king post, nose cone and tail fin. Price starts at $2595.00. This January's starting delivery time is approximately four to six weeks, so please call and order your new Sensor 510 B early.

• 5760 Thornwood Dr. #3 I Santa Barbara, CA 93117 I (805) 967-4848


photo by Brian Grelcn

by John Stokes

I

have always wanted to do aerobatics. A smoothly executed wingovcr or a half roll with a snap turn is a sight to behold. With the advice of experts J want to learn aerobatics at my own pace. I recently got an unplanned start in my education. It was a beautiful day. The dogwoods were in bloom on the mountainsides. Conditions at one of my favorite sites, Lookout Mt., near Chattanooga, were nearly perfect. The temperature was in the mid 70s after a low in the 40s. With a good lapse rate and a northwest wind at 10··15 mph, cross-country flights seemed inevitable. the time I had set up five gliders were flitting around cloudbase, some 6,000 feet above the mountain. Spectators were crowding the edge, oohing and gasping as pilots took their turn launching off the sloped concrete ramp. Winds are consistent enough to necessitate a wire crew to get the gliders safely into the vertical air. I checked my glider, a C-2 165, and other

20

equipment. I made the decision to get in line behind the other lemmings, before the available people to wire crew dwindled to a seven-year-old boy and his sixty-seven-year-old grandmother. Only three more gliders to go. The guy with the Sensor yelled "clear!", and within ten seconds had climbed to 100 feet above takeoff. The next person had the same good fortune and soon she was rapidly climbing out. At this point several of the pilots who were helping launch these first two decided to go for their gliders. A new crew took their place. The pilot before me completed his hang check, and with the help of the wire crew moved into launch position. Winds were shifting slightly as a thermal rolled through, and the left wire man yelled, "I've got up!" The right wire man said that he had "neutral." I saw that the wing was down and yelled to the pilot, "No, no your right wing's down!" The pilot didn't hear me. Once

again the left wire man called "up" the right wire man said "neutral." I finally screamed, "YOUR RIGHT WING'S DOWN!" The pilot finally looked back, balanced his wings, and had an uneventful takeoff. Now it was my turn. I did a hang check and glanced at my instrnmcnts. Then the wire crew helped me move glider closer to the edge. The winds were again shifting and I waited for a good, straight cycle. Meanwhile, I watched a fellow in a C-2 hook a thermal 1A-mile in front of launch. Soon he was over the mountain with 200 feet to spare. Everything was set. The winds were straight in at 12-15 mph. A guy held each wing wire and one held the keel, to keep me from being sucked off the edge of the ramp. I instrncted everyone that my launch word would be "clear." Everything was understood, I thought. The glider felt good as I it up and tightened the straps. The streamers were straight. "Neutral," "neutral," and " looks good," came from the crew. "Clear!", I shouted, the next two steps took me into the longest five seconds of my life. (The ly time that seemed longer was when I said "I do.") The next thing that happened was a 90-dcgrcc right wingover. I didn't even have time to utter the international pilot distress phrase, "Oh, All I could blurt was "Whoa, Whoa, WHOA!", as if I had expected the ride operator at the fair to stop the Tilt-AWhirl. I couldn't level the glider, and the flight was about to terminate with a 180 back into the cliff. Time, at this point, began to erawl. What was one or two seconds seemed like 15-30 seconds. This gave me enongh reaction time to flare the C-2 into some small trees at the cliff's edge. I landed, without a scrape, in four trees. After a minute, people from launch, including Eric Thibault, a fledgling pilot who had come with me, arrived. While was waiting I had time to analyze my crash. I was confused. Did I get my left wing high and then gusted over by a thermal? With over 60 windy cliff launches had I become eomplaccnt? Eric climbed the small tree I was holding on

HANG GI.IDING


SAFETY FORUM to and helped me unhook for a short five-foot drop to the ground. One of the first things he said was, "This crash wasn't your fault." I said, "What do you mean?" He replied that the right wire man had held my wire too long. "In fact," Eric continued, "it looked like he was shooting a bow. Your right wire recoiled, and the next thing we knew you were in the trees!'' This day I was lucky. My guardian angel was alert and there was minimal damage to my glider (some bent battens and a bent defined tip, most of which was damaged extracting the glider from the trees). The mishap made me think about being more choosy about my wire crew. The pilot's life is literally in these people's hands. Was the right wire man on the previous launch the same one who caused my crash? I'm not sure, but I don't remember any of the crew changing when I got to launch. I have thought of a few guidelines that may be helpful in preventing future

mishaps like this one. One, make sure the wire people understand your language, not only your native tongue, but your launch vocabulary. "Clear", "now", or "launch" all mean "LET GO OF MY GLIDER!'' Since my incident I have heard of another where the wing man did not let go of the glider until the pilot, glider and said wingman had launched and 180ed back into the cliff. (The wingman and pilot received a little unexpected and unwanted tandem experience.) Two, if you are the wing person and spot a problem, notify the pilot immediately. If your wing is showing a lot of up or down yell at the pilot and tell him/her that this is so. One such case occurred at Lookout a few years ago. I was the wireman on the left side and felt a lot of down pressure. I kept yelling to the pilot, "I've got down! I've got down!" He must have thought that I meant a down vest or jacket, because to my disbelief he yelled "clear!" I let go

and watched him 180, unhurt, back into the mountain. I told him, as I helped him out of the trees, that I kept yelling "down!" He said "Yeah, I heard you, but it just didn't register." Either he was very nervous on takeoff, or he was flying before he put his harness on. The third and last guideline concerning the wire crew is that it might be wise to either wait for more qualified pilots to help you or wait for a lull and hope you get up. There have been many cases in which pilots have gotten into trouble using spectators for wire crews. I can't overemphasize clear communication with the crew. Make sure all understand the launch word and when to let go. My intent in writing this article isn't to chastise anyone, but to pass on information that may keep others from repeating my mistakes. Remember these guidelines and they may help prolong your flying career. Now, to do a wingover, first make sure you have plenty of ground clearance and ... •

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Washington Res. Add 7 9% Sales Tax. Dealers Inquire

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

1987

21




USHGA PRESIDENT

USHGA Member Survey Results lnJ Russ Locke As of the middle of December all the questionnaires received have been tabulated and the results are loaded into the spread sheet below. The makeup of the individual regions is as follows:

6) Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma &

7) 8)

I) Alaska, Washington & Oregon 2) Northern California & Nevada 3) Southern California & Hawaii 4) Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico & El Paso, Texas 5) North & South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska & Wyoming

REGION

9)

10)

2

11) Louisiana & Texas 12) New York & New Jersey Because of the way the questions were asked this year, I was able to show most of the responses by individual region. All but a couple of the foreign pilots returning forms were Canadians. The column labeled 2-3 is the summation of regions 2 and 3. Likewise, the column labeled 1, 4-12 is the summation of all the regions minus regions 2 and 3. I've been curious the last couple of years as to how much California, which makes up roughly 39% of the USHGA, skewed

Arkansas Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota & Iowa Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts & New Hampshire Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland & Pennsylvania Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Mississippi & Virgin Islands 4

5

6

7

8

10

11

12

Region Population

345

1237

1098

598

115

147

333

427

616

441

163

494

No. of Forms Returned

97

273

274

169

39

39

119

80

180

132

32

93

Percent of Forms Returned

28.1

22.1

25.0

28.3

33.9

26.5

35.7

18.7

29.2

29.9

19.6

18.8

FOR

16

2-3 1, 4-12 USHGA 2335

3688

6023

547

980

1527

23.4

26.6

25.4

Average Years Flying

7.9

6.1

6.5

6.7

5.8

7. l

8.2

6.8

6.5

7.2

7.l

6.3

5.0

6.3

7.0

6.7

Member's Average Age

35.5

33.5

35.1

32.9

32.l

35.5

35.4

33.9

34.5

34.7

33.4

36.2

32.4

34.3

34.5

34.4

34.3 42.9

30.6

32.7

30.3

31.2

37.5

42.3

51.0

48.0

Average Yearly Salary ($K)

28.2

3l.6

33.7

29.8

25.7

27.5

29.0

29.9

32.0

3l.3

30.3

Percent of Members Married

55.4

42.0

42.7

42.5

46.2

54.1

53.2

46.8

50.0

60.3

53.l

Average Total Airtime (Hours)

276

251

365

348

205

169

204

157

112

ll8

218

88

75

310

191

233

Average Airtime in 1986 (Hours)

36

29

43

41

22

18

19

17

22

14

14

22

36

24

28

28

Average No. of Flights in 1986

36

57

47

45

33

41

42

41

36

33

41

36

38

52

39

43

Percent of Female Pilots

6.2

8.8

7.0

7.7

7.7

2.9

2.5

5.0

6.3

2.3

0.0

8.6

7.9

5.3

6.3

Percent of Non-USHGA Members

18

9.5

14

20

22

9.5

14

8.5

11

18

14

9.5

ll.O

14.0

13.0

Percent of Unreported Accidents

21.9

22.1

15.2

17.l

26.3

23.7

18.3

19.0

17.2

16.7

12.9

12.4

Percent of Parachutes Repacked, l986

63.0

58.2

68.5

60.0

53. l

4l.2

54.4

57.1

17.2

53.0

48.1

39.2

28.6

18.7

18.0

18.2

63.6

53.8

57.5

Magazine Centerfold

l.2

l.3

1.4

l.2

1.3

1.3

1.3

l.4

1.3

l.2

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.3

1.3

1.3

Product

1.5

1.7

1.7

l.6

1.7

l.6

l.6

l.8

1.7

1.7

l.6

1.7

1.6

1.7

1.6

1.6

Technical

1.6

1.6

l.6

2.1

l.6

l.7

l.6

1.6

l.6

l.6

l.4

1.6

1.8

1.6

1.7

1.7

Training

1.7

l.6

l.8

1.7

1.6

1.6

1.6

l.6

1.6

1.7

l.6

l.6

l.8

1.8

1.7

1.7

Personal

1.7

l.8

l.8

l.7

l.6

l.7

1.8

1.8

1.7

l.6

l.6

1.7

l.6

1.7

l.8

l.8

l.9

l.8

l.8 l.8

l.6

Letters

1.8

1.8

1.9

l.9

1.9

l.6

l.7

l.8

l.8

1.8

1.8

Milestones

l.7

2.0

1.9

l.7

l.7

2.0

1.8

1.9

1.9

1.9

l.8

2.0

2.0

2.0

1.8

1.9

Cartoons

2.0

1.9

2.0

2.0

l.9

l.9

2.1

2.2

2.0

2.2

2.l

2.3

l.9

l.9

2.1

2.0 2.3

President

2.4

2.2

2.5

2.4

2.2

2.3

2.3

2.4

2.3

2.2

2.l

2.4

2.3

2.3

2.3

Towing

2.6

2.6

2.7

2.4

2.0

2.2

1.7

2.4

2.4

2.3

1.6

2.5

2.4

2.7

2.3

2.4

Ratings

2.5

2.5

2.9

1.9

2.4

2.2

2.4

2.0

2.3

l.8

2.1

2.3

3.6

2.7

2.3

2.4

Competition

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.2

2.2

2.6

2.4

2.4

2.6

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.l

2.5

2.4

2.4

Fiction

2.9

3.0

3.1

2.7

2.8

2.8

2.8

2.9

2.9

3.2

2.9

3.2

3.2

3.1

2.9

3.9

24

HANG GLIDING


USHGA PRESIDENT the averages (the number of pilots residing in Hawaii and Nevada is small). You can draw your own conclusions as to how significant the differences are. Overall, the 25.4% return rate was much better than last year's 19.0% or the 22. 2 % we had in 1984. In general, the regions that had more than one person on the ballot turned in a higher percentage of forms. We have asked whose gliders you are flying in the last three questionnaires and the results are:

1985

1984

Wills Wing ..... 29.2% 29.0% Ultralight Products ..... 19.6% 24.6% Delta Wing ..... 19.4% 9.0% Pacific Windcraft 7.8% 5.6% Airwave ....... 7.4% 5.5% Seedwings ...... 6.0% 5.0% Flight Designs .. 5.3% 5.8%

1986

28% 27% 6% 5% 5% 5% 8%

"We've made guesses for years about the number of pilots who don't belong to the USHGA. This is the first time we asked you what you thought."

still don't have a good handle on this number. We've made guesses for years about the number of pilots who don't belong to the USHGA. This is the first time we asked you what you thought. The percentages reported are very rough, but at least they give us something to work with. We asked you to rate the sections of the magazine using the following scale: 1) Terrific, I always read 2) Good, useful information 3) OK, no opinion 4) Fair, not particularly interesting 5) Poor, waste of magazine space I was somewhat surprised about how little the regions varied from each other throughout the questionnaire. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to fill out the form and send it in.•

FEBRUARY

1987

WHO NEEDS IT? Who needs: - that long drive to the mountains - the right wind direction - the 'rack rash' caused by that road to the top? Who needs it, when I can get more airtime with less hassle from a complete TRUCK TOWING SYSTEM by ATOL.

We Build Our Harnesses & Parachutes to the toughest standards we can find ... our own! /Heavily Padded Shoulders Continuous Webbing sewn with Five Cord Thread Safety Back Strap Faired Glove Box with _./l Parachute Container_......--- 4

It should have been a good year for glider manufacturers since 20. 5 % of you bought a new glider last year and another 15.8% bought a used glider. Next year may be even better since 33.0% of you anticipate buying a new glider and another 11.0% plan to buy a used glider. There weren't any real surprises in this year's questionnaire. The average age and salary of pilots is about the same as has been reported the last two years. 1986 didn't appear to be a particularly good flying year for us since the hours of airtime did not exceed our yearly average (total airtime/flying years) in any region. The number of female pilots dropped to 6. 3 % from the 6.6% reported last year. We probably

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25


,Contact your nearest dealer or Delta Wing today, '


.

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS BEGINNER RATINGS

NAME Will Barrentine Richard Blackmon Steven M. Butler Stephen Cox Dan Leahy Steve Moore Ken Nelson Robert Simmons Robert Trevey Christopher Wilson

CITY, STATE San Jose, CA San Jose, CA Pleasanton, CA Fairfax, CA Fremont, CA Mountain View, CA Fremont, CA Los Altos, CA Los Gatos, CA Mountain View, CA

INSTRUCTOR Jim Woodward Rob Engom Dan Murphy Jeff Mott Dan Murphy Jim Woodward Rob Engom Jim Woodward Jim Woodward Dan Murphy

REGION

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Ralph Bezansow M. Ronald Bottorff Darren Brislawn Mark LaBelle Ricky B. Leatham

San Diego, CA Ventura, CA Orange, CA Poway, CA Torrance, CA

John Ryan Ken DeRussy David Wiese David Wiese Joe Greblo

Valerie Carrroll Steven Howlett Kenny Nielson

Midvale, UT Riverton, UT Logan, UT

Gary Lagrone Gary Lagrone Gary Lagrone

William Polloch

Sun Valley, ID

Greg Black

Robert Kenney

Elkhart, KS

Ron Kenney

6

Scot Tomsic

Hammond, IN

Rob Kreske

7

3 3

4 4 4

Craig Godwin Christian Herrera Karl Kramme Fred Mandilk Olivia Mandilk

San Luis Obispo, CA San Luis Obispo, CA Santa Barbara, CA Grand Terrace, CA Grand Terrace, CA

Achim Hageman Achim Hageman Achim Hageman Debbi Renshaw Debbi Renshaw

3 3 3

Barry Bjork Gunnar Graubaum Robert Porter David Quinlan

Plainville, CT N. Windham, CT E. Freetown, MA Plainville, CT

Alegra Davidson Rob Bicknell Rob Bicknell Alegra Davidson

Buck Barnhill Steven Phillips

Colorado Springs, CO Florissant, CO

Colin Perry Ron Wilkinson

4 4

Mark Milton David Wagner

Boston, MA Cos Cob, CT

Paul Kennedy Alegra Davidson

Danny Bustamante Steve Lady Thomas Laminack Carol Mertes Giulia Tortora

Chattanooga, TN Bristol, TN Union City, GA Lewisville, NC Winston-Salem, NC

Matt Taber Matt Taber Matt Taber Jake Alspaugh Jake Alspaugh

lO lO

Barr Attaway Jerry Elliott Karen Kingsley Ken Waldrop

Annapolis, MD Woodbridge, VA McGaheysville, VA Danville, VA

Roger Coxon Chris Crescioli Matt Taber Mark Kline

9 9 9 9

Jason Reber Scott Viars

APO, NY APO, NY

Gary Elhart Gary Elhart

12 12

William Gielen Bob Hartzell Tony Laminack Leonard Lee

Kill Devil Hills, NC Largo, FL Union City, GA Temple Terrace, FL

Rob Bachman Matt Taber Matt Taber Matt Taber

10 10 10 lO

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCTOR

Dianne Bates

Spokane, WA

Larry Strom

Andy Boyer Bill Brady Diane Dupree Deborah Johnson Tim Mathison David O'Hara Sigrid O'Hara Marcy Reynolds Kip Shaw David Shore Dave Stringham David Waller

Santa Rosa, CA San Francisco, CA Salinas, CA Oakland, CA Berkeley, CA Aptos, CA Aptos, CA Palo Alto, CA KCNP, CA S.N.P., CA San Jose, CA Cupertino, CA

Jeff Mott Charlie Whitehill Chuck Staedler Charlie Whitehill Karen Schenk Chuck Staedler Chuck Staedler Charlie Whitehill David Bowen David Bowen Jim Woodward Dan Murphy

FEBRUARY 1987

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

OBSERVER

REGION

Jerry Block

Bethell, WA

Darren Fox

Roman Scheidel Stephen Scheidel Edwin Stern Louie Ward Robert Hanes

Vista, CA Vista, CA Stockton, CA Santa Cruz, CA Fresno, CA

John Ryan John Ryan Gary Lagrone Rob Engorn Connie Lee Bowen

2 2

Harald Pieschmann

Monterey Park, CA

Erik Fair

2 2

Brandon Chancelor Russell Irwin

Denver, CO Tucson, AZ

Russell Gelfan Erick Smith

4 4

2 2 2

William Loudermill, Jr.

Fairmont, WV

Dan Demaree

9

Arjen DeGooijer Bert Strick

Utraecht, Netherlands Loosdrecht, Netherlands

David Bowen David Bowen

FOR FOR

NOVICE RATINGS NAME

10 10 10

REGION

2 2

2 2 2 2 2


RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS ADVANCED RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

AWARDS OBSERVER

REGION

Ed Seager Rick Skirvin

Vancouver, WA Spokane, WA

Russell Tworoger Larry Strom

Nicholas DeMay Rom Ivicevich

Montara, CA Redding, CA

Harold Dearborn Phil Sergent

Greg Heckman

Chattanooga, TN

Matt Taber

10

Marja Tabush

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Pat Denevan

FOR

BRONZE Don Albanese Scott J. Bostic Larry Brown Vincent Davis Chris Drake Chris Gagliano Mark Gibson Albert Gibson Phil Grubenhoff Faustino Guzman Anthony Mitchings Mike Jablonski James Kale

MASTER RATINGS NAME Richard John Hill

CITY, STATE Lookout Mountain, TN

DIRECTOR Rick Jacob

REGION 10

Stephen Klause Wtlliam LaPlante Ricky Leatham Patrick McAerney James McCallum Shawn McEvoy G.B. McNamee Robert Porter Kennith Sandifer Gerald Smith Dave Swanson Daniel Wilson

SILVER Ron Enck M. Brent Jensen Greg Marks, MD Peer Suhr Christian Titone Adam Trahan

GOLD Patrick Brook James Coan Peer Suhr

EXAMINERS NAME

CITY, STATE

DIRECTOR

Bob Faris

Ft. Collins, CO

Jim Zeiset

Bill Misiaszek

Missouri City, TX

Warren Richardson

REGION

ll

INSTRUCTORS

NAME

CITY, STATE

ADM IN/ DIRECTOR

REGION

Steve Huckert (B)

Tehachapi, CA

Johns/Locke

David Darling (A) William Rickles (B)

Maui, HI Paia, HI

Darling/DeRussy Ryan/DeRussy

Claudia Holbrook (B) Robert Millman (B) Gordon Pollock (B) Richard Puchta (B) Kevin Stowe (B)

S. Jordan, UT Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, UT Cedar City, UT Midvale, UT

Godman/Zeiset Godman/Zeiset Godman/Zeiset Godman/Zeiset Godman/Zeiset

Martin Bunner (B) Brad Kushner (B) Angelo Mantas (B) Ron Trobaugh (B) Albert Whitesell (B) John Woiwode (B)

Zion, IL Waukegan, IL Chicago, IL Portage, IN Middleton, WI St. Paul, MN

Bunner/Woiwode Bunner/Woiwode Bunner/Woiwode Bunner/Woiwode Bunner/Woiwode Bunner/Woiwode

7 7

Mark Frasca (B)

Lambertville, NJ

Pagen/Pagen

12

Advanced (A) Basic (B)

28

I

0 4~!~~BO~~E~~o~!Ef!!~03~!~; MODEL 651 VARIO/AUDIO/ DIGITAL ALTIMETER $495

MODEL 652 VARIO/AUDIO DIGITAL ALTIMETER/ AIRSPEED $590

4 MODEL M20 WRIST VARIO $200

STREAMLINED TUBE ADAPTER

Available from hang glider manufacturers and dealers

HANG GLIDJNG


by Paul Voight this evaluation I'm basieally going to give you my impressions of two of Wills Wing's current glider models, the HP If and the Sport 167. I'll really be talking about four different eritters here, as there are two versions of each model. The Sport is available in the Ameriean configuration (6061 alloy airframe), and the European configuration (7075 alloy airframe), while the HP II can be had in either a stock configuration (clothwise) or in the full "Race-Face" configuration (where exotic cloths are utilized). I've got about 75 hours in various Sports, and about the same number of hours in HP Ils. I've also got a good idea of how a number of other gliders fly, from general observation and from my own test flights, as I am a dealer for several manufacturers. Therefore, I could be eapable of being objeetive, although in all honesty it is not my intention to pretend to be so. But on with the report. All four of these gliders have a great deal in common, so I'll cover these common items first, and then ramble a bit about how each flies. The airframe particulars, hardware, sail mounting teehnique and set-up procedures FEBRUARY

1987

TOP: The Wills Wing Sport. ABOVE: Author Paul Voight.

are the same in each model. The HP II "sports" a little more span, higher nose angle, and thus a higher aspect ratio than the Spoti. Wills Wing has done a great job of standardizing their line of gliders, which I like as a dealer, and which should benefit you, the customer, in that your dealer will definitely be familiar with your machine, and

would find it difficult to get the wrong parts. Another factor that takes the confusion out of working on these gliders is the JOO-page spiral bound owner's manuals that arc provided with each. Excellent text and illustrations give the owner an abundance of information from set-up to flying tips, to the location of every washer in the airframe. These manuals are far superior to any others I've seen, and testify to the thoroughness with which Wills Wing approaches their trade. I'll skip the blow by blow about set-up. They set up typically and well. The distinctive Wills Wing keyhole tangs save some setup time. The cross bar restraining cables, or sweep wires, pull easily from the control bar apex and attach to the keel via a quarterinch bolt and wing nut assembly. The HPs have 31 ribs and therefore take a little while to whap together (but fanatics don't care). The Sport's 21 ribs go in quickly, which allows you to get it off the car and into the air in a hurry. The sail mounting system now used on these gliders is very simple and easy to work with. There is simply a loop of webbing on the end of each wing that loops around a 29


to facilitate sail mount·· is reduced to simply the sail mount off, and adding or shims to get the desired results. With this set-up you can do a tun· in seconds, in the field, without friends, muscles or tools. I like it a lot. The system utiJiz. ed in these is also very con· of a bushed hole about five inches from the base of the airfoil which passes a loop of which acts as the main nr·,.,rr,m·~1P·11 into the system to m1,.,r1,,,·n·m in roll. A "normal" loop is furnished as a back up. have taken measure to protect the main from wear. The post in this system sits on an track, so that the pilot can custom tune his to encc. I think this trick feature makes this post system to all others I've seen. The net results of the system is with real nice, light pitch pressures and somewhat enhanced roll pressures. A great deal of wear I/"""'"""' into each of these models,

selves up while in the This means the should retain their value well, even details. All the stress of overkill. reinforcement

well exceed the minimum ,.,,,·n11rr,,,n,,,ntc the J understand that

initiation.

30

HANG G!.JDING


record structurally, since the introduction of the HP design. These factors, coupled with the knowledge that Wills Wing pumps out all of any given model with a high degree of consistency, gives me a great deal of confidence when flying their machines. There arc very few gliders that resist tumbling as well as these, and probably none that will withstand a tumble better. The ribs can be had in either 6061 alloy, or in 7ITT5 alloy at additional cost. The 7ITT5 material is the stuff you want fc)r your ribs. I own a set for HP's that I had made up two years ago, and they've never needed to be recambered. All of these divers fold flat onto the ground easily, for those windy days, and have detachable luff lines to also help in that endeavor. The inspection/camera zippers in the under surface at the crossbar leading edge junction are also a nice feature. I haven't really used them yet, but I like knowing they're there. A slight tail heaviness is apparent in all of these models, but this is easily dealt with, as it really only applies to static situations. Since these wings fly at very low speeds, they lose their tail-heavy personalities as soon as you begin running or in any wind at all. The reason the tail heaviness was left in was its obvious positive effect on landings. I have demo Sports whose nose fairings are still virgins. They are quite resistant to bcaking over. Lastly (before getting into how they fly), I'll just say that the hardware on these gliders represents the culmination of what has worked best for Wills Wing over the years. It's all simple, beefy, polished and functional. It seems like a lot of effort has been taken to keep things this way. In keeping with this philosophy you won't find any V.G. mechanisms on any of these designs. Wills Wing's position on this topic is that they've seen no demonstrated advantage to incorporating V.G. in a glider design (performance wise) to date. I personally enjoy not having all that string hanging off my glider (since when I do fly V.G. designs I usually am in full tight position anyway). So if you like complexity, pulling strings and wondering if you're in the correct setting for any given flying situation, then these gliders may be too simple for you. But enough of the boring stuff. How do they fly? Let's start with the HP II. This glider is essentially an HP I with the addition of the K.P.H. system idea (which I believe is a Gerard Thevenot innovation from quite a few years ago) and the new SportI1EllRUARY 1987

style sail mounting system. As I mentioned earlier, you can get the HP II in either straight stock or full "Race-Face" configurations. The Race-Face option, aptly named, is an HP II that utilizes an extremely firm trailing edge fabric called L.D.S. metal-finish five-ounce dacron and an exotic kevlar/mylar composite simply known as "tri--lam" on the mylar pocket. These cloths are just plain bomb-proof. The result, in my opinion, represents the state of the art in hang glider performance to date. (We're talking retail hang gliders here.) The glider docs as well or better than anything else out there at slow speeds, and rapidly begins to show more and more of an advantage as speed is increased. In the four months I've been flying one I haven't found anything else that will glide with it. With fifty stompin' hours on mine, the sail still just lightly taps the defined tips in flight, as it did the first day I flew it. This fabric retains its shape better than any I've ever seen. I can't see having to pull the sail any tighter than stock for quite a while longer, which is really saying something, 'cause I'm a glider tweakin' kind of guy. Of comsc, then you have the handling to consider. The glider is a handful. Any handling gain obtained from the K.P.H. (in roll) is negated by the firmness of the cloth. It's not real tricky to fly, but requires conviction, technique, and good anticipation. In light and marginal air the glider is very straightforward. The low speed handling is quite good, and the roll rate reasonable. Making flat turns is easy, as long as you arc accustomed to high siding, and yields an astounding climb rate in light lift. In soarablc, thermally/windy conditions, and on days where the thermals are small, the glider can be a real workout. A good amount of roll pressure can build up when

the wrong technique is used to turn, particularly when trying to turn into lift, or try· ing to recover from being turned away from lift or into the hill. Here's where anticipation is the key. If you stay right on top of it, you're in business. It is important to remember not to pull in while attempting to roll, as this often results in straight flight. A small jab of positive pitch is all that is needed to execute turn initiation in most cases, and sometimes it pays to really flail the bar over and out. The bottom line is you have to be a competitively or acrobatically minded, current pilot to justify owning a Race-Pace. l fly three times a week at least, fly in meets, and am into acrobatics, so for me it's just fine. If you understand, and are willing to deal with the fairly demanding nature of the handling of this glider, then you too can have the most performance available on the retail market. The stock HP II is simply the same glider in normal cloth. My demo flies very well, and exhibits lighter handling than the best HP Is I've flown. The top end may be one or two miles per hour less than the Race-Face, and the glide just a hair less also, but the performance still rivals, if not betters, everything else out there. Launching and landing either of the HP IIs is very straightforward and predictable. The ground handling on launch is easy, and the tail heaviness/glider weight is just something to deal with. Landing is simple, requiring a bit more field than most gliders. Excess air speed on final converts into miles of ground effect, so the good slow speed handling comes in handy for landing in short fields. Personally, I like lots of ground effect. It gives me more time to anticipate Hare timing, while also allowing me more time to adjust my progress toward the bullseye. Neither the Race-Face nor the stock HP

The Sport planform. 31


WILLS WING SPORT+ HP II 0 = Lousy GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS Set-up Time Ground Handling

10 = Exceptional HP II

HP I

HARRIER

COMET I

9

6

6

IO

7

9+

8

8

9

5

SPORT

Static Balance

8

7

7

9+

9-

Frame Finish

10

10

IO

IO

9

9

IO

9

Sail-Work - Under Surface Top Surface

8.5

10+

8

10

8

9

FL YING CHARACTERISTICS Glider Weight

10

6

6

10

7

Handling - Low Speeds

9+

8

7.5

10

5

Handling - High Speeds

8.5

7.5

7

10

8

Bar Pressure Roll

8.5

8

7

9

7

Bar Pressure - Pitch

9

10

9

9

4-

Roll Reversals (45o.450)

9

8

7

9

7

Yaw Stability

8.5

6

6

9

8

Turn Coordination

9.5

7

6.5

9.25

9.5

Speed Range

16-51

20-60 +

"

16-46 ±

16-48 ±

Sink Rate Performance

10+

10+

9

9

Glide at 25 MPH

10

10

"

8.5

8.5

Glide at 35 MPH

9.5

10

"

6.5

7.5

Glide at 45 MPH

9.0

10 +

"

3

6

Landing Ease

9

8.5

"

7

6

Mushability

9

9

"

7

8

Parachutability

9

8.5

"

7.5

7.5

Tolerance of Mistimed Flares

9

8

"

6

6.5

All references from article author Paul Voight. The "grades" for all models are based on his hook-in weight of 180 pounds. II can be made to fly very slowly, efficiently. Although the gliders fly well, well below best sink speeds, there isn't a lot of incentive to do so. They like to cover ground and do best when allowed to. This is real handy for long X-C glides in light sink and on windy days, but can sometimes be annoying when everyone else is parking in an eighteen mile per hour "wonder wind," and you can't. Even with the enhanced handling (over the Race-Face), I view the HP II as a serious pilot's glider. It's for frequent fliers who demand top-of-the-stack/out-in-front-in-a-race performance. It's not for the once a month recreational flier who enjoys good handling. That's where the Sports come in. The Sport is an excellent choice for those pilots who are looking to get into high performance without sacrifice. From my obser32

vation, the Sport achieves the highest performance available in a glider that still retains very nice, light, predictable handling. Regardless of perfonnance, I haven't flown any other gliders that are as sweet handling in the last few years. Regarding performance, I'd say that only the HP II's and the competition Sensors convincingly outperform the Sport. At speeds under 35 miles per hour the Sport is as hard a glider to top as any. Again, as previously mentioned, you can get a Sport in one of two styles, American or European. The European option utilizes the European manufactured 7CJ75 alloy tubing in the airframe, which is used in thinner wall thicknesses because of its superior strength. A significant (six pounds) weight savings is the result. This alloy has been the subject of quite a bit of controversy since its introduction. Personally, I feel that the stuff

is outstanding. I've bent pieces of American and European tubing, hit both with hammers, and inspected both after salt water flying, and the 7Cf75 is simply more resilient on all counts. I have witnessed two separate incidents in which pilots januned 7(f75 leading edges in on sideways crabbing landings, and no damage resulted from these "pole vaults." In both cases, I'm sure that 6061 would have yielded and suffered permanent deformation. Whether or not the availability of the European tubing will be a problem in the future is too speculative for me. I know Wills Wing has already suffered availability problems due to damaged shipments and incomplete orders, which held up quite a few orders earlier this year. Now they are stocking the material in quantity, and pledge continued availability in the future. I believe the material will become more prevalent in the HANG GLIDING


hang gliding industry in the future, after it passes the test of time. So how does the European fly? Like a sweetheart. Its light weight and tight wires allow for easy ground handling. Launching is easy and very forgiving of sloppy technique. Once airborne, the straightforwardness and responsiveness of the handling, coupled with the very light bar pressure makes the ship just a pleasure to fly. The glider is just about self-coordinating, so even low airtime pilots achieve long, high flights when demoing my Sport. And unlike some other gliders that are optimized for handling, the Sport still performs. Last season I flew a Sport in the Region 12 Regionals, not by choice. (I sold my only HP just before the meet.) I won the meet (to my surprise) against a field of HPs, Sensors, and Magics, in a variety of light conditions, against some no-slouch pilots like Dennis Pagen, Mark Bourbonnais, and Marty Beckenbach. I attribute this to a decent amount of good luck and my ability to work light lift close to the hill. No real bar stuff racing occurred, which seems to me very realistic, since in normal recreational and XC flying we just don't spend much time stuffing the bar. Hence, there are very few situations where the Sport is at a disadvantage to the "competition" ships. Sink rate is 70 % of the game, handling 20 %, and glide the last 10 %. The Sport excels in all these categories, with glide at high speed being its only deficiency (when compared to "competition" ships). Landing the Sport is also a treat. It does ground effect for quite a while, but is forgiving of mistimed flares, parachutes well, and

rarely beaks over. Sports like to drop the tail, not the nose. The Sport American, with its American 6061 airframe, behaves very, very similarly to its European brother. It feels heavier, by a bit, and also feels more tail heavy than the European model. In flight the only difference that I can detect, handling-wise, is a bit more tendency to remain in a turn (slower to roll out), although we're talking minute differences here. I also feel the American Sport is better suited for aerobatics, as its stiffer airframe allows for better energy retention. Obviously, the 6061 airframe material will never be a problem to replace, and is considerably less expensive to replace, so this is an important consideration.

SUMMATION Now to condense my opinions on these gliders in a thousand words or less ... The HP II Race-Face is the performer in hang gliding right now. Its speed, glide, climb and sink rate are outstanding. A seasoned, exerienced pilot is required to extract these qualities from this glider. An inexperienced or infrequent flier would have a miserable time with a Race-Face, and could very well get into some serious trouble with this machine. For aerobatics, this glider is also the definitive choice. At the 1986 Grouse and Telluride meets, the aerobatic contestants almost exclusively flew HPs. The only loops I've seen people do in the last eighteen months were done in HPs. This glider is for the competitive or aerobatic, drag-conscious, serious XC type

SPECIFICATIONS SPORT

HP

Area

167 sq. ft.

170 sq. ft.

Span

33' 6"

34' 5"

Nose Angle

124 degrees

126 degrees

Aspect Ratio

6.7

7.0

Glider Weight

65 Amer., or 59 lbs. Eur.

70±

Pilot Weight

140-210

SAME

Pilot Skill

Hang III

Hang IV

FEBRUARY

1987

pilots. The stock HP II represents a good choice for those who want ultra high performance and are willing to sacrifice a little handling. The performance is probably about 2 %-3 % less than the Race-Face, while the handling is 10 % better. There are certainly ships out there that handle worse without the performance yield, so if you are willing to accept a bit of stiffness in handling, in order to achieve performance, then you may want a stock HP II. The Sports, either of them, represent the best choice available in a high performance, recreational flex wing at this time. They do everything well, and are just plain fun to fly. I personally like the 7ITT5 European airframe, and feel that the six pounds is worth the extra $200. Lastly, we can discuss the prices of these gliders. (See price/fact sheet.) The prices are up there. As an East Coast shop owner/ dealer, I find this to be the biggest (only) problem with these gliders. It's hard to convince customers to let go of nearly $3,000 (glider, shipping, tax, packing, etc.), particularly when they drive $500 VWs. So I tell them why I'm currently flying Wills Wing. First, I've had good luck with my personal Wills Wings in the past. Secondly, I feel that an owner of one of these gliders will hold on to it for a good number of years, making the price a little more reasonable. Third, since Wills Wing is the largest company in the United States, getting parts wherever you are now and wherever you may be in five years from now will be no problem. To me, this is a paramount consideraton. Lastly, from a dealer point of view, Wills Wing is a pleasure to do business with. They're not perfect, but when they screw up, they do everything possible to rectify the problem. In closing, the glider buying decision is yours. My opinions are just that - opinions. Test fly anything you intend to buy. Research the manufacturer of any glider you are contemplating owning. Will they be around five years from now? Also, research the certification or certifiability of any glider you 're going to hang yourself from. Then and only then can you make the right decision. I wouldn't be surprised if you choose a Sport or an HP II.• Prices as of January 1987 - Including Customers Choice of Colors Sport American ............... s2500° 0 Sport European ............... s2700° 0 HP II ....................... s2soo 00 HP II Full Race Face .......... s2900° 0 33


by Geoff Loyns 1985 I set myselt a target of 1,000 miles for total cross country distance. I actually managed to fly 895 miles and, sinee I am lueky enough to own a barograph, earned an FAI Silver Award in the proecss. I always like to have a goal to aim for, so in 1986 my target was 1,500 miles total XC. 'Ib help with this, in April, I bought a new Airwavc Magic TV with all the tricks and a Ball 652 Flight Deck, the one with total energy, digital altimeter and air speed indicator. On May 7 this new combination had its first notable XC of 16 miles from Mt. Diablo to north of Livermore (Northern California). On May ll, also from Diablo, I landed in Marsh Creek open prison but was allowed out for good behavior. May 17 produced a IO-miler from Diablo. Memorial Day weekend I went to my favorite place in all the world to fly, the Owens Valley. On May 24 I was second to launch from Horseshoe Meadows road at 10:45 AM. There was a light north wind which did not help, as that's the usual XC 34

TOP: The Sierra wave on July 7, 1986. Photo by Geoff Loyns. ABOVE: Larry Tudor (left) and author Geoff Loyns. Photo Paula Hatzenbuhler.

direction. The first guy off scratched a lot and went down. I could not get above launch altitude (9,200') until I had flown around to the north side of the second bowl, about three miles. Things improved rapidly and I

was soon able to cruise north along the Sierras, between 10,500' and 12,000', only bothering to get higher to cross the valley to the White Mountains. The Whites were as awesome as usual, even this early in the season, and it was tough staying below 15,000'. I left Boundary Peak which is at the north end of the Whites, at 13,500', to work my way down to land at Janie's Ranch, Nevada. l was feeling the effects of my first dose of high altitude this year, plus, they have a wind sock and it is 102 miles from takeoff. l was in the air for 5 hours 35 minutes; this was the first 100-miles from Horseshoe this year. Three other pilots arrived later. The next day, May 25, the wind was light and southerly. I launched at 10:30 AM. Lift was stronger. The flight up the Sierras and across the valley to the Whites was routine, but turbulence in the Whites was horrendous, so I flew down to land after white knuekling it for about 10 minutes (Is that where they got their name?) for 55 miles in three hours, 45 minutes. HANO GLm1Nc;


On May 26 I had gone to the Owens with Pat Page to show him the ropes. I had had two good flights, so I offered to drive for him, as we had no driver this day, but he declined and offered to drive for me. My plan was to fly up to Bishop (about 65 miles), as it was on our way home. I launched from Horseshoe at 11:05 AM. There was a light southerly wind; it was a magic day (that's where the glider got its name). Four hours 10 minutes later I was heading north from Boundary Peak, at 14,300', with at least another 100-miler under my belt. I was down to 10,500' at Basalt, then took one up to 16,000' and glided the next 30 miles with dolphin flight in a blue thermal street to the town of Mina. I was down to 8,000' at Luning and got a nice one off the dry lake bed, back to 12,200'. This was now my final glide, landing after 7 hours 15 minutes about seven road miles south of Gabbs, Nevada, about 158 miles from takeoff. We got back home to the south Bay at 4:00 AM. What a weekend - 315 miles, 16 hours 35 minutes air time in three flights. The first week of June I went to Arizona with Russ and Tammy Douglas, looking for some of their big miles, but the weather did not oblige. On June 3 we flew 15 miles from Mt. Mingus but were stopped by a strong head wind associated with a cumulo nimbus. On June 5 we had a 7,500-foot height gain from Shaw Butte, an 820-foot hill in the middle of Phoenix, and flew about 28 miles to the Verde River. We had to come down from 8,000' to land as there were no roads beyond. June 8, flying with Russ and Bob Thompson from Mt. Elden above Flagstaff, we climbed to 14,200' but only went 25 miles as we had to fly cross wind (which was strong) to stay in touch with a road. I decided to go back to the Owens. Russ and Tammy stayed, their weather improved and both Russ and Bob made big flights from Elden. Russ got 154 and Bob about 10 miles more. On June 10 it took me 3 hours 30 minutes to fly from Horseshoe up to Big Pine (49 miles), so I landed to save my strength for &.better day, which that evening I noted in my log book. "4!ne 11 was that better day. There are five categories of FAI official World Hang Gliding Records. They are Open Distance, Altitude Gain, Distance to a Goal, Out and Return and Triangle flights. The Goal record was set on that great day, July 13, 1983, from Horseshoe to Luning, 146 miles (when many other records were taken). I declared Gabbs Airport, Nevada as FEBRUARY 1987

my goal and launched from Horseshoe at 10:20 AM. Conditions were perfect strong lift and a good southerly tail wind. My lowest point was 8,500' after crossing the valley. The Whites were not yet their booming selves. As I was making such good time, I was there a bit early. Things improved steadily and I was up to 14,000' by White Mountain Peak. I had no need to circle in lift from White to Boundary, just dolphin fly, which gained me 3,000' up to 17,000' at Boundary in 3 hours 50 minutes. I was down to 10,000' ten miles past Basalt, but went back to 17,000' in a boomer, left it early to save time, flew across Mina and was noticing a bit of a northeast head wind up high. About ten miles from goal, at 13,000', I thought I had it on final glide, but flew into 1.000 fpm sink. No matter how much I stuffed the bar or swore it would not go away; I had lost about 4,500'. I was close to tears and it looked like I was going to land short when I flew into a smooth weak thermal that I worked like never before. I was taking no chances and arrived over my goal at 13,000', after six hours 30 minutes. I flew around photographing it and being witnessed from the ground, then climbed back to 14,000' and headed off for the Open Distance record. I went northeast about seven miles but was making slow progress into the upper level head wind, so I turned back to land at my goal. The FAI sporting code requires that you land within 500 meters of your goal. Flight time was 7 hours 15 minutes, official distance was 169.11 miles for a new World Distance to Goal record. The drive back to Lone Pine is close to 200 miles. I was very tired and a bit stiff in the neck and shoulders, despite the sweet handling of my Magic IV and the warm comfort of my Delta Wing Airstream soft pod harness. I was very excited and did not get much sleep that night, so I took the next day off to rest. On June 13 (it was a Friday as well), with· one World Record in the bag, I thought I would attempt another out and return. The existing record is 109 miles, 54.5 each way, set a few years ago. Rainer Scholl of West Germany completed an out and return flight last year of 128 miles but his uncut film of the flight, which is the only proof of making his declared turn point, was lost before it got to the FAI in Paris, so along with it went his official record. All previous Out and Return records had been flown along the Whites and Inyo Mountains on the east side of the Owens Valley. My attempt from

Horseshoe was different in that I had to overfly my start point to complete the flight, and that would be difficult at the end of the day when the east face of the Sierras are in shadow. So I declared a start point out in the bottom of the valley and my turn point was White Mountain Peak, 14,246' MSL, 81 miles north across the valley. The first problem was to fly out into the valley early in the morning to photograph my start point without going down. I launched at 10:50 AM, a bit late, but I needed to get high for my photo. I climbed to 12,000' and had no trouble gliding out and back to get it. I could have launched half an hour earlier, as I was still at 10,500' when I got back over takeoff. Once again the flight along the Sierras and across the valley was fairly routine, although it did take me about half an hour to get enough altitude to cross, and the usual first thermal in the Whites was not where it should have been, so I was down to 5,500' before starting back up (the valley floor is around 5,000' in this area). I photographed my tum point from 17,500' which was a personal best altitude gain of 12,000'. I had been in the air 4 hours 10 minutes. Now all that remained was to fly back south down the Whites, across Westgard Pass, along the Inyos and over my start point 81 miles away. There was a cloud street the whole way, at about 19,000', but it was way deep over the east side of the range, deeper than I considered safe. (I learned what safe was, in 1982, when I was forced to top land in the Whites at 12,600' in strong winds. I flew down later but that's a whole different story. I learned to respect these mountains.) I landed at the rest stop ten miles north of Independence after 6 hours 40 minutes in the air. I had completed 130 miles of my attempted 162-mile flight. In addition to the world record I was after the FAI Gold award. The requirements are a straight line flight of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and an out and return or triangle flight of 200 kilometers. I had two documented flights over 200 km straight line, and thought that as I had not completed this flight, it did not qualify. So I opened my own barograph and had my film processed and cut. About two months later I was reading the FAI sporting code and discovered that any out and return or triangle flight does qualify as long as it is over 200 km and you do not land more than 10 km off track from tum point to finish. One hundred thirty miles is 209 km; I would have had what I believe to be the world's first FAI Gold in a hang glider.

35


"I arrived at the south end of Kearsage Pass and was climbing in a nice 500 up when at 11,800~ just in the lee of a peak about that height, I was turned upside down. I had a good grip while thermaling which I increased ten fold." I had to go back to work for two weeks. Yes, I do need money. On June 22 Mark Grubbs, Jim Herd, Russ Douglas and I all climbed to about 6,700' from Diablo and headed off XC. I landed after two hours 20 minutes north of Tracy, 26 miles from takeoff. This turned out to be my fourth place flight in the club XC contest and the only reason I mention it is because it's the only time I remember flying further than Russ in the Bay area. Back to the Owens Valley, June 29. I had another crack at the Out and Return, launched at 10:30 AM from Horseshoe and flew out for my start point photo with only 10,500', no problem. It took 5 hours to photograph my same turn point, White Mountain Peak, but I only managed 38 miles back, landing after 7 hours and 119 miles total. July I, my third attempt. I launched at 10:30 AM. Once again there was no problem with the start point photo and again it was a routine flight to my tum point (if an 81-mile flight can be routine). There was a south wind picking up so I did not try the return. I continued north off the end of the Whites to Janie's Ranch for another 100-miler time 5 hours 2 minutes. July 2 was not a good looking day, so, no declaration, just Open Distance since I always fly with my barograph from Horseshoe, just in case. I tried racing with Larry Tudor, the master of the Owens, but he started to get away from me after about 15 miles. It was not a good day, there were Cus, but lenticulars up above due to the strong westerlies pouring over the Sierras. I arrived at the south end of Kearsage Pass (Onion Valley) west of Independence and was climbing in a nice 500 up 36

when at 11,800', just in the lee of a peak about that height, I was turned upside down (right wing and the nose rotating smoothly and fast down). I had a good grip while thermaling which I increased ten fold just as the Magic quickly completed the back half of a loop with me pulling a few Gs. Then I was hit again real hard from above and I hit the keel. Enough said, I went out to land at Independence Airport - 25 miles only. July 1, Mike Grisham from Utah, Jim Herd and I hiked to the top of White Mountain Peak, 14,246', just 'cause it's there. I had flown over it many times, but to stand on top was a strange feeling. It's called hypoxia. July 7 I flew 70 miles north from Horseshoe, landing at the bottom of the Gunther launch in the Whites. There was a 25 mph wind blowing on the ground when I landed with Cus and lenticulars the length of the valley. The turbulence was horrific. This day the master, Larry Tudor, flew 215 miles or there abouts, for a new official Open Distance World Record. On July 9 I damaged the leading edge of my Magic in a freak landing accident, so I had to fly my backup glider, a 187-square-foot piece of junk called a Whitehawk, which is a very poor Sensor copy. This ended any more serious record attempts this year. I was not finished with the valley yet, so I rented Mission Soaring's demo Wills Wing HP for a three-day weekend and headed back to Horseshoe. August 8 I made a fairly routine flight up to Janie's Ranch coming down from 13,500' through great lift to land, as I was so tired from stuffing the bar for 5.5 hours and I had been suffering from a bad cold. The glider really needs a pitch device. This was not my first time on this glider, I had flown it 40 miles in May of '85 from Diablo for second place in that year's XC contest. It had a speed rail fitted then. On August 10, I fitted my Pitchy to the HP, and although I only flew it 55 miles and had to land because of severe overdevelopment in the Whites, it was a pleasure to fly. My next notable XC was September 14 from Ed Levin Park. This was to have been our (that is the British team) sixth practice for our formation flying demonstration for the Silent Air Show. All six gliders launched 20 seconds apart at 10:40 AM with Cus cracking everywhere. We tried to keep our formation but things were so soarable from 600' above the LZ that we split up and went "real" flying. Russ, Jim and I all got back up to cloud base (4,000') and flew north to Mission Ridge and then back via Ed Levin

and on south, landing after 3 hours 35 minutes just north of Gilron for a new site record of 33 miles. (The old record I think was 17.) We all landed in the same field about five minutes apart, after being separated. It was an awesome day with dust devils the likes of which are rarely seen in the Bay Area. The view of the Monterey Bay from cloud base, which was now at 5,500', is one I will always remember. I have not written about every XC flight this year, so please excuse the omissions, but as of this date, November 25, I have passed my goal and logged 1,576 miles cross country.•.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Geoff Loyns, 35, has been flying since Janua,y 1978 and is from South Uflles, Great Britain. He first came to the United States for a month's vacation, in 1980, to fly the Owens Tiilley. He has lived in Palo Alto, California since September 1981. Geoff is a patternmaker by trade but earns his living now as a trim carpenter/cabinet maker.

Hang Gliding According to Pfeiffer: Skills For the Advancing Pilot The most comprehensive guide yet for expanding your knowledge and skills. With 244 richly illustrated pages, loads of true stories, and complete subject index. You'll learn: • • • • •

Soaring Principles Competition Flying Cross-Country Flying Equipment Speed-to-Fly Calculations

Please rush me copies of Hang GI idi ng Accardi ng to Pfeiffer at $9.95 each, plus shipping: $1 first copy, $.25 each additional (airmail $2.50 first copy, $1 each additional in North America, $6 each elsewhere). Californians please add $.60 sales tax per copy. Total: • Mail form with check payable in U.S. dollars to: Publitec, P.O. Box 4342, Laguna Beach, CA 92652. Name Street City State/Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ••• Dealer inquiries invited -

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HANG GLIDING


COMPETITION CORNER NINTH ANNlJAL INTERNATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE HANG GLIDING FLY-IN

This past Columbus Day weekend the University of Lowell Hang Gliding Team, in conjunction with Morningside Flight Park, sponsored the Ninth Annual International Intercollegiate Hang Gliding Fly-In. Over 130 pilots flocked into Claremont, NH to represent their schools in this fun fly-in. The foliage was in full bloom in this picturesque town in the country, and everyone was anxious to take to the air. Saturday was a cool, clear day, as everyone assembled their gliders. There was a feeling of anticipation in the air. Many of the newer pilots were excited about conquering a new challenge and improving their skills. The first day got off to a fast start after the initial orientation. Soon the hill was swarming with gliders and the winds were perfect. After an eventful day in the air, the day ended with the traditional home-cooked meal, at the base of the hill. This was a time to rest and exchange flight stories. Sunday started out even better, with everyone getting in several more rounds of flying. Later in the afternoon, however, the winds changed and it was time for pick up games of volleyball, hackysack and football. That night several members of the group trekked into Vermont for an allyou-can-eat feast. Later on, back at the camp, the night was devoted to partying. We were all keeping warm in front of the raging bonfires and having fun launching paper helicopters into the star-filled sky. It was a great opportunity to get to know those from other schools a little better. The final day was cut a little short, due to a sudden afternoon rain storm, but by this time everyone had gotten their taste of the wind. It was a really great weekend, especially for all the pilots who were new to the sport. After everything was all packed up there was an award ceremony for the outstanding flyers of the weekend. The

FEBRUARY

1987

final results were: OLD TIMERS - 1st: Bill Blood; 2nd: Phil Haynes, 3rd: George Diperrio. ADVANCED - 1st: Chip Doherty; 2nd: Guy Theoret. NOVICE - 1st: Kirk Lepelley; 2nd: Marty Smith; 3rd: Robert Bradley. NEW BEGINNER - 1st: Rick Desmarais; 2nd: Kevin Levesque; 3rd: Mike Collins. ALUMNI OPEN - 1st: Bob Corbo; 2nd: Rob Bicknell; 3rd: Bill Carroll. INTERMEDIATE - 1st: Joel Lehman; 2nd: Ken Lohele; 3rd: Craig Weiss. BEGINNER - 1st: Ronald Fisette; 2nd: Dan Corman; 3rd: Robert Craffey.

no later than February 20 to get maximum exposure. There are alot of people in our organization who are heavily involved in the competition scene. There are opposing views of every type represented by Mike Meier, Rich Pfeiffer, Liz Sharpe, Mike King, Dennis Pagen and various folks from across the hang gliding land. I'm personally glad to be associated with such a great variety of ideas with which to work. If you have ideas, please contact me at:

COMPETITION COMMITTEE REPORT

RICK JACOB 9625 Vine Street Ooltewah, Tennessee 37363 (615) 238-5568

As the newly appointed chairman of the competition committee I declare the contests to begin. Hopefully there will be more sanctioned events in '87 than in '86. In order to gain recognition, it is necessary to enter sanctioned events. These events and these alone can earn you a ranking in the current CPS (Competition Point System). Speaking of CPS, there seems to be some dissent in the ranks as to the quality of the current CPS. At the Chattanooga Board meeting a number of changes were voted in by the Board of Directors. These changes do affect the way pilots will qualify for the World Team, so you best contact your Regional Director if you're concerned about the 1987-1988 rulebook. The next Board of Directors meeting is in Boulder, Colorado, the last of February. Judging from the amount of correspondence I'm receiving this should be an exciting meeting. Let your Directors know your views, so your views can be aired concerning any competition issue. As USHGA competition chairman I'd like to help you promote your sanctioned events. Please feel free to contact me concerning your preparations and schedule of events for 1987. The spring Board meeting will be an excellent place to coordinate Regional activities for 1987, so send scheduled activities to me

Training For The 1987 World Championships by Rich Pfeiffer Ater expressing dissatisfaction with the current CPS system, international team selection, meet schedules and the general direction U.S. competition is heading, I was encouraged by the USHGA board of directors to write this article. The suggestions in this article are my personal opinions. The reason I was selected to do this is: 1) I am a proven world class competitor. In the three world meets I've attended I finished second, fifth and brought home a trophy that says "World Champion in Hang Gliding." 2) I strongly disagree with our current training programs for future world meets, and 3) I am willing to do it. What's wrong? What is wrong with our current system? To compete on the 1987 world team our current system states that we have to fly three meets in the next two years. That means that a pilot should fly well in a meet this year. That's right, only one meet. If you don't it is still okay. You just have to fly well in three meets next year. Likewise, it does no good to fly well in more than one meet this year because you must use two

37


COMPETITION CORNER meets next year. The entire U.S. team is selected from the CPS. There is no other way to qualify for the team. Be aware that if a mistake is made on the CPS and not discovered or admitted to before December 3 I st, according to Liz Sharpe, USHGA policy is not to correct it even if correcting the mistake changes the team. What are our opponents doing? The Mexicans must fly nine meets a year to qualify for their world team, the Germans 8, the British, who are more relaxed, only have to prove they belong on the team and can do so in five very good meets. These countries, along with countless others, have their competition schedules set before December of the preceding year. In this way a reasonable schedule can be made in advance. Our only meet scheduled in advance is the Masters. Because of early scheduling it is attracting the best field of any U.S. meet.

Our Advantages We do have advantages over the rest of the world. We have some of the best consistent and variable flying conditions. We can train to learn to fly better if we take advantage of this. When training you need to be aware that all international meets are XC meets. They also have tasks that commonly last five to eight hours when the weather is good. There are no rest days unless the weather does not cooperate.

Training To Be An International Competitor Hang gliding is an athletic event. When training, try to fly XC every flight. Try to stay in the air as long as possible. Conditions in most countries are not as optimum as here so fly different sites. I know this means you need a ground crew. Get one. If we have ground crews practicing with the pilots, they too will improve, and then if the best ground crews are selected to support the world team we will have another advantage over most countries and at least be equal with others. Remember, practice flying XC in all conditions. You will have to fly in the 38

rain at most international meets. A physical training program can be a useful supplement to flying especially if you are only able to fly weekends. Which meets do you fly in? If you have a job and can only get away two to three weeks a year, this can become a problem. You must select the best meets to attend. I recommend competing against as strong a field as possible, in such meets as the Kossen World Masters, Lariano Triangle, U.S. Nationals and Masters. You have to be familiar with and feel comfortable against the best pilots to really have a good chance at beating them. Remember, in the world meet you compete against pilots, not tasks or sites. The biggest problem is that you can only use one foreign meet in the CPS to qualify for the world team. That meet should be done next year if you only plan to do one. That will give you a more current evaluation of the foreign competition. By the way, the cost of foreign meets is not as bad as it seems. The air fare to Europe from L.A. is between $500-$750 round trip (advance purchase) but the meets are low in cost and often have free or reduced room and board to foreign pilots (us). If you are as truly serious about becoming a world champion as the other world class contenders are, you will somehow put together a tough meet schedule. Rick Rawlings and I are competing overseas now because the competition there attracts more world class pilots. If you stay in the U.S. to try to qualify for the U.S. team you will have a better chance of attending the world meet in '87 as a competitor, but your chances of winning will be greatly diminished. Remember, it all starts with practice flying at home. Treat every flight like a competition flight. Just because you've never been on a U.S. team before doesn't mean you can't become a world champion. We aren't winning now and unless we learn how to direct our training programs toward world competition there is no realistic chance of ever winning. This program should be sup-

plemented with attending and participating in seminars and reading books on soaring and competition. If you tried to win the U.S. Nationals, which is determined by your top three U.S. meets in the second half of '85 and first half of '86, you will miss training meets aimed at helping win the world meet. I hope this encourages others to want to compete in world meets at a world class level. You can change the USHGA position on the direction that competition has gone and where it will go, but the only way that can happen is through

"If you are as truly serious about becoming a world champion as the other world class contenders are, you will somehow put together a tough meet schedule ... Treat every flight like a competition flight ... " your regional director for the next and all future board meetings. If you just write a letter to the board it may never be noticed or read; please participate in your own program and let's put together a team that can be competitive, is prepared and can win!

P.S. If you fly in international meets (you should if you don't have much international experience) you will be recognized by your results and have a good chance of being selected for the next world meet. No matter what our CPS is, to win a world meet you must be able to win in all conditions and adapt to a new site. This article was originally written several months ago. Since then interested pilots like Curly Dunn have gone to the board meeting and have changed the CPS and world team selection. lbu now must fly in five meets over the last two years and two members (113) of the team will be selected by the 2/3 of the team selected by the CPS.

HANG GLIDING


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CONSUMER ADVISORY: Used hang gliders always should be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigue - bent or dented tubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with non-circular holes, and on Rogallos, sails badly tom or tom 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 COMET 165-60 hrs, new wires very well kept. Yellow/spectrum. $575. Phila. (215) 363-6500 ext. 285. COMET 165-Good condition. Southern California. $450. cso5J 64s-m1. COMET C2-l85 - Must sell. $600, or best offer. (619) 789-3103. DEMON 175-Factory condition/15 hours. Speed bar/rail. Red/white $450. Cincinnati (513) 961-2817 Paul. 165 LIGHT DREAM-Blue and white, excellent condition, knee hanger harness. $1300. Call Bill (213) 370-6282. 180 ATTACK DUCK-Excellent condition with speed bar $1300. or $1600. with harness, parachute, flight deck. (805) 653-7488. Ventura, CA. 160 DUCK-Red, orange, yellow, 20 hours. Flylite harness, FFE chute, Bell helmet. Roberts vario, fairings - $1675./offer. Steve (805) 963-2244. ECLIPSE 17-Excellent condition. Black leading edge, white trailing edge. Red double surface. $1650. Tom (303) 524-9625. WANTED-134 Gemini with low airtime for beginning pilot. (604) 358-7189 or leave message at (604) 365-7462. WANTED HARRIER 187-Got one you're not using? Louis (916) 265-9284. HP-Very clean sail. Flies great. $1300. GTR - New condition. Great handling and performance. $1800. (80!) 254-6141. HP-Red L.E. and dbl. surface, 4.5 white main body, 6 months old. Excellent! $1700. or best offer. San Francisco (415) 282-5795. OLYMPUS 180-Still in good shape! Fixed washout tips, leech lines. With spare down tubes, safety prone harness. $275. OBO (303) 494-7351 message. RAVEN 229-Immaculate black LE, TE, and tips. Red sail with one gold panel. Still crinkles. $850 Firm (213) 498-1737. RAVEN 209-$450. Will deliver in Region J. (503) 836-2232. SENSOR 5!0 VG 165-Excellent condition white w/orange L.E. Excellent price $1350. Larry (815) 234-5388. SENSOR ISO-Excellent shape, VG, 1/2 battens, rainbow sail. $1200. OBO (805) 541-1275. SENSOR-510 VGB - 160 - Like new. Rainbow sail. Blue leading edge. Price $2500. Call Bill Blood (603) 437-0512.

FEBRUARY 1987

SENSOR 160 VG- Exe. cond. A steal at $999. Buy it! (612) 735-9130. 168 SKYHAWK-30 hours. Dark blue LE, spectrum wedge, light blue TE, Custom black frame. Immaculate! $1250. (213) 379-0242. WANTED-Wills Wing Sport or Sport American. (619) 789-3103. 167 SPORT AMERICAN-Blee. blue L.E., white top & trailing edge, gold dbl. surface. Excellent condition. Less than 30 hrs. $2100. 180 Attack Duck-Red L.E., rainbow dbl. surface, white T.E. Extremely clean. Low hrs. $1000. Tom (414) 763-7914 or (414) 781-5484 work. VISION ECLIPSE 19-New Condition. Green/white. $1495. (415) 571-7460. WANTED-Used hang gliding equipment. Gliders, instruments, harnesses and parachutes. San Francisco Windsports, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94ll6 (415) 753-8828. Eclipse 17. . .$1500.00 HP 170 . .$1300.00 Vision 18 .$1050.00 Magic III 177. .$1800.00 We are looking for good used equipment. (619) 450-9008. New Lt Mystic 188, 155. . .. Each $1985. . ... $1725. New Vision Eclipse 19 . Lt Dream 220, 165, 145. . .. Each $1600. New Polaris Delta 16 ........ $1200. Used 160 Streak, Rainbow . . ... $ 600. Used Duck I 80 .... $ 700. Ship anywhere, all test flown, Golden Sky Sails Inc. (303) 278-9566.

Schools and Dealers ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK-See our ad under Tennessee. (404) 398-354 l. ARIZONA ARIZONA WlNDSPORTS-Largest hang gliding center in the southwest. Certified Instruction utilizing the world's only man-made trainer hill. Highly competitive prices on all major brands. Call us last. 1114 W. Cornell Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121. ARIZONA WlNDWORKS-Certified instruction, new and used gliders, parts and accessories. 2301 W. Charter Oak Road, Phoenix, AZ 85029 (602) 997-5364, 870-9878. DESERT HAi"IG GLIDERS USHGA Certified School.- Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 938-9550. ARKANSAS OZARK MOUNTAIN HANG GLIDERS-Sales, service and instruction. New and used equipment. Wills Wing, Moyes, Airwave, Keller harnesses, Ball and Litek. Makers of Primo Air Mitts. 8 Blue Jay Way, Conway, AR 72032. (501) 327-0698. SAIL WINGS HANG GLIDING-Certified instruction. Pacific Windcraft dealer. 1601 N. Shackleford #131-4, Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 224-2186.

CALIFORNIA BRIGHT STAR HANG GLIDERS- Sales - service - restorations. All major brands represented. Santa Rosa, CA (707) 576-7627. 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-USHGA Certified training program featuring the combined talents of Dan Skadal, Erik Fair, and Rob McKenzie. We sell and service all major brands of gliders and accessories. New and used. Sport, Skyhawk, HP II. 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 LO! 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. Spend your winter vacation flying with us. We proudly offer Wills 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! 6-C 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 landing skills. All major brands of gliders, parachutes and instruments sold. Sail repair and air frame service available. 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 (408) 262- l055. PINECREST AIR PARK-Landing area for world famous Crestline. Certified instruction and tandems. Dealers for Delta Wing, Moyes and Wills Wing. "Ask about a trade in". Used gliders and equipment. 6555 N. Pine Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92407 (714) 887-9275. SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS-Gliders and equipment, sales and rentals. Private and group instruction by USHGA certified instructors. Local site information and glider rental. 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) 753-8828. SANTA BARBARA HANG GLIDING CENTER-Certified instruction, glider and equipment sale. 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93l01. (805) 687-3119. WlNDSPORTS INT.-Since 1974 (formerly So. Cal. Hang Gliding Schools). Largest and most complete HANG GLIDING center in Southern California. Largest inventory of new and used gliders, ultralites, instruments, parts and accessories. Complete training program by USHGA certified instructors. 16145 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 988-0111.

39


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING turers. Training hill O - 160', jeep rides, 600' NW soarable ridge, camping. RD 2, Box 432, Cooperstown, NY 13326. (315) 866-6153.

CONNECTICUT CONNECTICUT COSMIC AVIATION-14 Terp. Rd., E. Hampton, CT 06424, c/o Bart Blau, Lynda Blau, (203) 267-8980. Hang glider dealer for Wills and Airwave. Ultralight also available. USHGA Certified Instructor. Been flying since 1975. Call me where to go in CONN. GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK-See our ad under Tennessee. (404) 398-3541. HAWAII MAUI SOARING SUPPLIES-Certified Instructors. Sales, service and rentals. RR. 2, Box 780, Kula, HI 96790 (808) 878-1271. MINNESOTA NORTHERN SUN, INC.-Dealer for all major nonpowered and powered brands. USHGA certified instruction. Owners/managers of the Hang Gliding Preserve, soarable ridge with tramway lift. When in the North Country stop by and test our line of gliders and enjoy the sites. 9450 Hudson Blvd., Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (612) 738-8866. NEW YORK FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC.-Serving New York City/ Albany, Jersey, Connecticut areas. (Ellenville Mtn.) Area's exclusive Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also carry all other major brands, accessories. Certified Instruction. 7 years experience. Quick repairs. Featuring areas most INEXPENSIVE prices. Contact: Paul Voight, RD 2, Box 561, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (914) 744-3317. 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. SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK INC.-Central New York's Hang Gliding Center. Certified instruction, sales & service for all major manufac-

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 price in area. Large mail order inventory. Tom Aguero, PO Box 347, Cragsmoor, NY 12420. (914) 647-3489.

brands) in stock, complete equipment/accessory lines, parts, repair service. We need your used gliders and equipment! USHGA Novice pilots can fly 1,340' Lookout Mountain and soar Lookout's 12-mile ridge (distance record, 130.9 miles; altitude gain, 10,400') Send $1. (refundable with any purchase) for new brochure, rates, directions, accommodations info. LMFP, Route 2, Box 215-H, Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738. Located 20 minutes from Chattanooga, Tennessee. (404) 398-3541. UTAH FLY UTAH WITH

NORTH CAROLINA KITTY HAWK KITES, lNC.-P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, NC 27959. 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. SAURATOWN KITES-Winston Salem (919) 760-1390 or 983-3570. Hang Gliding School w/certified instrnctor; dealer of Seedwings, Wills Wing, Pacific Windcraft & Delta; new and used equipment.

OHIO NORTH COAST HANG GLIDING-Certified instruction. New & used gliders. Mike Del Signore, 1916 W. 75th St., Cleveland, OH 44102 (216) 631-1144. PENNSYLVANIA SKY SAILS LTD. Hang Gliding School.-USHGA certified instrnctors. 1630 Lincoln Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701. (717) 326-6686 or 322-8866.

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.

FINGER FAIRINGS

'•"\y .,;;;,--

..

• Always there when you need tnem • Warm, comlortab/e, durable, slide easily across control bar • Instant bare hand dexterity /or launch, CB,

TENNESSEE

chute 1 camera • Quality construction, 1/.4-in. neoprene,

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK-Our specialties: first mountain flights, mountain and thermal soaring, complete certified training. Package plans, group rates, USHGA ratings, glider rentals, free camping, local site info. Pro Shop with new and used gliders (all major

nylon inside and out • Available in red or black S, M, or L only $32.50 dealer inquiries invited

THE AIRWORKS

3900 Van Buren NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 884-6851

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

1 word)

Photos - $10.00 Deadline, 20th of the month six weeks before the cover date of the Issue In which you want your ad (I.e. March 20, tor the May Issue). Bold face oY caps 50c per word extra. (Does not Include first tew words which are aulomatlcally cape). Special layouts or tabs $20' per column Inch. Payment for first three months required In advance.

Section (please circle) Rog altos

Parts & Accessories

Schools and Dealers

Rigid Wings

Emergency Chutes

Business & Employment Opportunities

Ultralight Powered Flight

Publications & Organizations Miscellaneous

Begin with 19 Issue and run for ____ consecutive issu&(s). My check _ _ money order _ _ is enclosed In the amount of $ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

I I I

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

I

I Number of words: I

@ .35 •

Phone Number:

P.O. BOX 88:JOe, LOS ANGELES, CA IOOM I (213) 390-3085

I

L--------------------------------------------------------40

HANG GLIDING

I


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING WASHINGTON AIRPLA Y'N PRO SHOP & Hang Gliding School. The only full time, full service hang gliding shop in Washington. Complete inventory for Airwave & other major brands. 800 Mercer, Seattle, WA 98109. (206) 467-8644.

Parts & Accessories

International Schools and Dealers

Hang Gliding and Windsurfing instructor positions opening this Spring. Management positions available. Opportunities for advancement. Write Roger Coxon, Kitty Hawk Kites, P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, NC 27959.

CANADA

HANG GLIDING LTD.

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER-Breaking 10,000 lbs. $24.95. Extra 5/16 ball lock pin $10. DEALERS WANTED. Thermal, 19431-41 Business Center Dr., Northridge, CA 91324.

-for the ultimute highDISTRJBUTOR FOR Polaris from Italy. Dealer for Solar Wings of England and Delta Wing of Southern California. Instruction, sales, service, rentals. Rod Porteous. (403) 235-4653. 2207 42nd Street SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada TIB IG4. JAPAN

~

INSTRUCTORS WANTED-Exciting career opportunities for the right people. Will train if qualified. Work at what you enjoy most: live and fly on beautiful Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga area). Call us. Lookout Mountain Flight Park, (404) 398-3541. Instructors Wanted: Current instructor certificate, Advanced rating and tandem experienced required. Starting salary $20,000. Send resume to Joe Greblo, 9920 Hirondelle Lane, Tujunga, CA 91042

Publications & Organizations SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS (formerly H.G. Equipment Co.). For all your hang gliding needs. We are dealers for all major brands. Send $2.00 for price list - 3620 Wawona, San Fral\cisco, CA 94\16 (415) 75:'>-8828.

SOARING-Monthly magazine of the Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $35. Info kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P .0. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. MAi'ffiIRDS: 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.

~~~ DISTRJBUTOR major brands hang gliders (Airwave, Magic), instruments, parachutes and ultralights. Tokyo 03/443/0063, Yugawara 0456/6310173, Kurumayama Hang School 0266/68/2724 (April - November). 2-19-63 Doi, Yugawaramachi, Kanagawaken, Japan 141.

Videos & Films

SWITZERLAND SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI-On vacation in North America until February 1988. For showing of film and slides of flying in Switzerland contact Ron Hurst, 1600 Hatch Road, Jackson, MI 49201. Agenda 1987: East Canada, Northeastern US September/October. Southeastern US November/December. Mexico, February/April. Western US, May/June. Western Canada, July. Alaska, August.

Emergency Parachutes NEW RAPID DEPLOYMENT B.U.S. FLY AWAY CONTAlNER 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, s/s, bridles installed and replaced. S.F. Windsports (formerly H.G. Equipment Co.) 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

FEBRUARY 1987

PRIMO AIR MITS-Red, royal blue, black. Primo I for coated base tubes. New Primo Gripper "Tex-skin" surface on the side and in tube for grip on bar. $25. 00 retail. Dealer discount on three or more pair. Ozark Mountain Hang Gliders, 8 Blue Jay Way, Conway, AR 72032 (501) 327-0698. RIGGING-$2.00 foot. Send me your tired and worn out rigging. I'll duplicate. Specify any changes such as never-kinks, and heatshrink. Single nico only. American durable goods. Former Seagull and Seedwings employee. Joe Bouffard, 2717 De La Vina #11, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

Business & Employment Opportunities Experienced USHGA Certified Instructors needed NOW! Lots of students. . not enough instructors. Send resume to: Mission Soaring Center, 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035.

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

Rigid Wings EASY RJSER-Custom aluminum trailer, excellent craftsmanship and condition. $500. Cincinnati (513) 961-2817. Paul.

41


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MITCHELL B-10-Complete with spoilers, foot launch cage, trike with engine, trailer and parachute system. Must sell. Best offer. All offers considered. Robert (714) 336-1716.

Miscellaneous SAILMAKING SUPPLIES & hardware. All fabric types. Information and colorful samples $1. Massachusetts Motorized, P.O. Box 542-G, Cotuit, MA 02635. (413) 736-2426. WANTED-Demon hang glider. Sails, 175 squares, must be in excellent condition. (801) 782-8172. CRYSTAL AIR SPORT MOTEL at Raccoon Mountain; Bunkhouse, private rustic rooms, regular & waterbeds, video in-room movies, private jacuzzi room, pool, sky gear gifts, fliers work program. FF! 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37409. (615) 821- 2546. Chuck & Shari Toth. WANTED-Gemini power system for hang glider. Flip Purvis, (315) 343-4600. PO Box 87, Oswego, NY 13126. Bumper Stickers-"! (HEART) HANG GLlDING" $2.00 Sail Wing Hang Gliding, 1601 N. Shackleford #131-4, Little Rock, AR 72211. PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3 Y," dia. Inside or outside application. 25C each. Include l 5C for postage and handling with each order. P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. TEE-SHIRTS with USHGA emblem $8.00 including postage and handling. Californians add 6% tax. Men's sizes in BLUE - S, M, L, XL. Limited supply of ORANGE, sizes S, XL. USHGA, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066. The rate for classified advertising is 35C per word (or group of characters). Minimum charge, $3.00. A fee of $10.00 is charged for each photograph or logo. Bold face or caps 50C per word extra. Underline words to be bold. Special layouts of tabs $20.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES - All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing 1'h months preceding the cover date, i.e., November 20 for the January issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept., HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

Stolen Wings TYPE: Electra Flyer Cirrus SB, and Dove. SAIL: CSB spectrum. Dove, blue center, white, blue tip. WHERE & WHEN: Sept. 7, 1986 S miles north of Denton, TX off 1-35. CONTACT: Jerry Kitchens, 220-C S. Smithbarry Rd., Arlington, TX 76013 (817) 465-1450. TYPE: 167 Sport. Pacific blue leading edge, gold undersurface, balance white. Contest number 52 on both wings when stolen. No ribs or glider bag with glider. Stolen from Little Black in San Diego, CA on Aug. 18, 1986. CONTACT: The Hang Gliding Center, (619) 450-9008.

42

TYPE: Raven 229. SAIL: White with orange leading edges and keel pocket. Serial #4900. WHERE AND WHEN: Palm Springs, March 29, 1986. CONTACT: Art Kassel Detective Agency (714) 540-9391. Reward. TYPE: Lancer 145. SAIL: Center out gold, brown, yellow, gold, orange, brown, black tips. Blue bag with orange tips and Flight Designs patch. U.S. Lancer on underside of right wing. WHERE AND WHEN: April 12, 1986, Morristown, TN. CONTACT: Mack Lipe, 653 Central Church Rd., Townhouse, Apt. 6, Morristown, TN 37814 (615) 581-HANG (collect). TYPE: 165 Comet I. SAIL: Red undersurface, orange and yellow upper. LE red. TE white. Keel pocket yellow. WHERE AND WHEN: Kitty Hawk Dunes, NC May 16, 1986. CONTACT: Dave Slodki, eves (718) 454-4734. 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: 167 Sport American. WHERE AND WHEN: Taken from Lake McClure LZ on 10/10/86. SAIL: Dark blue LE, light blue undersurface, balance white. CONTACT: Ken Muscio 2101 Robertson Rd., Modesto, CA 95351 (209) 571-3245. TYPE: Magic III 177. SAIL: Yellow LE, blue undersurface, small blue wedge on up· per surface, white main body, small tears on LE. TYPE 165 C2. SAIL. Black LE, purple undersurface, white main body, tears -0n LE. WHERE AND WHEN: Portland, OR around U/1/86. CONTACT: Oregon Airwave Gliders (503) 245-2636

Index To Advertisers Airplay'n ..................... .

.21

Airwave ....................... .

7

Airworks ...

. ... 40

ATOL ........................ .

. .. 25

Ball Varios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . 28

Bennett Delta Wing Gliders ...... 18, 26, BC Hall Brothers ......................... 15 High Energy ...................... 12, 25 Litek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. ... 21

Lookout Mt ........................... 43 Mast Air ............................. 26 Moyes ............................... 43 Pagen Books .......................... 11 . .. 36

Publitek ........ .

Seedwings ............................ 19 Silver Wings ......................... .42 Systems Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .... 15

USHGA .................... 44, IFC, IBC Wills Wing .......................... 2, 3

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

BLACKHAWK POD HARNESS Introductory price $250 incl shipping ($295 starting 12-1-86)

TYPE: Pro Star 195 #0309, High Energy bright yellow cocoon harness, Chad AVT, CB radio. SAIL: Black LE, rainbow undersurface. WHERE AND WHEN: Ceres, CA U/2/86. CONTACT: Mack or Mike 576-8494 TYPE: 1983 Flight Designs Javelin 168. SAIL: Light blue LE, white sail, blue and purple wing tips. WHERE AND WHEN: In shipment between Hawaii and New Mexico Oct., 1986. CONTACT: Matthew LeMessurier, PSC West Box 2447, Kintland AFB, NM 87ll7 (SOS) 844-U92. Reward.

AerOdynamic; comfortable; light weight, back pack carrying case; glove, parachute, ballast, glider bag storage compartments; opening & closing lines; velcro override; 2 sizes. In stock or custom make in 3 weeks. Manufactured in New Zealand for:

Silver Wings, Inc. I John Middleton' 6032 N. 20th Street Arlington, Virginia 22205 (703) 533-1965 • Also dealer for: Ball, Litek, Roberts, LEAF, CG1000, Robenson, High Energy, Delta Wing, & used equipment

HANG GLIDING


When you buy a Moyes Delta Glider, you own The Legend Bill Moyes dreamed of free flight from boyhood. He watched the gulls float effortlessly on the air currents and he longed to join them. His dreams became reality when he developed his first kite that was to fly him into the record books. Bill achieved stable controllable personal flight for the first time in history and a major sport was born. As Bill developed his gliders he continued setting world records for distance and height. Bill's son, Steve Moyes, carried on the legend with a list of world records and championship wins unparalleled in hangliding. Steve, as Chief Designer for Moyes Delta Gliders has added his expertise to Bill's and together they have developed an edge of superiority in all their gliders. To become part of the legend contact . ..

Moyes California 22021 Covello St, Canoga Park California 91303. Tel: (818) 887 3361 Fax: (818) 702 0612 Moyes Delta Gliders P/L, 173 Bronte Rd., Waverley 2024 N.S.W Au.stralia Tel: (02) 387 5114 Fax: (02) 387 4472 TELEX INTSY AA10101 Moyesglide.

DON'T MISS THE LATEST ISSUE BY FAILING TO NOTIFYUSHGA OF YOUR CHANGE OF ADDRESS! NAME USHGA# _ _ __ OLD ADDRESS - - - - - - - - - - - - CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ ZIP _ __ NEW ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ ZIP _ __ LAST ISSUE RECEIVED - - - - - - - - (Please allow four weeks for Processing)

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

USHGA, Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066


USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM QUAHTITY 8·1

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

;J; ~-

B-16

I ,\ \\

300KS

PRICE

MAHBIADS by Maralys Wills. Entertainingly takes the reader from hang gliding's past to its soaring present. B pg color, 150 Blk & Wht photos. 40 pg appendix. USHGA fHSTRUCTORS CERTIACATIOH MAHUAL. Complete requirements, syllabus, teaching methods. HAHG GLtDIHG by Dan Poynter. 8th Edition. Basic Handbook for skysurling. FL YIHG COHDITIOHS by Dennis Pagen. Micrometerology lor pilots. 90 illustrations. HAHG GLIDING AND FLYIHG SKILLS by Dennis Pagen. Beginners to experts instruclion manual. HAHG GLIDING TECHNIQUES by Dennis Pagen. Tech· niques for cross,country, competition & powered flight. MANNED KITING by Oan Poynter. Handbook on tow launch flying. MAH.POWERED AIRCRAFT by Don Dwiggins. 192 pg history cl flight. Features flight of Gossamer Condor. FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS FOR PILOTS. 1983 Edition. Hang gliding pertinent information. FAI SPORTING CODE FOR HANG GLIDIHG. Requirements for records, achievements & World Championships. HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG by Dan Poynter. For beginners. An asset to instructors. 24 pgs. USHGA OFFICIAL FLIGHT LOG. 40 pgs. Pocket size, skills signofls (all levels), glossary of terms, awards.

$17.95

AMOU HT

$ 2.00 $ 7.50

$ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 7.50

$ 4.50 $ 6.50 $ 4.50 $ 1.00 $ 1.50 $ 2.95

ITEMS "NEW" USHGA 'HANG GLIDING' T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight cotton. WHITE or TAN. Men's sizes: SM L X-L (CIRCLE ONE). USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRT. 100% heavyweight cotton. TAN or LIGHT BLUE. Men's sizes only. S M L x.L (CIRCLE SIZE & COLOR) USHOA EMBLEM CAP. One size fits all. Baseball type/USHGA emblem. NAVY ORANGE GOLD (CIRCLE ONE) "HEW" USHGA BELT BUCKLE. Solid bronze, custom design, relief sculpture. 31;, x 21;., USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM. 3" dia., full color (red wings, sunburst wlblack print). USHGA EMBLEM DECAL. 3W' dia., full color. LICENSE PLATE FRAME. "I'd rather be hang gliding." White on Blue. WALLET. Nylon, velcro closure, mach. washable, water resislant. ROYAL BLUE color .

1-1

----,

1-2

,.~·<-

1-3

1-5

1-6 1-8 1-9

$ 8.00 $ 8.00

$ 5.00

$12.00 1.00 $

.25

$ 5.50 $ 8.95

HAHG GLIDIHG/GROUHD SKIMMER BACK ISSUES "'SPECIFY BY CIRCLIHG ISSUE HUMBER" 'ISSUES HOT HUMBER ED ARE SOLO OUT"'

PRIHTEO COPIES:

PAINTED COPIES: PRIHTED 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, BO, 82, 83, 86, 87, BB. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 96, 98, 99,100, 101.102.103

$ 1.00

105-14-11

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14-12

S 2.50

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$ 1.50

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Ordering Information: All prices include postage and handling. (Prtces subiect to change without notice.) Enter quantity and prrce of each 1lem ordered. Allow 3-4 weeks delivery (8 weeks

MERCHAHDISE SUB TOTAL

for Foreign) All orders are mailed by the cheapest available rate. II you wish to receive your order faster. please include sufficient poslage funds No C.0.0 ·s. Foreign Orders: USHGA will ONLY accept foreign checks payable on a U S bank in U.S. funds.

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

STATE _ _ _ ZIP _ _ __

(Californians add 6% tax on merchandise only)

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USHGA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM (N4)

USHGA BASIC SAFETY REGULATIONS (PART 100)

USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM (N14)

USHGA PILOT PROFICIENCY PROGRAM (PART 104)

USHGA LILIENTHAL AWARD FORM

ACCIDENT REPORT FORM (N15)

D VISA Charge my D MasterCard Card No.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ex. Date~~~~~~­ Signature

MAIL WITH CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

USHGA, PO BOX 66306, LOS ANGELES, CA 90066


t

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

,I111111·----------

NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ (Please Print) ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ __ ZIP _ _ _ _ PHONE (

SEX (M)(F)

D NEW MEMBER

BIRTHDATE

D RENEW/USHGA # _ _ _ _ __

FULL MEMBER

FAMILY MEMBER

ANNUAL DUES: $39.00 ($42.00 foreign). This accords me full membership in the United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc., 12 issues of Hang Gliding magazine, effective with current issue, liability and property damage insurance, and voting privileges. I need not be a rated pilot to be a member.

ANNUAL DUES: $19.50 for each family Member, who resides in my household. Each will receive all Full Member privileges EXCEPT a subscription to Hang Gliding magazine.

SUBSCRIPTION ONLY - - - - - ·

STUDENT MEMBER - - - - - - ·

D $29.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($32.00 foreign) for one year. D $53.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($59.00 foreign) for two years.

3-MONTH DUES: $10.00. Full member privileges, three issues of Hang Gliding magazine, liability and property damage insurance. I need not be a rated pilot to be a member.

Enclose check or money order for dues as indicated to the right. International checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars. Charge payments are subject to $2.00 bank service charge.

Charge my D MasterCard

DVISA

NAME , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 NEW MEMBER D RENEW/USHGA # _ __

D FULL MEMBER ($39.00, $42.00 foreign) D FAMILY MEMBER(S) ($19.50 each) D STUDENT MEMBER ($10.00) D SUBSCRIPTION, one year ($29.00, $32.00 foreign) D SUBSCRIPTION, two years ($53.00, $59.00 foreign) Charge Card Service Charge Total

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

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

(213) 390-3065

Revised 6/86


Four good reasons to hook into a

DREA HANGI "' ,rst flight! From the very first time your LITE DREAM lifts your feet off the ground, you'll be amazed at how responsive and easy to fly she Is. You'll know It's the beginning of a lasting exciting relationship.

, - w al:customed to your LITE DREAM, you'll notice how quickly your flying skills improve. You'll delight at how he LITE DREAM Is maneuverable as 1e is forgiving as you advance rapidly through the learning stages.

Rec.- . :ig oward higher altitudes, your LITE DREAM still amazes, performing with grace and ease. As you perfect your talents, the UTE DREAM is ready to · accept new challenges, even aerobatics!

HANGIV I\ , >anced pilots choose to renew the learning cyc1e by introducing newcomers to hang gliding with a thrilling tandem flight The easy handling 220 LITE DREAM (the ONLY glider HGMA certified to 400 lbs hook m weight), maximizes the excitement and safety of tandem flying

THE LITE DREAM~~ ~~ ;.AN ENDURING CLASSIC AT EVERY LEVEL

FAR & ABOVE, AMERICAS #1 CHOICE FOR TRAINING BY USHGA CERTIRED HANG GLIDING INSTRUCTORS & SCHOOLS

LIGHTWEIGHT LONG-LASTING VALUE HANDLES LIKE A DREAM P.O. Box 483, van Nuys, CA 91408 • (818) 787-6600


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