USHGA Hang Gliding June 1987

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MAHBIIOS by Maralys Wills. Entertainingly takes the reader from hang gliding's past to its soaring present. 8 pg color, 150 Blk & Whl photos, 40 pg appendix.

USHGA INSTRUCTORS CERTIRCATIOH MANUAL. Complete requirements, syllabus, teaching methods.

HANG GLIDING by Dan Poynter. 8th Edition. Basic Handbook for skysur1ing.

FL VINO CONDITIONS by Dennis Pagen. Micrometerology for pilots.

90 illustrations.

HANG GLIDING ANO FL YING SKILLS by Dennis Pagen. Beginners to experts instruction manual.

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

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

MAH.POWERED AIRCRAFT by Don Dwiggins. 192 pg history of flight. Features flight of Gossamer Condor.

FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS FOR P1LOTS. 1983 Edition.

Hang gliding pertinent information.

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

HANG GLIDING MANUAL & LOG by Dan Poynter. For beginners.

An asset to instructors. 24 pgs.

USHGA OFFICIAL FLIGHT LOG. 40 pgs. Pocket size, skills signoffs (all levels), glossary of terms, awards.

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©1987 by /)ennis Pagen Dennis discusses level wings, calendar logs, bolts and tubing.

by Russ Locke Russ reviews the USHGA:s financial performance in 1986.

article, illustrations and photos

by Rob McKenzie The ins and outs of truck towing.

by Cindy Brickner The insurance story. USHGA moves.

article and photos by John Heiney A trip south of the border to a contest held houor of one of Mexico's hang gliding pioneers.

by /)an Johnson photos by Howard Handy A timely interview in light of the recent Pacific Windcraft/Airwavc merger.

Page 22

by Jim Nye The story of the first hang glider flight from Mt. Everest.

Page 31

by Mark Bennett A look at the standard and full-race Sensor series.

COVER: Jim Shaw over Aspen Mt., Colorado, looking toward Independence Pass.

Photo by the pilot.

DISCLAIMER OJ<' 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.

JUNE 1987

Ricky Duncan continues the incredible winning streak of the Moyes GTR, by taking out 1st place at the Swan Premium World Masters.

Ricky said, 'The GTR out-climbed everything in sight and also proved to be, by result, the fastest glider at tme,~ ~ ~,t,, championships." To testify to this there were four GTR's in the first 10 places; Ricky Duncan, Steve Moyes, Russell Duncan and Danny Scott. With the GTR's amazing winning record it is beyond doubt the best glider in 1987. The Championships were a tremendous success. There was competition 11 out of the 14 days and the pilots flew 54,000 kilometres. The success of this championship should lead to an even bigger success for the World Championships in Australia in 1988.

If you want to win that Championship or any other, buy a Moyes GTR and make it easy on yourself.

Moyes California 22021 Covello Street Canoga Park,

Los AngelesCa91303 (818) 887 3361 Fax (818) 702 061~2...,...,.........._~--...._ Moyes Australia 173 Bronte Road, Waverley NSW 2024 Australia Tel(02) 387 5114Fax(02) 387 4472TelexAAl2l822SY3246

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 Marian Fleming, 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 1: 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 11: Warren Richardson. REGION 12: Pete Fournia, Paul Riker!. DIRECIDRS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Rob Kells, Dennis Pagen, Vic Powell, Elizabeth Sharp. EX· OFFICIO DIRECIDR: Everett Langworthy.

HONORARY DIRECIDRS: Bill Bennett, Mark Bennett, Joe Bulger, Eric Fair, Bettina Gray, Doug Hildreth, Gregg Lawless, Mike Meier, Rich Pfeiffer, Bob Thompson. The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is a division of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official U.S. representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAD, the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FA! meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl·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 me.ans- of open communication and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos. and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. lf 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 no! assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors.

HANG GLIDING magazine (USPS 017-9",U) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., whose mailing address is: P.O. Box 500, Pearblossom, CA 93553; telephone (805) 944-5333.

Second-class postage is paid al Los Angeles, Calif. The typesetting is provided by !st Impression Typesetting Service, Buena Park, Calif. The USHGA is a membercontrolled educa1ional 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 addressest subscription rates are $29.00 for one year, $53.00 for two years, fi/7.00 for three years. Changes of address should be sent six \'leeks in advance, including name, USHGA membership number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue.

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS W: UNITED STATES HANG GLIDING ASSOCIATION, P.O. BOX 500, PEARBLOSSOM, CA 93553.

JUNE 1987

VOLUME 17, ISSUE No. 6

AIRMAIL APRIL FOOLS Dear Editor, The 60,000-foot altitude flight expounded on in your April Fools issue sort of got me eyeing the bait seriously. Well, that's more than 11 miles up - not a very hospitable environment. However, visceral soaring is something else entirely. We all do daydream soaring in the privacy of our heads. I've modestly soared from our local site to Yucca, Arizona and also Las Vegas, Nevada, distances well over 221 miles. If those distances aren't over 221 miles, they should be, as that is the glorious point of the daydream.

But I've never had an inclination to soar the pancreas, (or any other visceral organ), which is where the Isles of Langerhans are located.

If Mr. Benwatt is correct, he must have soared Tl miles over a sea of insulin, which is what the Isles of Langerhans produce. The "islands" are named after Paul Langerhans (1847-1888) a German pathologist who was also concerned about leprosy!

Somehow I'm led to deduce that pilot Larry Benwatt was soaring in a visceral organ of a male bovine, when the mighty creature blew the confused pilot out the final venturi.

I'm really not envious of Larry attaining this record, but I do envy his imagination.

William Hartwick Morro Bay, CA

Okay, I confess. The photo that accompanied the Benwatt piece came to us from author Leo Bynum, counesy Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) of Pasadena, 01. It was taken from the space shuttle at an altitude of about 200,000 feet. The glider wing was a cutout pasted over the original photo. Looked pretty convincing, eh?

Janie wanted me to put a note somewhere that would betray the anic/e as an April fools item, because, as she said, "Someone out there is actually going to believe this." But I said, "Naw, if we don't fool anyone it won't be any fan." Sorry about that.

The moral of the story is: Beware the April issue.-Ed.

HIGH ALTITUDE Dear Editor, There was an interesting article in the April 1987 issue by L. Bynum. It gave an account of an alleged 60,000-ft. altitude record by Larry Benwatt.

Since I, along with other hang glider pilots, found that flight to be "incredible," I wanted to inform hang glider pilots and other readers of the magazine about the physics and physiology of high altitude.

Atmospheric pressure (P atml is defined as the weight of one square centimeter of atmosphere at that particular altitude to the limits of the earth's atmosphere, using units of millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Another measure uses pounds per square inch (psi).

Patm decreases exponentially as altitude increases. At sea level, Patm is 760 mm Hg. At 63,000 ft. it is 47 mm Hg. All Patm decreases, so do its constituent gases, though their relative percentages remain the same (i.e., oxygen is 21 % of air, regardless of altitude).

When we breathe air into our lungs it is humidified. At the normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees F, the water vapor (PH 2Q) in the lungs is 47 mm Hg, independent of altitude. Thus, whether at sea level or at 63,000 ft., PH 2 0 is 47 mm Hg. When we breathe, our red blood cells are saturated to more than 90 % of their capacity for carrying oxygen. We can maintain consciousness to a saturation of about 50% when rapidly exposed to high altitude. Breathing air, this occurs at about 23,000 ft. When breathing 100% oxygen, this occurs at about 47,000 ft.

Putting this all together, we humans could not have conscious flight above 47,000 ft., even when maximal oxygen is breathed. Also, at that altitude (unpressurized), the time for useful consciousness is less than one minute.

Returning to the discussion of our lungs having 47 mm Hg water vapor, at 63,000 ft. the Patm is 47 mm Hg, which means we would have zero oxygen in our lungs, even when breathing 100% oxygen! Also, at 63,000 ft. water boils at 98.6°, our body temperature.

Keep all of the above in mind when you read about the "incredible" flight to 60,000 ft.

Indeed, it would be incredible! Safe and enjoyable flying.

Mike Patterson, MD San Diego, CA CIRRUS 5 SAFETY Dear Editor, 'Your response to James Hall in which you said, "Gliders like the Cirrus 5 were known for their tendency to turn upside down and break in strong thermal conditions," is not entirely accurate. While it is true that the HOMA standards in 1978 were not nearly has stringent as they are today, some gliders of that period had safety records which compare

3

AIRMAIL quite favorably to those of some of today's HOMA certified models. To my knowledge and recollection the Cirrus 5 was not known for an undue tendency to tumble and break, although some other gliders of that period were. In general it is true that modem HOMA certified gliders are significantly stronger and more stable aircraft than their predecessors of nine years ago. It is also true that they are heavier, more expensive, fly faster, and are harder in virtually every respect to fly. With respect to the likelihood of tumbling and breaking, I suspect that the worst of today's HOMA certified gliders are not much better than the best gliders of 1978, although the gap between the best of today and the worst from 1978 is undoubtedly very substantial.

Mike Meier Tustin, CA GROUND EFFECT Dear Editor, What's all this ruckus about the cause of ground effect. Didn't anyone ever stop to think that reduced tip vortices, better sink rate and increased LID might all be merely effects rather than a possible cause.

So what's the cause of all these observed effects? How 'bout the ground? fluidically, Phil O'Sawfical Flow Field, CA

SUSPENSION NO-NO Dear Editor, The May 1987 cover photo of Hang Gliding was, as usual, a beautiful shot, and captured one of the moments that make our sport unique. On close inspection, though, this photograph is rather disturbing. The pilot, Skip Brown, is using a backup suspension loop, but he is betting his life on one aluminum carabiner passed through one hardware store quicklink.

First, using a chain of single components multiplies risk by (roughly) the number of links in the chain. Second, a quicklink is not designed for this purpose, and is not equivalent to even a cheap carabiner. Wasn't this Safety Topic of the Month (or Year, even) not so long ago?

Please, Mr. Brown, extend your suspension with a properly tied piece of stout climbing rope, back it up with a sewn webbing loop, and use either a good steel carabiner or a pair of locking aluminum ones. Use the quicklink for something it can handle, such as holding your glider rack together.

I hope other pilots (especially novice and intermediate ones) will use the May cover as a classic example of how not to attach themselves to their wings.

Peter Gray Hamilton, MT

WOMEN'S WORLD MEET Dear Editor, Mark Sawyer is a very smart boy. He is al ways right and he never, ever lies. I don't know anything about this "ground effect" thing, but it sounds to me like this Mr. Pagen is trying to pull a fast one.

Shame on you Mr. Pagen, Shame, shame, shame!

Mark's Mom, Apple Pie, Wisconsin

Dear Editor, Near the end of his defense (in the May issue) of his writings on ground effect Dennis Pagen strongly implies that not everything is yet known about ground effect. Perhaps what has yet to be discovered about it will someday be commonly referred to (with apologies to Dennis) as Whoopee Cushion Effect.

Dave Saffold Santa Barbara, CA

4

Dear Editor, I'm writing because I belong to an organization called LIPS (Ladies International Pilots Society). I believe that they have accomplished a major feat in bringing together the women pilots in the sport of hang gliding in the US. We feel it's time the women get some recognition as pilots too.

Last year the Europeans held the first unofficial Women's European Championships in France. All countries with major manufacturers had women pilots there representing them except the US. This year the French along with the FAI will hold the first Official Women's World Championships and they want some US pilots there to compete with them. I know for a fact that there are many of us female pilots who would love to go over there and fly in the competition. I have some peopie willing to contribute to my support if a team could be formed on such short notice. If there are more of you women who could get some support let's get together. I know this wouldn't be the proper way to choose the team

but we're late and I feel strongly that the US should be present at this competition.

I also feel that the competition committee should spend some time helping us women make this team possible. They have failed to recognize us on a competitive level. After this year I also feel we need to establish some women's competitions so we can select the best of us to go from here on out. Let's give the women a chance to show their skills.

Anybody wishing to comment or help make this possible can contact either Gayle Bartlett, c/o Pacific Airwave, P.O. Box 4384, Salinas, CA 93912 (408) 422-2200 or Jan Siskind, c/o LIPS, 3 Ivanhoe Rd., Worchester, Mass. 01602 (617) 753-1568.

SPOILERS Dear Editor, Spoilers on a tailless swept wing may be hazardous to your health not to mention cancel the certification of your glider!

Spoilers reduce lift by disturbing the airflow over the upper surface. Since a swept wing design has a large percentage of spanwise flow, spoilers may disturb the airflow to stability-sensitive areas such as the bridlereflex zones and/or defined tip zones. I believe that an undistru bed airflow is necessary for bridle-reflex and defined tips to function properly.

Besides a possible loss of pitch stability, spoilers also increase stall speed, not a good combination, especially at low altitudes!

Do any manufacturers have any comments?

Jim Gibson Santa Barbara, CA

Jim has expressed some valid reservations about the use of spoilers on tailless hang gliders. I don't know what prompted Jim's letter. If there has been a specific incident involving a spoiler-equipped glider, I think it would be of benefit to the entire hang gliding community to have the information on that incident.

To my knowledge, no U.S. flex wing manufacturer presently offers spoilers. I am aware of several pilots who have retrofitted spoilers to their gliders. My advice to these pilots, when asked, or to any other pilots who contemplate making design modifications to their gliders, is to carefully consider whether or not they wish to become designers and test pilots.

Any significant modification to an aircraft has the potential to compromise the airworHANG GLIDING

AIRMAIL thiness of that aircraft. I have personally done no formal testing of the stability of spoilerequipped hang gliders, and I don't know of anyone else who has. Concerns about the ef fects of spoilers on stability could be safely investigated using a test vehicle. It is possible that a safe spoiler system could be developed, and that its effects on stability could be tested to some degree without risking the life of a test pilot. Without such formal airworthiness testing, any design modification to a glider transforms that glider into an experimental, untested aircraft. Flying such an aircraft makes the pilot a research test pilot. Research test pilots who conduct flight testing on otherwise untested experimental aircraft are exposing themselves to a very significant risk of sudden and premature death.

Mike Meier Wills Wing, Inc.

RETURN TO GUATEMALA Dear Editor, After writing the article about Guatemala (March issue), I have received much interest in a group trip there. Plans are now in the works for a trip there at Christmas time this year. For more information write: Jeff Greenbaum, 555 45th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 681-2599.

OWENS CAUTION Dear Editor, The Owens Valley is an exciting place to fly. Many people fly the Owens in dangerous conditions, because they think "the Owens is always good for 100 miles." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Good soaring conditions come and go in cycles, just like any other flying site. Sometimes flying is not reasonably good for four weeks or more, even in the summer. Last summer I made two trips to the Horseshoe flying site and stayed several weeks. Larry Tudor was in the Owens Valley for two months, and I used his observations to update me on the weather conditions when I wasn't there.

During one short period of a few weeks there were four glider flipovers. I believe these accidents were the result of a dominating westerly wind. The conditions were usually obvious, but some people flew anyway. Strong westerly wind conditions are not only dangerous but are usually poor cross-country conditions also. The basic bad soaring condiJUNE 1987

tion I observed is that the westerly Sierra downslope wind is in a constant battle with the morning easterly convective upslope wind.

At some level (usually 12,000') there is a turbulent shear with rotors. The westerly wind was strong, descending, and stable. When thermals reach this level they abruptly stop and break up. At some mid-level height a pilot might climb into a strong shear, experience thermal deterioration and be subjected to strong rotor turbulence. Since this limiting altitude is also about peak level, some of the turbulence is induced by rotors and eddies flowing over the upwind peaks and ridges. On one of my flights, I experienced an uncontrolled steep spiral dive that was like flying into a giant flushing toilet. I immediately flew to a landing area.

There are many conditions that may indicate the presence of strong westerly wind and poor soaring conditions at Horseshoe. Strong westerly wind may set up for weeks at a time.

It is not likely to come and go for a day. If the conditions of the previous day were strong, be wary. The west wind at Horseshoe is often strongest in the evening and early morning as it blasts through the canyons. This intimidating wind oscillates wildly and can raise or lower at any time. The absence of the west wind for a long period of time would be a good sign. If the morning winds at Horseshoe were calm or easterly and there was no intermittent west wind I would plan on setting up. It would also be desirable if the valley wind is not strong.

If there are clouds in the morning, all kinds of different clues may be indicated, especially wind speed and direction. If lenticular wave clouds are present, I would go back to bed.

Lennies generally mean strong winds and light or non-convective conditions. Some people say they have had good flights in wave conditions, but I have not. If there are cumulus clouds that are torn to bits, this may indicate the presence of a shear layer. Note: The popular term "shear" is technically not a word meaning good lift. It is a sharp borderline between different wind velocities and/or directions, and is usually turbulent.

Pollution in the valley is a sign of stable conditions and is not a good sign for soaring.

This stability indicates the lack of convective activity and a possible inversion level and shear. There may also be only a light inversion with no shear.

Weather forecasts of general conditions and winds aloft will also help determine dangerous conditions. The pressure distribution in the L.A. Times weather map is not necessarily accurate. The Times forecaster often throws an "L" in the desert area. He thinks there is almost always a thermal low in the desert area in the summer. This is not true. If there is relatively warm air aloft, even the desert can't heat up enough to break through the inversion.

I have been describing one meteorological condition and theory. This theory will have exceptions just like every other meteorological theory. Weather is very dynamic and forecasting can be very frustrating to a meteorologist. That's why I am not a meteorologist.

The west wind is not desirable in the Horseshoe area but it is normal and may be desirable on the White Mts. So, if you do cross the valley, a southwest wind will be welcome. The best way to avoid the west wind on the Sierras is to fly early and cross the valley as soon as possible, for the west wind becomes stronger and more dominant by early afternoon. By 3:00 it may be blowing down the surface of the east slope. If the winds aloft are light and the morning easterly upslope is strong and unstable, the soaring conditions should be wonderful on the Sierras. The westerly downslope may develop late or not at all.

I have not discussed overdevelopment and thunderstorms in the Owens because they are very visible and more obvious. Generally, the Owens is such a powerful convection generator that it may overdevelop and rain by noon if the air mass in the area is not dry.

Be careful in the Owens and don't be overanxious to fly, for this place can kick your butt!

Charlie Baughman Riverton, UT

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USHGA PRESIDENT

1986 Financial Picture

REVENUES ~-----Subscriptions 5.1%

by Russ Locke Insurance 4.0%

We

exited 1985 with two financial challenges and for the most part we were successful at meeting both of those challenges. We knew that we had to manage our business in the face of rising insurance costs. In fact, our costs rose 80 % over the previous year. The second challenge was to establish a simple financial reporting system that allowed us to plan ahead and track our situation on a month-to-month basis. The system we established still needs some cleaning up, but is in place and working fine.

Looking at what happened last year, the two pie charts show revenues (money in) and expenses (money out) for 1986.

The breakout of revenues is much the same as 1985 with two exceptions. The amount of money we received from donations and merchandise was significantly less in 1986. In the case of merchandise, the poor showing was artificial since our largest expenditure was printing the 1987 Calendars which at year end, were still selling at a good pace. Overall our revenues were up 9.4 % in 1986 which is about twice as good as we anticipated (targeted).

In the case of expenses, the proportion of money spent on operations and committees remained about the same.

However, insurance in 1986 was 21.3 % of our budget as opposed to 12.7 % the year before. The amount of money spent on our magazine dropped in 1986 from 49.3 % to 41.0 %. Overall our expenses were up 10.3 % which was again a good showing since we targeted our expenses to be up 12.4%.

The net of all this is that the positive trends we saw at the end of 1985 continued on through 1986. We ended the year profit wise in the black. We still

~ - - - Magazine 3. 9%

·,

'Mi see l I enous 3. 5%

Dues 63.9%

EXPENSES

Operations 37.3%

Insurance 21 .3%

41 .0%

(continued on page 12)

JUNE

1987

7

UPDATE Total Membership Credits For The Month of March 1987

Place

Name

No. of Memberships

Windsports International

16

Mission Soaring Center

13

Hang Flight Systems

9

4

Arizona Windsports

7

5

Santa Barbara Hang Gliding Ctr

6

6

Airplay'n Kitty Hawk Kites West Lookout Mtn Flight Park

2

7

Tradewinds

5

5 5

4

Chandelle Dunlap Flight Park 9

10

Hang Gliding Ctr San Diego High Sierra Sports Southwind Hang Gliding School Thermal Up

OAKLEY EYESHADES

2 2 2 2

Calendar June 9-14: Manufacturers League Meet. Contact: Wills Wing, Inc., 1208-H E. Walnut, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 547-1344.

June 12-14: Nebrasky tow seminar and XC meet, Ogallala, NE. Contact: Hugh Martin (402) 463-6255.

Oakley offers these unique sunglasses for sporting activities. They feature a light nylon frame and an unbroken arc around the face for maximum peripheral vision and minimal air turbulence behind the lens. The lens is claimed to be virtually unbreakable, scratch resistent and to filter out 100 % of UV and blue light rays. Suggested retail is $60. Contact: Oakley, 11 Marconi, Irvine, CA 92718 (714) 951-0991.

AFRO PRICE REDUCTION

Austin Air Sports Hawk Air Sports Kite World Kitty Hawk Kites West Mid-East Ultralights Nova Air San Francisco Windsports Torrey Pines Hang Gliding Assn

June 13, 20: Region 11 Regionals. 1\vo weekends, June 13 - expert class, open distance XC or XC race to goal. Also novice class. June 20 - finalists. Entry fee $20.

Contact: Steve Burns, 1712 Waterston, Auston, TX 78703 (512) 474-1669.

June 20-21: 4th annual fly-in and pig roast.

Grant, MT. Contact: Monte Elliot (406) 681-3144.

June 20-21: Southern NY hang gliding Assn. fun meet, Ellenville, NY. Light competition, 3 classes and prizes. Registration Saturday 9:00 AM. Contact: Alisa/Joel (516) 791-4763.

June 26-28: South Idaho XC meet (King Mtn.), Moore, ID. Contact: Mike King (208) 362-1848.

July 6·12: World Championships of Paragliding, Attehis mountains near Verbier, Switzerland.

Preregistration by May 15. Contact: Verbier Tourist Office, Christian Sarbach, Case Postale 323, CH-1936 Verbier, Switzerland.

July 11·19: U.S. Nationals, Gunter launch, Owens Valley, CA. Contact: Tom Kreyche/Mark Axen P.O. Box 1535, Bishop, CA 93514 (619) 873-8367.

KITE CYCLE

Stuntman Todd Seeley is pictured flying a hang glider-equipped motorcycle built by Aeolus Hang Gliders. Watch for it in Joey Chitwood's thrill show and on TV. 8

A $200.00 price reduction for the Afro Owens Valley 8000a was announced by Air Tech Electronics in Santa Barbara, CA. The Owens Valley 8000a features a vario with two different vario response times, a digital altimeter, airspeed indicator, stop watch, Mccready speed ring, total energy compensation and comes with a one-year warranty. New price: $449.00. Contact: Air Tech Electronics, 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 962-8999.

July 22·26: Tenth Annual World Invitational Hang Gliding Championship, Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, BC CANADA. All Hang IVs may apply. Contact: Valerie Lang, 6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver, BC V7R 4N4 (604) 984-0661.

Sept. 5-7: Tenth Annual Free spirit Hang Gliding Festival held at Draht Hill, Elmira, NY. Club team and open class competitions. Beginner to Advanced pilots welcome. Ultralights, towing, aerobatics. Camping. Pre-registration required. 125 pilots max. Contact: Free Spirit Flight HGCI, P.O. Bop 13, Dept. HG, Elmira, NY 14901.

HANG GLIDING

UPDATE Sept. 17-29: International hang gliding film festival, St. Hilaire Du Touvet, Isere, FRANCE. Contact: 38720 Saint-Hilaire Du Touvet. Tel. 76 08 33 99.

Oct. 15-17: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association annual convention at Baily's Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: Ann Kilian, AOPA 421, Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701 (301) 695-2052.

June 6: XC clinic. June 7: Chute clinic. June 13·21: Owens Valley XC tour. July 18: Chute clinic. July 19: Mountain flying clinic. Aug. 8·15: Hawaii tour. Contact: KHK West (408) 384-2622.

Until Sept. 15: '87 Montana XC Challenge. Contact: Roger Lockwood, 1217 Terry, Billings, MT 59102 (406) 245-6793.

1987 MONTEREY BAY STEEPLE CHASE RESULTS All times listed are corrected elapsed times over the 12-mile race course.

Pro Division 1. Lee Gardner ................. 19:01 Magic IV -177 2. Mark Bennett ................ 19:05 Sensor 510B VG 3. Ken Brown .................. 19: 10 Magic IV Racer 166 4. Jeff Williamson .............. 20:50 Magic III 777 4. Brian Porter ................. 20:50 Voyager (Prototype) 5. Bob England ................. 21: 15 Prototype

Amateur Division 1. Steve Brockman .............. 21 :45 Magic IV 2. Grant Loban ................. 21:48 Streak 180 3. Bob Morken ................. 22:17 Magic IV Vision Class 1. John Basa ................... 24:38 Eclipse 19 2. Briggs Christie ............... 24:40 Genesis 3. Larry Nicholson .............. 25:45 Eclipse 19 Sponsorship Credits: Kitty Hawk Kites - Producer World Wide Travel - Hawaii Trip KMBY Radio - Promotions A.R.M. (Bob Cartier) Amateur Division

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Double mount available to attach M21.

• 1000 fpm. 5 mis. 10 mis scale. Total Energy probe available.

• 1 foot or 1 meter digital altitude (-2,000 to + 32,000 feet).

• 6 functions-altitude, relative altitude, barometer, clock, elapsed time, stop watch.

• Operates 60 hours on internal rechargeable ni-cad batteries.

• Wrist strap or Ball clamp mounting. Rugged and sealed-traditional Ball quality.

• Operation based on latest microprocessor techniques.

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9

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item of business for was to inUSHGA this surance coverage for the association For those clubs and who faced site closures, our thanks for your and res1pon1sible m:go1tiations with landowners. We did find coverage after a six-week search and over two dozen submittals to insurance companies.

But what to cause you to get a yellow post US!JGA in the The insurance industry stmcturc can be likened to a tree. Local agents arc leaves, brokers are branches and companies or exchanges are the trunk. Company stockholders or in an ex·· the to guarantee value in the event payment of the of any claims; are the roots. Also, there arc difforent trees for homeowners, life, health, auto, marine and aviation inwrite surance. Not. all

from USHGA to many different agents and Meanwhile, we had to inform members that we didn't have coverage, that any day a com· pauy could agree to write a polk'Y for us.

So, we found insurance. What kind is it?

We purchased coverage to $1,000,000 limits this year. This is an increase in coverage for members! We had to finance the payments on a quarterly basis, so sites will receive quarterly ex· tension certificates throughout the year.

Our deductible amount increased to $2500. Pilots will be responsible for the first $750, thcu USHGA picks up the next $1750. For claims over $2500, the insurance company adjusts the claim and makes a settlement.

Our insurance polic'Y covers two things, a landowner's action or no action in

allowing hang gliding on his premises and your actions as a hang glider pilot.

This is called 'Premises and Operations' comprehensive liability. A landowner wants to be protected from a wuffo wandering onto the property, hurt and filing a suit against the landowner for not protecting said wuffo from injury while watching you hang glide. A pilot who owns a home, yacht, four-wheel drive motor home chase car, personal business and first born child doesn't want to lose them in a lawsuit if he happens to overshoot a landing, beaking into a wuffo's body (bodily injm'Y) or property (property damage). The above scenarios involve protection for third-party liability. having only USHGA members flying an insured site the member and landowner arc covered under the same policy and there can be no cross-suit. This protects USHGA's policy. But the landowners may also have pilots sign release statements.

We do uot have insurance fix injury to your body while flying, trying to fly, or landing. That's why you have major medical coverage for accidents from someone else, right?

While we're at it, be certain your life insurance polky (remember the first born child?) is endorsed to include "aviation

In 1986, USHGA was insured in an exThe was closed by the Florida insurance to audit the eariitaliz:1ticm of some of the syr1di<;atc:s

audit. our agent we believed we had crnmp,anics who wished to write our before exi:;11ra1:ion they informed the didn't want to write the agent coverage. US.HOA was left holding an empty bad and had to then solicit to and educate new as to the type of coverage we needed aud our history as a customer in the insurance business. Slow and lot~ of nmrier·wrlrk corporate

JUNE )987

Sylmar club members collecting their paycheck (eating lunch) for helping USHGA move. Thanks to: Kathleen Ahern, Alex Campbell, Dino Dinaso, Allen Faye, Erik fair, John Flick, Joe Greblo, Haskell Hooks, Les and Marilyn King, Hob Lafay, Neil, Dave Stambaugh, Averill Strasser, Ken Ridge and others we may have forgotten.

tl

USHGA REPORTS for recreation." All standard life insurance excludes aviation unless riding on commercial airlines. Wabash Life Insurance and Northwestern Mutual Life will both cover hang gliding activities.

Why do we have policy renewal problems each year?

For the last three years USHGA has been caught in the insurance industry turmoil. Reinsurance companies went bankrupt, limiting our choice of companies to insure with. Our current carriers couldn't renew us. Then we have to knock on doors again to convince a company to write our coverage. USHGA has been a good customer for at least four years, paying much more in premiums than was paid out in claims. Still, conservative underwriters raise their eyebrows when we talk hang gliding coverage. We'll do our best to avoid the problem this coming spring.

USHGA MOVED Last fall the Board of Directors authorized a move of the office out of the Los Angeles basin. The move took place over the weekend of May 2 and 3, thanks to the generous assistance of members of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association. Our new address is P.O. Box 500, Pearblossom, CA 93553. Telephone is (805) 944-5333. All member renewals, merchandise orders and rating applications should be sent to the new address to avoid forwarding delays.•

PILOT PROFICIENCY PROGRAM UPDATED At the recent Board of Directors meeting in Boulder, Colorado the Pilot Proficiency Program was updated. The new system will become effective on Oct. 1, '87. The Intermediate and Advanced written exams have been revised.

The changes to FAR Part 104 are listed below.

Subpart A.1.b Ratings shall be obtained in order, starting with the beginner rating, and each assumes the applicant has the ability to perform the tasks required by all lower ratings.

12

Subpart B. Advanced Required Witnessed Tasks. Item 6 75 hours total airtime, with 25 hours in thermal lift.

Subpart B. Master Required Witnessed Tasks.

Categories

Current

New

Hours Thermal Hours Points Required

150 75 1300

400 200 1600

Master Rating Points System Categories

Current

Pts. Max

1. Logged Airtime

2 pts./hr.

350

New 1 pt./hr.

2. Number of Fits.

1 pt./flt.

250

No Change

3. Altitude Gains

50 pts./2000' 100 pts./3000' 150 pts./4000' 200 pts./5000'

350

50 pts./2000' 100 pts./4000 150 pts./6000 200 pts./8000

4. Cross Country

25 pts./5 mi.

350 50 pts./10 mi.

100 pts./10 mi.

100 pts./20 mi.

150 pts./15 mi.

150 pts./30 mi.

200 pts./20 mi.

200 pts./40 mi.

250 pts./25 mi.

250 pts./50 mi.

No Change 5 points/flight Eliminated No Change - Attendance is manckitory for Master Rating, but no points are awarded.

5. through 9.

10. Balloon Drop 11. Attend ICP

(continued from page 7)

(USHGA President) need another year or so of this same performance in order to build up our cash reserves of unearned dues to the point where our net worth is in the black also, but there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel. (Let's hope it's not another train.)

So while things have settled down somewhat, there are still some significant challenges ahead. The biggest is insurance. We have to find a way to provide membership and site insurance at something less than 70 to 80,000 dollars a year. It's even more insulting when you consider that our total insurance claims for the last several years have been in the 5 to 10,000 dollar a year range. This has become the largest issue facing our organization. If you have any ideas or resources, send them to Dan Johnson care of this office.

We are also working on other opportunities such as holding down our operational costs and increasing our magazine advertising revenues. The growth being made in the desktop publishing industry

holds many potential gains for us in terms of lowering our magazine and office printing costs (probably raising the quality in some cases). All in all, 1987 looks like a year where we stop fighting fires and put our resources to work preventing new ones from starting. Send any ideas or suggestions you have to the office. They are appreciated.•

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HANG GLIDING

photo by Mike Dcgtoff

by Dennis Pagen

Here we present another installment of The reader may recall that we this series last October by transplanting it from another periodical. lt will appear every second new moon past the aphelion if the ground hog sees his shadow.

Otherwise, it will show up when my notebooks are filled with small items of interest to pilots. The sources of these items are and from others as well as my own convoluted inspirations.

Our topics today are . ..

NOSEPLATE INCLINOMETER I received a letter from Mark Silveria of Oaldand, California the use of a sailboat inclinometer on a glider's noseplate wings at as an aid in leveling a takeoff. Mark further comments that most crashes he has seen beginners perform have heen due to unlevel wings at takeoff. The of looking to each side breaks concentration and unsettles trim, according to Mark. His idea is shown in 1.

I agree with Mark that leveling the glider's is a common problem with beginners.

It stems from the need to hold a heavy awkward object above the head while con,,,,,,tr,,ti11"' on conditions, altitude and calmpulse. Such a device as an inJUNE 1987

clinometer would provide a visual clue to wing position with a minimum diversion of attention.

A necessary consideration with such an installment is to protect the instrument du ring the production of noseplate divots. The instrument shonld be mounted far enough baek or with flexible mounting (bungees or duct tape) so that it won't during a nose-in.

The real drawback of such a system is that it induces a beginner to stare at the noseplate.

This is a problem when instructors overemphasize the practice of setting attitude by the nose position with the horizon. I have witnessed a number of pilots exhibiting the dangerous habit of watching their noseplate during their entire run instead of the ground and the obstacles in front of them.

The way I snggest learning or teaching proper wing leveling and nose positioning is to stand with the glider in takeoff position with elosecl eyes. An experienced pilot then provides verbal feedback while the uci~rn11c1 practices setting the proper positions. This teaches a pilot to feel when the glider is situated properly which helps pre·· vent an out of whaek glider in the first plaee. this "feeling" technique over tl1e years 13

has brought me to the point where I rarely use visual checks of my glider's pitch or roll positioning, except in high wind or chute launches when the forgiveness factor is critically low. From observation I believe this is the case with other experienced pilots as well.

If a school or an individual plans to use a wing-leveling instrument on the noseplate, I would suggest a planned effort to overcome such a need at some point. With regard to such a plan, I think the noseplate inclinometer is a good idea.

'P"LANE

.----73A LL MOVES

-ro ~1GHT TC>

IND1CA7z= T/1.~

A RIG-~

RUNNING LEVEL While we're on the subject of level wings let's discuss how to handle a tipped glider in the middle of a launch run. This is a subject that comes up often in instructor certification program discussions.

The problem is illustrated in figure 2. Here the pilot is beset by a too-high left wing.

What the pilot does to correct this problem may depend upon where he is in his takeoff sequence. For example, if this wing-high state occurs during the first step or so, the glider isn't lifting its own weight, so pulling down on the high side is futile. Similarly, if a pilot is almost airborne, trying to lift up on the low side will be unproductive.

A further complication is the difference in glider reaction to a high-wing situation due to a side gust, or due to an unlevel wing position before beginning to run. (Note: A somewhat common problem is starting with level wings but dropping one arm as the

14

takeoff run begins.) Also, consider the problem of trying to decide how to react properly during the sensory overloading of takeoffs as a beginner.

To solve all these problems I suggest the following universal technique. When a lifted wing is detected,_immediately perform three actions (see figure 2): 1. Pull down on the side of the high wing. 2. Pull up on the side of the low wing. 3. Move sideways towards the low side.

The first two actions serve to put a rotational force into the glider to roll it level.

This takes place whether the glider is lifting or not. The third action places the pilot below the center of gravity of the glider that gets displaced to one side as shown. This is the same technique as trying to balance a

broom in the palm of your hand by moving your hand under the broom. This technique should also be used when holding a glider in readiness for launch.

With the above technique it doesn't matter if you are lifting the glider, the glider is lifting you or some state in between. The arm action will produce a rolling input. If your weight is on the glider, you will be pulled to the high side for a weight-shift control.

If the glider's weight is on you, you will move under the glider and torque it level.

Practice this maneuver on level ground and you will see that it works.

CALENDAR LOG To set the record straight, a calendar (with an 'a') is a display of dates. A calender (with

HANG GLIDING

an 'e') is a roll in the shape of a log that hot presses our sail cloth to render a smoother, less porous finish (hence, calendered cloth).

What I want to talk about is a calendar log, as in a display of dates. Namely, I have found a great way to use my full-color USHGA calendar. I use it as a flight log. The day squares are large enough to insert all pertinent data of a flight and at the end of each year I'll have a graphic display of my flying activity. Also, I now have a good excuse to keep the old calendars around so my grandchildren can enjoy these great photos of the "early days" of hang gliding.

BOLTING WRE For all of you handy humans who are adept at replacing battered down tubes and tortured keels, here are some tidbits. To begin, you should know that AN parts are plated with cadmium which is what gives these parts their characteristic yellow tint.

Cadmium falls halfway between aluminum and steel on the electronegativity scale so it is the best choice for preventing galvanic reaction and hence corrosion at a bolt/tubing interface.

It's important to preserve this protective plating on the bolts of your glider. For this reason, never tum a bolt when loosening or tightening it, but rather, turn the nut. This is of special importance to those who use their gliders near salt water.

Another matter to note is that nuts should be turned with box end wrenches or sockets, never open end wrenches or crescent wrenches. The reason for this caveat is that open wrenches score the aluminum tube as you rotate the wrench. This scoring is almost impossible to avoid and can lead to serious corrosion.

Finally, something they never told you in basic health class is the fact that cadmium is highly toxic. A basic rule of thumb is to never put anything containing cadmium in your mouth. Don't hold an AN bolt or nut or washer in your mouth while fiddling with other parts. This warning should be doubly heeded by smokers who already get more than their share of cadmium from burning cigarette paper.

TUBING PRESERVATION Many pilots can get their hands on a good supply of aircraft grade tubing at very attractive prices. The only trouble is, it's not anodized. Here's a simple solution to that problem as suggested by Jack Miller, a pilot in my area.

JUNE 1987

First, use a product called Nevr Dull on the outside of the tube. When you wipe this off you'll have a tube that shines like stainless steel. Next use lacquer thinner to remove all residue of the Nevr Dull, then follow with a coat of clear lacquer once the thinner has evaporated. You'll end up with a tube indistinguishable from a bright-dip anodized tube.

A couple of matters to note are the need to perform the entire process all in one sitting as the exposed aluminum quickly corrodes. Also, wear gloves to prevent body oils from coating the tube before you apply the lacquer (note that aluminum oxide is a suspect in skin cancer). Be sure to inspect your tubes for scratches as these flaws let moisture cause oxidation.

If you check almost any aluminum tube - anodized or not - you will see corrosion inside. Some of this pitting can be severe. The problem is that anodizing does not plate inside a tube (except the end) because electric field lines do not exist inside a conducting body. The proper way to fully protect a tube is to swab the inside with warm linseed oil. Before you rush out to swab all your tubes, please note that no failure of a hang glider has been definitely attributed to tubing corrosion. However, I thought you might wish to know the FAAapproved method.

APRONYMS On a lighter side, let me mention a minor diversion of mine: collecting apronyms. An apronym is a name that is particularly pertinent to a person's occupation or pastime.

Some I have come across in the sport of hang gliding are two Tom Birds (both in Pennsylvania), Bruck Hawk of Tennessee, Mark Wing of Missouri, Windy Blevins of West Virginia, Joe Gorrie of Pennsylvania (Gory and Gora mean mountain in Russian and the slavic languages) and West Vogel (Vogel means bird in German). I hope these gentlemen will forgive me exploiting their names, and understand I'd love to have theirs rather than mine. But certainly, the ultimate hang gliding name was that given to himself by a pilot who received some press a few years ago for promoting graphite tubes in hang gliders and trying to fly to Europe from the U.S. in an ultralight. He called himself Eagle Sarmont. Get it?

Readers with questions or ideas appropriate to Wingtips are requested to write Dennis at 1184 Oneida St., State College, PA 16801.

by Rob McKenzie the best of ways!"

"It's the worst of ways!"

This may sound a little like Dickens but it is nonetheless a "tale of two launch methods."

A growing number of pilot~ are headin' out to the skies by truck towing, er, that is launehing off the top of a moving vehicle.

"What? You gotta be kiddin'!"

Well this isn't new, at least not brand new.

Pilots have been doing this for years. In the late 70's hang gliders powered with the soarmaster power pack were often launched this way.

Some. pilots will)ell you that tmek towis tJie safest way to fly. Don't listen to them. Some will tell you that it's suicide.

Don't listen to them either. Get the faets, consider the trade-offs and make up your own mind.

The five photos show basically what's involved as Mike Meier demonstrates state-ofthe-art tmck towing.

The trade-offs you must consider are many and varied. There are economic, safoty and to some purists, aesthetic trade-offa.

16

It depends entirely on your situation whether foot launching or truck towing will provide the most enjoyment for the buck.

The foll owing should be considered: 1. Drive times to both foot-launch sites and tow roads.

2. Cost sharing of the winch by means of a club.

3. The type of flying you enjoy the most, i.e.; XC, thermalling ridge lift, etc. and which launch method will satisfy your needs the best.

Now we come to the great debate safety.

There's no simple answer to this question.

It depends mostly upon launch conditions, pilot judgement, and with regards to towing, equipment operator ability. Consider the following in the evaluation of tmck towing safety.

1. Do you have a driver capable of monitoring both line tension and driving speed simultaneously'?

2. Launching in a turn· is virtually eliminated with truck towing.

3. You must be a fairly versatile pilot to tmck tow since your glider will han-

die more responsively on tow as compared to free flight.

4. Tmck towing involves more nittygritty since the line and weak link must be inspected and the line must be routed correctly and the release mechanism connected properly.

5. Failing to hook in is virtually impossible when truck towing.

"So now I have all I need to decide if I should truck tow!"

Well not exactly. If you're like most pilots you have a few misconceptions about how hang gliders are controlled while on tow.

Just as gliders have evolved over the years, so have towing attachment points. In the beginning the tow line was attached to the middle of the basetube. To reduce rapid climb-outs right after launch (which would leave the glider stalled should the line break) a second attachment point was the top of tl1e control bar at the keel, which was released while on tow to allow a higher angle of attack and therefore a higher tow.

The pilot had very little control with this method of line attachment. If the pilot weight HANG GLIDING

was 150 pounds, the was 50 pounds and the line load was 200 pounds (typical) the piloting load was only ·37 % of the total load compared with 75 % while in free flight.

Lockouts were a common problem.

The Center of Mass system (Hewett bri·· die) was a revolution since the lower of the two attachment points was to the pilot's harness at his waist. More roll control was the result since the pilot could shift some of the line load. The percent of the total load that was piloting load was now about 65 % while on tow. illustration of the added roll control think of those little toy sport kites, the ones with two lines to them. Pull one string and it rolls one way, pull the other and it rolls the way.

The problem still existed, however, that without the upper attachment point the initial climb-out wonld be too rapid.

The upper attachment point was solving the symptom and not the problem. The problem was that the glider was being towed ho1rizcmt11lly due to the fact that the pilot foot launched some 200 feet or so behind the tow vehicle. (See 1.)

The problem was solved so simply by launchdnii from the vehicle itself, so that the did not pitch up from pendulum srn.ouuv, therefore not the upper at·· tachment point. Because of this the total load that was piloting load became as high as 90%. (See 2.) Such roll con-· trol is you hear claims of comfort towup through conditions in which it would not be safe to land.

"So now I know all about vehicle launch constant tension load shift ground towing of

oord prevents glider from pitching ov,}r because of tailwinds or rndden

stops

nose tethered by lim} to soilplcme type rele11se hook

but you do know some basics.

"And at least I know fhat hang gliders can be towed and have predictable control response."

Wrong again. Often the own spiral instability or turbulence in the air can put the glider with noticeable drops in line tension. When the line tension comes back the glider is accelerated in the direction of the causing adverse yaw. Should the glider have a strong yaw/roll coupling a roll will be induced. An example is the which rolls away from the line,

JUNE 1987

17

f I G. 1 LOW TOW

POSITION WITHOUT

LOW

UPPER ATTACHMENT in the progression of a lockout.

"What about flex wings, what kind of yaw/roll coupling do they have?"

The flex wing has slight anhcdral which should reduce yaw/roll coupling.

"So do flex wings lock out on tow or not and no more mumbo jumbo about anheadrolls and stuff."

Most flex wings will not stay exactly on the correct heading hands off on tow, but will generally wander just as they do in free flight. Experiments I've done show that flex wings generally to 360 and stabilize in the turn in either direction, however this should be neither surprising nor alarming.

Even if the glider is leveled off 180° out of proper heading, roll control is so effective that a corrective 180° can easily be ac-· complished in just a few seconds with one hand on the basetube. You should, however, try to stay to within 45° of the proper heading or you'll find that you won't gain much altitude.

"OK, I'd like to say that now I've heard but you'd just say 'wrong again', so with the paper shortage in mind, what's left?"

The only thing I can think of right now is step towing. towing is accomplished by making repeated passes along the tow road. Even though altitude is lost while repositioning to make another run, or more altitude is gained while towing the step than is lost preparing for it.

Step towing can be done by repeated 18

row

WITH UPPER passes into the wind, repositioning each time at the downwind end of the road, or by reverdirections back and forth along the same road.

The obvious danger associated with step towing is the possible snagging of the line on roadside obstacles or the tow vehicle itself.

Planning, teamwork, communication and a roadside free of fenceposts and the like are very important.

In addition to extra altitude, additional time on tow fishing for thermals is a great benefit for those wishing to soar.

POSITION ATTACHMENT

There is another danger associated with step towing that most pilots don't realize exists. that you are doing a reversing type step tow. You had towed north and are still flying north with the vehicle going south beneath you. The rope is slack and hanging straight down beneath you. Suddenly you realize that the rope is about to become taught with you flying the wrong direction.

In a not wanting to lock out you quickly bank the glider to 50°. About the time you've completed 60° of the intended 180 the rope comes under tension and the angle of the

launch sequence.

HANG GLIDING

rope is only 300 down from the horizon. You look with horror as you watch your wingtip drop below and back up under the rope. Just as you think to release, the line contacts the upper surface several feet inboard of the tip and the next thing you know you are doing the first hang glider lomshivok.

This scenario is very easy to avoid however. Observe the following rules: l. Be aware that the possibility exists.

Know where the tow vehicle, the tow line and your wingtip are at all times, especially while turning with a slack line.

3. Realize that your glider won't lock out but rather is very controllable and descends at about 1,200 feet per minute while being towed under constant tension directly from behind.

Sec the photo.

FIG ANGLE R LAUNCH

"I know, I know there's more. Right?"

There will probably always be more. We are all pioneers in this very new form of aviation. The conservative pilot might wait until time proves the latest towing method while the bold pilot (if he's still alive) probably began towing many years ago.

The point is this. Be worthy of the title "pilot" and evaluate your options logieally for yourself, and don't let yourself get involved in things that don't make safe sense to you. this in mind and you'll tnily soar whether you're in or out of the towline

hands off in the opposite direction of tow. Sink rate is about 1,200 J1PM.

zone.II JUNE 1987

19

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OVERDRIVE

A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR YOUR RIGHT HAND There used to be two kinds of gliders: those with plenty of performance but little handling ease; and those with good handlingmaybe even a good sink rate, but without the speed and glide required for truly high performance. Pilots had to choose between "sport" flying or performance flying.

The advent of variable geometry changed that unhappy situation. At last a pilot can degrade his performance for better handling during launches or landings or flying in tight, crowded thermals.

Seedwings designer Bob Trampenau believed it was possible to combine performance and handling to the point that nearly every pilot could be accommodated, so everyone could have screaming eagle performance and light handling with confidencebuilding ease of control. To achieve this. it requires a glider with inflight variable billow (overdrive) or variable geometry and a raised CG. to a point above the sail.

Trampenau developed the VG and was the first to popularize in the US both the VG and the kingpost hang system. Incorporating these innovations with his alreadysuccessful Sensor design, he achieved results never before seen-a high performance glider with pleasant and predictable easy handling.

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• SEEDWINGS

article and photos by John

HANG GLIDING

This is the story of three friends, Dino Dinaso, his brother Chris (D-Day), and me who decided to travel to a somewhat remote area of Mexico for three different reasons.

Dino, a Delta Wing factory pilot planned to compete in the Daniel Gremion Cup, an international memorial hang gliding competition at Valle de Bravo. D-Day needed a vacation from welding fumes and Valle de San Fernando smog, and thought a small village in the mountains of Mexico sounded great.

I wanted to get some photos with new scenery and some XC flying too. After packing our gliders for travel we said goodbye to the Delta Wing family, and Jamie drove us to LAX whence we headed for the land of sombreros and sie:,tas. Juan Corral, who was born in Mexico City, came along to stay for just the first weekend. We felt secure (fools) to have a guide who knew the area.

We arrived at the Mexico City airport at midnight and found that John Pendry and Jess Flynn had just arrived from England, and that Gerard and Cherie Thevenot and Renaud Guy had just arrived from France.

Midnight must be a good time to arrive with hang gliders in Mexico. After loading our gliders on the cars of Pepe Del Rio and Carl Lackner we all went to the Sheraton, the finest hotel in Mexico City. We were given a special rate making it affordable for gringo pilots. The plan was to spend the night, what was left of it, and then head to Valle De Bravo and the best flying south of the border.

Once Juan had checked us in he made a phone call, murmured the word Lucy, and disappeared. He did not come back to get us in the morning. Somehow everyone else had been picked up and were on their way to Valle de Bravo, but the three amigos (stooges) were stranded in the middle of a large city of foreign-speaking people with nary a phone number and no more idea of where they were to go than the name "Valle de Bravo," which strnck terrqr in the eyes of the taxi drivers. Finally we found a cabby who spoke English and he told us that the road to Valle de Bravo is dangerous, that many people have be,!n killed, and that he would want $150 to take us there, which was more than I had intend.ed to spend on my ten days there. We quickly adopted the practice of doing a cursory safety inspection of the taxi before approaching the driver. After a few hours of delay and searching we found a brave young driver (we thought that was how the town got its name) who agreed, after some haggling, to take us for $60. Since his cab had decent rubber and all the lug nuts JUNE 1987

were in place, we loaded our gear, piled in, and were off.

We saw things in Valle de Bravo that you rarely see in the U.S.A. Some workers were installing a new phone line along the road to the hotel, but we saw no power equipment.

They were digging the six-foot-deep ditch with picks and shovels. The planned route was at least three miles long. Labor must be as cheap as restaurant food. You can have a good steak dinner for $1.50; we seldom saw anything on the menu for more than $2.00.

If you like fresh squeezed orange juice (jugo de naranca fresca) sixty cents gets you a tall glass and all restaurants have it. A bus ride to town from the Avandaro Hotel is 15 cents while a taxi varies from 20 cents to four dollars depending on the time of day and gringo gullibility.

A word about water. Whenever gringos venture south of the border they are told about "the water." Your neighbors tell you about "the water." The travel agent tells you about "the water." The people in Mexico who speak English tell you about "the water." What no one tells you is, "Do not let even a drop get in your mouth." Most of us had no more than a mild problem with "the water." Everyone drank mineral water or Pepsi. Hang Czech and Rich Pfeiffer bought mineral water by the case and were confident that they were safe. I walked in on them one day and they were enjoying mineral water on the rocks in the style of affluent tourists. I said, "You're not drinking 'the water'?" They responded, "Nooooo." I said, "I wonder what those ice cubes are made of." You never saw ice removed from a glass of mineral water so quickly.

Hang Czech exhibited a fairly good immunity to the water for most of our stay. He had brought with him two bottles of Bipto Pezmol (Czech accent) which he used regularly (no pun intended) as a preventative measure. But one day at launch I heard the familiar sound of a Bohemian soliciting toilet paper. A while later as he walked past me I heard him muttering, "The water is beginning to affect me too 'Ged Demmit' (Czech accent)."

On the last competition day Rich Pfeiffer had a radical experience with the water which rendered him unable to fly. The medical team had to take him down the mountain and treat him. I was wondering what they were there for.

One thing I will remember about Mexico is the children. It seems as though I did not see any until the first time I outlanded. I was

a quarter-mile from a village called Meson Viejo (old tavern) and after I skidded to a stop in a field of "moon dust" I noticed another cloud of dust with forty legs approaching me from the direction of the town.

My first thought was, "How can I protect my almost new white glider from the 200 curious fingers coming toward me?" My second thought was, "I cannot." Most of these kids have never seen a hang glider (papalote) much less had an opportunity to see what one feels like. So now my glider has more finger prints than the rear of a Corvair.

On another day I landed near the city of Toluca. Before my feet touched the ground there were fifty kids running toward me from every direction. After I landed I watched as this mass of Mexican minors assembled in front of me and became very quiet. Having acquired an excellent command of Spanish by this time I said to them in their language, "Where are your hang gliders?" and was rewarded with a round of laughter. I think that is what I asked them. I folded the glider watching to see that ribs (costillas) were not pulled before the cross-spar was released. As I zipped up my harness bag I looked up to see my glider walking away towards the freeway on as many shoulders as could fit under its length. In the 45 minutes till the retrieval bus arrived my number of companions dwindled to eight. Always at least a few kids will stay with you until your ride shows.

Everyone I talked to agreed that the organization of this competition was of professional quality. Brand new trucks (with beauty queen) from Chrysler of Mexico hauled gliders, equipment and pilots to launch and along the retrieval route. A fullon greyhound-type bus with professional driver carried pilots from the hotel to the gathering place at the base of the mountain, with police escort on the opening day. Imagine the luxury service: You end your XC flight near the retrieval highway. You fold your wing and pass some time playing soccer with the local children. The truck pulls up and your glider is loaded and tied on while you saunter onto the bus and relax for the ride back, with a stop for dinner of course. We usually went to a Mexican restaurant.

Things like a resort hotel, retrieval bus and breakfast buffet were somewhat of a surprise CENTERSPREAD: John Heiney soars his Mystic over Navado de Toluca. Volcano is seen in background.

23

to many of us bums who are accustomed to a hitch hik· and com flakes with warm milk.

A word must be said about the of respect accorded by the peo-ple of Mexico, which was demonstrated by the two major companies like Chrysler of Mexico and Cola were to sponsor this event. I the or~:a11ize1rs a great deal of credit for per-these firms and the stat(; of Mexico participate. When was the last time a U.S. spcms,orship by a com-pany, except for of course the shining aber·· ration of the Masters,

by Hugh Morton? Another hint was the extensive tree necessary to make all three launch sites we used. In 1985 the federal govern· ment gave the Mexican world team a com-mendation for excellence in international gliding has more romance in Mexico. The word use for is "papalote," which means butterfly and In comes from the ancient modem Mexico papalote means kite, so to indicate hang they say "paplote tripulados" which translates to "kite with man aboard."

El Penon de! Diablo (big of the devil) is their main launch site for XC fly.

It faces the prevailing wind and was launchable every When the wind is up it gets moderately turbulent low, presumably because the big and another sec-tion of the mountain are upwind from launch. The town and the road to launch are on the back side so if you launch too early, or if it clouds over and you go down, you can wait a long time for retrieval. I found out the hard way. On day one I flew with Paul Gallaher's camera on the nose of my glider.

I was eager to launch early (fool) and ne~:Jec:ted to put a heavy enough rock on the rear of the keel (I had not brought my own counterweight system). After launch found I was trimmed at about 40 mph, and to overcome the adverse situation. As I ap .. proached the LZ I thought for a time I had set up too short. But soon I was passing over the obstacles at the near end of the field ten feet up. ''OK, I have made it." My base tube bmshcd a tall weed in the middle of the field.

I to wonder why I had not landed yet.

Soon I was more and more in-terested in the barbed wire fence at the far end of the field. I had someone's eamera on the nose. A nose-in was out of the question.

As I approached the fence I lost enough 26

Joco ridge. Note gliders set up on road cut. energy to flare and had an uneventful landing 15 feet short of the fence after floating the full length of the LZ less than ten feet off the ground.

One of my most memorable experiences on our trip was on the night of the awards ceremony, after which I walked outside to find fifteen or so people sitting on either side of a narrow footbridge leading back to the hotel. Everyone else had gone to the discos in town. As I walked by I noticed Aldo Rohlfo with a guitar. I sensed that one of my favorite situations was about to occur so I stuck around. Soon Aldo commenced play .. ing and singing a mixture of popular songs

from the last 20 years and what must have been popular and traditional Mexican songs, many of which the whole group joined in on.

Aldo and one girl from the group passed the guitar back and forth every few songs and another girl performed some professional vocals. It was a very enjoyable hour in my life.

Sometimes in the early morning the lessthan .. offensive sound of a water--cooled Cosmos trike piloted by Gerard Thevenot or Renaud Guy could be heard during liftoff from the fairway nearest the hotel. The smooth air cmise was a popular pastime for these internationally known motorheads.

HANG GLIDING

Renaud, who is manager of the Cosmos factory, flew out of the small, kidney-shaped fairway (towed by Gerard) on the evening of our arrival, necessitating a 40° turn before the trike was airborne and only seconds after the glider was flying. Jean-Pierre took Paul Gallaher, a photo-journalist covering the meet for two magazines, flying on two days for aerial photos of the competitors. It took dedication by both to fly dual on a trike in the rowdy air of this Owens Valley-type place.

Valle de Bravo is a small village in a gold and silver mining area with a very old central section of narrow cobblestone streets and old world utilitarian adobe architecture. In stark contrast are the surrounding contemporary sections of town with many modern homes with well-groomed gardens and lawns, where upper class residents of Mexico City spend their weekends. The economy of this town is obviously dependent upon the weekly visits of the affluent. The attraction of the place is easy to see with its man-made lake for sailing and other water sports, beautiful mountains including several volcanos (among them the awesome 15,000' Nevada de Toluca), and for those into the night life several discos the most happening of which is La Cola (tail of the lizard). On Friday nights the place is jumping with welldressed, educated youngsters from the city (good looking gals), excellent sound system, and high tech flashing light dazzle devices.

You must know someone to get in.

I was impressed by the energy of the local people, many of whom walked up the mining road that takes 20 minutes by truck, just to spectate at launch. On the weekends the people brought their lunch and their kids and got a good dose of wing watching.

The town was named in honor of the Mexican general and political leader Nicholas Bravo, who is considered the savior of this valley. In the late 1840's the United States and Mexico held an international competition called a war. General Bravo was able to prevent the U.S. troops from overrunning this special area, an accomplishment to which the people responded with exceptional gratitude due to the fear of what things conquering soldiers tend to do. So this place became known as Valley of Bravo.

Speaking of names, Dino and I are both ones who like to try to pin nicknames on people. Dino and John Pendry spent a fair amount of time with two girls who worked for the competition (Myra and Elli). Dino told them that John's nickname is peanut, so JUNE 1987

his new nickname became "Cacahuate" (pronounced caca-what-tay) the word for peanut in their language.

On day two of the contest the task was to fly to the airport at Toluca, 54 kilometers.

Hang Czech tried to go a little too fast on his final glide and landed about 1,000 feet short of the goal. So along with the videos of the normal pilots flying over the goal line, there is a piece of tape showing Joe walking to the goal with 30 local children and adults carrying his glider and gear. The Mexican people gave us attention and respect that would warm the heart of any hang glider pilot. I did hear a report of a farmer approaching a pilot with a machete after the landing, but it seems the man thought the pilot was trying to steal sheep and the matter was resolved without wounds.

Day five was declared a rest day. Most pilots flew at the town site called "the tower," a west-facing ridge that gets soarable every day with smooth wind off the lake. The TV news camera was rolling, and a local restauranteur took videos and showed them at dinner that night. Vico Gutierrez did some impressive climbovers to wow the crowd.

Dino Dinaso did some far upside-down rolling maneuvers, and Miguel Gutierrez did aerobatics with Paul Gallaher's camera on his nose and landed without dropping the nose on the camera. That this is noteworthy has to do with the size of the LZ. It is small - even smaller than it looks from the air because most of the green is only floating vegetation at the edge of the lake. If you undershoot you land in "the water." If you overshoot you land in "the water" or a cyclone fence. Two pigs hang out in the LZ. The big pig is the landing judge. You get one to three grunts, three being a perfect landing.

A word about our retrieval bus driver. In Mexico a bus driver is like a doctor, your life is in his hands. You come to respect him as though he had spent ten years earning an expensive education. He has, but at the expense of the other drivers who happened to be on the roads during his internship. I would not have believed that a fully loaded bus could pass cars, trucks and other busses on a winding mountain road with the agility of a sports car in a TV commercial. Our driver took very seriously his duty to transport us to our destination in the most expeditious manner, other drivers' rights not withstanding. The bus had three different headlight settings which he changed constantly, and I believe the possible combinations each had their significance, the main one used being

"get the hell out of my way." I hope he is available next year.

The man to whose memory this competition was dedicated was one of the four original hang glider pilots in Mexico along with Miguel and Vico Gutierrez and Salte!

Alatriste. Daniel Gremion came from a water skiing and bicycle racing background.

Always looking for the latest excitement, he got into flat kites and progressed to hang gliders. He was a go-for-it XC pilot with little concern for a safe landing field or convenience of retrieval. He was not only their best pilot but a respected and loved friend.

He won the first Mexican Nationals which consisted of 12 meets over the course of a year. Daniel accompanied the Mexican team to the World meets at Tegelberg '83 and Kossen '85. On the first day of the '85 Nationals at Topala near Guatelajara the wind was up and people were having trouble penetrating out from the ridge. Daniel was seen landing short from above and it looked like an OK landing, but he was found dead still hooked in. Daniel Gremion had ten years experience and his name was synonymous with hang gliding in Mexico.

Pfeiffer referred to him as a top world class pilot. He was 54 years old.

Everyone received a meet T-shirt bearing a Santiago Corral original design. For those who do not know, Santiago has been doing the T-shirt designs and other artwork for Delta Wing for the last four years. Those great Streak sweatshirts that are liked so well are one example. He is obviously among the most talented in the sport.

On days six and seven the launch site was Jocotitlan, an 11,000' volcano with two ramps three-quarters of the way up. The road is paved with hand-laid rocks and extends to the microwave relay station on top. Right in front of launch at the bottom is the town with a large open air market where we stopped to buy food. This is a favorite site of the Mexican pilots.

The day seven task (prueba) was a triangle over the back, and many pilots stuck with the locals who knew where the first tumpoint is. Dino (maverick) decided to find his own way and ended up low in a canyon 35 km south of the tumpoint. He was compelled to make a hail-Mary landing in a tiny space.

Once the adrenalin of imminent disaster had subsided he realized he was still alive but knew not where he was still alive. He was a long way up a canyon without a streetcar in sight, but his resourcefulness netted him a farmer who needed ten bucks and a truck

with a top of 15 Hours through some miraele of nonverbal comDino found himself within view with trucks and bns loaded and to leave. Just when he thought he would make it the farmer turned left to go buy diesel fuel for his tractor with the ten dollars. Dino jumped out of the trnck and ran a way to the bus yelling, "That guy The glider was found and has my Dino scored poorly for the day, but he has a story to tell his grandchildren. He can feel to know that somewhere in being tilled that Mexico there is would have gone unproduetive had it not been for his mistake. were Carlos The three main Kelisek: meet director, Thomas Gotes: launch director, and Walter Diener. Vico and Gutierrez and Del Rio did nlanmmg of the meet and were great help to pilots in them and their to and from the Many other individuals did an to make this meet the suceess it was. The Avandaro Hotel for the competition pilots. had a fine vacation but so much peace and quiet was too much for him so he left Jor Valle de his home, hopto make it on the with a 25-inch curved blade Alibaba-·type sword he bought as a at the market in V.1lle de Bravo. Dino and I were late for the plane so were unable to call Bill Bennett to tell (warn) him that we were back. We got to LAX at 7 JUNE 1987

PM and called him at home where he was settled in for the evening. He said he would get us a ride from the airport somehow, so I Wi! would be waiting about two hours. I decided to put my glider back to full length and check it for airline damage. In 45 minutes Bill pulled up outside the door, hoping to pick us up quickly, and saw my glider set up inside the terminal. He was not amused.

***

Mexico is a great place for that hang gliding vacation you have been thinking about. If you should find yourself there you will run into a certain tres back in old Mexico enjoying the warm hospitality, great flying and favorable \.,l\S,UAJIJ);v rate .•

R.ESUI:rs Place

Pilot

1)

John Gerard Thevenot Miguel Gutierrez

2) 3)

4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

9) JO)

Jeff Rodolfo Gotes Yazbek Vico Gutierrez Josef Bostik Rich Pfeiffer Walter Diener

The Mexican pilots are dedicated com· petitors and of world class skill. Check this list of contests that the Mexican team has attended:

Place

Year (Ano)

Place

1979 1981 1982 1982 1983

Neusa Owens Valley Owens Valley San Pedro Sula Fus sen

Colombia USA USA Honduras RFA

1985

Kossen

(Germany) Austria

1985 1986

N. Carolina N. Carolina

USA USA

1st Pan-Amcricano 3rd X-C Open 3rd X.-C Classic 10th 2nd Pan-Americano 2nd 13th Campeonato Munclial (World Meet) Campeonato 8th Mundial (World Meet) Masters 8th 12th Masters 10th

29

WHERE IS THE LIFT?

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Tested in Owens Valley by Rick Masters: "Each time it beeped I found a thermal.

,------------------------------1

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I Name

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Handy

an Johnson interviews Ken Brown . .. a timely interview in view of the recent m·rm1<·,ru:,n of Windcraft by Airwave (producing the new Pac!fic Airwave).

HG: Ken, people you as one of the top ranked glider pilots in the U.S. Tell us how you got your feet off the the first time.

KB: In 1980 during my senior year in school in Salinas, California, I started workfor as a shop flunky. After one adventure with Alameda, Graeme Bird, and Jean-Michel Bernasconi to Hull Mountain in Northern California, I informed the crew that I wanted to learn to

of two the 200 square foot model. I couldn't believe it; just like that!

I was doing final assembly at the time and built the sail into my first glider that very after normal work hours.

I was When I outgrew the the opportunity to fly whatever was available. The choices included Demons, Bandits, the prototype Titan (which never made it to production). I was fortunate to have that kind of aircraft ex--

The first site was at Marina Beach as it was ten miles from the From Marina, I along with the crew to a host of other sites in the Northern California area. I could not have asked for better instructors or more to learn gliding flight.

HG: With that kind of exposure to flying, from one of the well-known manufacturers, how did you decide on your first

to change quickly after the Titan. Marty sold Flight to the Pioneer. Tell us what you did during this transition.

KB: In those Chris Bulger also flew for Flight It was the of our friendship. So in 1983, after numerous to develop with Pioneer's takeover (management changes), Chris and made a pact to exit Flight and go to work for Delta Wing. were making the Streak at the time and we saw the per·· fonnance advantages right away. that summer I got more air time than in my first three years of gliding. I flew in seven competitions, after winning both the Fort Funston Air Race and the Marina Beach

KB: One asked me to accompany him to the sail loft. He gave me a choice

HG: You and Chris Bulger were now getto be close friends. Is that how you both

JUNE

]987

ended up working for Airwave Gliders as their American distributor?

KB: Yes, but not just returned from the meet traveling via the Airwave Glider U.K. factory. He contacted me to see if I would be interested in being his partner in the of their products. There was no doubt my notice in my mind! I gave Delta the following As the importers of the Airwave Gliders line to the USA, Chris and I worked very closely with the schools, shops, and clubs around the country. It was very 1.,wu,-,ui,wi, keeping everyone serviced and still maintain,, an active competition schedule, but we acc:eotea the challenge.

I learned a great deal with Chris.

As young as he was in age, that guy had sees. knack for business that one Thanks, Chris!

We worked very ment5 spares (parts), and the like.

We even attempted to the books sorted out for a while. But we finally realized that the accounting tasks removed us from what we really wanted to do: work with So we enlisted the services of Tina 1m·crc,,11s"" Till 1987, just before the deal between Airwave and Pacific Windcraft, she handled all those important business chores.

HG: Ken, you seem to have a close rela-31

tionship with the Airwave line. Yet later on, you started a retail shop (Airplay'n) which dealt in several lines. How did you manage your loyalty through that period?

KB: After a 1985 U.S. Airwave dealer road trip that took me to most of the major gliding schools in the country I returned home to Seattle and started Airplay'n with my brother, Rod Brown. I was in charge of contacting manufacturers for their products because I knew them all from previous contacts. I had a relationship with them, of sorts.

I guess one (manufacturer) thought I was endorsing his product because the next thing I knew the rumor was out that I was flying his product. how the old rumor mill gets You have to be careful what you say. It's kind of a shame.

Airwave proSince 1984 I have been ducts, quite thank you. I find to be very enjoyable to fly and have never

ABOVE: Ken at the 1985 Nationals at Washington. LEFT: Waiting to

out-performed, ever! had a problem does this sound like an ad? Oh well, next HG: Since you are very involved with competition flying, and since the Magic line is known for it5 us your thought, about the trend toward fast flying.

KB: I am a maniac about speed flying. I don't do radical aerobatics, and I'm not too excited about flying the longest cross-country flight. But, put up some pylons, close the course down with a finish and I'm in love.

There is really something about pushing these hang gliders through the sky as fast as you can that really gets me excited! As I was once told by Dan "The fastest pilot wins the race." He was the 32

for that inspiration, Rae'.

HG: Is it speed, just for speed's sake? Or is it really competing against other pilot~ that thrills you?

KB: Well, first and foremost, I love comtlying. It's not so much to beat the other people, but to push my own abilities and compare the results with those of the other pilots. Does that make sense?

Flying in competition has always given me the opportunity to learn a great deal about flying in general. At the last American Cup in Invermere (Canada), I watched John Pen-dry climbing through stacks of people. I could not figure out how he was doing so well. When he got close to me, I saw how he worked the glider. I used the same tech--

nique and it really helped my climbing performance.

I enjoy meeting all of the different pilots and find that when the competition day is over, the socializing can be a lot of fun as well.

HG: As long as you've opened the competition subject, and considering the recent controversy concerning the Competition Points System, give us your feelings about the ranking system.

KB: I think all the point B.S. is a joke!

But then, I did not start flying competitions to gain points. I guess I am a bit easygoing on that subject, but there is no way I could become wrapped up with squabbling about something as immaterial as points. If I am going to be on a team, it will be through my flying skills, not my lobbying skills. I just don't have the time for it.

HG: The points system is going to exist anyway, Ken, whether you approve or not.

Since this is so, what solution do you see for relieving the dilemma?

KB: I was afraid you were going to ask that! The nationals seem to be a ready-made system for determining the best pilots. At least, that's one way.

I do not think that I have a solution that would choose the teams and be equitable to HANG GLIDING

everyone, but if I come up with one later, up.

HG: of teams, served on some, for the American cup team that nearly won the meet world-class competition. Have you some strong about team formation and team Ken? KB: I feel that once the team is selected, that should be trained on how to work as a team. I would like to see the USA win the next World Meet, but after the last one, and more after having victory snatched away at the American we will need a lot of work on methods. We need management and support if we're ever to home a world title.

HG: Ken, let's that arc now .. to you, to Pacific Windcraft, and to Airwave. Do you feel cut out, or are you with this

I'll be sure to

KB: I am totally excited about the merger of Pacific Windcraft and Airwave to form Pacific Airwavc. It could not have come at a better time, and I really believe it means some great things for everyone involved with

HG: You say the timing is good. What do JUNE [987

you mean by that?

KB: It's pretty simple. With the way the dollar has dropped and the British pound is upwards, we were looking at the base of the Magic heading well above $3,000. Any takers at that figure? ... I didn't think so.

HG: Besides being able to contain to American pilots, what are some other benefit~ to the Pacl:fic Airwave organization?

KB: Three things that I can think of off.

First is the talent that has come 10J.!,1::u·11::r, and the resources that will aid both comAirwave and Pacific Windcraft. We have a and management team that is pnxlu1cir1g a line of products that surpasses any other currently available through any other manufacturer in the world.

I'm very proud to be a major part of this whole operation.

Second is the availability of arc made in the USA to the exact spec1t11cations as the ones being produced in L>u:""'"u.

In fact, the sails are still being made in 1~11g1 aau. All of the spares and so fmth will be available from our American manufactlJr·· It's pretty ,;;;1uc1u11t;;.

Third is the faet that we will be certifying the built in the USA to the standards established by the HGMA. The reason we haven't ce1tified to these standards in the past is that the is certified to the German and British standards, and the time get to the USA, the are production models, and you do not current production models.

HG: You say you are proud to be a member of the team. What will be your · tion, and does it mean you will be relc>eating from Seattle?

KB: position with Pacific Airwave is Sales Through this position I will have the opportunity to travel more, meet more and do more flying. God, it sounds too good to be trne, but it is true!

I will be with the dealers and customers more, an area that I the most with U.S. Airwave.

Yes, I will be Seattle in order to pursue the job. It also means no more paper work. Yahoo! that is only part of

TOP: A Mountain.

at

NEW FOR 'Bl! it. I'm sure the paper work will continue to stack up around my ears, but I really get off on a new challenge. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm having too much fun ... work, work, work.

HG: Tell us more about what Pacific Airwave will be offering, besides the obvious Magic line, that is.

KB: Are you ready for more hype? Well, okay!

We'll offer the Magic IV, the Magic IV Full Racer, available in four and three sizes, respectively. Sorry, ladies, but the Magic IV 133 is not yet available in the Full Racer configuration.

The Vision Mark IV will be available in three sizes, and we will offer a full line of accessories that I'm sure we don't have enough room to list here.

With this product line we will be able to outfit any pilot from the Hang Fun to the

"I like to see the type of work that Eric Beckman and crew are doing with the Odyssey, but I cannot see departing too far from the current design of hang gliders and having them remain as functional and fun as what we are currently flying."

Hang Jive ... or Hang Fun to the Hang Fast . . . you know.

HG: Okay, we have given you ample chance to promote the Pacific Airwave deal.

And we're pleased for you. But, let's get back to the person, to Ken Brown himself, not Ken Brown, Sales Manager. What were your personal aspirations in the hang gliding industry?

KB: I always knew that I would never make a lot of money in the hang gliding industry, but I also knew that I would thoroughly enjoy my work.

I have had thoughts of quitting the hang gliding business and going into some industry that would pay me better, monetarily, but luckily for me, the effects of alcohol wear off too fast for me to quit (laughs). Seriously, I am really happy doing what I do.

HG: What do you see for the future of hang gliding?

34

KB: The advancements in total hang gliding performance are slowing down and have been since I have been into the sport.

I like to see the type of work that Eric Beckman and crew are doing with the Odyssey, but I cannot see departing too far from the current design of hang gliders and having them remain as functional and fun as what we are currently flying.

More emphasis will be placed on fully accredited schools and their programs if the sport is to grow. The people who are out there teaching really deserve a lot of credit.

HG: What about paragliding?

KB: They sure look like a lot of fun if you are into low performance plummeting. I'm taking a wait and see attitude.

I would hate to see them destroy our budding reputation as a legitimate air sport, tarnished by improper identification of these parachutes as hang gliders.

HG: Ken, thank you very much for your time and the opportunity to ask you some questions for Hang Gliding magazine.

KB: Sure, Dan. Any time at all!

HG: Best of luck with the new venture at Pacific Airwave.

KB: Thanks!

Author Proflle: Dan Johnson - founder and fonner publisher of WHOLE AIR magazine - now writes free lance in numerous aviation media, including regular monthly columns for Western Flyer/Sport Flyer, Drachenflieger magazine (Germany), Gazette LaMouette (France), and thefonner Glider Rider, now Ultralight Flying! He is also vice president of marketing/communications for Ballistic Recovery Systems in Minnesota, a manufacturer of aviation safety products. In addition, he is treasurer of the USHGA and has served as a Director-At-Large since 1983.

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HANG GLIDING

by Jim Nye altimeter read 22,000, Steve did a hang check, lifted his glider, shouted "clear" to Tudor and skied faster and faster toward the abyss facing Mt. Everest. It was October 5, 1986.

On his third Everest expedition, back in 1983, Steve McKinney, veteran mountain climber, hang glider pilot and professional skier (126 mph) thought, "this would make a great launch."

There was a flurry of activity during the next three years. Negotiations with CMA (the Chinese Mountaineering Association) were concluded. Mutual of Omaha agreed to sponsor the hang gliding expedition as part of the "Spirit of Adventure" television series.

A 12-member team including pilot~ Tudor, Bob Carter and a camera crew left Los in August 1986 heading for with three hang gliders: two and one HP. In Hong an unanticipated problem developed, later proving to be decisive in enabling only Steve to launch from Mt. Everest. Airline officials refused to put the three gliders on the plane to Cheng Du, the last stop before the flight to Tibet. The reason: The gliders were too long and wouldn't fit in the plane.

Calonica, the lead climber, also in charge of logistics, spent five days negotiating. The gliders had JUNE 1987

been flown from Los Angeles with no problem. After arguing in vain, decided to put the team sans gliders on a plane to Cheng Du while staying behind to find a solution. Good weather certainly doesn't wait and time was of the essence. He finally decided to put the gliders on a flight to Beijwhere, CMA he hoped, would let the gliders be flown to Cheng Du. The rerouting lengthened the planned itinerary by several more thousand miles coupled with additional expenditures. The problem, however, recurred after the gliders arrived in Beijing. Again they became "too long" for the plane to Cheng Du. Craig spent five more days negotiating in Beijing. The gliders had to go by truck and it would take 22 days. CMA finally concluded. Craig then flew to join the expedition members waiting for him in Cheng Du from where they went to Lhasa.

Still sans gliders, the group left Lhasa by truck to and Xigatse over dirt roads and finally to Mt. Everest base camp at 18,000 feet, wondering when and where the gliders would arrive, if at all.

The weather at Mt. Everest base camp was ideal when the group arrived. It stayed that way for at least another two weeks. The only things missing were the three gliders. With the help of sherpas Craig went up to launch at 22,000 feet to set up camp and fix ropes,

making the place ready for the arrival of pilots, gliders, climbers and the camera crew.

Several more days passed and still no gliders. The pilots were praying for the weather not to change when suddenly a rumble grew louder and louder from the road · to Lhasa. Pilots, veteran climbers and everyone else ran out to meet the truck which came to a stop. It only had two gliders on board. "What happened to the third glider?" someone asked. The tired driver looked bewildered, then saying something the equivalent of "omigod;' he jumped back into his truck and did a tight 180 to go back to look for the glider that had, indeed, fallen off. Steve's Sport was found lying by the roadside an hour later, its container broken in half, but its contents apparently intact.

His skis gliding faster now on the packed snow, Steve decided to keep on going a little more before liftoff. Better play it no one had launched in air this thin before, and with his hook-in weight at 190 pounds with skis and all, the Sport was nearing its

ABOVE: Mt. Everest, str,actcllir111; the Steve

35

maximum wing loading, and that is at sea level. This was also the reason why Steve wasn't equipping himself with any oxygen tank or camera. The transition from the snow to sky was smooth, almost imperceptible.

Steve felt like he was still skiing when he was already flying.

After going prone Steve's skis didn't align themselves horizontally as everyone thought they would, but instead were flailing helplessly, vertical fashion, actually acting as airbrakes. Steve pulled the bar in and flew a little faster. Reaching inside his spaghetti harness pocket he pulled out a small pouch, opened it and scattered Dan Racanelli's ashes in the clear Himalayan air. Dan had been scheduled to go on the expedition and he was now, thought Steve. Looking back at launch, Steve could neither see Larry's nor Bob's gliders. There was no more launch window for the day. Soon after the truck had arrived the weather turned stormy. The pilots had waited for five days for the storm to clear before Steve McKinney could take off in the sudden short lull.

The Mt. Everest launch was actually only Steve's second flight on the new Sport.

His first one, closer to base camp a few days earlier, included a regular running launch and ended in a crash on landing. Steve's spaghetti harness lines somehow got entangled in his clothing. It was his very first flight with the Sport; his glider at home in South Tahoe was a single-surface Lazor. The rarefied Himalayan air was deadly calm and that first trial flight ended in a severe nosein. During his second flight the spaghetti harness proved to be working. It had been selected because of its suitability for a takeoff on skis. Memory of the crash at the base camp was constantly on Steve's mind on this second flight. There had been no close reinspection of the Sport after the crash and Steve was being careful. "I wouldn't have launched had conditions been strong and soarable; I wanted to be certain it was going to be a safe flight," said Steve. A closer inspection later proved Steve's extra caution to be well-founded; the Sport's leading edge had been bent by the crash at base camp.

Climbing back to launch, Steve waited for another launch opportunity to help Larry and Bob repeat the feat. This wait was to last another ten days, sitting in tents in 40° below with wind chill of 60° below and wind velocity up to 100 mph. Food supplies got low and there was no prospect of another lull. After gathering what remained of Larry Tudor's HP, which had been severely damaged by successive storms, climbers and pilots decided to call it a day and descended to base camp, "to the world of the living."

Two more flights concluded the Mt. Everest expedition. Before reaching Lhasa, Larry Tudor flew at Xigar and Bob Carter flew at Xigatse.

An in-depth analysis of the Mt. Everest flight revealed that pilots would find better conditions heading into the wind on the Nepalese side instead of on the Tibetan side of the border. This would necessitate the establishment of another base camp in Nepal with the required Nepalese government authorization. •

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!NAME :ADDRESS l CITY, STATE !COUNTRY/ZIP HANG GLIDING

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS BEGINNER RATINGS NAME

CITY, STATE

NOVICE RATINGS INSTRUCIDR

Robert Herman Gregory A. Joannides

Bellevue, WA Federal Way, WA

David Chadwick Matt Taber

Chris Chang Andrew Gram Arthur Hammond Richard Martin Jim Schinner Todd Solomon Ross Wamsat

Berkeley, CA Santa Cruz, CA San Jose, CA San Jose, CA Santa Clara, CA San Jose, CA Pacifica, CA

Mark Kline Mark Kline Jim Woodward Jim Woodward David Bowen Pat Denevan Charlie Whitehill

Randy Clark Nancy Kelly Brook Norton Allan Torbensen

San Diego, CA Summerland, CA Los Alamitos, CA Tehachapi, CA

John Ryan Ken deRussy Dan Skadal Steve Huckert

James Barney Ben Corona John George Steven C. Hutt Jack Knopinski Alan Paylor

Tucson, AZ Denver, CO Breckenridge, CO Tucson, AZ Aurora, CO Tucson, AZ

Doug Gordon George Greer George Greer Doug Gordon George Greer Doug Gordon

John Stokka

Hanaford, ND

Mark Wing

REGION

NAME

CITY, STATE

INSTRUCIDR

REGION

Neider Bell Allen Swingle Steve Worcester

Ashland, OR Beaverton, OR Anchorage, AK

Joseph Bova Daryl Magnuson Jim Egger

Ralph Berg Todd Enz Roel Garza Rebert Proudfoot Gideon Yoffe

Menlo Park, CA San Luis Obispo, CA Milpitas, CA Mountain View, CA Stanford, CA

Dave Bowen Ken deRussy Pat Denevan Dave Bowen Dave Bowen

Jim Alton Bill Dodson Peter Durrant Brad Eisenberg Taylor Hill Chris Larson Bob Mackey Mark Urias

San Diego, CA Santa Barbara, CA San Diego, CA Los Angeles, CA Santa Barbara, CA Placentia, CA San Diego, CA Los Angeles, CA

Dave Wiese Ken deRussy John Ryan Ted Boyse Ken deRussy Martin Eiler John Ryan Joe Greblo

George Greer

Doris Faust Doug Moler Steve Schmitz Dennis Tubbs John Wronski

Snowmass Village, CO Golden, CO Lookout Mountain, CO Apache Jct., AZ W. Jordan, UT

Gary Lagrone Mark Windsheimer Mark Orsborn Doug Gordon Claudia Holbrook

St. Joseph, MO

Rebert Black

Jay Aiken

Great Falls, MT

Reger Lockwood

Brent Taylor

Nineveh, IN

John Harris

Guy Letourneau Juan Merkt

Andover, MA Bedford, MA

Jeff Nicolay Paul Kennedy

James Dooley Lyman Duryea Harvey Ezell John Johnson Michael John Lee Brian McLeod Leonard Rabbitz Landis Whitsel

Seven Valleys, PA Carlisle, PA Norfolk, VA Virginia Beach, VA Washington, D.C. Owings Mills, MD Frackville, PA Waynesboro, PA

Eric Logan Art Barrick Roger Coxon Roger Coxon John Harris Eric Logan Dan Guido Art Barrick

Kevin Becker David Dippon Ken Harter Betty Kreske John White Gregg Wojcik

W. Lafayette, IN W. Lafayette, IN W. Lafayette, IN Rclling Prairie, IN Noblesville, IN Hubertus, WI

Matt Tuber Matt Taber Matt Taber Bob Kreske Matt Taber Matt Taber

Hugo Girola Wayne Russell Lawrence Sassani

Rosemont, PA Virginia Beach, VA Millensburg, PA

Clifford Carlton Reger Coxon Rebert Beck

Karen Bacham John Baer Tom Falck Richard Gaebe Ethan Hildreth Michael Schnabel Eric Thibault

Nags Head, NC Birmingham, AL Elizabeth City, NC Raleigh, NC Ringgold, GA Shelbyville, TN Mt. Juliet, TN

Reger Coxon Matt Taber Rcb Engom Rcb Bachman Matt Taber Matt Taber Lawrence Haney

10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Mitchell Brown Michael Guerreso Ethan Hildreth John McDowell Todd Nash Josiah Rich

Johnson City, TN Lenoir, NC Ringgold, GA Manteo, NC Kennesaw, GA Evans, GA

Ben Burri!

Ben Burri!

Matt Taber Reger Coxon Matt Taber Gary Elhart

10 10 IO 10 10 10

Timothy Ladner

Houston, TX

Mark DeMarino

11

Richard Nesbitt Britt Raubenheimer Rcnald Shaw

Hobart, NY New Paltz, NY Delhi, NY

Dan Guido Rcb Bachman Dan Guido

12 12 12

4 4 4 4

9 9 9 9 9

2 2 2 2 2

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS NAME Jeff Dickenson Klaus Federlin

JUNE 1987

CITY, STATE Vancouver, WA Klamath Falls, OR

OBSERVER Ed Seager Joseph Bova

REGION

RATINGS AND APPOINTMENTS Jonathan Audy Mark Berger Robert Clark Bruno Dovady Valerie Hoffman Phil Stuber

Santa Clara, CA Sunnyvale, CA Milpitas, CA Palo Alto, CA San Francisco, CA Mill Valley, CA

!'at Denevan Dave Bowen Dave Bowen Walt Nielsen Walt Nielsen Dave Bowen

David Engel Joseph Fresquez Alan Goldberg Adam Hall Stephen Mayo Paul Damian Schulte Daniel 'Jyler, Jr.

Mission Viejo, CA Culver City, CA Tarzana, CA Beverly Hills, CA !'asadena, CA Leucadia, CA Idyllwild, CA

Hardy Snyman Luigi Chiarani Luigi Chiarani Ted Boyse Luigi Chiarani John Ryan Bob Faris

Nelson Bradley Randy Esparza

Idaho Springs, CO Mesa, AZ

Richard Annis Bob Thompson

Jeffrey Woody

Boise, ID

Rick Altig

Timothy Little

Mabelvale, AR

Lawrence Haney

Dave Green Kurt Myers Douglas Velie

College !'ark, MD Langhorne, PA Glen Echo, MD

Arthur Newman James Keller John Harris

9 9

Rick Powers Paul Thornbury

Cary, NC Rising Fawn, GA

Tom Thompson Matt Taber

lO IO

Kenneth Sandifer

West Monroe, LA

Lawrence Haney

11

NAME

Hans Frings William Nichter Frank Valenza

New York City, NY Peekskill, NY Carle Place, NY

Dan Guido !'aul Voight Greg Black

12 12 12

Michael Perotti

Anderson, CA

Phil Sergent

2

Mark Curtis

Draper, UT

Gary Lagrone

4

MASTER RATINGS NAME 2 2

CITY, STATE

CITY, STATE

Seattle, WA

Ken Godwin

Chuck Kranz

San Jose, CA

Jay Busby

2

Richard Hays Lawrence Lehmann Jeffery Sims

Cockeysville, MD Pittsburgh, PA Williamsport, PA

Jeff Sims Dennis Pagen Dennis !'agen

9 9

ADMIN/ DIRECTOR

REGION

INSTRUCTORS 4 4

NAME

CITY, STATE

Hugo Steemers (B)

!'alo Alto, CA

Pagen/Pagen

Dennis Czechowicz (B)

Mosinee, WI

Bunner/Woiwode

Kevin Cradduck (B)

Groton, NY

Pagen/!'agen

12

OBSERVERS APPOINTMENTS CITY, STATE

EXAMINER

REGION

AWARDS OBSERVER

Jeffrey Ziegler

Bend, OR

Mike Kelly

Haydn Redfern Steve Walkup

Milpitas, CA San Bruno, CA

!'at Denevan Richard Canham

Brad Elze Paul Peterson Edward Pollitt

Lakeview Terrace, CA Studio City, CA San Juan Capistrano, CA

J.D. Kem Joe Greblo

George Greer S. Arthur Sherwood Joseph Troke

Denver, CO Rio Ranch, NM Morrison, CO

Neal Atkinson Jeff Wolford Mike DelSignore

Dennis Czechowicz

Mosinee, WI

Neal Roland

Kendall Dunbar

Bucksport, ME

Dave Hopkins

Edward Tom

Cockeysville, MD

Brad Hays

38

REGION

Scott Rutledge

ADVANCED RATINGS NAME

DIRECTOR

Dan Skadal

REGION

2 2

BRONZE

SILVER

DIAMOND

Frank Accetta Blair Barnett Corey Chase Stan Cobb Klaus Federlin Gabriel Ikonomou Chris Larson Warren Richardson Ken Ward David Wood

Bruce Burrus Klaus Federlin Robert Henderson Dean Rogers, Sr. B.J. Schulte Peter Wellhofer

Pat Brook James Coan B.J. Schulte Peer Suhr

HANG GLIDING

The

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has put into prc><J.t1,cmm a VG which has a throw (difand full loose setchoice of in In terms of functional use, the Sensor VG has the shortest amount of cord to pull to actuate 40

the VG; in other words, while other pilots flying gliders with VG are having to pull in two, three even four arm lengths of cord to fully tigthen the sail, the Sensor pilot does it in one. And the best part of all is that it docs not take a lot of muscle to pull the cord.

The setup is straightforward, and is pretty much like other double-surface The one exception is the stiff, fihf'rc,Jn,:.o curved which do require effort and attention. Yet, once one becomes proficient at using the custom "tip installation tool," this step only adds a minute or so to normal double-surface glider setup time.

Characteristics LAUNCH: Due to exceptional static balance, just-tight flying wires, and easy pitch control, the Sensor is straightforward and pleasant to launch. Wings level, every·· thing balanced, nm hard, and you're off. The feedback on the ground converts into confidence during the critical

FLYING: With the VG in the loose mode trim speed is right around 22-23 mph (see my hook-in weight on the box scores), which is conveniently the best maneuvering from which to initiate lift-seeking turns. The bar pressure is very light in pitch, and unusually light for a double-surface glider in roll. Response time is almost instant in pitch, and very quick in roll; 45° to 45° roll reversals are amazingly quick and relative-ly effortless. The important thing is how it all adds up in terms of tum coordination and trim in turns; this is where the high marks in handling come from. Due to the king post hang system and tail fin, it is ea&y to "bump" the Sensor into whichever bank angle you desire, and once in the tum you simply stay in the middle of the bar and trim the tum with slight pushout. To tighten up, push out a little more and simultaneously drop a little to the "downhill" comer of the control bar, then back to center. To loosen up the turn, pull in a little, and at the same time pull the high wing down by shifting "uphill."

Yaw/roll coupling is automatic, with none of the annoying adverse yaw so characteristic HANG GLIDING

pressure, and its commensurate reduced feedback. Yet once you a feel for the and realize that the feedback, although and reduced in pressure, ls prc,portio,nal through the entire speect/bartk more confidence and apprehoned class does not treat you like an inoompetent with too much roll means, is that you don't constantly have to to roll the back into strong to stay centered in the core. more than climbin a strong thermal and having to back into it; the Sensor lets you feel bar pressure, yet it the surges with its lets the relax more while climbing out.

THE VARIABLE GEOMETRY: As described above, the VG is easy to use. For in close to the hill, land· mame11vc,rinp;, leave it in tl1c loose speeot:glld,e, use foll tight.

Yet fuere is more fuat you can do with it, such as trim modification.

adjustment capabi.lity, from the loose at 22-23, at 16-17 (beginning to mush). else that is a techto maximize climb in moderate to thermals is, once established a climb-

pu II the cord to a bit of extra climbing The masochists will of course fly all of the time with tl1e in full tight, not to beat up and maximize my potential time energy for that additional aloft by hour or two of air time/distance.

PERFORMANCE: The pe1rto1rm:anc:e of the parent competition/race Sensor has been on to its ofl'sp1:inJ~.

Sink rate/climb rate is unsurpassed, even when the Standard Sensor is to full.race competition Of course, there is a trade-off when talking about highglide due to the Standard Sensor's focus on yet this is only

range is, in a word, my indicator, which I've used to evaluate ranges for dozens of over the past five yearn, I found the Sensor to have the broadest usable down from trim still has usable handling down to about 17,18, where it starts to mush; it stalls at few mph less. What's its top end? Somewhere in the mid 50's. Granted, there are variables such as and my particular indicator, yet the relative dif~ ferences between the same and instruments is a viable study. The broad range of this VG translates into one very big that with the slower usable there is a c01mr1ensurately smaller radius circle you can achieve with this This means more to note is that this which comes only in the one size, carries heavier w1111gioaclmJ~s better fuan most The Sensor still has

characteristics.

Two other things that deserve mention are the "built-in" pitch device and the tail fin. Many pilots use a rail, JUNE 1987

41

French or other mechanical device to decrease bar pressure. The Sensor, with its already light pitch pressure, coupled with the new king post suspension system, eliminates the need for an added-on device to reduce fatigue. The other nice ,.w,1nnmr,n1 is the properly located tail fin.

This reduces adverse yaw, and helps to coordinate turns. At higher speeds it is""'""'"'ly nice in how it eliminates any "Dutch-roll" ,,i,,,,,.,;.,,t,..,·ioti,,o where the glider wants to "walk" one wing high, then another.

HANDUNG:As can be expected, the handling qualities deteriorate as the stiffness and performance of the glider increase.

While the full-race Sensor will largely maintain its nice yaw/roll balance and pleasant coordination, the amount of muscle required to initiate directional and the lag time for response, both go up. Yet, due to the small its king post smme1nsHJll system, and a newly developed Teflon leading mount, this competition does not suffer a significantly adverse "out of control" feeling as do others category. A case in the same in point in support of the glider's functional handling was witnessed at this Monterey Steeplechase. Through the entire range, the full-race glider had to be flown with the wingtip from as "far" as twenty feet away from the dune/cliffa, to as close as ONE foot, to turn in competitive times. The pilot of tl1e glider, after finishing a close third on the first (while get· familiar with the course and new glider), had the confidence in the handling to stay in close to the hill and win the retwo of the contest, with less than an hour of air time and on the In thermals one can expect to have to highside the in light air, but in stronger thermals the full-race will be fairly rollneutral. The VG will enable the pilot to choose the amount of spiral instability, thus increasing the handling options in flight.

PERFORMANCE: Sensors are known for their remarkable climbing and slow speed capabilities. The full-race maximizes the in these areas, yet it can hold its own in medium and high races as well. Again, the recent Steeplechase race is indicative of the glider's as one needed to be able to: l) float across the gaps, 2) best LID across the moderate-sized hills and bumps, and 3) have maximum for bar-stuffing across the cliffs (the majority of the conrse).

42

post suspension system.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Bennett is a well known pilot from Santa Rosa, California, with an instructor'.1· rating. He has been selected jbr many in· ternational competitions. He was top plac.. ing U.S. pilot in the last world meet in Kossen, Austria. He has worked for hang glider manufacturers and taught hang gliding jbr almost ten years. He is now finishing undergraduate study in Santa Rosa and continues to fly hang gliders for fun and competition.

TEST FLIGHT INFORMATION: Wing loading: l.75 hook-in weight of 180 lbs.

Sensor 510 B 160 VG "Standard" Box Scores (scale of HO) 10 being the best.

LANDING CHARACTERISTICS Flare Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Paraehutability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Directional Control at Mush Speed. . . 7

SPECIFICATIONS Wing Span 34.75 feet Projected Wing Area 161 sq. feet Aspect Ratio

7.5 Glider Weights 65 lb. Std., 68 lb. 3/4, 70 lb. FVG Load Tests +35° 73 mph, -30° 50 mph, -·150° 41 mph

time/case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ground Hand.ling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Static Balance ..................... JO Frame Hardware/Finish. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sail Quality/Craftsmanship. . . . . . . . . . JO

FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS Handling: Low Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Handling: High Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bar Pressure: Roll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bar Pressure: Pitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JO Roll Control Initiation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Roll Reversal (45"'45°).... . . . . . . . . . 9 Yaw Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Turn Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Range ...................... 10 Sink Rate Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . JO Glide Angle Performance. . . . . . . . . . . 9

Always there wl1en you need ... Wann, comfortable, durable, slido across control bur

Instant bare hand dexterity for chute, camera Quality construction, %·in.

nylon inside and out Available in red or blacl< S, M, or

$32.50

HANG GLIDING

,Contact your nearest dealer or Delta Wing today, '

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 torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, many hang gliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring to them to inspect.

Rogallos COMET 185-New wires. Excellent condition. Rainbow sail, flies great! $695./0BO (805) 647-7027.

COMET 165-White TE, excellent maintenance, under 40 hours, clean, $900. OBO. (413) 528-1371. Call 6-9 Eastern.

COMET C-2 165-15 hrs. In garage last 2 yrs.

Brown, white and gold. $1000. or best. (619) 561-2945.

TWO DELTA WING hang gliders like new. Older models. Best offer (312) 645-3908.

SUNRISE HANG GLIDING-Spring special. Buy a new Delta Wing glider and get free - Airstream harness - Parachute or lessons. (619) 367-4237.

Ask for Steve. Almost new 220 Dream $1500.

177 V.G. Mystic $1800.

145 LITE DREAM-Brand new, never flown. Red LE, white body. $1450. OBO (714) 391-2812.

BRAND NEW-Dreams, Vision Eclipses, reduced.

(303) 278-9566.

145 LIGHT DREAM-1986 model, well maintained. $1175. (818) 784-7807.

160 ATTACK DUCK-Excellent condition with all faired tubes, Custom sail $1000. Kirk (206) 888-9235.

DUCK 160-Excellent condition. White/blue. $700. obo (714) 542-8410 Tom. 160 DUCK-Low airtime, blue with rainbow spectrum and white trailing edge. Excellent condition, but 190# pilot needs a bigger wing! $550. or best offer. (206) 383-1134.

GEMINI 164-Yellow, blue, white. Very good condition. Cocoon harness w/chute. Vario, altimeter.

(313) 247-7135.

GEMINI 184-150 hours. Very good condition.

Mylar. (707) 869-9164.

164 GEMINI-Black with rainbow spectrum, sail and frame in very good shape. New flying wires. Excellent glider for beginning or intermediate pilot. $795. or best offer. Phone: (206) 383-1134.

177 HARRIER-Harness, chute, helmet, vario, altimeter. All excellent cond. $1250. obo.

Flagstaff, AZ (602) 526-3620.

HP-Like new condition! 10-15 hrs. airtime. Faired downtubes and speed bar. Gold leading edge, spectrum upper wedge, dark blue double surface. $1500. or best offer. Must sell. Larry (703) 989-7438 evenings.

HP 1 1/2-Dark blue, Pacific blue, white. Faired downtubes, speed bar, all factory updates. Excellent glider - references. $1200. (714) 66[-5098.

44

HP-Like new. 5 Hrs. $1700. Best offer (415) 665-6419.

168 JAVELIN-(Salinas). White sail, red L.E. Good condition. Southern California $800. Negotiable.

(805) m-7901 after 6 pm.

LA MOUETTE PROF!L 15-(158 ft) Light weight (55 lbs). Excellent handling - high performance. $875./offer. (408) 395-1210.

MAGIC 4 RACER 166-New, blue/white, VG, fairing. (801) 254-6141.

MAGIC 4-l55B - Race ready. Half ribs. Steel luff line. Leach line in T. E. Kingpost hang system.

VG. Like new! Priced to sell fast. $1200. Call (714) 678-3931.

OWL 185-Classic, vintage, disassembled $137.75.

(904) 481-3322.

FOR SALE-Raven 229 with harness, helmet, 20 gore chute and equipment bag for $500. Richard (818) 342-7575.

SENSOR 510 VGB 160-Full race with spoilers.

Like new. 8 hrs. airtime. Blue leading edge, red lower surface $2400. (715) 792-2561.

1982 WHITE SENSOR 210-Good condition. New knee strap harness, red. Will pay half of shipping charges $400. (805) 498-1538.

SENSOR 510-B-160 · VG - Half ribs and faired tubes. $1300. obo (805) 484-0651.

ARIZONA ARIZONA WINDSPORTS-Largest hang gliding center in the southwest. Certified Instruction utilizing the world's only man-made trainer hill.

Replacement parts for SEAGULL classica.

Highly competitive prices on all major brands.

1114 W. Cornell Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121.

ARIZONA WINDWORKS-Certified instruction, new and used gliders, parts and accessories.

2301 W. Charter Oak Road, Phoenix, AZ 85029 (602) 997-5364, 870-9878.

DESERT HANG GLIDERS USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists., 4319 W. Larkspur, Glendale, AZ 85304 (602) 439-0789, 938-9550.

ARKANSAS OZARK MOUNTAIN HANG GLIDERS-Sales, service and instruction. New and used equipmen!. Wills Wing, Moyes, Airwave, Streamliner harnesses, Ball and Litek. Primo Air Mitts. 8 Blue Jay Way, Conway, AR 72032. (501) 327-0698.

SAIL WINGS HANG GLIDING-Certified instruction. Authorized agent for Pacific Airwave, CG 1000 Harnesses. Cocoon harnesses in stock.

5'10" - 6'1". 1601 N. Shackleford #131-4, Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 224-2186.

CALIFORNIA

188 SKYHAWK-Great shape, flown very little. All white top surface, orange LE, red under surface.

(619) 589-9085.

BRIGHT STAR HANG GLIDERS- Sales· service - restorations. All major brands represented. Santa Rosa, CA (707) 576-7627.

WANTED: Old Soarmaster unit. Contact Henry (606) 254-7445. Ky. Will recontact, travel.

CHANDELLE HANG GLIDING CENTERUSHGA certified school. "The best damn hang gilding shop In the world." Dealers for Wills Wing, Delta Wing. Five minutes from Fort Funston (415) 359-6800.

WANTED-Wills Wing Sport or Sport American.

(619) 789-3103.

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

New Lt. Mystics ...................... $2100.00 New Polaris Delta 16 .................. $1200.00 New Lazor 175, 195 ................... $1200.00 New 215, 155, 6D's ................... $1250.00 New 22 gore Parachutes .................. $ 270.

Call us anytime to learn about these beginner gliders, ship anywhere, Golden Sky Sails, Inc. (303) 278-9566.

Hang Gliding Hangar Fresno, CA 167 Sport Am. (new) .................... $2250.

133 Magic/VG .......................... $1950.

170 HP I ............................... $1250.

200 Duck (new) ......................... $ 950.

180 At. Duck ......... , ................. $ 850.

165 & 185 Comet II ..................... $ 900.

175 Demon ............................. $ 450.

135 Comet I .......... , ................. $ 400.

Fledge ITB .............................. $ 350.

Moyes Maxi II .......................... $ 350.

180 Lazor .............................. $ 300.

209 Litek Varies .................... each $ 175.

(209) 264· 7627 or 431-2324

Schools and Dealers ALABAMA

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 101 and flying sites.

613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103 (805) 965-3733.

TIIE 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, 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!

LOOKOUT MOUNTAlN FLIGHT PARK-See our ad under Tennessee. (404) 398-3541.

HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 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) 262-1055.

OWENS VALLEY-In-flight cross country instruction: $35. JOO-mile route and valley crossing: $35. Driver/pilot ground school: $10. Glider and equipment rental, sales, repair. USHGA Special Observer. Rick Masters, Box 478, Independence, CA 93526 (619) 878-2255.

PINE CREST AIR PARK-unding 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 93101. (805) 962-8999.

WINDSPORTS INT.-Since 1974 (formerly So. Cal. Hang Gliding Schools). urgest 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.

COLORADO GOLDEN SKY SAILS-USHGA Certified School, dealer all brands. Lowest prices on new gliders.

Bell Helmets in stock. 15801 West Colfax, Golden, CO. 80401. (303) 278-9566.

CONNECTICUT

NEVADA

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.

HIGH SIERRA SPORTS, INC. - 2303 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV. (702) 885-1891, 2205 'h E. Glendale Ave., Sparks, NV. (702) 356-6622.

Northern Nevada's complete hang gliding shop.

2 great locations! USHGA Certified Instructors/USHGA Region II Examiner. 2 USHGA Tandem Instructors I Observers. Lessons! Rentals! Full service dept. Complete repair facility!

Exclusive Wills Wing and Delta Wing dealers.

Open year round. Full line of accessories.

NEW YORK

IDAHO TREASURE VALLEY HANG GLIDERS-Service sales - instruction. EVERYTHING YOU NEED! P.O. Box 746, Nampa, ID 83653. (208) 362-1848.

KANSAS PRAIRIE HANG GLIDERS-Try our flatland soaring - ATOL - Sales, instruction - Box 785, Elkhart, KS 67950 (316) 697-2577.

MICHIGAN PRO HANG GLIDERS-Since 1978. USHGA Certified. Beginner - Advanced lessons in foot launch, towing, air towing and now Step Towing. Ratings by Advanced Instructor, Observer, Examiner, Norm Lesnow. Dealer, Wills, Delta, Manta. Other brands available. Accessories, parts, repairs. XC flying from our southeast Michigan flight park. Come fly tandem on the Lite Dream 220. Call (313) 399-9433 or write 569 W. Annabelle, Hazel Park, MI 48030.

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.

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

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.

I- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -·, I USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM Section (please circle) I

I 40 cents per word, $4.00 minimum.

I (phone numbers - 2 words, P.O. Box_ 1 word) I Photos - $11.00 I Deadline, 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the I issue in which you want your ad (i.e. March 20, for the May issue).

I Boldface or caps 55¢ per word extra. (Does not include first few words I which are automatically caps). Special layouts or tabs $22 per colllmn I inch.

I Prepayment required unless account established.

I Please enter my classified ad as follows: I I I I I I @ .40 = I Number of words:

Rogallos Schools and Dealers Emergency Chutes Ullralight Powered Flight

Rigid Wings Business & Employment Opportunities Publications & Organizations Miscellaneous

Begin with 19 issue and run for consecutive issue(s).

My check _ _ _ money order _ _ _ is enclosed in the amount of $ Name: Address:

Phone Number:

P.O. BOX 500, PEARBLOSSOM, CA 93553 I (804) 944.5333

:

Parts & Accessories

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I :

·-------------------------------------------------------JUNE

1987

45

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NORTH CAROLINA

VIRGINIA

KITTY HAWK KITES, INC.-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. Windsurfing sales and instruction also available.

SILVER WINGS INC.-Certified instruction & equipment sales. N. VA. (703) 533-1965.

SAURATOWN KITES-Winston Salem (919) 922-1942. Hang Gliding School w/certified instructor; dealer of Seedwings, Wills Wing, Pacific Windcraft & Delta; new and used equipment.

Parts & Accessories

WASHINGTON AlRPLAY'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.

International Schools and Dealers CANADA

OHIO NORTH COAST HANG GLIDING-Certified Instruction. New & used gliders. Specializing in Pacific Windcraft gliders. Mike Del Signore, 1916 W. 75th St., Cleveland, OH 44102 (216) 63l-1144.

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER-Breaking 10,000 lbs. $24.95. Extra 5/16 ball lock pin $10.

DEALERS WANTED. Thennal, 19431-41 Business Center Dr., Northridge, CA 91324.

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

TENNESSEE HAWK AIRSPORTS-Hang gliding equipment.

USHGA certified hang gliding instruction. Come fly Clinch Mountain the longest ridge in the United States. Distributor for the Portable Windsok. The indicator chosen and used for Everest 86'. 2325 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville, Tennessee 37919 (615) 523-8531.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK-Our specialties: first mountain flights, mountain and thennal 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 brands) in stock, complete equipmenUaccessory 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

HANG GLIDING LTD. -for the ultimate high-

DISTRIBUTOR 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 T2B IG4.

JAPAN

~

~~~ DISTRIBUTOR major brands hang gliders (Airwave, Magic), instruments, parachutes. Tokyo 03/447/5560, Yugawara 0465/63/0173, Kurumayama Hang School 0266/68/2724 (April - November). 2-19-63 Doi, Yugawaramachi, Kanagawaken, Japan 141. FAX 0465 636641.

SWITZERLAND

SAN FRANCISCO WINDSPORTS (formerly H.G. Equipment Co.). For all your hang gliding needs. We are dealers for all major brands.

Send $2.00 for price list - 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

CUSTOM FITTED "C.G. 1000" HARNESSContact Southern Californias' only factory authorized agent for details. Luigi Chiarani 14323 Aztec St., Sylmar, CA 91342 (818) 362-1776.

BELL HELMETS-in stock. $80. (303) 278-9566.

RA YBAN SUNGLASSES-All models. 50% off list. (303)278-9566.

DO AW AY WITH-zippers, velcro - running restrictions, - knees breaking through, - tail abrasion. Get the ultimate, Hi-tech, full AUTOMATIC LIBRE-MAN II harness. (DHV Certifie<l). Klaus's Hang Gliding Imports: Distributor for Libre-Man II - call (503) 883-2279. 2326 Linda Vista, K1amath Falls, OR. 97601.

SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI-On vacation in North America until February 1988.

Ron Hurst, P.O. Box 270, CH-8401, Winterthur, Switzerland.

Emergency Parachutes ALL BRANDS - Bought, sold, and repacke<l. Inspection and repack $20.00 - Kevlar, nylon, sis, bridles installe<l and replaced. S.P. Windsports (fonnerly H.G. Equipment Co.) 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 753-8828.

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.

46

BRAND NEW-22 gore parachutes. Ship anywhere (303) 278-9566.

NEW PRIMO GRIPPERS-Slide easily on bar but grip for control. Cost $25.00. Dealer discounts on three or more pair. Ozark Mountain Hang Gliders, 8 Blue Jay Way, Conway, AR. 72032 (501) 327-0698.

HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SEAGULL HARNESS and UP Parachute. Good condition. $200. (904) 481-3322.

THE MINIMUM-Power system for hang gliders.

Best and safest power system ever designed for hang gliders. Quiet - low weight - little drag easy to handle. Get your free brochure today from: Saphir America, PO Box 2343, New York, NY 10009 (212) 673-6461.

LARGE ROBERTSON COCOON with add-on ballast/gear container, Advanced Air chute, Litek vario, Altimaster (wrist), RS 40 ch. 5 watt radio with mike and nicads, U.P. backback, and large Bell helmet. Less !0% for everything.

Call Jim or Julie for more information. (916) 778-3624.

and fly on beautiful Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga area). Call us. Lookout Mountain Flight Park (404) 398-3541.

HELP WANTED IMMEDIATELY! 5 full time and 5 part time instructors needed. Sales and repair experience helpful although not necessary! Call (415) 731-7766. Contact Valerie.

Publications & Organizations

FUN FLYING! MAGAZINE-Needs articles, stories, pictures, about UL's, hang gliding, sky diving, ballooning, soaring and homebuilts.

Stories must be true and unpublished. Contact FUN - FLYING! Magazine, PO Box 423, Huntington, PA 16652. Write for subscription and advertising information.

Videos & Films ,.;17

',;;:i:·'.#i,.,_.; '·'

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.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241.

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cJPcizafroclu I

MANBIRDS: Now really affordable! Authentic history of Hang Gliding. Over 100 photos and input from Hang Gliding's greats. Inside look at heydey of sport. By professional writer Maralys Wills, and first U.S. Champion, Chris Wills, M.D. Only $7.95 plus $1.00 shipping. 5 or more, $4.95 plus $1.00 each. Write "Manbirds," 1811 Beverly Glen Dr., Santa Ana, CA 92705. Also, Hang Gliding romance "Soar and Surrender" $3.95 shipped.

HIGHLY VISIBLE ALL WEATHER WINDSOCKS. Superbly crafted from super tough 2 'A oz. hot air balloon ripstop, our brilliant, glowing windsocks are truly the world's finest.

Created to be seen from afar and to demonstrate accurate surface wind direction, even in the slightest of breezes. Our big 6-foot rainbow is now only $24.00 postage paid. Larger sizes custom crafted. All inquires welcomed. Send to: PACJF1C CREST, P.O. Box 5148, Eugene, Oregon 97405.

Rigid Wings FLEDGE ill - Xlnt condition. 9 hours. Red top, yellow bottom. $1550. OBO, Wayne. (404) 428-1783.

Ultralight Powered Flight KASPERWING-New. In storage 3 yrs. Blue, green, and yellow. $1200. or best. (619) 561-2945.

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.

I I

INSTRUCTORS WANTED-Exciting career opportunities for the right people. Will train if qualified. Work at what you enjoy most: live

·1~ ~~~~

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.

By popular demand.

"The Right Stuff"

returns ... now in

book form!

Parasailing LATEST PARASAILING INFO FROM EUROPE! Many articles translated from Drachenflieger Magazine, Worlds biggest hang glider publication. Send $1.50 for handling and postage to: Hans-Josef Frings, PO Box 2343, New York, NY 10009 (212) 673-6461.

~

Improve your skills: proper launch techniques • proper landings • forced or crash landings • angle of attack control • prone transitions • glider repair • pre-soaring and beginning soaring skills • first altitude flights Learn unique aspects of the sport: the term "wuffo" • USH3A-approved wind direction signal • Doo Dah Days • what's cool, what's uncool • pear people • intermediate syndrome • advanced syndrome

Hang Gilding According to Pfeiffer: Skllls For the Advancing PIiot 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 send: Amount _ _ _ RIGHT STLFF For New Hang Glider Pilots at $7.95 each _ _ _ Hang Gliding Acccording to Pfeiffer at $9.95 each Shipping/handling: Surface mail $1 first tx::ok, $.25 each additional. Airmail $2.50 first book, $1 each additional in North America, $6 each elsewhere.

Sales tax: Please add 6% sales tax when shipment is to a California address.

Total enclosed: Mail w/ check payable in U.S. dollars to: Publitec, P.O. Box 4342, Laguna Beach CA 92652.

Name Street City State/Zip ... Dealer inquiries invited - 714/497-6100 ,.,

JUNE 1987

47

IIEL1A WINli

Accessaries CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING OWENS VALLEY-Don Pan ridge's legendary 1981 XC Classic on film! AOLl, COMET CLONES & POD PEOPLE - Widely praised as the best hang gliding furn ever made. Winner: 1982 Gray Prize. 60 minutes, color. VHS or Beta. Special: $49.95. Rick Masters, Box 478, Independence, CA 93526. C.O.D. (619) 878-2255.

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 AJR 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. FFI 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga, TN 37409. (615) 821- 2546.

Chuck & Shari Toth.

DON BAKER-Where are you? Please call me!

Leave message at (213) 450-7742. Esther.

TOW SYSTEM-Complete with a slightly used high speed electric bumper mounted reel, 3000 feet of new tow rope and a new magnetic hood mount hydraulic pressure gauge. Will produce 2000 foot tows. $450. Gary (312) 244-0749 evenings.

PATCHES & DECALS - USHGA sew-on emblems 3" dia. Full color - $1. Decals, 3'h'' dia. Inside or outside application. 25C each. Include 15C for postage and handling with each order. P.O. Box 66306, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

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 SOC per word extra. Underline words to be bold. Special layouts of tabs $20.00 per colunun inch. AD DEADLINES - All ad copy, instructions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing 1V, months preceding the cover date, i.e., November 20 for the January issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA: Classified Advenising Dept., HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 500, Pearblossom, CA 93553.

Index To Advertisers Airtech .............................. 39 Airwave ....................... 10, 15, 39 Airworks ............................. 42 ATOL ............................... 20 Ball Varios ......................... 9, 20 Bennett Delta Wing Gliders ... 34, 43, 48, BC Hall Brothers ........................ 209 High Energy .......................... 10 HG Safaris ........................... 20 KHK ................................ 10

Light Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. ....... 48

Lookout Mt. .......................... 39 Mast Air ............................. 43 WOODEN Hang Glider sculptures. $75. + shipping.

Daniel Uchytil (206) 527-2632.

Microflight ........................... 34 Moyes ............................... 2

THE [LJ@[l={]lF lFUJ@[l={]lF PARAGLIDER Think about it ... hike or X-C ski in and FLY OUT! Foot-launched PARAGLIDER weighs only 12 lbs., has 4-1 glide and is safe b€cause it's a parachute. Be one of the first in the U.S. in a sport that is sweeping Europe. Hang gliding knowledge makes it easy to learn. U.S. made.

Great for boat towing, too. Call or write:

LIGHT FLIGHT~ 7843 S.W. 77th St. •Redmond, OR 97756•503-388-2967

Fagen Books .......................... 36 Publitec .............................. 47 Seedwings ............................ 21 Silver Wings .......................... 12 Skylife ............................... 6

Systems Tech ......................... 20 Thermal Snooper ...................... 30 USHGA ........................ IFC, IBC Wills Wing ........................... 28

AIRSTREAM HARNESS The low drag profile harness

r----""""-,,.-,----, ieatures

• Adjustable C.G. • Faired parachute & ballast container.

• Adjustable fool stirrup.

• Custom sizes to fit all pilots.

• Large choice of colors .._....._ ......__..__ _ __. • Price. .$340 ROMER HELMET Made by German manufacturer with over 125 yrs. ol experience. ii was designed to provide a light weight helmet that gives maximum protection. , DDT approved , Exe. temporal protection.

• ~pecial ear openings. , Made of polycarbonate • Available in Y. 0. White.

• Price. .S 75

L----=----1

HIGH ENERGY SPORTS "BUS" PARACHUTE High quality chute designed to withstand h1ghspeed openings.

• Built to TSO standards. , Alt seams reinforced. , V tabs at each line attachment.

• Type XVIII bridle rated at 6000 lbs • Deployment Bag w1cont .__ _ _ _ _ _ _....., , Price.

S395 BULLET BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEM The bulle1 is a batlisticatly (spring) deployed chu1e tha1 is easily attached to any glider. It virtually eliminates any chance of chute entanglement. , Fast deployment time. , 18 gore chute , 20.4· canopy , Total system wt. 3 .3 kg. , Price. . .$545

t--_._----"-

DELTA WING TRAINING WHEELS. A must for all beginner and novice level pilots no more sudden stops with these high impact. urethane landing wheels.

Prevents injuries 10 hands. etc. . Less chance of 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-Altimeter w/10 ft. steps .. $495.00 Ball 652 Vario/Audio-10 It. Altimeter-Airspeed ... $590.00 Retrofit Airspeed to Model 651 .. $130.00 Ball 670 Airspeed. 2.25 inch. 70 mph .. $125.00 Ball M·20 Wrist mounted Audio!Vario ........ $200.00 Ball M-20 w/earphone jack .... $250.00 Litek VE 12 wrist mounted. . .$169.00 Litek VE 12 w/earphone jack $179.00 litek VE 7 . $169.00 Litek VE 35 . $198.00 Roberts Vario & All . .$295.00 Hall Windmeter S 21.50 MISC. MATERIALS & SUPPLIES Delta wing T shirts ..... S 8.50 Golf shirts .S 12.50 Slreamline tubing-1" x 2v,· X .058 wall ..... S 7.50/h. lnstabushings-1Vi', ll's", ll',·. 1'/s" ..... $ 2.00 Order 100. . ............. $ 1.00 lnstabush insert for V," boll. . ..... S .20 Oelta Wing stocks all Progressive Aircralt parts & accessories.

See your Delta Wing dealer nearest you or contact:

DELTA WING Box483 •••• VAN NUYS, I· • CA 91408 I • 818/787,6600 , Telex 65,1425

DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

48

HANG GLIDING

,I111111·---------• MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION • IIINr.,\

NAME _ _ _ _ _, , _ . . - , , . - - - - - - - - (Please Print)

ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

~

CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ STATE _ _ _ _ _ __ ZIP _ _ _ _ PHONE (

SEX (M)(F)

D NEW MEMBER

BIRTH DATE

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)

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.

for one year.

D $53.00 SUBSCRIPTION ($59.00 foreign) for two years.

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.

NAME·-------------~ D 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 Charge my D MasterCard DVISA Total Card No. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ex. Date _ _ __ Signature - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

P.O Box 500, Pearblossom, California 93553

(805) 944-5333

Revised 6/86