USHGA Hang Gliding November 1990 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

• MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION • 111111•·--------JI

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0 1 year: $39.00 ($47 foreign*, $42 Canada & Mexico*) 0 2 years: $78.00 ($94 foreign*, $84 Canada & Mexico*) 0 3 years: $117 .00 ($141 foreign* ,$126 Canada & Mexico*)

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.

* Foreign payments must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK This accords me full membership in the United States Hang Gliding Assn., Inc., 12 issues of Hang Gliding magazine, effective with the current issue, liability and property damage insurance, and voting privileges. I need not be a rated pilot to be a member. SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 12 issues of Hang Gliding magazine only 0 1 year: $29.00 ($37 foreign*, $32 Canada & Mexico*) 0 2 years: $53.00 ($69 foreign*, $59 Canada & Mexico*) 0 3 years: $77.00 ($101 foreign*, $86 Canada & Mexico*) * Foreign payments must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK

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THREE-MONTH MEMBER 0 3-MONTH DUES: $15.00. 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.

0 Enclosed is an extra dollar for the World Team Fund. I understand that USHGA will match my contribution.

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

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lUN~llElO SlAllES HANG Gl~lO~NG ASSN"? ~NCa P.O. BOX 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300

revised 1/90

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BALL lfAlllOME1EllS INC. 6595 ODELL PL, SUITE C, BOULDER, CO 80301 (303) 530-4940 MODEL 651 VARIO/AUDIO/ DIGITAL AL llMETER $530

MODEL 652 VARIO/AUDIO DIGITAL ALTIMETERJ AIRSPEED $640

MODEL M20 WRIST VARIO $250

Puts you in the air and lets you feel the excitement of flying with some explosive thermaling to cloudbase over Lake Tahoe, cruising Zulu Ridge, blazing high mountain contour flying, and some fun tandem flying. Also, enjoy hang gliding music for an aerial adventure. Pilots say: "Now I can show my friends and family what the flying experience is really like." "It's nice to tune up for flying on non-flying days." VHS · HiFi Stereo - Send $29.95 plus $3 postage and handling (NV res. add sales taxl check or money order to:

BALLCLAMP $20

Available from hang glider manufacturers and dealers

The professional flight guide you've waited for! • Learn to fly with the world's finest hang gliding manual • Up-to-the-minute flight techniques • Complete - from your first flight to soaring • As The Pro Flies pages- first-hand tips from the experts • Easy-to-understand theory sections • How to choose your own equipment • Glossary of hang gliding terms • Clear, simple, attractive • More than 160 illustrations and photos • Over 260 pages • Matching workbook speeds learning • Unparalleled quality

Available soon from your favorite hang gliding dealer!

r;::::=================~ NOW AVAILABLE FOR $29.95 (plus $4.00 shipping & handling) USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300

(USPS O17-970-20)

Features

Columns

USHGA Board Of Directors Election

16 Hang Gliding The care and preflight of your glider.

Resumes from the candidates. Use the ballot attached to this issue.

21 USHGA Reports Insurance update by Gregg Lawless. The staff challenges the membership, by the USHGA staff. Headquarters operations update by Jerry Bruning.

45 Towlines

28 Telluride, The Flymln

Brad Lindsay's towing safety article in the September issue spurred a lot of conversation on this important topic, so we present a special Letters to the Editor section.

hy Dm·c Broyles Hang gliders and paragliders swarm like bees in some of the best Ii ft ever.

35 Dust Devil Soaring

60 Product Lines Page 28

hy Dan .loh11so11 Seedwings' Sensor E, PacAir's new Z2, towing update and more.

hyJim Lee First in a series or inl'ormative articles by your World Team members. Let's support the team.

38 The 1990 USHGA National

Departments

hy Da\'c Broyles The annual USHGA meet for the rest or us.

Page 35 COVER: John I leiney is towed alof't under a balloon during the Colorado Springs Balloon rest iv al. Photo by Jeff Elgart. CENTERSPREAD: Paragliders and hang gliders share the air at the Telluride, CO hang gliding festival. Photo by Leroy Grannis.

5 7 10 50 53 59 59

Airmail Update Calendar of Events Ratings Classified Advertising Index to Advertisers Stolen Wings

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service J'or USHGA members. The USHGA makes no warranlies or representations and assumes no liability concerning ihc validity or any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the malerial do so at their own risk. Copyright© 1990 United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. All rights reserved to Hang Gliding and individual contributors.

NOVEMLlER

1990

Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Director John Heiney, Doug Rice, Leroy Grannis, Eric Raymond, Photographers Harry Martin, Illustrator Tim Rinker, Design Consultant Office Staff

Jerry Bruning, Executive Director Pat Robbins, Advertising Greg Huller, Member Services P.J. More, Office Operations Patti Sparks, Member Services Jeff Elgart, Merchandise Services USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: Russ Locke, President Jim Zeiset, Vice President Gregg Lawless, Secretary Dan Johnson, Treasurer

REGION 1: Gene Matthews. REGION 2: Ken Brown, Russ Locke, Connie Bowen. REGION 3: Bill Bennett, Sandy King, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Mark Macho, Jim Zeise!. REGION 5: Mike King. REGION 6: Ron Kenney. REGION 7: Marty Bunner. REGION 8: Bud Brown, Jr. REGION 9: Pete Lehmann, Jeff Simms. REGION 10: Matt Taber. REGION11: Carl Boddie. REGION 12: Paul Voight, Paul Riker!. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Joe Greblo, Dennis Pagen, G.W. Meadows. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Liz Sharp, Mike Meier, Tom Kreyche, Jerry Forburger, Lisa Tate.

The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is a division of the National Aeronautic Associalion (NAA) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of fhe world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI 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 means of open communication and to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, selfaddressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING editorial offices: 6950 Aragon Circle, Suite 6, Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 994-3050. HANG GLIDING (USPS017-970) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 101, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417. Second-class postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG GLIDING, P.O. BOX 8300, Colorado Springs, co 80933-8300. The USHGA is a member-controlled educational and scientific organization dedicated to exploring all facets of ultralight flight. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $39.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding), ($42 Canada & Mexico, $47 foreign): subscription rates only are $29.00 ($32 Canada & Mexico, $37 foreign). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue. NOVEMBER

1990

Volume 20, Issue No. 11

AIRMAIL MIXED LID RESULTS Dear Editor, This year's L/D contest in Claremont, NH achieved poorer performance results than last year's. Are this year's gliders handling better at the expense of perfonnance, or is something else going on at this fun get-together meet? After reading Dennis Pagen's article it appears the headwind conditions were more variable than last year, with only one short window of best flights in the lightest headwind. The best flights were also flown by pilots with the takeoff technique required to max out the single controllable variable of the contest. Flat-ground takeoffs show how significant takeoff technique can be. A highly-accelerated launch run on nearly flat ground in a three mph headwind can produce a flight of about 100 feet. Conversely, a launch with less acceleration into the same three mph wind will result in not becoming airborne at all. So, in addition to there being more headwind this year, the launch window and launch technique remain significant variables in the L/D results. One could have the same pilot do all the launches, but then fatigue becomes a factor along with changing conditions. Increasing the site height is a means of reducing the launch technique factor. A new L/ D contest could take place from a 4,000-foot mountain overlooking the ocean, with launches taking place in a very short period early in the morning in as still conditions as possible. Landings would be made on the beach some I 0 miles away. The method Seedwings has used in the past to measure perfonnance is to fly with a tape recorder, calibrated airspeed indicator, an accurate digital altimeter and a stop watch. Every 30 seconds the altitude is called off while flying at a constant airspeed in a straight line for the entire flight. Transcribing and calculating the infomrntion from the tape shows the L/D ratio and the sink rate at that speed. The airspeed information needs to be coITected for the decelerated flow under tl1e wing. Regarding the Sensor E model results at the Claremont meet: The E was a prototype model and was flown in more headwind. I know the results as published are not representative of the true performance of the new Sensor E model. If any pilots or dealers are interested in knowing or comparing the performance of the new Sensor E model, then you should contact Seed wings and come fly one in

Santa Barbara this winter, it's our best soaring time of year. Bob Trampenau President, Seedwings Santa Barbara, CA

DUES INCREASE Dear Editor, After reading all the previous op1111ons about the yearly clues question, I felt I had to write and throw in my seven cents worth (up a nickle clue to inflation). Are any of us really so cheap as to actually quit? I mean, I'm easily as broke as the next guy, but $10 extra a year? That works out to 84 cents a month! Get real here. My best flying partner Eric and I each can blow that much at one Burger King stop on the way up to the mountain. Plus, it's been five years since the last increase, and it's pretty obvious that e1•erythi11g else on earth has gone up (gasoline $.40 a gallon in six weeks) so we're definitely ready. The USHGA is the greatest (and by the way, the only) thing we've got. I for one clo not want to give up anything we've come to expect, such as the spectator and site insurance, laminated cards, the great color mag pies, etc. So I wholeheartedly agree with the clues increase idea. Dennis Bowman Marina, CA

FLYING AT 61 Dear Editor, This past September, shortly before Telluride. I was privileged to help wire assist the launch of a 61-year-old \\'0111a11 on her 500th flight. My partner, David Lane, and I helped Mr. Roberts (of Roberts Varios) launch his wife Ines off Salt Lake City's "North Side" for an hour-long flight. As a newcomer to the world of hang gliding Mrs. Roberts has left an impression on me I will not soon forget. I hope 27 years from now I am flying as well as she is. She is an inspiration to our sport. Walter Bresnahan Sanely, Utah

AIRMAIL FCC SPOT CHECK

NOVICE COMPLACENCY

Dear Editor, On September 10, 1990 Jon R. Sprague (Electronic Engineer - Inspections and Investigations, Federal Communications Commission, Field Operations Bureau, Denver Field Office) pulled over next to the "Oops" LZ in Telluride and interviewed a number of pilots on the subject of amateur radio licenses and authority to use certain frequencies on the IB Business Service. He then made an announcement on each of the three USHGA frequencies reminding pilots of the FCC requirement per CFR 47, Part 90.425(a). This rule simply states: "Each station or system shall be identified by the transmission of the assigned call sign during each transmission or exchange of transmission, or each 15 minutes during periods of continuous operation. The call sign shall be transmitted by voice in the English language." Telluride Air Force personnel then brought him to the town park and introduced him to me as I was listed as the control point for the USHGA license. He assured me that he was generally pleased with what he had heard over the hour he had been listening, with the exception of not hearing the call sign at appropriate intervals. I told him that we would correct that and that the specific rule would be restated and emphasized in our publication. Jon indicated that he felt the general pilot population was reasonably well educated about the rules, due to the absence of blatant infraction. l then provided him with a copy of the "USHGA Radio Authorization and Study Guide" and requested that he review it and let me know if he had any problems with our interpretations of the related CFR's. This interaction with Mr. Sprague was very satisfying to me because of the time and effort I put into establishing our communications program. I want to thank the pilots at the Telluride Fly-In for exhibiting professional and mature use of the radio during this first surprise FCC spot check. This demonstrates that Inspectors can stop by at any of our events to monitor our use of this communication privilege, as well as examine our equipment for type acceptance. Review the study guide if you have any questions and do your best to comply with the regulations at all times. It was the FCC this time, but next time it could just as easily be the FAA. Be knowledgeable about the FAR's for pilots, and in particular Part 103 for ultralight vehicles, and don't get caught on the wrong side of the rules. Self regulation depends on it.

Dear Editor, I've heard that novice and intennediate pilots are the most vulnerable to accidents for a variety of reasons, one of which I can attest to-complacency. I am a Novice with a few more flights needed for my Intermediate rating. I felt confident in my skills although I had flown only once in four months. On Sept. 29, I made a hard landing 40 yards below launch as a result of my own complacency. I launched from 600' at Ed Levin Park for the second time that day. Winds were 5-10 from the northwest, hardly challenging conditions. On launch I had trouble finding my boot lo get prone, so I looked down to find it (I'd been told more than once not to do it). While I was looking down, I got some lift. I found my boot and got prone. But in my enthusiasm for taking advantage of the lift, I never focused on my flight path. Consequently, upon turning left to try to go back to the lift, I clidn' t know exactly where I was relative to the hill. When I did get my bearings I realized that I was heading for the back side of the hill and the small but deadly rotor that blew into a short box canyon. I tried to turn right, but due to the lack of flying time my turns were not as well perfected as they should have been and it was ineffectual. My alternative was to turn left and try a hard landing below launch. With about 75 yards between me and the hill I turned and was able to flare, albeit a little high. I stalled at about 20 feet and pancaked clown with the encl result being a severely bent left downtube and lightly skinned elbow. In summary, by ignoring my training, thinking I could make an exception, and my lack of flying time, the risk in the sport became manifest. I was fortunate. My message to other novice and intermediate pilots is watch your complacency and DON'T PUSH IT. Steve Parker San Jose, California

1990 Nationals will set the standard by which all other U.S. meets will be judged. Likewise, Mike King did his usual superb job of pilot management at the West Coast Meet. If we could only combine his people skills with the awareness of concerns of competition pilots, and stickler-for-the-rules attitude expressed by G.W. Meadows as the meet director at the Nationals, and Nick Kennedy as meet director and organizer for the 1990 Manufacturers' League Meet, we would have one hell of a meet director. Next, let's see the USHGA expand to provide the local clubs with real assistance in site preservation and acquisition. Also, I'd like to see the Directors vote for four points meets for 1991. Davis Straub Seattle, WA

PARAGLIDER PILOT CERTIFICATION CLINIC TORREY FLIGHT PARK WILL BE RUNNING TWO THREE-DAY BASIC INSTRUCTION CLINICS

December 15th - 17th This course runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day.

GOALS The student learns the basics of aerodynamics, micrometeorology, preflight, wind evaluation, ground control of a paraglider, forward and reverse launching, no wind launches, cross wind launches, air speed control, mild stall and recovery, flights making 180 and 360 degree turns, landings within a 50 foot circle, high wind landings, preventing being dragged back, care and maintenance of a paraglider.

PROFESSIONALISM

SITES Dear Editor, We in the field have certainly recognized the growing professionalism of the USHGA and its members since the move to Colorado. This was exhibited again this summer with the outstanding organization of the U.S. Nationals by Chris Reynolds with help from Terry. The

Day 1 - Torrey Pines Training Slope Day 2 - Poway Training Hill (200 feet) Day 3 - Suboba Mountain (2,300 feet) TORREY PINES TELEPHONE (619) 452-3202 FAX (619) 452-3203

James Zeiset, Vice President, USHGA 6

HANG GLIDING

lJSHGA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

ELECTION NOTICE lJSI 1(3/\ Regional Director nominal ion writc·ups appear belatedly in lhis (November) issue. Candidate writC··ups were 1101 received in time for publication in the October issue. i\11 Regional Dircclor ballots must be poslmarked December IO, 1990 to he considered valid.

CU'.AR! FRED FINALLY LAUNCHES When we lasl lcrt Fred (remember him?), he had captured the launch ramp and was hold· it hostage, until USJ IGi\ implcmcntccl its "Participant i\ccident and Glider Theft Insur· ancc" policy. i\s you rc1m,mbcr, Fred already had one hang glider ripped off some low· life scum slime (or maybe even a gang of' scum glider lhievcs!). Well, Fred is now at "'CJJ)!J[)BJ\SE!" Thal should tell ya something! Ir Fred is aclu· ally then llSllC.i\ 's accidcnl/thel'i pol· m11s1 be in effect. It was a close call lhough. This policy was a near ra1ali1y, but enough pilots signed up to get ii J'Jyi11g. The USI IGJ\ Participant i\cci· dent & Glider Theft lnsuranrn policy will oJTi. cially go into cfTccl in November. So dust oil thal edge and come soar wilh r:i·ccl I The more the merrier. If you arc inter· cstccl i11 1his policy, USII(ii\ a call at (719) 632.R:lOO. ThL:y'll he to answer your and even you upl Thanks for your support.

Flight testing indicates that UP Dream 220's with 5.0·ornice trailing edges require the shoncr sail adjuster plugs and looser sail ten· sion lo achieve handling comparable to Delta Wing Dream 220's with 4.0-ouncc trailing

lJSHGA CHAPTER RENEWALS Chapter 1159, the I Tawaiian I Jang Gliding /\ssociation, I lonolul11, l ll, has renewed its USllCii\ Chapter status. We also welcome a new Chapter, 1117."i, the Sauratown Ml. Hang c.ticling Club, Winston.Salem, NC. HEl!\EY PERFORMS AT COLORADO

- /\I We'/ l lookin !'},'. I J /\II /Jo/ides is.rned will he injiJrr·1·jiJr

one rrnr/i·om tht po/in· c//i•c1iw· dnlc (1110111/t o/'No1·cmb1'l'). 2) Porticipa!ll 11ccide111 OJJ/!lirn· lions rnn 011/v he/i!r the $/O,OOO/i1ce rm101m1 c'./li•ctil'c immediately. 3) 'J'/1c glider the/i /)()I icy program will /Jc co111i1111ed 011/v i/wt ltm·e 200 glider tltcf) policies in ji!r1·c 011 Jul.,· I, /99/. !/1101 wr· will sto/> issuing this policv. Tlianks againjiJr heing patient. llP ADVISORY \J[' ln1crna1ional recommends 1ha1 own· crs or UP 220 Drc;ams i11stall a new, shorter reJ'Jcx bridle set and shorter sail adjuster plugs on their glilkrs. This will improve slability withoul adversely allcx;ting handling. l IP has perrormcd J'light and vehicle tcs1 s that indicalc stability and handling can be improved on lJP Dream 220 gliders ma111.1fac turcd before J\11g11st I I 990.

Novmvm1,1, 1990

John Heiney, acrobatic pilot cxtraordinairc, performed spectacular balloon drops al the Colorado Springs Labor Day Bal· loon ( 'lassie. To the dclighl 01· 80,000 silcn1 aviatim1 fans, John executed hcau1il'til win· govcrs and loops under clear blue skies during 1hc thrce·day event. thanks goes to Tom Dermody and ihc Pikes Peak Hang Uliding Club, and Ron and Sheena Wilkinson or Eagles Nest School or llang Ciliding l'or making this an annual event for lhc Balloon Classic. Kids or all ages were dclighlcd at lhc sigh! or John's flight, :is he released rrom the "Dream Team" balloon al abolll .1,000 reel (8,500 feel MS!,). The use or smoke bombs 011 the wing ol' his UP /\xis 13 helped highlight John's aerial paltcrns as he made his way hack 10 the middle ol'thc Memorial Park, to the cheers and

applause or an appreciative crowd. We hope to sec you again next year, John! story & photo

Jeff Elgart

WILLS WIJ\:G RELEASES NEW CHUTE Gl,IDERS JN STOCK Wills Wing, in conjunction with Free Flight Enterprises announces the release ol' a new parachute design called the PDA. This new pullcd·down apex design has 1120% slower descent rate than previous conical designs. The J 8.gorc PDA weighs only four pounds, and llw 20·gorc five pounds, They have a lower pack volume, deploy more rapidly, and arc less clue 10 lower materials usage. Both sizes come in a lJY resistant, slatc·or-thc·arl deployment bag that encloses all the lim;s, re· ducing the chance or cn1anglc1ncn1. They in. corporate a 25.f'oot, 6,000·pound bridle, and a UY bridle cover. The I l'DA is for 11p lo 250 pounds gross the 20 gore is for up to 150 pounds. Both new have been 1'11lly drop teslcd rrorn an airplane al miles per hour with load cells. The I pulled 2,824 pounds and the 20 gore pulled 1,244 pounds. Following over 11 year or I 10 22-wcck bnckordcrs Wills reports thal lhcy have, as or 1he end or September, new gl iclers or each model and size in stock ready ror irrnncdialc delivery. Contact: Wills 1208-1 r F. Walnut, Santa Ana, Ci\ ()2'/0 I (714) 13411. FLY BRAZIL TOUR Sporl Aviation (USA) and the Sky Center (Brazil) have combined efforts to offer a h,111g gliding and paragliding adventure in llra'lil this winter. The cxpcdilion will include casual and C 1lying al more than a dozen sites, and a lour or 1hc country including Rio and 1hc famous bc:achcs. The trip will end at Govcnador Vala· dan,s where the World Meet will be i11 r1ill Local pilot/intcrprclcr/guidcs arc in. cluckd and hotels, most meals and transporla,, lion are arranged. Professional instructors will also be available to help with soaring and X C skills. The trip is planned for two weeks in late l;ehruary. Contact: Dennis or Claire Pa gen, P, Sport Aviation · Brazil, RD Box Bcllel'o111c, Pi\ 16823 (g 14) 383·2569.

BOH SOROKA WINS GLIDER FROM WESTERN HAN(; GLIDERS Western I Jang Gliders in Marina, CJ\ congratulates Bob Soroka or Sacramento on his persistence in introducing his l'riends and co-workers to the sport of hang gliding. As part of an ongoing sales contest, Bob took the initiative to bring over 50 students to Marina State Beach for their first hang gliding experiences (which they thoroughly enjoyed), keepgroups as large as 24 organized and ensuring that everyone had a ball. The afternoon of September 16 found Bob celebrating with champagne as he ordered his new Magic Formula, the prize for his efforts. Said Bob, "Sales me 11lcers and my hair is falling out." Western Hang nlidcrs owner Jim .Johns commen!cd, "Bob did an amazing job, above and beyond just booking the lessons. He came with each group, helped our s!af'f and became a part or the learning experience for his friends. I hope he has hours of t:njoyable airtime on his free glider. He cer· tainly earned it."

amount of line to be put on the winch, and allows the pilot to get a faster climb rate, to higher altitudes, with less strain on the weak link due to greatly reduced drag on the rope. The towline is made or Spectra Fiber, a material so advanced that the U.S. govcmmcnt re· stricts its sale to some foreign countries. The Spectra Fiber ropG is lighter, stronger, and un-· like Kevlar, dramatically resistant to abrasion." The Spectra Fiber rope will he offered in two sizes, depending on the [lpplication and use in tandem towing. Airtime of Salt Lake also offers a retrieval chute specifically designed to compliment the speed and higher torque of' the J\TOL winch. The square, parasail-type chute has a high-lift, low.drag profile that provides maximum lift to fly the smaller diameter towlines back to the wineh operator. Contaet: Mike Haley, Airtime of Salt Lake (80 I) 572-4383.

Charts show the highs and lows moving across the coun!ry, so you can pick your optimum flying site for prevailing conditions. Contact: Blue Skies International, 36 South Stale Street Suite 3000, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 571 3076.

ERIC RAYMOND AND SUNSEEKER COMPI,ETE (:OAST-TO-C<>AST ADVENTURE

NEWSLETTER EXCHANGE The Marin County l Iang Gliding Association would like tocxcbangc newsletters with other clubs in the hang gliding community here and abroad. Besides stories and information dealing with local sites, the Tom AirLines also publishes art iclcs or interest to pilots anywhere on flying technique, radio equipment and the like. Just put us on your mailing list and send a copy or your newsletter to MCI !GA, P.O. Box 785, Mill Valley, CA 94942.

NEW TOWING PRODUCTS

Airtime of Salt Lake, UT announces two new products f'or winch owners. After cxtcn sivc research, a nGw towline, and a retrieval systern spccif'ieally geared to J\TOL winches is now available. According to the manufacturer: "The new smaller size towline allows several times the

Blue Skies International introcluees The Satellite Link, a user-friendly, mouse-driven, multi·windowing software package, with the hardware needed to downlink the latest charts and images dirce!ly from geostationary weather satellites. The IBM or compatible software and hardware package allows the user to preselect and eapture hundreds of charts and images daily and view them on a high-resolution color VClJ\ screen in black and white, and grey scale or color.enhanced infrared. The weather charts are also used by the National Weather Service. The charts and images show detailed cloud cover, precipitation and surface ice informa·· lion in the U.S. and overseas. Included is a zoom feature which allows elose-up viewing of conclilions in a specifie area. The Infrared Moisture Charts detect moisture not visible to the naked eye, enabling the user to rnorc accurately predict cloud development. The Winds Aloft Chart will help you figure out downwind drift by informing you of upper wind direction and velocity at different altiludes. The Isobar

Eric Raymond made aviation history I .abor Day when he landed his solar-powered airplane in tiny Spot, North Carolina. Raymond, 33, completed the first coast-to-coast solar l'light September 3 within sight of the J\t lantic Ocean on coastal North Carolina. Raymond's jourm,y began July 16, when he first fkw toward the !last Coast in the Sunseeker, a I 98·pound plane with a 57-root wing· span and a 2]-foot··long fuselage. Two days out of Desert Center, California, the Sunscckcr cxpcricncecl wing clifficuliy and Raymond and his crew returned home to Lake Elsinore, CA, forrepairs. The trip began again August 4, with cast winds and rain slowing down the journey mueh more than Raymond had expected. The plane is very sensitive to wind and turbulence. Raymond covered 2,467 miles in 3:; days, with the best-distance clay being Aug. 11, when he flew 245 miles (a new solar distance record). Total flight time was I 19 hours and 23 minutes. Solar cells clcvelopccl by Sanyo eonverted sunlight into energy whieh was stored in bat·

HANC GurnNc

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CITY/STATE/ZIP_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ USHGA Sweaters, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933

Show Off With these quality USHGA gifts! American made with reconstructed vinyl-has the look and feel of leather. Debossed with the Mountain Glider design. A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT! Quantity

Portfolio/Letter Pad @ $29.95 Circle choice of colors : O Burgundy O Navy SH IP TO : (street address please) NAME _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __

Deluxe Log Book Cover@ $9.95 (gray only) ~

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$50+ add $6 lnt'I Air $8 extra

USHGA, P.0. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933

John Harris and ]•rands Rogallo Eric and Aida Raymond after the solar-powered coast-to-coast flight

tcrics. The cells wen: applied to a thin plastic film which allowed for flexibility and made the eells part of the wing. A small Lolectric motor developed two horsepower for 11p to eight minutes at a t irnc which was enough 10 get Raymond in the air. With this li11lc bit of altitude, he immediately had to find thermals 10 stay aloft and keep going. With a sink rnte or 60 feet per minute and slow flying speed, Raymond was able to work extremely small thermals and go crosscountry. I JG even found he could soar on over cast days. It took four ycms of hard work to invent the Sunseckcr, and it was all done on a shoestring budget. Raymond is a past national champion hang glider pilot and world champion acrobatic pilot. lfo is ,ilso well known as a hang glider designer and consultant. Among the small team of multi-talented people working with Raymond was his faihcr Sam Ray111011d. 'The ultimate 11ltraligh1" is what Raymond called the Sunsecker. "I wanted to demonstrate the potential for solar energy," he said. "It's cleaner, quiet and very reliable." and "Flighl experiences were wlax peaceful," Raymond commented af'ter arriving in North Carolina. "Birds were never afraid of me." Traveling quietly at an average mph, the Sunsecker's only noise was a swishing sound whL:n f'lying ras1 --as fosl as 85 mph and as high as 14,000 feet. "Solar flight has great potential,'' Raymond stressed, saying it could be used for military or civilian applications. 'Tm strictly a sporling pilot,'' he said. Although there were many trials to cope with on the trip, Raymond didn't hesitate to say he'd clo it again. Next, he'd like to invent a solar-powered airship and fly across the country again. "I clrnllL:ngc myself," Raymond said.

Flying cross-country ollercd a chance to observe the scenery, and Raymond enjoyed watching the countryside change from desert to farm to residential to mountains to forest. "You sec the land change as you go, although I was hoping it would change: faster," Raymond quipped. Tlw public was receptive wherever Raymond flew, with his wife Aida (a champion hang glider pilot from Venezuela) ge11ing al-most as much attention on ground crew. People were l'ricndly and hospilablc, even sharing their homes with the Raymonds. "Our best supporters were the airport managers," Klaus Sevier, who rtcw the accompanying Piper plane, said. I le designed and built the propeller for the Sunsceker, and is a designer of high--pcrformancc propellers for racing airplanes. The media jumped on the bandwagon about a month before Raymond left California.

Calendar of events items WILL NOT be I istcd if only tentative. Items with exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number) will be published if received six weeks prior 10 lhe event. We request two months lead time t'or regional and na1 ional meets. Until Oct. 31: 1000 So. Cal. X-C Competition.

Open distance, best two nights or season wins. Entry fees: Class J\ $75, Class B $50. Prizes 10 top places. Contact: Windsports Soaring Center (818) 088-0111 or The I Jang Gliding Center (6 I 9) 450-0008 for details.

Oct. 27-28: Tandem IC!', Seattle, WA area. Contact: Tom Johns (206) 4541089. US!I(l/\ Hoard of Directors mcctWashington, DC. Contact: lJSHGA l leadquarters.

Nov.

Nov. 7-8: KI IK/Shcnandoali Valley instructor fly-in. Contact: Kilty Ilawk Kites, P.O. Box 340, Nags !lead, NC 27050 (919) 441 4124. Nov. 1(1 .. J1: Sur demo days. Dec. 29-Jan. I: So. Cal. tour I. Jan. 6-12: So. Cal. tour IL Contact: Western Ilang Gliders, P.O. Box 828, Marina, CA 03933 (408) 384-2622.

I le was greeted by photographers and reporters all along the way, especially al the end when reporters from as far away as Japan came to see the Sunscckcr and its pilot. llonorcd at a ceremony at Kitty Hawk Kites hang gliding school in Nags Ilcad, NC, Raymond was presented plaques by John I larris, prcsiclen1 of Ki11y Hawk Kites, /\I Jones, president or the Firsl Flight Society, and P. M. Rogallo, father of hang gliding. An avircx leather pilot's jacket painted with the Sunseeker logo, the key to the town or Kill Devil 1!ills (presented by Mayor Lowell Perry) and champagne were also pn,scntcd to Raymond. Surprised at all the attention, the modest Raymond said, ·'J just wanted to do this and write about it later." -- by Nancy McWilliams

Nov. 17-18: llaney's Point Fall Fly-Out, Atkins, AR. Vision and Pro classes. Contact: Sail Wings (501) 224 2186, Ml 1902 (launch). Nov. 17-24: 7th Argentinian !Jang (Hiding Open, La Rioja, Argentina. Entry $50. Contact: Nieto tel. 0054-822-23830 tina, or Carlos Barrientos tel. 0056--2-· 21 1135, FAX 0056-2 5516301 Chile. Nov. 22-25: Rocky Point, Mexico Turkey Tow In. Contact: Dan McMannus (602) 9735107. Nov. 23-25: Wills Wing Demo Days in San Diego, CJ\. Glider tuning and maintenance with factory pilols. Fly I IP ATs, Sports, and the new Spectrums. Contact: The Hang Ciliding Ccnlcr, John Ryan, (,.W. Meadows (610) 450-,9008. Jan. 9-19, 1991: Forbes Flatlands hang gliding

and paragliding competition, NSW Australia. Contact: Jenny Gandcrton, "Boganol", Henry Lawson Way, Forbes, NSW 2871 tel. (068) 537220.

J-IANC C:urnNC

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custom engineered by hang glider pilots FOR hang glider pilots! Hightech carbon fiber!

True or False ... A MAXimum comfort A MAXimum visibility .,;. MAXimum protection with minimum weight A $150.00 Postpaid - Calif residents add 6 1/4% tax

•

P.O. Box 1607 .A. Tehachapi, CA 93581

805 822 9244

DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

CLOUDBASE INSTRUMENTS I I

' - - - - - - - - - - - - - gn180CO AL>JVARIO

The gh18000 ALT/VARIO combines an accurate, temperature stable altimeter with a sensitive fast response rate variometer. A switch allows rate of climb to be displayed in the average mode to help determine long term progress. Flight information is displayed on large, 1/2 inch characters, making it easy to read at a glance. Also, The gh 18000 is packaged in a small ( 4" x 2 1/2" x 1 1/2") and rugged case which also offers additional shielding against radio interference. And, batteries should never be a problem as a 100 hour battery life is common and there is a low battery warning. Finally, this instrument is very affordable with an introductory suggested retail price of $369. The gh1350c DIGITAL ALTIMETER is also available from Cloudbase Instruments. AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL DEALER, FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (408) 263-1548 OR WRITE 2464 EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 513 SANATA CLARA, CA 95051

You get what you pay for.

It's Here! The 1991 USHGA Hang Gliding Calendar

---------------------------------------------Please rush me _ _ _ 1991 USHGA Hang Gliding Calendar(s) at $9.95 each. Shipping Charges Quantity Shipping 1-3 $3.00 4-6 $4.50 7-9 $5.50 10 $6.50 Shipped by first class or UPS - Canada & Mexico add $.75 per calendar International surface add $1.50 per calendar - International air add $5.00 per calendar

Calendar Subtotal- - - - - Colorado residents add 6.5% sales tax- - - - -Shipping_ _ _ __ Total Enclosed (Make checks payable to USHGA) _ _ _ __ NAME~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADDRESS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CITY- - - - - - - - - -STATE- - - - - ~ZIP- - - -

Mail to: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300

QUICK SAFE WHEELS NO SLIP RUBBER BUSHINGS PREVENTS BASE TUBE ABRASION WHEN USED ALONE

True You seldom get more than you pay for. If you pay a cheap price, you usually get a cheap product or service.

PROTECT YOU AND YOUR GLIDER A must for dealers with demo gliders. German made, thousands flying in Europe. Sold to major dealers in U.S. and Canada. ONLY

• SNAP ON/SNAP OFF ANYTIME, ANYWHERE • AFFORDABLE/HIGH QUALITY • RUGGED & DEPENDABLE • 7" DIA. x 2W' WIDTH EXTREMELY LIGHTWEIGHT STORE IN GLIDER BAG OR HARNESS

$4500 PER PAIR (specify 1" or 11/a" base bar)

False On the other hand, it is quite possible to get less than you pay for. In any industry or business, there is usually one company that sets the standard of quality in products and services. Prices for these products and services are determined by the costs of the materials and supporting labor which go into them. In a situation where diflerences in materials quality may not be readily apparent to the ultimate consumer, other suppliers will often charge similar prices for a product which in fact costs much less to produce and which has a correspondingly lower value.

SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

MORNINGSIDE HANG GLIDERS ~ RFD 2 BOX 109. CLAREMONT. NH 03743 (603) 542-4416 ~

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DEALERS WELCOME

100

CLIMB ABOVE THE COMPETITION !

For example, Polyant sail cloth is recognized throughout the world of sailmaking as the premier woven fabric. Manufactured on the most modern, high technology looms, it offers an unmatched combination of high tenacity fibers, high density weaving, premium resins and extraordinary consistency of quality. Polyant cloth costs more to buy, but a Polyant sail will last years longer, making it a far better value. Wills Wing is the only manufacturer that spends the extra money on your behalf to use Polyant sail cloth exclusively in the sail body.

THE

ISENI Ek! For your nearest dealer call (206) 337-9575 SENTEK INSTRUMENTS 14327 27th Dr. Mill Creek, WA 98012

"Fly Brazil" RIO DE JANEIRO'S FINEST HANG GLIDING SHOP FLYING TOURS

High strength 7075 alloy tubing costs more than twice as much as the more commonly used alloys such as 6061, but it gives you a stronger airframe and a lighter weight glider. Wills Wing pioneered the use of 7075 in main airframe spars in 1986. Today, Wills Wing is the only manufacturer to offer any glider with an all 7075 main airframe, and we offer a full line of gliders, from first purchase SPECTRUMS through advanced competition HPA T'S, featuring 7075 a·1rframes and 7075 battens. Other Wills Wing quality features that may not be apparent on casual inspection include an expertise in product design and testing, and a level of after sale service and support that can only be provided by the country's oldest , largest and most experienced manufacturer, working in cooperation with the largest and most professional dealer network in the industry. If you're paying for top quality, you should be getting top quality. So why not get a Wills Wing, and get what you pay for?

Bi-lingual guides Transportation & Retrieval - Airport pickup Hotel & rental car reservation available

TANDEM TRIKE FLIGHTS OVER RIO Parachutes, harnesses, instruments, radios & T-shirts available Repair services & parts for AIRWAVE, AIRBORNE, ALBATROSS & MOYES For information or reservations contact: OA USA Ondas do Ar Lida Attn: D. Aguilar Av das Americas, l917T Rio de Janeiro 22631 Brazil (213) 439-4132 (818) 443-7070 FAX (21) 2477468 FAX & phone

1208 H. East Walnut• Santa Ana• CA• 92701 Phone (714) 547-1344 • FAX (714) 547-0972

Shortly after joining the Board or Directors I was appointed Chairwoman of the Site Management Committel'., I am heavily in-

Gene Matthews---Incumhen1

II Connie Uowcn--lm:mnhcnl

III

For tliose members or Region 3 11nfamil iar with me, let me introduce myself. My liang gliding career began approximately three yems ago. Since then I have flown many sites throughout Regions 3 and 4 which has me the opportunity to meet and interact with many pilots from across the lJ .S. l have been a member or the lJSl IC:A Board or Directors l'or the rasl two years and am active in st,vernl committees. I serve as the Activities Director for my local chapter, the San Diego I Jang GI iding Association. My professional background is in thl: area or Social Services when: l am employed by the County or San Diego and the ope rat ions or one or I he County's child protective services facilities. l received a in from Phillips University, OK. l ,oc,11 pilots know me as N6XPN, as l have my 11AM operators license which, as you know, is invaluable in this sport.

vested in producing a USHGA Site Management Manual. This manual will include the "I !OW TO's" of opening and maintaining sites, letters or commendation from landowners and land managers from across the counlry and a pul 1-Dut section spccif'ically designed to assist you in making presentations to the public and sectors. My goal is to make this man· ual available to chapters, schools and individual pilots working on sitl>specific issues. Obviously this is a long-term project, and one lhnl I believe will provide a signil'icant benefit to our membership. For that reason I am askyou to elect me to another Lenn as your Regional Director so that I can sec this project through to completion. Oihcr issues that I am concerned about include safety, quality instruction provided throughout the nation, the 1,mckm program (l have S.l tandem nights as a co-pilot), and the successful integration of paragliding at our sites. 1 nm also interested in the promotion oflrnng gliding for women pilots. Ir re-elected, I will reprcsc111 the pilots of our region lo the best or my ability and sinc,:rcly seek your vote or confidence.

Mark Mocho··-.. Jncumbcnt

Glen Nicolet-Nominee As ,1 regional director, I believe that l can contribute positively to the hang gliding com" munity. I have a special inlcresl in helpiug 10 promote both the sport mid the safety or hang gliding. l believe this can he dorw bl:st by promoting a positive attitude: and through cd11cation. Using my background, education and experience, I would like lo assist in whatever way possible to help USJ JC,A grow in a posi live direction. Flying and :1viation have been a big part of my life. interest in started in the I L\NC: CJ.IDINC:

sixties, and in 1969 I hegan flying singlc,en. aircraft. After obtaining a commercial pilot's license and an instrument rating, l also obtained a commercial sailplane rating. Pres, enlly, 1 hold an advanced hang glider pilot rnling and I am an instrnclor and an observcL While working for the Federal Aviation Ad ministration (FAA), I have lived in Ohio and and am presently living in the Chi· eago area working as an evaluator ror the Circa! l ,akes Region. a small group of aviation entl111siasts, we as hang glider pilots arc olkn misun· dcrstoocl by many inside and outside of the avial ion circle. We need lo understand and follow sorne very simple and basic guidelines in our sporl 10 maintain independence and to continue to enjoy lhc sport that we all love so much. By being regional director, I hope to he able lo make a conlribulion toward this end.

to he held al Lookout Mountain Flight Park. I enjoy working with beginning pilots and those j11s1 gelling interested in the sport of hang gliding. l l'ly a Vision Mark IV and I ,i\e Dream 165. l own a Bill Beam pay,oul winch and have it mounted on a Nissan 4x4. We arc introducing tlte spor1 of hang gliding to the people of Southern Illinois with the use or the p,ty,·OUI winch. l hope to fulfill the requirements for an Advanced rating during J ()<JO. Viewpoints: I feel the main issues facing the sport of hang gliding arc public relations, and training, and ovcr-commercializa. lion. I wo11lcl I ikc more activities to he planned for, and more concern shown for the novice and inlcrmedialc pilots (also advanced pilots who can /'ly only infrequently). I would like our leadership to come from those who do not have a commercial interest. Consent to serve: I would like very much lo serve. lam 56 years old and retired from Ihe ricld of education, so I have the time and interest to serve.

Keeping our prcscnl sites and opening new ones will be my main goal, whether elected Regional Director or 1101. My and appointments arc: /\dvanccd, Tandem I, Basic Instructor, Special Observer, and JUST a hang glider pilot.

No Nominees

Jeff Simms·--lncumbenl

X Rod Uauser--Nomincc I was first introduced lo bang gliding in

Ron Smith··-··Nomincc

l lang (JJiding Activities: I have been flying for rive years, having taken my instrw;. tion at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. l have done mou111ai11 in llawaii, Tennessee, New I lmnpshire, and Ariwna. have clone both s1:11ic line and pay out winch towing in Illinois, Tennessee, /\labama, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I have concluetecl Gliding Seminars al Southern Illinois University al Carbondale and designed and operated a static display dur· ing ihc Regional /\ir Show held ill the William· or l (J90. son Crnmly /\irport during the I am enrolled in the next lnstrnclor School NOVEMBFR 199()

1972, by launching gliders in the Phoenix, AZ area. Back then we were considered '·crazy" in an 11mcgula1cd sport. This summer Dan Johnson organi1.cd with lJSIIO/\ and the N/\A 10 reprcscnl the US! IG/\ at the Oshkosh Air Show for the f'irsl time, having the opportunity, along with others, to work it1 the booth. I realized we have a long way to go to overcome this perception of the 70's. As we progressed into the 80's, self..rcgulation and pilot proficiency programs greally rmpnJvctl tlle safety of' our sport. With the inl'lux or new students and site closmcs, the 90's present us with new problems. Site closures arc threatening the growth and freedom our sport needs 10 survive. Private sites arc being closed because of land develop· rnent, insurance problems, and pilot abuse. As a group, we are cmm1lcss sites that if takt~n care of properly, may never be clDsed. pmks and small uncontrolled State and airports arc a possible solution. /\s f'ar as small airporls, I have been instrnmcntal in opening an airport in Tomah, WI, Region 7, with few regnlations. Who says rnolor pilots c,111'1 /'ly together? Our heads and usage increases their potential for FAA funds! I am in the process of opening two more state parks in Region for cliff launch, by utilizing om record at Bong Stale Parle

nick Jacobs-NomhH!c

if f'rn on the slope in my yard at home 011 Saurntown Mountain or smiling like a jackrnbbil after landing in !he Owens Valley, the bot lorn line is this: I l ,OVE TO llANCr GLIDF! Let us all become site prcscrvationisl'i and safety enthusiasts !'or the 90's!

Paul Rikcrt,,--Incumhenl

HANG GLIDING 101

All Systems Go ,

",~ 1

cartoon by Harry Martin "T .I. ake care of your equipment and your equipment will take care of you." These words are quoted a lot in life in general, but they don't apply anywhere more importantly than in hang gliding. Working at a hang gliding shop, I see lots of gliders that come in for inspection or minor repairs. What I see is often quite scary: frayed wires, dented or bent tubes, severely mistreated sails, and blown-out batten pockets. Let's spend a little time talking about these subjects and then we'll do a complete preflight of our glider.

WEAR AND TEAR Assuming that you can launch and land a hang glider without contacting the ground very hard, the most wear that your glider receives is in transportation. Most sail wear comes from the manner in which you packed up your glider after flying it last time. It only takes a few minutes extra each time you break clown to insure that you have indeed properly padded your glider for transportation. Most manufacturers have really gotten their act together lately when it comes to supplying the customer with the proper padding for their glider. If your glider doesn't have proper padding, then you can make good pads from old clothing, or if your ego won't allow you to permit your peers to watch you stuff an old sock in your glider, then pads are available commercially from individual sailmakers and from the hang glider manufacturers.

MAJOR FRICTION POINTS There are certain areas on your hang glider that need more attention than others when it comes

to making sure your sail doesn't receive the dreaded "road rash." Let's walk completely through the breakdown procedure and point out individual important items. After you've taken the nose cone* off and "relaxed" the nose rib by pulling it out an inch or two, disconnect the nose wire*. At this point you'll want to remove the tip battens. Then detention the wing and fold them in about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way. Now you obviously want to pull the battens, but how you pull them can make a difference in how long your batten pockets last. Keeping the encl of the batten low (pointed at the ground) causes less friction than holding it high (waist level). The more friction you create, the sooner you'll "blow out" a batten pocket. Soon after you've pulled all your battens, put them all together in front of the glider. This simple move can keep you from stepping on and possibly breaking one of them. Now disconnect the top rear wire* and fold the kingpost clown. You 'II want to pad the top and bottom of your kingpost so they'll not create any chafe marks. Properly stow the kingpost. Next, fold the wings in to the keel. Pull the sail out from between the crossbar and the keel. Make sure that you've pulled the sail out completely. This prevents "pinch" type wear marks on the unclersurface of the glider. Now roll the sail up parallel to the fold created by the doubling of the material. After stuffing the sail into the pocket created by the leading edge mylar pocket, place a sail tie around the leading edges but above the keel. Finish rolling up the sail all the way clown to the tips. Place a sail tie around the tip area. Cleanly tuck the sail

away up toward the nose of the glider and place another sail tie here. Note: It is not necessary to cinch the sail ties very tight. Doing so can damage your leading edge mylar or foam. Now the glider should appear to be one unifonn col01fol log sitting up on clowntubes. At this point take the cover bag (making sure there's no dirt in it), and place it on the glider. Putting the nose encl of the bag on first will usually help keep the bag off the ground as much as possible. Now lay the glider over on its "back" being careful not to drag the comer of the control bar across the ground as you tilt the glider over. Break clown the control bar, and pad the encl of the loose basetube. At this point the glider is ready for you to pad all its vulnerable areas. Start with the control bar apex. With the control bar folded clown, pull up on the keel with the apex of the control bar. Pad the sides of the apex generously with the pads provided by the manufacturer or a piece of old clothing. Next move clown to the other encl of the clown tubes where all the wires are attached to the comer brackets. Pad this area well also. While you're in this general area, wrap a pad around the bolt that holds the rear flying wires to the keel. Now move clown about 18" or so to the aft encl of the keel and place a sock over it to keep it from rubbing the undersurface. If your glider has washout tubes, make sure you pad the area where they connect to the leading edge. All that's left is to zip up the bag making sure not to get dirt inside. Now we 're gonna put the diver on top of the vehicle. Let's look at the best means of transporting hang gliders. *where applicable

continues on page 18

HANG GLIDING

FOIL 152 COMBAT

FOIL 152 COMBAT IS CERTIFIED TO C0TESIEGEL STANDARD

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION 1st U.S. East Coast Championships, Sequatchie Valley. Nelson Howe. 1st International German Masters, Tegelberg. Carl Braden. 2nd International German Masters, Tegelberg . Mark Newland. 1st Bavarian Championships, Germany. Bob Baier. 3rd Semi Seki World Invitational, Wakayama, Japan . Herby Kuhr. 1st International German Glide Contest, Rupholding. Wolfgang Genghammer. 1st U.S. Nationals, Dinosaur. Mark Newland.

PERFORMANCE YOU CAN HANDLE

Now available from your local dealer

HANG GLIDING 101 WARNING: The Instructor General has determined that using the information contained in this article without the assistance of a USHGA-certified instructor can break or kill you. Seek professional help! THE VEHICLE We've all seen hang gliders carried on every sort of vehicle imaginable, from motorcycles to 18-wheelers. As I said earlier, if a glider is going to get worn out, it'll be in transport. The actual vehicle is not as important as the location of the supports. If you're using normal hang glider type racks then there should be a minimum of three, spread out as evenly as possible. Ideally, one should be located at about the middle of the glider, with the other two located within two or three feet of each end. Occasionally I'll see someone with five feet or more of their glider hangin' off one end of their vehicle. This arrangement is very bad for the tubing when you hit dips in the hard-surface road, and downright tortuous on you frame if you're driving up a rocky dirt road to the launch site. If you absolutely have to hang one encl of your glider off the rack by more than a foot or two, then it should be the "nose" end of the glider. This encl of the glider (while folded) has two leading edge tubes and two crossbar tubes to lend it support and minimize the flex created by the movement of the vehicle. This end of the glider also weighs more than the other end so keep this in mind while distributing the load. PADDING There are lots of different means of padding hang glider racks. Obviously, the reason for padding a glider rack is to protect it from the harshness of the rack frame. Any pad is better than none, however the proper padding will keep your glider in good aesthetic and flying shape for a long time. Make sure that the padding you use has a fair amount of crushability to it. Imagine yourself up there on that rack all stretched out, going up a bumpy dirt road. Now you can see my point. A little bit of good padding can sure make the difference. Some of the easiest to come by padding is pipe insulation which you can buy at most hardware stores. It comes in two different types. One is light

colored and fairly flaky. The other is a better closed-cell foam which is darker in color. Either one is better than none. Some pilots lay their gliders across the top of a van or the camper top of a truck, and tie it down on each encl. For this arrangement I suggest a piece of carpet or other such cloth that will create enough friction to keep the glider from moving around on top of the vehicle. This can make a big difference in the life of your sail.

TIEING ONE ON How you tie your glider onto the rack can be just as important as the padding. First, it is very important to tie the glider on snugly to keep it from shaking around and vibrating against itself. This alone accounts for more than 68% of the total glider wear that occurs in this country every year. (Just kidding, I made that up.) But seriously, a glider shaking on top of the vehicle does create a tremendous amount of wear. Also, when you tie the glider down, try to tie it in three different places. This is protection in case one of the other two tie clowns should let go for any reason. If your glider is only tied in two places and one of those ropes should let go, then you '11 create an instant speed bump for the traffic following you. The material you use to tie clown your glider is also important. Using a rope has the potential to put a crease in your leading edge material. A thin rope has the potential of breaking. Webbing is probably one of the best things you can tie your glide clown with. The wider the webbing the better, because it will distribute the load across more of the glider fabric, thus offering less opportunity for creating a crease. Personally, I like the great idea offered by Sean Sargent in the June '90 issue of Ha11g Glidi11g of using lap belts out of trashed cars. His idea was to secure the belt on each encl of the rack and use the belt as normal. This seems like a cheap, secure and easy way to tie clown a glider. Check it out for yourself.

PREFLIGHT Obviously, the whole reason for all this writing about how to take care of your glider is to make sure that it lasts a long time, and that it doesn't sustain any damage from being packed up or transported. Our final subject is the preflight. We all know that a preflight is done to make sure that the glider is set up properly and that it has indeed withstood our last breakdown and transport without damage. Preflights should become a routine. You should do your preflight the same every time you perform it. The only changes you should make in your preflight should be to improve it. Let's go through a good preflight routine. As I tell my students, you want to start at one corner of the control bar, go all the way around the glider and return to the very same spot where you started. It's important to keep in mind that you are doing more than just looking at a given area while preflighting. A thorough preflight will include actual "hands on" use of our digits. Let's start at the right corner of the control bar. Look at all the wires to make sure they're not frayed and that they come straight out of their attachment point and head straight for their destination without any kinks in the system. While you're here look at the bolts and pins that hold the clowntube I corner bracket I basetube connection together. Make sure all bolts that have a friction-type nut (castle nuts, clinch nuts and nylocs) have at least one thread exposed. All other type nuts (wingnuts and speed nuts) should have a safety pin or ring to make sure they don't vibrate off. After finishing here, move out the wing. As you walk toward the wing have the side wire in your hand. Slide the wire through your fingers so that you '11 be able to feel if there are any serious kinks or frays in the wire. When you get to the point where the wire goes into the sail, peek in to make sure that the tang is pointed at you and that the wire isn't kinked around. HANG GLIDING

HANG GLIDING 101 Now head out to the wing tip. Make sure that the sail is properly mounted to the frame and check the tip batten. If your glider has a wing tip fairing, now is the time to install it. From here continue around the rear of the glider, checking each batten to make sure it has been installed properly. Also, run your fingers along the very trailing edge of the glider to make sure there are no nicks or small tears in the material. As you come to the place on the trailing edge where each reflex line attaches to the material make sure that it is properly situated. Check that it isn't under a batten tip, that there are no kinks in the line and that it runs straight and unobstructed from the sail to the king post attachment. As you approach the keel area be sure that all cable attachments to the rear keel use the proper fasteners, and that the cables are not kinked or frayed in any way. Make sure that the top rear wire (from the king post) isn't twisted around the kingpost or any of the reflex bridle lines. If your glider is tensioned from the rear (a la Kiss, Formula, Mark IV, etc.) make absolutely sure that it is properly tensioned and restrained. Check the pull-back cables for any signs of wear. These cables must be in perfect condition. Any anomaly in the crossbar restraint system must be dealt with. Anything less than perfect is not acceptable. From this point continue around the glider, repeating the same procedure on the other side. As you arrive back at the control bar preflight the corner opposite the side you started on. From here, check the clowntube to make sure it's in column, up the downtube to the apex. Check all nuts on the bolts to be sure that they are properly secured as explained earlier. Check NOVEMBER 1990

leading edge has the same amount of curve. After you've detennined that the glider is internally symmetrical, look at the nose batten area and slowly pull the nose of the glider clown to the point where the reflex bridle meets the trailing edge comes into view. This should be the same on both sides. Make sure that the sail is mounted on the frame symmetrically by guess-measuring how far each side of the nose opening is from the nose plate. It should be the same on both sides. While you're in the area check the front wire connection. Put on the nose nappy and you're ready to fly.

inside your glider's double surface. Check the cross bar for dents and clings as with the keel and leading edges. If your glider is tensioned from the inside, (a la HP AT, Sport, Spectrum, etc.) now is the time to check the restraint system. As with the rear-tensioning models everything must be perfect. While your in here, look at the cross bar I leading edge junction to make sure that the plate is in good shape and that the top and bottom side wires are properly seated. You should periodically check your cross bar center plates also (especially after a bad landing). After finishing inside the glider zip up the double surface and check the other clowntube to be sure it is also in column. Now take a couple of steps back and pull clown the nose of the glider. While looking inside the nostril area of the glider, check for symmetry. Line up a bolt on the nose plate with the crossbar plate out on one wing. Notice the curve of the leading edge tube. Now line up the opposite side the exact same way and make sure that the

THE HARNESS Before I close I should say that no preflight is complete without preflighting the entire system. If it's attached to your glider, preflight it. The harness is just as important as the glider and should be treated with the same respect. Try to keep your harness out of the sun as much as possible, and when it gets wet be sure to dry it as soon as you can. Preflight your main suspension lines and your secondary lines as well. Check for wear and frays. Check your 'chute container to be sure that the 'chute is not only secure during normal flight, but also that you can deploy it when necessary. There's a lot more to look for when preflighting your harness, but I'll leave that for another article. Maybe it's good if you learned nothing from this article, because that means you knew it all before. If you have learned something, then put it into practice the very next time you touch your hang glider. If at any time you feel something doesn't look quite right on your glider, then get a second opinion. There are plenty of pilots out on the hill. Don't be afraid to ask what someone thinks about any situation. Never launch wondering. •

In the future there will be a new class of hang glider for the new pilot. It will be a true high performance glider. It will offer many of the best features of the most sophisticated competition class gliders. Its design will be a unique synthesis of advanced computer analysis and extensive practical experience. It will have a light weight, high strength airframe constructed entirely of 7075 alloy aluminum. It will feature a durable and aerodynamically efficient sail, crafted from custom fabrics woven and finished to the designer's unique specifications. It will be fitted with performance enhancing faired wing tips and with advanced technology hardware throughout.

It will feature handling qualities so easy, so refined , and so predictable that it will bring true high performance within reach of the novice pilot and the casual recreational pilot. It will be tested to the most rigorous and proven standards of airworthiness, and certified to the standards of the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association. Each unit will be production test flown by one of a team of test pilots whose minimum pilot rating of USHGA Master, and minimum flight experience exceeding 1000 hours make them the most experienced and best trained factory test pilots in the industry.

It will be sold through the largest. most professional and most experienced network of instructors in the sport of hang gliding. And it will be backed up in service and support by the oldest and largest active hang glider manufacturer in America; the one company whose long experience and continuing commitment to quality of products and services have year after year made its gliders the overwhelming choice of more pilots than any other. Wills Wing announces the release of the Spectrum 165. The Future is Now.

~LU.....,,.,,,.,Nti SPECTRUM 1208 H. East Walnut • Santa Ana • CA • 92701 •

Phone (714) 547-1344 • FAX (714) 547-0972

USHGA Reports

Insurance Update by Gregg Lawless A s I reported back in April, we had several options this year for meeting our insurance needs. One of the options considered, but not selected clue to the high cost (an increase of approximately $90,000/year), was a policy that provided us with the ability to eliminate one exclusion in our liability insurance coverage that has always caused us problems. That exclusion has been coverage for claims brought by you the pilot, against the USHGA, your clrnpter, or a landowner for damages resulting from their perceived negligence. To me this is totally ridiculous, because I firmly believe that anyone who participates in a "high risk" sport knows the clangers and should never be allowed the opportunity to shirk his/her responsibility off on others. Unfortunately, our legal system doesn't see things the same way. Therefore we feel we have an obligation to find a way to protect these landowners from the single most dominant reason they have for saying

companies over the past few years, cloesn 't count for much, because it only takes one claim to destroy a favorable Joss history, jeopardize the availability of coverage and potentially put a landowner out of business. Liability insurance is the major USHGA membership benefit which enables you to keep your sites open. If there were an opportunity to enhance this benefit in such a way that you could potentially open up more sites, or reopen some of those that have been closed by landowners concerned with the clangers of hang

"NO."

ARE YOU OUT THERE?

Over the last several years I have personally seen more and more sites either close or remain closed because the required landowner permission was not attainable. Most of the landowner's justification is related to the perception that hang gliding is dangerous and the fact that an injured pilot could sue the landowner, and he receives no protection under our liability coverage. At the same time there have been several sites shut down on a temporary basis, while backroom battles over perceived liability have been waged. All of this is due to the fact that as Americans, we have the inalienable right to sue someone in an attempt to prove some level of responsibility, no matter how slight, toward another individual. With this right comes the : catch 22 that we as hang glider pilots find ourselves in on a regular basis. We participate in a sport that is considered to be "high risk." Although it's never happened yet, and I doubt that it ever will, a pilot could decide to sue a landowner because of an accident totally unrelated to the fact that the landowner allowed us to use his/her property for our recreational purpose. This, plus the fact that we've had an exceptional claims record with our insurance NOVEMBER 1990

gliding, would you be willing to pay a little more through your USHGA dues'? If so how much is it worth to you? $25? $50? $ l 00? More? Less'? For as little as $20 per member per year, we as an Association can purchase an excess medical policy. This policy would cover all costs for hang gliding related injuries. This policy would pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your medical plan at work, or would become the primary plan if you have no other medical coverage. A $250 deductible would be applied in both situations on a per injury basis. For example, if you are injured in a hang gliding accident and your medical policy through work covers the first 80%, the USHGA plan would cover the remaining 20o/c after the clecluctible is applied to a maximum of $25,000. If you have no medical insurance, continues ...

USHGA Staff Challenges The Membership by the Staff of USHGA Last year's ballot went out to 7,496 members and only l, 157 members responded. Are the people who responded to our survey the only ones who are interested in the care and feeding of USHGA? What does a J 5.4% response say to you? You can have some control over the direction of the organization that manages your favorite sport. Whether or not you vote for regional director, please complete the membership questionnaire. We need your input! Last year you told us about your top ten items of interest in the hang gliding realm. They were, in order of importance: sites, pub]ic relations, magazine, safety and ratings, insurance coverage, office/administration, organizational needs, training, products and clues/ membership. Last year's hot topic was the USHGA membership's feeling toward paragliding-pro or con. This year, we are looking for your opinion on whether or not the association should expand its liability coverage to include participants insurance. Without your input, the governing body of the hang gliding community has to guess your needs as best they can. We want to know what you are thinking. Let us know what your

priorities are! Don't let a few vocal groups control your sport. Aren't you interested enough to give us your ideas? Don't you want to exercise your right to vote as a member in good standing and support the candidate from your region who is the most qualified to implement your ideas? Thanks to the continued support and input of a small percentage of members in the past few years, we have seen USHGA rise from a shoe box enterprise to a professional organization. More of your needs are being met in the areas of site insurance, ratings processing, merchandising, etc. The magazine is more professional looking every month, providing you with the most up-to-elate infonnation available from manufacturers of wings as well as safety equipment, new site information, and events. Let us hear from you, both by your vote and by returning your completed questionnaire. Support your USHGA and help set the direction to make it better than ever. Make your needs known on the ballot attached to this magazine, and mail it in to Headquarters.

We know you are out there. We want to hear from you!• 21

USHGA Reports this plan would become your primary insurance coverage and would pay all medical expenses after your deductible to a maximum of $25,000. This plan only covers injuries and not sickness or pre-existing conditions. If it could be shown that each member had this type of coverage, the USHGA could purchase a liability policy that would not include the exclusion discussed in my opening paragraph, which would then protect the landowner from suits brought on by a pilot. The only way to demonstrate that each member has this type of coverage is for the USHGA to purchase it and include it as one of the benefits of membership. Our current carrier, TRANS AMERICA, has indicated their willingness to provide us with a liability policy that protects a landowner form suits initiated by a participant up to $250,000, if we can prove that each member is covered by the excess medical policy described above. In my opinion, this level of insurance will begin to open many doors for our sport, in that landowners will have a sense of security which they currently do not have with our existing policy. If you've ever dealt with a landowner you know that one of the first things an attorney points out is the liability exposure from the participant that is not currently covered in our policy. So, what are the other pros and cons associated with this proposal? First the pros, as I see them. Depending on your occupation and the medical benefits you receive from your employer, you receive a substantial amount of coverage for hang gliding related injuries at a very low annual cost. We all know how expensive just a common broken arm can be. We will all begin to see more and more sites become accessible with substantially less effort on our part. This in turn leads to less crowded sites, potentially less travel time to sites and access to some potentially awesome sites. Arguments against this proposal may be that a certain percentage of our membership already have 100% medical coverage regardless of the cause of an injury. If you're one of the lucky ones who has 100% medical coverage, $20 becomes a small price to pay for the increased access you and your friends can have to new and/or old sites. The additional cost may present a minor burden on some of our members, although $20 a year doesn't even cover the cost of one clowntube and probably represents the average cost of a clay of flying. However, a potential risk exists if we agree to provide excess medical coverage, in that we 22

may set a precedent that makes our current liability coverage unacceptable to even some of our existing landowners should this policy not be available sometime in the future. Although the $250,000 coverage is less than what we would like to have, it is a start and with a good experience rate we may be able to have it increased in the future. I'm sure there are other arguments both for and against purchasing this type of policy that you may be thinking of. Now, what I'd like each and every one of you to do, right now, is turn to your Membership Survey that came with this issue of the magazine. Before you do anything though, think about what approximately $20 per year could do for you and this sport. Once you've

thought about it, go to the question that asks whether or not you think the USHGA should pursue this type of coverage and mark your answer. While you 're at it go ahead and fill out as much of the survey as you can so that we can get some good data on the "typical" hang glider pilot. Having this data and being able to show it is a "statistically valid sample" will be extremely helpful in our efforts to upgrade our insurance coverage and continue to provide the membership with other useful benefits/services. So, don't forget to mail in your survey, even if you did not vote for a Regional Director. The survey information alone is extremely useful to the USHGA. •

Membership Recognizes Headquarters' Efforts On Their Behalf by Jerry Bruning, Executive Director

One

member's letter to Headquarters seems to sum up the messages we've been receiving: "Keep up the good work!" Membership recognition of Headquarters' efforts appears in this recent letter. Dear Patty, My thanks to you and the stafffor the "Quick Response" to my rating card inquiry. After about three letters overfive or six years, it was astounding to get a phone call and a resolution so quickly. In fact, there see111s to be (dare I say it?) even a rush to see who can get the job done first ... witness my two cards in five days! Again, 111y thanks and best wishes to all youfinefolks. Quite sincerely, there is a BIG CHANGE in me111ber response. Y011 have no idea what a pleasant change this isl Sincerely, Pete McEvoy #14149

We 're glad you're noticing the changes! Greg Huller, Patti Sparks, Cindy Evans, Becky Daly, Barbara Strickland, Chris Soulard, Scott Fausz and Jeff Elgart all were involved in the mem-

bership services upgrade and deserve a pat on the back. Headquarters membership card processing, accuracy and overall service has dramatically improved-and here's why! USHGA 's decision to purchase additional computer support was a major first step. Your membership dollars were put to productive use! The purchase of several new PC's and the installation of a local area network (LAN) allows uninterrupted processing of membership records. Previously, only one person at a time could access our existing database; and everyone else waited their turn. Now the entire membership services staff can access the database at once. Our second change involved expediting daily mail distribution, and advanced bookkeeping practices using a computer software program and a daily spreadsheet record. This expedites your membership renewal requests for processing, and allows us to keep current accounting records. And finally, our third change addressed our work flow to coordinate member card generation and mailing functions into a continuous-flow operation. The last step involves enclosing your laminated card in a see-through pouch envelope for address pmvoses and for HANG GLIDING

USHGA Reports easy recognition when your card arrives at your address. We are pleased to report we are meeting or beating all of the turn-around goals we set last Spring as shown on the graphs. These were: I) 5.0 calendar clays to complete membership card keying. 2) 7 .0 calendar clays to complete membership card mailing. 3) 97.0% membership card keying accuracy.

OFFICE ACCURACY

'E(1) 97

...0

(1)

Thanks! The entire Headquarters staff appreciates your support and recognition. •

RUBBER DOLLARS

Cl.

Ninety-eight percent of all member checks clear the bank when deposited. The other two percent cost USHGA time and money to handle until they clear. Therefore a $15.00 service charge wi/1 be assessed on all returned checks.

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GETTING INTO THE "SYSTEM"

("WHEN WILL I GET MY CARD?") Number of days required to send out membership cards is down sharply.

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Number of days needed to make a computer entry for a member.

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NOVEMBER

1990

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The Z-3 harness sports pockets, storage and ballast bags, and camera mount

:1990 by Dennis Pagcn the wuffos they're ''body " to the intellir;cntsia they're harnesses, Neither term

is c:nt irely descriptive the device that serves as our fuselage, cockpit and control linkage. Regardless what we call it, that conglomeration of cloth, foam and webbing that SUS·· pends our body in space is a m,\jor factor in determining the comfort, performance and enjoyment we achieve on our aerial excursions. A modern high-perfonnance harness must exhihit a number of features. These include case or entry and egress, low drag, storage capacity, convenient pad ing, various safety devices and the aforementioned comfort, Acid to this snazzy styling and you begin to limit your choices to only a few carcf'ully thought out designs. A few months ago I was casting armmcl

for a new slatc.,of..thc·lcchnology harness. I looked al Sl'.vcral European designs (very ex·· pensive and hard to get), then got a chance to try the new Wills Wing Z-3 pod. I ordered one and you can sc:c why in the following para·graphs.

COMFORT There's an old blues song that goes: "Some folks built like this, some folks built like that I Just hel.:ause I'm big, don't you call me fat I I'm built for comfort baby, I ain't built for speed .. ,'' l used to think a harness could be one or the other-- comfortable or speedy - but not both. Comfort demanded lots of draggy lines and support points that rendered the harness a replica or the Golden Gate Bridge. Then came the innovative 80's which brought us pods with their full body cncJo.-

sures and single-point suspensions. rurthcr re .. finements introduced CG shifters, longerons, backplates and front entry arrangements. We had both comfort and speed. Unfortunately, many of the harnesses that offer these features arc heavy, bulky, hard to Janel in and do not pack to a small convenient size, The Z.3 stc,crs a middle course by incor porating spreader bars, sidc-mounlcd main straps, plentiful adjustments and minimal suspension lines. You want comfort? Besides being built to your size by virtue of a plethora of measurements (you supply the plethora which is best rnanagcd by enlisting the assistance of a member of the opposite sex), the Z.-3 is greatly adjustable. The closl:-f'itting, high density foam.,paddcd shoulder straps are adjustable to allow you to grow or shrink at will (maybe HANC: Ci.TDINC

those winter boots add inches). The shoulder straps arc snug to rninimiZL) drag. The rest of the harness is likewise padded with thin foam lo con1rihutc comfort and warmth. i\nolher useful adjustment is the control. J\ line and a jnm-clcat al your riglil shoulder ,illow you lo set tlw angle that s11its any11li11g from to low rider to l lollywood rake. This is a boon to I hose pilots who encounter NJ .IH1 s (Nagging Lower Back Prnhlt)ms) on ,1 regular basis. I have flown over four and a half hours in a with mi or the familiar NI The most ingc.nious adjustment in my Two inches or view is the chcsl "''"rl"'""in" Velcro on each side of the harness allow you to take a pleat in the chest area to ril your torso like Superman's body sock. You can the ror winter n11d summer clothing bulk or even contmir it to fit your In Caci, certain sorls or pcopll'. pc1·napsJ can order dDublc-widc Velcro for grcalcr conlmir capabilities. Other comfort ii ems include spreader bars mentioned and a full-size Mylar foot plate 1hat lcaves your feet free to dance a Texas two-step while you circle up to the tune rrom yom vario The bars thl:msclvcs arc both chordwisc and and arc short enough and strategically placed to allow nnly one line to the \mot are;1 anti a small when the harness is slowed. The scores an J\ for com forL

NOVFMBER

199()

overall perl cirn1m1Ce We'll give it a B+ in this calcgory.

friendly. buckles over the front. TOP RIGHT: allows run and quick <~ntry without dr;1g1~in.g \he boot. ABOVE: The aluminum eliminate pressure points and reduce the number of lines.

PERFORMANCE harness worthy of considcrnl ion by scri ous pilots must be to take our lim1py bodies and tum tlicni inlo sleek missiles, slip pcry to lhc air. I\ pod is the best way to fair in your beer belly and si;,c ten \cnuies. The z. :i docs this admirably with a snug fit. smoolh compound cmvcs and a disdain for excess 1rn11erial. To be sure, then, arc two main straps (sewn most or the way), a bool line and two shoulder lines. They must disturb a molecule or two as you pac,: through the sky, but the added cornl'ort while not adding weight is worth the cornprornist:. Indeed, the light weight ( l O lbs., without parachute, +/. I lb. clcnemlin~ on options), the smooth shape 11ud case or landing makes it very competitive in

CONVENIENCE l .ord knows we have come a long w;1y from the early days of attaching a control bar, lifting a kingposl, the ,md hooking in ready lo fly. We have gained a lease on the sky, but we have complicated our Jin with a cont'usio11 or battens, tubes, langs and links. J\ny simplifying factor in this routine is wc,kome, Enter the To begin, yo11 cntlT the by stcpp11111r through the leg loops, the bib by pulling it 011 like a lifejaeket, 11p lhc chest closure, then snapping the buckles to hold the parachute in You're ready to levitate. The front entry syslc,m is the bcsl 1hing lo happen 10 harnesses since the day someone a parn sewed up a little bag to carry chute. Another thing I I ikc ahoul the is the fact that it has no flaps. Your legs simply stick out the hoot like an old man in a boal. This is great, for you don't have to he in a hurry lo zip up aflcr launch; there's nothing f'lapping in the breeze. This is a fine comfort on those scratching during competition when a pos\··launch tkmands handson control. When you w,11!, around in lhc ::l the boot !'eels like it will restrict yom running, but as you lean inh, lakcoff, the boot lifts and you have a free sprinl. Pilots of lesser skill should note that a pod harnt)ss is the easiest 1ypc to

launch because of the unrestricted running it allows. Landing is a different matter as we shall see below. One of the nicest things about the Z-3 is that it doesn't drag through the mud and cow pies as you walk off the landing field. The boot barely falls to your heels, and a removable Mylar boot protector shields it when you stroll through bushwhacking territory. When we add the light weight and compact packing to the above we must score the Z3 a high B+ for convenience (they could have included a valet stand and earned an A).

Z-3SAFETY Part of being comfortable in the air is knowing your equipment is up to snuff. Perhaps you don't give much thought to the matter, but harness failures have occurred and there is no sense in trusting your life to journeymen. Wills Wing pays attention to safety requirements by using heavy duty (type 5) thread, continuous webbing and ballistic cloth connecting the leg straps and webbing structure. Parachute safety pins, seat belt clasps and steel carabiners are standard safety features on all Z-3s. A common enough drawback of pod harnesses is their possible complications on landing. Some pod harnesses do not allow you to stand up readily on landing. The Z-3 does not present this problem since the main suspension straps are side mounted. A number of pilots have experienced jamming of their boot zipper on pod harnesses. This warrants the strong recommendation to open the pod at least 300 feet up, and the use of Velcro on the pod zipper. However, breaking out of an unzipped pod has proven next to impossible in some cases clue to over-achieving Velcro. So Wills Wing has added an ample tab along the zipper that lets you easily open the emergency Velcro when needed. You can unzip the harness by reaching down to the zipper itself, but large tabs on Velcro connect to lines that are convenient to pull for easy opening and closing. With a very nice touch, the lines are held out of your way with bungees so you don't entangle them in brush or your legs as you run into the air. We again note the shoulder lines that keep you from pivoting below the control bar and rate the Z-3 with an A for safety.

Z-3 STORAGE While the Z-3 can't claim the capacity of a C5 military transport, it docs have a wonderful cargo capability for such a compact unit. Zippered pockets along the thighs and a glove box below the parachute allow access to the quicky 26

necessities: Chapstick, maps, phone book and a paperback for those coastal ridge flights. Inside is where the real gear gets stowed. A be-zippered, Velcro-cinched bag hangs from the top of the boot to handle your survival gear: glider bags and pads, mineral water, French bread and Brie as well as a possible stowaway. If all this isn't enough for the serious sky explorer there are optional ballast bags (who carries sand nowadays?) that fit on the side of the harness and an optional backpack that snaps and Velcros on the top of the harness. Both of these items are streamlined or collapsible and can render a pilot a veritable flying merchandise depot. If cargo you got, you'll agree with the Z3's A storage rating.

Z-3 OPTIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS Details, details, details. The Z-3's designers have spared no effort in bringing you the harness to suit your particular needs and desires. A 500 denier cordura backpack carrying bag comes with each Z-3 harness. A camera mount system with a bungee retainer core! and Velcro holding pad built in is standard. Also standard is a sewn-on radio pocket with additional Velcro retainer. Each Z-3 comes with webbing tabs mounted flush beside the parachute for carrying all sorts of additional doodads (I hooked my oxygen there). Customer's choice of colors on the standard harness layout is a no-charge option. Finally there's the rubber retainer on the carabiner to keep all the lines sorted out and in proper working relationship. Extra cost options include the extra storage containers described above, a parachute UV bridle cover, a custom stripe color layout, a women's model with special cut and padding, and a BRS rocket installation. All these features may be secondary to the overall need for comfort and safety, but they sure ice the cake. In this category, the Z3 garners an A for effort and effect. Take a look at that old bag you use to strap yourself to your wing. ls it really carrying you in safety and comfort? If you hesitate to respond with a resounding "yes," then you should at least consider the Wills Wing Z-3. Good things don't necessarily come cheap. The basic Z-3 (with plenty of features) costs $625. But since a harness is such an important part of our flying ensemble, it is reasonable to spend at least 1/6 of the amount we do for a new glider. Contact your dealer and get signed up for a Z-3 fitting. You'll find new rewards in the sky.•

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Act of August 12, 1970: Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code.) 1. Title of publication: HANG GLIDING a) Publication No.: 01797020 2. Date of filing: September 10, 1990 3. Frequency of issue: Monthly a) No. of issues published annually: 12 b) Annual subscription price: $29.00 4. Location of known office of publication: 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933) 5. Location of the headquarters or general business offices of the publishers: 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933) 6. Names and addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor: Publisher: United States Hang Gliding Assn, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933). Editor and managing editor: Gil Dodgen, 6950 Aragon Cir. #6, Buena Park, CA 90620. 7. Owner: United States Hang Gliding Assn, Inc., P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933. Its Officers are: Russ Locke, President, 868 S. Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94087; Jim Zeise!, Vice President, 13154 County Rd. 140, Salida, CO 81201: Gregg Lawless, Secretary, 9801 Via Caceres, San Diego, CA 92129; Dan Johnson, Treasurer, 8 Dorset, St. Paul, MN 55118. 8. Known bondholder, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: none. 9. For optional completion by publishers mailing the regular rates (Section 132.121, Postal Service Manual) 39 U.S.C. 3626 provides in pertinent Part: "No person who would have been entitled to mail matter under former section 4359 of this title shall mail such matter at the rates provided under this subsection unless he files annually with the Postal Service a written request for permission to mail matter at such rates." In accordance with the provisions of this statute, I hereby request permission to mail the publication in Item 1 at the reduced postage rates presently authorized by 39 U.S.C. 3626. 10. Extent and nature of circulation: (A) Total No. copies printed: 10,140 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 10,200 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. (81) Paid circulation through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales: 983 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 1,292 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. (82) Paid circulation, mail subscriptions: 8,192 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.: 8,445 for Volume 19, Issue 10. (C) Total paid circulation: 9,175, av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 9,737 for Volume 19, Issue 10. (D) Free distribution by mail, carrier or other means, samples, complimentary, and other free copies: 200 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 212 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. (E) Total distribution: 9,375 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 9,949 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. (F1) Office use, left-over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing: 295 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 143 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. (F2) Returns from news agenls: 470 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 108 for Volume 19, Issue 9. (G) Total: 10,140 av.Imo. preceding 12 mo.; 10,200 for Vol. 20, Issue 9. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Signed by: Jeff Elgart, Manager, Director of Circulation.

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you wcrcn 't thcrL\ you will be sorry.Your fric1Hls who wcn1 arc lo gel their revenge for every s1my you ever 1old that s1artcd with, "Yuh slmulda been there!" may nol have been lhe bes! Tcll11ridc that there ever was. l\fkr all, it rained 011 1op for an hour 011 and I ·'ri prclly nrncil w;1sn '1 and were so good that doesn't even to describe iL lave I gol yom at1cntio11·1 Well, i1 started when my friend l'iziali invi1cd me lo on the hide·a bed i11 his roorn ;11 a condo in Telluride if' I

his brother Danilo (who doesn't spcnk English) ovcrtn my house lo ride with I jnda, my wif'c. and me lo Telluride. Danilo and I tossed his brother's Demon, my and my Porn111la on the I miler aml This was 011 Sat·· 1mlay 11HJrni11g. Sunday after· noon we sianding at lhc I ,cismc Zorn' land. I should "Leisure Zone." In years past, Ilic skilled landed in the in dnwntown Tclluriclc. The Field less skillccl landed in outside of' town. Now thal crs have a or ,1hout a ziJ .. lion lo one, sane pilots land in Field, thL: l ,eisurc Zone, and only tile macho, insane ancl lolally zoncd·out pilots land in tile park, also known as lhc Sci .. zure Zone. Now, when I altcndcd Telluride in '81, the park wns hard to land in. The first time l ever flew ,1 double· surface I landed there, approach was a lilllc too fast, I hit ground eiTecl, sailed across Ilic park like an air puck and stuck the nose of Ilic into Ilic ground to avoid taking out ;1 b.irbcd wire fence. But th:11 was then. Now. the same path would lake 111c through a sci or phone lines, over a building, a 14.fooHall chain li11k and lhcn the barbed wire

from Chm. h111 ii would have Ileen al the lo la11cli111: an Fl,! To111cat on tlw deck of' a carrier al bad weather. Well, 110, it wasn '1 that easy. But tlrnt leads lo the or Whacks. Now, if yo11 livc in ii part of the country that doesl1'1 have Whacks, then you 111ay know them as beaks, honks, or srnm' name 1ha1 drn:s11 '1 s1ar1 with ' Hui ,I whack is a landing in which the nose of the forcibly lo tile ground with a dist inctiv" whacking noise. you may know, Telluride at an ave.rage clcvat ion of about 81800 reel MSI ,. Tile air a li11lc thin l'ortlic land with great cas(: when with a harness, an oxygen system, a quarl of waler, a pm:1chutc, his radio, n vario, an a camera, a11 all imelcr. mi ,1ir· indicator, emergency flares, a first·aid kit, a vest saying "(,ivc me a ride, I'm a gl idcr wllo has grn1c bad" (or gone down some· I ikc Iha ti and the kitchen sink, on a with abo11t photo by I ,croy Grmmis l 50 square feel of mca. Thus, there W(:rc many whacks. of the watch would yell "WI IJ\CK" lo accompany the so1111d or the landing. 111 facl, there was a threcyear..cild girl in a pink ju111p suit · probably not a pilot · who was taught hy her daddy, who no doubt WI JACK was a pilot, to when anyone beaked ii in. I !er daddy will have a fate well dcscrvccl when he gets to hear l1is cute little daughter WI 11\('K lhc next Iimc he lakes 0111 his control bar. Why is ii that when pilot drops his crn11rol bar mi the fence. which is still !here bul has lrnd ils barbs ground, smacks his nose on the dirt. shoots Time has taken ils toll 011 lhc size of through his control har to place his race in a the park. In addition. Ilic totally 011tragcous lhrcc·poin! landing, conditions were making tlie glide path everyone Wl!J\CK? Af'lcr a tac! unprcdiclablc. Thus the name, the Scizmc watching landings a while, I to realize Zone. that sooner or later most or the people I never heard them

I I 1\ NC C J[])]NC:

LEFT: Jim tee on approach to the infamous LZ. Note his rigid pod harness. BELOW: The setup area at 12,240 feel MSL BELOW LEFT: Dennis Sutton gives us an ,1crial view of the valley and town.

Photos by Leroy Grannis.

were going lo WI l/\CK a landing 100. The few who never do, I suspecl, never yell WI l/\CK ! I w,1s afraid 1hat get1i11g to the launch al Gold I lill would be rough, !Jul by the simple expedient or being ready to get 011 lhc !ruck an hour early, I always got a ride to lhc top. There were convoys going up al LJ:00, 11 :00. I :)0 and 3:30. My first ride up was al LJ:00 /\M. I rode with Rowc1ma who was driving her own I ruck. It was a !'om wheel drive Jimmy truck wilh a rack which would hold about 12. and as many pilots and gear hags. I was talc gel ting in the truck and selected my place near the tailgate. This !urned out not lo be a good place,

since the tailgate popped open on one of' the steeper climbs nearly depositing a pilol on lhe ground. Tht: trnck had no muffler, so the main topic on the way up was taking 11 collection to send Rowenna's truck to Midas. Typical conversation: " Boy, that muffler is loud." "Eh, what did you say'I" Rowcnna drove with grea1 skill and up a nrnd much scarier than an "E'' ticket ride at Disney World. One of the lrucks in the l l :00 AM convoy rolled fom times, the gliders on the\ rack, and bouncing the people in the cab around severely. The worst injury was a broken f'ihula which was caused by one of the people in the cab falling on another. Luckily, all but one of the pilots riding in the bed or 1hc truck bailed out. The one who slayt:d got a broken rib, he thought, but he was still planning to fly Ja!(,r. It turned out that some or the gliders survived too, !he ones on the bottom of !he pile of' gliders on the rack. Once on lop I had lo face what f'rom nine years hcl'ort: l feared most-- carrying the gl idcr from the road to the top of launch. Don't laugh.

At 12,200 feet, another SO reel vertical seemed like .~00 feet at honw. Bui I made it. [ gol winded again just up my glider. Then we waited. First. the wind wasn't blowing in, 11ien the clouds rolled in and we had rain and a lit!lc hail. Vinally, since the knowlcdgc:ablc: pilots were hagging their gliders, so did I. /\bout IO minutes latt:r the launch director opened up launch and said there might only ht: a 30minutc period in which to fly. I set a new record for setting up 111y Kiss. loading all my sll!ff in my harness, putting it 011, and hooking in. !\ rter a perfect launch l had a sled ride down to a had landing a three on a scale or I 0. !\ landing score of' I c,nlails a broken downtubc, and I jusl curved mine a Iittlc. Fortunately, there was 110 one tlwrc to yell WI l/\CK. I was clown at the bottom congratula1ing myself' 011 gc:lling a night just in time, wlicn l saw pilots thermaling over launch. Pretty soon there were 30 or more gliders around Cold I Jill. /\flcr a while l saw Dani Io's Dt:mon soaring around over ihc l .cisun\ Zone, so I ran for my camera to gel some shots oChis land inµ-. continued on pag<> 32.

NOVEMBF.R ! 990

Then l waited and waited. I was always turning and Danilo soared over lhc ridge watching to clear my turns. l to the north, 1hcn hack over was also looking I'm guys !he l then over to the ridge with paint guns and watchto the norlh again. Finally ing for Danilo and J\ndy. af'ler abo111 :10 minulcs, he l'relty soon I up the landed. We geslured and toward Palmyra Peak. poinlcd, and I spokt: English The task, nine years be while Danilo llalian, fore, had been to f'ly a tri hul the or it was that angle course startin1z at Danilo found the conditions Palmyra. l had never even great and that he had flown over Palmyra sol was lo down ror been cager lo do so. l had also an '.lO minules. On tha1 nolc, I nounccd to lhc launch direcwas sure my Tellmide trip tor thal I would he was ng j11sl like my every d;1y to make an outI lartscl in that whcn'vcr m1d.back to Mt. Emma near I wenl or whtoncver I wcn1 it Ourny for one of the tasks would he Ilic wrong place or for my (,old l.ilicnllrnl. My time. The next I cil:cidcd lhat wilh a tum-point was not so great, so I planned camera to prove I had bcrn to lake the I :30 l'M lrnck up. there. But first I had to find Nelson I [owe had promised oul what it was like to get me a test J'lighl in a Foil over I noticed that Combat I so l om: there were no pilols over up from him e,H'ly that chiy. I l'almyrn, and as I gol there, was not iced 11rnt there was no I irt 7Ill'C Zone killing lime and either I circled around and went 10 the rest room. I or I irt found a few walked hack to tlw landing which l used to climb up a area and Linda told me a pi litllc, and finally got high lol had come in low, nearly enough to fly directly over landing on the vans in the the lop almul I 00 feel above parking lot and then wiping it. I quickly scurried back to out his control bar on a tree. Paraglidcrs abounded at !his year's event, and were seen al altitudes above 15,000 launch to altitude:, and ! looked, and the glider had a feet MSL. Photo by Margaret Harper. al'tcr trying out lhc lil'I at chrome-moly slccl control Coonskin, Bear Ct·Gek and bar which was convcrtl:d to a by the semhlcd it. J\s I slood lhcrc, about ready to in front of launch, I l'ouud myself' al 16,010 crash. The pilot was, l was lold, a local expert, launch, I noticed a guy with a weird gun feet. Palmyra didn't look so lough anymore, embarrassed but 1101 hurt. This did not cncombut I wanted to t'Jy over the strapped to his harness. l asked, and the guy toward Mt. age me as to the safety o/' the Seizure Zone. grinned and told me that he and several budEmma. Since I didn't have oxygen or The pilot was now in the running for the (ioldcn dies shot al each other with pai11t ball guns (my bar mitts were still 011 my Kiss) I didn't I lammer /\ward. This award is similm to one l when 1hey gol bored jusl soaring around. I want lo go any higher, so I slarll:d rlying across rcccivccl Jong ago at the ( (;,miens Della 1hc valley. Oops, heavy sink! I rushed back to asked about the possibility or a midair. The I<ite tow mccl for taking off without hooking guy grinm:d, rollccl his eyes, and just said Bear Creek. I was tired, sol flew down in .. -twicc in one day. J\n award which, if it "Yeah!" C,rcat. I'm abou11o fly i11 the land of to the I .cisurc zone and landed. J\ndy told me wcn:n'I for Ilic honor of it, you wrnild just as that he had gotten to 17,CJ()() feet, or !here BIG /\IR on a s1ra11gG glider and [ have two soon wc'.nl to someone else. I missed tlH: landchoices, either sink oul or he surrounded by abouts, and had stayed up even longer than l ing (if' ii could be called 1hat), entirely, hula paint·hall-shooting crazies while thermaling at had. I le also invited me, I .inda, and Danilo to 17,CJ()() rl:CI for air. gentleman assmcd me someone had it on cat sp,1ghe1ti and meatballs at his condo. vidco--f'or lhc pilot who crashed, a horrifying Back al the condo I noticed Jim Lee sil· Well, Danilo launched his old Demon and thought. J\t Telluride, if you scrc:w up really immcdialcly got up, so l hooked in to the Foil ling in the hot tub. I immediately invited him to spectacularly you arc likely to walk inlo one of :mcl launched. I wcm to the house thermal ovL:r cat with us. I went to lei! J\ndy lhe good news the bars in lown and sec yourself' on video 1hc Coonskin ski lift and took the elevator thal I had invited a total stranger to his dinner. the main atlrnction ror Ilic nigh1 -· and maybe /\ndy h,1d heard or Jim I.cc and his I 8(J mile skyward. Prclly soon I was at 13,000 feel cirlalcr on America's Punnicst Videos. of gliders. There were gliders flighl from Sandia Peak, so he was suitably l took the demo J,oil to the top and as· l m:ver got to look straight ahead. impressed. I ci11chcd the argument.: "What good

rIA Ne G1 m1Nc

are Sky Gods if you can't invite them to dinner?" With that, Andy rushed out to the hot tub and extended a more formal invitation. So Jim Lee came to dinner and we talked about flying and dust devils and the general state of the universe. But all things come lo an encl, and Jim had to give a lecture at 9:00 PM so he left. I decided to sit in the hot tub for a while and look at the stars. When I got there, Tony Barton, who won the tow meet al Hobbs, Chris Arai and Larry Tudor were already hot-tubbing. So we all tubbed together. Tony Barton had slept in Andy's room several years before, and we commiserated on the "Hide-a-bed from Hell." Linda and I were currently sleeping on the floor. Tony told me that he too had lasted only one night in it. Wednesday, I decided to let Danilo Jly my Formula. so we both flew in the evening. We got on top at about 4:30 PM, set up and launched by 5:00. Danilo went on out over the valley while I circled in tl1ermals. and again went up above launch in everyone's favorite place to gain altitude. Since it was so late in the clay the thermals weren't carrying me quite so high, so I only reached 15.000 feet. It had been another really great clay, and I was sharing the sky with dozens of pilots reluctant to come clown to earth. Several pilots I talked to were getting four hours or more a clay. At 6:00 PlV! the launch closed so tl1c aerobatic pilots could practice. Meanwhile. the landing pattern al Leisure was stacked and circling. People were hanging around the valley waiting their turn to land. I got to land, and then was watching the wind. A number of pilots were circling at the east encl of Leisure planning to Janel to the west as I had. I suclclenly noticed that the wind had switched 180° and pilots were approaching to land downwind. There were several really bad whacks, then the pilots in the air caught on and started landing to the east. Just one of the things that makes Telluride really interesting. There were several paragliders which landed in the Leisure Zone a little while after I did, and I had been assuming that the paragliders were being flown early and late to avoid the big air during the middle of the day. It turned out that some of the parngliders pilots were flying in the big air. I heard about one in particular who was getting pretty high. and one who had a partial canopy collapse just as he entered a thermal and hit the side of Gold Hill. He was in the hospital. The good and bad sides of paragliding were both being displayed. It was clear that some of the paragliclers were being flown with great skill in conditions which might have been intimidating to the average hang glider pilot. The interesting thing was NOVEMBER

1990

that I never heard a single hang glider pilot say a bad word about paragliders. Thursday, I wanted to launch early enough to get clown for the start of the aerobatics competition. so I went up at I :30 with Danilo and Andy. Andy and I planned to fly together so we were going to launch at about the same time from different launch points on Gold Hill. I launched at about 3:00 PM. I didn't get even a puff of lift from launch until I got near Coonskin, where I circled in a bit of lift that turned into 700 fpm clown. I hot-footed it over the ridge toward town and a gaggle of gliders that I could see out above the Needle, a rock formation on the_ ridge. I was clown to 11.600 feet when I hit some 200 up. I circled and circled, finally getting high enough to get back over launch. Below, unknown to me. Andy had watched me and decided not to launch until conditions looked better. They did, he launched, and immediately got up and was circling over launch as T started climbing above Palmyra. I reached 17 .860 feet above Palmyra, but being without oxygen decided that I had better lose altitude.

"Over the valley at 16,000' I could see gliders all over the place ... There was at least one paraglider pilot flying around at 17,999'. 11

My chosen method of losing altitude was to fly toward Mt. Emma on a straight glide. This choice was motivated by my desire to obtain a 6.2-mile out-and-back for my Gold Lilienthal award. I had a turn-point camera for proof if I made it. Well, Mt. Emma is at 13,500 feet and I was only about that high when I got there. But I found some lift and circled up to about 15,000 feet straight over Mt. Emma. I could see Ouray in the distance, and took turnpoint photos of the mountain, Ouray, and Telluride while circling one-handed in my Kiss. Unknown to me, Andy had also climbed up high over Bear Creek and gone toward Mt. Emma. He arrived a thousand feet higher than me and was circling above me with yet another glider. We all were climbing at the same rate, so I never saw the hang gliders above me. Andy was surprised when I split back for launch as he didn't think I had the altitude to make it. I did make it to Bear Creek at about launch level, and then thermalecl up to I 7,000 feet. I wen\ back to Palmyra to finish my outand-back, then flew on to the mining town of

Ophir, which is on the other side of Palmyra. Then I flew out to the valley still looking for Andy, whom I dicln 't know had been over me al Mt. Emma, and Danilo, who was flying my Formula. I had never been over the Telluride Valley at 16,000 feet before. so I decided to boat around a little and then zoomed over to Iron Mountain. ! could see over the ridge to the north and was tempted to go on over it to check the lift on the other side. As I got over Tron Mountain I encountered severe turbulence and decided I didn't need to go over the ridge after all. The wind was from the north ancl I thought maybe I was getting rotorecl. so T went back over the valley to kill some time and eventually get low enough to land. Over the valley at I 6,000 feet I could see gliders all over the place. There was even a sailplane soaring the ridge on the south side of the valley. There was at least one paraglider pilot flying around at 17,999 feet and there were gliders circling over launch. Coonskin. Needles and Bear Creek looking for all the world like flocks of vultures circling in thermals. I started my descent to land, but it turned into a contest between myself and the other pilots circling over the valley to see who could Janel last without running for lift. Eventually I realized that if I didn't get my bull on the ground I wouldn't make it to the aerobatics competition, so I cored some sink, zoomed down and landed (not a whack, thankfully). There I found Danilo who also had a good flight, but had been hit by some unwanted lift on landing and whacked a cow pie. We bagged our gliders, loaded, and went to the aerobatic competition with Danilo still covered with cow pie. When we got to the Seizure Zone we heard about a guy who had overshot the landing area and center-punched a couple of Aspens. He was left dangling in the air on a few little trees only about 15 feet high. He had been videotaped, and was in the running for the Golden Hammer. Sure enough, it was Andy, finishing his 500th flight in a tree. He was already having nightmares about going into the bars that night and finding himself on the tube. Andy explained he too had gotten the benefit of unwanted lift. After all of the rushing to make it to the aerobatics competition we were told that the competition was going to start late, due to the tremendous lift and turbulence still present over the Telluride Valley. Sure enough, there were still dozens of gliders !lying around, along with a few paragliclers and some leaves and perhaps some scrap iron sucked up by the lift. The aerobatics competition did finally

start, and Mitch McAleer, John Heiney and the other pilots did their thing~wangs, loops, spins, with each routine terminated by a perfect landing in the SZ. These guys could fly, and boy they could Janel too. John ended up second for the clay with his routine, but he won the spot landing contest on his landing. Safety was paramount. One pilot stalled at the top of a loop and was DQed. But the real irony of the clay was that the last three pilots had to perfmm as dark approached. Each pilot had to fly with smoke to leave a visible trail, but the trail wasn't so visible. The flash when some of the smokes ignited was spectacular though. It looked like they exploded. The pilots landed in the park with the lighting available, and still all had perfect landings. One distraction to the aerobatic contest was that the lift was so good, so late that pilots were still soaring until sundown, and a certain number chose to land in the Leisure Zone during the aerobatic contest. This aclclecl a bit of comic relief to the contest. The announcer would say, "And here comes John Heiney for a landing!" Then WHACK would go the glider. "Oops, that isn't John Heiney, that's ole so and so from Salt Lake City." The aerobatic pilots would wang and 360 clown into the pattern, do a downwind leg, make a 180 and land perfectly in a landing pattern type approach. You could tell the non-competition pilots coming in because they were the ones dodging trees and phone poles and whacking. One pilot who was exceptionally off course dodged trees, buildings, parked gliders and flew under a power line which he hit with his top rigging. The power line was strung loosely and just bounced up and over the rest of his glider. Except for the location, the landing was rather respectable. He was immediately nominated for the Golden Save A ward which was created right on the spot. Thursday had been an exceptional day. I saw Jim Lee cheeking a barograph before applying for a SO-kilometer triangle course record. Also there was talk that a paraglider had set a new absolute altitude record. There were a number of people who had four-hour flights; in fact, several people had four-hour flights three days in a row. Friday, I decided to take off from flying and help Andy get a test flight on a new PacAir K2. Andy told me, "Maybe we shouldn't mention why I need to borrow a glider!" So we asked John Olson, who was representing Pac Air, about Andy borrowing a new K2 demo. He said, "Sure you can fly it, if you'll plan a better approach than you did yesterday." John's truck had been parked only yards away from 34

Andy's tree landing. Andy promised that his next approach would be considerably better and aimed at the Leisure Zone besides that. But the weather was bad on Friday and only a few pilots flew, so Andy had to wait, as did the aerobatic pilots, until Saturday morning. Saturday morning, Linda, Danilo and I were leaving in my van, but we wandered down to the SZ. The aerobatic contest was just starting, and in the early morning light the hang gliders, trailing their smoke patterns through their loops and spins, looked just incredible. We found excuse after excuse to stay for just one more flight, and at last all the pilots had performed their routines. We left not knowing who won or even who got the Golden Hammer Award, because the last round and

the award ceremony wasn't until that night. I wasn't really sad to be leaving. I had had my fill of flying for a week. I realized that I had the best three days of hang gliding ever in my l 8 years in the sport. I heard from Andy that Mitch McA!eer won the aerobatic competition. Andy didn't get the Golden Hammer Award for attacking the trees, however the U.S. Forest Service did offer him a medal for bravery in tree-topping beyond the call of duty. Danilo is studying English at the Berlitz School of language so he will be able to yell "Clear!" in four languages. I got an oxygen system for my next trip to Telluride. Linda and I are trying to figure out how to afford a house there. •

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HANG GLIDING

Dust Devil Soaring by Jim Lee

Dust

Devil Soaring< 1. to rise to a higher level through the use of a \\'hir!il'i11d common i11 dry regions 2. a desperation mow by ha!fcra:::ed competition pilots 3. a common, though li11le undersrood technique used by most ha11g glider pilots. Which is the correct definition? Sorry, this isn't a multiple choice question; all three are correct. It is a fact that pilots all over the world are using dust devils to make low saves, gain altitude and extend their flights. Other pilots are making low saves by catching thermals that are really invisible dust devils (now there's an oxymoron for you) or maybe leaf devils and, of course, bragging about it later: ''There I was, at 75 feet, when I snagged this rowdy thenno and woulda broken Tudor's altitude gain record, ·ccpt I don't have a barograph!" ·'What!? This Jim Lee elude is trying to tell us that it's OK to fly into dust devils? That most of us do fly into dust devils? No way! What about Dennis Pagen telling us in his book "Flying Conditions" to stay at least as far away from a dust devil as its visible height above the ground'7" WelL Dennis also states rules such as "don't fly in rotors or strong gusty winds," which are excellent rules for Hang III (Intermediate) pilots and good rules for Hang IV (Advanced) pilots, but rules which are commonly broken by expert (several hundred hours flight time) pilots. In the Owens Valley, the first 50 miles from Horseshoe Meadows are flown in rotor conditions. During the September Telluride Hang Gliding Festival, pilots were flying and landing in rotor and thermal-induced winds gusting from Oto 20 mph. And on a regular basis, I watch other pilots (including myself) fly into and soar dust devils. So the points I want to make in this article arc both to "tell it like it is" and give food for thought to your hungry little beaks. I am most certainly 1101 saying, "Go oul and fly into any dust devil you see." You'd have to live in Europe to make a statement like that. CONSIDER THE DIRT OK, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Not all dirt is created equal, and neither are dust devils. Dirt varies from your basic sandy, rocky particles in the southwestern desert to the talcum powder-like dirt in the northwest. Also of note is the "clean'' type found in the eastern U.S., which I'm told is called "grass." The Chelan, Washington area has some of the highest quality dust fcJlmcl anywhere. Due in part to the fallow farming techniques

NOVEMBER

1990

which require tilling the bare soil over and over, the area grows some fine, knee-deep dust you have to land in to appreciate. It's so light that the merest disturbance of rising air produces a dust devil you must see to believe. It is not uncommon to see 50 dust devils at one time while airborne. Consequently, local Chelan pilots consider it common practice to fly from devil to devil. How low could you fly into one? Well, on one particularly bad clay for me during the '86 Nationals, a landing was imminent in one of the dusty fields. I was ground skimming on final when a dust devil sprang up about 60 feet ahead. A couple of seconds of indecision afforded me the opportunity to centerpunch the thing. My wings rocked about ten degrees as I passed through it, and returnee! to level as I flew out the other side to a stand-up landing. Behind me, drifting away downwind, it turned into the usual monster. On the other side of the coin is the sanely soil of the southwest. Much denser than Chelan 's, it requires a stronger thermal to pick it up. Only one out of fifty Chelan thermals may be strong enough to form a southwestern devil. I'd much rather fly into a Chelan devil than a New Mexico devil! Now we come to the eastern U.S. nonclevils, or whirlwinds. About the only time you'll see a dust devil is when the whirlwind crosses a dirt road, flashes dust for a second, and disappears again. However, it is very common to see leaves, grass and various seeds floating up in a thermal. A whirlwind puts those particles in the air, and would be a dust devil if there were any dust. Invisible whirlwinds can be found anywhere there is an absence of dust, and can be spotted shaking trees, dancing across the grass, or spinning across lakes.

BIRTH OF A THERMAL The different convective theories concerning thermal development include the bubble, vortex ring and jet (or plume) theories. Thermals are usually a combination of all three. As a the1mal mass gains enough buoy,incy to break free from the earth, it can lift off as an isolated bubble, or it may draw air from a continuous supply of heated air and fonn a column. During the ascent, both types take on vortex ring characteristics. Either type may form a whirlwind, but the short-lived (at ground level) bubble has less chance of doing so. A hang glider pilot flying into the top of a column thermal will usually get a smoother ride than one entering lower clown, since the lower pilot must deal with more vertical wind

shears and turbulence. A pilot entering the thermal within a few hundred feet of its origin may also encounter a plume (or whirlwind) which, in addition to vertical wind shears, contains a rotational vector as well. This pilot will get the roughest ride of all.

THERMAL SIZE A high lapse rate and good insolation (solar heating) will obviously make strong thermals. Also, light winds will allow for longer heating and more vigorous thermal action. Many other factors also apply. Strong thermals produce large whirlwinds, and dust or other particles will make the whirlwind visible. How big is big? I was traveling to the '79 Regionals in Crested Butte, Colorado with Mike Rupert, when we spotted a very large dust devil ahead. It crossed the highway, and instantly the bottom of it disappeared. We pulled over and got out of the truck and watched as it roared into a field of freshly baled hay. The top of the 2,000-foot devil was dirt, and the bottom portion was hay. We watched as the "hay devil" casually knocked hay bales aside, leaving a defined path in its wake. Coming upon a l 0foot-wide stream, the devil centered on the last bale in the field, sending it spinning in circles. It finally lifted the bale into the air and threw it across the stream, just as the devil became a water spout. Watching the dust-hay-water-dust devil drift away, we considered turning around and dragging our wimpy single-surface rags back to Albuquerque. ENTERING THE DEVIL You've just launched into light southwest winds from the radial ramp at Henson's. Good cumulus are overhead. Heading south along the ridge, barely maintaining, you notice that, ahead and below, an oak tree is thrashing around and there are some leaves floating in the air. You enter a small, punchy thermal, get a good climb rate and as you turn right, away from the ridge to start a small circle, you go weightless and hear the sail slap the left washout strut. You grip the bar tighter, continue the circle, and bank tighter into a small, powerful core. During the first half-dozen circles you notice that the airspeed won't remain constant, but is gusty instead. And the ride is bumpy. But finally it smooths out, the lift and airspeed stabilize, your grin widens, and you're thinking it would be a good clay to go cross-country. "Wait a minute, Jim! You're telling me I just climbed out in a 'leaf devil'? A whirlwind that would have been a dust devil, except we don't have dust in Tennessee?" Yep, that's what I'm saying. It could have been a rough, non-rotating

thermal, but this is my story and this time it was a whirlwind.

HOBBS, NEW MEXICO OK, now fly with me on a real flight, the first clay of the Hobbs Tow Meet held this year. Due to an inadvertent release earlier, I'm on my second tow of the clay, with Josh Forburger driving and my wife Kathy riding as observer. Climbing past 1,000 feet AGL, I notice a very large dust devil just off the encl of the runway. Kathy asks me if I see it, and I radio back that I do. It's a real snake, with a jet-black core and rapidly swirling dust around the outside. It's only 50 feet across at 1,000' AGL, and extends another 1,000 feet upward. I continue on tow to 1,500' AGL, release, and turn downwind, away from the monster. I wanted nothing to do with it! Lift is good on course to our goal at Portales, 100 miles away, nevertheless, just past Tatum, I'm heading for the grouncl~fast. There are a couple of gliders on the ground, 400 feet below. I start hitting patchy lift and start hunting around for the thermal. Suddenly, a dust devil pops about a quarter mile downwind of me, so I turn and head for it. The devil quickly rises to 200, then 300 feet as I approach, and the diameter at my 150-foot level is 75 feet across. I note a counter-clockwise spin, and so I enter on the left edge, turning right against the spin with plenty of extra airspeed. I circle around the outside edge, banking tightly in surging lift, getting slapped around a bit, but it's acceptable (by my standards). The devil and I pass through an alfalfa field and it disappears, but I can plainly see its footprint in the waving plants below. As I slowly climb in wildly varying lift, I notice the smell of alfalfa and manure. The climb rate improves to 300-400 fpm even though I'm flying fast, and the dust reappears as the devil leaves the alfalfa. My climb rate continues to improve as I get higher and the ride smooths out, allowing me to slow clown, relax, and enjoy the save while on the way to 5,000 feet AGL. I leave the thermal in good shape to find another which gets me nearly to clouclbase. I finished fourth for the day. Upon landing in Portales I learned that Eric Aasletten had been killed on tow shortly after I departed the airport. Apparently, the monster dust devil I had seen while on tow had hit the runway, become invisible, traveled the length of the runway, and possibly hit Eric as he launched. DUST NOTES Many studies have shown that dust devils spin HANG GLIDING

in botl1 directions equally. Terrain factors determine airflow direction and greatly outweigh the Coriolis effect. You should always enter a suitable dust devil in the direction opposite the spin. Circling against the rotation decreases your groundspeed, leads to a reduction in centrifugal force and hence yields a tighter circle. Also, climb rates and airspeeds remain more constant. Entering 11·irh the spin cm, cause ro11 to stall suddenlv! Be sure you have enough altitude to recover, no matter which direction you are going! In many cases, you don 'r need to enter the devil to find lift. Dust devils can indicate the strongest part in an area of widespread lift, and often smoother, more consistent lift can be found in the air surrounding the core. Sometimes multiple devils or many small devils dancing around a larger one can be observed. This indicates multiple cores of the same thermal, or perhaps separate columns of lift. some of which may be invisible. Like it or not, dust devil flight is common. Some pilots arc even known for leaving good lift to head for a dust devil further away. As stated previously, we fly into invisible whirl-

winds often. I have personally flown into about SO dust devils. And. by the way. in 14 years of hang gliding. I have yet to kick the keel or have the bar ripped out of my hands. Am 1 lucky? You bet! But I also carry extra speed and hang on tight in turbulence. which definitely includes dust devils. As one or my flying buddies says, "If we could see the air, we'd probably quit flying." When dust, smoke, and moisture make air visible, we can truly see that there are dragons in the woods. At least the dust in devils does us the service of showing the nature of the beast. Jim Lee is 37 years old and is the Director of' the Taos Ski Patrnl c/11ri11g the il'inra. He has heen piloting aircrqft jcJr 22 _wars. and has logged 2,000 hours of ainime in 14 years of hang gliding. 1-Je has also logged m·a 17,000 X-C miles. including three 200-milej/ights and many JOO+ milers. He \\'as the /986 National Points Champion, 11·as 011 the 1988 U.S. World Team and is on the !99/ World Team. Jim is sponsored hr Wills Wing and ]lies an HP AT. His most dis1i11ctil'e 1rndemark is his customlmil1 carhonjtberlkel'iar pod harness.•

----------------------------1990 U.S. World Team Fund-Raiser/Raffle Lots of hang gliding equipment prizes, including a grand prize of a glider. $10.00 gets you a World Team pin. $20.00 gets you a World Team tank top. $40.00 or more gets you a team sweatshirt with hood. One entry per person please. Enclosed please find: 0 $10.00 for a World Team pin. 0 $20.00 for a World Team tank top. 0 $40.00 for a World Team sweatshirt with hood. 0 Other contribution of$ to help out the team. I understand I'm entered in the raffle. Make checks payable to U.S. Hang Gliding Foundation. NAME: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ CITY: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _STATE_ _ _ ZIP _ _ __ PHONE: (

L1is article is the first in a series of informative articles written by the members of _\'Oil/' World Team. It is the Team's hope that the flying community will benefit from this information, and respond with a donation to the World Team Fund. Many other countries' teams are subsidized in one way or another by their government or private organizations. The U.S. World Team is supported entirely by you. This year's team is comprised of: Chris Arai, Tony Barton, Ted Boyse, Jim Lee, Terry Reynolds, Larry Tudor and firs! alternate Nelson Howe. All are great competition pilots, and are eager for the chance to fly as a Team in the February, l 991 World Championships at Governador Valadares, Brazil. With approximately 8,500 members in the United States Hang Gliding Association, we could fully fund the 1991 World Team in their quest for Gold in Brazil if each member sent in only $5.00. That's right! For the price of a couple of vario batteries or a ride up the hill, we could send a well-equipped team ready to slice and dice the competition! Please make out a check for whatever you can afford to: United States Hang Gliding Foundation P. 0. Box 8300 Colorado Springs, CO 80933 Checks made out to the "U.S. Hang Gliding Foundation" are targeted specifically for the World Team, and are tax deductible minus the value of prizes or gifts received. Amounts in excess of $5.00 are gratefully accepted, and any donation over $10 enters you in the glider and product drawing. The top four prizes this year include a new glider of your choice, a kevlar full-face helmet, an oxygen system and an FM radio with VOX and headset. In addition, a $10 donation entitles you to a World Team enamel pin, $20 gets you a World Team tank-top shirt. For $40, we'll send you a World Team sweatshirt with hood. There are some valuable prizes to be won by any club or individual that raises larger amounts for the Team! See last month's issue for details. Let's support the U.S. Team so when the 1993 World Championships come to the Owens Valley the U.S. will be the title defenders! -MarkMocho

Send to: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs. CO 80933 37

Gil Jones on his first high flight al Bald Hill. Photo by Mike Spradley.

would take some sort of perverted 'Icxan 10 take a 1ow to Colorndo to low in 1he midcllc of 1he mo11111ai11s, but I had just been to 1hc I [obbs, New Mexico meet and I knew lowing was hoL I figun:d tha1 I would gel in some flying rrom the mountains and leach a fow mountain pilots how to tow. l got there a few days early to scope 0111 the situation. Sure enough, there was a training hill 500 fcc1 high, bereft of' trees and flyable in all directions. I Imel a few qucslions about how a student pilol would do on such ,I hill al 10,000 feet, hut I observed a few lessons in progress and concluded 1hat there were 110 problems. Tlrnt was except Cor me. l sc1 up my Kiss m1 the wrong end and had to carry it about I 00 and up abou1 75 fec1. sea level lungs were complaining. However, a launch and landing with a two mile per hour wind showed that my glider could handle it all right.

Minus One There were already some East Coast pilots there and 11icy wanted to try towing, so I towed 38

Mike, Christy, and Richard up for 1hc firs! time. Wilh a crosswind and 9,000 feet of altituclc the tows were lower, but 011y got in an hour f'light and soared to 11,750 fcct. He said hl: could have gone higher, but some Colorado pilot told him to slay below 14,000 feet until he got acclimatized. /\nd I told him not to go X-C since he was J'Jying wilh my tow bridle. The winds changed and Christy gol an I 800-foot tow, hut an alkrno011 thunderstorm was cornand there was no real lift. The Mountain Muffin Care was closing al six so we shut down to go cat.

One The Fly-In slartccl on Tuesday. I felt obligated to rty a real mounlain so I went with Ed the site guide m1 an official Fly-In expedition to Wil Iiams Peak. /\bout four, four-wheel drive ve hicles, bristling with gliders, 11:ckkcd to Williams. When we got there we found a small and bca11tirul landing area hounded by the; highway and a lake. Jr the wind was blowing in you landed Inward thl' lake, going downhill. We

decided that maybe we could land crosswind after all. We got to the 1op or Williams and found Nelson Howe sitling there with a two--whccl drive van covered with Foil Combat I 52's. I le mcnlioned that we; probably wouldn't want lo rty unless we had really good downwind launch technique. Ed explained thal Williams Peak would likely he very 1urb11lcn1 under current conditions, so we sat and admired the view. J\l'tcr a while we packed up and left. Nelson said he sure would have liked to let me fly one of his Foils. We got hack 10 I !art sci and someone told me 1hat some of my hang gliding students were looking for me, but that since they conldn 't find me they signed up for a class with Colorado Wind Sports. So I'm thinking, "Oh great, there go my s111dcnts." Sec, Colorado Wind Sports was the host for the Fly-In. They have this really nice shop and school in l lartscl with a 50(Hoo1 training hill. l teach off the Trinity Rivc'.r levees in Dallas, Texas which are only :JO feel high. I rigurccl that my students would never be satisfied wilh the levees and my rinky dink little school and shop after this. So a little later l saw Chris, the owner and chier instructor at Colorado Wind Park, and he lold me my students took my Vision Mk IV training glider to lhc hill, and was that alright? Sure. I had broughl it for them lo use. I le told me Iha! he had been watching al'lcr them all afternoon, and 1ha1 they were doing great. They would probably be ready to rly from the top the next clay. So I went to cat at thl: Mountain Muffin C\1f'c. Now the proprietor or the Mounlain Muffin knows a good thing when she secs it. Sec, Hartse! has only about 50 people living in town and aboul 200 people from the surrounding ranches, so the Mullin has a somewhat limited clicntelc. During the Fly-In they starlcd slay ing open until 9:00 PM to catch the pilots. So I'm sitting there, and in walk Kari Castle and Mark Gibson. They know me from Hobbs so they sit down at my table (not much choice since there arcn 't thal many tables ,ll tlw Muffin). Then in walks Larry Tudor and he sils a1 my table loo. Dennis and Claire l\tgen walk in. Dennis knows me from lhe old days so he comes over to say hi. Then in come my stn dents. They conw over to me and I introduce them around world record holders and exNational Champions all over the place. You can sec total awe on their faces as their jaws hit the rloor. Guess I won't lose those students afkr all. So the Mullin turm:d 0111 to be the place to cat al'icr flying, with the top /\mcrican flyers

I TANC Cl.llllNC

- ---

Typical cumulus at Williams Peak. and lhe Aussie conlingc111, a few flyers from Germany, one Crom Quebec, and many o1hc:rs there, I ,arry Tudor lried to intcresl the Aussies in a snipe hunt, since there arc no snipe in Australia and since mountain snipe arc known to he such good eating, hut the Aussies were full since the Muffin roocl was both really good and plentiful, So lhey decided that they wo11lcl hunl snipe the next night.

Day Two Grcal mobs of people started showing up for Ilic Fly-In, Trncks were arriving, loaded wilh gliders from Pac Air, Wills Wing, Enlcrprise Wings and others to be lest flown by lhc Fly-In participants, The game plan was lo go lo a nearby Colorado site and X-C back to Bald HilL An expedition was organized to f'ri11cc1on

NOVEMBFR ')()<)()

and everyone started loading up their gliders to go there, Drat! I had to slay and teach my students, r had already been out to Bald Hill, 1hc Colorado Wind Park training site, at six in lhc morning and walchcd my sludcnts' flights from the 75""foot training bump, (hcaL They launched and landed at 9,100 feet like lhcy had lived 1herc all their lives, Alkr the pilots' meetI went back out to Bald Ilill lo give them some more training flights. They seemed ready lo go from lhe lop but Chris suggested l take off once in lhc training glider lo check conditions, This seemed like a subterfuge lo aJJow me to grab a flighl before my sludcnts /'Jew, and I eagerly grabbed the opportunily, I launched to lhe easl into a straight-in breeze and started making soaring passes, I noticed thal the wind was crossed, and looked back at the wind sock on the top, It didn 'I make sense, II showed lhc wind coming straighl from lhc north alllmugh r was soaring the cast face in smoolh nmHurhulcnl winds, There was still good lift when I dropped out and landed so my students could fly. By the lime my glider was picked up by the Irailer (Colorado Wind Sports has a trailer for moving set-up gliders), the

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Hand deploys have done an exccllcnl job of II 111 111

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I diffcrcnlly, certainly not BRS, Bui we can I I help you get that trusty hand cleploycd I I 'chute out of your chest-mount container in I less than a second! I For that one time in your life when you I I may actually require a deployment, you'll I feel better knowing thal a BRS rocket can I I get your present parachute out in less than I one third the time if would take to throw I I I your hand Our new model offers a I truly "Quick Draw" for those once-in-a-life- I I lime emergencies, I I Just ask Geoff I I I I These I I BRS users I agree throwing a parachute is a difficult proposition I under violent circumstances, I Nothing beats a BRS rocket for speedy I line stretch, whether tumbling or coping glider, with a broken or I Our new model is one of I our two new products (the other is our I WEDGE). They're specifically designed to make mounting a piece of cake--much I easier than our older models, See your local I qualified dealer or harness maker. I I I I I 39

wind was blowing from the north at 20 on top. So I let my students fly from the north slope for a while. A little later the wind was blowing at 10 from the west so I let my students fly from the 500-foot takeoff. They did great. The expedition got back from Princeton. Dennis Pagen told me of a high flight terminated by the growth of a thunderstorm. No X-C to Bald Hill that clay.

a panel cons1stmg of Dennis Pagen, Larry Tudor, Nelson Howe and the new National Champion, Mark Newland just in from Dinosaur. They sat on the sofa and we crowded into the living room for an Ask The Experts session. This turned out to be a highly informative two-hour or more session of questions and answers about flying technique, useful to the beginning as well as experienced pilot.

Day Three Thursday dawned with dual plans. I planned a tow clay using one of the network of roads leading to Bald Hill while Eel led a group to Badger Mountain about 12 miles away. All of the experienced pilots opted to go to Badger, so only Tom and Jim who are Chris' students and Jerry who is one of mine cleciclecl to learn to tow. They came clown really excited and all smiles. I never realized towing was such a big deal. Meanwhile, we started to see strange gilders in the sky above us. Several flew toward Bald Hill. One approached us at the tow site. Some others flew toward Hartse!. A pilot in a Magic IV landed at the tow site and told us that a number of pilots had gotten up at Badger and were X-Cing to Hartse!. Dennis Pagen told me later that Badger was a demanding site but that pilots who watched the other pilots fly first soon realized that there was a hot spot off to the right of launch, which could be used to thermal high and X-C to Bald Hill, which Dennis did. Later that evening, in the large Colorado Wind Park headquarters living room, there was

Day Four On Friday the pilots split up into four groups, one going to Princeton, one going to Williams, a tow group organized by the Skyhook people, and a group going to Bald Hill. I opted to go to Williams, taking Dennis and Claire, after Nelson Howe promised to let me fly a Foil Combat. We got there, and then a comedy of errors ensued. Williams didn't look flyable so we went on a hike, only to return to find the wind blowing in. We got ready to fly but a thunderstorm developed which caused the wind to reverse again so we didn't get to fly after all. Nelson promised to let me fly a Foil at Telluride. We got back to Hartse!, only to find that conditions were crummy everywhere. Only the tow group got some good flights earlier in the clay. But Friday night there was good to come. There was a free dinner and party at headquarters. There was venison, elk, beef and other good things to eat including yuppie salad and enough beer to go around. People were still there at midnight, listening to each other's flying

stories. The major topics were the gust fronts at Dinosaur and the X-Cs at Hobbs. I heard Larry say, "I was over the Palo Dura Canyons near Amarillo when this thunderstorm formed, and I was watching the southwest corner for tornadoes when ... " But that's another story.

Day Five On Saturday I had to leave for home but was determined to get in a flight off something other than Bald Hill. I told Dennis I was going to Badger. So, as it turned out, was everyone else. We got to Badger and there were about a hundred gliders being set up in a space with room for about three. Dennis and I staked out a spot and set up our gliders practically on top of each other with Claire close by. The wind was blowing lightly when the first few pilots took off. We held our breath as they flew around the corner to the right and circled at the hot spot. They were climbing. A few minutes later, I launched. I flew to the right but the gliders were above me and I couldn't see them. I circled for a while but only gained a little. So I went to the left and found some lift. I circled some more but still couldn't get up. So I landed. I stood at the landing area for a while watching as some of the pilots sunk out and a few got high and left for Hartse! 12 miles away. I went to Hartse[ ignobly by Jeep and started loading for home. I had met a lot of new friends and seen a lot of new flying sites. Colorado Wind Park and Hartse[ were wonderful to me as a guest and as a pilot. I will be back. •

HANG GLIDING

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Towing Safety Comments on "Towing Safety Guide" by Brad Lindsay

Dear

Editor, As a pilot who learned to hang glide under tow back in 1972, and who wrote a major article on towing in the May and June 1977 issues of Hang Gliding, I believe my credentials are in order for commenting on Brad Lindsay's article on towing (September 1990 issue, page 17). I think Lindsay's article was to the point on some issues and totally off base on others. As he states, his article is based on his experiences. I don't believe that his article is totally representative of what other experienced tow people are doing. There is nothing wrong with this, except that I have found that some people think that because the article was published in Hang Gliding magazine that Brad's opinion is the USHGA stance on towing. It is not. Insofar as I know, the USHGA has no official stance on towing at this time. If it did, I don't believe that it would necessarily agree with that of Brad Lindsay. Brad said in his a1ticle that it was prompted by the fatality at Hobbs. Brad left Hobbs soon after Eric Aasletten was killed. I investigated the accident and supplied the accident report on which the comments by Doug Hildreth about the accident were based. This cloesn' t make me an authority on the reasons for Eric's death. There were too many unanswered questions about the accident as I will mention later in this letter. Thus, some of the conclusions Brad makes in his article may be inconect. I don't need to repeat the findings of the accident repmt; Doug's summation was excellent. I don't believe that Brad's article addresses all of the problems which may have been at the root of Eric's death. I believe the primary cause to be an invisible dust devil which pitched up Eric's glider just as he released at launch. This problem must be considered in any tow situation which has strong themrnl activity, with or without associated strong winds. Unless the pasNOVEMBER 1990

sible consequences of encountering such turbulence is made extremely clear, it is liable to happen again. The North Texas Hang Gliding Association met on October 5 and discussed Lindsay's article. Between us we have a bunch of towing experience of all types. We have five tow rigs represented in the club, three private and two club owned. Two are ATOL and three are trailer rigs. We tow a lot. We came to a consensus about a number of things that directly dealt with Brad's article. 1) The weak link breaking strength should be between l 00% and 150% of the combined weight of the glider and pilot (the gross load) being towed, but each pilot should be totally responsible for his own weak link. 2) The height of the basetube mount off the ground on the tow rig is not an issue at all, that is, trailer rigs are not less safe than truck rigs with the glider mounted higher (above the truck bed). 3) We believe that Brad's opinion about bounce-proofing control bar mounts has some merit. We, in effect, adopted Brad's recommendation. The club also decided on some other issues which will be presented to the USHGA towing safety committee which I will not cover here, but I will go on to cover the reasons we disagree with some of Brad's article. First, and foremost, we believe that the weak link should be weak enough to protect the glider against structural failure and weak enough so that a weak link break will not cause a dangerous reaction of the glider during the course of a normal tow, but no weaker. In the opinion of the great majority of our club members, a light weak link break is as likely to endanger the pilot as to help him. I talked to a lot of pilots at Hobbs, and the consensus was that in the course of Eric Aasletten's accident, had a weak link break

occunecl instead of the manual or auto release that apparently did occur, the outcome would have been the same. Under the circumstances the one thing that would have given Eric a fighting chance to survive was to have remained on the towline (see "Crooked, Tight and Low," October issue). The pilot must always take full responsibility for his own safety. At first, I personally had questions about launching from a trailer rig. I wasn't wmTiecl about needing aerobatic skills because of the nearness of the basetube to ground prior to launch. I was w01Tied about turbulence behind the tow truck. My wonies have been eliminated because trailer launching has proved itself. The vast majority of towing in our club is clone from trailer rigs. The average height of the basetube mount on the trailer rigs is 24" from the ground. We have had a multitude of weak link breaks, a few early launches, etc., and have seen no safety problem even remotely related to the basetube mount height. In fact, when a weak link break occurs, the glider ends up just as high in the air as from a launch from above the truck bed. I have launched with no towline attached, a number of times and at varying speeds from my trailer rig, and have always easily been able to land on my feet. I let one inexperienced pilot with not very great flying skills launch from my trailer rig without a tow rope about 20 times. He was always able to land on his feet, even though he had wheels on his glider. As it turns out, launching at too slow a speed is easier and safer to fly out of than a weak link break at a higher speed. The nature of a weak link break on launch, or a launch with no tow rope attached at nmmal launch speed, is such that even with a glider trimmed to launch flat, the glider goes up much higher that it would with a tow rope on it, and in a nose-high attitude. The pilot must have proper pitch control to be safe under such circumstances, but the basetube mount height

Towlines cloesn 't seem to be a factor. Stopping the tow vehicle in front of the pilot in the case of a weak link break or early release is dangerous no matter what the height of the basetube mount. The driver should be trained not to stop suddenly unless a specific command is given, whether launching a glider or transporting one. On rough surfaces the ride on a trailer rig is much rougher than on a pickup. Brad's suggestion on bounce protection would definitely improve safety when towing on a rough surface. As a group, the NTHGA was not excited about Brad's recommendation of handles on the tow rig for the pilot to hold onto. Our experience doesn't indicate that the handles serve a useful purpose, and may in fact be dangerous. I believe that any 1/4" or less tow rope which has adequate wear resistance and breaking strength is perfectly safe. I recognize the advantages of smaller rope, and in fact, I use I/ 8" braided polyester line to obtain higher tows with less necessary tow pressure. But I don't believe that small diameter line is required for safety. Yes, I believe as Brad Lindsay says, that in severe conditions it is probably dangerous for the tow release to be attached to the pilot's wrist. Eric Aasletten may have experienced an auto-release because the release line was attac heel to his wrist. It is only a theory, however. No one knows exactly what happened. Although I was involved in the rescue efforts, I never had the opportunity to inspect the release line, or its placement. It is entirely possible that in the emergency situation, Eric decided to release and fly the glider out of trouble. I saw the glider do a hammerhead stall which might have been caused by an attempt on the part of the pilot to try to wingover to get his nose clown safely. As Brad says a shorter release line is appropriate for instruction. I believe that a beginner to towing may benefit from having a release line attached to each wrist, so that ifhe or she gets too far off to either side an autorelease occurs. But, in addition, a newcomer to towing should be taught in the early morning or late evening to avoid turbulence, with a qualified observer riding the tow rig with a hook knife in hand. There have been two towing fatalities this year. Superficially, they seem very similar. Both were immediately after launch, and I know the Hobbs fatality was from a truck-mounted

tow system with the basetube mount above the truck bed. I think the Oregon one was also. I think that the root cause of each was entirely different. One was condition related, and the other was probably pilot error. Each had a number of contributing factors; if any one were eliminated the accident might have been prevented. The really important thing is that we at least learn from these accidents and try our best to prevent others. Personally, I am paying close attention to the way everyone is doing everything in towing, and I will continue to change my ways as I see better ways to tow safely. Dave Broyles Allen, TX Dear Editor, Brad Lindsay's article on towing in the September issue was right on the money. It was well written and should be read several times by anyone who is thinking about getting into towing. I especially agree that an observer is mandatory during any towing operation. A driver cannot possibly keep his or her eye on the pilot at all times, and anything less than that is taking an unnecessary risk. In our group, if only two pilots are there without a driver we don't fly, no matter whose system may be around. One comment I would like to make has to do with the photograph that accompanied the article. I realize that the author covered line tension and weak links, so I won't go into that. However, one thing we have learned here in Huntsville, Alabama is that sooner or later you will have a weak link break at just about the point during launch that the picture was taken. We strongly urge pilots who tow with us to keep their landing gear clown (out of the harness) during this part of the flight. And this is especially true if you do not have wheels on your control bar. We have had more than a few link breaks at low altitude during our learning process and have found that it is very easy to get hung up in the harness (even a cocoon harness) when this happens. Consider this: On a mountain flight, would you still have your feet in the harness if you were this close to landing? Duane Ridenhour

Dear Editor, I understand that this magazine can't police (nor should it) every hair-brained statement by all the self-appointed "hang gliding gurus" on towing or foot launch, so here's my advice for the latest guru. I am referring to Brad Lindsay's article on towing safety in the September issue. I have a number of problems with the Mr. Lindsay's statements on: weak link strength, tow line size, glider mounts, releases and retrieval systems. Achieving a weak link strength of just 15 lbs. over the pilot/glider/towline drag combination may be ideal, however Mr. Lindsay wants us all to toss away all that 1/4" towline on our rigs for kevlar in order to achieve this. (After reading this I felt obligated to look at the encl of the article to see if he just happened to sell such things. He does.) According to Lindsay, in order to overcome the abrasion problems associated with smaller lines he suggests using a retrieval systern. He goes on to explain how his" ... retrieval system blew off the line into the ocean ... at which point we (he) snagged an eastbound Winnebago bumper," and at another time he " ... knocked an old man off his mopecl ... during a rewind." I suggest that it is how one uses his winch and retrieval system and 1101 which one he uses, a point that Lindsay misses. Lastly, I disagree with his argument that the Hobbs fatality was clue to the short release line which he states, " ... is acceptable for training purposes." Lindsay can't have his cake and eat it too, it's either safe or unsafe. Each pilot should decide for himself. The conditions at Hobbs were as strong as you would find anywhere in the world. I suggest that more attention be given to sound judgement when holding competitions where these conditions exist. In summary, common sense and sound judgement are the cornerstones of safe flight and no piece of 'trick' equipment will ever replace them. I suggest that Mr. Lindsay take his own advice and "go fishing" until he comes to grips with his own safety crisis. Michael Howell San Antonio, TX

Dear Editor, Over the past year Hang Gliding has published three articles on platform launch towing (PLT). The articles were authored by inclividuHANG GLIDING

Towlines als who have developed tow systems/equipment to the point of producing and marketing their particular products to the flying public. The three articles were more opinion than fact, each written to promote the author's particular bias. They did, however, provide enough stimulation to convince some pilots to build their own tow systems. Unfortunately, to build a safe system the designer/builder needs more than motivation. What he needs to have is some basic understanding of physics, design mechanics and human factors engineering, in addition to practical "hands on" towing and tow-driving experience. The ''Towing Safety Guide" article in September HG was written by an experienced tow pilot and provided some useful information. Unfortunately, the article stopped far short of giving the big picture of tow tlight. In February, 1986 HG, Donnell Hewett wrote the most comprehensive article on towing to elate. This is still the standard by which all tow systems and equipment should be

judged. 1 encourage USHGA's Safety and Training Committee, the Towing Committee, and the Accident Investigation Chairman to review the 12 specific criteria covered in the article. I feel, in recent months, that these areas are being overlooked by many in our membership. It has been nearly five years since these 12 points have been in print. Many new pilots have come on to the scene during that time. I recommend that the I 2 criteria be updated and republished. I also recommend that all future towing accident repo1ts and towing safety/training documents endorsed by USHGA be reviewed against them.

rie11ce and experiments of each. I remember whe11 Do1111el/ Hewe// H'as ostraci::ed from the then "established" tol\'ing comm11nity because of his 11nconventio11a/ ideas. -Ed.

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Pole Set@ $39 .95 (not shown )

Colorado residents add 6.5% tax

CITY/STATE/ZIP _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _

$ 4.00 $_ __ _

Shipping and Handling

MC or VISA

$2.00 charge card (if applicable)

_ _ _ _ _ __

$_ _ _ _

TOTAL

(circle choice) $2 service charge exp._ _Sig. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933

RATINGS SAFE PILOT AW ARDS MICHAEL DAILY MICHEL SOLOMON TAD EARECKSON G. W. MEADOWS WILLIAM J. HAYS, JR, RICKY ROJAS KOURAD KURP STEVEN A. RODRIGUES LILIENTHAL A WARDS Bronze MICHAEL J. MOORE JOHN ALDRIDGE DEVIN BAILLY RONALD D. REA DONNA .JACKSON TODD LAROCHE CHRIS CORMACI STEVE ARNDT SHAWN LOUDERMILL

Siii'er MICHAEL J. MOORE G. W. MEADOWS GREG KEOHO

BEGINNER RA TINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 JACK SUTHERBY: Aberdeen, WA; J. Reynolds TIM KELLY: Bend, OR; J. Estrin/Airplay'n of Oregon - BELINDA BOULTER: Seattle, WA; J. Estrin/Airplay'n of Oregon - JASCHA GULDEN: Vashon, WA; J. Estrin/Airplay'n of Oregon Region 2 JON M. HEON: Novato, CA; C. Bolfing/Airtime of San Francisco -JOHN FINCH: Foster City, CA; P. Hystek/Chandelle - OFER OHEL: Palo Alto, CA; P. Denevan/Mission Soaring Center - E. F. SMITH: Fremont, CA; R. Palmon - TOM BECHTOLD: Santa Clara, CA; C. Bolfing/Airtime of San Francisco - SERGIO IVAN SAQUILMER: Foster City, CA; A. Whitehill - ROBERT STODIECK: Santa Clara, CA; R. Palmon Region 3 CHRISTOPHER BLADON: Santa Barbara, CA; K. cleRussy/Hang Glider Emporium - MEMORU FUKNDA: San Jose, CA; R. Engorn - WINDEL SPARKS: Taft, CA; K. deRussy/Hang Glider Emporium - LUEN MILLER: Santa Cruz, CA; C. Crescioli/Western Hang Gliders - TODD BAKER: San Jose, CA; P. Denevan - MIKE WILKERSON: Ojai, CA; K. deRussy/Hang Glider Emporium VICTOR W. HESTERMAN: Los Altos Hills, CA; C. Crescioli - RONALD BERK: San Jose, CA; R. Palm on Region 4 RONALD D. REA: Phoenix, AZ; P. Whitmore LARRY KUTZ: Tempe, AZ; J. Ryan - TED BLAKE: Scottsdale, AZ; L. Haney/Sail Wings BARRY S. EAGER: Scottsdale, AZ; B. Holmes/

Sky Sails of AZ - ANDREW B. HIGH: Tempe, AZ; B. Holmes/Sky Sails of AZ - PHIL HARRIS: Tempe, AZ; B.Holrnes/Sky Sails of AZ - JAMES KARREN: Mesa, AZ; B. Hohnes/Sky Sails of AZTOM SCHMIDT: Boulder, CO; T. Hackbart/ Golden Wings - ANDREW GOULD: Lakewood, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings - ROBERT HOPPER: Denver, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings - PERRY CONRAD STEARNS: Corrales, NM; C. Woods/UP - LUIS V. LEOS: Sandia Park, NM; C. Woods - JOE HOLMAN: Grand Junction, CO; G. Middleton - RANDY SKYWALKER: Phoenix, AZ; S. Aycock - TOM MORRIS: Boulder, CO; G. Greer - JEFFREY J. ELGART: Colorado Springs, CO; R. Wilkinson/Eagles Nest - JEFF WRIGHT: Provo, UT; G. Pollock - LANCE COLLINS: Lafayette, CO; T. Hackbart/Golden Wings - JONATHAN S. MILLER: Golden, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings Region S CHUCK STEEN: Missoula, MT; M. Davis Region 6 JAMES BRADFORD: Kansas City, MO; G. Greer/ Colorado Hang Gliding Center - RYAN GLOVER: Oklahoma City, OK/Kitty Hawk Kites - GERALD D. BACHMANN: St. Louis, MO; B. Kushner/Raven - DAVID LINDEN: Conway, AR; L. Haney/Sail Wings Region 7 JOHN L. PARKS: Waukegan, IL; B. Kushner/ Raven Hang Gliding School JOSEPH D. MCKEE: Chicago, IL; Raven Hang Gliding School - DOUG VANDER HOFF: Rockford, Ml; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - DON STOEYBA YER: Glenwood, IL; R. Kreske - ROBERT BA YT: Indianapolis, IN; R. Kreske - MICHAEL N. THOMA: Madison, WI; B. Kushner/Raven Hang Gliding School - FRANK GERSEMSKY: West Lafayette, IN; R. Kreske - THOMAS KOCH: West Lafayette, IN; R. Kreske - STEVE WAHL: Lanesville, IN; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. - ROBERT MCBARNES: Kalamazoo, Ml; B. Kushner/Raven - MIKE CRABILL: W. Lafayette, IN; R. Kreskc - DORY ELZAURDIA: Highland Park, IL; B. Kushner/ Raven Hang Gliding School - ZENON KRAUSE: Chicago, IL; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites

Region 9 BRIAN B. CHRISTENSEN: Oakton, VA; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - VINCENT CASOLERO: Felton, DE; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites FRANK CARDILLO: Fairfax, VA; S. Wendt/Kitty Hawk Kites - RALPH SICKINGER: Reston, VA; G. Keoho/Kitty Hawk Kites - KEAN MYRON: Lynchburg, VA; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites STEVE WARREN: Columbus, OH; S. Wendt/ Kitty Hawk Kites - ANN DENBY: Blacksburg, VA; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 10 PAUL PARRISH: Tampa, FL/G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - WILLIAM SWANSON: Indialantic, FL; G. Reeves - RICHARD A. TURNER: Lenoir, NC;B. Chalmers/Lookout Mountain - CARL WEISHEIT: Sunshine, LA; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. BRET STONE: Richmond Hill, GA; F. Proctor/ The Balloon Factory - ANGELIA MINER-FOSS: Richmond Hill, GA; F. Proctor/The Balloon Factory Region 11 JOHN AKAPO: Houston, TX; S. Burns/Austin Air Sports - MAJID SAGHAFI: Houston, TX; S. Burns/ Austin Air Sports - BILL BARTOL: Friendswood, TX; S. Bums/Austin Air Sports - CRAIG SPITZ: Houston, TX; S. Bums/Austin Air Sports - HUMA YUN HASHMI: Houston, TX; S. Burns/Austin Air Sports - GILBERT JONES, II: Mesquite, TX; D. Broyles/Kite Enterprises Region 12 .JIM BRADEN: Ridgewood, NJ; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - WILLIAM J. CLIFFORD: Williston Park, NY; G. Ball/Kitty Hawk Kites - JERRY ROMANOWSKI: Rochester, NY; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - BILLY M. GREEN: APO, NY; G. Elhart/Nova-Air - STEVER. BATES: APO NY; G. Elhart/Nova-Air - MICHAEL F-D CANNIZZARO: APO, NY; G. Elhart/Nova-Air - STEVE FRENCH: Rochester, NY; C. Dechow - W. LANCE COXE: APO, NY; G. Elhart/Nova-Air RICHARD E. IVES: APO NY; G. Elhart/NovaAir - DAVID S. PIKE: Beacon, NY; F. Valenza/ Mountain Wings NOVICE RA TINGS

Region 8 KURT BEHRENS: Easthampton, MA; F. Valenza/ Mt. Wings - STEPHEN RICH: Framingham, MA; D. Beland/Morningside Flight Park - RODGER FUREY: S. Attleboro, MA; J. Porter- CARSON L. GRAY: Jewett City, CT; D. Beland/Morningside Flight -JOHN NOLAN: Burlington, MA; J. Hannus - RAY NA VAGE: Watertown, CT; W. Hemphill/ Killy Hawk Kites - MARK DOBBROW: Waterbury, CT; B. Davidson - BARRY D. MORSE: Manchester, NH; R. Hastings/Morningside flight Park NEIL H. SNEESBY: Ft. Devens, MA NI.JAN DAT AR: Haverhill, MA; D. Beland/ Morningside Flight Park - CARL WISE: Ridgefield, CT; D. Beland - CHONG-LIANG SOO: Nashua, NH; J. Hannus/Aeolus - ALLENE. BABCOCK: Ft. Devens, MA; J. Hannus/Aeolus DANN BURGHARDT: Lee, MA; B. Davidson

PILOT: City, State; Instrnctor/School Region 1 ROY PARZYK: Lake Stevens, WA; J. Reynolds JAMES R. STEEL: Tacoma, WA; J. Reynolds RICH KALMAN: Olympia, WA; J. Reynolds Region 2 JON M. HEON: Novato, CA; C. Bolfing/Airtime of San Francisco - DAVID E. BOZARTH: Santa Rosa, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of San Francisco JEROME LIGHT: Sunnyvale, CA; P. Hystek/ Chandcllc - VICTOR E. TERRA: San Francisco, WILLIAM CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle DORSEY: Los Altos, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle - LYNN WEBB: San Francisco, CA; C. Bolfing/ Airtime of San Francisco - EDUARD PRICE: Mountain View, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandellc JAMES ANDREWS: Fairfield, CA; R. Leonard BRIAN BOV AIRD: Santa Clara; J. Wooclward

HANG GLIDING

RATINGS Region 3 R. SCOTT SIEMEL: Ben Lomond, CA; H. Arna!/ Western Hang Gliders - PAUL GARNET: San Bernardino. CA; R. McKenzie - ROBERT HENDRIX: Clovis, CA: C. Crescioli/Western Hang Gliders - CHRIS J. CORMACI: Brea CA; P. Burns BRIAN HOOVER: Manhattan Beach, CA; J. Greblo/Windsports Int'! - NELSON F. PINEDA: San Jose, CA; C. Romcin/\Vestern Hang Gliders JOHN i\flERKE: San Diego, CA; J. Ryan - ALEXANDRE EBLE: Chatsworth, CA; J. Grcblo/ Winclsports MARK HARTWELL: Elizebeth Lake, CA; J. Greblo/Windsports - MIKE MANGOLD: Victorville, CA A: R. McKenzie - JEFF SHUTE: San Jose. CA; J. Woodward - DAN GALLA TIN: La Quinta, CA; R. McKenzie - RON WILHOUGHBY: Sylrnar, CA; J. Greblo/Windsporrs KEVIN KALINOWSKI: San Jose, CA; G. Greenbaum/Airtime of San Francisco - MIKE WILKERSON: Ojai, CA: K. deRussy/Hang Glider Emporium - ERNIE ANTINORI: San Diego, CA; J. Ryan - RUSS RICHARD: Avila Beach, CA; A. Hageman - PATRICK J. MENARD: San Diego. CA; J. Ryan Region 4 BLAKE K. ROHR: Arvada, CO; T. Hackblart/ Golden Wings - DAVID BELL: Canon City, CO: R. Wilkinson/Eagles Nest BRUCE STARK: Prescott, AZ; C. Woods/UP - LANCE MORRIS: Salt Lake City, UT; G. Pollock/Wasatch Wings RANDY SKYWALKER: Phoenix, AZ; S. Aycock - ZANN JONES: Albuquerque, NM; C. Woods DAVID MERRIMAN: Provo, UT: P. Whitmore .JERRY KLEVENBERG: Chandler. AZ; D. Gordon/Arizona Windsports Region 6 DONNA STOKES: Little Rock, AR: L. Haney/ Sail Wings Region 7 ERIC \VY ATT: Naperville, IL: B. Kushner/Raven Hang Gliding School- JOHN W. ELLING: tvladison, WI; B. Kushner/Raven Hang Gliding School.JOSEPH D. MCKEE: Chicago, IL; B. Kushner/ Raven Hang Gliding School DORY ELZAURDIA: Highland Park, IL; B. Kushner/ Raven Hang Gliding School Region 8 JIM HUTCHINSON: Cambridge. MA; C. Bolfing/ Airtime of San Francisco - ALEX SEMYONOR: Westwood, MA; R. Hastings/Morningside flight Park - ANDREW SMART: Lincoln, RI; D. Belanct/Morningsicle Flight Park LAURENCE COPE: Weston, MA; D. Belancl/Morningsicle Region 9 CHRISTOPHER J. ETY: Lancaster, OH; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. - JAMES MILLIGAN: Gibsonia, PA; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. DAN MCHUGH: Branchclale, PA: M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. - ROBERT W. NIEVES: Trevose, PA; B. Urnstattcl/Sky High - KENT ROTHERMEL: Canton, OH; lv!. De!Signore/North Coast - DAVID HOWELL: Norfolk, VA; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk Kites - JOHN DULLAHAN: Oxon Hill, MD; G. Reeves/Kitty Hawk - RAY DECKER: Wooclwarcl, PA; R. Cobb - GERALD BRODA: Cabin John, MD: D. Yount

NOVEMBER 1990

Region 10 BRUCE BRENIZER: Duluth, GA; C. Whitney/ Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply - ANTHONY ABBRUZZESE: N. Palm Beach. FL: J. Tindle/ Miami Hang Gliding - ROGER IRBY: Roanoke Rapids, NC; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. - STEVE LOCKHART: Mariella, GA; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. - MEHDI OLFATI: Auburn, AL; M. Taber/ Lookout Mtn. - DAVID A. MARLOW: Bowdon, GA; B. Chalmers/Lookout Mtn. - .J, SCOTT WILLIAi\'lSON: Chattanooga, TN; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley-ALLISON AIKEN: Atlanta, GA; R. Jacob/ Sequatchie Valley - DA VE WILLIS: Miami, FL; R. Kayes/Miami Hang Gliding-DEANE. WHITE: Antioch, TN; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Region 11 WOYTEK TWORZYDLO: Austin, TX; J. Hunt/ Reel River Aircraft BARRY STANLEY: Montgomery, TX; J. \Vooclwarcl - JERRY HA WKINS: La Porte, TX: S. Burns/Austin Air Sports Region 12 DAVID C, TALLEY: APO, NY; G. Elhart/NovaAir - JOHN L. GIFFORD: APO NY: G. Elhan/ Nova-Air - CHARLES GHOOK: Monroe, NY; G. Black/Mtn. Wings - ELIZABETH NEWHARD: Warwick NY: G. Black/Mtn. Wings JOHN KUHN: Bronx, NY: P. Voight

INTER MEDIA TE RA TINGS

Region 11 JOEL DOONAN: Jonestown, TX; J. Hunt/Reel River Aircraft

ADVANCED RATINGS PILOT: City, State; lnstructor/School Region 1 KEN ROBINETTE: Kent, WA; T. Johns HASAN AKA Y: Aloha, OR; D. McClellan Region 2 MICHAEL LELLA: Modesto, CA; K. Muscio BIL LEWIS: Menlo Park, CA; E. Gama - ROSS WILLIAMS: San Francisco. CA; J. Busby -STEVE JOHNSON: Sacramento, CA; M. Lakle - THOMAS POPPITZ: Palo Alto, CA; P. Denevan Region 3 LARRY AINBINDER: San Diego, CA; G. Lawless - ROBERT L. OATES: La Mirada, CA: P. Burns - WILLIAM BOWERS: San Mateo, CA; R. Canham - DIETER GOERKE: San Diego, CA; W. Henry/Torrey Flight Park - TERRY MARTIN: Vista, CA; W. Henry{['orrey Flight Park Region 4 ROD LAMBORN: Sanely, UT; M. Haley ROBERT .J. WITHERS: Salt Lake City, UT: Iv!. Curtis/Winclrider Sports

PILOT: City, State: lnstructor/School Region 2 OFER BRUHIS: Palo Alto, CA; A. Whitehill MARCO GUZMAN: San Mateo, CA; A. Whitehill/ Chanclellc - ROBIN CONNERS: Mammoth Lakes, CA; D. Conners/Caldera Air Spotts - NEIL LEASH: Sacramento, CA; B. Hilliker/Pilots Supply - PATRICK A. BOWEN: San Francisco, CA; J. Woodward/Natural Flying Region 3 MARK RASOR: Waipahu, HI; N. Kjar - ERIC WINKLER: Hemet, CA; J. Hcnry{['orrey Flight Park - SALLY TUCKER: Sylmar, CA; D. Quackenbush - TREVOR KURTH: San Luis Obispo, CA; \V. Hartwick/San Luis Obispo Soaring ROBERT JANIS: Kihei, HI; S. Nottage - LOREEN OZAKI: Monterey, CA: L. Nelson - JAMES E, BROWN: Tujunga, CA; D. Quackenbush - JOHN POWELL: Paia, HI; D. Darling/Maui Soaring LOWELL ZAVADA: Carmel, CA; B. Christie Region 4 JOEL WHITMORE: Litchfield, Park, AZ; D. Smith - ALAN BARKER: Boise, ID; tvl. King/ Treasure Valley

Region 9 STEPHEN REMILLARD: Huber Heights, OH; C. Whitney/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply LARRY BALL: lVlineral Wells, WV; J. Rowan PAUL H. TIDWELL: Blacksburg, VA; F. Stoll i\ilARK R. NICOLET: Ashtabula, OH; G. Nicolet Region 10 MICHAEL POLLOCK: Ft. Lauderdale, FL; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply - ROBERT KA YES: Miami, FL; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply - TODD BRADEN: Merritt Island, FL; R. Jacob/Sequatchie Region 11 JODY LAZARD: Metairic, LA: R. Jacob/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply

FOREIGN RA TINGS BEGINNER LARS ROCKHOLD, Rausclorf, Germany; B. Holmes/Sky Sails of AZ CURTIS SIEMENS: Matsqui, Brinish Columbia: J. Estrin/Airplay'n

Region 9 JOEL REBBECHI: Strongvillc, OH; C. Stockwell/Southwincl H.G. Region 10 JEFF CARNS: Tequesta, FL; M. Taber - ALLEN M. WARD: Elba, AL; C. Whitney/Sequatchie Valley Soaring Supply - DAN SHELL: lv!ontgomery, AL; C. Whitney/Sequatchie Valley - PETER A. ROGERS: Meridian, MS; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn. JOHN EGLE: Dunwoody, GA: M. Taber RICKY ROJAS: Rising fawn, GA; M. Taber

Southern California Flying Tour December 29 to January 5 or January 6 to 12

Build your hang gliding experience this winter and have fun flying a variety of Southern California's premier sites. Traveling with a small group, you'll be introduced to all flying sites by a certified Advanced Instructor with local site knowledge. This gives you the best opportunity to avoid hazards, launch at the right time, plan landing approaches, etc. Southern California has the most reliable winter flying and all sites on the tour have good launches and landing fields. TRIP INCLUDES : Guide Service • Radio Instruction (if desired) • 4WD Rides and Retrieval• Motel and Camping Fees• Glider Demos• FUN! SITES: • Avenue "S" • Kagel • Crestline • Marshall • Lake Elsinore • Otai • Little Black • Big Black For advanced Hang II and up. Cost: $595 one week, $1090 two weeks, Glider Rental $350/week Early reservations are recommended for out-ofstate pilots, since airline schedules fill up early. This trip is carefully planned and has been running annually for ten years. We will proudly supply references. For details and reservations contact:

(408) 384-2622 P.O. Box 828, Marina, California 93933

100% Thick

SHOW YOU'RE A PILOT! 1-800-344-4777!cft~~~h;~~t~;~e I

T-Shirts. BO SUNSET (Front Designs) TORN AIR SILHOUETTE (Back Designs)

ML XL Only $12.95 each. $2.50 Shipping and Handling 1-5 Shirts. Mastercard Visa Discover 1-800-344-4777 9-6 Eastern Time

CLASSIFIEDS ADVISORY: Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loos.c thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, tangs with noncircular holes, and on Rogallos, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. ff in doubt, many hang gliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condi1ion of equipment you bring them to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating, New pilots should seek professional instruclion from a USHGA-certifiecl school. ROGALLOS AIR-ZONE-A -Towsters have the new Phoenix Soft Release and a Pagen glider dispenser. 1ust bring your harness. Jeff Reynolds (602) 482-9723. AXIS 15 - to.lade September, 1988, perfect condition. Pink diamond L.E., pink UP symbol, metal cloth, faired down tubes, many spares Sl,600, (408) 384-2622. Ask for Hernando or leave a message. AXIS 15-Great performance, extra down tube, SI, l 00.00. Must sell. Evenings (619) 934-2125. AXIS 15 - Full race, low airtime, excellent condition $1,450. (412) 898-3219.

HP AT 158 2639.

Five flights, tluor. pink. $2,600. (503) 935-

NEW GLIDERS - Best Prices! Pacific Airwave, \Vills Wings, Seedwings, Delta. Silver Wings (703) 533-3244.

HP AT 158 254-6141.

Five mos., 52,550. 229 Raven, S550. (801)

PAC AIR GENESIS 138 - Under 1990 new factory warranty, LE. F. pink trilam, purple, pink and magenta under, comfon bar. AJ factory new condition. Perfect glider for smaller pilot. PT 3 hours. Sport 167 F. pink trilam L.E., rainbow under, new wires, comfort bar, crisp, 20 hours, $1,500 or trade for 150. HP AT 145, PT IO hours, $2,800. Attack Duck 160, red L.E., rainbow under, good shape, $500. Pro Air 135. black L.E. yellow under, 5325. All gliders have had dealer inspection, manuals and patterns. \Ves1e111 Arizona Hang Gliding. (602) 453-6261, 1-800678-GLIDE.

HP AT 158 -Excellent condition, 53,000. (209) 523-6652 or (209) 847-0924. HP AT 158-Wills Gliders, 60 hrs., $2,400. Two HP-2's, newer one, $800, faired tubes, new bag, Older glider, $600, Pete (412) 661-3474. HP I - Not a flutter in the sail. Performance at a bargain price. S650. Jim (303) 973-5153.

PRO STAR II 195 HP 1-1/2 - Blue and white, speedbar, available December, $400. Daniel (714) 689-1266. HP II - World team glider 1988, S700. Parag\ider Brizair 9, $500. (714) 689-1266. HP II - Full race, all white with speedbar, lots of hours. but well maintained, S 1,000 080. (818) 336-1553. B. Asher. HP ll - Forty hours airtime, full race, S 1,000. Super Dream 185, custom sail, $800. Breeze 140, small control bar, $500. Hanier \88, $400. Atlas 170, $300. (714) 678-5418.

Low airtime, great condition, $495.

080, David (619) 443-6346. RA YEN 209 - Good condition, low ai11irne, Flight Designs harness, Free Spirit chute, all with manuals, $500. Call days DE (302) 738-4844. SENSOR 510 C -

$1,500 Primo Deal! (503) 293-1568.

SENSOR 5 IO C+ - 1989, 20 flights, full race, big 1111, pigtail, pads $2,500. (615) 949-230\ (TN). SENSOR 5 \0 165 -with double French connection. Great condition, $295.00 (408) 758-2539.

AXIS 15 - Full race, beautiful glider, excellent condition SI,800. (303) 499-8236.

KISS 154 - New model (Summer, 1990) !lies perfectly, never crashed, owner desires 145 size, sacrifice, S l ,980. (208) 237-9157.

CG 1000 HARNESS - Like new! Gold/purple made for 175-200 pound, 6' pilot, $300 or trade'? (916) 938-2061

KISS - Virtually new, great thermaling bird, need to sell, $2,600. (716) 394-1254,

COMET I - Very good condition, low hours. Red/yellow $500 (MAJ (413) 245-7512.

KISS -Fifteen hours, Sl,750.00. Kiss, new, 52,000 0130. (509) 627-3624.

188 SKYHAWK - Flown five clays, great for novice/ intermediate, $1,600. 0130. Wills Wing Fly Lite deluxe cocoon harness with Frecflight 20 gore parachute, $700. OBO. (8\8) 707-3199.

COMET 1-165-New flying wires, good condition. 5500 OBO (217) 328-2986.

LAZER 175 - Orange and yellow, S500. Flight Designs pod 5' 10", $125. (206) 67\-5672.

SPORT 167 -Excellent condition, low hours. Only $1,700. (619) 286-5604.

CO!VIET 3-185 - Brand new, slight shipping danwge fixed, S500 off. See in IL{fN/CA. Brad (708) 360-0700.

MAGIC IV 166 - V.G .. 4.4 sail, surfcoat L.E., excellent condition Sl,200. (818) 357-9479.

SPORT l 67 - Magenta on white, three hours, factory condition, $2,000. (714) 366-1810. Mike.

165 DREAM - Purple, lime, white, never used $1,150. (315) 724-4400.

MAGIC IV 177 (503) 935-2639.

Full race, 65 hours, rainbow, SI,000.

SPORT 167 - Great shape (Ohio) New wires, SI ,500. (614) 837-0318.

DREAM 220 CUSTOM llEAUTY - New I0/89, yellow, green trim, multi butterfly. Crisp, 52,400 firm. Sec in IL{fN/ CA. Brad (708) 360-0700.

MAGIC IV 177 388-0752.

Race, excellent condition, S l,000. (503)

SPORT 167 EURO - or new ATS 1,200 or $2,500. Mike (214)-475-4320 (TX) after 5:00 p.m.

DREAM 240 - Only IO llights, like new, 500 lb. placard, SI ,500 (619) 492-9939. FORMULA FX - New, \ 990, $2,795. 1800 PSI regulated oxygen system, S 190. 5 watt GE radio with charger rack, 151.625, $195 (714) 492-8192. LIGHT DREAM 165 - Blue L.E., rainbow, white T.E. Like new 10 hours $1,200. (805) 653-5781 Jordy. LIGHT DREAM 205 Sl,400. (316) 697-2425.

GTR RACER 162 - Red L.E., custom spectrum B.S., 4.4 White M.13. fully faired, speed bar. Low time, clean sail, always hangared, near new condition. S 1,450 OBO. Jeff (303) 879-8129. HAVEN'T GOT $4,000 FOR A NEW GLIDER??? Let Cindy's "Magic \Vanct·· give your sail a face-lift! Call: L/D (303) 440-3579. Check out our selection of QUALITY PRE-FLOWN GLIDERS! HP AT 158 - or HP JI both in excellent condition, $2,300 and SI.400. Call (702) 452-5554 after 6:00 p.m., Pacific Time. NOVEMBER

1990

MAGIC IV 177 - Full race, 20 hrs. Pe1t'ect condition. S 1,500. (503) 245-3047 collect.

SPORT 167 EURO (415) 649-8111.

MAGIC FORMULA 1990 - Low hours, beautiful sail, $2,200. Rusty (616) 469-4332.

SPORT 167 EURO RACE - Immaculate, garaged, extras. left L.E. blue, right L.E. red. (505) 662-3769.

MAGIC KISS 1990 4322, eves.

SPORT l 80 678-6718.

$2,000. Low hours. Call (616) 469-

MOYES METEOR 190 - Good condition, oversize control bar for tandem flying, $400. Rusty (616) 469-4332.

Low hours, excellent condition.

LIGHT DREAM 145 - Zero hours, beautiful, 52,100. GTR 175 <50 hours, excellent condition, $2.200. extras. (7 \4) 783-4429.

SENSOR 510 B/C - with compensator, 3/4 race, white US with spectrum LS, very good condition, S \ ,000 OBO. Will ship, Mike (803) 834-5067.

Red/yellow/blue, \30 hours SI, 100.

Perfect condition, less than IO flights. (714)

UP Cl 185 - White, specdbar, spaghetti harness with chute, extra base and down tubes, YGC, llies great S700. (719) 687-1280.

MOYES XS~ For Christmas. Glide contest winner twice. Make reasonable offer. Call to demo. (209) 333-2575 or (209) 368-9665.

UP COMET ll 185-Good condition.cheap flying at $500. {716) 394-1254.

MOYES XS GLIDERS - New and used. Ball instruments and lots of other COOL stuff, Telluride Airsports (303) 7283889.

UP GEMINI 184 - Excellent condition, 7 flights, stored inside, S850. Also High Energy parachute and harness like new. Ted (213) 429-0011.

MOYES XS 155 (303) 879-3935.

Very good condition, 75 hours, $2,300

VG MYSTIC 155- Low hours, excellent condition, S \ ,200 OBO. Delta wing pod $200 080 (619) 270-6867

MOYES XS I 55 - The glider of champions. Blue, pacific blue, white, $2,500. (415) 665-1520.

VISION ECLIPSE 17 - Black, white, rainbow. immaculate condition, <10 hours. Speed bar, spare <lowntubes, etc. Price harness with parachute, Systek variometer, flight designs altimeter, $1,900. Bob, days (804) 229-1880, eves. (804) 566-1199.

MYSTIC 177 - Low hours, CG, speedbar, faired tubes, pitchie. intermediate batlens, S 1,100. (80 l) 569-\ 895. Great sport kite.

CLASSIFIEDS VJSION MARK IV 17 - 1989 brand new, complete with helmet, 2 harnesses (one with BRS parachute) $2,000 OBO, Jorge (415) 758-5213. VISION MK JV 17 - Good condition, low flight time, one owner, knee hanger harness with parachute, wheels, helmet and extra down tube. Package Sl,800. Have to sell, moving overseas (202) 333-0546. VISION MK JV 17 - Excellent condition, six hours, speed bar 3 DCG, bar mitts, blue L.E.. yellow under surface, $1,700. Small cocoon, rainbow, $50. Bell helmet, sz 7 1/4, $35. (303) 450-9445, Jeff.

RIGID WINGS CATTO AIRCRAFT- 15 CA, can be motorized, been in storage, needs recovering, $500 (719) 687-1280 EASY RISERS (TWO) - One E.T. with harness, parachute, box. One motorized. (303) 667-4617. ULTRALIGHTS WOLF TRIKE/DEMON WING - 18 hp with reduction dri,·c, Digitron/tach, spare prop, belt, down tubes, ere. $1,500. Bob, days (804) 229-1880, eves. (804) 566-1199.

VISION MK JV 17 and 19 - 3DCG, camera zippers, trilam L.E. $1,935 ca. Test flown only, shipped anywhere. (303) 750-3226. WANTED- Used hang gliding equipment. Gliders, instruments, harnesses and parachutes. Airlimc of San Francisco, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) SKY-1177. WILLS WING-Spon 180, brand new, magenta, new blue and F. yellow L.E. Only 2 test flights, $1,195. Harness, Wills Wing Zipperman II with parachute, $500. (50 l) 6815656 or (50 I) 851-7039 eves. and wknds. GOLDEN WINGS I 103 Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 80401 (303) 278-7181 Vision MK-JV 17, 19 Demos (like new)Sl,900-$2,050 Vision 19 (used) (Exel Cond) ........... S 1,800 Sport 167 Euro Demo (Exel Canel) .. $2,300 Spo1t Amer. 167 ( l O hrs) .................. $2,000 HP AT, Demo .................... ..... $2,800 Several other good used glidcrs$450 - S l ,000

PARAGLJDERS FIREBIRD F-1 - Super high performance for advanced pilots. No holes or tears. Fly the wing that wins! Circ (303) 670-0301. USED PARAGLIDERS -Torrey Pines (619) 452-3202, FAX (619) 452-3203. We have several used demo Corvette paraglidcrs. Great opportunity for intro and intermediate recreational paraglidcrs. Contact above for further information. These units can save you SIOOO+, but will only be sold to qualified persons. instructors and dealers, or with lessons at Torrey Pines or one of our qualified dealers. SCHOOLS AND DEALERS ALABAMA LlvtFP - Two hour!'i from Birmingham (see our ad under Tennessee.) (404) 398-3541. ARIZONA

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER r.,tagic Formula In stock ................... New Magic KISS ...................................... New Magic KISS Like new .................. $2,500 150 Sport FR 63" CB. .. SI,900 167 Sport .......................... $1,400 HP AT In stock.. ............. New Demo HP AT. Custom lettering, almost new, immediate delivery .... S3,500 Sport 167 AT In Stock .................... New Magic lil 166 Great Glider..... ..Sl,200 Vision MK JV 17/19 In stock ........... New Vision MK IV 17/19 Used ............ SI,200 229 Raven Used ............................... $700 Equalizers Used Silvi ......... ...... S425 CG 1,000 M Like new ..................... $450 4206-K Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego. CA 92121. We have instruments and parachutes in stock (619) 450-9008. :=special travel incentives on some glider purchases.

ARIZONA WINDS PORTS-Largest hang gliding center in the Southwest. Lessons utilizing 1he world's first manmade trainer hill. All our sites face every wind direction. Highest percent of flyable s1udent days in America. Dealer for Pacific Airwave, Wills Wing, High Energy, Ball and Seagull classic parts. 1327 E. Bell De Mar Dr., Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 897-7121. DESERT HANG GLIDERS - USHGA Certified School. Supine specialists. 4319 W. Larkspur, Glcnclale, AZ 85304. (602) 439-0789, 938-9550. ARKANSAS

CALIFORNIA ACTION SOARING CENTER - In Lodi near Stockton. Personalized USHGA certified instruction, sales and service. Emphasis on special skills and techniques, T.O. and L. Call to demo XS, EZ, \VB. Ask about tow clinic. 1689 Armstrong Road, Lodi, CA 95242 (209) 368-9665. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO - Hang gliding & paragliding. Lessons -sales - service - rentals. UP, Pacific Airwave, Secdwings, Wills Wing, High Energy, Pro Designs, HiLitc, Condor and more. Large selections of secondhand equipment. Certified instruction (USHGA & APA). Next to Fort Funston, 3620 \Vawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (415) SKY-1177. AIRTIME UNLIMITED-SOUTHLAND HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - Pacific Airwave gliders in stock. Tandem instruction, A TOL towing. \Ve need yollr t1sed glider tradeins. c/o David Engel, 12120 Severn Way, Riverside, CA 92503 (714) 589-0l09. CHANDELLE SAN FRANCISCO, INC. Since 1973, complete hang gliding and paragliding sales service and instrncLion. Dealers for \Vills \Ying, Pacific Airwave, Delta Wing, Seedwings, UP, High energy, Center of Gravity, Ball, BRS, Second Chantz. ITV, Fircbird, Edel and more' Northern California's mos1 complete repair facjJity, incJuding 7th class rigger's machine. New and used equipment, spare parts, and demos. Complete training, including introductory lessons, packages, clinics, ground school and tandem. Five minutes from r:t. Funston. 488 Manor Plaza, Pacifica, CA 94044. (415) 359-6800. HANG FLIGHT SYSTEMS . DIRECTLY across lhe street from WILLS WING. DEMOS and rentals available to qualified pilots. HP-AT small, medium & large SportA T's, Kiss, Mark JV, Genesis, Dreams and Axis. FLY 'EM ALL and decide what you like, \Ve sell and service all major brands of gliders and accessories. USHGA certified XC clinics and training program. 1202 E. \Valma, Unit Iv[, Santa Ana, CA 92701 1714) 542-7444 Near Disneyland. I-IANG GLIDER EMPORIUM - The best training hill in the west is in Santa Barbara, a hang gliding VACATION PARADISE. High quality PERSONALIZED instruction focusing on the skills that most affect your SAFETY. Call for vacation info and glider inventory. Tues.-Fri. 10-5, Sat. 10-4. 613 N. Milpas, Santa Barbara, California 93103 (805) 965-3733.

NAME:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIEDS training hill. S lO/day lodging. Dealing all brands. PO Box 94, Hartse!, Colorado 80449. (719) 836-2240 (weekends only) or 1303) 762-6505.

MICHIGAN

EAGLE'S NEST School of Hang Gliding - USHGA certified school. Dealer for Delta \Ving, Pacific Airwave and Wills Wing. P.O. Box 25985. Colorado Springs, CO 80936. (719) 594-0498.

PRO HANG GLIDERS - Serving since I 978. USHGA ce11ified flight school. Towing specialist. Step-towing or thermal-trolling for qualified pilots. Beginner through advanced lessons. Observer. \Vills \Ving, Bennett, J\ 1anta. Contact Norman Lesnow, 569 W. Annabelle, Hazel Park, ML 48030. (3 !3) 399-9433.

HAPPY HOLTDA YS! -

from Telluride Airsports, featur-

ing ivloyes gliders, Ball instruments and CG 1000 harness. Order today in time for Christmas. P.O. Box 2076, Telluride, CO 81435 (303) 728-3889.

HIGH ADVENTURE - Full service facility located on site at Southern California's famous mile high mountains, Crestline. From sand hill to XC thermal flying, our 20

GOLDEN WINGS ~ Sales, service. USHGA certified instruction. Tandem Towing Instruction. Dealers for \Vills Wing, Pacific Airwave, Delta Wings, Moyes, UP. Clinics: Soaring, Parachute, Instruclor, Mm. Tours, Towing. I l08 Miners Alley, Golden, CO 8040!. (303) 278-7181.

rnndcm accelerated training progrnm is y_uick and thorough. Instructor Rob Ivie Kenzie. Dozens of new and used gliders for sale or renl. Other services include, weal her information, mountain shuttle, lO\.Ving seminars, XC trips, repairs, ratings. (714) 883-8488. THE HANG GLIDING CENTER - Located in beautiful San Diego. USHGA instruction, equipment rentals, local flying tours. Spend your winter vacation t1ying with us. \Ve proudly offer \ViHs \Ying, Pacific Airwavc, High Energy, Ball and we need your used equipment. 4206-K Sorrento Valley Blvd .. San Diego. CA 92121 (619) 450-9008. MISSION SOARING CENTER - Serving tile !lying community since 1973. Complete lesson program with special attention to quality take-off and landing skills. All major brands of glider~, parachutes. and instruments sold. Sa11 repair and air frame service available. l l 16 \Vrigley \Vay, Milpitas, CA 95035. (408) 262-1055. NATURAL HIGH SPORTS - Lessons, equipment. jewelry. Debbi Renshaw-Armenta, P.O. Box 361, Running Springs, CA 92382. (714) 867-796!.

L/D ENTERPRISES - Frame and sail repair: Parts and accessories, Cindy Drozda, 5000 Butte #!83, Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 440-3579. PEAK PERFORMANCE PARAGLIDING SCHOOL ~ Paragliding instruction/equipment sales. P.O. Box 213, Crested B,ntc, CO 81224. (303) 349-5961. CONNECTICUT MOUNTAIN WINGS -

Look under New York.

TRUE FLIGHT CONCEPTS - USHGA Certified Instruction, Sales & Service. Become a better pilot in less time with our small personalized classes & tandem instruction. Our head instructor has over 12 years reaching experience. Only minutes from our local Kagel Mountain flying site. l3l85 Gladstone Ave., Syhnar, CA 91342. (818) 367-6050. WJNDGYPSY - USHGA Certified school specializing in personalized tandem flighc training. Full service sales & repair facility in Lake Elsinore - call for site info. \Viele range of new & used gliders & flight acces~ories in swck. Mexico Hang Gliding Tours. Paul Burns, 33041 Walls St., Lake Elsinore, CA 92330 Phone (7141 678-5-118: FAX (71-1) 678-5425.

_ _; e -

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MIAMI HANG GLIDING, INC. ~ Certified instructor specializing in personalized t1ighl training. Full service sales and parts for all gliders, makes and models. For more information call (305) 667-2392. ORLANDO - Solo in one hour. Paraplane (powered parachute). Flights on large private airfield. (407) 351-4510. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK~ See ad under Tennessee. (-104) 398-3541. GEORGIA LOOKOUT MOUt\TAIN FLIGHT PARK under Tennessee. (404) 398-3541.

See our ad

HAWA!l MAUl SOARING SUPPUES - Sport, Mark IV, Magic Kis\. Rentals, guide service. advanced instruction. Ctosed Feb .. Mar., Ap( Box 780, Kula. HI 96790. (808) 878-1271. IDAHO

COLORADO

RAVEN HANG GLIDING SCHOOL~ Lareest and most popular in the Alidwe:-:.t. Traditional curriculu;n. ridge soaring. mm1111ain clinics. tandem by Brad Kushner. Sak\/ scrvice/acces;')orics for all major brands;. ::WO N. Green Bay Rd., Waukegan, IL 60085 (708) 360-0700.

ILLINOIS

1990

NEW JERSEY MOUNTAlN WINGS -

Look under New York.

NEW MEXICO UP OVER NEW MEXICO, !NC. ~Instruction, sales, service. Sandia Mountain guides. \Vills, Secdwings, Pacific Airwave, Delta, Moyes. Albuquerque, N/vl (505) 821-8544.

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~~-~--'

TREASURE VALLEY HANG GUDTNG - USHGA Cf!, ser\'ice/sales, Pacific Airwave, UP, American \Vindwright, La Moucttc. 11716 FaiLYiew. Boise, ID 83704. (208) 3767() l-1.

NOVEMBER

ADVENTURE SPORTS - Spectacular Sierra tours, tandem & lessons. USHGA cc,tified rraining and ratings. Dealers for Wills Wing. Pacific Airwave, Delta Wing, VP. Fly the Sierras with a full-service shop. 3680-6 Research Way, Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 883-7070.

NEW YORK

WTNDSl'ORTS SOARING CENTER - Los Angeles· larges( and rnost cornplete school since 197-L \Ve spe;ializc in personalized ranclem instruction, sales and repair. Spend your winter \'acation flying with us! 16l-t5 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys. CA 91406 (818J 988-0111. ··Professionals You Can Trust!"

COLORADO WIND PARK - ··come up for Air' .. Sales, se1Yice. complete in~rruction on our 500-foot. 360-degree

NEVADA

AAA MOUNTAIN WINGS HANG GLIDING CENTER AND FLIGHT PARK - Now offering PARAGLIDING instruction and sales. Base of ELLENVILLE MTN. Four exduslvc training hHls. Area's only dealer for Pacific Airwavc, UP, Seedwings and Delta \Ving with demos in stock. We are the largest, mo~t complele H.G. accessory and repair shop of its kind in the coun1ry. i\fany new and used gliders in stock. R/C supplies and kits, Ultra Pod camera systems. VISA and MASTERCARD accepted. Stop in and get your flight pass and gate combo. 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428. (914) 6-17-3377. In N.E. 1-800-525-7850.

Certified Tra\n\ng progrmY1. featuring tandem soaring lessons. New, used, rental and demo equipment by Delta \Ving and UP. 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037 (619) 452-3202.

T-N-T HANG GLIDING, !NC-Know how to fly? Want to learn to fly? Come see Michigan's first ATOL Jaunch system in action. (313) 382-3977.

FLORIDA

PINE CREST AIR PARK - Landing area for Crestline. Launch info. for schools, lodging. area flying si1cs. Contact Juanita Jackson evenings at (714) 382-4803. TORREY FLIGHT PARK, INC.~ At the launch of the world famous Torrey Pines Glider Port, one of San Diego's highlights! Unmatched convenience for pilots and spectators. Refreshments and souvenirs at the Clifflianger Care.

FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. - Serving S. New York, Connecticut, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mtn.). Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instruction. Teaching since !979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices/ repairs. Excellent secondary instruc1ion ... if you 'vc finished a program and wish to continue. Fly the mountain! ATOL towing! Tandem flights! Contact: Paul Voight, RD 2, Box 561, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (914) 744-3317. SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK~ Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. 40 acre park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600' N\V ridge. \Ve have the best facilities in N. New York state to teach you how to fly. RD 2, Box 348A, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (315) 866-6153. THERMAL UP, !NC.~ Most complete hang gliding shop in area. Located on top of Ellenville j\,Jountain. USHGA Certified Instructor and Observer. Concentrating on 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, P.O. Box 347. Cragsmoor. NY 12420. (91"1) 647-3489. NORTH CAROLINA

FLY AMERICA, Corolla Flight-All introclnctory flights and lessons taught by USHGA Master Rated, Advanced Tandem Instructor. Greg Dc\Volf in51ructs new through advanced ~tuc.lents with,\ TOL and Tandem. Tow fro111 your blankc1 or doorstep on beautiful Currituck Beach on the Outer Banks. Call \919) 261-6166 or write: Corolla Flieht, Box I 021. Kitty Hawk, NC 279"19. -

CLASSIFIEDS KITTY HA WK KITES, INC. - P.O. Box 340, Nags Head, NC 27959 (919) 441-4124. Learn to hang glide on Jockey's Ridge, the largest sand dune on the east coast, just south of where the Wright Brothers' first flight took place. Beginner and advanced lesson packages and camps offered. Advanced tandem tow instmction, 1500 ft. plus up. Dealer for all major brand gliders, complete inventory of new and used gliders, accessories and pai1s. OHIO MARIO MANZO - Certified instruction, repair, inspection. CG-!000, 2259 S. Smithville Rd., Dayton, OH 45420. (513) 256-3888 (eves.) NORTH COAST HANG GLIDING - Cenified Instruction. New & used gliders. Specializing in Pacific Airwave gliders. Mike De) Signore, 19 l 6 W. 75th St., Cleveland, OH. 44102 (216) 631-1144.

INTERNATIONAL DEALERS

TEXAS AUSTIN AIR SPORTS - Still the one in central Texas, quality service since 1978. Instruction, sales 1 rental, and a complete airframe & sail repair facility. 1712 Waterston, Austin, TX 78703 (512) 474-1669. KITE ENTERPRISES - Instruction, sales, repairs, platform towing, Dallas, North Texas area. 211 Ellis, Allen, TX 75002 (214) 996-7706 daytime, (214) 727-3588 nights and weekends. Dealer Pacific Airwavt:!. UTAH WASATCH WINGS - USHGA certified hang gliding school, dealers for Wills Wing, Moyes and Pacific Airwave. Flight operations at Point of the Mountain. Call Gordon (80[) 277-1042.

SWITZERLAND SWISS ALP HANG GLIDING SAFARI - For quick, easy flying May to October, call or write Ron Hurst, Jostenstr. 21, 8854 Galgenen, Switzerland, Dir. Dial USA Ol l-4 l-55645229, FAX#: Ol l-41-55-645223. EMERGENCY PARACHUTES ALL BRANDS - Bought, sold, and repacked. Inspection and repack $20.00 - Parachutes, bridles, inspected and replaced. Airtime of S.F,, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 94116. (4l5) SKY-1177.

VIRGINIA

POCKET ROCKET - Ballistic recovery system for hang gliders. S799 complete, $499 with own parachute. Paragliding system .5775 complete. ADVENTURE SPORTS 3680 Research Way #6, Carson City, NV 89706. (702) 883-7070.

SIL VER WINGS, lNC. - Certified instruction & equipment sales. N. VA. (703) 533-1965.

SPECIAL 14-gore Hanbury Super slim only for reserl'c use. (303) 278-9566.

OREGON SILENT FLIGHT - Servicing northern CA, southern Oregon - TLS towing, lessons, tandems, dealers for all equipment. Mt. Shasta. (916) 938-206 l. PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION - Certified instruction, Pittsburgh. (412) 697-4477. C'MON OUT AND PLAY!

TOWING

WASHING TON AlRPLAY'N PRO SHOP & Hang Gliding School. The largest full time, full service hang gliding shop in Washington. All major brands sold and serviced. 800 Mercer, Seattle, WA 98109. (206) 467-8644.

Super small,

MAZDA 4X4 1987 - 58K with TLS TOW RIG, removable glider racks. Complete and ready to tow, $8,500. (619) 872-4810. Bishop, CA. PARTS & ACCESSORIES

MOUNTAIN WINGS -

Look under New York.

TENNESSEE CRYSTAL AIR SPORT MOTEL - at Raccoon Mountain. Bunkhouse, private rustic rooms, regular & waterbeds, video in-room movies, private jacuzzi room, pool, sky gear gifts, fliers work progrnm. FF!: 4328 Cummings Hwy., Chattanooga. TN 37409. (615) 821-2546. Chuck & Shari Toth. HA WK AIRSPORTS ~ New and improved hang gliding! Attention Novice and beginners! New 360 degree training hill designed and built specifically for you. Conveniently located. Fun! Fun! Fun! Clinch Mtn. - The longest ridge, two launches. The popular light wind indicator Winclsok. Brochures available. Your satisfoction is the key to our continued growth and success. Hawk Air Sports, Inc., 251 North Boyd's Creek Rd., Sevierville, TN 37862, (615) 453-1035. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK - Since 1978, Southeast's largest USHGA-ce11ifi.ed mountain flight school, Complete training, from grassy, gently-sloping training hills to soaring high above Lookout Mountain. Our specialty: getting you your firsc mmmtain mghts. Lesson packages, USHGA ratings, glider and mountain bike rentals, camping, local site information. Largest inventory of new and used hang gliders and mountain bikes, harnesses, helmets, instruments, T-shirts. Repair services. We buy used gliders, equipment! Send$ I .00 for brochur(:, rates, directions, accommodations information. Twenty minutes from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Route 2, Box 215-H, Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738. (404) 398-3541 or 398-3433. SEQUATCHIE VALLEY SOARING SUPPLY, INC. ~ Dealers for all major brands. Small training classes, with USHGA certified instruction, including tandem flights with group rates available. Famous radial ramp located just across rhe street. Great first mountain flight location with a huge landing zone and camping available with a comfortable clubhouse. Fly over WO miles of ridges and enjoy challenging thermals with two launches, soon to be three, right here in "The hang gliding capital of the East." Fully stocked pro shop. Rentals, storage, USHGA ratings and all the latest fashions. Proud dealers for Wills Wing, Seedwings and Delta Wing gliders with reasonable pricing on all products. Brochure, maps. site info .. Tennessee Tree Toppers Club memberships available. Visa, Mastercharge and Discover Card accepted. For personal scrvic~ thar you can trust call SYS, Rt. 2, Box 80, Dunlap, TN 37327 (6l5) 9492301.

TORREY

BRAND NEW MAXON RADIOS - S175 shipped! Colorado residents add 3.5'k sales tax. Colorado Wind Park, PO Box 94, Hansel, Coloraclo 80449 (303) 762-6505. CRUISESUPRONE POD- Contact Steve Dyer, P.O. Box 3091, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

FLIGHT PARK Telephone: (619) 452-3202 FAX: (619) 452-3203 Paragliding classes, Class 1 and 2 and instructor ratings. Latest certified equipment and instructors. ~';~it-.k

Five days to Class 1 level: $440.00 Classes: $100.00 per day per person. Groups of five: $85.00 per day. Private lessons: $175.00 per day. CHRISTMAS RESERVATIONS are now being taken, so book early. COME TO SUNNY SAN DIEGO.

DON'T PAY FOR A NAlvlE, PAY FOR QUALITY. High quality short shell, open ear helmets at an affordable price. MEETS & EXCEEDS the new !988 DOT standards. \Veil finished brushed nylon liner with High strength Polycarbonate shell. ONLY $55.00. Golden Wings: Colorado's New Hang Gliding Supply Source, (303) 278-7181. KEVLAR FULL l'ACE-Superlite full face cover helmet. Excellent vision, yet cold weather protection, $295. Visors $25. Pendulum Sports, lnc. (719) 539-3900. USA La i\1ouette - La Iv[ouettc parts, gliders, trikes, paragliders and accessories. l l 7 l6 Fairview, Boise, Idaho 83704. (208) 376-7914. Dealer inquiries welcome.

TORREY FLIGHT PARK

Best in the West for all your paragliding needs! HANG GLIDING

Ssuccess continues The worldwide success story keeps going for the incredible XS . Now HGMA Certified, the XS 155 and XS 142 just keep on winning!

The 3rd annual Glide Contest in Morningside, New Hampshire was won by the XS 155 and XS 142. The longest flight of the meet was on an XS 142 with Coby Fins.

1st: Thomas Suchanek, XS 155, Australian Nationals, Mt. Elliot, Corfyong 1st: Paulinho Coelho , XS 155, Pre-World Championships , Govenador Valadares, Brazil 1st: Peter Luke, XS 155, Golden Open XC , Golden , Canada 1st: Bob Mackey, XS 142, Chelan Classic, Chelan , Washington 1st: Thomas Suchanek, XS 155, First World Open XC , Wakayama, Japan 1st: John Durand, XS 155, West Coast Championships , Pine Mtn. , Oregon

At the Golden Open XC event in Alberta, 3 XS's were entered, and finished 1, 2, 3. "The XS seemed to excel in the light conditions at minimum sink and at best glide .. .. ln solid cores as well, the XS produced exemplary climb rates .... Landing is a cake walk." - Dennis Pagen , Pilot Report, Sept. '90 Hang Gliding magazine Become a success story, fly an XS.

Moyes Delta Gliders P/l. , t 73 Bronte Rd.Waverley 2024 N.S.W. Australia.Tel. (02) 387 5114 Fax: (02) 387 4472 Moyes California 22021 Covello St.,California 91303.Tel. (8 18) 887 3361 Fax: (818) 702 0612 Moyes lcaro 2000 S.R.L. via Santa Caterina, 15 1/21038 Leggiuno Reno (Va) ltaly. Tel. (0332) 648335 Fax (0332) 648079

The Champions GHder.

Moyes Japan 124-6 2F Mukougaoka, Takatu-KuKawasaki -Shi Kanagawa Ken -213 Japan. Tel. (044) 8775044 Fax (044) 8557242

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ATTENTION -LICENSED HANG GLIDING INSTRUCTORS. Contact us for free information on opening your own Paragliding School. \Ve provide everything you need to start a school, and train you to use our proven methods of instruction. Free introductory Paragliding ground school and flight to Licensed Hang Gliding Instructors. For information on your own Paragliding School, contact: PEAK PERFORMANCE PARAGUDERS INC., P.O. Box 213, Crested Butte, CO 81224. Tel/Fax (303) 349-5961. LINDSAY RUDDOCK VA RIOS -

Considered by good

pilots on all 5 continents as the very best sensitivity and stability that money can boy. Sold all over the world for most of the last decade. Customized for each pilot with choices from: altimeter, airspeed, averager, stopwatch, 2 zero's, TE, dual battery, QNE, millibars, switched ranges, rnenic/English, colored case, etc. Prices $600-$800. Not the cheapest but definitely the best. We also sell Pacific Airwave performance gliders. Call or write for more info.: Bob Fisher, M & B Associates, 11003 Oasis, Houston, TX 77096. (713) 728-4146, FAX 728-0438. VISA/Mastercard accepted. MAXON RADIOS - $325. New synthesized, programmable VHF FM 5 watts. Includes 6 channels (3 USHGA and 3 weather), charger, case, antenna and warnmty. Best prices on Maxon hand-held, mobile and accessories plus fast, reliable service facility. 1-watt Maxon $169.95. Quantity discounts available. Pendulum Sports, Inc. (719) 539-3900. PARAGLIDING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - A complete line of equipment and accessories available. \Vhatever your needs, from Alpine descents to ocean, thermal, and ridge soaring, we have ir. PEAK PERFORMANCE PARAGLIDERS INC., P.O. Box 213, Crested Butte, CO, 81224. Tel/Fax (303) 349-5961.

QUICK RELEASE CARABINER - Breaking 10,000 lbs. $24.95. Extra 5/16 ball lock pin S l 0. Dealers wanted. Patent pending. Thermal, 19431-41 Business Center Dr., Nmthridge, CA 91324 RAYMOND COCOON-Medium with High Energy Spm1s parachute, steel carabiner, Bell helmet, Size 7-1/4 and UP backpack harness bag, $425 or OBO. Steve (619) 221-5990 eves. SAILt'V!AKING & RIGGING SUPPLIES - All fabric types. Massachusetts Motorized, P.O. Box 542-G, Cotuit, MA 02635. (413) 736-2426. ULTIMATE CAMERA SETUP!! -

See for yourself why

CHANDELLE HANG GLIDING CENTER - is looking for an experienced, qualified person to till the position of Sky School Manager and air frame mechanic. Candidate must be highly proficient in hang gliding skills, knowledge of repair technology, self-motivated. resourceful, highly safely conscious, work well with people and have a great sense of humor. USHGA certificate desirable, but emphasis is on abilities and cxpetiencc. Duties include instruction, ground school, guided toms, professional demonstrations and repair. Salary negotiable. Call Andrew. (415) 3596800. HANG GLIDING SCHOOL - For sale in Olympia, WA. Conlract instruction and tandems April through September. Call (206) 459-8389. HELP WANTED - Immediate openings. USHGA certified basic hang gliding inslruclors and certified tandem tow instructors. Contact John Harris, Kitty Hawk Kites, P.O. Box 1839, Nags Head, NC 27959. Call (919) 441-4124.

this is THE BEST equipment available for hang gliding. Other cameras require lengthy setup, counter-balancing, and triggers not suitable for flying. This is THE ONLY camera available with ultrasound remolc (no wires, no point-lOshoot). It also is very lightweight, and has auto-focus, autoadvance, auto-rewind, auto-load, auto-flash, built-in wideangle lens, and more! The mount easily adapts to any glider. Just $236 gives you everything all ready-to-go. Visa/MC. CA residents add 6.25% tax ($250.75). Send to Cindy Gall, c/o Semicoa. 333 McCormick A venue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Call (714) 894-7143. X-C SMOKE BOMBS-· S5.00. Signal mirror, $6.00. Jack the Ripper cutaway knife, $20.00. Pendulum Sports, Inc. (719) 539-3900. TOWING

INSTRUCTORS WANTED - Prefer certified but will train qualified people. Advancement opportunities include tour guiding and management. Western Hang Gliders, P.O. Box 28882, Marina, CA 93933. (408) 384-2622. MOUNT;\JN WINGS - ls looking for advanced hang gliding and paragliding instructors. Salaries negotiable. Full and part-time positions available. Manager position available~rcquircs knowledge of computer systems. Call Greg or Judy at (914) 647-3377. Send resume to 150 Canal St., Ellenville, NY 12428. PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS ***HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE*** - Special New Pilot Edition. Covering many aspects of hang gliding for the beginning pilot. $4.50 plus Sl.50 S/H. USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933. PARAGLIDE USA - Subscribe to North America's most widely read paragliding magazine. $25/year/l 2 issues. VISA/ MC 12662 Softwind Dr., Moreno Valley, CA 92388 (714) 924-5229 or FAX (714) 242-4718.

PARA-SWIVEL-Only $79.00. Ask your local dealer or call us. This is what you have been waiting for. Reduce the risk of your parachute wrapping up. WARNING: This swivel must be installed by a qualified rigger. Swivel installation, new bridle & repacking available. Call for details and prices. Available as a parachute manufaclltrer installed option. Dealer inquiries invited. GOLDEN WINGS, l !08 Miners Alley, Golden, CO 8040 l. (303) 278-718 l. THE PERCH - Glider rack with four point support. No need for bumper mount, attaches directly to roof rack. For free information write: The Perch, 24784 Melba Drive, Madera, CA 93638, (209) 673-2544.

SOARING- Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. rull membership $35. Info. kit with sample copy S3. SSA, P.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. VIDEOS & FILMS TOW LINE RECOVERY DROGUE KITING SYSTEM® OKS - Stop dropping your tow line, pull it down out of the sky. Fast, saves wear on tow systems. Self-contained system stays with rope. Two sizes, $125-S 130. Check or M.O. To: Happy Bottom Research, 1229 Dug Hill Rd., Brownsboro, AL 35741. (205) 536-8224 After 5pm CST. ULTR ALINE- From the original Ultrnline source - Cajun Hang Gliding. In stock l/4, $145 delivered and 3/16", $95 delivered. 110 Kent Circle, Lafayette, LA 70508. (318) 981-8372.

VidEOTApES

AiRPLAy FoR HANG Glidrn PiloTS HANG GLIDING TODAY - is a new, short introduction to our sport and the programs of USHGA. Av:iilable only from USHGA for $9.95 + $3 shipping. Copies of TELLURIDE', Mouniains High And Flatland Flying are $37 each (Calif. Res. add state tax) + $3 shipping from AirPlay. Make checks payable to Robert Reiter, 800 Heinz Street #9, Berkeley, CA 94710. For additional information, call (415) 649-81 l l. HANG GLIDING

CLASSIFIEDS REW ARD ~ for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hang glider pilots responsible for dumping the hang glider ancl washing machine off of the flying site al Soboba near Hemet, California on the afternoon of Thursday, August 2, 1990. Contact the Riverside County Sheriff's department or the Paraglide USA office at (714) 9245229.

***NEW*** "HANG GLIDING TODAY"~ The official USHGA Headquarters membership video. Produced by Robert Reiter and narrated by Russ Locke, covering member programs ant\ benefits. $9.95 plus $3.00 S/H. Send lo USHGA Video, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs. CO 80933. MISCELLANEOUS **''*DELUXE LOG BOOK COVER**'' ~ Be proud to show off your flights with our deluxe log book cover. American made from "reconstructed" gray vinyl. Looks and feels like leather and "debossed" with the Mtn. Glider design. Will fit any hang gliding log book! A greal Christmas present! Only $9.95! (plus $2.00 S/H) Colorado residents add 6.5'7c sales tax. ORDER YOURS TODAY! USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933.

STOLEN FROM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 2/90 ~ 167 Sport Euro. Full Race. All white with dayglow orange un<lersurfacc. $300 reward for information \ead.inu to recovery. Call Dave Rodriguez at (80 I) 572-1 ODO. FIREBIRD COBRA PARAGLIDER-241112. yellow, pink. ornnge. Stolen from car in Kcntficld, CA on 4-15-90. Ca!J (415)456-7272. ULTRA GOLD WINGS YOUR STATEMENT OF FLIGHT (in fine jewelry) Available in 14K or S.S. A choice of stud or French wire earrings. $129.00 14K, $49.00 S.S. l\ecklace including chain - S99.00 14K, $29.00 S.S. Versatile pin of 11ight $79.00 14K, S24.00 S.S. We design custom and personalized wings, and offer satisfaction guaranteed. Contact Dave Morgan, 130 F St., Salida, CO 81201 (719) 539-7612. Prices: 14K S.S. French wires or stud earrings S129.00 $49.00 S99.00 S29.00 Necklace with chain $79.00 $24.00 Pin WANTED TO LEASE-or purchase a hang gliding site in New York., Vermont, Nev: Hampshire, iv!assachuseus or Connecticut. Send information to P.O. Bax 428, Lumberton, New Jersey 08048 or call (609) 859-3894.

HANG GLIDING Cl1R!STMAS CARDS~ Unique black and white. S 10.00 for an assortment of I 5, or S30.00 for 50 (please acid !D'lc for shipping). Call Alegra (203) 379-1668 or send a SASE for assortment selection sheet to: Tck Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098.

HAVE YOU SENT FOR YOUR NEW 1990 USHGA MERCHANDISE ORDER FORlvl TODA y·i FREE' The rate for classified advertising is $.40 per word (or group

or characters). Minimum charge, S4.00. A fee of $15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for eaeh photo. Bold face or caps within the text $.95 per word. Please underline words to be in bold print. Special layouts of tabs S22.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions, charrncs, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l 1/2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. August 20 for rhe October issue. Please make checks payah\c to USHGA: Classified Advertising Dept. HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, co 80933 (719) 632-8300. STOLEN WINGS BALL VARIO - With total energy probe, electrical tape securing battery. Lost in Hemet County (So. Cal.) in early Spring of 1990, Located in black fanny pack, can describe the contents of the pack (619) 480-1321,

LADIES~ The best CHRISTMAS PRESENT you could give your pilot is warmth. He will remember you every !ime he flies with his sheepskin THERl\-!ITTS. The wannest band fairings in the world. Send S47 .00 to \Vyoming Aerolites, P.O. Box 880, Casper Wyoming 82602. (307) 2353367. Dealer inquiric~ welcome. ***NEW*** USHGA POSTER! Full color, 24" X 37" poster of Eric Raymond doing oxygen at 17,000' tvJSL O\'er the Sierra Nevada Range. S5.95 plus S2.00 S/H. USHGA Poster, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, co 80933. USHGA EMBLEM T-SHIRTS - The original, revised for the 90' s! Bright neon colors. Your choice: a white tank tor or blac, t-shirt. Both IOO'lc cotton. Please specify type and size. A\'ailable in S, M, L XL. Only S9.95 each (what a deal')+ S2.00 S/H. Colorado residents add 6.5'7c tax. Send to USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 (719) 632-8300.

NOVEMBER

1990

MAXON - Three-channel radio, lost or 111isplacecl at the Telluride Aerobatics Competition. Serial No. 81171758. 1602) 745-6739 days, leave message. BRAND NEW HIGH ENERGY COCOON - Stolen ;llong with contents of my vehicle in Durango, CO in early i'vla)~ 1990. Stripes from toes to shoulder. brown, tan, orange, yellow, red. Red stuff sack with yellow, orange and brown patches. Please contact Tim at C 13) 375-8438. Leave me;")sagc. 155 MOYES XS -Full race, stolen from side of road at IO I and Scheller exit, between San Jose and i\ lorgan Hill. It was taken away with no bag or ties. Colors are: L.E.-orange, main-green. bottom-white. Contact Kevin Dutt. (-+15) 9342189 1

ITALIAN MOYES XS - Red L.E.. yellow, \\'bite T.E. Slob:n fro1r1 my home in Birmingham, Alabama on June 4, 1990. European tubing. I of 5 in U.S. Call Allen (2051 5958641.

STOLEN WINGS ar~ listed as a service ro USHGA members. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in to the office for immediate inclusion in Hang Gliding. Please call to cancel the lisling when gliders are recovered. Periodically, this listing will be purged.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Aircotec ............................................ 44 AirWorks .......................................... 47 Ball Varios ......................................... 2 Brede! Tours ..................................... 42 BRS .................................................. 39 Cloudbase Instruments ..................... 11 Edel .................................................... 4 Enterprise Wings .............................. 17 Hall Bros .......................................... 42 High Energy Sports .......................... 42 Kitty Hawk Kites ............................. 52 Lookout Mt. Flight Park .................. .40 Max Hang Gliding Helmet ............... I 1 MBNA .............................................. 41 Morningside Hang Gliders ............... 13 Moyes ............................................... 57 OA USA ........................................... 13 Pacific Airwave .............................. BC Performance Designs ....................... 27 Roberts Glider Instruments .............. 39 Safari Mexico .................................. .49 Second Chantz .................................. 48 Seed wings ........................................ 43 Sentek ,, ............................................. 13 Sierra Cloudbase ................................ 2 Sport Aviation Publications ............. 42 Torrey Flight Park ...................... 1,6,56 UP International ..... .,,, .. ,,, ___ ,, ............ 48 USHGA ............. IFC,IBC,2,9,12,47,48 Western Hang Gliders ...................... 52 Wills Wing ............................. 11,13,20 Windgypsy ....................................... 48

ST. PAUL, MINN -- In announcing minor refinements on the Sensor E model, Seedwings begins to reveal their accord with the Austrian distributor now representing the brand in Europe. ••• First, the E model has control bar hardware which permits the glider to be laid down flat without disassembly of the wings. This has long been a requirement of the European pilot. Next, the Sensor has a speedbar, which they've subjected to 1,000 pounds without seeing deformation. It has only a 2. 5 inch offset, reducing flex and allowing better inbag storage. • • • Bob Trampenau' s design will now use streamlined down tubes offered by Finsterwalder, one of Europe's up and coming manufacturers (who recently acquired the Charly company, a big manufacturer of safety and accessory products in Germany). Seedwings has enabled the airfoil downtubes to fit all models of the Sensor line. • • • While many pilots are attracted to the airfoil downtubes, some pilots raise a question. "At $100 for a single [Moyes] XS downtube," says San Diego pilot Bob Schwartz, buyers may want to to reconsider plain old round tubes. Round is better for side loads and are often safe after repairs from minor "bonks. 11 Not all companies charge $100 for airfoil downtubes. • • • Apparently "Kiss" is too long a name, as both Airwave companies rev up their promo machine for the K2. Sold by Airwave UK and PacAir, the K2 is enjoying notable competition success. PacAir announced plans to HGMA certify the wing which has a Hang III rating. Apparently pushing the K2 as their high-end glider, PacAir states, "[It's] the best glider [we've] ever produced. Period. 11 They say partici.:lar attention has been paid to setup/takedown, noting that "tensioning of the crosstubes is far easier than any of our previous performance wings." It's also said to exhibit good tracking. No price was mentioned. The wee K2s (145 & 155) seem to compete with PacAir's Magic Formula 144 and 154 which they are also interested in promoting harder. Given a $3,200 retail for the Formulae (a "low" price these days!) and a generous dealer discount, you may want to pay your local rep a visit. • • • In a final PacAir note, the Airwave team has recently enlisted the famed Australian Duncan brothers -- Rick and Russell (listed #24 and #30 on the international PIRS ranking system) -- to fly the K2s. • • • News in the towing "industry" reveals a new opportunity for ATOL owner and truck launching founder, Jerry

Forburger. The Texan is near agreement with Hawaiian airpark developer, Bill Fulton, to become operations manager and chief tandem pilot of the new business on Oahu (across the island from Honolulu). If the pact goes through, Forburger will arrive on site in November for all of 1991. He plans to continue support for current ATOL customers with spare parts and service, but may'suspend production of his high-class rig due to prohibitive shipping costs from Hawaii. • • • Meanwhile TLS (Tow Launch Systems) owner, Chris Gagliano, has announced a "kit" version of his Mk III winch system. Normal retail is $1,899, but those with mechanical aptitude can save $600 if they want to perform the assembly. TLS will even sell the kit in several packages to allow pilots to purchase the system in pieces, lessening the cost burden. Though different from the tow system sold by ATOL, the TLS unit has attracted 25 buyers in the last 14 months. Call TLS at 512/824-1803. • • • Some pilots have resisted paying the ATOL price (some $6,000 for the deluxe outfit). However, Todd Braden of Skyhook Towing, Inc (not to be confused with the Gibbo Skyhook) is betting the opposite of TLS, offering a beautiful, all-hydraulic winch system for $6,950. The impressive package uses no disk brake, instead using a controllable line tension adjustment to limit tow line pressures. Rewind is via a 10-horse, electric start gasoline engine driving the hydraulics. The slick package is similar to the top ATOL model in that it has all the required items as part of the price. Contact Braden/Skyhook at 407/ 452-8143, or write: 2105 N. Tropical Trail; Merritt Island FL 32953. • • • I observe that though these prices seem high, buyers must recall you pay for not only the components but all the manufacturer's costs of being in business. While TLS's approach to economy is commendable, $6-7, 000 for a state-of-the--art tow package may be acceptable for the smoothness and durability of the costlier packages. When clubs purchase, the cost is spread over many users and years of operation. If everyone tried to build these units themselves, no businesses would offer support, innovation, or service. It's a well worn adage, but generally you still get what you paid for. • • • Next issue, news on parachute swivels, saves, a new Ball vario and more. • • • Got news or opinions? Send 'em to: 8 Dorset; St. Paul MN 55118. Call 612/ 457-7491, or FAX to: 612/457-8651. THANKS!

HANG GLIDING

AMATEUR ATHLETIC SAVINGS CARD!

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USHGA Headquarters is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the U.S. Amateur Athletic Savings Card. The U.S. Amateur Card provides discounted prices for travel and lodging to scheduled USHGA events and brand name merchandise savings to USHGA members. USHGA receives an enrollment fee and airline ticket credits based upon membership use. Take 40% off regular coach rates; 25% off daily room rates. Drive Alamo rental cars for $16.97 per day with unlimited mileage and purchase AVIA, Reebok, Bassett Walker, etc.,

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sportswear-150 top-of-the-line items-at 40%-60% discounts. Take advantage of ALL these membership benefits for one LOW fee of $74.95! This fee covers your immediate family only-parents. legal guardians, brothers. sisters. spouse, or children of a member in the same household. ACT NOW AND SAVE when participating in this year's scheduled hang gliding events. Call USHGA Headquarters at (719) 632-8300 for more details, or complete and forward the U.S. Amateur Card application form to the address shown.

United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) While You're Going for Gold The Athletic Savings CardTM Will Help You Save Gold, Silver and Copper.

Athletic Savings Card 1 M AMATEUR ATIILETES SHOULD S'IOP

For an annual membership fee of $74.95, your entire family can enjoy the following Travel Saving Benefits all year.! • Top Off Already Low Airfares •.• fly Northwest and Delta Airlines to registered USHGA events within the U.S.A. Take an additional 5% discount on all special promotional airfares, or choose an unrestricted, penalty-free 40% USAmateurrn discount off regular coach rates.

PUTIING OUT 100% To Order ... send $74.95 to: USAmateurrn

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• Bikes Fly Free ... An immediate $60 savings! Free bicycle boarding passes from Delta and Northwest let you pocket the savings every time you travel!

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HERE'S HOW TO JOIN THE USAmateur

TEAM

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City

State_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip _ __

Phone(_ _) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Birthdate _ _ _ _ _ 0 MALE I am a: (a) D Amateur Athlete (b) D Coach (d) rJ Manager (e) D Administrator (g) D Sports Enthusiast

Call Today ... (719) 632-8300 for an instant enrollment and a 30 day free trial offer! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT-OF USHGA OFFICIAL SPONSORS

D FEMALE (c) OTra.iner (I) lJOfficial

V ou have entered the world of Hang Gliding. You are now looking to purchase the perfect glider for your advancing skills. You need a solid anxiety-free soaring wing with an impeccable record for safety and owners satisfaction (The Vision MK IV is the most satisfying, refined glider ever crafted for the new/recreational pilot.) Statistics reveal that more students choose the Vision MK IV over any other glider and , 68% of the instructors that responded to a recent survey recommend the Vision MK IV as their student's first new glider. Make the choice that gives you the confidence of Champions . .. Choose the Vision MK IV as your first glider.

he Magic Formula is truly an exceptional glider. This newest addition to our product line is the result of Pacific Airwave commitment to crafting the most tested, most confidence-inspiring gliders in this industry. Pacific Airwave engineers and designers have over 54 combined years of experience in the Hang Gliding industry. To insure your gliders consistency and quality we've introduced stringent new production testing for 1990. You 're a hang Ill pilot or above, you 're interested in serious cross country flying with superb thermaling " feel ". You want to know that your glider's structural integrity has been the object of uncompromising attention : Your best choice is unquestionably the new Magic Formula

As a resu lt of our affiliation with Airwave Gliders we have a world wide scope while maintaining a local focus. You, the pilot benefits most from this. Whether you order a wing nut or a glider you 'll receive excellent, personal service from Pacific Airwave. Contact your local Pacific Airwave Dealer now for more information about our full line of gliders.

erformance is best measured by results. You are an advanced

Hang Ill or above. You want to own the most performing wing in the sky and feel responsive smooth handling feedback. You can read the performance of your future glider with results like these; Magic Kiss: 1st place .. .'Norld Championships. Magic Kiss: Open Distance 'Norld Record 2£!7 miles. The Magic Kiss has won and keeps winning in the most demanding conditions the world over. The Magic Kiss doesn't just perform for you when the flag is dropped but throughout eve,y facet of its flight envelope. Now that's a Champion!

Pacific AIRWAVE

PACIFIC AIRWAVE, LTD. o PO. BOX 4384 o SALINAS, CA 93912 o TEL: 408 -422-2299 o FAX 408-758-3270