USHGA Paragliding Vol4/Iss4 1993

Thirty-five years of flying , and I know that love's a process , not instant delight between a pilot and a flying machine . Yet the first time I pulled up my AT-125 and stepped into the air ... it was a mighty quick process.

From that moment my rainbow Wills has turned out to be more stable , more straightforward forgiving high-quality dependable smooth-flying bulletproof than I dared hope. Hurray to everyone at Wills Wing for building such lovely nylon sorcery , and for charming old dreams of flight into my here and now!

Richard Bach Author, Pilot As the longest continuously practicing holder of an instructor card in foot launched flight , I can say that the most important criteria in selecting a paraglider are safety, quality and service. In my nineteen years of experience , there is one company with an unmatched track record in each of the above: Wills Wing. Before you spend good money on anything else , give me a call.

Ken deRussy Hang Glider & Paraglider Emporium (805) 965 3733 USHGA I APA Instructor 2000 Hrs Hang Gliding - 1500 Flights Paragliding My involvement with the APA over the past si x years has given me ample opportunity to fly most paragliders on the market today. Much of my time is spent on instruction and development of new safety and training techniques. Wills Wing paragliders are our top selling canopies; they are stable and reliable , and lend confidence to the new pilot. They provide incredible performance when used with the speed system. Wills Wing has led the industry in their involvement in safety and training and in customer service .

I fly a Wills Wing because I demand the best of myself and of my gear. No other company offers that confidence inspiring feeling. The quality is unsurpassed. It has been said that "you can't buy happiness ," but you can buy a Wills Wing.

Andy Whitehill Chandelle San Francisco 1300 hours Hang Gliding - 200 Hours Paragliding USHGA Paragliding Instructor Thanks Wills Wing for designing a paraglider that gave me the performance and the confidence to safely fly 88 miles and break the United States Open Distance paragliding record.

Ted Boyse L.A. Paragliding 2900 hours Hang Gliding - 210 hours Paragliding

Photo by Linda Meier

If you had over 100 years and multiple thousands of hours of flying experience ...

Which Paraglider Would You Choose?

I've come to the conclusion that I have been spoiled by my Wills Wing AT 123. All the other canopies I have flown since have disappointed me ; none has given me the feeling of confidence and security in soaring flight or canopy control maneuvers.

Rob McKenzie High Adventure Paragliding & Hang Gliding 2900 hours Hang Gliding - 300 hours Paragliding

500 Blueridge Ave. • Orange •CA •92665 Phone (714) 998-6359 • FAX (714) 998-0647 Dealer Inquires Invited

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features 7

Vol. 4 #4

Pilot ranking and Competition Sanctioning

by John Bou chard

10

Cloth Porosity by Bruce Goldsmith and Clive Barnes

12

Vryberg Revisited by Urs Haari

14

Squirrel and the Hawk by JohnAlke

21

Telluride XC Classic '93 by Fred Stockwell

26

1993 Elsinore Paragliding XC Competition

by Joe Gluzinski

Gold Hill Launch, Telluride, CO. Photo: Fred Stockwell

Published Six Times Per Year Publisher and Editor - Fred Stockwell Assistant Editor - Claudia Stockwell Art Director - Fred Stockwell Associate Designer - Jeremy Wright

Overseas Correspondents

Departn1ents

Urs Haari - Switzerl and Phillipe Renaudin - France Willi Muller - Canada Ian Currer - Great Britain Rob Whittall - Germ any

U.S. Correspondents

2

Flight Lines

Mike Reeder - Colorado Ken Baier - San Diego Bob Schick - At Large

17

News & Noteworthy

Paragliding - the Magazine

28

New Products

30

USHGANews

41

Paragliding Schools

44

Classified Ads

Editorial , Subscription, and Advertising Information: P.O. Box 477 Rive rton , Utah 84065 Phon e: (801 ) 254-7455 Fax: (801 ) 254-7701 Subscription Rate for the USA: $26.00 Canada and Mexico: $32.00 Europe: $40.00 Other overseas: $44.00

Vol. 4 #4

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NEXT DEADLINE: AUGUST 28 {VOL.4 #5}

Paragliding the Magazine is published for members of the paragliding community as well as other interested parties. It is the official publication for the Un ited States Hang Glidng Association (USHGA) news for paragliding. Contributions are welcome however, Paragliding, the Magazine reserves the right to edit any contributions. Further, the magazine reserves the right to edit any advertising which may be deemed objectionable or damaging to publication by the statt of the association. The magazine and the association do not assume any responsibility for the contents of any published articles, advertising or for the opinions of its contributors.

Anyone is invited to con tribu te articles, photos and illustrations concerning paragliding activities. If the material is to be returned a stamped self addressed return envelope must be enclosed. If you wish us to keep the material on file please send duplicates . Notification must be made of submission to other paragliding publications . Absolutely no articles, advertising, photos or other published materials of the magazine may be reproduced in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher. @ Copyri ght 1993 PARAGLIDING PUBLICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Paragliding , the Magazine PO Box 477, Riverton , UT 84065 .

Editors Note: The following letter was sent from Dean Whisler to Mike Meier following a violation by several paraglider pilots of the March Air Force Base ARSA this past May. Mr. Meier's response follows.

Dear Mr. Meier: Please add your comments and forward to the USHGA and paragliding persons that can act to get the word out. During the Week of May 26 to May 31, 1993, a paragliding meet was held in the lake Elsinore area of Southern California. During a cross country event several paragliders penetrated the March Air Force Base Airport Radar Service Area (ARSA) without establishing two-way radio communication and obtaining a clearance prior to entering the ARSA or having received prior authorization by means other than two way radio communication. This is a clear violation of Federal Aviation Regulations (FARS) 91 and 103. FAR 103 prescribes rules governing the operation of ultralight aircraft, if unpowered , weighs less than 155 pounds, that includes hang gliders and paragliders. FAR 103.17 is quite clear. It states, "no person may operate an ultralight vehicle within a airport traffic area, control zone, Aircraft Radar Service Area, terminal control area, or positive control area unless that person has prior authorization from the Air Traffic Control Facility (ATCF), having jurisdiction over that airspace". FAR 91.130 (c) states "No person may operate an aircraft in an Airport Badar Service Area unless two way radio communication is established with the ATC facility having jurisdiction over the radar service area prior to entering that area, and is thereafter maintained with the ATC facility having jurisdiction over the airport radar service area while within that area." The presence of the paragliders within the ARSA without the knowledge of March AFB Controllers caused a military transport and a light aircraft to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

A very serious aspect of this incident is these paraglider pilots were briefed prior to takeoff where the March ARSA was located and to stay out.

This briefing was ignored and resulted in a very serious incident which

could have far reaching consequences as far as hang gliding, and paragliding operations are concerned.

This kind of irresponsible operation can no longer be tolerated in our segment of aviation if we are to escape further regulation by the Federal Aviation Administration. An incident that reflected negatively on our sport in the past was a statement made by a hang glider pilot flying in the positive control airspace stating it was okay because he knew most air traffic was either above or below him. This is a clear violation of FAR 103.

Several years ago some gang gliders flew into March AFB's ARSA and forced that air base to shut down operations for a while (that incident report went all the way to Washington, DC) . Paragliding is a young branch of our sport and may have some maverick pilots that do not understand that all of us may suffer for their actions. Lets educate these people and encourage the USHGA and any other Organization or club to take any action necessary to stop these occurances from being repeated. Something to think about, FAA sanction for operation in an ARSA without maintaining contact with ATC is certificate suspension. Since most paraglider pilots do not hold FAA certificates, the sanction would be a civil penalty ranging up to $1000 per occurance. The solution is simple, if you intend to go X-C, consult the current aeronautical chart for your area prior to takeoff. Locate the TCA, ARSA's, traffic areas, their floors and ceilings and stay clear or get a clearance. When an FAR, any FAR, states, "No person shall" or "no person may" that means No Person. It does not mean except hang gliders or except paragliders, unless it states an exception.

In the summer of 1992, March AFB authorized hang gliders to pass through their ARSA during a X-C meet. All that they required was a call prior to entering the ARSA and assurance the gliders would go straight through and not orbit in lift.

This is the kind of cooperation we can expect if we only comply with the rules and regulations. I hope this last incident hasn't slammed this door through the March ARSA closed in our faces.

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Dean Whisler USHGA # 11642 Commercial Pilot, Single & Multiengine Glider, Instrument and certified Flight instructor Current USHGA Observer, Examiner and Instructor A&P Mechanic with IA and Seinor Parachute Rigger

FAR 103 Compliance It's Enlightened Self Interest Ely Mike Meier Continued incursions by hang glider or paraglider pilots into Airport Radar Service Areas, or into other airspace to which ultralight vehicle access is restricted by FAR Part 103 will, without question , jeopardize our freedom to fly. As pilots of ultralight vehicles (hang gliders, paragliders, and powered ultralights) We enjoy a very special place in aviation - we are permitted to exercise the privileges of pilots without having to have FAA pilot's licenses, FAA medicals, or FAA certified aircraft.

There are two explanations for violation of FAR 103 by pilots of ultralight vehicles: ignorance or apathy.

For most, ignorance is not the issue.

Knowledge of 103 is required to obtain an intermediate or advanced pilot rating for either a hang glider or paraglider pilot. There have been enough articles written about 103 and in particular about the airspace aspects of 103 that even pilots who fly outside the rating system are aware that there are restrictions on where we can fly. That leaves apathy.

Apathy can be passive or active .

Passive apathy is the pilot who just doesn't bother to take the trouble to look at a sectional to see where an ARSA or Control Zone is. Active apathy is a pilot who has a sectional shown to him, and has it pointed out to him where the ARSA is that he can't go into, and goes into it anyway because that's where his course line takes him. He may rationalize it by thinking that mo one will notice, or he may take the position that, "Hell, it's my right to fly where I want, and they can't stop me."

As a community of pilots, we have taken reasonable steps to aper-

ate responsibly under the privileges granted to us by FAR 103. As mentioned, knowledge of 103 is tested for in the process of granting pilot ratings. Following an ARSA incursion during a hang gliding competition, the USHGA adopted into the competition rules a requirement that airport traffic control facilities be given prior notice any time a competition task involved airspace within iO miles of any airspace restricted to ultralight vehicles under FAR 103. USHGA competition rules also require that a current sectional be displayed to all pilots at each pilot's meeting, that each competitor be given a copy of FAR Part i 03, and that the competition rules contain a requirement that FAR Part 103 be adhered to. These rules should also be incorporated into an official set of USHGA rules for USHGA sanctioned paragliding competitions, now that the USHGA has taken over administrative responsibility for paragliding from the APA. The hang gliding community has also demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively with airspace controlling agencies at a number of sites where hang gliding activity regularly takes place near or within an ARSA or airport traffic area (Sylmar/ Kagel and Santa Barbara are two examples.)

What is left is for all of the pilots, as individuals, to get on board and become responsible members of the complete flying community. We all have to share an airspace in which many different forms of aircraft operate together. This can only work if we are all operating under the same understanding of the same rules and procedures. Compliance with these rules and procedures is nothing more or less than enlightened self interest.

One thing standing in the way of recognition by individual pilots of the value of compliance and cooperation in an outlaw attitude that is characteristic of some members of the new community of paraglider pilots, and remains in vestigial form from an earlier era among some members of the hang gliding community. This attitude says that all authority, and the FAA in particular, cannot be anything but a hindrance to our freedom as pilots. It says that we have an inherent, unrestricted right to fly, that no one has the right to stop us, and nobody has

the ability to stop us even if they try.

It's time for us to grow up an grow out of this kind of thinking. If you haven't felt up till now that compliance with FAR103 is important to your flying future, think about it again and and change your mind and your behavior. If you have been in compliance, but have friends who have not been, take the initiative to let them know that their behavior isn't cool, it's stupid. It's true that total effective enforcement of a federal ban on hang gliding and paragliding would be a practically impossibility. There are still a few isolated hills we could sneak into and leap off of and then run away from before the airspace police arrived. But if you think about what percentage of our flying sites today are flown only as a result of cooperative arrangements with city, state, county or federal officials, you will realize how much we as a flying community and as individual pilots have to lose.

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Dear Editor, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Eagle, Owl and Indian stories in your magazine over the past few issues.

It's fun to equate symbols with life's events! I've admired the courage of one author to walk toward an ominous symbol of death like the great horned owl, to "take the owl by the horns" as it were, only to have it retreat until another day. To be blessed (like the other author) with coincidences like meeting this Indian guy who gave him an Eagle feather gift, and then after the Native American departed, saw a huge Golden Eagle perched on a nearby fence. This stuff never happens to me! Well, not in the same storybook fashion at least. I did have an Indian hitchhiker flip me the bird as I sped by him not to long ago, but that can't count for much. I clean bird doo off my car a couple of times a month, but I think it's gull or sparrow variety!

I have had scavenger birds of some kind carrying off the morning bowlful of of my dog's Science Diet ... at thirty bucks a bag, I'd better be setting up some sweet karma.

Nope--Birds don't seem to pay me much mind when I'm flying, but I do see them frequently on overpasses of powerlines across the freeway.

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They all sit there in a row and daydream of how cool it must be to drive a car ...

Anyway, they say birds of a feather flock together, and it seems to apply to human pilots also. I've only flown for a few years, but I'm amazed lately how many birds who, just a year ago, were sparrows, now are confident as eagles. Some even have the eagle "look!" If it weren't for all the chirping noises they make, I'd probably be as convinced as they seem to be! I guess as an instructor you can keep them from falling out of the nest, but they later become responsible for peering into the bird fountain once in awhile. Alas, if the sky were inhabited only by powerful, predatory birds, it would be a pretty boring, lonely sky indeed. The lesser spirituality associated with sparrows is still probably more than I'm prepared to understand anyway!

Besides, maybe we got it all wrong about eagle omens in the first place ...

I do know that just in the past month the Point, a couple of eagle-author protagonists had to toss their unsightly round wings! Proof that some days you're a duck, some days you're a eagle. The beauty, ultimately, is in soaring at §DY altitude-- feeling like §DY bird at all. .. comfortable and free!

Cumulusly nimbus, David Frank; UT. Dear Editor, The 20th "Coupe lcare and festival du film" ,well renown international meeting in trance, near Grenoble, has a new attraction in 1993: the first international meeting of rigid wings in France from September 17 - 19.

We are suggesting : - A competition to see the performances of all these foot launched gliders - A meeting with all the manufacturers, professional or others to discuss this form of free flying - An Exposition of their gliders for the public and we are open to any other proposals desired or imagined by rigid wing owners.

If you are interested, call St Hilaire, France; 76-08-53-99.

Dear Editor,

I am glad that Reagan, Nance, and Tellep had what I trust was an enjoyable flight from the top of Mt. Hood, but would like to report an earlier flight. On 6/5/88, I launched on telemark skis from the summit to the south and then landed just in the top of incoming clouds on the zig zag glacier below Illumination Spire.

The remaining ski down was unpleasant in near whiteout conditions. while the flight was not complete, in the sense that I did not reach the parking lot, given the weather conditions and the limitations of the technology ant the time, I was satisfied.

However, I doubt that the my flight was the first off Mt. Hood. Those of us active in the Northwest at the time suspect that visiting European climber/pilots picked off the more obvious descents, including Mount Hood, early in the game.

Sincerely, Michael K. Koerner, M. D. Dear Editor, My home is located in NW North Carolina on top of a small Mountain range. Recently I was contacted by Michael Calveard of Zuni, Virginia about the possibility of him paragliding here. On April 3rd, he made the first two paragliding flights at this site.

Taking off from the 950 foot slope that faces south, he glided to a graceful landing both times. The launch is called Alligator Rock because of the large stone in my yard that looks like the old reptiles a lot. One week later, I soared my Wills Wing hang glider for seven hours at this site for a new record. Anyone interested in flying here may contact me at the enclosed address.

Tommy Thompson Rt 1 box 274 C1 Sauratown MTN RD Westfield, NC 27053

(919) 983-9064 Dear Editor, Last summer, I went to Europe with my eighth grade class. We went to London, Paris, and Munich. But what I was really looking forward to

was the day in Switzerland. During the stay, I was going to Mt. Pilatus in the Lake Lucerne area. When I heard that we were going to a mountain, and that it was 7000 feet high, my first natural thought was, could I fly? I had no information on flying in Europe, so I talked to Christain Mulack.

He is originally from Switzerland, and I thought he might know something about flying there.

Lucky for me, he did, but there was still the chance that the weather would be unacceptable. When the big day finally came, I was ready.

The weather looked OK, but what about the winds?

I Didn't see any pilots, so I found a LZ next to the lake. When we arrived at the summit via cog railway, I saw two other pilots. I was in luck!

But, when I tried to talk to the first one, he looked right at me and told me he didn't speak english; in perfect english! When I tried to talk to the other one, he growled at me! Well, so much for them. After they had gone, I got set up and noticed that the wind was indeed coming right into launch, but only i or 2 miles an hour.

This was going to create a whole new definition of running to get my Excalliber 27 into the air.

When as much wind came as I thought I was going to get, I ran like I had never run before. The end of the launch was coming, and I still wasn't in the air. Finally, a lifesaving gust of wind came, and I was airborne. The Swiss valley is beautiful; especially when you're up in the air. But as I worked my way through the valley, I encountered sink. Lots of it. So I found the LZ and made a soft, smooth landing right next to Lake Lucerne.

Although I didn't catch any thermals or ridge lift, I had a nice 20 minute sled ride down the Alps.

That's my kind of flying!

SUBMITTED BY

My name is Kris Olsen, and I am 15 years old. I have been flying with my dad, Roy, since I was 13. I fly a blue Flyair, have 80 solo flights and about 16 hours of air time. If the winds are from the north, you can probably catch me (and at least 20 others), at Tiger Mt. in Issaquah, WA. Dear Editor,

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I started manufacturing the Hall Airspeed Indicator/Wind Meter in 1976. My brother, Jed, joined the business in 1977. We began by heat forming and machining each individual part and gluing them together; then gradually began buying equipment to produce the parts more efficiently, We then began building our own molds and tooling to be able to make all of the parts on house. At the present time, we manufacture each individual part at our shop in Morgan, Utah.

Over the years, we have tried to respond to the needs of the foot launched flying and ultralight aircraft pilots such as developing various mounting brackets and Airspeed Indicators with speed ranges to match their needs.

Our new Small Hall Airspeed Indicator/Wind meter and Mounting Bracket for paragliding embodies all of our experience gained over these years of manufacturing Airspeed Indicators/Wind Meters. Of particular note is the simple and reliable design and rugged construction and the remarkable accuracy of a Wind Meter in this price range. Before shipping, each Wind Meter/Airspeed Indicator is calibrated by comparing it to a master Wind Meter, which has been calibrated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly National Bureau of Standards).

In 1976 when we started, there were very few Wind Meters to choose from. Today, the paraglider pilot has various wind measuring devices to choose from including high tech electronic marvels. We applaud these developments and feel it is all to the advantage of the paraglider pilot.

A recent development that we think pilots should be aware of is a nearly exact copy of the Standard Hall Airspeed Indicator/Wind Meter, which is made in Hong Kong.

Besides the obvious lack of originality of such products and lack of integrity of the people making and selling these products, this product has also caused confusion, some pilots even think this Hong Kong wind meter, imported by a Californian company, is a Hall Wind Meter, which it definitely is not.

In writing this letter I want to also emphasize the importance of measur-

ing the wind before launch. In ridge soaring a paraglider, there is a very narrow range of wind speed between being abel to ridge soar and geing blown back over the top. One day on the North side of the Point of the Mountain, I saw a pilot almost get blown over the top, and after landing, I asked him what the wind speed was at launch. He said he had no idea, but after that flight he was going to start carrying a wind meter. So a reliable and accurate wind meter should be part of any paraglider pilots equipment.

Sincerely, Halls Brothers Company Larry D. Hall President

Manufacturing

Disposable Wings?

Dear Editor, I am another hang glider pilot who has crossed the line. For a soft wing, I have been flying a 1991 UP Stellar. I have roughly 50 hours logged on this canopy, but will concede that at times I may have been lax and that actual hours could be as high as 80. Other "experts" who have studied my wing concur that this seems about right, and that all-in-all the wing is in pretty good shape. The material is not porous at all, the color is still bright, and the stitching seems to be holding up just fine.

The problem I am having concerns the mylar "ribs" that provide form to the glider and are located along the leading edge at every second seam. Wherever this mylar exists, the sail is literally being cut by the rough un-protected edge of the mylar. While in some instances the mylar rubbing against the material is leaving small, almost unnoticeable holes, there are seams that now show rips from one to four inches in length. Seams without the mylar ribs are fine.

Recently, I sent the canopy into the UP shop for an explanation of what was happening. I was dismayed when I was informed by the head of UP that my glider was "used up" - and that 100 hours was the max I could expect to get from a canopy. Are these wings really that "disposable"? What happened to the

quotes approaching 200 or even 300 hours that I have heard?

From my experience I would suggest that perhaps we all need to look at our wings a little more carefully and be sure to include any areas with mylar or any other stiff objects or edges as part of a standard pre-flight check. After you look, I would like to have a couple of questions answered.

1.) Is the use of mylar in canopies an obvious problem? I have heard rumors of similar problems with Stellars in particular, but are other canopies using un-protected mylar in the leading edge (or anywhere, for that matter) and having similar problems?

2.) What is a realistic expectation for the lifetime of these wings?

Can we voice our feelings or concerns about this? Shoot some letters off to the manufactures, the safety commission, the Editor. It appears to me, that nothing is going to happen without an avalanche of response from the people who care most - the pilots. I love this sport, but if costs are going to be upwards of $30 per hour ($3000/100 hrs) it may be getting just a touch too expensive for my budget.

Dave Westwood; UT. Reply to"Disposable Wings" Dear Editor , In response to Dave Westwood's letter explaining his situation with his 1991 UP stellar: Dave told of his paraglider being cut by the mylar in the leading edge, some tears being from one to four inches in length. As the glider was brought to UP, UP has never seen this condition on a glider before, so UP set out to determine the possible cause fo the tears.

Was the Mylar's edge too rough on Dave's glider as he suggested?

UP inspected different gliders and found that they all had the same mylar. UP inspected 91 stellars being used in our schools. All of these gliders have been ground handled and flown extensively and still UP found no tears in the leading edges.

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Unable to determine any other possible cause for the tears, as Dave was quick to point out in his letter, that the rest of the gliider is in "pretty good shape", except in the leading edge, we came to the conclusion that the canopy had been damaged (I. E. whacked) at some point. We determined that the tears were the result of the reserve ride, ground handling and/or being whacked. Which brings us to the reason that UP is responding to this letter: It is not the number of actual hours that are on a glider, but rather the number of times and with what intensity that a canopy meets the dirt that determines how the glider will wear. Regardless of how many hours the glider has on it, it can be damaged by dragging the leading edge on the dirt, etc. A pilot needs to realize that a paraglider must be cared for to insure maximum useful designed life of the canopy . The final conclusion is: It's the pilot's choice to have a disposable wing or not.

Dick Cheyne; President UP Don't Ban Hoc:>k Turns Trying to save p,eople from their own judgement is an act against nature. Charles Darwin was right; natural selection, survival of the fittest, the dumbest animals in each species are supposed to get killed off before they reproducei.

If you are stupid, our sport does not need you. If you persist in doing hook turns, I have one hope and request. I hope you have not passed your stupid genes on to any children yet. And I wish you would find another way to commit suicide that does not discredit our sport.

Dan Poynter, Santa Barbara, California Poynter is the author of "Parachuting", the Skydiver's Handbook, former director of USHGA, past president CIVL and former USPA Chairman of the board.

Editors Note: We couldn't reisist this letter (reprinted from Parachutist magazine). I'm sure some of us can relate to certain problems recurring in paragliding.

This is a letter regan::ling the "World Air Races" at Torrey Pines Dear Editor, In an attempt to avoid a repeat of previous buffoonery, a meeting was held approximately 8 weeks ahead of the event. In attendance at this meeting was a highly experienced group of pilots and all of the issues that had caused problems at the past events were discussed and easily implemented solutions were proposed.

Prominent among the discussed items were the need for drawing up and posting of the elimination bracket, and the configuration of the turn point pylons, Did anyone see the bracket board? For the third year in a row it was conspicuous in its absence.

When the rules of the meet were published it was apparent that the discussions of the meeting were ignored. As predicted during the meeting these rules proved very unpopular as demonstrated by the absence of approximately 30% of the potential participants. the ill concieved rules were still an issue as the competitors began arriving in the middle of the week, the result of which was the meet directors agreeing to change the rules after the meet had already started. This was a decision that may have placated the majority of the pilots present, but which also left all of the participants with the clear indication that the meet directors had no idea what they were doing in the first place.

As the contest progressed the most obvious of all possible problems with a pylon race arose: Did or did not the pilot in question round the turn point? The meet directors having summarily ignored the all of the ready solutions presented to them during the meeting found themselves with no solution, and ended up reflying and reflying matches that should have been decided on the first try.

Additional arbitrary changes in the rules (in particular the elimination of the requirement that the competitors cross the finish line above the cliff and instead allowing competitors to pop up anywhere along the course) made consistent finish calls impossible. A single judge can not follow both competitors as one goes north and the other south. This also

makes it impossible for spectators to determine a winner , a situation guaranteed to reduce spectator interest and appeal.

The meet director's coup de grace however was delivered following a mid air collision between two competitors. Meet directors have one primary and foremost obligation to meet participants, and that is to do their utmost to insure the safety of the participants; in fact the meet rules stipulated disqualification for any pilot flying in an unsafe manner. It is hard to believe that there is anything more unsafe than provoking a midair collision. When passing on a ridge two rules apply, give way to the right and the inside pilot has the right of way. The only way the inside pilot can contribute to a collision is to deliberately turn into their opponent.

No one in attendance even suggested that this was a contributing factor; However, when confronted with this situation, the meet directors were unable to uphold their most basic responsibility of assuring participant safety and disqualifying the offending pilot. Instead they allowed a rematch to take place - a clear indication that it was ok to fly into your opponent and if you didn't kill them you would be awarded a rematch at the discretion of your opponent (in this case, a pilot who still has no appreciation for the fact that he could die). This entire concept is so absurd as to defy belief!

Have the meet directors no conscience, no intelligence or both?

Their lack of professionalism is almost unbelievable. Even with two previous years of bad examples and the benefit of a meeting to eliminate the possibility of a reoccurance, the meet directors were still unable to conduct a meet in a safe organizied professional manner. This meet was conducted with an apalling lack of consideration, knowledge, and competence. It is apparent that any pilot who values their time, money, or safety should think long and hard before participating in a meet organized by these individuals.

In an effort to improve the quality of this meet in the future I hereby volunteer to run this meet next year; if given carte blanche, there will be a organized professional meet. lee Kaiser; CA.

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I~ I

A3

In a time where copies are as respected as originals, and companies are claiming to have created originals after making slight modifications on an existing design, it sometimes seems difficult to adhere to our own concepts.

However, ifwe admit to ourselves, that without the innovative courage of a few firms, we would still be flying with free fall canopies, there is no other option but to choose a responsible and conscious company who sticks to their own developments.

Due to dedication to innovation, the A3 and C2 series are brand new creations from Flight Design, and the B2 is a continuous development of the Hot Dream. The A3 fulfills the needs of beginning and hobby pilots, the B2 for the more aggressive pilot, and the C2 for the advanced pilot looking for the latest in wing design.

FLIGHT DESIGN NORTH AMJERJICAN PARA.GU D 11.N G Post Office Box 4 Ellensburg WA 98926 USA PH: 509-925-5565 · FAX: 509-962-4827

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

PILOT RANKING AND COMPETITION SANCTIONING This article will explain how the ranking system is set up, why it is in its present form, and other important issues for future world team pilots.

1) The 1989 World Team was selected based on the results of the 1988 Nationals in Salt Lake. The selection was approved by the APA board of directors.

2) The 1991 World Team was selected on the results of the 1990 season and a training camp competition held at the site of the 1991 World Meet. This format was approved by the APA Board of Directors at the Fall 1990 meeting and at the Spring 1991 meeting.

3) Since 1991, there have been two points meets per year. Scores at these meets were normalized to 1000 points, then multiplied by the winning time.

The National Championship points were weighted by 1.5. Pilots ranking was based on the best 2 meets over two seasons, This format was discussed and approved at every APA/USHGA Board meetings During this tine period. Every pilot who participated in at least one meet received a ranking.

4) The 1993 World Team was selected from this ranking. No women participated, so no women were selected.

5) At the March USHGA Board meeting Nick Kennedy made a proposal for a June meet in Telluride, an Mark Ferguson presented Jan Stenstadvold's proposal for the 1993 Nationals to be held in Aspen this September. The proposals demonstrated that the meets would be properly scored, staffed, and organized.

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6) The 1995 World meet will be held in Japan. The team will be selected based on the results of the points meets in 1993 and 1994.

1) The US is too big and there are too few pilots to have a series of well attended meets. Also, Historically there have been fewer than 3 out of 7 flying days for meets-to have 10 days of competitions, we have to schedule 24 days of contests. Clearly it is cheaper, less frustrating, and easier for the pilots and organizers to have two long meets rather than four short meets.

2) X-C is the current format for competitions and for the top pilots is a test of who makes the best decisions. The longer the task, the more decisions a pilot has to make. Therefore, long tasks are worth more than short tasks.

World Meets are long grueling affairs, usually with 25 - 40 hours of flying, which reward consistency. Since we are trying to produce a world champion and a world championship team, our ranking rewards pilots who score well in long, high pressure meets like the National Championships.

National Championships have a weight of 1.5 to make sure that at least two meets over two years have the participation of all the pilots trying for a place on the World Team.

3) Counting the best meets means the pilots seeking a place on the world team have to attend and do well in the high points Nationals. Again, because there are so few pilots, it is essential they all compete in the same meets for the ranking to be valid.

7

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PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

~IREBIBll JNP I l<N

4) Our ultimate goal is to adopt the USHGA WTSS (World Team Scoring System) by 1994. The basis of the WTSS is the pilot ranking ; all meet values are based on the participants rank and their accompanying points. We cam not use it now because we have too few ranked pilots and there are no clear groupings to assign points, but within 2 years , we will have a ranking extensive and inclusive enough to adopt the WTSS with only minor modifications.

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ISSUES 1) The linchpin of the ranking system is well organized and administered meets. The tasks have to be challenging enough without being lethal. the scoring has to be correct and fair, and the local regulations have to be met so that the meet isn't stopped before it is over.

If the organizers do not do these things properly, the pilots will have wasted their tine and money and ultimately will be frustrated in their quest for a place on a world team .

This is why the USHGA Paragliding committee insists that prospective organizers present a proposal to the competition committee before a meet is awarded points.

2) How are the pilots to get competition experience if there are only two "points" meets per year? Easy! Club meets, local meets, etc. don't need the expensive organization and administration of "points" meets nor do they have to be planned months in advance. There is no reason a casual meet cannot have brilliant cross country tasks. And , with no perceived pressure for points , this type of meet is definitely more fun to fly.

FOR DISCUSSION AT THE FALL COMMITTEE MEETING 1) The location and dates for the 1994 contests.

2) Adoption of the PWC I FAI radio silence rule . All contestants must fly on the same channel - the meet emergency frequency. Communication from the ground is limited to landing information - wind speed and direction etc.

Meet officials can easily monitor th is through random radio communications .

3) The development of a scoring program in IBM and Mac format . The program will be used to score all "points" meets . The scoring program will also be available to organizers of the non points meets.

Submitted by John Bouchard PG Competition Chairman USHGA

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PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

Jake off Previous porous gliders hang back on take off and will not rise properly overhead.

By Bruce Goldsmith and Clive Barnes Airwave Paraglider research and development What is Pornsity

tests.

The porosity of a cloth is a measurement of the cloth's ability to stop air flowing through it. Most cloth used in paragliders are almost impervious when new. Air can pass through it but at a very slow rate.

This rate can be measured by a porosimeter which can measure the time taken for a small volume of air to pass through a piece of cloth under a specified pressure. The results of such tests are given in seconds.

For example a cloth with a reading of 325 seconds would be less porous (ie better) than a cloth with a reading of 120 seconds.

Porosity readings are one of a series of tests that can be done on a cloth to monitor how the material is aging. Other characteristics such as tear strength and elongation are equally important.

WhaUs Deep_Stall?

The quality of a cloth is generally dependent upon three things:

1) the yam - The type of yarn used and the size and number of filaments or strands it contains will greatly influence the strength of the finished cloth.

2) the weaving process - How the yarn is woven and the number of threads per square centimeter affects the tear strength, elongation and porosity of the cloth.

This is the most common complaint of porous gliders. During a turn of a slow maneuver the airspeed suddenly drops to zero and the glider, although still fully inflated, descends vertically like a parachute.

Voodoo - Deep stall does not readily occur on Voodoos with even the lowest porosimeter readings. Why is this?

Deep stall occurs because the airflow breaks away from the top surface of the wing at slow speed (high angles of attack).

If the cloth is porous then the air can travel through the leading edge influencing the airflow on the top surface to break away.

(See diagrams 1 &2 .. ) However, there are other influences such as the leading edge profile which can make the problem far worse. Angular edges and a pointed profile can prevent the airflow from smoothly following the curve of the leading edge and encourage the airflow to break away. (see diagrams 3 & 4).

The Voodoo has a very round and smooth leading edge profile which encourages airflow to remain attached as in diagram 1. This is one reason why Voodoos which have become porous do not immediately have a deep stall problem.

Voodoo - When the Voodoo was launched in September 1991 it received great acclaim for its handling, stability and performance. The only criticism of it being take off in nil-wind. Reverse launches were not a problem, however for a good nil-wind alpine launch pilot technique needed to be fairly good.

Nil wind launch seem to become worse as the glider gets older and it is easy to conclude that this is because of the cloth becoming porous. However our research shows this not to be the case.

The problem on the alpine launch occurs because the center of the leading edge collapses inward as the wing rises, blocking the vents and preventing inflation. (diagram 5). Trying to solve this problem even with the mylar top surface made little difference. However adding extra reinforcing on the front of the rig to prevent the collapse greatly improved inflation (diagram 6). We concluded that it was the softening of the cloth and not porosity which caused the problem.

Voodoo Perlormance Our tests indicate little or no performance difference between old, porous Voodoos and new ones. Some Airwave dealers have carried out their own independent tests and reached the same conclusion.

Why is the Voodoo not sufferm !.ng_as _other gliders have in th~. past?

To understand this we have to return

3) the coating and finishing process - A cloth can have a number of finishes to make it firm or soft. The finish also affects the tear strength, elongation and porosity of the cloth.

Over a period of use cloth will deteriorate. Folding and creasing, exposure to ultraviolet light, moisture and being loaded and unloaded will cause the yarns and and coating to deteriorate affecting stability, tear strength and porosity. As the coating breaks down the quality of the yarn and the weave becomes vital in preserving the overall quality of the cloth.

Diagram S

~\··--

Poirosity and trhe Voodoo There is no doubt that the cloth on the Voodoo becomes porous more quickly than some other cloths. However, how this affects the Voodoo is less straightforward.

It is worthwhile here to look at what has happened to previous gliders with a porosity problem and compare this with our findings so far during Voodoo flight

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10

to the cloth. All previous porosity problems have occurred with polyester cloth and this is significant. Because polyester yarns are bigger and coarser than nylon yarns and cannot be compacted as closely as nylon yarns, the coating plays a more important role on maintaining cloth stability and porosity. When a polyester cloth looses its coating it is probable that the cloth's performance drops very rapidly whereas with a good quality nylon deterioration would be at a far slower rate. The following graph illustrates this .

Contender Nylkote is one of the most expensive cloths on the market. It is made from high tenacity Nylon 6.6, an industry benchmark and its performance, even when much of the coating has broken down , is still good .

Combined with the leading edge design it has produced a glider that still performs safely even when porous.

This is amply illustrated by our test glider. The cloth , when new had a reading of over 300 seconds on our porosimeter, After 100 hours flying in a great variety of conditions th is reading had dropped to 2 seconds. But the glider still performed the same as a new glider and passed all the certification tests as before.

Our most recent tests indicate that a reading of 0.5 seconds on the leading edge must be reached before any adverse deep stall characteristics occur, We are continuing to test this and will soon announce a porosity limit for the Voodoo with a plan of action for our customers.

Resale value Few people will want to buy a paraglider with porous cloth no matter what the manufacturer says about its safety and performance. This is probably true and with th is in mind, we are investigating various possibilities to help you , the customer.

AIRWAVE's new allround paraglider has

The Answers . ..

finally been released.

New Leading Edge Reinforcing This will be in the form of a number of stick-on reinforcing patches which can be stuck to the front of the rib . It will come with full instructions and should take approxi mately one hour to do. For those of you who regularly fly in alpine conditions this will greatly improve the launch characteristics of the Voodoo.

Spray on Coating This is another option we are investigating . There is a spray on the market that can recoat material and greatly improve porosi-

ty . If the tests prove successful then we will supply all our Voodoo customers with these.

Guaranteed Trade-in Price We will provide you with a guaranteed price for your Voodoo if the porosity drop s below a certain leve l within a certain time .

Th e time and the level will be realistic and we are now assessing these.

We will also be producing the Voodoo in a different cloth with the new leading edge reinforcing feature.

DIAGRAM 2

Porosity

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

URS HAARI VRYBURG IS A MAGICAL PLACE, SYNONYMOUS WITH DUST, HEAT, ENDLESS STEPPES, AND DUST DEVILS. • • IT Al.SO OFFERS A MOST IMPRESSIVE LANDSCAPE WITH UNREAL FLYING CONDIDONS, AND WORLD RECORDS THAT BEGIN ON THE END OF A row ROPE. ~ liiiiiliiiij;;:"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , a 300m thick curtain of After last year's

success (World Open Distance Record -227.6 km), 1 returned in midNovember to partake in Nick's Paragliding Exped-itions. We were a bigger group this year and better equipped with a special winch for tandem flights , GPS (Global Positioning System) and oxygen.

If last year the Northern Free State was nothing but a brown, arid steppe, this year it was luxuriantly green, thanks to the first heavy rain in six years, clouds were everpresent.

snow. We were at 5650m in altitude and desperate to descend.

Nonnally a pull on the B-lines does it, but not this time. It was a real struggle but we finally escaped the approaching snowstorm.

The ground crew retri.eved us short of the goal, around 100 km, but a 4230m world record was made for the height, and a gain record was made for the day. I am con";,J"''ilr-ii.-......1 vinced that a tandem wing can accomplish ________.___ _. the same distance as a A. Stohr, my passenger, note the GPS on the left.

Conditions Because of the strong winds, thennals and overdevelopment, flights were limited and towing was not easy. Experience was a prerequisite; even so there were accidents. A life was saved thanks to the meticulous preparation of our expedition and the responsability of a private first aid service. To attempt to fly alone in South Africa would be very risky.

Even in a group, conditions are difficult to assess.

While we suspended flights for several days due to strong conditions, Judy Leden, Women's World Hang Gliding 01ampion, did not take heed. She had a driver catapult her into the sky with her wing fixed to a clothesline in the most extreme conditions. Also, Richard Carter succeeded in doing 217 km one day when we thought it best not to take off at all. There were gusts of up to 60 km/h, which we thought excessive, but Richard launched at 14: 15 and landed 4 hours later having averaged 54 km/h.

0 The temperature was around 40 C on the ground and below 0°C at altitude, which didn't make things easy. In spite of it all, we still have good memories of the trip.

Records My goal was to improve the world tandem distance record, which I succeeded in

doing on November 28th with Alexandra Stohr(CH).

We made a flight of 113 Km. After takeoff from the Vryburg airfield, even equipped with a GPS, I had great trouble determining the right wind direction. First, we headed southwest until we encountered a headwind, which kept us circling endlessly. Soon we were right back over the airfield. But then we had smooth flying and landed between Delareyville and Ottosdal after six and a half hours in the air.

Two days later, we took off again and headed toward Schweizer Reneke because of a huge overdevelopment in Vryburg, it wasn't long before the same problem caught up with us, There was a huge shaded area of several square km. Within an hour, we nearly had to land twice, but just 50 m above ground.level a dust devil shot us up to 5300 m! That's Africa!

Alexandra had to take care of my CO, because I felt so much pressure on my lungs; the body effort taxed me more than usual. During the gliding phase, we exchanged oxygen systems.

Within a hour we were hoisted 3 times to 5500 m.

Just when our 150 km goal seemed possible, our flight took a dramatic turn. We were preparing to head southeast when a monstrous cumulus gave us a huge lift. Right in front was

12

solo. It was only after landing that I realized my mistake of fighting the headwind toward our fixed goal. Imagine flying at such altitudes with the wind!

Obviously, the lack of oxygen had diminished my reasoning capacities. We could have chalked up an incredible distance!

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PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

SQUIRREL HAWK

by JohnAlke The Hawk picked me up at the Ontario airport. He didn't know me, but I knew him from one of my trips to the Owens. He is a superb pilot, highly skilled, an intense personality, perhaps a bit wild. A month earlier, I had made arrangements with the G-Man for a whirlwind tour of some of the flying sites in Southern California.

Six days before our scheduled airport meeting, he had augered in at Elsinore and badly broken his ankle. Instead of calling me and canceling, he decided he could drive me around with a cast on his leg, an interesting proposition for a fellow whose truck has a standard transmission. When they operated four days later and put in pins, his initial idea justly faded. Somehow he talked the Hawk into sheepherding around a low time pilot from the Montana hinterlands.

Although I had started paragliding three years earlier, it was strictly an occasional weekend sort of thing, and I had only 28 hours of airtime in 200 flights. Winter is long and cold in the north country, and a solid dedication to family and job precluded the rapid development of extensive flying experience. All my Montana flying buddies were in the same boat. Eight months ago there wasn't a single Class II pilot in the state.

I wanted to learn how to really fly thermals, and common sense dictated that the best way to learn the lore was flying with good pilots of long standing. Since there was an absence of the species in

Montana, a Pilgrimage was necessary. Three trips to the Owens Valley, spread over two years, including one for a thermaling clinic, netted only two real flying days out of ten days at the site. Plan B was a spring trip to Southern California; lots of good sites, lots of good pilots, lots of good weather. Thank God for Plan B !

My trips to the Owens had established that I needed a glider with a better sink rate. A new high performance glider arrived during the winter months, and took up residence in my basement.

Armed and dangerous, I made arrangements with the G-Man for my spring fling to the land of oranges and earthquakes. The Hawk looked at me suspiciously. He wasn't sure what kind of flying creature he had on his hands. Was it an eagle or a squirrel? I immediately confessed to being a low time pilot, and to having a new canopy. I didn't tell him that I hadn't had an opportunity to learn how to ground handle the thing, a wing significantly faster than my other glider. After musing for a moment, the Hawk announced, "Well, I s'pose you can huck yourself off Cucamunga." The LZ was about ten miles from the airport, a large open field surrounded by subdivisions and monstrous power lines. A dirt road wound 2700 feet up into the foothills southwest of Cucamunga Peak.

It took me three attempts to successfully kite the canopy and get off. The Hawk stood by silently, his eyebrows raised a notch. I got about 200 feet above launch, then the wind turned sharply cross slope. I had a very difficult time staying in the thermals, and landed a little more than half an hour after I began. When the Hawk picked me up, he looked a bit peeved. His face seemed to say, "I drove all the way up that son of a bitch just to watch you promptly fall out of the sky?" I felt compelled to apologize for my ineptitude. "Hard to stay in thermals in a cross wind," he said.

The next day we went to Elsinore, a 1700 foot high lee side thermal site. It blew down the entire morning, except for one ten minute span during which the Hawk launched. Ten hang glider pilots and I enviously watched him soar. No one else flew. He top landed, and we drove to Marshall Peak, a 2300 foot high mountain on the outskirts of San Bernadina. Marshall faces the prevailing west wind, and so there usually is some ridge lift to minimize your sink while you're hunting for thermals. We got there at the peak of the thermal cycle.

I quickly got 700 feet above the top. The Hawk launched and headed to the north end of the mountain. I followed him about two thirds of the way, until I started to sink out. For the next half hour, I stumbled my way into and out of thermals. The net result put me close to 700 feet below launch. The Hawk flew down to check on my progress and to give me something to follow. I tracked about 70 yards behind him, watching how he hugged the crest of a subsidiary ridge, looking for thermals. Within a couple of minutes, he was at least 800 feet above me and I was thoroughly depressed.

My funk was short lived, as I caught the next elevator up, gaining 1800 feet and parking 1100 feet above launch. The Hawk flew over and we chatted. He was concerned that the prevailing was a bit too strong to be flying near the crest of the peak. He had one nearcollapse, and he wanted me to head out over the foothills. His advice seemed eminently sound, so I obliged. An hour and twenty minutes after launch, I had a new longest flight. My nerves were a bit frayed from the turbulence. l had put a great deal of effort into keeping the canopy squarely above my head, without surges, and now I wanted to feel my feet on solid ground. I pulled in 25% of each wingtip and dropped 1700 feet to the LZ. The Hawk was perplexed when he picked me up. He asked about the big ears thing. "What a terrible thing to do to a perfectly good

flight," he observed. Still, he took me back up for another one.

Things had cooled a bit, and conditions were milder. I had an hourlong flight with another 1000'+ gain.

The next morning we were back at Elsinore. The Hawk clearly loved Elsinore. For him it was the essence of thermal flying, since there was no ridge lift and you could track the thermals far behind launch. The takeoff is at the head of a narrow canyon, which is not soarable. The left side of the canyon is a sharp spine beyond which there is another, wider canyon. The spine ends in a 1200 foot high prominence called the "E Cone". The standard route is to cross into the second canyon and soar the spine or the E Cone until you get high enough to go behind launch. For a paraglider, the initial transition from canyon to canyon is no small job, as there usually is some level of rotor activity on the near side of the spine.

About 15 hang gliders were there to fly. I told the Hawk that I was worried I would immediately sink out. "Only an idiot couldn't stay up today," he snorted. With these words of comfort ringing in my ears, I launched fifth. I lost only 10% of my downwind wingtip as I passed through a weak rotor on the spine. My first good lift was above the E Cone, and I soon got back up to launch height. The Hawk and the rest of the hang gliders launched. Gaggles started to form, and I usually occupied the very bottom. It was an interesting experience to soar with the significantly faster hang types. My flight was 45 minutes long and ended with a big flush down a canyon. A number of the hang gliders had to land before me. At least I wasn't the worst of the day. The primary observation of the Hawk was that I deserved to get flushed because I spent too much time over the canyons and not enough time above the ridges and spines.

The Hawk had promised to take me to what he referred to as "Boring Pines". Off we sped to San Diego. The entire way down l

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ple of jillion dollar homes. It was hard to tell whether they were very large houses, or small hotels.

Each time I hopped from bluff to bluff, l would reverse the segment a couple of times to make sure that I could get back. On one of my passes over the next bluff south of the mansions, I got the notion I might be able to fly to a pier about a mile further south. l flew to the next bluff. on the south end of which was what looked like an apartment house or dormitory with a flag out front. On my return hop from that bluff, I had a stupid attack and sunk below the crest, never to recover.

Glider and I touched down on a stretch of beach between some sheer cliffs and the ocean. As I bent over my glider to put the lines inside the canopy, I caught out of the corner of my eye what appeared to be a naked man. I bolted upright and saw that he was indeed a naked man. He walked over to a fully clothed woman, and they clenched in a long passionate embrace.

Somewhere between the launch and the landing I had warped through space and ended up on Mars . As I began folding my glider, I realized that many, if not most, of the people on the beach were naked. There were lots of couples . and the couples were mostly men. One pair came over to chat. offering to help put my glider away. It finall y dawned on me that a lot of the Martians were twinkies. Fearing for my manhood. I practically ran the mile back along the beach to the glider port. The Hawk had a good laugh out of that one. I took a second flight. taking great care not to end up back on the beach. The two flights provided an hour and a half of very beautiful and peaceful flying.

The last two days of the trip were uneventful. I didn ' t fly at all the next day. We went again to Elsinore. where 48 hang gliders were lined up to fly in fairly gnarly conditions. Some of them got sorely abused; the LZ was littered with bent down tubes. The afternoon was more mellow and I tried to fly. I blew my launch in front of a line of waiting hang gliders. and slunk off in embarassment. I took it as a sign from the sky gods that I shouldn't fly .

The Hawk flew to cloudbase - twice. After his first trip. he returned to earth to see if I was going to fly . When I said no. he returned to the clouds. 3,500 feet above.

My plane left the next day at 4:00 p.m. In the morning. the Hawk ''hucked" me twice off of Edwards. another launch site at Elsi\-nore. It was too early for good flying: I missed the little lift that was there. After my second sled ride, the Hawk said three words, "You ' re getting worse. '' So that I would end on a high note, he took me back to Marshall.

After another terrible launch . I lifted off about 2:45 p.m. scratched around for IO minutes . and promptly got stuck in a gully. Eventually, I was able to slide out to a ridge crest. directly behind another paraglider. I followed about 50 feet behind him. on the theory that he couldn ' t possibly do any worse than I. The sky gods smiled. I caught, and pe1fectly cored a good strong thermal. In a shade over three minutes. what had been a thirty foot wide paraglider in front of me turned into a one inch butterfly far below me. I was about 1200 feet above him: nearly 550 feet above launch. I had to fly with one eye on my watch. as I told the Hawk we had to leave for the airport no later than 3:30. As the time wound down , so did I. On the way to the airport, the Hawk told me I had done a good job of staying in the one thermal. He might have been stroking. but I was willing to accept it.

So how is flying in Southern California? Totally awesome dude! Killer sites, killer thermals. killer. ...

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Boston area, he began hang gliding in 1974 when he spontaneously encountered a hang gliding pilot on the dunes of Cape Cod, Mass.

Chuculate successfully flew a hang glider twice that first day and has continued ever since.

UP INTERNATIONAL of Mountain Green, Utah has emerged from a lengthy and investigative selection process as the City of San Diego's most responsible choice to operate the concession at Torrey Pines. The people at UP feel a serious obligation to execute their duties in a manner that will insure the highest freedom of access to the cliffs of Torrey Pines for all soaring pilots.

Interested tandem instructors are encouraged to call UP to arrange an interview for positions on the school staff.

We have at this very moment a porosimeter on order, and should be receiving it within a month. If there are any Contender Voodoos out there that may be eligible for the porosity test, please send them in any time after the first of July. AIRWAVE is standing behind their product 150%, and will make sure our customers do not lose out financially due to the degradation of this material. We want to encourage pilots to fly their Voodoos and have them tested when they feel it is becoming too porous.

Customers should log their hours accurately and keep their wings clean and undamaged. Also they should hold onto a copy of the original purchase invoice or acquire one in preparation for a trade in. We should also make it clear that the wing may not become porous. Different lots of material may be better than others.

Tandem hang gliding and tandem paragliding instructor Alan Chuculate (pronounced Chew- koo- la-tay) has joined the flight school at Kitty Hawk Kites.

Chuculate comes to Nags Head from Fairbanks, Alaska. A native of the

tor for hang gliding and paragliding.

At 37, his goals are to contribute to the development and education of the technology of flight, particularly tandem and towing, and to bring flying to all who dream of flight. He'd like to help pioneer aerotowing of paragliders, and implement his ideas for improving glider design and for aerotow tug development.

"I love the air," Chuculate says. "I want to share it with people and give them the opportunity to get the full experience early on, and accelerate their continued training available with tandem instruction."

BIES

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering technology at Arizona State University in 1978, Chuculate first worked as an engineer on the aerodynamics group for General Dynamics Corp. in San Diego and later at the Haleakala Observatory in Maui as a software engineer.

He began flying Ultralights in 1978 and paragliders in 1990. Attending graduate school to study the Aurora Borealis attracted Chuculate to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1986. In 1989, he formed a hang gliding school {Adventure Wings) using tandem towing, later the school was expanded to offer paragliding with techniques adapted for tandem towing of these inflatable wings.

Chuculate left Alaska to get more involved with the mainstream of the flying community, have a longer flying season available and enjoy stronger flying conditions.

He is one of only three currently certified in this country as a U.S. Hang Gliding Association Tandem instructor for both hang gliding and paragliding. He also holds appointments as a towing supervisor for hang gliding and paragliding, a hang gliding instructor certification program presenter, a hang gliding examiner, a paragliding advanced maneuvers administrator and is a licensed private pilot.

At Kitty Hawk Kites, Chuculate is the towing manager and tandem instruc-

17

Brauniger , the German based manufacturer of quality instruments, is proud to announce its new Alto Vario Series for 1993. The AV series which comes in three models, is an all new creation from Brauniger with a multitude of easy to use functions and a FAI certified barograph (competition only). The new sleek packaging protects the finest RF electronics.

Storage of up to 25 flights and 70 hours worth of flying, temperature gauge, stopwatch, clock, two altimeters, and both analogue and digital readouts, create an instrument that is hard to live without. The easy to read face and simple to understand usage are a joy to experience, and will be appreciated by all weekend, or serious cross country pilots. For additional information and a color brochure, please contact Mike Eberle at (509) 925-5565.

Dealer inquiries welcome.

A major step for the certification of motorized paragliders in Germany and many other countries is complete. The ASO-JetM4 (formerly the Pago Jet), has just recently qualified within the guidelines of the German noise limits of 53 OBA. "As a glider, we use the Flight Design A4-28 because it has a very good performance and is easy to take off and handle" states ASO Pago jet manufacturer Willie Ewig, after the successful flights. Being as the noise level was the most difficult test for all

para motors to pass, the German officials expect the final certification to be completed by the end of July.

Class 0-3 (Paragliders) Category :General (to be confirmed) 28) Speed over a triangular Course of 25 km - 16.13 km/h (to be confirmed) Pilot :Jurgen Stock (Austria) Date :20 April 1993 Location :Steinerkogelhaus (Austria) Class 0-3 (Paragliders) Category :General (to be confirmed) 11) Distance around a triangular cc)l.lrse - 89km Pilot : Christian Heinrich (Austria) Date :17th May 1993 Location :Austria

Preliminary Trip outline South Africa - for the paraglider pilot the name evokes dreams of the ultimate challenge, height and distance.

It's the land of world records, notwithstanding its penchant for breaking records, South Africa is at its best in providing some of the world's most scenic, diverse and challenging paragliding. During our ten week reconnaissance trip of Fall 92, we discovered an enormous country with stunning physical potential - it immediately became clear that while the paragliding was spectacular, it was the utterly unique characteristics of this land, geographical and cultural, which "made" our voyage to this remote corner of the globe our most noteworthy trip in a dozen years of guiding. Our goal is not only to better your skills while making noteworthy flights, but to simultaneously offer a truly singular departure from the rigors of life on the home front.

It is important to note the diversity of South Africa and Namibia sites which

allow us to accommodate pilots of many ability levels and interests.

Sites range from the strong inland thermal sites for which the country is famous (Hartebeespoort Dam, Vryburg, Kuruman and Machadadorp) to the magnificent coastal ridge soaring locations such as lffafa, Knysnas, "Map of Africa" and Cape Providence.

Your trip to South Africa will include majestic mountain sites such as Arthur's Seat in the Drakesburg to the world's largest sand dunes in Namibia (Sossusvlei and Swakopmund).

For the photographer South Africa will abound with remarkable opportunities to capture wildlife in their native environment as well as majestic landscape and picturesque sunsets.

TRIP DATES Departure: November 20, 1993 Return: December 11, 1993 For further information please contact: Pro Design USA 1600 E. Cypress Ave. #8 Redding, CA 96002 Phone (916) 222-4606 Fax (916) 222-4640 Mescalito Adventure Co. 50639 O'Byrne Rd. Sardis, BC Canada V2R 2P1 Phone (604) 858-2300

Ultima Brake pulleys On two occasions the brake line of the ultima has jammed at the guide pulley attached to the rear riser.

Although no injury has occurred, the full implications of this problem are potentially very serious. Only Ultimas sold before August 1992 should be affected by this problem, but please check all Ultima brakes to insure that can run freely. The affected pulleys are those with a hollow rivet running through the centre of the pulley wheel. If you are in any doubt, please contact Harley Paragliders ( 0691 670644) or your local dealer.

To eradicate the problem we strongly recommend the fitting of 2 replace-

18

ment pulleys. These come as a retrofit kit available through your local dealer , Patrick Sugrue, at the British School of PG Las Vegas, NV (702) 896-6000

ORY An owner of an APCO Astra paraglider experienced a control line failure in flight when the line broke at the point where it was attached to the control loop/toggle. Examinations of the opposite line found that it also was weakened and hand pressure was enough to break that line. The owner faxed APCO with the information.

APCO replied that they had been aware of the problem for some time and sent him replacement polyester lines to replace the failed kevlar control lines. The FSC was sufficiently concerned to go back to APCO and ask what canopies were affected and what actions were being undertaken.

In reply we received the following communication.

To the BHPA.. April 22, 1993.

Dear Sir, Following your inquiry: 1 Kevlar lines were used for main brake lines until September 1992.

2 Polyester lines have been used on all paragliders for the main brake lines from September 1992 until today.

3 In September, 1992, we discovered that a possibility exists of brakeline failure as a result of frequently bending of kevlar lines around the Dring of the brake. The polyester line used in its place is especially developed for this purpose in order to provide a full solution to the problem.

Since this change was introduced we have had no complaints regarding brakelines.

4 The polyester brakeline is a solid blue color, easily identifiable.

5 Our distributor has been informed of the change and a free replacement service has been offered. New brakelines have been mailed to every customer who has requested them.We hope that this fully answers your questions.

Apco Aviation Ltd. Obviously we would have preferred that the owners were informed of the fault before the they found out for themselves, possibly the hard way.

The owner of any Astra or of any APCO canopy that has kevlar brake lines should take up the offer of free replacement now.

When you switch on your vario, switch on your brain, and remember, the story of Algernoon Day. "Here lies the body of Algernoon Day. Who died maintaining his right of way. He was right, so right, as he flew along, but he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

ET

Reprinted from SKYWINGS

September 18-19, 1993, Third annual Lilienthal Meet, Guadalupe Sand Dunes/Point Sal For more information contact Achim Hageman at (805) 962-8999. Advanced Air Tech., 29 State St., Santa Barbara, CA. 93101. $50( $40 preregister by Sept. 1). 2 day soaring clinic. Hike and soar 8 miles of untouched coastal wilderness.

IER With good reason, Verbier is one of the best known paragliding sites in the Alps. Flying takes place all the year round - I've seen paragliders there in March, taking off from Les Ruinettes and thermalling up above the woods in the late afternoon sun, over the heads of the skiers. Every year the Verbier International Lucky Strike Open has been held, and this year the World Championships take place in the first two weeks of August.

Hundreds of competitors have already registered, so don't plan a holiday there at that time unless you just want to spectate, because it could be incredibly crowded.

Be aware that the only rule fixed in tablets of stone is the obligation of all pilots to avoid a collision at all times.

All other rules require that the pilot moderates the guidelines laid down with a modicum of common sense.

The most valuable instrument you can carry with you is your brain, with its ability to accept subtle input data and extrapolate from it into reasoned judgement. Make sure you plan ahead so as to make collision avoidance unnecessary; after all, it is with imminant collision that the Rules of the Air are primarily concerned, not mutual maneuvering at a distance.

This is the 4th year that a paragliding competition has been run. Based just outside Bassano (about an hour's drive north from Venice) in the Venetian Pre-Alps, the air is cold with a high lapse rate and the relief is spectacular. The competition has a reputation for small, strong thermals and rough air. It is one of the largest and best-sponsored competitions in Europe. On the paragliding side this year there were 125 pilots taking part, representing 22 different countries.

Three of the five days were flown, Days 1 and 2 from a new site for the competition at Monte Avena near Feltre. The task for both these days was a 69km out-and- return with the airport at Belluno as the turnpoint.

The tasks were basically ridge-runs with a tricky initial crossing to negotiate. Cloudbase was 5 - 6000ft with some very strong thermals.

Final Results

Robbie Whittal

GB 1999 Firebird Navaho

2 Luciano Pacher

ITA 1944 Nova Sphinx

3 Walter Holzmuller

AUS 1921 Nova Sphinx

4 Bruce Goldsmith

GB 1902 Airwave Rave

5 Torsten Hahne

GER 1897

6

John Pendiy

Edel Racer

GB 1883 Airwave Rave

7 Armin Eder

AUS 1794

Edel Racer

8 Uli Wiesmeier

GER 1790

UPKatana

9 Settimio Calavarese ITA 1662

UPKatana

1O Didier B<iga

UP Katana

FRA 1633

Who hasn't seen the evocative picture of Eric Raymond in goggles and oxygen mask at 6,000m on his rigid wing over the Sierra Nevada - symbolizing the dream of flight? Inspired by this image, Uli Wiesmeier has spent much effort in taking pictures that capture the dream. From Owens to Namibia to Stanwell Park, using cameras on hangers and outriggers,

19

a collection of brilliant photographs appear in the new book "Wing Over'.

The technology is fascinating; his cameras have remote control and fill in flash, and where the cameras support frame was visible in the picture, it has been airbrushed out of the final print! The book can be obtained from J. Berg- Verlag of Munich and costs about 45 dollars.

New towing winch from Italy We knew the "Koch" system from Germany, favorite among the majority of the professional towing schools.

Well now we have the "MIG 03".

That's the name! 3 individual steel cables. Each of the 3 spools can accept 1000 meters of line and can be spread across the field all at once.

APCO has a full face helmet.

Australia's longest: 155 kms by French pilot Xavier Murillo.

His name is Auguste. He is a sailor who crossed the seven seas with his boat. At the age of 76, Auguste has just discovered flying. Taking-off in tandem from the beautiful site of San Bastiano (Corisica), and after landing, he said, "I have one more time experienced the most beautiful day of my life!".

Recently the biggest kite in the world was flown in France, 60 people were needed to insure the setup and a bulldozer of 20 tons was hooked to this monster to keep it on the beaches of "La Baulle" facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Like for our helmets, protection shells are now going to be tested for perforation and shock absorption and will have to meet certain requirements to get the stamp of approval. Excellent initiative taken by the (FFLV) French Federation of Vol Libre.

SKYBOX, an alti-vario made in Germany, is a little different. One can punch in a personal key code to start

it (good idea if it is stolen ; no one will be able to use it) , and the toy is totally waterproof.

GMI

RANKING 1992 Canadian Paragliding Cross Country Flight Log The list is in order of the best three paragliding flights. The total of all reported flights includes , Open Distance, Out and Return , and flights originating outside of Canada. The list of Out and Return Flights and flights originating outside of Canada will be printed in the National Newsletter.

BEST 3

11:JrPI...IWS

COUNTRY ALTA

2

NAME Muller, Chris Maclaren, Pete r

3 4

Derouin , Glenn Dougherty, Sean

ALTA ALTA

5

Gordon , Bill

USA

133.50

6 7

Bibler, Todd

USA

117.50

Bouchard , John Midwinter, Stewart

USA ALTA

116.00 111 .00

1

8

BC

9 Matsungaga, Fumiya Japan CH 10 Thurig , Lukas 11 Oddy , Eric BC 12 Karl , David USA 13 Unterberger, Eric BC USA 14 Kruglinski , David 15 Shipman , Mark USA 16 Hiyoshi , Yukihiko

Japan ALTA

17 Duford , Matt 18 Tsuchiya, Yoko 19 Tsuchiya , Masahiko 20 Comfort , Glen '

'

.

Japan Japan ALTA

373.22 308 .16

I've been hang gliding for 21 years with a slope launch in my back yard. I've recently purchased an ITV Asterope 29 paraglider. Mike Calveard of Zuni , VA. flew the first paraglider at this site (Sauratown) in April. Joe Babcock of Hinsdale, MA . has been flying here too. The enclosed photo is me at Paradise Hill (500'Agl) on the NCN A state line. Those wishing to fly and pioneer sites in this area may contact me at the enclosed address.

Sincerely, Tommy Thompson Rt. 1 Box 274-C ; Sauratown MTN . RD ; Westfield , NC 27053; (919) 9839064 Alligator Rock launch Sauratown

Min. 950' Agl 2100' MSL. Faces 170 degrees SSE Slope take off Paved road to top

230.75 174.00

104.92 95 .00 94 .50 93 .00 93 .00 90. 00 82 .80 81 .34 78 .00 76 .97 76 .38 72.00

G CLUBS

Paragliding Magazine has been asked if it would start a listing of all the US paragliding clubs. Good idea!

If all of the clubs would like to send in their club name, address, phone and contact persons ,PGM will make up the listings and publish it every issue.

ASPEN US/OPEN NATIONAL PARAGLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS & 4TH ANNUAL ASPEN FLY IN SEPfEMBER 4-12, 19'J3 Aspen US/Open National paragliding Championships! For more infonnation and registration call Mark or Paul Ferguson at (303) 5304940. 771e $200 dollar entry fee includes a gondola pass, 3dinners, a tee shirt, etc.

4th annual Aspen Fly-In. For information and registration cal] Mark or Paul Ferguson at (303) 5304940. 771e $125 entry fee includes a gondola pass, 3 dinners, a tee shirt, etc.

Register before August 15th to avoid a late enhy fee!

Do you or your company want to help support the first ever Aspen US/Open National Paragliding Championship with products and/or monetary contributions? Call Paulina Vander Noordaa at(303) 9274524 for sponsorship opportunities and nationaVinternational recognition in return for your contribution!

We look forward to flying with all of you!

PARAPENIE ASiffi" 'IreNµll µiragliding club (303) CJ25-76'25

Thanks , Fred Stockwell , Editor

Aspen US /Open National Paragliding Championship - Parapente Aspen - 417 South Spring Street-Aspen, Colorado 81612 -Tel/Fax. (303) 927 -4524

PS , for photos 100 ASA Fuji film is the best for reproductions.

P.S. Special lodging rates for pilots at these locations; Tyrolean Lodge - (303) 925-4595; Holland House (303) 925-7361; Buckhorn Lodge - (303) 925-7630; Aspen Silver Gia Condominiums - (800) 528-8909; Or call Aspen Central Reservations at (800) 262-7736. For camping reservations call the forest service at (303) 925-3445. Book Early!

20

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY FRED STOCKWELL

DURING THE

1800 MINING DAYS

TELLURIDE WAS ONE OF COLORADO'S BUSCEST MINING TOWNS, WITH MORE THAN

350 MILES OF TUNNELS. TRAVELING TO AND FROM THIS MOUNTAIN VALLEY WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHILE TRANSPORTING HEAVY JIIINING

EQUIPMENT, M,A_l'I/Y PEOPLE NEVER MADE IT TO THEIR DESTINATION AND SO THE JOUR· NEY BECAME "To HELL You RIDE!"

The road is much bener now and very scenic. As we travel in to Telluride. for the first Telluride XC Classic. organized by Nick and Betsy Kennedy. For the past 13 years it has been the site of the annual Hang Gliding Aerobatic meet, and has a reputation for some incredible flying.

The competition officially started on June 21 st but some pilots anived early to become familiar with the site and conditions. Unfo1tunately, good flying conditions weren't happening. except for one day. The next good flying day wasn't until the 3rd official meet day on a Wednesday. After almost a week of no flying 17 pilots and Nick Kennedy were more than ready to get started. At 3:00 two trucks full of pilots

headed for the Gold Hill launch. The town might be called Telluride now, but the road to launch is still 'To Hell You Ride". but we all survi ed the drive. The town's elevation is 8750 ms!. and launch is at 12250 .flying with oxygen is essential. For the first few days I felt that I needed it just walking around town. We parked the trucks outside Eric Trommers new house, and walked about half a mile to launch. What a view' A photographers dream. blue sky. snow capped mountains. and colorful gliders. In no time pilots were busy gening ready to launch. warm clothes, flight suits. varios. maps. oxygen. cameras. and of course that last glider check.

Nick Kennedy held a pilots meeting, the task was set, and 20 min. later gliders took to the air, competing for those alJ important points to select the next world team. First to launch was wind technician Scott Mc Glamery, who was smdied carefully by the other pilots. The task was a photo mmpoint race. with a tarp start, ( once all gliders are in the air the tarp is laid out the time starts with a photo of the start tarp ) The first photo tum point was Chair Nine . then Palmira peak ,back to Chair Nine, back to Palmira, then out to OOPS field, for a total of 13.5 miles. First pilot in to the LZ was Lee Kaiser with a 51 min.

21

time. He was followed lmin.20 sec. later

by John Bouchard. I asked Lee what he thought of the conditions he said " Unlike a normal day which has a predominant thermal type , this day had a mix of all thermal types. Just to make it more interesting the ridge lift steadily increased from barely sustainable to an evening glass off d1at allowed me to fly flat out from the last tum point to goal Day two. The task was race to goal from Gold Hill to Lizard Pass, a distance of 8 miles. Start time was 3:00. 3 pilots made goal. Bob Schick. time 36 min. , Greg Smith 64 min. , Mike Bellik after everyone else had landed.

The most exciting event of the day was watching Paul Fergeson, in spite of all of his effo1ts, land 10 ft short of goal. I asked Bob Schick about the flight, He replied. "Flying in Tellu1ide is the ultimate, the view is incredible, the meet, although short, was fun , safe and chalJenging for both seasoned competition pilots and the new guys. I hope next year is as much fun."

Day three, race to goal Gold Hill to Ridgeway, 17.5 miles. Todd Bibler, John Bouchard, and Bob Schick launched early and after racing themselves to the ground within three miles, watched enviously as 1 1 •

XC Class

Greg Smith Flying Edel Racer

Bob Shick flying Edel Racer II

Place

Pilot L:sf'ane

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

8

11 69 4 32

10 2 27 13 5 9 3 7 0

111 59

Smith Kaiser Sanacroce Schick Bellik Bouchard Bibler

Youn strom

Am Harris Blachly

907.85 1000.00 856.98 747.80 555.60 961.48 783.97 620.63 623.23 118.44 273.53 118.44 625.38 118.44 0.00 0.00

67 67 73 67 12

ic Participants

Hiking to Gold Hill.

TELLURll>E X-C CLASSIC '93

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

<Fergusen with Firebird Navajos

6Score Curulative 3.01 3.53 ?.08

t.00

l.34 ?,08 :..08 .08 .65 .08 .67 .08 .34

.00 .00 .00

563.67 511.10 666.67 184036 473.64 184.36 184.36 184.36 174.90 484.28 193.36 193.36 174.90 193.36 174.90

0.00

Glider

2349.54 2207.63 2195.73 1932.17 Edel Racer II 1820.58 Edel Racer II 1817.93 ITV Alix 1640.42 Firebird Nava·o 1477.08 ITV Alcore 1431 .78 UP Katana 1274.81 UP Stellar 1198.56 Firebird Nava·o 983.89 UP Katana 929.62 Airwave Rave 311 .80 Firebird Nava·o 174.90

0.00 Betsy Kennedy

Nick Kennedy

PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

Greg Smith, Chris Santacroce and Lee Kaiser specked out over their heads. Mike Bellik, one mile short of goal landed in a cow field which included some young rowdy bulls. He had to make a hasty retreat with his flight suit down around his ankles, and glider bunched over his shoulder. Chris Sanatcroce won the day with a time of 53 min., next was Greg Smith with 71 min. About his flight Chris said" I waited on launch until Nick said I had to go or miss the window. I scratched around for ten minutes before I hit a smooth 1100 fpm thermal that took me to cloudbase. Crossing the range I was sinking out until I found another 1100 fpm thermal which I rode back to cloud base. Gliding into goal I started to feel my fingertips again, 5 minutes later it was 80 degrees, mosquito's were attacking me and I was standing in the dirt! Unreal!

Sunday, the final day, was blown out, it was decided to change the awards dinner to an awards lunch. Nick and Betsy Kennedy presented the awards to the top four pilots who were: l st place Greg Smith, 2nd Lee Kaiser, 3rd Chris Santacroce, and 4th Bob Schick.

Everyone else who pa.rticipated a.'ld helped out got a prize too. A..'ter the ceremony I spoke to several of the competitors about the meet.

Greg Smith, overall winner, said "Telluride was great! Nick and the Telluride Air Force did an excellent job. The meet was run in a safe, professional manner with most of the tasks being geared towards the average pilot, just as advertised. Unfortunately, we had a few days of bad weather. However, the three days we did fly were superb. One

day I was able to reach altitude's of 18000 ft. and do a l O mile glide to goal. The views are spectacular. I hope the Telluride Paragliding Classic becomes an annual event.

T.R. Youngstrom, a Telluride local pilot sponsored by the Bank of Telluride and One Hour Photo, told this story; "5-6 months ago the local club, Telluride Air Force, was having a club meeting and the idea of the meet was discussed. Most everyone said "NO WAY," the sport is too young and the mountains are too big". I agreed that it wasn't a good idea, maybe just a fly-in. Nick Kennedy finally convinced us that it would be good. Today my thoughts on the event are all positive, the pilots were all very good, 4 or 5 really shined. These guys showed us the lesser pilots the envelope is alot bigger than we previously thought. For instance, my 17 mile flight to Ridgeway ...

This was a classic flight, I think several of us cored the same d1em1al to cloudbase, then crossed the valley really high! The camaraderie was awesome eating ,drinking, sleeping, and dreaming flying. A meet that will be remembered."

The pilots and organizers would like to thank all those who made this contest possible, including the town of Telluride, Telluride Air Force, Colorado XC pilots Asso. and Tellmide Ski Corp. A special thanks goes out to Axel Koch (a hang glider pilot ) and Paul Spellman, who work for KOTO radio, which stands for Keep Our Transmitter On. Their motto is 'keep your eyes on the skies'. By regularly broadcasting wind conditions, and news of the meet , they kept us all up dated and kept our eyes on the skies.

SPONSORS:

BAIL VARio's - BoLLE SUNGLASSES -EDELUSA -FLIGHT DF.slGN - HAIL WINDMEIER'S - LEKI SKI POLES - PR.o DFslGN • SAIL WINGS - UP - WB.LS WJNG

Launch at Aspen Site of U.S Nationals 1993 - Sept 4- 12

PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

lHE 1993 ELSINORE PARAGLIDING CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION Joe Gluzinski

Thirtythree pilots entered this year's Elsinore XC paragliding meet ranging from the number one ranked pilot in the US to pilots who had been flying for less than a year. Conditions were superb as the weather gods cooperated allowing us to validate tasks on all six flying days. Tasks of up to 27 miles challenged pilots who rode the coastal convergence across the flat lands more than 100 miles over the six day period.

Although the competition did not receive official USHGA sanctioning, a petition which was signed by the pilots in attendance requesting approval was submitted to the USHGA for consideration.

Day 1 A race to Saboba , distance 27 .2 miles, was called for the first day of the meet. What looked like perfect conditions started things off. Mitch McAleer, the event organizer , launched first and immediately climbed 3,000' to cloudbase before heading down range. Everyone just stood there and watched as Mitch took an early lead. A half an hour later as pilots were finally beginning to launch a cloud street set up out in front of the mountain; but by then Mitch was in a position to take advantage of it and did so , Everyone else was still on the ground . Half way across the the valley the cloud street behind Mitch conveniently disappeared and left everyone else stranded. With that big of a head start I knew who would win that day. A total of ten pilots made goal that day, with a few more landing within a few hun dred yards of the finish line. Number one ranked US pilot, Bob England ,

took second place that day 45 minutes behind Mitch . Bob led a pack of eight pilots who crossed the goal line within nine minutes of each other.

Day 2 A 19.9 mile task was called , requiring in-flight photos with two turnpoints on top of the mountain at Rad Dan 's trailer and at the towers- - before heading out away from the mountain to the intersection at Newport Road

and Hahne Road by the 215 freeway.

Remembering Day 1, and how the first pilot to launch won , most of the competitors got off to an early start.

Fighting the headwind to the first turn point, many of the pilots hit the deck.

Only four pilots , Share lle Rogers , Greg Smith , Todd Norell, and Mike Bellic were able to make it across the lake after photographing both turn points. Watching from goal we could see Sharelle and Todd battle it out to

·~~

PARAGLIDING , THE MAGAZINE

see who would make make it to goal first. Nobody made goal that day and Sharelle ended up the winner , landing just half a mile short. Todd Norell ca me in second followed by Greg Smith and Mike Bellic.

Day3 A 23.5 mile task was called: it would be a race to goal to the State Street and Newport Road Intersection. The task committee made a perfect call that day as four pilots made it to goal.

Dave Hankins, a skydiver and US Navy SEAL, led the pack and beat Lee Kaiser by just seconds. Lee seemed content just to make it to goal and didn't know he was in a race for first place while Hankins applied full power and swept across the finish line in first place. A trend was being established as new contenders from the day before, like Dave Hankins, Bill Watson and Sharelle, were giving some of the old salts some competition.

in almost spitting distance of goal.

Day 6 After five valid tasks you would think these guys and gals were ready for a day off, but no such luck. These hard core maniacs wanted more abuse so we waited for it to blow in at the E launch and sent them off in a 11.9 mile race to Hahne Rand and Newport Road Intersection. Seven pilots made goal that day behind the safety director in his hang glider, with Lee Kaiser the overall meet winner finishing first . Six minutes later, Chuck Sm ith arrived , then Kevin Schoals , Greg Smith , Jan Stenstadvold , Mike Bellic , and Jan Ala. In retrospect it seemed like an open distance task would have been ideal for that day. Pilots arriving at goal could barely escape the massive convergence clouds and cloud suck overhead; this might have been the day to fly over Mount San Jacinto.

VIDEOS ~

MM$0f WORLDCHAMPIONSHIP

Conclusion Day 4 21.1 miles with four turnpoints on top of the mountain, the Lookout restaurant, towers , back to the restaurant, towers again, then out in front to the defunct Elsinore skydiving center (which is mostly under water) ; turn point photos required . Scott Gressit opened the window by launching first.

Scott's strategy worked as he was the first one to finish the course, crossing the finish line just one minute ahead of Dave Hankins. Three more pilots made goal that day: Bob England , Lee Kaiser, and Mitch McA!eer.

Day 5 A short 11 .5 mile task was called : race to goal to the Bundy Canyon Road and the 215 Freeway Intersection . What looked like an easy task on paper ended up being one of the hardest fought days of the competition. With hindsight, the task was called too far south and anyone who had a chance of completing the task fought a headwind to the ground within sight of goal. Young Chris Santacroce finished first for the day.

Chris flew 10.25 miles and was observed from goal valiantly struggling to buck the head wind . Lee Kaiser, Mitch McAleer, Greg Smith , Jan Ala, MaryAnn Karren, Todd Bibler, and Chuck Smith landed with-

At the end , everyone retired to Mitch and Katie McAleer's ranch and huge pilot pool party to wait for Jennifer Toms (our hard working computer whiz) to complete the final scoring with the awards ceremony following .

Generous industry sponsors donated enough prizes so that each of the 33 competitors , every driver, and even the staff who ran the event, walked away with a nice prize.

1st Lee Kaiser 2nd Greg Smith 3rd Chuck Smith 4ih Dave Hankins 5th Bob England 6th Bill Watson 7th Mitch McAleer 8th Jan Ala 9th Jan Stenstadvold 10th Todd Bibler

Apco Supra Edel Racer 11 Edel Space Pro-Design Chaiienger-C Apco Supra Apco Astra Edel Racer II Pacific Airwave Jive Edel Racer 11 Firebird Navajo

Southern California Paraglider Competition Major sponsors:

XC

Ball Vario - Flight Designs - Edel USA - Apco USA- UP - Firebird USA - Pro Design USA Southwind Hang Gliding - North American Sports - Air Tek USA - Performance designs - Second Chantz - Mountain High Equipment - RCI - Ailes de K - GMI - Brauniger

PARASOL IS A FULL LENGTH DOCUMENTARY OF THE 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DIGNE, FRANCE INCLUDING A SITE GUIDE OF FOUR SITES, REPUTED TO BE SOME OF THE BEST FLYING IN THE WORLD. VHS - 55 MINS.

THERmlK- THE ART oF FLYINc BASICS OF FLIGHT

EUROPEAN VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS ALL ASPECTS OF HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING FLIGHT: FROM THE FIRST STEP TO PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION FLYING, AND FROM SAFETY ASPECTS TO METEORO· LOGICAL CONDITIONS. FOR PILOTS AND NON-PILOTS. VHS - 40 MINS.

HANC CLIDINC -.I AAWsEE HIGH PERFORMANCE HANG GLIDING WITH WORLD CHAMPIONS, FUN FLYING FOR EVERYONE. VHS - 50 MINS.

SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PARASOL ......... . . ........ . . 49.95 THERMIK . ..... . ........ . . .. .. 49.95 HANG GLIDING - EXTREME ...... 34.95 POSTAGE &HANDLING .. . . . ... ... 4.00

Adventure Video

Other Sponsors : Air America - Hall Windmeters - Lake Elsinor Sports - Lift Back - Pacific Airwave - Paragliding the Magazine - Wills wing - Wright Flight

Paul Hamilton 4750 Townsite Road Reno, NV 89511 USA Phone/FAX 702-849-9672 CALL OR WRITE FOR OTHER ACTION VIDEOS

27

HARLEY SIROCCO

PRO DESIGN COMPACT

- - - - - - - - - - - ~ The Sirocco, developed and manufactured in the UK has been tested in Brittan ana also in Europe. The Medium size (total flying weight 70 92kg) has already been put through the ACPUL testing procedures and has come up with a top grade 12 A rating. Small and large sizes are also being put through their ACPUL tests and will follow shortly.

Targeted at the middle range market this canopy claims to be well suited to the intermediate pilot. It has excellent performance characteristics, but at the same time it is easy to handle. Manufactured in ripstop nylon 6.6 , the Sirocco is available in a choice of 3 color =:bi' - ' - - - - - - - - ' schemes to suit a variety of tastes.

The 31 (25.7 m. ) and the compact 35 (29.9 m.) have passed ACPUL and SHV with all A's

FLIGHT DESIGNS Their all new High defini- .--------------:::,----,,----, tion harness has suc cessfully completed the Gutesiegel testing . The integrated rescue system has been placed under the seat and can come with a optional 24 square meter PDA. An all new concept of modular back protection has been developed with a high density elastic foam , backed by an "armadillo " style back plate , that can be folded in with the harness . The in flight adjustable leg rest adds to the comfort, and the harness comes complete with variable cross bracing and pulley system for any speed system . Although the HD has comfort , fitted ••~,·bags on both the left s..::::.:;.""-"""'"'"""~--='""'"'.L and right sides of the harness , the most exciting storage feature is the main zoom bag on the back.

AIRWAVE RAVE The Rave - the successor to the Voodoo Several months of prototype flying and undergoing competition trials at the highest level World Cup and Bassano International Meeting have resulted in the Rave quickly establishing itself as a competition wing. The Rave 27 has now passed the AC PULS flight tests (1 OX A, 1 X Band 1 X C) and is ready for production.

Airwave claims it has all the hallmarks of the Airwave design philosophy for a high performance paraglider. Airwave stress that the Rave, as well as with all high performance wings, requires a good level of pilot ability.

This glider completes the range of Airwave paragliders.

APCO MAYDAY

FIRE BIRD The small version of the high performance Navajo has just passed the AFNOR flight test. 10 x A, 2 x 8 (Asymetric Collapse, Front Collapse). with a X-Braced Harness (Sitting Bull) Despite the high grades, Firebird wishes to stress that the Navajo 25 is still a high performance paraglider to be flown by experienced pilots only. The Navajo is made to the same high standards as all Firebird products, using Porcher Marine Nylon Sailcloth and Eulit Aramid Lines.

Particular to the Navajo is the absence of D-lines al ong most of the span . Careful positioning of the lines enables good profile control with the monimum amount of lines - thus reducing weight and drag.

The Navajo 28 also passed the flight tests (10 A, 1 B - Front coll. , 1C asymetrical coll.) in December TECHINICAL DETAILS

Wing span (m) Sail Area (m') Aspect Ratio No. of Cells Min Sink (mi s) Fully Ladened Take-Off Weight

APCO May day parachute line for paragliders and hang gliders has been manufactured in quantities of over 10, 000 pieces and has many lifesaving incidents recorded to its credit, including two unique cases when the same parachutes saved their owner's lives twice in two separate incidents.

28

Navajo25

Navajo28

11 ,75 25, 1

12,36 27,7 5,5 52 ca. 1.1 75-95

5,3 50 ca . 1.1 60-78

L=~L' LLU\.:.L'L\.1.~Li ~\.

L~i.-:•••

·~Ll: ,l~~~L~ ::L~l :\.V~Ll \ V L'LL\; ~L'

M-19 Try the Rest, Buy the Best Ball's newest Flight Deck, the M-19 is now available. This state of the Art Variometer comes in a Lightweight yet Rugged case. The Large easy to read Circular LCD readout displays climb rates up to 1600 FPM. The M-19 comes \·Vith Dual One Foot Altimeters that are easy to adjust and can be set for feet or meters , allowing you to skyout while others are repairing their "high-tee" imports.

Ball has been making soaring instruments for foot launched pilots since .. .. . They are continuously striving to improve the technology in flight computers. Every flight Deck is backed up with Ball's standard one year warranty. The Boulder Colorado factory offers reliable and quick service for every need.

All Ball Flight Instruments are made in the USA. See your local dealer for more details.

Ball Variometers, Inc. 6595 Odell Place Suite C, Boulder, Colorado 80301 ph: (303) 530-4940 fax: (303) 530-4836 The new standard for Flight Instruments. Whether you compete or not, We'll help you to be a "Soar" Winner.

P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX

ACCIDENT REPORT Robi111 1,,1,,,,.,t,,,,,

We had our first injury in a long, long time at Dry Canyon on March 20th. It was not a hang glider, but a paraglider that went in. As best as I can determine, this is what happened: A visiting paraglider pilot, from Hobbs, was warned early in the afternoon that conditions were probably too strong to fly that day. After the last hang glider pilot had launched (Gil Jones, visiting from Dallas) The paraglider pilot decided that winds had decreased enough (1 O to 20 mph) that he could fly in them. He got up about 9000 feet (2000 feet above launch). Over the West Ridge he discovered he could no longer penetrate, and was steadily blown back to the east, until he crashed into a canyon about a mile from the launch. He lost consciousness for a while, but woke up and was able to communicate by radio.

With the help of Bill Cox and Tommy West, some visiting EMT's were able to get to the pilot-- lead by the EMT's dog! They stabilized the pilot, and stayed with him from about 5:00 until he was picked up by helicopter at 11 :00 pm. The extent of his injuries" Two broken ankles, a broken heel, and a crushed lumbar vertebrae, with some paralysis (doctors predict 98% recovery within a year). The pilot considers himself lucky to have retained enough control to have survived the crash. Well, what can we learn from all this? First of all, that we always take care of each other out here; Greg Castain of Dallas watched the pilot impact and reported his position from above, then everybody dropped what they were doing to assist. Alamogordo Search and Rescue did a superb job of getting the pilot out, so we do have excellent emergency services in the area. (Thanks to everyone who helped!) Second, I think it is obvious that DRY CANYON is a class 2 paraglider site; this is not a place for inexperienced pilots of paragliders, considering how rowdy the winds can

get. And third, we all have to realize that this could have happened to ANY of us, in slightly stronger conditions; a hang glider can outperform a paraglider to some extent, but it is not a jet fighter. Stay within your own flying envelope, and always warn others when you think the conditions are frightening; though we can't always stop a person from launching, we can certainly let them know what's going to happen if he does. Look out for each other, as the RGSA is famous for, and fly safe.

Dear Photo enthusiast!

How often do we look at the pictures in our magazine and wonder how they (pilots) get those rich colors? What filters and type of films were they using? What focal length lens was used? Was the photographer using shutter speed priority? If so, what shutter speeds were used? It is this overwhelming lack of specific information that deters the inexperienced photographer/pilot from experimenting with aerial photography.

I would like to propose that every photo submitted to the editor include the following information if possible: 1. Type of film (print or slide), manufacturer and speed (ASA).

2. Focal length of lens and manufacturer.

3. Selected camera mode. (automatic, shutter priority, aperture priority; if shutter speed priority, specify speed) All photos published would have the above mentioned accompanying information with photographers name below or beside picture instantly informing us the "dos" and the "don'ts" of aerial photography. This will give the amateur the tools to start experimenting, hopefully capturing the beauty of our sport to share with others. Reading our magazine we could now learn how to take beautiful shots, but how do we begin to mount our cameras? Be innovative, salvage some buckles off old ski boots for tool-free attachment capabilities.

30

PVC pipe is fairly light and is easy to work with. You are limited only to your imagination. Most of all, HAVE FUN! Remember; a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

Reto Schaeril Sacramento, Ca. Dear

We have the pleasure to announce to you that the 11th International Hang Gliding Film Festival will be taking place from the 16th to the 19th of September 1993 in SAINT HILAIRE DU TOUVET (lsere - France) along with the 20th ICARE CUP. This festival will be open to all films dedicated to" Paragliding, hang gliding, para-sailing, free falling, parachuting, hot air and gas balloon, muscular flying, sailplane, elastic jump, ultra motorized hang gliders and paragliders.

You will find enclosed regulations and inscription form In any case if you want any further information, please contact us.

Sincerely Yours, Martine Lange Secretary's Festival WOMEN'S WORLD MEET REPORT

The US placed 7th out of 13 teams. This is not too bad a showing considering that only 204 points out of approximately 6000 separated seventy and fourth place. In fact, if one more of our pilots had made goal on the last day, we would have been in 4th place and had two more pilots made goal on the that same day, we would have been third.

A launch order system was used since limited launch access was available. The problem with this system is that the window of soarable opportunity was often short--20 minutes one day-- and the top ten seeded pilots could jump in line any time.

Thus pilots in the back of the line were often blocked out. Three (out of five) of our pilots had very poor positions from day one and had a difficult time getting up, let alone moving up.

The Nanyo City valley was ringed by

P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX

# high mountains which pumped in the afternoon and essentially shut down the flying site by early afternoon. It was often desirable to launch by late morning. This fact along with some high winds and rain allowed only four valid rounds (the minimum) out of eleven possible days. One round was a one thermal task which penalized pilots heavily for being only 1 minute behind the fastest pilots to goal.

Kari Castle placed second behind Francoise Dieuzede-Banet (France). In fact, Kari beat Francoise three out of four flights. However, she was two minutes behind Francoise on the one-thermal task day. Kari obviously flew very well and could easily have been the winner with a slight change of luck.

Tammy Burcar placed 18th with a couple of solid flights. Claire (my wife) was third for our team despite some bad luck (her glider went for a flight during the pilot's meeting and broke the leading edge. She had to borrow two different gliders before we could get hers fixed.)

In general, the team comported and served itself well throughout the duration of the meet (you should have seen them in Kimonos). I feel they would have benefited from a team leader during the actual competition (I only performed the service before the meet since I was Steward). It was apparent that they mostly didn't understand the concept of team-flying beforehand nor did they realize the benefits of having a non-flying observer to provide them with information and tactical aid.

It is my opinion that future teams need to have a full-contest team leader with competition expertise.

This should take priority even over the expenses of an extra team member if we are going to be serious about winning as a team. If we are not going as a team, to fly as a team then we do not have a right to solicit funds from the USHGA membership for support. I also recommend that all members of a USHGA supported team sign an agreement as to what they will and will not do as a team

NATION

WOMEN'S WORLD HANG GLIDING TEAM RESULTS POINTS

4/22 4/23 4/24 1 Switzerland 1,831 1,324 2 France 3 Germany 1,091 4 Australia 719 U. K. 1,323 5 974 6 Japan 7 1,285 USA 8 New Zealand 642 447 Russia 9 585 10 Hungary 11 Kazahustan 214 Ukrane 214 12 13 Mexico 214

4/25

member. These latter comments are not a reflection on amy US team members, but simply observations concerning the operation of other highly successful teams such as the Swiss.

The final thing we should point out is the poor financing our teams receive (both men and women).

When Countries such as Hungary and Kazakstan can afford to bankroll a team, it is embarrassing to admit that our teams are essentially paying their own way. If we had the proper financing we could have more competition for the coveted team slots which would ultimately result in a better team. Maybe we could then think about winning.

Typically, the Japanese spared no expense in organizing and running this meet. Approximately 2 1/2 million dollars were spent directly on the meet with an equal amount spent on a new road and launch site. There were 350 official workers. Obviously we cannot begin to offer this level of support at the Chelan meet next year, nor do we need to. Our big asset is that the flying will most likely be excellent at Chelan so much fever amenities are necessary to keep pilots happy. Judging from what I observed at Nanyo city, most of the pilots will have the skills to exploit Chelan's good conditions.

Dennis Pagen USHGA Director at large CIVL Representative

31

4/25

4/26

4/27

4/28 1,372 1,338 1,137 1,471 1,137 1,104 1,371 1,104 1,238 736 1,104 368 0

19 April - 2 May

TOTAL

4/29 4/30 5/01 2,860 2,723 8,786 2,304 1,632 6,598 2,545 1,744 6,517 1,814 1,808 5,812 1,712 1,511 5,683 1,985 1,568 5,631 1,467 1,485 5,608 850 888 3,484 626 444 2,755 879 258 2,458 717 387 2,422 246 129 957 246 362 822

N,wfoQry,JAPAN

3RD WORLD HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIP FOR WOMEN (Executive Bureau for the World Championship, Office 436 -1, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture 999-22, Japan, Tel. 81 (238) 43 2345, fax. 81 (238) 43 2264)

26 June - 10 July Q&a§VPUEY.USA. 9TH WORLD HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIP (United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. P. 0. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933, USA, Tel.1(710) 632-8300, Fax. 1 (710) 632 7417)

HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING 24 - 31 July PLEDRAHITA(AVILA).

SPAIN 3RD CLUB V. L .• MADRID HANG GLIDING TROPHY (Royal Aero Club of Spain, Alcala 131, 3 lza, 28009 Madrid, Spain, Tel. 34 (1) 575 67 09, Fax. 34 (1) 576 39 52)

5 -12 September DIGNE. FRANCE FRENCH HANG GLIDING CHAMPIONSHIP (Parasol 93, Arielle Salomon, Passage de la Barlette, 04000 Oigne, France, Tel. (33) 92 32 38 51, Fax. {33) 92 32 39 44)

2ND CATEGORY EVENT FOR HANG PARAGLIDING 15 - 23 May FRANCE I SPAIN JEUX PYRENEENS DE L'AVENTURE (Jeux Pyreneens de l'Aventure, BP 18, Chateau de Segure, 65240 Arreau, France, Tel. {33) 62 98 69 55, Fax. (33) 62 98 66 59)

P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX

Regional Director USHGA ESTABLISHES POSITION OF PARAGLIDING OBSERVERS

At the Spring 1993 meeting, the UHSGA established the position of Paragliding Observer. Paragliding observers are appointed by their Regional Director for a period of one calendar year (January 1st to December 31st). The appointment must also be approved by the Safety and Training Committee Chairperson (currently Glen Nicolet reg .4) .

Paragliding Observers are permitted to sign off the log book for current Class 1 (C-1) pilots for the following Class 2 requirements: 1. 100 flights.

2. 50 flying days.

3. 25 hours logged airtime.

4. In each of the tasks groups listed below, a Paragliding Observer may sign off 1 of the five required flights .

A. 5 thermal flights of 30 minutes or longer (where altitude gains are made from thermal lift and there is not sustaining ridge lift).

B. 5 ridge lift flights of 15 minutes or longer C. 5 flights from a launch of over 1000' vertical decent.

D. 5 different sites flown .

E. 5 different canopy models flown .

F. 5 flights launched from 6000' density altitude or higher.

G. 5 spot landings within a 1 O' diameter circle with an approach that requires turns.

Please note that a Paragliding Observer may NOT sign off controlled top landings, controlled side hill landings , or windy condition flights . Also please note that ; A PARAGLIDING OBSERVER DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE RATINGS. If you are interested in becoming a Paragliding Observer, please contact your Regional Director. If you have any other questions or com ments , please feel free to contact Greg Huller at (719) 632-8300.

Involved In Paragliding Region 4 director Glen Nicolet. recently visited Draper, Utah . Glen came out to observe an advanced ICP , a basic ICP run at the soaring center, visit local schools and attend a local club meeting. He feels communication is one of the most important factors as a representative of the members in his region. To this end Glen talked with instructors, students, visiting and local pilots. "I have a special interest in helping promote both the sport and the safety of hang gliding and paragliding" , says Glen . "I have recently become familiar with the needs of the paragliding community.

On his visit Glen had 2 days of introductory paragliding lessons, with Above and Beyond instructors Fred and Claudia Stockwell and Ken Hudonjorgenson. The Point of the Mountain was reliable as ever, Glen got 12 paragliding flights and said he will go back at the end of July to finish the course. "Paragliding is a good safe sport and it's continued popularity shows how much fun it really is . Growth in paragliding is important and a positive development of all aspects is imperative.I feel this can be accomplished by working together and communicating ." he said.

Glen Nicolet has served as a director for USHGA for the past several years.

He is currently the chairman of the Safety and Training Committee, and director of region 4. Glen has been an active member of the BOD and attends all meetings.

His interest in flight began with single engine aircraft and sail planes, then turned to hang gliding in the late '?Os, now he is exploring paragliding. Glen works for the FAA as the area manager in the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Ken Hudonjorgenson , Glen Nicolet and Claudia Stockwell SEVENTH ANNUAL GARY LAGRONE MEMORIAL FLY-IN TO BENEFIT "SAVE THE CHILDREN" October 2nd and 3rd 1993

- Competitions for hang glider and Paraglider pilots.

- Out and return air race (Class A and B) Prizes will be awarded to top three places in each category. Entrance fee is $25.00 and all registered pilots will receive a fly-in tee shirt. All proceeds will be sent to "Save the Children" .(non-profit organization ) Other Fly-in events include a live band Saturday evening, the 2nd of October, and there will be lots of food .

Location: Point of the Mountain Flight Park; Draper, Utah. Come and check out our new north side launch ramp .

Sponsors: Above and Beyond PG school - Alf Wear - Chums - Lone Peak Packs Paragl iding the Magazine - The Band - Wasatch Wings For more information contact:Valerie Carroll; 11982 South 700 West; Draper, Utah 84020; (801) 572-5869; FAX (801) 262-8658

32

P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX MOLLICA, KEN: Columbus, OH; J. Stenstadvold I Aspen PG

PARAGUDrNG RA'flNGS GIVEN IN MAY

Rcgion8 BLANCARTE, FABIO: Wallingford, CT; L. Love I Torrey Flight Park BURRUS, BEATRICE: Cambridge, MA; M. Bell I UP Soaring Center DUNBAR, JOSEPH: N. Conway, NH; K. Baier FISHER, STEPAN: Cambridge, MA; M .. Bell I UP Soaring Center

(Name: City, State; Instructor Name) CILASS fi

Region l ARMS1RONG, WILLIAM: Silverdale ,WA: M. Eberle IN. American PG BAILEY, STEVE: Redmond, WA; M. Chirico I Parapente USA BARR, BARRY: Roche Harbor, WA; M. Eberle/ N. American PG CAMPBELL, DON: Portland, OR; D. Raybourn I HG IP G School of OR CLAPP, DAVIS: Redmond, WA; M. Chirico I Parapente USA HECKLER, MARK: Issaquah, WA; M. Chirico I Parapente USA VERBOIS, DAYID: Bellevue, WA; M. Chirico I Parapente USA WINGATE, ELlZABETH: Valdez, AK; C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond

Rei,'lim ll WALTON, IAN: Menlo Paik, CA; R Leonard/Adventure Sports CJLASS Illi

Region2 BARKER, KIRK; Winthrop, WAS. Amy LOWE, BRAD; San Francisco, CA . S. Amy PATTERSON, ROB; Palos Verdes, CA. R. Leonard I Adv. Sports PFAFF, MARCUS; Mill Valley, CA. J. Greenbaum I Airtime of SP SEEBASS, SCOTT; Berkley, CA. R. Leonard I Adv. Sports

Region2 DUNDAS, KARRIE: Bolinas, CA: T. Switzer I Skytime PG HOISNGTON, MARY: Redding, CA; Z. Hoisington I Zach's Air Attack KNOEDLER, PATRICK: Mill Valley, CA; J. Greenbaum/ Airtime of SF MC CUI'CHEON, DAVE: Bear Valley, CA; K. DeRussy I HG and PG Emporium PATTERSON, ROBERT: Palos Verdes, CA; R. Leonard/ Adv. Sports WEAVER, KENT: Redding, CA; D. Mill s I Pro Design PG

Regim13

HARMAN, ALEX ; Santa Monica, CA . T. Boyse I LAPG HARRAH, MARK; Los Angeles, CA .B. England I Aerial Action SANDERS, JAMES; Palos Verdes, CA. J. Gluzinski I Air America WARD, TERRY; Sedona, CA .M. Wright I Wright Flight WEISS, DON; Palos Verdes , CA. J. Gluzinski I Air America

Region3 CLAIRE, JEFF: Hilo , HI; K. Klinefeller DAVIDS, RICK: Canoga Park, CA; B. England I Aerial Action EBERIE, REID: Encino, CA; T. Boyse I LAPG HATTON,ANNEMARIE:Camarillo,CA;KDeRussey/HGFmporiwn KOURY, JOEL: Long Beach, CA; D. Bridgs PRAIRIE, STEVEN: Spmg Valley, CA; J. Ryan I HG Centerof SD RUSSELL, JEFF: La Iola, CA; J. Gluzinski/ Air America PG SCHLEICHER, RICHARD San Pedro, CA; C.Mendes!Compact Wings WUENSTEL, HARRY: Agua Dulce, CA; T. Boyse I LAPG

Region4

BRADLEY, ALAN; Boulder, CO. S. Berk I Parasoft GROOVER, SEAN; Aspen, CO. D. Jackson I Aspen PG KARREN, MARY ANNE; Draper, UT. C. Santacroce I UP Soaring Region8

DUNBAR, JOSEPH; N. Conway, NH .. K. Baier ClLASS lllil

Region MULACK, CHRIS ; Maple Valley,WA. P. Pohl

Region4 BRADLEY, ALAN: Boulder, CO; S. Berk/ Parasoft FEITERS, MARK: Fort Collins, CO; G. Banks I Para'lOft Inc JOHNSON, KIRK: Golden, CO; C. Toepel/ Colorado PG JONES, IRVI: Denver, CO; G. Banks I Parasoft KOCIELA, DAN: Aspen, CO; D. Jackson PRICE, ALBERT: Tucson, AZ; D. White I Thennax PG TAYLOR, JOHN: Glendale, AZ; D. White I Thennax VOTAVA, ONDREJ: Boulder, CO; G. Banks I Para~oft WESTON, ERIC: Huntsville, UT; C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond WILKINSON, COLIN: Park City, UT; D. Frank ZADEN, MARK: Vail, CO; D. Jackson I Aspen PG

Region2 HOISINGTON, ZACH; Redding, CA E. Pitman SWITZER, THOM; Bolinas, CA J. Lucas Region3

BALZAC, MARC; San Diego, CA M. Salvemini

IT{egioITI 4 BIBLER, TODD; Boulder, CO. C. Stockwell Rcgio115

Regions JENNINGS, JOHN: Jackson, WY; J. Gluzinski I Air America PG MEIKlE, KEITH: Jack'lOn, WY; C. Santacroce I UP Soaring Center SAMPSON, KENT: Ammon, ID: C. Santacroce I UP Soaring Center SCHUMACHER, LEN: Idaho Falls, ID; C. Santacroce I UP Soaring Center SUTTON, BOBBY: Missoula, MT; D. Covington I Big Sky

SMITH, CHARLES; Ketchum, ID. G. Smith TANDEM TWO RA 'HNGS

RYAN, BOB ; Laguna Niguel, CAM. Salvemini TANDIEM THREIE RATINGS

33

P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80933 (719) 632-8300 (719) 632-6417 FAX Regio[I ill)

LEWIS, BILL; Kennesaw, GA. C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond

GRESSITT SCOTI; Encinitas, CA G. Lawless

CLASSH

!FOREIGN RATINGS

!Regio[i n

CLASS I

JOBE, JEFF; Redmond, WAH. Hub I Sun Valley PG

SERVES, JEROEN ; Sao Paulo; Brazil; R. Leonard

Regim1 2

BRUDER, GEORGE; San Carlos, CA. J. Greenbaum I Airtime DENIS, BRAM; San Francisco, CA. J. Lucas FANDEL, ALEX; Andover, MA. R. Leonard I Adv. Sports FRASER, SEAN; Olympic Valley, CA. R. Leonard I Adv. Sports MILLER, JAMES; Las Vegas, NV. P. Sugrue I BSPG PERRY, COLIN; Sonora, CA. G. Pujol I A Place of Wings

CLASS IT[

DEROIBN, GLENN; Canmore Alberta G. Smith PERREIN, J-LOUP; La Tour, France I J. Greenbaum SERVAES, JEROEN; Sao Paulo Brazil, R. Leonard

PARAGLIDING RATINGS GIVEN IN JUNE (Name: City, State, Instructor Name)

Region 3 BAJULAZ, YVES; Solvane, CA. K. DeRussy I HG Emporium ONSTOTT, JOSEPH; Simi Valley, CA. T. Boyse I LA PG PAPA VASSILIOU, THOMAS; Santa Monica, CA. LA PG RYAN, JOHN; Lakeside, CA. M. Salvemini I Airtek SYTKO, THOMAS; San Diego, CA. M. Salvemini

CLASS I Region I

BOONIN, ELIZABETH ; Eugene, OR. M. Chirico I Parapente USA BOUCHE, RICHARD ; Brier, WA M. Chirico I Parapente USA DANIEL, MIKE; Auburn, WA M. Chirico I Parapente USA GIORDANO, DANIEL; Colulle, WA M. Chirico I Parapente USA MC MILLIN, DANA: Ca~hmere, WA M. Chirico I Parnpente USA MORRE, RICHARD; Camas, WA J. Gluzinski I Air Ame1ica OLSEN, ROY;Issaquah, WA M. Eberle/N. Ame1ican PG

IRegion 4

KOSTNER, ALBERT; Tuscon, AZ. D. Bridges CIULLA, BOB; Jackson, WY. C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond HOLMES, PHILLIP; Aspen, CO. M. Salvemini I Airtek LIST, CHUCK; Telluride, CO. J. Stenstavold I Aspen PG

IRegim 2 APP, FRANK; Walnut Creek, CA J. Lucas I Glidell AXTMAN, DANIEL; Redding, CAD. Mills STEGGEWENTZ, DERK; San Francisco, CA K. Fiebig I Airtime of SF WOOD, GENE; Project city, CA A Hagemann I SB HG I PG Center

Region 12

VOIGHT, PAUL; Pine Bush, NY. A. Whitehill I Chandelle CLASSm Regio[IZ

IRegion 3 BARTON, PAT; Los Angeles, CA T. Boyse I LA PG JENSEN, STEVEN; Long Beach, CAD. Skadal I Flight Systems RUSSO, DAYID; Santa Barbara, CA A Hagemann I SB PG SEQUERRA, FERNANDO; Summerland, CA A Hagemann I SB PG

COHN, JOSH; San Rafael, CA G. Banks TANDEM ONE IRA TINGS BRIDGES, DA VE; Lake Arrowhead, CAM. Salvemini I Airtek PG TANDEM INSTRUCTORS

Region4

JACKSON, DICK

KOSTNER, ALBERT ; Tuscon, AZ .. D. Btidges KNAPP, KEN; Aurora, CO. G. Banks I Parasoft THOMPSON, ART; Sierra Vista, AZ. J. Stenstavold I Aspen PG WARREN, BRANT; Laramie. WY. C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond

JF'OIREilGN RATINGS CLASS i

BAILEY, ACE; Banff Alberta G. Derouin I Rocky Mtn. PG

Re1,>im15

COOPER, ALAN; Missoula, MT. D. Covington I Big Sky GRAHAM, ROBERT; Jackson, WY. C. Stockwell I Above & Beyond GRIFFITH, GREGORY; Jackson, WY. G. Smith I Sun Valley PG

The USHGA executive committee, responding to concerns of the paragliding community, has suspended the maneuvers clinic requirements for Class 3 and Instructor ratings. This issue will be discussed at length during the Oct. B.O.D. meeting in New Hampshire.

Pertinent information is being gathered from manufacturer's research and experts in the federations. The current feeling is that the maneuvers clinic, sometimes called safety clinics, put pilots at unnecessary risks and cause significant stress to the gliders. A full report will be available after the fall meeting.

Regio117

STAUBER, STEVE ; Chicago, TL. G. Banks I Parasoft Regim1 9

GREENFIELD, ARTHUR; Washington, D.R. Lronard I Adv. Sports

34

NAL DIRECT R NS S LICITED USHGA is issuing its 18th annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Eleven positions are open for election in October, 1993 for a two-year term beginning January, 1994.

USHGA members seeking a position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no later than August 20, 1993 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang gliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected). Candidates must be nominated by at least three USHGA members residing in the candidate's region.

Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors are listed and their terms expire December 31, 1993. Note that effective 1/1/94 Region 5 will be eliminated and its states moved to Regions 1, 7 and 6.

Ballots will be distributed with the October issue of Hang Gliding magazine. USHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sport. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than August 20 to: USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933.

Reapportioned USHGA regions; changed at spring '93 Board of Directors meeting

Reg. #

CURRENT DIRECTOR ST ATES WITHIN REGION

1 2

Mike King (was Reg. 5) Russ Locke Open Joe Greblo Gregg Lawless Glen Nicolet Ron Kenney Pete Lehmann Matt Taber Jeff Hunt Paul Voight

3 4 6

9 10 11

12

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso, New Mexico, Utah Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska Washington, D.C., Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, W. Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, N. & S. Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands Texas, Louisiana New Jersey, New York

The following form is for your convenience.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTION, NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate_________________________________ . I understand that his/her name will be placed as a candidate for Regional Director for Region# on the Official Ballot for the 1993 Regional Director Election, if three nominations are received by August 20, 1993.

I have notified the above person and he/she has accepted the nomination.

NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _USHGA#_ _ _ _ _ _~REGION#~~-

DJE +++++

+++++

DER LE ALL R ++++++

EDEL USA Inc. PO Box 5715 301 Bell Drive Ketchum , ID 83340 Phone/Fax (208) 726-11 00

adal® Pnf

I ••1- .........lch-edel

SON DER -EDITION

adar by

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FASCINATION OFOUR NEW LINE ALTO VARIO BASIS • Altimeter up to 5500 m ( 17 500 ft) • Vari analog/digital • Audio - ASI system • Memo for 5 fl ights

ALTO VARIO CLASSIC/COMPETITION • Easy to use with audio feedback keyboard • Altimeter up to 10000 m (30000 ft) • Audio - ASI system • Nomonal flight calculator • TEK • Temperature indication • Speed • 2 clocks • Memo for 25 flights Additional fl ight recorder at COMPETITION • Resolution1 m(3ft)upto6000m(18000ft) • Scan rate variable • 25 flights storable max. 70 h • Speed values storable • Parallel (Centronics) and serial (RS 232) connector for printout Distributors: Advanced Air Technology 29 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 PH . (805) 962-8999 FAX (805) 964-3337

Airborne Canada Windsports 1764 Cedar Hill Cross Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8P 2R3 PH .I FAX (604) 477-2461

North Ame rican Paragliding P.O. Box 4 Ellensburg WA 98926 PH. 509-925-5565 FAX 509 -962-4827

I

•

FLUGELECT.RONIC

Join The A.I.R. Revolution Air Initiated Recovery Our new high-pressure A.I.R. Powered Rocllet Motor will deploy your Hang Gliding or Paragliding reserve parachute in the blinll of an eye ...

These features are standard: *It can deploy your parachute in under 2 seconds. *It can be filled from any SCUBA diving tank to 3000 psi. *It can be carried on the airlines. *Inexpensive reloads after each use. *Extended field use with no pressure loss. *Use your parachute in our container system. or purchase one of our state-of-the-art low sink rat canopies.

Aircraft Recovery Systems, Inc. For our complete information package please write : Second Chantz lnc., PO BOX 12671 Reno, Nevada 89510-2671 USA or Phone (702) 829-2077 ... Fax (702) 829-2079

THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF PARAGUDING INIASVEGAS

THE ULTIMATE POWERED PARAGUDER

NEWSFLASH

- LAS VEGAS-

-The New Harley top of the line performance canopy-THE MIS'l'RAL-has just receivedACPUU ratings of llAs and JC.

Sunny, blue skies winter flying

TOWINGOur speciality Towing to 2,000 ft.

Tows: s5

LUXURY: Hotel next to site s20 per night

Dealer enquires for PAOOJET and HARLEY PARAGLIDERS Welcome.

British school of Paragliding, 1no North Green Valley Pkwy, #4134, Henderson, Nevada 89014.

Tel: (702) 896-6000 Fax. (702) 896-6022

Monitor changing wind conditions. Responsive to slightest variation in wind ve locity.

AIRSPEED INDICATOR Use with optional paraglider mounting bracket. Maximize your performance and skill.

RUGGED-Molded of super tough LEXAN®resin.

Stainless steel rod.

ACCURATE- Cal ibration traceable to Na tional Institute of Standards and Technology.

Specify : 0 to 30 mph, or Oto 50 km/h Airspeed Indicator: $23.50 Paraglider Bracket: $6.50 -SATISFACTION GUARANTEEDHALL BROTHERS P.O. BOX 1010-P • MORGAN, UTAH 84050 U.S.A. Mastercard • Visa • C.0.D. Phone:( 801)829-3232 Fax:(80 1)829-6349

ONLY THE BEST Its one of those gorgeous spring days. The air is like crystal and the temperature is perfect. And best of all, you are free today to go fly.

Launch is not crowded, and everyones mood is a match for the weather.

Your launch is great and you fall into the perfect thermal within ninety seconds. Four minutes later you are nine hundred feet above launch, still climbing. And then you're tumbling with the wing folded. It crosses your mind that the man was right when he said that at times like this, only the best will do.

At RC/ we are committed to providing the best system on the market today. We offer two models: LIFELINE for retrofitting to your existing emergency parachute, and SIDEKICK, a complete parachute and deployment system in a compact package. Both models feature : --proven design, proven technology --remote mounted activation handle --built with the best materials and workmanship --enclosed cables and bridles for snag proteca·on We offer a complete line of emergency parachutes designed and built to the same exacting standards, and service to match the quality of our products.

Call or write for further information. Dealer inquiries are invited.

RC/ 2060 A East Main Street 95776 Woodland, CA USA

Phone (916) 661-7243 Fax (916) 661-0528

PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS Year round flying at the easiest site to learn to or to soar 1000' volcanic craters (extinct?!) Plus many other great drive up sites. 1 hour from Grand Canyon, dealer for almost every1hing I specializing in Edel. Class II USHGA Certified Instructions. Dixon White, 2 day classes start at $195.

1500 E Cedar #10 Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Thermax Paragliding (602) Arizona

526-4579

AirTek Paragliding School (619) California

483-1899

Take advantage of San Diego's weather, nearly everyday is a good flying day.

Class I certification ; $450, six days of training including high altitude.

Accommodations, airline reservations, and transport arranged on request. teaching since '89, Class Ill Tandem rated instruction, Excellent safety record.

4667 Cass St Suite B San Diego, CA 92109

Paragliding - Hang Gliding , learn the sport of your choice today and start your adventure tomorrow. Sierra tours our specialty, Lake Tahoe I Reno. Learn to fly the mountains. USHGA certified school and ratings. dealers for Edel , Pro Design , Wills Wing , Pacific Airwave , UP . Sales - Service - Instruction

3650 Research Way #25 Carson City, NV 89706

Adventure Sports (702) Nevada

883-7070

Enchantment Paragliding sand train ing hills to dozens of mountain sites across the state, learning (505) New Mexico toFrom fly in New Mexico 's uncrowded , crystal clear skies is an unparalleled experi-

281-2759

ence. Learn mountain flying , towing, thermalling , cross country, and maneuvers from USHGA certified instructors. A variety of gliders, accessories, and safety equipment available . Euro flying interest you ? call for info.

P.O Box 1082, Cedar Crest, NM 87008

GMI

@L~LL

Paw • . , •,g

Schaal

GMI =A paragliding school in New York with towing capabilities. USHGA Certified

Instructions. FREE COLOR BROCHURE.

GMI =A FREE PARAGLIDING ACC ESSORIES CATALOG on the hottest items from Italy I

France / Switzerland .

GMI =Summer and Fall paragliding trips to the French Alps for 'Class I pilots' .

GMI =Any artwork on your paraglider. FREE COLOR BROCHURE.

(516) NEW YORK

676-7599

hding

359-6036

USHGA Certified Tandem Instruction. Come learn to fly XC with Nationally Ranked Pilot Bob Schick. Specializing in Advanced Tandem Instruction , Thermal and XC clinics, and custom tours of the breathtaking Utah and Wyoming scenery for both hang gliders and paragliders . Southwind is the proud manufacturer of the Brain Bucket, Back Buddy, and new Brain Bucket Full Race.

106 E Capitol Salt Lake City, UT 84103

SOUTHWIND

HANG GLIDING

.,

-------_,.

~----'

UP SOARING CENTER Full service hang gliding and paragliding retail outlet and school. Introductory les(801) Utah son: $40 I Class I Pilot Program: $500. Schedule your instruction at the nations most consistent site. XC, Thermal, and Maneuvers Clinics scheduled throughout the summer season . Enjoy the advantages of learning to fly from a school that is supported by a manufacturer. Come 2 UP 12665 So. Minuteman Dr Draper, UT 84020

576-6460

ort mencan arag , Become a pilot under the guidance of USHGA certified instructor Mike Eberle.

(509) Washington We offer full-time , year-round instruction for the Pacific Northwest. Including one

925-5565

day introductory classes, through week long cerification courses. Tours throughout North America and around the world . Dealer for Flight Design , Wills Wing , FlyTek, Skywatch, UVEX , and more!

PO Box 4 Ellensburg, WA 98926 Fax: (509) 962-4827 PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE

41

PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS ABOVE & BEVON We are the 1st. paragliding school in the U.S., established in 1987, at the Point of the Mountain near Salt Lake City .We specialize in individualized instruction.We teach at the best inland sites in the US, featuring drive to launch sites. We provide everything you need to become a pilot, including tandem instruction and advanced training. Call us first ! Fred or Claudia Stockwell 3314 W. 11400 S. So Jordan Ut. 84095

(801 } LJ

ta

h

254 7455 -

l©l§ V@(QJ©l§ lP©1rr©1g~~dl~rrug Paraglide in sunny Las Vegas. Main U.S. dealer tor Harley Paragliders and Pago (702) NEVADA Jet - the ultimate powered paraglider. Duration 5 hrs . Distance 100+ miles .

896-6000

Excellent reliability , portability and performance. Tow conversion course $100.

Tows $5. Excellent XC flying . At site luxury casino hotel $20. per night Beginner to advanced training.

GLIDELL SKYTIME PARAGLIDING (415) California

Instruction and sales with our certified staff.

Towing and towing clinics in the central valley.

Guided tours. Charter flights available.

555 Bryant St. Suite 256 Palo Alto, CA 94301 Fax (415) 424-9704

Aspen Paragliding (303) COLORADO

925-7625

868-2413

Directors : Jan Stenstavold and Dick Jackson Distributors for Nova , Vonblon,and Airbulle Complete sales, service and accessories. One block from the gondola on Aspen Mt. Four day beginner course, Tandem instruction , Year round Mountain flying , XC , thermal & mtn. flying seminars, Adventure travel excursions to Europe & South America.

Call or write us at: 417 S. Spring St. Po Box 2432 Aspen CO 81611 or Fax (303) 925-7710

ACCELERATED FLIGHT SYSTEMS Personalized , USHGA Certified Paragliding and Hang Gliding Instruction.

Courses are expertly run on a friendly , informative basis . We have been introducing people to the world of foot launched flight since 1976. New and used gliders and accessories. Ball , Comet, Edel , Firebird, ITV Second chantz, Wills Wing , and numerous others all skill levels welcome.

P.O. Box 1226 Del Mar, CA 92014

(619) S. California

481-7400

Hill Country Paragliding Inc. (512) Texas

794-1160

Catch some air with Hill Country Paragliding, specializing in introduction to Towing , XC Thermalling, USHGA Certified instruction, sales and service. We carry a variety of certified gliders, instruments, helmets , a full line of towing accesories, T-shirts, hats and more .

,-~i,il,l;i~~~~

PO Box 200644 Austin, TX 78720

&!Pi!man/s FL¥ AM:EJR!CA (916) N. California Instruction that develops extraordinary pilots !

P.O. Box 188 Shasta CA 95087 Fax (916) 359-2397 Personalized instruction, beginning through advanced skills.

359-2392

Alpine w ·orld Adventure's Boulders premier paragliding school , est. 1988. Come to learn fly in the (303) C0 I0 ra dO Rocky Mountains . We are the United States distributor tor Firebird Products ,

440-0803

and dealers for Ball Varios , and Hanwag Boots. Other accesories available in our full service shop. For more information please call Dave Whaley.

4439 N. Broadway , Unit E-2, Boulder, CO 80304

42

PARAGLIDING SCHOOLS

---

~~ §UNVALLEY

PARAGLIDING

SUN VALLEY PARAGLIDING (208) Idaho

The most experienced and comprehensive flight school. We specialize in private tandem instruction. Our certified instructors and USHGA appointed towing and advanced maneuvers administrators will ensure you receive the finest training available. The local topography is the perfect location for our XC and mtn/thermal seminars. Visit our shop at the base of Bald Mtn where our full line of flight equipment and knowledgeable staff will satisfy all of your paragliding needs.

PO Box 5715, 301 Bell DR, Ketchum, ID 83340 Fax: (208) 726-1100

Compact Wings (909) California

654-8559

726-3332

Located @ the famous Soboba site, which combined with other local mtn. sites & great weather offers more in altitude gains and hours than anywhere in the USA. New inter. glider, harness, lessons or reserve or vario/alt. $2995. 5 day course $395. Class Ill & Tandem Instruction . Dealer all major brands . Less than 2 hrs from LA & San Diego.

1271 Avd. Floribunda, San Jacinto, CA 92583

Rocky Mountain Paragliding Fly the "Canadian Rockies" Heli, Hike or drive up to incredible mountain sites of (403) Canada over 3000 ft vertical. We offer 1 day or full certification courses. You can obtain your Canadian, USHGA, or New Zealand ratings. Tandem Instruction also available. Local or international tours . Advanced maneuvers courses. Dealer for Edel and Advance .

Glenn Derouin Box 2662 Canmore Alberta, Canada TOLOMO

Members receive discounts. We have 6 instructors, beginning to advanced instruction, international tours. Courses offered throughout Oregon: Willamette Valley, Central and Eastern Oregon (including a 4000' gondola over water). Courses are personal; you progress at your own pace. Our injury record is impeccable; over 2000 student days, and only two hurt wrists and ankles! We have accounts with all of the major European and U.S. manufacturers: ITV, Pro Design, Edel, Ball, Brauniger, and more - no sales tax!

678-4973

Oregon Paragliding Association, Inc. 1012 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701 Ph: 503*389-5411 Fax: 503*389-8010

AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING SCHOOL We are located at world famous Kagel Mountain, L. A. 's most popular flying site . Our full seivice retail shop offers complete lines of clothing, books and magazines, flight suits, cross country gear, instruments, gliders, harness repair facilities and much, much more. Year round certified instruction with Mike Haley.

13525 Elderege Street; >

Introductory -

Sylmar, California. (818) 367-0419 Advanced Instruction

> ParaTrekking Trips

303/494-2820

> > >

Tandem Instruction Towing Instruction Complete Sales & Service

Dealers tor Edel, Prodesign, Nova, Ball, Brauniger, Maxon ParaSoft. Inc. Parag li d in g S chool • 4445 Ha stin g s Drive

• B o u l de r, CO 8 03 03

• 303 / 494·2820

Paraglider Pipeline: Your Source for Quality Affordable Products PARAGLIDER Fl". Fl" Ea.: -

• -

Ea.:

• -

c::

Windspeed Indicator .. .... $69.95 add $3 s&h

Airspeed Indicator ........ $134.95 add $3 s&h Flight suit ... ..... ... ........... $179.95 Specify size & co/or. Male zip? add $8 s&h To order, send check or M.O. lo: Paraglider Pipeline, Inc. 3530 Bagley Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

(206) 547-4950 Quality products for the serious pilot.

Dealer inquiries welcome.

Ultrex™ Double-zip

Flight Suit • 2 Full Double Zips • Breathable • Waterproof • 3 Velcro pockets • Vario strap • Elastic cuffs • Choice of colors (body): Red, Black, Royal blue, Light blue, Purple • Black Accent: arms.

ONL y neck, chest pocket • Sizes: SIM/UXL • With or w/o male zip • Made in USA. Allow 4-6 wks.

$ 17995

I

Riser Mounted

Smallest Pocket

Airspeed Indicator

Windspeed !.g~icator

'JJ::i:: 11:I> 1

ONLY

$13495

• Re liable • Lightweight • Convenient • Easy-to-install • MPH Display • Accurate • Impeller mounts up to 20' from Display

•

-

•Tiny • Lightweight • Convenient • Waterproof • MPH Display • Accurate ONLY

$6995

CLASSIFIEDS GOOD SCHOOL GLIDERS 1992 30' Jazz Less than 20 hrs . orange, no harness - $ 1750(801) 254-7455

EDEL RACER Edel Racer 25 - 50 hrs. Ready to gocomplete- $2700 Call Mike Tel. (416) 620-0115 Fax. (416) 503-9994 then push *

Vario Helmet $1,700 must sell Jay. (619) 296-1249

PARAGLIDER FOR SALE Wills Wing AT 123, Green with yellow, spring '92 very good condition.

Price includes harness, reserve 18 gore PDA never used, speed bar $2000 080. Thomas (310) 3951656

0 .8 .0 . Both gliders available with steer seat and/or standard harness.

Contact Jack. (907)586-2465.

KATANA 51 Red , white , and blue $2 ,200 0.8.0.

Call Nate (208) 726-3191.

EDEL ZX 23 Excellent cond. 64 hrs. ; w/ harness $1500. Call Bob (208) 622-4295

3 METEORS

FOR SALE

92 UP KATANA 27

95 - Like new; 103- 1000; Gold $1200 (801) 254-7455

Challenger C 25 Beautiful $2200 ; U.P. Stellar 25 purple $1000 includes harness; Swing Prisma 26 top performance $2400; Swing Zenith 26 Solid intermediate performer less than 6 hrs. $2000; Van Blon Harness - low hours with built in parachute container $350; Paul- Santa Barbara - (805) 962-9584 after 6:00 P.M.

Only 50 hrs. w/ harness and speed system. High energy 20 ft. pda reserve $2300 080 Call Dave (619) 697-4530

FOR SALE $800.00 each your choice, Excalibur 39 cell, 315' (29 .3 meters) Weight range 150 to 210 lbs. , with only 60 hrs of UV. Excalibur 27 cell, 270' (25.1 meters) weight range 128 to 180 lbs. with 25 hours total UV, harnesses and reserves available (909) 943-8664.

FOR SALE Airtek 1/19 Excellent beginner glider-very stable; includes speed system .

Pilot hookin weight 123 - 163 lbs ..

Perfect condition , fewer than 15 hours. $1000.00. Call Christy (801) 355-4315 or 585-6331 .

HA VE-YOU HEARD Roberts glider Instruments is starting production of a really neat altimeter vario specially for paragliders. Less than $300 too. Why not ask Gilbert for details at 3340 Cliff Dr. Santa Barbara, CA 93109. (805) 682-1088

WANTED Your used Katana 25. Need a good deal on a used Katana, mine was stolen. Call (510) 746-5491

VARIO$ Ball Varies New, Used+ demos Call Claudia (801) 254-7 455

FOR SALE Nova trend (23 cell s) $1500 , Vonblon reserve (29 /meters) $400.

Almost new! Call Jim : 303-963-1507

COMET CX-25 Comet CX-25, 32 sq . meters, <30 hrs, Perfect for big pilot 180-400 lbs .. or motorized paragliding, excellent cond., $1400 080 ., Jay (801) 5662551

FOR SALE Comet Cx-21 , Perfect Condition Low usage Incl. Backpack, harness,

DEMO WINGS Demo the wing before you buy!

Dealer for several major manufacturers. New, Used & Demo's - Great deals - Call for more info. - (801) 2547455

BEGINNER PACKAGE Excellent Condition! Justra Classic 25 Low hours. Wing, Harness + bag $1250 or best offer (307) 745-3976

CORRAD012 Good shape; pilot weight 140 - 190 with harness + bag (719) 597- 7399

Stolen from vehicle in Martinez, CA area on May 30 1993. Lime green , black and pink carrying bag with "FLASH" and "UP" lettering. Glider is lime greenish yellow and black with black lightning bolts. Orange nylon drawstring stuffbag. UP harness and white half-shell helmet with stickers for Bay Area sites . Contact Joel Greger (510) 746-5491 or (415) 7591177

STELLAR 25 $1500 080; FIREBIRD 24 flown less than 2 hours; $950 Lee (303) 9256988; 925- 9102 eve.

FIREBIRD APACHE 26 $2200 080 w/ factory speed system; very low hours 132187 pilot wt. (303) 530-4434 days.

NICE WINGS FOR SALE ITV Meteor 103, less than 35 hrs., mostly flown from grass and snow , excellent condition. Pilot wt. 165-200 lbs. $1495 O.B.O. ITV Meteor 95, 50 hrs. , good shape, flies like new. Pilot wt. 100-135 lbs.

Nice Woman's or Guy's glider $1295

On the evening of June 1, 1993 my APACHE 23 was stolen from my home in Driggs, ID. It was purple and the number on my wing tip was 23692-23. Dave Whaley thinks it was the only purple 23 he has sold. If you see the Glider, please call me at (208) 354-8487 . Thanks for helping me concerning my great loss. Christine Warren

R Blue WILLS WING 123 with blue/yellow W W harness 20 gore pda . reserve chute; ser. #11324 Stolen in LA CA. (310) 394-8048 Sean .

Paragliding the Magazine makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liabilities concerning the validity of any advice, claims, opinions, or recommendations expressed herein. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. When purchasing a used glider, be advised to carefully check it's condition for air worthiness. If in doubt many paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion about the condition of the equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHGA certified instructor.

44

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COMPACT Latest development in the new Advanced-IntermediateClass with elegant look! Convincing appearance and ever simple launching characteristics besides uncritical flight behaviors persuade - typical PRO-DESIGN features. "High performance is no more a privilege for competition-pilots!"

COMPACT - THE symbiosis of fun , know-how and brilliant performance. For the ambitious hobby-pilot.

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Larchenweg 33 A-6161 Natters Tel.: 0512 / 546444 Fax: 0512 / 546445-20

Pro Design USA Division of Yates Gear inc.

1600 E. Cypress Ave. # 8 Redding, CA 96002 Phone (916)222-4606 FAX (916)222-4640

PRO-DESIGN SINCE 1986 - PARAGLIDERS- HARNESSES - RESCUE SYSTEMS

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