USHGA Hang Gliding March 1994 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

.'IllJiJ

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17 Altimeter Watches - A Product Comparison by Mark Stucky A side-by-side, in-depth look ac products from Casio and Avocec.

20 1993 Accident Review by Doug Hildreth, USHGA Accident Review Chairman Doug's arumal year-long accident review and commentary.

23 An Inexpensive, Remote-Operated Camera For Hang Gliding by Bob McGovern A do-it-yourself photography project.

26 High-Tech 02

by Jim Lee A review of an electronic delivery oxygen system.

32 Maui Wowie! by Jim Rowan Hang gliding in sensory-overload land.

Columns

Departments

USHGA Reports .................................... 14

Airmail ........... ............................................5

Cartoons ............................................34, 35

Calendar of Events ........ ....................... ......8

Competition Comer .............................. .36

Update ..................................................... 10

Ask GeeDub ...........................................40

Ratings .....................................................46

Safety Forum ...........................................43

Classified Advertising ..............................49

Product Lines -

Index co Advertisers .................................58

MARCH 1994

by Dan Johnson .........59

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r---------------------------Send cash or check to: SPORT AVIATION PUBLICATIONS PO Box 101, Mingoville, PA 16856 Please rush me the books listed below: a Understanding the Sky .......... $ 19.95 a Hang Gliding Flying Skills . . ...... $ 9.95 a Performance Flying . . . $ 29.95 $ 12.95 a Powered Ultralight Flying o Powered UL Training Course $9.95 o Paragliaing Flight $ 19.95 Save 1o•.- order two or more books! Save 20•.- order five or more books! Total amount for all books $ . $ 1.95 Postage and handling . Add $1 postage for Perf. Flying Overseas airmail if desired ($7.00/book. $12.00 for Performance Flying) TOT AL ENCLOSED . SEND TO (Please print) NAME . ADDRESS. CITY, STATE ... COUNTRY/ZIP .

" DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED ••

Gil Dodgen, Editor/A1t Director John Heiney, Leroy Grannis Photographers Harry Martin, Illustrator Dennis Pagen, Rob Richardson, Mark Stucky Staff Writers Tim Rinker, Design Consultant Office Staff

Greg Huller, Ratings & ICP's PJ More, Special Projects & Competitions Jeff Elgart, Advertising D. Dean Leyerle, Insurance & Merchandise Services Karen Simon, Member Services Marissa Hatton, Merchandise Services USHCA Officers and Executive Committee:

Gregg Lawless, President Jim Zeiset, Vice President Russ Locke, Secreta1y Bill Bryden, Treasurer REGION 1: Gene Matthews, George Sturtevant. REGION 2: Lynda Nelson, Russ Locke, Ray Leonard, Paul Gazis. REGION 3: Joe Greblo, Sandy King, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Glen Nicolet., Jim Zeiset. REGION 6: Ron Kenney. REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Randy Adams. REGION 9: Pete Lehmann, William Bennett. REGION 10: Matt Taber. REGION 11: Jeff Hunt. REGION 12: Paul Voight, Paul Rikert. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Alan Chuculate. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Ken Brown, Doug Hildreth, Tom Kreyche, Mike Meier, Rob Kells, Fred Stockwell, Gregg McNamee, Michael Robertson, Dave Broyles, David Sondergeld, Ken Baier, Marcus Salvemini, Fred Moy, Barbara Flynn, Greg DeWolf. EXOFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NM). The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NM, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl-related hang gliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. HANG GLIDING magazine is published for hang gliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos, and illustrations concerning hang gliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING editorial offices: 6950 Aragon Circle, Suite 6, Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 994-3050. HANG GLIDING (ISSN 0895-433x) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 10 I, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417. Second-class postage is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG GLIDING, P.O. BOX 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-8300. The USHGA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight /light, and to the education, training and safety of its memberhip. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $54.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding), ($60 Canada & Mexico, $65 foreign); subscription rates only are $35.00 ($40 Canada & Mexico, $50 foreign). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue.

MARCH 1994

VOLUME 24, ISSUE No. 3

Air Mail~ HELP NEEDED AT BISHOP AIRPORT Dear Editor About a year ago I wrote a letter asking for financial assistance from the many glider pilots who have in the past, and continue to enjoy the facilities I maintain in the Owens Valley at Bishop Airport. I am grateful for the $3,200 and psychological support I received from 44 individuals, businesses and clubs. Their letters urging me on in this seemingly never-ending battle with Inyo County officials have kept me going when I might have given up. The funds have been deposited in a nonprofit account and are standing ready for the approval of a lease to start construction. However, as usual, when dealing with this county, there is a catch. Inyo County, in its 1980 ordinance #383, An Ordinance Establishing Rules and Regulations for Users of County Airports, defines "aircraft" as "a device that is used for flight in the air. It includes airplanes, helicopters, gliders, balloons ... but does not include hang gliders." (Read also ultralights and paragliders.) However, in section 22 it states: "Parachute jumping, operation of airships, blimps, balloons, kites, hang gliders and unmanned rockets are prohibited unless prior approval is obtained from the Board of Supervisors (BOS)." In a nutshell, the BOS ofinyo County in 1980 took it upon itself to define and limit aircraft and air commerce activities that the FM had already established rules and regulations for. At that time FAR Part 103 had not been written into law, but the U.S. Congress, in #49 USC 1301, subparagraph 5, clearly defines aircraft as "Any contrivance that operates in the air." This clearly includes ultralight soaring aircraft. This ordinance, as are most in this county, is selectively enforced. In this case the enforcement came when, in September of 1992, I requested a new lease including the remodeling of the ultralight soaring center at Bishop Airport. This request included the express approval of the BOS required by Ordinance 383, based on 12 years of incident-free operation at the airport. County Council, after brief consideration (C\vo months), decided that it would be improper "risk management" for the

BOS and thus Inyo County to assume the liability of granting this permission in an "uneducated fashion." County Council decided that the answer to the problem is an "airspace survey" conducted by an expert in the field. If there are no compatibility problems found with the operation of ultralights the liability situation will be cleared up. Then County Council will negotiate a lease for the flight center remodeling and there will never be another question about ultralight soaring's place at Bishop Airport. Jim Gooch, Director of Public Works, and Tom Poole, Bishop Airport Manager, have negotiated in closed session a contract with a firm for the survey. These two men are both dead set against footlaunched ultralight operations at the airport, and have worked to subvert our right to utilize it.' Fortunately, by the time you read this, Poole will have retired and will hopefully be replaced by someone interested in diversified aviation. On 1/7/94 I was able to review the contract for the airspace survey. It seems in order and I am happily giving it my okay to be approved by the BOS. The survey is almost guaranteed to find that there is no compatibility problem with these diverse aircraft types. It's been a long process, and is not yet complete. The last stage will be to negotiate a lease for the remodeling of the building and future operations. The process can still be subverted at this point by prohibitive terms for a lease. In this I need your support. You need to write letters to the Board of Supervisors supporting the center and future activities at the airport. You need to stress the usefulness of the center as an integral part of your Owens Valley flying experience, and thus a focal point for pilots. The local business community has responded favorably to the economic input of ultralight soaring pilots, especially during the 1993 World Meet, and are interested in future events. They need to be reminded that the center at the airport draws pilots to the Bishop area. These businesses need to be reminded that the actions of the BOS will affect their income. The Bishop Chamber of Commerce is the organization to hit with letters to this effect. I want to thank the caring people who

~ Air Mail have supported the center. It is all but impossible for any one individual to face an entity like Inyo County. The money that has been donated to date is just a third of the projected total necessary to complete the rebuild. If you haven't donated please support this endeavor. If 1,000 pilots send $10 each this would be enough to complete the project. If you belong to a club talk to the membership; if you have friends who are undecided push them to donate. I cannot afford to fund this project. Without your support it will not be completed. Donations can be sent to: Bishop Building Fund, P.O. Box 1632, Bishop, CA 93515. Write to: Inyo County Board of Supervisors, Drawer N, Independence, CA 93526 and Bishop Chamber of Commerce, 690 N. Main St., Bishop, CA 93514. MarkAxen Bishop, CA P.S. I still have some convincing to do. To that end I need information about ultralight activity, especially foot launched, at an airport. This includes all kinds of towing (auto, aero or marine), and free flying into, over and around airports or controlled airspace. I also need any information that proves that foot-launched ultralights (hang gliders, paragliders and footlaunched sailplanes) are regulated aircraft under Part 103. You can send the information to the P.O. Box above or fax it to (619) 873-8367 or (619) 873-4595.

SHORT ARMS ADVICE Dear Editor, This is a response to the letter by Pat Ormsby in the January issue concerning her short arms. I am an Owens Valley pilot who also suffers from the "short arm" syndrome. To complicate matters, I am a female with narrow shoulders and stand at only 5' 4". I would like to offer my solution to my "shortness." I have found that gliders with small control frames make all the difference, even when landing in the Owens. My original trainer was built with a short and narrow control frame. and my first few

months went relatively easily. When I moved up to a higher performance glider (Magic Formula), the standard-size control fran1e helped me earn the title "Whack Queen"! It was no fault of the glider that the width of the control frame made it almost impossible for me to make a complete flare. With my hands at eye level my arms were stretched so wide that pulling in during final and flaring were extremely difficult. One technique I have found to be fairly successful requires keeping one hand on the basetube as long as possible to increase approach speed. However, many whacks were still inevitable without longer arms. A year ago the crew at Moyes agreed to build an XS III 142 with a control frame that was both narrower and shorter than standard. This gives me the leverage to perform an effortless flare, even at the end of a long cross-country flight! What a pleasure. It was encouraging to see it wasn't only my technique; the equipment makes a giant difference! My advice to Pat Ormsby and all other short-arm pilots is: 1) avoid high altitude sites and no-wind landings (not an option for an advanced pilot), or, 2) look for a glider with a shorter and narrower control frame. Robin Conners Mammoth Lakes, CA

you where to buy some. How do I know they work? I'm 5' 7" and use them on my glider. Do you know how many angels I once had to chase away just to land on the head of a pin? Doug Hersh San Francisco, CA

Doug may be contacted at: clo Mail Pouch, P.O. Box 195, 750 La Playa, San Francisco,

CA94121 (415) 750-0576. -Ed

RC HANG GLIDERS Dear Editor, I am writing concerning the letter from Robert Combs (Janua1y 1994) about remote control hang gliders. I design and build 1/5-scale hang gliders and am presently preparing to manufacture for retail. Available now is a 30% double surface model, and a high performance model is soon to follow. A radiocontrolled human, in a pod harness, flies the glider just like a real one. The gliders can be disassembled like the full-size ones for transport unlike other RC gliders, so you can take them anywhere. Mylar leading edge inserts, preformed battens (with batten chart), coated stainless wires - it's all there just like the full-size ones. Ross Harrington Victoria, BC

ARMED FORCES Dear Editor, In response to Pat Ormsby's "short arms" letter: Pat, you are not alone. In fact, you are in the rare company of those who've got the self-respect to admit the problem. Strangely, many folks would rather suffer the slings and arrows of outrageously bent clowntubes than do a simple retrofit. I've seen a few systems that work, but the best I've seen is a removable arm extension device which folds down for landing and can be folded back up against the downtubes while flying, breaking down and transporting the glider. It is a simple combination of hang gliding and bicycle technology, and I can either describe it to you so you can build a pair yourself, or tell

Ross can be contacted at: #3-456 Chester Ave., Victoria, BC, Canada VBV 4Cl. Ed.

DON'T FORGET THE BIG GUYS Dear Editor, Attention all hang glider manufacturers: Don't leave us out of the future of hang gliding. I am speaking for myself, but I know of a quiet minority out there who will back me up. We are the big guys, the tall guys, the not-so-light pilots who are being left out of the future of the sport. I am indeed stoked and impressed by the technology and effort being put into the design of HANG GLIDING

AirMail ~ modern hang gliders, but at the same time depressed because the industry has standardized on average pilot weight. Yes, it is probably true, a person of my stature may be able to zip around in one of those little wings on the mother of all boomer days. The problem is that most flying tal<.es place on marginal days when you're praying for a bug fart thermal to mal<.e the LZ. 152, 147, 137, when is it going to stop? The future is looking grim for the big guys who work hard at def),ing gravity. Brent Smith Logan, Utah

KUDOS TO DENNIS Dear Editor, I'd like to tal<.e this opportunity to thank Dennis Pagen for launching unhooked. No, really, I'm serious. Dennis has done the entire sport a favor by performing this (often fatal) feat. Let me 'splain myself. Perhaps the most eye-opening experience I've ever had was when Stew Smith died at the '86 Masters of Hang Gliding in North Carolina. I looked up to Stew as a "sky god," and always felt lucky that such a fellow was my friend. His passing as a result of an accident in the sport I loved so dearly was like cold water in my face. The message was as unmistal<.able as it was undeniable: anyone can get killed in this sport!: I think of Stew often, but I know that his passing affected the way I fly. My safety habits and "built in" warning devices were fine tuned as a result of that event and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Likewise, when Dennis Pagen -- a man I !mow to be incredibly safety conscious and who habitually practiced methods of ensuring that his body was attached to his wing - attempted to launch unhooked, it once again sent a message: anyone can forget to hook in. Luckily, because of where he was launching, we didn't have to lose Dennis to receive this invaluable message. Did you ever notice that most often in life it tal<.es catastrophes for people to spring into action? Well, I think it's time to tal<.e some preventive measures, and failure MARCH 1994

to hook in is the most easily preventable hang gliding accident. You can recognize graduates of John Ryan's school, The Hang Gliding Center of San Diego, by their launch verbiage: "CLEAR ... LAUNCHING!" Why do they say this instead of just "dear"? Because that's the way they were taught. Ir's now a habit and it's a difficult one to breal<. (not that they'd want to). If we started teaching the "Pat Denevan" hook-in check we could prevent more unhooked launches. Pat's method consists of the simple practice of picking the glider up high enough to feel the suspension lines get tight, saying "HOOKED IN!" and then the usual launch announcement. It might rake a little getting used to for some pilots, but I'm convinced now more than ever that my own "foolproof" method is not foolproof enough. Dennis had his own foolproof method and it bit him.

FOR THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT A History of the Aero Club of America and the National Aeronautic Association Bill Robie

Foreword by Chuck Yeager

G.W Meadows Kitty Hawk, NC

For the Greatest Achievement chron-

McALEER RESPONSE Dear Editor, I read Mitch McAleer's letter concerning Bob Ormiston's glider stability article with much dismay. I think Mitch is suffering from one too many loops. I would suggest that Mitch stick to what he is good at (entertainment), and not try to put down a very intelligent and thoughtful guy like Bob. People like Bob have done much for the development of hang gliding with their inquisitive minds and questioning of accepted design. I remember reading many years ago about how hang gliders had probably reached a plateau, and would not improve much. Well, obviously there were people who did not think so, and proved it. Mitch says that he would rather see more color photos of hang gliding than technical, intellectual articles like Bob's. I propose that we include a special page you have to color yourself, for those readers who can't appreciate articles by authors like Bob Ormiston. Rick Nowack San Jose, CA

icles the history of the Aero Club of America and the National Aeronautic Association-and thus the history of aviation in America - from the first balloon flights, the initial controversy over what transpired at Kitty Hawk, and the barnstorming of the "Gypsy" stunt fliers, to the buildup of America's air forces through the two world wars, the race into space, and the explosion of new aviation technologies on the eve of the 21st century. Includes almost I 0,000 names of early pilots never before published. Chuck Yeager writes, "This is a story that deserves to be told because it is the story of the development of American aviation."

As a member of

USHGA

you qualify for NAA's 45% discount! Order your copy now by phone, fax, or mail for only $19.75 plus $3.75 shipping and handling (regular retail price is $35) from the National Aeronautic Association, 1815 N. Fe. Myer Drive, Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22209. Phone: 703/527-0226. Fax: 703/527-0229. VISA/MC accepted.

Published with Smithsonian Institution Press 7

II! Calendar of Events Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets. Until Dec. 1: 1994 Region 9 Yearlong X-C Contest. Recognizes the longest flights flown in the Region between Feb. 1 and Dec. 1. $5 entry fee. Contact: Pete Lehmann (412) 661-3474 (before 9:00 PM), fax 3436. March 4-6: Basic ICP. March 7-8: Advanced ICP. March 12-13: Tandem Clinic. June 17-19: Region II Wild West Regionals. April 8-10: ParaglidingICP.April 16-17: Paragliding tandem clinic. April 13-15: Paragliding Region II Regionals. Contact: Ray Leonard, Adventure Sports, 3650 Research Way, Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 883-7070.

March 12-May 22: 1994 Region 9 Championship. Weekend X-C from any site. Best three totalled. Limit of 60 miles per flight. $10 entry fee. Contact: Pete Lehmann (412) 661-3474 (before 9:00 PM), fax 3436. March 18-20: Basic ICP. April 16-17: Towing Clinic. May 28-29: X-C Clinic. Contact: Jeff Hunt, 4811 Red River, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 467-2529.

March 26: Parachute clinic and seminai; sponsor by RCI and Sacramento Hang Gliding. Practice deployment in simulator, chute theo1y, care and maintenance. $35 includes repack. Contact: RCI, 2060A E. Main, Woodland, CA (916) 373-0551 or (916) 661-7243. April 1-3: Basic Instmctor Certification Clinic, Elkhart, Kansas. Contact: Ron Kenney (316) 697-2577.

March 4-7: ICP with G. W. Meadows at Western Hang Gliders, Marina, CA. $150. Contact: Phil Godwin, P.O. Box 828, Marina, CA 93933 (408) 384-2622.

April 2: Parachute clinic. $49 in advance. Contact: LMFP, Rt. 2 Box 215-H Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738 (706) 3983541.

March 5-13: Sault Ste. Marie Hang Gliding

April 8: Parachute repacking seminai; St. George School, 5117 13th Ave. South, Seattle, WA. Hang glider and paraglider pilots welcome. Simulators (for both) and presentations for first-timers and experienced pilots. Pre-registration $30, $40 at the door. Conducted by Rob Kells. Contact: C.J. or George Sturtevant (206) 888-3856.

Lake Superior at Haviland Bay, Ontario, Canada. Towing event. Contact: Eugene Bumbacco (705) 942-4867, Mario Roussel (705) 946-3074, or Dwight Donaghue (705) 942-6247. March 11-13: Basic Instructor Certification. March 14-15: Advanced Instmctor Certification. March 19-20: Tandem Clinic. June 17-19: Region II Wild West Regionals. Contact: Ray Leonard, Adventure Sports, 3650 Research Way, Carson City, NV 89706 (702) 883-7070. March 12-13: Parachute repacking seminai; Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Hang glider and paraglider pilots welcome. Simulators for both. Films, barbecue and Wills Wing demos. Conducted by Rob Kells. Contact: Mueller Hang Gliding and Paragliding (403) 932-2759.

April 16-23: East Coast Championships. The first of the 450-point series for 1994. Come enjoy the great spring air and hospitality the Sequatchie Valley is famous for. Only 50 slots available. Entry fee $255 plus a TTT annual pass. Contact Sequatchie Valley Soaring at (615) 9492301 for details or send $75 deposit to secure your slot.. April 18-19: Williams Peak, CO Ridge Soaring Clinic. Camping, transportation to launch, accessories for sale, demo wings. Fee $12. Contact: (303) 278-9566 or (303) 8382655. April 21-25: 1st Annual UP Sports Hang

Gliding and Paragliding Invitational, March 19-21: Basic and Advanced ICP, Golden, CO. $175. Contact: Golden Wings, 1-800-677-4449.

March 4-6: Fly + Fun Induga, Augsburg, Germany. Hang gliding and paragliding fair. Eighty exhibitors, other outdoor activities. Attracted 13,000 participants in '93. Contact: AFAG-Ausstellungsgesellschaft, Am Messezentrum 5, D - 86159 Augsburg, tel 0821-25769-66, fax 082125769-65.

Club's 4th Annual Wann Up The Ice Fly-In,

March 12-15: Towing Clinic. March 17-20: Tandem Clinic. Kitty Hawk Kites-sponsored instructional clinics with G.W. Meadows held in Kitty Hawk, NC. Contact: Bruce 1-800- 334-4777.

April 9-15: The Great &tee, Lookout Mountain Flight Park, northwest Georgia (20 minutes from Chattanooga, TN). 21mile ridge race from LMFP to Chattanooga and back. Fly any day(s) or all week. $75 entry fee includes competition, one-week Flight Pass and Great Race dinner/party. $1,000 cash and other prizes. April 15: Great &tee dinner and keg party. Contact: LMFP, Rt. 2 Box 215-H Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738 (706) 3983541.

Torrey Pines, CA. $10,000 prize money, national media coverage. 32 pilots max, $100 entry fee. Manufacturers welcome to apply for demo day. Contact: Monte Bell (619) 452-3202, fax (619) 452-3203 April 22-24: 1994 Mt. Rope Challenge, Darlington, SC. Open distance X-C, spot landing and duration tasks. SC X-C record of 82 miles was set at last year's Mt. Rope Challenge. Enny fee $50, seven pilots will receive prize money. Supper served on Saturday. Come and enjoy some of the best flying in the Carolinas. Paragliders welcome. Contact: David Kincheloe (919) 376-9601. April 28-May 30: Region 12 Regional Competition. Five long weekends ofX-C flying ending in Memorial Day Weekend Fly-In (pilot meeting May 27, 6:00 PM) with speed-to-fly tasks and spot landing. Trophies and barbecue. Entry $30 before April 21. To stay in touch send $10 for SkJ,writings newsletter. For rules, maps and forms, send check or money order to: Stephen Makrinos, Competition Director, 38-11 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, NY 11105 (212) 567-2150. April 30-May 1: Mayday Hang Gliding Fly-In. Prizes, awards, fun flying, live music and BIG AIR! $25 entry fee to help preserve site. Point of the Mountain, Utah. Contact: Rose Carter (801) 576-9804. May 6-8: First AnnualJust Fly Hang Gliding Art Exhibit at Glenn Eure's Ghost Fleet Gallery, Nags Head, NC. Held in conjunction with the 22nd Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular. Art show on the 6th, with art exhibited through the 8th. Contact: G.W. Meadows (800) 546-3596.

HANG GLIDING

Calendar of Events May 27-30: Region 12 Regional Competition Wrap-up. X-C competition starts four weeks prior on April 28. Memorial Day Weekend features speed-to-fly, turnpoint (optional) and spot landing competitions. Barbecue, trophies, loads of fun. Donations from manufacturers and schools appreciated. $30 for registration package, $10 for SkJ•writings newsletter. Contact: Stephen Makrinos, 38-11 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, NY 11105 (212) 567-2150.

Sixty-pilot maximum field, 45 spots reserved for USHGA-ranked pilots. Firsttime entrants must have: USHGA Advanced racing, all Special Skills, 100+ hours mountain thermal experience. Early registration $275 if postmarked before May l, $325 after. Refundable until April 30. Contact: Mike Gregg, 12117 St. Mary's Dr., Albuquerque, NM 87111 (505) 275-5978 or Mark Macho (505) 298-2922.

May 28-30: Celebrate Otto Lilienthal's birthday on Memorial Day weekend, Paradox Valley, CO. No entry fee. Hang III site. Soaring, safety and X-C seminars. Crosscountry heaven. Contact: Telluride Air Force Corporate Office, Box 456, Telluride, CO 81435 (303) 728-5793.

June 11-12: E4A Ultralight Chapter 64 Sixth Ultralight Gathering at Ickes Airport, Osterburg, PA 16667. Contact: Don Ickes (814) 276-3353.

May 28-30: 14th Annual D1y Canyon F91-In, Alamogordo, NM. Good friends and good air, barbecue and trophies. Check out the new shade pavilion in the LZ! Pilots' meeting 8:30 AM in the LZ, at Hobby Park off Florida Ave. Contacts: Tommy West, Meet Head (505) 437-5213; Kendall Taylor, RGSA Pres. (505) 434-3660; Robin Hastings, Publicity (505) 382-7446. May 28-3 0: 17th Annual Fun Famiry Fry-In. Rogue Valley HGA, Medford, OR, Woodrat Men. Hang II with instructor or better. Contact: Newt Stevenson (503) 773-1187 or Jan Bailly (503) 846-6228. June 4-12: Sandia Open X-C Challenge, Albuquerque, NM. Fly from Sandia Crest and enjoy some of the best X-C in the Southwest. Dual format competition, longest flights and cumulative miles. Fee includes Sandia Crest guides, T-shirt, prizes, awards barbecue, oxygen refills and more. $75 before May 1, $90 afi:er. 30 spaces available on first come, first served basis. For rating requirements and other info contact: Bill Lemon, 1600 34th St., Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (505) 891-5370 or Mel Glantz, 2710 Parsifal NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 (505) 296-5362. June 5-12: Sandia Classic, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fourth annual 450 \v'TSS-point meet at Sandia Peak - the premier meet of the season! Price includes: entry fee, topquality X-C tasks, glider and pilot transportation to launch, turnpoint film and processing, computerized scoring, full-time paid staff, free o;.,_ygen refills, gift certificates from local businesses, convenient meet headquarters at Spectators Sports Grill, awards barbecue, T-shirt and more! MARCH 1994

June 16-22: Big Spring, TX Tow Meet, 450 WTSS points. June 14-15 mandato1y practice/clinic dates for those without adequate tow rating. Turnpoint film and processing included, impressive facilities, team and individual scoring, prizes, trophies, breakfasts. 50-pilot maximum. $225 registration plus $5 per tow. $300 after May 1. Contact: Jeff Hum, 4811 Red River, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 467-2529. June 17-19: Region I Non-Regionals, Chelan Butte, Washington. This has been a very successful and popular meet and all rhe pilots like the new format - triangle tasks with an aerial start gate using the 1990 U.S. Nationals rules. Entry fee $35 ($30 pre-registration by June 10). Oregon and Canadian pilots especially welcome. Contact: Davis Straub, 747 16th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112 (206) 322-1184 (vm/fax), 72147.37l6@compuserve.com. June 18-25: Big Tow Meet in West Texas. Platform launch, X-C tasks. Contact: Jeff Hunt (512) 467-2529. June 24-26: Region I Regionals, 1994 King lvftn. X-C Meet, near Arco, Idaho. Format is open-distance X-C along designated routes with goal bonuses. Entry $25 for IHGA membership. For rules and site info contact: Ken Schreck, 275 Clifford St., Blackfoot, ID 83221 (208) 785-0196, or Albert Whitesell (208) 522-2423.

Ill

June 29-July 4: Chelan Cross Count1y Classic, Chelan Butte, Washington, site of the 1994 Women's Worlds. Register early as this will be the practice round for the Women's Worlds. The format is pilotcalled (or recalled on course) triangles, outand-return, and open distance combined format. Entry fee $70 ($65 pre-registration by June 24). Contact: Davis Straub, 747 16th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112 (206) 322-1184 (vm/fax), 72l47.3716@compuserve.com. July 18- 24: 21st Annual Telluride Hang Gliding Festival Special guest speakers, parachute repacking clinics, swap meet, high altitude orientation clinic, slide shows, home movies of the early days in Telluride, antique glider display. Please bring your oldie but goodie. 25,000' upper ceiling will be in place. Oxygen refills available on site. Pilot banquet and awards party. Come and experience Telluride in the summer for a refreshing change. Contact: Craig Pirazzi, Event Organizer, (303) 728-5793 eves. July 21-23: 1994 World Aerobatic Championships, Telluride, CO. 15th annual event. Cash purse. All new pilots must pre-qualify before entry. Contact: Craig Pirazzi, Event Organizer, (303) 728-5793 eves. Aug. 13-20: US. Nationals, Mt. Princeton, Buena Vista, Colorado. Men. flying at its best - 3,600' vertical. Lodging, camping areas, natural hot springs and hot springs pools at base of men., six launches within 300'. Intermediate- and Advanced-rated pilots with FSL, TUR and X-C special skills. Enuy fee of $325 includes transport to launch, T-shirt, flight verification film, electronic pin in and instant scoring. X-C format with short retrievals. Daily awards and prizes. Contact: Jim Zeiset, Pendulum Sports (producer of the 1993 Owens Valley World Championships), 13154 County Rd. 140, Salida, CO 81201 phone/fax (719) 539-3900 or 1-800-WEFLY-XC in the U.S. Sept. 15-18: 21st Coupe Icare and

June 25-26: 22nd Annual Cochrane Meet, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, for hang glider and paraglider pilots. Race-to-goal and spot landing (same tasks for HG and PG). Free camping. Contact: Vincene Muller, RR #2, Cochrane, Alberta, TOL OWO, Canada phone/fax (403) 932-6760.

International Hang Gliding Film Festival St. Hilaire du Touvet, France. Contact: Martine Lange, Icare Festival Organization, Office ofTourism, 38720 St. Hilaire du Touvet, France, tel. 76-0833-99, fax 76-97-20-56.

II Update WOMEN'S WORLD TEAM FUND RAISING This summer the Women's World Meet will take place in Chelan, Washington. Led by Team Leader Randy Adams, U.S. Team members have more than ever the determination to win the title at one of their home sites. Let's do in Chelan what the World Team accomplished in the Owens Valley in 1993! To help raise funds toward the cost of the competition, the Women's World Team is selling T-shirts and organizing a raffle. Check out these great prizes: 1 Harness (donated by Wills Wing) value $600 1 Quantum parachute 330 (donated by High Energy) - value $550 Open-face Lambie Lid (donated by Jack Lambie) - value $175 Introductory paragliding lesson (donated by Hang Glider Emporium) -value $100 2 Gear bags (donated by Pacific Airwave) - value $40 each 2 Ultimate Hats -value $37.50 each 5 "Born to Fly" Videos (donated by Adventure Video) - value $29.95 each 2 Airspeed indicators with bracket (donated by Pacific Resources) value $24.50 each Cutaway knives (donated by Pendulum Sports), T-shirts, windsocks and much more (donated by Kitty Hawk Kites and Lookout Mountain Flight Park) Don't miss this opportunity to support the Women's World Team. Raffle tickets and T-shirts are available from all the team members (see list below). The Women's World Team would like to give special thanks to all the companies which donated prizes and time to help raise funds and to support the team. We also thank you in advance for your contribution. You may obtain raffle tickets and Tshirts from: Kari Castle, Claire Pagen, Barbara Kramer, Kathy Fox-Williams, Samantha Moore, Sarah Bowman and Randy Adams.

HOW LONG WAS YOUR X-C FLIGHT?

one-month membership kits for schools and dealers, this magazine goes right into the hands of its target market, the student. But time's a wastin'. Advertising contracts should be sent immediately. Contact Jeff Elgart at USHGA Headquarters ASAP, (719) 632-8300.

1995 USHGA CALENDAR PHOTOS

Fifty, 100, 300 miles? You don't say? You do say! Then proudly display this achievement with a beautifully embroidered USHGA XC Flight Award. These exquisite emblems gloriously depict your flight accomplishments and mastery of the air.Awards are available for 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 300-mile flights, for just a measly $10 per emblem (includes shipping). Some minor rules do apply, like being a USHGA member in good standing and not violating any FAR Part 103 regulation - it's all explained on the application. These emblems will make your mother proud, your flying buddies envious, and showcase you as the hot pilot you are - all for just ten bucks! a USHGA X-C Flight Award application with all the details and start looking through your log book. Write to USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 80933 and we'll drop an application in the mail to you right away.

It's that time again. Already!Yes, the window is now open for 1995 calendar photo submissions.We were overwhelmed by the incredible response and excellent photography received last year (more than 500 photos were submitted) and we hope for the same this year. DEADLINE IS MAY 31, 1994, so either start going through your slides from last year or start shootin' now.I'm looking for slides (we prefer slides for the absolute best color reproduction possible) of launching, landing, flaring,setting up ... you name it. SEND THEM IN! Don't be shy. Your photography will be treated with utmost care and properly returned. Just imagine your photo gracing the pages of the world famous USHGA Calendar, immortalized for one whole month! But it can't happen if you don't submit 'em! Please send to: USHGA Calendar, Attn: Jeff Elgart, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Springs, CO 809338300. If you should have any questions please don't hesitate to call at (719) 632-8300. P.S.: Last year we lacked a good shot of a pilot flaring on landing.

CONGRATULATIONS NEW PILOT EDITION III ADVERTISING If you've been thinking about advertising in our upcoming Hang Gliding magazine Special New Pilot Issue, time is about to run out. This publication has been an ongoing project since its inception in 1991.Sold through USHGA's merchandise program, and prominently included in our

BARBARA FLYNN As of a result of Rick Jacob's resignation, one of Region 1O's Directors, Barbara Flynn, will complete the second half of his term.Barbara placed second in the recent Regional Director Election. Barbara has been a member and pilot since 1979, and currently holds a Basic Instructor rating. She has been very active in her region since the early 80's HANG GLIDING

u ,md has participated on a national level at the Board of Directors meetings since 1990. Barbara is very excited abour her new role as Regional Director and is looking forward to the challenges, du ties and commitment required. Congratulations and welcome aboard Barbara. We're looking forward to having you on the Board.

USHGA St,t!Jand Bo,trd o{Directors

The past meets the future at 'forrcy Pines as increasing numbers of' pilots return 10 fly there. Burke Ewing came hack afrer a 10 year hia111s with a new Dream painted wifo Susan. They arc seen beneath rhc painted wing, which should take many pilots back 20 years. Bmkc is a video editor ar Channel 13 in Los Angeles.

Tn the other photo, "R/C" Dave Freund readies for launch with Bob 'I \-ampcnau assisting, on a new l Sensor model (1 IO with "flaps" or wing warping. Note the wires and devices utilized in the afr center section of' the wing. Both sink rate and handling appear to be improved by this modification.

MARCI I 1994

In a surprise move, Mark Gibson has flown back into the Pacific Airwave camp afrer two years with another manu·· facturer. Mail (Gibo) catapulted to the top of' the international hang gliding scene with a strong third-place finish at the 1993 World Championships in the Owens Valley. For the beginning of the 1994 competition year Gibo will he flying a K4+ 155. "We're jazzed to have Mark flying for us again," reports Ken Brown, President of Pac Air, "Mark adds a lot of power to Tc:am Airwave for 1994." Gibo will be competing in all three 450-point meets in the U.S., as well as the Pre-Worlds in Spain and the European Championships. Look for his name in the top standings as the meets finish."[ foci really good righr now about my ability to win. Pacifk Airwave has always been good to me and I am happy to be on a wing with proven all-round performance." A solid lineup of pilots will be flying for Paci(1c Airwavc during the 1994 season: long-time PacAir pilot Mark Bennett, up-and-corning Reto Schaerli, cast coast favorite Greg Wenowski, X-C giant Kevin Christopherson (who still holds the "longest X-C from foot launch" title of 285 miles set in I 988 on a Magic Mexican National Champion (and seventh at the I 993 World Championships) Miguel Curicrrez.

prizes from Wills Wing and local area merchants and restaurants. This year's prizes arc expected to be even greater. When the winds aren't soarable, pilots can participate in daily spot--landing contests for cash prizes. As always, non-cornpetitors are also welcome to fly Lookout during the Race too, soaring high above the 12-mile--long ridge. For family and friends, the Chattanooga area is 20 minutes away, with the new Tennessee Aquarium an impressive highlight. 'fandem flights from Lookout Mountain or via aerorowing from rhe I ,Z will be available. For those interested in learning ro fly, hang gliding lessons on Lookout's training hills can be scheduled every morning. The Great Race takes place the week before the Fast Coast Championships (at nearby Sequatchie Valley), giving compe-· rition pilots two chances to win prize money while on a single hang gliding trip in the Southeast. One of the best features of'The Great Race is that you don't have to be there every day. Pilots can fly just one day, or two days or any combination of' days all week you choose the days and wind conditions you want to fly. With in--air restarts, you can fly the course as many times as you like each day without having to land in between flights. Your single fastest time for the week cotmts. For more information call Lookout Mountain Flight I\Hk (706) 398-3541. For their color training brochure, tandem info, directions and accornmoda· tions info, send $1 to: LMFI~ Rt. 2 Box 2 I 5 H, Dept. HG, Rising Fawn, GA 30738.

For the 18th year, mountain pilots of

all skill levels will gather in northwest for one of hang gliding's truly fun events. The Great Race is scheduled frH Saturday, April 9 through Friday, April 1 '5 at Lookout Mountain Flight 1\irk, with a catered dinner and keg party Friday night, April 15. Last year the 21 out-and--back ridge race awarded more than $1,'500 i11 cash fron1 I ,MFP and Pacific plus merchandise

Just Ply Aviation Gear announces an event tfoH it is very proud to sponsor. In conjunction with Kitty Hawk Kites' 22nd Anuual ]fang Gliding Spectacular, Just Fly will present a hang gliding art show featuring the beautiful sport of hang gliding depicted in every medium imaginable. 'The art show will take place on Friday M,iy Gat Glenn Eu re's

Ghost Fleet Gallery located in Nags Head, North Carolina. Glenn's Gallery is well known to aviation bufE, as it hosts the annual learns An Exhibit which takes place in conjunction with tbe rirst Flight celebration every December 7. The art show will feature art from many parts of the country, and will be available for sale. Everyone is encouraged to enter art in the show by contacting G.W Meadows at Just Fly, J~O. Box 450, Kitty Hawk, NC (800) Judging will take place on 'T'hmsday, May with cash prizes awarded ro the three top··placing entries. Art not sold during the show will be available fc)r sale through Just Fly. 'rhcy will be happy to purchase art fr)r long-distance buyers by phone. Don't miss this opportunity to own a rare piece of hang gliding fine art. The hang gliding art will be exhibited at the gallery through Sunday, May 8.

airfoil and larger wing area, the Falcon design is optimized for ultra-low-speed flight:. "'This is 20 years of design cxpcri-ence, combined with 1994 rn:Herials mid manufacturing technology applied to the goal of completely redesigning the type of glider we all learned to soar on the type of glider that made us foll in love with flying in the first place," says Pearson. 'fhe Falcon features a simple, economical, lightweight, rapid setup airframe using equal parts of high strength 10 weight 7075 and lower cost 6061 alloys. Handling is described as "effortless," both in terms of control forces and demands the glider places on pilot skill.

Fr.dcon Specifications Arca Span Aspect Ratio Glider Weight Setup Time Pilot Weight with all gear Price

195 fr. 2 32 fr. 9 in.

5.5 50 lbs. 6 mins. 130-210 lbs. 145-230 lbs.

$2,495

Everard Cunion of Flight 'fraining Systems (England) has developed a PCbased hang gliding flight simulator for use as a tr;iining aid. It consists of a dummy control frame and uses Microsoft Flight Simulator software, which includes an experimental sailplane mode in both ridge and thermal soaring conditions. The sailplane can he rrn1dc to fly like a hang glider by adjusting its flight characteristics. The only special hardware required is a five-merer joystick extension cable. A joystick and bungee system is mounted on wp of the keel, and transrnits the pilot's weight shift movements to the computer. (Everard has also sent Nang Gliding a demo copy of his "I fang Gliding Ground School" software for IBM PC's and compatibles. It is excellent and includes superb graphics. Ed.) For more information about the simulator and ground school software contact: Everard Cunion/Flight 'Jraining Systems, 155 Fairmilc Road, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 2LD England, tel. Ol 144-202-483847.

In last month's Dennis Pagc:n wrote an excdlcm review of the Avocct Vcrtech Sky Watch. Unfortunately, Owens Valley Soaring's phone number was incorrect:. Please call (619) 387-

The Packsaddle Mountain site, near Kingsland, 'Tc:xas miles northwest of Austin) is now open. Pilots must be USI-IGA members and guest passes arc ;wailable. For rnorc information contact Rich Diamond at (713) or (713) 980-0734 (home).

Greg Black of Mounwin Wings, Ellenville, New York sends us the fi)llow·· ing si tc: information. Fees arc now $100 per person with discounts for families. Pilots must be USHCA insured, and parachutes and certified gliders arc mandatory. TTang Jl's must be observed. All pilots must stop in at the white house in the LZ to sign a waiver and pay flying Ask for 'Jc.my or Jane. 'The site is owned Sunset Management Corporation and checks should be made payable to them. Call (914) I 008, if no answer call or Judy at Mountain

(914) Wills has anno1111ccd the release of their newest rnodcl hang 1he Falcon. ro company Steve Pearson, "The main emphasis in the Falcon has been to design for the e;isicst possible pilot access to the highest level of perfrir· ma nee."

Mountain Wings also announces that they arc now the offlcial SW] FT distributor f'or the entire Fast and will be demoing the glider at Sun 'n' Fun in Lakeland, Florida. For product info and information contact Bh1ck at the number listed above.

Hvm1rd

some X-C 11/\NC GLIUII\JC,

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r<lot Skill ""1 • Advoooed Certified • HGMA

t..

THE MOYES XTRALITE JUST KEEPS WINNING. The NEW XTRALITE out performs the ' competition with an improved glide at 40 mph. and an even bett er sink rate that leavee; the other& scratching to catch up! Thie; wae; accomplished with a revolutionary airfoil de&ign. The lighter handling and weight i& attributed t o the ne,v leading edge cone;tr uction. S et up time hae; been e;treamlined with t he ue;e of a one e;tep croe;e; bar pu ll b11ck e;ye;tem, a& well ae; our fully enclosed f iberglase; tip lever& which give the tipe; a cle1111er finish and reduce dri:ig. 1st PLACE 93' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 1e;t PLACE 9:3' MORNINGSIDE GLIDE RATIO CONTEST 1et PLACE 94' FLATLANDS COMPITITION· ~...,,.,... T . . ~""''

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1e,t PLACE 94' AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Be Safe, Be The Best. Fly a WORLD CHAMPION MOYES XTRALITE. q For information or a test flight on the ~ NEW MOYES XTRAUTE. give us a call or contact your local dealer.

M oyes California 2202 I Covello St. Canoga Park, California, 9 1303 Tel: 818 887 336 I Fax: 818 702 06 12

:__

~ rnD"r"IE!!Si

~ USHGA Reports SAFETY & TRAINING

Spring 1994 Board of Directors Meeting Agenda AWARDS • Annual awards. USHGA X-C Flight Award requirements.

BYLAWS •

SOP 5-2.0lE Delinquent Accounts.

COMPETITION • •

MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT • • • • • • • •

1994 US Nationals status. Pilot ranking system. Status of 1994 Women's World Meet.

Certified school status. Foreign pilots and the need (or lack thereof) for USHGA membership. One-month membership discounts. Simulator program for USHGA. Women's sports issue group. School membership program. Junior membership program. Sun 'n' Fun/Oshkosh participation. Report on non-member information requests.

NATIONAL COORDINATING ELECTIONS & ALLOCATIONS • •

Filling of open At-Large Director position. Regional geographic boundaries.

• • •

Rescue insurance. FAR 103 rewrite status. CIVL report.

NATIONAL FLY-IN ETHICS •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1993 fatality review. Hang Gliding Instructor Manual status. Certified school status. Observer prerequisites. Peer review committee status. Pilot certification book revisions. Hang gliding Instructor Exam update. Instructor contract. Paragliding Instructor Manual status. ICP Authorization Guidelines for Directors. Beginner Tandem Tow Rating. Dave Wills' Observer Manual. Instructor apprenticeship time requirement. Paragliding Instructor Exam update. Paragliding Observer/Instructor program review. Add PLF's to Class I requirement. East Coast instructor availability. Advanced Maneuvers Clinics. Paragliding ICP Administrator review.

SITE MANAGEMENT • •

National site guide status. Site guide proposal. USHGA's stance on environmental issues.

1994 National Fly-In.

TANDEM

USHGA Ethics guidelines.

PUBLICATIONS •

FINANCE

•

Site guide proposal. 1993 financial report. 1994 Calendar sales report. 1994 Y-T-D Operating results. Minimum amount required for billing.

INSURANCE •

Towing Exclusion removal from insurance policy. • Status of member liability insurance. Foreign pilots and the need (or lack thereof) for USHGA membership. 1993 fatality review.

Editor's report. • Offer Paragliding The Magazine subscription. • Paragliding The Magazine magazine publication frequency. • Policy statement on ad content. • Magazine printer change status. 1994 Calendar sales report. • SOP 5-2.0lE Delinquent Accounts. • Special Edition III status. • Paragliding The Magazine Special Edition status. • Elimination of advertising agency discount. • Discontinuation of 48 States distribution.

Paragliding Tandem Administrator review. • Tandem Instructor mini-clinic. New Tandem Administrator appointments.

TOWING •

Standardization of glider retention systems for towing

GENERAL SESSION • •

Select spring 1995 BOD meeting site. Rigid wing committee development. Regional arbitration committee.

HANG GLIDING

USHGA Reports

Endangered Species? by Doug Hildreth

his is an article about animals and hang gliding/paragliding. No, not about dogs going tandem. It's not even about endangered species. But I thought the title might be catchy. At the recent Board of Directors meeting, the Site Management Committee was talking about Dog Mountain being closed because of the eagles nesting nearby. So, smoothly initiating an aerobatic maneuver, I said: "What we need is a data bank of information on hang gliding and wildlife interaction. You know. Where we keep scientific research articles and case histories of how clubs have been able to secure and maintain sites because of their positive interaction with wildlife and governing agencies. People to call. How to go about it. It would even be nice to have some pilot with knowledge and interest to kinda run it." "Well, Doug," said the chairwoman, "How'd you like to write an article about that?" Stall, inverted. Structural failure. There I was, thought I was gonna die. Yeah, I know, it's only one more, and it is for a good cause, but if I gotta write one more article I think I'm gonna die. So, here I am on my death bed writing another article, all because an incident that occurred a couple of years ago caused me to open my mouth at the committee meeting. The incident was this. Some of us wanted to fly Hart Mountain. Now, because it's an animal preserve (or is that reserve?) for antelope, big horn sheep, etc., we talked to the wildlife biologist in charge. We were doing pretty well, as I explained how the hang gliders and bighorn got along fine in the Owens Valley and a study showed

MARCH 1994

/n the ecologyoriented 1990's, more and more emphasis will be placed on man's interaction with wildlife. Hang gliding is already included or excluded, as the case may be, based on false assumptions. 11 11

no adverse effects. Then he wanted to see the study. He wanted something in writing. A scientific article would be nice. I went home and looked over all my Hang Gliding magazines, checked with the USHGA office, and called a few friends who said, "Oh yeah, I remember that. Whadda ya mean, details?" We still need to gather those details about the interaction between wildlife and hang gliding. It seems to me that we need to mount a multi-pronged attack. First, we need collect all the firsthand, anecdotal history we can. The following come to mind: John McNealy and his hawks; the Owens Valley bighorn and the varios; the Sylmar Condor experience; the Florida success with eagles, sand cranes, etc., and the cows and their calving experience. There must be many more. The second prong involves library/literature research. We need to look up articles, preferably with scientific validity, concerning wildlife and air vehicle inter-

action. What about the experiences of sailplane pilots, balloonists, skydivers and even ultralight and power plane pilots? We need to collect all this data in one easily accessible place (i.e., USHGA office, site management committee). The third prong involves talking to wildlife specialists, both private and governmental. Find out what they know. Find out their concerns. Work out an experimental project such as what was done in Florida. (They landed during the calving season to see if there would be any problems. There weren't, so the farmers now let them land year-round.) When data is gathered, send in a report with references to the USHGA office. The last prong is to find an individual who would be willing to act as a catalyst and coordinator for chis project. Out of 9,000 hang glider and paraglider pilots, hopefully someone will volunteer. Someone with environmental expertise and knowledge would be nice. But willingness and enthusiasm are more important qualities for this job. In the ecology-oriented 1990's, more and more emphasis will be placed on man's interaction with wildlife. Hang gliding is already included or excluded, as the case may be, based on false assumptions. By taking a pro-active position, I believe we can open and/or maintain hang gliding sites that would otherwise be lost. Want to make a difference? Volunteer today. Write or call: Sandy King (Site Management Committee), 360 Travelodge, El Cajon, CA 92020 (619) 444-8956. See, I told you it was for a good cause! And, yes, I did survive writing another article.

FASCINATION OF OUR NEW LI NE A LTO VARIO BASIS • Altimeter up to 5500 m ( 17 500 ft) • Vano analog/digital • Audio • ASI system • Memo for 5 flights ALTO VARIO CLASSIC/ COMPmTION • Easy to use with audio feedback keyboard e AJbmeter up1o 10 000m(30000ft) e Au· dio • ASI system • Nomonal flight calculator • TEK • Temperature Indication • Speed • 2 clocks • Memo for 25 flights Additional flight re<:order at COMPETITION • Resolution 1m(3h)up to6000m (18000ft) • Scan rate variable • 25 flighits storable max 70 h • Speed values storable • Parallel (Centronics) and serial (RS 232) connector for pnntout Airnr,·ntC.MI~ \\if!Mp:11';.1

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•

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Made in Germany

lleadlhu1i ll1~h1•1

n years recently, the ""''·,·h been a trusty companion; it was always on my wrist on when I went flying I often didn't bother to surplus altimeter which been a 01..a~n-., years. 'fhe watch had Sh<Htc:ornrn1gs, ever. update rate was too slow to scratching conditions, and the ] ] -<-,,,-·· altitude was often in the occasionally pegged). Recently ,..,<LC>•'J many 1.monwenu~nts. f\V<)Cet. a previously known for its bicycling acc:esi;or1es. we will compare the two competing products. LU\3L

MARCIi '1994

UAUJ>U>LUU•

·1 7

Figure 1 gives a side-by-side comparison of the features of interest.

Casio Alti-thermo and Avocet Vertech Altimeter Watches AL Tl METER FEATURES

ALTIMETER FUNCTIONS Both altimeters are sensitive, however, the Vertech has a resolution of 10 feet compared to twice that for the Casio. Perhaps more important is the display stability while holding a constant altitude. With the Casio, small temperature and barometric changes can induce errors that can be annoying if you are barely sustaining level flight. Despite its greater resolution the Vertech altitude is very stable, and once you start moving it tracks beautifully. I made several runs up and down the fourtiered escalator at a local department store (my wife tried to act like she didn't know me) and the Vertech counted up and down right on schedule. The Vertech is temperature stabilized and has an accuracy comparable to certified aircraft altimeters. Without temperature correction, altimeter errors of hundreds of feet may accumulate. Although this may be adequate for most of our operations, the Casio owner's pamphlet has a standard lawyer disclaimer stating it should not be used for general aviation, skydiving, hang gliding or paragliding. How often the altitude is sampled is very important in scratching conditions. Upon selecting the altimeter mode, the Casio samples once every five seconds for five minutes. Thereafter it only samples once every five minutes. The Vertech samples once per second for the first seven minutes after pushing any of the buttons. Thereafter it samples once every five seconds. This higher sampling rate means the Vertech is usable in critical scratching conditions while the Casio is not. Both offer suitably high maximum altitudes: the Casio works to nearly 20,000 feet MSL while the Vertech calculates up to an amazing 60,000 feet! Both watches will record maximum altitude achieved. The Casio has several bar graph displays that are of dubious utility since the resolution is so poor. It also has a selectable altitude alarm which could be of use in some situations if you could hear it over your beeping vario. The Casio can also be used as a dive watch and will display water depth down to 100 meters. The Vertech does not display water depth and is only water resistant to ten feet. The Vertech can be customized to work as a hiking/climbing aid or as a downhill

CASIO

VE RTE CH

20 ft 19,960 ft No every 5 seconds every 5 minutes Yes Yes Yes (rudimentary) >14°F No Yes (rudimentary) No No

10 ft 60,000 ft Yes every second every 5 seconds Yes No No >0°F Yes No Yes Yes

CASIO

VERTECH

Resolution Display sea level pressure? Initial sample rate Standard sample rate

0.05 in Hg No every 5 seconds every 2 hours

0.01 in Hg Yes every second every 5 seconds

TIMING FEATURES

CASIO

VERTECH

Stopwatch Countdown timer Alarm clock Display day/date

1 split No 5 Yes

Multiple splits Yes 1 Date only

THERMOMETER

CASIO

VE RTE CH

Resolution Accuracy

0.2°F

±40

1°F ±4° (temps >32°F)

MISCELLANEOUS

CASIO

VERTECH

Case ruggedness Water resistance English/metric? Display legibility Display Light? Change functions with gloves on? List price

Excellent 100 m Yes Average Yes Good $130

Good 3m Yes Excellent No Excellent $120

Altimeter resolution Maximum Altitude Temperature compensated? Initial sample rate Standard sample rate Record Maximum Altitude? Altitude alarm? Altitude graph? Altitude temperature range Variometer functions Barograph function Record number of climbs/descents? Record total climb/descent?

BAROMETER FEATURES

Figure 1. Watch Comparison (Features rated best are bold) ski instrument. Avocet actually sells two models of the Vertech but the only difference is the wristband and color; either model can be quickly reconfigured by the user for the other option. For hang gliding use you will most likely use the ski option. In this configuration the Vertech will display climb or sink rates in increments of 50 feet per minute. Do not plan on discarding your variometer, however, because it com-

putes the rate by averaging in the altitude change over the last 30 seconds. While this might be of interest as you are topping out in your thermal, the lag is too great to use for trying to core a thermal. In marginal conditions simply hawking the altitude readout will work better. Average climb or descent rate for the entire flight (or period of interest) can also be displayed with a resolution of 10 fpm. Maximum climb rate

HANG GLIDING

can also be recalled at the touch of a button. If you ever catch a monster thermal that pegs your vario the Vertech can handle up to 7,600 fpm! Using the ski option the Venech will count the number of climbs or descents. There is a 150-foot hysteresis (deadband) so it won't count inconsequential cycles. In addition, it counts the total vertical feet for the period of interest (with a 30-fooc hysteresis) and maintains a separate running total vertical count. So at the end of a flight you can recall the maximum climb rate, the average climb rate, the number of thermals during the flight, the total vertical feet for the flight, and see how many vertical feet you have flown chis week or year! The Casio has a feature which functions like a poor man's barograph. It will record the altitude and time automatically every 15 minutes or manually. If you wanted to make the effort, you could record each time you enter a thermal and when you top out which may be of some use post flight.

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE I WEATHER FUNCTION Both display barometric pressure but the Vertech, unlike the Casio, computes it continuously to a resolution of 0.01 inch of mercury and displays sea-level pressure, which means you can directly input the pressure from a Flight Service Station and read your altitude at an unknown site. The Casio will graph the relative barometric change at two-hour intervals while the Vertech will digitally tell you how much the pressure has changed since it was last reset.

THERMOMETER FUNCTION Both watches display temperature, the Casio with a resolution of 0.2° F while the Vertech rounds off to the nearest degree. Although both claim accuracy of +4°, my Vertech read 5° low from the factory. Both watches allow for adjustment via the function buttons and once I adjusted the Vertech it worked fine. The sensors are internal in both watches, therefore it takes several minutes to reflect a change in temperature and are accurate only if insulated from your body. The elastic wrist band of the Vertech Ski model makes it easy to wear on the outside of your flight jacket.

MARCH 1994

MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES Boch watches are full-function stopwatches, the Vertech can do so many lap splits chat it almost gets confusing. Both models offer alarm clock functions; the Casio has five while the Vertech has a single alarm and a countdown timer.

DISPLAY The Vercech altitude display is nearly twice the size of the Casio (see photo). This difference means the Vertech can be read at arm's length while the Casio requires closer study. Only the Casio features a light for reading the displays in darkness. One of my gripes about my original Casio was that the light was non-functional in any of the sub-level displays (altitude, stopwatch, depth meter... ). This is remedied in the new model. Although the fact that the Vercech does not have a light is of no consequence while hang gliding, I still wear it at night and would like to be able to read the time.

CASE CONSTRUCTION Although the Vercech has a high-tech look, I like the case construction of the Casio better. The Casio has a recessed flat

crystal which greatly reduces the likelihood of accidental scratches. Although the Vertech's crystal is tough, it protrudes outward and is prone to taking impacts. I think this is a design oversight since it was designed for mountain climbers. The Vercech has large buttons which are easy to use through gloves and give a positive click when pressed. The Casio has smaller buttons, however, they are still usable with gloves because of their noticeable range of movement.

SUMMARY Comparing these two watches is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, for they were designed with emphasis on different features. The Casio is a great all-around watch but is not nearly as good for hang gliding use as the Vertech. The Vertech lacks a light and some of the bells and whistles you might want if you were only allowed one watch. I think it is a fair statement to say that Casio has designed a fine multifunction sports watch that displays altitude, while Avocet has designed an outstanding altimeter which also tells time. My recommendation is to add the Vercech to your watch collection - it will supplement your other watches and come in very handy during your outdoor activities. ~

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Accidents

199 3 Accident Review Fatality Summary by Doug Hildreth, USHGA Accident Review Chairman

ight pilots lost their lives in hang gliding accidents in 1993. Four of the eight were very good pilots who strayed into areas where they should not have been, and severe rotors drove them into the ground. All of them knew about rotors. The other causes varied: • A student suffered a stall/sideslip on his final turn (poor setup). • A pilot returning to the sport launched, froze and turned back into the hill. • A student stalled while trying to soar and turned back into the hill. • An intermediate pilot clipped a tree at the edge of the landing zone after scratching too low. With 40,000 participants, this is a rate of 20 fatalities per 100,000 participants.

REVIEW OF CAUSES I had a glimmer of hope last year that we may have made some progress with crashes on landing. In the old days, crashes on launch and crashes on landing numbered about equally. However, with the advent of higher performance gliders (my assumption), crashes on landing became twice as frequent. Last year the ratio was only one and one-half to one, a modest but encouraging improvement. "These new

easy-to-land gliders are responsible," I thought. But alas, this year the ratio is again back to two to one. We hurt a lot of pilots on landing. Is it the glider? Are the instructors not teaching students how to land? Are all the advanced pilots landing so infrequently that they have forgotten how? Do we all need to go to the training hill each spring for 20 launches and landings? We won't be able to find a solution to this problem until we can correctly identify the cause(s). There were three midairs, the same nuinber as last year: two glider-glider and one glider-paraglider. They went something like this. The scene: compet1t10n. The story: "Hey, you're turning the wrong way. Oh shoot." The scene: ridge soaring. The story: "Ya, he sees me, he will turn away any moment now. Hey, he doesn't see me, and he is not going to turn away. Hey, we are going to fly into each other. Oh shoot!" The scene: ridge soaring, glass-off. The story: the hang glider just flew into the back of the canopy of a paraglider. The results: A couple of leg injuries but no serious bodily harm to any of the five hang glider pilots. The paraglider pilot, unable to deploy his reserve chute, suffered some internal injuries but recovered. It was

very fortunate that no one was killed. We must remain aware of all other pilots when we fly. Three midairs per year is TOO many. The harness problem(s) continue. A pilot who forgot to put his legs through the leg straps did an excellent job of getting into the boot and flying it down. On landing he became so concerned about how he was going to execute his landing that he neglected the basics of setup and approach, stalled, dropped in and bent the downtubes and sustained "minor" fractures of both arms. A second pilot forgot his leg straps, but the beach sand was more forgiving on his landing. Another pilot who knew he should take his new harness to the training hill (but it was soarable) barely escaped crashing on launch and on landing because of maladjustment of the harness. Although I can count only four failureto-hook-in reports, my feeling is that there were more. Dennis Pagen's recent article (this magazine Jan. '94) made a very good point: the same distraction(s) that causes us not to hook in breaks our normal prelaunch routine, which includes our hookin check. We are certainly not making progress with this age-old nemesis. Hook in. Hang check. Walk through. Lift glider. Feel tight hang strap. Exclaim: "Hooked in." If you unhook, repeat the WHOLE process. On the subject of incomplete assembly, two pilots forgot to zip up the undersurface keel-to-nose zipper. One was barely noticed by another pilot prior to launch. The other pilot had control problems in the air, stood in the control bar, grabbed the zipper, and dove toward the nose, zipping it up. Somehow he was able to recover from the induced aerobatics. This is not the recommended solution. Land the glider! The reporting rate for tumbles and parachute deployments remains low, as it has been for some time. I suspect that this is in part because the pilot "reports" the incident to the glider manufacturer and/or the parachute company, but forgets to include the USHGA in the loop. I also suspect that after you've told a hundred people about it, filling out an accident report seems superfluous. And even an article in the magazine does not get it into the "accident review pocket" unless I fill out a form after reading the article. But we do need those reports. Any thoughts on how to improve this reporting deficiency so we can learn from these incidents? There were six successful deployments turned in. There HANG GLIDING

were two ballistic "failures" in this magazme. I continue to be distressed by reports of students who are taking their first several altitude flights and/or their first soaring flights in the presence of qualified instructors or senior pilots, but without radio communication. To me, it is totally unfair to deprive these fledglings of the extremely helpful and occasionally lifesaving value of constant radio contact. Miscellaneous incidents worth noting are: • Three pilots who were ground skimming on final caught the basetube on tall grass and abruptly nosed over. • One pilot was diving on a fellow pilot on the ground (a variant of the old snatch-the-dollar-bill trick), hit his outstretched arm with the basetube and promptly nosed into the ground. Fortunately it was sandy. There was one report of a wire launch assistant who fell off a cliff and suffered fractures.

TANDEM AND TOW There were only four reports submitted: one foot-launch tandem pilot landed short without injury; one tow pilot locked out and crashed without injury; two tandem tow pilots locked out and both crashed without serious injury (very lucky). A more lengthy discussion of hang gliding incident mechanisms and injuries can be found in "199 0 Accident Review," March 1991 Hang Gliding magazine.

1993 HANG GLIDING

FATALITIES Pilot: Age: Rating: Glider: Date: Location: Injuries:

Richard FERRIS 40 Novice Pacific Airwave Vision Eclipse 17 3/21193 Mt. Tamalpais/Srinson Beach, CA Head, face, chest

Event: Good student with several altitude flights flew well, but on approach continMARCH 1994

'IJ continue to be

distressed by reports of students who are taking their first several altitude flights and/or their first soaring flights ... without radio communication. 11

ued on his downwind leg until very low, then as he was turning back into the wind, sideslipped into the ground.