USHGA Paragliding Vol6/Iss5 September/October 1995 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

P.O. Box 5715 Ketchum, ID 83340 208/726-1100

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES: 10.

Glider Reviews

Vol. 6#5 Sept./ Oct '95 by Ken Baier

Samba vs. Merak

14.

Designers Forum An interview with Flight Design

17.

Instructors Notebook

by Greg Kelley

Advice for Instructors

24. 32.

Two Tows Boat and Scooter

by Ed Pitman & Alan Chuculate

US Nationals

by Shari Asplund

A Report of the meet at Chelan

Cover; The launch at Chelan Butte, Washington, taken during the 1995 Nationals.

36.

Photo by BRAD LAMSON

39.

Views, Opinions & Comments

by Fred Stockwell

On Competitions

Accident Reports

by Bob Hannah

A Review

40. Publisher - Fred Stockwell Art Director - Fred Stockwell Editor - Clauilia Stockwell Editorial Assistance - Shari Asplund

Overseas Correspondents Philippe Renaudin - France/US Vincene & Willi Muller - Canada Jose Hayter- Great Britain/ PWCA James Brown - Japan

42.

44.

Grants Pass, OR 97527

Phone 503 5821467 FAX 503 582 3522 Subscription Rate for the USA: $26.00 Canada and Mexico: $32.00 Europe and So. America: $40.00 Other overseas destinations: $44.00 (postage included)

World Record Flight

by Pierre Bouilloux

Mountain Thermalling

by Dennis Trott

Techniques for thermals

49.

Japan Report

by James Brown

A Look at the current trends.

U.S. Correspondents

8901 Rogue River Hwy.

by Anatoly Cohn

A Triangle in France.

Departments:

Jan Ala - Ken Baier - Alan Chuculate Mike Eberle - Bob Schick

Paragliding Magazine

Emergency Parachutes Technical information

Published Six Times Per Year

5. 6. 19. 26. 29. 46.

Vol. 6#5

1995/96 Calendar Flight Lines News & Noteworthy USHGA Ratings USHGA News Paragliding Schools

50.

Safety Info.

52.

Classified Ads NEXT DEADLINE: October 16th for Vol. 6 #6

Paragliding Magazine is published for members of the paragliding community as well as other interested parties. It is the official publication for the United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) news for paragliding. Contributions are welcome however, Paragliding 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 staff 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 contribute 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. @ Copyright 1993 PARAGLI DING PUBLICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE • PAGE 3

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Owens Valley at its best! Thermal & XC Clinic, offered by Kari Castle. Open to strong (skills) Class I and Class II pilots, for more information, Call or fax 619/ 872-2087

23m 241995 Siena Skysmrfer's JFLYmJN Speed Gi.idmg /Spot Landing Contests Renotrahoe Fun, Fun, Fun!!! Don't miss some of the best flying of the year, along with windsurfing, volleyball, horseshoes, barbeque, and FUN!! contact Jackie at 702-883-7070 or Greg at 702-677-2226.

(Q)(!.;ID!Dlmlltllh 1st 1995 Skydad's Dume Chute & Square Affair Nm1meompetitfon, Sandbash! What is it? It is a party celebrating the end of the active flying season as well as reflecting on our roots. We will have a fun competition featuring the old gliders. We hope to have several classes in the comp. The main one will feature squares only, Condors, Harleys, Excaliburs etc. Although we would like to avoid the elliptical type dinosaurs, we may have a seperate class for Meteors if there is enough interest. Sample tasks will consist of duration, glide contests, bomb drops, dollar grabs, etc. We are considering categories like, least airworthy, Worst collapse, Crummiest performance, Hardest to launch ... Here is your chance to drag out and dust off that old closet

queen and have some fun. For a slight fee (around $10 -15) you can win prizes, drink beer, and eat BBQ food on the beach. If you can't make it but would like to send your old dog for our worthy contestants to fly, it would he greatly appreciated. PARTY DOWN SPORTS FANS! Sponsored by Over the Hill Paragliding and Paragliding Magazine ( and whoever else wants to contribute!) When and Where? Cape Kiwanda at Pacific City, Oregon Sunday Oct. 1st 8 AM till Dusk Contact Larry Pindar 503/ 667-4557 I Fax 666-6979 or Claudia Stockwell 503/ 582-1467

20-221995 Vail Valley Paragliding 'fhermaR and cross country clinic, At Vail, Colorado contact 970-845-4154

28 -29 1995 - 4fu Annual NWPC Women's JFly-illR, Costume Contest & Potluck on Saturday. More info Contact Pam 206/282-3830.

27m29 1995

3m 81995 Tandem Clinic & ICP, Sponsored by Yates Gear, Redding, CA. Administrators Fred & Claudia Stockwell, Mark Axen. For more info call John Yates 916/ 222-4606

7th (8th ram date) 1995 9th Annual Gary Lagrone Save fue Children JFly-m.

USHGA Board off Directors Meeting Orlando, JFlorida. For more info. please call Karen at 719-632-8300

Feb. 2 mu 1996 North American Pg. New Zealand Tour. Contact Mike 509/9255565.

Point of the Mountain, Utah. All funds donated to Save the Children Foundation. Entry fee $25. includes long sleeve T-shirt, BBQ, raffle and Fun Competition. Contact Valerie Carroll at 801-649-8993 h. 801-264-1479 w. 801-262-8656 fax.

CALENDAR ITEMS Please send your calendar items, to Claudia, by the published deadline (see table of contents page 3 ). Send to; Paragliding Magazine 8901 Rogue River Hwy. Grants Pass, OR 97527 or fax 503/582-3522

Paragliding Magazine is the official publication for the United States Hang Gliding Association paragliding news, and covers what's new and who's who. We publish the magazine six times per year. We also have back issues available for purchase. The cost of back issues is; $5.00 each U.S.-$8.00 foreign or you can get the set Vol. 1 #1 - Vol. 4 #6 (15 copies) $45.00, (includes postage in the U.S.) while they last.

The cost for a pri.vate subscription is as follows: (aH overseas subscriptions are Airmail) United States $26.00 ...... Canada & Mexico $32.00 ...... Europe and So. America $40.00 ...... Other Overseas destinations $44.00 Enclosed is my check----

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Ph. 503 582 1467 Fax 503 582 3522 PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 5

Dear Sirs, I am a Journalist working with a team of committed paragliding enthusiasts at what is perhaps the first organized effort at establishing paragliding as an airsport in India. We are in the process of setting up a National Body and a Regional Framework within which the sport can develop in a free and unfettered environment. The thrust is to ensure that paragliding remains a self regulating sport that is free from unnecessary restrictions and yet maintains a healthy image. The current scenario is a heartening one. We have a few enthusiastic pilots, an unrestricted number of excellent sites and a large and keenly interested segment of youth who would like to l1y. The government, the media, and other interested parties who can play a major role in encouraging the sport have expressed a keen interest in doing so. A team of British and German pilots is currently engaged in mass training programs, and we are making efforts to supplement this small number of competent instructors by approaching organizations such as yours. We could use your help and advice to undertake training programs, pilot exchange programs, adventure tourism packages, mutual sponsorships, seminars, publications, competitions and exchange of information. We would also appreciate information on training stan-

dards, airworthiness requirements, instructional standards and site development and advice that will help to steer our course over this formative period. We have experience in operating in the laminar sea breezes of Goa and the thermic air of the Sayadhris where stable thermals of 20 knots are common. We have hospitable villagers and friendly local administration that is on our side. We also might be able to offer sponsorships to established pilots from abroad who can publicize our sport in their respective countries. Like any sport, we have limited resources and would most thankfully accept any advice or equipment that comes to us at little or no cost. In return we will provide our hospitality and share such resources that we have available. We do hope that you will circulate this information among your members and ask them to get in touch with the undersigned. Any communications will be followed up by well placed individuals and the respective committees of our proposed organization. We hope to hear from you. Happy soaring.

Dear Editor, Re: Safety Info, May-June Paragliding Larry Pindar suggests safety measures that clearly indicate instructors are remiss in teaching students proper flying safety in the first place. Unfortunately there are those who claim to be instructors that are only interested in robbing students of their money rather than putting out thoroughly trained pilots. Relinquishing control of the glider after launch by letting go of both toggles is about like taking both hands off the steering wheel of a car while zipping down the freeway. Mr. Pindar mentioned pilots should consult a rigger for assistance on equipment mods. This brings up a question. Where, in the paragliding establishment, are there FAA certified riggers, including dealers? This is one area that has been totally neglected. What criteria has been established to provide certified riggers? FAA rules are very strict about who can modify and repair canopies, inspect and re-pack reserve parachutes. Paragliding, like skydiving, should have licensed, FAA certified parachute riggers.

Faithfully, There is no substitute for SAFETY. Cotter pin bulletin: Mr. Pindar states cotter pins are fine to use. How could a Class lI pilot make such gross error? Among 27,000 registered skydivers in the USA not a single one would ever have cotter pins in a rig. Cotter pins are

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designed for holding together parts of machinery. Using cotter pins in paragliding is like fueling a Jaguar with kerosene it's not compatible. To my knowledge cotter pins have never been used in military or skydiving rigs. Stainless steel, straight, solid pins are still used in some modern rigs depending on type. For the most part, curved stainless steel release pins are the norm. There are sources for curved release pins in the USA, at least one manufacturer of paragliding equipment factory installs curved release pins on their reserve parachute container. For those interested, earning a rigger certificate means $'s in the bank. The course is not easy but well worth the effort, knowing you will contribute realistically to the art and science of paragliding hy providing proper guidance not available in paragliding today. To obtain the parachute rigging course info. contact Para Publishing, P.O. Box 4232, Santa Barbara, CA 93140-4232. Good luck, paragliding needs you. My parachuting experience? Military parachuting 1963 to 1972. Skydiving 1964 to present. Paragliding 1987 to present. Certified rigger. United States Parachute Assa. member #74903 current.

To the Editor Paragliding the Mag:

Dear Editor,

The sport of paragliding got another shot in the arm (in regards to exposure to the masses) in the latest (August 7, 1995) issue of People magazine. In an accompanying photo (pg. 68) in the article on comedienne Julia Sweeney, veteran instructor/tandem pilot David Frank and Julia are shown launching from Kagel Mtn. near Los Angeles. David has been living in Hollywood for the past three months seeing his friend Julia through her radiation sessions (her cancer seems to be in remission now). Julia has now flown tandem in Aspen, Torrey Pines and at Kagel ... obviously she loves it! David is currently traveling and making some decisions as to which part of the country he wants to teach in next (he has offers from schools in three different states).

I am a Class I pilot interested in collecting stories from other pilots and instructors across the US. I plan to publish a book of the most entertaining and educational stories. My goal is to increase the overall safety of the sport by increasing the amount of information available to paragliding pilots. The stories I'm most interested in are those harrowing experiences sometimes referred to as "wake up calls". They can happen to some of the best pilots as well as those just getting their wings. Either way, they tend to wake us up and remind us how serious our sport needs to be taken, making us safer in the long run (if we survive the wake up call). "I learned about paragliding from that", stories that teach a lesson or perhaps reinforce a lesson from training and stories that tell us about things that can happen unexpectedly are what I'd like. For example, I recently saw a new Class I pilot launch from a high altitude site in dead air. He mushed off launch and kissed treetops for 500 ft or so before landing (unhurt) in a small tree. Turns out he really didn't have much experience on the training hill in dead air. Plus the training hill has a long, easy runway; not so at the mountain site. Basically he didn't have a strong or long enough run to give the wing enough airspeed to support his weight. He was very lucky. His story needs to be told for it's an

At any rate we can all be happy for such an educational photo (peaceful face on student, launching from "not a cliff," nice view of paraglider without a tow line in sight! ), as well as the fact that it all got referred to as PARAGLIDING not once, but twice! Progress is progress! But hey all you manufacturers ... who the hell dropped the ball on the logo exposure opportunity?!

Bob Chavez

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PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 7

important lesson, but I doubt he will ever tell it due to embarrassment. Many new pilots could benefit from knowing his story, making them safer. An instructor reading this story might consider stressing the importance of airspeed in future classes. I wonder how many paraglider pilots have had similar experiences and remain quiet? Do you have any wake up calls floating around in your gray matter? Any valuable lessons learned the hard way? Now you can share them with other pilots. So start writing down those stories right now! If you don't want to be identified, your name will not be published. You can also change some details to protect identities, just as long as the lesson remains. Also stories submitted should be about your experiences, not other pilots'. You might be saying now, what's in it for me? Well, other than the satisfaction of possibly saving a fellow pilots' life, I will send you a free copy of the book, if your story is printed in it. Even if your story is not used, you will get a 25% discount on the book. I prefer stories to be written or typed if possible. A disk is OK. You may call (I'll call you back and get the story) or send a cassette tape. My phone# is 503 788-8812 My address is Han Glyder, 4050 SE Gladstone #9, Portland, OR 97202-3192. Dear Editor: I was a fly-in pilot at the recent U S. Nationals in Chelan, Washington. I wish to express my appreciation to all those who put in countless hours to make this the successful event that it was. The organizers certainly chose an excellent spot. Al such an event, one could easily do an interesting study on human behavior. I observed or was on the receiving end of a wide variety of such.

Two individuals stand out in my mind, who made the experience a most informative and delightful one for me. These were the fly-in launch monitors-Jay Carroll and Bob Hannah. J found their suggestions right on, while their patience and sense of humor made launching fun and enjoyable. Thanks, Jay and Bob, for your part in making the week one terrific vacation for this pilot and others. You done good! Sincerely, Denny Nutter, Member of the Cascade Paragliding Club

Tim Hall Team Trekking Dear Editor, I would like to publicly thank Lorne Hoover, a pilot from Vancouver, B.C., for the assistance he gave me at the 1995 Canadian Paragliding Nationals. I had originally planned to drive my car to the Nationals, but at the last minute accepted a ride with a friend from San Diego. We drove all the way up to Golden just to find the competition cancelled by rain. On what would have been the first day of competition, my friend's left front wheel and brake rotor parted company with his Ford Explorer while we were driving back down from the upper launch on Mount 7. A lack of the proper parts at the local Ford dealer meant we would not be able to drive back home as originally scheduled, and that I would not be back to work on time. My very limited funds made it impossible to simply fly back from B.C. Lorne heard of my plight and offered me a ride to Vancouver. Eight hours of paragliding stories later, we arrived in Vancouver. A quick check of the airline and bus schedules showed that the only flight I could afford would be departing from Bellingham, across the bor-

Pilot: Cromwell Dixon Age: 14 Device: The "SKY CYCLE" Flying across the Mississippi River. Date: Oct.23d, 1907 Cromwell Dixon won the International Airship Race, was the youngest aeronaut in the world and was awarded $375.00

This is a copy of an actual post card that was acquired and retouched by Philippe Renaudin (GMI). Philippe wanted to share it with the readers of Paragliding Magazine. We hope that you enjoy it!! PAGE 8 • PARAGLIDNG MAGAZINE

der, at 5: 00 am the next morning. Unfortunately, the next bus leaving Vancouver would arrive in Bellingham too late for me to catch the plane. Lorne quickly offered to drive me all the way to the airport in Bellingham. Thanks to him I was able to catch my flight and I made it to work on time. Lome Hoover went well out of his way to help a stranger, and he asked for nothing in return. He represents the best of our sport. I have sent a check to the U.S.H.G.A. to renew Lorne's membership. Thanks again Lorne, I hope to see you at the 1996 Canadian Paragliding Nationals!

Dear Editor, The 1995 National Paragliding Championships and Fly In at Chelan Butte was an impressive accomplishment by three Northwest region paragliding clubs. I wish to persuade the readership that pilot safety must be given higher priority than was the case this year. As a local pilot (Omak WA), I have been paragliding at Chelan Butte since 1989, so I am aware of some of the flying particularities of the site. In midsummer I have tended to avoid the site at midday because of excessive turbulence at launch. Having experienced over the years a number of major collapses near launch, I was concerned last winter to learn that the Nationals were to be held there on the first week of July. Obviously, "big air" had been given higher priority than pilot safety. I entered the competition nevertheless, rationalizing that, as a local flyer, I should be able to manage the thermic tantrums of the Butte in July about as well as anyone. I knew there would likely be serious mishap(s) among the nearly 100 entrants. The race organizers must have shared similar anxieties. The July 4 mid-day competition launch proved to be one of those unsafe flying circumstances that I had feared. As soon as the launch window opened I prepared to launch, thinking that the thermals would only become more violent by waiting. I had wing-handling problems prior to launch, like manv others. Shortly after launch I experiened a vertical dive 200 ft. above the ground. Escaping that wild ride, I managed to exit the the critical zone into the screaming thermal whose waterfall had just spanked me. About 1500 ft over the Butte, coring up fast, I saw Ed Pitman's last 4 or 5 spins all the way down to his impact. I really thought I had just seen a pilot suffer a mortal crash. Just moments later, I beheld another major malfunction, spin, then, Thank God, a timely reserve deployment by Monte Bell. A multitude of wings were still laid out on launch. I yelled on the radio meet frequency to shut down the launch, as the Buttes' anti-aircraft fire was obviously blowing us out of the sky. I had just missed seeing Dave Kruglinski's potentially lethal total collapse 60 ft above the deck followed by his free fall to ground, causing a serious right leg fracture and left ankle sprain.

My frantic but rational plea to halt the launch was ignored. Upon seeing three pilots downed in two minutes, did the meet safety director not perceive that there was a critical problem warranting action? If perceived, was he empowered to ac t? Obv iou sly, the pre-comp . meeting ' s warning that " we' re not babysitting you guys ... " ,"This is the [expletive deleted] Nationals!", was proving true. Fortunately, tbe Butte didn ' t "blow up" again , and most pilots went on to have successful flights. I do not see any compelling reason for putting competition pilots in harm ' s way by choosing the most explosive time of the day and year to compete at the Butte in paragliders. Furthermore, the meet safety director should be thoroughly familiar with the operati ng limitations of paragliders, and be empowered to act decisively when necessary. A mid-day July 4th decision to temporarily shut down the competition launch might have generated criticism from the most

risk-tolerant pilots. "C' est dommage!" Alas , this is not Europe , home to 100,000 paraglider pilots. Our competitions must accommodate the interests of "sport class" pilots like myself who comprise a large fraction of the comp. entrants. After six reserve rides , and other close calls, we are very lucky that someone didn ' t die at the Nationals this year. This impression is shared by numerous pilots I know . All tbe time, effort, and accomplishments of so many capable meet organizers, helpers , and participants from around the world, and all the great flights we had doesn't balance tbe death or permanent disability of any single pilot! The Nationals must not be a sort of aerial "Rollerball". As a newcomer to U.S. competition, I shouldn't expect these comments to have much impact on US National meet planning or management. But I'm confident that some seasoned competitors will voice concerns somewhat congruent with

mine. In my opi ni on flying safely over a lifetime is far more nurturing to this under-participated sport tban stunts like competing in July at Chelan. I am questioning my own judgment for having done it. Here 's a bit of history. The fust real X-C from Chelan Butte was August 23, 1990 by Mark Shipman in an ITV Meteor, who flew 24 miles, or 6.5 miles past Mansfield (see Paragliding, The Magazine, Vol.I, No.3, p.1819) With today's wings, an August competition at Chelan would be plenty interesting and less risky than one in July. Warm thanks to Bill, Joe, Mitch. et al. for an exciting well organized Nationals. My comments are meant in no way to dimini sh your, well-deserved ap preciation from the man y, including myself, who enjoyed great flights from the Butte. I'll be back in '96 or '97 to help, and to fly , if my concerns can be addressed . Sincerely, Bruce Tracy, Omak, Washington

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PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 9

Glider Reviews

by Ken Baier

Introduction This edition of my glider comparisons pits tbe Airwave Samba against the ITV Merak. Both gliders are new in ' 95 and rated as performance intermediates. This particular class of glider should be the most popular for recreational pilots because they are easy to fly , confidence inspiring and offer impressive performance. I flew both gliders for the first time from our 300 foot training hill at Little Black Mountain on popping days and attained cloud base in short order. l was able to tune in so quickly and feel so confident wi th both that I was left wondering why anyone other than serious competition pilots would fly the high performance stuff.

The Airwave Samba vs. The ITV Merak

Specifications: Samba 29 Area (projected) sq .m 28.76 Area (flat) Sq.m 30.61 Weight (exc bag) kg 6 45 Cells Span (projected) m 9.28 Span (flat) m 11.30 Root Cord m 3.10 Aspect Ratio (proj.) 3.68 Aspect Ratio Flat 5.07 45 - 65 Naked pilot wt Kg Weight range Kg 60 - 80 Speed range Km/h 20 - 35 Top Speed w/trim 45 and Accelertaor Km/h Cert. ACPUL Standard & Performance

Specs. supplied by Airwave

Specifications: Merak29 Wingspan 12.20 Surface Area 29.0m' True Aspect Ratio 51 Projected Wingspan 10.20m' Proj. Surface Area 25.9m' Root Cord 2.95 m 2.35 m Mean Cord 7.80m Total Height Proj . Aspect Ratio 4 Total Flying Wt. 80/95 Kg Pilot Weight 72Kg 22 Km/h Minimum Speed Maximum Speed 37 Km/h Max Sp. wt speed system 40 Km/h Max Sp. wt sp. sys.& trim 45 Km/h Minimum Sink Rate -1.1 mis Glide Ratio 7.5 Cert. AFNOR Performance Specs. supplied by ITV

PAGE 10 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

;:f-1 About the Test Flights

Glider Reviews

The representatives from both companies were good enough to let me keep the gliders for a couple of weeks so I was able to fly in various conditions. Both gliders that I flew were the 29 meter versions with my weight in the gliders recommended weight range. The flights at Little Black were on really fun days, it was easy to rack up several hours on each in good to strong thermalling conditions. As these days ended both wings were flown in very light winds. Torrey Pines was happening, which was great for taking photos and making measurements in smooth conditions . Both sites were easily top land able so I could play musical gliders (switch back and forth) to make comparisons and allow others to fly them as well.

G "?

The Manuals

I found the manuals from both gliders to be excellent. Both contained the usual congratulations for buying our product, data charts , complete discussions on malfunction control and descen t techniques, line charts, materials used in the gliders and maintenance tips. There were a couple of items that other manuals have missed in the past. One is inclusion of information on using the harness . Both companies clearly point out that the glider is certified with a" standard" harness with the hang points 38 centimeters apart and how changes in the harness effect seat steering and the feeling of stability. Another good touch is the explanation of how to use the trimmers to best advantage. The ITV manual includes the definition of "neutral"

(all risers the same length), and both tell you how to trim for best glide. Both manuals also include space to document inspections and repairs. Nice going!

G'?

The Risers

The performance intermediate class allows companies to include trimmers along with accelerators on their risers . Both the Samba and the Merak utilize these trimmers. If you ' ve heard "you don't want trimmers" from someone before, you can now rethink that. The trimmers on these gliders allow only a very small change in angle of attack and thus speed range and glider malfunction recovery. So why have them? The small change, about an inch on the Merak and two inches on the Samba, allows the pilot to trim for various launch conditions, flying conditions and handle pressures. My fust impression was that the trimmers weren' t of much value but as I flew them and experimented I found them useful and felt that they did not compromise pilot safety in the way previous long travel risers do. Both wings utilize 4 riser systems that are 1 inch nylon and function similarly. I commend them both on their handle to riser snaps, you can actually pull off the handle without fear of tearing the snap out. Both companies included speed bars, the ITV their nice tubular nylon covered edition, and Airwave an aluminum bar with the thoughtful addition of Velcro stuck on, so it will stick to the harness . The Samba comes with very big quick links with clear heat shrink to hold the link closed and the lines in place. I just don ' t

understand why they are so big! They seem like drag paddles flying through the air. To counter this weirdness is a cool trick on their handles. The brake line attaches to a ring that can slide an inch or so on the handle. As a result no matter which way you grab the handle you can tilt your wrists to a comfortable position. While both sets of risers have the A riser marked they are otherwise not very colorful. The Samba risers are all black. The Merak risers the same light green and gray we see on Edel Gliders. Why bring it up at all? Because ITV used to have risers with character! They had specially made nylon with each riser a different color. Maybe nobody else noticed but I miss the color and the specific identity that it gave.

Ground handling Both the Merak and Samba ground handle well. Neither ever gave me any problems and I found them both straight forward and reliable. The Merak likes a little more pull to inflate and it stops more quickly once you let go. Both respond to seat steering inputs nicely. When purposely messed up, I found that they both could be quickly recovered. Neither of these gliders will embarrass you on launch.

Flight Handling and Stabiliity A Look at the Gliders Speaking of identity each of these gliders certainly has one. The Samba has a subtle two tone pastel color theme, while the Merak color pattern comes right at you with fluorescent sharks teeth. In shape, the Samba is more classic with a slightly longer root chord, narrower tips and a little more span making an aspect ratio of 3.93. The Merak shape shows the newer trend toward less taper, more squared off tips and a thicker airfoil making an aspect ratio of 4. Each wing is well made with clean lines and a minimum of wrinkles. Take a close look at the leading edge of the Merak, the openings have a neat trick called a cantonary cut that tightens the upper surface over the opening, keeping the material from working and giving a clean tight appearance.

If you knew that Airwave is designed in England and ITV is from France, you might make some guesses about how these gliders differ. The Samba wins the handling contest. The toggle pressures are lighter and the glider responds more quickly in both roll and pitch. That's not to say that the Merak handles badly, it handles nicely, it's just not as light or quick. Both gliders respond well to seat steering inputs and the ITV, in the companies' tradition, turns very well if you seat steer aggressively. The Merak takes the stability award. One of our local pilots returned from France recently and reported that the glider is known there as "the concrete wing" because of it's solid feel. Around here the term would be "bullet proof'. In bumpy air the Merak feels stiff while the responsiveness of the Samba made it move around more. The Samba never did give me any problems it just goes with the flow a bit more.

Performance The three performance categories are speed, sink rate and glide ratio. Glide is just too hard to accurately measure and I doubt that there is much difference between these two gliders. Sink can be measured but I didn't do it. That's not going to stop me from saying that I believe that the Merak has the better sink rate. In the smooth air at Torrey we spent plenty of time floating around and taking pictures, and the Merak just wanted to be on top. It was just as cut and dried that the Samba is faster. After several repeated tests with my Brauniger Competition vario, here is what I got.

Hands off - trimmed slow, Samba 22, Merak 21 mph. Hands off - trimmed fast, Samba 24, Merak 22 mph. Hands off -trimmed fast (accelerator maxed), Samba 29!, Merak 26. An important point in these tests is how these gliders felt at top speed. At 26 mph the Merak felt solid. I wanted to push the pedal further because the ragged edge had not yet been reached and the glider was not yet in dive mode. ITV has the risers set at a conservative speed. The Samba feels like you wouldn't dare push more because it's starting to wiggle and it's sinking more rapidly. The Samba is a very fast paraglider and it's curious. The 29 I flew, is the projected measurement, so the flat or real measurement is bigger. Also, my 165 lb. pilot weight is at the bottom of the recommended weight range. A heavier pilot would go even faster! The ITV Merak 29 is the real or flat size with the projected size at 25.9 meters, with my weight about in the middle of the range. Yet the Merak had the better sink rate! A couple of points can be made from this. The number of square meters that a glider has, doesn't tell

us much when compared to a different design. The air foil obviously makes a huge difference. Lastly, different companies opinions of usable speed can be quite different.

Maneuvers I tested both gliders in only assymetrics and big ears. Both of these maneuvers are hard to induce on the Merak. I had to pull mightily to get the tips to collapse and had to hang on tight to keep it there. When I let go it cleared right now. With the Samba the tips pulled down more easily, in smooth air they stayed down when let go and sometimes needed a fairly good hit on the brake to clear completely. The interesting part was that neither glider showed much inclination to turn in a 50% deflation.

The Conclusion Both of these gliders are high quality, performance rated gliders. Depending on your personality and the type of flying you do, one could be a great glider for you. The Samba's best qualities are its' light responsive handling and the impressive top speed. This glider excels in small tight thermals, for more aerobatic type flying and in strong winds where speed and easy big ears might pay off. The Meraks' strengths are its' sink rate and superior solidity. It inspires confidence in any air and performs at the top of the stack. If you get a chance to fly either one, you should grab it. Both are truly fun to fly and they both go to cloudbase!

Designers Forum :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.

An interview with Matthias Betsch of

FLIGHT DESIGN, with a look at the past and present of paragliding and a glimpse into the future.

by Mike Eberle Flight Design is a company that has been around for a long time. In 1983, hang gliding and paragliding pioneers Jerry Lauk and Matthias Betsch formed a company for hang gliders and ultralights called Ultraleichtverbund , an d by 1986 they were manufacturing paragliders as well. In 1988, the ultralight business was sold and the name was then changed to Flight Design. That same year, Jerry Lauk suffered a fatal gyrocopter accident. By the end of 1989, the company stopped production on hang gliders and focused totally on paragliding. Because I have been closely involved in paragliding since its US beginning, I have also had many opportunities to tour manufacturing, research, development, and testing facilities and, most importantly, meet with several of the top designers today. The following are a few questions I was able to explore with Flight Design CEO Matthias Betsch during his recent visit to the states.

C, for pilot skill level of beginner to intermediate, intermediate to advanced, and advanced to competition, respectively .

Q: What is your main focus when developing a new glider? A: In our A-class gliders we are looking for as safe and stable a glider as possible with easy launches and good handling. These also must have enough performance and speed to fly with all other gliders in a gaggle. Our B-class is meant for for a pilot who flies quite often, and should be normal to launch, thermal oriented, and have top performance and speed compared to other certified gliders . Our C-class gliders are ok for launching, and have absolute top speed and performance. This wing is designed for the very active pilot with current advanced skills.

Q: Which is your best selling glider to date. A: By the end of last year the A4 has far outsold the Hot Dream and is

Q: During my visit to Germany last year I was impressed by the number of technicians working at your R&D facility. You clearly turn out a quality product, but who is your designer?

A: In reality, we do not have a single person designing our gliders, but instead we have formed a highly qualified design team. I am the overall project leader; aerodynamics expert Jurgen Molly is responsible for theoretical and applied software and profile development , and Stephan Schuler is our chief test pilot and designer. The three of us work closely together, and with respective members of our individual teams. from the moment a glider is an idea, until certification is complete.

Q: How many models have you made since your beginning? A: Since 1986, Flight Design bas produced 15 models in various sizes. Ever since 1990, each glider bas been divided into three classes and renewed every 18 to 24 months. The classes are divided into A, B, and PAGE 14• PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

for now our most sold model. By early next year the newly released AS may surpass even the A4 !

Q: What is the single most significant change in design since 1987? A: In 1988/89 the change of the air hole position made vast improvements in both performance and stability. After that, new profiles, better shape, and flare elimination improved design considerably.

Q: How many gliders did Flight Design sell last year? A: Quite often, the numbers of gliders you hear of being sold is even more creative than their glide ratio-but to tell the truth, Flight Design sold 2,236 paragliders worldwide in 1994. 84 of these were sold on the US market.

Q: Many companies spend a large percentage of their budget on adver-

tising and competitions. Where is Flight Design spending their dollar?

A : We agree that competitions are important, but we feel that R&D is vastly more important and we spend tw ice the time, energy, and money on this than administration , distribution , advertising and competition combined. Furthermore, since 1990, we have not only used materials that have been specifically produced for us , but we have taken an active roll in the development of these materials and have produced much of our software 'in house' . To this degree--0ur name is our motivation.

Q: I know that all Flight Design gliders are inspected and test flown by the various importers and dealers prior to delivery. What other steps are taken to ensure quality control? A: All our products undergo rigorous checks during all stages of production. The fabric sections are automatically cut with a computer controlled Gerber Cutter and the sewing marks are set at the same time. The lot numbers of all materials are filed according to the final glider serial number so any error can be immediately traced. When lines are affixed to the canopy they are automatically stretched to the correct tension to ensure a valid measurement. The final quality control measurements are done by independent checkers and a computer printout of thi s check is dispatched with each paraglider. We are serious about quality control.

North American Paragliding specializes in importing and distributing these professional paragliding products.

Stephan Schu ler, chief test pilot.

Q: What does the future hold for Flight Design? A : Flight Design will continue as an Airsport Design Company and we are thinking about a new simplistic hang glider for the weekend pilot; we may once again enter that arena in the future . Our new plane was just presented at Aero, the largest European Trade Show for small aircraft, and is currently undergoing certification as ultralight and VLA (Very Light Aircraft). Our hearts are, of course, with paragliding and our main efforts will always be directed there.

Q: Where do you think paragliding will be in the next decade?

A : The image of the sport must change or popularity will decrease in the future. We need to make it more accessible for the average person who may have a limited time to perform le isure activities. Paragliding can become acceptable and accessible for many more people when we develop a better infrastructure, safer education, and more realistic goal expectations. By this I mean, not every flight needs to be a soaring or cross country record- there is nothing wrong a pleasant sled ride with your family. Design ers Fo nan will be an ongoing f ea ture in Pa rag liding Ma ga:ine. It 's goal is ro give pilots an insight to the people wh o design and b11ild the gliders H "e fly. We f eel this f eat11re will compliment th e glider revie\VS. We plan IO cove r all of th e main pa raglid ing d esigners over the corning year. Th e questions a re initiated by Pa raglid ing Maga:ine and this in ten 1iew was cond11cted with the help of Mike Eberle, US distrib11tur of Flight Design products.

• Flight Design Paragliders • Brauniger Flight Instruments • UVEX Safety Helmets • Meindl Flight Boots To further enhance your paragliding experience, we offer: • Year-round instruction for pilots of all levels. • Full service repair loft. • Retail storefront with classroom facilities. • An array of Worldwide Adventure Tours! For add itional information, or the name of your nearest dealer, please contact:

North American Paragliding I 11 East Fourth Street• Post Office Box 4 Ellensburg, WA 98926 USA Ph: 509 925 5565 Fax: 509 962 4827 Toll free order line: I 800 727 2354

Dedicated to the safety and growth of Paragliding. PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 15

PAGE 16 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

I!: 17@ /lJ ~ !% !l ll ll { 0 11/l@ll§ by Greg Kelley implifying skills so we may evaluate our students, as well as giving appropriate corrections to pilot's behavior, is probably the most challenging assessment we have as instructors. Having just two toggles [brakes] to fly a paraglider, instructors might say, "How many skills are there to assess?" My goal here is to narrow down flying technique, styles and variables into five basic skills we use each time we fly. I will explain each of these skills and categorize the sub-skills that fall under the five hierarchies of basic skills.

ous for the pilot to continue the sport of paragliding. While we are flying we are constantly evaluating conditions, altitude, flying speed, wind direction, and sensations of the air through the glider to maintain a relative degree of safety and control of what we are doing.

Turning [TG] the paraglider is another skill that is appropriate from the entry level pilot to the advanced. However, the entry level pilot will have a higher focus of turning as it is essential from day one to control the glider. While flying we must use a variety of turn shapes and sizes to dictate where we want to go, and where we want to land. Also the types of turns we use in areas of lift results directly in how well it is utilized. Flat turns versus steep banked turns can determine variations in sink rate while in thermals or ridge lift. While drifting in the wind, though we may not call it turning, we use the brakes to maintain straight flight. Of course we call this crabbing. This is an essential ingredient when flying in strong wind conditions, especially noticeable in the first soaring flights for students.

1. JUDGMENT [J1!'] a. assessing situations b. evaluating conditions c. flyable/ non-flyable d. meteorology e. flight path f. altitude g. pilot skill

TURNING [TG] a. 180 degree turns b. 360 degree turns c. s-turns, figure-S's d. flat turns e. banked turns, spirals f. crabbing

3. GROUND JHIANDUNG [GJHIJ a. forward launch b. reverse launch c. inflation accuracy d. directional control e. launch direction 4.ADVANCJED CANOPY CONTROL [ACC] a. big ears b. asymmetric collapses c. b-line stall d. wing-overs e. stalls/ full, constant f. negative spin

5. SOARING JFJLIGJHIT [SJF] a. type of terrain b. ridge lift c. thermal lift d. convergence lift e. wave lift

Judgment [JT] in this model encompasses all the hierarchy of skills. Simply, if a pilot has little or no judgment skills, it will be difficult as well as danger-

uations are constantly changing, and the student pilot will come to a point when he/she has to make the decisions. Subsequently, if we allow the students to make decisions before their time, they may run into trouble. Constant evaluation and assessment are critical to develop the well-rounded student !

Within all the other skills we incorporate judgment. Within the skill of Turning, we must judge the type of turn, speed of turn, reason for turning, turning direction, etc., to correctly orient our flight path. In Ground Handling we must be aware of wind direction, speed, type of inflation, directional control, and speed to run. In Advanced Canopy Control we use judgment by controlling a malfunction, use of descent techniques, how long to hold the descent, ground clearance, and reserve use. In Soaring Flight, where are the areas of lift, speed to fly, drift of the lift, wind direction, and lee side versus prevailing windward side. As entry level pilots have little understanding of the variable parameters that exist in paragliding, the instructor must be the judge of what the student is doing. Once the student pilots have gained some experience, the instructors must then gradually wean themselves so students can make decisions on their own. However, the instructor must then decide on when or how much to wean. Because of the intensity of paragliding, a student that is dependent on the instructors' judgments will never be able to fly safely on his own. Conditions and sit-

When landing we may find the type of turn used is the most critical. In order to make spot landings, the accuracy of turning directly results on where we land. Turning too close to the ground can be dangerous, and the accuracy of our turns must be at an altitude to allow fine tuning adjustments if needed on final. As we get into steeper banked turns we are closer to input that can create problems. Braking too hard on one side without pendulum of the center of gravity to develop to the outside of the turn can cause a negative spin. Subsequently, not braking enough will make a turn that has little in the form of dynamics. Once we achieve the realm of tight turns we began to gain the threshold of dynamic flying. The forces that the pilot senses while in a spiral or banked turn creates G-force energy. Developing the sensations through the brakes for the pilot at this stage is advanced and fine tuned. Ground Handling[GH] is a skill that sometimes goes by the wayside. As instructors of the sport of paragliding, I'm sure all of us have seen as well as experienced the consequences of poor ground handling. Wind speed and direction, turbulence, PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 17

and technique input are the mechanics that affect Ground Handling most. As most pilots would rather be in the air, pilots seem reluctant to pullout their wing in a flat field and practice inflations. Practice in a variety of wind speeds and directions is crucial to develop sensitivity to control. This effort can pay off dearly when confronted with a cliff, ramp, or narrow launch area. Reverse launches have been narrowed down to about three varieties. Each has their strong points and weaknesses. It is important not to judge all as being right or wrong, but for each pilot to practice all three, and decide for him/herself which is best for them. There is the standard reverse launch, arms not crossed, consequently you have to let go to turn around to launch. There is the cross-arm launch which you can keep the brakes in hand when turning around. The third is to hold both A-risers in one hand, and both brakes in the other. This option allows for keeping the brakes in hand, but a symmetrical inflation is critical for success. Again practice cannot be over emphasized. While on the ground you can practice numerous flying techniques that will be used in the air. Big ears, b-line stall, asymmetrical collapses and recovery, turning the glider can all be practiced. Practicing these can be beneficial in a difficult launching situation. Running forward and steering the glider can transfer to a

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bogus inflation that is corrected and then is launch successful. Advanced Canopy Control [ACC] can be observed as entry level to advanced. Big ears is a form of entry level advanced canopy control while b-line stall, stalls, and spins can be categorized as high level advanced canopy control. In order for the class one pilot to advance and gain skill, as instructors we suggest pilots go through Advanced Canopy Control Training [ACCT]. Done over water for safety, generally by boat tow, the situations presented to the pilot can enhance a margin of confidence essential to the development of the pilot. Done in a controlled situation ACCT can ease apprehension in the pilot's performance and skill, and create respect for canopy malfunction, safety, and recovery. Full and constant stall and negative spins are optional, but looking for the point nearing stall is good for the pilot to understand on his/her glider. All of the other maneuvers can be done with a great margin of safety under care and guidance of an instructor. During the maneuvers, inducing and technique for recovery is relatively straightforward. Consequently, situations may arise as how incorrect input can inhibit recovery, and promote more critical situations. This, of course, is the basis of doing ACCT over water, to be used as the safety net in the event of unrecoverable situations or a reserve parachute ride.

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PAGE 18 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Hang Gliding & Paragliding at Point of the Mountain, Utah Fly with the locals, also 3-D animations. Length 52 minutes, cost $29.00 + $;too S&H Send Check or 1111.0. to; Wayne Bergman 80 E. Lincoln; Muskegon Heights, 111111 49444

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Soaring Flight [SF] is cross country, thermal flying and ridge lift flying. Generally you can think of Soaring Flight as being the bread winner for aspirations of all pilots. Subsequently, you can think as ridge lift the entry level sub-skill with thermal flying being the next level. Cross country flying is the advanced subskill, and the ultimate goal for the long term serious pilot. Soaring Flight uses a variety of options for pilots to remain aloft. Type of terrain, thermals, ridge lift, convergence lift, and wave lift are essential for extended flying as well as for cross country. While mastery of turning technique and Advanced Canopy Control is important to be able to maximize soaring flight, observation of the type of lift the pilot is in can be critical to remain aloft. Consequently, when lift is light or nonexistent skill depth can keep the pilot aloft where skill lack can create premature landing. Practicing in known soaring situations can enhance skill development as the pilot aspires to greater cross country distances. Conclusion: Evidently, you the instructor have most likely noticed how each hierarchy skill blends with the others. In order for a fully educated, well rounded, and safe pilot to maximize his/her enjoyment of the vast flying arena these skills, though separate, are essentially dependent on one another. Each skill grows closer to the others and overlaps as knowledge, wisdom, and judgment are developed. There is a balance to maintain control in many types of conditions through excellent technique in the art of flying. It is within this overlap each pilot's skill outcome is sought. Within this zone is the "Heart of Flying."

New Sites - First Flights Thanks to New England club member Chip Card, New England Paragliding Club now has its very own flying si te---Cannon Mountain in scenic Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. With a launch 2,200 ft above the LZ, Cannon Mtn. gives pilots the longest vertical drop of any New England flying site. Chip Card, working through the governor's office and state bureaucracy, has obtained permission for paraglider pilots to fly off the top of the mountain next to the tram station. Doug Sharpe and Chip worked with state officials and USHGA to obtain all the appropriate approvals and insurance certificates. At this point certain restrictions apply. The site can only be flown in off-season- Spring thru Fall- when there is no skiing. For this year, the site can only be flown under sponsorship of the club's Class II members. "Because this is a new site we need to understand the dynamics of the wind conditions at Cannon before we can let just anyone fly," says club pres Doug Sharpe. The club's Class II members are Doug Sharpe, Scott Berk, Dave Karl, Rick Sharp, Jeff Nicolay, and Walt Tripovitch. Cannon Mtn. was officially flown for the first time by club members on Sunday, July 16. It was a great day for flying, warm, clear and sunny, with light northerly winds. Ideal conditions for Cannon and thermal activity. All of the pilots left Cannon Sunday afternoon high on being the first to fly the new site, on finally having a club controlled site, and on enjoying a wonderful. serene and safe day of flying. Reprinted from Glide Time, the New England Paragliding Club Newsletter.

Mount Magazine On August 12, 1995, Tappi Dixon, Ron Sewell and Larry Haney made the first paragliding flights from Arkansas' Mount Magazine, the highest AGL launch between the Rockies and the Appalachians. The trio made their 15 minute inaugural flights in the evening glass-off air. Mount Magazine is a 2000 ft. advanced site with a long 5/1 glide over tall timber with no alternate LZ's. It has been a hang gliding site for 20 years and has a 75 mile XC record. For any paragliding info call Larry Haney, 501/663-3166

PWC News Greg Kelley lives in Vail, Colorado with his girlfriend Laura and their cat Rave. Greg has interest in starting an instructor newsletter and forum to expand the knowledge base for teach-ing and flying paragliders.

New names in the sky over Palace Hotel PWC Gstaad/Saanenland, 26-30 July 1995 Pilots Lars Roth (CH-Nova) and Sebastian Bourquin (F- Nova) each won one

of the two very difficult and interesting World Cup tasks in the Bernese Oberland, while Tibor Berki (Sweden - Nova) claimed the winning title of the event. No surprises concerning the women's competitionClaire Bernier (F- Edel) leading the first task, Silvia Sieg1ist (CH - Edel) the second and Daniela Anke(D) the overall Gstaad/Saanenland Open - the top 3 women in the overall PWCA ranking strike success again. Even though Hans Bollinger (CH Advance) was not lucky this round, he still maintains a strong lead in the general PWCA ranking. The topography of Saanenland is a system of small ridges and valleys. This makes flying very interesting tactically. This was the description of Gstaad/ Saanenland in the Bernese Oberland bid for the 1997 World Championships, and it is exactly how the 1995 PWC looked. Both validated and canceled tasks offered many options to pilots. Lars profited from his exact knowledge of the terrain, while Sebastion look the lead after the first turnpoint of the second Lask and won in a true champion's style. On Sunday the organizers took no risk and put a stop to a task threatened by thunderstorms. Bruce Goldsmith wins JPiedrehita JP'WC Bruce Goldsmith has become the first British pilot to win a PWC competition. This surprising fact has emerged on his victory in Piedrehita, where he was the only pilot to make goal on every task. An impressive feat when you consider the tasks: 79 km race to goal, 90 km quadralateral, 94 km triangle, 141 km out & return and a 169 km race to goal!! Flying an Airwave Alto XM28 with micro lines, Bruce was over 300 points ahead of the second place pilot Christian Tamegger, with Oliver Nef 44 points behind him in third. 170 pilots entered the competition and conditions were quite obviously epic, with cloud base between 10,000 and 13,000 feel.

FAI World Records Sub-class 0-3 paragliders Category : General Speed over a triangular course of 25 km: 18.52 km/h 02/05/1995, Patrick BEROD (France) Aircraft: Edel Energy 30 Sub-class 0-3 paragliders Category : General Speed over a triangular course of 25 km: 28.28 km/h

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 19

NEWS AND NOTEWORTHY Course/Site: Albertville (France) 27/06/1995, Patrick BEROD (France) Aircraft: Edel Energy 30

Flight For Life A new expedition is planned to raise money for cancer research via the Flight For Life organization. The pilots, Simon Oliphant, Karen Harland, Darrell Adshead and Chris Curtis are from the 'Green Dragons' paragliding club, giving them their expedition name, 'Flight of the Dragons'. They were inspired by Frenchman Didier Favre's CAP 4 4 4 bivouac flight and by Judy Leden and Ben Ashmans long distance microlight flight across Europe. They have proposed an expedition combining elements of both of these ventures by attempting to fly the length of New Zealand's South Island completely unaided. This is a distance of around 777kms (hence CAP 777) which they hope to complete in two months, commencing January 1996. Judy Leden, World Womens Paragliding Champion 1995, is giving her full support and is the patron of the expedition.

PAGE 20 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

A trip of this length has never been attempted before, and bivouac flying has never been tried by a team of pilots. In true bivouac style, they must be self-sufficient on the trip apart from food and must carry all their own equipment (an estimated 30kgs each). They may only rely upon their gliders and feet for transport. Presently they are seeking sponsorship for the expedition, and details of how individuals may sponsor or support the expedition can be obtained from the expedition coordinator. The group has put together a sponsorship package and would like to hear from any individuals or companies who may be able to help. For more details of the competition and expedition contact, Expedition Co-ordinator (Simon Oliphant) Phone: 01144171 231 67 56, E-mail: 1 004l0,32@compuserve.com

Achim Hageman announces an expedition to fly off the Mauna Kea volcano (13,796 ft., the worlds tallest mountain mea-

sured from sea bottom to top). The expedition will be Dec 9-17 1995. It is a good opportunity to discover new flying sites on the Big Island of Hawaii. Economical camping is available. The entry fee is $325 and includes airport pick up, transportation and retrieval, and guidance. Limited to 10 pilots only, enter early to ensure a spot. Contact Paraglide Hawaii, Gen. Delivery, Mountain View, HI 96771, or phone 808/968-8685.

PARAMOTOR Tradem~rk? Paramarketing Inc. of Oyster Bay, New York, has a pending trademark from the US Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office for the product and business name PARAMOTOR. Those businesses who distribute, advertise or sell powered paragliders need to recognize that product and business use of this name is a violation of trademark rights and law. Paramarketing Inc. intends to inforce the legal rights and privileges of this trademark. Editors note: Paramarketing claims to have

been the first in the US to use the (generic) term Paramotor, they also claim to be the only US manufacturer of a powered paraglider unit. We at Paragliding Magazine welcome factual information from both sides of this debate.

WORLD LEADER OF PARAMOTOR

Congratulations to Wayne Bergman, producer of the Point of the Mountain Video. This video was one of the three "People's Choice Award" winning entries in the 1995 International Aviation Film and Video Festival, sponsored by the Red Deer Film Festival Society.

Every type of aircraft must be inspected periodically for airworthiness. Prior to every flight we inspect our paraglider for obvious damage and problems that may arise. Equally important is the need to have an annual inspection (or bi-annual in some cases) done by a factory certified specialist. North American Paragliding and Flight Design wish to remind pilots that late fall and winter, when the flying is not terrific - or in some places - not possible, is the ideal time to have this done . If your glider has not had an inspection, or if your reserve has not been repacked in the past year or more, please contact North American Paragliding office to make an appointment.

One of the new items for paragliding is the Eartalk hands free microphone which combines an invisible microphone in a compact ear piece. Pilots put the ear piece in their ear and can talk with others on their radio while their hands are free for flying. The high quality transmission is interference free. The Eartalk works by converting the vibration of the voice from the eardrum into an electrical signal that goes directly into the radio . No environmental noise is picked up to create interference. Eartalk is available from Ikaros Sport Aviation , Astoria, NY.

Per Arne Soldal set a new Norwegian Distance record 5/8/95 by flying 123.6 km on bis Airwave Alto Extreme. He beat the old record by 19 km. Per Arne was taking part in "Milsuker' n" an open distance competition at Vaga, in Norway, the site of the next European Paragliding Championships. He also won this competition by flying a little over 175 km in 2 days, which was farther than the best hang glider pilot in a parallell competition. Per Arne 's record adds to the string of successes being achieved by the Alto Extreme this year and adds to its growing reputation. Airwave pilot Mads Syndergaard flying the Alto XM is the new Nordic Paragliding Champion. The Nordic Championship is competed between top Scandinavian pilots from Norway , Sweden , Denmark and Finland . Sixty pilots flew four tasks of varying dura-

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tion and compeLiLion was fierce. An Airwa ve pilot has also broken the Swedish XC Record. Peter Wlkander smashed the old record by flying 135 km on a Voodoo 21. This comes at a time when Airwave just stopped making the Voodoo. Airwave pilot Chris Dawes, a British paraglider pilot , placed fourth in the European Masters at Kossen. Flying an Airwave Alto XM he pushed Jinuny Pacher and Walter Holzmuller into 5th and 6th places!! The top three fligts in the UK this year were all on the Alto . In May Bruce Goldsmith flew 155 km. and Steve Ham set the new British XC record with 175 km. Now Chris Dawes has flown 165 km on his Alto XM 31, from Lord's Seat, in the Peak District (in the north of England) Lo land south of Milton Keynes (in the south of England), some 5 hours later. Chris thought he had the new British Record and landed to have a pee! This is the same man who landed 50 meters short of the goal line on a 100 km. task at the 3rd leg of the British Nationals in St. Andres!

in Woody Valley Model unique Italian paragliding harness and acces sories available in the US marketplace. All sales will be made directly through its exclusive US distributor , International Paragliding Inc., a new company on the East Coast.

Aerolight USA has opened for business in Miami, Florida, lo supply the US, Canada and Latin American paragliding schools and dealers. This new company is importing and distributing paragliders, paramotors, flight instruments, helmets and general accessories for the sports of paragliding and hang gliding. Jose and Javier Casaudoumecq, long time experienced competition pilots in hang gliding and paragliding, seven

years school instructors in Venezuela, Colombia, and now in the USA, have opened a new school for paragliding and paramotors in Kendall (near Miami). The training will be accomplished using scooter tow launch, for the learning process. Marketing promotion and training using tandem paramotors wi ll also be done. Our bui lding space includes; retai l disp lay, classroom, shop and store. Dealer inquires are welcomed.

On August 25,1995 Ken H udonjorgenson set a new Utah state cross country record for paragliding. The flight was 81 miles (great circle distance - straight line calculation) from Heber, Utah launch to 24 miles east of Evanston, Wyoming. The flight averaged 27 mph taking a total of 3 hours. Ken was flying his Flight Design A-5.

All AT Air Thrust Rockets s ho uld be deployed in a grassey area and returned for inspection and repack if they have not been fired in the last 4 months, since June 1994. AT will pay for return sh ippi n g, (UPS) ground and repack.

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To order your Paragliding Screen Saver call:

(208) 378-0999 add $4s/h for 1-4 screen savers, $5 s/h for 5-8 screen savers MCNisa gladly accepted. lnt'I s/h will vary. US currency. Easy installation requires MS Windows , 386, 4MB RAM+ Colors VGA Moniter. PAGE 22 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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TWOTOWS

F.A.S.T. System Fly. America. Super. Tow. by Ed Pitman

Tracking Head make out-&-back tows and circle tows very easy and smooth. That jog in the road is no longer an obstacle. It is so simple to operate that a person can be quite proficient in only a few tows. I know I'm more comfortable flying knowing that the operator has less to do and more time to watch me. It' s like learning to drive an automatic transmission car as compared to the stick shift. Since the line doesn't have any tight corners to make we are able to get longer life out of much smaller line, thereby reduced wind drag for a more efficient and higher tow. The spool was designed to increase tension as line is paid out just enough to compensate for line drag. The drawback at first look is the cost, with the basic unit starting at $5,200.00. However it has proven to pay for itself in line savings alone over the first few years when compared to other units A quick peek at FAST Systems to come. Next Spring we will introduce the first Radio Control step tow system. That's right, I can be in control as the pilot, or stand next to students learning to tow. It will step tow me up, release tension with the release of a push button so I can fly downwind, and resume tow with the push of the button. Upon release flip the switch on the chest mounted control panel to auto retrieve and the drogue chute is pulled in at high speed until there is 150' of line left, then it goes to slow speed until all the line is in and it shuts down until I finish my flight. The system can be started and tested from the chest panel in case you need it. The pilot' s control panel also bas a lockout sensor for automatic dump as a safety feature because the pilot is pretty busy during lockout. This unit can also be used for payout. Basically the FAST System can be made to fit any need.

he F.A.S.T. system was inspired by the many Rube Goldberg tow systems that have come out over the years While there have been many effective tow systems marketed, I felt the need for a commercial tow system that was easy on line, operators and pilots. I have designed the FAST system to accommodate a variety of commercial applications for paragliding, hang gliding and sailplane towing. as well as to accommodate the tow vehicle. There is one built into my Ford Aerostar, with all the components tucked neatly under the under carriage so all you need to do is put the spool in the 2" receiver hitch (front or rear) , connect 2 hydraulic quick disconnects and begin towing. The gauges and controls are mounted in the cab so that you don ' t notice them unless you look for them.

The purpose of the 15 ft. 80 hp. Boat featured here was to prove that you don ' t need the big horsepower that was required before ( 150 hp. min.). And to prove that one person can operate the boat and tow system given that the tow system is easy Lo operate. The following are the primary features of the FAST System; For safety it has a preset (but adjustable) maximum pressure to prevent over towing the pilot. Instant pressure dump in case of lockout, and instant resume. The smallest radius the line has to go around in tracking the pilot is a 4 JI 1/2" ball bearing idler pulley . The 'I FAST System has an exclusive "Tracking Head" which tracks the pi lot at all times , thus keeping all tensions correct and in alignment. The fluid pressure is directly proportionate to line tension, i.e. 1000 psi - 100 lbs line tension and 1500 psi - 150 lbs line tension. Fluid retrieve for smoothness, powered by either electric motor or gas engine. Even the engine in the tow vehicle can be the power source for the retrieve in many cases. Easy operation from either manual or electronic controls which can be located anywhere you desire. The fluid retrieve combined with the Photo Fred Stockwell PAGE 24 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

G) Scooter Tow, The Way To Go. by Alan Chuculate Have you heard about the scooter tow as the most recent towing technology to come on the scene? You can read all about it in the April 1994 issue of Hang Gliding magazine in an article entitled "Scooter Mania" by biwingual instructor and long time towhead Dave Broyles of Allen, Texas. The rear wheel of the scooter must be converted to a towline spool. With the scooter anchored on the center stand, the rear end is elevated and serves as a stationary winch. The towline is first stretched out across your field, then drawn in to accomplish the tow. This is in contrast to a payout reel where the towline is drawn out during the tow. (Many pilots incorrectly refer to a payout reel as a winch.) The scooter to be used must have a continuously variable transmission. The centrifugal clutch disengages at low engine rpm to allow idle when static, or slips at high rpm due to excess towline load, in which case it briefly acts as a payout reel. A person can easily and safely operate this system alone since the complicating dynamics of a moving vehicle are eliminated . Also, a stationary winch can be used in a smaller space than a vehicle based payout reel. The other advantages of the scooter are its availability and its low cost for acquisition, conversion, and operation . It is quick to learn to operate, but a careless operator or Tow Technician (TT) can still subject the pilot to the precarious low altitude accelerated stall from excess pitch-up, which often leads to lockout. Proper towing technique training remains necessary, as is a reliable release, and use of a suitably sized safety link. The innovative conversion of the scooter to stationary winch is the creative genius of Brian Dahl of Costa Mesa, California. Brian introduced me, Dave, and others to the scooter tow at the Wills Wing sponsored paraglider instructor clinic in Santa Barbara in February 1993. We used the scooter during the clinic which provided additional fun and flights when we would have otherwise been grounded due to the adverse wind direction for the hill being used.

Dave has improved the safety and simplified communication between Tow Pilot (TP) and TI with his scooter operation by incorporating use of a pulley, anchored upwind. This technique has long been popular with the hang glider static line towheads in the Midwest because when used in conjunction with a vehicle, the driver is facing the pilot and so can easily manage the simultaneous tasks. It is even more synergistic when applied to a stationary winch operation because the TT can be standing adjacent to the TP and the canopy, directly observing the crucial inflation and liftoff. This increases safety for the pilot and eases the anxiety of the operator in making the "go or no-go" choice for laun ch since no visual or communication technology needs to be depended on during these decisive moments. Dave has found that fo ll owing minimal inflation training he can safely and confidently tow launch firs t day students. Use of a light throttle setting tows them at any desired constant altitude. He then directs them by radio to learn airspeed and steeri ng control with a "no- sweat" flight when compared to hiking up a training l1ill for foot launching. Students can quickly accumulate a multitude of flights for rapidly establishing th e practice of visually checking the canopy following forward inflation while also cultivating landing approach judgment and flare timing. Joe Greblo at Windsports in Van Nuys , California, has enhanced his scooter install ation by mounting it in the back of a pickup truck so that he can quickly reposition the orientation of the winch to accommodate changing wind directions. Scott Gressitt of Skydance Paragliding in Encinitas, California, has taken thi s one step further by cutting off the front end of his scooter and mounting the scooter's rear end to a trailer hitch receiver on the back of his pickup. Th is provides for very quick and easy "one pin" mount and removal to lower the tailgate when needed. Usually though, he simply leaves his "hanging in the breeze" since it's secure, even at freeway speeds, and the overhang is wi thin legal limits when marked with a red flag. This also leaves the bed of his pickup avail ab le for hauling other equipment. However, thi s dedi cated installation does sacrifi ce use of the scooter as transportation.

At the Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego, California, we have tested the feasibility of substituting the stationary scooter winch for our payout reeltruck tow operation. We've found it well suited to our short runway and extremely user friendly for students. Several of the local hang glider pilots had their first experience both flying a paraglider and tow launching with successful safe fun. We ' ve introduced numero us students to paragliding using the scooter tow. Tow Supervisors Scott Gressitl and I recently teamed up to confirm the scooter's suitability for tandem towing. Both the horsepower and torque proved more than adequate.

The photo , by Ken Baier, is of hi s scooter tow, used by Airjunkies Paragliding in San Diego. The scooter is securely mounted on a small trailer so it is ready to go, can be easily adjusted to the wind direction, can be put away with no lifting, provides extra space for gear and retains its identity as a scooter. (Ken says, "It's great for zapping around San Diego."')

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 25

P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

PARAG-LIDJING RA'nNGS

RECEIVED IN JULY X-C FUGHT A WARDS SO MILES GJLJENN DEROUIN /CHAL HALE (Name: City, State; Instructor/School)

CLASS JI Region I ALDERSON, ROBERT: Pasco, WA; D. McMillin/Parapente COCHRANE, LARRY: Lewiston, ID; T. Johnson/Air Escape Windsports COMBS, DANIEL: Greasham, OR; L. Pindar/Over The Hill PG CROSON, MICHAEL: Idaho Falls, ID; K Hudonjorgensen/Soaring Center DELSACK, SHARON: Talkeetna, AK; T. Hamler/Golden Eagle PG ELSBERG, ANDY: Palmer, AK; T. Hamler/Golden Eagle PG GILL, CRAIG: Phoenix, OR; D. Raybourn/HG/PG School of OR GLYDNER, HAN: Portland, OR; D. Raybourn/HG/PG School Of OR GRUENING, CLARK: Juneau, AK; J. Kreinheder/ Alaska PG HURT, MICHAEL: Mtn Home, ID; F. Johnson/Air Escape Windsports JACOBSON, ROSS: Mukilieo, WA; M. Chirico/Chirico PG MADEN, JASON: Lake Oswego, OR; L. Pindar/Over The Hill PG MCMAHON, SHANE: Missoula, MT; M. Chirico/Chirico PG PFEIFFER, TIM: Aloha, OR; L. Pindar/Over The Hill PG POHL, JULIE: Portland, OR; P. Pohl/Sky Hook Sports SAEZ, CAROL: Jackson, WY; C. Warren/Above & Beyond SODOLSKI, PE1ER: Wilson, WY; T. Zakotnik/Abvove - Beyond WHEELER, DAVID: Teton Village, WY; T. Bartlett/Peak PG Regio112 BRENNER, PAMELA: Novato, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle BRENNER, JULES: Novato, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle CASHEN, GREGORY: Isleton, CA; H. Murphy/Surf The Sky FREDERICKS, LARRY: El Dorado, CA; E. Hern/Skyn4Hi PG HARRISON, PETER: San Francisco, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle LORD, CHRISTOPHER: San Francisco, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle PERRY, GORDON: San Jose, CA; S. Amy/Pro-Flyght POKORNY, GERT: Los Altos, CA; J. Lucas/Glidell SAPIRSTEIN, JULIAN: San Francisco, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle

Reglon3 BISSONETTE, ED: Lemoore, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure CHASE, JASON: Los Angeles, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure CRAMBLIT, DEANNA: Santa Barbara, CA; K. DeRussy DA VIS, DAVID: San Francisco, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF EISELE, STEPHEN: Goleta, CA; K. de Russy/HG Emporium ENGRISER, HANS: Santa Barbara, CA; T. Truax/Sky Sports GRIFFITH, RAYMOND: Cathedral City, CA; C. Mendex/Compact Wings HURLEY, DOREEN: Laguna Niguel, Ca; R. McKenzie/High Adventure JANIK, JOANNA: Rncho Pis Vrd, CA; C. Mendes/Compact Wings JANIK, MARION: Rncho Pis Vrd, CA; C. Mendes/Compact Wings JOSEPH, BRIAN: Los Angeles, CA; T. Boyse/LA PG MACHEMER, TODD: San Diego, CA; F. Lawley/Accelerated FS MITCHELL, HOWARD: Lajolla, CA; F. Lawley/Accelerated Flt Systems RABE, BRAD: San Diego, CA; F. Lawley/Accelerated FS Region4 ALEXANDER, DAYID: Aurora, CO; T. McClement/Colorado PG CLANCY, SEAN: Colorado Springs, CO; T.Switzer/Skytimes PG FRANKLIN, HAL: Pleasant Grove, UT; K. Hudonjorgensen(fwo-Can Fly HOLUBETZ, DAVID: Montrose, CO; C. Warren/Above & Beyond KAMM, RHETT: Denver, CO; T. McClement/Colorado PG KNELLER, GREGORY: Littleton, CO; T. McC!ement/Colorado PG MAY, BRANDT: Flagstaff, AZ; D. White/Thermax SLIES'IER, RANDY: Steamboat Springs, CO; F. Anderson/Aspen PG WOOD, TODD: Orem, UT; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond

PAGE 26 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Region 6 LUKEY, MARK: Enid, OK; N. Stanford/ Hill Country PG DILLON, MIKE: Shawnee, KS; D. Broyles/Kite Enterprises Region 7 GANG, DAVID: Lombard, IL; C. Wa-.ren/Above & Beyond KELLEY, JAMES: Clarksville, IN; K. Hudonjorgensen/The Soaring Cntr LITOV, RICHARD: Evansville, IN; R. Leonard/ Adventure Sports RIEMERSMA, KEITH: Holland, MI; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond RIEMERSMA, KRISTINE: Holland, MI; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond SNOW, GEORGE: Grosse, Pointe, MI; B. Fifer/Traverse City HG/PG TOLBERT, STEVEN: Xenia, IL; B. Fifer/Traverse City HG/PG Region 8 BENNETT, JOHN: Montpelier, VT; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP HALENDALE, RUFUS: Harborsidc, ME; R. Sharp/Parafly MEYEROWITZ, STEVE: Great Barrington, MA; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG SCHNEU, JOSEF: Essex Jct., VT; R. Sharp/Parafly SUZUKI, HISATO: Glatsonbury, CT; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG SUZUKI, YOKO: Glastonbury, CT; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Region 9 GAITHER, DA VlD: Mt. Airy, MD; F. Anderson/Aspen PG HAGER, DANA: Nazareth, PA; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Center HOWE, PETER: Newark, DE; L Linde/Eastcoast PG PINTO, OL YMPIO: Washington, DC; M. Haley/Airtek PUSZTAI. JOHN: Fairview Park, OH; B. Fifer/Traverse City Region 10 CAUBLE, CHARLES: China Grove, NC; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG McDONALD, JOHN: Palm Beach, FL; C. Fitton Region 11 BILES, MICHAEL: Austin, TX; N. Stanford/Hill Country PG Region n AIKAWA, TADASHI: Fort Lee, NJ; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG CALCAGNI, BRADLEY: Rye Brook, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG CONKLIN, JERRY: Sidney, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG DREWETT, SHARI: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG DuSAULT, JACQUELYN: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG GONDOLFO, LIONEL: Seaford, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG KASSOVIC, BRUNO: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG KNUDSEN, MORTEN: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG KOUDIS, NICK: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG MOREHEAD, LARRY: New York, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG PESERl, ALAN: Oyster Bay, NY; A. Chuculate SHAEFER, HENRY: Glenham, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG

CLASS II Region 1 BEVIS, CARL: Seattle, WA; B. Hannah/PG Washington CAREY, TERESA: Seattle, WA; B. Hannah/PG Washington CLEMENSON, JEFF: Portland, OR; D. Raybourn/HG/PG School of Oregon DAVIS, ROBERT: Pasco, WA; D. McMillin/Parapente ESKRIDGE, THOMAS: Boise, ID; F. Gilette/Magic Valley Gliders NORRIS, DAVID: Teton Village, WY; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond STURTEVANT, CAROL: North Bend, WA; B. Hannah/PG Washington WALKER, ALEXANDER: Wilson, WY; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond Region 2 HOLBEK, LARS: Coloma, CA; L. Friend/Saturn Paraguides KEENAN, CHRIS: Santa Rosa, CA; T. McClement/Colorado PG MORSE, ROGER: Las Vegas, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports

P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

PARAGLIDING RATINGS RECEIVED IN AUGUST

Region 3 BEAN, JIM: Santa Barbara, CA; R. Liggettffopa Topa PG BOTTERON, CYRIL: Oceanside, CA; M. Bell!forrey Pines CAMPBELL, JODY: Costa Mesa, CA; A.Whitehill/Chandelle SF KIBLER, BRIAN: Mammoth Lakes, CA; K. Castle/Awesome Air MICHELMORE, PETER: Costa Mesa, CA; D. Skadal/Flight Systems TIVY, ROBERT: Ventura, CA; K. de Russy/HG/PG Emporium WOOD, DARREL: Santee, CA; D. Bridges/Sun Valley PG

Region 4 PARKER, ANDREW: Park City, UT; D. Bridges/Sun Valley PG WILSON, LAWRENCE: Denver, CO; K, Hudonjorgensen/Two-Can Fly WIMAN, MIKE: Golden, CO; F. Anderson/Aspen PG

(Name: City, State; Instructor/School)

CLASS I Region 1 BAILEY, DARLA: Bellevue, WA; S. Rich/Alpine Descents, Inc FISLER, CATHERINE: Hermiston, OR; D. Raybourn/HG/PG School of OR JORDAN, GARY: Keno, OR; P. Pohl/Sky Hook Sports PARK, DOUG: Moscow, ID; M. Eberle/North America PG SAGE, DANIEL: Anchorage, AK; T. Hamler/Golden Wings WELLS, JAY: Copper Center, AK; T. Hamler/Golden Eagle

Region 2 Region 7 FICHTER, PAUL: Evanston, IL; J. Gluzinski/Air America

Region 10 BUCKLEY, JEFFERY: Tega Cay, SC; D. Williams JONES, GARY: Marqate, FL; S. Amy/Pro-FlyghtPG

CLASS HI Region 1 HARRIS, SCOTT: Jackson, Wy; J. Gluzinski/Air America REAGAN, PETER: Portland, OR; D. Raybourn

Reglon3 DAVIDS, RICK: Palmdale, CA; S. Amy GRITSCH, JEFF: Santa Barbara, CA; K. Hudonjorgensen/Two-Can Fly STEFFICH, CHRISTINA: Cerritos, CA; J. Gluzinski/Air America WHITTALL, ROB: Ketchum, ID; D. Bridges/Sun Valley Skysports

Region 4 GADD, WILL: Boulder, CO; W. Laurence HARRIS, RIC: Aspen, CO; G. Smith

Foreign Ratings

BAUMANN, CHUCK: Newark, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle BONIFACIO, PAUL: San Jose, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle BROYHILL, TIMOTHY: Sacramento, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF DODSON, RALPH: Sacramento, CA; J. Lucas/Glide! LTD ESHELMAN, RODNEY: Mill Valley, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle HARSHMAN, DARIN: Bakersfield, CA; B. England/Aerial Action KUMAZA WA, HIDETAKE: Santa Clara, CA; J. Lucas/Glidell NEPHEWS, JILL: Santa Cruz, CA; A. Bendavid/Pelican Soaring Center NORTH, PATRICK: San Francisco, CA; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF ROVATINO, STEVE: Sparks, NV; J. Stenstadvold/Aspen PG TANI, GENE: San Francisco, CA; A. Whitehill/Chandelle YEAKl,E, GARY: San Jose, CA; J. Lucas/Glidell LTD

Region 3 DAVIS, ANTHONY: Huntington Beacn, CA; K. Baier/Airjunkies FRANCISCO, MIKEL: Haiku, HI; S. Amy/Pro-Flyght Hawaii HARDWICK, JOE: Santa Barbara, CA; K. de Russy/Hg/Pg Emporium

Region 4 CARLEIR, CLAUDE: Boulder, CO; G. Eichholz/Parasoft CARR, MIKE: Golden, CO; F. Anderson/Aspen PG JONES, GARY: Layton, UT; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond KANE, GREG: Englewood, CO; T. McClement/Colorado PG KANE, HELENA: Englewood, CO; T. McClement/Colorado PG KESLER, ERIC: Englewood, CO; J. Stenstadvold/Aspen PG MAUGHAN, NATHAN: Provo, UT; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond RONDE, HERMAN: Winterpark, CO; W. Laurence/Fly Away

Class!

Region 7

LECKIE, CHRIS: Vancouver, B.C.; M. de Jong/Mescalito MICHIO, OKADA: Urayasu City Chiba, Japan; T. Boyse/L.A. PG NOWAKOWSKI, TOM: Warsaw, Poland; M. Karren!forrey Pines POLACK, ROBERT: Vancouver, B.C.; M. de Jong/Mescalito

GEST, DAVID: Monee, IL; C. Warren/Above & Beyond JIMENEZ, ROBERT: Ann Arbor, MI; B. Fifer/Traverse City McMICHAEL, RAY: Holly, MI; B. Fifer!fraverse City PRATSCH, ROBERT: Green Bay, WI; D. Sharp/The Soaring Center SAMPIER, ALLEN: Fenton, MI; K. Baer/Airjunkies VARTY, BETH: Boyne City, Ml; B. Fifer/Traverse City

TANDEM ONE RATINGS WILL GADD JEFF GRITSCH PAUL SOMERSET TOM TRUAX

TANDEM TWO RATINGS FRED WEBER

TANDEM INSTRUCTOR CY FITTON GREG KELLEY FRED LAWLEY

Region 8 CHAMBERS, SAM: Burlington, VT; R. Sharp/Parafly SELIG, MICHAEL: Dorchester, MA; R. Sharp/Parafly SHEPARDSON, DOUGLAS: Colchester, VT; R. Sharp/Parafly

Region 9 CLARKE, MATTHEW: Chagrin Falls, OH; B. Fifer/Traverse City CLARKE, DAN: Chaqrin Falls, OH; B. Fifer/Traverse City

Region 12 CLARK, LANCE: Pleasantville, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Center GOLDMAN, MICAH: Lodi, NJ; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Center SZATHMARY, IVAN: Margate, NJ; D. Hase

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 27

P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

CLASSU

PREJUDICE by Spanish Joe Hayler

Region 1 GREEN, MICHAEL: Bellevue, WA; S. Rich/Alpine Descents, Inc KUNZ, ETHAN: Eugene, OR; L. Pindar/Over The Hill WHITFIELD, SEWARD: Portland, OR; D. Raybourn/HG/PG School Of OR WOOD,BLAINE: Jackson, WY; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond

Region 3 DAVITT, DENNIS: San Diego, CA; M. Salvemini/At PG Sports Inc SCHWARZ, MILAN: La Verne, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure Region4 BOYLE, B.J.: Flagstaff, AZ; D. White/Dixon's Thermax HANLON, KEVIN: Ward, CO; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF PFEFFER, TAD: Nederland, CO; F. Anderson/Aspen PG Region 7 BERGMAN, WAYNE: Muskegon, MI; T. Zakotnik/Above & Beyond Reglon12 AIKAWA, TADAS HI: Fort Lee, NJ; T ,, Linde/Eastcoast PG Center FLYNN, MICHAEL: Hampton, NY; J. Stenstadvold/Aspen PG KENTr THOMAS: Oceanport, NJ; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Center NICHOLSON, TRAVIS: Massapequa, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoust PG Center

CLASS XII Region 1 YOUNG, CAMERON: Ketchum, ID; D. Bridges Region2 BIBRNACKI, KEVIN: Las Vegas, NV; R. Leonard HULAR, RICHARD: San Carlos, CA; C. Mulack Region3 JEBB, DAVID: Jamul, CA; S. Gressitt

Region 10 CASAUDOUMECQ, JOSE: Miami, FL; J. Yates

Region 12 !LLERFELT, ANDREAS: Red Bank, NY; L. Linde

FOREIGN RATINGS Class I POLACK, ROBERT: Vancouver, Canada; M. de Jong/Mescalito TONE, ALLAN: Dawson Creek, BC; M. de Jong/Mescalito Class II LUETHE, FRITZ: Munich, Germany; J. Greenbaum/Airtime of SF Class HI

General Secretary of the Paragliding World Cup Associaton and Vice-President of the World Hang Gliding Series.

The 1995 season of thermic conditions, which gave us so many distance and speed records, is coming to an end again. As winter approaches it is time to reflect on our season's peiformance - how we flew and the mistakes we made, what we did right and where we went wrong. It is important to do this with an open frame of mind, as only by analyzing our performance objectively can we get it right next time. However, as I have never been a top pilot, and never will be, I shall reflect on my role in the sport that I love. I am very involved in both disciplines of paragliding and hang gliding and see them as one sport. We 11y from the same mountains, fly the same thermals and have the same aims to gain distance and speed. We share the same aims, fears, enthusiasm, frustrations and hopes for the ultimate flight. You only have to listen to pilots at goal - whether hang gliding or paragliding - the atmosphere is the same whatever machine you fly! On the other hand, I am surprised to still find, on both sides, much ignorance and prejudice concerning the other discipline. This year, one hang glider pilot told me flying paragliders is like playing Pinocchio, manipulating a puppet with a set of strings. "How can you seriously fly, sitting as if you were on the toilet, pulling the chain!" Such pilots arc really surprised to hear Xavier Remond flew 241 km in central Spain. At the Piedrahita PWC, 50 pilots completed a declared goal of 141 km out-and-return and 31 made a 169 km straight race-to-goal, the fastest speed averaging over 40 km/h. I could understand this prejudice if it only came from hang glider pilots. After all, they now have to share sites and thermals that they once had all to themselves, with no worry of overcrowding. Any prestige or attention they might have earned is now directed to the younger, more popular sport of paragliding. However, there were same problems with the sailplane pilots' attitude when hang gliding first developed - so you would think hang glider pilots would be more understanding. Paraglider pilots too seem to have prejudices against hang gliding. I am sometimes discriminated against because I am involved with hang gliding. Young pilots discuss with me such topics as the future of the sport and the development of tasks; they will listen carefully until I mention that hang gliding also had the same problems. Then their attitude completely changes and they stop listening. It reminds me of teenagers who have just discovered sex - they find it hard to accept that their own parents have already done it about 4 to 7 thousand times and are still doing it. During this year, I have been to several hang gliding and paragliding competitions, and there seems to be no sign of change of attitude. There are very few competitions that accommodate both disciplines, such as the Bleriot Cup (France v. Britain) and Bassano. My suggestion for the future is to have truly international events, fully integrating the 2 disciplines, such as European championships or World Cups that run contests for both. This may be an additional attraction to media and the public, bringing more prestige and recognition to the events, but more importantly would bring pilots together, promote understanding and cooperation, which would mutually benefit the development of both.

FANDEL, ALEXANDRE: Chamonix, France; K. Hudonjorgensen

TANDEM ONE RATINGS MIKEBELLIK

TANDEMXNSTRUCTOR THOMAS BARTLETT

PAGE 28 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

We have a few pilots that have bridged the gap between the two disciplines: John Pendry, ex-World Champion in hang gliding has become a respected pilot in paragliding; Robbie Whittall developed skills learned from hang gliding to be World Champion in both; Judy Leden has also excelled in paragliding after gaining the Women's World Champion title in hang gliding. Many other pilots compete in both disciplines without considering giving one up: Chris Muller (Canadian Champion) and Domen Siana (Slovenia). They prove that we are part of a single sport - it is only the flying machine that changes. We are brothers and sisters in flight!

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The USHGA National Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Program by Timothy E; Herr Mr. Herr is an attorney with the firm of Anderson &Herr in San Jose, California. He has been a USHGA member for seven and a half years and is an Intermediate-rated hang glider pilot. Tim is currently USHGA's corporate Legal counsel.

e lose more hang gliding sites each year than we are able to open. Especially susceptible are those sites close to population centers. The sites that we do not lose get more restrictive. The acquisition and maintenance of flying sites is indispensable to the promotion and growth of the sport. Without more training and flying sites new pilots will not be introduced to the sport, and participation in the sport will continue to decline. A major impediment to the acquisition and maintenance of flying sites is the lack of availability of insurance to insure against the risk that the owners/operators of the site will become involved in a lawsuit due to an injury to a pilot. The Equinox site was lost this year due solely to this fact. Although there had been no significant injuries suffered at that site in the entire 15 or so years of its use, and there had been no lawsuits or threats of lawsuits, the site was closed because the landowner realized that it was a mere possibility that an injury could occur, followed by a lawsuit, and there was no insurance available to provide money to defend such a suit if it was ever brought. Had such insurance been available, the site would not have been lost. Another prerequisite for the promotion of our sport is professional instruction at convenient locations. In recent years, it seems that our training sites have disappeared faster than any others. Hang gliding and paragliding are two of the few sports in the world in which it is currently impossible to obtain instructor liability insurance. This, of course, means that there will be a number of individuals who are highly qualified to instruct, but who will choose not to due to the liability risk involved. It also means that some landowners will not allow commercial instruction to take place on their property. To promote the highest quality,v instruction, the USHGA needs to be able to do what it takes to make that insurance available. The key to acquisition and maintenance of flying sites and attracting professional instruction is participant insurance - i.e., insurance that protects the site owner, the USHGA, the local club and the instructor from a lawsuit by a pilot who gets hurt while flying. This is not a goal that can be met immediately. In the meantime, the USHGA needs to put in place the systems and procedures that will offer the greatest chance of

making this insurance available. In the USHGA's discussions with insurance companies on this topic, the first question that each insurance company asks is: "Does the USHGA have a waiver program in place, with a waiver signed by each of it members?" Up until now the USHGA has always had to answer in the negative. Usually, this ends the discussion; the insurer is not willing to even consider issuing insurance at this point. UNTIL ALL MEMBERS OF THE USHGA HAVE SIGNED WRITTEN LIABILITY RELEASES, THE INSURANCE REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY PROMOTE THE SPORT WILL NEVER BE AVAILABLE.

USHGA IMPLEMENTS NATIONAL LIABILITY RELEASE PROGRAM The USHGA's national liability release program had its beginnings in USHGA Board meetings several years ago. Like most volunteer, member-supported organizations, the USHGA is run by an elected Board of Directors and a central office. The Board of Directors, elected by the membership, sets policy, and the USHGA office implements this policy. In 1993 your Board of Directors voted that it was in the best interest of furthering the purposes of the USHGA and its membership to design and implement a national liability release program. Over a two-year period, the USHGA Board of Directors carefully designed the national liability release program. Finally, at its last Board meeting in March of 1995, the USHGA implemented a national liability release program by a unanimous vote of its Board of Directors. At the heart of the program is a written release, enforceable under the laws of every state, that must be signed to become a member, renew membership, obtain a pilot proficiency rating, or participate in USHGAsanctioned events. A copy of the standard release can be found on the back of the membership application in this magazine. Although the USHGA national liability release program was carefully planned from a legal perspective, the USHGA has not kept the membership very well informed about the program. While the vast majority of the renewing membership has embraced the program since its implementation in May of 1995, about 5% of the renewing membership has questioned the rationale behind the program. Why did your Board of Directors feel that it was in the best interest of the USHGA to

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

have such a national liability release program? The short answer is that this program should do three things to further the purpose of our Association: l) make it easier to acquire and maintain flying sites, 2) encourage professional instruction, and 3) foster an environment in which the continued existence of the USHGA is not in constant jeopardy. To fully understand why your Board of Directors made the decision requires the consideration of a variety of interlinking topics. First and foremost is the topic of our legal system as it relates to high-risk recreational sports.

RECREATIONAL SPORTING LAW 101 High-risk sports have a high potential for lawsuits. They are called high-risk sports both because of the potential for injury and the seriousness of that potential injury. For instance, tennis is not a high-risk sport. While people do get hurt playing tennis, their injuries are rarely serious or life threatening. Motorcycle racing, on the other hand, is a high-risk sport In a significant percentage of races, one or more cyclists will fall. When they fall, they can suffer injuries that range from bumps and bruises to paralysis or death. Many times the injury is from causes totally beyond the control of the participant.

"The key to acquisition and

.maintenaP1Ce offlying sites and attracting professional instruction is participant insurance i.e., insurance thatprotects the

site owner, the USHGA, the local club and the instructor from a lawsuit by a pilot who gets hurt while flying;"

Likewise, hang gliding and paragliding are high-risk sports. Every year pilots are injured. Some of these injuries are serious, some result in paralysis, and a few but steady percentage are fatal. Most people who are not involved in the sport think that we are crazy. America is obsessed with disasters, and virtually every time that a catastrophic hang gliding or paragliding accident occurs, it makes the news and further instills in the minds of the public the danger of the sport. Injured people nearly always can think of some reason why an injury they suffered was caused through the fault of someone else. Hang glider and paraglider pilots are no exception. This blame spreading is encouraged when the injured person seeks the advice of a lawyer, whose job it is to maximize any potential recovery for the client.

Special USM6A Fleport Special USH6A Fleport Special USM6A Report

THE ROLE OF JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY Virtually every state still has a form of what is known as Joint and Several Liability. In its pure form, Joint and Several Liability allows the injured person to recover 100% of her/his damages from one who is only 1% at fault. In other words, as long as the injured person can find one solvent person who played some small role in causing the injury, the injured person can recover all ( 100%) of the damages from that one person who is barely at fault in the first place. Some states have attempted to make changes to this system. For instance, in California, the law now provides that Joint and Several Liability exists only for Economic damages (e.g., medical bills, lost wages, repair of property) but not for Non-economic damages (e.g., pain and suffering). However, with a catastrophic injury, the Economic damages alone are usually in the six-to seven-figure range. Here is an example of how this legal doctrine works. Assume that Good Driver Joe (35 years old) is driving along on the highway in his DeLorean sports car and gets hit by Dudley the Drunk who "borrowed" his brother's car when his brother was out of town. The accident happened at a spot where the road curved. Joe has serious injuries, partly because the car was not equipped with an air bag. Joe's medical bills are $200,000. Joe also suffered a brain injury that prevents him from working as the CEO of a profitable company where his salary had been $80,000 per year. The best job he can land in his current condition is part time at a fast food restaurant, making less than $15,000 per year. At trial, the jury decides that the drunk driver was 90% at fault, the car manufacturer was 5% at fault for not installing air bags, the brother was 4% at fault for leaving the keys where his drunkard brother could easily find them, and the state was 1% at fault for a putting a curve in the road design. The drunk driver, the brother, the car manufacturer and the state would be known as Joint Tortfeasors under the Joint and Several Liability doctrine. The jury also found that the Economic damages were medical bills of $200,000 plus lost wages of $1,950,000 ($80,000 times 30 years) less ($15,000 times 30 years), for a total of $2,150,000. The jury found Non-economic damages of $500,000 for pain and suffering. Dudley the drunkard has no insurance, no money and no assets. He is judgment proof. Joe can never collect any money from Dudley. The DeLorean car company is no longer

in existence, and nothing can be collected from it. The brother's insurance does not pay since the car was stolen at the time of the accident. The brother's only asset in the world was his car which is now totaled, so there is nothing to collect from the brother. However, the state is another story. As a political entity, it cannot walk away from its liability. Since no one else can pay, the state must pay 100% of the $2,150,000 in Economic damages, and unless the suit happens in California, the state must pay 100% of the $500,000 in Non-economic damages as well. The law gives the state (or any other defendant that ends up paying more than their proportionate share of the judgment) the ability to try to collect reimbursement for the amount paid from Dudley, the brother and the DeLorean car company, under a legal doctrine known as Implied Indemnity, but this would probably be unsuccessful unless one of them won the lottery. Given the way the legal system works, lawyers, determined not to be sued by their injured clients for malpractice, have no alternative but to bring suit against anyone with assets or insurance that could potentially be even 1% at fault. This practice is often known as looking for a deep pocket. The greater the injury to the client, the harder the lawyer will look for a deep pocket. Because of the potential for Joint and Several Liability, whenever there is the danger that the mainly responsible defendant is insolvent, the sol vent defendants are more likely to put up more than their share of money to settle the lawsuit even where their own liability is tenuous. They are also more likely to look for potential sol vent people to blame for the accident so that they can shift the liability to those people through what is known as a Cross-complaint.

ANATOMY OF A LAWSUIT Once the injured person's lawyer has looked around for all the deep pockets and files the lawsuit, the costs begin to mount for the person being sued (the Defendant). The person filing the lawsuit is known as the Plaintiff. The Defendant first has to hire a lawyer. The lawyer, not wanting to get sued by the clients for malpractice, will search for other potentially responsible people who can be Cross-complained

against. Let's assume that the Plaintiff is a paraglider pilot and he sues the pilot of an RC sailplane whose negligence in controlling his sailplane lead to the crash of the paraglider pilot. The Plaintiff is a USHGA member and local club member who wants the site to remain available for flying, and thus has not sued the

landowner even though his lawyer thinks that there might be a case against the landowner. The RC sailplane pilot's lawyer decides he can make an arguable case against the landowner who failed to control the activities on the land, the local hang gliding club, and USHGA, for failing to properly disperse information to their membership of the correct way to fly when in the vicinity of RC sailplane operations. He therefore files a Cross-complaint against the landowner, the local club and the USHGA.

THE RESULT WITHOUT A NATIONAL LIABILITY RELEASE PROGRAM Without the national liability release program, the final outcome as to each Defendant, the cost of achieving that out-come, and the length of time to achieve a resolution of the lawsuit are all totally and completely unpredictable. The one thing that can be predicted with accuracy is that the Defendants will all spend lots of money on lawyers, no matter what the outcome. The other thing that will happen 90% of the time is tl1at the site will be closed to hang gliding and paragliding forever. Although the site is a USHGA-insured site, the insurance does not cover this type of lawsuit. The injury is to a pilot while engaging in hang gliding activities. The USHGA insurance only covers injuries to nonparticipants which are caused by the participant or the landowner. Thus, the landowner is uninsured for such an incident and now that he has had to pay out of his own pocket to defend himself, he won't allow himself to be a litigation victim again. 1bere are several legal doctrines that may come into play, again, depending on the state. While one or more of these legal doctrines might be dispositive of the lawsuit, the application is uncertain and varies from state to state. To minimize the defendant's legal fees and costs, the earlier the defendant can get a court to decide that the case should be dismissed, the better. Unfortunately, without a national liability release the likelihood of being able to get the case dismissed before substantial sums of money are expended in defending the lawsuit are slight.

THE ROLE OF RECREATIONAL USE IMMUNITY STATUTES Many states have adopted some form of what is known as a Recreational Use Immunity Statute. Under these statutes, certain landowners are granted immunity from being sued by people who use their land to engage in recreational activities, provided that the landown-

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Bgeeial IIIBIHBA lllegomt Sgeeial IIISMOA Report Special IIISMOA Report er does not charge a fee for the use of the land. These statutes vary widely in form and details from state to state. In almost all states that have them, the Recreational Use Immunity Statutes have various exceptions in which the landowner would not be immune from suit. 'There are several drawbacks to these statutes. First, they are not uniform from state to state. Second, the exceptions sometimes remove the benefit of the immunity in the first place. For instance, let's assume in our example above that the paraglider pilot was under instruction at the time and was paying for that instruction. The payment to the instructor for the lesson was a payment for participation in the recreational activity on the land, and removed the landowner's immunity under the Recreational Use Immunity Statute. In addition, the application of the exception can become a question of fact which cannot be determined until a jury is impaneled and a trial is held. For instance, if the pilot were to claim he had paid for instruction in cash and the instructor claimed that there was no payment, the question as to whether payment was made would be one which the court would not be able to determine on a motion for summary judgment, and everyone would have to pay the full cost of preparing for a full trial and attending a full trial in order to resolve the factual dispute. At that point the immunity becomes meaningless because of the great cost in getting to the trial stage in the lawsuit. Third, these statutes only protect the landowners and not the clubs or individuals connected with the hazardous recreational activity.

THE ROLE OF THE IMPLIED ASSUMPTION OF RISK DOCTRINE As pilots, we know the risks of the sport and knowingly accept them every time we fly. The laws in most states recognize this fact under what is known as the doctrine of Implied Assumption of Risk. Under the pure form of this legal doctrine, if you are engaged in the sport and get injured, you will not be successful in recovering damages from anyone for your injuries, NO MATTER WHOSE FAULT IT WAS. The idea is that there are certain risks that exist when you participate in a sport, and there is no duty of care to protect a sports participant against risks of injury that are inherent in the sport itself. (See Knight v. Jewett, (1992) 3 Cal. 4th 296, 315.) In most states, this doctrine of Implied Assumption of Risk exists as a matter of Common Law. Commol'I Law is the law that the judges make when they decide cases as opposed to the Statutory Law which is the law that the

Frequently Asked Questions Concerning The USHGA National Liability Release The following are. some of the questions about the new USHGA National Liability Re.lease. that have been asked most frequency by members; ·

1) What effect does the USHGA National Liability Release have on the USHGA's current Insurance coverage? · None. The USHGA's insurance does not cover injuries to people who are participating in the sport when they are injured, To.stead it provides a promise by the insurance company to pay to have a lawyer defend you and to pay my damages that are awarded against you in the event that you hurt a non.participant while you are participating in the sport s i.e. you qash onto someone's parked car and the car owner sues you for ptcipetty damage. The USHGA National Liability Release has no effect on your liability to non°participants or the ability of the insurance to defend and indemnify you .from such lawsuits. •

2) Does the attorneys' fees clause ofthe USHGA National Llablllty Releas¢ requfre me to pay the attorneys' fees if someone sues me? · . ..•. Maybe. It depends on who sues you why they sue you and who wins. The attorneys' fee clausf

only applies to lawsuits "arising under in connection with or incident to" the liability release. If a spectator sues you for denting their car with your hang glider the lawsuit does not arise underis • not connected with and is not incident to the liability release and so the attorney's fees clause i~ i not applicable. Furthermore the USHGA insurance would pay for your defense and any resulting · darn· ages. If the USHGA sues you to enforce your obligations to the USHGA under the liability release (for example. you crash into a brain surgeon render him a paraplegic he sue the USHOA for two million dollars· and wins the USHGA insurance pays its policy limit of one million do]. Jars the surgeon collects the next $1. 0, 000 from USHOA. and the USHGA then sues you I() enforce your obligation to indemnify the USHGAunder Section C of the liability release) theii you may or may not have to pay the attorneys' fees of the USHGA: Under California law when,· ever a oont:tact pro· vides for the payment of attorneys' fees the court is required to award attor» neys' fees to the WIN. NINO party. If you win the lawsuit you never have to pay the other side's attorneys' fees no matter what the contract says (California Civil Code Section 1717).

3) Do I give up any rights by signing the USHGA National Liability Release?

...

Yes, The purpose of a Uability release is to prevent you from suing a person whose actiorui · caused your injuries. In legal tenns generally people owe each other a Duty tO act in a non-negli~ gent manner. If you act negligently and as a foreseeable and direct result you harm someone then you have Breached that Duty. The injured person has. the right to sue you for the hann you caused them as a tesu1t·of your Breach of Duty. The idea of a release is that you agree in advartc¢ with somebody that even if you Breach your Duty of Care to that person and injure him you will not be required to compensate the person for his injuries--i.e. even if you are at fault you cannot be sued for the injury you cause. . How many rights you give up by signing the USHGA National Liability Release depends on the local law in the states in which you fly and on the restrictions placed on you at the sites you most often fly. Most states have some fonn of Implied Assumption of Risk some form of compara- tive negligence and some form of recreational use immunity for the landowners. Many site owners already require pilots to sign a liability release that contains an express assumption of risk Agree· ment. In such situations you give up nothing new by signing the USHGANational Liability Release.

4) By signing the USHGA National Liability Release do I give up my right to sue someone who shoots me out of the sky with a Stinger missile? No. California law provides that one cannot be relieved of their own willful injury to the person or property of another (Civil Code Section 1668). . 5) Is it legally possible to sign away your right to suflor negligence in advance? Yes. That is exactly what a liability release is used for. The California courts have consistently upheld such releases in recreational sporting cases for years, The cases where the releases were upheld have involved skydiving, ultralights, horseback riding, bicycling, motorcycling, white water rafting, scuba diving and drag racing to name a few. The USHGA's liability release is based on those releases that the oourts have upheld.

6) Why does the contract state that It Is to be Interpreted under California Law and that any lawsuits brought "arising under In connection with or Incident to'' the liability release must be brought In California? The USHGA is a California Corporation. The largest share of the USHGA's membership is located in California. California law on the enforceability of properly drafted liability releases is predictable and favors their enforcement.

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Special USHGA Refi)&rt Special USHGA Re pert Special USHGA :nep&rt legislators make when they pass bills which the governors of the states sign into law. Maine is one of the exceptional states. In Maine the legislature passed a Statute which provides: "Hang gliding is also recognized as a hazardous sport. Therefore, a person who is hang gliding shall be deemed lo have assumed the risk and legal responsibility for any injury lo his person or property, i111he same manner and lo the same exielll as skiers under this subchapler." 26 MRS§ 489-A.

Unfortunately, the law on Implied Assumption of Risk varies somewhat from state to state and can change upon the decisioo of a judge at any time, making it impossible to rely on the doctrine on a nationwide basis. In addition, most states find that the question of whether the Implied Assumptio11 of Risk doctrine will apply in a given case is for a jury to decide. This seemingly small point has enormous consequences in actual practice. This means that no matter how slight the potential for liability, no matter how bogus the lawsuit, all potential issues will have to be investigated to the full extent, the case will have to be prepared for trial, and a trial will have to be completed before you can get a ruling from the court that the injured person cannot recover due to the Implied Assumption of Risk doctrine. This translates into an expenditure of a large amount of money in attorneys fees and court costs in defending the unmeritorious lawsuit. In our above example, under California law, the doctrine of Implied Assumption of Risk would in all likelihood be found applicable and the paragliding pilot would recover no damages from anybody if the case went all the way to trial. However, all the Defendants and Cross-defendant, would have spent considerable sums of money defending their positions, and the site would have been lost forever

THE ROLE OF A WRITTEN LIABILITY RELEASE When a written liability release is used, both the uncertainty as to the ultimate result as well as the cost of defending the lawsuit decrease dramatically. Written liability releases have been upheld by the courts of the different states over and over again. Written liability releases have proven most effective in California in preventing participants and heirs of participants in recreational sports from recovering damages. The California courts have consistently upheld the waiver and release and have refused to allow the injured participant or her/his heirs to recover damages.

The most common elements of a written liability release are a provision stating that the participant releases a list of people from any liability for injuries the participant might suffer (the Release), a provision stating that the participant agrees not to sue the people he is releasing (the Cove,iant Nol To Sue), and a provision stating that the participant assumes all risks of engaging in the recreational activity (the Express Assumption of Risk). The only question for the court to decide is whether the written liability release exists. If it does, then the court will find that the pilot may not sue and the case can be dismissed. This is a question that the courts can easily deal with on a motion for summary judgment filed within the first 90 days of a lawsuit, before the defense of the lawsuit starts getting expensive. It is also a question that will tend to stop a lot of suits from being filed in the first place.

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Unquestionably, then, the best vehicle to use to lessen the ultimate cost of lawsuits, or prevent altogether a lawsuit by a pilot who has the potential for implicating site owners, local clubs, instructors, and the USHGA, is to require written liability releases. To understand how this serves the USHGA's purpose of promotion of the sport other than to help maintain the USHGA's own existence, requires some discussion of insurance.

INSURANCE 101 One of the things the USHGA has done to promote the sport is obtain third-party liability insurance covering all of its members, its affiliated local dubs, and selected site owners against damage to non-participants. Many of the sites we fly today would not be open were it not for this insurance. Every year, the USHGA has a battle obtaining this limited insurance. Every year we lose sites because this insurance is not

adequate to satisfy the site owner's fears of liability. Insurance does two things. First, it pays the attorney's fee and court costs in the event that a lawsuit for damages potentially covered by the insurance is filed. Second, it pays damages that are awarded. The insurance company takes on two risks: 1 ) that there will be a lawsuit that it will be obligated to defend (the Defense Risk), and 2) that in the event of a lawsuit, it will have to pay money to the Plaintiff for damages (the Indemnity Risk). Insurance companies are in the business to make money. They do not make money if they have to spend a lot of money defending lawsuits. They do not make money if they have to pay a lot of indemnity. When an insurance company decides whether to write a policy, it looks at the likelihood of a claim, the probable dollar size of that claim, the likely cost of defending against that claim, and the probable eventual payment on that claim. Because of the dangerous nature of the sport, the public's perception that all of its participants will be injured, maimed or die, and the nature of joint and several liability under the American legal system, it is no surprise that the insurance companies are unwilling to even look at insuring the USHGA with its un-waivered membership. Our accident statistics show that pilots will be injured every year, some seriously and some even to the point of death. Thus, in order for an insurance company to agree to write a policy covering injuries to participants, the insurance company must be convinced that either the injured participants will not sue, or that if they do sue, they will not be able to keep the case in the court system long enough to cause the company to incur significant defense costs-i.e., that all the participants have executed a written liability release that satisfies the requirements set out in the dozens of cases on the subject. To place the USHGA, its members, instructors and site owner/operators in a position where the insurers will look twice at providing insurance, we must reduce the likelihood that a claim will be filed in the first place, reduce the likely cost to defend against that claim, and reduce the probable eventual payment on any claim filed. This can be accomplished, but only through a carefully planned and implemented written liability release that accounts for all of the ways that claims could be made against the USHGA, its members, instructors, and site owner/operators. The USHGA liability release is a careful attempt to take all those factors into consideration.

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The USHGA National

iability Release

A line by line Explanation Several members have asked that the USHGA provide a detailed explanation of the USHGA National liability release.

The title of the document is: "RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT" The first section identifies what the USHGA is giving the pilot for his/her agreement to the release (i.e., membership in the USHGA), the pilot's name, and that the pilot is making the agreement on behalf of the pilot as well as anyone who might be able to sue on the pilot's behalf if the pilot became incapacitated or died. This is a standard provision in every enforceable liability release. The first section reads:

In consideration of being granted membership In the USHGA, I, , for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next or kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows:

The second section, identified as Section A, is the portion that releases certain people from liability for injuries the pilot may receive while engagiI)g in the sport or the activities of the USHGA. The purpose of a release is to prevent a person from suing someone whose actions may cause injuries to the person in the future. Even though an accident may be the fault of the released person. a release prohibits a lawsuit against the released person. Without a liability release, everyone owes a duty to use due care toward anybody else (i.e., not act in a negligent manner). If someone breaches that duty of care and injures another (i.e., an accident occurs and it is the fault of a negligent person) then he can be sued. The injured person is responsible for his own negligence. No release is necessary to make the injured person responsible for injuries caused by his own fault. A liability release recognizes that someone may breach their duty of care toward you resulting in injury to you, but because of the activity that you are engaging in you release them in advance for any injury that you may suffer as a result. The list of released parties is lengthy. The reason for the numerous released parties is twofold. First, since each of these parties would benefit from the Express Assumption of Risk portion of the release (Section E) in any event, even if they were not identified as release parties, it is important to you that we identify them by name. Second, in order to completely insulate the USHGA, the landowners, the local flying clubs and the instructors from liability, the release needs to prevent lawsuits against people who could cross-complain against USHGA, the landowners, the local flying clubs and the instructors, and effectively get to them by the back door.

Section A reads: A. I RELEASE, WAIVE AND DISCHARGE the following persons ("RELEASED PARTIES") from any and all claims and liability for my personal injury, my bodily Injury, my death, my property damage,

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

and/or any other personal or flnanclal Injury connected with my participation in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding, my participation in the USHGA, or the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System), however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the RELEASED PARTIES or arising under the doctrine of strict liability, to the full extent allowed by law. The persons I am releasing, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, employees, spouses, officials (elected or otherwise), members, contractors, subcontractors, lessors and lessees are: 1. The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); 2. Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of my proficiency rating(s); 3. Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; 4. Each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), and/or state(s) where I launch, fly and/or land; S. Each of the property owners on or over whose property I may launch, fly and/or land; 6. All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the sites where I launch, fly and/or land. "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and 7, All other persons present on the site(s) where I launch, fly, and/or land. The third section, Section B, contains a promise that the pilot will not file a lawsuit against any of the released parties for injuries the pilot suffers as a result of the pilot's participation in the sport or in the USHGA. It also contains a statement to make the pilot aware that neither the USHGA nor any of the other people have insurance that would cover such injuries. The USHGA insurance does not cover injuries to participants.

Section B reads: B. I WILL NOT SUE OR MAKE A CLAIM against any ol' the RELEASED PARTIES for loss or damage on account of my personal Injury, my bodily Injury, my death, my property damage and/or any other personal or financial injury sustained as a result of my participation in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding, my participation in the USHGA, or the administration of any USHGA programs, including, but not limited to the Pilot Proficiency System of the USHGA. I ACKNOWLEDGE that such injuries, death and/or damage are NOT covered by any insurance issued to any of the RELEASED PARTIES. The fourth section, Section C, is an agreement that if someone is injured, and the injury is the pilot's fault, and the injured person sues any of the released parties, AND either there is no insurance that covers the injury, or the insurance that is available (typically the USHGA insurance with its $1,000,000 policy limit) is not enough to pay all the damages that the court awards, then the pilot will pay the costs of defending and indemnifying the released party. Under existing law, anyone sued is entitled to indemnity from

Special USM6A Report Special USM GA Report Special USM GA ,f!teport 'I

the person whose fault caused the injury. If a pilot is at fault in crashing into a spectator, and the spectator sues the landowner, the landowner has a legal right to sue the pilot to recover the damages the landowner pays to the injured spectator. That right exists even if the landowner had insurance and the insurance paid the claim. What this provision does is limit that ability to seek indemnity only to situations where there is no insurance available to pay. For example, Paul the pilot stalls a tum close to the ridge and crashes into Steve the spectator. Steve suffers a broken leg and incurs $10,000 in medical bills, physical therapy and lost wages. Steve sues Larry the landowner, claiming that Larry negligently controlled the hang gliding on his land. At trial the jury decides that Larry is 1% liable and awards Steve $20,000 in damages. Although Paul was 99% at fault for the accident, Paul was not a party to the lawsuit. Larry's insurance company defended the lawsuit and paid the claim under an insurance policy with a $1,000,000 limit. Under existing law Larry would then have the right to file a lawsuit against Paul for indemnity to recover the money his insurance company spent defending the lawsuit as well as the money the insurance company paid to Steve after the verdict. Section C changes this situation so that since there was collectible insurance that paid 100% of the defense costs and indemnity, Larry cannot sue Paul for indemnity. Had Steve's medical bills been $1,000,000 and the judgment $1,100,000, then under Section C, Larry would only be able to pursue Paul for $100,000 - the extent to which the loss was not covered by the collectible insurance.

Section C reads: C. I AGREE TO INDEMNITY AND REIMBURSE the RELEASED PARTIES for their defense and indemnity (to the limited extent that the defense and indemnity are not otherwise covered by collectible insurance) in the event that someone suffers personal Injury, bodily Injury, death, or property damage as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct. Section D first provides that the USHGA national liability release is to be governed by California law. Parties to contracts can choose which state's laws should govern their agreement. The USHGA has chosen California mainly because the California courts consistently uphold liability releases in recreational sporting cases. We can be confident of how the courts will interpret the release and that it will find it valid. Section D next provides that lawsuits for certain disputes must be filed in California. The only disputes that this clause applies to are disputes arising under, in connection with or incident to the USHGA national liability release. This provision is known as a Venue clause. California is chosen because the USHGA is a California Corporation, the largest segment of the USHGA's membership lives in California, and because the agreement is to be interpreted in accordance with California law. Finally, Section D provides that if a lawsuit for a dispute arising under, in connection with or incident to the USHGA national liability release is filed, the pilot will pay the attorneys' fees incurred by the released parties. This clause only applies to disputes arising under, in connection with or incident to the release. Under California law, this attorneys' fees provision has a special meaning. It means that whoever wins the lawsuit will be awarded attorneys' fees and the loser will have to pay those attorneys' fees - i.e. if someone sues you and loses, they have to pay your attorneys' fees. It further means that the court will only award what the court determines are reasonable fees (California Civil Code Section 1717).

Section D reads: D. I AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. All disputes and matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement shall be litigated, if at all, in and before a Court located In the State of California, U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. In any such litigation, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of RELEASED PARTIES. Section Eis the Express Assumption Of Risk provision. It is called Express instead of Implied, because it is in writing. Under the California cases involving recreational sporting accident liability releases, this is the most important provision of the release. In 90% of the California cases on this subject in the past 10 years, it is the Express Assumption of Risk clause that the court has relied on to dismiss the case early in the life of the lawsuit, before significant money needed to be spent defending the case. The doctrine of Assumption of Risk arises from the principle that there are risks that exist when you participate in a high-risk sport and there is no duty of care to protect a sports participant against risks of injury when he/she participates in the sport. Most states have some form of assumption of risk that applies to sports participants whether or not they sign a document detailing the Assumption of Risk. The law Implies that the sports participants assume risks inherent in the sport. Hence, the doctrine is called Implied Assumption of Risk. Some states have even passed statutes which specifically state that the participant is deemed to have assumed the risk of injuries suffered while participating in the sport (See e.g. 26 Maine Revise Statutes ~ection 489-A). However, the exact extent of this doctrine varies from state to state. Under this Express Assumption of Risk provision, the Pilot assumes all risks that he/she will suffer injuries as a result of his/her participation in the sport. In the simplest terms this means that if a pilot who has signed the USHGA National Liability Release gets hurt while hang gliding or paragliding, he/she cannot sue anyone for his/her injuries even if the injuries were the fault of someone else.

Section E reads: E. I VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL RISKS, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, OF PERSONAL INJURY, BODILY INJURY, DEATH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE CONNECTED WITH MY PARTICIPATION IN THE USHGA AND IN THE SPORTS OF HANG GLIDING AND/OR PARAGLIDING, HOWEVER CAUSED, EVEN IF CAUSED IN WHOLE OR PART BY THE ACTION, INACTION, OR NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASED PARTIES. The next section of the USHGA National Liability Release is a statement confirming that the pilot has read, understands and agrees to the release. It reads: I have read, understand, and agree to the above RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT. Finally, the release provides spaces for the pilot to sign and date the release and obtain a witness's signature. The witness's signature is not necessary to make the release enforceable. The witness should be someone who saw the pilot sign his name on the release. A person does not incur any liability by witnessing someone else's signing of the release. The signature lines are as follows: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date: __J__J_ _ Participant's Signature Witness' Signature Printed Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ USHGA#: _ _ __ Participants Name Exp. Date: ____ Rating: _ _ __

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

* MEMBERSHIP APPLICATI N * ATTENTION: USHGA WAIVER (ON BACK SIDE) MUSf' BE SIGNED Ii Wlf'NESSED FOR MEMBERSHIP PROCESSING

NEW MEMBER

SEX (M/F)_ _ __

RENEW/USHGA#

BIRTHDATE- - - ---~- - - -

****************************************************************************************************************

ANNUAL DUES:

Includes 12 issues of HANG GLIDING magazine (HG Division) or 6 issues of PARAGLIDINGTHE MAGAZINE (PG Division), liability insurance, ratings, and other benefits.

FULL MEMBER:

D 1 Division - $54.00 U.S. ($60.00 Canada/Mexico*)($ 65.00 Int'!*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $

Please check one:

D Hang Gliding

D Paragliding

D Both Divisions - $79.00 U.S. ($97.00 Canada/Mexico*)($102.00 Int'!*) . . . . . . . . . $

FAMILY MEMBER:

D l Division - $27.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $_ _ _ _ __

(Includes all benefits except

Please check one: D Hang Gliding CJ Paragliding 0 Both Divisions - $39.50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $_ _ _ _ __

magazine. MUST reside with full member ofsame division.)

0 1 Year $35.00 U.S.($ 40.00 Canada/Mexico*)($ 50.00 Int'!*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $_ _ _ __ 0 2 Years $65.00 U.S.($ 75.00 Canada/Mexico*)($ 95.00 Int'l*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 0 3 Years $95.00 U.S. ($110.00 Canada/Mexico*)($140.00 Int'!*) ............... $_ _ _ _ __ **************************************************************************************************************** SUBSCRIPTION ONLY:

OTHER OPTIONAL SERVICES 1ST CLASS MAIL SERVICE - HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) ................ $ AIR MAIL SERVICE - HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($30.00-Western Hemisphere, $44.00-Europe, $57.00-All Others) .. $ 1ST CLASS MAIL SERVICE - PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($12.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only).............. . $ AIR MAIL SERVICE - PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($15.00-Western Hemisphere, $22.00-Europe, $29.00-All Others) . . . $______.._ NAA MEMBERSHIP: ($10.00 annual dues)....................................................................... $ $_ _ __ FAI SPORTING LICENCE: ($18.00 annual fee) Date ofBirth: _ _;_ _; _ _ Citizenship: _ _ _ _ _,_ __

**************************************************************************************************************** CHARGE MY:

MasterCard

_ _ _ _ _ _,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Exp Date______/

Credit Card# Phone:L _

$_ _ _ __

VISA

___) _ _.

Signature____________

**************************************************************************************************************** $_ __ TOTAL *Foreign payments must be in U.S.funds drawn on a U.S. bank.

~ Please tell us how you heard of USHGA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~ USHGA, PO BOX 1330, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 FAX (719) 632-6417

(05/95)

RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT In consideration of being granted membership in the USHGA, I, -------------~ for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows:

A. I RELEASE, WAIVE AND DISCHARGE the following persons ("RELEASED PARTIES") from any and all claims and liability for my personal injury, my bodily injury, my death, my property damage, and/or any other personal or financial injury connected with my participation in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding, my participation in the USHGA, or the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System), however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the RELEASED PARTIES or arising under the doctrine of strict liability, to the full extent allowed by law. The persons I am releasing, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, employees, spouses, officials (elected or otherwise), members, contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees are: 1. The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); 2. Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of my proficiency rating(s); 3. Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; 4. Each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), and/or State(s) where I launch, fly and/or land; 5. Each of the property owners on or over whose property I may launch, fly and/or land; 6. All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the sites where I launch, fly and/or land. "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and 7. All other persons present on the site(s) where I launch, fly, and/or land. B. I WILL NQT SUE OR MAKE A CLAIM against any of the RELEASED PARTIES for loss or damage on account of my personal injury, my bodily injury, my death, my property damage and/or any other personal or financial injury sustained as a result of my participation in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding, my participation in the USHGA, or the administration of any USHGA programs, including, but not limited to the Pilot Proficiency System of the USHGA. I ACKNOWLEDGE that such injuries, death and/or damage are NOT covered by any insurance issued to any of the RELEASED PARTIES C. I AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND REIMBURSE the RELEASED PARTIES for their defense and indemnity (to the limited extent that the defense and indemnity are not otherwise covered by collectible insurance) in the event that someone suffers personal injury, bodily injury, death, or property damage as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct. D. I AGREE THAT this AGREEMENT shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. All disputes and matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement shall be litigated, if at all, in and before a Court located in the State of California, U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. In any such litigation, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of RELEASED PARTIES.

I VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL RISKS, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, OF PERSONAL INJURY, BODILY INJURY, DEATH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE CONNECTED WITH MY PARTICIPATION IN THE USHGA AND IN THE SPORTS OF HANG GLIDING AND/OR PARAGLIDING, HOWEVER CAUSED, EVEN IF CAUSED IN WHOLE OR PART BY THE ACTION, INACTION, OR NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASED PARTIES. E.

I have read, understand, and agree to the above RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - Date: - - -I- - -I- - Participant's Signature

Printed Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ (Participant's Name)

MR-4/95

Witness' Signature

USHGA#: _ _ _ _ _ Exp. Date: _ _ __

Rating: _ _ __

P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901·1330 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

It's been an interesting two years serving as Regional Director but the job isn't done and C.J. and I are prepared to continue to represent hang glider and paraglider pilots for another term. Region One will return to its original size (OR, WA, AK) in January as Region Five gets resurrected as Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, but there is still plenty of work for two directors to do.

1. Keep ALL members in Region l informed and make your views known concerning USHGA issues. 2. Encourage and support positive interaction and cooperation between ALL pilots for the promotion of our sport. 3. Preserve and expand flying sites. 4. Promote safety and training. 5. Advocate the dream of free flight, "Vol Libre".

In case I haven't visited one of your favorite sites and met you in person,

I ask for your supporting vote!

Nominee George Sturtevant, Regton 1

here's a little background: I'm a 49,year-old teacher and I've been flying hang gliders since 1982 and paragliders since 1991. Being a teacher provides me with summer free-time for our favorite activities and C.J. and I have done a lot of traveling to fly new and old sites. C.J. has been a real asset, especially at the semiannual Board of Director meetings, because she attends several committee meetings that either Gene or I would have to miss. This past term, C.J,,has been concentrating on the Competition Committee and Membership .& Development while l )lave been dealing with Accidents and Safety & Training. Gene's areas include Insurance, National Coordinating and Elections & Allocations. In the past thirteen years C.J. and I have been active on the local level as well, serving in .every elected office in Cloudbase Country Club, including more .than two years a& newsletter editor. I've also been responsible for the site guides for both CBCC and the Northwest Paragliding Club. We have been active in working With local and state governments to maintain and open flying sites. If~lected: 1 ) I plan to repr11,sent both hang glider and paraglider pilots evenhandedly and to the advantage of both. 2) I will try to see that our national organization is controlled by the pilots and not by commercialinterests. 3 ) I will work to see that members get faster response to their concerns. Whoever you vote for, please VOTE and fill out the annual questionnaire so that your voice c.an he heard. Each Director .gets a copy of the results .of that survey alonj! with all the comments. If you have something to say, we'll hear you.

Nominee Paul Gazis, Region 2 Wow, this job isn't as easy as I expected! Still, I've been slugging away. I've tried to listen to everyone: hang glider pilots, paraglider pilots, rigid wing pilots, beginners, and sky gods. I've tried to hear all your concerns, represent your views at the BOD meetings, and mediate dis· putes. I've tried to encourage new pilots - even to the extent of becoming chairman of the soon-to-beworld-conquering Membership and Development Committee · because I feel we need new pilots to keep our sport healthy. I've also ... well ... let's just say I've done a 'slow but steady' job of processing everyone's paperwork. I can't say that I've been uniformly and brilliantly successful at each and every one of these things, but heck, that's what they make these helmets for, right? Good thing these helmets are tough. I'd like to keep slugging away, to do something useful for the sport we all love. If you like the job I've been doing, I'd appreciate your vote. If you don't; then I'll be forced to retire and move to Tahiti... Hmm... Naw, the flying' s much better here in Region 2. I hope you all have a great flying season next year. Have fun, take care, and I'll see you all in the air! ·

Nominee Tracie Fifer, Region 5 Nominee Douglas Fohl, Region 1 Well known throughout the flying community, Doug began flying in 1988 and currently holds a rating as a Class III paraglider pilot with an Advanced Tandem Instructor appointment. He belongs to the Northwest Paragliding Club in Washington. His extensive work related travel allows him to meet and fly with many of the·pilots of Region 1. Doug is regularly seen flying his purple and white glider at Tiger Mtn., Chelan Butte, Saddle Mtn., Pine Mtn., Mt. St. Helens, Kinkaid Bluff, Alpenglow, Blue Berry Bump, Hatcher Pass and Alyeska Ski Resort. His participation in competition flying, fun fly-ins, pilot improvement clinics, teaching student pilots and tandem flying has gained him the experience and the ability to ask good questions and provide positive fe.edback to continue the growth of foot-launched aviation. Doug's work as a technical sales representative at U.S. Micro in Bellevue, WA, allows him to be contacted electronically at his e-mail address: dpohl@usmicro.com.

"If elected, I will serve to represent Region I members by expressing your views and by voting to ensure that USHGA serves all of its members. The next two years are important as a time when active involvement by a regional representative is critical to ensure this region's membership is heard as we face the increasing issues brought to our sport." My Platform:

As a member of the USHGA in Region 5, you will soon be asked to do something you haven't been asked to do for some time, - elect a Regional Director to represent your concerns at the biannual 130D meeting. I am very excited to accept a nomination for this position and look forward to this opportunity to serve as your Regional Director. I ask for your support and your vote. Although I didn't actually start flying until I was 23, I have grown up around flying. My Dad started his flying career by going air born in the Marines and then running a skydiving school. When most kids were watching Saturday morning cartoons, I was practicing PLFs at the airport. Wanting more air time, Dad learned to fly hang gliders In the 1970' s. I then began to spend my Saturdays as his Hang IV driver (I moved through that rating system pretty quickly) and trusty Sherpa, lugging flight gear up overgrown mountainsides as Dad pioneered flying PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 29

P.O. Bo:ic 1330, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 fax (719) 632-6417

sites. It wasn't until 1987 that Dad took me tandem on his 225 Dream (about time, Dad!). I felt like I found my reason for being and have been addicted to flying ever since. I spent the next two summers huffing and puffing up and down the sand dunes of my Dad's training hill at Point Betsie, Michigan, wondering if I was ever going to be in the air longer than it took me to climb the hill. While hard at work on my Hang II, Dad learned to fly paragliders and became a certified instructor. I made the switch to paragliding and, with the boom in interest in the sport, was quickly apprenticed by my Dad as an Instructor. In 1992, I moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with the intent to ski. I quickly discovered a small group of paragliding pilots (or should I say, they discovered me!), and some of the most phenomenal flying sites in the country. Shortly after I arrived, we started a paragliding club and became a chapter of the USHGA. Because of an explosion of interest in paragliding in the Jackson area and my concern about friends teaching friends to fly, my father and I also decided to start a paragliding school. I have spent the last three years teaching flying, selling paragliding equipment, working with our local USHGA chapter, working with other paragliding schools, and traveling around the country and the world flying as much as possible I have now been flying a paraglider and teaching paragliding since 1990. Because I'm a second generation pilot and USHGA supporter, however, USHGA has been a household word in my family since I was a little girl. I have heard about and discussed with my Dad issues surrounding hang gliding since the 1970' s. I closely followed the issues of the APA when I became a member in 1990 and very much supported its merger with the USHGA. In 1994, I finally decided that maybe I had something to offer to the USHGA. It was finally time to give something back to the organization which has worked so hard to govern the sport that has become a major part of my life. I have been attending the biannual meetings of the USHGA ever since. Although I have tried to keep up with the work of all the USHGA committees, I have been most active on the Safety and Training, Tandem. Towing, and Paragliding Committees. My main interest and commitment lies in in working to ensure safety and excellence in the training of our instructors and future paragliding pilots. To that end, I am currently involved with a subcommittee reviewing the change of the current 3-tier paragliding rating system to a 5-tier system modeled on that used by the hang gliding pilots. With the restoration of Region 5, it is crucial that we have a voice among us to represent the particular concerns of the Mountain states at the biannual USHGA BOD meetings. It would make a great deal of sense to have a representative from Jackson Hole since we have almost 70 pilots living here out of a total of 254 in the whole of Region 5. I have worked hard to further the growth and safety of paragliding and will continue to do so if elected as your Regional Director. Whatever your decision is, exercise your right and your responsibility to express your opinion-VOTE.

Nominee Fr:mlk Gillette, Regirnri 5 Hi, I'm Frank Gillette, owner of Magic Valley Gliders, Burley, Idaho. I've been flying hang gliders since 1972, flying paragliders since 1990, and am a certified USHGA hang gliding and paragliding instructor.

I believe in an organization whose strength lies in its numbers, whose assets are informed pilots and public members. Foremost, I would like to see USHGA evolve into a cohesive organization, with solid programs and a united and focused effort to elevate our overall image through public relations. I believe it is essen-

PAGE 30 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

tial to effectively work with land owners and land managers to stimulate interest in preserving existing flying sites and securing new sites. This must be accomplished through concerted pilot safety programs, not only for new pilots, but for all pilots currently enjoying the sport. To all those who enjoy flying as much as I do, and with the aforementioned ideas in mind, I ask you for your vote.

Nominee Pete Lehmann, Region 9 For those who are lucky enough not to know me, let me briefly introduce myself. I am one of Region Nine's two current Directors, and against my better judgement and due to a lack of alternative candidates, I am again standing for re-election. I am active, and a highly experienced hang glider pilot, with my principle interests being cross-country flying and competition. I do not fly paragliders, and know very little about them as they hold no interest for me. So to the extent that your interests are focused on paragliding, I cannot be the articulate and knowledgeable advocate that I like to think I am in hang gliding matters. In addition to my experience as a pilot and broad knowledge of the sport, I bring to the Board of Directors a conviction that an eastern region's interests are sufficiently distinct that they need to be articulated at BoD meetings. Our flying sites, conditions and pilot populations are sufficiently different from other regions that someone must speak up to defend our specific interests. That I do. Finally, I bring to the position of Regional Director the principle asset required of one who occupies that august position: I can afford the plane tickets and associated costs of attending the Board of Director's meetings. Case closed. Please vote for me.

Nominee Jeffrey Hunt, Region U Again I would accept if elected, the position as USHGA Director for my region. As a volunteer on the BoD, I know there are limits to what we can do but we strive to have an effect. I am proud to have made some accomplishments at the national, regional, and local levels. The hang gliding simulator program I initiated has done well and is now a widely traveled tool. Lookout Mtn. Flight Park - Matt Taber deserves a great deal of credit for donating the simulator itself and Jeff Elgart at the office should be noted for tracking and tending to the program. I managed to persuade RR Rodriguez to set up a communication forum via an e-mail bulletin board. Soaring@swt.edu has been a success in the region and an invaluable tool in such instances as coordinating an aero-towing tour through Texas. I have helped to add new sites over the years, such as Junction and Big Spring airports, which have seen events organized by the North Texas HG Assoc. and the Houston HG Assoc. I also maintain reference information on current, past, and potential flying sites. Currently, I am Chairperson of the Towing Committee and am striving to make sure our system for administering towing programs is clear and documented. In short, I am ready to continue the efforts I have been making to date and remain accessible and helpful to all levels in the USHGA.

Nominee Dave"Dino Dave" Broyles, Region U This particular regional directors election occurs while a lot of members are unhappy. Most of you know my views about "THE WAIVER". I think that it or something like it is necessary for the advancement of the spmt, but I feel that it could be worded better and could have been better introduced to the membership. As many of you know, I have been to the last four BOD meetings. I also represented the USHGA at the Sun-N-Fun Fly-in and twice at the EAA Fly-in at Alliance Air Port in Fort Worth. I was National Fly-in Committee Chairman for one year, and have been very active in the Safety and Training committee, working to get the rating requirements for paragliding to parallel hang gliding so that the ratings for hang gliding and paragliding mean the

P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Sprlngo, Colorado 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300

same things. I believe that I have accomplished a Jot towards my goals for hang gliding and paragliding, which have been to allow the two sports to mesh so that they may he seen as two different aspects of the same thing. To that end I am now a certified paragliding instructor as well as an advanced hang gliding instructor. I am clearly committed to the advancement of both types of wing. If I am elected, regardless of my own views, I will carry your valid concerns to the BOD meetings and give them a fair presentation to the BOD, and then I will do my best to represent and act in the best interests of Region 11.

In a less serious vein, the picture here shows me at Sun-N-Fun standing next to G. W. Meadows. He's the guy in the helmet and harness. I'm the one with the funky paragliding boots. This picture in no way is meant to imply that G. W. endorses me for regional director. It just means that when G. W. is hooked into a glider and on a launch dolly, he can't keep me from standing next to him.

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1995

US NATIONAL

Open Paragliding Competition Chelan, Washington by Shari Asplund

t was the best of locations, it was the worst of locations. Perspective was everything at the 1995 U.S. Open/National Paragliding Championships from July 1-7. Those who got high, went far and enjoyed some of the best flights of their lives thought it was a premier site, perfect for a competition of this caliber. Those who couldn't or didn 't launch due to conditions they felt were too strong and dangerous protested. It's a site where dust devils are common and often quite violent, and lift of 1,000-1,500 fpm is not unusual. This all added up to a meet that was exciting, challenging, colorful and dramatic. And when it was over, Richard Gallon from St. Hilaire, France, earned the title of U.S. Open Champion, and Dave Bridges from Sun Valley, Idaho, was the new U.S. National Champion.

From left to right: Bob England. Rob Whittall , Richard Gallon , Dave Bridges, Ron Mc Kensie

PAGE 32 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

The winning women, from L to R: Mary Ann Karren 3rd ,Lizzy Opitz 2nd, Jennifer Toms 1st .

Day 1. July 1 - Round 1: Task was Sims Corner turnpoint to Withrow, 52 miles. "Real men didn't launch," one pilot reflected at the pasta dinner held at grass-laden Chelan Falls Park on the banks of the Columbia River in the evening after the first day of competition. Negotiations with the local club had resulted in the designated competition launch being on the northeast side of the butte, but on Day l the wind was blowing from the southwest. Pilots were forced to launch into thermals as they tore up the side of the hill. It was a major test of one' s ability to control one's glider, and many chose not to tempt fate under such gnarly conditions. It's unknown exactly how many of the 81 competition pilots actually launched, but only 28 scored points, resulting in the day being worth only 308 points.

Photo Brad Lamson

1. Richard Gallon (FRA) 2. Rob Whittall

(ENG)

3. Dave Bridges

(USA)

4.Ron McKenzie

(AUS)

5. Bob England

(USA)

6. Todd Bibler

(USA)

7 . Josh Cohn

(USA)

8. Bill Gordon

(USA)

9. Otbar Lawrence (USA) 10. Will Gadd

(USA)

Final standing , top 10 pilots'95 US Nationals

Conditions had become soarable about 1:00 pm. English pilot Rob Whittall, Richard Gallon from France, Othar Lawrence, Dave Bridges, Todd Bibler and Will Gadd (Gallon flying a UP prototype, the others all on Edel Energys) were in the first gaggle to cross the river, flying at about 7,500 feet. Some got to cloud base, about 14,000 feet. They reported the wind wasn ' t that high at altitude, but it was 25 mph on the ground . No one made it to goal, but Whittall came the closest, landing about five miles short. Gadd, who placed ninth, flew 40 miles before landing going backward in 30+ mph west winds. The story of the day was that launching and landing were demanding and difficult, but the flying was outstanding. Whittall reported he had a good flight. " I enjoyed it a lot," he said, "I think this is a very good location. Yesterday was one of the best days I've flown anywhere. It was incredible, spectacular. Big, smooth, strong thermals, easy to find. It was ideal." He hasn ' t flown at Chelan before, but that wasn't a concern for him. "Yesterday was my first time at Chelan," he said. "It's technique rather than knowing the site. It' s typical textbook flatland flying. " Asked what he thinks is the key to paragliding competition success, Whittall , who has been flying paragliders for six years said, "What is takes to win is to fly a lot. It takes dedication. If you have the time and the desire, you can do it."

The top five for Round 1: Whittall, Gallon, Lawrence, Bridges, Bibler.

Day 2. July 2 - Task canceled. A low moved through the area and the day was blown out. Everyone looked for local means of amusement-playing in the lake, checking out the local scenery, or just hanging out and cruising Main Street.

Day 3. July 3 Task flown (to Almira, 51 miles) but later declared invalid. Meet Director Mitch McAleer talked to the locals after the first day and obtained access to the lower launches. Good air was reported at 12:55 pm, Marvin the Wind Dummy launched and the fun began. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the clouds looked reasonably friendly. After the first groups of pilots launched, however, the wind kicked up and the thermals became treacherous. Collapses were happening everywhere. Mark Horvath, an American living and working in Germany for a number of years and flying in the U.S. for the first time, endured a very extreme series of about five frontals and asymmetries by his Airwave Alto Extreme, just in front of launch. He exhibited exceptional skills with his thin lavender wing, pulling out save after save. The loss of altitude with each collapse finally brought him back down fairly gently to the side of the hill. He called it a day. Lee Kaiser, Ed Pitman, and Fred Lawley were among the dozen or so who assessed the conditions and chose not to launch. For the pilots who made it to goal, which included crossing five-mile-wide Banks Lake, it was an incredible flight. Cloudbase was 12,000' and dust devils were abundant, making for turbulent conditions and some awesome low saves over the dry brown wheat fields. Zach Hoisington, Josh Cohn, Whittall, Gallon and several others had great flights . All this said, the day was declared invalid because safe launch conditions did not exist for a long enough period for task validation (based on the USHGA Rulebook, chapter 6, page 6). According to the formula, high winds had forced the launch window to be shut down nine minutes sooner than required. McAleer later felt he had made the wrong decision in closing launch, but others disagreed. One experienced pilot said, "Closing launch was the only decision-people were getting blown backward." "It was very chaotic at launch," McA!eer conceded, "We can ' t do that again. We got hammered by Mother Nature. " It was unfortunate that some really . skillful flying didn' t count in the final tally. The results of the meet would have been quite different had this been a valid day. But that's part of the game-Mother Nature Rules . A meeting was held in the evening and pilots came up with recommendations to be submitted to USHGA for paragliding-specific competition rules.

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 33

Day 4. July 4 - Round 2:

The top five for Round 3: Gallon, Whittall, Josh Cohn, Bob England and Scott Amy.

Mansfield turnpoint to Almira, 52 miles.

Day 6.

Independence Day blew in with a bang . Conditions at launch became real strong real fast. The wind was cycling up to 20 mph, resulting in multiple attempts to get off the hill for many.

July 6 - Task canceled.

Meanwhile, pilots continued to take off and many were getting trashed by the rowdy air. Ed Pitman had a large asymmetric right out in front of launch. His wing reopened just before he hit the ground but he suffered a broken wrist. Minutes later, Dave Kruglinski suffered breaks in both legs after having a big collapse when he was to low to deploy, causing him to spin and hit the hill. And just minutes after that, Monte Bell, flying a new UP Shape, had a large colJapse, threw his reserve and landed safely.

The sky was overcast and the pilots meeting kept getting pushed further back. A short task was called at 1:30 and everyone griped. No one moved quickly to launch, and minutes later when an updated weather report came in reporting rain and winds to 55 mph in Yakima, the day was canceled. The pilots then launched for fun, and the rain arrived at 3:00. Good decision .

Day 7. July 7 - Round 4:

The day wasn't over for Bell , however. He borrowed another reserve from John Yates and launched again. He made it across the river, and, with plenty of time to consider the events that had transpired, he realized the brakes were too short and felt that he had induced a lot of the problems he encountered himself. Not everyone agreed with his assessment, because conditions were obviously quite rough and colJapses were nerve-wrackingly common, but it does bring home the point that even very knowledgeable, experienced pilots make mistakes in judgment, mistakes that offer us all important lessons to learn from. His errors were not only in the air, making the wrong inputs at a crucial time, but before he ever left the ground by not previously flying a new glider to make sure everything was right. It shows that the basics can't be ignored. Meanwhile, many of the pilots had fantastic rides across the river and out onto the flats. The course turned south after 30 miles, into a fierce headwind. Only Whittall and Gallon crossed Banks Lake and got close to goal. The others landed in various spots all across the fields, looking from the air like colorful wildflowers blooming in the barren landscape.

The top five for Round 2: Whittall, Gallon, Brian Webb, Steve Rich, and Steve Prairie.

Day 5. July 5 - Round 3: Withrow intersection turnpoint to Leahy, 31 miles This day the conditions presented a different challenge. Cloudbase was lower and crossing the Columbia was difficult. Half the field sunk out before making it to the flats and all but 14 were forced to land as they battled upwind toward the turnpoint, 15 miles away. It was a day that required great patience and knowing how to pick your thermals. Gallon reached goal first, in 3 hours and 11 minutes. Most pilots got across the gorge and landed on the other side by the turnpoint. There were 6 wrong turns, 3 bogus films, and 11 made it to goal. Whittall and Bridges flew into dust devils, Whittall going up at 2,000/fpm, snaking and flailing past Bridges, who was ascending at a mere 1,200/fpm."

PAGE 34 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

Chelan Airport to Okanogan Airport, 43 miles The pilots agreed that this was an interesting task: launch from the Butte, fly 5 miles to the Chelan Airport, then follow the Columbia River gorge north to Okanogan. The decision on where to cross the river was a big key to success . Some took the safe route with retrieval in mind, folJowing Highway 97, which parallels river. Others crossed quickly to the stark plateau, hoping for big lift but risking a long hike out. Many pilots sank out near Brewster, about half the distance, with only Ron McKenzie from Australia reaching goal, in 5-1/2 hours.

The top five for Round 4: McKenzie, Cyril Botteron, Dave Bridges, Jan Ala, Fred Lawley.

The Results With four rounds complete, Dave Bridges was crowned U .S. National Paragliding Champion , followed by Bob England, Todd Bibler, Josh Cohn and Bill Gordon. The new U.S. Open Champion was Richard Gallon, with Rob Whittall taking second, a mere 6 points behind. Dave Bridges, Ron McKenzie and Bob England rounded out the top five overall. Richard Gallon on flying at Chelan: "I love it here . Flatland flight-it 's perfect. No mountains, no stress. There are dust devils in the flats and you can ' t get in a hurry. You must be patient. My technique is to fly quite slow, not in a hurry. I like to launch when about 20 pilots are in the sky . Each thermal is already marked and I can see what is happening." Gallon, who is 22 years old, has been competing for seven years. He started flying paragliders at age 13 after seeing them in the air close to his home at St. Hilaire, near Grenoble. Two years ago he captured the overall Parag liding World Cup championship, won with cumulative points for flying in eight competitions over a one year time frame . As the new U .S. Open Champion, Richard is a happy guy. "I just want to keep doing what I'm doing," he said, "Everything is perfect."

What Did the Newbies Learn? Paul Klemond, flying in his first competition, said, "In terms of my personal flying skills , I learned that XC strategy is a skill unto

itself, compk,ely independent of the skill of thermalling. I'm confident in my ability to ascend to cloudbase most of the time, but I now see how deficient I am at predicting where on the landscape I will find that next thermal. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more about how to do this, and extend my XC flights. I had my two best ever XC flights during the competition - 9 miles and 17 miles."

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The Awards Nineteen medals were handed out at an awards ceremony on July 8. The 100 in attendance saw prizes such as LARA reserves, varios, helmets, and flight suits go to the top finishers, and plaques of appreciation to the meet sponsors. (Maybe someday we can talk prize money.)

Epilogue "We couldn ' t control the weather," reflected one of the organizers, "It took us for a bit of a ride on a couple days. But the meet went very well, we' re very happy." So there you have it-the exceptional, the hapless and the uncontrollable. Huge thanks and appreciation go to the organizers and the members of the local clubs who worked very hard and made it look easy, the many volunteers, the sponsors, everyone who donated raffle items, the local businesses and, of course, all the daring pilots .

The Sport Class The Sport Class competition, an unofficial, unsanctioned category, new for the first time, was for entry level competition pilots flying recreational gliders. The Sport Class winners were: 1. Steve Rich 2. Steve Prarie 3. C.C. Cunningham 4. Jay Carroll 5. Jennifer Toms (Jenoifers "Cinderella Story" and the story of the women ' s competition. will be primed in 'Women with Wings', in the next issue.)

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PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 35

VIEWS, On

U.S.

The 1st US Nationals was held in 1988, in Leavenworth, Washington. Most of the pilots in the US attended (about 15). The next two were at the Point of the Mountain, Utah , attended by about 22 pilots in ' 89 and 80+ pilots in '90. Since then there has been a National Meet every year. This year the US Nationals/Open meet was held in Chelan, Washington. Hang gliders have been flying Chelan Butte for many years, but until this summer only a relatively few paraglider pilots had flown at Chelan, which is in a fairly remote part of the state. The meet organizers enlisted the help of three clubs from the surrounding areas, they were the Cascade Paragliding Club , The Northwest Paragliding Club, and The Inland Northwest Hang gliding/paragliding Club. The clubs representatives worked very hard to see that the meet was well organized, and they all deserve our thanks. The Chelan townspeople were friendly and cooperative with the clubs, and seemed to enjoy the pilots. A great deal has been learned during the meets of the last eight years. However I feel we still have a long way to go before our meets achieve all the objectives that are important to the sport. What is the main objective of holding a US Nationals?

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We generally recognize that one of the most important aspects of the meet is to give our best pilots a fair arena to compete for a spot on the U.S. World Team. However there are other objectives that are arguably of equal importance. They include showcasing the sport to the public, providing a learning environment for junior pilots, who will become the top pilots of the future, a place for manufacturers to showcase their latest designs, etc. In all of this safety is paramount. The evolution of hang gliding competitions in this country (and the rest of the world for that matter) has taught us that we can achieve all of these objectives without seriously compromising the safety of the competitors, spectators and meet officials. What can be done to to improve our situation? It takes more than one or two meets a year to really see who our top pilots are. A logical step is to have more competitions nationwide, and experienced people to coordinate them. The problem is that in the US we have a small number of pilots spread over a large area, which makes it difficult for pilots to afford to go to every meet.

How can this problem be solved? If pilots need to chose which meets to attend, (where to spend their time and money), maybe we should encourage local meets such as fly-ins and especially any well run sanctioned meets to incorporate as regional meets. Ideally a regional meet should hold as much importance to a pilot than, say an annual XC meet. The regionals could be our meets that qualify the field for the Nationals. If a pilot did well on the regional level he/she would be more likely to put in the time, effort and money it takes, to make the commitment to National competition. The other benefit would be a larger base of people who would gain experience at running meets, and we would soon

N Co

et it i

recognize those individuals who have a special talent for doing so.

What other concerns need to be addressed? One of the concerns is that for quite awhile now, we haven't had a competition committee for paragliding at the BoD meetings, It is a fact that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A National competition should be a team effort from its conception to the award ceremonies. Whoever takes on this job needs to be able to follow through. This means knowledge and experience of the job are important as well as understanding our available resources. In the United States with our relatively small number of paragliding enthusiasts, a National competition should involve everyone possible that can be of help including the USHGA office, the magazine, previous meet heads, and the local clubs. Since this is a volunteer structure, the best chance for success is for many people to do smaller bits and pieces of the work as opposedto the normal process of a few people doing a lot of the work.

What are our available resources ? Our National Association is our main resource, it is the glue that holds all aspects of the sport together. Without an association we would have no records, no insurance, no valid competitions and therefore no world team.The USHGA office is a inte· gral part of the association and can play an important role in putting together a meet through public relations, information packets, and personal contacts. The magazine is a resource that is often overlooked. Our magazine is a source of communication with the rest of the world, a forum for discussion, and a window of opportunity for those who wish to use it. Paragliding Magazine has always supported US competitions. I personally have attended and documented, for the magazine, all except one of the US Nationals, (including the two I helped to organize in Utah) many fly-ins, air races and sanctioned meets, as well as the Pre-world meet and the World Meet in St. Andres, France. We will continue to support the US pilots and heip in whatever way help is needed. Past experience from meet organizers in hang gliding and paragliding is a valuable resource. In the past pilots expected the Association to take care of their problems for them. Thanks to the meet at Chelan sonic of the comp. pilots realized that more has to be done than just complaining. The pilots elect· ed representatives to go to the fall BoD meeting and put forward some of the changes that are necessary. Going to the meetings, giving your input and being willing to do your share of the work, is an important step towards moving into our future. I know these pilots will get the support and help they need from many of the association committee members. Sincerely, Fred Stockwell, Publisher of Paragliding the Magazine, USHGA Honorary Director. With thanks to Russ Locke, Chairman USHGA Competition.

Nati

We spoke to a cross section of people involved in this years meet. Our goal was to identify the areas of our strengths and our weaknesses. We hope that by reading their comments you will begin to see, that what we all have learned can act as a springboard to take us, as a group, into the next level of knowledge and understanding. Then hopefully we can unify our efforts and move forward.

Dave Bridges- 1st place US pilot - "It was my first time flying at the Butte I think Chelan is a site with great XC potential. We have lots of good American pilots but we need to learn to compete and race. We need more meets, because we learn how to race by racing, also it's a real eye opener to fly with pilots of a different level".

Bill Gordon - co organizer of the meet"Having the experience of organizing the Nationals, I realize the need for qualified people to run paragliding competitions. I'm willing to take on that role. A good meet needs good and thorough pre-planning and organizing, so it will run smoothly. I think we need to have meets at proven comp. sites and run by proven meet heads so we can start to get some consistency". "This meet set a precedent by involving three local clubs who all worked together. It was also the first US meet run by USHGA rules, rather than PWC rules. We got off to a bit of a rough start (with the weather) but then we had three very good days. The top pilots loved the conditions".

Bob Hannah -Class III tandem instructor, Fly-in launch monitor- "At the fly-in there were close to 1000 flights over the week with no injuries. I think that is something to be proud of'. "As for the competition I think in the future we should be a little more careful in choosing the Safety director, it is an important job and it needs to be someone who is a highly experienced paragliding pilot, with good judgement".

Josh Cohn -4th place Nationals 7th overall - "Chelan is a really good place for competition, excellent for XC. It's tense getting up over the Butte, but the flats are awesome". "The week after the Nationals I had a 65 mile tandem flight with Kari Castle from the Butte heading north".

Photos Fred Stockwell

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 37

MMENTS & OPINIONS! on the NationaJs

Todd Bibler - Class Ill Competition Pilot - "Chelan was great, a little frightening off launch, but then the Ila ts are wonderful flying". US pilots need more exposure to competition, we all learn from flying with the top guys. We need highly experienced meet directors who can handle the lcnsions of ..i competition. The comp. pilots had a meeting after the meet and made some (paragliding specific) proposed changes to the USHGA rules concerning validity, such as minimum distance. A small group of comp. pilots will go to the Bod meeting with the changes. "l hope Chelan will do it again".

JR.ob Whittall - World Class Pilot 2nd place US open.- " It was a very well organized meet and the flying was fantastic!" "The Butte is a great place to fly, I love the flat land thermalling". "The only reason there were accidents was because people didn't understand their capabilities." The different classes are a good idea, but pilots coming to a competition should know what to expect and learn the rules".

Greg Smith - President EDEL USA

Team Edel Manager, "I'm very proud of our guys. All of the Edel Team, except Robbie Whittall (who was flying a prototype wing), flew stock certified Energy's. I feel that it proves that certified gliders can do very well".

Joel & Kristen Armstrong (Center &Left)- Inland NW PG Club coordinators,-

"We were mainly involved with the Fly-in, the contests, prizes etc. We had a contest that was for launch technique, because we didn't want to push pilots to fly in thermal conditions." ·'It was a lot of work but a lot of fun, we would do it again. It was very educational to watch the world class pilots and learn from them." "Some of the problems in the competition stem from the rule book being unclear or not descriptive enough. The rule to photograph the start tarp for example - some of the new pilots were walking over and taking a photo of the start tarp before they launched, rather tban while they were in the air!" "One of the highlights of the meet for me was when Mark Shipman brought out his first paraglider an old Feral and launched from the Butte one morning". Steve Stroming (Right) - NW PG Club coordinator,"Our club put together transport, accommodations, catering, permits and media coverage. We have voted to put on the meet next year." "The pilot's all seemed very impressed with the site and the organization"."ln retrospect I feel that the role/focus of the meet director could have been more informative and helpful, especially to new competitors". Mark Ferguson - Class [II competition pilot - "Chelan has the Big Air. it's fun once you gel up and away from the Butte". "I'd like to sec more focus on who can fly the best, not who can protest the best. We arc too focused on the rule

book, rather than the quality of the pilots and tasks." "I also think that more focus should be on safety of the compclitors. Some of the tasks were more of an endurance task

than a race lo goal."

Paul and Mark Ferguson at the Ball Yario's booth, Chelan Tracie Show.

PAGE 38 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

John

Yate.v(R)President, Pro Design USA, with lierbert (C) Pro

Design Owner, and Jurgen Stock (L)Pro Design ?'est Pilot. "The trade show was great, the way that it was scheduled, permitted the large number of pilot atlendance that we saw. The pilots, especially new pilots asked a lot of questions and got to gel their hands on lots of the small merchandise that some shops don't stock". I think it was good for everyone."

Ed Pitman - Class III instructor/comp. pilot - "The meet was very well organized, and I think that having a USHGA meet steward will help future competitions".

Jay Carroll - Cascade PG Club - Fly-in launch monitor- " On the whole l think the meet was quite successful, the fly-in was especially great." "Many of the fly-in pilots got their first taste of thermals while at Chelan, but there were no really spectacular flights from the fly-in. We kept the focus on Fun and Safety. The camaraderie was great". "I learned that we all need more competition experience - the organizers, the meet and safety directors, and the pilots. US pilots don't get enough competition experience and so the beginning of the meet is kind of a scramble". As for the directors there needs to be more local knowledge of the site on a paragliding level. The site is excellent for a paragliding meet, as was proved by new site records set after the meet".

Greg Kelley - Class III tandem instructor - "Tasks were unrealistic for the area and logistics, future meets should have shorter tasks or circuits, which could make the meet more marketable to businesses and spectators." "1be position of safety director needs to be a highly qualified individual, well versed in site conditions and paragliding capabilities".

EVENT: An experienced Class II pilot was simulating a carabiner failure during an advanced maneuvers clinic over water. He used a hook knife attached to a lanyard to cut away webbing attaching the riser to his harness in place of the usual carabiner. Upon release of half of his wing, the remaining portion immediately went into a spin. Attempts at regaining controllable flight were not effective, and he decided to throw his reserve with lots of altitude. It didn' l work. That same day the pilot had been dunked twice on previous tows, and had wet equipment (including his reserve parachute.) When he voiced his concerns over its functionality, he was told that it would probably work, it would be just slower in opening. Spinning rapidly, he was able to make a good throw, only to watch the bridle become taut, and the reserve remain firmly in the deployment bag. He immediately pulled the reserve in hand over hand, and threw it again with all his might. The same thing happened. He pulled it in again, and proceeded to peel the deployment bag from the canopy, then separated the pleats of the reserve enough to catch the wind. The reserve tore from his hands, and deployed just above the water. But wait, there's more. He was still spinning rapidly, and the hook knife attached to the lanyard spun around the reserve lines, and proceeded to do what it is designed to do .... cut through lines. Six lines on the reserve parted before he impacted the water on his back. The shock was enough to drive the breath from him, and he clawed through the wreckage back to the surface. His positive flotation was marginal, but fortunately a passing boat came to his rescue and held his head above water. When he commented to the occupants of the boat that it was not a terrible accident as they surmised but that he had purposely started the sequence of events, the occupants quickly moved to the other side of the boat.

AN ALYSIS: This is a trne story. The pilot lives to colorfully tell the tale today, with bruises his only reminder how close he came to ending his flying career. His padded kevlar back plate undoubtedly saved him from more serious injury. Last year we had a broken back from a maneuvers clinic when the pilot fell into the wing upon reinflation from searching for constant stall. Clinics such as these arguably teach important skills to pilots so that they can handle emergency situations when they arise in the course of their flying career. You must be aware of the risk you are placing yourself in. You must be willing and capable of placing your life into the hands of the highly skilled and qualified people who conduct these clinics. Unnecessary risks (such as a wet parachute) should not go unattended. Due to his exceptional will to survive, and his ability to react quickly and decisively, this pilot did what was necessary to live. We all hope that we can react in a given situation as well.

EVENT: An intermediate pilot launched into seemingly steady straight-in 1014 MPH winds at a mountain ridge soaring site. Without warning the wind sock on launch took a 90 degree turn, and winds rapidly increased to 25-30 MPH. The pilot was not able to make his primary LZ, and was blown downwind parallel to the ridge After several deflations while using speed bar and big ears, the pilot landed during a deflation, and suffered a dislocated shoulder.

EVENT: Two intermediate pilots launched at a mountain site during a buildup of cumulus clouds in the area. Storm cells appeared to be by passing their location. A nearby cu-nim dumped its baggage to form a gust front. The gust front quickly overtook them, and they began moving up and backwards in the 25--30 MPH winds. Using big ears and speed bar they attempted to get to the ground. One pilot landed safely higher on the hill, the other lower in a depression, where his glider was flying and then just slopped. He does not remember how he landed. A broken femur requiring surgery and compression fractures of the spine were the result.

EVENT: A Class I pilot visiting a mountain site for the first time launches in what appeared to be diminishing gust cycles, at least on the ground. He launches, and immediately begins to ascend and was being blown backwards. He pulls big ears with speed bar and descends. While reinflating the wing, he continued to use the speed bar. One side of the bar broke, followed by a full leading edge collapse, then by a spin, followed by the ground. Helicopter evac. to hospital, where he was treated for leg and back injuries.

ANALYSIS: The common theme to all these incidents is a lack of appreciation or awareness for what changing weather conditions can do to the fun factor index while we are flying. If there is doubt in your mind or others about wind strength, don't take off! Being right 99% of the time isn't good enough in this sport. That equates to one accident before you have enough flights for a Class II license. Don't allow yourself to become fixated on "the one and only safe landing zone, the one next to the car and the cold beer!" When faced with rapidly changing weather conditions, your first priority is to get safely out of the air as soon as possible. "The landing zone" is any place where you can land safely under control. Don't develop object fixation on your usual LZ, if it is not your best option based upon changing weather conditions! Prolonging your time in the air to '·round my flight out to an even hour" as one pilot put it does not prolong your longevity in the sport! One other theme was the use of the speed bar while doing big ears. Some wings react better than others to this treatment, and you should find out how your wing will recover before you have to find out in an emergency situation. Many wings are not certified with their speed systems attached, because they do not react within the class parameters the manufacturers wish to certify their wings in. Make sure you look on the placard on your wing, and talk to your instructor if you need to clarify how easily your wing will regain a normal flying attitude. Practice emergency descent and side-hill landing techniques before you have to put them to use in high winds!

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 39

by Anatoly Cohn, President APCO Aviation, Israel.

Emergency Parachutes have finally become recognized as mandatory equipment in most countries, and they are the primary lifesaving device for every paraglider pilot in case of emergency. Over the last few years some manufacturers have been lobbying for bigger and better emergency parachutes. The assumption was that "bigger = better", meaning the bigger the parachute, the better the sink rate will be. Their prime criteria for bigger is the surface area of the canopy. The industry under-went a transformation over the last five years from 25 - 26 sq. m. area parachutes to 35 - 40 sq m. area parachutes. This penalized the pilot with the extra weight, volume and cost - not to mention opening time - all in the name of the so-called sink rate. In order to compare different Emergency Parachutes, factors other than area size alone must be considered, as using this criteria only is very misleading. The sink rate and performance of the final product is the result of much more than this single factor alone.

The dominant fadoirs for judging Emergency Parachutes are as follows : a. Flying diameter: In the parachute industry it generally is not

customary to speak of "area" (size in sq. m.), but of flying diameter, because the drag of the parachute is in direct proportion to the diameter of the parachute when open (flying diameter). Parachutes of the same diameter can use totally different amounts of cloth, depending on their design. Some designs can use more cloth and have a worse sink rate: e.g., a pull-down apex of Sm. diameter will use less cloth than a conical design of the same diameter and the sink rate of the pull-down apex design will be better than the sink rate of a conical Emergency Parachute design of the same diameter. b. Type of doth: Many Emergency Parachutes on the market, especially German parachutes, use low or regular porosity cloth (the air can travel freely through the cloth). This obviously will make the sink rate of the Emergency Parachute much higher than it would be with an Emergency Parachute made from type F 111 zero porosity cloth. Accordingly they need to be bigger in order to achieve a reasonable sink rate.

PAGE 40• PARAGLIDING, MAGAZINE

Regular Round

Pulled-Down Apex

Graphics courtesy of Dennis Pagen, from his Performance Flying Manual .

c. Type of design: On the market today are several common designs: a pull-down apex type, flat circular, conical or triconical or "double canopy". Pull-down apex type has a far better drag coefficient than other types of design, which ensures a better sink rate using this design when compared to other designs. The pull-down apex type can itself be of several sub designs depending on the percentage of how much the center line pulls the apex down. The optimal percentage of pull-down apex should be worked out as the best relation between the stability of the Emergency Parachute (no oscillation) and the best sink rate possible to achieve without oscillation. Today in some places the socalled "double canopy" has become fashionable. In the "double canopy" there are additional vents in the upper third of the canopy through which the air escapes, causing an increased sink rate. This design was originally intended for the military industry to rectify the deployment sequence of the Emergency Parachute when using ultra-heavy loads. Unfortunately, openings/vents in the canopy result in increased sink rate requiring once again a bigger Emergency Parachute. This is absolutely unnecessary in paragliding for improving the deployment sequence because the best and fastest deployments usually can be achieved on low-speed deployment with pull-down or triconical design. Deployment time can be effectively controlled by using different folding techniques which accordingly can speed up or slow down the deployment procedure.

Only by comparing all these main parameters of Emergency Parachutes - flying diameter, type of cloth and type of design (and others which I have not mentioned as they are less important) is it possible to objectively judge the overall performance of the Emergency Parachute, including sink rate and stability. These factors should be seriously considered before purchasing an Emergency Parachute based on size alone. I would like to devote some more lines to the importance of proper packing and deployment arrangement for Emergency Parachutes which has a crucial effect on deployment time and deployment reliability of the product.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers do not pay attention to this point at all and as a result have a design which is not "deployment reliable" or hard to deploy. Some manufacturers still use deployment handles which are located so far back that they are difficult to grab and hardly visible, or invisible, so that no eye contact can be established between the pilot and the deployment handle at the moment of deployment. The pilot has to search for the deployment handle by groping for it like a blind person, and this causes him/her to lose vital seconds. An additional important factor in the reliability of the deployment is the length and type of connection between the deployment handle and deployment bag in which the Emergency Parachute is packed. Many manufacturers use a single line which is often very long - 0.5m. or even longer connection webbing. With this type of connection webbing it is very difficult to ensure

proper deployment in the desired direction . For instance, if you would try to throw away a 3 kg weight on a long line which swings back and forth, you would find it very difficult to throw it away and almost impossible to determine the direction in which you wish to throw the Emergency Parachute because of the long swinging motion. In addition the single-line connection makes it possible for the Emergency Parachute in its deployment bag to rotate around itself, locking up the lines and disturbing the proper deployment sequence.

BREAK YOUR OWN RECORD FLYING FA.ff AND SAFE

In order to ensure fast and rellable deployment, the foBowlq rules mmt be observed:

1. The distance between the dqlo1ment bag and luuulk should be 111 ,hon III J.IOSribk. 2. Two-line (tape) connection should be betwen the handle and the dqloyment bag. Tlds wtll prnent rotaJion IIION• ,nent of the deploy,nent bag. 1/ it is short it will be ...,. to throw and detnfnine the throwing tlint:dan.

3. Preferably a 2 pin 111ten, should be med in order to a-void accilkntal deplo1ment and only a cuned pin of a special design should he med to prnent locting of the deployment bag. So,ne manufacturers still 111e collflllerdal grade split pin, and other locking dmen wldcl, 10lMlimn dead-lock, not allowing the E,nergency Parachute to be pulled out.

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If the design criteria and proper materials are selected carefully, it is possible to achieve equal or even better sink rates with a small canopy than with a larger design.

The smaller canopies carry additional benefits as well - faster opening time over larger canopies, since they have shorter lines and short gores and the deployment sequence is much more reliable. Faster opening time is the most crucial and important factor. Other important benefits are less weight, volume and price . In addition to the above-mentioned performance factors . manufacturing quality and consistency must be taken into consideration as well. Emergency Parachutes should be manufactured in a specialized parachute manufacturing company which is set up and certified to manufacture them and is supervised by a regulating agency and has T.S.O. approval. T.S.O. certification means that the manufacturing process and equipment are in strict accordance with formal requirements and assure the quality of the final product. Other important features in parachute design are V-tab construction for line skirt attachment preventing line disattachment on an inverted skirt, a four needle seam at apex and a skirt with 25mm. type III nylon webbing and reinforced radial seams with type III .15mrn. webbing.

We encourage all pilots to regularly inspect their Emergency Parachute and to know it and be comfortable with its features . Your life may someday depend on it!

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PIERRE BOUILLOUX DOES IT AGAIN! ANOTI A 166 Kilometer Triangle! Written by Pierre Bouilloux - SUP AIR I FRANCE n June 1994, it was with my frie nd Vincent Springli that we had flown 153 kms from th e Planpra z s ite (C ha moni xFre nc h Alp s), ma king a ne w wo rld record w ith a triangular fli ght (closed circuit with 3 turning points).

Sunday July 9 , ' 95 , I was fee ling a bit lonely without Vincent wh o was competin g in Spain that week, when I arTived at 3200 m at the "Grands Montets" si te for a ne w a tt empt. It wa s warm, the snow was heavy on the glac ier and w as giv in g e as ily under my weight. Bad luck, there was a light tailwind. At 10:07 am, afte r my second try, I wa s airborne with a 166 km goal. I flew di rec tl y ac ro ss th e Ch a moni x

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IE R WORLD RECORD! Translated by Philippe Renaudin - SUP' AIR I USA Valley to photograph the village of the "Lavancher" (start point of the circuit). I then headed for the " Aiguille s Rouges ," already warmed by the morning sun rays. A warm puff (thermal) took me high enough to reach the "Chaine des Fiz " where quite a few happy cumulus were already at work, sign of a nice day ahead, rich in lift everywhere . One of these "elevator rides" took me up to 2500m over the "Aiguille de Varan," giving me a free ticket to the "Pointe Percee. " It was magnificent, the air was calm and I was so high above the town of "Sallanches. I then , followed the 'Aravis" and the "Bauges" by the east side (warm in the morning). At 2:00 pm, I arrived at " St. Pierre d ' Albligny, " where I quickly photographed my second turn point. To have any chance whatsoever to close such a circuit with a paraglider, one must constantly think " time gain and best us able thermals" while accelerating to the max. from one thermal to the ne xt with the help of a "speed-bar" or "foot accelerator" to decrease the angle of attack of the canopy . I then flew toward the " La c d' Annecy ." It was splendid and without any real difficulties. Rea ching the "Col de la Forclaz, " traffic wa s heavy with hang gliders and paragliders and I was happy to find calm conditions in this area. I photographed the third turn point toward "Thorens Gliere" and reached the "Roche Pama!" mountain range offering to my eyes its serene beauty. I flew for a while with a hang glider in the

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" Petit Bornand" valle y, then was able to regain enough altitude to glide over the "Grand Bornand ," and a while later had to work hard for my lift. Went through the " Col de s Anes" where an eagle joined the party, looking at me with this '·you can fl y, I will let you do so, but will smoke yo u at anytime" kind of attitude. After a decent alti tude gain I fled tow ard "Magland" and c limbed to cloud base, reaching the "Tete du Coloney. " It was the best lift of the day. I was literally catapulted to 3200 m where I glided straight to the Brevent acro ss the street from the "Mont Blanc"(highest moun tain in Europe). The view was unreal! It took a thirty anguishing minute battle in the "Diosaz" canyons before finding my savior, with the shape of a small evening thermal carrying me high enough to fl y over the "Aiguilles Rouges." A long final glide in the warm, humid and stagnant evening air before taking a final s nap- shot of the "Lavancher" to wrap this triangle! I had done it! During this nine and a half hour flight , I had once again admired the incredible beauty of our mountain s and spotted many '·cham o is ." Following mountain ridges I waved at many hiker s who wa ved back at me. That gave me courage to go on . Paragliding is the purest and mo st ma r ve lou s air spo rt device ever in vented and has these days become very safe to use.

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The erratic path of a flatland the.nwd will change as it passes up throup any wind gradients. When encountering a plateau or wide ridge pa way up e m un am thermal may be squeezed over it by winds, turning it into a thermodynamic affair: a combination of dynamic and thennic air quite similar to those experienced on lower hills. Pure mountain thermals rise naturally following the mountain face and collecting up any stray air, adding to their power on the path skyward, rising vertically whenever possible. Depending upon the dryness of the thermal source, the heating process of the weak morning sun is slow, thus producing thermals that are unreliable and difficult to follow. The midday to early afternoon sun has a steady heating effect on most dark areas, producing strong and powerful thermals that rise unconditionally only limited by inversions, wind shears or dew points, ·making an easier climb for the pilot. Generally the thermals climbing above the mountain tops are smooth and sometimes very large.

Nearly all thermals will have a ~~!fl~~~!::====5~co~reeE'.~T117 he To core is a narrow but strong column of lift often found somewhere near the center of the thermal. Sometimes large thermals may have more than one core, which makes them appear quite rough. While climbing in a thermal and before entering the core we will again feel a gust, marking the turbulence surrounding the core and similar to the one we experienced when first entering the thermal. The core or cores can sometime be so small that we cannot center in them, in this case we should keep trying to pass through them as we circle, gaining extra height as we go. If you do manage to center in the core, then your climb rate will be rapid.

Unfortunately, e pecially in our early' thermalling days, we rarely encounter e text book thermal, which is fat, round and well formed, so we need to be sensitive to the air that is pulling 1¢ Olli" ;.wing and c~ntly adjust our speed and turn rate. Our general tlyf, ~ ho: ood and the abiht,: to y f C nt

lftt:f,ld "'~ is a little too _committing then it in the thermal staying in as close as you

rain a good climb rate. If the thermal is weak then g ou of it early, as for every turn reversal you make

1ose aJittle height. Continuous 360' s are far more efficient!

Thennalling is practice and like most sports the better it gets. The mountains provide us with mic conditions throughout the year, giving us -lf,Jl could wish for.

1. Explore moving thermals by changing the shape of your 360'S. Don't just aimlessly go round and round without exploring tW' thermal. There may be better lift close by.

Z,. In broken thermals widen your turn rate until you find the best lift. This will help you to draw a good picture of the thermal and the audio tone of your vario is the pencil.

3. Tpten your tum rate as the lift diminishes and widen it as the U!tincreases. Don't overdo the tightening bit. j, If you spend only half of your 360 in the thermal move your circle towards the lift. Keep adjusting your circle until you are con. ou are-in the best posuj.QQ.

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Remember your air law and have fun! Photo Fred Stockwell

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 45

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So. California (619) 450- 6696 PAGE 46 • PARAGLIDING, MAGAZINE

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Enchantment Paragliding From sand training hills to dozens of mountain sites across the state, learning to fly in New Mexico's uncrowded, crystal clear skies is an unparalled experience . Learn mountain flying , towing ,X-C and thermalling , from USHGA certified instructors. A variety of gliders, accessories and safety equipment available. Euro flying interest you? Call or write for more info.

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Washington (206) 328-1104 PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 47

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Sleep for cheap at the beach, Mission Beach. ~ . ' Located 300 steps from the sand 'n surf and less "T ~ / , -. than 15 minutes to the closest flying site (forrey ' 1 Pines). The San Diego area offers over a dozen flying sites. Get a comfortable bunk for only ~ $13. (taxes incl.) in the heart of what's considered THE BEST flying area in the States. Bring your sleeping bag and towel; some kitchen privliges avail able. Reservation s a MUST! Call or write: Robert & BMartha, 4822 Santa Monica Ave. #187; Sa n Di ego , CA 92 107

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Ph 714-966-1240 Fax 714-757-1610 PAGE 48 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

by James Brown

ook at Current Trends

With the US - Japan auto trade talks having sputtered to some sort of conclusion if not resolution, one might get the wrong impression that the Japanese market is finally succumbing to the crowbar edge of foreign pressure. Not so. Let's take a look at the paraglider market to see how on a small scale the Japanese consumer is taken ... well, for a ride. Let's say you were impressed with the flight impression article written for Paragliding Magazine, and you decided to buy a Flight Design AS. If you ordered it directly from Mike Eberle in the US, you would be paying $3698 for the largest model. In Japan, where the paragliding population is at least ten times bigger, you would have to cough up $5058.82. If you are thinking that there is some fluke in that price related to the exchange rate, you are right. The dollar has plummeted against the German currency, while the Japanese yen has remained stable. The US price should be higher on that score alone, but it isn't.

band transceiver (the absolute cheapest) $291.76 Helmet (this is a hockey-type helmet, none cheaper) $64.71 PG boots? I'll wear my old hiking boots. PG flight suit? Nah, I'll wear my old windbreaker and some army surplus pants. Sunglasses? I bought mine in the US last summer, so I'll stick with them. Total flying price? $7085.38. I spent only $4950 for my 1975 Mercedes Benz when I was living in Seattle, and it had a sun roof. How can they do it? The dealers have a lock on the market. For instance, I have been flying an old Edel Corvette that I bought used through my instructor here. I inspected the lines one day and found some loose stitching here and there, so I figured it might be a good time to send it to the dealer, have the lines checked professionally and replaced if necessary. "Hello? Edel dealer here." "Yes, I have an Edel Corvette which may need to have some lines replaced. I'd like you to have a look at it. Do I just send it to you by delivery service or what? HNo." "No?"

What about other makers? You want a Pro Design Contest? Any sized model will set you back a cool $6000. Yes, that is correct; six thousand dollars. Perche Graffity? It's one of the cheaper ones at only $4352.94. Paratech P40 sport model wing? You can get your hot hands on one for only $5294.12. Your new Apco X-tra is going to set you back $5764. 71. That Edel Rainbow will cost you $5411.76 for the largest sized model. The older Edel Super Space is one of the cheapies, running only $4588.24 for their large model. Is it only the paragliders themselves? Nope. A Sup' Air Protech Evolution harness is going to cost you $823.53 with no options. The Race harness by the same company will set you back exactly $1000, but that does come with a kevlar back plate. The same model costs about $710 in the US. Boots? The Meindl paragliding boots that cost $249.00 in the US somehow reach the market here at $505.88. That's a pair of boots, guys. How about the variometers? The Brauniger AV Competition runs about $999 in the US. Over here you can expect to shell out $1223.53. That's more than 20 percent higher, and this in what is probably the biggest single market in the world. Had enough, or are you craving more? How about that made-inAmerica Avocet watch that sells for about 120 bucks Stateside? The trip across the Big Ditch somehow pushes the price up to $235.29. Well, it's not double, so there are some things to be thankful for. Outfitting someone like me to fly over here looks something like this: Edel Super Space paraglider (let's not get fancy here) $4588.24 Aerotact Tieger harness with back protector (one of the cheapies) $635.29 Mayday reserve chute from Apco (middle priced) $882.35 FlyTech 3005 variometer (let's not get carried away) $564.71 Sup' Air carabiners to hook in to $58.82 for the pair Single

"No. We don't accept any wings for repairs from individual owners. You must send it to us through your school or shop where you bought it." End of conversation. Of course, I had bought it through a school, so repairs would be no problem for me on that wing, but what if I had bought it abroad and carried it over with me to Japan? Out of luck there. And if I had ordered it by mail from the US, or UK where prices are equally low? Sorry, no service. And if it's still under warrantee? Tough luck, guy. So most pilots buy their wings at extremely high prices, often knowing that the price in other countries for the same item might well be 30 or even 50 percent less. There is some competition creeping in. A US based company, Paraglide Maui, and a UK mail order firm, Sky Systems, are both trying the parallel importing game, but finding it rather rough sledding due in part to the after-service problem. Items which normally don't require after service, such as sunglasses or even variometers, may sell through these mail order companies, but bigger ticket items move slowly. Sky Systems for its part is getting flack from Japanese dealers who complain that their businesses are being undercut by Sky System's low pricing (they sell at about the same prices as in the US, i.e. fair prices). That's the game here. Lock up the market, and if real competitors creep in, complain about it to somebody. The rainy season hit with a vengeance this year, so we PG pilots spent a lot of time hoisting brews and looking at the low clouds scudding over head. A new micro-brewery - first in Japan - opened near one of our training slopes. Maybe it will be rainy again this weekend. ~

PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 49

SAFETY INFO. SAFETY INFO.STY~. S ~ ' E , A ~ ' , ¥ F E T i .sF· E E U T Y INFO.SAFETY INFO. SAFETY INFO. SAFETY INFO. SAFETY I ·AF INF F FO. ,FET .-'O. SAFi fY 3A · I J. FETY INFO. SAFETY INFO. SAFE0 .. . :T NFO. TY I :o.SA :TY INF 3 .: ,N . SA ,Fl,- SAFETY INFO.SAFETY INFO. TY INFO.SAFETY INFO. SAFE ' SAFETY INFO. SAFETY INFO. SAo-ETY INFO. SAt=ETY 11'111-U. SAl"n:TY INl-0. SAFETY INI-O.SAFE'1 V INFO. ::.AFET\' INFO. SAFETY INFO. SAFETY

IN THE SPIRIT OJF SAFETY Reprinted from the Sylmar Hang Gliding Asso. Hi Times

Safety is a book, not a word; an attitude more than an action. It is a practiced pattern, not a single step; awareness from a broad

perspective and attention to fine detail. Safety is confident and positive, yet humble and sensitive. Safety demands respect and it costs time and money; it also pays and saves. Enjoy your adventure and be patient with yourself. Accomplish your dream of flight and stay safe. You owe it to those who love you, and to this sport we all love to be careful. Pay now and play longer!

Doing It With Style by Paul Gazis, Region 2 Director from Sunnyvale, California

Why do you fly cross country? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I'm sure you must have. And if you're like most XC pilots, you could probably give many answers-the freedom, the challenge, the beauty, the sense of accomplishment. Still, is this really the whole story? If you're like most XC pilots, you probably have two goals that are less abstract, more concrete, easier to quantify, and more important than all the rest. These can be summed up in one simple phrase: "Get high and go far!" Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I'll even go one step further. If you're like most XC pilots-and I know, because I'm one of them-I'll bet if you examine the depths of your soul, you'll find you really have only one goal. This goal can be summed up in two simple words: Go far!" There's nothing wrong with this. Distance is a fine end goal to pursue, and I've pursued it myself. Like the rest of you, I fantasize about taking a summer off to try and break Tudor's record. Like the rest of you, I'm impressed by pilots who can make the commitment, accept the exposure, head out low over unlandable le1Tain, and pull it off. If nothing else, this can make for some incredible stories. Still, before you go out to collect stories of your own, you should ask yourself this question: "What kind of stories do I want to collect.?" Cross country is wonderful, if you do it for the right reasons. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to do it for the wrong reasons. It's easy, all too easy, to fall victim to what I call the 'disease of numbers'; to forget the flight itself and focus only on numbers in a logbook, competition results, or the forms and barograph trace you're hoping to submit to the FAI. This is fine, if numbers are REALLY what you want, but I suspect that most pilots want something else. I suspect that most pilots measure themselves by the distance they fly because it's the only measure our culture recognizes. Our media, our clubs, and our peers pay attention to distances, times, competition results, and records because these things are easy to measure. Then, in the absence of any alternative, we secretly dream about distances, times, competition results, distance. PAGE 50 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

I want to propose an alternative to the 'disease of numbers'. This alternative can by summed up on one word: Style. What, you may ask, is 'style'? It's hard lo put into words, but I can give you some examples: Style is NOT: A shaky launch. Flailing around in the air. Heading out low across unlandable terrain without any real idea what you' II do if you sink out. Committing yourself to fields in which you couldn't possibly land. Doing things you know are unwise. Accepting exposure, not because you WANT to, but because you think it's EXPECTED of you. Pounding in an easy landing in a beautiful green field next to an isolated rural college filled with attractive members of the appropriate gender and/or species. Style IS: Using your brain. Good solid skills. Flying well enough to stay high so you can cross unlandable terrain with some margin of altitude. Knowing where you'll go if you sink out. Making good decisions and pulling them off. Recognizing exposure BEFORE you accept it, and only accepting that exposure if you, AND YOU ALONE, are prepared to make that commitment. Finishing your flight with a perfect landing in a beautiful field next to an isolated rural college filled with attractive members of the appropriate gender and/or species who are so impressed by your prowess that they ask you for my phone number. One of the best XC pilots I know said, "The real question in XC is how much you're willing to inconvenience yourself." It's true. The pilots who fly the farthest are often the ones who accept the most exposure, and you can often tack quite a few miles onto a flight by taking a few chances. Chances that don't pay off can lead to 'inconvenience'. This 'inconvenience' can take many forms: a long hike out, broken aluminum, an argument with a landowner, and night in the desert, or a ride in a helicopter followed by a day or two in intensive care. All of these things make for good stories, but I ask you again, are these the kind of stories you want to collect? There's a special kind of glory in flying near the edge of one's abilities, taking chances that later seem foolish, flailing around at the narrow edge of face, and then saving oneself through determination, will, and the power of one's own living brain. You've done it, I've done it, and we're all going to do it again, because we know that nothing can compare with that feeling. What we tend to forget is that there's a different kind of glory-more subtle, perhaps, but also more satisfying-in staying within the limits of our abilities but flying extremely well. We might not always fly quite as far that way (though sometimes we fly even farther!), but we get there in style. If you don't believe me, let me ask one question: "What are the flights you remember; the ones you enjoyed the most?" Are they the long ones? Of course the are! But I bet you also remember some of the shorter flights; flights where you didn't win the day; flights that don't even seem remarkable, until you look back and remember how everything went so well. I'll even bet if you sat down and honestly tried to decide which kind of flight was the best, you'd find it was pretty much a tie. Glory is fun, but so is style. Food for thought, isn't it?

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POWER GEAR NEW: PAP 920 with Electric Start .......................... $5425 PAP 920 with 4-blade Prop ........................................... $4475 Lightweight \lmnle),\ \leel frame with nmmal paragl1der hook-111 po111b and a cool decttic ,tarter. Launch, glide. rc\tart <1r1d motor hack up! \8 Ill' Solo 210 and 8lcrn 4-bladc \\ood prop\ provide great climb rate~ wcightng up to 200 pound~.

NEW: PAP 1000 with Electric Start .......................... $5525 PAP 1000 with 4-blade Prop ........................................... $4575 Smnc great de~ign u~ PAP 920 with the thru\t for he,1v1cr pilot\. Call 1ordctnibl

HOURS: MON-THURS Noon to 5PM Central Standard Time. PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE • PAGE 51

If'¥; Astetbpe

PARAMOTOR PAP 920

4 ITV Asterops 2-30's 1-27, 1-25. made in 1993. Excellent school or beginner gliders, also work well for paramotors. All are green and in great condition. All w/SupAir harness' very little use, can't beat the price $1250. @ or will negotiate for all. Also glider stuff bags, large, purple - $45. each. Call Claudia for details 503 582-1467

Like new Demo unit, less than 5 hrs total time. Designed and manufactured in Spain after 5 years R&D. This is really an incredible unit: up to 200 lbs pilot wt., light weight ss frame, 18hp Solo 210 motor, very compact it stands 33" high w/ 81 cm 4 blade prop. Electric start and manual start, battery recharger incl. $4425 ($1000 below list) 805-544-8190.

50 hrs, factory inspected +porosity tested w/ race and standard risers. $1200 obo, will consider trade for other flying stuff. Back Buddy $50. Call Bill 801/ 273-5580

Nunki JOO, 12 1/2 hrs, exc. cond. w/ large reserve. Meteor Gold low hrs 110-140 lbs w/ med reserve. Must sell Make offer 801-745-2365

FirebirdM:arUn 29

Aile De I{.Flyair 1100

Less than 8 hrs. blue & white with Turtle comp. harness (seat, leg support reinforced), biners, & speed bar, Pro DesignSC 120/HELP reserve $2700. Also Flytec 3005 with soft harness attachment - $350. Call Steve at 212-809-6100 Days 718-625-4616 eve.

beginner/intermediate wing. ACPUL all A's. 85-110 kg wy range. Great condition. Comes with ADK Protech harness w/ speed system. Super stable in thermals. $1800 Tim 703-786-7699

ITV Nunki & Meteor Gold

Intermediate glider in excellent condition, only 16.5 hours. For pilot weight: 132 176 lbs. $2000. obo. Steven 619-384-4715

Great wing for a great price $990. The FR has an exc. sink rate with good forward speed. For experienced pilots - 160+ lbs. Mint condition, no rips or tears, harness included 303-838-2655

Mulit colored, one of a kind! Custom harness mount for paraglider. $550. 303-838-2655

· 2nd CJumtzRocket deployment system. Fits under harness seat, out of the way. for medium size/weight pilot. $500. 303-838-2655

· c~~JACt/31 Less than 10 hrs flight time. Wills Wing harness, 20 gore PDA reserve $2800. Contact Ted at 818-988-1112

ITV Nup:ld 98 Mylar top looks like new and will last forever. Comes with speed bar, harness and Kevlar back protector. 11 A's & 1 B. This glider is fast for an intermediate. Weight range 155-180. $1800. Chuck 801-272-0695 /278-5552

Chall anger 21, super stable & user friendly, awsome beginner wing, still crispy & clean, wt range 55 - 75 k. Includes lg backpack. Asking $1250. Call Julie 805-688-0236

'93 Stellar 40 hrs. on wing w/ exc LID & speed range. Nice colors, new lines, 35 cell intermediate for 160-260 lb pilot. UP XC harness w/ kevlar back protection,speed bar & 2nd Chantz AIR 41900 obo Jim 609 538 1344 ext 110

wms Wtng;~t U3 Medium sized 165-210 lbs pilot wt. Blue & silver, 50 hrs total hours. Recent 50 hr. WW factory inspection (have records and has not been flown since) Split A's Excellent Condition! Will pay for shipping to you. $950. 805-547-9108

1991 Flight Design Dream 90 Less than 20 hrs, everything still looks and is new. $1200. obo 219-583-6278

,93,i(JP;Stel\tr 3$•27. i'im.i Total 5 hrs of flight time, in exc. cond., 20 gore reserve and Kevlar back support for $1400. Size 81/2 ICARO paragliding boots w/ ankle support $120. Sup-Air flight suit size med. $150. Call Marty 206-851-4723

FLYTEC3010 AJti:.Vario excellent condition, 5 memories, used 2 years, $300. obo. Thomas H 310-395-1656 W 213-236-9282

Soar with the i[Be~tt Selling Ailes deK (Swiss) Sprintair 32, performance glider (7.5/1 glide, max speed 31mph) total wt in flight 185-240 lbs. new 23 June 1994. Recent porosity test. Sup Air Pro tech Evolution (size L) with quick release buckles, quick links, removable dorsal reserve container & seat extension, $1900. + $425. or $2200 total Call Nicola 617-491-5480 (Boston)

ITV METEORGOLD 28 1991 glider, excellent cond., low hours (30), steer seat, wt 150-190 lbs. good intermediate glider. Must sell $1000 or offer. Call Greg at 307-733-6073 leave message.

Someone buy m.y glider!! I. Edel Super Space XL. Low hours, mostly on

snow, new ss II line set. Rainbow/violet colors. $1600 w/ harness. I need to sell it quickly. Fletcher 970-925-7625 w, 907-94S--8934 h.

EDEL SPACE TANDEM40 about 200 flights. No rips or repairs. $1200. Fletcher 970-925-7625 w, 907-945-8934 h.

Edel Corvette 25 Great condition, $800 obo. 2nd Chantz rocket reserve, never deployed, $500. obo. Ball M22 vario w/ barograph, like new, $250. obo. 303444-9717

ATMIRAGE30 like New, PRISTINE cond. intermediate glider. 30 sq m. split A's, wt 199-255 lbs. Yellow and blue w/ white mylar LE. I purchased the wrong size so it's still crispy and new. Would like to trade for Mirage 25 or will sacrifice for $1890. OBO 805-544-8190

9l C9ndor Caesar IV The perfect step-up wing for the full sized (over 200 lbs) intermediate pilot. Only 80 hrs. Includes trim, manual, bag. $950. Call Peter 714-528-4563.

APCO Hilite 25 U with wind gauge, wind sock, helmet, carry case. Looks new. has been flown less than 7 hours. 31'6" wing span w/ 21 cells. Weighs less than 15 lbs including pack harness and seat. Financial stress forces sale. Call Jess 805-398-1188, Bakersfield.

~R0 PESIGN 1

1994 Chalenger 23, purple /red looks new, 42 hrs, wt range 160 - 200 $1200. Steve 805-528-6795

'94 Nova SPHINX 30.6.m

1995 Vision 27

28m projected, less than 20 hrs. Custom color, trim system w/ speed bar. Full comp. set-up. Like New! $2500 Call Greg 714/754-7041

Performance glider in new condition (less than 10 hrs) AFNOR certified, trim system, speed bar, great performance, perfect for XC wt range 75-90 kg $1950 Ondrej 303-786-0852

28m projected, trim system w/ speed bar. very goodcond. $1000. 714-754-7041

UP Jazz23 Solid, Stable, easy-to-handle paraglider for the entry-level pilot. 110-143 lbs. Brand new lines, Less than 20 flying hoours, Split A's for easy big ears, incl. back pack. $1000. obo Call Shari at 818-354-7280

Paragliding 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 the skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHGA certified instructor.

PAGE 52 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

PRO DESIGN Challenger Classic, 28.9 m' 198-253 hook in wt. , 22 - 42 km speed range. Beautiful purple and red. 25 cells EXCELLENT still crispy, only flown for 2 months in Calif. Soaring conditions. Will pay shipping to you. $1500. 805-547-9108

'921TVATIX NOVA SPHINX 26 Excellent condition! Only 45 hrs. 60 -85kg pilot wt. Competition risers and accelerator system white/yellow $1600. obo Call Chuck 970 728-5624

FIREBIRD NAVAJO 28 30 hrs. Accelerator system. White and blue $1000. Todd 970-728-5624

ITV Nunkie 94 (125-160 lbs) 1992 glider, low hours, Mylar top surface. Great intermediate. I will deal Call Ken 619-753-2664

DEALER ADS SKYWINGS The official monthly magazine of the British HG and PG Association. For subscription information phone 01144116 26 1 1322 or write to Skywings I BHPA; The Old Schoolroom, Loughbrough Rd . /Leicester LE4SPJ, England

ACTION ADVENTURE SPORTS Unique paragliding accessories. Custom made in the USA. Call or write for a FREE color info. pack.

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Build/Fly your own Backpack powered unit, for fun I profit. Takes off from level ground unassisted. Safe, simple, inexpensive. Detailed book with sources. Now only $ 19.95. EASYUP; 1089 Medford Center #244p; Medford, OR 97504

Stereo Vario The Best Pilot' s fly with 2 varios, so why don ' t you? Don't miss out when your vario craps out. Ball M30 analog varios w/ audio are an excellent first vario also. Cigarette lighter charger, nicad battery. $100.new V/MC. Todd 303/ 449-7351

TOWING Tow Launch Systems hydraulic payout winch. FEATURES: Automatic line leveling rewind, S year warrant y, 3000' Spectra tow line , InAirRecovery parafoil. Complete system $1995. delivered. Now in our 7th year with over 55 systems in operation. TL* 7010 Mark* San Antonio, TX* 210-824-1803

New Classified Ad Publication for part 103 pilots. Buy, sell, trade. Sample issue $3. Powered Parac hute & Ultralight Buyers Exchange, P.O. Box 54, Westby, WI 54667-0054

ABC Airsports

Ikaros Sport Aviation in New York, is currently seeking USHGA certified paragliding instructors Call Steve 718n777000

2 available for special price. US Nationals #I fully recreational performance non-comp glider. #3 in 'Sport Class' Also see display ad AdK 206-432-8900

PARAMOTOR ADV 210 The Original, only 14 hrs in excellent condition. 3 blade prop. Priced to sell, only $2850. OBO 206-432-8900

LOTS OF GLIDERS 'COLLECTORS' Demos, most flown by me, most have little or no hours. Contact Ed Pitman. 916-359-2392 eves

Worldwide Adventure Tours Join Mike Eberle and North American Paragliding Inc. for our 5th annual New Zealand Adventure where you will experience some of the World's best flying! From Feb. 212 1996 we will once again be enjoying lakeside condos, chopper flights to alpine launches and much more. For additional information and scheduling , please call 509-925-5565

SALE New Avocet watches $99. NEW HD harness $75 . off. New Brauniger Comp. Vario $ 150 off, Like new Flight design A4 -25 $2400. Demo Brauniger Classic and Basis call, Demo Flight Design A3 - 24 $ 1900. Demo FD AS - 30 $800. off. Also Camel Backs, SOG Paratools, Bauch& Lomb Killer Loop glasses, Safety 1st video's and Understanding the Sky, all 25 % off. We have T-shirts! Call now North American Paragliding 509-925-5565

PAAAGLIDE - THE MOVIE

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Pagojet motori zed paraglider package. Less than 1 hour operation $6300. Also four Ailes de K Brizair 28 demos $2200. Phone/fax 8 19-459-34 15

START WITHTHE BASICS OF PARAGLIDING, WORK YOUR WAY TO THE MOST EXTREME PARAGLIDING IN THE WORLD. FLY CALIFORNIA COASTAL SITES. EXPERIENCE THE MOUNTAINS IN NEVADA, COLORADO AND THE LEGENDARY OWENS VALLEY WITH CHAMPION KARI CASTLE. FLY TO CLOUOBASE WITH GREG SMITH. SEE INCREDIBLE MANEUVERS. BE PART OF THE COUPE ICARE FLYING FESTIVALIN FRANCE WITH THE MOST EXOTICANO ZANY COSTUMES IN PARAGLIDING. PURE FLYINGEXCITEMENT 36 MINUTES.

Ailes De K Cristal

Swing PRISMA 292m Low time $ 1400. Advance Alpha Tandem 38.S 'm $ 1500. Both for $2500. We take trade-ins 805-688-0343

Pago Jet Motor Package

CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING

UL TRAflight Magazine Buy, sell, trade, kit built, fixed wing, powered parachutes, rotor, sailplanes, trikes, balloons and more. Stories galore ! Sample issue $3.00 Annual subscription $36. Introductory offer of only $24. UL TRAflight Magazine, 12545 70th St. Largo, Florida 34643-3025 (813) 539-08 14

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ACTION PACKED FOOTAGr FILMED ON LOCATION IN THE OWENSVALLEY. CALIFORNIA DURING THE WORLD CUP 36 MINUTES.

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DESTENATEON:

CILOl!JD NENE T-SHIRTS (S,M,L, XL) $19.95 $29.95 SWEATSHIRTS (S,M,L,xL) *Postage Included* Send orderw/ check or money order to:

HANGLYDER 4050 SE Gladstone #9 Portland, Oregon 97202-3192 Write or call (503) 788-8812 for free color flyer of many designs available. *Satisfaction guaranteed or money back*

CLASSIFIED ADS .50¢ per word or $10.00 minimum (PLEASE SEND MONEY WITH AD)

PARAGLIDING the MAGAZINE 8901 Rogue River Hwy. Grants Pim, OR 97527 or fax to 503-582-3522 w/ credit card #

I ) ~ :l:Jw1.er SPECTACULAR PARAGLIDING FOOTAGE SET TO MUSIC AS WORLD CLASS PILOTS FLY TIGHT 18 MINUTES.

TIHIERm~K- aAs,cs oF FLIGHT

EUROPEANVIDEO THAT EXPLAINS ALL ASPECTS OF HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING. FROM THE FIRST STEP TO PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION. 40 MINUTES.

HIGHWAY - FLYING THE USA

FLYINGTHE USA FROM AGERMAN POINT OF VlfW. UTAH, ARIZONA. NEVADA, ANO CALIFORNIA. THIS IS PARAGLIDING ANO HANG GLIDING. 50 MINUTES.

SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING $34.95 PARAGLIDE - THE MOVIE 39 .95 FLAMENCO DUNE 19.95 THERMIK 49 .95 HIGHWAYS 49 .95 POSTAGE & HANDLING 4 .00 - ALL VIDEOS GUARANTEED -

Adventure Video Paul Hamilton 4750 Townsit.e Road, Reno, NV 89511 USA Phone/FAX 702-849-9672

CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE BROCHURE OF MORE HANG GLIDING VIDEOS

ENHANCE YOUR LESSONS ! DO YOUR HOMEWORK. The highly acclaimed "Touching Cloudbase Video" can help you learn to be a better pilot. Use it alone or with your Touching Cloudbase book. Order your copy today. $ 39.95 Visa or MC Call 503/ 582-1467

** HAVE YOUR AIRTEK DEALER SEND YOUR HARNESS OR RESERVE TO OUR FACTORY FOR ADAPTION AND INSTALIATION.

PAGE 54 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

TOUCHING

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.MYTROS Size Pilot Weight(lbs.)

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23 100-145 36 11 .1 4.75 1.15 22-45

Cells

Span(m)

A.R.

Min. Sirik{m/s) Min./ Max. Speed(kmM)

26 130 -185 39 11.7 4.75 1.15 : 22-45

29 1'7Q~230

.39 12.3 ' 4.75

. , '' ' The MYTHOS is Swing's newest lr-l.,t ermed iate design .' The ' MYTH OS has nearly the performance of the best compe~ition ,gliders, but with more forgiving fiight characteristics. · ' , , ,'

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Min. Sink(m/s) Min./ Max. Speed(km/h)

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500W. Biue:idge Ave. • Oran e • . ••• ... !. •• ', .._' . , . g . California • 92-6

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1'he MlNOA ,has qu1ckl/ become 'fecqghize throu~nout . Eu"op~n~ tke Uhited .States a~ a well ma nered, t Qp of . ' the l(ne, h(!3h performartce -glider fhat.ha many ut1i~ue , features, inclbJding th~ ~.peoial 'LDSS" ~one; ~,~ "Vkich defines the qirfoil of tht win g to' enha n.G pe'rfor~ nce.

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