$3.95 U.S.A.
Vol. 6 #6 Nov. I Dec. 1995
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P.O. Box 5715 Ketchum, ID 83340 208/726-11 00
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES: 10.
Glider Review
Vol. 6#6 Nov. I Dec. '95 by Bob Hannah
Pro Design Pro-Feel
17.
Women with Wings
by Paragliding Magazine & Shari Asplund
21.
Pilot Profile
by Claudia Stockwell
Dave Bridges U.S. Champion
25.
Basic Parachute Use
by Betty Pfeiffer
What every pilot needs to know
34.
The Diary of a Reluctant Bag Man
by Steve Lantz
The 22nd Annual Telluride Rendevous
41. 42.
Photo, Fred Stockwell
44.
The Gentle Anarchists
by Helle Stier
A Tragedy in South America
Published Six Times Per Year
Overseas Correspondents
by Lila Gill
A Eulogy for a friend
Cover; Flying with a hot air balloon in Southern California on a warm winter day.
Publisher - Fred Stockwell Art Director - Fred Stockwell Editor - Claudia Stockwell Editorial Assistance - Shari Asplund
A Friend in Deed
Paragliding Information
by Paragliding Magazine
Notes from the Fall Bod Meeting
49.
Going Huge in Tahoe
by Jim Rice
An Awesome flight story
54.
Iguala, MEXICO A Look at one of Mexico's Preimere Sites
by Chal Hale and Miguel Gutierrez
Philippe Renaudin - France/US Dennis Trott- Europe Jose Hayler- Great Britain/ PWCA James Brown - Japan
U.S. Correspondents
Depar men.ts:
Jan Ala - Ken Baier - Alan Chuculate Mike Eberle - Bob Hannah
Paragliding Magazine 8901 Rogue River Hwy.
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)
6.
Flight Lines
12.
News & Noteworthy
37.
USHGA Ratings
39.
USHGA News
46.
Paragliding Schools
50.
Classified Ads
Vol. 6#6
,-.
NEXT DEADLINE: December 13th for Vol. 7 #1
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 PARAGLIDING PUBLICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.
PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 3
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Revised Paragliding Rating System by Jack Hodges This past spring the USHGA Board of Directors approved a change in the Pilot Proficiency System (Part 104) that would make the system parallel and congruent with respect to hang gliding and paragliding. The primary motivations for this change are that the USHGA administers both rating systems, and both systems relate to pilots flying under similar if not identical conditions and sites. Parallel and congruent essentially means that the respective systems should have the same number and kind of ratings, and that similar ratings will equate to the same level of mastery and judgment under the same conditions. It also means that the related procedures, organization and wording of the systems should be normalized so as to be more homogeneous and easier (or at least more straightforward) to administer. Associated with this vision of uniformity is a proposal to reorganize the paragliding system to match the current five-tiered hang gliding rating system. Once this first step in normalization is accomplished there may be other changes to the rating system in the future, but those changes will be made unilaterally rather than to the hang gliding or paragliding rating systems independently. The purpose of this article is to present to the community the significant effects of the proposed reorganization being submitted to the Board to satisfy this mandate. If adopted by the Board at the fall meeting in Orlando, the new rating system will take effect in January 1996. The primary modification that is proposed for the paragliding rating system is to implement a fivetiered system with four skill ratings and an honorary Master rating. The essence of the change is to split the Class I rating into two distinct ratings, and to split the Class II rating into two distinct ratings. To reduce confusion, a new naming convention has been proposed. The current naming convention of Class I-III would be converted to Para 1-5, where Class I is split into Para I and 2, and Class II is split into Para 3 and 4. These new rating names would correspond to Beginner, Novice, Intermediate and Advanced, respectively. The Class III rating is dissolved, and an honorary Master rating is added that is identical to the hang gliding Master rating except for the Special Skills sign-offs required.
conditions. This rating is almost the same as the current Class II rating in logged requirements, but slightly less restrictive (see table). The Advanced or Para 4 rating is intended to describe a pilot who is competent to fly any site. This rating exceeds the current Class II rating in every respect. In each of these ratings, the commensurate Judgment and Maturity include knowing when conditions exceed one's own limitations.
some Class I pilots will qualify for Para 3 right away, based on reduced airtime requirements, flying days and demonstrated skills requirements. Similarly, some Class II pilots will qualify for Para 4, particularly those with a lot of mountain experience and airtime, but not enough airtime to qualify for a Class IIL Note that Class III is not represented in this table, because the Class III has no demonstrated skills associated with it.
A conversion system has been proposed which will allow the organization to migrate existing paragliding ratings to the proposed rating classification. The nominal migration will be Class IPara 2, Class I !-Para 3, and Class 111-Para 4.
Although there has been a lot of confusion among pilots of the two sports about what a rating means, or whether a pilot rated a certain way is capable of flying in particular conditions, it is hoped that this unification will be a positive step in reducing that confusion, and that it will be a positive step in unifying the sports in general. One thing is certain, reducing the differences and increasing the similarities in the rating systems cannot hurt the system and can only help, both in the short term and the long run.
The table (below) highlights significant similarities and differences between the current and proposed paragliding ratings. Other differences can be understood by reading the full text of the proposed Part 104, which is available through the USHGA office. From the table it can be seen that _Requirement
Class~Para 2 _ ~ 3 ___ +~ass_I_I__
Para 3
Previous rating and time minimum
None
Para 3 for 8 months
- - - -
- - -
Para 2 for 4 months
----------
-I----
----
Class I for 6 months ---I---
-----
---+-- - - - -
# of f l ~ s _ _:id_a~y~s____ __ __]_O days _______ 50 days _____ # of flights 25 flights 90 flights 100 flights --
80 days ____ _ 250 flights
- - - - -- - - + - - - - - -
# of hours of solo
20 hours
None
-----
Demonstrate hands-off and rear riser turns
Airspeed proficiency
Demonstrate reserve canopy deployment
Surge control proficiency
Significant
25 hours f-----
--- ---------
- -
__
7 5 hours, 25 in thermal flight _ _
5 flights from 5 flights at each of launches of at least 5 different sites in 1,000', 5 flights lntermediateconditions from different sites of which 3 are inland --I---
---·-1------------
5 thermal flights of 30 minutes or longer
3 one-hour thermal flights from at least two sites in Intermediate conditions
5 ridge-soaring flights of 15 min. or longer
1 one-hour flight in ridge lift
.5
15"""""'~ ~
logged Demonstrate PLF' s requirements -----------------
or task
demonstrations
------------t---------
-- -------+-----------
180 competence
caoopks flo~ ·
5 top hill landings 5 side hill landings
180 proficiency 360 proficiency
360 competence ~-------+--------0
-------
-------
Figure 8 proficiency
One of the fundamental tasks associated with this proposed reorganization has been to define what the skill level of each rating level means. The Beginner or Para I rating is intended to describe a pilot who knows how to launch and land solo under supervision, and knows a little about canopies, sites and conditions, but really needs to be supervised even at the training hill. The Novice or Para 2 rating is intended to describe a pilot who can fly solo at a few sites under generally smooth conditions and, generally, under some level of supervision depending on the site. This rating is equivalent to the current Class 1 rating. The Intermediate or Para 3 rating is intended to describe a generally competent pilot, someone who can fly solo at most sites in nominal soaring
- - - - - - - - - , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------
25% asymmetric tip folds 50% symmetric tip folds
25-40% asymmetric 50% asymmetric wing folds collapses Big Ears
5 landings within 10' of a spot
5 landings within 10' of a spot
f-----------+----------- ------ - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 landings within 25' of a spot
3 consecutive landings within 10' ofaspot
To our readers, This letter was supposed to be in the last issue of Paragliding Magzine, however Gregg Lawless (chairman of Safety & Training Committee) forgot to send it until well after our deadline. So we are printing it now, as agreed at the Fall BoD meeting. For more BoD news, please see page 44. Sincerely, Claudia Stockwell
An Open Letter to Paragliding Magazine and all Distributors and Dealers in the United States, This letter has been drafted at the Redding, California, ICP in October, 1995, where as a group of Instructors and Instructor hopefuls, we have had the opportunity to discuss as an open forum the matters that currently concern us within the paragliding industry. Our group has gathered from areas all over the US and from a variety of different positions within the industry, and therefore we believe we represent a good cross section of the paragliding community in general, and that our concerns fairly represent some of the problems that face us all, both as pilots and as professionals. During our discussions it became apparent that we were all particularly concerned with the lack of guidance and responsibility being shown in the area of selling new and used gliders to beginner and intermediate pilots. Every person here, and indeed probably every senior pilot in the country, has numerous examples of pilots being sold gliders which are rated above their ability, and which are potentially hazardous to their
well being. Claudia Stockwell reported that this year has seen an increased number of Intermediate pilot injuries (and one fatality) on gliders which are clearly beyond their skill level. In an attempt to address this problem , we as a group would like to make the following suggestions. l. That the USHGA publish a list of recommended paragliders for Class l and Class 2 pilots.
2. That all current distributors provide the USHGA with a list of gliders that they consider non-current. ie gliders that they as distributors recommend be retired. 3. That 'Paragliding, the Magazine; as the main forum for second-hand glider sales, refuse to publish classified advertisements for any glider on this list, and that 'Paragliding, the Magazine' recommend that ALL used gliders be accompanied by a current Certificate of Inspection upon sale. 4. That used gliders rated for Competition not be advertised in 'Paragliding, the Magazine'.
It is our responsibility as Instructors to edu-
cate our students towards safer flying. This task is made considerably more difficult by distributors making unrealistic claims on new gliders and by individuals selling their old gliders unethically. Once a paraglider has been around for a summer its characteristics are well known, and any Class II or better pilot has a fair idea regarding what level of pilot should be flying such a glider. Unfortunately the decision to sell is generally made on economic terms, not moral ones. Also as Instructors we would like to endorse the proposed Code of Ethics for Instructors, and we would like to propose the formation of an Association for Professional Paragliding Instructors, as we believe these are steps towards increased professionalism within our industry, and necessary steps toward promoting greater safety and longevity within our sport. Sincerely. James Johnston, Bradley Cox, David Shelton, Brad Lamson, Rick Davids, Hugh Murphy, Zach Hoisington, Karl Mayforth, Sebastion Hassell, Klaus Schluter, Danny Bedford, Don Saxby
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$19.95 2000 Copies Sold Revised 4th Edition 140 Pages 62 Illustrations Skills, Aerodynamics, Weather, Equipment, and More Available from paragliding schools, dealers, or direct from WillsWing
500 Blueridge Ave. Orange CA. 92665 Include $2.00 for postage and handling Calif.Residents add 7.75 % sales tax
To whom it may concern: I read Bob Hannah' s accident report about the pilot that drowned in California (JulyAug. 1995). This pilot was killed by his inaction and not by the sport of paragliding. I don't think a hook knife is the answer to the problem. As in any air sport, when things start to go wrong, they happen very fast and in ways you never thought possible. To ask a new pilot to find his knife, get it out, and know what to cut first is asking a hell of a lot , even from an experienced pilot. Paragliding harness manufacturers could learn a lot from skydiving equipment, which has been proven in design and safety over and over in lives that have been saved. The biggest safety advancement was the use of reliable single point canopy releases. I strongly disagree with Bob Chavez' statement in Vol. 4 #1, 1993 pg 13. The paragliding harness of the future is not a modified skydiving harness, but a modified paragliding harness with a single point release system. Without the rings and a simple system that deploys the reserve. It's called a Stevens Cutaway.
I do agree with his (Bob Chavez) statement "get a trashed main canopy out of the way for reserve deployment, preventing entanglement." A wing can become a 30 ft. weedeater that will gobble up a deploying reserve. It should be cut away if you have over 250-300 feet of altitude. But below that altitude the Steven's Cutaway must be disconnected and the reserve hand deployed. Disconnecting the Steven's Cutaway can be accomplished by pulling the reserve handle. This does not need to be a separate action. To show you how this would work send me an old trashed out harness and risers. I will modify it and return it to you for your inspection. Northwest Parachutes John Winchester (owner) 3112149thSt.CtE. Tacoma, WA 98446 Dear Editor, Here is some of the information that I have sent to several publishing companies after Alan Peseri started to threaten the advertisers that he will pursue legal action if companies other than his use the term
from East ideo
Paramotor in their magazine advertisement. As a result of these magazines learning the truth about Alan's fraudulent claims, they no longer allow his advertisements in their publications. I hope that publishing an abbreviated notice of the following fax will help clear up the situation, You can also mention in the notice that if anyone has any questions or concerns, they can feel free to contact us toll free at Paramotor Aviation of America Inc. (800) 728-1033. To whom it may concern, I'm faxing you to notify you of the situation regarding the use of the term Paramotor and the trademark that Alan Peseri claims to have on the use of the term. Many people have expressed some concern over this issue and the following information should clear up the situation and explain what Mr. Peseri of Paramarketing, Inc. is attempting to do. After consulting our lawyer and having made several calls, I have learned that Mr. Peseri has made an application for a trade-
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PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 7
mark on the term PARA MOTOR. Upon application for a trademark, a serial number is issued as a reference number. Alan has been issued the serial/ reference number 74469457. Before a trademark is granted to anyone, the term to be trademarked must be published in the TRADEMARK JOURNAL. Mr. Peseri was given approval to publish "PARA MOTOR" in this journal on May 23, 1995, however he has not yet done so. Once it has been published in the Trademarks Journal, anyone has the right to oppose the trademark for a period of 30 days following publication. Please note that trademarks are a means of distinguishing one's product by using a UNIQUE term. In order to be granted a trademark for "PARA MOTOR" it must be an ORIGINAL term that is not already being used in the public domain. "PARAMOTOR has been a generic term in the public domain and has been used for many years before any trademark application was made by Mr. Peseri (please see the copies that have been included of articles that were published in U.S. magazines as early as May 1991 by two separate companies). It is not a unique term or brand name that distinguishes his products, it is a term that describes a type or category of aircraft. In order to use "Para motor" as a trademarked term, you have to have a CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION. This has not been granted to anyone. The number that Alan has been quoting to people is a Certificate of Registration number. It actually is a serial number that is not of any importance and DOES NOT GRANT ANY TRADEMARK RIGHTS WHATSOEVER.
I suspect that Mr. Peseri has not yet published "PARA MOTOR" in the Trademark Journal for the simple fact that he knows we will oppose his application. Our lawyer has put a flag on the computer system that tracks all items published in the Trademark Journal and you can be sure that we will proceed with opposing his application should he decide to publish it. Until it has been published we will not take any further legal action because it is unnecessary. Anyone can apply for a trademark on any term, including PARA MOTOR and they may have a serial number to prove that they have applied. Please note that an application for a trademark does not in any way mean that you will be approved. If a trademark has been granted, they must be able to back it up with a Certificate of Registration.
PAGE 6 • PARAGLIDNG MAGAZINE
Furthermore, Mr. Peresi has made an application to use the term PARA MOTOR (two words with a space in between) not PARAMOTOR (one complete word). These are very different. If a trademark is issued for PARA MOTOR that does not necessarily cover the term PARAMOTOR as well. Should Mr. Peseri choose to continue advertising in the Robb Report he should be asked to remove the "TM" from PARAMOTOR since he does not have an approved trademark. To confirm everything that has been stated in this fax please feel free to contact; Patent and Trademark office (703) 308-910 -orTrademark Services at (703) 308-9000 To obtain information specific to this trademark you can quote Alan Peseri's file/serial number as #74-469457. Mr. Peseri is attempting to manipulate his competitors and others to his best advantage. He has sent out threatening letters to many people, promising legal action if you do not comply with HIS RULES. However as I think you'll now agree, HE HAS NO LEGAL GROUNDS TO STAND ON. Some people have been intimidated by the threatening letters he has sent promising legal action. I would suggest that he is having a very difficult time competing with other Paramotor dealers and is resorting to unfair competition practices to try to maintain his position in the market If you should have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thanks, Grant Ronmundt Paramotor A via ti on of America Inc. G R/hq
PARA MOTOR OR NOT? Where was the paramotor born ? In Europe. We have 200,000 paraglider pilots here. In the U.S. there are 2.000 pilots. We do not wish to imply that we are more advanced, but we had the need and the market, that's all. What is a paramotor? un paramoteur = une motorization auxiliaire pour parapente. The French word was too long, the English one also (auxiliary engine for paraglider, or powered paraglider). Time is money, and everything has to be shortened. So the word paramoteur was born. And this term was logically translated by us as paramotor in
1981. Who applied for a trademark for the word "car" or "plane"? Nonsense!! Mr. Peseri began marketing paramotors by importing the Adventure paramotors in 1993 (whereas paramotors had already existed for 3 years), then he made poor copies of them, and sold them to his customers. Now he is trying to stop his competitors from promoting paramotors by threatening lawsuits claiming that he has a trademark for them .... nice try Mister! Sylvie Dagorn ADVENTURE PARAMOTORS FRANCE Dear Sirs, I thank you for the sample issue of the magazine, however, you misread my letter. I was inquiring if you could provide me with an address of either a manufacturer or dealer of Racketeer "JET" engine packs. I hope that you are familiar with this sport, as it does fall under your area of aeronautics. Sincerely, Kirk M. Livingood POBoxB Anamosa, IA 52205-0010
P.S. I noticed after reading your magazine that nobody even advertises Racketeer "JET" engines. Editor's note: Do any of our readers have any info. that will help Kirk to beam himselfup?
Dear Pilots, John was killed yesterday. I watched him die. I tried in vain to breath life back into him and get his heart pumping. I am angry with John, with myself and with our fellow pilots! This tragedy need not have happened. I am angry with John for assuming too much risk. He wasn't ready to be flying a Level III competition wing. He didn't "need" to be flying a competition wing. He also didn't have to try to "fix" his collapsed wing. Go for the reserve! Don't be a hero. I am angry with myself for not finding out more about his paragliding experience level. I should have told him how I felt about the safety and stability of his "new" wing.
;Jf:
FLIGHT LINES
- _....,_"'$,'
I didn't push hard enough when discussing with him the consequences of flying a wing like that one.
self, to be on the edge. What about those he now leaves behind? What happens to his young wife and two children? What kind of experience is this for them? Ultimately the choices and decisions we make do affect others and not just ourselves.
I am angry at the person that sold a Level ill wing to a Class I pilot. I am angry with myself for not downplaying glider "performance" as opposed to emphasizing pilot skill and safe attitudes towards flying.
cation , concise decision making and by building the experience necessary to take the next logical step. I've learned to be patient. Patience is a great gift. I'd better learn something from John ' s death. I must assess my skills and attitudes to ensure that they are in concert with the level of risk I am willing to assume. You can also bet that I will be vocal with my thoughts and opinions where someone's safety and abilities are concerned. I don't want this to happen again, ever! It doesn't need to happen again.
Helen Keller said, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
Were all of these things in my power to control? No, but some certainly could have been influenced by me. I need to be more open with my opinions and take a public stand on the issues I feel strongly about.
I believe she was correct. So did John. Like John, I choose to live my life exposed to risk. I also choose to minimize the risks where possible. How? Through stepped progression learning, through continuing edu-
It still comes down to choice. John loved to experience all that life had to offer. That was John. He chose to push him-
Sincerely, John Blasko
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Introduction This months glider review has been written by the newest member of our review team , Bob Hannah. Bob is a Class III tandem Instructor from Seattle,Washington. Bob has been flying paragliders since 1991 , and actively teaching for the past two years. If his name looks familiar to you, it's because he is the USHGA accident review chainnan for paragliding. Bob intends to review beginner and intermediate gliders while keeping in mind the average recreational pilots requirements. He feels that his impressions of a glider are more closely aligned to these pilots as opposed to the competition minded pilot.
by Bob Hannah
The Pro Design Pro-Feel
--Glider Reviews
~ Ground Handling
ro Design's newest glider, the Pro-Feel, (affectionately called the "Feeli e ") join s th e Compact in the Intermediate/Sport Class. The Pro-Feel is intended to fill the top end, with the Compact a step up from the Standard Class. John Yates, the U.S. importer for Pro Design, loaned me a wing to try in my size for a thorough test.
P
Glider Reviews
~ First Impressions
From the voluminous pack , to the familiar Porcher Marine fabric and big beefy Dyneema lines , any current Pro Design pilot would feel right at home. On initial layout: only a three riser system, with simple cascades to help make you first in line when you get to the top of the hill. Aspect ratio is higher than a Compact, but is still less than most intermediate and high performance wings. Of particular interest are Mylar-reinforced rib sections the first 24" of each cell. The benefits are immediately apparent.
PAGE 10 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
With the simplified layout, you are soon ready to pull the wing up. Inflation is immediate and progressive, with no tendency to hang back. Th,/.1ylar ribs obviously help initial inflation, with the wing quick to take shape-leaving you standing on launch looking as though you know what you are doing.
?
Glider Reviews
Flight Characteristics
Well, if it' s just going to sit there over my head like it is supposed to, I might as well tum around and take off, which I did. The first few seconds of flight are confidence building onesbrake pressures are moderate, with good feedback from the wing. The brakes appear to be two-stage, with light pressure resulting in a slow, flat, altitude-miserly tum, great for those light thermal days and narrow ridge lift bands. More pressure with weight shift brought about progressively steeper thermal-type turns. Center cells of the wing appear to be higher pressure, the Pro-Feel has an interesting tendency when flying in rowdy air to have the tips take a deflation and accordion in toward the center. When they repressurize, the cells pop back out and once again regain their normal
width. All in all it is predictable, with little tendency to tum you. I enjoyed ridge-dancing in front of launch, watching other pilots with twitchier wings take their time getting in the air.
G ?
Performance
Brains or
Speed?
Against other mid and high performance gliders, the Pro-Feel can hold its own in most categories. It is a bit faster than the Compact, with good sink rate and manners that lend itself to light thermal days, staying up while others sink out. Measured speeds with my Brauniger Competition vario are below . They are quite close (commendably so !) to the published statistics listed in the charts. At 112 Kg' s, right in the middle of the weight range of the 37 size, I got; Min Speed 23 km/h, Min. Sink at 28 km/h, Max Speed 37km/h, and with speed system fully engaged 46km/h. I found the extra 3 to 4 kilometers an hour over the Compact a welcome addition.
G~
Maneuvers
Not being a proponent of artificially inducing non-flying situations, I leave full stalls and flat spins to the experts, or easily bored pilots. The wing will tum more than 90 degrees to recover from an asymmetric, but does so without raising your blood pressure. Minimal opposite brake will keep you flying straight and level. Since deflations that I experienced in "real flight" were more of the accordion effect, I don ' t see this as being a problem. Big ears, with the low tip pressure, are easy to pull down, and reinflate on their own quickly when you release. Slighter pilots without gorilla arms will enjoy big ears on the Pro-Feel. B-Line Stalls are initiated without fuss, the wing tends to walk around a bit during the stall, but at no time feels out of control like some wings in this perf_gnnance category. Normal flying attitude is gaif!e~ quickly upon release ,Jf the risers, with only enough surge to resume flying speed. Glider Reviews
:- ; ; ; , The Bottom Line The Pro-Feel is a wing on which you can reach a safe level of familiarity quickly . It has few tendencies to bite you, or catch you reaching for your reserve handle. A caveat, however. This wing is not a beginner wing, it is rated in the performance class, and as such needs to be flown by a pilot with their Class l sign-off in their logbooks, not on their wish list. Pilots with 75100 solid flights, would be my recommendation for minimum experience. The Pro-Feel, like other wings of this category, need to be flown actively. In a spiral dive, it will stay tucked in, and takes pilot input to exit smoothly. If flown close to stall speed, it will start the "shoulder shrug" of a negative tum, but gives you (read experienced pilot) plenty of time to react. Few wings inflate easier, or are ready to go faster right out of their bag. The Pro-Feel, particularly on light lift days, can be at the top of the stack. Try one, you might like it. Prices are comparable to the Compact, and represent a good value in this performance category. Fly safe, remember being right about conditions and your abilities 99% of the time isn't good enough!
SERVICE & SALES
DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME 1355 N.W 93 Ct. UnitA-105. Miami, Florida 33172 Tel. /305/ 6393330 Fax (305/ 6393055 PARAGLIDING MAG AZINE • PAGE 11
FAI STATEMENT TO ICAO ON BELARUS BALLOON INCIDENT On 12 September 1995, a gas balloon representing the Virgin Islands in the Coupe Gordon Bennett International Balloon Race was shot down by a Belarussian military helicopter near the town of Beryoza, with the loss of the lives of the two pilots on board, Mr. Alan Fraenckel and Mr. John Stuart-Jervis, both US citizens. According to the Belarus authorities, the shooting down was ordered by MajorGeneral Kostenko, Commander of the Air Defense Troops. It was a deliberate act, not a tragic mistake. Following this deplorable incident, the Belarus Government issued misleading statements, which the FAI immediately repudiated. In particular, the FAI produced evidence to show that the Belarus Air Traffic Control authorities were aware of the balloon's origins and intentions, even if this information had not been communicated to the military authorities. The Polish Defense Minister, Zbigniew Okonski, confirmed in public that the balloon had clearance from both the Polish and Belarussian sides to cross the common border.
North American Paragliding specializes in importing and distributing these professional paragliding products. • Flight Design Paragliders • Renschler 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!
Furthermore, the F AI also produced evidence strongly refuting the suggestion that the pilots might have been unconscious, following a sudden climb to 8000 metres, the Belarussian explanation for their claimed lack of response to signals. Until the Commissions of Enquiry have reported, it is unproductive to speculate on the precise chain of events leading to this tragedy.
THERMAL MITT by
~M~~w:
The only insulated 'brake handle mitt' made specifically for Paraglider pilots
For additional information, or the name of your nearest dealer, please contact:
North American Paragliding I I I 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.
The outer fabric is abrasion resistant Antron Cordura, insulated with 3M Thinsulate, lined with polar fleece, and an adjustable cuff to reduce air flow into the mitt. Light weight and comfortable. The Thermal Mitt has a dual handle design, that allows you to operate your brakes or risers as normal, and with an easy to reach handle inside the mitt that gives you normal use of your brake lines within the warm comfort of the Thermal Mitt. One size fits all, and is available in Black, Royal Blue, or Red. Custom colors are available. (Dealer inquiries welcome)
Introductory price $45.00 + S/H Standard UPS Shipping $5.50 Continental US., $12.50 Canada
,
PAGE 12 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~-1-54_0_l_W_.9 _t~ -A~, ~?;:~~~I~~~~~=·~
However, whatever the conclusions of the investigation, it is already clear that two innocent men, engaged in a non-scheduled international civil flight during a sporting contest dominated by a spirit of international friendship and goodwill, have been deliberately shot down by the legitimate authorities of an ICAO Member State. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale ' s members, when planning races and competitions , require the rules and pro cedure s recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization to be meticulously implemented. We appeal to ICAO to protest vigorously to the government of Belarus against their unacceptable and unjustifiable action, and to urge all contracting states to apply Articles 3 bis and 5 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, both to the letter and in spirit, and to open their airspace freely to sporting competitions such as the Coupe Gordon Bennett. The 1995 Gordon Bennett Race should have been remembered chiefly for the trul y exceptional flights made, one of which beat (by almost 50%) a world duration record dating back to 1939. Instead, it will be remembered, sadly, as the race in which Alan Fraenckel and John Stuart-Jervis were shot down. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale a sks the International Ci v il Aviation Organization to ensure that they did not die in vain.
PWCNews PWC FINAL ST. ANDRE, 4-10 September 1995 The 1995 PWC Season reached an exciting conclusion in the French Alps, as is tradition. The weather may not have cooperated with the occasion, but it still allowed two good races to Dormillouse. France can be very proud of Christophe Mougin (F Nova), who won both tasks. The first was met by a protest from several pilots that it should be cancelled because a thunderstorm threatened part of the course. This, however, was not accepted by the jury. Forty-four pilots reached goal the second day, which presented a classic sky and good thermals. After two days waiting in the rain, we set
out for launch on Saturday under blue sky and brilliant sunshine. Howe ver, strong wind kept everyone on the ground until 1500 hours when the task was canceled. Still some pilots flew and Andre Hediger (CH) treated us to a magnificent aerobatic display, including his pioneering loop. The organizer put on an excellent barbecue to celebrate the end of a fantastic season and presented elegant Moustier trophies to all winners. Our final farewells were full of reminiscences of thi s y ear 's excellent flights , including the many records in competition speed and distance which have been broken. Submitted by Joe Hayler, PWCA Delegate
FAI World Record Flights N.2806 Sub-class 0-3 (Paragliders) Category: Multiplace Speed over a triangular course of 25 km : 19.42 km/h Course/Site: Revard (France) 30/07/1995, Gerard FLORIT (France) Aircraft: UP Pick-up L
N.2815 Sub-class 0-3 (Paragliders) Category: General Out-and-return distance: 170km Course/site: Finhut (Switzerland) 03/08/1995, Pierre Bouilloux (France) Aircraft: UP Kendo "C"
Duration Record On July 7th,1995, a Japanese pilot, Kenjiro Kamigaki achieved a duration record of 14 hours 30 minute s at Ka y ou Beach , Okinawa. (The flight has not been reported to the FAI.) This report is based on information provided by Kenjiro himself and also by his colleague, Taro Inamura.
pilots. At 8:00 PM, when more than 9 hours had passed since be launched, the tropical sun went down. He couldn' t even see his vario or watch. He had to fight against loneliness, boredom and sleepiness. He pinched his thigh and tried to concentrate on the vario's sound. July 7th, 1:00 AM, a U.S. Army helicopter started flying around Kayou Beach . Apparently , the Army came to investigate the hazard lamps of unidentified cars, guessing that something illegal like smuggling was going on. The helicopter came so close to Kenjiro that he thought the pilot might not see him. With great regret, he finally decided to land. At 1:10 AM, he landed on the beach with the help of his colleague' s cars headlights. In this way , his great flight, 14 hours 30 minutes, was ended. He found he could not stand up by himself for a while. Although he had been thinking that he could fly until dawn , his body had been much more exhausted than he had realized. Kenjiro insists that making a specific target is the best way for the improvement of paragliding skills . His next target is a 200 km XC flight at Mt.Tsukuba where he flies regularly. I am pretty confident that Kenjiro and his colleagues will make this goal some day in the near future. He has been paragliding since 1989. His total flight time is 700 hours. He flies an APCO Xtra 30. Submitted by Tomoko Kobayashi
PARAMOTWO Two seater paramotor is now a reality. After 2 years of development, prototypes, tests, intensive professional use, the two seater paramotor is now available for all experienced paramotors pilots. What does it look like ?
Okinawa is the most southern island in Japan, surrounded by beautiful ocean and coral reefs. Kayou Beach is one of the famous sites where the constant wind from the ocean makes it possible to fly for a long time. On July 6th, 10:40 AM, he launched. The conditions were g reat for paragliding. About 30 pilots flew more than 3 hours on that day . Ridge soaring above the beach, 3 km wide, was a very easy task for all of the
The paramotwo is based on the LA MOUETTE paramotor ZR 250, with its very reliable engine, strong frame and 70 kg thrust. It has two extra front booms designed to maintain the passenger in front , and to spread him away from the pilot, to protect both in case of a fall and to balance the weight under the sail. A very ingenious sliding risers system allows the passenger to run far from the pilot during inflation and brings him back in position at take off. PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 13
Complete folding is one minute longer than the monoseater version (2 minutes) and the folded dimension is the same as the monoseater.
- 170 Kg of util load, flat take off at sea level, 37 °C, 5Km/h wind. In no wind condition the sail must be very big to reduce running speed. Submitted by Gerard Thevenot
should be inspected immediately. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. Please inform Pro Design USA if any weak handles are found.
How does it take off ? The preparation is the same as for the monoseater. Once the pilot stands up in position, the passenger, set in his harness, starts the engine and clips in his two carabiners to his risers. Ready to go ? Go ! Both are running forward to inflate the tandem sail. Once the sail is nicely over their heads, the pilot uses full throttle and runs as well as the passenger. Quickly the pilot takes off, still full power, while the passenger keeps running until he is lifted up. Flying and landing is similar to the monoseater, a piece of cake. What load can it carry ? The most extreme conditions that we experimented with successfully (with a reasonable climb rate) are: - 180Kg of util load, flat take off at 400 m of altitude, 0°C, 10 Km/h wind.
PAGE 14 ° PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
Pro Design USA would like to inform you of a potential SERIOUS problem we have found on some of the VERTEX harnesses. There seems to be a weak point in some of the Rescue handles. This weak point is always where the small black webbing is sewn onto the round handle. The webbing should go under the seam for a reasonable length to guarantee a firm hold. Also the stitching should be done properly "forwardbackward sewing". In the subject cases, the webbing was not cut with a hot knife and was inserted just half a cm into the handle. Webbing was fraying under the seam and came off when pulled hard. There have only been four handles found with the weak stitching. All VERTEX harnesses purchased in 1995
North American Paragliding will be keeping reduced hours of operation and not be scheduling any instruction from Nov. 17 - Dec. 27. A one-month paragliding trip to Chile and the Holiday Season are the reasons for this reduction.
,JjiQ;; ~I~J~~ci; Xavier Remand, the "Astir Man" from ITV, over the summer has flown 241 km (150 miles) in Spain. On the GPS, Xavier was clocked flying at lOOkm/h (62.13 miles /h). At 4000 meters (13,000 ft) down wind the numbers were: wind/speed = 40 km, the Astir = 45 km/h plus a bonus of 15km/h being at 13,000 ft. Vincent Sprungli, under a proto type UP, and Patrick Berod, under an Edel Energy, flew for 9 1/2 hours and covered 211 km
(132 miles). Location: France, starting point near Chamonix, landing near the town of Crest.
Cross Country Grand Prize Draw
USHGA insured site. It is administered by the local club, Maui Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.
Two military skydivers, Jean Claude Lafaille and Mario Gervasi, jumped from 13,000 ft over the North Pole and landed with the help of a GPS on the exact location of the Pole, which was defined by a 12 x12 foot target. This was a first and was monitored by a team from the Russian Skydiving Federation.
Exclusively for Cross Country subscribers Win a brand new Ailes de K Cristal 26 paraglider, Atlas from La Mouette and many other prizes. If you're not already subcribed to CC you simply have to subscribe, and add 25 FF (or $5. or£ 3) to the normal subscription fee to enter the Grand Prize Draw. The winning tickets will be drawn on the 15th of January 1996 and the winners will be announced in the February edition of Cross Country. * 30 other prizes, helmets, harnesses, tents, flight suits, videos, books etc. will be given away. Entries must be received by January 14th. For more details call or fax CC Magazine, Tel 33 80 35 47 43, fax 33 80 35 47 48.
To fly at Poli you need to be a Class I pilot or foreign equivalent and hold a minimum 30 day membership in the USHGA. A MHP A sticker is also required, that will identify you to the ranch hands. Poli=Poli is a large site with take off at 6100 and LZ's to 3000. Please check with club members before flying. For site rules and regulations, call Dave Stevens 808 875-7833.
The French company SCORPIO now manufacturers a mini paragliding harness for kids!! In France seven students, age 16-18 yearsof-age, were selected to learn to paraglide as credit towards graduation. FFVL ( French Federation Vol Libre), in 1986, 10,000 members. In 1989, 20,000 members. In 1994, 29,680 members. A good third of that last number can be added accounting for unregistered pilots. Submitted by Philippe Renaudin
MaUif;lp,date At the land owners request: Poli-Poli, the most popular flying site on Maui because of its consistently good conditions, is now a
High Energy ·sports. Rumor has it that the Quantum Series emergency parachutes by High Energy Sports are now available for paragliding. These remarkable parachutes have achieved the best known drag coefficient in a round canopy by building 360' of lift into the shaping of the gores. Test videos show incredible stability. The paragliding configuration is said to have a double riser off each shoulder of the harness (4 risers in all). Although High Energy Sports will not clas-
In 1995 Nova's Xenon dominated the Competition Skies.
+
In 1996 Nova's Xyon will dominate your Skies. Nova Designer Hannes Papesh has taken the lessons learned from his phenomenal JCenon---1111-... Natlonal Championships and created the new JCyon .. Austria Germany Italy Switzerland France Japan
First 3 places First 2 places First 3 places First 2 places First place First 4 places
Fewer Suspension l i n e s - - - - - - - - -.......~ less Parasitic Drag Innovative V Ribs Smoother, More Efficient Wing Modified Xenon Platform Proven Performance DHV 2.,,3 Competition Class Performance Distributed Exclusively in North America by
High Gear Inc.. • Phone: 303..818..4324 • Fax: 303..530.. 1701 Call or fax for Specifications and Brochure.
sify this reserve as "steerable", it definitely can be directionally "slipped" by pulling on one riser. Traditional single short bridles are also available. "Paraglider pilots are confronted with unique reserve parachute requirements," states Betty Pfeiffer of High Energy Sports. "The parachute must bring them down very slowly, open quickly, be capable of both low and high speed deployments, be extremely stable and fit into the traditional size parachute container." To determine the appropriate size Quantum Series parachute for each pilot, High Energy Sports has provided a rate of descent chart reflecting Quantum Series performance given the weight of the total suspended load. Watch "N&N" for more details.
Mt. Nebo State Park in Dardanelle, Arkansas, has been flown by paraglider pilots and is now a Class II site. Nebo has been a hang gliding site for 10 years, is 1250' AGL with south and east launches and has a 5.5/1 glide over tall trees to the LZ.
mo•jo (mo'jo) n. a charm thought to have magical powers; luck as of a magical or supernatural origin; a magical selection of flight gear from Texas.
"We believe paragliding is a way of life and a system of values that uniquely bond human spirits." For further information, call Air California Adventure at 619 670-5322.
For more info contact Larry Haney, 501 663-3166.
Air California Adventure recently set up operations in San Diego. The purpose is to provide year around paragliding tours throughout the Southern California and Coastal Baja California areas. The company intends to host a 10-day paragliding tour twice monthly throughout the year and 1-5 day tours on a regular basis. Air California Adventure tour flights are a first class experience. They arrange international flights from Europe (with low group rates), first class hotel accommodations, food and transportation. The program is structured to maximize the paraglider pilot's air time and flight experience. The program is designed so that non-pilot packages are available for family and friends of the paraglider pilot. Although they are primarily focussed on flight tours, Air California Adventure can provide training and basic certification during the tour events. The company also is involved in paramotors and tandem flight instruction.
1
'1.:.1-'bfu N 4't:riri ~~,y:.-,q~ NOV A Paragliders and High Gear Inc. have announced the recall of some Nova risers equipped with speed system pulleys. The recalled risers are recognized by examining the lower of the two pulleys that comprise the accelerator system on all recent Nova paragliders. The lower pulley tab is sewn into the pink "confluence stitching" without an obvious bartack. This allows the pulley tab to stress the "confluence stitching" directly. The use of the accelerator on these risers may result in a failure of the riser. Any riser fitting this description will be replaced by High Gear and Nova free of charge. If you have any questions regarding this recall or require more information, please contact High Gear Inc. at 303 818 4324 or your Nova dealer.
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DECEMBER HOURS: MON-SAT 10AM to 7PM Central Standard Time PAGE 16 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
CIRRO™ Thrust for pilots up to 240# ..................................................... $4990 CirroST™ Super-Tuned and QUIET for pilots up to 260# ...................................... $5690
This column was started in 1992 to spotlight women who fly. Its intent is to show the diverse backgrounds, motivations and personalities of the ladies who grace our sport. This is the fourth installment in as many years and I would truly love to see this column published more often. The ratio offemale to male pilots in the sports of paragliding and hang gliding is still very uneven. Although at the last JCP I presented, the men did concede that women are generally easier than men to teach and usually become safer and more conservative pilots than their male counterparts. I feel strongly that if more women were instructing the overall result would be an influx of more grounded pilots. If you think that being a grounded pilot is a contradiction in terms, you have only to listen to the women who fly to become a believer. Ladies-please send me your stories, for although the men in paragliding outnumber us, our stories need to be shared, to inspire and motivate others and to demonstrate what we are capable of.
The Women at Chelan: A Cinderella Story by Shari Asplund The competition debut of Southern California pilot Jennifer Toms in July of this year can only be described as spectacular. On her maiden flight into the world of big-time paragliding, she scored a personal best flight of 32.84 miles and ultimately came away as the U.S. Open/National Women's Champion. She also took fifth place in the Sport Class competition, and wound up 33rd overall out of 81 pilots, and 23rd out of the 57 U.S. Pilots. How does she feel about all this? "WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!", she said, "HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ... " and it was clear she hadn't yet come down from the clouds nearly after a week after her thrilling victory. She definitely wants to enter more competitions. "I had so much fun," she said, "Hopefully I won't begin to take it more seriously." With seriousness comes greater risk taking, something Toms plans to avoid. On both of her notable flights (she flew 18.5 miles in Round 4) she took the safe route and followed the road below. It proved to be a good choice both times. Toms came to Chelan with no intention of flying in the meet. She was the official scorekeeper and was there to work. "It was peer pressure that made me compete," she reported. At the pilot's meeting the night before the competition began, some of her friends began encouraging her to enter. They goaded her into asking the Meet Director if it would be allowable for the official scorekeeper to compete. He said as long as it didn't interfere with fulfilling her responsibilities, it was OK. So there she was, hyped and ready to fly on Day 1, but she was among the many pilots who didn't launch in the very rowdy conditions. The same thing happened the next day, but it didn't matter since the day was declared invalid. On July 4th, Toms got ready and set up to launch, witnessing the frenzy and collapses all around. "I was scared to death," she said, and like many others, it took more than one attempt to launch in the strong conditions. She then promptly sunk out in front, and had to hike back up and do it again. Pretty discouraging start, but she persevered, launched again, got high and joined the gaggle. She was circling over the towers when she experienced five or six 90% collapses. Having never experienced anything like that before, she headed out to land. On her way she entered smooth thermals rethought her plan to land. She climbed to 7,000 feet and crossed the river, eventually rising to 8,000 feet before piloting her turquoise Edel Rainbow nearly 33 miles, 19 miles short of the 52 mile goal. She was elated. Her previous best flight was 15 miles, just four weeks earlier at Lake Elsinore. Conditions looked marginal the next day but things went well at first. Toms launched in the second gaggle, which was very crowded. She got pushed out of the group thermal once, but managed to stay close and get back in when the Energys skied out. She tried to catch up with them, but remained about 1,000 feet lower as they collectively crossed the river. In her fierce determination to catch up, she crossed the river too low and had to land just on the other side, at Beebe Park. "The Energy
Jennifer Toms
has the nicest, flattest glide," she said, "They just smoked me. I couldn't do it." She only got three miles that day. The final round proved to be the finishing touch that put her on top. "It was a really interesting task," she recalled, "The start was Chelan Airport, and if you got to the airport and took the start photo and continued to the goal at Okanogan Airport, you got the distance from the Butte. The pilots thought it was a neat task." Toms took the safe route and followed Highway 97 north along the Columbia River. Some pilots got lost, some followed the wrong river. (A GPS was a good thing in Chelan.) Her plan was working great until just south of Pateros, there were no more thermals to be found. She landed there with several other pilots, having covered 18.5 miles of the 43.5-mile task, and capturing enough points to become the women's champion. An impressive competitive start for any pilot. There were only two other women entered in the meet. Second place went to Lizzy Opitz, a pilot with dual American/German citizenship flying in her first competition. "Things have been pretty radical here," she said, "I'm not used to such radical conditions. I can handle thermals and I can handle wind, but I can't handle both at once." Lizzy ended up in the commendable position of 42nd overall, 27th among U.S. pilots. Capturing the women's third place slot was Mary Ann Karren, who works and teaches at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Karren has competed four times previously and was the '94 Canadian Women's National Champion. "I came to Chelan for a fly-in last year," she said, "and I'm really excited about competing here". She said with her busy teaching schedule, this was the first thermalling she's done in about a year. She said she needs to work less and fly more! Congratulations to all three women for having what it takes to get out there and fly with the big boys, for having outstanding skills and courage, and for being a great inspiration to those of us on the ground waiting for smoother conditions. Continued on page l 8
PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 17
have had hospitality from fellow pilots before, but this group has topped my list.
Liz Hern nce upon a time, in ' Northern California on a beautiful spring day, I walked into High Adventure Sports (now known as Pro Design USA), to buy a kayak. You are asking yourself-what does this have to do with paragliding? I was looking around at what was available, hoping to find an inflatable kayak, when I saw some pictures of beautifully colored wings floating around in the skies.
O
Of course my curiosity then took me out to a training hill to see what it was all about. As I watched these brave souls getting dragged across the hill with a big 'kite' called a "Bird wing", the only thought going through my mind was that they looked more like fish flopping around, struggling to get back to the water, than any bird I had ever seen. I talked to one of the pilots and he tried to convince me that the conditions were VERY poor, but they were so hooked that even 10 ft. of air and being scraped across these grassy hills was still FUN. As the wind calmed down, I did finally see what I thought MIGHT be something worth checking out. One week later I saw my first REAL flight, and was taking lessons on the next weekend. I was working as a manager for a country club, working 10-12 hours a day, 6+ days a week. Lack of sleep and plenty of stress, and no time to spend with family, I found myself becoming a robot instead of ME. A five-week adventure of flying with my friends in the Alps of Europe, doing flight testing of the Contest 29, Shelley and I torturing the entire staff at Pro Design for a couple of weeks, was the deciding factor for my resignation. Seven years and three months have passed since I pulled up my first wing. I fly every chance I get and now have my own Paragliding School. People ask me what possessed me to leave my 'secure' job and do such a crazy thing? After trying to explain how it has changed my life in so many positive ways, the freedom I feel, or many of the other aspects, I have resolved myself to just smiling and shrugging my shoulders. During the years of pursuing my love of flight, I was very fortunate to have crossed paths with some of the most important people I will ever know in my lifetime. There is a bond among pilots automatically because of the passion, but it can go much beyond that. This is the reason that I felt compelled to write this story. After my resignation from the Club, I started diligently teaching. One of my students, and now best friends, lives in So. Oregon. His enthusiasm for the sport was absorbed and well received by the local hang gliding club. Showing him their sites and inviting him out on fly days, he convinced me that I just had to come up and meet them. After a "Demo Day" in Ashland at the training site, Kevin and I spent the rest of the weekend flying all the local sites with my new found 'hang' friends. I
PAGE 18 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
If you ever get a chance to fly with the RVHGA pilots, you are sure to
have a great time and meet some REAL people. Lakeview, Oregon, is a premiere place to fly with the friendliest locals (comparable easily to Europe). Launches are big, open and sloping, and the landing areas immense. The RVHGA and Lakeview have spent many hours and dollars improving launches and landings. Your support is needed. They are working very hard to acquire land for a permanent landing zone. So when you fly there, be sure to sign in at the Chamber of Commerce, fill out your flight reports and say thank you to those that let you land in their back yards. Flying has become an important part of my life and this is my wish: wish that all clubs could have such an 'open arms and minds' attitude, then we would all be truly fortunate. We also could accomplish a lot for both sports. More importantly we could emich our lives immensely with new found friendships and knowledge. My sincere thanks to Dave and Sandy Baleria, Mike Stevenson, Jan Bailey, Catherine Callaghan, Russ, Wes, Archie, Genie, Darren, RVHGA, and the town of Lakeview.... for your friendship, hard work and hospitality.
Kristen Janosky n a grassy hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the western coast of northern New Zealand, I sat in blue jeans shorts and a t-shirt soaking up the February sun. A warm soothing breeze pressed against my face and rattled the long grass against my shins. Calm waves patted the beach below and white sands held hundreds of birds and a handful of people. It was a breathtaking view. My new friends, however, did not seize the same sensation as I. They were busy at the edge of the hillside, chatting and pointing in different directions.
O
Paragliding. That's what they called it. Being from the East Coast of the USA and having learned about nature through television, I knew nothing about adventure in the outdoors. I blurted out all the notorious paragliding faux pas. "Oh, you mean parasailing. No? Sky Diving. No? What, you jump off a cliff'? I certainly did not "get it", but I was willing to watch. Being afraid of heights, I sat away from the edge and watched the four gentlemen ready their gear - all that fancy gear for a little sea breeze seemed odd. The first pilot off was a New Zealand paragliding student. He was a 747 pilot with one paragliding lesson under his belt. His parachute, as I called it, lay behind him. He was strapped into various "things" and fumbled about. Once ready, he began to run. Fumble, fumble, bumble. He was off. A clutter of jumbled lines, straps and clumsy jolts had produced a solid airborne wing. Mike Eberle, Jeff Duenwald and the remaining Kiwi and I watched the student pop into the sky and soon he was soaring with the seagulls. continued on page 36
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Pilot Profile by Claudia Stockwell
ADVENTURE
Photo Fred Stockwell
WORLD
LEADER
P A
M
R A
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Dave Bridges
T
he current U.S. National Paragliding Champion is 25-yearold Dave Bridges. Dave portrays an image that we in the U.S. should promote to all young people. Healthy, intelligent, hard working and having a great time doing it. He grew up in Southern California and currently lives in Sun Valley, Idaho. Dave says he first tried paragliding while on a climbing trip in Europe in 1988, but he didn't really start flying until 1990. He took paragliding lessons while he was attending Cal State in San Bernardino, and most of his early paragliding experience was flying in the Southern California mountains. He claims that he has no "favorite place" to fly. "There are so many neat places, and each one offers something unique," he says . His enthusiasm for free flight led him to pursue hang gliding two years ago. He is currently a hang IV pilot and interchanges his wings to suit the conditions and mood of the day, though most of the time he flys an Edel Energy, Large.
Dave is a friendly and extremely likable guy. His personal energy is contagious and his love of the sport is obvious when you speak to him. Dave has spent most of this past summer traveling around the U.S. doing paraglider demos and meeting pilots. "The biggest thing I've learned is that learning is a process that never ends, it just goes on and on," says Dave, "There is no such thing as a boring flight, if you have the right attitude you can always learn something."
We asked: How do you feel about being the US National Champion ?
F3
"I really don't consider myself much of a competition pilot. I really am a lot better at pure XC flying than racing. Not to mention the fact that I enjoy it a lot more too. I think the long tasks at Chelan favored the pilots who were willing to be patient and just make it as far as possible. This suits my flying style better. I also immensely enjoy the low stress quality of flatland flying." How many competitions have you flown in the US? Which ones? And how did you place?
by ADVENTURE ...
"My competition results are pretty average, here is my complete history:" '92 Elsinore XC comp. - 9th '93 Elsinore XC comp. - 8th '93 Aspen Nationals - 16th '95 US Open - 3rd '92 and '93 - 5th and 4th place at the Torrey Air Races (although the air races don't really count towards meets). "I didn ' t compete in 1994, I was busy doing a lot of commercial tandem flying and also climbing. I missed this year's Elsinore meet because I was guiding in Nepal." What advice would you give to pilots wanting to enter the competition scene? "To pilots looking to enter the competition scene - Fly as much as possible - get intimately familiar with the glider you intend to compete on. Learn to fly it
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actively and climb as efficiently as possible. Go XC whenever possible - this is the only way to learn to fly the continually different conditions and sites that you encounter in competitions. Follow the better pilots and learn from them, but make your own decisions." Dave has been working in the paragliding industry for over 4 years now. He works for Sun Valley Paragliding as a tandem pilot, at the Sun Valley Ski Area. This keeps him busy most of the winter. During the summer he travels with demo gliders . But if he's not traveling, Dave answers the phone a lot. He answers questions both from customers and dealers about Edel, ITV, and Firebird products. He also inspects and repairs gliders, repacks chutes and test flies new and repaired gliders.
From your travels this summer, what do you you think is the biggest problem facing paragliding ? "The biggest problem facing paragliding is safety! New and intermediate pilots seem too willing to dive into strong conditions, and most people seem way too horny to hop on competition gliders. Paragliding in big air is something that
should only come with extensive experience. The judgment required to do it safe1y takes a long time to acquire. Paragliders may be one of the easiest aircraft to fly but they certainly are one of the most difficult to master. The safe operating envelope for them is frighteningly small. I am also of the opinion that competition gliders are an advantage to only a select group of top pilots who can fly them to their full capability. I certainly enjoy being on an intermediate glider, so that I can concentrate on just flying rather than having to worry about keeping it open."
What suggestions do you have to help the US market grow? "I feel that it is important to support schools that have made made a full-time professional commitment to the sport. I also think that the resolution of liability issues and the acceptance of paragliding in major ski resorts is the key. This kind of high visibility exposure helps attract new pilots as well as give the public a better understanding of paragliding in general." And the final question: What are your
competition plans for 1996? "I would like to compete in the U.S. at Elsinore, Telluride, Chelan or anywhere and maybe do the PWC meets." As for future plans he is committed to working more heavily in the paragliding industry, by flying and competing. He also does mountain climbing and guiding, mostly in Asia. So we can see that his time is in short supply, and if those two pursuits don't keep him busy enough, his hobbies are XC and back country skate skiing and alpine skiing.
In his own words, "I feel I'm really lucky to be able to work with some of the top people within the paragliding industry. I've learned that running a small business can be a lot of work and pretty stressful sometimes, but being able to work in the paragliding industry makes up for the stressful times. We are actually able to fly quite a bit for work, and having a lot of great sites close to the shop makes working here a pretty good deal." It must be great to be 25 and on top of the world. We congratulate you, Dave, and wish you many, many, happy years of working recreation.
"The nicest summer fl y ing I ever had, was a winter in San Diego. "
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A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR PARAGLIDER PILOTS by Betty Pfeiffer with thanks to Bill Gargano
About the author: Betty Pfeiffer is the owner/president of High Energy Sports, a company that designs and produces reserve parachutes and harnesses for the hang gliding industry. She started the company in 1982 and has been instrumental in the designing of reserves specifically for hang gliding use. Betty is an active member of the PIA (Parachute Industry of America), and regularly gives seminars on how to use your reserve. She was the featured speaker at the annual International Parachute Symposium, speaking about hang gliding reserves.
Tl -
he sport of paragliding enjoys the unique opportunity to draw from both hang gliding and skydiving perspectives and thus avoid many of the fatal mistakes made in the evolution of both sports. Putting politics and ego's aside , this article is an attempt to couple that knowledge with the current paragliding experience in the area of emergency reserve parachute use in order to offer paraglider pilots important reserve information.
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C N§J.IID)IEJR?.A'Ji'JI(O)N§ 11JNII~lUIE 'II'(O) IFAIR<.ACGILIIID)IIN CG
Although paraglider pilots can learn much from hang gliding and skydiving there are some important differences in the reserve parachute needs of paraglider pilots. The most notable difference between a paraglider and a hang glider is the obvious Jack of ridged structure. In an emergency deployment situation the paraglider pilot does not have the air frame to help absorb some of the landing impact or add extra drag to slow the rate of descent. In addition most hang gliding harnesses keep the pilot prone while paragliding harnesses force the pilot into a seated position. Hang glider pilots do not have the masses of lines threatening entanglement nor the opportunity for reinflation if the hang glider is broken.
Because paragliders are often flown relatively close to the ground, paraglider pilots need a reserve parachute that can open within a very short distance, and bring the pilot down softly as possible. Since turbulence is a primary contributor to malfunctions, the reserve parachute should be extremely stable and reliable even in adverse conditions. Paraglider harnesses must allow the pilot to descend under the reserve parachute in a head up foot down position. A pilot impacting seated requires a rate of descent of no more than 14 feet per second to avoid serious spinal cord injuries.
Differences between a paraglider and a traditional ram-air parachute are a bit more subtle for the untrained eye. For our purposes it will suffice to say that the main function of a ram-air parachute is to bring the sky diver to the ground as safely as possible . The paraglider is designed to keep the pilot in the air. In an emergency situation the skydiving harness will force the jumper into an upright position. Unlike paragliding, often malfunctions occur at a high rate of speed with plenty of altitude and a landing field within easy reach. Skydiving main parachutes are cut-away prior to reserve deployment. This gives the skydiver clean air above them without risk of entanglement.
The paraglider pilot should be intimately familiar with controlling their paraglider in less than optimum conditions. Since emergency situations can quickly change control inputs, correcting one situation can aggravate other situations. Paraglider pilots using a reserve parachute are put in the unique position of having to deal with two decelerators ("parachutes"), one "ram-air" and the other "round", at the same time. This requires the pilot to make decisions throughout the whole emergency. Once the reserve parachute is inflated, it does not mean the pilot is out of danger.
continued on page 26
PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE, PAGE 25
JBA§li(C PARACHUTE 1;:;IE
continued ...
IHI ((])WY 'TI' COJ A'V ((]) II lTh WIR COJ !Bl IL lE IM!§ !Bl lE IF((]) !R<. JE 'TI' IHI lE Y !Bl lE ([i1 I'. i-iOften problems can be avoided by taking a little extra care while inspecting your equipment. If something looks strange to you, don 't be afraid to speak up. It could save your life. Although accidental deployments are not as common as they once were, it remains the pilot 's responsibility to check their equipment before every flight. Most accidental deployments could have been prevented if the pilot had performed a thorough preflight and maintained awareness of their parachute system. Checking the safety pin prior to launch, taking care not to snag the handle while launching or grab the wrong strap when trying to adjust the harness helps prevent accidental deployments. Be aware that some emergency parachute systems require very little input to deploy. This is especially true of a freshly packed parachute that has not yet conformed to your body/harness shape.
• Check your harness/parachute rigging. Be sure your reserve parachute is mounted securely to your harness in such a way that it will not interfere with any control movements including your speed bar. Make sure your reserve riser is attached to your harness. Make sure your hook knife is easy to see and reach.
tent. After each repack your parachute will seem larger. Be sure to squeeze excessive air out of the parachute before you fly. If there is any question about whether your parachute is properly packed in the deployment bag, hook the handle on a solid object and pull on the riser. Continue to pull until the entire system is stretched out and free from the deployment bag. The riser, lines then canopy should snake out of the deployment bag in a smooth orderly sequence.
DO NO'f llrnlP'ACK YCD11;. 0'1NN JRJE§lEJRVJE Wl[1rJH[U'f .A.2I?RO?JR[ATJE GUliDANCJE OJR 'flRAliNKNG
Note: When you have your ballistically deployed parachute repacked ask the packer to disconnect the rocket and pull the lanyard to simulate the rocke t pulling the parachute out of the container. It should pull out smoothly . • Inspect your deployment bag/diaper Inspect rubber bands. If your deployment bag uses rubber bands, replace them every repack or more often if needed. If your parachute has been left out in the sun, the grommets can heat up and melt the rubber bands. Do not double stow (wrap them around the lines more than once). Use only the appropriate size rubber bands as recommended by the manufacturer.
• Inspect Your Riser. Double check the routing of your riser to insure no twists will occur with your paraglider risers as your reserve parachute deploys. Some pilots have been known to attach their reserve to one or both of the carabiners used to connect the paraglider to the harness. This attachment point is not considered an adequate location due to the problems you may encounter with entanglement or the ability to prepare yourself for a parachute landing fall (PLF). Make sure your riser is routed in such a way as not to want to wrap around your neck or body during an uneventful deployment. Check the riser for signs of damage that may have been caused by dirt, abrasion, or friction. Pay special attention to the harness connection loop and the point of riser entry into the parachute container. If you notice extra slack caused by the riser slipping out of the parachute container, be sure to tuck it all the way back into the container.
• Check grommets Brass grommets have a chemical reaction with rubber bands that quickly deteriorates the rubber. If your deployment bag has brass grommets, consider updating your deployment bag or at the very least changing to nickel plated grommets.
• Inspect deployment bag handle Be sure it is securely mounted to the deployment bag, has reinforcement at the attachment points, and has a curved pin(s) properly attached to the handle.
• Inspect safety pins They should be curved and smooth with the end rounded. They may be made from solid wire or die cut. If they have any burrs file them smooth and lubricate. lf they are made from clevis pins or cable, replace with proper curved pins. If they are rusty , clean and lubricate them or replace.
• Inspect safety pin holders
• Repack often. Repack according to manufacturers instructions and every time your parachute has been exposed to excessive moisture or heat. Remember a wet parachute is prone to sticking together and deploying slowly. Opening forces are higher due to the decreased fabric permeability due to water conPAGE 26 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE
Be sure the safety pin holder (usually a cord, rubber fitting or bungee) is tight enough to hold the safety pin without slipping. The safety pin holder should be secured around the safety pin shaft only. If the holder slips above the shaft to the safety pin attachment on the handle, it will not deploy. If the pin holder js not holding the pin securely, tighten it up.
• Triple check your harness handle/safety pin release systems Be sure the safety pin releases before tension is placed on the deployment bag. If the parachute handle pulls on the parachute before the safety pin is released your parachute will not deploy. Each time you replace your parachute in your harness sit in a simulator and practice pulling the handle to make sure your safe ty pin is re leasing properl y. This cannot be over emphasized !
JRJE§JEJRVJE PAJRACHU'::IB§ :J
NJ'.'
Before Every Flight • Preflight your parachute. • Check your safety pins. • Be sure your handle loop is accessible. • Look at your riser routing, making sure "extra riser" has not slipped out of your parachute container. • Double check your parachute container. Be sure it is properly closed. Be sure you have easy access to your hook knife.
/:._"[.,WAYS ~xrc::l:(l Protect yourself by fl ying within your experience level and the parameters of your paraglider. Some pilots think they can do anyth ing because the reserve parachute will save them if they get in tro ubl e. This is not true. Sometimes, even if parachutes are properly designed, packed, ri gged and maintained, they just do not work.
If you have a ballistically deployed system~ • Check to make sure your safe ty is off and your handle is available. • On landing do not forget to secure your safety. cont in ued on page 29
\/Ve always have been and will always be ahead of the game and that's the reason why quite a few major paraglider manufacturers copy us or ask us to design theire harnesses for them . May not even know it but the chances are that your harness was produced by us. This part icular model is the "PAOFEEL" . It is new and is already on its way to become #1 World-Wide . It was entirely designed with weight shifting in mind to get maximum input from the wing. Extremely comfortable , it is an "ABS" type harness (low attachment points) , with the optional Side Protectors which will minimize injuries of the hip I upper femur area while the "Kevlar Back Protector" will cover the spine from shoulder height to the pelvic bone. Doesn 't pay to be cheap in this sport folks! ... OVER THE YEARS YOU WILL UPGRADE YOUR WINGS. Nor YOUR
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The photos are the pictorial story of a test deployment, the pilot is Mark Axen, these are his comments; "In the winter and spring of 1992, John Bouchard and I had been doing some reserve parachute deployment testing. John had already thrown the new Tri-conical in Utah. I had just designed a new style of deployment bag and wanted to test its performance. So in the testing we were looking at the down-planing issue, the Tri-conical reserve itself and the deployment bag. In the test deployment pictured here, the glider was fully functional and flying at min. sink. The conditions were smooth morning air. I threw the reserve at about 1000 feet AGL, the deployment was fast and streamlined the bag and reserve worked well. As the reserve opened the glider surged forward, ( to increase flying speed). I held the brake toggles and tried to keep the glider slowed down, but the glider wouldn't fly that slow and kept trying to fly back up to reserve height. It actually did get above my head just before I landed". "My reflections and recommendations; Use a double riser system, I had one designed in a "H" configuration, with suspension points at each shoulder. This worked great I stayed upright, didn't spin, was able to move freely and landed evenly and soft. Disable the main glider by using more than just the steering lines. Pull it in enough so it won't fly. Don't let it have any horizontal surface. Two parachutes can not fly together effectively, you want to be under one or the other. Whether you choose a PDA , Conical or Round reserve make sure you know what is in that bag! and that it is the correct size for your wing loading". Soft Landings, Mark Ax.en Photo sequence Fred Stockwell PAGE 28 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE
DlEClilDKNG W:HrlEN TO DEl?LO::
continued ...
One of the most difficult decisions is determining when it is time to deploy your reserve parachute. Obviously the closer you are to the ground_ the _less time you have to make that decision. Given enough altitude some s1tuat1ons will correct themselves, while others can quickly worsen. Situations in which you may want to consider deploying your parachute include midair collisions , major line entanglement, structural failures, increasingly violent surges, unrecoverable major canopy collapses, and any time you have lost control of the paraglider close to the groun_d_. Much _of the decision whether or not to deploy will depend on your fanuhanty with your paraglider's specific flight/recovery characteristics, the weather conditions, the terrain in which you are flying and most importantly, your proximity to the ground. Many paraglider pilots use a critical altitude below which they will no longer attempt to correct the situation and automatically go for their reserve
parachute. A critical altitud~ of 500' see~s to be _common e~pecially for newer pilots. When determmmg your cntical altitude 1t 1s important to note how much altitude you can expect to lose before your particular reserve parachute will be fully inflated. Since opening _distance _is a function of fill volume, the larger your parachute the more a.lf 1s required to flll up the canopy for full inflation. Likewise the longer your parachute riser and Jines, the more altitude it will take to reach full riser-line-canopy extension and the higher your critical altitude becomes. The most important factor in determining how much altitude you can lose during a deployment has to do with how and where you throw your reserve. Obviously the worse possible case is dropping your parachute directly below you. 1n that situation your weight has to race below the falling parachute and wait for full riser-line- canopy extension before you have a chance of coming down under an open parachute.
DEPLOYING YOUR PARACHUTE
No matter what...memorize these steps:
(I) L1!2k for the deployment Qf!g handle. Paraglider harnesses have a number of adjustment straps that can easily be confused with the paracontinued on page 30 PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 2.9
Key Collllcept§ continued ...
chute deployment handle in an emergency situation. Be sure to look for the correct handle so you do not waste precious time tugging on the wrong strap.
V ~ and grnm the handle securely. (f) £lill the handle down and away from you. Your deployment system may require a downward yank or, if it is a Velcro closure, a peeling action, to dislodge the curved pin(s) and Velcro. Be sure to practice this step in a simulator each time you repack, switch harnesses or change parachute containers. Be familiar with your equipment.
© L22k for clear air. Avoid any lines or paraglider sail that might tangle with your reserve parachute.
® Throw the deployment ~ towards the clear air. Throw the bag hard, as if your life depended on it, because it very well could. Your riser should come to full extension followed by your lines and canopy. If you get a good throw away from you your system will take less time and altitude to open. If you drop your reserve parachute below you, you risk entanglement. You also will fall a greater distance before your body weight will load your parachute so it can open.
® Yank vigorously on the riser. This will help to spread the suspension lines and open the air channel if your canopy has not yet inflated.
(j) If necessary pull your parachute back in with yanking movements
There are several schools of thought as to the proper procedure to use after your reserve parachute has opened and you still have altitude. We will attempt to discuss the pros and cons of each approach. Before we start it is important that you understand some key concepts.
* 1. The slower your rate of descent under parachute, the less likely your paraglider will want to continue "flying".
* 2. Smaller reserve parachutes will generally bring you down faster than the larger size of the same model.
* 3. Some reserve paragliding parachutes and harnesses are not constructed to withstand free fall deployments.
* 4. Your reserve parachute (assuming it is round) will always be down wind of the suspended weight. If the pilot represents the suspended weight and is falling straight down towards the ground the parachute will be straight overhead. If the pilot is drifting downwind the parachute will always be downwind of the pilot. * S. Both the paraglider and the parachute need to have a suspended weight loading the canopy to operate properly. * 6. If your parachute is descending fast your paraglider may want to fly in front and below you (down plane). * 7. A round parachute will always follow the suspended weight while a paraglider will always want to fly the suspended weight. They each struggle to be the dominant canopy. * 8. Paragliders are very sensitive to symmetry. If one side of the paraglider is inflated or controlled differently than the other side, you will probably experience a turn or spin. * 9. Emergency situations are often extremely violent. * 10. Indecision can be dangerous. Be decisive in your plan and commit yourself to it. * 11. Be prepared to experience panic.
and repeat steps #5 & #6.
® If at low altitude, immediately prepare for impact. If you have time evaluate your situation and decide the safest course of action before impact.
WP~AT ":u ::Jlu AF":ER ~-,:; UiR lRJE§EJRVlE ?ARAC:-i'.U".'.'E ::'FE!:!.::' If you are close to the ground, immediately prepare for impact. The most common impact approach is to do a PLF. A proper PLF takes proper training and practice. The military spends about 2 weeks teaching the PLF technique.
To do a PLF, position your body feet down , legs together and knees slightly bent, toes slightly pointed, arms in, elbows in and eyes on the horizon .. Allow your muscles enough tension to protect your bones on impact. Basically you are preparing to use your legs and body as shock absorbers on impact. As you reach the ground try to hit in a rolling motion with your feet-calf-thigh-butt-side-shoulder impacting in the direction you are drifting. Your arms and elbows should be tucked in as not to impact the ground. Be careful to keep your head tucked in order to avoid snapping your neck.
lf::..F fi .rteif1'.;;~. ·rf.: An easier method for impacting requires that you keep your knees together and slightly bent with your arms tucked into your body. Try to stand on impact. If you have any vertical speed you will probably end up impacting in a rolling motion regardless. A PLF is not appropriate for certain landing areas. If it looks like you are going to impact on a steep slope, among boulders or other obstacles, consider this alternative approach. Pros: Alternative approach is easier to pull off than a proper PLF. It requires little practice. It is safer than some improper PLF's. Cons: A proper PLF is usually the best option. You can break your legs trying to stand up.
PAGE 30 • PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE
Keep in mind that much of your ability to react to the situation will depend on your experience and knowing the capabilities and limitations of your equipment. Your options might be severely limited by the size and performance of your parachute, your mode of failure and flight characteristics of your paraglider. Always have a clear strategy with a back-up plan in mind.
1'HKNGS Y01U CAN DO KlF Y01U ARE COMliNIG DOWN 1!.JNDJEJR lP'AJRA CH1UTIE ~M1'lHI Tli'MIIB 1'0 §JPARE
• li .l'..Qllr paraglider a.rul parachute Rn'. in a filak of equilibrium. d2 nothing, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you find yourself coming down at an acceptable rate of descent under both your paraglider and your reserve parachute, don 't do anything. Your paraglider and parachute are in a state of equilibrium . Ride it down with the understanding that conditions can change at any moment. Even slight pilot control movements, body movements or turbulence can disrupt that equilibrium. Watch the action of your paraglider and parachute. Look at your probable impact area and be prepared to deal with those elements. Pros: Easy to remember and reasonable approach Cons: The equilibrium can be easily disrupted and the situation can deteriorate rapidly.
• lf l'.QUI paraglider ~ 101lllli'. or partially functional, Cfilfil. d.oltl! .u.n.dfi h.2th .l'..Qllr paraglider a.rul .l'..Qllr parachute, If you are able to guide your paraglider above your head but away from your parachute as you descend, do so. Be careful not to fly your paraglider too close to your parachute and cause entanglement. Pros: You have a known rate of descent in preparation for impact and you may have some directional control. Since the parachute is carrying much of the load, you may have less pressure in the paraglider and thus experience less control pressure. Cons: If the pilot has their attention directed upward, he/she may easily lose sight of how close the ground is. • ~ .l'..Qllr paraglider !IQ .!lliU1fil: what £2 xmu: ~ .a!fil!e gm ~ l'.QU ctmYn... The idea of disabling the paraglider has been promoted in an attempt to address problems that can be encountered by having
two "parachutes" fighting over control of the suspended load. For a parachute to behave properly it has to have a weight loading the canopy. A paraglider needs weight loading as well. Without that weight the canopy will behave erratically at best. If both the paraglider and the parachute are fighting for the suspended weight, the situation can easily worsen. Pros: Disabling the paraglider allows the reserve parachute to function properly. Cons: The process of disabling the paraglider can cause multiple problems such as total loss of control, entanglement of the parachute with the paraglider, lines of the reserve parachute being cut by the paraglider lines, reinflation of part or all of the paraglider, uncontrollable spinning, lines or sail wrappin g around the pilot and tightening its grip as it twists. Changing problems can set up a chain of events where by the pilot is required to quickly correct one situation while causing a host of other problems.
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WORD OF CAUTION: ... When ever you pull in the paraglider be careful not to wrap lines around your hand or fingers. If the paraglider reinflates while you are bringing it in , it can tie you up. Just because YOU think your paraglider is disabled doesn 't mean it will stay disabled.
Photographer Fred Stockwell, captures the excitement and challenge of paragliding in the desert. This collection of 20 images include include gusty launches, pilot close-ups, riding tt) thermals, a gathering at cloud base and a ride on the Mountain Queen. Shots takes in e Owens Valley, California, Utah and Idaho.
The following approaches have been suggested to disable your paraglider:
History of Paragliding
* Perform ll l!.:.!.i.n.e stll!..! and maintain the stall. Pros: Properly performed a B-line stall will disrupt the flight characteristics and all ow the paraglider to act like a giant air brake. Cons: Since a paraglider is very sensitive to symmetry, if a B-line stall is not executed perfectly you ri sk yawing pitch oscillations which may bump the paraglider into the parachute or lines (depending on where your paraglider is relative to your parachute). This maneuver requires the pilots total attention to keep from tangling.
* £w! in ~ paraglider from ruie ~ lifil ll.lli!. will in Q!!.e fill2 QD.U'. lll ~ paragljder. Pros: If the uncontrollable spinning wraps up the paraglider without causing damage to the pilot or parachute, it could disable the paraglider fast. Cons: It could aggravate the situation and cause the paraglider to spin violently while wrapping up. After several twists the pilot can lose all control or even become tied up in the paraglider lines or sail. As the pilot had no input the paraglider can start to unwrap itself. It could fly erratically around the parachute or pilot and cause severe damage.
* ~ in ~ paraglider ID. ~ in Q!!.e rear riser until fu!2.: rk'. ~ in llillli! ll.lli!. continue PJ.l.lli.n2 in~ e.n.tfil paraglider. Pros: This cou ld work in a down plane situation. Co ns: Any ac ti on taken asymmetrically may cause the paraglider to behave erratically. You need lots of time and altitude to pull in the entire paraglider. You need the strength to pull in the entire paraglider and maintain it. It is easy to lose ground awareness.
* llill in !!oth rear risers to will ~ whole trailing ~ down ll.lli!. ~ il in-between your le1:s. Pros: You will be disabling your paraglider in a sy mmetrical manner whi ch allows you control. Cons: It may take a massive amount of strength to accomplish this task.
* Q.i1ll ~ parag!ider ~ rutl!.e1! in. ~ i1 between l'.Ql!! !.w Pros: By tucking the paraglider between your legs you are in a PLF position automaticall y. It could give you a nice amount of padding for impact Cons: Accomplishing this task in a reasonable amount of time will be difficult at best. The chance of re-inflation can cause even more serious problems if it impairs the pilots vision or gets loose and flies into the reserve parachute. * If l'..!Ulr paragHder reinflates, .ta to fly i1 ID1h ~ ~ parachute in 12l!. Pros: You may have regained directional control. The more drag you have over your head, the slower you will come down. Cons: If you fly your paraglider into your parachute, you can wrap them up and end up descending wi th no effective parachute or paraglider.
* Cut-away l'.21![ paragljder. If you are under canopy and yo ur paraglider is behaving in a violent, uncontrollable manner you may consider cutting one riser
Photographer Fred Stockwell has een a pilot and instructor since paragliding started. From his photo archives he has assembled a classic collection of vintage gliders from the 1987 Harley 280 to the 1991 Firebird F1. This screen saver features 20 fantastic shots that capture the essence of independent flight from the early days of paragliding.
Advanced Maneuvers & Para-plunging If you've ever ex ri.enced turbulent air with a bad attitude, you'd be glad you knew ho to recover your glider and live t lly again. 20 examples of advanced maneuvers, from 30% asy,mmetric folds to reserve deployments.
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continued on page 32
PARAGLIDING, THE MAGAZINE• PAGE 31
JEASITC PAJRACJH[U1rIE llJSJE .
contmued ...
or disabling the paraglider by cutting lines. Before you attempt to cut away your paraglider, try to determine the probability of entanglement worsenmg your situation. Pros: It is a quick way to disable your paraglider. Cons: Chances of the paraglider entangling with the reserve are likely. In trying to avoid a "hard landing," you could be putting yourself in a possible life thteatening situation.
A. COMMON SENSE A.l?flROA.ClHI ONCE YOU lHIA.VE 'll'JHIROWN YOUR JP>A.RA.ClHIU'll'E AT AL'll'ITUIDE Once you have thtown your parachute the real issue becomes that of control. The following approach should be used as guidelines in establishing your own standard operating procedures (SOP's).
I. Assess the failure 2. Note your proximity to the ground 3. Control the failure 4. Prepare for impact As the reserve is inflating try to grasp the paraglider control lines. , Gingerly determine how much control you have. , If there is some control, try to maintain the paraglider so as not to interfere with reserve. , If it is uncontrollable, disable the paraglider in a symmetrical marmer , If possible, get a hold of the center of the trailing edge of the paraglider and hold it for the ride down. This is the one place you do not risk re-inflation. , Disable the paraglider anyway you can, being careful not to tangle your body in the wreckage. • Never lose sight of where the ground is!
A. WOlRID AJBOU1' STEJEJRAJBlE RESER VE§ As in any parachute design the steerable reserve parachute concept has tradeoffs. To steer a round parachute, vents are built into the canopy. By closing a particular vent the parachute will turn. The vents cause the parachute to have forward speed. The pilot can control the direction the parachute is pointed by turning into the desired direction. Some of the advantages of having a steerable reserve include increased stability in the parachute design, the ability to land into the wind and the ability to steer yourself away from danger. The biggest disadvantage is that you can achieve steerability only after your paraglider is disabled. The process of disabling the paraglider and keeping it disabled while you reach for the parachute steering lines, can be difficult at best. Steerable parachutes have a forward glide. If you have no control over which direction the reserve parachute will open you risk the chance of having your reserve glide into your wreckage upon opening. If you misread the wind direction on landing or you are unable to steer the parachute because you are busy trying to deal with the paraglider, you increase your chance of a down wind, hard landing. Also you must remember n21 to flare at landing. Pulling the steering lines down on a steerable round canopy will cause a harder impact since it accelerates your rate of descent. If you have a steerable reserve parachute with a single riser, you can face a multitude of problems.
If you have a single riser you may want to consider installing a paraswivel in your parachute system. A paraswivel can be valuable if your parachute is descending straight while you are spinning or if you are coming down straight while your parachute is spinning. It could possibly help your situation. The only drawback would be if the paraswivel somehow got tangled in the paraglider lines. continued on page 53
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Or The 22nd Annual Telluride Hang Gliding Festival, The World Aerobatic Hang Gliding Championships, & The Region 4 Regional Championships Entering the headwaters of the San Migual River is always an awe inspiring event. There sits the town of Telluride, surrounded by peaks reaching 14,000 ft. A box canyon with two beautiful waterfalls at its head. It is with some reluctance I entered this valley on September 10th 1995.
valley I felt reluctance and maybe fear at the thought of being in that big air over Telluride that 14 years ago had tumbled and broken my Fledge. I had come down under my reserve then, I don't ever want to do that again. Then there was the reluctance of telling all my old hang gliding buddies that 1 was at Telluride with only a paraglider. I could just hear them, "You're flying what ?" A pair of panties, a boneless hang glider, an air bag, a paralyzer?"
DIARY Sept. 11, 1995 To many, Telluride is an almost sacred place of hang gliding. A place of giant thermals that move in across the high desert and reach the San Juan mountains with the size and strength matched in few places on earth. Sounds great, doesn't it? So why was I so reluctant ? I'll tell you why, because I was entering this sacred place without a hang glider, only my old UP Kendo paraglider. I felt like I was entering church naked. For several reasons I had left my SWIFT at home, but now entering the
The wind on top 12,000 ft Gold Hill launch is strong out of the west. I'm the only paraglider pilot flying this morning. Local pilot James Harvy helps me pick a spot for launch and gives me some good tips on high wind paragliding from Gold Hill. I ridge soar Gold Hill for a while, then peel off toward town. I was able to eek out an hour and ten minutes of flying, mostly hanging out above needle rock but barely able to hold my own against the strong westerly flow.
Tuesday morning, winds at 18,000 ft. are forecast to be only 6 knots out of the southwest, perfect paragliding weather. More paraglider pilots show up. We launch in to Bear Creek Canyon, a 3,000 ft deep, sheer-walled soaring pilots dream. Black east-facing igneous rock catches the early morning sun and produces fantastic lift by 10 AM. We climb to 16,000 ft in blue sky and we fly the valley at our leisure. By noon cumulus clouds form and by I :oo PM overdevelopment begins, and we head for the town park.
DIARY SelJf{f~i{l!!IJffrl(ilfflRRRBBBBB•
Wednesday morning a repeat now consists of locals Scott Maclowery, James Harvy, TR Youngstrom, Chuck List,Gordon Stuart and Max Kendall plus visiting pilots Lizzy Opitz, Gail Miller, Jan Stenstavold, Dick Jackson, Sebastion Hassell, Dave Bridges, Bill Belcourt, and myself. We launch our bags into Bear Creek. We thermal upward in our "Pair-A-Panties". Thursday, more great paragliding weather. Scott and James make a perfect tandem launch into Bear Creek. By 0950 they are climbing rapidly for cloud base. The rest of the group sets up leisurely and we all launch in the next hour. The air at cloud base is definitely rowdy. I see Jan experience a huge collapse-didn't bother him I guess, he flies for at least another hour,
Friday. Overdevelopment started early, winds are from the south. Jan, Dick and Gail make excellent crosswind takeoffs and sled ride to a landing, the rest of us hang it up for the day.
Leftover other beautiful tandem launch into Bear Creek. We're all in the air by 10:30 and we sink like we are "B" line stalling all the way to town park, at least I did. What turned out to be the worst day of flying for most of us was a great day for Lizzy, Dave and Bill who circled the entire canyon, flying west past the airport and returning to Gold Hill all before noon then landing in the town park. An excellent job of flying on their part.
DIARYSep~!;fjllJ~j~Jfil········
Sunday was not meant to be a festival day but the TAF made it one anyway. Talk about a true celebration of free flight. Giant blue thermals in the morning right to 17,000 ft with nice soft cumulus in the early afternoon. What a great way to end a near perfect week of flying.
And so as reluctant as I was to drag the bag to Telluride I departed with new found confidence and respect for paragliding and think a lot of the hang glider pilots did too. Other happy people from the festival included Aaron Swepston, the 1995 National Aerobatic Champion, and Bob Ferris, Region 4 first place winner. I think I speak for all 12 paraglider pilots when I say, thanks to Chuck List, Scott Maclowry, James Harvy, T.R, Youngstrom.Max Kendall and Gordon Stuart, the "Locals" for seeing to it the paraglider pilots had a part in the 22nd annual Telluride Hang Gliding Festival. And a personal thanks to the TAF for all these great years that Patricia and I have enjoyed your friendship, your festival and your town. Steve Lantz is a former Naval Aviator, a professional airline pilot, a Master rated hang glider pilot and a Class II paraglider pilot. His home is in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe.
other two wings and faded to become part of the seascape. The silent paragliders thrived on the same pressures that lifted the birds and rattled the grass around me. Jeff was next. His launch was, as I later learned, a reverse inflation. He stood facing his wing with his back to the drop off. Jeff gently grabbed certain lines, brought his wing overhead and was airborne, but flying backwards. His reverse launch gave him a perfect view of his near hillside collision. He turned himself around in the nick of time and was soon flying with "no worries mate".
"We are ready, grab your helmet," the Kiwi stated in his foreign accent, the tandem wing waiting. My heart pounded so hard against my chest my ears popped; remember, I am scared to death of heights. "You are kidding, right?" I asked Then the east coast in me took over and I heard a voice, "It's FREE".
A Spirit in the Sky by Alycia Nickerson
I am sure I did the same fumble bumble as the other student, but I don't remember. A different array of thoughts and sensations accompanies this memory. That day in New Zealand I experienced excitement never before felt. Yes, sheer terror (Oh my God I'm going to die, my poor mother) was one of those emotions. But to my surprise, the weightless feeling of the flight, with all my senses screaming for more, overrode the fear. Allowing my anxiety to relax into acceptance of my passion for flight, was one of the most exhilarating feelings of my life.What feeling could possibly compete with this hands on exposure to paragliding ? Curiosity will drive me in due time.
A Spirit in the Sky Consumed by passion I close my eyes ... inhale the endless sky and ask myself, "Do I remember why I fly?" Yes, I remember. With my feet locked to dust it is easy to forget - the bustle of society calling my name. But yes, I remember, As the sun pierces the sky and the weeds wave goodbye, I lean forward, · raise my chin in offering, and With ll!"mS flailed back, prepare to
These reflections were extracted from my travel journal dated February, 1994. Intrigued by my initial exposure to paragliding, I continued to seek knowledge about the sport. I took my introductory lessons from a paragliding school in New Zealand and completed my Class I instruction with North American Paraglidng, in Ellensburg, Washington. I presently fly a Flight Design A4, have ninety logged flights and continue to conquer my fear of heights. I still enjoy traveling, but now I travel with my paraglider. As you read this, I am on another adventure - paragliding my way through the National Parks of Chile. Live life.
Mike had finished watching and analyzing and clipped in. He also did a reverse inflation, but balanced the wing and the lines above him. Once his wing was completely motionless overhead, he merely turned around and was lifted gently from his feet and sucked into the sky. He joined the
''""'
····ii and chest, tension surging ~y wings, I sense their
my senses on the cooi:llif adjusting my awatert~~'ll : every movement There is peace, .• \{ti ·· Detached from!lij · moment.. Why fly?. Why soar? .••.•..• , Why sing to fl1e~~y?. So eager to slj!it'~. tilt
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!=ax youT' OT'deT' with youT' Vi,a/MC fax 1·719-63?.6417
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you are in relation to the How important it is to reineni:ti,r,., to recognize... . · · .:·;;5{\r\ :::'.'.? : ./ the chance to fly with the baliµ:1~~;9.£ . all · · < •·•· · working together to soar . to become - A spirit in the sky ~
:tlle.Will, mind, body, and soul -
About the Author: Alycia Nickerson is a 23-year-old, paragliding enthusiast living in Ellensburg, Washington. She began to fly in 1992. Her formal education emphasizes philosophy and health education which blends nicely with her flying, climbing and many other outdoor pursuits.
PAGE 36 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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U.1.11.G.A. AC(!lllENT BEPOBTI
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by gob I lannah. lJ81 IC,A l'a1 agl1drng Acc1de11\ Review Co-Chainnan 1
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One very serious accident and our second death of the year are the focus of this month's review of accidents. EVENT: An experienced Class 2 pilot launched at an inland mountain site in the middle of the day, with many spectator pilots on the ground unsure of the conditions. Flying an older competition level wing, the pilot attained more than 7,000 feet over the LZ, when she was suddenly hit with wind shear, possibly caused by Desert/Mountain winds colliding with Marine winds. The pilot was pitched uncontrollably into the wing during a reinflation. During the next 3,000 feet of altitude loss she struggled to extricate herself from the tangled mess, finally being able to throw her reserve. Upon opening, due to the velocity, the pilot had her left hand broken from being tangled in the mess. With several thousand feet of altitude left to ride down under the reserve, the pilot heeded the radio advice of her chase car driver, another intermediate level pilot, and attempted to disable her wing completely, wrapping it up in a ball. The heavily weighted reserve then began to rotate, with the first 12 feet of reserve lines being braided together. According to an eyewitness, the reserve diameter at the skirt was down to 5 feet when the pilot impacted the ground, feet first, at approximately 40 miles an hour. The pilot was rushed to the hospital, with multiple fractures of both legs, ankles, back and hand. She is recovering from her injuries at home, after an extended stay at the hospital. ANALYSIS: Proper gear, including ankle supporting boots, full face helmet, and a back protector, helped save the pilot's life. The reserve she was carrying was much too small for her flying weight, and with the entire weight coming down under the reserve, it began to rotate, with what was left of her wing in the slip-stream acting as a rudder, spinning her. What could have been done differently? Many things, starting with the decision to take off and get high in these conditions. An adjacent skydiving field was closed earlier due to the turbulent upper level conditions. Wind shear is not an uncommon occurrence at this site, and caution must always weigh heavily on every pilots mind. The wing the pilot was flying on was highly advanced, and she had been cautioned by other experienced pilots and instructors, I am told, that it may not be an appropriate wing for her to fly. It is every pilot's responsibility to make sure that the reserve they are flying with has desirable characteristics other than a small pack size. The use of a para-swivel similar to those used on hang gliders, or perhaps a dual bridle reserve, would have minimized the danger of a small reserve. Was the decision to completely bring in the wing the right one? Perhaps she did not have a choice in this case, but in most reserve deployments you only want to stop your main wing from downplaning, which can be done by pulling in one side (a brake line or whatever you can reach) of the wing until you are grasping fabric. This still leaves a lot of wing in the air stream to help the reserve slow you down, and probably would slow your rotation as well. Remember that in the vast majority of reserve deployments you are only seconds away from impact with the ground, and rotation of the reserve is going to not have much time to take effect.
PAGE 40 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
EVENT: A 36-year-old pilot, John Rankin, of Wasilla Alaska, was killed on September 2nd. The Anchorage area flying community, a close knit group of pilots, all are deeply affected by their loss of one of their most up-beat, enthusiastic and well-liked pilots. Conditions at this mountain ridge and thermal soaring site had been steadily improving all afternoon, with the wind directly up slope at 12-15 mph at 5:00 in the afternoon when John launched. Earlier there had been some turbulence observed, with winds from zero to as high as 20 mph in fairly long transitions. John was off in this favorable cycle, and after benching up from launch made his way to a steep-sided ridge used by pilots for making their way to the next valley. Two pilots who had made it to the ridge elected to come back to the slope above launch, where winds and conditions were smoother. Witnesses on the ground and in the air reported John taking a full frontal collapse, followed by a front horseshoe, one side partially inflating, followed by a negative spin with 3 spirals to the ground. Altitude was approximately 400 feet when he took his deflation. No attempt was made to throw his reserve. Impact on the rocks was estimated at 30 to 40 mph. John then bounced, and dropped an additional IO to 20 feet to the base of the rock outcropping, losing his helmet with a modified chin strap in the process. Highly skilled mountain rescue EMT pilots were on the scene in a very short time given the terrain, but were not successful in their life-saving efforts. Death was thought to be instantaneous. ANALYSIS: John wanted to fly, and fly longer and higher than any of his fellow pilots. John was flying on a used Nova Sphinx competition level glider that he bought recently. His skills were not up to the wing's needed pilot input. He had 235 flights, but 40 of his 52 total hours were with a paramotor, on a very stable wing. His experience level was inadequate for the flight that was his last. Many of his fellow pilots commented to him that he needed to work on his launch skills and get more air time in a stable paraglider before he should try to fly such an advanced wing. John would listen, because he was interested in anything concerning flying, but he didn't hear the concern behind the words from his flying buddies. He let his love of the sport and his competitive nature overcome the common sense that perhaps would have kept him alive. What can we learn from this? Flying is a very unforgiving sport for people taking shortcuts to a higher level. Don't try to become an expert pilot faster than the learning curve allows. Don't make your friends write your final accident report. Speak up and keep your fellow pilots safe. Don't let their enthusiasm to reach new levels of flying proficiency get ahead of their piloting proficiency. Fly safe.
by Lila Gill, Newsletter Editor for Arctic Air Walkers
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his month's USHGA accident reports include a description of a fatal incident which occurred in Alaska at a commonly flown site. The man who died was John Rankin, a beloved club member. The entire paragliding community up here is in a state of shock over his loss. Not because we didn't realize the risks involved with the sport, but because he was so dear to us all, and the accident was a senseless, terrible thing which could have been avoided. John was a personality-plus kind of guy that people liked within minutes of meeting. He kept us on our toes, because if we didn't watch out, he'd pull our legs with a joke or clever play on words. The whole club bought into one of his more elaborate jokes during a meeting once. His enthusiasm for paragliding was unbridled; seven days a week was barely enough for him. He drove a Ford Bronco with a black grill and big tires with a heavy duty suspension, pedal to the metal. Seatbelts were always required so your head wouldn't bounce off the ceiling. Still, it wasn't a scary ride, he was the kind of person in which you could be confident. During winter months he brought his snowmachine to Hatchers Pass and gave us rides to a saddle where we could easily climb to a mountain top for flights. He would gripe about it a little because he'd spend more time shuttling people than flying. But the shuttle never stopped. Eventually he let others drive the machine up the hill. We called him "Gadget Man" because he had every minute piece of paragliding paraphernalia a person could want. His pack must've weighed over 60 pounds all the time. He was handsome, too. At over.6' tall, he was a butterball when he first joined the club. We watched him become a more trim, buff version of his former self. His size was never intimidating though, he was just too nice. Everything we did was more fun when he was there. His wife was incredible; so supportive. She often came to the Pass with him and would climb the mountains or just watch from the LZ. They both had radios, and Dorothy earned a place in our hearts as the radio coordinator because she would often be up high and could communicate with people in a variety of locations on a simplex frequency. Their kids came with them on occasion. They were definitely a paragliding family. Our paragliding community is so small and tight-knit, we were and still are family. John really wanted to be one of the sky gods in the group. He flew a humongous Stardust for awhile. It was so big because he also flew it with a paramotor on occasion. When we would soar, John could stay up with us for a while, but was never the One Higher Than All Others. Nor did his flights last as long. He complained that his canopy wasn't responsive enough in turns, and that's what caused him to sink when others soared.
as close as we had been and as much as we talked about everything flight related, I thought he probably would have mentioned it if he were considering a new canopy. They say hindsight is 20/20. I'll always remember that day. He was so excited and happy because he had a wing that would soar with the big boys now. When he unzipped the pack and flopped the bundle out on the ground, my heart sank. Even rolled up the wing looked very well used. I didn't say anything because he was so pleased. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. Another problem John had was his launch technique. It manifested itself in a number of ways: poor canopy layout, incorrect heading to the wind, inadequate running room, and most dangerous of all, a pause when he would look at the canopy. The pause caused him to blow more launches than the other factors. Here again, many of us tried to talk to him about these things. And here again, in his mind it was the canopy and not the pilot. Launching the new wing proved equally, but not more, troublesome than his Stardust. Same bad habits, new wing. Some pilots in the club who were familiar with the Nova performance characteristics expressed concerns to John about the wing. He assured them he could handle it, it was no big deal. The conditions we fly in up here aren't that rowdy. Safety is a primary concern for our club. We even had a reserve repacking clinic last spring, where we set up a tripod on the lawn and deployed our reserves in action. It was educational and fun. John had the biggest reserve there. Still, as a club, we came up fatally short of watching out for each other. I think we also like to respect a person's freedom and judgment. The balance is a precarious one. Right now I'd rather have John alive and hating me for cutting his wing into shreds than to have bridled my instinctive feelings about that canopy. The bottom line is this: it's the pilots responsibility to make the final decisions about when to fly, where to fly, how to fly, and what to fly. It's also the pilot's responsibility to listen when others voice concerns about these things. Another important concept to remember is that if a pilot has problems launching or soaring, it is important to take an objective look at whether it is canopy performance or pilot skills at fault. A hot-dog wing is no substitute for solid pilot skills. It could put a pilot in a life-threatening situation.
One of the cool things about our club is we spend a lot of time talking about flying. Techniques, equipment, safety and sites are frequent topics. Many of us talked to John at some length about his turning technique. It didn't involve as much weight shift as it could, and the timing of weight shift combined with pulling on the toggle was off.
Two things to remember: If you see a pilot engaging in anything of questionable safety, say something. If you are a pi1,ot and so~eone s~ys something to you about safety, listen carefully, don t let machismo pnde be the death of you.
John was a very intelligent man, and also a little headstrong about certain concepts. He listened to our comments, but on some level it always seemed like he thought the problem was the canopy and not the pilot. Hence, little effort was put forth to experiment with the techniques described to him by more experienced pilots. He was bummed out about his Stardust because he couldn't get it to perform as he wished. His enthusiasm for the sport was unflagged though. One day he showed up at the lake hill with a used Nova Sphinx. I was really surprised, because
A college fund exists for John's children. Contributions may be sent to Dorothy Rankin, Box 874864, Wasilla, AK 99687
PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 41
Dateline: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 Las Gonzales Height: 900 meters, Merida, Venezuela e were touring the Los Andes paragliding sites, my husband, Ron, and I, with a local tour guide whom we had hired to drive us from Caracas to Merida and back, flying the sites along the way. We arrived in Merida in the late afternoon, when the thermals were at their strongest and the winds were too strong to fly in. The drive to Las Gonzales, the favourite soaring spot for the local pilots, took about an hour, so by the time we got to the top of the mountain, the winds had settled down somewhat, and at least half a dozen pilots were soaring the height, most of them flying tandem rides. There were at least ten people waiting for their tum to go up with the tour operators who were flying the tandem rides. Since the launch was pretty crowded and the wind was still a little strong and gusty, we decided to take out our cameras and take a few shots and some video footage of the pilots as they launched and landed. One young man caught my eye-long blond hair, tanned and agile, wearing a brightly coloured knitted sweater, blue and gold and white patterns. He had another young man harnessed to him and their attempts to launch the glider were foiled twice by the gusty winds on launch. I took a few stills and Ron videoed his efforts. Finally, with the assistance of another pilot, they were able to get into the air, joining the other pilots who were soaring the mountaintop. The soaring area is about 23 kilometers in length, so many of them flew out a ways and then returned to soar close to the launch, which was close to 3,000 feet above the valley floor.
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The peacefulness and quiet beauty of this scene-colourful wings floating in a back drop of the setting sun, laughter and excited tourists marvelling in their first taste of flight-was interrupted as everyone's eyes were drawn to the glider that had launched moments before with the two young men. At first, our reaction was one of amazement, for we had never before seen a pilot with a passenger attempting to perform acrobatic maneuvers-in our experience, this is only performed by a solo pilot with years of experience and all safety precautions in place, including the mandate of flying over water. Totally in awe, our reaction became one of disbelief as we watched him do three consecutive spiral dives. Some held their breath, others yelled, I cursed under my breath as I watched the horror of the scene unfold in front of me. As he started into the fourth spiral, the entire paraglider ripped in half lengthwise, the stabilizers pulling apart like a zipper. As pilot and passenger plummeted and disappeared behind the ridge, a white length of fabric streamed behind them, which we assumed to be the reserve parachute, but in actuality was part of the shredded glider. The sky seemed to grow dark rapidly as half a dozen men made their way down the steep slopes of the mountain, none of them expecting to find the accident victims alive, but hoping, at least, to recover the bodies. It was well over an hour before the first of the searchers were able to locate the crash site. Ron immediately radioed me to confirm their deaths and I translated the news to all of the people waiting with me. As the word spread through the crowd, what happened next both shocked and
stunned me and the small group of American and European tourists that I was with. One of the partners of the deceased pilot who was also flying tandem rides approached us asking, "Ok! Who wants to go up next? It was only a pilot error!" We could not believe our ears! But as I looked at his eyes more closely, I saw that his total indifference to the event was most likely drug-induced-he was very stoned. (We later learned that the use of marijuana and cocaine was widespread among this group of pilots and had contributed to many other accidents). We collectively glared at him and turned away. It was now completely dark and the small group of rescuers started to make their way back up to the top, guided only by the headlights of the vehicles on the launch-some of them were bitten by bees and scratched by sharp cactus thorns. It was only after climbing back up through the dense scrub brush that Ron was told that the area was rampant with a certain species of poisonous snake! The paramedics that had arrived began to treat the various cuts and bites of the exhausted men, and as we made our way slowly down the narrow mountain road, police officials passed us on their way up to the top. The bodies would not be recovered until daybreak.
My mind was troubled that night, my dreams ravelled with frightening images and unwieldy emotions. In my attempts to justify the circumstances surrounding the accident, I analysed the laws that seemed relevant. The most obvious, the Law of Gravity, went without saying. But a corollary of Murphy's Law seemed quite appropriate: "If there is a possi-
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PAO! 42• PARAOLIDING, MAGAZINE
>The Gentle Anarchists not an angel ings are of your own making, archist
t fly if you disobey .: s of gravity, gentle anarchist
bility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong." The paraglider should not have been flying-it had so many hours of flying stress and ultraviolet exposure on it that the fabric was worn and weak and the lines abraded from being dragged across the rocky soil numerous times. To attempt this kind of maneuver with a glider in this condition was unbelievably foolhardy and careless. Sodd's Second Law states: "Sooner or later, the worst possible set of circumstances is bound to occur." Its corollary would hold true for most paraglider pilots who put safety first. Any system must be designed to withstand the worst possible set of circumstances." There WAS a reserve parachute, but it could not be deployed by the pilot because he had tucked away the handle inside the harness. Apparently, a tandem passenger had once accidentally deployed the chute while launching, and the pilot decided to push the handle out of reach in order to prevent this from happening again. A quantization revision of Murphy's Law reads: "If we lose much by having things go wrong, take all possible care." This, I have found, is standard fare among all of the Canadian and American pilots that I have ever met. "Safety first" is preached and practiced by the schools and businesses that instruct and sell equipment to pilots in the U.S.A. and Canada. Manufacturers meet the warranties on the equipment by replacing worn or damaged components on equipment. All launch sites are maintained and controlled by clubs under parent associations like USHGA. Safety officers make sure that glid-
ers are airworthy and the pilots flying them are qualified to do so. And if the site is for Class lll or higher, beginner and novice pilots are not allowed to fly there. In Venezuela, the disregard for these safety laws seems to be mirrored by the anarchistic lifestyle of its populace. In a country where corruption seems to be the norm, confusion not only reigns, it pours. "Confusion is always increasing in society. Only if someone or something works extremely hard can this confusion be reduced to order-in a limited region. Nevertheless, this effort will still result in an increase in the total confusion of society at large" (Everitt' s law of Thermodynamics). Thus it is in Venezuela-a small group of pilots have been trying to emphasize safety rules and have been shunned by the "know-it-alls" whose accident records are shameful. We attended the International Paragliding Competitions while there, and most of the pilots that we met that were from Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and the Bahamas knew very little about their reserves. Some had never practised deploying their chutes and had no idea how to repack it. Some reserves we examined had been in their containers so long that the elastics were hard and brittle, preventing proper deployment, and the nylon fabric had been folded in one position so long that the parachute would have ripped to shreds if used. I think that I was driven to write this account because I felt it my duty to warn both my fellow pilots and those tourists who may have been considering a tandem flight. Please PLEASE use only your own equipment if flying, and give careful consideration when assessing your own piloting skills. Rely on the advice of expert pilots before flying if you are a novice. We witnessed five accidents in as many days. We saw a pilot flying tandem come in for a top-landing on a crowded hilltop and bowl over half a dozen people. He shrugged and laughed. An American woman that we met the night of the fatalities had made what she thought was a careful check of the company that was flying the tandem rides-her daughter would have been the next to go up with the ill-fated pilot.
your bright plumage in a tangled heap upon the earth sbefore alive and strong and 4he currents of the air dy is still and broken ht sweater of blue }dandwhite · {'~Ur soul take wing in flight :nmbered by any laws or rules . (jur face, eyes to the sky :'open-calling good-bye children nger that you now embrace in S/lt: : you were not a bird · .trusted you to know that :eyes are wildly open in fear and·
ttst leave these embracing angels ,?talone until the morning strangers and friends and children .ome to mourn their passing.
We had the misfortune to cross paths with a thief the very next day. He stole all of our cameras and photographic equipment-and of course the film and video that we had taken of the accident. But nothing will ever erase these images from my memory-etched indelibly on my brain. Our tears fell to the ground at Las Gonzales, and, like our footprints, were erased by the constant winds that buffet the mountaintop and carry aloft the Gentle Anarchists.
PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 43
lmpo
t Paragliding Information
The USHGA BoD meeting took place October 27-29, 1995, in Orlando, Florida. These are a few items of interest to paraglider pilots. If you need more information on any committee, please contact your Regional Director. Safety And Training Committee. The much debated 5-tier rating system for paragliding was accepted (see pg 5) and will take effect on January 1, 1996. I asked for a role call vote of all Regional and voting directors, here are the results: Gene Matthews George Sturtevant Ray Leonard Russ Locke Paul Gazis Joe Greblo Gregg Lawless Marcus Salvemini Glen Nicolet Jim Zeiset Ron Kenney Bill Bryden Randy Adams William Bennett Pete Lehmann GWMeadows Matt Tabor Jeff Hunt Paul Rikert Paul Voight Alan Chuculate Jan Johnson Barb Flynn Dennis Pagen Dan Johnson Art Greenfield
opposed opposed in favor in favor in favor in favor in favor in favor opposed opposed absent abstain in favor opposed abstain abstain abstain opposed in favor abstain opposed absent in favor in favor opposed in favor
The new, updated paragliding tests were approved and will also go into effect on January 1, 1996. No ICP's for paragliding will be held until after the spring BoD meeting (except for those already scheduled with the office). We hope to have the new apprenticeship training program ready for the spring Bod. There are currently 173 certified instructors for paragliding, so it was felt that this moratorium won't significantly impact paragliding training programs. The tandem committee approved Ken Hudonjorgenson as the newest Tandem Administrator. They also OK'd a proposal, by Fred Stockwell, to change the tandem program for paragliding. The change will be as follows: Using our current guidelines for requirements, any Class III (advanced rated) pilot interested in obtaining a tandem rating should: 1) send to the USHGA office for a tandem information packet. This will give them all the FAA information and current USHGA guidelines and requirements. PAGE 44 PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
2) Enlist the aid of a current T3 rated paragliding instructor to learn the basics of launching, landing and flying a tandem paraglider, including how to correctly brief a student. 3) Use the enrollment form (provided in the packet) to log 4-10 tandem flights with the T3 instructor, have the form completed and signed off by the T3 instructor. 4) Send a copy of the form to the tandem Administrator for Tl approval. (You do not need to see the administrator for a Tl). 5) After receiving the Tl rating card, the pilot would begin to work on the logged flight requirements. Some of the logged flights will need to be flown with a T3 for verification. Each tandem logged flight will need to be signed off by the rated pilot/passenger. When all of the required logged flights are accomplished, the Tl pilot may choose to upgrade to a T2 or T3 by attending a one or two day tandem exam clinic and pass a written test and flight test with a tandem administrator. The competition committee formally recognized the Paragliding Competition Pilots Association and agrees to work with them solving paragliding issues. The ultimate authority of all paragliding competition issues remains with the USHGA Competition Committee. This committee also decided to delete any reference to Glider Certification Requirements from the competition rulebook. The Membership and Development committee reviewed the new waiver, which will be required of all of the USHGA membership. The committee changed and/or clarified the waivers disputed wording. An update of this is published on page 39 in the USHGA News. The school ranking was published showing US paragliding schools in order of the ratings they have issued over a one year period. Above & Beyond was #1 with the most Class I's signed off in one year. Airtime of San Francisco, topped the list of schools giving out the most Class II's. Class Ill's were mostly from "unidentified schools", however Chandelle issued the most Class Ill's under its identifying school name. Annual Officers elections were held on Sunday. Bill Bryden was re-elected as President, Randy Adams is our new Vice President, Russ Locke stays on as Secretary, Dan Johnson was re-elected as Treasurer. The new line up of Directors at Large is as follows: Paul Voight, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Dave Broyles, Dan Johnson Our newest Honorary Director (paragliding pilot/instructor) is Tracie Fifer from Jackson Hole Paragliding. Results of the Regional elections will be published in the next issue. Congratulations to all those newly elected. (more next issue)
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500 West 42nd Ave., Anchorage , Alaska 99503
ALASKA (907) 563- 4359 Alpine Descents Inc. Enjoy flying spectacular terrain in Washington state with USHGA certified instructors. Small groups only, with emphasis on remote alpine tours and Tandem instruction. Perfect for hikers and climbers. We feature Edel Paragliders and accessories.
1700 Anacortes Ave. NE; Renton, WA 98059
Washington 206 228-3488 Ken Billers
AIR JUNKIES * Professional Instruction from beginner through Instructor. * Great year-round flying, over 12 sites Including the Bif}a. * Flight test the equipment that's right for you. * Call for the latest schedule of events.
SCHOOLS
Dixon's Thermax Paragliding Year round flying at the easiest site to learn. Drive-up wide open launches and LZ 's at 1200' volcanic craters. 10+ mile flights. 1 hr. from the Grand Canyon. Cheap lodging. Dealer for almost everything, specializing in Edel. 2 day classes from $160. Class llI instructor w/ tandem and motorized backpacks.
1500 E. Cedar #10; Flagstaff, AZ 86004
ARIZONA
(602) 526-4579
THE SOARING CENTER is one of the nations few complete soaring schools. We offer; > Year-round lessons, and tandems for hang gliding and paragliding > Demos & glider rentals > Professional site guides for 2,000' - 5,000' mtn. launch sites. > Free camping at the worlds most consistent soaring site, Point of the Mountain , soarable 300 days a year. > Products from AT SPORTS EDEL, FLIGHT DESIGNS, and NOVA.
12665 So. Minuteman Dr. #1 Draper, UT 84020
UTAH (801) 576-6460 fax 6482
Fly Away Paragliding Can you remember what you did last weekend? What about the weekend before that? Paragliding is an unforgettable experience. We offer introductory, certification , and advanced instruction, plus a full line of equipment featuring Pro Design gliders and Ball V ariometers.
Come to the Rocky Mountains and Fly Away!
253 Rodney Avenue, ; Erclntas, CA 92024
30590 Hwy 72 Golden, CO 80403
So. Callfornia (619)753-2664
Colorado (303) 642-0849
Skytimes Paragliding
- 1 1/'"' iiittl
Dealer for Pro Design.
USHGA certified lessons. Tandem instruction. Guided mtn. trips including thermal and x-country training . Radio communication between student and instructor. email Thom Switzer at Switzer@hooked. net Po Box 687 Bolinas, CA 94924
S. EBay Area (415) 868-1330 PAGE 46 • PARAGLIDING, MAGAZINE
Paraglide Washington! Individuali zed instruction is the key to turning out pilots in command. We specialize in tandem instruction , from first flights to advanced signoff. Only minutes from Seattle. The most complete assortment of gliders and equipment in the Northwest. Dealer for Edel, Flight Design , ITV, Pro Design and others. Acces sories for every need. We also include motor paragliding sales and instruction.
Washington (206) 328-1104
PARAGLIDING North American Paragliding * Year-round Instruction . * Full Service Repair Facility.
* Worldwide Adventure Tours. * 2000 Square Foot Store Stocked with
all Quality Brands and Accessories . * Visa & Mastercard Welcomed.
111 East Fourth St.; Ellensburg, WA 98926 Orders and Lessons 1- 800- 727- 2354 fax (509) 962- 4827
Washington (509) 925-5565 Accelerated Flight Systems Personal, USHGA Certified p araglidin g & ha n g gli din g in st ru cti o n . Courses are expertly run on a friendly, informative basis. We have been introdu cing p eop le to the wo rld of foot launched flight since 1976. N ew and u sed gliders and accessories, Ball, Comet, Edel, Firebird, ITV, Second Chantz, Wills Wing, and others. All skill levels welcome. P.O.Box 1226 Del Mar, CA 92014
So. California (619) 481-7400
SCHOOLS
Hill Country Paragliding Inc. Learn complete pilot ski lls with Texas-style fun at Hill Country Paragliding Inc. Our personalized USHGA certified Class I training includes ridge soaring , foot launching and tow launching from sites in central Texas . Motorized paragliding instruction and equipment is also available. We offer a fu ll range of the best paragliding equipment, towing accessories and novelties from a variety of manufacturers.
PO Box 200644; Austin, TX 78720- 0644
TEXAS
1-800-664-1160
TRAVERSE CITY HAN:G GLIDERS & PARAGLIDERS
Put your knees in our breeze and soar . .~. .. . .:,..,,.... our 450' sand dunes! Full time shop. Certif ied instruction , beginner to advanced, foot launch and tow . Sales, service and accessories for all major brands . Visa and Mastercard accepted .
1509 E. 8th St. Traverse City , Ml 49684
Michigan (616) 922-2844
ABOVE & BEYOND
All•Ml>....,-E l llEVONI»
Learn to fly with the first paragliding school in the U.S. at the world , 1 1 1 1 , 1 , 1 1 famous "Point of the Mountain", \. near Salt Lake City, Utah . Our USHGA certified instructors will ensure you receive personal instruction and the finest training available . Lesson package available for Class I. We also teach Class II and special skills clinics . Dealer for most major brands .
SCHOOL OF OREGON "Portland's SKYOUTfitter"
PO Box 607, Draper, Utah 84095 fax 801/ 269-9740
Most major brands, including Pro Design. No sales tax! Advanced instructor. Over 25 years experience.
UTAH (801) 269-9758
OREGON (503) 223-7448
Sunn y San Di ego an d Airtek Paragliding invite you to join us for your paragliding adventure. PARAGLIDING Enjoy great fl ying conditions yearro und, profess ional instruction and training with state of the art equipment. Develop complete pilot skills and tour the only paragliding factory in the U.S. Before you step off the edge - contact Airtek Paragliding Center! Tel I fax 619/450-0437
SPORTS
4204 Ste F; Sorrento Valley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92121
So. California (619) 450- 6696
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.
PO Box 1082; Cedar Crest, NM 87008
NEW MEXICO (505) 281-2759 PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 47
P A R A 6
L I D I N 6
Eastcoast Paragliding Center, LLc •Year-round instruction, towing and sales •USHGA /European certified instructors •Class I, II and Ill certification •Tandem and motor instruction
• International paragliding tours Convienient location - only two hours drive from Manhattan and Philadelphia.
SUN VALLEY PARAGLIDING
AJI
PARAFLV PARAGLIDING A full service, USHGA certified paragliding school, with training facilities at Cobble Hill, in Milton Vermont. Lessons also on Cape Cod. Rick Sharp, certified instructor.
logo on film
Dealers for Apco, Brauniger, Edel, Flight Design, ITV, Pacific Airwave, UP, & Wills Wing.
38 Converse Ct., Burlington, VT 05401
NEW YORK/ NEW JERSEY (908) 747-7845
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VERMONT (CAPE COD, MA) 1800-PARAFLV SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA
PO Box 5715, 301 Bell Dr., Ketchum, ID. 83340 fax: 208 726-1149
PILOTS HOSTEL ONLY $13/ NIGHT!! Located steps from the sand 'n surf and less than 15 minutes from Torrey Pines. The San Diego area offers over a dozen year round flying sites. Get a comfortable bunk in the heart of THE BEST flying area in the States. Bring your sleeping bag and towel; some kitchen privileges available. Reservations a MUST! Call, write or FAX Robert & Martha, 4822 Santa Monica Ave. #187 ; San Diego, CA 92107 PH/FAX (619) 224-0985
(208) 726-3332
So. California (619) 224-0985
The most experi enced and comprehensive flight sc ho ol. We spec ia li ze in tandem instruction. Our certified in stru ctors and USHGA appoi nted towing administrators wi ll ensure you receive the finest training PARAGLIDING available. The loca l topography is the perfect location for our XC and mt/thermal seminars. Visit our shop at the base of Bald Mtn. where our full line of flight eq uipment and knowledgeable staff will satisfy all of yo ur para glidin g need s.
§UN VALLEY
IDAHO
Alas Del Hombre Grab hold of your big toes and hang on for you are about to enjoy an unforgettable flying adventure in beautiful MEXICO . Visit colonial towns , drink margaritas, and FLY! Join one of our exciting tours and let qualified instructors be your guide to fantastic year round flying sites. MEXICO welcomes you ..... Alcanfores 74-404A, Cuajimalpa, Mexico D.F . 05200 Tel/fax (011 525) 813-0250
Mexico City (011 525) 514-1649
Air California Adventure Year round flight tours , one to ten days, paragliding adventures in Southern California and Mexico . Family packages available for non pilots. First Class hotel, meals, and transportation provided . Tours-Equipment-SalesTraining-CertificationTandem-Paramotors. Call for details , or se nd a fax 619-468-3650 or Air Cal@ ix.netcom .co mx
So. California (619)670-5322
Paragliding The Complete Guide, is the newest addition to any paragliding library. Written and photographed by Matthew Whittall (father of Robbie Whittall), this is a comprehensive look at the sport you love. Very complete and up-to-date. What more could you want? Order yours now. Only $24.95 includes 2nd day Air Mail. Visa/MC Call 503-582-1467
PAGE 48 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
f
01ng Storr and phbto by ,Ji:tri, Rifle.
This is the story of a record setting week that I'll never forget. Air Time of San Francisco called me at 10:00 in the morning and asked me if I could go with a student and an instructor to Lake Tahoe that night and show them around. I was at home for the summer, in Carmel, California, getting some great surf and flying at the dunes. Reluctantly I left the surf and the new beautiful friend I had just made on the beach and headed northeast in my $800 Subaru. I got to a town in the foothills, called Baxter, and my car overheated and quit running. Baxter isn't actually a town, it's more of a setting for a horror movie. There is one old shed and a truck stop that looks like it's been closed since the Carter administration, and that's it. I slept in the ditch hoping that my car would miraculous1y heal overnight. No such luck, my car knew that I wanted to go up the Sierra mountains and it wasn't going with me. Not this time. I didn't have a glider at the time. Honza Rejmanek, the instructor, was supposed to bring one for me to use. I grabbed my duffel bag, a sleeping bag, and a couple of other odds and ends and stuck my thumb out. A chain smoking trucker picked me up and brought me to my friend John's house, where Honza and Ben were waiting. We figured out that they had driven right past me when I was still out cold in the ditch. The four of us drove to one of my favorite spots and I took an early morning sledder while Honza and Ben waited in the LZ so they could see how the place worked. Then we went back up together. Ben launched and had a great flight, despite some words from the locals about coastal pilots invading their sites. Thermals started to move and build so Honza and I launched along with the rest of the pack. The site faces the Nevada Valley, you fly away from the lake. After almost sinking out I hooked a goodie and followed Honza and Ray Leonard to about 11,000. This was my personal best and the view was one that God gives to only a privileged few. On one side I
could see all of lush Lake Tahoe and on the other the expanse of the dessert. Honza zigged and Ray and I zagged. We flew about twelve miles south and Honza went about sixteen to the north, to Carson City. That night Ben, Honza and I were all so stoked it was hard to eat because we were grinning so much. We camped in a mosquito infested swamp, all anxiously awaiting the next day. We had decided to hit the grand daddy, Slide Mountain. In the morning my radio reported east winds at six atop Slide Mountain. Perfect. When we got there, there was one paraglider up over launch and about 50 hang gliders setting up. A guy in a Swift was filling out a witness form, because he was going for a world record. Later we found out that he exceeded his goal by about 100 miles. If Honza would have known what he was about to do, I'm sure he would have filled out those same forms. I launched and got above, then sunk down to the lower knoll. I scratched around there for about an hour then sort of gave up and landed. Honza and Ben were behind me. Ben got a good thermal that took him 1000' over launch then he came out and landed. Honza worked and worked while Ben and I hitchhiked. We caught a ride with a hang glider pilot and laughed because we thought Honza would be stuck in the LZ alone with his thumb out in about five minutes. The drive up takes about half an hour. When we got there, much to our surprise, Honza was still up and circling. He was probably no more than two hundred feet up, almost ready to make a final approach when he was captured by the best thermal ever. It brought him back up over launch to 14,000'. He got on his radio and told us he was getting out of there and not to expect him before dinner. All we could do was wave. Ben had to get back to his job in the city, I had nowhere to go so I had him drop me at some of my college buddies trailer home. They said it was cool if I wanted to crash on the floor for the night. I told
them that this other guy might need a place to stay, if I ever heard from him again. At about 7:30 I started to worry, no sign of him yet, so I called John and Ray. John said he would go look for him if we hadn't heard anything by dark. Ray had a feeling that he was fine. At 8:00 the phone rang, "Where are you ? Are you OK? Why didn't you call?" "I just landed. I can't talk for long because the guy that just picked me up hitching is waiting, he just stopped so I could use the phone. I landed near some place called Doyle, I think." At about 11:00 Honza came staggering in, with a look in his eyes I'll never forget. "I made it to 17,000 feet," was the first thing he said. He was wearing shorts. We got out the road map and retraced his flight. "How high can you go before you need oxygen?" I asked. "I don't know, 17,000 feet I guess", Honza replied. Later someone told us that o2 is recommended after 12,000 feet. His flight was close to seven hours long. He just kept circling his Edel Rainbow until he was high enough to go over to the next peak to the north, from Slide, over Peavine, over Highway 80. He followed the Sierras for a record smashing 48 miles. He said he touched down at dusk softer than he does on the coast. We called Ray at home, it's nice to have an instructor who gives you his home number, Ray said that was way bigger than anybody has gone in a bag from Slide, on all accounts, distance, duration and altitude. Honza called his boss, Jeff, at Airtime and asked if he could have some time off to fly. We spent the next week on the floor of the Tahoe trailer. That week we managed a super scary mountain bike ride, two water skiing trips on a boat we fandangled from one of the trailer boys who works on the dock, a 60 foot free fall off a cliff into the lake, and we pioneered two new spots which, to my knowledge, have never been flown. A pretty adrenalin charged week, we were proud of ourselves. PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE• PAGE 49
·tlJegtnn,r Wings,
Ii~ .,:tifttr. ,. ,
:tntermidl~te'i~,1n1s, . . ~t>"c~,tl(~i: ,,, ., :· ....... . New Condition. Less than 10 hours. Includes
800. OBO Second Chantz rocket reserve, never deployed $500. OBO. Ball M22 Vario w/ barograph, like new, $250. OBO 303- 444-9717
bag, harness and reserve parachute. $1800. Also small reserve for $100. 719-597-7399
1994 30 meter 180-240 lbs. Yellow and white, 80 hours, trimmers $1495. Need to sell. Quit Flying!! Call Joel 619-221-0910
Intermediate/entry level, Jive 23, Jade & purple. !00 - 140 lbs, with 35 meter Edel reserve. Airwave wrap harness with reinforcement back, Uvex helmet (small). Brand new, used once, $3200. OB0213- 851-1252
Less than 10 hours of use. Includes speed bar, stuff sack, deluxe pack, owners manual, Edel wallet, repair tape and wind streamers. This is a brand new canopy at a great price, $2000. Call Sheri or Clark at 907-783-3369
Very low hours, exc. shape. Personal reasons quitting flying, asking $2150. 406-251-4336 PM or 800-477-9074 M-F days ask for GM.
A\.11:lCO Pr:bna:t)l Beginner pilot wt at hook in 105-140. Current model 6:1 glide Price US $875. (current retail is $1750). Glider for sale due to pilot gaining weight. Flown by 9 year old Dustin de Jong, youngest Canadian pilot. 12 flights, distributor inspected, I patch from snag at launch. Call 604-858-2300
Pavad<ilta l7 demo beginner & intermediate wing, SHV tested all A's only 5 times flown foe demos. ! month old, harness and reserve enclose. Must sell everything only $1800. Call 310-820-5812
I'f:V :A~teti;>pe 11,1
J.i~~
Purchased 3/95, less than I hour flight time w/ new Sup air Race harness w/ kevlar back protector, Edel reserve, Flytec Vario/altimeter, Yaeso Radio w/mic., helmet, airspeed indicator & extras. MINT CONDITION $3000. 516- 277- 9638
AT Sh:acfo~l'1i, . Like New! AT Shadow 27 with backboard harness & speed bar, $2200. Call any time 910-376-9601
Yellow and orange 160 - 210 lbs pilot weight. Sky Angel harness. Fast with excellent glide ratio. '93 model $1500. 210-367-3239
lnfetno'zs·;,' and AT Tracer Harness. Intermediate for big pilots. 32.9 sqm. Weight range 190-260 lbs. Also great for motor. Bright pink w/ purple leading edge. Comes with Bell helmet and glider bag. $1500. OBO for all. 619-274-0678
4r:r·iw:1r•ae~7 intermediate glider for pilot weight 165-209 lbs. BRAND NEW with inner protection bag and back pack, purple bottom, grey top. Must sell, will pay shipping to you. 702-873-0516
t;rv A,$terope :is
l'FV N-.11:llti4.l ~4, ':
Excellent small glider for student. Very little use. $800. with harness. OBO 503- 582-1467.
,~lfgJ}(04.l$igp. A-4
Great 2nd glider! For pilot weight 120-150. Only 40 hours airtime, bright pink, mylar top. Includes harness with reserve container, and back pack. Must Sell! $1200. OBO I will negotiate. Call anytime 503-582-1467
Pilot wt 100-140 lbs. great shape, low time, all A's. Call Kristen at 509-925-2190
t'r¥ M.ex\4,1i~t ,.
A,eo Su.ptaso
Brand new, flown less than 10 times. Need smaller version $2300. OBO 415-386-2214
26.5m (145-210 lbs) and 23.5m (110-175), intermediate, both like new w/less than 12 hrs on each, speed bar & trim tabs. w/Wings and Waves harnesses each one comes with a Solario solar vario. $2150 each or $4000 for both 907-694-411 l
with glider. Modified DEFI 210, 18 hp solo. 230 lb. pilot wt. and electric start, Sky Angel reserve, Apco Aviation Supra 30 glider, purple. NEW one flight only cost $9500. Make Offer. 619-345-2191
Konig engine in good or repairable condition. Call Ron 604-589-2205 or fax 604-589-3933
M~ili11!:'(ittuti~~~~t\,cl1[":li!r1:):1, Small and light, pilot weight 180 lbs. max. Strong stainless steel cage, 32" 4-blade prop, low hook-ins. Total weight 37 lbs. cage diameter 35", German craftsmanship, was $4500. new, asking only $2500. 915- 379-1522
Trekktn~ Espaee>is,tM.i
Very green and clean. Good !st glider with Sup air harness, and backpack About 20 hrs. $800. OBO 505-582-1467
30 meters, 60 hours, April '94. Very good condition. Yellow and white. 180-250 lbs, speed bar & trims. $1300. Joel 619-221-0910
prop ITV Rubis 30 glider. Very low hours and in excellent condition. $5000. Call 508-281-3892
Excellent condition, Still crispy $1200. OBO 415-386-2214
40 hrs on wing w/exc LID and speed range. Nice colors 35 cell intermediate for 160-260 lb pilot . UP XC harness w/kevlar and speed bar and 2nd Chantz AIR 609-499-3045
3 air hours, electric start, tach, Hobbs, harness, reserve chute, 28m Topaz wing, 220 lbs pilot weight. $5900. 805-529-6941
'fre,9~¢11iii~AhJ~~J!)'1.•~;!'JJ11?1i• I buy and sell all makes and models of motors. Call 520-634-2960
;:JJt~¢~11<1:~tP:!!l~1J\:Jll:tI:. ~.~•:J~AlR~~~~'f?f'.')tlit!VI'. NEW, still in the original package. $330. Call 310-820-58I2
,t1t,1,Qµt}~i,1~1~~,,~4l~if: 1111 Large tri-conical reserve. New price $850. carried for two years never depolyed. New repack. $450. OBO. 503-582-1467
Full Race harness with stirrups and speed bar, graphite back protector. Excellent condition with only 6 hrs logged. Asking $450 or trade? Kurtis 801-467-1204
Two new videos from France. Call GMI for more info. 515-676-7599
Back issues make great gifts! Order a box of Vol I #I through Vol 4 #6 for $45.UPS included. Or get All of '94 and '95 issues for $45 a $15. savings from the single issue price. Visa/MC orders call 503-582-1467
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 printed material do so at their own risk. When purchasing a used glider, be advised to ask the seller for a certificate of air worthiness. This document is supplied by the distributor after the glider has passed an inspection for damage and porosity. All used gliders sold should be accompanied by such a form. If you are in doubt about the right glider for your skill level many paragliding businesses will be happy to answer questions about the equipment that is appropriate for the skill level or rating. If at all possible you should inspect and fly the glider before you buy it. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHGA certified instructor.
PAGE 60 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
SKYWINGS
ACTION ADVENTUQIS~OJlTS
The official monthly magazine of the British HG and PG Association. For subscription information phone 01144116 261 1322 or write to Skywings I BHP A; The Old Schoolroom, Loughbrough Rd. /Leicester LE45PJ, England http://test.ebrd.com/skywings/home .html
TWO NEW VIDEOS: $19.95 each plus $3.00 for S&H
Unique paragliding.aiges~4:>ltts•.. Custom made in :tbfi'.USA• · Call or write for a FREE col,011.infq,, )?ack:l Dealer inquiries in~it~d · 193 Bold Ventu~e:St. Perris, CA 9~i71t
Sail Wings
A) Paragliding Pot-Pourri. Shot between the USA and France. B) The Dinovo! video was actually made for a French Paragliding School in Southern France over the summer of '95. Funny and very entertaining these videos are available from GMI Corp. 516-676-7599
909-94
Condor tornado 29.5 sq. meters. 59 cell, 3 hrs airtime. $1500. or will trade-in on paramotor. Tel/fax 501-663-3166
ULTRA flight Mug(lz}.ne Hear our "Fast Action Classifieds" Call I 800411-0042. 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. ULTRAflight Magazine, 12545 70th St.; Largo, Florida 34643-3025 (813) 539-0814
Gena.Ir 224 First wing for 100-145 lb pilot. Less than 15 hours time. With harness and fresh reserve for only $1295/0ffers. Bob Hannah 206-328-1104
FlightO~ign AS's
Build/Fly your .own
Near new demo wings. 26 meter for up to 195 lb pilot. 30 meter for up to 240 lb pilot. Read Bob Schicks review in the May /June issue. Save over $1000. Bob Hannah 206-328-1104
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
Flight Design B2 An older intennediate level wing with lots of safe perfonnance left. 26 meter for up to 210 lb pilot. $895. Bob Hannah 206-329-7523
.
Stereo Vario
. (PLJ;;ASI! &l!Nll lVIO~llY WlTH Al))
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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. $JOO.new V/MC. Todd 303/ 449-7351
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PAGII! 52 • PARAGLIDING IIIIAGAZINII!
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ul...d continued...
7!HA1I"li'O DO ID? YOU .ALu DruFTING 'fOWfi.JW§ iP'OWJE~ !LJINJE§, WA'IBIR OIR OTHER DANGER§. Obviously you must try everything in your power to steer clear of danger. If your reserve parachute has a double riser configuration at the shoulders of your harness that goes directly to the reserve parachute, you may be able to pull down on one riser and redirect your parachute that direction. This may require strength comparable to doing a continuous chin up to maintain that input. If you have a single suspension point, you are at the mercy of the wind.
JP'ower !Liumes:
lin 2 Simulator The best way to practice is in a simulator hanging from the ceiling. If possible have your dealer or a friend swing and twist you around violently while you try to deploy. Practice with each hand. If you wear gloves, practice with gloves. (Note how easy it could be for lines to get wrapped around your neck.)
Kn tb.e Air At least once every flight practice looking and reaching for your handle. Imagine yourself reaching for the handle with your right hand and with your left hand.
At b.ome ruidl any time
If it looks like you will be descending through rows of power lines, position your body with your chin tucked on your chest, your arms wrapped straight over your head. Try to position your body as narrow as possible in an attempt to clear or bounce off the power lines. If you are stuck hanging from electrical lines do not touch the ground or allow anyone to touch you. Kevlar, spectra and nylon are all conductors. Wait for someone to tum off the electricity before you attempt rescue. If you fly into lower voltage power lines it is possible that you will short them out but don 't count on it. Some people who have gotten caught in power lines hanging above the ground have actually gotten out of their harnesses and jumped safely to the ground. Before you attempt such a feat be sure your body movemen ts will not dislodge the parachute or paraglider and put you in a worse situation.
Visualize yourself in your mind's eye performing a successful emergency parachute deployment. Choose various scenario's depicting yourself in a full frontal collapse, a violent spin, a partial collapse close to the ground, a midair and any other emergency situations you can imagine . In each case consider your options, choose a plan of action, and take yourself step by step through the deployment process. Imagine problems with your first plan and implement plan "B". Be sure to continue guiding yourself through your decision making processes until you are safely on the ground, unhooked from your paraglider and reserve. Practicing a successful deployment in your mind's eye increases your chances of responding precisely and accurately to any emergency situation.
W 2ter !Lmdlilllllgs:
The suggestions posed in this article are far from absolute. Each situation demands that the pilot make a judgment call . The better prepared you are with a mental check list of procedures, the greater chance you have for an uneventful deployment. As in all growing sports we believe it is important to learn from each other's experience. When you hear about an accident or deployment instead of chalking it up to "pilot error" imagine yourself in the same situation and figure out what steps you would take to get out of the situation safely.
If you think you are going to descend into
water, disconnect your leg and chest straps in preparation for jumping free just before you impact the water. Always have your hook knife ready in your hand. Depth perception can be very deceptive over water, so look for concrete clues to determine your altitude over water. Many skydivers have gotten seriously hurt or killed jumping into the water when they were too high. If you find yourself under water with your canopy overhead try not to make any thrashing movements . Stay under water and swim away from your impact area. The lines and parachute can easily tie you up under water. Remain calm.
WJHIA'f DO YOU DO AFmlR YOU IL.AND? After you land be sure to disconnect your paraglider and reserve parachute. Get out of your harness immediately . Have your hook knife ready just in case you get dragged. If you see another pilot being dragged, deflate the parachute by grabbing one side of the parachute and pulling it down to the ground.
lP'lRACTICIE MAJKE§ lP'!ElRJFJEC1I' The best preparation for an emergency situation requiring the use of your parachute is practice.
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Know your equipment. Know your limits . Have your SOP's ready for any emergency situation. Do not assume that just because you have a parachute it will work. Above all else, Fly Safely!
We would like to extend a special thanks to Rob Whittall, Dave Bridges, John Yates, Fred Wilson, Todd Bibler, Lowell Skoog, Steve Mayer, Lars Linde, Bob England, Lee Gardner, Alan Bradley, Mike Eberle, Greg Smith, Alan Chuculate, Gary Brightbill, and everyone who has been so helpful with this article. We would especially like to thank Jennifer Toms who has been an inspirational force for our continuing efforts to make paragliding safer for everyone. If you would like to read more about reserves and
reserve testing, there are articles in Vol. I #I , Vol. 3 #I , Vol. 3 #4, and Vol. 6 #5.
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A
flying tour of Mexico would not be complete without a visit to Iguala. In a valley (2,500 ms!) almost 5,000 feet lower than Mexico City, one can fly pretty well year round . It can be raining in the city, and yet two hours away one normally finds a hot, humid and sunny valley with zero wind that has some of the best flying that Mexico has to offer.
The mountain itself offers 2,900 vertical feet with access via a stone road to a microwave station (as with many Mexican sites). Access to launch is from KM 81.5 of the Mexico-Iguala cuota (toll) road. You will see a sign that says "MICROONDAS DE TUXPAN". The ride up takes about 20 minutes, and no special vehicle is required . A path to launch is located slightly below the main antennae systems, and leads to a group of smaller antennae. The main station is always manned and they can provide directions or emergency assistance if required. Be sure to bring adequate water, sunscreen, and snacks. The mountain overlooks a large lake that usually appears as a sheet of glass. The main ridge has many deep fingers , each one providing an inviting thermal. A field behind launch allows experienced pilots the ability to top-land. Rotors are not usually a problem as there is very little wind. Iguala is suitable for all levels of pilot skill, and would be ideal for an advanced maneuvers clinic. Beginners should have their zero wind takeoffs perfected. The launch area has had a concrete slab poured with hang gliders in mind. Care needs to be taken to avoid catching lines in the twigs and rocks. Pilots with little or no thermaling skills can enjoy smooth sled rides until 11 :00 am, at which time the first thermal cycles kick in. Mild thermals with increasing intensity and frequency continue until after 1:00 pm. During this time beginners can take advantage of broad, ge tie thermals to improve their thermaling skills. Cloud base usually extends not more than 2,000 feet above launch until the inversion layer clears somewhere around 1:00 pm. At that time, beginners should be on the ground or flying near launch with landing in mind . There is a late afternoon thermal cycle around 4:00 pm that is a pleasure to fly , and the evening glass-off provides a fantastic end to a great flying day. Thermals as strong as 1,600 FPM (usually 800 FPM) are quite common in the winter and can take you up over 7,000 feet above launch, putting you 10,000 feet above the valley floor. This opens the window to great cross country potential. The main X/C route is to fly NE over the back to a large lake called Tequesquitengo, approximately 40 kilometers away. During the summer and fall the upper winds are from the north and make this route more difficult to fly. However, fabulous triangles and out & returns are possible in the main valley year-round One would normally go over the back from the antennae side of the mountain, following the road that leads to Buena vista and Cuernavaca. Be sure to follow the road
IGUALA , Guerrero, MEXICO Las Microondas de Tuxpan by Cha! Hale & Miguel Gutierrez
until you are above the main Buenavista valley , otherwise you may be in for a serious hike out if you don ' t find lift. Leave with at least 3,000 feet over launch heading for the first mountain you see. You will encounter sink until you get over it. At this point you should get your next thermal. Take it up to C/B and proceed diagonally over the town of Buenavista towards the right side of the cliffs. Thermal along to the end of the cliffs and again take it up as far as you can. Beware that the thermals near the cliffs can be quite strong. As well , there can be a venturi at the end of the valley where winds corning from Taxco meet the local valley winds. Here you should have a clear view of the Teques lake off to the NE, and you will be flying flatlands from this point on. Proceed towards the SE corner of the lake. The large black fields and small towas on your flight path generate good thermals. Take each thermal as high as you can until you arrive at the SE corner of the lake. This corner works well. Take it up with the NW comer of the lake in mind, either crossing the lake directly or following the east side. There you will see an ultralight airport where a warm welcome awaits you. If you prefer, continue following the main highway on your left towards Cuernavaca. While waiting for your chase crew, meet the local ultralight pilots. They can take you for a wonderful flight around the valley and over the lake for $15.00 US. Teques is also a skydiving center, so keep a sharp lookout for small planes and fast moving parachutes. There are many good restaurants around the lake where you can enjoy the local fare while knocking back tequilas and margaritas. Several water-skiing clubs are in the area for anyone interested, or cool-off at one of the marinas, the water is great! For anyone flying X/C, be sure to fly with several liters of water, a few snacks, and some small change. Walk-outs can take some time, and you will be in one of the hottest areas of Mexico. It would be best not to fly alone. Wherever you land, usually a large group of overanxious kids will find you. They will be glad to help you get back to the main road and will even carry your equipment. Be sure to reward them for their efforts, a few pesos goes a long way for them. Stay in either Iguala, Teques, or Taxco. Iguala is the least expensive, where rooms can be had for as little as $10.00 US. If you visit on a weekend, stay in Teques. Hotels cost a little more, but it has a better night life. Taxco however has the best hotels by far, and is about 45 minutes from either Iguala or Teques. It is a beautiful colonial mining town and the silver center of Mexico, so be sure to bring som thing home for morn. A cable car can take you up to MONTE TAXCO, a beautiful hotel high up on a hill ave looking the town. A short walk behind the hotel you will find a launch site. Or plan a day at the beach, Acapulco is only two hours from Teques, where the only flying to be done will be at night ! Access to the lake at the foot of the site is via a small town called Tuxpan. The north side has many rustic beach restaurants where one can eat quite inexpensively. Be sure to relax and enjoy the water. After a few hours of flying , its refreshing coolness is a welcome relief from the heat. The lakeshore offers many landing choices. Local pilots prefer one of the fields alongside the main road. If you decide to land in a field, be sure to have a good look, as many have crops (com) ten feet high . We would like to extend a special thanks to Kat Thurston for her help in opening this X/C route to paragliders this last February. The dust devils have finally cleared from her record- breaking 120 KM flight as she blew her way through Mexico, leaving behind a path for all of us to follow. Mexico welcomes you ...
PAGE 54 • PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE
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