USHGA Hang Gliding January 1996 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

As the year has corne to an end, we have had time to reflect on it . It started with the continuation of the great sales of the Xtralite for 1994, Tomas Suchanek winning his third consecutive World Title (Moyes' 5th out of ten titles), Tomas winning the 1995 US Nationals in Chelan, Tammy Burcar winning the Woman's Nationals Championship, Aaron Swepston winning the World Aerobatic Championship,Brad Koji competting in Spain on an Xtralite and the Green Team choosing Xtralites for the 1996 season. None of this could have been possible without the support and hafd'#pJ:l\of 94r dealers,schools and team pilots. We are · forwarot · · .r with high expectations. Bill Hartke will be traveling nationwide doing demos and Joe Szalai will be tug and demoing all models of Moyes Gliders. Look for our schedule of demo tours and the things to look forward to for the new year are the new 127 and 157 X\ralites. With 5 market, there is an Xtralite for everyone. So what are you waiting for?

Wright Bmthers Wings, Proni Range Hang Gliding, Port CO (303) 482-57!4 Gold.fJn Winl{S, Colden, CO (JO'I) 278-7181 Quest Air, Gmveland, PL (904) 429-0213 Wallaby Rane!,, Orland,,, FL (407) 896-7'11

Jolin Paoli, (2lf) 524-7350 Mark Dunn, Dunlap, TN (615) 9494965 G. T. Ultmlights, Pigeon Forge, TN, (615) 429-46}7 The Soaring Ceut,,,; Dmper, UT (801) 5 76-6460 Larry Jorgenson, Jpanaway, WA (206) 395-7355 UP o,,erSpok.a,",, Man.ifield, WA (509) 68J-11.f8 Thigle flirspmts, Parkman, WY (307) 6JJ-9848 Ru,& Gotes, Mexico City, Mexico, 011 J2J 562 3092 l'elip11 D'co.<ia, llogota, Colombia, 011 !716101858

(USPS O17-970-20 - ISSN 0895-433X)

16 Sectional Reading Made Almost Simple by G. W Meadows An update on controlled airspace.

24 Adventures In Aerial Photography 1996 by Gerry Charlebois, photos by Tom Sanders/Aerial Focus/Gerry Charl.ebois © Creating film footage for a dynamite hang gli.ding simulacor that will go on t bur nadonwide this year.

40 A USHGA Friend: Congressman Paul McHale by Phil Bachman Congressman McHale goes to bar for hang gliding on the Appalachian Trail.

47 Product Review: The Arai Design Tangent Flight Computer

Columns

Departments

Exec's Comer, by Phil Bachman .............. 12

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

Accident Reporu, by Luen Miller ........... 15

Update ........................................................9

Cartoons, by Harry Marrin ................ 19,46

Ratings .....................................................20

USHGA Repons ..................................... 35

Calendar ofEvents ..................... ..............29

Competition Comer, by Chris DuPaul...42

Classified Advertising ............ ..................51

Product Lines, by Dan Johnson ..............63

Index to Advertisers .................................61

JANUARY 1996

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(05/'!5)

Gil Dodgen, Editor/Art Oirector John Heiney, (,erry Charlebois, Leroy Gt11i111is Photographors Harry Martin, illustrator Dennis Pagen, Mark Stud<y1 {,,W. Meacfows,Jim Palmieri Staff Writers Tim Rinker, Dave Pounds, Design Omsu1iw1ts

Dear Editor, The news article entitled "Hobbs, NM Soaring Site Threat" that appeared in the December issue of F!tmg Gliding magazine did nor accurately reflect the situation in Hobbs, nor docs it recognize the many months of work undertaken by the organizations mentioned by rhe author. The facts arc relatively straightforward. The Hobbs lndustri,il Airpark (HlAP) is composed of 2,800 acres ofland and includes three hard-surfiiced runways (of ,lll average length of 6,000+ feet), a hard-sur· face ramp (300 feer wide and 8,000 feet long) and associated taxiways. The prison land is 640 acres wirh the actual site to cover only 80 acres. The specific plot ofland to be dedicated to the prison touches only one runway and leaves two others including rhc ramp and taxiways imacr. 'I 'he City of Hobbs, as well as numerous community groups, have stood firmly in favor of soaring, hang gliding and sport activities at the site, and have gone so for as to visit the state capitol with soaring officials. Tc) say 1hat the proposed prison facility is for rhe benefit of a few is not only incorrect, it is malicious. I.ca County competed with several other counties in New Mexico and has dedicated signilicanc resources to the site in order ro persuade the state to locate the prison in Hobbs. The first choice of the Lea County Prison T1sk l;orcc was the site at HIAP The leadership of the National Soaring foundation (NSF) and the Soaring Society of America (SSA) have met repeatedly with community and state leaders in New Mexico to discuss the proposed site. Both the NSF and the SSA arc headquartered ar the HlAP facility. In addition to the work of SSA and the NSE leaders from USHGA have met with leaders as well as held direct discussions with the governor's office in Santa Pc. It is important to note that Governor Gary Johnson, himself a rared pilot, recently was introduced to hang gliding at Sandia Peak in Albuquerque at the invitation of the USHCA. Governor Johnson has stated in open meetings that he is supportive of the sport aviation activities at the site, and has JANUARY 'I

VOi.UM[ 26,

No. ·1

directed his executive staff to work with aviation interests at the field to ensure rhat all needs arc met. Many hundreds of hours of cffon have been put into working with members of rhe city, county and state leadership. The SSA, NS!; USHCA and NAA have taken respon sible positions that recognize the importance of the airfield, yet realize that the comrmmi· ty also has needs to be met. We strongly encourage any interested members of USHCA and SSA to contact the national offices if they have any qucs· tions about the situation in Hobbs. Sport aviation is alive and well in New Mexico and Hobbs remains a world-class site. Phil Bachman Executive Director, USJ1CA I .any Sanderson Executive Vice President, SSA

Bob Nady Presidcm, NSF

Dear Editor, !-laving flown seated/supine for over 22 years in varying conditions and over different terrain, I believe that l would not he alive today if l had flown pro11c. My feet, ankle, etc. have been injured at times, but never my upper torso or head. I 11ow fly with a paragliding harness with a ballistic chute. It is very comfortable and a pleasure to fly in. Maybe it's time for supine. Jerry Katz Los Angeles, CA

Dear Editor, [n the many recent anicles on cowing [ have nor seen mention of a potential hazard, so f thought I'd throw in my two cents worth. The following evcm rook place while towing at high altitude (im11 a ground-based winch. l was under tow ar about 2,000' when l noticed a plane approaching my towline path approximately 1,000' hclow me. lt was

Air Mail very di fficu 1t to judge whether the paths of the rwo moving objects migbt cross. My view of the towline disappeared 500' below me, and the plane was coming in from an angle. I didn't know whether to release, try to turn the glider i11 a favorable direction, or what to do. I finally elected to stay attached, knowing that the weak link would break if excess tension was placed on it. Thank God, the plane missed the tow-line by what Tfigured was about 100' to 150'. It was way too close, and T still shudder when I think about what could have happened. l'rn sure the pilot of the airplane was not looking for a nearly invisible 3/ l 6" spectra towline. This incident really changed my perspective on long-line towing. During a typical high-altitude tow, a line can remain in the air /or up to 10 minutes, invisible to air traffic. I'm not trying dissuade pilots from this kind of towing, but wanted to bring to light a real-life situation that needs to be addressed. While the probability of such an incident is remote, the fact remains that it can and probably will happen if we don't find a remedy. Fortunately, I don't long-line tow anymore. I acrotow at Wallaby Ranch in Florida. The glider remains within 200' of the mg during the row, making it virtually impossible for such a situation to arise. Kevin Lewis Merritt Island, PL

f would like to commend a couple of folks for doing their job properly. As the owner of a business that sells ro hang glider pilots, I'm already in a small market that seems to be getting smaller. My company (as well as many others) arc contacted often to donate items to Ay-ins and world-class competitions in the U.S. and other parts of the world. The cost of these donations really adds up. I have personally acrended many of the contests where donated prizes arc distributed as awards to pilots, and most of the organiz-ers do not perform this function properly. 1 have seen everything from merchandise being thrown into the crowd to winners just

picking their prize off a table with no mention of the sponsor. I've even seen organizers take sponsored stuff home for themselves. '!'his is poor use of a sponsoring company's money, and the rerurns on such donations are few. It was with great pleasure that Tread rhc "sponsor box" by David Gerdes that accom-panicd the story on this year's Nationals. As a sponsor, I was happy to sec that the organizers of that meet saw Ht to recognize the companies that gave merchandise in hopes of being promoted. T would also like to thank Mary Clor of the 'Tennessee'] i·ec 'lc)ppers for doing an excellent job of promoting the sponsors that she rallied for the recent "Team Challenge" held in the Sequatchie V.1llcy. l can't speak for other sponsors, but these arc the kinds of organiz-ers l'll continue to sponsor when they call. Keep it up guys and gals.

G.W Meadows Just Hy Aviation Gear

Dear Editor, I am guilty of overlooking the obvious in my unofftcial amendment to the list of individuals inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Even though their company was officially recognized in the September 1995 Hang Gliding coverage of this award, the members of the cHlcicnt and very suc-cessful design team of Steve Pearson, Mike Meier and Rob Kells deserve individual recognition. Other pilots who designed and built their own gliders in the early days or have contribmed to another's design arc Crcg Black, Dave Chapman, Camron Blevins, Chris Bolfing and Tony Barton. Who else am I overlooking? John Heiney Mm. Green, UT

Dear Editor, Having been a California pilot, but primarily an eastern pilot, I am aware that dif--

ferem flying sites have different terrain and weather conditions that change throughout the year. { am also aware that some pilots, myself included, enjoy thermal flying and conditions that arc conducive to making cross-country flights. Herc in the Fast, putting it down when it's happening in a rolling LZ surrounded by trees is a whole lot different than floating down to the ridge top at "forrey Pines. T respect anyone who purs safety at the top of their hang gliding checklist, and 1 have always considered myself to be a safe and conservative pilot. Beginning back in 1977 I did learn to fly from the downtubes, and would always make my approaches in the upright "air-braking" position. But as l progressed as a pilot] learned that some situations didn't lend themselves to this "slow flying position," and found that staying on the basctube longer gave me better control and more flying speed options. Having been an advanced instructor and a Masterrated pilot since 1982, 1 don't hesiratc to offer my experience if there is a chance that someone can learn from it. I have never considered my flying style to be "cool." l consider it to be a good way to have broken fewer than 10 downtubcs in .:i ,45 2 flights. Doug Rice Quaker Gap, NC

Refer to July 1995 "Airmail".for Doug} original comments. Ed

Dear Editor, Here arc some safety tips concerning dust devils and wake vortices. In the past two years I have heard of four U.S. pilots tumbling in dusr devils. ln three ofthc cases J talked to the pilots and found that they either entered the dust devil the wrong way or didn't have a clue as to which way they did enter. A healthy, large and strong dust devil can have a tangential velocity of more than 20 mph. Imagine flying along and getting hit by a gust of 20 mph. If it hits you head on, you'll probably have no problem. If it hits you from the rear, you may find yourHANG CLIDINC

r Mad self upside down. Entering on the left side of a counterclockwise-flowing dust devil presents you wi1h a sudden blast of headwind due to your incrfri. Entering on the right side you a blast of tailwind. Always entc:r a dust devil-producing thermal on its headwind side (when viewed from the rop) in order to turn 360's opposite the dust devil rotation (this mart er and much more is shown on page 142 of Poform,mce Flying). Nor only is this rule of utmost importance for safety reasons, but also for efficiency (you need less bank angle For a given circle diameter). hir the past l O years I have been conducting a straw poll of dust devil rotation direction. My observations aren't rigorous science because I simply note the !Urn direction every time J see a dust devil. In my tally I get a lot more counterclockwise swirls than clockwise in the U.S. (after all, rhey are a low-pressure phe11ornenon). These dust devils would require a left side cnrry and a right turn. But dust devils do spin rhc opposite direction, so there's one more rca-

son For us ro eliminate turn preferences. Ncxr I would like to add a bit to Juan Cruz's excellent article on wing tip vortices. He does a good job of warning about the vortices generated by aircraft larger than we are. As more and more towing takes place at airports, the potential danger increases. The photo of the Pawnee crop duster makes it clear that even such a small airplane can be a threat. On the other hand, I know a pilot with a better life insurance policy rhan mine who repeatedly flew through the wake of a Cessna as a test with no ill cffrcts. The point is, the greatest danger from small planes comes during rakeoff and landing operations. Helicopters arc deadly at all times and should be given a wide berth. They have downed hang glider pilots more than once. I believe the best policy when Facing a possible tip vortex encounter is to immediately rum and go the other way. Concerning hang glider vortices, many of us have flown through hundreds of them wirl1 no ill effects. The only caution is to

Ai rti rne has created two new pod harnesses, the laZer and Jetstream. These designs utilize the best features found in other harnesses, as well as incorporating new features that every pilot will love. (Stubai click buckles, sleeved & pulleyed zipper door lines, removable skid pad, prone positive line, and cordura exterior to name a few.) Both harnesses are designed with the same body. The differences are in the spreader frames · the Lazer being flexible and the Jetstrearn being a full back-·frame "comp" harness. Via a conversion kit, either harness can be converted to the other (you virtually get two harnesses in one). Airtime features quality and workmanship unsurpassed in the hang gliding industry. Call today for more info, or to arran e a demo. JANLJARY 1996

maintain a little maneuvering speed and not to do it close ro the terrain. This up an important point Juan didn't mention: never rake off directly behind another hang glider on a calm day without waiting for the vortices to die down. This may take as much as 15 to 30 seconds in srablc conditions. l have seen pilors crash on launch because they were ignorant of this policy. When landing, sometimes it is impossible to avoid touching down directly behind another glider. In this case it is very important to maintain a Fast final approach, quick and firm roll control, and a minimum flare. Dust devils and tip vortices arc very similar in that they embody vigorous swirls of organized air. As such they can be some of the worst turbulence we encounter. The best way to approach them is to avoid them.

Dennis Pagcn Bcllefome, PA

•

Update

glider or a dealer near you call John Heiney or Dave Sharp ar (8 01 ) 876-3003, fax 876-3002, or co ntact: Blue Sky Aircraft, 4054 W. 2825 N ., Morgan Coumy Airport, Mountain Green, UT 84050. Dealer inquiries are encouraged.

13-YEAR-OLD BEN JACKSON SOLOS AT THE RANCH

BLUE SKY RELEASES THE PREDATOR Blue Sky Aircraft Company of Mountain Green, Utah is proud to announce the release of their new highperformance hang glider, the Predator. T he design goal was to create a glider that would outperform other gliders in worldclass compecition yer retain great handling and landing characteristics. The Predator takes advantage of many design features new to the hang gliding industry, integrated into an eight-to-one aspect ratio wing of.high qualiry and estheric appeal. Twist distribution is optimized for maximum glide and sink rare performance, and the wing utilizes boundary layer energizer technology. The internal wi ng shape definition system eliminates mylar "droop" and maintains efficiency ar high speeds and G loadings. T he 100% bottom surface in the tip area, with curved bottom-surface ribs, forms a semi-symmetrical airfoil with reduced drag at low angles of attack, yielding an improved high-speed glide ratio. According to the manufacturer, Predator pilots will enjoy very light and quick handling as a result of the extended VG range which transforms the glider from a maximum glide competition wing into a mellow, fun-to-fly, super-sink-rate aircraft. They also claim that Predator Ayers will enjoy the simplest, easy-pull setup system on any high performance glider by JANUARY 1996

virtue of the industry's first "automatic kingpost" (no upper rigging to disconnect), "magic wands" (quick, internal bifold adjustable tip struts) and a rwo-toone rear haul-back ratio. All ball-bearing pulleys make the VG extra easy to pull with only an eighr-to-one reduction (42 inches total pull). The unique in-flightadjusrable rrim makes long, high-speed glides and aerotowing effortless. The easy-to-assemble control bar hardware is C C machined from solid 6061 T-6 aluminum as required by most aircraft standards, rather than extruded or forged. The Predator has the same proven, strong, carbon fiber airframe as the very successful TRX series of gliders, meaning that your old TRX is worth more than you thought and can be converted ro the Predaror. The company stares char other refinements are roo numerous co mention, bur rhar rhey reflect dedication to derail and qualiry on the part of the design ream (Dick Cheney, John Heiney, Dave Sharp and Dave Chapman). For further information about the

Ben (left) with father Brian Jackson at Wallaby Ranch near Orlando, Florida. O ne of the USH GA's youngest ovice-rated pilots is Ben Jackson from Tampa Bay, Florida. Ben got his training by tandem aerotowing at Wallaby Ranch in Florida. On his first day of flying by himself he fl ew five times to over 2,5 00 feet. On the very next weekend he flew in smooth cl1ermal lift fo r over three hours. On three of his fl1ghts he maintained in thermals for over 30 minutes each. On his second day of soaring Ben flew fo r one and a half hours on one flight, getting up from 1,000' to 4,9 00' . Congratulations Ben!

USHGA TO PUBLISH PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE The USHGA is purchasing Paragliding, The Magazine and will begin publication with the March/April 1996 issue. We are seeking aurhors and photographers. Effective immediately you may send letters to the editor, calendar of events items, news releases, articles and photos to: Gil Dodgen, Hang Gliding/Paragliding Editorial Offices, 6950 Aragon Circle, Suire 6, Buena Park, CA 90620 (7 14) 994-3050 (phone/fax), 70372. l40 @compuserve.com. Advertisers should contact USHGA Headquarters.

PFIOTO ABOVE: Kiny :Hawk Kites tandem instructor, Chad Elchin, prepares to take Boyd Matson, host of "National Geographic Explorer," on his first tandem flight. Kitty Hawk Kites' tandern operations will he featured on the television program which is scheduled to air January

14, 19%.

vious streamlined tubing used on the Sensor. The new tubing produces less drag as a result of sharper leading edge entry along with forced early transition and attached flow to the blunted trailing edge. T'he overall shape is easy to grasp and is one inch wide by a little over two inches long. 'The tubing uses e'xisting 7/8" end fittings bolted in place along with an internal sleeve for added strength. lt adapts to all Sensors. Compared to other tubing, total drag is reduced by several pounds at 55 mph, resulting in improved performance. To order new control bar uprights for the Sensor or undrilled, anodized tubing lengths, contact your Sensor dealer. For more information contact: Scedwings, 41 Aero Camino, Coleta, CA 93117 (805)

and su bscrihers as of the first of that month. This disk is sent to a mail house which processes the labels, adds rhe postage and delivers the magazines to the post office. Obviously, when you consider the amount of work required to accomplish this every 30 days, it's a very big job. If your magazine arrives noticeably late or not at all, call the USHGA office and we will send another one to you immediately. However, when you call the office about rhis, be aware that the USHGJl sta/fhas

nothing to do with the printing imd the mailing ofyour magazine. Therefore, do not, as has happened recently, call the office and berate, chew out, or threaten the staff member who answers the phone and is ready to help you solve your problem. Thanks.

The 19% Regional Di rector elections are finally over and the results have been tabulated. Congratulations to the following people on their victories:

%8-7070.

Several of you have recently ordered USHGA apparel merchandise only to find that we do not have your size or the item is out of stock. This is hy design. Our timing is probably not the best, bur we made the decision early this year to completely upgrade the US HCA apparel merchandise line. Watch for new ads in the near future which will feature all-new aJ>J>arel.

Seedwings has developed all-new streamli ncd tubing for the Sensor conrrol bar and king post. The new tubing is in stock and available for other hang gliders and low-drag srrut applications. Designed on a computer, the new air-foil tubing has a unique shape with turbu-lator bumps and a blunt trailing edge. It creates approximately half the drag of pre-

Learn how to fly longer and farther. Larry Ti.1dor and Florida's top X-C pilots will lead this clinic March 7-10 (weather permitting). Larry will conduct a ground school on weather, thennaling and strategy. 'fruck tows and retrievals will be provided by Miami Hang Gliding. You must be a Hang III with PL tow rating to attend. For more information contact James Tindle at (305) 285-8978.

We print on a monthly basis approxirmrcly 10,000+ issues of Hang Gliding Magazine. We arc now using a Denvcr·lx1scd printer which is providing very good service on a guaranteed turnaround contract. Each month tbe USHGA office provides a disk of the current members

Region l George Sturtevant Paul Gazis & Russ Locke Region 2 Region 3 Joe Greb lo & Gregg I ,awless Region 4 Jim Zeiset Frank Gillette Region 5 Region 6 Ron Kenney Region <) Pete Lehmann Region 10 Matt 'fober Region 1 I Jeff Hunt Each of the abovc--listed victors will serve a two-year term commencing January l, l 996 and terminating December 3 l, I 997.

The first official Speed Gliding Contest was held in the Washoe Valley last foll, and the racing was fun and exciting frJr the few who made the dash for cash. Dave Sharp (Predator), Ken Brown (Klassic), Pat Bowen (R.amAir) and Ray Leonard (Xtrnlite) raced on the first day, and John Kerry (Klassic) and Mike Yl>orhis (Sensor) joined the competition on day two. With just about every manuHANC GUDINC

u focturer represented, it was interesting to compare gliders. In focr, it turned out that pilot skill was a bigger factor than pl!re speed, bm speed sure is fim! Day l, 3.2 miles, 2,200' vertical: Dave Sharp, I st; Krn Brown, 2nd; Pat Bowen, 3rd, Ray Leonard, 4th. Day 2, 3.2 miles, 2,200' vertical (with one, two or three gates depending on the

pilot's choice). Course A: Ken Brown, 1st; John Kerry, 2nd; Dave Sharp, 3rd. Course B: Mike Voorhis, I st; Pat Bowen, 2nd; Ray Leonard, 3rd. Another dash for cash is planned rhis year, so if anyone has a rich relative who would like to sponsor the event please call. Contact: Ray Leonard, Adventure Sports (702) 883-7070.

As of press date the Women's World Team has raised $14,500! In our next issue we'll report on the results of the raflle drawing. 'fhe latest contributors are listed below. $100 Paul Banken Arthur Fleming John Scott Michael Stewart $50 Ans tin Br.ian Barrett Scott Brittain Danny Brotto Dave Bwyles Mike Degroff Mitchel Dodd Stephanie & Robert Grieb Alan Jacobsen David Knudson Mallory Lynch Mike Macon Dick Mauldin Jon McConachie Ilic Niehaus Denise & Michael O'Leary Alan Paylor Gary Smith Ned Smith Douglas Stewart Bob Storms Maxc Stuetzd Jean 'T'horeson Steve Vogel Matt Wagner Mike Wixom

$]5 Anonymous Mike Badley Amalee Carlson Suzan & Thomas Condren R.otor Dave Paul Diegel David Elliott

Jerry Heylek Paullfatd David Inouye 'I<)tn Kessler

Keith Kirksey Rich Lawrence Charles Malloch John Maloney Tbrn McGowan Arturo .Mclean I ,ee Metzgar Keith Murray Charles Park RR Rodriguez Brent ]looker Mark Rowland Bob Shatderoe Scott S.mith Art Stallings Bill Tolbert Syd Ulvik

Belinda Boulter Steve Bruhaker Eric Castro Juan Cruz Bill Cummings Rick DeStephcns John Everest Ryan Glover Hal Hayden T'im Jfolms Linda ffodgson Vincent Jackovich Matthew Jacobson Bjorn Jensen Lee Keller Joel Kolbo Steve Kossinger Dan Leahy Larry Lewis Steve Licneman Scott Lucas Henry Madesowicz

David McAnally Duane McCune John Moody Dan O'Hara Chadie Porter John Riedman YoramRm.cn Davis Straub . BB Summers Will Swanson Bob Thompson

Steve Wertheimer: I flew farther than mY. buddy all ~~mmer Aon,g. I th.ink its the tangent. You'll find Tangents here ... Chris Arai, 94 & 95 US National ·.Champion " John Pendry, 95. British National Champion 6 TFCs in the top IO at the 95 US Nationals

Christian Titone Raymond Wolf

$40 Larry Majchrzak Marilyn Raines

)J\NLJJ\RY '19%

$30 Larry Ball

by Phil Bachman> [JSifGA Executive Director

or many months now I have been talking with and trying to reinforce the cffrms of members of the \Yater Gap Hang Gliding Club to get a specialuse pennit reissued for their Kirks site, which is within the boundaries of the Appalachian 'Trail in Pennsylvania. The Water Gap Club members arc primarily from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas. This launch site has been used since 1978 with permission from the private landowner. In 1988 the area was purchased by the National Park Service/Appalachian 'frail. Ar that time the ·water Gap Club was granted a special-use permit to continue using the site under identified special conditions. The rapport developed by the Water Gap Club in the intervening years has been fantastic. The five-year permit was to be reissued in October, 1994 on the recommendation of the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) and the local maintaining Springfield 'frail Club. In November, 1994, afrer the permit had expired, the club was notified by the Acting Project Manager that their permit fees check was being returned, and that the permit was not going to be reissued pending "additional review." After several frustrating months and the intervention,

by letter, of United States Congressman Paul Md-fale of Pennsylvania and Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, a temporary permit was finally issued. T'he time required for this action to transpire meant that an entire flying season was lost. The issue is still not resolved. The result of all of this is that an entire year has been spent by the club in an extremely frustrating effort to get the permit reissued. 'This represents an extraordinary amount of time spent by individual club members, and liter;:illy thousands of' dollars of personal expense on the part of the officers of the ·water Cap Club. Before T describe rhe current situation and how you can help, I borrowed some information from the Appalachian 'Ti·ail Comprehensive Plan to provide you with some background on the Th1il.

TRAIL? The Appalachian 'frail extends over a distance of some 2, l 00 miles and is described as a "meandering footpath" through mostly forested coumry from Maine to Georgia. The ·nail was proposed by forester Benton M,tcKaye in

1921 as a footway linking the scenic high ridges of the eastern seaboard. It begins at the summit of Katahdin (meaning "Mighty Mountain") in Maine and passes through New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Iennessee and North Carolina, finally ending at Springer Mountain in Georgia. Volunteers began the marking and cutting of the Appalachian 'frail in ] 922. Additional sections were added throughout the 1920's. Jn 1938 and 1939, tbe Appalachian 1bilway Agreements were signed between the Appalachian ]hil Conference (ATC) and each state, recog· nizing more formally the existence of the Trail and the Conference's role in maintaining it. A similar agreement was signed in 1938 between the Forest Service and the National Park Service. These agreements established the basis for management of the 'frail for the nexr 30 years. The Appalachian 'frail Conference was formed in 1925 and unified and coordinated the efforts of volunteers. Today there are 31 member 'frail clubs which have been given responsibility for maintaining sections of the 'fhil. These clubs range from 44 to 26,000 members and

t li\NC GLIDINC

are the human resource which is fundamental to the preservation of the tradi-tions and integrity of the 'frail. Some of the 31 designated clubs arc actually conferences or associations and have delegated subsections of their "frail ro their member clubs, bringing the total number of clubs ro 60. Under the authority of the National 'frails System Act of 1968, the National Park Service has been given responsibility for administration of the entire'] i-ail. 'The "Ii-ail is developed and maintained through a close working partnership with the vol-unteer-based organizations and the NPS, Porest Service and other involved federal and state agencies. 'fhe basic building block of the Cooperative Management System is the relationship between the individual trail clubs and the designated government agency. The goal is to preserve and strengthen rhc existing volunteer-centered system. The clubs arc encouraged to t,1kc on as much responsibility as rhey can.

Over the years the ~later Gap Cluh has set an exemplary example of how bang glider and paraglidcr pilots can make meaningful contributions to the maintenance of the 'fiail. Obviously, a willingness to volunteer time to help mainrain and preserve the nanJral beauty of the 11·ail is appreciated and viewed as a favorable accommodation. According to Congressman Paul Mdfale of Pennsylvania, "Quite frankly, the mem-bers of the WGHGC have set a standard for safely and site cleanliness which would be difficult, if not impossible to duplicate." The Appalachian 'fi-ail crosses the mount;iinous areas of 14 states. You may not live in one of rhcse sratcs, but sometime in the future you could certainly enjoy a vacation trip to fly some of the scenic areas of the 'frail that is, if there

are any sites lefi. The situation with rhc Kirks sire is this. After much procrastination and prodding, the ATC management for this

JANUA~Y 1996

area of the 'IJ-ail decided tha1 ii was necessary to have a special-use regulation which would give them the authorization to issue a special-use permit. This requires that the regulation be drafted by "regulations drafters" I guess. ·rhen it has lo be approved by rhc lawyers, then it has to be signed by the Assistant Secretary, then it goes back ro the lawyers, then it is published in the Federal Register with a 30--day comment period, then the comments arc summarized :md published in the Federal Register, then it goes back to the Assistant Secretary's office for a final sign-off; and, tlnally, it makes its way back to the A'l'C management office. ·rhcn they start on the permit process. Any guesses as to how much time this whole process takes? Let me give you a hint. Jr took 56 days and another letter from Congressma1~ Paul McHale to get the proposed regulation signed by the Assisranr Secretary and forwarded back to the legal guys before going to the Federal

Register. l kre's the point of all of this. A timcconsuming, cumbersome bureaucratic process is required every time a new permit is applied for or a renewal is requested. In addition, as a result of the Water Gap Club's fight to get rhcir site back, an attempt is underway by the management of the Arc to draft a policy entitled Hang Gliding on A. T Land;, This draft policy was published in the October, 1995 ATC Register ncwslener. This proposed policy is very restrictive toward hang gliding on all public or private lands (my emphasis) traversed by the Appalachian National Scenic 'frail. As 1 mentioned, this covers potential flying sites in I 4 states affecting almost the entire Easr Coast soaring commtmi1y by making it nearly impossible to obtain new site permits. A case in point is the introduction and fost sentence of the first recital in the proposed policy, which reads, " ... As such, rhc Confrrencc believes that Appalachian Tbil lands should not be used for hang gliding launch or landing sites, except where all (their emphasis) of the following criteria can be met: The hang gliding site must be a sire where hang gliding has been a historical use (my emphasis) that has not contributed to the degradation of the nai-ural resources ... " This statement

virtually eliminates rhc possibly of a new site being opened. Remember, this is a proposed policy for 14 states! There arc seven addirional recitals followed by a concluding stalcment which reads in part, "If the sire is located on National Park Service lands, the Conference will support a special-use per-" mit for the use of rhe sire only if said use is authorized hy issuance of a site-specific (their emphasis) special rcgularion and subsequent special-use permit that con-tains conditions ... " This means that every site application or renewal wilJ have to go through rhc entire process l described above which could easily take, based on the Kirks experience, over a year! This proposed policy, which is too long to reproduce in its entirety in this space, has a public comment period which ends on January 15, 1996. This is very soon afrcr you read this article! The alternative to this approach is the drafting of a policy which includes a single special-use regulation frir the issuance of special-use permits for hang gliding and paragliding within the entire Appalachian 'Th1il, subject to local management jurisdiction and negotiation. This allows the local Ar managers and Clubs to issue permits based on their inti-mate knowledge of the local area and subject to their final approval. "T1:i date, th is approach has been resisted by the ATC and their proposed policy ,lttempts to legitimize this attitude"

For starters, the USHCA office sent a direct mailing in December to all members in the 14 affected states asking rbcrn to send a Jetter in response to this proposed policy. I am scndi ng personal letters to 52 USHGA clubs and businesses in the affected states asking them to respond to this proposed policy. I am also sending letters to all United States Senators and Congressmen in these states asking for their support for the drafting of a more realistic ,md fair policy regarding hang gliding and paragliding on lands within the ATC as well as all public lands.

First of all, do not be complacent about this issue! Even though it may not directly affr~ct you now, the ATC comes under the supervision of the National Park Service. I would venture a guess that most of you, at one time or another, have had the opportunity to fly a site within a national park. The implementation of a policy such as the one proposed by the Arc could very easily have a furn re ripple effect into other areas of the country through the NPS. I hope by now you arc mad enough to do something to help out. It so happens that we have a specific suggestion for you to follow. It will take 5 or 10 minutes of your time and a stamp. The following is suggested wording from the Water Cap Club for a letter to be sent to the ATC management regarding their proposed hang gliding policy. ']~1kc the time to duplicate and send it. I)on't be afraid to edit it with your personal feelings. Just keep it rcspectfol, otherwise it probably won't: count. This is the rime to give your input. The Water Gap Club and all clubs on the eastern seaboard need your help in this matter. Remember, the next time something like this comes up, it may be your flying site.

WORDING The deadline for your letter to be received hy the ATC is Monday, January 15, l 996. Take the time right now to pen a letter. Send it to: Mr. Don Owen Resource Management Coordinator Appalachian 11-ail Conference EO. Box 807 Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Re: Proposed ATC Hang Gliding Policy Dear Mr. Owen, This letter is in response to rbe Draft Policy: Hang Gliding on A. 7: !,and, article published in The Register, October, 1995.

l an1 a member of the United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) which rep· resents only those who fly foot-bunched hang gliders and p;iragliders, both of which arc mntorless or powerless ulcralight vehicles that depend on natural forces to stay aloft. First, let me state that many of us in US1'.1GA arc also hiking and backpacking enthusiasts. We arc all free-flight aviators who share a kindred spirit with the hiking and backpacking community. We recognize the challenges faced by the National Park Service and support your accomplishments and continuing effrms, particularly within the ATC. Second, l rnust take issue with borh rhe tone of the policy's introduction and preamble as well as the draft policy itself. The introduction, which has "emphasis added" whenever incompatible uses are cited, misrepresents our activities and misleads uninitiated readers into believing that foot-launch free flight is inconsistent with the ATC's mission as the preamble implies. ] ,et me cite some examples from the preamble of your proposed policy to support my position: "It: is a rneans of sojourning among these lands, such that the visitors may

experience them by their own unaided t(ffhrtr (emphasis added)." We arc no more aided in our activity than are hikers by their boots, backpacks and tents, climbers by their ropes, or canoers by their paddles. We generally hike to a launch site, foot launch and are on our sojourning way. " ... management actions will discourage activities ... such as use by groups ... involved in promotion, sponsorship, or participation in spectator events or com·· petitive activities, or groups by which their size or commercial interest generate use which is inconsisrent. .. (emphasis added)." Hang gliding and paragliding are not spectator activities. No one is watch-ing when we are a silent speck in the sky. Like hiking, hang gliding and paragliding are personal, individual activities. Only a small percentage of our membership actually flies the A.T'. Our total membership is completely insignificant in comparison to the number who regularly use and enjoy the 'frail. " ... hang gliding is generally inconsistent with the fundamcntalJy remote,

recreational experience that the Appalachian 'frail is intended to provide." On the contrary, our activity is precisely a remote, recreational experience! My comments on the drafr policy itself arc as follows: " ... must be a site where hang gliding has been a historical use ... " I strongly oppose this wording. This is an obvious attempt ro inhibit any future considera-tion for new sites that could reasonably be developed. The Appalachians represent the very best, and often the only, terrain available for East Coast foot-launch snaring. We need a much more fair and open policy. " ... ATC will support a special-use permit on NPS lands ... only iL authorized by issuance of a site-specific special regulation ... " This is regulatory overkill! It needlessly wastes government/taxpayer resources, potentially intrudes on other park service entities, and unreasonably delays site-use decisions. A single hang gliding and paragliding regulation covering the entire AT is needed. 'fhe permit negotiation specifics and responsibility is then left to the local Ar manager, the AT club for that 'frail section and the USHGA club. We need a realistic, streamlined process. I understand that hang gliding is being considered by the ATC in the same category as other special trail users, such as off-road motoring, snowmobiling, mountain biking and hunting. These activities are fundamentally different frorn footlaunch motnrlcss flight. We do not ride on the trail, we hike. We do not pollute. When we soar the skies, we are silent. Our launch areas are quite small, unobtrusive and usually not even visible from the trail. As evidence of the positive experiences on the AT, one only has to look at the mumally supportive relationships that have existed for nearly 20 years between the Water Gap I-lang Gliding Club and the hikers and local 1hil clubs. Let us work together and develop a fair and positive policy for foot-launch power-less soaring on A.T. lands. Sincerely,

HANC GUDINC

Accident Review Chairman ere arc two recent incidents that almost exactly mirror fatal acci dents which occurred during the past two years.

A pilor flying in a competition launched into "relatively strong coudirions." Afrcr scratching up to a good a!tituck he beaded downwind toward a better trigger area, which was in the opposite direction of the good landing zones. He ended up trying to stretch a glide in a 2.0-mph wind over an area filled with trees and canyons. "I made it to a survivable l Z without enough altitude to check the wind direction. I guessed wrong, and came in downwind heading ("i:)r 11npleasant obstacles (oncoming trafltc, rocky canyon walls)." He made a .sharp right turn toward some trees and clipped his right wing about four feet from the tip. At 15 fret J\G Land 2.5-JO mph he was spun 90 degrees and dove into the terrain. "J ,llck was with me as J impacted in the local river in water and m11ck two fret deep. The only injuries were a cut finger requiring stitches and a sprained wrist. 'The glider was relatively unscathed, needing only one downrube and one leading edge. "Summary: The strong conditions and the competition led me to overcommit to getting np far from good landing zones. The dangerous evasive action during the landing worked, hut may well not have without a healthy dose ofluck. "Note: I wore a foll-face MX helmet (Shoci VFX) and still sustained a few scratches on my forehead. Civen the nature of the impact, and the branches my JANLJi\RY 1996

made it to a survivable without enough altitude to check the wind direction. I guessed wrong and came in downwind heading for unpleasant obstac/es. 11 11 /

head went through, it seems likely that this helmet kept my face from being torn off"

I don't receive reports of many incidents involving gliders clipping trees, hut of those Tdo, a high percentage involve severe injury or death. ·f'he ability of' rhc pilot involved here is unquestionable. I'm not sure more training would have helped him, and I foci that this problem will always be with us. However, I believe we can minimize die number of incidents like this by strictly adhering to a flight plan based on safer procedures. The better procedures would probably involve a more strict flight plan. This pilot was lured by the goal of the competition. Set your flight parameters early, and include conservative alternatives. Better or different equipment also might have either prevented the accident or lessened the risk of serious injury on impact. As far as better or different equipment goes, I am open ro suggestions beyond those I have already offered (flying Feet first, drogue chutes or spoilers, etc.).

An Intermediate pilot without cxtcn· sive airtime launched into strong, gusty conditions. Wind in the secondary LZ was 4-8 mph, gusting to 15 mph. J\t trcc·top level the wind was l 0-2.0 mph, gusting ro 25-35 mph. Afrcr setting up an aircrafr approach the pilot turned onto final. The glider began oscillating. The pilot failed to gain control and slipped into the ground on the third oscillation, striking the right wing tip first. The pilot suffered head, chest and shoulder injuries.

Most airspeed conrrol problerns involve flying too slowly. Oscillations or other problems associated with flying roo fast are represented in a small but pcrsistcn r fraction of the reports I receive. One pilot died in 1994 as a result of oscillations while flying fast on approach in strong conditions, and another pilot died last spring from flying far too fast immediately afrer launch. Several pilots have suggested that we instit utc a "fast flying" t;isk for Novice or I ntermcd iate ratings. I recently polled a few instructors regarding this proposal, and most seemed to foci that a formal sign-ofF task was not needed. 'T'hey did suggest that perhaps a note to instructors encouraging increased aucntion to this potential problem was in order. l am not an instructor, so Tpass the subject on for discussion among those who arc. There is rhc risk t!wt if' rhc training isn't done properly we will create more problems than we arc now seeing. Perhaps what is needed is a session involving incrcmemally faster flying, at altitude, under direct radio .supervision. fn this incidcm the winds were gusting to 25-35 mph. These arc strong conditions for anyone, but especially for a lowairtime pilot. Were senior pilots present to help assess the skill/conditions factor? Was such advice sought? Was it offered? Was it accepted? 1.)["

Airspace Reclassification at a Glance

AGL - above ground level

FL • flight level

ear GeeDub, A few years back, you wrote an article about understanding airspace regulations as they pertain to hang gliding. Since that time, the FAA has changed its designations and we can no Longer study your old article to Learn this stuff How about an update? - Doug Haber, New Jersey Thanks Doug. Ir's one of chose things I've been meaning co gee around co. On September 16, 1993, U.S. airspace was fully reclassified. The FAA did away with the acronyms TCA, ARSA, ATA and such. In their place are now six alphabetic classifications (A, B, C, D, E and G). Class F is not used in che U.S. The reason che FAA did chis is char a less complex airspace system will make ic easier to understand pilot certification , aircraft equipment requirements and air traffic control services provided in each class, and bring the U .S. into compliance with incernacional agreements. One of the great aspects of chis change is chat if you could understand and f1y safely with the old system , you can understand and fly safely with the new one. This airspace reclassification affects everyone in aviation. Ir will require pilots, controllers, and flight instructors, as well as hang glider and paraglider pilots, co become familiar with the new class designations. I will cake chese new designations in order (alphabetically) and explain chem as JANUARY 1996

MSL - mean sea level

easily as possible. You should be aware char FAR 103 . 17 says: " o person may operate an ultralight vehicle within Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless char person has prior authorization from the air traffic control facility having j urisdiccion over that airspace. "

Effective September 16, 1993

CLASS B AIRSPACE

CLASS A AIRSPACE This one is easy to remember. Ir use co be called the Positive Concrol Area or PCA. Ir is the airspace from 18,000' MSL and above. le requires the crafr co have IFR capabilities and the pilot to be instrument raced. Ir also requires two-way radio communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC). For the hang glider or paraglider pilot, that simply means stay our. Waivers have been issued to allow soaring aircrafr co extend into chis airspace over a localized area, however, chis is not the norm and all pilots should stay below 18,000 feet unless they are absolucely positive char they are in the waiver area and chat a waiver is indeed in effect. The FAA doesn't cake well to sentences char begin with, "Bue I thought .... " For reference purposes, Class A airspace is not designated on a sectional because ic covers the whole thing.

CLASS B AIRSPACE This one is also easy to remember, it replaces what used to be the TCA or Terminal Control Area. If you remember, a Terminal Concrol Area is airspace shaped like an upside -down wedding cake. Ir's smallest area is near the gro und and ic expands as it goes higher. This makes perfect sense when you realize char as airplanes leave the airport, they fly higher as they gee farther away. On the accompanying chart, you can see char pares of che Class B airspace can be flown under. IFR and VFR operations are permitted in Class B airspace, but permission muse be received from the ATC co encer, and two-way communication must be 17

CLASS C AIRSPACE

maintained with the ATC while flying in the airspace. One difference with powered aircraft are the cloud separation minimums. In Class B airspace, on VFR flights, powered pilots must stay clear of clouds. This differs from the previous requirements. Class B airspace is depicted on a sectional as a solid-blue, shaded line, usually but not always in nearly concentric circles. Inside each section will be a number over a line over another number

• I

•

•• •

....

.. . .

• ••

••

•.. ..

..•.........

•• ••

•

. . . -

. ....... .. ...... -

"Of course, there is much more to FAR 103 than the stuff I've mentioned. You should be familiar with all of FAR 103. Weare being treated like real aviators. Make sure you ad like one."

is round (sometimes with arrival extensions, which I'll get to later) and extends from the surface to generally 2,500 feet AGL. Class D is depicted on a sectional chart by a blue, segmented line either round or with an extension (keyhole shape) that will also be blue. Sometimes you will find a round Class D airspace with a magenta, segmented line defining a Class E extension. Although we haven't covered Class E yet, hang glider pil ots are to treat a Class E extension of Class D airspace as if it were Class D. Basically, any area that is inside the Class D or its extension should not be entered by the hang glider pilot without prior permission. Class D airspace will have (in brackets) the altitude AGL that the Class D and its extens1on goes to.

.. .....

-........... . -........... . . .. Class E airspace ••

•• • •

.... •

CLASS C AIRSPACE

This airspace used to be called an Airport Radar Service Area or ARSA. Nothing has changed other than its name. IFR and VFR operations are permitted within Class C airspace. You must have radio contact with the ATC to enter and f1y CLASS D AIRSPACE inside this airspace. The easy part is that it works just like Class B air___ space relative to hang glider flight. It is depicted on a sectional as a "• solid, shaded magenta line with boundary values inside that look just like the Class B boundary values (except they're magenta, not blue). Class C is usually smaller than Class B, bur for the hang glid,- • • • • I er pilot it works just the same. We cannot enter • ~ Class D airspace Class C airspace without with associated prior permission.

.......... . . .. . .. .. ..

.••.·

or the letters SFC. These indicate the boundaries of the Class B airspace in this section. If the numbers are 100 over SFC, that means the Class B airspace extends from the surface (SFC) up to 10,000 feet (100). As a note, when reading sectional charts you always add two zeros to all flight levels. For instance, 18,000 feet is referred to as Flight Level (or FL) 180. As the circles move outward, the lower boundaries of the Class B airspace will usually climb to a higher altitude (as do the planes in it), but the upper boundary usually stays constant. Note: The ring illustration shows the ourer ring having boundaries of 100 over 50. This indicates 10,000' over 5,000 ' . The center circle shows 100 over 30 (10,000' over 3,000'). Remember, you cannot fly into class B airspace without prior permission.

••

CLASS E AIRSPACE This airspace used to be known as general controlled airspace. It does now and has in the past covered most of the U.S. for

CLASS E AIRSPACE

--...... . . .. .. .•.. .. ~--·········· #.

CLASS D AIRSPACE This atrspace used to be Airport Traffic Areas (AT.Ns) and Control Zones (CZ). These two have been combined into the new Class D. Basically, Class D airspace

• 4lt •

• I

•• •• " •.. .

. .........

. .. .

, ........... • . . .. -. .

HANG GLIDING

many years. Class E requires no permission to enter and no two-way radio communica-

tion. It includes noll·towered airports and extends from 1,200' /\GJ. up to 18,000' in most areas, except where the floor of Class F drops down to 700'. This generally happens around airports and is depicted by a shaded magenta band surrounding the airport, sometimes with a keyhole extension on it. Class E airspace also includes Victor Airways which arc straight, solid-blue shaded lines wirh a V and a number (such as V 66). A Victor Airway will also have arrows indicating rhe direction of the route. This indicates a route thar is followed by commercial aircraft and normally secs a lor of traffic. Likewise, military training routes (MTR) have straight black lines with !er tcrs/numbcrs and arrows in them also. They work much like the Vic10r Airways. They arc rhcrc for informational purposes. /\11 IFR MTR will have a number following the letters IR (for lnsrrumcnt Route). A VPR MTR will have a numhcr fdlowing the letters VR (!cir Visual Rome). We have a right to be rhcrc, it's jusr infrmnation that a wise pilot will take into account when flight planning. We have the right to be in almost all Class E airspace and, in fact, that is where almost all hang gliding flights in the U.S. (above 700' or l ,200') occur. The only time we can't be in Class E airspace is when it's indicated as being attached to other airport designations. In that case, the hang glider pilot must treat it like rhc airspace it's attached to. For example, a Class E extension that is anachcd to a Class D airspace must be treated just like Class D airspace with a Class D cxtrnsion. Stay om without prior permission.

This is basically uncontrolled airspace. Uncontrolled airspace extends from the surface up to 700' or I ,200' AGL dcprnding on where it is. /\s rncmioncd earlier, Class G ;1rcas inside the shaded magenta transition lines have a ceiling of 700' ACL, and all others have a ceiling of 1,200' /\GL. Of course, Class C doesn't exist anywhere there's C];1ss /\, B, C: or D that extends down to the surface. Other areas that we arc prohibited from flying in without prior permission arc Restricted and Prohibited. 'fhcsc areas ;ire depicted on a sectional by blue crosshatched ]/\NlJi\RY 19%

lines. Each of these areas will have a number written inside it (such as R-66 I 3A or P-56) that can be rdcrrcd to on the margins of the sectional to sec ar what time it's in effect and whom 10 contact for permission to enter. MO/\'s, or Military Operation Areas, arc depicted on the sectional by magenta cross· hatched lines just like Restricted or Prohibited, but not the same color. We may over these areas; we just must be alert to possible military operations. lnfonnation abom the use of MO/\'s is located in the margins of the sectional and may be accessed by a name located inside the MOA such as "flick ct l ." Another areas we must avoid arc dcsig·

natcd in NOT/\M's (Notice 'Jci Airmen). A NOT/\M may pop 11p m any time for any reason (such as rhc president visiting an area) and we arc responsible for knowing where we can't fly. 'fo get this information a pilot may call 1-800-WX.-BR!EF and talk to a bric/er regarding weather and NOT/\M's. (Next month's arriclc will go into detail about how to talk 10 bridcrs so that you get the right information without sounding like a rota! idiot.) Of course, there is much more to FAR I 03 than the stuff I've mentioned. You should be familiar with all of F/\R 103. We arc being trc;1tccl like real aviators. Make sure you act like one.

•

SAFE PILOT AWARDS SILVER MICHAEL HEINSOHN DONALD JONES LAWRENCE CHAMBLEE

77l!RD DJJIMOND GW MEADOWS

LILIENTHAL AWARDS BRONZE TlMETHY HELMS

SILVER TIME'l'HY HELM

COLD TIMETHY HELM

Region 4 BUD ROE, JAMES: Glendale, AZ; R. deSrcphcn/Zonic Cl1ILD, DIANE: Ogden, l:T; Z. Majors/Wasatch Wings COOPER, GENE: Tempe, AZ; D. Gordon/Advcntnre Sports ·rours PEGLER, ANNA: Colorado Spgs, CO; S. Dewey/Quiet Flight HG Region 7 DIN AUER, AVERY: Madison, WI; B. K11shner/Raven

Sports

Region 8 CASTILLO, JOSE: Haverhill, MA; D. Baxter/Morningside PP GROVER, JAMES: Princeton, MA; D. Baxter/Morningside FP .JACOBANIS, MIKE: West Barnstable, MA; T. Webster/The Soaring Center SAUVAGEAU, EILEEN: Wendell, MA; R. Corbo/Morningside FP Region 9 FAULKNER, WALDRON: Washington, DC; C. DuPaul/Kitty Hawk Kites POVICH, JOHN: Houston, PA; A. Bloodworth/1.ookout Mtn FP SA'ITERFIELD, MARI~ Vi1ginia Beach, VA; R. Immordino/Kitty Hawk Kites SCANLAN, MARK: Collcgcvillc, PA; B. Umstattd/Sky High

PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 6 SOUVANNAKHOT, SAMANTHA: Russellville, AR; R. Kenney/Prairie HG Region 7 COLLETTI, LISA: Ann Arbor, MT; D. Glover/Florida HG TILLMAN, TRACY: Ann Arbor, MI; M. Jones/Florida HG

RATINGS PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region 1 BAGGETT, PHILLIP: Edmonds, WA; J. Fiser/Whatcom Wings BRIMLEY, DWIGHT: Eugene, OR; J,. Keller NICHOLS, DAVID: Bingen, WA; R. Mitchell/Eagle's Wings HG Region 2 DEASEY, ANDREW: San Francisco, CA; T. Cadora/Mission Soaring ELSMORE, GEORGE: Fair Oaks, CA; G. Hamilton/Sacramento .HG FALLANT, KATHY: Redwood City, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring BALMOS, ZSOLT: San Jose, CA; l.. Alexander/Mission Soaring HOOD, MIKE: Modesto, CA; C. Prather/Mother Load Sky Riders HORNING, RICHARD: Marina, CA; P. Godwin/Western HG KIBORT, MICHAEL: Saratoga, CA; L. Alexander/Mission Soaring LI, MICHAELS: Fremont, CA; T. Cadora/Mission Soaring LOEFFLER, BILL: Carmel, CA; P. Godwin/Western HG MELLIN, KATI-IRYN: San Francisco, CA; L Alexander/Mission Soaring MOBERG, MICHAEL: San Francisco, CA; T. Cadora/Mission Soaring MONTENEGRO, JORGE: San Jose, CA; T. Cadora/Mission Soaring PEARCE, GREGORY: Sacramento, CA; G. Hamilton/Sacramento HG PETZOLDT, RONALD: Livermore, CA; E. Hinrichs/Natural Flying SHOTT, BRIAN: San Francisco, CA; T. Cadora/Mission Soaring P. Denevan/Mission BRIAN: San

Region 3 BARSKY, EYAL: Los Angeles, CA; A. Becm/Windsports Int'! GERL, LAYNE: Long Beach, CA; P. Phillips/Lake Elsinore Sports MC COWFN, MICK: Newport Beach, CA; P. Phillips/Lake Elsinore Sporn PICKETT, GARY: Palmdale, CA; A. Bccm/Windspons lnt'l RAFFERTY, MIKE: Sama Monica, CA; J. Grchlo/Windsports lnt'I

Region 10 ALEXANDER, JAMIE: Miami, FL; S. Kroop/Miami HG ARNDELL, BILL: Stone Mountain, GA; A. Bloodworrb/Lookom Mm FT' BLUNT, JOEL: Franklin, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookour Mtn FI' BURNETTE, BARRY: Mari ct ta, GA; A. Clover/Look our Mtn Fl' GOLLWITZER, CARLA: Fountain lnn, SC; C. Du Paul/Kitty Jfawk Kites GOLLWITZER, MARK: Fountain Tnn, SC; C. Du Paul/Kitty Hawk Ki Les GOODWIN, JESSE: Brooksville, FL; R. Lislc/I.ookom Mrn FP HEFFERNAN, KERRY: McDonough, CA; A. Bloodworth/l.ookout Mtn FP KITTRELL, KENNETH: I,ongwood, FL; M. Jones/Florida JfG KRAMER, DAN: Nags Head, NC; R. rlagcwood/Kitty Hawk Kites MAT.JASKO, JOHN: Charlotte, NC; B. 13tirril/Oltralighr Flying SNYDER, LARRY: Signal Mtn, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP WATSON, CHIP: Dickson, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP WRIGHT, SHELBY: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG YOUNG, RICK: Tennessee Ridge, TN; A. Bloodwortb/Lookour Mm FP Region .12 JOWETT, EDWARD: Binghamton, NY; D.S. Jewell/The Flight Works

PILOT: City, State; Instructor/School Region l BRIMLEY, DWIGHT: Eugene, OR; L Keller CLIFFORD, GAVIN: Lynnwood, WA; J. Fieser/Whatcom Wings JACOBSEN, ALAN: Seattle, WA; D. Sharp/The Soaring Center MC DANJEL, TODD: Spokane, WA; D. Sanderson/West Inland HG SCHIRTZINGER, WARREN: Issaquah, WA; T. Johns/Cascade Soaring

H/\NC GUDINC

Region 2

EDMUNDS, BOB: Fresno, CA; A. Bccm/Windsports Jnr'l ELLIOTT, JIM: Sanra Cruz, CA; T. Shea/Owens Valley HG GRISSINO, DINO: Marina, CA; P. Godwin/Western ! lG HUBER, SCOT: l'craluma, CA; S. Bickf'ord/Magic Air JACOB, KELLY: Fremont, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring JAMES, ANET: Santa Clara, CA; T. Armstrong/Mission Soaring SKILLMAN, GEORGE: San Jose, CA; B. Ream/Mission Soaring USSERY, NANCY: Riverbank, CA; C. Prarher/Morher Load Sky Riders WHITE, KIRK: Silver Spgs, NV; W. C11ddy/Skywing Ultralight Region 3

ASHMORE, USA: Encinitas, CA; R. Mitchell/Eagle's Wings HG CARLISLE, JEFFREY: Marina Del Rey, CA; A. Bccm/Winclsporrs fnt'I DE NIOS COLLAR0, JUAN: San Diego, CA; J. Ryan/Hc;C HAIR, MARK: Sant,i Monica, CA; A. Beem/Windsporrs lnt'I HERMANS, TIAGO: Westlake Vllgc, CA; A. Beem/Winclsports [nr'l KINGSBURY, STEVEN: f.os Angeles, CA; D. Quackenbush/True Flight RAFFERTY, Ml KE: Sama Monica, CA; J. Greblo/Windsports l nt'l RTCH, WILLIAM: Escondido, CA: R. Mitchell/Eagle's Wings HG ST GERMAIN, BRUCE: Ewa, HJ; c;. Pierson/North Shore HC Region 4 I IE.BERT, .JOSEPH: · rucson, AZ; A. Bccm/Windsporrs Jnt'l SEAL, FRANKLIN: Moab, llT; C:. Baughman/Vulture Gliders Region 6

TIIOMAS, JAY: Gladstone, MO; T. Hager/l.ookom Mm Fl' Region 7 MILLS, SR, ALVAH: Portage, IN; A. Mantas/Spectrum PETTENGILL, ROBERT: Farrnini;ton, M[; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm Fl' Region 8

JACOBANIS, MIKE: West Barnstable, MA; T. Webster/The Soaring Cenrer Region 9 DULLAGHAN, JAMES: Centreville, VA; C. Thoreson/Lookour Mm FP HOLUPKA, ANDREW: l.ecchburg, PA; J. Hostler/Mm Top Rec LENART, CHRIS: Rcs1011, VA; C. Elchin/Kiny Hawk Kites POVICH, JOHN: Housron, PA; A. Bloodwonh/Lookom Mrn FP POWE!.L, DAVID: Centre Hall, PA; S. Wendt/Blue SALMEN, DAVID: Arlington, VA; S. Wcmh/Blue Sky WOLF, MICF!AEI.: Baltimore, MD; A. Glover/Lookout Mm FP ZUCHERO, DAVID: J lighland, MD: J. Long/Wild Wings Region 10 ALEXANDER, JAMIE: Miami, FL; S. Kroop/Miami HG ARNDELL, BILL: Stone Mountain, GA; A. Bloodwonh/J ,ookout Mm FP BALKWTLL, EDWARD: Fr Lauderdale, FL; R. C:orbo/Morningsidc Fl' BESSA, CARLOS: Pinellas Park, Fl.; D. Glover/Florida I IC BLUNT, JOEL: r:ranklin, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP BURNETTE, BARRY: Marietta, c;A; A. Glover/Lookout Mtn FP EGNOSKI TI, DALE: Redsm Arsnl, AL; S. Clum/Mountain Wings GOODWIN, JESSE: Brooksville, Fl.; R. Lisle/Lookout Mm FP HEFFERNAN, KERRY: McDonough, GA; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP KITTRELL, KENNETH: Longwood, Fl.; M. Jones/Florida HG POWERS, JUDY: W Palm Beach, FL; D. Glover/Florida HC; SNYDER, LARRY: Signal Mm, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm PP

JANUARY 1996

WATSON, CHIP: Dickson, TN; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP WRIGHT, SHELBY: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami IIG YOUNG, RICK: Tennessee Ridge, TN; A. Bloodworrh/Lookout Mm FP Region 11 HAMILTON, CHARLES: Lubbock, TX; C. Graham/Crossroads Windsports MANZ, RICHARD: Austin, TX;]. Hunr/Rcd River Aircraft Region 12

HILL IV, RICHARD: Bcarsvillc, NY; D. Meyers/Mountain Wings Region 13 DIAZ, FERNANDO: Bogata, Columbia; J. Tindle/Miami HG TUTTON, TOM: Toronto, Canada; M. Robertson/High Perspective

Pll.O' r: City, State; l nstrucror/Scliool Region 1 STUDDARD, BRUCE: Ridgefield, WA; J. Reynolds/Par Up HG WEISS, WOOD: Anacortes, WA; J. Bowman/Air Zone Region 2 ALLEN, WILEY: Premont, CA; B. Ream/Mission Soaring JOHANSON, ROGER: San Ramon, CA; D. Wills JONES, GREGORY: Mrn View, CA; R. Canham KLEIN, DAVID: El Cerrito, CA; G. Andronaco/Bcrkcley HG MACKLOW, JIM: El Cerrito, CA; H. Binner/Airtime SF MC KENNA, GREG: Morgan I !ill, CA;]. Woodward/Natural Flying Region 3 ALLEN, EMILY: Venice, CA; M. Spinelli BURKE, JOHN: San Diego, C:A: J. Ryan/J JGC WATKINS, LARRY: Makawaq, HI; D. l\ax:tcr/Morningsicle FP Region 4 COX, JR, SAM: Salt Lake City, UT; D. Sharp/The Soaring Center HYSLOP, WILLIAM: Westminster, CO; M. Windsheimer/Golden Wings LOWRIE, AL: Cortez, CO; M. Fancis/Mrn West HC MElER, JAMEY: Dolores, CO; M. Francis/Mm West HG PARGA, DALLAS: Cortez, CO; M. Francis/Mm Wesr HC PLANTE, DENNIS: Peoria, AZ; R. DcStephens/Zonie HG

Region 7 LE.SNOW, SHANE: llazcl Park, Ml; N. Lcsnow/Pro HG Region 8

BULNO, JAMES: Cuttingsvillc, VT; D. Baxter/Morningside FP SHARAPOV, SERGEI: Lanesboro, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP

Region 9 HAGER, DANA: Nazareth, PA; J. Eckert/Water Gap HG VOGEL, STEPHEN: Baltimore, MD; R. Permenter/MD School ofHC Region 10

CLARK, PRANCES: Athens, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookour Mrn FP CORSETTI, ANDREW: Pembroke Pines, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG HOLLAND, RIH;: Windemere, FL; C Bowen/Quest Air

MEIBOS, JERRY: Kissamrncc, FL: M. Joncs/Horida HG RADFORD, RHETT: Davenport, FL; D. (;lover/Florida He; SOO, JEFFREY: Chapel Hill, NC:: D. Glover/Florida HG Region 12 SACFIDEV, MARC: Pittsford, NY; B. Lyon/Rochester Arca Flyers

PILOT: Ciry, State; Instrucror/School Region 2 BOATWRIGHT, DAVID: Antioch, CA; R. Palnrnn/Sky's the Limit HILL, JOHN: San Carlos, CA; F. Ped HINRICHS, ERIC: Cupertino, CA; J. Woodwarcl/Natmal SYLVIA, JOHN: I.as NV; K. l!arrison/I.akc Elsinore [l(;

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Hang Gliding Adventures

G. W. Meadows on tow behind author, photographer and tug pilot Gerry Charlebois

photos by Tom Sanders I Aerial Focus I Gerry Charlebois

fter wrapping up our gliders and gear, our 26-foot retrieval boat came into view. At 300 yards out it looked like a bathtub rny, disappearing and reappearing between the swells which had risen from five to 15 feet high within the last hour. A wave exploded on the steep beach sending white water 20 feet into the air. John Heiney looked at me and said, "I guess this means the boat isn't pulling onto the beach. " It all started with a trip Down Under with Team Green spon24

sored by Pendulum Sports and Monarch manufacturing. We had gone there to compete at Mt. Beauty and then in the flatland . After taking a flight in an Airborne Edge, alongside another Edge rowing Mark "Gibbo" Gibson for some filming, I was very impressed with the glider's capabilities. After witnessing one trike aerotowing 18 pilots to 1,500 feet AGL in an hour and a half in the flatlands of Hay, I was sold. Upon returning to Kauai I promptly ordered one. Kauai is situated on the northwestern end of the Hawaiian chain, and was one of the first islands to poke its volcanic head our of the HANG GLIDING

TOP: John Heiney over the pinnacles. ABOVE: 1hew ofthe 4,000-foot walls

from the chopper. LEFT: Gerry flies past G. Wafter towing him up.

ocean, five million years before the ocher islands. The island of Hawaii, on the other end of the chain, continues to erupt to this day, adding volcanic acreage monthly. All those years of wind, rain and pounding surf have sculpted Kauai's soft volcanic rock into deep valleys and fluted ridges with one-foot-wide tops rising thousands of feet vertically before plunging thousands of feet down the other side. It's a rock climber's nightmare and a hang glider pilot's paradise - if aerotowing is available. After receiving my trike and training - wh ich didn't take long because of my 18 years of hang gliding experience - I became a licensed flight instructor and owner/ operator of Birds In Paradise on Kauai, teaching people how to fly hang gliders and trikes as well as aerotowing hang gliders. A trike is also a fantastic camera ship, and being an experienced JANUARY 1996

photographer I received a call from well-known skydiving and hang gliding cinematographer, Tom Sanders, of Aerial Focus. He had just been hired to film a hang gliding interactive video for Sports Lab of San Francisco. Ir was to be used for a traveling sports show. The actual flight simulator is a hydraulic platform with a control bar in front of a U-shaped, padded bracket that you lean into while holding onto the control bar. Your feet are on a separate hydraulic platform. All of this equipment is situated in front of a wraparound screen on which the video footage is projected. It is all mechanically synchronized to the movement dictated by the scene on the screen, recreating an acrual hang gliding flight. This "ride" is scheduled to be launched on a nationwide tour in all the major cities across North America in January 1996. After hearing about my aerotowing operation on Kauai, Sanders, 25

LEFT Gerry and John during a late-afternoon filming session. Note the two cameras on the trike. ABOVE: The gliders always had two cameras mounted on them.

having been co the island for several "surfing safaris," decided to pick up the extra expense and move the filming operation to Kauai. This also enabled him co obtain footage for a sequel to his very successful stunt video, Over The Edge, which features a combination of skydiving, base jumping and hang gliding. Ir was released in 1994, and has co date received nine first-place awards in various categories. Look for it in a video score near you. Within one week he, and my longtime friend and fellow staff photographer for Hang Gliding magazine, John Heiney, were waiting at the Lihue airport in Kauai with gliders, surfboards and an assortment of movie cameras and related equipment. The gods muse have been smiling on us, because as our first day of filming dawned, a low pressure system stalled north of the Hawaiian chain. This gave us clear skies and only convection breezes. This is rare, since Kauai is essentially round with a dormant volcano, Mc. Wai'ale'ale, at its center. The mountain rises to 5,500 feet MSL and is usually shrouded by clouds, making it the wettest spot on earth with some 600 inches of rain falling per year. The 554 square miles of tropical jungle, fluted volcanic ridges, numerous waterfalls, and crystalline white-sand beaches make for excellent aerial photography. Our task was to capture a pilot's point of view on film, flying over and around the fluted ridges and pinnacles that make up the island. Tom and John mounted cameras on the trike and we headed off

across the island. Using wide-angle lenses mounted on the baserube and trike masc, all that shows on film are the nose wires and sail, giving the viewer the impression of being in a hang glider. After getting the shoes from the trike it was on co filming with can1eras mounted on three gliders, two of which were compliments of Moyes Australia. The hardest part of my job was cowing che three pilots, John Heiney, Bob McCord and G.W Meadows, onto ranges that I have drooled over for years, knowing chat the only access was aerocowing. As the only available cow pilot I had co be satisfied with being there in the trike. Each of the pilots I cowed up dreaded the sight of my periodic one-handed cowing technique that I used in order co cake photos. Ac a 38-knoc cow speed it was a good thing they were all master pilots, because it cook all their skill co stay on the line as I shot off photos. (Sorry guys, I'll send you copies!) Some of our destinations were up co 15 miles away, requiring the pilots to sray on line for up co 30 minutes. With a 400-fpm climb rate the pilots would release from cow as high as 8,000 feet above che beach, while I pulled the bar in and flew at 65 knots on a return flight to retrieve and drop off the next pilot. One of our most memorable towing sequences was dropping off John and G.W 4,000 feet above the cloud cops as the sun was setting and turning the clouds pink. As they descended, the sunset colors reflected on the surrounding cowering clouds, making for spectacular footage. We all felt sorry for Tom, since he was producer, director, stunt coordinator and cameraman, and couldn't afford the luxu1y of flying a glider. After eight days of this we moved on to a 4,000-foor vertical launch site located atop scenic Kalalau Valley. I was finally going co be able to fly a hang glider. Launch is a 30-minute hike down a goat trail. We decided to bring the gliders in under cover of darkness to prevent any tourists from following us down the treacherous path. A misplaced foot will send you 3,500 feet straight down, with perhaps a co uple of bounces! The plan was for John, G.W and me to fly with movie and still cameras mounted on che gliders, while Tom Sanders and Jake Lombard filmed from a helicopter. Everyone helped get the gear down to launch, then Tom and Jake headed for the heliport. Bob made the ultimate sacrifice by not flying, since we really needed him for our ground crew. H ANG GLIDI NG

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All three of LIS were ready to launch from the 4,000-foot precipice. Light thermal activity was sending cycles through at five ro seven miles per hour. The four- by four-mile valley creates its own thermal-generating howl, sheltered from the 25--knot winds we could sec out 011 the ocean. The camera chopper came inro view and this was our signal to launch. We launched in succession, within three minurcs of each other. Our destination was the from of the valley where the Lowering pinnacles would provide a backdrop for the gliders as we flew around them. The 2,000-foot spires arc tucked back enough from the head of rhe valley so as not to be affocted by the wind blowing down the coast, and they create great thermals. The three of us circled in the thermal lift, trying to stay as close together as possible, catching each other on the glider mounted cameras and providing three gliders in one shot for the camera crew in the chopper. The chopper pilot knew that he had to keep his crnfr moving at all rimes so as nor ro create a vicious downwash, and this enabled him to come fairly close. John and l arc used to flying with helicopters, but it was 1111 nerving for (;. 'v(!. After 40 minutes of soaring, John went in to land first on Hanopu Beach, which was used in the filming of King Kong. It features a large, arched cave leading to another beach. Both beaches are U-shaped with 1,200-foot vertical walls. We were to then leave the JANUARY 19%

area on a chartered boat, as the beach is otherwise inaccessible. The wind had picked up to 25 knots and l was surprised to sec a shore break, which wasn't in the program! It was essentially a toilet-howl effoct with the winds swirling in the l and John hammered hard into the sand. C.W., who was right behind him, followed his example. T knew I was next. I stayed on the upwind end of' the beach, brought it down to the deck al abom 40 knots, and wenr skimming along the sand until I realized I

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was no longer flying into the wind! I was flying downwind and hit the sand at a high rate of speed -- and hard. Somehow, none of' us managed to break tubing, bones or camera gear. Whew! John and G.W. looked at me and asked if ir was always this bad. I said [ thought so, but we'd never landed there before. We normally land on the other beach which is exposed to the wind coming straight down the coast. My answer prompted some surprise. I apologized and explained that we thought we would get more dramatic camera footage from this beach. We did. So, there we were, stranded on the beach, watching our boat rolling in the distance and our helicopter flying back to base. It was apparent that the boat captain, Charlie Petterson, was having a difficult time. Charlie radioed and informed ns that time was of the essence, as a building swell was on its way and we needed to get off the water as soon as possible. This created another problem; the closest he could get to shore was about 300 yards. I dove into the water, ducking under eight-foot waves and swimming hard for the boat. Fifteen minutes later I was pulled aboard and lay there gasping. Charlie informed me that J had better get my fins on and swim dry bags back to the beach to protect the gear for the swim out. I swam back, bags in hand, until the surf pulled them from me and threw them on the beach along with me. As I stood there catching my breath r told the guys that we needed to hurry because the surf was building by the minute. John then commented about how be often flew in such exotic locations, but was never able to stay and enjoy the surroundings because of fllming schedules. I smiled and said, "We're not out of here, yet." The three of us looked at the water as a large wave exploded on the sand nearby, sending white water a good 20 feet in the air. We then realized that there was no way our gliders and gear were leaving the beach that day. After wrapping up the cameras I donned my fins again and started walking along a ledge on the side of the bay to try to circumvent the shore break. I had just about made it past the point where the waves were breaking when a set roared in, sweeping me off the ledge and into the cauldron below. Instant pain shor through my right shoulder as a result of the $60,000 worth of cameras I had in the bag tied to my wrist. 1 started kicking hard to get away from the rocks, holding my arm

as 1 swam toward the boat. It took a while for the boat crew to find me among the 15foot swells. The wind was now blowing at about 30 knots. 1 explained my injury to Charlie and told him that I didn't feel I was capable of helping the others swim out. He then informed me thar John and G.W. had radioed him that there wa.s no way in hell they were getting into rhe water, since their swimming abilities would probably not allow them to survive the turbulent water. 1 then gathered wbat rations were available on the boat: and swam them back to the shore on my back, using only my fins. My right arm was useless. The following day the doctors informed me that f had torn my rotator cuff. f gave the guys a quick lesson on how to open coconuts, promised to return the next morning to retTieve them, and made a final swim back to the boat. It looked like they were going to have time to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings after all. 'fhe boat ride was 18 miles downwind and two hours later we were atthe dock. The following morning saw no relief; as an Alaskan storm was creating even bigger surf: 15-20 feet plus. We knew they were getting hungry and our only option was to rent a helicopter to drop them supplies. Unfortunately, the beach they were on is an ancient Hawaiian burial ground and hcli-copters arc forbidden to land there. As we came into radio range G.W came on and expressed how glad he was to see us, because he was hungry and had an airline flight to catch. I had to inform him thar we were only able to solve one of those prob-lems. The chopper pilot then made a low pass, we threw out the food and promised to be back the next morning when the swells were supposed to subside. After spending two days and two nights on the beach, the rescue crew was finally able to retrieve them, despite the fact that the swells were still fairly large. The gliders had to wait yet another day. After 13 days of filming the project was a success. We had 90 minutes of outrageous footage in the can, a lot of great flights in our memory banks, and, generally, had a good time despite the hard work and unexpected camping trip. Unfortunately, we had gone way over budget and the extra money came out of Tom Sanders' pocket. Thanks Tenn. The footage we got should he a boon for our sport once it goes on tour. See the attached schedule for dates and locations around the country.

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Calendar of evenrs items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, coman name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets. UNTIL MARCH: Governador Valadares, Hrazil, HG and PG/lying. The best X-C site in South America. $50/day includes accornmodations, transportation, retrieval and guide. Organized tours from the U.S. Contact: Ramy Yanetz (Ii 15) %4-8326.

Maui, Hczwaii TCP and Tandem Clinic with G.W Meadows. Contact: Greg Pumam (808) 5798749.

1996 Bogong Cup, Northeast Victoria, Australia. Sites include Mr. Emu, 'fawonga Gap and Mt. Buffalo. 120 pilots max. Entry $160 Australian. Pilots seeking a place through their PIRS ranking must submit registration fee no later than Oct. 31, 1995. Contact: Bogong Cup, EO. Box 308, Bright 3741, Australia, tel. 61-5'7-551-503. 26--28: South Floridtt'., first Intermediate Hang Ill Clinic. Covers tow and !oodauncb techniques. Jncludes review of all 50 Intermediate test questions. Day of flying to qualify for spot landings. Gliders provided, bring your harness. Must be a Novice pilots for ar leasr 7-1 /2 months and have 90 flights and 9 1/2 hours. Contact: Mike Zidziunas, Miami Hang Gliding, 2640 S. Bayshore Dr., Coconut Grove, FL 33133 (305) 2858978. JAN. 26-FEB. HJ: Fifth Wrnnen'.r Wr1rld Hang Chr1mpionships, Bright, Victoria, Australia. Contact: Ian Jarman, tel. 6 l -69-li72 888.

FEB. 1-4: Basic 6· Advanced !CP. State· orthe--art teaching techniques presented. Intermediate and Advanced pilots welcome. Pl. row rating, tow rating ]/\NlJ/\RY 1996

and CPR also available. Cost $295. Hosted by Steve Kroop, author of "20,000 Flights Over Water." For an appointment contact: Miami Hang Gliding, 2640 S. Bayshore Dr., Coconut Grove, FL 331.33 (305) 285-8978.

FEB. 10-Il: llthAnnual 1st Bank Duluth/Shy Dog Hrmg Gliding Festival. Fly--in in conjunction with annual winter sports festival sponsored by l st Bank Duluth. Spot landing contest, great party Saturday night, great trophies. Platfcmn and static towing. Pilots' meerings and accommodations at Barkers Island Inn, l-800-3447515. Ask for reserved hang gliding rooms. Contact: Doug Johnson (218) 723-1738, Dan O'Hara (218) 6244 500, or Craig Austin (218) 5254048.

FEB. 23-25: Pt1ragliding ICP. Contact: Adventure Sports (702) 883-7070. FEB. 23-25: landern Tow Clinic. Advanced I-I-4, 'fandem [, 'fandem JI and 'fandcm fnstructor ratings offered. Learn to fly tandem with a certified 'fandcm Instructor at your side. fncludcs one day of flying over beautiful Biscayne Bay, FL, one full day over land, and one day of classroom instruction. All Intermediate-- to Timdem JI-rated pilots welcome. Please bring your own harness and helmet. Rc-·certification also available. Conract: James Tindle, Miami Jiang Gliding, 2640 S. Bayshore Or., Coconut Grove, FL 33133 (305) 285-8978. FEB 29-MARCH 3: Fly+ Fun !nduga '96, silent airsports convention, Augsburg, Germany. Contact: tel. 0821-2-5769-0, frix 08-21--2-5769-85. MARCH 1-3: 1-fanggliding Basic Advanced TCP. MARCH 9-10: 11mdem Clinic. Contact: Adventure Sports in Carson City, NV (702) 883 7070. MARCH 2-9: Venezuela Nationals, La Vicrnria. $200 entry includes retrieval.

The dollar is worth more than ever! Contact: Jose (80]) 486-6224, Salt Lake City, UT MARCH 7-10: Florida's first X-C Clinic. Learn how to fly longer and farther. Larry Tudor and Horida's top X-C pilots will lead the clinic. Lany will conduct a ground school on weather, thermaling and strategy. 1ruck tows and retrievals provided by Miami Hang Gliding. Hang UI with PI, tow raring required. Contact: .James Tindle (305) 285-8978. MARCH 7-10: ICP. Intensive four-day training course with Michael Robenson. Cost $250. Advance reservations required. Send check to: Steven Makrinos, Ikaros Spon Aviation, .38-1 l Ditmars Blvd. #110, Astoria, NY l 1105 (718) 777--7000.

Fourth Annual Pacific /lirwave Advanced Hang Gliding Clinics. All gliders provided by Pacific

MARCH 1

Airwave. Aerotowing clinic March 15-17, Instructor Certification Clinics (Advanced) March 17-20, (Basic) 18-20. Tandem Clinic March 2.1-24. All clinics run by G.W. Meadows. Contact Pac Air at (408) 422-2299.

APRIL 1.3-20: 1996 E'tw Coast Challenge in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley, Dunlap, TN. USIIGA Class A+ sanctioned competition. Entry foe $250 per pilot plus a Tennessee 'free Toppers club membership. Nonrefundable $50 deposit required. All memberships and deposits must be sent by April l, 1996. 60 slots available. Daily prizes and party as usual! Contact: Katie Dunn (42.3) 949-6278 (7:00 AM .. 5:00 PM CST) (423) 9494965 aii:er 7:00 PM CS'[ APRIL 21-27: 20th Anniversary ofthe Great Race, Lookout Mrn., Chattanooga, TN. Prize money, prizes and awards. Contact: (706) .398-3541, fax (706) .398-2906. MAY 10-1.3: 24th Annual Hang Gliding SjJectacular. Pilots and spectators from all over the U.S. come to Jockey's

Ridge State Park to enjoy the oldest cominuom hang gliding competition in the country. Both novice and expe-rienced pilots compete in a variety of fun flying maneuvers. l;eatures spec-tacular flying, an outdoor street dance, fine arts reception and an awards cere-mony with guest Francis M. Rogallo, the "father of Hang Gliding." Beginning hang gliding lessons will be given during the event. Make reservations well in advance to learn to fly during this exciting competition. Preregister at Kirty Hawk Kites. August 15: 48th Anniversary ofthe Rogal/a Wing lnvention. Ceremony honors F.M. Rogallo, inventor of the flexible wing. Learn about the history of kites and gliders, enjoy refreshments and have a chance to meet Mr. Rogallo. You won't want to miss this special opportunity to learn about the signifi-cancc of the development of the flexible wing. October l 9--20: Pacific Airwave Vision C'lt1.uic. Pun---fillcd weekend of flying. Pac Air brings their latest gliders to Jockey's Ridge for a fun competition on the sand dunes. Soar, maneuver and land on a targeted course. Open to pilots of all skill levels who have a Vision, regardless of mod--

cl. Pac Air will hosr a barbecue on the 23rd for all entrants and guests. Prizes for all levels supplied by Pacific Airwavc and KHK. Registration at KHK. Contact: Kitty Hawk Kites (MP 13, Nags Head and Jockey's Ridge State Park) or call (800) 334--

JUNE 8--14: WHGS meet, Castejon de Sos, Pyranees, Spain. Contact: tel. 3210--7752, fax 34--3568-2903. JUNE 16-22: WHGS meet, Sierra Nevada, Granada, Spain. Contact: tel. 3/1--58-li88560, fax 34-58--li88726. JUNE 23--29: WHGS meet, Piedrahita, Central Spain. Contact: tcl./fax 34--20362215. JUNE 9--16: Sanditt Clrwic, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sixth annual 450 WTSS point meet at Sandia Peak. The premier meet of the season! Price includes: entry fee, top-quality X--C tasks, glider and pilot transportation to launch, turnpoint film and processing, computerized scoring, full-time paid staff, free oxygen refills, gift certificates from local businesses, convenient meet headquarters at Spectators Sports Grill, awards barbecue, Tshirt

and more! Sixty pilot maximum field, 30 spots reserved for USHGA-rankcd pilors. First-time entrants must have: USF!GA Advanced rating, all Special Skills, l 00+ hours mountain thermal experience. GPS highly rceornmend-ed. Early registration $300 if post-marked before May I, $350 after. Refundable until April 30. Contact: Mike Gregg, J2l 17 St. Mary's Dr., Albuquerque, NM 8711 l (505) 275-5978 or Mark Mocho (505) 298-2922.

JULY 13--20: US. Nationtd Ht1ng Gliding Cht1mpionshz;Js, Dinosaur, CO. "'fhc best meet of the decade." Several meets within a meet. Compete in nml-tiple divisions while flying in the Nats. Included arc Over Rookie, Intermediate Glider, and Never Made the Ttip 50 divisions. Driver competition and "wildest turnpoint photo" contest. Organized and directed by G.W. Meadows. Sponsored by Just Fly Aviation Gear. 'fons of prizes. Lodging information and confirmation avail-able. Entry fee by .January 30, afterward. Contact: (919) 4803552.

The Improved Tracer (IT) features continuous webbing structure, adjustable padded leg straps, adjustable shoulders, hook l,nife steel carabiner easy rotation for excellent sit-up-ability, skid plate toe protector, bungee retractor channel, custom sizing and a wide range of co/ors & options ' l

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u Participation in the Sport has been explicitly ddlned in the Agreement to mean only those situations in which the member is launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, bnt nor limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider.

I r •

by Tim rior to the fall I 995 Board Meeting in Orlando, Florida, the lJSl lGA office received a number of comments about the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. Although the USHGJ\ received comments from less than one percent of the rnembership, the Board of Directors felt that it was in the interest of the membership to address the comments and make modifications LO the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement to the extent rhar those changes would not defeat the purposes of implementing the program in rhe first i.e., to further the purpose of our place Association by: 1) making it easier to acquire and maintain flying sites, 2) encouraging professional instruction, and 3) fostering an environment in which the continued existence of the UST-IGA is 1101 in constant jeopardy. At the foll Board Meeting, the Board suspended until March 31, 1996, tbc requirement that in order to become a member, renew membership in the USHGA or receive a proficiency rating, the pilot must sign the Official USHGA Release, \Xlaiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. This delay was to give the USHGA time to distribute copies of a modified Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement to the membership in advance of the effective date of the requirement. Thus, any members whose memberships expire before March 31, 1996 and renew before March 31, 1996 will not be required to sign the Official USHGA JANUARY 1996

Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement as a condition of membership in the USHCA. 'fhe Board also decided that any member who has already signed the Official USHCA Release, \Xlaiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement may terminate that Agreement by calling the USHGA office at (7 I 9) 632-8300 or writing to rhe USHGA office at P.O. Box I 330 Colorado Springs, CO 80901, requesting the termination of the Agreement. Upon receipt of the request, the USHGA will terminate the Agreement and return the original Agreement to the requesting member. The USHGA National Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk program was discussed at length at the Board meeting. T'he Board discussed the comments it had received and approved a modified form of the Official USJ JGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Jfok Agreement by a vote of: 24-Yes, 0-No, 1-Abstention, and ] ..Absent. Beginning March 13, 1996, everyone applying for membership (whether new or renewal) in the USHGA or applying for a pilot proficiency rating will be required to sign the modified form of the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement as a condition of approval of their membership or the issuance of their rating. The following is a summary of the changes made to the Official USHGJ\ Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement:

The definition of the type of injuries that the Agreement applies to has been moved to a definitions section (see def inition of My Sports Injuries) and defined in the Agreement LO mean only those injuries IO the member that occur because of rhe USHGA's administration of its programs such as the Pilot Proficiency Systern, or that occur while the member is launching, flying or landing a hang glider or paraglider i.e., Participating in the Sport. Corresponding t:o this change was a change in the language of the Assumption of Risk clause which refer·· enccs rhe defined term My Sports Injuries when describing the injuries for which the member is assuming all risks. Because of a recent change in the law to the effect that landowners cannot be

held liable under a theory of Strict Liability for injuries on their property, the phrase Strict Liability was deleted from the language of the release. ®

The United States of America and its various agencies (for example, the BLM or the Porest Service) was added as a released party. For clarity, the clause providing for payment of atrorncys' fees and costs of suit was moved to the paragraph which discusses the member's promise not to sue the released parties for injuries to the member suffered while launching, flying or landing a hang glider or paraglidcr. This change was to highlight the fact that the only time a member would be required to pay an opposing party's attorneys' fees and legal costs is when a member violates the agreement by making a claim or

frtconsideradon. of being granted membership in the USF!GA, 1, for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors; next of kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows:

SPORTS INJURIES. ffl violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, I will pay all attorneys' foes and costs of the RELEASED PAR'.TIES. I ACKNOWLEDGE that the non~participant third~pany liability insurance obtained by USHGAdoes NOT provide coverage .for MY SPORTS INJURIES.

D. I

A. DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: L PARTICIPATION IN THE SPORT means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot-in,command or otherwise) and/ or landing (including, but nodhnited to, crashing) a. hang glider or paraglider. 2. MY SPORTS INJURIES means my personal injury, my bodily injury, tny death, my property damage and/or any other personal or financial injmy sustained by me as a tesult of my PARTICIPATION IN TlIE SPORT and/or as a result qf the administration of a:ny USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Profidency Syste1.n). 3. RELtAS:EDPARTIES means .the following, including their owners, officers, ditectors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, contractors, sub-contractors, Iessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USr'.lGA); b) Each of the person(s) spomodng and/or participating in the administration of my proficiency rating(s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the VSHGA; d) The United State.s Of America and each of the dry(ies), town(s),county(ies), Sta:te(s)and/or.other pol.itical·subdivisionso.r govein111ental agencies·w.ithinwhose juris--. dictions I launch, fly and/or land; e) Ea<:h of the property owners on or over whose property I may launch, fly and/or land; f) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where I PARTICIPATE IN THE SPOR]~ "All persons involved'' .1nch1de, but are not litnited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paragllder pilots; assistants, drivers, instruct()rs, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) AH other persons lawfully present at. the site(s) during my PAR'.rIClPA'TION IN THE SPORT. I WAIVE AND the RELEASED PARITES from any and all claims andliahility for MY SJ)ORTS lNJURIES, however caused, even ifcaused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the RELEASED PARflES, to the foll extent allowed by law. I WILL NOT SUE MAKE A CLAIM against any of the RELEASED })ARTIES for loss or damagt'. on account of MY 36

TO INDEMNIFY AND REIMBURSE tbe RELEASEI) PAKllES listed in paragraphs A. :3. d) and A. 5. e) above for their defense an.d indemnity. (to tbe limited extent that the defense and inde.mnity are not otherwise covered by col-· lectible insurance) in the event that someone suffers personal injury, bodily injury, death,or property damage as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct in connection with my PARTICIPATION IN TilE SPOKC E. TERMINATION. I can terminate this Agreement only by either (1) sending written notice of termination to the USHGA Nationa:l Office, po8tage prepaid return receipt requested, in which case the termination will not be effective until one year after I cease being a member of the USHGA or 30 days after I fJlace the written notice in the mail, whichever is later; or by (2) signing and returning to the USHGA National Office a later version of the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. However, even ifl terminate this Agreement, all of the terrns of this Agreement will continue to apply to MY SPORTS INJURIES which I suffer in whole or in part before the tennination of this Agreement, HI THAT this AGREEMENT shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California. All disputes and matters whatsoever arising under, in conliection with or foddent to this Agreement shall be litigated, if at all, in and before a Comt located in the Srate of California, U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. SEVERABLJLITY. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or of this Agi;eement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessaq to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and I VOLUNTAlULY ASSUME ALL RISKS, AND UNKNOWN, MY SPORTS HOWEVER IF CAUSED IN WHOLE, OR IN PART BY INACTION, OF TlIE. TO THE FULL EXT.ENT ALLOWED I have read, understand, and agree to the above RELEASE, WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK AGREEMENT Participant's Signature,

USI:IGA,#,

Date and Rating. HANC GIIDINC

u ftliug a lawsuit against one of the released parties. The indemnification paragraph was modified to narrow the situations in which the Agreement would require a member to indemnify someone fr)r injuries caused by the negligence or will fol misconduct of that member. As modified, the only persons that the member agrees to indemnify arc the political entities having jurisdiction over the area where the flight occurs and the owners of the land in the area where the flight occurs. Several members had expressed concern that rbe Agreement might release people for willful misconduct (e.g., shooting a member out of the sky or cutting his flying wires). The law provides that one cannot release another for willful misconduct (e.g., sec California Civil Code Section 1668). Rather than cite examples of the type of conduct that the law will not allow to be released, the Agreement provides that the release is to the full extent allowed by law. A provision was added providing fi)I' a method oF terminating the Agreement. 'Iwo methods are ;:ivailablc for tcrmi, nating the Agreement. First, the member can make a written request that the USHGA terminate the Agreement. If a written request is made, the Agreement will terminate on the later oC the following dates: 1) one year (365 days) afrer the date on which the member ceases ro be a member of the USH GA, or 2) thirty (30) days after the date on which the written request is made. Second, the Agrccmem automatically terminates upon the member's signing of a subsequent version of the Official USliGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. The rncmbcr cannot suffer an injury, terminate the agreement and then fllc suit against the released party. 'The Agreement provides that even if the member rcrmiuarcs the Agreement, its provisions srill apply to injuries suf-

]i\NlJi\RY 19%

''Neither the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement nor its modifications have any effect whatsoever on the existing third-party nonparticipant liability insurance that the USHGA currently maintains. 11 fcrcd by the member while the agreement was in cffoct. For purposes of ensuring the enforce., ability of the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement a sevcrability provision was added. This provision means that ifa court were ro find a particular portion of the Agreement to be invalid or unenforceable, the court would still enforce the rest of the Agrecmem.

Judging from the comments received by the USHCA, a reminder to the membership about the scope of the USHGJ\'s current thircJ.,party non-participant liability insurance is in order. Neither the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement nor its modifications have any effect whatsoever on the existing third-party non-participant liability insurance that the USHGA currently maintains. The USHGA's current insurance docs not cover injuries to people who arc participating in the sport when they arc injured. Instead, it provides a promise by the insurance company to pay ro have a lawyer defend members and to pay any damages that are awarded against members in the event that a mcm, her hurts anon-participant while the member is participating in the sport (i.e., the member crashes into someone's parked car and the car owner sues the member for property damage). The USHCA national liability release has no effect 011 the member's liability to non·varticipanrs or the ability of the USHGA's current insurance to defend and indemnify the members from such lawsuits.

111

m ry by Gregory W }fuller he latest USHGA Board meeting took place October 27-29 in steamy Orlando, Florida. The three main issues on the agenda were dis·· cussions on the waiver, Pttragliding, The Mttgazine's contract status, and the proposed flve-ticr paragliding rating system. All three of rhcse issues were discussed and resol vcd. The BOD agreed to have the wording in the waiver clarified. Until March 31, 1996, signing the waiver as a require·, menr for membership or a rating is

optional. After that time, signing the waiver will be required. Please sec page 13 of the December issue of Hang Gliding magazine for further details. The BOD agreed to purchase Paragliding; The Magazine upon cxpira,· tion of the contract with the current owners (February 28, 1996). USHGA will begin production of the magazine with the March/April 1996 issue. Gil Dodgen will be the senior editor. The proposed five-tier paragliding rating system was adopted and will be

u implemented on January l, 1996. All paragliding members will be sent a notice outlining the change. ]'hose members holding a paragliding rating will be sent a new membership card displaying the equivalent five-tier rating. Class I pilots will receive a Para 2 (Novice) card. Class II pilots will receive a Para 3 (Intermediate) card and Class III pilots will receive a Para 4 (Advanced) care!. Please see page five of the November/December issue of Pari:1gliding; The Magrizine or pages 13-14 of the October issue of Hang Gliding for more details. If you would like a copy of the new rating system please contact USHGA Headquarters. It should be noted that the acceptance of this new system also effects a change in the current Paragliding Observer program. Paragliding Observers will now be appointed by Paragliding Examiners (who are appointed by the Regional Directors) and will have the authority to issue Para 3 and Para 4 ratings. Also, Paragliding Special Observers may be appointed by Regional Directors in order to issue Para 1 through Para 4 ratings. The following is a breakdown of the remainder of each committee's actions.

AWARDS Created rhe "Inspire J ligber" award to recognize pilots who have served as significant inspirational role models and/or have demonstrated ability to achieve over exceptional challenges.

cations expanded the dmies and responsibilities of the Executive Committee.

Agreed that Observers may not issue ratings/special skills which they do not possess. Approved Lars Linde and Ken Hudonjorgensen as Paragliding ICP Administrators. New written exams for Para 1-4, Paragliding Instructor and rlang Gliding Instructor were approved. It was agreed that no new Paragliding JCPs will be held until at least April l 996. Modifications to the student rating exam were approved contingent on legal counsel approval.

Rulebook modifications included 1he removal of glider certification requirements. Three 1996 450-point meets were approved: HG Nationals in Dinosaur, CO; HG Sandia Classic in Albuquerque, NM; and PG Nationals (conditionally) in Chelan, WA.

Direcred office to take a more active approach in dealing with site closure problems.

TANDEM Approved a change in the paragliding tandem program. Approved Ken Hudonjorgensen as a Paragliding 'Tandem Administrator.

Approved appointment of Bylaws commirtee members for the USHGA Foundation.

crves

&BYLAWS Approved modification of Bylaws, Sections 3 (Membership Classes) and 7 (Executive Committee). Section 3 modifications were made to include paragliding members while the Section 7 modifi-

proposed definition of a hang glider was discussed. Committee recom-· mended that the maximum wind speed for a demonstration launch be raised from five kmph to I 5 kmph.

Directed Paul Gazis and Jack Hodges to create a temporary, unofficial set of pages to be made available on the Internet.

A written exam for platform launch, payout winch, land-based towing was submitted.

Officer elections were held which yielded the following results: Bill Bryden, President; Randy Adams, Vice--President; Russ Locke, Secretary; Dan Johnson, Tieasurer. At-Large Directors: Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Paul Voight, Dennis Pagen and Dave Broyles. Honorary Directors: Fred Stockwell, Ken Brown, Ed Pitman, Greg De Wolf, Tracie i:;ifor, Barbara Flynn and Alan Chuculate. San Diego was picked as the site of rhe fall 1996 BOD meeting. Please keep in mind that the in.formation cont11ined in this article is only a summary rd'the b01.1.rd meeting. If you have questions on specific items, if you would like more details, or if you would like a copy of the minutes, please contact USHGA Headquarters. The next BOD meeting will be held March 29-31, 1996 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thanks to Quest Air and Wallaby Ibnch for the great parties they hosted on Thursday and Saturday nights respectively. l would also like to extend my personal thanks to Campbell Bowen of Quest Air for an exceptional tandem flight (my first via aerotow) as well as Barb and Steve Flynn of Central Florida flyers for the opportunity to fly in their aerotug (also a first). Both events made for a great ending to a wonderful weekend in Florida.

HANC GUDINC

•

I ~y

Locke)

pproximatcly two hours south or Monterey, California is a hang glicl·ng site most pilots refer to as Big Sur. fr is one of rhe more scenic sites around, and for this reason has been very popular since the 1970's with pilots from a11 over the world. However, from the outset there were problems with the local landowners who live in the valley below the two main launches (a third launch, Wild Cattle isn't used much). Their problems arc fairly simple. They live in a remote area because they value their privacy. We nm into this all over the country, since many of our best hang gliding sires are in remote areas and the people who live there do so for similar reasons. Things came ro a bir of a head in rhe early I 980's, and in 1982 the U.S. Forest which owned the landing and launch areas, negotiated a Use Permit wirh the hang glider pilots. One of the clements in the Use Permit bas tllrned out to be a serious mistake. A rule was placed in the Permit requiring pilots to respect landowner's privacy by not overflying their land. Most of th is land was undeveloped and the boundaries were pretty difficult to recognize from the air. We went along with the permit because we wanted the site to stay open, and wanted to stop the confrontations between the: landowners and the pilots. 'fo this d,iy I remember being on lauuch with a number of other pilots in 1981 when one of the landowners confron red us and told us to go away and not return. He used dilforent words and l don't rcmcrnbcr thcrn exactly, hut l do very dis)i\NLJ/\RY 1996

Secreta~y 11

/n general1 we have a good job of giving pilots the tools to their flying sites, but when that can cause the closure of any they need to be as national Many Directors have saying this for years1 but it now appears that there is an active movement to centralize this function in the USHGA office. We all need to behind this. 11 tinctly remember the gun he waved in our faces. In any case, the permit worked for a while; flying continued and confrontations with landowners decreased until last year. l n May of 1994, the Forest Service noti-fied us that the Use Permit was temporari-· ly changed; the two main launches would be closed while they investigated the landowner's complaints that the Permit was being violated and nothing was being done about it. Over the next 18 months, the forest Service talked to pilots and landowners,

and held several meetings in an attempt to find some common ground that we could all agree on. The landowners were adamallt. They didn't want us over or anywhere near their lands and we were just as adamant: we have the same right to public lands as any other recreational user. Further, it's now our opinion that the original Use Permit was invalid. The Forest Service has no right to regulate air-space; only the FAA has thar right. Under the good neighbor clause, the Forest Service can make recommendations and set some guidelines for users of public lands that address concerns of all the individuals on those lands, including the private landowners near and inside the public lands. However, we feel they overstepped their authority in this case. The Forest Service has recently agreed to reopen the two closed launches on weekends, with the inrenr to work toward opening them permanently. They intend to do away with the daily use permits they used to issue to each pilot, and have asked us for a managemcm plan which we have submitted for their approval. By the time you read this article I'm confidrnt we'll be flying from our favorite launches. The purpose of" this article is twofold. One, to emphasize to all pilots who fly from the Plasken and Knob launches how important it is to avoid confrontations with the landowners. Our rules will request that pilots avoid flying over the valleys in front oflaunch, and in particular any strucnires or houses. However, we have made it clear to the Forest Service that there will be occasional overflights and that arc not citeablc offenses. Two, to poim O\lt some of rhe mistakes we made in hopes of helping others avoid those same mistakes. The biggest error was allowing the site to be closed for 18 months while we worked with the Forest Service to reopen the launches. Over the years, hang glider pilots have learned diplomacy and how to work with public agencies. However, in this case, that patient cooperation has worked to every· one's disadvantage. First, the Forest Service should have never closed the launch. We could have worked on the problems while flying continued. The landowners' complaints were continued on page 41 ...

FriPnds Of I l,1ng C~liding

Congrmma11 Paul McHale, 15th Congrmio1u1I Distri<t of l'tru11)'1wtnid.

vcr the past year I have mer on

three separate occasions ,vich

United States Congressman Paul McHale, I 5 th District, Pennsylvania, regarding the stalemate being e,pcricnced by the Water Gap Hang GlidiJlg Club in crying !O rtntw their spe· cial u.se permit for che,ir Kirks she. I have sumn1arized this situation in 1ny .Ex.ccucivc Director's Corocr. I have ro dt'c:lare how impressed I am at the fact t hat the Congressman has ta.ken a genuine interest in helping the Water Gap Club and bas translated. char i1tterest into action on several different occasions. His Director of Constituent Services, Mr. Jim Wtlrraut, has been a real friend as well. He bas always Left to right: Congressman Paul McHnk; Jim Wi/1raut, Dim:ror ofConstituent Services for the con• been willing to pick up the phone and help gressman; Jack Eckert, Wartr Gap HCC S.cmary; GUJ Johnson, Water Gap HCC Presidem. keep cl,ings moving. Co11grem11a11 Paul McHale, Pmmyluania 15th district, conducts n meeting with membm of the The Congressman is fairly new to conWitter Gap Ha11g Gliding C/,,b nmipersonnel ftom the Nnrio11al Park Service anti the Appalachian g ress, having begun his ti rs t tcrn1 in Trail Co11fem1Ce rtgarding rhr stalled effims in obtnining a .<pecin/,use permit for the l(jrks sise and January 1993. He serves on the House the broader im,e oftht t1Ttls,mis, time--rorm,m ing process involved in obtaining a special-use permit. Nat iona l Security Co1nm it tcc. chc Subcommittee on Readiness, chc

HANG G LIDING

"After hiking and camping on the Appalachian Trail for the past 25 years, I l1elieve tl1at hang gliding, which is limited in scope and subject to reasonable conditions, leaves less of a 'foot print' than other activities which go on regularly on the Trail."

Subcon1mirccc on Research a nd Devc lopmcnc, chc House Science Co1nn1irccc, and the Subcomrnjcccc on Technology, Energy and Environrnent. Paul McHale was born and raiised in the Lehigh VaUey of Pennsylvania. He graduaced with higbes, honors from Leh igh U n ive rsity in 1972 witb a B.A. in Government. Following graduation h e volunteered for rhc United States Marine Corp. He was released after two years of active duty and entered Gcorgeco,vn Law Center. He received h is Juris Doctor in 1977 and entered p rivate la,v prac1 ice. He ,vas elected co che Pennsylvania House of Representarives in 1982. He res_ i gncd in 1991 in order co volunteer for

"On behalf of each of the members of the United States Hang Gliding Association, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for Congressman McHale's continued help."

"Hang gliding is compatible with the full use of the Appafclchian Trail, as long as it is limited to certain parts of the trail and subject to reasonable limitations."

past 25 years, I believe that hang gliding, ,vhich is limited in scope and subject to active ducy in the Marine Corps during Operations Deserr Shield and Desert Storm. Released again from active duty, he i$ currcnc1y a drilling reservist and mcrnbtr of rhe 157th !Mi\ Detachment , Washingron, DC. On Septembe, 12, 1994, Mr. McHale was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Cong ressman McHale is married co Katherine Pecka McHalc, a writer. Paul and Karhy are the parents of three children. During our most recent meeting,

re3sonable condicions, leaves less of a 'foot print' than ocher activicies which go on reg-

ularly on the Trail. " Hang gliding is compaiib le with rhe fo ll use of ,he Appalachian Trail, as long as it is lirniced co certain parts of che c..rail and subjec-r co re.asonable liJniracions. "As a l ongtime advocate of t he Appalachian Trail, I am aware of rhe extraordinary ro le rhe ATC has played. I am convin<A!d thar there is a way to allow hang gliding on certain pans of ,he Appalachian Trail, as long as it is subject 10 rea.1onahle

Congressn'l an McHaJc made several stareme1tcs to n1embers of the Nation.=il Park

Service, the Appalachian Trail Conference, the Water Gap Hang G liding C lub and n1e. He commented: '(After hiking and camping on chc Appalachian Tmil for the

limirarions.1!.' On behalf of each of the members of the U n i red States Hang G liding Associacion, ] ,vould Like co express our h eartfelt tha nks and appreciation for Congressn1an McHalc's continued IJA.'I help. r&,

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)ANUIIRY 1996

sening the stage for what is traditionally known on the Outer Banks as a nor' easter. Pilots awoke Saturday morning to rain and winds gusting over :'>5 miles per hour. A pilots' meeting was set for noon a1· a small restaurant called 'G.lrtuga's Lie, a favorite hangout of the local pilots. As pilots gathered, the "lunch" window immediately opened and a duration task at the bar was called. Local pilot Jim Eckhart and Woody Jones of Arlington, Virginia, took top honors frlr the day. Both men were able to outlast all the oth·· er pilots until finally sinking out at 1:30 in the morning.

by Chris l)uPtiul itty liawk Kites' Vision Classic 1995, was held September and it was one of the most memorable Vision Classics ever, even though not a single round of competition rook place.

1 The first day of the competition was slated to start on Jockey's Ridge at L0:00 Am. Jockey's Ridge State Park is Kitty Hawk Kites' training site in Nags I·Icad, and it is located on the Omer Banks of

North Carolina. It is the larges I sand dune on rhe East Coast. The park also contains several other smaller dunes which face almost every direction. This dune is not only ideal for training but has also proven robe an excellent site for competition. These events traditionally challenge pilots' abilities to launch and maneuver their gliders near the ground. Unless a soaring task is called, pilots must run a pylon course and then score extra poinrs by hitting the spot at the end. tfowever, the night before the competition was to begin, a low-pressure system stalled off the coast of North Carolina,

At last, airtime! The second day of the Classic was supposed to take place at Currituck County Airport, Kirry Hawk Kites' high-altin1de training site. The plan was a day of aerotowing hebiud l<iuy Hawk Kites' Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly. Although 1he weather had improved, the winds remained steady at 20 mph, with even higher gusts. Aerotowing was scrapped for the day; and it appeared that other than the good times of the previous afternoon, the Classic was going 10 be a wash. But the day wasn't over yet. Dave Glover of Orlando, Florida, and Will Thornton of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, left the shop to look for local pilot Bo Hagewood out on the beach. They spotted him pretty quickly soaring a nearby site called "the Hotels." At the Hotels, pilots launch from a sixfoot sand dune and then work their way back into the [ifr band of 1wo large hotels set back from rhe dunes. Bo landed and all three pilots took turns soaring his l I meter Pulse over the rooftops of the large buildings. Region IO Director G.W Meadows was also our flying on the beach that day, with friend Doug Hileman of Sauratown, North Carolina. They had called in to find out what was going on, and afrer hearing that pilots were flying the beach, they went ro an isolated dune line in a nearby bird sanctuary for an afternoon of beach soaring. Lee Gardener, with Pacific /\irwave, was the master of ceremonies. He was back at Kitty Hawk Kites with the demo HANC GUDINC

johnny Thompson looks over at Dave Glover and G. W Meadows before performing an aerotow launch.

ly got to work setting it up. Johnny Thompson, a longtime beach pilot, was the first off tow. Johnny released, rurned for the rrecs and climbed to about I 00 feet. Lee was next and grabbed his harness for a "quick" hop on one of the Pulses he carried out from California frir pilots to fly. Forty minutes, and countless threats later, I ,ce finally brought the glider down, yelling, "That was fantastic! What a great way to fly!" By the time Lee landed more gliders had been set up and more pilots began arriving. Bo, David and Will had also left the l1orcls to join everyone at Manteo. We spent the rest of rhe afternoon hanging our on the waterfront, watching the different pilots and gliders soaring directly overhead. Finally, as the day drew to an end, the pilots converged on 'J'he Weeping Radish Restaurant and Brewery for a final evening of swapping stories and cold refreshments.

Pulses and Klassics, waiting on the weather with the other pilots. Reports of people soaring the I fotcls started filtering back to the shop, hut the wind appeared to be crossing a lit de more from the north. Everyoue who was left loaded up the glid· ers and we decided to head to the small town of Manteo. Manteo is on Roanoke Island, which rests in the Roanoke Sound between the Outer Banks and the mainland ofNonh Carolina. Heavily wooded, this hisroric area was home to the first colony in the New World, and offers some of the best soaring on the Outer Banb. The Manteo site is, at first glance, nothing more than a thick line of trees at the edge of the water. I .ocal pilots used to have to "matHow" up from the beach by attaching themselves to a long line and three of their closest friends. After being rowed up by his friends, the pilot would then release and dive b,ick at the trees to get into the lifr band. Now they 11se a stationary winch system. The winch is placed on the beach and the line is run om to a pulley-float which is anchored to the bor .. \Om. The line fr:eds through the pulley and back to the pilot who launches right beside the winch operator. Anyone who has ever seen local beach pilots fly this site

The winds continued to blow on Monday, bur by Tuesday they had dropped off complet:cly. Several pilots were still left on rhe Omer Banks from rhe weekend, so Lee led a group out to the airport early Ti1esday morning. Pilots spent the day acrotowing the Pulses and Klassics thar had come out from California. Among those flying was John Ballantyne, President of the United States Ultralight Association. John has been fly. ing hang gliders for many years, but recently he began working on his aerotow rating at Kitty Hawk Kites. Later he com-rnented on the aerotowing operation, remarking, "This is the future of hang gliding. I've never seen ir this accessible to the general public." Congratulations John on your first solo tow! Although we never got to have a true Vision Classic competition, it was a great weekend. Pilots got to demo the latest gliders and equipment, enjoy plenty of airrime, and spend time with friends, old and new. Thanks go to Pacific Airwave and Kitty Hawk Kites who sponsored the weekend, and we hope to see Lee return to the Outer Banks to fly with us again.

Ji\NLJi\RY 19%

1Among those flying was John Ballantyne, President of the United States Ultralight Association. John has been flying hang gliders for many years, but recently he began working on his aerotow rating at Kitty Hawk Kites. later he commented on the aerotowing operation remarking~ This is the future of hang gliding. Jive never seen it this accessible to the general public. 1

11 '

might immediately think that they have a lirrle too much sand between their cars. Lee cerrainly thought so anyway. Local pilot Mark Vandcrgallen is "keeper of rbe winch," and he immediate..

A_-,

LL)

u ... continued from page 39

listed on a couple of sheets of paper. When you consider the thousands of flights that have taken place from these launches over the last 13 years, there was (in my opinion) nothing on the landowners' complaint list that justified this action. We brought our congressional representatives into the picture late in the process. They should have been brought in much earlier. We have the same right to recreate on public lands as mountain bikers, equestrians, hunters, hikers, etc. By closing the site for 18 months, we (hang glider pilots and Forest Rangers) allowed the landowners to get used to decreased activity on the roads as well as no gliders in the sky near their property. Now we arc reverting to normal activities and the landowners arc likely to be more co!lfrontational than they would have been had flight activity continued during the investigation phase. J recently attended a meeting with a private consultant who has been hired by the Forest Service to create a list of ques-

tions to be used in evaluating local Forest Service operations as they pertain to the Use Permit process. (The Forest Service by design set up the meeting but was not in attendance.) lt was a very interesting meeting. In attendance were a representative of Pacific Gas and Electric (one of the largest power-generating companies in California), a couple of concessionaires (private campground managers), a representative of the Gold Miners Association, a representative of the Off~Road Vehicle Association and an owner of a major Ski Resort. To a person, we ,ill had the same issues. That is, that it's impossible to survey the customers when the Forest Service doesn't know who their customers are. The consultant filled us in on what his firm was finding out from other parts of the country, that, combined with the information the individuals in this group were able to share, led us to an inescapable conclusion: the Forest Service has no overall mandate from the management struc-ture in ·washington to serve its customer base, which, fcx the most part, is recm-

ational users. The strength of their service to recreational users is tied directly to the local management structure. Furtber, in this age of increased leisure time and more people taking to the woods, this is an issue for everyone to be concerned about. If you have hang gliding silcs on Porest Service land it's time to be vc1y vigilant. Even if things arc going well and you have an excellent relationship with the Rangers, a change of' personnel can have a dramatic effect. This also points to a need that was discussed in depth at the last USHGA Board of Directors meeting. We need a more central structure in the area of site managemcnr and acquisition. Jn general, we have done a good job of giving local pilots the tools to manage their flying sites, but when issues that can cause the closure of any site arise, they need to be treated as national issues. Many Directors have been saying this for years, but it now appears that there is an active movement to centralize this function in the USHGA office. We all need to get behind this.

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... continued from page 50

as rhe firsr cxcepr rha1 ir shows your glide r:1tio with respect to the ground in the conditions you have entered, and it shows the actual physical glide ratio from your position to goal. When the former is above the latter, it's time to glide home. One other page in the fl11;1l glide chapter is the screell for setting up your goal altitude and the margin, or "fudge factor," with which you arc comfortable. This rnargin is insurance in case you encounter unexpected sink or headwind.

If all the foregoing isn't enough ro delight and deliver you where you wam to go, rhe Tangc:llt features a CPS interface which will be available by the time you read this. You plug your GPS (including Carmin and Trimble handhelds as well as others wii-h outputs conforming to rhe NMFA protocol) into the 'Emgcnt and you will get: !lccurate rne(lsurernent of the he(ldtuind and tailwind component. 'frying to figure wind component using only a GPS is difficult. However, the ·Emgcm filters both the ;1irspccd and 1he CPS ground track input,

docs the comparison and displays the wind component.

Autorntltic update of the final glide calculrition. With the CPS link, yoll get a constant update on your distance from goal which is entered into the flnal glide calcula·· tor. l 11 addition, you can start on flnal glide even before you round the last tumpoin t since the calculator will figure the distance on a folded course.

our form of flight. lt won't do your geometry homework, but it will essentially tell you when to turn, how fast to fly and when to go on glide. And it certainly can help make all your flights tangential to this great sphere on which we dwell.

We can't begin to exhaust the possibilities of a multi-featured instrument like the 'fangent in a short article. The only thing to do is harass your dealer until he lets you demo one. ·fry out a fow of these tricks and you'll sec how the Trngcnt can enhance the perfcrnnancc of all pilots, be they roosters or racers. Check the prices and the closest dealer by contacting:

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Product Review

Chris Arai with his Tangent Flight Computer over Ager, Spain during the 1995 Worlds. Photo by Chris Arai.

ause a moment co consider ch e name Tangent. Although we closed the geometry books ages ago, we seem to remember chat a tangent is a straight line drawn to touch a circle at only one point. Now imagine che earch in profile and you get a great circle. A tangent JANUARY 1996

drawn to touch this great circle at a desired goal field would represent che perfect glide pach. Perfection in aviation is hard to come by because of the physical limitations of our aircraft and che oft-times adverse flow of the air. Bue perfection is an ideal we can

strive for by developing the right skills and utilizing che right equipment. The Tangent flight computer is che right piece of equipment for maximizing our glid er's performance in the air wich which we are provided by kismet or karma. Here's how it works .

GETTING FRIENDLY WITH A TANGENT If the rampant technology of this late Holocene era leaves you whimpering for simple tools like stone adzes and wildroot clubs, take heart: the Tangent is as simple to operate as a door handle. Chris Arai, designer of the Tangent, has earned the title of National Champion two times in a row ('94 and '95) using the Tangent. But now he has set up the Tangent to operate so simply that he may have taken away much of his advantage. Besides making the control keys big and operable by a gloved thumb, Chris has also made their function very straightforward: the up and down keys move a blinking cursor (an irreligious icon if yo u will) to a display value of your choice; the plus and minus keys let you change these values up and down. Two more keys allow you to confirm these values or escape without making the intended change. In addition, the escape key also switches you from climb to glide mode (more on this later) and the plus and minus keys let you turn pages like a book. The keys themThe Battery Monitor Page. Photo by Bradley Ream. selves are imprinted with colorful, make-sense images that leave no doubt as to their function . There's no the supplied wall charger or car charger. It guessing or need to thumb through th e takes only six hours for a full charge, and manual while in flight. partial charges are okay. The chargers plug into a port in the side of the unit itself, and another port is available as a GPS interface. THE TANGENT LAYOUT The only other external control is the onoff switch. The pages themselves consist of two As seen in the photographs, the Tangent flight pages, two final-glide-to-goal pages, Flight Comp uter comes as a rectangular then a series of pages that let you set up the box with a Velcro-band mounting system. instrument for your specific situation. We'll This mount is universally adjustable and deal with each page in turn, but here we allows you to put it on your basetube or wish to mention the last page (which is easeither upright. You may need to apply some ily accessible from page one since you can go backwards one step). This is the Battery grip material to the basetube, otherwise the unit will swing down in a turbulent zoom Monitor page. This feature is the nicest (this is a co mmon problem with larger thing I've seen on a rechargeable batteryinstruments). The housing measures 1-1/2" operated instrument, for it tells you the x 4" x 7-5/8" and the whole thing (with time left in the batteries, the total time it's bracket) weighs 26-3/4 ounces. been used on this charge, the charge rate There are two airspeed sensors which (when it's charging) and the present voltage probe the air. They are retractable for storin the batteries. Flashing to the battery page removes the worry and guesswork when age and are extended as shown for flight. strapping on the instrument and hoping it The straight probe is known as a pitot, which measures true airspeed because it is will last for an entire flight. The nicad batteries can be charged with compensated for density. The other (curved

"T" probe) measures the static air pressure (that pressure due to the weight of the air). In combination these probes allow the instrument to give you accurate climb rate, altitude , airspeed, speed-to-fly, glide ratio, etc. Now let's see how the Tangent reports all these facts.

THE FLYING SCREENS There are two flight screens available on the Tangent (pages one and two). The only difference between them is the addition of a wind input and a variom eter averager on flight screen two. Screen one is useful when you first start flying with the Tangent since it is quite simple. However, very soon you'll want the whole enchilada provided by screen two. With screen two you first see the screen identity (reading left to right, top to bottom) followed by the climb or glide mode symbol (C or G) . This symbol indicates whether the instrument is acting as a normal vario indicating climb or as a speed-to-fly instrument. Adjacent to this is the indicator for inputting yo ur next expected thermal average climb. We'll discuss these last two items in the speed-to-fly section below. The second line consists of the wind input. This factor is also important for determining the best speed-to-fly for maximum performance. The display next to the wind factor is the vario averager. This feature gives you a digital readout of your average climb (or sink) rate over a reasonable length of time. You can choose this reasonable length to be 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 seconds. The next readout stands by itself on the third line and is the all-important instantaneous rate of climb (or descent). This vario readout has three audio options: off, medium and LOUD for scaring bighorn sheep. You can also tailor-make the audio to come on when you choose in both lift and sink. Finally, you can diddle with the dampening factor and select any of five levels of sensitivity, so the audio triggers in anything from flea flatulence to volcanic erup tions. The Tangent is as responsive as any vario I have tested. The final line on the flight screen displays the altitude (altimeter readout) and the airspeed. Naturally, the altitude is

H ANG GLIDING

The Tangent co1111ecred ro the Garmin 45, Fi,11,J G/id, Page I showing altitude n:qui1<d 10 glitk tlJ goal Photo by Chris Arai. The "fangcnc vario provides you ..vith a

adjustable so you can i.tro it at takeoff, or set it 10 MSL or even your landing field height. The airspeed is not adjustable, of course, bur you can change ics unics from mph co knots ro merers per second tO km/h

true reading of total energy g.unecl or lost by noring your airspeed changes along with your heigh, changes, and factoriog out rhe d im!? or sink due ro control input. These

to your heart's content.

are the famous "stick cherrnalslt you n,ay

have heard abour that do no man no good.

You have a choice, of course, of turnjng the

rota! energy funa:ion on or off. You can also ,weak rhe coral cnC[g)' function by alrering its dampening (its response time} and d1e a.inounr of compcnsacion.

Once you familiaru.c: you_rsdf with total energy icS certain that you1U never go back to the old method of guessing whether or nor the thermal you just slowed down in is worth a good rum; the v:uio will show you the acrual climb rare without the speed payoff:

TOTAL ENERGY - HOW AND

WHY

The Tangen t Aighr compurer bas rhe best-working roral energy function of any vario I have rested co date. That ls because of its cffcc.tivc probes (most other varios use in1pc1lcr airspeed sensor$ ,vltich sufTer fron1 inertia) and its calibration capabilities. To understand how total energy com• pensarion works, iL11agine flying f.1sc and pushing our. A n:g,Jar vario will sran beeping happily and indicate that you are climbing. Well. you are di,nbing, of course, but only because you have traded off kinetic energy, represented by your airspeed, for porcmial ene[g)', rcpresenred by the heigh, gai n. In face, you baveo't gained a1ty real

total energy a, all. You can spend your emire Oighr reading back and forth between airspeed and heigh, and it win get you nowhere bur landed. What you arc really interested in is a real gain (or Joss) in acocal" energy - rhat which only lilting (or sink• ing) air can provide. )ANUARY 1996

The Tang<nt showing Flight Page 2. The Tangmt display ""' the same chamae, size as the Trimble Flighrmate (right) and larger chamm than th, Gannin 45 (left). Photo by Chris Arai.

In order to supply you with the correct speeds-to-fly between thermals, according to the amount of sink and winds cncoun-tcrcd, a flight instrument must know your glider's sink rate at all flying speeds. We arc speaking of its performance graph known as its pola1'. Such polars are already input into the computer and you can alter one to fit your specific case. To utilize a polar appropriate for your own situation, you need only go to the Select Polar page and choose from one of ten different gliders. Six of them arc current gliders and the other four arc ancient models designed to hold space until you make some alterations for your own use. The alterations are based on wing loading, so you can use one of the filler polars and alter the wing loading to that equal to yours, and the polar will automatically be adjusted to represent your glider's performance and wing loading. If you add ballast or change weight a bit, don't worry, since on the Glider Setup page you can input your bal-last and total weight which results in automatic adjustments to the polar. ff you are really adept, you can enter your own polar equations directly into the 'Tangent. If all this polar stuff sounds complicated, don't worry, for all you have to do is selccr one of the polars, input your total weight and you arc set.

The above discussion was concerned mainly with finding lift and making the most of it when it's found. That's the function of any variometer. But topping out in thermals is only part of what's necessary to maximize the potential of the air and use this potential to go places ... fast! Whether you are floating around at your local site or racing to a goal, somewhere between a third and Lwo-thirds of your time may be spent between thermals. lt is impor-tant LO fly efficiently during these periods as well. The way to do that is to use speed-to-fly concepts. Simply stated, spced--to-fly theory says that when you are between thermals there is one and only one airspeed to fly for maximum efficiency in any given condition of sink and wind. This concept even includes a provision for expected lift up ahead. Naturally, if no more lift is expected, a correct theory would have you fly the speed

t·hat conserves altitude and it does. If strong lift is expected, it should have you hurry up to catch it and it does that too. Most pilots have heard of speed-to-fly, but perhaps haven't understood it in depth (see the book Performance Flying for a sim-plc discussion of the marter). Still more haven't taken the time to apply the ideas to their instruments. Now you have relief; for not only docs the 'fangent flight computer work out the numbers for you, it also tells you to speed up or slow down in order to fly the ideal speed-to--fly airspeed. Here's how it works: First, it needs areasonable facsimile of your polar (see above). Thar's all i1 takes i()r no-wind conditions if you aren't racing. However, if there is a wind, you can inpm this, and if you are racing you can input your next expected climb. Both of these items ;ippear on the flying screen and have been mentioned previously. [n flight the system is practically a nobrainer. In fact, all you need is your auditory center to be hooked up to your arms, since when the speed-to-fly function is activated on glide, different tones sound to tell you to speed up or slow down for maxi-rnum effkiency. If switching ro this speedto-fly mode is overtaxing, not to worry, frlr the Tangent has an auto mode that does the switching from climb ro glide and back depending on whether you are in lifr (climb mode) or sink (glide mode). With the 1;rngent, all you have to do is core your thermals effectively and listen to the speedprompting between thermals and you will be flying as efficiently as possible in the air you encounter. The only other matter you need attend to is navigation and aiming for the best lifr sources. The only thing that switches in the instrument between climb and glide mode is the audio signal and the C or G icon. A small or appears next to the G which also urges you to speed up or slow down. Other than that, your flight screen displays its normal self: Note that even in climb mode a + or appears fcH use when you are gliding in light lift such as convergence, streets or ridge Ii fr. For added flavor, you can alter the frequency of the speed-to-fly tones, change the dampening in the tones, alter the dcadband width between the speed-up or slow-down tones, and determine how many seconds of lifr will auto-switch to climb mode and how many seconds of sink will switch to glide mode. You can also remove the auto-switch function or override it at any time with the

speccl-to--fly button on the face. The speed-to-fly fonction on the Tangent- is one of the two unique features of this instrument, and die thing which makes it valuable for all pilots. In my flying experience with the Tangent, I learned to rely on the audio signals somewhere in the midst of my first flight. You'll find a single test will prove its worth. Try gliding next to a friend on an active day. Obey the Tangent's speed signals and see how your path compares favorably with your friend's.

FINAL The second unique foature is the final glide calculator. Again, we need to present a bit of background: If you are trying to reach a goal as quickly as possible in competition, it is important to cross the line at a reason-able altitude, for crossing too high means you wasted time climbing when you should have been on glide. On the other hand, the anguish of coming just short of goal has made grown men cry. With a GPS unit and a good altimeter you may be able to determine a reasonable glide ratio to goal, but there's more LO ir. Don't forget about lift, sink and wind. If you are in a thermal, how high above the makeablc glide do you take it? The answer varies with both the thermal strength and how far you are from goal. Some pilots fly with charts to help them make these decisions, but now you can rely on the Tangent flight computer since it has two final glide screens. The final glide screens are the same as the flight screens with the addition of an altitude-required readout. This bit of information is produced by the computer after considering your distance from goal and the wind (both of which you input) as well as the climb rate you are now gctring and your glider's polar. Once your actual altitude is greater than the altitude required, you should go on final glide. While gliding to goal, the audio prompts you to speed up or slow down as with any glide. In addition, you can update your distance from goal and constantly monitor your progress. At the same time, by changing the value shown in the next expected climb display, you alter the speed range in which the computer begs you to fly. This feature is important, for if you enter long stretches of sink, the whole matter should be recalculated. The second final glide screen is the same continued on page 45 ...

Hi\NC GLIDINC

HANG CLTDING ADVfSORY \Jsccl hang gliders should always he disassembled before for rl,e lirst t imc and inspected carefully for bent or dented downtuhes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (espc· the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose rhim-blcs, or rusted cables, tangs with non-circuLu holes, Oll flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on rhc keel and leading If in doul,t, many hang gliding businesses will happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of" equipment you bring them to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for- their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a lJSI !GA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

DREAM 185 Creat condition, includes Robcrrs vario/altimctcr, helmet, flight bag, prone harness, clmte, web harness, windsock with pole $1,500 OHO_ Bill (606) 23/i 6376. DRl'.AM 185 Crear condition. Ir() homs, new wires $900_ (801) 25/i-61/iL DREAM 220 l.css than 10 hours! Perfoct for tandem or larger solo pilot $1,SOO. (91 Ii) 74/i-58JS_ DREAMS CLEARANCE SAI.E All sizes, $500$1,500. Dream 220, cnstom butterfly art $1,300_ Raven Sky Sports (Ii 1Ii) lil:l-8800_ ]'ALCON 195 &_ 225 -- h1n gliders, 10 hours $2,100. (80 I) 254-6 lli 1.

FLEX WINGS AIRBORNE 141 BLADE $1,750. Excellent glide, handles and climbs exceptionally simple/quick setup, well taken care Awesome hipcrform,mcc/inrcrmcdiate glider. (805) 967-lli90_ ATRBORNE BLADE RACE, STING, BUZZNew and nearly new_ Demo daily_ THE WALLABY RANCH (941) 42/i-0070. AXIS 1} Many great flights left, only $700. Paul (909) 676 1125. AXIS l 5 <JOhrs $900. Comet 11 l 65 $400_ !com radio w/exrras $275. Ball 652 $250- Harncss/parach11te $225. (JO}) 810-29.Cl l _ AXlS 15 Cood condition, six seasons, :l exrra downn,bcs $600_ (801) 591i-4/i81 DOUBLE VlSlON -- $ i,500_ white & hluc, good condition, never Greg (919) 261-6166 or DcWolf/([1\ioLcom

FALCONS CI.EARANCF SALE School 11se, one season_ All sizes $1,500-$2, 500_ (4 !Ii) li73-8800_ FLY TWO '95 l'acAir tandem glider, one season, mp shape $2-,900. (Ii\ Ii) liTJ-8800_ f'C)RM\JLA 14/i'S (3) 111 nearly new, 20-30 hours_ 112 good condition, new leading edge, custom sail colors/design_ 1f3 condition_ Call Western Hang Clidcrs (408) or (719) 44/i-0681 for details_ FORMULA 154 Like new, Ii.Ii oz trailing edge. Sweet, sweet glider, one ofrhe best ones made $1,500_ (711i) 361-?A89_ HPAT 158 Custom sail, good condition, must sacriflce! $750 OBO. (407) 642-263(,_ Hl'AT 158 -· '89, good /1icr $1, I 00_ (619) 4376699_

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P_Q. Box: 1 word) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1 -75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover dale of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue). Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card. Please enter my classified ad as follows:

HPAT 158 $1,200. IIPI 170-$300_ Duck 180$100_ Ball vario 651 $300_ (209) 855-231 ()_ KI.ASSIC Hit 25/i-61/iL

50 hours, flies great $2,200_ (80 I)

LITE DREAM 1li 5 ~- Excellcnr, new, I st $1,050. (303) 278-9566. LITE MYST[C 155 ·- Excellent condition, <50 hours, clean, crisp s:iil, black LF, or;ing,e/green/vvhrtc undersurface $1,100 OHO_ (619) 466-5593MAKE AN OFFER Vision Mark JV, excellent condition, <50 hours_ High Energy Sports harness with parachute, training harness, vario, specclbar and helmet. (') J 0) 842-7878_ Blue and white, excellent conMARK fV VISION dition with vario, altimeter, airspeed indicator, spc,cd bar and wheels $1,li95 firm_ Pod for 6' pilot $95. (510) 79"7-2804_ MARK IV 19 & 17 -~ Fxcellcnr condition $1,300 & $1,000_ Richard DO 1) 236--0526_ MOYES GTR l 62Vc; -· Fly high, land easy. USHCA instructor inspection available $525_ (813)

8:ll-8539MOYES XS 155 ~- Two for $2,600 or sold separately_ Moyes Mega 170, great shape $500. (Ii Iii) 173-8800_ MOYES XTRAUTE -~ BRAND NEW, 3 f1ighrs. Flourcsccnr orange, f1ourcscc11r lin1c green, awesome colors, exrrn down tube $.=3,/iOO. (501) 83/i-- I62()_ MOYES XTRAUTF 147 New April, exccllcn1 condition $3,000 OJlO_ l'ly the best! (503) 644-l045_

Number of months:---·-·-·----·-·-----·-------------------------·---·-SECTION lJ Flex Wings l::J Emergency Parachutes

D Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment l::J Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders IJ Videos

U Towing

u Schools & Dealers U Ultralights l::J Rigid Wings l::J Publications & Organizations l::J Wanted U Harnesses

Begin with and run ior -------------consecutive issue(s). My U check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of $ --·--·-------------------------------NAME: __··--·-~--------~-------~---·-----·--·--···-ADDR ESS: ----------------------------------------------- ------·------·-----------------·- ______ _

Number of .. v,.,v __________________________ , __ @$.50 Number of

]ANUAkY 1996

@$1.00 = ·---------------·

USHGA, P,O Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 632-8300

ifi MOYES XTRALITE XS, XS3, XT, XL New and nearly new. Available immediately. Narion's Moyes dealer. THE WALLARY RANCH (911) 0070.

PULSE 9 METER

Excellent condition, great beginner/intermediate, double smfacc, approx 10 hours. (408) 423- 1058 Santa Cruz, Calif'.

RAMA!R 146 Clean $2,400. Raymond Equalizer and CG 1000, 'i'6"-6'0" $300 each. Two chutes $200 each. Ball 652 $300. All OBO. (81 5) 2:3/i- 5388.

WILLS SPORT 150 Brand new condition, best buy, w/harncss, chute, vario $1,150. Shipping extra. (712) 276-5238 evenings central. XC 155 - Superb condition, nnic1ne colors $3,600. (303) 823-90/i 5.

XC 155 liO hours, like new, orange w/black wingtips and white XC, white LF. $3,800 wingtips included. (6 J 9) '792-0291. EMERGENCY PARACHUTES

RAMAlR 151 ,,20 hours, flies perfrcrly, very fast. Bright colors $3,000. (505) 822-9017.

/I BEST BUY l'/111 Rigger inspected $265. PDA's $:100. Colorado Hang Gliding (303) 278 9566.

SKYIIAWK 168 Crcat beginner glider, new wires $600 OBO. (209) 358-13'3'7.

Al.I. BRANDS Bought, sold, and repacked. Inspection and repack $25-$35. Parach11tes, bridles, inspected and replaced, paraswivels installed. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO, 3620 Wawona, San Francisco, CA 9/il 16. (lil5) SKY-1177.

SPFCTRCM 144 25 hours, f'olding speedbar, wingtips $2,100. (916) liSS-5177. SPECTRUM [lj,j .... Excellent condition, 10 hours, all options $2,200. (7Jli) 195-55?,7. SPORT 167 Wheels, chute, harness, helmet $1,300. (201) 256-1 ')07.

BRAND NFW llG RESF,RVES 20 and 22ft. PD/l's $38'i., $17.5. Colorado Hang Gliding (}03) 278-9566.

SUPER.SPORT 163 '95, 10 homs. Blaze orange l.E, teal blue and coral lower surface, spare dowmube $2,500 OBO. (303) 457-3981. SUPERS PORT 163 Very good condition, lOOhrs, cocoon harness, parachute, vario. i:irst $2,000 rakes all. (619) 941-7912. SUPER.SPORT 16:1 <50 HOURS. DEMO IT IN CHATTANOOCA $2,100. JF.FP (123) 6291206.

UP 229 FLOATFR ·- 1979, helmet, wheels, harness. $500 or trade for paraglidcr/harness, 1851b. (219) 465-0214. VISION MARK JV 3 available! Call to secure. THE WALLABY RANCH (9Jli) 421-0070. VISION MARK IV 17 <6hrs, always stored at launch. Cloudhasc harness, parachute, Uvex foll face helmet $2,500. 1-800-'Xl3-57'S 1 after 5pm Central.

TR[KE WING/I-JC --- Demon 175, 40 hours, very good condition $850 OBO. Call (706) 398-2085. TRIKE TRAlNlNC 7000 phone/fox.

And wings. ISA (718)

TWO PASSENGER Airborne nikc w/Moyes 240 square foot wing. Includes ballistic chute, for towing, low hours, excellent condition. 174li887.

ODYSSEY'S WANTED Douglas, Dallas TX. WANTED 251-81t61.

(211) li37-S650 Ken

Coot! sail for Magic lll 177. (515)

SCHOOLS &. DEALERS ALABAMA /\CHING BACK? Have you 1ried a CLOUDBASE harness? Custom TAILORED harnesses since 1972! Producer of lJLTR/\MITTS. Discounts on BRAUNIGER varios. (706) :$98-396/i. COMFORTABLE TRA!NINC 11/\RNESSES Fully padded, strong, light, durable. Fom sizes. Call I.and, Sea&. Air (315) li92- I 020. 6'2" 200# & 5'8" 18011 $400 each. 'J'R/\CERS High Energy pod rear zipper, for 6'/17011 & several orbcr sizes to choose from, $300 each. Cocoom, many sizes $200 each. (Ii I Ii) 473 8800. PARAGLIDERS

'!'RX 160 Cood condition, solid white sail $1,199. Ask f'or Ted, (209) 178-7000 days, (20')) 952-2100 evenings.

TRIKE WING Chaser, new plus new Mosler engine and parts for trike base $5,000 OBO. (520) 886<341t2.

WANTED

SUPER SPORT 1lt3 20 hours, beautiful, blue/lavender sail, folding basctube $2,300 or best offer. High Energy harness, 57" $60. Ball 652 vario $75. Call Joel (415) 617-3318. Like new, 20 hours $2,500.

BCJLD/Fl.Y -· Your own RACKPACK POWERED PARACHUTE for fon/profit. Takes off from level ground unassisted. Safe, simple, inexpensive. No liccnsiHg required. Derailed guide and source book for beginner includes info on plans to build yours for as little as $900. Now only $19.95. 1089 Medford Center #2/ilig, Medford OR

HARNESSES

SUPERSPORT lli3'S (2) One-150 hours $1,400. One-brand new, white/magenta/teal $3,400. hilcon 195 $1,900. (7\Li) 496-8000 Angie.

SUPER.SPORT 163 (516) 826-7138 NY.

ULTRALIGHTS

Cl.OUDBASE CORP. dba Rocket City Airsports. Sales, rentals, service and cerrificd instruction ar Keel Mounrain, Gurley, Alabama. For information send SASE and $1 ro PO Box IJ22, Gurley AL 3571i8. (205) 880-85 J 2, (205) 776-9912. LOOKOUT MOUNTAfN FJ.JGTIT PARK ad under Georgia.

Sec

ARIZONA ADVENTURE SPORTS TOURS Daily certified instruction urilizing the world's fitst man-made trainer hill plus other sires which all face every wind direction. Dealer for major brands. 1327 E llc!l .. de-mar Dtivc, Tempe AZ 85283. (602) 897-7121.

ALL BRANDS New/used $800-$2,500. Colorado Paragliding (303) 278-9566. BR/IND NEW Pc; RF.SERVES 37 and liOsq/m NAS brand. $385., $425.(303) 278-9566. PARAG!.IDFRS $600-$1,000 for your old equipment. New Perchc, Apco, hv, more. [SA (7 JS) 7'7'77000 phone/fax. RIGID WINGS SUPERFLOATER lJLTRALTGIIT SAILPLANE -Two in stock, available for test flights, Allen TX (near Dallas). (214) 9%-7706 weekdays, (21ft) 390-9090 evenings & weekends.

your classified ad, rnembership renewal merchandise order: (719) 17. We gladly VISA and ,,rrPl"'\T

HANC GL!D!NC

()ur comprehensive instruction program, loc11cd at the Bay Area's

training sltc, features gently

sloped "h11nny )' winch !owing, ~11pcrlitc gliders and comfor:ablc training harnesses! "FIRST FLICJ IT," a video presemation oC our beginner lesson program, is avail:iblc for only $?.O iududing ship /i1111re lt.rson p11rch11s!'s). ping (m11y Ix 11pplif'd to Om deluxe retail shop the latest in hang gliding innov:11 ions. \X/l, stock new, used and demo,

ARIZONA !TAN(; GLIDING CFNTER INC. We arc a Jidl timc, FULL SERVICE hang gliding shop located just minutes from the BEST sire in Arizona, /V1ountain. We have the most comprehensive available and cm teach you to he

in less time! We stock

harnesses and instruments from Wilk l'ac/\ir, Flytec, llall, I Energy, cc; and 111,rny more! We need yorn CcniCicd instructor Rob Richardson. 5'121-21\ Robert Road Prescott Valley A/, 8(1:\ 1Ii

l"HE HANG CLID!N(; CENTER--· Located in bcautil'ul San Diego. lJSl!CA iustruction, equipment rentals, loci! 11ying tours. Spend your winter vacation flying with tt.1. We prottdly oflcr Wills Wing, Pacific Airw,ivc, High Energy, llall and Moyes. M:mufacturcrs of THE DROGUE CHUTE. PO Box I M9, Lakeside Ci\ 920/iO, (619) 561-1009.

520-772/illlr

Wills a11d PacAir

Trade-ins arc welcome. h·d

free to demo the

nc\\' harnc,;ses in our cu.storn

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TRUF FL!CllT HANG (;UDING SCHOOL -·· DONALD QUACKENBUSI l has the only sho1i at world fomom Mouutain, l.m Augelcs. Olfrring of hang gliding with MANTtS years. I.HJ 2 9 Uii2. 1··800-WJ/i 5/i ll,

ARKANSAS Sales, UYARI< MOUNTAIN I IANC C:LIDl'RS service and instruction. J 60 .lohnston Rd, S,,arcy AR 72lli:l. ('501) 27'J7/i80.

S/\ll. WIN CS Suppliers ui' fine Jlyi11g eqnipmcnt. PO Box 55'>:l, f.iulc Rock AR 72215. (501) (,(,.'\· ;31 (i(i tel/fox. CALIFORNIA /\DVENTURF..S UNLIMITED Orange County's premier school. USHGA cerrificd instruction and tandem specialist. New & nsed eqnipmcnt, Wills Wing dealer. (71/i) li%-8000. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO ·- HANG Gl.lDINC & PARAGI.IDJNC. llarncss rnanul:icturer and repair specialists. U.SHC/\ paragliding instruction, Landem. All major brands of' paraghcllllR and hang gliding equipment lncw and Next to Fort Funston. The only full service shop in San Fra11cisco! 3G?.O Wawona, San l'r:mcisco C:/\ 941 IG. (Ii 15) 75')-11 C:I IANDEI.l.J' SAN FR/\NCISC:O, INC: Complete hang gliding and paragliding sales, service and insLrncrion since 19Tl. Northern California's 111osr New and used equip· mcnr and clinics and tandem lessons. 1595 F Ste I', San Rafael CA 9li90 I, (Ii 15) Cl.l])IJ\C.

in the west! hill scrvin·

,hop, established l 97/i. 1'() llox I :l.'\9, Sarna Barbar:, CA 93140-1 l)9, (80'i) 965-F'll.

]J\NlJARY I 996

WINDSl'ORTS since 19'/ii. i'iftccu to Sylmar, Crestline, minutes from I.AX. Ll.sinorc and Vacai-ion tr;1ining, flying and glider s,iles includiug lodging and rcmals. The most [lO[)Ul:ir glidc:rs and cqnipmrnt, new and used in srnck. Trade in your old equipment. 37,'i sunny days each yc,ir. C:ornc fly with us I 61 lt5 Victory Blvd., Van Nnys CA 'Jllt06. (818) 988-0111, hix (818) 988-18(,?.. 1

IJICI! ADVENTURE -- lla11g school. Equipment sales, service, at Southern California's mile high sire, Crestline. USHGA Instructor Rob McKenzie. By appoinrrnent year round. (909) 88:l 8488.

COLORADO GOLDEN WINGS Lessons, s:dcs, service. USH(;A ccnif'ied instrncrors. Dcalns for Wills Wing, l',lue Sky i\ircra!t C:n. ,rnd Paci\ir. W. 9th Ave., (;olden CO 80/iO I. C\Ol) 27S-718 I. CONNEC'l'JC!JJ' MOUNTAIN WlNCS ·-· Look under New York.

HANG GLIDING .,.,,01c:yc:1..1NG PflRAGLIPli"IG

FLORIDA FULL SERVI CF SJ TOP·-· Located at the base of the moumain on 74. Dealers of Moyes, UP, l'aci\ir, l'ly1cc, Ball, Fnergy, Avocet & more. Call for free ,irca info pack. Open 9-6. Rentals available. Visa & Mastcrchargc 909-67 4-2453

31401 RivHside Dr. Lake Elsinore, CA. 92530

)

CRAYBIRll A!RSl'ORTS INC - USIICA & USU/\ ccrtif1ed irntructinn. Beginner thnt advauccd tandem acrotow training & ratings.

pilot thru hasic !light instructot lraining & ratings. 1 axis sticktimc for Swift, Super!lnatcr or DragonJly pilot trainin1;. lnstructio11 I

days a week by appointment. Dealer for all flighi- and acroi-ow

I') minutes from

Springs, 1.5 hours Disncyworld. Call Cregg B.McNamce ('JM) 2ii'5-82(,'.l. LAKE EI.SINORE WJNJ)(;yp5y /\irwavc, Moyes. C,11 for site inforn,atiott. (909) 679 89')/i. MACIC: AIR Hang gliding and paragliding. Located in Northern California. Lessons, sales, scr· vice. US! IC/\ cntifted towing instrnction. I.anding ,rnd thermal clinics. (70/) 9<,5 .. 0/i 11, ('70/) %:klli55.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FUCJ JT !'ARK Sc·c ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain i-raining center to Orlando (only 8 !tours).

NO MORE BUNNY. ..

WALLABY RANCH

THE HILL WITH IT!

The Original & Mos1 1·.x1,,er1cn,:ec1 J\erorow Flight Park YEAR ROUND SOARING

ILUNOIS RAVEN SKY SPORTS (312) 360-0700, Please sec om ad under WISCONSIN. INDIANA

QJ'EN 7 DJ\YS J\ WEEK. FOUR TUGS 8 Mil.ES FROM DISNEY/ORLANDO

WF I lJ\ VF The most advauccd trnining program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half' the time it rnkcs on the training-BUNNY ]-![LL, and with more in-flight air time. YES, WE CAN TEACII YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For yc:tr-rmmd train-ing f"un in the sttn, call or write Miami I lang Gliding (305) 285 8')78. 2(,/i() S llayshore Drive, Coconm Crcwc, Florida 33 J:rl.

Dcnios: 20+ 1-JJiJJ RFNTAI.S 10 try Xrralirc, XC:, !<lassie, Blade Race, XS3, XT, XL Laminar, Predator, Sring, Buzz, MKIV, Falcon, Snperfloater, Ere. Ages J :l to Tl f-Javc I .earned to Fly Herc All instructors Advanced Rared &. Cenilied Tandem. Tandem 1nsrruction: Beginner to Advanced all clay, every day. Crc:1t scene for hunily and 1:ricnds. Rentals, sales, ratings, XC retrievals. Camping, Nice climbing wall, nampnlin<\ ping pong) Mcga-·Bungcc·-Swingj picnic, swimming pool, etc.

A..ir INTRODUCES QUEST J\IR SOJ\RINC CENTER. Come Fly with the Original DRAGONFLY TEAM Learn to Hang Cliclc with state-of.the-an tandem equipment and get a minimum of 6 10 8 hours of ain-i1nc during your 1Taining. 2 we can acccler:ite yom thcrrnaling skills, us for a t:111dcm soaring night in prirne time air! Camping fishing and swimming available, also close to all Central l'lorida Artractions. Interested in bcc:011:HnR Come learn ro fly tl,e Jh,lcv/Mlnvc,.1 I :1ra1,01illv J\ero Tug on one of the oldest grass Central Florida, with two 2100 foot rnnways and over 80 acres of wide space. Find 0111 how you can gcr your own J\cro ( :Jub or Flight l'ark s1arred. Moyes Microlights Assembly and Training Facility on si1c, FOUR NEW TUGS IN STOCK Bobby Jt,iley, Campbell Bowen and l<uss Brown arc USUJ\ and US! !(;A Certified Tandem lnstntclors. GLIDER & EQU[PMENT SALES AND SERVICE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK CJ\LL FOR MORE INPO (90/i) 129-0213.

Our advertisers appreciate your support them you saw their 1n ,---, /l7c'JFJ

c;fiding.

Duration 6 hours 3/i minutes. Read ahom us in lfi\NG CLIDIN<; Oct. I '..195 KJTPI.J\NES, Jan. 1995, & the Web: h np: I !www .wallaby .con1/wa llaby/w:1lla by.h nn I Please ask us for references in your area. 1805 I km Sri II Road, Wallaby Ranch, Florida 33837 (941) lt24-0070 Ranch phone & fax. State of the J\rt • Conservative

JJ MITCHELi. TANDEM. UP, PacAir dealer. 6733 Coh1mbia Ave., Hammond, IN li632A (219) 8/i5-28'56. KENTUCKIJ\NJ\ SOJ\RTNC

Sec our display ad.

(41/i) 473-8800. Please RAVEN SKY SPORTS sec our ad nndcr WISCONSIN. KANSAS l'RJ\TRTE HANG CLIDERS Bed & brcaHasr. Full service school &. dealer. Creal tandem instnrction, lowing&. XC packages. (316) 6')7-25T7. MEXICO WINTER '95-'96 Scl,cdulc as much rime as can between Christmas and February 28th. l'ive a week or two, or a momh. Based in Valle de Bravo. Hang() .. ',, radio paragliding pilots loclg with discount for )ongec stay.s. Rate will iug, glider and transportation while in Mexico. Call Jeff J lunt-ph/fax (512) IJ67--252.9. Mexico Skys-lJ811 Red River St., Austin TX 78751. MlCIIIGJ\N NORM I.FSNOW'S FLYfNC ADVENTURES Ridge soaring, rowing, foot-launch hang gliders and paragliclers. Advanced Tnstrncror, Examiner, Tow Administrator, !cs.sons. Call Norm (81 O) :l99--9/i33.

],.J I.C. fNC./Fl.YlNC FLORIDA SINCE 197/i

Malcolm Jones, David Clover, Rhen Radiord, Kerry Lloyd, Jamie Buck, Ryan Clover & Jim Appleton GEORG[/\ LCJOKOUT MOUNTAIN fLJc;HT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookout· than ar any other sclrool 1 We wrote USHCJ\'s Official Training Manual. Our specialty-customer satisfaction and fun with 1he BEST FAC!LfT!ES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For a !lying trip, in1ro flight or lesson packages, l.ookou1 Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, your COMPLF.TF. training/service center. 1nfo? (800) 688-

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLTDERS/PARAGJ.lIJ. FULL-TIME shop. <:cnificd instruction, ERS font launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL brands. VISJ\/MJ\STERCARD. Come soar our dunes! 150') E 8th, Traverse City Ml lt9684. Offering Para motoring lessons & a dis1.rib11tor f,,r the new unit, the WHISPER. Call Bill al (616) Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 7:39--8620. MINNESOTA SPORT SOJ\RJNc; C:ENTFR/MINNFJ\l'Ol.IS Instruction, eqniprnenl dealers for Wills Wing, Pacific Airwavc &. F.del. (6 J 2) 688--0181. NEVADA

LMFP. IDAlIO Idaho's only foll service gliding and shop. Dealers for Wills Airwavc, Advance, 1-i igh Energy and for a list of sLOck gli,lcrs for sale. BasicFlytec. Advanced instrnction, tandem pa1·agl1d111g local site and XC g11idcs. Call

ADVENTURE SPORTS Sierra toms our specialty USHCA certified school and ratings. Dealers for Pacific Airwave, Wills Ul', Airborne. Fly the .% 50 ·22 Resca rch 883 7070.

HANC CUDINC

s NFW JERSEY MOUNTAJN WINCS

Look under New York.

KITTY IIAWK l<JTES INC: -- Ages 8 10 80. Learn 10 hang glide at the world's largest hang gliding school located on the famous Omer Banks. l'amily be:ich resort. Lessons tatlght :lGli clays a year on Jockey's

NEW MEXICO

the

sand dunes on the cast coast, where

the Wright Brothers first flew. Beginner and advanced MOUNTAIN WFST HANC CI.IDINC

lesson

OH-Cring sales, service, in.struction in the Four Corners

area. (505) 632-81/i:l Farmington NM.

Demos and sab of !:nest gliders, used accessories and parts. Call (<J 19) 111-117./i or 1··800-33/i .. 1777.

UP OVER NFW MEXICO Instruction, sales, scr· vice. Sandia Mountain guide.,. Wills, Pacific Airwave. Alhuquerq11e, NM ('i05) 82 I -8511.

01110

NEW YORK AAA FI.IC:HT SC:I IOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS and EAST COAST PARAGLIDING in Fllenvillc NY. Simply the largest, MOST PROFESSIONAL training facility in the NF with 15 years expcrirncc. 7 full time ccrtif-!cd instructors, Ii exclusive training hills. We stock available f,ir pilots and sell c"x service AIRWAVE, UP, BLUE SKY and now WILLS WING, also SWIFT, SUPERFLOATER and ALL l'ARA(;UDFR BRANDS. Unbeau1blc prices on gliders. Full I ime towing focility, tandems, IC:P, clinics. We do it all. 1-800-525 7870, (9 lli) 617 150 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 12128. OUR EXPERIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. !'LY I !!CJ I l lANC: CI.IIHNC, INC. Serving S. New York, Conncctirnt, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mm.). Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing cialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instruct ion. Teaching since 1979. Area's most [NFXPENSIVF prices/repairs. Excellent secondary instruclion ... if you've finished a prograrn and wish to continue. ];Jy rhc m01m1ain' ATOL tow· ing 1 T:rndem flights 1 Contact l'aul Voight, 516.l Scarsville Rd, !'inc Bush, NY 17.56G, (911) 71i1-.,317.

KlTF ENTFRl'R!SES Instruction, sales, repairs, towing :md foot la11nch. DalL1s & Non!. Texas area. 211 Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (211) :l')() CJ()')() a11ytimc. Dealer, Pacific Airwaw, Wills \Xling.

Camps. T~1ndl'tn tow instruction.

NORTI I COAST JJANC Cl.l])]NC -· Certified Instruction. New & tlscd gliders. Specializing in Pacific Airwavc gliders. Mike Del Signore, 191(, \XI. 75rh St., Cleveland, 01 I. 11 I 02 (2 I 6) 631-111/i. SKYWARD ENTERPRJSF.S

MAIUO MAN!'.0.

Rl'.D RIVFR AIRCRAFT/CO I IAN(; Cl.lDINC Jeff I lunt-( lwner. Texas's most active school and shop. ()ualit)' service and instr11c1io11. Winter Mexico toms ... liB 11 Rcd River St., Austin TX 787'5 I, ph/fox (517) 167•252'). Area's OJ.DEST Wills TOTAL AIR SPOH.TS Wing dealer. C:c:rrified instruction avail:ihle. "I only DEAL with WJLI.S". (J.l'ili Limestone, I lo11s1on TX 77097.. (713) 956(,117. UTA!!

repair. Wills Wing, PacAir, CG1000. Evenings (513) 81/8-3520 Dayton, Ohio.

WASATCll WINGS gliding school, de:tlcrs f,,r Wills Wing, Moyes and l'acific Airw,1vc. l'lighr operations at Point oC the Mo11ntai11. C:all /ac (80 I) 27'7 I Oli2.

OREGON

VIRGINIA

SOUTIJFRN ORF<;ON I JANC GUDJNC Ccnificcl instruction, ATV retrieval. Pacific Airwavc, Wills Wing, lJP, Moyes. (503) li79-5823.

J<ll'TY HAWK KITES

Foot launch instruction, ,vcckcnd. Towing, glider

Sec Non It Carolina.

WISCONSIN

PENNSYLVANIA

RAVEN SKY SPORTS IJANC CJ.ll)JNC AN!) PARAC:LIDINC l.:irgcst and most popular in the

MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION C:enif'ied instrnction, Pittsburgh. (112) 697.11iT7. C'MON OUT AND PLAY!

Midwest. Tradilional curriculum, ridge so;iring, m01m min clinics, Dr:1gonlly aerotowing & tandems hy Brad

Kushner. Sales/service/accessories for all major hrands. I'() Box 101, Whitewater WI 5.'..\ 190 (Ii I ii) 17:\-8800.

MOlJNTAIN WINCS

Look under New York. PARTS & ACCESSORIES

'J'ENNESSEE Al.PINE J.()l)(;J,: -···· At Raccoon Mnumaiu. Private

AEROTOWINC ACCESSOR!FS Sec TOW INC. THE WALLABY RANCH (9ft 1) 12/i-0070.

rooms, ln1nkhou~c, jacu:r:,,,i) pool. Work program.

II<AROS SPORT AVIATION fied hang gliding &

NYC's only certi· school. Also trikes,

(61 5) 821 ·I. 54(, ( :h:111anooga, ( :J111ck or Shari.

Works great $:lOO. AIRC:OTEC: AI.IBI V1\RIO Reserve chute, new $J'i0. Full face hc·lmct $125. (10/) 75:1-02001'1.

par;lrnotors, aerochutcs, ultraligh1s, training. Dis1rib111ors Cor AFRO, PFRCHF, F!NST &

CHARLY. Dealer for almost exclusive. hill service md cqttipmenr at prices. The most friendly service in the area. (718) 77'7 7000

SlJSQUEl !AN NA l'LICI IT PARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified lnstrnc1ion, Saks and Service for all m:tjor rn:mufoct 11rers. !JO acre p:1rk, 5 hot training hills, jeep rides, bunk lwuse, showers, 600' NW ridge. We have the best Ill N. New York stale to teach you how to f1y. RD ), Box :\48A, Cooperstown, NY J.'l:$7,6, (315) 8(,6.

l!AWK /\IRSPORTS INC: P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville', TN :l/940-005(,, (li2:l) 933·'>2%. I lang Gliding and world L1111011s Windsoks.

(,J 5$.

ad under ( ~corgia.

NORTJ l CAROLINA

TEXAS

CORO! LA Fl.IC! IT America's most experienced tandem flight instructor, te:Khes utilizing ATOL and

A.A.S AUSTIN AIR SPORTS -- Certified foot

Do11hlc Vision. Cal! or write for inforrn;1tio11

AUSTIN, TEXAS Steve B11rns, 1 12 Waterson, 78701, ('i 12) li71 l 669. HOUSTON (7 U) 171

DcWolC Corolla 1'0 Box I 021, Kitty I NC 27'WJ. (')19) 261./,IC,6

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'l.lGI IT PARK

Sec

launch, tow <'V tandem i-raining. Sales/service

1188.

ALI. NEW UITRA-1.JCI lT LAMBIE I JI) The light· est, most comfortable hang glider helmet. Aerodynamic, low turh11lcnce, low dr,rg sh:tpc. I ligh-tccl, look. hnish is clear resin over dw gold/hlack weave of' the supcr··Slrong carhon/kcvlar mner shell. Open focc, only 12 0·1., price $160. lmcgral fitll face version, only 17 m.. $1 lJ<J includes headset install:11io11. Mc\tsurc around head and from bot· tom ofcarlohl; over top to bottom oCcadobc for custOJTl flL

From the desii;ncr, Jack Limbic, 8160 Woodsboro, Anaheim CA 'n807. !'hone :md 1,ix (/Iii) 779-187'7. )J\NlJAJ,Y 19%

•• ,·

,---- ---------., Yes ! I want to save money and help USHGA with every long-distance call I make!

I I P!eru;e send me l"SHGA Telecard(s) at $15 each! I I (includes 20 minutes of alr1ime) I Name I Address,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ I Clij·il>)ate/lJp I Phone ( _ ) I O Enclosed is my check for

lfSRGA Meu,her # ($15 per card)

0 Bill '")' 0 Mastercard O l'isa

I I I

• -~ ~~ I I Signature _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ I I Mail poy!llelll io USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Spru1gs. CO 80933-8300. For I I inlonuatlon or IO order by phone, call (719) 632-8300. I Fax (719) 632•64.17. ..I L

--------------

Order now. and get 20 minutes of airtime!

With the USHGA Telecard, you can save 40%-50% ... and support the United States Hang Gliding Associationwith every long distance call! No matter how many long diS1ance calls you make, rou'Usal'e money with the USHGA Telecard! •The USHGA Telecard ~ you 40%-50% owr sttndard calling cards...about 25% on international t..US! •Use )'O Ur USHGA Telecard to call anywhere in the O.S. :and 197

countries wodd11ide! • You pay only25 cents a minute 10 call ru1)Wbere in dte U.S., ani1ime...day or ,tight! • Use che convenient COIi-free number and )'OLLt credil card 10 "recli-uge" )'OOt Telooird 11itbln lhe hour; or, set up an automatic recharge on a certlin date or when rour card reaches a certain minimum balance. · ~ cal.I )'OU lllllke helps support the United Slates Hang Gliding ASsociationl

•Throw a1>11y )'OUt otlter calling cards ruid get one for )'Ourself, your spouse, ooUege students, \\'Ork ~<>dates and others!

UNIT[D ~TRT[S ~RN6 ~l1D1N6 RSSOCIRTION, INC.

Please r ush me _ __

S.OIPPING OuANTity

SkippiNG

1-}

l\J.50

4-b 7-10

l\U XJ

l\b.00

IN 1f.tE 48 SrA1ES, WE pRdCR 10 sloip vi• UPS.

CANADA & MEXICO SkipplNG +S.7~ PER CAIENd•R INTL SURFACE SMppi•G +Sl.50 PER CAIENdAn INT'LAIR

SkippiNG +S~.00 PER CAIENdA1I

VISAorM/C (cn:fe one)

#- - - - - - -

Mld.1r 5ut,t;otal $_ __

Col~~ntEI alkl :3% tax$_ __ e,,1.... Shipping (see chart)$_ __

SiG• ·- -::=:=:=:;;;::!..,;\~ , :: =.. :;;"~1 ~ TO = li:"A::: . L.:(fll,ya == IM~to=US:HG :::: A):_:$::.-=-::-=-=:---

NAME STR!fET AddRESS Ci Ty STATE zip MAIL TO: USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 1-800-616-6888 FAX: (719) 632-6417

BALL M50 FL!G!IT COMPUTER Vario with TE probe, dual altirncrcrs, airspeed, air temperature, barometric pressure and more $,i()O OBO. 00 !) 77631JO I. $25 TEMPORARY PRICE. Made BARMITTS of nylon fabric. Quick vclcrn removable from control bar. Well insuLucd. Most colors. Foreign orders add $5. Diego 1-lcrnandez, PO Box 20li01. Las Vegas NV 89112.

HANG GI.IDER CAMERA MOUNT Shown on 2-1 /2" rube, $39. 50 includes shipping. TEK FI.TGHT PRODUCTS, Colebrook Stage, Winsred CT 06098. (860) 379-1668 (Camera nor included).

'f'I IE l .fTEK VJ.:35 variornercr has instam response, and a smooth 250 degree true aoalog movement (No li<p1id crystal display that can crack or fog up and need rcplacemenr). And it also has rhe classic Litek sound. Only $195. Lirck (503) 479-6633, li326 Fish /·larchcry Ro,1d, Crams Pass OR 97527. Satellite Navigator MACEL.l.AN CPS 2000 $199. 90. Tracks up to 12 satellites. Displays distance to go, direction) tirnc to go1 speed, cotirsci time and

elevation. lOO user entered landmarks, I reversible route of up ro 29 legs. Adventure Spons (702) 8837070.

BEST 12" WIIEELS AVAILABLE Super lightweight, a must for training, tandem in hl!shings. Only USA-built 12" quanrity discounts. lmrncdiarc delivery. l.ookottt Mountain, (800) 688-1.MFI'.

HlGll l'ERSPFCTTVF. WHEELS Real lifo savers! 12", light, tough. Firs all gliders. Send $41.95 + $1.50 shipping per pair to Sport Aviation, PO Box 101, Mingovillc PA 16856. Ask about our dealer prices. fCARO l'l.YINC BOOTS $165. A new boot designed specifically for foot launched aviarion. Comfortable high padded ankle with great adjnstable stiffeners. Excellent shock absorbing heel. Sizes 6-13. Adventure Sports (702) 883-7070.

CAMERA REMOTE 20', fits most cameras. shutter release. $1i5 (ask ,1bout Snaps on over our introductory $1 rebate). Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. (Camera nor included.)

MINI VARIO World's smallest, simplest vario! Clips ro helmet or chinstrap. 200 homs on batteries, 0-18,000 fr., fast response and 2 year warranty. Great fm paragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallencc, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (711) 966-1210. MC/Visa accepted.

OXYGEN SYSTEMS

THE JNCREDIBLE EARTALK

Jnsr put ir in yonr car (no microphone). Easy for sending our or receiving signals. Pm PTT comrol piece on glove or harness and transmir/adjnst voice. $93.15 includes shipping. /SA (718) 777-7000 phone/fox. CLFARANCF SALE PRICE New Ball 'vl 19F $337 with free airspeed indicaror. (812) 288-7111. Kcnruckiana Soaring.

(iil 18,000 fi. and weighs only

cylinder, harness, 1-cP11l,11or. on/off flowmeter, only

HJ\NC GLIDINC

VA RIO'S: FUGHT DECKS NEW BALL c;RAl'I !ICS Pl.US .. .. ....... $CAU JlAJ.I. Ml'J... .. ........... 199/i. . .... $l\7.00 BAI.I.Ml 'J.. .. ........ l'J'J5 llFMO ...... $,105.00 AFRO. ...DEMO. .. ....... $CAI.I. Fl.YTEC: 'l005. ...Dl·:MO ... .. .. $Ii l'i.00 HSTFC 3005SJ ............. DFMO. ...$/i5'J.OO FI.YTEC :l020. . ........ DFMO... ..$6.'30.00 FLYTEC :icno ............. DFMO .... ..$721.00 AIRC:OTF.C PIC0!.0 Pl.US ... DFMO .. ... $/iii 1.00 llRAUNJC;ER BASIS.. .. .. $/i50.00 . ........... $6/W.OO llRAUNICER Cl.AS.SIC. BRALJN!GFR COMPETITION. ...$750.00 WAS MFR Al .TJ/V;\R!Cl .. .. ... $.$00.00 MAI.LE'J'TFC ...... $159.95 TANC;FNT. . ............. $CAI.I.

QU!CK REI.FAS!: CARJ\ll!NER -· $/i').95. Extra ball lock pin, $2').00. I 0,000 lbs., dealers welcome, Thcrm;il 19/i.l 1 Ii I B11si11ess Center CJ\ 9U2/i. (818) 701·798:o.

U!.TRAM!TTS Now with chemical l !AND· WARMER pockcrs and IMPROVFD w1istrnfls . Keep yom hands toasty WARM! ('10(,) j<J8.:\'J61i. VA RIOS Digifly VIIOO Ball M20 $100. (801) 25/i.(,llil.

.%50. New .lOO'i $'\l'i .

lJSI ](;A instrnctor Tom Sapienza, of Aini me Oregon s,1ys, "I've Its/rd (/)/ft /'/'['()flll)/{'flrl \Vinci 11d,,isory 1 " llcpcndablc. Built to !;1st. No batteries required.

Fra /look with Vrtrios c!r

HFLMFTS RE!'l.FX ...... FULi. !'ACT .. $1GO.OO PANOR1\MJC: ........ l'lil.l. FACT ........ $150.00 LEF,l'l. .... $2:10.00 l.EF.F2. . ......... $280.00 I.FF ARC .. ............. $120.00 ............. l'Ul.l. FACT. .. $1 Ci0.00 PELJ.F l!VEX ...... J:lJLI. l'AC:F ........ $290.00 STOCKING STUFFFRS WIND Al lVJSORY AIRSPEED W/C:I.J\MP .. $2'3.00 f IAU. l'ARACLIDER AIRSPEED ............. $28.95 HOOK KN!l'F.... .. .......... $14.'!5 TOW RELEASE.. ......... MASON'S ........... $52.00 BAR MITTS·U MITTS .. $35·$90 SKY WATCH AIRSPFFD. .. ........ $69.00 RJ\DIOS.J\I.L MODFLS J\ VAILABLE YAFSU FJ'l IR. ...5 wait .. ..... $.'l0'\.00 KF.NWOOI) Tl 122 ......... $285.00 Jl'J"I' FINCERSWJTCll/11EAl)SFT. ..$8').00 . .. $20.95 5/8 TEI.ESCOPIC ANTFNNA ..... 5/8 CAIN DUCK ANTENNA.. .. ... $17.95 FAR TALJ< .. SJ'FAKFR/M IC SYSTEM ....... $8,f.OO VC22 YAFSU VOX/PTT .......................... $5B.<J5 MOBILE ....................... 50 wart..... .. ... $:375.00 TUNE UP ..... w/WARRANTY INTACT .... $35.00 MAXON 2550 . .. ...... $3/i<J.OO

AIR/WIND SPEED INDICATORS

HELP You LAUNCH & FLY S1tFE!

Tl IFSF RJ\lSFD REl.lFl' bring the l:rndsc:1pe to 1\llountains, rivers, and roads arc local and cross country

frames arc available for maps with an *. whcn ordering. STATE MAPS: *Arizona, *California, *Colorado, ' Hawaii, 'ldaho, Maine, *Monr:rna, *New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, l'cnnsylvani:1/Ncw Jersey, 'Texas, 'Utah, *Wyoming. OTHER RA[SED REI.IEF MAPS INCI.lJDE: *United States, 'Mexico, 'World. Most National Parks, Shenandoah, Yosemite, Crear Smol<cy and many more. Sizes vary

and arc Send $?.9.9'i +$3

2IJ"x2B". Other

available. (unfi·:1111cd) ot h$5. 50 s/h (fr:uncd) 10: Dale Robinson, 2J 'J'ysons l'ord l(oad, Newark DI'. I 9711. (:)02) 7:> 1·8507.

WIND ADVISORY With MOUNT/NC BRACKET only $24.50, includes s/h. Yon .s'1ve $7,. 50. Sold $ 15 +$2 s/h; Mo11111ing

short or long

bracket with your add $7. item purchased. Send Rcsomces, PO Box 906/i, San Diego C:A ')7,1(,'). (C, 19) 2'7().<Jl,62. Satislatction C11,uantccd 1

PARACHUTES From r !ES, Wills Wing

WILLS WINC I.ARA ..... w/Paraswivcl.. ...$CAI.I. HES QUANTUM. . .. ......... $CAI .I.

KENTLJ( :J<lANA SOARJNC Avenue c .. c:rn<:svu1c IN ii'112'J

(812)2887111 fax(8J2)2ilfi.4115

TEK G" WJIEFLS $25 per pair, plus $:I S/f I. Tck !'light Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. (860) .'l7'J. J (,68.

JANUARY 19%

DON'T CFT C:AlJCIIT l.ANDINC DOWN· WIND! I. oz. ripstop nylon, UV I reatcd, 'i'!i" long w/11" throat. Available colors rluorcsccnt pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39.9'5 (1$IJ.OO Sill). Send to US! JC;;\ Windsok, P.O. Box UJO, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 l .'l.10, (/ 19) 6:l2·8l00, Ltx (719) Cil) Gli 17. VISA/MC: :H.ccptcd.

PUBI.ICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

support Tell them you

CAI.I. USHGA back issue order form. From the early Shimmer to the present I fang (;//ding. (719) 632 8300.

saw

c;Ziding. HIGHER THAN EAGLES by M,,ralys & Chris Wills. The life & times of BOBBY WILLS, hang f;liding legend. the triumphs and tragedies of" the Wills and the evolution of' Wills Wing. S/1-1), sec preceding classi· $19.95 hardcover ficd for US] !GA BOOKS ordering info. DOWNWIND horn the early days oC the 70's, to the big-rime air of Owen's Valley, DOWNWIND is packed with thrill and exhilaration of cross country advenrnre. The perfect gift for both pilots and non· pilots. SJIARE TIIE EXPFRil'NCE. A true wdl told. Available from USHGA I lcadquartcrs only$ l 0.95 (+$?. s/h). i'O Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901- 1.DO.

And VFR OPF!Cli\L FAA SECTIONAL Terminal Arca Charts. All areas, current (up to dare New Airspace Classifications). Sectional maps $7 each, VFR Terminal Arca C:harrs $4 each. Add ship· ping and (Cal. residcn rs only) tax. Dealer prices. Airtime of S.F. (Ii 15) 759-1 177, fax (Ii 15) 759-1182.

HANG GLIDING 19')0- 199/i. Plus 20 Ground Skimmer magazines. Make offrr. John (:105) 2/i5·7019.

HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Pere Cheney. The Official USH(;A Training Manual. Over 2GO pages, with more than 160 easy-toundcrstand illustrations and photos. Your library starts with this hook! $2.9.95 (plus $4.00 s/h) Colorado residents add J<Y<, tax. SEND/FAX/Pl JONE TO USJ-IGA BOOKS, l'.0. Box l'J:30, Colorado Springs, CO 8090J.1J:l0, FAX (719) 632.,6/il7, Pl JONE (719) 632.-8300. VISA/MC accepted.

FAX your classified ad, n1embership renewal or merchandise order: (719) 17. We gladly accept VISA and

BAG [T! ff you don't have your copy of Dennis Pagcn's PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, available through USHGA Hcackp1aners $29.95 (+$Ii s&h).

COMPLEl'E TOW IUC 1978 Jeep with payom winch &. !iOOO' Spectra, ready to go, nms great, one person operation. Tora! package $2,600. Will separate winch. (407) 7S3-0200 Florida. SCOOTER TOW STATIONARY WINCH Cornplcrc with training for insrrnction $2,500. Dave Broyles, Allen TX (near Dallas). (2.14) 99G-T70(, weekdays, (214) 390-')090 evenings & weekends. VIDEOS & FILMS

FIRST FLIGHT Follows rhc action of a new pilot's fosr lessons. This video is an entcnaining way ro show friends and family how you actually VHS 15 minutes. $2.0 includes shipping learn ro (may be applied to lesso11 purcht1se!). MISSION SOAR· ING CENTER, 11 16 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95035. (li08) 262.-1055. POINT OJI THE MOUNTAIN Award winning East C:oasr Video, ltg/pg action ar this Utah mecca HANG CLIDING EXTREME & BORN TO FLY by Advcnrurc Video, great hg action $34.95 each. HAWAllAN FLYIN by Space 9, soaring in paradise $3:l. Call or fax USHC;A (719) 632.-8300, fax (719) 6.,2.,6417, pbse +$Ii domestic s/h (+$5 for two or more videos). Great to impress your friends or for those sockcd.-in days. Perfect gift for the launch potato rnrncd couch potato. Also, ask us about our paragliding videos! MISC El LANEO US

Sl'EC!AT. NEW PILOT FDITJON !Tang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. Now available through USHCA lleadquancrs. $4.95 each +$1.50 s/h. Informative articles and lot's of"color throughout. Mnnrhly magazine oi' The Soaring SOAR] NG Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. ]lull membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-1177. TOWING AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Headc1uarrers for: The finest releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V" hridles, weak links, tandem wheels, launch cart kits, ere. THE WALLABY RANCH (?Iii) 424-0070. Platform pay·out winch for srcp-1,v-src:p plans, drawings, nose flotation, and BOM and somces. row bridle plans roo. $39.95 (+$3.50 s/h) Appropriate Fnginecring, 971 Fisherman's Cove, Seneca SC 29672..

"AEROBATICS" Full color 23"x 31" poster fcarnring John I lcincy doing what he docs best-LOOP ING! Available through USHCi\ I IQ for just $6.95 (,.$3. 50 s/h). Fill thar void on your wall! Send to USI !CA Acrobatics Poster, PO !\ox 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80')33. (USA &. Canada only. Sorry, posters arc NOT AVAILABLE on i11tcrnarional orders.) SPECIAL.Aerobatics posrer & Frie Raymond poster-BOTT I FOR $10 ( ,$3.50 s/h).

HANG CLIDINC

VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTERS Call lJSI !CA for yom Merchandise order form (7 I 9) 632-8300.

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELi. IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CLASSll'lJmS.

"DANCINC WlTl I THE LADY" .- Watercolor an depicted on the from of a white pre-shrunk T L,XL,XXL. Short sleeve $15, long sleeve order shipping. Send check or rnnney Wear, PO Box 5/ili, Signal Mountain TN 373Tl. (li23) 886--6391. Dealer inquiries welcome.

I.FT THE COVERNMENT FINANCE Your small business. C:ranrs/loans to $800,000. !'rec recorded message: ('70'7) li48 0270(FY7).

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rate for classified advcnising is $.50 per word (or group of charnctcrs) ,111d $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. MINIMUM AD CJ IARGE $5.00. A fee of $15.00 is charged for each line an logo and $25.00 for each photo. LINEA RT & Pl !OTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in bold print. Special layouts of tabs $25.00 per colunn1 inch. i\D DEADLINES All ad copy, instrnctions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writ· ing l 1/2 months preceding the cover date, i.e. October 20th for the December issue. Please make checks payable to USH GI\ Classified Advertising Dept. HANG Gl.ll)]NG MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 ('719) 6:l28300 or fox (7 l 9) 6:l2-611 wirh yom Visa or Mastercard.

WILLS WING 115 AT Stolen from VIC: J'ORIA BC, CANADA on June 19, 19')5. White LF w/orattgc triangle patch on each side, orangc/hlnc undersmface. Peter Moulton (601) 8'50-6707. Z3 HARNESS & EQUIPMENT Stolen from SUNLAND, CA car on April 22., 1995. /.3 harness is hl:1ck/yellow w/hand deploy clime. Also a Monarch helmet-small multi colored w/hcaclset, Yaesu radio, Ball 652 vario. ( :all Kevin McCarty (81 g) 352.-2898.

FLYTEC 3010 VARlO

Stolen from CRANTS PASS, OR home on Nov. 2:l, J 994, serial /1911941023. Also Maxon SP2550, serial /l'l3021981i8. Call Russ Camp (503) li79-2958. STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a service to USHCA members. Newest entries arc in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found or cqt1ip111c11t may he called in (719) 632-8:lOO or ir 632-64 I '1 for inclnsion in Hang Cliding in magazine. Please call to cancel the when gliders arc recovered. Periodically, this listing he purged.

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS HES RACER HARNESS Stolen from WOODSTOCK, Vi\ 011 October 29, 1995. Red, gray cxL hack pack, container tritn, interior: parachute, Fmbury Sky Systems, sin 087:l; Ovex XL; Kenwood Tl l-28A s/nltli0501098; Ball 652 t/3698: Silva '70 lJN. Tad Earcckson (liIO) 923-0276.

Advanced Technolo1:,,y Systems Adventure Video Aircotec Airtime of San Prancisco Arai Design .............................. 11

detailed bl11e/wl1itc/purple artwork on black, Beefy T. Specify S,M,l.,Xl.,XXI.. short $1 5, long sleeve $17. Add $2.50 order shipping. Send check or money order to: Wear, PO Box Slili, Mountain TN :lT\'/7. (12}) 886-(,391. inquires welcome.

RAMAIR 15/i Srolcn from the llAWAllAN HANC GL!Dll'-IG ASSN CLUBllOUSE, MAKAPlllJ l ll, during the first week of' September, 1995. White LE, large deep clue 1111derpanel. Reward! Call Mike Heilman (808) 53.'l-1 l 9J. WILLS WING 115 AT Stolen fi-om the top ol' Bl.ACK MTN., MAPLE !'ALLS, WA on 16, I 'J')5. White I .F, orange lst panel, white nu,:Hiattc:t, yellow rear panel, wb ire TF & top Fluorcscenr ora11gc nose co11e, nick in right LE 12" from rip. Contact James Fieser/Whatcom Wings (360) 67 l -3037.

Colorado Paragliding Flytec ........... .

1-f al I Bros, .... ,......... ,. ,.... ,,.... ,,. High Energy Sports

Just Fly Kentuckiana Soaring ................ 31 Lookout Mtn. Flight Park .......... 2

MBN.A .......... ,, .......... ,............. 28 Mojo's Gear Moyes NAS Pacific Airwave .......... .. Scedwings Soaring Center Sport Aviation Publications ...... 34 US Aviation

USHGA

V-Mitts Wills Wing

JANUARY 1996

1 PRICE USHGA 1996 CALENDAR Excellent photography, frameable. Enjoy our beautiful sport yearound................. USHGA CALENDARS - More excellent photography. (Circle Yr) ·1994 1991 1990 1989............................

QTY.

TOTAL

$ 9.95 $ 1.50

"SPECIAL NEW PILOT" Magazine. Hang Gliding or Paragliding (circle one). Buy one for a friend! ................... $ 4.95 PARAGLIDING-THE COMPETE GUIDE by Noel Whittall. Comprehensive, up-to-date, filled with color photos. $24.95 HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Peter Cheney. The Official USHGA Training Manual. 234 pgs ... $29.95 HANG GLIDING FLYING SKILLS by D. Pagen. Our most popular book, for the Beginner-Intermediate pilot.. .. $ 9.95 PERFORMANCE FLYING by Dennis Pagen. A must for the Intermediate and Advanced pilots. 340 pgs.......... $29.95 UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. THE most complete book on micrometerology. 278 pgs ........ $19.95 INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL by Dennis Pagen. For hang gliding, us1~d in ICP's. Plenty of illustrations. 125 pgs .. $10.00 PARAGLIDING FLIGHT-WALKING ON AIR by Dennis Pagen. Covers all aspect of pg. Over 140 illustrations. $19.95 PARAGLIDING-A PILOT'S TRAINING MANUAL by Wills Win(J. Everything you wanted to know about pg ....... $19.95 ALPHA FLIGHT by Mark Wright. Covers all aspects of pg, complete with illustrations. Class 1 testing material. $19.95

$_ _ _

RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HANG GLIDER PILOTS by Erik Fair. Reprints of Erik's HG column. Classic stuff.... $ 8.95 HIGHER THAN EAGLES by Maralys & Chris Wills. Bio. of hg legend Bob Wills & Wills Wing. Hardcover ......... $19.95 ACCESS & THE GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT by 8. Moorman. Guide for airport access. $19.95 DOWNWIND by Larry Fleming. Share the experience of over 20 years of hg flight. A true story, well told .......... $10.95 THE ART OF SKYSAILING by Michael Robertson. Material used in ICP's, including the Charts of Reliability ... $ 9.95 RECORD ATTEMPT KIT Includes all official forms needed for national and world record attempts ................... $15.00 DELUXE LOG BOOK 64 pgs. Covering ID, ratings, rules, maintenance, inspection, terminology & more .......... $ 4.95 FLIGHT LOG BOOK 40 pgs. The Official USHGA flight log book ....................................................................... $ 2.95 CERTIFICATION BOOKLETS Document your skill level sign-offs. Specify Hang Gliding or Paragliding ........... $ 1.95

$_ __ $._ __

POINT OF THE MTN (Utah) Video. HG & PG action at one of America's favorite sites. 3D effects (52 min) ....... $29.00 BORN TO FLY Video. HG action. Meet Larry Tudor & The Green Team, etc. Fly Owens, Sandia, etc. (50 min) $34.95 PARAGLIDE: THE MOVIE Video. Owen's Valley world competition. Hot action, rockin' soundtrack. (40 min) .... $39.95 CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING Video. Great intro. to the sport. Meet the hot pilots & fly the hot sites. (36 min). $34.95 HANG GLIDING EXTREME Video. Fly the most spectacular sites in the US. Meet the top pilots (50 min) ......... $34.95 HAWAIIAN FLYIN' Video. HG & PG in Paradise. Amazing launches & awesome scenery! (46 min) .................. $33.00 DAREDEVIL FLYERS Ill-THE PARAGLIDERS Video. Join the W.W. gang in scenic Telluride, CO. (50 min) .... $24.95

$ _ __

All our videos are in USNVHS NTSC format only.

WINDSOK™ 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Available in pink/yellow or pink/white (circle one) ....... $39.95 USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular sticker................................. $ .50 USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular patch................................ $ 1.50 MTN. GLIDER DECAL Full color 6" rectangular, long-lasting vinyl decal ............................................................ $ 1.50 MTN. GLIDER SEW-ON The most beautifully embroidered patch you've ever seen, 12 different colors used .... $ 3.95 MTN. GLIDER LAPEL PIN Multi-colored, custom shaped with exopy dome and military clutch back ................. $ 3.95 LICENSE PLATE FRAME Chrome plated. I'd Rather Be Hang Gliding or I'd Rather Be Paragliding (circle one) $ 6.50 PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE COLLECTOR BINDER Brown vinyl w/gold lettering. ....... .................................... $ 9.00 *ERIC RAYMOND POSTER 24"x37" Eric 17,000' MSL over the Sierra Nevada Range, beautiful color .............. $ 5.95 *AEROBATIC POSTER 23"x31" Colorful keel-angle shot of John Heiney looping skyward ................................ $ 6.95 *Posters are NOT AVAILABLE on International orders-Sorry! SPECIAL· BOTH POSTERS FOR $10.00 PAYMENT must be included with your order. FOREIGN orders must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK!

SHIPPING (US)

CHARGE MY VISA or MASTERCARD

.01 - 9.99 ADD $3.50 rn. - 19.99 ADD $4.00 20. 34.99 ADD $5.00 35 .• 49.99 ADD $6.00 50.+ ....... ADD $7.50* Canada & Mex. add $1.50 extra* lnt'I air add $15 extra* *May vary due to weight & destination.

SUBTOTAL Colorado residents add 3% tax y-·----·Shipping (see chart)

to: Street Address (if pm1s1t,1e) _____________._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

1330, Colorado Springs United Sta1tes Hang Gliding Assn., PO (719) 632-8300 1-HUlH:>10-0iDOO (719) 17

80901

330

© 1996 by Dan Johnson S'r. PAUL, MTNN. Welcome to a new year! With the holidays behind (whew!), you may have some gift cash burning a hole yo1Jr harness pocket:. I hav<0 a few suggestions to help you unburden that: pocket:. first_~~~ The big news in the is the unanticipated departure of Second

Chantz,

ba:J J

pilrilcb1.1lce

milker

and

keter o owner John Dunham' l\. . R. rocket. Second Chantz sucel1mbed Lo a 1cga] system (with whid1 we' all ··too fam:iliar) l.hat can create huge bi l .1 s when a unlikely to Jose Reno outfiL takJng orders on November and will halt aJ service work January 31 'Poo bad, SE,cond Cr1antz was inno·· vator tJwt we' now lost I wish ;John we] in his new endeavors, name] y S0!lU ng Air Creut:i.on trikes. As it turns oul.c, Dunham entered an agreement with BRS ft·er closing Second Chantz, so fortunately he' still input: to baU i. Le l:ems [or bang gliding. BRS har; acquired the rights to t:be !\. . R. rocket l:110u9h the survivincJ company announced no immediu tc, plan,; to use the compressed il.i r c1ev:i cc. Speaking of BRS ... (II@@ I3esidc"s the deaJ wJtb ,Jobn Dunbam, tlle company bE,en active. I 1· secured PhasE, NASA grant worth $600,000 to invesU gate, making parachutes of ent i.re1y new materiuls. If the" two-year proj proves fruiLfuJ, it possible parachutes wiJJ use only bill[ space they dD now and weigh just half as much. Of course, jt:' only resc~arch and n:,su1ts may not provfo sue· cessEul. llowc,ver, had i il1ly proved thE• concept wiLh Pbuse I grant of the con t. @@@ [oration on the 'Net: takes tbe form new World Wide Web sites. One such dia.L be1pcd me J.earn more about tbe process and capabilit was BRS which now has bol:11 an E:···maiJ. (BR chut:e@aol.com) a web home page (http://users.uoJ..com/BRSchute/BRS.HTML). One oE the fascinaLing parts of the web, the part: that truly expJainr; its name, tlw interlocldn(J net of: connE;ctions that Jink you to other wob ~:;ites of simiJar int.erc)st. As BPS computer guru, Steve Swanson, up BRS page, he requested other organizations t.o add 1:inb:: on paqes to tbe BRS offc,ring. Jn return he'd do Likewise. Swanson sui.d, "J found more hang gliding on tl1c 'net than any otber form of aviation." <111<111<111 When prepared the BRS page, be placed on it a survey for hang gliders pilots. you' on the 'net: and to respond, please access the page und do your electronic thing. <111<111<111 Well, now to some por;t·Christmas items of 11,. Maj order: man, GW Meadows lla,3 U:i.kcm on U.S. d·istrib· ut:ion of the Icaro 2000 Li.n0, of helrnc,tr:: und lliE, Just Fly company i,; beginni nq l:o markot: them. are available. An fullface model weighs only 1. 4 pounds. openi.nqs, is nicely finisl"H~d [or a comEortah1e , and offc"rs wide'? visibiL\ ty a modest $249. Next is a qorgemw "Carbon Optic" helmet with

JANUARY 1996

the same sbape and features $269. F i.naJ ly for those who worried about jaw injurie,,;, tbe ''<Jet" half-helmet. for $149. Al] these helmets are mado of Kevlar and carbon and have European cerLificat:ion use (CE 95-0497). The fu] models have beefed up jaw protection o Uwr bed.mets have shown vul · nerabilit:y in this urea. 11,. If you've missed tbe GPS revolution so far, you may'v<c, saved money J\1st Fly offerinq the Garmin 40 for t:l1e superlow price of only $264 or the sl ightJy more capa~ bh, Garmin 45 for just :;;299. At: these prices, don' I.~ out! Contact ,Just Fly at- 800/')46 3'J96 (lo order) or 919/4fj0-3552 (to ask que,;tions). You can ulso ask their catalo9 which GW says "has done bonkers." Speaking o catalogs, Volwne IJ of MoJo' s Gear Catalog out with 4.8 pages of tull-color goodies you should (">Xamirw. Too much cool stuff is available to menl:ion here, but bet: you can 9et: a copy by calling f;(JQ/261-MO,IO. Prices look quite competitive anc:l the sc,lec,ction s genuinely broad f both hang g i d.i nq and paragl idinq pilots. If you c:li dn' t u ]ready order the Rogal lo Foundation's "Wings for the World" poster (framed and protected $490), you may be lucky. If you act: quickly you can obtuin roLled·up version (no or for a mere $40. Foundatior1 boss, Vic Powel]., says these are collector's il:emco tha.t "will in value,." 13end your check to P.O. Box 2377, W0shin9ton DC 20026 or call Vic 202/720·-7762. &. Some inter· est.ing reading comes in Larry F'lerninq' s "Downwind" book. Says 1-TG mag editor a.nd book reviewer, G.i.1 Dodgen, "[Downwind] s packed wi tb umusin9, frightening, inspiring, and informutivc.c; anecdotes all true and well told." Do you actual! y need more incentive whi hidinq from cold winter winds? Esp0cc:ially you missed tbe early days, Gil says, you'll "certainly enjoy" it:. prepaid sb:ippin9, send $13.95 1:o Chd.ci Gregor Publishing, P.O. Box 26595, Fresno CA 93279. 11,. Finally, on a more EE"rious note perliaps, Dav:i d Prentice ofh.,rs \\ pc r s on a f i r t th Fligh.t Medic, blaze aid/trauma/survival .kil:.. " 'J.'be bag is sewn orange, is clearly marked, and has velcro straps that allow it l:o be easily att:uched. Pn:.ntice a certified wi tb extensive cxperiEmce in emerCJency medicine. 'J'he kit. comes wi.t:b a mc,dical h:i tory card pilots can compJc•te. He's included what he calls the "proper supplies l:o do ba,;ic JL:ation oE trauma putient, simple First·aid, and survi.vaJ equipment," al in one-pound pack· age. 'J'he price is $85 and you can call 505/296·· 0719 or E··mzd.J Lo "bsaint@unm.edu". Even you aren't trained t:lie of l thEc: component,;, you'd have them for someone to use. A wortby idea, I Udnk. G1111H1 Well, diver !'ans, we' outt:a room again. So, got news opinions? Send •c,m l:o 8 Dorset, St:. Puu1 MN 55118. or V-mail L~o 612/450 0930, or E··mu l: CumulusManG.laol.com T~S.1

Micro-Vario- State of the art variometer perfectly adapted to the practice of hang gliding and paragliding.

Skywatch P~ High precision wind and flight speed indicators with four different display modes.

Weather Station- Sophisticated, state-of-the-art technology ensures that Flytec's weather station provides you with reliable in.formation at work and at play

Pilot- Designed with Raichle for maximum safety and comfort. Always dry and warm.