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

PARAGLIDERS

ling

MPANIES

(USPS 017-970-20 - ISSN 0895-433X)

22 Friends of USHGA: Larry Sanderson by Phil Bachman The Soaring Society's executive vice president has been a great ally ofUSHGA

24 The 1996 East Coast Challenge by Pete Lehmann photos by Glen Lifmd Pete wins his firsr major championship.

35 Pilot Report: The Ball Graphics Comp

46 The Super Floater - Part I

Columns

De~artments

Exec's Comer, by Phil Bachman ............. 14

Aianail .......................................................4

Cartoons, by Harry Martin .............. .38,44

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

Accident Reports, by Luen Miller ..........50

Calendar of Evencs ............................. ...... 12

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

Ratings .....................................................20 Classified Advertising .............................. 51 index to Advertisers .............. ............ .......62

COVER: Tcrrv Solcshcc ("( :aprain Anwriu") mn rhc Andv J.,ck""' Air (';irk I / rw.11 ( :,c,rlinc. ( ::\. l'how hv Tcrrv Solc,hrc. CENTERSPRF.AD: (;errv Charl('hoi, in a f\lov(', \rralitl' 14 7 over Ka11:ii', l.1ri:c,1 hc.1ch (I.~ mik, long). 11.,rncss and glider cmrrrc;v \love,. l'hnro h,· ( ;~·rr,· ( :harlchoi,. ( :arncr;r: ( :.mo11 'c, \11. I ,·ns: I' I I 'irnrn. him Vdvi.1. Exposure: program. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: Thr 111.11,·ri.,l prc,rnrcd lwr.· i, p11hli,hcd .,, pan of an infimnation dissr111ination servin· for US Ht;;\ mcmhl'rs. ·111<' l ISi It ;A nuke, 110 warrami,·, or rcprcscnt.nions .1nJ .1ssumcs no liahilily ,..-0 111..xrninµ du: v;ilidi,~· of any advitt:. opinion or J(,:UlllllnendJtinn expressed in the lllJtcri;il. All individu.,I, r.·lving upon rhc marcri,11 do "' .ll their o\\ n ri,k . ( :op\Tighr !<) 1'J'l(, U1111cd :-i1.m·, H;ing c;lidrng A"n .. lnL All righr, r,·S<·r.nl 10 ll,111g (;/l(llllg and individrr.,l ,,mrrihuror,.

JULY 1996

Gil.Dlidgen,M1111a{1ing·E(litor!Edi(or·//t·Chfrif

Daw. l'o11n<ls1 A.rt.l?iwc:tcir John Heiney, G1wryCharlehois, teroy Graimis /'holo[Vaphe1:, Marry Martin, Ulusm1tor

Demiisf'agen; M,uk Stucky, G.W. Meadows, Jim l'almJerl; Offit:9!:i17Jlf

Phil. B<1chman1 Exec;u1ivq •Qirecl(>r Greg Hullef1 R,,tings & ICl''s Jeff Elgart, Advortisins · p. D<J;lt\ te.ycrlQ,.ll)Bllranco·&.fv\t)!nb0rship Servlc.es 1<ilren Sitnon, Mr)mber ServicH, Marisa Matton, Mord1nndi.5e Services

Dear Editor, J believe that the recent disrnssions on landing technique arc bcncflcial to all pilots, but iris very imponam to me rhat my earlier comments not be misintcr·· prctcd. (See Bronwyn H11milton'., letter in

the April issue. My reference to Torrey Pines was chosen to compare a relatively gentle place to land (void of snong thermal activity) with rnorc turbulent LZ's. Bur like all flying sites, f know that even 'forrcy can have its bad days. I grew up in Southern California and also lived li.1rthcr upstate in Salinas in 1981 where [ was employed as a production rcsr pilot for Flight Designs. During the workweek l flew .Marina's sand dunes where "Steeple Chase" pilots are experienced in highspeed flight near the ground. On week« ends I regularly flew at several inland sites, including' f'ollhousc, Dunlap and the Owens Valley. All in all, I have never experienced worse turbulcucc than here in the East during the early spring mmi rhs. J agree that flying prone puts you in a position to su ffor neck or back injuries, but only if you stay in that position when hitting the ground. The discussion shouldn't be about what is "right" or "wrong," but rather when to go to the downtubcs. While l sometimes postpone d1is transition until I'm almost ready to flare, I will move to the dowmubes earli« er in turbulent conditions, bur seldom before J have slowed to almost trim speed near the ground. Pilots making the transition at higher speeds often pop the nose and a wing while moving their hands, and then can't pull the bar in pasr their legs to recover lost flying speed. 'fhc imbility to regain flying speed quickly is very dangerous when entering a rowdy 1./. Case in point·: The only pilot to ever suffer a spinal-cord injury at my home flying sire was well practiced in flying from the downtubcs. I Tc was an Advanced-rated pilot flying a high·pcr« formancc wing who had always climbed to the dowmubes while still high enough to do a 360. ln strong, gusty winds he set

up an approach downwind oF the LZ over trees, and hardy penetrated as he mushed his glider across the tree line. Not being able ro adequately recover flying speed, the wind turned him down·· wind resulting in a brutal impact. Although he recovered from his injuries he gave up the spon of hang gliding. Furthcrrnore, Mr. Hamilton is mis« raking "roll amhority" for the case of swinging one's legs from side to side while in an upright position hanging from the downtubcs. Because yon arc raising your ccmer of mass, the glider docs not feel your dfons as effectively as when lying prone. In addition, in a prone position a pilot can push his legs farther to either side by going under and outside the rear flying wires, and use the old "pull-in, move··Ovcr and push«out" method to initiate a much quicker uiru in a right situation than is possible to do safely from the downrnbcs. f have been tossed around at 10,000' like a paper airplane, and grabbing the dowmubcs For better conrrol would be insane. The same control aurhority that works at l 0,000' is also good to have at 100 feet, because sometimes you don't know what's going to hit you! Also, consider this: 'The base tu he is under tension in flighr and can handle a considerable amount of flexing without danger of structural foilurc. On the other hand, Lhe downtubcs arc under comprcs· sion, and ir you bend them our of column you'd bcncr hope that you're high enough for your parachute to open. Finally, pilots need to use caution when trying new techniques. A flight school [ used to work for now has pilots remain on the downtubcs entirely during their first mountain flights. Since these flights should only take place in calm morning air, the downrnbc method works fine, especially if no other tech« niqucs :ll'c being used on the training hill. Pilots should use whatever methods they arc comfortable with, but be aware of the options.

Doug Rice C)naker Gap, NC

H/\NC Ct1DINC

Dear Editor, The closure of rhc Lincoln National r:orcst in May has forced the Rio Grande So;iring Association to rescl1cdule their Dry Canyon Ply-1n. All three RGSJ\ launches (Dry Canyon, I ,a I ,uz and I .ong Ridge) urc on Forest Service land, and extreme fire danger has prompted extreme action. This cvcn1, which was to rake place over the Memorial Day weekend in Alamogordo, will instead be held on Labor Day weekend, August 31 w Scprcmbcr assuming we have rain by then. Mexico is in its third year of drought.) We very much regret the post-poncmclll, and want ro apologize ro any pilots and rhcir families who had to cancel plans to fly wirh us over Memorial Day. But aunmm in New Mexico is real ly nice, and the can be 01nsrandthcn. So please come our and join us here on Labor l weekend same same place, same plan (have fim!). For fonl1er info, please contact me l hvc Church (505) 0844, or 'ltimmy West 437-5213. Sec you (hen, if' the rain gods arc kind!

steps are preferable, bur obligatory is a strong word. J also agree rhar a srnck zipper can contribute to high when a pilot is foccd wi tli or her problems during land ing approach. But we must not forget that an unzipped pod does not prevent a pilot from going 11pright and landing on his foet. I speak from experience. I've had the unnerving pleasure of landing in my pod harness, fully zipped up, twice. No, r didn't wait until l had minimal altimde to unzip my harness and flnd out that it was sruck, bw l was setting up my appro;ich. Fortunately, I had thought about rhis potential situation long before it l1appencd, and resigned rnysdflong before touchdown to landing in the pod. I simply went upright (the harness still goes upright, unzipped or not) and had two of lhc best 110-srcp Aarcs ever record· ed in my flighr log. I don't mean to diminish Kent's point. I just wa111 to plant this seed in other pilot's minds: "Okay, my zipper's stuck. I might have ro hop it our and eventually whack, bU( I'm gonna land upright, not face first." Naked man Santa Barbara, CA

Robin Hastings Ala rnogordo, NM

Dear Editor, r am barely a Hang JV and still consider myself' (probably always will) very much a rookie. However, Kent Harkcr's letter in the l;cbrnary '96 issue con1rnent-on the Robert McKenzie accident report and landing techniques, specifically in unzipped pod motivated this response. Kem oflc:rs, "Most of the pod accidents happened when pilors conlcln'r unzip ... " as an analysis of recent accidcnr reports. Tn addition Kent states, " ... two things arc obliga1ory at landing time: I) pods rmm nor be zipped, and 7) pilots must be upright," ;rnd argues th;n failure in #l precludes #2. I agree that those two

JUIY 1996

Denr Editor, I am writing in response to the 1995 Annual Accident Review Summary that appe;arc:cl in the April issue of !-fang Overall 1 think Lucn Miller is doing a flnc job. !\s an Advanced l nstructor, I /ind that the reports provide valuable information that we can learn from. J take exception, however, to Lucn's comments regarding the acrobatics fatali-rics in his report. J le comments, "As stat-ed in a previous monthly column, from the standpoi m of safety, the hcst rccom mendation concerning acrobatics is 1101 IO do them." I fcxJ that this statement is inadequate, in that it docs nothing to educate or prevent further accidcuts. A "just say no" policy docs not work. The

comment, "Both of these fatalities probably occurred primarily because the pilots engaged in acrohatics," is of no help. Tl;is is like that other fatalirics occurred because the pilots were flying cross-country. Aerobatic pilots deserve the same educational feedback as ,myonc else, perhaps even more so because of the high risk of the discipline. There have been indcpcndcnrly organized acrobatics competitions in the United States and Europe for over 20 years. Pilots have been pushing the performance envelope since the beginning, and will continue to do so in tbc fumrc. Therefore, the best response from the standpoint safety is to educate and train those who choose to pmsue th is aspect ofhaug gliding. l feel it would be beneficial if the US1-TCA were 10 recognize acrobatics as a valid discipline and help promorc acrobatics Aaron Swcpston and John Ikincy both hold acrobatics clinics. J participated in one ofJohn's fost clinics and found it very valuable. I have also flown in aero comps at Chcl:in and Telluride. Even as ;1 rookie I learn a great deal from worldclass pilots who arc usually happy ro share their knowledge. I urge anyone interested in acrobatics to participate in a clinic, or attend one of the sporting-class competitions sanctioned by the Acrobatic Hang Gliding Association. For more information on the A[ !CA contact Aaron Swcpston at (206) 9:l9-62A8.

Steve Rodrigues Cupertino, CA

Dear Editor, [ was packing paraclrnt(:s at a rcccm parachute scrninar hosted by Couldbasc Coumry Club. Upon deployment, one of the participants /cJllll(l that his rrnlldown apex chute had the packing line still tied into the packing tabs. This would have prevented the chute from working properly, if at all. Needless to say, the pilot was shaken. 1 have since learned of other problems

1r Mail with chutes coming direct from the factory, even some with lines not sewn in. I would like to suggest that all dealers make it a policy to inspecr each chure they receive, and that customers demand this. l have inspected and tesr-flown the gliders l have sold per rhe manufacturer's policy, and never thought to use the same standard for chutes. I will now. fncidcntalJy, the pilot had used the chute for four years without a repack. Need I say more? Jim Reynolds FAR UP J1ang Gliding

regarded members last foll. He was well liked by all (in spire of' the fact that he out-flew the res1- of us). We worked hard to deal with our grief as a community. We have rnadc hard decisions that affected our relationships wirh each other and the non,.flying community, including rhosc who control our flying sites. We have tried ro be honest and thorough in our analysis of the accident that rook his

life. The UST IGA h:1s undcrrnined our efforts by publishing an overly negative and highly speculative report in the April issue. That report was changed from rhc original without contacting anyone in the local community. USIIGA officials should have been more thouglnfol and considered the possible consequences of their actions.

Peter Swanson

The of'thefi1t11lity wets bmed on written verbri! reports receivedfrom those present tit the scene and others who /mew the pilot. While the "speculativc"/actors not have been the direct cause of' the they were mentioned by reporters as possibly to the incident and deserved lo be in an honest evaluation. Jls concluded previously, without 11dditiont1l infr1rrnatirm all we can be absolutely sure ofis that the pilotfiilr:d to complete a wingover at low altitudr. l,uen Miller

USHCA Accident Review Chairman

Dear Editor, Our flying community here in Montana lost one of its most highly

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USA JUST FLY anounces full stock and immediate delivery of the popular !CARO 2000 full face helmets. After it's initial offering, demand was so overwhelming, it caused the sole North American distributer to be temporarily out of stock on some sizes for about a 2 week period. The full face corbon fiber and kevlar hang gliding helmets are in stock in many hang gliding shops in the U S., but are also available straight from JUST FLY. Satisfaciton guaranteed. White $249. Carbon Optic finish$ 269.

Update KARI CASTLE JOINS AIRWAVE

ari Casde, Women's World Hang Gliding Champion, has joined che Airwave Team. Kari, who won the Women's World Hang Gliding Championships in Australia this year, will be flying a Klassic with Winglets in key competitions. As an avid promoter of paragliding, Kari will be flying and demoing the entire line of Airwave paragliders.

THE CAGE COMES TO THE U.S.

ervures, an innovative French company located in che Pyrenees area of sourhwesrern France, has brought to market a new soaring craft which combines some of the features of hang gliders and paragliders. The aircraft uses an integral suprone harness attached by a single hang point to a lightweight alwninum srruccme (a "cage"). The cage replaces che riser, brake, trim cab or speed bar system of a paraglider and controls all suspension lines ro che canopy simultaneously. The lightweight cage fo lds quickly ro roll up with the canopy for storage in che cany bag. The flight system underwent six years of extensive testing prior to production. The glider is flown in a Low-drag, suprone position with fingertip control on che cage handles. The single hang point results in turbulence affecting chewing bur nor che pilot. This feature, combined with che suprone harness, results in a greater degree of comfort than previous foot-launch systems. Since turns and pitch control are coordinated by changing

Pacific Airwave Inc., in Marina California, will be her base of operations for her primary role in promotions and market development. Kari's main interest is in working with flight schools ro develop sales programs while assisting che sport's aspiring professionals in che development of new business ventures. "By working as a direct link between Airwave cusromers and che facrory I feel I can make a signi£cant contribution ro che sport I love," she commented. Educational pilot seminars is another area in which Kari will be working. She states, "I enjoy promoting che sport through che education of pilots and che public. I have a strong desire ro help che sport of paragliding become safer without having to repeat what we experienced in che early days of hang gliding: injuries, deaths and flying in dangerous conditions at competitions. With the support of Airwave and their commitment to safety, fun and performance I look forward to being able ro share my 14 years of experience with others."

the angle of attack ch rough che cage (rather than braking) there is a significant improvement in performance and stability. Landings are performed with a flare movement similar to chat used in hang gliders. "Big

PERSONAL FLIGHT NOW IMPORTING LA MOUETTE PRODUCTS

ersonal Flight Inc., located in Kent, Washington, is now che importer for La Mouette produces, including both their hang glider and powered paraglider lines. La Mouette's most recent hang glider is che "Topless," so named because it has no kingpost or upper rigging. The Topless is a refinement of their very successful previous design, che Racer, but employs a fully cantilevered wing with a w1ique crossbar arrangement. The crossbar has been redesigned using carbon fiber composites, and now has a much stronger and torsionally resistant rectangular cross-section. The center brackets are now steel, and incorporate an additional composite lever to prevent twisting in che spars. The keel has als been redesigned ro carry negative loads from che crossbar. This new keel has che added benefit of reducing che possibility of keel failure in d1e event a pilot should fall against it when the glider is inverted. Senu-floating carbon fiber washout cubes take che place of reflex bridles, and provide proper pitch response.

performed using a single overhead handle. The "cage" is an active piloting system req uirin g instruction. It will be introduced in che U.S. through a series of clinics held in the San Francisco Bay area lacer chis year. Jean-Louis Darlet, designer of the cage (and the French Connection for hang gliders) and another Nervures instructor will conduct the clinics. T he clinics are designed for insrrucrors, dealers and advanced pilots. Each clinic will be a hands-on-d1e-cage, ac-che-sice event, and will be coordinated by Joel Greger of Cage USA. Contact: Joel Greger, P.O. Box 273125, Concord, CA 94527 (5 10) 74 18288, e-mail: Cage2USA@aol.com. The Web page address for cage enthusiasts is http://www.univpau.fr/ ~puiseux/Cage.htm.

An in-depth article on the cage will appear in the July/August issue ofParagliding magazine. -Ed.

H ANG GLIDI NG

with

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success since its public debut in April 1995, the new SuperFJoater offers: + Excellent 15: 1 performance in sit-down soaring comfort (and no harness to buy!) + Superb joystick handling + Very simpl e aero or winch launching (foot launch is possible) ... . . . all for an amazing ly low price. >- Fully built and test flown , the SuperFloater is shipping now. Fly under Part 103 and thermal in close

The SOARING CENTER offers everything a student pilot needs. Excellent instruction, state-of-the-art equipment, and a training site with consistent conditions ideal for learning. This means you get more air-time, have more fun, and become a better pilot in less time ... You want it? YOU got It! • Lessons taught doily, year-round . • Sooroble conditions 300+ days o year. • Smooth grassy ridges "mode for soaring". • Lesson packages for beginners or your first 100 mile X-country. • Tandem/Solo Hong gliding & Paragliding lessons. • Pro site guides for 2,000' - 5,000' mountain launch sites. • Demos & glider rentals . • Soil & airframe repairs by factory experts. • Full service shop with products from most dealers. • Free Comping at the launch. • ICP's and aerobatic clinics.

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at "Point of the Mountain" 12665 So. Minuteman Drive# l Draper, Utah 84020 Phone 180 l) 576-6460 FAX 180 l) 576-6482

or truly independent soaring, the Cumulus ultralight motorglider is a hi ghl y refi ned choice: + Soar beyond 20 : 1, sink as slow as hang gliders + Handle with ease and authority + Zoom beyond 80 mph , or chug along at 60 for better than 200 miles on less than 5 gallons of fuel. Even better . .. shut her down and soar for miles. Then , tap the e lectric starter and motor home easily. >- The Cumulus is a three-year, top-tobottom design offering superb soaring compatible with hang gliders.

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SHA WORKSHOPS ed11)ology an:d iirnovatiflfl are filling the gap berween hang glidingand certified. saaphnes, Two org~nizat.ionswhich are encomagit1f1this are the Sailplane Ffomebuilders Associittion(SHA)and the US. Ulttalight Sailplane Assotiltion (OSlJSA). E.vety year the SHA ht)lds wo1:kshops which allc>w builders and marmfaeturers to show off their creations.. Perhaps the gterltest value of these. gatherings is the exchange of ideas and il1formation. There are lectures on eyerythingfi(mi structural and aeronautical concepts tooptimal flight strategy. 'this. sumn1er three. workshops a.re pfanned1 one.on coast and one in. the Midwest. Past workshops havc;foatured activities such as towing di nics (both winch a.nd aerotug). Last year; Lany J;;Ia[J brought his Super Floater the w~stem workshop and offered flights to q~~alified pilots, Howevet, . different, <1114 r:h is year's progr~ms are .beiirg planned at this wddng.. For•fo.rther.information1 C(>ntact the workshop orii:a.n11.zet ........•.

on the control bar, this map can u"''"" ,u, Owens Va!Jey .flight easi<~rto naN'iga1te and air~ground comnmnications

a copy of the .map and 1'.l)ou111::, ing 111stmctfons, se11cl a self-address1:d, stainped envelope to: Grant Hoag, 47 Silkberi:y, Irvine, CA 92714-7480,

11 ·May 9 the Tennessee Tree Tbppers went to a hearing to try rokeep GTE Mobiler1et of N,.1shvll.le fro111 erec:ting a 3()() . foot microwave cell tower 600 .foe:t behind their Gap launch. The landowners. 1Mstof them pilots; haw.deed restrictions which do 11ot allow for n1ercial ventures in their residential area. They brought with them certified copies of all the deeds, but somehow, Me bad the restrictions lefooff. In chis case, since they "'1eteaH of the opinion that everyone ha.cl thei;estric:tions, "Negatiye R~ciprncal Easement" was invoked; which dictates that aH landowners, 1·egatdless

J<cJft11i;N11JOifJ< (aei:ambdding)

(balloops and· airships) (waring)

(fi~icrolights) (hi1 ng gHdfog and

SHA contact Uan J\m1st1:cmg, 1,~na,;lutp1.,

pauagHding) (geneml aviation) (parachuting) (aerobatics) (\tSttonautic records) (rotor·crafr) (ttn1ateu:r~built airci:aft) (medical/ physiological issues) (aerospace.education) (environmental issues)

CA.(805)

i11fot11Hl.-

tion about the USUSA contact either Danny Howell, Cal. ,trea (909) 6960887 or Chuck Rhodes, Pendleton, CA (619) 38.5-4068.

MAP nY<)ne: 111ten:ste:<1 in flying in.the "Big

it's easy to get lost out

y<>U need to send a message to the

there. Aviation, topo and roadrnaps are helpfol> but picking out the right place names ca.n be tough. This is especially.a problern whenneith,~r thepilot11m? the

corresponding ~request@fai.otg address. flor e}).atnple, ifyou wish to subscribe to da~inf~1~I, send a message to cia-.infoJ. request@fai:org men cloning "subscribe:" in the supjecdield of your e-mail message. NOTE~: The -l stands for ,-Lin lower case.

chase driver are .familiar with the area. After five years of flying the OV Hoag has developed a rnap of place names that will help both pilot and chase dri',rer keep track of locations ..With instructions for lamination and carrying

lfroi1 wish to subscribe wany of these

on local pilots were given a 'The Com.111.ission agreed that the towri and the pilots stood to lose, whereas.GTE ,md OUNlf~town landowners stood .to 'I'he,y voted unanimously to. back the t.en:nes:see\'l}ee Toppers and told· GTE that .the town of Dunlap does not want the tower behind thelannch. lJ111e c:clrrlmiss.ioner commented that pilots visiting the area :,1.rc a of revenue, a.11d that the town of Dunlap shou Id try tQ attract more pilots to the area. CountyexecutiveBiU Harmon got: involved and called rbe GTE lobbyist Nashville to help us out. GTE cold the lobbyistthat they arc considering different sites, although om' mount,1in is the best. All l'~~t;;~ will be receiving alett;er f,~<~~1 rhe I J I to and send to the (, I Io corporate officers in C<,innectkut, Please help us out! Send out those let-

rlANG GLIDING

ters as soon as you receive landowners and the

'Th:e

co11tributions need not rnade during the previous , ,,1,,nn,r:, ~f'the 'fhis pr<),, an opportunity for the Association to '""'"F,'"''"" the USHGA Chapter dub that ,,v,,_.,,,~,,,,., suc:cessfu.l programs which positively upon the Chapter and the sport. Activities include, but are not limit,· eel to: site pi:ocurement, developrncnt and rnembership develop·· ment, and beginner and novice programs. veu1s1e,,i:er ofthe 1't'ar This award an outstanding club publication that supportive of the sport and the sponsoring Chapter's activities. The award is based on service to members, lay-· promotion, and

"'""·'"''"" is a way our u1~;,tu1L,..1:' t:ion to landowners, rc:staurant owners, government officials and other good ole boys and who have contributed in a non-member ca1,ac1tv during the year. Commendations Cominendations are awards to USl1GA who have contributed to hang basis in any including site development and retention, competition organization, public relations, heroic res·· cue and/or basically getting off their duffo and doing something for someone else's enjoyment of flying the: pro·· mot.ion of the sport NAA Safi,~y Award Exceptional Service Award······· The NAA Safety Award .is given to an individual who has contdbnted to promotion. The USHGA Exceptional Award is dif: from the Presidential in that: this. award outstanding ser.. vice to the.( ,b,,u'"·'""uuu.

,.,,,"'""'"''"rnance Flying' by pilot improve." Tomas three-time World Champion, on insights into the art of finding thermals

Send cash or check to: AVIATION PUBLICATIONS Po Elox 101, Mingoville, PA 16856

Please rush the books below: Cl H. G. Training Manual.. Cl Performance Flying ..

DH.

Flying Skills ...... Ll Understanding the Sky .. I] Paragliding Flight .... Cl Powered Ultralight Flying . D Pow UL Training Course . 10% order two or more books 20% five or more books Total amount for books $. (please continue in noxt column)

JtJLY 19%

(pleaso continue here)

book 'Understanding the most comprehensive book information. It pilots more m crucial

I I

Total for all books $ 1 and handling ... $2.!:iO 1 Add for Perf. Flying and

G. Training Manual

Overseas airmail is desired

($8.00/book • $12 for P. Flying and H. G. Training Manual)

TOTAL ENCLOSED ....... SEND TO NAME. ADDRESS ... "'"'""'"

CITY, STATE COUNTRY, ZIP..

print)

Tony Barton, former U.S. Champion and U. S Team Member

I I I I I I I

All

r Calendar of events items WILL NO'r be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two rnond1s lead time for regional and national meets.

UNTIL SEP'I'. 2: Yosemite Ntttional Parle hcmgglider flying every weeleend, through Labor Day. 16 pilots per day. Meet at Glacier Point at 7:00 J\M for sign-in and orientation with the site monitor. Must show current laminated Bang IV card. donation. Monitors arc volunteers from the Yosemite Hang Gliding Association. Call USHGA office at (719) 632-8300 for reservations. Contact: Breck Betts (619) 9743. UNTIL OCT'. 31: Region 7 Sea:son-Long X-C Competition. Monthly-rallied X-C competition. Flights must originate from a site in the Region. Scoring determined by best three open X--C or out-and--rctmn flights per month. Pilots will vie for slot in the Nars to represent Region 7 (March through June). Send $10 entry and flights reports to: Peter Birren, 502 Shadywood Lane, Elk Grove, TL 60007. Info, rules and scoring formulae will be sent. Monthly scores published in ReelNews.

UNTIL OCT. 31: Region 7 50-Mile Under Competition. Cross-country competition for Region 7 pilots who have yet to exceed 50 miles in a single flight. Flight must originate within R.egion 7. Longest single flight made by October 31 wins. No entry fee, prize for first place. h)r details see June Hang Gliding or contact: Spectrum Hang Clicling, 5 l I 6 Pratt, Skokie, IL 60077 (847) 329-8337.

UNTIL NOV. 30: WOR Natiomd '/earn Club Challenge. Most cumulative miles flown (HC/PC flights) by a club. No fee, roving plaque and next year's con . test administration rewarded to win-

ning club. Contact: Mark Mulholland at markrnulhol@aol.com or (408)

929-1753. Send club entries to Mark at 3641 Cropley Ave., San Jose, CA

95132. Entries will be tallied monthly and posted on tbe lnterner.

JULY 3-6: OR Umpteenth Annual Fly-In. Grand X-C contest, acrotow clinic, plus many other activities. Complete accommodations avail-· ,ible. $1,000 in prizes. Contact: (51t 1) 947-6040.

JULY Rocky Mtn. Htmg Gliding Assn. Annual 4th of}u/y Ny-In, Dinosaur, CO. Sponsored by Golden Wings. Informal tasks, prizes, barbecue. Contact: Patti Cameron (303) 14.31.

JULY

Gmybird Airsports Ply-In,

Summcrfleld, FL. Cookout, camping, competitions. AUG. 31 .. SEPT. 2:

Gmybird Airsports f"abor I )ay Ply-In Competition, Summerfield, FL Cookout, camping & flying fun. Contact: Gregg McNamee 826:3.

2/i

Aero-Races" Aspen, Colorado. Come join the festivities in the first annual Ultimate Advemurc Games to be televised on the CBS Sports Show on CBS. "The Aspen Aero-Races" consists of two separate events: a speed-gliding race down Aspen Mountain and an aerobatics competition. $5,000 prize money per event. No cmry fee required. Contact: John Neiman (970) 920-3501, fax (970) 920-3025.

JUIY l 0: Parr1chute Clinic. JULY ] 4: Launch Ltmding Clinic. AUG. 4: Launch Clinic. Contact: Mission Soaring Center, 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 (near San Jose) (408) 262 .. J055, fax (408) 2621388, C···mail mschg@aol.com.

1 l-22: Russia Cup (HG). JULY 30AUG. IO: Siberia Cup (PG). Contact: Vladimir Mitin, phone 3852-22llt87, fax 3852-260897. 13-20: U.S. Natiorur.l Hang Gliding Chmnpionships, Dinosaur, CO. "'T'he best meet of the decade." Several meets within a meet. Compete in multiple divisions while flying in the Nats. Included arc Over Rookie, Intermediate Glider, ,md Never Made the 'l<)p 50 divisions. Driver competition and "wildest turnpoint photo" comest. Organized and directed by C.W. Meadows. Sponsored by Just Fly Aviation Cear. 'I ems of prizes. Lodging information and confirmation avail-· able. Entry fee by January 30, afterward. Contan: C. W. Meadows, EO. Box 450, Kiny Hawk, NC 27949 (919) lt80 3552.

JULY 6: The

JULY 6-11: Chelan )(.C Clrtssic, Chelan, WA. Pilor-callcd triangles, out-andreturn, and open distance combined formar. HG and PG. Driver contest with prizes. Emry ($70 before June 30). Contact: Johann Posch (206) 232 .. 6839, johannp(21)microsoft:.com.

Annuti! Crested 8utte 27-28: Aerial "Weekend. Balloons, acrobatics, skydiving, paragliding and hang gliding. Contact: Casey 1-800-545-4505.

AlJG. 1 . 7: Oshkosh EAA Fly-In, Oshkosh, WI. Volunteers needed for USHGA tent. Contact: USIIGA ('719) 6328300.

AUG. 3-5: Wt:stern Canadian Hang

Gliding Championship, Golden, BC. Individual and team scoring. "frams must include on <50-hr. pilot. Goal racing with & without turnpoints. Cameras required. Entry $30. Contact: Doug Keller (403) 293li008, l>·mail: skyward@cadvision.com. AUG. 1-10: 1-fobhs '/rJwjmn, I·fobbs, New Mexico, 450 WTSS points meet. Price includes: entry fee, top-quality r-li\NC G!IDINC

· tasks, lirst daily tow is free, turnfilm and computer izcd paid gifr ccnif1catcs from local businesses, convenient meet headquarters ,It I Tohbs lndusrri,11 Air Park, :1wards T-shin and more! GO-pilot field. 'fow rating required. Pree entry 10 pilors who bring a tow and commit to towing fom pilots. AUG. 'fow clinic for no1How pilots. CPS highly recom · mended. Farly registration if. posnmrlml before July I, afrer. Rcfo11d:1hlc until June :lO. Contacts: C11rr Cr:iham, Crossroads W/,nrlc,vwh· 5923 E11gc11ia Lane, Hobbs, f',.;M 88240 397.-3638 or (505) 392. 8n2,. Jeff Hum, Red River Aircrafr, 4811 Red River Austin, TX (512)

AUG. 20-26: /996 Team Challenge, Sequatchie V:1llcy, TN. Sponsored by TTT '!cams pilots fly in various X.C: tasks. Hang Ill and above. 50-pilot limit. Cash prizes and lots of fun! You'll be assigned a team if you don't have OllC. Contact: '[cam Challenge, l~O. Box 544, Signal 1\!lo,untain. TN 373T7 886 6391.

Mt. Nebo hn,,t-o(.S1·1m;1ner Mt. Nebo State Park, Dardanelle, AR. Cabins, camp grounds, swimming pool. Potluck dinner Sat. 11igh1. Intermediate·- and Advanced-rated sire. ( :on met: I hve Drnrning (501) %7-8813, or (501) 229-%55.

or e-rnail to

rrajcffCill:101.com.

$20,000 in money! Three care· in both spons: lightweights (50 · 300 hrs.), middleweights (30().(i()() he:1vvwe1,,h1·, (600 hrs. plus). Entry deadline May 15. $200 U.S. en try fee payable to I:Jy West II (;. Coman: Fly West HC Ltd., 199 Marlyn Place, Calgary, /\Ira., ( :anada T2J\.3](<) (40'.3) c-m;1il portcot1rCtiJc1dvision.com. AUG. 8 11: l:11,t Coast /,a;rarl!dme. Center

Br1sic tmd Advanced !CJ>. /\dminisrrators Lars Linde and J\l:in Chuculate. Pre-registration required. Contact: Lars Linde (908) 747 7845.

AUG. 1996 Glide Angle Contest, Morningside rlight l\1rk, Charlestown, NH. Factory demos rhroughont the weekend. Contact: Jeff (603) 6.

I.abor Alamogordo, NM.

AUG. 31-SEPT

Sponsored by rhc Rio Crandc Soaring Association. Fun flying, contests, dinner, etc. Meet in L/. at 9:00 /\Meach day. Entry in advance, 011 site. Comacr: Dave Church (505) , / , .,,,..,,..,, or 'fommy West (505) 13. SEPT 7-9: 'Thermal and XC clinic, Pinc Mtn., OR. SEPT. 14-15: Pinc Mtn. Pinc Mll1., OR. llosted by Desert Air Riders. Contact: Phil Pohl I) 389-4086 or George Young l) 317 -8300.

AUG. 10: 20th Anmud !,aheside Mt. l n vcrmerc, BC. Advanced required, rain dare l 1. BBQ, party, free camping. $1,000 cash plus prizes. PC welcome. Contact: Dano Saunders (<iM) :\42.-0355. AUG. 20-2'5: Wfl(,'S m1'el, Preddvor, Slovenia. Contact: Boj:rn Marcie tel.I fox 386-CJ 1-264(1. )LJLY 19%

SEPT 7-19: Prc-Competitionfr;r/irst w1111u/111 Games in 1997, Anatolia, Ti.irkcy. Contact: tel. 90-312 31044 56, fax 90 3I2.-31()4690. SEPT 11-14: World Jlerobatic llang Championships, 'Jclluride, CO. entry includes smoke, banquet

&. rides to launch. I 2 pilots max. Contact: Leo Van DerBoscb (970) 728-6972..

SEP'!'. 15: lelluride Jlir Force Sjmd Contest. $20 emry. Cash prize for 1st place. Contact: I .co Van Der Bosch (970) 72.8-<i972..

Coupe !care fi(~htjilmfestival, Saint Hilaire du

SEPT 19-22:

'l<luvct, France. Contact: Maninc l .ange, tel. 76 08-3399, fox 76-972056. SEPT. 21-22:

Contest. Dash for cash from McClellan Peak ro Washoe Stare Park, between Carson City and Reno, NV. Cash Prizes. Contact: Advcmme Sports, 3650 #22. Research Way, Carson City, NV 99706 (702) 883-7070 exr. I I for fox. OCT'. 4-6: October's Best Fly-In I 996, sponsored by the Sauratown Mountain Hang Gliding Club. North Carolina's traditional autumn flight festival has always provided great flying with cash prizes. J:caturing "June Bug's Fabulous Barbecue Chicken Dinner" on Saturday night. Arrival and practice day on Friday with a fon competition on Saturday and Sunday. World's easiest cliff launch that can be used in light winds from any direction or stronger E, SE or S winds. 'lwo orJi .. er launches facing SW and NW. $30 entry foe includes T-shirt and family camping in the LZ. Saturday night's dinner will blow you away for only Contact: Doug Rice (910) Vic Lewellen (910) 595-6505 or 70272.. 53 l (11)compuserve.com.

NOV. 21-24: Fall US!IGJI Bot1rd of Directors San Diego, CA. /\II members arc encouraged to attend! Please send your agenda items in writ· ing to the USJ-ICJ\ office. Contact Karen Simon at USHCA hcadqmrters fr)r infc)rrn,ition and reservations: (Tl 9) 632-8300.

1.)')

•

I by Phil Bachman) ast year s::iw a tremendous arnou n t of conversmion, correspondence, travel, commentary and effort put forth in rhe area of site preservation. \Xie had some successes and we still have a great number of skirmishes lef't on the table. Part oflast learning curve in this area was the succcssftd use of orga· nizcd opposition and influential acquain· tanccs and partnerships. R.athcr than wait for problems to hit us in the future, ::ind as additional ammunition for om current site access challenges, we arc taking rhc proactive step of frm11i ng a Legal Advisory Panel for the US} TGA. The purpose of the panel is to collect ::i significant amount of professimd legal help from the USHGA membership, educate them on the sire issues we have been and will be facing, inventory the experience and spe· cialties of the panel mernbcrs as well as categorize their potential network of influential contacts, and develop the proce-· durcs we will use when and if the US Ff GA becomes mired in a serious battle to save a site or sites. The LAP will be an advisory panel made up of interested USHGA members/volunteers from the legal profossion who arc willing to lend a hand in preserv· flying sites. Most of the effort from the panel will he e-mail correspondence and strategy input on approaches 10 use and people to talk wirb regarding specific cases. The master plan regarding site preservation is to have the LAP in place along with a constant effort to contact and dialog with other potentially helpful

Executive LJ2:rettor groups, such as the NAA, SSA, state and federal agency personnel, and state and federal congressmen and senators. lf you arc an attorney or ir· you can recommend a USHGA member who is an attorney and might consider participating in the LAP, please me a call. ·rhe time requirement will be kept to a minimum in consideration or heavy professional schedules and demands.

BOD APPROVES FUND ALLOCATION FOR SITE PRESERVATION EXPENSES At the October, 1995 Board of Directors meeting the Board reached a consensus that the Executive Director should develop a formal plan of action to place the USHGA in a more proactive position with regard to site acquisition and retentiou activities. Nineteen ninety-five was a year of considerable activity on the part of the USHGA office in site preservation cft<Jrts. This activity generated unhudgetcd expenses along rhe way which were paid for out of the USHGA operating budget. As part of the planning for the future of these site preservation activities, I submitted a proposal at the spring l 996 meeting to allocate specific revenue sources for exclusive use in site prcserva-· tion activities. The BOD, upon the rec· ommcndation of' rhe Finance Committee, unanimously approved this proposal. "J 'his action would take these designated rev-· enuc sources "off line" and reserve the funds for site activities only. This was

done for several reasons. It is difficult in the beginning to suggest a lrnclget robe used for site preservation activities since we do not know what the scope of those activities and their associated expenses will eventually become. l lowcvcr, based on last year's reactive efforts, rhcre will obviously he expenses. For example, in our efforts to ger the Kirkridgc flying site in Pennsylvania reopened on the Appalachian 'Jr·ail, we sent out two direct mail cfforrs, one to get the permit process started and one to influence changes in the proposed hang gliding draft policy put forth by the /\TC management. This negative policy had the potential for being adopted not only along the entire Appalachian 'frail, which indndes 14 states, but also throughout the entire National Park System as well. The combined hard costs of just these t·wo direct mail dhins was $2,469. A budget hir the site preservation program will have to be developed in stages as the plan unfolds and is tested. Although expenses for several elem en ts of the plan can be forecast, others cannot at· this poinr. For instance, we can accurately project the costs involved in sending a direct mail call-ui-;iction piece to the entire membership (a very effcxtivc HANC GIIDINC

The 1angent Flight Computer is to be the best XC vario No other flight

method for being heard). We cannot forecast at this rime how many times we may want to do this in a given year. We typically don't hear about the problem until it is well underway. T'hereforc, we have a short planning and budgeting lead time. Additionally, funds for short-notice travel requirements will need to be planned. Some 1ypical uses for these designated funds will include priming costs for letters, labels, handouts, news bulletins, postage and mail house lees for direct mail campaigns, extra magazines and postage for influential friends and sources, travel expens<:s, and possible committee or LAP cxp<:nses. Ultimately, we should also be prepared to pay some legal foes should the need ever arise. As part of this proposal I id<:mified three initial revenue sources to h<: designated exclusively for site preservation: the residuals received from the USHGA VISA and 'lt,lccard programs and the Kosis Fund. The VISA card program has generated the ft)llowing revenue over t:he past three years: 1993 1994 and 1995 My goal is to prornote the use of your VISA card, knowing that the revenue you help generate will be earmarked exclusively for site preservation. To this end, I will be promoting rhc card to those who do not have one and encouraging current: card carriers to remember to use it as often as is practical. The USIIGA Tclecard program was begun in early 1995 and generated in revenue last year. This prepaid long-distance card program is still one of th<: best deals around and should be used by every USHGA member who makes a long-distance call. I will be increasing the promotion of this program, again, for exclusive use in flying site preservation. The Kosis Fund has been in existence for several years and is named after "Chuck" Kosis. From the USHGA Director's manual, SO P-9·- 1, "The goals of this Fund arc ro preserve our valuable flying sites and airspace, and to make their use as safo as possible." Donations to the Kosis Fund over the past two years has been: 1994 $1,730, and 1995 $1,051. I will follow up with a foll article on dtis Fund in a fim,rc issue. l keep a site file binder on my desk to JULY 1996

keep track of all current communication 011 site issues. Presently we are involved in

some way with the following flying sires:

Whiskey Peak, WY -- Restricted access

to a world-class site and proposed foncing ofT of the three launch sites. " Henson Gap, TN - Proposal to constmct a communications tower right behind the launch site. Cannon Mountain, NH- Policy adopted by state regulatory agency requiring a $2 million minimum liability insurance policy onlJ1 fiJr hang gliding ,md paragliding. ., Hobbs Airpark NM -- Plans to build a state prison on the Airpark, location of another world-class flying sire. E'llenville, NV --Attempt to restrict access to small rural airport for ground and aerotowing on the grounds that "hang gliding is not a legitimate aviation activity." Marina, CA Attempt to restrict ground and acrotow access to lightly used ex-military base on the grounds that it is not consistent with FAA FA R's. Mount WA Plying permit was reissued with restricted access and scheduled to be discontinued completely in two years. Big Sur, CA Continuing access problems with Forest Service and private landowner. Site is presenrly closed, again.

computer has accumulated as m

competition miles.

Whether y

' e a tech.weenie

or -phobe,

u want the real

thing, get the Tangent. "Now I know

m gliding as

efficiently as po

e. The

con rol works

audio great.

It's pretty n·

be able to get my e

off

my instruments. Dangerously addictive, frighteningly necessary. I love it."

"The Tangent is the best performing climb and glide instrument I've flown with. I like how you can personally tailor the myriad of functions the Tangent

boasts to suit your style."

DESIGN 110 I Glendora Ave ua1i:1anc1, CA 94601 5 IO 531 2261

" Rushford Municipal Airport; MN---Th reat by airport's insurance company to cancel policy if hang gliding is allowed on premises (even though we folly insure the airport through USHGA's policy).

I suspect that these examples are just the tip of tbe iceberg as far as access problems to existing flying sites go. Then there is the second from of attempting to open new flying sites. In the months ahead l will be promoting the USHGA VISA card and 'lclccard programs to encourage increased acceptance and use. Additionally, l will be expanding on the benefits of donations to the Kosis Fund for flying site preservation. I hope all USHGA members will chose to participate. II

' -

EUROPEAN AEROBATICS CHAMPIONSHIP article and photos ©1996 by Aaron Swepston Kerie and I traveled to Europe for the first time to attend llinx '94 in Monaco. The contest itself was very well attended, and the competitors were refreshingly enthusiastic, even passionate about what they were doing. We met some very skilled pilots and made some very good friends. These factors akme made it a priceless trip, and my first-place win was simply icing on the cake. After that, we decided to permanently add it to our growing list ofannual hang gliding safaris.

were disappointed co hear chat Ilinx would not be caki ng place in October, as had originally been planned. Apparencly the Mone Gros launch was not going co be accessible for cl1e contest. Typically at chat time of year, flocks of pigeons pass thro ugh the area, and hunters have exclusive access to the mountain during the morning hours. After chat the pilots are allowed to go up and fly. This year the hunters petitioned the ciry for more hours, and were granted an extended period for hw1ting. T hat meam che pilots would not be allowed up the mow1tain until very lace in the day, making che aerobatics comest virtually impossible to conduce. The training chat usually cakes place during the week leading up to the contest wou ld also be affected by this schedule, and so the entire event was canceled. Maurice Peregrini, owner of the Hotel Westminster in Roquebrune, has been che organizer of Ilinx ever since its creation in 1984. His efforrs to resolve the problems in Roquebrune were in vain until the possibility of a new launch si re was investigated. Combining fo rces with Monaco Volrige, the club in nearby Monaco, and negotiating for access to military property for a new launch was the solution. Some political maneuvering was necessary to get all the pieces co fall into place, but the end result was chat Ilinx, or the Monaco C up, was JULY 1996

OPPOSITE: The author takes a practice flight over the town of Roquebrunne. The landing beach is at upper right. LEFT: The competitors during the awards ceremony.

rescheduled to cake place in March of '96.

As usual, there would be a week of training prior to che com est, during which pilots could begin learning aerobatics or practice and refme cl1eir skills in preparation for the contest. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of warn ing for pilots wishing to attend the event. We heard about it lace in the planning stages, but were committed co attend in order co defend my previous tide, and because Kerie and I had such a wonderful time meeting and flying with so many aerobacically minded pilots. In truth, we had made some very good friends, and defending the tide was only part of the justification for returning. Kerie, our daughter Jade and I were accompanied by our frie nd Greg Adler. H e had competed ac Telluride the previous season and was excited to see how it was done in Europe. After a ve1y long flight we arrived in Nice, France, and were met at the airport

by Pierre and Jaqui , both of whom are true gentlemen . Pierre had been a judge the previous year, and I felt bad chat he had co suffer assaults from the impassioned competi cors when the scoring was questioned. Jaqui is the President of Monaco Volrige, and carried much of the responsibiJjcy for making chis year's event happen. They cook us co Roquebrune where we seeded into our modest flat, and the week began. Quite a few pilots were there to participate in the training, some of whom wo uld not enter the competition. The training was divided into two categories: beginning/intermediate, and intermediate/advanced. Raymond Caux instructed me first gro up, while Kerie and I instructed the second. There wo uld be a fair amount of overlap in the two groups, wirh pilots helping themselves to the experience of all available pilots. The first group was essenti ally being introduced co the fundam entals of aero-

BELOW: Kurt /,anding during the competition in beautifal downtown Monte Carlo. RIGHT A look at the extent ofthe landing area.

baric flying. Raymond insrrucred his srudents in rhe rechniques of acceleraring, holding sready headings and chen deceleraring safely, up ro che poinr of performing smooch wingovers. In many respecrs chis basic level of aerobarics training is che mosr imporranr, since it lays a fo undarion for al] subsequenr rechniques and learning. The second group consisred of piJors wich a grearer degree of aerobarics experience. We provided an illustrated manual for these pilots, helped them to undersrand che more subde details of maneuvering, and offered an in-depch exploration of glider designs, techniques and che dynamics of hang gliding flight, aerobatic and non-aerobatic alike. Several pilots were able to perform cheir first loops char week, while others worked on refining cheir sp ins. T here are two basic concepts char we try to impress on pilots in order to lay a fo undation for co ntinued progress. T he first is a respect for che risks and consequences of aerobatic flying. The second is ro let go of most preconceived notions about aerobat-

ics, as well as much of what chey had previously been cold about technique. A locked mind cannot learn. Most of rhe pilots attending the training sessions were accusromed to practicing aerobatics over water. This presumably offers someching of a safety net, since warer is much softer chan ground in che event of a strucrural failure and parachute deployment. The problem wich this is the decreased fear of failure rhar accompanies a decreased risk of injury. Statistically, this produces an increase in che number of srrucrural failures, or at the very least, blown maneuvers. Two pilots had ro deploy cheir reserves last year, and one chis year, because of d1is. This does not reflect on the site, but on che pilots' attirudes. We rry ro create a greater degree of respect for chese risks so chat learning will rake place at a slower and safer pace. It is a philosophical point of view chat has true merit. Many pilots feel safer practicing aerobatics over warer chan land, and this attirude encourages chem to fly unsafely over water. It is imporrant to get pilots to rule out all possibility of fail ure so char cheir flying will be equally safe over land or warer. Next, chere is che need to question all chat we have been raid, and all chat we have seen. There are many so-called rules that

may, in face, create a situation chat is ripe for failure. Many of chese "rules" are no more chan personal style, or an individual's personal opinion. Things have to be questioned in order to find out what is really valid, and what really works. In chese rraining sessions many chings are discovered. Things chat change a pilot's perspective just a lirtle can promore a great deal of progress, so developing mental flexibility is what makes great aerobatics pilors. Happily, rhere were several pilors of this variety in che training and comperirion chis year. There were 19 pilots registered for the comperition chis year, two of whom did not compere because they damaged their gliders prior ro che meet. There are often two or chree really good pilots in an aero batics contesr, wirh rhe rest being fairly average. However, as it turned out, chis was che strongest field of competitors I have ever seen in an aerobatics event. There were more pilors looping and spinning rhan ever before in a single contest. Unforrunately, I missed seeing several of rhe pilors ar last year's competition. T hey would no doubt have added some additional excitement co che rounds, which were already very impressive. As mentioned, the launch was on military property which had been opened for the first rime ever, j use for chis comest, and a

H ANG GLIDING

wood ramp had been constTucted which was ideal for a wide range of conditions. In addi · lion, we were able to drive direcrly to launch instead of onr gliders rhe long dis .. tancc ro the Mom Cros launch. This locz1.. tion is also quite a bir higher, so rhc altitude at which we began our acrobatics routines w;is greater, allowing for additional maneuvers. L;mding was on the beach directly in from of downtown Monaco. The beach consists of' two curved sections divided by a large tile ;md concrete with a rather large lifc,gnard srario11 and huge /L1g· pole in the center. It became obvious that we would have to pick one side or the orher, and a of' the pilots were concerned about the practicality of using this beacli. As it turned out, there was not a problem with this landing area; in fact, it turned our robe quite fon. Breaking down was ,1 sheer joy, lisrc11ing to the custom sound sys1cm broadcasting upbe,it music ro the pilots and spectators, as well as providing commemary during the pilots' rounncs. was rained our. was somewhat rainy, so only ahom tw<Hhirds of the pilots got off the mountain before it was shut down. Sunday delivered Lmrastic uu•,,-,1·1,,,,. with bright sun and pufly clouds 11\1·m1110 hctwccn Lnmch and Monaco. It was a rc;il treat to easily over these clouds on the way om to the beach. It was required that we comi1111c out over the water a foir distance, to prcvenr us from drif'ting back over the beach and the city in the rare event of a reserve deployment. While some pilots did not feel that their routines were as good as should have the judging reflected the com pct itors' predictions rcmark:ibly well. Ccncrally this is 1101 the case, brn fi:w pilots had complaints ahou1 rhc quality of rhc scoring. Judging an acrobatics contest is ,•v1r.. ,n,,1,, diffkulr, since one must imcrprct an incrcd · iblc amount of rcdrnical inforrnarion at a very fast pace, while maintaining an eye f<H :md aesthetics. It is a very difficult job, and alt! 1ougli J have argued with ar rimes, they have my sincere respect. Ar the end of the comest there was peach champagne and three types of' caviar, along wirh plenty of' other edibles. Then rhcrc were the awards presentations, at which the cffons of the orga11i'1,crs, sraffand competitors were recognized. So much planning and negotiating arc required in preparation lc.>r this kind of event, and the competitors who

Jury F3%

prncticc so hard to perfect their skills and technique value these meets as an opportu· niry to demonstrate rhc high degree of precision they have atraincd, and to present a positive oflm1g gliding to the public. While acrobatics contests arc not rcpre-

and has been practicing ever since. lie piloted a Tixhma FI, and rhe scores indi cared that he flew beyond the limits of' the: glider (aesthetically, not strnctmally). I ]is performances were confident, and very dean and smooth, hm the 1: I su/~ frrcd from tip flutter dming pull-ups fi·om some dives, and at least one judge tl1ought that was a !law. Frank's last routine was one of' the best I've seen, and his glider's tip flutter did 1101 a/Teer my apprc ciation of'thc flight. Kun Bohlcndcr began doing full-011 loops during the rraining and although he was relining them, were still monumcmal. Bearing a magnificc111ly if not somcwha1 ominous appearance rhat conceals his heart gold, Kurt soon became my two-year-old Jade's favorite friend, and by the end of the week her nickname was being shared by many or the aero pilors. All of the other pilots deserve individual congratulations as well, and I regret that space limitations prevent my mc11tio11ing them all here. Performing acrob;11ics in hang is something 1ha1 not very rn:rny people choose to do. Untering acrobatics conrcsts is even more rare, and it is truly a very special rime for these pilots. Much is leamcd and shared among friends and pilots. lr is interesting that the top live gliders were all designs. horn my I 3'7 Xtralirc in first to Frie Cramond's 'I cxrna FI in 12th place, rhcrc were nine glass--rip gliders entered in the comes!. It used rn he that glass-I ip gliders were nor considered adequate for acrobatics, because the tips would oltcn flex so much rhat the gliders had poor energy reten · tion. Current models seem to have overcome that problem, and arc proving that they can compete with gliders with con· ventionally supported They even have an advamagc in certain rnancuvers. It will be exciting ro sec what rhe fi11urc holds when it comes to glider since there arc more glass-rip ships in pro·ducrion than ever before. All in all it was ;mother fantastic event, and one that will stand our uniquely for a long time 10 come. If llinx '96 was any indication of a trend in comest panicipa.. rion and flying skill, not ro rnenrion glider design, rhc fri1urc looks very brigh1 indeed. 1111

sen rntivc of' mainsrream hang gliding, they arc without a doubt the best opportunity for spectators to experience the sporr, and rhcy were then: in force! Monaco is easily accessible, hm ro 10m, and a pcrfrct spot for such an event I was able ro retain my ride this year, and there ;ire several pilots worthy of special mention. Martin Odcning Crom Ccrmany participated in the training the week prior to the contest. The first flight [ saw him make was so impressive that I felt l had lirrk advice ro ofter him. Hying a European Sensor 610, he exhibited cxccllrnt acceleration, brisk but smooth loops, and an amazing abili1y ro spin. As the week progressed his loops opened up, acquiring additional smootlrness ,mcl a more comfortable-appearing shape. Manin tied Guido Gehrmann fcir second place. ( ;uido Gehrmann was sponsored by I.a Mo11ct1e and new a 'foplcss. He is a young pilot, and iris clear that be will :iccornplish much in rhc fi.1turc. J:rom whar I have seen he is a very quick learner. Cuido came very close to duplicating my "twisry," and wowed the crowds with his low-level loops. Frank Pag]icri took the ncxl place, which seemed like third bur was called lc)lll'th because of the tic fcir second. Frank per-formed his first loop las1 year dming llinx,

AWARDS BRENT KREMER ALAN BLOODWORTH

AWARDS ALAN BLOODWORTH THOMAS FORT ROBERT BOOLUKOS

R!CHARD DE STEPHENS NORMAN LESNOW ALAN BLOODWORTH

AWARDS

100 ROBERT REICH

Region 2 RIVERA, USA: Monterey, CA; J. Tindle/Miami HG RIVERA, RAY: Mo111crcy, CA;]. Tindle/Miami HG Region 3 DAVIS, KAREN: Del Mar, CA; J Ryan/HG Center Region 10 BARCHESKI, GLENN: Miami Beach, Ff.; F. Foti/Miami HC; BRANCO, IRENE: Coconut Grove, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG

Region l GACH, RAYMOND: Bothell, WA; K. Cosley/Cascade Soaring HilNDERSON, STEVE: Anchorage, AK; T. I-lager/Lookout M tn Fl' I IERATH, MARK: Mt Vernon, WA; G. Putnum/1 lalcakula HG JUNKER, KURT: Tacoma, WA; R. Wcllbaum/Far Up FIG LANTOS, TOM: Portland, OR; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch METTLER, TRACY: l(ctchikan, AK; G. Putnum/Halcakula HG MUIR, JR, DAVID: Lake Stevens, WA;]. Reynolds/Far Up IIG ROOS, JONAS: Silvana, WA; A. Bccm/Windsports TllOMSEN, BROGAN: Seattle, WA; L. Alexander/Mission Soaring WAAGE, AGOSTA: Silvana, WA; A. Beem/Windspons Region 2 BITZER, STEVE: Dublin, CA; J. Woodward/Naturnl Flying CORNBILL, CHRIS: San Francisco, CA; H. Bittner/Wings ofRogallo COX, GLEN: Hayward, CA; M. Vorhis FILER, CHRIS: Sama Cruz, CA; P. Godwin/Western HG FRANCIS, BRETT: Newark, CA; A. Mclean/Mission Soaring HAlJSER, DANE: Reno, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports MESSMER, JOHN: San Jose, CA; F. Hinrichs/Natural Flying PERREAUIT, MATT: Sunnyvale, CA; P. Dcnevan/Mission Soaring SCHMITZ, KURT: San Francisco, CA; H. Bittner/Wings ofRogallo VIZTTIU, ANATOLY: Sacramcnro, C:A; G. llamilton/Sacramcnto J JG WHITE, JENNIFER: Modesto, CA;]. Nicolay/Morningside FP Region 3 DOI ,SON, CJ IRISTOPI !ER: Aliso Viejo, CA; P. Phillips/Lah, Elsinore Sports MOERER, JEFFREY: Oxnard, CA; R. McKcnzic/l-Iigh Adventure MURRAY, JIM: Paia, l H; G. Purnum/Halealmla HG WALSH, RON: Malibu, C:A; D. Quackenbush/True Flight Region 4 GRANEY, JOHN: Sedona, AZ; R. Richardson/ Arizona l JG MONG, TOM: Kingman, A7; A. Ilccrn/Windsporrs RAUDENBUSH, LAUREL: CO; K. Gendron

Region 7 CONROY, MICHAEL: Sioux Falls, SD; H. Kushner/Raven

Sports

Region 9 CAVE, ALISON: Washington, DC; J. Middleton/Silver Wings CONKLIN, JEANINE: Alexandria, VA; J. Harper/Valley Forge I re; DORSEY, PAUL: Alexandria, VA; J. l larpcr/Valley I-lG FAR!NA, NICHOLAS: Cincinnati, OH; M. Manzo/Skyward Ent LINDSAY, JOHN: l.urhcrvillc, MD; D. l;iover/Wallaby Ranch REA Ill, MASSIE: C:harloncsvillc, VA; S. Wendt/Blue Sky RENDELL, GUY: Ellicott City, MD; R. !-lays/Maryland He; RUTT, PAUL: VA; J. Harper/Valley JlG Region 10 BARCHESKI, GLENN: Miami Beach, r:L; F. Fori/Miami If(; BECK, ERIC: I-luntsvillc, Al.; J. Cook/Rocket City Airspons BRANCO, IRFNE: Coconut Crovc, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HC GAMBLE, JAMES: Fuquay Varina, NC; S. Bland/Sky's the Limit LOPES, MARCELO: Clearwater, Fl.; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch MANN, TIM: St Petersburg, FL; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch WARREN, HOWARD: Bartow, Fl.; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch WOLFF, DYl.AN: Jacksonville, FL; I'. Hawk Kites Region I 1 BODINE, RICHARD: Nacogdoches, TX; T. Hager/Lookout Mtn Fp MC WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER: Mansfield, TX; D. Oovcr/Wallaby Ranch WOI.J:, MIKE: Greenville, TX; D. Broyles/Kile Enterprises Region 12 BYINGTON, RICHARD: Malwpac, NY; P. Voight/Fly High He; DUBOIS, TIM: Liverpool, NY; D. Guido/Susquehanna r:p HAMMERTON, NEIi.: New York, NY; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch LUCAS, DOLORES: Brooklyn, NY: C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP ZE!GLER, DAVID: Vestal, NY; B. C:aspcr/Soutlicrn Tier Skysurfcrs ZOTTI, BOB: Roseland, P. Vencsky/Kitry Hawk Kites ZOTTI, PAUL: Livingston, P. Vcncsky/Kitty Hawk Kites Region 13 BROSCH, WERNER: Germany; A. Torringron/Wcstcrn HG ENGSTROM, JUAN: Japan; C. Pumum/l lalcalrnla l Jc; EVANS, DANIE!.: UK; M. Joncs/Wal\ahy Ranch POTTS, NORMAN: UK; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SEATON, ANDY: UK; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch VAl.ENCJC, MICHAEL: Canada; M. Robertson/High Perspective WILLIAMS, GARI: UK; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch WIRDNAM, GARY: UK; M. Jones/Wallaby Rauch

HilNDl'.R~,ON, S'fEVE: Anchorage, AK; T. J lager/Lookout Mtn FP HERATH, MARK: Mt Vernon, W /\; G. Putnum/lfalcakula HG I.ANTOS, TOM: Portland, OR; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch METTLER, TRACY: Ketchikan, AK; C. l'mnum/l lalealrnla HG PLATT, DEREK: Bellingham, WA; J. Ficscr/Wlrnrcom Wings Region 2 BlJRNETTE, MARK: Redwood City, Ci\; A. Whitehill/Chandcllc FALT.ANT, KATHY: Redwood Ci1y, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring FILER, CHR!S: Sa111a Cnn., Cl\; P. Godwin/Western HG MOBERG, MICHA El.: San Francisco, CA; D. Youm/Mission Soaring RAN DOI.PI-I, DUANE: Reno, NV; R. 1.wnard/ Adventure Sporrs WIIITE, JENNIFER: Modcs10, CA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP Region 3 CLARKE, GRAI JAME: Kapaa Kauai, HL G.W. Mcadows/Ju,1 Fly ELLIS, ERIC: Mammoth Lakes, CA; D. Conners/Caldera Air Sports MOERER, JEFFREY: Oxnard, CA; R. McKenzie/High Advemurc MURRAY, JIM: Paia, I l I; C. Putmun/T Lilcakula I Jc; SCHMAlJSS, ALEX: Bishop, Cl\; D. Conners/Caldera Air Sporrs WEINMANN, FRED: Canyon Coumry, CA; A. Bccm/\1(/indspons f--1!\NC GUDINC

DAVID: Salt Lake

UT; C. Baughman/Vulrnrc Gliders

l, ROBERT: Waukegan, IL; Il. Kushner/Raven

Sports

SCHMIDT, THOMAS: Glendale I Its, II.; J. Nielsen/Raven Sky TILLMAN, TRACY: Ann Arbor, Ml; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch VOIGT, PAUL: Middleton, WI; J. Niclscn/lZaven Sky Sports Region 8 AUSTIN, LAURALEE: Seymour, CT; B. Davidson/Tek Flight I IABCHI, BOUTROS: Quincy, MA; D. Baxter/Morningside 1:p

, STEVEN: Springfield, VT; J. Nicolay/Morningside l<'l' Region 9 CRUZ, JUAN: Hampton, VA; R. Bachman/Kiny Hawk Kirc,

JOHN: Virginia lkh, VA; C:. Elchin/l<itty Hawk Kites LEETE, PHIi JI': Virginia Bch, VA; C Flchin/Kitry Hawk Kites Ll NDSAY, Lurhcrvillc, MD; D. Glover/Wallaby Rand, MARC: Abingdon, VA; B. Cooclman/Bluc Ridge I JC GLENN: Miami Beach, Fl.; F. Fori/Miami l!C BECK, ERIC: I luntwillc, AL; J. Cook/Rocker City BRANCO, IRENF: Cocomn Crnvc, FL; J. Tindlc/:vliami HG LOPES, MARCELO: Clcarwarcr, FL; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch MANN, TIM: Sr Pcrcrshmg, Fl.; D. Glover/Wallaby Rane!, TX; T. l lagcr/1.ookout Mtn Fp Mansfield,'] X; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch

RICI-JARD: Mahopac, NY; P. Voight/Fly Jl(; HAMMER.TON, NEIi.: New York, NY; D. c;Iover/Wallaby Ranch SCOTT, JOSEPH: Wcsr Islip, NY; T. Barron/Airborne USA Japan; C. Putnam/I lalcakuL, H(; EVANS, lJI<; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch POTTS, NORMAN: UK; M . .Jones/Wallaby Ranch SEATON, ANDY: UK; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch WJI.I.IAMS, (;ARI: l/K; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch WIRDNAM, GARY: lJI<; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

DAVID: OR; W. Roberts/So MC DOWFU., KEVIN: Portland, OR; R.

MYRON, KEAN: Lynchburg, VA; J. Palmieri WAKEFIELD, DOUG: Washington, DC; R. flays/Maryland HC Region 10 EGNOSKJ II, DALE: Rcdstn Arsnl, Al.; R. l'a1tcrson/Rockc1 Airsports HALL, VICTOR: Caincsville, Fl.; C. Bowen/Quest Air MAI.ONEY, N ROBERT: Auburndale, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MANGUM, RILEY: Charlorrc, NC:; B. Hnrril/Ultralighr J:lying Equip MARTINS, ARMAND: Miami, Fl.; F. Foti/Miami I re; PERRY, STEl'HFN: 1\dgcwarcr, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch REIDY, JAMES: Oxford, MS; M. Taber/Lookout Mm Fp SMITH, NANCY: N Lauderdale, Fl.; R. Proctor/Tenn Tree Toppers Region 12 SAGI'., BRUCE: Rochester, NY; R. McGovcrn/Roclwsrcr Arca

Region 2 BRODER, GAVIN: Berkeley, CA; B. Ream/Mission CONKLIN, CHARLIE: Saratoga, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission JAGELKA, MATTHEW: Windsor, CA; .J. James/Sonoma PECK, RON: Las Vegas, NV; K. Harrison/Lake Elsinore] Jc; SHEi.DEN, JAMIF: Los Catos, C:A; J. Borton/Thin Air WALi., MICHAEi.: Milpitas, C:A; S. Bickford/Magic Air Region 3 DUNATTE, DIDIER: Carlsbad, C:A; R. Mitchell/The Eagle's MOOG, GORDON: San Pedro, CA; .J. Ry:rn/HC Center NOOTENBOOM, STEVE: Valycrmo, < :A; J. ( ;reblo/Windsporrs RICARD, JEAN-YVES: Los Angeles, C:A; D. Quackenbush/Trnc Flight YANEZ, JOSE: I.a Pucnre, CA; D. Quackenbush/True J:ligbr

JIG 11(;

C:A; K. deR11ssy/H(; PG Fmporiurn STEVE: Crass KREMER, BRENT: Seaside, P. Godwin/Western 1 IG MARTENS, BILI.: CA; B. Rhymes WAJ)SWOR'l'JI, Amioch, ( :A; C. I larnilton/Sacramcnto I IC

Region Ii HODGES, RICK: Sandy, UT; c;, Pollock/Wasarch RANDEL, BRAD: Aspen, C:0; J. Simmons JO KATHY: Dunlap, TN; C:. Harlow/Tam TERUAKT: Japan; D. Sharp/The Soaring Center

I.a Canada, CA; D. Quackenbush/True i:Iight JEN: Sa11 Diego, CA; It Mirchcll/Thc KIPP: Sama Barbara, CA;]. Graham/Foorlaunch I .AWRJ,:NCE, Sama Barbara, C:A; J. Grchlo/Windspons RICHARD: Clcmlalc, AZ; FRANK, DAVID: Draper, UT; C:O; J. Bono11/Thin Air CHRISTOPHER: Kcrchum, JD; STFVE: Gillette, WY; R.

!IC

RON: Russellville, AR; D. D1mni11g/Cemral Ark Mm Pilots DAVU)STOWE GREG: l'alatinc, [I.; J. Nielsen/Raven Sky HART, ANDREW: Brook/Jclcl, 11.; J. Nielsen/Raven )lJLY J 996

kY Phil Bachman,

Sanderson, lixffutive Vice President o/the America, the USH(;A Borird of [)im·tors at mating in Colorado ,Sj>rings.

or the past two years plus, since I began as the Execurive Director for USHCA, I have had the distinct advantage of'heing able to discuss situa· tions and solicit advice from my counterpan at the Soaring Society of America, Larry Sanderson. Larry has been the Executive Vice President of the SSA since 1984 and has hecn instrumemal in its evolmion :md moclerniza. rion inro the presem, highly·effcctive I 5,000· member organization. Larry and rhe SSA have had a long·sranding working relationship with

the USHGA, exchanging infornrnion and assistance on publishing, merchandising, man·· agcmem systems, site preservation and regional, national nnd imernational policy issues. Larry graduated from Michig;m State University in 1973 with a B.A. in political sci .. ence. He earned a Masters degree in manage· ment from the Krannert School of Management ar Purdue University. As an Adjunct Professor of Managcmcm at the College of rhc Southwest, I ,nrry manages to include parHirne reaching :issignmrnrs in his busy schedule in the nreas of Imemational Marketing, Principles of Management:, and Marketing and Strategic Management. Prior to joining die Soaring Society of America, I ,any managed his own firm specializ. ing in marketing, public rclarions and political organization on the state and national levels for individual and association clients. Larry and his wife, I ,inda, have four chi] .. drcn, Mandy, Angie, Brandon and Steven, Larry has been recognized on the imcrna· tional level for his service on behalf of sport avi· ation as the recipient of the Tissandicr Diplorne from rhe PAI and on a national level as the two·-time recipient of the Fxccptional Service Award from the SSA for his work in govern· mental affairs and international competition, Larry has been a great help ro the US} TGA in assisting us with the many site access issues we arc prcscmly having to deal with, Always willing ro lend his support, Larry attended the Ill last USHGA Board of'Directors Colorado Springs and participated in several of our committee disc11ssions. He understands the needs ofsporr aviation enthusiasts as a licensed pilot with a cornmcrcial glider rating. On behalf of each of the members of the United States Hang Gliding Association l would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to l ,arry and rhc Sonring Society of America le.Jr their continued support and friendship. II

HJ\NC Ci IDINC

THE 1996 E C H A L

Watch that first step! JeffPorter came from New Hampshire to participate in the hang gliding competition. Among the 36pilots taking part in the event were aviators from England and Guam.

he "challenge" in rhis year's East Coast C hallenge was ro find flyable weather. Regrettably, only two ro unds were flown out of the eighr available contesr days. The ocher six days produced ei ther rain, wind or an equally unflyable combination of both. Even one of the valid days had conditions worse than predicted, resulting in an unmakeable task that day. As a result, the srory of chis year's ECC is one char must broaden irs focus to include matrers beyond rhe contest flying, of which there was so lirtle. The ECC is unlike other contests in a number of respects. It is run by a club, it is the first contest of the year, and it is an eastern contest - all of which give ir a flavor disrinct from chat of the more common western meets . This year the eastern weather had a way of giving the contestants ample time to savor those differences. T he 1996 East Coast Challenge marked the eighth major contest held at the Tennessee Tree Toppers' Sequatchie

Valley sites. The ECC is thus the longest continuously held contest in chis country, and one which has evolved considerably over the years. It began as a commerciallyrun contest, but it is now run by the TTT club itself The new organizers have brought a change in the contest's emphasis. Its purpose now is to generate revenue for the club as well as return part of the entry fees ro the competitors in the form of prize money. Boch of these features rend ro generate an unus ual bonding between meet organizers and compecirors. This communal sense is enhanced by the face chat the contest is run by colorful people who actually live at the site. The organizer was Katie Dunn, and it was run by Rick Jacob who provided a judicious mixture of contest experience, humor and toughness. In addition, there was the regular cast of TIT characters, among chem launch direccor Charlie Yowell, goal timers Bryan Burnside and Steve Beller, culinary mistress Jane Colvin,

safety direccor Mark Furse, and wind dLunmies excraordinaire Curly Dunn and Kathy Lee. One thing in common co all these people is chat they are long-time club members who have built or are building houses on the land near launch. It is the resulting sense of local ownership of chis contest chat makes it unique. T he ECC is a family affai r, parry, and, almost as an afrerchoughc, a contest. It is an event intended to be fun for all participants, flying or otherwise.

NEW TOYS As the first co ntest of the American competition season, the ECC is often the showcase for new and modified equipment chat has appeared during the long winter layoff. T his year was no different, and was marked by the first appearance of several new gliders, the Ball Graphics Comp vario and software upgrades fo r the Tangent variometer. Of che gliders, the most significant fo r

H ANG GLIDING

AST COAST - E N G E by Pete Lehmann

photos by Glen Liford

Katie Dunn in the LZ after a short pleasure flight from the mountain above Dunlap.

the general pilot population was the new Airborne Shark flown by Nelson Howe. The Shark, which was flown with considerable success during the Australian competition season, has several imeresting features. It has a VG tensioning system chat employs a cam at the crossbar/leading edge junction producing a VG that is exceptionally light to pull. In addition, the side wires are attached to the crossbar. As a result of these two fearures, the side wires remain rigidly fixed and there is no sloppiness when the VG is loose. Instead of the traditional batten bungies or strings there are spring-loaded hooks chat fit into the sail, producing an extremely clean trailing edge. Another foreign glider present was the Avian Java which is now being imported from Britain. Ir seemed to go well, and, according ro G .W Meadows, handles very well. Finally, there was Terry Reynolds' TR3 prototype which displayed a strong resemblance to its TRX antecedent and

JULY 1996

featured a transparent high-tech sail material chat allowed a view of its tapered carbon fiber crossbar. Conspicuous by its absence was the long-rumored new "topless" PacAir glider char Mark Gibson has been developing in England. Continuing on inro the electronic domain we come to the varios, or flight compmers as they now style themselves. Entirely new was the Ball Graphics Comp which follows the path pioneered by Chris Arai's Tangent. It too includes vario, speed-ro-fly com purer, and a final-glide calculator char integrates data from the GPS. AU pilots who have flown with the GPS imerface agree chat it is an almost magical feature for competition pilots. Those pilots with early model Tangents were seen at the Dunn workshops installing new chips co bring chem up co the latest GPS standard which had been successfully rest flown in Australia by World Champion Kari Castle, elson Howe and Chris himself.

One consequence of the trend toward imegration of GPS into flight insrrumenrarion has been the replacement of Trimbles with Garmin GPS's. The Trimbles were once the preferred competition GPS due to their ability to provide a competition pilot wirh rudimentary final glide information. However, the advent of the various CPS-integrated flight instruments wirh their sophisticated final glide computers has rendered the expensive Trimble unnecessary. The inexpensive Garmin 38's are now apparently the way to go, and several pilots were seen learning how to run those little machines during rhe frequent weather delays.

SOME FLYING, FINALLY In a comest which had a total of eight scheduled flying days, the contestants set up on three bur flew on only two, the second and fifrh schedLJed days. It must be said tl1ar while the variable nature of eastern weather is indeed one of the dis tin-

LEFT: Anne Horgan, president ofthe Tennessee Tree Toppers, serves as launch timer for the competition while Cindy Smith watches the action.

guishing characteristics of the ECC, this was ridiculous. Lest readers dismiss this as a typical eastern weather pattern, I have to point out that two years ago all eight days were flown . In the immortal words of Chuck Berry, "C'est la vie say the old folks, goes to show you never can tell."

Day One: Hensons - Route 30 Towers Standifers Farm (northward 25 miles) After having lost the first scheduled day to bad weather, the second produced essentially light-and-variable conditions which allowed the field ro commie aviation. In an effort ro ensure a reasonable number of goal finishers, a shore, conservative task was called. Unfortunately, nature intervened ro make the cask more difficult than had been intended by the cask committee. Several pilots were flushed at launch, necessitating re-flights under hazier skies. Worse, the winds picked up and began to blow over che back. That presented no real launch difficulty at the wonderful radial ramp, but it 26

made getting up very difficult for some. One of those who again went down was Mitch Shipley who later exorcised his frustration by running all the way back up to launch. For chose who had gotten out on course, the haze and the rapid appearance of the unforecast southeast wind rendered it an unrnakeable task, bur nor before some pilots had exercised some tactical ingenuity in an attempt to counter the changed conditions. A number of them decided to cross to the other side of the valley ro exploit the potential offered by the new wind direction. The idea didn't work out, but it was creative. The day's winner was Pete Lehmann who rook the conventional route up the east side of the valley and made it 20.7 miles to land at the base of the day's one curnpoint. He was closely followed by Terry Presley who had also recognized the wind shift in rime to change tactics to compensate for it. Mark Bolt was next, with Nelson Howe and Neil Hammerron close behind. The

day was only 94% valid due to the number of pilots who zeroed for the day. D OODAD DING, OR, HOW TO KILL A WEATHER DAY Poor weather then intervened, though with one positive consequence. It provided ample rime for the pilots to fully sore out, install and tweak their new doodads. The headquarters for that process became Meet Organizer Katie Dunn's large house (the Dun(n)lap Motel) which became a combination of social center and workshop for many of the contestants. On one rainy day Mike Barber caught his sophisticated method of applying sailboard-boom powergrip material to hang glider baserubes. Ir results in a seamless and aesthetically pleasing basetube covering. Next came the antenna workshop wherein half a dozen pilots coHaborated in manufacturing dipole antennas and installing them in harnesses. Mitch Shipley was kind enough to have bought an SWR meter for that project, and its usefulness was extended ro HANG GLIDING

the of ;mrcnnas, many of' which were found to be hadly in need of

7Luo: Hmsons southwest launch north·

Field

A rcrurn of flyable weather and a soulh·· west forecast broughr 1hc field to the somewhat imimidating cliff launch at the "Somhwest Site." With a rigorously ordered setup area and stringently enforced launch procedures there was no diffirnlry at all in quickly and launching all 37 competitors. a number of pilots wenr down offlau11ch on their flrsr flights, while rhe lmlk of the /icld climbed out 1mde1· blue skies co go 011 course. The earlier lau11chers fcnmd (>OO·lim1 lifr and six grand gains to go racing to wliar proved robe a short goal for such flne conditions. fn co1Hli1ions did but improve, and bier pilots as much as 1,200 l11m lifr (extraordinary in the East) and 8,000 f<iot to cloudbasc. Not surprisingly, G9<Jlc1 of· the flcld made the goal at t hc north end of the valley. Indeed, conditions were so good that Rossignol made it despite the Failure of his vario early in the . The day w:1s won by Brad Koji who, followed by Pete l d1ma11n, had a blazing t imc early in the before the conditions really turned on. Some time behind them came Presley, Nelson Howe and Mark Bolr. Mike Barber provided entertainment for the multirndes at goal when he eked om his last inches of altirncle to land downwind on the goal line while whacking his into rhc ,,u,uuiJc rhc Neither he nor were injured, though both wind· snapped in two.

FAMILY DRAMA A few more pilots might have made goal brn for an unfortunate accident that kept them at launch. After the whole held had made rheir flrst launches, launch timer and TfT went She ·""·"·"'"""'"Y· hm was then turned M1mH:ulou,slv, she missed the cliff !mt rhen slammed into and /ell out of a tree behind Lumcl1. Pormiw11sly, cmer· gency room doctor Mike Eberkml1 was ar launch 11p his for a J't:-flight ao:w,c:m occurred. lie stabili-t.ed Annie until rhc arrival of the rncdcvac chop per rhar took her to ,1 hospital. Her ultimately proved less serious rhan initially feared, and she was soon released with a broken collar hone, dislocated thumb and jlJIY 19%

THE 1vu.,vft\JWJ"i., the rneet a group were observed working directly behind on property of an landlord and former hang glidthe J·lensons pllot. It were the site for a pli!nncd 300-footAiigh GT'E IVlC)l)illen,et cellular tcl.eph<Jtte tower fo built on that land directly behind one of impo1rta11.t flying sites in the eastern U.S. 'I'hat Jed to hurried club contest to plot a to cotmter this threat to the flying

dub has since obtained a temporary injunction preventing the st:art of construe. rion on the tower. A judge has ruled that are sufficient grounds for atrial to the and it will follow in due course, In addition to obvious cd tower, the essence of the T"r"r landowners' objections is that ''"''".,,.,,.,.,,"'' contain restrictions limiting activities su.ch as m.icrowavc tower. the deed of the property in w,1s inexplicably and crron,t:ot1slv crnrnt:>leted without that restriction in ii:. At the present time the club is mobiliz.ing political support in area, the County comrnissioners have voted unanimously to support the w the rower, In addition, they have lx:gun a letter, ..w11.·.mtm eainpm~:n to .lobby GfE's corpotat:e officers. in this the how it like members to help in I urge you all to join in institutions in the sport of hang in rheir core launches in the world. II

slightly collapsed lung. Her ac:cidcm provided yet another exam .. pie of the community spirit that characterizes this contest and the duh which ran ir. Katie Dunn do1wrcd the remaining daily prize money rn a fund that was begun to help Ann pay bills. Aided by particularly generous donations from Jim /,cisct and Dennis Yeomans, the compctirors and cl11b members raised total of' nearly $3,000.

Despite the the week was fon, as it always is in TTT country. The sense of community, the good organization, rhc parties and the excellent infrastn1cture of" ramp, clubhouse, etc., a\l contribute to a fl llC con .. test. Those things will he presem nexl year to complement what must surely be her rcr flying than was this year.

PITTER PATTER HF LITTLE RAINDROPS Unfortunately, these iwo cfoys were all the flying that was done during 1he emirc week.

Place

Pilot

I) 2)

Pete Lehmann

Even by Easr Coast s1andards it was an appallingly bad patch ol' weather that cli. maxed with a deluge on the last scheduled The awards ceremony took place in the of the clubhouse bcfcJl'C the COnleS· tams departed for home in 1hc downpour. The author had the good fortune ro win the meet, his /Jrs1 major, if' abhrcviarcd, contest victory flying his new Wills Wing XC. \1(/orld 'l<:am member Br;id Koji on an Xtralitc took second place followed by 747 pilot who clemonsirated great skill flying a considerably smaller PacAir !<lassie. The flrsr three places were recog· nized with wonderfidly crafted stained glass 1rop111es. Filling out the lop flvc were Howe on the Airborne Shark and Mark Bolt on the flapped Sensor Ci I OE

5) G) 7) 8)

9) 10) l I) 12) 13) 14)

1'5) I()) 17) 18) J 9) 20)

W'/ :s:S' Points

Brnd Koji Presley Nelson Howe Mark Bolt Neil l Jammcrron Mike Barber Rich Laporte Vince Furrer Reynolds Jeff Lauglirey Ryan Glover Jim Zeiser Jeff Porter Phil Proctor Claire Page11 Wojnowski Dennis Pagen Manin Pepper Bubba Coodman Steve Arnd1

199 134 118 107 97 8(i

CiG 48 42

30 2(1

2Z l8 14 10

Ii 77

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**************************************************************************************************************** MAIL SERVICE • HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... ·--- ·--···-· AIR MAIL SERVICJ<: - HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($30.00-Wcstem Hemisphere, $40.00-Enrope, $50.00-All Others) .. , ....."'""""' MAIL SERVICE - PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($12.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) ................ . - PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($15.00-Westcm Hemisphere, $20.00-Enropc, $25.00-All Others) .... ·········-·-···-..··-·..-NAA MEMBERSHIP: ($10.00 annual dues). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................-·-··-··--······-····FAI

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In consideration of being granted membership in the USHGA, I,·--····-,·------·--·-------·-,·----------··------·--,-----' for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows: - The following definitions apply to terms med in this Agreement: means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. nvr,nl"ll"hN aarna~te and/or 2. ni>l"c::nn:u or sustained by me as a result of my PAJlTlc":fP;4TliON as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). 3. means the following, including their ownm, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the person(s) sponsoring 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 USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions I launch, fly and/or land; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property I may launch, fly and/or land; D All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where I PA,1mrc1J'A11= "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) All other persons lawfully present at the site(s) during my PA,'ITl4r:IP.4TlirJN.IN msi:HAIRGE the ,. .....11-,..,11-v PAA7Tll:.J'frc)m however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the ru;;,1.c;;,,1..,g;;;y C. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of INJ'URJrES. If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the n..,;Jt.,.,.,u.,,,,., PJ~R17ES. ""'1"n'uv·,11..,;u,.n;, that the non-participant third party liability insurance obtained by USHGA does provide coverage for INIJIEMINll:Y AND the in paragraphs A. 3. d) and A. 3. e) above for their defense and indemnity (to the limited extent that the defense and indemnity are not otherwise covered by collectible insurance) in the event that someone suffers nvr1n&>vtv darnaite as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct in

TE RMINJUION I can terminate this Agreement by either sending written notice of termination to the lJSHGA National Office postage prepaid return receipt requested, in which case the termination will Dl1! be effective until one year after I cease being a member of the USHGA or 30 days after I place the written notice in the mail, whichever is later; or by signing and returning to the USHGA National Office a later version of the Official USHGA Release, Waiver and Assumption of Risk Agreement. However, even if I terminate this Agreement, all of the terms of this Agreement will continue to apply to I suffer in whole or in part before the termination of this Agreement. F, I shall be and rn11,.,t .. ,.. ,,,11 1

If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect

I have

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With new features like the Option mode, three flight clocks, useradjustable settings, a thermometer, and a PC interface on all models, Flytecs' new line will be the variometer of choice for the next generation of hang glider pilots. They are easier than ever to use. If you don't like the response thresholds of the variometer

you can change them in a few moments. If you like one altimeter in feet and in another altimeter meters you can set it that way. You determine how the vario looks, feels and reacts. All of this in a small, efficient design. Call us on our toll-free number to find out how Flytec USA can suit you better.

4010 Real Time

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Same as 4020 plus: v GPS interface (via NMEA cable}

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Speeds-to-Fly v final Glide

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Speed to Fly Screen

Polar Screen

Thermal Screen

H ANG GLIDING

~y Dennis Pagen he Ball Crnphics Comp is :m instrumcnL flight deck par excellence. ·rhe "Crnphics" in the name cle:irly refers to the wicbscreen Panavision display. The Comp is short for computer, so I've hcrn told, lmt it could also mean competition, compensated, compound, or comprehensive. But it ain't. Despite its myriad to view, easy to use and easy to adjust. ln if you gave the instru·· it om mem to a chimp:mzcc he would within three minutes; :ill you have to do is turn 1he switch on and the main screen is off and running with preset altimeters included. Fvcn wirli a IQ of only you could learn to work instrument, since a series of live buttons, laid om logically, activ;ite all the desired fonctions. A clear list of prompts tell you what to do in each so you do have to learn to read if you want robe more versatile th:m a slug. In the air there's no need ro flddlc with anything, for the' fhcrrnal Ply Navigation barograph and pobr function all work aurornatically if you so desire. Bur we arc ;ihead of ourselves. Before we describe rhe Graphics Comp\; admirable attributes, let us rcll you about its

and the Pcrguson brothers complement c:ich other to m;ikc the whole greater than the sum o/' its pmts. Between them they have tech no-savvy to make Steve Jobs look like an apple polisher. Mark and Paul fly ,1dvanccd paraglidcrs on a competitive level so rhcy know the needs of that community, and work with world--class hang glider pilots so they can cater lO the wants of that community. In the pasr fr:w years rhc concepts ;ind c11JalJ1!1t1cs of our instruments have bur.. Where previously we had a vario and an altimeter, we now have avcragers, ;inalog and digital displays, barographs and multiple altimeters. Where previously we had an airindicator, we now have speeds-to-fly, polars and flrial glide calculators. total We may the loss of simplicity, but without a doubt such functions can improve the performance of the majority of pilots. The Fergusons made the decision to pro .. duce a sratc-of~tlm-enginccring instrument deck incorpornting everything you could pos· w;int in a flying companion. That they su<:cccc1,:;(I, and still maintained the simplicity many of us long for, is the marvelous story that rnakcs up the rest of tfos piece.

PHYSICAL FORM AND FUNCTION BALI. INSTRUMENTS The Ball cornpany was starred in the c,irly I%O's Richard Ball ,md Jim in that former counter--culnm: haven and crnTcnt new-age, 11pscalc gem-of-the-Rockies, Boulder, Colorado. began rnanufactnrvariomctcrs for sailplanes, then later moved inro the ballooning, paradrnting and markers. Ball \/;iriometcrs wc·JH·esf)ectc(I name in the realm of aviation. Along I he way, Mr. Ball company 10 Jim J:crguson. Mr. 1,,,r·o11<nn sent his 80IIS Mark, Paul and Steve to college and they came back to run the company :dong wirh their mom in rhc front

office. Like other famous hrorhcrs before them, such as Karamazov, Marx, Smothers, Smith ]UIY 1996

'fo my eye, the Graphics Comp's (GC's) appearnnce is like a King Kong piece of Chieklcts gum or ;in art deco videophone from a Flash Gordon set. l asked a couple of pilots what it looked like to them. "A rectangular box with rounded corners," was rhc terse reply. Okay, bm rhey don't get paid by the word. So it's a grey-on-gray rectangular hox meo"mr,o- 1-3/8 x 4- I /2 x 6 inches wirh an ! .CD screen big enough to serve as an ant form. Some pilots recognize the Graphics Comp's box and think that lhll pilfered the idea from Davron. (Sec the August issue of Nang Gliding for our review of the Davron fligbt computer.) But no, that's not correct, for Ball and Davron have a deal: Ball writes software for Davron and distributes the Davron line. Davron wpplics Ball with their case and distributes the

B;ill line. h's a bit confusing, but everyone benefits and everyone is happy. In the Ball application, the case has two probes. They arc static and dynamic pressure ports photos). ft also comes with a choice of mounting brackets: the classic rwisHm Pdl clamp or the elastic velcro style that Davron produces. For mounting on the baserube [ prefer the Ball clamp, but for ;in upright the Davron works bcrter. The vario and altimeter arc thoroughly and carefully temperature compensated to an altitude well above where your body wants to be. The case is also radio shielded. Withom the mounting bracket the instrument just over a pound. It is chock full of chips, birs, doodads, r;izmos, widgets, functions and ideas. Functional ideas, if you will.

THE THERMAL SCREEN The screen you'll use most of tbe time is the Tlwrmal Screen. This is the display you or the chimpanzee get when you switch the instru .. ment on, afrcr it displays your 11ame, address and phone number ;md exhorts the handler to please return it to you. The Thermal Screen is the first of three flying screens. On the thermal screen you get everything you need, as long as you ;ire scratching around in scrubby lifr or winding up in a definitive thermal. The large display simultaneously delivers an analog, digital and avcrager vari .. ometcr. This means a dial, an instant readout and average climb or sink over a period of time thar may be adjusted. Besides adjusting the avcragcr you can adjust the vario scnsirivi1y, the audio thresh .. olds (when the sound comes on for lifr or sink) and the actual vario sound. fou cm get bells, beeps, hoops or a Pavarotti aria as you will. lt has a nicely chopped rone that increases with rate of climb. Spcci;il note: this vario can be adjusted to be as sensitive as any l have used ( l different designs). Below rhe vario display is a large digital altimeter showing altitlldc in one-foot (or meter) increments. 'Iwo other aid meter readouts appear at the bottom of the screen. You can set these altimeters to anyrhing you wish,

but one suggestion is MST. on the main dis· play, zero at takeoff and zero at landing for the other two. 'The beauty of the Ball GC: is rhat it allows you to preset and store all three :ti time tcrs with up to eight different values and auto· m;itically load them. Thus, if you arc at your home site or a meet, the alrimcwrs arc ly set time you turn the instrumcm on at is no requirement to adjust hunch. them from day to day as the pressure changes. The other 1min displays arc time, tempera· ture (in degrees of your choice) and airspeed. The time fuuction is a clock which shows you the real time and also indicates your flying time. The flight timer begins auromatically once yo11 take off 'The airspeed works off the pitot mbe which frJlds conveniently ol!I of rhc w;iy for packing. The probe measures the air· speed in conjunction with a prcssmc tr::rnsduccr which converts the air's dynamic pressure 10 volt;igc. 'J 'hus, there arc no moving pans in the GC's airspeed indicator, so it reacts very quickly. 'T'he other clements of the Thermal Screen include a battery display, ;i barograph prompt,

a GPS prompt, a volume indicator, a total energy prompt and an amornmic screen-switching indicator. The battery indicator tells you how many hours of charge you have lcfr. The b;itterics arc rccliargc;ible NlCADs with a wall or car supplied as an oprion. The barograph and GPS indicators tell you these f"irnctions arc on (more on this later). The volume indicator tells you your vario amlio set·· ting while the total energy prompt tells you if the vario is in rnral energy mode or not. ln the total energy mode, all speed changes that nor· mally affect your vario indicarion ;ire factored om, so when you slow down in lifr you know what you and aren't fooled hy the payoff of speed for The flnal prompt fr)r automatic switching lets you know if the screen will switch to the ,)DCC(H<H!IV Screen itself' or if you have to push a button to switch. If it's set 10 automatic, the screen will switch when you leave lifr or fly snaight (with GPS activ:1tcd) frlr J (, seconds. I ,ds look at the spccd·ro-fly screen next.

TIIE. SPEED.TO.FLY SCREEN Many pilots realize rhat there is a specific speed to between thermals in order to reach the next rherm:11 as high as possible, or to make the hcst time ;ilong a comsc. Tbis speed depends on the vcrtic;il movemem the air you ;ire fly· through, your performance at nll speeds :md (for hcsr time along a course) the strength of the rhennals. All rhcse factors are pretty hard to flgurc out unless yon have an TBM brain, and then yo11'1l probably be clois· tered in some backwater of academia rather than out Oying freely. But: the Ball GC comes to die rescue wirh rhc Specd·to-fly Screen. In this screen you have all the fi.mclions of the· ['hermal Screen (includ· ing amlog, digital and vario, 1hrce altimeters, rempcniturc, time, and, of course, cxcepr audio v;iriometcr. The ;iudio signal you do is a prom pr that tells you to speed up or down. 'fhis signal comes as a rising or foiling tone thar gets longer rhe further away from the ideal speed you arc. The Specd·to·fly Screen displays the opti· to fly along with yOLir actual speed mum

and an arrow that :dso up or down ro indicate iCyou should up or slow down. Two orhcr slick ircms on rhc screen ,He 1he lifr :md risk The lifr ts where you cm input your ncxr lift (this is necessary for maxrnmz1111g If you put this on :mrornatDc, lif't rhe last half'hour. is where you can alter the tJl11Jo:,01,J1v from rh:H 0L1

the machine makes rhc calcuhrions on 1hc assumption that there will he if any, thermals available. With high the calClllarion is rnadc you'll most prohably hir a thermal ol' rhe srrengrl1 set in rhc lifi display. 'J 'hink rhe !iii set for d 1c next thermal fies this acc:onJ1nf; much Dsv·cl11Jlo11:ical warfare in mecrs as pilots up the one :morhcr into roe In order for the suc:co-to-nv /'unction to {imction, rhc insu-umcm must know your

polar or map, This polar is simply a graph your glider's sink rate at all speeds, ·rl1c ( ;c: comes armed with polars for hang and para1)idcrs, but these arc only ball park and yours will vary with glider performance and loading, But never rhc hoys at Ball have provided you with the ability to create your own either pntting in your own numbers for the tcchni<1ue) or ln the latter case, you 1akc in still air and 11y at various 1111·our>,l1<:rnt your glider's speed range. Hold each specific speed for three seconds and the instrument records :i data point. You can create as nwny points as you wish at any speed and rhe instrument will average them, You can also eradicate any obviously alien data points, Once you have your polar, everything else is automatic. Ir loads the chosen polar (you can have up to eight to account for diffc.:rent gliders or loadings), and calculates and can supply neWl v:1rio all with no Cuss on your pan, The ncno vario function factors om your glid, cr's sink rare so the vario only displays the acn1-

al lifr or sink of the air, This foaturc is idea\ for zooming hctwecn thermals, since the normal as well as required changes in lift or speed, cm leave you confused as to what's ly going on out there. With the neno vario you know the true nature oF the air. The Screen will switch back to the Thermal Screen rhc i11stan1 you hit lifr (when in auto rnode). fr is also used to go 011 final glide to a goal once you h:JVc enough ahi-tuclc to reach goal. This fimction rcqnircs a CPS hookup and is prompted from hoth the Thermal Screen and the Screen.

THE NAVCGATION SCREEN The final Craphics Comp screen lets you navigate, You must have the insrrnmem hooked up ro a GPS for it to work, of course. (;PS will do, since Ball can supply cords to mate their instrument to all commercial CPS units. Once t be wide Ball screen gives a more clear map than rbc Iinlc hand-held CPS units, ! like to use rlic CC's map and my CPS on the direction screen, sol have two types of displays. The CC shows ground track

Martin

to the next 1urnpoint or goal and your path with respect to this track. 1t also displays distance to the next point and yom expected altitude when yon get there. Woe to you if the altitude display is uegativc ... pray for lifr. Jn the Navigation Screen setup you can input up to 50 turnpoinrs in a listing and create two courses with a maxirnum of eight turn poi ms from th is list in each. As you progress around the course, you through the turnpoints and get the track to each displayed. Note that in the Navigation Screen you st-ill hnve Full variornerer, speed to-fly, altimeters, temperature and rime displayed. B111 simple navigation isn't all the Navigarion Screen is designed LO do. Ir also checks your distance from a goal and calculates rbe wind foe-· tor, then tells you tn go on final glide when you h:1ve enough altitude to reach goal. Ar this point you switch to the Speed-ro-fly Screen and get a display of your distance from goal and the height at which you will reach it. You can alter this height by altering the risk once you are on flnal glide. If yoll hit a thermal in this mode, the screen will switch to the Thermal Screen if the thermal is strong enough to increase your speed. Once you reach a height where you will no longer achieve a faster time, the display again says, "Go to final glide.'' All this aid rakes out much of the guesswork involved during those long, nail-biting /foal glides. MORE TRICKS Besides the obvious abundance of gratifying electronic assistance out·· lined above, the Ball Graphics Comp has more tricks in store. For one thing, it's a complete barograph (flight recorder). In it's a legal flight recorder for setting world records. Bm if you only want to float around home base, it tells you yom flight duration, max climb, max height, max sink and minimum heigln:, and provides a graphic trace of all your ups and downs. You can ftnd each moment of sinking anguish and climbing triumph throughout your flights by viewing the barograph's vertical graph. If you have a GPS hooked up, the instrument will also record your ground position tbroughont the flight in reference to known turnpoints

The Improved Tracer (IT) features continuous webbing structure, adjustable padded leg straps, adjustable shoulders. hook knife, steel carabiner, easy rotation for 0lxeellent sit-up-ability, skid plate toe protector, bungee retractor channel, custom sizing and a wide range of colors & options

HANC CUDINC

or latitude and longjtude. With this capobiliry it cao evenrually be used in place of cameras in mem to verify rumpoims made good. To sec this display you musr download the iosrrumcnt's data into a cornputcr. Then you can store all of your flighcs or print our the traCC$, Anocl,er function is the flight memory. Thi.s memory holds and di.splays much of the S3Jlle infurnrnrion as the barograph without the u-.ce. Up co 128 fliglus arc sco,:ed in memory, so you no longer ha\'e to assiduously keep your logbook filled. Do it once:, year or so if you wish, for all the information you need (except how good your landing was and who got higher than you) is reported. Fu,ally, we should mencion the vario lock function. Wich a special series of code letters you an lock your i1lscrumcnr ro prevet1r anyone from altering the settings or discurbing ,he barograph recordings. Your special code is preset at the factory, ,nd only you, they and possibly one c>r two psychics: \\'ill kn.ov.· it.

MATCHMAKING

The best way to full in love with a Ball Graphics Comp i.s to fly with one. Many dealers will have them in stock. The next best way is to check out the operation manuru. It begins by explaining the simple function of the thermal screen, then progresses to the other screens and fonctions. You will be struck by how easy it ism make adjusrmenrs to the instrument You wiU also be scruck by bo,v clear the n,anua1 is hopefully. You sec, 1ny wife Claire and I were hirtd by Roll co wricc it. le t0ok three months and indicates B•ll's commitment ro doing thing.< right. When you buy a Ball inmumen< you get backup and technical suppon. Often a call with a question brings both Mark and Paul on line responding like Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, on Car Talk -without the accem and the jokes, of course, but with an intimate onderscandlngofh.o,v co best use their inscrumcnr aod ho,v ro tend to any problems. The Ball Graphics Comp i, not che:ip. However, you have co think of it as sever.ti inscruments in ooe- mulcifunction v.1riomerer, criple readout altimeter, i;peed,ro,.Ay c:i.lc.ul1tor, airspeed iridicacor1 navigator, barograph. flight recorder, etc. \'(11,en viewed in this light, the instrumenr is indeed a bargain :at $1 ,495 retail. AU parrs :a.nd labor arc w1der a two-year warranty against factory defect. 11,e Ball Grapbics Comp will nor milk a cow (or even a goat), it won'c pay your ta.,es (or C\'CD )'Our bills) and it ,efu~ to do laundry (or even dishes), bl!lt it will do nearly everything else that's importanr (providing your flying priori tie< are straight). You can contact d,e fac• rory co purchase the Grophics Comp or loa,te the dealer nearest you ac BAl.L VARIOMETERS, INC. 6595 Odell Place, Suite C Boulder, CO 8030 I ·r,1, 303-430-4940, so0-129-2602 Fax: 303-530-4836 Web site (e-mail): http://wv.,v.ballvarios.com Enjoy the rompkte freedom you get with your companion, che Grapbics Comp - your personal passport to doudba.sc. •

JULY 1996

J\ce again. in mid--April this year. the a.xis of the world of aviation ran right through Lakeland, Florida. Sun 'n' Fun '96 was a big success :.a nd cermi11ly lived up to its name. During th.is ,.vcck almost everyone in the aviation world ,vho has anything to sell shows up wi, h their latest goodies co display and demonsrrare fo r the masses. T his year, as in years before, the USHGA was on site in force. \'V'irh a solid am1y o f volunteers from the loC:ll Aying schools and d ubs, we set out co educate the generaJ avi.ation crowd about hang gliding. 1\.1osc ofyou h.:1ve never seen che USHGA's "e..'thibition cc.un" in action.

Basically, ir's • "liquid" group of folks who selflessly donate either a day or several days to help increase our membership. We have a very large 40' x 40' circus tent that's hauled around by Bl'uce Hawk of Hawk Airspons. Hc's the guy who makes and ma,lms the Windsok, his rrade name for probably the best wind indicator on the planet. This year, he and his helper/buddy Fred delivered the renc to USI-IGAS sire ,vhcrc Dixon \Vickner from central Florida and G.W. Meadows and Doug Haber, both ofJust Fly Aeiation Ge.1r, set it up. l'his i..s oormally ahout a three-hour job, but the bear and wind made ic fed like about ch rec days. This is Dixon~

HANG GUDtNC

third year helping out at Sun 'o' f un, and he cook the whole week olt work wi,h no pay. In fac,, of all the volumeers ar Sun 'ri Fun he ,vas a tare fulJ-cinJcr ,virh no other motivation ~han co help out our spore and USHGA. He's a trnly selfless guy. Thanks 1

Dixon. Onoc the behemoth rem was assembled ,,..e ,vcnr about sec:ting up chc interior. 11lli year's decor b•sically consisrcd of aoour 30 fccr of ral,Je wicl, information abour hang gliding and lots of brochure.< from e:asr-<:<XISl flight schools. A good number ofschools were represented, buc I feel that many Jost ouc by 001, having rcpresenmcives th-ere to

)UlY 1996

t3lk up hang gliding in general •nd their schools in particular. Oshkosh is nexr monch, and schools should consider sending volunteers there ro hdp ouc in the USHGA cent and ro promore ,heir businesses. Other chan the rabies we had banners, mcrch,ndise and something new this year - a Vin:ual Reality Hang Gliding Simulator. This little jewel was designed and operaced by Sceve Humer. Steve worked tirelessly during che entire exhibirion for absolurcly no pay. He is a real rrooper, having invested more than $20,000 in his "baby" and going ro the aouble of bringing

ic out co the airfield. We charged a onedollar donation to ride the si.mulaco,:,

which helped offset the cost of operating 1be generator and paid for a barbecue dinner for all available volunceers one evening. All in all, the VR .1imulacor was a big hit. Seveml hundred folks gave ic a cry, and it really helped put "hang gliding" in their Sw, 'n' Fw, vocabulary. Other than rhe three full-time volunteers (Dixon, Doug and G.W.) we had lots of part-rime.rs who sacrificed a portion of rheir week to help our. Jayne Depanfilis from Kitty Hawk Kires was

LEFT: Spec1,1.rqr, ward, rhe banggliding demo. Phrm bJ Duug liahor.

ABOVE: AIUldJt.r Sun ,,' Fun attendeegiue, tlx simul,11m- It sry Phou, by Barb Flpm.

on hand mosc days 10 offer a ,von1an·s point of view on hang gliding. Mary Scei.ner also showed up for a day. Other ladies who \'Olwuttred dming the Ay-in ioduded Dorothy Ramsuer, Barbara Flynn, Nancy Smirh and Oian:1 McNamcc. Guys who helped our in the cent included Greg McNamtt fro,n Graybird Airsporrs, Clark Harlow, Dave Broyles, Tiro (I can never re.n1ember his last name). and a few others who dropped in fo r an hour or so. TI1i.s year's tlighr-line pecforrna11ccs includc-d a good number of hang gliding ffigl1ts. By my estimation there were more than I00 hang glider ca.keoff.s and landings (all picrure perfect) in from of the crowds over the course of the week. With acroco,.fog provided by the Dragonfly, a Cosmos trike, an Airborne trike and even Dave Broyles' Ptera-hypcrdrive-dactyl, we manag-ed to gee about IO experienccd hang glider pilots into rhe sky. Gregg McNamcc, Bobby Bailey and Russell Duncan were just ch«e of the mggcrs who volunteered ri1ne and vehicles co "rope" us lnco rhe blue:.

One of the n1ore fun1ous personalities ac bodi Suo 'n' Fun and Oshkosh i..; Vernon Peckham. Vernon is an English chap who does cl1e con11tte.otating for che cro,vds at these shows. This guy reminds me of Bill Bcnnerc (of Dele, Wi.ng .fume), both in stature. appearance. :uxent and fun. loving narurc. Vernon had one hang gliding "expe,. ricnce" back in the eody I 970's in joUy old England that didn't go :is planned. Well, cl1is year we hooked up for a randem flight in front of the crowd ,virh Vernon commencat· ing r;om the air via ,vireless. With the gra· cious hdp Russdl Brown :ind C.'llJlpbd l Rowen of Quest Air (whose modem glider ,ve fle,;v) ,ve ,vl!rc; able co sho,v che crowd how the ''average" guy can do this roo. It ,vent over reaJly well and our landing orl 1·dcycle gear sure made hang gliding look easy. T hanks m ,he guys at Quest Air for ,heir hd p in making dlis happen. The Super Floater go, some airrime in the capable hands of Dave Broyles. (See Daves artick i11 uJiJ issut. - Ed.) This coy is a hoot. For hang glider pilots who have son1e s1ick tin:1e it's a grcac alce.rn:.tive to regular bang dangling. The event presented some gre.1r opportunities< ro show off bang gliding to the gencr-

:ti public, and ro sign up some new n1cn1-

bers as ,veil as l'ene-.v so1ne old ones. To1n Peghiny, a fumous hang glider pilot from the e>.rly years, re-upped his membership ac the fly-in. Tom's USHGA number is #00262. He now designs and builds one of d,e mo.<r s"cccssftd lines of ultralights, the Flightscar. He is also "'orking on a ne\v "Loadsca,.'' for cowing hang gliders. Welcome back Tom. With rhe sho,v over we sec co che rask of breaking down the tent. Breaking it down """ much easier rh•n purung it up because we had a stellar crew to help our. With Steve Hall, Tom Prahl, Nancy Smith, Kevin O'Brien, Gt'eg McNa1nee, Dixon. Doug :ind myself. we n1.;1de short work of the blue and ycUow monster. After loading ic onro Bruce's rrailer ,vich his :1nd Fred's help we paned ways and vowed co be back nex:r yelt for more sun and n1ore fun. Why don't you p!;u1to join us? For inforn,ation about volunceeri.og to help our ai either Sun 'n' Fun (m iddle of April) or Oshkosh (first of August), conroct rhe USHGA. We really need your smiling fuces, and it's a great way IO give something back t.o our wonderful sporr. •

HANG GLIDING

•

annual call for nominations to the national Uc:totJer 1

of Directors. Nine positions are open

term beginning January 1997.

ballot should send to headquarters for no later than 20, name and number, photo and resume (one containing /p,traJ;J;ll<:lmg '"'1""·"t"'" and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve nominated by at least three USHGA members residing in the candidate's The current Directors are listed and their terms will extJuc:d

and the September/October best volunteers to help guide the safe development and nr·,xHn·r1 candidate material for '""'''''"''t no later than August 20 to: 1 80901.

''"~"'"'"' '""l"'lc'.;.vu, Washington,

3 4

7 8 9 10

N01ihern California, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Colorado, Paso, New Utah Illinois, fndiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Laro11.na, enne~;se,e, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico New York

NOMINATION

I understand that his/her name will be placed on the 1-<e:g10na1 lJ1·rector EH:cuon if three nominations are received by August 20, 1996.

I Wt\5 GETTING A \/Oli RECHAR<1E

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spring l was invited ~y

by ])ave Brr~yles

and Barbtmi Flynn

to.fly paragliders ftom scooter tow at the Sun n'

Fly-In in Lakeland, Horida. This led to a series of strange events. First, l nm into }tu:k McCornack, the designer ofthe Pterodactyl, then I thermaled a paraglider but had to bail out ofthe thermal to avoid exceeding 500feet Definitefy an unnatural act.

4fi

n addition, T received my tow pilot rating while flying for the USI1GJ\ in front of a crowd of thousands. Well, hundreds, anyway. Next I mer the guy who flew ultra· lights with geese. And, as a grand finale, f saw Jack blow a takeoff in front of rhe same crowd of thousands on a trike-equipped hang glider. Un(c)rll!natcly, Jack's trike, and Jack, ended up upside--down in the ditch nexr to launch (rhe runway, for those aviation .. oricntcd among us). Jack survived to tell the talc in the USUA monthly '/he Ultralight But the quintessential moment came though Tdidn't realize it until later when J saw a blue and white toy sailplane on display ar a booth. Ooh, it was beautiful. It was really well made. lt classified as a rigid wing hang glider or an ultralight sailplane, and there bad been an article about its predecessor, the wooden Super Ploater designed by Klaus !..:!ill and Larry I..:lall, which I had read in the 70's. Ir was also called the Super Floater. I stood around and admired the little glider. I discovered that it had been foot···launched at the Point of the Mountain in Utah, but that it was only foot .. launcbable in special conditions, a list of which starts with the need for smooth 20 .. mph winds, and ends with the need for a launch site to which you can tow a 20 .. foot trailer. Somewhere in the middle was the need for three people to help you pick ir up. Since Point of the Mountain was the only place f knew of thar met those requirements, I had faint hope of seeing it fly, bur was told that the Sllper Floater was going to be flown that day during the hang 1;lider and paraglicler demonstration. Tbrns out that it was very aerotowable, behind anything from a Dragonfly to a }3 Cub. r was flying my paraglider from Scooter 'Tc)w 1' while the hang gliders were towed by Dragonflies, the Flynn Aero 'fiig and an Airborne Blade trike that cost slightly more than a day's deposits in Forr Knox. Differem towing styles were demonstrated. The Aussie pilots flew behind the Blade and foor-la11nched, the U.S. hang glider pilots rolled off on a dolly, l ran the paraglider off while being towed hy a stationary Y.1maha motor scooter, and the Super Floater rook off like a proper little sailplane on its single little wheel behind a Dragonfly. As we reached 500 foet we would cm loose and fly around to land in front of the crowd, except for Olle unfcmunate incidem in which the Super Floater landed in the parking lot to avoid mowing down n landing hang glider. The Super Floater earned its name, seemingly just hanging around while everything else flew down and landed. It dearly had a better sink rate than the hang gliders or my paraglider. Jealousy forced me ro consider asking rhc price and finding out bow ro get a test flight. Sure enough, there were going ro be days scheduled during which it would be aerotowed to a different airport to let neophytes fly ir, which wasn't 10 be allowed at Sun 'n' Fun

I li\NC GUDINC

proper. Nor only dm1, bur it was beillg rested ar che airport where Jack McComack was readying his crike to be flown co che fly-in. So I went over rhere - hoping more <han anything m get a few trips around rhc panern in Jack's uike - but Jack was off promoting his Loud Birdmcn Associarion, and was nowhere to be seen. Scevc Flynn had giveJl me a ride over there in hopes of flying the Super Floater and perhaps letting me fly hjs Flynn Aero Tug. I was in love with rhc idea of gening an aero-r;ug r.uing, so I was hoping co get a flight in his machine. I did, alchough it rumed our co be difficult to fly with Steve holding on co the srick with both hands braced against his knees. We landed and Steve apologized for not being able m let go of his baby. (Glad he had two boys and no girl. She still would never have had a dace.) Steve wem up in the Super Floacer and flew it like a d,amp. Tom Pcghiny, of ea,·ly hang gliding fan,e, flew it too and loved it. Bm I was afraid mask co fly it. I had learned to fly in 1959 in a convencional airplane, insofar as an Aeronica Omnp ,ail-dragger is convencional, bu, had flown true three-axis aircraft only about three rimes in tbe ensuing 35 years, though by rare coincidence one of those flights had been only two weeks before. Kcnr Anderson of Wind Walker Aircraft walked up aod said, "You ready ro go up?" ..Gulp,"I said. "Sure!" So there I was, rolling off in cheSuper Floaccr. I cook the glider up m 15 feet as I had learned m do aerotowing a hang glider, fee, on the rudder pedals and hand on che stick. I was slewing around a little, and my d imb was acccmcd by a tendency m fly sideways. After a while I concluded thar I needed to keep my feer still on the rudder pedals and fly with the stick alone. The Dragonfly I was cowing behind was a little tired, having many hours on che engine, and the day was hOL, so d,e climb rare wasn't oursranding. bu, I was

soon

past the 500 fu:, l had been limited to at the fly-in. Finally we got ro die 2,000-foor release poim. I cm loose and quickJy found that the plane now required the use of the rudder pedals. Much like ,he Flynn Aero Tug, ir required leading a rurn with the rudder and then feeding in some aileron. Once l found out how to rurn it smoothly, I hunted for some lift. This was Florida, and I have claimed. rhat Florida pilots can'r possibly know how to thermal. Llft is everywhere! Once ag-,in this

RIGHT: Wo.,& und<r tow at Quauur i11 d,r Suprr FIMtu. )UI.Y 1996

The Suf"'Y Floater 1111der t()W behind a

Ptrrodarryl Phoro tourresy Seatt!, Fi/111,wrlts.

proved co be true. The Super Floocer seemed co just hang in the sky. I flew it at speeds from 20 10 45 mph with no effon - 360's ro rhc left and to tbe right. It had no flaps or spoilers, so l had to plan my landing like a hang glide< pilot, which srrongely enough J was. [ fkw over the field at 1,000 feet practicing s.lips. Wicl, full left aileron and right rudder ic came do\111\ at an excrerne :ingle of yav.• -and a pretty good deseenr race. Knowing chat I oo"ld slip it, more or less, I planned my landiog with an aircraft :ipproach in a hang glider pattern. This rurned out to place me way too high, so [ h;1d co do abou1 two 360's on the crosswind leg co adj1c~t my height for rhe final leg. Though fur from standard technique for sailplanes, it served me well, preventing me from landing in the next oounty. 1still had to slip it in, and more as a result of beginner's luck than technique J touched down within 50 fccc of where I started. l ,hen rolled another 200 feet before stopping. Pretty near. The pilot's Aying positiion is more or less supine or ":l!mchair" as l once flew hang gliders and now fly paraglideis. Aftcc landing I rcali1.ed that l wMn't tired. T he "little glider thai could" was remad<.:ibly easy to fly. 1 had many things to do ar Suo 'a' Fun. 1was part of d,e pro• gram <::1ch day, and w-,nted ro sec the <lispl:iys. Walking around, I came across a very small display which consisted ofa be.,utiful Pterodactyl Ascender 11 and a c:anl rable with a number of Pterodactyl parts carolog.< on it. I kepr an eye on the roble and eventually a gencleman sac down there. 1 went over to ask, and found that he was Dave Froble and cl,e present-day P.,pa Dae, being the current distributor of Pccrodacryls and parts. I asked how the flying was, and it turned out mat he didn't like flying in the traffic there. I voluncecr<d co fly his plaJ,e, mostly in jest, and the next dung I knew he was pushing the pbne out to !he flight line at a ropid pace. I didn't want co mention rhat l hadn't flown a Dae since I broke my arm rour years lx:fore2, bu, it seemed like the only honorable thing to do. Tilis didn't fuze him, and soon 1 was winging around the pattern. After Oying it again chc next day we scarced talking about using a Prerodaccyl as a Pmg3. an idea! liked since 1 alre"dy had one ac

home. Yeah, you ask, buc this article is about Super Floaters. not Pterodactyls. Well, I'm gen.ing there. Sun 'n' Fun came to an end. I had flown hang gliders, paraglidcrs, " Pterodact)'I, and che world's only Super Floater. I had seriously cotnn1irccd aviation, and I had to admit chat my miod kepc coming back to the Super Floater. I thougbc abour Super Floaters. I dreamed about Supcc Floaters. l scl,cmcd about Super Floaieis. One thing kept ooming back to me: d,erc are approximately 220,000 pilots in che U.S. quali6cd co fly Super Floaters wichout further training. So within a rew weeks I had plunked my money down for Super Floater 119 in the ftrSt produccion run. Wind Walker Aviation, the Super f loater maoufacmrcr, seemed co believe chat the fim production glider would be out the door by about June 15, but the realities of complete load resting, some minimal redesign and production macl1ining moved the es,imared completion dace to August l 5. Mcau,vhile, I had co .sc<:ure a noc-so-smaU trailer chac could carry rhc glider. The trailer turned out to be available only di=rly from the fuct0ry in Elkhart, Indiana, where I wenr co pick it up. Meanwhile, the facrory \\SIS fme tuning the design and honing their produccion line in Mountain Green, Utah, in the old UP Internacional fitccory building, with the new Blue Sky Aviation company. My glider still wasn't ready but my trailer was big enough for two Super Floaters, so l said, "What rhe heck!" and ordered anorhcr one. Meanwhile I was feverishly updating my oU Prerodaccyl Ascender which I buil.t from a kit in 1981. Flying wires, rusty bolrs and rotten wooden plugs in the airframe were aU replaced. I builr a launch dolly and began 1owi11g my buddies, who were all extremely enthused about aerotow afm a visit by Hungary Joe and his DragonAy. My goal was to be able co row ,he Super Fl,mer as soon as I had it in band. Jack McComack, the original Papa Dae, paid us a visit and pi:onounced my Ptug airv.•orchy. but it needed a litde 1nore horse-po,vet. In the meantime I was promised that my cwo Super Floaters would be ready by the first pare of December, so 1 made plans For a H ANG GLIDING

The Super Floater under tow at Sun 'n' Fun. Photo courtesy Seattle Filmworks.

trip to Mountain Green. My son, a friend of his, and I drove to Utah in 25 hours flat. We left Friday morning, and by noon on Saturday I was climbing into Utah's skies behind a Dragonfly piloted by Dick Cheney himself, the driving force behind the production of the Super Floater. I had been told to fly the glider without rudder, and tried it, but found myself yawing back and fonh. I finally discovered that it is best to keep one's feet firmly planted on the rudder pedals but not move them, and fly only with the stick. It was smooth as glass . My solid-white plane was specially equipped with a BRS rocket attached to a High Energy Sports Quantum 550 reserve, and this was the glider I pla1med to fly for many years. Ir was prerry clear that I hadn't made a mistake. The latest production plane flew even better than the protorype. With 3,500 feet of paved runway I didn't bother to spot land it, but just greased it in and rolled it back about 1,000 feet. It was clear that I would have to take pains to land it on the spot or I would really go floating down the rw1way. I spent the next four days fining the gliders to the trailer, with a side trip or two to the Point with my son and his friend to fly hang gliders and paragliders. Finally I got to fly glider number rwo, and Dave Chapman towed me to 3,400 feet where I could see to rhe other side of the mountains. I wrung it our, flying all over the valley. My Ball M50 showed a sink from 120 to 140 £pm, with an occasional dip when I decided to go speeding around instead of min-sinking it. I had launched downwind, but was advised to land upwind and downhill at the far end of the runway, as landing downhill would cause me to float a long way and they didn't want me to overshoot. A5 ir happened, I practiced my slip and the long way was the distance I had to walk the plane back after landing right at the end. Ir turns out that in light winds ir is really easy to roll the glider around, bur you do feel like you are handling a sailplane instead of a hang glider. I also got to fly John Heiney's personal 142 Predator. Ir's a really nice ship. The next day we loaded the planes and split back to Texas, my trailer packed with two Super Floaters, four hang gliders and three ]ULY 1996

paragliders. Too bad I couldn't get W ind Walker's Dragonfly in there too, bur I suppose they would have noticed that it was missing. Weather kept me from flying the Super Floaters, but I kept getting e-mail messages from San1 Marrin who had the very first production Super Floater hangared at Wallaby Ran ch. One message indicated that he had flown for fo ur hours the previous day. Darned Florida pilots. In Florida there really is lift everywhere. The history of the Super Floater is just undeiway, and th ere will be many more stories to tell. T his plane flies well - probably substantially better than the best current hang gliders, bur nor as well as the Carbon Dragon or modern sailplanes. Bur that's not exactly what it's all about. Like the sailplane pilot with thousands of hours in glass competition ships said after he flew the Super Floater at Sun 'n' Fun, "I can't remember when I've had more FUN flying. "

Stayed tuned next month fo r a flight review ofthe Super Floater. - Ed. 1 ref.: Hang Gliding magazine, April 1994, "Scooter Mania" 2 ref.: Hang Gliding magazine, November 1991 , "1-800-BIGFALL" The author and Super Floater at 3 Jack McCornack, the original Sun 'n' Fun '96, Lakeland, Florida. Papa Dae, designed the Prerodacryl Photo by Dave English. Prug to tow hang gliders in 1980, bur went on to release it as the kcender, a popular single-place ultralight. ref.: USUA Ultralight Flyer, 1980-1995, in the Skywriter Column. •

Miller, Pilot:

Date:

Glider:

Cause:

Frank Sauber 68 'Liylor Farm 'Ji-aining Hill, Fredericksburg, Virginia April 28, 1996 Pacific Airwavc Formula 17 "still low airtime, tow sign·off on a payout winch Lockout on tow? Downwind srall? "Massive i111crnal Unknown 0

'] 'he pilot and a tow operator were using an experimental stationary winch system, reportedly 11tifoing a motorcycle engine. On the first tow a bicycle release was used and three tries were required before the glider released. On the second tow a string three·ring circus release was used. The pilot also said that he wanted to remain lower. "Ar 50 feet Frank got into a ld'r lurn for reasons unknown. 'The operator thinks 1·hat Frank may have been filr the release. 'The turn went uncorrected until Frank was 180° from his original flight path." 'T'he winch operator does not believe rhe glider locked om. Ar some point in the turn the tow operaror reduced power on the winch. The glider impacted the ground nose first. After attempts to revive the pilot failed, the tow operator went for help. The pilor was pronounced dead 011 arrival ar a local hospital. T'lie above information has been assembled from second- and third-hand reports. An offlcial accidem rcpon on this incident has nor yet hccn received.

Pilot:

\X/illiarn O'Brien

Site:

lJic Pass gap near Williams, c:olorado

Date: Glider:

Cause:

I!, 19%

WW Super Sport l ntcrmcd iare, imcnsive Cl'OSS··C:Olllltry and mon11rnin experience in the previons two years J:Jew into a roror? Head, internal, legs One leading keel, control frame

The pilot was flying cross-country wirh friends 011 his first flight of the season in moderate to strong conditions. I Ic had flown five to miles and was struggling to cross a gap in the range. He might have been trying to fly as for as friends who had !au nched earlier and miks downrange. landed As observed hy his driver, the pilot suddenly rurned and impacted the side oF the about 50 feet below and behind the top, abom IJOO foet above the valley floor. Afrer failing to a response on rhe radio, die driver for help on a ce1\u. br phone. The imp:1c1 sire w;is a 60° shnle scree slope devoid of vegetation ending in a 1()() .. friot sheer cliff with a river below. Without enough rope to safoly anchor rescue personnel, and without: any motion observed from the pilot for over :30 rnin.· mes, a decision was made to wait for more rope and assistance. '] 'he wind cominued to move the glider around as boats and rescue divers were positioned in the river. The glider slipped intermittently down rhe slope until it: eventually foll into the river below. 'I 'he pilot was pulled frorn the water within a couple of minutes. lnspecrion by a paramedic indicated that the pilot almost certainly died on impact. No attempt ar resuscitation was made. ANAIYSIS Speculation is that the pilot was attempt· to soar thermals from a southwcst-·foc-

ing slope. Condi1ions were moderate at launch, bl!t became increasingly stronger and more difficult as the day went on. The thermals were srnall and drifted rapidly, and the: crossing wind turned stronger and more northerly, becoming even northeasterly at times. 'Ihe pilot was either working the lee side intentionally or had not figured out that the wind direc· tion had changed during the flight. The reporters state that the pilot either encountered a rotor or was dumped out of a thermal while working dose to the slope. A second inspection a couple of days afrer rhe incident strengthened the theory that: he encountered a rotor, based on his probable position when he was turned into the hill. The reporters also felt that rhe pilot might have been attempting ro glide out to rhe landing zone. "The incidem appc:.irs to he the result of a combination of several factors. First, the pilot was flying low in rotor conditions. T'hcre were large, flat, fandable fields within an easy glide of where the pilot impacted. Either he didn't realize he was in lee-side conditions or he gambled that he could catch a thermal and get back up. :,c·co11e1, he was trying to fly as far as his friend. Ir appears he stayed too long, roo low, and too close to rhe hillside in lee cond irions. "Third, the pilot had not flown in many and had just finished final exams. Conditions were fairly demanding. Perhaps rhe months since last flying and the finals adversely affected his judgment. "We have had two deaths at Williams in the 1x1st three yens. Both occurred early in the season, It may be that pilots need to be a bit more conservative afrcr a win., rer oflinle or no flying."

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS l think this type of' fatality will be the hardest to red11cc. It will ;ilways he difficult for cross-country pilots to develop consistently correct flight plans and make the right decisions when faced with changing condi1ions :md terrain. 'The hest recornmemlation J can make is to set your flight parameters conservatively, he as well prepared as possible, and constandy review yom decision.,making process. •

HANC GIIDINC

I IANC c;LJDJNC ADVISORY Used should always be disassembled before flying for tlic lirst time and insl'cctcd carefolly for bent or dented downt!lhcs, ruined hllshillgs, hem bolts (espc· ci,tlly the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc n11ts, loose thim hies, li-aycd or rusted cables, with non-circular holes, and ou flex wings, sails

1orn or torn loose

firnn their :111clror poin<S fi·ont and back on die keel and edges. If in doubt, many hang gliding lrnsincsscs will be happy to give an objecrive opinion on the condition of equipment you them to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek profossional instruction from a USHGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

DOUBLE VISION $I/JOO. Flies great. Red, white & blue, good condition, never whacked! Contact ( ;reg (91 'J) 153-li800 or I )cW0Jf7(alaol.com DOlJBLl, VISION -- Custom rainbow sail, excel· lcm conditio!l, wheels $1,4')5. (805) 162-165/i.

I !PAT 158 ~· Mint, excellent condition, di homs, only $1,9')5. Brand new 1./l) harness, fits (,'ii" 18021 Olh pilot, w/BRS $675. Ball 652 loaded $.150. Yaesu l'Tli 11 ,j;,125. l'irst $:3,200 takes all. Call Doug Marbourg ('50'i) ')8.Ll57/i home, (505) 665-172') work.

llRFAM 2?.0'S

HPAT 158

40hrs/l 20hrs, great condition

Nice! $750. (31 O) 393-M9/i.

$ I ,'500/$1,200. (719) 539.5900. Kl.ASSJC 166 DREAMS CLEARANCE SALE All sizes, $900 $1,500. Ravrn Sky Sports (111) li'73 .. 8800. FALCONS 110, 170, 195, 225 new and used. Wallaby Ranch (941) li21i-00'70.

30 hours, winglcts $2,950 OBO.

(805) 6/ili-886/i.

MAC[C: JV 166 l'ttll race. excellent condition, I l,our airtime since last supcrprcflight $400. (408) 22ii-li378.

FLEX WINGS AIRBORNE BLAD!,: 153 Race upgrades, heallti· fid sail, [;reat halldling and performance, extra down· t11bcs $2, I 00 OBO. Call Al (208) 522-2ii23 Idaho. AIRBORNE SIIARK, Bl.ADE RACE, STING, BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. THE WALLABY RANCH (9/il) 121-00'70. AIRBORNF Bl.ADE RACE J.'\2 ~-· Ii exrra down· rnbes, ') months old, liO hours. Fxccllem condition. Asking $3,000. (60.'l) 6Y5-200'J (I[), (508) 68/i-6560 (W), rnrson(alf1 p.com. COM ET 1(,5 Cood novice intermediate $250. VC I 000 harness $250. C,03) 8•i0,Tl07. Cre,H shape. The hesr climbing glidever. $1,liOO. (208) 529-210(,.

DOUBLE VISIONS & FI.Y2

New and used.

Wallaby Ranch ('Jli I) li21i -0070.

FALCON 195 New, zero airtime, immaculate, trade or o(frr. (.'l<,O) }'lH-3011.

MACH: KISS

J:Al.CONS CLEARANCE SALF. ·· School use, one season. All sizes $1,500-$2,500. (Ii iii) 173-8800.

liO homs, speedb:H, wheels, cocoon MARK !V 1'J harness, one new Airtime pod w/ncw clrnte, Ball vario $1,900. (llO) 597-1Ti8.

FLY TWO '95 PacAir tandem glider, one season, Lop shape $2,'JOO. (Ii 14) 17.1-8800. !:CW.MULA llt!i 6/i homs, excellent glider. Must sell $1,(,00. ('i IO) 6.32-5670. !!PAT lli5 .._ Clic-cLrc bar, 3 extra downtnhes, extra bascbar, years old, good condition. Asking $1,000. (603) 6J5 . . 2009 (I!), (508) 684-6560 (W), cnson~i'lft p.com.

[·!PAT 158 Very good condition, <50 homs, rein .. forced airframe $'700. (818) 360-')028. HPAT 158 Great condition, new sidcwircs & just tuned. This is an awesome glider $1,000 OBO. (208) '726 1217.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM

!'lies great $900. (71 'J) 687'JTi.1.

Swiss tubing, small control MOYF.S XS:-1 lli2 frame, approx)()() homs, grear condition, BARGAIN price $1,500. Call Frika (8 J 8) 887-3361. MOYES XS 155 .. With Coby fins, dO homs, very good condition $1,350. Dan Armstrong (805) 822· 8852 e-mail: danarmstro<ri\,ol.corn

MOYES XS!! 1 - Very good condition, dW hours, white w/bluc undersnrfoce, recent tune-up by Moyes California $1,500 OBO. Cl l 0) li29-80:B. MOYES XS 155 -·- Two for $2,600 or sold separate· ly. (Ii !Ii) ii73-8800.

Number of months;

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: per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, fJ.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or WGb address: 3 words) line art $15.00 (1.75" maximum) 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date ol the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August 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:

MARK IV 19

SECTION rJ Flex Wings IJ Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders O Videos

IJ Towing IJ Schools & Dealers IJ Ultralights IJ F1igid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations IJ Wanted J Harnesses

Begin with issue and nm for-.............-.... - ...consecutive issuo(s). My lJ chock, U money order is enclosed in the amount of$ NAME: ADDRESS:

Number of

@$.50

Number of

.00

]1JJYl9%

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

MOYES XT 14 hours, very good shape $2,500. Ball 65?. deck vario $}00. (619) 466-:371 MOYES XTRALITF 137 New, custom blue &. white sail $4,000. Pro Design 2:l, 25 homs $1,800 OBO. Larry Walls (505) B21-li794. MOYES XTRAUTF lli7 50 hours, great condition, free delivery within Calif. $2,700. (108) 6951. '! hours, 10 flights, still MOYES XTRALITE Ili7 crispy, perfect condition, indoor storage $/i,000. (Ii lli) %76538.

SPORT EURO

SPORT EURO 150

VISION l'Ul.SF 11 METER 1.ikc 11cw, two hours, bc;1utifid rnstom sail ~l ,950. color harness with reversible inside ere-like new $395. New reserve chntc Take rbc whole shoo1i11' match for $2,li90 ($'.WO savings). Call Byron (:j60) :3%-!i 11 'i.

SPORT EURO !67

Raven Sky Sports (Ii l Ii) 17.l--8800.

maintained by Ii 57.4684.

Black Hash spectrum rop & bottom, mint condition $1,liOO. (li08) 246, 1286.

'J'rndcd. Excellent condition, very crisp sail, low homs. Energy parachmc, Wills \Ving cocoon harness, Roberts vario, extras. J\11 or part. Srnokin' deal! (602) 759 121 SPORT EURO 167 $1,500. (602) 51i5712.I.

MOYES XTRAI.ITE 117 ~ Mylar sail, excellent condition $2,200. (619) li65 8263. MOYES XTRAUTE XS, XS3, XT, XL. New and nearly new. J\vailahlc immediately. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. THE WALLABY RANCH (9/il) li21i 0070. PROl'll.E J 66 --- Excellent intermediate glider in cxcellrnt condition. A steal at $1,000 OBO. ('508) li70--0988 or puck(;j)na.cnct.or.jp

PUT .SE 1OM Excellent condition, low hnms, great cnlors. M,rntis harness, PD/\ chute, Ball vario & more. $),7'}'), (805) (,/i9-li098. PULSE 1OM Brand new, never flown. Blne, green & white $.,,000. (li08) /iii}- I 336. PULSE JOM Fxccllcnt condition, 25 honrs, blne/hh1e/pmplc $1,900. (80 I) )5fi ..6 I Ii I. l'Ul.SF. I IM <10 homs, new condition. (;Jidcr, harness, paracltmc $2, 'iOO. (7.06) ),()![ .. 9757_

RAM AIR I /i6 Ii O homs, cxccllcn t rnnd irion, asymmetrical undersmfocc, beautiful, free delivery within Calif $2,500. (li08) 252H)5J.

Half race, orange diamond 11ndcrsmfocc. Metirnlously $1,200 OBO. Cinny (Ii I 5)

Ex.cond., harness, chmc

F11II ran\ great co11dirion! Also pod harness Ball vario and helmet. /\II for $2,000. (7 I'!) lt88-:JO'J I.

SPORT 167 Cood condition, floats inclnded $600. Training wheels, never nsed $20. Mnst sell. have baby! (60 I) 85:l 2111 Mississippi.

SlJPERSPOR'J' l 1i:l One owner, lilac,'\/ magenta, crisp sail, folding specdbar, ?. dowrrtubes $1,800. (') 16) 283 30/i<, day, (916) 28.l lil I evenings.

SUl'l'.RSPORT Iii3 - Beamifid condition, low airtime, llicsgrcat $1,900. (801) 25fi .. (,J/ii.

SlJPERSl'Olff 1',:l - I')')5, :Vi homs, still crisp & fresh, all white wired bonom wedge $2,'5'50. (619) li81i75%. · Excellent condition and ;t joy to fly. Blue, yellow and white w/hcavy cloth traili11g edge, homs, extremely well cared for and rnnse1va, rively flown. Complete inspection in Ja11. 9(,, not flown since. $2,250 01\0. Also to sell: Knee- hanger harness, PVC: storage tnhc for glider. (Ii 15) li88-1971

RJ\Mi\IR J![6 Exccllenr condition, Pendulum Spons logo $1,'700. Kevin (970) 259-:l:l51i.

har. Blue J.E, weekends (91 'J) 851-3754 NC.

RAMAIR 15/i Excellent condition, fastest glider around, awesome colors, extra ribs $2,500 OBO. (61 ')) /i18-5786 hangdvndave0 1aol.com

SUPF.RSPORT 1(,3

,,)() hours, flies perfectly, very fosr. RAM/\ lR 15/i Bright colors $3,000. (505) 8)2-90 I '7.

SUPERS PORT I (l.3 Excellc11r condition, I ')91 model $1,500. (619) 631-:1815 S.CaliL

SENSOR(,101' 15/i Demo, like new, available now-110 6 month wait. Retail $1,800, demo price $3,800. Won't last long! Call (518) 623-.17')8.

SUl'ERSl'ORT 16:l 10 hours aini1m, cxcellc111 co11dition $),500 OBO. UI' Comet 185-airworthy and solid $350. \"X!ills Wing Z.1 harness, 5'8'' IO", wirh chute, swivel and 11cw hridlc $600. ()()<)) Tl6 'Vi:lO.

SKYllJ\WK urn Ball vario, foll face helmet, cocoon harness w/parachurc. $1,600 all (or pan). (!H) 528--71(,8.

XC: 112 Light ha11dling. easy landing, as new $/i,000 (liO!i) '59/i-2'5\0. FM ERG ENCY PJ\RJ\Cl I UTFS Al.I. llRJ\N])S Bought, mid, and rep;1ckcd Inspection and repacl, $25-$.l5. l'arachmcs, bridles, inspccrcd and replaced, insrnlled. /\IRTIME 01' SAN l'R/\NClSCO, :l(,20 Wawona, San Frnncisco, CA 9/i I I/,. (It J ·j) SK Y-11 2/i CORF !'I)/\

With swivel for tandem $550

OBO. (Ii I Ii) li7l8HOO

I IJ\RNFSSES (;(;J()OO llscd once, l,rnnd new condition for lcmale or small pilot $:l'iO. (3 I 'i) li92-1020. CI.OUDBASE lli\RNESSFS

<)u:rliry harnesses,

gn:ar prices! Discounts on varios and

Buy

direct and save. l'rod11ccr of ULTR/\M ITTS. Chris Smith (/06) l'JH<o%1i. COMl'ORTABI.F TRJ\ININC 11/\RNFSSFS Fully strong, light, durable. Four sizes. Cd! l .,rnd, Sea & J\ir U l 'i) fi<J;,.. I 020. I 1/\RNFSS

Brackets, soli pod type hrncket, churc, deal. (508) 35'! 8 I 50.

Low airtime, two avaibhlc $1,995 & $2,IJOO. Also IIE pod fc,r 5'10"-(,'2" $750. (619) 286-560/i.

$),800. New /A (602) %61i671.

I.AZER $769 JETS'J'RFJ\M $'789 Both harnesses arc with the same body. The dilfrrenccs arc in the spreader fram,·s rhe 1.a/.n being flexihlc ;111d the Jet stream a foll back-frame "comp" harness.

Sl'FCTRUM 11/i Absolute mint condition, <2 boms, faired downtnbes, spcedhar, all the extras, blue/yellow/white $2,:lOO OBO will ship. Call Michael (810) 659N)7J.

TRX 160 - Cood co11di1 io11 $ I ,200. (61 <J) "/88 · 21i12.

Via a conversion either harness can he convened to 1hc other (you vir11wlly get two harnesses in one). Airtime oi" San h:tncisco (Ii I 5) 759-11 (It I '5)

Sl'FCTRUMS & VISIONS Bought-Sold· J'radcd. Ravcn Sky Sports (,j 1/i) li73-8800.

VISION l<'.CI.Il'SE 1') Very low hours, garage stored, mint $ J,000 OllO. (205) 2'j.-j J288 Alabama.

75') . I I 82, c -mail: air1imc~1lrnobi11s.net

HANC GIIDINC

1"FFD SAIL ONI.Y !•or UP Cemini I 8/i. I.ow homs only plc,lS(:. call llrad Lindsay ((,02) 8(,3,-9909.

& several other sizes to choose Cocoons, many sizes $7.00 each. (,i iii) liTHl800.

TRJ\UF OLD ACOUST!C CUlT/\R

MOYES CUSTOM !'OD Slidin~ hang poi111, hlue/ydlow, good co11di1io11, fos ro 5'10" $200. ('JOii) 611i.-S282.

l'/\RAGlJDERS

And dohro

for glider and h:1rncss for 6'/WOlh man. (2 l 9) 273-1633. SCHOOLS & DEALERS

CH/\NDELLF SAN FRANCISCO, INC. Complete hang gliding and paragliding sales, service and instrunion since I 9Tl. Nnnhern Californi;i's most New and used eq11i1>· mcn1 and clinics and rnndcm lessons. l 595 fl. Ste F, San Rafocl CA 91i90l, (lil'i)CUlllNC.

/\l.ABJ\M/\

1';\!U\(;l,fl)LRS $(,00-$1,000 for your old equip· mcnr. New Pcrchc, /\pm, ltv, more. JS/\ (718) /000 phom·lfos.

RlGID WINGS FLEDCF 2A And Fledge Ii\ with extras. Both f,,r hes! offer over$ I ,000. ((,01) ).99-.178'i. SUPFRPLOATER ULTRA! .IC! IT SAILPLANE Two in srnck, available for test !lights, /\llcn TX (nea1 Dallas). (7, 1Ii) 9% T/06 weekdays, ().1/i) :l'lO ')()'JO

CIOlJllll/\SE CORP. dha Rocket Ci1y /\irspons. Sales, rrn1als, service and certified im1rnctio11 at Keel Moumain, Curley, /\Lihama. l'cir i11l,nma1ion send SASE and $1 to PO !lox li7.2, Curley AL 357/iB. ()O'i) 8HO 8512, (205) T7(,.'J9 l 2.

U)OKU\JT MOUNTAIN Fl.lCl ff Pi\Rf< ~· Sec ad undn Ccorgi;1.

ARIZONA

in the west! Full service hang g/1d111glpara1;ll<J1ng shop, established 197/i. PO !lox l:U9, Sama Barbara

CJ\ 9.3110 1WJ, (805 J 965-'.3733. THE !!ANG GUDJNC CENTER l.oca1ed in bc,1111ifol Sall Diego. USf JCA insrrnc1ion, cquipmenl rcmals, local flying 1011r.1. Sprnd your winier vacation flying with us. We proudly offrr Wills Pacific Airwavc, H Energy, Ball and Ma11ufac111rcrs DROGUF CHUTE. PO Box JO!i9, Lakeside CA 920IJO, (Gl')) 561-1009.

cve1iing<; & weekends.

SWIFT

For sale as of' August ]st'')(,. Excellent condition, llies s11pcrhly, never been crasbed $9,000. lncl11dcs delivery) one day Cree lcsso111 J1l'W hox, paint,

extras. Cd! Now! (505) 82.2 ')() 17.

U ITR/\11 CI ITS /\EROTOWINC MOUNTAINEER TRIKE

I Ok

or 8k if s1ar1i11g 10w club in l'lorida pa111·l1ar1dl,c.

Conran Jim ('JOii) 71i/l871h, (904) )/J'i.OOO(iw. AFROTOW TRIKF.S t:ml, new, rns10111 li11il1. Ccniflcd trikclinp, m1i11ing available. Brad Lindsay (60}) 8(,:l,')'J()').

Bllll D/JiLY Your own BACKPACK POW. ERED P/\R/\CI !UTE fin fim/profit. Takes off from level ground 1Jnassis1ed. Safe, simple, 111c:xncns1vc. !lctailcd hook wi1h sonrces. Now 011lv I 'J.9'i. F.asy\Jp, I 089 Medford Center //2/ilig, Medford OR 97'i01i. l11rp://www.wavc.11etlcasy11pl

FUG!lT DESIGNS TRIKF

·10 hours on liOhp

Kawasaki) clcnric start, g,1ugcs, rcdw.:1ion, strobe $1,fWO li.S. ('519) •i?'i 6062.

ARIZONA HANG GLIDING CENTER INC. W" arc a foll time, HJJ.L SERVICE hang gliding shop loca1cd jnsr min111es fro111 rhc BEST site in Arizoo:i, J\~rnmtain. We have the most com" prchcr1-;;ivc l raJning program availahlc and crn 1cach yon to he II SAl'E pilot in less time! \Y./c stock gliders, harncssi·s and ins1rn111ems li·om Wills, Pac/\ir, Moyes, Flytcc, ll;ill, lligh F.nergy, cc; and many more! We JJccd your tr;idc"·in.s. Ccnificd instruuor Rob Richardson. 353 FLY /\BLF DA VS I.AST YEAR! 5/2 l-2ll Robcn Road !'remit t Valley/\/, 8('5 I Ii 520-772/il !Ii ARKANSAS

SO-BRF TRIKF

K,1was:1ki, Aprn wing, lvo 1>rop, ins1rn111c111s, 1wo 1>lacc, llRS, cxce1J1ion,il $':i,800 OBO (619) ,1/iR-798\

TRJl<F TRAIN/NC 7000 ,,honclfox.

0/AIU< MOlJN'L\IN J !/\NC CLIDF.RS Saks, service and ins1rnc1ion. I (,0 Johnston Rd, Searcy AR 721 lil. ('iO I) 27'J .. )/i80. ( :/\UFORNIA

TUK/\N TlnI<EIJU./\ '.i(U Ro1ax, 185 Drc:am wing, in.murncnls, ,·xcep1ional $ I O,'iOO OBO. (G 19) /ili8··/')83.

/\IWFNTURES lJNl.lMITED Orange C:011111y's school. US] IC/\ cc:nilicd ins1ruc1ion and 1anspccialis1. New & used equipment, Wills Wing dealer. (711) /i')(, .. 8()00.

JUIY 1996

i\lRT!ME OF S/\N l'R/\NCfSCO llANG GI.ID ING & P/\R/\GLIDING. l larness 111;11mf:1rn1rcr and repa11 dem.

I lang

par,q\liding

lns1ruc1or Roh McKenzie. By appnintmc111 year round. (')O'J) 8B3-M88.

l'l/1.l. SERVICE Sf 101' f.orntcd at the base of 1hc n1m111tain on I lwy '?Ii. Dealers of Moyes, llli1c Sky /\ircrafi, l'ac/\ir, llall, I Energy, Avon'\ & more. Call for free art':l in/,, Open daily. Rentals av,1il · able. Visa & Mastncard accepted. 909-674-2453

WANTED LOOKlNC FOR J\ SPO!',iSOR W,1111 10 ily state at a disco1Jnt pri,T? We have: several late f,,r a dc:,11! Be an advanced rated pilot agree to leave advertising in place for as long as you own i1. Call Jim :u (/19) 5:l'J-5900,

HIC:11 ADVENTURE

school. Fquipmcnt sales, service, at Southern California's mile high si1e, C:resiline. l/S!J(;;\

US! !CA

ins1rnc1ion, 11111·

and hang gliding Next ro Furr Fu11S1011. The

lt11l service shop in San hancisco! 3620 Wawona, San Francisco CA ')Ii I l <,. (,j I 5) 759-11 T/.

3140.t Riverside lk Lake Elsinore, 92530

MACIC AIR / ,oca1ed in Noribcrn scr vice. lJSJ JC:/\ cc:ni/,cd towing ins1r11ctio11. Landing and 1bcrrnal clinics. (707) %5-M 11, (701) 963-:lli'55.

THE HILL wrrH IT!

055, fox (li08) 2G2 I l88,

MS(:J I( ;vilaol.corn www.h,mg-gliding.nim

& Most i',X\l\Ttcnccd Acrntow

Parl,

YE/\R ROUND SOJ\RING FOUR' rues 8 MlLFS FROM DlSNEY/ORlANDO

Ollr comprehensive insnuction program, locared al the ]by Area's training site, features

sloped "!111nny " winch rnwi11g, superlitc and comfort:ihlc training harnesses! "l'IRST FLJGI IT," ;t video of our son program, is for only $20 ping (111r1y bt tl/'f!lird to Our deluxe retail shop in hang gliding innovadous. We .slnck new, used and dc1no, \Xli!Js and l'ac1\i1 Trade-ins arc welcome. he! free to demo the ocw h;1rncs.ses in our cnstnn.1 simularor' I 11 (, W;iy, lvlilpius (nmr S,m Jose)

The

QJ_>_lill_ '7 DJ\ YS A WEEK

WE ll/\VI'. The most advanced known 10 gliding, teaching yoll in ir takes on m1ining·BllNNY 1111.L, and with more in f1ight air time. YES, WE CJ\N TEACH YOU FASTER !\ND S/\H',R. For year round 1r:1ining fon in rhe sun, call or write Miami l lang Cliding (:lO'i) 28'i,8')78. 2.MO S Bayshorc Drive, Coconnt Crovc, l'lorida :,:) I :n.

Demos: 201 NICE RENTALS to try X,ralirc, XC. l<lassic, Black Race', XS:,, XT, XL L1minar, Prcdaror, Sting, Buzz, MKlV, Fakon S11perfloatcr, Fie. Ages

/Ill instructors Advanced Rared &

Tandem, Tandem J nst rnction: Beginner to Advanced all day, every day.

Crear scene for Family and Friends. ratings, XC retrievals. Rentals, sales, Camping, Nice climbing wall, trampoline\ plng pong, Mcga"·Bt111gc<>5wing, picnic, swimrning pool, ci-c.

TR!JF FLTGIIT HANG GLJl)!NG SCHOOL DONJ\l.D QU/\CKFNBUSII has dw only shop at world fomous Mo11nt,1in, l.os Angeles. of' hang

Duration 6 homs 3/i mimllcs.

Vacation training, inclnding lodging gliders and eqnipmcllt, new in your old cq1npmc·nt. sunny each year. Come /'ly Victory Van Nuys CA 'Jl/i()C,, bx (818) ')88. 186?..

Read about us in l IANG GU DIN(; Oct. I9'J'i I</TPL/\NES J;rn. 1'JtJ'5, & the Web: htrp://www.wallaby.com

JNTRODUC:FS QlJEST /\JR SOJ\RJN(; CENTER. Come Fly with t!w Original DRAGONFLY TEAM I.cam to l lang Glide with swc-orrhc-·,trt tandem eq11tp,nH.:ilt ,md get a minimum of'(, 10 8 hours

Stare of' the Art • ( '.onservarivc • Reliable

COLORADO GOLDEN WINGS -- Lessons, sales, service. l/SHCJ\ ccni(icd instrncrors. Dc·alcrs for Moyes, Wills Wing, Blue Sky Aircrnfi Co. and Pac/\ir. ]5/i() I W. 9th J\vc., Coldc11 CO B(ViO I. (:lO:O) X/8 7181.

QUILT l'l.l< ;J !T s:i ln ;1 nd .service, ( :olorndo

Blue Sky

CONNECTJCUr MOLJNTJ\IN WINCS

area. Please ask 11.1 for references in \ 80'5 Dean Still Road, Wallaby (94 l) t\2.fi..0070 Ranch phone & fax.

l.ook under New York.

FLORID/\ CR/\ YlllRD /\IRSPORTS IN<: US! I< ;j\ & l/SlJA certilied instrue1ion. Beginner rhru adv:111ced hang glider pilot tandem aerotow training & r,uings. USlJA ultm, light pilot rhrn basic instrnctor uaining & :l axis sricktinw l<>t Snpcrlloatcr or lnstrnction / days a week by :tppointment. all major /light and acrotow I minutes from Sihrcr l l)isneyworld. c::rll c;rcgg n.rv1cr,:rm1:c

can accelerate your tllc:rn1al1ng randem soaring flight in prime time air! fishing and swimming av;1iL-ihlc, also close i-o C:cmral Florida Auracrions. lntercsrcd in a TlJG P!L()'I" Come bun to lly the JS;111Jc11/ l\~ovcs Aero on one of' the in Central withtwo2100 runwaysand over 81) acres ol' wide open Find om how you can get your own Aero Tow or Flight Par!< sutrred. Moyes Microlights Assembly and Training Faciliry 011 site, FOUR NEW TUGS IN STOCK. Hobby l\ailcy, Campbell llowcn :md Russ Brown arc USU/\ and \JSHC/\ Cl'11il1ed Tandem lnstrnctors. GLIDER & EQUIPMENT SALES /\NO SERVICE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK CALL FOR MORE INl'O (90/i) li29-0213.

F.H.C. lNCil'LYINC FLORlD!\ SlNCE 1')'7ii Malcolm Jones, l hvid Clover, Rhen Radford, Austin Collins, Tom Ramseur, Ryan ( ;lover 1.\/ Jim Applc:ton GEORG[/\

WEFKLY CABIN RFNTJ\I.S At Lookout. Call Creg Clover at The L:mding I -800"803-7'788.

l.ODJ<OUT MOUNTAIN Fl.IC! IT l'J\RI< Sec ad nndcr ( Nearest moun1;1in training ccnte1 to ( )rLrndo is homs).

HANC Ci IDINC

lOOl<OUT MO\JNT/\lN FLICIIT 1'/\IU< Scv our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilors earn their wings '11 l.ookottt th'1n at ,my otltc1 schooJI We wrote \JSIIC/\'s Official Training M,rnuaL ()ur spccialty-·c11sto111c:r sa1isL1c1ion and fun

wirh rlw BEST FACILITIES, Ltrgest inventory, camp· ing, S\Vimrning, volkyh,~IL more:~ h,r a flying rrip, intro flight or lesson packages, Lookout Mountain, just 011rside C:ha11anooga, your COMPLETE tr,1ining/scrvice ccmcr. Info? (800) 688-LMPI',

NEVADA Sierra tours om ADVENTURE SPORTS US! I(;;\ ccnilil'd school and c11ings. Dealers ;\irwaw, Will., Wing, Blue Sky, Airborne. !'ly rhe Sierras with a litll-service shop. :3650-2} Research Way, C,mon City, NV 89'/06 (702) 88,l-'/070 phone/C1x,

SUSQUEI 1/\NNA l'L!CJ IT P/\RI< - - Cooperstown, NY. Cert if1ed 1nstntction, Sales and Service for all m'1jor m:mufocturers, !iO acre park, 5 rr,1ining hills, jcl'p rides, bunk house, hot showers, (,{)()' NW ridge. We have the best in N. New York state 10 teach you how to rly, Rll 2, Box 348A, ( :oopcrstown, NY 1.1:\H,, (315) 866-615,1.

NEW JERSEY

NORTII CAROLINA

MOUNTAIN WINCS

l.ook under New York.

11/\WAII NEW MEXICO lllRDS OF l'AR/\DISF Jiang gliding & ultralight !lying on K,mai. Ccniflcd tamlvm inSlrmtirm. (808) 822-5)09 or (808) ()l<J .. 1067.

MOUNT;\ll\

Wl'ST l !/\NC (;J,11)1NC

Olfrrillg s,1lcs, :icrvicc, ins1ruction in the Four Corners are:1. Wills Wing, i':JCific Airwavc. ('i()'i) (d2·8lili3

IDAI IO

hll'mington NM.

TRF/\SURF V/\1.1.FY 11/\N(; C:LIDINC - lligh quality JHoducts from reputable manufacturers, Proudly rcatming Pacific Airwavc, I ligl, Sports, J:\ytcc :rnd more! Sales, service, scrnin;irs & ing info. Boise, Idaho (208) $7(,/ 1)1/i,

UP OVFR NFW MEXICO lnstmctiun, sales, service. Sandia Mo\lntain g\lidcs. Wills, Pacific i\irwavc. /\lhuq11crque, NM (50'i) 821-85/ili.

ILLINOIS RI\ VEN SKY Sl'O RTS Cl 12) 360-0700, Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

America's mosr experienced COROLLA Fl.IC] IT wndcm insrrncror, teaches ul ili,i ng /\TO[, and Double Vision. Call or write for informmion DeWolC Corolla Flight, I'() Box 107.1, I<i1ry NC: 279/i9. ('JI'!) li5:l-li800.

flight Park

WILD BLUE VONDFR NM's only litll 1ime, foll service school ,Y shop. \Xic'vc got ir! /\lb11qnerqnc ('iO'i) AJR-12/iO.

NFWYORK

KANSAS

/\Ai\ l'LICI IT SCHOOi. MOUNTAIN WINGS and EAST COAST PARAGLlDlN(; in l '.llcnvillc NV. MOST PROFESSIONAL r1ai11ing 111 NI' with J 'j years experience./ C11ll iimc inst-ruci-ors, Ii- exclusive training hill:-. We stock available li,r pilors and sell & service AlRWAVF, BLUF SKY, WILLS WING .,nd now MOYES, also SWIFT, SUPERFLOATER and ALL i'ARAGLIDER BRANDS. Unbearable prices on gliders. l'ttll time rowing facility, tauclems, IC!', clinics. We do it all. 1-800 525-7870, (91/i) 6/i/.'U77. l 50 ( ::mal Srrcct, Fl Jen ville NY 12128, OUR FXPERIENCF SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

PR/\lRlE ll/\NC Cl.lDFRS lkd & brc.1H,tsL Full service school & dcaln. Creal tandem ins1ruc1ion, 1mving & XC pacl1c1gcs. l,llb) U)/_!il(l,l,

Serving S. l'JY IIJC:11 ll/\NC Cllll!NC, lNC. New York, Connec1ic111, Jersey ,ncas (Ellenville Mtn.). /\tea's EXCLUSJVI•: Wills Wing ckalcr/spe

M!ClllCAN

cia!ist. J\bo all oilier m,1jor hr;111ds, accessories. Ccnificcl scl10ol/instr11uion. Teaching since 1<)79.

Olli()

NORM LFSNOW'S l'IY\NC AIWl'.NT\JRES Ridge so:uing, towing, (l.rnt-Lumch hang gliders and paraglidns. 1\dv,111ccd \nstru,tor, Fxamincr, Tow Admi11isira1or, lessons. Call Norm (810) ,l')<).i)/i.\3.

/\rc,1 's mos1 IN EXP ENSIVF prices. Fxcellcnt sec ondary instrnction ... if you've finished a program and wish to contin11c. Fly the rnountainl /\TOL lowing! T,,ndem !lights! Coman P,rnl 51 (,'.l Searsville Rd, Pinc Bush, NY 125M,, ('! IIi)

NORTJ I COAST I JAN<; CLIDINC C:crtilied Instruction. Nnv & used gliders. Specializing in P,tcil,c /\irwavc gliders. Mike Del Signore, 1916 W. 75th S1 ., Cleveland, OI !. !iii I 02 (216) 631 11/ili,

INDIANA

JJ MITCHELL

TANDEM. UI', l'aci\ir dealer. <,733 Columbia /\vr ., H:immond, IN !i(,32/i (21 ')) 8/i 5-285(1, l<FNTUCI<IANA SOARJNc;

Sec om display ad.

R/\ VEN SKY SPORTS (Ii I Ii) liJ:$-8800. Plc,m sec our ad under WlSCONSIN.

TRAVERSE C!TY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLID FRS FULL-TIME shop. Ccni!.cd i11s1111ction, foot L:nmch and tow. Saks, service, ;icccssorics for ALL major

hr:inds. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar om /i',O' dunes! 150') F Sth, Traverse City MI /i%8!i. Olfrting powered paraglidinl\ lessons & a distribmor for ilw new japancsc nnit, the WI IIS!'l,R. lk1lcr inquiries wclconte. C11l Bill at ((,16) n7-28/ili. Visit om pat'clf,lidinpchool in Jackson, Wyoming, (:all' l 'racie ,11 (,lOl) Tl9-8(,20.

I!<ARO,<; SPORT AVI/\TJON NYC's only crTti·· Cini hang gliding, paragliding, trikes school. Distrihuwrs for !CARO 7000, AFRO, FINSTl'RWALDFR, APCO, I.A MOlJETTE, COSMOS, MOUNTAINEER TRIKFS, /\IR CREATION ,md more. h,11 service ,rnd equipment al best prices. The most friendly service i11 lire area. For 1996 CATALOG srnd $Ii to IS/\, 58-11 Dir mars l\lYd 111 Ill, Astoria 1':Y 11 I ()'j, Store address: 29-:l l Newtown Aw., /\sroria NY. !'hone/fax (718) ?77-/000.

111

Tandem 1nstruction

Acrotowing

• Boat Towing • l'aragliding • Foot I ,aunch • Moun rain Clinics • Fquiptnent Sales and Service • Open Year Round Beach lksorl (800) 331t-li7l7 Nags Head, NC l n tcrnct Address: h ttp://www, kit t yhawk.com ! :-Mail Address: hang··[',li,lc~1'0111cr-ba1tks.com 0

OREGON /\IRTIMF ORFCON Certified instruction on modern cquipmcnL I.ors of gliders, harnesses, ch111es in s1ock. Dealer /,,r Blue Sky, Moyes. Pac!\ir, WW, I.cc, Rellex, Panoramic, Uvex, C:C, J ligh J,,ncrgy and lots more. Lirgcs1 inventory in the slate. P:1r;1glidc1

instructiou :ind sales. l1ligh1 Design, Pcrchc, UP :ind Ainck rockets and harnesses. Eugene area ph,rnc.llax ('iii 1) ')98-1220.

MJNNESOTA SPURT SO/\RJ NC C:E:-JTim/M I NNF/\l'OJ .IS lns1rucrion, equipment ,kalcrs lc,r Wills \Xiing, P,1cif1c Airwave & EdcL ((, 12) (,f\8-0181.

)1 JLY 1996

SO\JTl lERN ORECON Il!\NC; CLJDINC Certi/,ed instruction, ATV re1ricval. PacAir, Wills Wing, I IFS, Moyes. ('iii I) /i/'l-5H):l,

•

With the USBGA Telecard, you can save 40%- 50%•.. and support the United States Hang Gliding Associationwith every long distance call!

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

send me llSHGA Telooud(s) al $15 each! I Plea,;c (lncludes 20 minutes or airtime) I ~lune I Address City/State/Zip _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ I Phone (__) U5BGA Member # I D Eocloooo ls my check for ($ 15 per card)

0 Bill my D Mastercard D Vls.1

• ~~

I I I I

I Signature I Mall pa1111en1 to USHGA, P.O. Box 8300, Colorado Spring,s, CO 80933·8300, l'<lr I infol'lllation or to order by phone, call (719) 632-8300. Pa.x (719) 632·6417. .J L

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

Order now and ~ct >on·

· 1·

No matter how many long distance calls )'OU make, you·u save money v.1th the USBG.~ Telecard! •The USHGA Telecard s:n-es )'OIi 40%-50% orer standard calling cards...about 25%on lnternauonal calls! • Use your USHGA 1'elecard lo call an}where in the U.S. and 197 counu:ies woddwlde! • You pay only 25 cents a min111e to ca.11 an)where in the U.S., ai111ime...day or nigllt! • Use the convenient toll-free number and )'Our credit card to "recharge" )~ur Telecanl within the hour; or, Set up an auto· matlc recharge on a certain date or when your card reaches a certain minimum balance. •E\-ecy call )'Oil make hel~ support the United States Jiang Gliding ASS-Odatloo! •Throw awa)' your other calling cards and get one for wursclf, your SJ)OLL5e, college S111desits, work associates and other:sl

UNITfO ~TRTf5 HRN6 6UD1N6 ff 550CIRTION, INC.

• No on ear more comfortable than ear-mounts

I Sailplanes and Paraglidcrs c;irnlwr their wings at will. Tile Tramp<'nau Flap'" system, 1101 only boosts your climb-rate, hut also allows slower and a tl1at per smaller concentric turns. You've never forms at such a high level, !1andles this easily.

F srnrn

THIS VIDEO COMBINES THE BEST SHOTS OF THE CLOUOBASc AliOUND THE USA PLUS NEW CROSS COIJNTllY FLYING TO CLOIJDBASE. DANGEl1 SCENIC, TOWING, MEETS ANO GAGGLES. THE BEST SCENES IN 22 MINUTES. ITS DIGITAi. ARTWORK TO GREAT MUSIC.

The launch advantage is becoming airborne with more control, Landing with flaps has dual bcnclits, You 30 MPII increasingly building to flare, touch down

EUHOPEAN THAT EXPLAINS ALL ASPECTS OF HANCi GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING FLIGHT FFlOM THE FIRST STFP TO PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION FLYING

Lower drag, our new airfoil tubing for the king post and control bar boost the glide ratio adding a point or more at higher Other features on the Sensor (1 I OF arc: computcr-optimi1.cd, J;uninar-flow airfoil; twelve shear ribs; control bar apex ;ift of the c:c;; Kevlar band & dacron cord TE hem; 7075 T6 LE and ribs; semi-cantilev<'rcd cross tubes ancl a simplified 12 minute set-up, We all knew that eventually hang would he this goodl

-THE

610F

"HIGHWAY" AND

SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER WITH $4 SHIPPING. CALL, or E MAIL TO ORDER OR GET BROCHURE WITH DETAILS AND MORE ACTION VIDEOS. ALL VIDEOS GUAFIANTEED

ADVENTURE PRODUCTIONS Paul Hamilton 47l,O Townsite Road Reno, Nevada 89511 USA Plmne/FAX 702-849-9672 hamilton@adventure.reno.nv.us

SEEDWINCS

41 /\('ro Camino Santz1 lfarban1 C1 ()TJ!7

Ph, 80!1/%8/7070 Pax 80:i/968/00:i9 < ]-J<Ji1\<·<·d1">1111:, 111,

'wnfr.111g,

IJ.1nqw11.111 ll.q,,.,1d 111,

PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Ccrrificd instruction, Pittsburgh. (412) 6')7-4477. C'MON OUT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WINGS

Can't afford new..., ..........,.....,

ment? Find

111 our "'-'-"·""_.__._. . . ., . . .

I .ook under New York.

department.

TENNESSEE ALPINE LODGE At Raccoon Moumain. Private rooms, bunkhouse, jacuzzi, pool. Work progrnm. (615) 821-2546 Chattanooga, Chuck or Shari.

l!AWK AIRSPORTS INC - P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN .'l79/i0-0056, (ii23) 933-9296. Hang Gliding and world famous Windsoks. LOOKOUT MOUNTAfN FLIGHT PARK ad under Georgia.

bargains

Sec

VIRGINIA

Bl .UE SKY I .cssom, sales, repairs, accessories, 1ow· ing. Custom sewing for harnesses and sails. Call Sreve Wendt al (5/iO) ii:12-(i557. KITTY HA WJ< KITES

TEXAS A.A.S AUSTIN AIR SPORTS Cerrificd foot bunch, tow & tandem training. Sales/service AUSTIN, TEXAS Steve Bums, 1712 Waterson, 78703, ('>12) li?li 1669. IIOUSTON (711) /i7J-lii88. HI LL COUNTRY PARACl.lDJNG fNC Learn complete pilor skills. l'ersonaliz,·d USJ-JGA ccrrilied 1rnining, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in ccnt ral Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUfi'MFNT AVAILABLE. (915) 379-1185. Rr I, Box 161', Tow TX ;8672. KITE ENTERPRISES lnstrnction, sales, repairs, and foot la1rncb. Dallas & North Texas area. Allen TX 75002. (21 11) 390-')0')0 anytime. Dealer, Pacific Airwave, Wills Wing.

ALL NEW UI.TRA-LlGl IT 1.AMBIF LID The lif,htest, most comfortable J\crodynamici low 111rbulenn\ low rcch look. Finish is clear resin over weave oC the super-strong ctrbon/kcvlar ourcr shell. foll face Open face, only 12 oz., price $160. version, only 17 oz. $ I 99 includes installa-tion. Measure around head and from bottom oC earlobe over top to bottom of earlobe for custom fa. horn the designer, Jack Lambie, 8 J 60 Woodsboro, Anaheim CA ')2807. Phone and fox (7 Iii) T79-l 877.

Sec North Carolina.

SILVER WIN<;S, INC. Certified hg/pg insrrnc· rion and sales. Proudly rcprcsc11ting Paciftc Airwave, Wing, Secdwings & UP. (70:l) 5331965 Arlington VA. WISCONSIN RJ\VFN SKY SPORTS l!ANC (;l.IDINC AND PJ\RACf.!DlNC Largest and most popular in the Midwest. Traditional currirnlum, ridge soaring, mountain clinics,

acrotowing & tandems

by Brad Kushner. for all brands. PO !lox 101, Whitewater WI 531')0 (Ii

liTl-8800.

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

ALTIMETER/VARIO gh 18000 rate, small (ltx2.5x1.5). !Jang glt,Jtng/\>aragltdtng. Satisfacrion guaranteed and 2 year warranty. At your dealer or comact: Cl.OUDBASE INSTRUMENTS, 2/iC,/i Fl Camino Real, Suite 220, Santa Clara CA 9505 !. (lt08) 2/iJ-6021.

RFD RIVER AIRCRAFT/GO HANG GLIDTNG Jeff l·lunt-Owner. Texas's most active school and shop. (juality service and instruction ... 1/81] Red River Sr., Austin TX 78751, pb/fax (512) 467-2529. Area's OLDEST Wills TOTAL AIR SPORTS Wing dealer. Certified insnucrion available. "I only DEAL with WILLS". 6554 Limestone, Houston TX 77092. (713) 9566Ili7.

Our advertisers appreciate your support and patronage. Tell the1n you saw their ad in

Hang Gliding. 58

Prices on the Ball ABSOLUTELY THE BEST Crapbics Comp/Carmin CPS & High Energy Quan1t11t1 chutes. PROMOTJONS lJNLJMlTED (C, 19) 22')-00!i8, email: Bob'/ I I ~ilaol.com

BFST l 2" WHEELS AVA!LABI.F Jighrwcighr. a m11st for in bushings. Only u.,n-1c,u1« quantity discounts. Immediate delivery. Lookout Mountain, (800) 688-l.MFP.

AFROTOWING ACCESSORJES Sec TOW· INC. THE WALLABY RANCII ('Jli I) !i24 .. Q070.

HANC CLllliNC

"mw f)M/\1,[, C()MHO FOIi 11/\NG

/\ND PJ\R/\C:l,LDlNCl.

My well .Jovcd ligh1 ning quick v:1rio rn:nricd \0 an cxn:l!cnt altimeter thanks to llCW gcncra1ion laser-

into tough li1rlc RI' still has rcsnvc battery! Velcro st raps or base l uhc inc. (805) (,8). mol111t·i11g I 088. Lasc1 trimmed rctrolt1 ilvaibhlc for hrcad, pans $85. ROBFIU\ CLJ])l'.R lNSTRUM! NTS :, lliO < '.Lll'I' lllUVF S;\NTA llARBi\RA CA 9310')

trimmed transducers. prooC Lox

Carmin 38, /i() and /i'j availahlc C/\RMTN CPS now 1 The .'18 f,,:tn1rc·s rcsctrahle trip odometer, E/,i11i1

011 1hc Wch :JI:

:rnd J,:1ck1r;1ck l,,a1111T. The liO and !iS have moving map, satellite siatns, COlllfJ:lSS :ind CDI Weighing '),1z and conqilcrcly w;i1nm,,n1. thc~c 11nit_.., lrn(>haudcd opnai ion 10 ii'J f,·n' Prices $1 'J'J.'l'J, $275.9') and $2B1J. 99. J .8()() :l7:l-'7'l 17 ellln for orders, info or Cree inform:1! ion pack.

MINI VARIO World's smallcs1, simplest v;nio! Clips to helmet or chins1 rap. 200 hours on bat tcric.s, 0·18,000 fi., fast response and 2 year warrnnty. Crc,11 for parngliding mo. ONLY $169. Mallctrcc, PO !lox 1'i75(,, Santa Ana Ci\, 'l2Tl5. (71/i) 9<,(i.J~liO. MC/Visa :iccqited.

C/\MFRA RElv!OTF 7.0', Cits most cameras. .Snnps oil over existing shu11cr release. $/iS (ask abou~ om i11trod11c1ory $10 rebate). Tck Colchrook Stage, Wins1cd CT 06098. included.)

llJ\NG GUDER C/\MFRA MOUNT Shown on JU" 111be, $YJ.50 incl11dcs shipping. TEK l'LlGI lT PRODUCTS, C:olt-brnok Stage, Winsted C:T 06098. (860) .J'/')- 1661! (( :amcr;1 nor inch1dcd) .

C:ALJ KENTUCKIAN/\ SOAR!NC SUMMER SPECIAi.! Ball ( :rnphics Comp j; 1,/i'J'i. Includes a Cree Carmin :rn C I'S ($).00 value). Call (812) 288 71 I 1 1,,r 1he best price. C:OMPI.FTI'. i\CC:ESSORY l'AC:KACE flail MI 'Jc $275. Y:ll·s11 Fl' 11 R $7.'SO. NAS fiilJ.focc hcl· met, wired w/vox $100. Twcnry gore chute $1 'SO. Canon cnncr:i w/mou111 and remote $'50. Sheepskin barmitts $/iO. All like new, sell sc1i:ira1c or grc:ll 1,:icJ,. price, Andy (61/i) Tl7·')ii57.

Vi'iO. llall M'iO deluxe $1iOO. I LYTFC: lOlO Oxygen syslcllls $150. (719) 5:J'l,5900.

The world-cl:iss XC:R-180 operates 11p to .l homs G1')8,000 /'1. and weighs only lilb. Complete kit with

Real Jif'c savc·rst I !ICII Pl·RSPECTIVE WI !FELS tough. Fi1' all gliders. Send $11.95 1 $/i.'iO pair to Sport Avia1io11, PO Box 101, M111~:ovillc l'J\ I (,8'i6. Ask abom om dealer prices. 11 elm et, extra small, INTFCRAL FULL l'/\CE hest oikr. ( )tl1cr helmets 10 choose from. (Ii l Ii) li73 8800.

)lJLY 19%

cyli11dcr, harness, rcg1d:1UH) cinnnb and rclllotc 011/o!ff!owmcotcr, only $.l'/'i.00.

l'TT BUTTON SWITCl l Finger 1no11111 with "click" feedback. /\II pop11lar I !T's-user selectable. C:onncc1s between hc:1d.1ct and r:idio $:l'J.'J5. Check or money order. Voice (li2:l) 5.l I ·80/i'i.

UI:l'RAMITTS And Cl.OUDBASF l lARNFSS FS. Chris Smith ('106) 3'J8:J%1i.

QUTCK RELFASJ'. CARABlNER $1i9.95. Exrrn ball lock pin, $2'JJ)O. I 0,000 lbs., dealers welcome, patent pending. Thermal l '!431-lt 1 Business Center Drive, Nonhridgc, CA 9132/i. (818) 701 ·7981. SPEED TO FLY Afro Microl'anel JI l1ighr dcdc Like new demo, save over $230. Just $700. THERMAL RIDER-dewcrs minute diflcrences in 1empcm-· tmc from each wingrip. well before vario-tclls which way to 1un1. Best Second Chantz AIR ROCKET for hg. Best oH,·r! BRS ROCKET Quick l )raw model. Best oflt:r. ((,I')) h"'"' "'""'"

TEK 6" WHEEIS $26 per pair, plus $:l.'75 Sill. Tek Flight Product.,, Colebrook Stage, Wins1cd ( :T 060'!8. (860) 3'79 1(,(,8, USIICA instructor 'I 'om Sapienza, of' Aini me Oregon says, 'Tve tested and recommend Wind Advisory!" Dependable. Built to last. No batteries required. ·

RIHl'llt/Jn/1} /\,PFHI

INDICATORS

& Fl. YSmcJ

DON'T CET CAUCITT LAND!NC DOWN ], oz. WJND 1 long w/ I I" rhroar. colors fluorcscen1 pink/yellow or lfoorcsccnt pink/white. $39.95 (, $/i.00 S/H). Send to USHGA Windsok, l'.0. Box U30, Colorado Springs, CO 80')0 I 1330, (719) (,32-8:lOO, fox (719) 6!l2-·61t I'/. VISA/MC accepted.

Tl!F ZEPHYR RADIO MOUNT U1ilizcs a CNC machined J:lytcc vario mo1t111, a Delrin adapter block, a rnodif\crl belt clip to hold radio scrnrcly anywhere on yom glider's control frame (requires 20 lbs of force 10 remove). This monnt in-flight :recess 10 radio functions, firll 3--1 /2 axis positioning provision for a line, quick oC radio while mottnl is att:rchcd to and :r fleece storage hag is included. Currently available for Yacsu, !corn, S1andard, Alinco and Kenwood. Call or send radio hrand/rnodel and $85 (+$5 s/11) ro: Mfg., H Foxwood Road, Bristol CT 06010 or at (20.1) '589-1520.

DOWNWIND From the early clays of' the 70's, to air of Owen's Valley, DOWNWIND is with rhrill and exhilaration of' cross country adventure. The gih for both 1>ilots and non· pilots. SHARE IF FXPI,JHENCE. A true well told. Available from lJSHCA Headquarters only $J0.95 (+$2 s/h). PO Box l:l:lO, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1:llO.

HIWIER THAN EAGLES hy Mamlys & Chris Wills. The life & times o/' BOBBY WILLS, l,x11cn,c11,.:e the triumphs and tragedies and the evnlmion of Wills Wing. $19,95 hardcover (+$Ii .00 Sil!), sec classified for US! !GA BOOl<S ordering

OFJl!C:IAT. FAA SECTIONAL And Vi:11. Terminal Arca Charts. All :ireas, current (up to d:1tc New Chssif1carions). Sec1ional $'7 each, Terminal Arca C:harrs $Ii each. ship .. ping and (C1L residents only) tax. Dealer prices. Airtime nfS.I'. (!\1'5) 759-1 IT7, fox (lil5) 7591182.

PUBUCATIONS & ORGANTZATlONS CALL USHCA S!eirnmtr to the prcscm form. horn tltc early Htmg Gliding (719) 6:J2 8300.

WIND ADVISORY Wirh MOUNTING BRACKET only $21. 50, includes s/h. You save $2.50. Sold $15 +$2 s/l,; bracket order. item purchased. Send MO rn Resources, PO Box ')064, San Diego CA 92169. (619) 2'70-91t62. S:1tisfoc1io11 Guaranteed!

BAG IT! If you don'1 have yom copy of Dennis l'agcn's PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, available 1hro11gh US!l( ;A ! lcadquarrcrs $29.95 ( 1 $Ii s&h).

HANG Ci IDING

SPEC:!/\! NEW Pl L( Yi' J<!)JTJON 11:tng Cliding {:{ Par:1glidillg m,1gazinc< Novv available rhrongh lJSIJCJ\ l $/i.9', c;1ch ,:/;J,'i() s/11.

SOARINC

M,rn1hly 111:igazinc ol The Soaring

Socic1y of' Arncric1 1 [1ic. Covl'rs all

llighr. Full membership lnfi,. with rn1,y $.l. SS1\, l'Jl. Box F, l lohhs, NM 882.li I. (~0'>) YJ2 11/7.

POINT OJI TI IE MOUNTAIN $}'). & BORN TO !'LY hy Advc11tt11T Video, grc:rt hg :rctio11 $.H.95 c.1ch. I IAWAl!AN FLYlN by Space 9, so:rring in p:rr :rdisc $YI. C:11\I m fox US! ICA (71 'J) C,32·8'.lOO, f:1x (71')) (,:\),.(,/i]/, please· ,M domestics/h (1$'j for two or more video~'). Crcat w impress friends or fnr those sockcd,i11 d:1ys. l'crlcct gifi the l"1mcl1 pot:t,,

to turned co11ch potato. /\\so, ask us ab011l ou1

p;1r:1v,/idl11g videos! TOWINC MISCFl,lANEOlJS AEROTOWING ACCFSSORIFS I k:idqu:iners for: The Cinest rc!ca:;cs, sccorhL1ry rdc;1ws, "V" Lridlcs, we:ik links, tandct11 wheels, kits, etc. THF WALLA!W RANCI I ('lit I) li21i 0070.

IF YOU NEED lNSTi\NT Yet very comfonahlc housing f(n an upcoming cvcnr, business or personal, thc:n call l'lig/11 Services ar (l/25) 903 7li05 ;md ask Bill Surnmers :1hott1 our Hotel on Wheels. We deliver

"rcmal-re:1dy" travel trailers, fitlly equipped with tow·

DUMBO gliders,

els, linens, cookware and diningwarc f(n the same

prices rh:11 most RV dealers charge for unequipped unirs. New and used units arc f,rlly tested at the deal·

towing. \Vi!I ta!w you llP

I fravy-d111y, h11ilt to last, highk 10 111:1i111:ii11. Ideal for schools, llyill)', ,·luhs, co111t11''l'Ci:1l ta11de111 fliglm :llld priv"te 11sc. Over years of' intensive 1cs1i11g in Jlying schools. Several sys1c111:; i11 opcra1ion around the vvorld. Very low opnat ing crn,t, n111ch cheaper and as cf'l!cicrn as acrotowing. Easy ,rnd sak opcr<ttion, precise 1cnsion cornro\, rapid 1uni.-;1round time.

10 move. 1r;1ilc1

1not1ntcd system. No rnorc cndks~ driving to ri11d yom rlyi11g site! llclivned in person witlr rnr11ple1c training!!! I\ product of' quality from I )istancc I ksign I 11c. l nt rodunory price of'$ 12, "iOO. To order c:rll (SI Ii) .llil ')(, 1 I. H)R S/\1.F NEW AT()! Style tow winch w/lcvcl wi11d, ,l'i()()' of li11c, :rll :rcccssories itrcludes 111,,ur,1ir1v, /'r"rnc, never 11.scd. lvlust sell $2.')')')\) ()]\(), (' ((, 1')) fi':i(J 0/il/.

Tl IF 1'v1ASON TOW REI.EJ\'iFS /\re ready for imrncdi:ne shipmrn1. .\end 10: M:rson's Micro M:1chi11ing, I J.l') C:orri11c St, ld:rho !':ills I I) cU!iOL ()Oil) 'i7'J. 7. I()(,,

crship to ensure all equipment is working is free in some areas. All trailers arc refrigerator, stereo, heat & air, microwave oven, gas oven and co{foc maker. We ;1rc

"i\EROBATICS" Full colo, 31" postc1· fra111ring John I kirtey doing what he docs bcst-1.00PINC:! i\v:1il:1hl1.' through l/Sl ICA l IQ for $(,.95 ( 1$:l. 50 s/h). hll th"t void 011 yottr Semi to l!SI JC/\ /\crob:ttics l'llstcr, PO Box UDO, Color:1do Springs CO lW'J:l,l, (lJSi\ & Ca11ad:r only. Sorry, postns :ltT NOT AVAJl.i\BLE on imern:1tion:tl ordns.) Sl'ECI/\J... ;\crob:nics pos1er & Frie R,tymond poster llOTI l J'()R $IO ( 1$3.':iO s/11). IJOIJCE/MITSl/B/Slll .\1inivan, llJ8'J, lixli. sens l, :ilc, )·speed, 25mpg, arnlhn, excclkrn co11di1irn1, LOADED $/i,(,00. (20'!) li31 %98. !'LY EVERY DAY

31 I(," %011 hrc,aking stre11gtlr,

LL! RALINE '.,00()'. $ I O'i

incl11decL Vnli111H.' disrn1mrs. (:"ju11 l l:n11; c:Jub, 110 I<c:111 c:irclc, I :1L1yc11c Ii\ ?O'iO/l, (l 18) '.181 8J/;l,

With a hang

saver for your P(: ()11ts1anding images world's h('st li~rng

Rio, Torrey, ()\.vcns 1

images, $2').'Vi /i,r !iii i111:rgcs (+$Ii s/h). Major credit cards acn·ptnl. (;,·t it now/\( lly every day. J.-8()() . 88(). 18:l I. Chccko11t om web site www.,mr:rlis.com/am:1lis Yo,1crni1c 10 11;1mc a

SCOOTER TOW STATIONARY WlNCil Ccllnplctc with 1r"i11i11g f,,r imtn,ctio11 $2,'iOO. l J:1v,· /\lien TX (11c:1r ll:dl:is). (7, I Ii) ')% T/0(, weckd:rr, () IIi) :l'JO 'J()l)() cvcni11gs & wcekrn,k

rnrrcntly dealing in Cull' Stream's SEA I IAWI< line.

$19.(:)i) for

bluclwhirc/purplc artwllrk on hbc:k, pn.:silnn1l, T. Specific S,M,L,XL,XXL. short sleeve $17. Add $2!i0 order shippiug. Send Wear, PO llox 5/i/i, Sigu:11 or IIHllll'Y order 10: Mountain TN :,nT/. (lid) 88(,.<,yJ I. lki\cr inquires welcome.

FIYJNC IN T!IE C:1\NAlJlAN ROCl<JES, ( :heck out "W:1sa Lakeside Bed & Bre:1kfos1 ,rnd More". The ultimate n·sort for pilots :111d their fomi lies. J,tmcs Sw:rnshurg ((,Oft) li22-:l'i51, email: sw:111ys~''cylH'rlirrk.hc.u l lomc P:rgc: http:l/cyber1it I k .hc.c:r/ ,-sw:tllys/

VIDEOS & I'll.MS

l'!RST FLICHT

}<'o\]ows the :ll:tiOJl of ,1 IH'\V

pil01 \ frr1;1 le,son".. This video i-, :m cn1cr1;1i11i11g w;l)'

lo show yom Crirnds :md f:tmily how yuu :tel 11:rlly lc:1rn Ill fly. VI JS I mi11mcs. $20 inclu,ks shippi11g to lnson p11rch11s,, 1). M ISSJON SOi\R 111 C, Wrigley W:ry, Milpir:rs ( ::\ ')50.l'i. (/i08) 2(,2 1055.

)UIY I C)C)()

Kenwood TII-22 radio (sin 60'501 1'5). (7H) 979. 2/ili9. Stolen from home in OAl<l.AND, RAMA!ll 154 CA on December Iii, 1995. Bl11c/p11tple LE, red 11nder.. surface. (510) ::lY)--62.6:'l. RAMAIR 154 Stolen from rhe T!AWAITAN lJANG t;UDINC ASSN CUJBHOUSF., MAI<APUU lll, the first week of September, 1995. White LF, large deep clue undcrpanel. Reward! Call Mike Heilman (808) 'i33·/i I 'Xl.

WINDSEFKF.R More fon than a barre! of down·· tubes. ft soars, it loops, it flies! ONLY $3.00 s/h ($3 ,!h on orders o(3. More thm1 3 or plcmc call) US! l( ;A, l;O Hox l 330, ( '.olorntlo CO 8090!. (719) 632-fl}OO, fax your MC/Visa order to (719) 632-6117. Call US! lGA VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTERS for your Merchandise order form (719) 6.'32 8300. DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND--BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE HANG GT.IDING CI.ASS! FIEDS. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rare for classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of characters) and $ I .00 per word for bold or all caps. MINIMUM AD C!lARGE $5.00. A foe of' $15.00 is charged for each line an logo and $2'i.00 for caclt photo. LINEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words ro be in bold print. Special of tahs $2.5.00 per col, umn inch. Phone words. Email or web addrcss~'lwords. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instrncrions, ch:rngcs, additions and cancellations mttSt be received in writing 1 112 months 1,.ccc""'h the cover date, i.e. October 20th for the l!c:cc111hcr issue. Please make checks payabk to CSHCA Classified Advertising Dept. HANC Cl.JDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box J.'l30, Colorado CO 80901-1330 ('719) 632-8300 or fox with your Visa or Mastercard. STOI.EN WINGS & Tll!NGS WILLS WING XC 155 l.ost on Lufthansa flight bc1wcen LOS ANGELES and Munich, Germany on April 2nd, 1996. Yellow wired XC separating a grey (silver) asymmetric houom (sec Apr 96 HG cover), serial /131340. Contact Wills Wing (711) 998-6359. PACIFIC AIRWAVE RAVE 30 l'ARAGI.IDER Stolen from the LAS VEGAS MAXIM, NV on April Cit It, 19%. Solid white glider. Also p11rpk/black '(I\1ratHsc harncs::. w/rcscrvc &. misc. gear (vario, camel bak, windmctcr, etc.) $2.00 ,·eward for information of this equipment! Any help will leading rot he be greatly Comacr collect Eric or Sharon Chase 587-17:l') or (71/i) 255-5900, or comacr the British School o/'Paragliding (702) 896-6000. 11

NOVA PHILOO 21 PARAGI.IDFR New, bl11elpurplc, only one in the US (sin (, I 05). Also

so can

WILLS WING 115 AT Stolen from the top of BLACK MTN., MAPLE FAI.LS, WA on August 16, 199'i. Whire LE, l st 1x111cl, white mid-panel, ycl· low rear panel, white & top snrfacc. Fluorescent orange nose cone, nick in right LE 12" from tip. Contact James Fieser/Whatcom Wings (360) 671-30'$7.

...-chuck U.S. llang Gliding Associat (USHGA) rnernbers are now eligible for the presl igious FAI Air Crew Card. II identifies you as a pilot to airpmt attendants, police and security guards, and can open the door to crew discounts on hotel morns, meals and other perks. Your FAI photo IFJ card is issuc'd by the National Aeronautic Associ;i. tion (NAA), the umbre\\;1 organiza. lion for all major air sports groups, including USI ICA, and sole U.S. rep· rcscntal ive of 1he Federation Acronautique Internationale (IAI).

Stolen front VICTORIA WILT.SWING l!i5 AT llC, CANADA on June 1'), 1995. White LE w/orangc triangle patch on each side, orange/blue undcrsurfacc. Peter Monlton (604) 850-670'7. STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a service ro US] J(;A members. Newest entries arc in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found wings or equipment may be called in ('7 l 9) 632-8300 or fox it in (71 ')) 632· /,417 for inclusion in Hang Cliding maga'l.inc. Please call to cancel the when gliders arc recovered. Periodically, this he pnrgcd.

you.

Adventure Productions ................... 57 Aloft ............................. ,................. ,28 Arai Design ..................................... 15 Brauniger ,....................................... 39 Plytec ............ ,, .. ,..... ., ...................... 31 ]~fall Bros ......................................... 28 Hang Gliding Screen Saver ................ 9 High Energy Spom ......................... 38 Icaro .. ,........... ,........... ,....................... 7 Just Fly Aviation Gear ..................... 28 Kentuckiana Soaring ......................... 6 Lookout Mrn. Flight Park ... ,. ..... , .... 28 NAS ......... ,.............. ,......................... 2 Pacific Airwavc .................. ,, ........,,J,., Soaring Center .... ,, ............................ 9 Sport Aviation Publications ............. 11

Ultralight Products ............ Back Cover US Aviarion ....................................... 9 USHGA .................... ,...... 29,30,45,56 Wills

111 Ill

I certify that I am USI JCA rilted pilot. A photocopy o/ my nwrnbprship card is al· tachcd. I arn also enclosing a passport-Si/('. photo wh'rch I haVI" signed on tlw reverse. Please issue an 1111 Air Crew Card, valid for the period indicated.

I I I I I year 2 years 3 years I $39 $19 $29 I l'lease complete' and return with check or Ill money order, or charge it to your ctt'clit cart!. I I I I Signalure I I I I Name I I /\ddrt'5' I I I I City I /ip I Visa l..J Mastercard I I I C1·pclit Card# I xp. Dat,, I I I I I I I I National /\r,ronautic Association l HI N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 700 I I /\rlingtor1, Vi\ 2220'! I I (i'O;) 527-0)2(,

I I I

i 111

111

(pr'1nt)

HANC GUDINC

srr.

count hj K.j.tty Hawk

['AUL MINN this, the I

than

was

s·uccess,

case.

so many E~ndure run into of our reliable

dunes,

timed to the tow the " ... Foot Launched." Ma tke o Lug

t:he as wcc:?11. A with overruns that add up to assur s good hi ] tow \9 tow one a number of lots bas ton (~xc laimed ownc~r northwest of the i.s about 45 m:i on t.he main beacb location. land, it off en;; of away. 1 or fo tf1c,ir 919 Ir1ternet :,;i te addn·?Ss Final back acro13,c; our J:ittle tour, we t·.he country and up into Canada. ~James R·mailc,d lrn' built a at the base of Breakfast on a ,000 foot s:ite in the Canadian wit.h lo of Rockies. the toys for enterpr se is locaL:ed w:i thi view of "Fami and launc.h, Swans bur friend" can out on the beach while you out at cloudbase." Info table via R·-mai 1 ink. be. ca) re about their web pages. and you Ciln in my Geek Writer Dept. As ler 1 co1mnn, I mentioned the sto-· the last I World first ry about Kari Castle Ameri t:o be C s Californian Steve Morris waB t:o me that I' cl left out the current Class II World ', Brian Porter. Of course this takes absol away from Kari, but it: was shameful of mE:, to om t Porter and his ove Swi t. Sincere, t:o Brian and the Swift Team. 'T'Jw nks for s·t:eve. Weill, ou diver fans. So, got news Send You 'em to 8 Dorset, St. PauJ send can V··maiJ or fax to 612··450 ~-maiJ via Cumu usMan@aol. om . •r.H-,1\,.NKSJ

•••

severaJ maru1facturers sent: t·.o a.lJow Blue Predators; racAir Visions; or Moyes mE':nu, ii you've:, more this weekend, head to Commerce, minute info, ca1 J thee CbambE::r cumu at ::i4 947 6040. 1 ive cro nd tow launches me back home to n L:he Mother's Day Cosmos Cl Cosmos, Minnesota. and didn't ter thermals, miles worth lot, Larry told! Bunner, almost broke the s record with a trong 7.2 2

mernber of says, hold end

tbe 24tb. Annual ]ULY 1996

can