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

74470 77855

Also Nelson LAMINAR is 2000's trademark of a super glider, exnresslv designed for competitions and XC pilots. The result of such a development is a superb responding lo pilots' highest performance demands, but still extremely handy in take off, flight and landing. Its frame is entirely made of the best tubes available, produced in alluminium alloy 7075 by Alumenziken, the well known Swiss factory.

• reduced # of battens Laminar's most outst111utinf! t1?nt.r1r11 fi1

wide range of speed, vel'y low stall • improved gliding ratio at speeds of • amazingly easy handling

ICARO 2000 announces the formation of a distributorship for the US, Canadian, and Mexican market. Headed up by Larry Tudur and John Ryan, AV8, of Grand Ropids, Michigon will hove the exclusive rights to distribute ICARO hanggliders throughout these oreas. Gliders will be stocked on both the and West Coasl. For information on glider sales con/act:

!CARO 2000 srl

Via Verdi, 19 21038 San~1iano (Va) Italy ++39·332-648.335 http: //www.alphasys.it/icaro E-Mail: icaro@alphasys.il

1530 Eastern Grand Rapids Michigan 49507 Tel. 616.2457.777

Fax ++39··332-648.079

(USPS 01 7-970-20- ISSN 0895-433X)

16 The I996]ust Fly U.S. Nationals by Pete Lehmann photos by Ceny Charlebois Tommy and Manfred go to Dinosaur.

24 Pilot Report: Wills Wing Falcon by by Gil Dodgen

photos

Mike Meier

Your editor gets a dunce co try out Wills Wing's fu_n-ro-Ay gl ider.

Paul builds a replica of one of Octave Chanute's famous hang gliders.

40 Osceola Flies Again by John Stokes A one-winged eagle rakes co the air once again in a hang glider.

Columns

Departments

Accident Reports, by Luen Miller .......... 13

Ainnail ..................... ..................................4

Hang Carols, by Mike Vorhis .................44

Calendar of Events ..................................... 6

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

Update ........................................................& Ratings .................................. ................... 28 Classified Advertising .............................. 52 Index to Advertisers ................................. 62

DECEMBER 1996

Dear Edirnr, Nor long ago a pilot borrowed an aer· oharic glider from a top competitor and proceeded to break it while performing. 1 did not find this but what J did find surprising was that the guy who loaned it to him wrote a lctrcr to magazine and accepted responsibility for the incident. Some months later an aerobatic pilot was cited by the PAA for flying over an open<tir assembly of persons during an airshow. This too was nor surprising. liciwccver, co my astonishment this pilot wrote a letter to acknowledging responsibility and fully accepting the pcnaltic~ levied by the

FAA. Both of these letters were written by the same pilot world,class competitor John Heiney. J don't know about you, bur I look in hang gliding [ sec pilots to accept responsibility for their actions, while blaming others for things that go wrong. It is refreshing stand np to sec a pilot like John and sc1y, f should have known better!" For what ir's worth, thanks a million John. Joe Grchlo Los Angeles, ( :A

ADD.RESS TO;

UE<:::EMBER '1996

ISSUE No. 12

Dear Fditor, On August 31, 1996 the spons of gliding and paragliding lost one of the best !au nch si tcs on the East Coast. My family and I ltvcd there on the mp for IO years. Alligator Rock, as it was known by those who soared there, was the only paraglidcr launch on Sauratown Mountain. The site record of 8-1 /2 hours on a Dream was set rhcre last spring by me, and this site was rhc birrhplace of paragliding in our area. We recently sold om home and the new owner has asked me to notify every-

one that he docs not want anyone to f1y from the property. ']'here is a pole and cable across the hm11ch now, and I have the only to it and a lifetime right to fly there. [ appreciate all tbc support we received from the pilots who f1cw at Sauratown during the past decade. I'm going to miss all those phone calls asking which way the wind is blowing, but I'm flying other sites much more now and scooting around in my ultralight. f hope to sec rnost of you in the air soon. 'fomrny Thompson

Dear Editor, J would like to commend you for including several significant articles on rowing in the October 199(i issue of Hang 'l'hc articles "Meet Mr. Lockout" and "Lockouts and \Vcak Links" provide valuable information and insights into the causes and prevention of lockouts. The Linknife article provided information on "cutting tow equipment development, and the "Accident included a dcscrip-tion and analysis of a tragic towing accident. All of these anides contain valu-ablc information that should go a long way in promoting towing safety. Unfortunately, there is a comment in the first article, an explanation in the second, and an attitude in the last that need ro be addressed before ac1ually decrease rowing Tbe comment starts at the bottom of page 22 where the author implies that a glider could be flown with a very short rope from a payout winch because, "The payout of the rope and the con· stant-tension feature provided an cffec-tivcly infinite towline length." This implication is not accurate. Platform towing is nor safe because the sys tern makes a short towline behave as if it were a long one, it is safe only because: 1) the towline docs not remain short for very and 2) the towing HANC CUIJINC

force is primarily directed downward. Any pilot who :ii lows himself to remain 011 a short rnwline very long, or who allows the sliorr towline to approach horizontal is placing himself in grave danger, despite rhe frtct rhat he is on a payorn winch. The explanation in the second article that needs to be addressed also begins ar the bouom of page where rhe authors describe the dynamics of a lockout as illustrated in Figure 'fo understand the problem wirh rhcir explanation, consider what would happen if a pilot were rn release from tow while in a lockout. Jn this situation, rhe tow force TF would go to zero, the combined force CF would revert back to rhc weight W, and the misalignment of Rand CF would increase dramatically. So, if the authors arc correct and it is the misalignment of these two forces that causes lockouts, then releasing from tow during a lockout would greatly exaggerate the lockout phenomenon. Indeed, according to their diagram and explanation the "positive feedback" occurring during any free flight rurn would result in a lockout. Clearly, this is not the case. Tt is not d1e misalignment of Rand CF that causes lockouts, it is the fact that the towing force Tl; is not directed through the center of mass of the glider/pilot sysrern and rhar it is not distrib-utcd proportionally to the masses of the components. Failure to recognize this fact essential ly guarantees that lockouts arc going to continue happening regardless of how hard pilots try lo avoid them. Pilots simply must come to realize that whenever they tow with a non-CM bridle, whcnev-cr they let their bridle or towline touch any inappropriate pan of the glider, or whenever rhcy allow the line of acrion of the towline w pass under, over, or to rhe side of the center of mass 01 the glider/pilot system, then they arc in dan-gcr of' a lockout. They also need ro know that there really is no such thing as a cemcr-ofmass bridle system. All so-called C:M bridles arc approximations. Some arc betrcr

DrCEMBrn I 9%

approximations than others, but all have their limitations. And whenever these limitations arc lockouts arc certain to happen, even to rhe besr of pilots. (Docs 1hc tandem towing accident report mcmioned above confirm this statement?) The attirndc in the fourth article is typified on page 44 at the end of the article where the author says, "And in many situations, such as training, the decision should be t,1ken out of rhe hands of the pilot and release should be mcclianically effected." This suggests that the decision as to whether or not and when to release from tow should he taken out of the hands of the pilot in command (who in this case was a Master-rated, tandem instructor, aero1ow supervisor) and dclc gated to a yct-to-bc--invcnted, unproven, automatic, mechanical release device. Certainly a properly functioning automatic release unit may have prevent-eel the foialiries in the rcponed ,1ccident, bur such a release may not even be possi-blc. On the other hand, we know for a fact rhat truly reliable releases already do exist roday. And we have every reason to believe that if such releases had been used at both ends of the towline during this flight, they would have been just as effective in preventing the fatalities as the proposed automatic device. ln other words, an attirudc of introducing increased complexity inro the towing operation is unlikely co improve safety as long as pilots continue to fail to utilize the equipment which is already known to exist. Donnell I-Jewett Kingsville, TX

Dear Ediror, l wish ro call attention to three Washington State Region I hang gliding instructors and personally thank them for setting a professional example for all to follow.

Far Up Hang Gliding Owner Jim Reynolds of Roches1cr has been a mentor of mine since 1990. He has been a friend nnd fellow pilot, but more importantly he has helped me 10 advance from a Novice to an Advanced pilot. Be has always encouraged me to do my best and held me accountable when J tried to shortcut this endeavor. ft was with Jim that I took my first Basic !CP and 'Erndem l Clinic, and it was he who showed me by example how to run a professional hang gliding school. What 1 respect most about Jim is rhar he doesn't pull any punches; he says it how it is and makes his students and instructors who attend his clinics prove they're worthy of a rating "by the book." Jim is quick to praise achievcmcrH and just as quick to you if you mess up. I le exemplifies bonor and integrity. Cascade Soaring owners 'fom and I "ori Johns of Issaquah recently held rhis year's Region f 'l\rndcm Clinic for Tandern 1, and Instructor Tom and J ,ori demonstrated how a great husband and wife tearn can work together to organize and run an excellent tandem clinic. Their direct hut relaxed teaching style put tlie students at case, but they held our attention with visual, wrim:n and class participation materials. The training hill and altitude flying involved the same high-quality instruction. T<m1 is a gifted insrrucror and accomplished pilot. J f you haven't met Jim, Tenn or Lori you're missing out. Region f is fortunate to have these fine people as examples of what hang gliding instructors should be. We owe them a great deal of respect and a rnuch-dcscrvcd "thank you" for helping make our sport safer, and passing along their knowledge to pilots and instrucrors so they can do the same. Grant Nelson Tumwater, WA

r Calendar of events items WIT J, NOT be listed if only tentative. Pb1se include cxacl information date, conracr name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets. DEC. 16: Hang gliding on L,1:,cu111:rv Channen "Go For ft," 6:00 PM. ""''"~',, insrruction and 1Toc:srvte foaturing ])ave and others. Sharp, John DEC. 28- JAN. 5, 1997:

Hcmg Gliding Hay, Australia. Tow launch. Sne;ik of the Pre·· \'Vorlds ::it Forbes. Open to all pilots with tow rating and current [ ICFA membership (available at the meet). Entry, Amtralian by Nov. 30, after. Includes info hookier, map, film & party. Minimum frrnr entries per te;un. Contact: Western Victorian I fang Gliding Club, C/ RMB

Australia O11--61 'Tbwalla (phondfax). (i .. 17, 1997: Bog,,mg Cup, Australia. Jntcrmcdiatc rating with alpine experi-

ence. Entry $185 Australian includes $5,000 money, shirt, map, awards dinner, & processing. 30 places reserved frir international pilots until Ocr. 31. Max l 30 pilots. Contact: Bright c/o T~O. Box v1,·1·nnc1. Ausrralia. Inquiries: tel. 61 57.55 J .-5(f3 ((i. JO PM eastern Australia time only). Accommodations: Mr. Beauty Information rel. 011-(i I 1·267. 20-FEB. I, 1997: 1997 Flatlandr, Forbes, llustmlia. Pre-World internation·

al ream competi1io11 for rhe World Meet in January 1988 in Australia. Contact: 1:]adands, l~O. Box 950, Nerang, QLD 4211 Australia, phone 01161 55%-3600, fax 0] \ ..6]

Month" contest.

Winners receive$ I 00 and a plaque tor rhc longest flight each monrh. ALSO, momhly random drawing for all tered pilots (hang and para) winner gets $50 just for flying Lake County!

!mJ>teentfJ Annual 011ttauncf:1e·ct Night. ·1

Grnnd comes ts (hang and para), Sugar Hill to l .akeview Thlpby Dash, spot landing contest for both hang and par;i, aerotow clinic, truck towing at Aben Rim. Spectacular new "Palisades" launch open only 19 miles from l .akeview. Kids ping-pong ball drop for prizes, historical and wildlife tours, har· beqnc, dance clown town, plenty of activities for and t10ll··flyers. Plan a week and join the fun in bcaut.ifi.il Lake County, Oregon "Hang Gliding Capital of the West"! /

H/\Nc; Cui )INC

r")

I-fang Gliding Training Manual Dennis

SEND TO: USHGA Books, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado CO 80901 1330 (719) 632-8300, fax

MC/VISA accepted

mo•.Jo (rn,,:joJ n. a charm or amulet thought to have magical powers; luck cu of a magical or supernatural origin; a magical selection <~/flight gear from 'frxas.

Understanding Sky

Call for your Fret! Copy: 48 full-color pages of over 400 accessories

by Dennis

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

(please continue here)

Total for all books $ Postage and handling

Please rush the books below: Add $1.00 for Pert. Flying H. G. Training Manual .......... $29.95 0 ::;::sr~:~;~::i~:~a~sired 1:i Performance Flying ............. $29.95 ($S.OO/book $ for P. Flying 12 Cl H. G. Flying Skills ............... · $9.95 and H. G. Training Manual) .. r:i Understanding the Sky ......$19.95 u Paragliding Flight ................ $19.95 TOTAL ENCLOSED .. 11 Powered Ultralight Flying ..... .$11.95 . c1 Pow. UI. Training Course ...... $9.95 SEND TO (please pnnt) 10% 20%

or more or more

Total amount for books $

0 ice I/ours: MON-THVR Noon to 5PM Central Standard Time

(please centinue in next column)

Update

TOPLESS ACME TR3 cme Glider Company anno unces production of its new TR3 flex wing without kingpost or other top rigging. All existing orders have been upgraded to the new model. Spokesman Terry Reynolds states, "This is a very difficult and expensive decision at this critical time for our business, but one that will be best for our customers. We are in this for the long run . The niche we seek to fill is at the absolute top of the heap in performance, quality and safety. We were ready to produce what we believe to be the best wire-braced flex wing ever built, but I am now certain that high-performance gliders with top rigging will become obsolescent in 1997."

Acme's development of the "topless" TR3 actually starred well before construction of the convemionally rigged version and has proceeded in parallel with it. The glider was in topless configuration in time for chis year's Dinosaur ationals. The kingpost and wires were reinstalled at the last minute rather than expose it in prototype form to the hang gliding public and all of the other manufacturers. In spite of the weight penalty inherent in replacing the kingpost and associated wires with a more complex srrucrure, the TR3 is at least 10 pounds lighter than any conventional high-performance hang glider of similar size. Many features, including exceptionally light handling and landing ease, remain the

same as described in the October Hang Gliding "Update" section. The glider now sports a carbon fiber keel with removable stinger/stand. The tapered, carbon fiber cross-spars are joined at the center by a sophisticated center section which combines precisely machined titanium, 7075 aluminum and carbon composite components. T he new pitch stability devices are completely enclosed in the wings and do nor add time to setup or breakdown procedures. For more information please contact your local dealer or Acme Glider Company, I 075 Marco D rive NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33702, rel/fax (813) 526-3629 or e-mail your postal address to: T RGLIDERS@aol. com. D ealer inquiries are welcomed.

WILLS WING SECRET SPEEDGLIDING PROTOTYPES

ith the advent of the new Speed Gliding competition fo rmat, industry insiders suspected that it was only a matter of time befo re the top manufac turers began developing purpose-built wings for this highly specialized fo rm of competition. Our secret cameras recently caught Wills Wing employees Gene Atkins and Tim Frederick during fi nal assembly of the first production run of Wills W ing speedgliding competition gliders. We'll keep yo u informed on furcl1er developments.

H ANG GLIDI NG

Update

NEW IQ (INTELLIGENT QUALITY) SERIES INSTRUMENTS BY BRAUNIGER

raumger 1s now offering their new IQ Classic, IQ Competition and IQ Competition CPS flight instruments. Featured is a Symbol LCD Display which changes the displayed information depending on the mode of use. This prevents a flood of excessive information; only the really necessary data is provided. The instruments use highly-precise pressure probes similar to those used in human health technology. These probes offer maximum performance even after many years of hard use. New, optimized sofrware and more RAM make the

IQ Series even better and more responsive. The IQ Competition CPS recognizes data from CPS receivers such as the Garmin 38 and 45 . gram pnnnng on senal or parallel ports, a flight diary mode, PC 1 data evaluation, polar calculations, and speedsto-fly with a special modified MacCready algorithm . Brauniger offers repairs within a few days for a modest price, and they might even lend yo u a free instrument while repairs are underway. Contact: Brauniger USA, Jose Casaudoumecq, 1355 NW 93rd Court, Unit A-105, Miami, FL 33172 (305) 639-3330, fax (305) 639-3055 .

mi~ ~ ,-

T~P~ t

' \ FUJR/DR'S l'PJ/6 GllDil,G W/f[P

'lj

HANG GLIDING BELT BUCKLES

ephyr Mfg. of Bristol, CT is pleased to announce the release of two new belt buckle sizes as a means of showcasing its engraving capabilities. After an unsuccessful search for a lightweight, high-quali ty buckle design, they decided to make their own. The design is based on the same principle as military buckles (sliding knurled rol1er wedging the webbing against the back face). Made of606 1-T6 aluminum bar srock, each buckle is precision CNC (computer numerical control) machined, serialized, anodized and CNC engraved with a variety of hang gliding scenes, or manufacturer, dealer and club logos. Permission is pencling from additional hang glider man-

Raptor Specs

RAPTOR RIGID WING

att Kol1man of Columbus, Ohio has designed this high-performance rigid wing he has dubbed the Rapror. Matt has been flying it for two years and has logged an impressive 70 hours of airtime. He plans to produce the glider as a 50% kit. Look for an article in an upcoming issue of Hang Glicling. Matt may be contacted at: 624 Mawyer Dr. , Columbus, OH 43085 (614) 436-6925.

D ECEMBER 1996

Span . . .......... .... 40.5 fr. Wzng Area . . . . . . . . . . . 160 sq. ft. Aspect Ratio . . . . . . . . . . 10 Empty Weight . ... ... . . 90 lbs. Hook-In Weight . . .. ... 130-250 lbs. LID ............ . .. . 18/1 @ 35 mph Min. Sink . . . . ........ 140 fpm

NEW! SMALL HALL Grca\ !'or haml··licld wind mcasurc111c11t or paraglidcr Airspeed lndica\or using Bracket. Small I \all ................ $23.50 Paraglidcr Bracket ..... $6.50 Now available: Small Hall for hang µ,lickrs, 0 lo 70 mph

Hall Brothers P.O. Box IOJO.IJ, Morgan, UT 84050, USA Mastercard I VISA I C.O.D Phone (801) 829,3232 Fax (801) 82'!·634'!

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

lllll1l!i 11111111; 11111 1111 fflil llllamtmm l1nl11 11n11ffi.t1s, I m1iu1ffi m11ur1 j1sl;m11!J sm11H1lfi11111 fin ffl1m1 lli!!llm;. I

IVB

HANC CLIDINC

SEX

**************************************************************************************************************** Includes 12 issues

Division) or 6 issues of PARAGLIDING msunince, ratings, and other benefits.

D 1 Division· $54.00 U.S. ($65.00 ............................... . Please check one: Cl D Pmraglidiing D Both Divisions .. $79.00 U.S. ($96.00 Non-U.S. *) ........................ . FAMILY MEMBER: (Includes all benefits except magazine. MUST re~ide with full member of s1une division.)

Cl l Division· $27.00 (Family Member(s) must sign separate releaseji'om Full Member) .... Please check one: Cl Cl Para!ltliding (Family Member(s) must sign separate release from Full Member) Cl Both Divisions •

SUBSCRIPTION ONLY:

Cl U.S. ($46.00 l'lV!l"lJ,,~. Cl $26.00 U.S. ($32.00 J'I\Jll"U,O,

**************************************************************************************************************** 1ST MAIL SERVICE· HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only). AIR MAIL SERVICE· HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE: ($30.00-Wcstcrn Hemisphere, $40.00-Europc, $50.00-AII Others) 1ST CLASS MAIL SERVICE· PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($12.00·U.S., Canada, & Mexico only). AIR MAIL SERVICE. PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE: ($15.00-Wcstcm llcmisphcrc, $20.00-Europc, $25.00-All Others) ... NAA MEMBERSHIP: ($10.00 annoal dues)...... . ............ . F Al SPORTING LICENCE: ($18.oo annual foe)

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

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drawn on a U.S. bank.

TOTAL

In consideration of being granted membership in the USHGA, I,_,,--,--,---,----·-------·,·-·----,---------------·----··-·---,-' for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spou1e and assigns, do agree as follows: ~ The following definitions apply to terms used 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. 2. nvr,n11>vtv darnai(e and/or t'!D,"iD'.r' nA IA. as a result nP1rc:nn:u or sustained by me as a result of my PAJrTJ,CIP.41/'0N of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). 3. means the following, including their owners, 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.fiTJ'CJJ'AT,'E "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 ,.,.,,.,,,.,.. DIS,CHJA.RCiE the nir;;s..i.;;M,,i.;v PAJ7Tll.~Slnim however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the n,;;Jr..,--,,,,Jli.;,v P,qR17ES. C. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of INJ'UR,fES. 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 nz:,r..1::;.,1J.c,v PJ~RT1ES. n11.l'~n"' vv 1..11.,,u,..11.,, that the non-participant third party liability insurance obtained by USHGA does provide coverage for REIMBUR~~E 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 nl"rinPrtv darmurn as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct in A

I can terminate this Agreement by either sending written notice of termination to the USHGA National Office postage prepaid return receipt requested, in which case the termination will@! 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 ron1str,uee1

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

l'artiripant's Sifnat11re

Oare

r by nc11dcnt: An intermediate pilot with

pla1furrn tows and 30 acrotows flying using a platform and payout winch. The wind is three to five mph, crossing from the right. After a good release, the glider drifts lefr slightly: Since climb is minimal, the pilot lets Ollt the bar a little and the glider begins turning hard er to the !di:. The pilot overcorrccts to the right, then tries to compensate, adding !eh inpu1 again bur the glider quickly locks 0111 to the The driver quickly reduces line pressure and the pilot releases low, belly flop·· ping onto the pavcmem but suffering only scrapes. The pilot st.ates thm he was con· fused abour pulling the bar in while makcorrections because of the difference in procedures between truck Lowing and his rccem acrotowing. "Tbining should not downplay the possibility oflockom. l thought you had to be willfully srnpid ro do it." lncidcnt: A Novice pilot with one and a

hair years of experience and 50 training flights takes his second row using a s1ationary winch. The crew is using a rnnway at an airport, with rhc pilot 3,800' from the winch. Immediately after launch the winch operator notices the pilot rurning left:. He debates stopping the bunch, con·· sidcrs rhe possibility of a low-altitude stall, and decides 1·0 towing to sec if the pilot can correct. 'I'hc pilot docs correct, centers on the runway, rhcn quickly pirchcs down. The operator stops the tow immediately, releases pressure and reverses the line, but the gl icier crashes. The pilot s11ffers hand, elbow and shoulder injuries. Upon inspection it is friund that when the pilot wcm off line immediately aher launch the towline passed under one of rhe runway lights, remaining there after the pilot gor back on course. As the line the glider w;is pulled into the reeled ground. The pilot concc11tratcd on corthc mm. When he realized the line DFCIMBER 1996

was snagged, he attempted to release, but with so little time he failed in his attempt before the glider crashed. Event: An Imcrmcdiatc pilot with 20 previous aerotows launches from a slightly rough runway. Because of a loose rope, when the tug takes ofI; one side of the control frame comes out of the cradle, causing the lcfr wing tip to drag on the ground. The glider begins to oscillate and the pilot is unable to hold on to the dolly. '] 'he pilot launches in a strong !di: turn. The pilot immediately recognizes that there is a problem and releases, continuthc 50° banked turn until the glider is headed downwind. The pilot avoids obstacles and manages a 40-mph downwind landing on large wheels. There arc no injuries.

Event: An Advanced pilot with 1G yc,1rs of starts Oil a platfc)r!11 bunch using a payom winch. Immediately afrcr launch the pilot drifrs slightly left due co a crossing wind, corrects strongly, stabilizes, then begins a hard roll to the right. The pilot ;1p1xiremly releases quickly but the glider continues to roll and turn until it is headed downwind and inverting. It hits the ground jnst past vertical, noseplatc first then kingpost. The pilot suffers head, neck, chest alld back injuries. His foll-face helmet is cracked in two places. 'fhc witnesses offer explanations for the incident ranging from a dust devil or other low. !cvcl turbulence Lo the pi\01 misjudging wind direction and releasing low, banked, and headed downwind. One witness states that the accident puts him firmly on the. "towline is your friend" side oC rhc release/no release debate.

ANALYSIS T'hc towing fatality reports I receive arc slightly ambiguous as to whether pilo1s should lean toward releasing or staying on line, at least as far as low-altitude decisions arc concerned. The record from 1986

through rhis year shows thar six pilots have died from releasing or being released when there was a problem, and l O have died being towed inro the ground. 'fhc six release incidcnrs occurred after the pilots had csscnrially or completely los1 control of their gliders and may have had no other ,dtcrnativc. Altl1ough there is no way we can be absolutely sure, I focl there is a high probability that most of 1hosc fatalities would still have occurred had the pilots remained on line. The dilemrna might be much like that facing those who launch unhooked, where it seems th.it the best response in most sit.. uations is 10 let go immediately. We all know that there arc si1cs where that means certain death. Based on the reports l receive, especially those on the many non-fotal cvcms, it seems thar the best response in most row si tuarions is to release as soon as a prohlcrn is recognized. Even in the last event above, it is conceivable that remaining on line mighr have made the outcome worse. The pilot might have been pulled into a lockout or dragged imo the ground with the force of the towline added 10 rhc cner· gy of the crashing glider. Despite occasional incidents that seem to indicate a diffr:rcm procedure rnight lie the bcsr response, I have to agree with 'fc)wing Committee Chairman Jeff Hunt's recommcndarion to be ready to rckasc and lrmd at any poim frorn the beginning of the tow. If you haven't had a weak link break immediately upon lifroff, or started to head into a bad situation low, you will sooner or later.

ln discussions with your launch crew, and when mentally filing yom flight plan, I would recommend setting very conseJY· ativc parameters fcx your angle of divergence, especially while low, and releasing whenever those paramercrs arc exceeded. /\s one pilot stated in a summary of what went in one of the above i 11ci .. dents, "] should have released as soon as I felt uncomfi:mablc on rhc dolly. Release c;irly and release orteu. "What saved me? I imagined over and over and over at what point I would release, and l imagined releasing. "Second, I used a loop release tha1 atraches to the control har. You pu1 two fingers through it before launch and ycm

never have ro let of the control bar. l been to reach the bicycle I seriously doubr I would have had a chance to pull the three-ring release. "'fhird, having broken my arm previ-ously, it is a good idea ro imagine when to Uf) Aying the glider and protecl sell: Don't worry about leading edges and downnibes; the glider won't hun near ;1s rnuch as you will breaking your arm or

or the past 18 years hang glider pilots in northeast Ohio could

waiting, and Mike Delsignore. What this area lacked in sites and favorable weather to support a community of pilots, Mike made up for almost si nglchandedly through sheer dedication to the sport. The fruit of Mike's dedication and his legacy for rhe futme is an active community of pilots in the nonhcasL Ohio area; he trained many of the pilots in this from the ground up. Mike alw;iys and he went ont of his way ro ensure our skills and equipment were up to the task. He was not afraid to enter into a conagreement with someone over cerns, bnt he was a consummate teacher with many years of so his advice was sought well received by those who knew him. Mike's involvement in hang gliding goes back to the l and his work with CGS Aircrafr. Believe it or not, they

neck. wheels. No 'popbig for me offs' or any other tiny me BTG WHEELS. The only tive thing I've heard about big wheels that they make rhc glider harder ro control when foot-launcliing and rhey look dorky. This wasn't a fciot launch, ;me\ as far as looks, I prefor the big plastic wheel look to the big plaster cast look."

used to marmfac-· lure hang gliders

in Cleveland, Ohio! CGS pro· duccd several gliders before dedicating rhem--sclvcs exclusively 10 building ultra-Mike left CGS Aircraft and formed Norrh Coast Hang Gliders. With a 70--foot embankment on the shore of Lake faie and 280foot hill in a cow pasnirc south of Akron, Ohio as training hills, Gliders became the North Coast only USlf(;A-sanctioned school in the area. Also, and important, Mike supported each smdcnt mid pilot with equipmenl, parts, service and infinite instruction. Once you became Mike's stuavailable to help devd· dent, he was op your skills or ro prepare you for d1at next There were many rimes when Mike would not fly so that others could. Each year since the early I 970's Mike took a to Salt Lake new batch Utah, where they would soar· fc)r the fl rst time. On most of those he would fly relatively Ii 1tle; instead,

he would assist with wire launches, pilo1· retrievals, and tl1c inevitable personal fric-tion that happens afrer a 30-somc-hour cramped car ride and a week of carnping. When towing, he would take charge of organizing ground operations, making sure that things went and effkienrly. Frequently this meant that Mike assisted as a spotter in the 10w vehicle at the expense of his own flying. Once, he saved me from harm hy holding my glider as it tried to roll off the truck before liftoff. J will be forever grateful. He never complained about being left on the ground. a lengd1y clay of towing during which l did not get to fly, I complained about it to Mike. f-lc smiled and said, "Welcome to the dub." Mike loved /lying passionately, and pan of that love and passion were from expressed in the joy he helping others get in the air. He believed in supporting all those who showed a consistent interest in hang gliding. Also, Mike believed in helping the spon grow in our region by hill---bascd instruction with towing. Mike gave of his time, energy and resources for many years, along with ;i handful of other pilots, to develop a safe towing system. As rhis system was ed, so were rhc flying skills of die students in our Students could progress from the cow pasture hill to a 1,000-foot tow as soon as their skills permitted it, and without the five-hour drive:! As towing developed, hang gliding activity in northeast Ohio increased dra-mai-ically. Now newcomers were motivated to complete their instruction with the anticipation of eventually towing. Also, for rhe first time in 18 years of flying in this area, we started ro sec rnore cross-country flights and increased airtime. Incredibly, to operate during this time Mike an active school while closely involved in our towing operations. Many days afrer ar 1he farm he would drive to our tow site in Ashtabula over J 00 Mike would help with miles away. the wwing until the sun set, then he would go 10 his third-sbifr job and work through rhe Above all Mike loved flying For the sheer fon ofit. I·k never competed that T know o(, and he was not interested in cross-country /lying either. Mike loved to HANC Cill)ING

The Tangent. Flight Co,mc>ut<?.r is to be the best XC vario market. No other· flight rrn,m, 11"c•r has accumulated as

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soar a ridge in rhe smooth air of the evening. He would never tire ofit. Point of the Mounrain and the South Side near Salt Lake City were his very favorite sites. He also enjoyed flying the sites in the East from I .ookom and Fknson's to I Iyncr and the Finger Lakes. Mike touched the lives of many in his time with us. J\frcr his death I received condolences front pilots all over the country who had met him in his many travels. I was fortunate to have spent a considerable amount of rime with both Mike and Bill Bennett in the weeks prior rn the accident. We had taken time off from our respective jobs 10 make the most of Bill's visit. !;or almost two weeks we met in the morning, drove 10 the airfield together, and spent the days learning how ro fly the trike and how to aerotow. Mike wanted to expand his Leaching skills to include tandem aerotowing, and Bill was assisting with the A'!' sign-off for some om intermediate pilots and with my ATP sign-off There was great excitemcnr at the prospect of developing an aero tow operation in an established parachute drop zone within a short drive from downtown Cleveland. The day before rhc accident was clear, and in the still air at sunrise Bill towed me to 4,000 foet A(;L It was a beautifol and peacef'ul ride down. We spent the rest of the day towing, and at the end of rhe day Bill, Mike and I discussed tandem 10w procedures and regulations. We also practiced the whole procedure simuLning the

DFCfMlllR 1996

tow by hanging from a tree. I had things to do the ncxr day, so I would not make my tandem flights umil the weekend. Thar evening was rhe last I saw of my friends Mike and Bill. The following evening things changed horribly for all of 11s whose lives had hecn touched by them. IL rook a while before I could ger under a wing again, and some of our fellow pilors may 11evcr do so alter this. We all react to tragedy in our own way. I knew Mike well, and I am cenain that he would have never wanted to discourage others from flying safdy, yet I know he would have respected each one's decision a11d ways of dealing wirh the pain. Also, I am certain that Mike would wam us ro learn how to avoid a similar nagcdy. We owe ir to Mike and Bill to forther refine aerorowing in general and tandem towing in particular. Mike ]di us a legacy in the form of a community of hang glider pilots where there had hcen none, a community that helped its memhers case the pain of his departure. We owe it to him ro keep it alive. A few weekends ago I flew Mike's personal glider from Spruce Knob, Bill's home sire. Throughom the flight Mike and were foremost in my mind. Circling in light lifr over a majestic fall landscape I was saddened by the realization diat the skies are lonelier without my fi·icnds. I took comfort in knowing that through Mike's legacy I will always be able to vi sir the sacred space he made accessible

us.

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 I IO I Glendora Ave Oali:land, CA 94602

THE 1996JUSTFLYU.S. NATIONALS

Tommy & Manfred Go To Dinosaur by Pete Lehmann photos by Gerry Charlebois

A fter years of poor luck the American hang gliding community finally experienced a National Championship worthy of the name. A fine hang gliding contest might be defmed as one in which there is good weather, long casks, high completion rates, excellent organization and high-caliber contestants. Th.is year's Nationals had an abundance of all of the above. The weather cooperated to such an extent chat the field flew a total of 26,457 miles, including a best of 6,500 miles on one day. It was quire a contest.

THE FIELD The Nationals attracted an enormous number of conresranrs . One hw1dred forty-four pilors registered to participate, including nine of the top ten rared U.S. pilors. Beyond the high domestic participation, this year's comest was distinguished by the presence of an unusual number of highly ranked foreign pilors. First and foremost was the presence of the Tommy and Manfred Show. Over the last few years World Champion Tomas Suchanek (Moyes SX) and Manfred Ruhmer (Icaro Laminar) have represented the highest level of hang gliding excellence. They are both so ourstanding char they routinely fmish first and second in any conresr in which they participate, most norably in last year's World Championship in Spa.in. They have done th.is so often char it is nor a complete exaggeration to say char when they fly in a contest the only real question is which one of chem will finish first, and who else will rake th.ird. Two years ago there were three major contests during the Australian competition season. In the face of serious competition, Tomas won one meet, Manfred another, and they produced an unheard-of tie in the th.ird. These pilots are evenly marched on a level of their own, and this year's Nationals was a chance for American pilots to share the experience of being thrashed by the world's two best pilots. Along with Suchanek and Ruhmer there were a number of ocher fine foreign pilots present. Those pilots included Australian Team members StLm1py Gilmour, Rohan Holtkamp and Kraig Coomber, past German Champion Bob Baier (who was to win two days in this meet), Swiss Team pilot Tony Marry, Brazilian Team pilot Andre Wolf, and Canadian Team pilot Chris Muller. Ir is not a coincidence chat many of these pilots wound up amongst the top ten at the conclusion of the meet. The field was most competitive.

THE TERRAIN The Dinosaur launch sire is located on a mountainous plateau roughly 2,500 feet above rhe northwest Colorado-Utah border. The launch ridge consists of a southwest-facing notch in the plateau, and it accommodates the prevailing winds. Once the pilots have climbed our over launch and departed on course to goal, they spend varying amounts of rime traversing the high plateau and small mountains behind lawKh before flying into more open coumry. Depending upon the direction of the day's goal, char open country is vario usly sage desert, low mountains, grassy valleys or stinking desert wasteland. In all cases there is a sufficiency, if nor abundance, of good, well-marked dirt roads. While the road net is not to be confused with the LA freeway system, it is adequate to ensure retrieves if the pilots exercise a modicum of common sense in selecting landing areas. The prevailing winds and the road net enable 100-mile tasks to be flown, and th.is year two such tasks were flown, one taking the pilots into the state of Wyoming.

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PRELIMINARY CARNAGE In the leading 11p to the contest' increasing numbers of contesrams arrived to fly the site prior to the meet. Unfortunately, that experience proved robe a trying one. The winds were persistently either severely crossed, or, indeed, slightly over the back. As a result, la1mch conditions were, um, chal-lcnging. J\t the best of times Dinosaur's launches require due care. They arc hot, high and subject to fluky winds ;md strong thermals. Tbc pracrice days, and to a lesser extent the contest days, produced aluminum carnage. On one practice day five out of seven successive takeoff, resulted in blown launches. But the excitement did not necessarily end even iC one had succeeded in a safe launch. The essentially rotor conditions into whicl1 the pilots were sometimes flying resulted in strong tmbulcncc and dramatic sink. If rhcy didn't quickly find one of the cracking thermals, they cncecl an astonishingly rapid descent to the earth below. Reaching the landing fields was out of the qucsrion, and, on one day alone, three gliders wound up in the trees within 50 yards and five minutes of one another. Manufacturers' representatives did a boom· spare pans business. Fortunately, the northwest winds ab;itcd during the contest and there were fewer blown launches. All the same, there were still too rmny, and largely a result of· pilot error. Regrettably, one of rhem was deadly serious. Russ Locke executed a classic nose-high blown launch which resulted in a helicopter ride to a Grand Junction hospital. He suf. force! assorted broken ribs, a collapsed lung and the like, lmt has recovered well. In the end, the launch accidents were to he the only real blemish on an otherwise excellent contest.

UT THE GAMES BEGIN 'fhe format of the contest involved pilots taking off from half a dozen launches along the bluff, and then climbing out until sufficient altitude had been attained to photograph the large start clock a fow miles over the back. The clock is a recent innovation in American contests, and is meant to address the principal limitation of rarp start contests. 'farp starts, where a brightly colored tarp is unrolled to signal the beginning oF a task, result in immense aerial congestion as the entire field attempts ro photograph the tarp immediately upon its being unrolled. With a field of 110 pilots the possibility of mid-air collisions borders 11po11 a certainty. As a DECIMl-llR 19%

result, the start clock was invemcd. It consists of a large clock face made up of colored fobric panels. The hands arc moved in five·· minute intervals over a two-hour period. This enables the pilots to select their own start rimes for the contest without the rradi-tional and unpleasant jockeying fi.lr launch position on the hill. A pilot is able to leisure· !y pick a launch time, climb out, and then select what he or she feels to he the tactically optimal time to head out on course.

DAY ONE: HAYDEN (96.5 The meet got off to a fine st.art with a long

task which involved flying across almost one

quarter of rbc state of Colorado. The task was perfectly called, and 36 out of' 14~ pilots made goal. Conditions were initially

good along the high country behind launch, but became fairly tough in the open country before Maybell, after which they were booming. Lilt was on the order of 1,000 f1Jm and pilots were getting to nearly 18,000 feet. The final glide into goal provided a final challenge for some pilots who had picked a course line that placed them somewhat downwind of the course line and out over the wide, green valley. The cornbina-

DAY FOUR: MASSJ\DONA VIA DINOSAUR TURNPOINT It was a decidedly odd day. The weather forecast had predicted poor conditions with low altitudes and poor climb rates, so a shorr task was called. As there was considerable wind at launch, the pilots launched into ridge-soarahlc conditions. That: proved for-· tunatc as there were fow good thermals, and the lifr was often the only game in town. As ever more launched, the air h~me ·n~

tion of a crosswind final glide over sinky, cool country resulted in a number of pilots coming up heartbreakingly short of rhe near 100-milc goal. l n a rime of 2:liO (36 mph) Bob Baier smoked in to goal ahead of'fomas Suchanek, Brad Koji, Manfred Ruhmer and Andre Wolf.

DAY TWO: MEEKER AIRPORT Ml LES) What appeared to he a weak, high-pressure day turned on quite nicely to produce a 40%1 completion rate as pilots made it to goal. The goal lay to the southeast oflaunch and required crossing a somewhat intimidating stretch of wasteland in the middle third of the task if one were to continue straight along the course line. The very fast pilots, notably Chris Arai 13, 28. 5 mph) who won the day, rook the short route, while many other pilots went further south LO stay within a glide of tbe main Meeker-Rangely road. That route proved to be a slow one due ro the extra length, but more importantly because of the weaker thermals in the wet, green valley. Joining Chris at the from of the class were Manfred, 'fomas, Larry 'Ti1dor and Smmpy Gilmour. The day also provided a notable entry in the daily best-landing photo contest. 'fammy Burcar took advantage of the creative opportunities afforded her by landing in a distinct-ly private part of the stinking desert. She art20

fi1lly her unclothed body bdcire an automatic camera to provide photo judge Mark Mocho with regrettably tastcfi1l photograph to enliven his monkish existence

DAY THREE: DINOSAUR EAST VIA DESERADO MINE TURNPOINT A short task was to its compb tion before the overdevelopment could shut things down. As it turned out, the winds proved to be quite strong, thereby slowing the competitors' progress such that the overdevelopment occurred while tbe entire field was in the air still battling the quartering headwind to get to the turnpoint. The c1H1ims began to drop rain and lightning, and only four fc}reign pilots managed to thread the needle of sparks, rain and sink to arrive at goal the headwind. Most oC the other pilots were scattered somewhere in the vicinity of the rurnpoint at the ning of the final upwind leg. 'T'he fact that only foreign pilots rrrnde goal supported Mark Gibson's observation that American pilots are too accustomed to flying downwind tasks to acquire the skills needed to do well going upwind. Bob Baier won his second day (l ] li.8 mph), and was followed in to goal by Stefan Weber, Kraig Coomber and Manfred Ruhmer. Larry 'fodor was fifth, landing within site of goal.

dosed launch for a period of time om of concern frJr the danger of mid-airs over the main ridge. In the after abom three hours of fruitless the wind dropped off Gliders to dribble om of the sky imo the three main LZ's umil there was only a fraction of the field still in the air. this entire time only two pilots had gonen up and out, Tc1mas (1 I mph) and Mark Gibson, and both had made it rn Things to around 5:30 PM as the last survivors on the lose their battle l.Z. But as the ones arrived over light, workable and consistent lift. As the group began to climb things to slowly improve, just as some cumulus to form in the hit berto blue sky. This miraculous development happened so late that most pilots had to bail out of the lift in order to take their photographs of the clock before it was with-drawn at six o'clock. The author took his last picture literally as the attendants began to roll up the clock's fabric hands. Of these late pilots none made but Manfred, Brad Koji, [Jave Sharp and T.arry 'fodor all made it at least half way. The author, on the other hand, sq1iandcred his hard-c:uned altitude by actually the day's rask and heading off in the wrong direction. The day's fonnicst moment occurred in the Corral LZ. As the afrernoon wore on and ever more pilots came in to land, Denny Mallet suggested that the assembled pilots gather for a group portrait for entry into the landing photo contest. That portrait was to he of a dozen derrieres bared to greet the next approaching pilot. A camera was posi·tioned to record the moment, which, when it arrived, produced a rather difforcm omcome than the one expected. T'l1e pilot, when by what he allegedly interpretHANC Ci IDINC

ed to he a group demonstrating the approved USHGA landing direction, altered his approach to accommodate the indicated wind direction. He stalled his turn and spun in, damaging the demo Predator he was test Hying. The classic resulting picture, entitled "Moons of Dinosaur" includes the afore·· mentioned moons and, in one comer, the wing of the rapidly descending glider.

DAY FIVE: MAYBELL Fear of overdevclopment resulted in a modshort rnsk ro the cast being called. Ironically, it did overdevelop, but only early in the day bdc)re the field had gotten on course. During the flight, conditions were quite good after an initially shady period for the first l miles behind the start clock, and there was no overdevelopment. However, the area 20 miles before goal presented a blue hole due to the overdevelopmem and rain earlier in the day. That rain had suppressed thermal acriviry until much later in the day. ·rhis meant that rhe lead gaggle with Manfred and Tomas went fearfully low in the blue zone before succeeding in scratching back up from 400 feet to head for goal. Leading the 32 finishers was M111frcd (1 32.G mph) who won his first day in the meet to forther increase die overall lead he had taken on the third day. I le was followed by

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DECEMlirn I 996

Dennis Pagcn, Mark Gibson and Hiroshi Suzuki.

DAY SIX: DIXON VIA CROSS MT. TURNPOINT (94 HJU~IAY/

The second very loug rask took the field to the northeast into the state of Wyoming. A turn point was included to keep the course line away from the forbidden, and forbidding, canyon lands of the Dinosaur National Monument. Conditions were very good frir

the most pmt, but with a few difficult hits tossed in to keep things interesting. T'he very excellence of the clouds prod ucccl occasional showers and some large shade areas which created sink barriers. Stumpy Gilmore was one of rhosc who became badly stuck in a shady zone before pulling off an excellent save to continue on course. Unfortunately for him, that good effort was aborted when his vario failed and he wound up landing well short of goal. The most dramatic cvem at: goal was, however, cardiac, not aeronautic. After landing, Jim Zeiset began to cnce persistent heart palpitations brought on by the exhaustion of a four-and,-a-ha\f:.hour flight, dehydration and old age. After a precautionary visit to a local hospital he was released and tmcventfolly flew rhe last day of the meet. The day produced another excellent completion rate for so long a task diswncc. Forty-seven pilots, or 34<J1i of the flcld, made goal. They were led by Manfred who won his second consecutive day 38.G mph), closely followed hy Brnd Koji, Chris Muller, Chris Arai and Trimmy the Czech.

DAY SEVEN: MEEKER AIRPORT The lasr day began with Manfred leading Tomas by a substantial, if not insurmount

able margin. The final rask was a return to JV'''"·''''"'· bm this time there was a s1f(;111f1,ca11t crosswind from the soullJ. Thar wind was tnoderately on die mountain, and made it a bit for people to climb out at launch and t,1ke the clock at good altitude.

Jfaving taken the clock at less than maxi· mum altitude, many pilots were then forced

to fly a crosswind through an area where the wind was being accelerated around the rnoumain over lcss-than·idcal landing areas. 'The combination oflocally high winds, rcla. low altitudes and dinosaur country in a number of pilots diH1culties and landing early in their flights. One of them, Mitch Shipley, exorcised his frustrations by running the nine miles back to Dinosaur. for those who continued on course, things became easier as the crosswind diminished once were from the mou111ain's influence. At tlie of the mountain, befrire the badlands, there was a flre diat produced a plume of !iii:, smoke ... and sink. While some pilots reported lifr in the vicinof the Bill Hartke experienced the logical, corollary massive sink th:1r pummeled him to the ground at 2,000 !i)tn. After die fire things were a bit of a struggle for many people, including the Flying Pagcns. 'l'hey demonstrated their matrimonial bond by groveling together low over the middle of dinosaur country before success·· folly heading to goal. The day's winner was 'fomas, with Manfred (of course?) second, followed by Rob Kayes, Dave Sharp and l liroshi Suzuki. 'fomas' victory was, however, not enough to overcome Manfred's lead on the morning of the final day. Last ye::ir, in his first American comest, 'fomas won. This year Manfred wins his flrst. I fear that next year's contest is likely to be a 1cimmy and Manfred Tie. Not incidentally, behind 'fomas and Manfred there was actually a hang gliding contest involving other pilots. That distinguished group was kd hy Tbdor 011 a Wills Wing XC. For 1.arry this fine result represented the conclusion of an outstanding year. He married, won ar Sandia and is now a father. The entire competition community congratulates liim on his personal and flying successes of the year. Next came Brad Koji on the new Moyes and, to round our the top fiv<.:, Dave Sharp flying Blue Sky's Predator. 'The remaining pilots in the rop ten include the evergreen Jim Lee, as well as another U.S. Team pilot Nelson Howe. As noted at the beginning of the article, this

contest was distinguislicd by high participation on the part of excellent overseas pilots. Tl1a1 is borne our by the results which show visitors among the I op ten including the final rhree in that gro11p, Andre Woll; Chris Muller and Rohan Holtkamp.

CLOSURE On the evening of the Hnal task the pilots repaired to the town of Vernal, half an hour west of Dinosaur in Utah. There the pilots were treated to a catered barbecue dinner courtesy of the town of Vernal. At the party a preliminary awards cerernony was held to honor Manfred who had to depart early to catch a plane back to Europe. The following morning a foll awards presentation took place at mecl headquarters in Dinosaur. Among those honored were two pilots who arc new ro rhe comperition scene, and who have done unusually well. Grandfother Mark Bolt and Rookie John Scott placed 14 rh ;ind l 5rh in one of the co1mtry's most competitive meets ever held. ln addition to the aerial competition, tbe 1nect included a disputed Drivers' Contest run Meadows. Drivers accumulated points according to the number of pilots and gliders 1hey picked up throughout

rhe comest. Quite a bit of money was involved, and as a result the contest became something of an blood sport as the drivers competed for 1hc prize. Drivers stole pilots and gliders from other teams, and even car keys. In rhe end the winner of the $500 ehcek was Megan Barron, and the money has gone toward her new harness. Next year she'll fly, not drive. The final bit of business transacted at the end of the ceremony was the auctioning off of M::infred's winning Icaro Laminar. The bidding was surprisingly spirited, and in the end Bob Shatdcroe went home with the prize. As we shall sec, Manfred had no fi.1nher need for his glider.

EPILOGUE Manfred had departed early as he needed to go back to ltaly in time to work on the final reflnemcnt: of his new glider prior to the forthcoming European Championships, an aerotow meet held in Hungary. Thar glider proved to be lcaro's new topless KPl. 1.aminar, and with that weapon he was to again duel 'fomas, who was himself flying a prorotypc topless Moyes glider. This time 'fomas won and Manfred was second. So it goes. HANC CL!DJNC

Let's face it. The hang gliding community is aging. When I got into the sport in 19731 was 22, and an unmarried, foot-Loose, fancy-free college student. Im 45 now, and work and family commitments have taken their toll on my flying, as Im sure they have for many others.

high-P'cfo,-

mance gliders, especially in turbulent midday conditions, is demanding. The pilot needs to be current, and the gliders are heavy, time consuming and inconvenient to set up, often difficult to land, and not so reassuring in gnarly thermals. They are also expemive. Add these disincentives to the above-mentioned demands on one's time, and the result is likely to be a lot less flying. Ken de Russy, who has been involved in the spore for as long as I can remember, recently commented to me, "Hang gliding is evolving itself out of existence. " He then talked about the "hang gliding culture" and how it pressures pilots (directly or inadvertently) into flying higher, faster and farther on higher- and higher-performance gliders. The result: fewer people getting into the sport and more dropping out. Ken now teaches paragliding exclusively. Enter the Wills Wing Falcon. It's light, a breeze to set up, phenomenally easy to fly, reassuring in turbulence and a piece of cake to land. And it costs half what a blade wing does. I really believe that if the "culture" can be changed, gliders like the Falcon may be instrumental in creating a hang gliding renaissance.

dies are left attached this raises the kingpost), and stuif seven battens per side. Ir's nice not having to lacerate one's fingers when tensioning the batten strings. Tension the crossbar by pulling back the sweep wire and drop the keyhole rang into place at the rear of the keel. Install the washout rips and attach the front wires at the nose with another keyhole tang. Push the nose batten into place and you're done. I expect that this whole procedure should rake no more than four or five minutes with a little practice.

SETUP Setting up the Falcon is a breeze. Assemble the control bar at the corner bracket with a bolt, wingnut and safety. (The Wills folding basetube is an option.) Set the glider on the control bar, spread the wings (if the bri-

A GREAT DAY OF FLYING I recently had a chance to fly both the 195 and 225 Falcon at Marshall Peak near Crestline, California. (The Falcon is also available in 140 and 170 sizes.) It was a

great day. USHGA Executive Director Phil Bachman was in town and flew tandem in both a paraglider and a Falcon with instructor extraordinaire Rob McKenzie. Roy Haggard and Larry Tudor also showed up to fly. My first flight was in midday thermal conditions in a 195 Falcon. After a few steps I was in the air searching for some lift to climb out over Marshall and hopefully thermal back to Crestline. I immediately noticed how easy it was to turn the glider. I hadn't flown an entry-level glider in ma11y years, and I'd forgotten what a joy it is to drive around the sky in a glider that quickly responds to control input with practically no physical effort or lag rime. Turns coordinated easily and the glider was very easy to thermal. The slow-flight capability

HANG GLIDING

LEFT: The author prepares to launch with the help of Rob Kells (left) and Larry Tudor (right).

of the wing and the quick response, even at chose low speeds, enabled me to really milk the lift for all it was worth. In no time I was above launch and the lift was booming. I soon gained more than 3,000 feet over Marshall, with my trusty (namesake) Gilbert Roberts' bread-pan vario frequently pegging at 1,000 fpm. Even after a significant hiatus from flying, at no time did I feel uncomfortable in the turbulence. Later, both Mike Meier and Rob Kells agreed char the thermal turbulence chat day was an eight on a scale of ten. I can only assume chat the glider's stability, controllability, damping and aeroelasticity soaked up the bumps. (By the way, Rob commenced chat if hang gliding were nothing more than flying high-performance gliders in midday con-

DECEMBER 1996

vection he'd probably lose interest.) With all chat altitude I decided to see what the glider would do with the bar at my knees. It was nice to discover chat, unlike the Super Sport, there was no tendency for the wing to oscillate at high speeds, and I was able co fly straight and true even in the bumpy air. The glider seemed co be flying quire fast, and although I didn't have an airspeed indicator, I'll bet I was getting in excess of 45 mph with my 220-pound hook-in weight in the 195. Bar pressure at speed is substantial enough co be reassuring, but not fatiguing. I was surprised at how well the single-surface sail held up at these barstuffed speeds. Although it wrinkled and fluttered slightly, it didn't turn into a flag. As should be expected from a single-

surface design, the glider comes down fast when flown at its top end. Pulling the bar to my knees, I was able to get my vario to read nearly 800 fpm down. However, in my opinion, the glider penetrates well enough and gets a good enough LID at normal cruising speeds chat a pilot should be able to do 93.785% of the sruff he does in a high-performance glider on a typical day of recreational flying. I had no problem gaining 3,000 feet of altitude in (so they say) turbulent lift- in short order. In fact, it would probably have taken longer in a high-performance ship since I wouldn't have been able co core as rightly. I was able co cruise the mountain range and fly back out, just as I have done multitudinous times in higherperformance gliders at chis sire. It just cook a litde longer. The Marshall/Crestline LZ looks big from the ground, but from the air it appears to shrink significantly, and you don't want to overshoot or yo u'll be sorry. It's also known for its nasty midday thermal activity. After bleeding off copious altitude I set up a standard downwind, base and final approach, adjusting my rurns as I would in a blade wing co make sure chat I judged the wind direction and gradient properly, with room for error. At this point the ability to make the glider sink by pulling in the bar was a pleasant surprise. My instincts, developed over the years by flying much higher-performance wings, were telling me to approach somewhat short, in anticipation of bleeding off the energy scored in tl1e glider after diving through the gradient, and riding out ilie ground effect. It was so easy! I just floated in and flared. Ir was like stepping off a chair. Landing the 225 was like stepping off a curb. THE225 Ir's roo bad the name "Super Floater" is already in use, since chat perfectly describes this glider. Interestingly, on my second flight of ilie day in a 225 I was joined by Phil Bachman who was flying tandem with Rob McKenzie in anoilier Falcon 225. I law1ehed first and had co hang out in the ridge and weak thermal

ABOVE: Gilfloats offthe hill in a Falcon 195. RIGHT: The Falcon pumform. lift for nearly half an hour waiting for them to get ready. Soon they joined me in the relatively smooth late-afternoon air. It was great fun cruising around in the sky with USHGA's illustrious Executive Director. At the end of the flight, as I was homing in for a landing, I had the opportunity to fly for about 10 minutes with a bird- nearly wing tip to wing tip. Our airspeeds were nearly identical. I have done chis a number of times in the past, but this experience reminded me of what hang gliding is all about: the realization of man's age-old dream of flying like the birds. I was flying like a bird, with a bird. (I don't know my birds very well. Maybe it was a falcon.)

THE MANUAL The Falcon owner's manual is superb. I expect that it was written by Mike Meier, who is a clever fellow with an excellent command

H ANG GLIDING

of the English language (although he still needs to learn :1bmn hyphenating two words that combine to form an adjective which precedes the modified noun). 'T'hc manu;il is thorough and comprehensive, and includes information on setup, maintenance, flying and landing, tm1ing, using the wing tufrs, speeds to Jly and using an airspeed indicator, transport, and the glider's certification. Ir's packed with useful information. At the end there arc exploded views of all the glider compo·· ncnts with pan numbers and specs. It's amazing how many parts there arc even in such a "simple" wing. The auto-cad diagrams were created by Steve Pearson who also designed all four sizes of the glider. Information about Wills Wing products is also avaihiblc from their Web site. Check it ol!I at http://www.will,wing.corn.

CONCLUSION I highly recommend the Falcon 10 anyone who is just getting into the spon of hang gliding. f would also suggest that ir might make a nice second glider for experienced pilots who wanr 1hc convenience, case of setup, and reassuring flight and Lmding characteristics rhat 1his glider bas to offer. l also believe that the Falcon would be an excellent choice for paraglidcr pilots who would like to get a taste of their sister sport. Finally, for those who don't fly as often as they used w, or those who have dropped out of the sport altogether because of the hassles inherent in flying high-performance gliders, life's demands and commitments, or the inability to stay currcm, the Falcon might be the ticker 10 get you back in the air.

I )!UMB[ R 19%

BRONZE ULIENTHALAWARD ROB RICHARDSON

SILVER LILIENTHAL AWARD ROB RICHARDSON

GOLD UUENTHALAWARD ROB RICHARDSON

DIAMOND LHJENTHALAWARD ROB RICHARDSON

100 MILEX-C FUGHTAWARD RAYMOND BERGER

BO: Travelers Rest, SC; B. Jlurril/Ulrralight Flying Equipment CllRISTENSEN, GINGER: Roswell, GA; C. Thorcson/Lookom Mtn FP DEPANHUS, Davenport, FL; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch EBEL, Ft J.amlerdalc, Fl.; J. Tindle/Miami HC FOR.MEL, PAUL: Altamonte Spgs, FL; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch HUGH, MILTON: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG 01~'"'"•''L""· MARK: Aulmmdak fl,; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch ''-'Ln,u,.,1.,,,,.,1ur,: Atlanta, GA; C. 'J'horcson/1.,JOkom Mtn FP Wimer Haven, FL; D. Glovcr/Wallahy Ranch DOUG: Raleigh, NC; T. Hagcr/Lookom Mtn FP MC ADAM, BERT: Pompano Beach, FL; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch STEWART, KEVIN: Mt Juliet, TN; T. Hager/Lookout Mm FP WATERS, STEWART: Randleman, NC; R. lmmordino/Kiny Hawk Kites

150 MH.EX-C FLIGHT AWARD WILLIAM SCOTT,JR

Bl•'.GINNER-TANDEM RA'l'INGS 7 SARA:

IL; B. Kushner/Raven

"''""""" 'I 'l IOMAS: New York, NY; D. Guido/Susquehanna FP DUBOIS, DAN: Liverpool, NY; D. Cuido/Susquehanna FP MURPHY, DAVrD: Atlantic Beach, NY; P. Voight/Fly High HG MURPHY, KERRI: Arlamic Beach, NY; P. Voight/Fly High HG SPANO, Waterloo, NY; B. Arca Flyers

STEFJ~FN: Fr l.auclcrdalc, FL; J. Tindle/Miami !IC HUGH, MILTON: Miami, Fl.; J. Tindle/Miami HG

13 MATT: Unircd Kingdom; W. Thornton/Kitty Hawk Kites PLUMMER, ROBERT: FPO, AA; T. Hagcr/1,ookout Mtn Fl' ZANONI, PATRICK: Japan; R McKenzie/High Advemme

BEGINNER RATINGS NOVICE RATINGS Bellingham, WA; J. Ficscr/Wh:ncom

DON: Sunnyvale, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring GOMES, MICHAEL: Union City, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission KAYSSER, TROY: Los Alros, CA; P. Dcnevan/Mission Soaring KIESLING, THOMAS: Gilroy, CA; D. Byrns/Mission Soaring LYBARGER, KEVIN: Lincoln, CA; G. Flamilron/Sacramcmo HG NIKOLEY, RICHARD: San Jose, CA; A. Mclean/Mission PENDERGRASS, JOHN: Hughson, CA; C. Prarhcr/Dream Weaver JJG Region 3 ALLEN, TRAVIS: l luntingtm1 Bch, CA; S. Donahue/Humington J fG BOND, KEN: Temple City, CA; A. Bccm/Windsports Jm'l BULL, ERTC: Los Angeles, CA; A. Bccm/Winclsports lm'l CA MARONA, ROBERTO: Like Elsinore, CA; P. Phillips/Like

4 COREY: Prescott Valley, AZ; R. Richardson/ Arizona H(; GERMAIN, PAM: Sierra Vista, AZ; T. Barton/Airborne USA HUNT, JR, BOB: Florissant, CO: S. Flight

Cedar Rapids, IA; B. Knshncr/Ravcn Sky M1DB~RJS, DAN: Hdenvillc, WI; B. Kushncr/R,iven Spons NAST, RONALD: Addison, IL; B. Kuslmer/Ravm RUBEL, TIMM: Evanston, J L; B. Kushner/Raven "'"" "'""''"

,v.,u,,,.,,ci,..., ROB: Manchester, NH; D. Baxter/Morningside FP ROSSI, SILAS: Chcrryfidd, ME: D. Baxter/Morningside FP ROSSI III, KARL: Cherryfield, ME; D. Baxrcr/Momingsidc FP Region 9 MOGAN, BARNABAS: Re.mm, VA; D. Hc>hr,,/Kiinv Hawk Kites

1,1,1v11"un,, MARCELO: Kem, WA; G. Nelson/HG Adventures GREGORY, TERESA: Bellingham, WA; M. Lipscomb/Lipscomb HG '"'''"''"·""·ERIC: Woodinville, WA; K. Cosley/Cascade Soaring ROWSE, SCOTT: Kennewick, WA; B. Morgan TREFTZ, KURT: Bellevue, WA; P. Brown/Airplay'n

GLEN: Hayward, CA; M. Vorbis OREN, ISAAC: Sunnyvale, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring STRTCKLAND, MARC: Fresno, CA; P. Codwin/Westcrn rlG

KEN: Temple City, CA; A. Becm/Windspons Int'! MORRISON, BRIAN: San 13cmardino, CA; S. Donahue/Huntington I IG VANDERWERF, BRIAN: Solana Beach, CA; R. Mitchell/The Eagles Wings WAUGH, FRED: Agua Dulce, CA; A. Becm/Windsports Tnr'l , MARK: Sierra Vista, AZ; T. Barton/Airborne USA BURK, COREY: Prescott AZ; R. Richardson/Arizona HG GERMAIN, TIM: Sierra Vista, T. Barron/Airborne Sports USA PEfERSON, LARRY: Fort Collins, CO; H. Faris/Front Range HG PUGIN, PHTJJP: Logan, UT; P. Anderson/The Center WERNICK, KARL: Sandy, UT; P. Anderson/The Center WILLIAMS, GERALD: Payson, UT; Z. Majors/Wasatch

Im,L: Lincoln, NE; B, Kushner/Raven

Sports

1v11\\.T1or,, SCOTT: Elgin, Jl ,; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mm FP MORRIS, DAN: l lclcnvillc, WI; B. Kuslrncr/Ravcn Sports NAST, RONALD: Addison, IL; B. Kushner/Raven Sky RUBEL, TIMM: fa:umon, JL; B. Knslmcr/Ravcn Sports

HANC GLIJ)JNC

MARK: Rutland, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP CHAN, INSON: Malden, MA; R. C:orbo/Momingsidc FP GUSMAN, PAULO: Somerville, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside PP PERRY, DEBORAH: New Milford, Cr; B. Davidson/Tck Flight Products

KURT: Saline, Ml; N. I.csnow/Pro HG J IENDRICKSON, ROBERT: Janesville, WI: B. Kuslmcr/Ravcn

Sports

DANIEL: Quaker Hill, CT; D. Baxter/Morningside Fl'

KEVIN: Johnstown, PA; B. Weaver/Kitty Hawk Kites SCANLAN, MARK: Collegeville, PA: B. Umstaml/Sky High

GINGER: Roswell, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP CUTTS, BUDDY: Montgomery, Al.; A. 13loodworrh/Lookour Mrn FP DAVIES, ROBER'f: Wimcrhavcn, Pl.; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch DEPANFH.IS, Davenport, FL; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch Altamolll Spgs, i:I .; D. c;lovcr/Wallahy Ranch DRURY, EBEL, STEFFEN: Fr Lauderdale, 1:1.; J. Tindle/Miami I IG FORMEL, PAUL: Altamomc Spgs, FL; D. c;Jovcr/Wallaby Ranch GURR, CHRJS: Coconut CnlVc, FL; E. c;urr/Miami HG HUGH, MILTON: Miami, Fl.;J. Tindle/Miami HC; MARK: Auburndale, Fl.; D. Glover/Wallaby Ranch KIL.BARGER, Atlanta, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP KOHL, Winter Haven, Pl,; D. Clovcr/Wallahy Ranch LEAPI.EY, DOUG: Raleigh, NC T. I lagcr/l.ookom Mm Pl' SHIRLEY, WII .UAM: Brandon, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch STEWART, KEVIN: Mr Juliet, TN; T. Hager/Lookout Mm Fl' WARREN, HOWARD: !farrow, FL; D. Clover/Wallaby Ranch

NOEMI: Silver Spring, MD; R. Bachman/Kitty I lawk Kites SEMYONOV, ALEX: Springfield, VA; c;. Black/Mountain Wings Region 10 TAYLOR, PETER:

Head, NC; R. Bachman/Kirry Hawk Kites

Region l l DAUSCH, DOUG: Carland, TX; K. Robinscm/Clouclmcets KEY, DAVID: Richardson,. rX: M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch KEY, M.D., CllfARLES: Dallas, TX; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MEADOWS, ARTHUR: Dallas, TX; D. Broyles/Kite Enterprises Region 12 MILLER, THAD: Denville, NJ; I ).S. Jewell/Fly High I IC MORRISSEAU, MICHAEL: Rochester, NY; B. Lyon/Rochcsrcr Arca Flyers PANAGIOTIDIS, VI ADTMIROS: New York City, NY; S. Makrinos/lkaros Sports

MARK: Japan; C:. Howen/Quest Air SOLOWEYKO, VICTOR: Canada; M. Robertson/High Perspective

CARLOS: Keene, TX; K. Robinson/C;o I Jang Cliding

ADVANCED RATINGS New York, NY; C. Flchin/Ki11y l Tawk Kites !RETON, COLLIN: Apo, AF; D. Cordon/Advent me Sporrs Toms MURPHY, DAVID: Atlantic Beach, NY; P. Voight/Fly High HC MURPHY, KERRI: Atlantic Beach, NY; I'. Voight/Fly J ligh HG

Region l RAINES, MARILYN: Chelan, WA; J. Bowman/Air 7.onc Rcgion 2 MORIARTY, ANN: Pinole, CA; S. Sccbass/Bcrkclcy He; Club MOJUAR'fY, KENT: Pinole, CA; S. Secbass/Bcrkelcy I IC Club

ROBERT: FPO, AA; T. f lagcr/Lookom Mm FP ZANONI, PATRICK: Japan; It McKcm.ic/l ligh Adventure VINCENT: San Jacinto, CA; P. Phillips/I.akc Elsinore Sports

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS BROOM, 11ERNARD: Anaconcs, WA; K. CI IRIS: Sama Crnz, CA; J. Borton/Thin Air Designs FILER, CHRIS: Santa Cruz, CA; I'. Godwin/Western l IC MOBERG, MICHAEL: San Francisco, CA; P. Goodwin/Western I IC WASSON, STEPHEN: Cupertino, CA; P. Godwin/Western HC

Arcadia, CA; D. Quackcnlmsh/Trne Flighr CARI.ISLE, Marina Del Rey, CA; J. Crchlo/Windsports lnt'l KAHN, LEE: ( ;olcra, CA; J. Graham/Foot Launched Flight MICHALEK, SCOTT: Lake Elsinore, C:A; P. Phillips/1.akc Elsinore Sporrs MlLLER, MICHAEL: Srudio City, (:A;]. Crchlo/Windspons lm'l WEINMANN, FRED: Canyon Country, CA; J. Crchlo/Windspons Inr'l WEISS n, DON: Paia, 11 f; R. Paucrson/l\erkclcy I IC Club

MEGAN: Hereford, AZ; T. Barton/Airborne Sports USA HAMH<, DANA: Telluride, CO; K. Gendron/Telluride Air I:orcc WEBSTER, DAVID: Wcsrminsrcr, C:O; C. Bowen/Quest Air

ROBERT: Susquehanna, PA; R. Murphy/Ulrraligbr Flight PRICE, GEORGE: Vienna, VA; S. Kinsley Region 10

GRAVES, JEFF: Winter Haven, FT.; T. Ramseur/'! 'ommy World Aviation MC LEUAND, MATJ'HF.W: Lookout Mm, C;A; R. I .conard/Adventure Sports WIEDEMANN. BARBARA: Montgomery, AL; G. Clover

TANDEM ONE RATING JIM WOODWARD

TANDEM INSTRUCTOR RATING YVONNE: Phoenix, AZ: J. Nicolcr/Momingsidc FP DAVTDNETO

DFCIMlllR 1996

BACKGROUND ver the past IO years I have been towed aloft by several boats, a modified Cobra and rhc Dragonfly. I bunched ftrst from the shore, then later from the back of the first boat in rlorida equipped with an ATOl .-like winch and launch system. (Jim Walls equipped my Ski Nautique with a payout winch and a launcb platform after about the J\TO L trailer launch sys· tem.) 'fowing was making great strides for .. w:ll'd. Center---of.mass bridles were being developed and tested to enhance the pilot's ability to control the glider while under tow. New releases were being tested on every flight to examine the safest options av;iilable. Bobby Bailey modified a ( :obra ultralight to tow and l!ltra-light sailplanes, then the Dragonfly, a taskspecifie ultralight designed to aerotow ultralight aircraft. .M;iny thousands of tows, and years of flying under tow, have taught us tech .. niques to safeguard pilots from some equipment-related problems. Like most pioneers, when someone was hurt or something went wrong, we learned what not to do and wh;it to avoid. In rime we arrived at how to do it right, and would like to share that inform;ition in order to help the towing community avoid some of the accidents and incidents from which we learned. This rirnc--proven information is meant to help pilots have a successful and more enjoyable rowing experience.

THE AEROTOW RELEASE SYST'EM The J\erotow Release System consists of four components that work together to provide the pilot with enhanced glider control while under tow, and the ability to terminate the tow at the pilot's discretion. The components are the primary release,

and weak link 1). Each element in this system is equally i mportallt to of the pilot.

PRIMARY RELF.ASE CRITERIA release the 1) Tc> actuate the pilot does nor have to of the the last thing we want to do in an emcr-i;cncy situation is up control of the glider in order to tcnninate the tow,) 2) The release must disconnect the towline from the at pilot's discretion and 1101 (T'he inability to release or a premature release can have seri-ous conseq11ences for an pilot.) 3) The pressme required to actuate the release rnust not be more than three to pounds throughout entire towline tension range (from zero tension to the maxi .. mnm strength ofthe weak link). ff your system you to take your hand olT the cnnrrol to actuate the release it is not suitable. ff yom relc;ise opens as a result of abrupt changes in tow line tension you arc using ;morher unacceptable release mechanism. lf the pressure required to actuate your release increases as the towline tension or will not drop the towline in a zcnHension situa-tion, you should rule it out as well.

POSH'IONING THE PRIMARY REI.EASE The release handle should be on the con-trol bar, but not positioned so that the launch carr or the pilot might actuate it hy accident. 'fhe release cable needs to he pilot is provided routed and secured so with a full range of movement withom causing an unanticip:1ted release. The release mechanism irnelF can he connected to the carahiner on most intermediate and high--performancc This will help reduce bar pressure at higher towing

Slower that release mechanisrn in front of the control frame junction to reduce the bnr pressure by the forward pilot during the tow. The rhe connection, the less bar pressure 1-he pilot will Jn the process of tryto find position make srnall, ff you have to push out gradual during most of the tow you have moved the attachment poim too far forward. Move the attachment point back until the bar pressure is or causes you to pull in slightly tow. Make all release mechanism location changes in small i ncrerncn ts so that you experience fewer on your nexl flight. the location of the rcbisc mechanism is one way to trim the glider frir towing without affecting the normal trim of rhe glider dur.. ing free fligh 1.

THE SECONDARY RELEASE The secondary release is a backup. If the primary release fails or the bridle gets towline, you'll be glad you hooked on have a secondary release. Some pilots use a hook knife as a "secondary "hul l prefer an emergency release on the shoulder portion of rny bridle. That way, ii; after actuating my primary release the bridle becomes entangled with the tow ring, I can use my secondary release to detach from the towline. Note in this sce·· nario that rhc link is no longer part of the acrotow release syMem and it is very important to be ,1ble to detach from the towline immediately.

POSITIONING THE SECONDARY RELEASE The secondary release needs to be within reach and sight of the pilot without requir-ing you to look away from where you are going. You also want to consider the posi-rion of 1his release relative to your so that if the towline breaks under a !or of tension the secondary will not hit you in the face. ff you use an equestrian emer· gcncy release be cardi.il not to get one with such a large collar that when you snatch on the towline the mass of the collnr causes ;in unwanted detachment from rhe towline.

THE BRIDLE T'hc bridle is the part of the system that enhances the pilot's ability to control the

Continued on page 50. HANC GUDINC

ildingAnd FlyingA 100

while he took measuremenrs and offered direction. There are many well-written acco unts of these flights which I will only summarize. The first glider flown on the Indiana dunes in 1896 was a Lilienthal-type machine piloted by Augustus Herring. Ir was described as "cranky" and was soon abandoned after about a hundred glides. The next glider was a multi-winged machine that was designed to rapidly change configuration. The various pairs of wings were rearranged in a number of ways, with the final configuration having most of the wings in from and some as a horizonral rail in back. This glider became known as the Katydid, and boasted a glide ratio of around five to one. A very large glider called the Albatross was also rested and was unsuccessful. It was so large and heavy that it required a truss-work of rails for launching. The glider slid down the rails with ballast instead of a pilot aboard, and crashed. The most successful design was a biplane

which featured a truss structure of struts and wire bracing that resembled a bridge. The pilot hung by his armpits and conrrolJed the glider by weight shift. The horizontal tail setting was flexible by design, and would vary in incidence depending on the strength of wind gusts. Chanute's helpers made hundreds of safe flights in this machine. Later versions of it built by Herring flew in 1897, and another built by WJ.liam Avery flew at the Sr. Louis World's Fair in 1904.

WHY BUILD A REPLICA? T here were several good reasons for deciding to invest in a project of this nature. First, I wanted to do something in 1996 to honor the early pioneers of hang gliding who flew 100 years ago. Hundred-year anniversaries in hang gliding do not rolJ around every day. Also, as an aerodynamics engineer, I was very interested in learning more about what it wo uld take to build and fly a glider from the perspective of other disciplines such as H ANG GLIDING

article and photos copyright !996by Paul Dees all right:s· reserved program management, safety, manufactur·· ing, structures, and stability and control. Flying hang gliders is great fon, but I want· ed to experience the pleasure of flying some· thing I built myself There was a civic group in Indiana planning al 00-year celebration of Chanutc's glider flights for July 1996. f was invited w participate with my replica, ,is were the leaders of several other replica projects. Tbc event provided a deadline for me: 10 com· plctc: the: project. I wanted to do something in 1996 to honor the: early pioneers ofhang gliding, but bad no desire ro repeat any fatal mistakes! Three early gliding pioneers (Otto Lilienthal, Percy Pilcher and John Montgomery) all died crashing their gliders. [ chose the Chanute hi plane design for my replica project because of the remarkable safety record of C:hanute's team of experi· menters.

DECEMBER 1996

Ii RESEARCH AND DRAWINGS Once l decided to build a replica in time for rhc J 00-year celebration, 1 needed to decide what n1arerials to use and how authentic to make it. 1 also needed to decide if the replica would he airworthy or just for display. Dr. Tenn Crouch of the National Air and Space Museum recomrnended that the glider be built with classic materials, and [ l could not stomach the idea of sinking so much money and time inro this project without at least trying to fly it. Chanute even let an occasional bystander fly his glider, so it must not have been that difficult to fly! I found copies of many photos, draw· ings and written accounts about rhc glider. Sources included Dr. Crouch at the NASM, descendants of Octave Chanute himselt, and a friend of the Chanute family named Johnie Litchenburg who has built several replicas over the years. f ,co Opdychc of the historical journal, WW1 Aero, was helpli.11 as well. It: is said that one with two watches never knows the time, and that is true! I found that I now had conflicting dimensions fr)r the glider from the multiple sources. I also discovered that there were three distinct ver· sions of the glider. T chose the most photographed version for my replica, and used the photos with Chanute's drawings to rec-· oncile any dimensional disagreements. Once l made a general arrangement drawing ofthe glider l continued with construction drawings, a cost estimate, and many necessary engineering studies to ensure strnctural integrity, safe aerodynamics and authenticity (in that order). Changes from the original included modifying the airfoil slightly, fixing the position of the rail, removing the anhedral from the and using a harness rather than hanging only by my armpits. l changed something if l felt ir was required ii:) r safety.

CONS'I'RUC110N Building a glider is difficult and time con· suming, bm also very rewarding. This was rhe first time I had seriously tried to build a glider. family and plioto album could entertain you with my previous attempts as a teen hack in central Illinois to build flying

I machines, but l would not classify those as serious. I used my garage as a workshop, where J have a workbench and drill press. When I needed wcldiug or precision mill-work done, it had to be hired out. The structure was made of aircrafr-quality sitka spruce and ash. I was fonunarc to get the spruce from a local supplier. The ash was used in the high-load areas such as the hang bars and hang cage. The spars were very unique as they were circular and hollow in the middle, which meant much millwork was needed. Fach spar was made of two pieces, each 16 fret long. The middle was routed out, the halves glued and clamped together, and the outer circular shape was milled on a router table afrcr the glue was dry. The ribs were laminated from fr)Ur individual pieces of spruce, glued and clamped in place in a mold made from inch, medium·density fiberboard.'] 'he ribs sprang back even after being clamped for 2/i hours, so the mold had more camber than the finished ribs. The struts had a streamlined final shape. 'They were rough cur into an octagonal shape with a table saw, and hand worked with a spoke shave and sand .. paper to their final shape. Using the spoke shave was almost as therapeutic as soaring an evening wonder wind. All wood parts were finished with two coats of spar varnish to seal and protect. Any part of rhe wood that had contact with the sail wns left unfin· ished so the fabric cement would adhere properly. The wood originally used by Chanute was spruce or probably ash or a similar light.colored hardwood. The fittings for joining the struts to the spars were made from 4130 chrome-moly tubing which allowed fr>r easy removal of the struts for assembly and disassembly. I first drilled the holes in the tubing, then used a tube-notcher tool in the drill press to shape the ends of the tubes thar went together. I deaned the oily residue present on the stock tubing with paint thinner, then had the fittings professionally welded and painted. Believe me, this glider hardware was time consuming to make from scratch! Fittings on the original Ch,rnutc were made from brazed mild steel, and probably were lighter and weaker than what I used. All bolts were aircraft-quality AN bolts, and rigging hardware ernployed the typical

yogurt. Assembling the

The glider airframe rtnd hang cage prior to

today's hang junctures where many cables came to~~etl1cr.

The rigging was 1/ 16-- and eter, 7x7 stainless aircraft cable. Piano or nickel wire was used on the original Cbanure machines, The wing and tail cmrcn1ng 2.7-ounce Stits Polyfiber. I out the eertiflcation stamp as that would not be authentic. I finished the sails with two coats of untinred Polybrush, did not use the Polyspray or Polytone as that would result in a solid color and a less translucent

tra111ewo1l'lz was very rewarding,

used silk as a finish on the sail material as a finish. Subassembly of all the detail parts took about five months of spare time. Assembly of the parts, load testing, and final assembly took five months. First I assembled the struts and main loadcables. [ attached the ribs to the spars and more of' the wing cables. The main structural ribs a1 the strms were bolted to tbc spars. The other ribs were lashed to the spars with strong cord. The lashed joints were strong enough rhat if they foiled hy that time J would

because it was finally to look like a flying machine. [twas almost like finally sit· in the cockpit of a Glassair afrer putting hundreds ofhoms into it. I also completed the tail frames and rigging as f was working on the wings. (Multi tasking on the project was an effective way to keep things moving.) The tail rigging, which holds the vertical and horizontal tail presented a challenging problem. individual cables with tangs, bolts and swages would have been a difficult and way to do it. I ended up using continuous lengths of cable with slots cut in the rib ends and swages to keep the cables from sliding in the slots. This also allowed frir disassembly at the end of a day of flying. vertical tail ribs plugged into square tnbing so they could be removed for disassembly.

I OAD TE.STING AND THE BOX FROM HELL As tbe test pilot, 1

rhe peace of

that my handiwork would be strong and air-

worthy. l pcrfcmned a static load test by building a test fixture to hold the wing airframe which was loaded down with weight to simulate air loads. The wing frame and hang cage were mounted upside down the hang hars in the test fixture. · rhe weights were milk jugs filled with warcr, carefully weighed to match a calculated span load distribution. 'I 'lie milk jugs were locat· cd at the rihspar joints where the loads arc transferred ro the structure. Several friends came over to help om, and a good tirne was had by all. We loaded over 550 pounds onto the structure, rcprcscming more than two C's. J figured I would never pull two C's in this glider, as my intent was not to do aero· batics. One result of the load test was to emphasize the need for a harness design that applied the pilot weight load to the airframe away from the middle of the hang bars, as they deflected much under load. l started to design a hox to carry the disassembled glider cross-country from Seattle to Indiana for the l 00-ycar event. 'fhc glider would be taken apan by rcmovthe struts and bringing the top wing down ro rest on the bottom wing. ! made

some short struts so the wings did not touch each other and were protected. My original intent was to carry the box on top of the car like many rigid-wing hang glider pilots have done in the past. Once I finished rhc frame of the box (made from cut-down 2xCi and 2x4 lumber used for the static load test fix-I realized it was huge. Om flex-wing hang gliders are easily transported on top of a car or truck because arc only about six to l O inches in diameter. This box was 64 inches by 17 inches in cross section and over 16 feet long. Cartopping was quickly abandoned in favor of a trailer to carry the box.

COVERING AND FINAL ASSEMBLY Making the s:iils and covering the glider was another rewarding part of the building process. I bad lots of help from fellow hang glider pilot ,md glider builder, Peter Grny, as well as help from my mom and from a good family friend. The Chanute glider is unique in that the sail itself forms the leading and trailing edge of the wing. The airfoil h;is only a single surface, and the spars arc aft of the leading edge and forward of the

trailing edge. We hemmed a length dacron leach line inside the leading and trailing edges and I secured it tightly at each wing tip rib, When the sail was heat shrunk, the leach line gave something for the sail to pull on, and resulted in a nice scallop ,ilong the leading and trailing We ended up making two sets of sails. Suffice it to say that tbe warp or fill of the fabric should be parallel to the leading edge of the wing. I also recommend against using the really lightweight Stirs (1.8 ounce) for such a unique application as a Chanute replica. Covering the top wing went quickly wirh my dad helping. ft was much easier with two people. I had to take apart the wing frames to cover the bottom wing, and ended up tying the already-covered top wing with the struts and cables from the ceiling of the garage while covering the bottom wing in the other half of the garage. Then I made cutouts for the struts and cables, and rejoined the wings. l stitched the ribs at the leading and trailing edges so the leach line would have something to pull on as the sail was shrunk. T'he co1rer.rng

Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan, home of some beautiful 200-foot sand dunes that provide an excellent training sire for new hang glider pilots.

The glider uses modem d,ay aircraft hardware. Detail ofstrut/;parfitting. went well, in part because l had previously practiced with a Stits practice kit. lt gave me a chance to experiment without risk to the glider. Pinal assembly included rigging the tail incidence and other tail support cahlcs. The original Chanute used what looked like bicycle inner tubes to give the tail some free·· dom of movement in flight. I chose to fix the tail incidence to make the glider more stahle in pitch, so I used extra cables in place of the elastic material used by Chanute. I noticed from photos thar the Chanute glider bad a different horizontal tail incidence in flight than when it was unloaded on the ground. l rigged it to match the incidence in flight from the photos, plus some margin of static longitudinal stability.

THE FINAL PRODUCT The happy moment came when all the work was done, and l could take some photos and enjoy looking at the finished replica. It weighed 54 pounds. I rook a run with it down the middle oP the street (we live in a previously quiet neighborhood with little traffic). The glider seemed to be begging to be flown. Unfortunately, I was out of time to flight rest iron the West Coast before leaving for Indiana. The first flight would have to be right before the 100-year event in Gary. Tcltal time to do all this included I 50 hours of research and engineering. Actual construction took 325 hours over a period of [0 months. l took the glider apart and carefully packed it in its box for the trip. My wife Kay and kids had already flown back to the Midwest for business and visits to grandma, so J drove back there with my sister Sue. We had an enjoyable, but fast trip to the Chicago area where we stayed with my inlaws. From there we wem to camp at

FLIGHT TESTING July 26 provided good conditions for the first flight. On the previous day [ had met Paul forina, a pilot from the Cincinnati area. His son Nick was making good train-ing flights off the dunes. Paul had over a hundred homs in an Easy Riser, a biplane rigid wing of the 1970's, so he had an interest in seeing the Chanute replica fly. The wind was coming in at abour 12 mph with a 30-degree cross from the north. We started the long process of setting up the replica, which wok more than 1wo hours. There were a dmen wing struts, four hang cage struts, and numerous cable connections on the wings and tail to attach. Assembly definitely requires at least two people, and three can be kept busy. The glider is fragile and must be treated more carefully than om flex wings. My first task was to become familiar with the ground handling and launch nm characteristics of the glider. f carried it up the 30-foot dune which has a gradually increasing slope and is fairly flat at the bottom. I made several runs down the dune with the help of Paul farina. The pilot preparing ro launch mus1 let the glider rest on the small of his back as the static balance is aft dne to the tail. The harness made for me by Peter Gray was a huge help here, because besides carrying my

weight in the it goes over my shoulders to take some of the glider weight. All I have ro do is stand up, sready the glider in the small of my back, pull down on the front hang cage struts with my wrisrs to lift up rhe tail, and take the glider weight on my shoulders. I can then start the launch rnn. 'T'he tail wcighr and aerodynamic download on the tail caused it to sink back down into the sand and slide on the tail skid. This pitched up the wing, creating enough drag to slow my launch nm and keep me from getting airborne. Another characteristic complicating launch was the very high stall speed of the glider compared to today's flex wings. Nick farina was enjoying two-step launches and slow ground speeds in his 145 Falcon. I was running as hard as l could and still no joy. Clearly another approach was needed to fly. , rhe next strategy was to force the t;iil up and the nose down during the launch rnn, combined with going up to a steeper part of the hill. This did the trick and I was reward-eel with leaving the planet for a briefaerial journey of about four seconds. It still took about a dozen s1eps during the launch run ro get airborne. It sure felt good to finally fly it! The glider flewwitb a ground speed of about 20 mph and went for about 150 feet. I was only a few feet off the ground for the entire flight. 1 landed on my feet with a run-out of only several steps required. I was ecstatic, and also tired enough 10 need a rest and a cool drink. Kay got ir all on video and rny sister Sue rook a few photos.

Continued on page 16.

'171e author at Warren Dunes, Michigtm posing with the glider after successji,Jflight testing

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AN EAGLE TO THE SKY:

Osceola Flies Again by john Stokes

This is the story of Osceola, a one-winged eagle that returned to the sky through hang gliding. His story began in 1983 in a field in eastern Arkansas. Two rabbit hunters were crossing the field when they spotted an immature bald eagle on the ground, trying to become airborne. They noticed that his left wing dangled as he ran and concluded that he had been injured

he two quickly surrounded the bird and one of the hunters took his jacket off and tossed it over the eagle. This confused him and allowed the hunter to scoop him up in a protective wrap, and gave the man control over the raptor's powerful feet. The hunters promptly called the local game warden and transferred the eagle to him. At the time, I worked at the Memphis Zoo and was in charge of the Raptor Rehab Program. The warden called me, told of the injured bird and asked ifl could meet him near Osceola, Arkansas. He said that the eagle appeared to have a compound fracture and advised me to bring something to wrap the bird's wing. I drove for an hour, met the warden, and sure enough, the bone was exposed and the wing looked pretty bad. I carefully wrapped the wing and returned to the zoo. The staff vet, Dr. Mike Douglas, did a more thorough exam during which hex-rayed the bird's entire body and checked for parasites. Dr. Douglas decided to pin and wire the bro-

ken humerus back together, but he had doubts that this would help. The eagle had apparently been on the ground about a week before he was found. Despite three days of work and heavy antibiotic treatment, tl1e wing refused to heal. The eagle, now named Osceola, had become very sick due to all of the toxins in the severely infected limb. A decision was made to amputate the wing in order to save the bird's life. He would never fly again, but at least he would be alive. Osceola quickly rebounded from the surgery and adjusted to the lack of a left wing. I soon began taking him to the educational shows I did. Over a year went by and Osceola had become well known in the Memphis and Mid-South area. Even though he wasn't white-headed yet, people were excited to see our national symbol up close. Most were saddened by what had happened to him, and many expressed dismay that he would never fly again. Then an idea came to me. Perhaps he

could fly again with my help. I had been a hang glider pilot for about nine years. Maybe I could construct a harness for him and rake him flying with me. Pilots took their dogs with them, why not an eagle? The idea was good, but my work situation did not lend itself to flying with Osceola. To my disbelief, he was ordered to be sent to another zoo or wildlife facility. I had been in contact with a group in Nashville that was starting a raptor rehab and educational facility. The outlook for my future employment with this organization looked pretty good. The proper arrangements were made and Osceola was sent to the Cumberland Wildlife Foundation. He had been there for about a year when I joined him in early 1986. Reunited, we did more educational shows than eyer before. Osceola's fame began to spread. He began hob-nobbing with some of the country stars and the governor of Tennessee, and was made an Honorary Citizen of Nashville. He was even becoming known to the hang gliding community as we did shows for the Tennessee Tree Toppers, the 1988 Nationals and the East Coast Championships. Flying with Osceola had not been forgotten, but shelved at this rime as a result of what was to become a recurring theme in my life: a busy work schedule. In 1989 I decided that maybe it was time to try to get Osceola in the air. I contacted Mark Stump, a pilot in Arkansas, who made harnesses. I discussed my plan with him and then sent Osceola's dimensions and materials for a harness. Mark quickly made the first of three harnesses for the eagle, but it was simply too small. It wasn't Mark's fault; I simply forgot to leave room to sew in the zippers. He made a larger second harness which appeared to be the right size. I had become very busy that year. The Cumberland Wildlife Foundation was in a state of economic collapse. We were a nonprofit organization with about 60 birds to care for and little money in the bank. The President's solution was to find another job, so I was left to try to keep the organization alive and the birds fed. Time and money to go hang gliding were severely limited. Salvation came later that year when we merged CWF with another nonprofit group, the National Foundation to Protect America's Eagles, headed by Al Cecere. Osceola, the NFPAE staff and I H ANG GLIDING

began co travel across the country, visiting schools, parks, businesses, television shows and a variety of special events in order co educate the public about the need co save and protect America's eagles. Over the year, Osceola became nationally recognized by millions of people as a one-winged "spokes-eagle" for his species in the wild. In 1990 we began negotiations with Dollywood, Dolly Parton's theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood liked the idea of housing and displaying the eagles we cared for, and liked the educational shows we were conducting at the time. Agreements were made, and in January 1991 we relocated all of our birds to Dollywood. Dollywood had built a fine facility for us, including breeding and holding enclosures and the largest eagle aviary in the U.S., Eagle Mt. Sanctuary. They also built a theater next co the sanctuary where we conducted our "Wings of America'' show with Osceola as its star. Osceola even got to appear on the Today Show with Dolly, and before we went on camera she jokingly said to me, "Don't let Osceola snatch my hair off on National TV!" In our first year more than 500,000 people attended our show and saw the eagles on display. Flying with Osceola was once again back-burnered due to a busy work schedule. My own flying was limited co a few mountain flights and training hill work. Osceola's harness did get used in rehabilitating a couple of injured eagles. Ac lease it was getting some hang time. Finally, in December of 1995, I cold Al, my boss, that I would like to make a serious effon co fly with Osceola. He was behind me. I finally hung Osce in his harness and a major flaw was discovered. Without much effort, Osceola could wiggle out of the harness. This was something I didn't wane co happen at 3,000 feet! Modifications were in order. An internal zipper and some Velcro scraps would be needed to comfortably restrain him. The harness was not in the best of shape either, so I took ic co Lookout Mountain Flight Park co see what they could do with it. I talked to Alan, Kat and Meredith in the harness shop, and with all the changes needed, Alan said chat it would be cheaper to build a new one. Thus a new, improved DECEMBER 1996

harness was constructed, shipped, and then given its first fitting. To my surprise, Osceola did very well in it. Even hanging for periods of 15 co 30 minutes he was very calm. A few minor modifications were made, but this new harness would be the one co take him back co the sky. The next seep was co climb into my harness and hook the harnessed Osceola in next co me. He was hanging a liccle coo close co me, so an outrigger system was devised to move the eagle about six inches out, with him still connected co my hang point. This worked fine. The next problem was to somehow isolate his 2.5-inch talons from my harness and me. I did not wane his talons scraping my harness, or him grabbing something and becoming entangled, so I devised a foot shield to keep this from happening. We were now in the ground-resting phase. My friend Tim Locke, also a pilot, donated the use of his truck. We placed my assembled glider, in flying position, in the bed of his cruck (a la platform cowing) . I then hooked in and Osceola was hooked into my harness. We then proceeded to drive around one of Dollywood's huge parking !ors. This gave Osceola the sensation of movement and he was fine until we began a turn. Ac chis point, he would start co move his feet and would snag one of his

photo by Sharon Dale

talons on the foot shield, causing him co panic. I finally decided co remove the sh ield and attached Osceola's leather jesse scraps co a bungee. The bungee was then connected co the end of my harness. This worked! On our next circuit, Osce calmly enjoyed everything, including the turns. I then modified the foot shield so that it would only be on the harness side and the side facing the flying wires. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome was co get permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Al, my boss, reminded me chat I would have to get permission from the Service before I could fly with Osce. I drafted a lecter chat Al made additions to and sent a copy co our regional Fish and Wildlife Service office in Atlanta. We worked closely with Carmen Simonton of the permit office and she carefully guided us through the intricate rwiscs and turns. Originally, permission was denied, but with Carmen's help the okay was finally given, partly because the flying was going co be included in a special series on the Disney Channel. We were now ready for real flight. The method I chose to get us airborne was aerocowing. Since the glider pilot in aerocowing is already in flying position, chis would prove to be the ideal way co get Osceola in the air. I chose to do the aerocowing at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. It was close by and LMFP's aerotow team has over five years of cowing experience. I made my first aerotows rwo years ago there, and was comfortable with the setup. Matt Taber generously loaned me a Falcon 195 . For the Osceola flights the Falcon would be easier co tow than the Formula I fly, and chis ease of cowing would allow me co concentrate on the eagle during che flights. On the first trip to Lookout I made the fuse cow flight with Osceola's harness. I wanted to see if the modified foot shield would cause any problems. Sure enough, the shield caught too much air, causing the harness to turn sideways. I landed and looked for a solution. Al suggested that I take the shield off and wrap Osceola's feet and talons with a bandage. This would allow free movement of his feet without his talons scraping my harness. I would have flown with Osceola chat day, but we didn't have anything with which to wrap his feet. We returned a week later, and this time Al and I wrapped Osce's feet with foam rubber 41

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and a stretchy self.sticking bandage called Vet Wrap. With Osceola loaded and wrapped, I climbed into my harness, hooked into the glider, and Osccofo was then attached to my harness. We were now ready. I signaled to the tow pilot, Neal Harris, that we were ready to go. The ultralight engine was revved and we were soon rolling to a takeoff: The glider lifted off the dolly and I held my alrirude :n about 20 feet until the tug got into the air. I could lcel Osceola moving his feet, and I'm sure he didn't expect to be this high above the ground. As we started to gain altitude and the ground dropped away, he scnlcd down. He began looking around, perhaps realizing that he was in the air again. Afrer 13 years he was back in his element, albeit not as he had known before, bur as close as "humanly" possible. We quickly rcachcxl 2,000 feet and I pulled the release lever. We were now free flying at about 20 mph. Osce was turning his head, looking at the top of the mountain, the sky, the ground, the glider and me. About l 00 feet below us was a pair of red-tailed hawks. lfc immediately spotted them and watched as they passed to the front, side and finally behind us. [)crhaps it was at this poim that Osceola realized that he was in the sky again. for 13 years he could only look up at soaring hawks; now he was looking at the tops o/' their wings! Osceola really seemed to enjoy the flight. He didn't like turns and would rnove his foet when I made one. A/i:cr about 10 minutes of free flying it was time to land. He didn't like the landing approach eil"hcr because it combined nuns with speed, but at 50 feet above the ground he senlccl down. I landed on my wheels, elated that the flight went so well. As [ unhooked from the glider Osceola had a look like, "I fey rookie, is that the best you can do? Gosh, J used to land in trees better than that!" I decided that one night was enough for the day and drove back to Pigeon Forge. On the drive home I reviewed the flight. Something struck tnc: l had always felt bad for Osceola, f<Jr what had hap pcncd to him. But thinking about the way he watched the red-tails below us made me sad and a linlc choked up. How he must miss flying! He 110 longer enjoys the free· dom to go where he wants. Even I have more freedom as a flying bird-man than he docs. IJECEM!ll:R 1996

We returned a week later, this time with a film crew from the Disney Channel. Just before sunset we made a beautiful 2,0CJO.-foot tow. Matt Taber piloted the Dragonfly with a cameraman to document the flight. 'T'hc cameraman said that there wasn't enough light left for filming. It didn't matter to Osceola; he was flying again. I-le got to sec the sun setting behind I ,ookout and a world painted with orange and rosy hues. He still didn't care for my landing technique, bm this time, much to Oscc's delight, I landed on my feet. I 1111hookcd LIS from the glider and pm Osceola in his kennel fi.)r the night. The film crew attached a digital video camera ro the glider's lcfr wing in preparation for the next morning's early flights, Thursday dawned clear and cool, and we got everything ready to rnkc advantage of the calm morning air. T'he glider was set on the launch dolly and wheeled into place. Neal took tbe tug it)r a flight to check the morning air. He landed and announced, "Smooth as glass!" I suited up and Osceola was harnessed and wrapped. We then hooked me and Osceola into the suspension straps on the glider. This time, our flight plan was to go to 4,000 foct. This would allow Matt and the camcrn· man in the chase ultralight to get plenty of shooting time. The tug was in position, and the towline was then connected to the glider and me. A check was made of rhe release system. We were now ready. 'rhis would he the highest flight Osceola had made in 13 years. The takeoff was uncvcmfid and we began our 10minutc climb to the designated altitude. T'he air was incredibly clear! I was amazed at how far I could sec and how crisp and detailed everything appeared. By the time we reached release altitude l could sec the Ti.:nnessee River as it wound its way around Chattanooga and churned toward the northwest into Alabama. I could sec the Smoky Mountains, some 70 miles in the distance, and could recognize some of

the familiar peaks. No telling what Osceola could see with his superior vision. Could he have possibly seen Ada ma some I 00 miles to the south? l was soaking in the view probably as much as Osceola was, His head was in motion, looking one way and then the other, and his eyes reflected a sense of fascination. The glide down didn'r last ;1s long as it normally would have. When the photo ultralight would come close by I would increase my speed to maich its speed, degrading my glide in rhe process. This time, Osceola didn't seeni to mind the speed, maybe because we were higher. We made three more flights thar With each flight, Osceola became calmer during the launch and landing procedures. We took our last flight, ,ind since thermals starting to form it was a little bumpier than the first three. We entered a small thermal and gained a small amount o/' alti· tuclc, once again something Osceola hadn't experienced in a while. Since the camera was moved to the front of the glider, our last landing was made on the wheels. It too went well. We unhooked and I pm Osceola, minus his harness, on his traveling perch. This allowed him to cool ofLmd get a well-deserved drink of water. He had a different look about hirn not one of frar, but possibly one of cL1tion. !-le has now made eight flights aud has a total of two hours and 10 minutes of airtime, Not bad for an eagle with one wing! As I look back on our flights it is almost hard for me to believe that this bas finally happened, It has been ;i 1 dream, one filled with false starts and occ1sional disappointment, but a dream I never gave up. [ have finally been able to something back 10 Osceola, something we both understand, l would like to thank Matt Taber and the folks at Lookout Mountain Flight Park icJr helping me make this happen. Thanks also go to Al my supervisor, and to Carmen Simonton of the lJ .S. Fish and Wildlife Service for her efforts iu official permission ro make th is possible. 'Thanks also go to everyone else who helped make this a reality,

As Osceola was sitting on his perch a glider came in to land. T·k watched the glider and then looked at me as ifhc were saying, "What are we waiting for? Let's go back for another!"

Oh little town of Telluride, How still we sec lie, Above thy 'nebriatcd Some gnarly clouds go by.

U.S. Hang Cliding Associali (USI-ICA) members are now for the pres1igious !'Al Air Crew It identifies you as a pilol lo a1tcndants, police and secu and can open the door crew discounts on hotel rooms, ;:ind other perks. Your fAI pholo ID card is liy the National Aeronautic lion (NAA), lhe umbrella lion for all major air sports including USHCA, and sole U.S. resenlative of the federal Aeronautique Internationale (FA!).

When rnoming west wind riseth

11.1 blow right up the ramp, The loops and stats of acrobats Will bring to thee a champ. Theiwelve

(.'>paring th(;' twelve dt1ys, we On the twelfth

of fly-in the pilots gave to

me:

Twelve 111

I certify that I Jm ;i USIJCA rJtcxJ pilot. A photocopy of my membership cJrd is at· tached. I am also enclosing a passport-size photo which I have signed on the reverse. !'lease issue ;in FAI Air Crew Card, valid for the pc!riod indicated.

Ill

I I I I I I I I.J I year I.J 2 years CJ 3 years I 9 I !'lease complete and return with a check or Ifl I money order, or charge it to your credit card. Ill I I I Signature' I I I I Name (print) I I Address

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I I I I I I I I

'len noses whacking, Nine launchers mushing, Eight lowly Seven devils dusting, Six bellies flopping, Pive foldin' Four collapsing Three drenched Ducks, Two turtled Dreams, And a Hang II in a bare tree.

Out Ya better watch out, ya better not fly, Ya better stay offa the line or die: Lifr Band is coming to town. He's his 1urns, he ain't checkin' squat, out who's watching or not, to town.

Ya Better

He knows when you hear beeping, there to take your place, He can't control his Pf O's, so Do not get in

Whcelzolph the once-white blade wing Had a greenish smear or three, And if you ever saw him, You'd be thinking Sensor C:. All of the other blade wings Used to beat him to the ground; There they would starr a bet pool On where the crater would be found.

'Then one fine spot landing comp, Wheelzolph's pilot said, "With your love for dirt and grass, In the drop my That's how the Meet Head found them: Wel] .. inscned orange cone. Whcelzolph the grec1H1osed blade wing, Whack tape scours arc on the phone. ...,.,,.._..,... i:.Box

box, box, beeping all day, Oh, what fun it is to climb While your pals just sink away, Beeping box, beeping box, heading o'er the back, Oh, what fun to be down-rnnge Till the box begins to quack.

Come All Ye (or "lf You Circle, They Will Corne") Oh come all ye hopefuls, desp'rares and high sink rates, Oh come ye, oh come ye, to this lift I found; Out here a low save, Born of flat-land heating; Oh come let us fly Oh come let us fly come let us fly c:i rcles, Har, har, it's sink!

Ya better way, don't otherwise think, Unless you can foke him out inro sink, Lift Band Hog is corning to town!

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Meanwhile, the crosswind from the north worsened and was nearing 45 The hill is enough that one conditions in a so l decided to give it a shot. The next attempt resulted in a slight ground loop as the crosswind caught under my right wing and put me imo a turn. With a wingspan of only 16 fret it is easier to tty to correct for a ground loop than in a flex wing with a 34-foot span. The original Chanute biplane wings had anhedral, which no doubt helped prevent crosswind .. induced ground loops, but at rhe price of lateral instability. I decided to it one more try, niak ing sure the crosswind did not turn me. With the glider pointed into the wind ir was more difJkult to prqx1re to launch, as the hill was steep and it was easy ro slide down it in the loose sand. I ran crosswise down the dune into the wind and was rewarded with one more nice flight of about four seconds. Then it was time to take some photos of I he glider in :i nmur:1] close to what it must have been like J 00 years ago. T'hc performance can be summarized as f<:)llows: Because oF the airfoil differences the compared to roday's flex Chanute has a higher stall speed and therefrirc needs to be flown with at least 1(). l mph of wind. Stall speed appears to be hang about five mph faster than a flex glider. Glide performance and sink rate arc much worse, and 1 estimated them to be in the neighborhood to I and fr./min. out of ground effect based on a pre-flight performance estimate. The flight characteristics can be sun1·· marized as follows: Pitch stability is solid and lateral stability is perhaps worse than a flex wing. 'The glider is very sensitive to crosswinds and care must be taken Io launch and land imo the wind. Much more safe /light testing is to further con/1rrn these impressions. TI IE 100-YEAR EVENT AT IN DrANA The day after the successfol flight was the 1()() ..year celebration ar Marquette Park in Gary, Indiana. The event was organized by the Ch,murc Aqnatorium a local civic group dedicated Lo restoring a beach bath house on the site where Chanute's crew originally flew. Beside my

over two Ci'}. 7hc

ofthe water in the mill, jugs matched 11 calcula.ted .1prm-·!011d distribution.

glider there was another Chanute replica that was constructed stuof dents at the Rochester 'Technology. '!'here were also hang glider pilots from the Man birds Flying Team of Chicago, as well as a hang glider simulator. A sailplane was on static display and one flew later in the afrernoon off the beach. My family and I set up the replica for static display. We were helped by Rick and Dick Young of Richmond, Virginia. Rick previously built and flew a bcamifol replica of rhe Wright Brother's successfol 1902 glider at Jockey's Ridge, North Carolina. The srudents from RTT arrived with their glider in a truck. T'bcir replica was constructed our of carhon fiber as a stndem and was known as the Kc,chcrsbcrgc:r, a longtime pilot of and light planes. Kevin and I liavc friends for a long time. Both replicas were on static display together in front of the Aquatorium. Another pair of replicas were construct· eel junior high students in Orono, Maine, and sucecssfolly towed alofr (unpiloted) earlier in the summer. 'T'hc sponsoring Richard Glueck and Chris Childli, as well as three srndents, were present at the event. They displayed photos and a video of rheir replica flights. The events with the mayor of making a brief' appearance, and sevcrgrecrnrigs frorn Greg Reising and of the Aquatorium Society), Jim Sinich and Jeff Byard (representing the National Soaring Museum), and Wagner (rcpreseming the Western of Engineers). A plaque commemorating rhc historic flights of the Chanute group was unveiled. The

added to the Museum National I,andmark l'rr><>n1m Then 'lcJnl Crouch of the NASM gave a slide presentation detail· the story of Octave Chanute and his conlributions to aviation. There were several hundred present for all the fostivities. Afrer that it was time fiJr Kevin and me to fly our The dunes of J 00 years ago had long since been bulldozed, and the rnllcst ones near the Aquatoriurn were only abom 20 foct tall, gently sloped, and covered with grass. The wind was crossing 45 as well. Based on my of the previous day, J folt the chances of a sue.. cessfr1l flight were pretty slim. Nonetheless, Kevin and I gave ir our best shot. I went first with several sprints down the dune. The first ended in a brief hop and the second ended in a ground loop that broke several of the tip ribs of the bot.. tom J was unhurr. The ground loop would never have happened had I been in a flex wing. We carried tbe wounded bird om of the wind behind the dune and I nt·twvll Iv

Continued on page 19.

s Hi\NC GUDINC

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Climb Fast, Glide Far Loosening the VG lowers the flaps, increasing camber into a h igh lift, slow speed, thermaling airfoil. Dominating every core, you'll find yo u rself climbing faster than you ever thought possible. Tightening the VG raises the flaps and reduces the airfoil camber transforming your wing into a blade for maximum speed-range and glide ratio.

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Landing flare on the maiden flight at ~rren Dunes, Michigan. Continued from page 46 helped crew for Kevin as he flew rhe Carbon Copy. He made several runs ar ir and experienced a similar lack of airtime. The crowd on rhe beach still seemed ro enjoy our show. Meanwhile, a row boar was rrying ro launch a hang glider abour a hundred yards off shore. Unfonunarely, rhey had electrical problems and were not successful. Hang glider pilors included Greg and Audrey Fischer, Perer Birren and several orhers. Larer, a sailplane was rowed alofr from the beach, as Simine Shorr had obrained FAA approval ro permit flight operarions char day from the beach. We answered questions from rhe crowd and rook phoros of the gliders. A bad storm was coming in so we worked hard ro get the glider disassembled. We gor ir in the box just before rhe srorm hit. Later in the evening the Aquarorium Sociery hosted a fund-raiser dinner and dance that was quite a success. Furure plans for my replica include more flying and evenrually arranging for a permanent home where the public can enjoy it on display. I am also considering publishing the drawings and engineering analyses. CONCLUSIONS This emire experience greatly deepened my respecr for Chanure and his associares. They did some incredible hang gliding in a machine rhar by roday's standards would be unacceptable. They are worthy of far more respect than they have received. I am perhaps one of rhe few who undersrands this, because I have been privileged ro fly a machine very much like the one they flew. We have come very far in a hundred years. Today's gliders are easier to rransport, quicker ro assemble, easier ro launch, and easily outfly rhe early wings, as they should. We are most fonunare ro have such good equipment. From anorher perspective, the Chanure biplane looks like an engineering masrerpiece when compared ro any flying machine predating 1896. For the first time, Chanure and his associares combined a practical structural concepr with acceptable aerodynanucs ro produce a machine capable of hundreds of safe glides. They ser a design parrern rhar was followed and improved on for many years. The goals of the projecr were achieved. Some of rhe early pioneers were honored, and I learned far more in 10 monrhs rhan I rhoughr possible. Thanks go ro my fanuly for rheir parience and encouragemenr, and ro a host of friends in the hang gliding, soaring, and aviation hisrory communiries. Thanks especially go ro my wife Kay for her help, rolerance and support. • D ECEMBER 1996

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Continuedfrom page .:50. glider while under tow. It allows the pilot to change his pitch position relative to the tug without causing him to struggle against the towline tension, because the towline ring is able to slide to a new loc;1tion on the bridle without resistance. The bridle also permits the pilot to effortlessly move side to side without having to fight the towline making the ever-use· fol flat turn less difficult than with a more restrictive bridle arrangement. Flat turns or yaw-like turns arc very useful for control· ling the glider under tow, so a proper hri· die will not restrict the pilot's control rnovements. You can see that this system tows the glider through the pilot, as opposed to older arrangemems that towed the glider while the pilot attempted to rnaintain control. 'l'his bridle also helps keep the glider in position. If the towline tension increases, the pilot's weight is pulled forward, helping him to speed up with less effort. If the glider is off to one side, the pilot's weight is pulled to the appropriate side, rnoving the glider back into position.

CONNECTING THE BRIDLE The bridle consists of two ropes: the first rope with its ends connected ro the shoul· dcr straps of the harness, and a span of rope between the ends two to three {ixr in front of the pilot's head. This is the rope on which I connect the secondary release in··line. This rope acts as a slide for the loop of' the second rope in t·he system, allowing the pilot sidc,-to-side movemenr. With this sliding loop connection the sec-· ond rope's span continues through the tow ring, then is connected by the weak link to the release mechanism. Do not make the second rope so sbon that in the slowest /lying position the first rope comes to the ring on the towline, or to where the mw· line ring is dose enough to rhe pilot to hit him if the towline breaks. When attaching the first rope to the shoulder straps con· ncct them near the apron of the harness. lf you attach tlic rope higher you will find your head cigcd in between the first rope while under tow. If your harness has tow loops sewn at the juucrion oft he apron and the shoulder straps, connect the firsr rope's ends there. There arc no knots in the hridle system so that the rope can slip through the rope loop or the towline ring without restrinion.

.so

WEAK LINK CRITERIA 'fhe weak link utilized in this system is one loop of 1:30-pound test Dacron fishing line no nicks or \l(!hen J starred towing, years ago, the lOW rope was the weak link, and would liter:illy fail the air· frarne of the glider i( the tow pressure was too high. l prcfr:r to learn by example rather than so I accept no substi· tute when it comes to weak links.

WEAK UNJ< CONNECTION As mentioned, the second rope in the bri· die system has spliced loop at each end. One end slides on the first rope and 1hc other encl is where the weak link is con· nected. The weak !ink is wrapped around the loop 6:mr or five 1imcs, then tied twice with a non-·slip knor. Any single loop that is not immediately adjacent to the knot may be used to connect to the primary release mechanism. The loop shonld never he longer than half the diameter of the tow ring it must pass through. This avoids the ugly situation in which the weak link is long enough to go around the ring on the towline, thus reattaching the towline ro the glider. This would immediately donhle the towline tension experienced by the pilot until the weak link broke.

(maybe beyond their working range). This bridle system delivers half the towline tTfr· sion to tlic pilor and half to the glider. The ability of the tow to slide 01~ the bridle enables the pilot to use less energy to adjust the pitch of the glider. The primary release mechanism connected to the cara.. bincr helps rnove the pilot's center of mass forward as the towline tension lJH.:reasc:s; the weak link end of the bridle and the shoulder strap ends of the bridle pull the pilot's weight forw:ird. In the same way, the second rope slides 011 rhc first rope to assist the pilot in lateral comrol movements. Don't forget that you still have a bridle after releasing from tow, but it disappears from sight. If you leave it over the bar and come in low over you will wish you had at least pm it under the control bar, if not in the from of your harness. I hope rhis information helps prevent those in our rowing conununity from reliving the that have brought us to this point. We just don't live long enough to make all the mistakes ourselves. safo and have fon!

CONCLUSION As you can see, the componenrs of this sys· tern work toge1her. If you accidentally used the wrong weak link, 1he releases would he trying to work under greater tension

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(801) 3.%/i019.

FALCONS

FALCONS CI.EARANC:F SALE School use, one sc,1son. All sizes $1, 500-$2, 500. (Ii l!i) li7.1-8800. l'l.Y TWO

'95 l'acAir tandem glider, one season,

Excellent condition, low, 15 flights, 10 ho,m, still $1,100. ('>05) }.81 5l'J8,

blue, yd-

MARK IV 17 Fxecllcnt condition, <TS !tours, trilam I F, spccdb;ir $900. (80 I) :599.. J 508.

1op slwpc $2,600. (Ii I Ii) liTl 8800.

AIRBORNE

SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING,

BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. THF

WALLABY RANCH ('.>11) 42A-0070. AXIS 13

Stored las1

years, flies grc,11 $600. (42:l)

/i88-0796.

l'C)RMULJ\ I/iii Stopped flying, need ro sell $1,000 OBO. (3U) 6/iJ .. 8815. (;A RAGE SAU' formula Hli & I 51, low rirnc $1,200 each. 510 VGB $/iOO. Kiss $700. Many h;ir ncsscs, parachmcs and ins1rnmcnts. (G02) li82-972:'l.

CLEARANCE JTFMS

HPJ\T 158, 50 hours, like new $1,200. Raymond Equalizn, large 5' l O" .6', w/BRS $!i50. Ball M19, 19'Yi, med J 1imes $:3'75. Digifly vario, used .3 rimes $'.l75. New Pelle Fullfoce, 10 units $130 each. We arc clearing out my :rnd ovnstock i1c1m. Call Kcnmckiana :,,,,,,.,r,rHv!ll<:c Kelley, (812) 2ilfs-7111, fox (812) 28/ilil 15. items nrnsr go!

DOUIII.E VISIONS & H.Y2

New and used.

Wallaby Ranch (9/i I) lt24 ·0070.

MARJ< IV J ') new

Exccllcn1 rnndition, '/0 hours. Blue & red undcrsurfacc. lcxccllrnt $ J ,400 OBO. Call Dale (.302)

731-8507.

C EN ESlS D011blc··snrfacc for small $ l ,800 includinr; inspection. (520)

$800

MOYES SX5

l!PAT lli5

F.xcellent condition $] ,'500 including inspection. (520) I l 1.

!-!PAT 158 Mim, excellent condition, <6 hours $] ,:JOO OBO. ( :all Doug Morbourg (505) 'JflJ.:J'i74.

CROSS COUNTRY 15/i

Wills winglers, 2/iOlttp excellent condition $2,500.

MARK IV17 C:ood condition, new wires, comfon har $ I ,000. SPORT J 67 good condition, new p,ms $700. ((, 19) 387 ?81 ').

I !PAT 158 Ii 111.

MOYES XS 1 MOW:S XSl Jli2.

good 9,1t.

condition; whi1c/pink/purplc 21

$999 including inspccrion. (520) Ycllow/pnrple, mint condition, only }.0 hours $:'l,200 OBO. (205) 776-

HP/1T 158 Good condition, bLick-n-whitc $600. (8 ll) 52G-%29 Florid:1,

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. {phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 3 words) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue). Prepayment required unless account established, No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising afler deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card. Please enter my classified ad as follows:

9912.

Number of months: ........................................_ ............. . SECTION Cl Flex Wings IJ Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories l.l Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous Paragliders IJ Videos

r,J Towing U Schools & Dealers IJ Ultraligllts l..l Rigid Wings U Publications & OrQani2ations Wanted l..l Harnesses

issue and run for ............................. consecutive issue{s). My IJ check, l...l money order is enclosed in the amount of$ ....................- ............................· NAME:-..............................................................._ .............................................................. ADDRESS: ........................... - ..................._ ............................................................ .

Number of .. v , v v · ...... Number of ..

v , v v ,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

................ '".,.

P.O Box 1330, Colorado (719) 632-8300 • fax (719)

HANC CUDINC

MOYFS XTRAl.!TE XS, XS3, XT, XL. New and nearly new. Availahlc immediately. Nation's Moyes dealer. THE WALLABY Ri\NCI I (911) 0070. P\Jl.SF 9M Mint condition, w/ncw helmet & warcrprooF bag, 60 hours, yellow/white $2,300 nego riahlc. Lori (8 I Ii) 885 (, 125. R/\Mi\lR ] 'iii Exccllctll co11di1io11, custom sail, arnmid LF, extra downtuhe $2,700 OBO includes {ins. (g08) :,% (,')()(, l lawaii. Sl'ECTRlJM I/iii 20 hours, cxccllc111 condition $1,800. Z:l harness, 5'8" w/par:1cln1te $300. l'lytec 3005 $200. /\II 1,,r $2, l 00. (708) 9'i7 :l28 l Chicago. SPECTRUM llili Low homs, stored since 19')3 in PA, .i2,0IJO OBO. (71/) 7:3'7108/. Sl'FCTRUM 16'i Clear LF., custom rainbow low· er with Spectrum hillhoard, 2/iOIIPT TL fidly faired, spcedh:ir, ,(,() hours. Sec Wills Wing ad in June '').l issue. Mint condition $2,).00 OHO. l'rcc 1:Jight 22 gore PD/\ w/P,1raswivcl $/iOO. Bill C,03) li30-l78'). SPECTRUMS & VISIONS Bought SoldTradcd. lt,vcn Sky Sports (It 11) li7.l-8800.

SPORT l (,7 Cood condi1ion. I lave baby·11rnst sc!Jl ,j,'j()(J, (601) 85}2111.

Wi\NTED Tl,X HO Si\11. In good condition. Creat opportunity to ol'f:set the cost of' l'rcdator upr;radc. (70Ci) <S7S\8'>.

Jl!CH ENERc;y POD Size (,'/1/0lb.,/. $2'>0. With rocket & parachute $600. !nstrllmcnts extr:i. (5D5) 281-5398.

XC 155

HIC! I ENERCY i'OD HARNESSES Sizes & monthly, $:\00-IJOO. Cocoons $200

19% demo, NEW condition, offer. (:l03)

1jt:lli- 1)li i:;15,

XC l including winglets.

$2,liOO

WILLS W!NC /,:\ HARNESS Like new, 5'.s'li'', w/chutc $600 OBO. (6 l ')) li48-7983.

X' ['Ri\l .!TE I li7 · ( :nod condi1 ion, black-n-white, mylar $2,500. (81,l) 52Ci .. l67. 1) Florida. l'lil .SE I OM.

.. . .liO houts ..... $1,')00 .. .. 75 homs ..... $1,(,50 SPORT IC7/\. .. ...Ti hours .... $1,300 J.'/\ LC:ON .... 25 hours ..... $7.,?.00 KL/\SSIC: Jlili COMI' ..... AO hours ..... $2,900 l<Li\SS!C l.l3.. . .. .. 50 lrnurs $2,700 Vulture C:lidcrs (801) 2'ili,6J,jl

S\Jl'ERSl'ORT lli:l....

FMFRGFNCY PARAClllJTES

TREKKING MIURA i'J95. XL, inrcrmedi,1te, VERY ST/\BLF. & FUN TO FLY, 200-750lbs, :w homs $ l,500 w/ art wing harness. Pan! (320) 2ii0 ·

UI' STE!.l.i\R 25 · '92., excellent condition, mus\ sell $500. (li06) 58(, .. 2620. RIGID WINGS SUPFRFLOi\TFH. .. New in create, av:iilablc immcdiatdy, w/BRS $ I 0,000. (812) 288 711 I.

11/\RNFSSES

SUPERH.OATER Ul:l'RAUGIIT Si\lLl'l ANE Two in s10ck, avaiL1blc lrir test /lights, i\llrn TX (uca, Dallas). (21 Ii) ')9(i. 7706 weekdays. (9'/2) 390 9090 evenings & weekends.

:c; I 000

'j'\()' .(,').", gn'at

shape $2.50 Ol\O.

SWWT ·- Fxccllent condition, must sell, nego1iable, assumable loan. (30/i) 5(i7 :n:Hl. Ul.TR/\!.IGHTS BlJlLD/l'LY Yom own BACKPACK POWERED PARACHUTE for ft111/profi1. Takes off from level grou11d unassisted. Safe, simple, m,:xr•e11s1vc. Detailed book with sources. Now only 1'!.9'i. Easyllp, 1089 Medford C·mcr /121i4g, Medford OR 97'SO!i. http://www.wave.,m/easyup/

S\Jl'ERSPORT I (,:J Test /lown only & flew great $::>.Soo ono. (619) !i48-798L

COSMOS TRlf<F ... Two seater or couditio11, low airt i111c $:J,000. (Ii 12)

S!IOI' CLEARi\NC:F SALE UP Come1 II 16'5, UP Comer ll 185, WW Harried 177, WW !luck, all excellent shape. MUSEUM PIECES: /\II Clyahle; Seagull I Om, 'Jm, J:lcxi I'loater, Bobcat. NEED WORK: Dream 18'i, Phoenix 6ll. $1,900 TAKES ALL (616) 92228/i/i.

DICEMllll\ 19%

I .ook under New York.

)A CORF PD/\ With swivel for 1an<lem $520 ()1\0. (Ii Iii) li'/}8800

SUl'l'.RSPORT 16:l Mint condition, new in Janu:uy '%, magenta l'x'. blue $1,995. ((, 19) 7J'i .:J()()() x205.

VISIONS & SPF(. J'RlJMS llougltt Sold Ttadcd. Raven Sky Sports (ii 1Ii) iiT',-8800.

IJ</\l(OS SA

9126. Bought, sold, :111d repacked. I nspcction :111d $25-$:,5. l'araclwtcs, bridles, inspected and par:tswivels installed. AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO, .%7.0 Wawona, Sau l'r:111,isco, <:i\ 9/i 11 (,. (Ii I 'i) SKY -I 177.

SUPERSPORT I li:l I .ow hours, cxcellc111 condi. lion, briglll red/whi1e/bluc $1,900 OBO. C,O I) 72')0773.

VISION I FC:l.fl'SF Exccllcn1 condition, 25 bo11rs, upgraded hardware $ROO. LI[) harness, 5' 1()" w/clrntc $600. Ball MI 'Jc, 10 flights $:\00 OBO. (71 ')) 539 C90 I

PARAGLIDERS

/\LI. BRANDS

SPURT 167 CoDll rnndi1ion, ::>50 ho1Jrs, red lctd ing edge, yellow 1111dcrsurface $900 OBO. Call Dale (10::>) Tl 1·8'S07.

UI' XTC 167 Mint, extra dowutubcs and base· mbe, collapsing spccdbar. Must sell $1,000. (970) ')20231

Exccllenl condiWILLS WJNC /3 HARNESS 1ion, 5'8"-6'2", w/ncw !'Di\ chute & swivel, best oifrr. (61')) 118798:l.

JKJ\ROS S.i\. -· Look under New Yorlc

SCHOOLS & DEALERS ALABAMA

!./\/.FR $7(,') Jl'TSTRE/\M $789 arc designed with 1he same body. The difkrcnccs arc in the spreader frames the La/er being llcxihlc and the Jc1srrcam a full bacldiamc "comp" harness. Via a conversion

either harnc.ss can be convened

to the other (you vinually two harnesses in one). i\irtimc ol San hancisrn 15) 75').] ITl, fax (Ii 15) /59·1187., email airtirncG'hmohins.nct

Cl.O\JDB;\SF CORI'. dba Rocket City /\irspons. Sales, remals, service and certified instruction at Keel Mountain, Curley, Alabama. l'or information send Si\SF. ,rnd $1 to PO l\ox li22, (;urley AL :J571i8. (205) 880,8512, (20'i) 776-9') 12. LOOKOUT MOUNT/Ill\ l'L!Cl!T Pi\RI< ad under C;corgia.

Sec

TRUE FUGJ IT l lANC Cl.JDING SCHOOL DONALD QUACKENBUSH has the only shop at world lcrmous Kagel Mountain, l .os Angeles. instruction ancl sales

or hang

the

WINDSPORTS

ARIZONA l JANG GJJDJNC CENTER INC. We arc a rull-timc, FULL SERVICE hang gliding shop located jnst minutes from the BEST sitc in J\rizo11,1t Mingus Mount:iin, We have the most com prehrnsivc tandem availahlc and can teach )'Oll to he a SAFF in le." 1imc! We s10ck gliders. harnesses and ins1n11m·n1s rrnm \i(!ills, PacJ\ir, Moyes, Fly1cc, Ball, I Energy, CC: and many more! We need yonr ( :cr1 ilicd ins1ruc1or Rob Richardson. 353 FLYABLE DAYS LAST YEAR! I 'iO-L Soll1h I lighway (j') Dewey A/. 86:327 '520632-1114 ahp;c(;tlnor1 ldink.co111

ARKANSAS

11 IC 11 AlWENTl/RF I bng paragliding Lquir1mr:n1 sale;.;, service) at So11dwrn mile high site, Crcsilinc. \JSJICA Instructor Roh McKenzie·. By appointment year rou11d. (')09) ll8.l8·i88.

COLORADO GOLDFN WINGS l,essons, sales, service. lJSI ICA ceriiried instnrctors. Dealers !'or Moyes, Wills Wing, !line Sky J\ircr:rfi ( :o. and Paci\ir. 15/i() I W. 'Jih Ave., Colden CO 80101. (l(J:l) 2.'/8-7181.

CONNECTIC\JT HJl.f. SFRVlCF SI IOI' I .ocmed a1 1lrc base o!' tire mollJJlain on Hwy 7/i. Dcalvrs of Moyes, Blue Sky E11crgy, Avocel & more. i\irnafi, Paci\ir, l\all, Call for free area info Open daily. Rentals available. Visa & Mas1crcnrd accepted.

0/.J\IU( MOUNTAIN I !AN(; CI.IDERS Sales, service and insnuction. 160 Johnston Rd, Searcy J\ R

MOl/NTAfN W!l'\CS

Look undn New Yori<.

l•LORIDA IJSI !CA & USUA ccnificd ins1nrc1ion. Bcginnn thrn advanced

CRJ\Yl\lRD AIRSPORTS, INC

tandem acrotow training & ratings.

pilo1 tbnr basic flight instrnctor training & ra1i11gs. axis s1icktimc for Swif1, Supedloa1er or pilot rraining. lnsrrncrion 7 a week hy ;tppnin1men1. Dealer for all and acrotow J mimllcs from Springs, 1 hours Disncyworld. Call B.McNamec (Yi2) 245-826:3. h11 p://www.gypzi.com/graybird

721/i'l. (SOI) 2792180.

CALIFORNIA AIRTIME OF SAN FRANCISCO HANG CUD ING & PARAGLIDING. Harness mmmfac1urer and spr;u,11is1rs. USHCA irnrruction, tan· par·ap;liding and lranp; gliding ,md Ncx1 10 Fort Funs1ou. Tl,c service shop in San Fra11cisco! %20 Wawona, San Fmneisco CA 91116. (415) 7591177. C:HANDELI.E SAN FRANCISCO, INC. Comple1c pa1·ag,l1d1ng saJcs, service nn<I jnstn1ctio11 , ,«uuJJ "'" ., most complete repair et1urr1mc11t and demo's, lesson packages, clinics and lessons, 1595 F h:mcisco lllvd Ste F, San Raf:rcl CA ')/i90 I, (It 15)-CI.IDING.

rcstlinc, flying sales ind11ding and The most puprilar gliders and ecpripnient, new and used in s1odc Trade i11 yom old eqnipmrnr. :32S sunny days c;ich y,·ar. Come fly wi1h us' 161/iS Vic1ory Blvd., Va11 Nuys CJ\ ') I /iO(,. (818) ')88-011 I, l':rx (818) 988- 1862.

LOOKOUT MOUNTJ\fN FUCI IT PARK -- Sec mou11t:1in training center

Om compn·lrc11sivc instruciion program, loc11cd ,11 11,c Bay Area's ('bunny

rraining si1e, fo,m,rcs )) winch towing, supcrlite

cornfortahlc training harnesses!

FJ.Y AWAY Hang gliding, S,rnrn Barbara, US] !GA certified insrruction. (805) % J ·-2766.

in the west! l'ull service shop, established 197/i. PO Box

or our beginner Jes· for only $!() lesson 1urnr>m1·.1;. 1hc latest

innovations,

1339, Santa Barbara

CA '):J 110 133'), (805) %5-l'n'l.

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER Located in l>t'au1ifi.d San Diego. lJSH(;A instruction, equipment rcntals, local flying tours. S1icnd your winter vaca1ion flying wi1b us. We proudly offer Wills WiJtg, Pacific Airwavc, High Fnergy, Ball and Moyes. Mamrfocnrrers ofT!lF DROGUE CHUTF. PO Box 10/i9, Lakeside CA 920/iO, (619) 'iGl-1009.

l'I.ICl lT," a video son program, is ping (may ht Our deluxe

and l'aci\ir

Trade-ins arc welcome. l'ccl free to demo the new harnesses in our custom simularor! I J I 6 Way, Milpitas (nrrir S,m Jose) CA ')5035. (li08) )(,1.111'1', fox (108) J,(i}, 1388, MSc:11, ;r,i1aol.corn www.lrang-glidi 11g.c0111

WF I !AVE The mosr advanced known rn g!idiug) teaching you in it rakes on training-BUNNY H!Ll., and with more in-flight air 1imc. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For year-round train· inp; f1Jn in the srm, c:ll or wrirc Miami I Tang Cliding (:\05) 2.85-8978. 2.(ifiO S llayslrore Drive, C:oconm ( ;rove, i:lorida '.13 I

HANC GLIDINC

11/\W All J Jang gliding & ultralight BIRDS OF Pi\R/\DISI,: flyillg Oil Kauai. Certified tandem insrrnctioll. (808) 8225:lO') or (808) 6YJ-I 067.

!!)AHO TREASURE V/\LI.FY l !/\NC C:Lll)JNC High quality from rcput;1blc rn;1nufoct11rcrs. Prnlldly Pacific /\irw:ive, I li1;h Sports, Flytcc and more! Saks) .scrvicL\ seminars & illg illfo. Boise, Idaho (208) .l76-79 Iii. ll.l.lNOJS

The Origillal & Most Experienced /\crntmv )'light Park

\~~t i5fo_('jjQl) _GJJ<l[ilJlW(~d Very collvc11ict1tly located jmt 8 miles Crnrn I )is11cy World. YFJ\R ROUND SOARJNC OPEN ALL DAY D/\YS /\ WFEK POUR TUCS, NO WAITING LAUNCH STRAIGl!T INTO ANY WIND l)IRI•:<:·1·1c)N

JO, J\ll(:f re1tt:tls to try: S11pcr Xtralite, XC :, l<lassic, Blade Race, XS.l, XT. XI., I .,rmillar, Shark, Sting, I alrnn, S11pcrllnatcr. Also h,tmcssc,. vat·ios, <'le.

n To 73 h,1vc learned 10 Jly here. No 01w

conic.\ close to otir level of expcricncl' :1nd

success wi1!1 t;rndcrn acroww instruclion.

IN ITl.01 llJC:ES QlJFST MR SOAR.IN(; CENTER. C:oll11· Fly with the Origillal DRAGONFLY TF.AM L,·,irll to I L111g C:lirlc with statc-of.dtc-an talldcrn cqtllptne11t ;.md gel ;J minimum o((l to 8 hours airtil1ll' duri11g your training. [ WC can accdcrate your thcrmali11g skills, lls for a tandem soaring in prime time air! Carnping fishing a1td sv-1imming available, also do.st· 10 all

C:rntral l'lorida /\ttractions. JJ:iiilev/ Mlovcs I lragonfly Aero airfields ill ( :cnt ral runways and over 80 acre.<, t>I' wide open space. l;ind 0111 how you cm yom owll 1\ero Tow Club or !'light Park started. Microlights /\sscmbly and Trai11ing l':tciliry oil site. l'()lJR NEW TUGS IN STOCK. l\oh\,y l\ailc)', ( :ampbcll l\owcn :tttd Rllss llrowll arc USU/\ alld lJSI !Ci\ Ccnilicd Tandem lnstructms. CLIDER & EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE OPEN SEVEN D/\YSA WEEK CALL FOR MORE !NH) (3'i2) ii29-021.3.

A C:re,11 Scrnc f,,r Family and Frie11ds .. 10 rnotcls & 1-cs1;u1t·ant.s vvithin rnins., camping, shade trees, s;dcs, :-.toragc, ratings, XC rc\ricvals, grc;it wc:11licr, climbing wall. trampoline. I )SS TV. ping pollg. bungee swing, picnic tab\c.s, swimming pool, etc.

INDI/\N/\

JJ M!TC!IEI.I.

TANDEM. ll P, P:rc/\ir dealer.

67.l:l Columbia Av,., 1-lammollcl. IN ,i(,:12.,i (7.l'J) 8'15-28)().

KF!';TLJCKI/\NA SO/\RINC

Sec our display :rd.

R/\ VFN Sl<Y SPORTS (Ii I Ii) /ill 8800. !'lease sec our ad under WISCONSIN. KANSAS

PR/\JRIE I !;\NC C:LIDERS hill service school & dc;1\cr. Crcat tandem instrnction, towing & XC p;1ek:rgcs. (:ll(,) .\7'5 2'l'Vi. MEXICO

CO .. IIANC CLllllNC: 11 ! - (Mexico) Alex OLu.ahal. Valle de Bravo. 011 52 72(, nli!i'), fax O11 52 55) 301i5. lvli':XIC:0 WINTF.R % ')l Mid-December lo 111id-M,1rclr. Awesome sites for hang 0-5. C:lidcrs provided. Co111act ('i 12) li67--25). 1J or email: rr:1je1T~1\1ol.corn

Flights of over l 00 miles and more titan 6 hours. Articles ill I lrmg (;/idi11g, Kit;,hmn, Cross Country and others. Fcaturl'd on lllJllll'rotL.;;

R/\ VEN SKY SPOlffS Cl 12.) 360-0700. Please see om ad under WIS( :ONSIN.

shows,

MICIJIGAN

i11clndillg l•:SPN2. NORM LFSNow·s FLYINC: /\DVFNTlJRFS Riclµ;c soaring, 1owillg, f,,ot·launch hang gliders alld paraglidcrs. Advaoccd I nstn1Li-or, Examiner, Tow Administrator, lcssolls. C1ll Norm (810) :l9'J-'Jli3.,.

S"" om Wei> site ilt: l11tp://www.wallaby.com Pk.tsc call us for rdirrnccs. 1805 Deall Still Road, Willlaby Rallch, Florida

.rnn1 9Y58 (9ft I) li21-0070 phone & fox C:onscrviltivc

w/fitll hook11ps, as low I 800-80l-l788.

Reliable• Suite of the ;\n

.I l.C. INC.IFLYINC FLORIDA SINCE 197/i

Malrnlm.Jo11cs, !)avid C:luvcr, Rhett Radf,ml. Ry.tll C:lovn, /\mtin ( :olli11s, Tom KllllSCllr & Jim Ap1,lc·1on

DECIMI-\IR IC)%

TRAVERSE CITY IIANG CLlDFRSIPARACLID

PFRMi\NFNT RV SITF.S

LOOKOUT MOlJNTAIN FLJCl!T PARK Sec· our dispLty ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as mauy pilots earn their willgs at l.ooko11t than at any other school! \Ve wrote USHC;\'s Official Training ,\;Lrn11a!. ()ur spccialty·uistonHT satisfaction ~1nd fun with tlw BEST FACILJT[ES, largest illvclltory, cm1ping. swirnmillg, volleyball, more! For a flying trip. intro rlight or lesson pack:igcs, l.ookollt Mo11n1:1in, just olltsidc C:lratta11ooga, your COMPLETE training/service center. l nfo? (800) 688LMFP.

ERS

1'01.!.-TIME shop. C:cniflcd in.strunion,

J()ot l:rn11ch :ind tow. Sales, service) accessories for i\Ll. major hr:rnds. VIS/I/MASTERCARD. Come soar om 450' dunes 1 150') F 8th, Traverse City Ml li%8/i. Offering powered paraglidillg lessons & a dis-

tril)l[tor for the new llnit, the WHISl'FR. Dealer illquirics Ctll Bill :tt ((, I (1) ')22-· 28/i/i. Visit D\H p:rraglidillg school in )<1cksnll, Wyoming. Call Tracie :H (307) Tl'J-862.0.

Tell the world your head is in the clouds, by wearing great new clothing and accessories from the United States Hang Gliding Association!

eagle t-Shirt #HTEAO

$14.9~ 1 lb

standard polo #HPOL $24.00 1 lb blue, green & burgundy

earth polo #HPOLE

stone washed caps #HCSW $17.95 1 lb blue, green & berry sun gradient t-shirt #HTSUN $14.95 1 lb

$27.00

1 lb

spruce & olive

woodblock t-shirt #TWB $16.95 1 lb blue PO, brown HO

classic t-shirt #HTCLA $14.95 1 lb

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ City_ __ __ _ ___ State_ Phone No.L__J

desert polo IHPOLD 135,00 1 lb black onl7

Qty

Item #

golf caps #HCG $12,00 1 lb red, blue & purple

day (_ _ )_ _ ___ eve.

Size

black fleece lined j acket IHJKFL $ 75,00 2 lbs

Color

Logo

Price per Total

ah/bh

M L XL -

wool jacket #HJKWL $ 70,00 3 lbs

Zip _ _ __ _

~ - - --

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh

Subtotal

Colorado residents add 3.0%

Shipping

Total

Shipping (USA only) Orders up to $35 .................................................................................... add $5 Orders $35 to $70 ................................................................................add $6 Over $70 ............................................................................call, fax or e-mail Outside the USA ............................................................call, fax or e-mai l _ Check/Money order enclosed _ Visa

_ Mastercard

Card No. _ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ Exp. date _ _

Signature _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _

Mail to: US Hang Gliding Assn., Inc P.O. Box 1330

ladies sleeveless denim #HDENL $27,00 1 lb available in small also

long sleeve denim IHDENLS 135,00 1 1 b short sleeve denim IHDENSS 130,00 1 lb

Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 1-800-616-6888 fax (719) 632-6417

e-mail: ushga@ushga.org Please allow 6 weeks for delivery.

logo ah

logo bh

all of our stuff can be ordered with either of these official ushga logos. 7ou choose.

ifi MINNESOTA

SPORT SOJ\RINC CFNTFR/MINNEAl'OLIS lns1rnc1ion, equipment dealers f,,r Wills Wing, l'acifJc Airwave & Fdel. (612) 688··0181. NEVADA ADVENTlJRF SPORTS Aero1owing-Tandem. Tours our specialty. iug/paragliding US! ]CA certified instruction. full service shop for Airborne, Blue Sky, Moyes, Pacil,c J\irwave, Wills Wing . .3650·22 Rcscarcli Way, Carson ( :iry, NV 89706 (702) 8837070 phonc/Crx.

SUSQUEI IJ\NNA FL!Cf IT !'ARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instrrrc1ion, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers, 1\() acre park) training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, ca,nping, hot slrmvcrs, 600' NW We have rhc best facilities in N. New York ,talc ro 1caclr yorr how to fly. RD 2, Box :MRJ\, ( :ooper,town, NY l 3:\2(,, (315) 866 .. (, 15:J. NORTII CJ\RO!.INJ\

HAWI( Flight Parle

J\./\.S A lJSTIN AIR SPORTS Cert if'icd foo1 launch, row & tandem rraining. Sales/service AlJSTJN, TEXAS Sieve Burns, 1712 Waterson, /870'3, (517-) li?li 16(,9. HOUSTON (71l) 171-

lllLL COUNTRY l'ARM;LJDINC INC I.earn co,nplcte pilot skills. Personalized US! !CJ\ cer1i/Jcd training, ridge soaring, f()ol & tow launching in ccnt rn I Texas. MOTORIZED PJ\RAGI.IDING INSTRUCTION & EQOIPMF.NT AVAILABLF. ('Jl'i) 37'> 1185. R1 I, Box 16F, Tow TX 78672.

Look under New York. KITE ENTERPRISES HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING. Insm1c1ion by Dave Broyles, tire most experienced scoo1cr tow instrnc1or in the US. Foot launch, platform launch and aerotow instrncrion sales, ren I als and PacAir, Wills and the ultralight Dallas, Fort Wonh and north Texas area. 211 Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (')/2) )')().')090 nights, weekends.

NEW MEXICO MOUNTAIN WEST l!ANC Cl.lll!NC sales, service, inst.ruction in i-hc Pour Corners

area. Wing, l'acilic Airwavc. (505) c,:12.gfiiJ:l Farmington NM UP OVER NEW MEXICO lnstnrc1ion, sales, service. Sandia Mounrain guides. Wills, Pacific Airwave. J\lbuqucrqne, NM (505) 821-8',!i/i.

RED RlVER AIRC:R/\1' m;o J lANC (;Lf!)INC!!! (Austin) Jeff I !um, /i811 Red River Sr., Austin Texas 78/51. Ph/f'ax ('i 17.) li67 2529 rrajefTG1\1ol.com

NEWYORr<

J\J\A FLIGHT SCHOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS and EAST COAST l'ARAGI.lDINC in Ellenvilk NY. MOST PROFESSIONAL NF with 1 years experience. / Cull time instructors, Ii exclusive hills. We stock everyd1ing available for pilots and & service AIRWJ\VE, UP, BLUE SKY, WILLS WING and now MOYES, also SWIFT, SlJPERFJ.OATER and ALL PARJ\Gl.IDFR BRANDS. Unbeatable prices on gliders. f!ull time towing facili1y, tandems, ICP, clinics. We do it all. 1-HOO '525-78/0, (')Iii) 61i7-TlT/. 150 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 12128. OUR EXl'FRIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. FLY lllCll JIANC (;L!DJNC, INC Serving S. New York, Connccricm, Jersey areas (Fllcnvillc Mtn.). Area's EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/spe cial ist. Also all 01 her major brands, accessories. Certified school/instrnc1ion. Teaching since 1979. Area's mos1 INEXPENSIVE Exccllcn1 sec ondary instruction ... if you've wish i-o continue. Fly 1-hc rno1111tain! 'Lmdcm flights! ( :on1ac1 P,rn1 Rd, Pinc Bush, NY 1?.%6, (91 It)

paragliding, microlights paragl1d1ng, school. Distrihu1eirs, 2000, Apco, La Mouctre. Cosmos, Mormrainecr, Air Creation and more. Full service and equipmCllt al best The most friendly service in the area. For send $It to: ISA, 381 l Ditmars Blvd 11110, Astoria NY 11105. Store address: 293 l Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone/fox ('118) 7T7-7000, email: !bros l ~1lanl.co111

TEXAS

1/i88.

NEW JERSEY MOUNTAIN WINCS

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLICHT PARK ~- Sec ad under Ceorgia.

, TANDEM INSTRUCTION AFROTOWlNC PARM ;I .!DI NC • llOAT TOW!NC MOUNTAIN C:IJNIC:S • FOOT Li\ lJNC:T ! Ol'FN YFAR ROlJNl) • llEACI ! RFSORT EQ\J!PMFNT SJ\LFS AND SERVICE

TOTAL AIR SPORTS Area's OI.DF.ST Wills \Ving dealcr. C:crtiilcd instntction available. "I only DEAL with WfLLS". 6Yili Limes1orrc, I lorrston TX T70')2. (713) ')56 (, Iii/.

(800)

UTAH

Internet Address: ln1p://www.ki1tylrawk.co111 E-Mail Address: hang-glideliilmrter-hanks.corn PENNSYLVANIA MO\JNTA!N TOP RECREATION Certified instruction, Pirtsburgh. (Ii 17.) 6'!7-li!iT7. C'MON OUT AND PLAY!

WASATCI I WINGS US HCA cer1if1ed hang glid ,chool, dealers for YVills Wing, and Pacilic l'liglrt operations :ll Point of Mountain. Call Z:1c (801) 277·10/i2. VIRGINIA KITTY I IA WK KITES

MOUNTAIN WlNC:S

~ Sec Norrh Carolina.

I.ook under New York.

TENNESSEE

SIi.VER WINCS, INC. Certilied lrg/pg instruction and sales. Proudly representing Pacific Airwave, Wing, Scedwings & UP. (7(J:l) 5351'J6'j Arlington VA. WISCONSIN RAVEN SKY SPORTS IJANC CI.IDINC AND PJ\RACl.l!)!N(; Largest and mos1 in the Midwest. Traditional curriculum, soaring) mountain clinics, Dragonfly aerotowing & tandems

l!J\WK J\IRSPORTS INC P.O. Box 905/i, Knoxville, TN 37':Jli0-005(,, (li23) 9:l:l-')2%. llang C:liding and world famous Windsoks.

by Brad I< rrshner. S:rlcs/service/:1cccssories for all major brands. PO Box 101, Wlri1cwarcr WI 531')0 (Ii 1Ii) li7J ggoo. PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Sec TOWINC. TIIF WALLABY RJ\NCTI (9/i I) li2ii-0070.

HANG C111 i1Nc

FROM "BRllADPJIN" Ml1KP:l1 NEW SMALL COMllO UNIT AND J?AHAG11 lDLNG.

My well-loved

quick vario married to an

excdlcni ;iltimctcr Lhanks 10 new gcncr;irioll laser-

lightest, most cornConahle hang /\crodynamic, low 1mbulcncc, low drag shape. t,:ch look. Finish is clear resin over l he weave of the super-strong carl1on/kcvlar mncr shell. Open face, only l oz., price $160. Integral lid\ foce version, only I/ oz. $199 incl mies headset ins1alla tion. Measure anrnnd head and f'rom bottom of car· lobe over top lO bot tom of earlobe for rns1om Cit. rrorn the designer, .Jack Lambie, 81 (,() Woodsboro, /\n,d1cirn Cl\ 92807. Phone and fax (71/i) 77') 187/.

trimmed transducers. imo little IU' · proof box only 1.Ii" siill has reserve Int I cry! broad Velcro snaps or base tube mcnrn1ing $?.'J'i Shipping inc. (g05) 6821088. Bread pan units still $?.'!5. I ,aser I rimmed retrolit available $8'S. ROB FRI S c:t.JDER INSTRUMEN'l'S TlliO CUFF DRIVF SANTA Bi\RB/\IV\ Ci\ 9l 109

HANG GLIDER CAMERA MOUNT

Shown on

2-1 /2" tube, $:l').50 includes shipping. TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 060'!8. (860) 379-1 (,(,8 (C:arnera 1101 included),

Real life savers! I)", light, tough. Fits all gliders. Send $Ii L95 1 $Ii.SO

J\RM/\DlUO <;LJDFR 1\/\CS Protect yom er from l JV and all of natJJn:s clements. ( :JJstom made Jic;ivy-duty polypropylene w/lidl zq1per $90 (pills $7.'iO s/h) EXCLUSIVF!Y 1hrclllgh Krn1JJcki'1ll'1 Soarillg, IJ2':i N /\ve., C:Lirksvillc IN 1712'). (812) 288 11 I I, (81 }.) 1.8/i-li 11 MC/Visa.

SPFC:I/\L 1 $1,li9S. IJJclJJdes a free C,mnin .18 CPS ($200 valJJe). Call Kcntuckiana Soaring (817.) 7.8871 I 1 for the hcst price.

shipping per p,tir to Sport /\vi;ition, PO Box 101, Mingovillc Pl\ I (,85G. Ask abou1 our dealer prices, CAM FRI\ REMOTE 20', Ci ls most cameras. Smps on over existing shutter release. $/i'i (ask about our imrocluc1ory $10 rebate). Tck !'light Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. (C1rncra not included,)

Cf l lUSTM/\S STOC:I<JNC STUHl'.RS From $2'ippcl. Cu11niso11 C\iders, 15/i'J C:011nty Road C:unniscm C:O 812:lO. (')70) 611-9.'l I

KFNTUCKIJ\NJ\ SOi\RJNc; PRFSFNTS "New" Fi Radio lleadsct by !'light Connections. I l El\ VY--DUIY llEJ\DSET wir\1 linger mo1rn1cd s\.vitch allows pilot to con11r1u11icatc

Wl !FELS /\V/\lLABIF

SJJper

a rn11s1 for training 1 u1ndcm

in bushings. Only US/\-lrnili 1 wheel. quantity discou11JS. l111111ccliate delivery. Lookout Mou111ai11, (800) 688-1.r'v!FP.

DICIMDFR ] 9%

CARMIN CPS .,8 $159. M,rny other acces sories ;ivailahlc. Call Chad al (805) 569-16(,7 for more

info

visit

our

wch

site:

while keeping their hands on the control bar or brakes. Safrr !lying and more reliable communica tions. Your iusLn1mcnr is protcCLcd with a 90 day mf!~ warranty with repair service av,1ilablc beyond the warranty, Currently available for Yacsu, !corn, /\linco, Kenwood ,md other compatible rndios. Available for full face or open helmets. $89 ,$.l.50 shipping, MC/Visa, dealer inquires invited, Kcntuckiana So,uing, li25 N /\vc., Clarksville IN li71?.9. (812) 288-7111, (1112) 28/i-li 115. SPECIAUZINC IN ELECTRONICS, RADIOS, \IJ\RIOS, CPS UNITS & MORE!

KENWOOD 2M TH-22AT 1-lcadsctlvox/pn, remote speaker mike, filtered lighter cable, wall charger $250 OBO. (208) 'i23 3238.

T'hc world-class XCR- 180 operates up to .1 hours @18,000 fr. and only 41b. Complete kit with cannula and rernorc Windtalkcr details K:'-lOW BEFORE YOU GO on the Web at: hnp:llwww.magick.nctl--lirck or email: litel<(a)magick.net, or call (541) 479-6633.

PTT BUTTON SWITCl I ringer mount with "click" feedback. All popular HT's-11ser selectable. Connects between hc:idset and radio $39.95. Check or money order. Voice (423) 531 --801J'i.

TI-IF ZEPHYR RADIO MOUNT Utilizes a Flytec or Ball vario mount, a precision CNC m:ichincd Dclrin adapter block, and a modi/,cd bclr clip to hold radio securely on your glider's access to control frame. This mount provides radio fonctiorn, full 3-l 12 axis positioning possible (Ball 2-112 axis), quick easy removal of radio (requires approx ?.O lbs of force to remove) while mount is still attached to provision for a safrty line, and storage bag is included. Currcudy av,1ilablc for Yacsu, !corn, Standard, Alinco and Kenwood. Call or send radio brand/model and $60/Ball moum or $80/Flytcc mount (, $5 slh) ro: Zephyr M fi>, 14 Foxwood Road, Bristol CT 060 IO or call at (860) 583-3610.

BUS!N ESS & EMPLOYMENT

MAINTAIN YOUR ArRFOII. With this tool made of hardwood and pcrlon $36 1-$4 slh. JC:DC:, PO Box 6'5, Dobbins CA 95935.

TEK 6" WHEELS $26 per pair, pins $3.75 Sil L Tck Flight Products, ( :olcbrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. (860) 379-1668. Hang Gliding & Paragliding School

COME TO CANADA! Or bring me ro you! For Jiang Gliding lCP's. Get recertified the RCR way! Also, we arc expanding & for instructors & tandem pilots to hire for borh & pg. Contact: Pcrspcclive, RR 5, 8(,5 Michael Robertson-I Conc.7, Claremont Ont. Canada LlY 1A2. (905) 29/i-2536, fox (905) 29it-81J')5, email: llyhighl?"infornmp.nct We offer stationary winch/step tow instruction (all levels) for hglpg and have winch-

MINI VARIO World's smallest, simplest vario! ro helmet or chinstrap. 200 homs on hat tcries, 0- 18,000 ft., fast response and 2 year warranty. Creat for paragliding roo. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO Box 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92Tl5. (714) 966- 1240. MC/Visa accepted. DON'T CET CAUGHT lANDlNG DOWN WIND! -- I. 5 oz. ripsrop nylon, UV treated, 5'1i" long w/11" throat. Available colors fluorescent pink/yellow or /'lnorcscent pink/white. $39.95 (,-$1i.OO Sill). Scncl ro USI I( ;A Windsok, P.O. Box 1."l30, Colorado Springs, CO 8090 I 1330, (71 ')) 6328300, fax (719) 632(,lil7. VISAIMC:acccptccl.

es) rclcascsi etc. for sale.

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

CAI.I. USJ !GA form. From the Skimmer to the present flrmr, Gliding (719) 6J2-H300.

saw

HANC GLIDINC

I C:/\N 1./\NJ) 150 good, had & ugly landings. A must for all students. 90+ minmcs & lots o/' aero. Se11d $JS money order to: Jeff Reynolds, 1907. E Sharon Drive, Jlhoenix 1\Z 8'iOJ,7,.

DOWNWIND From 1he early days of the '?O's, to air of Owen's Valley, DOWNWIND is with rhrill and exhilaration of cross country advcmurc. The perfect gifi for bo1h and nonI\ 1rue pilors. SHI\ RE Tl IF well roid. Available from USHC/\ l lcadqnal'lcrs only $1 0.95 ( 1$:.> s/h). PO Box I 3:lO, Colorado Springs CO 8090 [. U lO.

"NEW" I\ RISK MANAGEMENT MANUAL Clidi11g, by Michael Robertson. Used """'''""'" as USHG/\'s lnSlructor Certification Student Notebook. Includes: history, the w11>11clrrn1s wind, new tow section, the wing) the windividu:rl, :tnd rhe famous REVISED, NEW CHARTS OF RELIJ\BILITY. $9.95 ., $3 s/h. Order your copy from: f!igh Puspecrive, RR 5, 865 (:one. Cl:iren,onr Ont. C:anada I.IY 11\2. (905) 29/i-253(1, fax ('JO'i) 21lli -8/i'J'i, email: JlyhighQ1linforamp.net

NEW IN STOCK! PARTY AT CLOUDB/\SE I\ hang gliding rnltsic video by Adventure Productions $1 'J.95. POINT OF THF MOUN! 'J\IN-1\ward winning by East Coast Video, hg/pg action at this Utah mecca $29. HANG CLIDINC EXTREME & BORN TO FLY Advcnmrc Prod11ctions, great hg action $.H. 95 l ]J\WAl!J\N l'LYIN 9, in parndisc, :mw.· i11g launches $:l3. C:all or US! 1( ;/\ 6'.J:.>-8:$00, fox ('119) 637J,/il/, please +$1 domestic s/h (,$5 for two 01 more videos). Great to friends or for those socked-in days. Perfect la1111ch po1aro turned couch potatu. Also, ask us about our paragliding videos!

:v!ISCELI /\NEOUS

Sf'ECI/\L NEW PILOT E])]TION

I fang (;Jiding & Paragliding magazine. Now available through USl!C/\ I $1.95 each +$1.'iO s/h.

SO/\RINC --·- Mon1hly magazine of The Soaring of soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all flight. Full membership $55. Info. with sample copy $3. SS/\, P.O. Box F, I !ohbs, NM 882Al. (505) 391-l lT/.

HIGHER Tl !AN FAG LES by M,tralys & Chris Wills. The life & times of BOBBY Wll.LS, hang i',xr1cncn,:c 1he trimnphs and lragedics and the evolution of' Wills Wing. $19.95 hardcover (1$/i.OO Sill), sec classi lied for lJSI IC/\ BOOKS ordering OFFIC:11\L Fl\/\ SFC:TION/\L Terminal /\rca Charis ..~II amis, Cll!Tcnt (up to d:Hc New Airspace Classif'ications). Scc1ional maps $'1 each, VFR Terminal /\rca Charts $Ii each. /\dd ship· ping and (C:al. residents only) lax. Dealer prices. /\inime of'S.I'. (Ii l '5) 75911'/7, fox (lil 'i) 759 1182.

TOWING AEROTOWJNG ACCESSORIES ~ I leadquarrers for: The finest releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, tandem wheels, launch can kits, etc. THE WI\! .L/\IW RANCH (911) li2.1-0070.

"/\EROB/\T[CS" Full color 2.3"x :l 1" poster fc,a1uring John Heiney what he docs bcst-1.00PINC;! Available through USHC/\ HQ for just $G.')5 ( 1 $3.50 s/h). Fill rh:it void on yom wall! Send to USH(;/\ /\crobaric.s Poster, PO Box l:lOO, Colorado Springs CO 8093.3. (US/\ & C:mada only. Sorry, posters arc NOT /\V/\11.Alll.E on intcrna1ion;il orders.) SPECIAL-J\crobatics pos1e1 & Fri, Raymond poster-HOT! I !'OR $10 (+$3.50 s/h). FI.Y !WERY DI\ Y -

Wi1h a hang gliding sc1w11

s;1vcr for your PC ()utstanding images Crom the

THE MASON TOW RELEASES --- /\re ready for immediate shipment. Send $52 to: Mason's Micro Machining, U39 Corrine St, Idaho !'alls fl) 83402. (7,08) 529 2 I 06.

Pl\ YOUT WJNCI l - With 4000' of Works gre:n, call for detail $800 OBO. i'.16-058:l after 6pm l'lorida.

world's best hang Yosemite ro name a

Rio, Torrey, Owens, $19.()) for

images,

$29.95 for !iii images (+$Ii s/h). credit cards accepted. Ccr it now & fly ,·very 18:l 1. Checkout our web site wvvw . aur:1J1,s.con1/a1.1ralis

li11c. (901)

TIS TRUCK TOW SYSTEM 2600' 3/16 ultraline, rnany great flights. Yours for only $1,500. nm /\rrns1rong (80'i) 822-8852 dan:mnslroQDaol.com

TOW ROPES ... TOW ROPES ... TOW ROPES Spectra, Dacro11. David Bradley, Braided Prnducts Division. (21 5) 822- 1968, fax (:.> I 5) 822 5852. VIDEOS & HI.MS FIRST FLIGHT ll.11C; IT! If ym, don't have yom copy of Dennis l'agcu's PERFORMANCE PLYING yet, available through US! IC/\ l kadq11:mcrs $29.95 ( 1 $Ii s&h).

DEGMl-l!R 1996

h,llows the action of' a new

IJ/\NG GLIDING Cl IRISTMAS CARDS

pilot's first lessons. This video is an entertaining

Bbck :md white etching style, and novv card //25 in

to show your friends and f'anrily how you learn to fly. VHS 15 minurcs. $20 includes shipping (mrty IH 11j>f!licd lo lrsson purchr1scl). MISSION SO/\R INC C:FNTER, 1116 Wrigley \)(lay, Milpitas CA 9'5035. (108) 2(,2, 1055.

!'ULT. COLOR. $10 per dozen, $18 for 2 dmrn, $33 for 50, or $60 for l 00. 11lus l 01X, for shipping. Sc11d a scWaddrcssed stamped envelope fo,· :lll assonrnent selection sheet ro: TFK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted ( T OG098 or call (8GO) 3'79-1668,

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND,BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN 'J'HE HANG GLIDING CLASSI-

FilmS.

"MOONS!IADOW" llighly detailed blue/whit:c/pnrpk anwork on black, preslmmk Beefy" . Specify S,M,L,XL,XXL. short sleeve $15, lonp; sleeve $17. Add $2. 50 order shipping. Send check Wear, PO Box 511, Signal or money order t:o: 886-6391. Mountain TN 37377. TRADING CARDS Ger starred with your own hang p;liding/paragliding tradinp; cards. Now become even more famous. For starters p;cr 16 cards (colored &" laminated) $20 +$'5. 95 s/b. Beller prices for larger quantities. Send picture, information for back of card and $20 ts/h to: TC:ARDS, 517 Fvans, Idaho Falls ID 83102. for more info I -800-31 (i-3238.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rate for classified advertising is $. 50 per word (or group of characters) and $1.00 per word for hold or all caps. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $5.00. A fre of $1 5.00 is charged for each line an logo and $25.00 for each photo. UNEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words rn he in bold prim. Special of tabs $25.00 per colttmn inch. Phone words. Email or web addrcss,"3words. AD DEADLINES: All :td copy, instructions) changes, additions and cancellations

must be received in writing 1 I /2 months the cover dat c, i.e. Ocrobcr 20th for the December issue. Please make checks payable ro USHCA Classified Advertising Dept. HANG GLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 (7l9) 632-8300 or fax (719) 632-61i17 with your Visa or Mastercard.

STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a service ro US! !GA members. Newest cnrries arc in bold. There is no charge for this service and lost and found or he called in ('119) 632-8.=lOO or it equipment for inclusion in Hang Gliding in (719) magazine. Please call to cancel the when gliders arc recovered. Periodically, this be purt~ed.

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS FOUND CAMERA .'l'imm, found at POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN, UT on October 6, 1996. Call (801) 957-llilS rn idcmiiy. SOLAR WINGS SCANDAL Stolen from VANCOUVER, BC CANADA ou A11gusc IOtl1, 19%. I 3.6 meters, lilac leading edge & undersurface, blue chevron w/cruise harness; hlue/rcd parachute; blue Skylark vario. Nick Collins (60IJ) 33li-2602.

ULTRAMITTS AND CLOUDnASE I IARNESSFS Keep your hands toasty warm! (706) 398-.3961 (leave message.)

HIGH ENERGY TEAM BAG Stolen from ALBUQUERQUE, NM on March 9th, 19%. Red/white/blue High Team bag with CG harness (yellow/blue); BRS & chest mount reserve clrntc; Ball 652 vario; Uvex full face helmet (white) w/radio headset:. Also High Energy Racer harness: electric blue otttside, pink inside, flouresccnr around bottom, silver lightening bolt along High Energy Odessy chest mount reserve chnre, Flyt:ec 320 vario mount). Conract Jim Bowman (30'7) 655"98li8 Happy ro pay reward I

IKAROS (KOREAN) PARAGLIDER - .. Stolen from SAN BERNARDINO, CA rental car on June 6th, l 9%. Pink uppct, white under with blue hawk design on right bottom, lcfr brake line replaced with 505 hg cord. Contact MinHo Yoon (909) 88I"lt841t or Roi, McKemic, High Adventure (909) 883-8488. WILLS WING XC 155 Lost on Lufthansa flight between LOS 1\NCFLFS and Muuich, Certnany ou 2nd, 19%. Yellow wired XC separating a grey :i.w1rnnc1r1c bottom (sec Apr ')6 JI(; cover), Contact Wills Wing (7 I 1) 998 6359.

Adventure Productions ...................... A5 Arai Design ........ ,............................... 15 Auralis ................................................ 47 Flytec ................................................ .47

}·Jail Bros ............................................ I Cl I {igb Energy

.. , ............................. 10

karo ............ ,.. ,............ ,................ ,,...... 2

Jusr Fly Aviation Gear ........................ 21 Kentuckiana Soaring .......................... 51 Lookout Mm. Flight Park .................... 6

Mexico Tcmrs ..................................... li6 Mojo's Gear .......................................... 7

NAA ................................................. .44

WINDSEFKER More fon rhan a barrel of downtubes. It soars, it loops, it flies! ONLY $3.00 plus $2 s/h ($3 s!h on orders of'.3. Mori' thr111 3 or !ni'l ordm, p!cflse cfll!) UST !CA, PO Box 1:330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fox your MC/Visa with order ro (719) 6:J2."61J 17.

PACIFIC AIRWAVE RAVE 30 PARAGLJDER Srolen from the LAS VEGAS MAXIM, NV on April (1th, l 9%. Solid white glider. Also purple/black "Paradise" harness w/rcservc & misc. gear (vario, camclbak, wiudrnctu, etc.) $200 reward for inform:t"· t ion le,tding to the recovery of this equipment! Any help will be appreciated. Contact collect Eric or Sharon (7 I Ii) 58'/- I 739 or (71 IJ) 255-5900, or conract the British School of Paragliding (702)

Pacific Airwave .............................. 36,37 Seedwings ............................................ ,

Safari Sky 'fours .......................... .

Sport Aviation Publications .................. 7

896-GOOO.

Ultra!ite Products ............................... 31 New, NOVA PHILOU 21 PARAGL!DER blue/pmple, only one in the US (s/n 6105). Also Kenwood TH-22 r:idio (s/u 60501515). (711) 97924/i<J"

VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTERS Call USHCA for your Merchandise order form ("719) 632-8300.

Niclse11 .. Kcllcrman ............................. 45

US Aviation ..................................... ..49 USHGA ........... 7,11, 18, 47,48,56,57,51 Wallaby Ranch ..................... Back Cover

Wills Wing ......................................... 39

HANG GiiDINC

(()

kY Dan Johnson

PAUL, MINN behind us ( thankful ! ) a.nd stra.i "Lit Drummer Boy" lready us Lit zy, we' in the Christmas E;c:eason once aga.in. I wish all of you warm holidays with family Now, on wit:b news

g ider

kably Wills Wing dominance popu a .s in Europe, J and elc:,ewhc,re. Airwave holds second coC,?a securely af recovering usual trauma o[ a move,. Downwind from these is Je :3 di I: n ade r: along with tl10?i r beau tu 1 machine,,, l maintaining Moyes proved year' the new shows a on<:! though ... onti.nued succe s M0?anwh changes at other one one Tudor faxed to r(:,late life. He 9ot ed, left Wills

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(ST name of ~/ udor' f, meaning new company j ,3 A.VB Inc., and he l the Lr,e OrJando ,John Ryan, and ''wi I n USA, e1cclusi ve source He reports and aspiring cornpel::i tion 1otr;, and announced Lhat ho shots "Nel on Howe and }\l Whj llave :j the 1-eam and p to compete on tfl.C\ kingpo,; t the wi thou I: in A.ustra this move, you '/ 11 9 9 7 - 7 0 "S I ( a 1 so fax ) . glide.r ma.nufacturer bas Frec,hly named Altair ha:3 Preda o des i 9n 1 ope cl by John By you read this , wi11 be headquartE?red in i l:s new famE?d Point of the ]maker Mas er :i.n 1

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Dick. Cheney wi1J continue, to build aU t.he sails. US. 1th raciced racer, Prc~dator ly the, gl idcc:r in U1e Dave Sharp, wi 11 cc,m1Jet.1tion circui . Heiney info as the move change was a one and wi11 allow tlIB to move forward in estab1 shing a market. ••• a ight1y diffe:nmt development, Bill Moyes wrotcc from Australia t.o say, "Apart from tl1e Draqonfly [tu9] and 'l'empest ,;ai J, we wi1 t.o build 'I'he Silent Racer." '.L'his German·-made trike, uses a totally fiber9las:", with the mounted Their division, Moyes Microli tes, compJements t:hoir well"-known glider buildinci company, Moye;E, De] Parl:y Ltd. Bill add:c,, "'I'he Gliders bave bought a new factory." They p anned to move j n at the end of October. "M:icroli l~.e:3 wi stay the old MoyGs' bu i 1 t a company around des Bobby to pursue ects ike the and TGmpest which are both creations ••• Recently T attended the AOPA convention and saw friends who work Microsoft. A couple found th0:;ir place, in the rmftware Lhe company' 1ong"popu ar Simulator "game." Bruce Williams (with whom T worked when sold Who]e Air magazine to the GeneraJ Avi.aU.on News & F}yer back ' 8 6) and E3t:eve Wilson were at the San Joc,e convention center to pLrnh the Windows 9 ven:,ion of Sim. Of interer;t to hang "re,,ident tl.1.ermal" at·. the Chelan, flying site. You don' (yet) get to catch it in a hang glider but can use their Schwei z 2 32 s 1plan Wilson said, "Over the top of the Butte the E~asy, thermal can l:J1ke you to l"i,000 fGet. We also the J:oad,; and other features" wbich allow a to to Spokane on the state' boundary. You can also soar in rid9e 11 over the Seattle area' s ~riger Mountain and you can find 1 if t in the San Francisco Bay Area as wc'"l] ac, above the Hollywood sign Los Angeles. 'l1he new Windows 95 version includes new scernory, new citie1;, new challenges, planes, onG of which an aerobatic-capable Extra 300S. I t looked fascinating on computers the two reps had in Microsoft's booth at the AOPA event. NO Out ta room for So, got t:hc~ 1af,t bme this year, divGr news or Send 'e,m to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Fax or V-mail to 612--150""09]0. Email to CumulusMan@ol.com. THANKS!