USHGA Hang Gliding April 1997 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

Davis St:raub [SM'.I'P: SkyGod@msn.com] Inviato: sabato 25 gennaio 199'7 5: 04

icaro@alphasys .alphasys.

Oggetto: From Larry 'I'udor

Hi Best from Australia. Now that time on the I would like to tell you much like Manfred and Pranco have gned the best ever .

.John

owner of The Hang Gliding Center San Diego California and coowner of AV8 Distributing (!CARO Gliders), will he in charge or flight operations at Walts Point.. Tudor, president of AV8, made this site world renowned with multiple 200+ mile flights. His flights shattered the world record. Most which were also set in Owens Valley. Larry went on to break the 300 mile barrier elsewhere, but no place on earth produces as many I 00 rnilers. The site is just a few hours outside of Los Angeles CA For 1997, touring pilots will find a full support program running in Owens Valley.

• Shuttle service to launch at Walts Point • Launch assistance and records observation • X-C retrieval • Tours of' the awesome valley for non pilots • Rafiing trips • Minimal service center and 0, r<,/Ylls Glider and equipment rentals Camping and accommodation arrangements • Remote weather down link accessed hy phone • X-C clinics and World record clinics run by Larry Tudor (reservations required)

fl yoa ever

AV8 West: John Ryan

8645 Fonita Dr. Santee CA 92071 Ph./Fax (619) 562 1009 JRAV8@aol.com

a flying vacation ,~f' a

l{f'etime, Owens Valley is it. Please.fc!elfree to R-m.ail us at .IRA V8@aol.com or call John on our to/lfree numhcr (888) OWENS XC.

The lcaro 2000 Full foce Helmet is available from your local hang gliding or paragliding shop or direct from JUST FLY. It comes in White and Carbon Optic finishes. Made of Carbon Fiber and Kevlar, it's certified in Europe (Cf:95) for hang gliding and paragliding. Contact JUST FLY to order or to get your copy of the certification standards.

AV8 East:

ICARO 2000 srl - Via Verdi, 19 - 21038 Sangiano (Va) Italy Tel. http: //www.alphasys.it/icaro - E-Mail: icaro@alphasys.it

1530 Eastern S.E. Grand Rapids · Ml 49507 Ph. 616.2457.777 Toll free:888.ICAR02000

- Fax ++39-332-648.079

(USPS 017-970-20 - ISSN 0895-4.33X)

17 Pilot Report: Wills Wing Ultra Sport by Paul Voight A look ac Wills' laccscSport-series glider.

24 Come Fly Idaho by AL Whitesell

An invirarion ro rhe King Moumain Open in the Lost River Valley.

28 Bucking The System by GeoffMumford Bob Beck gores the Ander MOA.

29 Upstate Aerotowing: Aeromax by Scottjeweff A new aercow Aighc park in New York.

36 The Key To Lockouts -

Part II

48 Sauratown Mountain, NC artide and photos by Doug Rice A visit ro chis famous Ease Coast Ayingsi ce.

Columns

Departments

Exec's Corner, by Phil Bachman .............. 10

Airmail ................................................. ......4

Accident Reports, by Luen Miller ........... 14

Calendar ofEvents ................. .................... 6

Cartoon, by Harry Martin ........... ........... 20

Update..................... .. .................................8

Hawker & Vario, by Harry Martin ........ .35

Ratings .......... .... .......................................44

Product Lines, by Dan Jolmson ............. 63

Classifi ed Advertising ....... ,.. ............... .... .51 Index co Advertisers ...... ...........................62

APRIL 1997

Gil Dmlgon, Managing Editor!fililw· in Chief Dave Pounds, Ari Director John Heiney, Gerry Charfobois, Leroy Grannis, Mark Vaut1lm.PhotrJgff11Jl1ers Hnrry Martin, /1/ustmtor Dennis Pagen, Mark Stucky, G1,off Mumford, G.W. Meadows, Jim Palmieri, Sl,1ffWrit1;•,s Phil !fachman, Executive Director Grng Huller, Ratings ,'« ICP"s Jeff Elgart, Adverlising D. Dean l.eycrlc, lnsunmc,, ,'« Membership Scrvin,s Ka1·en Simon, Member Service,,; US/IGA

Committee:

Bill Bryden, l'rr.•sidem Randy Adams, Vice Prosidmt Russ Locke, Sec:retmy

Dan Johnson, Treasurer

Dear Ediror, Just gor rhrough attending Tandem and Instructor's Clinics hosted hy Paul Voight and Quest Air. I would like ro thank Paul and Qucsl for the grear joh did with rhc clinics and the ac1nl'i)Wlllf., instrucrion. The great it was frm! We had !ors oFHorida sunshine and flew almosr every day. I would like ro thank ( :alllpbell, Russell, and Jim for the grcar with the new l l 'Hwrscr,ov,· er Dragonfly Tmho ..'J'ug. This machine is awe· some: It can climb with a folly loaded tandem glider ar 800 leer per minute' (Russell, rhanks for rhc tow.) Om ground crew deserves also: Jodi, Lcnh, Melanie and Connie. Bm the best pan was that everyone made you feel like you were at home. We had great home cooking (Melanie) ar rhe "Our ol' ( :onrrol 1\ar" and some grec1t games and fon times in the new friends. If you arc expedition, aerorowing is place to go.

ilh:u1 air orp;aniiz;111ior1 c1ifili:1terJ "''ith llw National Aeron,,ulk

Associ,rLic,n (NAA) which \s the official of the federation (fAI), of the wn1rlrl1zcll1(,r1'1im, btJdvfor sport nvialion. Tho which has lo thi,

for hang

HANG GIJDING

sport cnthqsiasts to crtmle further i111erc•s1 in the lo providH an odoca1lot1al forum to ,idvance nrn1g 1\11umg mc•ihods and

Conlribulio1is nro wolcorno. photos, and illu:;1ratlor1s c:nr,ce1·1\irig n,•mg, g11r:1m1g c1,.• uv1uos. 11 1hr'.n1aWrial is to bo selJi,,icldn,ssc,rJ roumu•1we·100,e rnusl invitc,d to

Notification

USHGA is a membt1r,co1itrolled to thr,l exr,,loratk,n a11dprrlll'1rJlic,11 of unpower(,d IJ/t1'Hl11alll l'IJJ!lll. ·anrrl

ing and safety of its anyono unerc,src,n

Mc0nil:,efship

POSTMASTER: SEND CH/\NGF IIANC CLIDING, P.O. llOX 1330,

Al)DRFSS TO: Springs, CO

BO'JO'l·I DO.

APRIL 1997

VOLUME

ISSUE No. 4

Hamilton West Sac:rannento, CA

De,ir F.ditor, As a pilot I have folt very grateful 1·0 be a pan of the gliding comm1mity over the last seven years. I'm writing this letter in response ro the March article regarding rhc drop in membership. 1'111 sure every pilor has his own bclicls as to rhis is happening, and why membership comiu .. rn;s to drop, and l would like to pur my two cents in as ro why this is oc(:urrmg. Over the last five seen hang glid crs our.. pricing the Ads for gliders arc say· ing $5,999 for 1he latest and greatest, when live years ago the latest and greatest was $3,500. I'm nor against R& D, bur for rhc performance gain over the last five years, which is nominal com .. pared to the increase, it jusr doesn't com pmc. If you're a hang glider manufacturer reading this and arc "I Icy, this is 191)7 and a buck doesn't go as I rotally understand. Unforrunarcly, however, there is a clear, simple reality here, and unless ir drnngcs it may limir rhe spon m a few privileged people. I was looking 10 get a new glider rcccnrly. The hang glider manufacrurers want me ro pay $6,000, but I can't do it. It's simply over my bud· So, instead I bought a used glider for ahour a of what !'cl spend on a new one. You want ro know what my pcrformaucc sacrifice was? Al)()m I 0%,, at most. Let's rhink about rhis. Now rhcrc arc fewer so rhc m:mufocmrcrs pilots have m so they don'r go broke.

Docs anybody sec rhc vicious here? l'm no rocker scic111 isr, but as a [)ilot 1 can tell you I like metal good, hard, aircraft-grade aJ11 .. minum. Jr's ligl1r, and l 1rnst it more than carbon fiber. l bought a some years ago glider hy the way, as many arc) and when [ was first sctLing it up I accidcnrally stepped on a Glr.. bon plng.. in batten. It was crnshcd withom even all mywcighr on it, and worse than that it looked line unril I pinched ir with and saw rhar it was rrashcd. The bill? I00. Ouch! Do yo11 rhink l trust this sruff 110w to lessen the impact in a crash? Nor a chance, and l don't care what the sales pitch is, I believe whar I sec. So, to Slim up my thoughts on rhis, here arc rwo possible fi 11urc scenarios to rhink about. ff mamtfacrurcrs conrinuc the hcst·glick, .. ,u·.. any.. cosr parh .. Year: 2000 • New glider $il,'500 • Clidc ratio: I4 to l • lJSl !GA membership: 3,(,00 Used listed in the Classifieds: il I Tang schools in rhc country: 30'Yc, ltw· er 1han now ;1ml declining. Manufocmrcrs out of business due ro poor sales. • Resentment within the hang gliding community between the havc's and havc .. not's. If rnamd,icturcrs direction am! seek to high .. pcrformitig 7075 gliders ar a reasonwith a new understanding that, unlike gliders have incredibly finite lives ...

• •

Year: 2000 New price: $3,900 Glick: ratio: 11.'5 to I US HCA membership: 7,800 and climbing Used hang listed in the Cbssiflcds: 90 Hang gliding schools in the coumry: 30'Yc, more tl,an now and Manufacturers richer from glider sales. l lang gliding community happy with new gliders abr1ur1di11111.

I really hope there is loud feedback to the manufocturcrs. Do you wallt someone else ro speak for whar you wam in rhe sport? lfwc as pilors don't spcal( up for what we need and wam for our sport, ir will he run by rocker sciemists by rhe year 20 l,cifitrThor lci/{ilwdl.rnm htrp://www.well.com/ ~leiO

Dear Editor, In support o/' our l\xccmivc Director, Phil Bachman, I'd like ro say that he's done a lor to rum rhc of rhe lJSl!GA around from the HANC CIIDINC;

1r backwater "Pcarhlossorn" days rn a very cfltcicnt ;rnd highly polished oml1t. A lot of prnplc have really jumped Oil him for his cfforrs with the waiver and have med the foci rhat he's 1101 a glider pilot. Well, let me tell ya, that don'r mean squat to mr?. l'v1y wile is an Fxccutivc l)ircctor for a group of doctors and she's !lot a doctor, which helps h,:r ohjcctiviry Our Directors voted rhc waiver into cxisrcncc, not he. In addition, the vociferous minority opposed ro rhar waiver have made ir rheir battle cry the inevitable encro:ichrncm on om hy the realities of today's legal I'm not panirnlarly fond oCsomc of the in the waiver, lm1 I'm not to secede from the union over it. \Xie rn1ghr robe shooting all the nor 011r Fxccutivc Director. Phil has om interests as an organization in from of him every I le works to clout for hang glidi11g by out orhcr nizarions and pooling resources. I !e's 111 costs associated with every aspecr of l JSJ I· (;A. I sec his commc11rs in rhc magazine on a wide oF topics, a11d he's reachable with an operHloor policy rh:111101 many om previous execs could crrml:ne. Instead of whining abom your and "liahiliry," worry more ahom [lying knowi11g yom rcsponsibili1ics, the and pnirccllng rl1osc around yon, cvrn if they arc wuf:-

Mike Badley Stockton, C:A

Dear I:ditor, The Mountaineer Hang Cliding Association (US! l(;A Chapter 128) has been i11 existence si11cc 1982 and maimains three sires in the C:11111bcrland, Ml) area ('./irks, l J>oi11t a11d 1';1,1rgro11ll(Js), one sire near \XlV Ridge), and two sires in l'c11dlcto11 Cou111y, WV (North 1:ork Min. and Knob). We have opened and/or nwimaincd these sites for the use of all qualified pilots to the mystic an of foot··launchcd Each site has protocol rcquircmc11rs m,::llldltlf\ s1r,2-spectl1c releases, and access to some is restricted because of rhe l:mdown · er\ desire to limit ;md control said access lo their ""'""11v. \Xie (the dub) have hccn ro gates and have been entTustcd to oversee rhc flying activities :ll all of these sires. arc ,ivailablc ro any club mcrnbcrs whose proactive dforrs help maim,1in the sites (i.e., 1hosc who do the work). Most ofthc sires require a liWD vehicle in order to to lallnch. Mountaineer sires mean yoll have ro a key or a li\X//) vehicle, as all the have borh and c:in he counted on to get everyone ro APRIL

1997

Membership includes two (Memorial I hy and f ,:1bor [ )ay weekends) which the club pays rhe campground fr,cs, approxim:ncly six ncwslcm.:rs per and the right to vote in our annual (one only) meeting usually held in l leccmbcr.

Dues for the Moumainccr Hang Cliding Association run $30/ycar unril July I when reduced to We arc a 11011 .. profir and up unril we prerry much broke even mosr Thar trend seems rn he changing of"l:nc we were in rhc red again last year. We approximately 'iO'Yc, of'our annual budget on sire in rhc form of'lcascs, 1nainn:11a11et\ ere., wifh rhc rcn1aining roward newsletters and rite fly .. in camping At our recent annual meeting we discussed om dwindlinp resomccs and ways to overcome this cldicir ,, before we reach critical mass. were discussed including raising dues, the number of newslct · year, eliminating one or borh of' the and/or a daily user's frc to nonmembers the sires. All these options were discussed and ruled our for a of reasons. The user's frc idea was ruled our due to potential for increased liability cxposmc to rhc landowners who arc shiclclcd from negligence claims when someone is 011 the for their own purpos· cs, so long as no kc is being charged. In the end it was decided that we'd follow the lead ol" other flying ch1bs in om area by the rhc above-mentioned sires to share in them open. This would mean of the Mountaineer 11( ;;\, 'I 'o accommodate rhc pilor who is just through the area, OJ' who docsn'L imend ro fly sites more than 011cc a we won't 1np1cs1 club membership for the flight. We hope this docs nor appear vindictive and dol's 1101 crc,1tc :my ill will wit!,in the area co11111n111m·v. We and support the made hy 10 open :rnd mainrain their sites. Many Mounrainccrs arc also members of the Maryland, Capital, Daedalus and TIT clubs, among others. We have 110 wish ro make a profo. We arc only asking those pilots who fly rhc sites to help support the dforts to rhern open for everyone's use. We hope you come fly with us and become one of us. For more information on the M f f(;A or flythe Mounraineer sites, please comacr Jim Rowan C\01) 72'J-OT73, Larry Ball ((,lli) 6(,7(, 120, Will Cood (301) 463-3509, or John McAllister (5/iO) 722-9874. fly for, fly ofrcn, but most impor-

Board of I )irccrors Mnuntainecr l l ( :A

Dear Fdiror, In response ro the lawsuit involving the US] I· (;A Release, Waiver, and of Risk, I am trnly by the individuals i11i1iating the litigation. reading Phil's :midc l sat it1 awe and utter disbelief lfthcy take iss11c with the release agreement why not set de rhc issue in an open fornm with \JS[ f(;A members. At the very least l would formally ask these people to rheir acrions to rhose of us who can't whar could he so important as to "111:11:io,"'1 funds ofan orga11iza1io11 that's one's hcst interest. David \Xlcbsrcr Westminster, C:O

Ilcar 1-'.diror, I11 up borh a trip this year and one last year l cnco111nered much u11ccrtainry amongst the airlines as to if'and/or how they handle hang gliders. ] ,ast year I worked with a rcscrva · tion agem wl:o rcsc:uched rhc rcquircmcms for rheir airline and made notes on my reservation that would "fclllow" me and my hang to all ticker co1mtrTs. Ir worked reasonably well in that doubting ticker agrnts could read rhe reservation 10 flnd om that, yes, can take my hang er. imo uncertainty on a Airlines flight rhc Northwest Airlines cnstorner relations office and told them of the difficulties I to check a hang glider. I rold nor have to be dccei1h1I and claim it was a wind smlcr, which r11,2yappr,2c1a1ed. l asked could scr up a gliders so reservation and rickct know what the rcstricriom arc, more significantly, rha1 acr11ally will handle hang gliders. The customer relations manager pursued this and called me hack to let me know that she had both attached a waiver ro my reservation and coordinated wirh rhe appropriate Nonhwcst depanmcnts ro have a "code" pm in for hang glidcrs 1 l think rhis is a small bur significant victory for free-flight cnrhusiasrs. I I houghr thar Norrhwest Airlines' cooperation on this might be worth along 10 the of I !,mg other airlines can he persuaded to follow suit, or Northwest inay become rhc pilot's carrier of choice. lfym1 wish 10 contacr Northwest Airlines for co11Gr;11ariu11 or ltmhcr details, I spoke with Monique from Nonhwcst Airlines customer relations(() 12) 72Ci-20li6, menu options Ii, 3, Russell A. KlOl'.S F11dicorr, NY r·

Calendar of events items Wll J. NOT be listed if tentat ivc. Please include exact information (event, dare, comacr name and phone number). Items should be received no larer than six weeks prior w rhc evenr. \Xie n:qucst two months lead rime for regional and narional meets.

UNTIL JUNE 15: Second 1/rmuttl NeU) York Lh·rm:1;,1,ms.!11/J'S. Two classes, rookie and 65-rnile. from your favorirc New York site and still compete. $15 entry foe. ( '.all for info and mies. Con met: David Perry (607) 7%-3305 (w), ((,07) 5657)}5 (11).

APRIL 3-5: Hrtsic rmd lldvanc.-ed !Cl', Lookour Mountain i:light Park, $ l 50. Maximum 10 paniciPre-course Red Cross CPR and Aid certification, IO apprenticeship sessiom (or prearrange to rnke them at Lookout), minimum Hang 111 available in the L/., or call Bill Summers ar Flight Services to arrange travel trailer rental. For more info call I .ookour Moumain ar (706) :398-.15/i I. APRIL Ci-\2: Sun 'n' Fun 1:'/1/1 Lakeland, FL. Volunteers needed for USHC/\ tem. C:0111act: US! rc;A 1-800-61(A,888.

UNTIL DEC. l: Second Jlrmual Nno York Stat!' Gmrcst. Two classes, rookie and 65milc. from your favorite New York site and still compete. $IO entry foe. Call for info and rnles. Contacr: David Perry (607) 7%-.3:\05 (w), (607) 565-7375 (b). MARCI-I 3 L-APRIT. 4: <i'myBird 1/ir.\j,orts Pre-Sun APRIL 14-20: Grriy!JirdllirSports l'ost Sun Sign up ro support the USH(;i\ at Sun & Fun and work the booth. Comact: II. McNarnec (35)) 2li'i-B263, or e·mail 1,raybiircl1~11praxis.11cr. To sigtt up ro fly in the show at Futt contact G.W. Meadows (<JI <J) 480 · 3552.

APRIL I 0-13: Basic cf lld111111ccd !Cl', Carson NV. Conracr: Advcmure Sports (702) 8837070. APRIL 1 l-Tl: '/1JUJ Clinic (payout) by Free Flight Sports at Poillt of rhe Mou main, UT. $50 pre-registration by March 15. Fntry foe $2.00. Free camping at the Point. Class size Jim ired. C:onract: David Sharp (80 I) 26.l-8611, sharpdave~r1utab-imer.ncr. APRfL 12-l 8: CJirl,Just Wanna Go '/1Jw · · Agflin! ar Quest Air, near Orlando, Fl.. Learn to aerorow, rry om new gliders (small -size demos will he avail. able), sornc on flying and from Contact Russ or Campbell

/\PRII. 18-20: lguala, stare of Guerrero, Mexico competition. C:onracr:

APRIL 19: 1 I :00 AM EST. Show host flies tandem with Rob Richardson. series starts April 5, remote possibility rlrat may .1ir a diffcrem week. APRIL l 9-21: Meet, Marfa Airport, Wcsr Texas. Two m) in an)( patrcrn. Marfa is somh of h. Davis and rhe M tns. and should offrr excellent Requires ability to tow and entry inro the Season Long Comest i\dv:mce notice of intent to participate appreciated. C:onract: Hunt, li811 Red River Sr., i\usrin, TX 78751 467 -2529,

MAY: Owens Valley X-C/'!hermi.d Clinics/Tour with Kari C:asrlc. HC at;d PC. AUG. 30-SEPT. :l: labor Dr1y wee/mid httng gliding Owens Valley tour with Kari C:asrle. SEPT. 27--0CT 4: Owens Valley l,t1.rflgl1am2 X- CI'·, ............ , Cli11in/J1mr with Kari . IO· l 3: Owms \!r!llq l't1mglidin,~ X-C/'lhmnal C/i11ics/To11rwith Kari Castle. Call for schedule in May: (Ci 1<J) sn-2087. Mi\ Y 2-4: Basic cf 1/dvanml !Cl', Rochester, W i\. Conracr: James Reynolds (360) 357-5203.

frir travel arrangements. APRIL l -OCT. 30: Region season long XC: co111p,et1t1011. Momhly-rallicd open X-C: and out and-rcrurn competition. Scoring determined by pilot's best three flights per monrh. Flights nmsr originate from sites within the Region. March through June scores clctcrminc q11alification for ro the Nats. Send .$10 entry fl:c to: Peter Birrcn, Shadywood Lane, Flk Grove, 1I. 60007. Info, mies and scoring formulae will be senr. Scores published in Ree/News and wherever else they'll go. APRIL 1·2: Demo Clinic. Poinr of the Mountain, UT. fly this made hy the Ccrm:rn company "Flight Dcsigu. rhc design team leader and chief test pilot and have all questions answered. All-composite leading and ribs, fiv1:-·minure setup, no kingpost or and 18: l glide ratio make this glider one you need ro fly! This glider is the latest in foot-launched a rigid wing rlrnr launches and flies like a hang glider but with performance like the Swift! Weighs only 5 kg more than a l11µ;h·pet'lot·111:mc:c gl idcr, rransporrs rhe same, you can use harness for fligbt. Contact: APRTI.4-5: h::.:xtmy San Diego. See above for more information or c:111 Flight Design at (509) 925-5565. APRIL I 516: ncmo Clinic in Eastern Washington. Sec above for more information or call Flight Design m (509) 925-556').

APRIL 12-13: 1997 Oceanside Oprn. The 12rh Annual Occ:rnsidc Open will be held at Oceanside, Oregon. Sponsored by the Oregon Hang (;Jiding Association (Ol JC/\) based in Portland, Oregon. Contact: Sauerwein, OHG/\ Flight Director 6/i 2 2306. APRIi. I :l: Launch Clinic. '] 'aught by Par Denevan. Covers all aspects of lmmch and land ing. Cost $<JS. Advance reservations recommended. Mi\ Y 21: Prmtchute Clinic. C:onract: Mission Center, 1 I l (, Milpitas, ( :i\ San Jose) fox (ii08) 262-1388, MSC :J l( ;~vaol.corn. APRIL 19-26: 1997 Fast CiJt1st bcaurifol Valley of 1)unlap, US! ]Ci\ ;\, .s:mctioncd comperirion. kc $250 TIT membership, per pilot. i\ non· rcltmclab.le $50 deposit is required to guarantee one oF rhe GO slots available. i\11 memberships and must be sent in by April 5, 1997. USH(;A of! Jang Ill or Daily prizes and party as usual. Contact: Katie (423) 949-4%5, kadu1mQDblcdsoc.net.

Mi\Y 3-4: 11th ,111n11ril Stewan Smith Han?, 'frmrnament, Moore Mtn., Perry I .owe Orchards, miles north NC off Hwy. 16. MS entry includes T barbecue, dart tournamcnr. Tasks: spot landing, hornb drop, duration and X-C for I st through 3rd in each event. Fnn flyC:omact: Travis (704) 758. 9331, or Ben Bllrril (70/i) MAY 9-11: Cosmos Cl,tssic X-C 011t!lenge, Cosmos, MN. Tow meet. Crcat row site with record potential ni direction. Current MN X-C record is 134.8 miles. and Contact: Alan (612) <J2<J. 7177, or Paul (612) 8(19-029:l. MAY 9-12: 25th

(lt1d USH(i'!I

Kites, Nags I lead, NC. Fcatmcs dune and aerotow competition, Air Sports Assn. Cliding Expo, Rogallo l·lall of!:,une induction ceremony and b:mql!et, annual meet dance demos. C:ontact: Bruce Weaver ore-mail

MAY 12-15:

APRII. 23-26: (27rh rain dare) Fit'.it World r:lrm l'arfJgt1amv NfJces,

and

Pines ( ;Jider Port. Open I )avid Jebb (Ci 19) banks.com.

APRIL 24-27: !CP:1t Perspective, Canada. MAY 12-15: /C'/'ar Kites, NC. C:omact: Micl1acl Robenson flyhigh~ilitiforamp.nct.

MAY J 6. l 8: I ')97 South C11roliM ,'i/Jl"tnf'tln1e ar Classy Moun rain near ( ;reer, SC:. and (spot, duration, X-C, at mountain. Plaques awarded to bcamiful all Ist, 2nd and 3rd l1nishers in competitions. Fly-in 'I '--shirrs $20 entry foe for competition

r available. Classy is 1,500' I\(; L C:onract: Paul l'.O. Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712, (70!i) xx·, •.,~'•" Brannc11JC,:i!circom.nct. MAY 23-:30: X.C radio, rurb, cl, CPS recom Limited class size. David Sharp (801) 263-8611, sh:updaveG1)ur:1h-inter.ncr. MAY 2/i-25: Jim 1/oo!<S mcmuu(IJ. Mountain Fliglrr Park, Rising l'awn, Benefit for the l hcle ( :ounty Mountain Team and Dylan] looks College Fund. hm/wacky comests on horl1 days f,,r pilots Hang [I rated and up. $50 fee (a portion of which is tax dcductihlc) 'I '-shirt by Rex ! .isle entcnaimncm value) and night cook· our. C:omacr: Judy Hilddirand (706) 398-2/ll 9, or e-mail Lori Taber at lrabcr{i1rnillcrmanin.com. MAY 24·26: Crmyon Mmwri11l 1Jay Nyln, Alamogordo, hm flying, contests, dinner, etc. Meet in I.Zar 9:00 am each day. by Rio Crande in advance, $30 on site. Director (505) 5/il.57/ili or li3752Ll JUNE 2-SFPT. 6: !.11!,evie1u, OR Fiest o/the Mo111h "con/est. Winners receive$ I 00 a plaque for the flight each monrh. !\I.SO, 111011thly random drawing for all registered pilors (hang and winner gm $'i0 just !,,r flying I.ake Comact: Lc1ke Coumy Charnhcr of Conrmerce ('iii I) 9/il ·60/iO. JUNF7-lli: S/)/!Cli11 C!m.,ic, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sevcmh annual li50 WTSS poim meet ar Sandia l'c:rk. '] 'he premier meer of the season 1Price includes: entry f,:c, rop quality X-C rasks, glider and pilot transportation to bunch, tumpoint lilm and pro,cessmg, computerized ftr!J.rime paid srafl: free oxygen refills, gifi from local businesses, convenient meet headquarters wit Ir reduced room rates, awards barbecue, T-shirt and morel Sixty-pilot maximum field, 4 5 spois reserved for pilots ranked in the top 80 US! l(;A or rop I00 l'I RS. Remaining entries will be based on ranking, competition and flight experience. I:irst time entrants musr have:: USH(;I\ Advanced all Skills, l 00+ hours mountain thermal and C I'S Ir ighly rccorrnnrnded. ,cr,"'"·"'c"' $.l25 if' posrnr:uked before May I, Refondabk umil l\pril 30. Contact: 1211'/ St. Dr., ;\lbuqucrque, •, ·,.,,,,A or Mark Mocho (505) 298··2927.. F mail to 1rn11ocho(1ilrt66.corn. JUNE lli-18: 1997 Aspen Opm P{lr{lgliding C:ompetilion, sanctioned rnccr. I lostcd by Jan Stcnsradvold and Tim Meehan. Modified format. k:c $22'i ($2'j rdimded for each task flown). Scores and srauding posted to I JC/PC and Wch site daily. followed by the annual l\spcrr Super Clinic, hosted by l\spen Paragliding. Contact: Tim Meehan 003) 422-9029. fax (30:-1) Ii 21-0087, mechanVt'.csd.nct. Al'RII

1997

JlJNE 20.22: 8th Wild Wild \\?r:si Rep)onrt!s. Come and good fon in Carson NV. '""·'•''""'" Peak and Slide Mr. and Come claim your silver belt buckle five places. Cost $100 before May'.) 1, $125 Includes Sat. night dinner and Contact: l\dve11t11rc Sports, 3650 1122 Carson NV 8970(, (702) 883-

r,m

JlJNE 21 ·28: Kinr. Mtn. Open, sponsored by JUST FLY, I .osr River Valley, Idaho one of the mosr bcamiftrl sites, near Mackey, ID. 'l)IHlorm meet. Meet in l\rco, J 5 mins. away. $29'i umil afrer. Special deal: Ff .Y Nationals by $500 total. Contact: C. W. Meadows (919) fox (919) li80-0117, j11srfly~iJi11 terparh.com JULY 2-6: !.r1/<tvim1, ON 1997 Umpteenth !111nu11l Two "One ( ;rand XC' comests (hang and Sugar I !ill to I.akevicw Trophy Dash, spot comest for both hang and para, aerntow clinic, truck rowing at l\bcrt Rim. ,',p,cct,acuLir new "Palisades" launch open only I') from Lakeview. Kids ping-pong lxill drop for historical a11d wildlifo rours, barbecue, dance of activities for flyers and non.fly· crs. Plan a week and join the fon in beautiful Lake Oregon "Jiang Gliding Capital of rhc Lake Coumy Chamber of Commerce (5/il) 947-6040. JULY Ii: hl!mvillc !lilport l·!y-ln, Fllcnvillc, NY. l gliding, paragliding, ultralights, acrorowing, acrobatics, fireworks, f,,od and hm. :it Moumai11 ('JI Ii) 647J377. JlJLY !i-6: Sffond !111m111/ !lir G1miut1!, Clar,·mont, Nf f. C:omact: Nicola C111chy, (61 ?) 491- 5li80, NicoC:,111chyv1\1ol.com. JlJLY 7-12: l 'J'J7 Chd1m Clmsic. C:BCC: and Chelan l'lyers invite all l IG and Jl(; pilots, I la11g [II (TUR, X·C:, RLF) and up. $6'5 entry. All profits go to site fund. C:omact: Brian Scott (206) 827·')02/i. JULY 19-26: Nt1tion11lr, Lakeview, Orego11. li50-point meet. Creal /lying and local hos· pitaliry. I\ nrnnbcr of sites will he used. Entry $2')5 umil l\pril 30, $:W5 after. Special deal: Sign up for horh this and JUST FLY King Mtn. Open by March .3 l for $500 total. Contact: G.W. fax (919) li80-0l 17,

AUG. 2-li: 1997 Westcm Ccm11dir111 Championships, Golden, BC: Canada. Canada's site. Check the picture for ICA calendar. $30 entry fee includes ,,,,,d.,u ,,wl,i beer baslr. lndividnal and ream scor· ing. ( Doug Keller (liO:l) 29lli008, ward(i1lca,lvisio1i.com.

AUC. 18·27: '!i!lluridl' !lrmg Gliding Festi11a!, !lerohr1tir Championships tllld ,)j,ced c;/idiJlf, Contest. Entry fres: $90 for the Festival, $250 for the l\crobatic C:harnpionslrips, $200 for the Gliding C:onresr. Mcc1 organizers Jim and dw TI\F to bring you the bcsr event in WI [CS. gliding. includes trade show, dance, dinner and other events. $15,000 for rhc acros and speeders. Pendulum (719) 5:)9·3900, e-mail grecnvtlaol.com, web page hnn://ww111.p,2ncluh1maero.com.

AUG. 30-31: !111nu11l cm1wntio11 rmd workshop o/tht V(/estem !)ivision o/the S11i!pl1m11 flomehui/dn:r !lssoci11tion, Tehachapi, Cl\, Mountain Valley Airport. I lomehui!Ls, """hlP""·'• sailplanes. Contact: Bruce /i96. 519 I.

OCT.3-5: (Jc1ohn'.I 8c:st

1997 is North Carolina's welcome mat ro any pilot looking for a good time. The Sauratown Mountain I Cliding C:lub produces the foll flight fostival antecd foot···la1111ch airtime. State-of the-art r;mrps make clifljmnping a breeze. north winds aren't flyable, else is. prizes and merchandise comperirion on Sarnrday and flights all week June· b:irhcrnc cl1icken dinner at $5 to die for Saturday nigh 1. Hot show ers available at the new YMCr\, the mmmrain, or free foe includes rnsrorn T-shirt. (91 O) 9%/iJ77, Vic l.ewcllcn (') l 0) ~"''··"''"~ or 702'72.5.l I(r1lcornpuscrvc.corn. OCT. 11-13: D,J' Crmyrm G,/umhus /Jr1y Ny!11, Alamogordo, NM. Sponsored by Rio Cramlc Assn. Contest, lroflhics, shins, dinner, etc. McTI at I J 10:00 AM the 11 rh. Emry$ IO in aclv:mce, $15 on sire. Mail advance rntries 10 27.l(, Pecan Dr., l\la1110gorclo, NM 88310. C:omact: Robin [ (50'i) 5/i 1·571i4 or Tonm1y West (505) OCT. ] 9.. 20: 'litt '., /v/ou11tr1i11 (,'/idi11F, l::x.trr/1)((\'.tlllZII, Clayton, c;A. Bring whok 10 our annual event. $1,000/clay prize pmse with no enrry lie. Includes free h:rrbcrne lunch and limircd deluxe accom1noclations, l:icili1ies and more. I ran,;pc,rt:11tro,n from IZ to launch withour breaking down. Prize cornpctition for duration, spot mosl flights and the f,1111ous "Mystery Pilot" Includes Tur's exotic :mind live cultural clernonsrrat ions. C:omacr: Tut's l800 <,21 · 1768, (70(,) 782.-6218 or Bruce f lawk (li2l) 212 .. /i')'J!j

NOV 1-3: Fhtrmal California and Sky I look ar Salina, C:omact: David Jebb (6 I')) 670-5322, airc1lv1lnct. COJl1.COl1l,

Update

1998 USHGA CALENDAR PHOTOS SOLICITED

ICTURE THIS! You and your beloved wing, 17,999' above God's country, cumies in the distance, a rainbow on the horizon, bald eagles at your wing tips and a camera full of Fugichrome. And you think to yourself, "This is the perfect calendar shoe!" Okay, so we've exaggerated this scenario a little. Qohn Heiney probably doesn't even have a photo like that.) But we DO want to see what you've been shooting lately. Share those beautiful pixs with us, please. The USHGA Calendar Photo Selection Committee is anxiously waiting to view your select moments, captured on film. Our USHGA 1998 Calendar

MINI VARIO IMPROVED

allettec has made a few improvements to their ever-popular Mini Vario. The latest revision utilizes Surface Mount Technology for better production reliability and new circuitry to slightly increase the volume, along with new durable, moistureproof labels. The price will remain cl1e same at $ 169 which includes an exceptional two-year warranty. The company is beginning its sixth year of service to the soaring community- hang gliding, paragliding, sailplanes and most recently ballooning. Mallettec has inverted their existing design ro create an audio "down" variometer. In cross-country flying or competitions balloonists are so busy navigating they don't have time to constantly watch cl1eir descent rate. The Mini Vario provides continuous feedback alerting the pilot to increasing sink and remind-

depends on it! If chosen, yo u will be seen aro und me world, immortalized for a whole month. Launchirig, landing, soaring, etc., we wanr to see it all! Your photography will be treated with cl1e urmost of care and properly returned after me photo selection committee has made its choices. Due to me fine-arr quality of our calendai~ we p refer transparencies for me absolute best reproduction possible, but don't let mat stop you from submitting quality color prints. DEADLI E IS MAY 31! So don't delay. Subm it to : USHGA Calendar, Attn: Jeff Elgart, PO. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. If yo u should have any questions, please give us call at (719) 632-8300, ushga@ushga.org. ing him to fire me burner. For more info on the Mini Vario look for the ad in this m agazine or call for a brochme: (7 14) 966- 1240, fax (7 14) 757-1610.

AIR CARNIVAL SPONSORS SOUGHT

he First orth American Air Carnival in 1996 was an immense success (60 pilots, 1,500 spectators) and organizer Ticola Cauchy is looking for alternative ways to fund this year's Carnival. The event now has proven publicity potential, and icola is seeking corporate sponsorship for the approximate $10,000 required. In exchange for a $3,000 or greater sponso rship, companies will be mentioned in all media coverage and guaranteed sponsorship opportunities in future events as mis ann ual celebration grows ro H ANG GLIDING

become one of the most renowned fescivals in the nacion. The Coupe Icare in France is now in its 24th year, and this single event supports an entire village for a whole year. Numerous other possibilities exist for promotion; for example, companies can sponsor pilots flying wings bearing the company's name and logo. Many more local events are being planned to promote the sports of hang gliding and paraglirung and these will offer addicional opportunities for publicity. Contact: Nicola Cauchy (61 7) 491-5480, NicoCauchy@aol.com.

AUTOMATIC PRE-LOCKOUT RELEASE

hi! Hirst of East Coast Paragliding has introduced a new cowing safety device call the ''APLOR" (Automacic Pre-LockOut Release). It was designed to make sure you never have a lockout emergency that becomes exaggerated by the inability to release. The system automacically releases you from the towline long before you are in a lockout sicuacion. For more i.nformacion on the APLOR contact Greg Black (9 14) 647-3377.

he Fusion, Wills Wing's new "nokingpost" compositespar, high-performance glider has been released, and the company is now taking orders for the glider. They have completed flight and vehicle testing on the final production configuration and are extremely happy with the results. In recent flight tests the Fusion has consistently demonstrated dramatically superior climb performance over conventional gliders . During vehicle tests with the most recent prototypes they have achieved stability levels comparable to those they have achieved with conventional gliders configured wi th reflex support bridles. T here are a great many new parts which have been designed specifically for the Fusion, and obtaining adequate quanticies of these parts for production will take some cime. Wills Wing estimates that they will be delivering the firs t production Fusions in M ay. You may contact your nearest Wills Wing dealer for a demo flight. Visit cl1eir web site at www.wiJlswing.com for cl1e latest information on Wills Wing products.

SPECIFICATIONS Area ... . .......... .. ........ 150 fr.2 Span . . ... ... .. . .. .. . ........ 34. 1 fr. AR . . .... .... . . ... . ... ...... 7.7 Weight ... ...... .. ...........76 lbs. Nose angle ... . ... . .... . .. .. . .128°-132° (wi th VG engaged) Double surface . . .. . . .... .... .. 88% Piiot weight range ... . .. ... . . .. .150-275 lbs. This is the only size expected in the near future. Eventually Wills will produce a smaller size. APRIL 1997

work up to a huge aviation event for our sports in the year 2000 in Southern California. We will begin printing information in the magazines on the Portland meeting within the next couple of months. Watch for the advertisements. We will do our best ro create a very enjoyable and educational program for you.

BLM UPDATE I u the February issue l informed you Notice of Proposed Rule Making

Executive IJirector Phil Bachman

ANNUAL NATIONAL c arc in the process of fi:irmuLning the plans and busi ncss proforma for a USHGA National Meeting. We arc developing the program in conjunction with the Soarillg Society of America (the other quiet guys) wbo have been holding an annual convention for many years. Our meeting will be scheduled concurrendy with the SSA convention. This provides us with the opportunity to "tag on" ro the SSJ\'s sophisticated convention-planning process while we "grow" our own USlIGA Air Confluence. One of the greatest opportunities for US1-IGA is to take advantage of the many excellent seminars and workshops related to flying which highlight the SSA conventions. These expert presenters cornbincd with many skilled pilot presenters from the hang gliding and paragliding community add up to a tremendous learning opportunity. 'The first of these meetings will be held in Portland, Oregon on Pebruary 26-28, 1998. In 1999 we will be going to Knoxville, Tc:nnesscc. Our goal is to

or a

(NPRM) published by the Bureau of Land Management to "revise and update existing regulations relating to Congressionally Designated Wilderness Areas on BLM -managed lands." The BLM announced a 62-day extension of the public commem period, moving the deadline to April 21 "in response to requests from members of Congress and other interested parties." I have talked with several USHCA members in the western states, the area with the most BI ,M-conrrolled lands. The consensus has been that our members are not affected by Wilderness Area designnions since they do not fly in them. 'The potential rub develops when/if the BLM claims authority for flight ovcrthcse areas, which they are subtly attempting to do in their proposed NPRM. What happens when the inevitable fr)rced landing by one of our pilots occurs in a BLM Wilderness Arca. Since their NPRM is attempting to include hang gliders and paragliders within the definition of "aircraft" (which arc restricted from land-ing), an emergency landing hy one of our pilots, under the NPRM, would result in confiscation of equipment and potenrially huge fines. An additional concern which has been voiced by rhe Director of Aviation for the srate of Washington in a letter to the BLM is the historical lack of cooperation with time-consuming restrictions and permit: processes in the event of a required search and rescue. The Director also points out that the NPRM implies that the BLM either could or may decide to try to control the airspace above Wilderness Areas. What docs all of this mean to you (remember What's In It For Mc)? for

starters, realize thar the BLM is responsible for managing 265 million acres of public land, located mostly in the western United States ;ind Alaska. Add to this the 127 national parks and monuments, occupying more than 80 million acres, national forests covering an addition;il 116 million acres, national recreation areas, parkways, wild and scenic rivers, scenic trails, primitive areas, wildlifo refuges, grasslands, lake shores, and seashores. Altogether, the federal government owns more that 650 million acres, or 29% ofthe tottt! U.S. land area. Now imagine tbe ripple-effect potential if the BLM, one of the largest federal land management agencies (with the fourrh largest air force in the world), is successful in legislating control of the air over the land it manages. The National Park Service is currently making a similar serious attempt to do the same with the airspace over national parks. If any fedcr · al agency is succcssfol in securing authority of the airspace over its lands, other agencies can and will look to that success as a prccedcm for thci r own fiefdoms, Herein lies the real threat to our air sports, and, herein lies the reason for lJSl lGA's involvement in opposing the BLM'sNPRM. WUFMUPDATE In the lasr issue I discussed the declining state of our hang gliding membership. "There is an unseen effect of this declining rnernbcrship fewer and fower manufacnircrs will be interested in developing produos for a shrinking market, and rightly so. ·rhis means less R&D on new products and fewer products for rhe sport. Add this to a consequent increase in the prices for those products still on the market (due to higher costs for shorter production runs). If the stanup costs continue to increase for a new or prospective pilot, it will be harder for them to make the decision to stay with it. Concurrently, the price of your pLmncd new harness or glider next year will more than likely be higher. We need to bring new blood into our sport:. Ir starts with you, the members. lt succeeds with our instructors and schools. Remember, as you plan the H!INC GLIDINC

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USHGA l-JOME PAGE As of press time we arc in the middle our second iteration of the USI IC/\ Jlomc Our schedule is 10 have it ready for a short beta test in April, have ir available to the public in and spend 1he rest of the year expanding and improving it hascd on your input. This is a formidable task (you should sec om planning dornmenl) which will absorb considerable man hours to refine. We started this project with the undcrstand-ing th;n rhe lJSHC/\ I lomc Page would he a dynamic 1001, constantly growing and changing as die needs of om members and sports change. Hope you like the dFon-. Om e-mail address will be on it for your comments and suggestions.

RESPONSE TO srrE AND INTERNET SURVEY We scm out request forms for information on flying sites and internet panici parion when we mailed our chapter renewals last November. We h:1vc been pleasantly surprised at the amount of good information your club officers h:1ve been sending hack ro us. We arc pmting the information to good use :111d will you the statistics we h:ivc learned when all of the renewals arc back. STATUS OF THE LAWSUIT What follows is the latest news on the lawsuit fllcd against your Association hy Dan Brown, Vic Powell, Michael Carlyle, Ccnc Hilborn and 'Thomas Carey (the Plaintiffs). On h:bruary l 997, the Coun denied the Plaintiff's request fcir an order prohibiting LIJC USl-[C/\ from requiring its members to sign a waiver while his lawsuit is pending. The plainriffs failed to prove that they were likely to win rhcir lawsuit. The Court's order reaffirms the US! JCA's legal right to require that its members sign a waiver. That said, 1hc lawsuit is not over. Since 1995, Da11 Brown has made various inaccurate statements on the hang gliding mailing list about the legal effect of the US! IC/\ Waiver and your

Association, some of which have been reproduced in chapter newsletters. Mr. Brown levies against the USHC/\ in an apparent attempt to incite mistrust of your Association. The arc completely irrelevant to the USHC/\ waiver and arcft1ctually inctccurate. For insta11ce, Mr. Brown has rh-, rn,r>tl I hat "the us H C/\ has been sued many ti mes, paying thousands to claimants, keeping the lawsuits sccrel, fcarfid members would learn about the rnisconduct and 1hc people responsible." This charge, like all others, is 11bsolutelyjftlse. The USHG/\ has been named in lawsuits exactly twice on account o/'injurics ro pilots since Pbimiff Vic Powell resigned as president of the US! ICA. Both cases have been dism isscd. 1n neither case did the USITC;/\ pay out thousands 10 the claimants. l n fact, not one clime was paid by or on the behalrof'the USHC/\ to either claimant. Although Mr. Brown has been informed of this fact and has been asked ro stop libeling the Association in this manner, his anacks on your Association continue both ou the bang gliding mail-ing list and in the waiver lawsuit. While the only issue in the lawsuit is whether the USHC/\ can require clldorscmcnt of a waiver as a condition o/' membership, the PlaimifE have p;ipcrcd us wirh discovery requests, asking such questions as: "ff membership iu UST IC/\ is required for certification of hang gliding records, summarize all complaints including but not lirnited to those made hy I ,arry Ti1dor and Larry Strom to USHGA alleging failure by USHGA to timely process the records." While this son of discovery has noth-ing to do with the issue in the lawsuit, the USHC/\ must still respond. Unfortunately, responding to this son of discovery takes time and money. '] 'he lawsuit has been reviewed by legal counsel for the UST ICA in Colorado as well as in California. Based 011 both of these reviews, USJ-IC/\ believes the lawsuit is withom merit and is vigorously defending it. I will keep you informed of significant developments in the lawsuit as ir progresses. Im

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by Luen Miller ontinuing a short tradition, this month we will look at the blown foot launches of the preceding year, non··training events only. Along with a couple of nebulous reports of "20 blown launches at the Nationals," the fc11lowing derailed accident reports were received. Keep these experiences in mind as you start flying again during the spring season. Event: An Advanced pilot, wirh 350 flights, 100+ hours and five years experience launches two steps back from the lip of the launch with the glider's nose angle too high. With hot conditions and light, crossing winds, the pilot is concentrating on the thermal out in front and the pilot behind who is pushing him, instead of the challenging bunch. Midw:iy through his run the slight crossing wind lifrs a wing and the pilot can't correct due to the high angle ofattack. The glider piles in 50 feet down the launch runway. The pilot suffers bruised ribs and rhe glider ends up with a broken leading edge and a broken dowurubc. Event: An Intermediate pilot with 100+ flights, 100+ hours and IO years expcri-· encc faces a steep, flat, wooden ramp launch. fn strong "marginal" conditions (20-25 mph wind with gusts, crossing to 45 degrees) he launches in a 5- l O mph lull. After running 10 feet he doesn't achieve enough airspeed ro get control of the glider, which immediately begins turning right with the pilor trying to correct. The glider continues turning downwind and climbing until the righr wing hits a tree top at 30 feet AGL at the edge of the clearing. T'he glider cartwheels and the pilot hits the ground with bis chest, suffering a compression fracture of two verte· hrac. Event: During a competition a Master-rat·· cd pilot with 600 hours, 900 flights and 17 years experience stalls a launch at a hot, high-altitude site and drags a wing tip. TIe

is spun back into the steep cliff and suffers a punctured lung, a dis•• located shoulder and a sprained ankle.

four broken

Event: At the same competition, a very experienced "air hog" type pilot "blows a launch and hits the hill downwind so hard several pilots comment that he is surely dead." 'rhe victim is wearing a full-face helmet and suffers only a strained knee. "We have a habit of starting out with a number of safety procedures in place, then eliminating them one by one as we realize we can 'get away without them,' until none arc lcfr." Event: An Advanced pilot with five years experience buys a new variometer and wants to establish a custom polar by taking a flight in calm conditions from a highaltitude site. After a light catabatic breeze stops blowing down the steep slope, the pilot elects to launch. He has a good launch run with good pitch control and lifts off, but the glider continues to skim the ground. Eventually the right wing drops and catches rhc ground, spinning the glider and sending the pilor into a large boulder 75 yards down the hill. _His wife brings him his radio so he can call for help. He is evacuated by helicopter with five broken ribs and a collapsed lung. "Don't launch at high altitude in calm, warm air on a small high-performance glider." Event: An Intermediate pilot attempts to launch a "very old glider" (he also owns a Formula) at a moderately high-altitude site and trips on rocks while launching. "Old gliders make great lawn chairs or car covers." Event: An Advanced pilot with 350 flights and 250 hours faces a shallow slope launch. He "intends ro keep his shallow slope launch technique up to snuff" but gets distracted by the competition and by others trying to launch. He pops the nose as he launches and the glider starts going left. The pilot runs sideways trying to level the wing before jumping into the launch. 'rhc basetubc grazes the ground and the glider noses in. The pilot wrenches his shoulder from holding on. "Pay close attention to the start of the launch run, and let go before impact," says the victim.

Event: A "new Advanced" pilot takes off in variable conditions from a long, relatively flat launch. Winds switch from calm to 5-8 mph and gusty. The pilot doesn't give the launch his full attention and makes a jackrabbit start. He pops the nose, gets briefly airborne, then the right tip drops and the glider spins in. 'The pilot's arm is caught behind the dowmubc long enough to wrench his left shoulder. One fervent believer points to the pilot not using the famed "inside grip" on the clowntubes while launching, another cites not waiting for betrcr conditions or walking clown to the easier launch. 'J 'he event mirrors an almost identical event a week earlier at t·hc same site. Event: An Intermediate pilot with l 65 flights, 46 hours and five years experience returns to a site he has only recently flown once. Getting help from an RC pilot, he starts his launch three feet back from the regular launch point. The glider doesn't penetrate but instead goes up, turns 180 degrees to the left, and hits the hill 30 feet back. The glider is spun 90 degrees to the right on impact, breaking both downtubcs and shearing a leading edge. The pilot is apparently unhurt. The victim reports that his mistakes were not scouring the launch, not having enough experience, not really knowing the wind direction, and suffering from being in a hurry to get into the air. Event: In a slighdy gusty wind of 15 mph an Advanced pilot with 308 flights, 157 hours and eight years experience dears his wire help. On his first step the lefr wing comes up and the pilot tries to stop the glider. It slowly turns right and falls downwind onto two rocks just beside the ramp. "Occasional pilot syndrome. I didn't fly much this season and didn't expect to fly that day, just came along for sightseeing. I wasn't into it." Event: An Advanced pilot with 350+ flights, 570+ hours and six years attempts a solo windy cliff launch into a 15-25 mph wind. The right wing lifrs and glider lands on the hillside 50 feet lcfi: of launch. The pilot is uninjured; the glider suffers a damaged leading edge and a torn sail. "I was roo anxious to fly. Insist on a wire crew in strong to moderate conditions." Hi\NC GLIDING

Event: An lntcrrm:diatc pilot with about 200 hours waits for strong conditions to mellow out. He launches into a wind which is usually strong, but liglncns 10 1()-.] mph or crosses from the right. The pilot chooses what seems to he a straight and begins his nm. He lets the nose come up, stalls the right wing and ground loops. f le suffers only minor injuries 10 his arm, leg and ankle:, but suffors more serious damage ro his and pocketbook." ·rhe glider ends np with a ripped sail, broken keel and darmged nose wires. Event: An Intermediate pilot with 9/i flights, Ii I hours and one and a half years arrives to find the wind coming (i·om the backside of bunch. After condirions switch to blow up launch, the and pilot waits for other pilots to indicate an up cycle since the visible windsock is unreliable due to a rotor. The signal is the pilot up the glider and launches, and the nm down the ramp ends with the glider mushing into rhe brush below. The

pilot and glider were relatively undam"l failed to take a moment at launch to collect myself and set a proper angle of attack. The lack of wind made this error even more critical. I really wanrcd ro (]y and did not w;mt to miss possibly my only chance ro launch. The worst parr is that I knew I was behaving impulsively and that conditions were marginal. I kept telling myself 1o p;iy ancn1ion and be extra careful. But when the moment came to launch, my cockiness over my launch skills and my eagerness to fly caused me noi- w l°lstcn to rny own words of cauriou." After the crash the pilot checks the glider, books back in and launches sm:cessfolly during the next

tic;:illy diminish rhe chances of a bad launch. While rhc accidem record indicates that there arc incidents that don't fit this profile, it docs sum 11p the majority of the accidents prcny well. ·l 'hrow in a large dash of improper angle of attack, ;lJ1d "Presto!" another Accident Reports column goes to press. The four clements of a successful launch involve pitch and roll control, adequate airspeed and correct analysis of flying conditions. Simply reminding yourself complacent won't stop a bad not to launch there is a failure of one those four clements. 'fake the time to review your launch proccdnrcs and rcchnique, or bcm:r yet, have someone else do it. I ,isren ro their inpm, pay anention ro your performance in each of the critical areas, and dedicarc yourself to improving your launch skills, no mancr how good you think rhcy already arc.

ANALYSIS Somewhere I came across a comment by a very astute observer (not me, alas) who had noticed that ;i string of blown launches all seemed to rcbte to launching into either no wind or too much wind, and that avoiding rhosc conditions would dras-

~~~8~s'

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by )) trying to improve."

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Tomas three-time World Champion, on insights into tlw art of finding thermals

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

I I

I I I I I I

PILOT REPORT predecessor, the 'd like co cake chis Super Sport. opporcw1ity to Personally, I might review chis little by Paul Voight have chosen a difjewel, and I'm going ferent name, but ro do so in a slightly Well folks, amid all the hoopla and anticipation regarding the ongoing Wills Wing likes me different manner association of the man usual. First, I'd and upcoming releases of topless gliders, Wills Wing has preceded its lineage of their like to offer up a "Spore" gliders and short quiz. There is own topless glider release with its newest entry to the intermediate the intermediate no time limit and market mey are tarmere are no wrong glider market - the "Ultra Sport 147 " geting. answers. Ready... go! 1) Does your The sail cue personal schedule and/or local site condiresembles a well-fed XC 142, hence the $3,975? Okay. Place your pencil on the desk 147 size. The airframe also bears a resemtions realistically allow you to average only when you are finished. If you answered yes blance to the XC series gliders, although it a couple of flying days per monm? co any of mese questions run (don't walk) 2) While no longer a beginner, are you utilizes both 6061 and 7075 tubing. The ro arrange for a test flight on an Ulcra airfoil is very call and blunt when compared not yet an expert? Sport. The more yes answers you scored to both the Super Sport and the XC. As a 3) Do your aspirations co enter and win me faster you should run. the U.S. Nationals in the next rwo years marcer of fact, the Ultra Spore's airfoil is me Ir has long been my opinion char mere end at wearing the event T-shirt (or entersame one used in W ills W ing's topless glidare way too many pilots out there who er, me Fusion. XC hardware, internal fabric ing for the hell of it)? choose co fly gliders char are capable of 4) If you currently fly a "blade wing" do ribs, VG technology, kingpost hang and much more performance man chey will you find yourself going X-C less frequently oilier current Wills tricks are all inco rporatever need, use or feel comfortable with. than you used co because the fields are geted into chis new design wim rwo new tricks (Read: capable of handling in all conditing coo small for your glider and the glider added. On the Ultra Sport, Wills has tions .) We have come to accept mac a glidlengmened me leading edge sail tip mount coo manly for you? er manufacturer's flagship is meir compeci5) Do you find yourself passing up straps by sewing mem into me sail abo ut cion ship, regardless of me fact mac the vase booming, midday flying (and landings) for four inches in from the tip (instead of all majority of pilots really fall into the recrethe same reasons (conditions you once lived the way out at the rip). This allows the sail ational, fly-for-fun, try-to-be-high-guy-forfor)? co pivot more freely at me tips, not unlike awhile (and land near the cooler), ordinary 6) Do you spend most of your time flyball-swivel tip designs. Another distinctive guys and girls. feature they've embellished upon (beyond ing under 35 mph in winds chat rarely The Ulrra Sporr impresses me as reprethe 142 XC) is·me trailing edge rear double exceed 25 mph? senting an omscanding blend of perfor7) Is your idea of "going for a loop" earpanel which is now offered in color across mance, handling, versatility (it sports a ing a bowl of Fruit Loops? me entire span of the trailing edge. I mink wide-range VG syscem) and economy, wim 8) Are you currently flying an enuy-levmis looks really cool. all of the latest contemporary technology I won't put you thro ugh a description of el glider, but have reservations about everymac Wills Wing knows how to put into a one else's enmusiasm for you getting inro me setup, but wich the folding basetube hang glider. one of me hoc new superships? option suffice it to say mat setup is simple 9) Would you like to discover a way to and quick wim no wing nuts or parts to OVERVIEW, CONSTRUCTION AND explore your personal limits and X-C capalose. SETUP I do have one beef with all of me Wills bilities, and improve your overall flying Almough mey have maintained me term performance without the anxiety normally Wing gliders since che RamAir regarding "Spore" in me name of chis glider, it is associated wim me top-of-me-line skinthe rwo nose battens found in the gliders. obvious to me chat this is a completely new These ribs are simply installed onto the top strippers? design bearing very litcle resemblance co its 10) Would you like to do chis for only of the nose places witl1 no mechanism co

14 to 1 VG return pulley. APRIL 1997

Wills Wing Ultra Sport 147

Control bar corner with VG knife cleat.

Winglets are available as an accessory. 17

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Sailplanes and Paragliders camber their wings at will. The Trampenau Flap"' system, not only boosts your climb-rate, but also allows slower and smaller concentric turns. You've never experienced a glider that performs at such a high level, yet handles this easily.

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Climb Fast, Glide Far Loosening the VG lowers the flaps, increasing camber into a high lift, slow speed, thermaling airfoil. Dominating every core, you'll find yourself 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.

Launch And Land With Flaps The launch advantage is becoming airborne with more margin and control. Landing with flaps has dual benefits. You may accelerate above 30 MPH increasingly building drag degrading your glide. When it's time to flare, your touch down SQeed will be noticeably slower!

or truly independent soaring, the C umulus ultralight motorglider is a highly refined choice: + Soar beyond 20: 1, smk as slow as hang Lower drag, our new airfoil tubing for the king post and control bar boost gliders + Handle with ease and authority + Zoom beyond 80 mph, or the glide ratio adding a point or more at higher speeds. Other features on chug a long at 60 for better than 200 miles on less than 5 ga ll ons of fuel. the Sensor 610F are: computer-optimized, laminar-flow airfoil; twelve Even better. . . shut her down and soar for miles. Then , tap the electric shear ribs; control bar apex aft of the CG; Kevlar band & dacron cord TE starter and motor home easily. > The Cumulus is a three-year, top-tohem; 7075 T6 LE and ribs; semi-cantilevered cross tubes and a simplified 12 minute set-up. We all knew that eventually hang gliders would be this good! bottom design offering superb soaring compatible with hang g liders.

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retain them. I hate to find after landing that my nose battens have jumped off the

nose plates at some poinr during the Aigl11, presumably at the cost of some performance. I\ simple: pair of raised studs to lodge these ribs 01110 is all that is needed. I have been installing these on customer gliders for about ten cents per glider for years. Rivets and washers arc all it takes. with that one and only peeve explained, 1'11 proceed to the flying department.

FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS/ PERFORMANCE Since I'm not a technical guy I'll keep this non-technical and try to have some fon with ir. with the basics (launching and landing) we arc in luck. As with all of rhc recent Wills (after the HP AT this glider exhibits an exceptionally straightforward and frirgivillg personality when it comes leaving the earth and, more importantly, returning to e:1rth. The glider has a detectable trim bar position and offers good foedback in pitch. The flare window is generous, while energy rctenrion and resulting ground effect arc a hit less prominent than those of the XC series. In addition, you can slow this glider down a little more than the XC's and maybe even tbc Super Sports, which is nice on those no.-wind landings! I experienced one l:mdduring which l had to flare rhc Ultra Sport while still slightly banked, and the omcome was a no""stcp, near"perfocr land-

In flight the Ultra Spon exhibits a very predictabk:, responsive handling personality. Control pressures arc light in roll, while pitch pressure is less than that of the Sport and a rad more than that of the 1 XC. One test l attempted several rimes involved turning into thermals afrcr briefly allowing myself to be "rurncd away." Unlike stiffer gliders, this glider can generally be rolled into rhcnnals that J would call moderately strong. I've only had to muscle the glider on a couple of occasions, and these were in strong thermal conditions (in which l was happy to be in this glider). Oucc mrning within a thermal, the glider's thermaling personality is very friendly, and its climb rate exceptional. It requires very little input (high-siding or pitching) to keep it going round and round. It can be flown slower in thermals than an XC and scribes smaller circles, /\i'RII

1997

Ratio ..................................... .7.25 ..... ....... ... .. .. ..... ........ ... lbs. .............•....................A:T Pilot sleill ........................................ USHGA Intermediate t"o

•, • ••••••. •. . •••••••••••

mph

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .46 mph ma..Y: wing loading) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mph minimum loading) ................... >46 rnph Price . . . . . . . . . . ................................$3,975 {Mccx:i.mum maneuvering speed)

which allows for exccllcm centering in small cores. Ir has also been my experience rhat this design resists "falling out" of the back side of thermals, or roll reversing in rough air. Ir seems to prefer to remain at the bank you've set. Aside from the myriad improvements over the Super Sport, the Ultra Sport is fitted with :111 easy-pulling lli: I VG. In the fi1ll-loose the handling is very comparable to that a Spectrum I 65 very light, quick and "small fding." With the Ulrra Spon VG pulled full tight, my best description is thar the handling rcscmhlcs thar 0L1 155 XC in the VC 01H>q11ancr on

setting. a larger guy (] hook in at l 95 pounds), I cm fly the Ultra Sport hill tight all long. This is the way I like VG's. A VG system th;11 isn't conrrollable in tight mode is really not of much practical use. I'd say VC loose is great for bud-picking ridge soaring. VG set at one-half yields my fovorite handling/climb control in most thermal conditions, and full VG on is well suited for huge, smooth thermals, between" thenml glides, and maxing out sink rate in wonder winds or beach soaring. 'fhc glider performs well in all of these settings. Next I'd like ro talk about speed range. l'm to do this by way of comparisons so as not to get caught up in a debate about actnal airspeeds. 111 the VG-loose setting l think you will find that the Ultra Sport speed range very closely rcsernblcs that of the: Super Sport. In VG foll-on mode the

Ultra Sport proves to be a sh;idc slower than the XC I hut noticeably faster than the Super Sport. Obviously, any disrnssion of speed range leads to a discussion of pcrfrirmancc. Again, ['ll go the comparison route, because l think it may best convey the message while sidestepping glide-polar, speed-to-fly, whiz-kid dcbarcs. For die most part the Ultra Sport performs just as you would expect. 1t will definitely outperform a Super Sporr, particularly in the tighter V(; set1ings. Even in the looser VG settings I rhink the Ul1r;i Spon exhihirs a slight advantage over its predecessor.· !"he Ultra Sport's glide performance at low speeds (full VG on), is comparable to an XC. Not so surprisingly, at higher speeds (above 30-35 mph), glide performance deteriorates slightly with rnorc bar pressure and lower anainnblc maximum speed. The one exceptional performance fr:ature of the Ulrra Spon seems to be its sink rate. Fvcry time l'vc flown this glider it has wandered to the top of the stack. Every other pilot I have watched fly the glider has had the s:1me There have been a couple of days when it was the only one to get up, or was the Lisr ro fall out. I've only had it for a little over a month, hut it's sure looking like a glider with a hell of a sink rate!

TOWING How a glider tows has become an irnpor 19

tant consideration these days. 'fowing is definitely coming on strong, and more pilots arc using this launch method all the time. Pilots arc undoubtedly hoping that the Ultra Sport tows more easily than the Super Sport, which gained a reputation as a tough glider ro tow for pilots new to this launch method. I've had a limited number of aerotows in the UI trn Sport, but have had conversa tions with Malcolm Jones at Wallaby Ranch and with Brad Kushner, whom T coincidentally met at Quest Air the same week. (He was aerotowing an Ultra Sport!) The consensus reached by the three of us classifies the Ultra Sport as much less demanding to row than a Super Sport, but not nearly as easy as a Falcon. (Of course,

it would have been a miracle to pull this off) With the addition of the optional winglcts there is a very noticeable increase in geek-proofing of the Ultra Sport's towability. ln an attempt 10 quantify this I'll make up some numbers for you. If a Super Spon rates a 4 0111 of I 0, and a I1alcon a 10 out of 10, then a stock Ultra Sport would rate abom a '7. Add the winglcts and you've got a solid 8. These numbers arc obviously nrhitrary, hut should accurately rate the glider within dose tolerances. l haven't truck towed the Ultra Sport yet, but have tons of truck-tow experience and can say confidcmly that the glider should truck tow quite easily. It flies well J1 speed, is damped in yaw, and has a solid-

handling fod

all good truck-tow qualities.

OPTIONS 'There arc three options available on the Ultra Sport that arc not otherwise considered stock. \Xlinglets arc a 10 after-thcfoct, add-on option. I'm thoroughly convinced that winglcts improve performance, yaw stability and sink rate. I've noticed this tendency more with the Ultra Sport than with other Wills Wing gliders. J don't have any explanations, but l have definitely noticed the effect. Custom colors arc also a $200 option. r:ortunarely, Wills intends ro keep a large number of "production sails" in inventory, so you should be able to choose from a sizable selection of color combinations at no extra cost. But if you want a purple and lime glider you can have fr, fr)r the customcolor price. '!'he last option is a folding basetube for A 11onnal, stock Ultra Sport comes with an old-style, one-piece aluminum speed bar, which means you will have one wing nut to deal with during glider assembly. Personally, [ think the folding basctube is the neatest thing since sliced bread. Besides being fast, it makes incomplete assembly of your control bar impossible.

CONCIUSIONS I'm pretty sure I've been dear. I'm rc,1lly jazzed about this new glider. h's the glider l'vc been grabbing off the shelf for myself lately when no one else asks to fly ir. It offers up true, serious high performance, wirh a large degree of user friendliness at a very attractive price. I view it as the premier glider out there in its class. ft's bec:mse of gliders like this that Wills Wing is the sole surviving major U.S. manufacturer of a foll line of hang gliders. This fact, on irs own, is an incentive w consider the product: parts, dealers and factory support, and a promise to be around for a long time to come. When considering any investment a solid company is definitely comforting. So, if you've got even a twinge of a notion that this article describes a glider that fits your flying needs, why not give one a test flight. You've got nothing to lose, and a lot of easy altitude and airtime to gain.

ll----------------------,-----------1 w 20

EDITOR'S NUT7'.': Since writing the article Ptiul has been infrmned by Wills Wing that the nose-battenS·"fHJ)JjJing-ofJ'.the-nose-plat,: issue has been resolved. II

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In consideration of being granted membership in the USHGA, I,.,._,_____,____________________,__________ , for myself, my personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouse and assigns, do agree as follows: DEIFINIITIIO!IIIS - 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. nrnnPrtv d,am:afe and/or 2. C'D;'1D:r~n,~ liw as a result nPr~nn,11 or sustained by me as a result of my PAJ'iT/4':/P,IITl,ON of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). l 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; f) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where I PA,FiTJ'Cl}"Al.'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 PAJ7TliCIP.'ATJ10N rm,Cl-llARr.F the IU.. ,f!.jj;.,l'h//jj;.,V P.llRirlPrfrn,m however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the,,.,.,,..,,_,.•.,,,_.,, P.tJR11F.f C. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such aclaim, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the n,;;;,1.x;""1.1,;;;v P'AR,T/E:S: AO(NCJIWI that the non-participant third party liability insurance obtained by USHGA does provide coverage for REIMBUR!iE 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 nP1•cnn::u injury, as a result of my negligence (whether active or passive) or willful misconduct in connection with my PAJ7m~fP,4TliON E. I can terminate this Agreement only by either (I) sending written notice of termination to the USHGA National Office postage prepaid return receipt requested, in which case the termination will n.12! 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 INJURIESwhich I suffer in whole or in part before the termination of this Agreement. F, I shall be and rm11.,.tr111Pd matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

I have

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his June, one of the best-known secret sires will welcome the flying public to participate in an uncommonly spectacular competition. This meet will be run by G.W Meadows and will be awarded points by the USHGA, so iris sure to be a success. Bur the best part of the whole deal is the incredible landscape you'll ger to survey from your aerial perspective. Potatoes. If you think the best thing in Idaho is potatoes then you need to make a trip to fly King Mountain. Speculation is that the locals push the potato image in order to keep secret the true beauty and wilderness treasures of the state. Idaho is a gateway to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, and contains Sun Valley and The Frank Church River Of No Return Wilderness Area, the largest roadless tract in the lower 48. A look at the map will show that most

KING MOUNTAIN King Mountain is the first big mountain on the south end of the Lost River Range. Ir's the ticket for the best flying in Idaho. King has two main launches - an upper and a lower - accessed by a new road (see sidebar). With a lower grade, this new road provides a smooth, easier ride to launch. However, 4WD is still recommended for traction to avoid spinning our and damaging the recently completed work. The upper launch straddles a spine halfway up the mountain ar 8,100 feet MSL. Recent improvements made possible through the club' s negotiations with rhe Forest Service have allowed the clearing of trees to open a launch on the north side in addition to the previous south-side launch. The south side is a moderately sloped launch and the north is a steep slope with a ramp through the newly ere-

rhe f(i mg l\llou n r~1, n C ofldaho is mow1rainous and a fair portion roadless wilderness. The Lost River Range chat runs north-northwest from rhe town of Arco provides perfect flying access to Idaho's higher ground. You'll be treated to beckoning vistas of endless mountains rolling away into the distance, and the area directly below rhe Big Lost River Valley provides wide-open LZ's and easy retrieval. The Lost River Valley is tl1e first of three long, parallel valleys leading up to the Conrinemal Divide. Separated by nearly unbroken ranges, the valleys provide perfect corridors for X-C in any combination of up, down or across the imervening ridges. The Lost River Range lays claim to rhe highest poim in Idaho with Moum Borah ar 12,662 feet, and runs essentially unbroken from Arco 70 miles up to Challis. APRIL 1997

taking. Five separate mountain ranges are visible: rhe Lemhis run parallel to the Lost Rivers and beyond that, the Bitterroots form the Continental Divide and the border between Idaho and Montana. Out front, across the Big Lost River Valley, the Whire Knobs and rhe Pioneers combine to form a wide wilderness tract char lies between you and Sun Valley. Early summer provides an amazing contrast between the warm, verdant valleys and the rugged peaks still sheathed in the lingering snows of winter. Both the snow fields of the summits and the valley rivers are linked together by the cataracts of snow-melt lacing the mountainsides. Flying down the range in June reveals hidden treasures of mountain lakes set among rhe peaks. Only partially thawed, these lakes appear like agates with their concentric rings of ice shading from white

r11e lost Iziver v~Jl~y

aced tree slor. The lower launch is a wideopen, flar slope launch at 7,500 feet MSL. The lower launch allows for unlimited setup, bur outside of competitions is usually only used by paraglider pilots or hang glider pilots in stronger winds. The flying season extends from February to ovember with the 100-mile season going from early May to October. King is flyable in almost any wind, since once the desert our from hears up, the thermals start pumping up launch. The landing zone is directly in front of takeoff, providing a short turnaround. However, even the lower launch provides arow1d 2,000 feet of altitude with which to hunt thermals. This makes reflighrs rare. Although it sometimes takes some work to climb our, once you rise above the top of King at about 10,000 feer, the view thar spreads out before you is breath-

through green and turquoise into blue as the ice thins to the center open water of indigo. Bur your visual feast may be interrupted by a passing golden eagle that occasionally appears to guide yo u to a booming cloudbase thermal. Ir would be difficult to describe rhe typical King flight; although the 70-mile flight up to Challis is considered the "milk run." This flight will take yo u along incredibly rugged and startlingly beautiful peaks with names like Invisible, Borah, MacCaleb and Leatherman. Evemually you reach the shear, unbroken Victory Ridge that carries just short of Challis, the common goal. If yo u are early enough in the day yo u can cominue on into the Salmon River gorge to the town of Salmon and the 100-mile mark. Idaho is situated in rhe Intermountain area between rhe coastal ranges and the

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Rockies. This area is sheltered by all the surrounding mountains and each valley often sets up its own weather and surface flows which results in areas of convergence. The unique and arid weather along with the variety of local topography conto make each flight a new adventure. Cloudbase in the summer is often high enough (1 ;3,000 to 17,000 feet or more) to make the ranges more thermal niggers than obstacles. Flights arc often combinations of running up or down each range to flnd the best lift, then bailing <m:r the back across a wide-open valley ro the next booming range all rhc way over rhe Continental Divide into Montana. Although XC is usually the name of the game at King, and any given day can provide big miles, it doesn't offer the unobstructed downwind screamer runs of Wyoming or New Mexico. Instead, you get intimate valleys and beautiful scenery with incredible flying leading you down a range where each mo1mtain achieved reveals au nique panorama. In fact, a mccr

that allows you to go up one range and down the next to a goal only a few miles from where you started is probably the best way ro explore and experience flying this beautiful area. King Mountain is one of the best places for challenging compcti-tion flights through intricate topography with superb soaring conditions, plenty of landing areas aud short retrieves. The Idaho meet planned for this summer is sure to be a pleasure with good organization, beautifol surroundings and, of course, great flying. Pilots with X-C skills won't want ro miss it, but friends and spouses will also find that this part of Idaho offers wonderful outdoor opponu-n itics. Nearby mountain bike trails, trout fishing and the Craters of the Moon National Park arc just a few of the local anractions. Leave your potarnes at home and come join us for this summer's airtime extravaganza at King Mountain. for more infr1rrn11tion tihout the contest or to enter, conttict G. \.\'{ Meadows at 4803552 or checl< the \Xi:h site atjustjly.com. For other pilots who want to/Ly King this summer, the Arco Visitor Center provides a which includes local con-

APRIL ·1997

pilots m.ay rerm:mbct hearing abou.t in the yeatly shakedown of the "Rockctn1,m" Cavanaugh. Cross Country contest usu,<tlly written up by eer·ta.inlyuu,.i,.i::,u how £lights domi11.ated the each year along with nu.mero1.1s fdaho statc records, induding the current one of miles set by '··'"'·'"''"' King was initially pion:eeted by Frank and Mickey King (no relation, but name made Mickey fed he had to Hy it) in 1985 by the simple expcdlent ofddstt:aight up the mountain on an old logging serious 4WD. arduous route, wb.ile providing access for the last 10 years, almost resulted in from problei:ns with ewsion ,,nd negative impact 011 the view coim<iot the valley. Only quick wor.k by Rocketman and the site Idaho Hang Gliding A5sociadon was formed to raise rnoney and band to 11;1:'.t!IJ.er to secure this and other sites. Ken Schreck as president was able to get nang mountain added to the special use plan for Challis National foJ:t;st. in years was a .true success story. Once the local comrnun.tt1es what a resm1r~:e they had in .King, ,md the impact pilots were having on the ntllied and provided great support for building a new road and h'111'Ycrh,iH)cr in die valley. The King n:ieet a meet, often held the big revenue sourcefoi:tbc duh. 'I'he town of Moore (popul.at1cm about 50!) at the.bottofo even donated $1,000 to help

Also, Idaho Nu.dear site ctonatedaP1,ro;rnx1ateity $5,000 won:h ofsi.u:veyingand fi.1nds, ctomvtecl tum.e am1 bJ new roa.ct, .rnc: nr·sr half of whk:h was finished last y,~ar with for and schedfor completion thisspdng. The road is now lessthan half the original protected from erosion. Its completion was the key to preservation of the site. cooperation developed between the Idaho Hang Gliding Association, the gliding a strong presence in and the local cornnmnity has given Lost River V,t\Jey an.d, hopefully, a &'ecure future. II

'' by Ger~ffMumfvrd

ob Beck rccen tly received the USHGA's Presidential Citation, our Association's highest award. This honor capped four years of dedicated effort to minimize the impact of a proposed Military Operations Area (MO/\) that was to have included the airspace above Hyncr View, Pennsylvania. For pilots in the Northeast, Hyner fly-ins have become leg· endary, as much fr)r what goes on in the LZ as for what goes on in rhe air. ·J'hanks to Bob Beck's leadership that legend will continue to grow. Conceptually, Ander MOA was born with the military downsizing of the late 1980's. As NATO bases closed overseas, tactical fighters were returned to domestic airfields and placed on Reserve status with Air National Guard (ANG) units. 'Those units affected in the Northeast were Bradley ANG in Connecticut and Barnes ANG in Massachusetts. In both cases, high performance F- l 6's were slated to replace an aging fleer of lower performance A- I O's. The slower A- I O's can conduct the majori .. ty of their low-altitude training exercises within civilian airspace where the speed I imit is 250 knots. However, f- l 6's can't perform optimally under those limitations and so arc generally relegated ro train in MOA's. With the anticipated influx of high· performance fighters and increasing traffk demands in the congested airspace above the northeast corridor, the ANG sought ro expand the existing MOA airspace over

central Pennsylvania. Why not just send them out over the Atlantic, you might ask? The /\NG cites the dangers of ejecting over water, problems in judging altitude over a featureless terrain and the explicit need to train in a mountainous environment to hone the skills needed for low-altitude formation flight. When the ANG went prospecting for airspace that would meet all their requirements, they wound up over rhe west branch of the Susquehana River. The airspace they plotted was roughly pentagon-shaped (the symbolism was inescapable) and overlapped, in part, the neighboring Duke MOA to the northwest. Unfortunately, it also included our launch at the overlook of Hyncr View State Park. The ANG initiated the Antler proposal in 1989 but lacked sufficient fonds to complete the required Environmental lrnpact Statement (ETS) so rhe action didn't really start until 199 l. "Scoping" meetings were held that summer and fall in Renovo, PA, the largest of the small towns in Clinton County that would have been affected the proposal. Following the second meeting the ANG lefr claiming the support of the county Sportsman's Association, and by the spring of 1992 they held their first public hearing to pre-sent a drafr FIS. Although that meeting generated some negative feedback, the ANG felt that all concerns were answered satisfactorily, and began moving swiftly to close their case. But in May of 1992 they

met Bob Beck. for rnany years Bob has been the Chief Pilot for Air Products and Chemicals, based in Allentown, PA, and spends his professional life flying a corporate jet. Bur when he's not working Bob trades in his cockpit for a control frame, and in I 992 this Master-rated pilot was not about to lose access Lo his beloved Byner. At that time Bob was president of the Blue Ridge Hang Gliding Club and also a veteran member of the Hyner View Hang Gliding Club (HVHGC). Bob didn't much care for the AN G's plan to fly 2,600 sorties per year with jets screaming past Byner just 300 feet off rhe deck. So he initiated a let-· ter-writing campaign that would involve the HVHGC membersbip, tbeANG, the FAA, the PA General Assembly and finally his testimony before the U.S. Congress. Appealing to common sense and safety, his first letters outlined rhe history of hang gliding at Hyner and spoke to the general concerns of mixing slow-moving gliders with fast-moving jets. Bur more impor· tantly, from an advocacy standpoint, he painted a vivid picture of the worst-case scenario a mid-air collision between a hang glider and a fighter raining hellfire on specLaLors al lauuch and/or in Lhe LZ. The ANG responded quickly, promising to ensme a mutually safe flying environment by issuing ,l Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), advising participating military aircraft: to avoid the airspace within eight miles of Hyner launch on designated holiday weekends. ln March of 1993, the ANG released their final E1S and Record of Decision itemizing 13 mitigation responses, which were more form than substance, including a toll-free complaint line and a provision stating that all flights would be conducted at subsonic speed (how thoughtful!). However, that summer the ANG stumbled, and stumbled badly with a low-altitude through-flight of the airspace below Hyncr launch on the July 4th holiday weekend. Referencing this incident, Bob pressed on, appealing directly to the FJ\A. I {c noted the arbitrary adherence to military NOTAM's and requested a realignment of the Antler borders to exclude Hyner by five miles. However, Ander was gaining momentum and the PAA's 30--day comment period came and went without result. Bob's negotiations with the military were also deteriorating as an arrogant pub-

43. f--lANC CLIDINC

by Scott/ewell, photos by

Even on with seemingly little going ith an Aus1 rian acce111 on, these guys have an 1111c11111y knack reminiscent of' a For dropping pilots off in highly workl ,ive" able thermals. Ami the scenery is breath. rerun, you hear the taking. Above 7,000 feet the majestic voice of chc tug pilot, A tall, sharply Catskill Mountain Range is visible to rhc dressed man in a brown, t;1ilorcd flight no rd 1, and Io che southcasL you can see suit, donning a vinragc leather /lying cap the awe-inspiring New York City skyline and stands before you: l<iday, and I ludson River Valley. we're to tow you up!" 1, 11,vn,n,, with any background in aero· No it's nor the I fans and Frans school will tell you that a skilled and of'ae1·or,ovv·rn,u:, hut it is Max nr<lrn·rlv trained tug pilot is rhe 10 a owncr--operator of· Acrnnrnx. l le has safe and enjoyable rowing experience. been acrotowing at Randal Airport in Middletown, New York (20 minutes from the world-renowned Ellenville sire and abom an hour and a half' from New York for the past dnee years, and I'm here to tell you about it. I'm a transplant to Fllenville from the Binghamton/Elmira area. When I moved here last year [ came from a place that has a flying site for almost wind so it direction, all within :m hour's was easy 10 rack up all the airtime [ wanted. It was a prc1ty tough :1djustmem to make, moving to an area where, ifit doesn't hlow nonhwest, you don't fly' Fortunately for me and other air junkies we have Aeromax. Aerotowing allows me to practice rnaneuvers in calm conditions ar apprn· priate altimdcs. For most pilots, however, soaring and cross .. counrry flying is the name of the game, and they will ftncl that there is no shortage of thermal gen . erators Randal Airport . .... --..- ............................... .. APRIi 1997

Aeromax has Joe Norm Price, Jim Spatafore and, of course, JVl;ix, all of whom could safely keep a bar kite on line through an f!X twister. Well, maybe thar's a hie of an exaggeration, bur these guys arc real good, and their enthusiasm do. betrays their real love for what All arc ccrrifled tow pilots, and Max and Jim also hold ulrral ight ins1ructor cerrificatcs. For those pilots who come to learn how to acrotow, or those who have niflcant others who would like to encc their flrst instructional flights, three lJSJ !CA-certified tandem instructors arc available: Max, Paul Voight and the author. The rncchanical workhorse behind Aeromax is the Moyes/Bailey Dragonfly. Flaving rowed behind both 1hc Drngonfly and a trike, l prefer the Dragonfly. In addition to allowing rhc pilot to safoly tow at lower speeds, ir seems easier to stay on track heh ind rhc Dragonfly in rurbuletll conditions. The nig plane is meticulously maintained Joe, and all of the equipment is clcau and in good working order, which, in my opinion, adds to the profossirndism of' the entire operation. The reason all of us fly hang gliders is for Fun, and from the moment of your arrival at Acromax you'll immediately sense the camaraderie that only other hang glider pilots can offer, from the fun atmosphere throughout the day to the partying and story telling in the

If you plan to visit from out of rown please call the "tow hotline" at (914) T78-5839. There will always be an upto-date about conditions for the upcoming Inexpensive, quality lodging and fine restaurants arc plentifr1l, and for those in your group who arc looking for other cntert:ainmem there is

If you're tired of waiting for the wind to blow in at your favorite site, hop in that hang vehicle of yours and head out to Randal Airport in Middletown, New York, and let Acrornax "tow you up"! Ill

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John Ryan Hang Gliding Center 8645 fanita Or. Sanree. CA 92101 16191562-1009 jmB@aoLcom larrr Srrom Spokane Aircrall Wes! 3208 4rh Ave. Spokane. WA 99204 1509) 458-4444 15091489-194/ fAX lstrom@comtcn.iea.com Andy Whi1enill ChanoelleSanfrancimlnc. 1595 L francisco Blvo. #f San Rafael. CA 94901 1415) 454-3464 1415) 454-1169 fAX

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Results: J st - Tomas Suchanek August '96: European Championships December '96: High Level Classic January '97:

Australian Nationals

ast month we discussed some of the reactions of hang gliders to various situations on the towline in light of the behavior peculiar to our swept flying wings. We also Aew through the progres· sion of a lockout to see what happens ar each point. Now it's time to see what situa· tions can get us into lockouts and what control has to do with it. 'Then we analyze the forces in a lockour to see rhe reasons behind the rhyme. Finally, we summarize the main points to be learned in our little excursion down lockout alley.

LOCKOUT SITUATIONS Now !er us look at potential lockom situa· tions and see what factors contribute to avoiding lockouts. First, we can list the most common causes of lockouts: 1) 'Ibrbulence lifting a wing. In this case we will have the situation of Position 2 shown in Figure I, especially if we arc also tossed to one side of the tow centerline. 2) Overbanking when perfrmning a correction. If you enter into a roll oscilla, tion, it is possible to veer so far to one side that a lockout begins. 3) Operating in a crosswind, especially when towing from a payout winch. A strong gust from the side can force you off the tow centerline with yom heading not lined up with the towline. 4) Not following the tug properly during turns while aerotowing. Allowing your glider to clrifr to the outside of an aerotow turn is the potential lockout situation of Position I, Figure J. In general, aerotowing is more forgiv, ing of misalignments than surface towing (although three reported tandem aerotow lockouts in the past year indicate that ran· elem is a special case) because the towline angle with respect to the glider is less wirh aero towing and the tow forces are lower. In my experience, control problems begin with as little as 15° deviation from the centerline with surface rowing while a 45 ° deviation can be brought back to center on aerotow as shown in Figure 2.

CONTROLLING A GLIDER ON TOW Control is the real key to overcoming a potential lockout, for if we have perfect control we can keep our glider in the per· feet position. Center-of-mass towing was devised to afford the pilot better control

11 © 1997 hy Dennis Pagen and thereby reduce the chance of lockours. Center-of mass rowing consists of a bridle that divides the tow force one-third to the glider and two-thirds to the pilot since that is the approximate proportion of the weights of the glider ;ind pilot. However, center-of~mass towing may not be the ultimate row setup for safety and control. In flight, towing from the center of drag is more ideal than from the center of mass. 'The center of drag is the point at which the drag forces balance out. lt is the drag forces that oppose the tow fi:Jrces for the most part. Locating the tow forces on a glider is similar to the problem faced by designers of powered aircrafr in locating propeller thrust lines when the centers of mass and drag arc not lined up. 'lypically, the thrust line is located above the center of mass and as close to the center of drag as possible. An example from our childhood will provide an object lesson. fn Figure 3 we see a 1950's vintage toy kite. The center of drag is shown along with the center of mass. lt should he clear to any reader familiar with such a kite that the towline (or tether) must be anached near the center of drag. Attaching it at the center of mass produces instability and leads to lockouts. In Figure 4 we show the separate drag on a hang glider wing and the rest of the flying ensemble at best glide angle of attack. The wing produces about 70% of the drag at best glide with the pilot, cables and control bar creating about 30%). 'The center of mass and center of drag arc shown in tbe drawing. With a little thought we can see that towing from the center of drag will avoid trim changes under steady tow with differenr tow forces and angles. On the other hand, towing from the center of mass avoids trim changes during surges of rowlinc pressnre. On a hang glider, the center of drag is about ] .. J /2 feet down from the keel (about at the carabiner). Tbwing from this point would produce the most natural feeling in pitch under tow. Also, this loca-tion would reduce the effect of being pulled to the side by the towline hooked to the pilot's body when the glider angles away from the centerline. Cont:rary to

popular misconception, the sideways pull of :in offccmer towline doesn't help you perform roll control, it hinders your input because ir limits your available range of movement as Figure 5 shows. Center-ofdrag towing would reduce this effect. But locating rhe towline force at the center of drag has one drawback: it will produce brief changes in pitch when changes in towline force occur, as long as the center of mass is not located at the center of drag. Unfrmunately, the center of mass of a hang glider is about one--third of the way up from the pilot's back to the keel. This is about 1-1/2 feet below the center of drag. The greatest change in towline force occurs during launch when the force goes from zero to the required takeoff force. l n this case, towing at the center of drag would produce a strong nose·-down rota-· tion, which is unacceptable. Once the pilot's body caught up to the wing, this rotation tendency would go away, but it would be a problem during launch. Thus, the best compromise is to locate d1e tow force somewhere between the cent:er of drag and center of mass. Tn fact, this is what is done in most aero tow operations when a V-bridlc from the keel 10 the pilot's shoulders is employed. Such a bridle is used most often with beginners because it affords the most natural feel and the besr control. An alternate bridle system for acrotowing that l have designed for center-of.mass and cenrer-oF-drag experimentation is shown in Figure 6. I-fore the bridle is attached directly to the pilot's harness main risers. The attachment point can be a one-point or two-point system as indicat-cd. The release is just in front of the pilot's head for easy access and visibility. This release can be of the string type or cable type. The benefit of' this system is the ability to locate it ideally for maximum control. In addition, the bridle can be ignored after release, and the release is less apt to spring back in the pilot's face, unlike other systems. The drawback of this harness bridle is that the pilot must launch in the prone position from a cart. Again we wish to emphasize that dimi-

HANG .GLIDING

nating lockouts requires maximizing rhe pilot's ability to comrol the glider, both with the bridle setup and proper training. Ccnter"·of-mass systems nnd current single-point systems, such as from the waist for payout winch towing and from the shoulders for aerotowing, afford adequate control, although die: latter two provide less roll control than the full two-point bridle systems. Hut the most imponant thing to he aware of is d1at: cemcr--of-mass, center"" of~drag or any other towing setup cannor prevent lockouts in Jnd of themselves. Proof of this matter is tb3t children's kites, sailplanes and paragliders all tow near the cenrer of mass or center of drag. yet each of these airborne craft all lock out on occa--

Wings lovol

Roll

Posllioo@

Aorotowino Surface towing

Towllne

Deviation .from

Pnth of gl/dor

SIOfl.

On the other hand, rowing from the conrrol bar basctuhe as we did in the olden days is not necess;:irily a prescription for a lockout, as hundred of pilots can attest. However, such a towing setup allows a minimum of roll authority so it can rolerare only a minimum of misalignment and rough conditions. When a modem bridle systcrn is used and the pilot gets so far to the side thar his body or the bridle contacts the side cables, the sirnation simulates that of the old basetube towing. There is little hope of recovering in this case and the only option is to release. It should be made clear, however, thM a lockout can and will occur without the bridle or pilot hitting the limits of side control. Tc> sec this we rum to an analysis of the forces involved.

FORCES IN A LOCKOUT For a more complete understanding of what causes a lockout, we offer this review of the forces that res11l1 in what we fc:el and experience in a lockout. We can list three main forces on a towed glider: gravity, which is experienced as weight and always directed downward; the tow force, which is always directed along rhc towline; and the aerodynamic force produced by the wing which can be summed op and represented by a single arrow as shown in the Figure. The aerodynamic force includes lift and drag and is generally located directly above the glider's center of (CG) and is perpendicular ro the (when viewed glider is Aying from head on) as long as in normal, unaccelerated flight. Referring to Figure J, note that when the wings arc level and the glider is to one

APRIL 1

Releaso

tov~tme) is not parthc: ae,ro,J:y11iatr1.ictorce:ts shown.

Purrhermore, the ae1'odynamic force is dis,, placed to thelefr due to th~ yaw and skid effect. (All directi<Hi.s are given. ~tccoi:dirig to ourqdent:?ti.on viewingthe illustration our left is the pilot's dgbt.) A~ a result, A·'''"'.,.."'"" e:x:l)<me:noes a.roll force

.Herc it is irnp01:tar1t w.m,te'\ t.h.'at .the towline prevents the glider from turning in a curving path which wmild create a balance of forces inJli~urc 7. Consequently; the glider is.held in a .dip and it acceler,ltcs .in an arc t(JW!ll'g the ground,. We. should. also point otitthat for the glider to . a11eqtral.side force it must reduced. in. bank as shown. lfowever, in. this .ba1:tk.posit.ion.it may stiU have a coosiden1ble roll tendency away from the centerline.

we'lf distHl what: covered in this two-part for bettei;.understanding; 1) The more a wlirgjs sweipt (a11glcd) back, the. mo re lik<';lly ids to stall forth et toward its tip. 'J'his. rnay quences if a pilot stalls ~n tow when the ev(:nly aligned with the tow. will produce a. different comr:ihn11erit of reac:tions to tontr(il input

essentially unstable in roll on tow. mlfod yawed a tie: bit, it tends. to continue rolling more. A tow pilot must activelytemrn 1:he glider to the cente.r tow paddfit has rolled

38.

mass lockouts. Centc:r,,o,t•ctra~: tow1J:lg: .ts. rn.01:e, 1.ikely to aHow more ultlt.nate ceJ1teJ'-01HTI1ass towing. with acroto'wingresuit in t<,iw betwet;n ccmer of~rnass and ce11te11: or ,ct:mg, is probably the possible qo1:npro~ for our purposes. 0

Ev<2rV<;ll'le new .to to1w.1r1g 1,pc,uuJ rctceive proper ttaining in the ma.ttets discussed above. All tow pilots shou.ld un,(ierst:anclthe principles of .lockouts rcv:1evvcct then will we all nn<O<f>QQ nm

olstoy is said to have written the world's greatest novel with ~r and Peace. I'm not sure it rates with Danielle Steele's romantic outpourings, but it certainly presents a panoply of human emotions, conflicts and triumphs. The contrasting words in the title are evocative of the cumultuous Russian history which continues to be as dramatic as in Tolstoy's time. The recent breakup of the Soviet Union, while leaving a dozen countries floundering to construct a new order, has meant something great for hang glidmg. Out of the dismantled fragments of the huge Russian aerospace industry has been formed a little company specializing in sport aviation. This company is named Aeros, and its current high-performance glider is the Stealth. Tolstoy would have approved of the conflicting names (Eros is the Greek god of erotic love and Stealth conjures up images of the ultimate aerial weapon) . But the company and glider are worthy of our attention for other reasons, since they both have qualities that may prove a boon to U.S. pilots.

THE AEROS RESUME The giant Antonov Design Bureau produced many of the Soviet Union's aircraft, from fighters to transports to cargo planes, which include the world's largest airplane. Antonov could be compared to Boeing in this country. But the Soviet megalith had an interesting feacure: the founder, Mr. Antonov, was a sailplane pilot, so he insisted that his factory have a powerless flight division. However, after the Communist coup in 1991 , this unpowered section was closed. (Vee see no purpose for frivolous fun in zis glorious people's republik!) So the designers and engineers took their slide rules and ideas to a three-story former telephone exchange in the Ukraine and set up shop as Aeros. The new company's first glider was the Stalker. This glider gained an international

The Stealth comes with an integrated hang strap and backup.

The

u. s

Flight Report

s N E A K I N G reputation for its fine performance which has compared favorably with other gliders in international meets. The Stealtl1 was developed from the Stalker and continues the successful tradition. Hang gliding in Russia began about when it did in this country (1973), but all gliders were home-built even up to the time I visited the Russian clubs in 1993. There is plenry of hands-on experience in Russia and her satellites, since aerospace students are required to design and construct their own aircraft. Many choose hang gliders. Some of these designers found a home in Aeros. Currently, Aeros employs about 40 folks and manufactures everything from hang gliders to paragliders, ultralights, parachutes and the AltiNario.

STEALTH SECRETS Before we enumerate the standard features and functions of this glider, let's look at what sets it apart from all other gliders. To begin, this is the only glider developed in a ful l-blown, life-size wind tunnel. Aeros still has access to Antonov's facilities, and developing their gliders in Antonov's wind tunnel is an opportunity all other companies must lust after. Imagine how easy it is to compare the effects of batten profiles or set reflex bridle lengths, for example. The next thing of note is the Stealth's

T H R

interesting airframe. It is constructed of 2024 tubing (Dl6T in Russia's designation) which is midway between 6061 and 7075 in strength, stiffness and ductility. Ir is inherently cheaper than 7075 and has much better corrosion resistance. Bue the real Eureka factor designed into me airframe is its breakdown capabilities. The glider can be broken down to around two meters (six to seven feet depending on the glider size) . This feature is an artifact of me Russian economy, whereby personal cars are a rare commodity and public transportation defines a certain luggage size limit. While most of us don't have to lug our gliders on trains and buses, we may wish to take it on airliners, and if you don't have a garage in which to store your glider think of me advantage of having a six-foot package. The breakdown to the short size takes about 45 minutes and requires no tools.

The barely discernable crossbar breakdown joint and forward high-point airfoil. H ANG GLIDING

AERO S

u G H

T H E

The sail comes completely off the airframe, cables are removed with easy bolts and quick disconnects, and the tubes separate into short lengths. An intermediary breakdown length is also possible by removing the aft leading edges as with most other gliders. The final attraction of the Stealth is its incredible price which we will discuss later.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES Besides the unique qualities listed above, we should point our a few other Stealth features . The glider has a very clean sail which is due to arrenrion to derail during manufacture, and the fact that it is strung so rightly. A quote from factory: "Our sailmakers and engineers pride themselves on the very high standard of the gliders they produce." I suppose you could get a similar quote from any manufacturer, but in this case I think the statement is in all

A close-up ofthe tip sculpture. APRIL 1997

The Stealth's lever is curved inward fo r more ease of application and is a rube, which eliminates the possibility of cutting your hands (see photo). The external bridle compensator is the line that connects to the from upper wire to rock the kingposr forward and back. This setup is similar to that used on many familiar gliders. While it is nor as clean as an internal compensator, it is lighter and simpler. The final point - the setup system - relates to the fact that rhe crossbar is puUed back from the from, similar to the HP AT system. All these exceptions are incorporated to minimize problems with the very short breakdown feature.

s K y

earnestness, for they limit their production to 100 units a year, including trikes and hang gliders, in order to maintain quality. The crossbar tensioning system is anchored at the rear of the keel which gives the crossbar plenty of shift freedom. The factory claims that chis allows them to run a tighter sail and stiffer leading edges while still maintaining good handling. The leading edges are 60 mm (2.4 inches) in diameter inboard, stepped down to 50 mm (2.0 inches) outboard, with internal sleeves for more rigidity. T hese sizes are larger than many other gliders. What this design feature does for performance is revealed below. Another nice touch on the Stealth are some fancy curved airfoil tip fairings . For those readers familiar with aircraft design, these tips are Hoerner tips optimized to reduce parasitic drag. The rest of us will have to look at the photos. The Stealth's hardware (excep t for three instances) is state-of-the-engineering. T har means iris clean, near, compact, safe, functional and it won't rip yo ur sail when it's packed. Everything is conveniently arranged with fast attachments and fitungs. The three exceptions to the above are the VG system, the external bridle compensator and the crossbar restraint system. The VG system is similar to the famous overdrive lever fea tured on the HP AT.

SETUP AND BREAKDOWN When the Steal th is in its normal flying length, the setup is standard - as long as yo u are flying an older glider. You place a bolt, nut and ring in the control bar corner to frame ir, ser the glider on the baserube, open the wings, erect the kingposr, clip in the bridles and start stuffing. There are 11 upper barrens per side (large size, 10 on the smal l size) and three lower barrens. Now yo u're ready to pull back the crossbar and rigidify the wing. Move to the from of the glider, step into rhe loop to pull rhe crossbar back and fasten the bolt inro rhe crossbar holdback cables. Now hook up the compensator, preflight, and close the undersurface. Finish with the tips and the nose cone. The job is a bit lengthier than with the easiest setups, but there are plenty of HP AT pilots out there who fondly remember the rou tine. A pleasing performing glider makes up for extra setup steps. Breakdown is essentially the reverse of setup (as always) wuess yo u are going for the whole enchilada ... er, blintz.. Then yo u have to follow a procedure which is best left to rhe owner's manual. I have attempted it myself wi thout a manual and I have seen it performed abo ut 10 rimes, and I

A closer view ofthe Stealth leading edge and sail work. 41

can vouch that it is possible for the average pilot to accomplish, bur you had better do ic before you drink your pose-flight beer.

STEALTH PERFORMANCE Now comes the good pare. I first flew the Stealth for several flights in the U.S. Nationals in Dinosaur. This was trial by fire, for turbulent launches, crowded climboucs in elusive lift and milling, aimless gaggles all commanded the utmost of my and the Stealth's talents. The glider acquitted itself very well - better than I did, I'm sure. I had a lot of comparison climbs and glides. In addition, I flew against two Stealths in the World Hang Gliding Series in Spain last summer, so the following report is comparison oriented. To begin, lee us nor mince words and scare the obvious. The glider is modeled on the Wills Wing HP AT. The AT was very successful and still has one of the best sink races going. In face, the Stealth is the glider that Wills could have built had they so chosen. The Stealth shares che AT's planform but has a further forward high point airfoil. It also incorporates internal cloth ribs and inboard lower-surface scraps to control the lower surface shape at high speeds. So its high speed performance is an improvement on that of che HP AT. Stealth handling is a bit lighter than the AT's, without che high-speed oscillation tendency. I rate the handling good to very good and I felt quire comfortable in the rough air. I put ic in the 90% bracket in comparison to other high-performance gliders. (Wing loading is a factor, of course, and I weigh 165 pounds after I dry off from a shower.) The Stealth's sink rate is right on par with everything else flying last summer. (As of chis writing, my few flights on the new crop of gliders have not afforded enough performance comparisons.) I believe ic will make most of us happy when playing the local king-of-the-hill game. But it is the Stealth's impressive glide between thermals that opened my eyes. On long glides ac Dinosaur I consistently ended up above the rest of che assorted gliders witl1 which I had departed a thermal. Even with the VG off I was oucgliding ochers. Mind you, I only flew one Stealth, bur if the rest of them compare, this glider will not be overly embarrassed by the new topless flock of gliders. I attribute this performance to the Stealth's drum-eight, clean sail and bow-resistant leading edges. 42

Sail Area ................ 151 ft.2. . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . .. 130 ft. 2 Span ................... 33.79 ft ... ..... ........... 30.18 ft. Aspect ratio .. ... ......... 7.7 ......... ......... .... 7.7 Noseangle . . ... . ... .. ... . 130°-132° ........ . ... ... .. 130°-132° Battens (upper) . . .... .... .23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 21 Battens (lower) .. ..... . ... 6 ............. .. ....... . . 4 Pilot weight ... ... ...... .. 140 to 220 lbs ...... ...... .. 98 to 175 lbs. Glider weight .. . . . . ....... 73 lbs ............. .... .... 60 lbs. Pack lengths ... ..... ..... . 19' or 15.6' or 7.2' .......... 17' or 11.5' or 6.4' Sail cloth ... .. ..... ... . . .Leading edge: Trilam Trailing edge: LL power scrip Main Body: 5-oz. Dacron (Polyanc Dimension from Germany) Takeoff is quire easy with the Stealth. The technique is conventional. (The glider is rail-heavy, but that will be cured for the U.S. marker by moving the control bar apex back on the keel.) Landings were no problem, even in the rough terrain away from goal. However, this glider retains speed, so patience for a full bleedoff in ground effect is required. It is nor good form to produce a resounding whack with a glider named Stealth.

GETTING AEROTICIZED Now comes the great pare. As you may know, hang gliding is in a state of flux with the new topless designs commanding everyone's attention. Bue most of the manufacturers are keeping their kingpostoucfirced gliders on line because tl1ey know some of the flying community cannot afford the expensive technology. Topless gliders are going to be retailing for more than six big ones with triple zeros, and getting a good deal is going to be harder than winning big at Vegas. Enter the Stealtl1. Because of che very low current labor coses in the Ukraine, and due to the abundant supply of inexpensive aluminum in Russia, the Stealth retails in chis country for $3,990 new. Thar's $3,990 in case you missed ic the first time. Pick yourself up off the floor and chink about ic. You'll have enough left to buy a sleek harness to match your sail colors and a GPS coo! Ir's

amazing what good old competitive capitalism can accomplish. The local importer ready co accept your capital and hand you your personal Stealth is G.W Meadows and his newly formed independent company, U.S. Aeros. They can be contacted at P.O. Box 450, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. The gliders will be sold only tl1rough USHGA-certified instructors and dealer inquiries are invited. A couple of important options are available on me Stealm. The firsr is a choice of colors. Of course, gliders will be in stock in chis country and delivery on the varied stock colors will be much quicker. You can also gee a glider chat doesn't break down to two meters and mac has a string-type VG system like most of the current gliders. Presumably chis option will shed a pound or rwo, as at least four junctures are eliminated. Mr. Tolstoy is no longer with us to narrate che vast changes that have occurred in his native land. But he would recognize the indomitable spirit of his countrymen trying to make a mark in meir brave new world of free flight enterprise. Ir seems mey have already learned a basic lesson: produce a quality product and sell it for the best price. If cost is one of your criteria when choosing a new glider, consider the Stealth. In me days of old we saw ads challenging us to "streak mrough me sky!" Now you can "sneak through the sky" with abandon on the well-crafted Stealth. • HANG GLIDING

28.

lie affairs office became confident that the Antler pm· pos:11 would win approval. Bur Bob continued to apply pressure. In the fall of'9:3 the /\NC held a briefing for Congressional staffers in DC, playing up their considerable proactive efforts to address public concerns. However, in the spring of '94 Bob did rhem one better providing or:il testimony before rhc Subcommittee on Dci<.'.nse Appropriarions, the body which would ultin1:1tcly recommend or d fimding for rhe project. J11 addition 10 all the factors Boh had hccn listing in his correspon· clcnce with the /\NC and his presemarion made good use ofa (then) recent accident involving :111 F-16 and a ,·1:30 under clear thereby exemplifying the potential short· comings of the "sec and avoid" mechanism the AN(; were so avidly promoting to ensure collision avoidance at I lyllcr View. It's difficull to determine cause and effect in W:1shington, bur following Bob's testimony, Senator I Tarris Wofford (l) .. PJ\) intro· duced and obtained approval for an amendment to the 1995 Defense /\ppropriarions Bill delaying implementation ofAmlcr. Thar fall, rlic /\NC added more fuel to the fire at the st:1rt of the L1bor weekend with a very public low,alritude acrobaLic for··· mation fligln of two j\. j O's over the LZ with a NOT/\M in effect and a glider in the air! Official ncar .. miss reports were fllcd with d1c FAA and Bob seized the opportunity rn denounce the breakdown of command within the ANG. Bob, now HVHGC in an official capacity as Military Liaison Officer, met with FAA both on-sire at Ilyllcr and at hcadquancrs in Washington, DC, again appealing for a fivc .. milc exclusion zone around Hyncr. While the FAA considered Bob's input he developed a conrin· plan, and initiated a series of meetings with the /\NC to munwlly exclusive timc·sharing of airspace. These negotiations continued through rhc foll of with Bob propos· that 1hc ANG limit their use to the morning hours all, waste a good thcnnal on an J:. J 6?) but stalled with the A1':G's insistence on scheduling intcrmirrcm use tl1roughom the day, five a week. Bob received no fi.irtl1cr correspondence from the /\NC after Septcmhcr 1995. Then, on March 7.1, 1996, an astonishing letter arrived Crom !;A/\ I lcadqnancrs. It very mattcHif.factly, that the M OJ\ proposal had been withdrawn and tlie case was closed. Ander was dead! That san1c day Bob wrote a lcncr ro the HVHCC: member· ship thanking those who had taken the tirnc to participate at vari·

unrelenting

serve as a

which find

ous levels in fighting "the good fight." He also thanked the rAA fcir safr:guarding the legitimate interests of hang glider pilots as participants in the sport aviation community. And now, just over a year later it's my privilege to publicly thank Bob, not only as a rep·· rescntative of' Region but fort he hang gliding community as a whole. Bob dfrcrivcly used all the tools at his disposal in a battle that rivaled David and ( ;oli:nli's. His unrelenting efforts serve as a model o( successful negotiation which orher pilots and organiza· tions should find uscfi.d in dealing with any large government bureaucracy. We should all be glad that Bob's on our side. 'J 'he 1mthor also wishes to thank Ken Harrison, /or1v·.'rta:na1 dent of'the HVHGC fr1r his help in collecting years of'rnrrespondence thatjcmned the btlsis of'this continued dedication to View.

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Region l l ROBINSON, ART.ENE: Dallas, TX; K. Robinson/Cloudsrrecrs Region 12 BARBOSA, FRANCISCO: New Rochelle, NY; P. Voight/Fly High !-Jc;

Rcgion 2 BASS, JAY: Modesto, CA; D. Prather/Dream Weaver HG DONFRAY, DON: Sunnyvale, C:A; P. Denevan/Mission Soaring FRAZIER, CLIFFORD: Sacramento, CA; G. Hamilron/Sacramemo HG HORNING, RICrlARD: Marina, CA; P. Godwin/Western !-IC LYBARGER, KEVIN: Lincoln, CA; G. I lamilton/Sacramcnto [Jc; Region 3 BROWN, BARRY: Sama Barbara, CA; D. Quackenbush/True Flight CALDWELL, KURT: Sunland, CA; D. Quackenbush/Trnc r:light COUCH, MTTCIIELL: l lanford, CA; D. Quackcnbmh/Truc Flight IUUANELU, USA: Sherman Oaks, CA; J. Ryan/fl CC MARSTON, GEORGE: Etiwanda, CA; R. McKenzie/] figh Adventure NELSON, JON: Coronado, CA; S. Stackable/UP San l )icgo WENDT, LISA: Chatsworth, CA; A. Becm/Windsports Tnr'l Rcgion 4 DAVIS, MARTIN: Lafayette, CO; M. Windsheimer/Airtime Above HENDRICKS, BUDDY: Glenwood Spgs, CO; J. Prahl/Quest Air PITTS, JR, ROBERT: Phoenix, AZ; B. Holmes/Sky Masters RABIE, RONA] .D: l .os Alamos, NM; C. Woods/UP Over New Mexico Region 8 HILL, WILBERT: Piermont, NH; J. Nicolay/Morningside Fl' Rcgion 9 BUFJ1AM, WILi JAM: West Chester, PA; J. lforper/Vallcy Forge HG JAMES, TODD: Elizabethtown, PA; R. Hayes/Maryland School of HG Region 10 CAYO, ALAN: Kissimmee, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch DE JESUS, ALBERTO: San Juan, PR; R. Rojas/Caribbean Airsports EVANS, LYNN ANN: Naples, FL; B. Flynn/Quest Air EVANS, ROGER: Naples, FL; B. Flynn/Quest Air FINNERJY, JOHN: Miami, FL; J. Tindle/Miami HG LAWilENCE, JAMES: Tfuntsville, AL; J. Cook/Rocket Airsports MC BRIDE, DUNCAN: Ft Myers, FL; C. Bowen/Quest Air ROSS, TYLER: Groveland, FL; R. Brown/Quest Air Region 11 WEGHORST-SCHIEL, CHRISTINE: Dallas, TX; K. Robinson/Cloudstreets Region 12 BARBOSA, FRANCISCO: New Rochelle, NY; P. Voight/Fly High HG Region 13 DREHER, CRISTIAN: Brazil; F. Foti/Miami HG

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n 1997 TOP 30 SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN BEGINNER (HANG I) RATINGS ISSUED

Region 2 PERREAULT, MATT: Saratoga, CA; P. Dencvan/Mission Soaring Region 3 COUCH, MITCHELL: Hanford, CA; D. Quackenbush/True Plight LETT, ROBERT: Lomita, CA; T. Middleton/Soaring Wings REENDERS, MICHAEL: Hanford, CA; R. Soares/Central Valley HG VEGUA, PABLO: Redondo Beach, CA; _J. Greblo/Windsports Int'! Region 10 DE JESUS, ALBERTO: San Juan, PR; R. Rojas/Caribbean Airsports HAIGHT, MELANIE: Groveland, FL; J. Prahl/Kitty Hawk Kites PONT, FERNANDO: Toa Baja, PR; R. Rojas/Caribbean Airsports Region 11 WEGHORST, BART: Dallas, TX; K. Rohinson/Cloudstrcets

Region 1 CAMPBELL, S DOUG: Sumner, WA; J. Reynolds/Far Up HG NELSON, JACK: Portland, OR; R. Ikrger/Oregon HG Region 2 THOMPSON, RICK: Palo Alto, CA; D. Jones/Wings ofRogallo

l 2 3 3 5 G

6 G 9 9 9 12 12 12 12 12 17 17 17 17 17

17 Region 3 BAUER, RAY: Laguna Niguel, CA; J. Ryan/J'!GC LYNN, JULIAN: San Diego, CA; J. Tindle/Miami HG SIEBERT, DANIEL: Mission Viejo, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure SZABO, GEZA: Los Angeles, CA; D. Quackenbush/True Flight Region 4 COLLARD, TIM: Denver, CO; J. Yocom MASON, TIMOTHY: Hill AFB, UT; K. Muscio/Mother Lode Skyriders VAIL, TOM: Glenwood Spgs, CO; C. Bowen/Quest Air Region 6 CAMPBELL, RICHARD: Morrilton, AR; D. Dmming/Central Arkansas Mm. Pilots Region 7 LAING, CHARLES: Sycamore, IL; A. Birkett/Raven Sky Sports Region 9 LANDA, FEDERICO: Gaithersburg, MD; C. Huddle Region 10 DE JESUS, ALBERTO: San Juan, PR; R. Rojas/Caribbean Airsports TREMONT, MIGUEL: Trujillo Alto, PR; R. Roja.,/Caribbean Airsports WOODRUFF, JON: Rising Fawn, GA; A. Bloodworth/Lookout Mtn FP

ONE CLIFTON BRYAN

17 24

Lookout MnL Flight Parle .......................................... 15 Kitty Hawk Kites ........................................................ 10 Mission Soaring ............................................................ 9 Wallaby Ranch .............................................................. 9 True Flight.. .................................................................. G Airtime Above ............................................................... 5 Ply Away ....................................................................... 5 Hang Gliding Center of San Diego ............................... 5 Lake Elsinore Sports ..................................................... .4 Miami Hang Gliding ................................................... .4 Windsporrs .................................................................. .4 Momingside Plight Park ............................................... 3 Raven Sky Spons .......................................................... 3 Silver Wings .................................................................. 3 Soaring Wings ............................................................... 3 Valley Forge Hang Gliding ........................................... 3 Caribbean Airsports ...................................................... 2 Fly High Hang Gliding ................................................. 2 Go Jiang Gliding .......................................................... 2 lkaros Sports ................................................................. 2 Quest Air ...................................................................... 2 Sacramemo Hang Gliding ............................................. 2 Tek Flight Products ...................................................... 2 22 SCHOOLS ARE TIED WITH ............................... 1

1997 TOP 30 SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN NOVICE (HANG II) RATINGS ISSUED 1

Lookout Mm. Flight Park ........................................... 25 Wallaby Ranch ............................................................ l 0 3 Mission Soaring ............................................................ 9 Ii Kitty Hawk Kites .......................................................... 6 4 Quest Air ...................................................................... 6 6 Hang Gliding Center of San Diego ............................... 5 6 Miami 6 True Flight .................................................................... 5 9 Raven Sky Sports ......................................................... .4 10 Abe Airsporrs ................................................................ 3 11 Airborne Sports USA .................................................... 2 1 l Carribean Airsports ....................................................... 2 1 J Fly Away ....................................................................... 2 1 l Fly High Hang Gliding ................................................. 2 J 1 Go Hang Gliding .......................................................... 2 11 High Adventure ............................................................ 2 11 lkaros Sports ................................................................. 2 l l Lake Elsinore Sports ...................................................... 2 l l Maryland School of Hang c;Iiding ................................ 2 11 Rebel Wings Hang Glicling ........................................... 2 11 Sacramento Hang Gliding ............................................. 2 1 l The Soaring Center ....................................................... 2 1 l Windsporrs ................................................................... 2 24 30 SCHOOLS ARE TTED WITH ............................... 1 2

1ANDEM STEVEN REWOLINSKI ALAN BIDODWORTH

Rankings were compiled from ratings published in January·" April J997 issues of Hang Gliding magazine.

HANG CLJDINC

oc eys Ridge Dune Competition Aerotow Competition at Kitty Hawk Kites Flight Park 1st Annual Air Sports Association Hang Gliding Expo Rogollo Foundation Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet KHK/Just Fly Fine Arts Show Saturday Night Street Dance Demo Days: March 1 May 31, 199

USHGA NATIONAL FLY-IN

SalJfatown Mount efore the white man came and before the Cherokee expanded their territories, the

Saura were a small tribe living in peace on the Piedmont Plateau. Sawra, Sarro and

Sara are other documented spellings. "Sara'' is a Catawba word that signifies a place of "tall grass or weeds." There were two fertile locations along the Dan River where the Saura lived until around 1700. White settlers later occupied abandoned villages which became known as The broken mountain chain covers 16 Mountain Hang miles from the southwest to the northeast. Gliding Club. Westernmost and just across the county Like other eastern line in Surry is Pilot Mountain which flying sires, Sauracown's became a state park in 1968. Its pinnacle is most consistent crossat 2,440' MSL with an average base in the country season is during chain at 1,100' MSL. Unfortunately, the April and May. Although state does not permit launching and there not quite as reliable, is a six-mile wide gap from the chain's September and October also offer good flying, and ocher possibilities namesake at Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County. exist chroughout che year. What sets At the eastern end is Hanging Rock Sauratown apart from ocher sites is its abilState Park which opened in 1944 and conity co handle all wind directions with che sists of a cluster of mountain peaks spread exceptions of strong north and norcheast. SAURATOWN Sauracown's cross-country history dates out over an area six miles long. Its highest MOUNTAIN HANG GLIDING CLUB peak at 2,595' MSL is Moor's Knob which back co September 18, 1983 when Jeff This is the story of a small group of pilots faces northwest. Facing south is Cook's Poplin and Ken Haney were first co cross building a flying site now 17 years in che Wall at 2450' MSL. At 4.5 miles from che border north into Virginia. In che years making. It's a story about che generosity of Sauracown Mountain, it is often used as a since, Sauracown has produced almost 50 landowners and pit-stop. individuals who gave In che middle of selflessly of cheir free che chain is privaterime. T his is about ly owned Sauracown the Sauracown Mountain that cops Mountain Hang out at 2,465' MSL. G liding Club . The 225-acre property was purchased Actually, chis is only a fraction of the in 1955 from story because co Delbert and Hettie Hall for the purinclude all the plot pose of transmitting Looking west from Hanging Rock toward Looking down on launch from 6,000 ' MSL. twists, the heroes and television signals. Sauratown and Pilot Mountains. villains, the triumphs and failures, or co even begin to mention all That same year the road to the cop was different flights in every direction in the constructed and the first of two 700' cow40-, 50- and 60-mile range. The only two the people involved would require a book. Instead, chis is a condensed record of the ers was built. Now occupied by other newflights over 70 are Doug Rice's 72 and Jake history of a flying site and the club chat er and smaller cowers, the location also Alspaugh's 75.5-mile record chat has stood since 1988. evolved with it. allows leased access co the Sauratown

H ANG GLIDI NG

•

a1n, North Carolina Upper Saura Town and Lower Saura Town. Today the Sauratown name is attached to a unique mountain chain in Stokes and Surry Counties of N orth Carolina. Geologists refer the area as the "Sauratown Mountain Window" where a localized event occurred, leaving three separate rock formations sticking up out of the middle of nowhere. H ang glider pilots refer to the area as a "Launch Window" with crosscountry possibilities in every direction. the broadcasting By 1987 the LZ dilemma had shifted company seeking a focus to the possibility of buying land. lease chat would perThis divided the NCH GA when dues mit their activities. Ac were raised from $15 to $30 to establish a first the owners were site procurement fund with the emphasis not impressed, so the on Sauratown. The plan backfired, and North Carolina Hang within six months the dues were reduced . Gliding Association ( CHBue the damage had already been done, GA) stepped in and their name and an increasing number of pilots fro m was attached to a lease. The ocher flying sites decided they didn't need NCH GA continued to cover cheNCHGA. In the meantime, Sauratown solved its Sauratown's lease and the USH GA sire insurance until 1988. own LZ problem in May of 1987 when As Sauratown's popularity grew, so did Delbert Hall had a change of heart. SixtySauratown began to lure five at the time, Delbert said, "Yo u all have rhe po tential for problems. In 1986 che pi lots by 198 1. For starters, it had an open primary LZ was lose as a result of a misunto come down someplace." M uch to his road to the top, but the upper part was derstanding with the property owner. June credit, Delbert demonstrated fo rgiveness Bug Covingcon's property had always been privately owned by a television broadcastand put the tomato parch incident behind an alternate, but it was narrow and ing company. Some of the first fligh ts were him . He accepted a proposal allowing the made from lower Blii~~-:--.:a;--::---~ ;:,--;;;:7iill!!IIIJ use of a different cliffs along the road piece of his property far ther away from by pioneers who his garden and closmight otherwise have been called er to the mountain. "banditos." By 1982 T he section of land the mountain's top consisted of only had been fully testrwo small fields, but ed and was being perm1ss1011 was gJVused more frequenten to remove as ly. In February many trees as need1983, Sauratown's Looking southeast ftom behind launch. LZ is Front-side LZ is centered next to Yl\1C4 Camp ed. W ith hard work at Hanes. first newsletter, rhe in upper left center. several work parties Flying Wire, was produced by G.W required a good glide. For a shore rime the rwo fields were firs t connected by curMeadows. pilots were allowed to land at the base of ring a sloe through the trees. Then the site the mountain on part of Delbert Hall's During the summer of 1983, Peter regulars each pitched in an extra $100 to property. That was w1ril someone landed Adams and a group calling themselves the pay for a bulldozer to remove the stumps. In December 1987, 12 pilots joined "Sauratown Soaring Society" approached in his tomato patch. APRIL 1997

together to fr>rm the Sauratown Mountain I-fang Gliding Club (SMHGC). Mike Nester was voted in as the club's treasurer and remained the only year-round officer until being elected president at the beginning of 1992. That same year, Delbert Hall had the remaining trees around the I Z clear--cut, opening up new approaches, and the SMHGC hosted its first "October's Best Fly-In."

OCTOBER'S BEST FLY-IN 1996 RI~VIEW AND 1997 PROMO By mid-afternoon on Priday conditions began to improve. Jeff Reynolds and I launched off the southeast cliff ramp with a light tailwind. We quickly topped out at 5,600' MSL and elected to head east rnward some promising-looking clouds. Two miles south of Cook's Wall WC climbed under a beautifol cloud street with big smiles on our faces. On Saturday the wind finally blew in ar 5.. ] 0 mph allowing the comperitors to float off the end of the ramp. After top· ping out a 5,200' MSL 1 headed cast toward 1-fanging Rock with Jerry Brown in close pursuit. On Sunday I again crossed over to Cook's wall, but this time I flew alone as no one else got up in the LIV conditions. As during the previous two days I flew for about an hour and a half; then opted to land conveniently in my yard five miles from launch. J would have been more inclined to go farther had these conditions existed one week earlier during our fly-in. Unfortunately, October's Best 1996 and the entire Eastern Seaboard were held captive by nnrelenting norrhcast winds. Although 90 degrees cross and averaging 5-10 mph, most of the 46 registered pilots flew multiple times during the thrcc--day event. Weak thermal activity produced few good cycles, and as patience wore thin pilots dove off the ramp for all it was worth. On Saturday Mitch Shipley continued his strong annual showing as the only pilot to leave the mountain. He barely climbed above the TV towers, then milked it for 5.2 miles to win the X-C task. The duration times were pitiful, but it was still fon trying to better Vince Furrer's 12 minutes. Mark Fink was holding on to second place with l O minutes as Saturday ended. By Saturday evening pilots and friends alike were ready for some hot food and talc telling. Although he hasn't flown from the

r;o

mountain for a fow years, June Bug Convington continues to add to our flyin's popularity by cook'n and scrv'n his Saturday night chicken dinner. One hundred plates were served and rhc food kept coming. He has been on hand since S;mratown's first top launch was cleared. His list of contributions to the flying site, added to his early days as a barnstorming wing-walker and skydiver, makes him a Sauratown original. Sunday morning, while most of the pilots pussy-footed around, whining about the conditions, 'Jorn Fort attacked the day aggressively. Tom demonstrated the day's flyability, making three flights using a new approach to the southwest target. Soon the remaining pilots were stuffing ribs and shooting for the bull. As the day wore on the conditions improved slightly, allowing me a brief duration flight with Mitch Shipley. Launching and landing two minutes apart we moved into a three-way tie for second place with Mark Fink. The tic held and

was later broken with the pilots' next· longest flights. Although we would have preferred chasing cloud streets with larc--night retrievals, Sauratown's reputation for being flyable shined. Special thanks to Sauratown Mountain Hang Cliding Club members for putting on a good show that was injury free. Thanks also to launch timer David Tollison, to Jeff Reynolds for generating electricity for the campers, and to concessionaires Jerry Lawson and Gene Sands for serving breakfast and lunch each day. Besides just plain being a fon thing to do, October's Best raises money for site improvements in addition to the annual maintenance that a small club can't afford. 'l'his year we hope to open up a safer and easier approach LO the landing field for northeast conditions. In the meantime, stop by and have a flight on us. For more information refer ro the Calendar of Events in this publication or contact Doug Rice (91 O) 994-437'7, or Vic Lewellen

(91 O) 595 .. 6505. II Hi\NC GLIDINC

HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hang should be disassembled before first: t:imc inspected carcfolly fot: dented clownrnbcs, ruined cially t:hc heart bolt), rc-·used blcs, frayed or mstcd cables, holes, and on flex wings, sails from dwir anchor points fronr and leading If in doubt, businesses will to give an on the cnndi1 ion equip1nent ym1 bring ro inspect. Buycrn should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USH GA

DREAMS CLEARANCE SALE Raven Sky Sports (lil1) 47.'l-8800.

115 &. 185.

Kl .ASSIC I 11

Creal condition, blue and magc111a,

Ii O hours $2,000. J. 800-li 87- l li21 extension srcvc@applied.11e1

FALCONS 110, 170, 195, 225 new and used. WALIABYRANCH (9/il) 421-0070. l'Al.C:ONS CLEARANCE SALE School use, one season. 1\11 sizes$ l ,500-$7.,'500. (411) 173-8800. J:l.Y TWO '95 PacAir tandem glider, one season, top shape $2,GOO. (Ii J IJ) 173-8800.

Snperb condition, 85 homs $2,500. l<l.1\SSIC: 111 (801) \3G-4019. Sec Fcbrnary ccntersprcad, w/winglc1s $.1,200 OBO. ('Jl(,) li52-li2ii7 ;1irhungryti1lworldnc1 .at t.nct

Excdlcn1 condirion, whvingtips, low FORMULA 144 -

Crccn/bl11e/whitc 1mdcrsurfocc,

homs $:J,100. Will trade l,,r Vision. (21 ')) 8/iS-285(,.

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. LAMINAR ST, 11, Ll i11 stock. WALLABY RANC:11 (9/i I) 121-0070.

FLEX WINGS AIRBORNE SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING, HUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. TllE WALLABY RANCJ I (941) li24-0070. AJRWAVF CONCEPT I li9 With winglcts, excel lent condition, /,0 homs, will ship $3,850 OBO. Call Clcn (G 19) 158-.1:370 or 1-800 275-5120.

DOUBll'. VISION

Coo<l shape $7.,000. (411)

H)RMUI.A 15/i Excellent condition, low hours, whitc/grcrn/hlue $1,liOO. (602) 502-11i32. FUSION Demo daily. WALLABY RANCH (941) 124-0070. CAR.ACF SAU: TRX lliO's, '92 & '9l $2,000 each. 150 $1,200. 5 10 vc;B $400. Kiss $700. M;1ny par;ichurcs and instrumcuts. (602) 1\82-9723

17.38800.

DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2

New and used. WALLABY RANCH (941) 424-0070.

(;F.MlNl J61i -·· Fxccllem beginner glider, grca1 coudi1ion $'550. (541) Gei/i-58:30.

111\RR!FR II 177

DREAM !GS Cood condition, grc,tl beginner $800. Kevin (970) 2'i9-.l351i. DREAM ?.20 -· <10 hours $1,'iOO OBO. Two Javelins, 208 & 178 $:lOO(a) OBO. ('jO:l) 61:J.'7001. DRFAM 220 Crc;it condi1ion, ml); by UP, recent model $1,000. (')09) :BS-5682.

<50 hours, black I.F, rai11bow center, blue cover $600. (916) 781-6672..

condltion, spccdbar, new

l 11' AT l SB Dec'90, <50 hours, clean, crisp sail, hascmbc. l';issed annual inspec1ion and tc.,t Mission Soaring i11 M;iy'96, not flown since (')16) 781-G6l2.

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM

Mi\C:l(: lll ·- w/VC, speedlur, spaghetti harness, stored ~11f.M Fl'. Sell or 1radc for mo1orcycle, llarley preferred. Tel/fox (liO!t) 892-50}/;. New and nearly new. Available immediately. Nation's larp,cst Moyes dealer. WALLABY RANCll (9/i]) 124-0070. .\~OYFS XSJ(,') Cood condition, tlies,handlcslands great, li/h\11c & yellow$')')(). (510) 837-/i2C,1.

MOVF.S XTRAI.ITF 1 Mybr, lyr old $2JOO. F111erprise Combat U'! $/00 01\0. Sensor C: $500 OBO. Enterprise Desire !!iii, needs repai1 $/iOO OBO. Flytec :3020 $,00. (510) '52'1-877.8. <3 hours, very !'racer harness Parachute $200. !\all C'i2 v;irio P75. like new $200. (61 ')) 612-0'J'i2.

Number of months:

50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 3 words) line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) ,., ... ,,.., .......... 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover dale of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by teleol1o!ne must be charged to a credit card. IJlease enter my classified ad as follows:

LA MOUETTF TOPLESS! One yc;ir old, supcri· or pcrli,rm,mcc with gre;i1 handli11g $3,300. (51 O) 9120122.

SECTION

IJ Flex Wings .J Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories U Business & Employment 1.1 Miscellaneous I.J Paragliders I.J Videos Begin with ......................................... . consecutive

iJ J & Dealers I.J Ultralights f~igid Wings !] Publications &Or(Janizations rJ Wanted :J Harnesses

issue and run

of$ NAME: .. ----·-............. _ .......ADDRESS: CITY: - .. -.....--....-·-· .................·--·-· PHONE· Number of worc1s· Number of .......... __........

APRIL 1997

USHGA, fl.0 Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 632-8300 , lax (719) 632-6417

MOYES XTR!\LlTE lli7 l'riccd for quick sale, grea1 condirion, low rime $2,000. (56 I) l\8')-2581. Exccllcnl condi1ion MOYES XTRAUTE H7 $2,000 OBO. (619) /iJ/-6699. MOYES XTl<.AJJH: 16/i and sink rntc of rraincr $1,')95. (507)

Grcal condition, best Ix. handles like a

SPORT AT 180 Fxccllcnr condition, <50 hours, blue/aqna/whit.e. MUST SF.LI. $1,l 50. (203) 357689/i. SPORT 187 Mint condirion, crisp sail, 35 flighrs $1,000 OBO. (916) 2.22 .. 5fiJ6. S\JPERSl'Olff IIJJ

pink & mag<:nra, <'i5 10.

PRFDATOR 158 - I.ow hours, cxcelkm condi1ion $3,600. (208) 31t2 1350.

Sl:PERSPORT lli:l · Awesome condirion, hoc pink/yellow $2,100. (813) 'i95 28'ili.

RAMAIR 11\6 Pendlllllm Sports logo, good COltdition $1,'iOO. Kevin (970) 2'i9-J3'51i.

SUPERSPORT llt3 Good condition, col,la11sn1g spccdbar, new wires, /lies grcal $1,500. (Ii 55l8.

RAMAlR 146 Tllncd, immacula1c, 70 hours, asymmetric sail. Mostly red, black WW, gray 1ip $1,700. (Ii 15) 3/i 5 0337. RAMAlR 15/i Blue leading edge, near primo con· dit.ion $1,500. (206) 327-· l l 8-1 davisv1lhalcyon.com RAMAJR l 5/i Ci() hours $1,800. HE pod harness $200. (Gl9) 265 1874. RAMAJR 15/i All white wllbmair logo, <50 hours $1,200. (105) 363-3521. RAMAIRS (2.) 15/i & ili6, both h:lve wry low homs, like new condition, clean colors $?., 500 c:ich. Minucsota gliders· low UV. ((112) 688-8218, (612.) 559-0816. R1\MA1R 15/i ~- l•'.xccllcnr condi1ion, low hours, extra downrubc, fins $2.,600. (303) ii/i')-0'\ 13.

SPECTRUM I !iii Very glider, specdbar $!,BOO. Alabat11a. Sl'I\C:TRUM JIJ/i Rcd/whi1c, 75 hours $2.,000. Days (/iO/) 'J'i5-6/i13, eves (')5/i) 9/8 Tl03, email: Sec

Sl'l·:CTRUM lli-1 All options, 70 hours, excellent condition $1,500. Call Chuck (708) 957·:o2!ll Chicago.

SPECTRUM 165 Clear J.F, emrom rainbow low· er with Spccrrnm billboard, 2.liO IITP TE, fully foired, spcedbar, many extras included, 60 hours. Sec Wills Wing ad Junc'9:J, miur condition $7., 100 OBO. Bill (303) li:l0-778'!.

CJ•:NESIS .. D<:rnl.ilc,surfo,,e/:small pilor IIPAT ili'i. ... Exccllcnr condition .. $1,100 HPAT 158 .. ................. $825 Also Spectrum 1(,5 and Mark IV 17 &. 19'.s. All gli,lcrs include full & rest flight. Arizona [ Jang Gliding Center 632-4114. SUl'FRSPORT lli3 ........ 75 hours ...... $1,G'iO SPORT J67A liours .......... $1,.100 ........ 25 hours. ...... $2.,200 FALCON KI.ASSJC 166.. ... ........ 10 hours ..... $3300 KI.ASSJC 133..... ........ 50 hours .... $2,700 PJNSTERWAI.DFR FUNFEX 129 ...... MOO Ural, Mtn I Jang Cliding (80 I) 25/i .. 6 ! Ii 1

EMERGENCY PAJ~ACHUTES SUPERS!'( lRT 16.'l Two available, low hollrs, mllst sell, best ofl,,r. (61 'l) 28G 56M.

21i GORE PDA With swivel for· tandem $520 OBO. (Ii I Ii) li73-8800.

SlJPFRSPORT 163 Like new, low low time, beautiful bright yellow/white $1,950. (916) 9871795. SLIPFRSPORT 163 <50 hours airtime, excellent condition $1,700. (805) %7961 ').

UP C:2 165 liM,-55'rl.

good condition, $300. Crcg (619)

& SENSOR, $'500 each or UP COMET JJ l HS best oJfrr or iradc for paraglidcr. (702) 597-11 ')8 I.as Vegas.

VISION FCfl l'SE 1/ New wires rop & bor1om, Wills Wing /.:l harness 5'8"-G'2." with !'DA chute $1, I 00. (61 O) 87:H075. VlSION MARK IV 17 I .arc model, cxcellc:nt con· dirion, s:rfo-edgc down111bc~, comfort bar, mylar lead ing edges $1,350. (520) 77(1 8987..

IIARNESSES CG-I OOO'S (5) Pendulum Acrospons is selliug rhcir team harnesses. Call for prices and sizes. J .. g()() .. WF-FLY XC. H!CH FNFRGY POI> l!ARNl-'.SSFS Sizes & change monthly, $300 !iOO. cc; I OOO's $2.50. Kncclrar,eers & srirrups also available. Cocoons $2.00 /i'!,-8800.

MOYES EXTREME IIARNESS With !ors of options and 22. gore chute. Both $/i')5. (507) 89542./iO. RAYMOND EQUALIZER High lincrgy cocoon, 527-8728.

WW Zl New, large G', w/chute $550 OBO. (503) 6/i3-700/i.

VISION MKl V I 'J Older glider with very lit.de airtime. Rohen.son vario/alti, WW harness w/para· chlltC, helmet, thennomitts $2,000 OHO. (80/i) 99/i-

5,22.

PARAGL!DFRS !'LICHT lJFSrC;N A:J.21f ·- Great /Jrst paraglidcr, 130 1/0lh, only $500. Call Krist in (509) 92.5-2.190.

VISIONS & Sl'E< :'!'RUMS Bought-Sold Traded. Raven Sky Sports (Ii 1 ft) 173-8800. WW XC l 55 < 10 !,ours on this cherry asymmerrical red/white/blue glider w/winglcts $3,100 OBO. (lO I) 729-0/7.3. XC 155

5'5" 5'7" $250 OHO. l" $200 OBO. (510)

Asymmetric red/blue wirh new white edge. Primo condition $2,500. (7.06) 322-

IKAROS S.A.

Look under New York.

TRF.KKING MllJRA 1995. XI., intermediate, VERY STABLE & HJN TO FLY, 200 ?50lbs, low Minne.sou UV hours, includes Artwing harness $1,500. Paul (:UO) 2.lf0-912.6. \JI' STFI.I.AR 25 ''!2., excellem condi1ion, must sell $/iOO. (liOG) 58G-2G20 satk in(r/J1 non ta na.ca mpus. mci. net

SPFCTRUMS & VISIONS Bollghr-Sold-Tradcd. Raven Sky Sports (Ii I Ii) •f7.Wl800. SPORT EURO 167 .. - Excellent condition, hor pink $1,500. (602) J.E, w/cocoon harness & 5/iS-7121.

XTRALITE Iii/~· Fxccllenr condition, !yr old, Pendulum Sports logo $2,200. Kevin (970) 259· Tl5ii. XTRAI.ITFS .. Crcen Team is old mylar Two 16/is $1,800. for someone. Call 1-800-WF1:IY-XC.

UI.TRALIG!fl'S Fully equipped aeroAIRBORNL l'.DCF TRII<E mg w/trnilcr $ l '5,000. (86ft) 592-1170. 1996, 58? Rotax, fuJ .. AIRBORNE FUCE TRIKE ly equipped, aerotows great wirh dolly, hours $1'),500 (60,) 5/i2-liliJ6.

HANC CLJDJNC

BUILD/FLY Your own BACKPACK POWERED PARACHUTE l,,r fon/prolit. Takes off lirnn kvcl n11as.sis1cd. Sare, simple, incxpt.'nsivc. bool, with sourus. Now only$ I ').')'i. 108') Medford C:cntcr 112/i·ig, Medford OR l,IIp://www.wave.nc1/c,1synp/

CAl.lFORNIA ADVENTURES UNUMITED. Ornngc C:011111y's school. lJSl·ICA ccniricd instruction and tanspecialist. New & used eq11iprncn1, Wills Wing dealer. ('7 /i) 1[')(, .. 8000 www.ar1ne1/c,skydog/indcx.html J

Fl Y '5:llh foldahlv trikes. Video. Sail Wings (SOl) 8'j [ .fi()<J/i phone/fox. Look 11nder New York.

I lang gliding, Santa Barbara, l'I.Y !\ WAY US] IC/\ CC'rtif'i,·d instruction. Tammy Burcar (805) % I 2/M,.

WANTF!) ( ;ood condition ur

better. Tom (816) /iSJ<J<J;.3. USFD TANCl".NT Flytec or cornp:1r:1hlc l'LICI IT INSTR\JMFNT Older top·end unit con· .sidcred. Exccllrnt rnndit ion only 1 (80?) (,IJ<J.'i:l'ill. SCIIOO!.S &. DEALERS ALABAMA LOO!(OUT MOUNTAIN !·LICHT \>/\RI< ad under Ccorgi:1.

Sec

iu the wcst 1 hill snvicc sho11, cs1ahli,,l,cd \'J71i. PO l\ox C:1\ 'J l Jli(). J )\'J, (805) %5-3/l:l.

Tl!E IIANG GUDING CENTER Located in he:unifitl S:rn Diego. 1 lang gliding and paragliding instrnction, sales and service, conducted :\I TORREY PINES and local mountains. Spend yom winter vaeation llring with 11s. !Jcmo onr line oC gliders and t'<p1ipmc11t at the always convenient and world famous TORRVY PINES. We proudly offer !CARO (LAMINAR ST), MOYES (SX), WJU.S WING (XC) and all kinds ol' stnff. M,1kers of' the DROC;t;E CJILJTF. 86/i'i Fanita Dr., S,mtec CA 920·71, (Gl<J) 5(,2. j l)()'J.

A RU.ONA I IICl l 1\DVENTURF I Jang gliding, paragliding school. Fquipmcnt sales, service, rc111als a( Sou1hcrn California's mile high site, C:rcsrline. USllC:A lns1rne1or Rob Mcl<cnzic. Hy appoin1men1 year round. ('JO'J) 8Wl8/ifsS.

31401 Riverside Dr.

Lake ElsinorcJ, CA 92530 909-674-2453 ARIZONA llANG GLIDING CENTER INC. We arc a f'ull time, l'lJI.I. SERVICE hang gliding shop loc11ed just n,inures l'rorn the: BFST site in Arizona, rvling11s Mou11i-ain. We have the rno~t com~ prchcnsivc tandem tr;1i11i11g

av,1ibblc and can

teach you 10 he a SAFE in less time! We stock gliders) harncs.')cs and ins1n1llll'llls from Wills Airwave, Moyes, Flytec, !\all, I ligli Energy, C:(; and tn,111)' more! We need yom 1rade·i11s. Certified instructors Rob Richardson and Tim Helms. 350-r FLY /\BLF. DAYS Pl'.R YEAR! J 'j().f. Sornh I 6') lkwey J\'/. 520 632-/i l l Ii a l1g c(ft!11ort 11] i 11 k.( '{) 111

F\JII. SFRVJC:F SJ J()p Located on I lwy 7/i at th,· base of' the S:1111:1 i\na moun1ain range. Promlly rq,rcsn1u11i( ALL major brands. Rentals avail:iblc \0 Open 6 days a week 'Jarn .. Spm, closed Visa/Mastcrc1rd/Amcrica11 lixprcss. l.oca1ed in Northern California. MAC:IC 1\IR Lessons, sales, service. (707) 'J(,.3-:Jli 'i5.

ARKANSAS O'/ARJ< MOlJNT/\IN I !/\NC C!IDl·RS Sales, service ·,Jl1d i11slrm1inn. )60 Jolrnston i<d, Searcy AR 12ili.l. ('All) X7'J-2/i80.

APRIi

1997

in a

( )ur

instruction program) located ai-

thc San Bay Area's premier training site, fraturcs gently sloped !rills," winch 1<1wing, snperlitc gliders and harnesses! "FIRST F!.ICIIT," a video prcser,1:111011 11cr lesson

shipping rs). Our gliding innovations. We stock new, used and clcnro, Wills :111d PacAir glidns, plus all the hot/ts/ new harnesses. Trade-ins arc welcome. Take a on our new vinual re:dity h:rng flight rnr' 1 I I G Wrigley Way, 950,5. (408) 262,1055, MSC :I IC~ilaol.corn www.I 1/\NC-CI.IDlNC.rnrn

TllF NAMF SJ\YS IT ALii Join 11s at Walts Poim and other lau11chcs /'or the flights of your lii'c. Toms/rides ro Lmnch/rctricvals/XC and record din ics. Camping and brn,khousdWi11d1alkcr launch info. Eq11ipmrn1 sales and rcnr,ds/rivcr rn/'1ing and backco11n1ry excursions. The H:1ng Gliding Cemcrs' Owens Base Camp opens May I '5th. Please call wday to pbn your v;1c1tion. Programs for novice pilots :ltld non"pilots. Tandem XC the Sierras! Toll free (S88) OWFNS XC:. TRUE FLJ(;!!T HANG CI.IDING SCHOOi. DONALD Ql/t\CKFNBlJS[ ! has 1he only shop at world fomous Mountain, I ,os J\ngcb. ( )Jfcring instnlc\ion and o!' hang gliding equipment with tlic sewing shop M/\NTIS lr:Hncsses. Trninint, pilots for over yc:1rs. I 3/i I). Sayre Ave., Sylmar C:alif'orni:1 91:lli2. (818) j(,/.(,050 ph/fax. WEST COAST PARJ\GUDIN<; HANG CLID ING & PAR/\GI.ID!NG. US! \Ci\ p:nagliding insnuction, tandem. All 111,1jor brands of' paragliding cquipmcm (ucw and usccl), repair ,md hang specialis(s. 10 Fort hmsron. The only firll service shop in San l'r:mcisccil :JG20 \'vawom, San hancisco ( :A '!Ii l I 6. (Ii 15) 7W 11 77. since l'J//i. Fi/'rcrn to Sylmar, Crestline, Elsinore and training sites. V,,cHion l1ying and inclnding Judging rent:rls. The glider sales most and equipment, nc\.V and 11scd in stock. in your old e'luiprncnt. .l25 sunny days each year. Corne lly with us' I GI Ii 'i Victory Blvd., Van l\uys Ci\ <JI liOCi. (fl I 8) 988-0 11 I, Fax (818) 'J8il-l 862. COLORADO GOLDEN WINGS Lessons, sales, snvicc. US! !CA certified instructors. Dealers f'or Moyes, Wills Wing, Ahi\ir and l\irwavc. I Sli01 W. 'ltl, Ave .. Colden C:O 80/iO I. (HU) 2/8 71il I.

CONNr:crrcuT MOlJNTAlN WINGS

GEORGIA

T.ook under New York.

RORmA

INTRODUCES AfR SO/\R!N(; C:LNJ'ER. Origirrnl DRAGONFLY TEi\M Comi: Fly wirh I ,earn to I Jang Cliclc with st:1te-of~1hc--art tandem cquir,ment and a minimum of6 to 8 hours we ca11 accelerate your us for a flight in prime rime air! Camping tandem and available, also close 10 all The Aerorow Flight Park Sat is/:1criq11.( ;., iaran.tccd Just 8 miles from Disney World• Central ro Attractions YEAR ROUND SOARING• OPEN DAYS A WEEK• EOUR TUGS, NO WAITING• EVERY J)[RECTION

50 1 GU.GE demos to Topless Clidcrs: I.aminar, /vloycs, \Vills. Super X1ralitc, XC, Concept, Shark, Sting, Falcon, Superfloarer and more; also harnesses, varios, ct-c.

Ages 13 'I 'o Tl have learned to fly here. No one cornc·s close 10 our level of ,:xpcricncc and success with landem acrotow instruction. A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,,. I() motels & restaurants within 'i mins.,

ho1

lntctestcd in'"'""""·" Corne learn to lly the Dragonfly Aero Tug on one of the airfields in Central Florida, with two 2100 runways :rnd over 80 acres of wick Find om lunv you own Aero or i'light Park starred. Microlights Assembly and Training Facility on site, FOUR NEW TUGS TN STOCK Bobby Bowe11 and Russ Brown arc USUA Certified Tandem lnstn,crors. GLIDER & EQUIPMENT SALES AND SFRVICE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEFK CALL FOR MORE INFO (:,52.) 42,9.0213, CRAYIJIRD AfRSl'ORTS INC: lJSHCA & USU/\ ccrriiied ins1rne1i{)11. Beginner rhrn advanced glider r,mdcm acrotow training & ultrapilot thrn basic flight instntctor & ratings. axis sticktinl<' for Swifi, Snpcrfloatcr or Dragonfly pilot training. I nscruclion 7 days a week by appojntmcnL Dealer for all and aerotow cqttiptncnt. I 1 hours Crom ll.lvici\lamcc (l5?,) 2A 5-8263.

l'ERMANl·'.NT RV SITFS w/litll hookups, as low as $50/mo. Call Crcg Clover J ..g()() .. 8().'\.}788. LOOKOUT MOUNTAfN l'JJ(;f IT PARK -- Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their at Lookour than at any other school! We wrote 0/Jicial Training Manual. Our specialty-customer sauisfacrion and fon with the BEST FACILITIES, larp,est inventory, ming, morel For ;1 flying njp, inrro or lt:.s.son Lookout Mountain) 01nsidc ( :hat tanooga, your COMP! ,E'J'F ccn· tt'r. Info' (800) (,88-LMFl'.

HAWAJ! lllRDS OF PARADISE Hang gliding & ultralight flying Oil Kauai. Ccnilicd tandem insrruction. (808) 822·5:lO<J or (808) 639· 1067. IDAHO 'l'RFi\SURF VAi.I.FY HANC GLIDING High quality from repmablc manufacturers. Proudly Pacific Airwavc, High Sports, l'ly1cc and more! Sales, service, seminars & ing info. Boise, Idaho (2.08) }76-791 Ii. ILLINOIS

shovvers) shade trees, sales, storage, ratings,

retrievals, great weather, wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tahlcs, swimming pool, etc. Flighrs of over 100 miles and more than 6 hours. Articles in I !tm/!, (,'/irliny,, Ki1pl(//'/l!S, Crms C:011nt1y ,md others. l'cauned Oil Jttttncrous shows, including l•:Sl'N2.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'Lf(;IJT PARK - Sec ad under (;l:orgia. Nearest mountain training ccnrcr to Orlando (only 8 hours).

BUNNY... THE HILL WITH IT!

Please call us for references a11d video. l 805 Dean Still Road, Wallaby R;i11ch, Florida .33831.··93~8 (91 I) lj),lj .. ()()70 phone & fox Reliable• State o(tl1" /\rt

JJ MITCHELL

TANDEM. Airwavc dealer. 67.3:J Colnrnhia Ave., Hammond, IN li6.'32.li (7.19) 845-2856.

KANSAS PRAIRIF HANG GLfl)ERS Fnll service school &. dealer. Crcat tandem instruction, rowing & XC packages. (:lJ6) .,75-2995.

WE HAVF

MEXICO

I'.! U ;, TNC.ll'LYINC !'LORI DA SINCE 197/i Malcolm Jones, David Clover, Rhetr Radford, Ryan Clover, Austin Collin;, Tom Ramseur & Jim Appleton

INDIANA

RAVEN SKY SPORTS -- (41 Ii) /i7.'l-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

Visit 11s 011 the \Vcb: hnp:llwww,wallaby.com

Conservative

RJ\VFN SKY SPORTS 0 12) 360-0700 or (414) ii'l'.l-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

2550

GO ... ! !ANC Cl.II llNC!!! (Mexico) Alex Olazald, Valle de Bravo. Rental gliders, all level of services. (011) 52 72622449, fax (011) 52 5 553 30/i5.

HANC CLIDINC

MFXIC:O l'LYINC CENTFR linp://www.i11foahc.com/po11s Fm:iil: po11.s~1lservi· dor.unam.mx Tel/bx 011 .52',.(,52,6(1 (,6/'i5/i· 17 /9.

fapcricncc the l'rcedom ol' so;ir. ing flighrl in tandem insrruction & aero· towing. ceniftcates available. Location: l hour uonh of' NYC. For info call m1r ho1li11c ('Jlli) 778· '58:J'J, email: lllilxG1'clond9.ner

NORM I.FSNOW'\ FIYINC !\IWFNTllJ<FS Ridge soaring, foot·la1111ch hang gliders and

ELI.ENVILLE Fl.!GHT PARK S:1lcs, service, USJ/(;A cntif'icd instruction. Dealer for AlR· BORNE, LA MOUETTE TOPLESS, J\PCO, instruments, accessories. 80 I fang Glider Road, Ellenville NY 12128. Call Tony Covelli or Jane, nh,rn,·1'lax (914) Gli7 .1008.

paraglidcrs.

lnst-ructor, l':xarn.iner) '\'ow

Administrator, lessons. Call Norm (810) YJ9.9ii3.1. TRI\ VERSE CITY I !ANG GL!DERS/PARAGLID· ERS Fl/LLTIMI•'. shop. Cerri/'icd i11s1rnc1ion, foot launch and tow. Saks1 snv\cl\ accc:~sories fot

ALL 1mjor brands. VJSA/MASTFRCARD. C:ome soar our Ii 50' dunes! 1509 F Srh, Traverse City Ml Ii 968/i. lessons & ,ktler for new & units, and the Fly. Call Bill :it ((,16) Visit om parngliding school in .Jackson, Wyoming. C:all Trncic at (.107) 7.'39,8620.

NORTH CAROLINA

Flight Park

l'l.Y l llCH I JANG Cl.]l)!Nl;, INC.

Serving S. New York, Connecticut, areas (Ellenville Mtn.). Area's EXCLUSIVE Wini; dcalcr/spe· cialist. Also all othn major brands, accessories. Certified school/instruction. Teaching since 1979. Area's most lNEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent sec· onda,y iinishcd a program ,md wish 10 continue. Fly mountain! ATOI. 5163

MINNESOTA • T/\NDFM !NSTRlJC:TlON

SPORT SOARINC CFNTFR/MINNl'.APOl.lS eq1np1ment dealers for Wills Wing, l'aciftc Airwave &.

6880181.

NEVADA ADVENTURE SPORTS Acrorowing.Tandem. 'I 'ours out ing/paragliding USI rc;A certified mstntC\l•On. fidl service shop for Airborne, Alri\ir, Moyes, Wills Wing. 3650-22 Research Way, Carson City, NV 8')70G (707-) 88.$ 7070 phone/fax, advspts~1)pyramid.nct NEWJERSFY MOUNT/\IN WINCS

Look under New York.

lKAROS SPORT AVJATJON -- NYC's first ;ind paragliding, microlights paragl1d1ng, school. Distributors, ,kalcrs lc\l'o 2000, Apco, I.a /vloucttc, Cosmos, Mo11111aineer, J\ir Creation and The more. l'11ll service and C<[Uipmcnt at best most friendly service in the area. For send $Ii to: IS!\, 3811 ])i1mars lllvd 11110, Astoria NY 11105. Store ad,lress: 2'!31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone/fox (/ 18) 7717000, email: lkaros 1Gilani.com

• /\EROT0\1(1JN<; BOAT TOWINC PARAGLl])JNC H)OT l.!\UNC\\ , MOlJNTAlN Cl.lNlCS • OPFN YEAR ROUND • HEACII RESORT FQUlPMENT SAi.ES AND SFRVIC:F

(800)

NAGS http://www.kittyhawk.com

OREGON

SUSQUEI !ANNA FUCJ !T PARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, S,des and Service /i,r all mannfact11rers. Ir() acre park, 5 training hills, jeep b1rnk house, hot showets, GOO' NW ridge. We have the best in N. New York srarc to reach you how Lo fly. li5 Pioneer St., Cooperstown, NY 1332G, (l 15) 866,6153

AIRTIMF rnn:c;oN - SAFE J'Y=PROGRESS. Certified instruction on modern eq111pment. Sales, scr· vice, new and used too). Phone/fox (5/i I) 998 airrimeQll1elcvar.com PENNSYIYANIA

NEW MEXICO

MOUNT;\JN TOP RECREATION C:crti(icd instruction, Pittsburgh. (Ii 12) 697·/i/i'/'7. C'MON our AND PLAY!

MOUNTAIN WFST HANc; Cl.llllNC sales, service, insune1ion in the Four Corners Wing, Paci/k Airwavc. (505) C,:l)... 8/i!i.,

MOUNTAIN WJNCS -UP OVER NEW MEXICO lnstrnction, sales, s,'rvicc. Sandia MoLtlllain Wills, l'aci/Jc Airwavc. /\lbuqucrquc, NM (50'i) 82 f .85/i4.

l.ook ,mdcr New York.

TENNESSEE

NEW YORK AAA Fl.IC! IT SCI !OOL · MOUNTAIN WINGS and E/\ST COAST PAR/\GLIDING in l\lknville NY. 1hc largcsr, MOST PROFESSIONAL rraining in the NF with I years experience. 7 [i,11 time instructors, Ii exclnsivc hills. We stock everything available lc,r pilots and & service AIR· WAVF., l/1', llLllE SKY, Wll.l.S WlNC and now MOYES, also SWW!', SUPERH.OATER and ALI. P/\R/\GLIDER BRANDS. Unbea1,1blc price., on gliders. Full time rowing facility, tandems, !Cl', clinics. We do it all. J.8()().525./870, (91/i) Cili7·.B77. 150 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 121128. OUR EXPERIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

APRIi ·1997

(71

HAWK AIRSPORTS !NC P.O. Box 90'i6, Knoxville, TN 37940-0056, (li23) 12·499/r. I lang ( ;liding and world famous Windsoks. LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN Fl.I(;[ !T PARK ad llndcr Ccorgia.

Sec

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 #HTEAG $14.95 1 lb

standard polo # HPOL $24,00 1 lb blue, green & burgundy

earth polo #HPOLE $27,00 1 lb spruce & 011 ve

woodblock t-shirt #TWB $16,95 1 lb blue PG, brown HG

~ ~

stone washed caps $17,95 l lb blue, green & berry #HCBW

sun gradient t-sh1rt #HTSUN $14,95 1 lb

classic t-sh1rt #HTCLA

$14.95 1 lb

Address _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ City_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _State_

Zip _ _ _ __

Phone No.L__J_ _ __ day (_ _ )_ _ _ _ _ eve.

desert polo fHPOLD

$35.00 1 lb

black onl7

Qty

It em #

black flee c e lined jacket #HJKFL $ 7 5. 0 0 2 lbs

golf caps #H CG $12 . 00 1 lb red , bl ue & purple

Logo

Price per Total

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh $

M L XL

ah/bh

M L XL

ah/bh

Size

Color

Subtotal

Colorado residents add 3.0%

Shipping

Total

wo o l ja c ket #HJ K WL

$70 .0 0

3 l bs

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

_ Mastercard

Card No._ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Exp. date_ _ Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Mai l to: US Hang Gl iding Assn., Inc P.O. Box 1330

l a dies sleeveless denim #HDENL $27 . 00 1 lb a vai lable in small als o

long sleeve d e nim $35.00 1 lb short sleeve denim #HDENSS $30 . 00 1 lb #HDENLS

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

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

logo a h

l ogo b h

a ll of our stuff can be ordered vi th either of t h e s e off i c ial u shga logos. 7ou choose.

TEXAS

VIR(;IN!A

ALTERNATIVE AVIATION Certified foot launch, row &. tandem Saks/service, Steve & r:red Burns AUSTIN ('i12) l<i6'J. HOUSTON (281) li71 i li88.

HILL COUNTRY PARAC;I.Jl)]NG INC I.earn complete pilot skills. Personalized US! ]CA certified ridge soaring foot & tow launching in central MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. ('ll 5) 379 1185. Rt J, B"x I <iF, Tow TX 7867).. 1

KITE ENTERPRISES

KITTY l !A WK KITES

launch and acrotow i11struction too. rentals and repair. Airwavc & Wills Wing. Fon Wonh and nonh Texas arc:1. 21 J Fllis, Allen 75002. (972) :190-9090 nights, weekends.

SILVER WINGS, INC. tion and cquipn,ent s;1lcs. Proudly rcp,res,cm111g Airwavc, Secdwings.

RED RIVER AlRC:lU\FT/C;O I IANC CLIDIN(;i!! (Austin) Jeff Hum, 4811 Red River St., Austin Texas '7875 I. l'hlrax (512) !/67-2529 rrajd]<1ilaol.cnm

TOTAL AIR SPORTS Area's OLDF.ST Wills Wing dealer. Certified inst ruction available. "] only DEAL with Wll.LS". 6:l5/i Limestone, Houston TX 77092. (71 ,) 956 .. 6147.

Sec North Carolina.

WISCONSIN RAVEN SKY SPORTS JIANG Cl.lDlNG AND PARAGLIJJ!NC Largest and most pop1dar in rhc Midwest. Tradition.ii curriculn1n, ridge soaring) mo11ntai11 clinics) acrornwing & randcms by Brad Kushner. for all major brands. PO Box 10 l, Whitewater WI 53190 (Ii lit) liTJ.8800.

BEST 12" WHEELS AVAILABLF lightweight, a must for in bushings. Only 12" quantity discoullls, Immediate delivery. Lookout Mountain, (800) 6f\8 .. J.Ml'J'.

IIEAVTEST Wlll'l'F. WA'J'FR!'ROOF (;Jidcrbags $100ppd. Send check, money order and sizing ro: Gunnison Clidcrs, 15/i'J County Road 17, Gunnison C:0 812:\0. (')70) Gli l ··9315. I !El ,METS ·-· & Air Kcvlcr, rop-of.thc-linc $ liW-$300. Disconnrs on small & XS in stock. (41 Ii) liTl-8800.

UTAH PARTS & i\CCESSORms

FREE i:J.ICHJ' SPORTS 1.1.C Offrrs everything a new or advanced pilot needs. Exccllcnr instruction, statC··of-rlw·art equipment, full service shop &

ios/parachutcs.

sites with sornc of i-hc most consistent soarillg

rcbrokcrV1)j ncor11. 11,:1

tions in the

Free Flight Sports is owned and ranked pilot Dave Sharp. I k is foot la,mchcd soaring. This

ABSOI.UTEIY TllF l\FST (619)

Prices for Ball v:tr· ).2').()0/iB, email:

AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Sec TOW] NC. T!IE WALLABY RANCH (9/i l) /i24-0070.

means you get more airtime} have more fun and become

a better pilot in less time. ofjligh1 mi/ii)', (801) 26'3··861 J, 12.,7') 26'i W, Poim of the Mountain UT 84020, sharpdav,·~1\n,1h-intcr.nct I J[CH l'FRSPECTTVE WHEELS Real life savers! 12", light, tongl1. Firs all gliders. Send $41.95 + $1.50 shipping per pair to Aviation, PO Box JO 1, Mingovillc PA 16856. abo11r om dealer prices.

Protect your glider ARMADll.LO <;J.]!)ER BAGS from UV and all of natures clcmcms. Cnstom made heavy-duty polypropylcnc· w/fiill lcngth zipper $90 (plus $7. 50 s/h.) EXCl.lJSIVEI.Y through I<entuckiana Soaring, li25 N Ave., Clarksville IN li712.9. (812) 288 71 J I, fox 28/i-li 115. MC/Visa.

Pl.EASE SEF OUR J)[SPJ.AY AD. UTAH MOUNTAIN IIANC GLIDINC Formally Vulture Clidcrs, owned and operated by Charlie Baughman. Rcpmablc school, shop and sales. Now also a dealer for learn 1.aminar. (80 I) 75/i-·G J /; l.

Our

BALL GRAPHICS COMP CALL KENTUCKIAN/\ SOARING 7111 for the best price.

your support Tell them you saw their ad in llang Gliding.

um.) 2ss-

10,000 hang read our ,. . . ,.."",...,_..,d...... ,...., month. 20,000 seeing your

HANG CUDINC

KENTUCKJANA SOARINC ( :oni1n11nicarions

Best !'rices & Best ( :ustomcr Satisfaction ( ;Lw.ratllccd!

OVERSTOCI< & CLOSE-OUT ITEMS' VA RIOS: Fl .IC! IT DECKS NEW BALL c;RAPI IIC:S PLUS.. .. ...... $<:ALL !\ALL CRAP! l lC:S C:DMP .... DEMO ..... $'JOO.DO BAI.LMl'J. ........ \'i:l60.00 ........ $/i00.00 AIRC:OTEC Piccolo Pitts. Demo !)I(;li'JY . ........ DEMOS .......... $/i00.00 FI.YTEC: !iO IO.. ........ llcmo. ........ $'iU.OO ........ $7(,0.00 l'LYTEC: /i020 ... . ....... Demo. 11.YTEC: limo .. .. ...... $C:i\I.L MAl.l.F:ITEC: ........ $1 'i'J.'>'o ........ $15'),00 C1\RMIN CPS l8 .... ........ $2')'),00 CARMIN CPS li'L .. c;ARMI\J CPS ')0 ... ........ $Ci'J'J.OO l lFLMETS

PEI.LI-: & REFLEX Full Face ... OVERSTOCK CLFARANCE, Black & other ugly colors ... $ l 25.00 l'i\NOR/\MlC ........ htll Face.. ... $11i'J.OO l.LF F2, Used, Large w/PTT. ...$200.00 . ....... htll l'acc ... $290.00 UVFX . RADIOS Al.L MODELS AV J\ll.ABT.E YAl'.SU Fl'I IR. .. ...... 5 watt.. .. ...... $:105.00 KENWOOD Tl 122 ....... 5 w:1tt.. .. ...... $(:Al.I I'/(: Fingcrswitch/J lcadscr .. l lc:1vyDu1y .. $WJ.OO 5/8 TEI.FSCOPIC: 1\NTENNA.. .. ...... $20 'J'i 5/8 CAIN DUCK ANTENNA ..... $17 ')5 Er\RT1\I.K-SPEAKFR/M!C SYSTEM ........ Sale ... ........ U,o.oo VC2.2 YAFSU Vux/l'TT.. .. ...... $58.95 MOllll.l ...... 50 watt.. .. .. $2')') l/'\.00 TUNE UP w/Warrarny Intact.. .. ...... $Yi 50.00 IC:OM V68.. . ....... IT7 I /li1nhz .... $7.7.9.00 i\l.lNC:O.. .. ...... $C:ALL PARACIIUTFS Wll.l.S WINC LARA .... w/Parnswivcl ..... $CALL I IICI I FNERCY C)UANTUM.. .. ...... $CALI. Edd, Ni\S, WW, l'ro\)csig11, I ll'.S & Morc 1

KFNTUCKIJ\NA SOARINC l'RFSENTS "New" l'ingerswitch Radio llcadsct by C:onn,·ctions. I !FAVY-DUTY HEADSET with gcr motllltcd .\\Vitcli allows pilot lo comnnmicatc

while their hands <lit the control har or hrakes. ,md more reliable comrnunica tions. Your i11s1n1mcut is protected with a 90 day ml), warran\y wi1h repair service av:1ilablc beyond the warrauty. C11rrcntly :tvailablc f,n Yacsu, !com, Alinco, Kenwood and othn compatible radios. Available for f'nll /':tee or opcn Itel mets. $8'! +.t:,. 50 shipping, MC:/Vis,1, dealer iml'1ircs invited. Kcnrnckiana Soaring, li25 N Ave., C:Ltrksvillc fl\: li7129. (812) 281i-lil J SPECIAJ.IZ. (817) 288-7111, INC IN ELF.CTRON!CS, RADIOS, VARIOS, c;ps UNITS & MORE!

The world. class XCR-180 up to 3 homs Gil J 8,000 Ii. and wcigh.s only C:omplctc kit with cylinder, harn<:ss, rq1;ul:1tor, cannula and remote on/off llowmctcr, only

C:rn,cra mount, sever:d models available $1i.,.'50. Camera remote (ask about rebate) $/i5. Vario mount $1 'i. 6" wheels $7').7'5. S/11 included.

MAINTAlN YOUR AllHOII. With this tool 1mdc of hardwood and pcrlo11 $:% , M silt. JC :J )( '.. l'O Box /1':i, Dobbins CA 9'59.l'i, (li08) 2G2-8iiG'i.

M ISCFJ .I .AN EOl JS AIZMAIJll.1.0 Clidcr Travclbag ........ UV rcsist:rnt ..... $90.00 WIND 1\DVJSORY i\ll<SPEFD W/,C:hmp ... $.!.:l.()0 IIAI.I. PARACJJDFR AJRSl'FED ...........,,,:.0. llO()J< l<NIFE ................ ~lli.'h M1\SON'S TOW R!·:J.F,\SE ........ $'5'.l.00 U-MITTS ...... Clc:ir.mcc Overstock ........ $25.00 ....... .$ I iii.Ii S AVOC:ET I'll.OT W ATC! !LS. TFK FT.!GHT PRODUCTS, Colebrook Sc1gc, Winsted CT 06098. (860) 379-1668. http:/ lmern

KEN'l lJC :KIANA SOARINC; Avrnuc " ' ' " !S,,VJLIC IN /i7 I 2') (812) 7.88-7111 fax (812) 2illi-li11 MINI VARIO World's smallest, simplest v,1rio! Clips to helmet or cl1insrr,1p. 200 hours on bartcrics, () .. ] 8,000 It., fast aud year warranty. Crcat fc,r $ I 6'!. Malleucc, PO Box 1'575(1, 92735. (71 Ii) %(,, 121i0. MC/Visa accepted.

a APRIL 1997

V'v!TTTS ing mitt for cold keep you on the ground. Order yom V·MITTS roday!

These CORDURA vccro-on milts arc warm and comforrablc and h;ivc superior abrasion resistance. They ;,re one size fo.s all and arc machine washable. Mountain Wings Inc., I 50 Cmal Srrcct, Ellenville NY 12116, ('J J Ii) (,,i7.}JT1.

COME TO CANADA! Or bring n"' to you! For I lang ICP's. Cc1 rcccnilicd rhc RC:R way! Also, we arc & looking for instrucrnrs &. randcm pilots to hire both hg & pg. Contact: Michael Rohertson-l ligh Perspective, RR 5, 865 (:onc.7, Claremont ( )m. ( :anada l, I Y I 1\2. (90'i) 29/i 2';,J(,, fox (905) 29/i- 11195, CllWil: We oner levels) for

iMH NF\a:DS EXPFRIFNCFll [!F[,l' sew shop. ( '.all /\Ian or Matt ('70(,) 3'J8 .. J5/i I.

Il!Gl!ER TllAN EI\CLES by Marnly.s & Chris Wills. The !if',· & rimes of' BOBBY WILLS, hang l',x1,cne11,:T rhc triumphs ,md tragedies and the cvolmion of Wills Wing. $19.95 hardcover ,$/i.00 Sil I), sec classified for US! JC;\ llU()l(S ordering

l n the

T/\STE Tlff FRFFDOM Nutrient dense, wild grown, supcrfoods and income opportunity. S11pcrio1 endurance, higher energy .111d rncn1;i] quicker recovery. Compact, easy to store and g(J(). J ..

8%-!f779.

PUBLICATIONS & ORCANIZATTONS hack issue order DON'T CFT C:I\LJ(;JIT LI\NDJNC DOWNWlND! 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 'j'/i" long w/1 \" throat. i\vailable colors lluorcsccnr pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/whirc. $}9.95 (,$/i.00 SIi I). Sendro lJSl !Cl\ Windsok, P.U. Box I 330, Colorado CO 8090 l-l:l30, (719) 6}2-8300, l,1x VIS/\/MC accepted. WJNCTIPS

form. horn the c,1rly

present

liflng (;/iding. (71 ')) 6i2-8JOO.

BAC IT! [f' you don't have yom copy of Dennis l'agrn's PERFORMANCE FLYING yet, availahlc through LJSI !CA I leadqwrncrs $29.95 (+$Ii s&h).

Brand new for Khssic $}00 OBO.

(219) 8/iS 2856.

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT r\RF YOU I\ US! JC/\ CERTJFIFD JNSTRlJC:'J'( HZ? Or 10w rated' If so, owe it to yourself to give us a call. We arc looking a frw respomiblc, mar me and se!J:moriva1cd individnals ro join rhc MOUNT/\IN WINGS TEAM. your summer in beautiful you love mosr··l·IANG GIJ!). upstate NY doing ING. C:all us ar (') IIi) 61i7-:rl77 for more derails.

DOWNWJND From the early days of the ?O's, rn air of Owen's Valley, DOWNWIND is with thrill and exhilaration of cross country adventure. The gifi for horli pilots and 11onpilors. SJJI\RF. EXl'FIUFNCF. A trnc well told. i\vailable from US! J(;i\ I leadq11ar1crs only $10.95 (,$2 .,;/h). PO Box 1:no, Colorado Springs CO 80'JO I- 1.UO.

your

What a

two-month lead

"NFW" A RISK MANAGEMENT MANUAL ( ;liding, hy Michael Robertson. Used ex1c11sivcly as USJ!Cr\'s Instructor Certification Stmlem Notebook. Includes: history, the wc,11(Jrrn1s will(l ncw tow section, the wing\ the windivid11al, ,rnd 1hc fomous REVISED, NEW CHARTS 01' RELIABILITY. $9.'Y> 1 $:l s/h. Order your copy Crom: [ ligh Perspective, RR 865 Cone.?, Claremom Ont. Canada LlY 11\2. (905) 294-25:36, fax (905) 29/i 8ii95, rn1ail: ilyhigh<iDinforamp.net NEWPll.OT EDITION HangCliding l':11·agl1cl1ng rn:igazinc. Now available through lca.clc1m1rtc,rs. ~li.'JS each 1$1.50 s/h. lnformarivc articles and plrnry of color rhr011gho111.

I IANC Ci IDINC

SO/\RINC Mond,ly magazine of Society of America, Inc Covers all Fnll membership $55. Inf,,. copy$}, SSA, I',( l, !\ox E, I lohhs, NM 8B'JA I. ('>05) YJ2.l 177.

RF/\L ESTJ\TF L/\l(FV!EW ORFCON [Jang Cliding Capital of the Wesl! Rcloc:Hc' your business and take a "launch" warchonsc, IO rninntes to hour. Approx 15,()00 tl1c local launch site! rooms-<l phase power. MAYBE i\ I !ANG/PAR/\GUDINC Sl !OP? Or lrny as nn invcsrmcn(1 colJcci- current rents and deduct those l)lJsiness!flying 1rips. Possibly for Oregon Economic I Jevclopmetll .fs. Owner .t I 15,000. (':i4 I) g,j<,.(,:278.

NEW IN STOCK! PARTY /\T CLOUD BASE ;\ h:ing gliding t11t1sic video by /\dvc11ttirc Productions $1 'J.')5. POINT OF THF MOlJNTAJN./\ward winnillg hy Ea.sl Co:tsl Video, hg/pg ae1ion al this U1,tl1 mecca $29. I !ANG GI.IDING EXTRI•:ME & BORN TO l'l.Y by i\clvcntmc Proclncrions, grcal hg :H1ion $:ili.95 each. JlAWAIIAN FLYIN hy Spau: 'J, .soaring in paradise, launches $:rl. Call or fox l JS 11 Ci\ (71 'JJ Ci:\2.8 lOO, (71 'J) (d2·6li 17, plca.s,· t $ii dome.st ic ,,/h ( 1$'i ltlt' \WD or more videos). Creal 10 impress your friends or /,,r those .sockcd·in days. l'erkct for rhc launch polato rnrncd couch potalo. us ahoul our videos! MISCl'.l.1./\NFOUS

TEX;\S HI I.I. COUNTRY Secluded hill 1op lot, excellc111 view o/' Lake I.BJ. Paved road & utilities, I minutes from Packsaddle Min., 20 rnin111es Crom /\us1i11 /\irsporis and l lill Co11n1ry l':iragliding. Access to 18 hole golf course & 5,000' paved private runway $12,'iOO. Call Chris (210) 82/i 180:l.

VIDEOS HOOKS & POSTERS Call USI !CA for your Merchandise order form (719) 632·8300, email: ushgaCt 1\1sl,ga.org.

TOWING AEROTOWING /\CCESSOR!FS for: The nnest releases, secondat·v "V" bridles, weak links, 1andcm ki1s, ere. TIIE WALLABY RANCII (9/i l) /i2/i.0070. Cl'.T MOR!'. /\lRTJMF, C\JJ\R/\NTELIJ' Pl:irform pay·oul :rnd I londa powered st:11ionary winch systems in .si-ock. ()vcr 65 .sysi-cms in u.sc, prices st;1rt at ju.st $1,99'5 delivered. !;or more inf()rrnation

comae\: TI.S, }()\() Mark, Sa11 /\numio TX 7B218. (21 0) 82/i. J 80l, fax () 10) 805-f\\86.

SCOOTER TOW SYSTEMS

WfNJ)SEFKER More f,m than a b:trrcl of down· i1 11ies1 ONLY $3.00 plllS .s/h tubes. lt smrs, ir (%3 .1/h on ordcl'.f Mo/'/' thmt 3 or Int'! ordm·, plmsc rn/1 or n1111i/) USl lCJ\, PO Box I:no, Colorado CO 80901. (719) 632.S:lOO. fox your MC/Visa order to (71 'l) 6:)2 .. (,fi 17, c·mial: ushgaQhushga.org

DON'T 1.FAVF YOUR GROUND.BOUND EQlJIPMENT SITTING IN TITF GARAGE. SELi. IT IN THE I 1/\NG c;uDING CLASSIFIEDS. "AFROBATICS" F,rll color 31" pos1cr (ca· turing John I lciney doing wha1 he docs hest·LO()]'. ING' Avaihhlc 1hrollgh lJSJ !CA J IQ /,,r just $6.95 (,$J.'i0 s/h). Fill 1ha1 void on your waJJI Send to USI !CA /\crohatic.s Poster, l'O Box 1}00, Colorado Springs C:O 8093.l, (USA & Canada only. Sorry, po.s1ers arc NOT AVAII.ABLlc on i1nerna1ional orders.) SPECI/\L--/\eroli;11ics pos1cr & Frie Raymond posier BOTH HJR $10 (1$:l.50 silt).

/\vailalilc a1 various

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATE.S The rate for of' char· classified advcnising is$. 50 per word (or ac1crs) and $1 .00 per word for hold or MINJ. MUM AD Cf!/\RGF $5.00. i\ Ice o/' 15.00 is charged for each line arr loµ,o and $25.00 /,,reach photo. LINEART & PIIOTO STZF NO LARGI-:R. THAN 1.75" X . !'lease underline words 10 he in of' rahs $25.00 per column inch. Phone words. Fmail or wch addrcss,C:lwmds. AD DEADLINES: /\II ad copy, instrnci-ions, cli,mgcs, additions ~md cancellations must

prices. (972) :\')() 'l0')0.

be received in I I/), lllotllhs preceding the cov er dale, i.e. /\pril /'or the June is.sue. l'bise m:tke checks payable 10 USJ JC/\, J>.O. Box J:J:30, Colorado CO 80':!0 1· 13l0, (719) 6:32 BHlO. F:tx (719) 17 or ernail: u.sltgaGhmhg:1.org your classified with your Visa or fv1astcrcard.

Ul.TIZ/\LINE · In s1ock, ready to ship.:,/\(," x .1000' $105. :l/J(," x !iOOO' $J!i5 included. 1.afoycnc

VIDEOS & FILMS Fl RST Fl.lGHT hillows the action of a new pilot's firs1 lcsso11s. Thi.1 video is an enlcrtaininµ, way 10 show your f'riends and family !tow you ac1ually learn to Jly. Vf IS I 'i minutes, $20 includes shippin1•, (mfly ht rz;,plied 10

MISSION SOAR

INC C:FNTER, 111(, 95035. (li08) )(,2.1055.

Way, Milpitas CA

l CJ\N 1./\NI) 150 good, b:td & ugly 1,mdings. 1\ tl1US1 for all SI udcnts. <JO+ min mes & lo1s aero. Scnd $'J'S money order 10: Jeff Reynolds, 1902 F Sharon Drive, Phoenix /\'/. 85021..

can

APRIL 1qq7

C:/\1. c;LOVF CAB RETTA 1.EATllFR CLOVES, world Ltmouc; in equc.s1rian circlcsj arc now gaining popubrity in rhc hang gliding, para1•,liding & parnclnrting markets. Avaihblc in men, wrnnrn & ch;Jdren si,.cs, 9 diffiretll colors and priced from $2°/.')5-·$:l').'Vi. !'or more inf,, on the.sc superior leather gloves rnn1ae1: Cal-Clove, 2920 Auburn lllvd, Sacramento CA ')5821. ('l I<,) li81 870 I, fax ('JI C,) /i8 J. JI 6S, email: cal·glove~'1juno.corn

STOT,EN WINGS &THINGS YAFSU RADIO Misplaced ar TTJ,LURJDF FLY,,qi1e11111,cr 19%, serial number 4N201703,

7?Fl588, FOUND CAMFRA 3'irnrn, found at POlNT OF THE MOUNTAIN, UT on October G, 19%, Call (801) 95?.-lli 18 10 idemify, SOLAR WINGS SCANDAL Stolen from VANCOUVER, BC CANADA on August I 0th, 19')6. 13.Ci meters, lilac & undcrsurfocc, hluc cl,evron parachute: him: Skylark vmio.

IKAROS (KOREAN) PARAGUDER Stolen from SAN BERNARDINO, CA rental car on June 61h, I')'!(,, !'ink upper, white nuder with blue hawk on right bottom, Jeri brake line replaced with 50'5 cord, Contact Min[ lo Yoon (909) 887-li8/ili or Mcl<cmie, l ligh Adventure (909) 88J-8/i88, STOLEN WlNGS arc listed as a service 10 lJSl !CA members, Newest entries arc in bold. There is no charge for I his service and lost and fonnd m cqrnp111c11ll be called in ('719) 632-8:\00 or fax in (,32 J'lc,;isc

Adventure Producrions ...................... 12

Kitty Ifawk Kites ........................ .

Airtime of San Francisco ................... 11

Lookout Mtn. Flight Park ................ .11

Ah Air .. ,............................................ 26

Mojo's Gear ... ,.................................. 62

Arai l)csign ........ ,.. ........ ,, .................. 13

Moyes .... ,.. ,............. ,......... ,.............. ,34

AV8 ..................................................3'1

Neilscn-Xellennan ............................ 12

Ball Varios ... ,... ,,.,, ... ,........... ,.. ,.......... 23

Sce1.!wit1gs .................. ,, ,..... ,.,..,,, ,........ 18

Br;11u.lliger .,.,,., .............. ,........ ,............ ,9

Soaring Center ................................. .43

Plytec .,., .................. ,....... ,.. ,.. ,........... 39

Sport Aviation Publications ............... 15

Hall Bros ......... ,.... ,............................ 43

US .Aviation ...................................... 18

High Energy Sports .. ., ....................... 30 Icaro .. ,........................ ,................. ,...... 2

Wills Wing .......................... Back Cover

Just r i V' ....................., .. ,. ............... "" ... :m

mo•jo (1rn,'.jo)n. a charm or amulet thouf:?hl to have magical powrrs; lu(;k as of a magical or supernatural orif:?in; a magical selection of/light gear from Texas, Call for your Free Copy: 48 full-color pngcs of over 400 acccssorlcs

Instrnments, raclios, reserves, helmets, life vests, boots, gloves, Oight suits, tee.shirts, liats, cups! survival supplies,

Box

ColoRAdo SprdNqs

80901

1,800,616,6888 usliqA@usltq1umq fAx(719) M2,6417 MC & VisA

eyeglass retention,

warmers, hardware, repair

insl1~rn1en1, mcmnt.s, book:s, vlde1)S, 1rn11:,s, com1Jas;;es, Gares, sig11als,, wi,nd :soGlks, •Neathe1r stc,tio11s, \,aw;. Tllttches ..stickers. glassware, gifts and MOREi /!

Office Hours: MON-THVR Noon to 5PM Central Standard Time

HANC CUD!NC

by Dan Johnson Pl\UL,

af Cha.L l:anooga,

ing l:h0c, company wil L ba cm to .i "[ draws boundc, rnade Cup yacht

most yach I: compos LL i_s whid1 l:hc~y twi t Li:rnovation winqti p loadinq based on of Whi Le mo~ot Moyes cont:in"" the; carbon making. T~ey they I work] l:o compa"" in suc.b hiqh1Y"" admit Ui:i rai cosl:, bul: f J t" a] o intt,qrity" their gLid"" announcements, Moyes springtip l:.bat" fit ing edge, pockeL-"s of t"he with tl1 Lm the w:i .I l extend .i gh specicl '}'rrnucJl:1 they obvimrnly cm l:hu:3ias with Uic~ top1c:s,; CSX, Uwy :]ay till comm:U:l""ecl to the, complete SX line, botl1 CSX and SX. ••• 'l'hinking of you' U l:lie clc f in i LI VC: bu J to add my fine Pre-World Meet Howe ( l) in hi and Ryan who mdnaged competi U on flying. Brotber manager of the: Wallaby Ranch siblinq t, "l~yan' only month::;, yet: he bc,at team Nel even 22nd in pilot Frenchmdn and T'hevc,not, who won on bis 1

stop The n' I"" <:Jet

workable A1'1'11

9(J7

Lem.

towing

don' the need while others applauded lt. In my experience,, towing equipment considc0red highly pe:rsonal gear by most pilot,; can qeneratcc; more "expe;rt " than vir-" tually any other accesE;ory Black ,,ays "Tli concept ifJ ou of t:he of our paraglid instructor, Phil Hi Greg refined i t and began building i t at his Mountain Wings shop for tbe towing operation they run at an airport: wherE:, the:y recently gained access. He says it can be used with any release syste:m as long as it attaches to botb sides of !:he b"arness, whetlwr at the shoulder, waist, or leer strap area. It can be used for both PG and HG, he repo"rts. '"!'o set the aut:ornat:Lc re1eas point, you simply tighten or loosen the knots in the 20'5 leecb line attached to the release pin and bridle. 'rhe sborter the lines, the the o f ine situation you," Black ,3ays. For more info, call 914-64?-3377 or J at Mnl:Wings(aao1. com. Mark Mallett of Mallettec fame continue:s to refine his tiny little vario. Now witb Surface Mount Tcchnolo9y (which gel:s better production re:liabili ty, he says) and new circu to slightly increase the volume, the Mini Vario nonetheless sti11 remain:c, a paltry $169 with a qreat two-year warranty. ~~e Malletlcc idea] for hang gliding, Mallett claims, by liminatinq any chance o damage to the in,;trurnent: during :Landing, unlike bar"-rnountec:l, more expe:nsive flight decks." He advises you use the Mini Varj"o winter/recreationa flying and as backup during the sumrner/XC season In interesting ide notcc, Mallett says he bas adapted the Min:i. fur uc;e on hot-air balloons. Built in an "invert"ed" mode, the upsidedown Mini helps 1 l'.)alloon pilot who can be orne enqro sec:l in XC flying duties increased descent rate. The unit an "audio 'down' va.riometer, " says Mark. For info, see hi,, ad or ca ? 966-"1240 Be,fore close, I should tell you (sLnce r work fort.he company... '.s my job, y'know) that BRS has exper:i enced two new parachute "saves" of inl:erest o many hang q1ider pilots. Last year, not one but two Dragonfly l:ugs used their on-"board BRS 'chutes. Nearly al D" fJys have them j talled and given t:heir workhorse duty, this app,oars to have be:en a vc.c;ry wise dech,ion by designer, Bobby llailey. Flown hard in low af tow, the Dragonfly is pirnhed harder than most u1traiqhts, so L may be no that one partjcular plane, based Wdllaby Rancb, has now recorded i L's second on the same canopy. ~rhi::3 ic; unique:: c0xpe.rienc0:: for BRS llaVO;c,: One canopy, one airframe, two parachute:, deployment,.;, both successful. 811111111 Hey, outta room again! So, got news or opinion.cl? Send 'cm l:o 8 Dorset, St:. Paul MN 55118, V"-ma:Ll 612 450-0930, E-ma"i1 CumulusMan@aoJ.com. THANKS!