USHGA Paragliding March/April 1998 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

AIRMAIL

Accident Reports

RATINGS

EXEC'S CORNER

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COVER: Mike Smith, Airplay instructor, Cookie Ogilvy and Andri Senn at Merriam Crater, Flagstaff Arizona. Photo by Paul Maruszewski. See story on page 36. MARCH/ APRIL

1998

PARAGUOmG·.ffiWRJ'.,tt~~~//····· ·i::::t:~itt1 by Steve Rott, photos·~ ft1ul'M.'(l,tU~~'fUJ,it(} ·. c

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Gil Dodgen, Managing Editor/Editor-In-Chief Steve Roti, Jon Goldberg-Hiller, Contributing Editors Dave Pounds, Art Director Will Gadd, Dennis Pagen Staff Writers Office Staff

Phil Bachman, Executive Director, phbachman@ushga.org Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jjelgart@ushga.org D. Dean Leyerle, Insurance, ddleyerle@ushga.org Karen Simon, Accounting, klsimon@ushga.org Elaine Elgart, Web Administrator, emelgart@ushga.org Natalie Hinsley, Merchandise Services, njhinsley@ushga.org USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: G.W. Meadows, President Bill Bryden, Vice President Russ Locke, Secretary Geoff Mumford, Treasurer

REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Steve Roti. REGION 2: Russ Locke, Ray Leonard, Scott Casparian. REGION 3: Ken Baier, Tammy Burcar, Gregg Lawless. REGION 4: Mark Ferguson, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Frank Gillette. REGION 6: Jeff Sinason. REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Randy Adams. REGION 9: Pete Lehmann, Geoff Mumford. REGION 10: G.W. Meadows, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Dave Broyles. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Ed Pitman, Paul Rikert, Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Chris Dupaul, Bob Hannah, Gene Matthews, Lars Linde, Arjan Ala, Barbara Flynn, Alan Chuculate, , Ken Brown, Sandy King, Mike Meier, Rob Kells, David Glover, Paul Klemond, Gregg McNamee, Michael Robertson, Greg DeWolf, Tracie Fifer-Welch. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA). The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FA!), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAl-related paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. PARAGLIDING magazine is published for paragliding sport enthusiasts to create further interest in the sport, and to provide an educational forum to advance paragliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos and illustrations concerning paragliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other paragliding publications. PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for thli material or opinions of contributors. PARAGLIDING editorial offices: 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Suite A-256, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, phone (714) 8887363, fax (714) 888-7464, e-mail: GilDodgen@aol.com. The USHGA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $54.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Paragliding), ($65 non-U.S.); subscription rates only are $26.00 ($32 non-U.S.). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, and a mailing label from a recent issue. PARAGLIDING (ISSN 1089-1846) is published bimonthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 101, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-3657 (719) 6328300. FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid.at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: PARAGLIDING, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330.

MARCH/ APRIL

1998

POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN SOUTH SIDE STULL THREATENED Dear Editor, Graders have already begun widening the roads on the South Side, and survey stakes have been placed up the hill directly where hang gliders launch. Information is sketchy at this time, but our understanding is that a construction company will begin digging the eastern part of our site in early March, and will place its gravel scale in, or next to our LZ. This appears to be one of the most serious threats caused by the increasing pressure development and mining have placed on the Point recently. The Utah Hang Gliding Association is currently working out a plan of action to address this new challenge and will post updates in Hang Gliding and Paragliding. Joining or renewing your membership in the dub will help provide a vital membership and capital base for us to draw upon. Please contact: UHGA, P.O. Box 757, Draper, UT 84020. Club President: Steve Mayer (801) 553-1834 or e-mail info@paragliders.com.

launch for both paragliding and hang gliding! In order to fly Crested Butte Mountain pilots must be members of both USHGA and the GVPA, hold an Advanced rating (P4) and be accompanied by a GVPA guide pilot. An annual guest pass is available from the dub for $20. Several other safety requirements must be met before flying, so please contact a dub member. At the present time the only GVPA and CBMR recognized guide pilot is Richard Kocurek. As an instructor and USHGA Observer, Richard has an excellent safety record and is always eager to show visitors the local flying sites. Give Richard a call at (970) 641-1754 or 641-5592. To clarify another point, Mr. Doug Hase does have a separate, exclusive special agreement with CBMR to fly at Crested Butte Mountain for the 1997/1998 ski season only. He is not a member of the GVPA and is not allowed to fly outside of his agreed-upon dates. Even if you are not an Advanced-rated pilot, we are fortunate to have some of the best flying conditions in Colorado. With over 40 flying sites facing every wind direction and ranging between 30' to over 3,000', there are places to fly for every skill level.

CRESTED BUTTE NOTICE Dear Editor, In the January/February issue of Paragliding magazine the information concerning paragliding on Crested Butte Mountain, Colorado failed to mention a number of important points. Since the spring of 1997, the Gunnison Valley Paragliding Association (GVPA) has provided site insurance and the formal structure to monitor paragliding at the ski area. This action was taken as a direct result of a request from Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and the United States Forest Service. One benefit of this cooperation was being allowed to use a D-7 bulldozer to build a dramatically improved

VOLUME

ISSUE

Tim Walker GVPA President (970) 349-6843 Chris Piela GVPA Vice-President (970) 349-6843 Andy Clark GVPA Secretary/Treasurer (970) 349-6857 P.S. There are 54 recognized 14,000' mountains in Colorado. Crested Butte paraglider pilots Jeff Smith and Scott Truex (Crested Butte mayor!) have both previously flown from Wetterhorn.

PARAGLIDING

To Fly AIR.EA

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In Arizona and Washington:

CIXON'SAIRPLAYPARAGIJDING 509-182-5543

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOUR AREA I

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE "ASPECT'', "TENSION" AND OTHER

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GLIDERS FROM AiREA'S FULL PRODUCT LINE. MINIMUM SINK I GUDE RATIO: OUR PRODUCTS BELONG IN EACH PERFOR.MANCE CLASS TO THE BEST IN THE MARKET. WE WANT YOU TO FORGET THE ADS WITH FANTASTIC GLIDE RATIO DECLARATIONS. GO OUT! TRY AND COMPARE! WITH EXPERIENCE IN PARAGLIDING SINCE 1988, WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SUPPORT THIS OUTSTANDING LINE.

FOR INFO, DEMO, GREAT SERVICE AND PRICES, CONTACT AiREA USA, 939 LILAC STREET,

LONGMONT, CO 80501. TEL: 303-651-9675, FAX: 303-651-1750, E-MAIL: xglrln@ecentral.com. CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE AT http://www.airea.de

BRONZE SAFE PILOT AWARDS RICHARD SHALLMAN

BEGINNER RATINGS Region 1 BRENDER, FOREST: Sumner, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG HERRON, SHANE: Juneau, AK; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG LEW, ODYSSEUS: Bellevue, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG ROBINSON, MON1Y: Eugene, OR; L. Pindar/Over the Hill PG ROGERS, FLOYD: Renton, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG TIBBETfS, JEFFI: Seattle, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG WEASE, DARLENE: Portland, OR; B. Hill/Over the Hill PG WEASE, THOMAS: Portland, OR; B. Hill/Over the Hill PG Region2 HOPWOOD, JEREMY: Foster City, CA; J. Lucas/Gildell PARISH, BEROUS: Oakland, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego RICHARDSON, LOREN: Cupertino, CA; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports WILSON, BRUCE: Mountain View, CA; P. Hirst/Westcoast PG WOOD, HELEN: Belmont, CA; J. Lucas/Glidell Region 3 ANCTIL, ClARK: San Diego, CA; L. Love/UP San Diego BORDUIN, RAY: San Diego, CA; B. Fifer/Traverse City HG MEIER, GEORGE: Valley Village, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego PERHAM, ARMIN: San Diego, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego PIAZZA, DESIREE: Kula, HI; S. A'my/Proflyght Hawaii PG PIAZZA, TONY: Kula, HI; S. A'my/Proflyght Hawaii PG REVENKO-PROKSCH, IRENE: Santa Barbara, CA; K. DeRussy/Hang Glider Emporium REVENKO-PROKSCH, ROGER: Santa Barbara, CA; K. DeRussy/Hang Glider Emporium TROEGER, MIKE: Wrighcwood, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure VERTUE, NICHOIAS: San Diego, CA; F. Lawley/Accelerated Flight Systems Region4 AUCHTERLONIE, CHARLES: Park City, UT; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG HANLEY N, EDWARD: Sedona, AZ; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG HOPPER, CHRISTOPHER: Albuquerque, NM; M. Osowski/Hill Cowmy PG HOWARD, JENNIFER: Albuquerque, NM; W. Smith/Mountain Flyers PG JACOBSON, BRANDON: Payson, UT; T. Fifer-Welch/Jackson Hole PG MC CROSKEY, THOMAS: Denver, CO; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG MOUDAKIS, THOMAS: Phoenix, AZ; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG OLMER, WOUTER: Aspen, CO; A. Marx/Ajax PG PEARCE, CRAIG: Aspen, CO; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG SMITH, RYAN: Arvada, CO; W. Laurence/Fly Away PG WALKER, TIMOTHY: Poncha Springs, CO; R. Koulerek

Region 5 BLOXHAM, BRAD: Idaho Falls, ID; C. Santacroce/Sun Valley PG JENSEN, LEVI: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders MATfHEWS, GREG: Bozeman, MT; K.Hudonjorgensen/Above & Beyond SCHWARTZ, JD.: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders SCHWARTZ, JEREMIAH: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders Region 7 DUMUZLISKI, SLOBODAN: Fairfield, IA; L. Love/UP San Diego Rcgion8 FRAWLEY, DAVID: N Tewksbury, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP Region9 RODER, ED: Wilmington, DE; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG Region 10 ALSPAUGH, JAKE: Winston Salem, NC; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG SLAWITZKI, FRANK: Taylorsville, NC; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG Region 11 COOK, GREGG: Georgetown, TX; M. Osowski/Hill Country PG HAMMERS, GREG: Austin, TX; M. Osowski/Hill Country PG LONGORIA, AI.FREDO: Laredo, TX; L. Love/UP San Diego Region 12 GOODMAN, GREGORY: New York, NY; P. Renaudin/GMI PG LANDEGGER, JR, GEORGE: Rye Brook, NY; D. Jebb/UP San Diego SANTOS, MARCUS: Astoria, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Region 13 CLEMENT, VINCENT: Canada; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports GIBSON, J.R: Hong Kong; K.Hudonjorgensen/Two-Can Fly PRYCHODA, RON: Canada; L. Young/Mescalito Adventure Co

NOVICE RATINGS Region l BRENDER, FOREST: Sumner, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG CARUK, STUART: Ridgefield, WA; L. Young/Mescalito Adventure Co CORDEIRO, JEROME: Medford, OR; C. Stockwell DAVIS, MARK: Issaquah, WA; L. Chirico/Chirico's Fright school DIAZ, MICHAEL: Portland, OR; L. Pindar/Over the Hill PG HERRON, SHANE: Juneau, AK; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG LEW, ODYSSEUS: Bellevue, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG LUCAS, DAN: Palmer, AK; B. Hannah/PG Washington MILLER, MICHAEL: Bellevue, WA; B. Hannah/PG Washington QUINTO, CHRISTOPHER: Juneau, AK; S. Hassell/Airtek PG RICHARDSON, DALE: Bend, OR; P. Pohl/Sky Hook Sports ROGERS, FLOYD: Renton, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG SANZONE, MARK: Hollsboro, OR; L. Pindar/Over the Hill PG

continues ...

PARAGLIDING

SMITH, GREGORY OD: West Richland, WA; M. Eberle/North American PG TIBBETTS, JEFF!: Seattle, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG WOODHEAD, WILLIAM: Grants Pass, OR; C. Stockwell Region2 GREAVES, DANA: Mt Shasta, CA; E. Hern/Skyn 4Hi GROSE, JONATHAN: Saratoga, CA; P. Hirst/Airtime HOPWOOD, JEREMY: Foster City, CA; J. Lucas/Gildell PARISH, BEROUS: Oakland, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego WOOD, HELEN: Belmont, CA; J. Lucas/Glidell YARNELL, MARK: Reno, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports Region 3 ANCTIL, CLARK: San Diego, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego BLACK, GREGORY: Honolulu, HI; J. Hagemann/PG Hawaii BORDUIN, RAY: San Diego, CA; B. Fifer/Traverse City HG JUZWIAK, WILLIAM: Los Angeles, CA; S. Hassell/Airtek PFEIFFER, JAN: Huntington Bch, CA; M. DeBarros/Atmosphere PG REVENKO-PROKSCH, IRENE: Santa Barbara, CA; K. DeRussy/Hang Glider Emporium REVENKO-PROKSCH, ROGER: Santa Barbara, CA; K. DeRussy/Hang Glider Emporium TROEGER, MIKE: Wrightwood, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure VERTUE, NICHOLAS: San Diego, CA; F. Lawley/Accelerated Flight Systems Region4 AUCHTERLONIE, CHARLES: Park City, UT; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG HEWES, KELLY: Aurora, CO; G. Banks/Parasoft PG JACOBSON, BRANDON: Payson, UT; T. Fifer-Welch/Jackson Hole PG PEARCE, CRAIG: Aspen, CO; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG RIVA, GRANT: Edwards, CO; G. Kelley/Vail Valley PG SMITH, RYAN: Arvada, CO; W. Laurence/Fly Away PG TUELLER, NATHAN: Bayton, UT; K.Hudonjorgensen/Above & Beyond WALKER, TIMOTHY: Poncha Springs, CO; R. Koulerek Region5 DENNEY, DANA: Pocatello, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders GRANT, M LIAM: Ketchum, ID; C. Santacroce/Super Fly Boyz JENSEN, LEVI: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders LEDYARD, JOHN: Missoula, MT; T. Arnot/Airworks PG MAYES, BRETT: Meridian, ID; M. Bell/Discover Flight Inc SCHWARTZ, J.D.: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders SCHWARTZ, JEREMIAH: Moore, ID; F. Gillette/Magic Valley Gliders Region 8 FRAWLEY, DAVID: N Tewksbury, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP LOPES, DENILSON: Marlboro, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP SMITH, KAREN: Somerville, MA; J. Nicolay/Morningside FP Region 10 ALSPAUGH, JAKE: Winston Salem, NC; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG CAVENESS, ROBERT: Clemmons, NC; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG SLAWITZKI, FRANK: Taylorsville, NC; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG VELASQUEZ, MANUEL: Opa Locka, FL; J. Casaudoumecq/Aerolight USA

Region 11 SANDS, MARK: Taylor Lk Vig, TX; S. Hassell/Aircek PG Region 12 GOODMAN, GREGORY: New York, NY; P. Renaudin/GMI PG SANTOS, MARCUS: Astoria, NY; L. Linde/Eastcoast PG Region 13 BERNIER, JEAN: Canada; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports CLEMENT, VINCENT: Canada; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports DICK, RYAN: Canada; L. Young/Mescalito Adventure Co VANCOE, COLLEEN: Canada; M. Eberle/North American PG

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS Region 1 PARK, ANDREW: Eugene, OR;J. Gluzinski/Air America PG QUINTO, ED: Juneau, AK; S. Hassell/Airtek WHEELER, DAVID: Redmond, WA; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG WILSON, STEVEN: Redmond, WA; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG Region 2 BOUDOURES, MARK: Pacifica, CA; R. Ost/Blackwing PG DUNHAM, JOHN: Reno, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports HERBOLD, GEORGE: Roseville, CA; P. Hirst/Westcoast PG KENDRICK, PETER: San Jose, CA; D. O'Hara/Observer SMITH, DAYID: San Luis Obispo, CA; H. Murhpy/Surf the Sky PG THOMAS, GREG: Richmond, CA; P. Hirst/Westcoast PG YARNELL, MARK: Reno, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports Region3 DEJOHN, MIKE: Duarte, CA; H. Murhpy/Surfthe Sky PG JACOBSON, DANE: Goleta, CA; T. Truax/Sky Sports MASTERSON, MICHAEL: Westminster, CA; T. Nelson/Thermal Dynamics RAYMOND, ANTHONY: San Diego, CA; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG RICHARD, GREG: San Diego, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego WALSH, DESMOND: Kailua, HI; JGoldberg-Hiller/Observer Region4 BRABEC, STEPHEN: Phoenix, AZ; J. Reynolds/Phx Aerosports HENRY, FREDERICK: Aspen, CO; J. Stenstadvold/Ajax PG TVEITE, KATE: Aspen, CO; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG Region 7 SEITZ, JOSEPH: Madison, WI; S. Mayer/Cloud 9 PG Region 12 MARUSZEWSKI, PAWEL: Cheektowaga, NY; D. White/Dixon's Airplay PG SCHMIDT, GUNTER: Fairport, NY; D. Jebb/UP San Diego Region 13 DUFOUR, ERIC: Canada; C. Bowles/Southern Skies PG

continued on page 12 ...

PARAGLIDING

Condition Skill Price FOR SALE: Sglm <10hrs. Adv. 29 $800 Athena <Shrs. 2 Place Bi-Ritmo 37 $1,695 <1 Shrs. Beg. $1,050 Boogie 30 <1 Shrs. Beg. 32 $1,000 Boogie Beg. Civic New $1,895 33 New Int. $1,700 Espirit 36 Int. <6hrs. Espirit 36 $1,550 New Beg. $1,250 Graffity 31 Int. Ken do 29 <1 Ohrs. $1,250 <40hrs. Int. $700ea Miura 31,33 <1 Ohrs. Cmp. $1,400 Mondi al 33 <1 Shrs. Cmp. Odyssey 28,32 $1,800 New Beg. Prelude 27,30,33 $1,995 New Beg. $1,895 Previa 27 Beg. $600 <40hrs. Ritmo 27,31 New Beg. Ritmo 31 $1,595 New Int. Sensor 31 $1,900 Int. <10hrs. Sonic 24,31 $2,000 <25hrs. 2 Place Twingo 47 $1,250 <1 Ohrs. Int. Vision 28 $1,500 V-Max <1 Ohrs. Cmp. 31 $1,800 NAS PDA 22 Reserves .............. $375 Limited Quantities. Full Face Helmets .................................... $85ea. Training Helmets ...................................... $55ea.

COLORADO PARAGLIDING- SINCE 1986 Tele: (303) 278-9566 Email: paragliding@wwdg.com

UPDAT E

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FLY PRODUCTS ENHANCES PRODUCT LINE

n addition to the Solo 210 engines, the Zanzottera MZ34 and Vittorazi, Fly Products now offers the new three-cylinder Konig, the new two-cylinder Lucky Motor, and the Lark. All new models are available in two sizes with a 115-cm or 95-cm propeller, and all include new anti-torque bars. Interchangeability between motor units remains a notable feature of the company's products. The two outer 128-cm and 96-cm frames are identical for all models, allowing customers to easily upgrade from one model to another at reduced cost. Contact: Fly Products, tel./fax Ol 1-39-735-632486, www.insinet.it/fly, fly@insinet.it.

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purging and reorganizing the Organization Directory for better functionaliry. If your school or business hasn't received a letter from USHGA for directory-listing confirmation by now, please contact us; you may be missing out on valuable, and more importantly, free advertising. Send your school name, contact person, address, phone, fax, e-mail and Web site address to: USHGA Organization Directory, Attn. Jeff Elgart, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (7 19) 632-8300, ushga@ushga.org.

n 1998 AiREA is introducing two completely new designs: the Session, a basic intermediate glider with V-rib construction and DHV 1-2 certification; and the Shape, which features their original Improved Stabilizing Technology (IST), to complement the company's DHV 2-class Aspect. IST was initially introduced on the Tension, AiREA's performance glider. The Tension and the Fat Willie tandem glider complete the product line. To enhance handling and safety the company also offers its Diwan harness and three sizes of Smile reserves. There is also a fourNEW USHGA MEMBERSHIP line "Stuntkite" which will allow you to CARD attempt the craziest high-wind maneuvers "\Tou will find something difwith your feet planted safely on the ground. .l ferent in your Improved Stabilizing Technology (IST) mail,11'' ot\t.'t\0"' ,.,..r-•~ ei t.\\ . •en1:•t employs a unique combination of"V'' and \\~ 6 (i\.\O~e\l\\)etsb\?\uflt\te "H'' ribs which the company feels repre"\'t\0 ~f" sents a major improvement over conven\) ~out WI r,Sll",:ti$- ~ "'~t\l} \It\'' J6\ tional V-ribs. The number of lines is ::-~"'""' \\\l}\b~:::..~t\9~,~.... reduced, diminishing drag and weight. "\\o\ \It h'-(1\fl o11·"'' ,.... ,...-"" ...-··~ o-· 'f Profile accuracy and stability are also ·:;_. ~ .-w@"""..-. .,,.,.,. ,11-1>aO optimized, producing higher performance. 1 ~ t0.0,01-1110<.1 " The IST configuration allows minimal line when you renew \'•,..'"'· your USHGA membership bifurcation, with less than 30 cm of line length at the canopy, further reducing drag. this year. We have done away with the Contact: AiREA USA, 939 Lilac St., old laminated membership card and replaced Longmont, CO 80501 (303) 651-9675, fax it with a new "plastic-form" perforated mem(303) 651-1 750, xgirin@ecentral.com, bership card. Not only are these new cards a www.airea.de. real time and money saver for the Association, they are quire flexible, better DIXON'S AIRPLAY NEWS looking and also easier to carry. We welcome ixon's Airplay Paragliding and Glidell your comments at ushga@ushga.org. will be expanding the availability of USHGA ORGANIZATION Advance Paragliders in the United States. Pilots may now make inquiries, demo or DIRECTORY purchase Advance products by contacting s your school listed in the USHGA Dixon's Airplay Paragliding through their Organization Directory? We are currently

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newly expanded Web site, www.paraglide.com, or by calling (509) 7825543. Glidell may be reached at (415) 4249704.

WINGS OVER ASPEN JUNE 27 - JULY 3 Red Bull, the energy drink which improves athletic performance by up to 25% by giving athletes a three- to five-hour mental and physical lift, is proud to present the premier paragliding event of 1998. The event will take place in the spectacular mountains of Aspen, Colorado and will feature over $20,000 in prize money. The featured event is a paragliding crosscountry competition. In addition to this there will be a hang gliding aerobatics competition and paragliding aerobatics demonstrations. The main event will draw the top paraglider pilots in the world to compete for the $4,000 first-place prize. Daily activities will include live music, food, beverage, and aerial fun. The paragliding competition is open to all P-4 pilots. There will be a limit of 100 pilots with a minimum of 40 U.S. pilots. Because of the limited number of pilots there will be a selection process, so entry forms must be received by May 1, 1998. Look on the Web page for entry forms. Upon confirmation pilots must pay an entry fee of $250.

PRIZE MONEY OVERALL FEMALE 1st .. .. ... $4,000 ..... . . $1,000 2nd ....... $3,000 ....... $ 750 3rd ....... $2,000 ....... $ 500 4th .. . .... $1,000 5th ...... . $ 750 6th-10th .... $ 500 For registration and more information contact: Aspen Paragliding, 426 S. Spring St., Aspen, CO 81611 (970) 925-7625, (970) 925-7710 (fax), climbfly@rofnet, http://www.aspen.com/ paragliding.

WANTED: PARAGLIDING PHOTOS

he USHGA is currently designing a four-color brochure specifically for the wonderful sport of paragliding. But we have one problem - we need photos!

PARAGLIDING

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Desperately! Can you help us out? Send your slide dupes to USHGA, Attn: Jeff Elgart, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901. Call or e-mail Jeff with your questions and concerns at (7 19) 632-8300, jjelgart@ushga.org. We also need paragliding photos to grace our Web page, www.ushga.org.

WORLDWIDE ADVENTURE TOURS UPDATE

"EN" certified helmets. Customer service and product support will be offered at their brand-new warehouse/service facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jeffrey Farrell states, "We plan to provide our customers and dealers with a level of support and service that, until now, was unheard of in the paragliding industry." Jeff and Chris recently returned from a trip to Firebird headquarters in Germany where they were

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~·

trained in factory service and Firebird's glider man ufacturing procedures. Chris says, "We now offer the most thorough, cutting-edge and technical glider inspection in the country." T hey also have a new Web site that is packed with information for pilots. For product information call a Firebird dealer, visit the Web site at www.firebirdusa.com , or call (80 1) 255-9595.

orth American Paragliding, Inc. continues to plan many exciting tours to exotic locations around the globe and North America. This year they will be offering a variety of flying adventures to Canada, Chile, New Zealand, California, Utah and the Pacific Northwest. Required skill levels vary from complete Novice to Advanced, and the tours include continuing education for every level if desired. Some tours involve camping while others are totally deluxe, including hot tubs and helicopter transportation to the best sites. Custom tours are also available for any sized group to any location. For more information call 1-800-727-2354 or check out www.fun2fly.com.

NEW FIREBIRD DISTRIBUTOR

effrey Farrell and Chris Santacroce have joined forces to offer the complete line of rebird gliders, harnesses, accessories and

SkvSp Hangar 1, Linden Rirport Linden, Michigan USR 48451

·ii

1-800-AIR-STUF 1-S10-73S-9433 Fax 1-S10-73S-1078

AEROLIGHT USA, 1355 N.W. 93 Ct. Unit A-105, Miami, FL 33172 U.S.A., Tel : (305) 639-3330, Fax: (305) 639-3055, paraglldlng @aerolight.com, http://www.aerolight.com

M A RCH/ APRIL

1998

1998 T O P 30 SC H OOL/CLUB LEADERS IN BEGINNER (PARA 1) RATINGS ISS UED

RANK SCHOOL .. ....... ................................. ...... BEGINNER 1 ... continued from page 8

2 3 3

ADVANCED RATINGS Region 2 BLAKEMORE, CHRIS: Gardnerville, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports MONA, UELI: San Francisco, CA; J. Gluzinski/Air America PG Region 3 FRENCH, MICHAEL: Canyon Country, CA; K Baier/Airjunkies PG HILL, MARC: Honolulu, HI; ]Goldberg-Hiller/Observer JEONG, SUNG HEON: San Bernardino, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventures RAVIV, MENI: San Diego, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego ZENOVIC III, JOSEPH: El Cajon, CA; D. Jebb/UP San Diego Region4 CROXTON, ROBERT: Albuquerque, NM; K. Mayforth/Paradox KIRSTEN, CHARLES: Snowmass, CO; C. Smith/Aspen PG SMITH, KEVIN: Denver, CO; D . Jebb/UP San Diego Region 5 TASKER, TIMOTHY: Jackson, WY; C. Warren/Wind Dance Region 13 MC DONALD, JOHN: Hong Kong; K. Baier/Airjunkies PG

6 6 8 9 10 11 11

13 13 13 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 28

1998 T OP 3 0 SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN NOVICE (PARA 2) RATINGS ISSUED

RANK SCHOOL .......... ...... .. ... ... .......... ......... ...... ... .NOVICE 1

MASTER RATINGS STEIN, ED: San Mateo, CA

3 4 5 6 6 6 9 9 9

TANDEM ONE RATINGS ALDO LOBATO, JR JOE MCKAY PAULSCHALLERFRANCO

TANDEM INSTRUCTOR RATINGS DON REINHARD HANSJORG KUNKLER MICHAEL REEDER

Dixon's Airplay Paragliding ............. ................... .. .. 19 Eastcoast Paragliding ......................... ................. .... 12 Hill Country Paragliding ...... .... .... .. ... ....... .............. 11 Over The Hill Paragliding ........ ....... .. ...... .. ............. 11 Glidell ................... ........ .. .. ..... ... .... .... ..... .. ......... ... .. 10 Cloud 9 Paragliding .............. .... .... ... ........ .. ......... .. .... 9 UP San Diego .. ... ... ......... ....... ....... .. ............ .............. 9 Moringside Flight Park ....... ... ............ ............ ........... 8 Southern Skies Paragliding .... ............. ............... ........ ? HG/PG School ofOregon ... .. ................ .. ........ ... ...... 6 Adventure Sports ...... ........ .......................... ....... ....... 4 Fly Away Paragliding ... ... .. ...... ............ ... .. ... ..... ... ...... 4 Chirico s Fright School... .. ....... ............. .. ........ .......... 3 Magic Valley Gliders .. ....... ....... ........... .. ............ ... ..... 3 West Coast Paragliding ..... ............... ..... .. ......... .. ....... 3 Airworks Paragliding ............. ............... ... ........ .......... 2 Altus Parasporcs ............. .. ..... ................. ................. .. 2 Chandelle ..................... .... .... ... ... ......... .. .. ................. 2 Fly High .... .................. ........ ..... ........ .... ... .. ....... ..... ...2 HG/PG Emporium ..... ....... .. ........... ................ ... ..... .2 Paradox .............................. .... ..... ... ... .... .................... 2 Peak Paragliding .............................. ................. ........ 2 Proflyght Hawaii Paragliding ..... ... ....... ........ ... ....... ... 2 Sun Valley Paragliding .......... ..... ... ... ...... ... .... ........ .... 2 Surf the Sky Paragliding ................... ........ .... ... ... ...... .2 Traverse City HG/PG ........ ............... ... .... .. .... .. ........ 2 US Airborne ....... ........ ..... ... ... .......... ... ................... ... 2 22 Schools Tied with ... .. .. .... ... .................................. 1

12 12

14 14 14 14 14 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

Dixon's Airplay Paragliding ................. ..... .............. 16 Eastcoast Paragliding ................. ............ .. ............... 14 Southern Skies Paragliding .. ... ...... ... ....................... . 10 Cloud 9 Paragliding .................... .. ... ......................... 9 Over The Hill Paragliding .... ...... .. ......... ..... ........... ... 7 Airtek ... ...... ..... ................ ..... .. ... .. ............................. 6 HG/PG School ofOregon .... .... .. .. ... ......................... 6 Morningside Flight Park ... .... ..... ... .......... ........... ....... 6 Adventure Sports ............ ..................... .... .............. ... 5 Glidell .................................. ...................... ............ .. 5 West Coast Paragliding .................... ...... .. ....... ... ....... 5 Magic Valley Gliders ....... ............ .. .. ...... ...... ....... ...... .4 UP San Diego ...... .. .. ... .. ..... ...... ..... .. ... .... ................... 4 Aerolight USA ............ ....... ..... ..... .. ......... .... ........... ...3 Airworks Paragliding ......... ..... .. .......................... ..... ..3 Chirico's Fright School ..... ... .... .. ............................... 3 Fly Away Paragliding ....... ...... ... ... .. .. ....... ..... ............. 3 North American Paragliding ... .... ... .......... ... .. .. ... ....... 3 Accelerated Flight Systems ..... .. ....... ........ .... .. ..... ....... 2 Airjunkies .. .................................... .. ..... .... .. ..... ...... ... 2

it:~~::~E;1i:s.:::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~ FlyHigh .......... ..... ..................... .... ... ...... .. ................ 2 HG/PG Emporium .... .... .. ................ ....... ................. 2 Mescaliro Adventure CO .......... ... ...... .... ...... ............ .2 Paradox ....... ... ........ ................ ....... .. ........ .. ..... ..... ...... 2 Paraglide Telluride ... ............ ........ .......... .. ..... .. ... ....... 2 Paraglide W ashingron .......... ... ..... ......... ......... .... .. .... .2 Parasoft Paragliding ........... ..... ............... ........... ... ... ..2 Peak Paragliding ................ ... ........ ... ...... ................... 2 Surf The Sky ...... .............. ........ ............. ... ...... .. ... .. .... 2 Traverse City HG/PG .......... .... ... ... ....... .. ......... .. ...... 2 US Airborne .. ................................... .... ...... ............. .2 Vail Valley Paragliding .......... ... ........ .......... ...... ....... .. 2

Rankings were compiled from ratings published in January/FebruaryMarch!April 1998 issues ojParagliding magazine.

PARAGLIDING

•

ANNUAL D & SAFETY SEMINARS

Ill

-4~Po MAY 21-25, 1998 ~~,~ 'IN"'r OF THE JVlOU~ ATTEND INFORMATIVE SEMINARS FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS. YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY OUT NEW STATE OF THE ART PRODUCTS, PARAGLIDERS, MOTORIZED PARAGLIDERS,HARNESSES,VARIOUS,FLIGHT SUITES, TANDEM GLIDERS, OXYGEN SYSTEMS, HELMETS, AND OTHER FLYING EQUIPMENT FROM MANUFACTURES AND DISTRIBUTORS. WE INTENT TO HAVE EVERY MAKE AND SIZE GLIDER AVAILABLE IN THE U.S.A HERE FOR YOU TO FLY. This is a non profit event; There will he a $50.00 pre-registration fee before May 1st ( $60.00 at the door), $25.00 will go to the Utah HGAfor your membership dues and to aid in there efforts to help SAVE THE POINT. PLEASE PRE- REGISTER. Call, Write, Fax or e-mail us for more information 12665 S. Minuteman Dr#l, Draper, Utah 84020 Phone (801) 576-6460 Fax (801) 576-6482 E-mail HBC3@aol.com

This event is sponsored by:

~/\~'f ~t~~ /\~~ f~~~~~/\ft~~r ~~

\Ip

FLY HARD

Paraglide the western states w/ Rob Whittal & C. Santacroce. Great maneuvers, great sound.35min. $35.95

PARAGLIDING-THE COMPLETE GUIDE by Noel Whittal. The most complete & comprehensive guide on the market today. Over l 00 color photographs. 200 pgs $26.95

PARAGLIDING-A PILOT'S TRAINING MANUAL by Mike Meier/Wills Wing $19. 95 Covers all aspects of paragliding. Equipment, beginner skills, flying techniques & more.

UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. The most complete book on micrometerology for all sport aviators. Plenty of photos & illustrations. $19, 95

PARAGLIDE: THE MOVIE World class competition at Owens Valley. Rock-n-roll & plenty of action.40min. $35.95

CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING Great intro video. Meet the hot pilots & fly the hot sites. 36min. $34.95

POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN PG & HG action at this Utah mecca.52min. $29.00

DAREDEVIL FLYERS Ill-THE PARAGLIDERS As seen on Prime Sports. Paraglide in scenic Telluride, Colorado. 50min. $24.95

MASTERS AT CLOUDBASE A paragliding music video. $19. 95

USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-1330 1-800-616-6888 Visa/MC fax (719) 632-6417 Please add s/h US $4.50 for videos, $5.50 for books. Orders over $50 call!

BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT SAFETY

CRISPI BOOTS MADE IN ITALY FOR PILOTS WORLDWIDE

Removoble rear insert and velcro strip for keeping the laces in place. CRISP! PARATEC BOOTS Removable side slrenghtheners suede & leather wilh cordura edge Sympalex lining and Vibram sole. Multicolor. USS 21 0 & Crispi Tinos Purple color. No Inserts. USS 1SO

CRISP! AIRBORNE BOOTS Waterproof Nobuk. Vibram sole. Shock proof Kevlar Tip. No Hooks. Grey with Black color. USS 240

KIWI EVOLUTION HELMET Corban fiber. Only 20 ounces. Well Padded. Allow maximum visibility and inslallation of earphones . In color While or Block. USS 220

KIWI HYPE HELMET Composile fibers. Only 22 ounces painted in color White, Black or lead with lhin water decals and protected clear coating. USS 210

KIWI PLAIN HELMET Composite fibers. Only 22 ounces plain colors White or Black and protected clear coaling. USS 190

AEROLIGHT USA, Inc., 1355 N.W. 93 Ct. Unit A-105, Miami, FL 33172 U.S.A., Tel: (305) 639-3330, Fax : (305) 639-3055 Email: paragliding@aerolight.com, Home Page: http://www.aerolight.com

Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, dare, contact name and phone number). !rems should be received no later than six weeks prior to the first of the cover month {i.e., January 20 for the March/April issue). COMPETITION MARCH 6-14: 1998 Mani/I,, Paragliding Open, Manilla, NSW, Australia. $2,000 in prizes plus trophies. Entry $140 before Feb. 6, $160 after. Includes in fo pack, transport, T-shirt, dirrner. Flying at Mr. Borah with four large launch areas for nearly every wind direction and 2WD access. Phone/fax payment by credit card accepted. Co ntact: Godfrey Wennes, phone Ol l-61-26785-6545, fax OI I-61-2-6785-6546. APRIL 22-26: Torrey Pines X-C Races. Racing in smooth air for daily cash prizes. Races each day in Open and Sparr ( DHV-2) Classes. See article in Paragliding July/August '97. Contact: Meer Director Ken Baier (760) 753-2664 or Dave Jebb at Torrey Pines {619) 452-9858. JUNE 6-28: Lakeview X-C Challenge. Join Will Gadd, Chris Santacroce, Mark Telep, Rick Higgins, and other top U.S. PG X-C pilots in Lakeview, OR for an attempt at a new national PG X-C distance record. The U.S. PG record is 139 miles (Will Gadd), the PG record at Lakeview is 75 miles {Rick Higgins), and the HG record at Lakeview is 157 miles. Open to all PG X-C pilots. Contact: Rick Higgins , Su nSporrs PG , 796 Sr. Charles Pl., Hood River, OR 97031 (541 ) 387-2112 RSUNSPORTS@aol.com. JULY 11-18: US. Pamglidi11g Nationals, Lakeview, OR. AUG. 17-23: North America11 Summer Paragliding Championships, King Mm., ID. Contact: http://www.jusrfly.com. SEPT. 25-27: West Coast Paragliding Regionals. $100 until Aug. 31 , $125 after. Contact: Adventure Spam (702) 883-7070, registration form at advsprs @pyram id .net , http://www. pyramid.ner/advsprs. CLINICS/MEETINGS/ TOURS MARCH 13-15: Powered Paragliding Clinic. APRIL 17-9: ICP. APRIL 25-26: Mountain Flyi11g Clinic. MAY 2-3: Ta11dem Clinic. MAY 8-10: Thermal Clinic. MAY 22-29: X- C Clinic. AUG. 7-9: Thermal Clinic. OCT. 3-4: Mou11tain Flying Clinic. OCT. 17-18: Tandem Clinic. NOY. 6-8: ICP. Cost: Thermal clinic, powered paragliding and ICP, $300; X-C $500; Mountain Flying and Tandem $200. Location: Point of the Moun rain , Draper, UT and Utah mountain sires. Ken Hudonjorgensen is the senior paragliding instructor at Point of the Mountain and has held the Utah X-C record. He is Master-rared, one of four Tandem and ICP Administrators in the U.S., and the firsr and only paraglider pilot to be awarded the highest Safe Pilar Award (Diamond - 5,000 consecutive safe Aighrs). Contact: Ken Hudonjorgensen, Two-can Fly Paragliding, 474 E. Tonya Dr., Sandy, UT 84070 {80 1) 572-3414. MARCH 21-22: Exxtacy clinic in the Pacific Northwest Contact North American Flight Design (509) 925-5565 to register. Check our www.fun2fly.com fo r a great slide show of rhe Exxtacy. APRIL 1998: Exxtacy clinics throughout California a11d Nevada. Contact Mike Ebede (509) 92~-5565, napi@eburg.com fo r exact dares and locations. MAY 8-10: Exxtacy clinic at Raven Sky Sports in Whitewater, WI. Contact Mike Eberle (509) 9255565, napi@eburg.com, or Brad Kushner {414) 473-8800 for details. MARCH 27: The Northwests Annlllll Reserve Chute Deployment a11d Repacking Senzinarwith Rob Kells of Wills Wing. $30 if preregistered by 3/14, $40 after. Deployment practice begins around 5:00 PM and continues until everyone has deployed and all chutes are repacked. Simulators for both hang and para pilots. New pilots: the clinic is free if you don't yer have a parachute to repack. Location: Sr. George School, 5117 13th Ave. S., Seattle,

MARCH/ APIRL

19 9 8

WA Call C.J. and George Srunevant to pre-register or for more info: (425) 888-3856, georges@nwlink.com. MARCH 27-APRIL 6: Exxtaq Q&A \\~th aeronautical engineer and Flight Design lead designer Felix Ruhle. Ruhle will be traveling ro several location s throughout rhe U.S. with North American distributor Mike Eberle, conducting various formal and informal sessions on Exxracy flying, carbon graphite and general repair, care, maintenance, tuning, ere. For current and future Exxcacy pilots and all interested parties. Contact: {509) 9255565, napi@eburg.com, www.fun2fly.com. APRIL 3-5: Paragliding ICP. Contact: Adventure Spores {702) 883-7070 , advsprs@pyramid.net, registra tion form at http://www. pyramid.ner/advsprs. APRIL 16-17: Powered Paragliding Clinic, by Hugh Murphy on California central coast. Syllabus covers smooth transition from non-powered to powered flight. Bring your equipment or demo ours. Contact: Surf the Sky Paragliding {805) 544-8190. APRIL 23-24: California Coast Ridge Soaring Clinic, by Hugh Murphy. Soar the Golden State's beautiful coastal sires from Big Sur to Santa Barbara. Earn your Ridge Soaring sign-off with USHGA-cercified Advanced lnsrrucror. Contact: Surf the Sky Paragliding (805) 544-8190. MAY 16-1 7: Tandem Clinic with Rick Higgins, Tandem lnsrrucror and Bob Harmah, Tandem Administrator in Hood River, OR. T-1 , T-2, and T-3 racings to qualified pilots. Contact: Rick Higgins, SunSporcs PG, 796 Sr. Charles Pl., Hood River, OR97031 (541) 387-2112 RSUNSPORTS@aol.com. MAY 23-24: Sky Hook Sports What to Do After P2 Clinic, by Phil Pohl. For P2 or P3 pilots. S150. lncludes camping, transportation, dinner. 30 mins. to morels. Contact: Phil Pohl (541) 3894086. MAY 23-24, AUG. 29-30: Thermal and X-C Clinic in Hood River, OR, with Rick Higgins, Advanced Instructor and Oregon stare PG X-C record holder (75 miles). Contact: Rick Higgins, SunSporrs PG, 796 Sr. Charles Pl. , Hood River, OR 97031 (541 ) 387-2112 RSUNSPORTS@aol.com. THROUGH MAY: X- Othmnal guide to the Owens Valley, with Kari Casde. Call ro schedule a clinic or tour. SEPT.-NOY.: "Owens at its Best, "X-Othem111/ guide to the Owens Valley, with Kari Cascle. Two- to nine-day adventures. Private one-on-one flying, guide service and instruction also available. Contact: Kari Casde (760) 872-2087, karicascle@celis.org.

JUNE 13-14: Thermal and X-C Clinic in Lakeview, OR, sire of the '98 U.S. Nars with Rick Higgins, Advanced lnscruaor and Oregon state PG X-C record holder (75 miles). Contact: Rick Higgins, SunSporcs PG , 796 Sr. Charles Pl., Hood River, OR 97031 (541 ) 387-2112 RSUNSPORTS@aol.com. JULY 17-27: Thmnal Dynamic, Paragliding Advenmres, Golden, BC. Includes airfare from any major U.S. airport to Calgary, hotel room, all Canadian association and site fees, meals, transportation, retrieval, risk management and reserve clinic. Five pilots max. Contact: (310) 834-0769, thermic@pacbell.ner. JULY 25-27: Advanced Maneuvers Clinic, by Chris Santacroce and Phil Pohl, Sicamous, BC. Contact: Phil Pohl (541 ) 3894086. SEPT. 11-13: Skytime, Paragliding/john Yates fo/1,naneuvers clinics. Sept. 18-20 rain dares. Eighr years of experience, two row boars, two rescue boars. Learn recovery technique for asymmetrical collapse, recognize constant stall and negative tendency for spin. Lake Shasta in Northern California. Cost: $350. Clinics tradi rionally fill quickly. Contact: (415 ) 868-1330, swic:zer@hooked.ner.

SEPT. 12-13: Sky Hook Sports 8th An1111nl Thermal Clinic, with Phil Pohl. $150. Includes camping, transportation, dinner. 30 mins. to morels. Contact: Phil Pohl (541) 389-4086. FUN FLYING MARCH 20-23: Spring Fling is back! Come fly, bike, hike, fish in the Owen's Valley ro celebrate the first day of spring! Fly-in begins Friday the 20th at 9:00 AM in the Flynn's LZ. Fun competition, spot landings, parry, raffle and more. Come play; the weather will do what it wanes and we'll make the best of it! Bring lots of play toys. Contact: Kari Cascle (760) 872-2087, karicascle@relis.org. APRIL 10-12: 20th Annual Hang Gliding and Paragliding Easter Fly-in nt Ten Mile, southeast Washington Stare by the rown of Asotin. Launch is 1,700 feet AGL on the breaks of the Snake River Canyon. No entry fee, free camping. Fun fly-in with a Saturday-night potluck and barbecue on launch. Contact: Scott Johnson (509) 243-4988, usairborne@valley-interner.net, or Tom Heathman {509) 256-3304, heman@valley-inrernet.net. JUNE I-SEPT. 30: 1998 Official Lakeview, OR flying season. $ I00 each month for the longest flight registered from an official Lakeview flying sire. $1,000 ro the pilot with the greatest fourmonth cumulative rota! for the season (paraglider miles doubled). $50 per month random drawing just for showing up and registering! Beautiful and plentiful flying sites, friendly landowners, good retrieval roads, and Aying great enough ro ser all the current Oregon Seate distance records for HG and PG. Contact: Lake Co. Chamber of Commerce (54 1) 947 -6040.

JUNE 19-22: Summer Solstice Fly-In, sponsored by the Bum.rd Roosr Gang. Some of the best flying sires in Northern California. Lake row at Iron Canyon Reservoir, fly off Chalk Mr. {3,100' AGL), carch a glass-off at Hat Creek Rim. Lake activities, mountain biking and hiking for the whole fumily. Excellent overnight camping accommodations including hot springs. Contact: Par Blackburn (530) 604-2765 or Sonny Compton (530) 243-2534, ulcimarehigh@hoonail.com. JULY 1-5: 1998 Lakeview, OR Annual July 4th Festival of Free Flight. One Grand X-C contest pays $1,000 cash to the longest X-C Aighr from Black Cap during the Festival. Paraglider miles doubled. Sugar Hill-Lakeview Trophy Dash, 1st place prize $100. PG and HG spot-landing contest prizes $50 each. Lars of family fun. Registration and pilot meeting on July I, fly 2-4, awards July 5. Regisrrarion includin g site guide is $10 . Registration alone $5. Contact: Lake Co. Chamber of Commerce (541) 947-6040 or Jules Gilparrick (54 1) 947-3330. JULY 3-5: 5th Annual 4th ofJuly Party at Iron Canyon Reservoir in Big Bend, CA, sponsored by the Bum.rd Roost Gang. A long lisr of fun activities. Coincides with rhe Buzzard Roost Gang's July club meeting. Contact: Par Blackburn (530) 604-2765 or Sonny Compton (530) 243-2534, ulcimarehigh@hoonail.com. JULY 11-18: Gorge Games Fly-In, Hood River, OR, $IOOO's in prizes, fun flying, parties. Contact: C.B. Schmaltz (54 1) 3873106. AUG. 7-9: 2nd Annual Hat Creek Rim Fly-in and Festival, sponsored by the Bum.rd Roost Gang and the NCFLPA This siteimprovement fund-raising event promises to surpass even last year's success. Guaranteed great time for all. Includes live musical performances, entertaining contests with prizes, and a chance to fly at one of che most scenic sires in Northern California. Contact: Pat Blackburn (530) 604-2765 or Sonny Compton (530) 243-2534, ulcimarehigh@hoonail.com. SEPT. 19-20: 8th Annual Pi11e Mm. Fly-In, Pine Mm., OR. Contact: Raven Young (541) 317-8300.

REGION 5

Frank Gillette (R - 99) Rt 1 Watercyn 8 Declo ID 83323 (208) 654-2615 Watercyn@cyberhighway.net Tracie Fifer-Welch (H - 99) PO Box 8225 Jackson WY 83001 (307) 733-6823 di_wyo@compuserve.com REGION 6

USHGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGION 1

Bill Bolosky (R - 98) 24622 SE Mirrormont Dr Issaquah WA 98027 (425) 557-7981 bolosky@microsoft.com Steve Roti ~ - 99) 3024 NE 18 Ave Portland OR 97212 (503) 284-0995 paragliding@compuserve.com Bob Hannah (H - 98) 9920 51•1 Ave S Seattle WA 98118 (206) 328-1104 paraskr@aol.com

Sandy King (H - 98) 1425 Dunbar Ln Carson City NV 89704 (702) 849-3851 slark@worldnet.att.net REGION 3

Ken Baier (R - 98) 253 Rodney Ave Encinitas CA 92024 (760) 753-2664 airjunkies@worldnet.att.net Tammy Burcar (R - 99) PO Box 3274 Santa Barbara CA 93130 (805) 692-9908 tburcar@juno .com

Jeff Sinason (R - 99) 12954 Ballantine Ct Saint Louis MO 63146 (314) 542-2473 jsinason@itdcomm .com REGION 7

Bill Bryden (R - 98) (HG Accident Chair) 6608 North 100 East Rd Seymour IN 47274 (812) 497-2327 hm bbryden@hsonline.net Dan Johnson (L - 98) 8 Dorset St St Paul MN 55118 (612) 450-0930 CumulusMan@aol .com REGION 8

Gregg Lawless (R - 99) 9127 Bittercreek Ln San Diego CA 92129 (619) 484-2056 gelawles@enova .com

Randy Adams (R - 98) PO Box 369 Claremont NH 03743 (603) 543-1760 randyadams@cyberportal .net

Paul Klemond (H - 99) (PG Accident Chair) 3612 NE 43rd St Seattle WA 98105 (206) 525-5765 paul@kurious .org

Mike Meier (H - 98) 500 Blueridge Ave Orange CA 92665 (714) 998-6359 mike@willswing.com

REGION 9 Pete Lehmann (R - 99) 5811 Elgin St Pittsburgh PA 15206 (412) 661-3474 LPeteLehmann@compuserve.com

Gene Matthews (H - 98) 15308 111 1h Ave NE Bothell WA 98011 (206) 488-1443 skydog@gte.net

Rob Kells (H - 98) 500 Blueridge Ave Orange CA 92665 (714) 998-6359 rob@willswing .com

REGION 2 Ray Leonard (R - 98) 3650 Research Wy #22 Carson City NV 89706 (702) 883-7070 advspts@pyramid .net

Alan Chuculate (H - 99) 6709 Salizar St San Diego CA 92111 (619) 292-1552 g_achucu@qualcomm .com

Russ Locke (R - 99) 868 S Mary Ave Sunnyvale CA 94087 (408) 737-8745 rsslok@aol.com Scott Gasparian (R- 99) c/o LWHS 755 Ocean Ave San Francisco CA 94112 (415) 282-2753 gaspo@igi.org Ed Pitman (L - 98) PO Box 188 Shasta CA 96087 (916) 359-2392 epitman@c-zone .net Ken Brown (H - 99) 1795 401h Ave San Francisco CA 94122 (415) 753-9534 kennyb2u@aol.com

Gil Dodgen (Editor) 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy Ste A-256 Reho Sta Marg CA 92688 (714) 888-7363 gildodgen@aol.com

Geoffrey Mumford (R - 98) APA/PPO 750 First St NE Washington DC 20002 (202) 336-6067 gkm.apa@email.apa .org Dennis Pagen (L - 98) 368 Dunkle Rd Bellefonte PA 16823 (814) 383-2569 pagenbks@lazerlink.com Chris DuPaul (H - 98) PO Box 801 Gloucester Pt VA 23062 (804) 693-6742 skigolfnut@aol.com

Jim Zeiset (R - 99) 13154 County Rd 140 Salida CO 81201 (719) 539-3335 jimzgreen@aol.com Jan Ala (H - 98) 2101 E2ndst Tucson AZ 85719 (520) 327-9741 wk

David Glover (H - 99) 1805 Dean Still Rd Davenport FL 33837 (941) 424-0700 fly@wallaby.com Gregg McNamee (H - 98) 14141 SE 51 •1 Ave Summerfield FL 34491 (352) 245-8263 graybird@praxis.net Greg De Wolf (H - 99) PO Box 607 Corolla NC 27927 (919) 453-4800 DeWolf7@aol.com REGION 11 Dave Broyles (R - 99) 211 Ellis Dr Allen TX 75002 (972) 727-3588 broyles@psuedospace.com REGION 12 Paul Voight (R - 98) 5163 Searsville Rd Pine Bush NY 12566 (914) 744-3317 ryanv1 OO@aol.com

Jan Johnson (L - 98) 585 E Frank Applegate Jackson NJ 08527 (908) 928-8370 fec@frontiernet.net Paul Rikert (L - 98) 101 N Broadway# 28-3 White Plains NY 10603 (914) 946-9386 hm Lars Linde (H - 98) 954 W Front St Red Bank NJ 07701 (908) 747-7845 larslinde@compuserve.com REGION 13 (lnt'I) Jan Johnson (L - 98) See Reg 12

Michael Robertson (H - 98) RR 5 865 Con 7 Claremont Ontario Canada L 1Y 1A2 (905) 294-2536 flyhigh@inforamp .net USHGA Executive Director

REGION 4

Mark Ferguson (R - 98) 1173 Ridgeview Cir Broomfield CO 80020 (303) 931-8075 mark@ballvarios.com

Matt Taber (R - 99) 7201 Scenic Hwy 189 Rising Fawn GA 30738 (706) 398-3433 airwave@voyageronline.net

Art Greenfield (X) 1815 N Ft Meyer Dr Ste 700 Arlington VA 22209 (703) 527-0226 NAA@ids2.idsonline.com REGION 10

G.W. Meadows (R - 98) 1125 Harbor View Dr Kill Devil Hills NC 27948 (919) 480-3552 justfly@interpath.com

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he silence was broken only by the scrunching of our skis against the snow. It's not a comfortable silence, like the kind you would share with a mend, maybe after a long day of flying. This silence was thick with anticipation, · 'faken and hdd. We climbed cc, as if our very breathing might one of the sleeping giants. We had ascent up the most protected ere were to be such a thing). But there they were, the "objective dangers," looming right over us. Seracs. Large ice blocks that, by the force of gravity, had separated from the glacier itself, and now lay suspended mid-

slope. Our route wound up the valley in front of us, and just within a few feet of the large seracs. A breathtakingly beautiful place, but awesomely dangerous. At any time of day a serac may fall, making the ice fall and resulting avalanche totally unpredictable. The slopes of the peaks were covered in a fine crystalline powder snow from several days of storm. The sky still had residual ice fog and a few clouds, but it did seem as if the weather was breaking. With a break in the weather, Dave and I were planning to realize a dream of flying our paragliders off Mt. Dickey. Mt. Dickey, at 9,465 feet MSL, is one

of many beautiful peaks that emerge from Ruth Glacier in Alaska. The mountain is capped in a dome of ice 500 feet thick, and its shoulders are draped in glaciers that wrap around three sides. The east face is much different - a spectacular granite rock face that sweeps unbroken 5,000 venical feet up from the Ruth Gorge below. We had wild imaginings of soaring the cliffs of Dickey and landing on the glacier below. Some 30 miles long and more than 3,800 feet deep, the Ruth winds its way from the muskeg flatlands near Talkeetna to the base of Denali's South Buttress. We would happily ski, climb or fly during our stay on the glacier - whatever the conditions allowed.

PARAGLIDING

by Norma Jean Bowers, photos

After three days spent mainly inside the hut or our tent, Dav e and I were anxious to be outside, as were all the members of our expedition. Denali, at 20,320 feet, can be easily seen from the hue, even though it is six miles distant. This day, Denali was shrouded in clouds, only showing herself in teasing glimpses. I was hopeful that we would gee a clear view of"the mountain," because that would mean improving weather and a chance to fly! We stood in the midst of "the Shooting Gallery," an area playfully called such because large blocks, the size of Volkswagens, are strewn across the valley floor like great billiards that had rolled

MARCH/ APRIL

1998

toward an unseen "pocket." We had been climbing slowly, silently, so as not to overheat, until we reached the hanging ice fields. A nearly continual roar of distant avalanches and the immediate groaning of the glacier ice below us had become familiar though not comfortable sounds. We stopped briefly to assess the situation. We decided that here we should pick up the pace. As we moved up to the edge of a large crevasse we heard the eerie sound of cracking ice, followed by a boom and rush of wind that could only mean one thingavalanche! Less than a hundred yards in front of us a huge block of ice loosened

from the hanging glacier above. As it fell, breaking into a million smaller shards with its force, the slopes nearby also released their bounty of snow. Two simultaneous avalanches were sweeging toward us! Dave turned toward me without speaking. I found myself zipping my jacket and preparing for the wave of cumulus snow I knew would surely engulf us. As the rumbling quieted, the powder cloud billowed high into the sky. We looked behind us. Our tracks, just below where e stood, disappeared into the cloud. I fumbled into my pack for the radio. I knew the others had been watching us and would be concerned. We couldn't see the

hue or the peaks beyond, as the cloud from an emergency shelter while he flew sightthe passing avalanches was still unsettled in seeing tours around Denali and the ocher the air. I radioed to whomever could hear a great mountains. He had hopes chat the simple, "We are fine. We are moving up." I hut's existence would encourage more could think of nothing else to say. Somehowj flight traffic in the area. It had been our we had escaped the giants. j "base camp" during chis week of skiing, We continued up the mountain pass j climbing and flying. onto a steep section. What had been a con- j We shared a snack while gazing at the sranr slope now became broken in a hodge- j path the avalanches had taken. A very close podge manner with deep crevasses. In either j call. I got back on the radio to find out direction we were faced with hard choices: j what the rest of our group was up to. whether to try to cross thin snow bridges or ] We were able to reach Jamie, who had jump long gaping holes. I was not thrilled. j stayed at the Hut to film our flights, if posAlchough we were not at the top of the peak,j sible. He informed us chat the ochers were we decided right then chat we would launch j on top of Peas Peak, nearby, and were just from where we stood. j about to ski down! They had climbed a Of course, the wind did not immediatelyj steep coulair (snow gully) and were resting cooperate with our plan. We were still expe- : before their descent. We were so excited! riencing swirling clouds and down winds. This was a group of skilled outdoorsmen We needed the sun to come out to create up and adventure hounds, all very experienced air. So we waited. We sat down and looked skiers and climbers. It looked like they, as out toward the Ruch Amphitheater and the well as we, would be having a memorable Don Sheldon Hut. Sheldon, a pioneer glaci- experience. The ski tracks they left behind er pilot, built chis hut in 1966 to be used as were enviable to all.

We waited a little more than an hour. Just as we had decided that maybe we would have co ski down instead of fly, the wind switched! The thought of skiing back down through the shooting gallery, the seracs, and negotiating the crevasses below had nor been appealing. But now, with the slightest up-breeze, I began to lay out my glider, its color made more spectacular by the stark black and white of our environment on the glacier. I weaseled my skis into the snow and prepared for a spooky ski launch. Ski launching is normally a relatively easy technique for chose comfortable with heading straight down the hill. It requires the pilot to "point 'em" and maintain her balance while the glider inflates. Anything less dynamic will result in an abort. It is normally simple on firm snow. Here we had fresh powder followed by steep, crevasse-laden, icy slopes. Needless to say, I continues ...

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wanted my first attempt to work! No such luck. With a wimpy, semisnow plow, my glider inflated nicely, but because I wasn't moving fast enough it quickly flew over my head and wrapped me neatly like a colorful Christmas package. Struggling out of the glider, disengaging my skis, and post-holing my way back up slope (while Dave tried not to laugh), I became determined to point those skis downhill. Dave had kindly packed a better "runway" for my launch attempt, and now, overheated and embarrassed, I charged down the slope. One minute I was tucking and skiing down the forbidding hill, into the gaping maw of the crevasses, and the next I was airborne with the familiar wind in my face and the feel of the canopy above. Then an amazing thing happened during the flight. The seracs had transformed before my eyes. Once ominous giants standing over us, they now appeared hung upon the cliffs as sparkling decorations on the mountains. The crevasses became intense blue folds in a satin sheet of white snow. All around me the very air had ice glittering throughout, sparkling in my eyes as if thousands of diamonds were suspended beside me and my canopy. I could only wonder at the stillness, the beauty of it all, and the sheer joy of being in the air! As I rounded the flanks of Mt. Dickey, the rock walls seemed very close. I whooped and hollered to Jamie, just hoping he would catch a picture, freezing for eternity the grandeur of the site and the moment. As it often happens, the flight was over too soon. I was approaching the designated landing spot, circling and setting up for a telemark ski landing. As I came in I could hear sounds of laughter and the yelps of fellow climbers. Everyone on the glacier was looking back uphill to where Dave had launched. He had better wind conditions (and the guy really knows how to "point 'em") . His flight took him higher, and he soared the cliff bands where I had found only sink. We all stood in awe as we watched him circle, gaining altitude. All the voices were now hushed in awe at the beauty of his wing flying across ragged rocks and gnarled ice faces . Slowly descending from the ice-crowned peak, finally, he settled softly onto the snow of the glacier. Far above us the giants sparkled in the setting sun. •

MARCH/ APRIL

1998

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other accident reports, these all have an air of mystery; they are missing a central witness. The cause is rarely dear, and often misinterpreted. See what you think.

1997 FATALITIES AND COMMENTARY January by Pete Reagan

he readers of this magazine have been requesting more in-depth accident reporting over the last few years and the USHGA has redesigned the accident reporting process to improve this service. Regional Directors will be responsible for getting reports to the USHGA office, and these will be furnished to a committee responsible for publishing articles about current accidents, trends and ways to improve our judgment. Current committee members are Paul Klemond, Pete Reagan and Lars Linde. FATAL ACCIDENTS IN 1997 Why study accidents? Mistakes are made. Bad things happen. We look at the circumstances and try to figure out how to avoid the same fate. That may be the main goal, but tracking these events serves other purposes as well. For one thing, it's important news. The daily paper is full of woeful tales without object lessons, but the participants in our dramas are people we know and care about. Accidents are naturally at least a bit shocking, and as such are likely to generate a lot of rumor. Therefore, careful reporting is essential to help promote a dear understanding of what happened, and it gives us some common expenence so we can communicate with each other better. Hopefully, accurate reporting will make it less likely that we will "learn the wrong thing" as a result of misinformation about what happened. I believe that it can also help move us toward safer practices and equipment. In this spirit I'll review l 997's paragliding fatalities. This makes for upsetting reading. Each death is associated with a much wider circle ofloss, which only loved ones can understand. Compared with

28 A very experienced P4 pilot launched into beach ridge convergence at about 1:45 PM at Montana de Oro near Los Osos, California. Conditions were good and he initiated a solo cross-country flight down the coast. He was last seen at about 5:00 I'M, a half hour before sunset and about 20 miles from his launch site, by a witness who came fo1ward later in response to search efforts. The formal search was actually commenced about an hour prior, when his friends became worried. He carried no radio and was flying a Flight Design AS Sport. He disappeared without a trace, and none of his equipment has been found despite a massive multi-week land, sea and air search, with significant media involvement.

April 17 A very experienced P4 pilot launched in strong thermal conditions near Winthrop, Washington in the early afternoon. He was flying a Flight Design B4. He carried a radio, but the other pilot in the air had a low battery and a third pilot on the ground lost contact. Fifteen hundred fpm lift and sink were measured by these other pilots that day. He was last seen about 8,000 feet above the terrain about a mile south of launch. He was later missed by his friends, who had assumed he had made a long X-C flight, and a search was instigated. He was found the next morning by a landowner, four miles from launch. The coroner's report suggested an impact at 50 miles per hour and instant death. His wing appeared to have impacted leading edge first, and his chute had apparently been deployed dose to the ground. August 23 A P3 pilot was flying at Mount Sentinel, Montana, with his non-pilot girlfriend watching on launch. He had flown the area before, but never in midday conditions. The site has a spine that tends to have turbulence over it. The right side of his Edel

Quantum was seen to collapse and he impacted about 150 yards downhill from launch. He was airlifted to the hospital and pronounced dead soon after arrival.

September 13 A very experienced P4 pilot flying a Trekking Mondial at Westlake Cliffs, near San Francisco, with other pilots in the air nearby, was seen to experience a large, right-side asymmetric collapse, fly straight for a few seconds, then spin rapidly into the cliff with a high-speed impact. He did not move, and was found dead. Interestingly, the pilot had experienced a large asymmetric/spin, requiring a reserve deployment one month earlier at a nearby site. Even more interestingly, the cause of death was listed at the autopsy as congestive cardiomyopathy (a heart attack scenario). COMMENTS It is difficult to be sure how many of these incidents were actually paragliding accidents in a strict sense. One may not even have been a fatality; another may have had a medical cause. There are notable common themes. Perhaps most striking is experience level. A few other recent fatalities and accidents suggest that some of us become more vulnerable with increasing expertise. It is also worth mentioning that two of the gliders were very high-performance wings. Finally, three of the deaths occurred while pilots were flying alone, and the pilots had no radio communication. Two involved crosscountry flights. How dangerous is paragliding? Since our numbers are not that great, it is not valid to try to calculate accident rates precisely, but we seem to experience about four deaths per year, and since our numbers are increasing this suggests that our fatality rate is slowly decreasing. Accepting all four incidents as paragliding fatalities, last year we had a death rate of about one per thousand, or 0.1 percent. To put this in perspective, note that as a 51-year-old, healthy, non- smoking guy my risk of dying from a heart attack is about 0.17 percent, and my risk of dying in a car continued on page 31...

PARAGLIDING

~01uefvl. ..

Notable Flights From Chelan Butte, Washington In 1 by Lisa Davis :5T

the Worlds and showed us what could be he summer of 1997 started out quite wet and windy, as was the done with sheer determination (and a pretcase over most of the western U.S. ty hot wing) making it out to Sims and June and July produced barely 20 good almost back in tough, stable conditions. Jay days in total. Strangely, August proved to be Carroll made an appearance and flew a couthe banner X-C month of ple of interesting routes, flying the season - quite a back to the Butte from the Tyee change from last year's Mountain launch, over Stormy extremely blue, stable conMountain and Slide Ridge in ditions. The Butte tested the process. Jay also made a very the patience of the area's committed east-to-west crossing most experienced pilots of the North Cascades with seeking big miles, while I Mark Telep tagging along. The two adventure-seekers launched was happy with a lot of personal bests at my home site, from Goat Peak near Mazama and ventured west where the scoring repetitive classic climb-outs from 600 to hang glider pilots would not 1,500 up over che towers, dare follow, eventually landing finally getting to dabble in near Ross Lake. An exceptionalthe X-C ranks and push ly high cloudbase for the area of toward 200 flights, 80% of Mark Telep in an asparagus- 13,500 feet made the flight patch LZ north of Chekin which were made here. more reasonable than it might Many visiting and local Butte, Washington. Photo by otherwise have been. In early pilots made exceptional Steve Roti. July Brandt May of Flagstaff, Arizona flew a 66-mile out-and-return to X-C flights despite the strange weather. Alan Bradley turned in a 71-miler to Leahy on his first visit to Chelan Butte. Apologies to those I've missed. Creston during one of his thermal clinics Mark Telep, with a nearly full-time with Joe Gluzinski. Joe talked me into drieffort, was duly rewarded with over 1,000 ving and churned out a SO-miler later in X-C miles for the season. His most notable the day. Russ Richard spent several weeks open distances were 120, 98, 81 , 70, 68 here and racked up quite a few miles. One and 53 miles to name a few. Mark also exceptional flight took him out to Sims made the classic Sims-and-back flight, a 62Corner and back with a quick stop on the rim of the Columbia River for a relaunch. Continued on page 47. Othar Lawrence stopped by for a week after

MARCH/ APRIL

1998

Uhe cowboy le ane d bac k in his sa ddl e, surveyin g the pla in be low . He had 1idden since dawn, ,U1d yearned fo r a wa rm fire and a wa rm woman beside him . But there were miles yet to cove r and he shoved his bo ots back into the stirrups. Reaching into his sa ddl e pa ck for so me je rky he chewed thoughtfully, w hile studying th e tra il fo r trac ks o f the thieving Indi a n s. He shifte d hi s w eight uncomfo rtably and gripped the horn w ith his fi st. "Giddyup"! he spa t to his Pinto. and gave it a sharp kick.

Time would pass by more comfortably in anAPCO harness.

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The movie stars posing on the coast. Today, Schilter owns a paragliding school in Lima, and he regularly joins Peru's national bird, the condor, in the air above the country that was home to the great Incan empire. American Adventure Productions along with instigator/head cameraman John Armstrong put together a winning proposal for the first-ever hang gliding/paragliding flying adventure in Peru. The film was aired on the Outdoor Life cable channel as part of the Adventure Quest Series. Joining Franz Shilter for a whirlwind Peruvian flying adventure are three pilots from the United States: your author Kari Castle, Mitch McAleer and Dave Sharp. Together we sought the most beautiful, and often the most difficult, places to soar in Peru.

THE TEAM BAITLES PARACUS Paracus is a barren, rocky peninsula formed from massive slabs of khaki rock on the southern coast of Peru. Its blue waters have one of the highest concentrations of marine birds and sea life in the world, a startling contrast to the seemingly lifeless peninsula. The thermals and coastal winds here are powerful, as is the area's beauty. It's Schilter's favorite place to fly near Lima. The word Paracus means "strong winds. " For three days we played, enjoying the wonderful strong winds. Dave, having the most strong-wind experience (resulting from living and flying at the Point of the Mountain in Utah), started to play. He and Franz were hamming it up good for the cameras. I soon became comfortable in the "strong winds" and found myself joining them at the bottom of the hill performing "beach-ups." On one flight Mitch jumped out of his harness while coming in for a landing just for the fun of it!

We all rallied down the coast to witness one of the most spectacular coastlines I've ever seen: the ocean, with hundreds of dolphins frolicking, sea cliffs, spectacular rock outcroppings, birds everywhere, a desolate sand landscape as far as the eye can see in all directions. Unreal! After it got too strong for the paragliders we pulled out our hang gliders. Dave and I enjoyed a synchronized sunset flight together for the camera. What a playground! Next stop: Huacachina.

DOING THE DUNES Huacachina is literally an oasis amid the enormous sand dunes of Peru's south coast. The plan was to fly and land in the tiny little town, but thermals lifting off from the sweltering dunes and strong coastal winds offered some challenges. Schilter rigged his powered paraglider and became airborne. Dave was next, and they flew to the Oasis. Meanwhile, Mitch and I trudged up the high dune and waited for the conditions to mellow. After circling above the tiny resort town's lagoon, rumored by the locals to have healing powers, Schilter reported high winds aloft and opted for a safe landing out in the flats. Dave joined him. That left Mitch and me on top. Mitch was determined not to walk back down so he launched in pretty strong winds, experienced a half wing collapse just after takeoff and luckily piled into soft sand. So we walked down anyway! There's a simple motto in paragliding and hang gliding: The wind is the boss. Pilots quickly adopt a deep and abiding respect for its personality; whether it be friend or foe. Those who disagree with this aren't around to explain why. Next stop: the Nazca Lines.

ALIEN AIRSTRIPS The Nazca Lines are an assortment of lines, forms, symbols and pictures spread over the flat, rocky, dry land near the small

town ofNazca. The scale is so immense that the drawings are only visible from the air. Etched into the ground on a scale similar to what a bug must see while traversing a hopscotch grid, the Nazca Lines are shapes and figures of things such as a monkey, a condor and a lizard, most of which can only be seen from the air. Wing tip to wing tip, the condor's wingspan is about twice that of Boeing's largest commercial plane. If the monkey stood upright, it could see into a building's 30th-floor window. No one really knows what purpose the Nazca Lines served. Theories range from landing zones for extra-terrestrials, to messages for gods, to an astronomical calculator. We do, however, know how they were made: The darker, top-layer stones were removed, exposing the whiter stones and dirt below. Some estimate the designs were made around 600 BC. Getting any of us into the air in the perfectly-flat Nazca desert required some ingenuity. It came via Schilter's friend, Claudio, who had a tow winch mounted in the back of his pickup truck, which had never been used to tow hang gliders before. Oh great! With luck, we would launch into the air to view the messages reserved for gods or flying saucers, depending on what you believe. It was a little weak but it served its purpose. Who were we to complain anyway? "When we met Claudio and saw his system, we were a little concerned. It looked like a reject from a Mad Max movie," commented Dave Sharp. Peru's tricky winds continued in their variable ways. I was the first to test the system, and made a short flight after a short tow. Dave, however, made it high enough to enjoy a Jong flight over the lines. He made several laps around the area, taking in an exquisite view of an ancient civilization's bizarre form of communication. Mitch, meanwhile, was desperate to get up with Dave. But his luck was blown away, literally. First a dust devil ripped through the area, pinning him to the ground and almost trashing his hang glider. Then a serious accident was narrowly avoided: The engine seized on Claudio's tow system, causing Mitch to lock out and creating some

PARAGLIDING

... continued from page 26 wreck is about 0.017 percent. So maybe I'm six times as likely to die flying as driving, but almost twice as likely to die of a heart attack than flying. Another way to look at it is that in the next l O years I have a 6.7 percent chance of dying. One of those percentage points comes from paragliding. An odd but somewhat sobering observation is that for me, over the next 10 years, flying will have roughly the same effect on my life expectancy as smoking half a pack a day might. Don't forget that a healthy, 30-year-old woman has a much lower "all-causes" death risk, so that one percent from paragliding is proportionally a lot larger. I did run the calculations for a 40-year-old man, incidentally. He'd have to smoke a pack per day to get up to the risk he runs flying. It is unsettling to compare paragliding risks with cigarette smoking, since we all hope

that talent and judgment might protect us better in the air. However, it does put the choices we make in context. I am collecting data about accident rates in other sports, such as mountaineering and horseback riding, as well as footlaunched airsports in other parts of the world, and will include some of these in future articles. It's interesting to play with numbers and often the illustrations give us something to think about, even if we can't come to precise conclusions. For example, I worry a little that if most of our fatalities involve very experienced pilots, they might have a substantially higher risk than O.1 percent, since there are only several hundred of us. For me, the bottom line is that the risk seems not so outrageously high that I want to stop flying. However, it does seem unnecessarily high, and I hope we can find ways to decrease it. I'll conclude with a report from this

winter that will not make our statistics, since it occurred out of the country. December, Ecuador

A P3 pilot with moderate experience, visiting from the United States, launched a Pro Design Relax at about 9,000 feet, soared for about 45 minutes, then headed out for the LZ. Conditions were reported as sinky, and some pilots were landing short. At roughly 1,000 feet AGL the pilot did a few wingovers, then initiated a spiral. His wing went on edge into a stable, steep spiral dive. The pilot was observed to pump the outside brake briefly, then mal(e no further corrective action during the ensuing six to eight revolutions, and probably did not deploy his reserve. His friends were with him within minutes but he had died. Witnesses wonder if he lost consciousness in the high-G spin, and if high altitude, fatigue, showing off, or jet lag played a role.•

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1998

tense moments until he masterfully made an impromptu landing. Frustrated, he fired up the powered paraglider and took his first flight over the lines. Next stop: 19,101 feet!

FLYING OFF THE VOLCANO! Peru's El Misti volcano rises more than 19,000 feet over Arequipa, the country's second largest city. It was Schilter's idea to attempt a flight from its peak, requiring a 7,000-foot hike after driving to 12,000 feet. It promised a flight of a lifetime, if we could make it up. Arriving in Arequipa only days after being at sea level and not acclimatizing to the high altitude proved to be our worst enemy. "Technically, the Misti climb is not very difficult, but you need to be in very good physical condition and in good spirits. It's never easy to climb," Schilter said. It was quite an understatement. El Misti may be an easy climb for its height, but the mountain has nevertheless taken the lives of some unlucky and ill-prepared hikers. It wasn't long before we were face-to-face with altitude sickness and extreme fatigue as we fought for each step through the cold, rhin air. "It was hard to breathe and I couldn't walk for more than 15 to 20 seconds at a really slow pace," Mitch McAleer commented. After setting up camp the first night I was hurting so bad. My head pounded like I've never felt before. I set up my tent in hopes of escaping the pain with sleep. That night all I could think of was how I was going to get through this. It hurt so bad. I thought about quitting and the consequences of going down the mountain, which meant not flying off and not achieving one of my goals for the trip. The hike was supposed to have been one of my favorite parts of the trip; I love trekking up high. "Why me?" I kept asking. I woke the next morning to bright lights shining into my tent, with a camera rolling

Continued on page 46. PARAGLIDING

A First Cross-Country Flight ith An International Flare by Heidi Young Idaho Peak, BC, Canada.

y husband and I have been traveling the country in our motor home for the past three years and paragliding for the past two. During the summer of 1997 we ventured north into British Columbia to fly some of Canada's great mountain sites. The last site we flew was near the town of Creston, which is about seven miles north of the Idaho border. It has a long, rocky, west-facing ridge and a 5,000-foot vertical. We arrived shortly after midday and drove up to launch. It was a long, hard, hour's drive up the eight-mile road to the lookout at the peak. After waiting for two hours for the cycles to come up the west face, my husband flew and top-landed. I then launched and flew with the idea of trying to go on my first cross-country flight. The valley at the base of the ridge has ample landing areas within an easy glide - it was ideal for my first crosscountry. After flying out and not having much success in the few thermals I found, I continued flying out to the lower ridge where I thought I would get enough ridge lift to sustain me until I found a thermal I could stay in. My husband started the long drive down after seeing I'd lost a bit of altitude and assumed I wouldn't be able to go cross-country. Naturally, after we lost radio communi-

cation I found that I could indeed ridge soar and thermal along the front ridge line and work my way up the other higher faces. I continued gaining altitude, and regained all the height I'd lost well before choosing to actually "go" cross-country. The faces I was flying along were very rocky and well heated, allowing me to pick and choose my thermals. Most of the thermals were quite strong (about 1,400 fpm) and would grab my wing and yank me up. I had to bury my brakes ahead of time to control the surging, and even then the wing would get a bit in front of me. While I found plenty of sustaining lift along the almost-vertical rock faces and was enjoying the terrain, I wondered ifl had enough clearance if something happened. It was a high-pressure day and I encountered a definite ceiling that limited my altitude gains. As I continued south I endured several whacks and 50% collapses, but that was not new to me since I am light on my wing. I concentrated on being as active as possible and maintaining good ground clearance. "So this is what cross-country flying is like," I thought, "Interesting - a bit nerve-racking - but interesting." As I cleared some high-tension wires (with plenty of room to spare) I radioed my position relative to the wires to my husband. No response. I wasn't surprised

because I knew he needed to get around a ridge at the bottom of the mountain in order to hear me. As the ridge I was flying slowly turned east, I noticed a cleared stripe going all the way down the ridge, across the wide valley and up the other side. I surmised that it was a fire break since there were no tracks, wires or other markers. I continued to fly south until the ridge petered out and was trying to stay up as long as possible so I could radio my position to my husband. I continued radioing that I was a few miles south of the wires but still got no response. Not to worry- he knew I was planning to attempt a cross-country flight and would drive south until he could reach me on the radio. I chose a mowed hay field as my LZ along the main road and landed with a feeling of accomplishment. While packing up and chatting with the farmer, I noticed he didn't have a Canadian accent. He also didn't seem familiar with the name of the lookout where I'd launched. In total innocence I asked, 'Tm still in Canada, aren't I?" He replied, "No, you're in Idaho, Canada is eight miles up that road." My first thought was: "Eight miles! That means I flew about 15 miles! Wow, I thought it was only about six." Little did I know that my husband, not having heard any of my many radio communications, was expecting to find me at the LZ and our motor home. When he didn't, he drove south to see if he could reach me on the radio and couldn't. He began to worry and asked many people along the road if they'd seen a paraglider fly by. He even went all the way to the border and asked the border guards if they'd seen me. Their response was no, and they questioned the legality of the whole thing. At this point, not having any idea where I might be, my husband actually called the local hospital. By this time I realized I needed to walk out into the fields in order to reach him on the radio, since a small ridge was between us. Once I reached him on the radio he drove further south and found me at the side of the road. After surviving a bone-crushing hug and being congratulated on my first crosscountry, I related the story of my flight. His immediate response was, "This would

Continued on page 47. PARAGLIDING

by Steve Roti, photos by Paul Maruszewski

GM: According to the 1997 USHGA

rankings ofschools based on number of ratings issued, Dixon's Airplay Paragliding is number one in the United States for Beginner and Novice ratings. How does that feel? Dixon: I'm actually a little embarrassed. I feel as though we're just getting started at figuring out how to be a truly professional school. I have to say, before going any further, that none of our success would have been possible without my wife Debra. We put together a plan six years ago to make our school a success, and Debra's positive attitude and support has been incredible. I truly feel that I only have a good start on how all this foot-launched aviation stuff really works. I look forward to 10 years from now when I can be an even more effective teacher. I want our schools to be at the forefront of current techniques and ideas. Greg Smith, who's been my greatest mentor in the sport, recently commented to me that I'm a little hard to take sometimes, because I'm always pumping everyone for ideas and information. I feel a tremendous responsibility to the folks who entrust us with their paragliding instruction, and am eager to continually update our teaching and flying methods and concepts.

ditions but have a tough time when it comes to being coordinated with their gliders. We try to identify these areas of strength and weakness and help the student develop an objective understanding of himself Since meteorology is incredibly complicated, and getting inside a student's head is difficult, we're always trying to improve the job we do in these areas . PGM: What's your average day like? Dixon: Luckily, my kids like to sleep in, so I get on the computer at 6:30 AM and take care of mail, records and books. We meet our students at 8:00 AM for breakfast and discussion, and proceed to the hill around 9:00 AM. Throughout the day we continual-

1998

PGM: Why do you teach paragliding?

needs improvement?

MARCH/ APRIL

Willi It.

I'd been flying for about a year and a half and had no idea there was a paragliding organization in the U.S. Then a friend gave me a magazine, and there was Granger Banks listed as an instructor. Granger and I had known each other since childhood. He was very thorough and I'm really glad we connected when we did. Greg Smith, Bob England, Jan Stenstadvold, Chuck Smith, Chris Santacroce, Dave Bridges, Joe Gluzinski and Marcus Salvemini were very important influences in my upbringing.

PGM: In what areas do you feel your school

Dixon: Meteorology and intuition. I run into pilots who love to claim that they are safe pilots, and, in fact, they do have good attitudes, but they don't know what they don't know. The USHGA Novice pilot exam asks what pilot attribute is most important, and is looking for "attitude" as the right answer. That's a good start, but I'm looking for intuition and judgment. Intuition/judgment isn't something that can come about without suitable, effective models - if this, then that. No sane pilot wants to tree a glider or get hurt, but there are still too many accidents. Some students are quicker than others at picking up on the programming flow charts that result in better piloting. There are students who are great at physically managing the glider - balancing the wing or bringing it back to center - but who are poor when it comes to evaluating flying conditions. Others are very perceptive about con-

Dixon: I was at a party about eight years ago in Flagstaff, Arizona and overheard a couple of friends talking about the "parapentes" they had just purchased. These guys had spent a couple of days with a bungeeparagliding company and were really flying blind. I went out with them and we flew in sandals, without helmets, radios, or instruction. We're all lucky to be alive, because the Cinder Cones can be very brutal. Many of the Flagstaff locals were scared off when they either found themselves in thermals a couple of thousand feet over the hill on their first flights or heard about these flights. One of the guys who mail-ordered a paraglider hurt his back and sold me his glider cheap. I was the only one who stayed

B.J Boyle, ofFlagstaff, Arizona fine-tuning his ground handling. ly review the conditions and how to fly them. We want our students to begin thinking right along with us. After the flying conditions get too strong for beginners we generally take our Para 2 students for instructional tandems so they can get a feel for how to map out and fly thermals, etc. We either finish the day with a classroom session or more flying, depending on conditions. We try to fly as much as possible and use poorweather days for classroom work. The evenings are busy with callbacks. I try to get at least a couple of hours with the family every night. PGM: Who taught you how to fly?

Dixon: I've always been a teacher in one way or another. I've taught skiing, tightwire walking, juggling and unicycling. Even when working for an appliance company I taught customers about products and then taught other reps how to work with customers. Teaching is really rewarding when the little light goes on and your student suddenly gets it. It's exhilarating work for me, figuring out how something works and then effectively relating the pieces of the puzzle to someone else. I'm not always successful, but successful enough that most of my students stick with our program and we get lots of referrals. I'm fascinated with paragliding and hate being away from the hill. Teaching helps me learn and gives me a chance to fly almost every day. You can learn a great deal by watching other pilots fly. Watching students has taught me a lot about how the air behaves, because every student flight I supervise is almost like a flight I've made myself I've supervised almost 13,000 flights now.

right away - I had to quickly figure out how they learn. Practice is the mother of skill and most people don't understand that practice means time. Learning to ride a six-foot unicycle on the tightwire takes most people a year or two - a long learning curve - and it starts with skills that don't appear to have anything to do with riding the unicycle on the wire. Paragliding is tough to teach because it seems so simple, and many students aren't used to learning so they want the big air before they're ready. So I try to get them excited about learning the little stuff that will hopefully give them basic skills to manage a glider better when they get into big air. When teaching juggling there's a lot of neat stuff you can do with just one ball, and then it's easier for the student to handle three. If I can get a student excited about ground handling and flying low slopes they'll begin to develop the "body memory'' that will hopefully help them keep their gliders overhead in rough air. I try to get students to understand the principles of micrometeorology that make kiting in some conditions easier than others, thus giving them a background for evaluating actual flying conditions. Circus training taught me to be patient and to take the time to develop skills in a progressive, methodical manner. Start simple and keep it simple every step of the way, and the complex will be achieved.

PGM: Why do you teach in two different states?

PGM: TetL us a little more about working in the circus, and about whether there's any similarity between the skills you learned in the circus and paragliding skills. Dixon: I started practicing acrobatics with a focus on the unicycle when I was eight. Ten years of training, which included the tightwire and juggling, landed me my first job with the Shrine Circus. I worked professionally for seven years. Although I was always booked and making good money, I wasn't Carson material and felt like I was stagnating. While with circuses I taught hundreds of children, and many adults, to

walk the tightwire and juggle, and I worked my way through college teaching courses in orcus arts. You learn how to learn; you learn how to teach. It takes repetition to make something your own. Most high-end skills revolve around reaching one's zone. You don't smoothly loft a bunch of juggling balls by thinking about each one separately; you know where the whole pattern is going. People say they want to learn to juggle, but after five minutes say they just can't do it and give up. In order to get people to stick with a course I had to break down the learning process so the student had some success

Dixon: I actually teach in three places. The mountains of central Mexico are very important for our school. Flagstaff, Arizona has been my home. The air is big, but I'm familiar enough with the conditions that it's now easy for me to teach uneventfully all year. Winter is best for new students. In the summer I have to teach very early in the morning and late in the evening - it's a long day. Jabe Blumenthal asked me to take a look at his property in Washington State and I fell in love with it. It's truly a great place for teaching. With 1,600 private acres we can fly in almost any direction and, as in Flagstaff, everything is drive-up. We've had students get as many as 20 flights in one day at both locations. So, with the Washington property I can teach more

PARAGLIDING

effectively in the summer and in Arizona and Mexico I can teach very effectively in the winter. All our sites are magical. What Jabe has done by securing the land in Washington for paragliding is truly a gift to be cherished. To be an effective teacher I need the best tools, and that includes the best training spots. Our dream is to one day have fullscale lodges in both Washington and Arizona so our clients can stay right where they are flying. Imagine you and your friends landing right next to a lodge devoted to paragliding. I want to thank all our students; without their support we wouldn't be on the road to opening our first lodge. PGM: Word has it that you teach only reverse

inflations? Is that so, and why? Dixon: When teaching something I try to learn all the different techniques and analyze which methods are likely to produce the greatest chance of success for a student. I then apply those observations and see how readily a student learns. When it comes to inflating a glider, I discovered that it is best never to use forwards because they don't give a pilot the opportunity to observe the glider in the event of a problem, or to disable it if there is one. Students who learned a proper reverse from the beginning did very well. Students who vacillate between forwards and reverses have trouble becoming proficient with either. Modern gliders inflate in no wind very easily, when managed properly. Since practice is the mother of skill, and most new pilots have enough trouble learning one way to launch, I started focusing on the reverse. As a result, I'm seeing really strong launching skills in my students, and they never fail to comment that they don't understand why there are so many blown launches at public flying sites. I make my students practice launching in no wind on flat-slope launches. I make them kite up the training slopes, which teaches them how to fly the glider using the front risers, and gives them solid control authority when it comes to bringing the glider up squarely. They do have to do a few forwards as part of their certification.

Paragliding is certainly the most dangerous sport in the world - it's too easy to do, and it all looks so tame. Teaching paragliding has to be just about the most stressful job in the world; you can't pull a big lever and make a student stop once he's in the air. Going on five years ago a 22-year-old with a skydiving background, who had just been accepted into the Navy Seals, actually looped his paraglider and fell into it about I 00 feet above the ground. I wish we could ask him why he did the things he did. This student had completed three days of ground school which included passing the written exams. On this day he was flying with radios, back protection, a reserve and a beginner glider in mild morning conditions. It was his second flight of the morning, and he ran into a thermal bubble that pitched his glider back. Although it pitched quite a bit, it wasn't anything I haven't seen before or since. The problem was that he buried his left brake while the glider was at a high angle of attack, which spun the glider. Unfortunately, he reacted to this by then burying his right brake which brought the glider very close to a dynamic stall. He then released both brakes and the glider dove below him without him applying any surge control. He fell into the glider to the ground. Although we gave him CPR he must have died instantly. Prior to this flight he had asked if he could try to do some turns within a thermal if he found one. I told him to stick to the flight plan, which was to make a simple sled ride to the LZ. I believe he spun the glider in an attempt to turn in the thermal he bumped into. Skydiving involves much more heavy-handed control input, and I think that played a big part in his hamhanded management of the glider. Although he was flying with a radio, the events took place so quickly there wasn't really any time for me to advise him. This was a life-changing event for Debra and me. I hope it never happens to me or any other instructor ever again. It had the effect of making me more determined in my fervent presentation of the dynamics of paragliding. PGM: How do you see the foture ofparaglid-

PGM: Tell us about the fatality that occurred

ing in the US.?

sites for granted. Point of the Mountain is a perfect example of a great loss. There are golf courses, tennis courts, fishing lakes, ski areas, and countless other commitments to various sports. We need more commitment to the development of flight parks. We need 200 more folks like Jabe Blumenthal or the club in Sylmar, California that are willing to invest in flight parks. Clubs should wake up and dig deep to buy up the local great flying areas, and then work to improve the launches and landing areas. Clubs should be involved in their local communities so that pilots are respected and desired, and worthy of public support. The ski areas are slowly opening themselves up to flying, but it always seems very tentative. I feel that foot-launched aviation is at the very leading edge of human potential. Cave men were capable of hitting rocks in a primitive game of golf, but even one generation ago the possibility of footlaunched flight didn't exist for the average person. As responsible pilots we are proving that personal flight is a perfectly respectable form of recreation, and if we don't lose too many more sites we will see a tremendous surge in interest within IO years. I expect to see many commercials, movies and sitcoms with folks soaring. I'll bet we see the USHGA grow to 20,000 members within IO years. I'm 40 years old with two little kids and a wonderful wife who need my support, and we're convinced that we're on the right track. Paragliding is a dream come true. PGM: Do you have a favorite flight? Dixon: My last one. All of them. There's this sensation I get when I fly, when everything in me merges with the glider and the air. There's nothing like being completely immersed in what you're doing. Flying is very profound for me; it's my art. On my last flight, two days ago, I launched with three of my students, climbed to I 0,000 feet, and we all flew to this beautiful waterfall about IO miles away and landed together. We all shared cloud base and the breathtaking beauty of a landscape full of color and texture. The air was smooth and easy. I don't think any of us will ever forget it.

under your instruction. Dixon: I cry to tell every new student about this horrible event early in their training.

MARCH/ APRIL

1998

Dixon: I think pilots need to get together and start securing their sites first thing tomorrow morning. Don't take your local

Dixon White may be reached at (509) 7825543 or www.paraglide.com. -Ed. Ill

" For each, and all, of the reasons set forth above, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs will not receive any relief under their Complaint, and the injunction requested is denied. Each side will bear its own attorneys fees, and Defendant will recover its costs of suit." Take note that this order covers only the filing, motion, process service, and witness fees, not our attorney fees.

by Phil Bachman, USHGA Executive Director

RULING IN THE LAWSUIT he judge's ruling in the lawsuit filed against the USHGA (Defendant) by Dan Brown, Vic Powell, Michael Caryle, Thomas P. Carey, and Gene Hilborn (Plaintiffs) was handed down on December 15, 1997. We have posted the entire ruling on our Web site at http://www.ushga.org. I hope that most of you who are interested in the outcome can take the time to access the Web page and read the entire ruling. It will explain a great deal, especially in light of the dearth of facts available and the oversupply of disseminated misinformation. For those without access to the Web who would like a copy of the ruling, call or fax the office and a copy will be sent to you: 1-800-558- 7442, fax (719) 632-6417. The last two paragraphs of the decision summarize the ruling: "In sum and in short, courts have regularly held that requiring waivers in the sporting context is permissible. And not against public policy. This is especially so here, in the context of a dangerous activity such as hang gliding.

BACKGROUND For many years now the USHGA has provided, as part of the benefits of membership, third-party liability insurance. This insurance coverage covers the costs associated with damage or injury to a third party by a USHGA member participating in hang gliding or paragliding. When you consider the insurance coverage from a landowner's perspective, it didn't amount to much. If a glider was blown over onto a car, the insurance covered the damage to the car. If a pilot overshot the LZ and hit a spectator, the insurance covered the spectator's injuries. However, the majority of potential claims activity on the landowner's property is generated by the pilots, not third parties. With our previous insurance coverage, if a pilot injured himself flying into trees, after blowing a launch, he might consider suing the landowner because "the trees were too close to the launch." The landowner would not have had insurance protection and would have been faced with legal defense costs and be liable for any judgement against him. Although it has never happened in our sport, you can bet that landowners see this scenario as a real possibility. What do you think would happen to everyone's flying privileges at a site if this transpired? In addition, the landowner, if sued, would in most cases automatically file a cross-complaint which could name your club, its officers and the USHGA. Each of these entities would then have to pay the costs of a defense. The basic lesson here is that sports associations of all types are at the greatest risk of having to defend against legal

actions from their own members. The volume of legal actions is such that books are published summarizing sports waiver cases such as the above scenario. With hang gliding and paragliding the risk to the landowner who has graciously given permission to use his land is equally as great and our previous third-party liability coverage offered him no protection! The writing was on the wall, backed up by the loss of some longtime flying sites because of the threat of liability exposure. For instance, we lost the Mount Equinox site in Vermont in early 1995. Here is the exact reason as stated in the landowner's attorney letter, " .. .I wish to assure you that this decision was not made as a result of any actions of any members of your organization, but rather because of a general liability concern." The more aware landowners became of this potential exposure, the more they would rescind or refuse permission for continued use of their land. Something had to be done. The decision to position the USHGA to be able to protect landowners in exchange for the use of their lands was made by the Board of Directors in 1993. Specifically, that decision was to follow the example of many other sports associations and create a waiver/release document that would serve to protect the landowners and others including clubs, their officers, and the USHGA from possible exposure to a lawsuit filed by a member. We had already learned from discussions with various insurance representatives that when we were able to demonstrate that the membership as a whole was on a signed liability waiver, we should be able to successfully apply for participant liability insurance. If we were successful in obtaining coverage, we would be able to provide the flying site landowners with liability insurance coverage (as a named insured) against participant injuries/actions in addition to third-party events. With the decision unanimously made by the Board in 1993, the legal background work and research was started. PARAGLIDING

This arduous task was not completed until 1995. In March of that year the Release, Waiver, and Assumption of Risk Agreement was presented to the Board of Directors. All of the legal work on this project was done without charge to the Association. The Board unanimously approved the document with an implementation start date of January 1, 1996. As a result of member feedback to a couple ofUSHGA Directors, a request was made to extend the implementation date to March 31, 1996, in order to allow for another Board of Directors meeting for further discussion. The Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Board, approved the March 31, 1996 date extension. The October, 1995 Board meeting saw much discussion in the Membership and Development Committee meeting regarding the waiver. The result of the committee's work was several revisions, primarily the addition of definitions, which were presented to the Board for approval. With a total of 25 voting members on the Board, 24 voted to approve the revised document with one abstention. In a follow-on meeting of the Membership and Development Committee at the March, 1996 BOD meeting, no additional discussion was brought up except a report from one Director of a totally informal survey he had conducted among members during his many travels with his conclusion that "90% of the members are not interested and are ready to get on with flying." There being no further input, no additional action regarding the waiver was recommended at this meeting. The implementation of the Release, Waiver, and Assumption of Risk Agreement began on March 31, 1996. Prior to the November, 1996 Board meeting, five interested and concerned members lead by Frank Peel, requested time on the agenda at the Membership and Development Committee meeting to discuss their lingering concerns about parts of the waiver. As a result of their input and discussions with the Board, a revised document was prepared and presented at the March, 1997 Board meeting. MARCH/APIRL

1998

The primary change was the deletion of Paragraph D, the indemnity clause. By this time, over 96% of the current renewing membership had already signed the Release, Waiver, and Assumption of Risk Agreement and negotiations were ongoing to secure participant liability insurance coverage. Finally, with the work ofUSHGA legal counsel and First Flight Insurance of Kitty Hawk, NC, a participant liability insurance binder was issued, effective August 1, 1997. For the first time in its history, the Association could now offer landowners complete protection as an additional insured in exchange for the use of their lands. Only 18 days later, at the invitation of Kevin McClure of the Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding Association, I attended a pivotal meeting with the management of the Winter Park Ski Resort in Colorado concerning paragliding from the slopes at Winter Park. Their CEO concluded that they liked the idea and that if they could get comfortable with the liability issue they might be able to do something. Through Kevin, we delivered a copy of the brand-new policy a few days later. Kevin called me on October 20 to let me know that paragliding was approved at Winter Park for the requested one-year trial period. The new participant insurance coverage passed its first test. Without it I don't think we would have had a chance. IN THE MEANTIME In December, 1996, Dan Brown filed a lawsuit on behalf of himself and the other four Plaintiffs. Prior to filing, Brown had demanded in several communications that the waiver be rescinded. The lawsuit sought a preliminary and permanent injunction and attorneys fees. The specific injunctive relief sought was to enjoin USlIGA from "requiring endorsement of a waiver as a condition of membership." The Board was and is very sure of the correct position taken by the Association in adopting the Release, Waiver, and Assumption of Risk Agreement. We were also very sure of the ultimate outcome if

the decision were challenged in court. However, when you are involved in a lawsuit, it becomes prudent to keep your mouth shut until you are in front of the judge. Therefore, upon advice of counsel, we kept a very low profile in terms of discussion about the suit in the magazine or on the Net. I did discuss the fact that the actions of these five individuals were costing the Association considerable legal fees to comply with the legal response requirements and prepare a defense. I also stated that it could cost a great deal of money before it was over. Unfortunately, this no-comment, no-response position was read by some as not communicating with the membership. Some of the plaintiffs used this to accuse the Board and office of hiding information and conspiring against the members. This could not be further from the truth. In retrospect, this conclusion is understandable. If we find ourselves in a similar situation in the future, the reason(s) for not responding will be more clearly communicated. After the initial filing, Brown began filing numerous discovery motions which generated more legal work. Of the 11 motions he filed, only three were found by the court to be related to the action filed. Nevertheless, we still had to pay for the time to prepare and file proper responses. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT FINANCES When I took over as Executive Director in the second quarter of 1994, the finances of the USHGA were in satisfactory shape. By that I mean that the USHGA was providing member services and able to pay its operating costs out of revenues and still be able to generate some reserves. The ability to create a reserve account happened partially by accident. In 1993 it was obvious that, based on prior years and the insurance claims record for that year, that we could expect a large increase (as in $30,000 or $40,000) in the member third-party liability insurance premium. Therefore, the Board made the decision to implement a continued on page 48 ...

Grab your gear and head out to the Marshall/Crestline flying site in San Bernardino, California. just don't forget common sense. In the middle ofthe day this range can provide a white-knuckle ride for Advanced pilots but a smooth glass-offfor Novices in the evening. The local weather provides up to 300 flying days per year, and we're not just talking flyable, we're talking soarable! The 4,000-foot MSL launch at Marshall Peale is reached on a 2WD dirt road off

Highway 18 in San Bernardino, California. The launch area has plenty of room for setup and top landings, as well as parking for about 10 vehicles. Straight back from Marshall Peale is Crestline with its 5,200-

foot MSL launch which is preferred mostly by hang glider pilots. Visiting pilots usually end up wide-eyed at the strong lift they get here, and many have landed in shock at the strength of the thermals compared to wherever they normally fly. The site works with wind directions from southeast to west, but you must be careful not to get low in the valleys when the wind is crossing in from the sides. The LZ is called the Andy Jackson Air Park and is a first-rate place to land and relax in the shade with the locals. Running the whole program is the 200-member Crestline Soaring Society which maintains the lease and protects flying privileges. The CSS is headed by President Rob von Zabern who is a P4/H2 and Paragliding Tandem Instructor. The club has hosted many great fly-ins and barbecues, one of which drew 200 pilots. The most recent event was a Christmas fly-in at which pilots donated $2,000 worth of toys to local children. The CSS offers a Web site created by Ken Howells which contains a detailed site description and can be found at: www.kiwi.net/ - khowells/. There have been a few injuries at Marshall during the past year suffered by visiting pilots who unfortunately didn't understand the local hazards. Visitors are strongly advised to get a site briefing from an experienced local before flying. The LZ is very thermally during midday in the summer, and dust devils breale off at regular intervals from the lee side near the parking lot. It is best not to loiter around or do maneuvers at low altitude near the LZ when it is hot and/ or thermally! In the afternoons and evenings the wind will sometimes cross a little from the west, and this can create sink and rotors if you get low in the valleys. You do not want to have an out-landing in the middle of the thick chaparral as it will take hours to pick your wing out of it and hike out. If you find yourself missing the LZ, aim for a dirt road out front whenever possible. There is a launch point 750 feet above the LZ and it is possible to launch there and thermal up to Marshall Peale. Some cross-country is possible, but the Cajon Pass, which lies to the west near Highway 15, should be avoided due to the high winds that funnel through it. It is possible to go X-C over the back of the mountain range to the desert and the first to do this on a paraglider was Cary Mendes. He made the flight in October 1995 on a Nova Sphinx

PARAGLID-ING

and landed 35 miles and 2:39 later just west of El Mirage Dry Lake. Rob von Zabern and Mike Harris have also flown over the back to the desert. Rob McKenzie flew 29 miles on a declared flight to Big Bear City on a Wills Wing 123 in September of 1992. He reached a maximum altitude of 12,500 feet and landed 3,600 feet above launch after 2.8 hours. Visitors from Europe are surprised to see that we rarely do any forward launches, nor is there a stigma associated with using big ears for top landings. Many of the experienced local pilots prefer to fly DHV 2 wings for the added stability they provide in the strong conditions. A typical flying day at Marshall involves a quick check of the weather, a visit to Rob McKenzie's Web page, and a call to the windtalker to make sure it is south and averaging less than 10 mph. Meet some friends in the LZ and give the driver five dollars for the ride up. Upon arriving at launch, it is best not to jump right into the air. Take a few minutes to get a feel for the conditions. Set your vario/altimeter to 4,000 feet, your radio to the club frequency of 146.415, and begin observing the strength and interval of the thermal cycles before launching. If the cycles are strong, with only a short lull between them, it is best to launch at the tail end of a cycle so you can get well clear of the mountain before the next boomer arrives. If you have any doubts about the conditions, listen to and watch what the local pilots do, since they have a long history of safe flying without serious injury. If the base wind is nil and the thermals are light, it might be fun to make your next flight of the day from the Crestline launch which is at 5,200 feet. A sled ride from Crestline lasts about eight minutes longer than a sledder from Marshall. The best time of the year to fly this site is in the spring and fall. The summer is okay, but midday conditions are rowdy and high altitude gains are frequently limited by a smoggy inversion layer. Winter can provide PARAGLIDING

r[!~I~~;~;;~~~~;~~iiiji~;ii;;;J;;~:;:::~ ,~~

Top~nding Marshall Peak - looking back at the Crestline ridge.

Tim Nelson assists a student on the Crestline launch. great flights as long as you avoid any storms or Santa Ana winds. Daily weather forecasts and a map to the Andy Jackson Airpark (Marshall LZ) can be found on Rob McKenzie's High Adventure Hang Gliding and Paragliding Web site at: www.eee.org/bus/high_adventure/. Rob and Diane offer a full-service operation with lessons, sales, shuttle service, and friendly advice to visiting pilots. Many a long drive has been saved by first checking Rob's forecast and keen observations that he makes right from the site every morning. A wind talker, located in the city of Crestline, can be reached at: (909) 338-3362. The ideal, prevailing winds are from the southeast to west. If it's blowing from the north after 10:00 am it may not be flyable due to the seasonal Santa Ana winds. These sporadic northwest winds begin in September and taper off in April. They usually last only a couple of days and only show up about every three weeks. Some of the best lift can be had on the day after the Santa Ana winds subside. The Los Angeles area has a few sites which can be very treacherous for paraglider pilots when the wind cycles are above 12 mph, but Marshall is a little more forgiving in that experienced pilots can launch in

cycles that are a bit stronger due to the rounded profiles of the local spines and ridges. Ear-popping thermals are the norm whenever the sun is shining, and multihour flights are not unusual. To fly Marshall/Crestline one must be a USHGA member and a Crestline Soaring Society member for $65/year or pay a $5/day use fee. The site is a Hang 3/Para 3 but pilots with lower ratings may fly if they are under the direct supervision of an instructor or have a sign-off from a local instructor. During the summer months pilots with less than 10 hours of airtime are not permitted to fly between the hours of 11 :00 am and 5:00 pm due to the sometimes violent thermal conditions. Flying Marshall can provide great challenges and rewards for nearly all pilots as long as they respect che strong conditions. It is not unusual to find yourself 1,000 feet over launch wirhin one or two minutes into your

flight. If you find that the lift is too strong you can head out over the flatlands to reach smoother air. The hang glider pilots are friendly and willing to share thermals, providing you maintain the same turning rate and direction as they do. They also appreciate a little extra room when launching so they can work a little ridge lift prior to moving on down the range. If you are getting a little bored with the sites you normally fly, or just want to check out a new site, try Marshall and I guarantee you'll have a great time. !II

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DIRECTIONS

In the city of San Bernardino, exit the 215 Freeway at University Parkway and go north. Turn left on Northpark and go 1/2 mile over a small bridge and turn right on the second dirt road which is Ben Canyon Road. Take the left fork in the road and you are there.

CONTACTS High Adventure: Rob McKenzie ........... (909) 883-8488 Thermal Dynamics: Tim Nelson ........... (310) 834-0769 CSS President: Rob von Zabern ............ (909) 687-2513 Atmosphere: Marcello DeBarros ............ (714) 407-9575 Air America: JeffWilliams ................ (714) 488-3574

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MARCH/ APRIL

1998

Kari checking out the Machu Picchu ''LZ, " never before uznded in. Continued from page 32. as I was asked such questions as: How does your head feel? Do you want to continue on or hike down with a porter? All I could think of was how to kill them for shining a light into my eyes when my head hurt so bad! Enough of this filming stuff, this was serious. The next day we all partially recovered for the last day of creeping up the mountain. Starting not so bright and early (3:30 am!), nothing happened fast or it didn't happen at all. Where were the porters with the water when all three of us completely ran out? Mitch, Dave and I went on strike at one point. We lay down and swore to each other that we wouldn't move unless they brought us water or carried us to the top. We must have been hypoxic, and eventually realized that no one but ourselves would carry us to the top, so Dave and Mitch turned on the 02 and walked on. I could see my 02 up ahead with the porters 500 feet ahead but there was no catching up, so I went without, very slowly. "My head. I feel like after I fight with Mike Tyson," Schilter said in his stilted English. Dave Sharp fared well, but nevertheless exhibited the telltale signs of less oxygen getting to his brain: "It just makes the scenery nicery... nice. Scenery, nicer. I start to see my brain starting to go." Dave and Mitch decided to bail early because of the dark clouds moving in from the west. The plan was for all of us to fly off together in the morning, but they decided it was too uncertain whether we would gee off or not, and they did not want to spend another night on the mountain. They eventually got off after a few attempts in the thin air, and we could sense their relief as we watched them fly away. Franz and I decided to stick with the plan since that is what was expected of us in the first place. In addition,

the lighting was so bad that filming was pointless, and the only chance of getting any footage of this mission was to wait until morning in hopes of being able to launch. Five inches of snow fell on our tents during the night, and the weather at the summit was far from optimal. Thick fog was rolling in the sky, but neither Franz nor I entertained the idea of walking back down. We had the advantage of Mitch and Dave down below reporting on what they saw, which was that the cloud was sitting only on the top and it was clear below. We waited until we saw light through the clouds and decided to launch. Franz was first, and he disappeared into the cloud. He radioed back that he flew out of it real fast, so it was no problem. I did a reverse launch, and as the glider spread over my head I turned quickly and took a few steps, then off I went into the cloud - what a rush! My head was still spinning after I popped out of the cloud, but what a relief it was to know that everything would improve as soon as I got down. No more headaches, hiking or freezing! I thought of everyone else left on the mountain to hike down - bummer! They ran out of water too. Double bummer. Mitch acquired a newfound respect for El Misti. He commented, "I have to admit I was pretty overconfident. The hike kicked my butt pretty bad. " The last step: Machu Picchu

THE LOST CITY IN THE CLOUDS For our grand finale we traveled to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Hidden deep in the jungle-covered Andes, it was not discovered until 1911 and is the most popular but least understood of the Incan ruins. The unusually high-caliber stonework and its emphasis on ornamental rather than practical features support the theory that the site had a significant ceremonial function. Before it was discovered, Machu Picchu was isolated by thick jungle and impassable mountain terrain. Today it is much easier to get to. The next obstacle would be trying to fulfill the producer's dreams. The plan was for us to be the first high-performance hang glider pilots to fly there. After checking out the landing area, which was precariously short, it started to look like we would only be able to fly the paragliders, so we tested

the site first with the canopies. Afterwards, Dave and I both agreed that the risk involved in landing a high-performance hang glider in the LZ would be too high for our liking. Mitch, on the other hand, enjoyed the idea of trying to pull it off, so the next day we hiked up the hill with two paragliders and one hang glider. Dave and I flew off first so that we would be in the LZ reporting wind conditions. Mitch launched in pure McA!eer style, complete with a scream. After soaring above the intricate Incan stronghold he performed some effortless-looking wingovers and loops as he prepared to land. But there was a problem. He relates: "I started to look very earnestly for the wind indicators in the landing zone. Kari and Dave were holding up toilet paper. As soon as I got a visual on them, I noticed that the wind was blowing in the exact opposite direction from the previous day." While he was aloft the winds in the landing area had ominously switched. He knew he couldn't land in the direction he planned the day before, and the short landing area meant he had one chance to do it right. Dave, Franz and I could do nothing but watch, and hope. Coming in low and fast, he clipped a tree and came dangerously close to a singlestrand power line to make the field. He landed flawlessly, making it look easy. "While it was fun to be on the ground in one piece after the flight, it was really a lot more risk than I wanted to take in a thirdworld country, five or six hours or more from any kind of decent first aid," he said. On this last day, in this awesome place, we flew silently over the mystical city. While I launched first to attempt rJ1e first-ever landing in the ruins, the others waited for soaring conditions. I landed amongst the ruins complete with curious lamas and tourists, then watched as everyone else soared above in the perfect conditions. It was pretty awesome to think about what we all had accomplished during our visit to this powerful place. This was the climax of our Peruvian adventure. "Flying over all the ruins of Machu Picchu is an experience that is very special," Schilter said. Flying above the Lost City in the Clouds, as Peru's great condors have for centuries, was a spectacular ending.

Special thanks to Cherie Silvera, Debbie Kalis and American Adventure Productions for making it all possible!• PARAGLIDING

Che!dn: continued from page 27.

ing craft, which was just as likely to be a sailplane or hang glider. Chelan Butte has mile out-and-return on two occasions, and an undeserved reputation for being rough a 55-miler on another. The achievement of because of a couple of windy days during the season for the Chelan the 1995 Nationals. Mark area, however, had to be a reports *** experiencing no pre-declared, 60-mile, equaladvanced maneuvers, only sided triangle flight by Mark occasional small asymmetries on a relatively low cloud base *** the entire season, flying a day (8,000 feet). ''I'd tried on FreeX Spark and Swing several occasions to complete Ventus. "On a modern wing, and perhaps with a guide, a 100-km triangle, getting Chelan is the perfect place halfway through it a couple of times and once finishing a for the Para-3+ pilot to rack 47.5-miler of a somewhat up unlimited X-C miles and more obtuse shape," said hours, much more safely Mark. After completing his than in the mountains," adds course and re-measuring, it Mark. was determined to be only 60 Chelan was definitely a miles, still probably a U.S . gamble in 1997, with the record, though unofficial. payoff corning late in the seaThe mind boggles at the son for those with endurance, Mark Telep over Carlton, W'li, motivation, a suitable guide vastness of the Washington with jlat!dnds in the distance. (if you were &om out of the flatlands and the ease with which X-C miles can be Photo by Steve Roti. area) , and just the right day racked up. Mark reports off. The jackpot was sweet for doing 95% of his flying alone, only rarely those who got to share it.• being in the same thermal as another soar-

1st XC- continuedfrom page 34. make a great story for Paragliding magazine! " Although I was totally amazed I had actually crossed the U.S./Canadian border, and thought it was kind of funny, I also chastised myself for not having a better understanding of the area I was flying. I knew the flying site was not too far north of the U.S. border, but had no idea how easy it would be to fly twice that distance without realizing it. In hindsight I've add up all the bits and pieces and have concluded that I should have realized I'd crossed the border. But while in the air (on my first cross-country flight), it wasn't so obvious. I have also decided that if you've lost radio communication with your retrieval driver, an outand-back cross-country might be wise.

Heidi Young was a Para 3 with 80 hours and 175 flights at the time. She and her husband, Terry, travel fall time to flying sites in their motor home. •

... continued from page 41 dues increase. However, we did not get hit with the premium increase that year; it came the following year. We were able to put the increased revenues into a bank account. Shortly after I started, I transferred the funds to a laddered investment portfolio which generated over $10,000 in revenue per year in 1995 and 1996. During this time we continued to operate on a basic break-even basis and still show an excess of revenue over expenses. In 1993, the turnaround year, we went from a beginning-of-year balance of minus ($20,914) to an end-of-year of $8,463. In 1994, we went to an end-ofyear of $62,422 (includes 1993's excess). In 1995, we showed an end-of-year of $73,051. In 1996, we showed an end-ofyear of $25,055. This revenue drop came from a $30,000 drop in merchandise sales plus the costs of conducting a legal audit of both the Foundation and the Association. Although we won't have audited financials for 1997 until May, 1998, I am projecting an end-of-year loss of over $50,000. At the end of the third quarter we were showing ($38,709). Without the costs of the lawsuit we would have a positive end-of-year. I will be presenting a complete financial report to you as soon as we have the audited financials. SO WHERE ARE WE NOW? Because of the lawsuit, we are looking at a more than $50,000 increase in legal bills for 1997. Going into 1998 I am faced with, as the business manager of the USHGA, the necessity of covering this deficit and preparing for another large payable. Our liability insurance policy renews on March 1 of each year. This means that each February we must make the premium down payment, usually around one-third of the premium or approximately $30,000. In the past, prior to this year, we have been able to build up our money market account through the year with enough to make our down payment by February. The money market account has been drained by legal bills. By the time you read this, we will have had

to use almost two-thirds of our reserves to cover the balance of the legal bills and the insurance down payment. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? The issue of a dues increase was talked about at the last BOD meeting and regularly since that meeting. It will be an agenda item at the spring BOD meeting. My perspective on a dues increase is twofold. First, until we had the current round of legal bills, we didn't need to consider a dues increase at this time. Second, if a dues increase is voted on in March it may not become effective until January, 1999, which does not help the 1998 cashflow situation. Don't misunderstand me, the 1998 budget shows a slight year-end positive number even with a $60,000 line item for legal costs. It does not take into account, however, the loss of most of our reserves. I have a very strong desire to see us build our financial reserves back up quickly. A month-to-month existence with little or no reserves for an unexpected expense is neither comfortable nor, in my opinion, very prudent. In order to resolve this situation, one of the suggestions is the initiation of a one-time surcharge on membership renewals of eight dollars. In order to allow time for you to react and log in your opinions on this and the possible dues increase, it would probably have a June 1 or July 1 start date. I see one of these options as a necessary business decision to

preserve the financial integrity of your Association. This will allow us to recoup most of the depleted reserves. The third option, of course, will be to maintain the status quo with a much smaller financial reserve. We have already had many members contribute toward the legal costs fund. As of this writing (end of January, 1998) these contributions stand at$ 4,989.95 or about 10% of the costs of the Dan Brown, Vic Powell, et. al. lawsuit. This has simply not been enough of an offset. Even without the kind of legal expenses we saw in 1997, we will eventually need to consider a member dues increase to keep up with rising costs. I still see that as down the road a ways. There are determiners that could speed this up such as a significant insurance premium increase or a severe increase in magazine production or printing costs. I don't see either of these as likely. In the meantime, we need to put a fix in place to rebuild our reserves deficit. Without it, the USHGA will not be in a position to respond to unforeseen, shortnotice, or emergency financial requirements. We print your Directors' communication information in each issue of the magazine. If you have some thoughts or an opinion, contact them. You can also e-mail me at phbachman@ushga.org or fax at (719) 632-6417 or mail to P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901. I would really like to have your input. II

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PARAGLIDING

PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paraglidcrs should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first rime. If in doubt, many paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of eguipment you bring them to inspect. BUYERS SHOULD SELECT EQUIPMENT THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR SKILL LEVEL OR RATING. NEW PILOTS SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FROM A USHGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. PARAGLIDERS AIRWAVE JIVE 23 - 60-80kg, 25hrs, all A's $1,000 OBO. EDEL GALAXY: tandem, split A's, trimmers, spreaders $2,000 OBO. EDEL SUPERSPACE 25: 7090kg, 45hrs, great shape, w/harness, new RSII reserve, Uvex helmet $1,800. Dale (801) 582-2627. AIRWAVE JIVE 26 - Rap harness, Pro Design 20 gore reserve $1,600. Doug (808) 263-0329. APCO SPECTRA 27 - 15 hours, excellent intermediate glider $1,250. Apco Supra 28, 10 hours, great advanced glider $1,000. Apco Compag harness with 16 gore reserve $380. (81 8) 782-0084. AT MIRAGE - Large, 50 hours, purple/blue, no rips or repairs, a steal at $500. FIREBIRD G-SPORT-large, excellent condition $1,500. (505) 242-1673. COMPLETE PARAGLIDING PACKAGE - Large Symphony-2 hours, Apco harness, helmet, Quantum reserve $1,995. Pere (317) 549-7582 pager.

EDEL SABER - Large, new Balance harness, RSI] reserve, purchased 8/97, used oncel No BS, no damage, going back to hang gliding. $3,300. (907) 277-2492 kentpost@hormail.com EDEL SABER - Large, Hero harness w/reserve, new late Summer '97. No time to fly it-still new $3,200 OBO. Atlas-medium, new, 1hr training only $2,400 OBO. (320) 743-4138. EDEL SABER MEDIUM - Nov '96, excellent condition, purple top, whire bottom, flawless, w/1-Iero harness and Edel reserve (also Nov '96), only $2,400! (303) 6519675. EDEL SPACE - Large, 30m, excellent condition, flies and handles great, 27 hours, light purple with rainbow stripes, recent annual $1,200 OBO. (805) 659-1982. EDEL QUANTUM - Large, 12/96, 35 hours, recently inspected, perfect condition, Hero harness w/reserve $2,400. (561) 624-5034, cduc@cornpuserve.com FIREBIRD APACHE 23 - 110-155lbs, <30 hours, Firebird harness w/reserve, vario. Grear shape, great intermediate/advanced glider $1,200. Ethan (970) 4531677. FIREBIRD FLAME - Large, used for commercial, must sell $3,000. Doug (808) 263-0.329, Hawaii. FLIGHT DESIGN A4 - Excellent shape, perfect For your first wing, only $999. Call Mike at (509) 9255565.

HAVE OVERSTOCK OF WINGS - Must sell! Paratechnology, Hawaii's brand new beginner/intermediate $1,400. (954) 462-5609. ITV AGENA 28 - EXCELLENT GLIDER, beginner/inrermcdiatc, 20 hours, 160-200lbs, speed system, Mylar top, bright yellow w/tangerine logo, INCLUDES SUP'AIR HARNESS $2,200 OBO. (609) 448-4933 after 6pm eastern. ITV JADE 28M - Due to recent baby girl. Standard, perfect beginner/intermediate, 5 hours, 6.5: 1 glide, white/cangerine, perfect condition, 165-205lbs, w/lTV bag & harness, speed system. Excellent For motorizing. See www.macconncct.com/-supair, 13th picture down. Paid $3500 last year, asking $2,350. Jeff Weiss (609) 723-5097, jweiss@oasysllc.com NEW & USED GLIDERS -At affordable prices. Call The Soaring Center roll-free 1-888-944-5433. NOVA AXON 28 - Excellent condition, I 00-130k total weight, including wing $1,995. Also have other gliders, harnesses and reserves. (541) 387-3106. NOVA !'HOCUS 31 - 1995, approx 50 homs, excellent porosity, good intermediate glider $800 OBO. (303) 492-3480, pfeffer@tintin.colorado.edu PRO COMPACT 29 - NEVER USED, Pro Jan harness w/reserve, clinch bag $3,500 credit card ok. (702) 641-9533 after 5pm Pacific. PRO DESIGN COMPACT 33 - Purple w/yellow slash, low hours, excellent condition $1,500. (301) 9262104 Ma1yland, or email ben-le@erols.com

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

Number of months: SECTION D Paragliders D Emergency Parachutes D Parts & Accessories D Business & Employment D Miscellaneous D Powered Paragliders D Videos

Begin with

D Towing D Schools & Dealers D Ultralights D Publications & Organizations D Wanted D Harnesses

issue and run for_

consecutive issue(s). My D check, D money order is enclosed in the amount of$_ NAME: _ _ _ __ ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __STATE: _ _ _ __ CITY: PHONE: _____________________

I I I

Number of words: _______ @$.50 =_____

Number of words:

I I I I

- - - - - - @$1.00 =- - - - -

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

L-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MARCH/APRIL

1998

A Guide to Powered Paragliding

Video & Nlagazine

Solid sensation, solid wing you and her will be one an Equi...nox couple 50 % you, 50% her 50 % enjoyment, 50 % performance

This full color periodical covers current information about Powered Paragliding in North America. It contains over 30 color photos of the units . Articles include FAR's, weather, thrust tests and more. The video is a 46 minute documentary, covering the 3 day meet in Baja, Mexico. Showing low level formation flights , tandem , scooter towing, air to air photography and much more. This is not a subscription - ONE ISSUE ONLY!

Magazine - $7.95 ppd. Video - $25 . plus $3. s+h order both and SAVE$ 29.95 ppd VISA & Mastercard g ladl y accepted.

Thi s is the NEW 3rd edition of the acclaimed Touching Cloudbase book for parag liding pilots. More than just a hi story lesson, TC. has tons of useful information to help you progress. Many school s use this book for their student manual. $ 22.50 plus$ 3. s+h

Still just $ 12.95 ppd. Learn about clouds and weather with this beautiful full color poster. Full s ize 26"x 38 .. poster makes a great di splay fo r home or oflice. Ir also makes a grear gift for your flying friend s!'

Call for our FREE new Flight Gear Catalogue

Nlojo's Gear Rt.1 Box 16F Tow,TX 78672-9708 Ph. 915/379-1185 Fax 915/379-1478

PRO DESIGNS COMPACI' LADY - Excellent condition, less than 10 hours flight time, turquoise $1,700. (916) 582--1846 ask for Norma. PROFILE 27 - Excellent condition, complete package: AT harness, reserve, helmet. Vety low hours, great intermediate kite $1,900. (307) 739-9582.

EMERGENCY PARACHUTES ADVENTURE SPORTS LOFT - The repair center for Air America Paragliding. Reserve repacks, repairs, modifications. Master Rigger Scott Christensen (909) 657-2676. HARNESSES

PRO DESIGN PRO !'EEL 35 - 80 hours $1,.300. Contest 48 $750. Stu (209) 576-2561. QUANTUM 21M - 1996, w/harness $1,600. Space 24M w/harness and vario $1,600. Both very good condition. (619) 970-8085 San Diego.

WILLS WING ASCEND AIR - Deluxe, pristine, w/Quantum 440 reserve by High Energy Sports. Dual riser system w/Specrra lines. Second Chantz air-rocker w/hand deploy option. The best of everything $1,000. Greg (714) 754-7041.

REGGAE - Beautiful, small, brand new, < 1 hour training. Woody Valley harness, Pro Design reserve-both small, new, perfect. Giving up sport, first $2,000 takes all. Call Mica (212) 353-1986.

WOODY VALLEY MODEL - Is now introducing its full line of unique lralian paragliding and hang gliding harnesses in the United States. For info call Eastcoasr Paragliding at (914) 647-3377. Dealer inquires welcome.

SOL BALANCE 90 - Perfccr condition, 35 hours $1,.333 0130. (970) 926-7676.

SCHOOLS & DEALERS ARIZONA

SWING MINOA 32C - New. Best turning glider ever built! Custom color, deluxe metal riser system, center flap system, absolutely pristine condition $3,000. Greg (714) 754-7041. TREKKil"\G MIURA XI - 32.5, very low time, intermediate, 2 I 0-280lbs, only 15 flights. Includes 22 gore reserve and Artwing harness $1,500.(505) 327-7851. POWERED PARAGLIDERS ADVENTURE POWERED PARAGLIDERS - The best in the business, at the best prices. $3,995 for any of our models. Four models to choose from. See our web page at http://members.aol.com/gfoxfly or call (770) 541-2135. CLOUDBASE AI.TO - Electric start, tachometer, 10 hours, higb performance prop, very high tbrust/weight ratio $3,200. New intermediate glider reserve for sale. (503) 690-3280.

DIXON'S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING - The perfect beginner training areas! Year round temperate climate. DRIVE UP to 360 degree treeless and rockless launches. Land in wide open fiekk Master rated tandem instructor Dixon White has supervised over 12,000 smdent flights to date, teaching pilots is his profession. Individualized training with state-of-the-arr equipment, 2-way radios, comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micromereorology. Great new and used inventory. Specialized clinics including the CAGE, towing and BACKPACK MOTORS. Enjoy the Grand Canyon and other spectacular scenery. Great lodging bargains or luxury accommodations. Dave Bridges, US National Champion says, "Dixon's srudcnts are extremely well-trained and competent pilots." Dixon's Paragliding in ARIZONA and WASHINGTON (appointments recommended), PO Box 2626, Flagstaff AZ 86004. (520) 526-4579. www.paraglidc.com

DK WHISPERS - Prom U.S. importer, 53 or 60 pounds for Plus or GT, respectively. Up to 130 pounds of static thrust, with lighter props available for beginner/small pilots. Absolutely tbe best value on the market! Dealerships available. Paraborne Aviation, POB 423217, Kissimmee PL 34742-3217, 1-888-636-911 l. FLY POWER 70 (501) 851-4094.

AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING- Join KEN BAIER for your "Pursuit of Paragliding Excellence" in the land of yearround, excellent paragliding: Southern California and the Baja. Courses for Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor ratings. Powered paragliding, soaring and maneuvers clinics, guided tours, tandem and towing instruction and special events. USHGA cenified. Handling the latest equipment. Call (760) 753-2664 for information. AIRTEK PARAGLIDING - In sunny San Diego. Year-round thermal & ridge soaring, beginner thru advanced instruction, all major brands, phone/fax (619) 450-6696.

AIR TIME OF SAN FRANCISCO WEST COAST PARAGLIDING THIS PREMIER PARAGLIDING FACILITY - Is now under the management of LARS LINDE of East Coast Paragliding and GREG SMITH of Edel USA. We arc qualified to issue all possible paragliding licenses pursuant to USI-IGA standards. THE BEST SHOP IN THE WEST! We offer a full spectrum of instruction, tandem, repairs and porosity tests. We stock all major brands of paragliding equipment available on the market. Enroll in our demo day-everyday program. SHOP (415) 759-1177, OFFICE (732) 747-7845. HANG GLIDER EMPORIUM - Best training hill in the west! full service hang gliding/paragliding shop, established 1974. PO Box 41339, Santa Barbara CA 931401339, (805) 965-37.33, email: weflyuniv@aol.com HIGH ADVENTURE - Paragliding, hang gliding school. Equipment, sales, service at world famous Marshal Peak. USHGA tandem instructor: Rob McKenzie. By appointment year round (909) 883-8488, www.eee.org/bus/high_adventure MAGIC AIR - Located in Korthern California. Lessons, sales, service. (707) 963-3455.

F!Y TORREY PINE!

And Power 115. $2,500 each.

DERPORT 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San Diego CA 92037 Since 1928

LA MOUETTE ZR250 - Like new, skybike w/electric start, silencer $4,500. l-888-636-9 l 11. PAGOJET - w/glider, low bours, will demo $5,400 OBO. (910) 630-3588 NC. USED POWERED PARAGLIDERS - We buy & sell all brands. Training available from USHGA certified advanced instructor Hugh Murphy. Contact Surf the Sky Paragliding (805) 544-8190.

MARCH/APRIL

1998

USHGA certified paragliding & bang gliding instruction. Courses are expertly run on a frienclly, informative basis. We have been introducing people to tl1e world of foot launched flight since 1976. New and used gliders and accessories. Ball, Comer, Edel, Pirebird, ITV, Pacific Ai1wave, Wills Wing and others. All skill levels welcome. PO Box 1226, Del Mar CA 92014. (619) 481-7400 Southern California.

PARAGLIDING AND HANG GLIDING USHGA certified instruction, tandem flight instruction, sales, service, repairs, parachute repacks, motorized pg/bg instruction and site tours. San Diego's exclusive dealers for AIREA, APCO and SOL. Visa and Mastercard accepted. Check us out at http://www.flytorrey.com or call (619) 452-9858.

CONNECTICUT

NEVADA

ECP- Look under New York.

ADVENTURE SPORTS - Mountain tours for all levels. USHGA Certified school & ratings. Dealer for all major brands. 3650-22 Research Way, Carson Ciry NV 89706. (702) 883-7070, email: advspcs@pryamid.net web site: http://www.pyramid.net/advspts

FLORIDA CLOSEST CERTIFIED SCHOOL - To Florida: SOUTHERN SKIES see North Carolina (704) 6326000. PARATECH - Official dealer, gliders, bage, etc. Bernardo Alvarez R. phone/fax (407) 657-7131.

LEARN TO

PARAGLIDE at Kitty Hawk Kites Outer Banks, NC Lessons Daily Towing & Foot Launch Year Round Sales & Service CALL TODAY! 800-334-4777 919-441-4124

NEW JERSEY EC!'- Look under New York. NEW YORK

MEXICO

E-Mail Address hang-glide@outer-banks.com

Ill

EXIC '''

HANG GLIDING

1111

PARAGLIDING

BEAUTIFUL VALLE DE BRAVO - Experienced, Professional group. Fabulous house, ala carte service. Open to all skill levels, rent or bring hg/pg. Basic packages: $100/day hg, $69/day pg, equipment trade considered. 1-800-861-7198, flymexico@aol.com http://members.aol.com/flymexico/index.

ERS - Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450' sand dunes. FULL-TIME SHOP. Certified instruction, beginner to advanced, foor launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml 49684. Offering POWERED PARAGLIDING lessons & dealer for new & used units, including the Whisper and the Fly. Call Bill at (616) 922-2844. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 7398620. MONTANA AIRWORKS PARAGLIDING LTD - Located in Montana's "flying mecca" Missoula. Call for local site information, regulations & product catalog. USI-IGA cerrified tandem instruction. Dealer for major brands. 220 N Higgins, Missoula MT 59802, (406) 543-2850, email: airworks@bigsky.net ''Paragliding is cool.. "D.B. Cooper BIG SKY PARAGLIDING listing.

Has moved! See Utah

E A S T ~c:.>A.

P A.RA.Cil Lii l'lt>I N <iii THE NUMBER I - Raced USHGA paragliding school in the United States 1995, 1996 and the first quarrer of 1997. Our premier school and "WORLD CLASS STORE" are conveniently located only 1.5 hours outside Manhattan in the Catskill mountain range. We offer a full spectrum of instruction including our famous TAKE OFF PROGRAM which allows you co learn at your own pace. We now also offer full-time towing at our airport, located only 5 minutes from the shop. Importer of WOODY VALLEY MODEL, AIRWAYE and NOCAL (the US Paragliding World Teams official helmet) produces. 150 CANAL STREET, ELLENVILLE NY, SHOP (914) 647-3377, OFFlCE (732) 747-7845. IKAROS SPORT AVIATION & Spartan Microlight Manufacturing. NYC's first and only certified school for hang gliding, paragliding and trikes. Distributors/dealers for all major brands. Manufacturer for the BEST microlights in the world, SPARTAN. New and used equipment at best prices. The most friendly service in NY. for catalog send $5 to: ISA, 3811 Ditmars Blvd # 110, Astoria NY 111 OS. Store: 2931 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone/fax (718) 777-7000, Internet: http://members.aol.com/ikaros 11 /fly.hem email: ikarosl l@aol.com NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHERN SKIES - FULLY CERTIFIED full time school and shop. Group discounts Pl thru P4. TANDEM FLIGHTS. Towing clinics. POWERED PARAGLIDING insuuccion, equipment and service. Beautiful training hills and mountain sires in Virginia and North Carolina. No rese1vations necessa1y, START YOUR TRAINING TODAY! Call now (704) 632-6000.

Sell your unused equipment here.

OREGON

OVER TI-IE HILL PARAGLIDING - Oregon/SW Washington. Sales, service, beginner-advanced USHGA cerrified instruction. Nova, fircbird, Apco, AT, Pro Design, SOL, Ball, Flytec, HES Quantum parachutes. Service: full se1vice shop, FAA rigger repairs/mods. Out of state pilots: We have great thermal, coastal and Corge sites. Call us for info. There is no sales rax in Oregonl New/used gear. Trades welcome. 22865 SE Yellowhammer, Cresham OR 97080. (503) 667-4557, fax (503) 666-6979. Email: ochpara@celeport.com web: hctp://www.tclcport.com/-othpara/ TEXAS HILL COUNTRY PARAGLIDING INC - Learn complete pilot skills. Personalized USHGA certified training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 3791185. Rt I, Box 16F, Tow TX 78672. KITE ENTERPRISES - Foot launch, payout winch row and powered paraglider instruction too. Training, sales, rentals and repair. Edel, Airwave, Wills Wing, UP and DK Whisper. Dallas, Fort Worrh and north Texas area. 211 Ellis, Allen TX 75002. (972) 390-9090 nights, weekends.

~~-------------------------~-~~---------~------------------

PARAGLIDING

PARTS & ACCESSORIES

UTAH BIG SKY PARAGLIDING - Has moved! The highest quality training, sales and service is now available in Utah. Beginner thru advanced tandem instruction, clinics and tours. Call Dale Covington at 1-800-782-9204 or (801) 582-2627. CLOUD 9 PARAGLIDING - Utah's largest paragliding school. We offer BOTH AM and PM training sessions at Point of the Mountain. Para 2 certification is $650 for the unlimited lesson package which is l 00% applied toward the purchase of new paragliding gear. Call or email for information pack (801) 553-1834. Web site is www.paragliders.com email at info@paragliders.com

YOU LOOKING for a PARAGLIDING PACK for your new harness? The search is over! Do you want to protect your glider from harmful UV exposure? Try a DirtBag, a unique dualpurpose backpack, unzips to form a shelter from UV damage. Call (970) 641-1754 for a free brochure or www .cri tterm tnwear .corn/ packs. PLYTEC VARIO 3005 - On first set of batteries $199. Yaesu FTllR, w/mod $175. l-800-365-8066 x637.

KENTUCKIANA SOARING Communications Specialise! Best Prices & Best Service!

Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! VARIOS: FLIGHT DECKS NEW BALL GRAPHICS PLUS ............ $CALL . $375.00 BALL Ml 9..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLYTEC . . . . . . . .... $CALL HELMETS PELLE Full Face, a few lefr ... recail $160 ... Clcarance $95 RADIOS-ALL MODELS AVAILABLE YAESU FT! JR ........ 5 watt .......... $305.00 KENWOOD TH22 ..... 5 watt ........... $CALL F/C Fingerswitch/Headset. Heavy-Duty ...... $89.00 5/8 TELESCOPIC ANTENNA ............ $20.95 5/8 GAIN DUCK ANTENNA ............. $17.95 EARTALK Kenwood .... Clearance ........ $60.00 YAESU Mobile ........ 50 watt ......... $305.00 TUNE UP w/Warranty Intact ........... $35-50.00 PARACHUTES WILLS WING LARA .... w/Paraswivcl ..... $CALL HIGH ENERGY QUANTUM ............ $CALL

LESSONS, SALES, SERVICE, TANDEMS 944-5433.

l-888-

VIRGINlA CLOSEST CERTlflED SCHOOL - To Virginia: SOUTHERN SKIES see North Catalina (704) 6326000. KrlTY HAWK KITES -

f'INGERSWITCH RADIO HEADSET - By Plight Connections. HEAVY-DUTY w/finger mounted switch, communicate with hands on control bar or brakes. Safer flying and more reliable communications. 90 day mfg warranty, w/repair service available beyond warranty. Available for Yaesu, !com, Alinco, Kenwood & ocher compatible radios. Full face or open helmets. $89 +$3.50 shipping, MC/Visa, dealer inquires invited. Kencuckiana So;cring, 425 N Taggart Ave., Clarksville IN 47129. (812) 288-7111, fax (812) 284-4115. SPECIALIZING IN COMMUNICATIONS!

See North Carolina.

WASHINGTON DIXON'S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING - This Northwest training center is located on the Eastern side of rhe Cascades where the weather is good year round! This 1,600 acre private flight park is ideal for the beginner with drive-up open launches and large landing fields. individualized training with state-of-the-an equipment, 2-way radios, comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micromeceorology. Great new and used inventory. Specialized clinics includinB the CAGE and BACKPACK MOTORS. One hour from the CHELAN BUTTE. Ask about on-site lodging and camping. Onsite climbing wall, skiing, mountain biking, etc. Dave Bridges, US National Champion says, "Dixon's students are extremely well-trained and competent pilms." Dixon's Paragliding in Washington and Arizona (appointments recommended), 8101 Hay Canyon Road, Cashmere WA 98815. (509) 782-5543. www.paraglide.com WISCONSIN RAVEN SKY SPORTS - Largest and most popular in rhe Midwest. Training hills and winch rowing for paragliders. Sales & Service! PO Box 101, Whirewarer WI 53190. (414) 473-8800, brad@hanggliding.com

MARCH/APRIL

1998

HAVE EXTRA EQUIPMENT - That you don't know what to do with. Advertise in the Paragliding classifieds, $.50 per word, $5 minimum. Call USHGA for details (719) 632-8300, ushga@ushga.org or fax your ad with a Visa/MC, fax (719) 632-6417.

MISCELLANEOUS ARMADlLLO Gliderbag. Regular & XC ... $105.00 WIND ADVISORY AIRSPEED W/Clamp ... $23.00 HALL PG AIRSPEED ... Clearance ........ $25.00 HOOK KNIFE ......................... $14.95 KENTUCKJANA SOARING 425 N Taggart Avenue Clarksville IN 47129 (812) 288-7111 fax (812) 284-4115 MINI VARIO - World's smallest, simplest variol Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 hours on batteries, 0- I 8,000 ft., fa_sc response and 2 year warranty. Great for paragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallettec, PO llox 15756, Santa Ana CA, 92735. (714) 966-1240, mmallett@aol.com MC/Visa accepted.

UVE

THE ULTRA LIGHT - Ultra strong full face protection you deserve. All sizes in stock. Only $279. Call NAPl/Flighc Design at (509) 925-5565 to order your today! BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Windsok. Made of 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV created, 5'4" long w/1 J" throat. Available colors fluorescent pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39.95 (+$4.75 S/1--l). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330, (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417. VISA/MC accepted.

MORE FLYING-MORE TIME-MORE MONEY Mark Yarnall, business mentor & SUCCESS MAGAZINE Contributing Editor, believes pilots would fly more, if they had the time & money. Learn how to have more time to fly and the money to cake care of my fiances. Please contact (702) 884-4030. PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTOR - With tandem and tow ratings wanted to operate and manage school. Management position includes health insurance and profit sharing. Help build the best school, fax resume co Bruce Weaver, Kitty Hawk Kites (919) 441-7597.

PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTORS WANTED Eastcoast Paragliding Center is looking for paragliding instructors to join its team. For info call Lars Linde at (908) 747-7845.

MISCELLANEOUS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Adventure Productions ................ 31 Aerolight USA .................. 14,25,27

PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTOR WANTED - For growing paragliding program. Raven Sky Sports (414) 473-8800.

Airea ............................................. 5 Airwave ....................................... 43

QUIT YOUR DAY JOB! - Buy one of the nation's largest schools and get paid to fly! Rapidly growing turnkey operation, call for details. Established over 5 years in the booming Northwest. Earn/Learn. Terms. (503) 5247709, employees wanted. SUMMER JOB- Driver wanted for hang gliding trip to various sites in the western USA. Mid-May through July, possibly August. $210 per week plus hotel. Call "Hollywood" for more information. (561) 642-2636, mechamplin@flinet.com PUBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

Brauniger ...................................... 9 Colorado Paragliding .................... 9 Edel ......................................... 2,50 CAL GLOVE Light-weight CABRETTA LEATHER GLOVES, world famous in equestrian circles, are now gaining popularity in the hang gliding, paragliding & parachming markets. Available in mens, womens & childrens sizes, 9 different colors and priced from $27.95-$39.95. For more info on these superior leather gloves contact: Cal-Glove, 2920 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento CA 95821. (916) 481-8701, fax (916) 4811168, email: cal-glove@juno.com VIDEOS & BOOKS - Call USHGA for your Merchandise order form (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 6326417, email: ushga@ushga.org

Firebird USA. .............................. 19 Flight Design & NAPI.. ................ 7 Fly Castelluccio ........................... 11 Flytec .......................................... 24 FreeX .......................................... 55 Hall Brothers ............................. .48 Mojo's Gear ................................. 50 Nova ........................................... 24

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS.

PARAGLIDING: THE COMPLETE GUIDE - By Noel Whittall. The most complete guide to paragliding on the market. Over 100 color photographs & illustrations, 200 pages, $26.95 +$4.75 s/h. USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. (719) 632-8300, fax your MCNisa to (719) 632-6417, email: ushga@ushga.org. SOARING- Monthly magazine ofThe Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. full membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241. (505) 392-1177. VIDEOS & FILMS FLY HARD: Viking Films newest release. Rob Whittall, Chris Santacroce & a vintage Buick convertible full of paragliders. Omrageous flying at several west coast flying sites. Meet HG aerobatics champion Mitch McAleer along the way. Excellent rock soundtrack, professionally filmed & edited $35.95. POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN by East Coast, hg/pg action at this Utah mecca $29. PARAGLIDE: THE MOVIE by Viking Films. Rock-nroll world class competition at Owens Valley. Professionally filmed & edited $35.95. DAREDEVIL FLYER III by Tamm Communicarions. Paraglide with the Wills Wing team & friends in scenic Tellmide, Colorado $24.95. Call or fax USHGA (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6417, please add +$4 domestic s/h (+$5 for two or more videos). Great to impress your friends or for those socked-in days.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES The rate for classified advertising is $.50 per word (or group of characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all caps. Phone number=2 words, PO Box=2 words, weight range i.e. 137-185lbs~2 words, web site or email address=3 words. MINIMUM AD CHARGE $5.00. A fee of$15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each photo. LINEART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THAN 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to be in bold print. Special layouts of tabs are $25.00 per column inch. AD DEADLINES: March 20th is the deadline for the May/June issue. Please make checks payable to USHGA. Send to: PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE, Classified Advertising, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330 (719) 632-8300 or fax (719) 6326417, email jjelgarc@ushga.org with your Visa or Mastercard.

Personal Flight ............................ 33 Pro Design .................... Back Cover SkySports .................................... 11 Soaring Center ............................ 13

SOL ............................................ 14 Sport Aviation Publications ......... 31 Sup' Air ....................................... 43 USHGA .......... 9, 13, 14, 17,23,45,54 West Coast Paragliding ............... 35 Wills Wing ................................. .47

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PRO-DESIGN USA, Shasta Air Inc, 2608 Hartnell Ave. #6 Redding, CA 96002 Phone: (916) 222-4606 Fax: (916) 222-4640 PH/FAX : 800-YATES-16 E-MAIL: prodesig@snowcrest.net HO'filEPAGE: http://members.ping.at/pro-d/

EAST COAST DElllO CENTER: East Coast Paragliding Ellenville, NY. Phone (914) 674-3377

ROCKY lllOUNTAIN DElllO CENTER: Fl y Away Paragliding Boulder, CO. Phone (303) 642-0849

WEST COAST DElllO CENTER: Skytimes Paragliding San Francisco Bay Area, Phone (415 ) 868-1330 E-hlAIL: switzer@hooked.net