USHGA Hang Gliding February 1999 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

(USPS 0 17-970-20 -

ISSN 0895-4:BX)

16 Flying Sites - Elsinore, California

llrticfe and photos by Milu: Mastmon Looking for a d1allenging site char will test your flying skills wirh wide-open cross-country potcnrial? Elsinore may be jusr rhe place.

24 The 1998 King Mountain Regionals by Kevin Frost, photos by Dan Cm1111ge

Age and guile bear youth and bad hrurcurs.

34 A Gathering Of The Girls by CJ. Sturtevtlnt The Eighrh Annual Norrhwest Women's f ly-l n draws a record crowd of pilots of the XX chromosome persuasion.

38 Better Launches And Landings - Part VI

a program by Pat Denevan, article and illustrations kY Creg Shllw This monrh we begin the landing secrion wi rh a discussion of approaches.

40 Harness Review - T he Moyes Contour © hy

1999 Mrrrk Gruhhs An innovative pilor support system designed by Juan Corm! and Kraig Coomber of Moyes.

46 Do A Little Samba by

Dan Johnson T hink of it as a "Hang MocorGlider."

Columns

Departments

Incident Reports, by Bill Bryden ......... 6 J

AirmaiJ ....................................... ............4

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

Update........ .................. ..........................8 Calendar of Events ............................... 14 Ratings ......... .... .................................. ..35 Classified AdverLising ....... ................... 51 Index to Advertisers ................... ..........60

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FEllRUARY 1999

Gil Dodg('n, Mnnaging f:ditrn!Editor in Chief Dave Pounds, Art Director John HeinQy, Gerry Charlebois, Leroy Grannis, Mark Vaughn, Bob Lowe Photographers Harry Martin, 1//usfmtor

Air Mail

Dennis Pagen, Mark Stucky, Geoff Mumford,

G.W. Meadows, Jim Palmieri, StatY\!\lril.ers

76 LOOPS Phil Bachman, Executive Director, phbachman@ushga.org Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jjdgart@ushga.org Joanmi l'el\irson, Member Services, rjpc!erson@ushga.cwg Elaine Elgart., Web AdministrHlor, cmelgart@ushga.org Natalie Hinsley, Mm:handbe Services, njhinsley@ushga.org John Mallor.1111 Ad111inistmtive Difeclm jgh,1lloran@ushga.org

Locke, Baier, John Ferguson, Jim REGION 6: REGION ll:

Geoff Mumford. I0: C.W, Meaacrws, Taber. RECION 'I I: Dave Broyles. REGION Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Paul Klemond, Pm.ii Riker!, Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen. HON.. ORARY DIRECTORS: Randy Ad,m,s, John Harris, Sanderson (SSA), Ed Pitman, Chris Lars Linde, Alan Chucula1o, David Clover, Robertson, Creg DeWolf, Fifm..Welch. 1:x. on:1 . CIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA).

Dear Editor, Congratulations to Mitch McAlccr for beating me in the latest episode of the continuing loop-record competition started by Mitch in the mid . J 980's. I am told that Mitch did an impressive 76 loops by aerotow in Rio. Mitch's original record was 24, then I did 33, then Mitch did 40, then J did 52 in 1988. My 52-loop record went unchallenged for nine years until l broke it myself in a Predator on December 3 J, 1997 with a 56-loop nm at Quest Air. I had been feeling rather lonely in this pursuit hoping that the publication of my article "Against The Wind" (essentially a blueprint of how to set a loop record, published in five of the top frcc-flighr publica . dons around the world) would stimulate some interest among the increasing number of young newcomers to hang gliding freestyle. l consider Mitch's increasing the number by only 20 to be an act of sports . manship, giving others the chance to set a record before a space suit becomes necessary. Welcome back to the contest Mitch.

John Heiney Draper, UT illustra1io11s c,1ncerninH hang gliding a stamped, se11 .. ad,rJre1;scd return be Noti/ication rnusl be made of to other hang gliding publications. HANG GLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where n<,cnssary. Tho Association and pulillec1tiOI" do not assume rnsponsibili1y for thH ma1cri· or opinions of contributors. liANG GLIDING cditori·· ;ii offices: 3144"1 Santa Pkwy., Suite Rancho Santa phom, (949) 736:J, frix (949) GilDodgen@aoLcom. The USH(;A is mernbr,r..controllod sport organi;wti•'.ln dcdicatod to the exploration and promotion facets of unpoworc:d ultralight flight, and to the education, training and of its membership. Momb,crship open to anyone! in this realm of flight. for full aro (of which $"I 5 to the publication subscription rates

($65 non,

Changes of address be sent six weeks advance, including name, USHCA number, previous and new ,1dclruss, and a mailing label from a recent issue. Sl,ilus Hang ,Cii11in11, A:;so1:ii11ion, Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado 80903-3657

7. l'ERIODIC:AL

Colornclo Springs, CO and a1 i!ddilional mailing

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: IIANC GLll)INC, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901·1:lJO.

FrnRUARY 1999

Vol UMI 29, ISSLJI No. 2

SAVE Dear Editor, l have a reguest for pilots who have flown at Point of the Mountain, Utah or who would like to some day. I am the president of the Utah Hang Gliding Associa1ion and we arc working to save our site from land developers, gravel companies and the Utah Department of Transportation (which owns the land). What we need is a quick sentence or two about who you arc, if you have flown at the Point (or if would like to travel here some day to fly), and where you live. The more pilots from other states and countries the better. The powers that own the land have no idea how famous the Point is, and l want to demonstrate to them that we have pilots traveling to our site to fly. Please address responses to me, not the general list. l may be contacted at: info(r.Dparaglidcrs.com, 9630 S. Mumford

Dr., Sandy, UT 84094, fax (801) 5231854. lf we don't do something quickly, the Point of the Mountain will be leveled by the gravel companies in three to five years! Thanks to everyone for your help, and please show this to anyone you know who has flown at the Point or who would like to. Steve Mayer Cloud 9 l\iragliding School President, UHGA

Dear Editor, Your correspondent who criticized SJ,ywings (the British HG/PG publication) a while back said that the magazine had turned into a paragliding comic, to the disgust of hang glider pilots in general. Well, yes, the hang glider pilots amongst us (I'm one, since 1977), don't like the PG content, but we have to face facts. In Britain, paras outnumber hangs two to one, and with a total of some 6,000 fliers that makes only 2,000 hangies not enough to sustain a decent color magazine on their own. Joe Schofield, the editor, a hang glider pilot himself, docs a very fine job of keeping the hang gliding editorial content dose to 5ocYc> of the magazine, far more than we'd get, I feel, if a paraglidcr gny was editing it. What causes people like your corrcspondcm to think that the mag has gone totally PG is the ad content. In Britain, generally (I have some experience with this), paragliding attracts more upscale individuals (most of them have jobs, and lots of them even have careers), unlike the average hang glider pilot. Most of "us" seem to be part-time construction workers or the like, and put flying ahead of working. It follows, therefore, that paraglidcr pilots have more money and arc more willing to spend it. Therefore, advertisers target the paragliding marker, as they stand a much better chance of making their ads pay for themselves. As a result, the ad content of the magazine is 90% paragliding, and this gives the spurious impression that paragliding has taken over the magazine altogether, although the ediHANC CUDINC

1998 Women's

r just soar the local mates, with a couple a glider for occasion . .Become part a Moyes

the

torial content is really nearly 50/50. ], as a hang glider pilot, would be sorry to sec the end of the USITGA hang gliding-only magazine, hut unless rhe same social conditions apply over there as here, [ don't think you have anything to fear. Rod Buck Great Britain

REBUTTAL Dear Editor, Enough already. l'vc never flown one, and probably never will, but I'm sure the Exxracy is a wonderfol flying machine, at least to those who own them. T al so think rhe rag wing f fly, a Wills Wing Falcon 195, is a wonderfol flying machine. I can understand why some of us need to go out and buy the biggest, the best, the most technically advanced wing on the marker, and that's fine if you can afford one, can justify the cost, and weigh the pros and cons relative to the type of flying you do. [ couldn't care less that a certain glider takes five minutes longer to assemble than another. l also couldn't care less that the Exxtacy can m1t·perform a rag wing in most situations. I fly often with Exxtacy pilors and we both soar, both go places, and most importantly, both have fim. Sure, the Exxracies usually go farther than the rest, but rhis also has a lot to do with the skill level of the pilots flying them. Being a rarher new pilot, Texpect that it will take a while for me to achieve the level of skill that will afford me the same kind of mileage. However, in less than a year of soaring since receiving my Hang II rating I have earned my T·Iang JIJ, flown 23 rniles X-C, accumulated more than 25 hours of airtime, and had tons of fun doing it. Even better, as a participant in the Annual Falcon Cross Country Contest, I might win in my Region with that 23-mile flight. If that's not fon, I don't know what is! The point is, it's not the kind of gliders pilots fly that will make the sport of hang gliding grow or die, it's bow much fun they are having and how easy it is to get competent instruccion to better one's

skills. Pilots who arc having fun will come back to fly often; those who aren't may wind up selling their gear and leaving the sporr. New pilots who don't have easy access to competent instruction will not be able to pursue their flying dreams. I too, find myself rationalizing new excuses to get off work and go flying. 1f that is a direct result of the type of glider I fly, or the school at which I took lessons, then ] 'm glad I made the right choices for me. Rarely does a day go by that I don't try to sell the idea of hang gliding toothers who don'r fly. For me, the JOY IS HERE TO STAY.

go cross-country. Ever wanted to learn how to fly crosscountry? Well, Mike Barber and Mark Gibson are offering a "Cross Country Techniques" package through Wallaby Ranch. With their experience, the availability of tows to the best thermals, and the weather, this is the perfoct opportunity to learn. What else are you going to do? Shovel snow? Thanks to the tug pilots for all the great rides and 10 the staff at The Ranch. See ya next year! Bob Shattleroe Garden City, MT

Peter J. Perrone Danbury, CT

Dear Editor, My job requires working all summer but in October I get to chase the sun. This year I ended up at "The Ranch" in Florida. I arrived on Oct. 31 for a day of flying, set up, put my glider on a cart, and rolled out to the end of the field. 1 was promptly towed to the day's first thermals. An hour and a halflater I landed to sit by the pool in the sun and have a cold drink and a quick bite. Then [ flew again for another hour. I shared the sky with some great people: Mark "Gibbo" Gibson, Mike Barber, Carlos, Kerry, Mike and Roger (Wallaby's tug pilots). These guys really know how to fmd the lift! "Now this is the life," Ttold myself--warm sun (it was already winter in Michigan), good company, tows, expert tuning help, parts and repairs if needed even a washer and dryer! The following six days were spent with my wife Candy at Disney World for our 25th anniversary. (The Ranch is only eight or nine miles from the Disney playground.) I took my radio and was assured that [ would be called when the flying was good. After returning to The Ranch J spent the next 12 out of 13 days flying with old and new friends. Twelve out of those 13 days were soarable and pilots were able to

Dear Editor, Dennis Pagen's sobering fatal accident report in the December issue of Hang Gliding triggered a thought regarding a flying hazard rarely encountered, namely voltage gradient. Almost certainly the double fatality reported was caused by a chance encounter with a large voltage gradient within the thunderhead that the unfortunate pilots happened to encounter. '["he lack of thunder in no way proves that a severe voltage differential did not exist within the cloud. A good analogous example in nature is the electric eel which stuns its prey by establishing a high voltage gradient (or voltage differential) between its head and tail. The fact that both pilots emerged from the cloud in an unconscious state after a relatively short time indicates that they were both victims of the same conditions. The fact that there were no burn indications does not prove that they were not victims of this phenomenon. It takes much less current flow to render a person unconscious than to actually produce a burn, depending of course on the path of the current. Our hearts and brains don't like even small currents. Voltage gradient is probably the greatest risk up in that black cloud. Just another reason to absolutely avoid any signs of overdevelopment. John Mayer Seal Beach, CA

HANG GLIDING

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ICARO '.2000

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Update USHGA NATIONAL M EMBERSHIP MEETI G AND AIR EXPO 99

Knoxville, Tennessee, February 25-27, 1999 SCHEDULE OF E VENTS

Exhibir hall hours: T hursday, February 25 , 1999 - 9:00 AM thro ugh 7:30 PM Friday, February 26, 1999 - 9:00 AM th ro ugh 4:00 PM Saturday, February 27, 1999 - 9:00 AM thro ugh 6:00 PM USHGA Speakers' schedule (each presenration is a one-hour session): T hursday, February 25 , 1999 - 2: 00, 3:00 and 4:00 PM Friday, February 26, 1999 - 10:30, 11 :30 AM, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 PM Saturday, February 27, 1999 - 2:00 , 3:00 and 4: 00 PM USH GA Board of Directo rs meering sched ule: Friday, February 26, 1999 - 8:30 ro 10:00 AM, general session Saturday, February 27, 1999 - committee meetings (schedule nor firm yer) Sunday, February 28, 1999 - 8:00 ro 11 :00 AM, general session. All USH GA members are invited ro attend any and all BOD functions as observers of the process. T he Annual Narional Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday morn ing, Februa1y 27, begin ning at 10: 15 AM:. The agenda will incl ude rhe business meering conducred by the USH GA President, a special presentarion by Chris W ills, presentation of rhe first USH GA Ambassador Designation, and presenrarion of rhe ann ual USH GA awards.

Speakers T he following speakers are scheduled ro make one-hour presentarions: Bill Bryden, Gary O soba, Rob Kells, D ennis Pagen, Dan Johnson, Chris Wills, Alan Chuculare, Matt Taber, John Srokes, G .W Meadows and D avid Glover. T he actual ri mes for rhe ind ividual presenrarions can be fo und on the USH GA Web page along wirh rheir biographies and presenration cicles.

Accommodations The official horel for rhe meering is rhe Holiday Inn Selecr D own rown ar rhe Convenrion Cenrer. T he room rare for one, rwo, three, or fo ur occupanrs is 88 . Rooms are available on a first-come, firs t-served basis , so call fo r reservations soon (423) 5222800. Be sure ro ask for rhe SSA 99 room rate. A list of mo re than 50 addirio nal horels in rhe Knoxville area is posted on the USH GA Web site ar www.ushga.org.

Directions The H oliday Inn Selecr is connecred ro the convention cenrer which is in downrown Knoxvi lle. If you are drivi ng in, rake the 44 lS ex.ir off I-75, rhe "Downrown/Convenrion Cenrer" ex.ir, to go straighr to rhe horel and convenrio n center. A road map is posred on rhe USH GA Web site.

Registration Regisrrarion for attending the USH GA functions and rhe exhibit hall will be done on site. If yo u emer th ro ugh the H ol iday Inn Selecr, which mosr people will be doi ng, walk rhrough rhe lobby inro a second large lobby, go down rhe escalato rs an d you are rhere. T he USHGA regisrrarion rable location is nor confirmed yet bur ir will be wirhin sighr of rhe escalators as you come down. Keep checking rhe USH GA Web sire for addirional news and informa rion www. ushga.org.

1999 NATIONAIS AND ATLANTIC COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS

his year, Grear WorldClass Meets will ream up wirh Quesr Air Soaring Cenrer to sponsor rhe 1999 U.S. H ang Gliding Nacionals (which will also be rhe 1999 version of rhe Atlanric Coasr Championships) . Ir is promised to be rhe most fun Nationals in years, and cl1ere will be somerhing fo r everyone. T he competition will be held from April 25 to May 1 at world-famous Q uesr Air Soaring Center near Orlando, Florida. Quesr Air is located in cl1e small town of Groveland, and offers rhe largest full-rime hang gliding facili ry currently in use in Florida. Wirh rwo large, grassy runways rhar were once home to an acrive aerodrome, rhe llighr park is a natural fo r hosring Florida's firs r National Championships. Great World Class M eers organized and ran rhe first U.S. aerotowing points meer lasr year wirh rhe 1998 ACC, and rhis year rhe company prom ises to build on rhat success with an event chat will eclipse all previous efforts. The 1999 ationals will be a multifacered compecition. The top dogs will battle it out to see wh o can dominate rhe traditional classes (topless flex wing, kingposted gliders and rhe ever-popular rigid wings), however, cl1is year anocl1er class will be included - single-surface gliders. Pilot requirements remain me same, however, since more seasoned pilots are flying recreacional wings, it was decided to accommodate mem at me Nacionals, so rhis year's meet will be a four-class compecicion. Daily prizes will be awarded in all classes, as will rrophies at rhe end of rhe comperirion . In addition, there will be regio nal competicions w irhin the Narionals. Pilors will no r only compete against rhe entire field, rhey will vie wirh orher comperitors fro m rheir region fo r rhe right to be called Regional " ario nals" Champi on. T his H ANG G LIDING

Update will not replace official USH GA Regional competitions, but will create a new venue for regio nal competition. Great WorldClass Meets has been a leader in introducing new technology co rhe U.S. competition scene, and 1999 will be no different. They have been planning since mid-season lase year co make 1999 the year rhac the camera can be left at home. Ac chis year's Nationals pilots muse compete wich a Garmin GPS for flight verification - no more photos or messing wirh cameras at che turnpoinc. Just show up wirh a working Garmin and yo u're sec. (Visit www.juscfly.com fo r more derails.) In addition, for non-serious competitors rhere will be fun daily cross-country competitio ns and spot landings, bomb drops, etc., rhac will allow pilots of all skill levels co participate in chis year's Nationals (asswning yo u can aerocow). For pilots who don't yet know how co aerocow there will be aerocowing seminars before rhe competition. Check rhe Web site for more information on rhis as well. Quest Air Soaring Center is a very family-oriented hangout. Wirh a screened-in pool (rhis is Florida), a hoc tub, rhe Ouc of Control Bar, and orher encercaining distractions, spouses and offspring can enjoy themselves while you're flailing around in the sky. And, of course, ic's just minuces from rhe Disney amaccions. Food service will be available on a daily and nightly basis as will entertainment and a nightly party/ger-cogecher. The Nationals were lase held on the East Coast in 1988 - an 11-year hiatus. Don't be surprised if ir's anorher 11 before ir comes around again, so don't miss our on rhis comp. Entries will be limited, so don't hesirare. You can even sign up online. Come and see what Grear WorldClass Meers' organization, southern hospitality, and the friendliness of the gang ac Quest Air can create. You'll be glad you did. For more information contact: G.W Meadows (252) 480-3552, fax (252) 480-011 7. Mose questions can probably be answered at www.juscfly.com.

EXXTACY LANDING GEAR ('") uesc Air Soaring Center, a leading ~ eveloper of aerocow equipment, is pleased co announce cheir latest produce: FEBRUARY 1999

landing gear for rhe Flight Design Exxcacy. The Exxtacy landing gear evolved from Quest Air's highly successful tandem and training glider landing gear, and offers rhe same cried and reseed features: bombproof stainless steel co nstruction, forward cantilevered wheel brackets rhat virtually elim inate "nose-overs," user-replaceable spring steel wheel forks for maximum shock absorbency (for "misj udged" landings), smoochrolling pnewnacic tires (which also aid in misjudged landings), sealed wheel bearings, and full-cascering wheel forks for easy taxiing and ground handling. While the Exxtacy landing gear is ideal for pilots who cannot, or prefer not co, land on their feet, ic was primarily developed fo r tandem Exxcacy flying. This allows for tandem inscrucror-supervised check rides for first-time Exxracy pilots, as well as real-time advanced rhermaling and cross-country training. The Exxtacy gear ucilizes its own control frame which eliminates the need co modify the glider. This also allows pilots co switch between the standard and twoplace glider configuration in less than three minutes. For more information or co arrange a demo flight on a landing gear-equipped Exxracy contact: Quest Air Soaring Center (352) 429-0213 , fax (352) 429-4846, Quesrair@sundial.nec.

NEWVIDEO RELEASE: CWUDBASE 8 "CROSS COUNTRY 8000"

he newest Cloudbase Series video is now available. Ir was inspired by customer requests for a video featuring 100% cross-country hang gliding. The story begins in outer space in rhe year 8000. Years before, pilots were able to escape into space after the earrh became un inhabitable. Now, incense gravity holes are rhrearening

their existence. A ream of three pilots is selected for a mission co learn ancient ways of flying in order co sense and evade che incense gravity holes in space. T he team is sent co earth near sacred Lake Tahoe in the 20th Century via a rime warp. They are instructed co take over rhe body of a hang glider pilot on Slide Mountain launch and learn co fly hang gliders cross-co untry using his reflexes and senses. The ream first learns co cake off and land. T hey then learn to thermal and climb into rhe clouds, only co become hypoxic! Descending co safety, rhey end up almost crashing on their landing approach after flying into a strong midday thermal kicki ng off Once rhe basics of chermaling are learned, they take their first cross-coun cry flight south, down rhe Sierra mountain range past scenic Lake Tahoe. Then, caking a m ore difficult route norrh from Slide Mountain, where there are fewer landing areas, rhey navigate using a GPS. The final fligh t co tl1e east from Slide is with competition pilots co a goal in the Nevada desert. Throughout rhe video rhe ream hears advice and words of wisdom from pilots abo ut thrills and dangers as they learn to fly cross-counny. They learn the basics of llighc instrument setup for basic chermaling, speed-co-fly and GPS. The team finally returns co the year 8000 to complete cl1eir mission by sensing and evading the incense gravity holes with their newly learned skills, and co save rheir wo rld. "I goc the inspiration for chis video from tl1e Star ~rs movies, the Star Trek series, and feed back from pilots on what rhey wanted co see," comments producer Paul Han1ilcon. "I have been putting chis film together for several years at my

F7jr ~~~~~ local sire. We have recently , added new technology co

our studio and are using ic. Cross Country 8000 is professionally shoe in digital format, digitally edited and mastered, and has hi-fi stereo sound. The animation is Lightwave 3D , che same package used for rhe Star Trek series and rhe movie Titan. " tC. Cross Country 8000 includes lots

Update of on-board footage, Adventure P1:oduc·· tions' specialty, with thesoundofthe air and the vatio putting you in the harness and flying the glfde1: It is 3.7 minutes long and available now for $34.9.5 plus shipping/handling from.: Advcntu.re Productions, 6553 Stone Valley Drive, Reno, NV89523,phone/fax (702) 747-0175. It can also be ord.ered from. the new1y updated Web site at www.adventurep.com..

he Fort·l.1unston Bang Glid.·· er Pilots Association/Fellow Feathers announces. the "Last Air Race of the Century" to be held at one bf thewodd's best coastaHlying sites. This event will be held April 30 through May 2. The Race ·of the Cen.tury will consist of apprmdmatdy a five-mile om-and-return course. Launchi.t1g at Port Funston, pilots will fly .south to the 600-foot cliffs at Westlake and return to Port Puni;ton. The best overall times will win.. Come fly and r:ace with so.tne of the country's fastest gliders .and pilots. More updat.es to follow. Por more information contact: Dave Ruiz, 1268 A 25th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122, or Alan Sakayama at (650) 875-7610, hasbrol23@aol.com.

MOYES INTRODUCES "FAS'.f''··.SPEEDBAR .' xtens:1ve research into metallurgy, treatment and bending char.actetistics. of aluminum alloys has led to the develorm1ent of a technique to. successfi.illy soften, bend then re-harden.a custom airfoil profile into not only by far the most affordable airfoil basembe on the market today, but also the most robust.

Developed in resp<>nse to the proliferation of expensive and fragile c::trbon speedbars, the performance edge previously only available t<, a selectfew isnow available at a price alLpilots can afford with t.he PAST speedbar. Developed on behalfof Moyes by .Dr. Jan:1es Freeman in conjunction with aerodynamidsts at the Royal lnstirme of Technology, Moyes is please.dro bdng Freeman Airfoil Speedbar 'fochnolo&'Y (FAST) exclusively to the marketplace. The PAST has nmnerous benefits: It is less th,m half as expensive as carbon speedbars and possesses the highest strength of any airfoil basettibe, (Load testing dernonstratesthat r.he FAST Js almost twice as strong as normal alloy speedbars and 1.4 times as strong :L5 some carbon equivaknts.}The FAST weighs approximately the sam.e as catbon speedbars, is extremely irnpacnesistant, ;ind has a rugged, bright silvet anodized finish, Contact: Moyes America, 40th .Ave., S.in.Ftancisco, CA94122, phone/fax.(415) 753~9534, FlyaMoyes@aoLcorn1 www.moyes.oom.au.

glider that pilots will enjoy flying. It has excellent !atinch.and.landing characte.risdcs, stable towing behavior, respo1isive handling and a sink rate that is better than what one woitld110rmally expect from even high,perforn1ance gliders. We are extremely happy with the Saturn and with the good response we have received from new owners.who are loving thetn," states John Heiney, chief Satui'll designer. The Saturn is .manufactured by Altair in Draper, Utah. Each Saturn is testflown by factory test pilots and tagged with ;1 certification placard before leaving the factory. Delivery times for Sat," urns with clistom colors average about two weeks. "Our goa.lasa manufacturer is to be innovative, progressive and to offer pilots value for their hard,,eai;ned dollars. The Saturn is consistent with these goals,"·adds Peter Radman; Prt,sident of Altair. For more information contact your loca.l dealer or Altair for the name of a dealer near.you: (801) 523-9544, fax (801) 523-9688, altair@micron.net, http://nemow.micr<m.net/ ,caltair.

SATURN

ltair ,trmounces the release ofthe new 147 Saturn. The Saturn is a novice-level, doublMµrface. glider designed to meet the flying require1nents ofHang II through advanced recreation·· al pilots, · The Saturn is now availabld.n two The la1·ger l 67 Wat. HGMA certified and made available in mid.c 1998, .and has bee11well receivecLby de.i.lers and new ownars. The 147 will also receive HGMA.cettificatiou before shipping to customers. The Saturn coIT)es standai:d."fully loaded" with features that are. sold options by other manufactmers; m.;:iki11g it an excellent vah1e. It.also has a VG op tio11 to· extend the pedx.?rtna nee range of the. glider, allowing it .to grow with the flyings.kills of advancing pilots. The 147 is designed for a pilot weight range: of 120 to210 pounds and has a smaller control frame than the 167. "Wive worked hai;d from inception to firrished product to make the Saturn a

iin Pr.ahl (foi:.merl.y manager of Quest Air and Kltty H.awk Kites) and Bob ~mebaugh of Raven Sky Sports have j9ined the aerotow team at Lookout Mountain Flight Pads:. Both have extensive knowledge of all aspects of flight park operations. Jim and Bob, with the help of others, will manage the fleet of L()()kout's four tugs and four tanderri

gliders. ookoitt Mountain Flight Park and Greg DeWolf are hosting a new hang gliding ICP in conjunction with the first anntrnJ National Instructor FlyIn, March 20-28;Basic, Advanced and Tand<em clinics a.re available. The PJy:In will include flying, discussion$, videotaped launches and landings, and idea sharing. For more information call or write (706) 398-3541, www.hanglide.corn, fly@hanglide.com.

Continues... HANC GUDIN.G

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In consideration of the benefits to be derived from membership in the USHGA, and the parent or legal guardian of a minor, for themselves, their personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouses, minor children and assigns, do agree as follows: DEFINITIONS ~ The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: I. means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. 2. means injury, and/or or injury sustained by Pilotas a result of THE SPORTand/or as a result of the administration of any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). If INJURIES"means injury, bodily injury, death, .....,, .......sustained by Pilot as well as injury, bodily injury, injury sustained by Pilot's parents or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs. 3. means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, independent contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of Pilot's proficiency rating(s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions Pi/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property Pilotmay launch, fly and/or land; f) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) All other persons lawfully present at the site( s) during AND DISCHARGE the PARTIESfrom any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have for INIUR.fES. however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the 111::Lt::J'll.:1,:;·v to the fullest extent allowed by law. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, Iwill pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the .......,..,,,,...., I shall be and rnn,c:t ... ,

If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or dause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. f, I at least 18 years of age, or, that I am the parent or legal guardian of am making this agreement on behalf of myself and If I am the parent or legal guardian of I AND the for their defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Ptlot suffers even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the ..... ,....,,,......,,

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MMR 11-97

on Reinhard, President of Personal Flight, Inc., the exclusive importer of the La Mouette line of hang gliders and the Cosrnos ultralights, is pleased to announce the addition of Mark "Gibbo" Gibson to his staff. Gibbo, former Airwave designet and multiple U.S. World Team member, will be assisting Don in the sales and service of the 1998 World Champion hang glid-cr, the La Mouettc "Tbplcss," as well as the second-generation dgid wing, the 'fop and the truly soarable lightweight trike, the Cosmos Samba. After competing against 1'hevenot, owner of La Monette, in numerous competitions around the world, Gibbo "If you can't bear JOll1 La Mouette has been pro·· ducing high-,quality hang gliders and ulrralights for nearly a quarter of a century. Not many manufacturers can daim winning both the Pre-Worlds and the World Championship in the same series. La Monette accomplished this with rhe 'fopless over the past two summers with 'rhevenot winning the 1997 Pre..Worlds and Gehrmann winning both the 1998 Flatlands and the I 998 World Championship. becomes the first "New" World Champion in six La Mouette has more than any other manufacturer in the world at mak·ing topless gliders. If complete independence is your Personal Inc. brings you the wcu:lcl,·r,:nown.ecl, truly soarable light""'"~''"'"·' the Samba. This soarahle tr.ike can by itself and fitted to most hang gliders with minor modifications, or as a complete, ready-·to-fly sporting two choices of wing (topless or single surface). Don Reinhard comments, '"The Samba is the least expensive flight park money can buy." Personal Plight, Inc. is also the proud sponsor of longtime Florida pilot and World member, Mike Barber. Mike's competition success in 1998 was very impressive, and he feels that with FEBRUARY ·1 999

the handling and performance pac:lm:gc l 999 w.ill be even better. Mike will at Personal Flight's Florida de:mo center, world~farnous Wallaby Ranch. will be assisting pilots with daily demo flights of the i:ntire line of La Mouette hang gliders and running the "World 'foam Academy" (WrA). 'The WTA is a new concept in training for the advancing pilot (Novice to Master) in which pilots will be taught the finer points of crosS··country flight. Malcolm Jones, owner of Wallaby Ranch, states, "Mike, Gibbo and Personal Plight Plofi .. da are bringing a new dimension to hang gliding here in Florida. We're happy they chose W:1Uaby Ranch as their home site and demo center." Personal Flight, Inc. will also be delivering La Mouette's Top rigid wing in early 1999. The Top Secret is the next generation in rigid wing design. Gibbo will be flying both the ·n)p Secret and the Tbpless during the upcoming 1999 competition season. Contact: Personal Flight Florida (904) 441 .. 5458, gibbogearl@aol.com, Gibbo's horne (904) 441-9561, http://www.personalflight.co.rn. World Team Academy on the Web: http:/ I dcanfu11k. home.mi11dspring.com/worldt:eam.

is in recognition of outstanding contributions by individuals and/or organizations who deserve recognition for what they are pr~$ently or have done in the past for the be1m:1:m<~nt, safety, progress, recognition, promotion, growth and development of low..speed flight. "fhe award was established in l 997.

RULES'AND REGULATIONS

the frillowing year, or for any number of subsequent years. 4. If, in the opinion of the Awards Comi:nittee, there is no qualified candidate for the Award duting any one year, it is understood rhe Award is not to be made during that year. 5. The Awards Committee, in official session, may nominate, with majority vote of the Committee, a candidate for the RogaUo Poundation Hall of Fame. 6. The Award will be made annually at the Hang Gliding Spectacular. 7. No former winner of the Award may receive the Award a second time. 8. In the case of an organization or business receiving the Award, the principal officer of such organization, or business, shall be designated as the recipient. 9. In the case of an organization or busi, ness being considered .for this Award, their contribution must have materi.. ally benefited low-speed flight internationally. 10. Rogallo nominations may be made from January l through April 11. The Awards Committee wil.l select the Recipient of the Award at a meet-ing called for that purpose. 12. When possible, the Rogallo Foundation Executive Committee and/or Board of .Directors shall approve selection of the winner for the Award. 13. The type of Award shall be decided by the Awards Committee. 14. 1'he work of the Awards Committee shall be of a confidential nature only to itself, the Execudve Co,mrmttee, and the Board of Din:ctors of the Rogallo Foundation. A photo of the recipient with a review of the recipient's contributions will hang in the Rogallo museum.

J. 'I'he individual and/or organization's

contributions must be an apparent service to rhe devclopm.ent and/or promotion of low-speed personal flight 2. 1'his service n:mst transcend the individual's and/or organ.ization's finan .. dal gain. 3. An unsuccessful candidate one year may be re-non1inated for the Award

Please send nominations to: The Rogallo Foundation, Awards Committee, J'.O. Box 1839, Nags :Head, NC Include the name and address (city, state, zip) of the nominee, and the nominator's name and phone number. Include a writ-· ten explanation of the reason for nomination. DEADLINE FOR NOMINA.. TIONS IS APRIL 15, 1999. B

Calendar of events items WILL NOT he listed if only tcnrative. Please include exact infrmnation (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the evenr. We request two momhs lead rime for rcgio11.l! and national meets.

and-return, and open distance. Fxtra poinrs for coming back $70 ($GS before June 15). Cheap camping available ar the airport and above the high school football field, showers. Contact: Peter (~ray at pctcrgray@foxintemct.net, (206) 270-8642. Write to: 4532 3<irh Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199-1151.

COMPETITION FEB. l-7: Americas

FI.YING

ojHang Gliding, Valle

de Bravo, Mexico. Triangles, Otll··and-rctmn, open distance. The most consisrent weather in the world, mountain range varies from 2,0004,000 meters, 4,500-mcrer clondbases. Entry $175 before Jan. 26, $200 after. Includes 'f-shirt, maps, film, pany, retrieval. 75-pilots max. Trophies for the top IO places, 70,000 pesos prize money. Contact: Eric rel. 011·52-726-2:3/i-76, fox 011 cneva(rt)softhon1e. ner.

FEB. l 4··20, .I 999: V(!!IGS Speed Gliding and

X·C contests, Governador Valadarcs, Brazil. Prize money. C:ontacr: Adventure Sporrs (702) 8837070, advspts(i1)pyramid.net, www. pyramid .nct/advspts. APRIL 18-24: 1Xltt!laby Open Cross·Country Hang Gliding Competition. 450·poillt aerotow meet at Wallaby Ranch, Florida, site of rhe 1998 Arlamic Coast Championships. Meet Director: Jim Zeiser/JC. Brown. $5,000 cash prize, welcome barbecue and grand awards cercmol1'y. l lorcls within two miles will be offiring a counted rate for pilots. ( ;rear food on site all week! Come early and fly wirh World Team Academy's Mark "(;ibbo" Gibson and Mike Barber. Conract: (941) 424-0070, fly~1)wallaby.con1. APRIL25 .. MAY 1: 1999 U.S. fftzng

Nationals 1md Atlantir Co11S1 01ampionships, pre .. scnrccl by Great WorldClass Meets at Quest Air Soaring ( :enter near Orlando, i:loricla. Four·class acrorowing competition: topless flex wing, posted, rigid wings, single-surface. Fun daily cross-country competitions and spot landings, bomb drops, etc., for non-serious comperitors. Lors of fun sru/F fclr the emire family. Contact: C.W. Meadows (252) lt80-3552, fax (252) 4800117, www.justfly.com.

JUNE 25-27: 77th !'A Ultrt1light F!y ..Jn, Ickes Public Ultralight Air Park, RT. 1, Box 300A, Osrerburg, PA 16667. Sponsored by EAA Ultralight Club l!U64. Contact: (814) 276 .. 3353, frecflyrGhnb.net, or send SASF to address above.

CLINICS/MEETINGS/TOURS UNTIL MARCH: Vrdle de Bravo, Mexico tours. HG and PG. Consistent weather for great flying. Daily rates, rental gear. Contact: J .. 800-861 .. 7198, www.flymexico.com, jefffhflymexico.com. UNTIL APRIL: fX!inter Flying Mecca in Mexico. You've heard of Valle de Bravo. Packages by the day. Come for a day, a week or a monrh. Contact: 1-800··861-7198, www.flymexico.com, jefl(dlflymexico.con1 UNTIL MAY: Mosquito Clinics, prcscnrcd by Bill Fifrr throup,hout North America. Call (6 l 6) 922-2844 for scheduling information in yom area.

THROUGH NOV 1999: "Owens Valley ru i1s Bm" w~O=m Vidlry with Kari One- to nine-day adven· tmes. Private one .. on .. one flying, guide service and instruction also available. Hike 'n' fly rhc peaks of the Sierras and White Mts. Conract Kari for more infrmnation: karicastle(i1)rclis.org (760) 872-2087.

FEB.: New Zealand "frmr by Worldwide Adventure Toms. Three types of trips from rugged to ritzy. Contact: l-800·727-2354, www. fo n2fly.com.

f<EB. 13: Parachute clinic by Betry PfciffrT and

rhc DraachenFlic:gen Soaring C:lub in the DFSC APRIL 30-MAY 2: '/7,e /,(lSt Air RrtCf' of'the Centuiy!World Open lnvitrltional. The Fon Funston Air Races arc back! Four-mile out-and-· return course. Think you're fast? Prove it! Flex and rigid classes. Cash prizes for 1sr place, awards and T-shirts, barbecue. Entry must be received by April 1. Enrry fee ro be announced in next ff(,' mag. Contact: David Ruiz, l 268 A 25th Ave., SF, Ca 94122 (415) 564-7203, davidr@)rosewood.his.ucsf:EDU, or e-mail Alan ,)alrny-a1T1a at av8cr_2Ciilyahoo.com. JUI ,Y 5-10: Chelt1n Cross Clm:ric. Pilots create rhcir own tasks from among triangle, om-

·14

loll club house ar ( :loud 9 Field, 11088 Coon Lake Rd., W. Webberville, Michigan. Cost for deployment simulations, parachmc inspections and repacking is $30. The club's winter party will follow the clinic in rhe evening. Contact: 22.J .. 8683, cloud9saCi1laol.com.

FEB. L7: l'amchute Clinic. A must for any pilot who carries a backup chute. Lecture, video pre .. scntation, care aud maintenance, practice: deployments, lines. $50 or free with parachute purchase MSC FEB. 28:

l.11U11ch and

Dencvan. Covers weather, equipment evaluation, pilot habits. Lecture, simulator practice, hillside training exercises.$] 25. Advance reser.. vations required. MARCH 19-21: B(lsic Instructor Training Program (ITP). Contact: Mission Soaring Center, 11 I 6 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 (near San Jose), (408) 2621055, fox (408) 262 .. J .'388, rnschgCiilaol.com. FEB. 19: The Northwest '.r 11 nnual l?eserve Chute Deployment and Repacking Seminar with Rob Kells of Wills Wing. $:lO if pre-registered by 2/5, $40 after or at the door. Deployment practice begins at about 5:00 and continues until everyone has deployed and all chutes arc repacked. Simulators for both hang and para pilors. New pilor.s: the clinic is free if you don't yet lrnvc: a parachute ro repack.Just bought a new rescrvd Check the 9/98 issue of Hang Gliding magazine to sec why you need to bring ir ro rhis seminar! Location: Sr. George School, 5117 13th Avenue S., Seanlc, V./A. Contact C.J. and George Sturtcvanr for more information or rn prc-regis·tcr: (425) 888·3856, gcorgcs@nwlink.com. FEB . .J 9.. 22: TCP in !lawaii. Multiple islands may be used. Assistance with lodging and inter-island trnvcl well be available through local pilots only during the JCP. Contact: Jeffrey Hoff (808) 775-9395. FEB. 25-28: USHG1 National Membership Meeting rmd/lir Expo '99, and USHGA Board of' Directors Meeting, Knoxville, TN. Exhibits, speakers all arc invited. Sec the "Update" column in this issue or visir www.ushga.org.

FEB. 28 .. 29: Pro Reserve Clinic by High Energy Sports and Atmosphere Paragliding of Huntington Beach, CA. Answers ro the hottest questions abom paradrnte backup systems. Meet with the pros and bring your roughest questions and concerns. Two-day course. Visit the fact01y, learn how to pack your reserve and more! $2 50 per person. No paymcnr required for reservation. Limited number of participants. Contact: Betty Pfeiffer or Marcello De Barros at (714) 407 -957'5 or (71 Ii) 972 .. 8186. MARCH 19-22: !CP with Michttel Robertson rmd Steve Mal,rinos at Ibros Sport Aviarion facilities. Please book in advance. $250 pilot. Towing available. Contact: lkaros Aviation (718) 77"77000, fax (718) ikaros 11 (i1laol.com, www.flyforfon.net. MARCH 20 .. 28: Nr1tional Instructor Ffy .. fn and /C:P Super Clinic at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. Contact: (706) 398-3541, www.hanglide.com, fly(albanglide.com. MAY I 3 .. J 6: JCP and Instructor's V(/orkshop at Tck Flight Products. Prc·-rcgistration required. Contact: Ben or Alegra Davidson, Tek Flight Products, Winsted, CT 06098 (860) 379· I 668, tck@snct.net.

HANG CIIDINC

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FLYING SITES

- I -F 0

R N I A

article and photos by Mike Masterson

Ifyou are looking for a relaxed flying experience that offers smooth, gentle lift over a nice, pretty hill with a comfortable, green grass LZ, then don't come to Elsinore. On the other hand, ifyou prefer a challenging site that will test your flying skills with multiple wind directions, rugged terrain and wide-open cross-country potential, then Elsinore is the place. ilors launch facing into a warm desert wind from the ease and thermal aro und until rhe cool ocean breeze arrives from rhe opposite direction and bulldozes chem up and over the cop with convergence life. In the summer, chis occurs almost every day like clockwork, and life forms along massive shear lines which yo u can soar to impressive altitudes and great distances. This histo ric flying si re was first explored by sailplane pilots in the l 950 's and has earned a reputation as a complex place char rewards good piloting with tremendous flights. However, it can be frustrating or even punishing to chose who don't have the necessary combination of skill, knowledge and equipment. The first hang glider pilots to fly chis sire wore bell-borcorn jeans, built their own wings from hardware store parts, and blasted acid rock from their eight-track rape players. Many of the early pioneers still fly here on a regular basis. If you've been flying for a while the E-Team needs no introduction . The name was coined in 1984 when local pilots formed a gro up to race in that year's Hang Glider Manufacturers League

Meer. The hang gliding comps at the rime were far coo serious, so rhe theme for the E-Team was to have fun. The original members were Monre Bell , Dave Gibson, "Big" Al Homison, R.C. Dave Freund, Lester Wash born and Rick Garrerr. The £ -Team name and philosophy still live on for many of rhe local hang glider pilots. To be accepred in the group you have to be able co launch from the "E" in dead or light down wind, and land downhill in no wind or land downwind, uphill. Once yo u have learned the sire, hw1g out with the local pilots long enough to be accepted into their close-knit group, and survived the pose-flight rituals which usually involve downing a few ice-cold Silver Bullers, yo u can call yourself an E-reamer at least for a day. The locals don't give visiring pilots a hard rinle at all, and don't feel bad if no one shakes your hand when they meet you. The normal greeting here is an outstretched hand in the shape of a claw. Once you have experienced a few soaring flights over Elsinore, and been rolled sideways by bullec thermals or pirched our of control by shear turbulence, you will know the meaning of the claw.

In rhe summer months Elsinore will work virtually any day that the sun is shining - the hotter the better. T he other thermal sites in So uthern California normally have temperarure inversions over them which limit altitude gains to a bumpy six grand or so, but Elsinore is differenr. The famo us convergence at Elsinore wi ll break up the inversion and allow you co get to 12,000 feet MSL on some days. Even if you only gee to seven grand, you can set off on some epic crosscountry flights and grab a cheap ride back to the LZ when yo u land. The best way to describe the sire is to go for a virtual flighr. You start by showing up in the LZ at about 10:30 AM so you can meet friends or make new ones and arrange for a ride up to launch. The road is paved all the way up so you won't need a rugged vehicle, but your driver will still appreciate a $5 spot for gas money. We'll pass Edwards launch at 2,800 feet MSL on the way up, and, as expected on a hot summer day, it is deserted because it is mainly used in the off season when the wind is northerly or for early-morning training flights. T he glide from Edwards to rhe LZ is 4/ I. H ANG GLIDING

"Rad Dan" flying at the "E" launch, Elsinore, California.

FEBRUARY 1999

We continue on the paved road for another few minutes to the E and see 20 or more hang gliders on launch, and only a couple of paragliders. You look around for famous faces because this site is the stomping ground of champions and record holders. It is not unusual to see national aerobatics hang gliding champion Mitch McAleer, and at least seven other pilots like Rad Dan, Bill Solderquist, Dave Biddle, Bill Rehr, Eric Raymond, Roy Haggard and Ron Young will be doing loops later in the day. People aren't launching yet because they are waiting for the flags on the hills behind launch to go limp or blow down, which indicates that the ocean breeze, which we call the shear, is less than 40 minutes away. The paraglider pilots typically launch first to clear the way for the upcoming wave of hang gliders that will charge into the air shortly before che shear arrives. Standing on cl1e E launch at 2,900 feet MSL yo u look out across the lake and see towering cu-nims forming just east of the San Jacinto Mountains. You instinctively reach for your jacket because you feel that a 12-grand day is in the making. On summer days when you don't see big cloud development across the lake yo u can fly in shorts and a T-shirt. The glide from the E to the LZ is 6/ 1 if yo u can clear the spine, but about 8/ 1 if you have to fly around the E-cone. Once yo u have made the decision to laun ch and th e way is clear, it is traditional to let out a big yell during your run down the steep slope. During your high-G pullout, make a left turn and head for the spine to the north. You hope for a few beeps of ridge lift along the way to give you some extra ground clearance when yo u begin thermaling over the spine. Consider yourself lucky if yo u have more than 50 feet under your boots when yo u make the first 360. There is usually abundant lift when yo u arrive at the spine, but sometimes you have to scratch around and venrure out over the E-cone which is a prominenr peak in front of launch. This scratching can be tremendous fun as your flight path will have as many ups, downs and sharp turns as the Matterhorn bobsled ride. While working the spine you should be aware of the infamous "Tuck Zone." 18

HANG GLIDING

Some say that it exists only on the south· Most pilots head sourh ro the 'lc)wcrs which is a cluster of radio antennas west side of the F-conc bur others fi:cl that the whole south side of the spine is a on a prominent peak. The convergence tuck zone once the shear has arrived. gets an extra kick from the powerfrd Another theory is that when thermals thermals rising off the barren ground break off both sides of the spine at the surrounding the 'fowers. You will prob· same time, you will he in for a rough ably be joined by a couple of sailplanes ride. All will agree that it is nor wise to from the Lake Elsinore Soaring Club. fly below ridge height on the south side They tow their sailplanes right imo the of the spine, especially when the wind convergence and they make a graceful has a little north component in ir. [f rhe addition to the blue sky around you wind has a signiflcant amount of north with their sleek lines and smooth turns. in it, you should be bunching from The lifr is so broad above rhe 'fowers Edwards and 1101 the E. that [ have flown with 20 other aircraft Once you begin your climb-out off and 1101 felt crowded. Once you reach the top of the spine your altitude gains seven grand or more, you can fly across might be temporarily lirnited by an the lake, bm ir is a good idea to stay inversion layer which is the warmer air at over the 'fowcrs for a while and sec how about fom grand. high you can get. The inversion caps On good days off the thermals and you can get to I 0 crnses them fO scat· grand, and on ter and get bumpy. ourstanding days Once the shear you can get to 12 arrives, the inversion grand, which is will be pushed aside 9,000 feet over or broken up so you launch. can climb to higher lfyou venaltitudes. When you ture across rl1e get above 5,000 lake too soon you MSL you can drop might outmn rhc back to Elsinore Peak shear and sink which is the fost our on the other range of mountains side, so it is a behind launch. Once good idea to wait there, you will sec until the main the gray, misty air of gaggle leaves the 'fowcrs. I )i reedy the shear and actually smell the ocean in front of the and feel the chill of 'T<iwers is Skylark this fresh breeze. If Airporr, which you position yourself' 'ft1e F-cone infront oflaunch that produces you must not correctly, you can a house thermal. overfly due to rhe find the areas where active skydiving the easterly air you launched in is collidoperations. The drop zone is right near ing with and riding up and over the top the brightly colored tarps at rhc airport. of chc ocean breeze. The shear line where lfyou have waited long enough before the convergence takes place can be recogcrossing, you will find smooth thcnnals nized by the border of clear air against over the black parking lots and the Seelgray, misty air. Some say that the cool, co hills on the opposite side or the lake. moisture-laden heavy air of' the shear has If you plan on busting a hig X-C to rhc a bulldozing effect on rhe clear desert air, northeast, consult a sectional map so forcing it upward, so it is important to you can avoid rhc restricted airspace remember that the best lift can be found around March Air Poree Base. m1 the clear side of the shear line. You There arc acldition;i] wind composhould be able to gain a couple of thounents which add to the convergence, sand feet ;1t Elsinore peak, and this and these arc the nonhwcsl wind from you some options for a cross-country Corona and the southwest wind which flight. has been accelerated through the low FiBRlJARY "J 999

poinr of Hidden Valley. If you arc not planning a big X-C flight, you can play around in the lift and land at your leisure near the big baseball diamond or any main road. If you arc a paraglidcr pilot, you can ride the city bus hack to the LZ from bus stops all around rhe perimeter of rhc lake and as for somh as \X!ildomar. The busses nm every half hour on week clays and every hour on Saturday, Lnn don't nm on Sunday. The cost is 75 cents if you ride the bus clockwise around the lake and $1.50 if you travel counterclockw1se. The people of Like Elsinore arc happy to have pilots drop into their fields, and l have never cncoun tercel a problem of any

miles), or just about anywhere else you can think of. During an X-C flight to San Clemente beach with John Heiney, Rad Dan Pritchett landed on top of a lifeguard building ro avoid getting a ticket from the police who were waiting on the ground. The lifeguard allowed Rad Dan ro remain on the roof until the police departed and be was able to glide on down to the sand and pack up his glider. Elsinore has a large LZ at the foot of the mountain on the southwest corner of Crand Avenue and Highway ?Ii. Lying at J ,ltOO feet MSf ,, it is a huge field almost half a mile long, !mt it has a 5<% slope which extends some final glides for many extra yards. It is a hot, dusty place, but there is a market with cold drinks a half. mile away. If you try to return to this LZ after an X-C flight across the lake, be warned that you will encounter headwinds from the ocean breeze as you fly west, and the best bet is to re-cross the lake along its northern shoreline so you can have some bail-out LZ's. If you run into severe turbulence during your flight, ir might be a temporary condition in which you arc sandwiched between two opposite wind components. You can usually get out of it by flying toward the clear side of the shear line. 'rhc true conver-gence lifr feels like velvety--smooth 500fpm up, and you'll know it when you're in

kind. The local SherifT even gave one of my flying buddies a ride back to rhe L/,. Sometimes l land at the boating marinas when friends or relatives bring jer skis out for rhc day. Many of the pilots have l1ouses around the lake and make their landings right ar home. While flying X-C, you can monitor 1-he local twometer frequency and listen in on who has a chase driver following them so you can get a ride back to the LZ. Top-landing ar the Fis possible, but not easy. If you choose not ro land around the lake you can head off in any direction you wish. Popul:ir destinations include Hemet (20 miles), the Pacific Coast miles), Soboba (26 miles), Crestline (38

I E

it. Midday summer flights here arc not for beginners, and T know one paraglider pilot who has thrown his reserve four times. A few pilots have reported being

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caught in dust devils over rhe E--conc and I've been spun in once myself while low over the spine. Paraglider pilots would do well to fly a DI IV 2 or lower wing unless they arc professionals with car-like reflexes. Everyone who flies here takes this site very seriously, and as a rcsuh we haven't made the evening news in a long time. If you have good piloting skills and arc well acquainted with the handling of your current wing, you should have no prob-lcm flying here, with the exception of the thick and fast moving air traffic over the E on sum mer weekends. If you arc a visiting pilot, and arc nervous in heavy u-af~ fie, you rnighr want to make your first /'cw flights 011 a weekday or launch well before the mad rush that occurs just before the shear arrives. ls it possible for visiting pilots to show up and get a big convergence flight on their first I ry? Yes it is. l.ast summer, on two occasions, I hosted some great pilot·s from the Northwest and 1he San hancisco Bay J\rca. After some aggressive ther-· maling over the spine, they joined me for 1hrcc--hour convergence X-C flighrs on their first attempts. These were seasoned pilots with whom I had previously flown at Marshall and in the Owens Valley, so I knew they had the right stuff to handle Elsinore. When one of the Bay Arca pilots got to 1 I grand over the 'fowers, he bolted ofTX--C: hcfore rhe main gaggle and took a full frontal collapse while on max speed bar. Whcn he told me about it on rhe radio I said, "That was your welcome to l .ake Elsinore!" He answered

with a nervous laugh, kept flying and landed two hours J;ner near Lake Skinner. In the fall, when other Southern Cal ifornia sires arc blowing down due to the occasional Sarna Ana winds, Elsinore will provide good lift all day long for hang glider pilots. It might be too srro11g for paragliders, lnn you never know umil you check it out. If you arc looking for an E-tickct ride in Southern ( :aliforni:1, then head our to Elsinore and we'll provide the thermals, co11vergc11cc and X-C potential to make your flight a great adventure.

It's the year learn how Hang Gliding can help you survive in outer space, or anywhere else you want to fly Get Go with our intrepid flight crew as they gain insights on flying cross country from Hang Gliding legends in the Sierra mountain range past tho

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The 1998 King Mountain Regionals AGE AND GUILE BEAT YOUTH AND BAD HAIRCUTS AT THE KING MOUNTAIN REGIONALS

by Kevin Frost, photos by Dan Gravage

uffos are always asking me if hang gliding is a physically demanding sport, and I always cell them the same thing, "Sometimes it is like lying around on the couch watching TY, other times it is like doing pushups as fast as you can with a loaded gun to your head. " Then I tell them about the burning forearms , numb hands and leg cramps from tightening up with fear and holding on for dear life. I cell about the headache after a long high flight, even with oxygen, and the sandpaper eyes and blurry vision of the early stages of snow blindness. I cell chem about big thermals that test the limits of aluminum and sailcloth batting the glider around like a leaf in the wind and shaking glider and pilot like a puppy shaking a new bar mi ct. Then I go on and on about coring that big thermal and feeling the power and violent energy rocketing your glider into the sky, the wind roaring in your ears, and watching the mountains drop away into a spectacular panorama as you thermal up just a little short of airline cruising altitude where the temperature is literally bone chilling. If I have a captive audience I tell of the beauty few will ever experience - close-up views of the most rugged, inaccessible mountain peaks, the thrill of silently flying hundreds of feet from small waterfalls gushing om of rock faces invisible from anywhere normally thought of as accessible by foot. I strain to describe the thrill of seeing wildlife in a hidden meadow, a black bear and her cub traversing a shale slope, or the surprise of seeing an eagle flying at your wing tip and looking you in eye as you suck oxygen at 16,000 feet. I always thought I would find something really cool to spend my life doing. I guess soaring around miles over the earth

under a big kite qualifies. I mean, if we were all millionaires there might be a few more good choices. But for poor working stiffs, getting to be superman on weekends ain't too shabby. Anyhow, this is supposed to be about the meet we had at King Mountain in 1998. I won't leave you in suspense. What we wanted was a safe, fun meet full of simple, homemade goodness and chat was exactly what we got - classic King Mountain big air, plenty of wind, plenty of rock 'n' roll, and the planning and organization to make the compericion enjoyable. Open-distance tasks were called by a task committee of local pilots with long-held Ph.D.'s in King Mountain weather. One memorable quote from Ken Cavanaugh, "Just because we called chat route, doesn't mean it's safe." On the evening before the meet I was helping flag off the setup area on the upper launch. In the glow of fading light the wind howled through the pines and up the steep shale slides, and I was feeling a bit human and insignificant, very unlike Clark Kent with his trump card of invulnerability. fu I wrapped pink surveyor cape around rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away I had anxious thoughts about the rumbles, deaths and general carnage last year at the Pre-Nationals in normal King Mountain conditions, and a little concern over the number of first-time King pilots at the meet this year. I wondered if the same kinds of thoughts were weighing on the person in charge of chis meet. Early lase year, Al Whitesel from eastern Idaho called me up and wanted to know if I knew of an energetic, organized person who would be willing to be meet director for the King Regionals. Al said they would really make it worth the rime and effort by paying the director $100. I said, "Hey, I'll bet we could sucker Lisa Tate into taking the job." And she fell for it - totally sandbagged. Actually she is che kind of masochist who loves having a lot of irons in the fire, and adding chis little project to her normal overload probably sent her imo ecstasy. Lisa and IHGA President Mark Mason came up with a plan for chis year's King meet. First the normal stuff open-distance X-C, bonus LZ's, $15 entry fee after the $25 IHGA membership - then a new idea tested earlier in

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the spring at an HG/PG meet: a handi-capped system so that kingpostcd, topless, single-surface and rigid gliders could all compete against each other and pilots could use a bit of strategy to match gliders to the conditions. top it all off, that big $15 entry fee also included a free T-shirt with an ultra-cool design by Montana pilot Dan Gravage. What more could you ask for? How about a sourdough breakfast put ou outdoors by the good people of Moore, terns of prizes every morning at the pilots meeting, donated by local businesses and hang gliding equipment manufacturers, beautiful hardwood trophies designed and built by Lisa (in her spare time) and jealously coveted by every pilot at the meet, and the cornradery of 40 gnarly mountain pilots (hang gliding's equivalent of the kind of surfers who grab their long-boards when the waves shake the ground at Wairnea). When the previous year the pros described normal King conditions as the most sustained turbulence they had ever encountered, the first-time King pilots who showed up last year marked the dates of the King meet on their calendars as a

·ro

must do! During the competition, the more northerly Salmon route was called each day, combining challenging flying with easy retrieval. We all mixed it up in the strong, snaky thermals off launch, then headed north, confronting or avoiding Mr. Nasty, the lion at the gate, tbc infa-mous house thermal at Ram's Horn. From there it's a mix of easy ridge racing and a few finesse rnoves that will end your flight if you don't have either strategy or luck on your side. On day one I noticed a couple of pilots flying a bit low back in the nowinfamous Ram's Horn canyon, where Colorado pilot Sheff Eaton died in the mix of rotors and venturi last year. They were warned a hundred times, and day one was a windy day. 1 asked one of them about it when we met that evening, and be said that he saw a more experienced pilot back there and thought it would be all right. I guess that is how it happens. Luckily, it was blowing a few degrees more out of the south than last year. All the same, old, bold King pilots give Ram's Horn canyon a very wide pass on a windy day. On days one and three the longest flights ended up at the bonus LZ at Wil-

low Creek, the 50-mile mark, just past Mt. Borah, Idaho's highest mountain at 12,500'. On day two quite a few gliders made it to the Challis airport LZ, 70 miles, and for those in the know, just minutes from the rustic but very nice Challis Hot Springs, just the thing after a long, cold flight. A few of us made strategic errors jumping the range in hopes of a Salmon 11igb t, some of us taking a hit by not landing at the I 5-point bonus I Z at Challis, others jumping ranges early and landing outside the 10-rnile corridor really got nailed with penalties. Altitudes of 15,000' were reached throughout the meet. Each day Kurt Wimburg, a Jackson Hole, Wyoming pilot, h,rndily tied for the longest flights in his Exxtacy, always making the bonus LZ's. With the only rigid wing entered, Kurt took a heavy hit with the handicap. l had several close encounters with Kurt and his Exxtacy and was very impressed each time. On day three I got way low at Upper Ceder Creek, about the 15--rnilc mark. I was unzipped ro land and started working light bubbles that were percolating off the I ].. I worked my way from about 200' to 600' or 800' during a very long 20 minutes or sweating and cursing with :rnother guy who got low as well, but who was able to stay l 00' to 200' above me. In the very light, multi-core lift, I drifted with and lost several thermals, each time finding another on my way back to the l Z. Kun in his Exxtacy appeared a few hundred feet above us, another victim of the big sink up above. He wou Id work the top of our ligb t bubble, then do a big search lcH other lift. Kurt came back to our weak lift a time or two but always stayed higher than us. Eventually, on one of his searches, Kurt found a bcner thermal and was outta there. l couldn't even think of rnaking the glide to join him. An SX outscratched by a Exxtacy in light conditions gecz. I ended up getting drilled when the light stuff finally petered out, soon to be joined by rhc guy I had been scratching with and several other pilots not long after that. 'fhc bad news was that J had suckered everyone into an LZ with very tricky access. Luckily, the farmer showed up to lead us all our of the complicated maze of illogical trails and switchbacks. Kurt flew on to the SO-mile bon11s LZ at 30

Willow Creek. J really feel sorry for the guy, so next year I'm gonna offer him my SX5 For the meet, and I'll selflessly fly his nasty, old, big-handicap Exxtacy. First-place honors went to Heiner Biescl, a very stubborn Utah pilot. He noticed a bad turn in his Predator on day three, landed a few miles downrange, fixed the turn, relaunched at 4:00 pm and flew 50 miles to the Willow Creek bonus LZ. Heiner flew his 142 Predator with a pair of really gigantic winglcts of his own making. Normal winglets, in Hciner's opinion, arc really too small to do much good. Many of us wondered if' the thing would even get off the ground. Al Whitesel, in a Herculean comeback from his terrible panty accident at King a year ago, took second place. On day one he wisely flew a single-surface Target for a handicap advantage. On day two, Al and I had the Challis airport bonus LZ within an easy glide when we had the misfortune of blundering in to a last excellent thermal and did a dogleg jump to the "not happening" Lemhi range. Third place went to California pilot Ken Muscio who stayed with it after an all-night retrieve on day two. The top SOMile Class pilots were Joe Brakefield, Greg Braugh and Dan Gravage. The Sportsmanship award wem to Colorado pilot David Biser. In the encl, except for Kurt, the top places were unaffected by the handicap. I expect that the handicap system will stay in place for next year. One rule that will hopefully die a natural death in the future is the one that allowed pilots who had flown 50+ miles in the past but hadn't flown 50 miles X-C in rhe last year to enter the Sport Class. As you might suspect, those beautiful trophies tcmpred a lot of good pilots to forget their pride and enter the lower class, which they went on to totally dominate, shutting out the "traditional" 50-Milc Class pilots. I know these little homemade meets arc a lot of work for the organizers, and to all involved I'd like to say thank you this was the highlight of my summer. Congratulations on a totally successful meet. If J had one wish for the sport of hang gliding it would be for a lot more low-key comps like last year's King meet, just like the Canadians have and we used to have. II

RACE CLASS

Points

Place Pilot I)

Heiner "Pete" Biesd . , l 68

Al Whitesel .... ; ... 166.2.8 Ken M:usdo ........ ; Mark Mason , ...... 117.2 Kurt Wimberg .. , ... 113. 97 Kevin Frost ..... ; .. 108.8 Frank Gilk:tte ....... 105,5 Chds Gardina ....... 8&.23 Claire Packer ........ 85.5 Eiji Yokoda .. , ..... , 84 Will Lanier . . . . . . . . . 84 Don Lcpinsky ...... , 82 Dean Tiegs .... , .. •... 78.9 };£f Mazer .... , .... , 78,l Ken Cavanaugh ...... 67. Craig H~nes ........ . JohnW<Jiwock ... , .. . Alan Paylor ..... , .. . ScotTl:ueblood ...... 26. 6. Dave Kriner ........ .

3) 4)

5) 6)

7) 8) 9)

l O) l l) 12) 13)

14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20)

RECREAI'ION CLASS

Place

Pilot

1) 2)

Greg Brauch, ...... . Dan Gravage; .•... ,.108

Point:.s

3) 4)

Joe Brakefield ..... , .. 98:1 KC Benn ........... 8.6:5

5) 6)

Jimmy Pricer ..• , ... . Jeff Mazer ....•... , .

7) 8)

Bob Holland ....... . ... ,, .... 67.

Chds Beebe ......... 63.6

10) 11)

Kurt Ziegler ......... , 60 Steve Bahr .......... 56

12) 13) 14)

Wayne Mayo . , ...... 43 Rose .......... 42.l Dave Kriner ........ .

15)

Randy ChaffHn ...... l

16)

Ron Allmon ......... 10 ..3

17)

RickAltig .. , .... , ... 0.5

18)

Chris Peck ... ,, ....... 0.5

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD David Biser HANG GLIDING

Altair

The Art of Flight

hat does Altair mean? Altair is an ancient Arabic word meaning "the bird" or "thing that flies ." Known as the Bird Star, Altair is the brightest star in Aquila, the Eagle constellation. To us, Altair also means "people who fly," the people connected with Altair hang gliders. It means the crew that works at the Altair factory, the staff at Dick Cheney's sail loft who make the best quality hang glider sails in the world, and all the pilots who fly Altair wings. Altair also means the excellent facility in Draper, Utah, at which we build the gliders. Considering the fast-growing popularity of the new Saturn novice wing (in two sizes) and the lasting acceptance and value of the world-class composite-frame Predator high performance wing, Altair is becoming a very meaningful word for many enthusiasts of foot-launch aviation.

predator

Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2 . . . . . . . . I58 Span ....... . . ... 34'0" . .. . . . . 35'4" Aspect ratio . ...... . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . 8 Airframe . .. . composite .. . composite Pil ot weight . . .. 140-220 . . . . . 180-280 Glider weight ... . ... 64 . . ....... 69 Pilot skill . . . . . . Hang IV . .. . . Hang IV Price .. . . . . . .. . $4,975 ... . .. $4,995

To the pilots who fly Altair gliders Altair means getting higher, going faster, going slower (when you want to) lighter handling, easier landings, lighter wings, quicker set-up, logical hardware, immediate parts service, lasting quality, innovative design and fun flying. Join the Altai r team not only to fly gliders of the highest quality, safety and performance in the world; but to benefit from a group of highly motivated flyers dedicated to supporting your soaring needs. At Altair we make great hang gliders by design-creativity, hard-work and engineering-science; not by cloning.

sat urn

Area . .. . . . . . . . . . . 147 ... .. ... 167 Span .. . . ....... . 30'7" . . . . ... 33'6" Aspect ratio . . . . . . 6.32 . . .. .... 6.64 Airframe .. . . .. . .. 7075 . .. .... 7075 Pilot weight . . . . 120-220 ..... I50-250 Glider weight . . .. . . . 56 .. . .... . . 61 Pilot skill .. . ... . Hang II . . . . . Hang II Price ... . ...... $3,595 . . .... $3 ,595

12379 SOUTH 265 WEST • DRAPER, UTAH 84020 • PHONE 801-523-9544 • FAX 801-523-9688 altair@micron.net • http://netnow.micron.net/-altair/

It's called the Women's Fly-In because it originated in 1991 when the half-dozen or so women pilots of the Northwest decided to get together on the same weekend at the same site for some fun flying "with the girls. " It's held at Saddle Mountain in Eastern Washington because Saddle's 17-milelong ridge is situated at an equitable distance between the south-enders from Portland and the north-enders from BC, and Saddle typically provides soarable conditions (or at least flyable windows) in both north and south winds. We girls had so much fun in '91 that we simply had to meet again the next year, and the next, and invite our friends, and so a tradition was born. From that first small gathering, the Northwest Wom en's Fly-In has evolved into what is probably the largest assembly of footlaunching females in the country.

The Fly-In rules have varied a bit from year to year depending on who's doing the sponsoring and organizing, but the basic philosophy remains the same: If yo u're a female pilot (hang or para is not significant, XX chromosomes definitely are!), yo u don't pay an entry fee; males must cough up $20 to be part of the official festivities. Guys are expected to provide assistance (if asked) in getting wings to law1eh, in laying out or setting up, and in folding up and packing wings afrer the flying is done. The m en, predictably, became jealous of this preferential treatment of the women, especially as the number offemale pilots steadily increased. In a burst of magnanimous creativity, one ingenious group of organizers can1e up with a solution: Since the traditional date for the Fly-In is the last weekend of October, woman-wannabee's of the XY chromosome variety would be granted priority setup/breakdown rights, provided they were willing to pay the entry fee and dress app rop riately to claim their privileges. Thus "Donna'' Marcy and "Martha" Kaplin acquired their first pair of pantyhose and

C.J and George Sturtevant win the "best couple" award as St. George and the Dragon

A Gathering Of Girls The Eighth Annual Northwest Women's Fly-In Draws a Record Crowd of Female Fliers by C.J Sturtevant

spike heels and, with "Pretty Woman'' as their theme song, joined the core group of Women's Fly-In regulars.

1998'S EVENT Halloween weekend '98 was blustery and showery, typical Northwest late-autLll11.11 weather. In spite of the dismal outlook for flying, the excellent organization of Kristin Armstrong, Kristen Janosky and Lisa Donohue drew more than 100 pilots (25 of them women and at least another dozen woman-wannabees) to eastern Washington to fly and camp out. Costwnes ranged from historical to hysterical, from elegant to frwnpy. One creative Portland pilot, yearning to see the world fro m the perspective of a pear person, searched the thrift shops for a dowdy dress sufficiently large and stretchy to fit over a paraglider harness. Subtly-cut slits in "her" nylon frock allowed access to 'biners, so Sweet Seward (Whitfield) was able to fly comfortably in spite of "her" considerable girth. Another pilot, whose '97 costume would have made a Playboy bunny blush (and shiver with the cold), opted for a more modest and practical bunny outfit this year, complete with long ears, fuzzy tail, and snugly full-body fur. Perhaps because he could sympathize with his more scantilyclad comrades, Reade Obern took it upon himself to keep the campfire stoked to bonfire intensity, earning a new nickname: "pyro-bunny. " And the flying? Everybody - hang and para, guys and gals, beginners to advanced - got airtime on Saturday, mostly fly-

downs to the sand dunes about 2,000 feet below launch. Occasionally, someone lucked into a slightly-extended sledder or a brief moment of glory above takeoff before sinking out. In the spirit of the event, a constantly-changing corps of gallant guys wo uld meet each woman pilot as she

The Wannabe Women: "Sue" Whitfield ftom Portland, "Martha" Kaplan and ''Donna" Marcy ftom Seattle. landed, bundle up her wing and hustle it over to the packing tarp, efficiently fold and pack the wing and stuff pilot and gear into the next available vehicle heading back to launch. Launches and landings were nonstop from early morning until the rain shut us down about 3:00 pm. At that point, everyone migrated over to the campground where the potluck and bonfire and costume contest kept us all entertained until tl1e food was go ne and the firewood burned up. Sunday dawned less rainy but basically

Continued on page 57. H ANG GLIDING

SILVER SAPF. PH ,OT AWARDS RAY JUVERA

BEGINNER-TANDEM RATINGS Rcgion 7 GAINER, MICK: Detroit, M[; N. Lcsnow/FlyingAdvcnmrcs MROUE, ALAA: llcarborn, Ml; T. Tillman/Cloud 9 PETERS, DAVE: Whitmore Lake, Ml; 'J'. Tillman/Cloud 9 Region JO ROTKIN, BRENNAN: Sruart, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch BROEKHOVEN, KEVIN: C:lcarwatcr Bch, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch COBB, JAMES: Naples, FL; M. _Jones/Wallaby Ranch DIXON, JAMES: Longwood, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ERICKSON, NYLIA: Orlando, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ERICKSON, ROBB: Orlando, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HIIJ., JEREMIE: l)avcnpon, FL.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch l.AMARDO, DON: Brandon, FL; M Jones/Wallahy Ranch LUCE, STEVE: Tampa, l:J .; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MORGAN, WILLIAM: Sarasota, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch PROFFITT, DARREL: Longwood, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCHWENK, ZANE: Winter Haven, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby H.ancl1 THOMPSON, CLAYTON: Winter Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 13 LINNANE, PADRAIC: llwi; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WINDSOR, NICEI.: Bwi; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

BEGINNER RATINGS Region] CUMMINGS, KIRSTEN: Issaquah, WA; K. :-iw,::psron Region GRAFF III, JOSEPH: l .as NV; S. Smith/ Airborn Warcrsports LAJDLFY, KATE: San Francisco, CA; P. Harlow/Mission Soaring SACUSKIE, MIKE: Modesto, CA; C:.D. Prather/Dream Weaver HG SANSONE, PHIUP: San Jose, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring WALTERS, THOMAS: S Lake Tahoe. CA; R. Leonard/ Adventure Sports Region J

COUCH, RYAN: 29 Palms, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure THOMAS, SHAWN: Burbank, C:A: A. Bcem/Windsports [nr'I WIENER, RON: Los CA; R. McKem.ie/1-ligh Adventure Region 4 UT; Rob McKcnzie/1 ligh Advenmrc CHAPIN, PAUL: St SHAW, ALI.EN: l.eadville, C:A; M. Windsheimer/Airtime Above HC

Region 8 LORDEN, JOHN: Groton, MA; D. Haber/Kitty I lawk Kites MC CONVILT .E, SCOTT: Portland, MF; D. Baxter/Morningside FP PAUl},ON, AR.IC: Upton, MA; D. Baxtcr/Morningsidc Fl' RUSTIC!, Al.AN: Pawcatuck, CT; D. Baxter/Morningside Fl' SFTCHFIELD, KRISTOPl:IER: Nonhaprnton, MA; K. Salko/Morningsidc rP WO Rf.I KAR, J\NIRODDHA: Waltham, MA; D. Baxrc:r/Morningsidc FP Region 'J ANIS, MAX: Kensington, MD; J. Middleton/Silver Wings CRON, ANDREA: E Stroudsburg, PA; D. S. Jewell/Fly High EJGI ,ES, STEP! JEN: Arlington, VA; J. Middleton/Silver Wings HAYS, GREG: Baltimore, MD; I-l. Bocssl/Rochcstcr Arca Flyers LANE, MARK: Roanoke, VA; A. 'J 'orrington/Kiuy Hawk Kites MARINO, GREGORY: Shohola, PA; G. Black/Mountain Wings SCHY, RUSTY: Duncansville, PA; R. (;rove/Summit Airspons Region 10 AUCIELLO, STEPHAN: Camp l.c Juene, NC; D. J-labcr/Kirty l lawk Kites AYDIN, GAZI: Marlietta, GA; C. Thorcson/Lookom Mtn FP HERMES, GREGORY: Kill Devil Hill, NC; A. Torrington/Kitty H:iwk Kites BOTKIN, BRENNAN: Smart, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch BROEKHOVEN, KEVIN: Clearwater Bch, fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch BROOKS, .JOEL: Tucker, GA; C. Thorcson/Lookour Mm FP CASE, JAMES: Rossillc, CA; M. Tabcr/1.ookout Mtn Fl' COBB, JAMES: Naples, F[ .; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch COLTRANE, KEVIN: Raleigh, NC; A. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites DE BAR.MORI'., NICK: Raleigh, NC:; R. Immordino/Kitty Hawk Kites DIXON, JAMES: Longwood, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ERICKSON, NYLIA: Orlando, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ERICKSON, ROBB: Orbndo, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch PAIRAIZL, ANDREW: Hickory, NC; A. Torrington/Kitry Hawk Kites HILi ., JEREMIE: Davenport, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HORTON, JOHN: l luntsvillc, AL; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mt n FP I<AIJFMANN, KURT: Pembroke Pines, Fl.; T. lfagcr/1,ocikout Mtn FP LAMARDO, DON: Brandon, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch LOPEZ, CARI.OS: N Bay Village, FL; T. Hager/Lookout Mrn FP I.UCE, STEVE: Tampa, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MILLER, CHARLES: Lithonia, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP MORGAN, WJLLIAM: Sarasota, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch PATTY, ROBERT': Mmfreesboro, TN; M Taber/Lookout Mm FP PROFFITT, DARREL: I,ongwood, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ROTH, I.ARRY: Duluth, GA; T. Hager/Lookout Mm FP SANDERS, WAITER I.EE: Jasper, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm Fl' SCHWENK, ZANE: Wimer l favcn, i:J .; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SNOW, DANIEL: Jacksonville, Al.; T. Hager/Lookout Mm FP THOMPSON, CLAYTON: Winter Springs, fl,; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

Region 6

BOVINE, PATRICK: Dardanelle, AR; T. Middleton/Soaring BUTLER, .JOSEPI-1: Conway, AR; T. Middleton/Soaring Wings Region 7

BIEBERICH, DAVID: F1 Wayne, lN; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP GAINER, MICK: Detroit, Ml; N. l.esnow/Flying Advemures GRAY, PAUL: South Bend, JN; R. Ricliardson/Arizom I IC NARESH, AR.COT: Schaumberg, IL; B. Kushner/Raven Sports SHERMAN, LAURA: Ypsilanti, Ml; D. Sanderson/Inland Air Sports SONNENSCllEIN, JASON: Ypsila111i, Ml; D. Sandcrson/lllLmd Air Sports STEINMETZ, BILL: l.akcvillc. IN; R. Richardson/ Arizona IIC; VOSS, DANIEL: Whitewater, WI; B. Kushncr/Ravrn Sporrs ZIMMERMAN, JIM: Rapid City, SD; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm Fl' FEFH~LJAl<Y 1999

Region ll CAMERON, ROBERT: Austin, TX; C:. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP Pl-Ill.UPS, DAVfD: Austin, TX;J [font/Go .. .IlC RASHIDI-RANJBAR, MAJID: Houston, TX; F. Bums/Austin Air Sports SlJNDHAGEN, REBECCA: Seabrook, TX; F. Burns/Austin Air Sports TOUN, KEN: WcathcrfrmJ, TX; R. Brown/Qr1csl Air VANI.ANDINGHAM, SCOTT: Austin, TX; F. Burns/Austin Air Sports Region 12 AARLI, MARTA: Albany, NY; D. S. Jewell/Fly High JACKSON, MARIF.: Rumson, NJ; A. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites KJ\MP, JOI IN: Y11lan, NY; G. Black/Mountain Wings

Region 13 LINNANE, PADRAIC: BWI; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WINDSOR, NI GET.: BWI; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

NOVICE RATINGS Region 1 AUFDERHAR, KENN: Dallas, OR; J. Maty!onck/Rainy Day HG FOGELBERG, MARK: Milwaukee, OR; J. Maty!onek/Rainy Day HG Region 2 BRUBAKER, DAVID: San Mateo, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring COCHRAN, RICHARD: Fclron, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring LAKE, TRENT: Milpitas, CA; P. Dcncvan/Mission Soaring MULLEN, MARK: .San Francisco, CA; D. Yount/Mission Soaring Region 3 COUCH, RYAN: 29 Palms, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure KROPP, MATTHEW: Hermosa Beach, C/\; /\. Bcem/Windspons Int'! PAGANOS, GEORGE: Costa Mesa, CA; P. Phillips/Lake Elsinore Sports SPAULDING, ROBERT: Mililani, Hl; J. Forbus/Cloud Base SUSKO, DAVID: Long Beach, CA; A. Beem/Windsports lm'l WIENER, RON: Los Angeles, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure Region 4 CliAPIN, PAUL: Sc George, UT; Rob Mc:Ke11zie/Jligh Adventure GANE.SAN, CHANDER: Tempe, AZ; ll. Holes/Sky Masters VAN GORP, BRETT: Bisbee, AZ;' r. Barton/ Airborne Sporrs USA Region 5 0 MARA, LJ: Cody, WY; J. Bowman/Eagle Air Sports Region 7 BJEBERICH, DAVID: Ft Wayne, JN; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn FP MILES, JOI IN: Eagle River, WI; B. Kushner/Raven Sky Spons NARESH, AR.COT: Schaumberg, II.; B. Kushner/Raven Sports STARKEY, NANC: Danville, ll.; T. l-lagcr/l.ookour Mtn Fl' VOSS, DANIEL: Whitewater, Wl; B. Kushner/Raven Sky Sports ZIMMERMAN, JIM: Rapid C:ity, SD; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP Region 8 BERNIER, STEVE: Rutland, VT; D. 1-lahcr/Kirry Hawk Kites HOBART, APR.IL: Somerville, MA; J. Atwood/Earth & Adventures MACMONAGLE, DANIEL: Wakefield, MA; J. Nicolay/Morninside Fl' MISIASZEK, BOGDAN: Chicopee, MA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn FP Region 9 CARPENTER, CHARLES: Lexington, KY; C:. Thorcson/Lookom Mtn FP CR.ON, ANDREA: E Stroudsbmg, PA; D.S. Jewell/Fly High CUNNINGHAM, MATTHEW: Waynesboro, VA; S. Wendt/Blue MARINO, GREGORY: Shohola, PA; c;. Black/Mountain Wings Region IO AYDIN, GAZI: Marlictta, GA; C. Thorcson/Lookour Mtn FP BAGBY, GREG: Kill Devil l lill, NC; A. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites BROOKS, JOEL: Tucker, GA; C. Thoreson/I.ookom Mm FP CASE, JAMES: Rossille, CA; M. Taber/Lookout Mm Fl' COBB, JAMES: Naples, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch ERICKSON, ROBB: Orlando, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Fl.EEHARTY, DAVE: Kill Devil His, NC; A. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites HILL, JEREMIE: Davenport, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HORTON, JOI-IN: I lumsvillc, Al.; C:. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP

HORTON, KATE: Atlanta, CA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn Fl' KAUFMANN, KURT: Pcmhrokc Pines, Fl.; T. Hager/Lookout Mtn FP LOPEZ, CARLOS: N Bay Village, FL; T. I lager/Lookout Mm FP LUCE, STEVE: Tampa, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MACKAY, CLEMENS: Kill Devil Hill, NC; A. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites MERCADO, MANUEL: llarranquitas, PR; R. Hastings/Team Spirit HC MILLER, CHARLES: Lithonia, GA; C:. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP MORGAN, WIT.LIAM: Sarasota, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch PATTY, ROBERT: Murfreesboro, TN; M Taber/l.ooko11t Mrn FP ROTH, LARRY: Dulmh, GA; T. Hager/l.ookom Mtn FP SANDERS, WALTER LEE: Jasper, GA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP SCHWENK, ZANE: Winter Haven, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SNOW, DANIEL: Jacksonville, Al.; T. I lager/I .ookont M tn FP Region 11 CAMERON, ROBERT: Ausrin, TX; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn FP TOLIN, KEN: Weatherford, TX; R. Brown/Quest Air VANLANDINGHAM, SCOTT: Austin, TX; F. Burns/Austin Air Sports Region 12 AARU, MARTA: Albany, NY; D.S. Jewell/Fly I ligli EDMARK, JOl IN: New York, NY; P. Voight/Fly l ligh HOGAN, ART: Auburn, NY; R. Ric!iardson/Arizona HG .JACKSON, DARRELL: Rumson, NJ; C. Black/Mountain Wings KAMP, JOHN: Yulan, NY; C. Black/Mountain Wings NIELSEN, JAMES: West l lcmpstead, NY; T. C:ovelli/Ellenvillc fl' Region 13 BAIRD, EDGAR: Ccrmany 0822:l; C. Thoreson/I.ookout Mm FP WINDSOR, NIGEL: BWJ; M. Joncs/Wa!bby Ranch

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS Region 2 HARVICK, AARON: Modesto, CA; CD. Prather/Dream Weaver HC HORRlLLENO, DENISE: CA; D. Burns/Mission Soaring SCHUSTER, STEPHEN: Watsonville, C/\; M. Shields/Western HG Region 3 IVEY, JOHN: Long Beach, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure SZAFARYN, LEN: Long Beach, CA; R. McKenzie/High Adventure WIENER, RON: Los Angeles, CA; R. McKenzie/] [igh Adventure Rcgion4 CR.OFT, MAJ CARL: Avondale, AZ; T. Wcs1 TETZLAFF, PHILIP: Golden, CO; J. Alexander/Quest Air Region 8 HILL, WILBERT: Piermont, NT l; R. Corbo/Earth & Sky Adventure Region 9 SPENCER, JOSEPH: Winchester, VA; S. Wcndt/Blnc Sky Region 10 COBB, JAMES: Naples, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HAYWOOD, JR, JOHN: Wildwood, GA; (:.Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP MORALES, HECTOR: Toa Baja, PR; R. I-lastings/Team Spirit HG Region l I DENNEY, GUY: Austin, TX;J. l-Tunt/Go ... llC

HANC GUDINC

ADVANCED RATINGS Region I BEST, DAVID: Chd,m, WJ\; L Spacc/Clo11dhasc Country Club CUMMINGS, R TAGGART: Issaquah, WA; A. ~wcpston 8

BI.AKF, CHRIS: lkrhcl, C:T; S. Jcsrcr/CI IC/\ Region JO COBB, JAMES: Naples, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 12

SABO, LARRY: I lopatcong, NJ; M. Lassachor/1\cromax ZEIGLER, DAVID: Vcsrnl, NY; n. Caspcr/ThcSoaringC:cmcr

1999 TOP JO SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN BEGINNER 1) RATINGS ISSUED RANK SCHOOL ....................................... BEGTNNER .l

3 4 6 7 8 8 8 8

Wallaby IZanch ..................................................... 40 Lookout Mountain Flight Park ............................ 28 Kitty Hawk Kites ................................................. 13 Morningside Flight Park ........................................ 9 Lligh Adventure ..................................................... 7 Mission Soaring Center ................................... ,,...... / Silver Austin Airsports ..................................................... 3 Miami Hang Gliding ............................................. 3 Raven Sky Sports ................................................... 3 Soaring

RIGGING AND HARDWARE * SAFE EDGE* FRAME PARTS GLIDER BAGS AND X-C BAGS HARNESSES (TRAINING AND KNEE HANGERS)

J J U.L C,

* PAC-AIR *PAC-AIR * 24 years

sail

* Fast Turn around. P.O. Box 128 I 761 Neeson Rd. #4 Marina, Ca. 93933

08-384-4807/fax 408-384-8416 MC/Visa/Amex

L999 TOP 10 SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN NOVICE 2) RATINGS ISSUED

No Annual l'ce tow l'ixcd Intrnductory Annual

Percentage Rate (APR) on cash advance checks and balance transfers $I million Common Carrier Travel Accident lnsurancc with the Platinum Plus Card*

RANK SGWOL ............................................ NOVICE 1 2

3 3 3

4 4 '.5 '.5

Lookout Mountain Hight Park ............................ 28 Wallaby Ranch ..................................................... 10 I-Iigh Adventure ..................................................... 6 J(itty J-Iawk l(ites ................................................... 6 Mission Soaring Center .......................................... 6 Mountain Raven Sky Sports ................................................... 5 Fly ffigh ................................................................ 3 Miami I fang Gliding ............................................. 3 Windsports International ....................................... 3

Rankingr were compiledfi'om ratings published in the January-February 1999 issues o/Hang Gliding magazine.

FlllRUAl<Y 1999

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a program ~y Pat Denevtm, article and illustrations by andings. There, I've finally said it. After months of talking about the fine art oflaunching a hang glider, we at last approach the landing. This is a word that strikes pride in the hearts of' some pilots and foar in the hearts of many. But we can tame the landing beast. We have acquired a useful set of skills, practicing the precision launch, and we are ready. Joe Greblo has defined a good landing as a soft landing; the best landing in a given situation is the softest landing possible. That's a commendable objective, but T think we can take it one step beyond that. The best landing is a planned, precision landing, which, by design, will be the softest. Precision. That's a wore\ we will come back to again and again. Precision gives us the best launch and it will give us the best landing. Even more than launching, however, landing is the measure of our precision, and that's why landings are feared; it's whackingly clear when we don't measure up. Precision is a function of polished skills and a sensitive hand. With those tools, a pilot can stay ahead of the aircraft, anticipating decisions and flying consciously and in control at every moment. Tr is bad news when the glider is moving and nobody is home. J ,et's follow the organi:wd approached we used to understand the launch, and break the landing sequence down into a series of steps that we can talk about one at a time: 1) 2)

.3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Pick a final approach path. Establisli a stable glide on the flnal approach path. Rotate to upright flying position. Entry into ground effect - the round·· out. Maintain course and altitude as the glider bleeds energy. Detect the opening oC the flare window. Move hands up to flare position. Push om from center of mass to flare.

PART I: PLANNING THE APPROACH PKffI Unlike our earlier launch list, we include planning as a step on the landing list. Launch benefits from planning as well, but

:rn

Shaw

on landing we don't have the luxury of time to consider the options. We need w assess the landing area situation "on the fly," which puts a premium on having an efficient and thorough game plan l<.H choosing the best landing approach. Even if you have the luxury of walking the landing area before you approach from the air, you will need to make a plan in the air to account for changing conditions. How many pilots have you watched land downwind because they made their plan on the ground, and forgot to reconsider when they arrived later, ready to land.

THE PIECES OF THE PLAN A well-considered approach plan is key to a good landing. Think back on your most successful landing. When did you know you had the spot nailed? Shonly after you turned to final, if nor earlier, I suspect. Gliding down on final approach, you felt like you couldn't miss, and you had time to read your mail on the way in. Missed spots are obvious early as well. 'T'hey arc tough to salvage. You feel behind the eight ball from early on and final is a tense, over-controlled, wild ride. With a plan, you are so far ahead of things you have the time to deal with the inevitable little surprises. Landing is easy. The Landing Plan puzzle has four pieces:

l) 2) 3) 4)

Slope and conditions Touchdown spot Landing line Approach pattern

Notice that we work from the landing area backwards up the glider's path. Landing area conditions determine where we want to land. Then we cm determine how we want to get there. Contrary to popular opinion, the wind, especially wind direction, is a secondary factor (we will retl!rn more than once to question the importance of "into the wind"). Obstructions and slope arc our first concern. In most siruations, an uphill/downwind landing is far easier than

upwind/downhill. When considering wind, we should be more concerned with issues of gradient and turbulence. We will spend more time on this issue when we discuss speed control and special landing situations in a future installment. At this point our concern is the anticipated effect on glide path that wind vclociLy may have, and avoiding potential turbulence downwind of trees or other obstructions. Figuring out the lay of the land from the air is not an easy task. Everything looks flat from 2,000 foct. Spend some time analyzing the terrain you fly over, even on the home flying hill, and especially if it is an area you can check from the ground later. Can you recognize the subtle drainage patterns or changes in vegetation that indicate a slope? Can you tell the difference between a one-foot-tall sage and a six-foot-tall mesquite bush. Can you recognize a fence line, a pole, a wire? lf you think about rhcse issues when the pressure is of'(, you will he quicker at assessing a landing area when time is short. Working backwards, we choose a land .. ing spot that optimizes anticipated landing area conditions and allows a suitable landing line along which we can fly the final approach. The landing line is an imaginary runway which we will follow to the touchdown spot. Airplane pilots learned long ago the value of a formal runway. It allows a familiar, measurable, precision landing approach that enhances the chance of a great landing. One of the hardest tasks a power pilot faces is an off-airport emer.. gcncy landing, because the familiar clues arc missing.

WIND DIRECTION IN PERSPECTIVE The hnding line should be chosen to enhance options: to accommodate landing long or short, to rake advantage of the longest dimension of' the landing area, or to take advantage of a feature such as a roadway ftee of sagebrush. Wind direction is not much of' a concern. Crosswind landings arc not a difficult task. In fact, if you had the means to measure every landing you m;ikc, you would discover that you rarely land precisely into the wind. Mucb more dangerous is an attempt to make a radical approach to a limited landing area in an attempt to fly directly upwind. One danger of over-reliance on smoke as a wind indica-

Continued on page 44. I {ANG GLJDJNC

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HARNESS REVIEW

THE

his month I'll review The Contour, an appropriately named new harness from Moyes. This innovative pilot support system was designed by Juan Corral and Kraig Coomber of Moyes, and it represents a significant improvement over their popular Extreme harness. I had the opportunity to gee some airtime in a Contour thanks to Ken Brown of Moyes America. This particular harness had already been built close to my dimensions, and came with a chestmounted parachute container.

FIRST GIANCE This supportive, aerodynamic harness derives much of its comfort and ease of use from a well-designed, aircraft-quality aluminum back frame. The main suspension strap is attached to a delrin bushing that slides fore and aft along an aluminum slider bar, and allows the pilot to adjust the pitch angle. Moyes used a similar slider system on their Extreme harness, but they've improved the concept by placing all of the sliding hardware inside the harness to minimize drag. The position of the slider is adjusted and held in place by a six-millimeter per-

H ANG GLIDING

on tour

Ion line attached to rhe carabiner. The line is roured rhrough rhe frame ro a clear on rhe side of rhe harness. This configuration allows for a wide range of adjustment. It can be set to an extreme headdown angle for high-speed gliding, level for comforrable soaring, or upright for launching and landing. The Contour is built to Moyes and DHV standards. Its Type 18 continuous webbing is sewn to accommodate a 1,600-pound load. (That's eight G 's for a 200-pound hook-in weight!) It utilizes industry-standard skydiving hardware for the chest, leg and shoulder buckles. Despite the sliding main suspension, the webbing that comprises the shoulder straps, leg loops and main suspension constitutes an integral system. A short backup strap anchors the sliding main suspension to the internal webbing of the harness. An unlikely, catastrophic frame failure in flight would be a minor inconvenience rather than a major safery issue.

MOYES INNOVATIONS The Contour showcases all of the clever features that have begun to appear on the new "performance" harnesses, in addition to a few Moyes innovations. Moyes has solved the universal problem of sealing the harness around the neck and shoulder regions by creating "shoulder flaps" that extend forward of the shoulder strap/main body junction. These flaps are velcroed on to the shoulder pads. After rhe shoulder buckles are adjusted to fit the pilot, rhe flaps can be posirioned to minimize airflow into the harness. These flaps afford a wider range of adjustmem and a closer fit than the neoprene "gaskets" seen on other harnesses.

A side view ofthe Contour. Note the

side-mount, or an internal. The latter is a neat idea that can be seen on other recent harness designs, but chis is a controversial concept. Some pilots beli eve that this arrangement might add to the challenge of deploying a chute in a real em ergency. However, pilots who are willing to accept chat theo retical safety compromise will enjoy a harness with a smoo ther appearan ce. Other cool gimmicks include aeroand truck-towing loops chat velcro flush to the harness body when not in use. The attention to detail concerning rhe

The author enjoys the smooth air and smooth lines ofthe Contour during an early-evening flight at Fort Funston. Another Moyes innovation is the "internal pocket. " Like several other manufacturers, Moyes has talcen advantage of the previously under-utilized space inside the harness and included pockets on the left and right sides. They can store cameras or ocher accessories and can be accessed in flight. Since the pockets are internal, the clean lines of the harness remain unblemished . Moyes has improved on the internal pocket concept by closing and streamlining the pockets with hinged fa bric and mylar covers chat can be velcroed open or closed. Despite all of the intern al pockets, there is still a full-length, internal, zippered pocket above the pilot's back

The internal frame and slider system.

that provides plenty of sto rage space for glider and harness bags, oxygen and water. T here are also two thin zippered storage pockets on each interior side of the boot. T he fabric of che main body and rhe parachute co ntainer is cur and assem bled to close tolerances, creatin g just the right amount of tension throughout the harness. This attention to derail yields a smoo th profile. T he Contour is available with three different parachute container options: a chest-mount, a

The Contour offers abundant storage space and internal pockets. Contour doesn't stop with the harness itself; even the carry bag has something new. Thanks to the strategically placed handle on the side of the bag, yo u can tote yo ur Co ntour aro und like an oversized duffel bag, or use the shoulder straps and carry it like a backpack. And, although I didn't weigh the Co ntour on a scale, it felt several pounds lighter than other harnesses I've used.

THE TEST RIDE My flight evaluation of the Contour began while hooking in to my glider. T he single pitch adjustment lin e and the single sliding main suspension make for a ve1y easy hang check; th ere's not much to get tangled on this harness. My launch run was down a steep slope in almost no wind, and I immediately felt right at home in the Contour. A quick rug on the sheathed do u re line made for a smoo th zip-up of the harness after launch. I was flyi ng in smooth, consistent 42

H ANG GLIDING

thermal conditions, and had enough spare memal processes available to notice pressure points in the harness. Ir had none! I had !au nched with 1he pitch of the harness set at a head-level attitude. When l first activated the pitch/slider system ,md adjusted myself to a headdown position, J was intrigued to find that the pitch adjustment is independent of filot pressure. I didn't h::ive to "stomp on 1he boot" and stiffen my legs to stay aerodynamic; the harness did it for me! When l tugged on the pitch adjustment line and went head up, there wasn't any additional pressure on my shoulders or my back. Most sliding CC harnesses allow you to be head up in fligh1 at the expense of comfort, but there's no com·· promise with the Contour.

ON FINAL 'fhe wide range of pitch adjustment available with this type of harness often limits the pilot's ability to get upright while landing. This safety concern for most pilots has been alleviated with the Contour. r bad the opportunity ro play with a variety of fillal approach techniques, from the aggressive, prone--in-groundeffect-going·· u pri gh t·j ust --before-(lare method, to going upright from l 00 feet off r.he deck on final. l found that with the pitch set to a medium position (head level or slightly head up), that the motion of lowering my legs out of the harness was enough to allow the slider w shifr forward, and I would rotate smoothly to an upright position. On other landings, if my pitch was set to a more aggressive, hcad--down position, I found that a quick, mild arch of the back while lowering my legs would set the slider in motion, aud T'd be folly upright wirh a quick "thunk"! In either case, wing-mounted video verified that my body was only 30 degrees down from fully upright. This is an adequate flare position for most pilots, and is considered very upright for this type of harness.

advantages. When donning the Contour, the pilot steps into the leg loops, slips into rhe shoulder srraps as if putting on a jacket, rhcn closes the chest zipper. The lower chest straps arc buckled closed, but before rhc same can be done rn the upper straps, they must be threaded through the side of the parachute container. This makes for a slightly unorthodox procedure. Although this threading process is only required on harnesses with rhe chest parachute option, it's a characteristic of a little design quirk; the buckles for the chest straps arc located to one side of the harness, rather than in line with the chest zipper. Moyes claims Lhat they've arranged the hardware tbis way to avoid pressure points on the chest. I have not found this to be a prob-lern on other harnesses, and I realize that this peculiarity exists only with the chest parachute option. Another minor gripe is that the chest zipper tends to creep open a hit in nighr. This can be annoying in cold air, and could be alleviated be adding a snap on the slider ro anchor it closed. And fornlly, the bottom side of the

parachute container is squared off instead of faired. I was assured that the harness l evaluated was an early model, and that this shape will refined in newer versions of the Contour.

OPTIONS? All the options you migb I think of have already been included as standard equip· rnent on the Contour. You will have to choose a parachute container location (chest, side or internal). My personal choice is a chesHnounted container, and an internal container to he used for additional storage space. You'll also have the option to include a drogue chute pocket, and add wh:11 Moyes calls "Australian Native Print" to the rear of rhe harness.

GET ONE! The quality, fit and functionality of the Contour dazzled me. Moyes has designed a harness that any perfor .. mancc oriented hang glider pilot will enjoy. If you're a recreational or competition X--C pilot, or a pylon-threading speed gliding m,miac, the Moyes Contour will be a good fit. II

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A COUPLE 017 GRIPES Despite all the great features of this har-ness I did find a fow details that were less than perfect. 'rhcse arc very minor details, bur a complete harness review should include deficiencies as well as FrnRlJARY ·1999

6JO'D6ljSr1'MMM

f3JO'

Figure 1.

Extended Approach

Base Koy

"- Downwind Key

Shortened Approach

Apparent Downwind Path

Final

AIRCRAFT APPROACH

Key

ADJUSTING THE APPROACH

approaches. It is composed of several legs and rwo gentle 90° turns: the downwind tor is the tendency to focus on wind direcleg, turn to base, the base leg, turn 10 final, tion to the exclusion of all other factors and and the final approach (l<igure 1). Entry choosing a dangerous approach path over onto the downwind leg, and each turn is a better crosswind options. "key." We can adjust our speed and flight The Kagel, California landing zone is a path on each leg to make it through the prime example. ft is a long, narrow dry riv· next key. That gives us three chances to er wash with 40---foot banks and wind nor· measure our progress and nail that ideal mally cross from the left. Many accidents final approach. resulted from 180's on approach and an Hang glider pilots arc ofren seen turn· into-the-wind landing. 'The standard landing 360's over the downwind fence, or ing is now an aircraft approach, wirh a attempting radical 180's trying to lose alti· rude in an "S" turn approach. 'fhree huncourse down the middle of the wash which "forgives" a short approach or an overshoot. dred and sixty degree turns are disorienting, provide little altitude or glide slope infrH-·· The number oFlanding accidents dropped dramatically, in spite of the feared crossmation, and usually come up on the final winds. course either too high or too low. "S" turns require fairly radical turns over an ofi:en THE AIRCRAFT APPROACH short base leg. The flight path typically Once we have chosen a landing line we can creeps up--fleld, shortening final approach until it is either radical and rushed, or the arrange an approach that will place us pre· cisdy on that final approach line. Once pilot overshoots his spot altogether. In both again, our airplane brethren have worked cases rhere is only one "key" on entry co this through over the years. A standard airfinal approach only one chance to adjust craft approach is the besr way to bring you the flight path. That limits our options, and your wing to a precise point on the and that equates to danger in flying. Too often, pilots can be seen executing radical, final glide path, stable in speed and roll, the final approach key. We call the invisible heroic efforts to reach that final approach "hoop" we want to pass through at impor· entry point, followed by an unstable, tense, panicked, brain-locked landing with little rant points along our path a "key." The chance of flnesse, much less success. standard aircraft approach has several advantages over traditional hang gliding The aircraft approach has one other side-beneflt worth mentioning: the The Hall politeness factor. It Airspeed IndicatorTM A precision instrnmcnl for the serious pilot. encourages an orderly Rugged, depcnclahle and easy to read. traffic pattern near the landing area. Murphy's Airspeed Indicator ... $23.50 NEW! SMALL HALL Law assures us that if Great for hancl·held wind Long Bracket ............. $7 .00 Short Bracket ............ $6.50 measurement or paraglider one glider heads out to Airspeed Indicator using the LZ, a dozen more Bracket. Sma!l llall ................ $23.50 will mysteriously Paraglic!cr Bracket ..... $6.50 appear. Airports call Now available: Small Hall for hang gliders, 0 to 70 mph the approach a "patHall Brothers, P.O. Box IOIO·H, Morgan, UT tern" for good reason. 84050, USA• Mastercarcl/VlSA/C.0.D. 5" Dia. ABS Plastic Wheels Phone (80 I) 829-3232, Fnx (80 l) 829-6349 Patterns are prehal lbros@eari11 link.net $24.00/pair

Continued from pttge 38.

dictable, and provide an orderly way for aircraft ro enter the landing airspace and land in sequence. Pilots arc nor distracted hy a chaos of aircraft and can concentrate on the task at hand.

THE PLAN IN ACTION So, we have arrived at the landing area with a buffer of altitude, ready to begin the landing process. We assess rhe terrain, looking for subtle signs of slope like forking stream beds or rerraccs, or road cuts, and obstructions that will limit our choice of a landing spot. We then trace back a suitable approach path. A plan is built by visualizing the appcoach, playing through the approach in your mind. Aerobatic pilots find this an essential part of preparing to fly a routine. They walk the routine on the ground, flying the patterns in their minds. Without this preparation, the routine will happen too fast for tbe pilot to keep up with decision-making and the maneuvers will fail. With the basic routine ingrained in rhc sub-corncious, the pilo1 can concentrate on the variables. As an estimated altitude of 500 feet (this varies with the size of the field and tightness of the approach) is reached, you head for the first key, the entry to the "downwind" leg (Pigure 2). This leg should be within an easy glide of the fleld parallel to the "runway" (final approach line). As you approach the base leg, the course can be altered toward or away from the field to correct an approach that is becoming too low or too high. The second key, the entry to the base leg, is your second check on your progress and accuracy. The base can also be adjusted longer or shorter, toward or away from the field, to adjust the path on the base leg in order to make the third key, the enrry onto final. As you roll onro final that spot should be locked in your sights. And that brings us to the subject of next month's installment, the Final Approach. Im HANC GLIDINC

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EE I IN FLY IT

VILLE

UN lN

by Dan Johnson

Sure, you got involved in hang gliding because it was pure, " or 'quiet, " or "close to bird-like fl,ight. " Why would ar~y self-respecting hang glider pilot drag along an engine and a bunch of drag-producing tubing? 1 A trike ultralight is notforyou? Maybe, but perhaps it's time to rethinl: your objections.

['m like a lot of you. l have too work responsibilities, a home to maintain, obligations that consume almost all my time, and too little recent experience to be able to do a credible (and safe!) job of flying high-performance hang gliders. Going out oncc-every-now-andagain to fly a topless glider probably isn't smart. Instead, when I get the chance to go aerotowing in Florida or elsewhere, I typically jump on a folcon or something that is very easy LO fly. I'm not ashamed of this not at all. ln fact, I'd say it demonstrates good judgment. Nevertheless, I've lusted for more while sitting chained to my word processor. Fortunately, as a regular reviewer of many different light aircraft, I get opportunities others don't. Sometimes these arc very enjoyable. Ar Sun 'n' Fun a couple years ago, along came the Cosmos Samba. It was a lowslung, super-light, simple little trike bolted to a state-of-the-arr La Moucttc loplcss wing. For many years, the powered trike community hadn't seen anything like this. A lot of powered ultralight pilots didn't know what to make of it. But I did. [ wanted to fly it!

REBIRTH or THE SAMBA Some 15 years ago, Cosmos built the Samba or a version of it (the current state-of-

the-art Topless wing didn't yet exist). They kept at it a while, hut the single-place machine was eventually eclipsed by larger, two-seat, more deluxe ultralight trikes. Powered pilots overwhelmingly select twoscat trikes for their obvious superior utility. In Europe, where so much trike development took place, customers bought trikes not because they were like bang gliders, but because they were inexpensive powered aircraft that could be transported with a smaller vehicle and stored in small-er spaces. After many years of progress, trike ultralights matured into rather capable powered aircraft. Now, there seems to be a trend in the other direction. Witness the emergence of not only the Samba, but the Freedom Machine from Lookout Mountain, the Relax from France, and a new supcrlight soaring trike from Italy; More are bound to appear ou the scene as well. In my view, although trike builders have found a large market for powered aircraft-type trikes, they arc now casting about for an additional market to serve. Since a number of these manufacturers came from hang gliding backgrounds, our sector of the flying community may be an obvious place to look. In addition, hang glider pilots arc making themselves a target. As we all know, we're aging, busy, and perhaps a little less certain about launching and landing high--pcrforrnancc aircraft.

Although there is an emerging market for what I call "hang glider ultralights" or "soaring trikes," it is a recent phenomenon, one that may have been triggered by a longtime hang gliding enthusiast who has been involved in trike sales for several years. The enthusiast is John "Ole" Olson, known for his Mexican tour activities, bm also known in the U.S. ultralight community as the Cosmos representative. Cosmos was pan of La Mouettc (the gianr French hang glider company) but was sold several years ago to Gerard Thevenot's brothcr-in--law, Renaud Guy. Cosmos became like most trike builders, focusing their efforts on heavier, faster, "more capable" machines. The little Samba Cosmos was put further and further away until it gathered dust and was relegated to a back room at the French conglomerate. It became invisible to the powered aircraft manufacturer.

OLE TO THE RI~SCUE l{owevcr, the Samba wasn't invisible to Olson. A couple of years ago, during a visit to the Dijon, France factory of Cosmos and its sister hang gliding business La Mouctte, American Cosmos distributor Olson discovered the little trike. As many Hang Gliding readers know, Ole is mainly a hang gliding enthusiast who happens to have an interest in trike ultralights as well. Inspired by Olson's enthusiasm and HANG GLIDING

with a Topless wing is a hang glider ultralight which offers exciting soaring potential while letting the pilot power home after the lift dies. (Photo shows the 1997 model; see other photos for the current configuration.)

Until the advent ofthe Samba, no other production trike used a topless wing. Many hang glider pilots may look upon the Samba/Topless as a form of "hang motorglider. "

Unlike so many trikes, the Cosmos Samba is simplicity itself It easily meets the requirements ofPart 103 and is available for a modest price. With no accessories, empty weight is well under 200 pounds. persistence, Cosmos director Re naud Guy dragged the Samba out, dusted it off, and put it back in the air. By chis time, however, G uy was able to equip the liccle trike with La Mouette's trail-blazing hang glider wing. Fastened to the Samba carriage for chis evaluation was the Topless wi ng, known to most American hang gliders pilots. Ic is important to note that in the early days of trike development all trike wings were hang gliders. Over two decades, however, che European manufacturers' relentless push coward more capable aircraft based on the trike platform led chem co create similar but different wings for their carriages. Today, I know of no trike wing intended for foot launch. Yee, the Samba/Topless combination offers exactly chis versatility. It warmed the heart of a longtime hang glider pilot like me. The new U.S. and western Canada Cosmos distributor, Don Reinhard, has begun advertising the Samba co the hang glider community... and he should. Bue

now the duty of serving che hang gliding market will be taken over by his new associate, Mark "Gibbo" Gibson. Gibbo and Mike Barber will be helping Don and Personal Flight do the marketing for the hang gliding end of the business. Don will continue co focus on a powered paraglider cal led the Sky Bike and on the regular trike ultralights . Gibbo and Barber will push La Mouene hang gliders and the Samba in what I'd call an appropriate division of labor. At the same time, USHGA has begun discussing adding power pilots co the membership fold. This idea is far from implementation, and it may never be instituted if che membership resists. However, in my humble opinion, these "soaring trikes" belong in the sport of hang gliding because chat's how they'll be flown. Pilots will cake chem aloft, sh uc down the engine, and soar. It isn't much different than rowing, except chat you cake along the engine. With soaring as the objective, and with the ability to match h ang glider speed ranges,

these small-engined contraptions are more hang gliders than powered ultralights. Lee's go fly one and see for ourselves. Keep in mind chat the following necessarily includes a discussion of engi ne operations since the powerplant is part of the package (j ust as winches are an integral part of the cow-launch package). REDEFINING "LIGHT"

In addition co its ocher appealing attributes, you are sure co stay well within the legal definitions of Part 103. T he Samba weighs under 200 pounds empty- split about 80 for the wing and 115 fo r the trike, engine, fuel and all. T he Samba has a pull -starter located above the pilot's head, and the pull-statt is surprisingly easy. However, a slick little electric starter is also available co help ensure chat yo u can gee the engine restarted once the life has died. T he scarcer was designed for powered paragliders and is extremely light (just over five pounds for the scatter and battery). H ANG GLIDING

rage of allowing you to sec a rhrotde posirion and concemrare on gerring imo rhe air properly.

As 1998 began, Cosmos boss Renaud commented, "We have made ocher improvemems w rhe Samba." Thar firsr Samba Ole broughr back to America held only rwo gallons of fuel in a small rank just above rhe engine. Wirh rhe Samba's modesr fuel consumprion, a couple of gallons could lase for well over an hour of poweron flying. However, in 1998 Cosmos increased rhe fuel capaciry w 10 lirers (2 .6 gallons) and posirioned rhe rank our of rhe airsrream below rhe pilor's sear. Once the pilor is seared rhe lirde Samba rakes on a sporry feel reminiscem of a small Brirish spores car, and rhe low-slung rrike carriage feels very stable while raxiing. Wirh irs lighr weighr, rhe Samba is one of rhe easiesr maneuvering aircrafr you can imagine. Cosmos also now offers a fromwheel brake should you find yo urself in taxiing rraffic or land long. A hand rhronle is locared on the left side. This is a departure from d1e more common rrike foot rhronle, but w pilors used w engine operations it has rhe advanFEBRUARY 1999

EASY RIDER Like an accomplished dancer, rhe Samba demonstrares borh grace and agiliry while ground maneuvering and preparing for launch. Of course, you must get used w steering me wrong way. Trikes use pushrighr-go-left steering w keep rhings simple. It rakes some time to become accusromed w rhis, bm forrunarely, nose-wheel sreering isn'r much of a facror on rakeoff or landing. Some folks comend rhat trikes don't have wrong-way sreering. Consider a bicycle or mororcycle - you push forward wirh your righr hand w mm left. Or think of snow skiing ... or, for rhar maner, hang gliding. As rhe mronle is opened you are certainly nor pushed back in your seat as you would be in a big, powerful rwo-searer rrike. In conrrast, ir is a more gentle accelerarion. However, rhe Samba is powered by a Zenoah G-25 single-cylinder engine which produces 22 horsepower through a belt drive, so rhe trike has plenry of power. It is capable of up w a 600-fpm climb rare, as good or bener rhan rhar of mosr aero rows. Our small hang gliding flight instruments are perfectly suirable for this kind of flying. They can be mounred on rhe control bar as usual, isolaring rhem from engine vibrarion, and rhey indicare powered rares of climb jusr as well as they show life or sink when soaring. Two-sear rrikes typically require considerable muscle w roll vigorously. Those wirh single-surface wings are berrer, and single-sear machines are rhe besr. However, rhe Samba has significantly improved my impression of what trike handling can be. The Samba wirh rhe Topless wing yields very responsive and light handling and rhe besr roll rare I've found in any trike w dare. When ir comes w pure handling ease, rhe Samba/Topless is hard w bear. And regardless of comparisons, I found ir a joy w operare. One ming I discovered is rhar rhe VG is used somewhat differently rhan in hang gliding flighr. To ensure thar yo u don'r overcomrol on rakeoff, pull rhe VG full righr. Loosen le only when yo u've shur rhe engine down and begin rhermal soaring. Flying rhe Samba under power is like flying tandem on row; you have a higher

SPECIFICATIONS (Note: All specs and performance figures were provided by rhe factory. Figures are unverified except as orherwise noted in the article.) WEIGHTS & MEASURES Wingspan ...................... 32 ft. Wing area ......... . ... ..... 154 sq. ft. Lengm ................ . . .. ..... 6 ft. Folded Wings . ...... ... ... 1 ft. X 20 ft. Folded Trike ............... 5 ft. X 6 ft. Height ........ ...... .. . ........ 8 ft. Landing Gear Seance . ....... ...... 5 ft. Seating ..... .... ............. ..... 1 Em pry Weight ............ . . . 195 lbs.* Gross Weight ................. 410 lbs. Fuel ..................... . 2.4 gallons Wing Loading(@ gross) .. .. 2.7 lbs./sq. ft. Power Loading ........... . 18.6 lbs./hp. Powerplant....... 22 horse Zenoah G25B

* depending on options selected PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS Never Exceed ..... . ........... 60 mph Powered Cruise Speed ... . .. .. 30-45 mph Soaring Speeds ............. 20-45 mph Stall Speed ........ . . . .. .. . ... 20 mph Max Rate of Climb . ........ ... 600 fpm Glide Ratio ..... ....... 12:1 (estimated) Sink Rate . . ............ ... ... 225 fpm Take-off Roll ..... ........ ...... 75 ft. Landing Ground Roll ... . ........ . 50 ft. RANGE Powered Cruise Duration .... 2 to 2.5 hrs. Powered Cruise Range .......... 90 miles Fuel Consumption ...... ... about 1 gph Soaring Duration .. . How long can you sit?

wing loading and more forward speed. The combination produces a very responsive-handling aircraft, too much so for rakcoffa, [ believe. Pull the VG on and you remove the twitchiness. It can still be flown with one hand in most conditions. 'fhc Samba/'foplcss also docs particular· ly well in steep turns, which should come as no surprise since the wing was designed for soaring flight.

UNPOWERED PERFORMANCE As any bang glider pilot will want to know; the Samba/Topless is a machine that offers special magic with the engine shut down. ·rhe appeal of that little Japanese engine may be what ir doesn't do. fr doesn't weigh much (50 pounds installed according to rbe manufacturer) and it doesn't use much fuel, which eliminates the need to carry a lot of gas along with you. These sparing ways leave room for the real attraction. The Samba/'TcJplcss shines when it

comes to hang glider--rypc soaring. The wing produces a glide ofahom 12: I, and when combined wirh its low sink rare and light·touch controls, the little trike de! ivers the ability to work thermals with case. While some Joss of glide angle rcsu !ts from dragging the trike's structural tubing through the air, the glider benefits from a high wing loading when penetration becomes important (not even including the added penetration you ger when you spool up the engine). I'd estimate rhc sink rare at about 225 fpm, which is certainly foster than if the 'fop less were flown as a hang gl idcr, but still pretty acceptable for most soaring days. The 'foplcss on the Sarnba is called the 'fopless M by Cosmos, the "M" meaning that it has a reinfr)rced keel where the trike is attached. Other than that, it is a hang glider, complete with hang strap. I ,aunch this wing and go hang gliding if you wish, a feat you can't perform with most other

Over 500 pages ,:u,r1c1es, Illustrations,

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ultralight trike wings, Fortunately, if your soaring skills arc new or rusty, the casily·restarred Zcnoah can boost you back up for another round of practice. When the lifr evaporates after a day of soaring, you can rev up the engine and motor borne without having to wait for retrieval. Soaring speeds are slightly above that of most hang gliders because of the higher wing loading with the trike attached. Yet the difference is slight, and this should prove to be no problem when flying (power off) in the company of other convcn· tionaJly.loaded bang gliders. Under power, speeds aren't high, limited by a 60,rnph Never·Exceed speed and cruising speeds in the 30's and ,iO's. On the other end, stall drops down to 20 mph, hardly more than a fost trot. The Samba isn't frir coast·tO· coast powered flying, bur it'll easily get you back to your home field.

Continued on page 57

HANC CLIDINC: ADVISORY Used hang should ;,[ways he disassembled befc,rc flyi11g f,,r time and inspected circf11lly for htigucd, hctH or dcnl-

cd downtubcs, nii11cd bushings, bent holts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted c1hlcs, tangs with uon-circular holes, :rnd on flex \Ii.rings, s;iils h;1dly torn or torn loose from

their anchor points front and hack on the keel and leading edges. If in douht, m:1ny lung gliding business cs will he happy to give an objective opinion on the CO!ldition of equipment )'Oll bring i-hcm to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating, New pilots should seek prnfcssional instruction from a USIIGA CERTIFIED INS'l'RUCTOR, FI.EX WINGS /\EROS Kl'I. Iii New,., short flights, onnge/bl11e $'.l,900. ('Jli I) :l?k0707 l'L1. /\FROS STF.i\LTI I 15 I I.ow hours, nies pcrfrct $:l,'100. · 1·wo harnesses, medium. ( J1ris (510) ]:$6-0(,RCJ.

AIRBORNE SIIARK, BLADE RACE, STING, BUZZ. New and nearly new. I lcrno daily. TIIF W/\LLABY R/\NCI I (9ft 1) 42/i 0070,

DOUBLE SlJRF/\CF. TANDEM

Moyes X2, good xliapc $2,500 or trade. brad(i1lha11ggliding.co111 (Ii I Ii) .flJ-8800. DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 New a11d used. WALLABY RANCH (')11) li21i-0070.

EXXTACY NEW&. USFD IN STOCK, DEMO DAILY. WA LIA BY RAN(] l (9/i l) li7/i-0070. PALCONS J!iO, 170, 195, 225 new ;ind used. W/\1.l./\BY RANCH (9/i I) 12/i.0070. New, wltube on trailor. i'.li, chmc, !'ALCON 170 vario, helmet, headset, PTT, radio, wheels. Complete 011tf11, save, $1i,7()() OBO. (95/i) lt2li-8241i. l'/\LO lNS C:LF/\lV\NC:E S/\1.E School 11sc, one se;ison. All sizes $ I ,'S00-$2, 500. (1 iii) li'/3-8800, hrad(d1Jianggliding.com FLY $1,100

Tandem gliders, three to choose Crom, and 11p. (,iJ,f) 'l'/3-8800, I)r;1d<P1h:1 ngglid i 11g.com

FUSION lilli-0070.

Demo daily. WAI .LABY RANCH (94 l)

.'35, fo, sale, rigid to single surface. Call/email for current list. Wallaby Ranch (9ii1) li2/i OOlO Florida, glidersvi'walla\,y.com

CLlDERS

Yellow/white, absolute mint condi

hollrs 11sc ,rnd then stored indoors for /, years

$7.,800. Klassic 155, 80 hours, cle;in $2,100. (Ii 14) li7:Hrnoo, hrc:M1lhanggliding.rnn1 l.AMlN/\R 11 Creal condition, blue undcrs11rfoce, yellow JY, excellent pC1forrnancc $2,liOO OBO. (815) 2Jli-5l88. L/\MIN/\R lit Fxcellrnt shape, green & white $2,/50. Kevin ('>70) 2'i'l-J.'35/i. 1./\MIN/\R ST lit 1'1111 race. This is the sweetest all around ship' !'riced to sell, first $2,500 takes it. Jcrzy (619) 7'J3-llil2. I.AMJN/\R ST Iii Black/red, low ho11rs, still crisp. Extra bluc/go.d sail, 200 hours. Frame pcrlcct, folding $:l,500. /\!most new l'ro basetuhc, heavy & xc Design M7 harness, $1,200) 5'6"-5' 10 pilot $850. reserve, kevlar bridle $200. Ball M 1') $275. (619) li7YJ66 I. LAMINAR - ST, 14, 13 i11 stock. WALLABY RANCH (941) !i21t-0070.

lll'AT lli5, 158 Otte each in good condition. l\oth h;ivc new leading edge clot!, and rccrnt superprcflight, $1,/iOO each.(li lli) ii7:l 8800, l,r;idG-ilwnggliding.com

MILLENNIUM 0070.

I !PAT J 'i8-good condition, blue/red $700. (619) li7.39661.

MOYES CSX Ii 1')98, <.10 hours, lloral green & blue $1,000 OBO. (208) /151i572.

Fxccllrnt condition, (,0 hours

SX, XTL, XS:\, xr, CIC. New attd MOYFS CSX nearly ttcw. Avail;i\,\c immediately. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. WALLABY RANCH (9/il) /i2/i.0070.

J<L/\SSTC 131

$2,000. (801) 25fi .. (,llil. DREAM 115 IT :lli7-8'J'J5.

KLASSIC I/iii rinr1,

New, last one 111;,de $HS0. (:l0.3) l<L/\SSIC !lilt -- (;om\ condition, green 1.1·'., blttc undcrsurface $2, I 00. (80 l) 288-69/iG.

F.XX'J'i\( ;y - ' l 'J'JH, yellow wired naps, as sern Oil Nov''J8 J-1(; Cl'lllersprc;id $7,500. floh (970) 64 l-'J'i.lO ofEcc, ('J/0) 6li 1-9:>ff/ home.

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. 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) line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) 1Ji::,1.u1_11~1r::: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (Le., June 20 for the August issue). Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card. Please enter my classified ad as follows:

W/\LLABY RANCH (9/i I) 12/i

MOYFS SX 0i - Creal condition, clean, 50 homs $3, I 00. (Ii I Ii) 47:l 8800, brad(f1>hanggliding.com MOYI•:S SX5 ..~ Lxcdlc111 conditio11 $2,300 priced to sell. (801) 25/i-Giltl.

Number of months: SECTION

IJ Flex Wings IJ Emergency Parachutes IJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment

'J Miscellaneous 'J Paragliders IJ Videos

Begin with

:.nowing IJ Schools & Dealers IJ Ultralights IJ Rigid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations iJ Wanted iJ Harnesses issue and run for __________________ __

consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of$ _____~--~---------~--·~NAME: ADDRESS:

CITY:·----------~---------·-----------·--------Number of words:

________________ @$,50

Number of ,,-,--------·--~--~----®$1.00

FEBRLJ/\RY 1999

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

MOYES XS 155 - Crear tow glider, pink LE, orange under., new wires, fins & spare dt $900 OBO. (609) 499-.3045.

VJSIONS & PULSES Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (114) 47:J .. 8800, brad<71lhanggliding.corn

WWXC 142, 155 MOYES XTRAI.ITE 137 -- Good shape, small control bar $1,500. (970) 641-5654, ndriver@usa.ner MOYES XTRALITE 137 Great condition, yellow LE, blue under, white top $2,500. (909) 766-J 140 I lemet, CA.

Low hours, clean and nice condition $3,100 each OBO. (It 1Ii) 4'1:J-8800, brad<7ilhangglicling.com XC 155 Excellent condition, 25 hours, white upper, red/orange lower $2,'700 OBO. (408) 795-220 I. EMERGENCY PARACHUTES

MOYFS XTRALITF 117 Great condition, awesome climb, very fast, white with asymmetric red, and hlack Moyes bird $ I ,700. Dustin (602) 858-0211. MOYES XT PRO 165 ·-- Novice/intermediate double surface, 25 hours, great shape $2,700. (114) lt73-8800, brad@hanggliding.com

DEPLOYMENT BACS - New, and new 20ft bridles, $25ca. (303) 3478995. ROCKET RESERVES $475ea. (.303) 3'17-8995.

Two, used LARA and BRS

TTRED OF TOWJNC~? Tired of driving to flying sites? Create your own, power up the sensible way with SWEDISH AEROSPORTS MOSQUT'J'O HARNESS. Lightweight, powetfol, affordable and most importantly-Fun! Call BILL of T.C. HANG GT.IDERS, your U.S. SUPPLIER at 6 !6-922-2841. PS: SEEINC IS BEI.IEVING, new video made hy East Coast Video, now available $ I 3 includes shipping. Tchangglidcr<7iljuno.com PARAGLIDERS

USED 20&22' ·-- 100°1<, guaranrced, inspected, new bag and bridle $250ca. 003) :347-8995.

IKAROS SPORT AVIATION WWW.Fl.YFORFUN.NET

2ND CHANTZ POCKET ROCKET Never $900 Canadian, Roger Saskatd1ewan.

PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA 904.441.5458

20 GORE 20ft PDA, brand new $.390, 1 only. (303) 347-8995.

The Exclusive Jmporrcr of the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GLIDER the LA MOUETTE TOPLESS and TOP SECRET Rigid Wing. It Kicks Ass! Just ,rnk Mike Barber. Available in three sizes: 121, llil and 11i8sqft. Introducing the TOP SECRET, 2nd generation Rigid Wing. Don't waste your rime on the old stuff. Dealer inquires invited. Contact PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA and ask for Gibbo, ph/Fx: 901i.41t l .51t58, www.pcrsonalflighr.com, www.lamouette.com, e-mail: gibbogcar l@aol.com

22 CORE PDA w/swivcl $420. 20 gore $199. Many more available. Raven Sky Sports (414) lt738800, brad(alhanggliding.corn

RIGID WINGS EXXTACY/MILLENIUM Two pre-owned, very special prices. David (706) 657-8485. EXXTACY -- 1998, yellow wired flaps, as seen on Sept '98 HG cover $7,500. Bob (970) 641-9530 office, (970) 6/il-9530 home. lT!TRALIGHTS

HARNESSES IKAROS SPORT A VJATJON -- WWW.FLYFORPUN.NET

lloughr-Sold-Tradcd. Raven PULSES & VISIONS Sky Sports (114) lt7J-8800, brad@hanggliding.com SENSOR 510 VGB GREAT CONDITION, I.OW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE $500. Call Wayne Michael (828) 626-2099, michacl5@briner.com SPECTRUM 165 PACKAGE Wills Wing 5'8" harness, 20 gore PDA, Flytec 4005 vario/alrimctcr. Everything in excellent condition for $2,350 firm. (360) 387-9725, eds@tonccommandcr.com SPECTRUM CLEARANCE SALE Three 165 Spectrums in near new condition, w/all options $2,li00-$3,200. Raven Sky Sports (It H) 473-8800, brad@hanggliding.com SUPER.SPORT 153 Supcrncar custom sail, very low hours, WW fin included $2,100. (414) 473-8800, brad@hanggliding.com TR3 5 flights $2,000. Bob (970) 641-9530 office, (970) 641-9207 home. TRADE IN --· Up or out, 100 gliders in stock. J,ookout Mountain, (706) 398-354 l, www.hanglidc.com Rental gliders at flight ULTRASPCJRT 11i7, 166 park, low hours, clean, priced ro sell. (1 l 4) 473-8800, brad@hanggliding.com

PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA 904.441.5458 NEW, USED And REFURBISHED harnesses. Buy, sell, trade, consignment. Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, (;unnison CO 81230. (970) 61t l 9315, www.gunnisongliders.com HIGH ENERGY POD HARNFSSF.S Sizes & styles change monthly, $300-liOO. CG lOOO's $250. Cocoons $200 each. LMFP pod, 5'9" $/JOO. Kncchangcrs & stirrups also available. (It I It) lt7.'J.-8800, l,rad<7illm1ggliding.com

The Exclusive Importer of LA MOUETTE I COSMOS ULTRALIGHTS. Introducing the SAMBA. The truly soarablc lightweight trike. Fits most gliders, 2 I.a Mouette wings Topless & single surface, durable landing gear, easy to fly, in-air restart. The Cheapest Flight Park Money Can Buy! Contact PERSONAL FI.IGHT FLORIDA and ask for Cibbo Ph &. Fx: 90li.li11.5458, www.personalflight.com, www.lamouctte.com, e-mail: gibbogcarl@aol.com WANTED

Your 1s by n1ore than 10,000 hang gliding enthusiasts. Advertise with us today.

PULSES -

MK4 needed. 1-800-688-5637. SCHOOLS & DEALERS

ALABAMA LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK

Sec

ad under Georgia.

HANC GLIDINC

ROC:KF:J' CITY i\lRSl'ORTS The fun, safr place 10 learn 10 fly. We help y,m learn quickly and with US] !Ci\ certified professional instructors. C:rea1 place for first cross cotmtry flights. Three sites and a Moyes-foiley aerolllg for those "other" Learn lO ;icrotow ;ind earn yollr AT rating. Mcnrion this acL bring a li-icnd and receive one lesson ' price. Call (256) 880-85 I or (256) T/(,-9')'J5. i\RIZON/\

MAGIC AIR Located in Northern California. Lessons, sales, service. (707) %3·315 5.

Our comprehensive instrnction program, located at the San Francisco Bay Area's premier training site, features gently sloped "hnnny hills," superlite gliders and comfortable rrainiug harnesses' "FIRST FUCHT," a video prc,sc111tatto,n of our beginner lesson program, is avaiJ .. for only $20 i11dudi11g shipping (may be 11pp!ied to fi,ture lesson purth,1ses). Our deluxe retail shop sn,,w,::as,cs the latest in hang gliding innovations. We stock new and used Wills, i\i1wave and Moyes gliders, PLUS all the hottest new harnesses. Trade-ins arc welcome. Take a flight on our amazing new VIRTUAL RF.i\UTY hang gliding flight simulator! 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas (near San Josi) Ci\ 95035. (408) 2621055, fax (li08) 2621388, MSCJl(;(illaol.com

FLORJDA

USIIG/\ CFRTJFIFD TANDEM INSTRUCTION By Gregg McNamee. i\crotow training & ratings. Dealer for all major flight and aerotow equipmcm, 1.5 hours from Disneyworld. Call (:,1'52) 215-826.3. fly@grayhirdairspons.com, www.graybirdairsports.com !DOKOUT MOUNTAIN FI.IGHT !'ARK Sec ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain training cemer to Orlando (only 8 hours).

FULL SERVICE SJ IOI' Sales, rentals, towing, repairs, gnide service. Free brochure. (520) 6:l2-li I l!i, ht 1p://www.northlink.com/-ahgc (256) 77Ci-')995.

ARKANSAS

0/i\RJ< MOUNTAIN 11/\NC CL!llERS Sale.s, service and in.mucrion. 160 Johnston Rd, Searcy AR 72111. (501) 779-7480.

2B00 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San DieiJO CA 92037 ,'iinee 192 8

CALIFORNIA DREAM WE/\VFR lli\NC C:LIDINC ... Sales, ser vice , instruction. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Idc:d rraining hill, new and used equipment. Dealer for Wills Wiug, Altair, I ligh Energy Sports and more. Tandem instruction. US/ !CA i\dv:rnccd instructor Doug Prather. (209) '556-0li69 Modesto C:A. !'LY /\WAY I !!\NC GJ.IIJ!NC/Pi\RAC:Lfl)!NC Santa Barbar:1. Tantrny Hmcar (805) 69'2··')908.

THE JIANG GLIDING CENTER~·· Located in hc:rutiful San Diego. I lang gliding ,md paragliding instruction, sales and service, conducted :11 TORREY PINES and lnrnl motmtains. Spend your winter vac:1tion flying wirl, us. Demo our line of' gliders and ccprip· n1cnt at the :dways cnnvcnien l and world famous TORREY PlNFS. We proudly offer !CARO (!./\Ml NAR ST), MOYES (SX), WILLS WING (XC) aud all kinds of' stuff. Makers of the DROGUE CHUTE. 2181 C:lrarles Way, I'! Cajon Ci\ 92020, (/119) li(,i llilil. HICI I i\DVFNTURF. I lang gliding, paragliding school. Equipment sales, service, rentals at Southern California's mile high site, Crcstlirrc. USI IC;\ Instructor Rob McKenzie. (')O'J) 88l 8/i88, wv,w.c'cc.org/tir,s/J11gt1 -artvc·11turc

[JEf<PORT

JIANG Cl.lDING AND PAR/\CI.IDINC; US] !Ci\ certified instnrction, tandem flight instruc· rion, sales, service, repairs, parachme repacks, and sire rours. San Diego's world class soaring center. Visa and Masrcrcard accepted. Call (619) li52-9858 or check us om at hn p://www.flytorrcy.com WINDSPORTS LA's largest since 197/i. Fifteen minutes from I.AX. Central ro Sylmar, Crestline, Elsinore and training sites. Vacation training, flying and glider sales packages including lodging and rentals. The most popular gliders and equipment, new and used in stock. Trade in your old cquipmclll. 32'i sunny days each year. Come fly with us! 16115 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys CA 9H06. (818) 988.0111, !;ax (818) 9881862..

BUNNY. ..

THE HILL WITH IT!

WF HAVE The most advanced training program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half rhc time it takes on the training·BlJNNY HILL, and wirh more in-flighr air time. YFS, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER For year-round training fon in the sun, call or write Miami llang Gliding (305) 2858978. 2550 S Bayshore Drive, Coconlll Grrive, Florida 331:!3.

COLORADO

i\lRTIME ABOVE IIANC: C:J.IDINC

Fnll-time

lessons, sales, service. c:oloraclo's most experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes Altair, High Energy, Ball, Jcaro and more. (303) 671-2151, Evergreen, Colorado AirtimeH GG,)aol.corn CONNECTICUT MOU:-,,J'J'AfN WINCS

- Look under New York.

QUEST AIR SOARING CENTER·- Yom vacation hang gliding location. (352) 129-0213, fox (352) li2<J48'lG. Visit our website at: www.qucstairforcc.com or

email us: questair@sundial.net LAKE FLS!NORF. SPORTS FU!.!. SERVICE SI 101' with a forns on smdrnt pilor needs. We ARE the area sonly w:tlk·in shop. Open 6 days a week 1Oam-6pm, closed on Mondays. (90')) (,7/i-2/iS:l. FrnRUARY 1999

5.1

GEORGIA

INDIANA (114) 173-8800. Please sec RAVEN SKY SPORTS our ad under Wisconsin. bracl1!1lhanggliding.com KANSAS PRAIRIE HANG GLIDERS --- Full service school & dealer. Great tandem imcrucrion, towing & XC packages. (316) 375-2995, kenney@pld.com

FLOr<IDA

MEXICO The Acrotow Plight Park Sa1isf;1ction Guaranteed

JUST 8 MILES FROM DISNEY WORLD • YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • FlVE TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DIRECI'ION 50+ HI.CE demos to fly: Topless to Trainer Gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwave, Exxtacy, Millennium La Moucttc 1 Sensor; also harnesses, varios, etc.

Ages 13 To 73 have learned to fly here. No one comes close to our level of experience and sttcccss with tandc1n aerotow instn1crion.

l -800-803-7788 FULL HOOK-UPS Laundry, propane, recreation room. I -800-803-7788. LOOKOlJT MOUNTAlN FLJGIIT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookout than at any other school! We wrote USHGA's Official Training Manual. Our specialty-customer satisfaction and fon with the BEST FACILITIES, largest invcnro1y, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For a !lying trip, intro !light or lesson packages, Lookour Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, your COMPLETE training/service center. Info? (800) 688-LMFP.

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMJLY AND FRIENDS ... 10 motels & rcstauranrs within 5 mins., camping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, storage, ratings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, etc. Flights of over 167 miles and more than Articles in flm1g Gliding, Kitplimes, Count1y and others. Fcanircd on nun1erous including FSPN2. Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com Please call us for refrrenccs and video. 1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Area, FL 33837 (911) 121-0070 · phone & fax Conservative• Reliable• State of the Art FH.G. INC/FLYING FLORIDA SlNCE 1974 Malcolm Jones, Ryan Clover, Carlos Bessa Mike Z, Laurie Croft, Jeremie I !ill Torn Rmnscur, Roger Sherrod, Rhett Radford

Classified advertising: new life for your equipment and cash in What a deal! your 54

HANG GLIDING

PARAGLIDINC;

BEAUTIFUL VALLE DE BRAVO Open to all, rent or bring hg/pg. Basic packages: $100/day hg, $69/day pg. I --800-861- 7198, jcff@flymcxico.com www.flymexico.com MICHIGAN CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION Aerotow specialists. Gliders, equipment and launch cart kits available. Call for fall/winter tandem lessons and flying appoint-· ments with the DraacbcnFliegcn Soaring Club at Cloud 9 field. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville Ml 18892. (517) 223-8683. Cloud9sa@aol.com !1t1p://mcmbcrs.aol.com/cloud'Jsa

BUNKHOUSE WARM & COMFORTABLE-- 32 hunks, hot showers, open all year, 24 hour self registration. l -800-803-7788! HAWAII BIRDS IK PARADISE I Tang gliding & ultralight flying on Kauai. Certified randem instrnction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) 639-1067, birdip&laloha.net www.birdsinparadise.com ILLINOIS HANG GLJDlNG SERVJCES Aerotowing 1hru Prairie Soaring at Leland Airport, I hour west of Chicago. Tandem instrncrion. Airport (815) 495-2821, home (8 I 5) 741--2250. RAVEN SKY SPORTS (312) 360-0700 or (111) 473-8800. 2 hours from Chicago, 90 minutes from Elgin, Palatine or Libertyville. The best instructors, rhc best equipment, the best resulrs in the midwesr. Training program for combined/integrated foot launch and aerotow certification. Apply 100% of your intro lesson costs to certification program upgrade! Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

NORM LESNOW'S FLYING ADVENTURES Since 1978. Experience & safety arc Ill. Presenting the turbo dragonfly. Introductory flights and full range of lesson programs for beginner to advanced. Aerorow clinics & lJSHGA appropriate ratings available. USHCA ccrrified school. Please contact Norm Lesnow-Master Pilot, Examiner, Advanced Tandem lnstrnctor, Tow Administrator. (218) 399-913.3, FULL-TIME school. www.SeriousSports.com nlfa1!1lj11no.com TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLJD. ERS ~ FULL-TJME shop. Certified insrrucrion, foor launch and row. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our 450' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml 49684. Offering powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (616) 922-2811, tchanggliderQ1)juno.com. Visit our paragliding school in Jack.son, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) 739-8620.

HANC GLIDING

MINNESOTA RAVEN SKY Sl'ORTS (612) 5/iO 1800 or (liili) lil.1-8800. Please sec our ad 1111der WISCONSIN.

IJ<AROS SPORT i\VlATION -- NYC's fir.st and par,1gliding, microlights only certified hang (trikes). powrn:d paragliding. Di.strilrntors for Avian. Dealers lc,r most major hrands. Full service and equip· rncnt at hest prices. The most friendly service in lhc

NEVADA

area. Store address: 29 :, I Newtown Ave., /\storia NY. Ph01w Cl I B) 7777000, WWW.FI.YPORFUN.NET

ADVENTURE SPORTS ~. Sierra so:1ri11g roms a11d Ila11g gliding/paragliding USl!(;1\ instrnction. Sales :rnd {id! service shop for Altair, Airwavc, Moyes, US Acros, Wills Wing. :l(,'50-?.?. Research Way, Carson City, NV

web site: http://www.pyramid.11ct/advspts

Sl/S()UFI IANNI\ RICI IT l'i\RI< Cooperstown, NY. Certified lnstntction, Sales and Service for all major rnan,d,rcturcr.s. liO acre park, 5 rraiuing hills, jeep ridvs, hunk huusc, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. \Xie have the best in N. New York state to teach you how to fly. c/o Dan Cuido, Box 2'):l Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY I:lii07, Cl 15) iHi6-61 5.'.\.

;\/EWJERSFY

NORTH CARO!.INA

8'J70G (702) 88\/070 email: a(lvsp1s(!1Jpyrarnid.nct

W)LJNTAIN WINCS

PUERTO RICO FLY PlJFRTO RICO ···- Team Spirit I 11(; classes daily, t:mdcm in.strnction Wing dealer. Glider rental, for qualified pilots. PO Box 9/8, Punta S:rntiago, Puerto Rico 007/i 1. (7fs'/) 8500508,

TEN NESS FF

I .ook nnder New York.

NEW MEXICO

CROSSROADS WlNDSPORTS

111\Wl< AJRSPORTS INC: - P.O. Box 905G, l(noxvillc, TN 379IJOOOS6, (li23) 21?-/i')9/i.] fang ( :liding am! world famous Windsoks.

flight Park Statc-ol the-:irt

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'I.ICl IT P/\RK ad under ( ;corgia.

\-raining with station1ry simubror, Boom Bar, landcrns,

video coachi11g. Towing for hang and paraglidcrs. Rentals. Camping on the Airpark! Call Curt C:raham

Sec

(505) )928222.

TEXAS

MOUNTAIN WEST I IANC C:I.llllN<; l'annington's only full service school and Wills Wing (50'i) (iJ2· dealer. Olfrring tow and tandem 8/ili:l

AUST[N AIR SPORTS INC. -- Certified foot launch, tow & tandem training. Sales/service, Steve & hcd Burns WINDEMERE (830) G9J 5805. HOlJS. TON (?.81) li71 l/i88. A11stinAir~1laol.con1

UP OVER NFW MFXICO Instruction, sales, scr· vice. Sandi:t Mountain guides. Wills, Airwavc. Alhuquer,Iuc, NM ('i05) 821·851Jli.

CO ... IIANC CI.IDINC!!!

NFWYORK Ai\i\ FllCI IT SCI 1001 MOUNTAIN WINGS, INC.-2} years experience, li,11 time/year round. hrll service slrnp, Ii traiuing arc:1.s aud a Ii, 500' tow liclcl. Winch and aero Lowing, crndcms and two-place train

ing. We sell: Millennium, F.xxtacy, Airwa\'c, Altair, Moyes, i\cros, trikes. Woody Valley harness· cs in ~rnck. Save us about flying the mountain al a discount. We do it all and we won't be undersold.

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FEl3RUARY 1999

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Continued fi"om page 50.

Continued.from page 34.

IS IT FOR YOU?

not flyable, with winds from all rhe wrong directions. (A Northwest weather joke, too often true to be really funny: Q: What's the wind forecast for today? A: Over the back.) Pilots began packing up and drifting coward home, for some a six- or seven-hour drive. No one was heard grumbling about only one day of flying; instead the conversations seemed to focus on chuckles over this year's cosrwnes, and plans for next year's even more outrageous outfits. The forecast for next year: The weather we can't guarantee, bur the fun factor is assured. Ir's always worth the trip. Come fly with the orthwesr women in '99! •

The Samba/Topless is easi/,y a hang glider pilot's aircraft if he chooses to fl y with power. Given the soaring potential, the Samba is the most delightful trike I've flown in many years, offering a special joy that is hard to duplicate with most conventional ultralights. Although I regard this as a performance aircraft for some pilots, the Samba/Topless has quire benign flight characteristics and excellent stability. The wing has passed the demanding British Hang Gliding Association's certification requirements, which means it demonstrated good srrucrme, good flight characteristics, and reliable stability. As we know from HGMA certification, such third-parry approval assures many potential customers. Longitudinal stability is good and response to power is normal. (More power raises the nose; less lowers it) Adverse yaw is present bur modest. It should be obvious that I really liked the Samba/Topless. Competing trikes like the Freedom Machine and others should enlarge the field. Some hang glider pilots will embrace the idea, and my best guess is that we'll see more of these in the future . If you've ever flown trikes and like the experience, you should definitely consider rhe Samba/Topless. And one thing is certain: Almost no matter what options you add, you'll easily stay within the requirements of Part 103. Ar $10,995, I consider the Samba/Topless a good value. Remember that this is ready to fly and includes a state-of-the-art wing. With top-of-the-line hang glider wings like the Topless selling for nearly $6,000 retail, this means the trike carriage is only $5,000 . If power is acceptable to you, I don't see how you could go wrong with the Samba/Topless. If the trike concept interests you at all, and if you're looking for an easy way ro get some genuine hang glider soaring rime, you ought to examine the design more carefully.

CONTACT INFO Personal Flight Don Reinhard 1819 S. Central Ave. #63 Kent, WA 98032 Tel: (253) 854-2432 Fax: (2 53) 813-0391 Orders: 1-800-685-8238 E-mail: perflighr@aol.com Web: www.personalllighc.com • FEBR UA RY 1999

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FrnrWARY 1 999

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HANC CLIDINC

Accident Review Chciirman Bill Bryden

he hang gliding culture, especially in some locales, ofrcn preaches that fol. f'illmcnt and eternal joy arc associated with maximizing one's airtime on each flight. Too ofrcn rhc theology also suggests that owning the latest and greatcsr competition glider is necessary in order to realize this ultimate achicvemcnr. Unfortunarely, there arc frequently consequences. Ofren, the anxiety of flying competition--level gliders eliminates roo much of the fim and enjoyment of flying. These pilots, weary of the fear and annoyed by the cost of replacement downtubcs, ofren migrate out of the sport in favor of avoG1· t:ions that arc still fim. Occasionally, they arc less lucky.

I I can't necessarily be asserted that the gliders caused any of the above incidents. However, one cannot help bur wonder how many of these pilots might have escaped these precarious si tuarions had they been fly .. ing a glider which was more commensurate with their skill and cmrenr experience a glider rhat turns much more quickly, has lower launch speeds, weighs less and is more tolerant of improper turn coordination. With these thoughts in mind, please read the following an:ide by Mike Meier which offers some wisdom when it comes w purchasing a glider. lt: is particularly noteworrhy when a rnanufacmrer preaches that pilots shouldn't be so quick to move up to the rnost advanced gliders.

by Mike Meier A novice pilot with a history of problems launches on an intermediarc/advanccdlcvcl glider. He has control prohlcms and rurns back, crashing into the hill. An intermediate-level pilot attempts a ramp launch in light wind (three to five mph) in a compctirion-lcvcl glider. The glider requires more speed to launch and the pilot: pops the nose in an effort to launch in the light conditions. The glider stalls and crashes below launch. An intermediate-level pilot is flying a competition topless glider. The approach fr)r landing is high. The pilot attempts S-rurns bur slips a turn into the ground, crashing. An advanced pilot wirh relatively little flying experience in recent years (frwcr tfom five flights per year) is flying an car ly I 990's vintage competition glider. His approach is slow with limited control and he crashes on landing. A srudcnt pilot with fewer than IO high;iltirudc flights launches a "de-tuned" competition glider of early '90's vint::tgc (an HP AT) in smooth 15-20 mph winds. He comes up short of the prima1y LZ and at:rempts an approach into a restricted alternate LZ and crashes.

Fll3RUARY I 999

ew or used? Single surface or do11 .. blc surface? Whar performance lev· el? Which manufacturer? Which model? Which siTe? These arc some of the questions a pilot thinks about when he gets ready ro buy his first hang glider. And where can you go for reliable information? How do you decide, among the varying and sometimes conflicting advice, which is valid? 'T'hc biggest concern pilots seem to have when buying a first glider is that rhey not buy a glider that they will "grow our of" Peer pressure strongly supports this concern. "Oh, you don't want one of those, you're going to grow out of that within a few monrhs. You need a (double-surface, high· performance, inscn your choice here) glid, er." Pilot ego, which remains a major factor in pilot decision-making, reinforces this idea. ("] don't wam ro be showing up at the flying site in one of those. They'll think I'm just some dumb beginner! I need one of those sleek high-performance jobs to be a real pilot.") Ideas about future goals in flying weigh in here also. ('Tm going to want to be going crnss .. country soon. You can't do cross-country in one of those; you need more penetration. You need more glide!") This attitude, and rhe misunderstandings and mispcrccprions that give rise to it, arc probably doing more 10 hurt the sport of hang gliding rhan any orbcr single thing. I .et's look ar a few of these 1nyths and bow they relate to reality.

MYTH NUMBER ONE The worst sin in the world is to buy something you'll grow out of This is an interesting idea. When confronted with this one, I usually ask the pilot, "Do you have children? When your (or, 1f you had a) daughter (who) was six years old, and re;tdy to learn to ride a bicycle, did (would) you buy her a foll ..sizc adult bicycle with 15 gears on which her feet couldn't come within two feet of the ground to make sure she wouldn't grow ont of it?" The fact is, gliders designed for entrylevel pilot: skills exist for a very good reason. A suit:able entry-level glider has high levels oC stability and damping, it reacts in a gentle and forgiving manner to pilot input, and is predisposed to try to do tbe right thing for the pilot even when the pilot's control inpm is less than perfect:. A high-performance glid .. er docs none of this; it reacts slowly when you need it to react quickly (in the roll axis, when flying slowly) and quickly when you need it to react slowly (in the roll axis when flying fast, and in the pitch axis at any speed). l t docs only exactly what you tell it to do, and if you don't tell it with great precision and at rhe exact right time, you get a seriously wrong response. A far worse sin than buying something you might grow out of is buying something beyond your skill level, frlr this will inhibit your performance, greatly slow your progress in learning, interfere with yom enjoyment, and may even just be acmally dangerous to you. This "growing out of" a glider is an interesting idea all by itself I fly on a weekly basis with some of rhe most: skilled and experienced professional pilots in the sport. l don't know one of rbcm who feels that he has "outgrown" the idea oHlying an entry· level glider.

MYTH NUMBER TWO You need ct high·perfJrmance glider to do real

hang gliding. This is an interesting idea in light of how our ideas of"high performance" have changed over the years. The lowest-performing, entry-level flex wing available today has higher performance than the highest-performing competition flex wing available prior to l 980. Those of us who were competing and Aying cross.,country in the 1970's sure thought we were doing real hang gliding. Guess not though. One thing to keep in mind about things like crnss-counuy flying, however, is that the first prerequisite for going cross-·country is t:o stay in the air. Most cross.,cmmtry is done 61

flying downwind anyway, and even paraglidcrs arc flying nearly 200 miles X--C these days.

MYTH NUMBER THREE You'll automatically [!,et better peiforrnance on a higher-perfr1rmance glider. This myth is based on another misunderstanding the idea that performance is something that inheres in a glider. Performance is not in the glider, it is in the relationship of the pilot ro the glider. A high-performance glider has the potential to yield high performance, bm that performance is only available to a pil01 with the skills required to extract it. 'T'he example I use to illustrate this is one I sec played our on a regular basis. When we do production tcst--llying the trailer normally contains a mix of models, everything from entry-level gliders to competition-class wings. All rhc members of die flight crew have about the same skills. Jfit's easily soarable, everybody soars. ff ir's dead air, nobody soars. In between, when it's maybe soarablc, bur only if you do everything right, an interesting rhing occurs. The pilots wirh rhc highest probability of soaring arc the ones on rhc "lowest-pcrfonnancc" gliders. The ones with rhc lowest probability of soaring arc the ones on the "highest-performance" gliders. What's going on here? The answer is simple, really. Soaring in rhe most difficult and challenging conditions when rhc lift is small, broken, weak and rurbulcm places the highest premium on the pilot's ability to put the glider exactly where he wants it cxae1ly when he wants it to be there. Ar any skill level, even the highest, this is most easily done with a glider with the most responsive and predictable handling charac-rcrisrics, i.e., an cntry--lcvcl glider. The small margin of"higher performance" rhat the competition-class wings offer cannot make up frir rhc deficit in handling in these rnosr challenging conditions. Nore that we're talking about the highest level ofpilor skill here. What happens when the level of pilot skill goes down! The answer is that what is nuc here becomes true in a wider range of conditions. Instead of only being observable in the most challenging conditions, at a lower skill level you can observe this phenomenon of"invcrtcd performance" under conditions thar arc only mildly challenging. At rhe lowest level of' pilot skill (the pilot buying his first glider) you will sec this performance inversion in virtually all soaring conditions. The "higher--

performance" glider is really the "lowcr-pcrfcmnancc" glider. Another way to think of this is rhar the LID ratio of the glider you're flying only matters when the glider is in the air. If yon can't fly the glider effectively enough ro work the lifr succcssfolly you won't be in the air, you'll be on rhc ground. And once you're on the ground, those extra three points of LID aren't doing anything for you ar all.

ro give himself permission to buy a glider that is more within his limitations. In my observation, on average, I would say that the average pilot is flying a glider that is one foll level above his ability. The pilots I sec on compcriricm-class wings would perform hct-tcr and have more fon (and be safor) on imcrmediatc wings, and the pilots I sec on imcrmediate wings would do better on enrry-lcvcl wings.

MYTH NUMBER POUR Compared to other typr:s ofaircrafi, hang glider, are easy tofly. This one is interesting. [

By far, the most irnportam aspect of the choice you make in a first glider is to buy one which places demands on you rhar arc comfortably within your abilities. Your safety, your prospects for success, your rate of progress, your budget for spare parts, and your likelihood of staying in rhc sport will all depend on the quality of this choice. After that, the rcsr of the choices arc pretty easy. New or used? Buy new if you Glll. If you can't, buy used, but pay to gcr ir checked out by a 1>rofossional shop, and spend more ro get a glider that's more appropriate for you rather rhan trying to save money Oil a glider that doesn't fit your skill level. ('rhcrc's a reason that a scvcnycar-old competirion-class wing is so cheap. There's no demand for ir because it isn't competitive enough any longer for the pilots with the skill to fly it, and it really isn't suitable for pilots with lesser skills.) What manufacturer? \Veil, rhat would he taking unfair advantage here. Yott decide Oil rhar one. Which size? Ask the manufacturer directly. Call them up. Talk ro the dcsi 1;ncr or one of the factory test pilots. Don't buy on the basis of numbers, or specifications, or what somebody wrote in some book or what somebody said on his personal Web sire. · I'he guys who know what size glider you should be flying arc the guys who designed and built it. Ask rhcm. Cct over the idea that the manufacturer has some incentive to give you the wrong information. His incentive is to make sure you get the best glider for you, so you'll stay in the sport, have fun, and someday buy another one from him. And afrcr that, all that's lcli: is to have frm. And you will have fon if you do rhis right. Hang gliding is an absolute kick in rhc pants when you're having success, not being scared, nor breaking stuff and nor gcrring hurt. And one major key to all that is picking the right glider. Ill

can only imagine ir s11rvivcs because a rcla-tivcly small pcrcenragc ofh:rng glider pilots fly other types of aircrafr. And at one point in rime, this wasn't ;1 myth, it was rruc. The old stm1dard Rogallos, and the better examples ofrhc first generation of gliders that evolved from them, were very easy aircrafr to fly. If they hadn't been, ir would not have been possible for hang gliding to have grown as explosively as ir did when so many of the pilots were largely or entirely self:taughr. But in rhc quest of higher performance, designs evolved, and by 1977 the newest designs on drc marker were already too hard to lly for rhc average skill level of the pilots flying them. (Those photos of crashing which accompanied my article on safory in the Scptem bcr issue th is past year were ra ken ar the 1977 Southern California Regionals, and they arc photos of compctirion-class pilots showing themselves unable: ro execute a simple landing!) Today, even the easiesr-to-fly, enrry-lcvcl gliders require: more skill in most phases of flight than a Cessna 172 or a Schweizer 2.33 sailplane. If you don'r believe me, take a Saturday and go take an introducrory lesson in either. f haven't flow a sailplane in two years, and T could go out and fly one tomorrow and experience less anxiety during my landing approach rhan I would coming in ro land in a thermally landing area in rhc middle of the day in a high-performance glider, which is something I do several rimes every week. Pilots who think that hang gliders arc, in general, easy to fly, will be more likely to think they have to choose a glider toward the upper encl of rhc performance/skill level range. A pilot who realizes rhar even rhc casi-esHo--11y glider is more challenging than whar the average recreational power pilot or sailplane pilot is flying, may be more likely

H/\NC GIIDINC

© 1999 by Dan Johnson ST. PAU MINN. on the f ow Of i nformd :ion, lh yc;a in l:he curren m:i ] 0'nnirnn cou] d L·erefil ing. I have news about Al ir, WiJ Bri.ghtfil:ar, US Aeros, and Lhe Exxtacy. the (j snow final ies in warm winter Ln Minnef3ol:c1, this news i t j V8 [or run a last minute gift mention or two who go ca.sri !'or Chri.,,l:muc;. ••• Lisa Tate st:arted Soaring Dreams, and offered a coLor ·1 o t ,::teiul gif t:o l''ortuna\ y i.t tma,; a J Lhough sorre ornaments are invc!nl:or·y 'l'at:e al,;o has ,wme very L·.inctive trophies t'.o use for compc,t ions, plus muqs mid mobi. wood and gl frame,; and more?. Ar·t f:orm in ,;c:veraJ rnediurn;c; and 1L.hough we've before, achieves a singuJ.ar n her ataJog t 708 376 7914 7.ool @aol.com. ••• 'J'hose of ou on cros,.; country [lights hear that anoth r gro nd wind direction indicator cornmccccial Bob Ortiz ha:; an ull_ra c, "cani:;tor" packed w.ith d c0Lorfu·1 Lag lvc,] y ipped to .show I he, w.i nd. flc, cld ims i a]r;o corTc,cl:ly ident l:hc, veloc:i You clrop :iL a.s your t.argc?t· area. o l.he Du t. llev CO at L Ort.i?. gets poi n you'd 1-a ther buy than ere a 1-.e ':ilD 23 6739. ••• LJlah-based l:hei r new small Saturn J ate l:o boss ~John Jle.i cc;rti f:icc1 Li on by I~'/ joins U·w Scil:urn flc,in0y wi t:11 h0 Lp from lnngt imer and "rnDst ilmakel'.'" Di.ck Chency. 'J'hc,lr l.,1 L wa.s a sink rate performer, they fee] Leached conclusively. Some opc,rat.ors a.l,;o Lhusiau AJtaj ceporl:,;. The, :.oi ngle ,c;u1· faced glider all tl1e hardware, ckNeluped for Uw l'redal:or and comes standard with f i.rc,d Jd ngpor,t, downt:ube nosecone., l.rcngt.h :,peed bar, pJ us mylar Jeadinq stif and ProLLI cloth, "to insure good glide pe:rfonnance and A unique fcdture on bul.h type,; o s t:he i r haulback wh i c i ki ncspoc; und draws crossbar wj th one ef t: Lain 1 ke a Jot of gl For further call 801-523 9544 or e-·rna i 1 aJ t:air@micron.net illll!IO Market leader Wills Wing cont: Lnues to work wit:h two new proj the 'chute crnd a ,;pecicJ I wing. /\bout the; WW wri. t:es, truly t.he Droque chut:e is at: on approach." l~ey add, "We're very enthusiastic about: t:he prospects for L:rd product t·o sa.fe\y." Wills i,m 't when sale A. Tn advi t.hei.r said they c.in, work on U1e with a control two American compan:ie.s to gc't L.hc USA int.o rig i.d swecp.stake,3 * *. Wi l wd l:o Uiei "'I'he idcr is ,;1 lot ol fun to Jly, easy rorn a pi! ot. lcil l l'iJndpoint, ex·:.remely weJJ. We st.ii.I clun'l know whc,n, or even j( wi] rccach pnlducl-ion, but we have, FE!WLJi\lZY 1999

9reat

enthusiasm for t.he (**ActuaL)y one o /:her a} .I wing i n dcve}opment:. 's on wh.i ch T w.i.J. have more a 'vc t '·· rea 7, and i L ooks compe U U. vc _it be p_roduced e.ff_icJ~ent} a po_int: undc.r' <J WiL?s, loo, Lo ropor/:s.) For more, WW

info, check. their website at: www.wilh;wjng.com. ••• W.i c:md most oL·.her proaucers huve b,,en challenged by the Ukrajnian qlidf,rS 199(]. A GW Meadows bas promised to accelerate glider j and marketinq operation now that he has of duties L:hEc USHGA ( though t he,' 1J remain a Director and sbqa). L,jke I.d Moue\:tJ, man Don Eeinharcl picked Gibbo to help h , U.S. Aeros announcca Jersey Rossignol to thei competi ion San Diego p iloi-. hc\S 101-.s of contes l: and ac ordJ.ng to Meadowc,, "h l:o pro9res.s vcly place bi says be is "j nr•y·,c,rii 'm new to too) , Aeros wor}; overtime? Lheir new ... we LI , they hadn't narn( :d it as December. BuL the Aeros Rigid Wing (!or ir, corning early April and will no doubt be seeon at GW' meets in Ploric]a that rnonU1 Ile, U10 following 2,pecs: 143 scruares, l O. 7 AR and weighs a mere 77 use discreet ailerons that have deflection (like most threc, .. axis to reduce adverse? yaw, than the of the F:xxLacy. The control bar will fixed in positjon so the "sloppiness" of tl:ie bar won't be l:c,J t i.n ui r or on tho . Proj nat:uralJ subj t to cost is ex pee to be under $8,000, ceports Meadows. A G0t. more .info al. www.justfly.com (whore, you can also iqn up on-·line Eor Great Worldcloss Mec,ts, BTW). ••• Speaking of new rigids, according to web writer Davis Straub, Exxt.acy desiqncr Fc,J EueJ1le ha,; leCt r0 1ighl. ic.;ns and showing successor to the Exxtacy called the ATOS. Shown the end ol 1998 in the ATOS comes in two a :u and a 14°i t:h the~ Lat:ter .involved in tlc,st: flyj nq al: prcc,sent. We"' LI covc?r this more a,; l emer9es but: a couple sta might warm you up. • a high aspect rati.o (over 12, versus 9. ~ the F.xxtacy) a si9n:iLLcc1nt1y lower weight (reported] y '/J 9'o !or th<c· Exxtacy) . ::,pan :i up to i,; 14 square feet:. I,uehle claimed a could 19: .1 and sink has also been improved and me has been reduced. Wow! So much stu and I haven't hit all the Straub relatud. A. Fasc:inatin9ly, NOT be produced by Fl c.;ht De igns rnakc~s Uw A 1-10w builder r1as been and one t:rj but:or will appanmt.l who a ceording t: o Davis "has stopped the Lurnlna Al dccEirLi scrc~arnf3 for more and read here in t.hc months II Uavi "'' news d.Lrectl y, contact him a .corn. ••• We1 , oul.ta r·oom witl1 news my file' j t. So, 9ot news or opini onco '? 'em to 8 :)ors et, St. Paul MN 8. V·ma.iJ or [ax to 6':il .. ~ 50-0930 or ernai] to Cumul LWMan@ao]. corn. THANKS . ! 0

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