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

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www.hanglide.com "' fly@hanglide.com 800.6 .LMFP

(USPS 01 7-970-20 -

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16 Pilot Report: The Polaris Slip article tmd photos by Robert Ellenberg More sel~:launch soaring in an incredibly small package.

24 The Wills Wmg 26th Anniversary Celebration ki' Davis Straub, photos by Marl< Vaughn Pany, parry, pany ac Wallaby Ranch.

34 Don't Give In To The Dark Side by Mitch Shipley Or, ac least keep you r eyes open when you do it!

48 A 20-Year Reunion kY Lori A/Len

From driver to hang glider pilot -

a dream realized.

Columns

Departments

USHGA Director Nominations .......... l3

Airmaa ....... ..... ........... ................... .........4

USHGA Director Listing ............ ........ 27

Updace....................................................8

Incident Reports, by Bill Bryden ......... 29

Calendar of Events ............................... 14

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

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

Classified Advertising ............. ............ .52 Index to Advertisers ............................. 62

Air Mail LASZLO FUND Dear Editor, Recently, one of our regular local pilots at Ellenville Mountain, New York, l .aszlo Baharc1,ik, tripped while running 0111 a landing and suffered a broken neck. He is presently hospitalized, having had surgery performed to put the broken bones back in place. L1szlo is a self~employed constn1ction worker, and has 110 insurance coverage. Obviously, his medical expenses arc going to be substanrial. We (the Southern New York Hang Clidcr Pilots Association) have set up a fond for him, and hope that each of you fellow pilots will consider making a donation to this fond. Please help us help our friend in need. Checks can be made payable to SNYl 1GPA with "Laszlo 1:und" noted in the memo. Please mail them lo the following address: Dave Slodki, One Bay Club Drive, #18W, Bayside, NY, 11360.

Paul Voight Ellenville, NY ELECTROCUTJON WI ur ,E FLY[NG

l'OSHvlAl>IER: SFND CHANGE OF ADDRESS GLIDING, P.O. BOX I :no, Colorado fl(J')()J .. J.130.

JUNF 1999

VOLUME 29/ lssu, No. 6

Dear Editor, The recent letters about elcctrocmion while flying in Hang Gliding have sparked my curiosity. I would agree with Dennis Pagcn that a voltage gradient is not likely ro have harmed these pilots. However, l would not rule out electrocution or rhc effects of lightning ;is the cause of death of tl1c two ( ;reek pilots. An exposed hang glider pilot is much more vulnerable ro the effects of charged ice crysrals or water droplets falling to the ground. The lirmdbookfr1r E/ectricr.d h1gineers, 13th Edition, by Fink/Beaty, bas a chapter on lightning that describes rripolar clouds and various phases oflighming. Further reading reveals recorded instances of rnultiple (liO or 50) strokes of pilot streamers and stepped leaders lasting up to one second. Could ir be that these pilots completed a path for repeated multiple charged strikes oflcss than skin-burning intrnsity, bur nonetheless fatal? I wonder if clacron-·covered, anodized or oxidized aluminum frames could safoly

route away dangerous currents. I put an ohm meter ro my airframe and was sur-· prised that it would not conduct electricity until I drove the rest probes past the surface into the aluminum. Can the sharpest components of modern gliders dissipate dangerous static charges? Suppose our gliders ch;.irge up to some high potential in these clouds. They could charge at a rapid rate similar to a electrostatic generator. Could this invite a lightning strike to a highly charged pilot and glider? I'll leave this experiment to a more daring pilot than myself with the correct i nstrumcn ts. Herc's another rhing l read from a college textbook on weather. You can have lighrning without thunder: "Because sound travels foster in warm air than in cold air, .. sound waves often bend (refract) in such a way that lightning is seen but thunder is not heard." This means that as die sound moves foster through the warm air it bends upward toward the colder air. Thus, dist\mt observers may not hear any thunder and conclude that there was no lighming when the observer w;is merely 12 miles away. So, it could be quite possible that lightning was not seen, nor was it heard. I also read that a lightning stroke can bear the air through which it travels to ;in incredible 30,000° C. 'I 'his causes the air to C)(pand explosively, resulting in the booming sound wave called thunder. Could it be possible that these pilots suf: fered death from the close proximity impact of such a sound wave? Heart attack? Fara! concussions? 'l 'he Chicago Museum of Science and Industry had a lightning generator that caused fatal heart attacks when discharged. Needless to say, they did not light it off very often for the general public. Dennis is right. Without more research, this will cominuc to be a mystery. llarry Marrin Thousand Oaks, CA l1arry__ Martin .._@compuserve.com

Dear Ecliwr, I read with interest Dennis Pagen's article abom how a glider and pilot might be struck by lightening. This suggests rhar HANC CUDINC

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one; possible countermeasure might be to "ball up" in the harness so that the airframe projects the farthest in as many directions as possible. J don't believe there is any way, howc:ver, once in a cloud with charge buildup, to guarantee a pilot's safe-

ty. When considering all the possible ways w be injured in a cloud hypothermia, hypoxia, lightening strike, Oying into tcr· rain, icing of the glider followed by loss of control, glider failure due to heavy turbulence it appears to me that it might be better to cut your hang strap with a hook knifo and bail out with your parachute rather rhan :1rtcmpt to fly out. Ross Leon Cincinnati, OH

MORE ON STANDARD CHUTEPACKING PRACTICES Dear Editor, In response to the letter from Bob Reich in the April issue of Hang C:lidinf!,; "Standard Clmtc--Packing Practices?" and my rather new exposure to hang gliding, plus experience as an FAA parachute rigger [ would like ro make the following com· mcnts. An emergency parachmc is a necessary and important safety device. As such we hope not to use it, but when required it had better fonction properly. This is true for the acrobatic powered airplane pilot, sport parachutist (he has a "second" emergency chute), and hang glider pilot. 'T'hc repack procedures arc not lcfr to opinion, chance, or p;tckcrs' individual whims. \Vhen an FAA rigger repacks a chute he is required rn repack per the parachute con-miner's and parachute manufacturer's instructions. · rhcsc rcquircrncnrs arc, of course, mandatory per FAA regulations (the FAR's) applicable to licensed para· chute riggers, PAA-certified (TSO' ed) parachme comainers and parachutes, and pilots using such equipment coming under FAA regulations, such as acrobaticscertified airplanes or r:AR Part 105 sport skydivers. I fang glider pilots enjoy a less-regulated environment, but [ would sub-mit that the repacking and care of"your emergency parachute is just as imponam if you must utilize ir. The repack procedure is as published by the equipment manu

facturer. When J purchased my personal hang glider chme, l made sure to get these important instructions so I could either follow them myself or have them available for anyone repacking my chute. I'm sug· gesting that you do the same and record the repack date on the data card provided. How ofi:cn should you repack your hang gliding chute? When it comes to chest- or sidc-moumcd ch mes (not rhc BRS-type) T rhink annually is reasonable, providing they haven't gotten wet and have been stored in reasonable conditions when not in use. Wet chutes mildew, and chutes stored fcir long periods of time in hot car trunks tend rn have disintegrated rubber bands, for example. The FAA requires certified climes to he repacked every 120 days (four months). However, now pending is a proposed FAA rule change to make it l 80 days (six months), which is a common repack time around the world. Furthermore, past studies by the lmcrnarional Par::idrnte Association indicate that frequent four- or six-month repack cycles may cause more wear-and· tear damage to the chute than a one-year repack cycle. The "if" in rhis debate is that the repack also involves an ;iiring--out and 1nspccrion of the chmc and assembly, so how the container and chute arc cared for or stored is a factor. For me, a one-year repack cycle seems reasonable, and iL's done per the manufacturer's instructions. I ,ct's try not to have to use those emer· gcncy parachutes! Paul Geddes FAA Senior Rigger Middleville, Ml

KING MTN. REGIONALS CORRECTION Dear Editor, ln your article on rhc King Mountain Regionals Kevin Prost reported that, "On days one and three the longest flights ended up at the bonus l Z at Willow Creek." Actually, there were three pilots on the third day who flew to just short of Challis, at or about the 65-·milc mark. l believe those pilots were Ken Muscio, Greg Brauch and mysel/: K.C. Benn Ogden, UT

by Rodger Hoyt

ver land in a cowpic quagmire?

The resultant mess on your har· ncss can overshadow the enjoy· mc111: of' even the best of flights. Bm don't despair; there's a safe and effective way w remove Bossic's bomb and all kinds of other grime from your harness: a "steam" upholstery cleaning machine! Upholstery cleaners can be rented frorn most grocery or variety stores, or you may already have one in your closet. "'T'hc Linlc Green M;1chinc" by Bissell is a common home model. They work by injecting liquid into the material, then quickly vacuuming it olll along with the loosened soi I. Use mild cleaning solutions or plain water in the unit:, rather rh an b a rsh detergents which could have unlrnown effects on harness materials. And surfaceclean the material only; don't- saturate the harness or parachute!

!{you have a hot tip send it to "Wing Tips" in care rfHang Gliding m~w:azz~1e.

ou'rc all ready to launch. You switch on yom instruments only to discover that the battery is

dead! Your flying day can still be salvaged if you fly with the audio off. On some units, the display (whether LCD or mechanical) can last for hours!

Ifyou have a hot tip it to "Wing Tips" in mre of'J fang Gliding magazine. Hi\NC CL!DINC

USHGA, PO Box 1330 Colorado Springs CO 8090 l l -800-616-6888 fax (719) 632-64 l 7

DUSI DEVILS - CB5 ....................... . BORN TO FLY CB4 ...................... . HANG GLIDING EXTREME

EUROPEAN IMPORTS

Update

DAN BUCHANAN TO RECEIVE BARBER SHOWMANSHIP AWARD

ang glider performer Dan Buchanan has been named the 1999 recipient of the prestigious "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship." The award, presented annually by World Airshow News, and friends and family of the late Bill Barber, airshow performer excraordinaire, recognizes an airshow entertainer who has demonstrated superb showmanship abiliry. It will be presented to Buchanan during EAAAirVemure Oshkosh on Sunday, August 1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at a special "Theater In The Woods" ceremony before an audience of peers and airshow fans. Buchanan is the only professional hang glider pilot on the airshow circuit and flies a hang glider manufactured by Moyes Gliders of Sydney, Australia. "Dan is one of few performers who has been able to add magic to powerless flight, and he has done so through his abiliry as a showman," says Dave Weiman, editor/publisher of World Airshow News. Buchanan's performances include creative launches from either a ground vehicle or ultralights. He has also launched from a hot-air balloon. Buchanan provides live radio and public address narration during his performances, multi-colored smoke and streamers, and pyrotechnics for both his daytime and nighttime routines. Buchanan's National Anthem opener includes rockets bursting in the air, launched from his hang glider, and several 150-fooc streamers which he releases while executing aerobatic maneuvers. He then snatches chem out of the air with his bare

hands! This dramatic aerial baller ends at show center with a fast, low final while Buchanan waves to the crowd, and, of course, a smooch wheel landing. Following his performances, Buchanan spends time with his fans, answers questions, and allows curious children and adults to suspend themselves in the flying harness. "Dan is not only a showman, he is an inspiration to people who wish to live their dreams," says Weiman. A 1981 hang glider accident may have left Buchanan paralyzed from the waist down, but getting around on the ground and in the air is obviously not a problem for rhe 42-year-old airshow performer, only an inconvenience. The "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship" is named after one of the most versatile and theauical entertainers of all time. Barber flew five totally different rypes of show planes, and performed as many as six distinct acts, including a dead-stick routine, comedy act, rope ladder pickup, car-top landing, ream aerobatics, and a wing-walking routine, and was also a dramatic airshow announcer, earning him the title of aerobatic flying's "Renaissance Man. " Nominations for the award are solicited from the airshow entertainment industry at large, and a committee made up of past recipients make the final selection by individual ballot. Past recipients include the Eagles, French Connection, Jim Franklin, Leo Loudenslager, Julie Clark, Sean D. Tucker, Red Baron Stearman Squadron, Bob and Annette Hosking, Bob Hoover, Wayne Handley, Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes, and Parry Wagstaff. For additional information, contact WorldAirshow News at (608) 835-7063. For photos, contact Dan Buchanan at (707) 887-9411 or (916) 712-915 7 (mobile).

EXXTACY SAFETY NOTICE

t has been brought to our attention that a couple of pilocs have had some exua wear occur on their hang straps from rubbing on the front corner of the keel attachment bracket. This problem seems to occur when pilots tie rhe hang strap back (from behind the apex) in order to uim the glider more slowly. Although Flight Design has not yet noticed this as a problem, it seems prudent for all pilots to check cl1eir hang straps prior to every flight. Because of the righter quarters on an Exxtacy, yo u actually have to do

this while the sail is unzipped so you can fully examine the hang scrap. Please cake the tin1e to do chis every rime yo u set up yo ur glider. If any abnormal wear is noticed, or anyone has additional questions, please contact Mike Eberle directly at (5 09) 925-5565 or napi@eburg.com so he can help you further.

FLIGHT DESIGN NEWS GhostBuster

n April the Flight Design GhostBuster was released with great fanfare at the FreeFlight Aviation Trade Show in Garmish, Germany, and also during the 1999 U.S . Nationals at Quest Air. For specs and photos, please check out http:I/www.flightdesign.com/ pages/ startfr.h cm. T he GhostBusrer is truly a next-generation rigid wing and has many new features, including retractable flaps which create a variable-surface area, 20:1 glide ratio, super-low sink rate, hour-glass wing shape, patented stall seep for increasing cl1e effective aspect ratio, foldable wing tips for short packing and easy transport, and more. The GhostBuster is Flight Design's new highperformance wing, and the all-new Exxtacy 99 will remain the entry-level rigid wing. T he first GhostBusters have already been delivered in North An1erica and more are on the way. Wicl1 a production capaciry of more than 50 gliders per month, delivery time on either the Exxtacy or the GhostBuster will be a shore three to six weeks from the time of yo ur order. Because of the higher demand for rigid wings and greater production capacity, cl1e prices of Flight Design rigid wings have been reduced to a very affordable level. Contact North American Flight Design at (5 09) 925-5565 or e-mail to napi@fun2fly.com for ordering information and the name of the dealer nearest you.

Exxtacy99 he Exxcacy 99 was introduced by Flight D esign this spring at the U.S . arionals and has replaced the famous Exxracy as of May 1999. Newly designed flaps and spoilers increase performance considerably over lase year's version. In addition, every Exxcacy 99 comes complete

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thathavt; be:en. made since.the beginning. A lying the Owens Valley "big is li;:ird patentedstaJl step .inqeittes the effettiye :. enough without having to worryabot1t as1)ect r.atio. For mqre ii1fo conta~:t Nqrth .gerdng fost! On flights, visiting pilots American Flight Design at {509)925-5 56,.·. and i:;hase crews fJ:equently do1i1t ki1ow ~here they are, and hang gliding place Bald:Y !Jutte nrut1c;s. al'en'I: on n\ost maps, Landing out I\ new sire in (\:htral Witshington is now after a hatd .flight can mm into a real prob" Il,wailable for. pilots i:o enjoy. Baldy is a I.em when no one; can find you!

MSL

in .the Yakima. Canyon and

is su itab.le .for bqth hang gliding Md para~liding. b<1Se of the mcMrt'ain is. I 5 to 20 minutes sou th of Ellensburg, Wash~ ingron. Baklyis 2,()00 f~etahoveJhe vallC?y fl<ior and.a so.uthernJandhigio11e,a11d 1,800 foet above lhG currently allowed northern landlngzone.. The mount,iin has launches for all wind directions and two main landing ·SLiitable for difforent wind directions. Drive time>from.the nor.th LZ to. the top abollt l8 min pte§; ancl dd~ ve time ·wnc i.s about mhnn:es. T.hcmad is in gocxfconditi<m, and year:rou11.d access should. be. pqssible. Ridge and diermal conditio11s exist allyear, but the besttherti1alseason ill spring th1m1gh eadyfall. X°C potential is high in most dite!ctions. F9racce~s information contact Mik<! Eber.le at (509) napi@fun2fiy.com. ·

IThey Web

nt.ellic.ast.com .ls 01.1.e of thelargest sites or.1 the million visitors per month). focus 011 providing cons11mers with the most 111Ho-date and accurare weather forecasts fot ,ind outdoor activi" ties, and havt; recendy introduced a new forecast product called MESOwi nds Jn a special kite flying feature. MES0winds arc the most local, zoomed-in wind ch<tits available.anywhere Qll the lmemet tod,1y, A special comp11.ter model called "mcso ETA" is used to produce highly detailed and tegionalized map1s tllat show localizs:d pat~ terns at a· resolutimt of 20 kilorneters. You can find these full,color charts,. which show cities and r.oadsalongwith wl11dspeed and direction, a.t www.lnteUicast.co1n/kite. Intellica:st has la.unched MESOwinds for 36 cities and wiLl add more locations this summer to SAII.cast, their popular for~\CrlSt fonailors and boaters.

After years of flyin:gthe Big. 0, lfongary Joq's Flyi11g Circus has developed a Hying q1ap for the Valley. Popular hang glidiJ1g locations are in bc)ld letters, so the map c:an carded by both the pilot andchas.e crew to improve communication and mitigate naviga.tio11 proble'.ms. The map includes. .lamination instmctiMs for carrying in flif/lt on the control bar. The free tnap is available by sending a self:.addressed, stamped envelope to: Ih111garyJoe'sPlyi.ng C\rcus, Whistling Isle, Irvine, CA

hoda thunk it? The simple idea of link and it ends up in space! NASA just otdered another l OLinknifo for use on Project. This is the space station "lifeboat" that can renirn up to seven people to earth in case of an emergency. Bill Garganno, designer of the Quamm:n PDA chnte !foe, designed the parachute (a huge paraglider) that lets tbe X,38 return slowly to the ground, If there is a problem with the chute ids cut away with a pair of Linknifo which were odgi·· nally designed as a hang glidiug tow NASA sperit many months trying to come up with an effectivej~imple, lightweight, foolproof way of releasing the chute. One of their engineers,. Steve Firzger,. ald, was surfing the Net 011e day and came across the Linlmife, and it solved all their problems with a I /4..ounce package. Peter Bii:ren is the inventor of the Linknife row release.

Ray Leonard informs.us that results of the 1998 Wild West Championships, held near Carson City, Nevada were never submitted. We'd like Continued on page HANG GLIDING

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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: ~ The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. 2. nPr«.nn:.11 or ~o,'1a:r~n,~ '"' as a result of the administration of

injury, sustained by Pilots parents or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs. 3. n1t::JLK:#,1.>cv P,,4R;m:.f' 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 launch, fly and/or land; All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where Pil«,tJ:PAli'Tll"JJ';ffl::S D "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 FOIRBPER na.1a.11.,~-»a. AND the PAJ"f/Tf,f.f frnm any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have for however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the .... ,....,,,.,,a.,v PAli7Tll.::S: to the fullest extent allowed by law. C. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, Iwill pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the n.tc:,1.11::111.1,;,v P.i4R11ES. I shall be and rn111o:;tr111Prl matters whatsoever arising under, in connection with or incident to this Agreement c::.11itn1rni:~- U.S.A. to the exclusion of the Courts of any other State or Country. E. If any part, article, paragraph, sentence or clause of this Agreement is not enforceable, the affected provision shall be curtailed and limited only to the extent necessary to bring it within the requirements of the law, and the remainder of the Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. 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 the for their defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Ptlot suffers IN even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the uu.. ,1.11.,,...."-.., P.4R:rlE.S.

I have Ad11/t Pilot's Signat11re

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Signat11re ofPilot's Parent or Leg.1/ G11ardian ifPilot under 18yew ofage.

0,1te

MMR 12-97

s US! IGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Eleven positions arc open for election in November 1999 for a two-year term beginning .January 2000. USHGA members seeking position on the ballot should send to headquarters for receipt no 1 the following information: name and US! IGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang/paragliding aclivities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected). Candidates must be nominated by at least three USl IGA members residing in the candidate's region. Nominations arc needed in the following regions. The current Directors, whose terms arc up for reelection in 2000, arc listed below. Ballots will be distributed with the November issue of HANG GU DING and the November/December issue of PARAGIJDING magazines. lJSHGA needs the very best volunteers to help guide the safe development and growth of the sport. Forward candidate material for receipt no later than August 20 to: lJSHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901 1330.

I 2

Steve Roti Russ Locke Scott Gasparian John Crreynald Gregg I ,awless Jim Zciscl Frank Cii llettc Jeff Sinason Pete I ,chmann

Matt Taber

Dave Broyles

3 4 5

Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern Cali rornia, Nevada Southern California, Hawaii Arizona, Colorado, El Paso TX, New Mexico, Utah Idaho, Montana, Wyoming Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas Washington DC, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico Texas ( excluding El Paso), Louisiana

The following form is for your convenience.

---

RFCiIONAL l)]RFCTOR ELECTION NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate

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

as a candidate for Regional

Director for Region ii -~"-""""---------------- ! understand that his/her name will be placed on the Official Ballot for the 2000 Regional Director Election if three nominations are received by August 20, 1999.

r Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (evcnL, date, contact name and phone number). hems should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead rime for regional and national meets.

UNTIL DEC. 31: 1999 Yearlony: World Soaring Cht!llenJ?,e, For paragliding, hang gliding, sailplanes. No entry fee or registration, $600 first prize. Pilots arc scored by how far they fly relative to a site's distance record (750 points for flying 75 miles at a site with a 100-mile record, 1,100 points or breaking the record). 1:Jights submitted on the honor system. For more details conract: John Scott (31 O) 447-(i2Yi, fax (31 O) bretto nwoodsG1)ema ii. msn .con 1, www.hanggliding.org.

JUNE 18-20: I 0th Annual Wild, Wild West Negionals, X-C flying suitable for all skill levels. Party, hot springs, T-shirts, lots of fun. Creat for competition train-· ing. $ I 00 until May $125 thereafter. Contact: Adventure Sports 88.17070, advsptsCrilpyramid.net, www. pyramid .nct/advspts. .JUNE 25-27: 1999 King Mountain Meet, near Moore, Idaho. $40 entry f,:c includes shin and daily prizes. Pro and Recreational classes. Cool trophies! Discoum for early registration. Contact: Lisa 'late, Meet Director (208) 3767914, Zoolisa@'aol.com.

JUlY 5-10: Chelan Ciws Country Classic. Pilots create their own tasks from among triangle, our-and-return, and open dis-· tance. Extra points for coming hack. $70 ($65 before June I Cheap camping available ar the airport and above the high school football field, showers. Comact: Peter Gray at petergray@lfc)xinrcrnct.net, (206) 270-8642. Write to: 3Cirh Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199-1 154. ·14

JULY 25-AUG. 2: C'tmtlditm Grand Prix. Cross-country and speed gliding championships, Sun Peaks Resort, BC. $200 (Canadian) e1Hry. USH( ;A-sanctioned points meet. Contact: 480-3552, www.justfly.com.

JULY 31-AUG. 2: Wr:stern Cr.madian H,mg Gliding Charnpionship, Colden, British Columbia, Canada. Mounr 7 is considered hy most to be Canada's premiere X-C mountain site with plenty of good l,rnding areas and easy retrieval. The meer is a good chance to experience some of the best X-C flying in Canada in a fun and friendly competition. Contact: Karen Keller 103 293-li008 skyward@cadvision.com, \"IWw.cadvision.com/skyward/wccl 999.html. AUG. 7-8: Rrgional l l 7inu Contest, nHmicipal airport at Hearne, TX. Fun competition and rnxi-way party. Hang gliding and paragliding. Awards for spotlanding, X-C, duration, ere. Camping at airport. Contact: Len Smith 1) 693· 7311, leonard.smith@stoncweb.com. AUG. 14--15: MorninJ!,side Flight Pt1rk Glide Angle Contest. Conu1ct: Dave Baxter, Morningside Flight Park, 357 Morningside Lane, Charlestown, NH 0.%03 (603) 16, fax (603) 9577, morningsidc(alcybcrportal.net, www.cyherportal.net/morningsidc/

SEPT. 2-8: Red 8ull Wings Over A.1pen, Aspen, CO. U.S. National Paragliding Championships and hang gliding acrobatics competition. Open Class and DHV 2-3/ Afoor Performance Class for paragliding. $25,000 in prize money awarded down to 10th place in both hang gliding and paragliding. Nightly pJrties, live music, big fun. Register early to ensure a position. Contact: Red Bull Wings Over Aspen, P.O. Box I 0835, Aspen, CO 81612 (970) 618-:3038, /;ix (970) rcdbullwoaCr1)aspe11.com, Aspcn.com/redbullwoa.

UNTIL SEP1: 6: Yrl.,ernite Mttiomd Park hrmy: glider flying every weekend. Memorial Day weekend through Labor D:iy weekend. (Sorry, paraglidcrs arc nor permitted in the Parle) 16 pilots per day, meet at Glacier Point at 7:00 AM sharp for sign-in and orientation with the Site Monitor. Official YHCA Monitor must be present Cor permission to fly. Must show current I Tang 4 card. donation. Monitors arc volunteers from the Yosemite Jiang Gliding Association. Call USH GA office (719) 632-8300 for reservations and information.

JUNE 25-27: I Ith J>A Ultralight Fly-In, Ickes Public Ultralight Air Park, RT. 1, Box 300A, Ostcrburg, PA 16667. Sponsored by EAA Ultralight Club /lU64. Contact· (814) freeflyr@nb.net, or send SASE to address above.

JULY 1-5: Lake County, Oregon, Festival of'Foot--Launched Flzght. Registration July 1, fly July awards July 5. Beautiful country, lots of launches, great flying conditions, fun competition events for hoth hang gliders and paragliders with cash prizes and trophies. Giant free party July 4 for registered pilots. La Nifia should bring excellent flying here this year! Questions? Call Lake County Chamber of Commerce (541) 947-6040, or Jules Gilpatrick, Chairman (541) 9473330, fax (541) 917-5581, free fl itcCriltriax.com.

JULY 3-5: Buffalo Mounttzin Third Annutll Buffii!o Wings Flyln, Buffolo Mountain, Talihina, OK. Fun te,nn competition organized like the ( ,()(1kom Mountain Fly-In, to promote learning and safoty. Prizes for team and individual achievcrnents, as well as fun prizes, such as the now-infarnous Clean Shorts Award. Registration is prior to the event, $40 at the event, and includes flying fees, Tshirt, and admission to the Buffalo Wings picnic. Contact: Lynda Wacht (972) 219-8990, lwacht@flash.net. HANC GUDINC

r AUG. 23-28: 26th Annual Telluride Airmen's Rendezvous. Six days of' footlaunched free flying fon, with 25,000' ceiling, full launch staffwirh FMT's, reg· ular convoys to launch, ·1 ~shirt, parties (free beer), contests with prizes, film night, banquet, World Hang (;Jiding Acrobatics Championships, special guests and much more! Entry $95. Call rhc 26th Annual 'lclluridc Airmen's Rendezvous ar (970) 369 li69Ci after May 17 for information. SEPT. ]8 .. J9: 9th Annual Pinc Mt. Flyln, Pinc Mtn., OR. Contact: Raven Young 1)317-8300. OCT 1·3: October'., Best Fly-In, at Sauratown Mountain near WinstonSalcrn, North Carolina. The event's cigbrh edition welcomes paragliding for the first time at a new slope launch on the mountain's top. Still foaturing the East Coast's finest cliff launch, "flowthrough" ramps, a variety of usable wind directions. Aerotowing returns for a sec.. ond year as docs a foll-time cafrteria in the LZ. Events start Friday morning with judging Saturday and Sunday. For skill level and other info c:onract: Doug Rice (336) 994 .. fi3T7, AppaPhoto(tD,101.com (hang gliding), or Ben Thomas (336) 723 .. 0824, k4zcp@>bdlsouth.ner (paragliding). Web site linked to USHGA.

TFfROUGH NOV. 1999: "Owens Valley

at its Best" Cross-Country. 1'hermal guide to the Owens Valley with Kari Castle. One· to nine-day adventures. Private on,.:-otHrnc flying, guide service and instruction also available. !-like 'n' fly the peaks of the Sierras and White M ts. Contact Kari for more in(tmnation: karicastlc(t1)tclis.org (760) 872 2087.

JUNE 1999

JUNE 14 .. ] 5: Instructor Fwduation, Santa Barbara, CJ\. Contact: rly Away (805) 692-9908, tburcar@)ju11o.com, or Windspom (818) 988--011 J, windspons(tDcanl1link.11ct JUNE 16: Ptmuhutc Clinic. Lecture, video, care and maintenance, practice deployments, stowing lines. $50 or free with parachute purchase from MSC:. 26-27: Dunlap Fly-In cmd glider demo $ 10 per day, Hang 3 & 4 only. JULY 1 l: launch and l,tmding Clinic, by Pat Dencvan. Lecture, simula-tor practice and specific hillside training exercises. $125, advance reservations required. AUG. 18: Partichute Clinic. ContaCL: Mission Soaring Center, 11 I G Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 (near San Jose), (408) 262-1055, fax (408) 262-1388, mschg@aol.com. JULY 1 .. fi: ATOS Clinic with Dave Sharp, at the Ellenville Airport in Ellcnvillc, NY. Learn how to inspect and repair carbon fiber, learn tuning secrets and maintenance, and learn ro fly the ATOS rigid wing. Pig roast and barbecue on the 4th along with the town's major professional flreworks display. Call for details. The Mosquito will be available for demos. Pre-registration is required. Contact Crcg Black at Mountain Wings/EllcnviHc Air Sports (9 I Ii) 33T7 or mtnwings@)ao1.com. A J .. (800)HANC GUDE member. JULY 26 .. 30: "Totally Specked Out" CrossCountry Cl.inic, hosted by The League in Golden, British Columbia, Canada. Lowcr .. lcvcl pilots will learn how to fly c:rosH:ountry safely from higher .. Jcvd pilots in a friendly competition format. Nightly discussions on many topics. Experienced pilots can share their knowledge and get to know the range before the Western Canadian Championships. Prizes ;1wardcd in many categories. $20 en try. Contact: Gcof Sclrneider (403) scepter(tllsJ ,ors. ab. ca.

PILOT REPORT "Racings" secrion in the magazine every monrh and compared school locario ns ro pilots' home addresses! If you doubt this, srarr checking yourself each month. A powered unir, which is ligh rweighr and works wirh a standard hang glider, gives a pilor the ability to launch fro m flat ground, find li fe and shut down rhe engine. Then he (or she) can enjoy what he loves mosr - rhe wind in his face wichour the sound of an engine. I can now drive a short disrance to a cleared field or small airport, set up in only a few minutes, and be in the sky looking for thermals. IfI don't find chem, I have eno ugh fuel to fly fo r three hours. Proximity to mountains or flight parks, switching wind direction and lack of lift no longer keep me from spending time in the sky. If you don'r live near a mountain rhen you certainly have ro live near a flar field . If so, chis may be what you've been looking for.

The past two years have seen monumental changes in glider technology of which most pilots are aware. However, something you may not have noticed is the proliferation ofmotorized selflaunch vehicles being marketed

en I began looking rhree ears ago I found several European models bur one of chem were being marketed in the U.S. Now rhere are several markered in Hang Gliding magazine every momh and one is builr in rhe U.S.

If you aren'r fortunate enough ro live close ro a mountain or an aerorow park, flying hang gliders can be more inaccessible rhan snow skiing. Like many would-be pilors I traveled many miles to initially learn. In face, I was at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1974, the first year John Harris opened

Kitty Hawk Kites, bur I was roo far away ro fly often enough ro sray wirh ic. Many years later I found myself near Los Angeles and rook rhe sport up again. The mounrain was 15 minutes from where I lived and I could fly several times a week. However, all good things come ro an end, and I again headed back ro rhe ease coast. I spent a year in orrh Carolina and eventually returned home ro sourhwesc Florida. In borh places I was aerotowing, bur rhe parks were several hours away and flying was sporadic and infrequent at best. Nor living near a place where one can fly describes mosr pilors' plight. I would never have guessed chis ifI hadn't read rhe

M OT ORIZED SELF-LAUNCH IS NOT NEW I was nor aware of many of rhe available products until I started looking in earnest rwo years ago. However, the concept is not new. Pilors who have been around a long time might remember an early motor uni t called the Soarmaster, which was followed by rhe Schwarze Minimum, and a lacer improvement named the Rep ulcim . I first saw rhe now-available Mosquito rhree years ago when someone brought one fro m Europe. I thought ir was brand new and was stunned ro learn char Swedish Aerospons had been selling chem in Europe since rhe late l 980's! This article is about the Slip and will not include a detailed discussion of other produces. However, it is helpful ro know the major differences when taki ng a close look ar rhe Slip. The Mosquito is a powered harness chat is foor launched and rhe orher units are rhree-wheel rrikes. When it comes to rrikes, some are more powerful (and consequently heavier) and can be truly flown as small ulcralighrs. (Under Part 103 of the FAA regulations they are all powered ultralights.) DESIGN FEATURES A discussion of rhe Slip's fea tures is tempered by whar a pilot wanes in a self-launch vehicle. I considered all the currently available products and chose rhe Slip. T hey all have advantages, bur the Slip is rhe one H ANG G LI DING

that best met my criteria. My profile as a pilot is probably close to the average pilot (translated: we don't get to fly as much as the pilots we read about). I am in my 40's, married with children, rated Imermediate and fly single-surface gliders for recreation. I am a conservative pilot, put a lot of emphasis on simplicity and safety, and love to fly for the pure joy of being up there. I am rared for both footlaunch and aerorow and have rhermaled in pretty rowdy air. (I didn't think I was average in choosing a single-surface glider until Rob Kells told me Falcons outsell everything else by a long shot.) First of all, no glider manufacturer will tell you it is okay to use a motorized unit with their gliders. Both of my glider manuals state that they are nor designed to be motorized. They also state that they are not designed to be rowed! Having said that, here are the considerations which I looked at. GLIDER MODIFICATIONS

With some gliders there are none whatsoever. I not only don't want to modify my gliders, I want to foot-launch or aerotow every chance I ger, and want my gliders and other equipment left unaltered and ready to fly. However, on my larger glider the lower rear wires just touched the propeller rips and they had to be slightly shortened and tensioned righter, which I discussed with the manufacturer. The Slip artaches to your wing with a large delrin bushing that goes completely around the keel ar the normal hang point, and you must ensure that the smooth bushing does not move fore or aft, thus changing your hang point during flight. I use .75"-long split pieces of 2" PVC pipe as collars held in place with stainless steel hose clamps. I attach the delrin firring JUNE 1999

centered just slightly forward of my normal hang strap position. This small change in my hang point produces a slight increase in trim speed, which is preferable since the extra weight also produces a slight increase in stall speed.

Clearly mark your normal hang point so you know where to anach yo ur hang scrap when you fly without rhe Slip. There is one other item you may need ro change if you have a speed bar. Since the baserube is sometimes pushed out all the way until it couches the forward supporting Strut (during takeoff and landing), a speed bar limits yo ur nose-up pitch authority The simple solution is to rurn it around and you'll actually have more control than if you were flying with a straight baserube. Slips are being flown with all types and sizes of gliders in Europe including rhe new high-performance, topless models.

This was a major consideration for me as I want to hang glide, not motor around rhe sky. The Slip weighs only 85 pounds and the additional weight is that minus your harness weight. This is really incredible considering this rrike comes with an

electric starter and banery. You must check to be sure the additional weight does nor put you over the maximum hook-in weight, and the extra weight will slightly degrade your ability to thermal due to the increased wing loading. I am lightweight on my large wing and appreciate the damping effect of the extra weight when it's good and rowdy. Landing Gear Choosing a vehicle with wheels was a safety issue for me. Landing a hang glider our on rough terrain is berter with a full-flare, nostep landing on your feet. However, most all flights, even by more experienced pilots, are local and terminate in a predetermined landing zone. We al] know that most accidents happen on launch or landing, and rolling out and in on wheels eliminates many of the potential accidents. Though I will still be foot-launching without power whenever I can, I feel much safer on wheels when I have a propeller creating thrust behind my back. The Slip has large balloon tires which help dampen bad landings, and a footoperated friction brake on the steerable nose wheel ensures a short landing roll.

T he Slip is powered by an Italian Minarelli, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine. Ir turns at 6,200 RPM and powers a 47" propeller through a 2.5 to 1 reduction gear. This is a very lightweight, high-performance engine also used for racing carts. It normally runs at close to 10,000 RPM and is detuned for the Slip application. The detuning significantly reduces wear and increases its reliability. In-air restarting is with an electric starter and the lightweight, 12-volr battery is recharged from the outlet in your auto17

.. fly~--exxtacy. Area: 160 sq. ft. Et 135 sq. ft. Span: 40 feet Aspect ratio: 10.15 Sink rate: 150 ft./min. Best IJD: 17,5

Hvery time: call rs: red/white, white, blue/white

Note how compactly the Slip packs up - disassembled and ready to zip up the bag. mobile. I initially tho ught an electric starter was overkill as well as extra weight, but having to pull a rope to start an engine while flying is not as easy as it sounds. Throttle comrol is with a foot pedal on the right side and fuel capacity is 2 .6 gallons. CONSTRUCTION AND FINISH

All materials and hardware are aircraft-

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grade and the fit and finish reminds you rhar Italians also build Ferraris. Broken down for transport, it is only 49" x 21" x 16" - a duffel bag rhar will fit in any compact car trunk! Setup is so simple char it is much faster than glider assembly, even if you fly a Falcon. The frame is mostly aluminum (steel where required for additional strength) and breaks down imo short pieces. Where rhe main frame rubes join ir is triplesleeved for reinforcing with angle cuts on the ends so it only goes togetl1er one way -you can't assemble it wrong. I leave rhe nose strut assembled as it is a 1-1/8" tube you just put in your glider bag. The steerable nose wheel frame and footrest are adjustable for a pilot's leg length and the adjustable padded seat is truly comfortable. The restraint system is a combination of lap belt and shou lder straps rhat come down your chest and tie in w the lap belt. T hey are secured to the seat and tl1en securely wrapped around the vertical and horizontal main frame members. The seat is also secured to the main frame at two points and hooked to the carabiner. This is all secured and tied togetl1er so well it appears impossible for it to be separated from you or the Slip. Release of the buckle is with a button in the center, which is recessed to prevent accidental release.

I believe the history and stability of a manufacturer is very important. I want to know that they have a lot of experience at what they are doing and are likely to be here when I need parts and service. Polaris Motor s.r.l. was founded by Doi Malingri in 1982 and is one of the leading European companies in weighr-shifr ultralights. They have built more than 10,000 wings for hang gliders and wings for other manufacturers' trikes. They also build their own trikes and are best known for their Flying InBatable Boat. Doi's son Aimaro now manages the company and Doi is semi-retired in the U.S. He has set up a U .S. distribution operation and will stock a complete line of all their products. The Slip comes with a full year's warranty on the complete trike and engine. The on ly disadvantage I have found is that there are no manuals or parts lists. However, the design is so simple that this is nor really a problem. Soon after receiving my rrike I found some minor damage chat had occurred during shipping. I described the dan1aged parts and they sent them Federal Express from Italy immediately. SETUP Unfold the main assembly and attach the remaining pieces with three bole-pins and a clevis pin. Slide the rear wheels on their axles, drop in the lynch pins and pull the Slip to the rear of your glider. Now lift the glider by the keel, tipping ir slightly nose down. The Slip is still in a semi-folded position that will allow you to align the top of the vertical main frame at the hang point, and you can fasten the delrin block around the keel with a bolt-pin. Now lift the glider above the Slip and attach the nose strut with the fifth and final boltpin. I easily do this alone unless there is H ANG GLIDING

sufficient breeze 10 risk the glider flipping up. Hook the throttle cable rn the carb, plug in the battery cable and strap in the fuel rank. This has taken less time than I spend setting up a single-surface glider and docs not require tools. You will need a wrench IO install the prop if you remove it each time, but this is not necessary unless your car trunk is really small! One selllp caution concerns flying ar small airports. Carry screw-in-the-·gro1md ;mchors and keep your glider tied down at all times since prop wash from taxiing planes can quickly flip over your glider.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS MOTORIZED TRIKE TRAINING

You may srill be flying your hang glider but there arc significant differences. You have added weight, you arc seated with the bar in front of you, you arc on wheels, and you have added the thrust or an engine. This is exactly whar the ultralight communi-ty flies and calls a trike, only rhcirs arc heavier and go foster. Dennis Pagen has written a series of articles for Ultralight Nyin,gf magazine on trike flying, and his two books on ultralight flying both have sect ions spcci/1. cally dedicated to trike flying. Howcv-cr, don't plan on teaching yourself find a reputable instructor and get some dual instruc-tion. How much instruction is needed varies. General aviation pilots who learn to fly trikes typically take anywhere from two to ten hours. I Iowcvcr, trikes fly much more like hang gliders than airplanes, and most hang glider pilots will need only a minimal amount of dual training. ]UNI 'J 999

PAHAClllJTl' AND J IARNESS

As hang glider pilots we would not con-sider !lying without a chute, but they arc considered optional safety equipment on motorized trikes. I have been surprised al rhc number of trikes I've seen flying with· om them. I was also surprised that some have only a lap belt to hold you in the scat.. One opti011 is ro purchase a ballistic chute setup for a small trike. It can be mounted on the frame and the hri-dlc can lead overhead. J lowcvcr, they arc

very expensive, will pmbably involve modi l!cation of the wing, and add to rhc set up and breakdown ti me J prcfi.:r to carry my chute as l normal-ly do when hang gliding so Lhat deploy-

mcnt would involve the same procedure in which I have been trained. In the event l ever have to deploy, wirh or

wirh-out the Slip attached to my glider, l want to react :rntomatl-cally and not lwvc to think about where the chute is and how to deploy it at that particular moment! To determine if the chute you normally Hy with will work, you must determine the si1.c ofit and consider ii' the additional weight will overload it in the event you deploy. Mine is a 20--gore, hand· deployed chute, which is very adc-quatc 10 use with the Slip. Pfoif. for ofl-ligh Energy Sports and I developed a container bag made idcmical lo rhc one builr on the chest of a hang glid ing harness. You wear it the same way yo11 carry a Camel Bak on your chest with chc straps crossing your back. When you get on the Slip you simply clip your carabincr ro the trike. This parallels one of rhc most important hang gliding procedures hooking in. l didn't wanr ro delete or change this routine in any The only disadv;mt;igc ro carrying it on your chest is rh;it you arc flying in a seated position and limit a little more how much you can pull in on the liar. 19

Also pay special attenrion to fasteners. A hang gliding harness supports you Engines introduce vibr,1tion, which can while you fly and is designed to hold you loosen nuts and bolts. l consider the securely in the event of violent movement engine mounts and propeller bolts to be such as that caused by a chute deploy· particularly critical. Wooden propellers ment. As discussed earlier, the Slip scat will swell and shrink with variations in and webbing arc very comfortable and humidity. Airplanes with wood props strap you in securely. The only improvehave lost them (and subsequently the airment I felt could be made here would be craft) when the propeller bolts were not rhe addition of leg straps. (All hang glider properly tightened. harnesses have them, don't they?) I creatOptinmm air.foci rnixture varies with ed them by adding an additional piece of altitude, temperature and humidity. two-inch webbing going from the lap There is a manual adjustment knob on belt, under the horizontal main frame the carburetor and this should be set each and back to the lap belt. ti me you fly. After warming the engine The scat back area above the fuel tnnk for a couple minutes this is done at full is the exact same size as my fuJl ..size throttle. Normally you must chock the Camel Bak, and it straps to the webbing perfectly. Since you arc seated and not inside an enclosed harness, pants with multiple large pockets can carry miscelNote how the c,irriage of1-t laneous items, and trike swings.forward immedi~ your radio and hook after it bre11-ks ground. knife flt on your my arms are now chute bag. 1'11.fli't'.ln the back.

during your dual instruction, but rcmem· ber that your Slip will be ligh1cr and more susceptible to gusts than the larger trikes used for dual instruction. When carrying your glider you always try to keep the nose into the wind, regardless of the dircc-tion you arc walking on the ground. With it mou n tee! on a trike, the nose of the glider will be pointed the direction the trike is pointed, so when you arc taxiing you will smnctimcs have the wind coming from your side or behind you. However, since you arc not carrying the wing (the trike is supporting the total weight), all of your efforts can be concentrated on keep· ing the upper surface tilted down so the wind docs not get under ir. You must also firmly hold the control bar to counrcr any yawing caused by crosswinds, since yawing puts additional strain on the keel attachment poinr. LAUNCHING (NOW CALLED TAKEOFF)

LET'S FIY! PRFFUGllT

Setup was fost and easy and you're now ready to preflight your glider and the Slip. Preflight of the glider is the same and you should thoroughly inspect the Slip in a similar manner. However, there arc some addi· rional items to pay special attention to. I used to fly airplanes and strongly believe a printed checklist is the best preflight method for all aircrafr. [ use one when I hang vlidc. 0 When installing tl~ e foci tank you should check for water and trash. Since water is heavier than gasoline it will settle in the bottom. Small amom1ts ofwarcr arc common with aircrafr frorn condensa· tion; keeping t·anks Full eliminates rhis source. However, you can purchase conraminated gasoline, so l use an inexpensive water-·separator funnel-filter when filling the tank.

wheels or have someone assist you since you cannot reach the knoh when seated holding the brake. I Iowever, with about 18" of stiff !Iii" tubing and two plastic wire tics, I made an extension fcir the knob that can be reached over my lcfr shoulder while scared. I consider staying seated to be safr:r than standing during engine run-up, even with an assistant holding the brake. GROUND HANDLING

'This is something you will learn about

l will lc:1vc the derails of takeoff in a trike to your own studies and dual instruction, hut will highlight some of what to expect. There a.re some similarities to aerorowing bm also distinct differences. During an aerornw launch tbe dolly is holding your wing at the proper attitude for takeoCf, but with a trike you must hold the angle of attack. Also during towing there is no steering since you are being pulled and your launch cart with castoring wheels simply follows the rug. You must steer a trike with the nose wheel and, believe it or not:, I found this to be the most difficult skill to master. Your feet arc on footrests righr beside the nosewhccl, and with such a short wheelbase rhc slightest movement results in a significant turn. With a breeze your ground speed is low and your launch roll short, so this is not a problem. But with no wind on a hot, humid day, when HANC GUDINC

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• fly@hanglide.com

you musr be going faster to get airborne, keeping the wheel straight is critical. As the nose wheel hits irregularities in the surface it wants to turn, and you can instantly be making a tl inety-degree turn! The key is to keep constant, firm pressure on rhe footrests and learn how to make minuscule leg movements to steer at high speed. This can be safely practiced with the wing dismoumed. Clirnbom is similar rn acrotowing in that the glider is at an attitude that feels too steep for a hang glider. f Towevcr, 011 acrorow you arc following the position of 1he tug relative to the horizon and it establishes your speed. Now you must de1cnnine the proper attitude for climb, and your glider doesn't have as sensitive a feel as when you are in free /light. In addition, upon liftoff the trike actually swings fc)rward (all properly designed trikes do), changing your position relative to the bar. I lc:irned the correct position by refr:rring to my airspeed indicator during takeoff-roll and climbout. 'fhis is cxacrly what general aviation pilots always do, but you will quickly learn to sense the right speeds and attitudes for powered climbing just as you learned to sense them for free flight. 'fakcoff distances and rares of climb will vary with gliders, wing loading, altitude, temperanirc, humidity and wind. My initial flying was at sea level, and my trike was test-flown by a much heavier pilot who had no trouble quickly getting up and climbing out with both the temperature and humidity in the 90's.

ing and drag will affect your glide angle. When you arc just above the ground on final you will level out in ground effect just as you normally do. The trike hangs ,Han angle with the nose wheel high, so the main wheels always touch first. You push the basctube out until it touches the forward strut, so your flare is nor a full, pronounced flare. As soon as the nose wheel touches you immediately pull the bar hack to neutral to ensure rhat the nose docs nor pop back up. work it with the still helping. Bm once yon shut ii down you will realize you have quit powered flight and arc back in your hang glider! Since you have more weight and increased drag you obviously

will not thermal and glide quite as well. But what a small price Lo pay for such independent flying! If there is no lift you just keep the engine running and pretend it's a glass--off With the engine behind me and well muffled, the noise is not nearly as intrusive as I expected it to be.

FLYING

LANDING

Since you arc hanging lower you will have more roll control, and my glider feels rnore sensitive when being flown with my trike. [f the first lifr you find is weak,

For me this was the easiest thing to learn. Fly your pattern with the engine off or at idle, just as you would any time you hang glide, bm again, your increased wing load

SUMMARY Motorized self-bunch vehicles can defrnitcly offer a lot more airtime to those of us who arc alrc,1dy flying bm nor fcmunare enough to live near existing hang gliding facilities. But l also believe they have the potential to expand the number of participants involved in hang gliding. At $4,000 to $7,000 fcH the various smal] trikes currently offered, the total cost with a wing is competitive or even less than the least expensive ultralight packages. The Slip is $4,000 plus shipping (which is minimal unless you wanted it "yesterday") and includes everything you need except the custom parachute bag. No garage or trailer is needed for storage or transport since all of these small trikes can fa the back of a pickup or van (although the Slip is the only one that fits in a car trunk). With such attributes, the lightweight trikes may attract pilots from the ultralight community. If so, we'll teach them to shut off their engines and thermal too!

For more information on the SltjJ contact: Liberated Hight; 73 l 6 Manatee Ave. West 11206, Bradenton, Ff. 34209 (941) 722-2173. De,der inquiries are welcome. Ill HANC GLIDINC

Saturn

Altair

?RED"'-'TOR

ATOS

12379 South 265 West, Draper, Utah 84020 • E-mail: altair@micron.net • (80 I) 523-9544

hen Rob Kells showed up at Wallaby Ranch on March 23 the fun meter was amped up a couple of notches, and pilots starting pouring in from all over the country. We were definitely having a lot of fun every day at Wallaby, bur Rob really plugged us into 220 volts of Wills Wing power. When Rob's bright red truck showed up stacked really high with gliders, a Lookout Mountain Flight Park Freedom Machine in the back, and "1-800-HangGlide" on the side panels, it just looked like an invitation to quit work and get on with gliding. Rob had come to throw the Wills Wing 26th anniversary parry. Those gliders came off the truck, like right now, and it wasn't bur a few minutes before the pole barn/kitchen at Wallaby was surrounded by Falcons, Ultra Sports and Fusions of all sizes and colors. The Ranch looked like it was full of circus rents. Pilots were thrilled to have the opportunity to demo one glider after another. The conditions were right, the tugs were warming up, the pilots could hardly keep from bouncing up and down, and soon they popped off the carts and up to 2,500 feet on tow in brand-new gliders. But it didn't stop there - no siree. Day one was just a warm-up for day after day of superheated hang gliding nirvana that carried on through the weekend. Rob fired up the Freedom Machine, and chose of us with trike experience (me, a junior member of that "we"), got to check out how great it

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r-r I 1

r Ir-

H ANG GLIDING

R JUNE 1999

by Davis Straub

photos by Mark Vaughn 25

flies with a Falcon 195 and 225. I made three separate flights and I loved it. Jeff Nicolay of Morningside Flight Park had a great time on it also. Steve Pearson from Wills Wing showed up the next day, as did Linda Meier, which only added to the excitement. Steve and Rob worked every day helping pilots get ready for flights, tuning pilot's existing gliders, test-flying customer's gliders, ordering parts for gliders that pilots broke while landing (rwo downtubes and a busted keel from a pogo-stick landing). Friday night was to be the evening of the big party, and Jeremy, Wallaby's resident chef, outdid himself by serving more than 125 people. Pilots could not believe how great the food was as they sat in the open-air tent next to the pool. And, he did it again on Saturday night (for slightly fewer people)! It really is great to have gourmet food available right here at the Ranch no need to head out for "senior citizen" dinners along Highway 27. People kept commencing that Jeremy should open a restaurant at the Ranch. Hundreds of flights were made, no one was hurt (a concern at any hang gliding event, even one as sane as this one), and seriously good times were had by everyone. Once again, with all the resources necessary to do it, Wallaby Ranch pulled off a very big event with competence and sryle. And they are going to do it again! Wills Wing has already scheduled their 27th anniversary celebration at Wallaby for March 20-26, 2000. The big party will be held Saturday, March 25 . So, why all the breathless prose? (Which, incidentally, describes accurately, if not completely, what happened.) There are all kinds of marketing approaches. Some manufacturers sponsor top pilots so they can brag about their gliders' accomplishments. (Wills Wing does this as well.) Others offer great service. (Wills Wing does this also.) Others offer great prices. (Wills Wing does pretty well here too - meeting the competition.) However, Wills Wing really excels at "event marketing," if their 1999 anniversary party is any indication. Event marketing - parry marketing. Throw a party to show off your goodies. Make it great fun and put everyone in a wonderful mood. After all, we are selling toys here. As I sat in my trailer at Wallaby Ranch after Rob Kells asked me to write this arti-

Mark Vaughn flying over Florida orange groves.

A pilot lifts offunder aero tow in a Wills Wing Falcon.

HANG GLIDING

Tracie Fifer-Welch (H PO Box 8225 .Jackson WY 83001 (307) 733-6823

99)

REGION 6 Jeff Sinason (f~ . . 99) 12954 Ballantine Ct Saint Louis MO 63146 (314) 542-2473 jsinason@itdcomrn.com

USHGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGION 1 Bill Bolosky (F~ 00) 24622 SE Mirrormont Dr Issaquah WA 98027 (425) 55?.-7981 bolosky@microsoft.com Steve Roti IR 99) 3024 NE 13hi Ave Portland OR 97212 (503) 284-0995 paragliding@compuserve.com Paul Klemond (L ·· 99) (PG Accident Chair) 3612 NE 43rd St Seattle WA 98105 (206) 525-5765 paul@kurious.org Gene Matthews (H 00) 15308 111 111 Ave NE Bothell WA 98011 (206) 488-1443 skydog@gte.net Bob Hannah (H 00) 9920 51 51 Ave S Seattle WA 98118 (206) 328-1104 paraskr@aol.com REGION 2 Ray Leonard (R 00) 3650 Research Way #22 Carson City NV 89706 (775) 883-7070 advspts@pyramid.net Russ Locke (r~ 99) 868 S Mary Ave Sunnyvale CA 94087 (408) 737-8745 rsslok@aol.com Scott Gaspanan (R· 99) c/o LWHS 755 Ocean Ave San Francisco CA 94112 (650) 738-8376 gaspo@igi.org Ed Pitman (H 00) PO Box 188 Shasta CA 96087 (916) 359,2392 epitman@c-zone.net Ken Brown (H 99) 1795 4()°' Ave San Francisco CA 94122 (415) 753.9534 kennyb2u@aol.com

REGION 3 Ken Baier (R 00) 253 r~odney Ave Encinitas CA 92024 (760) 753-2664 airJu nkies@world net att net John Greynald (R - 99) 2774 Puesta Del Sol Santa CA 93105 (805) throgrog@aol.corn Gremi Lawless (R · 99) 9127 Bittercreek Ln San Diego CA 92129 (619) 484-2056 glawless@sempra-slns.corn Rob Kells (H 00) 500 Blueridge Ave Orange CA 92665 (714) 998-6359 rob@willswing.com Alan Chuculate (H 99) 6709 Salizar St San Diego CA 92111 (619) 292-1552 g_achucu@qualcomm.com Gil Dodgen (Editor) 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy Ste A-256 Reho Sta Marg CA 92688 (949) 888-7363 gildodgen@aol.com REGION 4 Mark Ferguson (R 00) 1173 Ridgeview Cir Broomfield CO 80020 (303) 931-8075 rnark@ballvarios.com Jim Zeiset (R .. 99) 13154 County Rd 140 Salida CO 81201 (719) 539 .. 3335 jirnz;ireen@aol.com Larry Sanderson (H 00) Soaring Society of America PO Box 2100 Hobbs NM 88241 (505) 392-1177 Larryssa@aol.corn REGION 5 Frank Gillette (R 99) 903 East 500 South Declo ID 83323 (208) 654-2615 Watercyn@cyberhigt1way.net

(04123/99)

REGION 7 Bill Bryden (R 00) (HG Accident Chai{) 6608 North 100 East Rd Seymour IN 47274 (812) 497-2327 hm bbryden@hsonl1ne.net Dan ,Johnson (L 99) 8 Dorset St St Paul MN 55118 (651) 450-0930 CumulusMan@aol.com REGION 8 Douglas Sharpe (R 00) 401 Silver Hill Rd Concord MA 017 42 (978) 318-9714 dsharpe@tiac.net F<andy Adams (H 00) PO Box 369 Claremont NH 03743 (603) 543,, 1760 randyadams@cyberportal.net REGION 9 Pete Lehmann (R · 99) 5811 Elgin St Pittsburgh PA 15206 (412) 661-3474 LPLohmann@aol.corn Geoffrey Mumford (R 00) APA/PPO 750 First St NE Washington DC 20002 (202) 336-6067 ~Jmumford@apa.org Dennis Pagen (L 99) RD 3 Box 254B Spring Mills PA 16875 (814) 422-0589 hrn pagenbks@lazerlink.com Chris DuPaul (H-00) PO Box 801 Gloucester Po111t VA 23062 (804) 325-1051 Krisdupaul@aol.com Art C3reenfield (X) 1815 N Ft Meyer Dr Ste 700 Arlington \I A 22209 (703) 527 -0226 NAA@ids2.idsonline.com REGION 10 G.W Meadows ([~ 00) 1125 Harbor View Dr Kill Devil Hills NC 27948 (252) 480-3552 iustfly@interpath.com Matt Taber (F< 99) 7201 Scenic Hwy 189 Rising Fawn GA 30738 (706) 398-3433 a1rwave@voy.ne1

David Glover (H 99) 1696 Creek Rd Wildwood GA 30757 (706) 675-8485 dave@hanglide.com Greg De Wolf (H 99) PO Box 1268 Stanardsville VA 22973 (B04) 990-9071 DeWolf7@aol.com John Harris (H 00) PO Box 1B39 Nags Head NC 27959 (252) 441-4124 ucanfly@outer-banks.com Steve Kroop (H 00) 6106 NW 128°' St Gainesville FL 32653 (352) 331-6729 usaflytec@aol.com REGION 11 Dave Broyles (R ·· 99) 211 Ellis Dr Allen TX 75002 (972) 7273588 broyles@psuedospace.com REGION 12 Paul Voight (F< 00) 5163 Searsville f~d Pine Bush NY 12566 (914) 744-3317 ryanv1 OO@aol.com Jan Johnson (I.. 99) PO Box 2B2 Bullville NY 10951 (914) 747-7B45 ryanv1 OO@aol.com Paul f~ike1i (L 99) 101 N Broadway# 2B·3 White Plains NY 10603 (9'14) 946-9386 hm Lars Linde (H 00) 954 W Front St Red Bank NJ 07701 (732) 747 .. 7g45 larslinde@cornpuserve.com REGION 13 (lnt'I) Jan Johnson (L 99) See Rog 12 Michael l~obertson (H f~R 5 B65 Con 7 Claremont Ontario Canada L1Y 1A2 (905) 294-253(-3 flyhigh@inforarnp.net

00)

USHGA Executive Director Philip Bachman PO Box 1330 Colo Springs CO B0901 (719) 632-8300 wk. (719) 632-C:l417 fax phbachman@ushga.org ushga@ushga.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President-Gregg L.awless \/ice Pres.-Chris DuPau\ Secretary-Russ Locke Treasurer-Geoff Mumford

KEY (R) Regional (L)·At l.arge (H) Honorary (X)-Ex Officio

clc, it came to rnc Ti1ppcrwarc. No, not the multi-level thing (afrer all, Rob, him-· sci( threw the party), and nor the phony fun of going to a'] i1pperware "party," but the real fou of playing wirh new toys. I fowever, it's rhe same marketing concept sell your wares at a party! The fact that 'fopperwarc is located near Wallaby in Orlando, and that an article had just appeared in the Orlando paper about the company's new president, Betty Palm (who was brought on board because of her extensive in party marketing) may have inspired these d1oughrs. I can't imagine such a "shopping experience" being offered by li1pperware (just as [ can't temporarily suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy their lirtle made-up world). Rob was successful with his event marketing because it was real real enough that [ was totally taken in. Looks like I'll be getting a Falcon 225 to use with my Freedom Machine. Belinda Boulter ("The Amazing Flying Belinda") had a number of/lights on an Ultra Sport, and we wound up getting her a new blue .. and-red glider. Margaret Little bought a new Ultra Sport, and lots of other gliders were sold that weekend. At this evenr T spoke extensively with David Glover, who commented that he learned more about Wills Wing over the course of the weekend than he had in all the time he has been selling Wills gliders. J engaged in extensive discussions with Wills Wing designer Steve Pearson, who expressed the scntirnem that his company has a great story to tell about its commitment to the hang gliding community. He would like that story to be rold. Perhaps it will be told maybe on their Web site, perchance in prim in this publication. Yrm etm read about this and other events at Wlallaby Ranch, and the ntltional and international hang ,~liding competition scene, in the "Oz Report" at http://www. davisstraub. com. II WILLS WING CELEBRATION COMMENTS

by Rob Kells ln reading Davis's article !got the impression that readers would believe I am the foainforce behind WillsWing's success. Actual·· ly, Wills Wing is a company people who work really hard to des.ign, develop, test,. manufocmre and marker products to you. Without partners Steve Pearson, and Mike and Linda Meier, and all the devoted employees, we would have gone out 2B

of business long agol All of us thank you for your years of sup . , port! We all owe a big TH.ANK YOU to the Ranch and ;:ill the folks They do an incredible job. Please c<insider yourself.invited to the 27th anniversary demo wed<. and party, March 20--26, 2000. Need any 'fopperware? 118 Hi\NC GIIDINC

Bryden)

"here arc m;iny interesting and edif)1i11g aspects to amlwring this colurnn each month. l lowever, reporting a fatality is not one of the pleas ant aspects, and we have rwo for discus· sion this month. Rob Richardson, a dedica1ed instructor, died in an aerotowing accident on Fehruary 19()9 at liis flight park in Arizona. He was conducting an insnuctional tandem aerotow flight and was in the process or launchiug from a ground-launch vehicle when the accident occurred. Rob had started to launch once but a premature wwline release termin:ited rhis effort a<ier only a fr:w meters imo rhe launch roll-out. Ir is suspected that the cart was rolled backwards a bit and the towline W;JS reattached to begin the launch process again. During the rug's roll-out for the second launch attempt, the tug pilot observed the glider clear the runway dust and then begin a lcfr bank with no immediate cor· rec1ion. At that point he noticed that the launch can was hanging below the glider and immediately released his encl of rhc 240-fixit towline. The rng never left the gronnd and the tug pilot watched rhc glider continue a hard bank to the lcfr, achieving an altitude of'approximately 25 fret. Impact was on the lcfr wing and then the nose of the glider. Rob was killed imrncdiatcly from severe neck and head trauma. Rob's body likely cushioned much of rhc student's irnpact. She was basically tm injured but sufkrcd short-term memory loss (nor uncommon in hard crashes) and did not recall the cvcms of the accidcn t. or particular note is that the launch cart was not observed dangling from the glider. Rather, it was seen positioned below the glider exactly as when the glider is resting upon the can when on the ground. The cart construction was a rather typical rria11glc-typc arrangcme11t. Approximately midway between the rear wheel and two front wheels, a cross-member was co1111cctcd between the two main frame rails nm ning fore and aFr. ·!"his cross--mcrnher was parallel to the glider's control bar and

If'

)U/\l 1999

Accident Review Chairman located ar about the pilot's waist when he is positioned ready to launch. The rug pilor noted afrcr the incident that the tow· line was rourcd under this frame member on the can and then con ncctcd to the release. It is spcrnlated that afrcr the aborted flrst launch the hridlc foll below this frame member, and when it was picked up m reattach rhc towline, ir was pulled up but inadvertently looped under the crossmcmbcr. This would be consistent with the tug pilot's observations of 1hc towline afrcr the crash and would explain how the can could be held beneath the glider with the glidc,r still positioned in the control bar and keel cradle points while airborne. The second Enality also occurred during an acrotow launch. A highly experienced, visiting ( ;cnnan pilot, Charly Schrnadcrer, died at a rlorida rowing loc1-· tion after his glider failed at an approxi mare altitude of 30 feet. The glider had custom whcel--rnoun t hardware (but no wheels) that slides over the basctubc and is held in place the basetube assembly bolt. Upon inspection after the accident it was nored that rhc bolt was installed through rhe control frame bracket tbat pill gs into the bascmbc, and through the sleeve 01 the wheel mount, but it did not engage rhe hole on the hasctuhe itself: Upon liftoff: the conrrol bar simply slid out ofthc wheel-mount sleeve. The pilot died irnmcdiarely afrer impact. lt should be noted that this accident was not related to the tow operation, and l will not categorize it as a towing accident. It could very well have occurred afrer a slope or cliff launch. Actually, virtually identical accidents have occurred when pilots foiled ro properly insert the plug into the basetubc and secure ir with the bolt. This happened to Pete Lehmann about a haW-dozcn years ago, and his glider folded up close to the hill several minutes a{i:cr launching. Wills Wing and other manufr1cmrcrs h;1vc developed folding control bars ro make the glider easier and quicker ro set up. These have the significant added bcnefo of eliminating the nee·

essary amichmcm of the basetube to the corner hardware. Pacific Airwavc used to color the control bar plug red to make it more visible iC not fully seated and bolted. On Wills Wing gliders rhc bracket plug's hole is quire visible beyond the basctube if the bolt docs nor engage it. These arc all good ideas that can reduce fcrnl--up potential.

DISCUSS(ON These two accidents are more disturbing than some because they happened to very experienced pilots. Charly h:id more than 25 years of experience and was a seasoned competition pilot. Rob owned a rhriving hang gliding school. He and the rng pilot had performed more than 700 acrotows together as a team. [f these things can happen to our best pilors, it is indeed sobering and disconcerting ic)r the rest or us. Interestingly, however, flying skill was not a factor in either of these accidents. '/'hey both had 1heir origins on rhc ground. Both involved problems that could have been identiflcd during preflight inspection with a detailed checklist thar is meticulously ftillowed prior to every single launch. This isn't piloting skill, but discipline and care, at which even beginner and novice pilots can choose to excel. Both accidents also involved prohlcrns that other pilots might h::ivc idcmificd if our hang gliding culture emphasized a stronger "look out for each other" ethic. I could preach about the need to care-· folly preflight your glider. Bur you know that. I could counsel you to have a set inspection procedure and pre-launch checklist that you follow religiously, and resume from the beginning if distracted or ir anyone talks to you during the process. But you all know that. And I could lament about how we should "be safe," and should look out for each other. But those too arc just words, and you've heard rhem before. So what might [ say in a short article rhat might modify your behavior? Roh and Charly arc dead. You haven't heard those particular words before, and they arc rather disturbing words. Rob and Charly arc dead. Dead. Perhaps we can honor their spirits and learn from the lessons they gave rlieir Jives ro teach us. J didn't know Roh well, but I knew him

well enough to know that he certainly would have desired that. 'fhe next time you assemble your control frame, don't imagine that you arc just installing a holL No, you are installing the Cbarly bolt. You can remember that. "C"ontrol frame bolt "C"harly bolt. When connecting yom towline, don't check the routing, check the "Rob Routing." Modify your checklists for aero· towing, truck rowing, etc., to include his name. I .ct the word "association" stir your remembrance of our fellow aviators and sober you a bit during every assembly and preflight inspection. Maybe the memory of these fine guys will help you take more care. I don't know wbat more I can say. Rob's accident involving the launch cart does bring up another issue. After his accident I started hearing stories about launch-cart problems. I heard of two recent incidents (in the last couple of years) experienced by friends of rninc, and I never knew they happened! Ont of

curiosity, I searched through about two weeks of Internet digest posts exchanged right after Rob's accident. Nine people commented about having personally cxpe"" ricnced (and one witnessed) lmmch-can problems, some in the past year. Yet, not 11 single incident rcporr was /ilcd in 1997, 1998 or this (excluding Rob's) concerning issues or problems! One cart incident was reported in '95 and a couple in '96. I)an, Ray, Erich, Jeff; Jim, Hugh, Gregg, Lori, Mark, Peter, Kenn and Brad how many of you were the ones who didn't report your cart incidents? Ir's still not too late. Just think how much more we could have learned about launch carts if everyone who had experienced an incident wit:h them had reported it. l don't know if this would have changed things for Rob, but we can certainly compile a better list of issues and problems carts have presented. This could potcnrially spare someone grief in the future, especially if people continue to invent their own, rather than purchase a

proven design. We have a specific: interest in launchcan problems and beg you to please write up something and send it to rhc office or e-mail us. No incident is too insignificant. Y<rn can use the report form found at the USHGA Web site at http://www.ushga.org/i magcs/hgaccid. pd f. lf you like, just list the key information, such as date, location, the pilot's name, various equipment used, winds, and a couple of paragraphs describing what happened, what tbe consequences were, and an assessment of the primary causes rhen send it to us. J don't care about the f<xmat, we just want the information. Keep it simple, one page is fine, and you don't need to derail the events of the whole day. Of course, the above goes for any incidents rhat are different, unusual, or that you have a vague notion folks might learn something from. l thank you for your assistance. Oh yeah, Charly bolts and Rob routing. •

s A Look ar t11e Sport or H,mg C:ilicJing ll1cc; Winq ancJ Why It Works Skills ro lJ1e Level Skills I() IJle LJ:'VCI r ly1ncJ Ccmc1il ions CilicJinq lquiprnem More 21L)rn11 1r1e Princ1p/cc, of I licl11 for Higr1 AllilucJc 1:1iqr11 Started in · ranclern ,mcJ Tow Tr21ining Pilot Sr1ould l<now C:ilicJ111g Terms 1r1e Pro Flies"

Plus

Colorado Springs, CO 80901

J -·800-6

6-6888 fax (7 J 9) 632-6417 www.ushga.org !-\/\NC GUDINC

Oleg nnishes second, behind Manfred, but still

Beat:s

Every

Rigid• Wing

loria

on a

Stealth 2

During the recent Wallaby Open as well as the U.S. Nationals at Quest Air, Oleg Bonaarchuk (who finishea secona in both contests) outf(ew ALL the new rigia wings on a aaily basis. Now, the wing he was flying is available to you. The "Oleg Racer" version of the Stealth 2 can be purchasea through your local Aeros aealer or call U.S. Aeros airectly for more information. If you're really wanting the top performing f(exwing gliaer available in the U.S. - NOW you can get it.

We're not Just a "one trick pony" however. The Target is our single surface gliaer. ~ We'll have our Tanaem gliaer available by the time you reaa this. Our intermeaiate gliaer will be available by the summer ana our Rigia Wing is on the verge of proauction. If you haven't yet heara about our top-of-the-line harnesses, they kick butt AND they're af(oraable. With hana fairings ana the most reasonably pricea arag chute on the market, we're a full line company with great service. Check us out.

U.S. Aeros 252.480.3552 aeros@justfly.com 1125 Harborview Or. Kill Devil Hills, NC 2 7948 www.justfly.com 252.480.0117 fax

t -- ...

~-F-

~-*'~

~ .

•

••

·~ -=-

Don't Give In To

The Dark Side

(OR, AT LEAST KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN WHEN YOU DO IT.) by Mitch Shipley

lam. Man, rhar's the rhird rime I got spit our of chose bullets. Those lircle pinnacles sure looked like good rrigger points, bur rhe thermals are jusr ripping off chem. Now I'm below. Could work back up from below, up the face . Naw, I'm gerring low back here and I can'r even see a good glide path our. Boy, thar happened fasr. Better srarr our. Prerty rurbulent and sinky down here. Looking up ar thar ridge line in from is a bad thing. So do I pick cl1e canyon roure ro the left or righr? Which way is the wind going? Which side would have the lease roror? Hmm, picking wrong may kill me. Guess I'll go righr. " That was 30 seconds of thoughr rrain during my flighr in rhe fifth round of the Wild West Championship competicion in rhe Reno area lase August. Whar follows is a different kind of accident report. One written from inside the head of rhe accidentee - me. I share it in hopes of providing some food for thoughr ro my other flying buddies. We hang glider pilots often live a charmed life. Soaring on stuff we can'r even see. Experiencing flighrs mosr people only have in their dreams. We often read articles

abour the rhrill of vicroty, me record-breaking flighrs, rhe special spiritual flighrs in beauriful places. Well, here is one on the agony of defeat. Abour raking a chance and having ir not work our so well. Nor as inspiring, bur every bir as importam ro fJe away as a cidbir mar goes inro fumre decision-making. My srory is abour the "dark side" of hang gliding thar can seduce you. Don't give inro it, but know it is there. May me force be with you.

THE STORY "On rhe ground waiting ro srarr round five. Done pretty well the lase rhree days, bur nor closing on the leaders. eeded 350 points afrer day one and have only gained 120. Gotta win by 20 minures or more ro make up thar kind of ground with a carp srart format. Two, maybe three thermals ahead. Maybe even a differem roure so they can't pimp. Conditions been pretty rough here ar McClellan. Isn'r soarable early, then uickles in around noon. Abour a half-hour window where the Life builds roger you high enough to go, before me westerlies pick up and shut down the lift for a few hours. Okay, there goes Burch and Jersey launching. Paris and

JZ launched earlier and have been cheatin' death our there for 20 minutes, bur they are still in rhe air. Must be time to go. "Weak lift bur going up. Stair seep, try to sray on top. Five minures ro rhe tarp. See ifl can snap a start right when the tarp comes our, hopefully drifring in lift. There's the tarp - got a few pies. Where is everybody? Looks like JZ is out of here. Everybody else just burbling. Stay on top, dribble our of here. "Nine grand over the back. Better than a few days ago. Looks like Jersey and Butch did a little better upwind in mat light climb. Maybe should have gone up to them shoulda, woulda, coulda. Ah, bur going upwind sucks; bit me before. Okay, what now. Oh, look. There's JZ working tl1e ridge top past Virginia City. Jersey and Burch's gaggle is heading cross and our front to rhar rim on the edge of the valley. Man, that rim has worked great the last few days, bur it is off rhe course-line a lirtle. This thermal has been zero to 50 for a bit now. Time to go; what's it gonna be. If I rake rhe long glide to the rim JZ is on I'll get a thermal ahead right our of the gate. If it doesn't work I'll have ro fly our low imo the Highway 50 valley and then char gees real slow. No balls, no blue chips. Here we go. "Lorta dinosaur country back here, bm the glide is going well. Still gor a good line our if I need ir, kind of a quarrering tail. Okay, a !itde burble on the face. A couple of mrns. Thar's ir, sashay righr up d1e face . Working good. Life should ger better as I slide up me face. Those pinnacles over rhere ar rhe mp of chose fingers look good. Should be able ro slide over rhere. Srill could glide out, bur would be low on the valley floor. Where's rhe core? Wham - oh, there's a piece. Half a mm, a thousand up, this is my ticker our of here. Ban1, well d1at was a kick in d1e butt. Keep banked hard, ger back around, center on that pinnacle. Turbulent. Man, kicked our hard again. Mulriple cores, disorganized. Don't want to go upside down. Maybe over there on the ocher pinnacle. Bad sink. Nor sliding up the finger Like T was. "Slam. Man, thar's the third time I've been spit out of those bullets. T hose lircle pinnacles sure looked like good trigger points, bur the thermals are jusr ripping off them. I'm getting low back here and I can'r even see a good glide path out. Boy, thar happened fast. Better stan out. Pretty turbulent and sinky down here. Looking up ar that ridge line in front is a bad thing. So do H ANG G LI DING

l pick the canyon romc to the left or right? Which way is the wind going? Which side would have the least rotor? Hmm, picking wrong may kill me. Cuess I'll go right. "[r ain't over till it's over. Stay on the left side of the canyon, something might be going up. There's a little up. Slide hack into the wall. Not enough room to 360, too low and the lift is fonky. Probably would lose more than I'd gain, and this is no place to lose. Okay, out of it now. Keep going clown the canyon. Man, l'm low bottom third of this canyon and 100' AC!.. Hmm. Which way is the wind flow? Can't tell turbulent. There's the end of the canyon. Paved road, power lines, just more canyon down there. "Okay, we arc not landing; we're in survival mode. There's a tree. Could go around. No, banking and cranking down here is a loser. Pull in, pick up speed, dive below the tree. Center the tree, push out, bleed off, flare! I ,et go, tuck fetal. Control bar hits, catches, and flips the glider upside sliding down on top of the tree. Ohhh out, right leading edge first. 'fock up. SLAM. "Still conscious, no blinding flash of light on impact. ( ;Jider's upside down and l'm lying on it. Downtubes to the sky and rhcy'rc not even bent! Boy, J bet that looked bad from the air. Better unhook and move the glider around a bit so at least they know I'm squirming around down here. Get on the radio, tell the team I'm okay. Wonder how bad the glider's hurt? Can l get back and fix it before tomorrow's round? !Imm, good ro he on the ground."

MORE FACTS So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Some other tidbits about the accident: The glider was in fact kind of totaled. As I slid out of the tree the right wing tip hit first, going through, in sequence, the right out-· board leading edge, the right crossbar (which went messily through the sail), and the rear keel section. Most battens on the right side looked like pretzels. Breaking all that aluminum did bunches to soften the impact and I literally walked away with only a slight linear bruise where I must have landed on a flying wire (good thing I didn't strip the plastic coating off). The tree was really more of a big 25-foot-tall bushy typc of thing on the left side canyon wall. The impact zone (certainly couldn't be called a landing zone) was in a canyon about 300 feet deep and liOO feet across at the top, )UNE [ 999

with sides inclined between 30 and 40 degrees. The sides had scrub brush, rocks, gravel and the occasional tree/bushy thing.

SOME ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION Post-accident reflection and analysis provided a few more tidbits of info and li:iod for thought. It was helpful (and really cool looking) to plot my CPS track overlaid ou a Del ,ORME 'fopo map (sec figures). Afrcr looking ar the plots and remembering the flight, several contributing factors seemed likely. There was changing wind direction and vclociry, coupled with changing topography, maybe leading to some Ice-side thermal activity. The detailed analysis can vary, and although the details arc interesting to consider and mull over, they should not obscure the main point. The bottom line is that I tried to cut a long glide too close, pushed it too hard, and it bit me. At some point during the last rninme or so of the flight I switched from "landing mode" to "surviving-the-crash mode." I actually switched back and forth several times between landing mode and survivingchc-crash mode in that last minute--· part of my "it ain't over rill it's over" mcnraliry. I'm not sure what precipitated the final switch. Civen my predicament I 00 feet AGL, down wind, down hill, inside essentially a box canyon a better question might be why I ever even considered landing mode. In the end, however, the switch to surviving-tl1e·crash mode was complete, and it was a pivotal decision. Every pilot should consider and embrace that decision when things aren't going well. Remember,

they could get worse. In my case l got lucky ;md the 2 5--foot bushy tree that l rnomcnrarily perched in worked out very well. Flaring into that tree at 20-30 mph was preferable to trying to flare or land on a rocky slope in rotor conditions. Pulling in to pick up speed and maintain controllability allowed me to accurately center punch that tree with a flare, and then use my fovoritc tuck fetal technique. The tree and glider (rather than the glider, me and the rocks) took all of the flying energy out of the system. The 20- to 30-f-ciot fall from being at rest and having rhc glider fortuitously absorbing much of that fall (the lucky part you can't always count on, but then again sometimes you don't fall out) turned our to be highly preferable to landing/crashing imo the rock canyon wall. Landing in a t rec is so met imcs the lesser of two evils. Keep it in mind. Worked for me.

THE DARK SIDE So what the heck is this dark side? Well, l submit that it was the dark side that seduced me into making that risky long glide and working thar ratty air. The dark side is a scary place that generates the force that pulls us in the direCLion of increasing risk, toward that line between way cool and way scary. I have considered and reconsidered this dark side idea in the months since the accident and talked with several of my flying buddies about ir. At the risk of stretching a reasonably short, entertaining story into a boring, detailed, "There I was, thought I was gonna to die ... " diatribe, I

think that there arc a several points of general interest worth making. So once again, may the force he with you. HOW TO GET TO THE DARK SIDE What's the path to the dark side? Paths vary, but here arc two I've seen (and done myself). 'fhings arc way cool, hanging around your home site, soaring with the eagles and you're !(win' life. You're on top of' the stack, maybe flirting wirh some clouds, and you're wondering what mere mortals arc doing today. While you arc smiling in nirvana land, conditions change without you noticing. The wind picks up or changes direction. That cloud gets a little bigger and darker. That great glide back to the front of the ridge that yoll've been enjoying isn't so great anymore. This is rhe "it got dark while I wasn't looking" path. Or, maybe it happens after a series of really good things on a great X-C:. Cood thermals and climbs, good glides, nice ridge soaring conditions. Then you make that overly optimistic mistake of thinking ir will be just as good down range or over the back. Maybe you go for that low save, that long glide, or that personal distance record. This is the "it's so light here, it can't be that dark over rhere" path. Both of these are examples of'bcing caught up in an epic flight. One may lie the scenic variety while the other is rhe personal record type, but both share the same promise of an epic experience that we may tell around the campfire and relive in our mcrnorics. We like to win and most of us like to tell our buddies about it. That's where the pull of the dark side comes from, our desire to achieve, and we arc sometimes seduced into accepting higher levels of risk in the process. THE SNEAKY DARK SIDE There arc two sneaky aspects of the dark side. The first is that there is no well-·dcfined poim between the light (way cool) and the dark (way scary) sides. Tt's a big gray transition. The dark side pulls you through increasing levels of gray (of risk) umil all of a sudden you realize you've gone too far in and it's black, dark and scary. A series of small, seemingly insignificant steps can rnke you across that gray region between the, "Wow, I went for it and that was way cool!" ro the, "Wow, I went for it, what a moron." Been there, done that. Besides the fact rhat there is no clear line between the light and dark sides, another

particularly thing about the dark side stems from probability and how it affects our perception of reality. Risk, by definition, is the probability of something had happening, flavored by how bad that thing is. High risk can equate with low probability, bur low probability of a really bad thing. So here is the seduction. You or your fly· ing buddies try something that seems risky, bm it works out great and legends arc made. Or, perhaps you all have been doing something over and over again successfolly and not yet realized you were getting away with something risky. "We always come in on that approach. Works all the time!" you might hear. The repeated success tends to color your objectivity when it comes to just how dark or risky some decisions are. A low probability of occurrence could be driving the: repeated success. This dance continues until the dark side gets you and you llnd yourself in that ugly and scary place, think-

ing, "'l'hc only thing worse than being on the ground wishing you were in the air, is being in the air wishing you were on the ground." Hopefolly, you get to the ground safoly with only soiled underwear and have the opportunity to reevaluate risk with probability in mind. JS DARK SIDE PULL ALL BAD? We may be tempted to think that if dark side pull is what makes us push the envelope and accept greater levels ol risk, it must be all bad. 'T'he flaw in this thinking for h:rng gliding becomes apparent if you go ro the other extreme. If' you want no risk, don't launch. Prom our first mountain l,mncl1, to the first 360, to the first over-the-hack X-C experience, hang gliding is about accepting and managing continuing risk. In as far as dark side pull makes you want to accept that risk, then it becomes a "good thing" that requires management, just like risk, in the hang gliding equation.

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Like lifr and tequila, however, too much of a good thing can be bad. The issue rhen becomes, Where do you draw the risk line in the sand and how do you manage the pull toward that line? As with most complex issues in lifo, the answer is that it depends. It depends on where you are, wh;it the conditions arc, what the capabilities of the equipment you have arc, what your skills are, how many beers you had last night, and what level of personal risk you want to take. Many of these things change minute by minute in flight (except for possibly the beers, but J have heard stories ... ) and is, at least for me, much of the allure of flying hang gliders. When you hang frorn the strap, there is only one pilot in command and you have to make your own decisions. You have to learn to make good decisions. The trick is to survive the learning process.

LIVING AND SURVIVING WITH DARK SIDE PULL If taking risks is inherent in hang gliding, and we all experience dark side pull, how do we improve our chances of surviving in this relationship? Although rhe famous Animal House advice, "drink heavily," may come to mind, the better strategy is to work in srnall increments to increase the knowledge and skill base necessary to make informed risk assessment decisions. By learning in small chunks you can limit how badly you can screw up when you try new things. Also, when trying new things, do so under benign, controlled conditions: "fry gliding to the next big Geld even when you don't have to. Systematically fly faster at your home site to find out what happens to your glider's control forces and responses. J.earn about how badly your glide deteriorates when yon fly faster than normal as you might have to do when gliding upwind 10 reach a safe LZ. Practice harsh, high--speed maneuvering at altitude in smooth condi-tions so t-hat when you are stuck in a rotor-

ing canyon, as I was, you can make that hang glider do the unnatural acts that you need it to. The list is endless, but the point the same. If you fly hang gliders long enough you will inevitably find yourself having been seduced into a dark scary place, and you will desperately hope you have the tools to get out of it. [f you wait till then to start the learning process, your chances of a happy ending are greatly diminished.

HOW DARK SIDE PULL VARIES In the quest to safely manage the pull from the dark side, recognize that the pull varies greatly between different pilots and is a fonction of pilot perspective and pcrsonali-ty. I fly optimistically. l am optimistic about the conditions and I am optimistic about my ability to play the cards that arc dealt. Because of that outlook, rhe pull of the dark side (how easily I accept higher risk) is strong within me, and l have been known to visit (and most of the time fly over) dinosaur land upon occasion. I kuow others who are not so easily lured into high-risk situations. A friend and I have flown several comp seasons together. Same comps, same tasks, same driver, sarne radio frequency, and he is rarely seen to be without an easy glide to the main road (::ind he often beats me in the comps, bm that's another story for another time). Our personal choices in similar situatiorn result in two very different approaches. The point here is that the pull of the dark side your tendency to accept varies greatly increasing levels of risk between different personality types. Another reasonable question is, How much does the pull from the dark side vary with individual skill? Skill typically comes with experience, which usually results in a better understanding of what's going on. This understanding tends to make the more skilled pilot more aware of all the d iffc:rem types of risk our there, and prcven ts dark side pull stemming from ignorance. You

could say that skill and experience decrease dark side pull, but l think it is a lesser effect when compared to personality. As a final point concerning this particular story, one may ask if the fog of competition made me get reckless, increasing the pull of the dark side. [ can't blame it on that. Many of my friends know (and on occasion have told me, and I thank them) that I push it pretty hard even when fun-flying. No, competition may shine a bright light on your flying style, but it is the same style that you brought to the meet. I'd say the two big drivers when it comes ro dark side pull arc personality and, to a lesser extent, knowledge or lack thereof

THE LESSONS LEARNED ARE: • ff you hang glide, you accept risk. • It ain't over till it's over, but before it's over, pick a tree if you have to. • How each of us manages that risk is differ·· em, and depends on several things, but personality is a big pbycr. • Don't try to avoid all risk. Yot1 can't do it, and you'll wam a liulc practice getting around in the dark before the lights go out u nexpccted ly. Just because you got away with it, doesn't mean it was low risk. • Listen to your friends; they might be right.

CLOSING THOUGHT It's okay not to launch. It's okay to go out and land. The mountains and the sky will be there tomorrow.

Aclmowledgments: l'd lilee to thank all my.flying buddies who read and provided their thou1,hts on this evolving tirticle. l would be remiss, however, if! didn't especirdl.y thank Pete "Nine rives" Lehmrmn.fr;r his r:.x:tensive input. l hrwe 11lwaysfrnmd his perspective to he right on --pmb11b!.y 11 result ofusing some rf those nine lives and this time was no exception. 'f hanks Pete. Ill 1-IANC CLIDINC

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The random drawing will be conducted under the supetvision of US H GAF whose decisions on all matters of the sweepstakes are final and binding in all respeers. 5. General Conditions - This drawing is governed by U.S. law. W inners will be contacted by phone and/or mail. Prize/coupon wi nners must claim their prizes/coupons wirhin fourteen (14) days after receipt of prize/coupon notification. Prize/coupon wi nners may be requ ired to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liab ili ty Release within 10 days of norification. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim a prize/coupon or fails to return any Affidavit of Eligibility and Liabilit)' Release (if required), the selected winner will forfeit her/his prize/coupon and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize/coupo n win ners will be responsible fo r all, taxes (federal, state and/or local), and, to the extent allowed by law, all shipping and delivery charges. To the extent that a prize/coupon consists of services donated by a merchant, each winner will be responsible for his/her travel, lodging, and incidental costs incurred to reach the service location and participate in char activity. Special terms, conclirions and blackout periods may apply. Each winner will receive a sraremenr evidencing the fair marker value of the prize, which will be reported for income tax purposes. Prizes will be awarded in the nan,es of the win ners and are non-transferable and non-exchangeable fo r cash; however, however sponsor reserves rhe right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value due to unavailability. 6. Odds of winning depend on the nw11ber of valid entries received. lf a prize notification letter is returned to sponso r or deemed undeliverable, an alternate winner may be selected. Sponsor is not responsible for any technical or relecommun icarion problems or errors, misdirected or disconnected calls, or fo r mail-in entries that are lace, lost, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, illegible or postage-due mail or entries. Spo nsor reserved the right, in its sole cliscretio n, to cancel sweepstakes if it becomes technically corrup ted or because of non-authorized human intetvencion. 7. By entering, participants agree to these official rules and the decisions of the judges and release USHGAF, its affiliates, di.rectors, officers, employees and agents Ii-om any and all liability and participant will hold them harmless for any injuries, losses or dan1ages of any kind res1Jting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of the prize/coupon, or participation in this Sweepstakes. Except where legally prohibited, by accepting the prize, wurner(s) grants permission for USHGAF and chose acti ng w1der its autl1ority to use his/her nan1e, photograph, voice and/or likeness for advertising and/or publicity purposes without additional compensation. 8. Winner's Lisr/Official Rules: You may obtain a list of winners (after 9/ 15/99) by Sencling a stamped, self-addressed envelope to : World Team W in ners, P.O . Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. 9. Sponsor - Un ired Scares Hang G liding Association Foundation, 559 E. Pikes Peak Ave, Suite 101 , Colorado Sp rin gs, CO 80903-3657.

A group ofcompetitors. Beto Schmitz wearing a High Level T-shirt (top row, center). Americans ~yne Sayer, Judy Hildebrand and Dave Salmen, top left. Meet organizers Martin Papadopoulos and Ray Leonard on the right.

The World Hang Gliding Series kicked off the 1999 season with an inaugural meet at Govenador Valadares in the latter half of February. This is the same Govenador that hosted the World Meet in 1991. The thermals are just as abundant and friendly as back then, and the ladies are just as friendly and abundant. n chis pare of Brazil deforestation took place some decades ago, spelling bad news for the ecology but good news for cross-country flying. Ac Govenador yo u can play tag with the clouds, screech out in all directions and extend your GPS memory bank. All of chis is possible because the thermals are frequent and call and landing fields are ample wherever you go. If yo u add to chis the ubiquimus urubus (black vultures) marking thermals everywhere, yo u have a formula for flying delight. Brazil is friendly and seductive, bur we were there for serious competition. The order of the meet was three rounds of speed gliding and five of cross-country (one day

lose due co thunderstorms). The speed-gliding cook place in a day and a half and the rest of the week was devoted co X-C triangles and out-and-backs. The organizer was Marcin Papadopoulos, a Greek-American Brazilian emerald businessman with a wild west demeanor. The Speed-Gliding Director was Ray Leonard, and yo ur author ran che X-C meet. Claire Pagen ran the scores for both events. Together with the pilots we had a great time and a great tropical vacation. Here are a few details.

SPEED-GLIDING The course at Govenador Valadares was sec up to cake advantage of the bare mountainside, but also co run che pilots across che

plain along che outskirts of town to finish in a large park area near che river, Rio Doce. With more chan 800 meters (2,700 feet) of vertical co work with, we set up an interesting course with nine pylons including a control gate, a 360 pylon and a finish gate. For the uninitiated, the control gate and the finish gate require pilots co fly between and below two six-meter (20-fooc) high pylons. And blaze they did. With practice the pilots learned just how close co shave the upper pylons and control gate. After the gate, a long run required careful calculation of speed and glide co minimize time, but also co allow enough altitude to complete the lase pare of che course. This part was a crowd pleaser with a hoc 360° cum, a couH ANG GLIDING

Our Lady ofPerpetual Microwaves near the launch gives an open-handed gesture as ifto say, "What are you potatoes waiting fior.?"

Part ofthe Mt. Itaburuna setup area. The gliders in back are those ofthe American contingent.

pie of quick pylons and a dash across rhe river (wide as a foorball field is long) co rhe finish gate. One pilot, Dave Salmen (U.S.) twice put in a water-skimming finish that literally had the crowd running for the boats. No fear, Dave's trusty Fusion paid off energy co carry him to shore with the relief of a shipwrecked sailor. More chills and thrills resulted when Beto Schmitz and Abel Brasil effected a double finish, crossing stacked like a 747 carrying the space shuttle. (They hadn't read the rule char allows a pursuing pilor to pass beside the finish gare in case of conflicr.) WHGS generally runs speed-gliding and cross-country events on separate days to avoid a burnour factor. However, anorher JUN E 1999

X-C meet took place (rhe Rio Regional meer) during rhe speed-gliding, and two pilots, Beto Schmitz (Brazil) and Max Turiaco (Icaly), flew in borh. Thar's speed-gliding in the morning, cross-country in the afternoon and speed-gliding ar nighr. Talk about burnout! The newsworthy bit is rhar Beto Schmitz, flying a La Mouerre Topless, won both the WHGS speed-gliding evem and the Rio X-C meet! Second place in speed-gliding was taken by Mario Alonzi (France) flying a Laminar and third by Jacques Borr (France) on a Topless. We had pilots from Brazil, France, Iraly and the Unired Stares competing. Next year we'll have more organization time, attractive prize money, and a different

course using a closer landin g field rhac will bring pilots along the bottom of the mountain for more slalom dash effecr.

CROSS-COUNTRY Triangles and out-and-backs were che order of che WHGS X-C event. The typical light winds of Brazil allow many combinations which enhance the interest factor of the casks (scores of meets have been run here, but pilots keep coming back for more because of the high fun factor). We had six days of flying with one ro und called off in the air due to a th understorm which developed on course. We collected all competitors' flying frequencies and called the from runners when the thun41

derstorm bullied into the area. Their report that the storm was dropping rain on the first turnpoint was enough for us to cancel the round in the interest of pilot safety. The roughest day was a multiple pylon triangle which seemed easy when called, but turned arduous when wind sec in chat demanded patience, luck and perseverance. The only pilot to make goal chat day was Andre Wolf (Brazil) who struggled for over three hours. Andre won che British League in Italy lase year so his talents are well known. Bue Andre cook second co Beto Schmitz who won the WHGS cross-country meet as well. Beto is a natural who is on crack co be one of the world's best. The X-C portion of che meet included pilots from Argentina and Paraguay as well as the fo rmerly mentioned countries. It was a most enjoyable event in a paradisiacal place. The flying and cultural atmosphere in chis pare of Brazil leave us only one thought: We must come back next year for more fun with chose blazing boys from Brazil. See you there.

Speed Gliding 1) ........ . ..... . ..... Beto Schmitz 2) . . ........ .... . ..... Mario Alonzi 3) . .. .... . ........... . . Jacques Bott 4) .... . ...... . . .. . ..... Max Turiaco 5) . ... .. . . ............. . Abel Brasil 6) .. .. ..... .... ...... .. Wayne Sayer 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... Dave Salmen 8) ..... . ........... Gustavo Saldahna 9) .............. . . . . Rohbon Sauches 1O) . ....... .... ... .... . Aldo Xavier

Cross-Country 1) ........ . ........... Beto Schmitz 2) ... . .. . ... ............ Andre Wolf 3) .. . .......... . ... Gustavo Saldahna 4) .... . ...... ........ . Mario Alonzi 42

SPEED GLIDING UPDATE Speed Gliding is off ro a good start this year with a successful meet in Brazil and a full calendar, including the Pre-World Speed Gliding event in Greece. The remaining schedule looks like this: • Pre-World, Mc Olympus, Greece (speed-gliding with X-C events), August 13-21. Contact Lillian Leblanc at alao-olympos2000@ach.forchnec.gr. • Sun Peaks, Canada (speed-gliding and X-C), July 25-Aug. 2. Contact Ian McArthur at ianmc@direcc.ca. • San Francisco, California (speed-gliding only), September 16-19. Contact Ray Leonard at advspcs@pyrarnid.net. • New Zealand (speed-gliding only), November. Contact Geoff Dossecor at ancigravity@excra.co.nz. A special note should be made of che Pre-World meet in Greece. This event is, of course, a preparation for the World Meet in 2000 and is open to all competitors, but speed-gliding is limited ro 75 pilots (on a first-come basis) . We are pulling out all the stops to make chis competition a media-friendly, affordable, fun flying event. There will be low-cost housing available, great food, and don't forget the famous Greek beaches. Speed-gliding will be our major focus, but due co the number of pilots expected we'll probably have two groups running for four days, then cut co a finals. Pilots who aren't flying speed-gliding (one round in the morning, one in lace afternoon, weather permitting) will be able co participate in X-C events that are fun and rewarding (prizes, that is) . Prize money amounts haven't yet been announced for the speed-gliding portion, but they will be as generous as possible. The fine Greek hospitality and flying weather are sure co make chis event a pilocpleaser. We suggest chat interested pilots join us in Greece for a great flying vacation and a tune-up for next year's World Meet. Then enter the Ed Levin (San Francisco) meet to qualify for the U.S. team. Attending next year's World Meet, the U .S. has a good chance co do well since we have more experienced speed-gliders than any other country. In ocher developments, the World Air Garnes are going to feature speed-gliding. This event will be held in Spain in 2001 and will include the World Meet ofX-C and speed-gliding. The events will not conflict so pilots can enter both. In addition, the World Games (an adjunct of the Olympics) is requesting speed-gliding participation in Akita, Japan in 2001. By the time you read this we will know if rhe area is suitable. No matter what che outcome, it is certain char rhe WHGS goal of using speed-gliding co attract media attention co showcase our sport is gradually being met. 5) . .................... Max Turiaco 6) ... . ... ........ . .. Raymond Caux 7) ......... . ..... Sauches Aldo Xavier

8) .................... Marcelo Ferro 9) .................. Alfredo Cabezas 10) .. . ........... .. .... Jacques Bott HANG GLIDING

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FLY I 800.6 .5637 NE FLI

BEGINNER-TANDEM RATINGS Region J

TOUTENHOOFD, VIM: Mckenzie Bridge, OR; I . Jorgensen/ J\ir J\dvcntmcs Region 2

GRADY, STEVE: I.akc Elsinore, CA; K. Over Elsinore OSSJFJ,, .JOIIN: La C:rcsccnta, C:J\; J\. Bcern/Windsporrs lnt'I SCORD, RICK: Costa Mesa, CJ\; C:. Thorcson/1.ookour Mtn FP SHR/\YBMJ\N, MICHAEL: Sama Monica, C:A; R. Mcl<.cm.ic/l ligh J\dvcnmre STEIN, ERfK: 1.ahaina, I 11; B. Karlak/Herkclcy Hedonists

EMORINE, JOSJANE: Aptos, CJ\; S. Rodrigues/Sky Puppy Aviation Region Ii

METER, MISTY: Dolores, CO; M. Joncs/Wallahy Ranch Region 7

BAAS, KEITH: /\Ito, Mf; M. Joncs/Wallahy Ranch SUSEK SCOTr:} Lmland, WI; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WILMANOWICZ, ADAM: Shclhy Twp, Ml; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region JO DUNLAP, DEAN: llearliron, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch EMERSON, ROBERT: Avon Park, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HOFFMANN, DAVID: Cape Coral, H.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch KAWAS, ROXANA: Decatur, GA; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MC CART!IY, STEVEN: Port Orange, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch RONDINELLI, DANILO: Davenport, r:I.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SISK, MARION: Brunswick, GA: J. Prahl/1.ookout M rn FP TOLi.BERG, GARY: Bradenton, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch VANASCO, JOSEPH: Wimer l Liven, Fl.: M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WALSH, MICT IAEI.: Ft Myers, 1:L; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WILMOUTH, 1.INDSAY: Tampa, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WOOTEN, PAUL: Alcoa, TN; M. l.ahado/1.ookom Mm i:1' Region 12

HARFOUCI IE, SAUM: New York, NY: M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 13

BUSSINGER, SJ\NDRO: Switzerland; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch GUERRA, RAUL: Ecuador; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch JONES, CIJRIS: England; R. Hagcwood/Quest J\ir RICCARDO, JOSEPH: Canada; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCI-IELLENBERGER, JORGE: Brazil; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCHMID, FRANK: (;crmany; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

BEGINNER RA'rINGS Region I

CULLER, JIMMY: Arlington, WA; R. (;clfon/Drcam Flights FLYNN, DARIN: Vader, W/1.; R. Muecke FLYNN, JAMES: Vader, W J\; R. Muecke JENSEN, JEFF: Spokane, WA; D. Sandcrson/lnhmd Air Sports PIERCE, THOMAS: Puyallup, WJ\; S. Campbell/Far Up Pree Flight Region 2

BERNARD, GREGORY: San Francisco, CJ\; D. Youm/Mission BRADLEY, SCOTT: Berkeley, CA; B. Karlak/Bcrkclcy I lcdonisrs FERNANDEZ, ED: lkrkclcy, CA; B. Karlak/Berkelcy I ledonists FRICKE, TOBIN: Berkeley, ( '.J\; ll. Karlak/Bcrkclcy l lcdonists MARTJN, AMY: Berkeley, CA; B. J<arlak/Bcrkelcy Hedonists OSBORNE, ROB: San Jose, CA; A. Kenny PERRY, DEAN: Cenoa, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Sports WEI, THOMAS: Berkeley, C:J\; B. Karlak/Bcrkeky llcdonisrs WOOD, SHAWN: Sama Clara, CA; J\. Kenny Region 3

EI.SING, MYLES: Corona Del Mar, ( :A; C. Thoreson/1.ookout Mtn FP

Region Ii FROST, BEVAN: Phoenix, AZ; D. Cordon/J\dvcntmc Sports Tours METER, MISTY: Dolores, C:O; M Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 6 CURL, KET.LY: Enid, OK; D. Broyles/Kite Enrcrprises HARRIS, BOB: Tulsa, OK; M. l.abado/1.ookour Mm Pl' J.UCJ\S, GREGORY: Fayetteville, AR; T. I lager/Lookout Mrn FP OSBORN II, ROBERT: Sr Louis, MO; T. llager/1.ookout Mm Fl' Region 7

BAAS, KEITH: Alm, Ml; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch GEDDES, PAUL: Middleville, Ml; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

ROBINSON, BRENT: Carmel, TN: T. I Jager/Looko111 Mm FP SUSEK, SCOTT: I fart land, WI; M. Joncs/Walbby Ranch THURY, MARK: Parkston, SD: I I. Stiriz/Miami JJC WILMANOWICZ, ADAM: Shelby Twp, Ml; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 8 BLACK, NICI-IOI.AS: Sramlord, CT: T. l lager/1.ookour Mm J;p LABRIE, CATE: I lolyoke, MA; B. Davidson/Tck Flight Prodllctions LARSEN, GEOFFREY: W Dover, VT; D. Baxter/Morningside FP Region 9 BERRY, WII.I.!AM: Madison I lcights, VA; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP CUNFBEU., STEVE: l limon, WV: M. l.ahado/l.ookout M111 Fl' HULi., KIRBY: Hancock, Ml); A. Torrington/Kiny Hawk Kites HULL, ZEB: I Lmcock, Ml); J\. Torringro11/I<itty l lawk Kites Region 10 ANDREOU, MARIO: Smirna, CJ\; C. Thoreson/Lookout Mrn FP I\RADEN,JASON: Atlanta, c;A; T. llagcr/Lookour Mm FP BRADEN, JEREMY: J\rlanra, CA; T. l lagcr/l.ookout Mm Fl' BURNETT, DAVIS: Nashville, TN; M. 1.abado/1.oolrnur Mrn fl' CARVJ\I.HO, PAULO: J\vcmura, fl.;J. Tindle/Miami HC DUNLAP, DEAN: l lcatl1ro11, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch EMERSON, ROBERT: Avon Park, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch EVANS, l STEPHEN: J\porka, Fl.; R. llagcwood/Qucst Air FROOM, REGINALD: Jupiter, Fl.; F. hHi/Miami JI(; HENDERSON, RODDY: Marietta, GA; C:. Thorcson/l.ookom Mui FP HOFFMANN, DAVID: Cape Coral, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch JACOBSON, NOLAN: J\rLmta, CJ\; T. I lagcr/1.ookom Mm FI' KANTOR, GREG: Miami, l,.I.; J. Tindle/Miami l JC KAUF, MICHAEL: Fort l.audcrdalc, FL; J. Tindle/Mi.uni HG KAWAS, ROXANA: Decatur, GA; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch MAGANA, DAVID: Grayson, CA; T. Jfagcr/l.ookour Mtn FP MANN, JJ\MF.S: Simpsonville, SC:; C:. Thoreson/Lookom Mui Fl' MCCARTHY, STEVEN: !'on Orange, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch OGLE, MARK: l lorton, Al.; C:. Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP ROACH, CHRISTOPHER: Union Mills, NC: A. Torrington/Kitty l lawk Kites RONDJNELU, DANILO: I hvenpon, Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCOVIi I., JAY: Caincsvillc, CA; T. Hager/I .ookout Mm Fl' S' rEPI IENSON JV, ORI AN DO: Jacksonville, NC:; M. l ~rbado/J ,.ookout Mtn FP SUAREZ, ROBERT: Miami, Fl.; F. Foti/Miami l IC TINDLE, DIANNE: l'cmhrokc Pines, J,'l.;J. Tindle/Miami HC;

I IANC CLJD!Nc;

n TOLLBERG, GARY: Bradenro11, FL; M. Jo11cs/Walhhy Ranch UTERMOEI IEEN, KARIN: C:oconut Creek, FL: T. Quinla11/Mi:1mi I IC VANASCO, .JOSEPII: Winier llavcn, !;!.; i\11. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WAl.SH, MICHA El.: Ft Fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WEIR, MARK TUCKER: I !t111tsvillc, Al.; J. C:ook/Rockct City /\irsports WIESSNER, DR ALEXANDER: Coconut Creek, FL; T. Q11inbn/Miami J IC Wll .MOUTI l, UN DSAY: Tampa, i:I.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WORTHEY, WILLIAM: Maric11a, C/\; C:. Tlrnrcson/Lookour Mrn FP Region 11 BAR/\TTINI, BRET: Covington, I.A; C:. Thorcson/1.ookout Mm Fl' JOHNSON, DALE: llons1011, TX; B. Mauzy/ Aus1in Air Sports SFl'AHB/\N, AMIR: Seabrook, TX; 1:. Hums/ Austin Air Sports VOGT, TIM: l louston, TX; F. B11rns/J\us1i11 Air Spons Region l CARROLi., MICHELE: Phoenix, NY; T. l lager/Lookout Mm Fl' HJ\RFOUCHE, SALIM: New York, NY: M. Jones/Wallaby Rmch HENDERSON, JAMIE: Oakland, NJ; C. Black/Mountain l IC Region 13 BOGGS, A GREGORY: Canada; C. Thorcson/1.ookorn Mm Fl' BUSSINGER, SANDRO: Switzerland; M. Jones/Wallaby IZ:mch GlJFRRA, RAUL: Fcuador; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch HOCKIN, JOSEPH: C:anad:r; M. Robcnson/1 ligh l'c1·srn:c11vc RlCCJ\RDO,JOSEPH: c::m:rcl:r; M.Jones/W:illaby R:11ich SCJIEIJ.F.NBERCER, JORGE: Br:rzil: M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCI IM[D, FRANK: ( :ermany; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WEIR, ANGIE: Uk B:r 1C,nl; R. l lagcwood/Qucsr Air

NOVICE RATINGS Region l CUI .LER, JIMMY: Arlington, WA; R. C;clfon/1 )rc:rrn Fligh1s PIERCE, THOMAS: Puy:rllrrp, WA; S. C::rrnpbcll/F:rr Up Free Flight TOUTENI-IOOFD, VIM: Mckenzie Bridge, OR; l.. Jorgrnsrn/Air Advcmnrcs Rcgion 2 BERNARD, GREGORY: San Francisco, C:A; D. Youm/Mission Soaring BLACK-DOWNES, JIM: S:rn Francisco, C:A; l'. I Lrrlow/Mission OSBORNE, ROB: S:rnJo.,e, C:J\; 1\. Kenny PERRY, DEAN: Ccnoa, NV; R. Leonard/Adventure Spons WOOD, SHAWN: Sama C:lar:1, CA; A. Region 3 GRADY, STEVE: Lake rnsinorc, C:A; K. Over Elsinore SHRAYBMAN, M!CH/\F.L: Santa Monica, CA: R. McKcm.ic/High ;\dvcnnrre STEINDLER, CURT: Los J\ngdcs, CJ\; J\. Beem/Windspons Region 4 GOLDJNC, ROBERT: Albuquerque, NM; W. Frazier/I ligh Desert I Jc; SNYDER, DAVID: T11cso11, /\'/,; E. Smirh/Arirnna Airfoils

DALY, D CAMERON: Ncwtonvillc, MA; S. Jewell/Fly I Jigh LABRJE, CATE: Holyoke, MA; B. Davidso11/Tck J<'lighr l'rod11ctions MERCALDI, CHRIS: C:oncorcl, MA; C:. Thorcson/1.ookom Mm Fl' MERCALDI, DAVID: C:oncord, MA; C :. Thoreson/Lookour Mm Fl' Region 9 CLINEBELL, STEVE: J linton, WV; M. 1.abado/1.ookout Mm FP KIM, FUSABETI l: Arlington, VA; S. Wendi/Blue Sky WISEMAN, JOHN: Newrown, l'A; R. I lagcwood/Qrrcst Air Region JO ANDREOU, MARIO: Srnima, c;A; C Thorcson/Lookom Mrn 1,'p BRADEN, JASON: Arlanrn, CA; T. I lager/l .ookour Mm Fl' BRADEN, JASON: Arlama, CA; T. J !ager/l.ookou1 Mm FP BRADEN, JEREMY: J\rlanta, CJ\; 'J'. I !agcr/Lookou1 Mm Fl' CARVALHO, PAULO: J\ve111rrra, J:I .; J. Tindle/Miami I JC CLIFFORD, WILLIAM: Orlando, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby ltrnch EMERSON, ROBERT: Avon Park, 1:1.; M. Jones/W:rllaby Ranch 1:.v ANS, J. STEPHEN: Aporb, FL; R. l l:rgcwood/Qucs1 Air FIFLD, CHRIS: J larrirn:m, TN; C:. Thoreso11/Lookorn Mournain Fl' FROOM, REGINALD: Jupircr, FL; F. Fo1i/Mia111i 11c; HENDERSON, RODDY: Marie1ia, Ci\; C Thorcson/Lookortt Mm FP HOFFMANN, DAVID: C::rpc C:or:rl, 1:r.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch KANTOR, CREC: Miami, 1:1.;). Timllc/Mi:rrni I IC KAUF, MICHAEL: hm Lauderdale, fl.; J. Tindle/Miami I IC LA FEVER, LAUREN: Wildwood, CA; S. Hciple/l.ookou1 Mm FP MC CART! JY, STEVEN: Pon Orange, Fl.; M. Joncs/Wallahy Ranch STUNTZNER, TODD: C:hananooga, TN; C. Tlrnreso1r/Lookout Mtn FP SUAREZ, ROBERT: Mi:m1i, Fl.; F. Fori/Mi:rmi HC THOMPSON, ANN: !<ill Devil llill, NC:;/\. Torrington/Kitty Hawk Kites TINDI .F, DIANNF: Pcrnhrokc Pines, FL; J. Ti11dlc/Miami I IC; lJTFRMOEI IEFN, KARIN: ( :oconm Creek, 1:1.; 'J. Quinlan/Miami J IC; VANASCO, JOSEPH: Winier 11:!Vcn, 1:1.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WALSH, MICHAEL: Fr fl.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch WEIR, MARK TUCKER: l lumsvillc, Al,; J. C:ook/Rocket City J\irsporrs WlESSNFR, DR ALEXANDER: Coconm Creek, FL; T Quinlan/Miami l J(; WILMOUTI I, LINDSAY: Tampa, 1:1.; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 12

KACZMAR, MARY ELLEN: Middletown, NY; E. Royal/Fllenvillc W Region 13 BUSSINGER, SANDRO: Swit'l.crLmd; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch GUERRA, RAUL: Ecuador; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch I JOCKlN, JOSEPI !: Canada; M. Rolierrson/1 ligh Perspective RICCARDO, JOSEPH: Canada; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch S(:HELI.FNBERCER, JORGE: Brazil; M. Jones/Wallaby R:rnch SCHMID, FRANK: (;crm:rny; M. Joncs/Wall:rby Ranch WEIR, ANGIE: Uk Ba I 6nl; It [-lagcwood/(Jucst ;\ir

INTERMEDlATE RATINGS Region 6 I !ARRIS, BOB: Tuls:1, OK; M. Lalmlo/1.ookour Mm J:l'

Region I PABEN, JERRY: Sherwood, OR; R. Berger/Oregon H(;

Region PENEHT, PETER: Madison, WI: H. Kuslmer/R:wcn Sky Sports Tl IURY, MARK l'arksron, SD; 11. S1iriz/Miarni I re;

Region 2 FROFJ II.ICJ-1, ERIC: Sunnyvale, Cl\; D. Joncs/W OR

Rcgion 8 BLACK, NICHOLAS: Stamford, CT; T. I lagcr/1.ookour Mm Fl' )UNI

1999

Region 3 BRITO, DARIO: Omario, CA; It McKcm.ic/1-ligh Adventure CAPEWEI.L, DALE: San Diego, C:J\; R. Mitchcll/Tlrc Faglcs Wings HC SCOLA RI, MARIO: San Diego, C:J\; S. Pines Clidcrport

Region 4 DEMPSEY, J,RANK: Sandia Park, NM; J. Soaring 0 BRIEN, TIMOTHY: J\lbmp1crc1uc, NM; M. Glantz/High Desert HC

GUERRA, RAUL: Ecuador; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch RICCARDO, JOSEPIJ: Canada; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCHMlD, FRANK: Germany; M. Joncs/W;illaby Ranch MASTF.R RATINGS

Region 9 KNIGHT, RON: Radcliff, KY; C. Thorcson/1.ookout Mm FP MITCHELL, RAYMOND: Richmond, VA; S. Wcndt/l\luc

Region 7 NIELSEN, M.D., JEFFREY: Warrenville, JL; B. Bryden

Region 10 EMERSON, ROBERT: Avon Park, FL; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch RAHN, RAYMOND: lslamorada, FL; J. Reynolds/Phoenix Acrospons

Region 9 MICK, GREGORY: Lynchburg, VA; G. DeWolf/Fly America PrOlluctions

Region l l KETTJ.E, ROBERT: l louston, TX; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 12 KNOEI I.ER, RICHARD: Middle Village, NY; S. M:1krinos/lkaros Sport Aviarion LITTLE, MARGARET: I lolmdcl, NJ; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch Region 13 BUSSINGER, SANDRO: Switzerland; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch CHARCZUK, TOM: Canada; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch GUERRA, RAUL: Ecuador; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch lTOCKIN, JOSEPH: Canada; M. Robenson/High Perspective RICCARDO, JOSEPH: Canada; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCHELi .FNBERGER, .JORGE: Brazil; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch SCHMID, FRANK: c;crmany; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

ADVANCED RATINGS Region 1 TWOROG, TIM: Gold Hill, OR; R. Camp Region 2 O'CONNELL, RICHARD: Fremont, CA; P. Dcnevan/Mission Soaring Region 3 ALDRICH, ERICK: Lake Forest, CA; R. Mitchell/The J\aglc.1 Wings [ JC School BRIANT, WALTER: Koloa, Hl;A. l·'.ngcrt/l!C; Maui

TANDEM ONE RATINGS

Region JO WELDEN, JOIIN: Birmingham, J\L; M. Taber/Lookout Mtn FP WOLFORD, JEFFREY: Kennesaw, GA; G. DeWolf/Fly America Producrions

'1'ANDEM INSTRUCTOR RATINGS Region 7 ROI.AND, NEAL: La Crosse, Wl; G. DeWolf/Fly America Producrions

R!INK SCHOOL ..... ,.............................. .,, .... BBG'.!NNW? Wallaby Ranch ........ ,........ ,.......... ,.... .,, ..... ,......... ,.... 88 2 Lookout Mountain Flight Park ............................... 64 3 M fruni Harig Gliding .............................................. 17 4 Kitty Hawk Kites ..................................... ,.......... ,... 16 5 Mission Soaring Cenrer .... ,.... ,............ ,................ ,.. .14 6 7 8 9

Austin Airspon:s ......... ,.. , .................... ,,.,,.,, ..... ,, ...... 12 High Adventure ........... .,, .... ., ................. ,.... , .. ,,. ...... 11 Morningside Flight Park ......................................... 10

Berkeley l:·Iedonists ........... ,....................................... 6 Adventure Sports Tours ..... ., ..................................... 6

Region 4 CAMERON, PATRICK: Meeker, CO; J. Zeise1/Peudulum Acrosports MARTIN, DUSTIN: Phoenix, A'/.; J. Rcynolds/Phoeuix J\crosports Region 7 MORRIS, DAN: Helenvillc, Wl; H. Kushner/Raven Sky Sports REICH, MARK: Wadsworth, lJ .; B. Kushner/Raven Sky Sports 'IJAALAND, JOHN: Milwm1kcc, Wl; 13. Kushner/Ravrn Sky Sports Region 9 HULL, STEPllEN: Woodbridge, VA; S. Wendr/Blue Sky Region 10 DAVIS, DAN: Tupelo, MS; A. Bloodwonh/1.ookom Mm FP EMERSON, ROBERT: Avon Park, Fl,; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch GREEN, DAVID: Clarksville, TN; C:. Thorcson/l.ookom Mrn J:p Region 12 GARSIDE, MICHAEL: W:1rcrvlicr, NY; D. Cuido/Susquchanna FP

RANK SCF/OOL .......... ,....... ,, ........... ,,, ....... ., .... ,NOV!CE Lookout Mountain Plight Park ......... ., ............. ,.... ,.48 2 Wallaby Ranch ............. ., ...... ,., ............................... ,32 3 Miami Hang Gliding ............................... ., ......... ,. .. 21 4 Mission Soaring Center. .. ., ....... ,. ....... ,,,.,. ....... ., ...... , 12 5 l'ligh Adventure ..... ., ...... ,... ,. ................................... 10 6 Mountain Wing Hang Gliding .................... ,............ 8 7 Kitty 'Hawk Kites ............................................ ,.. ,..... .7 7 Quest Air ............ ,..................... ,, .............................. 7 8 Raven Sky Sports ... ,. ........... ,, ........ ,............... ,. ... ,. ..... 6 9 Windsports lnternational ...... ,,,,,,, .. ,.. ,... ,.............. ., .. ,5

Ranldngs were compiled from rriting:i published in the ]tmuary through June 1999 issues rfHang Gliding magazine.

Region 13 BUSSINGER, SANDRO: Switzerland; M. Jones/Wallaby Ranch

HANC CLIDL\JC

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A 20.:Year Reunion A HANG-DRIVING/GLIDING HISTORY

had always been fascinate~ with ~ight, but the idea of non-motonzed flight probably topped everything on my list of life's fascinations. My first exposure to hang gliding was in Aspen, Colorado in the mid- l 970's, watching these amazing winged things circling over the jagged cliffs bordering Ruby's Run on Ajax. My next exposure was several years later in Crested Butte, Colorado. It was the late l 970's, mid-summer, and I was involved in "Dance in the Mountains." When I wasn't dancing I was gazing at Crested Butte Mountain, totally mesmerized once again by the wings circling over chat distinctive peal<, never even imagining that my life was soon to change.

THE FREE-SPIRITED 1970's It all started off with a sprained ankle (stepping off the outdoor stage onto a loose rock) and subsequently nursing it at the Olde World Bakery on Elk Avenue. I was sitting alone, ankle propped up, listening in on tl1e conversation of three guys at an adjacent table. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were hang glider pilots. I found myself interrupting them and asking what it was like to fly. I got every comment imaginable from tl1e three, but che one remark that stuck out was, "Hang gliding is the greatest thing you can do, witl1 one exception." In any event, I soon fow1d myself introduced to them - Dusty Buck-

!er, Jim Cobb and Brian Jensen - and all three were in Crested Butte to fly and compete in the Regionals. Back in chose days Brian flew a UP Condor and Jim and Dusty each flew an Olympus or "Oly. " Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I asked if I could come along to see what it was all about. Jim offered to let me be their driver, which I initially declined because of my sprained left ankle, but Jim was quick to offer a solution: "Hey, my van's an automatic. Your right foot is okay, isn't it?" So, feeling excessively privileged (if I only knew then what I know now!) to have the opportunity to drive for these sky gods, I began my career as a hang driver which lasted for a couple of seasons. It was during tl1is time that I became familiar with the routine of a flying day: Everyone meet at 10:00 AM, head up Crested Butte Mountain to the gate, unlock the gate, lee everyone through, re-lock the gate and enjoy a wild ride up a narrow gravel road with the obligatory hairpin turns. We would stop right at the top of what was then the Forest Queen enclosed chair lift at about 10,500' MSL, walk the glider up the eternally long stretch of trail (pant, pane) to the boulder field above what was then a makeshift launch of 3/4-inch plywood above yet another treacherous boulder field, set up while dodging dust devils, and then play several rounds of hacky sack waiting for conditions to improve. In desperation

not to leave any pilots stranded on tl1e moumain I was trained to front wirelaunch. Then ic was back down the mountain, gazing at the sky in case I needed to chase one of the pilots down the valley. (Dusty, being the X-C animal that he was, made one flight to Monarch Pass, flying a total of approximately 65 miles. Pretty doggone good on an old single-surface!) And, of course, there were the usual hang-driving duties: "Lori, would you please take my hat and make sure I get it back?" - "Lori, after you get down, would you mind stopping off and grabbing a sixpack?" - "Lori (post-flying), my shoulder is really sore from flying. Can you give it a quick massage?" I became good friends with Dusty, Jim and Brian (the flying equivalent of the Three Stooges), and also during the course of my hang driving career met up with the lilm of]ohn Coyne, Rusty Whitley, Chuck Dugan , Sean Deaver, Jad<. Carey (of the Telluride Air Force) , Dave Rodriguez of Wasatch Wings, and the incomparable Judy Hildebrand (who ultimately became my flying buddy, neighbor, and great friend 13 years lacer). During the initial flying season I lived in a basement home several blocks off Eli< Avenue. After driving for Dusty, Jim and Brian, it didn't take long before my house was inhabited by not only these three characters, but a hodgepodge of the rest of the visiting hang gliding community as well. It didn't take long to come up with an appropriate name, and, thus, "Lori's Home for Wayward Air Junkies" was born. Now chis was the late '70's, and exercising one's free-spirited nature, especially in the world of hang gliding, was pretty much the norm. So naturally after a great day of soaring - and after a visit to Sunshine's Bath.11ouse to sit in the natural stone Jacuzzi and soak those sore flying muscles - we would all party in town (the Wooden Nickel being a local favorite), and eventually gather back at "Lori's Home" for an evening of typical radical pilot ancics. I guess the most memorable of all evenings (although tl1is was not necessarily a good thing) was the night a couple of ever-so-slighdy inebriated pilots played darts, William Tell style. Being somewhat financially challenged I knew I was facing an uphill battle, but I still wanted to learn to fly! Since there weren't any flying schools in the immediate vicinity, Dusty scarred tl1e Cloudbase School of Hang Gliding, and his first students were Paul Hurd, Ron Rouse (owner of Crested Burce Air Service) and, of course, me. It was

there that I experienced my first footlaunch and actually flew in the prone position about two feet off the ground. What an incredible feeling! However, I became greedy for more, so the year after the 1980 season I packed up my few belongings, left them with a friend, filled up my backpack with the necessities, grabbed my wolf-dog, Sime, and proceeded to thumb my way to the Salt Lake area to learn to fly at the Point of the Mountain, famed for its consistent winds.

Driving back through Colorado and some of my old stomping grounds, and seeing Dusty and Georgie (his wife and my dear friend) in Crested Butte again, was probably one of the most agonizing experi ences I can remember. I then continued to Georgia, feeling about as bottomed-out as one could feel. At that point I got on with the job of working and raising children in the Atlanta area for the next eight years.

THE 1990's RED EMPT IO The hero who finally gave me the nudge to "LIFE HAPPENS" turn my life around was Chris Farbolin. All IN THE 1980's I had to do was hear, "Hey, I know someIt's funny how life changes. I one who flies was initially ensconced in hang gliders," Lori, Jim & Dusty in the front yard of Chuck D ugan's old apartduring a din"Lori's Home For Wayward Air ner date, and ment above Wasatch Wings, junkies" - 1979. I immediately working to scrape together suffered an some money for lessons. I had only had the equivalent overwhelmof three lessons at the South ing obsession Side of Point of the Mounto see pure tain before life decided to give flight once me a spanking and I had to again. I make some difficult decisions. insisted on With much regret, but feeling meeting this the bite of reality concerning pilot, and my financial and personal sitwhen I finally uation , and simdid I found out that, yes, ply not having the self-discithe south wasn't compline to make it pletely hopehappen, I less; there was a hang glidregrettably ing sire just a couple of walked away hours away. After begging from my dream of flying. Chris to be his driver just Five years, so I could be around flying two children, again, I managed to twist his arm hard enough to and one bad take me to this hang glidmarriage later, I ing site the following weekliterally cut my end - Lookout Mountain heart out by selling my Flight Park. What a difference between this place house, leaving and the remote flying sires my beloved West and venour west! I looked over the turing back to concrete ramp into a huge, the bosom of flat, grassy LZ with a my family in the land of tennis, golf, and swimming pool and volleyball court, and said, "This isn't a hang gliding site, it's a godawful heat and humidity - Georgia. country club!" There were all manner of (When I originally left Georgia to move to gliders set up. I couldn't believe the changes Colorado I swore I would never come back.) However, at that point in my life I in design that had happened over the years. was in "survival" mode, needed to be closer I had never even seen a double-surface glidto my fanuly, and had pretty much given er before. up all my hopes and dreams when I finally Bur I was getting impatient: "Come on made the decision to leave Utah. Chris, get set up! I want to see yo u fly!" He JUN E 1999

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calmly stated, 'Tm not flying today, you arc! It's, uh, my treat." (THUNK I keeled over in shock!) The whole time I had been involved in hang gliding the opportunity to fly tandem never presented itself, and now it was being handed to me on a silver platter! It wa5 not long [)(:fore [ experienced my first "rush," enjoying my first cliff launch with tandem instructor Jim Prahl. 'fhe flight lasted only five minutes, hut it was literally the big cvcnr that finally renewed my lost dream. I spent the following winter saving up for my Mountain Package skipping meals, working overtime, selling rny first· born, whatever I had to do and finally began lessons the following April. I spent the next several months coming up every other weekend for some excellent instruction frorn Lookout instructors Christian Thoreson, Rex Lyle, Melanie Middleton, Daniel Jones and Jim Hooks. Fifty-three launches and landings later Twas finally a mountain pilot. Naturally, the first person 1 contacted with the news was Dusty Buckler to let him know that his driver finally got to realize her dream. l also got to share the fulfillment of my dream with Jim Cobb who had settled down to raise a family in Naples, Florida, and who had pretty much quit flying several years before.

A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 20 YEARS Several years, several ratings (a !Jang 4) and several gliders later (from a Dream lli5, to a Wills Wing Super Sport 143, to a Moyes Xtralite 137), and after about l 20 hours of flying time, l get a phone call from Dusty and Georgie. "(-;uess what? We're going to be in Orlando, Plorida the last week in March and will be meeting up with Jim Cobb at Wallaby Ranch. Want to come do the Disney World thing with us and then actually commit aviation together?" My

automatic response: "Yes! Twill make it happen. I will be there." Suddenly the old dream of flying with my two buddies from so long ago was about to become reality! T found myself thinking, "Wouldn't it be great to all tow up and share the same thermal and have awesome soaring flights together?" 'I 'he dreaded and longed-for weekend was corning up quickly. Gee, l was 43 years old, had borne several children, and although time had been reasonably friendly to me I certainly wasn't the "babe" Dusty and Jim remembered from those days in Crested Butte. But what the heck, they were both happily married and all T wanted to do was sec them again and give them a great big hug. (] still wanted to put a paper bag over my head or send Urna Thurman in my place, but [ didn't want her touching my Xtralite.) 'fhc weekend, to say the least, was an experience that exceeded my wildest imag-· inings. Seeing both Jim and Dusty again was absolute sweetness. 'They had both aged well and life had obviously been good to them, despite the inevitable trials and tribulations. Jim had recently gotten back into flying and had earned his acrotow rating at Wallaby. Dusty, still a Colorado resident, who managed to stay current through the years, experienced his first aerotow on a Falcon and was definitely dialed into aero-towing by his second flight. So there we were lined up and ready to tow I in my precious Moyes Xtralitc, Dusty and Jim in twin gliders once again. (They both demoed Wills Wing Ultra Sports thanks to Rob Kells and Wills Wing I )crno Days.) As all three of us were gearing up to fly I experienced a little dt'ja vu all over again: "Lori, would you please hold my hat, and put it in a safe place?" Sigh ... some things never change. First Dusty launched, then Jim, then I

finally lifted off into some very rough, thermally air. Afrer flghting to stay behind Carlos, who was piloting the tug, I finally released into a nice thermal. l looked around and spotted both Jim and Dusty, slightly below me. We all hung out in the thermal together for a while and I got all choked up. Tears gathered in my eyes, temporarily blinding me. My dream of so many years had finally come true. What l had not envisioned was proceeding ro have an incredible soaring flight, reaching an altitude of 5,500 feet and feeling the wispy moisture of cloudbase. Afrer finally getting too cold and a little tired after a couple of hours, T decided to go find sink (a difficult thing to do in Florida in the spring), circle down and land. I had lost Jim and Dusty long before and was won-dcring how they were doing. Naturally, [ was floored when they ran out to greet me afrcr l landed. With exclamations about me "kicking bun," and, "How dare you out-fly us, you're a driver!" f realized J had jusr "smoked" Jim and Dusty. Well, if that didn't beat all! Reuniting with two very dear friends who literally had a major positive impact on my life made me feel like I had finally come full circle. Renewing my friendship with Dusty (and Georgie) and Jim (with the promise that we won't wait another 20 years before we fly together again) will probably go down as one of the greatest tirnes in my life and certainly the most memorable. One thing about hang gliding: 'The design and performance of hang gliders bas changed over the years, but norhing tran-sccnds the besr thing about flying the people, the camaraderie, the fun, the wild and crazy times, even the times of pain, and the bonds forged as a result. Now we just need to find Brian Jensen and include him in our next reunion gig! Ill

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Upd Continuedfrom Jutge I 0. to give those pilots the credit they deserve.

ctms 1 l)

Butch Peachy

Jee,; Rossignol

3) 4) 5) 6)

Reto Schaerl.i Mitch Shipley Pads Williams Rich Burton Jim Yocurn Jon James KendalJ Dennis Ifarris Bill Vogel Nick Thomas TimWashik Mark Grubbs George Stebbi11s Ron Roose Carol Russ Locke

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ne hundred of the world's finest paragliding and han:g gliding pilots will return to Aspen this September 2-8 for the second annual Red Bull Wings Over Aspen. The six-day event will serve as the United I-fang Gliding Association (US:HGA) National Championships of Paragliding, and is to include crosscountry paragliding, hang gliding aerobatics, and skydiving expositions. Athletes will compete for a cash purse of $25,000. Prominent pilots expected to compete include defending champions Andy Hediger of Switzerhmd and Claire Bernier of France, both top competitors on the Paragliding World Cup (PWCA) circuit. Americans Chris Santacroce; Othar Lawrence of Carbondale, CO; Mitch McAleer of Lake Elsinore, CA; and Chris Davenport, of Aspen, CO, are all expected to post strong showings in this year's competition. Said Lawrence, the 1997 U.S. JUNE 1999

National Champion, "The NATS RESULTS is in its infancy. sport Herc are the top finishers at the recent U.S. Nationals Aspen hosted the Nationals held at Quest Air in Florida. Stay tuned for an in--dcprh in 1993 and 1994, and it's article in the next issue of Hang Gliding; great to have it back and a.s strong as ever. ff last year's FLEX competition was any indicaPlace Pilot Glider Country tion,l'd say paragliding is 1) Manfred Ruhmer AUT Luninar really gaining some recogni2) UKR Oleg Bondarchuk Aeros Stealth tion in the U.S. 3) BR/\/ "fopless Bctinho Schmitz the daily competi-· Ii) BRAZ l,aminar Andre Wolf tion, two early-evening hang S) SWl Martin I Tarri Laminar gliding and paragliding aero6) USA Fusion Jim Lee batics demonstrations will Mike Barber USA 'fop less 7) light up the skies over Aspen, 8) 'fouy Marty SW! CSX highlighted by the Red Bull AUS 9) Kraig Coomber CSX Aero Team, Europe's nwnI 0) Dustin Martin USA CSX ber-one paragliding team. The hang gliding event is a RIGID four-day freestyle competiPlace Pilot Glider tion open to any experienced 1) US/\ Brian Porter Utopia hang glider pilot. Pilots will 2) USA Exxtacy Davis Straub launch from the top of lJSA 3) Joh;mn Posch Exxracy Aspen Mountain and fly Ii) USA Exxtacy Jim Zeisct 2,500 feet to the valley floor. S) USA ATOS Dave Sharp A panel of five judges wil1 6) USA Millenium Ramy Yanetz score pilots on maneuvers USA Exxtacy Campbell Bowen 7) including loops, wingovers, 8) USA Jamie Sheldon Exxtacy stalls, dives and spins. Mark Mulholbnd USA Millenium 9) Pinally, Frank Gambalie, 10) Jim Yocom USA Exxtacy the number-one U.S. base-· 11) USA Russ Locke Exxtacy jumper is expected ro make another cameo appearance. Gambalie wowed crowds at last year's event tions, Aspen Skiing Co., and Parapente ,L5 he released from a tandem paragliding Aspen. flight. Frank has gained international notoPress amenities and credentials will be riety, having jumped from countless bridgr~~, available at the Aspen Club Lodge. Entry dim and skyscrapers worldwide. forrns, photos and additional information Red Bull Wings Over Aspen is sponarc available online at sored by Red Bull Energy Drink, Aspen www;aspen.com/rbwoa. Club Lodge, Aspen Paragliding and Expedi ..

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GLIDERS -·- 35, for sale, rigid to single surface. Call/email for current list. Wallaby Ranch (')ii l) li21i-

DREAM 220 Tandem ship. Orange/white. Only 11 logged flights! Complete set of fh1ts. $ l ,7'50. (970) 7 28-3905.

KLASSIC I lilt Yellow/white, absolurc miut rion, 5 hours 11sc and then stored indoors for 2 $2,800. Klassic 155, 80 liours, clcau $2, I 00. (Ii lilJ8HOO, bradGhh:1nggli,li11g.con1 w/winglcts, $2,300. dennis.J1arrisGilclcctro-rcst.com, ('/75) 1/i(,6 leave message. LAMINAR ST, 11, 13 RANCII (911) 421-0070. LA MOUETTE TOPLESS Demo daily. LABY RANCH (9ft 1) lt24---0070,

0070 Florida, gliders~hwallahy.com

MARK IV 17 Good condition $800 OBO. (71 551 -'5120, RHAI INGhld<tv.com Colorado

IIPAT l4'i - Pristine, dO hours $1,(,00 O!lO. CCIOOO w/:ill options, 11p to '5'10" $650 OBO. Ball 652 vario/alti/air $190. (505) 984-')872 evenings, or ctha n ka u<?hx. netcom .co1 n

co.

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

MILLENNIUM 0070.

Number of months: SECTION IJ Flex Wings iJ Emergency Parachutes iJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders rJ Videos

IJ Towing IJ Schools & Dealers IJ Ultralights IJ Rigid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations iJ Wanted IJ Harnesses

Begin with---···-----·--·----·--····-· 19 consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount

ot $ NAME: ____,__________ _ ADDRESS: ---·------···--·····--,----·---···---··-·---· ···-------··-------·-·-· _---·--··--

Number of Number of words:

@$.50 --·---·-----· @$1.00

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

HANC CLIDlNC

MOYFS CSX SX, XTL, XS3, XT, etc. New and nearly new. Av:1ilablc immediately. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. WALLABY RANCI! (9/i I) li2k0070.

Sl'FC:TRlJM CLFARANCF SALE

Three 1(,5

Spcctrurns in near new condition, w/a!l oplions $2,100-$.l,200. Ravrn Sky Sports (Ii 1Ii) lr7:l 8800,

c;reat trainer, ).()

WILLS WIN<, ltAVEN 209

hours, extra control hars, downn1hc.'>, wheels, Pagcn rn:t1111al $500. ('S/0) (,2')-'l:160.

J,r;1cJ~11J,a1,ggliding.co111 MOYLS XTRAI IT!\ 1.l7 Lxccllcnt condition, /0 ho11rs, blue and yellow asymmctricaL travel hag, extra pans $ I ,800. (206) 2/i!i 5 I 2). redris&t1wolfrnct.com

Wll .l.S WINC XC: 112

owner-former Cauory 1cs1 pilot, absolutely pcr/'cct handling $2,6')5 OllCl. I 800 :32.55571.

Scn1cc vario $200. ComplctL' tow system new,

WWXC I li2 I.ow hours, beat1tiful colors, great condition $2,liOO Oil(). (5:HJ) 25 I 'i871i.

MOYES XTRAI.ITE l.ll Well kept, blue/grcrn/whitc $I, 500 OBO. (Ii I Ii) lil:l 8800, bradvJJhanggl iding.corn

w/.l,500' Spectra $1,000. $,U'i() takes all (910) (,Ci:l

w/monntain bag, xi /J MOYFS XTRAI.ITF. lli7 harness, gore l""achutc w/swivel, l'lytec :\O(l:l vario /Ix: more. All great condition $.l,000. Augus (')77.) (,O'i:35/') or (')72) lli8-lr5/0.

SPORT I (,7 I.ow time. Tandc11, Raven 2(1(,. wheels, harness, Ball vario & more. 1.JQUIDATING CIIEAI'. Call l'at ((, 1'J) Ci')2 07-'72. or ('Jlr I) 59 I O'i22, l'atKepen<c1lad11c.com

MOYES XTR;\LJTF I Ir? All mylar, new bag, good condition, xc bag $1i50 OllO. ('l(l'J) .l'l I -211 I

STEAi Tl I KP! I 'i I Bl11e/ycllow, f'lies great $ l,/00 OBO. (90')) Ci7'J 8Ci0'.l.

MOYLS XTR;\l.lTI•: !Ir/ F.xccllrnt condition, one ownn, <lO hours, new Oct 95 $1,'JOO OBO. (li2.l) (,C)g .. J Ci I(, Chattanooga, TN.

SUl'FRSl'Cl[( I' 1 li.l Fxccllc11t c:o11ditio11, hot pink l'x magenta, <'i'i hours $1 ,liOO OBO. ('J/0) 925

MOYES XT !'RO 165 Novice/intermediate dot1· blc surface, twu available $1,600., $7,.lOO. (·i Iii) iiTl8800, brndf1lJm1ggliding.com

SlJPERSPORT I 5.l ·-· Make offer. ('J/0) 'J25 8/,Ci'),

Excellent 11y· l'ACAIR MACIC HlRMLJI.A !'Sir er, new speedbar, nose & side wires $ I ,750. (17'3) ,SC,-280 l.

ho11rs, red/white, one

SPORT I (i'l <20 hours $1,250. Sensor 'i IO B/C: $/iOO. AS(; 21 w/big wheels $ I 00. ( )mega 220 $ I 50. New I.Ill harness, 11p to 6', never llown $'i00. New

/'JO).

W\XIXC: I li2, I 55 Low homs, clean and nice condition $2,')00 [c,r 15'i, $2100 for J/i2. (lillr) Ii/,. 8800, brad&r1 li:tnggliding.rnm Y7K COMPATIBLE' Want a Chos1Buster' Need an Fxxtacy' Don't stress. Don't fret. Yot1 can fly f'11lly assmed that every Flight Design glider has been designed from the beginning, ,111d thoroughly tested, to be Y2K compmihlc. Ctll (50')) 92'i -'i5(,5 if' you arc llyi11g some other brand that may not he ready f,,r the new /Vf'w Yt'frr.

10, skywogfi1ror.nc1

XTRAI.ITF. New du,meG1lps11w.com, ('i'j'J) 28/i--1708.

sail

$1,975.

1onypCrhco.pitki11.co.11s

FMFRGENCY PARACIIIJTES SlJl'F.RSl'ClRT I 5.\ ...... Exccllc11t condition, very low hours, folding spcedbar, white/lime grecn/hl11c $1,'iOO. (2'i2) Ci:lii-'Jli55. SUl'F.RSI'( lRT I 5.l Superneat custom sail, wry low hours, WW fin included $2, I 00. (Ii I Ii) fi7:l 8800, hradG1lh:1nggliding.con> TIU Mi11t/11cw condition, <10 hours, red I.F wired hattc11 pockets $2,200. (502) 251- lli,\2 x I /iO, (502) /J.1-8//i(,, jhinshawv''t-source.com

PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA 904.441.5458 USFD, CUARANTFFll 7.0' and 18' di,nnetcr, military specilieations $:lOOca. (30.3) .3/i/-8')')5.

The Exclusive Importer of the WORLD Cl IAMPIONSI ll I' GI.IDER rl,e LA MOUETTE TOPLESS and TOP SECRET Rigid Wi11g. It J<icks Ass 1 Just ask Mike Barber. Available i11 three sizes: I I, I Ii I and J18sql't. lntrodncing the TOP SECRET, 211d

20 CORI'. !'!)A w/swivcl $Y75. 20 gore $ I 99. Ma11y more available. Raven Sky Sports (ii iii) ii7:l 8800, hradGihangglidi11g.com

generation Rigid Wing. Don't waste your time on the

old stuff. Dealer inq11ires invited. Contact PERSONAL l'UGJ IT FLORIDA and ask for Cibho, ph/l'x: ')01.lili I. 'iii 58, www.personalflight.mm, www.lan10t1 ·

HARNFSSFS lOO gliders iu stock. Lookout Mountain, ('70(,) :l'J8.

3')/i I, www.hanglidc.com

cttc.com, l'·"mail: gihbow·arl ~1\wl.corn

!'\JI.SE 'JM Excellent condition, original down tlJl)('s $ I ,'JOO. I long (70!) li5'J.()/i I'!. PUI.SI·: 11 M Comfort har, 12" wheels, rnstom design s:1il. !'aid $/i,600, flown once $:l,000 OHO. (757) /i)().fi:l(i/i. PUl ..'iES & VISIONS Bonght .'iold J'rad"'I. Raven Sky Sports (Ii I 1i) ii7:l-8800, brad~1lJnngglidi ng.rnm SENSUI( (,JOI' I 57. .. _. Excellent conditio11, priced to sell. First $:?.,:WO takes it. (828) (i<J:l.,i68'J.

)UNI

I C)99

TRX 158 C:reat shape $1,.300. Kli 160, super cbn/crisp $ I ,000. Scotty (71 ')) (,8/ .')/5:l c,vrnings. Rental gliders at flight ULTRASl'ORI' lit!, I<,<, park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (Ii I Ir) liTl-8800, hradGllhangglid ing.com

AIRTIME l!ARNFSS COMPANY NEW FOR 1999! Jetstrcam II $725. The flt and comfort of the Jctstream has been improved with the addition ol' a singk-·suspcnsion backfram,; and slider to elirninatT drar,. l.a/.cr $G')'). Our more flexible l.a/.n harness retain:-. its original features. ( :ontact i\in-irnc l Ltrrwss

C:omp:llly, (97,5) lili7-(,215, www .airt in1c -l1arncss.co1n

VISION MARI< IV I'/ Spaghetti style harness, hel met, wheels, p,nacl1t1te, airspeed indic1tor $1,200 OBO. (219) 4G2-5605. NW lndiana/C:hic,go area. VISIONS & l'LJLSFS llought Sold-Traded. Ravcn Sky Sports (ii I Ii) /i7:J 8800, brad Gt1ha nggli di 1,g. con,

s JXBO ~.. From Tecma. Your best choice of produc rion rigid wing. Flawless fir and finish, super performance. Why settle for anything less than an IXBO? Call for details on a test flight. Sec the fXBO on Tecma website: http:/ /me111bers.aol.com.tecm,1sporr/ Distributed in lJSA hy Ken Brown DBA Moyes America, (Ii 15) 753-')5}/i l'lyaMoycs(itl;rol.com

SCHOOLS & DEALERS

TOP SECRET Rigid wing, almost here. WALLABY RANCH (9/i I) 421J-0070. ULTRAIJGHJ'S NF.W, USED And REFURBISHED harnesses. Buy, sell, trade, consignment. Gunnison (;Jiders, l 5/i9 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 61i 1-931 5, bttp://gunnisongliders.com/

JT<AROS SPORT AVIATlON WWW.FIYFORFUN.NET

NATIONAL SCHOOL NETWORK RINGS LOCALLY. For inf,rn11:1tion call David (706) G5781iB5, dhglovcrvilmindspring.corn

HIGH FNFRGY POD HARNESSES

Sim & styles monthly, $300-liOO. CG 1OOO's $250. Cocoons each. LMFP pod, 5'9" $400. Kneehangers & stirrups also available. (Ii I Ii) li73·· 8800, brad~ihanggliding.corn LMFP CUSTOMIZED POD 5' l O", parachute, 1ull face helmet, old Ball, storage bag $700 01\0. (li23) 698-1616 Chattanooga, TN.

TIRED OF TOWING, Tired of driving to sites? Create your own, power up the sensible way with SWEDISH AEROSPORTS MOSQUITO HARNESS. r.ightweight, affordable and most importantly-Fun! Call nILL of" T.C. HANG GLIDERS, your U.S. SUPPLIER at 616-922-28/ili. I'S: SEEING IS BELIEVING, new video made by Fast Coast Video, now available $ 13 includes ship-· pill g. •rch a nggJidcr(!llj llllO.COlll

ALABAMA

PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA 904.441.5458 The Fxclusive Importer of LA MOUETTF/COSMOS ULTRALIGHTS. Introducing the SAMBA. The truly soarable ligh1wcight trike. Fits most gliders, La Monette wings Topless & single surface, durable landing gear, easy to fly, in-air rrosrarr. The Cheapest ['light Park Money Can Contact PERSONAL FLIGHT FLORIDA and for Cibbo Ph & Fx: 90li.41i1 .5458, www.pcrsonalflight.com, www.lamoucttc.com, e-mail: gihbogcar I ((1\10!.com SL!l' TRIKE No 11\0llntains or tow park? No problem, self.launch and soar! most compact, most priced. Call or email it,r Cree brochure; refundable $10 for video. Liberated 17:l LIBFLIGIJT<i1laol.com Flight (941) WANTF.D

PARAGLIDERS l'LJ(;J-JT DFSICN A3-22 Pmple/green, I hour, harness, reserve $750 OBO/rrade. (25:l) 88/i .. lJ(,G 1 matthewmCiilgm.cbd.wedne1.edu

l.OOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'I .ICHT PARK ad under Ceorgia.

Sec

ROCKFT CITY AIR.SPORTS The Jirn, safe place to learn to fly. \Ve help you learn quickly and safely with lJSI !CA certified prolcssional instructors. Creal place for first cross country /lights. Tiner: sites and a Moyes-Bailey acrotug for those days. I .earn to :1crotow and earn your AT rating. Mention this ad, a friend and receive one lesson price. Call (256) 880-8512 or (256) TlG-'!995. (:A!JFORNIA DREAM WFAVFR I IANc; GLJDJNC Train on Wills Wing h1lcons. Four hour lessons $ I 00. Ten !cs· $750., includes tandem off 2,000 fr. Five lessons $1/00. Or buy your new equipment here and all li.rrurc lessons for $75 each. Cd!, scheduling five days a week, hiday I hrough Tuesdays. Ideal training hill. Arca s mosr INEXPENSIVE prices. Your northern California MOSQlJl"fO HJ\Jl.. NESS dealer. Call f,ir Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, lligh Energy Sports, Ball varios, Camdbaks and more. Tandem instruction. USHCA Advanced Instructor Doug Prather (209) 556-0169 Modesto, CA. FLYAWAY TIANG CI.IDINC/PARACI.JDING .. _ Santa Barbara. Tammy Burc:n (805) 692-9908.

I KA ROS SPORT AVIATION WWW.FLYFORFlJN.NET

TI IF HANG GLIDING CENTFR 2181 Charles Way, Fl C:ajou CA 92020, ((,19) 161 ililil.

RIGID WINGS MK!i needed. 1-800-688 -'56:37. EXXTACY! 1st rigid glider. Call (50')) 925-5565. The tried, true, and tested rigid at such a low price, you can't af"ford NOT to own one! GhosrBustcr! lhc high performance rigid wing. Call (509) 925-55G5. This is the REAL next genera· riou rigid designed and created hy Fligln Design. Performance any advanced pilot can't he without.

Your ad is read by n1ore than 10,000 hang gliding en th usiast:s. with today.

H!CII ADVENTURE paragliding school. Eqllipment sales, service, at Southern California's mile high site, Crestline. US! !CA Instructor Rob Mcl<enzie. By appointment year round. (90'!) 883-8188, www.ece.org/bus/high _advent urc I.AKE ELSINORE SPORTS FULL SERVICE SHOP with a focus on student pilot needs. We ARE 1hc area s only walk--in shop. Open G days a week I Oarn-6pm, closed on Mondays. (909) 67li-21i5."l.

HANC Gt.!l)INC

LAKF ELSINORE SUMMER RENTAL I louse, hunch & lake view $1(25 wcck(714) (,/i\ .181 \, gliderQiljps.com

CONNECTICUT

MAGIC AIR -· Located in Northern California. Lessons, sales, service. (707) 963-'.H'i5.

Jll.ORIDA

Our comprehensive instruction program, located at the Sau l;rancisco Hay Area's premier training site, b11mcs gently sloped "h11nny hills," superlite gliders and com f,mable training harnesses! "FIRST Fl .ICl l'l'," a video presentation of our beginner lesson program, is :1vailablc for only $20 shipping (may be ,1pplied 10 .rour fit1ure Dur dcl11xe rc1ail shop showcases 1hc latest in gliding innovations. \X/c stock new and 11sed Wills, Airwavc and Moyes gliders, Pl.US all the hot/es/ new harnesses. Trade .. ins arc welcome. Take a ilight on our amazing new VIRTUAL HJ•:AIJIY hang gliding llight simulator! I I 16 Wrigley Way, Milpim (nmr S,m Jose) CA 950.'l5. (li08) 262 .. ]055, (;ix (li08) 262.. ] 388, MS( :HCQ1\1ol.rnm www.hang.. gliding.com

MOUNTA!I'\ WIN(;S

Look under New York.

The Acrotow Flight Park ~at isfoct ion ( .;u?ranJecd

JUST 8 M!LFS FROM D!SNFY WORLD

US! ICA CFRTlFlF.D TANDEM lNSTRlJCTION -- By J\!fcNamce. J\crolow training & ratings.

Dealer l,ir 1mjor flight and aerotow eqniprnenl, I. 5 hours from llisneyworld. Call (:352) /i89.9%9. fly«1igraybirdairspor1s.corn, www.graybirdairsports.co1n LOOKOUT MOl/NTAIN Fl.lCHT l'ARJ< . Sec ad under mountain training center to Orlando

YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN DAYS A WEEK • HVETlJGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DIRECTION 50, l'JK:E demos to /ly: Topless to Trainer Cliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwave, Fxxtacy, Millennium I .a Moucttc, Sensor;

also harnesses, varios, de.

Ages 13 To '13 have learned to lly here.

BUNNY... Torrey Pines Drive San Diego CA 92037

THE HILL WITH IT!

No one comes close to our level of experience and success with tandem acrotow insiruction.

A GREAT SCFNE FOR FAMILY AND

FRIENDS ...

5;fnce I 928

10 motels & rc,1:mrnnts within S mins., showers, sh~1dc trees, sales. storage, ratings,

IIANC CLJDIN<; AND PARACLJl)[NC USIIGA cerrif,ed ins1rnc1ion, tandem flight instruc· tion, sales, service, n~pairs) paracl111te repacks, and site tours. San Diego\ world class soaring center. Visa and Mastercard accepted. Call (61')) li'\2-9858 or check

us 0111 al http://www.flytorrcy.com

ii\JO@u\lO Gil@JIKJ1 n 1

ho1

retrievals, great wcarher, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming puol, etc.

WE IIA VE - The mosl advanced rrnining program known to hang gliding, teaching you i11 half the time it takes ou the training·IHJNNY HILL, and with more in .. flight air time. YES, WF CAN TEA Cl I YOU FASTER AND SAJIJ,'J{. For year-round train .. ing ftrn in the sun, call or write Miami Hang Gliding (.)05) 285 .. 8')78. 2550 S llayshore Drive, C:oconnt ( :rove, Florida 33133.

Flights of over 167 miles and more than hours. Articles in Jlt1ng Gliding, Kitplrmcs, Sl<ywmgs, C'ros., Courmy and others. l'earurcd on numerous 'JV shows, including ESPN2. Visit us on the Weh: http://www.wallaby.com Please call us for references and video. 1805 Dc:rn Still Road, Dimey /\rca, FL 338.'37 (9/i I) li2/i-0070 phone & fox

Conservative• Reliable• State of rhe /\n .Il.G. !NC./Fl.YING FI.ORlDA S!NCF 197/i I.A's BEST S[NC:F. 19'7/i 20 minutes from I.AX. Full service walk·in center. Training f,,r all skill levels, rentals, guide service, sales, lodging ar world fomons Mountain Flight Parle .325 sunny days a year. Iii Victory Blvd .. Van N11ys CA 9\/i06, (818) 988 .. () I I I, f:tx (818) 988· 1862, www.wi11dsports.corn

Malcolm Jones, Ryan Clover, Carlos Bcssa Mike/., I.auric Croll, Jeremie I Jill, Kerry Lloyd Torn Ramseur, Rop,er Sherrod, Rhen Radf,ml

COLORADO AllfflMI·: ABOVF 11/\NC Cl.lDlNC

l't,ll .. 1ime

lessons, sales, service. Colorado's most experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes Altair, High F11crgy, Rill, lcaro and more. (305) 67fi.2li51, Evergreen, Colorado Airt i1nc}-I ( ;(ri\10!.,,om

JUN! 1999

QUEST /\IR SOARING Cl·:NTER Your vaca1ion hang gliding location. (.l':i2) ,i7,') .. ()21.,, fox (35)) li2') .. tl8/i6. Visit our website at: www.qucstairforcc.com or

email 11s: qucstair<?i\undial.nct

5'5

1-800-729-260 News Flash!

Mark Gibson "Gibbo" and Mike Barber join Personal Flight, Inc.!

,. La Mouette Topless

The unprecedented winner of both the Australian Pre-Worlds and World Championship, La Mouette's TOPLESS is the proven world leader in exceptional hangglider performance and control. Sizes 121, 141, 148 • Optional carbon faired speed bar • Horizontal tail plane • DHV Certified

,a--:," ~

Personal Flight, In c. () 1999Pe1sooalfUgh1,lnc..

Other Hanggliders available: ATLAS : The original single surface fun machine. • Sizes 150, 175, 200 TOP SECRET: A truly 2nd generation Rigid Wi ng! • Early 1999 Cosmos SAMBA A lightweight Trike with outrageous soaring capabilities. Equipped with La Mouette's Topless wing for exceptional soaring performance or can be purchased alone to fit your existing hangglider. La Mouette gliders and Cosmos Trikes are imported exclusively through Personal Flight, Inc., your One-Stop source for flying. PE RSONAL FLIGH T , INC .~ I 4 3 Beechwood Drive I O r mond By T h e Sea, FL 3 2 1 76 904.441 .5458 I 904 .4 41 .9561 (fax) I www . Personalflight .co m I G i bboGea r 1@aol.co m

RARE HANG GLIDING PROPERTY FOR SALE

• Hang Gliding I Lodging Business Opportunity near the Tennessee Tree Toppers Henson Gap site • CALL : (Rick) 423 - 238 -6 724 or (Dan) 6 51-45 0 -0930

• • • •

• •

3.0 acres total for sale in two parcels: 0.6 acres off main access road (rear of property; see above) with two active rental-unit buildings 2.4 acres undeveloped land with 200+ feet of bluff frontage; common border with club launch Rare prope1ty with no restriction on commercial use of property (including bluff). Sellers prefer soniething hannonious with club activities. Back parcel has 2 buildings with 6 rental units; occupancy info shared with se1ious buyers only The back parcel must sell first or wi th the bluff acreage. Bluff acres will not be sold firs t. A hang gliding-related buyer is prefen-ed though all offers will be considered. Rear parcel bank appraised at 183 ,000 in spring '98; asking $50,000 for the bluff.

Photos: (top) Henson Gap bluff and famed TTT Radial

Ramp; (left) Two buildings with six rental units; (right) Interior of Unit #6, prior home of SVS hang glider shop

GFORGIA

II N PARAqlidiNq/HANq liWD CUIDF SFRVICE Mauna, Kea, sales, service. Achim I lagernan11, since 1979, (808) %8-6856. ILLINOIS l ··800-80:l-7788

FULL l IOOK-UPS

Laundry, propane, recreation

room. 1-800-803··7788.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAJN FUCHT PARK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TlMFS as many pilots earn their wings at Lookottt than ar any orhcr school! We wrote USH(;A's Official Traini11g Ma11uaL Our specialty-customer satisfoction and fim with the BEST FACILITIES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For ,1 flying rrip, intro flight or

flANC CUDE Cll!CACO Aerotowing thrn Prairie Soaring ar I ,eland Airport, 1 hour west of Chicago. Tandem instruction. Airport (815) 4952821, home (815) 71J 1-2250.

lesson padrngesi Lookout" Mounrain, just outside

RAVEN SKY SPORTS 012) 360-0700, (81 5) li89·9700 or (Ii H) 473-8800. ?. hours from Chicago, 90 minutes from Flgin, Palatine or Libertyville. The best instructors, the best equipment, the best results in the rnidwcsr. Training program for comhined/intc·· grmed foot launch and aerorow cerrificatio11. Apply I 00% of your intro lesson costs ro ccrrification program upgrade! Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

Chattanooga, your COMPLETE rraining/servicc ccn·· ter. lnfo? (800) 688,LMFP.

INDIANA

NORM IYSNOW'S FLYING ADVENTURES Since l978. Experience & ,1rc /11. Prcscnring tbe mrbo dragonfly. Introductory /lights and full range of lesson programs for beginner to advanced. Acrotow clinics & USIICA appropriate ratings avail· able. UST l( ;A certified school. Please contact Norm J.csnow-Mastcr Pilot, Fxaminer, Advanced Tandem Instructor, Tow Administrator. (218) :l'J'J-91i33, FUT ,L-TIMF school. nlfa/iDjuno.corn

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS -- FULI.-TTME Certified instruction, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major hrands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come soar our 450' dunes! 1 '509 E 8th, Traverse Ciry Ml li%81i. Ofkring powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (61 <i) 922·· 28/ili, tchangglider<iiljuno.com. Visit our paragliding school in Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (:l07) 739-8620. MINNESOTA

(Ii 1Ii) li73·8800. Please RAVEN SKY SPORTS sec our ad under \X!isconsin. hrad<r''hanggliding.com

RAVEN SKY SPORTS (612.) Jli0-1800 or (lilli) li73-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

MARYLAND NEVADA MARYLAND SCIIOOI. OF HANG GLIDING, INC. Ceniliecl instruction, specializing in foot launch. Dealers for Wills Moyes, High year-round instruction. (41 O) 527-0975. BUNKHOUSE

WARM & COMFORTABLE 32 bunks, bot showers, open all year, 24 hour self registration. l800-803-7788!

MEXICO

ADVJ,:NTURE SPORTS--· Sierra soaring at its best. Tours, acrot.owing, tandem, USllGA certified instruction for gliding/paragliding. Sales and ser·· vice. 36.50-22 Research Way, Car.1011 City, NV 89706 (775) 883-"7070, www.pyramid.net/advspts

VALLE DE BRAVO Wimer flying Mecca. 1-800861 -7198, jeff@flymexico.com www.flymexico.com

LAS VEGAS AlRBORN WATFRSPORTS

MICHIGAN

www.virtualhosts.net/skysail/main.hnn

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION Acrotow special·· ist.s. Cliders, eqttipl1lcnt and launch can kits available. Call for summer tandem lessons and flying appoint·· mcnts with the Draachenrliegen Soaring Club at Cloud ') /'icld. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville Ml !i8892. (517) 223,868.'l. ( :loud 9sa~haol.cotn, h rrp:/ /1nembers.aol.com/ clm,d'Jsa

NEW JERSEY

!-Tang

tours, lessons, sales, service.

HAWAII

MICHIGAN SOARING Offering ALI. major brand gliders & accessories. Grear deals! (6 I6) 882·· li'llili) wingmanG'.i>traversc.com

BlRDS TN PARAD/SF I fang & ultralight on Kauai. Ccrtil,cd tandem instruction. (808) 822-550':J or (808) 63':J- I 067, birdip<i1\doha.nct www.bir,lsinparadise.com

Sell your unused equ1pn1ent

MOUNTAIN WfNCS

l.ook under New York.

NEW MEXICO

CROSSROADS WINDSPORTS

Stare·d~tl,c-an

training wirh s:1arionary simuLiror) BoomBar, tandc1ns video coaching. Towing for hang and 1

paraglidcrs. Rentals. Camping 011 the Airpark! Call Curt Graham (S05) 392,8222. MOUNTAIN WEST !!ANG GI.IDING Farmington's only fitll service school and Wills Wing dealer, 10w and tandem /lights. (505) 632·8/i/i,,. UP OVER NFW MEXICO Instruction, sales, service. Sandia Mountain gttides. Wills, Airwavc. Albuquerque, NM (505) 82[ ../l'ilili.

HANC GLll)INC

s your classified ad, n1ernbership

(719)

NORTH CAROLIN/\

TEX/\S

KITTY HAWK KITES flight Park

Al/STJN AIR SPORTS, INC. -- llang gliding instruction since 1978. One of the frw schools ollcring instruction and ccrtiflcuion in all Lmnch mcth

ods,foot, tow and acrotow. Tandem instruction behind om I lragon!ly tug or you crn accelerate your flying skills with ,1 combination package. Acrotow or ultralight instruction available 7 days a week near Austin, TX, contact (8:-\0) 69:l 5805, sb11rns~iltstar.nc1. h,01 launch and 1ruck row instruc tion :tvailablc by appointment, (281) /i?I lli88, /\ustiu/\ir(thaol.com. Visit our website at www.austinairsports.com.

CO .. H/\NC Cl.lDINC! ! Jeff 1!11111. J\11S1in ph/fax ('i 12) /i(,7.),529 jd1{ilflytcxas.corn, www.flytexas.com 1

l llLL COUNTRY l'J\RACL!DINC INC: I.cam complete pilot skills. Personalized USHCA ccrtirwd

NEW YORK /\/\/\ FLJCI IT SCI IUOL-- MOUNT/\[N WINGS I FLLFNVI LLE /\IR SPOIZTS. Full service shop, flight park, Ii 500ft. tow field, winch and aero towing, ,anderns, two·place U.L. training. /\irwavc, Altair, .\!loycs, /\crns, learn 2000, Flight Star U.L., MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY V/\LLF.Y har· ncsses in stock. The original V,MIT'f'S $29.00. or (91/i) 6/i7,337/ 150 Canal Sr., Fllenvillc, NY complete l JG Prn·shop in th,: Nonh Easr.

ELLENVILLE FLIGHT P/\RK Sales, service, USHC:A cenificd ins1rnction. Dealer /'or /\IR· BORNE, Li\ MOlJFTTE TOPLESS, APO), UK DISCOVERY, instrnments, acce.S.ICHics. 80 Clider Road, Ellenville NY 17.li28. Call Tony or Jane, phone/fax (91 Ii) 6/i7- 1008. FIY l ll(;J J I IANC: C:LID\NC, INC. Serving S. New York, ( :onncuirnt, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mrn.) Area's EXCLlJSIVF Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Ccr1if1ed school/instrnction. Teaching since 19/'J. Area's most INEXPENS!VF prices. Fxccllcnt secondary instr11c· tion ... ifyo11'vc finished a program and wish to continue. Fly the 1noun1ai11! ;\TOI. Tandem flights' Rd, !'inc Bnsh, Contact P,rnl Voight, S1(i3 NY 1256(,, ('Jlli) 7/ili-3317.

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION • /\FROTOWINC • llO/\T TOW INC • BE/\(:J I RFSORT • TRAININC CAMPS • FOOT I.ALJNCI I • OPEN YEAR ROUND • PAR/\C:I.\DJNC: • FQl/IPMENT SAi.ES /\ND SERVICE

(800) 334-4777 NAGS HEAD, NC

training) ridge soaring, f()()t & tow launching in ccn-

1r,il Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLlDING INSTRUCTION & FQUlPMENT AVAILABLE. (91 5) :379. 1185. Rt I, llox 16F, Tow TX 78Gl2. KITE ENTERPRISES -· Foo1 launch, pla1forn1 launch and acrotow ins\ruction \oo. Training, salc-s,

rcnrnls and repair. Airwavc & Wills Wing. Dallas, Fort Worth and north Texas area. 21 1 Fllis, Allen TX 75002. ('J/7,) .l<J(J.')()<)0 nights, weekends, WWW, k i I C-Cll t crp riscs.C011l

ln1ernet Address: h11p://www.kitryhawk.com E·Mail Address: infoG1lki1tyhawk.com PENNSYLVANIA /\FROTOWINC Pllll.ADELl'll!A DRAC:ON. l'I.JERS! T:Jl)dcm, foot launch & paragliding instruction! (610) 5)J-IG87. MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified instruction, Pinsbmgh. (Ii 12) 7(,/.fi882.. C'MON OUT /\ND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WINCS

Look under New York.

PUERTO RICO FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit J fang C:liding, HC classes daily, tandem instruction ,1Vailablc. Wills Wing dealer. (;Jidcr rentals for qualiftccl pilots. PO Box 978, Punta San1iago, Puerto Rico 007/i I. ('187) 850-0508, tshg«rlcoqui.net

TOTAi. /\JR SPOlffS Area's OJ.DEST Wills Wing dealer. Certified instmction available. "l only DEAL with W!Ll.S". I(, 121 Lakeview, I lo11stot1 TX TlOliO. (713) 9l/,8(, 1Ii.

l/T/\11 THE SOARING CENTER -- I 888 91tlt-51t33.

WASATCH WINGS·- Utah's only fi11l service gliding school, Point of the Mountain, mountain sites, rowing. Dealer for /\cros, Altair, Wills Moyes, /\irwave and much more. Call /.a, (801 576-0 l li2, wingsvllwasatch.corn www.wasa1ch.co1n/ -wi11gs VIRGINIA

TENNliSSEE

11</\ROS SPORT AVI/\TION - NYC s fJrst and cerriflcd b,mg gliding, paragliding, microlights powered paragliding. Disnilrntors for Avian. Dealers for rnosl major brands. Pull service and equip· rnc1u- at hcst prices. The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 2'J 31 New1own /\ve., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 777.7000, WWW.FI.YFORl'UN.NET SUS(Jl/El 1/\NN/\ !'/\RI< Cooperstown, NY. ( :cr1if1cd Instruction, Sales and Service for ,111 major manufacnm:rs. /i() acre park, 'i training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, GOO' NW ridge. We have 1hc best facilities in N. New York stale to teach you how to fly. c/o Dan Cuido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY Uli07, (31 5) 8(i(i.(i I 5:l. )UNE 1Y9CJ

Bl.UF SKY

I ligh quality instntction, cquipmcn1 Clidcr Savers. Call

KITTY 11/\WK KITFS ll/\WK /\IRSPORTS INC --- P.O. Box 905(,, Knoxville, TN :l?'Jii().()056, (lt23) 2 J 2../i994. Ifang Cliding and world famous Windsoks. LOOKOUT MOUNT/\IN l'LIC:l IT PARK ad under ( ;corgia.

Sec North Carolina.

Sil.VER WINCS, INC -- Certified instrnction and equipmcnl sales. (703) 5:fl. I %5 Arlington \I A.

Sec

ifi

WISCONSIN RJ\VEN SKY SPORTS IIANC Cl.lDINC /\ND PJ\RJ\CLJl)INC The 111idwcs1's Premier aerotow ilighr park, founded in 1992. J:c,nming lNTEGRAT ED INSTRUCTION of foot··la1111ch and aero tow tandem skills, at package prices ro heat any in the USA. Seven bea111ifol, grassy training hills all wind directions. Four Dragonfly row planes, no wait .. ing! Three tandem gliders on wheeled underrnrriages. WW Falcons for training from the very first lessons. USU/\ ulrralight and mg instruction. tows. h·cc c1mping. Salcs/scrvicc/acccssorics f(n

hrands. Open 7 days a week. Contact Brad Kushner, PO llox l O1, Whitewater WI 'S:l I ')0 (Ii 1Ii) •f/:l .. 8800 phone, (Ii I Ii) li?.'l-8801 fax, brac\<!._hhangglidi11g.com

BRAND NEW

Only small, medium $90. :l/lJ $Ii'\. D.U.T. (:)O'J) :l/i/ .. 8'J9'i.

JIEAVYDOTY, WATERPROOI' PVC Full 1110 zipper, $ I07 ppd. XC-Camo or white. 1/'i zipper $65 ppd. Cunnison Clidcrs, 15/i'l County Road 1 Cun11ison CO B1230. (')70) 6/i I -931 hup://gunnisonglidcrs.com/

1·1.ICI IT CC JNNE( ;J JONS, INC. !'TT II CROlJND WIND DIRECTION INDICATOR Drop it over your landing spot, it detects wind direction like a windsock. extremely visible, environmentally frie11dly, resets in S<·conds. ( :heaper rhan downruhcs and broken egos. $35 each, $65 l,1r 2, plus s/h.(510) 7.7,} .. 62:l'J. Send check or money order: ( ;.\V.l ).I., c/o Bob Orti,., I I03 Manor Rd., El Sobr:inte CA 9/i80:l.

Milwaukee

ultraligl11 instruction,

ccniGcd f-lighr instruction, bar l'>l grill aud of course h:1ng gliding-tandc1n lessons, sales and service. Specializing in acrotowing) pay--out winch and mmmtain tours. Call S11rli\ir (!1 lli) 78Yl;li7.

PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWINC ACCESSORIES Sec TOW. INC. TIIE WALLABY RANCH (91Jl) 42/i .. 0070.

New and Improved • W,11cr/Dust Resistant Push Bmton • Field Finger Switch • Heavier C:111gc Wire/Improved Plugs Increased Strain RclicCat AU.Joints ""''"'"'''" price $89.'l'i. Extra linger switch $!Ii .')'i w/purchasc. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (913) 2(i8 .. 79/i6. MC/Visa. Visit om website at www.night· conn.com

I IICI l l'FRSl'FC:TIVE WI JFFI.S -- Real lifr savers! 12", light, to11gl1. Fits all gliders. Send $Ii 1.95 , $/i.50 shipping per pair to Sport Aviation, PO !lox IO I,

Mingovillc PA I 6856. Ask ahour our dealer prices. THIS

NOT Tl IJS HA!V{i GLJDl!VG.A.CCHSSORIHS

BF.ST 12" WHFELS J\VAl!.ABI.E

Super

lightweight, a must for training, undcm

in bushings. Only USA .. built 12" wheel. quanrity discounts. Immediate delivery. Lookout Mountain, (800) 688 .. 1.MFP.

t afford new ::>p·1nd great barga1ns . rnent ... in our classified ad

CATE SAVEl{S ·- · Send $5 plus $1 s/h to Rodger Ave., Cctmal Point OR ')7502, I loyr, 95(, ('\Ii I) 6(,/i .. 'j<JJS. CIFTS & TROl'lllFS Unique, unusual & rn, .. arivc hang gliding related gilts and trophies. !'rec cata· log! Soaring Dreams, I I 16 h1irvicw, Boise Idaho 8371:l. (208) l!(, .. 79]1i,

BAR MITTS: F.XPl .ORER No 111ap NAVICATOR Upper map COMPFTITOR Circular map cuff $60.00 CLIDFR BACS .. f JFAVY DUTY 1,00 denier . Water & UV protection. 111 0 zipper Rein /,,recd ends. Continuous loop handles. Red or blue. $100.00 CROSS COUNTRY 210 denier nylon, strong yet /15 zipper. T:tpered. Red or blue. $90.00 RADIO POUCI IFS Vinyl window. Sa!c·ry strap. Adjusts to l1r most radios. Velcro's onto shoulder strap. Red or blue. $15.00 JIARNFSS BAC Roorny .. St ro11g.. ( :ornl,mablc. Adjustable waist belt &. shoulder straps. Red or blue.$1i5.00 Batten Bags $12.00 Sail Tics (2"wiclc) $ I .00 per 1()" Wing Tip Bags $'i ca. or $8/pr.MASTADON DFSJCNS Box (,655 S. Lake 'L,hoc CA% 157 (530) 512 .. :$853 www.rnastadon.net HANC CL!DINC

s TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

l IANC CI.Jl)!NC SCI JOOL

for sale in Dewey,

Ari'1,ona. '!'ruck lovving & rnountain launch operation

(w/acrotow option available and negotiable). C:otllplcte rcuil shop, showroom, glider repair set-up. l'.xpcriencccl ground crew, available to assist. J n oper,t tion since ]99'i, yc,1r-round flying. $'i01<. Call Arizona llang Cliding Center (520) 6:l2-/i 11/i for JlHHc inl(H1nation, wv,w.ucrrtl1ltt1k.co1m/-al1gc

mounts

SUMMFR IS C:OMINC

And it's too hot in the

southern states. c:omc to New York. We <llT looking for summer rime hang gliding insi-ructors, tandem

MINI VARIO World's smallest, simplest variol Clips to helmet or chinstrap. 200 homs on batteries, ll-18,000 f't., fast response and 2 year warranty. Creal for paragliding too. ONLY $169. M,tllcttec, PO Box 15756, S,tnta Ana CA, 927:.\5. (71/i) %6-1240, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallcttcc.com

instructors, t11g operators, and shop help. TOP PAY, perks. I'm more info, contact C1cg at (')lii) 6/i7 :,:,77 or mt nwings((il;1ol.com Camera mount $/i8.50. Camera remote (ask abour rebate) $15. Vario rno11nt $15. 6" wheels $'),'J.75, 8" wheels $3/i.75 S&ll included. TFK 1:J.IG!-IT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668. Frnail: tek((llsnc1.11ct or om page: ht tp://rnembers. tripod.corn/" tcldlight/index.ht ml

WANTH) I Jang c;Jiding/Paraglidit1g instnrctors. Immediate full titllc oprnings available. l.ive the Calil"ornia dream ... instrnct students at the S,1n Frnncisco Bay area's premier training site. Service

shop employment is also available. Ask l'or Pat Dcnevau (li08) H,2-1055. MSC:l lCv1\1ol.corn www.hang-gliding.com

PUBLICATIONS & ORGANll.ATIONS

1,mn. horn the e,rrly ! fang Oirling. (719) (,:\2-8.lOO.

to dw present

The world-cla.ss XC:R-180 operates up to } hotrrs (iil8,000 Ii. and weighs only lilh. Complete kit with cylinder, harness,

cannula and ITrn01L'

on/off llowmctcr, only

DON'T (;F'J' CAlJC:l IT LANDINC DOWNWJN[)r - I .'i oz. ripstop nylon, lJV treated, 5'it" long w/ I I" throat. i\vailablc colors fluorescent pink/yellow or fluorescent pink/white. $39.95 (, $1t.7':i S/11). Send to LJSI !GA Windsok, P.O. Box

c:o 80901 13.'lil, (719) I/ ushgaGr\1shga.org j

VISA/MC accepted. Check the merchandise section of our wch site www.t1shga.org for a color picture of this awesome windsok. BlJSlNESS & EMPLOYMENT

PICCOLO PLUS $:350 5 altimeters, memory, Swiss,'), kf't. (.3(J:l) Yil-8995.

fl.lGl!T PARK MANAGER - hill riinc, yea1 round position which includes benefits such as hcaltl1, /iO JI(, and vacllion to name a /'cw. The successful c.111didate should have some managerial skills (i.e. payroll & scheduling). Mnst he willing to as 1wcdcd and have one or 1r101T oC the follow-

ing UT(iflcations: tandem pilot, tandem instructor,

,tnd/or ultralight pilol. All interested should contact Brnce Weaver at (252) !iii 1-21/26, or mail resume to: Kitty l L1wk Kites, Inc., PO Box 18.19, Nags l lead NC: 27959, Attn: Brnce Weaver.

BAC IT! ff yon don't have your copy of Dennis J'agcn's PERFORMANCE FLYINC yet, available through US! !CA I lrndquartcrs $29.95 ( 1$5.50 s&h fc,r UPS/Priority Mail delivery). lJSHCA, PO Box 1310, Colorado Springs CO 80')() 1. 1-800-616-(i88g www.usllga.org

WIIAT!! A FLYING RABBIT?? llt1t·1')' r1nd the !!,mg Glider is a beantiltrlly illustrated, liO page chil-

clrrn s picture book writtrn !'or pilots to share the dream of llighr. Scud $2/i .95 pins $.l slrippiup, to: Sky} ligh Pttblislring, 201 N Tyndall, Tucson A'/, 8571 'J or c1ll (520) 628-8165 or visit onr

SOARINC: !'OR SALE round

Arizona hang gliding business. Ye,u

lessons/sales

positioned

between

l'hocnix/Tncson population centers. All wind direc tions rn,111-madc trainer hill on ten acres facing frderal land for possible tandem strtdcnt towing, plus access to tT\O\lnl;1in si\l:S, gian\ shop and stock. First 15K or best offo· takes all. (602) 897-7121.

]LJNF 1999

Monthly magazine of The Soaring

Society of J\rncrica, Inc. Covers all

/light. Full m,·rnbcrship $'i5. Info. with copy $:l. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, I lohhs, NM 882/i 1. (505) :l'J7 I 177.

TOWING

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS

AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES ·- Headquarters for: The 11nest releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V'' bridles, weak links, tandem wheels, launch cart kits, etc. TIIE WALLi\BY RANCH (911) 121-0070.

IIPAT 158 Stolen from desert cast of l'ALLON, NV on August 15th, I ')98. White LE, purple/lime/magenta undersurfacc. Also cc;. J 000 harness (purple/white/magenta) and Tangent. David, (5J0)525/i68'7.

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION ··· Hang gliding cquipmcn1 and accessories. Launch ems $500, parrial kits ('i17) 7.7.l-868'l C:Ioud9SA~1laol.co111 ULTRi\LINF. - ln stock, ready ro ship. 3/l(j" x3000' $105., 3/16" xliOOO' $115. Shipping included. Cajun Hang Cliding Club, 110 Kenr Circle, Lafayette LA 70508. (3 18) 981 8372.

From the 'fclluridc Festival in 1981, to the modern day freestyle competition. Follow the history o/' 1his dynamic $2/i.95 Call USHGi\ (719) 632° 8300, fax web site

VIDEOS & FIT.MS MJSCELl.i\NEOlJS *NEW' i\ERONAUTS Hi\NC GLIDING MASTERS, by Photogrnpl,ic Expeditions. A documentary oC hang gliding today. Superb Coot age, graphics & interviews. This is the video yon show your family and friends! ·B min $29.95. GREEN POINT l'LYERS by Fast Coast Video. They II fly anything in Michigan. Emcrrninillg, grcal graphics, 50min, $.'l2.00 Pi\RTY AT CLOUDBASE A hang gliding music video by Adventure Productions $19.95. Hi\NG Cl.ll)ING EXTREME & BORN TO FLY lry Adventure Productions, great hg action $.l-'i.95 each. HAWATIAN FLYJN by Space 9, soaring in paradise, amazing launches $33.00 Call USJICA (719) 632-8300, fox (719) 632 6/i 17, email: ushga(a)ushga.org, or order off our wch www.ushga.org. Please add +$1 domestic s/h two or more videos). Crear 111 impress your friends or for those socked-in days. Perfect gift for the launch potato turned conch potato. Also, ask us about our paragliding videos!

MOYES FLEX HARNESS & BAG Stolen from locked up truck cab in PHOENIX, AZ on August 12th, 1998. Moyes harness is black with dark blue is alw black with "Moyes" design. Moyes Flex dark blue "Moyes" design. Also, 22 gore chute, white Uvex helmet. Karl, (602)')71-9052., k:trlflips@email. msn .com STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a service to US!lCA members. Newest entries ,m· in bold. There is no charge for dris service nnd los1 ,rnd found or equipment he called in (71 'l) 632-8300 or it for inclusion in l·lang Gliding in (719) magazine. Please call to cancel the listing when gliders arc recovered. Periodically, this listing will he purged.

Adventure Produnions, ....................... 7 Alrnir .................. ,.............................. 2.3 "AEROBi\TJCS" Full color 23"x 31" poster fcatming John Heiney doing what he docs hest-1.00PINC! Available through USHGA HQ for just $6.95 (+$1i.OO s/h). Fill that void on your wall! Send to USHCA Acrobatics Poster, PO Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 8093J. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters arc NOT AVAll.ABLF. on international orders.) SPECIA[..oi\erohatics & Eric Raymond postcr BOTH FOR $10 s/h). Check the n1erchanclisc section of our web site www.ushga.org for a color picture of these bcaurifi,1 posrcrs. 00

VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTERS

Call USllGA (719) 632 8300, ushga<i11tJshga.org, or check our web page

Angle of Anack ................................. 10 Arai Design ....................................... 15 Ball Varios ......................................... 56 Brauniger ......................................... .49 Dan Johnson .................................... .57

Flight Design/NA Pl .......................... 18 Flytec .................................................. 9 1-Iall Bros ........................................... 50 High Energy Sports ........................... 43

DON'T LEAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQlJIPMENT SITTING lN THE GARi\GE. SELL IT IN THE HANG GLIDING CI.ASSI-

FflmS.

SPEED GI.JDING: TEAR UP THE SKIES By Adventure Produci-ions $21.95 Covers the speed gliding contest in Kamloops, British Columbia and then onto Telluride, Colorado. Superior graphic animation, great camera angles. 2/i

minurcs TET.l.lJRIDE SPFED GLIDING: By Tarum Productions $ I 9.95. c:ornpletc coverage oft his event. The sound of the gliders passing through the control gares is rornlly awesome. :n minmcs Call USHGA (719) 6.328300, fax (719) 632-6117, order from om web site www.ushga.org. Please add 1 $4 s/h in tire US/\.

CLi\SSIFlED i\DVERTJSING RATFS The rate for classified advertising is $. 50 acters) and $1.00 per word hold or all MUM i\D CHARGE $5.00. A foe of'$ J for each line an logo ;md $25.00 for each photo. EART & PHOTO SIZE NO LARGER THi\N 1.75" X 2.25". Please 1mdcrline words to be in hold print. of' tabs $25.00 per column inch. Phone words, Fmail or web addrcss~:lwords. AD DEADLINES: All ad copy, instnrctions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing l' months the cover date, i.e. JtJnc 20th for rhc August Please make checks payable to US! /(;A, l'.O. Box 1330, Colorado CO 80901-1:330, (719) (,32-8:lOO. !'ax (7 17 or email: ml'1gc1V"usl1ga.01·g your classified with your Visa or Mastercard. US ABOUT i\DVERTISTNG ON OUR WEB PAGE, WWW.UST!Gi\.ORG

Just Fly ................. ,........................... 2,7 Lookout M tn. Flight Park ......... 2,21 ,43 Moyes ................................................. 5

Neilsen-Kellerman .............................. 5 Personal Flight .................................. 56

Sky Dog Publications ........................ 21 Sky Sports ........................................... 9 Sport Aviation Publications .............. .43

U.S. Aeros ............... ,......................... 31 U.S. World Team ............................. 39 USHCA ..... ,5,7,9, I l,30,36,J7,47,50,51,56 Wills Wing .................... 21, Back Cover

HANC CLIDINC

© 1999 ~y Dan Johnson WALLABY RANCH, FLA. In a rare state of t:he focus of American han(] cf] even the focus of l:he world, is on the eastern half of L:hc U.S. In two remarkable back--to--back weccks, Florida took center stage in the world of han(] competit:ions. I alJ started wiUi the Wal aby Open and ended wi h the U.S. Nationals, however, this column tries to sneak o to t:he printer a the~ last possible econd, '11 speak about: L:he already·-concludEid Wallaby Open t:his month and next monl:h will report-. more from G. W. Meadow's U.S. Nationals ut Quest Air. Fair enou(]h? ••• Malcolm Jones' kinQdom of fligb was the sit:c of the Wallaby Opc"n and I was able to make tbe once a(]ain as it tra:iJ tbe Sun 'n Fun airshow which I t:end for work. A. With (]ood 1 t, fast rac: and superlativc-c ta i ty, the Wallaby Open was well received by a number of ots wbo made comments, the top two finishE"rs, Manfred Ruhmer and Oleg Bondarchuk. Manfred flies a Laminar and Ole(] the Stealth; both are hot as a pistol. The irr;t. American in l:be flex··winQ class was J'im Lee, flyinQ his Wills Fusion to third place. Soutb. Americans led several top spaces fol lowed by Yanke s Paris Williams (8th), Ryan Glover (9th), and Mike Barber (10th). al 44 pilots were stered in Class I. Only si.x pilots flew Qliders, a pair of Altair Predators in 8th and 19th with the ,3evera1 A:irwave models in lower Sec':! "ALrwave" .below. ,1,. The bi~:iWa laby, Quest, and Europe has been rigid wings. more than two years behind the E:xxtacy, the new are more vibrant th.an ever, and Ule excitement: is the most 've noted in 20 yearn of Eo1lowinQ wing news. For Felix Ruhle, the meet resu l:E, mu t have be er;peci l y sat fy No because of his own 9th formance on an Exxt:acy (now built his compc-:;titor), but because Dave Sharp flew Ruhh~' s brand-new ATOS l:o ace in Class I ( id ) The separate cla,rn was noteworthy a do en pilots entered over 20% of al] contestants l stron(] field was sed thee ATOS, a Millennium, Brian Porter's modified Millennium, the Utopia, and nine Exxtacys. Porter came in second .in. what e··· ne c':por l:er Dav:i S l:raub cal ed "spaceship" ( see OZ report below) . An Ixbo was at Wallaby but was not entered. ·rhe much antic E 7 rom Josef Guggenmos didn't make j t: untiJ the last day of the Quec,t Nationa s the F' ight Designs Ghostbuster fo the Exxtacy didn't show at to )UNI 1999

last reportr; (thou(]h it was unveilec3 in Europe recently) . ese VERY LATE BREAKING NEWS included this from Quest. Accordin(] to OZ-man Straub, "Jim Lee edged out Mike Barber by 7 for National Class I The Europeans ( inc 1 udin(] the rncraine [Bondarc:huk]) and Brazi ians kicked butt in Class I." Full results can be at www. justf1y. com/natscore. htm. Straub' daily OZ report:s can br~ found at www.davisstraub.com/OZ/ ••• all t:hc excitement in Florida, some bad news arrived from Airwave n the UK. An electronic: post from director Rory Carter says "A:irwavc is not abl0c to continue i tc; present form." The company ceased at the end of and i a new owner, "ejther as a wholr~ for it:~ individual valuable parts." Carter sees (]ood parts sales for thcco many A rwave tbe hands The assets include U1e rights to alJ line and what the Bri tisb the "spares" business. A. rr'rie company offers its wing software and hardware and, for a quali company, their "Flexible AerofoiJ Numerical Simulation l:ool" l:hat can the ,3hape and simulate t:he c:haracteris ics o any clotl1 It wj 11 al1c,0 be able to measure tb0, shape of paragliders and han<J in f1 Airwave values this projE,c development at about r;;1 million. No were mentioned for the entire company or any of U, other partc:;. Wit:h like the Magic, Klassic, Pulse, and Xtreme, Airwave ir, a brand we' 11 miss. FaiJ as the company did while the news is a] about makes me wonder if they' ust lex builder to take a • I've stuck my necl, a that powered trike will eventual switch riQid win(]s ... deve oped hang just i.ke the first used. If my comes true, and di ferent for structures rather than tube and aErnernbliec'l, we may see more flex builders and new names appear. A Carter concludes hi announcement: witb this ref ection: "Airwave has ... hopefully influenced the personal flight market in a positive way. It was only ever my intent ion to have some fun for a few years and bui gliders. It (]rE"w to be much more than that, but (]Ot: out oE control when we took on para(]l . " • I salute Airwave for a job well done over many years. ••• So nmch more news iEc, the sea,3on is hot! But i t ' l l have to wait. So, go news or ~~'-'-""·'-~'"-~? Send 'em to 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messager, or fax l::o 6'51·-4 0 0930. E-mail o Cumu1usMan@aol.com. '!'HANKS!,

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