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

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www.hanglide.com e fly@hanglide.com 800.688.LMFP

(USl'S 01 7-970-20 -

ISSN OHtVi-43."lX)

16 The 1999 U.S. Nationals

kv C. W Meadows The f-irs r-ever Narion;ils 10 u, ilize acrorowing and rhe f-'1rst Easr Coast Nats in 11 years.

24 Flying The Atos

article and photos by George Ferris First impressions of rhe Exxtacy successor.

34 First Principles Of Cross-Country Flying by f>ete lchm11nn, illus1rtflio11s hy Hrmy M11rti11 Persistence and decisiveness.

48 Sky Surfing With A Portable Hang Gliding Wall by Doug f-!aber rmdJim (Sky Dog) l'ttlmieri And now, something entirely diffe rent.

Columns

Departments

Carroon, by Harry Martin ............. ...... 1.0

Airmail .............................. ......... ........... .4-

USHGA Reporrs ................. .. ...............44

Updare ........... ................. ................. .... ...8

USHGA Oirccror Nominations ..........46

Calendar of Evcnrs ................ .. ..... ........ 14

US1 IGA Director Listing .................... 50

Ratings .......... .................. ..................... 29

Inciden1 Reports, by BilJ Bryden ........ .51

Classified Advertising ...... ................... .52

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

Index to Advertisers ............................. 62

JULY 1999

Gil Dodgen, Dav<i Pounds, Ari John Heiney, Gerry Charlchois, Leroy Grannis, Mark Vaughn, Bob I.owe Pholo!Jmphcrs Harry Ma1'!h1, 11/ustmtor Dennis Pagen, Mark Stucl<y, Geoff Mumford, G.W. Meadows, Jim Palmieri, Bill Bryden Slaff Writers

Air M ii HELP SAVE WAIT'S

USI-/G1\

txeculive Commit1c•1,:

Gregg lawless, l'resi<icnt Chris DuPaul, Vice President Russ Locke, Secrelary Geoff Mumford, heasu1rr 2: Russ Scott Casparian. RFCION 3: Ken lc1wless. REGION 4: Mark Jim 5: frnnk Gillotle. f>: Jeff Sinason. REGION Rill Bryden. REC.JON B: Doug Sharpe. REGION 'J: Pete Lehm:11111, Geoff Mumford. RECION HJ: G.W. Mc,adows, Matt Taber. REGION 11: Davr• REC!ON 12: Paul Voight. D\REC:TORS i\T Paul t<lemond, Paul Riker!, Dan Johnson, Jan Johnson, Dennis ORi\RY DIRECTORS: Bob John Harris, Steve l<roop, Chris DuPaul, Gerw U1rs l<en Brown, Rob l<ells, David Dr,Wolf, Tracie Fifer-Welch. ''"""'"'"'""" i\rl Crer•n/iold (Ni\/\).

r<•sentativc

of the

lnternntionale (Fi\l), of the world aviation. The NJ\/\, which has to tl1<

Rancho Santa Margarita, 73('3, fax (949) 88tl-7464, The USI IC/\ is a rnember--controllecl sport dedicated 10 the cxplor;i1io11 and promotion all focets of unpowcrcd ultralight flight, and to the educiltion, training and snfoty of its membership. Metnhorship is open to anyone int<'rnstcd in this rc,t1ln1 of flight. Dues for full 111cmbershi1i are $S4 per y,,ar (of which $ I to lhe publication of /-hlll/J ($65 nonsubscription rates only are $:JS non-US/\). Changr•s of addross should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USl·IC,\ number-, pn,vious nml 1ww address, and a mailing label from a rncent issue.

HANG GLIDING (ISSN 089S-'1:J.1x) is publishc•d monthly by the United States i\ssociation, Inc., 559 L Pikes Peak J\ve., ·1 , Colorado Colorado B090'.H6S7 (719) 632-tl'.lOO. FJ\X 9) 632-641

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]ULY 1999

VOi UME 29, ISSLJI No. 7

Dear Editor, The Walt's Point launch in rhc worldfamous Owens Valley is in danger of being closed this summer. We do not yet have a site monitor for Walt's, and arc on the lookout. Anyone who wants inforrnation about being sire monitor can call Party I lardy ar the USFS at (760) 873-2510 or me at (408) 774-8661. In case we do not find a monitor I'm frmning rhc "Owens Valley Hang Gliding Club" in order to ger USH(;A site insur-ance. We need some members, and we need your name, address, phone and e-mail for our roster to send in to USHGA for Chapter applirntion. I hope that the hircst Service will eventually allow us to use Walr's without a per-manent monitor; forming the OVHGC will be part of the proposal WC give to the J;S. We might need members ofrhe club ro act as "sire monitor for a day." Anyone who is experienced at flying Walt's enough to be able ro judge rhe weather and call rhc day on or o/Tshould let me know, and if you would be willing to commit to being there on any particular days this summer. I will be there the weekends of July Ii, July 18, July 31, Aug. 14, and Sept. 4. For other days/weekends we will be looking for other people to step up and volunteer to be mon iror. Last, have you ever had to deal with rhc USFS in your area? I would like copies of any Special Use Permits that have been issued ro other sires, to present to the Inyo FS when negoriating. (As far as I know rherc arc not any orhcr sites in rhe U.S. that require a perrnanem site monitor and I'd like to get Walt's more in line with rhe rest of the cm1ntry.) Peter I.awrcncc 1875 Orange Grove Dr. San Jose, CA 95124 pctcr.lawrcncc<rilcng.stm.com (li08) 77 li-8661 work (408) 37'7-8940 home

POWER AND USHGA Dear Ediror, I was in Knoxville at my first Board of Directors meeting this spring. The previous six months had brought rumor upon rumor :1hout the "inevitable inclusion" of "power-assisted foot-launch" inro the USHCA. The experience of the great ulrralight debate from the early I 980's and the impact "pow-er" would have on dl,ms put frirrh by my local club (USHCA Chapter #li4, Warcr Cap Hang Cliding Club) in pushing for·

ward public land-use issues (NPRM) pro· vided the impetus fort be 1, 500-milc round trip. Tim Herr, USHGA legal counsel, closed the opening session with an in-depth look at Directors' responsibilities, carefully provid-ing guidelines fix new Direcrors as well as veterans. The most resounding comments clearly instrucrcd our Directors to abstain from voting on issues in which the Director might have a conflict of imerest, possibly resulting in personal financial gain. Following Tim's comments I was able to speak dirccrly with him about my concerns about the iuclusion of power in whar I understood 1:0 be a powerless organization. I also spoke with Bill Bryden, Ken Brown, and almost anyone else who would listen. My concerns arc simple and straightforward. The "power issue" should not be decided without open discussion among the membership. I incorrectly believed the statcmenr printed on both the inside cover of' our mag-:1zinc and on the home Web page of the USHGA, which says that we arc "a membcr--controlled organization dedicated to powerless, foot-launched night" as the US HCA mission statemellt. Tim Herr pointed out to me that this is "editorial contem" and tl1ar rhc mission statement: is included in the actual bylaws. Suhscquellt discussion abour the actual mission statement was both confosing and enlightening. Apparently rhc mission statement has been recently changed and the wording has nor been made public. Rob Kells was present and appeared surprised that "powerless foot-launched" was not included in our new mission. I didn't understand rhc explanation concerning how the mission statement of the organization could be changed without rhc membership being informed. I would lil,e to rcqucsr thar you print the US] !(;A mission statement and the dates and conrem or t:hc revisions. Although the printed agenda provided no forum for rhe discussion of this "political hor potato," the Safrty and Training ( :ommittcc meeting centered around the wording to be used frir "power assisted" sign-offs on our USHGA cards. Some time was reluctantly spent on power versus nonpower but nor without significant effort to table the issue. 'l'hc joint meeting of the SSA and the USHGA was closed to general members so I chose to begin the journey home early tony and sort though whar I had learned. First, the USHGA is alive and well. Reports of its pending demise arc false. Reviewing the financial rcporrs shows that we arc supponing a full-time executive director, have paid our bills and arc planning our /inure. Second, om Dirccrors arc concerned, dcdiHJ\NC GLIDINC

iI cited and patient. l firmly believe that my concerns were listened to and that they will he addressed in the coming months. Repeatedly I was told tha1 powcr-assisrcd /light would not be included wirhour dialog with the membership and that 1he K:der:il NPRM effort wo11kl nor he negatively impacted by the power issue. I am nor sure how these off-thc""rccord sta1emems will he cirricd through hur 1 do believe rhcy will he addressed. Please contacr your Regional Director and him your input on the inclusion of power in our sport. l would like to rhank everyone involved in die Knoxville 1\via1ion Expo and the USI IC/\ Board 111ecting for purring on a great show. Randy I ,cggett

Dear Editor, I share the concerns raised hv Steve Morris in his SOS le1tcr in May'')<) HG, however, his suggested remedies seem inadc> quatc. Ours will never be :1 spectator sport, and US! !CA managemem can only do so much. Could there possibly be something we all could do ro "save our sport"? Two possibilities come to mind. 1) Perhaps I'm a tad weird in that I don't consider rhc monddy mag worth saving for eternity. l recycle mine to waiting rooms and coffee shops where others might pick them up and catch I he fi·ver. 2) In Steve's area (the SF bay ;1re;1), beginning 1raining ,ites h:wc mostly disappeared. l ,awson's I .anding, Scon Creek, Thorton Beach, Ed Levin and Bird Road arc among t mining sires that have been lmt in the past decade while 1hc local pilots mostly yawned. "] got my si1e(s) where I fly. Why hassle with tl1a1 lost cause?" they say. It's l1ard enough to learn, hm add a 1wohour drive on a wcckrnd morning into the equation :md most folks will find something else rn do. Instructors such ;1s myself' (laq sop that I am) also arc less inclined to make tl1ar commute. Perhaps we at the local club level could help reopen some of rhcse resources, despite of the fact 1hat the only :1pparrnt beneficiary is the local shop' C:o\in Perry Where ever my van is parked, US/\

1)ircctors l have decided rhar the job's ex ten" sivc (loose women, drngs, 111;mu" facturcr payofls, and a priva1c scHtp spor at all Regional l:nmches) arc no longer s11fti cicrnly ;11tractivc for me to continue in the posirion. 1n other words, I am rcriring. Therefore I am appealing ro the Region Nine membership in the hopes of rncourag"" ing a number of you ro srand for election to 1har position. I greatly desire that in rhc fall the membership be prcscntcd wirh a clear choice between ;11 least two candidates to fill my vacant slot. Underlying some of the crit icism of' US! IC/\ is the implicit belief that don'r really understand whar "we" want or need for the bet tcrment of the sport. This is an ideal opportunity for individuals who have expressed 1har view in the past to now conrributc positively 10 the sporr. I can"" nor promise that the succcsshd candidate will be able to right rhc world's wrongs, h11t he or she will unquestionably have influence in shaping the policies of this organi1.:11ion. This is your chance to acr. Since kw among you arc aware ofwh:1t's involved in the position, J will present my own ideali1.cd criteria for a candida1c. J ,et me s;1y ar the outscr that fr:w individuals currently on rhc Board satisfy my ideal criteria. I don't meet them. Wha1 docs my ideal Region Nine Director look like? Above all, he or she must be active. Individuals who have been involved at the local level as dub officers, or in site prcscrva1ion dfons arc good examples of who's needed. ;\ broadly experienced, active pilor who is familiar with many of"areas of'specializcd flying: towing, tandem, teaching, crosscounrry, compenuon, etc. !\ hang glider pilot, but one who is at least minimally C,1miliar with paragliding. Some experience ins1r11cting. ( ;ood verbal skills. Much of what a 1)ireclor docs is negotiating with public or club ollicials, and mediating disputes. Since Directors arc responsible for a $1 ,000,000"pcr-ycar business they should have some understanding oFbasic business principles, rhc law, and insurance matters. Finally, if you arc interested in running for Regional Director, bm would like a bi1 more h:ickgrmmd on what is involved in rhc position, please fr:cl free ro conrac1 me via email ar lplchm:11rn<ril:10l.com. I will be travel"" ing for much of the summer and therefore hard to reach by relcphonc. Con Flyn, Pete l ,chmann Pittshurgl1, I';\

Dear Fdiror, Afrcr 11 years of service as one of Region Nine's representatives on the 11oard of )LJIY 1999

~y Rodger Hoyt

NORTH WIND

DAY

SOUTH WIND

llAY

f you're falling out of thermals or get" ring poor climb rares on a parrirnlar day, rry your circling di rec" rion. It can really make a cliffcrcncc!

,,11,

tarring to consider cross-country riying? One of rhc flrsr adjustments you'll have to make is learning rn chink !/"you're acrnstomcd to flying locally, your subconscious glide measurcmcnr has been developed from repeated glides to the J,/,, usually upwind. When you go "over the back" you'll generally have a tailwind extending, e11e11 douhling, your glide. Hey, that's why it's called "going downwind"!

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USHGA Books PO Box

Colo1wlo pRiNqs CO 80901 ],800,616,688ll usl1qA@usliq11.onq fllx(719) M2,6417 MC & VisA Moy&)S Ame.rica 1795 40th Ave.Sdn Francisco Ccilifornia 9412.2

Ph/Fax 415 753 9534 e•rnoil f'lyaMoyes@aoLcorn website www.rnoye$.com.ctu

+ The best help you 'II get next to your instructor. Covers every aspect of learning to hang glide from the beginner to the intermediate level. Includes study guidesfbr rating tests. 370 pages.

+ by Dennis Pagen and Bill All towing methods including payout winch, static line 1uV1,1r11•.1 stationary winch, aerotowing, boat towing and morel Any question about towing? This book isfbr you. 384 pages.

+ J11ying techniques for Intermediate to Advanced pilots. ~ $1

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FLY I

Update NOIITHWING AIRWAVE PARTS AND GLIDERS

ack in production! North Wing is your Airwave spare parts source and manufacturer of Trike Wing ultralights and hang gliders. Available through North Wing are two gliders which have become benchmarks in glider design: the Mark N 17 and 19 (with more than 2,000 made ic has become a renowned intermediate glider), and the Double Vision for all you tandem dudes and dudecces. The gliders will be available through your dealer. Mark IV's sell for $2,900 and Double Visions for $3,600. For more information contact: North Wing (831) 384-4807.

NQ~Tff WING

The Mm. Wings glider bag is available through your dealer or direct from Mountain W ings for only $ 16.95. Dealers and pilots can get more info or order at mmwings@aol.com, or ca ll (914) 647-3377. The bags are also available through most 1800-HANGGLIDE members.

PHOTO CREDIT

he phoco of Bill Hartwick soari ng Cayucos with Mo rro Rock in the background on pages 40 and 41 of the May issue was taken by Morgan Hall, not John Heiney. T hanks for che great article Morgan!

EARTH DAY IN ALAMOGORDO

he Rio Grande Soaring Association participated in the Earth Day Fair in Alamogordo, New Mexico on April 24. They set up a hang glider on a simple simulacor and a couple of hundred kids from ages five to 65 goc inco harnesses and enjoyed che sensation of flying the author's Airborne Blade. Thanks co great support from USHGA Headquarters we had lacs of spiffy literature and pins to give away as well, plus a videotape which really showed the people what hang gliding is all about. The whole purpose was to give the sport some positive exposure and recruit new pilots if possible. At day's end, half a dozen people had put their names on che sign-up sheer, interested in hearing more about it. Some seemed ready co head right out to Hobbs for lessons! The weather was a little stormy, prompting the closure of the simulacor for a couple of hours, but all in all it was a great success, and Alamogordo is anxious to have the RGSA glider our chere again next year.

- submitted by Robin Hastings

M1N. WINGS GLIDER BAG

ountain Wings is reimroducing ics glider bag for pilots who really care about their investment. The glider bag is a 22-foot-long, six-mil plastic cube chat goes over your hang glider co protect ic from the weather and road dirt and dusc. Ic is eight-fitting so it will nor flutter in the wind as you race co your favorite flying site. The bag is 100% waterproof and rho roughly protects your glider from the elements.

AERIAL CHAIR- UNIQUE PERSONAL SUSPENDED LOUNGER

he new Aerial™ Chair is now available from Above Ground Designs, Inc. Suspend it in yo ur living room, an overhang above a deck, a cree limb or on yam sailboat halyard over ch e seas. The high-quality, durable chair holds 350 lbs. and is the lightest, most compact, portable suspended chair available. Top-of-the-line materials are used co make a sharp-looking, user-friendly, suspended, coral body support system allowing comfort in a variety of adjustable positions. The inspiration for the Aerial™ Chair came while designing hang g]jding harnesses. It is designed for use in a variety of environments and is easy co hang (hardware included). The chai r comes with a lifetime warranty on workmanship and materials. All materials are saltwater resistant. Above Ground Designs orders are filled the same day they are received. There are two styles to choose from. The price is $199 for the Superlire, $179 for che Original, and $15 for a suspended drink holder, plus $7.50 shipping and handling. Retailer inquiries are welcome. Comacc: Craig Hines, Above Ground Designs, Inc., 8002 Timberline Drive #3, Bozeman, MT 597 18, coll free 1-888-8634057, fax (406) 582-0312, cloud9@aerialchair.com, www.aerialchair.com.

THE 1999 FALCON X-C CONTEST hen: Uncil December 31, 1999. Where: All of the U.S. as divided imo four sections in an attempt to make skill, not flying sires, the determining factor for the winners. Prizes will be awarded for all areas in all "classes": West Coast

H ANG GLIDING

(west of Route 5, Regions 1, 2, 3); Wesc (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ease of Route 5); Central (Regions 6, 7, 11); Ease (Regions 8, 9, 10, 12); World. Prizes generously donated by Wills Wing and ochers to reward pilots who fly for enjoyment and go places. Additional prizes may be added by sponsoring dealers, schools or ocher interested parties. The contest is open to any Hang 2 or higher-raced pilots. Pick the appropriate class to enter: Pro (Hang 4), Amateur (Hang 3) , or Recreational (Hang 2). Towing is acceptable with a maximum release altitude of 2,000'. What to do: 1) Enter. 2) Fly with a landing form and get a landing witness for any X-C flight. 3) Send us notification within two weeks of the flight - who, where, when, how many miles. Please submit all flights. Who knows who will win? There is no entry fee, but a self-addressed, stamped envelope is required for any correspondence requiring a return (entry form, etc.). E-mail correspondence and entry forms are acceptable, in fact, they are preferred. Stupidity or unsafe behavior automatically disqualifies you. Contact: Tek Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098 (860) 379-1668, tek@snet.net. USHGA AWARDS COMMITTEE UPDATE First, a recap of the 1998 USHGA award recipients. Presidential Citation: The Association's highest award - in recognition of two decades of contributions in creating programs, supporting professionalism, and significantly enhancing the sport and industry of hang gliding and paragliding - went to Rob Kells of Wills Wing. Exceptional Service Award: This award was given to Paul Rikert for his outstanding leadership of the USHGA Bylaws Committee and his valued assistance in keeping the USHGA focused on its m1ss1on. Chapter ofthe Year. Houston Hang Gliding Association. Newsletter ofthe Year: Mountaineer Hang Gliding Association, Mike Chevalier, editor. NM Safety Award: Dr. Mark Shipman, for his numerous episodes of on-site medical assistance and support to fellow pilots during the past year. Commendations: This award is given to members of the Association who have put forch exceptional volunteer efforts which have significantly enhanced and promoted hang gliding and paragliding in che United States. The recipiencs were: Ken Harrison, Ben Davidson, Sharon Tubbs, Ann Sasaki, John Harris, Jules Gilpatrick, Lynda Wacht and Stuart Spark. Special Commendations: This award goes to non-USHGA members who have contributed significantly to the spons of hang gliding and paragliding. Lase year's recipients included landowners and members oflocal government. The award offers cl1e USHGA a way co interact with the community at large and is viewed as a strong mechanism for positive public relations. Recipients were: Dottie Harrison, Malcolm Fishburn, Mrs. Replogle and fanuly, and Bonnie Bernard (Sylmar, California Chamber of Commerce) The Competition Points System Award recognizes: Chris Arai 1998 # 1-ranked pilot, hang gliding; Ochar Lawrence - 1998 #1 paragliding pilot; David Sharp - 1998 # 1-ranked pilot, rigid wing; Nelson Howe- 1997 #1 -ranked pilot, hang gliding. JUNE 1999

Two new additions to the array of awards that will be given each year indude the Instructor ofthe Year Award and the Bettina Gray Award. Nominations for these a.wards will be considered at the fall OSHGA Board meeting in Colorado Springs, October 21~24. The BettiriaGrny Award was crcateclto honor the.womai1 who contributed so much to our sport through her phtmigraphy. Nominees should submit tbree examples of their work for review. The Committee will consider aesthetics, originality, .and a positive portrayal of bang gliding or paragliding in determining the en t. One award will be given each year. The Instructor ofthe Year Award was created to recognize the importance of our certified hang gliding and paragliding in.~ttuC·· tors in promoting flying practices and contributing to the positive image and growth of ourspott. Nominations should indndc letters of support from three students and theloeal Regional Director. Considerations will include e.ffectiveness as a teacher, being a safety role-model, and other factors that the. nominating party deems worthy of recognition. One award per year will be given. The USHGA Awards Committee welcomes nominaticms for all. the awards. While rhe Committee style is frequently informal, we do carefully consider the cr.iteria for each a.ward. Please contact the US1·IGA office or any oftheDir,:ctors if you need darlfkation. We will also post the criteria for the various awards in the Augusr issue of Hang Gliding.

•••· submitted by Jan Johnson, U.S11GA Awards Cornm#tee Chairwoman

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Pilotif

In consideration of the benefits to be derived from membership in the USHGA, (Pflo~ 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: I. means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. 2. or as a result of the administration of

sustained by Pilot's parents or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs. means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or 3. 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 parti<:ipating in the administration of Pflot'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 Pf/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; Each of the property owners on or over whose property Pilotmay launch, fly and/or land; e) All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where D 11 AII persons involved 11 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 All other persons lawfully present at the site(s) during g) the any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I ,n,..,,,.,, ... .,,. however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the 1111,;.,bll,;.J'il,Jlll,;.,v may hereafter have for to the fullest extent allowed by law. I A against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, I will pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the 1111,;.,blt;;J'il,Jll[;;,v I shall be and All 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 ftlot suffers even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the "'-'b._J'i,..,,.. ,..,

LAW. I have

to the above

Ar/11/t Pilot's fign,1t1m

Date

f1jnattm ofPilot's Parent or Le/fa/ G11ardia11 ifPilot 11nder /8years ofJlfe.

Date

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Calendar of events items WI I J, NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact infclrmation (event, date, contact narne and phone number). Items should be received no larcr than six weeks prior to the event. We request two nwnths lead time for regional and national meets.

UNTIL DEC. 3 l: Pfllron KC Contest. Wills Wing E1lcons only. I :ive sections: West Coast, West, Central, East, World. Prizes in all sections and classes. Hang 2 and up. Three classes: Pro (Hang Ii), Amateur (I fang 3), Recreational (Jiang 'fowing allowed with maximum release alrirudc 0(2,000'. No emry fee, send SASE. C:onract: 'Id, Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098 (860) 379· 1668, tek(rvsnet.nct. UNTIL DEC. 31: /999 Ymrlong World Challenge, for paragliding, hang gliding, sailplanes. No entry kc or l ration, $600 first prize. Pilots arc scored by how for they fly relative to a sire's dis· ranee record (750 points fell' flying 75 llliles at a site with a I 00-rnilc record, I, I 00 points or breaking the record). Flights submitted on the honor system. For more details contact: John Scou Cl IO)

fox OI 0) brcttonwoods0ilemail .msn .com, www.hanggliding.org. JULY 5-10: Chelrm Cro.s:,

Classic.

Pilots create their own tasks from among triangle, our-and-rct mn, and open distance. F.xtra points for corning back. $70 ($(J5 before June I Cheap camping avaibhlc at the airport and above the high school frlocball licld, showers. Contact: Peter Gray at pctcrgray@lfilxintcrnct.net, (206) 270-8642. Write to: 4532 36th Ave. W., Scatdc, WA 98199·1154.

JULY 25.AUG. 2: Crmaditm Gmnd Prix. ( :ross·coumry and speed gliding championships, Sun Peaks Resort, BC:. $200 (Camdian) rntry. USH( ~/\.sanctioned poi ms meet. Con ract: www.jt1stfly.com.

JULY 3 l·AUG. 2: Western Ctuwdian Hang Gliding Chmnpionshij>, (;olden, British Columbia, Canada. Mount 7 is considered hy most to be Can:1da's premiere X-C mountain site with plenty oi' good landing areas and easy retrieval. 'The rncer is a good chance to experience some of the best X-C flying in Canada in a fun and friendly competition. Contact: Karen Keller li03-293-li008 skyw:1rd(tilcad vision .com, www.cadvision.com/skyward/wee l 999 .html.

AUG. 7 ,8:

I I 'frJw Contest, municipal airport at f-lcarnc, TX. hm competition and taxi-way parry. I Jang gliding and paragliding. Awards f<-Jr spotlanding, X-C:, duration, etc. ( :amping at airport. Com act: Len Smi I h (28 I) 69:'>7J l I, leonard.smithQ1Js1oncwcb.com.

AUG. Jfi.J5: i'lightPt1rh Glide Angle Contest. C:omact: I hvc B:1x1er, Morningside Flight !'ark, :357 Morningside Lane, Charlestown, Nil 03603 (603) 542.411(), fax (6tn) 5439577, morn ingsidc(tilcybcrportal .net, www.cybcrportaI.net/ morn ingsi clc:/ SFPT'. 2--8: Red 8ull V.7in,~s Over Aspen, Aspen, CO. U.S. National Paragliding Championships and hang gliding acrobat· ics cornpeririou. Open Class and D HV Performance ( :l:1ss for paraglid· ing. $25,000 in prize money awarded down to I Orh place in both hang gliding and paragliding. Nightly parties, live music, hig lim. Register early to ensure a position. Contact: Red Bull Wings Over Aspen, PO. Box I 0835, Aspen, CO 81 (i 12 (970) 618-::3038, fox (970) 544 (J522, rcdbullwoa(riJaspcn.corn, Aspe11.com/ rcdbu llwoa.

SEPT'. 1 1· 13: Negion 7 Ct!i1mpionship Revisited. A continuation of the Championship called in May due to weather, at Leland Airport west oF Chicago. Exccllcm X-C potential. hm meet for any class. Fmry Fee $(J5. Con1act: Arlan Birkett (81 '.S) 741 ·2250, Ourland I ()(frlaol.corn, Airport (815)495· 282]

FUN UNTIL SEPT 6: Yosemite Nt11ional Petrie. hanggliderflying eZJay weekend. Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. (Sorry, paraglidcrs arc 1101 permirred in rhe Parle) 16 pilots per day, meet ar Clacicr Poinr at 7:00 /\M sharp for sign--in and orientation with the Site Monitor. Official YHCA Moni1or must be present for permission to fly. Must show current llang Ii card. donation. Monitors arc vol11nreers !iom the Yosemite Hang Cliding Association. Call US HCA oflice (719) 632-8300 fi:Jr reservations and information.

JULY 1·5: [,r1/ce County, Ore,~on, Fcstivrd of'l-ilot-L1unchcd Fl{~ht. Registration July l, fly July awards July 5. Beautiful country, lo Ls of launches, great flying con· dirions, fim competition events for both hang gliders and paraglidcrs with cash prizes and trophies. Ciant free parry July /1 for registered pilots. I .a Nifla should bring excellent flying here this year! Quest ions? Call Lake County Chamber ofC:ornmcrcc (5/i I) 947-W40, or Jules Cilparrick, Chairman (5/i l) 947-3330, fox (541) 947,5581, ficeflitc(riltriax.com.

JULY 3·5: Buffido Mountain Flyers Third F/y./11, Buffalo Annual Huf[lzlo Mountain, 'J:dilii11a, OK. hm team com· pct irion organi'!.cd like the J .ookout Mountain Fly-In, lo promote learning and safoty. Prizes for team and individual achievements, as well as fon prizes, such as the now--infornous Clean Shorrs Award. Registration is prior ro rhc event, $40 al the event, and includes flying fees, Tshirt, and admission ro the Buffalo Wings picnic. Contact: 1.yncla Wacht (972) 21 <).8990, lwach1(ti>f1asb.11cr.

JULY 2./i.AUG. l: 21st Hang Gliding and Paragliding Fly·ln, Mont St. Pierre, Quebec, Canada. Contact: Yvon Ouellet (418) 797·2017.

AUG. 23,28: 2{,th Annutd Tr,lluride AirmenJ- Rendezvous. Six days of foot launched free flying fun, with 25,000' ceiling, foll launch staff with EMT\ reg· ular convoys to launch, '!~shirt, parties (free beer), contests with prizes, film rl/\NC CLIDINC

night, banquet, World Hang Cliding Aerobatics Championships, special guests and much more! Entry $95. Call the 26th Annual Telluride Airmen's Rende:,,Vous at (970) 36946% after May 17 for infor. rnation.

SEPT'. 4-6: Second !lrmual Brad Kofi Memorial Fly-In, hang gliding and paragliding, in beautiful North Park, Colorado. Aerotowing, foot-launching, scooter-towing. [ncredible high moumain valley, set between the Mt. Zirkcl Wilderness Arca and the Rawah/Mcdicine Bow Mountains. Straight-line X-C: com· petition. Winner takes home the traveling trophy, a gorgeous original bronze seulp· ture designed and crafted by Tim Denton (currently held by Mike Barber). foe includes a T-shin and Saturday-night bar· becue. Great accommodations and camp· ing available. Contact: Joe Nance I CloudStreet AirSpons (970) 493-5339, cloud(t1)frii.com. SEPT: 18-19: 9th Annual Pinc Mt. Fly-In, Pinc Mtn., OR. Contact: Raven Young (541 )317-8300. OCT. 1-:}: October'., Best Fly-In, at Sauratown Mountain near WinsronSalem, North Carolina. 'The event's eighth edition welcomes paragliding for rhe first time :lt a new slope launch on rhe moun· rain's rop. Still featuring the East Coast's finest cliff launch, "flow-through" ramps, a variety of usable wind directions. Aeroi-owing returns for a second year as docs a full-time cafeteria in the I,/,. Events start Friday morning with judging Saturday and Sunday. For skill level and other infi:) conract: Doug Rice (336) 994AppaPhoto@aol.com (hang gliding), or Ben Thomas (336) 723-082/i, k4zcpCt:tlbcllsourh.ncr (paragliding). Web site linked to UST fCA.

THROUGH l 999: Mosquito Clinics, pre sentcd hy Bill Fifor throughout North America. Contact: (616) 922-2844, cchangglider<?.1)juno.com.

THROUGH NOV. 1999: "Owens Valley at its Best" Cross-Country. Thcrmrtl guide to JULY 1999

the Owrns Valley with Kari Castle. One· to nine-day advcmures. Private onc-ononc flying, guide service and instruction also available. Hike 'n' fly the peaks of the Sierras and White Mrs. Contact Kari for more inforrnation: karicastlc0ilrdis.org (760) 872 2087.

JULY l -4: ATOS Clinic with nave Shm7J, at the Ellenville Airport in Fllcnvillc, NY. Learn how to inspect and repair carbon fiber, learn tuning secrets and maintenance, and learn to fly the ATOS rigid wing. Pig roast and barbecue on the 4th along with the town's major professional fireworks display. Call for details. The Mosquito will be available for demos. Pre.registration is required. Contact Greg Black at Mountain Wings/Fllenvillc Air Sports (914) or mrnwings(t1\10l.com. A 1-(800)-HANC GLIDF member. JULY ] 1: hnmch rmd !,anding Clinic, by Pat Dcnevan. Lecture, simulator practice and specific hillside training exercises. $I advance reservations required. JULY 31 & AUG. I: Dunlap rtyint Safari. Instructional safori teaching thermal soaring techniques. Hang 2 only. AUG. 18: Pcmichutc Clinic. Contact: Mission Soaring Center, I 116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas, CA 95035 (near San Jose), (li08) 262-1055, fax (li08) 262-1388, mschg(t1\1ol.com. JULY 26-30: "'/r1t11.lly Sj;eckcd Out" Cross· Country Clinic, hosted by The League in Colden, British Columbia, Canada. l .ower-lcvel pilots will learn how to fly cross·coumry safely from higher-level pilots in a friendly competition format. Nightly discussions on many topics. Experienced pilots can share their know]· edge and gcr to know rhc range hd<)rc rhc Western Canadian Championships. Prizes awarded in many categories. $20 entry. Conract: Ceof Sch ncidcr (4(n) 286sceJ)ter(rhs11<Jts.ab.ca. OCT. 21-21: 1999 Frill {JSHG!l Board of' Directors ( :olorado Springs. ('.onracr: USH(;A Headquarters 9) 6328:300.

~~~~~THE~~~~~

1999 U.S. NATIONALS YAHADTO BE THERE by G. W Meadows, photos by Jana Wheatman

'd been in the area preparing to run the 1999 U.S. Nationals for about a week, and as I drove onto the Quest Air, Florida property the day before the contest started I was stopped by two police officers at the entrance to the main compound. Although I was impressed with all the effort Russell Brown had put into handling spectator traffic, I couldn't understand why they were so involved in spectator control the day before the meet was to start. 16

"Oh well," I thought, ''I'll just tell these guys who are tryi ng to keep me off the property that I'm the meet director. That should impress chem and gee some acrion. " "You'll have to leave the area, sir," one of them said to me as I was about to open the van door and step out. "No, I'm sorry, you don't understand, I'm the meet director for the competition," I enlightened them with a powerful revelation. "Please leave the area," was the response to my obviously misunderstood statement. I made a quick assessment of all the relevant information: yes, chis is Quest Air; the contest starts tomorrow; I am running it. Why doesn't this guy get it? H ANG GLIDI NG

FAR LEFT: Top-placing rigid-wing pilot Brian Porter of Utopia fame. LEFT: Patty Cameron and her Stealth. BELOW Mark Mulholland and his Millennium.

Just then, Russell walked up and informed me that a bomb threat had been called in at Quest Air for 2:30 PM and rhat we had to remain clear of the buildings. Why in the world would anyone call in a bomb threat to a hang gliding schoo l? Thar question was never answered, and 2:30 came and went without incident. So, the seven days of the 1999 U.S. Nationals started off with a bang - or at least the threat of one.

DAY ONE Since the Nationals started the day after the Wallaby Open ended, some pilots JULY 1999

came dragging into Quest Air a bir late, and were soon in something of a tizzy trying to ger everything sorted our, but by the time the contest was ready to begin most pilots had found their gear and gocren it to the appropriate end of rhe field. Just as rhe window was to open, however, the wind proved char it was indeed going co blow from rhe wrong direction, so we had to move everyone to the opposite end of rhe runway. Quest Air isn't just a large field that used to have a bunch of cows grazing on it. It's a full-fledged, World War II-era grass airstrip, so a trip to the ocher end involves a bit of a hike. In any event, the

pilots got rhe job done without too much complaining, and within half an hour we were ready to go from rhe ocher end of rhe scrip. After about a third of the field had gotten into the air we observed a vase wall of dark clouds less than 10 miles to the north heading our way, so I called the day off This call was more conservative than is the norm in most U.S. hang gliding competitions, bm I've decided that chis will be standard procedure at meets I run in rhe future. As a meet director I can cell you rhac in a situation like this, half th e pilots will complain that you called the day off and the ocher half will supporr

CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Launch assistant Steve Kroop and Dragonfly tug designer and pilot Bobby Bailey. - US. Womens World Team member CJ Sturtevant. - Kari Castle takes a break under her Red Bull-sponsored glider. - Tug pilot Bo and Steve Kroop. - Tug pilot Neil Harris and his machine.

H ANG G LI DING

J,LEXWING Place Pilot J) 2)

4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

9) IO)

ll) 12) 13)

14) I 5) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22)

8rirm Porter tows alo/i in his Utopirr. you, and it will be the sarnc if you rnakc

Ll1e opposire decision. As a result, I've decided to let pilots complain that my

calls arc too conservative and f'm prepared to live with it. So, Day One (at least the second half of it) became a rest day.

DAY TWO The short·-tcrm weather forccasr was looking better and the competitors were ready much earlier as we moved to the cast-facing runway in an cast-northeast wind. We scr up a wondcrfiil Lm11cl1 sys tern that involved two rows of gliders sqiarared by abom l 00 fret, with rhe tugs landing between rhem and peeling off rn ;iltcrnate sides. This turned out to be the mosr efficient launch system I've seen in acrotowi n g. The task was a 50--milc triangle that had pilots flying back to Quest Air as the goal. There were 4 9 flex and I I rigids entered in the comest and all rhc la1111chcs went offhasicallywirhout a hi rch. Brian Poner brought his Utopia into goal rhc fastest with an elapsed time of just under one hour and 48 rni1rn1es, ;md Oleg Bondarchuck won the day in the flex wing class 011 his Stealth with a time of two hours and nine minutes. It's JULY 1999

important to note that Manfred Ruhmer w;is late to goal this day with a rime oC two hours and 19 minutes 011 his Lami11:1r. So, after one day of competition Oleg the flex and Brian was il1c stifl,cs. I.ct it be known that Jamie Shelden (a lady pilot) made goal this 011 her Fxxtacy. 'fo say that she was ahom it would be a significant undcrst:11 cmen t.

DAY THREE We still had good weather so we called ;i dogleg to Leeward Airport and then to Dtmcllon (a very large airport which is rhc honH' of Craybird /\irsports' flight with a task distance just under 60 miles. Off the pilots wenr, launching to the somh and then setting out on course ro the north-northwest:. /\s it rumcd olll WC OVCJ'ClJlcd the and our fearless "J-800-HANCCoal 'lender (I c;UDE" (;Jover) did an impression of the Maytag repairman and sar it our hy himself~ the pilots returned pretty much happy, each with a story about why he l;111dcd where he did. l'vc run gliding contests every year since 1988, and stories abour a day's flights arc prcny much the same, they just

29) 30)

39) 40) 41)

45) 46) 47)

Glider

Manfred Rubmcr AUT Oleg Bomfarchuk UKR Bctinho Schmitz BRAZ BRAZ Andre Wolf SWI Martin Harri US/\ Jim Lee Mike Barber USA 'J'ony Marry SWJ Kraig Coomber AUS USA Dustin Martin Allan Barnes UK lJS/\ Glen Volk USA Chris Arai USA Dennis Pagen USA Jersey Rossignol USA Ryan Glover USA Paris Williams Mitch Shipley USA Bruce Barmakian USA Mark Bolt USA USA Rem Scbaerli USA Kari Cnstlc USA Nancy Smith USA Mark Bennett Bubba Goodm::in USA USA Claire USA Rob Kayes Steve R.ewolinski USA Tracy 'fillman USA USA .Rohen Lane Patty Cameron USA Kendall USA USA John Beckley USA Cami Sperry USA Wayne Sayer USA Kerry Lloyd US/\ Jack Simmons USA Jody Lazaro USA Peter Welch Jamey Meier USA Marion Moody USA US/\ CJ Sturtevant USA Mike Dcgtoff USA Dean Funk Mike Williams USA Steven Desrnches USA Alejandro Diez GUAT Joseph Snlvcnmoser AUl' Francisco De Silva BRAZ

Laminar Stealth Topless Laminar Laminar Fusion Topless CSX CSX CSX Laminar CSX Fusion T'opless Stealth Topless Predator Stealth Fusion Stealth Stealtl1 Fusion CSX Stealth Stealth Classic Laminar Predator Fusion Kfassic Stealth SX5 Klassic Xrralitc Stealth Pusion Fusion Predator l<.4 Predaror

:xc

XC Stealth Fusion SX6 HPAT K.lassic 'fop less Laminar

RIGID WING 1) 2) 3)

4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11)

Brian Poncr Davis Straub Johann Posch Jim Zc:ise1 Dave Sharp Ramy Yanetz Campbell Bowen Jamie Sheldon Mark Mulholland Jim Yocom Russ Locke

USA lJSA USA USA USA US/\ USl\ USA USA USA USA

Utopia Exxraey ATOS Millennium Millennium Exxracy

Visit www.Just/ly.com f!r more det,tils.

come from different people. We arc indeed in a wonderful sport. I remember looking at the pilots, all standing in line waiting to have their GPS track-logs downloaded, and noticing how on a day when nobody made goal thar practically everyone was smiling and joking and rdling tales about the day's flying. 'This was gratifying. Manfred and Dave Sharp shared the day's win, with Manfred Laminating and Dave on his Atos, both flying 53.11 rniles. (Brian Porter came up only about I 00 yards short of them!) Brian and Oleg were still winning in their respective cat(>· gones.

DAY FOUR

TOP: Claire Pageri towing up and RIGHT Claire in the flesh. ABOVE: Andre Wolf in his laminar.

The third contest day. We were back down at the sourh end of rhe airport launching toward the north, and opted for an out-·and-return on this day. The weather forecast called for possible overdevclopment in the late afternoon so we called a shorter task, a 37-milc round trip to the junction of Dean Still Road and Highway 33 (ro the south) and back to Quest Air. This rurned our to be quire an interesting finish for many of the six flex wings that made the jaunt. (Unfortunately, the rigid wings just couldn't make the whole trip this day.) T,rny Many had the fastest elapsed rime with one hour and 52 minutes. By rhe time a few of the pilots made it to goal there was a cloudburst that had cur visibility to very little. There wasn't any thunder or lightening associated with it, just one heck of a rain shower. Goalboy Glover had set up a Netcast of the entire competition and was sirting in his car as the rain pounded him, tracking the leaders on his GPS. There's a whole other story about this NetcasL thing, but suffice it to say that if you have access to the Internet you could have watched the Nationals unfold in real rime on your computer screen thanks to Glover, Davis Straub and a few other folks. (loohfor an upcoming 11rticle on this. Ed.) The pilots flew with special data-transmitting radios that relayed coordinates every 30 seconds, and yon could keep track of them on the l mernet site ( l 800hangglide.com) or, if you had the same type of radio you could follow them on your GPS, which is what Dave was doing. So, Dave could stay dry in his truck and only had to get out to watch and time the six HJ\NC GUDINC

pilots who made goal. Oleg finished third for the day, just four minutes ahead of Manfred, and was able to hold on to first place in the floppy category afrer three rounds. Davis Srraub and Johann Posch landed in the same field in their Fxxtacics and thus tied for the clay in the stiffy division. They also moved into those two spots overall as Brian, who finished ninth for the day, moved down ro fifth overall. ft is worth noting that J\llan Barnes, Ry;m Clover and Mike Barber were the other three flexibles to make goal this day.

very well might get good in the afternoon. Davis Straub, keeper of all things weather related, and Mike Barber pushed to have us wait it out. J\t this point Mike was rhc highcst--placing American in the meet, and if we bad called the day off he would have been the new (and for the first time) National Champion. His encouragement for us to wait it out and try to gcr in another round was a selfless act of sportsmanship. So, at l 1:30 i\M I announced that we would make rhe final call by I :00 PM. ;\1 about 12:30 the clouds started to break up and lift. J\t l :00 I called for the pilots

to get into place on the northwcst--facing runway for another round. Without too much grumbling the pilots did so and we called the same task that we called two days previously- goal at ( :ha let Suzanne with the checkpoint. It would be the understatement of the competition year to say that the day turned out better than we thought it would. Out of the 50 or so pilots who were still at Quest for the !;1st day (it's not uncommon for a number of pilots 10 head home on rhc morning of' the last day), 23 of them made the li2-milc task

Continued on page 28.

DAY FIVE The wind was a light west-northwest so we set up on the west-facing runway. On this day the task was a race to a goal with a checkpoint along the line. The goal was Chalet Suzanne Airport and the checkpoint was 1--li and Pilots had 10 pass to the west of the checkpoint to ensure that rhey didn't drift near Orlando's Class B airspace. It turned out to be a splendid day. Chalet Suzanne is something ofa resort with a nice pool, and the owner even put out a cooler of beer for the goal-makers. Brian Porter flew his Utopia to goal with the fasted time one hour and 18 minutes elapsed rime over a li2-mile course for an average speed of approximately 32 miles per hour. Bringing his Laminar iu just flvc minutes slower, Manfred won the flex-wing day which vaulted him into first place overall, heating oul Oleg on his Steal th by a solid 15 minutes. Jim Zeiser was second in the stiffics. l t is notable that Jamie Shelden (the afore-· mentioned lady pilot) made goal for the second time dming the meet. All in all, six srifflcs and 20 /foccids crossed the line on Day Five. Overall in the rigid category Brian Porter was back on top with his Utopia and Davis "Oz Report" Straub was in second.

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DAY SlX We were weathered oui-.

THE SEVENTH AND PINAL DAY The day started out looking like crap, and everyone figured it was a done deal with cloudbasc at abo11t 800 feet and northish winds of around 25 mph. Gary Osoba had been e-mailing some great (as in accurate) weather forec;ists for the last few days and his call for this day was that it JULY 1999

next World Championships

Please support your WORLD TEAM SWEEPSTAKES GUIDELINES AND RULES Cliding Association Frnmd:11ion ("lJSl !CAF") is condnct· money to promote the World Team in illtcrn;Hional corn manufacturers and distributors have donated pri:1,c-s. paid 10 the lJSl!Ci\l', a t"x exemp1 501 (c)(:\) Cllli· ty. will hmc/11 the U.S. I !:mg eliding World Team and other relatvd organi·1,ations as determined hy the lJSI ICAF.

PLEDGl,/CON'rRIBU'l'JON c;umrnJNl'.S C:ontribmions madc by check mrnt be pay:il,lc to "l/Sl IC:AF \Vorld Team". These contribmions should he mailed to World Team, P.O. Box 13:30, Colorado Springs, CO 809()\. U:JO, Contrih111ions of$:\5.50 or more :ire 100'!1, tax deductible, the estim:11cd val11c of'any benefit you receive for your coutriblllion is 1101 s11bst:1111i:1l; therefore the foll amoulll of'yom rnmrihution will be deductible. Contributions under $.'l5.50 may not be tax deductiblv. 1. N<) PLIRC! IASI'. OR C:ONTJUBUTfON NFC:FSSARY to enter or win. The sweepstakes is being conducted in association with the LISI\( ;;\Flo raise fonds for support ol'imernational hang gliding cot11r,e1t11ot1. 2. I low 10 Fmer ·--·· All a conrribution of$ IO or to World· I'earn by calling Sept em her 11, 1999 or hy Oflicial Form to be postmarked by 11, \ ')')9 and received September 1999 will :mtomatically one (I) entry iuto rhe swcq,s1:1kc:s. also receive one (I) without a rnn1rilm1io11 by to be postmarked by I/')') and received 'l/1 /i/'J9. Form and/or a sell<Hldresscc envelope to: 8090 I -I .DO. Please specify entry l<irm or rnlcs with your request. n·sidcnts only may omit rctum postage. Only one entry per person, regardless method. S1tliscquent entries fi·orn the sam,· individual will be :rntomatically lied. Limit on,· .,. is offrred only in the United States to legal resi18 ye:m or older, f,,r employees (:rnd the immedi:tte of'rhe \JS!](;;\\'. families aud members of'the same household Void where prohibited by law. All federal, state and apply. Ii. Prize/( \,npon Wiuner Selection/Prizes/Coupons On or abom 9/15/9'), sixty-three (63) winners will be drawn from all eligible entries received to win the (()!lowing prizes/coupons in the order. The below mentio11cd mc1 chants have donated all prizes/coupons. The prizes/co1tpons and their approximate retail values arc as follows:

Mf!RCHAN'J'

!'R!/.F/C'O( !PON

V!ll/f!i Jill<:! I Q!Y

Graybird Quest Air Wallaby Ranch Davis Straub Angle of Attack Iii Energy Masrndon Tck Flight Products Skydog Publications USJ JG/\ Adventure Productions East Coast Video East Coast Video l lall llros. GWDI (Bob Ortiz) Sport J\ viation Sport Aviation lJSH(;A USJ !CA USHGA Gate Savers

J\crotow

Aero To,v P,1ck;1gc Book Killer Secrets of Windows 98 ;\ of'/\ control bar uprights Pair of Bar Mitts M:istadon Bar Mins

$75

$50

$/iO

MO $/iO

Camera Mount

$/iO

Skydog Adventures Book US! I< ;A Polo Shirts ;\]' Videos ( ;n:cn Pt. video P1. or M1,,. mph air speed and bracket Crmmd Wind Direction Ind. Book Underst:111ding the Sky Book Performance Flying Book Understanding ,he Sky US\ !CA Caps lJSI I< ;A T·shins P:1ir ( ;ate Savers

$JO $2(,

$25 $2'i $25

:l 2 2

$25 Ii

$20 $20 $20

$20 $15

$Vi

$7.50

The r:mdom dr:twi11g will be conducted under the supervision of USHCAI' whose decisions on :tll ntanus oC the sweqJSt:tkes arc final and binding in all respects.

5. (;rncr:tl (:onditions

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be contacted by phone ;md/or mail. Pri·;,c/coupon winners must claim their

prtze:s/0D11111rn1, wi1hi11 fomrcen ( 11) days afler receipt of' prize/co11po11 notific:uion. l'nz.e/co1tp,,r wi1111,Ts may be rcqttired to sign and rctum an Aflicbvit of Eligibility Release within I() d:tys o/' notilicat ion. I f':t selected winner cannot he cont:ictcd, ineligible, foils 10 claim a prizc/co11pon or foils to return /\ffidavit of'Fligihility :tnd Liability Release the selected winner will her/his prize/coupon and an :tltcrn:11<· will lw selected. Prize/coupon winners will he responsible for all, taxes (fr·dcr,tl, state a11d/or local), and, to the extcm allowed law, all shipping and delivery To the cxte111 that a 1irizc/co11pon donated by :t merch:utt, winner will be responsible for and i11cidc111;il costs incurred to rcacl1 the service location and may winner will a st;Hcmc111 evtdencr111, value of' the which will be reported fc,r income tax will be awarded in the narncs of rhc winners and arc no1Hrat1sl1T:tllle ever, however sponsor reserves the right to substi1t1tc a prize

AV8 Lamin:u\Jorlli $4,500 Altair, AV8, Brightstar, Hight Design, Pendulum Aernsports, US Acros, \JS Moyes and Wills Wing-· Coupon good for $ii,()()() off on yottr o(a glid er from rhe following m:tmtfocturcts: Altair, AV8, Design, Pcndtt!um Aerospons, US Aeros, US Moyes or \Vills $ li,000 Mountain I ligh El )S Oxygen System $8'i0 Wills Wing /.-5 I larness $(,95 Flytcc l'lyrec /i005 V:triorneter $/i50 Pendulum Aerospnns Pair ofTekk )-watt radios $Yi0 Brian Porter 111'2 Printn $:JOO Wingover composites Jim I.cc F· I llclmet NA Flight Design UVEX \lelmet/FD Sweat Shirr $725 Personal Hight ;3 hrs. of' dual trike instrnction $225 Just Fly Full !'ace Integral I lelrnet $no Arai Design Coupon good for $200 off on· l'angcm $200 Brauniger Pair of ( \ispi Tinos Boots $150 Malletec M:dlctec Mini Variometer $150 Ball Variomcters M- 12 Cricket Variorneter $125 Gunnison Gliders XC Bag for yottr glider $120 fntro. T:tnrlcm I!(; Lesson & T-shirt Kitty Hawk $120 $8') I Jang ( ;Jider 'j 'ail Fin Cloud 9 Sport Aviation Brannigcr Kiwi Pickup l lclmct $75 Flight Connections l'TT I lead set $75

$75 $75

or greater

value due to unavailability. 6. Odds of' winni11g depend on rhe mtmber of' valid cnrries received. ff a prize notification letter is rc1urned to sponsor or deemed undelivcrahlc, an alt-crnatc win-

ner may he selected. Sponsor is 1101 responsible fc,r auy technical or telecornmunic:t tion problems or errors, misdirected or disconnected c:,lls, or for mail···in entries that arc late, lost, misdirected, incomplete, 01 mail or in its sole ro if' ii or because of non· autl1orizcd human intcrvcurion.

p:11'\tctpants ag,ree 10 ti!l'se ollicial rules and the decisions of' the rclc:tsc its directors, omcers, Cll'tPi<lVCCS any and all liahiliry aud participant will hold them harmless any losses or damages of any kind resulting in wltole or in part, directly or indirectly from acccplancc, misuse or use of 1hc prize/coupon, or parricipai-io11 in this Sweepstakes. where legally prohibited, by the prize, winncr(s) grants permission fc,r lCAF and those :tcting under its 10 use his/her name, photograph, voice and/or likeness for :tdverrising and/or purposes witl1011t additional compc11s;1tion. 8. Winner's l.isr/0/ticial Rules: You may obtain a list ol\vinncrs (afrcr 9/ 15/')')) by Sending a sell'·addressed envelope to: World Team Winners, P.O. Bnx 13:lO, Colorado CO 80')01-1 :J:30. I Founcl:ttion, 559 F. 809013()51.

weepstakes Fill out the official entry form below and mail it today! See the facing page for rules and list ofprizes. r---------------------------------------------

(!j cJ. 7/eros

*Brightstar*

MJ ·~

.r.~1~:E"'.;:1,

~ A salumltd airors Prea!orA

Ft I GHr oEs I GN ~ ~

Official Entry Form -

N o Purchase N ecessary

Make check payable ro U.S. Hang Gliding Foundation (US HGF World Team ), and send ro World Team, c/o USHGF, P.O . Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. One entry per person. All entrant's names and donations will be listed in Hang Gliding magazine.

NAME _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ __ __

CITY _ _ _ __ STATE _

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_ ZIP _ _ _ _ Amr. $ _

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THE BEST TRAINING MANUAL EVER! ABold_ Sfateme;;esome Book But Thts ,s one

CHAPTERS

FLYING THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS article and photos by George Ferris We all know what a brilliant designer Felix Ruhle is, especially those

of us who have been flying his Exxtacy, but we were unaware that he is also an artist. I had seen many pictures ofthe Atos and admired its sleek appearance and striking looks, but when I saw the glider for the first time at the Wallaby Open I was truly in awe. Photographs don't even begin to do it justice; it's truly a work ofart. have been going ro Wallaby Ranch for three years now, and have noticed that Malcolm Jones never seems all that interested in gliders other than his tandems which he has used to reach hundreds of students, but the day the Atos arrived it put even Malcolm into a trance. I noticed him gawking at the glider like a kid in a candy store. Every morning while the Atos was being set up he seemed unable to pass by without stopping to admire it, taking time away from his busy schedule. On the subject of setting up the Atos, it is very similar to the Exxtacy but quicker, mainly because the flaps and spoilers are never removed from the sail. This saves about seven minutes and a lot of hassle. The ribs attach to the trailing edge with levers and the finish is impeccable. On the subject of finish , Felix went so far as to contour the spoilers so they sit flat on the sail, and the flaps are set into the sail, becoming pare of ir. Ir's hard to explain but you will see for yourself. The control frame, uprights and control bar are a dupe of the Exxtacy (although they may use a lighter material in the near future), bur with more refined fittings. The sail is made of polyester and has a

much nicer finish than the sai l material used on the Exxtacy. Felix comments that this particular grade of polyester doesn't have as m uch of a tendency to wrinkle. He made several Pegasus sails out of this polyester (which are quite old now), and the material has proven itself. Permanent press! After admiring the Atos as a work of arr I was very curious to find out what it actually weighed, so I went to Wal-Mart to retrieve a scale and we weighed ir. It is a true 73 po unds. For those who find cartopping 73 pounds a bit m uch, a quick pull of two pins allows the glider's wings

to be bagged and carried separately. Davis Straub and I weighed the Atos again so he could take pictures for his "OZ Report" e-zrne. The glider's static balance is almost perfect, and the wing lifts effortlessly while running into the wind with half flaps before you take four steps. Thanks to Felix, Dave Sharp and Peter Radman of Altair, I had the opportunity to fly the Atos three times. The first fl ights were in the evening and there was no lift. I co uld not determine anything concrete, but it seemed that the Atos had a m uch better

Dave Sharp and the Atos at Wa//,aby Photo by Eileen Lis. H ANG GLIDING

like the Exxtacy che initiation is immediate. I was still in the thermal and had gained 1,000 feet, so I decided to see what she felc like in high-banked turns. I kepc increasing che bank angle in each 360 until I achieved 90 degrees. There was no tendency for the Atos to slip at all, and she carved the most beautiful turns. I did several 90° 360's in both directions and the Atos was solid all the

Dave Sharp tows the Atos at the Wallaby Open. Photos by Eileen Lis. than the Exxtacy. Time will tell. My third flight was at 11 :00 in the morning. I cowed to 2,500 feet where I released and flew around, finding light lift. The thermals were just beginning to pop. The Atos, remarkably, cows more easily than the Exxtacy, and I would not have believed it if I hadn't tried it for myself The Atos, like the Exxracy, flies straight ahead hands off, like it's on rails. I pulled on some speed to feel the pitch pressure, which seemed to be more than char of my Exxracy (this could be because of rhe CG location), and it was even JULY 1999

from 20 to 60 mph. Looking at rhe wing on rhe ground and noticing how much shorter the chord is than char of the Exxracy, and with a 42-foot span, I thought the Arns would most likely have a tendency co slip in high-banked rums. I entered a thermal and initiated a left rum with a moderate bank and lee go of the control bar. The Atos carved a beautiful turn on its own. I changed directions several rimes, reversing left and right 45°-banked turns. Like the Exxracy ir rakes longer than a flex wing co perform this maneuver, but also

Dave and the Atos at goal with the everpresent Manji-ed Ruhmer in the background. Note folly deflected flaps.

way. My concerns about the glider wanting to slip were gone. Something else I noticed is that Atos feedback is very easy to read. Ir's right there all the time and gives you a really secure feeli ng. I left the thermal and circled down to 1,200 feet, then raced back roward the Ranch and entered another thermal. This time, during my climb, I tried different flap settings. The life was light, and like my Ex.xtacy the Atos appeared to climb better (in light life) with some flap. I have fo und, as a rule of thumb when flying the Exxtacy, that rhe stronger the conditions the less flap you need (this could be personal preference). I would guess char the Atos is the same, but chat's only a guess because I never had the opportunity to fly the glider in strong conditions. In addition, the Atos seems to turn more quickly with flap. Perhaps Dave will write something about his perceptions in chis area. Does the Atos fly just like che Ex.xtacy? Ir's similar, but there are some differences that are difficult to put into words considering the minimal amount of airtime I have on the glider. I'll leave that topic to Dave who has much more experience. Do I have any concerns? Yes! Ir seems chat the Atos does not fall our of the sky with full flaps like the Ex.xtacy. It's only a first impression, but I don't think the glide is diminished as much as that of

the Exxtacy with full flaps. Ir was time for me to land, only one hour before start time, and Dave was waiting patiently. I had landed the Atos twice before and the landings had been straigh tforward and easy, similar to th e Exxracy. Ir was my last day at Wallaby and I was elated that I had been given the oppo rtunity to fly the Atos, considering that only one glider had arrived and not two. I left the thermal and circled down, checking the windsock, which indicated a light north wind - the same direction as when I had taken off 30 minutes earlier. I decided to make a long, conservative approach into rh e wind, but wasn't aware chat the wind had switched 180 degrees until I was cruising 10 feet over the gro und. I now had a tailwind! At 10 feet off the deck I noticed char my ground speed was not slowing bur increasing. Ten seco nds later, with no room to turn for

correction, I flared hard. My feet hit the ground first, and with the momentum of the glider I knew she was going to beak. My mistake was not letting her do so. Normally I let go of the downtubes, and if I'm going to fall forward I let myself do so without touching the uprights. T he result is always the same: no damage to che glider and no damage to me. T his time, however, I was desperate not to whack chis wonderful work of arc chat did not belong to me and held onto the uprights, hoping to prevent the inevitable. I knew walking out of the field char everyone who rlidn't know who I was would now be familiar with my name. I ended my stay at Wallaby helping Felix, Dave and Peter, who had been so gracious to me, fir the Atos wi th new uprights. What's your most embarrassing moment! • H ANG GLIDING

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Llo'fl'f.: Meet myimzzer and author G. W. Meadows. RIG! TT Ray Leonard (lefi) and Bill Bennett. Continued.from with Manfred beating out Oleg by one second to clinch the flex-wing top position. Brian Porter continued his great flying and finished first in the rigid division for the day, placing first in rhc rigids overall for rlie meet. We scored the f1ex and rigids together for the fun of ir, and after combining all the gliders in the competition (the lt9 flexics and l I stifftcs), Manfred Ruluncr on his Laminar and Oleg Bondarchuck on his Stealth beat everyone quite a feat and a tcsta·· ment to the abilities of these two pilots! So, when it was all said and done the top five flcxcrs were: Manfred Ruhmcr (Austrian on Laminar); Oleg Bon-· darchuck (Ukrainian on Stealth); Betinho Schmitz. (Brazilian on a Topless); Andre Wolf (Brazilian on a Laminar); Martin Harri (Swiss on a Laminar). And the rop five stiffers were: Brian Porter (American on a Uropia); Davis Straub (American on an Johann Posch (American on

an Exxtacy); Jim Zeiset (American on an Exxrncy and Dave Sk1rp (American on an Atos). Our new National Champion, and sixth overall, is Jim Lee who passed Mike Barber on the last day to take the ritlc. Jim was flying a Wills Wing Fusion. Our Women's National Champion is Kari Castle, also a Fusion pilot. The top--placing pig-sticker (kingposted glider) was Paris Williams on a Predator who finished a respectable 17th overall. The Quest Air Nationals was the firstever Nationals to utilize aerotowing, and it was the first F.ast Coast Nats in 1I years. It came off nearly flawlessly and I was proud to be associated with it. There arc so many people to thank and 1 can't do them justice in t-hc space I have here, but f must thank Russell Brown and Campbell Bowen, owners of Quest Air, as well as the owner of the property, Frank, who worked his behind off lO make sure the pilots had what they needed. Roger and Lynn Evans, along

with Connie Baily and Peaches, put in count:less hours to help make the facilities accomrnodaring for the many pilots. The tug pilots did a bang·up job: Bo, Chad, Buddy, Russell, Lisa. 1'hc ground crew Tyler, Sunny, Caryl, Jane, Dixon, Melanie did a great, thankless job. and others Steve Kroop helped arrange launch lines another tough job. Doug every day l:-Iileman took charge of the scorekecping while Mark Mocho handled the GPS downloads. It all went flawlessly, and we had scores up hy 9:00 PM practically every evening. Duncan McBride was to fly a tug in the mecr as well as provide Web site support. Unfortunately, he had a tug accident the day before the meet and spcn t the emire time in a brace at the hospital. He compressed a vertebra but will heal completely. We missed him. SPONSORS Flight Design donated terns of stuff to give away, as did Flytec. Local rcsraurants and stores, too nllmerous to list here, donated meals and such, and the folks at Quest Air would love to point you in their direction when you come to visit. USHGA donated some stuff, as did Fly !Iigh Hang Gliding, Advemure Video and Jim Palmieri. Moyes America, U.S. Aeros and Just Fly gave away some things as well. Than ks to everyone. [ almost forgot to mention the entertainment that was provided on a nightly basis. During t:he week there were three full bands, the Hooters girls, an Elvis impersonator, and old 1Gmm bang gliding films to keep the pilots entertained. 1t was indeed a great time. 'The 2000 Atlantic Coast Championships will take place at Quest Air next April. Mark your calendars. You don't want to miss it. II

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BEGINNER-TANDEM RATINGS Region 7

ROMOLINO, PAUL: Rochester Hills, Ml; N.

J\clvcmmcs

Region 12 JOHNSON, CARL: Princeton, NJ; B. Urnstancl/Sky High Ac1·ot<,wn12

BEGINNER RATJNGS

Region 2 CARLEY, JOHN: San Jose, ( './\; D. Yount/Mission Soaring HERRICK, DON: Sunnyvale, C:A; P. 1larlow/Mission Soaring HOYT, LARRY: Turlock, CA; D. Youm/Mission Soaring Region 3 SANTOS, FRANCISCO: Los Angeles, C:A; R. McKcm.ic/1 ligh Advcnmre Region 6 BROWN, TONY: Salina, KS; S. White/White Our J-JC;

Region l

Region 7

DOHERTY, SHANNON: Scanlc, WA; K. Cosley WFTNERT, DUANE: Fall City, WA; I<. Cosley

PIEHL, TED: Seymour, IN; C Thoreson/Lookout Mm FP

Region 2 GARNER, CRAJG: San Jose, C:A; I'. Dcncva11/Mission Soaring

Region') BEANE, DAVE: Beavercreek, OJ!; B. Bryclcn/Williams l•ligln HFDDERLY, RlCI I: N Canton, 011; C Thoreson/Lookout Mm Fl'

Region 3 SANTOS, FRANCISCO: Los Angeles, C:A: R. McKenzie/I ligh Adventure

Region JO DOVER, JEFF: Decatur, AL; J. Cook/Rocket

Region It WALLACE, DENNIS: Sierra Vista, A7.; J. Smith/Arizona Airfoils WIELGJ\T, DARIUSZ: Clcndalc, A7.; D. Cordo11/Advcnturc Sports Tours

Region 11 HARDY, RON: Dallas, TX; C:. Thoreson/Lookout Mm Fl'

Region 6 BROWN, TONY: Salina, KS; S. Whirc/Whirc Out HC;

JOHNSON, CARL: Princeton, NJ; B. Umstancl/Sky High Aerotowing SPARLING, MARSHA: Hadley, NY; P. Harlow/Mission

Region 7 TED: Seymour, IN; C Thoreson/Lookout Mtn FP ,~~"v1u1,H'<u, PAUL: Rochester I lills, Ml; N. Lcsnow/Flying Adventures

SJPPEL,JASON: England: T. l lagcr/Looko11t Mm FJl

Rq~ion 12

Region 13

INTERMEDIATE RATINGS

PATRICIA: Center I ]arbor, Nll; D. Baxter/Morningside FP

llryckn/Williams Flighr RICH: N Canton, OJ-!; C:. Thorcson/1.oolrnut Mm 1:p -11-,1v11,,1--. ,--., WI! L Dingmans 1:erry, PA; C. Black/Ellcnvillc Air Sports

JEFF: Dccatm, AL; J. Cook/Rocket /\irspons 'T'IM: Statesville, NC; B. Grydc:r/Foothills FP

Thorcso11/Lookom Mm FP INGO: Copperas Cove, TX; E. Sn1irh/J\rizo11a Airfoils

Region 2 CRUTCH LOW, ERIC: Sanra Clara, CA; I'. Dcncvan/Mission S0;1ring FRANCO, GEORGE: Sacramcmo, C:J\; c;_ Ha111ilto11/Sacramcnro I Jc; HANSELL, ERIC: Reno, NV; R. Leonarcl/Aclvcmurc KNOWLDEN, DAN: Milpitas, C:A; I'. Dcncvan/Mission M/\COR, WALT: Livcr111orc, C:A; J. Corral/Moyes Australia MASURA, PAUL: l.iver111orc, CA;_/. Corral/Moyes Ausrralia Region 3

BALZER, MIKE: Canyon Country, ( '.A; 11. Bal\ard/Windsports !111'! DUNN, I.INDA: Simi Valley, ( :A; l'. Phillips/1.akc Elsinore Sports STEVENS, JOHN: Rancho Park, CA; A. Bccm/Windsporrs lnt'I Region 8

JACOBS, ROBERT: Manchester, NJ I; R. I lasrings/Tcam Spirit !IC DLJI"_,,·,,~, GLEN: New York, NY;(;, Hlack/Fllcnville Air Sports

u,_11"""''"' JIM: New York, NY; G. Hlack/Ellenvillc Air Sports G()OiDJ\,1ArsJ, BENJAMIN: New York, NY; T. C:ovclli/Ellenvillc FP CARL: Princeton, NJ; B. I ligh Ac1·orc,w11111

ADVANCED RATINGS Region 2 LAVIN, RAJ:AEL: Daly City, CA; A. Mclcan/W O R

NOV[CE RATINGS Region It KREIDER, JASON: Sandy, lJT; 7.. Majors/Wasatch RYAN: Woodinville, WA: K Cosley [)()1-IERTY SHANNON: Scanlc, WA; K. Cosley , DUANE: Fall City, WA; K. C:oslcy ]ULY 1999

Region 13 BUTT, BRIAN: Canada; S. Stackable/Torrey Pines Cliderport

TANDEM ONE RATINGS Region 3 MARTYN, GEOFFREY: San Diego, CA; J. Ryan/HG<: Region 9 FORREST Ill, WILLIAM: Woodhridgc, VA; C. DcWolftFly America Producrions

USHGA, PO Box l 330 Colorodo Springs CO 80901 I -800 616 6888 fox (719) 632-641 7

Region 10 ALVARENGA, MARCO: Weston, Fl.; J. Tindle/Miami HG WALL, MIKE: Chattanooga, TN; C. DcWoH!Fly America Productions

TANDEM TWO RATINGS Region 10 FURST, MARK: Dunlap. TN; P. Voight/Fly High HC

NEW RELEASES! crioss couNrnY eooo Cl3fl .•.. ..... $34.95 ST/\11TING P/\HIIGLIIJINC Cl"l100/\ .... $29.% IIEl10NIIUTS I lang Gliding Mastors .... $29.95 CLOIJDBASE SERIES,. STARTING 1'1111AGLIDING CLOUDllASF PIIRAGLIDINC Cl3102 .. $34 .95 M/\Sffl1S AT CLOUIJBASE CB100 ... $19.9ti

1999 TOP 10 SCHOOL/CLUB LEADERS IN BEGINNER (HANG l) RAITNGS ISSUED

RANK SCHOOL.. ........................................ BEG7NNER 1 Wallaby Ranch ........................................................ 88 2 Lookout Mountain Flight 3 Miami Hang Gliding ............................................... 17 4 Kitty fiawk Kites ..................................................... 16 5 Mission Soaring Center ........................................... 15 6 Austin Airsports ....................................................... 12 7 Morningside Flight 11 7 I·iigh Adventure ....................................................... 11 8 Adventure Sports 'Tours ............................................. 7 8

CLOIJDBASE SERIES· Hang CflOSS COUNTRY BOOO • CBS Sl'EED GLIDING · Cf37 .. ....... $24.95 1°AllTY AT CLOUDl311SE CBG .... $19.95 DUST DEVILS· CEJ'.i .. . ....... $19.95 B0t1N FLY CB4 .... .. $34.95 111\NG GLIDING EXTREME CB3 ... $34.95 EUROPEAN IMPORTS ....... $39.95 ............ $34.95

r0 aul Hamilton

catal09• b 5i'tC to Adventure Productions

. ·t 0 ur we. video! 6553 Stone Valley Drive reorn1n9 Reno, NV B9523 US/\

Vr5 1

see st

hnmilton@adventure.reno.nv.us

Berkeley Hedonists .................................................... 6

LEADERS IN ISSUED

RANK SCHOOL .............................................. NOVICE 1 Lookout Mountain Flight Park ................................ 52 2 Wallaby Ranch ........................................................ 32 3 Miami Hang 1 4 Mission Soaring ........................................... 16 5 High ............ 11 6 Mountain Wing Hang Kitty lfawk 7

Quest Air ................................................................... 7

Adventure Sports ....................................................... 7 RavenSkySports ....................................................... 6

Rankings were compiled forn ratings published in the }anut11y·· .July 1999 issues tfHang Gliding rn/1m1'7,nP

HANC CLll)JNC

Saturn

Altair

?RED~TOR

ATOS

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

FIRST PRINCIPLES OF CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING by Pete Lehmann, illustrations by Harry Martin

something else with an uncertain outcome. The following rules are intended to enabl e pilots to more easily choose which path to take, the one of decisiveness or the one of persistence: stay or go? With those two characteristics in mind the following material is divided into three sections emphasizing decisiveness, persistence, and those situations in which the pilot must chose between the two.

DECISIVENESS

Tweety the Attack Falcon, Pete Lehmann's X-C glider of choice this spring, launching at Jack's Mountain, Penmylvania. Photo by Lynn Meadows.

o paraphrase what was said of baseball in the movie Bull D urham, hang gliding is a simple game: you launch the glider; you rnrn the glider; you land the glider. With the benefit of perhaps too many years in this sport it is clear to me that hang gliding suffers from an excess ive zeal in mystifying what is a fundamentally simple sport. To be sure, there exists extraordinary complexiry at some levels, but by emphasizing the esoteric aspects I fear we intimidate rookies and inhibit their learning. That leads me to create a simple list of what are essentially ground rules, or first principles of flying hang gliders. The list below is an admittedly idiosyncratic reflection of my own personaliry and experience. However, it contains what I feel to be an instructive distillation of my cross-country and competition experience. The subjects may be viewed variously as rules, mantras or guidelines, but together they attempt to provide a loose framework that will simplify the decision-making process during a cross-country flight. In presenting the following rules, it is assumed that the reader is a reasonably

experienced soaring pilot with a basic grasp of thermaling skills and an understanding of thermal lift. These are technical skills and readily learned by practice and from books such as Dennis Pagen's excellent Performance Flying. What this article attempts to do is to integrate the basic skills into outlines of basic strategy. The subject matter below differs from most of what has been written on hang gliding subjects in that it fo cuses on the emotional components of the sport. The rules are aimed at solving not technical problems, but ones that are rooted in human insecuriry when one is confronte by uncerrainry. And hang gliding- playing three-dimensional chess with some invisible pieces - is nothing if not uncertain. T he problems confronting the soaring hang glider pilot can be divided into two rough groups: those requiring a solution based upon persistence, and those requiring decisiveness. These are the tools employed by good poker players: knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Hang glider pilots must sometimes stick with what they've got, and sometimes abandon what they've been doing and try

Go TO LIFT Many years ago I read a story about Rich Pfeiffer's flying at Ellenville, New York on a day when he had gone off in a direction different from that taken by rhe locals. H e was rewarded for his innovative flight path by accomplishing the day's best fli ght. As I remember it, he later remarked that he had merely gone off toward the day's only line of cumulus development, while the locals had followed the area's conventional route, oblivious to tl1ose clouds. I read that as a Hang III, and it has remained an axiom of mine to this day: go to the lift. It seems absurd to have to remind pilots that they should go to the obvious sources of lift, but we too often allow other things to interfere with this, our first, basic principle. Too many of us permit local cusrom and habit, concerns about retrieval routes, or worries about reaching the reg- :(:}::,,::::::: ular landing field ··\{;::: to distract us from

H ANG GLIDING

finding lift. Even inexperienced pilots have enough informa1ion to know where lift ought to be found: clouds, ridges, bowls, tree lines, etc. If you want to stay in the air, go ro the lift. IT'S THE CLOUDS, STUPID

f n the 1992 election campaign Bill C:lintcm's political pit bull, James Carville, was credited with having articulated the campaign theme that defeated incumbent George Bush. II is manlTa w;1s, "It's the economy, stupid." Were he to be a h:rng glider pilot, it's possible he might have employed the saying, "It's the clouds, stupid," to hammer home an essential principle of cross-country Oying. Above all else, clouds ;:ire the most reliable indicarors of the location and character of available thermals. They tell an observant pilot where lift might be found, how long it will last, it's possible strength, and, equally importancly, they tell us where it won't be. The clouds tell us if the mountains arc working or the flats; they ler us know if there arc shear lines we can exploit, and they tell us if we arc

entering or leaving one type of air mass for another. Even their sudden absence has significance. As an example, if one perceives a blue zone amidst a sea of pufly cumulus clouds, avoid that hole like the plague. For whatever reason, be it marshy ground or a recent violent rhm1derstorm, the clouds arc telling us that that country is not producing lift.

Upon encountering bad sink most inexperienced pilots commit a grievous error: rhey turn around and go back from whence they've come. This is a mistake for two reasons. Pirst, if they've been rravcrsi ng bad sink it is very likely that there is good lifr in front of them somewhere. Remember, the atmosphere is in cquilib-rium. lf air you're flying through is sinking like crazy, then iris rising at a reason-able rate somewhere else. Second, if you have been traveling through the vicious sink, rurning around and retracing your course through that sinking air is merely a guarantee of nothing less than again sinking like a stone as you re-cross that same sinking area. In other words, rhe odds of finding lifr arc greatly increased by continuing ahead rather than turning ;:iround. It may

feel terrible to continue through vicious sink, bm it is usually far worse to mrn around in it. Accepting that there is always more lift in front of him is a fundamental step in a pilot's development. 'Ji·usting that there is more lift out there, and internalizing that belief into our decision-making calculus, allows us to break the bond to rhe home site. Ir frees the pilot from always returning to the security blanket of the launch area and the known LZs. It is the knowledge that there's lifr to be found beyond sink that gives a pilot the confidence and freedom to go crosscountry. IF IT lsN'T Hmrn, Go ELSic'WHERE This is essentially a creed, a faith. Most beginners give up far too quickly. They arc too willing to accord the law of gravity its inevitable clue. T'hc law of gravity will certainly prevail in the long run, buL it is your objective as a pilot to post-pone that outcome as long as possi-ble. 'lei accomplish it you need to find lift, and if you arc nor in lift at the present time, it is time to get the hell out of there, and go elsewhere. Ideally you should have a plan and a destination based upon an intelligent reading of the terrain, the sky and any indicators available to you. But in the absence of those cues, just rnovc. If

;:ire, n10ve. Too many pilots simply dither in the s:1me area umil they've lost so much altitude thar they must land. The 200-Foot Rule below addresses this matter in specific terms. What I am getting at here is rhe general proposition that aimlessly staying in one spot is useless. Even if you don't have a clue as to where you are going or why, it is still a betrer idea to glide off aimlessly in one direction or another. You must just cover ground and traverse as much air as possible LO increase your chances of hitting lifr. Lilt must be out there, otherwise those hot-

shot pilots could not accomplish what they do.

in assessing the likelihood of finding lift. Second, I shared all pilots' reluctance to go off into the unknown when we think we have found a safe haven. So corn·· pclling was the influence of these two factors that I was forced to impose upon myself a rigid 200-Foot Ruic. When searching a likely lift source (such as under a cloud) 1 allow myself to invest a maximum of 200 feet of altitude searching for lift. I( l haven't begun to climb afrer losing 200 feet of precious altitude, I leave. Period. While exceptions can ccnainly be cited, it is vastly more probable that: we will wind up landing early if we let the hope oflifr and fear of leaving guide our dccision-mak-

WHEN IN Domn~ Go DOWNWIND

This is a 'JcJmas Suchanek rule, and is a refinement of the above injunction that if one isn't climbing, one needs to move elsewhere. As a three-time World Champion "fomas' opinion carries considerable weight with me, and his rule is one I have prof itahly applied. The essence of his reasoning is that find-· ing lift is largely a function of covering ground. That is, the ( more ground you cover, the more possible lift sources you traverse, and the higher the likelihood you will encounter a thermal. Obviously the actual structure of the ground below you and the shapes of clouds above will influence where lifr is to be found. For that reason you should tailor the exact downwind course to maximize the likelihood of find··· ing lift. Nonetheless, in general terms, our chances of finding lift arc greatly increased by crossing lots of ground, and going downwind enables us to accomplish that aim. Unless there is a compelling rca·· son to do so, fighting upwind in search of lifr is a waste of time and altitude. FLYING WITH OTHER PILOTS: NEVER

CHASE FROM BELOW

Flying with friends on a long cross-country flight is one of the greatest pleasures in hang gliding. It is, however, also one of the most difficult things to do, and something often likely to shorten a flight. The fundamental reason for this is that we each have different skill levels, styles and equipment which make it: difficult to fell··· low the same three-dimensional flight path. As a result, if one pilot attempts to stick with another one, that pilot will be forced to change his normal behavior to accommodate the other pilot's decisions. The result is usually ugly: landing. Tel avoid this I have a cardinnl rule. I categorically will not chase a buddy from below him. In other words, if my friend is above me or ahead of me I will not aban-· don my climb to follow bim. The out· come of doing so will ofren be that I arrive at the bottom of his thermal just as it's dying and he's leaving. Be patient.

111g. )

PERSISTENCE )

What goes round, comes round. One of the ( { most maddening things about going X--C with a friend is that even pilots of equal skill will be scraped-off by their buddies. The result will be that one pilot is now low and trailing behind the other pilot, feeling frustrated and foolish. 'The important thing to do is to main· tain our cool and not srnn to play catchup hy racing. If pilots are of roughly rhc same caliber it is very common rhat over the course of a longer flight rhey will swap the lead several times. In the end things tend to even out. The guy in front will get low and have to waste time gnwcling while the guy behind hits rhe tberrnal the leader just missed. Stick to your own flight plan. This advice is that much more relevant if there is a disparity in skill levels between the two pilots. An inexperienced pilot who tries to stick with a good one will almost certainly land pm· maturely. THE 200-FOOT Rm.E This is another core rule. In my earlier flying l discovered that I would be reluctant to leave an area where I believed lifr ought to be. I would then squander much of the altitude with which I had arrived at the spot before finally, much lower, leaving to search elsewhere for lift and landing. 'rhis behavior had two roots. First, I was both overly optirn istic and unskillfo I

LANDING Is FOREVER

Jf I began the section on decisiveness with the seemingly simplistic injunction to "go to lift," I must begin this section on persistence with another banal assertion: Landing is forever; it is the end of all your hopes. Once we arc on the ground we can no longer apply our decision-making genius toward attaining whatever goal we have set ourselves. Most pilots, whether in the cast or west, seldom sec really good conditions. As a result we all need to make the best of what we've got. There is no room for landing simply because we arc lazy and figure that there'll be another time. First, there never arc too many "other times" and, second, if we were inclined to give up when things became difficult that first time, we will likely do it again on "another" flight. Tt is far better to struggle to stay in the air in the first place. In plain English, don't give up too early in a flight. Mosr pilots do give up long before they really need to. They rationalize it in a variety of reasonable sounding ways: "ft wasn't there, l was flushed, the wind switched, I needed to make the main or it wasn't going to be good anyway." We've all heard them, and all used them. They arc, however, still nod1ing but excuses for having given up too early. As long as we have enough altitude to safely reach a decent landing field there is no valid reason not to keep struggling to get back up. "fhat may mean working that lirtle bubble of zero sink, passing above HANC GLIDINC

rhat last little hill, or gliding over the downwind edge of rhat sunny howl on tl1c way ro the J ,Z, If we can survive the periodic flush we will almost assuredly get back up again, The key is to work everything possible ro delay the landing rhar marks the end of our hopes, As long as we arc in the air we have the option of continuing,

WORK THE WEAK STUff, One of rhc most widely held misconceptions about cross-country flying is that to go far one must fly in really strong concli-tions, 'fo be sure, flying in conditions with great climb rares and a good tail-wind will improve our chances of' going a long way, The problem is that even or1 an otherwise good day we will encounter weak periods when rhc fare of rhe flight hangs in the halancc. In fact, I have seldom made a long /light that enjoyed good conditions from launch ro landing. The real determinant of'virtl!ally every one of my long cross-country /lights has been a willingness to work weak lift. There is almost :ilways ;i low save during the flight. A long flight will not havl'. strong conditions lrom beginning to end. Patiently and skillfidly working weak lift is what distinguishes a good from an excellent flighr. THE l<'IRST I 00

ln rhc preceding paragraph I have argued the necessity of working light lift. Now it remains to suggest a mechanism for doing it. Many pilots' thermal flying is handi capped because they misunderstand the genesis of' thermals, They believe that thermals come fully formed in hig, fat, gift:--wrappcd packages. While such thermals certainly exist, we generally first encounter thermals in rnuch less developed states. What dilkrcnriarcs good pilots is their willingness to stop and work light lift with exquisite skill and patience until it turns 011, In m:rny ways they arc doing what Steve Moyes has answered over rhc years when asked how to find lift, "l j11st stop, turn and make a thcnrd." This is csscmially a matter of faith, a belief in tl1e incvirablc improvement of a weak hit of thermal lift. Upon first encountering thermals (and the lower the altitude, and the stronger the wind, the truer is this starcrncm), arc often weak, small and broken, One can oficn climb i11 them, but only hy pay]LJIY 1999

ing close attention to the vario and the glider's behavior, and flying the glider forcefully and precisely. That is, you must focus on aggressively putting the glider into the best available lift for the greatest period of ti me possible, You may go in and out of Iift, it may rry to spit you out, bur you will climb as long as you fight back and pay artcmion to where its strongest bits arc, It is my experience that if we can climb as little as I 00 foct, the odds arc excellent that the thermal will come together into a more easily worked configuration, at which point we arc home free and 011 our way rn cloudhasc, The key is recognizing that ifa thermal is strong enough to make us climb even a

tiny bit iris very likely that ir will even tu· ally come together and get us up. Howcv-cr, iris crucial that the pilot conccmratc his attcmion and physical efforts on making the glider climb during that critical first 100 frcL I literally talk to myself' to remind myself not to give up, I watch my altimeter, and if I can gain l 00 fr·er I am extremely con/idem I can get out of virtually any had situation in which I find myself. However, I sometimes need to remind myself or thar fact so that fr1tiguc, despair and discouragement don't triumph and allow me to up after saying, "Ah, to hell with ic l will never get out of here."

PERSISTENCE AND DECISIVENESS The preceding sections advocating persistence or decisiveness on a pilot's pan arc foirly straightforward, What is much more difficult is to make decisions where rhc choice is one, the other, or both. These arc issues which require st1htlc1y and flexibility on the part of rhc pilot, and arc thus hy far the most difficult decisions con fi 011ting a piloL 0

SHIFTING GFARS

An addendum to earlier commc11rs about the need to be willing to work weak lift, is rhe need to recognize when to do so, and when nor to, A long flight often i nvolvcs a broad mix of conditions, The early lifi might be small and weak; ir might become booming in mid-flight, and far and weak late in the day, Or we might encounter those conditions several times in a mixed order during the flighc What ever the exact pattern, lifr conditions will vary and they will require or allow different flying styles. If conditions arc boom-ing iris wasteful to hang on to every last piece of J 00-fpm life Ar rhat rime we need to start gliding, and gliding al a higher speed. lrli/i weakens, the becomes overcast, or altirudc scarce, we mt1st slow down and be paticn t, If we arc at great altitude, go fast. But if we arc heading into a wet, green, flat area in the middle of a desert, then slow down, because the lift is about to change /cir rhc worse. The difficulty is recognizing when to slow down even though lift has been real-ly good for a while. Conversely, one needs to know when to speed up when things have changed for the better. Jim I ,cc, one of rhc world's great pilots, introduced me to the concept of changing gears. Ile uses three gears and consciously changes his flying style in accordance with how he reads the lift ahead. Similarly, Larry 'lt1dor can be heard on a radio advising fellow pilots to go into what he calls "sur-vival mode" when conditions become dif~ ficult. The point is that there is no one per-fret flying style. Be flexible. Keep your eyes open and integrate as much inforrna-tion as possible from indicators close in and far out. Keep track of things like the moverncnt of a line of high cirrus that might shut down thermal activity, or the changing character of the countryside, Passing from mountains inro flat country usually betokens weaker lift, just as docs wet terrain, Most readers of this piece will have the rcquisi tc basic knowledge of thermal generation, What l am suggesting is that to he: a succcssfol, gear-changing, cross--coumry pilot we will need to integrate that· information on a much larger scale than is usuaL It is not at all uncommon for a good pilot to he integrating information about circurnst:rnccs

Continued on page 49.

~y Dermis Pttgen

... ft ain't all old ladies\ mosquitoes cmd swcimps,

We got gliders galore, girls and cross-country comps!*

ross-counrry comps indeed. These two lines from the Wallaby Ranch theme song highlight a major mcrnmorphosis: Florida has been trans· formed from a premier cross-counrry area ro ;i premier competition venue. Sure, there arc plcn1y of old fc>lks and biting bugs, bur who heeds them when you're topped om and headed for goal? This April Wallaby Ranch put on a meet/nightly foast/partyfflying extravaganza that hasn't been seen in this coun·· try since the M,isters of Hang Gliding series that ended at Grandfotber Moun· tain in 1986. While the Masters was ofren plagued by bad weather, the Wallaby Open bad excellent flying and lots oF it, every single day. Goals were made, some personal bests were flown, a new pilot-tracking system was explored, and everyone in attendance learned anew how social a hang gliding cornpetitiou can (and should) be. Herc's the setup.

TfIE WONDERFUL WALLABY RANCH The Ranch doesn't have kangaroo, kith or kin, it doesn't have rodeo air, and you'd even be hard pressed to find anyone who can rope and ride. But ir does have the ways and means to pm scores of pilots into the air with a minirnurn of slTcss and hassle. One secret to running a successful tow park like the Ranch is rhe righ1 mix of equipment, facilities and personnel. During the meet we had six Dragonfly tugs and three trikes with skilled tow pi lots at 'All song theme song. 3/l

the Wallt1by Rrmch

the helm. Their policy was to drop com· petitors off near a marked thermal or a cloud to maximize climb-out possibilirics. This policy is an important factor in competition, for if you go down you arc at the back of the line and may miss an optimum stan gate, or worse, be in the air alone with no thermal markers. The Wallaby Ranch has facilities to accommodate everyone's flying vacation: Their "hill" has zero grade and you can take off in any direction. There's a screened-in pavilion/lounge featuring couches, tables, cooking facilities, a dance floor, music and TV (plus live bands on special nights). There's alrnndant camping space, RV hookups, a swimming pool and a hot tub, as well as a swing set and tree house for kids of all ages.

You can bring the wife, )'OU can even bring the kids, Send 'em off'to Wall.y World, you '/l be gladyou did Or let 'em lounge mound by the su;imming pool, I.et 'em get a melmwmr1 like ail those other fools, Yrm can hook on a line, fidfill need, Yrm don't h(lue to come down. our lift is

The people at the Wallaby Ranch arc central to the whole enjoyable experience. First, there's owner-operator Malcolm Jones who sets the barefoot, bid-back tone. lfo lovely wife Linda helps on weekends and his right-hand human, Laurie Croft, is ever-pleasant and charming. 'fhe main tmn, Rhen Radford,

keeps all the tugs in operation and pulls a smooth line. There were nearly 50 helpers, workers and volunteers for the meet. Jr is unfortu .. narc that we can't list thern all, since they arc the ones who really made the meet work for us, the competitors. We are eternally grateful. Two people deserve special mention: Laurie Sanchez, who, besides being an integral member of the Ranch team, also came up with some delightful artwork in the style of Joan Miro depicting gliders in flight. Also, Jeremie Hill was chef par excellence who provided daily breakfasts and evening dining for all pilots, helpers and friends for five dollars a bellyful. (Jeremie, my favorite was the grilled salmon and the mushrooms.) The evening meals were one of the highlights of the Wallaby Open. Normally, pilots stay at scattered places and eat in separate restaurants. Bur at this meet we all came together every evening 10 share a meal and swap talcs of aerial daring, defeat and glory. Most of us stayed right at the Ranch, so rhe camaraderie was shared late into the evening. Perhaps it is Wallaby's location next to Disney World, bur more than one pilot commented on the never-never land atmosphere of tbc place. You're in a little self-contained world where flying is the highlight, hospitality is rhe ambiance and fun is in the air.

Our house thermal smells li!ee orange blossom JJe1·tu1ne, Our ladies look like a flower in bloom. Our pilots are smooth and our welcome HAl~C Ci IDINC

Flex-Wing Class Place Pilot 1) Manfred Ruhmer 2) Oleg Bondarchuk 3) Jim Lee 4) Andre Wolf Becinho Schmitz 5)

12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

Rigid Class - Top 10 Pilots USA Dave Sharp Atos Brian Porter USA Utopia Mark Gibson USA Exxcacy Davis Straub USA Exxracy Campbell Bowen USA Exxcacy USA Exxcacy Jim Zeiser Johann Posch Germany Exxcacy USA Tip Rodgers Exxcacy Felix Ruhle Germany Exxtacy Bo Hagewood USA Exxcacy

7) 8) 9) 10) 11)

and more yawning vistas were in store with each succeeding day. I don't know if I have been in a meet that has been blessed with seven consecutive great days. T h is blessin g was not under rhe direct influence of the organizers, bur the logistics were.

THE COMPETITION We haven't forgotten who brought this event to its successful denouement. Besides the Wallaby staff and Malcolm's excellent pre-meet organization, we had great direction from Meer Director J.C. Brown, and superb scoring from Scorer Mark Mocho assisted by Dean Funk. The Wallaby open used GPS scoring for the first rime in the U.S. With this system, pilots did not have to rake photos to prove their rime and position at the start gate, turn points and landing. We simply turned in our GPS units each night for flight confirmation. The scorers would p lug us in and we could witness our progress aro und the course. There were often tense moments if a pilot cur a rurnpoin t too close. Then the screen would JU LY 1999

Glider Lami nar ST Aeros Steal ch WW Fusion Laminar ST La Mouette Topless WW Fusion Moyes CSX Altair Predaror La Mouette Topless La Mouette Topless Moyes CSX Aeros Sreal ch WW Fusion WW Fusion La Mouette Topless Great Britain La Mo uette Topless Moyes CSX Altair Predator Aeros Srealth

Sandy Dittmar Kraig Coomber Paris Williams Ryan Glover Mike Barber Glen Volk Jerz Rossignol Kari Castle Chris Arai Dennis Pagen Allan Barnes Gary Davis Dustin Marcin Steve Rewolinski Bubba Goodman

ABOVE LEFT Oleg Bondarchuk crossing the finish Line. Photo by LoweLL TindeLL. INSET The amazing Manfred Ruhmer. Photo by Eileen Lis. LEFT Jim Lee comes in for a Landing in his Wi/Ls Wing Fusion. ABOVE RIGHT Aerial view of Wallaby Ranch. Photo by Woody Jones. ABOVE: The tug pilots, Left to right - Rod Brown, Pat Bulger, Keny Lloyd, Roger Sherrod, Carlos Bessa, Rhett Radford, Neil Han-is, Mike Zidziunas and Tom Ramsuer (sitting). Photo by Mike Walsh.

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blow up the rurnpoint with rhe allowable sector highlighted in yellow. Ir was unarguably clear whether or nor a pilot made the turn point. Except for on e case ... The only real controversy wh ich occurred during the meet happen ed on rhe fifth day (88.28 miles) when we had a turnpoint which really didn't al ter our course, bur was intended to keep us on one side of course line, away fro m a swamp area. The problem was rh ar the GPS coordinates for the poinc were way off since it was supposed to be a goal, and goal coordinates were not taken wi th the accuracy of turnpoints. Thus, some p ilots flew to the given GPS coordinates, while others flew to rhe ground poin ts. The result was that many pilots, including Manfred Ruhmer, were our of sector. After much debate and anguish, J.C., with the wisdom of Solomon, declared the situation to be an organizational fo ulup and awarded the turnpoinc to pilots achieving either the physical turnpoinr or rhe virtual GPS turnpoinr. We had a bit to learn, bur in the end everyone (especially film checkers) was happy with rhe

Score 6902.6 68 19.7 6277.3 5990.9 5934.9 5594.3 5590.6 5398.3 5380.5 5340. 8 5228 .3 5165.7 4964.0 4944.9 4935. 1 487 1.1 4751.7 4590.6 4464.4 4396.2 6189 .8 6 148 .1 5674.4 5671.2 4525.8 4 125.6 4 104.9 3523.6 3453.2 343 1.9

accuracy of results and the ease of GPS use. Our daily routine was to wake up at a leisurely h our and set up our gliders (only if we didn't make goal at Wallaby), then, after th e communal breakfast, attend to private matters and get together for an 11:30 pilots' meeting. T here we learned abo ut the aggressive daily task and congratulated the p revious day's winners. Again we had more preparation rime until we wheeled our gliders in line to launch , usually between one and two o'clock. Once a pilot got inspired to launch there really wasn't too much waiting. Two launch lines and a parade of launch dollies had all 56 of us catapulted into the sky in less than an hour every day. Part of rhe success of the Wallaby Open was the low-stress tow-launch system. We didn't feel too left our if we were at the back of the staging line since we could pull into line ac any rime; the procedure was efficient and fas t. In addition, the tug pilots h ad a habit of dropping us off n ear lift, so reflighrs were m inimized. This latter 41

MANFRED THE WONDER BOY

hen I interviewed Manfred rwo years ago he humbly declared Tomas Suchanek to be the world's best pilot. But at this point in rime Manfred himself is on the fast crack to win the next World Meet. If desire were the main criterion, Manfred would be a shoo-in at the top of the podium. He has been denied this honor rwice, losing to Tomas in Spain by a few heart-breaking yards after leading the whole meet, then losing to Guido Gehrman in Australia. But now Tomas has other interests and Guido is taking airline-pilot training and isn't flying as much. The other threat to Manfred is Oleg Bondarchuk, who has lately stepped into the upper echelon. Bur Manfred has two other assets besides his hunger: He has an uncanny ability to locate the best thermals and his glider is nearly unbeatable. For example, many of us have seen him pass by a gaggle and go to a point nearby to find a core, making us appear co be stalled on the third floor. This happened repeatedly in the recent meet, and even the best U.S. pilots can only shake their heads in wonder. Mose of us can only stay with him for a thermal or rwo. His Laminar ST is not stock and it glides as well as an Exxcacy - no exaggeration. How can this be? His sail is immaculate and eight; not a wrinkle can be seen. He has added radiating reinforcing bands from the rear root to help hold sail tension. He also has trailing-edge strings running from the tip wands to tiny cleats several battens inboard. These strings help prevent high-speed, glide-robbing flutter. In addition, his airfoil is flattened, which trades off climb rate for glide. Of course, Manfred climbs so well (he's always in the best core) chat he can make chis compromise. Finally, his sprogs (minimum washout limiters) are set so low that some say his glider is divergent. He can handle it. Noc many of the rest of us would want co. All of these facrors add up to a nearly unbeatable package, but Manfred's final formidab le trait is an abundance of confidence. He is confident in his decisions and confident that he will win. Since competition is 90% mental, can anyone deny him?

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point is important because it lessened the feeling of urgency. The only major rowing incident during nearly 500 tows was Jim Lee carrying a cart aloft after it hooked on the door of his signature rigid harness. He dropped it into the trees where it remained as a monument ro Murphy. My own incident turned out fine: I broke a weak link at 400 feet bur managed co snag a low thermal, and after drifting and scratching got up co tow altitude and beyond. Tow drop-off height was a standard 2,000 feet AGL. It was almost always easy co get up from there with a swarm of gliders or a flotilla of clouds marking thermals. Then we played the aerial hang-out game co await our chosen start window. The start windows occurred every 15 minutes at the start gate, which was typically a couple of miles away from the Ranch. The trick was ro be copped out at the gate just as the GPS clock clicked over the 15-minute interval and to be with a good gaggle (i .e., fast pilots). The start was a matter of strategy, since if you waited coo long, conditions would

deteriorate as the end of the day approached. If you went too ea rly, pilots behind you could catch up by using you as a marker. I don't know if I ever go t the start right, because I always seemed to be either coo early or too late for maximum efficiency.

THE ENVELOPE GOES TO ... In the flex-wing class there was a battle for first place berween world-class pilots Manfred Ruhmer and Oleg Bondarchuk. These rwo pilots dominated the competition, finishing with 6902.6 points and 6819.7 points respectively. Jim Lee was third (first American) with 6277.3 po ints. These pilots took home the $3,000, $1,000 and $500 prizes. Manfred won five of the rounds and O leg took the other rwo. Oleg was hampered at first by having to fly a stock Stealth since his competition-tuned personal wing was lost in the airmail. Wh en one of the pair won, the other took second, except on day rwo when Manfred left early and took third. The rest of us mixed it up with our H ANG G LI DING

flying buddies which included 14 foreign pilots, five women, four firsHime competitors and 12 rigid-wingers sidebar). The nat me of the conditions and the suirt sysrcm mcanr that we often flew wirh other pilots, all following the philosophy: pilot is your friend until final gl id c to goal." I\ more succinct way to put it would be: "Cooperate and elc-vat:c!" The fixed-wing class was a separate talc of ecstasy and agony. Mark (;ibson, /lying the was in first place frorn the second round until the last day. Not one to play cagey, conservative games, Cibbo went racing wirh Jim Zeiser (also on an Fxxtacy), and both pilots decked it near the last mrnpoint. This gave Dave Sharp the opportunity to leap into flrst place to win the meet with 6 J 89.8 points. Another real comendcr was Brian Porter on his Utopia (;1 souped-up Mil-lcnnium). Ik won five of die seven rounds handily, but bombed ou rhc second round (making less than half goal distance). He finished second, Ii 1.7 points behind. cv<:11111g all of us had talcs 01 triumph and ddt:at. Low saves, booming thermals, cloud dodging, gaggle diving, goal scraping and just plain glorious /lying were rhc themes. My own musings ofrcn brought up the fact that an osprey is my personal talisman. I'm 1101 mystically inclined, hut it seems rhar every time l sec an osprey during a competition flight I make goal. It worked like a charm during the Wallaby Open, although sometimes the rascal had little fairh and only showed up wl1cn l was on final glide! The best part this meet for me was that ospreys nest by the hundreds in the region of Florida, so I'll be going hack again for more goal crossings, more fun, and more fabulous flying.

by Chris Boffing I)ur.ing the Wallaby Open my friend and Lakeland first-grade Lauri ChrisLO·· a letter from her New York nephew, Kyle. Kyle's kindergarten class had book Rrtt Sttmfey, in which a boy is flattened but not hurt when his bulletin board falls on top of him. In the story, being flat allows Plat Stanley to vacation by being mailed in a letter. Many adventures follow, including Stanley being flown Iike a Eventually Stanley is rcinflated wltb a bicycle pump and is once again a nor-

mal boy. Kyle's k:tter included an eight-inch, laminated, colored-paper Flat Stanley th:it he had In the .letter was a request that Stanley shown a good tirne like the cb;1ra<:ter in the book while he vacationed in Florida, and tbat we send postcards and pictures of his adventures. Lauri asked me if[ would take Plat Stanley hang gliding. I was more than happy to take him flying since it like an adventure I bad become interested in flying from one of my worthy of Stanley, and school teachers many years ago. So off I went to the Ranch with Stanley. When I got there I sat down at one of picnic tables and told some of the pilots about Stanley. Also sitting at tbc table was Meet Director J.C. Brown, who, to my surprise, announced that it was his father who wrote the book, and had dedicated it to J.C. when he was a child! J.C. went on to tell us that the book has been inspiring children to send their own Plat ,::mm1,cys all over the world since the l 960's, and that a Stanley has even flown 011 Shuttle. When it came time to fly I taped Stanley onto my downtube so I could h.is with a handhcld camera while in the air. Unfommatcly, as soon as I was under tow behind the Dragonfly his head starred to bU7:z and tear off in the airflow. with one hand I bad to save his head by stuffing it my flight suit. Together we thennaled for about two hours, and after landing Stanley's head was reattached with tape. His right hand had come off too, and was nowhere to be found, so Lauri fashioned a hook for Stanley (like Captain Hook's), and we explained to Kyle that his hand was lost while wrestling an alligator at the Ranch. Stanley returned to Kyle in New fork with a postcard of the Lori Sanchez Ranch painting, a photo with fivc-·year-old friend Lauren Jones, and a book signed by J.C. Brown.

J C Brown, u;hose father wrote the children's boo/e, Plat Stanley, icated it to J C when he was a chilr:I.

Wt1y down in Florid11 where the run wild, and the winters The women are are m i!d. There's a hiderJw/.!J mnch with /.I specir1l

Providingyou cfwnce to ta!u: c1frmtasy vr1mtion.

Yrm crm !oscyour inhibitions, gain your

Down at the Wallaby Ranch is where f want to bet ]lJLY 1999

I by Steve Roti and

o combine or not to combine, that is the question! Before contemplating the future, Ids briefly revisit the recent past of the USHGA magazines. The concept of combining Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazines has been disrnssed by pilots for years, ever since the USHGA absorbed the American Paragliding Association's membership back in the fall of 1992. In the spring of 1998 the lJSHGA Publications Committee came up with a plan to allow members to see what a combined rnaga-zine might look like. Editor Gil Dodgen made the plan a rc:dity by putting together a 96- page test issue tha r was distributed to all USHGA members in July of last year. The purpose of the test issue was LWO·· fold: to give you, the members, the opportunity to sec what you thought of a combined magazine, and to give the lJSHGA Board of Directors some actual financial data about what it would cost to publish a combined rnagaTinc. The good news is that most of you liked it; over two-thirds of the survey cards returned expressed approval. A similar trend was found in letters that were mailed in on this topic. Based on th is level of support from the membership, the Board began diving into the finances of producing a corn-bined magaTinc equivalent ro the July 1998 issue. The result of this analysis indicated that it was not financially possible to reproduce 12 issues equivalent Lo the July 1998 issue without substantially increasing the magazine budget. The dif~ ficult part of this analysis is that there are

Lawles:r

Pilot opinion is important in this process. Tha(s why we are asking you to vote on whether or not to combine the magazines. No one is attempting to force this to happen and if the membership votes this proposal down the rnagazines will not be combined. Your vote is important so please take the time to return the ballot enclosed in this magazine to the USF1GA office by the deadline. 11 11

so many unknowns about which we must make ass11m ptions. Such items include: How much of an increase in paragliding display and classified advertising can we expect to see with 12 issues and a larger distribution? Will subscription rates remain at the same level? Can we keep printing costs down? What can we do to lower postage costs? And, finally, how much overhead can we cut by going ro one magazine as opposed to two? Our hope was that the economics of scale of printing more copies of a single magazine would allow us to afford a 96-· pager, but the reality was that printing and mailing approximately 80'YcJ more vol umc of paper each year would have increased the Associarion's magazine

expenses by about 20%1. So we looked at other options. The option that received the most attention was an 80-pagc combined magazine. This option has the advantages of increasing rhc size of the magazine that each member receives (fron1 (i4 pages monthly for hang gliding members and from 56 pages bimonthly for paragliding members) without bust· ing the USI TCA budget. The primary disadvantage is that it's smaller than the 96--page test issue so we won't be able to publish the same volume of editorial 1naterial on a monthly basis that you saw last July. Other options are to explore the costs associated with an 88-page publication (not a significant savings with the print runs being based upon 32-pagc coums), decrease color, or increase advertising revenue. ·1 'hat brings us up to the present. We need to hear from the membership as ro your feelings regarding a combined mag;1Zi11c via a formal vote. It's not an easy question, and no matter which way the vote goes there arc hound to be members who will be unhappy with rhc result. Right now hang gliding members get twice as many rnag;izincs as paragliding members, so it's understandable that some paraglidcr pilors feel the srarus quo is unfair. This inequity is one of the driving forces behind combining the maga-· zincs, and it is one that the Board feels needs to be resolved. Any attempt to maintain two magazines and bring a level of equity to each sector of the membership will result in a combination of increased costs rn provide more paragliding coverage and/or decreasing costs by cutting back on hang gliding coverage. One of the biggest concerns to the hang

I li\NC CiJDJNC

u gliding population is that if the maga· zincs arc combined, the paragliding content may begin to dominate the maga· zinc. The current thoughts relative to a combined magazine suggest that the edi · torial content should reflect the membership base, i.e., the 35'Y<i paragliding pop· ulation will translate into 35% paraglid · ing editorial content. As you consider your v01e on this issue, please keep in mind that if" we were to receive direction from the membership to combine the magazines, the July 1998 issue is a goal. Over the initial six months to a year you would sec an evolving format as we attempt to balance the expense side of rhe equation with the revenue side. ·1;1 address these concerns we can offer the following arguments. i:irst, many of the articles in both I Jang Cliding and Paragliding magazines arc of i11tcrest to both rypcs or pilots. [11 fact, those of us who have been subscribing to both magazines for years know that Gil Dodgen frequcn dy runs worthwhile articles of general interest in botli magazines. T'hcrc arc many articles each year that fall into this category: sire information, fly-ins, weather rheory, soaring techniques. Think of Denn is Pagcn's book Performance Flying; although ir was written for hang glider pilots, I'd cstim;1tc the more than 80% of the material in it is applicable to both types of pilots. It'll be the same in a combined magazine and all pilots will stand to

benefit from the cross-·fc:rtilization of ideas that will invariably occur. There's another change that may not be so obvious. l n the past pilots who wanted to read both kmg gliding and paragliding articles had to pay an additional per year to become "dual" members and receive both magazines. If the magazines arc combined they will receive approximately the same amount of editorial material in a single monthly magazine that they used to ger in two magazines, and rhcy will save per year to boor. The question that is frequently asked about the proposed combined magazine is: Wliar will it be called? That decision hasn't been made yet and likely will not be made until we determine flrst that its something the membership wams, and second that we can make it work finan-

cially. ff the decision is to go with a combined magazine and we arc able to make ir work financially, we'll come up with a name that works fcir the entire Association membership, which may involve another poll ;rnd/ or vote. J n the meantime, let us know what name you would like to sec. There's a space on the ballot to provide us with your suggcs-· tion. Pilot opinion is important in this process. That's why we arc asking you to vote on whether or not rn combine the magazines. No one is attempting ro force rhis to happen, and if the membership votes this proposal down the magazines will not be combined. Your vote is important so please take the time to return the ballot enclosed in this magazine to the USHCA office by the deadline. II

www.ushga.org www.ushga.org www.ushga.org www.usr1ga.org

6JO'D6LjSfl'MMM

CJliding!Paragliding ] Should the

combine Hang Gliding and Paragliding into one magazine?

YES

If yes, what should the magazine be called?--·-·---·-·--------·..--··-··-·-·----·--..·-·-·---,......--·-

N AMI,~ US H GA # ---·----·------·---·-··--·..·--...···---1'h is form may be and faxed or mailed to USHGA at address below, or you may e-mail a short message to ushga@ushga.org with your vote and proposed magazine name. Please put agaLZtrLe Vote" in the subject field. Your USHGA membership number IS REQUIRED for membership verification. e1

80901

000

USHGA is issuing its annual call for nominations to the national Board of Directors. Eleven positions are 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 20, 1999 the following information: name and USHGA number, photo and resume (one page containing the candidate's hang/paragliding activities and viewpoints, written consent to be nominated and that they will serve if elected). Candidates must be nominated hy at least three USHGA members residing in the candidate's region. Nominations are needed in the following regions. The current Directors, whose terms arc up for reelection in 2000, are listed helow. Ballots will he distributed with the November issue of l!ANG GLIDING and the Novernber/December issue of PARAGLIDING magazines. USHGA 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: USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-·1330.

Steve Roti Russ Locke Scott Gasparian John Greynald Gregg Lawless Jim Zeiset Frank Gillette Jeff S inason Pete Lehmann

Matt Taber

Dave Broyles

2 3 4

5 6

Alaska, Oregon, Washington Northern California, Nevada Southern California, Ilawaii 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.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR EI .ECTJON NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate . "......".-.. . .-".."""·-······-·--·--·------···-··"-····-"·"·····---··-.. -···-··--·-·--·-·-·-"··"-·--"·""--··"-····-··""·-·····-- as a candidate for Regional Director for Region

l 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, I 999. REGION# "---·---·-·"""""""" ·---···-·-·""

for Hang Glider Pilots Important Reasons to Request Yours Today!

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There are costs associnred with the use of this credit card. You may conracr the issuer and administrator of this program, l\ lBNA America Bank , to request specific information about the coses by calling 1-800-523-7666 or by wriring to PO Box I 5020, W ilmington. DE 19850. *Certain restrictions apply to this benefir and orhers described m the marerials sent soon after your account is opened. Prcferrecl Co rd Customer benefirs d iffer from Pk11i1111111 P/111 benefits: Common Carrier Trm·cl Accident Insurance coverage is up ro I S0 ,000; and t here are addit'ional <:U)tl for Regisrry benefics. MB A America, MO N A, and Pla1i1111111 Pim are service marks of J'olBNA America Bank, .A. Visa is a federally registered service mark of Visa U.S. A. lnc .. llse<l pursuant to license.

ADG-! ACE-9198

AD-09-98-0010

by Doug Haber and]im (~'ky Dog) Ptilmieri

ftcr having jnst finished editing

Sky Adventures, Stories Of Our 1eritage, I felt fairly confident that I had covered just about every aspect of hang gliding possible. Pilots have been building hang gliders for years out of plastic and bamboo, wood and cloth, alu-· minum tubes and dacron, and just about anything else on the garage floor. They have jumped, been thrown, and run their inventions off sand dunes, buildings, bridges, hills and even mountains (if you can believe that). They have been dragged behind motorcycles, cars, trucks, boats, planes and ultralights. Yes, I thought f had seen everything ... until I received an envelope from pilot and instructor exrraordinairc, Doug (The Dunc Man) Haber. Inside this envelope was a set of photographs and three pages of handwritten comments by Doug about (are you ready for this?) Doug Haber's "Portable Hang Gliding Wall."

I know Doug pretty well. A finer instructor at Kitty Hawk would be hard to find. I also know from personal experience that when the wind blows hard and long, especially from the wrong direction, the dunes can be a lonely place. Maybe, just maybe, Doug has too much spare time on his hands or, more likely, he just wants to fly all the time, anywhere, and in any conditions. l will let you be the judge, so please let me share his words and this photograph with you. From the hand of Doug Haber: We all know that hang gliding is a weatherdependent sport, and some locations arc blessed with perfect flying conditions ycar--round. On the other hand, some sites arc very dependent 011 wind dircc-· tion and velocity. I live in such an area. On the Dunes of the Outer Banks we are limited by both direction and velocity. I love this area of the East Coast and do not want to move, but l also love bang

gliding with just as deep a passion, so I developed a way to ridge soar when the wind direction docs not cooperate with the wind velocity. This is a low-altitude, high-adrenaline type of hang gliding and is not recommended for the weak-ofhcan pilot. I call it "The Portable Flying Wall." 'fhc original idea was not mine, bur a product of all the local pilots who had too much spare time on their hands and were driven by a strong desire to get airtime at any time and in any place. The photograph was taken during the summer of 1998 and represents the pro· totype which rook us all of three minutes to construct. This type of'flying is similar to the beach flying one finds at cast or west coastal flying sites. With a slight modification we just might be onto something here! The photograph shows how easily the Flying Wall can be set up. l reached a maximum altitude of about 25-30 feet AGL. II HANC GIIDINC

Continued

from page 37. more than 20 miles ais~ant from his present location. By casting such a wide net rhe pilot acquires the information required to anticipate and recognize changes in conditions that will necessitate a different gear.

NEVER LOCK ONTO ONE TACTIC: FIXING MISTAKES Hang gliding is a sport that takes place in a largely invisible fluid medium and rhe decisions we make are rhe result of fragmentary and rapidly changing information. Even if we think we can "see" our next thermal under a far cumie, it might well have degenerated by the time we get there. It is hard enough making decent decisions even if we think we can "see" chat they are correct. le is, of course, vastly more difficult to do so when there are no visible cues present, such as climbing gliders and birds, dust devils, or nicely shaped cumies. A friend once described the difference berween an amateur and a professional as the professional's ability to fix mistakes. Similarly, the difference berween accompljshed and rookie hang glider pilots lies in the ability of the skilled pilot to find lift after his first choice didn't work our. The secret to achieving this is char the better pilot never commits to one, narrowly confining tactic for finding lift. Inexperienced pilots routinely fly to one fixed point in space feeling certain that it must work, and then landing when it doesn't. The good pilot may also make a mistake in assessing the likelihood of finding a thermal in a specific location. Indeed, the incredible difficulty of finding an invisible, short-lived thermal JULY 1999

makes it very likely that he often will be mistaken. However, the difference berween the rookie and the expert is that the latter anticipates rhe possibility of that failure, and already has not one, bur a series of alternative choices available to him in the event the original decision does not work. In concrete terms this means that when a pilot leaves one thermal and heads toward where he feels the next one ought to be, he doesn't just blindly fly in a straight line to it. When making the decision on his flight path the pilot must consciously include an awareness char the thermal might not be there. He must make allowances for failure. He may tailor his approach path so that it runs under parts of other less formed clouds en route, passes over slighcly more promising terrain, or by flying at a speed which doesn't burn off too much altitude. This last means that even if the expected thermal isn't there, the pilot still arrives with sufficient alcirude in hand to continue on toward yet another fallback option for lift. This process of railoring the flight path to marimize che possibilities of finding multiple thermals is a subde one. It does not involve gross, coarse changes in direction. Rather, it requires slight course corrections and variations in speed to fly an efficient path that allows the pilot to examine the broadest number of possible lift locations.

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CONCLUSION: EXCEPTIONS All of the above rules or observations have exceptions. I have on occasion profitably violated all of them. onecl1eless, I would strongly advise pilots not to be too hasty in violating them uncil mey are well experienced in cross-country decision-making. These rules have been learned from long, bitter experience. By advocating the adoption of mis framework of guidelines ir is my hope to accelerate me reader's learning curve, thereby helping him to avoid much of me trial-and-error experimentation that characterized my experience. •

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REGION 6 Jeff Sinason (I~ 99) 12954 Ballantine Ct Saint LOUIS MO 63146 (314) 542-2473 jsinason@itdcomm.com

USHGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGION 1 Bill Bolosky (R 00) 24622 SE Mirrormont Dr Issaquah WA 98027 (425) 557-7981 bolosky@microsoft.com Steve Roti \hR 99) 3024 NE 18 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 11 f 11 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 russlocke@juno.com Scott Gasparian (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 40111 Ave San Francisco CA 94122 (415) 753-9534 kennyb2u@aol.com

REGION 3 Ken Baier (R - 00) 253 Rodney Ave Encinitas CA 92024 (760) 753-2664 airjunkies@worldnet. att. net John Greynald (r~ 99) 2774 Puesta Del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 (805) 682-3483 throgrog@aol.com Gregg Lawless (R 99) 9127 Bittercreek Ln San Diego CA 92129 (619) 484-2056 glawless@sempra-slns.com 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 (6'19) 292-1552 g_achucu@qualcomm.com Gil Dodgen (Editor) 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy Ste A-256 Reho Sta Marg CA 92688 (949) 888-7363 (949) 888-7464 fax gildodgen@aol.com REGION 4 Mark Ferguson (R .. 00) 1173 Ridgeview Cir Broomfield CO 80020 (303) 931-8075 mark@ballvarios.com Jim Zeiset (R 99) 13154 County Rd 140 Salida CO 81201 (719) 539-3335 jimzgreen@aol.com Larry Sanderson (H 00) Soaring Society of America PO Box 2100 Hobbs NM 88241 (505) 392-1177 Larryssa@aol.com REGION 5 Frank Gillette (R .. 99) 903 East 500 South Declo ID 83323 (208) 654-2615 Watercyn@cyberhighway.net (05/28/99)

REGION 7 Bill Bryden (R. - 00) (HG Accident Chair) 6608 North 100 East Rd Seymour IN 47274 (812) 497-2327 hrn bbryden@hsonline.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 01742 (978) 318-9714 dsharpe@tiac.net Randy 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 LPLehmann@aol.com Geoffrey Mumford (R .. 00) APA/PPO 750 First St NE Washington DC 20002 (202) 336-6067 gmumford@apa.org Dennis Pagen (L .. 99) RD 3 Box 2548 Spring Mills PA 16875 (814) 422-0589 hrn pagenbks@lazerlink.com Chris DuPaul (H-00) PO Box 801 Gloucester Point VA 23062 (804) 325-1051 Krisdupaul@aol .com Art Greenfield (X) 1815 N Ft Meyer D1· Ste 700 Arlington VA 22209 (703) 527-0226 awgreenfield@naa-usa.org REGION 10 G.W. Meadows (R ·· 00) 1125 Harbor View Dr Kill Devil Hills NC 27948 (252) 480-3552 justfly@interpath.com Matt Taber (R 99) 7201 Scenic Hwy 189 Rising Fawn GA 30738 (706) 398-3433 fly@hanglide.com

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 (804) 990-9071 DeWolf7@aol.com .John Harris (H - 00) PO Box 1839 Nags Head NC 27959 (252) 441-4124 ucanfly@outer-banks.com Steve Kroop (H .. 00) 6106 NW 128 111 St Gainesville FL 32653 (352) 331-6729 usaflytec@aol.com REGION 11 Dave Broyles (R 99) 211 Ellis Dr Allen TX 75002 (972) 727-3588 broyles@psuedospace.com REGION 12 Paul Voight (R 00) 5163 Searsville Rd Pine Bush NY 12566 (914) 744-3317 flyhigh@fontiernet.net Jan Johnson (L .. 99) PO Box 282 Bullville NY 10951 (914) 747-7845 flyhigh@fontiernet net Paul r~ikert (L .. 99) 101 N Broadway# 28-3 White Plains NY 10603 (914) 946-9386 hm Lars Linde (H 00) 954 W Front St Red Bank NJ 07701 (732) 747-7845 larslinde@compuserve.com REGION 13 (Int'!) Johnson (L - 99) Reg 12 Michael Robertson (H .. 00) RR 5 865 Con 7 Claremont Ontario Canada L 1Y 1A2 (905) 294-2536 rlyhigh@inforamp.net

USHGA Executive Director Philip Bachman PO Box 1330 Colo Springs CO 80901 (719) 632-8300 wk (719) 632-6417 fax phbachman@ushga.org ushga@ushga.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President-Gregg Lawless Vice Pres.-Chris DuPaul Secretary-Russ Locke Treasurer-Geoff Mumford

KEY: (HJ-Regional (L)-At Large (HJ-Honorary (X)-Ex Officio

by Hill Bryden, USHGA Accident Reuiew May we summarized the reponed 111c.:1c1en11s from 1998 and you mighr .-.1u.<111 Lhat 28<Jii were Lmdi11g related. When approach prohlcms arc added to these, more than half' the rcponcd incidents were landing and approach related. l .ooking at those more closely, here arc several of' the incidcn ts. A pilot flying a novice glider arrempted to soar dunes Oil a beach but sank out. I le landed downwind with little flare and crashed mildly, injuring l1is arm and face. An irncrmcdiatc pilot launched on a beach slope with a wet glider. The glider flew poorly and /cit divcrgern, prornpting the pilot to abort the /light. He attempted a downwind landing and crashed, bruising only his ego. An intermediate pilor flying a relatively new sire and new glider (to him) was atrempting a new landing technique for rhe first time. I !is approach was slow, rhc glider got turned and he Lmd cd downwind, breaking his arm in the resulting crash. An advanced pilot landing late in the day foiled to account for the catabaric /low causing the wind 10 /low in the opposite direction in the J ,7, rhan usual. The pilot landed his advanced glider downwind, injuring his foot during the crash. A novice pilot landed a beginner glider in a light tailwind. He whacked, injuring an arm. /\ pilot landed in a tailwind, overflew the I .I, and crash-landed in some trees. A pilot arrived at rhc [.I.too low ro study the winds, made a downwind approach and hir some 1rccs while attempting last-moment corrections. There arc several characrcrisrics to be noted concerning these incidents. First, in ]UIY J l)()C)

every one, even though rhcy arc categorized as landing accidents, the mistakes that triggered rhcse events occmrcd well before the landing. They were all preceded by bad decision--making. A pilot tried ro fly a hcach ridge he admitted having doubts abour attempting ro fly. A pilot chose to lly a wet glider. Pilots foiled lo properly assess the wind in the LZ and Lmdcd downwind./\ pilot tried a m1mber of new things--· site, glider and tcdmiquc which combined ro produce a situation that he clearly rccogni1_cd in retrospect was an accident waiting ro happen. Most of' the approach accidents were also preceded by bad decisions as evidenced below. /\ pilor landed on a beach but didn't select an area clear of pedestrians and hit someone. A pilot allowed his glider ro drift downwind too far during a turn onto final and hit a tree during his approach. A pilot made a low approach, clipped some trees /lying into the[./, and frll to the ground. A pilot attempted a low rnrn onto final. The glider's wing rip dragged on the ground, resulting in crash. We've disrnsscd approaches and land· ings several rimes over the past year, and! rccotnmeml that you review articles on these subjects published in the June, July and August issues of llllng Gliding last year. As you may recall, you must leave yourscl/' lots of' room for error. You should arrive at an J _z with a minimum predcter-· mined altitude, typically li00-500 fret. IC you arrive lower rhall this you screwed up, because you consumed some of' your safrty margin. Unfornma1dy, mally pilots don't even recognize the: need for the extra margin of altitude or that they erred if they arrived low but landed success/idly_ Another lesson to he learned from the above incidents is the need to properly assess wind conditions prior to landing. Some landing wncs arc charactcri1.cd by relatively consistent wind directions which prompt habitual landing approaches. · I'he above accident underscores rhc need to approach every landing as iCit were the termination ofa cross-country flight with

an unknown wind direction in tht: LZ. There arc numerous methods for assess.Ill/', smfocc winds from alofi which your instructor should teach you. Books such as l )en nis Pagcn's J>erfrnn1rmre also discuss techniques (<Jr reading the wind from 011 high. IL is worth noting rhar several pilots in the abovc-rnc11tioncd incidents had doubts about the wisdom of making their inrended flights in the first place. Unforrnnately, allowed the desire to fly to override caution. hir a couple- or rhe pilots rhc resulting injuries precluded fly ing for months thereafter. I learned a simi lar lesson in a previous lilc, a life: before hang gliding. I was into rock climbing in a big way, a11d against my heller j11dgrne11t attempted to climb a hit higher than I should have without a rope and belay. I c1rne off the rock, and not having fall pro· rcction from the rope foll abour 15 injuring my hand. Thar screwed up my rock climbing for rhc rest of' the summer. The lesson is simple: lfyou have doubts ;1bout a /light, don't fly. Yes, you might have a 90% chance of' success, but if you hit upon that rem;1ining 10% you might foul up yom flying /im for months or forever.

l ncident report submissions arc coming in, but not at a rare noticeably higher than lasr year. Please cominuc to provide them_ You can just compose a simple lcrtcr or an e-·mail message listing the key details such as pilot name and address, locat io11 of the incident, weather conditions and equip-· ment used. Summarize the illcidcm itself' in a frw paragraphs. (\Xie don't need a lengthy narrative starring wirh what you had for breakfast.) Cover what spcci/1cally happened, why, and bridly whar the consequences were ill rcnns of injury. Mail your report to the USHC ;11 ore mail it to us at ushga~ilushga.org. You can go to the lJSI-IC/\ Web sire at www.ushga.org to get a form for subrnitting a report by mail, or just report the incident on-line. We don't really care about the (<irrnat; we just want the illform:11io11. Rcrnemhcr, i(-you report an incident the US! I( ;A will send you a coupon worth five dollars tow:nd the purchase of:my US HCA mcrcl1a11· disc. I thank you. •

ifi HANC CLIDlNC; ADVISORY \Jscd h"ng should alw'1ys he dis'1sscmblcd before f,,r time and inspccrcd ctrcfidly fot bmt or dcntcd downtnbcs, mined bmhings, brnt bolts (especially the he'1rt bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thi111hlcs,

eris!\ goocl condi1io11 w/spcnlhar, 2 sc1s $2,000 OBO. One purple, purd1;1isC1\ J1tly <J8, cxcellmt rnndi1ion w/love whc,,Js OBO. (617) C,25-51\ J,

{l·ayed or rusted cahles, urngs with non-circular holes) and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from

www.crols.coin/d foster

their anchor points fi·ont and back on the keel '1nd edges. lf in doubt, many hang gliding bosincsscs he happy to give an objective opinion on 1lic

l'AI.CCJNS C:I.EARANCE SAi.ie School 11sc, one season. All sizes $1,250 $2,500. (Ii I Ii) 17:l-8800, l1r:id~''l1anggliding.com

condition of cqltipmcnt you bring dwin \o inspccl.

Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek pro· fcssional instruction from a USJIGA CERT! PIED INSTRUCTOR.

KI.ASSIC UJ Sweet handling, w/winglcts. <1()0 hours $1,500 OBO. l.isa (801) IJ 1)5-0llil. l<I.ASSlC I/iii Ycllow/wlti1c, alisolutc mint condi 1ion, 5 holll's us,· and thrn stored iudoors for 2 years $2,800. KLrssic I 80 hom.1, clean $ I, 500 01\0. (Ii 11) iiTl-8800, hr"M11hanggliding.rnrn Blue, yellow, white, cxccllcnl, crisp cundit ion, spare downtttbc, taill111 $2,500. (706) 857 62/i(, ( ;eorgia. LAMINAR ST, lli, 13 in stock. WALLABY RAN(] l (911) 12/i-0070.

FORMULA 15/i EXCELi.ENT CONDITION, LOW AIR TIME, SPARE DOWNTUBE, BASE BAR $850, (949) 770-lt:,2'i.

I .A MOUETTE TOPLESS - Demo daily. WALLAHY RANCI I ('Jli I) li2/i .. ()ff/O.

AFROS STEALTII 142 New, 5 homs, crispy: grc1.:n/1ira111:e. I have 1wo, musl sell one $3,000. (:l03) I, pGttn<rihonldcrtH·ws.infi.net

HJSJON li2/i .. ()()70

MARK IV 17 c;ood condi1io11 $800 OBO. (719) 5.11 120, RI IJ\I IN~1lJdcrv.com Colorado Springs,

AIRBORNE - SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING, f\l;/,Z. New and ne,,rly new. l lerno daily. Tl IE WALLABY RANCI I (911) 421-0070.

c;I.IDERS .l'i1 for .sale, rigid 10 ( :all/email fell' cmrmt list. W,tll:iby Ranch 0070 Florida, glidcrs~i\valLtby.corn

Mll.LENNIUM 0070.

DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 New ;ind ltse·d. WALLABY RANCH (91tl) li21i--0070.

!!PAT 115 Pristine, dO hours $1,li50 OBO. I.o,,dcd CCIOOO w/20 gore, up to 5'10'' M75 OBO. Ball 6'i2 vario/alti/air $175. (')()')) <J8fi.1)872 evenings,

MOYES CSX SX, XTL, XS3, XT, etc. New and nearly new. Available immediately. Nation's largest Moyes dealer. WAI ,LABY RANCI I (91i I) li21-0070.

EXXTACY - NEW & USED fN STOCK, DEMO DAfLY. WAl.l.AllY RANC:11 (911) li2.li-0070.

('.! ha 11ka u ((Oix. net col n .crnn

l'I.EXWINCS

Demo ,L,ily. WALLABY RANCJ I (')Ii I)

C(),

Bl11c/whi1e, grcm condi1ion $1,200.

( ;ood condition, new leading edge clo1h s1q:,crr•rcfl1gl11, $1,liOO.(/i 11) liTl-8800,

]'Al.CONS 110, 170, 195,225 new ,rnd used. WA LIA BY RAN(:! I (9/i I) /i2/i-0070.

K5 lli8 1':xccllctrt condition, 40hrs airtinw $1,600. (8()/i) 21)2 8270 hi/Sat/Sun only.

FAI.CON HO

WALLABY RANCII (9/il) 121

MOYES XTRALITE Ll7 Fxcclknt condition, 70 hours, blue and yellow asyrnmctrical, travel bag, extra parts $1,800. (1.06) 21f1 51 rcdris~r\volfr11c1.com

(828) 6<J l-li689.

KIASSIC: IT\, J,i,i

'iO holll'S $1,')50. (80 I) 25/i-

bHl.

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:

MOYES XTRALITI- 1Tl Well kept, hit'tC'/1,rc,rn/wlllle $1,'SOO Ol\O. (Ii 1Ii) fi7l-8800,

MOYES XTIZ/\1.ITE lli7 All mylar, new hag, good condition, xc bag $1t50 OllO. ('JOIJ) jlJl-?812.

SECTION U Flex Wings 'J Emergency Parachutes

IJ Towing

J Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous U Paragliders l.J Videos

u Ultralights

Begin with

'J Schools & Dealers

fJ F1igid Wings '.J Publications & Organizations iJ Wanted

!J Harnesses

_issue and run tor .........- ...........

consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of$ ___ ........... NAME: ..................................,, .... , .. -............ _._., ........ --.................~, ADDRESS: ............ __...- ......... _......... _,.............·--·-·CITY: STATE: @$.50 Number of words·----~ .. ---Number of words:_ ...,,.,-,.... -,.,.,@$100

USHGA, P.0 Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 (719) 632-8300 • fax (719) 632-6417 HANC Ci IDINC

FMFRGENC:Y PARA(] mn:s

MOYFS XTRi\LITF H7 Fxcellmt condition, nm' owner, dO hours, new Oct ')'i $1,900 01\0. (li2.l) C,98 I(, I(, C:ha1unoog.1, TN. MOYFS XT l'R() I 65 Novicc/intennedia1e do11bk surlac,·, two availahlc $1,(,00., $2,300. (11 I Ii) fiTJ. BBOO, hnd((1lhanggliding.com Sail & f"rame. Sail good, l'J\C1\IR MJ\Rl< IV I 'J f"r:une needs pans $:JOO OBO. (Ii.JS) 88/i-Gli80, hottelG''t rilobyte.net I 00 gliders in srock. Lookout Mountain, (706) }')8J)IJ I, \vww.hanglidc.com

TRX 158 - Creat .shape $1,.lOO. Kit 160, supe1 clc,rn/crisp $1,000. Scotty (7 l'J) G87-'J7'i.l evenings. lll.TRASPORT J/i7, IC,(, Rental glider.sat !light park, low homs, clean, 1wiccd to sell. (Ii H) 17.l-8800, l)rad(a 1J1;mggliding.com

The Fxcl11sive lrnponcr of ,he WORLD Cl IJ\MPI· ONSlllP Gl.lDER the l.J\ MOUETTE TOPLESS and TOP SECRET Rigid Wing. It Kicks Ass! Just ask Mike Ibrbcr. Available in three sizes: I) I, I Ii 1 and 1l1fbjl"t. lntrod11cing tl,c TOP SECREI', )nd tio11 Rigid Wing. Don't wa.stc your time on old stuff. Dealer inquires invited. Contact PERSONAL FI.ICIIT l'I.ORJDA and ask Co, Cihbo, ph/h: ')Oii.lili I .'iii 'i8,www.personalllight.com, www.Lunot1cl tc.con1 L'·· m:1il: gihbogcarl &1\101.com 1

l'lJI.SF I lM Comfort bar, 12" wheel;., rnstol\l design .sail. Paid .t!i,600, flown ome J;.),000 OBO. (7'i7) li20 liY,li. l'lJISES & VISIONS Bottght-SoldTradnl. Raven Sky Sports (Ii l 1i) IJ/:l -8800, hrad&ilh:mggliding.rntn SPFC:TIWM C:l.EJ\RJ\NC:F SAI.F Three I !,5 \pcc!rttm\ in near new condition, w/all option\ $2,/i()() .fl,200. Raven Sky Sports (Ii 1/i) ii7.l 8800, hrad(tJ)!1:ingglidi11g.corn SPORT JI,/ I.ow time. Ta11dem Raven 20(,-wheels, harness, 13"11 vario & more. LIQUIDJ\TING CllFAP. C:all !'at ((, I 'J) (,'J)-0272 or (')ii 1) 'i'J I O'i2), Pat Kqwn(d\1dnc.com STFJ\LTI I 1<1'1. I I Blitc/ycllow, ilics gre,tt $3,700 OllO. (1JO'J) G7<J-860'!. SUl'FRSl'ORT /i.1 Lxccllrnt condition, hot pink ,Sc rnagrnta, <55 hours $1,/iOO OBO. (')/0) ')25 5'i I 0, .~k )'\Vog(f1Jrof'. n ct

VISION MARJ< IVl7 Spaghetti stvlc harness, helmet, wheels, parachute, airspeed indicttor $ I ,:>OO ( mo. (2 I')) !i62- 5605.Nnrthwcsc lndiana/C:hic,go ;1rc;1,

VlSlONS & l'Ul .SF.S Bo11glJt-Sold-Tradcd. lt1vcn Sky Sports (Ii 11) liT,-8800, h1ad(a)hanggliding.rnn1 WILL~ WINC XC lli2 owner former factory lest pilot, absolutely

llSFll, ClJARANTEFD - 20' and 18' diamctn, military spC'cifications .i )OOe:t. ClO.l) oli78'J'J'i. ).0 ( ;( lRF i'l)A -· w/swivel $.$75. 20 gore $1 ')'). Many more availahlc. R.tvrn Sky Sports (ii Iii) /i7.l 8800, h1:tdv1lhattggliding.rn1n I IARNESSES AIRTIME l lJ\RNFSS COMPANY . NEW FOR 1')99 1 Jecmcam 11 $7)5. The lit and comfc,rt of"thc Jctstrcam has bct·11 irnprovcd with the addition of a :-.in glc-suspcnsion hackfr;unc and slider to climi11,nc drag. l.a/,cr $(,'!'). Our more flexible l..1/.n harness rct:tirn its original f'l'<ll11rcs. (:ont;H't J\irtimc Ilarncss ( :ompany, (l)),S) lili?-(J2.T), www.ainimc-harncs.s.crnn

dling $2,C,'J'i OBO. I 800-525 5S7L WW Sl'ECTIZ\;M !/iii Creal nrndition $1600. ('J5/i) ')/8-7.l(U, 1w,cy2~"mindspring.c01n

CC: I 000 I !ARN FSS ~''/' 5'8 ', many extras $250. (SI 0) 787 .(,8(,"j, cagclllsaV''aol.rnm.

I.ow hours, he:rntilitl ,·olors, great rnn W\VXC Iii} dition $2,liOO (lllO. ('ilO) I 5871. WWX(: 1li2, 155 I .ow ho11rs, clean and nice condi$2,100 l,n lii2. (ii lit) lt7J!IROO, tion $2,'J()(J for I l)rad(fl)h;i nggl i(l i 11g.n>n1 XTRJ\UTF 137 New duancvilpsmv.com, ('i'i'J) 2.Sli-1708.

sail

$ I ,97'i.

Y2K COMPATlllLF! Want a Chos1B1ts1e1' Nm! an Exxtacy? I )on I stress. I )on I fret. Yo11 cm fly fiilly as.sured that every !'light ])esign glidn h,ts hcrn designed i"rnm tlw [)('ginning, and tl,oroughly tested, to he Y:tK rnrnpatihlc. C:all ('SO'J) 925-5';(,':i if" yo11 arc /lying some otl1c1 hrcuul that may noL he ready for the new Nno Yr'ilr.

NEW, USFD i\nd REl'lJRBISHED harnesses. Buy, sell, tradt>, co11sigrnnc11r. ( ;unnison Clidcr:,,, l S/i') County Road I C:tJnnison CO 812.lO. (')70) (,Ii I 9.l 1 http:/ /gnnnisonglidcrs.com/

SUl'FRSPORT I 'il tonypV1\·o. pitki 11.co.11s

,'v!akc offr,-. (970) ')25-8(,/,9,

Sl/l'ERSl'ORT I Supcrnc:tl rn.srom sail, very low hours, WW fin included '.j;2, I 00. (Ii I ii) iil.l-8800, llrad(rh)1,u1gglidi11g.com

IIICII FNFRC:Y POD lli\RNFSSFS Si1.cs & styles change monthh', $.lOO liOO. CC I ()()O's .$2'i0 . C:ocoon.s .i;oo each. 1.M FP pod, 5'<)'' $/iOO. l<ncchangcrs ,'Y. stirntps :tlso avail:thle. (Ii Iii) '17.l-8800, hrad('.1)Junggl i cl i 11 g.crn n I.Ml'!' C:lJSTOMl/,1'.I) i'()l) 5'10", parachute, fiill !:ice helmet, old stdc Il:d], storage hag $700 OBO. (li7:l) (,<)8.J(,I(, ( :Itatt;\tH)()ga, T'.\I.

TIU ., Mint/t1cw condition,< IO homs, red LF wired $2,2.00. (502) 2'iiJ J ,i/i2 x iliO, ('iO))

]ULY ] 999

r 'J

,) .)

ifi

s ROCKET CITY J\l!ZSPORTS TIH· firn, sale place to il'arn to fly. \ll/e help you learn quickly aud saf,,Jy with US! I(;;\ certified profr,ssioml instructors. Creal place for first cross rnuntry flight.s. Three great sitc.s and a Moyes-Bailey aerotttg for tl)()sc "other" d.rys. I.earn to acrotow and earn your ;\T rating. Ml'ntion this ad, hri11g a l'r-irnd :tttd receive rnw !cs.son ' price·. Ctll (2'i(,) 880-8') I or (2'i(,) l1(, '!9'!5.

TIRED OF TOWINC? Tired of'

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US1 ICA CFRTll;IFD TANDFM INSTRUCTION ~-- By McNamcc. Acrotow training & ratings. Dealer l,,r major !light and aerotow cq11ipmcnt, l .5 honrs from Disncyworld. Call (352) 489--9')(,<J, f1y[j_i1gr~\yblr{hirS})ons.c<)ll1 www.graybird;1lrsp<)rt~.Cf>t11

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HEAVYDUTY, WATERPROOF PVC·- Full 1110 zipper, $10'/ ppd. XCC:trno or white. 115 zipper $65 ppd. Cunnison Cliders, 15/i') County Road I 7, Cuunison CO SI }'.\0. (970) (,Ii l ·9'.l l 5, http://gunnisonglidcrs.com/

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cmploymerll is also available. Ask {,,r Par Drncvan (li08) 262 I 05'i. MSC! IC~!laol.rnrn www.ha11g-·gliding.co1n ') altimeters, 111('!11(H)1, PICCOLO Pi.US $Ti0 Swiss, 2 left. (.,(J."l) .lli7-8'J'!'i.

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VIDEOS t'x l'ILMS 'NEW" AERONAlJTS l!ANG c;I.IDINC MAS TERS, by l'lrn1ogr:q1hic Expeditions. ;\ docunwnt,U')' or hang gliding today. Snpcrb f,)()ugc, gr:iphio & intcrvinvs. This is d1e video you shovv your fomily ,md

fiicnds' li:l min $29.')5. GREFN POINT FLYERS hy F.1sr Coast Video. They II lly anything in Michigan. Fntcrtaining, great graphics, 'iOmin, $:l2.00 PARTY AT CLOUDBASF - A h:mg gliding music video by i\dve11111rc l'rodnctions $1 ').9'i. l lANC GUDINC F.XTRFMF & BORN TO !'LY by Advrnturc l'rodttctions, great hg action $.lli.9'j each. l lAWAIIAN Fl .YIN by Space 9, soaring in paradise, ;imazing launche.s $:55.00 Call USl JC;;\ (719) (,52-8.lOO, l:1x (71 'J) <,l2 <,Ii email: www.nshga.orp,.

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for tho<;c .soch,d-in days. Pcrf~·ct gi!'t the launch poL!lo turned couch potato. Also, ask 11::, abo111 out paragliding video<;!

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lul. wheels Camer:1 11101ml $/i8.'i0. Camera rernote (:isk ahom rch,11<') M'S. V,irin mm1nt $ I 'i. (," wheel.s $29.7',, 8" wheels $.lli.7'l S&l l i11cl11ded. TFK FLJG!IT Prodttc1s, C:olchrook Winsted CT 0(,0')8. Or call (860) 379-1668. 1ekG1ls11c1.11et or our page: I1tt p:f I rnem bcrs. t ri I"" l.cOI n/ ·· 1ckll igh t/i ndex .h 1111 I

Bi\C fT 1 - IC yo11 don't have your copy o( Dennis 1':1gcn'.s PFRFORMANC:E J'LYINC: yet, available through LISI IC/\ I $?,<J.9S ( ,-$5.'iO s&h lJSI !CA, PO Box for Ul'S/l'riority Mail n:,o, Colma do Sprin 1;s Cl) 80')01. 1-800-(, 1(,.(,888 WWW,\JS!1ga.org

WHAT!' A !'LYING RABBIT??-~ f!11rry 11ml tlil' !/1111g (,"/it!l'r is ;1 hcautifidly illnsrratcd, liO p:1gc children s picrme hook writtrn (or pilots to share the drca111 or /light. Send $2/i.'!5 plus .fl shipping to: Skyl lig!t Pul,lishing, 201 N Tynd;ill, Tncson /\Z 8'i7 I9 or call (520) (,J,8--81 G'i or visit om wd>page al ht1p://www.fbsh.nc1/--skylti1rnb. Visa/MC: accepted. SOAH.I NC;

SPEED GLIDING: TEAR UP TIIE SKIES llv 1\dvr-111 ure Product ions $2/i. 95 Covers the speed gliding contest in l<amloops, British C:olnmbia and then onto Telluride, Colorado. Superior gr;1phic animation, great c1mcr;1 ,mgk.s, 2/i min\ltcs 'ITLLURIDF SPEED CLIDING: By Tatum l'rod,tct ions $19.')5. Complete rnvcrage of this cvrn1. !"he sound of the gliders p:tssing through the control gates is totally awc,1,onw. jJ minutes C:,11 US! !CA (719) 652-8l00, fox (719) <,32-Gli I Prdcr frnm our web site www.11shg,1.org. Please add , $Ii s/h in the US1\.

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DON'T CFT Ci\LJCI IT !ANDI NC DOWNWIND! 1.5 oz. rip.stop nylon, liV trc11cd, 5'/i" long w/ 11" throat. Avail:tblc colors fluorescent or fluo 1-esccn1 pink/white. $59.9'i S/11). Send to \JSI ]Ci\ Wind.sol,, l'.O. llox I .l:iO, Colorado Springs, C:O 80901-1 TlO, (71 'J) (,l2 8300, fox Ci I 'J) 632 <,Ii 17. nshga(hushga.org VISA/MC accepted. Check the 111cr chandisc .section oC our wch site ,vww.11shga.org for a color piuurc o( 1 his awesome ,vindsok.

llig!tr. F11ll mc111bcrship $55. Inf,,. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, l'.C l. Box 2100, I lobbs, NM 882/i I. ('i05) \'J)-117/.

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BUSINESS & EMl'LOYMFNT CLOUD 9 SPORT AVlATJON F.I\SY WORK! FXCFLII NT !'1\Y! Assemble products ;11 home. Call toll free 1-800-/i(,7--55(,(, ext..l'i20.

JULY 1999

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I ll'J\T 158 Stolen fiom desert cast oC FALLON, NV on J\ugmt 15th, I 'J'J8. White I.F, pmplc/lirnc/magcnra 11ndcrsurL1Cc. Also ( :c ;.1000 h,1r nt·ss (pmplc/whirc/111:igcnt:1) :rnd T:111gcnt. I ):rvid, (5JO)'i2'J-li687. MOYES FLFX JlARNESS & BAC Stolen l'ro,n locked up trnck c:th in PHOFNIX, AZ on August is black with dark blue 17th, I ')')8. Moyes l,:irness "Moyes" design. Moyes Flex is also black with dark blrw "Moyes" design. J\lso, gore chute, white l/vex hl'i111c1. Karl, ((102)')'/I 9052, k:irllli11sG1\,r11:1il.nisr1.co1n

"AFROBATJCS'' hill color )J"x 31" poster lc:nur ing John I !cincy doing what he docs bcst,LOOPI N( ;/ Avaibblc throngh \ISi !CJ\ I Iq l,,r just $(1.'J'i (+$/i.00 s/h). Fill that void on your wail' Send to lJSl I( ;A Acrobatics Posrer, PO Box I :JOO, Colorado Springs CO 80')3:J, (USA & Crnada only, Sorry, posters arc NOT J\ VJ\11.J\llLF on international orders,) SPE CIA L--Acrnha1 ics poster & Eric Raymond BOT! I FUR .i10 ( 1$4.75 s/h). Check the 1m·rcila11<l1se scnion o( our web si1c w11,w.11.11:11;a.or1; ff>r :1 color picttnT of' these beautiitil posters. Call l JSJ !CJ\ 1,,, VIDEOS BOOKS & POSTFRS your Mcrch:111disc order form (71 'l) (d2·8.l00, email: IJ~liga(llushga.org,

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DON'T I.EAVE YOUR CROUND BOUND FQUIPMENT SITTING IN TllE GARAGE. SELi. IT IN TIIE HANG GLIDING CLASSIFIFDS.

STOLEN WINC:S :11e listed as :t service to lJSJ JC;\ members. Newest cn1rics :ire in hoJd. ')'here is no Cor this service a11d lost and l,,u11d wings OI equipment may he called in (7J'l) 6.\7,8.lOO or fox it in (71 'J) <,.l2-61t 17 for inclusion in I lang ( ;Jiding rnaga zinc. Please c;1ll JO cancel the

whc-n gliders arc

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be purged.

/\d vcn rnrc Prod11ctions ....... ,. ,., .,.,,,, ... 30 Al ta i r, ..... ,, ., ....... , ............. , ..... ,,., .. , ..... 31 Angle of Anack ................................. 62 Ar:1i I ksign ....................................... 15

Ball Varios ......................................... 57 CLASSIFIED J\DVERT\SJNC: RATES The rare fo, classified advertising is $.'iO per word (m grnup ofd1:1r· actcrs) and $1.00 per word liir bold or all MI NJ· MUM AD Cl IARGF $5.00, J\ fee ol I 5.00 is charged li,r each li11c art logo and $25.00 l,,r each pho· to. LINEART & PHOTO SIZE NO I.J\RCER Tl IAN 1.75" X 2.25". Plc:tse underline words w IH' in of rahs $25.00 per rnlnmn inch. J>ho11c 2 words. Frnail or web addrcssc.'lwords. AD DFJ\DLINFS: J\11 :,d copy. instructions, changes, ;1dditions ;rnd cancellations must he received i11 writing 1 · 1110nths preceding tl1c wvc, date, i.e. July 20th l,1r rite Septcrnhcr issue. Please make cl,ccks payable to lJSI !CJ\, J>.O. !\ox l.l:30, Colorado S11ri ngs, CO 80901- I :J:)O, Cl I '.l) 6.'2·8300. Fax (71 ')) (1'.l2-(ili 17 OI" em:til: yom classified with your Visa or m,.,,c"""·" J\SK US ABOUT ADVERTIS!NC ON OUR WEB PAGE. WWW.USJ[(;J\.OR(;

Braunign ......... ,, .................... , ... , ...... 49

Fligh1 Design/NAP! ......................... A2 Flyrcc ............................................... A7 Hall Bros ............ ,...... ,, ....... ,......... ,.... 28 High Fncrgy .~pons ........................... .. Just ,·,y ................................ , ..... ,;,,1(),:3()

l .ookout Mtn. Flight Park ......... ,,2,7, I 3 Mastadon Dcsigns .................. ,, ......... 2 I Moyes ................................................. 6 Ncilscn,Kcllcrman ........ ,..................... 6 Pcrson;d flight .............................. ,, .. 57

STOIFN WINGS & Tl IINGS

Sky Dog Publications ............. ,, ......... 13

J\T BAG/l'lRFB!RD C SPORT L I .ost a1 I.AKE CllFLAN, WA lau11ch ar,·a hy rl"' towers 011 Mar I 6th, 19'>'). J\T hag is pmple/grcr:11, Clidn is pink/white. i\lso SupJ\ir purple/white harness, reserve, Piccolo v:uio. Darren] Ian (t)'/0) 'J)'J,2li8:l.

Sky Sports ... ,, ................................... .47 Sport Aviation Publications ................ :; U.S. /\cros ...................... ,, ................... 9 U.S. World Team ................ ,,,, .... 22,23

EDEL CORVETTE 2/i PC Stolen from storage locker in C:LJ\RI< FORK, ID on May lith, l '!'!'). l lot n1r1k/l1111e green, with trim tabs. Also (;Q security burgundy vci 1cr helmet v. /scvcr:-i) siic s1icl<crs on it (F11nsron, \VOR, U1111l:q1, Fd Levin, etc.) And older red lwlrner. Rhod:1, (.?08) 266 150'). 1

LJS[ J( ;j\ ..,.,J>,21,L.J,Lf -,cu,,,•ucr.J."11

Wills Wing .................... ! 3, Back Cover

I /!\NC Ci Jl)/NC

@ 1999 by Dan Johnson S'I'. PAUL, MINN., The glare of th:i month turns to GW Mc,adow' U.S. Nationals which took place at Qm':st: Air the wc0ek Malcolm Jones' Wallaby Open concluded. 111111111@ We;ather wasn't qui as cooperative and the: o:rgani7.al ion wa.s different, but the U. . Nationals now history and Jim our national champion, e:dging out top-ranked Mike Barber by a mere ,,even poi (nothing, really, the of a whole con 1:.0,s t week) . or to the two FJ orida events, Barber bad been 111 ranked in the U. . team scheme l:hough new will now be needed. Neither man outdicl t·.he dynam:i c duo of Manfrc,d Ruhmer and Oleg Ilondarcbuk (ranked t/4 and 11 in UK, world scheme; o c l:.o th0,se two meets) . In addi Lion, web writer Davis Straub a1so :Lnd.i catec,d s0,veral pilot:c; from did well ... as al] non-USA pilots had done; al Uie Wallaby meet. /\LL in aLl, Florida wa:c; bost l::o two gnmc:I events and both are angling a :repeat next year, so c,ay tbe rumor rn.·i LIB. Yup, both ;Jonf,s and Meadows will reportedly meets a I: the ,1ame t·..irne of year for 2000. Wallaby would come f t :i Lh.i act:ua11y happens, again immedj ately following the Sun 'n F'un ciirshow just 30 miles down the freeway ( in L,akelancl, FL) . 1'hen GW plans a foJ low·on meet, no doubt·. along the of l1is Atlantic Coac,t Chdmpionshipc; which occurred at Wallaby last . Meadows' meet would :c;upposic,d1y held at Quest: again. icci sLuff in my east·· coast···mentality mind and, if t:he meets come ofJ us Lively plarmed, aerotowing w:i conthme its inexorable rise into the Surely a dandy report wil1 appear with photo,;, so I' LI move on for now, but both orga:11izations (Wallaby and GW at: Quest) deserve applause .for qood meets. ain't c,a:c;y l:o do one of L.hese, folks!••• Rigid wing news continued to break right the U. Nat:,; ended anc:I pi] ots be<Jan l.o depar1· the area. '.!'he Guggenmos E-7 anc:I was flown by few i nLerestEed and qual LLLecl pi 1oLs. Accordinc:J to various r·eports, :it is beautifully clone, no surpri,,e given ,Jo:3ef' .s wonder[u] ion a hang gliding "artii,t. " HowcNc'!r, cJOme l'elt: t·.he control and the aps t:.oo l:.iny t.o Various comments voiced ,·mrrounc:ling the~ ro LI ral:c the and i l.s performance wa,; compared to Exxtacv and the ATOS. I\L 1 tbis makes me l:hi.nk thal: we are still very much j n IJ1e infancy of control wings fen hamJ glicli ng. 've been flyinq threeaxis u.Ltral ighL aircraft many and have more ho\1r:~ l oggec,d wi l.h conl:ro I I do wi tJ1 wc,:Lght. :3J1i ft (wr1ich, pref<c r despi l.:e t·housancl.s o hours) . r have yet to fly one of the:3<0 ri gicl D·· ceLL wings, but I' vc understood from several pilol:s wha 1:be roll rates are on U1ec3e new wings. J"eport·.r3 nm9:ing from 6 to fl for 0

jlJIY 1999

45 ° roll reversal are pretty in my mind. Many of l:hc u1 traligbts I fast, it s h21rd to .measurE~ the rates. .SomE~ ove.:r one second for this ,,;ame action. Of course, I know sailplane:c; also pretty slow in roll but th0!y have rudc3er anc:I many quite dominatc,,c:I by rudder resporme [or :ro 11 input: 'ro rnc,, Lbj show:c; we are new Lo t.11<': idea of control surfaces on our hang gliders and l:hough l beLiev0, rigids are here to stay, I :c;tilJ lo1B of opporLun:i Ly J:or our beloved wings. eet11 vilhile spent time at WalJaby in April, Malcolm inl:roduced me to the art· of Lo:ei Sanchez . My goodness, what ce ,;tuff ! I'm hardly an art expert, bul:. wr1aL of ber work simpJy outstanding. Wallaby had t.eo shirt: designs by Lori and of quH.e Lovely note cards wiLh di [fenmt lmages, c;acll appearing to :c;p:rinqboarc:I from tlle art of [amom; J liked the $25 note carc:1 (10 cards and envelopes) much IJ1a T couJcln' l b:ri ng myself t.o use them. you' cl like to more or buy her bang gliding art, cont:act Wallaby Ranch. I think you' LL be as :i mpre.ss0,d J was. ••• How do you gel: very excited over a humble product. the Linknife '? Oh, get: i touqh spot a.nd don'/· have one; cJct the poi nl:, J :c;ubmit. Jrn:l contests were abou l: to start, developer Peter Birren dc1 i ve:rec] ten more of hi.s •row Release,; to NASA for on the X-·38 Space Station Lifeboat Pet:er , "NASA engineers worked many mon Llw to devise a way of releasinq Lc1iled parachute dc'!ploymc;nl:. Now of successfu] a have been proven to work, even the heavy loads a ft with 1:i at sl.ake." B:irren addc~d t:bat r.his order brings the Lot_aJ of J.inknifcs delivered to almost 650 since its invention aB a hang glider towing re] in 1995 and they' re st.i11 onJ y ( "even to NASA," he adds!). Al:l:aboy, Lic;c! Club and dealer pricing also available. Info: 847 ·6/J0-0171 or rhqpa@aol.com. ••• To close ... On the nal:iona1 scene, and from mA comes the LL st of l:.hei r pi elm for the top ten flights durinq 1998. Understand that: NAA represent:c; a wide range of aviation so some years we c,ee no hanq cfl:i.der o:r ultralight EJighlc, cornmc'!nded. However, 199B a banner from New year. NAA a 179 mi Je Mexico to by Will Gadd paraglider; Ram;y Yanetz 'c; 2 5'.I s tal:ute mile wing fli~Jht, also Crom New Mexico l:o Texas; and Gary Osaba' 31'5 sl:at.ute mile igbt in his ultralight sJl:ider, from Kansas to Texas. No1· bad, three the top ten fl igbt:s were from our "realm. " Good th:i '.L'exas doesn't· mind a11 Lhese vic,i tors, huh? Tl1anks [or the recognition, NAA. ••• So, qol· news or opiniorn;? Send 'c,m to: fl Dorset, MN 55 18. Me:c;sa9es or f to 65 450 0930, ore Lo CurnuJusMan(daol .com. THANKS! I

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