USHGA Hang Gliding April 2000 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

( (USPS 01 7-970-20 -

ISSN 0895-433X)

16 The Santa Barbara Air Races by Simon Kurth Sama Barbara, CA ha~ grear X-C potential but it can be a challenging endeavor.

22 The 1999 Arizona X-C Contest by Andy RockholrJ A recap of some great flying in big-thermal councry.

34 Women's World Team 2000 by Judy HilrJebrand Meer the lad ies who wil l represent us in Greece this June.

38 The 2000 Australian Nationals by Davis Straub Profi les of the top competitors :rnd factors char affected their perfo rmance.

47 Pilot Profile: Marc Laferriere by Jim (Sky Dog) Palmieri A pilm wirh a passion for Aighc and painting.

Columns

Departments

Wing T ips, by Rodger Hoyt ..................6

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

High Perspective, by M. Robertson .... 28

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

USHGA Directors ........................... .... 29

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

President's Corner, by David Glover ... 43

Classified Advertising .................. .... ....51

Incident Reports, by BiJJ Bryden .... .. ...45

lndex to Advertisers ........ .....................62

USHGA Reports, by Steve Kroop .... ... 50

Aero Club Listing ................................62

Product Lines, by Da1, Johnson .... ..... 63

APRIL 2000

Air Mail REMEMBERING BOB Dear Editor, You rnay be familiar wirli the tragedy that befell Bob Ost, his wifo and child in the recem Alaskan Airlines disaster. Though l didn't know Bob as well as I would have liked, I knew him well enough co know lie was a good friend, a proud new father, a carefrtl, concerned pilot, an excellent instructor, and a kind and honest man. Bob taught me to fly my Cage paraglider, and in doing so gave me a new understanding of endless patience. (f certainly wasn't one of his better stu· dents on the Cage.) When other instructors didn't have the time, he carefully tested, then passed me for my P3 rating with no financial remuneration whatsoever all for a pilot he hardly knew at the time. Later, when Bob came to visit me in Hawaii, I greatly enjoyed his cornpany and wry sense of humor (only days before the senseless tragedy be sent me the blue smuf gif some of you may he familiar with), his concern for pilot safc-ty, and his love of flight. I will miss him sorely. Brett Snellgrove Pukalani, Hl

Dear Editor, I met Bob shortly after I received my P2 rating, when he taught a ridge soaring clinic at the coast in Pacifica. Although relatively soft-spoken, Bob was a dynamic individual. He was always watching out for newer pilots and the advice he shared with us was invaluable. I particularly remember a demonstration he gave using streamers ar the edge of the cliff to show where the rowr starts and stops. I also remember how angry he was when he feared that I risked stalling my wing in a spot landing anempt at Ed Levin. Although he seldom raised his voice, when he did raise it, it was to make an important point. T still recall his words on almost every landing approach I make.

APRIL 2000 VOIUMI:: 30, ISSUE No. 4

Tt troubles me to hear the newspapers calling Bob a "daredevil." Bob was one of the most safety-conscious pilots I know. When he gave a pilot an advanced rating, you knew (s)he earned it. It would upset Bob to see people flying in condi-tions that he thought were marginal. Boh loved life and he wanted to live. He also loved flying and his friends and family. 'fhe last time I saw Bob was a few weeks ago, when be gave rne a ride to the top of Ed Levin. The wind was a bit cross, and Bob chose not to launch. I think back about the big "bear hug" he gave me that day. Oh how I wish I could have another. Kim Calvin Alameda, CA

HARRY ROB Dear Editor, Harry Robb passed away on February 8. He was 83. Harry served the USHCA and CfVL in the early days and was responsible for organizing the competition rules. He was chief organizer for the annual kite competition at Cypress Gardens before moving onto hang gliding. J·Iarry and I worked together on a lot of hang gliding projects. Dan Poynter Santa Barbara, CA

Dear Editor, 'folk about an issue (February HG) with color awesome! From tbe flawed memory banks of yours truly, there has yet to be an issue with so many killer color shots. 'Thanks to Gerry Charlebois for again providing us on the winter-infested mainland with his shots of the islands. Thanks also to Dave Sharp for the cen-terfold. I am in whole-hearted agreement with rhe "Air Mail" letter by Reto Schaerli. My typical habit is to check out the cover and centerfold a.s soon as I pull the mag from the mailbox. Many of the

HANC CLIDINC

A l_ook cell the Sporr of Hane] Gictng The Winq ;mcJ Wr1y It Works Skills Lo rric:· 13cqinncr level Skills to t/1e Novice tevcl flying ConcJiLiom H,mg CilicJincJ rquiprncnl More 21l)oul tric Principles or Flight Preparing for Hiqr1 AlurucJc (jetlmq St,]rtccJ in Soc:rnncJ T,mcJern and low Things JJilot Sr1oulcJ l<now Ci/oss21ry of Terms 801')1)\IIFS li1c f'co Flir1'

Plus

S4.7'S Mr·x1rn.

USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 8090 I J -800-616-6888 fax (719) 632-6417 www.ushga.org

Air Mail shots the contributing photographers submit bring enjoyment and excitemen1to my momhly trip through these pages.

by Rodger Hoyt

Herb 1-iostler Wallaby Ranch

KEN DE RUSSY CONTACT INFO Dear Editor, I have a ton of stuff I n1ay be able to donate to Ken de Russy's museum, and I know where he can get a lot o( old hardware, but, there was no mention of any contact e-mail or phone number in the article! Cecci

Ken may be contacted at: (360) 293-862 J, weJ?yuniv@aol.com. Ed.

Dear Editor, It is with regret that J am retiring from the sporr of hang gliding, having been involved since 1978 when Jim gave me my Hang I rating at First Flight. I was a B25 pilot during WWTI and in the reserves for five years afrer that, flying a Corsair, and spent 27 years as a Specialist under many covers at the Central Intelligence Agency. 'The people in the Marine Corps and CIA were great, but in spite oC 3,000 hours of military flying, nothing was as great or more fun than flying across the U.S. hang gliding and finally earning a Master rating. Goodbye to all the wonderful USHGA friends who helped me enjoy it so much. As previous president of our local club in Washington, DC, and as a LJSHGA Director, I will continue to read and look forward to Hang Gliding magazine at age 82. Richard Newton Ellenton, FL

ant to aggravate the fanner in

whose field you've jrnt landed? Scale his lc:nce like a ladder, using the wires attached to the posts as rungs. lfhe comes afrer you with a shotgun it won't be to marry his chughrer! The proper farmer-approved foncecrossing technique is to spread the wires slightly ar their loosest poinL between the posts, bend at the waist, step through with one leg and pull your other leg through behind you. Better yet, just use the gate!

This ttj) HoodRive1;

Rich Higgins of

he new digital LCD instrument packs have such phenomenal battery li{e that you tend to forget about your batteries completely. But when they do fail, it's always at the worst possible time! Like s1noke detecr,ors, make a habir of changing your instrumcnt batteries once a year, whether they need it or not. Pick an easy date to remernber the: same time as your annual chute repack, for example. 'Then keep the old batteries in your gear bag for your buddies who forgot to change theirs.

Have r1 hot tip? Send it to "Wing 7ips" clo l fang Gliding or e-mail rbhoyt@go.com.

Carry in your pocket. Instant accurate readings. • Measure wind or air speed to 95 MPH. • Wind speed, max and average modes. Knots, MPH, KPH, FPM, M/S and Beaufort scales. • Rugged construction, protective slip case. • Large clear digital display. • Waterproof, floats. • User-replaceable impeller & battery. • 1-year warranty.

No Anm1,1I Fee tow Fixed Jntroductmy Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on cash advance checks and balance transfers $I million Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance with the Plali11um !'/11s Card" Credit line increase decisions in 30 minutes or less H-1 lour Customer satisfaction

1'/u11se ,I/en/ion Priority CodeJLlVO When C11//i11g.

Choose between l111ited States llang Gliding Association P/11/inum Plus"' Visa°' or the Preferred Visa Each time vou make a purchase with your CSIIG.A Visa, you arc helping to support lJSIIGA's efforL, in preserving om flying sites

1998 Women's

r just soar the local. dunes with a couple of mates, there 1s a Moyes glider for every occasion.

Become 1,art of' the Moyes f'amilyFly a Moyes

Update 2001 USHGA HANG GLIDING CALENDAR PHOTOS SOLICITED

he "Space Oddity'' calendar! And once again, we turn to you, our membership for help. Send us your 35mm slides as potential candidates for chis awesome project. Launching, landing, soaring, setting up, breaking down, etc. We wane to see them all! The deadline is May 31 , so don't delay. Send your best transparencies (horizontal format) to: USHGA Calendar, Aun: Jeff Elgart, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. All contributors will receive confirmation of receipt and phmos will be dutifully returned . Gm questions? Call or e-mail Jeff at 1800-616-6888, jjelgart@ushga.org. The hang gliding Calendar Selection Committee is patiently waiting!

AMA INVITES USHGA

he Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), as part of a cominuing joim

effort to help cross-promote our air sports, invited USHGA to participate in rheir AMA Convemion 2000 in January. It is held each year at d1e Pasadena Convention Center, California. The three-day show drew over 20,000 people. The exhibit was provided by Windspons Soaring Center and Wills Wing.

mance flex wings will be added to chis year's format. A handicapped sporting class will also be in cluded . Com e fly and race with some of the coumry's fas test gliders and pil ots. More updates to fo llow. For entry informa tion contact: Dave Ruiz, 1268 -A 25 th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94 122 (4 15) 5647203, davidr@rosewood .his. ucsf.edu, or Alan Sakayama, av8er@mi ndspring.com .

FORT FUNSTON AIR RACES 2000

he Fon Funston Hang Glider Pilots Association and Fellow Feathers announce char rhe Fon Funston Air Races 2000 will be held at one of the world's best coastal flying sires. The air races proved to be a successful event lase year and chis year it promises to be even better. The Air Races 2000 will be held May 12-14 and will consist of approximately a five-mile out-and-return course. Launching at Fort Funston, pi lots will fly somh to the 600-foor cliffs at Westlake and return to Funston. The best overall rimes will be awarded. Separate classes for rigid wings and high-perfor-

-_J

SOARING TRIKE FROM NORTHWING

orchwing is a man ufact·1re• ( f · high-quality ultralight trikes, :~1.ng gl iders and after-market hang glide·· spare parts for Airwave and Delu Wing gliders. T he ream at No rthwing is proud to announce the release of rhe ATF (Air Time Fix) soari ng rrike - no driver, n o mountain, no prob lem. Enjoy th e th rill

auJ" Fun. Flying. Friends. . . 1lt<Uf 19-22, 2000 , , . ad tk i?ead.

[)

• • IP

Dune Competition at Jockey's Ridge Flight Park Competition Clinics, Demos & Speakers Street Dance (we've taken it BACK to the STREETS!) Rogallo Foundation Awards & BBQ Demo New Gliders from Moyes,Wills Wing & US Aeros

CALLING ALL KITTY HAWK KITES INSTRUCTORS Come to the Instructor's Reunion - May 20, 2000 SPONSORED BY KITTY HAWK KITES CALL 1-800-334-4777 OR CHECK AT www.kittyhawk.com 8

H ANG GLI DING

u of flying away from flat ground in a comforrable seated position and in four to five minutes finding yourself at 2,000 feet. Shut the engine off and start soaring. The ATF will attach to most all hang gliders, however, in some cases modifications may have to be made. Northwing also sells a complete package (wing and trike) with their 'T2 hang glider rnndern wing. This combination of wing and trike will allow you to soar in even the lightest conditions. 'fhe ATF offers front and rear SUS·pension for sofi: landings. lt also comes with a powerful 25-hp, dual-ignition Hirth engine for reliability and great climb rate, and a remote choke to make in-air starts easy. Contact: Nonhwing (509) 886--4605, www.northwing.com.

WWT FUNDRAISER

uring the Wallaby Open Malcolm Jones and Chef Jeremy will be hosting a Creek theme dinner which will be a fund-raiser for the Women's World 'learn. In conjunction with the dinner will be a raffle. Raffle Tickets will be available throughout the week for $5 each from all members of the WWT'. Prizes will be given on sire lot's of cool stuff including a Flytec 4020 vario and a paraglider which was flown four times in the 1997 Nms! All proceeds will benefit the ww·r. Also, Matt Taber and Lookout Mountain Flight Park will play host to another Greek dinner ro benefit the WWT on May 13. The dinner is at 7:00 PM in the pavilion in the LZ. Great food, lot's of beer and WWT 'f-shim will be available.

that he new video, \Veathcr TrJ was reviewed in the March 2000 issue of Hang Gliding is available for $39.95 (plus s/h) from: USBGA I 800-G 16-6888, Adventure Productions 7 47 -0 l and Dixon's Airplay Paragliding (520)526--4579.

WINGS AT MAJOR MUSEUMS

n January of this year the Exxtacy was chosen ro be put on display at the

very prestigious Dcutschcs Museum together with famous airplanes, sailplanes and hang gliders (h ttp://www.dentschcsmuscum.de/zwcig/wcrft/c.Jws.htm). In addition, this summer the Ghostbustcr will be on display at the famous Boeing Museum of Might (http://www.museumofflight.org/).

Cloud 9 Soaring Ccmcr (for· The Soaring Center or UP Soaring Center) is now offering hang gliding lessons, sales, repairs and repacks. They also offer tandem flights and mountain guide services. They arc open year-round for business so stop by when you arc flying at the Point. Contact: (801) 576-6460, info@paragliders.com, 12665 S. Minuteman Dr. #1, Draper, UT 84020.

he thi1:d Falcon X--C contest is now

over. hir many, the season was quite disappointing. I had been promising our new pilots a month or more of no-braincr cight-K days in the spring with a host ofX-C fligbts for the taking, and had to car my words. I had known that I was going to have a bunch of really fon X--C's and, oops, even with my optimism tweaked tight J only went on three. It was a strange season with more high-wind days than normal and the light ones were not as act'ivc as normal. There were only a few notable X-C flights even by pilots who were primed to go. Meanwhile, in various parts of the country, Pete Lehmann and Dave Clover were logging miles. Luck will always play a part in X-C flying, but even prior to the start of the contest Pere had logged over 100 Falcon X-C miles while many of us were hunt-ing for a worthy thermal to leave with. By rbe end of the year he had flown a total of 480 miles in the East, including a longest flight of 5 l.7 miles. ls there some kind of message here? The "luck facwr" it seems, can be overcome with diligent flying. Mc1ybc with Pete's initial /lights as incentive, Peter Perrone and I

flew a fi:w less impressive (but still fon) X-C's from Ellenville, New York and started to hope rhat it was the start of a roll, and then, wow, a result came in from Hobbs, New Mexico. David Glover had flown 95.3 miles suprone on Davis Straub's Palcon. Jr looked like David was in line for tbc Falcon X-C contcsr World Class prize. Not to bcl inlc the rest of us who were struggling to simply go just about anywhere, the high point of the contest came with Pete I ,chrnann's 114-milc flight in Wyoming (accompanied by Larry Strom who had noi- entered and who got 78 miles) which captured the Falcon World Class prize with a flight that in the future many will be working very hard to beat. The results of the 1999 Falcon X-C Contest (moving from west to east except for Pete): World Class, Pete Lehmann, l 95 falcon, 114 mi. Am Class, West Co;ist Region, Rob Jacobs, 8.6 mi. Pro Class, West Region, Dave Glover, 225 Falcon, 95.3 mi. Am Class West Region, 'fom Pierce 195 Falcon, 14 mi. Rec Class, West Region, Daniel Guziec, 195 Falcon, 6.5 mi. Pro Class, East Region, Ben Davidson, 16 mi. Rec Class East Region, Peter Perrone, 16 mi .John Olson deserves mention as a pilot who, in his eagerness, flew a month too early to have his flight in Mexico count in this comest hut surely deserves recognition f'or premature launch. Our commendations and thanks to all who broke rhe leash and went X--C. 'The 2000 Palcon X-C Comest will begins April 1 and ends on December .3 I. Entries must be received prior to the first flight that is submitted for that flight to count. Entry forms can be found and submitted ar hnp://www.angclfire.com/ c1/instructor!falconxc.htrnl or send a self. addressed, stamped envelope to 'lek

Continued on page: 30. HANC GUIJINC

Year

*********************************************************************** Includes 12 of HANG GLIDING magazine (HG Division) or 12 issues of PARAGLIDING magazine (PG Division), liability insurance, ratings, and other benefits. D Hang Gliding D Paragliding I Division - $59.00 U.S. ($70.00 Non-U.S.*) ..............................,......... .,,,_,_,_,___,,_,,,,_. ,,,. .--.. Both Divisions - $84.00 U.S. ($100.00 FAMILY (Includes all benefits except

I Division - $27.00 (Family Member(~) mus/ sign separate releasefi'om Full Membe,) , . ._ ..,,. . ,,., __,___ . ___,,..,,,

Gliding

D Paragliding

lhc magazine. MUST reside Both Divisions - $39.50 (Must sign separate release from Full Member) ..................... . with full member of same division.) Name and lJSHGA number of full ... , ....,,._,__ . ,,,,,,,_____,_____,,_,_,,,. . ,,,_,,,. . .,,,,,----------·

D Hang Gliding Magazine $35.00 U.S. ($46.00 Non-U.S.) Paragliding Magazine $35.00 U.S. ($46.00 Non-U.S.)

***************************************************************************** addition to member/subscription 1ST CLASS MAIL SERVICE PER DIVfSWN: ($24.00-U.S., Canada, & Mexico only) .................................,. .. .,, ____·-------.......... AIR MAIL SERVICE PER DlVISlON: ($30.00-Wcstcrn Hemisphere, $40.00-Europc, $50.00-All Others) ... ~-:--c"-''''C"'-·-,-·....-:------:

***********************************************************************~~~~~~~~:~

****

****************************************************************************************** drawn on a

(02100)

In consideration of the benefits to be derived from membership in the USHGA, (Pilo~ and the parent or legal guardian of Pilot if Pilot is a minor, for themselves, their personal representatives, heirs, executors, next of kin, spouses, minor children and assigns, do agree as follows: DEFINIITl 0NIS - The following definitions apply to terms used in this Agreement: I. means launching (and/or assisting another in launching), flying (whether as pilot in command or otherwise) and/or landing (including, but not limited to, crashing) a hang glider or paraglider. 2. means injury, bodily injury, timmclial injury sustained by Pilotas a result of PAJfiT!iCIP'ATJ'O~r IN any USHGA programs (for example: the Pilot Proficiency System). If nP1·~n1n:::11 injury, bodily injury, death, nr,,n.,.rtv aarnaJJre Pilot as well as injury, sustained by Pilots parents or legal guardians, as a result of administration of any USHGA programs. 3. means the following, including their owners, officers, directors, agents, spouses, employees, officials (elected or otherwise), members, independent contractors, sub-contractors, lessors and lessees: a) The United States Hang Gliding Association, a California Non-profit Corporation (USHGA); b) Each of the person(s) sponsoring and/or participating in the administration of Pilot's proficiency rating(s); c) Each of the hang gliding and/or paragliding organizations which are chapters of the USHGA; d) The United States Of America and each of the city(ies), town(s), county(ies), State(s) and/or other political subdivisions or governmental agencies within whose jurisdictions Pi/otlaunches, flies and/or lands; e) Each of the property owners on or over whose property Pilotmay launch, fly and/or land; All persons involved, in any manner, in the sports of hang gliding and/or paragliding at the site(s) where D "All persons involved" include, but are not limited to, spectators, hang glider and/or paraglider pilots, assistants, drivers, instructors, observers, and owners of hang gliding and/or paragliding equipment; and g) All other persons lawfully present at the site( s) during Pilt,t's PARnrCIJJA T.fOAfl~ FOl;Bj'ER na.,.a..l"A,,a. A.ND the PARTIESfrom any and all liabilities, claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have for however caused, even if caused by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the nJb,lbJb-"'"'Jb"" PAJ7TIJ.~S. to the fullest extent allowed by law. I OR MAKE A CLAIM against any of the loss or damage on account of If I violate this agreement by filing such a suit or making such a claim, Iwill pay all attorneys' fees and costs of the ne;;,1.,;;,"'1"e;;v I shall be and irrm111;tr1m•11 1

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 THAT at least 18 years of age, or, that I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilot and am making this agreement on behalf of myself and If I am the parent or legal guardian of Pilot, I TO AND the for their defense and indemnity from any claim or liability in the event that Pilot suffers even if caused in whole or in part by the negligence (whether active or passive) of any of the ns;;,1.,;;;,,1..:ios;;,v P.'AR.TIES.

I have ,Mtlt Pilot's Jitnat111r

Date

Sig11at11re offllot's fa rent or legal 6uarrfia11 ift,lot under 19yeilrs ofage.

Date

MMR 12-97

PRICE

QTY~Total Weight .. TOTAL

$ 6.00

USHGA 2000 HANG GLIDING CALENDAR· CLEARANCE SALE!!! Reg. 9.95 ................. .... 1/b USHGA HG CALENDARS More excellent photography. (Circle Yr) 1998 '91 '90 '89 ............ 1lb

$ 1.50

,"<HANG GLIDING FOR BEGINNER PILOTS by Peter Cheney.Official Training Manual.250pgs.2/b *TOWING ALOFT by Dennis Pagen/Bill Bryden. Covers ALL aspects of towing. 372 pgs ......... 3/b HANG GLIDING TRAINING MANUAL by Dennis Pagen For the beginner/novice pilot. 350 pgs.2/b SKY ADVENTURES 36 hg stories by 32 hg authors. Informative & entertaining. 240 pgs .......... 1/b ,"<PARAGLIDING-THE COMPLETE GUIDE by Noel Whittall. Comprehensive, color. 200 pgs .... 2/b PERFORMANCE FLYING by Dennis Pagen For the Intermediate-Advanced pilots. 340 pgs . ... 3/b UNDERSTANDING THE SKY by Dennis Pagen. THE most complete book on micrometerology.2/b INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL by Dennis Pagen. Hang gliding, used in ICP's. Plenty of illustrations.2/b PARAGLIDING-A PILOT'S TRAINING MANUAL by Mike Meier/Wills Wing. Covers all aspects.2/b RIGHT STUFF FOR NEW HG PILOTS by Erik Fair. Reprints of Erik's HG column. Classic ...... .. 1/b ACCESS & THE GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT by Bob Moorman . ............. 2/b DOWNWIND by Larry Fleming. Share the experience of over 20 years of hg flight.. .................... 1/b A RISK MGMT MANUAL by M. Robertson. Includes Charts/Reliability. Become a better pilot! ... 1/b FLIGHT LOG BOOK The Official USHGA flight log book. 40 pages. Log those flights! ........... 2oz CERTIFICATION BOOKLETS Document your skill level sign-offs. Specify HG or PG ............. 2oz

$29.95 $29.95 $29.95 $14.95 $26.95 $29.95 $19.95 $15.00 $19.95 $ 8.95 $19.95 $10.95 $ 9.95 $ 2.95 $ 1.95

$_ _ _ _ $__,__ _ $_ _ _ $____,__ $_ _ _ $____ _ $___ _

VI i"<WEATHER TO FLY Dixon White educates us on this very important question. (50 min) ... 1/b ,"<TURNING POINT HG & PG Tame the elusive alpine thermal. Beautiful Euro footage.(24 min) 1/b ,"<AERONAUTS Hang gliding documentary, great effects & interviews. Fantastic video.(43 min) 1/b ,'<TELLURIDE SPEED GLIDING Awesome glider sound, exhilarating footage. (33 min) ............ 1/b ,"<SPEED GLIDING:TEAR UP THE SKIES Great camera angles & animation. (24 min) .. ......... 1/b ;"<STARTING HANG GLIDING Basic preparation, attitude & what to expect. (30min) ............. ... 1/b ,~,STARTING PARAGLIDING Basic preparation, attitude & what to expect. (30min) ............ ..... 1lb DUST DEVILS Fly with the Womens World Hang Gliding Team in Chelan, WA. (24 min)...... .... 1/b PARTY AT A hang gliding music video, set to hard driving music. (20 min).... ... 1/b MASTERS AT CLOUDBASE_ A paragliding music video, set to hard hitting music. (20 min) ..... Jib TELLURIDE AEROBATICS Follow the dynamic history of this event, from "81-95". (50 min) ..... 1/b FLY HARD Rob Whittal & C. Santacroce paraglide the westcoast. Rock soundtrack. (36 min) ... 1lb BORN TO FLY HG action. Meet Larry Tudor & Green team, fly Owens, Sandia, etc. (50 min) ... Jib PG: THE MOVIE Owen's Valley world competition. Hot action, rockin' soundtrack. (40 min) ....... 1/b CLOUDBASE PARAGLIDING Great intro. video. Meet the hot pilots, fly the hot sites. (36 min) .1/b HANG GLIDING EXTREME Fly spectacular sites in the US. Meet the top pilots. (50 min) ......... 1/b HAWAIIAN FlYIN' HG & PG in Paradise. Amazing launches & awesome scenery! (46 min) ...... 1lb All our videos are in USA/VHS NTSC format only.

$39.95 $35.95 $29.95 $19.95 $24.95 $29.95 $29.95 $19.95 $19.95 $19.95 $24.95 $35.95 $34.95 $35.95 $34.95 $34.95 $33.00

$_ _ _ _ $______ _

$_ _ _ $____

WINDSOK™ 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, 5'4" long w/11" throat. Pink/yellow or pink/white (circle one) .2/b $39.95 .. .............................. Boz $ 5.00 ZING WING Flying toy. Launch it skyward and watch is soar. Set/ 2.... WINDSEEKER Hang glider flying model. It loops & soars. Lots of fun to fly, you'll want two ...... Boz $ 3.00 USHGA EMBLEM DECAL Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular sticker ......... 1oz $ .50 USHGA SEW-ON EMBLEM Our original logo, in its original colors, on a 3" circular patch ...... 1oz $ 1.50 MTN. GLIDER DECAL Full color 6" rectangular, long-lasting vinyl decal. Very colorful.. ............. 1oz $ 1.50 LICENSE PLATE FRAME I'd Rat/Jer Be Hang Gliding or I'd Rather Be Paragliding (circle one) .. 1/b $ 6.50 *ERIC RAYMOND POSTER 24"x37" Eric 17,000' MSL over the Sierra Nevada Range ............... 1lb $ 5.95 *AEROBATIC POSTER 23"x3'1" Colorful keel-angle shot of ,John Heiney looping skyward ......... Jib $ 6.95 *Posters are NOT AVAILABLE on International orders .. Sorry! SPECIAL· BOTH POSTERS FOR $10.00 PAYMENT must be included with your order. SUBTOTAL WEIGHT (for shipping) NON-USA orders must be in U.S. FUNDS drawn on a U.S. BANK!

SHIPPING (USA)

CHARGE MY VISA or MASTERCARD

Under 16oz ADD $1.50 1 LB ........... ADD $4.00 2 LB ........... ADD $4.75 3..4 LB ....... ADD $5.50 5-6 LB .. .. ... ADD $6.00 7-8 LB ....... ADD $6.50 9-10 LB ..... ADD $7.50 Over 10 LB .. Call/fax/email NON-USA SHIPPING-Call/fax/email

SUBTOTAL Colorado residents add 3% tax

_ _ _ _ _., _ _ _ _ _ .,___ _

Shipping (see chart) , _______.,__.,

Send To: -------···-----·----·--------·-------USHGA ··--------Street Address (if

(719)

Gliding Assn., PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs 80901-1330 6-6888 www.ushga.org (719) 632-6417 email: ushga@ushga.org

-uu,1-u

r Calendar of cvcnrs items WIT ,L NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact inl<Jrmarion (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior rn rhe event. We request two months lead rime for regional and national meets.

APRIL 16-22: Walli/by Open ''"'·'-'''ufJIIFHI f-lang C'ompctition. 450-poim aeroLow meet at Wallaby Ranch, Florida. Meer Director: J.C. Brown. $5,000 cash prize, welcome barbecue and grand awards cerc-mony. Hotels within two miles will be offering a discoumed rate for pilots, fomily and crew. Great food on site all week! Come early and fly wirl1 World Team Academy's Mike Barber, ( ;ibbo, Ryan ( ;lover, Paris Williams and Tiki M;1shy. Contact: (8(/3) 424-0070 or fly@wallahy.com. APRIL 24-29: 71,ird !lnmud !ltlrmtic CO!lst Championships. First Class A sanctioned aerornw meet in the U.S., in centTal Florida. Mulriplc classes: topped, topless, rigid single-surface. Quest Air will host nightly parries with entertainment, onsirc food (breakfasr through dinner), camping, showers and more. New for 2000: The ltrsr re?Zi glide rario contest. Close to all Disney arrrncrions, easy access w international airports. Lms of hotels and food close by. Sign up early to guarantee a spot. For enrry informarion contact: www.jusrfly.com, MAY 5-7: 2000 Steeple Chase R(lrcs, hy Western Hang ( ;liders and Coastal Condors. foe $50. Sponsors solicired. Contact: Western I Tang Gliders, (831) fax (831) 384-2624, WcstcrnhangglidcrsCii!aol.com, www.wcstcrnha11ggliders.con1.

Nr,tion(ll 'fr:rmz MAY 12--14: seirxtion e11en1, Chelan, WA. 'Two rain days lc)!low the dares. Contact: John Borton, C:ompCommince(tilaol.com. MAY 12-14: 'lhe hm hmston Air Rt1ces arc back, again! The firsr air race of the century, fivc-·milc our-.md-rerurn course. 'fhink you're fosr? Prove it! Cash prizes, awards, T-shirts, barbecue. Entry fee$ I 00. I ,imired ro 40 entrants. Contact: David Ruiz, 1268 A

25rh Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 564-7203, davidr@rosewood.his.ucsfedu, or e-mail Alan Sakayama, av8er@rnindspring.com.

MAY 27--29: Midwest Championships, to be held at Twin Oaks Airport and supported by Raven Sports. Great X-C challenge for Intermediate ro Advanced pilors. Contact: Rik Bouwmeesrer 681 toplcss@exccpc.co rn. JUNE 23-25: \ViU W!ild West ReRionalr, Competitive fim flying with some of the besr pilots at one of the best flying sites in the West. McClellan Peak as well as Slide Mm. arc the launch sites and rbc open dcsen is the LI'.. I ,ocarion, Carson Ciry/1 ,akc 'I 'ahoc, NV. Includes party, T-shirts and Silver Belt Buckle Awards. Rcgisrrarion: $100 until May 30, rhen $125. Contact: Advcnmre Sports 883-7070, advspts@pyramid. ncr. JUNE 23 .. 29: St1ndit1 Open. Day cvenr, open-disrnncc format. H-3/4 pilots with appropriate sign-off,. Ser a personal hcsr or break a world record. Rigid, wplcss and kingpost awards. Best 4 our of7 days scored. X C Seminar by ltl best rigid pilot Dave Sharp. A non-profit cvenr sponsored by rhc Sandia Soaring Association. Enrry foe $12 5 or $100 before June. Online website and registration: lmp://www.nmia.com/ ~jfckrnps/ssa.lnm. Conract: Mel Glantz/Sandia Soaring Association, 2710 Parsifal Sr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112, mglan rz(tt)11swcsr. ne1. JULY 3-8, 2000: Cheltm X-C Clt1ssic. Started in 1979, one ofrhc narion's top events of the s11mmcr. Hang glider ;md paraglider pilots come from all over rhe U.S. and the world, and choo.sc rhc task they will fly: straightline, our-.md-rcrurn or triangle. Pilots srnn from Chelan Burre and for rhc rnost pan fly over the whear fields ro rhe cast across rhc Columbia River. Cont:1ct: (425) Taggan@seanetcom. JULY 7-9: 2000 Mount(lin Meet, King Mountain, near Moore, Idaho. Open and Recrearion classes, super-killer great trophies, barbecue Sarmday night, daily prizes, driver awards, handicap scoring sysrem. Prc-rcgis-

nation encomaged. Contact: Lisa Tate, Meet Director (208) 376-7914, Zoolisa@aol.com. AUG. 13-20: Lone Star Ch,nnt!lonsht/ls, Hearne, TX. USHGA-sanctioned NTSS points rncer. Aerotow (cighr tugs), with t~asks to be 60+ mile triangles, 90+ mile multi-leg tasks, and l 00+ mile races ro goal. Open to 60 pilors and includes both Class I and Class Il. GPS turnpoint vcriltcation, (. ;AP scoring. Meer organizer, Austin Air Sports, meet director, Steve Burns Contact: (409) 2799382, (409) 279-6382 fax,(409) 229-2699 cellular, www.austinairsporrs.com.

AUG. 26-SEPT. 3: Pan Americrm Chrm1pionships (C:onrincnral Championships), Dinosaur, CO. Contact: G.W. Meadows 480-3552, www.jusrfly.com.

SEPT. 2-4: E-Ict1m litQ'~/Vi'IJ/1,~vxc Competition, l .ake Elsinore, California. $500 first prize, killer trophies, more cash top places, prizes, free T-shirts to competitors, free barbecue, men's, women's and novice trophies. Excellent first comp. Enjoy Lake Elsinore's I 0,000' days. Pree camping, activities galore, frm! $50 pre-cmry, $60 day of meet. All glider types okay; handicapping of gliders gives everyone a chance. Contacr: Mickey at skyboy@cz2.net, (909) 672<3604.

FUN MAY 6-7: Ber1ch 'n Chelan spot-landing conresr Flyers Club. for both HG and PG on the beach at Lake Side Park, Chelan, WA. Pilots scored on accuracy and hmding form. Sunday morning race to the beach. Sarurclay nighr barbecue. Conract: Lany Majchrzak (509) fox (509) 682-8206, skydogCirlrelcvar.com. MAY 6-7: I4th !I rmurd Stewart Srnith !V[ernorial F!:)1-ht, Moore Mountain, North Carolina (Pcny Lowe Orchard). entry fee. Duration, spot-landing and X-C competition, prizes, trophies, T-shirts, chicken dinner and the world-famous dart tournament :md party. Live enterrainment, reserve clinic and much rnorc. Contacr: (704) 392 3765, www.hrtp:// sou tl1ernskics.ncr/ fly-in. htm.

IIANC CUDINC

I nd MAY 19-21: South Carolimt Sprinp,timt at Glassy Mountain near Creer, SC. Come enjoy flying and competing (spor, duration, X-C, balloon toss, etc.) at this beautiful south-facing mountain. Plaques awarded to all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in all competitions (except balloon toss). $20 entry fee for competition flying, $10 for fun flying. Fly-in T-shirts and sweatshirts available. Glassy launch is 1,500' AGL. Comacr: Paul Peeples, P.O. Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712 (828) 885-2536, phrannen p@>citcom .net. MAY] 9-22: 2Rth Annual Hang Gliding ,SjJcct1,cular and Air Garnes in Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags I lead, NC ;md Curriruck County Airpon, Currituck, NC. The oldest cominuons hang gliding competition in rhe world and Airsports Expo will include diving, paragliding, ult:ra!ights and more. Dunc competitions begin on the 19th. Dcrnonstrarions, acrotow competition, street dance and awards ceremony. Annual inductions into die Rognllo Hall of Fame will close the ceremony on Sunday evening. All USHCA-ratccl liang glider pilots arc welcome to compete. Cont.act: Ki try Hawk Kites, Inc. (800) 3:34-4777. MAY 19-22: Haw/, Kites Tnstructor Alumni Reunion, held in conjunction with the 28th Annual Hang Gliding Spectacular. lf you arc one, or know any former Kl lK instructors, please get rhc word out that we want to sec you this spring! Contact: Bobbie Servant, bobbicG:,i)kittyhawk.com. MAY 20-21: Take McClure Coyote How/ 2000, F]y.[n of the Millennium. Fun meet for Hang llI and above. Improved launch and ];inding areas. Cash and lms of trophy awards, speed nrns, X-C, pylon course, acrobatics, endurance, spot landings. Enter one category or all /cir one low fee of $40 if paid before April 15, $50 afrcr. J,imitcd co rhc first 100 pilms. Send check to: Doug Prather, 1691 Vivan Rd., Modesto, CA 95358 (209) 556-0469. MAY 27-28: Second Annual Foothilh Fun Meet, Stony Point, NC Kingposted, topless and rigid wings welcome. Last year's winnncr flew 67 miles and took home $100. Prizes for top three finishers in duration and

APRIL 2000

open X-C. 20-pilot limit. $35 entry Fee. Acrmow raring required. Contact: Brad Cryder (828) 632-9810, foothillsfligl1t@lhormail.c<1m. MAY 27-29: 24th AnnurJl St11rth1'.rtlc Fl:y-ln. Hang gliding and paragliding. Woodrat Mtn. in southern Oregon. Barbecue, con-tests, prizes, excellent flying and !ors of fun. Comact: Donald Fitch, (541) 482-5117, Prcsidcn tCttl RVH GJ\.org. MAY 27-29: 20th Annual Millennium Memorial Day Fly-In. 'T'hc Rio Crande Soaring Assn. is celebrating 20 years. Funflying competition, bomb drops. Dealers and demos available. Camping and disconnts on rooms. We arc shooting for l 00 pilots. Come join us for three days of noth-bnt fun! Entry frc oF $25 includes dinner and awards party, free beer and lots of fun. Many prizes awarded. T-shirts and other apparel available. Come fly Dry Canyon and help celebrate 20 years with the RCSA. For more info or early entries contact:: Tom and Cindy West (505) 4375213 or mail Rio Cran de Soaring Assn., Inc., 2216 Pecan Dr., Alamogordo, NM 88310.

SEPT. l 9: High Noel? 25th Anniversary A fun fly-in near Thurmont, Maryland. Experience the longest: continuously operated launch on the east coast. Bonfires, food, camping and contests arc all planned. ContaC!: Brian Vandiull (410) 889-1646 or Brianvh@marlowc.urnd.edu. Also check our our website this summer: www.ml1ga.co1n.

OCT. 6--8: October'., Best Fly-!n. The ninth Saurarown Mountain, North Carolina clas-sic will use a new format. Competition begins at 2:00 PM with a "half" day, and ends Sunday at 2:00 PM with a half day. Also, a new accumulative point system will be used. As great Friday and Sarurday night dinners, hrcakfost and lunch in the LZ Saturday and Sunday, free camping and bot showers. Contact: Vic Lewellen (336) 595-6505, or Tony Salvadore (336) 7327783. Visit: the SM HCC website for skill level requirements and directions: www.gcocities.com/pipcline/dropzonc/5650/.

CLINICS/MEETINGS/TOURS 2000: Brt1zil 2000. Wonderful warm weather, flying in an exotic setting. Be part of the Adventure Sports trip w Govcnador Valadarcz, Brazil. Experienced instructors and guides. Take side-trips to Carnival or any of the beautiful beaches. 12 days, $1,200 for paragliders, $1,400 for hang gliders. Includes room with brcakfasr and lunch, ride to launch, rerricval and guided rour. Contact: 883--7070, www.pyramid.net/advsprs.

OWENS VALLEY 2000: Fly with a World Champion, I 0-time National Champion and X-C world record holder Kari Castle as your guide in the Owens. Private onc-ononc or group instruction available. Further your flying education. Contact: Kari Castle (760) 872-2087, lrnricasrlc(a>tclis.org, www.norrhwestoutdoors.com/fly/

The Tour, with Michael Robenson will be offer-· ing IP's, seminars and inspirational talks. Contact: High Perspective, (905) ,..,·r,.. .,.,.u, sraff'@)flyh igh .corn.

APRIL 28-30: Mosquito Clinic hosted by Mounrain Wings in Ellenville, New York, at the famous Ellenville Airport. C;uest host Bill Fifrr (Mosquito distributor) will be on hand to assist you on your first demo flights as well as run the clinic. Come sec the Mosquito is the hottest and newest accessory for your hang glider available today. Cost for the clinic is $100 and includes a barbecue (refundable with purchase). A deposit is required. Contact: Greg Black, (914) 647 · :3377, mtnwings(@aol.com. MAY 23-25: IP at Kitty Hctwk Kites. Contact: Bruce Weaver 441--2426. JUNE 23-25: L'AA rratf1er111v !ekes Recreational Park, Ostcrhurg, PA. hce admission, parking and camping. Contact: (814) 276-3355, dickes(rilbedford.nct, http:/ /www.bedforcl.net/dickes.

he flying usually turns on from October through April. The east/west-running range basks in the sun during the shore days. Crisp air and strong lapse races keep the inversion layers at bay, and produce spectacular flying. Many pilots are forced to drool from their office windows midweek as they watch in agony as stellar cloud streets line up. Those who are lucky enough co escape the weekly grind of work are treated to some of Cal ifornia's finest air. The X-C potential in Sama Barbara is fantastic, but it can be a challenging endeavor, with tricky, scattered landing zones and atmospheric conditions. One can encounter multiple shear lines, inversion layers and ambling convergence zones. Often pilots laun ch in a thermal block created in a south wind only co find th e drift from the north a thousand feet

Santa Barbara, California has long been known for its beautiful beaches and sweeping mountains. Its temperate, year-round climate keeps its residents in high spirits and its hang gliding population at cloud base. Known fo r its exceptional winter flying, the mountain range behind the town was the ideal choice for the 1999 Santa Barbara Air Races. higher. Wi th all these meteorological characteristics the Santa Barbara Air Races looked co be an exciting event for al l those who participated. T he meet format was very simple. The idea was co challenge pilots' cross-country skills and keep chem in the local area, so a "lap" com est was created. Basically a rwoway our-and-return, pilots launched from

the Eliminacor and flew approximately six miles east or west. Upon obtai ning the ease or wes t curnpoint, the pilot wo uld reverse direction and fly co the other curnpoinr. When he made it back to the Eliminator he had completed a full "lap. " This was wo rth 12 points. Pi lots scored a point for each ridge they crossed on che way to th e turnpoinr. The official landing H ANG GLI DING

by Simon Kurth

zo ne was Parma Park, and failure to reach it or whacking resulted in point penalties. The cool thing about this format was that you could always see the contestants on course from the LZ, and geuing home in time for dinner was never a problem. For 20 bucks entrants received a T-shirt and a shot at two hand-carved trophies. With the rules in place and 25 competitors entered, the Santa Barbara Air Races were ready to begin! From January 1 to the end of April, every Saturday and Sunday of the week was scored as a competition day. AJthough it was originally scheduled to be a three-month contest (January thro ugh March) , La Nina provided poor concLtions for much of the first two months, so as meet director I decided to extend the meet by one more month to tal<e advantage of the better weather that looked to coming our way. This proved APRIL 2000

John Greyna!d and E.J Steele receiving their trophies. 17

launch and set up area.

View down the Santa Barbara mountain range.

H ANG G LI DING

to be the rigl11 call, as we were graced with exccllcm soaring conditions for the remainder of the meet. First place was hotly contested, with the lead position switching many hands. During January, Rohen "Hammer Head" Millington, one of om area's top pilots and long-time inspiration and mentor, held an early stranglehold on the top spot. Conditions were challenging, and many days would see lSlYcJ of the compel·· ing pilots scoring only a few points. But it was in these conditions that the top pilots earned their reputations, scoring foll laps in weak lifr. Their flights were truly . . impressive. February brought only one good weekend. \'vith the change in wind also came a change in the standings. The torch was passed to E.J. Steele, who complemented his excellent piloring skills with cunning rnnics to gain the lead. Friday night, rhe eve before a good-weather window, E.J. managed LO drink Hammer and "1.inlc John" Greynald under the table at follow pilot Bob Anderson's birth-day party. With the Old Guard incapacitated the fr>llowing day, E.J. took advantage of their absence and scored a very impressive round. Hammer and Little John were relegated to a not-so-enjoyable clay of "hang" overs. 'T'he rest of the month saw poor conditions on comperition clays, and it wasn't until March rolled around that the meet saw high-scoring days again. March madness saw two high pointscoring weekends. E.J. turned in an impressive round to maintain the lead in the comest. Although cloud base was only slightly above launch level, E.J., Hammer, Little John and Scott Angel all managed to complete one or two laps, demonstrating savvy and knowledge bridging the canyons. Navigating from peak to peak in Santa Barbara is highly dependent upon having the right amount of height to cross, due to the lack of landing areas and sink. However, some days prove ro be an anomaly. If a pilot had enough courage and skill to fly in light conditions, he could bridge these gaps at: much lower altitudes than normal, ofren topping out only a fow hundred feet over the lower ridges. All in all it was a great lesson for less-experienced pilots, and opened up some new horizons for those who paid attention. The following weekend was epic.

APRIL 2000

Aficr completing rhe western rurnpoint, Little John, E.J. and Hammer new to the eastern rnrnpoint and decided to co1Hin-· UC on down range. They !cared the day would overdevelop and they wanted to nrn down range in front of the approach-ing storm. This decision proved to be a good one, as Little John flew 7It miles to establish a new sire record. Details of die flight can be found on the Santa Barbara Soaring Association Web site (silcom.com/--sbsa/flight.htm click on the map). The next day was a real scoring fest. Bob Anderson made his presence known in the hunt for first place by scoring a 28-poinr day (that's two and a half laps at approximately 22 miles per lap). Little John racked up another 2/J points to put him in the lead, signaling the final switch of first place. Some of the top-placed pilots decided to trade in the juicy com· petition day for a chance ro go X-C on what looked to be another potential record-breaking day. April was supposed to bring four

high--caliber soaring weekends bur ended

up only serving two. The second weekend of the month was fi111tastic. F.J. Steele and Scott Angel pulled off a record breaking out--and -return, flying from the Eliminator to White Ledge peak and back, and still scoring 17 points. Little John cemented his lead with a 25-point day. On Sunday, Bob Anderson rose to challenge the leaders by turning in another solid round, boosting him into third place. The following weekend yielded some strong rounds, with Hammer turni11g high score for the weekend which propelled him into a tic for third place. With the last weekend being blow11 out, the Santa Barbara Air Races were over, and Little John Greynald won with 1 points. E.j. Steele followed in second place wirh 60 poims. r\oth were awarded rheir beautifully hand-crafted trophies ar the club meeting the fc)llowing week. All in all, the meet was a resounding success, wirli all competitors gaining a little experience and acquiring some great memories. II

copyright © 2000 by Dennis A~gen This article is in response to Steve ~5eibel'.'i piece in the February 2000 i.uue ofrfang Gliding entitled /1. New Perspective on Flang Glider Turns. " in this piece, as well as his expanded write-up on the listed Web site, he describes some tests he has performed as well as some conclusions he has drawn. I agree with some of his viewpoints but must point out what 1 believe are some errors. n addition, I feel there are a couple of important points to be made concernsafety that he has missed. TESTING DISCREPANCIES To begin, we should point out that most pilots aren't interested in the exacting aerodynamic details of how a hang glider turns. What they want to know is the sensations and proper reauion to rhese sensations. l venture to sity that mosr top pilots cannot describe the dynamics of what happens on a wing, yet they excel with rudimentary understanding and a lot of experience. Jndced, many readers have probably turned the page already. For those who remain, I will try to be brief, bur will note that it would take a book to totally describe what happens to ;i glider in a turn (Steve's Web site is 27 printed pages), so ;iny discussion that's appropriate fr>r this maga'ljne is an abridgement. For this very reason T must take exception to what· Steve says in his magazine article ;ind Web write·-up when he says what l write in my books Hang Gliding haining Manual and Perfimnance Flying is "less than convincing," "incorrect," or "incomplete." As an example of this he points to the bobsled analogy of a turn in l fcmg Gliding ]htining Mamtt.d (page 1 The fact is, all descriptions of the threedimensional effects in a rum must be simplifications to be effective in a book of that nature. If we write a physics text 110 one will read it or understand it. Certainly a sled going around a curved slope isn't exactly the same as a glider in a curved flight path, bur the illustration is a good one to help beginners visualize the dynamics of a tum. This is an important first step for a more in-depth understanding. Concerning other points where he disagrees with my analysis (and that of other

writers including Langewicsche in the clas·· sic Stick and Rudder), J believe J can poim olll discrepancies in his argument. T believe from what he wrote that all of Steve's viewpoints or arguments come from what he has experienced flying sailpbnes and his hang glider (a Spectrum). Also, he lias impressions from tests he has performed with a yaw string and a slip-skid ball. A yaw string is simply a piece of yam in the airflow that can he used to indicate when the airflow is not aligned with the glider front to rear (longitudinal axis). Many of rhcsc types of experiments were performed in the early 1980's for rhe same reason Steve did them: We wanred to figure out the dynamics of hang glider turns. Some of the sources of error we found should be mentioned. First, if the yaw string is placed too close to the pilot (as it appears to be in Steve's photo on page 35 of Hang (;tiding), any sideways devia· tion of the pilot's body will skew the yaw string (and the results). Remember, the air's flow is disturbed quite a bit upstream of a solid object as it parts the flow. You can check this effect by putting a yaw string on your bicycle and leaning your body to one side as you ride along. Unfortunately, if you move the yaw string om further, you increase the effocr of a second source of error. A glider following a curving flight path follows this path with its center of gravity while: all other points along a line through its keel are following a different path, and will cause a deflection of a yaw string as Figure I illustrates. This effect can make us think that the glider is in constant yaw (slip) even in a coordinated turn.

Finally; there's another source of error that m;iy be irnportant in this rnsc. Steve flies a Spectrum that has been designed to be very roll stable to accommodate less-

experienced pilots. In my experience you have to low-side (hold yomself to the low side of the wing) noticeably in a turn ro keep a Spectrum from rolling our. Steve confirms this matter in his Web write-up. ln all orhcr gliders you remain centered or you mnst high-side to continue a st·eadily banked turn ar medium to low bank angles. The somce of error comes from the yawing effect oflow-siding as opposed to high-siding. When you high-side in a rum, the glider tends to yaw into the turn, even in a steady state. When you low·side, it yaws out of the turn. The result is a skid indication for hig!Miding and a slip indication for low-siding. 'le.> see how this works, imagine a pilot moved way to the outside ofa wing in a turn. The sum of rlie fr>rm drag of the wing is greater m1 the portion inside the pilot than outside, so rhe glider yaws into the rnrn. Remember, a wing tends to rotate around the center of" gravity of the system. In order for a glider to be flown in a steady mite in this manner, an imbalance oflifi: must occur (tbc lifr must he greater in rhc outward half of the wing). This imb;ilance is most easily created by increas· ing the anhedral (downward angling of the wings) although sweep and airfoil shape distribution also play a role. In ;ill fairness, Steve mentions on the Web that he "can't assume that other hang gliders would show the same characteristics ... " My experience testing many different types of gliders is slightly different than his.

DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS First I should point out that we are in agreement on most of his description of what is detected in a turn. Por example:, in the first paragraph on page 37 of the Htmg Gliding article, and 011 his Web write-up, his descriptions are essentially the same as those in my books. Where he and I part company is in his statements about adverse yaw, centrifugal effects and pitch effects. Steve discoums the role of adverse yaw in our gliders and believes that yaw inertia is what causes the slip effects norcd. Steve does mention that all aircrafr experience adverse yaw but believes the effects are minim:tl. (This general statement is incorrect on one point: Gliders such ;is the Fledgling, the Exxtacy and their clones which use drag devices to tum do not experience adverse yaw.) Here arc a few experiments or observations you can perform ro convince yourself of what's going on. First, if you get a chance to view the promotional film from HANC CLIDING

the Pre-Worlds of'Spccd Cliding, you'll sec filming from the keel of a glider. You can watch the pilot making a roll comrol and the glider yawing the opposite way it shonld for a coordinated tum. This is adverse yaw. The frill VG string srrcaming our behind the pilo1 a good indication of yaw. ff yaw inerria were the cause of the adverse yaw, rhc glider wouldn't active· ly yaw the wrong way, it would merely hesitate. have a friend pick up your favorite glider and balance it 011 his or her shoulders. You may think that you can foci the yaw inenia by rotating the glider in the conrrol bar, bur that's nor how the aerodynamic effects act. · l ll more nearly feel what goes on in the air, stand about rwo-thirds of the way out the wing and push back on the leading edge ,vliilc your friend balances the glider. The force required ro yaw it isn't much. Whar you arc feeling is the rotational inertia rhat must be overcome in order to rnrn a glider in a coordinated fashion. l;inally, you can do a little experiment with foam model flying wings. If you add the proper dihedral to a wing, you can move a light weight slightly toward one side (simulating a weight-shifr roll control) and find that the wing happily turns in the wrong direction as adverse yaw remains in effect (in other words, shifting the weight left produces a right turn). lfyou reduce the dihedral or add anhcdral, you reduce or eliminate this adverse yaw effect. So what's happening? The only explanation that makes sense in light of all the above and orlicr experiments is that when you weight shifr you load up one side of the wing while unloading the other. The higher-loaded side increases its flying speed while the lighter-loaded side slows. The result: is adverse yaw. the wing-loading effect discnssion on page 298 of Htmg Gliding Tr11ining Mtmual.) Again, much discussion on this marter occurred in the J 980\ which Steve may have missed. ( :onccrning ccn1rifi1gal dh:cts, Steve ohjects using the term "apparcm centrifogal force" because it "can quickly become confosing and adds no new information." He says, "Why cloud the picture by adding counterbalancing 'apparent' fc)rces?" The use of the term "apparent" is precisely because (as Steve appears to know) there is no such thing as a centrifugal force. It is merely an effect fdt in a curving path because the body is constanrly undergoing ,l change of direction (feeling an acceleration). llowevcr, il'you ask people what APl~IL 2000

force feel when they get slung side .. ways in a car when it goes around a curve, rhcy will say "cen trifi.1ga l!" The physicist in me must grit his teeth when [ write abour ccntrifogal force, but it is necessary for the understanding of the average pilot. I add the word "apparent" so that I don'r get crucified hy the scientific community. l constantly try ro balance correctness with readability, undcrsrnndability and brevity. My success at these attcn~pts can only be judged by reader feedback. Remember, I starred out by mentioning how important sensations-arc to most pilots. I believe apparcnr centrifugal force is an important ingredient in most pilots' sense of' control. Choose to ignore ccn .. trifogal force if you wish, hut recognize rhat generally pilots feel subtle sensations that help them pcrfoct rheir performance. Also, below we'll poim out some safety fac-rors a ffcctcd by centri fi.1gal effects. The main thing I dispute in Steve's writing on this point is that he doesn't believe an imbalance of force that occms when a wing is tilted results in the pilot falling ro rhc low side of r-he wing. Jn fact, in the middle of his Web writings he says he disagrees wirh Perfr1rmance Flying, Stich cmd Rudder and Modem Airmanship by \/;rn Sickle. f'm nor sure how he arrives at this conclusion given his arguments. Suffice it to say that in an airplane, car or hang glider, if one side gets lifted you will rend to fall ro the low side. In a hang glider, if you make a roll control you arc already on that low side, and as the roll proceeds the frirce you have ro input goes away you arc now pulled to the low side by gravity as we state Figure 3-1 in Pe1formcmce F!:ying). Perhaps Steve draws his conclusions from bis Spectrum experience wherein he must hold himself to rhc low side. This experience is not charncrcristic of' most aircnifr.

Steve goes on to say that when doing a pitch change in a turn he docsn\ detect a change in yaw or a slip occurring. f le stares,"] found no detectable relationship at all between pitch input and sicleslip, even during exaggerated maneuvers ... " (Hcrng Gliding, page 36). ln general I agree with him, for you get about the same yaw (slipping) dfoct when you inpm a roll control with a wide range of flying speeds. However, I offer an example that will dispute his conclusion. On certain high-performance gliders, if you produce a hard roll l<:illowed by a healthy pul\ .. in you will knife-edge out of the This is a severe slip that cvcnrually goes away as the glider yaws into the direction you lxmk. On the other hand, pull in speed first, then roll and you'll experience much less slip, hut enter a coordinared diving mm. I can easily demonstrate this matter and pilots of high-performance gliders can experience this for themselves (it's only safe with plenty of ground clearance). I believe the reason Steve doesn't detect a change in yaw (slip) if he changes pitch in a steady rurn is that the glider is already yawing and the difference in yaw rate required for a slow turn and diving turn ar a given bank angle is negligible. Note rhat the radius of a diving or slow turn is essentially the same at a given bank angle. An interesting experiment relating to this matter would be to do a slow turn at 30° bank, then pull in to the waist to sec if any yaw is detected. l assume Steve has done this and I intend ro. In short, l essentially agree with Steve's results but disagree with his conclusions. I especially think it's important to point olll the real cause of adverse yaw, the feeling of' centrifugal force and rhe importance of pitch in the nm1 discussion. Perhaps pitch input is not the main rhing that results in a coordinated rum, bur ir sure is the most important thing in a maximum-efficiency coordinated turn. Perhaps the same amount of slip occurs no matter what the pitch input, but notice this: ·rhc faster you are going (the less push out), the more allirudc loss a given amount of slip will pro-duce. Por this reason I maintain that the inclusion of rhe pitch factor in the yaw/slip/roll discussion of turns is important, especially for new pilots trying to put together their feelings and understanding rn learn efficient turn techniques.

SPIRALS AND CT DUD PLYING Before l close I must point out two safoty

Continued on p11ge :30. 21

kY Andy Rocf,hold As the 1999 hang gliding season wound down, and the longest

Contest (19 years) in the United

States came to a close, Mingus Mountain u;as echoed all across Arizontz as the place to be in 1999.

1th veteran X-C pilots John Johnson (J .J .) and J:rank Schwab, taking a break rhc last couple o/' years and having very busy schedules, and Jim Whitelaw, shifting most of his efforts to making several tTips a year to the Owens Valley, Arizona is losing some great pilots. Let's hope for their return next year. Last year was plagued with bad weather, and win tcr storms anacked Arizona with wind and snow all the way into May. When the monsoon mi ns came in July, pilots' aggressive go--for-it attitudes shifted inro weekend honey-do's almost overnight. The X-C: season started on April 18 with high pressure over Arizona and a good soaring forecast. Mingm Mou main turned on for the fost good flights of the year. Len Clements made a beautiful flight over red rock country to land at the Sedona airport 22 miles away. Tbcrmaling up to 15,400' MSL and getting very cold, l chose a more challenging route into the wind toward Paulden for ,1 2-1 /2 hour, 32-rnilc fligli L · f'hc next three weekends were blowouts. After the second weekend of this, even driving 120 miles south to Yarnell Moun1ain in the lower descrr, rhe wind still blew hard. No good flights were made. Hang glider pilots of all kinds and significant others waited patiently for the winds to cairn.

FIRST PLACE, 50-MILE CLASS

Dennis Nelson submitted two flights, one from Mt. Elden and the winning flight late in the year and lare in the day: Mingus to 13,000' MSL and a nice glide to Kory's house 13.2 miles away.

FlFl'H PLACL, SPORTSMAN CLASS

Jay Devorak missed the big weekend of the year. On June 20 he recorded ;1 22.8· miler, from where else, Mingus. Look for Jay to pull off a longer one this year. FCHJIU'll

SPORTSMAN CLASS

With Mingus Mount;iin in his backyard, Hal Hayden had rhe misfcmune of heing our of town in the middle of June. After a light, slow--going !1ighr on June 20 he landed deep into rhe Chino Wash for a respectable 40-mile flight. THIRD PLACE, SPORTSMAN CLASS

Joe Pettit loves to fly and made a 48. J .. rniler. The h:illowing commentary is by Joe. June 12 dawned wirh a very promising forecast for rhe flying to be good at Mingus. ! had suspected that it was going to be good, so 1 had already persuaded my wife Karen to drive frir me. When we arrived at the top of Mingus I could tell we were in for a good day. Pilots were already launching and climbing quickly into the blue sky above. Reports of 15 grand were heard over the radio. l launched right into a good thermal and began a quick climb just right of the ramp. The therrnal g;iined in strength as I drifted roward the west·northwest over the back. I was quickly over l 5 grand and called Karen to go down the back and head for Chino Valley. ·rhe air was strong and rowdy bur the exhilaration of rhe altitude wirh its cold made me hopeful that this was a good day. Lots of strong sink made for some interesting gliding between thermals. l got very low just east of Chino and had a

landing area ;i\1 picked out, with my hands on a smoke bomb, when f hit a small thcr· mal and began to climb. My low point there was around 5,500' and rhe thermal got better and better as [ climbed straight up into rhe now cumulus-filled sky. I hagged an alritudc gain of over l I ,000' in thar one thermal. I suspect a lot of other pilots scored similar gains throughout the day. As I neared 17,000' I really began to foci the cold and was thankful to have my oxygen system with me. 1 could hear pilots behind and ahead of me talking about the cold. Some pilots sounded very strange on rhe radio. 1 suspect they did not have oxygen and were being affected by the altitucle. As l continued on to the little gas stop/restaurant called Paulden, T could hear pilots at the west encl of Chino Wash giving directions to their chase drivers. I pulled in the control bar and headed in the direction of Seligman, trying to stay warm wd relaxed. Flying up tbe Wash, T seemed to be getting lower and lower. There was lots of sink between the thermals and I reached one lower than the last. Soon I was struggling down low trying to sray in rhe air and get back up high. Several other trucks joined K:iren as a lot of pilots were now on their way up the Big Chino Wash. I finally put down in a field next to the road after getring over 48 miles. I was very disappointed about not flying further, but realized that I was not physically ready for a long flight anyway. I watched as some pilots continued on fiuther up Big Chino Wash. Some landed l O miles farther and some went 85 miles off Mingus that day. Tdecided l did all right for the small amount of airtime J had this spring. Arriving back horne and checking the HANG CUD/NC

Hang Gliding Fun For Everyone! 44 Acre Mountain Retreat

Five times as many students learn to

at Lookout than at any other school in the country.

weather, ir was revealed chat the next day would be just as good if nor becrer. I was dog tired but went to bed looking ro do ir again the next day. I awoke the next morning very tired and sore. I called a friend in the Verde Valley and he said he would drive chase. I hurried ro gee back up on Mingus again and was greeted with similar conditions as the day before. I sec up and quickly launched into the cumulus clouds again. I soon found myself bumping che ceiling at 18,000' on my way co Paulden. I arrived at Paulden just as Norm Hoffman driving my uuck gor there. I was higher above Paulden than the day before, but after and hour and a half in the air I was worn out and cold. I wamed down in the worse way. I was just not ready for chis much ainime and being at these altitudes. I worked my way down and landed in a nice field. I had flown over four hours and 81 miles in rwo days. SECOND PLACE, SPORTSMAN CLASS

fly

20 minutes from Chattanooga, 2 hours from Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville, Birmingham and Huntsville Country Club Flying: lodging on site, swimming pool, volleyball, bath house, clubhouse, food service, pro shop Ages 11-76 have learned here Full Time Pro Shop and Custom Sew Shop Equipment sales, rentals, service, repairs, storage

Keith Even, ex-president of AHGA and soon-co- be father, flew 55.3 miles. The following commentary is by Keich. I had jusr purchased a new vario and was nor very comfortable with it, so I brought along my old Ball vario, char had been working sporadically well, just for insurance. When I climbed into my harness and did a radio check I found that my radio was nor transmitting. This radio had nor given me problems for years (ever since I hardwired the push-to-talk into my harness). I borrowed Tamarha's new handheld and ried it co my harness so chat I could use it for transmitting, in the evenr chat we were going co go X-C. I did nor gee up in the cycle char I cook off into and was scratching for some rime. I was abour 1,500' below launch and was a hearrbeat away from heading out to rhe LZ when I caughr a bug fart. I stuck with chat thing for dear life and before I knew it I was 3,000' over and climbing nicely. Ar about 13,000' MSL I decided it was rime to head over rhe back. My wife,

Tamarha, was ready for anyrhing. About this rime my brand-new vario went bonkers and jusr wrned off. After messing with ir for a whil e I give up because my old vario was working fine and my fingers were freezing. Thinking chat oxygen would be a good rhing because I was cold and a little dingy, I reached down co my handy spore bottle chat I hadn't checked in abom six months. Turning che nozzle, I gor norhing. At Paulden, where Tamarha was waiting for me by a conven ience score, I was chinking about whar a wonderful buddy I had down there on the ground . I also realized char I was becoming exhausted and had on ly been fl ying for about an hour and a half. (Lacer I realized it had something co do with oxygen and 14,000'.) I had been cold that che big dire road I was near was the road up to Chino Wash. At chis point I fo und Joe in the air and started fo llowing him, and the story started getting funny. We flew down the road a few miles H ANG GLIDING

• Best trainin g results in the country: 98 percent of our Beginner rated pilots earned their Novice Mountain Solo or Aerotow ratings at Lookout in 1999 • Lookout Mountain provided more tandem instructional and introductory flights than any oth er flight park in 1999 • Lookout Mountain specializes in the Integrated Instruction of foot launch and aerotow ta ndem skills

• 65' and 125' training hills and 1340' novice mountain launch on site , th e best training hills in the country • Foot launch and aerotow certifi cation • First Full time Aerotow Flight Park, Four Tugs • Mountain launch supervision • Best priced Learn to fly packages and camps in the country • We wrote the USHGA's official training manual

Call Lookout Mountain at (800) 688-5637 and Joe was several miles ahead of me, alrhough I was working rhermals ro a higher altitude. Then I saw him working some foothills ro rhe north of rhe valley, and I noticed a small dirt road winding up chcough the hills. I'd never been on rhis roure before so I asked Joe where we should go from here. He said, "up rhis valley. " So, I was looking ar chis tiny, twisry, dirt parh going up rhrough these hills and asked, "Whar valley?" After asking abour rhree rimes Joe said, "Up chis big valley!" Okay, so he was nurs! There was no big valley, just rhis twisted parh up rh rough rhe hills with absolurely nowhere to land. Finally, just before Joe's head exploded from yelling ar me over rhe radio, I panned my vision wesr and low and, behold, the biggest damed valley you have ever seen . About halfway down chis valley Joe sank out. I passed over him just as he was landi ng, at which rime it was starting co ger hard rn stay below 12,000'. I was cold and worn our but decided co keep on APRIL 2000

•

www.hanglide.com

Late in the day at 14, 000' MSL. A rare and awesome view ofthe Grand Canyon. Photo by Andy Rockhold.

PauLA LLey soars over fall colors at Mingus Mountain. Photo by Andy Rockhold.

Arizona X-C Contest winners and chase crews, left to right. Back Row: Brigi,tta ~ rd and Len Clements, Andy Rock hold. Front Row:Joe Pettit, Alicia Webb, Tamarha and Keith Evert. Photo by Gill Couto.

Stan Mish high over the Painted Desert. Photo by Stan Mish.

going coward rhe end of the valley. I stuck with Tamarha and followed the dirt road inco the valley of sink, lost all my al tirude and landed. T he radio pro blem turned out rn be a wire chat had broken on my headset. Oh, and the oxygen : I had duce-raped the valve closed so char it would not accidentally open and drain my bottl e of gold. T h e next week I copped out at 15,000 ' with the oxygen working, and what a dif farence! I was warm, energized and quire cl earh eaded . FIRST PLACE, SPORTSMAN CLASS

Paul Alley fl ew 6 1.8 miles. T his is rhe highest placing fo r Paul so fa r in th e co ntest. H e resides in Flagstaff and is going to school to become a mechanical engineer. T he foll owing commentary is by Paul. The day seemed promising on the drive down from Flagstaff, but when Andy Rockhold and I pulled up to the Mingus launch it wasn't just promisin g, it was perfect. Right off launch 1 hie some ragged life. After worki ng it for a few minutes and gaining maybe a thousand fee t it go t really big and really smooth . My vario was pegged all the way co cloudbase ar 17, 500' (10 ,5 00 ' AGL). Meanwhile, I was listening to Andy's desperate pleas for lift. H e was well below launch, 1,400', so I circled around cl oudbase waiting fo r him and his miracle therm al. I knew it wo uld be worth the wait since he always seems to find somethin g (my borrowed radio just died). Soon, there he was, rising fas t to join me in our aerial playground. We were off coward rhe C hin o Valley, a bea utiful area northwest of Mingus, with 1,000- to 3,000-foot terrain on its eastern slope. Andy made a good move by staying over the mountain rather than the middle of rh e valley wh ere th e road was. I would have been tempted co do the latter, p ro bably becomin g a victim of "road suck. " Early on we go t down to abour 10,000' (3, 000 ' AGL), but it would be the lase time. Fo r the remainder of the flight we stayed above 14,000', and alrirudes up co 18,000 ' weren't uncommon. In face, char day I se t a personal altirude reco rd twice! About an hour later we were approaching Seligman, Arizona, home of the beautiful Aubrey Cliffs and Historic H ANG GLIDI G

Rome 66. l think my excessive morning coffee and peanut butter intake was catching up with me right around then. Have you ever found yourself out or your harness and on the uprights at 16,000' to calm your stomach? \)(lell, it didn't work for me, so I found some sink over the Seligman airport, 62 miles from launch, and utilized their runway (still under construction) for more than just landing. Andy flew on fcir an 83-mile flight and the second longest flight of the day. THIRD PLACE, UNLIMITED Cl.ASS

Len Clements, a foll-time helicopter pilot, flew 98.7 miles. He was the previous year's winner in the Unlimited Class. Len suffered a season-ending injury, blowing out his knee on June 19, 1999. He's hungry, so watch for him to pull off a long one this year. The following commentary is by Len. My variomcrer never got such a workout massive lift and crushing sink! Those arc my memories of that flight off Mingus Mournain on June 13, ! 999. One minute l was going up at 2,000 fjm1 and the !lcxt minute I was going down at nearly the same rate. 'l(lp-ping out at 18 grand I kept thinking] could glide blissfolly for 20 miles, hut my sink alarm kept reminding me that there was no rime to relax. Cross-country is a lot of work, foll oflinle triumphs and tragedies along the way. l was 70 rnilcs into rhis one when I spotted another hang glider up ahead of me. This, of course, was a real bummer, since l thought rhat I was out in front of everyone else! It turned out to be a good friend, Rik h·itz. We flew together for the next 30 miles, enjoying spectacular views of the ( ;rand Canyon. We even landed at the sarne spot:, near 'Jh1xton, and shared our impressions of an awe-some flight. SECOND PLACF, UNUMJTFD CI.ASS

Andy Rockhold resides in flagstafT and led the contest most of last year with 83- and 107-milc flights. Herc's the story of the 107-miler. The flight starred off 900' below launch. Dressed for 18,000', I was sweating and had no oxygen. I had used it all up the day before and got home at I :00 1\M with no rime for a refill. I soon ther-· malcd up to 14,900' MSL at Mingus, beading for Pauldcn, and glided over AIJRII

2000

Pauldcn at 14,500' MSL, later to make a low save deep in the Chino Wash. The Big Valley, Chino Wash area and beyond presented massive sink, my Tangent reading 2,000 to 2,400 rpm down. 'T'he sinking air was so strong that I felt like an insignificant fly being swatted out of the air by the man upstairs. Gliding toward Seligman and getting down to 7,100' MSL (1,700' AGL), I found a thermal that gave me close to a 2,000-fpm climb to near cloudbasc and more than an 11,000-foot altirndc gain. The radio had been quiet for a long time. T'hc last transmission was from pilot Dale Webb pleading for Alicia to answer the radio. At this point pilot Dan Schroeder's truck blew a fi1sc. She watched Joe Pettit land, drove over, and he loaned her his radio. Dale and Dan had landed, not wanting to continue without Alicia. She soon found them and 1hcy all went on chase for me. By this time l was heading toward Grand Canyon Caverns talking to Joe, and he told me that there were two pilots ahead of me, one being Len Clements. This motivated me to try harder. Joe told me to quit yelling on the radio. With no oxygen and a wind-chill factor of nearly -3 l ° F I couldn't rnlk in a normal voice. It was funny, Joe yelling at me not to yell at him, 65 air-to-ground miles away. l was now near Peach Spring and heard Dale calling me on the radio, GO miles away. Jr was getting late, ():00 PM, and I had made another low save ro 13,900' MSL with an awesome view of the Crand Canyon. l was on glide for the next 13 miles and only lost 2,900'. l wanted to cross the grand Wash Cliffa so badly and continue on in the la1e-day buoyam air. However, my chase crew was so far behind me that I was concerned they might not find me, and [ feared being our overnight, so l burned off 4,900' and landed in the foothills of the Music Mountains. About 40 minutes later, Alicia, Dale and Dan pulled up.] love you guys. This and the flight the day before were the most grueling back--to--back flights I've ever made a total of 190 miles in IO hours and IO minutes of airtirnc from Mingus. FIRST Pl.ACF, UNLIMITED CLASS

Stan Mish flew 109 miles, and Arizona has a new first··tirnc winner in the Unlim-

ired Class. Stan is a long--rimc resident of Flagstaff. He's been a USllGA Observer for four years and an Advanced [nstructor for eight years. Stan made two flights on I ,abor Day weekend. Saturday was no good and he landed in Buffalo Park after launching from Mr. Elden, but on Monday, Mike Alvey called him up and talked Stan into going back up to lilden to fly with him. Stan launched first, thcrmalcd up 14,000' MSL and took an aggressive route to the northeast. He had a very slow gain to 14,500' near the Little Col-orado River and stayed west of Grand hdls, soon finding himself in no-man's land while Gloria chased and took the long way around. He got low near Blue Poinl where he worked for another slow gain to nearly J 5,000'. The flight was a lot of work with little drift, until near the end of the flight when he was rewarded with a tailwind. After flying for almost six hours he pounded it in /cir a hard landing and the longest flight or rbc year. Cloria pulled up about JO minutes later and was really excited for him.

In 1999 there were some long flights and good stories to be told, and Arizona saw its best hack-to-back days in a num· ber of years: June 12 and 13. Twelve pilots flew, three of them flying bo1 h days, for a total of 916 miles. In some ways it was the best of times; in 01hcr ways it was the worst of times. There was an accident at Shaw Butte in January involving brother pilot Shawn Jarrell. (We love ya Shawn!) He has made a remarkable recovery and is slowly getting back into the air. Arizona lost Rob Richardson in a towing accident in February. Then, when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the first fatality in the history of Yarnell would claim the life of Ray Rahn in May. The absence of these pilots last year was much more depressing than the bad weather. These cvcms put a dark, ominous cloud over the skies of' Arizona, and pilots were asking why. Each of us questioned our confidence and revisited 011r decision-making in a very different way. So, in a quiet and subdued way, the 1999 Arizona X-C contest was over. Thanks to Altair and Wills Wing for their suppon with nice prizes for rhe winning pilo1s. Fly safely. • 27

the much longer North of Superior rome so they wouldn't have to cross rhc border. And for the coup de gras, November shared her flrst snow with these unlikely companions. There were few others on the road at 3:00

AHigh Perspective

AM.

30 YEARS AND COUNTING

YE decided to stop and sleep when he gor to Wawa 30 miles ahead. The road seemed

© 2000 ~y Michael Robert:wn his column of historical and contemporary anecdotes rook off in February. Even when we try to remember something accurately from the past our personality tends to alter it, ofren without our knowledge. [ just read th:u a researcher suspects the Pocahontas sto1y never happened to John Smith. The idea of being freed by the chief's daughter w,L'i borrowed from the experience of a Portuguese sailor in rhe Everglades many years before. Similarly, these stories arc colored by my memory: Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidenral. 'The names have been changed to frirrhcr protect any real persons from blame or embarrassment. Our ccnrral character begins as Young Eagle (YE) and becomes Old Bald Eagle (OBE) ai; he matures. What is it rhat fascinates OBE about acci·· elem prevention? ls ir rhat ir a/fords an oppor· rnnity to finagle wirh fate, What: part do accidcms play in the grand scheme of things? Is there a grand plan over the whims of which we arc powerless? Have we some control over our desriny, or is everything just random bits with which we like ro think we can mess? Maybe life is just like some wild Kurr Vonnegut or Tom Robbins novel, a combi-nation of bizarre coincidences and dead ends and we arc pawns to the play. These three distinct possibilities may even exist all at once. On one level OBE feels sorry for rhose who have never had a real brush with mortality. How sad for those who have never had to deal with pain or problems in life and come out the other side stronger, more compassionate and wiser. ·rhat which docs not kill us makes us stronger. YE got rhat while in Crcece taking a yoga instructor's course in '76. 'There were some people there recently returned from Crete. They had gone through a civil war. They where shiningly alive. The intensity of being near death brings life a new

zest. On another level OBE has spent his life nying to train people to he carcfol and avoid accidents. I low can this juxtaposition be justihed? This momh's column is about this conundrum, about the anarnmy of an accident and where it led. To OBE, learning lessons the hard way is philosophically unnecessary but practically oh so effective. Camus said, "The only real progress lies in being wrong all ;i]one." Though it is necessary to take foll responsibiliry for our mistakes, isn't ir hard to be wrong in a vacuum? It seems to OBF that all accidents have similar scenarios, whether or nm they arc related to aviation. Usually peo .. pie and evems play a role. Accidents, both real events and tricks of fate, brought our protagonist to hang gliding as a life's work. YE was just our of college time to travel before settling down. The plan was to drive ro British Columbia, then catch a world cruise for a year. A girlfriend, Loose Srarch, would make the drive to the coast. She had made curtains for the side windows of the old dodge wagon with a bed in the back. When the often-delayed start day finally arrived, I .s's dad, Cross Starch, took one look at the conveyance and freaked. Fie threatened ro disown her if she lcfr with YE in "that shag .. mobile." [.Shad been disowned once before for marrying a black guy and having his baby. She couldn't face it again. YE pondered his predicament, then headed for the train station. "Anyone want to drive to Vancouver and split the he shouted over the appropriate line. He got somebody. By now YE had been 30 hours without much rest. "You drive, I'll sleep," he said to RunsFrom-the-L.aw. RFL was a disaster. Unbelievably, he couldn't keep the car on the road. YE was jarred awake as RFL hit the shoulder for the third time. YE took over. To add to rhe problem RFL insisted on taking

too narrow to stop on the side of the road in a snowstorm, When YF dozed for the third time the road turned right. He awoke as the wheels bumped the shoulder and saw only guardrails and an Turning inro the skid he bounced off the guardrails and back onro rhe road. YE slowed to a stop, squeezed between the road and the guardrails. An eerie silence was broken by RF!,, a tower ofimcllcct: "Did something happen? Why have we stopped?" YE's lefr leg was shanercd and wrapped around the brake pedal. RLF, true to his name, ran never to be seen again. What ensued could have been a slapstick comedy bir with the keystone cops! The arnbulancc driver missing the ramp ;it the backwater hos .. pirnl, slamming YE sideways, the rookie nurses were playing musical srrerchcrs, and there was an Asian doctor who "hoped he could save the leg." Bur that's anorher story. Let's list the common accident contributors involved here. fatigue, accepting "help" from the wrong person, pushing conditions, overconfidence, radical flight plan changes at the last momcm, rushing, ignorance of rcali-· ty, and 011 ir goes. Many flying accidcms share one or more of these factors. And yet, without this rude awakening YE would almost ccrrainly have pursued a different life path. l n retrospect t-his apparent disaster was a good thing. It caused a major rethink It also ushered in one ofYE's most wonderful new hohhics. I nose Starch, lccling partly responsible, visited the temporary invalid with rhc gifr of' fiction. JR Tolkin's lord of'thr: Rin:;,s trilogy was mind-bending. What a novel idea, to read !or pleasure instead of schoolworld YE was hooked on hooks for life. 'J'hat and his newly acquired medical bills prompted him w take a job with Prentice Hall publishers. lfappcnsrancc and his frustrated trav· cl lusr led to taking the Mari times tcrritmy. C)ne of the few sports he could still pursue with his gimpy leg was flat--kite flying. fortuitously, he quickly discovered Lany's HJ\NC Gil/JINC

Dolphin's Water Ski Club on Grand Lake outside of Halifax. It was a perfect march. The old salt who ran the place, Larry no Ferry, loved rhe idea of a flyer in rhe show for free and YE liked the opportunity of rnns of practice at no cost. YE started at page one of the C:l<FA competition trick book and gradually learned them all. I laving a gymnastics and springboard diving background helped. Like all good showmen 1.nF had a tendency ro exaggerate. l .nF started telling peo· pie YE could do impossible tricks (like loops) on the kite. 1-lis enthusiasm was contagious. At one show in l rn1enburg, Nova Scotia, YE took off from rhc deck of a dcst roycr. What with the fhr kite's propcmiry for plummeting like a piano when the row force ceased, it was important for the driver to keep an eye on things. l .n F started 10 believe his own bull, and began driving without so much as a glance over his shoulder. This rnadc for lots of excitement, especially when heading into a wind shadow or turning downwind. Fspccially so when you remember that trick flying was done without skis. I ,earning ro Board of Di reel ors REGION I Bill llolosky (R 00) (425) 557 7981 bolosky(a) microsort .corn

barefoot was essential. Tt didn't really help thar LnF's glass of milk rhat always swung in its cup holder by rhe wheel was laced with New/Jc Screctch (Newfoundland high-test rum). LnF was a superb ski driver though. He kid spent his lifo on rhe ocean and really understood namical stuff V elver on the throttle for beginners he was. Even though he'd never skied he could dock-start a rural newcomer 9(JCYr> of the rime. 'rhat would be like succcssft1lly throwing a first-time hang glider pilot off a 300-foot hill (except the consequences of failure arc a tad different, ch). I le saw a water ski show ar Cypress Cardens, Florida, and just figured it out. I k came home with some skis, bought a boat, gathered some sponsors and kids and just did ir. Too much! YE folr the need for some peer support and headed back to the Cl<FA competition in Peterborough, Ontario in the summer of 1%7. I ,11ckily for YE, the diminutive Dynamo Itchy-to-go was in the senior divi-sion. He was a Japanese gymnast, poetry in

REGION'.\ Ken Baier (R 00) (760) 753 26M

REGION 6 Jell Sinason (R -- 0 I)

ai1junkics(<i)worldnct ,att .net

(]14) 542 24Tl jsina.'>on ((1)swbcll .nct

John

1rnc;10N 7

Steve Roti (R OI)

(805)

Bill

(503) 284-0')95

throgrog (j(>aol .corn

(812)

Gene Matthews (11 00)

Dan Johnson (I, - 00)

(206) 488-1443 sk ydog <r1! gtc.nct

((,51) tJ50--0930 ('11n1t1 l11sMan (<il aol .com

(}jJ Dodgen (Editor) REGION 2 Leonard (R 00) 883'/070 ad vspts(nJpyrnrnid.nct

Jamie Shelden (R OI) (408) 35\ 5159

jrshcldcn(nlaol .com

(949) 888-73(,:J (949) 888-71164 lax gildodgcn (a)aol .corn

RE<:ION 8 Douglas (R 00) (978) 318-97 dsharpc(iiltiac .nel

Randy /\dams (I l 00)

REGION9 David "Randy" Leggctl (R OI) (610) 258 6066 ias(<J)ot .corn

Scoll (,asparian (R- 0 I) (650) 218 -398,j gaspo<!1)igi.org

REGION 10 Mall Taber (R - 0 I) (706) 398-343'.l fly(oJhanglidc.co1n

01)

(R-00) ji111zgrccn(a)aol .com

flyhighc?tJ inl'oramp,net USHGA Executive Director Phi I ip Bachman

PO Box I :no

John Ilarris (II - 00) (252) 441-4 124 ucanfly (<~>outcr--ba nks .com

Steve Kroop (I!·· 00) (J52J :n I-6729 usaf'lylcc(i,laol .com REGION 11 Kent Robinson (R OI) ('J72) %0--0516 fl ydallas (al aol .corn REGION 12 Paul Voight (R - 00) (914) 744.:n 17 flyhigh<iil fronticrnct .net

gmumford<fDapa.org

Larry Sanderson (II 00) cpi1 ma11(alc .zone.net

(50'5) 39211 Tl l ,arry;-,sa(o)ao!.com

russlockc (iiij11no .corn

casC<l)cn1c(l .co111

Jan Johnson Dennis

00) (81-1) hm pagcnhks (aJ lazerl ink .com

(914)695 janj (a) uarc ,(ffg

Chris Dul'aul (I [-00)

('J 14) 946-938(,

- 00)

Paul Rikcrt (I. 00) (540) 672-0065

KrisdupauJ(,ilaoJ ,com lrnGION 5 Frank C.illcllc 00) (208) Watcrcynv<lcybcrhighway .net

REGION 13 (1111·1)

Jan Johnson (I, - 00) See Reg 12 (905) 294-2536

(603J°51:l-1760

rnndyadams(alcybcrportal .net REGION 4 Mark (R 00) 001) mark v,il,allvarios .mm

Isolation and ignorance, accident and happenstance, hard work and luck, all contrilmtcd to making YE the Canadian Kite Flying C:hampion. Wanna know what happened when he visired New Orleans? Tune in next month. II

Michael Robertson (H 00)

bbrydcn (<1Jhsonlinc.nc1

Rob Kells (II 00) (7 14) 'l'J8--6'.l5') rob(<,) wi l lswi Ilg .c0111

air!))

OOJ

srot i ((Duswcst.ne!

Bob I Iannah (I I 00) (206) 328-1 1(1'1 pmaskr(a)aol .corn

motion, an awesome tricker. Flat--kirc comps were divided imo two cvems, tricks and slalom. In rhc former, contestants had 35 seconds ro do as many and as difficult tricks as they could. Sort of a high-bar routine without the giant swings. In the latter the towboat ran down the center of a course marked by water spouLs or rowers of balloons. The difficulry was increased by shortening the tow rope. YE caused a bit ofa stir with his rrick run as several of the tricks in his nm hadn't been done before. "But they were in the competition manual!" marveled YE. "Yes, bm we shot those photos with the kite hung up in a barn. We didn't think anyone would be c1w,y enough ro try them in the

Lars Linde (I I 00) (7:l2) 747-784.'i

J\rt Grccnricld-NJ\J\ (X) I -800-644-9777 aw green field (f1Jnaa-11sa .org

larslincle0Jco1npuservc .com

Colo Springs CO 8090 I (719) ()32-8300 wk (719) 632 6417 fax

phbachman@nsl1ga,org ushga (t:i) ushga .org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President-David Glover Vice Presidcnl·-Mark Ferguson Sccretmy-Bill Bryden Trcasurer-Cicoff Mum lord

KEY: (R)-Rcgional (L)-i\i I (I IH!onornry (X) Ex COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Competition John Borton (!011111('on1111ilte(o)r10/.(·0111

Membership & Dev-Steve Roti Site Mgmt-Randy Leggett HU J\ccidcnl·-Bill Bryden PG i\ceidcnt-Paul Klcmond II wards-Jan Johnson IlyLaws-Paul Riker! Nat'l Coordinat.-Dcnnis J>agcn Planning-Geoff Mumford Sarc1y & Training-llill Bryden Tandcm--Paul Voight Towing-Geoff Mumford Publications-Dan Johnson

(03/141/JO)

APRIL 2000

Continuedfrom ;wgc 21. factors I believe Steve has missed. First, he mentioned my suggested method for escap· ing cloud suck (Performance Nyin!(, page 34). He suggests that a spiral to one side may be just as good. l have performed the test and have found that reversing spirals is more effec·· tive. If you keep going rhe same direction the glider coordinates and only maintains 500 to 700 f]Jm descent as stated in the book. By reversing you add the slip factor that comes at the beginning of such roll input. Even though the descent slows as you reverse the roll, the neL effect is an overall increase in sink rate. But the more important reason for reversing the turn is the effect of vertigo as mentioned. l cannot overemphasize how important this is. In high-G maneuvers you can quickly lose orientation once your inner ear fluid settles clown (after about 20 seconds). The famous "graveyard spiral" is a result of this factor, and I've seen it happen several times in a hang glider. By reversing the turns you avoid this cffoct. The chapter on aerornedical effocts in Performance Flying discusses these matters as does Html( Dliding

lr11inint M11nu11l. Pinally, J must strongly dispute the notion expressed in several places that the yaw string will be a helpful aid in emergenc.y cloud flying. It will possibly provide some useful in for.

rnation in mild clouds initially, but just as pilots have found out with rhe floating corn· passes, once a little mrbulcnce starts, every· thing goes ro bell. Pilots of sailplanes have found out long ago that yaw strings aren't effective in clouds. 'I ake yours out on a tur· bulent day and see what happens. [ believe it is dangerous to suggest that the yaw string will work, for pilots may falsely believe they have an our which isn't there. Every experienced pilot [ have talked to about cloud flying has sworn it off····- it's deadly. [ appreciate Steve's independent investiga· tion into the turns of a hang glider and believe he has pointed our some valuable insights ..However, I think he needs to t·est some other hang gliders and encourage him to do so. I am not greatly disputing his methods, bur do again remind him that teaching practic1l tum skills, as we training-manual authors do, requires an enrircly different approach than writing an exacting physics text. '[bc:re are many other subjects to explore for a mmplete understanding of turns. These include d1e interplay of the wind, body and stabiliLy axis, the: difference: in spanwise flow, as well as the lifr and drag distriburion on the inside and outside wing. But these complex subject, will have to be pm in a diITi.:rent context at a different time. ft's soarable and J'rn going flying! II

Continued.from page 10. Hight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098.

submitted by Ben Davidson

ang glider pilot and member or the Capital and Maryland HGA's, Matthew Graham, has orchestrated a super sequence of good public relations for our sport in the Washington, DC 'The Washington Post recently published his article on hang gliding by truck tow and aerotow, "Mountains, No Problem" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp· srv/WPla te/2000-02/ 04/ 00 5 l-020400idx. h tm I). fn addition, the Washington Times published his a rricle on wintertime hang gliding as the feature story of the "Washington Weekend" section. The cover of the Weekend section is filled with a color photo of an Airwave glider in flight over snow-covered fields. Sadly, the Times docs not post their Weekend section items on the Web, so if you are in the DC area or surrounding states pick up a copy of the paper. J:inally, in February, Maryland Public THevision aired "Outdoors Maryland!" with an 18-rninute segment showing flying at High Rock, Maryland, at Fort Richie, on the Maryland /Pennsylvania border. MPT is Channel 22 in the DC area with 67 repeater channels in other parts of Maryland, as well as on most cable systems in die area. Matthew was also the person responsible for getting MPT to produce this show. The photog· raphy is excellent, done with the latest high--definition electronic video camera (letterbox !cirrnat for HDTV). It even includes in-flight scenes from a camera strapped to his glider. This video article is good enough and short enough for you to use to explain our sport to friends and family, show at club meetings, and use at public displays such as schools and parks. If you like Matthew's efforts, let him know at carra@ix.netcom.com.

submitted by

Shelton II

HANG GUDINC

ATOS

Competition: 1999 World Championships ..... 1st Wallaby Open ....................... 1st Pre-American ........................ 1st

A·l·R Distributed by Altair

Altair 12379 South 265 West, Draper, Utah 84020 (801) 523-9544 Fax 523-9688 altair@micron.net ?REDATOR

Saturn

ATOS

Women's

World Team 2000 by Judy Hildebrand Mount Kitheron, overlooking Plataies, Greece, is the site of the 2000 Womens World Hang Gliding Meet. Six American women from all corners of the US. will be traveling to this famous spot in Greek history to represent America in the Womens World Competition from June 16-24, 2000. THE SITE Claire Pagen sends this report on the site and what to expect: Plataies is a small village about an hour and a half (by Greek driving standards!) from Athens and about 20 minutes from Thebes. It's a prerty sleepy place, or at least it will be until scores of women hang glider pilots from around the globe show up! The village sits at the bottom of the site we'll be flying, Mount Kitheron. Mount K.itheron is about 3,000 feet MSL and used to have a military base on top. Luckily, the milita1y got out, but left a nice paved road to the summit. The top of Mount Kitheron has three launches, bur it's the north-facing one that's most often used - a long, mediwn-flar slope launch facing inland. Behind launch is a large bay and the sea, so the sea breeze often blows from the back lacer in the afternoon, but sometimes as early as 1:00 PM, which means launching fairly early. In stronger north winds the top gets blown out, so the lower launch at 1,200 feet MSL can be used as an alternate. The terrain in front of Mount Kitheron is mostly flat and used for agriculture. The typical competition task will take us to rumpoints along the range and into the valley. With the sea being so close in several directions, convergence zones set up in the valley almost every day. The flying is beautiful and relaxing, with no worries about landing fields.

The Greek people are ve1y warm and friendly, and the food is great. With all of this, plus spectacular scenery and consistent flying conditions, what else could you want to have a great time? THE 2000 U.S. WOMEN'S WORLD

TEAM PAmCAMERON

Patti is enthusiastic, positive and vivacious, and a darned good hang glider pilot. The word adventurous also comes to mind. Just ask her about her 94-mile flight over the flatlands of Florida last year! This year is Patti's second rime on the Women 's World Tean1 (she competed in Hungary in 1998). Patti's hang gliding flying career starred after a divorce and the resulting need for new adventure. An ad for hang gliding training at Lookout Mountain Flight Park near Charranooga, Tennessee caught her eye. At the time (1991), she was a school reacher in Sarasora, Florida. She had the summer off, so at the end of the school year she packed up her car and headed north to begin the experience that would shape her life for years to come. The next year, after completing her training at Lookout, she moved back to Boulder, Colorado to experience what the big mountains of the west had to offer. She also practiced at Point of the Mountain in Utah, where she remembers telling a friend that she HANG GLIDING

wanted to become a member of rhe Women's World Team some day and be as good as Kari Castle. Pani's 94 mile flight in Florida tied the record set by Kari Castle. Added to Patti's lisr of accomplishments is a Bachelor's Degree in geology as well as a background in astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography, math and computers. She also holds a reaching certifkate in Middle School Science from Florida and Colorado. ln addition to being pretty and athletic, this girl's pretty smart! Patti's competition experience includes the last Women's Worlds in Ffungary as well as many, many other meets. "I foci privileged to be a member of the Women's World Team," Pani says, "and I'm excited ro travel to Greece to fly." Although she feels men and women Gm compete in hang gliding on an equal footing, she feels it's still really wonderful to compete only against orher women in the World Meet. Patti will be a positive asset ro this year's Team, as well as a positive force within rhe sport she loves. [(/IRI LASTJF

What can you say about Kari rhar hasn'r already been said? The best-known of all the pilots on the U.S. Women's World Team, Kari is a trnly wonderful person who is inexhaustible! While rehabbing an injured knee last summer in Bishop, California (where she lives in the infamous Owens Valley), Kari hiked and biked her friends into jcllo with a bum knee. Kari remarked that she really wanted ro he the best she's ever been as soon as she could srarr flying again. No doubt rhis will happen. Kari has been the U.S. Women's National Hang Cliding Champion an incredible 11 times, and has been sponsored by a long lisr of companies (cmrcntly including Wills Wing, Arai I )esign, Red Bull and Flight Connections, among others). Kari is truly a world--class athlete. She's been a mcrnber of the Women's World Team since irs incep·· tion, and, in spite of all her notoriety, she is very appro:ichablc and shares her enrhusiasrn for the sport of hang gliding that has shaped her life for the past 18 years with all who will lend an car. Kari presently offers hang gliding and paragliding clinics and guide services in the Owens Valley. I lcr custom tours allow pilots ro learn from rhc best. One of'hcr dreams is to someday open her own fr1ll-servicc flight park in the Owens Valley, offering aerotowing, tours and lessons. Kari is undoubtedly the most valuable asset to this year's Women's World Team, and definitely the individual U.S. pilot to watch. All of the ·ream members arc excited to be flying wirh Kari. Al'RII

2000

]UDY /JJWHJINIIND

C!AIRF PIIGFN

Hang gliding has been a big part of.Judy's life from the early days of the sport in 1975. She learned to fly on a Sky Sports standard Rogallo hang glider in the cow pastures of sou rhcast Pennsylvania, and also trained on rhc grounds of a state mental hospital. 'Tm sure many people thought my flying comracks and I were inmates!" Judy recollects. There has been a lot of wind and water under her sails since the old standard Rogallo days. Judy now lives two miles from the I.ookour Mountain Flight Park launch and runs her own gourmet vegetarian food business, The Veggie Connection. lfit's Monday or Tuesday you won't sec her at launch because she'll either be cooking up some delight in her kitchen or delivering it to her cusromers all over Chattanooga, Tennessee. Every other Thursday, look for her al Chattanooga's Tennessee Aquarium 20 feet under water feeding the sharks and sting rays. Any other time, look up in the sky, 'cause that's her fovoritc place to be. Judy earned her U.S. Coast Cuard 100'T'on Master's license more than 15 years ago and put ir to good use sailing the world, with stints as a charter, delivery and racing boat captain. After l Oyears in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (with not as much hang gliding as she wanted), she rook rhc big leap and moved to Lookour Moumain, Georgia near Chattanooga. "] had to get out of the city atmosphere of Forr ] ,auderdale, and although J regretted leaving the sea for land--based pursuits, l needed to fly more often and live in a more pcacefi.il setting. Thar was five years ago, and I haven't looked back since!" she comments. Judy was bitten by rhe competition and cross-country flying bug as a result of competing in the Tennessee Tree Topper's Team Challenge at 1-Icnscn's Gap, above Dunlap, Tennessee, for four years in a row. Afi:cr acquiring her Acros Stealth KP!. 130 (thank goodness for small designers), she decided to try her hand at mher competitions. "Wallaby Ranch in Davenport, Florida near Orlando, is my home away from home," Judy notes,"] competed in the Wallaby Open last year and wouldn't miss it rhis year." This is Judy's first time as a Women's World Team member. "I love the challenge and advcmure of crosscountry and competition flying," she says, "and think it's a great confidence-builder and learning tool. Where else do you get to fly with t:he best of the best:, sec what they do, and try to figure out how they do it? 1 feel veiy blessed and proud ro be a part of the 2000 Team and I really look forward ro ream-flying with my buddies."

Claire Pagen frll in love with the sport of hang gliding in 1978, and with aviation author Dennis Pagcn in 1987 (marrying him in 1989). Too young to fly when she flrsr encountered hang gliding, she caught the dream of flying and starred hang gliding in 1984 in France, her native country. From rhen on she would become very acrive in the sport. After meeting Dennis Pagen, the hang glider pilot who would later become her husband, she moved to the U.S. in 1988. She became increasingly involved in hang gliding as she helped Dennis author and publish several books Oil light-aviation sporrs (two of them on hang gliding) and weather. Hang gliding is rhe focus of' rhcir life. live in central Pennsylvania. Claire starred competing in hang gliding in the summer of 1992 and became part of rhe U.S. Women's World Team in 1993 when she participated in the Women's World Championships in Japan. She was also part of the U.S. Team in 1994 when the U.S. rook the bronze medal in Chelan, Washington and in 1996 in Austrnlia. Claire considers hang gliding her way of life. Most of all she likes competing, "The best and most enjoyable way to improve one·· self and make friends," she says. Wherever she travels she considers flying cro.ss .. country with her hang glider as the best means ofdi.s-· covering new landscapes. She particularly enjoys flying in foreign countries and pioneering new areas. I-fer goal: hang glide on all continents. As of now, only Antarctica remains on her list. Claire is a valuable member of the U.S. Women's World Team wirh her competition experience, team spirit and never-ending smile. We all look forward to flying with her. CAROL SPFRRY

The name and the face might be familiar to some, but new to many. It is a first for the Women's World Team. Carol comments: "When asked where I am from, I always ponder that question for a fow seconds. [ have lived in many places and was actually raised by various members of my family. For the most part, I grew up in Maryland and Michigan. Being :-n now, I can add Mexico, California and Colorado to the list. "Joh-wise, teaching was my first calling afrer graduating from the University of Michigan.· rhis career couldn't have been better planned once I realized how much rime I would wall! ro dedicate to this sport. Bm, curiosity got the best of me and I have since changed to a sales career l'O sec what the 'real world' is like. "I suppose it was inevitable d1ar I finally

got involved in the sport. The dreams were there as a young child, old journals recalling trips to the mountains to watch hang glider pilots launch and thinking that it 'would be neat to do someday.' A coworker in Monterrey, Mexico started taking lessons while we worked there together. It didn't happen, however, until I got back to the U.S. again." Don't let this petite, attractive blonde with a smile that will charm your socks off fool you. As pilot in command of her Stealth 130, she'll fly circles around you and can he as aggressive as any guy! Carol started flying in the summer of 1993 ar Marina Beach in California. She says it only took one flight with her feet off the ground to make a complete 180° tum with her life. She bought an SUV, srarted looking at flags and smoke for wind direction, and did a lot of explaining abour what was on top of her vehicle. From the beach she explored mountain flying, which really got her hooked on the sport. Next came the challenge of seeing how far she could fly, which led her in the direction of competitive flying. Carol has only been competing for two years, but has learned a lot in that short time. She enjoys the structure of the competition t;isks and the opportunity to learn from others, as well as the camaraderie shared with other pilots. Carol now lives in San Diego, California where she can take advantage of year-round flying conditions. She says she feels very hon-ored and excited to be a part of rhc U.S. Women's World Team. 'Taking the sport t:o rhis level is above and beyond what· I envisioned seven years ago back on the sand dunes," she says, "but then, this spon never ceases to amaze me!"

C.J. is a supporter of women in hang gliding and especially competition. She, like all of us on the 'Team, invites all female hang glider pilots to get our and compcrc. "Jr's a good learning experience, and remember, it's fon," says C.J., "and as cvc1y competitor who bas ever flown in a local meet can attest, you can always stmcrure the days' events and ser your personal goals so you come out a winncr.n

When C.J. isn't flying hang gliders she could be rock climbing, caving, scuba diving or paragliding. Unril this June, you might find her dissecting some lower life form in a lab with her srudents, as she has a Bachelor's Degree in biology. Look quickly, though, 'cause this is her last year as a teacher. Aficr June and rhc Worlds you might sec her at a hang gliding meet somewhere. Look for the diminutive lady pilot with rhe reddy bears. As a final note, Nancy Smirh qualified for the 2000 Team but: relinquished her spot for personal reasons. We'll miss her.

C]. STURTEVANT

C.J. is truly rhc tireless member of the 2000 Team. She's got a few years on all of us, bm, like the Energizer Bunny (or should I say Teddy Bear, which she flies with all the time), she jus1 keeps on going! This is her fourth rime as a Women's World Team member, having competed previously in Hungary (in 1998), Australia (1996), and Austria ( 1991). C.J. says she's never won a round hm has placed first frir 1hc U.S. for one day in Austria and Hungary. Husband George Sturtcvam is her faithful sidekick, supporter and driver. They have been a hang gliding team of' their own for qui1c a while. C.J. says she wants to continue to travel and fly umil she and George arc rru-ly ancicm.

DONA"f10NS

Most of the pilots on rhe 2000 'feam are not sponsored in any way, and have already made a huge personal and fo1ancial commitment to make it this far. Please help with your donations or sponsorship to get the 2000 Team to Creecc in style! h's a tax-deductible donarion. All contributions should be made to: Unired States Hang Gliding Foundation Women's World 'fcam, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330. Please make out checks to: United States Hang Gliding Foundation. Specify the Women's World Team on rhe memo line of your check. Thank you in advance! II

I We

you.

We Have ... Safe Edge Uprights Downtubes - Speed Bars Rigging Most all Frame Parts and Hardware -Hang gliders we manufacture"' T2 (Tandem Wing) • Illusion 10M and 11 M For parts or free brochure call your local dealer or call us al:

No Mountain? No No Problem! Power up your with the A.T.F. trike (Air Time Fix) Ughtweight trike. 90 lbs. Comfortable seat Attaches on to most HG's.

Inc:. Manufacturer of Uliralights and Hang Gliders :l904 Airport Way, E. Wenatchee, WA 98802 trikes@northwing.com/www.norlhwing.com (509) 1386-4605 fax (509) 1!86-3435

HANC GIIDINC

the best book available. Follows the USHGA official training method. For Hang I, II and Ill·· $29.95 Companion video: Starting Hang Gliding (30 min.) -

$29.95

Send your order or ask for a brochure:

Po Box 43, Spring Mills, PA 16875 - USA Tel/Fax: 814-422...0589 E-mail: pagenbks@lazerlink.com Website: www.lazerlink.com/-pagenbks

Order of up to $25: $3.00 Order of $25 to $50: $4.00 Order of over $50: $6.00

Save 10% • Order two books or more Save 20% - Order 5 books or more We accept credit cards.

High Energy Sports offers a variety of safe, comfortable harness styles. Each harness is cut according to your body dimensions. You customize your harness with your choice of colors and options. We have over 30 different harness options available. You only pay for the options you order.

High Energy Quantum best you can buy! A reserve parachute is one of the most important purchases you will make. If properly cared for, your parachute will outlast your glider and your harness. A parachute can be your last hope for survival in a very bad situation. Make sure you have the bes!. .. make sure you have a Quantum Series F>arachule by High Energy Sports.

1521 E. McFadden #H, Santa Ana, CA 92705 phone: (714) 972-B186 ® fax: (7'14) 972-1430 bettp@aol .com

by Davis Straub ll my further articles will be structu reel along these lines. I assume that this is a natural evo·· lution for magazines as onlinc teclmologies becorne widely adopted. Only a few pilots and gliders had a chance to win the 2000 Australian Nationals. I would argue tbat only Joel Rebbechi on a Moyes Litcspeed, Gerolf Heinrich on a small Moyes Litespeed, Rohan Holtkarnp on a Litespeed, Grant Heaney on a Litespecd, Andre Wolf on a Litespeed, Arilla Bertok on a Li tespeed, and l myself on an AIR AT'OS had a legitimate shot at winning the competi·· tion. 'fhis leaves out a number of what might be considered competitive pilots. for example, Steve Moyes on a small Litespeed, Mike Jackson on a Litespeed, John Durand, Jr. on a Litespeed, Dustin Martin on a Litespeed, Alan Beavis on a CSX, and Len Patton on a La Mouette Topless. There were very few foreign pilots in Australia for the Nationals. Therefore, we weren't competing against the very top world-ranking pilots: Manfred, Gerard, Christof, Steve Cook, Richard Walbec, Oleg, Hansjorg, David Sharp, Guido, Gordon Rigg, etc. Still, there were some top world-·dass pi Iors here, along wirh the best pilots in Australia. Joel Rebecchi (ranked 18th in rhe world) had just won the 1999 Canungra Classic in October (http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/Ozv3nl24.htm), and just before that the ] 999 Brazilian Nationals (http://www.davisstrauh.com/OZ/Ozv3n 121.httn). He was flying a specially tuned Li respeed with lots of extra Mylar in the leading edges. He was wearing a slick Austrian M2 harness.

This article is a portal to a multimedia report on the 2000 Australian Nt1tionals. It contains addresses far online articles that expand upon it. Its focus is much different than what you would normallj1 expect.from an article on a meet, because other articles are available. I've chosen to profile the top competitors and the factors that affected their pe~formance. Gerolf Heinrichs (ranked 11th), had been in Australia for a few months developing the new, smaller Litespeed for Moyes. Gcrolf had won the] 998 PreWorlds in Italy, although he didn't do as well in 1999 at the Worlds (http://www.davisstraub.com/ OZ/ Ozv3 n l 09.htm). He is a member of the Austrian National team, a serious aerodynami · cist, and a very knowledgeable competitor. He bad worked hard on his new smaller gliders (one for him and one for Steve Moyes), and especially hard on tuning his particular glider. He was willing to tune it for the best possible glide. Like Joel, he was wearing a special M2 harness. Rohan Holtkamp (ranked 83rd) was flying with his new competition harness on a new Litespeed. l·k'd just flown 325 kilometers (202 miles) in five hours from his flight park in I3allarat (http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/Ozv3n 136.hnn). I-Te is a smart competitor and the meet organizer. He knows Hay well. Davis Straub (ranked 6th in Class IT) was flying a high-performance rigid-wing hang glider, and wearing a streamlined carbon-fiber harness. I had plenty of experience flying in Hay from previous meets. I'd won the J 999 Chelan X-C Classic in July (hnp:I/www.davisstraub.com/ OZ/ Ozv3 n

90.htm), placed second in the 1999 U.S. Nationals (http:/ /www.justfly.com/natscore.hrrn), and flown on the U.S. World Team in Italy (http://www.davissrra11h.com/OZ/Ozv3n 98.htm). Grant Heaney (ranked 80th) was fly .. ing a Moyes Litespeed. He'd won the Australian Nationals in 19c)9. He and his wife 'fove own a hang glider training center (http:/ /www.cfavis.maub.com/OZ/Ozv3n 125.htrn). Andre Wolf (ranked I 0th) had just placed second in the 1999 Worlds in ltaly in July (http:/ /www.davisstraub.com/OZ/Ozv:5n l IO.lmn) and third behind Joel at the 1999 Brazilian Nationals. He had spent the prcvio11s weeks in !·fay and Wilcannia looking to set a world record on his new Moyes Litespeed. Attila Bertok (ranked 29th) had just flown 407 kilometers (253 miles) from Wilcannia, attempting to set the Aus-· lralian and world flex-wing record. ln the spring, Attila crossed the Great Dividing Range from west to east from Rylston. He was flying a new Litespeed. These were the top pilots, and the ones who dominated the competition. HANC GLJDINC

Joel Rebbechi

Rohan Holtkamp GerolfHeinrich

APRIL 2000

Grant Heaney

Approximacely anocher 50 pilocs had a great time, m ade personal bes ts, and learned a bunch about competition. For the most pan, the Auscralian Na tionals we re a race. Pilocs made goal on all but two days. It was che fastes t pilots to goal who led the competition, racher ch an pilots who were able to stay up whil e the speed demons hit the deck. G lider/harness performance made much of che difference. T he co nditions were scrong. We were ab le to start flying late in che day and still make ic to goal a hundred miles away. Some days we had strong winds thac go c us co goal quickly. On a few days we had to work ac quanering-wind tasks or go on final glide into the wind late in the day. le didn't macter; the pilots fl ying the highesc-performance gliders wo uld win each day. Hay is in the middle of a big, very fl at plain. The thermals are usually consiscenc. You can get up from low, even in suo ng winds. I was able to save flights on two different days from about 300 feec. If yo u started late, the inversio n laye r would often break apart as the thermals starred punching through and forming high cu's. If there were cu's, yo u could connect the dots and fly fasc. Car towi ng was the predominant method of gecting into the air, but only Rohan and I, of the top pilots, used this method. T he rest of the most competitive pilocs were towed up behind a Bailey-Moyes Drago nfly. My driver, Oliver, towed me up behind a 198 5 Toyota Corona station wagon. T he equipment consisted of a 2,000-foot rope, a mascer cylinder, tube, pressure gauge, over/under tow bridl e, and weak links. I had lots of opponunities to fly next to many of che top pilocs, and I goc a real good idea about glider/pilot performance - pure performance in glide and climb, performance divorced from pilot smarts and judgment in fl ight, performance decermined by drag reduction and che glider's glide ratio. Gerolf had the besc performance. H e tuned his smal l Licespeed for the besc glide possible, and his harness was very clean. H e lowered his sprogs, turn ed down hi s tip wands, and used carbonfiber downtubes and an aero basembe. H e made dozens of other small changes to make his glider perform at a level H ANG GLIDI NG

I .flylyour dream

1 - - I-

-- , : ,

-:;:;-_-_~?f"ltere- ls more--co l,e earn-e~ tn one - comf)e,ition. dtan in an average. season of'recreaciona£flJ1intft~ _

_.....dfm J:ee

fturre11c- 11.S. 1vat(ona{ Champron)

Lakeview Nationals- July 16-22 (Class A) Lakev1ew;O~eg-0n G.., eadows 252.480.3552 gwm@justRy.com www.justfly.com Lone Star Champions~s August 13-20 (Class B) Hearne,Texas Steve B$rns 281.471.1488 sburns@alphal.ne - - .f PanAmeri August 27- Sep · , er 2 Dinosaur Coloi:_ado G.W. Meadows 2 2 480 3552 www.j.~tfty:-com ilots in the thm·•l<"-'"'ach meet for APRIL 2000

... hanggl iders, planes, paragliders and rigid wings. For pilots, who dream our dream of flying!

.-· ... -·- .... - . - ·-. -·-·- - .- .

\ ., / C,

N E W

.,.

_ 0

Motee

0Ubbo

fl ~m

equal to and a bit better than an almoststandard rigid-wing ATOS. He flew his glider assuming chat it would be uncercifiable at full VG. When the air go t rough (pretty rare in Hay), he could always loosen the VG. I got to fly with Gerolf for a very long time on a really strong racing day, and I was able to gee the best fix on him of all che competitors. My performance on the ATOS was just a tiny bit below Gerolf's. Also, I was unwilling to fly as fast as he did on a final glide through strong life. He said the wires kept going slack. I could maintain 50 mph as I got beat up, but he muse have been goi ng 60 mph. My ATOS was standard except for the aero basecube and wheels, which offset the aero basecube and maybe more. I had a clean harness, a carbon-fiber CG with a rounded tail. None of the ocher harnesses had as clean a tail as chis harness. My hang straps weren't as clean as they should have been. Rohan told me chat my spoilerons were deploying when I entered thermals (he was able co gee over me a couple of times), and subsequently I've replaced the bungies with stronger ones. Lacer in the meet I was able co gee a tow bridle chat I could completely put away in flight. There are probably a dozen items 42

-- ----~ 50

100

chat I should have cleaned up co improve my glide at the margin. Joel wo re a harness similar co Gerolf's. He was flying a regular-size Licespeed chat he had modified, but it wasn't as heavily modified as Gerolf's. The tips were down , as well as the sprogs. His performance was just a bit below mine. After these cop three perfor ming gliders/pilots, there was quite a drop off to Rohan on a regular Licespeed without modifications. Rohan has a very clean harness, but ic was clear chat I had abo ut four points of glide on him . Grant

and Attila had sligh tly less performance than Rohan. Grant had an older, lessclean harness. I didn't gee an opportunity to see Andre's performance as he often flew by himself So why did che cop pilots end up as they did in che final standings? Gerolf seemed co cake a lot of tows co gee out of che cow paddock. This would often put him on the co urse line lace in the day, past che already-late optimal time for starting. T hese late r flights were often slower. Rohan's glider's performance kept him from staying with Gerolf or Joel. I bombed next co the cow paddock on the day chat 25 pilots made goal. Grant and Attila didn't have the perfo rmance to keep up with che rest of us. Andre made a few judgment errors, fl ew on his own, passed up a good thermal that we were al] flying in on the last day (and landed soon th ereafter), flew past the goal one day and couldn't make it back against the wind. O nce Joel was in the lead he was quire willing to fo llow Gerolf and not co take the lead leaving any thermals. T his would normally slow chem both down, but as they were always in the lead gaggle they knew chat there was no one to beat th em by a large margin. You can find out more abo ut che 2000 Australian Nationals at http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ. Just click on the seco nd issue. T he results can be fou nd at hccp://www.ozemail.com .au/ ~zupy. •

The author's driver Oliver and his tow rig.

H ANG GLIDING

are ] 4 common problems:

concentrate on the actual landing.

1) Flying A Glider That [s Om Of 'frim

FLYING Sww ON FrNAL

2) Using J\ Competition-Style Harness

Nothing gives you control like proper airspeed, but you can take this t:o an extreme. 1 like to fly just above best glide speed. ff you oscillate when flying fasL, learn to fly fast without oscillating. Almost everyone thinks he flies fast enough on final. Think about how long you are in ground effect. ff the answer is very little or not at all, you arc flying too slow on final. Speed up.

3) Flying A Glider That Offers More Performance 'fhan Fun 4) Setting Up A Bad Approach 5) Flying Slow On Final 6) Not Landing Into The Wind 7) Ti1rning Close 'fo The Ground 8) Bobbling Your 'l i"ansition 9) Looking Down l O) Rounding Off'lc)O Low I J )'frying 'le> Do J\ No-Step Lmding 12) Not Using Wheels 13) Going For The Spot, No Matter What 14)Showing Off

NOT LANDING INTO THE WIND

This is why you have wheels. Nothing feels better than knowing you're landing right into a smooth, even breeze with a low ground speed.

PLYING A GLIDER THAT Is Our Or TRIM

Ways

rew Up Your Landing by

President David Glover

aunching and landing arc two the mosr exciting and fun parts of flying. -!owevcr, unlike pilors most aircraft, hang glider pilots usually only get one chance per flight to do it right. I have done a study, and have discovered that most ;iccidems occur near ground level. Having taught fr)r almost 15 years and having lived in landing fields for almost six, [ have witnessed a tremendous number of hang glider pilots land. l have seen new pilots with an excellent touch, and I have seen advanced pilots who were trying to show off execute spectacular crashes. There arc a few basic steps when it comes to consistently good landings. On occasion I have seen pilots with just one of the following problems, and when they understood what was going on, their landings improved immediately. Many articles have been written that tell you how to land; this one tells you how not to. Here

APRIL 2000

TURNING CLOSE To THE GROUND

Flying a glider that is not trimmed properly makes it very diff1cult to judge flare timing. 'I i·immed too fast or too slow, both can hamper your ability ro judge the flare window.

Nothing will wake up others in the landing field like someone turning close to the ground. Fly straight in during the final five or ten seconds of your landing.

USING A COMPETITION-STYI.E HARNESS

BOBBLING YOUR TRANSITION

Aren'r rhe new harnesses cool? Yes, bur some make it very difficult to come upright. The more upright you are without holding yourself upright, the lighter your grip and your ability to sense timing. How can you hold yourself up and flare at the same time? Tough trick. 'fhe best harness frir landing is one that comes upright that is, if you let go you and stays there will stay in position.

When shifting from the baserube to the downmbes, too many pilots shoot up, slow down and get into a turn. Practice this transition over and over up high. I like the one--hand-up, one-hand-down method. You want to be so smooth thar people watching you can see you rransi-tioning without any pi tcb or roll changes.

FLYING A GLIDER THAT OFFERS MORE

LOOKING DOWN

You go where you look. Look ahead. Looking down destroys your perspective.

PERFORMANCE THAN FUN

Faster, heavier, more expensive, more time consuming to set up and harder to fly. Flying is for fun. Arc you planning on joining the ranks of the one percent of competition pilots or flying into the wind a bunch? I think most pilots arc not flyiug the most enjoyable glider. SETTING l]p A BAD APPROACH While working for rBM I took a class whose instructor used this mantra: "Prior preparation precludes poor performance." Approaches arc like that. Unless you can consistently set up a good approach your anxiety level will be high during the critical phase oflanding. Knowing chat evcrytl1i11g is going well allows you to relax and

RmJNDING OFF Too Low

Some pilots try to use the energy of the glider to rise up ar the end of the landing in order to get their feet underneath them. IF you are perfect this is not a problem. Usually, however, pilots who round off low also stay prone too long. Not having yourself upright and your feet u nderncath you makes it hard to land (unless you're real good at running on your knees). TRYING To Do A No-STEP LANDING

Nothing looks more cool, until you blow it. Most instn1crors are great at it, and some students arc told that this is rhc idc-al. Ts it? The desire and readiness to take steps can save a mistimed landing. ff you

r run, wherher you need to or don't, your landing will end up okay. [J you need to take steps and you don't, your landing will end poorly. Always be ready to take steps. Joe Creblo and I talked for more than an hour about this concept, and he commented that there is another advamage to taking steps: It reduces wing loading, making the glider fly more slowly and making it easier ro flare.

Nor USING WHFEI.s f know of a competition pilot who was adamantly against wheels because they "teach pilots bad habits," although he was okay with wheels for his dad's glider. Now this pilot has a bad knee and flies in competition with wheels on his glider, and rolls in most of his laud· ings. For macho pilots who foci that wheels "teach bad habits," I recommend a new device for your glider "The Spike." Jr's a sharp, shiny, metal spike protruding from the keel near the nose· plare area. In the event of a bad landing the offending pilot will swing through the control frame and pay the ultimate price for his lack of skill. What a motivator.

to celebrate line of hang "the

GOING Fc)R THE SPor; No MATTER WHAT

Having a general area in mind where you wam to land is important, bm I have seen many new and experienced pilots slow down or extend their final to try to land "on rhc spot"." A controlled land-ing l O feet away looks so much better than "ramooing" on the spot. SHOWING OFF

Probably one of the besr landers I have ever seen is a tandem instructor. He thinks he is so good that he doesn't sec the need for wheels on his tandem glider. Last year, during a tandem landing on a warm, no-wind day, his perfect record ended dramatically. 'The passenger was unhurt, but the tandem instructor broke his arm. Two .idvanced instTuctors who witnessed the event said wheels would have made the diflcrence.

Enlist the help of a local pilot or instrucror who lands well, and who owns a video camera with a t:ripod to help diagnose your problem. Then practice until you gcr it right.

with

David Glover has pei.fect lrmding, somr ofthe time. He am be reached at david(rhdaviq~lover.com. II

cf!E.CK our rf!E. L/i;fE.Sf The best hang gliding

video series in the world!

START/_N_G_f-/_A_N_G_G_L_I_D_IN·-G-',-F-ly-L-ik-c·~-A ...n Eagle, CB200 WEA Tf-/ER TO FLY, CB300 CROSS COUNTRY 8000, CB8 TURNING POINT IN ALPINE Tl1ERMALL/NG

As of January 2000, if your dealer or instructor isn't offering you a Pulse, then you re not getting the whole picture!*

111!1~1&11 1111 Slli.1111 ~Ulllii i!ll's ~f.mlilf liffamfil1uarillHs1 ma~111!1 !llt lwsffiri1 anl!I ; 1noxee1:1 img1111itt1l'l! irnit1ging' illfflam imffio ffll!ia W.I., ~ti.ii <il!ll'il looi !ftorn illffia liluls1 illt' m1:1Ga a;ain fil;mlDBlliB mtile "lfiimslll fi!lllrcltiiase" m11mla!ll *Dealer Inquiries welcome

Paul Hamilton 6553 Stone Valley Drive Reno, NV 89523 USA paul@adventurep.com

Airwave America 1125 Harborview Dr. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 252 480 3552 252 480 0117fax airwave@justfly.com www.justfly.com

unwise. Don't think only about what location is convenient for these things; think about what items you would like your body ro land on. Small bricks aren't usually on the list of desirable objects. What objects would be desirable?

by Bill Bryden, Accident Review Cnairrnan hat comes ro mind? Parachutes, hook knives, helmets, safety glasses for towiug and the usual? Whal about your harness? ls that a key piece of safety equipment? /\n Advanced-rared pilot experienced a lowaltitude tumble while ridge soaring and deployed his parachute. He impacted before the bridle frilly extended and the chute could inflate. The pilot survived with a broken pelvis and some broken ribs where his radio and spare banery were stored in the storage pocket above the chute. /\n Advanced pilot crashed his glider, impacting on his chest. He suffrred head injuries and fractured numerous ribs in two places. This area was pressed into his chest, collapsing a lung. The rectangular shape of the section of his chest that was depressed into his lung matched the proflle of the radio that was raped to his shoulder strap. We have all belly-flopped or whacked a landing, and know that we often end up hitting hard on our bellies. Yet, it is still amazing how many pilots pm radios, cameras and instruments precisely between them and the ground. Never place radios, batteries, cameras or similar objects in the pockets on the front of your harness. It makes no sense to have these large, solid objects located where you arc almost guaranteed to drive rhcm into your body if you pound on yom belly or chest. Similarly, never affix radios and equipmcm ro your shoulder straps. Mounting instrumcnrs in the middle of your control bar is equally Al'l,IL 2000

!\ Novice pilot was approaching a landing area over trees. He came up a hit short and clipped the top of trees at the edge of the field. The glider stalled and fell to the ground with the pilot impacting hard on his chest. Tnjurywas limited to a fracmred rib. Recent trends have been mounting parachutes on the side of the harness. This has been especially true with harnesses coming from Europe where diat trend is quire strong. The rationale is that th is is more aerodynamic, positioning the parachute in the airflow behind the pilor's arm. Some also claim that side-mounted chures give the pilot more control over his glider since he can hang lower. The veracity of these claims is sus-pecr, and the true merits and disadvantages are worthy of examination. lJnfortunarcly, some side-mounted parachutes cannot be easily deployed with both hands. This is critical, since there have been numerous incidents in which one of the pilot's arms or hands have heen trapped, injured or immobilized, rendering it incapable of deploying a parachute. Any chut:c side, chest, or otherwise mounted -- must be easily deployable with either hand. Some pilors claim they have more control over the glider with a sidemounted chute because they hang lower. Ir should be noted that some side chutes could acrually reduce and limit pilot body movemem on that side because of interference with the side wires. In addition, depending how the parachute container is designed and sewn to the harness body, it might be able ro hook or snag a rear flying wire, preventing the pilot from terminating a weight shifr to thar side. Probably mosr importantly, hanging lower in the conrrol frame can significantly reduce a pilot's flare authority for landing. Most instructors evaluate how high a pilot is hanging when trying to diagnose a pilot's landing problems,

and hanging too low when upright is not uncommon. Hanging four inches lower is like chopping four inches off the length of your arms, and less flare authority results. The last argument for side-mounted chutes on harnesses is that they are more aerodynamic. Like many things in this sport, it "sounds" reasonable, but whar experimemal data or other scientifically sound analysis has been presented for these claims? High Energy Sports, a leading harness manufacturer, conducted various drag studies and concluded rhat the side mount only provides some slight advantage at speeds above 50 mph, and the chest mount is actually better below those speeds. This is because the relative airflow is usually not parallel to the pilot's body at lower speeds, but tends to strike t·he whole front of the harness at a glancing angle. A chest-mounted chute ;icrually presents less frontal area and produces lower drag at the speeds most pilots generally fly. There were two incidents in 1988 (including the one above) in which the pilots frlt quite certain that the padding provided by the parachute very likely saved them from more serious injury or death. If you review the fatalities from the l 970's and early 1980's, before parachutes were commonly worn, there were a significant number of fatalities from ruptured aortas that occurred during hard chest impacts. The extreme C-forces experienced during these types of impacts could literally rip the aona open and the pilot would rapidly bleed to death. And there is not a darn thing rhat a bystander can do as first aid to stop this internal bleeding. The padding afforded by a chest-mounted chute is sig-niflcant. There have been only two parachute deployment attempts (chmes didn't get rn fully open in either) reported ro date for 1999. There were five parachute deployments reported in 1988 and one of these was an accidental deployment afrer a recent repack. Parachutes possibly saved the lives of the four pilots who intentionally deployed them, and possibly saved the lives of two pilots who crashed, landing on the padding they provided. Based on this one year's data,

In which admittedly is a statistically very limited data set, one could argue that fully one-third of a parachute's value is simply the padding it can provide for your chest. Flimsy hockey helmets arc clearly inadequate for hang gliding and pilots arc strongly favoring full-foce helmet designs wii-h more shock-absorbing material. Why not similarly employ a parachute mounting location that gives your chest more shock-absorbing protcc-tion as well? r was recently infcrnncd that a harness manufacturer is allegedly mounting parachutes behind the pilot's neck. I have not seen this harness and it is inappropriate to criticize something f know nothing about. However, I simply caution pilots considering unorthodox paraclrni-c mountings to evaluate them very careful-ly, especially how the chute is extracted, how the bridle is romed to the carabiner, and where the weight of the chute is cen-tered. As you may recall, Brad Koji deployed his parachurc last year during a

tumble, and the bridle, attached to his shoulder snaps (to ensure a feet-first landing), entangled his neck and broke it, killing him instantly when the chute opened. A tandem pilot also broke his neck several years ago when landing hard. The passenger's arm across his shoulders pushed on his neck, breaking it. Cargo, parachutes and other equipment must not be positioned on the back of the harness such th,it they could load the back of the pilot's neck when impacting on bis chest. There was another incident reported this year that involves a harness issue. •

An experienced pilot was coming in to land and pulled in to descend through the wind gradient with ample airspeed. When attempting to round out, the glider continued to dive and the control bar did nor want to return from the pulled-in position. 'The pilot had a bad landing without

injury and later determined that the control bar actually snagged below rhe container of the chest-mounted parachute. The distance tbe harness hangs above the control bar is a safety issue. The harness must not rub the control bar and should have at least a couple of inches of clearance to accommodate the effect of higher G-forces during turns and other maneuvers. Parachnte comainers on some harnesses arc square and blocky on the bottom, and these yield more snag potential than container designs that fair into the rest of the harness. Your lrnrness is an integral pan of your safety equipment, and many deci-sions you make regarding harness selection, equipment storage and mounting locations can seriously affect the risk you expose yourselfto during a crash. You wouldn't fly without a helmet; why not have the safest harness configuration as well? Ill

Hall Airspeed IndicatorTM ®

A precision inslrnmcnl l'or lhe serious pilo1. Rugged, dependable and easy lo read.

NEW! SMALL HALL Great for hancl-hclcl wind mcasurcmcnl or paraglidcr Airspeed lnclicalor

Brack cl. Small Hall ............. .

Paraglidcr Bracket J\ow available: Small I fall for hang gliders, 0 10 70 mph 1-Iall llrothcrs, P.O. Box 1010-11, Morgan, llT 84050, USA• Mastcrcarcl/VISA/C.0.D.

5" Dia. ABS Plaslic Wheels $24.00/pair

Phone (801) 829-3232, Fax (801) 829-6349 hallbros@carthlink.net

USHGA, PO Box l 330

Colorado Springs CO 8090 l l -800-616-6888 fox (719) 632-641 7

HANG GurnNG

Marc Laferriere

A PILOT WITH A PASSION FOR FLIGHT AND PAINTIN G by Jim (Sky Dog) Palmieri e-mailed Marc and asked him if he would sell me one of chem, and he said he would. I then sent him a few photographs of me flying both at Wallaby Ranch and in the mountains of Virginia, and he responded with a request ro paint me from the photographs. I agreed, and so began a new friendship with a Canadian pilot. E-mails were plentiful since French is Marc's first language. Soon the painting was ready. I suggested chat he drive down ro Lookout Mountain Flight Park, Georgia, and deliver the painting in person since Quebec was certainly too cold to comfortably fly in the winter. He rook it as a joke and raid two of his close flying buddies about the offer. Within days the joke turned into realiry and their van was packed with coolers, tents and hang gliders. Maggie and I packed our Jeep and

APRIL 2000

Late last winter while surfing the Internet fo r hang gliding sites, I came across Marc Laferriere's Web site. H is p ages are filled with paintings ofhang glider pilots, and they are so realistic that I initially took them to be photographs. Only after close examination did I realize that they were paintings. headed ro LMFP fo r a long weekend. We arrived at the LZ and were immediately greeted with, "Bonjour man a.mi. " The "Canadian Sensor Team" had arrived after 27 hours on the road, and Marc brought not one, but c:wo paintings of me flying over the fields and mountains of Virginia. I was surprised when he also presented me with two T-shirts, each with a copy of the painting on the front, and some greeting cards with the same scenes.

We spent rhe next few days flying at LMFP and at Henson's Gap with the Tennessee Tree Toppers. Maggie and I left on Sunday and invited them to stay at our home on their way back to Canada. They did just chat and rook advantage of an offer to fly Tobacco Row Mountain, an 1,800foot AGL mo untain located outside of Lynchburg, Virginia. Sensors danced in the sky chat day, each pilot having an excellent thermal experience. As the sun began co set

in the afternoon sky, our new Canadian friends packed their van for che 18-hour trip home. Many pilots in Quebec and Canada know Marc Laferriere, bur few from che States have had the pleasure of meeting him. Marc is from Thetford Mines, a small town southeast of Quebec C ity near the American border. Each of us has his or her own way of recalling chose unforgertable flights or moments in the air. Many of che articles in Hang Gliding magazine are based on this. Marc, unlike most, has chosen the paintbrush, and sometimes poetry, co express himself and his feelings about flight. Here, then, is che story of a man who has a passion for flight and a passion for paincing. I would like to share both Marc and his paintings with you.

JP: Marc, how were you first introduced to hang gliding? ML: I cook some classes in the spring of 1982 and made my first flights on a Quebec-designed wing, an Elfique. I muse have really wanted co fly! That same year we founded our club and made our flying site official. Today there are about 10 active members, as there were back rhen, and I have che honor of being the president. Our flying sire is a small, 700-fooc mountain where the wind is strong and always available. This may be the reason that seven out of 10 members fly Sensors - the greatest concentration of Sensors in the world! Here in Quebec che flying season is limited to six months per year because of the snow. The rest of the year I continue to fly, but through my painting.

JP: How long have you been painting? ML: I have been working in the artistic field for over 20 years. However, I only began to paint in che lase two years, I had not dared couch chis medium previously. I am entering my 18 ch year of flying and I now have the desire co use my canvasses co reveal all the beauty of this spore, and I hope co help ochers feel all che emotion of chose marvelous and often very incense moments.

JP: How does free flight inspire you in your art? ML: It is perhaps good face chat I live in a

H ANG GLIDING

Daniel Fortin just off the ramp at Henson's Gap. country where I can only fly six months of the year. During the remaining months I can think about the flights that took place over the summer. It was at such a time that everything began. I had enjoyed a memorable flight and decided to take out my brushes to immortalize chat flight. The result was very convincing. I began painting my pilot friends who are a source of perpetual inspiration that motivates me, flight after flight. They share my passion for flight, and this passion for painting. Ever since, I have painred canvasses of flying sites I have visited as well as people I've met.

JP: What does painting bring to your life? ML: Painting allows me to fully live out my flying, and more. It permits me to meet remarkable people and visit outstanding places. You know, every person has his own way of seeing free flight, and every site has its own charm and characteristics. This is what fascinates me the most and I express chis through my canvasses.

JP: Can any pilot have a painting made of

him? ML: Of course. Often a pilot has had a momentous flight, has flown at an exceptional sire, or has lived a privileged moment, and they can gee a canvass capturing these rnomems. There are also other pilots who allow me complete freedom on

Continued on page 56. APRIL 2000

u iI

ti I

kY Steve J(roop ;,-,--,,1e USHGA Board of Directors, at the fall 1999 meeting, approved Lwo changes to the rating system that apply to tow pilots and tandem instructors. The purpose of these changes is to better identify a pilot's skills on his or her mting card and Lo help ensure tbat a pilot has the requisite skills for a specific situation.

form towing must receive proper training from a tandem instructor or a tandem-rated Basic/Advanced instructor. 'fhe rating official (instructor) nrnst possess the PL special skill sign-·off and must utilize rhc platfrmn launch discipline for normal training. This option is only available to Novice-rated pilots or higher. CHANGES To THE TANDEM lNSTRlJCTOR

CHANGES To 'fl IE TOW RATING

Currently the ·row rating that appears Oil tbe rating card is used to cover all forms of tow launching. ·rhe TOW raring is currently issued whenever a pilot has com·· plered the requirement for a specific method of rowing. 'The rating card, however, docs nor identify the specific method of towing fr)!' which the pilot has become proficient (except aerotow). This has caused some confusion for some pilots who are trained in one form of towing and who travel to another area and attempt to engage in another form of towing. Por example, a Novice pilot trained in aerotow launch may erroneously believe he is qualified to engage in platform towing. The converse of this siruation is not possible, however, because there is an AT special skill sign-off (Currently there is no special skill sign-off for platform launch.) The action of the Board, to help allcvi· ate this problem, was to add PL (platform !au nch) to the list of special skill sign-ofE. A pilot wishing to engage in plarfc>rrn tow· ing will be required to have the PL special skill sign-off. New pilots trained via plat·· form towing will receive the PL sign-off when they receive their pilot rating. Pilots who currently possess the TOW rating and achieved that rating via platform bunch should contact their rating official to submit a rating application adding the PL designation to their raring card. Pilots who have not been trained in platform towing and who wish to engage in plat·

RATING

Currently, tandem pilots arc issued an FL (foot launch) and/or a PL (platform launch) designation with their tandem rat· ing, hased on the launch discipline in which they were trained. Wirh the popu-· brity of tandem pilot training via aerotow there is a need to help ensure that tandem pilots providing instruction possess the necessary skills to conduct and/or insrruct tandem flight via aerornw. Currcnrly there is no designation fc)r tandem pilots training via aerotow. The action of the Board, to help alleviate this problem, was to add an Al' designation to the existing list of tandem launch methods (FL and PL). A tandem pilot wishing to engage in flight training via aerotow will be required to have the AT designation on his or her tan.dcm rating. Tandem pilots who currently conduct training via aerotow, and who achieved their tandem raring at a clinic that utilized acrotow as the launch method, should contact the 'Hmdern Administrator who issued their tandem pilot rating ro submit a rating application adding the AT desig .. nation to their tandem raring. 'J'he 'fondem Adminisrrator who is to issue the rating rnust possess the A'T special skill. "fandem pilots actively conducting training via aerotow who wish to conrinuc to engage in aerotow training, bur either I) achieved their tandem rating at a clinic milizing a launch method other than aerotow, or 2) were rated by a 'fondem

Administrator who did not possess the AT special skill, must have the AT designation added to their tandem rating. 'fhis is accomplished hy co11tacting an A'l~ratcd Tandem Administrator and submitting, for evaluation, a copy of their student log and aerotow rraining syllabus. The Kl' add-on to the tandem raring is at the discretion of the'] !111dem Administrator. 'fandern pilots who arc not actively conducting training via aerotow, and who achieved rheir tandem rating at a clinic milizing a launch method other than aeroLow but who wish to engage in acrotow training, must have the AT designation added to their tandem rating through the successful completion of an evaluation check-flight with an .AT.rated 'fandem Administrator. Additional training/evalua.. tion flights may be required at the discrc· tion of the Administrator. 'fhis option is only available to tandem-rated pilots with an AI' special skill endorsement. Ill

HANC GLIDINC

ifl HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hang should always be disassembled before for time and inspected cardc1lly 1,ir eel downt11bcs, mined bushings, bent bolts tesrwc1:1ttv rhe heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed or rusted cables, with non-circular holes, and on flex wings, .sails

rorn or torn loose from

thci,- anchor 11oi11ts front and b.1ck on the keel and IC in doubt, business opinion 011 the

condition equipment you them to inspect. Buyers should select eq11ipmcnt that is appro11ri:tte for their skill level or New pilots should seek profcs a USHCJ\ CFl,T\1 1 11'.D INSTRUCl'ClR.

J:AI.CONS C:J.EARANCF Si\l.E ~- School use, one season. All si-J.es $1,2.50-$2,500. (262) !\7:,-8800,

Tandem gliders, three to choose from, $2,100 and up. (262) -i/.3--8800, brad@hanggliding.com FRFE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/TRANSPORT TUBE With the purchase oC any new glider. (517) 22.'l--868.3, Cloud9SAC,1\10l.com. Largest scb:rion of' new and used gliders in Michigan. HJSI ON l 50 Crcy/black, 70 homs, l. 5 years old, will ship $:lJOO OBO. Armand (Ii 16) 6976622, xcannando~llaol.com

FLEX WINGS AIRBORNE SHARK, BLADE RACE, STING, BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. THE \VAl.-l.ABY RANC:ll (863) lt24-0070. DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 New :md used. WAI.LA BY RANCII (863) li21t 0070. llRE1\M 205 Fxccllcnt condition, priced to sell $'!7').(516) 8'J7 I'.120 James, suri'nflvvilcanhlink.nct. NEW & USED IN STOCK, DEMO FXXTACY Di\11.Y. WAL.LA BY RANCH (86.l) li2/i-0070. FALCONS Iii(), 170,195,225 new and used. WAI.LA BY RJ\NCH (86:l) 42/i-0070. New condition FJ\I.C:ON 22. 5 $2,500. Call for details (860) 668-7065.

HJSION 150 Excellent condition, white l.E, black/blue $.'l,000 OHO. WWZ:3 harness, 5'8"--6'0" $200. Jim (623) 581-01 lt5, jamcsw~"gatcway.nct FUSION 150 - Very good condition, blue/yellow undcrsurface, 120 hours $2,500. (970) 611--'i651J. FUSION 150 I.ow time, w/rips $2,500. I !PAT 158 $850 <lBO. (724) 898-03219. FUSION /i24-0070.

Demo daily. WALLABY RANCII (863)

GLIDERS 35+ for sale, to single surface. Ranch (8(,3) 424Call/email for current list. 0070 Florida, glidcrs~Dwallaby.com Good condition, new leading edge cloth I ll'J\T lli5 and recent supcrprcflight, $ l ,li00.(762) lil.1-8800, brad~ilhanggl idi ng.corn

1:i\l.CON 72', (;rcat condition, hours, folding l,asctubc, WW wheel kits, 2 spare downtubcs $2,200. Sport 180 $'i00. Day (231) 'Jii7-7560, eves (7:11) 9/il 12.76, FLYMJ\UFvi\101.com

I\Pi\'\' 158 New downtnbcs $400 or trade. (352) li81-:l."l22, wtpr:ihJGilhotmail.cotn

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: I 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:

KLASSIC: 1:33 Fellas! I.ct me make you :rn offer you glider with <:30 homs, can't rcfi1sc. J\ blue and in mint condition for only Forget abour it and a linlc visit to fir you with a pair "'"'"'·'"'·'· (626) 28'i-58] 0. KI.ASS[C !lilt Excellent condition, 50 hours, white/magcnra/ycllow/bluc $2,200. (505) 828-02'i2. J<l.ASSIC l!i4 Yellow/white, absolute minr condition, 5 hours 11sc and then stored indoors for 2 years $2,800. !<lassie 155, 80 hours, clean $1,500 OBO. (262) 47.'l-8800, brad«11 hangglicling.com IAV!JNAR ST'J9, ST98 and kingpost L:uninars. New and like new, available now. AV8 (7(,0) 7210/0 I, indaskyvilyahoo.com LAMINAR ST, lli, 13 in stock. WALLABY RANCll (863) 42/i-0070. LAMOUETTE TOPLESS 1:l.5 - 50 hours, pcrfrct condition, undcrsurface flouro yellow & blue, HOT DFAL $/i,200 will ship. Woody Valley Nailer w/drogue, <l season flying $750.00 without reserve, call or c111ail for details. (.,07) 7Vi.-8TJO l- langliav8r({Daol.co1n

SX, XTI., XSJ, XT, etc. New and MOYES CSX nc:trly 1tcw. i\vaiLtblc immcdiatelv. Nation's !:trgcst Moyes dealer. WJ\l.LABY RANCH (86:l) 121-0070. Creen/white, 15 hours, like new MOYES CSXG $2,900. (970) 209 5900. great condition, MOYES SX 127 --- Fabulous I00 hours $1,750. (858) n ;,- ,·,uL. spcrry., l 8G1':1ol.cot11 MOYFS XTRAl.!'J'F IV Cood condition, new ball bearing pulleys $900. Call Russ (9/i')) 661-8982.

Number of months:------------------~----------SECTION 'J Flex Wings rJ Emergency Parachutes U Parts & Accessories O Business & Employment U Miscellaneous O Paragliders IJ Videos

Begin with

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

___________________ .• ___________ issue and run for

consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of$ ________________________________~-· NAME:-----·-------------~--------~·----· ___________ ------·---- _____________ _ ADDRESS:---------~-----------------CITY: PHONE·--~--------------- ___________________ _ Number of words· Number of words:

Aflf,IL 2000

@$.50 =_------- ----------------~------------ @$1.00

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

MOYES XTRAf.lTF lT/ -- Crispy sail with custom colors $2,liOO. Moyes Xtremc harness and PDA parachute, 5'8" pilot $600. GLIDER AND HARNESS ONLY 7.0 HOURS OLD! Great condition. Also have Kevlar helmet, lcom radios, Hall deck, extra parts, etc. Call ((, 19) 671-:3508, david.swi{i(1lhohconcerts.co!ll

HARNESSES HARNESS EXCHANGE CHUTES (970) 6/i 1-9315, hup://gnnnisongliders.corn/ IIICJJ ENERCY POD HARNESSES Sizes & styles $300-400. CC lOOO's $250. Cocoons LMFP pod, 5'')" $/iOO. Kneehangers & stirrups also available. (262) li73-8800, brad\illhanggliding.com

MOYES XTRALITF U7 Mylar sail, white/orange, good shape $1,'500. (307) 856-1730, cstark.;G!)wyon1ing.c01n MOYES XTRAT.ITF 137 Well kept, ill11e/Prce111'Nh1te $1,500 OBO. (262) ijT,-8800, in MOYES XT PRO J(,'j Novicc/iutenncdiate double surface, two available $1,600., $2,300. (267.) /i?3. 8800, brndQilhanggliding.corn PACIF!C AIRWAVF. K5 Brand new, d5 homs, past 5 years, white LE, undersurcondition, c1isp sail!! 1,000 TAKES IT! (83 J) 688-KURT, kunair<71\1ol.com

srock.

Lookout

Monnrain,

7.0 hours, short downtube $ I ,GOO.

LJl:I'RASl'OR'J' lli7, I 66

Rental

ar fligbr li7J 8800,

l'ULSl'S & VlSIONS Bought-Sokl-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (267.) fi7J.\l800, hracl<71lbanggliding.cnm

VISIONS & PULSFS Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (262) lr73-8800, hraMilhanggliding.com

SPECTRUM I lilt Red/white, '/5 hours $1,(iOO. S11perXrralite 12'/, red/white, JOO ho1Jrs $1,800. ('Viii) 978-730:l, nancy7.Qi)mindsiiring.com

WW RAMAJR 158 C rccn Team glider, good condirion $800. (970) 209-5900.

Three 1(,5 SPFCJ'RUM CLEARANCE SALE :ipectrurns in near new conditio11 w/all options ;,L,n.,w,,,.,,,,,,,,,, Raven Sky Spol'ts (262) -17J-8800, bradCilll1anggliding.com 1

SPORT 150 AT rrt avi{f_lJpionccrnet.nct

$950. (:lGO) 678 1333 or

STFAITH 151 Beauri{id glider, excellent condition, bl11c/yellow, only liO homs $2,495. (3%) 97.?.5(,91, jakcsoars01aol.corn SUPER.SPORT 153 lll11c/yellow/whitc, cxccllcnr condition, spare downrubcs, cnstom shipping narc $1,500 OHO. WWi'3 harness w/PDA chute, Flytcc 3010 vario-make offer. (703) 68').'J50!, Eril<.'fhornasGr)worldnet.att.net SUl'l:RSPORT 153 --- Superneat custom sail, very low hours, WW fin included $2,100. (7.(,2) lt7J8800, bradQllhanggliding.con1 TR:\ I - Whitc/bl:ick, <5 hours $2,000. (:)07) Wi6l TlO, cstarks(llwyorning.corn

Your ad is than 10,000

by rnore

enthusiasts. Advertise with us

WW lJLJ'RASPDRT J 66 Only 15 hours, excellent condition $2, I 00. Rick (760) 'i 19-7.682 days, (760) '/li0-2590. WWXC lli2 Excellent condition, never crashed, low hours, rcrl/whitc/hl11c asymmetrical sail, !,,!ding hascrnbe, XC $1,895 OBO. Jim (301) 729-0771,

WWXC ili2 -- Like new, <IO hours $3,500 OHO. (97:l) .398-/i') I 7 12 noon NJ.

McNETT TRAlNING lli\RNESSES stronp,, simple, durable. Thousands of students trained in this harness over tl,c past 10 years. (207) 729 9867. MOSQl/l'l'O MOTOR llARNFSS /.oltan 005) 7.23-5828 evenings, Miami.

$2,900.

MOSQliITO POWER HARNESSES ~ Two, slightly used for demos, one has 6 hours, one has 8 homs, $3,67'5 and $3,8'/5. Call Ccrry at (808) 822 5309, birrlip«i>aloha.nct, Visa/MC accepted.

TIRED OF TOWING? Tired of driving to flying sites? ( :reate yom own, power 1tp the sensible way with SWEDISH AEROSPORTS MOSQlllTO HARNESS. Lightweight, powerful, affordable and most importantly-Fun! Call BILL of' T.C. HANG GLIDERS, yonr U.S, Sl:PPLIER at 6!6-922-28/i/i. PS: SEEING JS BFLIEVING, new video made by Fast Coast Video, now available $1.3 includes shipping. 'f 'cl"mggliderQ~juno.com PARAGIJDl'.RS

WWXC 142 EXCELLENT! Factory serviced, new wires, virgin nose cone, dt's and XC hag $1,800. (5/i 1) 66/i 5915, rbl·,ov,«''r'.o.corn Excellent· condition, magenta & blue, & tip fairings $2,100. SautatciwnSky·Qtl;1,Dl.00111, (1%) '/231292 EST.

AlRSl'ORTS USA-· WWW.FLYFORFlJN.NET OVER 50 -- New, used, really cheap. (303) 3ii7-8')95 leave mc.ssagc. RIGID WINGS

wwxc 155

Co()(I condition $1,800. (G 17) 191 7:lC,7, adminQhf11n1ra.lcs.rnit.cdu WWXC: 155 Flies good condition but sail needs new edge Would look new w/$500 repair. (51JO) 7'15·:l 197 Virginia.

WWXC 155 I.ow ltours, clean, nice condition $2,liOO. (262) lt'73 8800, brad@hanggliding.com EMERGENCY PARACHUTES

EXXTACY J 60 1998, one red/white, one green/white, both have 7.0 hours, like new $6,000. (')70) 209-5900. rn;rRALIGHTS AIRBORNE EDGE TR!KF .... Tug, trainer, fresh engine, electric start, quiet kit, 3 blade lvo, foll instrument package, intercom system hc;idsets and helmets, par:ich11te also. EXCELLENT CONDITION $13,900. l will crate & ship. (808) 87.2-5.'309.

ROCKET RFSFRVFS Wirh large polyconical canopy $550. (:JO:l) 3iiT8')95. 20 CORE !'DA w/swivcl $J75. 20 Many more available. Raven Sky Sports 8800, braMilhanggliding.com

HANG GLIDING

ifi BRAND NEW Samba ultralight trike:, still in box, LaMoucttc Topless II wing. $:3,500 off listed price. (GJ O) 793-.3919 x'l, (610) 280-025l. AIR SPORTS USA WWW.FI.YFORFUN.NET

SLIP TRIKE

No mou111;1ins or 10w 1cm, sclf'.l111nch and soar! I ,ightest pact, most priced. Call or email for fi·cc hrochurc; refundable IO f,,r video. Liberated Flight (941) 722-21 Tl l.lBl'UGHHiaol.com WAN nm

MACIC Ill 155 ·- And Dream 165 o, 185-wrcckcd, worn out. Fax (505) 82li-·i86fl.

CALIFORNIA DRl'.AM Wl·'.AVER HANG GLIDING Train on Wills Wing Falcons. Four hour lessons $ I00. Ten lesson package $750., includes tandem off 2,000 fi:. Five lessons $100. Or new equipment here and ger all fim,re lessons for each. Call, scheduling lessons five days a week, Friday through Tuesdays. ]deal training hill. J\rca s most INEXPENSIVE prices. Your northern California MOSQUITO I IARNESS dealer. Call for Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, High Energy Sports, llall varios, Camcibaks and more. Tandem inst ruction. US! ICJ\ Advanced I nstrnctnr Doug Prather (209) 556-0li69 Modesto, 0\. FLY AWAY If ANG CUDfNC/PARACUDING Santa llarhara. Tammy llurcat· (805) 6<)2 .. <)908.

I.A's BEST SJNCE 1971 20 minutes from LAX. Fnll service walk--in center, Training for all skill levels, rentals) guide service) sales, lodging <lt world famous

Kagel Mount,tin Flight Parle :l25 sunny days a year. 16lli5 Victory lllvd., Van Nuys CA 911i06, (818) 988()J J J, fox (818) 988 )862, www.winclsports.com COLORADO

Tl 11' HANC CLIDINC C:FNTER 6312 Malcolm Drive, San Diego C:A 92115, (619) 265-5320.

MK![ needed. 1-800-688-5637.

AllfflMF ABOVE l JANC CLJDINC h,ll-timc lessons, sales, service. Colorado's most experienced!

HICI l ADVENTURE l fang gliding, flaraglidi"g school. Equipment sales, service, rentals at Southern California's mile high site, Crestline. USJ!CA lnsrructor Rob McKenzie. By appointment year round. (909) 883-8488, www.flytandcm.com

Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, J ligl, Connections and much more.

MAGIC: AJR Located in Nonhcrn Californi,1. Lessons, sales, service. (7()}) %3-3155.

MOUNTAIN WINGS

Ball, Flytce, (303) c;71i.

Evcrgrcc11j ( :olor;1do Airtirncl IC(haol.com

CONNECTJCUI. · Look under New York.

FJ.Oll!DA

SCI 100! .S & DEALERS

[11 thcWcsrt LARGEST l IANC (;{.Jl)JNG SHOP Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment and has two virtml reality hang gliding llighr simulators. We stock new and nscd ... Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the hollest new harnesses. ·1 ·ra,lc·

ins arc wdcomc. Om comprehensive training program, located at rhc San l'rancisco Bay Area's li11cst beginner sire fratttres: gently sloped "bunny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and comfortahle training harnesses!

NATIONAL SC:11001 NETWORK RlNCS LOC:ALl.Y. l'or information call David (}O(i) 657· 8ii8'i, david(i1ldavidglover.com

"FIRST l'UCl lT"l 5 min11tc video tour of om begin· ner lesson program shows a srudcnt's skill progression $20 (shipping included). 1116 Wrigley Milpiras CA 95055 (nmr S,m Jose).

J\LABJ\MA

(li08) 262-1055, (ii08) 262-1388. mission<2Dhang-glicling.com www.hang--gliding.com

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLJ(:HT PARK -

Sec

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN l'I.IC:HT PARK

ad under Ccorgia. ROCKET Cl'l'Y AIRSPORTS The fi,n, safr place to learn to fly. We help you learn quickly and safely with USHCA certified professional instructors. Creal place for first cross country flights. Three grea1 sites and a Moyes-· Bailey aerorng for those "other" days. Learn to

Sec

ad undl'r Georgia. Nearest mountain t-raining center to Orlando (only 8 homs).

acrotow and earn your AT rating. Mention this acL

D R T G L R p 0 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive

bring a friend and receive one lesson 1/2. price. Call (25G) 880-851 or (),56) 77(,.')995.

Since !92R

San Diego CA 92037 HANC CLID!NC AND PARACUDINC US/ !CA ccrtilied i1tsrrnc:tion. tandem flighr ins1rnc· lion) sales, service, repairs) parachulc repacks, and site

roms. San Diego's world class soaring ccmer. Visa and Call (858) li52-"<)858 or check us MasterCard out at llltp://www.llytorrcy.com APRIL 2000

US! !GA CFRTJFlF.D TANDEM INSTRUCTION By Gregg McNamee. Aerotow training & ratings. Dealer f,ir all major flight and acrotow cquipmclll, 1.5 hours from Disncyworld. Call (352) li89-')96'l. fly~ilgraybirdairsports.com w,vw.i(raylllrc\a1rsports.corn

saw

Hang Gliding, 53

NO MORE BUNNY... THE HILL WITH IT!

WE HAVE The most advanced 1raining progrnm known 10 hang gliding, trncbing you in lialf the time it takes on the training-BUNNY HILL, and with more inflight air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU PASTER AND SAFER !'or ye,ir-round fon in die sun, call or wri1c Miami Hang Cliding 28'i-8978. 2550 S Bayshorc Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33135.

FL.Of~IDA The Acrotow Flight Park Satisfaction ( ;uarantccd

BUNKHOUSE WARM & COMFORTABI.F By LMFP! 32 hunks, ho1 showers, open all year, 2/i hour self" registra tion. 1-800 80:J..'"!788 1 HAWAII

JUST 8 MILES FROM DISNEY WORLD • YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • FlVE TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DrRECTION 501 NICE demos ro fly: Topless to Trainer Glickrs: Laminar, Moyes, \\/ills, Airborne, Airwav<?i Exxrncy, Millennium La Moucttc, Sensor;

rilso han1cssc.>.s) varios etc. 1

Ages 13 To Tl have learned ro fly here. No one comes close ro our level of experience and success wirb tandem acrotow instruction.

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ... 10 motels & restaurants within 5 mins., showers, shade trees, sales, storage, ratings,

ho1

retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, pirnic rnhlcs, swimming pool, etc.

AfR SOARlNC CENTER Your vacation gliding location. (352) li2'J-021:l, fox (:152) li29 Visif our website at: w,vw.qucsL1irforcc.com or email us: quesrair(d>sundial.11c1 GEORGIA

BIRDS JN P/\RAD!SF. Hang & ultra\ip:ht flying on Kauai. Certified tandem instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (808) Ci3')-l067, birdipQilaJoha.net www.l,irdsinparadise.com ILLINOIS HANC CLIDF Cl !ICACO Full service acropark, tow planes. Full time certified instructors, 1iltralight instructors, Illinois X-coun1ry record 176 miles. (815) .'.\7.5-1685, www.hangglidcchicago.co111

Flights of over 167 miles and more than 7 hours. Arriclc.1 in Jlanf!. Gliding, Ki1pl1111es, Cross Gmntry and others. Fearn red on numerous shows, including F.SPN2.

RAVEN SKY SPORTS -- (.312) 3600700, (815) li89 9700 or (262) liTl-8800. hours from 90 minurcs from Palatine or l,iberryvillc. best instructnrs the equipmc11t) tbc hcsr results in 1he Midwesr. Training program for co1mt,,m,.,<1/111tegrated foot h1111d1 :ind aerotow ccrtilicatir>n. i\pply I OO'Y<,

Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com

Please call us for rcfrrcnces and video. 1805 Dean Still Road, Disney i\rca, l'I. :l:l8.17 (863) ii21i-0070 phone & fax

of yonr intro lesson cosis to certification program

upgrade! Please sec our ad 11ndcr WISCONSIN.

fly({Dwallaby.com IND JANA Conservative

Reliable• State or the Art

JH;. JNC:./FT.YINC FLORIDA SfNCE 1971 Malcolm Jones, Ryan Glover, Carlos Bessa Laurie Croli, Jeremie 1-lill, Kerry Lloyd Torn Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Rhett Radford Tiki Mashy, Paris Williams

June classifieds deadline: April 20 54

l -800-803- 7788

Lmmlry, propane, recreation i:LfU. l lOOK-\JPS room. 1-800-803-7788 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN Fl.!Gl!T l'i\RK Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their at Looko111 th:111 at any other school! We wrote Official Training Manna\. Our spcciahy-cusmmcr satisfaction and fi111 with the BEST FACILITIES, largest inventory, ming, volleyball, mmc! For a flying trip, intro or lesson packages, Lookout Mountain, jm1 outside C:liananooga, your COMPLETE training/service center. Tufo> (800) 688.-f.MFP.

(262.) liTl-8800. Please sec RAVEN SKY SPORTS om ad under Wisconsin. brad(1)hanggliding.com MARYLAND MARYLAND SC!!OOI. OF HANC Cl.IDINC, INC. C:crrii"icd ins! ruc1ion, in foot L11mch. Dealers for Wills Wing, Energy, year-round ins1ructio11. (Ii l 0) 527 -0')75, ,vww.rnshg.com

Hi\NC CLilllNC

MINNESOTA

MEXICO

IZAVFN SKY SPORTS (/,12) \li0-1800 m (Hr}) li7.l-8800. Please sec our ad 1mckr WISCONSIN. NEVADA AllVENTl /RF SPORTS

Sierra so:tring :ll its best.

Tours and tandems avaibhlc. ln.stn1ction from certified

service and in:-itruction

City/I.a kc

Talrne

hy .ippointmcnt (:arson

NY.

(77'i)

88.1 70/0

LAS VEC;\S A!Rl\ORI\ Wi\TERSl'ORTS US! IC:;\ certil1c'd hang gliding instructiotl. Sales and serviu·, boat tow, rnountaill soaring, XC:. (702) 2(,(). 7')1j(} www. vint1alhos1.s.nct/skys;1il/mai n.!11111

MIC! IICAN

NFWJFRSl'Y

CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION Aerotow spcci:d· ists. We Cl!T)' all rnajm l,r.rnd gliders. !'rec PVC· glider

MUllNI /\IN WINCS

storagc/tr;rnsport tuhc with new glider purchase. Now

NEW MFXIC:O

in stock: Laminar ST; Wills Fmion, XC, Ultrasport, blrnn; Moyes l.itcspccd, Sonic; Acrns Stealth 2: Vhgic J<iss. Outrigger wheels, Lrnnch GHl kits, and other

CROSSROADS WINDSl'ORTS St:1te of~the art trc1i11i11g with statio11;1ry simulator, BooJTiBar, 1andcrns,

accessories in stock ( :al! /()r spring ta!ldcm lessons and

video co:1ching. Towing for hang and paraglidcrs.

!lying appointnwnts with the Draacl,cnl'licgcn Soaring Cini, at C:lond 9 field 11088 Coon I.ah Rd. W., Wchhcrvillc, Ml li88')). ('i 17) 22'.l 8(,8l. ( :Jo11d()s;1Gil;10Lcorn ht t p://mcrnbcrs.ao!.corn/clo11d9sa MICHIGAN SOARING ..- Offering ALL major brand gliders & accessories. Crcat dcaJst (2'.l 1) 8821/01, wi11gn1an(it)rravcr.sc.corn

NORM LESNOW'S FIYINC ;\!)VENTURES Since 1978. Fxpcricnce & safety arc 111. Aerotowing and hill introductory fligh1s and foll range or lesson programs for to ;1dvancc(L /\cro1ow clinics & lJSI JC;;\ appropriate ratings available. USI JC;;\ ccrti lted school. Please contact Norm l.esnow-Mastcr Pilot, Examiner, 1\dva11ccd Tandem Instructor, Tow Administrator. (21i8) 3'J') ')/i.'l3, FlJIJ ... TJME school. n!fa(!/!juno.com, www.scrioussportt..com/11lfo

TRAVERSE CITY IIANG GL!DERS/PARAGI.IDERS FCLLTIME shop. C:crrif1cd instruction, foot launch ,rnd tow. Sales, service, accessories for Al.I. major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Corne soar our li50' dunes! 1509 I". 8th, Traverse City Ml li%81i. (){],·ring powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (C,i(,) ')27,-28/ili, tchallgglidervDjuno.corn. Visit our paragliding school ill Jackson, Wyomiug. Call Tracie at (107) 739-8620.

!\i11~11

2000

NORTI I CAROLINA

USI [CA illstrnctors with 2'i years experience. Sales,

VALLE DF BRA VO Weck long tours, itHHntt on Sunday, $7')5 hang l\liding. [. 800 861 I'J8, jd]~rlilynicxico.con1

SlJSC;>lJEI l1\NN1\ l'IJ(;! IT l'i\RJ< (:oopers1nwn, NY. Certified Instruction, Saks and Sc11·in- for all major mallufocu11Trs. 10 ,tcrc park, 5 tr.1ini11g hills, jeep rides. hunk hoJJSc, camping, hot showers, (,()()' N\X' ridge. \V,· have the hest hcilitic.s in N. New York sl:lte to teach you how to fly. c/o Dan ( :uido, Bo, )'J.l Sh11ernaker Rd, Moh:nvk NY J :lli(J7, (.l 1'i) 86(,.(, I

I .ook 11lldcr New York.

XC CAPITAL OF Tl IF CAROI.INAS (8)8) (,.l,) ')810 li1othillsfligh1&ilhotmail.con1

Rellt,ils. C1mpillg on die Airpark! C11l C:urt ( :rnharn in I !ol,hs (505) .l'J2.-8222.

lJI' OVJ-'.R NEW MFXIC:O .... Instruction, sales, vice. Sandia 1\1ountain guides. Wills, ;\irwavc. Albuquerque, NM ('i05) 821-85/ili.

NEW YORK ;\AA I !IC! IT SCI !OCll. MOUNTAIN WINGS I FI.I.ENVI LI .F AIR SPORTS. htll service shop. flight 11ark, Ii 'iOOlt. tow field, winch alld aero towing, tandellls, two-place U.1 .. training. Airwave, Altair, Moyes, ;\eros, karo :WOO, Flight Star U.L., MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY VALLF.Y h:ullesses in stock. The original Y,.M]TTS $7.'J.OO. mtnwingstirlaol.co111 or (91 Ii) Ml l'\;/ 150 Canal St., Ellrnvilk, NY 12li28. The most complete H(; Pro·shop in the North J,:ast. FLY l {Jc;! I I !1\NC C:Ll[)INc;, INC:. - Scrvillg S. New York, C:ontll'Ctirnt, Jersey areas (Ellmvillc Mtll.) Arc,'s EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. ;\!so all other major hr:tllds, accessories. C:ertii'ied \clwol/instn1ction. Teaching since 1979. /\rca's mosr IN EXPENSIVE prices. Fxccllc1ll secondary instruc-tion ... if you've llni:d1cd a program and wi:-ili to cont in· uc. l'ly the mou11tain 1 J\TOl. towing' Tandem !lights! C:on tact Paul Voight, 51 Ci., Searsvilk Rd, Pim· Bnsh, NY 12'5(,6, ('Jilt) 74/i-.3.'\17.

TJ\NDFM INSTRUC: !'ION 1\l·ROTOWINC: • BEAC:11 RFS()]ff • BOi\T TOWINC TRAININC C:i\M I'S • I L;\L;NC:l j • Ol'F'.'-J YFAR EOUND l'i\lZI\C:IIDINC: • FQUIPMFNT SJ\LFS ;\ND SERVJC:F

(800)

NAGS HEAD,

;\IR SPORTS USA .... NYC: s first and olli)' ccrtiftcd

hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), par.,gliding. Disrrihutor.s fc,r Avian. Dealers fell' most major brallds. l'ull service and cqniptm'ut at best prices. The most li·iendly servin: i11 the area. Store address: 7.'J :l 1 Newtown J\ve., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 7000, WWW.Fl.YFORFUN.NFT

I 11ternct Address: F-Mail Address: i11fo(,1lkittyhawk.com Pl'.NNSYIVAN!i\ C:ert if'icd MOUNTAIN TOP REC:REATION instrttction, l'itt.1burgh. (Ii 12) /67--li882. C'MON OUT /\ND PIA Y!

Continued from page 49. rhe complerion of rheir canvass. For exan1ple, when I receive an order from a pilor I do nor know, I am simulraneously happy and anxious. I could compare rhe feeling ro rhar of raking off at a new flying sire. You are, at rhe same rime, looking forward ro raking off, bur yo u musr also be focused on rhe moment at hand and be well prepared. When I begin a new canvass ir is because I am both ready and cerrain of rhe resulr. This demands rhar I be disciplined and sensirive ro the moment, as during a free flighr.

JP: Is painting a fall-time job? ML: My work is flying and painting. I make a living selling my hang gliding canvasses and reproducrions of my canvasses on T-shirrs and cards. Many flighr schools ask me ro paint a canvass of their sire, from which rhey make personalized T-shirrs and cards for rheir schools. I creare my grearesr canvasses by painting direcrly on rhe wings of hang gliders. (See phoro of Marc and his Wing of Flames.) I also paint harnesses , giving rhem an ofren-needed facelifr afrer a few years in

ilie sunlight.

JP: What do you see as your fature in hang gliding? ML: I wo uld prefer ro keep my grearest drean1 to myself in order to continue nourishing ir. However, whar I wish for most in rhe world is ro meer rhe grearesr possible number of people ar ilieir favorite Marc Laferriere, Jim and Maggie Palmieri, Daniel Fortin and Franrois flying sires all over Dassault in the LZ at Tobacco Row Mountain, Virginia. ilie world. I would Marc's work will be displayed at the Kitty hope ro experience enriching momems Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Spectacular this wirh each of iliem. I also hope ro introduce year. He may be contacted at: Marc Laferriere, this sporr iliar has nurtured me for over 20 179 Demers, Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada years ro ilie emire world through my canG6G2M6, tel. (418)335-0943. - Ed • vasses. Ir is ofren said: A picrure is worrh a iliousand words. I would say: A canvass is worili a iliousand flights.

Nearly 1,000 articles... hundreds of pilot reports • All "Product Lines" columns • How-to-Buy Guide • Read owner comments Site not open; sign up online to be notified

H ANG GLIDING

s MOUNTAIN WINCS

Area's OLDEST Wills TOTAL AIR SPORTS \Ving dealer. Certified instruction available. "] only DEi\!. with WIJ.J.S". 1G121 Lakeview, Houston TX 770/iO. (lll) 'J37.86lli.

J,ook under New York.

PUERTO RI CO

FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit l Jang c;lidillg, I!(; classes daily, lalldcm instrncrion av:1ilable. Wills Willg dealer. (;lidcr remals for qllalificd pilots. P() l\ox ')78, Punta Sanriago, Puerto Rico 007/i 1. (787) 850, 0508, 1shg~1'coqui.nc1

CLOUD 9 SOi\RINC CENTER The nation's largest and hang gliding shop, is now oiler

TENNESSEE

:11

lJTi\11

ing hang,

kssons,

services, repairs and sales

l'oim of' the Mo11main, Ltah. Contact us for :111 information packet or stop hy the shop. (80 I) '576· MhO, 12'55(, S. Minutern:111 Dr. 111 Dr:iper, UT

Ti\NDEMS, LESSONS Sales and service. in acro1owi11g and pay-orn winch towing. Makers o/" ( :round Ccar, tow rnkcoff/lancling gear. www.surl:air.com (J.62) 78.o-Tlli7. Pi\RTS & ACCESSORIES

WASATCII WINGS Utah's only foll service hang gliding school, Point oC the Mount;1in, mmm· rain sites, rowing. Dealer Cor /\ems, Altair, Wills Wings, Moyes, 1\irwavc and much more. Call i'.ac mo 1l 5?G oHJ,, www.wasatch.com/, ·wings 111\WI< AIRSPORTS INC P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN T7')/i().()05(,, (li7.:3) 6?0,020it. World famous Windsob, as seell ar the Oshkosh & Sun,N, Fun EAi\ Fly,Jns.

AFROTOWING ACCESSORIES - Sec TOWfN<:. THE Wi\LIABY RANCH (863) 12.li,0070. i\MA/.lNCLY I.OW PRICES llob(i/lbrokcrforyo11.co111

On all Ball varios!

VIRGINIA

I·lawk((1\vindsok.com, www.windsok.com

LOOl<OUT MOUNTAfN FUC:IIT l'i\RK

Sec

ad under Ccorgia.

TEXAS P11lltirnc i11strucrion and service at Park nc:tr Richmond. Wills i\cros and i\irwavc gliders. Steve Wendt (5/iO) li32.,G55l or (80ii) blucskyhgGDyahoo.cotn KITTY l Ii\WK KITFS

Sec North Caroli11:1.

l'I.JCl!T CONNECTIONS, INC. PTT II

WASHINGTON • YEi\R,ROlJNI) X<: FLY INC; THREE Tl JCS • Ti\NUFM TRi\lNINC • OPEN 7 Di\Y i\ WEEK • /\ERO TOWIN(; • DRi\C:ONFfYTRAININC • WINCH TOWINC • TRIKE TRi\lNJNC • l'OOT Li\\JNCII • FLY,INS /\ND CUNICS • l'i\Ri\CUDINC TOWS GOO i\CRE l'ACJLITY • Si\LFS /\ND SFIZVICF • ?,200' RUN\Xii\Y Steve Burns iill'J.27').')382 email: sburns&r\dpba I .net Fred Burns 281.li71 .1488 cm.iii: aust inair~i'aol.com

Super tough, light, weight, a must for tandem Built,in bushings. Only lJSi\-lmilr 12" $!i2.'J5, quantity discounts. lmmcdiare delivery. IA1okou1 Ivlount:iin, (800) 688lMFP.

U.S. AIRBORNE SPORT AVli\TJON CENTER Trikes, light trikes, h:1ng gliders, powered harnesses, ere. LaMouet 1c Topless and Stealth3. Top Secret :md Stalker rigid wings. Importer for the Ivlinipl:rnc powercdPC. Sales new and used. Beginner thru advanced instrucrion for rrikcs, powered!'(; and l"'"•');""'"I,· U.S. Airllornc (509) 21i3-li988. Send $l for info 1i:1ck (specify info l'O Box 57'), i\soiin \XI;\ 9')/i07,. Email us:iirbornctr1lhome.co111,

www.austinairsJJOrts.cotn

CO ... l lANC Cl,][)JNGIII

Jeff! l1111r. Austin

WISCONSIN

www.lly1exas.co1u llll.L COUNTRY l'ARi\CLJl)INC INC I.cam complete pilot skills. Personalized US!lGA certified training, ridge so;iring, foot & tow in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARi\CLIDJN(; TNSTRlJC TION & F.Ql/IPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 379 1185. 11i75 CR 220, 'J'ow TX 78672. KITE ENTERPRISES I oor launch, platform launch and acrotow ins1T11ction roo. Training) sales, rentals and repair. i\irwavc & \Vills Dallas, Fort Worth and north Texas area. 21 I /\lien TX 75002. ('!72) '.3')0 9090 weekends,

RAVEN SI<Y SPORTS Hi\N(; CUDINC /\ND Pi\Ri\CLJDINC -·-, The Midwest's Premier acrotow flight park, founded in I')92. Featuring !NTEGRi\TEIJ INSTRUCTION of food:mncl1 and aerotow tandem skills, m package prices ro bc:n :my in the USA. Seven he:nnift1l, hills all wind directions. Four

row

• N cw and I mp roved • Warcr/Dnst Resisr:mt Push Button • Field Rcpl:tccablc • I Jcavicr Cange !'lugs • lncrcasecl Strain Relief at AIJ.Joims

uo waiting! Three tandem

gliders on wheeled undercarriages. \Y/W F:ilcons for training from the very firsr lessons. USU;\ ultralight and tows. Free camping.

Price $9').95. Extra finger swirch $19.95 Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (')1 :l) 268,791i6. MC/Visa. Visit our website at

brands. Open days a week. Contact Br:id I( uslmer, PO Box 10 J, Whi1cw:Ht'r WI 5:ll 90 (2(i2) li/J8800 phone, (262) fi73,8801 fox,

www.kitc-cn1crpriscs.co1n

I iANG GL!DINC

ifi THIS

NOTTI IIS

(;ATE SAVERS Send $'i plus $ I s/h 10 Rodger I loyt, 'J'i6 Cleugrovc Ave., C:eutral l'oinr OR 97'i02, (5/il)6(,/i'i'Jl5.

HANG GI.IDINC ACCESSORIES BAR MITTS: EXPLORER No map pocket $/i5.00 NA VICATOR Remov:ible map pocket $55.00 C:OMl'FTITOR Circular map cuff $65.00 CLIIJFR llACS-l !Fi\VY DUTY 600 denier polyester. \Xi'arcr & UV protection. 1110 zipper Reinforced ends. Tapered design. Ccm1in11m1s loop handles. Red or blue. $100.00 CROSS COUNTRY 210 denier nylon, .strong yet lightweight. I/", zipper. Tapered. Red or blue. $'JO.DO Ri\DIU POUC:l IFS Vinyl window. Safc,1y strap. Adjusts 10 fit most rnclios. Velcro's onto shoulder .strap. Red or blue. $15.00 J !1\l<NFSS BAC l,oomy-S I rong-C :omf,ma blc. i\djusrablc waist belt & shoulder s11·aps. Red or hluc.$/i 5.00 $12.00 Sail Tics $1.00 per HJ" Wing Tip Bags $5 ca. or $8/pr. Mi\STADON DESICNS Box 6/,55 S. Lake Tahoe CA% I 57 ('i:10) 'ili2-J85.'3 www.m:isrndon,11c1

World's smallest, MlNI VARIO Clips to hdnwt 01 0 18,000 fr., fast response 2 year warranty. Crear for p:iragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallc1tcc, !'() Box 15756, Santa Ana C:J\, 917:l'i. (711) %6-J 2./iO, MC:/Vi.sa accepted, www.mallc1tcc.co111

OXYGEN SYS'I'EMS

ALL J\CCESSORIE.S IN STOCK! Flyrec 1005, Quautum :330, ca\JI Low prices, fast delivery! (;unnison Clidcrs, 15/i'J County Road 17, Cunnison C:O 812:lO. ('.!70) 6/i I -'J:J 15, http:/ /gmmisongliders.com/ The world-class XC:R 180 operates up ro 3 liours only /ilb. C:omplerc kit with @18,000 ft. and cannula and remote on/off cylinder, harness, Oowmcter, only $.375.00.

IIANC CI.IDER CAMERA PACKACF

Wired rcmorc, includes mount, wide w/inflnitc sL1ndby, auto !lash , :l5mrn auto Super light wcighr 'i.:l o·; c:vcrything you need $189. Complete. Visa (702) 2(,0/950. http://www. virt ualhosts. ne1/skysail/c1nwra.h1 rn 11/\NG GUDIN(; Gll'TS -- I Jang gliding and pa1·agl1d111g gi{(s, including Clnisrnias ornaments, hccr mobiles, :rnd MUCI I MORF. Ctll l,,r a mngs, free catalog! Soaring Drcams/1.isa Tate, 11716 Fairview Avenue, Boise II) B:\7 J:J. (20B) :l 76-791li, /.oolisa(i1>aol.corn

$/i')8.00 US

DOT ap1novcd, w/opcning face pro-

tector, visor & helmet bag. ( :omrnunicuions bnilta•in

17.We

(808) 968-6856, aircotecvilcxcitc.com

l llCI I PFRSPFC:TIVF WIIFE[,S --- Real lilc savers! 12", light, 1rn1gh. !'its all gliders. Send $Ii I .95 t $/i.50 shipping per pair ro Sport Aviation, PO !\ox IO I, Mingoville PA I (,85(,. i\.sk abom our dealer prices. We have what ymt need and we 1./\MIN/\R l'i\RTS arc committed 10 same clay sl,ip[iing. AV8 Call ('760) T2 I -0701 or email at ind:1skyv1'yahoo.com

APRIL 2000

Top Navigato1

WV/W .good-dc,1] .con1/l1cl mets/

(719)

STILL Tim BFST

w/1\cx boom mic & du:il earphones and adaptors avail able. 1-800-SJ<Y I'll.OT (1-80075'! 715/i),

afford new

in our classified

:i9

ifi

TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT AEROBATIC HG PILOT NFEDED 121i6.

mounts

Camera mount $48.50. Camera remote (ask about rebate) $/i5. Vario mount $] 5. 6" wheels $29.75, 8" wheels $34.75 S&H included. TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668. Email: tek<illsnct.net or our page: I mp:// mem hers. rri pod.com/ -·tekfligh 1/index .h uni Hang gliding/par,1gliding. Unique, custom for any size meet 01 budget! ( :all Lisa Tate/Soaring Dreams to discnss your needs. (208) 37(,. 79 I Ii, Zoolisa(ill;tol.com

(803) 3li8

DRACONJ1LY TOW CLUB Tbe .success is in the smiles! Dragonfly kirs available NOW for $10,800! Fully built for $17,800 plus you get Bobby Bailey 10 train you at your site. Call for details. Ken Brown dba Moyes America (4 15) 753-9531 l'lyaMoyes~ilaol.corn

FOR SAJ.F Arizona bang gliding business. Reduced to half price--25K! All wind directions matHnade hill with ten acres. Fxcellcut location close to Phoenix/Tucson and near moumain sites. (;i,tnt shop & stock. (li80) 777-8607. SUMMER IS COMINC

And it's too hot in the southern states. Come to New York. We arc looking J()r sum1ner time hang gliding instTuctors} tandc1n instructors, tug and shop help. TOP PAY, For more comacr Crcg lllack at ('>Iii) 64/.or n1rnwings@)aol.co111

ll!LTON l!EAD ISLAND, SC lkautifitl island Contact Randy Prart (843) ;\Ii 1-· DON'T CET CAUGHT LANDlNC DOWNWIND! 1.5 oz. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'/i" long w/1 l" throat. Available colors fluorescent or llc10rcsccnt pink/white. $39.95 S/H). Send to USHCA Windsok, l'.O. Box L330, Colorado CO 80901-1330, (719) 637 8300, fax (71 ')) ushga@ushga.org V[SA/MC accepted. Check the mer chandise .section of our web site www.ushga.org for a color picture of this awesome windsok. WOODY VALLEY llarncsscs, The best, All Modcl.s--/n Stoel, MOSQUITO Powered harness, Take off from flat ground-In Stoel, ATOS The Best, l lighcst performing, Ridged Wing-./n Stock UGHT SPEED·-·· Second Generation Toplcss-li-i Stod, SATURN Best in class, 'J 'wo size demos-In Stod, Glider Condoms-·····' I 'he ulrimatc glider prorection--/n 5tocl, V-Mitts The ORIGINAL and still the best, NEW for 2000-/n Stock Moyes, Altair, Acros, Ai1wav(\ Airborne (;/iders, !lrmu:sses, I fdmets, Radios, Flight Suits, Whr:els, I )own Tubes, Mountain Wings Inc. www.El.i,.;htschool.n.et. mtnwiqgs@agLcom F.llenvillc, New York ('Jlli) 647-3:377 since 1')8] \Ve will not be undersold

WANTED - Hang Cliding/Paragliding instructors. lrnmcdiate full time openings avaih,blc. Live the California dream.,.instruct students at the San Francisco Bay area's premier training site. Service shop employment is also available. Ask for Pat Dencvan (408) 262- J 055. MSC! IG(tilaol.com www.hang-gliding.com

BAG T'J'! lf you don't h:ivc your copy of Dennis Pagen's J>FRFORMANCE i;I,YINC yet, available through USHGA Headquarters $29.95 (+$5.50 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). US[ JGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901. 1 -800-616--6888 www.ushga.org

HARRY AND Tiff l!ANC (;LJDER is a bcaurirully illustrated, hardcover children's book with liO color pages written for to share the dream of flight! To order: send plus $3 shipping to SkyHigh Publishing, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, AZ 85719 or call (570) 628-8165 or visit http://www.flash.net/-skyhipuh Visa/MC acccp1cd. SOAIUNC -- Monthly magazine of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring flight. Full membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. 1\ox 2100, Hobbs, NM 882/il. (505) 392.J 177.

PUBLICAT[ONS & ORGANIZATIONS

TOWING CALL lJSHGA h,r a magazine back issue order form, From rhc early Ground Skimmer to the present Hang Gliding. (719) 632-8300.

C]assified new life equipment

AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES l lcadquarters for: The finest releases, releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, tandem launch cart kits, etc. THE WALLABY RANCH (863) 421-0070.

Cl.OUD 9 SPORT AVIATION

your cash in

Hang gliding equipment and accessories. Launch carts $500, partied kits (517) 273-8683 Cloud'JSAl'r\tol.com See cans at http:// membcrs.aol .corn/ clou,l 9sa

your pocket. What a deal!

HANG CL/DING

s VIDEOS & FILMS *NEW* TURNING POINT IN ALPfNE TIIERMALLING, by Dennis Trott/Alpine Flying Centre. 50'Yo I JC, SO'Yc, PC. Discover techniques ro tame the elusive alpine thermal. Bcautilid E11ropc'::. mo;-;t dramatic n10tmtaiu!). Also comments from top pilots & great animation. 2/i min $35.95 ( :urrcnrly om hottest selling videol *NEW* AERONAUTS HANG GLIDING MASTERS, by Photographic Expeditions. A documentary of hang gliding today. Superb & interviews. This is the video you show your friends! Ii} min $').').')5. PARTY AT CLOUDBASE A hang gliding music video by Adventure Productions $19.95. HANG GLIDING EXTREME & BORN TO FLY by Adventure Productions, great hg action $3/i.95 each. IIAWAIIAN FLYJN by Space 9, soaring in paradise, amazing launches $.:rl.f)() Call UST !GA (719) 632-8300, fax (719) 632-6/i 17, email: ushga1Z1lushga.org, or order off om web www.ushga.org. Please add .,.$Ii domestic s/h ( ,a$5

M ISC:EJ LANEOlJS

SPEED GLJDING: TEAR UP THE SKIES By Advenmrc Productions $2/i.')5 Covers the speed gliding contest in Kamloops, Brirish Columbia and then onto Telluride, Colorado. Superior graphic anirn:ition, great camera angles. 2ft 1ninutcs.

TELLURIDE SPEED (;UDING Tamm Productions $ l 9.95. Complete covcr:ige event. The sound of' the gliders passing through the control ga1cs is totally awesome. 35 minutes. Call lJSl!GJ\ (71'!) 6:17.8300, fox (719) Ci32-Glil7, order from our web sire www.usl1ga.org. Please add ,$Ii s/h in the llSJ\.

Full color 2:-l''x 31" poster lc:tn!l'ing John Heiney doing what he docs bcsta·I.OOPINC! J\vailablc through lJSI !CA l IQ for just $6.')5 (+$/i.00 s/h). Fill rhat void 011 your wall! Send 10 USHCJ\ Acrobatics Poster, ]'() Box 1300, Colorado Springs CO 80933. (USA & Canada only. Sony, posters arc NOT AV AII.ABLI·'. on international orders.) Sl'FCIALaAerobatics 1>oster & Frie Raymond posrer-ll()'J 'I I FOR $10 (1$1J./5 s/h). Check rhc merchandise section of our web site www.u~hga.org fo1 a color picture of these bcarnifid posters.

two or more videos). Creal to irnprcss your friends or

f,,,. those socked-in days. Pnfcct gift for the launch

potato turned couch potato. Also, ask us about our

paragliding videos!

Your

is read by rnore

than 10,000 hang gliding enthusiasts. Advertise with us today.

Al'Rll 2000

From the Telluride Festival in 1981, to the modern day freestyle competition. Follow the history of' this dynamic gathering. $2/i.95 Call USIICJ\ (719) 632"8300, fax (719) 632-6/i l 7, order J'rom our web site wvvw . t1.111ga,.0tg. Please add "' $1 domestic s/h.

SPFC :Ji\!, EASTFR WEEK OFFER-· 8 days, April 15. 23 $600. I lang gliding & paragliding toms-all skill levels. J\ero, truck towing. Easy flying & smoorh soaring at a beautifiil lake. Volcano flight, XC: or long sled ride from 12,000' to tlw coast. guide, lodging, & more. Tel/fox() I [.!t'J.aH(J!t-,'.L.l)), W'>'IW.lly·f(U,ucmala.,clc

ifi

FTl!ERF!\L SPORTS

Academy of Model Aeronautics www, modelai rcraft.org 800-435,9262

Brilloon Federation o,fAmerica www.bfa.net 515-961,8809

Helicopter Club of America /,\NC WlNG CLIIW,RS- 18 flights. Give 'cm a try! for $'5 Send 10: Zing Wings, PO Box li89, Enumclaw W !\ 98022. www.zingwing.corn

DON'T LEAVF YOUR GROlJND··BOlJND EQlJIPMENT SITTING IN THE GARACE. SELL [TIN TIIF. ll!\NG GLIDING Cl ASSIFIEDS. CL!\SSJFJED !\DVl'RTISINC: RATES The rate for classified advertising is$. 50 per word (or gro11p of characters) and $1.00 per word for bold or all MIN!· MUM AD Cl JARGE $5.00. !\ /'cc of 15.00 is charged for each line art logo and $25.00 for each pho· to. LINF!\RT &. l'I-lOTO SlZE NO LARGER THAN 1.7'5" X 2.25", Please underline words to he in bold prim. Special of rahs $2'i.OO per column inch. Phone words. F111ail or web addrcss<lwords. !\!) DEADLINES: All ad copy, instructions) changes, additions and cancellations must

be received in writing J .5 months the cover make dare, i.e. March 20th for the May issue. checks payable ro US! !CA, P.O. Box I:330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901· 1330, (71 ')) 632·8300. Fax (719) 6:\2,6/i 17 or email: ushga~1lushga.org your classified with your Visa or MasterCard.

STOLEN WINGS&. THINGS !\EROS STE!\ITII 152 Stolen from QUEST !\JR FLIC;l!T PARK, FL on May lsr, I 'J'J'l (last day of the Nars.) Red under, blue tip, mylar top. Call Mark (218) :l')/i. J 227 rnboltglidc(a1aol.com

AT BAG/l'IREBIRD G-SPORT f,

Lost ar LAKE CH FLAN, WA launch area by the towers on May 16th, 1999. AT bag is purple/green, Glider is pink/whirc, Also SupAir pttrple/whire harness, reserve, Piccolo vario, Darren I !:in (970) ')2 5-2ii8:l.

EDEL CORVETTE 21i pc; Stolen from storage locker in CLARI< FORK, ll J on May lith, 1999. !for pink/lime green, wit!, trim tabs. Also GQ secmity chute, bnrgundy vcHcr hdmer w/scvcral site stickers on it (Funsron, WOR, Dunlap, Ed Levin, etc.) And older red helmet. Rhoda, (208) 2(i(i. I 505. STOLEN WINGS arc listed as a ,service ro USHGA members. Newest entries arc in bold. There is no for this service and lost and fotrnd wings 01 equipment nuy be called in (719) (,32-8300 or fax it in (719) 632,(i,j 17 for inclusion in Hang Cliding maga· zinc. Please call to cancel the when gliders arc be purged. recovered. Periodically, this

www.vtol.org 703-684-677'7

lnternationrll Aerobatic Club www,iac,org 800-843,36 l 2

Soaring Socil'tJ of'America www,ssa.org 505,392-11 T7

US. Hang Gliding Association www, ushga.org 719,632-8300

US Parachute Association www.uspa.org 703·-836-3495

US. Ultralight Association www.usua.com 30] .695 .. 9100

National Aeronautic Association www,naa·usa,org ] .. 300.644-,9777

INDEX

ADVER'TISERS

Advcnmrc Productions, ... , .... ,.,,,,, ... ,.A4 Airwavc America ......... ,,,,, ............ ,.,.-44 Altair ... , ............. ,., ...... ,,, .. , ................ ,31 Angle of Attack ................................. 62 Arai Design ............... , ......................... 6 Dan Johnson ..................................... 56 Flight Design .. , .. , .... , ...... , .................. 41 Flyrcc ................................. , ......... ,., ... ,9 I-fall Bros., ......................................... 46 High Energy Sports .... ,,, ................ ,, .. 37 Jusr r:ly ....... ,,, .................................. ,, .. 5 Kitty Hawk , ............... , .......... , ............. 8 Lookout Mtn, Flight Park ............ 24,25 Moyes .................................. ,....... ,.,.,.:7 Neilsen-Kellerman ............................ ,.7 North Wing .. ,......... , .. ,...... , .............. ,36 Sandia Open ................................ , .. .AG Sky Dog Publications .... , ................... 61 Sport Aviation Publicarions ............... 37 U.S. Acros ................... , ......... , ... ,.... 2,50 USHGA .. ,............ ,......... .5,7, 11, 13,30,46,57 West C:oast Aws .................. ,,, .. ,,,, .............. 37 Wills Wing ...... ,.................. Back Cover

Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll·Free: 888.530.9940 E·Mail: custsvc@angleofattack.com Website: http://angleofattack.net

100% G1111r11nteed. If not satisfied, return unused tubes for l 00% money bade Major Credit Cards accepted. OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged. Ad b Potor Binon: B47.640.0171

HANC GLIUINC

@ 2000 ~y Dan Johnson S 1I1. PAUL, MINN·., Late--broaking news includes the 2000 U.S. Nationals now being Lakeview, OR ,Tu1y 16·22. CW Meadows, the contest organi:-::er, broke the news wl1 ch wa hen confirmed from several sources. More ncc,ws as i.t unfolds. Info: :252··480 3'1'52. ••• It' spring i America and all spot:Jightr; turned on Florida where mec?ts Wallaby and Quest dominate the buzz. ••• Of late, nc:ading Davis Straub' Oz Report wbich dwelh; on compelition makeE, some enthusiasLs wonder Moyes sponso:n; L.he webzine ( L.hey don' ) . 'l'he Litespeed' con t prowess has fi ed many online paragraphs. However, recent news the Mexican Millennium Cup revealed Laminar started o 2000 wc,11. 1'hough neiUier was Lhe winnc,r, in both Mexican and earlier Ausl:raJian Boqong Cup competitions we E3aw stronq finishes by Wills' Fusion and Aeros' Stealth. Huh! Her,1 in thee new mi.llennium, if one ignores rig:i d (sure! , try) , all we seem to hear about a.re Moyes, Icaro, Wills, Aeros ( in no particular order, thank you) . Of: course, hc1ven ' t shown up c1s we] l in new-century Seedwings, , La Mouet:tce, Dautek and othen, come to mind quickly the - but·. 1:he Dig Four seem to be qarnering flexwing al:tention... for now. 're the latest and qrea t, the focus ha been on Litespeed and Manfred Ruhmer' s signature MR 2000 ST that repre,,ents tbe inement the Laminar model. For t:hose who want regular contes updates: DavisStrdub. corn ••• any event, just when you think you have il: ficJlJred, along comes that o] d Icaro star, Manfred Ruhmc~r, con to lex winq han<;,J gliding set:, has been spotted an ATOS with a cage. A cage n thi.s case means a structure to which a fairing be, l:ted. Obsessed with reducinq drag, and given Icaro' s representation of the ATOS, Mc1nfred's experimenLation may not be so ,mrp:d.Eing. 'J'hink l:h:Ls a] leged defecUon ha,, any :implication foe wings? As always, buyers make finaJ judgment ••• Yet most market.ing remain aim0,d at fl exwings. Icaro says decided to of er a glider very simil to Manfred' s because they viewed L:his ''bc::,tter than having a lot of enough knowledge in oround with l:.he:i wings and t.ua Uy making them unsafe." Comparing the MR :moo to their Lmninar S'l' Lhey L the following a mylar oversurface; an undersurf:ace with one flat battcm and two extra clot:h ribeo to help better maintain i shape in 1 iqht; longer \TC rangcc, that allows you to reach higher speeds; lower sprogs, correspond:Lnq to tlie longer VC range; and a ::,] modified bal:ten Manfred says, "The handling of the MR 2()()() is :Just good rcc,gular S'r; but offer,; a betLcr and t. is mucl1 to reach

APl~II

2000

Of ourse, you mu,;t be? an , wi tb enougl1 houn.3, " he cauUonc,. Icaro does nol: recommend il: for a who s no interc?sted compe ition. ••• Reqardless of wl1a Ruhmer at \r\la11aby ( sec below), several report a least five European Swifts (f:ully faired, no doubt) wi.11 compE:te in thee Wallaby Open Jal:er tbis month. 've seen these beau ti wingf; buiJ L·. by a Belgian Licensee of Brightstar' original foot·· launched c,ailplane and Lhey are quite thE: works of composite c1rt ( !:hey' re al,;o priced to match). 'l'hi,; should add considerabl spark to the contest. ••• Speaking of: the Wallaby Ranch and their big sprincJ extravaganza, the cont.est may be -- as the airlinc"s so euphemist:i cally call il: have, "overbooked." The contest and got ten so popular that meet s suggested that t.hey may limit. entries to 80 At one report, they had over 1:.:!0 pilots on a lir,t. f you l: to be attend th:i year, you' probably out of luck, but try contact:i ng Laurie at f1y@wa11aby.com. 'm going the f couple of: days and hope to have more views in the 6/()() "Product r,ines." ••• 'l'hose of: you :interested to see wlmt Ukrainian buildc'!r, Aeros, is doing witb Lhcd_r ominou~;ly---named Stalker can SE~e a video on the, U.S. Aeros websil:.e at JustFly.com. Importer GW Meadows says the glider' cl performance evaluations are showing excellent results. Later this monUi, one or more may for the competitions in Florida t.hat have proven to be t.ruc se,Hc;on···opener events that draw ou i-. new t from the U.S. and abroad. I ' t.ry to update this with more news on the new r.i.9i.d wing next month. A Aeros also has a "t:otally new, not jus upgracfod" Stealth Combat for 2000, say Meadows. One jnteresting feature, j in-flight adjusting sprogs that actuate wh0~n you pull on tr1e VC (they .Lower) BuL f:or thoc.;e weekend warriors who don'/: part:ic in con ts, GeeDub aclvis s the Stealth 3, aimed at recreat.i.onal pLloU3. It does not use the droppinq c;prog13. A Meadows enterprise, now rebadged as Thermal Riding Machines, report,; a deal to Speed.wings gliders. 'I'hese are produced by the former Seedwings and add to TRM' offerings rom A s, Airwc1ve, and now Speedwings. U.S. Aeros has turnE,d into a vigorous importer enjoying cons i.derable succeE,s. You have, only to note the number of Stea 1 the, flying the USA to rea 1.b:e this. Lol more info is a,wilabl e on trieir website and J' 11 have more next month. You can even use the telephone, if you' :into 9N So, got new;:.; or opinions? tha L voice thing. Send 'c,m to: 8 Dorset:, Paul, MN 'i5J 8. Messages or faxes to 651··450-0930, or E,end e-mai 1 t:o CumulusMan@aol.com ...but unti] furl:her notice, do not try t.o leave news on ByDanJohnson. com as the site is not yet fully THANKS!

•

F u s

I 0

1 50

THE BEST PERFORMING GLICER WE'VE EVER BUILT. PERICO.

Wills Wing is proud to present the new Fusion 150 SP. We developed this glider to provide our competition team with the highest level of performance. Prototypes of the 150 SP have won the last two annual Morningside Glide Angle contests by wide margins. In its fully equipped competition configuration , the 150 SP has demonstrated nearly two points in L/0performance increase over the original Fusion.And now this glider is available to you.

The Fusion 150 SP features an all new airfoil and sail cut,(now standard at no extra charge on all 150 Fusions}, which significantly enhance both performance (by almost a full point in LID}, and handling. Additional individually selectable options allow the pilot to customize the glider to whatever level is desired. Sail upgrades include premium Hydranet trailing edge cloth, fully enclosed spring tip battens, carbon fiber inserts to support and enhance the leading edge of the airfoil, and an option for an all mylar top surface.

n~§, ..'

,1; _~

Airframe upgrades include afolding speedbar, a faired carbon fiber speedbar, or afull carbon control bar with minimum profile streamlined downtubes, basetube, and narrow gauge, low drag lower wires.

www.willswing.com

USA 500 West Blueridge Ave. Orange, CA 92865 tel 714.998.6359 fax 714.998.0647

LU~

Guality

Nt:i

aircraft

for

exceptional

people.

Europe fassergasse 27a, A-6060 Hall i.T. tel ••43.5223.43747 fax 43746 e·mail: flywills@ping.at