USHGA Hang Gliding December 2000

••• Hang Gliding

Manual ,.

Master the basics with the best book available. Follows the USHGA official training meth.od with rating test study guides. For Hang I, II and Ill Companion Vicleo: St;:,rtlng Hang Gliding by Adventure Productions. A great introduction to the sport 30 min. $29.9.5 (Save.10% on .bo.ok an0yideo when purchased together).

He Towing Alc>ft, by D.

&

Techniques for pilots and operators. Payout winch, reel-in winch, static line and aerotowing. A must-read for all tow pilots .•H

Performance Flying ,.

Gethigher, go further. Insights and techniques for Intermediate and advanced pilots. Includes cross-country, speed'."to-flyand competition •H

Unders.tanding

Get. a grasp on the weather conditions in whiQh you will fly. Includes small and large scale patterns. Knowledge of conditions is the key to safety Companion Video: Weather to Fly by Adventure Productions. How to interpret weather data and more· 50 min. • $39.95 (Save 10% on book and video when purchased together).

•H

Flying with

An incredible adventure book by Judy Leden, hang gliding and paragliding champion. A great gift! Haro back, 24 pages .of color photos

SPORT AVIATION Order of up to $25: $3.95 Order of $25 to $50: $4.95 PUBLICATIONS Shipping:

Order of $50 to $100: $6.50 Contact us for larger orders

Front velcro for easy en I off and venting.

Leng sleeve for cosy in/ oul and warmth.

EXPI.OREll: [warm-comfortable-durable) upper map pocket) detatchable map cuff) 2 grip sizes - colors. (Red, Blue, Teal, Purple) Heavy-duty bag; 600 denier materiol. UV and 1-120 resistant if l Ozipper. Doubled ends. Topered.

CLOSS CQLJOlry: 21 Odenier moteriol Strong and light woight. #5 zipper. Very smash-able. lled or blue Viewable functions. Safety strap. Adjusts to cilmost any radio. Velcro's to shoulder strap. Red er blue.

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MASTADON DESIGNS ~OJOX 6o55 UaKe rahoe, Ca, 9o lol WWW.MASTADON.NET

(530) 542-3853

Po Box 43, Spring Mills, PA 16875 Tel/Fax: 814-422-0589 E-mail: pagenbks@lazerlink.com Web site: www.lazerlink.com/-pagenbks We accept credit cards.

Check our web site for paragliding and ultralight products *** Dealer inquiries invited**·k

ntents (USPS OI7-'J70-20 - ISSN 089'\-43 ~X)

12 Just Say Bo! © 2000 by Dennis Ptrgen An inccrvicw wirh rh<.: new U.S. champ.

16 The 2000 Masters of Freestyle Contest

by Dino DiNaso, photos by John llein~y Another exciting contest in conjunction wirh th<.: San Diego Bayfair event.

22 The Dockweiler 34th Annual Fly-In

by Mike Meier You really should have been there!

30 Lookout Mountain Speedrun 2000

by D11/lid Clover. photos by Kim Shrttt11ck Aerorow speed glidi ng ar Man ' fober's fomous fligh1 park.

36 How Did I Get Into This? rtrtic!e and photos by John Wisemt111

Discovering the spore of hang glid ing, al most by accident.

42 The Highland Aerosports Flight Park © 2000 by Dennis ?agen, photos f~y Fred ,md Raean Permenter A great place to visit and Hy in i\.faryland.

Columns

Departments

Wing Tips, by Rodger Hoyt ............. ..... 6

Ajrmail ....................... ... .... .................... .4

President's Corner, by Dave Glover ..... 10

Calendar of Events ........................ ......... 6

Incident Reports, by Bill B1yden ... ...... 15

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

Product Lines, by Dan Johnson ......... 55

Classified Advertising ............. .. ..... ..... .44 Index to Advertisers ......................... ... .54

COVER: I .,HL· -dav .lLTlllllwi11h at I lihhl.rnd i\nmpllns. Sec story llll pah,. !12. l'hoto hv (,_\XI. 1\k,,dllw., .

CE'.\/TERSl'REAI>: lfra11do11 \Vi ii ,. soil of thL' Lt111011, Boh \Viii,. flvinh a \'('ills \Vinh ( ·011dor al I )orkwL"ik-r

Bcad1. ·"-'"tnl hr 11.11 I k11na11 a111l !{Ill, h:L· lk .'WL' storv 011 pa!;L· 22. l'hoto hv J<>L' i\ld .. ndil;.,_ DISCLAIMER OF WARRA:-.JTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: Th .. 111,11n-ic1l prnrntL'd hL·r,- i., puhli,hL"d ,,, pan o( . 111 i11l~u-111;11io11 di,sc111i11,11iun Sl'rV ill· for l }SH( ;A 11H:111hcr~. !'lie LISH( ;A 111~1!.:.cs m, \.V;lnanliL·s OI' n.:pn.: s<.:Jllatio11s .ind .1ssu1nl·., 110 li.1hility LO IKLTllinµ. 1hc v.ilid ity of .1ny ;tdvicc. opinion or n.·uu11111L'lltLuion ,·,pt'<'""'' in dw 111,11ni.d. All i11divid11.tl, rdv in~ upon thL' 111,11eri.1I dll ,oat tltL·ir llWn ri,k. Copyri1sl11 (c) 2000

...

l lni1nl ~lat L'S I Lt11~ ( ;lidin~ A"n .. I11'. Al l ri~lm rc·S<-rvnl to f l,111g ( ,lirling and i11divid11.1 I , 01111ih111ors .

I

3

Gil Dodgen, Managin,: Edito,;!Erlitor in Ch/('{ Dave Pounds, !lrl Direcro, John Heiney, Ger1'y Charlehois, Leroy (;rannis, Mark Vaughn, 8<1b Lowe Photogmpf)e,:, Harry Martin, /1/u,;/r;itor Dennis Pagen, Mark Stucky, Rodger Hoyt, G.W. M1mdows; Jim Palmieri, Bill Bryden Stn(f Writers (){lice Staff.

Jeff l'lgarl, Advertising, jjelgar1@ushga.org Joa1J11.c Puter~on, Member S,1rvicos1 rjpiJtHrson@ushga.org Natalie Hinsley, Mernbc:;r Se1vices1 njhinsley@ushgnprg Sandrn Hewitt, Meniber s,11vices, slhcwil1@ushga.org

of lhe

Internationale (F Al), o/ the world ,;port aviation. The NA!\ which FA! to the supervision of ,Klivities such as rncord HANG GLIDING magazine is published /or hilng gild·· ing sport enthusiasts to create further inl(,rest in tho and lo provide .ir1 educa1ionill forum to advance methods and safety. C:onlribulions arc wel, is invited to contrib,1le the material is to be rnturn 1m1srb11 rnade of lo other hang HANG GI.IOJNG m,igazi11r1 roserves contributions where necessary. Tlie As<:<'w1a11,,n and publication do no! assume r,,sphnsibllity for tlw nviterJ .. al or of umlributors. HANG GLIDING editor!· al 31441 Santa Pkwy., Suite A·256, Rancho Sanla Margarita, phone (949) 138() ..

7363, fax (949) llBiJ .. 7464, GilDodge11@<1ol.com.

POSTMASTER; SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TQ; HANG GLIDING, P.O. BOX 133(\ Colort1do Springs,

co 80901,1330,

DiCl:MllER 2000 VOLUME 30 1 ISSUE No. 12

NOTAMS AND HANG GIJDING/PARAGLIDTNG Dear Editor, l have had several conversations with local hang glider and paraglider pilots, rhe local sheriff's office, the local FSDO (FAA) and several other people. T want to take this opportuniry to remind everyone that according to FAR 103.20 we (as ultralight aircrafr operators) arc subject to Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs). lt is our responsibility to seek out these NOT/\Ms. Some of the cases in which they occur are in the event of a forest fire, because rhey want to restrict any Aying that might inhibit effective slurry bombing. Note thar even if you stay clear of a restricted area, the spotting personnel may not interpret it rhar way. You may inadvertently be the cause of a fire damaging peoples homes due to slurry bombing being halted because of the appearance that you arc in a restricted area.

Remember rhat perception is usually reality. Let's stay completely clear of' restricted areas (especially in NOT/\Ms) and keep our sport thriving and self-regulated. Thanks.

Mark Ferguson USHGA Vice President

AIRSPEED Dear Editor, l'd like to pass this safety-related thought on to other pilots and especially to rigid-wing Hiers: A Hall·type airspeed indicator will read too low whenever a glider is "pulling G's" because the apparent weight of the plastic disk will be increased. ln fact, it appears that this type of air . speed indicator will actually serve as an angle-of.. attack gauge. for example, if you roll into a GO-degree hanked turn with no change in a11gle of attack, your actual air .. speed will increase by a factor of 1.4, at which point you will be pulling two G's and the apparent weight of the plastic disk will have doubled. (If you do make a change in the angle of attack then you will still end up pulling two G's, but the change in the airspeed will be different.) ff the air . speed increases by a factor of l .4, then the

air pressure inside the tube should increase by a factor of 1.4 squared (equals 2) and so there should be no change in the airspeed reading. ff all this is accurate then a stall should always occur at the same indicated airspeed on the !fall-type indicator, regard .. less of rhe bank angle and G,loading.

But far more important is the observa-· rion that your Hall-type airspeed indicator will read much too low when you are "pulling G's" to pull out of a steep dive. !\ pilot could easily approach or exceed the redline airspeed, and never know it if he were relying solely on this type of instrument to stay out of trouble during highspeed dives, practicing spin recoveries, etc.

Steve Seibel Corvallis, OR

SPEED GLIDING JS COOL Dear Editor, Last weekend T attended a speed gliding event held at Lookout Mountain Flight Parle It was the fi rsr ti me I had seen this type of competition up close and it blew me away. Cross-country events (and the stories that accompany thern) arc really only exciting to 01 her pilots. Acrobatic events have aesthetic appeal hut take place for the most part far from spectators.

Speed gliding, however, is a real head turner, and not just for other pilots. Even the most ambivalent spcoator cannot ignore the laser-like sound of a glider slicing the air while zooming through a turnpoint or across the finish line at unreal speeds. For the general public this is as accessible as hang gliding can be, and surely will result in the widest exposure for the sport since, well, ever. In addirion, I think speed gliding will attract new, young pilots who might sec regular hang gliding as somewhat pedestrian when compared to a sport like skiing which has nurtured an image of "safely dangerous."

Something I thought was great was a rule that penalized a pilot for performing a bad landing. This is excellent. lt is a rule that should be used in all competitions to encourage the best flying at a time when the public is able to see us up close.

Mark Furst Dunlap TN HANC CLIDINC

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840:'iO, lJS;\ • Ma,lc:rcard/VIS;\/C.0.D. Phone (801) 829-1212. Fax (801) 8?9-6.WJ 11'1llhrn,(i1lear1hlink.m·1

Calendar of evcnrs items WI LL NOT he lisrcd if only rcmativc. Please include exacr information (cvenr, date, comacr name and phone number). ltcms should be received no later than six weeks prior ro the cvem. We request two rnomhs lead time for regional and narional meets.

COMPFTITION X-C Challcngt. No entry foes or pn:-rc:gi;,tr:1t1c,n req\lircments. Open ro paraglidcrs, hang gliders, and sailplanes. ]•or more details visit rigid rhc contest's Weh sire at Jirt:p:1·1wwvv.l1anggltd-· ing.org or contact: John Scott (31 O) fax (310) 447-6237, hrcttonwoo<ls(ilcmail.n1s11.com.

UNTIL DEC. 3 I: Fourth li1mzttil F1dcon X-C Cimtest (the fifrh will start in April of2001). and one Prizes awarded in four nat·ional world region (in which all arc entered) in all of three ratinf;·bascd classes: Pro, Am, Rec. No entry fre. Prizes clomtcd by Wills Wiiif,, lligh Adventure, Tek Flighr Products and FalconFlyr.

Sec your local scbool/clcalcr for addiriorrnl prizes.

Visit hrrp://www.angclfire.com/ cr/i nstrucror/fol conxc.html for entry and landing forms which may he submirrcd by e-mail (our 1:or the clccrronically impaired write Flight Products, Colebrook Stage, Winsted, CT 06098 including an SASE and request the forms.

JAN. 14-21, 2001: frJrbes (liustralia) Odyssey.

Prae1icc day Jan I3. A/IA and FA 1-s:rnctioncd WPRS acrotow meet. We will supply tows, you supply glider, low release, retrieval. Tow Clrgani:1,cr: Bill Moyes. Meet Organizer: Vicki C:iin. Essentials: Aero tow endorsement, 1-1 (; FA membership, Cl'S--Carmin or Aircorcc. l·:ntry foe oF $500 includes 1111\irnircd tows and prcscmation dinner. Lasr Forbes comp in '99 had rluce worldrecord days! $HJ() deposit required by Nov. 30 ro secure a spor, balance at rcgistrarion. Make checks payable to Forbes Flatlands 200 l and posr ro: Moyes I )elta ( ;\idcrs, I 144 Botany Road, Bmany NSW 2019, Australia, tel. 011-02-931 GIJG4;j, or by c--mail with credit card. Derails at 1noyesCr1'111oycs.co11 i.aii.

PUN DEC. 3 l: 200 I ,S/Ylff Oclysscy

Blast at

SpaccSrationQuesr. Sec the very latest in gliders and equipment at demo days. Food, drink, live music and flying. ( :omact: 6548 Crovcl:mcl Airport Rd., ( ;rovclanrl, Fl, (352) IJ29-0213, fox (352)429--48!fG, qt1csrair01lsundial.nct.

JAN. 20-21, FErl. 1()--11, MARCH 10 11, 2001: Ammal series o/wi111n)lying trips, C:mes CliHs, Baja, California, 80 miles sourli of Fnsenada, Mexico, ar a IO mile-long, 250--foorhigh clifflocatccl on a deserted Mcxicm bcach.

6

Flying usually starrs before noon and lasts all day.

No facilities, so you will need for the flight to (;\en and Poinr. Surfing is good and is great. Bri11g household donations that can behind for the locals.

Contact: Mike I lilbcrath, (949) 455-0032, ctcamer(r1lusa.nct, or cte:nn(1lbitcme.com.

CLINICS/MEETINGS/TOURS 2000:

!Jmzil 2000. Wonderfol warm in :m exoric setting. Be part of. the

trip to Covcnador Valadarcz, Lxpc1·1ciicctl instructors and guides. Take side-trips to Carnival or any oF the bc:mtifi.1! beaches. 12 $ I ,200 for para gliders, $1,400 for l ncludes room with breakfast and ride lo launch, rcrricval and guided tour. Contact: (77')) 883-7070,

OWENS YAU .FY 2000: Ny with rr \Vor!d C:h11mpion, l 0-rirnc N,nional Champion ,ind X-C: world record holder Kari Castle as your guide in 1hc Owens. Private onc--on--onc or group instruction available. Further your educarion.

Contact: I<ari Castle (7U)) karicasr\c(iilrclis.org,www.11onhwestoi1tdoors.com/fly/ DEC-MARCH, 2001: Valle de Bravo, Mexirn, fly Flying cvc1y day. Per week, in :11 id om on a $895 J IC, $/i95 PG Contact: www.flymexico.com, l-800--8(,1-7198.

JAN. 19--21, 2001: 1rmdem Clinic with the innovarors 0L1erorowing, offered by Quest Air Soaring Center, Inc. with tandem aclministrarnr Russell Brown and lnstrnctor/Adminisrraror Stc'.vc Kroop. t,'.mphasis on aerOl"owing 111<.:thods, techniques and innovations. lhsic/ i\dnncc lnsrructor Clinic as well as CPR and First Aid classes will also be available January 15 through 18. Primitive RV sires, priv:11e, semiprivate and bunk rooms available on sire by rescr-varion. Family members welcome with access to lake, screrned-in pool and hor tub, :)0 minmes from Orlando's rhernc parks and anracAir Soaring C:cmer, Inc. tions. C:onracr: (352) 429-0213, (-\52) 429-48/iCi,

JAN. 20--21, FEB, 10-1 l, MARCH JO .. J J, 2001: Mo:im 2001, Cotes C:liffs, Baja California, 80 miles somh ol' Enscnada, a l 0-milc--long, 250-foot-high cliff on a desen-cd Mcxicu1 heach. No focilirics, so hring everything you need for the flight to Clcn Crater and The Point. Smfing good, flying great! Bring household domrions that rnn be left behind for the loc:ils. Contact: Mike Hilhcrath, (9ii9) lt55-0032, l'tcamcr(tbusa.11et, etca111(iilbite1nc.com.

FEB. 9-11, 2001: l!SJ!GA

by Rodger Hoyt

J

ohn Phillips tows around Kansas City, Missouri and has a hook-knife contingency plan that also would benefit pilots who fly near water.

"You're towing and something goes wrong with the release. You fomble wid1 ir for a couple of seconds bur you're still tied to the tow. Time to cut 1hc line! You grab your hook knifc and ... you drop i 1!

"I thought of this scenario on my last i-ow last season. l now have a lanyard on my hook knife." winclspccd indicator takes the guess· work out of determining if wind velocity is suitable for flying. But what if you don't have one? Use these "rules of thumb" as a general guide for judging wind speed: 0-5 mph: Barely perceptible; ribbons flutter lightly.

5-10 mph: You can definitely feel the wind; ribbons stand straight out. l 0--15 mph: '] i-cc branches visibly move.

15-20 mph: White caps appear on the ocean or large lakes.

20--25 mph: Power lines begin to howl audibly.

25-30 mph: You must lean i mo the wind to walk.

30+ mph: Becomes noticeably hard to walk. ( ;usts will occasion;illy push you back a step. ! lave tl hot 1:~rrwi! rbhoyt<!~~o.com or mail Roc((er Hoyt, 956 Glengrovc !Ive., Central Point; OR 97502. II

Indianapolis, Indiana. Comact: (7 l 9) Cl2--8300.

HAN(; Gtl/)INC

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Of course, you can still order the old fashioned way: Just Fly Aviation Gear 252 480 3552 www.justfly.com 1125 Harborview Dr. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 info@justflycom

II update GUGGENMOS ESC

T

he Guggenmos ESC is a rigid-wing hang glider that reflects the next evo lutionary step after the E7 in the development of top-of-the-line soaring equipment. The ESC (Efficient Soph isticated Camber) spores an under-cambered wing similar to that of high-performance sailplanes . This feature alone gives the ESC a superior sink rate over other rigids even with a 250-lb. hook-in weight. The weight of the ESC is 10 lbs. heavier than its predecessor, the E7.

This is because the 0-tube core is a firm foam similar to that used in the most recemly upgraded rigid-wing gliders currently on the market. Using this particular foam as the sandwich material yields a 0-cube that is more resistant to rack damage and denting. Still, the ESC is the lightest rigid available at 78 lbs.

The ESC finished third at the Quest Air Meet, second in the recent U.S. ationals and third at the Hearne, Texas meet. The aspect ratio is 11.1: 1 and the span is 39 feet, 7 inches. Sail area is 143 sq. ft. and packed length is 18 feet 8 inches. The hook-in weight range is between 155 and 265 lbs.

The ESC has the fastest setup of the rigids in spite of the fact that it transporrs in rwo pieces. One side weighs 32 lbs. and the other side weighs 46 lbs., and either side is easily carried on one's shoulder. Although no one in the U.S. has inadvertently sp un the ESC, it is reasonable to believe that it co uld be done.

One of the unique design features of the ESC is that the spoilers are mounted inboard of the rip, allowing the lower angle of attack of the tip to keep flying even though the spoiler is fully deflected.

Delivery time is currently fo ur weeks from rime of deposit. Call for special pricing based on the current exchange rare of the Euro dollar. For furrher information comacr: Jim Zeiset, Pendulum Aerosports, Inc., 1-800-WE-FLY-XC, email jim2green@aol.com .

RECORD WEB SITE umher Meschkat would like to inform pilots of a new Web site called H ang-Glide.com, where he will be storing and posting all state and flyingsite records for foot-launch, rowing and paragliding, as he has for the state of Arkansas for the past several years. All a pilot needs to do is fill out a short record submission form, and Gunther encourages all pilots to share their achievements for everyone to see.

Arkansas pilots have been an indispensable help and inspiration to him, and he hopes pilots in other states will do the same by sending their records and other requests to make the page as informative as possible. Contact: Gumher Meschkat, Everton, AR, webmaster@hang-glide.com.

G

H ANG GLIDING

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Marketing Hang Gliding

by USFlGA President David Glover ever;1l days ago I sem a long overdue e-mail to our esteemed president, David Glover, to thank hirn for the good job he's doing, and to tell him about an idea that's been rattling around in my head for a while. T'he idea was to adopt corporate partners like the U.S. Ski Team has done so successfully. In order to get hang gliding in the public eye, where it belongs, 1 thought we could identify offteial products. For example, the Chevy Suburban rnight be the official 4WD of the United States Hang Gliding Association. Of course, there arc many companies that have a natural association with hang gliding, but currently they hardly know we're here. I thought Dave could get some of the USHGA marketing team going in that direction, and sec where it takes us. This is how I learned my first lesson; we don't have a marketing team.

The good news is that Dave's been tossing around similar ideas and was glad to get a call from a sucker like myself. He appointed me as Director of Marketing, and asked how USHGA could help. This is when I learned my second lesson.

What I thought was son of a novel idea is actually a mature industry. There arc companies and Web sires out there that exist for this purpose. The marketing folks at the major companies like GM get hundreds of letters like mine every month. However, I think we have several advantages over many of the groups that approach them.

First of all, we arc involved in the most exciting sport there is. We do what most everyone dreams about. Freedom and excitement is apparently the message the truck companies arc trying ro get we can help. In across in their TV ads addition, we're a national organization, and we are there to be spoken for.

Finally, we're not asking for tons of money. If we simply get companies that wam to be associated with us, and use us in their 1 V, radio and print ads, we're way

rn

ahead. Of course, we'll ask them co take out ads in our magazines, sponsor contests, provide equipment, etc., but this is small potatoes to them.

What we don't have is a list of iniluential contacts at these companies. This is lesson three. While l admittedly don't know anything about marketing, l'vc got friends who do. And they all rel! me the same thing. Getting a personal referral to the right person makes all the differe11cc.

This is where you come in. Among rhe members of this organization J'm sure there are people who can get us into just abom any company our there. ['masking (begging) any of you to contact me with such references. Go to your club meetings and ask there too, please. lf I can use your name, great. If not:, f can still use the name and address of the CEO, VP of Marketing, advertising execs, and whatever else you have. E--mail me at rick@ushga.org.

Here is a brief list of the areas we've thought of so far in seeking out corporate sponsors. Maybe you have some ideas of your own. Let me know.

•

•

•

•

•

4WD (Chevy, Ford, GMC, 'T<)yota, Mitsubishi, Subaru, lsuzu, Dodge, Nissan, etc. Who puts trucks to better use than we do?)

CPS (Garmin, Trimble, Magellan, etc.)

Roof racks (Yakima, 'Ihulc, ere.)

Tires (Goodyear, Firestone, etc.)

Airlines (United, American, Southwest, TWA, Continental, Northwest, etc.)

Rental car (Hertz, Budget, Avis, etc.)

Hotels (Ramada, Sheraton, Westin, Holiday Inn, Day's Tun, Marriott, etc.)

Hydration systems (Hydra Pak ?)

Energy bars Soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull, etc.)

Sports drinks (Gatorade, Powcrade, etc.)

1-Iam radios (Alinco, Yacsu, lcom, etc.

T think we're the only ones who really pur them to good use.)

Sunglasses (Revo, Oakley, etc.)

Goggles Timepieces (Swatch, Casio, Timex,

etc.)

Camera (Canon, Kodak, etc.)

Flying/hiking boots ISP's etc. (Earthlink, AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Google, etc.)

Phone companies/cell phone companies (Nextel, Pac Bell, Sprint, MC], etc.)

Long Distance providers (10- I0-220, 1-800-collcct, etc.)

Electronics (Sony, etc.)

I'm sure you can think of others as well. Let me know.

There arc other possibilities too.

US}-TGA has invented a new sport that is mcide ji;r TV. Our Competi lion Committee Chairman, .John Borton, has done an astounding job of turning this into a mature fonn of competition that is ready for prime time. I don't know how many of you have seen the video of the speed gliding events in Austria, Greece and Aspen, but they are something else.

I've been fortunate enough ro work on the X-Gamcs productions several times, and now J have something to show them. I intend to offer ESPN an exclu-sivc for USJ1GA speed gliding comps.

John Borton has committed to produce the comps. Ffe will get the athletes, And a site, set the course, deal with local offlcials, and generally create a top-notch national competition when and where it is needed if we can just get the sports broadcasters to show up with cameras.

When you consider how much of this work is done by ESPN for all other X-Games events, this seems like a nobraincr. With any luck we can even bring a sponsor with us (Red Bullr). If ESPN isn't interested, there's still the Gravity Games. If we offer an exclusive we can help the broadcaster do what they want more than almost anything: distinguish themselves from the other guys. So who out there has connections at the Gravity Games?

I'll close by repeating my shameless plea send me your contacts. I'm sure someone out there was a fraternity brother of the di rector of marketing for Intel, or flew radio--con trolled airplanes with a VP at United. E-mail me: rickCr:i\1sbga.org. Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you.• HANG GLIDINC

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AN INTERVIEW WI'TH

'

. CFIAMP

© copyri,ght 2000 by Dennis Pagen

B~fore this past summer you might have been be excused.for saying) Bo who? But now that Bo Hagewood is the millennium Nruional Cnampion, his name should become a household word.

12

HANC GUDINC

ince Bo represents the every-man pilot who dreams of all the glory, riches and women that befits a champion, let's find om more about his path to vicrory. I\o knows hang gliding.

Bo agreed to sit down with me in the serene mornings during the Texas Lone Star Champs and tell his story. Most of us know Bo as a carefree, happy guy with a charming cackle punctuating nearly every,· thing he says. Better be looking for the end of the world if you catch Bo not smiling.

But he has a serious side as well, which we found out. Let's let him tell the story.

Hang Gliding'- Bo, how does it change your lzfe to be National Clwmpion?

Bo: Well, besides all the movie, book and endorsement contracts Nike, Wheaties, the milk lobby and Odor Eaters my friends carry my equipment and set my glider up (cackle). They're hoping for my good juju to rub off What they don't know is how much I devoted myself to just flying in the last few years. If sloth and idleness arc the root of evil, then 1 guess I made a deal with the devil.

HG: But I assume you went through the traditiontl! hang !;liding school ofhard /mocks.

When did it all begin?

Charranooga 'cause it was easier to make C's, but my pal Mitch Keebler kept pulling me out of classes 10 go flying. It was tough getting through, but somehow I persevered and prevailed. In foct, I got my Hang 4, my computer science degree and my first l 00-milc flight all in tbc same season!

In those early years two friends, I ,awrcncc Battle and Ron Bcnchsneider, taught me what they know. That propelled me upward, so to speak. But in 198G Al Purrell said they needed an exhibition pilot at Grandfather Mountain in North C:aro\i .. na. I was there on the spot with nothing but my 'GG Ford, a bike in the back and a glider on top. That was a tremendous learning experience since I came under the influence of the great Stew Smith. When I first got there I saw Stew launch in 25-mph winds with only Dave Thompson on his nose wire. l was used to a seven-man wire crew at Lookout in such strong air. I did a reality check, took a step back and realized that I was in for a learning experience.

Bo: Well, I was a swdent at Vanderbilt in Nashville and a buddy saw a Kitty Hawk ad in Outside magazine. We went there to get hooked. It was better than sex eel at school, so I stuck. That was 1982.

Afrcr that J went to Chattanooga to work for Matt Taber at Lookout. I transferred to the University of Tennessee in

HG: !lnd how did that go?

Bo: Hah! I learned all right, but [ soon got obsessed with getting the Eagle Award.

(Fditor's note: Grcmdj;,ther Mountain sponsored cm annual meet entitled the Masters of Hang Gliding ,md instituted a limited·edition award series which are collectors items.

HG: /t;e /mown you/or about eightyears, Bo, and you1;e never seemed anything but ti happy-7,0-lucky shy junky. Flow didyou turn into a toe-pointing; competition ace?

Bo: Well, l began flying comps in a Region l O Regionals in 1987 at Clinch Mountain.

I had an Airwavc K4 and my idea was LO learn from the rest of the good pilots in the Region. l learned and survived and the experience sparked an interest. But this interest didn't become a foll fire immediately because I was broke, busy and building other skills. But in the last fow years I have been competing more. My friends Paris Williams and Steve "Rcwo" Rewolinski have pumped me up and told me all they know. Don't underestimate the benefit of personal trainers.

DECTMBEI~ 2000

The first was the Raven Jlward, which went to a pilot whoflewfr1r at let1st an hour over Grandjt1ther Mountain (not 11s sounds). '/ he awt1rd was a urrtutu-,:uu,run print with 300 ctvailable. Then came the Hagle Jlward, to pilots who flew ru least 25 milesfom Grandfather. Only a hand/it! of Eagles were earned before Grrmdfather Mtn. shut down to h,mg f!,liding.) I would take off every day and go for it, no matter whar the conditions. l had two tree landings before l got it. Twenty-five miles doesn't seem like much hut it sure was in those days at that site!

HG: Where didyou go shut down?

Bo: My buddy Crcg Ball suggested rhat we go to the beach there were girls there!

With my natural reticence, I hesitated for a microsecond and said, "Hell So, I came full circle, having started at Kitty Hawk. We got jobs there and I found all kinds of' LOys to play with.

John llarris used to have a prize for anyone who could soar for an hour at the dunes good advertisement. I would go and try every day. It got too easy, so he had to stop it, but then he came up with a prize for soaring an hour along the 20-foot bluff. I did that too many times and he stopped that as well. for a while, though, it

1j

which I forgot to erase, and it was a confu.sion of dots around the start. I was expecting another needless zero! It wasn't until pin .. in that night rhat I could relax and recreate with a third place for the day.

HG: Sounch like too much drama. Were the rest ofthe round, as ang,t ridden?

Bo: I don't know about angst, but it was never easy. For instance, on the third round I was down to 250 feet off the deck. I flew over a bulldozer and yelled, "C:rank that thing up!" Tlic g11y did and suddenly a great rhennal ripped off (apologies to Campbell).

That rnrned into a 1,500-foot··pc:r-rninutc ripper. I was holding on so hard my hands hurr. '!'hat was a big contrast to the mellow Plorida thermals I was used to.

was a great scam ro go soaring nearly every day and get paid for it!

During that period I got my tandem rat·· ing in 1987, and my rng rating in I 996.

Kitty I-Iawk was a great place to be immersed in hang gliding and move up the "corporate" ladder. J\frer rbat l moved to Quest Air where I'm quasi-employed.

rhc good landing fields. But gradually I rnncd imo the place and felt quite cornforr. able. !'111 sure it gave me some kind of advantage.

My goal was to make goal every day and end up in the top l 0. l would have been really happy with I 0th. 'faking first makes me IO rimes as happy!

HG: Welt, that us to the present; so lets talk about your recent (()mpetition ext,eneru:·e.

1-lozu did )IOU move from ti dune dog7,er to tin X-Cace?

Bo: l quit rny com purer job; it's a good sign that I'm not technically oriented. In fact, it took me a long time to learn the reel mi cal side competing all those ftnal--glide, speed-to .. fly, CPS, camera and scoring complications. Two years ago at the Wallaby meet l made goal every day bm I missed start and turn points. 1t was discomaging.

But Paris and Rcvo worked with me 011 the technical aspects and I learned. I'm still learning. You sec, I've always been a natural pilot. All rhc motor skills and judgments came easy. Bm when I have ro add gizrnos ro the equation l get brain-challcngecl.

HG: V0is it msy sailing or a strugvJe? Bo: Oh rmn, ir was really a tough field.

Most of the top U.S. pilots were rhcrc plus Chris Muller (multiple Canadian champi· on) and Sandy Ditmar (multiple Venezuelan champion). Also, conditions were 1musually umcliablc. 1t was very hard to stay up. ln fact, only Rich Sauer and l made goal every day.

On the flrst day J had the same old c,1uipmcnt hassles. My CPS went blank afrcr takeoff: There's no landing 011 top at Sugar ]-Jill, so I was stuck. I shook it and ir went on and off. I got off the hill early on and was the only one in position to take the first start clock. My CPS wrnt off just before I reached the clock I turned it on again and it acquired right ar the gate. I didn't know if I got the start or not. I just climbed to cloudbase and Acw on to goal with a sick feeling. I got there rhird, but I didn't know if! got zero or 800+ points.

Several pilots and I looked at my track on the instrument, but we couldn't tell a thing.

I had a practice flight track log still in it,

or

HG: Did it alljust come together at J,al:eview?

Bo: Well, first I planned to get acclimated to rhc place by getting there early. I found the lift strong and the terrain inrimidat·ing, especially running north from the launch where rhe best thermals arc often out of reach of

14

I-JG: When did you thin/, it wets possible to win?

Bo: Afrer the third round I realized my con .. sistcncy was paying off. Then I began to get the first-place jitters. l was ccsuric, pumped :ind pleased, bur trying not to show it 011 the outside. My friends Paris and Steve were carnpi11gwid1 me and tried ro calm me down and put it all in perspective. Then l had a good day on the fourth round and was in solid first. I didn't sleep much rhat nighr. The next morning dawned fair, but some kind fate made the wind blow 100 hard for safr competition. That was the last day, the meet was over and I was National Champion.

The thing is, I never won a single day. I wok third to sixth, but I was tenacious. Now I'm working on my racing.

When that last day was blown out, everybody beered me down. It was tbe happiest day of my life, no doubt, because I've put so much into hang gliding. The reality is still sinking in.

HG: Well Bo, it couldn't have h1.1.ppened to a nicer guy Now thatyou'rc our national hero, what'., it going to be zuithyou?

Bo: Well, I want to continue to improve rny competition capabilities. Now that Wills Wing is providing me with a glider and Steve Kroop is providing me with Flyrcc instruments, it is easier robe competitive on my meager budget. Eventually; I'll do something else since it doesn't look like hang gliding is going to conquer the world, Bm I'll always fly because there's nothing better.

I-I G: Thanks fi;r your time and your infectious .1/Jirit at the sites where we cross paths.

Bo: SLay high and be happy! Ill HANC GLIDINC

by Bill Bryden, US!!GA Accident

Review Chairman number of fatal accidcnrs has dropped dramatically this year but l am saddened to n:port t-hat on September 9, Ken Bernard crashed at a mountain site in New Mexico and died from his injuries. Ken, while not a USHGA mCJn-ber in recem years, was an intermediate skilllevel pilot who had returned to hang gliding in the last year or two.

Krn launched his Wills Wing Ulrraspon 147 without assistance in late-afternoon soaring conditions with winds approximately J 5-18 mph. Two other pilots in the LZ approximately 1,000 feet below observed Ken perform a good launch. [-Tc turned lefr off launch, then turned 180° back ro the right, maintaining his altitude or even climbing ro a couple of hundred feet: over launch.

A frw mornents later the glider turned right 360° and then banked even harder, entering a spinning/diving motion. The glider impacted into the hill about 120 feet below and left oflaunch. 91 I assistance was summoned and the two pilots in the I Z rushed to Ken's aid. Seven or eight miles of rough Forest Service roads to launch signific:1mly delayed their arrival. Ambulance assistance was fi_irrhcr delayed by the remoteness of the site and interference by police who speculated this was going to be a body recovery thar could wait unril morning instead of a rescue.

Ken was conscio11.1 when they arrived, still hooked in and extensively injured. ! le was removed from the hillside in the dark through the heroic efforts of the two pilots, a landowner and two arnbulancc attendants who ignored the police officer and came up.

Ken was eventually transported by helicopter ro a major hospir:il bm died about two later from complications that a neck injury created for his brain.

Inspection of the glider on the hill the following day did nor reveal any wire or other structural failure beyond what the glider likely suffered from the impact. They did find a significant bulge in the right-hand leading edge pocket. The leading edge Mylar insert was rolled under and rhis extended from the nose outward about four or five feet over two or rhrec bmtcns, an exccprio11ally long tuck. The prior owner of the glider had previously experienced a Mylar tuck that produced a strong turn in the glider.

Presumably, this Mylar bulge was overr

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DECEMBER 2000

looked during the preflight inspection and resulted in a rigl11 nirn and wing stall.

IZcportcdly, Ken was previously made aware oft-his potential problem several rimes and the need to check for this when preflight inspecting the glider.

There arc a couple of important points pilots should note from this t-ragic accident.

'T'hc need for a complete preflight inspection cannot be overemphasized.

During your inspection, always, always, ,ilways run your hand the foll length of both leading edges and sight down each wing to check for irregularities in the leading edge.

This is nothing new. Touch and feel greatly improve the quality of your inspection process.

C:arefolly read your owner's manual. I examined an owner's manual dated 1992 that mentions the care required during batten insertion ro avoid fdding the Mylar under. In the section on preflight inspections it very clearly addresses rhe need to inspect the leading edge Mylar and boldly warns of the consequences if the Mylar is folded under. This problem is not new and can potentially occur with virtually any glid-er possessing Mylar leading edge inserts, which most performance gliders have. rr in the event you fail to dctccr a folded Mylar and then launch, there arc several things to keep in mind. First, fly the glider!

Becoming preoccupied with the resulting turn can distract your attention. Since a turn will generally manifest irself right after launch, terrain is likely nearby and artcntion to flying the glider is paramount. Pull in for extra speed. The Mylar distorts the leading edge, disrupting the airflow over the wing, resulting in a turn and a stall speed for that wing higher than normal. Higher airspeed will minimize the effects of this problem :rnd the glider might fly close to normal at higher speeds. Be aware when landing that the glider will stall earlier than normal and will have a tendency ro drop a wing. Approach with lots of extra speed and plan 10 run out the landing with little flare.

If the rurn seems ro worsen when you pull in l<ir exrra speed the cause may be a luff line hooked under a batten, especially if the glider wants to pitch nose up, or it could be something else. Ease rhe bar our gently, slowing back down, and assess how rhc glider feels. Loosen the VC to foll loose if it is not already there. Select a large and hospitable landing field, preferably with people nearby, and land immediately.

Realistically, you aren't likely ro handle the glider correctly simply because you read a few commems here. Test pilots regularly experience gliders that fly strangely, and readily manage handling problems worse than those caused by folded Mylar or hooked luff lines. You only gain these skills through experience. Don't tuck the Mylar and then fly the glider for practice; that would be smpicl. Rather, during every flight, fly and maneuver the glider through a range of speeds to develop and maintain your feel.

You can do this on every flight in conjunction with practicing your parachute deploymenr sequence. Oh, you didn't learn the chute stuff? Attend a good chute clinic; even experienced pilots will learn a lot.

Some gliders, even different sizes of a given model, may be more or less susceptible ro Mylar rucking. It is especially likely to occur when setting up a glider with the rail into a strong breeze. The wind pushes down on the upper surface and causes the batten tip to press more aggressively against the lip of the Mylar as it is inserted. According to Mike Meier, Wills Wing has been working on an engineering modi/-1cation that, while not totally eliminating rhis possibility, very significantly reduces it. Wills Wing has fo1md that hy cutting a U-shapcd scallop in the trailing edge of the Mylar inserts where they cross each batten pocket, the likelihood of the Mylar folding under while inserting a batten is greatly reduced. They arc presently working on documentation and tooling to effect d1is modification in production gliders. In addition, older gliders can be rnodi-ficd and likely most other brands of gliders as well. Keep an eye on Wills Wing's Web site for more details as they develop this and we'll report progress in this magazine as well.

Finally, one of the pilots who rescued Ken speculmes that the injury to Ken's carotid artery, ultimately precipitating his death, might have been caused by tbe bottom of his helmet rotating into his neck.

This is pure speculation, bur reinforces the importance of a helmet fitting snuggly with a good chinstrap. Jt must have strong cheekbone and jaw pads to prevent helmet rotation on your head and foce.

We hold Ken and his family in our thoughts and prayers. We wish healing for them, Ken's flying comrades and his two parrncrs who were there. Keep Ken in your memory every time you set up your glider and preflight inspect it. As a tribute ro him, don't let this happen ro you. B

15

It had all started many years ago, high in the Rocky Moun tains while I competed in my first aerobatic hang gliding contest. We had waited for hours on the takeoffat 12, 000 feet for launchable conditions. I gasped for breath in the thin mountain air as an icy cold rain began to fa ll. inally, it looked like we were going to fly. The wind was about 20 mph and coming over the back of a much caller peak in front of us. We were launching into a very steep canyon behind that peak. As I stood there with my glider, my flying instincts whispered to me that this was all wrong. They were interrupted by some madman pilot behind me yelling, "Ir's good now! Take offi I'm pushing!" That's when it happened. I felt the pain of my wet hair being frozen to my scalp, and was struck by a vision of a freestyle contest being held at a sunny seaside resort.

Fast-forward to now. We are here in San D iego, California, home of the fantastic Bayfair event. We had performed a bunch of "crowdwowing" freestyle flights here last year and now our goal was to hold the Fifth Annual Masters of Freestyle Comest. Some of the pilots and crew were gathered at our luxurious event headquarters (Denny's) for a preliminary pilots meeting. I was glad to see so many believers attending and to hear that so many more were en route. No matter how much rime and expense these events require, it's stuff like this that makes it all worthwhile. We passed out the maps, event information, comic books and contest rules, then got down to business.

"Okay you guys, " I said, "First things

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first. Now pay attention, I'm only going to show you the Masters of Freestyle secret handshake one more time!" morning we clambered to get ready as the implications of merging the schedules of the Bayfair event, the

Masters comest, and the local airport's flight service fully manifested.

We would need to have three trikes, three towlines, two row dollies, nine gliders (rigged with smoke), eleven pilots (with weak links and releases), five judges, three ground crew and our announcer ready to go at all rimes! Our goal was to perform as many safe rows to 2,200 feet as possible within a given 30minute rime slot, and we only had about three chances each day to do it. One limiting factor would be that we could only safely accommodate two trikes on our little airfield at any one rime. Even I

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could do the math without takin g off my shoes. With nine competitors and four rounds, we n eed ed 36 tows to comp lete the contest.

We originall y had 11 competitms entered in the contest. First Eric "th e C lock Boy" Delf called to say th at he couldn't m ake it because he had sprained his ankle while landing durin g th e first round of rh e recent Aspen Freestyle C ontest. H e added this clever and odd ly poignant quote, "Imagine my surprise, when I saw th e plan et!" Then Ron Young call ed to ex plain th at he, 1) had unwittingly shot a nail through his hand , 2) didn't have a glider and , 3) couldn't miss any more work! I invited him to com e out on Sunday and do an ex hibi tion fli ght in my glider for th e opening ceremonies. It looked like our regular "fl y boys" were droppin g like, well. .. like fli es.

Next it was Mitch McAleer who was trying to weasel out by citing finan cial reasons. Mitch is a smart guy, and can be a bit stubborn at times, so I was going to have to think up something rea ll y juicy to co nvin ce him to stay in th e contest. l told him that I'd talk to th e honchos at Wi lls Wing and see if they might be in terested in sponso ring his entry fee. (They had already given him a slick new Fusion to fly.) H e kn ew that I'd been teasing John Heiney for a while, chat ce rtain pilots who have blond hair, were par ticularly intellige nt and fl ew hi s creation , th e Predator, were actuall y his clones. With this as a premise, l gave Mitch the fol lowing pep ta lk to inspire his attendance: "You ca n sit th ere on yo ur exc uses whi le Doctor H ein enstein and his ba nd of merry, brainiac, aerobatic clon esters tries to take over the freesty le world, or get up off yo ur butt and do som ething about it! Then,

18

when yo u are older and more gri zzled , and yo ur children ask yo u the question, ' What did yo u do in the war daddy?' yo u'll be ab le to lift yo ur su nken head proudly and exclaim , 'So n , l destroyed the aero-clones at th e Battle of Bayfai r. ' And they' ll say, 'That's coo l dad. '" Let us not forget that the Bayfa ir eve nt is set up to showcase power boat raci ng. San Diego hosted its first Un limi ted Power Boat Race in 1964. Since that tim e, the Bayfair event has grow n to beco m e known as th e "World Seri es of Powe r Boat Racing." From th e fire- b rea thin g drag boats to the outboard- powe red "cracker boxes," Bayfair has racing for l l classes of boats. As I remember it, Batman was the first person to success full y use a supercharged turbine engin e to power a speedboat. There have bee n lots of improve ments made to th e technology sin ce then , and in 1995 the world-record 2.5-m il e qu ali fication lap for unlimited hydro plan es was set at Bayfair by C hip H aun auer at over 172 mph!

When the unlimiteds were racin g we we re gro und ed , but it's just as well, beca use watc hin g those monsters skip across the wate r is a sigh t to behold . T hey wou ld co m e blastin g our of the south curve w ith th eir propellers, rudd ers and skid fin s being the on ly parts still below th e surface of th e water. The rest of th e machine rides above the wa ter o n a cushion of air trapped in th e tunne l betwee n the two sides of the boat called spo nso ns. The big hydroplanes are th e "money'' part of th e show; th ey definitely instill res pect (a nd fear) in anyone sittin g close to rh e race co urse. Wh en these howlin g behemoths com e sliding toward yo u, four abreast, it's hard not to look fm a place to run !

The introduction of a freestyle han g glidin g contest mea nt th at there was neve r go in g to be a dull moment for th e spectators. But we needed more than co mpetitors for this contest, we needed so m eone to cue the crowd when to stop sta rin g at the water and watch the sky instead. We needed so meo ne w ho understood han g gliding, and had an engaging an noun cing style. That so meo ne was "The Juggler Your Mother Warned You About," Mark Neisser. T his guy has it al l. H e is a profess ional entertain er (http://nizer.com) , as we ll as a han g glid er pi lot. H e can juggle li ke a demon and is a wh iz at standup comedy - in short, th e perfect guy to commentate our ae rial highjinks. Fi rst, M ark evaluated th e dynami cs among the other, more dominant boat- race announcers in the rower. Then he lea rn ed when to use his juggler's "fast-as-a-cob ra" hands to d eftly snatch th e mi c, then wisecrack and spew inform ative musings about the goings on in the air.

We we re also gifted with the presence of Red Bull's sup er event coordinator, Lucas Murdock, and his trusty sidekick Donovan.

They looked at our primitive stagin g area and d ecid ed to give it a cora l makeover.

T hey erected a nice big tent compl ete with ca rpets, beanbag chairs and a Red Bull ca nshaped cooler, full of iced Red Bull energy drink. Our enca mpment took on the air of a desert ca ravan. The Arabian illusion was completed with harem s of fresh -faced Red Bu ll girls who wo uld dri ve up daily in th eir liccl e Red Bu ll -mobil es to restock th e cooler and flirt with the pilots.

The fo rmat of th e Masters co ntest di ctates that all competitors must arrive at the aerobatic performan ce area know as the "box" at th e same alti tud e, and chat th e fl yH ANG G LI DING

ing conditions should be as smooth as possible. We use aerotowing and fly at sea level rn accomplish this. This would be rhe first time that "llungary" Joe Szalia ancl his family were not going to he towing for the Masters. We all trnly missed them at this event. Our acroww tugs fr)!" this comest were to be three rrikcs, and our pilots were all experienced professionals. Out of Phoenix, Arizona limped Brad l ,indscy, an inventor and the founder of the "Brad lbtccl Safety 'lcsting Institute." horn Bloom· lick!, Colorado came James "JT" '[i·ujillo, veteran acrobatic hang glider pilot and ,illaround nice guy. From Pasadena, California rissprang Joey hcsquez, one of ing stars and a general in the Aero Fvents air force.

Soon the sound of throbbing Rotaxcs filled the air as rhe E-' Icam's most normal member, Dave Biddle, set his Sensor 011 one dolly, while that legendary Harley rider from Illinois, John Heiney, placed his Predator on the second dolly. '] 'hcsc two great pilots were to lead our three-day acrobatic parade into the sky. Being the ltrst clay the COntCSt, WC were all moving a bit OUt of concerr with each other. Soon, om first short time slot was up and instead the predicted six weight tows that we were expecting to do, only a few pilots had flown. When the next time slor came, our luck turned sour as the two main trikes were grounded due ro some silly mechanical problems.

Then, Joey Fresquez saved the day (as he often docs). He lef't his glider idle and jumped imo his trike. Although his was less powcr/'u I than the other trikes, Joey did a line job of keeping us going while rhe troll·· bles with the others were sorted out. How· ever, by the time rhcy were ready to fly again, our time in the sky for that day was over and we had only completed eight tows.

We were all disappointed with ourselves as we realized that everyone's grncral lack of readiness led to rhe first day's foul-ups, The pilots and launch assisLatlls got ,1 somewhat severe debriefing that afternoon. I ordered everyone to drink two Red Bulls and get wirh the program!

The next day, a rested and ready team had assembled at the airs! rip. These people were different than rhc losers who had been bumping imo each orher the day before.

These guys were on rime, and darn near flawless as rhey launched flight after flight, like the crew ofan aircraft carrier that was under attack. Brad and JT became men

or

or

DFCEMllER 2()()()

possessed with the idea of a fast, funky and smomh rowing groove. l twas a good thing that WC Were using lOW dollies instead or foot-launching, or else they would have been pulling pilots right out of their shoes!

Once high above the middle of the bay, the glider pilots would st arr their smoke, then pull their releases while the trikes would peel ofTand spiral down. Diving straight down at the ocean always gives me that cool goose--bump feeling, like when I hear the start of the old "Hawaii 5.()" theme song.

A super sound system was wired around rhe entire bay. Mark Ncisscr was ever ready at the rnic and got his announcer mojo working (i.dl blast. The huge crowds watched the gliders dive and then flip upside down. They responded to the spectacle with alternating choruses of cheers and stunned silence. I know it sounds weird to imagine a crowd that could fill several stadiums reacting to hang gliding like rhis, hut thar's whar happened. The mild-mannered likes of' Morgan Hall and Bill Soderquist were being transformed imo supermen here. Ir was near to imagine that this must have been similar to what those Aussie birdrncn, Bill Moyes and Bill Ben. nett, had experienced while performing so many years ago.

But this wasn'r a show, it was a conresr to be sure, and wirh each flight it became

clearer which pi lots were emerging as the leaders. Rounds two and three were finished before we knew ir, and we had additional rime slots available for this day only.

With the streamlined way things were going, we could easily continue into round four and finish the contest that afternoon.

Thanks to our ground crew of Jim Robison, 'lcny Ellington, "Rad" Dan Prichett and Rosario, Saturday's very succcssfiil Oying turned out to be a complete reversal of Friday's flascocs.

We called a quick meeting and decided to go for round four and made a plan to do exhibition flighrs only on Sunday. A smile formed Oil the face or our principal judge RC Dave Freund, as he was visibly pleased with the progress of the contest. Our other judges, Scott Stewart, Eric Del( Sreve Stackable and intern judge Rich Pruett, did an omstanding job. Although unable to fly, Frie I )elf had volumccrcd to serve us as a judge this rime around :md brought with him his many years of expert freestyle know- how. I laving freestyle pilors as judges in these contests has certainly benefited the validity of the competition and enriched the experience of everyone involved.

19

All of the pilots were displaying good flying skills. ft would take rhe keen eyes of the judges to discern the sornetimcs-subtle differences between flying styles. The contest was rounding out with the competitors bunched into scoring groups, the lowest pan of the point spread seeing that guy Dino trying to catch Bill Soderquist while jockeying to stay ahead of the "new kid," Sebastian Lutges. Morgan Hall, John and Joey wrestled for the next positions with Dave right on their heels. That modern-day Da Vinci, Juan Corral, was away in Japan, but before he lefr he told Joey that he could "test··fl y"l. · 11s new M oyes J,1tespccd.

Juan has served as a judge for all of our past contests. 'fhis time he could only supply us with his excellent artwork for our event T-shirts.

Joey flew Juan's glider in the contest, displayed some impressive acrobatic flying :mcl certainly gave the glider a very thorough testing! It was a close race fcir first place with both Mitch and Bill 1-!eancr flying exceptionally well. But Mitch was consis-· tcntly throwing bcautifi.il rolling maneuvers past 180 degrees, and Bill was not. The judges were impressed with this, and were awarding Mitch with slightly higher scores.

Bill needed a change in strategy and he needed it fost! During the last round he had decided ro go for some big rolling moves, and in the middle of one such maneuver found himself in a potentially disastrous, inverted predicament. We all gasped together as Bill's glider paused upside down, then began ro slide backwards over 20

its smoke trail! Like any good aero pilot, he pulled in and hung on to the bar like a monkey on steroids. 'I 'he glider then lazily flopped over and rcrnrned to level flight.

Withour missing a beat, Bill then displayed the focus of a true competitor hy putting his glider i1110 another dive and returning to his flying routine.

The truth is that "gening slow" or "hanging" is something that happens to all freestyle pilots. We saw it during rhe flying of no fewer than three other competitors in this contest alone. Tr is accepted that at any time even the best pilors can occasionally lose their investment in inertia. These episodes can be as simple as a slight wobble in flight path near the apex of a maneuver, or, under the most severe circumstances, can result in a total loss of control with rhc glider rumbling and breaking. Let me make something clear here: Pilots who choose l"O fly within the acrobatic realm must do so knowing the risks involved. Tbe mauufoc-· turers' certification placards arc placed on the gliders for a reason; they clearly state the tested limitations of the aircraft.

So, why have there been freestyle contests held every year since 1981? In my opinion it's because no matter how much we have advised hang glider pilots not to attempt aerohatic maneuvers, a few pilots have always fol t the need to do it anyway.

By holding freestyle comcsts we arc acknowledging that it is possible for pilots to master the skills necessary to safely per-· form these maneuvers, and we create a

forum in which those few pilots can come together to share and expand their knowledge of this type of flying. ff anyone who reads th is feels encouraged to learn freestyle flying, know this: It is "fools play" to attempt aerobatic maneuvers without expert advise. I must also strongly emphasize that freestyle flying is a dangerous undertaking, and that most pilots are better off enjoying the cha!Jengc and pleasure of hang gliding without it.

On Saturday night Mark Niesser bid us farewell and jetted off to his next gig. Providence again smiled upon us when freestyle flying pioneer Eric Raymond appeared at our staging area, and then made the mistake of shaking my hand. He was immediately drafted as our new announcer for Sunday's flying. We had been asked by the event coordinator to put on an extra-special aerial display during Sunday morning's opening ceremonies. So, we concocted a scheme to slap as many smoke bombs as we could on the gliders of Ron Young, John Heiney and the newly christened Bill "I !anger" Heaner. Tl~en, we'd attach the towlines to their chests and fire off all three trikes. At altitude the trikes would join up in an extended triangle-like formation to present a three-way freestyle funfest.

We had been trying our best to ignore the huge stage that was being erected in die area opposite the end our airsrrip. That evening, the frightening truth of its purpose was revealed as the Masters contest mutated imo the dreaded "classic rock concert that wouldn't die." To our disbelieving eyes, we watched in horror as the Beach Boys and the T\.irtles were resurrected to play their hit songs one more time. Sure, we had all heard those songs a million times before and, okay, so we did know all of the words.

But did they have to torture us with those queasy medleys too? Then, mercifully, it ended, and joy of joys, the fireworks began.

The concert goers stayed over on the far side of our taped-off runway, but some of the girls from our bunch ran up to the fireworks fall-out fence. Overhead the sky was filled with giant blossoms of flame, while black bits of hurnt paper rained down. The girls began screaming with delight and danced wildly before the fiery spectacle.

Seeing their gyrating figures silhouetted against the flashing brilliance, it was easy to imagine them as wayward "fire nymphs" sent to beguile us.

At about half past nine on Sunday morning, while doing a qualifying run at f-lANC CL IDINC

close to 150 mph, unlimited hydroplaue driver George Stratton's 6,500-pound hoat, the Jeronimo, launched 50 feet imo the air, and George was abruptly called to attend that big boat race in the sky. 'I 'hen, the morning low clouds that normally would have dispersed at about 10:30 somberly hung around umil mid-afternoon. The opening ceremonies had been scrapped, and I asked rhc pilots if they still wanted to go ahead with the three-way flight if we got the opportunity. They agreed to stay ready, and as soon as a large blue hole marerializcd over the hay we scrambled the trikes.

Joey was our front rowing Ron, with John and Bill behind the trikes of JT and Brad. We looked up to sec the six little aircraft Aying steadily toward the show center.

Mother narure had evidrntly seen enough and suddenly drew a curtain of clouds becween our ulcralight strike force and the crowds on the far side of the bay. Prom our base on Fiesta Island we saw most of rhc stunt and it looked awesome! With smoke pouring from bOlh sides of the control bar and the end of his keel, Ron pinned off and began practicing his famous "Sky Ape" flying system. Soon afterward, John and Bill released simultaneously (clone telepathy?) and beg;m to streak through the air in a quasi-synchronized acrobatic ballet.

Throughour rhc event, Lorraine Corkic and Rod Mitchell managed our booth with the help of several hard-working members of rhe San Diego Hang Cliding Associa-tion. They all pitched in and did a great job of rcprescnring the right-side-up type of hang gliding and the USHCA. Oh yeah, did I mention rhat the comest was finished and that we had our winner? Well, it was Mitch McAleer (who dreams of doing stunt work for Mentos commercials). The rest of the competitors fell in line behind him at our somewhat shorr bm sweet awards ceremony on East Vacation Island. The event organizers handed us some swell trophies, some cold cans of· Budweiser, then shooed us off the stage. Then we toured the unlim-itcd pits to marvel at the assemblage of speedy water-going machinery.

Later, during a discussion about the possible future of the Masters contest, John Heiney gave me a very serious look and said, "We have done well with establishing the Masters comest, hm you have failed to implement one of my most important ideas." I scanned my memory, and then told him that I was sorry bnt l couldn't remember what the important idea was. He DiHMllER 2000

TiiE 2000 MAS'rERS OF FREESTYLE HANG GLIDING

Plttce Pilot

1) Mitch McAlcer

REsur;rs

Glider

TbtalPoim-s

Wills Wing Fusion

2502.8

Bill Beaner

Altair Predator

3) Morgan Hall

Altair Predator

2442.6

4) John Heiney

Altair Prcdawr

2438.9

5) Joey Fresquez

Moyes Lit:cspeed

6) Dave Biddle

Secdwings Sensor

7) Bill Soderquist

Wills Wing Fusion

8) Dino DiNaso

Altair Predator

9) Sebastian Lutges

Moyes Super Xtralight

shook his head and said, "You idiot, we should have a bikini comest!" I looked ar my longtime mentor and said, "When you 11rs1 told me that, I must have thought you were joking. It might be a good promotional angle. I 'II consider it more seriously now."

It was true that we had all thought up, then executed plenty o/'scrcwball sky stunts when the Masters was held for the first three years in Rosarito, Mexico. Back then, in that more liberal cnvironmcnr, we presented an cnrire "Light Airshow" and included all manner of flying foolery. Now we were concentrating on the freestyle con-test exclusively. Aero Events is a collective consciousness wirh input encouraged from our many members. We have been invircd back to Bayfoir in 200 I and arc getting more ideas all the time as to how we might

2330.9

2200.2

improve the event. Maybe l'm wrong about this, hut I don\ think anyone will want to sec John Heiney in a bikini!

Hihe ,1erot01.r) pilots James 'li·ujillo, Airbornc/Northwing trike; Brad Lindsey, Juan/Saber trike; Joey f<'resquez, Juan/Nortbwi ng trike Principcil_Judx;e--~- RC Dave r:rcund Associcaejudges Scott Stewart, Eric !)elf; Steve Stackable Intern juc:<r;;e Rich Pmctt Ground Crew Jim Robison, Ellington, Rosario FV! lJSHGA booth manager, Lorraine (;orkic Announcers )\!lark Eric Raymond !II

21

THE

DOCKWEILER 34th AN

by Mike Meier

It was 9:05 AM on the morning of September 9, 2000 in Southern California, and I had just transitioned from the northbound 605 freeway to the westbound 105, headed toward LAX airport and the coast. I was thinking to myself, "What am I doing?" It was a Saturday, and Saturdays fo r me are fo r two things: catching up on sleep or catching up on work. Instead, I was doing neither. was headed for Dockwei]er Beach for some sort of reunion fly-in, which had sounded like a great idea when I'd first heard about it bur now seemed like just another obligation on the one commodi ty of which I was in perpecuaily short supply: time. What I didn't know was chat I was about to experience a significant readjustment of my perspective.

W hen I pulled into the parking !or at D ockweiler Beach there was already a smail crowd on hand. People were setting up gliders along the flat area on top of the dune.

At a table under a yellow tent, ocher people were signing in and getting name tags.

I

22

The event was che Dockweiler 34th Anniversary Reunion Fly-In. The 34ch anniversary pan referred to che face chat Richard Miller flew here in 1966 in a bamboo-airframe and plastic-sail Rogallo wing chat he called che "Bamboo Butterfly." The term "hang gliding pioneer" gets thrown around somewhat loosely these days - I've even been referred to as one, which is fla ttering, chough nor accurate but Richard Miller is one of the true hang gliding pioneers. In the mid-1960's, what Richard MilJer was pioneering was che whole concept of foot-launching a Rogailo wing. Richard had spent his youth in the

l 930's indulging a fascination for flight by building model airplanes from 10-cent kits , and reading magazines like Model Airplane News and Popular Aviation. Later, as a free-lance correspondent, he wrote articles for several such magazines, mostly with an emphasis on soaring. Sometime in the winter of 1962-1963 he was to meet John Worth, who had directed much of the Rogallo research conducted at NASA Langley. John sketched our the basic plan for the Rogal]o wing, and Richard, in his words, "rook off and ran with it." In the summer of 1963 he was to build a threefoot model Rogailo. Later that year, in Hayward, California, Richard built his first full-scale Rogallo hang glider, the original Bamboo Butterfly. After a few "runs down minor slopes in proco-flighr," the Butterfly was put into storage, to be retrieved in 1966 for the flights at Dockweiler.

By 1967, Richard was receiving random inquiries about the Bamboo Butterfly. In response, he drew up some simple plans and mailed chem out to those who inquired. In the summer of 1970, Jack Lambie built a biplane hang glider called H ANG GLI DING

JIVERSARYREUNION FLY-IN

Harry Martin's old Fledge. Phot'i7 © 2000 by Melindti Kelley.

Leroy Grannis, one ofthe sport's great photographers. Photo by Gil Dodgen. the "Hang Loose" as a project for a summer-school class he was teaching. The early fli ghts of the Hang Loose also generated widespread interest, and requests for plans.

By early 1971, it was to occur to Richard that there were at least three hang gliders in the Southern California area that he knew of, and there might even be a few more. He suggested to Jack that they organize a meet in celebration of the 123rd anniversary of Otto Lilienthal's birthday, which happened to fall on a Sunday that year. In the end it turned out it wasn't three, or six, bur more than a dozen. And so, on May 23, 1971, on a hillside in Newport Beach, the event was to take place which most hang gliding historians credit as marking the birth of modern D ECEMBER 2000

hang gliding as a sport.

Joe Greblo had organized the Dockweiler 34th Anniversary event, with a great deal of logistical and administrative help from Lynn McLaughlin, in part to celebrate the reopening of the site. Joe and his wife Kris are the proprierors of Windsports, one of the oldest hang gliding schools in the country. The low, gently sloped, forgiving sand dunes of Dockweiler Beach had been, for years, their training sire. Ir had also been a place for early designers to try our new ideas, and a place for pilots to take their first flights on new equipment. I had taught myself to fly there in 197 4, and in early 1975 I went there to try out my new Wills Wing Swallov.rrail and Simpson prone harness for the first rime. I hadn't been there since.

Starting in September of 1986, the powers that be in local government decided to prohibit hang gliding at Dockweiler Beach. At that time, Joe began what was ro become a very long process of working to reopen the site. Ir took almost 14 years, bur early this year Joe's effons were finally rewarded when Windsports was granted a use permit ro operate the hang gliding

concession at Dockweiler. He credits the invaluable support of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and LA City councilperson Ruth Galanter with helping to make the dream of restoring hang gliding to Dockweiler Beach a reality.

On May 3 1 of this year, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Dockweiler marki ng the reopening of the site.

The event received wide coverage by the local media, and several reporters, afrer watching the student flying activity on the new, ultra-slow-flying Wills Wing Condor training glider, chose to try their hand at flying the dunes under the supervision of W indsports instructors Andy Beem and Noah Ponzio. The event was a significant success, bur since it had been scheduled for mid-week to accommodate the schedules of participating members of local government, it was not able to attract the broad attendance within the hang gliding community that Joe had wanted.

Joe began to plan for a second event, which was to become the September 9 Anniversary Fly-In. His goals for the event were primarily rwo-fold. One, he feels (as do others I've spoken to) that we in hang

23

de1;e/oper ofthe others in the !Jere Millerflies Butterfly" in 1965.

The reunion brought out 11 wonderful assortment ofolcl ,~liders.

The Tshirt says it rd!. Photo @ 2000 hy Melinda Kelley 24

gliding liave not taken enough care to preserve and recognize om history and heritage. He wanted the Dockweiler event to be a way to say "thank you" to all the people from the very earliest days whose efforts and vision made what we have today possible. Second, he wanted it to be an opportunity for old friends to get together and have a good time.

After finding Joe and saying hello, and then signing in and getting my name tag, l went to work setting up a couple of gliders. I had brought a Fusion 150 SP competition ready with an all-Mylar sail and carbon-fiber, streamlined control bar for display as an example of the curren1 flex wing "suite of the art." Rick Zimbelman, our purchasing agent and plant manager, had brought up two vintage Rogallo wings belonging to Murray 'fravis (USHGA #403). One was a plasric-sail and aluminum-frame Rogallo that Murray had built in 1972 and flown from sites like Crestline, Sylmar, Palomar Mountain and Dante's View (Death V1lley overlook).

The second was Wills Wing #015, the 15th hang glider rhat Wills Wing produced, built in early 1973. I hadn't known Murray until about a week before when he showed up at the shop and said he had heard abom the event. 1-k bad called Chris Wills, ,rnd, well, he had these old gliders in his garage, but no way ro get them to Dockweiler, and Chris had told him to call me. He showed me some pictures from the early days, and some anicles from the very early Ground Sfdmmer (later to become Hang Glidini) magazines.

In those early magazines were stories of flying trips involving Murray, Bob and Chris Wills, Chris Price and Kurt Kiefer.

In every arride, after Murray's name, was always written "age in parentheses.

Age 57 in 1973. You do the rnzith.

There were dozens of other people setting up gliders by this time. Ken lfowclls and Rob Kells were helping Wills Wing designer Steve Pearson set up a couple of new Condors that Steve had ordered rnade for the event. The Wills Wing Condor (not to be confused with the old UP Condor of the late 1970's, which many younger pilots wouldn't even remember, but which was also represented at Dockweiler that day) is a special-purpose training glider that Steve designed earlier this year at the prodding of San Bernardino hang gliding instructor Rob McKenzie.

Like many other instructors have done, HANC GUDINC

Rob had made a lightweight, large-area, first-day trainer by rebuilding an old Raven 229 with a lighter airframe. He wanted to go even larger, realizing that an even greater ability ro launch easily at. low ground speeds in light, smooth wind conditions would greatly enhance the training experience for students. !--le asked Steve to make him a sail and sell him some tubing.

Steve recognized that if it were done right, such a glider could really contribute to growth at the entry level of the sport, and decided to put some other design projects on hold temporarily so that he could commit adequate resources to the project. The result eventually became the Condor 3:30.

It's 5:3 pounds light and 330 square feet big, flies at a few mph above walking speed in any kind of breeze and gets about a 9: 1 LID. Although not "vintage" in any sense, it was an extremely popular glider for flying that day, as anyone who wanted to, pilot or not, could ger a gentle and anxiety-free flight down the dunes with a little help from an instructor or two on a side wire. Andy Beem was even able to soar the 25-foot, 3: I slope with it when the wind picked up ro all of about I 0 mph.

There were, of course, plenty of vintage gliders. There were actually two bamboo and plastic gliders, derivations of the original Richard Mill er Bamboo Butterfly design. One was a 197:'l model, built originally from Bamboo Butterfly plans in 1972 by the then 15-ycar--old Pete Plumb, and later in 1973 redesigned, modified and flown from sites around Bakersfield, California as high as 500 feet. The other bamboo and plastic glider was built at Joe Grcblo's request especially for the event by Richard Seymour and Steve Wallich. Joe had some plans, published in Texas in 1967, for something called a "Bat Glider."

Richard Miller confirms that these were copies of rhe plans he had originally drawn up for the Bamboo Butterfly, though he was unaware at the time of their existence.

Pete and Dave Plumb, Roy Haggard, Rich Grigsby, 'fom Peghiny, Joe Greblo, Bryan Allen and many others got flights on the bamboo gliders during the day.

Among the other vintage gliders represented were the Icarus 11 and Icarus V (both designed by 'faras Kiccniuk, Jr. in 1972 and 197.1), the Easy Riser, a BFG, an Eipper-Formance Cumulus VB and a Bennett Delta Wing Mariah, both with sails hand painted by Mcndij, and other DECFMllrR 2000

en Hang Gliding n1a.gazlne, editor Gil Dodgen aske:d rne if I would write rt:rddc ab0ut t:his event, I agreed .relu(tandy. My reluctance came from knowledge that I would inevitably failtQ captm:e or eo1wey the scope, the and the significance of the event for .those who were there. I knew that in the end would be able to write primarily only of my own experience of the event, and there had been mo.re tha:11 300 di/:.ferent s11.ch experiences that day, all of them as and as important a.s mine. Th those of you who were there, l ap()fogize. I ap(:,1011:12:e especially .to thos.e who brought vintage gliders whc)se .names, histories and dons I h;1ve not. even 1m:11tio11ed here .. If I had gone to the event with chat it was to be my job to report it, I coqld h,tve spent a lot more time talking you, and getting your stories. As it was, I was there rr1ostly as a spectator pant, and spent most of my time just enjoying the scene. I wished I had had, made) or taken the tim<~ to speak with more people. (I know from s.everal e-mails that I'm not the only one who

thisway.)l3ut I didn't, sq there jt is.

article, then, is written mostly for those qf yql1 wlio weren't there, and hopefolly conveys at least a litde. of th,-; flavor of the event. Ilor those who would like there is a 10-minute. vid¢q

of the day avaHable from Windspom. They

have a limjted supply cif titimbei:e<i l l" x 17" colo1; reproductions of th_e I1arry

tin artwork. Either one .i.s avail.itble fora $10 don;tdon, plus shipping and to the LA County Lifogltard Youth Programs. Call

dling, with proceeds tq

sports at (818) 988-0111 wlt:h your credit card number, or send a cl1,"ck and a

wi.th yoµt· m1uest to. Windsp.orts, 16145 Victory Blvd., Va11 Nuys, CA 91406.

1970's gliders from Bennett Delta Wing, Eipper-formance, Seagull Aircraft, Ultra· lite Products, Manta Wings and Wills Wing. Modern gliders included the l;usion, a Brightstar Millennium and an Atos. Most of the gliders that were brought were flown at least a few times during the day, and some were flown almost continuously. 'E1ras and others flew the lcarus V, and on the best flights glided almost all the way to the ocean.

Chris Wills took several flights on Murray 'fravis' old #15, and even challenged Rob Kells to a glide distance contest. As Rob prepared for his first flight, Chris confronted him with "the rules": "Kells, we have ro do this right. When this glider was flown, we flew wirh no helmet and no shoes, and thar's the way we have ro do it now. No cheating." Of course, Chris had already bad several practice flights, and as a result was able to out··glidc Rob by all of about seven feet off the 25foot dune. "VICTORY!" he shouted, and his triumphant joy simply could not be comained. Chris also gave a few lessons on the glider to his daughter Kelly ("Run h::ird, run, RUN, pull IN, push OUT!" bang!), prompting the observation that his

teaching skills hadn't improved much in 27 years. Several others got flights on Murray's glider, including Steve Pearson and Ernest Feher (USHGA who dis-· played remarkable retention of the particular skills required ro get a glider of rhar meager level of perfonnancc to really fly.

My wife I.inda and my 17-ycar-old daughter /\my had decided to come out for rhc day, and l had mentioned to them that if they wanted, they could probably each get a flight on the 330 Condor. I had thought just to grab an instructor to help me out by running the other side wire while we towed them from near the bottom of the slope for a nice, easy, no-pilot· skill-required flight. I happened to grab master instructor Pat Dencvan of Mission Soaring, who willingly helped me tow Amy and then I .incla into the air for their flights. After that, however, Pat had other ideas of his own. "Ah, I don't think I really need your help on this next one, Mike," he said in his best how-can-you--be-insult· cd-when-1 'm-smiling-so-·genuinely manner. Only mildly chagrinned, I stepped back and watched a real instructor deliver a 1()-minute lesson that had Linda soloing, all on her own, and nnder full con25

Chris Willr instructing dau,~hter Kelly: "Run f/flrd, run, RUN, pull!N, push OUT!" --- bcmg1

trol, on her third flight. 1t was a real tribllte to Pat's teaching skills, to the special qualities of the Dockweiler site, and ro the capabilities of the Condor.

Frank Colver gM to fly the Condor, and loved it. ln fact, it inspired him to become entlrnsiastic about getting back into hang gliding, not to fly rhc mountains or soar midday thermals at high altitude, but just to come down to the beach and go ground-skimming for the fun of it. And we talked about that (<)r a while, about how it ought to be all right for this type of flying to be hang gliding for some people, without it being only useful as a step toward something bigger, more difficult and more dangerous.

Srill later in the day Suzette Wills and her son Brandon also had a chance to fly the Condor. Brandon looks so much like his father, the late Bob Wills, that it's downright uuserrling at times. Suzette, at one rime, had folt cornfonahlc enough in ,! hang glider ro fly as a stunt pilot. l n a scene early in the 1976 Hollywood feature film, Skyriders, while flying tandem with her husband Bob in a Wills Wing Swallowtail, she unbuckled her seatbelt, climbed down a rope ladder suspended

Nl()to byjoe !!ldendifh'.

An Incomplete List of Attendees

John Lake Ernest Feher Su'.(.ette Wills HrandMt. WiHs

Arthur "Bi.rdm,rn'' Bean Russ Velderrain . JohnMcDonald Dr, Pau] MacCrc,ldy Gary Valle 'Iyler·MacCre,ldy Matt Colver Brad Hall Bryan All.en Davc·Kilbourne Bob Joe Gr.eblo Rex Miller Kris G!'eblo 'E1ras Kkeniuk Sr. Donnita Hall 'faras Kice11iuk Jr. Mike Riggs Andy Beem MikcArra1nbide Bmke Frank Colver Te:d Ancona Lee Gardner Robbie Skinner Adkins Mike, Linda a.nd Phil Ray Amy Meier Gil DQdgen Rob Kells Ibm Peghiny 'T<)tn V~1yda Jeff Pegh.iny Bill Watson Leroy and Katie Pearson Grannis Lisa and Kelsey Pearson Keith Nichols Richard Miller Gc.orge. Radmiller.

Roy Ffaggard Walt Neilsen Bill Bennett David Vincenr Chris Wills Pat Denevan I<elly Wi.lls Pork Roecker

26

Brian Porter Phil. W.11Tender Lynn Miller Wa.rrender Rkh & Sherry Grigsby Barry Gordon Kevin Kernohan Klaus Savier Bob Van WS,goner crnbert and Ines Roberts Dugan Yeakel H.mdWhite Bob & Bonnie Ski1mer Mark West Bob Ihmpenau.

John McVey Scott c;. Spure Yusuke Yamni.ake

'Jcmi John Lasko Dusty Rhodes.

Guy Lindberg Dudley Mead

Harry Manin Ed florton Rich and Betty Pfeiffor Wayne Yen tis Follman

Eric Raymond Pete Plumb

Dave Plunih and Ma.rilyn King

Jirn .Griff1s Mark "Foxgcrn Stucky Joan Stucky Bob Throriburg K.enny Westfall Michael Ren1cnih Jeff Campbell Judy Neilsen Cunningham Lars Isaacson Mike "Pelican" Helms Melinda Kelly Linda Vcldcrrain Richard Velderrain Richard Seymour Peter Van Den George. Stebbins Fred Weirunan.n Supine Jim Hc:aton

Jerry Carson Matt Hlavac 'fodd Bohlm,111 Milford Wayne Donnldsoh.

BiJl La,pworrh Dale Lofton Gregg P,)tronk Gary and. Leslie Rosry Russ.

Ric Lee I:fob.Reynolds

I<lehr Bob Chise Roh<?rt. Coffmari Mary B f)a:hlsten Mik~: Knipp I,i11c:oln. K1°0Il R<'.lm.e.Dodso.n Megret Stief

J Shelley Murray 'Jiayis Russel D. T'ravis Paul Ciotti

Mike Dowdall and AnnMa,rie Mort)s

Rid1%1rd Allisen JeffCarlisle Al Bowers L)oug Clark David Rt.dz

Alan S<!kayama HANC CLIDINC

below the wing, and hung upside down by ber knees with her arms 01itstretched while Bob flew 360-degree turns. Tt)day, standing at rhe top of a very gently sloping part of the training portion of the dune, she was just a trifle anxious. Bur she flew, and she loved it. Brandon had no reservations, only complete enthusiasm and a smile a mile wide.

The gliders, the site and the flying were amazing. What was more amazing, however, was the incredible group of people who showed up for the event. By Joe Creblo's count, more than 300 people were there, and much of the lis1 reads like a veritable who's who of the formative years of hang gliding. Ar one point I was walking along the top of the dune and glanced over at a table nearby. Sining at the table, talking like the old friends tha1 they were, were Richard Miller, Ray Morgan, !;rank Colver and both "lams Kiceniuks, Junior and Senior. A linle ways away was Dr. Paul MacCready. h1rther down the walkway, scattered among the crowd, were Bill Bennett, Arr Bean, Russ Vclderrain, John Lake and Dave Kilbourne. J was struck hy the diought that it must have been at least 25 years since R.a:y Morgan MarkAxen StcVt'. Wallick .Ken and Ursula Howell.s Bob Wirth Jerry Katz Chai,fos Golden Rick Perkins Dick Snyder

Colin Perry Danny Black Alan Clrnculate Mary J{obson Dave and Katie Ganzer Tom O'Brien Viet Ti:an Rick and Zimbelman Bakct Kit and Susan (:arson Adam Swetnick Noren Med<

Icarus V,feet up and headedfor the ocean. Photo by foe Aldendifer. this many people that were this important to the foundiug of our sport had been gathered together in one place at one time. Then J thought, "No, that's probably wrong." The 1ruth may be that never have this many of our sport's founding fathers and pioneers been gath-· ered in one place at one time. And then I thought back to my early-morning doubts as to whether this day would justify itself as a worrhwhile use of my time.

Suddenly the error in my earlier thinking became clear to me. The rime thar I was so concerned about wasting derived its very value From the fact that every once in a great while a chance would come along to spend some of it being a part of

.Russ Richard

Grant Hoag Steve Clark and Family Miguel De Jesus

Grant Smith Matt and Kathleen Spinelli Russ and Jay Farber Jim Fawcet1· Steve ;:;clmster Granville Ames Beals Steve Corb.in Dan ,md J1,dck ldy

Daisy Palacios Yves Lempereur Liidwig an.d Lama Von Der Luhc Jeanne Boyd Bob Palosocik Aldendifcr J:·:figgins

Bill Dill David FrQschauer

Smith

Dan Fleming Larry Paul Csengeri Greg and.Stefanie

Azabo Nor.rnan John Volk

Flolcomh Tim, Wan.da and Kyle Thrner

Jacki{~ Tercel!

Dan A1:mstrong Rick Gustavson Kimo Ward

Douis a11d.T)iane Durand Bill Gray & Family GerakLPoppy Mark Harrah

Jqhn }falcrow

Matthew Winn

David Low Biff itnd Renkert DiegQ Miralles

Wayne Spani Dave Mackinder Finbar Sheehy John Rittenhouse

E and Jennifer Faulknel'

John Scott

Joey hcsqucz,Jr.

Jim Mart

'fom. Cornelies

Oliver Limacher

·toby Jack Mackie

DECEMBER 2000

David Ductor

a day like this.

As rhe day wound down, the attendees were called to gather around for a few ceremonial presentations and an auction. It was announced that the City Council had issued a proclamation designating Scptem· ber 9 as "Hang Gliding Day" in the City of Los Angeles. Afrer rhat announcement, Joe Greblo tried gamely rn carry on the proceedings, but the simple fact was rhar he had almost completely lost his voice.

No such handicap afnicted Granville Ames Beals, who willingly rook over as emcee and auctioneer. Granville read a letter pioneer profrom Joe Faust (USHCA moter of the sport of hang gliding and edi-

Marty Bivens John Steve.ns B<>b Wyler H9ward Vem1illfon

Andrew Ainslie Lisa and Rist HmHy B.rown Larry Chamblee Will R:amsey Mike Foutch Kimbe.1:ly Winick ManhYee Nicholas Stonawski Maynard Pog11e

Gtii:aldSobel Ba1:tm, I)avidson Bob and B.etty Buxton 1(,ue Freemantle Prankl:farm.on

Aaron Est1:ada Ike B,1yrahtor

Hill Wy,lam Hen Albert }Lins

Beller Sandy VAi1 Brunt f)avitl Jebb Juli Hroclc.Connoy Dan .Fitzgerald

Continued on pt1ge 40.

Owen Morse

Joe Engelhardt David Simmonds David M; Bu.ti.

I{rad "Huba" Elze Steven Alan Pry James Gardner Robert MU!lngton Tanm:iy Bu1:car John Greynald Rich Schleicher Charles Ray Lee 1<:ltn .Harrison Chris L;ee JohnKifl~

T\:ade 'Terrell Hucken RC Dave Freund Lynn McL,aughlh1 Lisa Wendi: KeHy Vinolus

Mark Neisser Gil L.ev:ine

27

Lookout Mountain I Speedrun 2000 THE MOMENTUM SWITCHES: SPEED GLIDING VISITS THE EAST AND DOESN'T WANT TO LEAVE.

by David Glover, photos by Kim Shattucl::

With the frigid dawn air hanging perfectly still the drum-tight wing contoured the top of the forest canopy likes a bobsled Standing at the 11

finish line, stopwatch in hand, I thought, lf]B Uohn Borton) gets any 11

lower we're gonna be pickin' leaves out of his teeth. Suddenly, a 11

II

whacle reverberated across the valley and a shower of ice cascaded

through the branches and settled onto the frosty ground. An awful thought flashed through my mind, '1s ]B's glider coming apart?

30

11

t started in G reece during the Speed Gliding World C hampi o nships. As we waited in t he earl y hours for th e li gh t winds to switch and become safe to launch, pi lots often noticed that course conditions could be perfect for hours whi le laun ch conditions were miserable. " Why not row pi lots up ?" l wondered.

Upon return to the sta tes I quickly proposed to Marr Taber that we run a speed gliding com petiti o n at my home site, Lookout Mountain Flight Park, to test the th eo ry.

In its short history, U.S. speed gliding h ad so far bee n confined to the steep, rather barren slopes of the West. Because of this, top speed gliding pilots tend to reside nea rer the "p urpl e mountains' majesty" than to the C umberland Pl atea u, and loca l speed glidin g coursese tting kn owledge is in short supply.

Only G.W. Mea dows from Ki ll Devil Hills, North Caro lina has been ab le to break into the ranks of th e "fast guys" to co mpete with the West's Best. While the vital infrastructure co mponents, cons ist-

in g of rugs and a moumain , were undoubted ly in place here, G .W. won dered aloud if an interes cin g co urse co uld be sec along th e rather featu reless face of th e Lookouc Mountai n ridge. W ith h is and JB 's offer to he lp with the co urse layout, we decid ed there was on ly one way to find our for sure. And hey, if we we re go in g to be trying new scuff, we fi gured we might as we ll go fo r broke and add seve ral oth er new ideas to th e mix.

All speed glid ing competitions so far have bee n run using th e "round" format , in whi ch each pi lot takes a run in turn and th e times from each round accumulate toward the fina l elapsed tim es. Bad lu ck and unforeseen circumstances in one round ca n ruin a who le co mpetition fo r a pi lot. W ith the avai lab le Aex ibi li ry of aero towing we opted for a mod ifi ed dune- racing sco ring structure, wirh only a pil ot's bes t rwo rim es counting towa rd rhe sco ring. Thi s allows a pi lot ch e Aexibi lity to stand down if co ndition s are not to his liking wicho ut cost ing him a chan ce at the wi n. In addicion, to co mDECEMl3 ER 2000

bar rhe dreaded ba ll as t wars, pil ot scheduling conAicts and rule pro liferation char have in ev itab ly broken out at speed glidin g contests, we imp leme nted a "land ing adj ustment" sys tem. It wo rks like this: Ba ll ast within yo ur abi li ti es and land li ke you shou ld - no adjustment. Drop to yo ur knees or otherw ise lea ve yo ur free and you get a three-second adjustm ent.

A whack is anoth er three seco nds and bent aluminum is an add itiona l fo ur.

After a frantic T hursday of course preparation , Friday morn ing dawn ed to perfect co ndition s. T he co urse had bee n designed to th rill the spec tator at the top with a d iving 65 mph co rksc rew entry thro ugh a ga te located at the Lookout launch ramp, followed by a tight right/ left chi ca ne in front of the crowd of spec tators. Th e crank and bank quickly gave way rn 55 mph+ ca rpet racin g ac ross ch e thick rreetops and Bu rkha lter Ga p Road. The ft na l sec tion of the co urse combined the best of speed glid in g - fast and low, 70 mp h+, dipp in g and dancing wingtips srrattn g above the

bran ches befo re breakin g out into the LZ and a hard ri ght turn befo re th e fin al cl ash to the fini sh lin e. (T he winning time on ch is co urse would average almost 63 mph, whi ch placed it right where the co urse des igners were aiming.)

Sadd le up boys; let's go racin g.

It was the co mpetitors' first run on the course and JB, runn ing just over 70 mph in hi s Aeros Stealth , was slippin g across th e ca rpet of leaves li ke a wet bar of soap on it's ea rl y mornin g trip to the pr iso n shower drain . On ly on e obstacl e lay betwee n hi 111 and th e sa fety of the LZ. O ne lon e tree. One lon e t ree slightly ta ll er than the others . On e lon e tree which had fa ll en ea rly and hard for th e gui le of autumn and given up its robes of gree n for barren nakedn ess - nakedn ess hid den from view by th e shadow of che mountain . JB saw th e one lon e tree too late for evasion and simpl y Aew ri ght th roug h th e m iddl e of its reachin g upper tend rils. Afrer th at, we referred to him as rhe "hedge trimm er. " App lying a regulation that is used out west and lovin gly

31

referred to as the "Kenny Brown Rule,"

JB disqualifled himself from thnt nm because of the contact, and thus received the first flying penalty of his emirc speed gliding career.

1 'he first session ended a couple of hours later wi tb the experienced speed gliding pilots impressed with the quality of the course and the new pilots psyched for more. 'JcJol kits appeared as rips and tricks were distributed and anticipation

for the next session built steadily. Time for improvements.

J;unny how the hovering threat of a landing adjustment makes pilots settle to earth in a more refined manner. ·rhe Saturday morning session began and two things were clear: everyone was getting faster and lauding adjustments were now on everyone's mind. Statistics prove it; pilots who care, land better. JB turned in the fastest time of rhe meet so far,

l: 16:39, and the 1.ookout pilots began vying for the "Fastest l .ocal Pilot" title.

Curr Warren and 'Jerry Presley were going fast. David Giles, who just showed up and started on Saturday, was quickly learning the course and coming up fast.

The Lookout piJocs were battling it out with progressively smoother, cleaner and foster runs. Saturday evening also offored perfect racing conditions and the pilots went at it again.

now ...

My high fotish at t:hc Woddsgot rr:re kind;i got in the way of "''""''h"'" c,,~v,,d gliding meets and I

tr,tvel act(lSS our <lWll connV,Jm1chl.e,ss. 1:1:\etar corners ofthe

A,,i ... ,,. ,,.,;,.h

dd,more speed gliding. Imissed

'Ie1lruJ;id1~ rrteet in· '97 and a co\tple

invited to the Iled Ifoll Speed Run in

Aspen ,tboufamonthfatei,::\nd ag\linJ was.hicky enoughw fo1ishthir4<m.the mo.st frm ,m~rse l'd ever flown; (Some folks thought: r:he comse w;1~~ ritits 1 bud, asYveU ~ts others, .thought XtwaSsp~ctanr~ Jar.) I.won $.l,000 at tf1:;it m~!et.

John B01:wn, J)ave .Glovefahdifoive

I srarted rn.thinkthatI was probablygetti:ng behind the curveandorher folks would now be much better at it than I would ;1r1·vw,1v. so why continue? stmnner of 1998 had me at. Sun n"''"·'"' 131'.itish Columbia, (lan\l.da, and decided to: enter the meet that was being held there. AfterJust obe success" ful ·r6w1d 1 fi 11.ished secnnd against

noticed the media opponunitieswith mqderf1 speed gljding, but we req)gnized that one ofthe biggest di:awb<1c.k$ is th,11 ir re.lies on launch conditiqns befogright.

At sever;il of the meets mentioned.ab~)Ve we had mdng conditions but; cbttldn\ safely get the fieldinto tbe air:The answer to rhl,5 dilemn:1a w;i,s, of frnttse, aero towing,

Geoff.Dosset:o.r aecompllshed. racer), so I decided that mayhe I was once interested. J won $JOO for my

dose

32

We needed to pi:()ve the viability qt aeJ'.OfOWing in ;) real speedgli~i11g .IC<JJ,llt;:C>t, so Dave, being in pr9i;:i1nit;yto Looko11t Mtn. FHghr Park: began on Mar.t 'faber, owne.rqfth~pa1•k1 ~11~1 was able to co.nvi11,ce Mact. t;o l~(tt!lgive h· a tty there.

fo1;kln.g

Hi\NC Cl IDINC

As the Saturday night complimentary competition barbecue got into full swing, the scores were calculated. Everyone was looking forward to learning their entry position going imo the Anal Sunday morning round. There was a very surprised frontrunner in C.W Meadows (of course, flying a Stealth), as be had never led a meet. G.W and JB were in a battle for first and were separated by less than three-quarters of a second. Everyone congratulated G.W for his fine performance and slipped off to bed.

Well, almost everyone . .J B, in his usual competition mode, laid awake most of the night working on a plan to make up the deficit. Ile was happy with his rnns but felt that no pilot had yet unleashed the secret of the very technical entry section of the course. Crafty X-C pilot Mike Barber had commented on this section, and JB decided that Mike might just be right (no, he won't tdl us the secret).

Sunday morning dawned ro find anxious pilots waiting in line for rheir chance at the run. 'Tugs and pilots both were going through their warrn--up routines. rfowlines were connected and tightened.

The clear signal was given and Jack Axaopou los opened the fl nal session.

Bodi Jack and G.W. waived off their first round early in the course, Jack because the cold air was making his eyes water and G.W. simply didn't rhink conditions looked good enougb to improve on his already fast times. Pilots in line watched lO sec what JB would do. Everyone wanted to race but not in conditions that could threaten safety. JB dove into the course and never let up. Ile crossed the finish line with more speed than ever and nearly ran out o/'land i ng zone before touching down perfectly just four feet in front of a row of 12 newly built condos.

The top flve positions were highly contested. Competitors began scrambling for their last chance to improve their rankings. Pilots now started flashing down the mountain and getting right back in line for another run. Most pilots got at least three nms in that morning and no one wanted it to end. As scheduled, promptly at I 0:00 J\M, the tugs were shut down and scoring sheets were collected. Final results were withheld from rhc competitors pending the awards ceremony so there were a bunch of pilots holding their breath while tcarillg down their wings.

DEGMllER 2000

LOOKOlJT MOUNTAIN SPEED.RON

Place

1

2

Oc;;TOBER 2000

COMBLNEQ FASTEST RONS

Pilot "JB" John Bortmi

Mc;idows

l

Acros. Stealth

:3

Curt Wam~n

4

Presley

Aeros Stealth 142

5

David Giles

Aeros Stealth 15]

WillsW]ngFusJon 150

1:21:48 1:2:3::34

J :28:20 .1

2:58: 17 6

Jack Axalopolous

Aeros Stealth I 42

1 12 1:31:38 2:59:50

7

Buddy

Aeros Steal th

1:38:50 1:39:,38 3:18:28

8

Dean Funk

Wills Wing Pusion 1 50

1:39:24 I :50 3:21:14

9

Ron Knight

Airwave Extreme 14

1:52:02

2:03:19

10

.David Demars

Wills Wing Ram Air

1

2:01 :21

fn the end, JB had saved his best for last and turned rhe three fastest mns of the meet that fl11al morning. G.W. Meadows did what no other pilot in North America has been able ro do in the last two years: JR a scare by leading him imo the last round. Cun Warren, flying a Wills Wing Fusion, earned local Speed Cod status by coming in a very respectable and strong rhird.

Special thanks to the volunteers, withom whom there would have been no event: Bob, Brian, Collccn, Curr, Dale,

Dean, G.W, Jamey, JB, Jerry, Joe, Judy, Kirn, Larry, Lori, Mark, Matt, Michelle, Ron, Scan, 'fom, and a Few others who did as much or more than a nyonc else.

For more information and pictures about the evem visi l h ttp://www.hanglide.com/speed, another cxcellcm Dean Funk-designed Web page.

Author David Glo1Jer mtlJ' be contacted at: (706) dm;id(fMrwic~~!over. com. Ill

33

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article and photos hy John Wiseman

In the relatively short time I have been flying hang gliders I've had the opportunity to meet and talle with many pilots. One rfthe topics that 1 find most interesting is to find out how my fellow pilots initially got interested in the sport.

ow, this is all very unscientific, as I don't take notes on launch or record audio tapes in the but from what I remember the typical responses arc something like this.

• Tsaw hang gliders in a movie or on tele·· vision and liked what J saw.

• I had a friend or coworker who constantly told me how wonderfol it was to fly.

• l l!sed to visit an area where hang gliders flew, and it looked like a fon thing ro try.

• Prom when l was a child, birds and their flight capabilities fascinated me.

• I used to have flying dreams at nighr.

• I would look out from moumainrops or cliffs and wonder what it would be like to step off and fly away.

So which one applies to me? How did I get into this? What romantic reason got me to the point where I was willing ro spend considerable amounts of my precious time lugging a heavy glider up a training hill in the hot and humid summer mo11ths? What

vision convinced me that I should spend several thousand dollars of my hard-earned money on esoteric sporting equipment such as a glider, harness, variometer, and other things that nobody else in my family can spell, much less use? Uh, well, none of the above applies in my case. Read on.

In March of 1998, my wifo Cathi and l managed to get away from our jobs and our children for a couple of weeks and take a "dream" vacation to New Zealand.

It had been about 10 years since we had done almost anything as a couple, so we intended to do all rbe neat things that childless adults get to do on vacation.

Since that meant we did not have to spend hours in line at an amusement park, we would be free to do anything we wanted to do, on a moment's notice. That ability would come in handy.

Eventually we made our way down ro Queenstown, a resort town 011 the South Island of New Zealand. We were only scheduled to stay there for three days, so we got an idea of what to do in the area by reading several travel books and by search-· ing the Tmernet for ideas before we got there. And there were quite a frw. Queenstown is known as an "adventure" area, with all kinds of neat diversions designed to separate you from your money, and in quite a fow cases your stomach contents as well. Before we even got there we knew all about the bungee-jumping sites, the river jct-boat rides and paragliding. H mmm, this could be imercsting.

When we got to our hotel, the woman informed us rhat since it was late summer in New Zealand the tourist coum was high, and wc should plan out our days and consider making reservations for some of the "must do" events. As such, we decided to definitely do the jet-boat tour, and made reservat·ions fcir 2:00 the next after .. noon. We still didn't know what to do that evening, so we set off for the nearest mountain tram for a view of the surrounding area. or course, an "adventure town" couldn't jnst let you have a view of the town and the countryside below, they had to offer you the chance to bungee jump off of the cliffl I couldn't let that opportt1nity go by, so I talked my way in (reservations recommended, remember?) for a two-Jor-one special.

The next morning we ate an early lunch in rown and walked up Shotover Street, one of the main drags in Queen .. stown. All the store signs blared our for HANC GLIDING

our attention, but a small poster in the window of a shop caught our eyes. "'fondern paragl idcr rides," the poster exclaimed to us, along with a picture of several colorful parachute-like contraptions drifting across the beautiful, green, rolling hills that New Zealand is famous for. This is what we had read about. We looked ar each other, and rhen decided ro inquire about price and availability. We were redirected across rhe street where we talked to the woman there about what it would take ro fly. Uh-oh reservations required. The waiting list was two to rhrcc days, longer than rhc one day we could budget for this. "But wait! 'foday is your lucky day! I just got a cancellation for two tandem hrmgglider flights at 2:00 this afternoon! Conditions arc just right today.

If you hurry to the mountain, you could go righr up and fly, then I'll reschedule your jct-boat ride for 4:00. No worries mate," we were told.

"Righr mate, no worries for you. You'll be sitting in this cushy office while we risk our lives dangling hundreds of fret in the air from a bamboo/plastic garbage bag/duct tape co11traption with our dear young children 9,000 miles away," I thought to myself This was definitely not what I had in mind, so I looked over ro Cathi and tried 10 explain to her the "facts" of flight, as I knew them. Firsr E1et: Hang glider pilots arc crazy. Those things could just fold up. Really, how strong could the sticks and plastic be? Second Fact: Paraglidcrs arc inherently sak because they arc jusr big parachutes. I really thought we should hold olll hope that we could get a paraglider flight somewhere else, hut Cathi was not listening to my expert opinion. No, she had rhat look in her eyes that said, "I want to do this", sol looked again at the pictures on the wall.

Hang gliding. I quickly rried to search my aging mental database for what I knew abom this "sport." Not much. But really, what was there to know other than that the pilots were certainly crazy? Fverybody knows this, just ask anyone you know.

They will all confirm it. In any case, I did rernernbcr that r really did sec a couple or people flying hang gliders once. We used to live in Albuquerque, and I did remember seeing some pilots flying frorn Sandia Crest a long time ago. They were pretty high up, so I really didu'L get a good look at their flying plastic garbage bags. But I did wonder how much tape they had to DFCFMlll R 2000

fronimll.y, f was talked into trying it; but f was the one who got the gDod in~flight photo. Yrm can tr:ll_Fom the look rm myfacc that this would not he my last flight on a hm1gglidcr though. put on those things to keep them togcdicr in all that turbulence. It must have been enough though, because I didn't hear anything about those two lunatics that night on the evening news.

In any case, C:athi inrcrrupted my daydream to remind me about something that she said th;H clay in Albuquerque a long time ago, ''I've always wanted to try hang gliding." ']i-uc, she did say that, and more. Ir was all coming back now, something ahou/

her telling inc ahout her/lying dreams, and visions ofher stepping o/Tmounttzins and di/Ji. This thing was now genera ring enough momentum that concern was in order.

Back to the pictures on the wall I went.

She was obviously going to do this. The qucst:ion remained, however, would I par-ticipate or would 1 merely accompany the body on the long journey home? A final glance at the wall convinced me to at least pay for the two flights and head out ro the mountain. Afrcr all, the picrnrcs on the wall really didn't look too bad. The highest of the gl idcrs was abom 30 fret off the ground, and the slope was really fairly gradual. I Icy, I had j11sr done two bungee jumps the night before. Maybe, just maybe, I could do this with Cathi, then get on ro rhc jct boats.

We paid our money, got directions and took off for some place called Hight Park at the base of Coronet Peal<. As we drove up, l recognized the area by the side the road from the photos that were on the wall

or

of the shop back in Queenstown. This might nor be so bad afrcr all. The hill was very gradual and open, with no obstructions whatsoever, except for a fr:w students coming and going with their training glidCathi and I could do ers. Piece oC cake this, no problem.

We then arrived at the main office, signed in, and met our pilots and driver.

Since we were a last--sccond replacement f<:)r a cancelled reservation, they were all packed up and ready 10 go. We hopped in the van and were off before we knew i I. •1<) save time, the driver said that he would have us sign the releases as we were driving up the mountain. I failed to sec what that would do for us, since the hill with all the gliders on it was just ahead of us. When I mentioned this to him they all laughed, and explained to me that the hill I saw was their training hill and that they couldn't possibly fly us tandem from there. We would be getting a "real flight" and it would take about 20 minutes for the van ro get us to rhc top of Coronet Peak where rhc launch was. A quick mental conversion from meters to feet told me that the launch altitude would be around 2,500 fccr up from the valley below. Somehow, rhc magnituck of this had nor been properly communicated to either of us back in the Quccnsrown office, and the pictures on the wall did not even hint at what a "real flight" was.

Oh well, too late to turn back now.

37

Cathi and our pilots in the Coronet Peak landing zon(' ajier our flights.

Also, on rhe ride up, the pilots explained 10 us that ir was a non··thermal day due to a slightly overcast sky, and there was a rela .. tive lack of wind on the ridge. This was Creek to me, until I realized that these conditions would make die night shorter.

No complaints from me on this one. 'fake me straight to the landing zone, especially since 1 would be starting from 2,470 feet higher up than I initially thought.

When we finally got to the top, the two pilots and the driver unloaded the gliders from rhe van, along with their cache of flight equipment. Cathi and I took a short walk over to the launch area, and the beauty of the view from this height overlooking the valley hit us. Just then we were jolted back to reality by the pilots who wanted us to get lined in our harnesses. We did this, and Ll1eu practiced a couple of takeoffs by running together with our respective pilots. This little exercise reminded me of the three-legged races that I ran in grade school, but our coordination was deemed well above average by our pilots, so as soon as the gliders were assembled we would take off.

Now that I could affc.mi the time, I sneaked a look at rhc driver who was putting Logcther rhc gliders. I figured rhat since this mountain was god-awful high, I'd better watch him carefully to make sure that the duct tape got pnr on nice and smoothly, and that he used plcmy of it.

After l took a look around at what he was doing, I got a surprise almost as big as when I found om wc would be flying off a 3B

real moumain. No tape. No plastic garbage bags. No bamboo. Out of an amazingly compact tubular bag came what appeared to be a wonderfully engineered assemblage of aluminum tubing and brightly colored Dacron sail material. With a minimal amount of unfolding and the slipping in of some tubes that he called "battens," each package became a sleek and elegant-looking flying device before our very eyes, in only a matter of minutes. I was starting to feel a little bir better about our impending adventure after seeing the gliders 11p close filr the first time.

When the gliders were fully assembled each pilor did a preflight check of his respective equipment. Believe me, I was watching every move these guys made, and seeing the careful nature of the inspection did a lot ro increase my confidence to fly with them. But then again, there wasn't really all that much to check. Simplicity seemed to be inherent in this sport, and I liked that.

We thrn proceeded to hook inro our gliders side by side, wirh Carhi and her pilot lining up 011 the hunch nm first. My pilot did a great joh of talking to me, showing me what he was looking for in wind speed and direction, and just when he said, "rhis looks good," Cathi and her pilot were running down the launch[ It was truly a rnagniftccn t sight to see her glider fly away from the mountain, then graceful· ly bank to the left to follow the ridge Ollt toward the landing zone. I was nervous seeing my wile do this, but ,lt rhe same

rime f had to help maneuver my glider into position and get ready fix my own flight.

Just then the winds died down to noth .. ing, rhe fluorescent pink rihbons that wc had hcen staring at /cir the last fow minutes drooping straight down from their posts.

"This does not look good" was the official description of these conditions. Of course, I knew nothing abour wind cycles, so I patiently waited with my pilors for the wind to pick up again. When it did, the pink ribbons all started blowing 90 degrees from where we were pointed. Even I was able to l1gurc out rhat this would nor be good, so T patiently waited some more. My pilot was very c1lrn, and kept telling me that patience was a virtue in this sport. My reply to him was, "'fake your time. I have children back home." Afrer about 20 minutes of warching pink ribbons and swear .. ing that they were taunting us, I began to seriously think that my launch was going to get the NASA space shurrle last-second scrub. And for the first rime that afternoon, the thought occurred to me that I would be seriously disappointed if I didn't get to fly. I had watched Cathi and her pilot glide effortlessly down the ridge and successfully land in the landing zone, and it appeared that the odds of surviving the experience were probably on my side.

Just when I started to feel a little down, our driver spotted the ribbons li.1nher down the launch area starting to pick up and point toward us. This invisible wave of air proceeded to move all the way up to where we were, and it signaled its presence to us by aligning all the ribbons correcrly, as well as the short tuft of yarn that was on the glider wire directly in front of my face.

My pilot picked up the glider, stabilized it, and made sure I was holding on to where l was supposed to. When he said, "run!" I ran like crazy, knowing darn well that my life dcpcudcd on me successfully complct.. ing my next few steps. The next thing f knew, I felt as if I was carrying a giant umbrella and a smooth wind had lifted me off the ground. We were flying, and all of a sudden I looked outwards to the most fantastic view I've ever seen. Wirhout really thinking about ir, I found my "trapeze bar" with my leet and stretched om horizonral·ly like I had practiced. My pilot acrually commended me for doing this without him having ro tell me. But Tco11ld certainly undersrand how one might get lost in rhe momcnr.

HANC CLIDINC

My flight itself was fairly smooth, with only a slight him of any turbulence. I was amazed at two things right away. First, the sheer magnitude of the view I could sec everywhere, including straight down!

There arc very few situations in which human beings arc privileged to experience such a magnificent view of their planet as when they arc in free llighr. Second, the glider was so light that [ could feel the air currents and their shifting nature, as small as they were that along with all of the pilot's control inputs. Both of'thesc expcri· enccs were pretty overwhelming at firsr. l know that every muscle in my body was frozrn solid for a little while, with only my eyeballs capable or moving around inside my head, bm gradually I loosened up.

My pilot was really good about show·· ing me how the glider was flown, bur he did all rhc flying, which was fine with me.

Soon, I could sec the field up ahead, and we approached it with plenty ofalrirndc to spare. My pilot gave me the choice of experiencing a stall or some diving 360dcgrcc turns to lose altitude, so I decided not to push my luck and I requested the latter. [ could now sec Cathi, who was standing in the landing zone, looking up and raking pictures. On final approach we did something that I fciund COlllltcrinlll· itivc, and that was that we sped up ro land.

Somehow, I had the mistaken impression that we would slow clown and pancake in like a parachute. We were going really fast and I could hear the wind rushing across the sail and around the comrol frame as the ground approached. l knew that we would be landing on the wheels fi·om my brieilng at launch, but ir was still a strange feeling to come in fast and act like a human lawnmower, with my face only inches ahovc the speeding grass!

When we finally mowed to a halt, rhc first thing I did was relinquish my deathgrip f1·orn my harness handles, and T l<rnnd enough feeling in my now semi-functional right arm to slap my pilot on his back ro thank him. Cathi c:1rnc over and we immediately starred comparing notes about our respective /light experiences. Ir seems that Cathi's pilot w:1s much less conserv:nive than mine, and that was reflected in the :m10un 1- of' time we spem on launch.

During the /light he was so busy with turns and airspeed changes that he started giving her a c1sc of airsickness, even in the Eiirly cairn air. While my pilot offered me the choice of stalling or turning to lose DEG/v\BI R 2000

altitude, hers did not He merely did it, which completely messed up her equilibri· urn. So, by the time 1 got to Cathi in the landing zone she was standing there with a can of cold soda, trying to recover from feeling nauseated. In retrospect, she would have been much better off with my pilot, who flew much straighter and more smootltly.

Cathi had one more interesting thing to tell me about her flight. Our pilots were supposed to take a couple of in-flight pie· rurcs from a wing-mounted camera. Mine did, bm unfortunately for Cathi, her pilot was so liusy hot-dogging it that he lcirgot to take a photo umil after they landed!

Believe me, the irony was not lost on either of' us rhat the one who really wanted to do this in the first place got neglected in the souvenir clcpanmenr!

Our pilots were busy packing up rhe gliders for another trip up the mountain, as the next reserved flyers had already arrived.

We said our thanks and good-byes and lcfr to ride the Shotovcr River jer boat. Ir was amazing how eHkiendy the New Zcalan· dcrs had managed ro package "advennirc."

We woke up the next morning, our last full day in Queenstown, ro rain and wind. Portunatcly, it cleared up in time for us to explore the rest or the day, but it certainly would not have allowed us ro experience om hang gliding flights any other day than the one that we did. Destiny? /\frcr we returned home from our trip I couldn't stop rhinking about my hang gliding experience, especially after the in.flight photos arrived. I did an lmemet search and came across the Wind Rici .. crs I!ang Gliding Club, only abour an hour away from my house. Cec, they actually do this obscure hobby close to where l livc!

I had no idea. Somehow I had a vision that I would have to travel to California to pursue this hirther. I wellt out ro cat with my wifr ,1 few weeks later and made the announce· 111cm to her that l was going to rry hang gliding lessons, and she was very support· ive. lronically, she was all for me doing it, b11r had goncn her flying experience and that was enough for her. I got in touch with Jeff 11:irpcr, an instructor whose name I found on the club's Web site, got going with lessons, :rnd the rest is history.

Oh well, I guess sometimes you just have to travel hal/ivay around the world to have

your eyes opened, so you can sec what is in your own backyard.

Almost two and a half years later, C:arhi has still not made another tandem flight, although I keep trying to get her to try an acrotow tandem in the late evening. Our l 6-ycar·old daughter Sarah has made two tandem flights, one a moumain foot··launch from about 1,000 feet and the other an aero tow to about 2,500 feer. ( )ur son Scott even gor to try a training hill tandem /light with Jeff l Luper when he was only seven years old, and he hrnught the video in to show his disbelieving second-grade class.

And me? l 'm a hopeless case now. I'm constantly checking weather reports, looking for hircls circling and cumulus clouds developing, and there arc other sure signs of insanity in an otherwise norrnal, work ing, family guy. I guess I was right all along hang glider pilots really arc crazy. ( )nc of my main goals in hang gliding is to return to Albuquerque some clay and fly from Sandia Crcsr. When I do, I'll make sure to hring plenty or duct rape.

Recently, Cathi and I had a discussion about and she mentioned thar she might like ro try a paragliding tandem flight. I had to remind her of tlic "facts" of flight, as I now know them. First bet: Paraglidcr pilots arc crazy. Those things could j11st fold up. They jusr fool.: like hig parachmcs, you know ... •

'huo rmd a hrd/ yean laLo; this is what it hr1s r1!l

After r'vrwr,,pn.,·pa/most lirdfi.11r1y rlround the I nowf!y quite here ell Red· wing 11 iijJort in New }emJJ, 01161 r1bouL 25 mi/es,Fom m)I house.

39

Brandon Wills gets a post-flight debriefing.from Pat Denevan. Photo by Joe Aldendifer.

V

Pete Plumb's bamboo and plastic Rogallo takes flight. Photo by Joe Aldendifer.

Richard Miller (left) and Mike Arrambide. Photo by Mike Meier.

Hang Gliding Fun For Everyone!

Five times as many students learn to fly

at Lookout than at any other school in the country.

44 Acre Mountain Retreat 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

Continued from page 27. tor of the old Low and Slow magazine, written in tribute to the contributions to hang gliding of Art Bean. A water-color painting by cartoonist Harry Marcin, commemorating the event and signed by many of the sport's founders in auendance, was auctioned off. Frank Colver was high bidder, and the money raised from that, along with additional proceeds of the event, totaling about $750, was donated to the LA County Lifeguard Youth Program.

A:, the sun dropped toward the ocean and the evening dew was settling, people broke down and packed up gliders and the crowd thinned out. A number of people, w1able perhaps to let go of the joy of the day, repaired to a local tavern for drinks and conversation. It had been a truly magical day, more so than I think anyone really expected. How lucky we are, indeed, to be a part of this incredible spo rt. •

Taras Kiceniuk Jr: , (left) and Taras Sr. Photo by Mike Meier.

• Best tra ining results in the country: 98 percent of our Beginner rated pi lots earned their Novice Mountain Solo or Aerotow ratings at Lookout in 1999 • Lookout Mountain provided more tandem instructional and introductory flig hts than any other flight park in 1999 • Lookout Mountain specializes in the Integrated Instruction of foot launch and aerotow tandem skills

,• .

Chris Wills shows 1973 take-offform with standard safety equipment - no helmet, no shoe Photo by Joe A/dendifer.

• 65' and 125' training hills and 1340' novice mountain launch on site, the best trainin g hill s in the country • Foot launch and aerotow certification • First Full time Aerotow Flight Pa rk, Four Tugs • Mountain launch supervision • Best priced Learn to fly packa ges and camp s in the country • We wrote the USHGA's official training manual

Call Lookout Mountain at (800) 688-5637

•

0

www.hanglide.com

The © 2000 ~y Dennis Pagen, photos by Fred and Raean Permenter ne of my fantasy hang gliding safaris is to start in New Hampshire at Morningside Flight Park, tow up and fly southward. Wherever l land my faithfol driver would pick me up, wine and dine me (remember, this is a fantasy), and we'd head to the next tow park south (Mountain Wings at Ellenville, New York). We would repeat this process until we reached Lookout Mountain, 'Icnnessee (the jump from there to Florida is beyond my imagination powers).

The fact is, this excursion need not be a fantasy, for an archipelago of tow parks runs from New Hampshire to 'Tennessee.

You can take the inland route through Virginia or the coastal route through Kitty J-fawk. For the most part the drive between the six or seven parks on your way is only two to four hours. If you fly part way as l do in my fantasy, you barely have time to count cows along the way.

Smack dab in the middle of your trip you will arrive at Highland Acrosports, the newest commercial tow operation on the eastern seaboard. They arc located near Ridgely, Maryland which is just east of Annapolis on the Delmarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) Peninsula.

Certainly you'll want to spend more than a day at this venue to enjoy the ambiance and flying. Let's find out who, what and why.

HIGHIAND HISTORY Highland Aerosporrs is operated by Sunny

Veneski and Chad Eich in. Sunny was a quarterback in college who decided early on nor to be ensnared by the nine-ro-five routine. But what to do? I le enrolled in Kitty Hawk's instructor program and worked there from '94 to '98.

Chad had a similar attitude and was teaching skiing in Pennsylvania when he saw an ad for instructor trainees placed by Bruce Weaver of Kitty Hawk. Chad dropped his ski poles immediately and headed south. That's where the pair teamed up with their dream of eventually owning a flight park. 'I'he amazing rhing is, they grew np only 20 miles from each other in Pennsylvani:1 and both tried to find a place to learn hang gliding to no avail until finding Kitty Hawk Kites.

After years of saving they pooled their assets, went into relative hock and bought a Dragonfly tug. They figured that would rnotivate them to find the facilities. Little did they know that tbe process would take nearly two years. 'fhey wanted to locate in southern Pennsylvania in order to be close to the homestead. They looked at 30 potential sites and eventually found a fine site near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The new owner was all emhuscd and so were Sunny and Chad. But when they returned from the 1999 Nationals they found a dif fercnt story. It seems that the local airplane drivers nixed the idea and those guys pay the bills.

The search resumed and they were beginning to despair of finding a great

place until Region 9 Director Geoff Mumford called them down to check out Ridgely. They originally were reluctant until they reconnoitered the place: thousands of foct of runway, c1vailable buildings for the business and storage, a country setting with a nearby town for supplies, and thousands of square miles of flat, land able fields surrounding. They looked at each other and nodded. This was the place.

'They flew the tug down, demonstrated the operation, and the owner was delighted. An airpark was born.

PACIUTIES Once they found the sites, the bard work began. They had to gather equipment, prepare the buildings, develop local public relations and get the word our that they were in business. Fortunately, rbey benefited from scvernl nearby large hang gliding clubs in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC. These pilots were used to driving two or more hours to the mountains of Pennsylvania or Virginia. Highland Acrosports was a godsend for them.

But all was not easy street.. Our heroes

42

HANC GLIDINC

give lessons and mostly fly experienced pilots on weekends. They arc at the park Thursday to Monday, dawn LO dusk C!'11csday and Wednesday by appointment).

They offer a complete lesson program with two tandem instructors on site. There is an imro f1igbt deal, a three-lesson package and a 10-lcsson Novice r;iting package.

Highland Acrosports boast a 60CJ1i rn 70% rc1.11rn of students. They believe this success results from r;1king time after the lessons to build confidence, explain details ;md connect the studcnrs with rl1e overall structure of the sport. There is no doubt that flight parks such as this one arc a real potential source of growth in hang gliding.

Highland also offers glider storage at $20/rnonth or $150/ycar. They arc dealers for Acros, Airwavc', Wills Wing and Moyes. Complete airframe work on the products of' these manufacturers is available on site. or course, they have every niggling part fix Acros gliders, for the warehouse and shipping department is pan of the highland facilities. hnally, they offer training for qualified tug pilots.

I :or information on these services and more, or the expected local flying conditions, contact them at:

were initially struggling to pay the bills.

They lived in rents at the airport for rhe first five months. Now they rem a nearby house, and although they get ro go through life in shorts and sandals, they arc proper busi ncssmen.

Highland Acrosporrs boasts a connected office (the compmer is always 011 and displays the latest weather), a couple of hangars frir glider storage and an outside hangout area. There is also camping available for visiting pilots with showers and toilet foci Ii tics.

They share die airport with ahom seven airplanes and an equal nurnher of sailplanes. The weekend I was there I only saw a couple or sailplanes being towed and a couple oF friendly airplanes land ~friendly because rhe pilots love to hang out m the Highland facilities and talk flying.

The runway faces 300° and 120° these arc the directions you're going to tow, come hell or high water. The huge open area around the park means crosswind rowing is a no11-cvcnt. During a recent Oy--in demo-days weekend rhcy performed hundreds of crosswind tows with no problems.

DECIMll!R 2000

The area o/frrs low-stress X-C Oying for qualified pilots. The main features that provide such accommodation arc the nor-mally genrle thermals in the cast and the wide expanse of flat, open fields. · J'hc current record from the flight park is 50 miles set by Rick Niehaus. I le landed 011 a beer distriburnr's property who treated him to a barbecue and a supply of his products. For a small fee the boys will give you the coor-dinatcs of this place. I didn't get to go X-C, but I sure got high enough to salivate over the string of cu mis floating over the string fields.

Many pilots try to fly to the beach. h's a liO- ro 50-milc challenge achievable by the average X-C: pilot. You can send your fomily there ro wait for you. Alternately, rhcy can head into DC for a day in the museums while you laze around in the sky.

The drive through the urban sprawl takes about an hour.

'lei: (41 O) 63/i-2700 J,>mail: hanglidc<!"A1erosports.nct Web site: www.acrosports.net Or visit at 21038 Racetrack Rd., Ridgely, MD 21660 If your schedule is like mine, a multistate X-C: tour will remain a famasy. However, popping in here or there for a week-end is perfectly feasible. For a taste of the eastern shore, a friendly welcome and a great potential for Cun flying, I highly recommend Highland Acrosports. Tell 'cm a fantasy sent you.

or

HIGHLAND SERVICES R.ight now the operation has one active rug, a 914-equipped Dragonfly, and another in assembly. I )uring the week they

pilots befrJre towing them alofi.

43

• HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flyiug for rhc first rime aud inspected carefolly for fatigued, bc111 or dented downtubcs, ruined bushings, bcn1 bolis (especially the heart bolt), re--uscd Nyloc nurs, loose thimbles, rraycd or rus1ed cables, taugs wi1h non-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from rhcir anchor poin1s from and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, hang gliding businesses will be happy to give an opinion on the condition of' equipment you bring them to inspect.

Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or raring. New pilots should seek professional instrnction from a USHCA CERTIFIED TNS'l'RUCTOR.

CIIRISTMAS GIFTS!!! PROFJL 17 Novice/Intermediate double smface, new sail work & more, excellent condition, with bag, wheels, more $500. HE I-Tracer Pod Harness, 6'+, rnosr options, new, originally $800 steal at $500. QS330 Chute with swivel $400. Digifly VUOO vario with airspeed attachmem, new, originally near $500, sell for $250. (86/i) 639,044 4, tom.foley(dlmindspring.com DOUBLE VISIONS & FLY2 New and used.

WALLABY RANCH (863) 124-0070.

FREE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/TRANSPORT TUBE With the pmchasc of any new glider. (517) 223-8683, Cloud'JSAtii\101.com. Largest sclcc1ion of new and used gliders in Michigan.

FUSION 111 Excellent condirion, folding speed-bar, carbon fiber LE inserts, yellow/lime undersurface $3,500 OBO. Ron Cl 1O) li79- 1360, deniron62@>hotmail.com FUSTON 150 Excellent condition, blue/black/white $2500. Jim (623) 581 0145, JodiWhitclaw1@laol.com

FLEX WINGS

EAGLE 164 New, 6 flights. Great glider bm the sport for other interests. $3,000 firm. Wills Z3 harness, 5'9"-5' 11" pilot, w/22 gore chute $300.

Call Chuck at (916) 921 -9820 Sacramento.

STEAlTH 151 Excellent coudirion, owner buying new Stealth $2,700. (970) 728-3905.

EXXTACY NEW & USED IN STOCK, DEMO DAJLY. WALLABY RANCH (863) 424-0070.

GLIDERS 35+ for sale, rigid to single surface.

Call/email for current list. Wallaby Ranch (86.'1) 4240070 Florida, Pl«tcrs:vnvvallalw.

STEAfT[ I 151 - Topless, beau1iful glider, excellent condition, 41 hours $2,500. Joe (8li7) 8955858 fllinois.

FALCONS 140, 170, 195, 225 new and used.

WALLABY RANCH (863) 42/i-0070.

HPAT lli5 Good condition, recent supcrprdligh1, well kcpr $750 OBO. (51 O) 619-8181.

FALCON 170 5 Hours. Moyes Extreme harness, Apco chute, never flown. $2,500. (646) 528-7700.

HPAT 145 Good condition, new leading clotl1 and recent supcrpreflight, $ l ,400.(262) 47:J-8800, info~hhanggliding.corn

STEALTH 12M Purple/yellow, <25 hours $3,500. CJ. (425) 888-3856, gcorgcst?hnwlink.com 16 --- Practically new, wirh wheels $2,150. (')] ')) 563-6754,

BUZZ. New and nearly new. Demo daily. THE WAL.RANCH (863) 121-0070.

K5 1li8 Excellent condition, <20 homs, J 993, purple/yellow/green $1,800. (423) 886-59.33.

l 1ALCON 225 vario, h,1rness, chure, wheels, 2 tow releases, helmet, spares and extras. LIKE NEW $2,950. Pies available. Mike in Michigan (231) 9/i 1--0342, mbrown@rravcrsc.com

FUSION 424-0070.

HPAT 158 728-3905.

Demo daily. WALLABY RANCH (863)

Good condition, extras $700. (970)

rALCONS CLEARANCE SALE School use, one season. All sizes $1,250-$2,500. (2(i2) 473-8800,

!CARO LAMINAR Manfred Rumor 2000 S'T''s available now. New and like new ST's and Laminar R models in stock. (7GO) 721 --070 l, indasky@yahoo.com

!'LY 2 $2, I 00

KI.ASSJC: 144 ---- Crear condi1ion, 40 hours, one owner, never crashed $1,400. (505) 828-0252, kpcrcs@'eartl1link.net

Tandem gliders, three to choose from, and up.

(262) 4Tl-8800,

USHGA CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ORDER FORM 50 cents per word, $5.00 minimum Boldface or caps: $1.00 per word. (Does not include first few words which are automatically caps.) Special layouts or tabs: $25 per column inch. (phone numbers: 2 words, P.O. Box: 1 word, E-mail or Web address: 3 words) photos: $25.00, line art logos: $15.00 (1.75" maximum) DEADLINE: 20th of the month, six weeks before the cover date of the issue in which you want your ad to appear (i.e., June 20 for the August issue).

Prepayment required unless account established. No cancellations or refunds allowed on any advertising after deadline. Ad insertions FAXed or made by telephone must be charged to a credit card.

Please enter my classified ad as follows:

SECTION IJ Flex Wings IJ Emergency Parachutes CJ Parts & Accessories IJ Business & Employment IJ Miscellaneous IJ Paragliders IJ Videos

IJ Towing IJ Schools & Dealers rJ lJ ltral ights

,J Rigid Wings IJ Publications & Organizations IJ Wanted IJ Harnesses

issue and run for ___________ Begin with--·-·---·----------·------consecutive issue(s). My IJ check, IJ money order is enclosed in the amount of$ NAME: ____·--------·-----·-------------------ADDRESS: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------·--------CITY:

Number of Number of

44

-____________________________,_________ @$.50 "--------------____________________,_____ @$1.00

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

HANC GLJDINC

Ill

l!ARNESSES

l<l.ASSfC Hit --- Yellow/white, absolute mint condition, 5 hours use and then stored indoors for 2 years $2,800. Klassic 155, 80 hours, clean $1,500 OBO. (262) li73-8800, in/,,(iilhanggliding.con1 LAMINAR STJ!i

Cood shape, 1997 $2,000. (106)

892 5088.

POWERED JIANG GLIDER HARNESS LAMINAR ST!li -- Absolutely 9 months old, <15 hours, blue & magent;t undcrsurfacc $4,400. (562) li29--80.'l:l, marcw(ihsprintmail.com LAMINAR ST! Ii 66797/i7.

19')9, li5 hours $/i,000. (619)

l.AMfNAR S'J'i/i --- Virrnally like new, low hours, many back-up components $2,200. (608) 221-368 J,

LAMINAR STH - New 5/2000, 50hours. The best handling you can l1nd. Red/white/blue $/i,800. (Ii 1Ii) 975-7873, SmfAir(alcxccpc.com

100 in stock. Lookout Mountain, www.ha11glidc.co111

Medium, Large or Custom Made Harness TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW AUSSIF. DOLLAR! USD $5200 INCLUDING DELIVERY lligh Quality Carbon Fiber Props USD$2/i 5 Standard or Custom Made Modern l'rom Entry Harness USD$650 Compatible with other Powered Harnesses (price based on current rare)

TRX 160 - Last one made. white wired chanclell btJt.· 10111 leading edge, all original. Extras, 1 set carbon downtuhes, 2 sets tip cones, 1 each tip wand, very clean $ I ,BOO. Reggie (619) li45-3(i33,

3 Stormvogcl Drive, J\irlic Beach Qld li802, Australia Phone011617/i94G6:l05,Fax01] 61

LAM INJ\R HST Mylar, as new, tune, slowest & fastest, very nice, purple/red, w/xc hag, carbon basetubc, $1i,'500/Best. (:310) 59-12:ll, s,vci11cr9(!r}cart hIi nk.nct

TRX 160 facellcnr condition, will send pictures $700. (8'i8) 7.70-7889, rflood l 967QDaol.corn

MOYES CSX I T7 - -- l'crCccl condition, 58 hours, small control l'rame, red undcrsurf'acc w/bird logo $2,700. (95/i) 9'/8--7J03, nancy2G'11mindspring.rnm MOYFS CSX SX, XTI., XS3, XT, etc. New and nearly new. Available immediately. Nation's Moyes dealer. WJ\U.J\BY RANCII (863) li2/i-0070.

MOYES XT PRO I GS - J\:ovicc/intermediate double mrfocc, two available $1,600., $2,300. (262) li7.l 8800, MOYFS XTRJ\ll'l'F 137 Well hp<, blue/greeu/white $1,500 O!lO. (262) 17:'l-8800,

PULSES & VISIONS

VISIONS & PULSES Bought-Sold-Traded. Raven Sky Sports (262) lilJ-8800, inlc)CiDhanggliding.corn WW SPORT J\T I 67 Very good condition, green/whi1e/bl11e, ripsrnp trailing llies great $850.

Joe (8/i'/) 895-S8'i8 Illinois.

WII.I. WIN(; XC 155 Excellent condition, & tip $1,600 or with pod harness, parach11tc, instruments $2, I 00.

SauratownSky(i1\10l.co111, (.')36) '/23-li292 LST.

EMFRGFNCY PARACHUTFS 20 CORF PDJ\ w/swivel $375. 20 gore $199.

Many rnon· available. Raven Sky Sports (262) li?J8800, infoGi']nnggliding.co111

SUl'Fl,Sl'ORT 15:l S11pernea1 rnstorn sail, very low homs, WW fin i11cludccl $2, I 00. (262) li?J-8800,

DECEMlll:I\ 2000

McNETT TRAIN INC IIARNESSES Light, strong, simple, durable. Thousands of st11dcnrs have trained in this harness over the past 10 years. (207)

729 9867.

MOS(~\JITO HARNESS Never used $/i,000.

Orlando (61 (,) 292-690 l. MC/Visa accepted.

PARAGLIDERS J\fR SPORTS USA WWW.FJ,YFORFUN.NFT

Fl.]Cl!T DESIGN J\7VT

Creat shape, low hours, DHV 2, only $1,799. (206) .120-90 l 0.

FLIC:1 IT DFSIC:N S'.i-26

llo11ght-Sold Traded. Raven

SPFC: l'Rl/M CI.EJ\RJ\NCF SJ\l.F Three 165 Spcctrums in near new condition) w/all options $2,liOO-$:l,7-00. Raven Sky S11orts (262) iil.1-8800, ini<)G1)h:111ggliding.co1n

I !!CJ I FNERCY POD HARNESSES Sizes & styles change monthly, $300-liOO. CC I OOO's $2'50.

Cocoons $200 each. I.MF!' pod, 5'9" $/iOO. l<neeh:mgers & stirnl\JS also available. (262) li7:\-8800,

WWXC 155 Low hours, clean, nice condition $2,liOO. (262) li?J-8800, info(i11hanggliding.com

Perfect shape $1,liOO

OBO. l'light Design S3-.30, low time, basically new $1,900 OBO. (206) .-l20'JOIO.

Sky Sports (7<,2) !i/:l-8800, SPECTRUM I-iii l'xcdlcnt condition, 75 homs, red/white $1,200. (95/i) 978-7.103,

www.ffa.eom.au/airri111c

Ul.'J'RJ\SPORT I li7, 166 Rental gliders at /light park, low homs, clean, priced to sell. (262) lilJ-8800,

LAMINAR ST, 14, 1:l in stock. WALLABY RANCH (863) 12/i-0070.

MOYFS CSX5 Topless, <2 years old, excellent condition $2,950. (G 19) 286 5(,0li, l,ob(i1lwebsitetra/'1Jcb11ilders.com

li'Jli80971i

members! New hang gliding promotional video available. Special only $5.00 ($15.95 non-members).

1-800-616-6888 yours today!

Fl.lC:H'J' DESICN S3VT Total package with glid er, harness, hincrs and helmet only $1,300. l'erfrct first glider for getting into our sport inexpc11sivcly. (206) 320-')010.

RJG]]) WINGS ATOS

$7,900. CALL GEORGE (518) '7')2-1772.

CHOST!lUSTFR Unreal glide! 1.ikc new, 2'i hours, extras $'),200. ('760) 92/i-8/99 San Diego, AndrewQDsilvcnvavcs.com

45

ULTRALIGIITS AIR SPORTS USA WWW.Fl.YFORFUN.NET SLJ I' TRIKE No mountains or tow park? No prob· !em, sclf~launch and soar' l.ightest weight, most com· pact, most competitively priced. Call or email for free brochure; rcfondablc $10 frH video. l .ibcrated Flight (911) 718, I 23 l, LIBFLIGHT~r\wl.com WANTED

CAUFORNIA '!'rain on DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING state··of.t he·art WILT ,S W1NG FAT .CONS. I ,ESSON PACKAGES: One four hour lesson $!00. Three four hour lessons, plus tandem oil 2,000ft. $:JOO. Five lessons for $/iOO. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.lnrroducc someone new to our sport. l\1r each new student that you imroduce that rakes three or more lessons f'rom me, yo11 'll get a free lesson or $50 off a fi11 urc purchase. Com plctc lesson progrnnts. Ycar· round instruction. l.armching and landing and thermal clinics ;1vailablc. Call for group rates. Tired of' hiking you glider? I'll help you! I lcalcr f,1r Wills Wing, Altair, I [igh Fncrgy Sports, Ball varios, C:antelbaks and mot'l'.

New and med equipment. \'ve love trade.ins. l'm your northern Californici MOSQUITO I IARNESS DEAi ..

ER. If you live in central through northern ( ::tlil,1rnia, give rnc a call or email to schccl11lc yo11r Mosquito

C:iL

DEfi?PORT

2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San Diego Cf\ Since ICJ28 l lANC CLJDINC AND PARACUDINC lJSHCA instruction) sales, Diego's

,rnd site tours. San soaring center. Visa ;111d

MasterCard accepted. Call (858) li52.·'J858 or roll free 1·8T7,FI.Y TEAM. Check 11s out and order onlitte at w,vw.flytorrcy.com

demonstration or clinic. C:all or email, scheduling lessons flve days a week, hiday through Tuesdays. Ideal

MK!t needed. J.8()().C,88·5(iJ7.

SPECTRUM 1lili WANTF!). Ait-f'rarne or glider with good frame. (5/iO) 3/i 1·7878, kgoolsbyf1lgmu.cdu

USFD \'vWXC: w/low hours, in good condition.

(11 5) '!02,9292 S. F. Bay area. lew1Sl>,•me.ton,(foyaJ SCHOOLS & DEALERS

training hill, up to 1'iOft .. (,00/i. rnou11taiu. 1,2.00li. moutJtain. Tandem instntction. \JSIICA Advanced lnstntctor DOUG PRATHER (2.09) 556 Oli69

HY AWAY I !ANC CI.J])INC Tammy Burcar (805) www.flyabovcall.corn/fly:1way.htrn

Sauta Barbara.

957·9H5,

Tl !FI IANC C:LIDINC C:FNTFR 6:l 1?. Malcolm I )rive, San l )icgo ( :A '!2115, ((, 19) 26'i 5.120.

HIC:11 Al >VENTURE

I Jang gliding, paragliding

school. Fquiprnent sales) service, rcrnaLs at Southern

California's mile high site, Crestline. USHCA Instructor Rob McKenzie. By appointmcm year round.

(909) 88:J.8li88. www.flyt;mdern.com

I.A's BEST SINC:F 197/i 2.0 minutes from I.AX. htll service walk in ceuter. Training f,ir all skill levels. rentals, guide service, sales) lodging :11 world famous K:tgel Mountain 1:ligltt l'arlc .l7,5 sunny days a year. l(il/i5 Victory Blvd., Van N1tys CA 91li06, (818) 988· 0111, fox (818) ')88, 1862.

COLORADO AIRTIME ABOVE 1 IANC CI.IDINC

Full·tirnc

lessons, sales, service, (~olor;1c\o's 1nost experienced!

Wills Wing, Moyes. Altair. l liglt Energy, Ball, Flytec, Plight Cot1t1ections and much more. C:1ll (30}) C,7/i.

2/i r) 1, Fvcrgrcvn, Colorado /\irtimcl IC(1\1ol.com CONNECTICUT

RINc;s NATIONAL SCl!OOI. NETWORK I.OC:AI.LY. For information call David ('70(,) C,'57 8li85. david/1\!avidglover.cmn ALABAMA I.OOKOLJT MOUNTAIN fl.IC! 1T PARK - Sec ad under ( ;corgia.

Your ad is read by more than ] 0,000 hang gliding enthusiasts. Advertise with us today.

I.ARC EST I IANC CI.IDINC: SI !OP In the West!

Our deluxe retail shop showcases the l:1tcst equipment and has two virtual reality hang gliding flight sinrnla· tors. We stock new aud uscd ... Wills Wing, Altair ;;ud Moyes gliders. and ,11! the liottcst ucw harnesses. Trnde· in!) arc welcome.

Our traiuing program, located at the San h:rncisco Bay Area's /Jnest beginner site /,caturcs: gently sloped "buuny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of' all sizes and comf()rtablc tr;1i11ing harnesses!

"FIRST Fl.I( ;r IT" I minute video tom of" our hegin· 11cr lesson program shows a st11dc111 's skill progression $20 (shipping included).

1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95015 (nmr S1mjosc). (li08) 262,1055, fax (li08) 262,1.,88.

MOUNTAIN WJ\lC:S ... Look under New York.

FLORIDA

mission((i)\1a11g-gli(li11g.con1

Sell your unused equipment here.

lJSJfCA CERTfl'!FD TAN DF.M INSTRUCTION McNarnee. Aerotow training & ratiugs. major flight and aerotow equipntcnt, 1. 5 Dealer for hours /i-01n Disncyworld. Call 052) /i89·')% 1J.

.._ By

{ly~ 1)graybirdairspor!s.com www.graybird;1irsports.com

46

HANC CLIDINC

LOOKOUT .v!OlJNTAlN l'LlC HT PARK

Sec

ad under ( ;corgia. Nearest mmmtain training center to

Orlando (only 8 homs).

NO MORE BUNNY. ..

THE HILL WITH IT!

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLJ(;I JT l'J\RI< Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookout than cH any other

school 1 We wrote USI !(;A's Oil,ci:rl Training M:11111:ll. ()ur .<,pcci::1!ty"·ClJSlOllllT sati-;Lictioll and run with the BEST FACJI.ITIFS, largest inventory, camping, swim· ming, vollcyb:dl, more' For a flying trip, in1ro !light or lesson package-", J,ookout l\.~ountain, just 0111sidc

( :hat t:mooga, your COMPlJ'TF training/service ccn ter. Info? (800) 688·-LMFP. WF HAVF

·J'hc Aero tow Flight Park Sarisfoct ion ( ;uaran recd

The most advanced training progrnm known to hang gliding, teaching yo11 in hall' the t i111e it takes on tltc training-BUNNY HILL, and with more in-ilighr air rime. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For year-round training fitn in the sun, cdl or write Miami Hang Gliding (:lOS) 2858978. 2550 S llaysl,orc I )rive, Coconut (;rove, Florida Tl 133.

JUST 8 MTLES FROM DISNEY WORLD

BUNKllOUSE

• YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • SIX TUGS, NO WAITING EVERY DIRECTION

WARM&. COMFORTJ\lll.E

By LMl'P! 32 bnnks, hot showers, open all year, 7-li hom self registration. 1.. 8()0 8(J:\I788!

HAWAll

50+ N!iJi demos to Topless ro Trainer ( ;Jidcrs: I.a111inar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwavc, Fxxracy, La Moucuc, Sensor: also harnesses) varios, etc.

Ages 13 To Tl have learned to fly here.

No one comes close to our level of experience and success with tandem acrotow insrr11oio11.

QUEST AIR SOAR.INC CENTER Yom v,1cttion location. (3'i7-) 429-021:l, fax (3'i2) !i1.9'181t6. Visit our website :H: www.qucstairforcc.com or

A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS".

email us: qucstair<71'sundi:d.net

IO morels & restaurants within 5 mins., camping, hot

GEORGI/\

showers) shade rreesj sale~, storage) ratings, XC rc-i-ricva!s) great weather, climbing wall, trampoline,

DSS TV, ping pong, picnic rahlcs, swimming pool, etc.

Flights of over 200 miles and more than 7 homs. (iy;ss Articles in H1tng Gliding, f<i1plrmrs, Count1y and orhers. Featured on numerous TV shows, including Dateline NBC, The Discovery Ch:mncl & ESPN.

CABIN RENTAL Tastdidly decorated cabin for and weekly rentals within walking distance ro Lookom Mm Flight Park l.Z. Sleeps four, lull kitchen, sarcllite tv, air conditioned, heated, back porch w/hor mb. Tastcfidly /i,rnishccl handmade Call (706) 6572756 or (706) 657· rustic lli 11 for info :rnd reservations.

BTRDS IN P;\RADlSF 11:rng & ultralight Jlying on K:r11:1i. Certified tandem instruction. (808) 822-5309 or (BOB) 6:l9- I 067,

JLIJNOIS

2 tow planes. Full time certified imtnrcrors, instntctors, F:1st Coast record 2 t:l miles.

Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com Please call us for rcforcuccs and video.

180'5 Dean Still Road, Disney i\rea, FL :l:l8J7 (863) 124-0070 phone & fax Jlyrri\vallaby.com l-800WA1.LABY

RAVFN Sl<Y S!'OlffS U17J 360-0700, (Sl'i) li8<J 9700 or (262) liTl-8800. hrnm from Chicago, 90 minutes from Flgin, Palatine or l.ibenvvillc. The hcst instructors, the bcsr equipment, the best results in

Conservative• Reliable• State of the .l\rr

the Midwest. Training program for cornbined/i11tegratcd foot launch :rncl aero tow certification. /\pply l OO'Y<, of' your intro lesson costs to ccrtif'icatio11 prngrarn upgrade! l'ka,c sec our ad 1111cler WISCONSIN.

.11.C. lNC./Fl YING FLORIDA SING. 197/i Malcolm Jones, Ryan Clover, Carlos Bessa I .auric ( :rofi, Jeremie Hill, Kerry! .loyd Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Rhett Radford Tiki Mashy, Paris Williams

OiCIMllER 2000

I 800-80'.-l-7788

l'ULl l !OOl<-UPS Laundry, propane, recreation morn. l 800-803-'7788

INDIANA RAVFN SI<Y SPORTS -- (262) 17.,-8800. Please sec our ad under \Xlisconsin. info('11hanggliding.com

47

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

MARYLAND

MINNESOTA

NORTII CAROLINA

MARYLAND SCHOOL OF JIANG GLIDTNC, lNC. Certified instrucrion, specializing in foot launch.

Dealers for Wills Wing, Moyes, 11 igh Energy, year-round instmction. (4 IO) 527·0975, www.mshg.com

(Ci12) 310-1800 or (2(,2.)

RAVEN SKY SPORTS /;73-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

MEXICO

at its best.

Tours and rnndems available. I nstrucrion certified US] !GA instructors wit Ir 25 years experience. Sales, service and instruction hy appointment C,irson City/Lake Tahoe NV. (77'i) 883-7070 hrrp://l1omc.pyran,id.net/aclvspts

NEVADA

XC CAPITAL OF Tl IE CAROLINAS (828) 632··98 l O foorl,illsilight(iilhotmail.com

LAS VEGAS AIRBORN WATERSPORTS USH GA certified instruction. Sales and service, boat tow, motmrain soaring, XC. (70?,) 2(iQ. 7')50, NEW JERSEY MOUNTAJN WINGS VAi.LE DF. BRAVO

winter, week gliding. [.8()().

MICHIGAN CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION Aerotow specialists. We carry all major hrand gliders. Free PVC sroragc/rransporr tuhe with new glider purchase. Now in stock: Laminar ST; \'.fills Fusion, XC, lJltrasport, Falcon; Moyes Litcspeed, Sonic; Acros Stealth 2; Magic Kiss. Outrigger wheels, bunch cart kits, and other accessories in stock. Call f,,r rnndcm lessons and appoimmenrs with the Draachrnl:Jicgcn Soaring Club at Cloud ') field. 1 J 088 Coon Lake Rd. W., 48892.

(517) 22:l··8Ci8.,.

Webberville, Ml ( :loud'lsaCZi>aol .corn http:/ I rncm hcrs.aol .cor, r/cloud 9sa

HAN

LI

IN

NORM LESNOW'S PLYING ADVFNTURES Since 1978. Experience & arc II I. Acrorowing and hill imroducrory and foll range of lesson programs for to adv,mced. Aerorow clinics & lJSHG/\ appropriate ratings available. USI !GA ceni .. lied school. Please contact Nortn I ,csnow-Master Pilot, Examiner, /\clvanced Tandem lnstrnctor, Tow Administrator. (248) 399-9433, FULL-TIME school. nlfaG:Vjuno.corn w",w.·,f'nrn 1

TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS FOLi ,..'!'IME shop. Certified instruction, foot launch and tow. Sales, service, accessories for ALI. major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Come so,tr our lt50' dunesl 1509 E 8th, Traverse City Ml lt%84.

Offoring powered paragliding lessons & dealer for the & med units. Call Bill at (211) ')22-2811J, Visit our

school in

Jackson, Wyoming. Call Tracie at (307) Tl'J-8620.

50

Look under New York.

I

NEW MEXICO CROSSROADS WINDSPORTS - Starc-of.the·,m rraining with stationary simulator, BoomBar, tandems, video Aerntowing. Towing for hang and paragliders. Rentals. Camping OJI the Airpark! Call Cirn Graham ill I Jobbs (505) 3')2.8222.

NFWYORK Ai\A FLlGIIT SCHOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS I El.LENVII .LF AlR SPOlffS. Full service shop, 11iglrt park, li500ft. tow field, winch and aero rowing, tandems, U. L. training. Airwavc, Altair, Moyes, Aeros, lcaro 2000, Flight Star U.L, MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY VALLEY harnesses in stock. The Y.MITTS $29.00. 1mnwings<!i\:arskill.J1er or 61i7-3377 150 Canal Sr., Ellenville, NY 12.li28. The most complete JI(; Pm-shop in the North Fast.

NYC's fast and only certified hang gliding, microlights (trikes), powered paragliding. Distributors for Avian. Dealers for most major brands. Full service and equipment at best 11riccs.

The most service in the area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 77'77000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NFT FLY HIGH 11/\NC Gl.!DlNC, INC. Serving S. New York, Connccticur, Jersey areas (Fllcnville Mm.) Area's EXCLLJSIVE Wills Wing Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instrnction. since 1979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary instruc .. rion ... if yo11 vc finished a program and wish to condn-tJe. Fly the moumain! ATOL Tandem flights!

C:onracr Paul Voight, 5163 Rd, Pinc Bush, NY 12566, (8/i5) 7/ili-.3117.

1

• TANDEM JNSTRUCTJON • AEROTOWJNC • BOAT TOWING • BEACH RESORT • TRAINJNC C/\MPS • H)OT L/\UNCH • OPEN YE/\R ROUND • PARACLIDTNC • EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVJCF

(800) 334~4777 NAGS HEAD, NC Internet Address: E.. NJail Address: info(iilJ<inylrnwk.com

PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified instruction, Pittsburgh. (Ii 12) 767-4882. C'MON OUT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WINGS

SUSQUEllANNA l'LICHT PARK Cooperstown, NY. C:errified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. liO acre park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk !tome, hot showers, (i()()' NW

Look under New York.

Renew your membership . I on11ne.

HANC GIIDINC

PUERTO RICO

UTAH

WISCONSIN

FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirit I Jang Cliding, I IC classes daily, tandem instrnction available. Wills Wing dealer. C:lidcr rentals for qualilied pilots. ]'() Box 978, l'unta Sa111i:1go, Puerto Rico 007/i 1. (787) 8500508, tsitg(iilcoqui.nct

CLOUD 9 SOARINC (:J'NTER -·· The nation's largest paragliding and hang gliding shop, is now offrring !tang gliding lessons, guide services, repairs and sales at Point ot· the 1v1ountain, Utah. Co1H,1ct us for an inlrirm,llion packet or stop hy the shop. (801) 57G(AGO, i11fo(, 11 p,1ragliders.rnm 17.556 S. Minuteman llr.

111 Draper, UT 8li020.

RAVEN SKY SPORTS ll/\NC CI.Jl)INC A'.\JD The Midwest's Premier acrotow flight p:irk, f<Htndcd in 1992. Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of foot··Lmnch and aerotow 1:1ndem skills, ,n package prices to beat auy in the USA. Seven be,mtifid, grassy training hills facing all wind directions.

1'011r Dragonfly tow planes, no waiting! Three tandem gliders 011 wheeled underc:1rriagcs. WW i'alrnns fo, training fi-0111 the very /Jrst lessons. LS\J/\ 11l1raligh1 ,rnd instruction. Paragliding to\VS. Free camping. :,aleslsc1·v":cl:1ccess:or:1cs fm all hrands. Open l d,1ys a week. Contact Brad I<ushner, PO Box I 01, Whi1ew:11c1 WI 5l 1'JO ()62) IJ?J.8800 phone, (262) iil.l-880 I fax, W\Vw.hangglidi11g.com, i1ifo{f1llunggliding.com

TENNESSEE lOOl«llJT MOUNT/\IN i'LIC:IIT i'J\RI< ad undn Ccorgia.

Sec

TEXJ\S

WJ\SATCII WINGS Utah's only ltd! service hang gliding school, Point of the Mountain, regional llHHllluin sites, towing. l )ca!cr f(n /\crosi /\irwavc, Altair, ivloycs, Wills Wings and much more. Call /.ac (801) ),/i li-7 Ii ();j, wings~i)wasatch .com www.was,llch.com/" wings

PARTS & J\CCESSORIES

VIRCINIJ\

i\EROTOWING i\CCESSORlJ<:S Sec TO\X1!N( ;, Tl IE WALLABY RANCl I (86:l) li2ft-0070.

/\MJ\/.INCI.Y I.OW l'RICFS BobGDhrokerforyo,1.com • YF/\R-ROUND SOJ\RINC • FXG:I.I.FNT XC: l'I.YINC • TANDEM INSTRUCTION • /\FRO TOWINC/TI !RI F J'lJC;S • DRJ\CONl'J.Y/TRIKF INSTRUC:TION • WINCI I TOWINC • l'J\R/\CJ.IDINC TOWS • INTRO !'OCH 1./\lJNCI I C:1./\S\ES • WINCI I HlWINC; • l'LY INS /\NU CJ.INIC:S • SJ\LES ;\NJl SFRVJC:I' • (,OO J\CRE 1'1\CIIJTY Steve Burns

On all Ila!] variosl

I\LlJF SKY i'tdltime instruction and service at M,111<]ui11 l'lig!tt Park uear Ricltmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, l'lig!tt Design, J\cros and J\irwavc gliders. Mid· 1\tl:1111ic Mosrptirn dealer. Steve Wrndt (51JO) li:l?.(,'i'i7 or (80/i) 2.li 1-li52.lt, www.blucskyhg.com, I)I 11c.skyl1g(!1>yal 100.com

')/i9.X/9.9J82 crn,1il: sburn:/r1\1lpha 1.nc1

8001\ Pinc St., I !came TX 778'i<) Fred Bums 7.81.li71 11iil8 email: :rns1in:1ir«'':10l.corn .1810 Bonita I .ane, I.a l'orre TX www.a1tstinairsports.com

CO .. 111\NC CLIDII\JC! 11 Jeff I !tmt. Anstin p!t/J:1x (5 12) li(,l 2'i)') jelftJ1lfly1ex.1;.co,n www.flytcxas.com I !ILi. C:OliNTRY l'J\RAC:l.llllNC: INC: Learn complete pilot skills. Pcrsonalized US! IC;\ ccrtif,ed training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in cu11ral Tex:ts. MOTORlZED P/\R/\GLIDlNG INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT i\ VJ\ILABLE. ('J 15) ll'J. 1185. Hl'i CR 220, Tow TX /8672.

KlTE ENTERPRISES Foot launch, pl:11form launch and acrotow instruction 100. Training, s;ilcs, rrntab and repair. Airwave & Wills Dallas, Fon Won!t and north Texas area. 11 ;\!kn TX /5002. (97 2) YJO 9090 nights, weekends, www.kitc··Ct1tcrprlscs.co111

TOT/\1. AIR SPORTS Area's OLDFST Wills Wing dealer. C:enif,cd instruction avaiL,hlc. "I only DEAi with WILLS". IGl21 Lakeview, lloustott TX 770ii0. (71:l) 'l.)7.8(,IIJ, totahirspor1sv1>J101m:1il.rnm

FLY AT VIRC:INIA'S NF.WEST TOTAL FLICT IT !'/\RI< MJ\NQUIN offers acrotowing, tandem ]c,...,son\, pbtform truck towing, training hill and scoolcl towing /'or tlnu advanced pilots. Ccnillcd i11:,,in1uio11, equipment sales, ;-;crvicc ,md rcpai, through "BLUE SKY" Virginia's leading hang gliding school.

Try J ,1xis !Jying with certified ultralight instTIK!ion through "FLY RAWLINC", learn to fly ,111d soar the Supcrl'lo:11cr.

Just ;i !toms south of Washington DC:, minutes NE of Richmond. Free camping alld close to Et.st (l)od, rcscrnr,1nts at1d Kings Dominion theme park.

Visit us on die wch W\vw.manqui11acro1ow.com or www.bl11cskyhg.com.

(5/iO) li:>2-6557 KITTY I !AWi< Kii l'.S

plan ahead.

DECJMB[R 2000

J'LICI IT CON NFC !'IONS, INC:. PTT II

Sec North C aroli11".

W/\SI llNCTON

'New and Improved 'Wa1er/ll11sr Resist:mt Push l\utton 1 l'icld Replaceable Finger Switch 1 1/cavicr ( ;,lllgc VVirc/1 mprovcd Plugs 'Increased Strain RclicCat 1\I.Ljoints

HANCTIME l lc:1lcr of the MOSQUITO powered h,uness,·s. Call for CI.INIC dates. Right here in the paciltc northwest. ('iO'J) 'i25-.l571t, lbbrown~1'brni.ne1

!'rice $11').'l'i. Extra finger swirc!t $1'J.'J5 w11prn·c11:1se.

Dealer inquiries welcome. C:all (91.l) ).(,8 7'.lli(,.

MC/Visa. Visit our website at www.flightconn.com

Sll.Vl'.R WINCS, INC:.

Ccrrif,cd instruction and C<Juipment sales. 'i:l.l 1'J(,'i Arlington V/\.

uo:n

two-month

BFST 12" WI IFFI.S 1\Vf\ll./\1\I.E Super tough, tandem flying. B11ilt·in lightweight, a must for bnshings. Only US/\-h11ilt wheel. $1i2.'J5, quantity discounts. lrn1ncdi:11c delivery. Lookout /vlo11ntai11, (800) 688-I.IVffP.

51

FI.YTEC li020 New cost is $850, yom cost is $550. Light use, perfect shape, all software, cables, mamwl, etc thm came with it. (206) 320 .. 'JO I 0.

HAWK AIRSPOH.TS INC P.O. Box 9056, Knoxville, TN 37910-0056, (865) 915·2625. World fomot1s Windsoks, as seen at the Oshkosh & Snn-NFun FAA l lawk(ii>windsok.com,

Al.I. ACCESSORIES IN STOCK! l'lytec 100'i, Quantum 3:lO, call! Low prices, fast delivery! (;unnison Gliders, 151,9 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 812.:',0. ('.170) <,41-')315, http://gnnnisonglidcrs.com/ l!ANC GLlDER CAMERA PACKAGE remote, includes mount, wide angle w/infinitc auto /lash , 35mm auto rewind. Super light 5.3 oz everything you need $18'). Complete. Visa (702.) 2.60-7')50. h rtp://www.virrualhosts.net/ skysa ii/ c;1111era.hrrn HANG GLIDING ACCESSORIES BAR MITTS: EXPLORER No map pocker $1i5.00 NAVICATOR Removable map pocket $55.00 COMPETITOR Circular map cuff $65.00 CLIDl'R BACS-HEAVY DUTY 600 denier polyester. Water & UV protccrion.

1110 zipper Reinforced ends. Tapered design.

Continuous loop handles. Red or blue. $100.00 CROSS COUNTRY 210 denier uylon, slrong yet ligh1wcight. 115 zipper.

Tapered. Red or hlue. $'.10.00 RADIO l'OUCI JES Vinyl window. Safoty srrap. Adjusts to fit most radios.

Velcro's onio shoulder strap. Red or blue. $15.00 l lARNESS BAC: Roomy-S1rong-( :ornfonablc.

Adjusrnblc waist belt & shoulder straps.

Red or blnc.$/i 5.00 $12.00 Sail Tics $1.00 per l O" Wing Tip Bags $5 ca. or $8/pr.

MASTADON 1)ESICNS Box 6655 S. Lake Tahoe C:J\ 9(, I ('i30) 512.-5853 www.rnasradon.net ] ,;\MINAR PARTS -· We have whai you need and wc arc committed to same day shipping. A V8 C:all (760) Tl 1-0701 or email at indaskyv"yahoo.corn

MINI VARIO World's smallcs1, simplest vario!

Clips lO helmet or 2.00 hours on bal rcries, () ..

18,000 ii., fast response 2 year warranty. ( ;real for paragliding too. ONLY $169. Mallcrrcc, PO Box 15756, Saum Ana CA, 92755. (711) %6-12/iO, MC/Visa accep1ed, www.ma\lcttcc.com

OXYGEN SYSTEMS

The world-cbss XC:R-180 operates up to 3 hours (i/J 18,000 Ji. and only lilh. Complete kit with cannula and remote on/off cylinder, 1,arness, llowmcrer, only Sl'FC:TACUI.AR TROPI !JES Awards &. gifts!

Free catalog. Soaring Dreams (2.08) 376-791/i, 7.oolisa(rllaol.com

TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

DON'T GFT CAUGHT l.ANDINC: DOWNWIND! l.'i 01.. ripstop nylon, UV treated, 5'1" long w/1 l" throal. Available colors flnorcsccnr pink/yellow or llnorcsccm pink/white. $39.95 (,$/i.75 Sill). Send to USHGA Windsok, P.O. Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80'.IO I 1:330, (719) 632-8300, fax (71 '.1) 6:32 6/i 1 ushga(rilnslrga.org VISA/MC: '1CCCJ1ted.

WOODY VALLEY Harnesses, The best, All Models-In Stoel, MOSQUITO Powered harness, Tal,c off from /lat ground-In Stoel, $3,995.

ATOS The Best, lliglrcst performing, Ridged Wing-In Stod, LIGHT SPEED --- Second Generation 'l 'oplcss-/n Stoel, SATURN Best in class, Two size demos-In Stock Glider Condoms The ultimare glider prorccrion·./n

Stork

B

mounts

V-Mitts The ORIGINAL and srill the bes1, NEW for 2000-/n Storl, Moyes, Altair, Acros, Airwavc, Airborne Gliders, ! larnesses, 1!drnets, Radios, Flit,ht Suits, Wheels,

Vr1rios, RIC toys, /.II GI,

h.d. wheels

Moumain \X!ings fnc. www.Flightscl1nol.net mtnwings(ilcatskill.net Ellenville, New York (8/i5) 61\7-3377 since 1981 We will not he undersold BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT

Camera mount $48.'SO. Camera remote (ask abottt

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

52

rcbare) $45. Vario monm $15. 6" wheels $29.7''>, 8" wheels $.34.75 S&II i11clt1dcd. TEK FLIGHT Winsted Cl' 0(,098. Or 1cld?hsnct.11er or our page:

ACCEPTING DEALER INQUIRIES PopuL1r fi1ll face hclrnet.(.,03) 317-8995 leave message.

DRAGONJ1LY TOW Cl.lJ!l - The success is in rhe smiles! kits available NOW for $10,800! l'ully built $12,800 plus you get Bobby Bailey to train you at your si1e. Call for details. Ken Brown dha Moyes America (Ii 15) 753-')531 FlyaMoycsQilaol.coni

H1\NC GLIDING

WANTED --- J lang Cliding/Paragliding instructors. [mmcdi:llc full rime openings available. Live the California dream ... instrucr students at the S:111

VlDEOS & FILMS

l;rancisco Bay area's premier training site. Service shop

employment is also available. Ask for Pat Dcncvan (li08) 262-1055. MSCl IC~+'aol.cot11 1.vww.hang--glitli11g.c{)Jn PlJBLICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

NEW' TO FLY: DlSCOVER HANG GLIDING TODAY by Adventure Productions ONLY $5.00 FOR USI-IGA MEMBERS ($15.95 for non-USHC:/\ members). Discover how 1nodcrn

If' you don't have your copy of Dennis PERFORM/\ NC:E FLYJ NC yet, available through USHCA Headquarters $29.9'5 (+$5.50 s&h for UPS/Priority Mail delivery). US] J(;A, l'O Box 1330, Colorado Springs C:O 8090 I. 1-800-6 I 6.-(,888 BAG IT!

gliding can eas-

ily help you realize yom dreams to ONLY $5.00.

Created to show how hang gliding has evolved into a sale, affordable, and fim way "To Fly". hi med at sever· al major hg schools in the US "This production has my best footage packed into a short 10 minllle eye opener.

ONLY $5.00. 10 min.! This is the video you show your Cunily and friends! ONLY $5.00.

NEW* WEATHER TO FLY, hy Advenrnrc l'roductiorn. A much needed instructional video on meteorology. Dixon White, Master pilot and USJ !CA Examiner, takes you through a simple step-by-step how to interpret it. This video will help pilots of any aircrafi understand more about modeling and forecast· ing. You'll learn ahom regional and local influences and how to determine winds aloft and stability. "Weather To Fly" is an owr-all view packed with uscli1l details and includes cloud footage. It is a straight-forward 1,resenrario11 is easy to follow. 50 min. $)9.95 NEW' STARTING HANG GLIDING, hy Adventmc Prodnctions. Produced especially to promote the sport. Covers basic preparation, weather,

proper a11itude, groru1dhandling, l:n111ching and those first flights. 30 min $29.95.

TURNING POINT IN ALPINE THERMALLING, by Dennis Trott/Alpine Flying Centre.

50'Yi, I IC, 50% PC. Discover techniques to tame the elusive alpine thermal. Beautifit! footage set against 1-!AlmY AND TIIE J JANG CLlDER is a be:llltifttlly illustrated, hardcover childrcn's book with liO color written for pilots ro share the dream oC /light! To send $2/i.95 plus $3 shipping to SkyHigh Publishing, 201 N. Tyndall, Tucson, A'/. 85719 or call (520) 628-81 G5 or visit http://www.1lasl1.net/-·skyhipub Visa/M(: accepted.

Jvlonthly magazine of' The Soaring

Society of Amcrici, Inc. Covers all aspects of soaring

flight. Full membership $55. Info. kit with sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, llohhs, NM 882/i 1. (505) Y>2 1177.

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-

Superior graphic animarion) great c1rncra angles. 211 minutes.

TELLURIDE SPEED GUDINC By Tarnm Productions $19.95. Cornplcte coverage of this event.

The sound of the gliders passing through the control garcs is totally awesome. 33 minutes.

Call US HCA (719) G:l2-8300, fax (71 ')) (,32 Gli I 7, order fi'otn our web site www.ushga.org. Please add +$Ii slit in the USA.

process showing where ro acquire weather data and

WWW.l!Sltga.org

SOARINC

SPEED GLIDING: TEAR UP TfIF SKIES By Adventure Productions $24.95 Covers the speed gliding contest in Kamloops, British Columbia and then onto Telluride, Colorado.

--------------·--------

TOWING AEROTOW!NG ACCESSORJF.S I lcadquartcrs for: The /Jnest releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, tandem wheels, launch can kits, etc.

THE WALLABY RANCH (86)) 42ii-0070.

OcCEMll[R 2000

F,uropc's most dramatic mountains. Also J(,;ItlJrc.s comments from 1op pilots & great anim:Hion. 2/i min

$:-15.95 Currcmly our honest selling video! /\ERONAUTS HANG GLJ])ING MASTERS, by Photographic Fxpcditions. A documentary of hang gliding today. Superb footage, graphics & interviews. ,i:\ min $29.95.

JTANG GLIDINC EXTREME & BORN TO FLY

by Advenmre Productions, great hg action $3/i.95 each.

HAWAIIAN FI.YIN hy Space 9, soaring in paradise, :unazing launches $33.00 C:1'1 USIIGA (11 '>) 6:\2-8:lOO, fax (719) 632-Gli I email: or order off our weh page www.ushga.org. add ,.$/i domestic s/h ( 1-$5 for two or more videos). Great to impress your friends or l,,r those socked-in days. Pcrfrct gift for the launch potato turned couch potato. Also, ask us about our paragliding videos'

From the Telluride Festival in I 981, to the modern day freestyle competition. hillow rhc history of this dynam· ic gathering. $24.95 Call lJSJ-!C:A (719) Ci32-8300, f'ax (11 ')) 632-6/i I/, order Crom our web site www.mhga.org. Please add +$Ii dornestic s/11.

REAL ESTATF CRFSTl.lNF CALIFORNJA ---- At launch site, home for sale, hed/hreakfast. income l;unhcr information at www.tcrcsalircalcsuu-c.com or

(949) G89-9333.

MISCEIJ.ANEOUS

"AEROBATICS" - Full color 2:l"x 31" poster foarnring John Heiney doing what he docs best··LOOPINC! Available through LJSI [( ;A J IQ for just $G.')5 ( ,$/i.00 s/h). !'ill that void on your wall! Send to US! !CA Acrobatics Poster, PO Box I 300, Colorado Springs CO 80'):l:J. (USA & Canada only. Sorry, posters arc

53

NOT I\ V /\IL/\BLE on international orders.) SPL& Eric Raymond C:l/\ L-/\crobat ics BOTH FOR$ IO s/h). Check the 111e1"C!1andise section of our web .site www.ushga.org f(n a color pie~

DON'T LE/\Vl'. YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT S1TT1NG IN TllE GARAGE. SELL IT IN THE ll/\NG GLIDJNG CL/\SS!FlEDS.

ture of" these bcamifid posters.

CI./\SSff!ED /\DVERT!SJN(; RATES The rate for classil,ed advertising is$. 50 pn word (or group ol" characters) and $ I .00 per word for bold or all MIN I

-··-HANG GLlDTNG Cl IRISTM/\S CARDS-Old black and white etching style. $10 per dozen, $18 for 2 dozen, $33 for 50, or$<,() f,,r 100. (Plus IO'Y<, for shipping.) On rhe net: http://acreation.tripod.com or email tckG'ilsnet.nct. Send a sclraddresscd stamped rnvclopc for an assortment selection sheer to: TFK FUCJ-IT Products, Colebrook St:tge, Winsted CT 0(,098. Call in your order, Visa/MC/Discover accepted, (860) 379 1668.

MUM /\D C:l 11\RCF $).00. I\ /"cc of 15.00 is f,,r each line an logo and $25.00 for each pl,o& l'IIOTO SIZE NO L/\RCER Tl-1/\N 1.75" X 2.25". Please underline words to he in bold print. Special b1your.s of' tabs $25.00 per column inch. Phone rnimber,,2 words. h11ail or web address<lwords. /\l) DE;\])LINFS: All ad copy, instn1crions, changes, additions and cancellations must be received in writing 1.5 months preceding the cover date, i.e. December 201 h for I he February issue. Please make checks payable to US]!(;/\, P.O. Box 13:lO, Colorado Springs, C:O 8090 1-1:330, (7 I')) G.32.-8300.

Fax (71 '!) (,'.l2 <,ii 17 or email: your

STOLEN WINGS & THINGS MOYES XTR/\LITE 147 & 1Gli Stolen July I 5, 2000 during Regionals in l IE/\RNE, TX. Both gliders have a whirc upper smfacc, black under surface and an X-[itc emblem on undcr~mrfacc of right wing. Contact Melvin ll. Asher (281) 'J'.,/i 61 'J9 or John Moody Cl 1:l) 7/i()(,0)5. /\FROS STE/\1.Tl I Stolen from QUFST AIR FLJCI IT Jl/\RK, FL on May 1st, 1'J9'l (last day of" the Nats.) Red nnder, blue tip, mylar top. Call Mark (2ii8) 39/i- I 7,2.7 mboltgliclc~llaol.com

ADVERTISERS Advcnnll'c Produoions ................ , ....... 5 H/\NC CL!DlNC; & P/\R/\CL]l)lNC TOURS /\II skill levels. /\ero, truck smooth soaring at a bca11tifi1l lake. or long sled ride from 12,000' to the coast.

Transportation, guide, lodging, glider & more. Basic package $ I OO/d,1y. Tcl/f"ax O1 1··/i9-804-22355,

wvvw.k1ngglidi11g-guatcma!a.dc VJ])FOS BOOKS & POSTl•'.RS -- C:all USJIC/\ for your Merchandise order form ("71 <J) G'.l2··8:l00, e1rnil: t1sliga([rlushga.org, or chccl< our web page www.11shga.org

NOW 5 MODELS /\V/\11./\l\LF 122/i" wing span.

Priced at 2/$5, 5/.$12, 10/$20 ( ,$:l.20 S&H, W/\ resi dents add 8.(,% sales tax). Check/money order ro: J,ing Wings, 1'0 Box liB<J, Enumclaw WA 98022. wwvv.zingwing.con1

Angle ofAnack ................................. 54 Arai Design ......................................... 8 Dan Johnson .................................... .48 Flytec ..................................... , ....... 9,34 Hall Bros ............................................. 5 l lauck Vidcos ....... ,........................... ,35 l-J igh Fncrgy Sports ............................. 5 Just , 'l' ................................................. ; Lookout Mtn. Plighr Park ........... .40,41

Mastadon Dcsigns ............................... 2 Mojo ....... ,........................................... 9 Moyes ............................................... 35 Neilsrn-Kcllcrman ............................ 3'5 North Wing ......................... ,............. ,9 Sport Aviation Publications ................. 2 ·rravcrsc City Hang Glidcrs ................ .7 U.S, Acros ..................................... ,..... 5 USHGA ............ ,......... ,.................... I I,48,li9 West Coast Atos ................................... ,....... 2 Wills Wing ................... 17, Back Cover

Phone: 209.543.7850 Toll·Free: 888.530.9940 E-Mail: custsvc@a ng Ieofattack. net Website: http:// a ng leofattack. net

100% Gu11r1111teed. If 1101 sa1isfied, ro1urn unused tubes for 100% money back. Major Credit Cards accepted.

DEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged.

Ad b Polo, Birrnn: 847.640.0171

54

1-JANC CLIDJNc;

S'l'. Pl\UL, MJNN., Good words continue to flow for Joe Greblo' s Dockweiler Beach Reunion Fly-in. ,Joe reported m,arly 4 00 people werP present und about l'jO qualified as gPnuine--articlo hang gliding pioneers.

From uU accounts, a great L~jrne had by all.

Perhaps even more' arniJzing considedny tbe FittySornel:h ing age range of many wl10 attended was the tlyir:g. Yep, pilots hooked U1em,c;elvos inl.o all manner of antique~ wings from standard roqallos t.o bamboo and--pJas U_c models and gave 'e.rn another L cy on tho qentle slopes of the Paci right o LAX port. 800 A now model sevora L tried was Wills Wing's new training glider, Condor. 'rhis .is c1 big boy, a whopping 330 c,quaro toot (30.'/ sq. m.). The 'l'exas-sized glider has othc,r intero.sting is 39 teet, yet il weighs only 53 poundr,; only ]] mpr1, while l:a.i ned max speed is 3?. mph; pilot. wc-,ightc; nm a broad ,;pocl:rurn from 00 to ?.65 pound,;. Weight i,; kept down by using 707'i tubing Uiroughoul. t.hc airframe and batlern:; (control bar and kingpost: 6061). A Will,, gave a lengthy description of the new behemoth which included, "Condor 330 is a spec:ia·t -purpm;e training glider des:Lqned for first solo flights by hang g1 dcr stucfontr; under direct instruct.or supervision, very low a] ti tm1es." Dockwciler' s 3'.:i-foot high sand dune,~, qualify. WW aboratcd saying i1-. "easily achieve flight in little or no wind at very low groundspeeds [rorn a shallow . " However, they also caul:ion thal: "Condor intended for use in still air, in very LiuhL wind:; which are very smooth and uniform, w:L thout appreciable qust,; or t:hennal acti vi t:y. " A Condor c'.k,siqnod for solo fl.ight and will be sold only L.o instructors. WiH,; ' t ,;ay how L:hey intend to usaqo they don' l: condone, but witr1 today's :focus on further, a glider with il L-.op ,,peed of 3?. mph won' :find a rnc:irket in the X-C crowd. A Perhaps one of t:he more amazing aspect:,, of t:he Condor is a comment trorn Rob !<:ells thaL. WW may make this design available to other manufacturers. In my ?,6 years in hang gliding, don't 'vcc, over heard :,uch an otfer. vvills has loner been a promoter ot healthy growth; their Condor i.nl:cc;nded to hc~lp bring new participants into the c,port and offer to show Info 714-998-·63':,9 or will swing. com. 114118 Spealdng of now g] idors... , a lit.Uc Ln,cJ1er nows on AirBorne's new Climax, received Jast month' column headed to the nter. Rob Hibb0,rd, a lloncho at Airborne, v,s L-.hat on UiEc,j second pn::,-produc·tion sail, "there are only minor modifications to complete betore we starl work on the [smaller] 144 size." A number of pi lot:s have flown the CJ irnax now, AirBorne says, and opinions include: "excel ro·1 response, l speed, excellent rate, easy to J and window) , and a sai. l fi that second to none." Undoubl:.edly these, ,n-cc; entlmsic1sl:ic r,upport:c2ers, but my rE,ce:nt e:xpowi L-.11. their improved Streak wing ( for powered :--:o improrrnc::,d me that can believe CJOOcl thing,; about hang glidcc,rs. More into borne.corn.au. 1111011 A tiJctory nows] L:.Lor Erom Uie [talian produce;r of the Laminar gliders r;ays, "l the 0

DICIMllER 2000

,

past ye-ears we liad c,lightly rnocl i Ei c-ed our gliders a] ways J ookinq for irnproveme;nL-; but tllis year Manfred Ruhmer has really manc1ged to make a difference. What ho developed and applied on his own glider did not. only prove to be exccillenl in competitions, but it also came out t.o be suitable for advc1nced pilots!" Due to thd.r satisfaction with Manfn::,d' work, Jcaro has decided to fo1plemenl: these chanqes on aJl of t:heir toplc,ss gliden,. 'rhoy say the new model "perfonns gr-eatly b11t is still t·.c fly with L·JJC, VG-off; wiU1 l:bo VG·-on Lt will become a real racing rnacllino, thouqb ! " Icaro says i \: l:he production ot Uie now model. A Out with the old l:o make room for Lhe new. Jcaro alr;o said l:hat "the old ST models will not be produced anymore," though they will continue ,;up-· plying spare parts and al] related C,Ec,rvices. The S'J's will be replaced by the new Laminar MP in i two versions: Laminar MR 2001 ( the Basic version) and tho Laminar MRx 2001, what Jcaro cal "the cornpel.i l:ionMa txix version." Each of them wi l J be available in two sizes: 13 and 14 square mGLE-~rs or J1JQ and 150 square feel.. "' The newsy Jcaro J,,t:t:er also bragcrod about l:heir changes to L·.lle swivel tip saying the smaller swive] version, "also bas il:.s own compensator; lhi.s i the bigqost: novelty of: the MR?.001 ! " 'l'he tip has a larger movement range flight: . connoctod w.i. Lb a cable ilnd a pulley l-o the central part of the crof,S bar. When the~ VG is on, the tip lowers and when it off, it Icaro claims this, "optirnizc,r; your qlide and safety features in flight.. " 'l'hey add that this happens aul:ornatically when you pull your VG on or off. "' Importer Rich Burton of AVB says, '"L'l1c new basebar beautiful . J has the tradil:ional Jcaro grip and very clean corr1er brackets." A Naturally, this isn' \: free. Jean, reports t:Jiat the price will be "slightly higher than last year' due to the new rnatc-e-rials uS(!d on this crlider" Info: indasky@yahoo.com.

••• •rake that new glider south for the winter! ,Jeff !Tunt wri tos, "We now beginning to make arrange·rnentf, for Lhis season flying in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Srnmd warm and inviLLng? Pilots can ask about his packa90,s and services '512--467· ?.'.i?.9 or eH@fly., rnexico. corn. 01111111 You' 11 need accessorie,,, too.

Aeros boss, GW Meadows, announced, '\Ju,c:t wenl yesterday (11/5/00) with what l:hink tho first eStore in hang gliding By e-~;tore, rnmn with shop-p:i ng cc1rt and evc,ryl.hinq. " "being updatE•d all Urne," he add,; and says he' lJ be adding more in the future. Go to trice e--Sl:ore at www.jusl:.fly.com. 800 Corrections Dep' t: October reported that: Rid1 Burton was Lhe irnporter of the TeniJx. fact, he has l:.he r.i qhts to tho Manfred Ruhmer version Tenax. "The USA distributor tor the ot:hc:r Woody Vallc"y nesscc:,s ir; Greg Black's Mountain Wings . 1'110 MP Tenax i,; a future product that J1as yet to bm.:orne market ready.

Meanwb.ile, Mountain Wings invest eel heavily in other Woody Va.J ley han1esc::E'S wllich are :in production and tor c,ale now. More info: MtnWingsGlCal:skiJ . net or woodyvalley. corn. 8119 So, cJot nows or opinions'? Send 'em L:o: fl Dorr;et, St. Paul MN 5511il. Messa(JeS or fax l:o 6'-il-lJS0-0930, e ·rnai:l to Curnu1usMan@ao1.com. J. "Product Lines" column,; be: available later yea www.ByDanJohn on. om. THANKS!

55

Competition?

Oh yeah, we do that too ...

Bo Hagewood Jim Lee Paris Williams

1st 1st 3rd

2000 US National Championships 2000 Lone Star Championships 2000 Lone Star Championships

Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP

Jim and Paris combined to win six out of seven days of the meet.

Kari Castle Fra n<;:oise Mocellin

1st 2nd

2000 Women's World Championships 2000 Women's World Championships

Fusion 150 SP Fusion 141 SP

These were the only two Fusion SP's in the meet Richard Walbec Fra nc;:oise Mocellin Ric hard Walbec Sa ndy Dittmar Chris Muller

1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st

2000 French National Championships 2000 French Women's National Championships 2000 Pre-Worlds 2000 Valida International De Vol Vibre Venezuela 2000 Canadian Nati onal Championships

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Fusion 150 SP Fusion 141 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP Fusion 150 SP

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But then , we do other things as well . Like the Wills Wing Falcon · the world wide standard for first purchase, entry-level fun . The Wills Wing Eagle - double surface performance with single surface flight characteristics - and maybe the best all around glider we've ever made. The Wills Wing Ultra Sport· the most accessible true high performance you can buy. And the Wills Wing Fusion . the confidence that comes with first quality materials and engineering, and an unmatched safety record .

Wills Wing gliders. Check us out.

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Guality aircraft for exceptional pecple.

Wills Wing USA, 500 West Blueridge Ave. Orange, CA 92865 , ph 714.998 .6359 fax 714.998 .0647 www.willswing.com

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