USHGA Hang Gliding February 2001 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

ntents (USP~ 017-970-20 - l:iSN 0895,4.1.lX)

12 Downhill Landing Technique © 200 I by Dennis J>agen Whac ro do when you must face chis less-rhan-oprimal landing siruarion.

16 Hang Gliding Interviews: Wayne Kerr by Jim (.5kydog) Palmieri A chat with th is foscinaring pi lot and wildlife research narural isr.

22 King Mountain, Idaho by T<evi11 Frost Black-diamond !lying at 1h is fomous Idaho site.

32 Thermals - Part II by Will Gr1t!tl A look ar thermal.~and clouds.

38 Pilot Report: The Millennium kY Deane Williams

An in-dcprh look ,H th is rigid-wing glider.

Columns

Departments

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

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

lncidenr Reports ............. .................. ... 10

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

Hawker & Vario, by Harry Martin ..... 21

Calendar of Events .................. .......... ... I I

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

Classified Advertising .......... ............... .44 Index ro Advertisers ............................. 54

( :OVER: Barn,-y 11.,ll in in an Aune I IU .11 the I loghack near I iving.,ron, .\-lonran.1. l'ho1<> by l lan ( ;rav.,ge. CEN T ERSl'READ: Frnie ( :arnadio ovn Ramshorn ( :an yon in Id.t ho , wit h Sunset Ridge .ind the l'a" <:red, Ro.,d dhow in the ha,kgrouml. lnvisihlr .\fountain is at the ldt ~rca r oi' dw photo. l'hoto hy 1-.rn,c ( :,unad to. Sec story on pai-:c' 22. DISCLAI MI'R 01; WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: T he 111,Hnial 111nemcd hn,· is puhlishnl ·" pan ot' ,lll in l,,m1,Hio11 d i"c111111.Hio11 st·rvin· l,,r USfH ;A nw111l>tn. T lw US fl(;;\ ,nakn 110 w.111.tntic, 0 1 rq»t·M.'lllation~ .111d <h~ ll llH.'S 110 liability u Hl tl..'f'lli11g thl· v.didi1 y of ,1 11y ~u.lvicc, opi11io11 . 1>r f'C.'l'tlllllllcllda1ion vxp1nsnl in tli,· 1n.1tnial. All indi vidu.tl, r,·lyin !-\ up,>11 dw 111.ttn'i.11 do so .ll dwir own risk. ( :opyrigl1t <<) 200 I l l11i1nl S1.11v, 11.,ng ( ;lidi n!-\ 1\"11 .. Inc. ;\II righ1, 1,·st·rwd to lli111g (,'/idi11g and individual u>1mihnrors.

FFBRUARY 2()()'1

Gil Dodgen, Dave Pounds, Art John Hl1i11ey1 Gerry Charlebois, teroy Grannis, Mark Vaughn, Bob Lowe Photograplw1:s Harry Martin, f/lustmtor DMnis Pagen, Mark Stucky, Rodger Hoyt, G.W. Meadows, Jim Palmieri, Bill Bryden Staff Writom

RECION 1:

Sheldon, Ray David Jebb, John Mark Ferguson, Jitn 5: Frank Gillette. Rl'GJON 6: /eff Sinason. RECION RECJON 8: Doug Sharp,,. REGION 9: Geoff Mumford, /\111unategui. David Glover, Matt REGION ·11: Kent Robinson. RECION 12: Paul

DIRECTORS /\T L/\RCE: Ed

Pitman, Paul Rikmt, HONORARY

/\darns, John Harris, Steve J<roop, Sanderson Chris Dul'aul, Gene Matthews, Ken Brown, Rob J<dls, Mi<.:hiwl Robertson, Russ Locke. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art (NA/\).

is publislwd for gJid .. ing sport enthusiasts create further interest the and to provide an 1c,ducalio1ml forum to advanco gliding methods and safety. Conlrihulions ,He we!<· come. /\nyone is invited to contribute articles, and i11ustrnlions htmg gliding a seJf..addrcssed the mi\terial is to be return envelope rnus1 be enclosed. must be made of submission to othor hang gliding publicillions. HANG GLIDING magazine roserves the

to edit

contributions where m,cessary. The and do not assume, responsibili1y for the matcrior opinions of contriblllors. HANG GLIDING cditor1"· al offices: 31441 Sanln Suif.e J\ .. 2%, Rancho Santa (949) 8/Jf\. 7361, f;ix (949)

HANG GLIDING (ISSN 0895,4:i:Jx) is monthly by the United States Inc., 2 ·19 W. Colorado /\vc., Springs, CO BO'JO{ (719) 6.12..fl300. F/\X 6417. l'ERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid al Springs, CO ,md ilt additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANCE OF ADDRESS TO: H/\NG GLIDING, l'.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, C01l0901·'1:l30.

FrnRUARY 2001 VmuME 311 ISSUE Nu. 2

FOLDED MYLARAND SNAGGED BRIDLES Dear Editor, A year ago a pilot came up to me at Wallaby Ranch and said his glider was suddenly behaving very mysteriously. It had strange handling and wouldn't slow down during lauding. [ walked over to the glider and immediately saw the problem: a barely perceptible bulge in the Mylar on one batten. Folded Mylar. How did T know what to look for? l've had the misfortune of flying with this malady myself. When it happened I flew for more than an hour trying to figure out what was wrong. I looked at the reflex bridles, battens, undersurfuce and tips. I could discern no irregularities in the wing. A right turn was normal, but a left turn, beyond a shallow bank, would wrap up and stall. After landing (non-eventfully) l looked over every aspect of the glider l could think of and couldn't find a problem. Only when I began breaking clown did l notice the tiny bulge at the back of the Mylar on the number two left:.-sidc batten. I've come across this problem several times, so l'd like to add my experience to Bill Bryden's write-up in the "Incident Reports" column in the December issue. My folded Mylar occurred when setting up with a fairly strong wind from behind my Klassic. I found through experimenra-tion that it is almost impossible to induce a Mylar fold without this condition. J also found that pushing up the fore part of the hatten with the free hand pressing up against the lower surface will prevent a fold. The more steeply a batten is cambered, the more likely it is to fold the Mylar. Therefore, the Klassic is particularly susceptible to the problem. ln addition, that means folds will probably not occur on the outboard battens. For that reason l recommend that a glider's battens be inserted from outboard to inboard (starting with the one you normally put in last before tensioning) when setting up in a strong tailwind. This procedure will probably avoid folded Mylar. Part of the problem is that the fold is very difficult to detect unless you are specifically looking for it. This is especially true if it has happened before and it is creased so it lies fairly flat. For that reason l recommend a visual check and a hand check (run your hand on the back of the leading edge pocket) as does Bill. Furthermore, if a fold has happened, l recommend pulling out both Mylar inserts

and reversing them at your earliest convenience. Try to bend out any crease that may have occurred. The idea is to prevcllt a fold from happening again, which you may miss in a moment of distraction. I wish to point out that the problem may not be immediately obvious in flight. A shallow turn ro the folded side will probably show nothing unusual. Only when you begin banking 20° or so will the alarm bells go off. With a severe !old (more than one batten involved) the glider will enter a steep turn which will end up in a spin if the stall continues. The only remedy is to pull in and wait until the wing unsralls to level the wings and pull out. 'fhis action may be counter to your impulses and may take more altitude than is available. Folded Mylar is serious, especially if more than one batten is involved. It is amazing that minor defects in the smooth contour so far inboard can have such a dramatic effect, but it's real. Finally, l should mention that T found that pulling the VG on actually helped the problem, apparently because the wing developed more lift fur·· ther outboard. Of course, the turn response wasn't pleasant. Which brings up a second malfunction: reflex bridles snagged under batten ends. I've had the joy of flying with this problem as well, on a Sensor, which was particularly prone to snagged bridles due to the trailing edge layout. l set the glider up on rugged Grandfather Mountain during a Masters practice round. The glider was backed up tightly against the bushes and the crossbar was tensioned from the front. My preflight was compromised by access to the rear and the distraction of the many tourists. fn flight the glider definitely tended to pitch up and resist roll with the VG off' Many gliders with reflex bridles have a VG compensator system that pulls rhe bridles tight with the VG off With such a glider, flying with the VG on will make the problem go away, which it did in my case. The only matter of concern remaining is landing. The solution is to fly a long, straight final with ample control speed. Hang gliders land very easily with the VG on fi.dl, as long as you don't try to make sudden turns. }fopefolly others will learn the importance of a thorough preflight from this account. Equally important are the insights into how to deal with a couple of in-flight emergencies that have occurred often enough to warrant special attention. Dennis Pagen Springs Mills, PA HJ\NG GiiDINC

Of course, you can still order the old fashioned way: Just Fly Aviation Gear 252 480 8552 www.justfly.com 1125 Harborview Dr. Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 info@justfly.com

by Rodger Jloyt HOOK-IN ALARM COMMENTS Dear Editor, I just read "Hook-In Alarms" by John Maloney (!Jang Gliding, January 2001). l am glad ro sec that someone else om there is concerned about hook-·in safety. My cornplirncms to John for invent· ing a way to make his alarm passive. It is a clever idea that I wish I bad thought of. Maybe more people will adopl the idea and install their own alarms. 'fo my knowledge, there arc two hook-in alarm invcnrions that have been patented (neither mine nor John's), yet they arc not being manufactured fell' the hang gliding market. Go figure. l still use my hook-in alarm and i1 has worked flawlessly since I constructed it nine years ago. It is srill working with the same nine-volt lithium battery! l g11ess I should replace i1 as John sets a good example by wanting to replace his once a year. Let's sec now, if my math is correct, that makes a grand total of two of us who now use hook-in alarms. ] Jarry Martin Thousand Oaks, CA Harry@vcner.com

wind or crosswind field will he easier to reach. New pilots may not take this into consideration and wam to be heading toward the flight park. When choosing a field the pilot must irn;igine the worst case scenario, flying through sink to reach it, and a downwind tum might afford a greater chance of reaching a good field. The reader may surmise that I didn't make this choice when I was heading from the ridge, which made for a very close pass over the trees before reaching my chosen LZ. After a rnrhulcm approach I managed an upwind foot landing. Look for signs of wind in the trees and grass to judge the best approach for a safe, 11pwind landing. This is important, especially if the field is small. My adventure ended in a hal/~milc hike ro the road, with a waist-deep creek on the way scaling this experience in my memory an adventure likely to be recounted. ff you have adequate altitude you might consider trying to shorten the hike our you'll have to make with 80 pounds of gear! I wouldn't trade this learning experience for an Atos, and hope/idly the reader can take some of it with him the next time he lands out. Keith Bien Lookout Mountain, GA

LANDING OUT Dear Editor, Every intermediate pilot, whether he warns to or not, is hound to land in an alLernate landing field sooner or later. It seems that every pilot can conjure up an adventure story if prompted. I discovered this when l shared a recent unexpected adventure of my own. I ,anding out is nm inherently dangerous or undesirable, however, there arc a few things that can make the experience safer. Some of these things I learned only after debriefing with more experienced pilots. I felt compelled to share what I have learned. I'm a Hang IT pilot with only abom 16 hours of flying time. Much of' my experience has been ridge soaring. Certain conditions can make it more like·· ly to make landing in the intended I,/, difficult. [n a slight crosswind, a downwind leg will be quick, but the return trip upwind will be slower. lf you lose the lift on your downwind leg as l did, you will need to pLrn for an alternate LZ quickly. It's important: ro be aware that a down-

HONDURAS Dear Ediror, l'rn the president oF the Honduras Hang Gliding Association and I'd like to invire everyone to fly in our country. We have a nice sire in the Merendon Mounrains with a 1,200-foor launch, and it is a wonderful soaring sire with small thermals and a ceiling of 5,000 foet all this, with a north wind almost every day of the year. This invitation is totally free for everyone in the world. l can lend gliders to pilots and offer transportation to the mountain. You only need to bring your harness. I would like ro get to know more hang gliders pilots, make new friends from around the world, and improve my flying skills. You can call (50/i) 55().91 O(J (work) or (50/i) 5521671 (home), or c·n1ail m .erazo(rDun itec.cdu. Gustavo Erazo

oy Spencer, an Advanced-r;Hed pilot and Observer from Santa Clara, California demonstrates some oldfashioned ingenuity with this rip. "Bolt heads can cause wear spots on your sail. 'T'o reduce wear, I f<iund 'Decorative l .iccnse Plate Screw Caps' at my local auto parts store. You can attach rhc caps over the bolt heads using your favorite adhesive. Mine were a perfocr lit!"

ay C;ianfrmc's attenrion to detail is evident in his world-class harnesses which have been ar the forefront of the compel ition scene frlr over IS years. His new design, the Carbon CG, has already been used on rhc latest two world distance-record flights. So when Jay offers a rip, it's well researched and deserves credence. 'I 'his month, Jay offers two tips for your edification.

"Just before takeoff (perhaps as part of your hang check) place one foot on the stirrup or foot rest of your harness. After launch, your foot will 'remember' where it needs ro go, making it easier lO get into your harness."

A trial placement could reveal m1y tangled lines, stuck zippers or mher dangers, roo. Jay's second rip originally came in response roan inquiry as to why he included no separate instrument pouch on the outside of his harness bags. "Fold your instrumems up inside the harness," was his reply; the harness itself serves as a cushion between hard objects and those delicate (and expensive) electronic devices. A small backpacking-type stuff sack will Further protect them from zippers and other metallic harness components.

llc/lJc II hot tip? E-mr1i! rbhoyt<?>go.com or mail Rodger Hoyt, 956 Glengrove Jive, Central Point, OR 97502. Hi\NC GIIDINC

Mitch Shipley) former Navy Submarine Commander and hang gliding competitor Since 1 Dennis Pagan's books have helped pilots understand our sport and get the best out of their flying: IJA:>r'l'nr,m"''"'".:. Flying • $29.95 , Hang Gliding Manual - $29.95* , Understanding the - $24.95* , Towing - $29.95 (by D. Pagen and Bill Bryden) * Companion videos: Star/Ing Nang Gliding ($29.95) and Weather to Fly

($39.95) - Save 10% whon you order the book and its companion video

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II update USHGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/OFFICE MANAGER POSITION AVAILABLE

he USHGA is currently finalizing responsibility and salary requirements for the position of Executive Director/Office Manager for our Colorado Springs office. Interested candidates should send inquiries and resumes to che Chairman of che Selection Committee, Jim Zeiser, Region 4 Director, fax (7 19) 539-3900, e-mail JimZGreen@aol.com, 13 154 County Rd. 140, Salida, CO 81201.

NEW VIDEO SCREEN SAVERS

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nology, yo u can play full-length video with rich stereo sound as a screen saver. Adventure Productions teamed up with Dia.rd Software, a leading custom video screen saver software company, to create chis cutting-edge multi-media program for Windows. le easily plugs imo your existing Windows screen saver program with a separate control panel to conuol viewing options of full screen, quarter screen, random viewing, vary the playback speed and size, mute che audio, and control the location of the movies. System requiremems are Windows 95/98/ T/2000, 48GDX2/GG (Pentium 120 or better recommended), 16-bic color required (24-bic color recommended), 1G MB RAM for Windows 95/98, 32 MB RAM for Windows T, 8X CDROM drive, 650 MB hard disk space for the highquality video .a.vi file. The screen saver is easily installed or uninscalled. You can also choose to play the .avi file from yo ur computer CD-ROM drive using Microsofr's multimedia player. Also available is the "Monumental Triking, Ultralight Powered Hang Gliding in Monumem Valley" video screen saver. The screen savers on CD-ROM are available for $19.95 each plus shipping of

$4 (USNCanada/Mexico, $1 0 for all ocher countries), from Paul Hamilton, Adventure Productions, (775) 747-01 75, paul@advencurep.com, 6553 Stone Valley Drive, Reno, Nevada 89523 USA. For more information check the Adventure Productions Web site at www.adventurep.com.

USHGA CHAPTER INFO t is time to renew your USHGA Chapter affiliation. Please return the following to the USHGA if yo u want to maintain site insurance and Chapter affiliation with rhe USHGA: a Chapter printout (with any changes noted); a current roster of your membership (no exceptions!); a copy of modified bylaws (if appropriate); a copy of all current site permits issued to the chapter; a check to cover site insur- · a.nee premiums. The cost per site is: $25 0 for the first site; $ 175 for the second site; $ 1GO for the third site; $ 140 for the fourth site; $115 for the fifth site; $ 100 for each additional site. Site insurance premiums must be received with the renewal each year before February 15, so that renewal insurance certificates can be ordered. The existing coverage is automatical ly terminated at 12:00 PM on February 28 . If coverage is terminated it can only be reinstated upon receipt of the insurance application and a check to cover the premiums. Any late renewals

Continued on page 48.

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by USJiGA Accident Review Chairman Bill Bryden ccasionally readers inquire as to what kind of events should he reported. We want borh accidents and incidents. What's the difference? The USHGA defines an accidem as a crash that results in injury for which the average person would seek profr,ssional rnedical attention. An incident is a lesser evem that has the potential for injury yet is beyond rhe routine whack or is in some way unique or a different kind of occurrence. An interesting comparison is how the U.S. Navy classifies their accidents. They do nor use the word "accident" bm r;Hhcr call any unplanned event that results in more than $10,000 damage or an injury, causing at least one lost work day, a "mishap." Events resulting in less than $ I0,000 dam-age, with a couple of exceptions, and nor significanr injury is not formally reported or investigated by an Aircrafr Mishap Board. Mishaps arc classified in three levels oF severity, with Class A exceeding $1,000,000 of damage, a lost aircraft, death or permanent total disability. Class C is $10,000 to $200,000 of damage or injuries to fewer than five people that arc not permanently disabling. Class B is in the middle. Our terms, accident and incident, seem to suit us well presently, and we'll probably retain them for a while. We desire reports abom any accidem or incident. Tt is mandatory for instrucrors to submit reports for any accidents they witness or with which they arc in some way connected. Don't worry if you don'r- liave a form, just write something up and mail or e-mail it. Capture a summa1y of the key facts, like hang gliding or paragliding event, date, location, pilot name, kind of equipment being used, weather conditions, summary of injuries and a concise description of what happened and key lessons you think the event teaches. Don't worry about making it perfect, just unambiguous. A narrative about the whole day leading up to the event isn't generally necessary either. Your name and conract information is optional hm it helps me on those occasions when I do wa111 some additional information.

Some people arc fearful that a report may be used against them by the US1 !GA ro revoke a rating or somehow punish a pilot for his /lying. This is NOT the case. All hang gliding reports arc fiJrwardcd to me and J capture rhe essence of the event, scrubbed clean of identifying information, into a database for statistical use by the lJSHGA. We retain rhe original report for frrnr 10 six momhs to help forrer out dupli-carc reports and then discard the original. We do not track pilot names or sires. We only log things like pilot rating and the kind of flying site, such as mountain site, slope launch and the general season of the accident. l will be compiling srarisrics for the year 2000, so if you have any incidem or accidcnr that has not hccn reported, please send those in ASAP, by rhc end oFFcbruary at the latest for inclusion in the analysis. Your help yields more complete data and benefits us all. Not all reports arc specifically used as a ropic of discussion for the magazine. I try to avoid redundancy month ro month, and if an article in the previous monrhs addressed rhe lessons from a recently received report, I will include the event in the database but might nor specifically reference ir in an article. l also rend rn save and aggregate some reports with common themes and lessons for use in the future. It could he six to eight months before I reference a given evcnr. If pilots have topics rhey feel need addressing, I welcornc the suggestions and requests. I received a phone call recently specifically making a request rhar this pilor's accident be discussed which will he our topic chis monrh. 'The Advanced-rated pilot with a moder-ate amount of experience over the last 1(i years was piloting an HP AT' 1li7 at a mountain site. He bypassed a larger l Z, choosing to land in a small field on tbe side of a mountain. The LZ was too small and he crash-landed while still prone. There were no wheels on the control har (unknown if they would have helped) and when the bar contacted the ground the glid-er impacted hard, swinging the pilot aggressively forward. The pilot was wearing a full-face helmet and the chin guard snagged on the ground or control bar and violently yanked the pilot's head down into his chest during rhc

crash. He fractured the C7 and Tl vertebrae (at: the bottom of the neck). Extensive surgery, 12 days in the hospital and luck resulted in no paralysis and a reasonably full recovery. 1-lowcvcr, foture impacts or crashes could much more easily cause neck injury with a substantially higher probability of devastating consequences, which has sadly ended this pilot's hang gliding and adventure sports pursuits. This is the first neck injury attributed to a frill-face helmet reported. There have been several incidents in wl1ich helmets rotated on the pilot's head and the edge of the face openings, usually rhat above the eyebrows, has injured or laccratul the pilot's face, often the nose:. Neither rhc pilot nor I have any specific recommendations t:o make at this time beyond camioning pilots that frillface helmcrs, while protecting your face much better, do this with some other increased risk. You don't become invulnerable by wearing a foll-face helmet. Flying is an exercise in managing risks, and equipment selection is included. 1 n thinking about rhis spcciftc event and discussing ir with a few pilots, it was thought that a visor would have allowed the helmet to slide along the ground, preventing the chin guard snag. Conversely, in the fatality we reported last month, the pilot had a helmet with a visor and one observer of that· accident norcd that maybe rhis obscured or distorted the pilot's perception of airspeed and orientation. We know that some visorequipped helmets, especially some motorcycle helmets, limit visibility and hearing. My only recommendation currenrly is to be aware of this risk, and when selecting between various helmets, consider numerous qualities. Evaluate the protrusion of the chin guard and the potential for it to catch on a control bar or terrain. Note how well the helmet is secured, the effectiveness of padding to prevent helmet rotation, and the potential of injrny if the helmet docs roratc. Visibility, especially peripheral vision, must be good and hearing unimpaired. And l challenge manufacturers to consider and evaluate the chin guard snag potential when designing helmets. I know the tradeoffs arc difficult, but often some options arc better than mhcrs. l thank Steve for his assistance and encourage everyone to rcporr those incidents.• HANC GLIDING

Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information dale, contact mme and phone number). Items should be received no later rhan six weeks prior to the evenr. We request two monrhs lead time for regional and national meets.

COMPETITION MAY 4-6 (rain days to follow): 01rl,m Butte Sj1eed Gliding National Points Meet in con" junction wirh Chelan Beach 'N. C:ontacr: Aaron Swepston, tonrar(rilmindspring.cmn, for more info.

JULY 6"8: 2001 King Mo1111tain Meet, Moore, Idaho. $50 entry fee. Open-distance X-C along a spcci lied route. Tons of prizes, handicap scoring, barbecue, great shirrs, wonderful bonus I Z's, super extra-special trophies, nice people, great incentives for early registration! Contact: Lisa Tate, Meer Director/Organizer, 11716 h1irview /\ve., Boise, Idaho 83713, (208) 376-7914, (208) 484-6667 cell, Zoolisa(il:101.com.

HJN FLYING FEB. 10-· 11, MARCIi 10-11: Annual series o/winter J61ing trips, C:ores ClifE, llaja, Calilcirnia, 80 miles sourh of Fnsenada, Mexico, at a 10-milc"long, 250""f<iot-high cli/flocatcd on a deserted Mexican beach. Hying usiwlly srarrs before noon and hm all day. No facilities, so bring everything you will need for the flight to Clcn C:rarer and The Point. Surfing is good and flying is great. Bring household donations rhar can he kfr behind for the locals. C:onract: Mike Hilberath, (949) 455-0(m., eteamcr(1h1sa. ncc, or cteamfi)hi temc.com.

MAY 4-6: Che/rm Butte, \.\111 Bectch 'N. Spot landings, race to the hc;1ch, famous liarbecuc feed, tons oUim! C:omact: Larry Majchrzak, skyd<lg(1l1clcvar.com. MAY 18-20: South Caro!ina .Sj1rint.,tirne F!y!n, at Mountain near Creer, SC:. Corne enjoy flying and competing (spot, duration, X-C, balloon toss, ere.) ar this bc:mti!-id south-f:1ci11g moumain. Plaques awarded to all firsr.-, second- and rhird-placc finishers in all competitions (except balloon toss). $20 cnrry foe l<ir compcrition flying, $ l O for /i111 flying. Fly-In T-shirts available. Classy launch is 1,500' /\CL C:onracr: Paul Peeples, P.O. Box 2121, Brevard, NC 28712, (828) 885-2536, [)Imm ncn p(t'1ci rcom .net.

CI JNl CS/MFFTTN GS/TO lJ RS lJNTII. MARCH: V(/lle de Brr11;0, Mexico, flying. Flying every day. Per week, in and out on a Sunday. $8')5 I IC, $695 PC. Contact: www.flymcxico.com, jcff0'lflymexico.com, l800-86 l 71 ')8.

FEB. l 0-1 l, MARCIi 10-11: Mexico 200 ! , Cotes Cliffs, Baja California, 80 miles south of" Lnscnada, a 10-rnilc-long, 250-foor-"high cliff on a deserted Mexican beach. No faciliries, so hring you need for rhe f1ighr to Glen Crater and The Point. Surfing good, flying greatl Bring household donations rhar can he ldi heh ind for the locals. Contact: Mike Hilherarl1, ('>4'>) 455-0032, ercamerCtt111sa.11er, ctcam(i1)bireme.com.

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FlBRU!\RY 2001

One ofthe beauties ofhang gliding is that we are not confined by the need to have long, straight, smooth runways. Legs andfeet are marvelous contrivances far stepping through weeds, over rocks, across ruts and along slopes. And so we regularly land on less than perfectly-groomed, level terrain. With this greater jlexibilit:y comes greater freedom, but also a greater need to have versatile landing skills. n past articles in this magazine we

have presented tricks and techniques for landing safety in various situa·· tions: crosswinds, high winds, upslope with a tailwind and on the level with a tailwind (emergency procedure). Herc we'll add to our landing lore with a look at downhill landing. J have been made aw,1re of the trepi·· elation some pilots have when faced with down bill landings through my experience in the World l·fong Gliding Series. Some of the courses .in Colorado, Borneo and Spain had slight downhill-sloped landing fields which some pilots found inrimidati ng with their tight, high-performance gliders. 'fben too, some of our recreational sites Badger Mountain, Colorado and lfonson's Gap, Tennessee, for example have downhill landings with some approach directions. And don't forget ,ill those cross .. c:ountry encounters with unpredictable slopes. We might not eagerly seek out downhill. landings, but in the words of many a Victorian virgin, "If it has to be done, let's do it." DOWNHILL LANDING LIMITS First, we .must define what we mean by a downhill landing and set some limits. For our purposes, landing downhill

Chart 1.

means landing where the ground folls away from us as we fly forward. Obviously, the slope can be shallow or steep. It should be clear that if the slope is too steep we can never our glider down befc)re WC have flown beyond the confines of the landing field. Thus, the limit of how sreep a slope you can land on in the downhilJ direction is with a steepness angle slightly less than the angle rfyour glide path in ground effect while you are standing up in landing position and fly .. ing near stall. It is nearly impossible to measure this angle, but I predict that with the VG off it is near the best glide of the glider due to all tbe effects near the ground. Chart l lists the slope angles of varicms glide ratios. If you draw these angles on paper you'll see rhat they look about right as upper limits. How do you decide if you can land downhill or not? If you can barely discern rhe downslope, a very easy landing can be made with the proper technique. As the slope gets steeper, it depends on your skills and the amounr of wind. IF you are flying cross-country and can't tell for sme how steep the slope is, it's usually better to land across the slope, crosswind. On steeper slopes, various factors determine which direction to land downhill,

8 to 1

9 to 1

10 to 1 I 1 to 1 l 2 to I

I 3 to 1 14 to 1 I '5 to 1

7.1 °

6.3°

5.7°

4.4°

5.2"

4.8"

Ii. l

.3.8°

uphill or across the hill below.

as discussed

DEPT DOWNHILL TECHNIQUE So how do we land downhill without becoming a featured actor in Paul Voight's Whack Tape? The two main problems we wish to avoid are running out of field and flaring too high. As a rule of thumb, we should have at least 50%i more field length for landing with a slight downhill slope. Then on approach it: is important to begin the final as low as possible given the limits of safe turning and obstructions which are present. We should try to set up as if we were going to land in Lhe fost quarter of the Aeld. Once on final, I assume the standup drag position and bleed my speed off grad.. ually. Normally, I like to perform a fast final in order to combat wind gradient and turbulence as well as provide energy to pay off and fly parallel w the ground. However, with a downhill landing this extra speed will prolong the glide, so I use a slow final. Slow means with enough speed to avoid stalls, but as slowly as is safely possible. Next, it is important to exc,rc1:,c patience. A glider will often glide twice as far as expected on a downslope. If disturbed warm air is lifting (as in desert areas), the effect .is exaggerated. T once landed downhill .in a wheat stubble field at Castejon de Sos, Spain. 'fhe warm air buoyed me along for nearly half a mile before I finally settled down. I should have brought along my copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace. Patience is a virtue on a HANC CLIDINC

downhill landing. The main idea is to get as low as possible, flying as slowly as possible before flaring. When you first think it's time to flare, wait. The second lime you think it's time to flare, wait again if you aren't lower and slower. As far as low goes, I like to keep my knees bent and descend until my feet are nearly dragging as shown in Figure J. Sometimes I'll put my lower legs and feet to the side as if J were jumping over the fonce. 'fhe lower the better. If you are landing in high weeds (or crops) you must let your body enter the weeds, but use extreme caution to avoid having the weed tops catch your baserube and flatren you. It happens lighteningquick when it happens. With no headwind you should always expect to run a couple of steps during a downhill landing, so overly dense ground cover presents a hazard. One oF the main secrets of successful downhill landings is a sudden, aggressive, full flare. Such a flare stops most forward motion so the ground doesn't drop away from you. Also, a very quick flare avoids ballooning up because the wing stalls before extra lift develops from the rising angle of attack. Contrary to intuition, having the VG pulled on helps in this situation because the flare can be more abrupt and more of the wing stalls at once. Of course, full VG makes you glide farther, but if nmout room isn't a problem, I prefer the VG on in this situation. Quite a few pilots have experienced downhill landings with full VG applied, many times in Speed Gliding courses. The best suggestion for downhill landings is ro use: a drogue chute. Such a landing aid device can steepen your normal glide path by a factor of two or three. 'This effect is equivalent to flattening the downhill slope by a proportional amount (sec l~igure 2). This effect was demonstrated dramatically during the WI:·:IGS invitational in Borneo. Most of us struggled to land on a downward slope on one round. We glided an eternity close to the ground before plunking down at rhe end of the field. Manfred Ruhmer set up high, tossed his little silk chute, pulled in and landed lighrly in half our disrance! One word of caution: lf you arc going to use a drogue chute in this manner, always check it ahead oF time in slow flight to determine its behavior just FEBRUARY 2001

before flare. Have a friend watch you land ro make sure it doesn't collapse when you fly too slowly (some do). lf your chute does this it will complicate your downhill landing since you will float farther than expected. T,"1o other tricks should be mentioned as emergency procedures. Neither of them arc J 00% safe, but emergencies are emergencies. First, if you are running out of room, you can try dragging your to dissipate some energy. 'rhis act is nearly the same (but less effective) as adding a drogue chute. 'rhe clanger is catching your foot on something or whacking it on a rock. 'The second technique is to perform a series of slow-downs and speed--ups on final approach. I have used this teehnique quite successfolly on a fairly steep downhill slope with limited runour. The danger here is stalling or hitting the ground as you accelerate. Either case would hurt and f don't recommend this technique for less than expens, although it is effective.

and make landing decisions, I offer the general guidelines in Chart II. Note that these arc my personal guidelines and tbese should be tempered with consideration of each pilot's skill level. For example, T don't believe pilots below advanced-intermediate level should be landing uphill on anything but the slightest slopes. The timing and approach speed requirements are too critical. In addition, pilots flying single-surface gliders shouldn't attempt uphill landings on steeper slopes because, like paragliders, these wings do not have adequate speed retention to climb parallel with the slope.

SLOPE LANDING GUIDELINES Hopefully I have convinced you that excellent downhill landings are possible on .slight .slopes. However, as discussed earlier, there are safoty limits that must be

light winds Less than 5 mph blowing straight up the slope.

Shrdlow slope 'The slope angle is equal to or less than half your glider's best glide angle out of ground effect. Moderate slope The slope angle is between half and a few degrees more than your best glide angle. Steep slope

'I'he slope angle is greater than the above.

Moderate winds mph up the slope.

Between 5 and 12

Strong windi

Greater than 12 mph up the slope.

Slope

Winds

Suggested Landing Direction

Shallow

Light

Figure 2. Altering path with drogue chute.

Shallow Shallow Moderate

Moderate Strong Light

Figure 3. Landing llcross slope with crosswind

Moderate Moderate Steep Steep Steep

Mod<:rate Strong Light Moderate Strong

Downhill (into wind) or across the slope Downhill (into wind) (]) Downhill (into wind) (]) Uphill (downwind) (2) in very light winds Across the slope (crosswind) (3) Downhill (into wind) (4) Uphill (downwind) (5) Uphill (downwind) (5) Uphill (downwind) (5)

heading with wind parallel to slope

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Notes: l) A headwind will steepen your glide path, so ir rnakes the downhill landing easier on a shallow slope. 2) This situation is most critical, for if the wind is over five mph the landing may be very hard if the slope isn't steep enough to dissipate your forward ground speed with a climb. When in doubt land across the slope in a crosswind. :3) I .anding downwind up a slope can be dangerous if the slope isn't steep enough. The crosswind option is attractive, especially if the wind isn't directly up the slope. Our books Hang Gliding Tmining Mllnual and Perfimnance Fl.ying discuss side-slope landings, including turn and stall effects on pages 20:3 and 151 respectively. Note that in the case of the wind corning straight into the hill, the glider will be somewhat crabbed so rhc effects are reduced somewhat (see Figure :3). 4) Stronger winds will complirnte a cross..slopc landing, so a downhill, upwind landing is warranted. A slight bit of upslope lift may be realized, ofEet:ting the headwind effect, so allow plenty of runom room. 5) When landing on a steep slope you must land up the slope regardless of the wind direction. 'The technique is beyond the scope of this article (sec our write-up in a previous issue of Hang Gliding). Suffice it to say that it is an advanced technique that has some potential danger and obvious llmits. Lesser.. cxperienced pilots should not be flying into situa.. tions that rcsulr in a steep, uphill landing. Downhill landings arc not at the Lop of most pilots' favorite list. However, they shouldn't be considered something to be avoided at all cost, for in this sport we arc often faced with making lesscr.. of'..two .. evil-type of decisions. Performing a downhill landing is much better than running into something or landing downwind on an inadequate slope. Perhaps you'll never intend to land downhill until suddenly you realize that your new sit:e has a slight downhill grade in one direction, and today the wind favors that direction. 'fhis is the case at one of my local sites and [ have learned to love the challenge oflanding down slope with aplomb rather than like a bomb. Ill

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Pilot & Wildlife Earlier last fall I received an e-mail from Rob Hibberd ofAirBorne Australia, maker ofhang gliders, microlights, trikes and trike wings. He told me ofa pilot naturalist and ecologist who was using

or the past several years I have been flying an AirBorne Shark 144 and love the glider dearly. I can't cell you how many times I have e-mailed Rob thanking him (and AirBorne) for such a quality produce. The AirBorne trike is a standard in the sport. As a biologist and research sci en cisc, I was curious co investigate and understand how one uses a trike for such research and asked Rob co put me in couch with chis ecologically-driven pilot. He immediately put me in contact with Wayne Kerr. Wayne Kerr and his wife Rachel run FirscLighc Aviation, a flight school located in Ithaca, New York. FirscLighc Aviation services the northeastern region of the U.S. and eastern Canada with che AirBorne Windsporcs line of flex-wing ultralights (trikes) and with lessons ranging from introductory flight to extensive cross-country trips in and out of the U.S. Wayne has been involved in flying for 10 years, divided between unpowered sailplanes and ultralight aircraft. For the lase three years Wayne has worked on a research project involving the Trumpeter Swan Migration Project. As I write chis interview, Wayne is in the air somewhere between New York Scace and the Maryland weclands.

JP: Wayne, would you please introduce yourselfto the readership within the hang gliding community? WK: My name is Wayne Bezner Kerr. I turned 31 lase fall. I live in Ithaca, ew York with my lovely wife Rachel and beautiful daughter Carmen. Rachel and I run FirscLighc Aviation, our flying business. We are originally from Ontario, Canada but chose co move co Ithaca so Rachel could finish her Ph.D. at Cornell University. Upstate New York has been wonderful 16

AirBorne trikes to study

and help manage elephants in Africa.

by Jim (SkyDog) Palmieri for che business and us. We especially enjoy che almosc supernacural beaucy of che fall colors and speccacular flying condicions in che surrounding areas. I am lucky enough chac people accually pay me co combine cwo chings I love very much, flying and wildlife research.

JP: When were you first exposed to flight? WK: I can't remember a time when I wasn't chinking about flight, abo ut flying or about things chat had the abili cy co fly. fu a kid, I used co dream about gliding and spent hundreds of hours drawing airplanes and gliders. My parents had a good friend named Phil Eastman who was a private pilot with an interest in mocorless flight. The first time I ever handled an airplane's controls was with Phil. It set me on a path chac I don't think any influence could have knocked me away from.

JP: Who were your flying mentors and how have they influenced you both personally and with your research? WK: My first mencor was a glider pilot named Calvin D evries. He helped me learn co fly sailplanes about 10 or 11 years ago . He was obsessive abo ut clean flying and helped co instill in me a strong respect for fundamental aerodynamics. It is amazing how many students don't understand very basic principles about the movement of air over and aro und the surfaces of their wings. Calvin also showed me how to fly a glider wich the air instead of just through the air, staying involved in an ongoing exchange of energy throughout the climb and glide. I mean co say chat he caught a few of us co fly with an awareness of relacively minor variations in vertical speed in different areas of a thermal, and co use FEBRUARY 2001

these differences in lifr strength to maximize climb. Optimized climbs arc not" perfect circles at steady angles of bank :rnd airspeeds. Likewise, optimized inter-thermal glides will vary from side to side of the most di reel course as the pilot searches for and "bumps" scraps oflifr. l n nature, a pilot will never sec migrating red tails, climbing cranes or frHaging vultures locked into autopilot mode while coring a thermal. They arc always alert and adapting to micro-changes in conditions. Learning 10 fly like the birds has helped me over the years ro see and feel subtle changes in 1hc air. Often, being a pilot gave me the key to understand the detailed imricacies of what was taking place with birds in flight. My good friend Carl Hicbcn broke his hack in a bang gliding accidem a decade and a half ago, permanently losing the use of his legs. He docs not blame anyone for what happened to him. The accident never stopped his love of flying or anything else about life. flying is the way he expresses what he secs as beautiful to other people. It is a way for Carl LO share his unique per"" spcctive about life. J'vc learned a tremendous amount about safrry from Carl and

have really appreciated his quiet counsel when T have been tempted to do stupid things in the air, especially when a project deadline is looming. He helps me say no when I need to. He is so much fun to fly with that it helps me remember that even if the work l arn doing isn't necessarily fun, the reward at the end of it is. There must be time to just get back up in the air and just play in the air with family or good friends. Many people l have worked with seem to forget this.

JP: When didyoufirst begin to.fly trikes? WK: [ first began in l 995. l was lucky and got a job working with the people who were making the film, Fly Away Home. It was a lot of fun flying rrikcs, and the ability to just get in and go regardless of the weather, even on non-soarablc days, had immediate appeal to me.

JP: Other than having weekend.fim, what roles or benefits can.flying trilees and ultimately.free flying ha1Je upon society? WK: 'I 'he kind of flight that is normally

considered purely "recreational" hang gliding, trike flying, soaring of all types really has a lot to offer. On an engineering level, there arc important aerodynamic efficiencies t:har tend ro arise from recreational flight. For example, the advances that make modern higb·J)crforrnance composite airplanes possible cornc directly from the aerodynamic and manufacturing revolution that happened to sailplanes in the 1960's and l 970's. I think that footlaunched flight will continue to drive interest and research in low Reynolds"" number aerodynamics with positive outcomes for the rest of society, even if mainstream society doesn't necessarily realize it. ff our fururc general aviation airplanes land slower, cruise faster on less fuel and with less noise and lower emissions, then all of society benefits. The level of interest in Class ll gliders right: now is exciting. We see this with rhe rccenr changes in hang glider and rigid wing technology. Things arc happening so fost. There arc many Lypes of aviation-related data that arc either collected at great expense, collected in such a way that it makes the data invalid, or the data are not l1ANC GLIDINC

collected ar all. Our particular type ofrecre-ational aviation can give researchers access to these data at much lower cost and with lower error rates than convcmional and more expensive collection techniques. For example, there is a very exciting project running in Mali, West Africa right now. The project is run by both the University of California at Davis and Save the Elephants a Davis Ph.D. candidate named Anne Orlando. T'hc team is using a new AirBorne trike to follow the movements of a group of rnigratory elephants through very rough, demanding terrain. Due in large part to the remote location and extreme difficulty of keeping a Land Rover in the field, the elephants have been largely tmstudied until now, even though threats to their long-term survival arc increasing every year. The team chose an Ai rBornc trike because they wanted durabiliry, short field operations, a big payload and field serviceability. A trike allows (cir all these things and the trike can be transported inro the field using a lightweight trailer. The trike has become a very cost--cffoctive set of eyes and cars for the research team, while the Land Rover racks up expensive bills for engine and transmission repairs. T'he trike isn't just a luxury item, but has become an indispensable research tool. Another example involves a researcher at the University of' foronro who studies Monarch bmterfly migration bcrwecn Canada and Mexico. He is developing sophisticated models of their energetics and movements. He relics on pilots to report sighting of Monarchs in their thermals. I-le has a standardized report form for reporting data for altitude, thermal strength, climb rate and glide dirccrion. Hang glider pilots have :1 unique and valuable perspective on butterfly flight behavior, hawk migration, pollution, etc.

JP: What were _your most memorable flif,ht,? WK: The first time I ever flew away from the home field was very memorable. Deliberately rurning my nose away frorn the wide grass runway and gliding out of range was nerve wracking but incredibly rewarding. The sure knowledge that I was at least one thermal away from borne, and then two, then three, etc., somehow boosted my spirits and made flying very exciting. one should push off and fly cross-country, even if they just get a fow miles away. Tn J 995 I was working on a project to rrnRLJi\RY 2001

sec if we could teach Sandhill cranes to fly with our trike. The Sandhill cranes were a research surrogate for Whooping cranes, a species just too rare to risk conducting research on at that time, especially with an untried method. Sandhill cranes arc essentially soaring birds and have a very light wing loading. They are just lovely to look at. I used a tiny single--scat trike that weighed nothing compared to our modern two-scat 1rikcs. lt had a huge 240 squarefoot wing and it felt like I could thermal it on just a bee burp! After several weeks of experimentation, the birds were flying with us just fine and we seemed to be accepted by them as a member of the flock. We knew rhcy loved to play in lift, and my thcrmaling skills had been getting a bit of a welcome workout, which was of benefit ro me. We decided ro fly them 50 Inn out--and--remrn and test their crosscountry skills both under power and in gliding mode. We departed early and flew above the convective layer on the outward leg. As we descended through the inversion at the stopover, we could rel] the day was really going to cook. We waired a few hours for rbc day ro develop and then launched for the return trip home. We set the throttle for a constanr 200 f~Jm sink rate, thcrmalcd for altitude gain and glided our way back home. 'l 'hc birds seemed to love it and I was as thrilled as could be. I remember working lift down low, maybe at 750 feet. [ was looking down my wingtip as we circled around and around. One of these incredibly beautiful birds was climbing with me, keeping perfect station off my wingtip. It was a view that almost nobody ever gers and I felt almost drunk with exhilaration. As it turned our the day was overdeveloping to a point where l felt marginally unsafe, and we made a precautionary landing at ahom 40 km. ft was the most exciting X-C flight of my life. In addition, there was a flight that occurred in northern Ontario in I 998 that was pure magic. We had been struggling for months under trying conditions, trying to sec whether we could teach trumpeter swans to fly with us well enough to induce a migration yet still preserve their "wildness" so that they could be safely released. We were badly undcrfi.mded, tired and stressed our. We had equipment failures and I was nursing a painfid injury. At the end of a perfect high-pressure day on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, it all

came togcrhcr. We were able 10 convince all five cygnets in an experimental group to take off and fly with rhc trike out of our protected bay and into the main body or the lake. We climbed several hundred feet. I had an incredible view of the rugged ridges and lakes all set off by rhc autumn foliage at peak color change and compounded with an incredible northern sunset over a black, glassy lake. Afrcr about 10 minutes the flight broke up as we lost one after another cygnet due to exhaustion. I was soon reduced to only one bird. This bird was strong but we were far from our home base and with the sun already below the horizon. /\s she sank toward the water l could tell from her wing beats that she was ready to land, which frightened me. She was so low that riny splashes marked each stroke. l flew as low as l dared and slowly cased the bar our until the wing was buffering, creating a big, well-organized vortex to try to encourage her. In the videotape, it was clear when the vortex reached her, as you could see it spreading across the water. I !er wing beats picked up to the point where she stopped splashing. I added just enough power to hold the attitude and we cruised back home that way, wirb her hitching a ride on my wingtip vortex. This was a magnificent feeling.

JP: Ofall the people _you have shared the sky with, who has heen the most memorable or most influential to _you? WK: I've been lucky ro meet some great people in the sports of free and powered flight. The team of guys at AirBornc Windsports in Australia is a uniquely fine bunch of people. Working with them at an air show is great fon, and their professionalism and wide knowledge base is the best. It is always great to learn from them.

JP: What are_youi-woriteflying sites? WK I love to fly in the upstate New York region where the countryside is covered with mountain ridges. I've also been exploring areas around home here in lrha-ca. ·rhc better-known glider sites near Elmira arc also very nice. I just bought a Doodlebug powered supine harness. We will be taking it to Malawi in southeastern Africa where Rachel conducts her field research each year. I think that Malawi may be a cross-country enthusiast's par-

adise, and I can't wait to do more flying there. I did some power flying last year but haven't soared the area yet. However, my heart really belongs to a relatively small area centered around Waterloo coumy, in my home province of Ontario. Within easy flying distance we have about 35 active hang glider pilots, some paragliding activity, at least a hundred sailplanes, aerobatics, homebuilts and several dozen ultralight strips. 'fhe landscape is marked by beautifully kept Mennonite farms and safe landing areas abound everywhere.

JP: Yrm have a set ofeyes which are unique, many different kinds ofexperiences. What do you see as the.future ofour sport and what need, to be changed in order to make the sport safer and more userfriendly? WK: I am excited to sec so much grass roots enthusiasm for flight. On the one hand, we have pilots and companies pushing the limits of what was thought to be possible with foot-launched flight in competition and record flying. The new Class lT distance records are thrilling. On the other hand, and at the sarnc time, we have companies developing light, easy-to-launch, thermal and land gliders. Presently, these companies are being rewarded by strong sales. This dual trend seems very heal thy and a great contrast to what has happened with sailplanes where costs have spiraled out of sight for most weekend pilots. 1 hope that the new technology employed in rigid wings will cross over into intermediate and basic wings. I love the fact that new powered harnesses like the

Doodlebug make flatland flying really feasible, as well ;is fim when weather conditions won't sustain soaring flight.hallows pilots to get much more use out of their gliders. Likewise, new "n:rnolight" trikes will allow people ro soar with limilcd mobility and need for a crew. Clidcrs like the new Climax by AirBornc promise to make high performance in glide compatible with docility during launch and landing.

JP: Ifyou could change one thing in the sport; what would it be? WK: l wish there was a way that newcomers could be mentored past their formal "instructional" period. I know how dan-

gcrous I and many of my peers became afrcr the first 5 0 or 100 hours. f wish there was a way that lower airtime pilots could have access to the combined knowledge and experience of senior flyers without feeling like a sclunuck. We have such a great community; there must be better ways of sharing the good things that people know. Thank you very much Wayne, for this interesting peek into your life. Your exploits are exciting, the photographs arc outstanding, and your philosophy of flying is as safe and levelheaded as that of any pilot I know. Ill

HANC GLIDIN(;

All TUE.1~ Cof'JTRll!>IJT/OIIIS

-lfANG-

LIPINCr.l

by Kevin Frost

'7 would say that it is the_fi~eling ofmastering our relationship with this alien environment in such a manner thtit we live within the parameters that d(fine survival. .. The control thtzt we have is not ofour environment; but ofourselves. " Richard Jleckman, I-fang Gliding Internet List "just because we called that route doesn't mean it} safe. '' Ken Cavanaugh, King Mtn. task committee, 1998 hose who have spent any time at

all downhill skiing know the term "black diamond." Ski runs typically have a sign at the top with a green circle or blue square signifying easy or moderate. The hairiest official runs on the hill, of course, have a black diamond atop them. The skiers who fi·equent the black diamond runs really have their poop in a group, are crazy, sport huge egos, or any combination of the three. l would say the same goes for free flyers, except that if you get a reality check early into a ski run there is always the painful option of taking your skis off and having a very long hike out and a lesson on why they invent· eel snowshoes. Not: so easy for someone a few thousand feet AC L getting the leaf-in-

the-wind treatment and wondering if he should have launched that day at all. At this point your only option is to cowboy up and start making up for your one bad launch decision with a sning of very good decisions that get you back into a safer realm. So why rbe heck did nearly 80 pilor., make the big drive all the way into rhc Idaho outback ro these sick conditions? As far as l know, this was the highest attendance for any meet in the country last year or within the last few years, at a site many hundreds of miles from any population center, remote and unpopulated even by Idaho standards, where cows and horses oUlnumber people in a time when hucolic simplicity is so very out of fashion. Pilots

make the long trek frorn borh coasts to attend this linle three-day, under-advertised, unsanctioned meet at a notorious black-diamond site. Don't they know that they could be hitting some nice green-circle meets next to four-star accommodations and rubbing elbows with the "top pilots" whose names regularly appear in the magazines? What's going on here, what has gotten into these seemingly sane, intrepid flyers? My theory is that they crave undilured, live-in-the-moment, time-stop-· ping, high adventure, something King offers in abundance! Make the flight ro Challis and when it comes to adventure Indiana Jones has absolutely notbing on you. Flying King in high season can offer HANC GLJDINC

Alan Paylor helps Bill Synder fold up his mangled glider after p arachute deployment. Photo by Terri Edington.

King Mountain lower launch looking towards upper launch.

FEB RUARY 200 1

'fok Committee tmd Meet Officials, l4i to Right: Kurt 7,iegler, Ken Schreck, Kevin Frost; Jerri hdington, Jimmy Pricer, Lisa Tate. several guarantees: smoking thermals in a variety of flavors (1,500 fiJm mild or wild, you don't get to pick which, and you don't really get mild ones that often); the possibility of big miles if you can hang with it and ride it all out; and an almost certain guaranree that you will spend pan of each flight somewhere between white--knucklc time and scared to death. From a 12,000' to 15,000' MSL perspective, the spine of the range is exquisitely beamifol and unbe-licvably rugged even if you sec it from the valley all the time, The turquoise high-rnountain lakes, no longer hidden from those who climb above wind-torn peaks, lie half frozen behind rocky battlernents frequented only by mountain goats, rap-tors and Norse gods. Getting up close and personal with snowy rock faces in the chilly wind is :1esthetically beautiful if you arc mindful to notice the splendor with your heart in your throat. 'Then again, maybe that is the best time, for a hang glider pilot anyway. I had my best flight the day before the meet along with veteran King iron m:111 Ken Schreck, Dean Tiegs (the infamous Dean of high winds) flying his new ATOS, and 72-year--old Frank Gillette who now spends much of the summer camped in his trailer at the base of King, and who had to

pur away his panty for a week so he conlcl show us all that he hadn't forgotten how to fly hang gliders, We all bad a pretty easy flight, spiced up with some typical low saves, Ken got drilled al Ellis and avoided minutes of low alt bad LZ angst in the canyon between Ellis and Salmon. The rest of us ended up landing al Carmen, a "town" named for my covered wagon/pio-neer/r:1ncher/great--great grandparents, just nonh of Salmon at about I 08 miles. A good shake--down flight and sure quicker than a covered wagon. Other pilots who showed up early had good flights as far as Challis and Salmon during the entire week before the meet, We had great luck with the weather. Although a little on the windy side, I preferred that over dead :1ir as my back was ;;icting up ;;ind all my landings needed to be no-steppers, Also, a bit of wind mellows tbe turbulence, Anyone who thought the turbulence during the rnect was bad hadn't hit King Mountain on a high-pressure day. King had been like a happy giant, an animated host sneezing and shuffling about his grand abode, handing out big miles to ;;inyonc who could suffer the glancing blows of over-exuberant, giant elbows and dodge his big clumsy feet, Thm isn't to s:1y that everyone got away scot--frce, I'm sorry

to say,

Perhaps the most d:1ngerous thing about King in wind is the venturi effect at certain points along the range and especially in the vicinity of the now infamous Ram's Horn Canyon, Just before the meet, a former Boise--area pilot who was back on vacation was nicely topped out at about 1/i,000' behind R:1m's Horn. That is 3,000' to 4,000' above the spine, Tlie wind w:1s a little west nor good, He decided to try to penetrate back out and ended up in the rocks deep inside the canyon with a totaled glider, a sb:1ttered helmet, a concussion, a compound fracture, and a very long hike for his would-be rescuers to die inside of the canyon, I imagine he used vast amounts of skill and luck just to come our alive. Last word is that he is still recovering, the price of one bad decision in black-diamond cotrntry, Much has been written about King since this meet and I would like to include some other voices and perspectives, with much d1:1nks, in this article. First, the rules. 'rhis is an open--dis-tance meet along prescribed routes with a handicap based on glide ratio. Points are subtraued from the handicapped distance for landing ourside the flight corridor and added for landing in one of the dreaded H/\NC GLIIJINC

bonus the bane ofliighcr-handicapped gliders. Pilots compete in one or both of two classes: Recreation Class for pilots who have never logged a 75-milc flight and Open Class for everyone else. DAY ONE 'T'hcrc was a srrangcly somber mood prcsem during the weather report and task call e:ich day as pilots made personal assessments oft he dangers on the daily menu. l don't know about everyone else, bm [ was thinking a lot more abom how to avoid fatal mistakes and dangerously flawed decision-making than I was thinking about how to win the meet. Windy conditions continued from the previous days. Skies looked good with some clouds building over the range, darkening and getting a little ou the thick side. 'fhreatened overdevclopmcnt was the norm and thunderstorms were always a possibility. Altirudes of almost 17,000' were consistcnrly reached, a condition that continued through the remainder of the meet. Utah pilot Heiner Beisel bad to somehow outdo his perfrmnance of a couple of years ago when he took hornc a beautiful and much-coveted first-place trophy by relaunching at 4:30 l'M and flying 50 fJ13RLJARY 2001

miles, omdoing his first X-C flight of the day. So, on day one of 2000 he "loses" a little part from his ATOS. What docs a persistent guy do when rhar happens? He leaves his glider in rhc set-up area, drives down rhe mountain, flnds a machine shop in Arco, manufactures a new part, drives back to the mountain, fos the new part, sets up his glider, launches hours late, and lands with the lead gliders in Challis! Many made it to the Challis bonus LZ where winds ended up very light and the air a bir humid. Luckily, I had loaded up on Advil and was ahlc to run a long way before whacking in the mile-high still air. Dean Tiegs wem for iL and landed ar the 84-mile mark in the gorge 27 miles from Challis and got 84 points bdc)re the handicap, while pilots who landed at Challis scored 85. l think it also cost him the traditional trip to the healing waters ofd1c Challis hot springs where pilots go to take the high-altitude chill out of their bones and recharge life energy for the next day. (Then again, Dean is the one guy l know who actually gets a charge and fills rather than drains his batteries flying the nastiest turbulent conditions, so he probably didn't need the hot soak.) While landing on day one at Willow Creek, the 50-rnilc mark, Colorado pilot

Scot Thorburn was coming in a little slow in the gusty conditions ancJ fclJ Out of the air at 20 feet. He was taken out by Life Flight. Last l heard he is still slowly recovering from spinal injuries. I ,isa Verzclla, a King meet veteran and women's world team pilot writes: "The flrst day's route along t·he ridge netted the mual ripper thermals at Mr. Nasty (where Jon Lindburg tumbled a few years ago) and the headwind venturi at Pass Creek, where my CPS read lciur w six mph for-ward ground speed. After penetrating the Pass one comes upon a series of spiky ledges, leading up to Invisible Mountain (never can spot that one), which create a highly mixed airflow. Herc l entered the most powcrfi.d lifr of the day (possibly of my life), death-gripping the baserube to prevent rny nose from being yanked up and over. Afrer repeatedly falling our of the thermal while circling, I rried ro fly straight, at 40 mph, and sat solidly in the core while debris flew up and past me fr)r several minutes. I was actually in the cliim-ney of the thermal stack as l elevatored up nearly 3,000 feet with no forward ground speed."

DAY TWO A bit windier wirh another south push. 25

Terri Edington, Launch Director, left;- lisa Tate, Meet Director ttnd Organizer, right. Photo by Lee Minardi. The task committee, consisting of Ken Schreck, Jimmy Pricer and your author, again called route one. Because of the easier wind I opted for the lower launch to ground-handle my Exxtacy, and on windy days a no-brainer to get up. The pilots on the upper launch were experiencing strong gusts, and Lisa "late, the meet director, called the task committee to the upper launch to decide whether or not to call the day off. We arrived, watched the wind blow for a couple of minutes, and got a report that the wind in the valley wasn't bad. Dean Tiegs and his ATOS were on launch, chomping at the bit, breathing steam and staring daggers at us. We opened the window, Dean blasted off, and the task committee rushed back down the hill to do quick preflights and launch. Another typical clay on the Salmon route gliders spread our preuy well with very rare gaggles. I spent the day leapfrogging pretty much the same handful of gliders. We kept an eye on each other's progress, sometimes relatively close, sometimes a mile or two apart. At Leatherman Peak, about 30 miles down the route, just

under cloudbase at 1(i,000' +, I got through the day's worst turbulence as I topped out and left a hig thermal scary, nasty, but not off the Richter scale. [ relaxed my death grip a little. At the same time T passed an old flying buddy, Mark Mason, who was flying his sailplane the other direction al my altitude and a quarter mile deeper into the range, and wondered if he got bumped at all. T asked later and he said no. A couple of miles ahead of me, over Borah Peak, Idaho's highest" mountain, Corey Rose keyed up in a Mickey Mouse voice and said he had just hit the worst trash of his lifo. He thought his Exxtacy was gonna break. On the ground at Challis he told the whole story in an adrenaline staccato, through a huge manic grin. He entered extreme turbulence that at one point pm him in a dive that ended when he hit a solid wall oflift. He he:1rd a loud pop above him, his head sm;ished against his control bar and his Flytec was ripped off its mount and left hanging from its safety string. Quickly examining his glider, I saw that the Velcro on the Exxtacy undersurface had ripped

out. f:-Ie flew day three with some juryrigged patch over the gap. Co1y, like many others, set consecutive personal-best distance and al ti rude records each day of the meet. Okay, so Cory and I survived flying the beat up, shivering gauntlet on day two from an altitude-induced, bone-deep chill, but no worse for the wear. We were among the first three or four ro land at Challis and it had been a tough epic battle, sucking oxygen, fighting turbulence, making saves and pushing on. I had altitude to burn so I took a Ii ttle survey of my old hometown, then flew back to the LZ for an elevator ride down in strong, gusty wind. I felt: quite a sense of accomplishment making it to the other side through the challenges, obstacles and beatings. A very tough flight on many levels. ·rhen my mind was blown as we slowly tore down, drinking beers and watching about 30 more gliders land, appearing as specks over the horizon in ones, twos and threes, advancing from the east slowly and steadily enlarging as they each converged on our large field. One guy, who by request shall remain nameless, did some back-east-style, low-"alt:itudc, extreme aero right after a couple of other gliders crashed and burned in the gusty gradient. It scared us all to death but he seemed plenty calm as I delivered him a beer in payment for the good aero display. Thirry individual hair-raising adventures ended before us, with 30 more wide grins and high-pitched, adrenaline-jazzed voices, and a noticeably larger percentage of gray ponytails and shiny domes than ar the morning pilots' meeting. Most of these guys might look like unassuming Clark Kents at home or on the street, but make no mistake, probably for the umpteenth time these true bur unsung black-diamond pilots had fought the good fight and emerged victorious truly righteous stuff demonstrated anony-" mously. An amazing, magical, beautiful experience, brave men and women, war"riors sailing our of the sky, arriving exhausted and battle worn from singlehanded combat with some of the toughest flying that n:1rurc has to offer a motmtain pilot. So why were 30 pilots all landing in the same dang field 70 miles down the road on a booming day during an X-C contest? Was it so we could all see the amazing spectacle of it? No, it's my pet: peeve, the dang bonus LZ, unfortunately located at: HJ\NC GUDINC

Challis. A great idea in general, bonus I Z's aren't carved in stone and this one doesn't help competition when we arc having decent success on that route. Challis marks the beginning of a big dogleg in the route and is where you jump over the next range to the cast and contemplate entering the 20--mile gorge rhar opens at Salmon. Herc is what happens: If you cannot fly more rhan 30 miles from Challis into this rougher part of the rnute, all the guys who squeak into Challis or weigh rhe odds and burn off a ton of altitude to land there beat you. Ir happened ro me a couple of years ago and cost me a fow places in the final tally. The whole idea of X-C: flying is hanging on, persevering and letting good luck happen. How rnany X-C flights would be made if we only flew X-C when it was a safe bet that we would go at least?,() miles? Realizing this on day two, Dean Tiegs and Kurt Ziegler, who both really wanted to win, saw the handwriting on the wall and knew they had to continue on, no matter what, if they didn't want the same score as half the pilots in the meet. (Actually, Dean, like me, would really be a loser for the day if; like me, he had burned off a 1011 of altitude and then got chewed up by the RW handicap.) In any event, the clouds were black to the nonh above the Salmon River gorge with dark virga hanging down. A hang glider pilot who landed at the Challis airport at that time talked to an airplane pilot who, on his way ro Salmon, decided to land at Challis and wait it out until the weather changed. Like me and many others, Dean and Kurr had a ton of altitude as they approached Challis. Unlike the rest ofus, Dean and Kurt were optimistic and rc1llly wanted to win. So they went for it. Over the radio, those of 11s chained to Challis followed their progress, horh hoping they would get drilled and hoping they would kick ass. They flew through snow and hail and there was lightning, but if they wanted lO beat the Challis bonus LZ they had to tough it out, hope for the best, and pray they were not forced to do a high-wind landing in the gorge. lt paid off---- th is time. Dean got there first and then Kurt put it down in a mild g11st front in Salmon, Kurt just short of the Salmon bonus LZ but outscoring rigid-wing Dean with his kingpostcd Moyes. Lisa Vcrzclla arrived at the decision point later when conditions looked friendlier and went for it, beating the Challis bonus LZ and landFEBRUARY 2001

ing in the gorge, hm for all the work she didn't score many points over the 30 pilots who simply landed at Challis. Kun, the official meet weatherman, rebutted an earlier report I posted on the Web: "Kevin, you have a flair for the dramatic. The Salmon jump wasn't as foolhardy as you implied. The clouds, though dark, looked fairly benign, nothing like that day of marnmatus in Burley (alluding to a foolhardy adventure I had last year). The virga was thin with sun visible beyond and on cirhcr side; the extent of the nastiness was pretty localin:d. l could sec the tops of the convection (nor very high) while battling some hideous turbulence along the 1mt River Range. l n fact, the smooth, buoyant glide en route to Salmon was a welcome relief from the nerve-shattering pounding 1 received on the presumably 'prudent' leg to Challis. Yeah, okay, so [ got rained on a bit. Snow? Sure, why not. The lightning, well, I figured my body was at rhc sarnc clccrrical potential as the surrounding air so why would it single om me? I don't play rhc lottery and at no time was l in frar For my life." As the sun set on day two we gathered for a late barbecue at Moore park, put on by the good C:alifr.)rnia pilots of-Sonoma Wings. A lot of jazzed pilots were telling and rerclling stories of personal bests and epic banks wirh kite-eating thermals.

A glider snapped its tie-down on the upper launch during setup and was stolen by a dust devil, kind of inevitable with so many

gliders lain about, but a real attcnrion--gctter. We called route three, a semi-flatland route over rhc back, jumping the rail of the I .cmhi range cast of the town of Howe and 011 toward Dubois. The west clement at higher altitudes would have ended flights on the Salmon route at Pass C:reck with scary nastiness rotori ng off Invisible Mountain and a bit of venturi turning into rhc west dogleg. The middle route, while better situated for wind direction, would have been even scarier for many pilots with all the range jumps, accompanying rotors and high-velocity venturi winds, When flying the Dubois route I usually head straight for Saddle Mountain, rhc last tall peak on the Lcmhis, but this was gonna be a crabfrst with an clerncn Lof south that turned much more sourh at lower altintdcs and !:mher cast. As the day played out, the south clcme111 on rhe deck was much more than I'd figured. l quickly got above 15,000', drifting back behind King, and sped for the big cloud just northeast of the rown of' Howe where rhe mountains peter ouL to foothills and meet the desert, I bopped from core 10 disappointing turbulent core, watching gliders in small gaggles all around, with lots of whining on rhc radio about plentiful mrhulencc and stingy lift. Heavily crabbing from the start, I felt sorry for those who didn't plan ahead, went straight over the back and were now irretrievably deep in the Lemhi Valley. Although bumpy, I thought the day offered a good break from the turbulence the previous days. But others experienced much different condi-

continues .. ,

tions. Lisa Vcrzclla writes: "Going over the back of King is bcsr done from above 13,000' (a minimum of 2,000' over the top), higher if windy. Being conservative, I refused to leave before reaching cloudbase. At 15,700' I went on glide toward the Lemhi Mountaim, expecting roror even at that altitude, hut suffering merely 1,200 fpm sink for several minutes. The fun began while crossing over Howe Mountain, a big zit smack in the middle of the I ,cmhi Valley. l was blissfully unaware at this poim that the ground winds had significantly increased, tossing the valley air into a blender set to 'liqudy.' Expecting lift over Howe but finding naught, I glided toward a forming cloud just beyond, now down to 12,500'. Suddenly T encountered the now-familiar, nose-pitching turbulence which marks the edge of a strong thermal, but failed to center in the core. The air was so mixed up that I had to keep stealing a glance at my averager to discern if the 1,400 down T just slammed into canceled out the 1,GOO up I was in two seconds prior, ad nauseam for several minutes." Jimmy Pricer, Boise pilot and winner of the Recreation Class, writes: "f left the thermal at 13,000' just behind King, expecting to fly out in front and get 1,000' -2,000' higher and jump. Wrong! As soon as I left my thermal l began to plummet, and realizing that according to my GPS my ground speed was about two mph with the bar at my belly button, I was about to drop into King's mighty 35mph rotor. Time to go! I knew l was having fun when my vario did two complere 3GO's around my control bar, and ar one point I started to circle in some 1,500 fprn down, because compared to the sink I had jusr been in it really felt like up to rne. I lost almost 7,000' crossing rhe 15-mile Howe Valley, reaching rhe base of the Lemhis sourh of Saddle Mountain at around 6,000' MSL, or GOO' AGL over the alluvial fan. l unzipped, thinking, 'I went through all of that for 15 miles?' Just then I felt some lift and started to work it, being pushed up a canyon and not gaining much but going up none the less. l reached the crest of the Lem his at about 10,500', or around 500' over the top. lt took me a couple of seconds to realize that p11lling the bar to my waist gave me zero ground speed into the wind. I once

again had hoped to gain more before going over the top, but it wasn't going to happen because at best glide I was travel·· ing at 15 mph backwards." Angelo Mantas writes: "The crossing was anticlimactic, pretty smooth, and the sink wasn't even all rhar bad. 1 saw a few gliders way below me, and I'll bet those were the ones that got flushed just on the other side of King. Now s;1foly across, I started looking for lift. A few nibbles, then a thermal blast that nearly ripped the bar out of my hands! 'Sweet Jesus, whar was that?' I thought, as I turned tail and ran. Checking my vario later, it registered a spike of 1,780 fpm. Soon I found a more manageable thermal and started going up again. 'l'he air was getting worse and I was getting batted about. My glider had developed a lefr rum, and my VC had stuck in the off position, which was fine with me since J wanted all the control authority f could get. Part of me was saying 'make that first goal' but another was saying 'dear God, just let me land this thing.'" Leo Jones writes in a British accenr: "I left with 13,700'. ft was hard to get higher than this and the cu mies were breaking up as they came over the mountain. Over the back was colossal sink! This was followed by even worse sink and jarring turbulence, but after the lasr couple of days I wasn't surprised, and just pulled in and flew on. Ahead was a big cumie forming with a lcnnic over the top, but it looked too far to reach in this sink. It was on the downwind side of some outlying hills and mountains in the valley and [ didn't want rn fly over these, fr:aring I would be very low and get hammered if I got in the lee of them. J tried to stay to the north of these hills, out over the open valley, but hit a series of horrible bumps. Finally my left wing was just picked up, and despite being pulled in all the way with frill weight shift f was just rolled over past vertical until I was nearly upside down. I pulled in, did a big wingovcr, came out pointing straight down and pulled out facing back the way 1 had come. The sink continued, and I saw a glider on the ground next· to the road out in the valley ahead. I flew over him with about 2,500' AGL and tried to work bits of ratty ther·· mal in very nasty air, bur I was only going up about 50 feet per 360 and rapidly drifting downwind toward rocky alluvial

washes and low foothills in front of the Lemhi Range. I was too scared to go back there in this smffso low, and l gave in to my strong desire to get back on the ground! I wondered what the wind was doing down there, and yelled our to the pilot on the ground when I got clown to a few hundred feet. 1-Tc kicked dust which whipped away, confirming the strength of the wind. l concentrated on landing and did so okay in wind that was blowing about 25-30 mph, bm that within five minutes oflanding had varied from almost zero to over 35 mph. I was happy to be down." Bill Snyder was over the back 1,000' AGL above the lizard hills on the Lemhi Range. An outer leading edge of his TRX collapsed in turbulence and he threw his no chute. Oops, he threw it again good. The third time it worked and he came down just fine, bur he couldn't get to his hook knife and was dragged a half mile in the strong ground winds, leaving a trail of bent aluminum and shanered carbon graphite. Believe it or not, Bill was more or less unhurt, and he was flying his spare glider, although be may be in the market for every ot·her accessory. parachute Leo Jones writes: "Whoa deployment! l looked up lO sec the glider coming down under canopy at a shallow angle, traveling fast in the wind. After a few seconds he hit rhe ground a couple of miles away, quite hard, and the chute continued to billow and then drag the glider along. It didn't stop. We looked at each other and the other pilot (Alan Paylor) said, Tm going over there,' and set off in a run. (fr turned out that the 'two miles' was more like six!) The pilot was just sit.. ting on the glider during a kind of sled ride across the sagebrush and rocks before he managed to wriggle out of his harness. 'The glider then really took off without the weight of the pilot, and was dragged for over a mile before ending up in the bottom of a canyon in the foothills. We could see this in the distance, but of course had no idea how the pilot was doing. Alan Paylor ran about five miles and forded a river before he encountered the pilot walking toward him." I finally got high under the big cloud and crabbed my way over the Lemhis and toward the desert. There were lots of gliders below me for the rest of the day. My stay-on-route game plan sucked. The

HANG GLIDING

plentiful lift of the first 20 miles turned to broken thermals that averaged only a little better than zero sink. Worse, the drili was quire strong. l worked light stuff fcir a very long time, watching gliders in front of me getting low and doing helicopter landings way into roadless sagebrush in the foothills, and hearing 'Tm down ok1)l' spoken on d1e radio in relieved voices to drivers with a bit oflclur-whecling in store for them. The pilot/driver talk really got overwhelming at one point and I had to just turn it down. I never did blunder into that lucky thermal and ended up in the flats next to a road about I 0 miles west or Dubois for about 50 miles. For some who stayed with lift and drifted north through roadless no-man's land it all paid of( and that plan won them the day and the meet. Por others, it was scary landings and long retrieves. Many ended up scattered in gullies and navigating tall sagebrush back in the foothills. Lisa Verzclla, at this point at about the 60-milc mark, writes: "Meanwhile I was scraping 1,000' AC [,,well aware now of the south winds. Fach thermal turn displaced rnc several hundred feet toward the foothills of Small and Moneida Pass. I tried to locate cores tbar were going straight up and blocking the wind, but it's hard to be picky when you're low. T cvcn tually got up over the foothills, drifting less as l got higher. Climbing through ] 2,500', l knew l would have to get back out front to stay on course, but it wasn't until l exited rhe thermal and started gliding forward that I realized it was too late. f saw the pass below and to the cast. I was caught in the venturi. Fort unatcly, there were a few l Z's down there, and I could still crab sideways toward those. l breathed :1 sigh of relief upon reaching those with 800 vertical feet to spare. Then I began moving backwards. While flying nearly 60 mph I was desperately searching for a clear spot behind me while flying away from my beautiful LZ in front or me. Preparing !or ground effect that might shoot me forward, f did the briefest of mrns to put me down on a patch of grass between fence, tree and 1--15." Angelo Mantas writes: "[ titled this post 'King Contradictions' because it is run as a low-key meet. You are not timed ro goal, only scored on your distance, so it has none of rhc cunhroat tension I've heard about at 'serious' meets. Lisa Tate,

l(ing .Mountain Meet Qffecial Results 5twrtsmanship Award Scot Huber

Aerial Chair Driver Award Donna Matthi.;is

Flytec BBQAw11rd Kurt Wimberg

Recreation Clr1ss Total Entries

19) Steven Johnson 20) Angelo Mantas 21) Ron Matous 22) Scott Thorburn 23) Larry Roberts 24) Lee Mina.rdi Scot 'frueblood 26) Dave Corbin Rob Wetherbee 28) Rose Carter 29) Phil Olson 30) W..1.yne Mayo 31) Gary Robinson

1) Jirmny Pricer 2) Peter Bovingdon 3) Albert Branson 4) Bob Stanley 5) Joe Brakefield 6) Ernie Carnacho 7) Mike Branger 8) Doug McClellan 9) KC Benn 10) B.ill Snyder 1.1) Cory Rose 12) Nat Wells

13) Jeff Shapirn 14) Calvin Mi.lls I. 5) Vince Endcer 16) RonAllmon 17) Woody Bateman 18) Blaine Perkins

32) Scot Huber 3:3) Craig Hines

Open Cl11ss 43 'Total entries 1) Steve Rewolinski

2) John Woiwode 3) Kurt Ziegler 4) Dean Tiegs 5) Lisa Verzella 6) Dan Gravage 7) Paris WHliarns 8) Majors 9) Prank Gillette 10) W..1yne Lueth 11) H.ciner Beisel 12) Shannon Raby

who has been running the meet for several years now, is extremely easygoing but runs the meet like clockwork. As far as l can tell, everyone enjoys the atmosphere created there, but the conditions in rhc air above King are anything bur laid bade At first J thought I had wimped out on Sunday, but after getting back to Moore '] ClWll Park all I heard was story after story or pilots landing with no ground speed or even going backwards on touchdown. · rhcn we heard about the chute dcploymcnL 'falking to other pilots about the turbulence, several told me that this was as bad as anything they had seen in the Owens. Years ago, I had decided to never fly the Owens; it just sounded too radical. And here I was, just having flown equally extreme air. Will I come back? Don't know. I will say this, on Priday, afrcr safc-ly crossing the notorious Ram's Horn, l caught a boomer in front of a beautiful ridge called Sunset. The lifr started at 600

13) 'Ic)m Vayda 14) Kevin 15) Ken Muscio 16) Mike Branger 17) Claire Packe:r 18) Leo .Jones 19) Dennis hatris 20) Steve Rathbun 21) Harold Proehling 22) Peter Swanson 2:3) KC Benn 24) Will Lanier 25) K.arl Hallman 26) Ken Schreck Dano Broyles 28) Kurt Bainum 29) Gregg Bi:auch 30) Don Leplnsky 31) Jeff Mazer 32) Jeff Gildehaus 33) Gary Braun 34) Alan Paylor 35) Joe DeCleur 36) ffank Butzcl 37) Kurt Wimbcrg 38) Paul Eckerson 39) Mark Mason 40) Chris Kastner 41) Scot Huber 42) H.ines 43) Mike Davis

film, and soon went through 1,000, In stunned amazemcnr I listened as my vario made noises I had never heard before, as the indicator went to 1,600 fi,m, And it was smooth. Since l didn't have oxygen I decided to pull out. I was at l '5,()00' when I finally left. that lifr. Climbing out over Sunset on that Friday afternoon is something I will never, ever forget. One thing's for sure, ifl do come hack, I'm bringing oxygen." There is a far-flung subgroup of pilots who put high value on making the trek to King and other black-diamond sites to live lifo for a few very spectacular days with the music of Star Wars in the back-ground. And they keep coming back, some with fear and loathing, but the magnetic attraction defies logic and sci f preservation. Sec you guys at the next meet.

Continued on page 18. FEBRUARY 200'!

I by Will Gadd, illustrations by Tex Forrest

This article is part two in a three-part series. Part one covered how thermal, form and release from the ground; this article covers the relationship between thermals and clouds. The.find article in this series will cover thermal flying techniques. irst, this article focuses on dealing with our best visible thermal indicators, clouds. There arc dozens of books written on lapse rates, instability and the like, so the ideas presented here arc more field rules for flying clouds and using other sky-based clues. ft is not a meteorology text, so please forgive the gross simplifications l make. The basis for understanding what's going on in the sky comes from watching it. Reading books (or articles like this one!) helps, but you need to have your own on-board sky-interpretation system to fly well. Every good pilot I know has spent literally thousands of hours looking at the sky and trying to figure om what's going on up there. I have spent many blown--out days lying on my back watching the sky swirl over me, and this is some of the most valuable time I've ever pUL into flying. Are the clouds being blown to bits? Do they remain relatively constant over set points or form over a set point and then drift off downwind, decaying as they move? Do they cycle evenly, starting as thin whispics and then forming into ever-more solid masses before decaying, or do some pop up very quickly and then disperse slowly? Do they have bard, fla1 bottoms or a rounded, mushy appearance? The answers to these questions provide a wealth of knowledge about the thermals that arc generating these clouds. Clouds arc infinitely variable, but I believe they do have patterns that can be learned by watching them. The big concept here is that clouds cycle based on their attached thermals. As a warm air mass rises it eventually reaches an altitude where its moisture condenses out. 'Ihis process continues only while the cloud is being fed by a rhermal. (Con den-

sat:ion "pumps" basically act the same as thennals, so I'll treat them the same here for simplicity,) At some point the collector or pool of warm air on the ground is exhausted, but the cloud is still being feel by a "bubble" rising above the ground, Eventually, no more rising air feeds the cloud and it starts ro decay, and at this point there is no more lift under it. This is why many of the best--looking clouds often provide no lift when you fly under them. While pretty, they arc at the encl of their usefol cycle, As clouds decay they will in fact usually produce sinking air, which is annoying if you've flown to one expecting an elevator ride back to base. What's more useful is to connect with the rising air under clouds that arc still forming. So, how do you tell 'cm apart? The simplest cloud game is to try to predict whether a cloud is forming or decaying. Before doing this in flight, T like to play the cloud prediction game while mowing the lawn, driving, or looking out the office window. Pick one cloud and make a snap decision: Is it forming or decaying? Then carcfolly track that partic-· ular cloud through the rest of irs cycle. ff you think it's forming, it will grow in size (either vertically or horizontally or both) while becoming ever-more resistant to light (more suspended water means going from whispies to small "clumps" of moisture to solid white to gray). If it's decaying

( f

Hi\NG CIIDINC

( {

it will become ever lighter and slowly fragment into smaller pieces. How long docs this process rake? Two minutes? 'lcn? Twenty? Or docs ir just continue to develop inro a monster cumulus savagc-yourgliderus? I can seldom make good predictions based on just one look at a cloud, but after watching it for a couple of minutes I can usually tell which direction it's heading. 1 believe that it's absolutely basic to learn the life cycles of clouds if you want to fly X-C. This is the aerial equivalent of knowing how to read. Michael Champlain, one of the bet-· tcr X-C pilots I've met, taught me a good trick to help understand what clouds arc doing while you're flying. He recom-mcndcd taking a series of mental snapshots of the sky as I climhccl in a thermal. With every circle I look downwind and take a quick "picture" of what all the clouds in my predicted flight direction look like. A long climb may allow for 30 or more good snapshots, and with minimal practice I have learned ro memorize FrnRU1\l~Y 2001

which clouds arc forming and which arc decaying based on these snapshots. Over the course of a few climbs my snapshots also give me good clues about how long the clouds ;ire fasting, information that tells me which ones m;iy still be forming after I glide to them. If the cloud cycles a re lasri ng 30 minutes then I can glide for ) l O or 15 minutes and still arrive at a growing cloud with plenty of time to catch a ride. Generally, the more distance between clouds the longer they will last (a larger volume of air is feeding into a single cloud), and rhc higher cloud base will be. If you go on glide toward a cloud that has been forming for 30 minutes and arrive low, the odds arc slim that you will find lifr no matter how beautiful the cloud over your head is. Many pilots rnake the mistake of climbing to base, then looking around and heading for whatever cloud looks "best," regardless of where it is in its life cycle. If you arrive at a cloud after its useful lift cycle it's worse than gliding into a pure blue hole, since there will be sink under it. In addition, the ground may be shaded, a double hit to your odds of staying in the air. But if you near the top of your climb and sec wh is pies start to pop within gliding distance and head out on glide toward them, then the odds arc rnuch better that you will find useful lift. Okay, you're on glide toward a fine, forming cloud, but where will you

connect with the lifr? Again, observing the cloud cycles will tell you. If the wind is stronger alofr than on the ground, the clouds will be forming at their upwind edges and decaying at their downwind edges. This tells you that the thermal will be sloped at some angle frorn upwind of the cloud to it. If you have a CPS or learn to read your ground speed even while fairly high, you can figure out how strong the wind gradient is and therefore how much the thermal slopes. As a rule of wing, l visualize thermals in wind gradients of 10 mph or less as sloping at up ro 20 degrees, 20 or less mph at 30 degrees, and so on. Also, realize that the gradient will often not be linear; there arc many days when you will cncou ntcr some son of strong gradient at a particular altitude. The thermals here will ofrcn become disorganized, but if you can fight through this barrier you may cominuc on to base. Remember this altitude and anticipate doing battle to get through it instead of getting discouraged and heading off Some of the most frnstrating X-C days come when the winds arc slower aloft than they arc 011 the ground. 1 have found

chis situation surprisingly often and could never understand how to find thermals, until I realized chat the clouds were forming on their "downwind" edges and dissipating on their upwind edges! The more moisture-laden areas of the cloud will be on their downwind edges. In chis situation you will actually connect with che thermal downwind of the cloud. The shape and texture of finished clouds also offer a weal ch of information. Clouds chat are caller than they are wide generaJly mean stronger thermals and may lead to overdevelopmenc lacer in che day (don't gee me started on instability). Puffy, closely spaced clouds chat cycle relatively quickly but never attain flat or "hard" bottoms general ly don't have very good life under chem, however, the light life will be easy to find; just fly downwind and you'll probably blunder into some-

thing. Because these clouds cycle so rapidly it's almost impossible to time your arrival under one chat's developing. However, they often form up in general areas, and these areas will offer better chances of staying in che air. On humid days the sky will be absolutely filled with evenly spaced clouds. Unfortunately, only a few of these clouds will be active while the vase majority are slowly and irricacingly decaying. On dryer days the few clouds char are in the sky will most likely be active, but make sure to gee there while they are still in their active cycle. FinaJly, flat cloudbases indicate well-formed thermals feeding continuously. Rounded, puffy bases usually indicate less wellformed feeder thermals and weaker life. On days with larger clouds, pay careful attention to what pare of the base is highest. The best life will almost always

be feeding to the highest pare of the cloud. As you climb to base, keep looking around, you may be able to gee higher under a different portion of the cloud than you climbed to it under. T his is especially co mmon when flying che border between moist and relatively dry air masses. I have seen clouds chat are stepped up to 4,00 0 feet on the Texas dry line. In addition to understanding what kinds of clouds to fly under, most people wane to know what kind of clouds to avoid. Ir's often difficult to tell what your particular cloud is doing as you climb because the cloud tends to block your side view of it, however, if yo u're caking mental snapshots with each circle then you should have a good idea of what's going on with the ocher clouds. It's possible chat you are chermaling up under the one giant cu-nimb in the sky, but it's rare. If che sky is starting to overdevelop all around yo u then it's probably time to get out of the air regardless of what's happening over yo ur head. Even large clouds can cycle regularly. Some days wi th cumulus clouds up to five or ten miles across are fine to fly on, bur as soon as the clouds scare growing much higher than they are wid e I usually find myself either running for a much better portion of the sky or landing. After I land and my glider is secure I like to really watch what happens to the clouds I was worried about. Did they cycle harmlessly, or are they continuing to blow up? If they did overdevelop, how long did it cake from the point I called my flight off

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to when the first gust from hit the ground? I have occasionally been frustrated that I landed early, bur the few times ['ve pushed and srayed ill the air too long were truly terrifying. The more 1 fly, the more conservative J become. ff the clouds in the sky start "spiking" radically, and look like fists on a day when the forecast is for thunderstorrns, land immediately. Observing the sky intensely while flying isn't just about finding the next good climb; it is the basis for safe flying. 'fhis leads me to the broader part of this article: l n general, clouds form in related patterns. These patterns may be due to any combination of literally thousands of factors (again, it's worth under-

standing the meteorology buy the book), but these areas of instability are where you want to be flying to connect with the lift. I've blundered off into large blue areas only to hit the din enough to believe this. It's almost always worth flying the clouds around the edge of a blue hole rather than jamming straight through it, no matter how much more direct the blue line looks. Sailplane pilots have the luxury of making huge: transitions across sky Features up to a hundred miles apart, we generally don't. Most pilots dream of getting under cloud streets and flying straight until dark. While this docs bappen occa-· sionally, I've found it rnore useful to treat streets as linked but individual clouds. Tf the srreet is set up with flat, hard bottoms and is maintaining good color (dense but not decaying and not overdeveloping as you fly along it), then stuff the bar and fly as fost as your understanding of speed-

to-fly theory allows. But keep looking ahead and analyzing what is going on; sooner or later the clouds will end, and you need to be paying attention to what's happening in front of you as well as to either side. I've often found it's better to treat large gaps in streets as blue boles and jump sideways to another street if the gap in front of you is wider than the lateral jump by a significant margin. Many "blue days" actually offer some very good sky-based clues. For starters, even if clouds don't form at the top of thermals, "haze domes" often will. These are areas where the light refracts di ffcremly through the air due to more moisture, dust or just a different air mass. I've seen haze domes most frequently when flying relatively stable blue days in Mexico and the desert southwest. Often the ha,,c domes arc marked simply by areas of the sky that arc less blue. Haze domes are also often the precursors ro proper clouds. In the morning you might jusr get haze domes at an inversion level, but they still mark lift and often arc the first areas to pop through an inversion and become clouds. Blue days will often still form dust devils or swirling thermal cores. If yon can see hay, fine dust or other debris in the air then that's a sign of a thermal core as well.

FLYING STRATEGIES The classic model of thermal formation suggests one rising cylinder of air feeding one cloud. In reality, T picture the thermals feeding into clouds as trees, with many small thermal "roots" Feeding into larger ones until they reach the trunk and lead to the cloud. The higher you arc above the ground, the farther apart the "trunks" arc and the closer to the clouds you have to fly to truly intercept a large thermal. Anyone who has flown competitions will have seen glicl-· crs climbing relatively close together bur in different cores before joining and continuing to base. Gliders tl1,1t arc low can take advantage of the smaller "root thermals," not just the trunks. IF you're in the "low" zone, meaning below half way below cloudbase, then you will most likely find relatively small cores. Hi\NC C!IJ)INC

Sailplanes have a relatively hard ,,iy,,,>-ii..:1a time taking of these loweraltitude thermals, but we can core up 111 very small circles, following the individual roots until they expand and join with other thermals. If you're below half the distance between the ground and the cloud then you can pretty much forget about intercepting a large core that connects to rhe cloud, however, most clouds are fed hy multiple smaller cores that join together, so searching over good collectors and triggers upwind of clouds is a good strategy. (Remember to know the day's gradients for which way the thermals will slope. The thermals may be "downwind" of the clouds on days with an inverted gradient.) I usually try to connect the collectors and triggers to the clouds they are feeding. This is also useful for predicting where the cloud is in its life cycle. hir example, clouds that form over mountain ranges arc generally flushed downwind. Once they are flushed past rheir thermal sources there may still be lift under the cloud as the thermal "bubble" continues to feed it, bm you need to arrive relatively high ro climb in this bubble no matter how great the cloud looks. The higher the cloudbasc, the longer your glide to the next climb will be (unless you have the good luck to be flying under a street of some kind). Reichmann predicts that the distance between clouds is approximately two and a half tirnes their distance above the ground. lf the base is 5,000 feet above the ground, then the distance between thermal "trunks" is likely to be 12,500 feet (the distance between the "roots" will likely be somewhat less). Even if your glider only goes at 5: I you should have a reasonably good chance of intercepting a thermal before intercepting the ground! Theoretically, it's very rare ro glide all the way from base to the ground without hining lifr. In reality, I have done it often, particularly on blue days, but usually in retrospect I went gliding off into a large blue hole or down a sink street and should have turned 90 degrees after sinking more than half the distance between base and the ground to flnd lifr. In the flats I think lift generally forms in FrnRUJ\RY 2001

lines and so does sink. Even on blue days, the next logical place to look for a ther-mal is above a good collector/trigger downwind of your last climb. In the mountains the thermals and clouds generally form above ranges which may or may not be oriented with your planned flight or wind direction. lf you are crossing anything except very narrow mountain valleys on very high-base days, you need to base your decisions less on what the clouds arc doing and more on the groundbased tactics covered in the previous article. If you are crossing small gaps while flying along a range ihcn it's often reasonable to use the clouds ro plan your next climb, especially in the American West where base can exceed our FAAimposed limit of 18,000 teer regularly. Most of our ranges in North America nm roughly north-south, while the wind predominantly blows from west to cast. One good trick for crossing the valleys between ranges is to climb to base, then drift over the gap with a cloud. This is slow, but X-C flying is often more about staying in the air than speed. I've used this trick several times at King Mountain and other sites to beat gliders with far better glide ratios. The cloud will eventually start seriously decay·ing, so it's better to leave it before this point or you will have to deal with sinkmg au. Don't get too aggravated if you can't get to base. I generally only get there on days with well-organized climbs leading into flat-bottomed, dense clouds. On

more humid days with poor lapse rates (oops, slipping into tech talk here), there may be plenty of clouds but no way in hell to get them. Do note how high you got in your climb before it disintegrated, and roughly how far below base you were. If your ltrst climb of the day ended ar 6,000 foet and base looked to be at about 8,000, then expect that the top of your next few climbs may be at a similar altitude unless the clouds start looking better or moving higher. Cloudbase usually moves higher throughout the day, and climbs generally improve until late ali:crnoon. lf the clouds go to 10,000 feet and start looking really solid, then you might expect to climb higher and closer to the clouds. The best way ro truly understand the sky is to srndy it with near religious fervor. Read the books and understand the meteorology of any given day, then correlate what was predicted to what actually happened on your flight. If you can't get into the air due to earthly responsibilities you can still learn a tremendous amount about flying. This will help you immeasurably when it comes time to make decisions while under your glider. My next article will deal with flying your glider in thermals and putting everything in these last two articles together. Happy flights!

Will Gadd livesft;r XCflying. He has held mcmy site, state, national cmd one world distance record during the last eight years. II

PiLOT REPORT

HAN

hy Deane Williams

Although the Millennium has been in production for a few years now, there has been much misunderstanding about it and no one has reviewed it for the general pilot population. This Pilot Report will attempt to fill that gap. he glider represents a radical departure from today's hang glider designs, and so should be considered frlr its positive conrributions to the advancement of hang glider technology. BACKGROUND 'fhe Millennium is a first-generation, ftJldable rigid wing prod11ced by Bright Star Gliders of Santa Rosa, Califc)rnia. It evolved from the world's best-performing

foot-launched tailless glider, the Swift, also designed by Bright Siar and currently builr by Aeriene of Belgium. T'he Swift was designed around 1990 by a team of aerodynamics students and professor Ilian Kroo of Stanford University. The Swift perfrlrms well but is heavy (about 130 lbs. or 59 kg) and requires a large, car-topped or trailered box frJr transportation. Its skin is composed of hard, composite panels, so its finish is similar to a sailplane. The design of the Millennium was an attempt

to make a lighter, more easily transportable glider with a sailcloth wing that would retain most of the performance of the Swift. It has achieved rhis goal. The design team consisted primarily of Dr. Steve Morris, Brian Robins and Brian Porter. Steve is one of the most knowledgeable people on control and stability of flying wings, having earned his Doctorate in this field. Brian Robins is the composites and mechanical wizard behind Bright Star, and Brian Porter, the test pilor, is a world-class hang glider pilot who has held the title of national and world champion in Class 2. The Mil-lennium went into production in the spring or 1999. 'fo date, 52 production models have been built. CONSTRUCTION 'fhe wing is composed of two carbon/Kevlar composite D-tube leading edges pivoting in the center on a steel car-ry-back spar ("keel"). Seven aluminum ribs per side arc pivoted at the spar on the rear of the D-rubc. Each rib has a central hinge and folds inward during packing. Unfolding during setup is nccornplished nutomatically by a thin steel cable attached to each central hinge ending at the steel washout strut which is hinged to the D-tube spar at the wingtip. A 3/8-inch (9-mm) diameter aluminum tube runs across the trailing edge inside the wing and pivots at each rib. This adds rigidity to the wing and allows the sail to he more evenly tensioned. The forward portion of the D-tube is exposed to the air stream and therefore is finished very smoothly and covered with a tough, white, epoxy paint. 'The sail attaches at the rear of the D-rnbe with marine-grade sail tape on both the top and bottom surfaces. Although this seems as if it might be a structural concern, the tape has held up well over several years of exposure to varying temperatures, occasional rain and typical hang glider operating environments. Some have noted that grass, dirt, etc., tend to work in under the tape near the tips, but the tape remains firmly attached. The sails are well made (by Wills Wing) and available in many custom color schemes. Zippers arc located on each wing with a cemral zipper and two inspection zippers on the undcrsurface. The leading edges weigh about 20 lbs. (9 kg) each and are made in a three-day process by hand. A camera rnounr insert with a standard thread is located about halfway out each HANC CUDINC

edge on the undcrsurfacc. At the tips, large winglcts, with rudders attached, arc plugged into the steel tip strut. The pilot sirs below the wing in a reclining position between two three-inch (76-mm) diameter aluminum tubes. The tubes are hung rigidly from the wing's car-ry-back spar by fciur 22-inch, 7/8-inch diameter chrome--moly steel tubes. This entire arrangement is commonly called a "cage." A cleverly constructed split scat allows the pilot 10 stand for foot launching and landing bur closes beneath the pilot after launch as he lifrs his body briefly above the scat. This arrangement is a compromise but results in a surprisingly comfortable and snug flying position. The pilot's fr:et rest on a horizontal bar. The (optional) rudder pedals arc fined on this bar, but unfcirtunarely this restricts the pilot's fool position somewhat and can be a little uncomfortable on long flights. A headrest rail :u thc rear of the cage is commonly used as the mounting location for a rocket-deployed parachute system. This system is sold hy BRS and is quite expensive compared to the cost of their old harncss-moumed rocker systems. A 12-inch pneumatic wheel is affixed to the rear of the cage and a small, f<-iurinch scooter wheel and a strong skid-rube arrangemclll arc hinged to the front. The wheels arc not a necessary part of the Millennium bur they add greatly to rhc case and safi.:ty of the wing.

The Millennium is a rugged and heavyduty wing. It was designed to JAR glider specifications and has a plus/minus 10-C ultimate load. It has been truck tested ro this level and it did not break! Its ruggedness (and hence, irs weight) is, in part, a result of constructing it so that it can withstand the tr;mspon handling, drops and whacks that hang glider pilots subject their wings to. It handles these stresses well. The speeds of interest arc:

20 mph kph) Min sink 25 mph (40 kph) Best sink rate ~ 140 fpm (.71 meters/sec.) Best glide speed 34 mph kph) Best glide in stock configuration I to 1 f'11'TP1"1•1'<Y speed 53 mph (85 kph) Max speed or V ne 65 mph (105 kph) Maneuvering speed is the highest speed at which foll control deflections are allowed by design. The wing is slippery compared to the average hang glider. With its powerful pitch control this speed is attained rapidly and easily. Dimensionally, the wing is the smallest folding rigid wing. The basic span is 37 feet (11.3 meters), and with the tip rud-dcrs installed it is 38 feet (1 1.6 meters) as they are canted ou1 slightly for a better sink rate. 'I 'he weight is between 105 and 115 lhs. (about 50 kg) ready to fly, depending on parachute used, instrumeuts, ct-c.

Steve Morris models the simple harness afier flying his Millennium. FEllRU/\RY 2001

CONTROL The Millennium uses a combination of

elcvons and tip rudders for control. Both arc linked to a smooth-action control stick built into the right-hand cage tube. The srick contairn an ingenious mixing mechanism to allow the elevons to serve for both pitch and roll control. Four cables run up into the wing to translate the stick motions to the control surfaces. There is no dihedral in the wing which allows for greater span efficiency. To counteract adverse yaw the tip rudder moves outward sliglnly whenever the stick is moved to that side. This method works well to eliminate adverse yaw. With the optional rudder pedals the pilor can augrncnt this automatic motion if desired, bur this is not normally needed. The rudder pedals arc most usefol for helping bank imo a strong thermal that lifts one wing. Fven with our the rudder pedals, 4 5° to 45° roll reversals have been documented at under four seconds. The roll control is good and the pitch control is outstanding, although some might say iris too sensitive. This sensitivity sometimes leads to a few minor pitch bobbles by new pilots right after launch. If the stick is moved forward rapidly while cruising, the craft will react so quickly that the pilot will momentarily become weightless. That is powcrfol pitch control!

SETUP The glider is slightly heavier than its first-· generation competitor, the Exxtacy, so it's nice to have someone help you carry it to the setup spot. Many pilots have built a simple two-wheeled cart for those rimes when there is no one to help. The good news is that one end is much lighter than rhc other, so almost anyone can help. The wing likes to be set up with the nose facing a very slight downhill so that the wings tend to stay spread until fastened. Unzip the bag and pick up the nose to allow the cage ro swing down away from the wing. Pin the cage cables in place with

Mark Herman checks out the ultra-comfortable flying position. the two pip pins. Now simply swing the wings open and connecr the two rip scrurs co che trailing edge with a spring-loaded, rube-into-tube arrangement. The action of swinging the rip scrurs outward unfolds and locks all the ribs and tensions the wing. Pull rearward on the carry-back spar extension and ic snaps into place co tension che rrailing edge tubes. Now go co che nose and install the nose catch with wing nut and pin (very important). T his procedure has raken as little as four minures and the wing is essentially rigged ar this point. Now insrall the rear wheel and ics two srrurs into the rear of rhe cage tubes. Insrall the from skid srrur inco its sacker on the wi ng and pin ir. Now we're up co about seven minures. Remove the pins from the righr elevon sloe and gently rock the right wingtip co the ground. Starting from the inboard side, slide che elevon inco its crack, line up che two holes, install the pins with safery rings and connect the actuator cable. Repear this procedure with cl1e lefc elevon. ow remove the rudder pin and ring from its track, pick up the lefc tip rudder and snap it down over its mounting pose. Line the rudder up wich its control crack and pull down on cl1e tip co lock it in place. Install the rudder pin and safery ring. Repeat wirh the right rudder. Insrallacion of elevons and rudders rakes between five and eighr minutes. In about 15 minures the glider is flyable. Ar chis point ic is a good rime co do an inirial preflighr of rhe controls. Rock the

glider up so both wingtips are off che ground and move the srick fore and afc. Check for smooth, identical motions of rhe elevons. Also make sure rhere is no motion of the cip rudders. ow move the stick side co side. Check for smoo th, opposite morion of the elevons and insure thar the tip rudder moves outward on the side rhe srick is moved co. Look inside the wing co inspecr che condirion of the cables, zip the undersurface closed and install the rip fairings (Velcro). Move co the nose, double check rhe important nose catch and then cover it with cl1e nose fairing. Install the parachute, radio and insrrumencs and you are ready co fly. As with most gliders, installing these irems can rake a loc of extra time. Controls should be checked again just before rakeoff. The setup is quire different from most hang gliders and a checklist should be used co be sure nothing is missed. As with any cask, you gee better with experience. The many features of the wi ng make it userfriendly. T he early models did nor have removable elevons which saved abour five minures during setup, bur the glider was a bir more difficult co cransporr because of rhe large foam blocks in the bag used co prorecr them. All models have four foam blocks chat prorecr the wing from the cage when folded. These may be easily scored in the wing during flight. The cover bag is a bit more of a problem. Ir weighs six lbs. (2.7 kg) and cannot be easily scored in the wing. Ir

Removing the carbon-fiber elevons during breakdown. may be folded cighdy and scrapped co che headrest. LAUNCHING The pilot wears a lightweight "harness" (included with the glider) , climbs into the cage and clips in co the wing at his hips (lefc and right) with the usual carabiners. Be sure co double check chat yo u are hooked in! Because of the seat and cl1e way yo ur forearms can support your weight during lifcoff, it is possible co launch without being hooked in (especially easy co do when cowing!) and fly for hours. Shoulder straps allow the wing co balance easily on the shoulders for running and help keep the pilot an chored in place in case of severe turbulence in flighr. The carabiners won't let yo u go far even if you remove the shoulder scraps in flight. Leaming how co launch rhe glider is a bir of a challenge. The glider can be picked up by the pilot with some effort, bur it is much easier if someone helps by picking up the front strut. Once up on rhe shoulders the stick all ows rhe pilor the abiliry co keep the wing level in the wind as he walks co the launch unassisred. Like all gliders, once yo u gee a few seeps inco the breeze the glider is fully supported and yo u can accelerate yo ur run. W ith most hang gliders the launch is the most technically difficulr part of flighr, and this glider no exception. Brighr Scar's Brian Robbins observes char pilots with marginal launch rechnique will do worse on the M ill, bur pilors wirh good tech-

H A G GLIDI NG

Brian Robins building compostie shapes at the Bright Star shop.

Flying offthe ramp at Lookout Mountain in Georgi.a. n ique will find launches to be ar least as easy as wirh a flex wing. The wing is surprisingly easy to launch in most conditions. A:; you mighr expect, light winds and shallow slopes of limited length present the grearesr challenge. Ir's always best to wair for the mosr wind in a cycle. Using a good run with a moderate breeze, the glider lifts off with neutral stick and the excellent glide ratio keeps you off the ground. Ir shows no tendency to mush or stall on launch. Higher winds are easy if they are smoorh. Because of the very short chord (four feer or 1.2 meters) the wing can pivot on the shoulder straps in rapidly changing (gusty) winds . In these conditions the use of the stick becomes more important. Starting the run with a walk and accelerating to a run is helpful as the pilot "feels our" the wing, correcting for

any inadvertent roll morions with the stick. Ir's best nor to use any pitch input unless needed, and then only to pull back for liftoff if required. Beginners may tend to put weight on their forearms without knowing it, thus causing the wing to be loaded before sufficient speed is attained. This is commonly known in the sport as "jumping into it (early)" and must be avoided on any hang glider. Once off the ground the pilot should fly supported entirely by the harness until stable and away from the hill. Once away from the hill a quick bur careful push on the forearms is all char is needed to lift the pilot's body and swing the legs up onro the footrest. This motion will result in a small bur meaningless pitch bobble. The glider is quire sensicive to pilot position, more so

than most hang gliders because the pilot is so close ro the wing and the chord is so short. After a few flights you will find that rhis morion is eased by pushing gently forward on the stick ro lower the nose. You will find that your feet float effo rtlessly up onto the footrest and the seat closes up beneath you as you lift your body. You usually need ro reach under you and give a few cugs ro fully close the gap in the seat for maximum co mfo rt. Now you are on your way, supine and comfy.

FLYING THE MILLENNIUM This is what it's all about. T he extra effort required in owning this craft pays off when you're in the air. T he fi rst thing you notice is that you are part of the wing, not just dangling below it. Every little morion of the wing is transmitted thro ugh the seat of

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The Millennium folds at the nose into a pacl, sizr: about twice cis wide as afle.x wing your pants and your forearms. Thermals seem to crnse a wonderful upward acceleration. The next thing you become aware of is that your legs arc just 22 inches (55 cm) below the wing and your head is just behind it. You can reach up and touch the trailing edge! Clouds arc visible by just looking straight up. Ir's easy to head for rhc best part of a cloud with visibility like this. The wing sticks out 19 fret on either side of you with no wires or struts supporting it, and you get to sec it all. It is as rigid as an I-beam. The speed is a comfortable 24 to 27 mph (40 kph) with the stick in the neutral position. Centering springs keep it in this position with no pilot input. The trim speed can be increased by sliding forward in the scat. Heavier pilots will notice a greater change than lighter pilots. Moving the stick lcfr or right results in a gentle rolling motion. r~ollow that morion with a small pullback and the glider fairly leaps into a turn. As the turn reaches the desired b,mk angle move the stick to the opposite side, as needed, to keep a constant bank. This is just like "high siding" a glider but it's so much easier to do with your wrist. Watch the airspeed and keep it around 25 mph (40 kph) for thcrmaling. 'forns arc that easy. Anyone with any kind of stick experience, even radio-conrrolled sailplane time, will quickly adapt to the controls. It is very predictable and intuitive. Speeds of 45 to 55 mph (88 kph) arc easy to obtain and hold without feeling like you arc diving out of the sky. These arc the useful speeds that rigid wings need to hold for long glides to m,tximizc cross--country performance.

ABOUT SPINS All rigid wing gliders will spin. The modem view by most authorities is that spin awareness and spin avoidance arc prcfor-· able to "practicing spins." In fact, spinning a glider is no longer pan of FAA sailplane pilot licensing requirements. The Millennium recovers quickly and easily from spins. 'T'hc procedure is to return the stick to center and push it forward a bit. As soon as the rotation stops (very quickly) case back on the st:ick to return to normal flying speed. ff turning very slowly in a turbulent thermal you should always expect that any glider may begin to spin. For this reason rl1e pilot must be diligent to carry extra airspeed when rhermaling low to the ground. ·rhc amount of turbulence will make a large difference in the tendency of a wing to spin. It's easy ro recognize the beginnings of a spin. While turning, the rate of rotation will suddenly start to increase and the nose will drop. Immediately pushing the slick will hair the incipient spin. The novice pilot may think that rolling the opposite way will get him om of this predicament, bur that has no effect. If the spin is allowed to develop into a full spin rhc recovery method is the same. A full spin in a Millennium is an effective escape method for strong cloud suck. Richard Parzoch has measured the descent rate as 4,200 feet per minute (21.3 meters per second) and the exit speed as 54 mph (87 kph). (Never exceed Vne when exiting a spin.)

PERFORMANCE Glide ratio performance is a rather subjective and difficult parameter to measure accurately, but in comparison tests with other gliders the Millennium shines. The factory lists the LID as 17 to 1. ff you like to tinker with your flying machines, the Mill is a diamond in the rough. It's easy to sec that the cage structure is the easiest thing to clean up. There are five vertical members totaling about I I fret (3.3 meters) of tubing (about the same as a control bar) that can be easily faired. Calculations predict this will add about 0.9 points t:o the best glide. Other areas for improvement by fairing arc behind the pilot by use of a tail cone and fairing the pilot's feet by means of a streamline shape. Bright Star has rested a full fairing adapted from a Swift, although there is not much interest in ir. This has a large positive effect on the overall performance. There is a partial pilot faring constructed of stiff fabric that is available, and this has been shown to increase performance as well. At higher speeds the Mill excels in part because the downward deflection of the devons effectively removes some of the washout. Also, it's easier to hold the wing at high speeds for long periods of time because of the control stick. Best sink rate is quoted at I 50 fpm (.76 meters/sec.) bm it may be better. Comparisons show the Mill to sink as well as the sccond--gcnerat:ion rigids in coastal air. Rigids in general show an advantage in climb compared to flex wings, especially in very light thermals. In broad thermals any rigid will often outclimb a flex wing within a few minutes from hundreds of feet below. If you arc a longtime flex wing pilot, as I am, you'll find that the Mill is a joy to fly because of the range the pilot can cover and the ability to stay up while others sink out. This will continue to amaze you. LANDING As a result of the glide performance it is often necessary to degrade it when it's time to bring it in. The tip rudders can be deflected simultaneously 11Sing the rope and jam cleat to provide variable glide angle control on approach. (Be aware that in this configuration the rudders cannot do their normal job of corn .. pcnsating for adverse yaw, so this is more noticeable. Plan your approach to miniHM\JC (;LIDINC

rnize turns close to the ground.) ( ;lide can be reduced to about IO to 1, making the glide similar to the range we arc used ro. Use of an after-market drag parachute can reduce the glide even further. I highly recommend a drag chute for any rigid wing or kingpostless design if you intend to fly X-C:. \'(/irh borh devices folly deployed you can really feel rhe drag pulling you down, and the approach angle sreepens deeply ro about 5 to I as you increase speed. Some pilots will land on their feet but most prefer a wheeled landing. The wheels provide an extra margin ofsafr'.ty and take the pressure off the pilot ro select rhe perfect moment to flare. Dropping any I 00-1 pound glider is not a prerry sight even though the Mill is rngged enough LO take it. I.anding on wheels is just too easy: Approach the ground with moderate speed and attempt to keep the wing flying wirh the wheels just six inches off the ground by trading off airspeed for ahirude in tiny incremems. When stall speed (in ground is reached at about 19 mph (:30 kph) the glider settles onto rhc wheels. The rollout can be shortened by removing rhe front wheel and just using the skid. TOWING '["he Millennium is one of the easiest hang gliders to tow. Its inherem srahility and tip fins cause it to track straight behind the tow vehicle no mat tcr what type ir is. The wheels make can launch dangers and hassles a thing of the past. One possible glitch is that most new pilots will over-connol in pitch for a few cycles as soon as they arc off the ground. This is due to the strong pitch control the crafr possesses, however, rhe pilot quickly learns how to smooth rhis out. Platform tows arc besr conducted by reeling out a hundred feet or more of rope and launching from the ground surface. The Millennium uses an ingenious and dirt··simple row release designed by John Borton ("JB"). A bushing is installed in each side cage tube just ahead of' rhe center of gravity. A weak link is tied to each end of'a 10--fooc rope bridle and the weak link loops arc fed through the bushing Oil each side and secured inside the cage by a hitch pin atrached lo a hand loop. Either side may be used for release, giving rhe security of a buil t--in secondary release. 'rhe bridle is pulling from very near the CC, so this arrangement can he used for platform, static or acrotowing. FillRLJ/\RY 2001

X-C CONSIDERATIONS If you like to fly X-C: then a rigid wing is the best machine to fly these days. You will find rhat you get ro altitude foster, get more X-(: flights, sink orn less ofrcn and enjoy longer flights, guaranteed. My first X.-C: ancmpt in rhc Mill yielded a I 02milc flight from I .ookom Mountain Flight Parle Th is is a rare treat on the cast coast. The long-flight comfort, high-speed perfonnance and low sink rate of the Mill make it a good choice. The drag rudders and a reliable drag chute arc rhc hot setup for short-field X-C: landings. I have not found an LZ yet where the wheels didn't work just fine. Plowed fields, low brush and tall hay all have been landed in without problems. The glider's weight prescnrs a challenge once on the ground, but the glider can be walked or wheeled around depending on the surface you landed on.

SUMMARY As you might have guessed by now the biggest objection that a pilot might have to owning the Millennium (other than cost which at $9/iOO is comparable to other rigids) is its weight. Most pilots own gliders that weigh abom 30 lbs. ( lit kg) less. I dislike heavy gliders, bur hack when I pur·chased the Mill it looked as if' rigid wing gliders would never be much lighter. I had to come up with some new tricks to deal with rhe machine on the ground. Sometimes new challenges can be fun. Now that I'm used to it, living with the weight is not the daunting problem I imagined it would be. Brawny pilots will have less concern Lhan lighter ones.

Prospective Millennium pilots should have stick-type flying to be sure thci r reactions arc ins ti ncrively correct before flying the Mill. Pushing the stick the wrong way in a panic siruation could he disastrous if near rhe ground. It's ;i]ways best to seek training when transitioning to a radically cliffcTCnl glider. Currently Bright Star is nor producing the Millennium, but the talented Bright St·ar team continues ro cvalu,nc new concepts in flying and may produce a glider in the furure. Pans and service con, tinue to be provided by the shop. For new developments check their Web sire: http://www.sirius.com/ --mlbco/. The Swift Web sicc is h trp://www. ping. be/ ,,pingli 026/ acrianc.hrm. Aeriane is reportedly working on a light version of' the Swifr thar will weigh something similar to the Millennium at a slightly higher cost. lN CLOSING There has been some discussion about rhc Millennium. Is it a hang glider or an ultralight sailplane? The answer is, it's both! Because the Mill doesn't have a conventional control bar it hasn't been as popular as the control-bar rigids. Afi:cr all, it is human nature to resist change. Most of the pilots who arc able to pur-chasc a rigid wing have been 11yi 11g with a cornrol bar for many years. Yer, f'rom my experience, I am sure that if more pilots were able to experience the performance and comfort of flying they would thoroughly enjoy it. II

Ill

HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hallg gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downmbes, ruined bushings, bent holts (especially the heart bolt), re··used Nyloc Huts, loose thimbles, or rusted cables, tangs with non.-circular holes, and on flex wings, sails badly torn or torn loose from their anchor points front and back on the keel and leading edges. If in doubt, many hang gliding businesses will be happy ro give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you them to inspect. Buyers should select equipment that is appropriate for their skill level or rating. New pilots should seek professional instruction from a USHGA CERT] .. FIED INSTRUCTOR.

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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:

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with

Pcrf"cct first glider for gcuing into our sport inexpen-

sively. (206) 320 90 I 0. 100 gliders in stock. Lookom MounLain, www.l1anglidc.con1

TRX 160 Excellent condition, will send pictures $700. (858) 270-7B89, tflood I 'J67(ii\10\.com

TlZX I (,0 -

I.ast one made, white wired chandell

hottom leading edge, all original. Fxtras, 1 set carbon

downtnbcs, sels tip cones, I each tip wand, very clean $1,800. ((,19) /ili5-36.13,

f'rnRUARY 2001

RIGID WINGS

SUl'ERl 1LOJ\TFR 1.ike new conditinn, acrotow and ground tow release, llRS parachute and all available options. Always <.lO Lota! hours, w/trailer $ I 0, 500. XC:l lawk(1>aol.com, Ii 11 p:/ /www.barghahn.com/Cloudbasc3.ht m, (507) 895-421JO.

members! 'New gliding available. only $5.00 ($15. non-members). ] 1 yours today! 4 .)1-

I.OOJ<OUT MOlJNTAlN Fl.IC! IT !'ARK

CALIFORNIA

Sec

rnmmu1in training cctHcr Train on DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING state-of.the-art WILLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One four hom lesson $100. Three four hom lessons, plus tandem off 2,000/'t. $:JOO. Five lessons for $400. Ten lessons plus tandem $750.lntroclucc sorncoue new to our sport. For each new smdenr that you introduce 1hat takes three or more lessons from me, you'll get a free lesson or $50 off a future purchase. Complete lesson programs. Year-round instruction. Launching and landing and thermal clinics available. Call for group rates. Tired of hiking you glider? I'll you! Dealer for Wills Wing, Altair, High Energy Sports, Ball varios, Carnclbaks and more. New and used equipment. We love trade-ins. I'm your northern California MOSQUITO HARNESS DF.ALER. If you live in central through nor1l1ern California, give me a call or email 10 schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Call or cmciil, scheduling lessons five clays a week, Friday through Tuesdays. lclc:al training hill, up to 150/i-., 600ft. mounrnin. 1,200ft. rn01rntain. Tandem instrncrion. USHGA Advanced lnstrnctor DOUG PRATHER (209) 556-0li69 Modesto, C:A.

Fl.Y AWAY HANC Cl.lDINC Tammy Buren (80'i) www.flyabovcall.com/!lyaway.l1tm

(3 L

DERPOF?T 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive San Diego CA 92037 Since 1928

!TAN<; CUDINC AND PARACUDINC USI-lCA certified instrnction, tandem flight instruction, sales, service, repairs, paraclll!tc repacks, and site

tours. San world--class soaring center. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Call (858) Ii 52-9858 or toll Cree 1---877-FI.Y TF.AM. Check tts om and order onlinc at vvw\v. flyt orrcy .corn

H!Cll ADVENTURE ·- !fang gliding, paragliding school. Equipmc:tn sales, service, rentals at Sourhern California's mile site, Crestline. USIICA lnsrructor Rob Mcl<cm-ic. By appointmenr year round. (909) 883-8li88, www.flytandem.com

Park

Satisfaction c;uarnntccd

JlJST 8 MIi.ES FROM DISNFYWORl.D • YEAR ROUND SOARING • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • STX TUGS, NO WAITING • EVERY DJRFCTrON

Santa Barbara. 957-9H ,

THE HANG GLIDING CENTER -·· 631 Malcolm Drive, San Diego CA 921 I 5, (619) 7.655320.

The Acro1ow

20 rniittttcs from I.AX. I.A's BEST SINCE I'J7/i l'ull service walk---in center. Training f,,r all skill levels, rentals, service, sales, lodging at world famous Kagel Monntain Parle 325 sunny chys a year. 1Gili5 Victory Blvd., V,m Nuys CA 91406, (818) 988 .. () I I 1, fax (818) 988·-1862, www.windsports.com

50, .I:JJCI( demos to fly: 10 Trainer (;Jiders: Lantinar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwave, Fxx1acy, La Moucttc, Sensor; also harnesses, varios, etc.

Ages I 3 To Tl have lcctrncd to fly here. No one comes close to our level ofcxpcl"lcncc and success wit!1 tandem acrorow instruction.

COLORADO AIRTIME ABOVE IIANC: (;J.JDINC -- l'ttll tirne

A GREAT SCFNF FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ...

lessons, sales, service. Colorado's most

Wills Wittg, Moyes, Ahair, High Energy, Ball, l'lytcc, Flight Counection.s attd much more. Call (30:3) 67/i · 7-151, Evergreen, Colorado Airtime! l(;(i1\10l.corn

IO motels & resraurams within 5 mins., ctrnping, hot showers, shade trees, sales) storage, ra1ings XC retrievals, great weather, clitttbing wall, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, etc. 1

CONNECTICUT LARGFST HANG CLIDING SHOP ln 1hc West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest and h·as two vir1ual reality hang, l',liding simulators. We stock new and l!Sed ... Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the holies/

MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York.

Fl.OIUDA

Flights of over 200 miles and more than Cro.11 Articles in I fang (;/idi11g; and others. Featured on ntttttcrous TV shows, Dateline NBC, The Discovery Channel & FSPN. Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com

new h.irncsscs. Trade-ins arc welcome. ()ur comprch(:llSivc training program, located al the San Francisco Bay Area's finest beginner sire features:

Please call tts for references and video. I 805 Dean Still Road, Disney Arca, fl. 338:l7 (863) 121-0070 phone & fax flyGiwallaby.com 1 800-WALI.AllY

gently sloped "bunny hills," Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and comfortable training liarncsscs! "l'IRST FL!GIJT" 15 ntittute video rnur of our lesson program shows a sruclcnr's skill pro· gression $20 included). I I 16 Wrigley Way, Milpitas C:A 95035 (ner1r San Jose). (408) 262-1055, fax (408) 262-1388.

Conservative• Reliable® Si-at-c of rhc /\rt

l'.I J.C. INC./l'LYINC l'I.ORIDA STNCF 1971

Renew your membership online! 46

USHC;\ C:ERTIFIFD TANDI\M INSTRUCTION By (;rcgg McNarnec. Aero1nw training & ratings. Dealer f,,r all rnajor llight and aerotow eqttipmcttl, I. 5 hours fi-mn Disneyworld. Call (:352) 189 'J<JU!. flyG"graybirdairs1,on1.corn www.grayl,irdair51,ons.con1

Malcolm Jones, Ryan Clover, Carlos Bessa L,rnrie C:ro/i, Jeremie Hill, l<crry I.loyd Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Rhett Radford 'J 'iki Mashy, Paris Williams

HANC GIIDINC

NO MORE BUNNY... THE HILL WITH ITl

LOOKOUT MOUNT/IIN FLIGHT P/IRK -- Sec our display ad. Discover why FOUR 'TIMES as many pilots earn their at Lookour than at any other school' W'e wrote Official Training Manual. Our specialty-customer sadsfacrion and Cun with rhe BEST FACIUTIES, largcsr inventory, ctrnping, swin,rning, volleyball, more For a /lying trip, intro flight or lesson packages, Lookout Mo11ntain, just outside Cl,atrnnooga, yo11r COMPLETE training/service center. Info? (800) 688LMFP. 1

WE 1-l/l VF ~- The rnost advanced training program known to hang gliding, reaching you in half the time it takes on the training··IHJNNY HILL, and with more in-f"light air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAHR For year-round training fon in the sun, call or write Miami I lang Gliding (."lO'i) 285,8978. 2'i50 S Bayshore Drive, Coconut Crewe, Florida .l:l U:l.

BlJNKIIOlJSE

MARYLAND MARYLAND SCHOOi OF JIANG GLIDING, INC Certified instruction, specializing in foot launch. Dcalns for Wills Win[,, Moyes, High Energy, year-round instruction. (Ii IO) 527-0975, www.1nshg.com MICHIGAN CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION Aerorow special ists. We carry all major brand gliders. Free PVC: r;lider storage/transport tube with new glider purchase. Now in stock: 1.aminar ST; Wills Fusion, XC, Ultrasport, Falcon; Moyes Litcspccd, Sonic; /lcros Stealth 2; Magic Kiss. Ornriggcr wheels, launch cart kits, aud other accessories in stock. Call for spring tandem lessons and flying appointments with rhe DraachcnFlicgcn Soaring Club at Cloud 9 field. l I 088 Coon Lake Rd. \XI., \Xlcbherville, Ml /i8892. (517) 223-868.'3. C:loud<JsaG1\1ol.com http:/ /mcrnbcrs.aol.com/cloud9sa -------- ----------·-------.

\XIARM & COMFORTABLE By I.MFP 1 32 hunks, hot showers, open all year, 21i hour self rcgis1ra1 ion. 1-800-80.1-/788 1 IIAWAII

IJ-846. our website :11: ww,v.qucstaid()rcc.com 01 email us: qt1cstair((1lsundial.11c1

GEORGIA

lllRDS IN l'ARADlSE -- Hang gliding & ultralight flying on Kauai. Cenificd tandem instruction. (808) 822-5:l09 or (808) 639-10(,7, hirds~1lbirdsinparadisc.com www.birdsinparadisc.cmn Il.UNOIS HAN(; C LI DF C:H JC:/IC:O -- F11II service aeropark, tow pLrncs. Full time certified instructors, ultralight instructors, Fast Coast record 213 miles. (8 I 5) .32.5-1 68'i, www.hangglidcchicago.com

l -800-803-7788 FULL HOOK-UPS -~ Lmndry, propane, recreation room. I 800-803-7788.

NORM l.ESNOW'S HYINC ADVENTURES -Since 1978. Fxpcricncc & safety arc t/1. Acrotowing and hill imroductory flights and full range of lesson programs for beginner to advanced. Acrorow clinics & USl !GA appropriate ratings available. US! !GA certified school. Please conract Norm Lesnow-Master l'ilor, Examiner, Advanced Tandem Instructor, Tow Administrator. (248) .'l99-9/i.'l3, FULL-TIME school. nlfa<fhjuno.cmn, \vwvv.scrioussports.c01n/nlfa

QUEST AIR SOARINC CFNTFR -- Your vacation hang location. (.3'i2) 429-02.1.'l, fox 052) li29-

CABIN RENTAL ~ Tastefully decorated cabin for nightly and weekly rentals within walking distance lo l.ookoul Mrn ].'light Park lJ.. Sleeps four, f11ll kitchen, satclli1c tv, air conditioned, heated, fireplace, back porch w/hot t11b. Tastefully furnished with handmade rustic Call (706) 657-2756 or reservations. (706) 657 7/i 11

RAVEN SKY SPORTS - - (312) JG00700, (81'5) /iR<J-9700 or (262) irTl-8800. 2 ho11rs from Palatine or Libenyville. equipment, the best results in program for combincd/intcaerotow certification. Apply I 009f, of your intro lesson costs ro certification program upgrade' Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN.

TRAVERSE CITY HANG Gl.lDERS/PARAGL!DERS FlJLI.-TJME sl10p. CerriCicd instruction, f'oor launch and row. Sales, service, accessories for ALI. major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. Corne soar om li50' dunes! 1509 E 8th, Traverse Ml IJ%81i. Offering, paragliding lessons & for rhc Explorer & used units. Call Bill at (231) 922281Jli, our par·ai>,Jrdini, school in Tl'J-8620. MINNESOTA RAVFN SKY SPORTS - (612) 3/i0-1800 or (262) 47.3-8800. Please sec our ad under WISCONSIN. NEVADA Sierra at irs besr. ADVENTURE SPORTS Toms and tandems available. Instruction certified USHC:A instructors with 25 years experience. Sales, service and instruction by appointment Carson City/l.ake Tahoe NV. (775) 883-7070

INDIANA RAVEN SKY SPORTS (262) irTl-8800. Please sec our ad under Wisconsin. info<illhanggliding.com

FFBRUARY 2001

Sky Gods Shannon Raby and Ken Musico at the Moore Town Park. Continued from page 31. Steve Rewolinski, a Minnesota pilot and King veteran, took first place. Second place went to John Woiwode, a Jackson, Wyoming pilot returning from a first-place performance at Sandia the week before, where he won flying a pig-sticker. He set a new Idaho state X-C record of 186 miles from King two weeks after the meet. (Frank Gillette held the previous record for more than 10 years.) Kurr Ziegler, a Boise pilot, took third place, also flying a pig-sticker. The Recreation Class went to first-place Boise pilot Jimmy Pricer. Peter Bovingdon was second and Sonoma Wings pilot Albert Branson took third. The Sportsmanship Award went to Sonoma Wings pilot Scot Huber who blew off day two to put on a barbecue for the rest of us. Lisa Tate does a great job, with Teresa Eddingron's help and a handful of volunteers . Ir's a Lot of work and hassle and takes months of preparation to put on a meet and deal with self-centered, macho air-junkies - all chis work so other pilots can experience an excellent meet at a black-diamond site at the most affordable price in the country. I hope Lisa knows we mean much more when we say, "Thanks Lisa, great meet. " •

Continued fi'om page 8. received after February 15 will be assessed a late fee of$25. If I can help yo u with the renewal, or anything else, please contact Joanne Peterson at (7 19) 632-8300 or e-mail rjpeterson@ushga.org. To help yo u make a list of Chapter members you can go to our website (www.ushga.org) to find a list of USHGA members in each state. Click on "Members Only," then click on "Current Members" and follow the instructions to make a list, and then use a highlighter and mail in a list of yo ur Chapter members. Please send a printout of information with the name and ricle of person making the change. An officer of the Chapter must verify the printout. In addition to verifying che information on che printout, please verify chat USHGA is on yo ur Chapter's newsletter mailing list. If yo ur chapter has been modified its bylaws structure, a copy of the revised bylaws must accompany yo ur renewal. •

Looko1tt Mo1tntain Hana Glidina

----iL...--.. . .

SOO. 6SS. 5657 - www.J.an9lide.con1

Five times as many students learn fa

fly at Lookout

Integrated Instruction of foot launch and aerotow tandem skills The Industry Leader for over 20 Years

Put Yourself in Expert Hands at Lookout Mountain Flight Park & Training Center Lookout Mountain, Georgia Since 1978

LAS VEGAS /\IRBORN W/\TF.RSPORTS lJSHGA ccnified hang gliding instruction. Sales and service, boat row, mountain soaring, XC. (702) 2607950, www.virn1alhosrs.ncr/ha11g.htm

NORTH CAROLINA

PUERTO RICO FLY PUERTO RICO Team Spirir l lang Gliding, HG classes daily, tandem instruction available. Wills Wing dealer. Glider rentals for qualiflecl pilots. PO Box 978, l'nnra Santiago, Pncrro Rico 00741. (787) 850-0508, rsl112((1'c:ot1t11.nct

NEW JERSEY MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York. TENNESSEE

NEW MEXICO Sratc-of-thc-an CROSSROADS WINDSPORTS training with srarionary simularor, Boomllar, tandems, video coaching. Aerorowing. Towing for and paraglidcrs. Rentals. Camping on rhc Airpark! Call Curt Graham in Hobbs (505) 392-

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN HJGHT PARK ad under Georgia.

XC CAPITAL OF THE CAROLINAS (828) 632-9810 foorhillsflight8>!10rmail.com

Sec

TEXAS

8222.

NEW YORK AAA !'LICHT SCHOOL MOUNTAIN WINGS I EL!.ENVJJ.LE /\fR SPORTS. Full service shop, park, 4500fr. row flcld, winch and aero towing, r:111dcms, two-place U.1.. training. /\irwavc, Altair, Moyes, Aeros, learn 2000, Flight Srar lJ.l .. , MOSQUITO powered harness, WOODY VALLEY harnesses in stock. The original v. MJTTS $29.00. or (81i5) 61/7.3.377 WVl'w.lli~:ht,,ch,ool.ncr, 150 Canal Sr., Ellenville, NY complete HG Pro-shop in the North East.

• YE/\R-ROUN!) SOARING • EXCELLENT XC FLYlNC • TANDEM INSTRUC:TlON • WINCH TOWING • AFRO TOWING/TIIR.EF TUGS • llRAGONFLY/TIUKF lNSTIUJCl!ON • INTRO FOOT I Al/NCI I C:IASSFS • P1\R/\CI.JDJNC TOWS• FLY.lNS AND CI.JNJCS • SALES AND SFRVlCE • 600 ACRE h'\CILITY Steve Burns 979.279.9382 email: sburns@alpha l .net 800B Pinc S1., Hearne TX 77859 Fred Burns 281.471.1488 email: ausrinair8laol.com .3810 Bonira Lane, I.a Pone TX 77571 WWW.AUSTIN/\lRSPORTS.COM

ATR SPORTS US/\~ NYC's first and only cerrifled hang gliding, microlighrs (trikes), powered parngliding. for Avian. Dealers for most major brnnds. Full service and equipment at besr prices. The mosr friendly service in rhc area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 7777000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET FLY I rTCH HANG (;[.![)]NC;, INC. Serving S. New York, Connccricnt, Jersey areas (Ellenville Mm.) Area's FXCLUS[VF Wills Wing dcalcr/spccialisr. brands, accessories. C:crriFicd Also all other school/iustrucrion. since 1979. Area's most INEXPENSIVE prices. Exccllcm secondary instrnction ... if you've flnishcd a program and wish ro comin .. uc. Fly the mountain! ATOL T:111dem flights! Contact Paul 516.'l Rel, Pinc Bush, NY 12566, (8/i5) SUSQUEHANNA FJ.JGHT PARK Cooperstown, NY. Certified lnstrucrion, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. /i() acre park, 5 traiuing hills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600' NW ridge. We have the besr facilities in N. New York state ro teach you how ro fly. c/o Dan Guido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13407, Cl 15) 866-6153.

Our advertising has a two-month lead time plan ahead. 50

• TANDEM INSTRUCTION • /\F.ROTOWlNC • BOAT TOWJNC • BEACH RESORT • FOOT LAUNCII • TRJ\fNJNC CAMPS • P/\R/\CU DINC • OPEN YEAR ROUND • FQlJIPMF.NT SAi.ES /\ND SERVICE

(800) 334-4777 NAGS HEAD, NC !ntcrncr Address: http://w1Nw.ki11tyl1a'01k.,:om E-Mail Address: 111t,:,l"'kHtyJ1awlcco111

PENN SYLVAN!/\ MOUNTAIN TOP RECREATION Certified instruction, Pittsburgh. (412.) 767-4882. C'MON OlJT AND PLAY! MOUNTAIN WINGS

Look under New York.

GO .. HANG GLIDING!!!~ Jeff llunr. Austin ph/fox (512) 167-2529 jefftrilflytcxas.com www.flytcxas.com

HILL COUNTRY PAHAGLJD!NG INC -- Learn complcrc pilot skills. Personalized \JSH(;A certified ridge soaring, foor & row lauucbing in ccn· MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) :l79·1185. lli75 CR 2.20, Tow TX 78672. !GTE ENTERPRISES Foor launch, platform launch and acrorow iusrrnction too. Training, sales, rcmals and repair. Airwavc & Wills Wing. Dallas, Fort Word1 and north Texas area. 211 Fllis, Allen TX 75002. (972) 390-9090 nighrs, weekends, www.kite--eni-crprises.com

Area's OLDEST Wills TOTAL AIR SPORTS Wing dealer. Certified instr11crion available. "I only DEAL with WILLS". 16121 Lakeview, Houston TX T/040. (71:l) 937,861/i, tornlairsporrlO<iilhormail.corn

Classified advertising: new life for your equipn1ent and cash in your pocket. What a deal! HANC CLIDINC

l/TAJI

WISCONSIN

CLOUD 'J SOARINC: C:l'NTIJ, ··~ The nation's largest paragliding and hang gliding shop> is no,N offering hang gliding lessons, gllidc services, repairs the Mollntain, Utah. C:on tact ns and sales at Point f,,r an inlr,rmati()JJ packet or stop by the sl,op. (801) 57(, <,·i60, infov/)p:iraglidcrs.co111 12''>5(, S. Minmcman Dr. Ill Draper, l!'J' 81020.

RAVEN SKY SPORTS llANC CI.IDINC AND l'ARACl.llllNC 'I'IK Ivfidwc.st's Premier acroto\v flighr park, founded in 19')2. Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRCC:TION oC f,,ot .. \aunch :rnd acrotow tandem skills, at package prices to be:tt any in the USA. Seven be:llltiltd, grassy training hills facing all

WASATCI I WINGS gliding school, Point of tlic Mounciin,

wind dircctiolls, Four Dragonl1y tow plane,<;, no wait-

ing! Three tandem gliders on wheeled undercarriages. WW l 'alcons Cor tr;1inlng from the very ilrst lessons. USUA ultralight :111d instruction. Paragliding 1

rnounu1in sites, !owing. Dc:ilcr f'or J\cro.s, J\irwavc,

tows. Free cirnping.

Altair, Moyes, Wills Wings and much more. Call /.ac (801) 2/ili 7/i<Jli, w111gst"'wasatcl1.com

brnnds. Open 7 days a week. Contact Brnd Kushner, l'O Box IO I, Whitewater WI 5:l I <JO (262.) li7}·8800 phone, (2Ci2) !Jl.l-880 I fox, www.h:111ggliding.com, i 11 f()Cth] 1:111 ggl id in g.co m

for all

VIRGINIA PARTS & ACCESSORIES AEROTOWJNC ACCESSORll'.S · Sec TOW. INC:. Tl IF WAII.ABY RANCH (86.3) li2/i.CJ0'70. AM1\/INC:I.Y I.OW PRICES Bo\ )(!1)j 1rokcrf-<)1')10! 1.c01 n

On all Ball vario.s

Al.I J\C:C:FSSOlUES IN STOCK! l'lyrcc li005, Quantum :no, call! I.ow prices, f':tst delivery! Cunnison Clidcrs, 15/i'! County Road 17, C:unnison co 81 no. ('!70l Git 1.9:, 15, b ll p:/ I gunnisonglidcrs.com/ l.AM\N;\R !'ARTS

We have what you need and

we :He com mined to same day shipping. ;\ V8 Call ('!(,()) 77 J.()71) I or email :tt indasky~1ly:1hoo.com

BLUJ•: SKY h1ll1inw instrnction ;ind service :it Manquin !'light Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, !'light Design, Acros and 1\irw:1vc gliders. Mid,Atl:rnric \fosquirn de;ilcr. Steve Wc11dt ('iliO) lil2 (,'557 or (8M) 2A .fi:J7•i, W\'Jw.l,l11cskvl1g.crn111, l,l,1eskyl1gv1Jyaho,1.co1n J

llFST I)" WIIFEI.S AVAILAB!.F J,'!Y AT VJRCINJA'S NEWEST TOTAL J,'!.!Cl !T PARK MANQUIN oCfrrs aerotowing, t:rndcm lessons, j>larform trllck towing, tr:1ini11g hill and scoot er towing for beginner thr11 advanced pilots. c:cniflcd instruction, glider equipment sales, service and rcpai1 through "BLUE SKY" Virgini/s leading h:111g gliding school. Try .'\·axis flying with certified ultralight instrnctiou through "FLY RAWI.ING", Jc;irn 10 fly aud soar 1hc Supcrl'\oatcr. homs south of' Washington DC:, minutes NF of' Richlllond. Free calllping :rnd close to fast food, rcst:l[[rants and Kings 1lomi11io11 theme park.

Super

lightweight, a llll!St for training, tandem

in hushings. Ouly USJ\ .. \,uilt 12" wheel. q11;1nlity discounts. Immediate delivery. I.ookollt lv1ount'1in. (800) (,88,LMl'I'.

World's srnalkst, MINI VARIO vario! Clips w helmet or chinstrap. 7-00 hours 011 batteries, O-lis,000 ft., fast response and 2 year w:trranty. C:reat f,,r parnglidiug too. ONLY $169. lvlallcttec, J'() Box 15756, San1a Ana CA, 927:lS. (71 Ii) %6· 12/iO, MC/Visa accepted, www.mallcucc.com

OXYGEN SYSTEMS

Visit u::-, on dw wch wwvv.manquiuacrotow.com or

www.bl11cskyhg.com. (5/iO) /i'.)26557

KITTY I IA WK J<ITI\S · · S,"' North C:nolin:t. C:cr1if1cd ins1rnction and SILVER WINCS, INC. equipmrnt sales. (70:l) \l3 I %5 Arlington VJ\. WASHINGTON

'New and l111provcd • Water/Dust Rc.sist:rnt Push Buttou • l'icld Rcpbcc:1hlc l'ingcr Swirch ® I lcavicr Caugc Wire/Improved Plugs lucrea.sed Straiu Relief at AI.LJoint.s

HANC:TlME Dealer of' the MOSQUITO pow· cred harnessr·s. Call for CLIN]C dates. Right here in the pacific northwest. (50')) 'i7.'i :l'i7/i,

!'rice $11 'J.'J'i. Extra finger switch $19.'J'i w/purchasc. Dealer inquiries welcome. C:al\ ('J 1.,) 2G8-7<J/i6.

lhhrown(rll\rn1 i. net

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

FIBRLJARY 2001

The wnr\d.cLtss XCR· 180 opcrntcs up to :l hours 0'1l 18,000 f't. and weighs only /ilb. C:ornplctc kit wirh cylinder) liarncss, regulator, cannula ;1nd remote 011/off 11owmetcr, only $:1'7'>.00. SPEC:TACUI.AR TROPJ 111\S. 1\ward.s & gifts! Free catalog. Soaring Dreams (208) :376-/'J Iii, Zoolis;1(!1\iol.com

Ti\NC;ENT CPS 12 w/cablc. 20 hours use, like new $700 OB(\ (719) 5,l9 1927. TEK FLIGHT PRODUCTS

BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT l\FCOMF A PROl;FSSJONAI. Fl.lGJIT INSTRUCTOR J\ limited number of intern posial one of' America's tions ,nc available in Los

SOARING --- Monrlily magazine of' The Soaring Society of i\merica, lnc. Covers all of soaring lligh1. Full membership $55. Info. wirh sample copy $3. SSA, P.O. Box 2100, I lohbs, NM 882/il. (505) )')2-1177. TOWlNG

The success is in the DRAGONFLY TOW CLUB smiles! Dragonfly kirs available NOW for $10,800! folly built for $12,800 you ge1 Bobby Bailey 10 1rain you ar your site. for details. Ken Brown dba Moyes J\mcrica (530) 888-8/i?.2 l'lyaMoycs<ill;wl.corn

AEROTOWING ACCESSORIES Headquarters for: The f111esr releases, secondary releases, Spectra "V" bridles, weak links, randem wheels, launch can kirs, ere. THE WALLABY Ri\NC!-1 (863) li24-0070.

WANTED ---

on a new nailer w/baneries, all self con1aincd, 3000'

PAYOUT WINCH

Camera mount $48.50. Camera remote (ask abou1 rebate) $![5. Vario mounl $15. 6" wheels $29.75, 8" wheels $34.75 +$4 S&ll (U.S./\.) included. TEK FLIGHT Products, Colebrook S1agc, Winsted CT 06098. Or call (860) 379-1668. Fmail: tek(iilsnet.ncl

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NEW* TO FLY: DISCOVFR HANG GLIDING TODAY - by Advcntmc l'roduc1io11s ONLY $5.00 FOR USHCA MEMBERS ($1 '5.95 for 11011-USJ !CA members). Discover how modern hang gliding can easily help you realize your dreams 10 fly. ONLY $5.00. c:rcared to show how hang gliding has evolved . Filmed into a safe, aJfordablc, and f,1n way "To at several major hg schools in 1hc US produc· 1ion has my hesl foo1agc packed into a shorr I 0 minurc eye opener. ONLY $5.00, IO min.! This is the video you show yom family and friends! ONLY $5.00, NEW* WEATHER TO FLY, by Adven1urc Produc1io11s. A much needed ins1rucrional video 011 meteorology. Dixon Whire, Mas1cr pilo1 and USHGA Examiner, takes you rhrough a simple step· showing where to weather how 10 inrerpre1 i1. This will help pilots of any aircraft understand more about and and forecas1ing. You'll learn aboul aloft and srainfluences and how ro derermine "Wcad1er To Fly" is an over-all view packed use/id details and includes great cloud foo1agc. lt is a 1m·sen1;11ion th:11 is easy to follow. 50 min. $39.95 NEW* STARTING HANG GLIDING, by i\dvemurc Proclnc1ions. Produced csriccinlly lo promo1c the spon. Covers basic preparation, wc,nher, proper a11i1udc, groundhandling, launching and those first Oighrs. 30 min $29.95. TURNING POINT ALPINE THERMi\T.LING, by Dennis I r,or1,l/\lp1r,c Flying C:emrc. 50% I JC, 50')1, l'G. Discover 10 rame the

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s A Look 211 trlt' Sport of Hang C:iliding Tl1e Wing and Wriy It Works Flight Sl<Jl/c, 10 rrie 13ec0inner Level Higrrr Skills 10 r,1e Novice Level F'lying CcmcJilions Hang (jlicJ111g Equiprriem More r1l)ou1 r,1c r)rinc:iples of r11gr1t For Hiql·1 A/11tudc r::licJht SLcirtccJ in Tcmdcm z.ind Tow Lvery /J1lot SrioulcJ l<now C:iloss21ry of Hrinc1 Terms flCJNU.\IP\ As rl1e Prof lies··

u, (J

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USHGA, PO Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901 FrnRUi\RY 2001

J -800-616-6888

fax {719) 632-6417 www.ushga.org

Priced at )_/$5, 5/$1 idcnts add 8_6'Yc, sales tax)_ Check/money order to: /,ing Wings, PO Box li89, Enumclaw WI\ 98022_ w\vw.zi11gwi11g.com

"AEROBATICS" -- hill color 23"x 31" poster lcatt1rillg Johll 1-lcillcy doillg what he docs bcst-LOOPINC1 Available through US! !CA I IQ /,ir just $(i_95 (-,$4_()() s/h)_ Fill that void Oil your wall! Send to lJSHCJ\ Acrobatics Poster, PO Hox 1:lOO, Colorado Sprillgs CO 809J3_ (USA & C:auada only_ Sorry, posters arc NOT AVJ\ILAllLI'- on international orders_) Sf'liCIJ\L-Acroha,ics & Frie Raymond poster-BOT!! l'()R $10 s/h)_ Check the merchalldisc section of our web site for a color pict ll!T of d1csc beautiful posters.

DON'T !EAVE YOUR GROUND-BOUND EQUIPMENT S!TTJNG IN THE GARAGE_ SFl.l. IT IN THE HANG GLIDJNG CLASSI-

FllmS_ CLASSIFIED J\DVERTlSINC RATES The rate for c:hssi/icd advertising is $_50 per word (or group or characters) and $1 _()() per word for hold or all caps_ M !:-JIM UM AD Cl IJ\RC:E $5_00_ J\ fee of$ I 5_00 is charged for each line art logo and $2'5_00 Cor each photo_ LI NFART &_ Pl JOTO SlZF NO LJ\RCER Tl !AN I X 2_25"_ Please underline words to be in bold prim_ Special layouts of tabs $25_00 per column inch. Phone nuntbcr"""2 words. Email or wch

addrcss<lwords_ J\l) DEJ\DI.INES: All ad copy, instructions,

:Hlditions and cancellations

11111st be received in writing 1. 5 n101Hhs preceding the cover date,

i_e_ Janttary 20th for the March issue_ Please make checks payable to \JS! IC:/\, J'_()_ Box 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 8090 I l :DO, (719) (,37,-8300_ l'ax (719) 6_,2-6/i 17 or email: ushga~1'ushga_org your classilicd with your Vis:1 or MasrcrC:arcL I !/\NC CLIDINC & PARJ\C:LIDINC TOURS J\11 skill levels_ Aero, truck towing_ Fasy flying & smooth soaring al a bcautilirl lake. Volcano [light, XC or long sled ride from 12,000' to the coast. Transportation, guide, lodging, & more_ Basic package $100/day_ Tel/fax Ol l li'J-80/i 22:l'i5,

http://wwwJun21ly-com/ncws.lttm For new and used rigid wings, paraglidcrs, helmets and more_ This SJ\LF page is updared frcquemly so please check it out or call (206) 320-90 10 for more in/,irm,ttion_ VlDH)S, BOOKS & POSTERS -- Call US! !CA for your Merchandise order form (719) 632-8:300, cn1ail: ushga(Vushga.org, or check our wch p:1gc www.ushga.org

More than 10,000 hang gliding enthusiasts read our magazine every month. That's more than 20,000 eyes your ad. .54

INDEX

ADVERTISERS

Adventure Productions ............ -, .......... 7 Alrai r .. ·---· ---· ... _. _.......... ,.......... ,...... ,.. , 11 Angle of' Arrack Arai Design ...... ,.. ,.... ,... -.... ,........ -.... -.37 Dan Johnson ,,_,,,,- ....... _..... ,., ..... ,.... _,,::\5 Flytec ..... ,.... ,.. ,, ........... ,_,,_ .. ,_,_,_,, ... -9,49 IJail Bros_---·-- .......... _, .. _.............. ,.. ,.. ,-.7 l l igh Energy Sports ...... -.. --- .. ,-,-, ... ,-,_, 14 JUSI Fly __ ...... _,_,,_,.«<• .. -· ___ .. _,_._ .. __ ,, ... _, __ .2 Lookout Mrn_ flight l'ark ...... ,.. 8,:34,49 Mojo's Cear .. ,............ ,.. ,........ ,_ ........ .41 Moyes ,.......... ,., ............... ,..... -., .... ,... A8 Sport Aviation flublications ...... ,-,-·- .... .7 Traverse City Hang Clidcrs .... ,......... _,_5 LJ,S, Acros _.. ·- ____ -· .. ·-. -·- _-·., ... , ... _-· .... ____ . 5 USflGA ................ _,_ ...... ,.............. ,,, 15,35,5::\ West Coast Atos ,,,,_,,, ...... -.. ,, .... _... _.,, .. ,_,, .. _, __ 7 Wills Wing·-·---------·-·-·-·- .. --- Back Cover

Phone: 209_543_7850 Toll-Free: 888,530.9940 E-Mail: custsvc@a ng leofattack _net Website: http://angleofattaclcnet 100% Gu1m111teed. If not sutislied, return unused tubes for l 00% money back_ Major Credit Cmds (l[[epted_ OEM/Dealer inquiries encouraged_ Ac\ by Poler Birron: 847-MQ_Qlll

HANC GilDINC

S1.7. PAUL, MINN., ready to show their new after much work and market interest. U.S. Aeros, Yankee distributor for the producer, will show the Stalker at this month ' s Air Sports Expo in .c11,..L1.,:u1C,tJC'"·"-"'' Indiana (7-10 Feb.). '1'he show will present lots of aircraft from to to aerobatic machines, plus RC models, pa.ra.ch1ut.es, and, of course, hang a good turnout at hang gliding these events. A I believe the Air Sports Expo has the potential to be a powerful tool. for all the air sports and I encourage all midwest to try to make the event. Contact fellow David Newill, at 317-873-2262 or go to .dhs .org A If you attend you can examine the Aeros Stalker up close and personal. ~'o date, only a web site has let dealers (and the odd reporter) have a first glance. It appears to me to have more construction with a riveted aluminum keel and solid to its ailerons . And, yup, they ' re ailerons not , in another departure from most (although before Icaro got involved with the ATOS they a wing that also used ailerons), I liked what I saw and am looking forward to the in-person You, too? If you can't make it to Indy, visit JustFly. com or call 252-480-3552. ••• Apparently Wallaby Ranch and Quest Air have ( though not totally) settled differences about their contests after a vigorous USHGA board of directors Competition Committee debate last fall. Although the Wallaby meet is not USHGA or CIVL sanctioned the twin meets will once make a case for to travel to the Sunshine State in A Steve Kroop is of the Quest meet and also Flytec USA boss... hmmm, this might be a reason the event is called the Flytec Championships. "'1'he meet is almost half full," reports Kroop in very early January. With a limit of 90 , over 40 have put down their $100 Steve adds, "And this doesn't include the standard U.S. pilots." For neither Flytec '1'eam' s own nor the Aeros 'I'eam is included in th.is count, so room will very quickly become . J.. Why should YOU go? One reason .includes the whopping $10,000 money. But doesn't that always go to Manfred Ruhmer and other top pilots? No, not this time. Flytec plans to offer a Best New Prize that will see cash and an award. Another ze for the Most will also assure some cash goes to other than the top dogs. to compete at QuestAirForce. com. ( I had trouble the page to load; f you do also, call the number following. ) A for motorheads that will attend the Sun 'n Fun event, the Flytec Champs at Quest start the day after the airshow ends. Get directions from Quest at 352--429-0213. ••• I had contacted I,roop about his new instrwnent pod. FrnRUARY 2001

The Flytec pod is a sleek long container that houses your cl10ice of a 4000-series Flytec vario or the 3050 model. Further out on the pod is room for a Garmin GPS model 12, 12 Map, 38, or 40. Unlike the older La Mouette , the Flytec model completely houses the instruments and plants the Flytec ASI sensor out in front. It can be mounted with the standard mount or a knuckle can be added for those who wish to SE-Jcurely bolt on the pod their control bar corner bracket bolt. J;. Flytec' s new pod sells for $235, more than the La Mouette one, but it ' s and comes with a bag (since it fit in the standard Flytec bag). By fully the instruments, Steve Kroop says, "All the wires are contained, including the GPS interface to vario and the ASI to vario. Nothing can come unplugged and you can't catch a wire when or " Info at 800-662-2449 or Flytec. com. 1111111 Greg Black wrote late last year to breathe a of relief. "It has been one of the best years in a long time, the 100-year record rainfall." He noted has once passed many students and sales. " three years Mountain Wings records showed that was the more requested type of recreation flying at the New York state flight Greg and his staff are very pleased about this, adding "We are butt with hang this year. 'rhank God! " Good for Mountain I haven 't heard from other schools, but we can the slow growth of hang interest may be ••• Not every has a roof rack for his vehicle and even if you do, what happens when you rent a car while with your One way to solve this dilemma is to get a HandiRack. The device consists of two inflatable tubes that fasten to any auto or SUV and can carry up to 17 5 pounds, good enough for at least a By air-filled construction, the rack can be exhausted and stored in your trunk (or luggage) and can be re.inflated with the included so you won't exhaust . 'l'he inflated tubes also spread out the load so your roof can handle the and your rental car shouldn't see scars that cost you money. A The company describes HandiRack as a "highly elasticized PVC inner tube protected by an tough nylon laminated PVC outer layer. " They say this will prevent premature deflation, a concern of many male hang glider it looks like a product all sorts o:f: and more info at www.users.b.igpond.com/bsf/. In the U.S. try corporate parent, Delcor at 303-979-7175. ••• Outta room once got news or Send ' em to : 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651450-0930, or e-mail to CumulusMan@aol.com. • All "Product Lines" columns will be available later th.is year at www. ByDan,Johnson. com. iHANKS !_

Competition?

Oh yeah, we do that too ...

B o Hagewood Ji m Lee P aris Williams

1st 1st 3rd

2000 US National Championsh i ps 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. K ari Castle Franc;: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 Franc;:oise Mocellin Richard Walbec S andy Dittma r C hris Muller

1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st

2000 Frenc h National Championships 2000 French Women's National Championships 2000 Pre-Worlds 2000 Valida International De Vol V i bre Venezuela 2000 Canad ian National Championsh ips

~:- .

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

,·

·-.

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B u t then , we do other things as well . Like the Wills Wing Falcon - the world wide standard for first purchase~ e n t ry-level fun . T he 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 perf ormance you can buy. And the Wills Wing Fusion - the confidence that comes with first quality materials and e ngineering, and an unmatched safety record.

Wills Wing gliders_ Check us out.

LU~

Gual ity aircraft for exceptional people.

Wills Wing USA, 500 West B l ueridge Ave . Orange , CA 92865 , ph 714 .998 .6359 fax 714.998 .0647 www.willswing .com

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