USHGA Hang Gliding & Paragliding Vol33/Iss3 March 2003 by US Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association

Volume 33 Issue 3 March, 2003 $4.95

A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s H a n g G l i d i n g A s s o c i a t i o n • w w w. u s h g a . o r g

First Combined Issue

Spring eS-p$e89c9 ial

4030Rac (reconditioned) 9 4 7 $ L X 0 3 40 (reconditioned) 9 9 5 $ 0 3 0 4

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R C H , Jayne DePanfilis, Publisher Dan Nelson, Editor in Chief Steve Roti, Contributing Editor Tim Meehan, Art Director Aaron Swepston, Contributing Art Director Office Staff Jayne DePanfilis, Executive Director, jayne@ushga. org Jeff Elgart, Advertising, jeff@ushga.org Sandra Hewitt, Member Services, sandra@ushga.org Natalie Hinsley, Member Services, natalie@ushga.org USHGA Officers and Executive Committee: Bill Bolosky, President, bolosky@ushga.org Jim Zeiset, Vice President, jimzgreen@aol.com Russ Locke, Secretary, russ@lockelectric.com Randy Leggett, Treasurer ias@ot.com REGION 1: Bill Bolosky, Mark Forbes. REGION 2: Ray Leonard, John Wilde, Tim West. REGION 3: David Jebb, John Greynald, Alan Chuculate. REGION 4: Steve Mayer, Jim Zeiset. REGION 5: Frank Gillette. REGION 6: Len Smith. REGION 7: Bill Bryden. REGION 8: Gary Trudeau, REGION 9: Randy Leggett, Felipe Amunategui. REGION 10: Tiki Mashy, Matt Taber. REGION 11: R.R. Rodriguez. REGION 12: Paul Voight. DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Jan Johnson, Dennis Pagen, Russ Locke, Steve Kroop, Chris Santacroce. HONORARY DIRECTORS: Aaron Swepston, Steve Roti, Dick Heckman, Michael Robertson, Bob Hannah, John Harris, Larry Sanderson (SSA), Dave Broyles, Ken Brown, Rob Kells, Liz Sharp, Dan Johnson, Dixon White. EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS: Art Greenfield (NAA). The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc. is an air sports organization affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) which is the official representative of the Fédération Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), of the world governing body for sport aviation. The NAA, which represents the U.S. at FAI meetings, has delegated to the USHGA supervision of FAI-related paragliding activities such as record attempts and competition sanctions. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine is published for foot-launched air-sports enthusiasts to create further interest in the sports of hang gliding and paragliding and to provide an educational forum to advance hang gliding and paragliding methods and safety. Contributions are welcome. Anyone is invited to contribute articles, photos and illustrations concerning paragliding activities. If the material is to be returned, a stamped, self-addressed return envelope must be enclosed. Notification must be made of submission to other hang gliding and paragliding publications. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING magazine reserves the right to edit contributions where necessary. The Association and publication do not assume responsibility for the material or opinions of contributors. HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING editorial offices email: editor@ushsga.org. ALL ADVERTISING AND ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MUST BE SENT TO USHGA HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS.

2 0 0 3

and a mailing label from a recent issue.

FEATURES

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING (ISSN 0895-433X) is published monthly by the United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc., 219 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 104, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 632-8300. FAX (719) 632-6417. PERIODICAL POSTAGE is paid at Colorado Springs, CO and at additional mailing offices.

Pre-Worlds— Brazilia! ...................33 Dennis Pagen Regular Guy Goes Rigid ................36 Mike Vorhis

POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE, P.O. BOX 1330, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1330.

Antique Hang Glider Fly-In ..........50 Chris Waugh

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES IN PUBLICATIONS: The material presented here is published as part of an information dissemination service for USHGA members. The USHGA makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability concerning the validity of any advice, opinion or recommendation expressed in the material. All individuals relying upon the material do so at their own risk. Copyright © 2003 United States Hang Gliding Association, Inc. All rights reserved to Paragliding and individual contributors. Hang Gliding and Paragliding magazines welcome editorial submissions from our members and readers. We are always looking for good material. Please send copy as a Word attachment or text pasted into an e-mail, directly to the editor at editor@ushga. org. Photo captions and byline credit are critical. Please remember to include your name and a title for the article in your copy. Feature stories generally run anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 words, however, your topic may demand more or less than this. You may discuss this with the editor. News releases are welcomed, but please do not send brochures, dealer newsletters or other extremely lengthy items. Please edit news releases with our readership in mind, and keep them reasonably short without excessive sales hype. You are welcome to submit photo attachments, preferably jpeg ﬁles smaller than a megabyte. Calendar of events items may be sent to the e-mail address above, as may letters to the editor. Please be concise and try to address a single topic in your letter. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have an idea for an article you may discuss your topic with the editor either by e-mail or telephone. Contact: Editor, Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine, editor@ushga.org, (253) 840-1372.

Hike to Launch .............................57 Mark Sivazlian

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Column ..............................6 Air Mail ...........................................9 Pilot Brieﬁngs ................................14 Calendar ........................................22 New Ratings ..................................28 Santa’s List .....................................30 Tips from the Masters ...................60 Marketplace (classiﬁeds) ................63 Advertisers Index ..........................72 Gallery ...........................................74 Product Lines ................................78 By Dan Johnson

Cover Photo: Brett Shreckengost

The USHGA is a member-controlled sport organization dedicated to the exploration and promotion of all facets of unpowered ultralight flight, and to the education, training and safety of its membership. Membership is open to anyone interested in this realm of flight. Dues for full membership are $59.00 per year (of which $15 goes to the publication of Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine), ($70 non-U.S.); subscription rates only are $42.00 ($53 non-U.S.). Changes of address should be sent six weeks in advance, including name, USHGA number, previous and new address, Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

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D A N

N E L S O N

Here it is: The new, unified magazine of the U.S. Hang Gliding Association. The magazine you hold in your hands represents the culmination of more than two years of work, completed by an army of volunteers, contractors and staff members. Executive Director Jayne DePanfilis and Graphic Artist Aaron Swepston led the early charge to change and improve the magazine. USHGA staff including Advertising Manager Jeff Elgart and Natalie Hinsley assisted with the logistics of the changes. And lest you think otherwise, change has indeed taken place. It really took off at the start of the New Year. For as the world ushered in the New Year, the U.S. Hang Gliding Association ushered in a new era. After nearly 25 years, the USHGA magazine has a new Editor. I was hired to help guide the new, unified magazine into the future. In addition to producing the combined monthly magazine, I will also be assisting Jayne with marketing and public relations programs. In short, I am the new Publication Editor and Director of Communications. I eagerly accepted this position, but not without some trepidation. That is, I love to fly, and I am excited to be working in the free 6

flight community, but I also left a job I loved. For 11 years, I worked as the Director of Communication and Publications Editor for a non-profit hiking organization in the Pacific Northwest. I am an avid hiker and backpacker, loving all aspects of wilderness recreation, so I thought I had the perfect job—after all, I was being paid to hike, to write about my adventures and to edit the writing of others. I threw myself into that job, giving it everything I had because I was passionate about the wilderness sports we covered. Indeed, I expanded on that work and went on to write a half dozen hiking guidebooks. In short, my work at Washington Trails Association was rewarding and fulfilling. I still love that work but about four years ago my life started down a different path. A path that led me here. It happened this way: my partner, Donna, and I were on our way out for a hike when Donna looked up and noticed two bright canopies overhead. We stood in the broad parking lot and watched as the two pilots gently landed near us. Paragliders, they said. Hhhmmmm, looked very interesting. Donna was especially taken with the thought of unfettered flight. Later that day, as we pounded back down the

steep, sun-baked trail, I thought with longing of the graceful flight we witnessed earlier in the day. Hike up and fly down? What a concept. Later, during a business meeting, I mentioned the encounter to Barry Barr—owner of KAVU clothing company—and he excitedly let me know that he was a paraglider pilot. He filled me in on the availability of tandem flights, and hooked me up at Tiger Mountain, east of Seattle. There, Donna and I had our first experiences with paragliding, and met someone else who helped change my life: Jabe Blumenthal. Jabe owns a parcel of land—a ranch, actually—in eastern Washington used by Dixon’s Airplay Paragliding School. Jabe noted my interest in the paragliding lifestyle and gave me a ton of great information, including the names and contact information for a number of local schools— including of course, Airplay. After talking to several instructors and schools, Donna and I compared our schedules and ended up enrolling at Airplay. That was nearly two and a half years ago. Donna and I worked with Dixon and Marty Devietti—Marty, by the way, received the USHGA Instructor of the Year Award that year. We also forged a strong March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

E D I T O R friendship with a young couple working in their first year as instructors: Doug Stroop and Denise Reed, who together, now manage the Airplay Flight Park in Washington. These folks created me as a pilot, and set my life on a new path. Hiking and backpacking, though still highly enjoyable for me, were no longer the highlight of my recreational life. Every flyable weekend, Donna and I would focus on flying, leaving the hiking for the poor weather days. We became para junkies. Less than a year after earning my P2, I provided Josh Cohn with some assistance in local media relations work for the Paragliding National Championship Competition at Chelan Butte (in addition to being the media relations officer for WTA, I am also a columnist with the Seattle Times). From there, it was easy to start volunteering with the USHGA. That grew into my new role as editor. And just as I did with my last publication, I plan to throw myself into this magazine heart and soul, because I am passionate and enthusiastic about this free flight lifestyle. So that’s my story: I have more than 15 years of experience as a journalist, 11 years as a magazine editor, and two and a half years as a paraglider pilot. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

What I plan to do with all that experience is to help this magazine grow and develop into something that is both informative and entertaining. I want you to be excited to receive each issue, and reluctant to put it down once you have it. I plan to make the magazine attractive, and FUN! We all love the lifestyle of free flight. We love hang gliding and paragliding, and we take these sports seriously. But flying is about fun, and I want this magazine—the magazine serving the free flight community of the United States—to be fun! I won’t be doing this alone, however. We have a strong publications team in place, with Jayne DePanfilis serving as Publisher, Tim Meehan as Art Director, Aaron Swepston as Graphic Artist, Jeff Elgart as Ad Manager and Steve Roti as Contributing Editor. As you may have noticed in the last issue or two, we have already reintroduced some old favorites, like the updated pilot ratings, and we’re introducing some new ideas this month as well. In this issue, you’ll find the first of a new cartoon series by Tex Forrest, Windbag and Hog, which chronicles the world of the hang gliding and paragliding as seen through the watchful eyes of a windsock and a groundhog. Chris Santacroce will be sharing his novel, fun and

sometimes-outrageous ideas about flying in the new column, Santa’s List. And with Tips from the Masters, we’ll bring you words of wisdom from master pilots in both hang gliding and paragliding. In the coming months, we’ll be introducing features that profile pilots, and provide greater details on flying sites around the country. We’ll talk to toprated pilots around the world, and explore ways to help pilots of all skills and abilities get more out of their flying time. We’ll be introducing a new product review format, designed to help give pilots useful, factual details about the equipment they use in flight. We’ll be running field tests and side-by-side comparisons of products, and we’ll use objective reviewers—indeed, the field tests will be conducted by a variety of pilots, but we’ll lean heavily on the average recreational pilot. Look for the first field test on variometers in the next issue. Finally, as we bring each

USHGA WANTS NEEDS YOU! To help gain more members. WIN A NEW GLIDER! SIMPLY TELL PEOPLE: WHAT HANG GLIDING OR PARAGLIDING MEANS TO YOU ABOUT THE FRIENDS YOU MEET HOW ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE LEARN TO FLY MORE PILOTS AND USHGA MEMBERS WILL CREATE: • MORE FLYING SITES • MORE INNOVATIVE EQUIPMENT • MORE FRIENDS TO FLY WITH • GREATER MARKET TO SELL USED EQUIPMENT PARTICIPATE IN THE USHGA 2003 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE & GET REWARDS FROM USHGA FOR ALL REFERRALS 1. BRING 3 NEW MEMBERS* = ONE YEAR FREE USHGA MEMBERSHIP 2. BRING 10 NEW MEMBERS** = GET A FREE BRAND NEW HARNESS $799.00 VALUE. 3. BRING 50 NEW MEMBERS** = GET A FREE BRAND NEW GLIDER OF YOUR CHOICE UP TO $3,500.00 VALUE. * NEW MEMBER MUST REACH BEGINNER RATING. ** NEW MEMBER MUST REACH NOVICE RATING. New members must be Rogallo members. The discounted family membership does not apply. Rewards are eligible to all USHGA members that are not instructors, or employed or contracted by a flight school. 8

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

A I R

M A I L

magazine together, we’ll strive to keep it fun and lively, but we won’t shy away from the hard issues of importance to you, the hang glider and paraglider pilots of the U.S. Hang Gliding Association. And through it all, we’ll include top-notch photography and art to ensure an attractive, eyecatching package. I welcome your feedback, and your ideas for the magazine. This is, after all, YOUR magazine, and we want to make sure we are giving you the best possible magazine. Feel free to call or write me. I can be reached by phone at (253) 840-1372, by email at Dan@ushga. org, and my regular mail at: Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine, PO Box 1537, Puyallup, WA 98371. Dan A. Nelson, Executive Editor

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

A I R

M A I L

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

A I R

M A I L

Why Books?

1. They don’t use power and are cheap to operate in Californi 2. They’re portable. 3. They don’t need a hard drive. 4. They go straight to the point. 5. They guide you long after you leave your instructor. By Dennis Pagen: • Hang Gliding Training Manual (Hang 1 to 3) - $29.95 • Performance Flying (Hang 3 to 5) - $29.95 More flying books • Towing Aloft - $29.95 (also by B. Bryden) and videos at • Understanding the Sky - $24.95

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E-mail subject line: Book /video order Box 43, Spring Mills, PA 16875 - USA SPORT AVIATION PO Tel/Fax: 814-422-0589 pagenbks@lazerlink.com PUBLICATIONS E-mail: We accept credit cards. 11

PILOT BRIEFINGS Sport Pilot guidelines one step closer to completion

includes manufacturers of airplanes,

begun. Proper representation on these

powered parachutes, gliders, weight-

two subcommittees is of paramount

shift controlled aircraft, gyroplanes,

importance to the USHGA and we

Industry Standards for Light Sport

product suppliers, trade associations,

are very fortunate to have Mike

Aircraft Being Developed

maintenance

pilot

Meier, Bill Bryden and Jim Zeiset as

associations, ﬁnancial organizations,

the association’s representatives. The

and members of the regulatory

consensus building process ensures

community.

that a proposal will be reviewed

By Jayne Depanﬁlis Like all of aviation these days, the tugs used to tow hang gliders —and possibly paragliders in the near

professionals,

by committee members who will The USHGA is a member of ASTM

eventually vote on all, or part, of a

International, one of the largest

proposal. An objection to a proposal

voluntary standards development

is considered to be a “negative”. The

organizations

world.

committee must resolve negatives, or

Executive Director Jayne DePanﬁlis,

differing viewpoints, concerning the

USHGA

Mike

proposed standards, before a proposal

Meier, Vice President Jim Zeiset

can be accepted and a standard

and USHGA Regional Director, Bill

produced by ASTM. The process

Bryden are also individual members

can take as little as six months or as

of this committee and relevant

long as a number of years before an

subcommittees including the ﬁxed

ASTM standard is approved. For more

wing committee, weight-shift aircraft

information about the ASTM and the

interests of sport pilots.

and cross-cutting committee. By

consensus building process, or ASTM

the time you read this article, an

committee F37, please refer to the

The FAA issued a Notice of Proposed

ASTM meeting including the ﬁxed

ASTM’s website at www.astm.org.

Rule Making (NPRM) on Light

wing subcommittee, the weight-

Sport aircrafts last year, and several

shift subcommittee, the powered

The USHGA joined ASTM International

organizations

are

parachute subcommittee and the

in November, 2002, after the new Light

addressing the many issues being

gyroplane subcommittee will have

Sport Aircraft Committee was formed.

raised in the NPRM. An important

concluded at the Fantasy of Flight

We have been participating in the

milestone was passed this winter when

Museum in Davenport, Florida,

consensus building process since then.

the American Society for Testing and

January 28-29. The aforementioned

We are pleased to recognize Thomas

Materials (ASTM) formally accepted a

individuals attended the ASTM

A. Peghiny, president of Flightstar

new standards committee for proposed

meeting

USHGA

Sportplanes, as the Committee Chair

Light Sport Aircraft. The creation of

representation on the ﬁxed wing and

for the Fixed Wing Committee.

this new ASTM Committee marks

weight-shift subcommittees in an

Tom Peghiny is an accomplished

a threshold in the development of

effort to be sure that the appropriate

competition hang glider pilot and has

industry standards for a new category

consensus airworthiness standards

been working closely with the USHGA

of aircraft. The committee’s primary

will be implemented with regards to

to be sure that design requirements for

responsibility is to create a consensus

the aircraft used to aerotow launch

ﬁxed wing aircraft are implemented

standard for these aircraft.

hang gliders and perhaps, in the

with our unique needs in mind.

future, paragliders.

Mike Meier, of Wills Wing in Calif.,

future— face increased scrutiny from the federal government. But even without the tragic events of

9/11,

the

Administration government

Federal

Aviation

(FAA)

and

other

agencies

would

scrutinizing the tugs and other light crafts used for recreational purposes. This is an on-going process, and the U.S. Hang Gliding Association has been instrumental in representing the

and

agencies

the

Representative

and

provided

The new ASTM Committee F37 for

has been very actively involved in

Light Sport Aircraft consists of a diverse

Balloting of design standards for

group of participants. The committee

airplanes and weight shift aircraft has

the balloting process for weight-shift March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

O r Pro ssionall1y ~de PTT ad ts r ava ii abl or le.om, Yaes and I< nwood

• w .'v . gen big things happ (!11 n9 Wl h 't he

r lea:se of the Discus.. Th ts ,ntermedtate da ·

Tbac:·:s BIG DEAL Co?l I us for mor't' i fo ·

g Iider is 1n the J:iroc ss of chang1 ng ~ lo ~f t - ng . It has VERY pre 1dabie f'lilnd1 n9 wmth

grea't performanc.e. This 91lider al ready has. pilots, switchin9 from th , r top~eS,s ghden

back to some 1119 rhat's. more fun and less. hassle to fly. Here·s: a BO, 1us - he !Disc.us~~

now.avail.able· in the 'shortp.ack vaers ion". The ghd . r breaks down to 7 fl:. lo g or easy ransport. I (an be car ied as checked baggage on imany airlines:.

Ho w eels Compl etc '.tlth C\r,akcs ~109

Aeros D• cu

Our NEW wi 9 fo t, 1n ~ m •at Cl s.5, M rk t

PILOT BRIEFINGS aircraft and USHGA Vice President Jim

in the membership of our sports

We who know just how much fun

Zeiset represents the USHGA on the

organization.

hang gliding and paragliding can be

ﬁxed wing subcommittee. Zeiset has

are the only ones who are able to share

a degree in aeronautical engineering

and

this knowledge with others. We are

as well as an extensive background in

paraglider are much more popular

the only ones carrying the torch, so

hang gliding and towing operations.

in other countries than they are in

to speak. While I’m sure that you’ve

Regional Director Bill Bryden has

the United States. There are many

been boring your closest friends

been involved with the FAA’s ARAC

more members of the German

with your ﬂying stories, perhaps you

Committee from the time it was ﬁrst

Hang

Paragliding

haven’t really impressed upon them

implemented and is considered to be

Association than there are in the

just how great it can be. Quick, while

one of the association’s best resources

United States, and hopefully this

you still have any friends outside

for the Sport Pilot issue.

isn’t news to you, but Germany is

the ﬂying community, maybe you

quite a bit smaller than the US both

should think about brining them

in land area and population.

into the circle.

consensus standards for the aircraft

Germany has 30,000 paraglider and

What would it mean to us to see

used to aerotow launch hang gliders

hang glider pilots in its national

strong growth in the hang gliding

can be directed to Jayne DePanﬁlis,

organization. They pay the equivalent

community and an upsurge in

USHGA Executive Director; (719)

of $60/year each for membership,

membership in the USHGA?

632-8300;jayne@ushga.org.

magazine, and insurance (that’s $1.8

Comments or questions concerning

course,

hang

Gliding

and

gliding

the issuance of airworthiness

Membership Drive

By Davis Straub

It’s kind of weird when you think about it. Why would we need to encourage anyone to become a hang glider or paraglider pilot and then join the USHGA? I mean isn’t it obvious that this is the coolest

million). About $90,000 (5 percent)

First, it would mean a more

is allocated for competition related

substantial market for hang gliding

expenses.

and paragliding equipment. This would

ﬁnancially

over $500,000, about $10,000 (2

broader market for used equipment,

percent) is allocated for competition

and basically a healthier economic

related expenses (mainly NAA/FAI/

base for the sport. Right now the

CIVL membership).

manufacturers are here because they

everyone see the obvious beneﬁts

gliding and paragliding themselves

of hanging by a thin piece of nylon

discourage people from giving the

from a contraption made of Dacron

activities a chance. The Swiss do it,

and aluminum?

the Germans do it, the French do it,

beneﬁt from a little positive effort on our part to encourage the growth of the sport and the consequent growth

innovation,

more reﬁnements, greater selection,

So it isn’t like the sports of hang

perhaps the rest of the world might

With a membership income of a little

sport in the entire world? Can’t

Well, now that I put it that way,

mean

The US has 11,000 USHGA members.

the Austrians do it, the Australians do it, and even the Russians, who

stronger

companies,

love the sport, but they do have to make a living over the long run if we are going to keep a strong base for equipment. We have only one broad market hang glider manufacturer in the US where in the past we had dozens.

have very little in the way of

Second, a growth in our community

disposal income, do it. It’s a world-

would see more support for our sites

wide phenomena. People just want

helping preserve the ones we have

to have fun ﬂying. And hang gliding

and helping us open up new ones.

and paragliding are the most fun you

There is always competition for land

can have ﬂying.

use resources and if we are small and March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

PILOT BRIEFINGS weak we will lose out to others who

Sixth, more members mean more

are calling for sites to be closed or

local contests and ﬂy-ins as there are

The 2003 USHGA Membership Drive

put to other uses. Flight parks are a

more folks who want to participate

What: The

big deal these days, and with a larger

and more who are willing to help

membership drive is a program

pilot base we can encourage the

organize these events. Human capital

which current members can use

growth of more ﬂight parks in more

is about our only capital. We rely on

to recruit new members and, in

convenient locations throughout

the enthusiasm of strangers.

return, get special rewards. All

2003

USHGA

new members must be Rogallo

the country. Seventh, local clubs are the backbone

Members.

Third, the USHGA has to carry

of hang gliding and paragliding.

memberships will not apply.

a signiﬁcant liability policy to

They are the organizations that ﬁnd

protect its membership and allow

and protect the local sites. Without

Where: The program will take place

many sites to be open and used

a strong membership base these

all through USHGA’s domain. All that

for hang gliding. This insurance

organizations can’t function as

is needed, is a certiﬁed instructor to

policy is expensive and rests on

effectively as we would like. We need

issue ratings to the new members.

the membership’s shoulders. With

to continue to bring in new members

substantially many more shoulders

and help them help the rest of us.

When: The program will start

Our community can beneﬁt from

December 31, 2003.

this burden of insuring our activities can be signiﬁcantly reduced.

our efforts to encourage its growth.

Discounted

family

March 1, 2003 and terminate

Why: To encourage new members

Fourth, the budget of the USHGA

Without our willful involvement we

is determined by the membership.

can’t expect that the stars will just

With a greater membership, then

line up and everything will fall into

opportunity for more resources at the

place.

free ﬂight pilots means more ﬂying

the needs of the membership. Right

Making an effort in a membership

wire crews, more buyers for our used

now the USHGA serves the basic

drive is just part of the business of

equipment, …

needs of the members, but it has

being a membership organization.

only limited resources to do much

All those of you who listen and

more.

support public radio are aware of the

national level than can be used for

fact that it doesn’t come free and it

to take up the awesome sports of hang gliding and paragliding. More sites, more buddies to ﬂy with, more

How:

Recruit some friends to take

up hang gliding or paragliding. Use a certiﬁed instructor or school to teach the student. The new student and

Fifth, media exposure of our sport is

doesn’t come without an effort to

limited because of the limited interest

make it happen.

the USHGA member, who referred

Are you willing to do your part?

sheet may be found on the USHGA

shown in our sport as reﬂected in the number of participants. Now we

them, complete a referral sheet. This web site (www.ushga.org) . Fax this

actually have more media exposure than would be expected from our

Davis Straub

form to Lookout Mountain Flight

small numbers, just because our

www.davisstraub.com

Park (706) 398-2906, where it will be

sport is so cool. Still, with greater

Mount Beauty,Vic, Australia

recorded. Then just update the form

numbers you can expect greater exposure, great awareness, and better relationships with the wider world.

as the student achieves their ratings. Who:

The contest is open to all

current USHGA members who are not instructors, nor employed or

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

PILOT BRIEFINGS contracted by a paragliding or hang

elimination series. The speed races

celebration—there will be lots of demo

gliding ﬂight school.

will be held in conjunction with the

gliders available to try out - including the

‘Try-and-Fly’ Exposition, taking place

two commemorative gliders—as well as

between May 1 and May 5,

seminars, prizes, and a party or two. Come

and consisting of dealers,

and join us!

manufacturers, and schools from around the nation and world. Be

prepared

for

great

equipment deals, amateur

REWARDS: 1. BRING 3 NEW MEMBERS* = ONE YEAR FREE USHGA MEMBERSHIP 2. BRING 10 NEW MEMBERS** = GET A FREE BRAND NEW HARNESS $799.00 VALUE. 3. BRING 50 NEW MEMBERS** = GET A FREE BRAND NEW GLIDER OF YOUR CHOICE UP TO $3500.00 VALUE. * NEW MEMBER MUST REACH BEGINNER RATING. ** NEW MEMBER MUST REACH NOVICE RATING.

Torrey Pines Gliderport Presents:

events,

free

lectures,

media

coverage,

nightly

entertainment,

and

free

2004 USHGA CALENDAR PHOTOS WANTED: HANG GLIDING PHOTOS AND PARAGLIDING SLIDES

It’s that time again! Time to check out your equipment, and also time to check out your hang gliding & paragliding photography.

ﬂight like you’ve never experienced

We have a calendar to put together,

before! For further details, contact

and we need your help. As in years’

the Torrey Pines Gliderport at 1-

past, we turn to you, our membership,

877-FLY-TEAM (359-8326) or email

for your photo submissions to ﬁll

info@ﬂytorrey.com.

our

Flight Fest 2003 offers pilots and spectators a week of fun, running March 28 through April 6 at the San Diego, California-based Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Wills Wing Produces 20,000th and 20,001st Gliders!

world-renowned

calendars.

You’ve shared your photography with your ﬂying buddies, now how about letting the rest of us see your beautiful sites, gliders and ﬂying abilities. If chosen, your photo will be seen around the world, immortalized for an entire month. Send us your horizontal 35mm slides as potential candidates for this awesome project.

See Them, Fly Them At WW’s

Launching, landing, soaring, setting

“Flight Fest 2003” Paragliding & Hang Gliding Air Races and Try-and-Fly Exposition

30th Anniversary at Wallaby!

up, breaking down, etc. We want to

During the week of December 9th, Wills

see them all!

The Torrey Pines Gliderport hosts

20,000th, and 20,001st hang gliders made

Due to the ﬁne-art quality of our

the 11th annual Flight Fest World

since the company was founded in 1973.

calendar, we prefer transparencies

Invitational March 28 through April 6. Hang gliding races kick off on the opening weekend, March 28-30. The paragliding races take place the following and concluding weekend, April 4 - April 6. Cash and prizes will be awarded to the top competitors of both the Sport Class and/or Open Class 16

Wing produced two milestone gliders—the

for the absolute best reproduction The 20,000th glider was a Falcon 2 195, and

possible, but don’t let that stop

the 20,001st was a Talon 150. Designer Steve

you

Pearson made a special commemorative sail

photographs. At this time, we are

pattern for each glider. Each of these gliders

not accepting digital photos because

will be available as demo gliders at Wills

of resolution problems with a 10-

Wing’s 30th Anniversary Celebration to be

inch x 13-inch print.

from

submitting

quality

held at Wallaby Ranch, March 25-30, 2003. Deadline is APRIL 31. So don’t Everyone is welcome to attend the

delay. Send your best transparencies March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

PILOT BRIEFINGS (horizontal

format)

to:

USHGA

those materials are: The ﬁrst day

do offer a modest payment plan for

Calendar, Attn: Jeff Elgart, PO Box

of the month, two months prior to

contributors.

1330, Colorado Springs CO 80901-

Publication Date. For example, the

1330. All contributors will receive

editorial deadline for the March

When a contributor’s work is

conﬁrmation of receipt, and photos

magazine was January 1, 2003. The

published, that contributor will

will be dutifully returned.

editorial deadline for the April issue

be contacted by Jeff Elgart to

is February 1, 2003. Please refer

expedite

Got questions? Call or email Jeff at

to the following link for Editorial

agreement. The basic terms are

1-800-616-6888,

Guidelines and Guidelines for photo

that contributors have 30 days after

submissions.

notiﬁcation to respond appropriately

jeff@ushga.org.

The Calendar Selection Committee is patiently waiting to see your outstanding photography!

USHGA Revokes Instructor Rating The USHGA Executive Committee, at the request of the Safety and Training Committee, investigated complaints about Advanced Hang Gliding Instructor Steven Smith of Las Vegas, NV. After conducting a thorough investigation, presenting the allegations to Mr. Smith, and carefully considering his response, the

Executive

Committee

has

permanently revoked Mr. Smith’s instructor rating.

the

new

contributor’s

to the terms of the agreement (i.e. In an effort to make the process of

complete the necessary forms, found

contributing works to the magazine

online). The USHGA pays $35 per

as easy as possible, a new public

page for published submissions.

You may ﬁnd our editorial submission guidelines online at: <www.ushga.org/editorial_guidelines.asp> You can ﬁnd full details about using the dropbox at: <www.ushga.org/editorial_dropbox.asp> For more information visit: <www.ushga.org/editorial_contributor.asp> ‘Dropbox’ has been added to the USHGA web site. This FTP site allows contributors

and

advertisers

upload their ﬁles (stories or photos) to a secure web location for use in

��

the magazine. Users of this dropbox

Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine: Contributing has never been easier

will notice that while you are able to upload ﬁles for use in the magazine, you are unable to download or view submissions.

With a new magazine comes new production

As the publication of a non-proﬁt

policies. We’ve drafted a deadline

organization, the editorial budget

schedule that will help us make sure

for Hang Gliding & Paragliding lacks

the magazine is delivered to your

ﬁnancial rewards for contributors.

mailbox on time— meaning, you

We do offer a great chance for

have it during, if not before, the ﬁrst

writers and photographers to share

week of the month.

their talents with others, and we

deadlines

and

new

We welcome submissions of stories

� ��

��

and our submission deadlines for

��

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

and photographs to the magazine,

PILOT BRIEFINGS Airwave’s new Magic 3 gives World Record Performance

The Magic 3 is a logical evolution

The Magic 3 will be available in

from the original Magic. The main

three sizes—S, M, and L—with

improvements pilots will immediately

weight ranges of 65 kg to 85 kg; 80

notice is the better glide performance

kg to 105 kg; and 100 kg to 125 kg,

and greater stability at speed. The

respectively.

leading edge is completely solid even at full speedbar (top speed ~ 55 Km/h).

As a ﬁnal note, some pilots might

The original Magic was the ﬁrst certiﬁed

wonder what happened to the Magic

glider with a semi-

2. We made several prototypes and

closed leading edge

were quite pleased—they were nice to

and this system has

ﬂy. Nice is not good enough, therefore

been

the Magic 2 protos were cremated!

developed

further to produce a

transition

Airwave’s Magic for all those pilots who have become addicted to the feel original Magic. Performance testing and competition results show that the original Magic is still one of the very best 2-3 gliders around, but our research and development program doesn’t stand still and we decided we could do better. The new design of the MAGIC 3 shows superior performance and safety with “Magic” handling and thermal abilities. The glider is more stable and easier to ﬂy than the original MAGIC and gets a DHV 2-3 Rating for the accelerated asymmetric tests—the glider is DHV 2 or better on all other tests. When the Airwave team was in Texas testing the Magic 3 last August, Bruce Goldsmith was able to set a new distance to goal record of 273 km on an early proto of the Magic 3, and the ﬁnal version is much better than that glider. 18

open center of

AirBorne takes off with new wings; Carbon ﬁber parts

the wing to the

The Climax C2-13 and C2-14 are

closed

now in production.

between

3 is out and ready

and handling of the

progressive the

tip—

giving the correct opening size at each position across the

The C2 is the result of ongoing

span, yet another Airwave ﬁrst.

development of the original Climax.

Airwave test pilots have done many

handling and improved glide. A

comparative glide tests between the

new nose cone, extra mylar wrap-

Magic 3 and the original Magic. The

around and improved VG system

Magic 3 out-glides the Magic by a

with increased travel have helped

considerable margin at trim speed,

contribute to the increase in glide

and the performance difference

performance of the C2.

increases as speed goes up. The Magic

The C2 has shown to have better

3 offers:

Handling improvements are notable,

• Exceptionally good glide at

such as the reﬁnement of the cross

trim speed

and can be attributed to advances bar centre junction bushing, rear

• Impressive high-speed capability

ﬂoating wire system and a variation

• Magic handling

C2 14 has longer down tubes, which

• Progressive closed cells

also help to lighten roll pressures. A

• New bottom surface color scheme

streamlined pull-back system with

• Gelvenor top surface • World record holder (273 km declared goal)

to the hang loop rocker system. The

integrated cover and the vertical orientation of the AirBorne logo sets off the overall look of the glider nicely. The C2 made its debut at the ﬁrst competitive Australian comp of March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

the season, the Canungra Classic.

high-speed glide, as the

There were 3 C2s in the top 10 and

airfoil

one Climax. Rohan was a close second

defined at these speeds.

remains

better

on the C2-13 to local Canungra pilot John Durand. Rick Duncan came

AirBorne

offers

the

in seventh on the C2-14 and Adam

Microdrag control frame

Parer ninth on the C2-13.

for the pilot who wants “the lot.” The Microdrag

In addition to the production of

control frame uses Wills

the Climax C2 wings, AirBorne

Wing down tubes with a

also unveils optional performance

carbon base bar supplied

components—speciﬁcally,

Carbon

Aeros.

believe

Fiber inserts and a Microdrag Control

that this is the best

Frame.

carbon/aluminum frame available.

The C2’s optional carbon leading edge inserts can be easily slid into an additional pocket in the sail between the battens and the mylar insert. The carbon inserts show a performance advantage at

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

600 foot/min climb climb rate rate 100 foot take off and and landing 22 22 HP HP engine Ready to to Fly, Not Not a a Kit Kit SkyCycle SkyCycle Video Video Available Available Attaches to most hang gliders Easy to to set up, up, break break down down and and transport Fun, Fun, Convenient, Convenient, Comfortable Comfortable and and Easy Easy True Lightweight Soaring Soaring Trike – 95 lbs. Easily transported in in your your car, minivan, or or pickup pickup

Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding 800.688.5637 - www.hanglide.com

P I L OT B R I E F I N G S Paragliding Accident Report

by Pete Reagan

This has been a very bad year for paragliding fatalities in the United States. Five have been reported in previous issues, I will report the other two here. One involves an advanced pilot, the other an even more experienced one. Colorado Front Range: Lookout Mountain, Golden, CO. 11/17/02. Gentle conditions allowing extended sled rides Donald Norris, a 63-year-old pilot with three years of experience, launched a new DHV1-2 wing that

what the pilot was thinking. It can

The following report was prepared by

be speculated that he was trying

an expert eye witness who had access

to minimize sink, but was not

to a launch video. The level of detail

sensitive enough to compensate for

is unusual for any report. His report,

the asymmetric stall. He was never

slightly edited, is reproduced here in

observed to release the right brake,

its entirety:

and eventually fully engaged the left. There would not have been a

Owens

crash had he released the right brake

9/23/02; mid day, with powerful,

immediately at the beginning of the

regular cycles:

spin.

Valley,

Gunter

launch,

Jody Lucas a 52 year old, expert pilot

In a negative spin near the ground,

held the brakes in his proper hands

a reserve deployment is quite likely

as he inﬂated his DHV2 glider. It is

the best hope and the pilot may have

unclear as to whether he used A’s

been able to do it in time, had he not

only or A’s and rear risers.

attempted the full stall maneuver.

A strong cycle accelerated the glider

commented

overhead, and the pilot released the

that this particular pilot had been

risers and pulled full brakes to stop

cautioned in the past about ﬂying too

it from overshooting. The glider

deep in the brakes. One speculated

lifted the pilot two feet off the

that his deep braking on his new,

ground before it took a small frontal

more active wing was an attempt to

collapse.

“tame it down” to a more familiar

immediately and jerked the pilot

level of responsiveness. Instructors

around involuntarily just before he

sometimes observe pilots doing this

returned to the ground, causing a

instinctively as they upgrade. It is

full twist of the risers with the pilot

clearly counterproductive.

facing forward.

causing a full stall. About 30 feet

Finally, over the years I note that

The fully inﬂated glider began

above the ground he deployed his

some pilots as they age become

accelerating forward, ﬂying the

reserve parachute but it didn’t have

less able to appreciate the subtle

twisted pilot very low (two feet).

time to open. He crashed hard on

sensations that clue us in to what

The pilot was leaning right, and this

his back, and slid about 10 feet. He

the wing is doing. Senior pilots out

initiated a right turn.

was not breathing when bystanders

there: Consider buying safer, not

reached him a few minutes later.

sportier, wings.

was a step-up from his older model. He ﬂew out and encountered a gentle thermal pulse. He applied a fair amount of brake without releasing to allow the wing to ﬂy back overhead. Because of excessive brake application, the glider slowly began to spin. The pilot continued to

brake.

Subsequent

rotations

accelerated, and caused multiple riser twists. The pilot buried his left brake,

CPR was started and continued until the EMTs arrived. He died of massive internal injuries.

Acquaintances

have

The

glider

re-inﬂated

Immediately, the pilot let go of the brakes and leaned to steer left, away from the hill, allowing the force of the risers to begin untwisting him. However, he only got halfway

This unfortunate accident started

around - ﬂying backwards, and was

and ended with excessive braking.

still leaned into the left turn. As the

It’s not possible to clearly reconstruct

left turn increased, it tipped his upper

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

P I L OT B R I E F I N G S body outwards further, sharpening

Using only the brakes to slow the

choice, since we can’t always sort

the turn.

surging glider caused enough lift

out a problem in ﬂight. Another

to pick the pilot up off the ground

factor that may have contributed

The glider accelerated into a steep

while reversed. Even with full brakes,

to this accident was conﬁdence in

left spiral turn with the pilot still

the glider overshot enough to have

the glider. The pilot had expressed

leaned out, ﬂying backwards. Just

a frontal collapse. At this point, the

concern and discomfort with the

before impact, he inadvertently

pilot could have held full brakes,

ﬂying characteristics of his glider

began braking the inside (left) wing,

stalling the glider back to the ground.

to more than one person. He had

probably because he was ﬂying

Since he was only about six inches

reportedly attended a maneuvers

backwards and disoriented.

off the ground, the consequences

clinic, but was unwilling to do

would have been minimal.

more than small, basic collapses on

The pilot was not breathing after impact,

but

was

the glider. Strong, mid day desert

resuscitated

Once the risers became twisted,

immediately. Helicopter evacuation

conditions are dangerous for anyone.

the glider began ﬂying because the

was very efﬁcient, and he was

It is critical to be functioning at the

pilot allowed it to do so. A quick

transported quickly to a major trauma

top of one’s form and be dialed in to

tug on almost any line set (A’s, B’s

center. He remained in a coma for a

one’s glider to maintain any degree

or rear risers) would have produced

few weeks after the accident, but

of safety.

a deﬂation and launch abort with no

never regained consciousness.

more than two feet of altitude.

For the majority of this short,

Once the glider was ﬂying, it could

disastrous episode, the pilot was no

fatalities involved good pilots losing

have been controlled by the use of

more than two feet off the ground.

control very close to the ground

brake lines or rear risers while the

Only at the very end did the glider

in strong conditions. Two others

pilot untwisted in the risers. Facing

swing him up and out enough to

were primarily the result of ﬂying

forward is not as important as ﬂying

do harm. The initial inﬂation could

too slow or overbraking near the

the glider straight, and this can be

have been controlled by having and

ground. One occurred when a very

done by keeping the hands on the

applying the rear risers in one hand

inexperienced pilot chose to try to

brake lines up and out to the side

as the glider came overhead. This

climb out of a tree after his crash.

of the body. He could have ﬂown

allows the pilot to literally pull the

The ﬁnal one was an experienced

away from the hill in this manner

guts out of the glider, stopping the

pilot ﬂying at high altitude but too

far enough to safely untwist without

ﬂight immediately.

close to extremely rugged terrain in

causing a turn.

very strong thermals.

But once the pilot was faced

Our statistician has noted a decrease

backwards in the midst of a turn,

of accident reports this year. We

it would be very difﬁcult to react

know you are out there. It is never

properly to the situation. He would

too late to ﬁll out a USHGA online

feel that he was weight-shifting away

accident report form. If reading this

from the turn, when in fact, he was

column helps you understand how

leaning further into it. Centrifugal

to keep out of trouble, then you are

force on his upper body worked

helping others when you report your

against him as well. Aborting the

accidents.

Looking back over our very sad year, we can observe that three of our

launch early in this incident would probably have been the safest Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

C A L E N D A R Calendar of events items WILL NOT be listed if only tentative. Please include exact information (event, date, contact name and phone number). Items should be received no later than six weeks prior to the event. We request two months lead time for regional and national meets.

COMPETITION

Airport Road, Groveland, Florida, 34736. Registration: Begins December 15. 2002. Limit 90 competitors. Entry fee: $300 (add $50 After March 12) To Enter: Online at www.ﬂytec.com Meet Organizer: Steve Kroop and the Quest Air Family Meet Director: David Glover

Intermediated rated pilots (with fore mentioned special skills) will be allowed with prior Meet Director approval. Foreign Pilots will be required to have USHGA 90 day competition membership (available on site at time of contest). Approved Garmin GPS units are required. Meet format is cross country race to goal with or without turnpoints. Scoring will be GAP/GAP modiﬁed.

April 12-18, 2003 2003

Safety Director: Russell Brown

April 20-26, 2003

Flytec Championship at Quest Air

Score Keeper: Tim Meaney

The Annual Wallaby Open

Awards and Prizes: $5000 minimum, fairly distributed.

International Hang Gliding

Mandatory Pilot Brieﬁng: 5:21pm - Friday, April 11, 2003.

Wallaby Ranch. As in previous years,

Purpose: to have a safe, fun and fair competition. Our focus is to have a relaxing and affordable meet that is a great time for everyone involved. Date: April 12 (Saturday) - 18 (Friday), 2003. Just after Sun-N-Fun Air Expo. Sanction: USHGA Class A and CIVL/WPRS points meet. Flex, Rigid and Swift class. Location: Quest Air Soaring Center, 6548 Groveland

Other info: Pilots wishing to enter must have ﬂown in a USHGA aerotow competition previously or have prior meet or safety director approval. Pilots must have USHGA advanced rating (or foreign equivalent) with aerotow and turbulence, cross country sign-offs.

competition, at world-famous this is a USHGA-sanctioned Class A, CIVL Category 2 competition. Location: Wallaby Ranch, 1805 Dean Still Road, Davenport, FL 33897. Tel: 1-800-WALLABY (US & Canada) or 863.424.0700 Number of Pilots: 90-120 pilots

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C A L E N D A R Competition Entry Requirements: USHGA Membership, USHGA Advanced Pilot rating (or foreign equivalent) with Aerotow sign-off

JUNE 20-22, 2003

and ﬂy exposition at Torrey Pines

Wild Wild West Regionals Region

Gliderport.

Glider/Equipment Entry Requirements: Class 1 and Class 2 hang gliders. GPS receivers are required for ﬂight documentation.

Race to goal in the Sierras or out

San Diego, California, The Torrey Pines

to the Nevada desert with friends

Gliderport is set to host the 11th annual

and competitors. T- shirts, silver

Flight Fest World Invitational. Hang

belt buckle trophies and party, all

gliding races will commence on the

for $125 or pre register for $100

opening weekend of March 28 - March

by May 1st, H2s to H5s welcome.

30. The paragliding races will take place

Adventure Sports, Box 20066, Carson

the following and concluding weekend,

Meet Format: Cross-country race to goal with or without turnpoints

City, NV 89721. (775) 883 -7070

on April 4 - April 6. Cash and prizes

http://www.pyramid.net/advspts

will be awarded to the top competitors

Rules: 2002 USHGA Competition Rulebook and the 2003 Wallaby Open Rulebook

e-mail advspts@pyramid.net

of both the Sport Class and/or Open

Scoring: GAP

The Michael Champlin World X-C

Meet Organizers: Malcolm Jones and Laurie Croft

the ‘Try-and-Fly’ Exposition, taking

Challenge. No entry fees or pre-

place between May 1 and May 5, and

registration requirements. Open

Meet Director: J.C. Brown

consisting of dealers, manufacturers,

to paragliders, hang gliders, rigid

Safety Director: Malcolm Jones

and schools from around the nation and

wings and sailplanes. For more

Scorekeeper: Peter Gray

world. Be prepared for great equipment

details visit the contest’s Web

USHGA Meet Stewards: Jim Zeiset and J.C. Brown

deals, amateur events, free lectures,

site at http://www.hanggliding.

media coverage, nightly entertainment,

org or contact: John Scott (310)

and free-ﬂight like you’ve never

447-6234, fax (310) 447-6237,

experienced before! For further details,

brettonwoods@email.msn.com.

contact the Torrey Pines Gliderport at

Entry Fee: $400, 50% deposit required at registration Registration: December 15, 2002, through April 20, 2003

Awards and Prizes: A minimum of $5,000 prize money will be distributed fairly between the classes.

2 Championships, Carson City NV.

Class elimination series. The speed

Until Dec. 31, 2003:

races will be held in conjunction with

1-877-FLY-TEAM (359-8326) or email

Mandatory Pilot Brieﬁng: April 19, 7:30 PM at meet headquarters.

FUN FLYING

March 25-30,2003

info@ﬂytorrey.com, www.ﬂytorrey.com

Rest Days and Contingency Plans: No ofﬁcial rest days are planned. No ofﬁcial practice days are planned. There are no rain, weather or contingency plans to extend or postpone the competition

Wills Wing’s 30th Anniversary Cel-

April 4-6, 2003

ebration will be held at the Wallaby

Wills Wing Demos and Pre-Comp Fun

Ranch near Orlando Florida, March

Fly In at the Florida Ridge Flight Park

25th through March 30th, 2003.

near Miami Florida. Prizes, BBQs and

Everyone is welcome to attend the

Wallaby Open, April 20-26, 2003. Info to follow.

lots of ﬂying! For more information

celebration - there will be lots of

contact James Tindle at Miami Hang

demo gliders available to try out - as

Gliding (305) 285-8978, or the Florida

well as seminars, prizes, and a party

Ridge Flight Park (863) 805-0040 or

or two. The demos are free, just pay

see www.willswing.com

May 5-10, 2003: The

Chelan

Speed

Gliding

for your tow! Please come and join

Championships/USHGA Speed Gliding

us to celebrate 30 years of hang

Nationals. Entry fee $100. Sport Class

gliding! For more info see www.

also available, entry fee $35. For more details, contact: Steve Alford (425) 788-

willswing.com or www.wallaby.com March 28-April 6, 2003:

0308 airczr@hotmail.com, or Aaron

“Flight

Swepston tontar@mindspring.com

Hang gliding air races and try

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Fest

2003”

Paragliding/

C A L E N D A R APRIL 26 & 27, 2003:

course, duration, spot landing, cross

to play with, Fireﬂy, Super Lancers,

First In A Really Long Time Boise

country. Prizes will be awarded.

Chandelle, a bowsprit Antares, a big

Fun Fly-In, Boise, Idaho. Lots of

$35.00 entry fee includes mug and

Alpha, and who-knows-what else!

fun hang gliding and paragliding

bumper sticker while supplies last. T-

See if you can identify the “mystery

to be had. Most likely site will be

shirts will be sold also while supplies

glider”...nobody else has!

Pickles Butte, a fun and friendly site

last.

with everything from smooth ridge

Horshoe Bend Recreation Area (fee

Saturday night there’s a potluck

soaring to 100+ mile XC ﬂights with

required). Contact: Brian Erickson

barbecue on the beach, and there

nice launch and tons of big, ﬂat

(209) 838-3994.

will be cool T-shirts for sale. Bring

landing areas. Fun prizes, friendly competition, free camping, BBQ with vintage video (Region 5 Series) and slides from Region 5 (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska mostly... bring yours to share) in the 1970’s and 1980’s. See what your friends looked

when

they

were

young! No entry fee (free!) For area ﬂying info. contact Kevin Frost:

Campsites are available at

May 23-26, 2003. where pilots from around the country come to the Point of the Mountain, Utah to try out the latest in equipment. Contact: The Cloud 9 Soaring Center (801) 576-6460, or email info@paragliders.com, www. paragliders.com May 24–26, 2003:

/ lodging or other info. contact Lisa

Spring Fling at King (King Mountain,

Tate: lisa@soaringdreamsart.com or

Idaho) Cash prizes for paragliding

zoolisa@aol.com

and hang gliding XC, duration, racing, and additional events for

Hang Gliding Spectacular and Kitty Hawk Air Games. Pilots from all over will compete on the dunes of Jockey’s Ridge and at the Kitty Hawk Kites Flight Park for great trophies and prizes. Check out all the details at our new site: http:// www.hangglidingspectacular.com/. For

information

contact

of ﬁlm for the camera.

Demo Days, An annual event

kevinfrost@cableone.net For camping

May 16-19, 2003:

your friends and family, and plenty

everyone include a pig roast. Over $800 awarded last year to winners. Visit our web site http://www. geocities.com/kingmtngliders/ for complete details or attend ﬁrst pilots meeting May 24, 0700 at the King Mountain Gliders Store. Call 208-390-0205 or e-mail goxc@kingmountaingliders.com

http://danimal.ats.orst.edu/ antiqueﬂyin.html (info page) http://community.webshots.com/ user/forbesmarkg (pictures) August 30 - Sept 1, 2003: Brad Koji Memorial Fly-In, North Park, Colorado. Details at www. rmhga.org

CLINICS, MEETING, TOURS MONDAYS:

Torrey Pines Gliderport paragliding talk show on Internet radio, broadcast live on wsRadio.com, Mondays from 8:00 to 10:00 AM (PST). Hosted by Gabriel and David Jebb, open to a worldwide audience. Call in toll-free at 1-800-327-0061 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-760-476-4111 for the world audience. Surf to www.wsRadio. com and click under the live section. Contact: David Jebb, Director of Operations, 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic

Bruce Weaver at bruce@kittyhawk.

June 7-8, 2003:

Drive, San Diego, CA 92037, (858)

com or call (252) 441-2426.

Antique Hang Glider Fly-In, Cape

452-ZULU (9858), www.ﬂytorrey.

Kiwanda, Oregon. Dust off the old

com.

May 17-18, 2003: Mother Lode Sky Riders invite all pilots to participate in their annual Coyote Howl Fly-In at beautiful Lake McClure, CA in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

Two-day fun

competition: speed

run,

pylon

diver and join us at the historic Cape Kiwanda dune on the Oregon coast! Ancient and modern wings take to the sky together for a fun ﬂying weekend at the beach. Don’t have an old one? Bring what you have! We’ll have some old swing-seat Seagulls

Through March, 2003: Advanced

Paragliding

Mexico

paragliding tours. Juan Laos and Fabio Blancarte will host seven-day paragliding tours in west central Mexico, including Tapalpa, the site March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C A L E N D A R of the 2002 Paragliding World Cup.

required. Credit cards accepted.

One of the best paragliding areas in

Contact: Juan Laos, (925) 377-

Mexico, with 10 sites within a two-

8810, juan.laos@realpvs.com, www.

Side trips to Bahia and Rio de Janeiro

hour drive. Launch from a 15,000

advancedparagliding.com.

also available for coastal ﬂying

volcano, soar the coastal ridges and enjoy some of the best seafood in the world at very reasonable prices. Sites include Jalisco, Colima and

Michoacan.

Tours

include

pickup and drop-off at Guadalajara International Airport, transportation to all launches, lodging and other accommodations,

detailed

site

introductions with maps, daily meteorology

information

and

retrieves. Thermal ﬂying and crosscountry coaching and instruction. $1,500 includes pickup at the airport on a Saturday morning and dropoff at the airport on the following Saturday.

$500

USD

deposit

local knowledge.

adventures. $100 per day includes

March 1-9, 2003:

hotel close to the LZ, breakfast, rides

Fly Beautiful Governador Valadares,

and guides for local or X-C ﬂying.

Brazil with Scotty Alan Marion, for

Make the most of your Brazilian

his fourth annual Thermal and X-C

experience.

Intensive Clinic. Scotty is currently

Sports, (775) 883-7070 http://www.

the second-ranked pilot in the world,

pyramid.net/advspts/brazil.htm.

won two PWCs in 2002, and is a U.S.

Contact:

Adventure

National Champion. Governador

March 7-9, 2003:

is one of the best sites in the world

Spring USHGA BOD & Membership

for pilots of all skill levels. Included

Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO.

are the nicest B&B in town, the best

The USHGA 2003 Spring Board of

transportation and retrieval, and the

Director’s Meeting will be held in

best instruction. Pilots can expect to

Colorado Springs Friday, March 7th

improve by one or two levels. $1,200

through noon on Sunday, March 9th.

covers everything but airfare, lunch

The USHGF Foundation Trustees

and dinner. Contact: 801-FLY-AWAY

Meeting will be held at 6 PM on

scotty@poin

Thursday, March 6th at the Red Lion

tofthemount

Hotel. The Spring Awards Breakfast

ain.com.

Ceremony will be held at breakfast

March 630, 2003: The original Adventure

at 7:45 AM on March 8th and the Annual Membership Meeting will be held at 9:30 AM on Saturday March 9th after the Awards Ceremony.

Sports Brazil

The Board of Director’s Meeting will

Tour. Five

be held downtown Colorado Springs

years of

at the Red Lion Hotel, formerly the

ﬂying, fun

Best Western. The Red Lion Hotel,

and a bit of

314 West Bijou, Colorado Springs,

confusion

CO 80905.

with the best guides in

Central Reservations: 800-477-8610,

Governador

Reservations Direct: 719-471-8680,

Valadares.

Fax Number: 719-471-0894

USHGA instructors

Watch

the

USHGA

Web

ﬂuent in

(http://www.ushga.org/hotnews.

Portuguese

asp) for further details.

site

and with Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

C A L E N D A R March 8-9, 2003:

cliff located on a deserted Mexican

Raven Sky Sports Sixth Annual Betty

beach. The past couple of years

Pfeiffer Parachute and Safety Clinic,

has seen some development at the

Deployment

Seminar,

Practice

site, so come and get it before it

Session

Repack

Workshop,

disappears like sites around here.

hosted by Raven Sky Sports, Inc. of

Although, we did get a breakfast and

Whitewater, Wisconsin. Presented

dinner prepared with local clams

by Betty Pﬁeffer and Bill Gargano,

and ﬁsh by a Mexican mom, right

with assistance from members of

on the cliff! There are no facilities,

the Wisconsin Hang Gliding Club.

so bring everything that you will

Held at Purdy Elementary School

need for the ﬂight to The Point. Last

gymnasium

Atkinson,

year we had 60+ Santa Ana’s as far

Wisconsin (ﬁve miles northwest of

down as Ensenada. Bring along any

Whitewater), 9:00 am sharp until

household donations that can be left

evening. Two separate clinic sessions;

behind for the local population. Via

you only need to attend one or the

Con Dios. Contact: Mike Hilberath @

other. Includes a full hang gliding

949-455-0032, eteamer@cox.net or

parachute safety clinic and up to

eteamontop@yourmother.com.

and

Fort

four practice deployments (in our suspended simulators) per person. Video and seminar presentations on: parachute types, paraswivels, inspecting harnesses and parachute systems

for

proper

materials/

workmanship/maintenance/ installation, how to execute proper deployments,

problems

after

deployment and strategies to handle them, strategies for preparing for

March 31 – April 4, 2003: Wallaby / Wills Wing / USHGA / Instructor’s Certification Program, Instructor Recertification, and Tandem Instructor Certification with Fly High’s Paul Voight, and High Perspective’s Mike Robertson. For more information see www. willswing.com (714) 998-6359 or www.wallaby.com (863) 424-0070

landing, how to avoid being hurt on

Entries by April 1, 2003:

landing, how to avoid being dragged

Win $250 in a worldwide hang

after

landing,

gliding video contest! In celebration

power

lines

water

landings, major

of Terry Sweeney’s classic hang

hazards, and many other topics.

gliding ﬁlm, Sweeney’s Glider, Kitty

Contact:

Hawk Kites will hold the Worldwide

and

other

Brad@hanggliding.com,

(262) 473-8800.

Terry

Mexico 2003

Cotes Cliffs, Baja

California,

miles

south

Ensenada Mexico. Our annual series of

winter ﬂying trips, although

slightly truncated. The ﬂying site is a 10 mile long, 250 foot high 26

Hang

Gliding

Video Contest at the Hang Gliding

March 22-23, 2003: 80

Sweeney

Spectacular in Nags Head, NC, May 16-19, 2003. Anyone can submit one homemade hang gliding video. For contest details and original screen shots from continues on page 28 March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

C A L E N D A R Sweeney’s Glider visit http://www.

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hangglidingspectacular.com/ videocontest.html, or contact Bruce Weaver at: bruce@kittyhawk.com, (252) 441-2426. Want a copy of the Sweeney’s Glider video? E-mail Terry Sweeney: terswe@aol.com. April 26 – 27, 2003: Rocky

Mountain

Hang

Gliding

and Paragliding Association, 28th Annual Parachute Clinic with Betty Pfeiffer, Bill Gargano, and Mark Windsheimer in Golden, Colorado. Details at www.rmhga.org May 2003: Mid-Atlantic Airsports – Turkey SIV/XC. This will be a 14-day tour, integral to which is a 6-day maneuvers/SIV course with Jockey Sanderson (Security in Flight), one of the best SIV/XC instructors there is. We will visit different ﬂying sites around the area, whilst establishing a base at the famous resort of Olu Deniz, at the foot of the awesome

to establish maneuvers and go XC. The main LZ is a mile strip of beach right next to the aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

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S A N T A’ S

L I S T

Word Count = 1627

heads in front of the risers. Column name: Personally, I SANTA’S LIST: can and do appreciate all techniques. Possible Headlines: Starting, Quitting, But, technique Taking a Break is not what I’m Chris Santacroce really talking By Chris Santacroce about. Rather, I want to talk about how Ever heard the expression; “conventional wisdom” isn’t “things are not what they always what the words infer, seem?” Ever stop and think especially when it comes to about how true that is? As the philosophies of flying. an avid instructor, I often When it comes to the allfind myself explaining that important decisions about what comes naturally is not IF an individual wants to fly always correct. Take skiing, or not, things are not always for example. In skiing, it what they seem. Every is perfectly natural to lean time that we go to launch, back, look right in front we should reserve that allimportant decision—“Do I of you and let your arms want to fly here and now?” hang at your sides. Likewise, —for when we are actually in paragliding, it’s natural standing there on launch, to sit upright, look at the hooked in and ready to go. ground and spread your The last item on my prelegs. flight is “still stoked.” Am I Over time (some take still stoked to fly? When I’m more time than others), on launch, if you ask me we learn that the most important thing in skiing whether or not I will fly, I is to look down the hill, will tell you that “we’ll see” shoulders squared to the hill or “if I’m lucky.” with your arms out front, That’s right, I don’t fly while leaning forward. By unless I feel lucky. Of course the same token, many pilots I feel lucky an awful lot. have found that they enjoy But, that’s just me. their flying much more Consider a few other when they are in a reclined examples. At the average posture with their eyes on flying site, pilots are often the horizon and their legs overheard encouraging crossed or close together. spectators to “get in on the Of course, each individual fun.” Many pilots delight is different and there are in seeing friends and family people who will always ride take up the sport and are mono boards and those supportive of them every that will always keep their step of the way. Typically,

some consideration is given to whether or not a person is a good candidate for the sport. But it is always a good thing when someone starts flying, right, regardless of the initial motivation? Maybe, maybe not. The truth is that a huge number of people learn to paraglide. They even buy equipment. They fly, and fly well. They mesh with the whole flying community. They make friends. They contribute. They open sites and throw parties and they even teach. But then one day, they are gone. Where do the go? Oftentimes, they get scared. “I had one too many close calls” or “I just got too busy” or “I decided to concentrate on other things.” More often than not, we hear nothing at all. Regardless, we generally think of it as a bad thing when good people leave the sport. We think of it as a pilot lost. We certainly never celebrate someone quitting the sport. Could it be that it is just the opposite? That the pilot “lost” is actually a pilot “saved” or “preserved?” With some luck, we might see our long lost friends show up at the hill again some day and we help them back into the sport. Even better, they go to the instructors and take refresher course. This is, without a doubt, always a joyous occasion.

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

S A N T A’ S What, you may ask am I getting at? Well, I suppose that I am asking you to try and ski with your hands out front and your eyes down the hill. I am asking you to lean back, let your shoulder straps take your weight, get your nose six or ten inches behind your risers and cross your legs. Maybe I am asking you to get your elbows right in next to your body. I am not suggesting that this is the only way to ski or fly, I am just asking you to try it out and see how it works. While you are at it, ask yourself if your family and friends will really have a good time with our sport. If the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘I think so’, don’t forget to mention to them that it’s always a good time to learn to fly, “so you don’t have to hurry, because next year is as good as this year” and “the only thing better would be to wait and see what we are flying in ten years.” I mean right now is certainly a better time to learn than ten years ago, right? The equipment and teaching techniques are far better than they once were. So, doesn’t it follow that ten years from now will be even better than right now? Barring any drastic legal changes, the wind and thermals ought to be available, right? When talking to folks who are considering this sport, don’t forget to mention the Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

L I S T

idea that you don’t have to “live” paragliding in order to do it. We might do well to remind our inquisitive friends that there are some people who just like to watch, others who just like to kite once in a while and others that only like flying on the training hill with the instructor. We might do well to remind our friends that they don’t have to fly off big things, stay up a long time, go land somewhere else, top land, tow, maneuver, gain altitude, take trips, read the magazine or fly ALL of the time. It may be that we can do our flying friends and ourselves a similar favor by not bugging them to come flying or not calling them when they miss a weekend. Maybe we should invite them to do something besides flying where we don’t have to talk about flying. Maybe we shouldn’t go flying all of the time and talk about flying all of the time and think about flying all of the time. Personally, I don’t know much about that, but I think that it is worth considering. If we can manage to subscribe to this line of thinking, then maybe we won’t have to soar just because we once did. We won’t have to thermal because we once did. We won’t have to do tricks or fly cross-country because we once did. We won’t have to fly a DHV 2 because we 31

S A N T A’ S

L I S T

once did. We won’t HAVE TO fly, because we once did. Now, please, don’t get the wrong idea about me. No one likes to hustle people into the sport more than me and few people get to fly as much as me. Certainly few people invite people to go flying, towing, maneuvering and thermaling more than me. On Dec. 24 in Salt Lake City, I dragged a family of seven out at 8:30 a.m. and we managed to get the 5, 8 and 10 year old in the air despite the temperature. Of course, mom and dad flew too and I even had mom taking me tandem despite the fact that she only has 50 flights. BUT, that is not the point. The point is that when people come into the sport, we all (me included) need to remember that it’s only for them, if —IF— they want it for the right reasons and if the timing is just right. It should be like magic, every time. One of the five children just stayed in the van, preserved, for another pursuit or another time. A good friend once said, “you have to know that you want to fly, like you know that you need to do to the bathroom … or like you know that you need a drink of water.” As for taking a break from flying, the flying will always be around. The only variable is whether or not WE will be around to fly. So, by all means, take a 32

break whenever you feel like it; five minutes, five years, 10 years, even 20. No matter, just put your paraglider in the closet. Feel like quitting? You don’t need a reason. That you simply “feel” like quitting is good enough. Quit! Say it out loud. Try it on, see how it feels. Let your friends quit; support them in their decision. Offer to fly their gliders for them once in a while. You are right, it sounds sort of backwards. But, a lot of things do. If you think that we might end up with fewer people in the sport as a result of my “revolving door” approach to membership in our sport, you are probably wrong. Best wishes for a great season. Feel free to start,

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

f you asked the typical

Around Brasilia, the capitol of

Williams, Jerz Rossignol and I as

American about his or her

Brazil, the climate is dry, and the

meet steward) who joined 74 others

image of Brazil, you would

red ground looks much like the

from 17 countries plus a bevy of

probably get a description of

Texas chaparral country. In late

Brazilians in an X-C fest.

hot, steamy jungles, beautiful

August and early September the

women (or vice versa), and Marti

temperature is cool and the ﬂying

Every day we drove an hour and

Gras and Rio beaches, all moving to

great. Nothing is according to the

change to the takeoff site northeast

a samba beat. But imagine a country

standard image, except perhaps the

of the city. Launch is on a 75-mile-

that stretches from the shoulders

beautiful women.

long cliff ridge that hovers 1,500 feet over a lost valley (Vale de

of the Andes to the ﬂanks of the Atlantic, from 15° north of the

We had come to Brasilia to

Paranã). You really don’t want to

equator to 33° south. You’re bound

participate in the 14th biennial Pre-

go down in the valley because it’s

to have varied terrain, climate,

World Meet. “We” were a motley

lonely, hot and dry. It also requires

people, music, and yes, ﬂying.

crew of U.S. pilots (Kari Castle,

a two-hour drive for retrieval. One

Mike Barber, Kurt Warren, Paris

unfortunate Dutch pilot landed

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

there three times in a row, and the team driver got his P3 rating for persistence, perseverance and patience. But you really had to fly malfortunately or blunderously in order to go down, because thermals were abundant and often it was ridge-soarable since the valley respirated warm air constantly. Every pilot who flies in the Brasilia region tries to go cross-country from the moment they learn to soar. That’s because over the back lies a plateau with gentle rises and abundant, large fields stretching to the city. Brasilia is 45 miles directly downwind in the prevailing nor’easterlies. Remember, we’re south of the equator here, so dust devils and low-pressure systems rotate the opposite direction, pigs’ tails twist counterclockwise, and nor’easterlies bring fair weather, not foul. Our goal nearly every day was the central esplanade in downtown Brasilia. (Imagine landing on the Mall in Washington, DC, and you can appreciate the relevance of such a feat.) Brasilia was created out of dust and a dream 42 years ago. When they decided to build a new capital city they threw a dart at a map of Brazil, or something like that. It ended up near the geo-center of the country, originally surrounded by miles of nothing. Brasilia was built with wide-open spaces in the wide-open spaces. Aviation is in its soul. The city is laid out like a giant airplane with wings, a fuselage and a tail. The two main boulevards heading north and south are named Asa Norte (North Wing) and Asa Sud (figure it out). Enclosing the city on the east side is a large, man-made lake that looks like a swift (the bird) in flight. One more connection to flying: the famous architect, Oscar Neimeyer, who designed the principle buildings of Brasilia is the uncle of Brazilian team pilots and meet organizers, Carlos and Luiz Neimeyer. You can bet that relationship opened doors and helped glorify the meet. Brazil is a sport-affectionate country. There are simply vastly fewer couch potatoes and McDonalds addicts than in our country. Almost no one is overweight and they appreciate hang gliding. Never once did I hear the quote, “You guys

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

must be crazy,” or its Portuguese

However you find your thermals

equivalent. In fact, we were treated

in Brasilia, they’ll likely be big

like rock stars and greeted in the

and moving. After a few minutes

landing ﬁeld by throngs in thongs,

of climb you usually have to

all eager to meet “real” pilots.

adjust position. Good senses and

FLYING IN BRASILIA

technique awards you with a wet

Let’s take a typical ﬂight. On launch we often had wire assistance as the wind perked up with the ﬁrst thermal release. After jetting upward a hundred feet or so, the hunt was

kiss at cloud base. Don’t worry about that uninspired 500-feetbelow-cloud-base law — as far as anyone in Brazil knows, it doesn’t exist.

on. But usually you don’t stalk the

Once you’re kicked upstairs, you

thermals; they stalk you. Lift can

head south across a mile-wide gap

be anything from a mere 100 fpm

to continue along the ridge. After

to a robust 2,000 fpm. Mostly it’s

7.5 miles you reach the beautiful

somewhere in between. You look

Itiquera falls, dropping off the

for other pilots inscribing O’s in

cliff into a sapphire pool. There

the ozone, since thermals are often

are caimans lurking about. This is

long lasting with room for a swarm

a good place to get high and head

of gliders. Sometimes there are

west over the back. Once you are

urubus (black vultures) marking the

on your way, the ﬁrst 10 miles or so

thermals. Although ground-based

are often tricky, because the ground

people think the black vulture is

slopes downward and the valley

a foul fowl, really they’re a hang

release tends to create a blue hole

glider pilot’s kindred spirit. They

behind the ridge. Take what you

have about the same performance

can get and work your way to

as our latest racers and are always in

the clouds that stud the western

the best available lift. They attract me like offal does a ﬂy.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Continues on page 48

Regular Guy Goes Rigid Not a Viagra Ad but an Amateur Review of the Aeros Stalker by Mike Vorhis

After many years ﬂying ﬂexwings (and an entire evening some years ago holding a twin-engine Cessna’s nose in the general direction of Alaska while the real pilot dozed off with a sectional over his

face), I got my hands on an Aeros Stalker recently, and with the help of a cryptic document downloaded from the US Aeros website, set it up. It took me three hours, including reading, headscratching, and chasing March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

pilots over to gape and envy. The Stalker is the kind of machine that could turn a surfer or a poet into an engineering wannabe. Gazing at it inspires even the least mechanically inclined to study metallurgy or become a machinist. It is the ultimate marriage of engineering and art. It is thrilling; it is beautiful. In its presence, onlookers already from technical disciplines begin to salivate and perspire. The cable routing and pulleys make nostrils flare; the smooth gel-coated carbon fiber leading edge is goosebump-sexy. The cantilever attachments inspire confidence and the rib tensioning system hardware is no-nonsense and ideal. The drum-tight sail, and the tolerance on everything from aileron control attachment to shackles to push-pins, exude precision. The SPADDs — those passively activated drag boards at the end of each wing to cancel adverse yaw — are simple and inspired. And then you arrive at the tips. the printout across the field. The second time I did it in an hour, and the third in about 40 minutes. It’s dropping as the old dog learns new tricks. On breakdown I can have it in the bag and on the truck in 30 minutes or less. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

It’s half-tempting to call the tips the coolest things I have ever owned. Light, strong, perfectly shaped, they sport a trailing edge support arm and an over-center tensioning brace that make you want to run around the mountaintop pulling other

As elegance must repose in an elegant abode, the tips store inside the nose area leading edges. Once they are removed, those large protected D-tube cavities are then useful as in-flight stowage compartments for glider bags, pads, even a cold drink for after you land. No more cramped feet in the harness boot. Flaps and ailerons are permanently attached to the sail, making setup, breakdown, and protection of the carbon fiber panels during transport a breeze. The ribs take a bit of experience to extend in place, attached to a common cable as they swing out from the D-tube to engage the trailing edge, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it. The trailing edge is clean and evenly tensioned against a rigid bar along its entire length. At first, in the interest of fast delivery, Aeros was saying they’d only make sails in one of three colors, but that has now changed; a pilot can get any color (s)he wants. And the downtubes on the original units were a bit short, and the control frame rake considerable, with the result that the glider sat pretty low to the ground, giving not much room for someone wearing a stiff back-plane harness to 37

“Stalker: Drivers Wanted.” Because let me tell you about the XC ﬂight I had:

crawl in or out. (I have such a unit, and I have to say I’ve looked less clumsy in my lifetime.) But that too has changed on the new models, which sport longer tubes and less rake, making the control frame look and feel like a familiar ﬂexwing. The glider is twice as wide as a human shoulder when broken down, and wants to slide laterally inside the glider bag once you think it’s in place on your deltoid. That’s about the only complaint I can come up with, and there’s a solution even for this, in the form of an optional wingsplitting kit, which lets you separately bag and carry the two halves. Train your driver or your dog to heft the other section while you carry the one, and you’re all set for that steep trail to High Lonesome launch. TEST FLIGHT Though Volkswagen would call it plagiarism, the sales slogan for this ﬂying machine should be, 38

I’d never flown any rigid wing glider before (in fact they should be called “SurfaceControlled Hang Gliders” because even these carbon fiber machines have aeroelasticity; nothing is really rigid), but after four launches and landings at the local bunny hill, I dared to take the Stalker to the high desert in search of a couple of post-season miles. Flying compatriot Alan Kenny took a jet up from San Diego and I met him in Reno, loaning him my topless Sensor for the weekend. We set up atop McClellan peak near Carson City, a 7200-foot “time the convergence” XC site that sits on the western end of the Virginia Range. Once each summer, Ray Leonard holds the Region 2 Regionals at this mountain, aiming pilots eastward and downwind toward 4500foot-MSL Silver Springs, 30 miles away. The reigning logic is that 9000 feet affords sufficient altitude to make the jump over gnarly terrain in the gap behind the mountain, where long ago gold and silver prospectors,

Mark Twain among them, cackled over secret lodes and tin cups of beer in the bars of Virginia City. It was clearly a late-season day. I launched first, experiencing very high winds in flight, until I realized the Stalker picks up velocity quickly and I was inadvertently flying slalomlike speeds. I eased up and my vario could begin to be heard, although the news it broadcast was not good. I flew the better part of a mile before encountering my first thermal, but thanks to the L/D of the Stalker I had plenty of altitude with which to work. The wings seemed tiny visually, but the lift they generated felt huge. Turns were sweet and I took it to 10 grand, already barely aware that I was flying a different kind of bird from what I normally strap on. As I headed over the back I could see Alan struggling against a sinkout. The handful of other very competent flexwing pilots later did the same. Lift was sparse, although the thermals had decent strength once you stumbled onto one. I made a mental note that Alan would be bummed if he sank to the bailout, and that the best way I could help him was to get the flight of my life, (brag about it all night,) and then loan him the Stalker on March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

the following day. I did. It was very cold above 9000 feet, so I found myself voluntarily leaving lift at that height in search of more downrange. I was compelled to fly the terrain instead of the sky, since visible markers were virtually nonexistent in the cloudless blue. As my radio wasn’t working, we’d agreed that if I went anywhere it would be out Interstate-80 to the east. Little did either of us know that Alan would have to drive 120 miles on fumes and hunches before he accidentally saw me touch down in a field even with him. The flight took nearly 4.5 hours and featured a number of low saves, a bit of freezing up high, and a little nearlyeven-with-the-semis-below speeds between thermals, even with less than 5mph drift. It was a 90-miler by GPS, a personal best for open distance and time aloft both Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

— not bad for a ﬁrst real ﬂight with a strange wing on a marginal day. To steal an inspired phrase from accomplished California Millennium XC pilot Ofer Bruhis, it was like bringing a gun to a knife

fight. The next day I made good on my promise; Alan flew the Stalker and I drove. He‘d never launched a rigid either, and had essentially zero drift and considerably lighter lift, yet he immediately climbed to over 12,400 feet, had a long XC flight, and he too made his personal best for distance. I stayed below him the whole time, enjoying the sight of the new wing working up smoothly

in very light lift whenever he got low. “IF IT’S THERE, YOU WILL FIND IT” I don’t know what L/D I was getting. I did not have the new Stalker II winglets installed, which they say further improve performance. I will say the glider had tremendous range compared to what I’m accustomed to, and seemed to be getting about 99:1. In fact it was probably at very best 18-pointsomething-toone, as my hang angle was not quite optimized . I recall knowing that the thermals were few and far between that day, yet never being too concerned about ﬁnding them. I’d left my hand gear on my ﬂexwing, so I was regularly leaving lift low, content to stay where I was not shivering uncontrollably or watching

STABILITY

purple fingers turn black or fall off. I just pointed downrange and found more of the widely-spaced lift. Normally at this site, if you want big miles, you start to pray when you drop below 9K, but I simply was not concerned. Feeling the performance advantage I had, in my mind a catchphrase formed: “If it’s there, you will find it,” which took all the pressure away; if I sank out, it was simply because no lift was there. That impression proved correct, for I eventually ran out of lift only in low evening light when there was absolutely nothing left. Even then the Stalker gave me an extra 15 minutes of buoyant eastward drift, seemingly just on heart alone. It really does like to fly.

Alan told me later there was some rattiness to the air, but I almost didn’t know it. The Stalker appeared very stable. It never went “over the falls” despite my ﬂying out the back of thermals on quite a few occasions. If hit by lift from behind, it seems to scoot forward with barely any pitch change,

using its great capacity for acceleration to avoid getting upended. Yet the solidity of the feel didn’t seem to insulate me from being intuitively connected with the air.

RESPONSIVENESS I have not flown other rigid wings, but I’ve heard pilots of spoileron designs claim that “you have to fly more like a sailplane.” They are referring to spin concerns and to the “slack-wire feel” of such wings, and the fact that spoileron input will reputedly take a second or so to have the desired effect. The Stalker, by contrast, felt so exactly like a verysweet-flying flexwing that I was at home instantly. There is no “slack wire” sensation, first of all. I’d been warned by 3rdhand grapevine sources that I’d need up to 25 air hours to get comfortable on it, but I have to say I was completely dialed in sometime within the first eleven minutes. Alan said the same, adding that it was one of the three most “magical” XC flights he’d ever had. He said that on radio, while working light lift.

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

and left out the turn

Pitch responsiveness? Very straightforward, with feedback and yet light handling. PIOs? You shouldn’t experience any. Fatigue? We each could have gone a few more hours without complaint. Did I mention the scenery? I was relaxed enough to enjoy it without interruption, even while working “must have” lift. Crisp blue ranges marched away to meet their purple cousins on all horizons, with sloping alluvial plains and turquoise desert lakes reposing between them in the mid-autumn light. I did not stand the glider on a wingtip, nor attempt to flat-turn it in very slow flight, as I’ve had no spin recovery training and didn’t want to flirt with things of which I had little knowledge; I took it on faith that this glider is highly spin resistant, and stable by DHV and HGMA standards. I flew pretty much exactly like I fly a flexwing, and the glider appears at home and friendly when flown this way. Twice I leaned it over very sharply Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

coordination input, and felt it begin a sideslip that had some speed to it — not surprising, since this ultraclean design picks up juice quickly in any direction. My natural reactions of ensuring airspeed and leveling the wings removed the sensation in roughly half a second’s time, and it did not unsettle me or alter my normal flying methods. And I’ve been told the winglets on the Stalker II version (and retrofittable to the Stalker I) resolve the sensation, further improving coordination of high-banked turns; they add about 3 feet of effective span, and their outward cant provides more level flying surface at the tip of the inside wing. Alan said he attempted a few steep-banked turns on the model we were flying, and felt comfortable, although “banked up and tight” was one of the few areas he felt a flex wing might have a slight advantage (an observation which I believe would be reversed

if we’d had the winglets). And Alan qualified his comment by saying that removing some of the bank and extending his circles a bit proved more efficient in climb than a tightly cranked flex wing. Further, despite our impressions that some thermals were of the “bullet” variety, neither of us found one too small to work efficiently with the Stalker, even sans winglets. SPEED The speed range is wide; the Stalker will remain controllable at low speeds and has the top end to outrun even massive sink. I put that particular attribute to the test several times in thousand-down, and was able to escape the zone easily. I half-expected con-trails to appear, but the air must have been too dry. Alan too said he “raced right through” the ground-suck zones, with minimal loss. Even though the Stalker’s L/ D may be on par with other hang-in-the-airflow rigid

designs, it may be this speed capability that truly differentiates it from the pack. CLIMB I’d wondered for months about a very fast rigid glider being able to stay in tight cores, but it appears to have been wasted worry. In well-formed lift the Stalker performed like it was on a massive high speed chain hoist. I watched Alan take a good core for a thousand feet of gain in less than four 360s. In light or disorganized lift, carving around efficiently yields steady and dependable climb. Aeros says the sink rate is in the 130s, and although I didn’t measure it, I can believe it from the climb behavior we experienced. AVERAGING Other than the tremendous range, which seems to guarantee that “if it’s there, you will find it,” I believe the capability most valuable in XC flight is the “averaging” ability a glider of this class possesses. Rather than being dumped out of shifting, multi-core thermals, spending half my time hunting for the column I just fell out of, losing 100 feet for every 70 feet of gain, the Stalker let me navigate responsively through and among clumps of cores, smoothly carving, always rising, drifting or penetrating as I chose. I had at least 4 low saves by working lift in this way. It was so nimble and efficient that I really wasn’t worried that much on any of them. FLAPS AND LANDING The flaps appear to deploy only modestly. They don’t look very big. But their effect is profound. The flap deployment cord travels only about a foot. I launched and thermalled with about 5 inches of it pulled (I think they recommend 1/3 flaps), which put the bar under my nose and appeared plenty efficient 44

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

in moderate-speed flight. When running between thermals, I released to zero flaps, and the bar surprisingly moved AWAY from me; that is, the nose came up. This is probably because the nose angle is wide enough that the flaps are aft of the wing’s center of lift (which is not the case on the Sensor I normally fly). With zero flaps, the Stalker’s speed increases noticeably, and the L/D at that speed is also better than if I’d simply pulled on that speed with thermalling flaps deployed. I found flying with a bit of flaps more comfortable, and released them mostly when I was outrunning sink or cold. Alan flew primarily with flaps off when not thermalling, and found this configuration “incredibly efficient even when in sink.” He could remain well under 200fpm sink rate even when approaching 40mph. For landing Aeros recommends full flaps, and although it’s just a couple of inches of additional pull, the effect is remarkable. As drag scales with velocity, pulling on speed with full flaps yields a descent rate that seems practically identical to that of a kingposted flexwing. The glider rounds out predictably and then floats in ground effect at a comfortable speed. The flare window is obvious, and Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

I rotated it easily and took a couple of running steps. Alan pulled off a no-stepper when he landed it, and also found it straightforward. I do think it’s best to carry streamers or smoke bombs when taking such a beautiful wing XC. I did not try to land downwind, nor will I (knock on composite). It’s probable that its efficiency would ease such ordeals somewhat, but at the same time nobody wants to scratch that shiny gel-coat leading edge. YAWING The Stalker carves stably and effortlessly in both still and choppy air. Thanks to the aerodynamically above/ below-balanced “SPADDs,” it takes considerable concentration to detect any adverse yaw; perhaps there is none at all. Occasionally I found it “hunting” just a bit in the yaw axis under the onslaught of asymmetrical turbulence, but then I normally fly a Sensor, which has that “on rails” feeling, and it’s unreasonable to expect any tailfin-less glider to match that kind of damping. The Stalker’s yaw tendencies were mild by many gliders’ standards, noticeable only in pockets of rowdy air, and not objectionable. (The additional projected vertical surface component provided by winglets would probably 45

further sweeten its tracking, emulating the effect of a tailfin to some degree.) Alan felt a bit of turbulence-induced yaw at higher speeds on two occasions, but reducing velocity after the sink zones saw the glider immediately stabilize with no correction input. In fact, I found these yaw moments to be a benefit in several cases. Normally for flexwing pilots, when one of our wings is lifted by a thermal, we get turned to the non-lifting side, and must either fight against that roll or bail out and

away, attempting then to re-enter the core nose-on, below. But the Stalker, when faced with one wing lifting, seemed to vane INTO the thermal, allowing me to enter it immediately and efficiently. It’s not difficult to imagine why: Our natural instinct when one wing rises is to keep level by opposing the lift on that side. As the Stalker is aileroncontrolled, this input we apply is approximately instant (which, by the way, is not the case with weightshift inputs on flexwings in the roll axis). When we respond to a lifting wing

with aileron deflection, the lifted wing we’re opposing gets the “up” aileron, which has the by-product effect of levering the SPADD on that side even higher. The SPADD produces drag at the tip, retarding the advance of that wing, and we yaw quickly and efficiently INTO the thermal’s core. I’ve heard the controllable side boards of the Millennium allow this as well. Very nice, and once I figured it out I was using it (pardon the pun) left and right. THE PERFORMANCE PROMISE Ecstatic, we did a back-of-

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

the-envelope calculation on the drive home, of what this extra performance means to a pilot. We normally fly gliders of a few years’ vintage, and we probably experience L/Ds of about 12- to 14-to-1 at best, taking into account marginally optimized hang and arm positions, unenlightened vario mounting, the peculiar inefficiencies of a crumple or two in the nosecone, and the like. Now we were playing with a glider that can maybe achieve over 18:1 as configured, and we probably got within a point of that. Assuming L/D is as reasonable a parameter as any for representing the overall capabilities of a soaring craft, this means a boost of around 5/14 or 35% in what we are able to do. But what does that fractional gain buy us? At the site we’d just flown, in peak-of-the-season mid-summer conditions, we estimated that about one day in ten would be a day we might call a “100mile flexwing day.” That is, launch conditions, top of useable lift, thermal strength, and drift at altitude will line up to make a big day possible in a retrievable direction maybe around ten percent of the time. Another three days of ten Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

might be “30-mile ﬂexwing days,” in that a typical XC pilot has a good chance of getting out to around the Silver Springs junction on such days, but might not stretch things much farther. We guessed that an additional three days in ten might allow a ﬂexwing to get over the back, but how far after that would be anybody’s guess — maybe between 4 and 15 miles. That accounts for 7 of 10 average summer days. (The remaining three of ten might be inverted, wrong direction launch winds, or blown out.) However, we just proved that with the Stalker or a similarly performing glider, even those “barely over the back” days can be taken for 100 miles, and the better days could easily yield bigger mileage yet. This means that for a 35% gain in performance, a competent pilot can conceivably realize up to a 700% gain in capability. Quite a multiplier. Even if our math was off by half, it made me want to construct fairings for every little imperfection in my gear, because clearly modest improvements can have enormous results. The impact of this new technology is challenging old precepts regarding what 47

Pre-Worlds— Brasilia!

…from page 35

THE MEET

hoc landing area under trees and

Of course, a major international

over fences. Paris was awarded the

meet took place. There were 11

average of his daily points to date.

hard-fought rounds, with conditions sky. Step up to base again and you

in this El Niño year going from

can see the city of Brasilia, your

great to dribbling. The ﬁrst day was

destination, on a clear day. Below to

won by that Austrian titan, Manfred

the right is the long Formosa Lago

Ruhmer. But then the race was on,

(Beautiful Lake) and to the left is

for our own Paris Williams won the

the national forest — more

second

than 30 square miles of scrub,

round

stunted trees, secretive species,

by more

snakes and caracaras. You must

than 100

skirt north or south of the

points

forest unless you are high, for

and

while there are landing ﬁelds

vaulted

in its midst, the locked gates

into ﬁrst

mean you are walking out.

place.

The northern route is shorter,

This

while the southern route provides more landing ﬁelds and

Barber who won task six and came in 11th — a respectable showing against the best in the

American ascendancy

better thermals.

was not to last, for the

A little further on you arrive at

was seen on his hands

rising ground and a north-south

and knees begging

step that triggers thermals in

forgiveness for the

the easterly winds. This is an

excesses of the night

excellent place to work for an

before. He couldn’t ﬂy

altitude paycheck that you can

and took a zero. The

spend on your ﬁnal glide to the

disappointing result

ﬁrst-class section in the central

devaulted him into

fuselage esplanade. While on glide,

33rd place. He made

check out the luxury homes that

a heroic comeback,

line the lake, the large ﬁelds by

ﬂying with aggression

the university, and the famous

during the rest of the

architecture around the landing

meet, and ended up an

zone. Float over the city and

amazing 10 th. He had

marvel at the unique experience

another glitch when

of landing in the middle of a

he augured down to

major metropolis, surrounded

rescue Puerto Rican

by cathedrals, embassies, senate

pilot Nelson Franquiz,

buildings, bureaucratic bunkers and

who dislocated a knee

boulevards.

trying to land in an ad

Another U.S. luminary was Mike

very next day Paris

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

world. The U.S. team ended up

But the real drama came toward

next day he continued his aggressive

third behind the Austrian dynasty

the end of the meet. The mighty

pattern and landed short of goal.

(ﬁrst) followed by the formidable

Manfred had had two bad days (for

This happenstance set up the ﬁnal

Brazilian A team. We were able

him), ﬁnishing 12th on the second

three races between him (in third

to hold off the mighty French

day and 17th on the eighth day. On

place) and Oleg Bondarchuk in ﬁrst.

armada, which ﬂies en masse,

the seventh day we saw him leave

Each day Manfred made up ground,

wingtip to wingtip.

the lead gaggle, scrambling in a weak

and after 11 ﬂights was only 46

thermal to glide to the sunshine. He

points behind Oleg.

got down to 300 feet, sniffed around a bit, and soon hit a boomer to base.

We set up under a bubbling

I was watching from the ground

sky on the last day. A task was

with world-class pilot Luiz Neimeyer.

called as pilots warily eyed the

We were both amazed at Manfred’s

overdevelopment in the west. It

risk-taking — 300 feet is landing-

was only minutes before the launch

setup altitude for most of us. But

window was to open when

he succeeds with will, skill and supreme conﬁdence where others ﬂounder and fail — most of the time. The

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

virga and thunder convinced the meet director that the meet was over. The gods declared the winner to be Oleg Bondarchuk. Oleg has had an incredible run this year, taking first in the Australian Open, at Wallaby, at Quest Air, in the Europeans, and now the Pre-Worlds. He added the $1,000 first prize to his swelling bank account. Brazil is a hang gliding fantasy destination. Besides the varied and abundant flying, nearly everything else you could desire is available and cheap. The long-term price of the hotel (with breakfast) was about $20 per day. Match that in Washington, DC. Meals were two to five dollars for a sumptuous spread. Many of us bought some really nice jeans for just seven dollars. The attraction is the leather label on the rear that features a hang glider on an SUV!

Brasilia is a special part of Brazil — special for its climate, special for its sophisticated women (and men), special for its concept, and very special for the gregarious pilots who live in the area as well as those who come from afar to share a special sport. We’ll all be back next year for a real big second helping.

March, 2003: Hang

We have seen many changes in the sport, but people who ﬂy hang gliders share more than their love of the air. The camaraderie goes deep and it lasts a long time. Gliding & Paragliding

The dune and beach at Cape Kiwanda. Photo by Mark G. Forbes.

The sun provided the Midas touch; the day was perfect. The commemorative T-shirts, which Dan designed, sold out by midday Saturday. Everyone was having a great time. Indeed, myriad gliders were in the air and set up all over the beach. Pilots test-ﬂew each

other’s gliders. By Chris Waugh

The oldest glider there belonged to

hatever happened to all the old pilots? What ever

my husband, Bruce Waugh. It is a

happened to all the antique hang gliders? The

Seagull III with a swing seat. Aging,

ValleyVille Hang Gliding Association in Oregon

barefoot pilots lined up to ﬂy the

wanted to find out, and the annual Antique Hang

35-pound wing. For the ﬁrst time

Glider Fly-In was born. It takes place on the first

in decades, old familiar phrases

weekend in June at Cape Kiwanda, near Pacific

were heard: “Don’t ﬂy higher than

City, Oregon.

you care to fall.” “If your sail quits

Cape Kiwanda is a photogenic, 100-foot-high sandstone headland that

ﬂapping, you have stalled!” “Low and slow.”

juts into the ocean. A mammoth sand dune connects the headland to the mainland. “Mama Kiwanda” is the nickname given to the dune, which has

There were other antiques as

been Oregon’s premiere training site since the early 1970’s. Kiwanda is about

well, and new gliders, paragliders,

75 feet high and faces the consistent northwest breezes. The soft sand is

radio-controlled gliders, ﬁxed

forgiving to novice pilots. Its gradual slope provides many opportunities for

wings, motorized rigid wings,

ground skimming in the morning. When the afternoon winds pick up, the top

kites, frisbees, children and dogs

of the dune becomes soarable.

completed the mélange.

In 2001 the event drew a crowd of some 50 pilots, even more hang

I saw old pilots, whom I hadn’t seen

gliders, and families of spectators. The meet was low key, just like the

in decades. After ﬂying from 1974 to

pilots in Oregon. However, the requisite T-Shirt sales, hang simulator and porta-potty were all present. Daniel Tyler, Jr. chaired the small Fly-In committee, which consisted of new and “antique” pilots. He explained why the Fly-In was held: “I think the most important reason is to celebrate, honor and respect the heritage of Cape Kiwanda, and then to get together many of the founders of our sport in this region. Folks came who were there in the old days and are still flying. Folks came who were flying but aren’t now or are flying different types of wings.” Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Antique Hang Gliders: Looking back 65 years The history of foot-launched free flight goes back to Wilbur and Orville. Motors entered the aviation scene not too long after those first flights at Kitty Hawk, but fortunately for us, aircraft went powered, some early aviators still sought the serenity of free flight. Our sport of hang gliding, as we know it today, dates back to at least the early 1970s, but hang gliders were being flown well before that. Hang gliders, even as we fly them, were in the air before the US Hang Gliding Association was founded, and even before many of us were born. J.C. Brown found proof of that recently while surfing the eBay online auction site. J.C. says he doesn’t really get into collecting old flying memorabilia, “unless you count the mountain of old, broken gear I’ve accumulated over the last 27 years of hang and paragliding.” But during a casual search for the words “hang glider” on eBay.com, he uncovered a relic he couldn’t pass up. “I just searched on the words ‘hang glider’ as an afterthought before logging off,” Brown said. “There was a listing that said something like ‘1938 Air Trails - first hang gliding flight.’ I was curious, so I bid $3.50 and won the auction!” What he won was indeed a 1938 copy of Air Trails magazine, and inside was a feature story titled, “First Flight in a Hang Glider.” Was this truly a hang glider flight as we’d now it today? It sure seems that way. J.C. said of the magazine story, “For me, the amazing thing about this story is how close his (the author’s) description of foot launching and flying was to our experiences today. “Sure,” JC added, “the gear has evolved, but the essential magical experience of foot launching from the side of a hill is the same as it ever was.” Here is an excerpt of the launch description written by Don Stevens in Air Trails: I was all set to go, so I grabbed hold of the two bicycle handle-grips on the framework. Bob said, “Now, Don, lean far forward when you run to get the tail up off the ground.” (When you lean forward the elevators drop down and raise the tail up). I started running as fast as I could and leaning forward as far as possible. I immediately felt the tail leave the ground and did not have any trouble balancing the wing. When I came to the edge of the hill, I leaned back as far as I dared, and Wow! she shot off the ground and zoomed up to about fifteen feet. I leveled out and at the same time put my feet up on the stirrups and started gliding. I heard Bob yelling, “Boy, oh boy, look at her go!” I’m telling you, I have had many thrills in my glider activities but this tops them all. You actually run right off into space! Sound familiar?

1995, I let work and other priorities

exaggerations) proliferated as the

Introductory Training Day at the

get in the way of my ﬂying. I had

night wore on.

Mission Soaring Center in Milpitas, California. Like many of us, he

gone to the Antique Fly-In simply as a spectator, but I started to feel an

I wanted to take note of some of the

said the desire to ﬂy went back

old itch. I wanted to ﬂy again.

history, so I could share it.

to childhood: “I’ve always been

I mooched a glider from another

Daniel Tyler, Jr. started ﬂying in

female pilot. I took one ground-

1986 in Colorado. His father hooked

skimming ﬂight. I was deﬁnitely

him up with instructor Bob Ferris,

Bruce Waugh started hang gliding

rusty, but it still felt good to get

and Dan was a driver for his circle

in 1973 after he “saw a friend of Jeff

in the air. I vowed to get my own

of X-C buddies (which included Jim

Jobe’s ﬂy while show skiing at Sun

glider out of the garage and return

Zeiset, recent USHGA President).

Valley. It looked like fun.” Bruce’s

to Kiwanda on a less crowded day.

Cherie Merwin was a hang driver

Cherie Merwin, the only active

for a boyfriend and, four years

woman member of ValleyVille,

ago, started ﬂying hang gliders

organized a potluck dinner for

herself. She is no stranger to the

Saturday evening and barbecued

air, however. As a child, she ﬂew

a sumptuous pork roast. She

regularly in small planes with her

explained that the meet was

father, and later was on a hot-air

“to bring folks from within

balloon crew for many years.

and outside our area out of the woodwork to show off their old wings and to have a great time renewing friendships and making new ones.” Somebody built a campfire. Most of the pilots set up their camps on the beach nearby, and pulled their lawn chairs into a double circle around the fire. Dwayne Hyatt launched late, just in time for the evening wonder winds. He soared the ridge, and the thermal of the campfire, until dusk. He managed to land just before the food was all gone.

Dick Gammon, who is the icon of Kiwanda, was sitting by Cherie. He started flying in 1972 because he “had to… always wanted to fly.” He saw a glider in Popular Science and built his first glider with a friend. They used aluminum irrigation tubing. Dick knew a sail-maker who sewed a 3.8-ounce Dacron sail with camber, and 18” battens.

Jones. Bruce reminded me that it was “a 17-foot standard with an 80-degree nose and four-degrees of billow. It was called a Ridge Runner. It came as a kit, which my best friend and I put together wrong, but that is another story!” Bruce tied Bob Wills for ninth in the Hang Ten World Open, and came in second in the 1976 Nationals at Dog Mountain in Washington. He turned down the chance to compete in Austria at the World Championships in favor of attending law school. After decades of ﬂying Sensors, he brought his new Laminar to the Fly-In. (I to mooch a Sensor that Russell

migrated to Kiwanda, and in 1973

Tworoger brought, and he had a

held a meet called the “Turkey Fly.”

high-aspect-ratio grin on his face

It was Kiwanda’s ﬁrst hang gliding

after he ﬂew it.)

Many soon-to-be pilots, including

and Jupiter took their position

my husband Bruce, were there.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Ross, which he built with Kevin

Butte in Bend, Oregon. Then he

Ocean. The bright lights of Venus

louder, and the elaborations (and

ﬁrst glider was a Diffenderfer and

noticed, however, he was quick

meet, and attracted 17 people.

The stories around the ﬁre got

and Rudder dozens of times as a kid.”

Dick’s ﬁrst ﬂights were off Pilot

The sun set over the Paciﬁc

just above the western horizon.

fascinated by ﬂight, and read Stick

My ﬁrst glider was a Sun Standard with a customized sail. A friend of mine and I both took lessons and

Regional Director Mark G. Forbes

bought new hang gliders together.

started ﬂying in 1987 at an

She crashed her glider at Kiwanda during our ﬁrst summer there; she 53

ﬂew it into the only log on the

from 6061-T6 aluminum and clear

Barbara Pelett agreed about the safety

beach and broke a bunch of bones.

plastic. They took it to various sites

issues: “The gliders are safer by far,

Her heart was never in it after that,

around the Gresham, Oregon area,

and the instrumentation is quite

and she took up scuba diving.

and had “marginal success.” Then

good. When we learned we went to

they ran into Dick Gammon and

the Cape and taught ourselves using

I met Bruce in those early years

Mike Moore at Kiwanda. It was there

Dennis Pagen’s book. We broke the

while I was ground skimming at

that they had “the most successful

kite every weekend until we got the

Kiwanda. He was a mountain pilot,

butt-skimming.”

hang of it. Looking back, it was like

and considered himself “too cool for

reading a book to ride a bike.”

Kiwanda. Learning at the beach was

Virgil got his pilot’s license in 1972.

for wimps,” he would say.

After seeing Tom Gaskill ﬂying a

Dick Gammon added that there is “a

Quicksilver, he became “slanted

lot more expense involved. It costs

Tom and Barbara Pelett came to

toward ﬁxed wings because of their

more to get started. The performance of

the 2002 Fly-In, too. At 73, Tom

higher performance.” He liked the

the gliders is phenomenal. Choices are

still ﬂies. He started in 1973.

fact that he “didn’t need a hill to

wide and varied for speed, sink rate and

Barbara said he “saw one on TV

jump off.”

performance. There seems to be a new

and had to buy one

breed of pilot emerging

right away.” His ﬁrst

that enjoys what many

glider was a Bennett

pilots call beginner

Standard, and then a

gliders — having fun.

Brock 82. They both

Fun may be coming back.

spent many happy

That’s what brought me

days ﬂying at “Mother

to the old-timer’s meet.”

Kiwanda.” Barbara found a job that was

Virgil Dahrens agreed:

keeping her attention

“The technology is

away from ﬂying. She

incredible. Four hundred-

“decided that wasn’t

mile cross-country

safe and chose the job.”

ﬂights!” But more than the evolution of the

Virgil Dahrens and

Of course, a few pilots have evolved

sport, he said, “The camaraderie was

Gary Wilson landed on the beach

into paragliding. Others only ﬂy

always what I was in it for — the

in their powered Kasperwings.

radio-controlled gliders now. Still

bonded spirit of pilots.”

They had heard about the event

others are into airplanes, sailplanes or

from Larry (Skip) Dennis, another

balloons. We all share one thing: we

Ken Dawe came to the Fly-In with his

old-timer. Virgil, like the rest of us,

love the air. I asked about the changes

Swift, as well as the Wills Wing XC

“always wanted to ﬂy.” He worked

they had seen in hang gliding.

he ﬂies. Ken is a former A&P man for

the summers of 1968-1969 at the

Alaska Airlines. In the old days, he

Troutdale Airport. In 1971, he saw an

Bruce answered ﬁrst: “We have lost

camped in the back of a pickup truck;

issue of Popular Mechanics with Dick

some ﬂying sites and friends and

now he has a sleek, cushy, full-size van,

Eipper flying a flexi-flyer on the front

gained others. The sport is safer and

with many of the comforts of home.

cover. He thought to himself, “I’ve

we consistently ﬂy higher and farther,

We noticed that many of us old pilots

got to do this, and ordered plans.”

and the gliders are twice as heavy!”

have evolved in our camping habitat;

Virgil and a friend built a 16-foot ﬂexi

comfort is king.

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Craig DeMott has ﬂown hang gliders

and hearing of these stories, all told

This is your open invitation to

since 1974, and he is still avid about

simultaneously, that helped all there

come, ﬂy, and tell your story.

it. He was one of the ﬁrst pilots in

at the meet to better understand

The ValleyVille Hang Gliding

the Northwest to break the 100-mile

the changes we have gone through.

Association wants to know what

barrier. But now if it’s really cranking,

The contrast of a suntanned 20-

the rest of you pilots are doing. The

he windsurfs. He still pilots airplanes

something-year-old running off a

Third Annual Antique Hang Glider

for his income, and is a certiﬁed

dune without a helmet and in bare

Fly-In will be June 7 and 8, 2003 at

ﬂyboy. His wife, Joanie, ﬂew hang

feet, against the modern-day warrior

Cape Kiwanda. We’ll see you there.

gliders for 15 years to get over her fear

pilot with fancy electronic GPS, radio

of heights. Now she is undeniably the

and instrumentation, parachute,

best driver the sport has ever known.

and support crew chasing him or her

She helps with setup, tear-down,

hundreds of miles downwind, is a

packing back and forth, and always

big one. But, hang gliding is in some

drives with a smile on her face.

ways still the same, attested to by the ﬂying of old wings side by side with

We have seen many changes in the

newer technology. This type of event

sport, but people who ﬂy hang gliders

is part of allowing our community

share more than their love of the air.

to hold on to the history, and keep it

The camaraderie goes deep and it lasts

alive as well.”

About the author: Chris Waugh owns reNvision, Inc., a leadership training company. She is currently launching a book entitled Flying By the Seat of Your Pants, Pilot Manual for Life, which teaches a few basic lessons from the sport of hang gliding. — Ed.

a long time. Virgil Dahrens said, “I’ve met a lot of great people.” William Larson just began flying in 1999. He came to the meet “to play on a training hill with my glider. It was a blast. I got to fly gliders that were older than I am.” That was it. We turned in for the night. Sunday morning, as we awoke, the smell of coffee blanketed the beach. The fire was rekindled and the lawn chairs once again filled up with pilots. The stories began where they left off the night before. After breakfast, we all adjourned back to the dune. As the wind picked up, the gliders’ wings were unfurled and pilots were back in the air. Meet organizer Daniel Tyler, Jr. summed it up: “It was the telling Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Hike to Launch Story and Photos by Mark Sivazlian

Word Count = 1349 FEATURE: Possible Headlines: Subheads Story and Photos by Mark Sivazlian Last year, Montana pilot Mark Sivazlian took a different approach to flying. He lightened his load and began to savor not only the serene top to bottom flights, but also his journey along the way. February: The first flight with my new light rig. Settling into old habits, Frank and I take our four-wheel-drive rig up to

launch. Well, we are trying to, but the road is still smooth ice. Resigned to our fate, I turn around and park. We begin our trek up the grassy hillside. It is clear. The soft evening light and fresh air make us wonder why hiking wasn’t our ﬁrst choice. At launch 30 minutes later, Frank launches ﬁrst. Then, in a race against the coming winter sunset, I’m into my harness ready to go in under 5 minutes. In a breath of air, I watch my white wing rise up, and I turn. My steps become light and long. Then, ahhh!, the feeling I love as the earth sinks away beneath me. In this new harness, I feel exposed without the usual

foam bulk surrounding me. However, the uncertainty soon leaves me, and I embrace the freedom of its simplicity. The cold air stings me to my senses, and I remember to look past myself. The Helena Valley unfolds before me, bathed in a bronze light. The mere minutes of ﬂight measure out to hours of images. Frank runs over to me as I gently touch down. We grin and chatter like kids. We are kids—the adult in us was buried deep as soon as our feet left the ground. Early March It is a silver afternoon. The sun shines bright, but still there is a smooth blanket of white on the

Some guidance:

Start with your harness. It is the quickest, cheapest way to shed pounds from your rig. Make your first flights from a site you know well. Seek out the most stable, smooth air of the day. Of course, if it isn’t perfect, be prepared to hike down. Gear facts: Here’s what I am using, and it all works flawlessly: Harness: Sup’Air Radicale Plus (w/biners and speed bar) ..........................1051g Paraglider: Apco Fiesta Light M (w/ sack & strap) .......4592g Vario: Renschler Solario ...........................................35g Gloves: Lil Sport XC .................................................153g Sack: Sup’Air Sack Light (with back pad removed) 803g Helmet: Giro 9..........................................................373g Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Total weight of ﬂying gear: 7007 grams (about 15.5 lbs) Other gear (not always carried): Liter of water (w/ bottle) ...........................1062g Cell phone ..................................................106g Camera gear ...............................................812g Power bar......................................................70g Wind meter: Flytec Alti-windwatch ................62g Knife: Tool Logic (w/ integral LED light and emergency whistle) .........................................................73g Rough Conversions: 28 grams = 1 oz. 16 oz = 1 lb. 1000 grams = 1 kg.

ground. The temperature chills us at a mere 10 degrees F. It is not easy to persuade Karin to come along, but the hike is surreal. Ice crystals are suspended in the air, and the entire

sky is a prism of colored light. Beneath our feet, the virgin snow sparkles like tiny mirrors. We are almost afraid to move, lest we spoil the scene. Nearly 45 minutes later we arrive at launch. A few long, powerful strides and Karin is airborne. As her yellow paraglider casts a vibrant crescent against the crystalline ground far below, she lets out a joyful yelp. Spreading out my wing, I pause to watch as my wife slowly glides out into the valley. I forget about the cold. And as if the snow has come alive, the white fabric of my glider emerges from the ground and takes shape above me. In seconds, I too am ﬂying. For a brief moment, we are ﬂying together, but far apart. I look out at the white expanse, and then back. The very small yellow 58

crescent stops moving. The shadow and the wing fall together. Karin has landed. A few minutes later, I touch down next to her. Once again the nylon and snow merge to one. Karin’s smile is wide. “That was a sweet flight,” she says. July...and many “light flights” later. Mount Helena. The town sentinel. The hiking park. Finally, the winds look right for a flight from its summit. The weather is hot, dry, and appreciated. I savor the feeling of the sweat sliding off my forehead, and collecting on my back against the pack. As I stop for water, I am reassured. A gentle southeast breeze is still finding its way up the slope. Too soon, I find myself on top. The town is below me and against the foot of the mountain. The organized lines of the streets. The cathedral. The capitol dome. It is a commanding view. A handful of tired hikers lay resting around me, or just gazing off across the valley. No one takes notice until I, like a magician pulling an endless scarf from his sleeve, unfold the paraglider and harness from the small pack. Curious, quiet, and

suspicious, the small crowd watches as I ready and check my gear. A grin crosses my face as I tug my wing up, turn, and without even a step, am ﬂying. I hear a toddler in a baby pack squeal and laugh with delight as I ﬂoat away from the hill. What a beautiful day! October 20 It is warm and that is rare now. After a thorough yet disbelieving look through my telescope, I am quickly driving up the hill. Good days on the west side of the hill have been few. Evening is coming, and this calls for desperate measures. I fourwheel to the top. The 4x4 is parked. Walking the last bit to launch, alone I crest the hilltop. It is almost too good to be true—the wind is coming straight up. But it is too gentle to keep me aloft for long. If only the women were here. They seem to be able to make the best of these types of days. My pure white wing is up above and follows me around like a small cloud as I play in the bowl. The sky is mixed but easy, yet I feel a light sprinkle on my face. I smoothly surf the evening air. In this minimalist harness, my body almost feels weightless. The western clouds are a sea of color, and below me a herd of deer scatter along the grassy Continues on page 62 March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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T I P S

F R O M

T H E

M A S T E R S

Column Name: Tips from the Masters

morning, it’s quickly warming up. This early Possible headlines: in the season it doesn’t seem Spring Time like conditions Considerations Spring Cleaning: Shake could be too strong. Where out those dust bunnies Dixon White are those notes Spring: Clear your mind and your lines on how to check the weather? Does checking By Dixon White the weather ever pay-off anyway? Well, maybe Lately, I’ve noticed the someone else will have sun is spending more time checked the weather. Now, above the horizon. Birds are what was the rule about soaring. It’s actually getting checking for NOTAMs? warm during the day. Aahhh, Oh well, there won’t be it’s spring! any XC anyway, will there? With spring in the air, What’s the phone number I realized I had to dig my for calling the weather liar, glider out from under all the (a.k.a. the briefer)? Heck, you just have to fly what ski and skate equipment and you get, if you can get blow off the dust. There’s off launch, that’s all that a nagging voice in my head counts. Gotta fly no matter telling me that I should what: a little excitement have sent the glider off for is a good thing. It doesn’t an inspection and a reserve matter if I choose to add repack while it was still a little risk to my life—if winter. I said out loud, to override that bothersome, I’m dead and they close if sensible, voice in my the site because of my head, “It can’t hurt to take accident, what will I care? advantage of at least one This pattern could continue spring weekend— it looks so throughout the summer, it’s good and all my friends are amazing how one weekend heading out.” But then, it’s leads to another and then amazing how one weekend another until there’s no danger of you getting into leads to another and another the habit of studying the until it’s mid-summer and weather; no chance you’ll that inspection and reserve gain skill in making sense repack are destined to set of what conditions are best. aside until the following Oh well. winter. Chances are that Okay! I’m finally I’ll never need that reserve on launch! But how anyway! embarrassing: I just laid So let’s go fly! The sky is clear and while it’s a crisp out the glider upside

down—I hope no one saw that bonehead move. Man oh man, just hooked the glider to the harness with everything all screwy, and everyone is watching! They must be laughing. What can anyone expect, that I might have gone out to the park and worked through my stuff and practiced some launches before getting out to the mountain? Who really has time for that kind of anal behavior? Still, I have to admit, the tension is mounting. If only I could get off launch, I’m really good in the air. Maybe I should have done some practice at the park. Maybe a forward launch will go better—I can’t afford to blow a sixth try at a reverse launch. Whoops, what happened? Let’s see: while facing forward for the launch, a gust came through and my glider was blown over some rocks. Looks like only 2 attachment points got pulled out so it should be okay—if it will launch it should fly just fine. Ouch!! I sure wish I’d had something better than a bicycle helmet when I went into that face plant:my nose feels as flat as a pancake. I wonder if blood washes out of a glider. Look back now, I admit it was much easier to turn my glider right-side-up after I unbuckled my leg straps—muich easier to move around that way. But it would have been nice to

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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F R O M

have found them undone during a pre-flight check– how does that pre-flight checklist read? Hhmmm. Well, I hope someone helps get me out of this tree—someone with a tree saw, a rope, and a cell phone to call 911 (I don’t feel so good). Of course, I suppose it would help if I knew the coordinates of this tree. Wait, it looks like everyone is having so much fun flying that they don’t want to help me! Maybe they can’t see me down here, sure wish I had charged the radio battery before this trip—I guess five months in the closet drained it pretty good. Finally out of the tree! Now, though, there are two more broken lines and a slight 15-inch rip in the wing from that blasted tree. Might have to send the glider off next week for a repair, then the inspection can get done and the reserve can be repacked. I should probably go through the reserve deployment sequence with an instructor at some point. Great, lost yesterday to that silly leg-strap pre-flight error, but today seems ok, at least the sky is mostly blue; man those higher clouds look like space ships. Wonder if anyone will show up with the WX stuff today, seems like no one had a clue yesterday. Got to get off launch, maybe my friend can spot me. Yippeee, ‘in the air again, like a brood

T H E

M A S T E R S

of geese we fly through the ridge lift.’ Man is this harness uncomfortable, need to let go of the brakes to grab the seat and get myself just right. What’s with the guy yelling something about following ridge rules, I was here first, he should have gotten out of my way – jerk. Seems as though the wind is picking up, I’m right over the top of the hill and can’t seem to penetrate forward. Whew, just barely made it out and away from the hill— would have been loads easier if the speed bar had been hooked up, need to remember it next time. Where IS that pre-flight check list? Wait a minute! I can’t seem to get down to the LZ! I’m going to have to land in that tree-lined drive way. Pulling big-ears is done with the outer “B” line, right? Oh crap, pulled the one outer “B” and the glider is spinning, guess I should pull the brake on the other side. Now the glider is spinning to the other side and I’ve got a terrible riser twist.

Hike to Launch

…continued from page 58

slope. I land soon after. The rain never comes. The night arrived fast. I am now loosing my feet against the ground as I scramble back up to my vehicle. Heart pounding, the view opens up. At the very second I can see across

Whassuupp?

“What’s taking so long with your Website?” — “Are you ever going live?” I’m aware some of you have been waiting anxiously so you can read almost 25 years of “Product Lines” columns, Dennis Pagen ﬂight reviews of several modern gliders, or hundreds of other pilot reports with thousands of photos. OK, maybe “anxiously” is a little strong. But after all these ads, you’re curious, aren’t you? To speed up the effort of posting all the articles, I’ve hired Whole Air magazine editor Starr Tays Weiss to help, and our former teamwork will pay off once again. So, really — I mean it — ByDanJohnson.com IS coming. Please sign up now to be notiﬁed when the site goes live.

the valley to the east, a bright sliver slices over the mountainous skyline. Then, like a huge drop of liquid light, the full moon peels away from the horizon and ﬂoats in to the sky. Feet on the ground I watch, but somehow, I still feel as though I’m beneath my wing.

Epilogue: The simplicity of this light equipment offers a certain freedom. So does the philosophy of this ﬂying. Like my very ﬁrst days in paragliding, I embrace the sensation of gliding serenely from launch to landing. But the day is

Brand New 2003 Buyer’s Guide Last year’s edition sold out. And the new 2003 model is bigger and better than ever. WDLA has got: 36 pages of paragliders, 16 pages of hang gliders, 10 pages of ultralight sailplanes, 19 pages of powered hang gliders or paragliders… plus… over 1,000 aircraft including powered parachutes, trikes, ultralights, kit-built aircraft, rotorcraft… and… contact info for many suppliers, schools, dealers, and clubs. Thought you’d seen it all? Hardly! Get your own copy of the 2003 World Directory of Leisure Aviation. Only $9.95 + $4.95 Priority Mail. Limited stock—send a check for $14.90 to: Dan Johnson • 265 Echo Lane • South St. Paul MN 55118 • USA • (no credit cards or phone orders)

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R K E T P L A C E HANG GLIDING ADVISORY Used hang gliders should always be disassembled before flying for the first time and inspected carefully for fatigued, bent or dented downtubes, ruined bushings, bent bolts (especially the heart bolt), re-used Nyloc nuts, loose thimbles, frayed 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. PARAGLIDING ADVISORY: Used paragliders should always be thoroughly inspected before flying for the first time. Annual inspections on paragliders should include sailcloth strength tests. Simply performing a porosity check isn’t sufficient. Some gliders pass porosity yet have very weak sailcloth. If in doubt, many hang gliding and paragliding businesses will be happy to give an objective opinion on the condition of equipment you bring 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 CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. ————————————————————— FLEX WINGS ————————————————————— AIRBORNE CLIMAX 13 — One nearly new $4,995; One demo, looks new $4,595. 1-800-688-5637, fly@hanglide.com Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

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AV8 — ICARO The Laminar MRX 700+ is now available. Fly the glider that is ﬂown by the current US National Champion and both the Men and

Womens World Champions. (760) 721-0701, indasky@yahoo. com and www. icaro2000.com ————————————————————— DREAM 220 — Spectrum colors, email for pictures $900 includes complete inspection, $500 w/o inspection. (510) 579-4661, rudyvisaya@attbi.com ————————————————————— EAGLES 145, 164, 180 — Rental gliders at ﬂight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— EVEN-UP TRADES — Looking to move up from your Beginner or Novice glider, but can’t put up cash? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— FALCONS — 140, 170, 195, 225 new and used. WALLABY RANCH (863) 4240070. ————————————————————— FALCONS CLEARANCE SALE — School use, one season. All sizes $1,250$2,500. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— FREE PVC GLIDER STORAGE/ TRANSPORT TUBE — With the purchase of any new glider. (517) 2238683, Cloud9SA@aol.com. Largest selection of new and used gliders in Michigan. ————————————————————— FUSION 141 — Truly great condition, with carbonﬁber winglets, extra XC bag and spare downtube! Photos available. $1,500

M A R K E T P L A C E gets everything! (760) 771-4518, ssmith@college ofthedesert.edu ————————————————————— FUSION 150 — Excellent condition, ﬂies sweet, best offer, will ship. (305) 285-8978. ————————————————————— FUSION 150 — Low hours, meticulously maintained, excellent condition, one of the last ones built $2,100 or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— MOYES CSX4, SX4, SX5, MAX — Great condition, very low hours, each priced at under $2,000. Moyes Xtralite 147 — All white $1,100 or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— MOYES XTRALITE 147 — <20 hours, undersurface red w/1 tip white and Moyes bird $2,000 OBO. (603) 666-3938 New Hampshire, THRMAL@AOL.COM ————————————————————— MOYES SONIC 165 — Excellent condition, low hours $2,300 OBO. (205) 823-5121, rhilton103@aol.com ————————————————————— SPECTRUM 165 — The Wills Wing novice model before the Eagle. Two available, low hours, clean, priced to sell or trade for? (262) 4738800, info@hanggliding. com ————————————————————— SPORT AT 167 — Flies great, very good condition, ripstop trailing edge, green/ white/blue $850. Joe (847) 895-5858 Illinois. ————————————————————— SPORTSTER 148 — Brand new, white and red, 64

priced to sell or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— TALON 150 — Excellent condition, <23 hours, light blue/white w/ small eagle custom sail pattern, aluminum speedbar $3,850. (970) 879-3935, tom@thomaswoodloghomes. com ————————————————————— TARGET 180 — Near new, rental glider at flight park, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— ULTRASPORT 135, 147, 166 — Rental gliders at flight park, low hours, clean, priced to sell. (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— ULTRASPORT 147 — Beautiful geometric sail design in red, blue and black, 100 hours flight time, Hall wheels $2,000 OBO. (315) 785-3639, imaginehg@aol.com ————————————————————— ULTRASPORT 166 — Looking for energetic pilot to raise its low hours. Great condition $2,000. (520) 378-9607, bodybasics@body-basics. com ————————————————————— WWXC 142 — Superb condition, blue/orange, white top, 60 hours, light, responsive $1,350. Roger (360) 733-4821 Washington, hsharf@attbi.com ————————————————————— EMERGENCY PARACHUTES ————————————————————— AUTHORIZED CHUTE REPAIR — And service center for APCO, Elan, Chiron powered parachutes and

UP/Perche/Independence paragliders and more! We have a full-time loft available with quick turn around for small to huge repairs and annual inspections. Ship your chute to MoJo’s Gear Ltd. Co., 1475 CR 220, Tow, TX 78672 Attn: REPAIR or INSPECTION. Include a note about the service(s) you require as well as a contact phone number and email. We will contact you with an estimate prior to starting the work. Ofﬁce: 915-3791567, www.mojosgear.com ————————————————————— 20 GORE PDA — w/swivel $375. 20 gore $199. Used Quantum 330s, 550s. Many more available. Raven Sky Sports (262) 4738800, info@hanggliding. com ————————————————————— HARNESSES ————————————————————— AIRMAX HANG GLIDER SHOP — Training harness $95. Prime cocoon harness $120. Prime XC cocoon harness $179. XC glider bag $59. Multipurpose MP glider bag $69. Waterproof TRANSPORT glider bag $99. Glider bag kits $39. GEAR BAGS $39. Speed bar blanks, downtubes, upright blanks, radios, varios, shock cord, leech line, harness rope, sail cloth, thread, sail repair material, bolts, nuts, washers, safety rings, saddles, ball pins, tubing end caps. What LEAF was, we are. Ask for our catalog. (505) 824-5098, email airmax2u@yahoo.com ————————————————————— CENTER OF GRAVITY — March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R K E T P L A C E Chest entry, excellent condition, 5’ 9”, $350. (541) 504-5416. ————————————————————— HIGH ENERGY TRACER POD HARNESSES — Sizes and styles change monthly, $300-500. Cocoons $125$200 each. Many others available. (262) 4738800, info@hanggliding. com ————————————————————— KARPO FLY “KOBRA” — Medium size, like new, similar to Genie II, reserve under seat $180. (970) 926-2533. ————————————————————— MOSQUITO POWERED HARNESS — New Prop, one hour airtime, complete super-preflight $3,500 OBO. 1-800-688-5637, fly@hanglide.com ————————————————————— PARAGLIDERS ————————————————————— AIR SPORTS USA — WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET ————————————————————— RIGID WINGS ————————————————————— AV8 — STRATUS RIGID. Go rigid for under $10,000. Call (760) 721-0701 or email indasky@yahoo.com ————————————————————— EXXTACY 135 — 70hrs, comes w/extras $4,500. (206) 244-5122, redris1@attbi.com ————————————————————— GHOSTBUSTER — 2000, excellent condition, plus spare downtubes & custom xc bag $7,000. Steve Wertheimer (415) 385-0423, swerthei@earthlink.net. ————————————————————— GHOSTBUSTER PARTS — Sail, flaps, spoilers, ribs, hardware, wires, everything but the leading edges. (970) 641-9207, skyout1@webtv. Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

net ————————————————————— ULTRALIGHTS ————————————————————— AIR SPORTS USA — WWW. FLYFORFUN.NET ————————————————————— COMPLETE AEROTOW TRIKE OPERATION — w/Rotax 503, 3-blade Ivo prop, 2-place seat, tow release, emergency chute, LaMouette Gulf wing, custom trailer, launch cart $8,000 gets it all. cctravel@mail3. newnanutilities.org for pixs or (770) 304-8475. ————————————————————— Superﬂoater photo posted superﬂoater.march.tif SUPERFLOATER ULTRALIGHT SAILPLANE — Perfect condition, ballistic parachute, tow easily with trike/ultralight/ wench, always kept in hangar $9,500. Contact Steve Lantz, (775) 720-4157, email stevelantz@aol.com ————————————————————— WANTED ————————————————————— WANTED: NEW OR USED — ThinAir or Vapor harness by ThinRedLine. Contact rudyvisaya@attbi.com, (510) 579-4661. ————————————————————— SCHOOLS & DEALERS ————————————————————— ALABAMA ————————————————————— LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia. ————————————————————— ARIZONA ————————————————————— DIXON’S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING — Dixon White: USHGA’s Instructor of the Year! Airplay: Top ranked school for years and

featured in the best selling videos “Starting Paragliding”, “Weather to Fly” and the “Art of Kiting”. The perfect beginner training areas at both our Washington and Arizona locations. Arizona’s “best” beginner season is September through May. Washington is open May through September. At both locations drive-up to 360 degree treeless and rockless launches. Land in wide open fields, enjoy many flights each day! Limited access to the Flight Parks reduce traffic and crowding. Excellent individualized instruction with stateof-the-art lesson plans and equipment. Comprehensive ground schooling with an emphasis on micrometeorology. Great new/used inventory, specializing in Windtech paragliding gear, repair center, and superb customer service. In ARIZONA or WASHINGTON appointments are required. PO Box 2626 Flagstaff, AZ 86003. (928) 526-4579 www.paraglide.com or dixon@paraglide.com ————————————————————— CALIFORNIA ————————————————————— AIRJUNKIES PARAGLIDING — Join KEN BAIER for your “Pursuit of Paragliding Excellence” in the land of year-round, excellent paragliding: Southern California and the Baja. Courses for Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor ratings. Powered paragliding, soaring and maneuvers clinics, guided tours, 65

M A R K E T P L A C E tandem and towing instruction and special events. USHGA certiﬁed. Handling the latest equipment. Call (760) 7532664 for information, airjunkies@worldnet.att. net ————————————————————— DREAM WEAVER HANG GLIDING — Train on state-of-the-art WILLS WING FALCONS. LESSON PACKAGES: One four hour lesson $125. Three four hour lessons, plus tandem off 2,000ft. $400. Five lessons for $550. Ten lessons plus tandem $1,000. Complete lesson programs. Yearround instruction. Launching and landing and thermal clinics. DON’T HIKE YOUR GLIDER YOURSELF, I’LL HELP YOU! Dealer for Wills Wing, Moyes, Aeros, High Energy Sports, Rotor harnesses, Ball varios, Flytec, Brauniger, Garmin GPS, Camelbaks and more. 80 MILES EAST OF BAY AREA. I’m your northern California MOSQUITO HARNESS DEALER. Call or email to schedule your Mosquito demonstration or clinic. Giving lessons ﬁve days a week, Fridays through Tuesdays. Ideal training hill, up to 150ft., 600ft mountain, 1,200ft mountain. Tandem instruction. USHGA Advanced Instructor DOUG PRATHER (209) 556-0469 Modesto, CA. drmwvrhg@softcom.net ————————————————————— SantaBarbEaglePG.tiff lineart from PG

YEAR! We are an Airplay sister school, and teach the same high quality program which has made Dixon’s Airplay a top ranked school for years. We specialize in beginner instruction. SANTA BARBARA caters to paraglider pilots of all levels. Our training hill is unparalleled, and offers year round instruction, equipment sales, SERVICE, and support. By appointment only. www. FlySantaBarbara.com (805) 968-0980. —————————————————————

EAGLE PARAGLIDING — ROB SPORRER: USHGA’S 2002 INSTRUCTOR OF THE

Mission Soaring LINEART from HG

FLY ABOVE ALL PHOTO from PG FLY ABOVE ALL — Experience year-round paragliding instruction in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA! Our friendly, experienced staff offers hands-on, personalized, radiocontrolled lessons. Enjoy soaring the best training hill in the Western US and when you land, shuttles will whisk you back to the top for your next scenic flight. USHGA certified, solo, tandem and powered paragliding instruction, equipment sales and tandem flights. Visit our Website at www. flyaboveall.com or call at (805) 965-3733. ————————————————————— THE HANG GLIDING CENTER — PO Box 151542, San Diego CA 92175, (619) 265-5320. —————————————————————

LARGEST HANG GLIDING SHOP — In the West! Our deluxe retail shop showcases the latest equipment and has two virtual reality hang gliding ﬂight simulators. We stock new and used…Wills Wing, Altair and Moyes gliders, and all the hottest new harnesses. Trade-ins are welcome. Our comprehensive training program, located at the San Francisco Bay Area’s ﬁnest beginner site features: gently sloped “bunny hills,” Wills Wing Falcons of all sizes and comfortable training harnesses! “FIRST FLIGHT”15 minute video tour of our beginner lesson program shows a student’s skill progression $20 (shipping included). 1116 Wrigley Way, Milpitas CA 95035 (near San Jose). (408) 2621055, fax (408) 2621388. mission@hang-gliding.com www.hang-gliding.com ————————————————————— SAN FRANCISCO HANG GLIDING CENTER — Tandem instruction, solo lessons, gliders new and used. Ultralight seacraft instruction over San Francisco Bay. Apprenticeship program. (510) 528-2300, www. sfhanggliding.com ————————————————————— new lineart posted: Torrey classifed lineart.jpg

TORREY PINES GLIDERPORT — Come soar in San March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R K E T P L A C E Diego! This family owned and operated flying site offers USHGA certified instruction, advanced training, equipment sales, tandem flight instruction, motorized pg/hg instruction and site tours. We also have an extensive pg/ hg outfitting shop offering parachute repacks and full-service repairs. Bring your family for our amazing sunsets and dining at the Cliffhanger Cafe. Importers for PARATECH and INDEPENDENCE gliders. We also carry AustriAlpin, Center of Gravity, Crispi and SupAir. Check us out online for sales and questions at: www. flytorrey.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-FLYTEAM (359-8326). Also, tune in to the Internet Paragliding Talk Show at www.wstadio.com every Monday 8-10:00 am (PST). ————————————————————— Windsports LINEART from HG DON’T RISK BAD WEATHER — Bad instruction or dangerous training hills. 350 flyable days each year. Learn foot launch flying skills safely and quickly. Train with professional CFI’s at world famous Dockweiler Beach training slopes (5 minutes from LA airport.) Fly winter or summer in gentle coastal winds, soft sand and in a thorough program with one of America’s most prestigious schools for over 25 years. ————————————————————— Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

COLORADO ————————————————————— AIRTIME ABOVE HANG GLIDING — Fulltime lessons, sales, service. Colorado’s most experienced! Wills Wing, Moyes, Altair, Aeros, Airwave, High Energy, Ball, Flytec, MotoComm and much more. Call (303) 674-2451, Evergreen, Colorado AirtimeHG@aol.com ————————————————————— CONNECTICUT ————————————————————— MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York. ————————————————————— FLORIDA ————————————————————— Florida Ridge lineart from HG 18265 E. State Road 80, Clewiston FL. (863) 805-0440, www. theﬂoridaridge.com ————————————————————— LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia. Nearest mountain training center to Orlando (only 8 hours). ————————————————————— Miami LINEART (babes under glider/beach) from HG WE HAVE — The most advanced training program known to hang gliding, teaching you in half the time it takes on the training-BUNNY HILL, and with more inﬂight air time. YES, WE CAN TEACH YOU FASTER AND SAFER. For year-round training fun in the sun, call or write Miami Hang Gliding (305) 285-8978. 2550 S Bayshore Drive,

Coconut Grove, Florida 33133. ————————————————————— Quest LINEART from HG THE BEST AEROTOW — Instruction available. The only U.S. hang gliding school with TWO NATIONAL CHAMPION INSTRUCTORS and U.S. WORLD TEAM MEMBERS Bo Hagewood 2000 National Champion And Paris Williams 2001 National Champion. From your ﬁrst tandem to advanced XC racing instruction. Open every day with beautiful remodeled 90+ acre facilities. Plenty of other activities like our screened in pool, hot tub, private lake, canoes, ﬁshing, volleyball and just minutes from Orlando attractions. Learn from the best.... at Quest! www.questairforce.com Email: questair@sundial. net (352) 429-0213 Groveland, FL ————————————————————— Wallaby LINEART from HG

The Aerotow Flight Park Satisfaction Guaranteed JUST 8 MILES FROM DISNEY WORLD *YEAR ROUND SOARING *OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK *SIX TUGS, NO WAITING *EVERY DIRECTION 50+ NICE demos to ﬂy: Topless to Trainer Gliders: Laminar, Moyes, Wills, Airborne, Airwave, Exxtacy, La Mouette, Sensor; also harnesses, varios, 67

M A R K E T P L A C E etc. Ages 13 To 73 have learned to ﬂy here. No one comes close to our level of experience and success with tandem aerotow instruction. A GREAT SCENE FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS...

Mashy, Jeremie Hill, Tom Ramseur, Roger Sherrod, Mike Barber, Neal Harris, Bart Weghorst, Carolina de Castro, Paul Moncure, Bob McFee, Emily Boespﬂug ————————————————————— GEORGIA ————————————————————— RV LINEART from HG

10 motels & restaurants within 5 mins., camping, hot showers, shade trees, sales, storage, ratings, XC retrievals, great weather, climbing wall, trampoline, DSS TV, ping pong, picnic tables, swimming pool, etc. Flights of over 200 miles and more than 7 hours. Articles in Hang Gliding, Kitplanes, Skywings, Cross Country and others. Featured on numerous TV shows, including Dateline NBC, The Discovery Channel & ESPN. Visit us on the Web: http://www.wallaby.com Please call us for references and video. 1805 Dean Still Road, Disney Area, FL 33837 (863) 424-0070 - phone & fax ﬂy@wallaby.com 1-800-WALLABY Conservative . Reliable . State of the Art F.H.G. INC./FLYING FLORIDA SINCE 1974 Malcolm Jones, Laurie Croft, Carlos Bessa, Rhett Radford, Tiki 68

FULL HOOK-UPS — Laundry, propane, recreation room. 1-800-803-7788. ————————————————————— LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See our display ad. Discover why FOUR TIMES as many pilots earn their wings at Lookout than at any other school! We wrote USHGA’s Official Training Manual. Our specialtycustomer satisfaction and fun with the BEST FACILITIES, largest inventory, camping, swimming, volleyball, more! For a flying trip, intro flight or lesson packages, Lookout Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, your COMPLETE training/ service center. Info? (800) 688-LMFP. ————————————————————— HAWAII ————————————————————— BIP LineART from HG BIRDS IN PARADISE — Hang gliding & ultralight flying on Kauai. Certified tandem instruction. (808) 8225309 or (808) 639-1067, birds@birdsinparadise. com www.birdsinparadise. com —————————————————————

————————————————————— PROFLYGHT PARAGLIDING — Imagine a 1000’ foot training hill with nothing but grass between the launches and landing zone. Imagine a paved road that would offer easy access to multiple launches. Imagine that road continuing up to a launch at 6,500’ AGL. Imagine telling your spouse that the next flying trip will be to Maui. (SNAP!) Now wake up and make your dreams a reality. Join Dexter Clearwater and his team at Proflyght Paragliding for an experience of a lifetime. Never flown before? Spend two weeks in paradise and go home with your rating. We offer complete instruction from beginner to advanced. Call (808) 874-5433 for more information or check us out at WWW. PARAGLIDEHAWAII.COM ————————————————————— IDAHO ————————————————————— KING MOUNTAIN GLIDERS — Alluring site plus shop supplying all your HG/ PG needs. Instruction, equipment sales, complete accessories. Visit our website www. kingmountaingliders.com or (208) 390-0205. ————————————————————— ILLINOIS ————————————————————— HANG GLIDE CHICAGO — Full service aeropark, 2 tow planes. Full time certified instructors, ultralight instructors, March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R K E T P L A C E East Coast record 217 miles. (815) 325-1685, www.hangglidechicago.com ————————————————————— RAVEN SKY SPORTS — (312) 360-0700, (815) 4899700 or (262) 4738800. 2 hours from Chicago, 90 minutes from Elgin, Palatine or Libertyville. The best instructors, the best equipment, the best results in the Midwest. 7 days/week, March thru November. Training program for combined/integrated FOOT LAUNCH AND AEROTOW certiﬁcation. Apply 100% of your intro lesson costs to certiﬁcation program upgrade! Please see our ad under WISCONSIN. info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— MARYLAND —————————————————————

Ph 410.634.2700 Fax 410.634.2775 24038 Race Track Rd Ridgely, MD 21660 www.aerosports.net hangglide@aerosports.net ————————————————————— MEXICO ————————————————————— MEXICO — Done Valle? Try Colima...it’s HOT! Safari Mexico rides again! Experienced thermal pilots only. Solid foot launch skills required. Seven days $695 includes glider. John ‘Ole’ Olson is your host at RANCHO DELUXE. Antiguo Aeropuerto Colima dial direct: 01152 312 312-4469, USA (360) 403-3199 HGMexico@learntoﬂytrikes. com —————————————————————

Highland Aerosports LINEART from HG Baltimore and DC’s full time flight park Tandem instruction, solo aerotows and equipment sales and service. We carry Aeros, Airwave, Flight Design, Moyes, Wills Wing, High Energy Sports, Flytec and more. Two 115 HP Dragonfly tugs Open fields as far as you can see Only 1 to 1.5 hours from: Rehoboth Beach Baltimore Washington DC Philadelphia Come Fly with US! Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

MEXICO — Summer in Monterrey, winter in Valle de Bravo. 1-800861-7198, www.ﬂymexico.com ————————————————————— MICHIGAN ————————————————————— CLOUD 9 SPORT AVIATION — Aerotow specialists. We carry all major brand hang gliders. FREE PVC glider storage/ transport tube with new glider purchase. Now in stock: Wills TALON COMP!, XC 155, Falcons; Moyes Litespeed 4, Sonic 165; Magic Kiss

154. Outrigger wheels and other accessories in stock. Call for spring tandem lessons and ﬂying appointments with the DraachenFliegen Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field. 11088 Coon Lake Road West, Webberville, MI 48892. (517) 2238683. Cloud9sa@aol. com. http://members. aol.com/cloud9sa ————————————————————— MICHIGAN SOARING — Delivering VALUE with the best combination of SERVICE, QUALITY & PRICE. ALL major brands of gliders and gear. Call Doug Coster (231) 882-4744, wingman@traverse.com ————————————————————— “knees in the Breeze” PHOTO from PG TRAVERSE CITY HANG GLIDERS/PARAGLIDERS — Put your knees in our breeze and soar our 450’ sand dunes. FULLTIME SHOP. Certiﬁed instruction, beginner to advanced. Sales, service, accessories for ALL major brands. VISA/MASTERCARD. 1509 E 8th, Traverse City MI 49684. Offering POWERED PARAGLIDING. Call Bill at (231) 922-2844, tchangglider@chartermi. net. Your USA & Canada Mosquito distributor. ————————————————————— NEVADA ————————————————————— ADVENTURE SPORTS — Carson City, Sierra tours, tandems, sales. (775) 883-7070 http:// home.pyramid.net/advspts ————————————————————— NEW JERSEY ————————————————————— MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look 69

M A R K E T P L A C E under New York. ————————————————————— NEW MEXICO ————————————————————— AIRMAX HANG GLIDER SHOP — Training harness $95. Prime cocoon harness $120. Prime XC cocoon harness $179. XC glider bag $59. Multipurpose MP glider bag $69. Waterproof TRANSPORT glider bag $99. Glider bag kits $39. GEAR BAGS $39. Speed bar blanks, downtubes, upright blanks, radios, varios, shock cord, leech line, harness rope, sail cloth, thread, sail repair material, bolts, nuts, washers, safety rings, saddles, ball pins, tubing end caps. What LEAF was, we are. Ask for our catalog. (505) 824-5098, email airmax2u@yahoo.com ————————————————————— NEW YORK ————————————————————— AAA FLIGHT SCHOOL — Mountain Wings Inc, 150 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 12428, www.mtnwings. com mtnwings@catskill. net, (845) 647-3377. ————————————————————— AIR SPORTS USA — NYC’s ﬁrst and only certiﬁed hang gliding, paragliding, microlights (trikes), powered paragliding. Distributors for Avian. Dealers for most major brands. Full service and equipment at best prices. The most friendly service in the area. Store address: 29 31 Newtown Ave., Astoria NY. Phone (718) 7777000, WWW.FLYFORFUN.NET ————————————————————— FLY HIGH HANG GLIDING, INC. — Serving S. New 70

York, Connecticut, Jersey areas. Area’s EXCLUSIVE Wills Wing dealer/specialist. Also all other major brands, accessories. Certified school/instruction. Teaching since 1979. Area’s most INEXPENSIVE prices. Excellent secondary instruction... if you’ve started a program and wish to continue. Fly the mountain! Towing! Tandem flights! Contact Paul Voight, 5163 Searsville Rd, Pine Bush, NY 12566, (845) 744-3317. ————————————————————— SUSQUEHANNA FLIGHT PARK — Cooperstown, NY. Certified Instruction, Sales and Service for all major manufacturers. 40 acre park, 5 training hills, jeep rides, bunk house, camping, hot showers, 600’ NW ridge. We have the best facilities in N. New York state to teach you how to fly. c/o Dan Guido, Box 293 Shoemaker Rd, Mohawk NY 13407, (315) 866-6153. ————————————————————— NORTH CAROLINA ————————————————————— KHK/runway LINEART from HG

*TANDEM INSTRUCTION *AEROTOWING *BOAT TOWING *BEACH RESORT *TRAINING CAMPS *FOOT LAUNCH *OPEN YEAR ROUND *PARAGLIDING *EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE 1-800-334-4777 NAGS HEAD, NC LINEART

Internet Address: http://www.kittyhawk.com E-Mail Address: info@kittyhawk.com ————————————————————— PENNSYLVANIA ————————————————————— HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS — See Maryland. ————————————————————— MOUNTAIN WINGS — Look under New York. ————————————————————— PUERTO RICO ————————————————————— FLY PUERTO RICO — Team Spirit Hang Gliding, HG classes daily, tandem instruction available. Wills Wing dealer. Glider rentals for qualiﬁed pilots. PO Box 978, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico 00741. (787) 850-0508, tshg@coqui.net ————————————————————— TENNESSEE ————————————————————— LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FLIGHT PARK — See ad under Georgia. ————————————————————— TEXAS ————————————————————— AUSTIN AIR SPORTS *CHECK WEBSITE FOR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS *ALL FLYING BY RESERVATION ONLY *DRAGONFLY/TRIKE INSTRUCTION *INTRO FOOT LAUNCH CLASSES *AEROTOWING/WINCH TOWING *EXCELLENT XC FLYING *TANDEM INSTRUCTION *SALES AND SERVICE Steve Burns 979.279.9382 email: sburns@austinairsports. com 800B Pine St., Hearne TX 77859 Fred Burns March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

M A R K E T P L A C E 281.471.1488 email: austinair@aol.com 3810 Bonita Lane, La Porte TX 77571 WWW.AUSTINAIRSPORTS.COM ————————————————————— GO...HANG GLIDING!!! — Jeff Hunt. Austin ph/fax (512) 467-2529 jeff@flytexas.com www. flytexas.com ————————————————————— HILL COUNTRY PARAGLIDING INC — Learn complete pilot skills. Personalized USHGA certified training, ridge soaring, foot & tow launching in central Texas. MOTORIZED PARAGLIDING INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. (915) 379-1185. 1475 CR 220, Tow TX 78672. ————————————————————— TX FLYSPORTS — SPECIALIZING IN POWERED PARAGLIDING, certified instruction. Sky Crusier and Airfer power units, US importer of MUSE and EDEN II paragliders. (713) 494-1970 Houston, www.txflysports.com ————————————————————— UTAH ————————————————————— SUPER FLY PARAGLIDING ACADEMY — The nations foremost training paragliding center offering comprehensive pilot training programs, powered paragliding instruction, tandem flights, maneuvers training, towing training/certification and tandem pilot training. We are the closest shop to Point of the Mountain, open year round and supported by the Super Fly, Inc. distribution and service center just minutes away. Instructors Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Ken Hudonjorgensen, Scotty Marion, Chris Santacroce, Kevin Biernacki, Dale Covington, Jeff Farrell and Ryan Swan. Lessons start at $65. (801) 816-1372 or www. paraglidingacademy.com ————————————————————— WASATCH WINGS — Utah’s only full service hang gliding school, Point of the Mountain, regional mountain sites, towing. Dealer for Aeros, Airwave, Altair, Moyes, Wills Wings and much more. zac@hangglideutah. com www.hangglideutah. com ————————————————————— VIRGINIA ————————————————————— BLUE SKY LINEART FROM HG BLUE SKY — Fulltime instruction and service at Manquin Flight Park near Richmond. Wills Wing, Moyes, Flight Design, Aeros and Doodlebug and Mosquito dealer. Steve Wendt (540) 432-6557 or (804) 241-4324, www.blueskyhg. com, blueskyhg@yahoo.com ————————————————————— HIGHLAND AEROSPORTS — See Maryland. ————————————————————— KITTY HAWK KITES — See North Carolina. ————————————————————— SILVER WINGS, INC. — Certiﬁed instruction and equipment sales. (703) 533-1965 Arlington VA, silverwingshanggliding. com ————————————————————— WASHINGTON ————————————————————— DIXON’S AIRPLAY PARAGLIDING — Please

see our classified ad under Arizona. www. paraglide.com ————————————————————— HANGTIME — Dealer of the MOSQUITO powered harnesses. Call for CLINIC dates. Right here in the pacific northwest. (509) 5253574, lbbrown@bmi.net ————————————————————— WISCONSIN ————————————————————— RAVEN SKY SPORTS HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING — The Midwest’s Premier aerotow flight park, founded in 1992. Featuring INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION of footlaunch and aerotow tandem skills, at package prices to beat any in the USA. Seven beautiful, grassy training hills facing all wind directions. Four Dragonfly tow planes, no waiting! Four tandem gliders on wheeled undercarriages. WW Falcons for training from the very first lessons. USUA ultralight and tug instruction. Free camping. Sales/ service/accessories for all brands. Open 7 days a week, March thru November. Contact Brad Kushner, PO Box 101, Whitewater WI 53190 (262) 473-8800 phone, (262) 473-8801 fax, www.hanggliding.com, info@hanggliding.com WYOMING ————————————————————— JACKSON HOLE LOGO LINEART FROM PG JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING — Come to Paragliding 71

M A R K E T P L A C E Paradise and enjoy Alpine flying at its absolute best! Jackson Hole Paragliding can help turn flying dreams into reality with our quality instruction and guide service. Long known as an outdoorsman’s paradise, Jackson Hole has evolved into a Mecca for paragliding activities. JHPG offers tandem flights, beginner through advanced instruction, mountain thermal clinics, XC clinics, towing, maneuvers training, aerobatic demonstrations and paramotoring. A perfect flying day-Launch the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram in the morning, Tow at the Palisades Reservoir in the afternoon. Contact: scharris@wyoming. com www.jhparagliding. com (307) 690-TRAM (8726) ————————————————————— PARTS & ACCESSORIES ————————————————————— ABSOLUTE LOW — Ball/Blue Sky VARIO prices! www. websitetrafficbuilders. com/vario.htm, email bob@websitetrafficbuilde rscom ————————————————————— AIRMAX HANG GLIDER SHOP — Training harness $95. Prime cocoon harness $120. Prime XC cocoon harness $179. XC glider bag $59. Multipurpose MP glider bag $69. Waterproof TRANSPORT glider bag $99. Glider bag kits $39. GEAR BAGS $39. Speed bar blanks, downtubes, upright blanks, radios, varios, shock cord, leech line, harness rope, sail 72

cloth, thread, sail repair material, bolts, nuts, washers, safety rings, saddles, ball pins, tubing end caps. What LEAF was, we are. Ask for our catalog. (505) 824-5098, email airmax2u@yahoo.com ————————————————————— FLIGHT CONNECTIONS, INC. PTT II LINEART FROM HG *ORDER ONLINE AND SAVE *Water/Dust Resistant Push Button *Field Replaceable Finger Switch *Heavier Gauge Wire/ Improved Plugs *Increased Strain Relief at ALL Joints Price $119.95 Extra finger switch $19.95 w/purchase. Dealer inquiries welcome. Call (636) 390-8919. MC/ Visa. Visit our website at www.flightconn.com, mikedillon@flightconn.com —————————————————————

FLYTEC 4010 VARIOS — With bracket, new $260, used $150. (541) 504-5416.

————————————————————— FOR ALL YOUR FLYING NEEDS — Check out the Aviation Depot at www. mojosgear.com featuring over 1000 items for foot-launched and powered paragliding, hang gliding, stunt and power kiting, and powered parachutes. 24/7 secure online shopping. Books, videos, KITES,

gifts, engine parts, harness accessories, electronics, clothing, safety equipment, complete powered paragliding units with training from Hill Country Paragliding Inc. www. hillcountryparagliding. com 1-800-664-1160 for orders only. Ofﬁce (915) 379-1567. ————————————————————— GHOSTBUSTER PARTS — Sail, ﬂaps, spoilers, ribs, hardware, wires, everything but the leading edges. (970) 641-9207, skyout1@webtv. net ————————————————————— GUNNISON GLIDER LINEART FROM HG XC $60., heavy waterproof $100. Accessories, used stuff. Low prices, fast delivery! Bar mitts, harness packs & zippers. Gunnison Gliders, 1549 County Road 17, Gunnison CO 81230. (970) 6419315, orders 1-866-2382305. ————————————————————— KLASSIC OR CONCEPT WINGLETS — One pair left, brand new in box $350 OBO or trade for? (262) 473-8800, info@hanggliding.com ————————————————————— camera bracket photo. march..tif upload directory LIGHTWEIGHT CAMERA BRACKET — $79 (+$6 s/ h). Holds 35mm cameras or camcorders. Keith Murray, 1011 Page St., Manchester NH 03104, (603) 666-3938, THRMAL@AOL. March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

G A L L E R Y

This month’s Gallery of inspiration features photography submitted by USHGA members Andrew McGarry, Patrick Cudahy and Brett Shreckengost.

Hang Gliding & Paragliding: March, 2003

Andrew McGarry backdrop: Brett Shreckengost

Andrew McGarry

Series: Patrick Cudahy

Patrick Cudahy

IF YOU LIKED OUR FIRST THIRTY YEARS WAIT TILL YOU SEE WHA WHAT'S NEXT!

TOPLESS CLASS PERFORMANCE FOR THE PRICE OF AN INTERMEDIATE. LESS WEIGHT AND BETTER HANDLING THAN INTERMEDIA ANYTHING IN ITS CLASS. IT'S NEVER BEEN THIS EASY TO OWN OR TO FLY FL A GLIDER WITH THIS MUCH PERFORMANCE.

BE SURE TO CHECK THE NEW RE-DESIGNED WILLS WING WEBSITE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT LINE IN THE INDUSTRY TALON / U2 / EAGLE GLE / F FALCON FALC ON 2 / FALCON TANDEM COURAGE

WWW.WILLSWING.COM Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace, The soul that knows it not, knows no release SEE OUR COMPLETE OF HG AND PG ACCESSORIES From littleLINE things; CHARLY HELMETS : INSIDER / AIR CONTROL CHARL FREE FLIGHT RESERVE PARACHUTES PARA P : LARA / PD PDA Knows not the lividCHUTES loneliness of fear, BRAUNIGERNor FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS - ROTOR VUL VULTO HARNESS mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings. How can Life grant us boon of living, compensate For dull grey ugliness and pregnant hate Unless we dare The soul’s dominion? Each time we make a choice, we pay With courage to behold the restless day, And count it fair. 500 West Blueridge Ave. Orange, CA 92865

ph 714.998.6359 fax 714.998.0647 — Aviation Pioneer Amelia Earhart

Celebrating the memory of our lost brethren of the space shuttle Columbia Photo: Brett Shreckengost

Andrew McGarry NEW 2003 GLIDERS AND HARNESS AIRWAVE AIRWAV RW E RWAV WA WAVE / SPORT / MA GIC 3 / SCENIC TANDEM MAGIC SWING ARCUS 3 / MISTRAL 2 / ASTRAL 3/ CIRRUS 3 FREE LINE REPLACEMENT ONE DA DAY SERVICE NEW PARAGLIDING HARNESS DEVELOPED BY MITCH McALEER

WWW.WILLSWING.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE COMPLETE LINE OF QUALITY WILLS WING PARAGLIDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

QUALITY AIRCRAFT FOR EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE

PRODUCT LINES

St. Paul, Minn.—Welcome to a new era for your magazine. After two tests and two surveys of the membership, USHGA has launched its new combined magazine. • I touched on this last month as I congratulated Gil Dodgen for his 25 years of service. But the magazine you are holding is indeed the most significant physical product of USHGA. Hope you’re enjoying the new look. • These magazine changes come amid another sweeping change in American light aircraft operation. FAA is expected to release its new Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft rule in the summer or fall of 2003. Many European powered aircraft makers are paying very close attention to this development as they see a golden opportunity to enter the world’s largest aviation marketplace. True, hang gliders and paragliders are well protected from the heavy hand of the law by virtue of the USA’s simple Part 103 rule which will NOT change. But the tugs which lift so many hang gliders into the sky will eventually have to conform to the new rule… that is, they will have to become certified aircraft under rules being chosen by consensus of current manufacturers. USHGA officials submitted a detailed response to FAA’s rule proposal and have had many personal meetings with regulators. This solid effort appears to assure the future of aerotowing in the U.S. • Now the Sport Pilot / Light Sport Aircraft rule is approaching critical mass. The new consensus standards are being decided by powered ultralight producers and most are not particularly hang gliding- or paragliding-savvy. However, our lightest end of American aviation won’t be left in the cold. • USHGA attended the most recent ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) meeting in Florida. ASTM is a private organization that helps industries establish common standards. They don’t create standards; they help manage their development. ASTM is best known for helping to standardize auto fuels worldwide. EAA enlisted their help and most participants are pleased at their organizational skills. According to Executive Director Jayne Depanfilis, “Mike Meier, Bill Bryden, and Jim Zeiset [attended] the ASTM subcommittee meeting at the Fantasy of Flight Museum, near Wallaby Ranch, in Florida on January 28th and 29th.” Jayne was also part of the entourage. Given the background work and the in-force attendance of this critical meeting, association leaders are hopeful. “USHGA expects the existing fleet of aerotow launch vehicles to become certificated as Experimental Light Sport Aircraft,” says Jayne. Newly-manufactured tugs will eventually have to meet standards being devised now by industry groups as mandated by the proposed new law. Depanfilis adds, “We have been asked by the FAA’s technical expert concerning Light Sport Aircraft, Sue Gardner, to develop our own standards for such aircraft.” •

s ,

At the ASTM meeting, The FAA wished to meet separately with the USHGA, U.S. Ultralight Association, Aero Sports Connection, EAA, and the U.S. Powered Paragliding Association, to discuss the next steps for the implementation of the new Sport Pilot rule. “This will be the first time that each of these industry leaders will be together at the same time to discuss this rule,” asserted Jayne. • In gatherings solely with USHGA leaders, FAA wants to discuss adoption of the association’s standards for tandem hang gliding. • Returning to product news, GW Meadows writes that his lead team pilot, Oleg Bondarchuk from the Ukraine, “has just won the first two big meets of the year. This guy is kicking ass. He won more meets than anyone last year. He’s having an incredible 14 months and we hope he’ll keep it up into the Florida meets.” • Oleg flies the Aeros Combat 2, which GeeDub says is “the same glider that any pilot can order from us.” You may never be as good as Oleg but you can operate the same equipment and that may get you a little higher and a few miles further down the course. • You can also get the Combat 2 on a special deal. While the auto companies are offering everyone and their neighbor 0% loans to buy cars, hang gliding enterprises like JustFly can also make deals. See what you think of this one: The 2003 U.S. Aeros Victory Sale. They’re selling Combat 2s for $4,495. GW suggests you compare that price to the competition. He says it is as much as $2,000 less… for a glider that is proving itself a winner. FMI: 252-480-3552 or go to JustFly.com. • Though spring and the famous Florida meets are coming, it is still winter in most U.S. locations and most of us can’t go hang gliding -- comfortably anyway. Of course, you can travel to a place where it’s warm (Florida, California, Texas, Mexico, etc.). Or, you can go hang gliding right now if you have Internet access. • Of all places, the Disney Website has a hang gliding game. And you know what? I actually had to pay attention to things like thermal generators, in-flight conflicts, and glide estimates. I only played it for a few minutes while preparing this column and never got to the higher levels. But it was kinda fun and I was warm and cozy in my house during all flights. If you crash -- which happens frequently at first -- you are always saved by your ejection seat-like parachute system. Since I work for BRS parachutes, I loved this ending, despite the pilot saying “Ow!” when the parachute reaches the ground. (However, those of you who have been through a parachute landing know “Ow!” is a fairly appropriate statement when feet meet terra firma.) Disney’s hang gliding game is free, so to have a bit of fun this winter, go to: http://disney.go.com/games/hang/index.html • So, got news or opinions? Send ‘em to: 8 Dorset, St. Paul MN 55118. Messages or fax to 651-450-0930. E-mail to News@ByDanJohnson.com or CumulusMan@aol.com. THANKS! n

March, 2003: Hang Gliding & Paragliding

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